A/N: Thanks so much for all your support guys!
It makes me really happy that you all seem to understand where I'm taking the relationship with Brittany and Santana. As for what happened to Santana; the bathroom incident will most definitely be dealt with. Brittany won't let that slide so easily. And no, it was not Quinn – she'd never do that to Britt.
Regarding Santana's past – this will also be dealt with at a later stage. I know exactly what happened to her (duh :p) so I hope that I'm able to portray the suspense effectively :)
Lastly, Santana's mutism: I won't tell you guys whether it's voluntary or not :) Sorry, but I won't budge on that :)
Special mention to glonner22 – your review made my day :) Not to take away from everyone else who took the time to send me comments – I do love responding to all of them :) Much love to all!
Onwards and up.
-H
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee :(
CHAPTER 6: Quality time
Brittany pulled into her driveway and was relieved to see that it was empty – no one was home. Not only because her family would bombard her with questions and probably embarrass her, but also because she doubted that Santana wanted to be around anyone strange.
She couldn't help but smile at the thought that Santana trusted her enough to be around her after something so terrible. Enough to take care of her at a place that she had never been before. Because Brittany was there. She kept the smile under control, though. Her primary concern was Santana and her well-being.
The Latina had been really quiet the whole ride. Brittany wasn't referring to that fact that she couldn't speak. Cos, duh. But Santana had withdrawn into herself and she barely moved in the back seat. Brittany sighed quietly, taking in Santana's face in her rear view mirror. She looked stressed, scared and uncertain.
Not on my watch.
"Santana?" she said quietly. "We're at my house. Would you like me to carry you inside? I totally can. Really, I don't mind."
It didn't appear that Santana had heard her. Brittany figured as much. She was used to this response. For one second, she wished she could hear Santana's thoughts so that she could better help her. Better understand her.
For now, she'd do whatever she could to make Santana feel as safe as possible. She carefully opened her door and climbed out, keeping her keys in her hand. Her head was in turmoil. What did she do? Now that she'd gotten Santana away from the scene of the crime – a crime that still got her blood boiling – but now it was just the two of them.
You got this, B. Just be yourself. She trusts you. Just keep asking her what she wants.
She nodded to herself and shut her door, pulling her bag over her shoulder. She walked around and smiled at Santana through the window. The young girl was completely lost in her head. However, Brittany wasn't so sure that it was the best place for her to be, all things considered.
"Santana?"
Nothing.
She sighed and pulled her mouth to one side. She didn't want to scare her by touching her unannounced.
"Santana?" she said, a little louder.
The young girl jumped a little and lifted her gaze to meet Brittany's.
"I'm really sorry for raising my voice, but you don't hear me if I say it normally," Brittany mumbled. She held out her hand. "Are you ok to walk or would you like me to carry you?"
Santana swallowed and looked at Brittany's hand, then met her eyes again. They stayed like that for a few moments before the brunette shuffled forward. Brittany pulled her hand back when she didn't take it, ignoring the pang in her chest.
This is about making her feel comfortable. Not your pride.
Brittany nodded to her inner voice and stepped back to let Santana stand up. She immediately gripped Brittany's arm tightly, almost making sure that she'd stay close. The blonde smiled and wrapped her other arm around Santana's waist so that she supported the smaller girl. Santana immediately turned into her and Brittany breathed a sigh of relief. She shut the door, locked her car and the two girls slowly made their way from the driveway to the front door. Brittany unlocked the door and it swung back. She glanced down and bit a smile back at Santana's jaw-dropping reaction to the entry hall to her house.
Yup, an entry hall. Two stories high, huge chandelier, the whole shebang. Her mom was quite proud of it. She quickly entered the security code to prevent the alarm from going off.
"Santana? We can go straight up to my room if you'd like? Or I could give you the tour? Now or later, whichever you prefer."
Santana just held her tighter.
Bedroom it is.
"Ok, we're going up the stairs. I'm warning you in advance, my parents were fitness freaks in a previous life or something because that's the only reasonable explanation for them choosing a house with a gazillion stairs." She chuckled lightly to herself.
Santana released her arm, but tangled their fingers together. Brittany gladly guided her up to the second floor. They walked along a short passage before hitting another set of stairs that would take them to Brittany's bedroom. They walked inside and Brittany suddenly panicked.
Is my room tidy? Crap! I can't remember! Any clothes on the floor?
"Um, yeah. So this is my room," Brittany said awkwardly, stepping inside. She dropped her bag next to her desk and turned to face Santana. The brunette was looking around with a blank expression.
"Um, feel free to look around," she offered, running her thumb along the back of Santana's hand. "I don't have anything to hide from you."
Santana met her eyes and Brittany saw that warm twinkle that she loved so much. It was faint, but it was there. And it made her very happy to see it. She smiled.
"May I take your bag, Miss Lopez?" she asked courteously.
She gave herself a standing ovation inside her head when she was rewarded with a small bashful smile. Santana handed her bag to her and Brittany placed it next to hers.
"Ok, so the afternoon is yours. What do you want to do? Movie? Just Dance? Sleep? Oh, you can totally shower if you want. And you can totally borrow some of my clothes."
Santana nodded gratefully. Brittany smiled warmly. She pulled her gently by the hand into her bathroom. She showed her where the towels were and told her to wait five seconds while she got her some clothes to change into. The last thing she wanted was for Santana to have to come out in a towel or for Brittany to go into the bathroom when the brunette was in various forms of undress.
She was pretty sure she'd have a heart attack.
"Here you go, beautiful," she said softly, handing Santana a pair of sweatpants, tank top and hoodie.
Santana took the clothes and put them on the closed lid of the toilet. Brittany was about to take a step back but she caught her hand and hesitantly pulled her closer. Brittany swallowed as her heart rate increased. Their bodies were almost touching and the blonde felt like she was about to burst if Santana didn't do something.
And then she did.
Santana dropped Brittany's hand and slowly ran her hands up Brittany's arms, leaving goosebumps in her wake and causing Brittany to shiver involuntarily. Her arms continued and locked around the taller girl's neck. They were really close, staring into each other's eyes. Brittany would never make the first move, as much as it was draining her restraint. She wouldn't do that to Santana.
After what seemed like hours, Santana stepped forward, bringing their bodies flush against each other. Brittany took a sharp breath in and rested her hands on Santana's hips, not entirely sure what she was supposed to do. She knew what she wanted to do…
Santana moved closer, rising onto her toes and Brittany swallowed, trying to relieve her suddenly dry throat. She almost breathed a sigh of relief when Santana nestled her head against her neck. She moved her hands from the Latina's small waist to her back and pulled her a little closer.
I could picture us falling asleep like this.
Brittany allowed the rogue thought to run through her mind. It would be amazing, no doubt. As head over heels in love with Santana as she was and as much as she wanted to do the old fashioned dip and kiss thing from old movies, she wouldn't. Sometimes, like at that moment, it was a little harder to resist the desire to do just that, but Brittany fought it. She would always fight it if it meant that Santana kept on trusting her.
She felt Santana's grip loosen slightly, so she did the same and stepped back. As she did, she felt the brush of Santana's lips against the side of her throat and it made her breath hitch. She was pretty sure that it wasn't an accident, so she tried to stop her face from turning beet red and her thumping heart from beating right out of her chest.
Santana obviously felt it, though. Once they were looking at each other again, she dropped one hand and placed it over Brittany's heart, just feeling the rapid beating against her palm. And it wasn't about to slow down because Santana was touching her. Voluntarily touching her chest. Where there was naked skin. Her fingertips were grazing against the heating skin underneath her collar bone.
"Santana, I'm afraid that if you continue to touch me, I may have a heart attack because I can't seem to control my heartbeat," Brittany confessed in a whisper that, to her embarrassment, came out a little strangled.
The brunette looked up in surprise and smiled guiltily, dropping her hand away. She glanced down but Brittany tipped her chin back up.
"Trust me when I say that no one has ever made me feel like that just by touching me. In fact, no one has ever made me feel like that ever. It's a good thing, ok? I'm still working on the control so forgive me if I…overstep sometimes."
Santana frowned in confusion.
Brittany blushed and bit her lip. "Well, since I'm being honest with you…um, it's really hard for me to not kiss you. It actually has been a pretty intense battle with my will power since this morning. But, you're so important to me, Santana, so I won't ever do anything without your consent or that makes you uncomfortable."
Santana looked shocked, but not in a bad way. Her mouth had fallen open a little and she was just staring up at Brittany in disbelief.
"Hmmm, I love that little furrow of your brow," she murmured, looking at it. "It's so cute." She dropped her hands from Santana's waist and took a step back. "I'll let you shower. Just let me know if you need anything, ok?"
She just nodded a few times in reply and Brittany smiled at her lovingly. She really did look so adorable when she was flustered and a little confused.
"See you in a bit, beautiful," she called, shutting the bathroom door.
Spinning around, she quickly set about making her room presentable. Luckily, she wasn't messy. The maid that came to clean the house was forbidden to enter Brittany's room by her parents – she was responsible for the state of her bedroom. She actually preferred that. Other than family, only Quinn and Sugar, at one point, had been inside her room. She'd never had her one-night-stands in her bed. It was her sanctuary, her escape from the world. And yeah, sex was an escape for her (well, it used to be), but she just didn't want to do it in her own room. Quinn thought her logic was retarded. Brittany disagreed – her rule hadn't affected the amount of times she'd been laid.
Wait, why the hell was she thinking about how many times she'd been laid when the most perfect girl in the world – the girl that she was in love with – was in the very next room, taking a shower…
Oh, shit. That wasn't a good idea.
Now all she was doing was picturing Santana naked, with water running down her caramel skin.
"Holy Jesus, stop!" Brittany said aloud, trying to regulate her breathing. "Snap out of it, Pierce. This is the girl you love. She's everything. Which means no thinking of sweet lady kisses until she's ready."
She nodded in affirmation of her statement and grabbed a few clothes that were strewn on the floor. She straightened her bed out and fluffed the pillows. She lowered the TV from the ceiling – yes, her TV came out of the ceiling – and she opened up the cupboard that housed her DVD collection. She loved movies and had a pretty extensive collection built up. There wasn't a genre that she didn't enjoy. But she figured that horror would be off the table when Santana was around. And maybe suspense thrillers.
She was so busy crouched, looking through her collection that she didn't hear the bathroom door open. She felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped slightly, losing her balance and falling onto her side. She groaned as she jarred her elbow and looked up to see Santana giggling.
"Yeah, very funny," she grumbled. "Ugh. Well, since you're here, take your pick." She gestured to her collection and smiled at the way Santana's eyes went wide. She rolled onto her feet and stood up so the she was next to Santana. "Do you want some food? Seeing as how, you know, we didn't, um, get to have lunch?" Brittany faded away towards the end, realising that she was an idiot for bringing it up.
But Santana just gave her a warm smile and nodded. Brittany returned it in relief.
"Ok, are you allergic to anything? Just so that I know?"
Santana nodded and pulled out a necklace, showing it to Brittany. She took it carefully. It was one of those allergy necklaces that listed what the wearer was allergic to. Pretty clever, especially for someone who's mute.
"Ok, sesame seeds and insulin. Ah, that sucks. Just as well you're not diabetic, huh?"
Santana wiggled her eyebrows with a small smile. Brittany chuckled. "Ok, beautiful. I'll be right back. The remotes are there next to my bed. Choose whatever you wanna watch and make yourself comfortable. I'm gonna be super quick."
Santana just nodded and Brittany spun on her heel, skipping out of the room. As soon as she on the second floor she let out a huge breath.
"Holy crap!" she whispered. "Ugh, this is gonna be really difficult."
She hadn't expected Santana to look so completely gorgeous in her sweats, freshly showered with her hair piled on top of her head. She looked so beautiful in the most casual clothes. In Brittany's clothes. She moaned to herself as she headed down the stairs and took a right off the entry hall into the kitchen.
Within five minutes, she'd made two sandwiches with white bread with the works, grabbed two cans of soda – she had water in her room, plus snacks – and headed back up, balancing the two plates easily. She smiled when she saw Santana sitting cross-legged against her pillows, looking at several movies laid out in front of her.
"Do we have a winner?" she queried.
Santana smiled and held up The Prestige.
"Wow. Haven't seen that one in a while, but excellent choice." She sat down on the huge bed about an arm's length away from Santana. Beds were very different territory and Brittany wasn't about to be presumptuous and assume that they would continue their closeness just because they were on a bed. "I have BLT or peanut butter and jelly. If you'd prefer something else, I'll run down and make you something…"
Santana took the peanut butter and jelly sandwich and touched her left to her mouth.
Brittany smiled. "You are most welcome, Santana. Oh, I also got you a soda. Hope cherry flavour's ok? I've got water in my fridge over there as well as…" she bent over the bed and opened the cabinet built into the bottom base, "snacks!" she proclaimed, holding up a few packets of chips and candy.
Santana grinned widely and took a bite of her sandwich, closing her eyes in appreciation.
"Good then?" Brittany asked with a smile.
She got a furious nod in return.
"Awesome." She stood up and went to put the DVD in the player attached to the TV. Once back on the bed, she started the movie and the two girls were intrigued from the opening scene, happily munching on their lunch and snacks.
About halfway through the movie, Brittany leaned over to grab the plate in front of Santana's crossed legs so that she could stretch out of she wanted to. She stood up and put the dirty plates on her desk, grabbing both their phones at the same time. She paused at her fridge and pulled out two bottles of water. Santana smiled at her gratefully as she handed her phone and a bottle of water to her. Brittany just winked and settled back against her comfy pillows to watch the rest of the movie. Just over an hour later, the end credits rolled up and Brittany stood up, stretching languidly. She looked over at Santana, whose eyes were following her body up and down as she stretched. She felt her heart rate increase. Having Santana's eyes on her like that was riveting. It made her feel almost naked. She smirked.
"Like what you see, Lopez?" she teased.
Santana immediately flushed and looked down.
"Don't be shy. You know I was teasing. What's next?"
The young girl kept her head down, but handed over the next DVD from the little pile she'd created on the nightstand next to her. Brittany arched an eyebrow and chuckled. "Never pegged you for a Twilight girl."
Santana shrugged and Brittany suddenly felt horrible. She'd made her feel uncomfortable.
Not to self. Don't tease!
It was probably really difficult for her to express any kind of emotion, and even though Brittany understood her pretty well already, she knew that Santana was shy.
Idiot.
She quickly loaded the DVD and put The Prestige back in its case and climbed onto her bed, making sure that she sat a little closer to Santana this time. She glanced over as the opening credits rolled. Santana looked nervous and her body was stiff.
"Hey," she whispered.
Santana's eyes darted to her nervously.
"I didn't mean anything by that comment. It was wrong of me to tease you. Hell, if you knew how many times I checked you out, I'd be super…oh, crap. You weren't supposed to know that." Brittany went red and looked down.
She heard her phone vibrate next to her and smiled at the message.
So how about we call it even then?
"Deal," she said, looking back at Santana. They shared a smile and Brittany settled back into her pillows again, making sure that she was leaning closer to Santana. If she was aware of Brittany's super stealth moves, she ignored them and got comfortable a few centimetres away from her.
It made Brittany smile. They watched the movie unfold and she turned her attention to Santana when Bella's Lullaby came on. The brunette had a contented smile playing on her face and her eyes had fluttered closed, her head moving in time to the music.
So beautiful.
Santana's eyes flew open and she looked over at Brittany. Her smile had turned shy.
"Ooooh. Shit, did I say that out loud?" Brittany asked, pulling a face.
She nodded.
"Sorry," she muttered.
As an answer, Santana bridged the space between them and took hold of Brittany's hand, slowly entwining their fingers. Any embarrassment flew out of the blonde's mind as she shuffled a little closer so that their joined hands were resting in the small gap between them.
"I like this," Brittany whispered, leaning her head a little closer. "I really like spending time with you like this."
Santana met her eyes and they said everything that her mouth couldn't. Brittany dropped her gaze with a smile and turned her attention back to the screen. When it came to the ballet studio scene, she felt Santana's grip on her hand tighten and tremble slightly. She immediately turned her attention to the young girl next to her.
"Want me to change it?" she asked. "You don't have to say why. Just yes or no."
After a noticeable pause, she got a few quick nods.
"Ok. I think we need to watch something silly. How about Bridesmaids?"
Santana smiled that grateful smile that Brittany loved so much. She quickly stopped Twilight and ejected the disc, switching it out for the comedy.
"While I'm up, are you still hungry? Want another sandwich? Or I could see if we've got some leftover lasagne? My mom makes a mean lasagne."
She got a reluctant nod.
"Hey." Brittany waited until Santana lifted her head and their eyes met. "When you're here, whether it's with me or not, you are entitled to anything you want. My house is completely open to you. And you don't have to say thank you for everything because I want you to enjoy yourself here. Just like I want you to have some lasagne with me so that I don't look like a total pig when I devour the plate in like three seconds."
Bingo. She got a smile.
"I'll be right back. Don't start without me, ok?"
Brittany hummed as she warmed the leftover up in the microwave. She frowned when she heard someone coming down the stairs in a hurry.
"Santana?" she called, stepping into the long passage.
The brunette ran to her and shoved her phone into her hand frantically. Her hands were moving around sporadically so Brittany glanced down and her eyes widened. It was a quarter to five. She had several missed calls from Quinn and Mike, but she hadn't heard them because her tones were still on silent from school. Only messages came through on vibrate and she must not have heard them because of the volume of the TV.
She'd missed her re-eval.
Brittany nibbled on her bottom lip and slipped her phone into her pants pocket with a smile. "Don't worry about it."
Santana frowned and shook her head, immediately typing on her phone. She showed it to Brittany when she was done.
No, we should go to school now and see if they'll still see you or something. I'm so sorry, Brittany. I never meant to make you miss your re-evaluation. Especially after you worked so hard on it.
"Santana, seriously, don't worry about it."
She typed out another message.
Are you going to get another date for re-evaluation?
"Nah. I'll stick with the grade I got."
Santana looked completely confused. Brittany opened the microwave and let the lasagne cool a bit. She walked up to the brunette and looked at her with a warm smile.
"My re-evaluation doesn't even compare to making sure that you're ok. If I could do it over again, I'd do the same thing." She cocked her head in thought. "Well, actually, I would wait outside your last class and make sure that whoever thought that they could pull that stunt never even got close to you." She clenched her jaw at the memory of seeing Santana taped to that toilet for the first time. Nothing would ever erase that form her mind and she was going to make the people responsible very, very sorry that they'd messed with Santana.
She felt two hands on her cheeks and Santana tugged her face down so that her eyes finally met earnest dark ones. She just shook her head slowly. Brittany frowned and pulled out of her grasp.
"No, I'm sorry, Santana, but I'm not letting this go. No fucking way. I would honestly do anything for you, but please don't ask me to forget about this. Because I refuse to do that. I will not stand by and let ignorant people bully the girl I l-" She stopped herself before her mouth ran away with her and took a deep breath. "I know that I can't change what happened, Santana. But that doesn't mean that I'm not going to ensure that there are consequences. Bullying is not excusable. And I know you can take care of yourself, but somebody…they tied you…and…" She started breathing quickly. "What if I hadn't found you, huh?" Her voice caught and she furiously blinked back tears. "It's…No, I'm glad that I was the one to find you because I won't let this go. I won't." She stared at Santana, holding her gaze as tears blurred her own. "Please don't ask me to."
Santana looked completely torn and Brittany hated that it was because of her. But a greater part of her, the part that would do absolutely anything to ensure that Santana was safe, overruled that compassion. The culprits would be severely dealt with.
She felt two arms encircle her waist and Santana rested her head against Brittany's shoulder. The blonde sighed and wrapped her arms around Santana as well, holding her tightly.
"I hate that I wasn't there, and this isn't some kind of guilt trip, ok? It's not like that. I…It kills me that you went through that. And I will make the people who did it to you pay dearly." She pulled away slightly so that Santana looked up at her. She was surprised to see dark orbs glistening with the beginnings of tears. She lifted her hands brushed her thumbs lightly under Santana's eyes to catch the tears as they fell. "Don't cry, ok? They're not worth it. And I will make sure that nothing like that ever happens to you again. Ever." She took a breath. "Santana, I know we haven't known each other for very long, but I want to tell you that I…I would do anything for you. What I want doesn't even matter to me anymore. It's…everything that I do is for you or about you. And before you say anything, it's because I want it that way. I like it that way. I've never felt anything like this for anyone else before. And I kinda think that it was meant to be that way. I was waiting for you."
Brittany cradled Santana's face in her hands and smiled. "You are so incredibly beautiful, Santana. You are the most talented and selfless person I know. You make me laugh like no one else. You make me think outside of the box. You make the butterflies in my stomach go crazy. You make me crazy. But in the good way," she added quickly. "I don't want to feel like this with anybody else. Only you."
Brittany leaned down and brushed her lips lightly against Santana's cheek. She pulled back and saw Santana's eyes fluttering open. They looked at each other for a while longer before Brittany dropped her hands again and pulled Santana close to her for a hug. The tan arms around her waist held her tight. Brittany was adamant that she wouldn't let her go of that's what Santana wanted.
Santana wiggled her eyebrows in approval as she took another bite of lasagne. Brittany grinned and scooped a huge piece into her mouth. It puffed her cheeks out and made Santana giggle.
They finished their late lunch snack in comfortable silence, their gazes never wandering far from each other. Brittany felt wonderfully calm. She didn't even care that she'd missed her evaluation. Her number one priority from now on would always be Santana.
"Ok, I just have to say something right now," Brittany blurted as she deposited their empty plates into the sink.
Santana looked at her expectantly.
"You look so incredibly sexy in my clothes," Brittany said with a grin. "I'm not teasing you or anything, I promise. I just…I had to tell you."
Santana blushed and looked down at her feet.
"And another thing," Brittany said in a softer tone, walking up to the brunette and tipping her chin once more. "I don't say those things to you just because. I say them because that's what I truly believe. It's how I see you." She tucked an errant strand of dark hair behind Santana's ear. "And since I'm just absolutely the most amazing person on the planet, I have to be telling the truth. Which means you have to believe it." She winked, bopped Santana on the nose and giggled when she scrunched it up. The happy smile on the young girl's face was enough to send Brittany soaring into the sky. Nothing could go wrong as long as she kept that smile on her face.
They walked hand-in-hand back up to Brittany's room.
"I'm gonna grab a quick shower, ok? I won't be long," Brittany said. "Maybe you should text Holly and let her know where you are? If you want me to take you home, just let me know."
Santana nodded, but Brittany knew it wasn't for the last question. She closed the bathroom door and smiled at how she just innately knew what Santana meant now. It kinda felt like they were meant to have met.
As the hot water ran down her body, she thought about how close she'd come to telling Santana about her true feelings. They way that those gorgeous dark eyes had looked back at her…she was almost sure that if she had said it, Santana wouldn't have run away. There had been more than one occasion where she'd felt like they were going to kiss, but she'd held back, wanting to make sure that Santana truly wanted to kiss her. Because Brittany was pretty sure that if she kissed Santana, she wouldn't be able to just be her friend anymore. Even as things stood now, they were teetering on that line between friendship and something more.
Something more…
Brittany would love something more.
She rinsed her hair and turned the water off, quickly drying herself. She turned to her clothes lying in a heap on the floor.
"Oh."
Crap.
She wrapped her towel tightly around her and bit her lip as she approached the door. She opened it a margin.
"Um, Santana? You there?"
She waited a few moments before a beautiful face appeared at the door. Her eyes went wide when she took in what Brittany was wearing. They immediately darted elsewhere.
Brittany wanted to tell Santana that she was welcome to look as much as she wanted, but after what had happened earlier, she didn't want to risk this perfect little bubble that they were in.
"Sorry. I, uh, forget to take some clothes in. I'm just gonna run out and grab some. But I didn't wanna, um, scare you or anything."
Santana flushed and shook her head. Brittany glimpsed a shy smile.
"You're cute," she whispered. "I'll be quick."
She pushed the door open all the way and walked quickly to her chest of drawers, opening the third drawer and grabbing a pair of sweat pants and a tank top. From her top drawer, she grabbed some underwear and winked at Santana as she headed back into the bathroom.
Within five minutes, she was back out, feeling refreshed and relaxed. Santana was stretched out on the bed, playing on her phone.
"Hey, you. Did you text Holly?"
She nodded.
"Cool." Brittany didn't press the matter. Santana would tell her what she wanted. "Bridesmaids?"
Santana grinned and wiggled down to get comfortable. Brittany sat right next to her this time, not bothering with the pretence that neither of them wanted the closeness. She started the movie and put her hand over Santana's. The younger girl, turned her hand and their fingers laced together. They both looked at each other and smiled.
About twenty minutes into the movie, Santana surprised Brittany by resting her head on her shoulder. The blonde knew that her shoulder was pretty bony.
"Try this," she whispered, gently disentangling their fingers and putting that arm around Santana instead.
The brunette didn't waste any time and cuddled close, resting her head on Brittany's collar bone. Her right hand reached out and grabbed Brittany's right. She spent the rest of the movie just playing with the blonde's fingers.
Brittany's face was permanently etched into a smile and it had little to do with the comedy on the TV in front of them.
Brittany jerked awake. When had she fallen asleep? She looked down and couldn't stop the smile creeping onto her face. Santana was curled into her, her arm around Brittany's waist and her head resting comfortably in the crook of her neck.
Just like I wished.
The TV was playing the menu for Bridesmaids.
We must have fallen asleep just before the movie ended.
Brittany yawned and used the arm that was around Santana to pull her closer. She closed her eyes and proceeded to head back into lala land. That was until she heard hushed voices coming up the stairs to her room. She knew it wasn't Quinn because she'd texted both her and Mike earlier, apologising about the re-eval but that something unavoidable had come up (she'd told Quinn that it had to do with Santana) and that she'd take the initial grade. Quinn had replied immediately, saying that if she needed anything that she shouldn't hesitate to ask. She didn't even know if Mike had replied.
The voices came closer and Brittany opened her eyes, craning her neck up as far as she could without waking Santana. The brunette tightened her grip on Brittany as she slept and burrowed deeper into her neck. A deep sigh set her skin on fire.
God, I am so in love with this girl.
"How long have they been here?" an unfamiliar voice asked in a low voice.
"I don't know. I can check when the alarm was deactivated. Do you know when they left school?" That was her mom. Who was she talking to?
"By the time Santana texted me, Mr. Schuester had already left school." Oh, it was Holly. But if Santana had texted her, then what was she doing there? And, more importantly, how had she found out where she lived?
"Should we wake them?" Victoria whispered.
Ugh. I don't want them to wake her up. She's been so happy with me. Don't take her away.
She realised how ridiculous she sounded, but she wanted Santana around all the time. She couldn't get enough of her.
Brittany groaned inwardly. She wanted to get up and talk to Holly and find out why they were there. Unless Santana had perhaps asked them to pick her up at a certain time and had fallen asleep? She stroked Santana's arm that was resting across her stomach and smiled. She wouldn't be anywhere else at that moment if she could help it. But she wanted Santana to continue sleeping peacefully. She doubted that would happen if the chatter continued outside her bedroom door. She carefully wiggled her arm out, thankfully not waking her sleeping partner. She rested Santana's head on her pillow and grabbed another one her to hold, which she latched onto and snuggled against.
That should be me right now, dammit, Brittany pouted.
Running a hand through her hair, she headed for her door.
"Britt!" Victoria said in surprise. "I didn't realise you were awake."
"I wasn't," Brittany mumbled, glancing back into her room to check that Santana was ok. "I heard you guys. What's going on?"
"Brittany, we haven't met yet. I'm Shelby, Santana's aunt."
The blonde was suddenly wide awake. She held out her hand to a brunette that looked like she could be related to Santana and smiled. "Pleasure to finally meet you, Shelby."
"And you. I've heard so much about you from both Santana and Holly. You seem to really have charmed them."
Brittany's smile faltered a little at the distrust she could hear in Shelby's voice.
"Um, well, I don't know about charmed, but Santana does mean a great deal to me. I just want to make sure she's safe."
"So what happened today, then?"
Wow. So this is what the overprotective parent thing is like.
"Um, we were supposed to have lunch together, but Santana didn't show. I happened to go into one of the bathrooms and I found her there taped to a toilet."
Three pairs of eyes went wide.
"Oh, no, no, no," Shelby whispered in horror. "Is she…did she…?"
"She's fine now. It wasn't easy, but I talked her into letting me get her out of there. I cut the tape off and she let me hold her for a bit, which I think helped. When I asked where she wanted to go, she said here."
"Why?" Shelby asked.
"Because she trusts Brittany, babe. I told you that," Holly stated. She sounded a little exhausted.
"I'm really sorry that we didn't let you know. I just wanted to try and make this day a little better for her. I saw how scared she was. I understand that this was a really bad experience for her. And she's also aware that I am going to kick the ass of whoever did this to kingdom come," Brittany said, her voice ending off in a menacing whisper. "I don't stand for bullying, but I especially won't stand for it when Santana's involved."
Victoria smiled proudly and Brittany caught her eye, returning it.
"I think that maybe we should take her home," Shelby insisted in a quiet tone. "Brittany, I'm eternally grateful for what you did for my niece, but…this probably has a lasting effect that you don't realise."
"Shelby," Holly warned.
"Holly, she doesn't know. And I think Santana would like to keep it that way," Shelby said firmly.
Brittany frowned. "Um, with all due respect, Shelby, I only met you two minutes ago. You don't know me. And you don't know how Santana and I are together. She trusts me. And I am not going to let that go easily. I l-"
She felt two arms go around her waist and she immediately swivelled to see a sleepy looking Santana resting against her chest.
"Hey, beautiful," she said quietly. "I'm sorry we woke you. Your aunts are here."
Santana looked up in surprise and smiled when she saw Shelby. She quickly walked over to her and threw her arms around her neck.
"Oh, baby girl. I'm so sorry about what happened," Shelby cooed, stroking her hair. She pulled back and looked into her eyes. "You ok?"
Santana nodded and it made Brittany smile. Shelby started signing and the dancer could only watch in amazement at the flurry of hands as they spoke. It seemed like Santana was frustrated, though. Holly kept glancing back to her and it made Brittany frown. She went to stand next to her.
"Shelby wants her to come home with us, but she wants to stay," Holly whispered in her ear.
Brittany nodded in understanding and smiled. She could protect Santana. She would. For as long as she lived.
"Oh," Holly breathed.
"What?' Brittany whispered.
"Santana just said that you're good for her and that she feels safe around you."
"Oh," was all she could say in reply. What did you even say to that? It was possibly the biggest compliment that Santana could ever pay her.
"Now Shelby's arguing that you weren't there today."
Brittany furrowed her brows in frustration. She may not have been there when it happened, but she did get there. She did save her. It was fate that she found Santana. Someone else could have found her, but she did. That should count for something. She'd taken care of her, right?
"Whose clothes are those?" Holly asked.
"Mine," Brittany replied shortly.
The older blonde gave her a look and Brittany quickly shook her head. "No, no, no, no. Nothing happened. She wanted to take a shower and I gave her some clean clothes to wear. Honest." She held up her hands. "I told you this morning that I'm not pressuring her. She's setting the pace. Whatever she wants is fine with me."
"And what if she doesn't want anything more than friendship?" Holly asked.
Brittany swallowed. "Then I'll be the best friend she's ever had." But dear God, please don't torture me like that.
Holly nodded and glanced back to the two brunettes as they were still signing away madly. Brittany blinked, her eyes getting sore from trying to catch every movement. Holy crap, she had a long way to go to understand sign language.
"I really need to learn faster," she muttered.
Holly chuckled quietly. "It takes a while. But once you get the hang of it, signs aren't that difficult to interpret. And Santana's really good at adapting her signing to the person she's talking to. I can read what they're saying, but even I miss out on a few things. She speaks differently with me."
Brittany nodded. "What are they saying now?"
Holly's eyes flickered over their hands. "They're still arguing about whether Santana stays here or not."
"Why won't Shelby let her?"
"Because Santana isn't a very…sociable person normally. She's never spent a night away from home."
"Well, I can take her home later if that's the case."
"Oh, no, you misunderstood me," Holly chuckled. "Santana wants to stay with you. For the weekend. She doesn't want to come home."
"Oh, ok." Brittany looked at her mom, who was taking in the scene with fascination. She inclined her head once their eyes met. They spoke in hushed tones at Brittany's bedroom door.
"Um, Shelby, I don't mean to interrupt," Brittany said, catching the older brunette's eye. Santana turned around and smiled at her. Brittany sent her a wink. "It's not a problem for Santana to stay here for the weekend. I already told her that I would accommodate whatever she needs. And if this is what she needs, then I'm happy to comply. I've spoken to my mom and she's happy for your niece to stay here as well. We have a state-of-the-art security system and because my room is on the third floor, there's a steel gate that seals the stairwell up here if need be. She'll be safe here."
Santana moved next to Brittany and took her hand. The blonde smiled warmly down at her. Shelby glanced down at their hands and sighed, finally realising Santana's reluctance to leave.
"I don't expect anything to go wrong. We'll probably hang out here the whole time unless Santana wants to go somewhere. If we do go anywhere, I'll be happy to let you know. Holly already has my number."
Shelby arched a brow. Holly slid next to her.
"Trust San on this one, boo. You know she wouldn't do this if she didn't feel comfortable."
"Fine," Shelby said eventually. "This is your trial run, Brittany. The fact that Santana trusts you means a lot and that's the only reason you're even getting a trial run."
A trial run? What, am I renting Santana for the weekend or something? She frowned.
"Once again, Shelby, with all due respect, Santana is quite capable of making her own choices. She does that with us all the time. She trusts me because I trust her. I know she won't do anything if she's not one hundred percent ok with it. I think you're selling your niece a little short here. Give her the benefit of the doubt. I've only known her a short while, but I know she doesn't decide anything on a whim. If she wants to be here then it's for a very good reason."
Holly hummed something that sounded like bow-chica-bow-wow and Brittany couldn't hide the bashful grin. Shelby elbowed her partner and Holly feigned instant pain.
"Come on, babe. Let the lovebirds have their weekend together. Besides, Victoria here seems like one stand up gal. I really don't think we have anything to worry about."
Brittany held Shelby's gaze until it flickered to her niece and she felt Santana's hand squeeze hers tighter.
"Call me if you need anything, ok?" Shelby said firmly.
Santana nodded and stepped forward to give her aunt a hug goodbye. She gave Holly one too and the older blonde winked at Brittany as they descended the stairs.
"Don't worry, sweetie. I'll walk them out," Victoria said with a dismissive wave. "It's almost seven. Are you guys hungry?"
Brittany looked down at Santana who shook her head.
"Nah, we're good, Mom. We had some lasagne two hours ago. If we do, I'll whip up something."
"Ok, have fun, girls."
Victoria trotted after the other two women and struck up a conversation immediately.
Santana turned back into the bedroom, tugging Brittany behind her. The blonde giggled and watched as Santana pulled the hoodie off, tossing it to one side and climbing on the bed, this time under the covers. She had to swallow at seeing Santana in a tank top.
Holy shitballs. Sexy is an understatement.
Santana got comfortable and looked expectantly at Brittany, who catapulted into action. She grabbed the remote from the nightstand and turned the TV off. Santana grinned as the TV returned to its hidey-hole in the ceiling.
Brittany grabbed her phone and sat on the bed. "Just need to text Quinn and cancel brunch tomorrow," she told Santana.
Santana placed a hand on her arm to stop her and shook her head. Brittany frowned. "You can come with us if you'd like?"
She looked shy and it was fast becoming one of Brittany's favourite looks on her.
"Ok, then I'll just text Quinn and let her know it'll be the three of us. Is ten ok?"
Santana nodded. Brittany fired off the text and set an alarm for nine. She did enjoy her sleep and her alarm was a godsend. She'd be perpetually late otherwise.
They both snuggled down and lay on their backs next to each other.
"I think it's awesome that your aunts love you so much," Brittany murmured, turning her head so she was looking at Santana. "You're lucky."
When Santana turned her head and met her eyes, even in the darkened room, she could see masses of pain. She frowned, turned onto her side and shuffled closer, finding Santana's hand beneath the sheets.
"Did I say something wrong? I didn't mean to."
She shook her head slightly and bit her bottom lip. They lay in the semi-darkness like that for a while, not saying anything and letting the silence float around them. It wasn't a suffocating silence, but there was something there. Santana eventually pulled up her free hand and signed for a phone. Brittany turned and grabbed her phone from where she'd just placed it on the nightstand. She unlocked it and handed it to the Latina.
Hating that she had to let go of Santana's hand for her to use the phone, she just watched her eyes as the screen lit her face up. They sparkled with the screen's bright reflection. After a while, she turned the phone to Brittany so that she could read.
You were right. There are things about me that you don't know. Things that aren't good. They're not easy for me to talk about. Even though I trust you completely, I haven't brought this up in years so it's difficult. I need you to be patient with me. Can you do that?
"Absolutely," Brittany breathed immediately. "Even if you don't want to tell me, that's ok, Santana. I'm happy knowing that you're safe and that you can wear that beautiful smile genuinely."
Santana smiled and typed something else.
I do want to tell you. What you said earlier…in the kitchen. I feel it too. At first it scared me, but now I feel like it's all I can rely on. I hate when I'm not around you. I know that it sounds lame and clingy, but it's true.
"Oh, Santana. You don't have to worry about feeling any of those things. I love that you need me around you. Because I need you around just as much. When I heard your aunts talking, I was dreading that they were here to take you home, to take you away from me. These last twenty-four hours have been completely life-changing for me. Well, I guess I could boil it down to the day I met you. From that day, my life has been different. I knew you had to be in it, some way, somehow. And that's not to say that I orchestrated meeting you and finding your little room and everything. I-"
Santana put her hand over Brittany's mouth and smiled. The blonde nodded in understanding. It was time for her to shut up so that they could get their cuddle on. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't insanely excited. Brittany took her phone from Santana and put it back on the nightstand.
"Same as before?" Brittany suggested.
Santana shook her head and turned around. Brittany grinned and moved right behind her, enjoying the few precious moments where she felt their bodies moulding into one another. She slid her left arm under Santana's head and the younger girl happy nuzzled against it. Brittany felt her blood pressure spike to about a gazillion whatevers. She rested her right arm on Santana's waist, not sure how much snuggling the young girl wanted. As an answer, Santana took her hand and pulled it close, holding it over her heart.
I'll keep that safe too.
Brittany held Santana to her securely. "Goodnight, beautiful. Thank you for today."
Santana squeezed her hand in response and they went still for a moment. Brittany thought she was preparing to go to sleep when she suddenly turned a little.
"Hmmm?" she asked sleepily.
Santana bit her lip, leaned forward and kissed Brittany's cheek before quickly turning around. After a few moments to digest what had just happened, Brittany nuzzled Santana's neck through her hair, causing the Latina to giggle. She could tell because of the shaking shoulders.
"This afternoon has been the best of my life. I can't believe that I get to fall asleep with you. I feel like I'm in a dream," Brittany mumbled against her hair. She doubted that Santana could understand her, but she just needed to say it, whether it was heard or not.
I love you, Santana.
"Sweet dreams," she whispered instead, settling against the pillow and placing a soft kiss to Santana's bare shoulder.
The Latina cuddled back into her and they both fell fast asleep easily.
Brittany roused easily, feeling like she'd had the best night's sleep in a very long time. Her arms were still around Santana and she instinctively snuggled closer, although they were pretty much intertwined in every possible way. Their legs had tangled together at some point during the night. Santana had turned so that they were facing each other and their arms were securely wrapped around each other's waists. Brittany's eyes flickered over the sleeping girl and she smiled. She was so perfect.
Santana looked very peaceful and relaxed and that made Brittany happy. Their faces were really close to each other and Brittany wished that she could kiss her awake. She bit back the urge. She knew that when they did eventually kiss, that it would be the single most amazing thing she had ever experienced, which was why she didn't mind waiting. She wasn't building herself up for disappointment. If anything, she probably was underestimating how amazingly awesome their first kiss would be.
She couldn't wait for the day when they'd be sleeping just like they were and she could close the small space between them and give Santana sweet morning kisses to wake her up. And then she'd make them breakfast and make sure that the beautiful smile she loved so much would remain on her face all day.
Santana's nose scrunched up as Brittany watched her and it took a few moments for her eyes to flicker open. Still half asleep, she nuzzled into Brittany's neck and the blonde gently rolled onto her back, bringing Santana on top of her. Her hands rested low on Santana's back, right around where the tank top ended and the sweatpants began. Brittany tried desperately not to give into the desire to slide her finger underneath the shirt and run it along the smooth skin she knew she'd find hidden. Santana seemed to still be asleep as she rested peacefully against Brittany's neck. Her left hand was lying on the blonde's collarbone and the simple closeness of their position made Brittany's heart flutter. She let her head rest against Santana's and she closed her eyes again.
What seemed like minutes later, she could feel someone watching her. She blinked her eyes open lazily and was rewarded with possibly the most beautiful sight on the planet. Santana was resting her chin on her folded hands that were on Brittany's heart and those piercing dark eyes were just watching her. A contended smile played on her face.
Morning, Brittany mouthed, linking her fingers across Santana's back where they were still resting.
Morning, Santana mouthed back and it made the blonde grin widely.
Sleep well? she asked.
Brilliantly, Santana replied, nodding and smiling. You?
Best sleep I've had in ages.
They both smiled and took the next few moments to just stare at each other. Brittany didn't think she'd ever get tired of watching Santana. And the way that Santana was looking at her made her think that the young girl in her arms felt the same way. Brittany kept one hand on Santana's back and brought the other up to the Latina's face. Using her index finger, she traced around her hairline and down her jaw, her eyes following her finger. Santana brought one of her hand out from under her chin and did the same to Brittany's face. It felt marvellous.
Brittany's breath hitched slightly when Santana's caramel finger traced dangerously close to her lips. She swallowed as subtly as she could and tried to catch Santana's eye, but the dark orbs that had captured her heart were firmly fixed on her lips.
Oh, God. Is she going to kiss me? I may just die and float away if she does.
Santana suddenly braced both hands next to Brittany's head and moved her body further up so that they were looking directly into each other's eyes. Brittany's heart was racing, but her finger stayed on Santana's face. Dark eyes took in every inch of Brittany's face, finally landing on her lips once more. They stayed in that position for what felt like hours. Brittany loved how, when it was just the two of them, it felt like nothing else existed. As far as she was concerned, they could be the only two people on the planet and she'd be more than happy with that.
"You're so beautiful," she whispered.
Santana's eyes met hers and Brittany smiled. She knew that Santana could see everything that she was feeling in her eyes. Her mouth opened and closed and her brows furrowed in frustration.
"It's ok, Santana," Brittany whispered comfortingly. Their eyes met again. "I know."
The brunette smiled Brittany's favourite smile and leaned down. Blue eyes fluttered closed in anticipation and her heart soared when she felt Santana's lips pressed to her cheek. She kissed her there once, twice and a third time. She lingered on the last one and Brittany couldn't stop her fingers from digging into Santana's back a little. How was it that she had never known that this was how she was supposed to feel when someone kissed her? And they were just kisses on her cheek. Well, they weren't just kisses. They felt like promises, like declarations. They made Brittany feel like the luckiest girl in the world.
She felt Santana pull back slightly and opened her eyes, smiling up at the younger girl, who returned it.
"Wow. I feel like whenever you touch me, my skin starts burning, but in a good way. It's completely addictive."
Santana blushed and Brittany lifted her head to kiss her heated cheeks. Once, twice, three times, just like Santana did. When she dropped her head back onto the pillow, Santana smiled at her and nodded in agreement. Brittany matched her grin at the admission that she affected the Latina as much as Santana affected her, both physically and emotionally.
"I'm so glad I met you."
Santana nodded earnestly in response. Me too, she mouthed.
That meant that Brittany found herself looking at her lips which, considering what had just happened, were looking beyond enticing and she was struggling with herself not to just put them both out of their misery.
I can't. I have to let Santana make the first move, she scolded herself.
She was almost desperate to feel those lips against hers, though. She had to swallow was she feared was a probably a whimper at her desire for the younger girl. It was getting more and more difficult by the second, especially with the position they were in, for Brittany to control herself. And she definitely didn't want to frighten Santana or push too far. Kisses on the cheek were very different to kisses on the lips.
But Santana seemed to have different ideas. She leaned down again, but wasn't aiming for her cheek. She was heading straight for Brittany's lips.
Oh, God.
Their lips were a millimetre away when a sudden sound caused Santana to jerk back.
Are you kidding me? Fucking alarm!
"Sorry," Brittany whispered, removing the hand that had been exploring Santana's face to grab her phone and turn off the highly offending noise. She threw her phone somewhere on her big bed, far away from their happy bubble.
"You ok?" she asked Santana, running her hand up and down the tanned forearm next to her head.
Santana's eyes flickered to the action and then back to her. She nodded and smiled. Brittany smiled back.
"We should get ready. We're meeting Quinn in an hour."
The brunette sighed and nodded, but neither of them moved for a few minutes.
"I really would love to stay here all day, but we did make plans," Brittany hinted quietly, even though she didn't want to go anywhere.
Closing her eyes, Santana rolled off Brittany. The blonde sighed in frustration. "Would it be totally unladylike of me to throw a tantrum right now?" she muttered.
She peeked at Santana, who was giggling, her eyes sparkling. She grinned.
"You wanna shower?"
Santana nodded.
"Ok. Um…hmmm, what are we gonna do about clothes? I have some shirts that you can wear, but I think my pants will be too big for you."
Santana waved her hand, shaking her head. She pointed to the bathroom where Brittany knew her clothes from the previous day were folded neatly on the cupboard. She indicted her pants and gave a thumbs up.
"You're set for pants? You're happy to wear your jeans from yesterday?"
She nodded and smiled.
"Ok, cool. I'll grab you a shirt to wear." She sat up and stretched quickly before heading over to her closet. She grabbed a red shirt that she knew was a little tight on her and would fit Santana perfectly.
A thought entered her mind and she froze suddenly.
"Um, Santana…" she said hesitantly, turning around with the red shirt in hand.
The brunette was sitting up in bed, her hair delightfully messy and a curious expression on her face. Brittany ignored the urge to pounce back on the bed and kiss every inch of her. She cleared her throat.
"Um, w-what do you wanna do about the, um, underwear situation? You can totally wear mine. Like, I don't mind at all. I think my bras may not, um…fit you, though."
God, could things get more awkward right now?
Santana looked amused and got up off the bed. Brittany hardly wanted the girl to realise that she'd stared at her for insane amounts of time that she'd noticed that Santana was, um, bigger in the bust area than she was.
This is mortifying.
Santana stood next to her dresser and opened the top drawer where Brittany's underwear was kept. She picked out a pair of blue boy shorts and held them up to Brittany for acquiescence. The blonde nodded quickly and blushed. Her eyes were glued to her feet so she felt more than saw the Latina sidle up next to her. Her blush intensified when she felt lips brush against her cheek.
"The sh-shower," Brittany mumbled, rendered completely useless by Santana's sweet gesture.
Santana responded with another kiss to her cheek before plucking the red shirt from Brittany's hands and skipping – yes, skipping – to the bathroom. Once the door had closed, Brittany slid to the floor, using the closet as a brace.
Holy sweet hell. I'm in so much trouble.
Ten minutes later, Santana walked out in her jeans and red shirt, towelling her hair dry. Brittany had managed to gather herself and had made the bed and opened some windows to let the rapidly cooling air inside. She'd already chosen her outfit for brunch and smiled at Santana as she sat on the bed. The Latina scrunched her nose in return.
"I'll be quick," Brittany promised, gathering her clothes and heading into the bathroom.
She started humming in the shower, letting the events of that morning run through her head. The day Santana finally kissed her would be the greatest moment in history. She started dancing around a little in her big shower as the song in her head played out. It was a usual thing for Brittany. Dancing was her lifeblood. Well, it had been until a certain dark eyed goddess walked into her life. Dancing was still incredible important, but everything paled in comparison to Santana.
She continued her humming when she exited the shower and dried herself off. Before dressing, she brushed her teeth, momentarily freaking out that she'd kissed Santana's cheek with morning breath.
Ugh. Super attractive, Pierce.
She dressed quickly, winking at her reflection in the mirror and walked out, towelling her hair much the same as Santana did when she exited the bathroom. The young girl was sitting on the bed, just staring at the bedspread. It made Brittany frown.
"Hey, is everything ok?" she asked quietly, kneeling on the bed next to her.
Santana looked up and nodded with smile. She had a determined look in her eyes and Brittany arched her brows curiously.
"Something's on your mind, though," she teased.
She nodded again and lifted her hand to Brittany's face, tracing down the skin to her lips, where they stopped. Brittany's heart started racing again and she waited for Santana to do something.
And she did. She shuffled closer to Brittany so that their faces were merely centimetres apart and, this time, didn't hesitate to close the gap.
A/N: I know! I'm a total meanie for leaving it there. But I hope you enjoyed it! Lots of Brittana fluff for you guys :)
Would love to hear your thoughts, be they good, bad or otherwise :)
Onward and up!
-H
Also, Tumblr and Twitter: hlnwst