A/N: I heart you guys :) It's been a while, but I'm back :)
This chapter draws inspiration from a book called The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh (and it's also why it's taken me so long to write. I was determined to get it right). If you haven't read it, I highly recommend that you do, especially if you love flowers, which I do.
Not much Faberry in this one, I apologise. Mucho Brittana-ness :)
-H
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, nor do I own A Language of Flowers.
CHAPTER 12: A language of flowers
Slowly, Brittany and Santana walked around the Pierce residence to the back yard. Brittany wished that she could be romantic and stroll along easily, swinging her girlfriend's hand in her own, but her inability to stand unassisted kind of thwarted that plan. It did make her happy to know that they would be able to do something as sweet and cheesy and romantic as that at some point though. Santana didn't seem to mind. She wore a permanent smile on her face as the couple made their way to the garden. The smile only widened when she saw the entirety of the garden. It made Brittany grin as well.
Victoria had put serious effort into her garden and it looked phenomenal. Brittany and Santana made their way towards a bench that Brittany had gestured at which they needed to go. Once Santana had chivalrously helped Brittany sit comfortably on the bench and seated herself curled up into her side, the blonde let out a sigh of contentment.
"This is one of my favourite places ever," Brittany said in a soft tone. Speaking louder than that just seemed out of place in the serene garden.
Santana linked their fingers and squeezed her hand, resting her head comfortably on Brittany's shoulder.
"I wanted to show you this garden because I want you to know everything about me, things that not even Quinn knows."
The Latina lifted her head and looked at the dancer curiously and almost in disbelief. Brittany smiled and leaned in to kiss her nose.
"Quinn knows a lot about me, but she doesn't know everything. I was waiting for the right person and here you are."
Santana blushed and looked down, but Brittany tipped her chin back up.
"San, I want you to be more than my girlfriend. I want you to be the love of my life, my confidant, my friend, my lover, my conscience. I want everything with you."
Me too, Santana signed quickly before grabbing hold of the collar of Brittany's shirt and pulling her into a frantic kiss. It made Brittany's head spin.
"Wow," she whispered when they pulled apart, breathing hard.
Santana kissed her cheek softly three times before anchoring Brittany's arm around her waist and resting her head on her shoulder again.
"My mom installed the fountain for my grandfather. He was a landscaper, just like her. Rumour has it, he helped landscape the mayor's house, but he did always enjoy telling a good story, so I dunno."
She felt Santana nod against her shoulder so she continued, "He taught my mom everything she knew. When I was little, we used to spend every Saturday afternoon there when I wasn't at a competition. Every time we went, he would walk with my mom around the garden and quiz her on different plants and flowers, making sure that she knew each one by name and what it meant." Brittany took a deep breath, arriving at the main reason she'd brought her girlfriend out to the garden with her. "I used to tag along and I learned a lot about flowers too." She lifted her right hand – the one not entangled with Santana's – and pointed to a pale pink, almost purple flower. "That's an oak-leaf geranium. It means true friendship."
Santana inhaled sharply, realising what Brittany was doing and she gripped the blonde's hand even tighter. Brittany just smiled and leaned her cheek on the top of Santana's head.
"That one over there is a daffodil," the blonde carried on, "I always liked the wide yellow petals on that one. It means new beginnings. Now, more than ever, I appreciate a daffodil."
Santana sat up and turned to face Brittany fully. She signed slowly and deliberately, making sure that her girlfriend could understand the full meaning of what she was saying. After asking for a repeat of a few signs, Brittany couldn't help but smile at Santana's perfection. She was truly lucky.
She entwined their fingers again and stared into Santana's eyes. "Santana, we don't yet know the extent of what this injury could mean for my dancing. While I'm still freaked out about it, it's still a new beginning for us as a couple. I'm learning to depend on someone for the first time in…well, forever. That's what I meant when I said new beginnings. The thing about flowers is that they all have certain meanings, but those meanings can be applied to a variety of things. Daffodils could also refer to someone having a baby, or graduating, or getting married. It just represents the beginning of something new."
Are we something new too? Santana signed.
Brittany pulled her mouth to one side as she contemplated Santana's question. "Honestly? Yes and no. Physically, me being with you and around you and being able to hold you in my arms and kiss you is new. Wonderfully new." She punctuated her speech with a soft kiss on Santana's lips. "But at the same time, what I feel for you almost feels like it's been there, laying dormant since I was born. All it needed was to be unlocked and you arrived with the key." Brittany blushed. "God, that was so cheesy."
The way Santana kissed her, though, made her think that her girlfriend didn't mind. She had to pull away a lot sooner than she wanted because the intensity between them was quite literally making her head hurt.
What's wrong? Santana asked, concern clear on her beautiful features.
"I'm okay," Brittany replied quietly. "My head hurts a little."
Do you want to go back inside?
"No," she said quickly, dropping her hand from her head and taking Santana's fingers between her own once more. "No, I want to stay out here a little longer. I still need to introduce you to a few more flowers."
Santana smiled softly and nodded. She kissed her cheek and resumed her spot cuddled into the blonde's side.
"Over there are my mom's favourite flowers," Brittany continued. "Lilies have different meanings depending on which movie you watch or which culture you follow. My grandfather said that lilies represent majesty. He always likened them to my grandmother. He said that she always carried herself a queen. Every Sunday morning, he would present her with a fresh lily from the garden." She smiled to herself as she remembered her grandparents fondly. "They were married for over sixty years. I want so badly so have that kind of love, that kind of everlasting love." She giggled and pulled Santana close to you. "Just as well I found you, huh?"
Santana giggled herself and nuzzled her nose against the crook of Brittany's neck.
"Speaking of, my mom did plant some baby's breath around here somewhere." She scanned the expansive garden with a trained eye for the small bunches of white flowers. "Ah! There." She pointed with her finger to the right of the fountain. "Baby's breath means everlasting love, which is why brides often have them in their wedding bouquets."
Santana mouthed an I love you against Brittany's cheek, making the blonde flush with delight. She grinned widely. She was pretty sure that she'd never, ever tire of hearing Santana say those magical three words, in any and every way.
"Just to the left of the daffodils, we have honeysuckle." Her voice had dropped to just above a whisper. "Honeysuckle is one of my all-time favourite flowers. My grandfather used to have rows of them, all different colours. I always thought they looked like ballet dancers. The scent is also heavenly. My mom told me that she had pink honeysuckle woven into her wedding bouquet, which I only found out a few years ago. It just further increased my appreciation for it."
What does it mean? Santana asked.
Brittany smiled and whispered against her girlfriend's silky hair, "Devotion."
She could feel Santana tremble slightly, but could tell that it wasn't a bad tremble. She knew that she was baring her soul in the form of flowers and it wasn't something she'd ever even contemplated doing. Her love for flowers and their meanings was a passion she shared with her mother and her – rest his soul – grandfather. Spending time in the garden made her feel close to him again.
But since Santana had come into her life, she wanted to share everything with her love. She wanted Santana to know all the good things, the secrets, and even the bad things. She knew she wasn't a perfect person and had her flaws, and she wanted Santana to know them. She was confident that their love would overcome anything, though, even bad habits.
Santana pointed to their left. Next to the bench that they were sitting on was a huge array of roses in varying colours.
"Roses," Brittany confirmed.
Santana signed out the word and Brittany copied it with her free hand. Santana congratulated her with a kiss on the cheek.
"Roses have lots of different meanings. Each colour has a special…I think tone would be the best word to describe them. They don't express a specific emotion, but rather an array of emotions. For example, the red rose expresses love in its varying forms. Romantic love, congratulations, passion, courage. The white rose – my personal favourite of the rose family – represents things like purity, innocence, reverence, but in a bridal bouquet, can mean happy love as well as 'I am worthy of you'. White rose petals represent girlhood, our youth. Pink roses, both dark and light, refer to gratitude, appreciation and grace. Orange roses represent desire and enthusiasm."
Brittany didn't miss the way Santana's grip on her hand tightened. She smiled. "Yellow roses mostly illustrate friendship. So it also represents things like joy, gladness, remembrance and even jealousy – all components of a friendship. Those are the main colours. There are slight variations of colours that delve a little deeper into the existing meanings. Coral roses, like orange roses, represent desire, plain and simple."
I like those, Santana signed.
Brittany glanced down and saw a cheeky smile gracing her girlfriend's lips.
"Hmmm, I'm sure you do. To fully express my desire for you, though, I would probably give you a single tulip tied with a jonquil."
Why? Santana asked.
Brittany smiled. "Because a jonquil also represents desire and they're these beautiful white flowers perfectly shaped like a gold star with a delicate smaller yellow flower inside it. Coupled with a tulip, which is a declaration of love, those two together would express my desire for you , simply fuelled by my love." She took a quick breath. "The single flower represents the utmost emotion. That's why you often see single red roses given out. So a single tulip and a single jonquil tied together would be the best way for me to show how I feel about you."
Santana sat up again and stared at her. They remained like that for a while, until Santana held up a slightly shaking hand and signed. I'm going to kiss you now.
"I'm not stopping you, love," Brittany whispered.
Their kisses were soft and gentle.
The blonde hummed her appreciation when Santana broke away. They stayed close, so close that Brittany was able to rub her nose against her girlfriend's.
"White carnation," she whispered. "Sweet and lovely, just like you. One would look beautiful in your hair."
Santana blushed. Brittany could feel the heat on her cheeks and it made her smile. She vowed to surprise her girlfriend with flowers on the odd occasion – there were hundreds that she could describe Santana with.
The purple rose for enchantment.
The white hyacinth for beauty.
Marjoram for blushes.
Heather for protection.
The list really was endless.
Brittany was brought out of her Santana-induced flower trance by her girlfriend nuzzling her cheek.
"Hmmm?" she queried with a dreamy smile on her face.
Which flower describes me?
"So many, San. I could give you a flower every day for a year and each one would describe an aspect of you perfectly. After a year, I'd do it all over again."
Santana's eyes shone with love and it made Brittany smile wider. "But," she amended, "if I had to choose something, just one flower to describe you, I actually wouldn't choose a flower at all."
Beautiful brown eyes grew confused.
"Fruit also have meanings and because they're also plants, my grandfather taught me about them too. You, my love, are my strawberry. To me, you are perfection."
Santana's mouth dropped open and remained that way. Brittany just continued smiling. Sure, she'd said it kinda nonchalantly, but it was truly how she felt. Santana was her strawberry. There was no other person on the planet that she would ever find to be more perfect.
Not just perfect in her own skin, but perfect for her.
Santana was her soulmate.
"I know it probably sounds weird that I'm using a fruit to describe you, but that's what you are to me, Santana. You are perfection."
The brunette just stared at her in disbelief. Brittany didn't take any offence over her girlfriend's speechlessness and simply sat back against the bench, offering Santana the option to cuddle under her arm and into her side again. Santana seemed to shake herself out of her stupor and readily moved as close to Brittany as she could.
"My Santana Strawberry," she whispered into her love's hair once they were comfortable once more.
Santana's hand, which was resting on Brittany's heart, traced the outline of a strawberry. The blonde was sure that her girlfriend felt the flutter of her heart at the gesture.
After an hour of sitting in the garden, with Brittany explaining the meanings of various flowers every now and then, they made their way back inside. Brittany's head was starting to hurt and Santana's newfound talent of head massages wasn't working.
Hungry? Santana asked as they passed the kitchen.
"Actually, yeah. I should probably eat something before I sleep," Brittany mumbled in reply. "What do you feel like, love?"
But Santana just guided her to a chair at the kitchen counter and told her to stay. Brittany hardly had the energy to argue so she obeyed her girlfriend's order. What energy she did have, she focused on watching Santana move around the kitchen, opening almost all the cupboards to find whatever she needed. Within twenty minutes, Brittany had a steaming plate of…something in front of her.
But holy crap, did it smell good.
Santana took a seat next to her and speared some of the meat onto a fork, gathering the delicious-smelling sauce and cupped her hand underneath it to prevent any from dripping onto the blonde as she brought the utensil to Brittany's mouth.
Brittany took a moment to send Santana a look of complete adoration before leaning forward and closing her lips around the fork. Flavour exploded in her mouth and she hummed her approval.
"I don't care what that is or if you used sheep's testicles, but it is amazing," she said, closing her eyes in appreciation.
When she opened them again, Santana had a bright smile on her face and held up another forkful of food. Brittany gladly took the bite, humming again.
"So good. So, so good."
Santana continued feeding a very grateful and happy Brittany, taking a forkful herself every few bites.
"You're gonna make the best wife ever," Brittany mumbled sleepily, licking some sauce off her finger.
She didn't quite register what she'd said until she felt Santana grip her chin and turn her face towards hers sharply.
"Whadisay?" she said drowsily.
Santana just smiled and kissed her. Brittany head swam, and unfortunately not in the way that her girlfriend usually made her head spin.
"Baby," she moaned, pulling away. She winced and grabbed her head, willing the pain and dizziness to subside.
Santana hushed her and gently pressed her lips to Brittany's forehead. Before the dancer could even comprehend what was happening, her girlfriend had put the empty plate in the sink and was wrapping a supportive arm around her waist to help her down from the chair.
"I love you," Brittany said with a sigh, her body welcoming Santana's assistance.
It took them a while, but they eventually made it up to Brittany's bedroom.
"I need to install an elevator," the blonde said as she snuggled into her pillows with a satisfied smile.
She was vaguely aware of Santana fussing around her – taking her shoes and socks off, changing her shirt into something cooler and covering her with the duvet just the way she liked it.
God, how had she gotten so lucky? How was Santana so perfect?
"Strawberry," Brittany mumbled, inhaling the wonderful scent of Santana that lingered on her pillow. Without making a conscious decision, they interchanged pillows every night so that the scent of their love was still on the material. For Brittany, not much beat falling asleep surrounded by Santana – her scent underneath her head and the feeling of her pressed tightly against her.
Speaking of…
"Baby," she barely whispered in her exhausted state. Who knew that a concussion was so damned draining? Then again, it was probably a combination of various things.
The second she felt Santana's body press against her back, she relaxed completely and allowed the exhaustion to pull her into a deep sleep.
She felt someone shaking her shoulder gently, but she shrugged it off irritably. She was fucking sleeping, dammit.
"Britt, honey."
Wait, that couldn't be… No. She may have never heard the love of her life's voice, but she knew that it didn't sound like that. She just knew.
Soft fingers started threading through her hair lightly. A smile crept onto her face. Those fingers she knew very well. Still half-asleep, she leaned into Santana's soothing touch and took a deep breath. Brittany turned over and found her face snuggling against a very soft surface. A steady thudding against her cheek made her realise that she had landed her face on Santana's chest.
She did have a very comfy chest.
"Britt, wake up, sweetie."
"No," she mumbled stubbornly, wrapping an arm around Santana's waist and holding her girlfriend closer to her.
Santana's soft lips brushed her forehead and she sighed. Rubbing her face into her girlfriend's breasts to try and wake herself up, she didn't think about who the other person in the room may be. When her eyes cracked open, she saw the arched eyebrow of her mother, arms folded and smirk firmly in place.
"What?" Brittany croaked.
Victoria sat down on the edge of the bed next to where Brittany was sprawled over her girlfriend. "I'll wait for you to wake up properly before I tell you."
The dancer groaned. She was super comfortable and warm. Why was her mother waking her up when she was perfectly happy snuggling with her strawberry?
A glass of water appeared in front of her and she looked up, giving her girlfriend a grateful smile. She sat up and drained the glass in two deep gulps. Brittany rubbed the sleep from her eyes and felt Santana move behind her. Exhaling, she leaned back into the brunette's embrace.
"Okay, I'm awake. What's up?"
"Quinn wanted me to tell you as soon as it happened, but Santana told me how tired you got from being out in the garden so I let you sleep for a bit longer."
Brittany frowned and rubbed her temple at the subtle shoot of pain the action brought. "Tell me what? What happened?"
"Puck was charged a few hours ago. He's being booked for assault and breaking and entering."
"Really?" Brittany asked in surprise. She wasn't sure why, but in the back of her mind, she'd been so sure that something was going to happen that would let him walk. And then he'd come after her…or Santana…
Two tan arms wrapped around her waist and squeezed a little to bring her back to the present. Brittany cleared her throat. "Will they stick? I mean, does Shelby think that he'll walk?"
Victoria shook her head. "She said that as soon as the detectives showed Puck and his father the video footage, it was all formalities. Puck agreed to the assault charge."
The blonde let out a long breath of relief. She felt lighter, like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "So…is that it?"
Victoria lifted a shoulder. "For now. If it goes to trial, you'll probably be called in to testify, but both Shelby and Puck's father want to make the whole process as quick and painless as possible."
"Wait, so if it doesn't go to trial, does that mean he'll get a lesser sentence? Like a plea bargain or something?"
"I'm not sure, honey. You can ask Shelby those kinds of questions. I'm just relaying what she did tell me. The bottom line is that he's been charged and he's in jail."
Brittany nodded, but her mind kept churning. It wasn't over, not yet. She knew that she'd only be able to truly relax once he was behind bars with a sentence.
Santana kissed Brittany behind her ear, which calmed her down a little.
"Sorry, Mom," she mumbled. "Thank you for telling me. My head's kind of…I dunno, all over the place. Sometimes, I think things are too good to be true. Like, tomorrow we'll be told that he got let off on a technicality or something." She huffed. "I know it's really negative thinking. I'm struggling to get away from it, though."
Santana let out a short breath behind Brittany; it made the blonde bite her lip. She never wanted her girlfriend to think that she ever thought she was going to leave. As soon as her mother left, she planned to assure her of just that.
"I understand why you feel that way, Britt," Victoria said sympathetically. She rested a hand on her daughter's thigh. "If you need to talk, I'm here." She gave a warm smile. "And I'm sure Santana will be around whenever you need her."
Brittany could feel her girlfriend nodding as she held her tighter. She sighed. She had a great support system. She just needed to consciously tell herself that she was fucking lucky. She had a mother and father who would, quite literally, do anything for her. She had a sister and a best friend that would move mountains to keep her safe. And she had her strawberry. Santana was everything.
"Thanks, Mom."
Victoria nodded and stood up. "Would you like me to bring some dinner up?"
"What's the time?" Brittany asked.
"Almost seven."
"Oh, um. I'm actually fine. Santana made me something before we came upstairs."
"Okay, good." Her mother smiled. "I'm happy that you two found each other, you know," she said quietly. "I can see how in love you are and that's all a mother wants for her daughter."
Brittany could feel Santana's heart start beating a little faster.
Crap. She doesn't need a reminder of a mother's love when she doesn't have one anymore.
"Thanks, Mom," Brittany said quickly, flashing her a warning smile. "If I need anything, I'll let you know."
"Gotcha," Victoria replied, catching the message from her daughter.
The older woman wasted no time exiting Brittany's room, closing the door behind her.
"San, baby, could you help me lay down?" Brittany asked quietly.
Her girlfriend quickly complied. Once Brittany's head was once again resting on her pillow, she used her arms to coax Santana to lay down on top of her. Her knee was strapped tightly so she didn't feel anything, but Santana also took great care to avoid it. Finally, they were cuddled together and the brunette pulled tightly into Brittany's side with both the blonde's arms wrapped around her.
"My mom doesn't know," Brittany began quietly. "I didn't tell her because you told me in confidence and I wouldn't betray your trust like that. I know that it was hard for you to hear that, but she didn't mean it to hurt."
Santana just nodded slowly, her left hand playing with the ends of Brittany's hair that lay loose down the front of her shirt.
"And even though you are the best thing that has ever happened to me, I will never treat you like something too good to be true." She winced to herself. "Hang on, that sounded terrible. What I mean is that I know you're too good to be true and I sometimes wonder what I did to deserve you. But I know that you're real and you're here because you're in my arms and in my heart and I could never forget that feeling in a million years. Maybe more." She sighed. "I don't think that made any sense."
Santana nodded again and tilted her head up to place tender kisses along the underside of Brittany's jaw. It made the blonde shiver.
"Baby, you know that I love having you here and that I would keep you forever, but I don't want you to get into any trouble with Shelby and Holly for spending all your time here. Have you told them you're staying over again?"
Santana pushed herself up and leaned over Brittany to grab her phone from the nightstand. The blonde couldn't resist the exposed flesh right in front of her and leaned up, trailing sensual kisses against Santana's neck.
Her girlfriend pulled away and shook her head with a smirk.
"Aw, you can't tease me like that," Brittany groaned. "It was right there! It was asking to be kissed."
Santana arched an eyebrow, at which the blonde just grinned, before unlocking her phone and showing Brittany a series of messages between her and Shelby. Her aunt seemed to be fine with her staying over. The only proviso was that she had to go to school the next day. Brittany had to agree. She didn't want Santana's education to suffer because of her injuries.
"You can take my car tomorrow," she told her, handing the phone back.
Shelby brought my car, Santana signed.
"Okay," Brittany replied with a shrug. "Will you bring me any work I missed?"
She smiled and nodded before leaning down for a soft kiss that became a series of soft kisses. Brittany could tell that Santana was holding back and while she understood why, she hated it. She wanted to be able to kiss the girl that she loved with all the passion she possessed.
"Ugh, this stupid concussion happened at the worst time," she huffed, glaring at the ceiling.
Santana smiled and continued placing kisses along her jaw.
"I hope Holly's prepared for me," she mumbled. "I'm gonna need the quickest frigging recovery time ever."
I'm sure that we can work something out with your dancing, Santana signed slowly.
Brittany smirked. "What makes you think that's why I want to get better?"
Santana's eyes went wide with realisation and her cheeks flushed red.
"So fucking cute," Brittany murmured, summoning strength from somewhere to flip her girlfriend onto her back.
God, she looked so beautiful with her hair splayed against the pillows. Brittany took in every millimetre of Santana's face. Every freckle, every angle of her jaw, every groove in her lips, every eyelash.
"You are so beautiful, Santana," she whispered with as much conviction as she could muster. "Every time I look at you, you take my breath away. I would gladly be breathless for the rest of my life if it means that I get to see your face every day."
Santana's mouth dropped open slightly and her grip on Brittany's forearms tightened. Her eyes shone with all the emotion that she couldn't verbalise. It made Brittany smile when she realised that she didn't need to hear it. She could see it in everything that Santana said with her eyes and how she showed her love and affection physically.
Her need to kiss Santana finally won out and Brittany lowered her head towards her love's. Their lips met eagerly and perfectly. Santana's arms moved to Brittany's back and pulled them flush against each other. Brittany's right hand moved to cup Santana's cheek as she continued kissing her deeply, while the other rested on the bed next to Santana's head.
She had no idea how much time had passed – it felt like an eternity – before she had to pull away, wincing slightly as her head throbbed.
Santana's left hand immediately moved to touch Brittany's forehead, concern colouring her features.
"I'm okay," Brittany whispered, trying to control her breathing. It was considerably difficult, especially since she was still pressed up against the most beautiful girl in the world. She groaned and rested her head against Santana's shoulder. Her girlfriend started softly scratching the back of her neck with her nails. "You're like my kryptonite," she murmured against the warm skin of Santana's shoulder. "I completely lose all my faculties when I'm around you." She sighed, revelling in how fast her love's heart was beating. "It the best feeling in the world. Now I know what they meant when they coined the phrase falling in love. You fall and fall and it's so fast and completely out of your control. But at the same time, it's exhilarating and exciting and you just know that the person you're falling for will be there to catch you at the bottom."
"I love you."
Brittany had to physically stop herself from jerking her head back so that she could stare at her amazing and strong girlfriend. Instead, she nuzzled into Santana's neck and smiled widely.
"I love you too, Santana."
The next time she woke up, everything was dark and Santana was in front of her, her breath deep and even. Brittany blinked blearily and smiled. She hummed to herself and shuffled closer to her girlfriend, burying her face into her hair in breathing in deeply.
Essence of Santana. If she could ever smell one thing for the rest of her life, she would want it to be that.
Santana's grip on her arm tightened as she slept and Brittany just got comfortable again, closing her eyes and succumbing to sleep once more.
The next two days were a simple case of rinse and repeat for Brittany. She woke up when Santana left for school and fell asleep again as soon as she heard her girlfriend's car leave. She would wake up around ten am and snack on the fresh fruit that Santana left for her in her mini-fridge. She took care to eat and drink slowly. She'd had enough goddamn headaches in the last week to last her a lifetime.
Watching TV hurt her head so she often just listened to music – Santana's compositions mostly – and did as much of her homework as she could before her head started hurting. Something that she spent a lot of time doing was refining her knowledge and understanding of sign language. She had practised the alphabet till she had it down pat and she could handle a basic conversation without Santana's help. She was kinda proud of herself. Her determination to not have a communication barrier with the love of her life had been pretty motivating, though.
Just after three in the afternoon, she would hear Santana's car in her driveway and a smile that had been absent since her love had left with a lingering kiss on her forehead that morning, reappeared tenfold. She grabbed her crutches – she had been trying to walk around a bit, but Holly had suggested that she take things easy for that week – and headed for her open door. Carefully she manoeuvred the short flight of stairs that took her to the second floor landing. Already huffing from frustration at moving twenty times slower than she was used to, she reached the top of the second floor stairs just as she saw Santana. Beautiful brown eyes lifted to meet hers and a wide smile adorned the most stunning girl in the world's face.
And I get to call her mine, Brittany thought in amazement.
She opened her mouth to say hi when she saw another person ascending the steps behind her. She frowned. What was Will Schuester doing at her house?
"Good afternoon, Brittany," he greeted with a friendly smile once they'd reached the second floor landing.
"Uh, hi," Brittany replied, shaking her head in confusion. "C-Can I offer you something to drink, Will?"
He held up a hand. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm fine. I was wondering if I could talk to you for a few moments?"
Oh, crap. Here we go. Bad news owl. He's about to tell me I'm going to have to repeat my senior year.
She felt Santana's hand slide across her back, the fingers dipping underneath her tank top to caress her bare skin. She couldn't help letting out a little shiver. With one hand, Santana signed a suggestion that they move back to the bedroom. Brittany nodded.
"Are you okay with talking in my room?" she asked. "Standing too long makes me dizzy."
"Absolutely," Will replied without hesitation.
Grateful that Santana was there to prevent her from looking like a total invalid – she felt like one half the day (the half Santana wasn't there) – they made their way up to Brittany's room. Santana took Brittany's crutches from her once they reached the bed and she sat on the soft mattress gratefully. She hated how exhausted she was, but Dr. Langdon had strapped her knee really tightly so she had zero mobility with virtually her entire leg.
Santana was quickly on the bed next to Brittany, helping her to get comfortable against the multitude of pillows she'd stacked behind her.
"Thanks, baby," Brittany said softly, with a grateful smile once Santana was finished.
Her girlfriend just wrinkled her nose adorably in reply and it made Brittany's stomach erupt with butterflies.
Will cleared his throat. Santana went red and slipped off the bed. She grabbed Brittany's dressing table chair and handed it to him.
"Thank you, Santana," he said with a polite smile and took a seat next to Brittany's side of the bed.
Brittany hoped that her girlfriend wasn't going to be too far away. Thankfully, after kicking her shoes off, Santana had crawled into her usual spot close to the blonde. It made Brittany breathe a sigh of relief and contentment. Whatever Will was going to say, she was pretty sure she'd need Santana to keep her in check.
"So, what's up?" she asked, unable to bear the tension any longer.
"How are you?" he asked instead.
Santana's fingers immediately slid between Brittany's, placating her spiking irritation. She took a quiet breath before answering.
"Honestly? I'm pissed off. I'm out of commission for who knows how long and I won't know the extent of the damage until I see my physio next week. I know I'm out of the winter showcase, which pretty much screws up my entire year. I have no idea what to do."
She blinked back tears that threatened to spill and her bottom lip trembled uncontrollably.
"Brittany," Will said softly, "I can't tell you how truly sorry I am for-"
"Why? This isn't your fault," she cut in bluntly.
Santana flicked her forearm subtly.
"Sorry," she muttered.
Will sighed. "I understand your anger and your frustration and despair. I do believe that this is a gross misfortune for you. This was your year."
He better not be trying to cheer me up because he's doing a fucking shit job.
"I feel like this could still be your year, Brittany."
She frowned. "How? There is no way that I'm going to be ready for the winter showcase. It's in five weeks, Will! Not even a miracle can make knee injuries heal faster. I'm already doing everything that I can." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath again. "I'm sorry. I'm trying not to be negative about this whole thing, but it's really, really difficult."
"Completely understandable," Will agreed. "When your mother called me yesterday and told me about what had happened, I spoke to Mike. He was also very upset. Has he called you or emailed you?"
Brittany shook her head and dropped her gaze. She had hoped to have heard from her mentor and trainer after two days, but she guessed that it wasn't Mike's style. He was cold, aloof. A brilliant teacher, yes, but not a people person.
"Okay, I thought he may have mentioned it to you, but I guess not."
"Mentioned what?" Brittany asked, looking up at Will once again.
"Well, the entire faculty – the entire school, actually – is well aware of what you are capable. We are willing to postpone your winter showcase until the second semester, if you feel that you could be ready by February."
"F-February?" Brittany asked in disbelief.
Will smiled and nodded.
"Is…Is there a catch or something? Like, do I have to do an extra performance? What about the second semester evaluation?"
"Well, you can come up with two routines if you'd like, but I have spoken to the board about this and they are happy to allow your winter showcase score stand for your evaluation as well."
Her mouth dropped open. "Are you serious?" she whispered.
"We are," he replied firmly. "Brittany, you are McKinley's greatest asset and when something, through no fault of your own, hampers your progress, we are more than happy make accommodations."
"Wow," Brittany breathed. "Okay, just so that I understand this completely. I won't have to perform at the winter showcase in December with everyone else. Instead, you're allowing me to do whatever I had planned for the winter showcase in February for my second semester evaluation? And the grade will stand for both events?"
"That is exactly correct."
"Oh my God!" Brittany shrieked, causing Santana to jump in alarm. "Will! That is, like, the best news. Thank you! If I wasn't kinda immobile and I didn't have the most amazing girlfriend in the world and you weren't a really old teacher I'd totally kiss you right now!"
"Um…"
The dancer clamped her hand over her mouth. "Crap. I am so sorry. I d-didn't mean that, Will."
The Director chuckled in embarrassment. "Uh, yes, well."
"My excitement kinda makes my mouth have verbal diarrhoea. At least that's what Quinn calls it," Brittany offered in apology. "I'll totally do like, a week of detention when I'm back at school."
Will smiled genuinely. "That's quite alright, Brittany. I'm sure you'll have quite a bit to catch up on, so I won't issue you any detention. I'll just pass on to the board that you're in agreement with this new arrangement?"
Brittany nodded ferociously. "Yes, yes, absolutely!"
"Great!" He stood up. "Any questions from your side?"
"Nope. If I think of anything, can I email you or Mike?"
"Sure." Will smiled warmly. "I hope your recovery is quick, Brittany. McKinley seems to have lost some of its shine since you've been away."
She smiled bashfully. "Thank you, Will. I don't even know how I can truly thank you for this opportunity."
He waved his hand. 'Uh, Santana, would you mind showing me the way out? I wasn't aware this house was so…large."
Santana squeezed Brittany's hand before getting off the bed and leading Will out of her bedroom. Letting out a little squeal of excitement, she fell back against her pillows, a huge grin on her face. That had gone way better than she could have ever imagined. She could graduate on time! Sure, her prospects may be a little affected once the companies found out that she'd been injured, but she was very excited that she'd still get to do her winter showcase.
She'd still get to dance to Santana's music.
Lost in her own thoughts, she didn't notice her girlfriend return to her room. Blinking, Brittany smiled at Santana leaning against the bedpost at the foot of her bed. She had a look of excitement and happiness on her face.
"What?" she asked with a grin.
I'm so happy for you, she signed.
"Me too, babe." Brittany sighed heavily. "This is a huge weight off my shoulders. Ever since the…ever since my knee got hurt, it's been sitting in the back of mind – sometimes the front of my mind – and I haven't been able to shake the pessimism that went along with it. But now, now I don't even have to worry because I have the frigging Golden Ticket of second chances!"
Santana grinned and winked. Because you're amazing, she signed.
Brittany sat up a little and crooked her finger. "Don't think that I haven't forgotten my hello kiss, beautiful. Now get your sexy ass over here."
The brunette giggled and climbed onto the bed, moving towards Brittany and straddling her. The blonde's arms went around Santana's small waist while her arms rested on her shoulders. Their foreheads met.
"I missed you today," Brittany whispered, rubbing their noses together.
"I missed you," Santana whispered back, so quietly that Brittany could barely hear it.
But she did hear it. And it made her smile widely before leaning up to capture the most perfect and sensual lips in the world in a good afternoon kiss. It quickly grew heated, their tongues meeting after a few seconds. Brittany pulled Santana closer to her and the brunette shuffled up her legs so that their fronts were pressed together.
Brittany's hands were under Santana's sweater and the sensation of her love's bare skin underneath her fingertips sent electric impulses firing throughout her body.
"Britt, did you se-whoa!"
They broke away, eyes not leaving each other, breathing heavily. Brittany's gaze flickered down to Santana's swollen lips and she felt a tug in her gut. God, she wanted her so badly. She wanted to worship her body and feel all of her skin and taste her everywhere.
"Ahem. Third party present. Please cease and desist with the eye sex," Quinn sassed, walking up to Brittany's bed.
"Rich coming from you, skank," Brittany teased, briefly closing her eyes as she leaned in to nuzzle Santana's throat. She delighted in the racing pulse she felt against her cheek, Her girlfriend just let out a long breath and tightened her grip around Brittany's neck.
"Uh, what?" Quinn asked in confusion.
"Clearly you and Rachel need a reminder that the two of you can get pretty loud when yo-"
"Oh my God!" Quinn groaned, mortified. She covered her face with her hand.
"Yeah, I think someone was shouting that," Brittany mused, still enjoying the soft skin of Santana's neck. "Ow!" she yelped when her girlfriend pinched her arm. She pulled back a bit. "Baby," she pouted,
Santana wrinkled her nose again and arched an eyebrow. It made Brittany roll her eyes. She didn't release her hold on her girlfriend, but she turned to look at her best friend.
"What's up, Q?"
Quinn held up three books. "Homework for the weekend, bestie. Hope you enjoy your brain exploding."
"Oh, gee, thanks," Brittany chuckled at Quinn's retreating back. "Hey, Q! Make sure that you tell Rach to put a towel or something at the bottom of her door. The noise leaks out."
"Fuck you, B. Just fuck you."
"No thanks!" she called back, but her best friend was already descending the stairs. Her eyes found Santana's again. "Only you get to do that."
Dark eyes went just a little darker and Santana's mouth dropped open in an incredulous smile. Brittany arched an eyebrow, daring her to deny it. They'd been a lot more open about their physical desire for one another since their agreement on an estimated date for their very special night.
Santana's mouth closed into a smirk and she nodded, pushing Brittany softly back against her pillows and signing 5 weeks before kissing her hungrily.
Brittany sighed as she awoke, smiling when she felt the familiar warmth of her girlfriend next to her. Her arm, which was thrown over Santana's waist, tightened as she woke up. She hummed in contentment as she felt Santana's fingers thread through her hair. Slowly, she opened her eyes and had to look up to find the beautiful dark orbs she loved so much. Santana was sitting up against her pillows and Brittany's arm was in fact, across her thighs, not her waist.
"Hey," she rasped out in a croaky voice.
Santana's smile was filled with adoration as she traced a finger down the side of Brittany's face.
Hi, she mouthed back.
"Whassa time?"
She peered at the screen of Santana's phone as she held it up. Groaning, she shifted her body so that her face was buried against her girlfriend's legs. It was just after seven, which meant she'd slept for about three hours. She hated sleeping so much. Damn concussion.
She closed her eyes and sighed, revelling in the soothing sensation of Santana's fingers running through her hair again. It was then that she realised her girlfriend was checking something on her laptop. The familiar sounds of fingers tapping against the keyboard sounded out in the quiet bedroom.
"You working, babe?" she asked.
One tap against her neck told her yes. It was a method they'd come up with the previous morning. Brittany was so tired that she could barely opening her eyes – damn concussion – so Santana had tapped once against her neck for yes, twice for no and three times for I love you.
"You hungry?"
Two taps. The legs beneath her head jostled a little and a bowl of cold chicken noodle salad – just how Britt liked it – was left next to where her head was resting.
"You're so strawberry," she murmured happily, kissing Santana's sweatpants-clad thigh. "I love you."
Three taps followed a lingering kiss to her temple. They remained in that position until Chris and Victoria knocked on her door and enquired about how she was holding up.
"I'm okay," Brittany replied, yawning and pushing herself to sit up.
Santana was quick to help her and the blonde – too lazy to do much else (and because she was very comfortable) – ended up sitting between Santana's legs, resting back against her girlfriend's comfy chest.
Victoria smiled. "How were your headaches today?"
"Not too bad," Brittany replied honestly. "I got up and used my crutches three times, but I was fine all three times. The real test will be next week when I go to Holly."
"Oh, that reminds me," Chris said, snapping his fingers. "I need to make that reservation for tomorrow night."
Brittany chuckled. "How do those things coincide?"
"Well, we're taking Holly and Shelby out to dinner to say thank you and also, to have a little meet and greet. A proper one."
The blonde's eyes widened. "Uh…"
"It was bound to happen at some point," Victoria said matter-of-factly. "You two are crazy about each other so we may as well get the formalities out of the way now." She threw her daughter a wink and Brittany groaned.
"I hereby forbid you to embarrass me. On grounds of moving away forever. Deal?"
Chris chuckled. "Us embarrass you? When have we ever-"
"Don't even, Dad," Brittany cut in. She was smiling, though. "I could start a list, but I'd still be here tomorrow and make you late for your dinner."
"So dramatic," Chris sighed.
"Are you girls hungry?" Victoria asked, changing the subject.
Brittany held up the bowl of chicken noodle salad. "I'm good. My girl takes care of me." She lifted a spoonful to her mouth a chewed noisily, humming her approval.
"Santana, ignore the cannibal. I promise we did raise her to have some manners," Victoria told the Latina with an arched eyebrow.
"She loves me," Brittany stated. "She has to like my bad stuffs."
She felt Santana laughing behind her and her girlfriend's arms just tightened around her waist. Besides the fact that Santana fed her – awesome – and took care of her – so sweet – and stayed with her – adorable – she also had no problem showing affection around her parents. It made Brittany love her just a little more. She never thought it was possible to love Santana more, but she always found ways.
Sappy.
Brittany grinned to herself. Who the fucked cared? She was happy and in love.
"Well, if you're settled, then we shall leave you for the evening."
"You guys going out?" the blonde asked her parents.
"No, we'll be downstairs if you need us," Victoria replied, smiling. "But we won't disturb you again unless you need something. Just text, okay?"
"Sure," Brittany grinned. "Love you guys."
"Love you too!" they chorused as they walked out of their daughter's bedroom, closing the door behind them.
Brittany sighed in contentment and settled back into her girlfriend, who held her securely. She continued eating, offering Santana some, but the brunette declined. Brittany glanced at Santana's laptop screen and she smiled.
"You're researching the meanings of flowers?" she asked, shuffling down a little so that she could rest back on Santana's boobs and look up to see her face.
Her girlfriend shyly nodded and reached underneath the laptop for some folded pieces of paper. She bit her lip and handed it to Brittany. Excitedly, the blonde put her bowl of food down. She knew what Santana had in her hand.
"Yay! Another letter? For me, baby?"
Santana nodded and smiled widely at Brittany's palpable excitement. The blonde sat up and twisted so that she could press a chaste kiss to her girlfriend's gorgeously addictive lips.
"Yum," she murmured, pausing only to take a deep breath before kissing her again.
Santana allowed the kiss to become heated – Brittany could rarely control how intensely she kissed her girlfriend. Often, the Latina was the one who had to break them apart. That, or Brittany's damn headaches.
Damn headaches.
As expected, Santana broke their heated exchange and placed a hand over Brittany's mouth to prevent her from continuing. Brittany wiggled her eyebrows and briefly darted her tongue out to lick the inside of Santana's hand. The brunette giggled, but didn't remove her hand.
Later, she signed with one hand.
Brittany sighed dramatically and nodded. Santana dropped her hand and Brittany used her super awesome skills to steal a quick peck before turning around and settling back into her girlfriend.
"Could you turn the music on, please" Brittany requested, fingering the pages in her hands, but not opening them yet.
Santana leaned to her nightstand and grabbed the remote, turning Brittany stereo on. Brittany smiled as their very first collaboration continued playing from where she'd switched it off earlier.
"Love you, baby," she said.
Santana kissed her cheek and took a nervous breath.
"San, do you want me to read it now?" Brittany asked in concern, taking her girlfriend's right hand and lacing their fingers together. "I'm happy to just lay here with you."
No, I want you to. It's nothing bad. Just maybe really cheesy.
Brittany giggled. "I don't mind cheese from you. Not in the least." She relaxed again and opened the letter, smiling at Santana's beautiful loopy handwriting.
My beautiful, brave Brittany,
I haven't been able to stop thinking about the afternoon we spent in your garden and listening to you explain the meanings of all the different flowers. When you started listing flowers which meanings – you felt – described me, I think I fell in love with you all over again.
Your language of flowers is something so…you. I can't really think of any other way to describe it. You embody so many things to me. Strength of character, purpose, drive, ambition, passion, empathy, selflessness, love…
So over the last two days, I have found myself immersed in flowers and their meanings. Not only because you introduced me to the wondrous world, but because all those meanings resonated within me – about YOU.
So now it's my turn, Brittany Pierce. Now it's my turn to explain how much I love you, and try to show how much you mean to me in the language of flowers. Of course, I could take any flower and meaning and attribute it to you in some way. You're just…wonderful. Simply wonderful.
In my mind, I imagined presenting you with a bouquet of flowers, with each flower representing a characteristic of yours that made me fall in love with you. So if you could picture that as you read this, I think you'll get the effect really nicely.
My first flower to you is an Indian jasmine. It symbolises attachment, which is something I felt the second we locked eyes on my first day. There was just something about you, Britt, and I knew deep down that you were going to be a big part of my life, in whatever capacity. Of course, this is the best capacity ever!
My next flower to you, my love, is the pink rose. I remember when you told me how each rose has distinct meanings and how they can be almost manipulated into meaning something specific. Well, the pink rose is simple. It represents grace which you have a neverending arsenal of. I heard you and Conductor Sue talking that first day and how you didn't have a piano player for your piece. I was already drawn to you and I just needed to see you dance. Before I could stop myself, I started playing and then you started dancing and…you completely took my breath away. I've been composing most of my life and music has always been such a huge part of my own development, but in one moment it felt like nothing mattered. All that mattered was you and me in our little bubble. I still replay that dance over and over in my mind when I feel a little uninspired, but your grace reminds me that we can create magic together.
(This is getting really cheesy, but I can picture that amazing smile of yours and it makes it worth it.)
Just like you joined two flowers for me, these next two – I feel – can't be separated because one doesn't exist without the other when it comes to you…and to what you did for me. I present to you the elder flower, because your compassion is unbridled. You didn't think twice about helping me when I barely had any grasp on reality. You stayed and made sure that I was okay. You stayed and I saw you. The perfect flower that represents why I saw you is a petunia. Funnily enough, petunias are my favourite flower. Well, maybe one of them now… Anyway, petunias.
(It's suddenly occurred to me that you probably know all these meanings the second you read the flower…oh, well. It's the thought that counts, right? And I really do think that you exude all these wonderful characteristics, Britt.)
So, petunias…again. You soothe my soul. That's what they mean. And on that day, that's exactly what you did. I've tried to describe in my head a million times because I felt that I needed to explain to you just how much you saved me. I came across the meaning of this flower and found that I didn't need to. You were like a balm to my soul. I was tortured, more than you could ever know (and one day you will, I promise) and you just put a band-aid on it, kissed my hand and called me beautiful. You held me without me even asking. You made me smile brighter than I think I ever have. I have never felt safer with anyone, Brittany, and the very simple reason is that you soothe my soul.
That leads me straight into my next flower – the phlox. It actually looks quite similar to the petunia (well, the pink/purple ones that I found in your garden did anyway). It means that our souls are united. You soothed my soul, fixed it and entwined it with your own. I never feel more calm, more serene than when you're around me. It's like our souls were waiting to find each other and when we did, that unity was celebrated in a graceful, perfect dance. A dance that I can't wait to see again.
A big part of why I was able to fall in love with you so easily is because without even really knowing, I knew that you were pure of heart. With me, anyway. Now, a water lily looks really out of place in a bouquet of flowers, so I pictured that we'll just have a whole bunch in a pond in our backyard, surrounded by a garden similar to the one you showed me. I envision a future with you so clearly, Brittany. It's like I'm watching a movie of our lives together when I close my eyes.
Right, getting carried away. But you know what I mean…right?
Everything that I've mentioned above, all the flowers, all the meanings, brings me to the scarlet pimpernel. No, not the movie. It represents change, and for us, it's a big change. We're constantly changing. Our relationship, our dynamic around each other, how we play off each other and how we grow with each other. Change is inevitable, but I welcome it with us because change can only ever be good, Brittany. If these last few weeks have shown us anything, it's that there's nothing that can tear us apart. I love you with every ounce of my being and I will only continue loving you as we grow together, as we grow in love.
Now onto the part of the bouquet that describes so much of you and me and what we have for each other. Love. We start with the lilac – the first emotions of love. I really do feel, thinking back, that I started to fall in love with you that very first day. Maybe it was more than attachment, more than grace. The next flower is more of a plant, I suppose, but the meaning is what matters most. Ambrosia represents love being returned. Brittany, when you told me that you loved me, I felt like nothing could go wrong. You loved me, and when you said it, it was with the utmost conviction. Your pure heart shone through and I knew that I would always be yours. When we were in the garden, you likened me to baby's breath because it represents everlasting love. I searched, Britt, and there's no other flower that illustrates the power of love quite like everlasting love. I really, truly believe that's the kind of love we have. Epic, awesome, monumental, spectacular, magnanimous and everlasting. That's the love that I have for you.
The final flower in my bouquet is the hollyhock. It represents ambition. You have so much of that, Britt. You have dreams and goals and you have the drive to get there. I believe you'll get there because that's what YOU believe. Your ambition becomes my ambition. As I hand my imaginary bouquet to you, I do so with a promise, an ambition of my own.
I can't stay at McKinley if you're not there. I can't be somewhere where you're not. And I'm not going to allow you to hold yourself back on my account. I've already spoken to Will about it and I'm going to do everything in my power to graduate early. I want to be wherever you are. If your dreams take us to New York, then I'll be right behind you. I've been so spoilt in a short time. I know what it's like to hold your hand, to see you every day, to go to sleep in your arms and wake up to your kisses. There is no way I'll be able to survive without that for a year.
So I'm graduating early because you inspire me to be the best person that I can be, Brittany Pierce. And the best person that I can be is when I'm with you.
All my love,
Santana.
A/N: I know that interpretations of flowers can vary according to different books, countries, traditions, cultures, etc. These interpretations are based on the book The Language of Flowers.
I know it seems like the ending was abrupt, but I've planned it like that :) Also, this chapter was super intense for me to write…
For those who aren't on Tumblr, updates will be on Mondays. Whatever updates I have will be posted then. This one was a week late because of internet issues. Could be one update on Mondays, could be three. Just depends on how much time I'm able to devote to fanfiction. Still finishing off my book.
Hope everyone's doing wonderfully :)
Some fic recs: Sloppy Babies: The Babysitters by where'smynaya and Personal Trainer Problems by Your Kaleidoscope Girl. Enjoy!
-H
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