Based on prompt: Quinntana as teachers who like each other and their students shipping them together
It all started when I found a piece of seemingly innocuous art lying on a student's desk after I have dismissed them for their next class.
Rolling my eyes at the fact that somebody probably has left forgotten doodles lying around I make my way towards the piece of paper, tutting in exasperation.
Is my teaching really so boring that people get distracted so easily? I see people doodling in my classes all the time and every time I try to confiscate their sketches they stuff them instantly in their bag.
Oh well. I'll just bin this one.
I sigh and pick up the piece of A4 paper, and plan to throw it away without looking carefully at its contents but then what was drawn caught the corner of my eye.
Looking at it more carefully now, I see two drawings on the piece of paper, one top, one bottom. The top one has a blonde woman with shoulder length hair smiling at a tanned woman with dark hair, holding hands as the tanned woman wipes something away from the blonde woman's mouth, presumably sauce, both of them looking like they're giggling.
Then I cast my eyes down to the bottom drawing and my jaw drops.
It is of the same two people, sitting in the same position but now their lips are locked. Both their eyes are closed and the brunette has a hand on the blonde woman's cheek, pulling her closer. It is a very intimate and tender kiss.
Well, turns out that some of my students are lesbians. I don't mind that at all, I just wonder why they would go out of their way to draw some what I am presuming to be cute fanart.
I look at the drawings approvingly before my eyes trail even lower and that is when my jaw drops, this time in horror.
There, captioned in neat handwriting, read Fabray-Lopez.
So that blonde woman… that's me!? And the raven-haired girl is Santana?
Kissing?
I quickly look around to make sure nobody is there before I hastily fold the piece of paper and stuff it in my pocket. I need to find out who drew this, stat! Not only is this disrespectful, the person behind this art either has an incredible imagination or I am being too obvious.
I seriously hope it's the former.
The next day as I prepare for my next class I hear some students of mine starting to gather and waiting outside the classroom in the corridor, as they should before I allow them into the room.
The piece of art has never left my mind since I saw it. I just cannot get the drawn image of me kissing Santana in that soft way out of my mind. Granted I have imagined it more than once, but it is just a distant fantasy. Santana is a fellow colleague of mine, anything happening between us would be strictly unprofessional.
I was about to let them in but then I hear some very interesting chatter.
"No way!" a girl is squealing. "You seriously left that in the classroom?"
"Yeah," another girl says, laughing. "What, you said it was good art!"
"Doesn't mean Miss Fabray should see it!" the first girl chastises. "What's she going to think?"
"That it's a wake-up call," the second girl responds. "Honestly, do you know how frustrating it is seeing Miss Fabray and Miss Lopez staring at each other longingly and neither of them doing anything about it?"
"You're so right!" a third girl joins in. "They're so in loooove, and they seriously think they're being discreet with the leering they're doing?"
Leering?
I close my eyes to regather myself but it turns out that when I open them I am already out of the classroom, staring at them wide-eyed, chest heaving, the door swinging behind me.
There in front of me, three girls look at me with a deer caught in headlights expression.
Quite some time passes in deadly silence.
"Um…" the girl on the far left starts meekly. "How much of that did you hear?"
"Everything," I say and I must sound scary because they cower. "Come with me." I walk away HBIC style towards my office. "Now!" I shout and they quickly scurry behind me, mumbling to each other in what I perceive to be panicked pleas.
"Look, Miss Fabray –" someone tries when I slam the door to my office behind me but when I whip around she stops talking immediately.
"Did one of you draw this?" I take out the piece of art I found yesterday and slap it on the table, making the three girls jump.
There is silence for a few seconds and I think nobody is going to own up, but then…
"Um, Miss…" a pigtailed girl pipes up meekly. "T-That was me."
"Since when did you think drawing two of your teachers like this was a good idea?"
"I-I'm sorry, Miss…" Lani ducks her head. "I-I didn't know what I was thinking, I was just proud of it and I just wanted you to see it…"
"Look, the thing is, Miss Fabray," the girl to Lani's right, Sarah, speaks up. "We're not blind. Every single lunchtime I see you sidle up to Miss Lopez to make conversation, and I can see it in your eyes how much you want there to be more between you. I can tell Miss Lopez wants it too. This back and forth has been going on for way too long now, which is why I thought we might try something to help you get somewhere with her. Please don't sanction Lani, this was my idea and since she's good at art I persuaded her to do it, this isn't her fault."
Out of everything Sarah says, I think I only remember one bit of it.
Miss Lopez wants it too.
"Y-You're not joking?" my voice comes out surprisingly fragile and it surprises my students too. "T-That it's reciprocated?"
"It is," Sarah whispers. "Please don't be mad at us, Miss Fabray, we didn't mean any disrespect with these drawings. Please don't tell our parents, they will be so mad –"
"It's okay," I cut her off, sighing. "Go back to class, I'll be with you in a bit."
I just need time to process everything.
It took me nearly forever to get the courage, but now I have a large bouquet of flowers in my hand and I am standing outside Santana's classroom.
Heart pounding madly in my chest, I open the door and Santana looks up from her laptop, sending me a smile that sends butterflies swirling in my stomach.
"Quinn?" Santana sets down her glasses and makes her way to me. "Is something up, aren't you meant to be teaching?"
"U-Uh…" Why is this so hard? "No, I have a free period."
"Ah, okay," Santana smiles and she looks so pretty, no makeup and such. Then she notices the flowers in my hand. "Ooh, these are so pretty! Are these for a special someone?"
"Um," I bite my lip. I have never felt this nervous and scared in my life. "Actually…" I trail. "These are for you," I hold the flowers out awkwardly for them to take.
"Oh?" Santana raises an eyebrow. "Um… thanks!" she stutters and takes them from me. Our fingers brush which sends a shock of electricity down through my arm and down my spine. "Um…" she brushes a tendril of her luscious hair behind her ear. "Is there a reason why?"
"Y-Yes…" I say shyly, trying to recall what I had practiced last night, but my mind is only drawing to blanks.
"Which is…?" Santana prompts after a long time passes in silence.
"I like you," I blurt which is definitely not what I intended to say.
But it's too late to take it back.
Santana gapes at me for a few seconds. "You what?" she whispers.
"U-Uh…" I am losing confidence fast.
"Say it again, please," Santana takes a step forward and I flicker my eyes up to meet her deep chocolate ones. They are so beautiful; she is so beautiful.
"I-I like you," I whisper again.
Santana looks at me for a few more seconds before her lips split into a huge beam. "R-Really? You do?" she looks beyond ecstatic. "You really do?"
"Y-Yeah…" I say bashfully.
"I-I like you too…" Santana rocks on the balls of her heels and oh my god never did I think those simple words could give me so much euphoria.
My cheeks start hurting after smiling so much before I remember what I have forgotten to say.
"Santana… would you like to go on a date with me?"
Santana keeps smiling at me with that gorgeous face of hers before she whispers a tiny "Yes."
She leans in close and rests her forehead against mine.
"I'm so glad you asked me, you have no idea how long I have liked you but I was too scared to ask."
"Really?" I stutter.
"Yes…" Santana flutters her eyes closed. "Look, um, Quinn… maybe this is too soon… but I've been dying to do this with you forever, so can I ask?"
"What is it?" I whisper.
"I would like to kiss you, Quinn, is that okay?" Santana asks bashfully.
I gape at her for a few seconds before I nod, and she leans in to close the distance.
And the feeling I get when I finally feel her soft lips on mine… indescribable.
She is everything I imagined her to be, but even better, if that was even possible.
Our brief moment of oblivion was abruptly truncated when I hear squealing and clapping outside and I break the kiss to look towards the source of the noise.
Those three rascals.
They high five each other before running away and out of sight.
"Don't mind them," Santana whispers, placing a soft hand on my cheek before leaning in to kiss me, and at that moment I forget everything and enjoy her presence.
Because with Santana, I finally understand what happiness is.