Title: Inside Out
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 8.8k
Summary: Santana's back from Indiana for Senior year. She lived her five years ago, but there's something different about the place.
Warning: G!P
Notes: Thank you for the response on this. I'm watching One Tree Hill and it's giving me Brittana vibes.
/
Santana's explained what really happened three times, but Quinn and Rachel are still asking her the same time questions.
"But how are you now friends with Dani and Brittany?"
There's no real answer to that, she supposes. They're not exactly friends, but she guesses they kind of are as she invited her to the party and so there must be some interest there beyond staying strangers.
"Are you sure it's not Kitty's grand plan to humiliate you in front of everyone?"
Santana's the one to roll her eyes this time. "Yes, I'm sure," she retorts, taking a sip of her third drink of the night. She shifts in the armchair she's in, staring out at the crowd dancing in front of her.
The buzz in her mind is now intensified, and the music is pounding in time with her heart. People aren't blurry yet, and so she'd like to stay in this happy mildly drunk haze she's living in. Her friends, however, seem to be making it a mission to do the opposite, and she's really trying to focus on the group of Cheerios – mostly Brittany and Dani – their bodies swaying to the beat, their hair flicking around and drawing all attention in the room to them.
It's mesmerising.
(Although she isn't sure which girl she's really focusing on. The haze is making those lines really blurry.)
"What about you Fabray?" She chooses to change the subject. "Are you going to reveal your dirty little secret?"
It hasn't slipped Santana's notice, although she thinks by the shock on her friend's face, Quinn thought it did. She has been picking her up every morning, after all, and this whole tutoring thing has just been tugging at her mind since Quinn announced it yesterday. There's just this weird vibe of secrecy hovering around it, and she knows from her conversation with Rachel when they were waiting for Quinn to finish getting ready, that even Berry has picked up on it, and she's the most self-absorbed one of the three.
So if she noticed, Quinn's gonna have to spill the details.
"Who is it then?" Rachel continues, and Santana grins smugly. "The person you're tutoring."
Quinn pauses, visibly searching for an answer but Santana lifts both brows to her in a don't lie fashion. It works, too, because Quinn tells the truth, even if it's definitely not what Santana wanted to hear.
"It's Puckerman."
The name slaps her in the face, a sharp reminder of her trip to the dumpster yesterday afternoon and her fingers dig into the red cup she's holding. This better be a fucking joke.
"Puckerman?" She repeats through a hiss. "You're tutoring Puckerman?"
Rachel gasps, obviously connecting the dots together and realising just how much of a fucking betrayal this is and yeah, Santana's pissed. "Quinn," she breathes. "How could you?"
Santana leans forward, as if the explanation is just in front of her eyes and she's trying to read it closer. Maybe her friends delusional. Maybe she's joined Mack beneath the bleachers to smoke weed or something because she's obviously not right in the head. Was this why she was so tired at school? Late night tutoring sessions with fucking Puckerman? Is this why she's been so evasive this last week? Because of him?
"Why would you tutor that asshole?"
"He asked me to," Quinn shrugs, a little too chill for Santana's liking. This is a serious breach of their friendship – fucking helping the guy that has this insane dislike for Santana for absolutely no reason. "I've probably got the best GPA in our year, and I don't know –I could do with the extra cash."
The snort that comes from Santana is so loud it even shocks her. All she's hearing is bullshit, bullshit, bullshit.
"But he's a jackass, Fabray," she seethes because she's pissed, so pissed that the happy buzz she had has vanished. Because the jock has it out for Santana, and Quinn knows that, yet here she is, acting all Holier-Than-Thou and innocent like it should be totally cool. "He threw me in a dumpster, yesterday, and has literally bullied me since middle school."
Rachel, for her part, stays quiet, her expression speaking volumes.
Santana just looks away, disappointment seeping into her veins when Quinn presses her mouth together, a sure sign she won't be saying anything further on the subject. It's so fucking disheartening, such a let-down for Santana and she announces she's going to get her fourth drink of the night, leaving her friends behind.
/
"How about that dance?"
The question comes from beside her, dark eyes meeting Santana's and a mischievous grin on Dani's face as she slides in next to her.
It's a welcome suggestion – not only because the fourth drink didn't really do much, but the fifth definitely reinstated the buzz in her ears – but because Dani's now staring at her in a way that pulls low at her stomach and Santana finishes off the rest before reaching out for the hand in front of her. Fuck it. The bad mood is starting to ruin her night, and why not? Dancing is fun.
She's pulled through the crowd, her eyes trailing up the curves in the cheerleader's body, covered by high-waisted jeans and a loose purple blouse and damn, it might be the alcohol talking but this girl is fine.
(It's not the alcohol talking. Dani is supremely attractive.)
(It's just–she's not the first Cheerio that Santana found incredibly attractive.)
The thought process is interrupted when they hit the middle of the crowd, Dani spinning around and looping her arms over Santana's shoulders and she's pressing their bodies together, faces coming together until she can feel the hot breath on her jaw. The moment is hot – like literally hot, there's twenty people crammed into a living room dancing – and her hands slip down from the girls waist to her hips, fingers hooking through the belt loops on her jeans because despite the heat, she just wants to be closer. She just wants to confirm that it's going where she thinks it's going.
She can't help it.
It's the sexuality that oozes off her when she feels a vibe with someone, and she's vibing right now hard, and she can feel the last couple of sexless months hitting her in the groin, joining in with the alcohol coursing through her body to cloud her judgements.
(She's also been getting off by herself since she moved here, her left hand could use a break, okay?)
Dani pushes her hips forward when the dips into a beat, her arms closing in around Santana's neck and she can feel it the moment change. She can feel the need to close the gap between them sizzling in the air, and if it wasn't for her eyes momentarily flickering behind the girl, she probably would have done.
But, they do, and they lock with blue ones, staring from across the room on the nearby sofa where Brittany sits, legs swung over Puck's laps, his hands drifting dangerously high as his lips press repeatedly into her neck. It makes Santana's lips curl, but she can't really cast judgement because what's she doing now? She's literally about to make out with one of Brittany's friends, in the middle of the dance floor because that's what high school house parties are for right? Bad decisions that leave rumours spreading around school for the next week.
Yet it's some strange compelling stare, that she just can't break.
Not even when Dani's hands are in her hair, manipulating her head to latch her mouth on to the caramel skin of her neck and suck lightly, and Santana feels the heat rush to her groin again, arousal pulsing through her. Not even when Puck is toying with the hem of Brittany's dress, her cheeks flushing a dark pink and Santana can't tear her eyes away from the girl – even if she wants to tear Puck's hand off too.
But Brittany… Brittany just looks so fucking good, all hot under the collar and she knows its not right. She knows she shouldn't be getting turned on from one girls lips on her neck, and another one staring at her, but she is, and the groan that comes from her throat confirms it.
"San," is breathed into her ear and she pulls back, coming face to face with Dani again. She really hopes she didn't say any of that out loud. "Let's go somewhere."
There's a mischievous glint in dark eyes, and Santana just bobs her head, knowing she needs to get out of here because Brittany's still staring at her and what she just did is kind of fucked up. Although she's also relieved that she didn't vocalise her thoughts, and instead shakes off the past ones, filling her brain with new ones that involve Dani and her because that's what she should do.
Then there's a hand tugging her away through the crowd, and toward the garden, and all hesitation disappears.
/
The wall is cold as she's pushed against it, but she barely made it out the back door before Dani pressed her up against it and brought their mouths together.
A tongue flicks against her lips and she reaches around the other girls body, her hands grabbing roughly at her ass cheeks as she feels herself press against in the inside of her boxers. She's so fucking turned on and Dani's moaning into her mouth, her hand coming down between them boldly and grabbing at the bulge in the front of Santana's jeans before she can even register what the girls just done.
Shit. Does she know?
Pulling back abruptly, she pants heavily and meets Dani's dark, dark eyes. "Dani, I–"
"I'm okay with it," the girl interrupts, and Santana sucks in her swollen lips.
"Okay…" She draws out, unsure whether the question how she knows, and there's a pang of irritation that possibly Brittany said something after their night up at Lima Point.
It's not like she's ashamed, but the information is private. Not everyone would be chill if they found out about it, in fact, she could get severely bad reactions from close-minded people, but she guesses it wouldn't have been shared out of malice… She just doesn't know what context it could have come out in though. In what world could Brittany and Dani be talking about her junk?
And it's some sort of power, something the charges her confidence because she uses the unease in not knowing the answer to continue.
"Wanna go somewhere more private?" She suggests, her hands pulling Dani into her, rocking their hips together to create some type of friction to release the pressure in her jeans.
This is Dani's house, so the suggestion isn't so coveted. There's probably one other place, bar the far back of the garden that's more private than this, and Santana really doesn't feel like getting twigs in her hair and losing items of clothing in the bushes. It's kind of a buzz kill.
Dani doesn't answer though, instead smirks and presses their lips together in a silent confirmation.
/
They're upstairs, in Dani's room, on the bed.
Both tops came off the second they got in here, and Dani's currently straddling Santana, her hair hanging down around them as they make out like the horny teenagers they are. Santana's hands are rubbing up and down the other girls' thighs, squeezing gently and internally groaning at the lack of skin-on-skin contact. There's a serious issue pressing against the inside of her boxers, and she aches to free some of the pressure so much that she bucks her hips up, earning a well-earned squeak from the cheerleader above.
"Ugh," Dani's hands run down the valley between Santana's boobs, bumping at the bra that covers them as she sits up, throwing her hair back. "I'm so hot for you."
The way she moves her hips make Santana press her head back into the pillow and she doesn't hesitate in following the girl up, bringing their mouths back together and flipping them over, now hovering over Dani and sitting back on her knees to look down at her. The girl is beautiful. She has soft skin, tanned and beautiful. Her hair is scattered all over the pillow and Santana feels heat pinch between her legs when Dani reaches down, pops open the buttons on her jeans and reaches inside, palming her from over her boxers.
"Fuck," Santana moans, hands catching her when she falls forward at the touch.
Her hips jerk, rotating to relieve more pressure and she knows they're going to get dirty. She can feel the heat in the air, the sound of their heavy breathing monopolising her thoughts and she decides she needs to touch Dani more. She hasn't been this turned on in a while, but she can't help but miss the thing in the air that hovered between her and Brittany back in the car at Lima Poi–
Fuck, no.
She can't think about Brittany at a time like this.
Not when she's got a girl borderline begging to fuck her.
Dani grins into the kiss they share, her other hand wrapping around the back of Santana's neck and as Santana begins undoing the zipper on the girls jeans and pulling them down her legs, trusting her to kick them the rest of the way off. She does just that, and Santana does the same, bringing their clothed personal areas together, moaning at the heat now they're one layer of clothing down.
She shifts, pulling herself over to rest on her side, elbow propping her up and runs her hand down Dani's stomach, skimming along the line of the girls red panties. Dani bucks at the contact, her tongue flicking against the roof of Santana's mouth and dragging her teeth along the inside of her lip, pleading for more as she pulls away.
But of course, at that very moment, the second before she dips beneath the fabric to stroke through wet heat, the bedroom door swings open, light invading the once-dark bedroom.
It shocks Santana, her body reacting by rolling off the side of the bed, colliding with the floor and her hand moves up to block the brightness, her eyes squinting to adjust to the figure now standing there. Dani gasps, grabbing the comforter to cover herself, and Santana looks to her quickly before her eyes slide over, now less affected by the intruding light and something cold drops in her stomach when the recognition hits her.
"Brittany," she mutters, quietly, her heart jumping into her throat at the compromising position she was just caught in.
Fuck. Guilt pang throughs her and she gets angry because why? She's not doing anything wrong.
Brittany, in the doorway, snaps out of the stilled position she was in for at least twenty uncomfortable seconds and whips around, the recognition and realisation of what she's just walked into, clearly smacking her, too.
"Oh my God," she says, her hands shooting up to cover her face, despite the fact she's not even facing their direction. "I'm sorry, I just–" She turns around again, still not looking, but her voice is muffled so Santana guesses it's just for clarity. "I came to find Dani… Someone's just vomited all over the sofa."
She's glad for the interruption, and the use of the word vomit because the arousal has completely gone and at least she can blame it on that instead of being honest and owning up to the fact that guilt killed her boner. The look on the blonde's face was enough to kill the entire buzz that surrounded Santana and Dani and it's laughable really because there's a very high chance that Brittany's going to be fucking Puckerman's brains out tonight.
It's a not a secret how sexually active they are as a couple – especially not with Loud Mouth Berry around and in the Glee club – and Santana half-wishes it was a secret because she fucking hates hearing about it. Even before she heard Brittany's name, she heard about Puck and his sex shark type attitude, and how if he's with a girl, he has to get it daily, nightly and ever so rightly. It just disgusts Santana. Women aren't pieces of meat, and that asshole jock treats them like they are, especially Brittany.
Fucking idiot.
But anyway, she's slightly grateful for the use of the word vomit, but she's entirely ungrateful that they were disturbed at all. She was about to get hers, and honestly? She probably would've gone through with it if it wasn't for Brittany's interruption, and now it's going to be a constant reminder, niggling at the back of her brain, if her and Dani ever get another opportunity that the first time they tried, someone walked in on them.
Not just anyone though, fucking Brittany.
Like she needs another reason to think about the girl.
"Shit," Dani grabs at her clothes and shrugs her blouse over her tank, putting both feet in her jeans at the end of the bed and sliding them back up her legs. She jumps up and kisses Brittany on a cheek on the way out, only pausing to throw Santana a wink and tells her she'll meet her downstairs after dealing with the situation.
Feeling all sorts of awkward, and so very aware of every single noise she makes, Santana reaches up to grab her shirt off the bed and down to the foot for her jeans. She continues to sit on the floor as she dresses, and she's so very aware that Brittany's just standing in the corner of the room still, not looking, but still there, that she fucks up the buttons on the front three times before she can stand.
(She'd like to blame it on the alcohol for not being able to think straight, but she knows it's not.)
Then she's standing in front of Brittany, looking up at her, unable to explain what she's just walked in to, and not knowing if she should explain.
"I–"
"Not my business," the blonde interjects, her eyes harder than Santana's ever seen. The shock is disappearing from her face and she's reaching for the door handle as if she's going to shut it. "I've got to get back to Puck, so..."
Santana's nostrils flare, like the heat that surges through her chest and she can't read the girl again. Sometimes Brittany can be such an open book, and then there's time like right now, where she's locked, sealed and buried ten feet under. It's so fucking annoying, because Santana just wants to be able to recognise every look on the girls face. She just wants to know what she's thinking by the shade of blue in her eyes, or by the crinkle that forms when she scrunches her nose up. These are just on the very tip of the iceberg of things Brittany says without her words.
And Santana wants to Titanic that shit – ram straight into the side of it, just to see the rest of the layers.
(Although she notes the Titanic sank because of that after iceberg, but she hopes there won't be any sinking in this scenario.)
"Yeahah," Santana laughs the word out mirthlessly, stepping out into the hallway with the cheerleader who shuts Dani's bedroom behind her. "You get back to him."
"And you should go help Dani."
She doesn't even get to respond or ask what the fuck that's supposed to mean before Brittany's whipping around and disappearing down the hallway, back into the party downstairs.
And Santana knows there's no point in chasing her. There's no point in trying to figure out what neither of them are saying because it's just that – neither of them are fucking saying it. There's nothing to really say, nothing solid anyway, and Santana won't spend her time chasing pavements. She's done that before back in Indiana with girls who just wanted to try out her junk and she won't do it again.
Then, of course, there's the added bonus that she thinks her and Dani could actually become something. Dani's beautiful, and funny, and really fucking hot and Brittany's with Puck, as she just so kindly pointed out.
Still, it takes a minute to collect herself before she's heading downstairs once more.
/
They're all a little drunk, Santana, Rachel and Quinn falling into the Lopez household, giggling loudly and pressing their fingers to their mouths in a ssshh motion, despite all of them making equal noise. It's nights like these when she's glad she came back, because she never shared this friendship with anyone back in Indiana. She had friends, sure, but none they she really trusted.
These two – bar the Puck thing – are reliable and trustworthy.
As long as it doesn't get between their friendship, Santana won't like it, but she'll keep her mouth shut and let it be. Quinn's smart – she must know what she's getting herself in for.
"I had a delightful time," Rachel says, flopping down on to the sofa face first. She groans, a muffled ow, my nose coming from the cushions and Santana throws her head back, walking past the girl and slapping her on the ass playfully before falling into the armchair nearby, leg swung over the arm.
"The troubles of having a Jew nose, Berry," she shoots back, earning a middle finger from the girl.
Quinn throws her jacket over the back of the sofa and pushes Rachel's legs off, almost making her tumble to the floor. They sit next to each other, sprawled over each other to share the couch within a few seconds. "So, did you hook up with Dani?"
The topic of Puck has managed to stay away, and when Santana returned to the kitchen after searching the house, she had been surprised to find the girls doing body shots with half the football team. Jake was there, which naturally made Rachel go into her stupid-happy-drunk mode and Quinn just offered Santana a shot and that had been that. They sorted their arguments with ignorance in middle school – something that clearly never changed.
Brittany was nowhere to be seen when she'd gone down there, though, and she had tried looking for her prior to joining her friends. Dani had been done with the vomit situation in the living room, having kicked out the idiot that spewed everywhere out, and she'd joined in too, tugging Santana close and demanding they did shots off each other and Santana decided just to get on with her night. Naturally, she didn't refuse the offer of doing shots of Dani – how could she after their moment upstairs – and she'd pushed the thought of blue eyes and blonde hair out her mind and enjoyed the rest of her night.
Where she is now, and shit, the blonde asked her a question.
"Uh," she tries to hide the blood that rushes to her cheek but it's too late. There's a sofa cushion flying at her head before she knows it.
"You horndog!" Quinn cheers and Santana rolls her eyes. She moves quick with girls, but her friends have never seen it. "Did you like…"
The question goes unspoken, but Santana groans and rolls her eyes at flash of the last few hours hits her. Shit. She's going to regret what happened so much in the morning, only because Brittany walked in, and she can feel the future shame hitting already. If only Brittany hadn't walked in on them, she not only would've walked out satisfied, but she could've explained it to the blonde without alcohol coursing through her veins, and maybe read her. God only knows the ability to do it half-buzzed had vanished if their interaction was anything to go by.
"We were about to do stuff," she explains, hands gesturing out in front of her. "But then Brittany walked in, and it got all kinds of weird."
Both her friends look at her in disbelief, there mouths open in small o's, and Santana nods her head because yeah, that was a buzz kill.
"Did she say anything?" Rachel says, swinging her legs to the floor from Quinn's lap and leaning forward, interest piqued.
"Nah," Santana huffs, loudly. Quinn narrows her eyes. "She just kind of walked in, apologised, then left."
"She left?" It's the blonde now, her eyebrows pulled together. "She left where?"
Santana's not sure. She meant left her in the hallway alone, but she couldn't find the girl anywhere in the house so she doesn't correct her friend, instead lifting a shoulder and dropping it in response.
Although she supposes she didn't search in all the bedrooms. No need to walk in on anyone else; she knows how embarrassing that can be and was, thanks to last night. It also settles uncomfortably in her stomach though, the realisation that Brittany might have dragged Puck upstairs to fuck his brains out after walking in on them, and she does all she can to ignore it but the alcohol doesn't make it easy. Emotions aren't as easy to control under the influence, and the thought of the couple makes her want to vomit.
"Maybe she was upstairs with Puck," Santana picks at the loose thread on her jeans. She hopes not but, but she did see them on the couch and now she's half-convinced herself she's telling the absolute truth. "They were all over each other when me and Dani were dancing."
Rachel's staring at her like she wants the rest of the story, but Santana said all that needs to be said. There's not a huge amount more to it, not without getting into sexual details, or reasons why she noticed Brittany when she should've been paying more attention to Dani, and she doesn't feel like knowing whether either of the girls saw Brittany if it means they saw her go upstairs either. Suspicion is always better than knowledge.
"I heard they had a fight," Quinn chimes in, almost so casually that the words don't really set in.
But then they do, and Santana's leaning forward, much like Rachel did a minute ago. Maybe that's why she couldn't find Brittany. Maybe she wasn't upstairs in another bedroom getting off with her boyfriend.
Santana tuts at the happiness that rises in her chest. "They fought?"
The blonde's half-falling asleep on the couch, something Santana knows from the stories they shared from their time apart that's a common occurrence. Rachel notices it too, jabbing the girl in her ribs and startling her. At least Santana's not the only one who wants to know what happened. Rachel's nosey as hell.
"Yeah, something about Puck always hitting on other girls," Quinn mumbles, barely opening her eyes to respond.
It's not the answer Santana wanted to hear, not that she wanted Brittany to leave because of her exactly, but it probably would've made her feel better than hearing that she left because surprise, her boyfriend's an asshole.
All is does is just confirms her theory that Brittany just wants to be friends, and maybe she is just that bright, happy, friendly girl that everyone thinks is a bitch because she's in a Cheerio's uniform. Maybe that's why she wanted to hang out with her; for friendship. If the girl is concerned about her boyfriend flirting with other girls, she obviously doesn't count what her and Santana did as flirting and it all kind of makes sense.
Just not in a good way.
"Right," Santana says, trying not to sound too disheartened. She pushes up from the armchair and heads to the stairs, shaking it off, but incredibly aware it probably still shows on her face because Quinn's eyes pop open at the tone of voice and Rachel's studying her, quietly, like she doesn't want to scare her off by saying anything.
But she doesn't want to hear more about Brittany and Puck. She doesn't want to know and she's going to turn off the indecision in her mind, because there's no reason to consider Brittany if the girl isn't vibing and Dani is equally – if not more – cool. Plus, after tonight, Santana's knows they've got a clear connection, even if it is just sexual it may develop into something more and that's worth spending time on.
So, she interrupts the words before they can leave her friends mouth, the Brittany switchin her head flicking off. "I'm gonna go to bed, you guys good on the pull out?"
The sofa is a pull-out bed, and there's always spare bedding in the cupboard underneath the stairs. They've had sleepovers in the last few months and so it's a known routine. Santana is a little private about her bedroom, unless it's a girl and they're getting down and dirty, and there's very limited spacing on the floor for friends to crash. Unless they'd be okay with the hardwood floor and a single cushion, which neither Quinn nor Rachel would be.
Her friends nod and she retires to her room, undressing and sliding into the cool bed sheets, ignoring the urge to finally text Brittany.
/
Dani greets her in the parking lot when she gets to school on Monday.
The rest of the weekend was uneventful, with her, Quinn and Rachel nursing their hangovers the whole of Saturday with fast food and trashy movies. Sunday was spent working and she curses the amount she drank because even two days after, she's still feeling the pang of the pain in the form of a headache due to the loud machinery. She ended up calling off early and going home, popping a few painkillers and taking a long Sunday afternoon nap before waking up and finishing all her assignments for the week.
Anyway, Santana hops out the car on Monday and Dani kisses her on the cheek in lieu of a hello and they end up walking Dani to class talking about the rest of their weekend. They head over to their usual seats when they get to first period, History, and Santana feels this buzz now because the cheerleader keeps staring at her during class, biting her lip and winking at her and it makes her mind swim with the memory of Friday night.
(She tries not to playback Brittany walking in on them though.)
(It fails every time, and she's left with a heaviness in her chest after.)
But she manages to get through, and when lunch approaches, they both go to the canteen and instead of Dani joining the Cheerio's, she comes to sit with them.
It's a shock, but a good shock and Santana gets the girl to sit first, ushering her into the bench because hello manners and she slides in beside her, grinning at the cheerleader who grabs her hand beneath the table.
Quinn and Rachel chat away to the girl, and it all feels really good.
Dani's super cute, easy to get along with, and as it turns out has a cracking set of pipes. Rachel mentions she's in Glee club, and the cheerleader explains how much she wanted to join, but Coach Sylvester threatened to kick her out because she's a really good Cheerio and they can't afford her missing if a Glee event pops up. She follows it up with belting out the first few lines of Here Comes The Sun and Rachel beams, joining in until Santana has to sit them down because they get carried away and people have started staring.
The bell rings, signalling lunch is over and Dani stands. They know because they've swapped their school schedules that they won't see each other until after school and it brings a sadness to Santana's chest. In response, she grabs the girls hands, swinging it between them and says see you later, babe.
"Wait," Dani interjects. "There's a book burn after school down at the lake by Hermon Woodlands," she continues and there's a hopeful glint in her eye. "Would be cool if we could go together."
They haven't spoken much about what they are, but this is a start and Santana chuckles lightly. "Yeah, sure, babe," she quips and bites her bottom lip. "I'll tell the girls to meet us there, if that's okay?"
Dani agrees and ducks her head, bashfully looking up through her eyelashes and Santana takes it as a signal to kiss her. She strokes her palm down the girls bicep and urges her forward, kissing her once, lightly, before pulling back and winking.
"I'll pick you up at 7," she says, and Dani agrees, twirling away and stretching out her hand like she didn't want to let go.
A breath Santana didn't know she was holding releases, but it's quickly stopped when she sees Brittany standing by the lunch hall doors, eyes trained on everything that isn't Santana until it becomes too much and then they're staring at each other. Her hand shoots up, waving weakly and the stern look on the blonde faulters, her eyes dropping to the floor as a sad smile tugs at her lips.
It doesn't take a genius to figure out why it's sad.
They have the beginning of a good friendship, and both of them are now otherwise involved with other people, Santana newly so, so they can't let the potential of what could've been interfere. It should've never even turned into a could've been. Not whilst the blonde was with Puck the whole time. She doesn't mind pursuing girls, but not when they're already in a relationship. Not when her very own mom left and years later she found out it was because she left for someone else. No-one needs a homewrecker, in any capacity.
Still, Santana mirrors the sad smile, acknowledging the word they exchanged silently from across the room and then Dani reaches the other cheerleader, and they walk off, both girls staring at Santana and making her indecision light flick back on like a light bulb above her head.
Shit.
/
The Book Burn is an annual celebration at McKinley High for Seniors.
It's supposed to be a good luck thing, based off some ancient Taiwanese tradition. Something about burning all the textbooks from previous years that wards off the bad spirits and allows good aura and luck settle as they start their finals. Santana's pretty sure they burn boats out in Taiwan, but she can see the academic twist the school has tried to bring with this celebration.
Plus, it's a good excuse to sneak alcohol and have a little party under the guise of a school organised event.
Santana let Quinn and Rachel know that she'd be going with Dani, and being the good friends they are, they said they'd make their own way together and let the two of them have a half-date night. It got her all hot under the collar, knowing it's her first date with a girl like, ever – all those Indiana girls were just sexual conquests – and she spends three hours prior to leaving her house wondering what to wear.
She settles on a leather jacket and jeans, both black. She rocks that colour.
Her hair is in a pony on her head, make-up light and she's got her knee-high boots on, making her just that little bit taller.
She looks good. She feels good.
And she almost thinks this night couldn't get any better, until her dad bursts in and says that he'll be attending the celebration too. Apparently it's an open invite for parents and guardians, because every year everyone goes, and it kills her buzz a little because what kind of first date would it be with her fucking dad there?
"We can go separately, mija," he says, knowing Santana couldn't face turning up with him and Dani. That would cockblock her hard. "I thought I'd go with Quinn's mom, actually," he continues and Santana pauses, throws a raised eyebrow his way to continue. That's fucking weird. "We used to go to school together too, you know."
Nope. That information skipped her notice.
"Please tell me you didn't used to date," she drones, putting on a light layer of lip gloss in the mirror. "Because I love Quinn, but I could not deal with her as my sister."
Her dad laughs and crosses his arms, leaning against the doorway in the only way a father can. "No, honey. We were just best friends. She knew your mother, too."
It aches in a way Santana's not familiar with, because it's rare that the topic of her mother arises. Her dad tends to avoid it, a little hurt still even after all these years and she hates to see him in pain. He's such a genuinely good guy that he wants the best for him, and wants him to be happy, and if that means going with his old high school buddy who happens to be her best friends mom, then so be it.
"Okay," she breaks free from the pause she didn't know she was taking and turns to face him. "How do I look pops?"
He grins at her. "Beautiful, but put a hoodie underneath, the wind is cold."
Santana laughs, grabbing the black pullover from her chair and they both make their way downstairs, ready to leave.
/
Dani looks incredible as she makes her way down the stoop of her house.
She's wearing a simple combo of a warm, beige coat and black jeans, and there's a beanie covering her hair, which falls in curls around her shoulders. She's wearing glasses, which just makes her super fucking cute and Santana swirls in affection when she climbs into the car. She's really starting to like this girl.
"Hey," she greets, leaning over – glad when Dani mirrors it and kisses her. "You look cute."
Dani blushes. "So, do you," she plays with Santana's hood. "My mom's not coming tonight," she continues, almost sadly. "Is your dad coming?"
Santana nods and the truck peels away from the curb, heading to the lake. The sun has set, the darkness creeping in and Dani continues the conversation, swapping stories of how embarrassing it would've been if her mom had come because her mom was kind of a hoe back in school, and Dani doesn't want to know which one of her fellows students parents her mom got involved with.
The sign for Hermon Woodlands comes into view after fifteen minutes or so, and Santana's the first out the truck after parking, rounding it to help the other girl out. There's a kiss instead of a thanks, and they hold hands as they head through the woodland to the glowing lights. There's a large boat out in the middle of the lake, a few guys tossing textbooks on to the absolute mountain that's already there in their little row boats, and the brief question of whether they should be saving this for after the exams passes her mind, but then Dani's tugging her over to a group in the corner, where luckily, Quinn and Rachel are.
But so is Brittany. And Puck.
"Lezpez," Puck shouts as she slides into the circle formed by the other people. He half-smirks, half-grins at her and God, she hates that guy. Everything about him is repulsive.
Quinn glares at Puck from the opposite side in response to the greeting and Santana watches as Brittany digs her heel into the end of his shoes in reaction, too. She mouths thank you to the girl who gives her the same damn sad smile she did earlier in the canteen, and tries to ignore the swell in her chest of both blondes defending her.
(Okay, maybe just one blonde.)
"Hey guys," Quinn greets, and brown eyes don't miss the sorry Puck mouths over Quinn a moment before.
What the fuck was that?
"Did you come together?" Puck speaks again, and Santana swallows the instant insult that bubbles at the sound of his voice, surprised by the genuine curiosity his face is showing. Okay, maybe the dumpster thing was a finality in their rocky relationship. Maybe they needed to get it out the way. Maybe they can get over everything that's happened between them in the years they've been acquainted and maybe Puck's trying to be a better person.
Or maybe he likes his toes, and he's fed up with Brittany stamping on them.
"Sure did," Dani chimes in, bouncing a little. She squeezes Santana's hands gently, almost like a hope it's okay I said that kind of way and she just smiles in response because yeah, why would she lie?
She has no need to, right?
There's a loud announcement over the speakers darted around that holds the rest of the conversation, and everyone begins moving over to the side of the lake to commence the event. Santana stands at the back, her eyes unable to stay off the way Puck slides in beside Brittany a few rows in front of them, his hand moving to wrap around her, only for her to flinch away and hold a hand up to his face, swiftly finding another couple of Cheerios to watch the book burn with away from her boyfriend.
The need to find out what's going on burns through Santana, but she can't. She won't. She doesn't need to know what's going on in that relationship because she's just starting her own and that's the place she needs to focus so whatever. She's here with Dani, and she can't be wondering what Brittany is doing.
Not on a first date.
Not when she's in this… situationship.
Santana just pulls the girl closer, wrapping her arms around her from behind and rests her chin on her shoulder as they watch the mountain of books go up in flames.
/
Santana finds her dad with Quinn's mom after the main part of the night is done.
He's holding two cups of steaming coffee and just sitting down on a make-shift log bench as he hands the older blonde woman one. There's a comfortable vibe surrounding them, a familiar one, and after long, lonely years, it's good to see her dad enjoying himself for once. That man has spent far too many years making himself miserable and working his ass off to give Santana the life he thinks she needs, but the only thing she needs is to maintain the good relationship they have.
Dani went to the toilet a few minutes ago, leaving Santana alone, and when she saw Quinn speaking with Puck over by the docks, she decided joining that conversation wasn't high on her list. She still dislikes the guy, and the fact her best friend is tutoring him, but she's said she'll bite her tongue and as long as Puck doesn't humiliate or hurt Quinn, she sees no problem with keeping her promise.
"Hey dad," she slides down on the log beside her father. "Judy, right?" She offers her hand out but the older blonde just chuckles and waves it away.
"I remember you when you were running around my garden naked, Santana," Quinn's mom replies. "No need for the formalities."
Santana laughs and steals the steaming cup of liquid off her dad for a taste. "This is gross, Dad," she says and scrunches her nose.
He takes a flask out his pocket and winks at her. "I was going to make it Irish," he jokes and Judy Fabray offers out her cup to join in.
It's at that moment that Brittany appears out of nowhere, greeting Santana's dad like they're old friends from behind. It's all a little strange, but the blonde is so friendly, and she befriended Santana, so she shouldn't be so surprised. That girl has one of the most addictive smiles and personalities and–
Nope. She's not going to let her mind wander there.
They're friends. Buddies. Pals. Chums.
Platonic.
"The SUV is great thank you, Diego," Brittany smiles softly at the older man. "I think it drives better than before, actually."
Santana pushes away the affection rising in her chest. "I can vouch for that," she agrees and blue eyes meet her, a soft smile shared between them.
Damn, this friend thing isn't going to be easy. Not when Brittany's eyes are making Santana's legs feel weak. Not when there seems to be this unfinished business feeling between them, even if nothing even technically began.
"Vouch for what?" Dani suddenly appears, bumps their sides together when she sits down and Santana slips her arms around her waist.
She misses the way Brittany's face falls.
"That Britt's car works better than before it broke down," she's smug and damn proud to show it. Her dad is the best mechanic in a hundred-mile radius.
But Dani's head tilts to the side, her eyes searching Santana's. "How would you know? Have you driven it?"
Fuck.
The air stills, and Santana's sure she's the only one that feels it because she's the only one – bar Brittany of course – who knows about their little trip to Lima Point. There's no way Puck knows, or it would've been mentioned during the dumpster exchange, and she's sure Dani's not in the know either because she's just waiting for an answer, not expectantly or with another agenda.
She doesn't get to respond though, because Brittany's answering for her.
"She tested it when we got to the garage," the blonde explains, and despite being relieved, Santana wonders why the other girl lied.
Is this like, their little secret?
Dani seems to accept the answer, not knowing she really shouldn't and turns her attention to Santana's dad, who introduces himself and she smacks her hand on her forehead. That was her job. The topic just threw her off a little. She does have manners, she just was lost in her thoughts.
"Sorry, babe," she says to the girl beside her. "This is my dad, Diego," she gestures to her dad who beams a grin.
Dani seems temporarily dazed but shakes herself back to reality and Santana laughs because she's used to that reaction. She's fully aware her dad is a catch. He's only 36 but doesn't look a day over 30. His wrinkles aren't that bad yet, but he totally has a couple grey hairs he gets Santana to pull out when he finds them and there's certain habits he has at home that make him so much older than he is.
Like the slippers he keeps at the front door and wears all the time around the house. Or the newspaper he pays the paper boy to deliver despite having an iPad with a thousand news apps on it. It's old school, he defends every time his daughter mocks him.
"And this is Dani," Santana gently squeezes said girls side. She doesn't add who the girl is to her, mostly because she doesn't really know. This is only their first date so there's no title.
Yet.
Diego doesn't ask either, settling for just the name. Maybe he reads it in her face. "Pleased to meet you, Dani," he replies, and Judy introduces herself because Quinn's still not here.
Which is a point. Where did she go? Her and Puck are no longer by the docks, and Santana can't find them in her quick scan of the area.
"I gotta go," Brittany announces and brushes off the back of her jeans. The hardness from the night at the party is back. "Dani, do you still need a lift?"
Santana freezes. She always forgets they're friends, apparently quite close friends by the way Dani talks about the other girl, but she still feels weird about it.
"I think Santana's going to take me home?" Dani says, but it's a question and Santana doesn't notice she's nodding until there's lips against her cheek and a thank you being whispered into her ear. She feels the girl linger, and the heat buzzes around her. That was on purpose, and totally inappropriate but in like, a hot way.
Shit, she's only human.
"Okay," Brittany nods slowly, obviously feeling awkward and noticing the linger, but she quickly snaps back to the happy-go-lucky façade in a flash. It's so damn hard to read her. "See you guys at school tomorrow."
There's barely a second to respond before the blonde is spinning on her heel, disappearing into the forest towards the car park.
Santana can't fight the heaviness that sinks inside her.
/
It's only when she's walking back to the parking lot that she sees Quinn again,
Dani's walking beside her, and the blonde is leaning against Santana's truck when she gets there, which shouldn't be a surprise because she wouldn't leave without saying goodbye, but she hasn't seen her in like an hour, and the last time she did, it was with Puck. Not to mention she hasn't seen Rachel in a while either. Maybe she should take more notice of where her friends are.
"Where's Rachel?"
Quinn pushes off the vehicle, arms crossed. "Left a while ago," she replies. "My mom left without me, so can I hitch a ride?"
She shouldn't laugh really, but Quinn's own mom left her behind. "Ouch," Santana quips, nudging her elbow into her blonde friend. "But sure."
"She thought I was going with Rachel," the blonde says, and Santana opens the truck door, standing aside to allow Dani and Quinn inside.
Santana climbs in the other side, the engine roaring as it starts up and she backs out the space, heading back towards town. The darkness encompasses the road, only a few streetlights actually working and she manages to avoid asking about the elephant in the room because she doesn't want to make Dani uncomfortable by bringing Puck up. Not that she isn't already uncomfortable – the truck only has two seats, so Quinn is lodged in, pressed against the passenger side door, half on the seat, half hanging off and Dani is clinging to Santana's thigh like she's having to hold herself up.
But she means emotionally. It would be super awkward is Quinn took the question the wrong way and then there was dead silence on the journey back.
"So where did you go tonight?"
It's a different version of what she really wants to ask, but the blonde doesn't know Santana saw her down at the docks, so she keeps it subtle.
"I didn't go anywhere," Quinn retorts. "But I was speaking with Puck for a while."
Okay, maybe Quinn doesn't care about making Dani feel uncomfortable, but what kind of friend would Santana be if she refused to talk about a subject her friend brought up? She just needs to watch what she says, and her tone, and her facial expressions. Basically, she needs to poker face the fuck out of this conversation.
"What about?"
Hazel eyes that were trained on Santana's profile flick out the window. "About next weeks schedule and how much of an ass he is."
Everyone laughs lightly, and Santana looks to her friend as it dies down, unable to read her. But all she can think about is that she can't really judge Quinn, and she doesn't need to be as protective as she is over her considering she's only tutoring the guy, but she just has this awful feeling in her stomach. Which probably stems for her deep-routed disgust for Puck, but it's all so convenient that the second she starts talking to Brittany and Dani, that Puck suddenly needs tutoring? With Quinn of all people?
It's also a weak excuse, and it's not like she thinks it's a lie or anything, but what kind of conversation about schedules and level of douchiness lasts for over an hour?
And Santana's about to ask. She's about to open her mouth with less care than she aims for, but Quinn suddenly looks at her, then at Dani, then back again and Santana feels like there's more to this than meets the eye, but for some reason she doesn't want to say it in front of the cheerleader.
So, being the fantastic friend she is, she looks to her date and smiles softly. "Is it okay to drop you off first, Dani? Need some bestie time."
There's no point in lying. Dani's literally been right here, silent, listening to the conversation around her. It would be suspicious to suggest it was for any other reason, and the girl seems to see it because she squeezes Santana's thigh gently and tells her it's okay, shooting her a sly, knowing wink when Quinn isn't looking.
"No problem, babe," she says.
Santana flashes a smile back, wondering what the night is going to bring.
/
I didn't want to leave it there, but I realised the word count and wanted to split it equally. Review if you deem worthy!