Disclaimer: I still don't own Glee or any of the characters ;)
Sunday…
Santana wakes up to the sound of a whining puppy. She groans and rolls over, shoving her face deeper into her pillow, but Roxy is having none of it as she decides to jump on Santana and start licking her face. Santana gives a half grumble, half giggle as she pushes the puppy off her and climbs out of bed. Happy to see no further destruction of her property, Santana leaves the bedroom with Roxy following close behind. She grabs the pup's leash and takes her out before she has a morning accident. Once they're back inside, Santana gives Roxy a little treat, holding off on her breakfast so she doesn't get sick during the run they're going on shortly. Santana heads back to her room to change into a red sports bra, a pair of white and red running shorts, and her running shoes. She quickly throws her hair up in a tight pony and heads back out to find Roxy. She hooks the little one up to a newly purchased harness, grabs a bottle of water, and starts walking toward a nearby park which is home to her favorite running trail. As soon as they get to the trail, Santana stops to stretch. Roxy wanders as far as her leash allows, smelling everything she possibly can before coming back to stand beside Santana, barking excitedly at her. Santana grins widely and asks the pup, "You ready?!"
They start off at a steady pace and Santana can already tell this dog will have no problem keeping up with her. A few minutes into the run, they pass a fork in the trail and Santana sees a flash of blonde hair as they almost collide with another runner. Santana looks to the side, offering an apology just as she hears the other runner apologizing as well. She recognizes the voice at the same time as she lays eyes on the other runner, causing her to stop in her tracks. Roxy gives a little yip and moves over to greet the blonde.
"Brittany…" the brunette breathes out, not believing she'd run into the veterinarian, of all people. She can't help but look over the blonde's toned body and think that her doctor's coat should be burned for hiding such a delicious body. Brittany is wearing a blue sports bra with matching running shorts and Santana doesn't take her eyes off her until Brittany starts talking. Both women are so caught up drinking in the sight of the other that they are completely unaware that they are being checked out as well.
"Hey, Santana. And hello, Roxy!" Brittany finally says while crouching down so the pup can give her kisses. Standing back up, Brittany looks at Santana, "I'm glad to see you have already started bringing her along on your runs. Seeing as how she's not panting and you aren't sweating, would it be safe to assume you just started your run?"
"I gotta make sure she gets her energy out. She sure had fun jumping on me to wake me up this morning," Santana says with a laugh, "and yes, we just got here a few minutes ago. I see you're in the same state as us so you've either got really good endurance or you just started as well."
"Well, I dooo have really good endurance," Brittany says while giving the brunette a little wink, "but I actually just started my run, too."
Santana starts blushing and isn't quite sure how to respond to that. She doesn't have to worry about a response though because a second later, Brittany continues speaking. "Since we both just started our runs, do you want to continue the trail together? I promise to not go too fast for you," the blonde teases.
"Oh please, I run this trail every day. You'll be the one trying to keep up with me!" Santana says as her competitive side starts to show.
The trio start running again and both Santana and Brittany are pleased to find out that they apparently like to run at the same pace. During their almost hour long run, the women get to know each other a little better. Brittany talks about her time in college, changing majors from Pre-Med to Veterinary Studies, and the most memorable patients she's encountered since starting her practice. Santana tells Brittany that she majored in Business and then talks about how she and Puck decided to open Pucktana's and the craziest situations she's had to deal with while working at the bar. Conversation flows easily between the two and both women can't help but think about how they seem to have instantly clicked. They mention how they both thought it was odd to run into each other on this trail, but then learn that they actually live only a couple blocks away from each other (and this park), so it turns out to not be such a weird coincidence. As they near the end of the trail, they decide to use the distance from there to Brittany's house as their warm down since it's on the way home for Santana and Roxy anyway. They're one street away from Brittany's house when Roxy cuts in front of Santana in an attempt to chase after a cat she saw across the street. Santana trips over her, only just managing to catch herself on the back of a bench they happened to be passing by, but the damage of a twisted ankle is already done. She hisses as she tries to apply pressure to her left foot. Brittany helps her to sit down on the bench and proceeds to take Roxy's leash from Santana, holding tightly in case she tries to run off again.
"How bad does your ankle hurt?" Brittany asks, noticing Santana wincing as she tries to stretch the injured area and work it out so she can finish walking back to her place.
"It's not that bad," Santana lies, trying to sound tough. "It'll probably work itself out in a few minutes. You don't have to stay here if you have things to do. I'm sure I'll be fine," she says as she's already thinking of calling Puck or Sugar to come pick her up and bring her the rest of the way home.
"Not a chance, sweetie," the blonde replies. "I can tell it's hurting you more than you're admitting. C'mon, I'll help you back to my place and take a look at it. I may be an animal doctor, but don't forget…I started off my college career learning to treat humans," she says, trying to convince the other woman to let her take care of her. Santana is about to decline the offer, not wanting to look weak in front of the beautiful blonde, but decides against it as soon as Brittany's face changes into a stern look, arched eyebrow and all.
"Okay, okay. Ugh, help me up?" Santana asks, sounding a little defeated.
They quickly realize that Santana can't put much pressure at all on her injured ankle, so Brittany brings Santana's arm around her neck while she puts an arm around the smaller woman's waist to support her. The fact that they fit together perfectly, like puzzle pieces, does not go unnoticed by either woman. They slowly make their way to Brittany's house and upon seeing it, Santana blurts out, "Wow, it's huge," to which Brittany mumbles, "That's what she said." Santana slaps Brittany's arm as a laugh escapes her and the blonde grins cheekily as they make their way inside. She guides Santana over to her couch, telling her to take her sneaker and sock off while she goes to grab an ice pack from the freezer. Brittany returns to see Santana still wearing both sneakers.
"Why didn't you take your shoe off?" the blonde questions.
"I'm all sweaty and gross from our run…my feet probably smell," Santana frowns.
Brittany laughs at this but Santana just frowns even harder.
"You do realize I work with animals, right. I have to deal with smelly stuff often at work, I'm not scared of your foot," the doctor tries to reassure her.
"I'm just gunna call one of my friends to come pick me up. If it's still bothering me after I shower, I'll call my regular doctor tomorrow and have her check it out," Santana says stubbornly.
Brittany smiles softly at her. "You're adorable. How about you just shower here? I have two bathrooms. You can use the one down here while I use the upstairs one, and when we're both freshened up, I'll see what I can do about your ankle. Does that sound okay?"
Santana looks up at her and hesitantly replies, "I guess that'd be okay. Unless you have other plans today and I'm interrupting you."
"Seriously, it's fine. I had no plans for the day anyway so I'm all yours," Brittany informs her.
Hearing that the beautiful blonde is "all hers" gives the Latina butterflies, which she quickly pushes away, saying, "If you're sure…"
Brittany helps her into the bathroom, sets up her towels, then leaves to go get her some clean clothes. She returns with the clothes and a pair of crutches.
"The crutches are just in case you finish in here before me. You can just meet me back in the living room. When you're done, leave your clothes in here. I'll take care of them after since you won't be able to carry them if you're using the crutches. Are you gunna be good in here or…" the blonde trails off, not knowing if she'd be able to handle it if she had to help the gorgeous Latina get in or out of the shower.
"I'll be fine. Thank you though…for everything."
"Don't mention it. I'm gunna head upstairs and jump in the shower, too. I'll see you in a little bit," Brittany says as she starts the water for Santana, then closes the bathroom door behind her as she leaves.
Brittany finishes her shower first so she goes to the living room to wait for Santana to join her again. She finally hears the sound of crutches coming down the hallway and looks up just as Santana hobbles through the doorway. Brittany's breath catches in her throat as she takes in the natural beauty of Santana standing there in her clothes. She definitely likes what she sees and gives herself a mental pat on the back for hastily grabbing a pair very short shorts and her favorite long sleeve tee from college for Santana to wear. Santana makes her way over to the couch and plops down onto it, sliding the crutches off to the side. Brittany gets up and sits on the coffee table directly across from her.
"Okay, no excuses now…let me see that ankle. I can already tell just by looking at it that it is swollen."
Santana lifts her foot up and rests it in Brittany's lap so she can examine it. Brittany gently moves the Latina's foot back and forth to stretch out the muscles, holding her foot as though it was the most precious and fragile thing in the world. She pokes and prods around Santana's ankle and foot, apologizing whenever the brunette groans in pain.
"Do you want the good news or bad news first?"
"Umm, bad news."
"Well, the bad news is that it looks like it is gunna hurt like a bitch for a few days. I recommend staying off it and keeping it elevated as much as possible…no extended periods of walking on it and definitely no running until it doesn't hurt to walk for at least a few days."
"And the good news...?"
"The good news is that nothing is broken. It looks like just a sprain, based on the swelling and bruising that's already forming. More good news...you're stuck with me all afternoon so I can make sure you ice it properly!" Brittany exclaims, earning a playful eye-roll from the Latina. "I'll go get the ice pack again; you just sit back and relax."
The blonde returns a few moments later with some Advil, a glass of water, an ice pack, and a towel to wrap it in so Santana doesn't have to put it directly on her skin. Santana takes the pain medication as Brittany sits down on the end of the couch and gently grabs the brunette's calf to slowly turn her so she's now lying across the couch with her foot once again on Brittany's lap. She wraps the extra large ice pack, clearly made for athletes, in the towel and wraps that all the way around Santana's ankle. Brittany then places a pillow on her lap and gently lowers Santana's foot down onto it, making sure it's properly elevated.
"Okay now, little lady, 30 minutes on and 30 minutes off!"
"What?! It's already feeling super cold and it's only been on for like a minute so far!" grumbles the injured woman.
Brittany chuckles and says, "It'll go numb soon and you won't feel a thing, trust me."
Santana does trust her. And that scares the Latina. She's not one to trust quickly or easily, but there's just something about the woman taking care of her that screams trustworthy. She can tell that Brittany is a genuinely good person, but it still scares her to know that the blonde is already starting to break down her walls.
"Well, I guess doctor knows best, huh?"
The blonde just smiles at her and Santana instantly returns the gesture. They stay like that for a few moments, simply lost in each other's gaze, until Santana realizes the atmosphere around her is quieter than it's been all weekend.
"Uhh, where's Roxy? I've already learned that it's normally a bad thing when she's this quiet."
Brittany laughs and says, "Don't worry, she's all tuckered out from our run." She points to the corner of the room where Roxy and her cat are snuggled up together on the pet bed. "Look, she even made a new friend!"
Santana looks over and her eyes bulge out when she sees the size of Brittany's cat. "Damn Britt, your cat is as big as Roxy!"
Brittany smiles wide at the nickname, sure that Santana didn't even realize her slip-up.
"That's Lord Tubbington, or LT for short."
Santana just giggles at the name, but then a frown forms on her face as she continues looking at their sleeping pets. Brittany sees this and becomes worried.
"Hey, what's the matter?" she asks softly.
Santana turns to her and sees nothing but concern in the blonde's eyes.
"Oh, I just feel bad because I still haven't given Roxy any breakfast. I was going to after she settled down from our run so she didn't get sick while we were on the trail. I should probably get her home, I suppose. She's already underweight…I don't want her skipping any meals."
"Nonsense. I can find something for her here."
"But you have a cat, who I'm guessing does not eat dog food."
"True, but I do have some leftover chicken and rice, without any seasoning, that I can heat up for her. I recommend that for sick dogs all the time because it won't further upset their stomach."
"Eww, completely plain chicken and rice? How can you eat it like that?" the Latina asks with a disgusted look on her face.
"I don't. My mother brought it over, but knows the seasoning I add depends on my mood, so she made it plain. I'll go heat it up for Roxy and wake her when it's ready."
"You really don't have to do that. I feel bad making you waste your leftovers on my dog."
"Don't worry about it. I wasn't in the mood for it today anyway, so it might as well get eaten by your dog as opposed to me having to eventually throw it out."
"Well, thank you. I appreciate that."
Brittany gets up, putting the pillow from her lap down where she was just sitting and adding another pillow on top of that before placing Santana's foot back on top of them.
"You're welcome. Now just stay here and I'll be back in a minute. The TV remote is right in front of you on the coffee table. Feel free to watch whatever you want."
Brittany returns a couple minutes later with a bowl of warmed up food for Roxy and finds Santana channel surfing. She calls the dog over and puts the bowl down for her, smiling as she sees the pup digging in. Having already eaten right before Brittany left for her run, LT remained slumbering on his bed. Brittany was about to sit back down with Santana, but before she could, her stomach started growling…loud enough to get a laugh out of the brunette.
"Ugh, I'm obviously hungry too. How about you? Have you eaten yet?"
"No, I haven't..."
"I'll whip us up some pancakes! I hope that's okay…it's pretty much the only thing I can cook without burning the house down," Brittany admits with a bashful look on her face.
"You don't have to actually cook anything for me. I'd be fine with like cereal or something. You've already done enough for me this morning," Santana says softly, starting to feel like a burden for the blonde.
"Hey," Brittany says just as softly, waiting until Santana looks in her eyes before she continues, "Please let me make you breakfast. I never get to take care of anyone outside of my office."
The sincere look in Brittany's bright blue eyes and in the tone of her voice breaks Santana, leading her to give in to the blonde. "Pancakes it is," she says with a small smile.
Brittany heads back into the kitchen and a little while later, she's placing a tray filled with pancakes, scrambled eggs, sliced fruit, milk, and some juice on the coffee table. The sight before her melts her heart and she's quick to pull her phone out to capture the adorableness of Santana sleeping on her couch with LT curled up on her lap and Roxy resting on her chest. She hates having to wake the beautiful brunette, but also knows that she should eat something so her body can have the energy to work on healing her ankle.
"Hey, sleepyhead, wake up," she says softly as she moves a strand of hair out of Santana's eyes.
The Latina's eyes slowly flutter open and a smile appears on her face as she sits up. "Mmm. Smells delicious. I can't even remember the last time someone cooked a breakfast like this for me. Thank you for going through all this trouble," the brunette says shyly.
"It's no trouble at all, honestly. I'm glad you're letting me do this for you. This is actually the best morning I've had in a while," Brittany says as a slight blush forms on her cheeks. She looks away and then laughs when she sees that Roxy and had gone back to snuggling on LT's bed. Santana follows her line of sight and smiles when she sees what Brittany was laughing at. She looks back at Brittany and catches the blonde staring at her now. Brittany clears her throat and once again looks away quickly. "You can take the ice pack off now for a bit. Here, put your foot up on the coffee table while we eat. You still need to keep it elevated," she says as Santana follows her instructions. Brittany hands Santana her plate of food and then starts in on her own. The women eat their breakfast in a comfortable silence, the TV set to some morning news talk show. When they're both finished, Brittany takes Santana's empty plate and brings the whole tray back into the kitchen.
Upon re-entering the living room, Brittany sets two bottles of water on the coffee table and asks, "Do you want to watch a movie?"
"Sure. You pick though. I always have trouble deciding what to watch. I'm up for anything but horror movies…it's still too early in the day for that," explains the Latina.
They end up watching three movies during the course of the afternoon, all of varying genres, with Brittany changing out Santana's ice pack at the appropriate times, leading the brunette to have conflicted feelings. On one hand, she finds herself enjoying being taken care of by this amazing blonde woman, but on the other hand, she doesn't like having to depend on others. She's used to being independent; not letting anyone get close enough to see her be vulnerable since her last relationship ended.
During the last movie, Santana drifts off to sleep. In her slumber, she shimmies over a bit to snuggle into the warm body next to her, resting her head on a soft shoulder. Brittany is briefly surprised by the unexpected contact, but settles down as soon as she hears Santana's deep, even breathing and realizes the woman is still asleep. She looks down at the Latina, taking in the soft features of her completely relaxed face. Brittany notices how peaceful Santana looks, and can't help but feel as though this is exactly what she's been waiting for. She can't think of a better way to spend her lazy Sunday than with this beautiful woman snuggled up to her on her couch, relaxing and watching movies. Brittany is broken out of her thoughts as she feels Santana start to stir, so she quickly averts her eyes back onto the TV screen to avoid being caught watching the woman sleep like some creeper. Still half asleep, Santana breathes in deeply while snuggling closer to Brittany, releasing a soft hum and gently nuzzling her face into the blonde's neck. Brittany feels Santana tense up as soon as she realizes what she's doing before quickly darting back into a sitting position next to the blonde.
"Uhh, sorry about that," Santana says sheepishly, "How long was I asleep?"
"Not that long, the movie is still on," Brittany replies. She can tell Santana's embarrassed, but doesn't quite know what there is to be embarrassed about. She takes an educated guess and assumes the Latina isn't usually much of a cuddler. At least not with people she's just recently met. She also goes as far as guessing that the Latina doesn't let people in easily or allow herself to be vulnerable in front of others, if her earlier actions throughout the day gave any indication to the brunette's typical personality. First, she tried to act tough when she was clearly in pain after twisting her ankle. Then, she was reluctant to let Brittany take care of her at all, whether it was examining her ankle or just making her breakfast. She wonders if Santana has always been super independent or if she became this way after being let down too many times.
"Okay, good," says the smaller woman.
Brittany looks over at Santana, studying her for a minute before Santana finally acknowledges her gaze.
"What?" the Latina asks with a slightly confused look on her face, unsure why the blue-eyed beauty is staring at her.
"Why do I get the feeling that you try to portray yourself as this super badass or something?" questions the blonde with a little smirk.
"That's because I totally am. You have no idea," Santana says, attempting a very serious face but failing as the corners of her lips twitch up in a slight smile.
"I find that hard to believe, seeing as how you have been nothing but adorable all day long."
"Pssh. I don't do 'adorable'…not even close! You just haven't seen me in my element," defends the feisty woman.
"Okayyy," the blonde says, clearly not convinced of Santana's claim of being a badass. "Do you wanna order something for dinner? Like I said before, pancakes are pretty much the only thing I can make, so unless you want those again, we'll have to order takeout. You're kinda stuck here until I decide to bring you home…and I don't feel like doing that just yet," Brittany says with a triumphant grin.
"Guess I don't really have a choice then, do I?" Santana replies with a grin of her own. "What are you in the mood for?"
"Hmm…I don't know yet. I usually just order from a place around the corner, Lombardi's. Have you ever ordered from there?"
"No, I've never even heard of that place. How is that possible when I live just as close as you do?"
"Haha I don't know. It's a little mom and pop place, but has a lot of regular customers so they do plenty of business. They have mostly Italian options, but also offer a variety of other foods as well. Wanna see the menu? I have one laying around here somewhere."
"Any chance they make a good pizza? If not, I'll have to take a look at the menu."
"They make the BEST three-cheese white pizza! Oh my god, that's totally what I'm getting now."
"Sounds good to me! Let's split one."
"Okay, let me call it in."
Santana's quiet while she calls in their order, kind of surprised when Brittany stays on the line longer than a normal call would take and chats a bit with the person on the other end. Before she ends the call, Brittany asks, "Can I also get a small, plain mixture of hamburger, scrambled eggs, and white rice? No seasonings though because it's for a hungry little puppy who's visiting and I don't have any dog food in the house."
She finishes the call and turns to Santana, only to be met with a look of awe on the tan woman's face.
"What?" the blonde asks.
"Nothing," Santana replies with a small smile on her face. The fact that Brittany even thought to order something for Roxy sends a feeling of warmth straight to Santana's heart. She can't believe how sweet this woman is. She doesn't make a big deal out of the addition to the order though, because she already knows that Brittany would just brush it off as no big deal.
Brittany doesn't question the look any further, instead just continuing with what she was originally going to say, "The food will be here in about 20 minutes. They usually deliver pretty quickly. I AM one of their best customers," she jokes.
During their wait time, Brittany takes Roxy out to relieve herself and then feeds LT. When the delivery guy shows up, Santana offers Brittany some cash, but Brittany refuses to take it. Knowing that Santana would be unable to follow quickly, the blonde runs to the door to pay and returns before Santana can even get situated on the crutches. She sees the scowl on Santana's face as she places the pizza box down on the coffee table and adds that as evidence to her theory that the brunette doesn't tend to let other people do things for her.
"C'mon, Grumpypants. Sit back down so we can eat!" Brittany says with an infectious smile on her face. "What do you want to drink?"
Santana's scowl falters when she sees the bright smile directed her way, "Water is fine. Thanks."
Brittany returns a moment later with a couple glasses of water, plates, napkins, and a bowl to put Roxy's food in. Once she takes care of Roxy, Santana and Brittany start eating their pizza.
"MMMMM!" Santana moans a little obscenely, "This is the BEST pizza I've ever had!"
Brittany has to calm herself after hearing Santana make that kind of noise. She takes a sip of her water, trying not to think about how she'd love to be the one making the Latina moan like that.
"I told you they make the best pizza," Brittany says smugly.
"Just so you know, I'm totally going to cook you dinner to make up for everything you've done for me today once my ankle is better. It'll be a nice change from takeout. I promise I'm an excellent cook!" Santana informs the blonde.
"I definitely won't object to that," Brittany says with a smile. She absolutely loves the idea of spending another night with Santana, just the two of them.
They finish eating, so Brittany wraps up the leftovers and puts them in the fridge. She comes back and sits on the couch, pulling Santana's leg onto her lap so she could remove the ice pack and check out her ankle again. She moves it around like she did earlier, testing out the mobility and tenderness.
"Well, most of the swelling has gone down, but it now has some pretty nasty bruising going on. I'd say one more round of ice on, ice off and you should be done with the ice pack."
"I gotta say, it really wasn't as bad as I thought it was gunna be. You may or may not have been right about that," Santana admits.
"WAIT A MINUTE! HOLD THE PHONE! Did Ms. Lopez here just admit to being wrong?!" taunts the blonde.
"Yeah, yeah, don't get used to it. Anywayyy," Santana says, changing the subject, "I didn't mention it earlier, but from what I can tell, you have a really nice house. Is it really as big on the inside as it looks from the outside?"
"Thank you. And yes, it really is pretty big. There are 4 bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs; kitchen, living room, laundry room, den, and a bathroom downstairs. Big, fenced in backyard with a fire pit towards the back of the yard and a heated in-ground pool with a built-in hot tub on the side of it."
"Wow, that sounds amazing! Do you share the house with roommates or something?"
"Nope. It's just me and LT, and the occasional guest if a friend from out of town is visiting or something," Brittany says. Santana can practically hear the loneliness in her voice even though it's obvious to her that the blonde is trying to make it seem like it doesn't bother her.
Santana hesitates before asking, not sure if she's crossing a line here or not, "I don't mean to pry or anything, but why did you buy such a big house if it's just you living here?"
"I fell in love with this house when I was looking for a place in this area. I know it's a little big now since it's just me living here, but it'll be the perfect size once I'm married and have little ones running around. I didn't want to deal with having to find another place once our family starts to grow. Now I just need to find someone who loves this house as much as I do," Brittany explains while absentmindedly caressing Santana's shin.
"I'm sure that won't be a problem. I haven't even seen the majority of it and already love it just from the description."
They sit in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Brittany breaks the peace and quiet.
"Okay, little lady," she says, patting Santana's shin, "One last round of ice…are you ready?!"
"Haha yes," chuckles the brunette.
Brittany grabs a new ice pack from the freezer and returns to her previous spot, keeping Santana's foot in her lap. She wraps the ice pack around the Latina's ankle again and they both lean back to relax for the next 30 minutes.
"I should probably call Sugar or Puck now to see if they're free to pick me up. They'd show up around the time I'd be able to take the ice off."
Brittany just scoffs at this, "Don't be silly. We already established the fact that you practically live right around the corner from me. There's no need to make one of your friends come all the way over here when I could probably bring you home and back before they'd even make it to my door."
"I don't want to be any more of a burden than I've already been today. It's fine, I'm sure neither of them would mind coming to get me. You've already done too much."
"If I've already done too much, then what's oneee more thing? Honestly, I'd be more comfortable knowing firsthand that you got home and settled in without any complications," Brittany says with the most sincere tone she can muster up. To lighten the serious atmosphere her confession just created, she finishes with, "You'll just have to make sure that dinner you're gunna cook me is the best meal I've ever had!"
With a big smile, Santana responds, "Okay, fine, you can bring me home. And I bet my cooking will be the best thing you've ever tasted! I definitely know my way around the kitchen!"
Brittany is really looking forward to this dinner. Not only to just spend more time with the stunning Latina, but if she's really as good of a cook as she claims to be, maybe she can teach Brittany a thing or two.
When the last half hour is up, Brittany gets up to grab Santana's clothes from their run and an ace bandage to wrap Santana's ankle in. She comes back and starts the task of tending to Santana's ankle for the final time. She tightly, but carefully, wraps her ankle up so the injured woman will have extra support when she does have to walk on it. Santana just sits there basking in the gentleness the other woman is offering her, a little disappointed that their time together is coming to an end. Once Brittany is done securing the bandage, she stands up and holds her hands out for Santana to take while she helps the Latina get up off the couch. Both women revel in the softness of the other woman's hands, not wanting to let go, but knowing if they hold on any longer, it would become awkward.
Santana tests out trying to put some pressure on her left foot and cringes at the pain that shoots through her ankle. It's nowhere near what she felt when she initially injured it this morning, but it is still an extremely unpleasant feeling. As soon as she sees Santana's reaction, Brittany takes up a similar stance to her earlier position, wrapping a supportive arm around the smaller woman.
Santana looks like she's about to reject her assistance, so Brittany cuts her off before she can say anything. "Oh just humor me for a little while longer. You've done a good job of it so far today, don't stop now," she says with such a caring tone that Santana doesn't even consider further refusing her help.
The women make their way out to Brittany's car with Roxy in tow. Brittany helps Santana into the passenger seat, placing the pup in her lap, and then moves around the car to climb into the driver's side. Santana gives the blonde directions back to her place and a few minutes later, they pull up to the apartment complex. Brittany quickly puts her car in park and hurries over to the other side of the car to open the door, take hold of Roxy's leash, and help Santana to her feet. On their way in, they stop to let Roxy pee one last time before bed. When they reach Santana's door, she unlocks it and they make their way inside. Brittany let's Roxy off her leash and Santana takes it from her to hook it on the wall next to the door.
"Do you want me to help you get settled into bed or something before I head out?" Brittany asks, ready to stay for as long as Santana needs her.
As much as Santana wants the taller woman to stick around a little longer, she also feels as though she needs some distance to try to get her thoughts in order. "Nah, I'll be alright. I think I'm just gunna watch some TV out here on the couch for a bit anyway. Thank you though. Really, I can't tell you enough how much today meant to me," the brunette says as her walls slip down just a little bit farther.
Brittany sends a warm smile toward the Latina, feeling as though even that statement is one that rarely leaves the other woman's lips. "I should be the one thanking you," Brittany says softly, "Aside from you getting hurt, today was the best day I've had in a long time."
Both women blush slightly upon hearing each other's sincere confession.
"I guess I should head out now if you're all set," blue eyes search brown ones, making sure there's no worry there about being left alone. Brittany swears she sees a flash of disappointment in Santana's gaze, but before she can get a better read on the shorter woman, the brunette averts her gaze away from the blonde, pretending to be checking on the whereabouts of her pup.
Knowing her time is up, at least for tonight, Brittany steps forward and closes the gap between herself and Santana, wrapping her arms around the Latina and hugging her tightly. The brunette feels herself melt into the embrace and hugs her back just as tight, sneaking a quick inhale of Brittany's scent before reluctantly pulling away from the taller woman. Both women feel an immediate loss as soon as they're no longer invading each other's personal space.
"Goodnight Santana," whispers the blonde.
"Goodnight," Santana whispers back, not wanting to break whatever kind of moment they're currently having.
With that, Brittany turns around and walks out the door, closing it softly behind her.
A/N: I obviously don't know much about ankle injuries. So regarding Santana's recovery: please just go with it ;) I wanted her to need Britt's help this whole chapter, but be off the crutches by the end of it.