A/N - Happy New Year wherever you are in the world! Here's to hoping 2021 treats us all a little better. Be safe out there and make sure you eat something before you get litty. Four day old pizza only counts if you actually eat it...trust me LOL.
It's not until several minutes later that Santana and Brittany finally pull away from each other. Brittany can't tell if it's the alcohol or if it's the way Santana's lips felt against her own that's making her head feel a little fuzzy. She's guessing it might be the latter because – wow.
She was so not expecting Santana to kiss her. She was hoping and wishing and thinking and praying that Santana would, but she didn't think she'd actually do it. There are no complaints here, obviously. Brittany wouldn't mind kissing her all night if she could have it her way.
She's thinking that maybe she can make that happen when she feels Santana pull back even further.
"Why'd you stop?" Brittany pouts.
Santana smiles at the way Brittany's bottom lip pokes out, "I was just checking."
"Checking what?" Brittany looks around and confirms that they're still alone, "No one's out here."
"I know. I was just checking that…that was okay," Santana says as she starts to look a little bashful, "I kind of jumped you."
"You didn't," Brittany chuckles, still feeling like she's on Cloud 9, "Believe me, if you did I wouldn't mind it at all."
"Good to know," Santana replies with a laugh but she still looks somewhat nervous and it has Brittany's smile faltering.
The quarterback goes out on a limb and moves to sit closer to Santana. They share the lounge chair now and their bare thighs press against each other's as Brittany tries to assure her.
"It was more than okay, Santana," Brittany tells her.
"Yeah?"
Brittany starts to grin, "Completely unexpected, but more than okay. You can do that again any time."
Santana peeks up at her through her long lashes, "Any time?"
"Definitely," Brittany continues to grin.
They're sharing the same personal bubble now and it's a little distracting how Santana licks her bottom lip before tugging it between her teeth. It looks like she's planning her next move, but Brittany gets too caught up in staring to notice.
"So," Santana mumbles as she leans in. Her lips hit Brittany's jawline as she says, "Could I kiss you…here?"
"Yeah," Brittany shivers at how Santana's warm breath tickles her neck. She stifles a whimper as Santana presses a soft kiss there. Her hands are begging to move; to feel more of Santana, to find purchase somewhere so she doesn't float off.
"What about here?" Santana husks against Brittany's ear before she nips at her lobe.
This time Brittany can't contain the moan that escapes her. She's never experienced this side of Santana before and it's making her hot – she doesn't know how far Santana's wanting to go but Brittany doesn't know how much more of the teasing she can take.
"How about here?" Santana hums before lowering another kiss to the hinge of Brittany's jaw, "Is it okay to kiss you here?"
"God Santana," Brittany breathes out as she turns her head slightly.
It's enough to catch Santana's lips before they land once more and it feels like heaven.
When Brittany's hands come up to cup Santana's cheeks, she hears the brunette let out a whimper. It makes Brittany smile knowing that she can have the same effect that Santana has on her and she moves to deepen the kiss.
Santana's hand shakes a little as she reaches for Brittany knee. It's almost like she's using it to keep herself steady as her nose bumps against Brittany's top lip. Everything about the way Santana moves is slow and thoughtful and Brittany just can't get enough.
Soon Santana's tongue is running along the bottom of Brittany's lip, teasing the quarterback before she's delving in. Brittany inhales sharply at the feel of Santana's tongue gliding against her own before her hands drop to Santana's waist.
Brittany's about a second away from pulling the brunette into her lap when the sliding door is suddenly pushed open and a couple partygoers spill out onto the deck. The sound of the rowdy newcomers has Santana jolting away in an instant – her eyes zoning in on the ruckus then flickering back to Brittany like she's unsure of what to do now.
Brittany sees the moment Santana remembers where they are and what these people can do to her if they saw. It's hard for the blonde to keep her expression soft as she watches Santana shrink away from her. She knows it's nothing personal, but it still stings a little when Santana scoots further away.
The others don't even notice Santana and Brittany are there; they just move towards the firepit on the opposite side of the yard, too caught up in their own conversation to care. Santana continues to stay frozen in place though; Brittany's waiting for her to retreat or wall herself up, but surprisingly Santana does the exact opposite – sort of.
Instead of Santana running off alone, she extends the invite.
"You want to get out of here?" Santana asks. She must realize how that sounds and quickly adds, "Not like that. I just mean…"
Brittany can't help but smirk.
This is the Santana she's used to; a little shy and easily embarrassed by her poor choice of words. Most of the time the innuendos would've gone over Brittany's head, but because Santana stumbles on her words and brings attention to it Brittany's started to pick up on it.
"Don't," Santana begins to blush, "That's not what I was meaning,"
"Hey, I'm not saying anything," Brittany chuckles.
Santana huffs and moves to stand. The confidence is back as she says, "Come with me somewhere."
"You asking me or telling me?"
Santana squints at Brittany's playful tone, "Just come on."
Brittany softens as she straightens up, "You want to leave the party?"
"Just for a little bit," Santana nods and looks to the sliding door, "If I go back in there I'll just keep drinking and I don't think I need to anymore."
Brittany isn't sure what that's supposed to mean, but she agrees to go with Santana. There's nowhere else she'd rather be anyway and if there's even the slightest chance they'll get to pick up where they left off then she'll be there.
\\
Before they go, they make a pitstop in the kitchen. Santana fills her empty water bottle with spiked punch while Brittany swipes a couple of jackets – she doesn't know who they belong to but she doubts they'll mind if they borrow them.
"Where we going?" Brittany wonders once they get outside again and head for the side gate.
Santana turns to her with her hand held out and smirks, "You'll see."
\\
They don't venture too far from Puck's place, but when Brittany spots a couple of picnic tables under a big oak tree she starts to realize where she might be. The street lamps illuminate the path in a orange light and it makes her feel a little better about walking around in the middle of the night.
"I know this place," Brittany says when she sees the familiar playground, "I take Pete here sometimes."
Santana looks up at her and smiles but she continues to lead them past the playground and picnic tables to a clearing Brittany didn't know about. There's a pond with a single bench positioned in front of it. Beside the bench is another street lamp but this light illuminates the area in a white glow.
"I didn't know there was a pond here," Brittany says as they get closer to the bench.
"Yeah," Santana answers as they take a seat, "It's my secret spot. I love coming here whenever I need a break from everything."
Brittany nods at the softness in her voice before she sinks into Santana's side. They look out at the water and watch the rippling reflection of the moon and stars. It's a comfortable quiet, peaceful even but it makes Brittany wonder why Santana brought her here.
"I can see why you love it here," Brittany says as she turns to Santana, "Did you need a break from before?"
Santana smirks as she lifts the bottle of punch to her lips and goes for a long sip. That's really all the explanation Brittany needs. Things were getting heated fast back at Puck's, they needed somewhere to cool down.
"It was a good idea," Brittany nods as Santana passes her the bottle. She pauses as she brings it up to her lips and keeps her eyes on the water, "I'm not sure where that would've gone if we kept going."
Santana chuckles, "I think I have an idea."
Brittany just shakes her head as she swallows her sip. There's just enough vodka in the punch to have her coasting on that familiar buzz, the kind of buzz that eases the need to overthink things but Brittany still can't help but wonder. Was Santana's idea the same as Brittany's, because Brittany was thinking of something that involved a lot less clothes.
Actually, the clothes could've stayed on. Santana's in a dress but it might be a little harder for Brittany with her tight shorts and suspenders getting in the way. She would've made it work though if that's what Santana wanted. She would've had no problem getting caught between Santana's –
"It feels different at night," Santana mentions.
"Yeah. I'm more of an afternoon person myself," Brittany nods in a daze before looking to Santana. She quickly realizes they aren't on the same page and starts to giggle, "Oh. You mean this place. Yeah, totally! It's beautiful."
Santana smirks again as she takes back the punch, "What were you talking about?"
"Not the same thing you were," Brittany chuckles as she sinks down a littler further so she can rest her head on Santana's shoulder.
"Don't fall asleep," Santana warns awhile later. There's a softness to her voice that Brittany wasn't expecting, "I don't think I can carry you back."
"I'm just resting my eyes," Brittany jokes as she drapes her arm around Santana's midsection, "And you're really comfortable."
"You're such a lightweight," Santana teases.
Brittany playfully rolls her eyes, "I've been drinking a lot longer than you tonight, thank you very much."
"Excuses," Santana quips.
"Give me that," Brittany squints as she pushes off of Santana to sit up. She's handed the bottle and goes to take a long swig. Santana starts to egg her on even more with a Chug! Chug! Chug! Brittany doesn't finish the entire thing but it's enough to leave a warm feeling in her chest.
"Impressive," Santana giggles before they're settling into another bout of silence.
Brittany's resting her head on Santana's as they look out at the water. She's thinking about how this day started like any other – morning run, work out, chores, trick or treating – and now look at her. She's sitting on a bench with this beautiful girl and all she's thinking about now is kissing her again.
She wonders if Santana would stop her again if she tried to?
"You're not falling asleep, are you?" Santana whispers. Her voice sounds thick and raspy – it's so sexy and does not help with clearing out the haze in Brittany's head.
"I'm awake," Brittany answers and maybe it's the booze in her system that makes the honesty that much worse as she says, "I'm just thinking about making out with you again."
When Santana turns to Brittany, she looks a little surprised by the comment but soon she starts to smirk.
Brittany nods with this dopey grin on her face like it's true, "You have really nice lips. They're very soft and I like them a lot."
Santana giggles, "You sure that's not the alcohol talking?"
"Totally," Brittany goes to nod again then pauses, "I mean, it might be…but I still like them a lot. Even when I haven't been drinking I think about them so we should make out again soon."
"Smooth," Santana teases, "You must've snagged a lot of girls and boys back home?"
Brittany rolls her eyes at the joke, "Speak for yourself. A gorgeous girl like you, Co-Captain of the Cheerios…I doubt you've had any trouble either."
"And yet we were both dateless for Homecoming," Santana smirks.
"I had you, didn't I?" Brittany asks with a grin.
"You didn't," Santana flirts.
"Well…," Brittany sighs, "You sure had me."
"You and these pick up lines," Santana jokes although her cheeks flush.
"They working yet?"
Santana bobs her head from side to side in thought, but then Brittany's turning towards her and leaning in. She has a hand high on Santana's thigh while her arm settles along the back of the bench and curls around Santana's shoulders.
It takes everything in her to pause though just before she reaches Santana's lips.
"Why'd you stop?" Santana husks, but her eyes stay glued to Brittany's mouth as if she's trying to will the blonde to move.
"Waiting for you to tell me," Brittany rasps, "Did my line work?"
Santana licks her lips again in anticipation, "Just kiss me."
Brittany doesn't need to be told twice before she's closing the distance. She swallows Santana's little moan and before she knows it, Santana's climbing onto her lap. The brunette's hands are tangling into Brittany's hair as their chests press flush.
It's the hottest thing ever and Brittany feels like she's about to explode because Santana's in a dress – a super short dress at that – and now she's straddling Brittany's lap. Brittany literally has the girl spread open and she knows she shouldn't, but fuck she really wants feel if Santana's just as turned on as she is.
Brittany's hands don't move hesitantly anymore; they go to rest low on Santana's back and soon they drift even lower until they're palming Santana's ass. It's not where she wishes she could be, but it's equally as great because have you seen Santana's ass? It's perfect.
It's all too much and too little at the same time. Brittany knows they should probably slow down before their hormones get the best of them and they do something they might regret, but Santana just feels so good on top of her. She's never been more turned on just from kissing someone but then again she's never kissed someone like Santana.
This girl really is out of her league – which is exactly why she should slow down.
"We should – " Brittany stammers when she feels Santana's hips start to rock against her lap. She knows where this is going and even if she's a little tiny bit wasted, she doesn't want to rush through things just because they can't help themselves.
Santana isn't someone she'd drunkenly hook up with. She's special and she deserves more than a quickie on a park bench. If it ever happens – and Brittany so wishes that it does – she's going to want to take her time if she can help it.
But let's be real, that will probably go out the window if it ever does happen.
"Santana," Brittany tries again with a gentle squeeze to her side. Santana keeps sucking kisses against her neck and it makes it even harder for Brittany to stop this, "Shit…Santana wait, we should – "
Santana sucks a little harder at her pulse point and it's enough to have Brittany abandoning her previous stance. She can't tell if Santana's left a mark there but the possibility that she has excites Brittany.
Fuck it, Brittany thinks before she's tilting away from Santana's wanting mouth and moving her own to Santana's exposed chest. This dress is doing wonders for Santana's cleavage and Brittany would be lying if she said she wasn't imagining going to town on her the minute she arrived to Puck's.
"Fuck!" Santana whines when Brittany nips at the top of Santana's left breast.
Brittany soothes the nip with a wet kiss before doing it again to the other side. She can feel Santana's blunt nails dig into the back of her neck and it makes her roll Santana's hips against her lap again. It's not nearly enough friction but it's something – all Brittany wants is to make Santana feel good.
"You're killing me, Pierce," Santana groans breathlessly as she rocks harder in Brittany's lap.
Brittany just smirks against Santana's chest, "There you go again calling me Pierce. You sure you know my name?"
"Uh-huh," Santana answers mindlessly as she throws her head back and pulls Brittany closer.
Brittany's stronger though and is able to pull away. She finds Santana staring down at her with parted lips, looking at her with want and a little annoyance. There's that same dazed look in her eyes from when they were sitting poolside though and it has Brittany leaning in for another kiss. This time Santana's tongue tangles with Brittany's and the blonde can't help but moan at the taste of her.
Brittany pulls back slightly and says through her smirk, "I'm not sure you really know it."
"I do," Santana assures her as she dives back in for another heated kiss.
"Say it then," Brittany mutters against Santana's lips, "Say my name."
Instead, Santana let's out another moan and it's probably the sexiest sound Brittany's heard yet! Maybe it's a good thing she hasn't heard Santana say her name, she doubts she'd be able to handle it with how breathless she's sounding.
"Santana," Brittany sighs as Santana rocks harder into the blonde's lap. Her heart is pounding so hard that it's making her ears throb, but she continues squeezing Santana's ass and helping her roll her hips.
Suddenly Santana's cursing as she stiffens in Brittany's lap and Brittany's brows rise.
Did she just? Brittany wonders but then Santana's sitting back on Brittany's knees.
"What's wrong?" Brittany straightens but then she feels the tell-tale sensations of a phone vibrating – she's just not sure where it's coming from.
"Sorry," Santana says before she pulls her cell out from her cleavage and quickly answers the calls, "What, Fabray?"
Brittany can just barely hear Quinn on the other end of the line, but she can't make out any of the words. She only watches Santana's expression as she listens.
"I'm fine. I promise," Santana answers out of annoyance. When she looks down at Brittany though, she softens, "Yes. I'm with her right now. Yes, right now. It's none of your business. Yeah, okay. Okay! We'll be back soon."
Brittany watches Santana start to blush before she ends the call and tucks her phone back into her bra.
"She worried?" Brittany wonders.
"Just checking on me."
Brittany nods, "Should we go back now?"
Santana shakes her head and looks off to the side, "Not yet."
"Okay," Brittany answers. She's not sure what to do from here. Can she continue their moment or has it passed now? She bites her lip as she thinks.
"You know what I kind of want to do right now?" Santana says instead.
In their current position, Brittany quirks an eyebrow at the possible answers. Santana seems to notice when she looks back and starts to giggle.
"Get your mind out of the gutter, Pierce."
"It's hard not to be there when you're literally straddling me," Brittany chuckles with a pat to Santana's ass.
Santana continues to laugh as she climbs off of Brittany's lap, "I was going to say that I feel like swinging."
"Oh!" Brittany perks up despite the loss of Santana on her. She follows Santana's gaze to the swing set near the playground, "The swings were always my favorite when I was a kid."
"Mine too."
Brittany looks back to Santana, "I'll race you to them."
Santana smirks and takes off towards them without a word.
Brittany shoots up and chases after her, "That's cheating! You got a head start!"
When Santana gets to the swings first, she can't stop laughing at the way Brittany shakes her head at her.
"What? Not used to losing?" Santana teases and downs the rest of the punch before she hops onto the swing.
Brittany takes the one next to her, "Not cool."
Santana just chuckles as they start to swing at a slow pace.
"Do you get that funny feeling in your stomach when you go too high?" Brittany asks a moment later.
"Yeah," Santana answers as she pushes to get higher, "It use to scare me, but I kind of like it now."
"Same," Brittany smiles before she looks over to Santana, "We probably shouldn't be doing this while we're drunk though."
"I'm not drunk," Santana replies with a giggle, "You're drunk."
"I know," Brittany snickers.
Santana's laughter quiets down a second later and then she's asking, "Can I tell you something?"
There's a change in her tone that has Brittany looking over at her, "Okay."
"You can't laugh though."
Brittany looks unsure of where this is going now, "Why not? Is it embarrassing or something?"
"You just can't, okay?" Santana urges.
"Alright," Brittany giggles, "I won't!"
"You're already laughing…"
"Because you're making me nervous," Brittany admits before softening, "Okay, I'm not going to laugh."
"Promise?"
"I pinky promise," Brittany assures her as she extends her pinky out. It's a little hard to connect with Santana while they're still swinging, so they slow to a stop so they can properly pinky swear.
When their pinkies link, Brittany feels the earth move. She wonders if Santana felt it too or if it's just the dizziness setting in. She's surprised she hasn't felt the spins sooner, but she guesses that's because she's been so…distracted.
"I won't laugh," Brittany says before letting go.
"Okay so," Santana starts nervously, "That was…my first kiss."
"No it wasn't," Brittany replies disbelievingly.
"By the pool," Santana clarifies with a nod, "It was the first…with a girl, I mean."
Brittany quirks a brow as she recounts the past hour. They've been pretty busy so far and nothing about any of that screamed first anything because Santana had been so confident. Even if she was a little slow to move at times, Brittany still thought she knew what she was doing anyway.
"Really?" Brittany asks through a chuckle, Santana could've fooled her with the way she was taking control.
"You said you wouldn't laugh," Santana starts to pout.
God, she looks so damn cute; Brittany just wants to kiss her again.
"Sorry!" Brittany says instead, "I'm not laughing at that, I just thought…didn't you and Dani? Was she not your first?"
"No," Santana shakes her head, "That was just a peck on the cheek. We never really got another chance after everything happened."
"Wow," Brittany starts to smile, "So I'm your first girl kiss, huh? Santana, I'm honored."
"Don't make me regret telling you," Santana playfully rolls her eyes at Brittany's teasing tone, "You weren't my first first. You're just the first that counted. I've kind of kissed a girl before."
"Wait," Brittany's brows furrow, "Kind of? How do you kind of kiss someone?"
"Okay, maybe not kind of," Santana starts to explain with a chuckle, "Maybe accidental is a better way of putting it? Actually, it wasn't really accidental either."
"I need to hear this story," Brittany says, "I wish we had more of that punch."
"We should go back then and get – "
"No, no!" Brittany laughs, "You can't deflect your way out of this one. There's a juicy story here, I can feel it."
"It's really not all that juicy."
"I'll be the judge of that," Brittany smirks.
"Fine," Santana drawls out, "It happened like any other first kiss happens: playing spin the bottle. It was Finn Hudson's birthday and we were all in the backyard when Puck suggested we play spin the bottle. There were more girls than boys so he liked his odds I guess? It seemed to work in his favor though because we landed on each other like three times. We were all wasted off of wine coolers Puck snuck in so there was a lot of making out going on in between spins. I didn't really think anything of it though because kissing boys always seemed like a chore to me anyway."
Brittany frowns at Santana's dismissive tone, "It's not supposed to feel like a chore."
"Yeah," Santana agrees, "I always thought maybe it was because I was kissing the wrong boy? Ended up making out with almost every guy there…which I'm not proud of."
Brittany shrugs, "It took me a couple tries until I found a guy that didn't slobber all over me. Most boys don't know what they're doing."
Santana nods, "Well, I didn't know that until Quinn spun and landed on me."
Brittany's jaw dropped, "Quinn was your first girl kiss?"
Santana lets out a nervous chuckle, "Now I wish we had more of that punch."
"Oh my God," Brittany quirks a brow, "Did you guys like…hook up?"
"Gross! No way," Santana scrunched her nose, "She was kind of like…I don't know. It's hard to explain. I approached it like how would if she were a guy and maybe she did too. Before that happened, I didn't even consider being into another girl. I didn't think it was an option, so when she landed on me I didn't really care. We were just doing it to impress the guys anyway but then she kissed me and it was like…"
"A gay awakening?" Brittany supplies.
"Yeah."
Brittany nods knowingly, "Yeah, I've had a few of those."
"Crazy," Santana mumbles, clearly wrapped up in the memory.
Brittany watches curiously. It's not a pang of jealousy that hits her, but something stirs in her chest. Quinn's witty and smart and equally as popular as Santana. They've known each other for years which is a lot more than Brittany can say and she's witnessed girls on the cheer squad at her old school become an item. She has seen best friends become an item too so it's not that far-fetched.
Brittany just has to know, "So did you like…like her or something after?"
"God no," Santana shakes her head, "At first I thought I did because of the feelings I got from it and like…Quinn's attractive and all but it wasn't like that. I was quick to realize it wasn't because it was Quinn, it was because she's a girl…if that makes sense."
"It does," Brittany feels oddly relieved, "Was this before Dani then?"
Santana nods, "Yeah. Quinn and I don't really talk about it. Not that it's weird or anything because she's my best friend and we tell each other most things, but you know…I don't want to blow up her ego thinking she was the one that turned me or something."
Brittany chuckles at the sound of Santana joking with her, "Well you do seem to have a thing for blondes."
Santana gasps and Brittany laughs even harder.
"What was your first kiss like?" The Co-Captain asks a moment later.
"With a girl?"
"Yeah."
Brittany shrugs, "Similar to yours. It happened on a dare at this sleepover. I ended up liking the girl afterwards though, that didn't go too well."
"What happened?"
Brittany tries to recount the memory but it's a little foggy. She doubts it's because of the alcohol though, this might just be purely because she's pushed it too far back to the depths of her mind hoping it would never resurface again.
"Long story short, she was straight and got weirded out," Brittany finally explains, "It was a rough couple of months. Not many girls wanted to invite me over for sleepovers after that."
"That's so messed up," Santana huffs.
"It was for a little bit but guys are sometimes easier to talk to, you know, after they take the hint that you only want to be friends," Brittany replies, "See? School drama is everywhere."
Santana ponders her words before asking, "Is that why you moved here?"
"No. That happened years ago," Brittany answers and suddenly things feel all too real because she remembers the reason. She tries to keep her voice even as she answers, "We moved here because…my dad. He died earlier this year."
"Oh," Santana looks surprised and quickly adds, "I'm so sorry."
"It's okay," Brittany smiles politely in response. She doesn't want to hear the pity in Santana's voice, she's heard it enough from everyone else, "He was sick for a long time so…yeah. We kind of knew it was coming, especially when the treatments weren't helping anymore."
Santana nods quietly as Brittany gets more wrapped up in her thoughts.
"It's weird; when he was first diagnosed it all happened so quickly. One day he was out playing catch with me and Pete and then he wasn't," Brittany frowns.
"Cancer?"
"Yeah," Brittany answers suddenly feeling reminiscent, "I miss him so much like all the time. It was really hard on my family when it happened. Pete didn't talk for awhile and mom walked around like a zombie."
Santana frowns, "And you?"
Brittany bites her lip, "I tried to keep busy – went to school then work and did my best to take care of everyone else. Everyone was always asking me if I was okay, but how do you answer that? I just lost my dad; who would be okay? I guess I was throwing everyone off because I seemed fine. Honestly, I just felt numb. I saw my family struggling so I stepped up and everything was okay. It was a different story at night though."
Santana nods, "Why?"
If Brittany hadn't been drinking all night, she wouldn't have answered. She probably would've made up something in order to deflect, but there's something about this night and Santana that has her opening up – something she's not used to doing when it comes to her dad.
"I had these nightmares," Brittany tells her sadly. She swallows back the lump in her throat, "For weeks, every night I had nightmares. It was always the same thing so I stopped sleeping during the night thinking that would help. Of course it didn't. I started falling asleep in class and at work. People got worried and I had to start seeing a counselor. Eventually the dreams stopped, but I'm not sure why. I doubt it had anything to do with my counselor visits."
Santana smiles apologetically, "I lost my Abuelo a few years ago and it was hard for a long time. I had dreams too, but they just made me miss him. It gets easier eventually."
"That's what they tell me," Brittany nods.
Santana doesn't say anything else, just quietly watches Brittany as they sway in their swings.
"You know, my dad was always the loudest at my games," Brittany admits with a sad chuckle, "I miss hearing him cheer for me. It's crazy how I can feel the difference now that he's not there."
"Maybe I'll steal Coach's megaphone one day?" Santana offers, "It won't be the same but…"
That makes Brittany smile, "I'd love to see that."
"I'll see what I can do," Santana winks.
Brittany chuckles, "Now that we live closer to my grandparents they try to come to most of my games too. With them and my mom and Petey, it's like my own little cheering squad. It's cool, but sometimes I have a really great drive or pull off an impossible throw and I look to the stands to see his reaction...then I remember he's not there anymore and it sucks."
"Of course," Santana nods.
"This is probably the most I've talked about him in awhile," Brittany admits guiltily, "Sorry to bring the mood down."
"You didn't," Santana assures her.
Brittany just shrugs and starts to swing again. When she was little, she thought if she went high enough she might be able to touch the clouds with her toes. She use to get her dad to push her so she could get an extra boost, but no matter how high she got, she never touched them. That didn't stop her from continuing to try though.
Santana follows suit and soon they're getting higher and higher.
"You ever jump off?" Santana asks a minute later.
"Duh," Brittany grins proudly, "I was Queen of the Swing Jump back in my playground days."
"Huh," Santana quirks a brow, "So was I."
"Bet I can jump off farther than you," Brittany challenges with a playful smirk.
"You're on!" Santana says as she kicks off her heels in preparation for the jump.
Brittany does the same before they start to count down.
"One."
Brittany pumps her legs hard to get more air. When she looks to her side, she sees Santana doing the same.
"Two."
She's laughing now because Santana is too and the sound is infectious. She's used to seeing Santana wound up so tight she might snap, but when she's able to get a glimpse of her being carefree Santana never disappoints.
"Three," They say in unison, "Jump!"
They both get a ton of air but come crashing down into each other. Brittany smacks against something hard – maybe Santana's elbow or knee or even her head, she isn't sure but it hurts like hell.
"Shit!" Santana curses as she rubs her head.
"Ow!" Brittany chuckles through a pained groan, "Why is your head so hard?"
"I'm sorry!" Santana laughs while she lies flat on her back, "Are you okay?"
"You can't ask that and laugh at the same time."
"I'm sorry, it was funny!" Santana giggles as she rolls over to Brittany. The smile instantly drops, "Oh my God, you're bleeding."
"What?"
"Fuck," Santana stammers as she cups Brittany's chin to get a better look. There's worry in her eyes and it makes Brittany nervous.
Brittany blinks and she feels way more dazed than before, "Is it bad?"
Santana looks around for something before eyeing Brittany's nose, "We need to get back."
"Wait, am I really bleeding?" Brittany mumbles but Santana's just grabbing their heels and pulling Brittany towards Puck's.
\\\\\
Santana is scanning the crowd of dancers for her best friend as soon as she and Brittany get back to Puck's. She's a little frazzled and kind of tipsy, but the blood has sobered her up some. She's still tugging Brittany behind her by the hand as she searches the crowd for Quinn.
"What the – " Quinn pauses when she sees Brittany, "Jesus Santana, what did you do to her?"
"It was an accident, okay!" Santana defends before casting a worried look to Brittany.
"It's cool," Brittany shrugs, "I've had my nose broken before. This really doesn't feel like that."
"Probably because you're both drunk as hell," Quinn points out, "I doubt you feel anything."
"That is also true," Brittany looks down at her once white shirt, "Crap. That's going to be hard to get out."
Suddenly Sam appears along with Mike, "Fake blood, awesome! It's just like that one scene in where – "
"It's not fake," Santana corrects as she swipes some cocktail napkins to hand to Brittany, "Tilt your head back and put this to your nose."
"Wait what?" Sam starts to turn a little green, "I gotta go; I can't do the real stuff."
"Dude," Mike chastises before taking one look a Brittany then Santana, "Woah. What'd you do to her, Santana?"
"I didn't do anything," Santana huffs.
"It was an accident," Brittany amends while she holds a wad of napkins to her nose, "Clash of the Swing Jump Queens. It was a tie."
Everyone but Santana looks at her like she's just spouting drunken nonsense.
"We should go back to mine and get you cleaned up," Quinn says to Brittany, "Who knows what we'll find if we root around for stuff here."
Santana looks to Brittany hesitantly, "Is that okay with you?"
"Totally," Brittany replies as she goes for her phone, "I'll just text my mom. She knows I'm here."
Quinn and Santana both blink dumbfoundedly at her.
"What?" Brittany frowns.
"She…knows you're here?" Santana clarifies, "Like at a party?"
"Well yeah," Brittany shrugs as she sends out the text, "Doesn't yours?"
"Hell no!" Santana laughs, "She'd probably ground me again."
"Same," Quinn nods, "But mine was on her third bottle of wine by the time Santana and I left, she should be passed out by now so we better get going."
"We'll walk you guys," Mike offers as he wraps an arm around Quinn's shoulders. Sam nods and flanks the other side as they turn to leave.
"Oh wait," Brittany pauses and shrugs off the borrowed jacket. She looks around for somewhere to put it before just tossing it over the staircase railing.
Santana smirks as she does the same.
\\
Once they get to Quinn's house, Santana's sobered up enough to tend to Brittany's injury. The blonde sits on the closed toilet seat lid while Santana uses a damp washcloth to clean up the dried blood. Quinn lingers in the doorway and watches while the boys wait on the porch.
"You sure you got this?" Quinn asks Santana as she hands her the first aid kit her mom keeps under the bathroom sink.
"Of course," Santana answers casually, "You know it runs in the fam."
"Dr. Lopez is on the job," Quinn jokes before looking to Brittany, "You're in good hands."
"I know," Brittany smirks.
Santana swats at Brittany's shoulder but it only makes Brittany start to giggle.
Quinn just shakes her head, "I'm going to get you two some water and maybe raid the kitchen for snacks. You both need something to soak up the alcohol, no way I'm cleaning up your puke."
"Awesome," Brittany replies before cringing at Santana's touch.
"Sorry," Santana whispers, "It's going to be tender but it doesn't look broken."
"I figured," Brittany answers with a smirk, "You can quit fussing over me now."
Santana bites her lip, "I just want to make sure the bleeding has stopped. I'm not fussing over you."
"Yes, you are," Brittany coos, "You're dressed up as a sexy hot nurse and now you're fussing over me."
"This a wet dream of yours coming true?" Santana jokes.
"You have no idea," Brittany winks playfully, "But seriously, I'm okay. Just put a tampon in there and I'll be good to go."
"Have you actually done that?" Santana quirks a brow.
"No," Brittany giggles, "But I've always wanted to try."
Santana shakes her head, "Let me just clean off the dried blood first before you go shoving things up there, okay?"
"You got it," Brittany smiles and sits patiently as Santana continues cleaning her up.
Santana tries to move slow and delicately, not wanting to hurt Brittany any further than she already has tonight but the way she's standing gives her flashbacks of their time by the pond. Brittany's thigh is between Santana's legs and it wouldn't take much coaxing for her to straddle it.
She continues to focus on dabbing around Brittany's injury until she feels the blonde's fingers dance along the back of her knee. Santana's heart rate spikes and she tries her hardest to keep her chest from heaving at the sensation. Brittany's fingers draw soft circles against her skin and Santana swears her legs are about to give out.
It's the biggest mistake ever when Santana chances a glance at her.
"How's it looking, Doc?" Brittany asks when their eyes meet.
"G-good," Santana stammers before she averts her eyes back to her work, "I mean, not good but much better than before."
"Cool," Brittany says as she continues drawing patterns at the back of Santana's knee.
Santana's will power is slowly fading. She's suddenly super aware of how long it's been since she has been with anyone and the last time wasn't even all that great. Puck barely lasted two minutes and he didn't even have the energy to return the favor.
All she's had to work with is her hand for the past year and she's starting to lose interest in that too – especially when Brittany's right here, but does she want to go there with her? Does she want to complicate their whatever this is with sex?
At the moment, everything in her is saying hell yes but she knows she's not thinking straight at the moment.
When she looks down at Brittany again, she finds her blue eyes dazzling as she stares back. There's a slight glaze to them but Santana can tell Brittany's a lot more sober than she was by the swings. She guesses this is the start of the come down now and soon she's going to have to address everything she's done tonight. She's not sure how she feels about that yet, hopefully she can drag this feeling out for as long as she can.
Britany's nose is already starting to bruise and all Santana wants to do is kiss it better. She doesn't know what's in store for them tomorrow, but she could take advantage of this moment and how easy things could be with Brittany.
"Found a bag of frozen peas," Quinn says before Santana can make a move.
"She's great," Brittany comments as she drops her hand from Santana.
"Forgot the water bottles," Quinn passes the makeshift ice pack to the brunette before leaving again.
"Isn't she?" Santana answers as she presses the washcloth gingerly to Brittany's nose. She bites her lip as she watches the blonde flinch in pain, "I'm really sorry about this."
"It's alright," Brittany says through a smile. The movement of her nose has her wincing but she pushes through, "I've experienced a lot worse on the football field. At least it isn't broken this time so that's a plus."
"Does it hurt?" Santana finds herself asking. It's a silly question because she has seen Brittany's pained expression more than once.
"Do I get a kiss if I say yes?" Brittany flirts.
Santana doesn't even answer, just leans down to softly press a kiss to Brittany's lips as best as she can without bothering her nose.
\\
Once the bleeding finally stops, the washcloth is switched out for the bag of frozen peas Quinn found. It's nearly 3am now and Santana's barely keeping her eyes open as they gather in Quinn's living room. Santana sits closest to Brittany and keeps a watchful eye on her.
Brittany doesn't seem to be too bothered by the injury as she asks Quinn about her night. Although, she does catch Santana's eye every so often and sends her a coy smile.
It makes Santana blush and remind her of how much of tonight she has spent kissing Brittany. Just thinking that makes her want to laugh. Who knew tequila could give her such a confidence boost? It was about damn time! She finally felt like herself again, hopefully it's here to stay.
"Well," Brittany groans as she pushes to sit up straight, "I should probably head home now."
"You don't want to stay?" Santana finds herself asking. She's hoping she doesn't come across as needy. Really, she's just concerned about Brittany's injury and also feels a little guilty about causing it – and that's the story she's sticking to!
"You can if you want," Quinn assures Brittany with a shrug, "It's super late."
Brittany looks from Quinn to Santana and smiles apologetically, "I want to, but I probably shouldn't. I'm supposed to watch Pete while my mom's at work tomorrow. It's an early shift I think."
Santana feels herself pout and instantly feels silly about it. She has spent so much of her night with Brittany, it would've been way too good to be true if she got to wake up to her too.
"I'm pretty sure the boys are still outside," Quinn shrugs, "They can walk home with you?"
"Awesome, because I don't know where the heck I am," Brittany giggles, "It's crazy how we all live in the same neighborhood."
"Right? I'll just text Mike," Quinn looks around for her phone, "I think I left my phone in the kitchen. Be right back."
When Quinn leaves the room, Santana turns to Brittany and asks, "You sure you don't want to stay?"
"I'm sure," Brittany nods before a shy smile appears, "I want to though. Like…I really, really want to so I probably shouldn't."
Santana feels herself pout again, "Okay."
"Don't look so sad about it," Brittany teases.
"I'm not sad."
"That's not what this look says," Brittany quips as she pokes at Santana's bottom lip.
Santana bats at Brittany's hand, "Whatever. Go home, I don't care."
That has Brittany giggling, "How about you come over tomorrow? Hang out with me and Pete? You can keep me company when he takes a nap."
Santana quirks a brow, "Tempting."
"We can continue what we've started," Brittany suggests, "You know…if you want."
Santana matches the smirk Brittany wears, "I want."
"Okay," Brittany replies, "Come over tomorrow then?"
"Alright, fine."
"Awesome," Brittany beams as she stands, "Thanks for not fussing over me."
Santana fights to keep from blushing, "I had a lot of fun with you tonight."
"Me too," Brittany gestures to her nose, "Even if you tried to break me with your head."
Santana blushes, "I'm sorry."
"You can make it up to me tomorrow," Brittany winks as she leans in for a kiss.
Santana's a little taken aback by how natural it is for them to do this now. Her hands find Brittany's waist and she steadies herself as she tilts her head back to allow Brittany better access. She can really see how fast they can get carried away, but Santana doesn't know where or when Quinn will pop up so she opts to keep it short and sweet.
"Best Halloween party ever," Brittany mutters as Santana pulls away.
"Don't tell Puck that," Santana jokes, "His ego is big enough as it is."
"You're right," Brittany chuckles, "Well, goodnight Santana."
"Night, Pierce."
Quinn conveniently appears again as they're wrapping up, "See you later, Britt."
"Bye Quinn! Thanks for the frozen peas," Brittany waves as she makes her exit.
Santana just stares longingly after her until the door shuts behind her and Quinn starts to laugh.
"What are you cackling about?" Santana grumbles as she crosses her arms.
Quinn just shakes her head, "You need to tell me everything!"
"I don't need to tell you shit," Santana says but she can't keep the smile from forming on its own.
"That's the face," Quinn points out, "That's the face of someone who has been up to no good."
"I was good!" Santana defends herself with her chin up before she starts to smirk, "But Brittany was better."
"I fucking knew it!" Quinn beams, "Mike told me not to call you but I had a feeling..."
"You should listen to your boyfriend next time," Santana replies, "Your call interrupted a very heated moment happening."
"Hey, you're the dumbass that answered."
"The vibrating was hard to ignore."
"I bet," Quinn smirks.
Santana just shakes her head as Quinn pulls her down to the couch to talk.
She can't remember the last time she was this excited to gossip about how her night went – probably because she never actually liked any of the guys she wasted her time on. It's no surprise that she feels different this time around, but that also doesn't make it any easier on her when it comes to sorting out her feelings.
She didn't even feel this way about Dani! Then again, Dani was more of an innocent crush.
Santana didn't find herself daydreaming about her all the time or doing the absolute most – for example, sneak out to a party right after being grounded – just to see her again. She's never felt like this about anyone, especially not any of the guys she's ever been with. There wasn't this undeniable pull when it came to Dani either, not like there is with Brittany and she has no idea what that means.
Once again, Santana's in uncharted territory.