Chapter 23: Spiderman

I made the decision to park my truck down the street from Santana's house. I didn't want to pull up my monstrous sounding vehicle into her driveway and alert her parents that I was there. It would involve explanations, and it was almost ten at night. The streets were dark and mostly barren, and seeing as Santana had once told me that she had a curfew on school nights, they most definitely would not let me inside, regardless of how much they apparently liked me.

I ran up the street, the sound of my footsteps echoing against the pavement. There was really no plan in place for when I got there, but I was determined to figure it out. Santana had ignored every text and phone call I made, so there was no doubt in my mind that she was mad at me. Part of me hoped that she was just asleep already, but I wasn't known for my good luck.

Slightly out of breath, I finally made it to the Lopez family driveway. With a groan at the fact my journey was still not quite yet over, I continued up towards the house, staying close to the bushes to stay out of sight just in case someone was looking out. Hell, I didn't even know if they had cameras outside, but I would just deal with that later.

I dodged my way into hiding behind the Audi, peering up at the huge house. Most of the windows were dark, other than one downstairs and one up. From what I could remember from having been inside, the second had to be Santana's room.

I had to thank the rain of Seattle for giving the house drain piping that conveniently led up right alongside the upstairs window. It looked strong enough to take my weight.

"Here goes nothing," I muttered to myself, slipping out from behind the silver car.

Reaching the pipe, I pulled on it experimentally before pulling myself up. With my hands pulling me up and planting my feet against the block of the house, it was doable. Grunting softly to myself, I climbed higher and higher until I was level with the glow of the window.

Holding tightly to the pipe with my left hand, I leaned as far to the right as I could. I wasn't able to see in through the glass, but I could reach far enough to knock my fist against it. I knocked and after waiting a few moments, knocked again.

"San…. San!" I called out as loud as I dared, waiting for any sign of life inside.

I watched a shadow pass through the glow, and the glass slowly rose up.

"Hey… Over here," I called out softer, my arms shaking a little from the effort of holding myself up.

"Britt?" Santana's voice called, followed by her head peering out the side of the window and finding me. I couldn't see much through the dark, but it was her. I was sure of that.

"Hey…. Uh… Can I come in?" I asked, the palms of my hands starting to burn with the friction from holding my own weight.

"What are you doing here?" Santana asked, and I couldn't tell if she was shocked or mildly irritated with me.

"Seriously… Can you just let me in, please? I'm super close to falling on my ass right now,"

Santana disappeared back through the window and opened it wider, an invitation for me to crawl inside. Thank goodness. That would have been a pretty awful way to die.

With a huff, I swung myself to the side and grabbed hold of the window ledge. Using my feet against the wall as leverage, I managed to pull myself inside. It wasn't the most gracious entry, but at least I made it. Straightening up, and rubbing my sweaty hands off against my pants, I looked up at Santana.

She stood in front of me, her head slightly bowed so I couldn't see her red eyes. I didn't need to see them to know that they were there. She was upset because of me.

"San-.." I tried to start the conversation, but she cut me off.

"Why are you here?"

It was an odd question coming from someone so smart. I was obviously there to see her and try to talk to her. I didn't need to ask to know that she had seen Sugar's stupid internet post. This kind of hostility towards me wasn't something that Santana had ever had before. Not even when I was her schoolyard bully. Even then, Santana had been quiet and sensitive.

"I needed to see you. To talk to you," I answered quietly, suddenly feeling incredibly put on the spot. I just assumed that much was obvious. I wouldn't have tried breaking and entering in the middle of the night if I wasn't there to explain myself.

She looked up at me then, and I could see that she had been crying.. Or at least, she had been close to tears. The sadness was written over every inch of her perfect face. Her cheeks were red with emotion, the corners of her mouth turned down. I wanted, more than anything, to reach out and hold her to wipe that expression from her face. I had become so used to seeing her happy recently, this was quite a shock.

"Did you see what Sugar put online?" I asked, although I already knew the answer. What else would have happened this evening to have her acting this was towards me. When I had seen her at school earlier that day, she had shot me a small, secret smile. It was that smile that had gotten me through the day with a light heart.

"Is it true?" Santana asked, her voice barely above a whisper. I could tell that it was painful for her to ask, truly anticipating that I was going to confirm Sugar's claims. After all, she was one of the few people I considered a friend. Why would she lie about me on the internet when she knew the full extent of my temper.

"No," I shook my head, but I knew that Santana wasn't done with me. She stood still, her shoulders squaring even though she was anxious.

"You weren't with Puck?" It was a simple question, and I wasn't going to lie to Santana. If anything, this was the one thing I was excited to talk to her about. I had taken one huge step out of my comfort zone just a few hours previously.

"Yes I was but-"

"Brittany," Santana interrupted me with an exasperated shake of her head. She was angry, not even wanting to make eye contact with me now. I needed her to understand and I needed to share and explain what really happened that night. I moved quickly to close the gap between us, reaching out to make a grab for Santana's hand when she tried to turn away from me.

"I told him. About us,"

Admitting that made my chest ache with relief. Being able to tell Santana that I had done something proactive to help our relationship for once was a good feeling. I felt as though she always did so much for me, and I had yet to fulfill my end of the bargain.

She looked up at me then, the evidence of surprise obvious in the way her eyes widened when they sought out mine, her mouth parted slightly. Given the fact that she just assumed that Puck and I hooked up like we used to, this was probably the furthest thing from what she was expecting.

"You did?"

I could see how Santana's breath caught in her throat, and she let her fingers tangle with mine where our hands were conjoined.

"Yeah.. I guess he and Sugar broke up or whatever, and he wanted to hook up-"

I stopped when I felt the way her fingers froze in my hand, not liking the fact that I was propositioned. I couldn't blame her for that. If anything, I was quite fond of the fact that Santana hadn't been with anyone else in that way before. I'm not sure that was something I would have liked to imagine. Not with how much I wanted to be the person who would be with her in that way.

"-But we didn't. I told him to come over so I could tell him. About you.. That I'm gay or whatever.. That I'm really into you," I continued, my own cheeks heating up a little from the admittance.

I wasn't all that shy with showing Santana how I felt about her anymore, especially not when I knew it was explicitly worse trying to hold my feelings back. I was more comfortable with showing my affections than speaking them, but I was starting to learn that I had to be a little more vocal. Especially in times like this.

Santana's lips curled up into a small smile, even if she was attempting to hold it back a little. I could see that she was over the moon that I had told someone. That, in some way, I made this thing between us that little bit more real.

"What did… He say?" Santana asked, her curiosity peaked. She turned further towards me, looking down at our tangled fingers.

"He was shocked," I smirked, shaking my head a little, "But.. He was happy for me. That I could feel this way about someone,"

There was a beat of silence between us before Santana lunged herself unto me, wrapping her arms around my neck. She hugged me tightly, all the anxiety and stress I was feeling about what I assumed she would think happened between Puck and I drained away. I wasn't a very good person overall, but the only opinion I really cared about right now was Santana's.

"I'm so proud of you, Britt," Santana sighed, her breath tickling my neck and causing my arms to erupt in goosebumps under my jacket.

Santana pulled away from me to guide me over to sit on the side of her bed together. She pulled our still-joined hands into her lap, cradling me as though I was the more delicate of the two of us.

"I'm happy you Noah. He's your best friend and I think it'll be.. Good for you to have someone to talk to. But um… I'm a little surprised. You seem so against people finding out," Santana spoke quietly, drawing invisible circles onto the back of my hand with her soft fingertips.

I nodded, mulling it over in my own mind. Honestly, I wasn't too sure how or why I got the courage to open up to Puck. Sure, a lot of it was to do with him trying to hit me up for a hookup, but It did feel good to be open. A part of my stomach knot loosened when I let someone into my little knowledge circle.

"I'm not ready to really y'know.. Come out with it or whatever," I shrugged, hoping that it wouldn't upset her, "But I needed to tell him. I ain't gonna lie… Puck wanted us to start sleeping together again. I told him I couldn't… That I had someone in my life. That I had you."

I turned to look at Santana, watching the way she sucked her lip into her mouth to bite at the skin. It probably wasn't a nice thought for her, thinking about Puck and I. If the roles were reversed, I would have been beside myself with jealousy. I let her sit in thought, waiting patiently for her to speak.

"I was really upset. I didn't think you would have… done stuff with him again, but I didn't like the feeling,"

Her voice was quiet, the pain evident in the way her brows furrowed, causing a little wrinkle to forge between them. I turned my hand around in her lap to hold hers tighter, letting her know that I appreciated the honesty.

"I'm sorry. As soon as I saw what Sugar posted, I had to see you. So you knew that it wasn't true. I never want to be the reason that you're upset,"

She looked up at me then, her eyes softening. Though she was dressed in pajamas, relaxed and ready for bed, she was the most beautiful person I had ever seen.

"Thank you. I should have just picked up the phone and saved you the trouble of scaling up the side of my house,"

Santana giggled quietly, letting her head fall onto my shoulder and I smiled with her. Any closeness with Santana was welcome, even with these little stolen moments away from the prying eyes of the public.

"I'd do it again, y'know? If it makes you happy,"

Santana lifted her head from my shoulder to look at me, her eyes sparkling.

"Like my own personal Spiderman,"

"Is that the dude in red spandex?" I asked with a raise of my brow. She really was a huge nerd, and I loved it.

Santana nodded, moving to brush our noses together. My heart was light, happiness filling me that she wasn't mad at me for something that was beyond my control. I was still going to have to deal with Sugar, but that was a problem for another day. Tonight, all I cared about was Santana.

I brushed my hand against her hair, tucking the fallen strands behind her ear. Santana made the move I most desperately wanted after the evening I endured, pressing her lips against mine in a slow kiss. She wasted little time before she pulled my lower lip between her own, and there was nowhere else I would have rather been than with her. Kissing her. Giving her every ounce of my attention and my heart.

My thoughts travelled back to the last time we had been in her room and on her bed. The sight of Santana on top of me. The smoothness of her skin and the gasps and whines that vibrated against my mouth while we made out. I had thought of it constantly ever since.

Santana's hands grasped at my shirt as she tore away from my mouth, her cheeks already flushed red. I wondered if she was thinking about what I had been. A huge part of me hoped so.

"I've been thinking.." Santana started, untangling her hands from my shirt to idly touch the open zipper of my jacket.

"As always," I smirked back, resting my hand against her pajama clad thigh, watching how she jumped a little at my touch.

I waited for her reply, the silence through the large house even more evident.

"Tomorrow is Friday.."

"Perceptive,"

She shook her head, stifling a laugh.

"I was thinking… If you don't have any plans, maybe I could come over. I could cook.. And maybe stay the night. If you want.."

I felt my eyes widen a little, the smile growing on my face enough to flash my teeth. Any plans that I might have had were out of the window completely.

"Like a date?" I asked, sliding my hand down her thigh to her knee.

"Yeah… A date,"

Her eyes met mine, her lids seeming heavy from tiredness.. Or something else. I didn't want to get ahead of myself and assume she had an ulterior motive.

"Can't wait," I smiled, leaning in to pull her into another kiss that she eagerly responded to.

Though I tried to deepen it, Santana laughed lightly against my mouth and made a move to push me back. I let out a playful groan at our separation, letting her push me to arms length.

"My mom is going to check on me soon," Santana insisted, though I knew that she wanted me to stay with her as much as I wanted it too.

"But I'll see you tomorrow?" I asked, the hopefulness very evident in my voice. That made her smile.

"Definitely,"

I stood up and Santana moved with me, grasping hold of my hand as we walked back to the open window. Her grip was tight, and I assumed she was a little anxious about me going back out the way I came in. If only she knew how often I snuck in and out of peoples' houses. Maybe then, she might worry a little less.

"Sleep well, babe," I smiled, leaning in to steal one more kiss.

"I-..." Santana started before her face flushed and she shook her head, wiping whatever it was out of her mind. I wanted to ask, but it could wait.

We had tomorrow night. All night.

I squeezed her hand tight before we parted and I hopped out of the window to get a grip onto the ledge. She leaned out, pressing her lips against my forehead and making me grin.

"Don't stay up too late. I don't want you falling asleep on me too early tomorrow," I smirked, watching how Santana's breath caught in her throat.

The smile didn't falter from my face the whole climb back down onto Santana's driveway and I looked up as my feet touched the ground. Looking up, I could see deep chocolate eyes watching me leave. I walked backwards, raising my hand to wave at her before I turned around to jog back to the street.

For the first time, I couldn't wait for school in the morning. The quicker it came and went, the quicker it would be until we could have our date.