After navigating their way through the rides, countless food and festival memorabilia vendors, not to mention some pretty gross and slightly muddied sections of the camping grounds The Dirty Pinks and The Make made it to their destination.
Unfortunately Santana and Brittany did lose both Lake and Mark on the way there when Lake was recognized by a group of college students who asked her if she would take pictures with them. Soon it had been like a swarm of bees as more people saw what was going on and joined in until eventually Lake was surrounded by several dozen people, all begging for an autograph or picture. Somehow Mark ended up being the one everyone handed their phone to, to take the fans pictures. He found himself acting as photographer for Lake's impromptu fan meet and greet. Crowded by so many people they were quite literally unable to move.
Brittany and Santana had no choice but to leave the two of them behind. Over their shoulders they shouted to meet them at the show when they could make a break for it and with that the two lead singers continued on with their bands in tow.
Once at the backstage entrance the event staff gladly allowed them in. With twenty minutes to spare everyone climbed the stairs to wait in the wings until showtime. It was in the wings that The Dirty Pinks surrounded and completely occupied Brittany's focus so they could figure out some last minute re-arrangements to their set list for the night. Sam meanwhile took the opportunity and went to approach Santana for a brief one on one.
''I guess you're in The Dirty Pinks now huh?'' he laughed lightly though there was little mirth behind it.
''For the night anyway. You know you don't have to stick around for this. You should go and have fun.'' She lifted her head and motioned out towards the festival grounds, the rides, the people, the sponsored tents where parties were taking place.
''Nah I think this is one show I definitely need to see.'' He looked down at the cuffs that attached Santana to Brittany. ''It figures it'd be you who'd be the one to get randomly handcuffed to a some hot girl, right? That's the way it goes huh?''
''The way what goes?''
''The universe. Santana Lopez catches all the breaks doesn't she?''
Santana exhaled heavily. She could pick up on Sam's quiet but frustrated tone.
''Are we gonna start this again?'' she asked and looked around to make sure that none of the others were listening and found herself relieved when she saw The Dirty Pinks were still talking amongst themselves. ''Because I'm really not in the mood for it now.''
''Start what again?''
''This whole jealous petty argument we've been having for months.''
The Make had been having this conversation on and off for some time.
They had started off as a duo with Sam working the arrangements, writing the music and programming the beats and generally doing a bulk of the instrumentation in studio while Santana supplied the lyrics, played the guitar in studio as well as live and stood front and center. While the band and their music blew up it was very clear that the magazines and blogs were far more intrigued and fascinated with Santana than with Sam who was very often painted as her sidekick.
When they gave interviews it seemed journalists were hardly ever interested in his answers. No one was ever begging him to make a solo live appearance like they were Santana. And they certainly weren't tripping over themselves to make sure his every whim was being met. It had all started to grate on Sam. Being a sidekick wasn't what he had signed up for and instead of being angry at the media he had begun to let it sink in and deteriorate his friendship with Santana who completely understood where he was coming from but had no real control over any of it.
They had a few rough bitter arguments on it when they had been out on the road touring and at the moment while they were both very much still The Make their future as musical partners was unclear.
''I'm not trying to start an argument, Santana, I just…'' Sam gave up with a shake of his head. ''I don't know.''
''I realize you and me have some stuff to sort out about where we stand as a duo but believe it or not, Sam, me getting handcuffed to some girl? It wasn't just some elaborate way to steal the spotlight or make everything about me.''
''I know and I'm sorry,'' he softened, realizing he was coming at it all wrong. ''I don't want to argue. I don't even know why any of the things we've been butting heads over even matter to me. Sometimes it just comes out though but me and you at odds with each other...that's not what I want for us.''
''Then what do you want?''
''I don't know. I just want it to be different.'' He sighed heavily and looked over at The Dirty Pinks where were in deep conversation with each other. They all looked so close, so comfortable, so unbothered by stupid petty things like who got what magazine covers and who got invited to the best premiere parties. They looked happy. They looked like they knew what they were in it for, the music. He missed having that feeling. Most of all he missed having that feeling with Santana, his partner in crime and music.
Santana turned and saw why he was staring at the other band almost wistfully. ''I want it to be different too but...we can't go back.''
''Says who?'' he asked, looking thoughtful.
Santana didn't really have an answer to that and Sam didn't push for one either. Now wasn't exactly the time to get into the future of The Make. He did however slyly steer the conversation to something else that was itching at him and making him wonder.
''So, what is exactly going on between you and Brittany?'' he whispered.
''Nothing,'' said Santana. ''What makes you ask that?''
''I've seen the way you look at her,'' he chuckled. ''I know that Santana Lopez look. Besides, I've seen the way she looks at you.''
''She...she looks at me?'' Santana asked in a very hushed tone.
Sam nodded like he was a giant bobblehead. ''When she doesn't think you're looking, she does.''
Santana tried not smile and forced herself to shake it off of her face when she remembered that even if Brittany were a romantic option she wasn't exactly in the best position to do anything about it. ''Yeah well, she has a boyfriend and I have-''
''Lake?'' he interrupted her. ''Are you and her still playing around at that?''
''For the time being.''
''But don't you want something real?'' he asked. While she and Sam had their issues with their places in the band, beyond all of that they were still friends and would always want the best for each other.
''Even if I did, who's to say Brittany would be the one who could give me real. Me and Brittany? We're from two very different genres.''
''Screw genres,'' he said, trying to encourage her in some way.
Before Santana could respond however Brittany, oblivious to what the duo had been talking about, turned and halted their conversation by telling Santana it was time to get ready. With a sad parting smile Santana allowed herself to be led away from Sam. She and The Dirty Pinks drifted off to a corner where they all went through a few pre-show rituals. Tina did a funny cute little jog in place. Quinn meanwhile closed her eyes and took several calming breathes almost as if she were trying to meditate. Dani on the other hand appeared to be doing a handstand for no apparent reason.
''It helps pump me up,'' Dani explained and hopped down onto her feet.
Santana didn't have time to comprise a snarky remark to the guitarist because she was being tugged away by Brittany who led them off to a work table nearby. She silently watched as the blonde placed a hardshell case on the surface and pop open the latches to lift the lid. Inside of course was Brittany's primary instrument.
''I like your guitar,'' Santana remarked as she studied the piece of gear with awe.
It was a surf green Fender Jaguar in in perfect condition. Shiny and beautiful.
''I just changed the bridge out.'' Brittany tapped on the metallic piece on the body of the guitar.
''Yeah stock bridges on Jags and Jazzmasters are pretty shitty. What kind of replacement did you use?'' Santana reached forward to slide a hand along the shiney strings, from bridge to pickups to neck.
''A Mustang bridge though I had to shave it down to get the radius right.''
''Nice.'' Santana made a groany sexy noise when her hands found their way towards the tuning pegs. ''Oh my god. Mmmm. Uhhhhhh. You have a painted headstock.''
Brittany side eyed her curiously. ''What about it?'' she asked.
''Nothing. They're just beautiful. Matching headstocks totally get me wet.''
''Did not need to know that.''
''Well, not literally, still. You don't get that amazing lusty feeling when you see a beautiful guitar?''
''Sure I guess I get excited but I don't start making sex sounds.''
''I can't help it though,'' Santana said, totally unashamed of the truth. ''When I see a gorgeous piece of gear it reaches the same place in me that…well...''
''That what?''
Santana hesitated for just a moment. ''...the same place in me that makes me want to fuck for like a million years.''
Brittany blinked slowly, looking amused and slightly intrigued. She was getting used to Santana's strange sexual tangents in conversation. ''Does it now?''
''Oh come on, you know exactly what I mean. You have to. You're a guitarist.''
''That I am,'' Brittany concurred with a simple nod.
''Then you know it's totally true. All of this…'' Santana motioned to the stage, to Brittany's guitar in front of them. ''...is foreplay. I mean every true musician gets on stage because they love what they do and what they create and they want to share it with a live audience, sure, but every musician also knows that there are nights where performance becomes something else. Something deeper and more primal and just...straight up sexual. You're telling me you've never got turned on on stage?''
Brittany made a funny little noise and shook her head. She wasn't about to walk into that one.
''I'll take your silence as a yes then,'' Santana said after a long moment. ''It's the best foreplay in the world isn't it? Cause it's not just with one person...hell, it's not even with the crowd of people you're playing to, it's with the music. Being on stage itself is the best sex. I mean other than sex with me of course.''
''I'll give you that,'' Brittany admitted because it really was the truth and even she couldn't deny that.
''About me being the best at sex?''
''About playing music being the best foreplay, the best sex, the best orgasm.''
Santana took a certain kind of interest in this confession. She blinked hard at the thought of what Brittany mid-orgasm would even look like. Behind her eyelids all she saw was blonde hair splayed across a pillow and blue eyes staring up at her and pink pouty lips saying her name over and over again until-
''But just so we're clear there will be no musical orgasms on stage tonight between me and you,'' Brittany added. ''Tonight or ever.''
''No fun,'' Santana sighed with a playful grumble.
Wanting to change the subject before their conversation truly went into some fascinating but very dangerous territory Brittany picked up her guitar and held it out to Santana, instructing her to hold it for a moment. Sadly because of the handcuffs she wasn't going to be able to play it at this show but she was in search for something else in the case. She popped open the compartment under the neck space and pulled something out before closing it, placing her guitar back inside and securing the locks back into place.
''What's that?'' asked Santana, trying to figure out what mystery item Brittany had in her hand.
''It's my lucky guitar pick.''
''Can I…?'' Santana held out her hand.
Brittany opened her palm, silently offering it to Santana to inspect. ''Just be careful.''
''This is your favorite pick?''
''My favorite pick and my lucky pick.''
Santana smiled down at the object. ''It has a unicorn on it...farting a rainbow. A unicorn's farting a rainbow.''
''You think it's stupid?''
''I think it's cute.'' Santana carefully handed it back as if it were a precious delicate thing.
''That I'm superstitious enough to have a lucky pick or that there's a rainbow farting unicorn on it?''
''Both. I get it though. I don't have a lucky pick but I do have a lucky guitar strap. Never play a show without it.''
''Well I've never played a show without my lucky unicorn pick. Granted I won't be playing the guitar tonight but if I'm going on stage I need it.'' Brittany then tucked it into a tiny pocket on her vest for safekeeping.
''I meant what I said earlier, I'm going to be on my best behavior. Whatever you need me to do, whatever you need me to play or sing-''
''Umm, who said you were going to be playing or singing anything?'' asked Brittany, confused as to where Santana got that idea from.
''Wuh, you said earlier. 'Me and you have a show to play'.''
''I didn't mean literally. I was...it's just that...you're going to be up there with the band but we don't really need you to do anything.'' Brittany explained it very slowly, being very gentle with the let down especially because it looked like Santana was being sincere. ''It's nothing against you as a singer or musician. I just don't want this - me and you and the handcuffs - to seem like some weird gimmick or whatever.''
''Oh.'' Santana looked quietly crestfallen.
''I know how popular you are and I'm sure having the frontwoman for The Make performing with us in any capacity would probably get us some Youtube hits from anyone out in the audience uploading clips of tonight but this is the first time The Dirty Pinks have played here and to be completely honest with you, it might be the only time we play Coachella. I don't want to distract or to make it about anything else other than the band.''
Like a kicked puppy Santana nodded. ''Yeah of course, that makes sense.''
''It's just like, the rest of the band has worked so hard to get here and I don't want them to feel like something else is taking the spotlight away from them. I'm...I'm sorry, Santana.''
''No, I get it. It's fine. It's whatever.''
Santana sniffed and went quiet and Brittany was about to speak again, to say something else because she had never seen Santana actually look this, well, open and human. She didn't get a chance to however when the rest of The Dirty Pinks came up to hug her from behind. It was time they said as they started tugging Brittany along, with Santana staggering after. And then like that they were all walking out on stage.
The crowd collectively roared as each of them took their place. Quinn settled in behind the drums. Tina found her way to stage right where she pulled on her bass. Dani went to her guitar set up and pulled her instrument on and then began to tune it using a foot pedal. Brittany meanwhile found her way to stand at the forefront where there was a keyboard and small synth on a rack together. Seeing as how she had to sit this one out on the guitar she had opted to merely provide vocals as well as some keyboard parts.
Brittany took a long breath before reaching for her mic and adjusting the stand ever so slightly as she began to speak into it. ''How's everyone doing tonight?'' she asked in greeting to the audience before her. She was rewarded with wooooos and clapping. ''So I don't know if you've noticed but I seem to have developed a recent growth in my side, aka Santana Lopez from The Make.'' She held up their cuffed wrists to show the crowd who collectively snickered. ''Someone played a really dumb joke on us and long story short, she's going to be on stage with us tonight but this is still very much a Dirty Pinks concert. We're going to do things a little differently but we hope you guys will stick around because we have a great show for you.''
A stage hand ran in and quickly placed a stool down beside Brittany and then scampered off. Santana took the cue and took her seat and from there Brittany launched into song.
True to her word Santana was silent and unmoving, she didn't say or do anything to take away the spotlight from the band's music. A handful of songs in she found herself so incredibly bored though. It wasn't that The Dirty Pinks weren't delivering a great show, it mostly had to do with the fact that Santana couldn't remember the last time she was on a stage and not performing on it. It just felt so unnatural to her. She also found it slightly painful too, because Brittany needed to move her cuffed wrist a little more freely to add in a few notes or synthy sounds on the keyboard Santana in turn had to hold her hand up and out.
Still despite the ache in her arm and having to stave off the itch to perform she was enjoying the show. The Dirty Pinks were on, they were bringing it with their gritty girl rock and attitude and their sound and the audience was loving it. And Brittany, even stuck behind a keyboard, she was giving it her all. From her side Santana watched her pour everything she had into song after song as if fueled by the applause. What she was doing was real, what she was bringing was real and it was so very beyond sexy.
It wasn't just sexy, it was passionate.
Santana knew what it was to give yourself over to song firsthand but watching Brittany do so was something else. She couldn't help but be just a little hypnotized.
X
Backstage Sam took a break from watching the show and found himself drifting off to a table set up in the wings that was mostly cloaked in darkness. There were a couple dozen bottles of water and several towels placed neatly upon said table, all there for The Dirty Pinks to use when they came off stage. He took a single bottle of water and drank, lifting his head up skywards as he swallowed the liquid down. It was when he was done taking his long sip and his eyes were level again that he did a spit take, sputtering his mouthful out in shock.
''Jeez, buy me a drink first before you cover me with bodily fluids,'' Holly Holiday remarked as she wiped at her outfit, trying to dry off the few specks of water that had came flying at her.
''Oh god, sorry,'' Sam apologized, grabbed a towel from the table and offered it to the woman who took it and began to dab herself with it. ''Hey...hey, you're that chick from earlier! The one with the handcuffs.''
''The name's Holly Holiday. Life coach and spiritual adviser to the stars,'' she said, elaborating.
''Well whoever you are, my friend Santana is probably going to kick your ass when she sees you. Is this just something you do? Handcuff people together and then run off?''
''No, not very often. It's a new method I've been working on. Doesn't matter though. I was in the crowd at the Chainsmokers concert when those two…'' Holly pointed off towards the stage where Brittany and Santana had their backs to them. ''...Stage rushed. I was hoping spending a little quality time together would get those two to see a little more eye to eye but apparently it hasn't. I brought the key.''
With that she produced the tiny handcuff key to Sam.
''Make sure you get it to them will ya?''
''You're not going to stick around?'' he asked.
'And get my ass beat by those two? No thank you.''
Sam nodded, he could totally understand that. And then as if sensing something in him she pulled out her business card.
''And if you and your bandmate over there ever need some relationship counseling…''
''Santana and I aren't a couple,'' he laughed.
''Sweetheart, you don't need to be a couple for relationship counseling. Listen I've worked with enough of them to know that bands...they're kind of like marriages. People enter into them with the best of intentions but along the way things can sometimes get ugly and messy. Look at Metallica, they had an entire documentary made about their band needing relationship therapy with each other. Any kind of intense long standing partnership goes through really rough spells where egos and attitudes get in the way. You have to get in there and do the work to make sure it doesn't fall apart.''
''Do things usually work out? For the bands who come to you for help, I mean.''
Holly looked at Santana and then to Sam. ''Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't.''
Sam studied her card with slight interest and then turned to look at Santana still on stage only to turn to Holly once more. He made to give her the business card back but she wouldn't accept it.
''Why don't you go ahead and keep that,'' she insisted. ''I have a feeling you might need it. My number's on there and I'll be around the festival if you need an emergency one on one.''
''Thanks, for the key I mean. Me and Santana, our band is fine. We know what we're doing.''
''If you say so kiddo.''
And with that Holly started off, not wanting to be anywhere near the area for more than a few minutes for fear that Santana or Brittany would rage at her once they saw her.
Sam crumbled up the business card, balling it up in his fist and yet, couldn't bring himself to chunk it. He squeezed it several times but in the end he just opened up his palm, smoothed it back out as best he could and put it in his pocket along with the handcuff key.
X
On stage Santana found herself getting a little bit antsy and restless just sitting about watching Brittany and The Dirty Pinks have all the fun. She tried not to fidget and she managed to get through the majority of their set list simply sitting on her stupid stool. It was only until the band reached their final song of the night that it got the best of Santana who couldn't help but notice that the chord progression to this song was so very familiar to her.
She leaned back a bit to get a look over at Dani on the other side of the stage. She watched the guitarist's left hand, very carefully observing where the capo was placed and what chords the woman was hammering out. She then turned back to Brittany on her side and watched what she was playing as well. A slow smirk made it's way onto Santana's face when she realized what specific song followed the same rhythm and had roughly the chords.
The little devil on her shoulder won out when Santana reached forward with her hand to touch the keys herself, playing the signature keyboard part from Soft Cell's Tainted Love, the 80's classic. The part seamlessly ran into The Dirty Pinks song quite well and the audience automatically picked up on it with delighted cheers.
Brittany however wasn't as amused as she lighted swatted Santana's hand away. Santana however playfully kept at it, in essence creating a musical mashup between the two songs.
Around them Dani, Tina and Quinn all tossed glances out at each other, smiling as they kept playing on. They didn't seem too bothered with Santana's shenanigans and in fact seemed to have a laugh over it.
''What do you think you're doing?'' Brittany covered the mic she had been singing into and pushed it away slightly so as not to be heard.
''Go with it,'' Santana urged and stood up.
Brittany gave her a silent warning look before returning to her vocal duties, running through another verse of her song. She was delivering some soft ohhhhh ohhhh ohhhh's into the mic when she felt Santana press into her side and lean forward to sing with her. Although Santana wasn't singing lyrics from The Dirty Pinks song, she was singing Tainted Love, laying those lyrics over Brittany's ohhhhs.
''The love we share seems to go nowhere and I've lost my light, for I toss and turn, I can't sleep at night!'' sang Santana much to the audience's glee. ''Once I ran to you, now I run from you, this tainted love you've given, I give you all a girl could give you, take my tears and that's not nearly all! Tainted love! Ohh tainted love! Now I know I've got to-'' she went silent and pointedly looked at Brittany to take it from there.
''Run away,'' Brittany sang, not missing a beat and so desperately trying to fight a smile from forming on her face and completely failing. Santana looked like a giddy little kid, it was hard to be mad at a face like that. ''I've got to get away. You don't really want any more from me. To make things right-''
''You need someone to hold you tight,'' Santana came back in, looking straight into Brittany's eyes as they shared the mic.
''And you think love is to pray. But I'm sorry I don't pray that way.''
''Don't touch me please, I cannot stand the way you tease!''
They ran through the Soft Cell chorus a couple more times which only excited the crowd further. The Dirty Pinks themselves appeared to be having fun with the surprise inclusion of this little mash up, but Brittany and Santana were feeling things at an entirely different level. They took turns switching off vocal duties on the old 80's tune. They were very obviously having fun but there was something else going on beneath the surface. After awhile it seemed less and less like they were singing to the crowd but rather, singing to each other. Their mouths quite literally inches away from the other's. Their warm breath mingling together.
When the song reached its climax and finished with a rush of cymbals and the crowd burst out into wild applause, they weren't staring at the crowd or even the other members of the band, they were staring intently at each other looking both drunk and dizzy on some kind of psychic musical high. It was connection. It was cosmic. It was intimate. It was also slightly sexual.
They were brought out of their daze with one another as the rest of The Dirty Pinks came to stand with them center stage to wave goodnight to the crowd of people who were still shouting their praise.
Once they made their way off to the backstage area the group seemed to shed their cool and began squealing like little kids, jumping up and down and all about. Santana was quietly pleased to be a part of it. She didn't fight the high fives or pats on the shoulder as the five of them took turns hugging it out and congratulating each other on a good show. And then without either of them even noticing Brittany had turned away from hugging Tina and reached for the next person in line. It didn't dawn on her until her arms were around the other woman's neck that she was in fact in a full embrace with Santana.
They both paused when they realized they were touching, though they didn't disconnect either.
''You played a damn good show,'' Santana said.
''Thank you. It was a good show. If anything made it damn good, it was that last song with you...you were...it was...me and you…''
''I know,'' Santana said, cutting her off. Brittany didn't have to say it outloud for Santana to understand what she meant.
Brittany pulled her in properly and Santana found herself returning the hug, her arms wrapping snugly around Brittany's waist and her chin tilting up to rest on top of her shoulder. And it was then that she saw Sam, who was standing about backstage as well, pull a small silver key out of his pocket and subtly holding it up.
Before she knew what she was doing Santana found herself shaking her head at him. Sam gave her a questioning look but realized what she was trying to convey.
She didn't want the key, at least not yet. She didn't want her time with Brittany to end, not after that song they sung together, not after having that intense kind of connection on stage. Not after getting to feel Brittany in her arms like this.
Sam however really wasn't sure what was going but before anyone else spotted him he placed the handcuff key in his pocket.
''So what do you say we celebrate?'' Santana pulled away from Brittany to look at the rest of The Dirty Pinks along with Sam. ''To The Dirty Pinks Coachella debut. Drinks are on me!''
X
So I really hope all of the music talk isn't boring or annoying to you imaginary readers. Honestly, I just really want to portray them as actual musicians. I made them both multi instrumentalists too because myself and most of the musicians I know just simply are. I'm a guitarist who can play the bass (because most of what you know on the guitar can simply be transposed to the bass...if that makes any sense). I can sit at a piano and hold my own a tad. I can keep a straight beat on the drums though when it comes to anything fancy I'm absolutely lost. In the 15+ years of playing, I've never met a single musician who only played one instrument, never, so having them both be primarily guitarists with knowledge of other instruments isn't a huge stretch.
(This is kind of my pet peeve when I see Darren Criss stans shouting about how amazing he is for being able to play multiple instruments, cause it's like, plenty of people can do that yo. It's not that hard.)
I also kind of put some thought into what specific guitar would be Brittany's go to. Right now my collection tops out at 9 but over the years I've owned something like 13 guitars (the past two years I've gotten rid of a few that I got bored with but I'm thinking I might buy myself a new one as a Christmas gift in a few months when the holidays roll around ;) different guitars have different sounds and some guitars work better within specific genres and so on and such. So the Jaguar is very much something someone would play in a post-punk riot girl band, they're very popular in the punk rock genre. I own a surf green myself ;) although unlike Brittany's mine doesn't have a sweet matching head-stock.
As for Brittany's lucky pick. For this story I randomly google searched 'unicorn guitar pick' to see if there were any out there. One of the first results that came up was a guitar pick with a cute little unicorn farting a rainbow saying don't stop believin' on it and I was like 'that's it! That's so Brittany's lucky pick'. Those picks exist! I'ma have to go order a pack of them now.
Also, yes, Santana's choice here will absolutely come back to bite her in the ass later on.