"That's not fair!" Quinton snapped as he watched his twin brother wiping a speck of dirt of his new Ford mustang. "How the hell is this fair!" To say that he was jealous of the shiny red car with the black racing stripe would be the understatement of the year.
Judy turned to Russell who looked unimpressed by Quinn's outburst, she had to agree with him. It wasn't fair. "You got him a brand new car?"
"It's not brand new." Russell reasons, he holds up his hand to stop the tirade from both his wife and his oldest son. "It was a salvage and he's spent all of spring break fixing it up, and I spent just as much on this as I did to fly Quinn out to New York for the week."
"You got him a car." Quinn insists. It's not the same, he barely even got to see Rachel and she hadn't even admitted that they were mates. All he had gotten was a lousy kiss on the cheek and maybe Rachel had stared at him while they had gone swimming together. So he had gotten to see her in a bathing suit but still. Charlie got a car? When was this fair?
"You said to bribe him, and this kept his mind off well—Santana, this got his mind off Santana and kept him busy all week. Worked with Burt all week, helped out learned a few things about fixing cars. Burt was really impressed. Honestly the car looks really good considering what it looked like once we got it."
"The paint job took like all week," Charlie admits. "Burt let me stay during the nights to work on it, so I basically slept at his garage. Plus he ordered the parts for me and told me what to do before I fixed it, he checked everything over to make sure it was safe and he gave me an inspection for free! I passed by the way." Charlie grinned at Quinton, "Want to hear the engine?"
"Yeah, give me the keys." Quinn reasons. If he gets the keys then he can probably take over the car without much fuss. He was the alpha, if anyone got a sweet car like this it should be him.
"No fucking way." Charlie scoffs. Quinn's not coming within five feet of his car, not if he can help it.
"Give me the keys." Quinn orders again. It's always worked before, he's an alpha and Charlie's an omega. The only times Charlie ever fights back is when Santana tells him to do something different.
Charlie blinks, but frowns. "No."
"You have to let me drive it." Quinn insists, his brow furrowing.
"Dad." Charlie begs for help. Quinton was going to be relentless but there is no way he is taking this car from Charlie, especially not after all the work he put into it.
Sensing a fight about to break out, Russell decides to intervene. "It's Charlie's car, Quinn. I'm sure Charlie will drive you around."
"Are you kidding me? I can't be seen having my omega brother driving me around. What type of alpha do you think I am?" Quinton turns to Charlie. "Give me the keys."
Judy was about to intervene when Russell rested his hand on her shoulder stopping her. This was most definitely a first for Charlie, and she watched as he gripped his keys tighter in his hand and stood up straight.
"I said no Quinn. I fixed this car up, I put the work into it to make it look awesome. You don't get to walk in here and demand that I just give you my stuff. It's mine. What does it matter if I drive you where you want to go? It's my car, if you want one go fix a car up yourself. Burt's super helpful and he likes teaching, so why the hell don't you go get a car and fix it up yourself." Charlie pauses for a moment. "And if you do that, then you can't paint the car red. That's my color not yours."
Quinn frowned and immediately reached forward to grab Charlie, who shoved his hands away. "I'm the—"
"Enough." Russell snapped watching as the two of them turned to him. "Quinton, it's his car. He put the work into it and he fixed it up. I have attempted to teach you through the years that you can't just bully your brother into giving you what you want." At least now Charlie was attempting to fight back. "I was going to insist that Charlie take you wherever you need to go, but I think for the next week, you're stuck with public transportation. Maybe then you'll understand that all because you're an alpha doesn't give you the right to boss your brother around."
"But dad—"
"Do I hear two weeks?" Russell asked watching as Quinn's mouth snapped shut. He waves his hand dismissively. Truthfully he had every intention of helping Quinton pick out his own car later that weekend but he didn't deserve to be rewarded for having a shitty attitude. When Quinn stormed away angrily, he realized that he had made the right decision. Russell glances at his mate and smiles, "And you said I don't know what you're doing."
"You don't know what you're doing." Judy scoffs, watching her youngest child closely. Charlie has turned back to his car to inspect it for any changes in the last few minutes. She has to admit that it was a pretty good idea, but she still has an odd feeling like things aren't quite settled. "But I suppose this works too."
~O~
Quinn slams the door to his bedroom furiously. It's the last day of spring break and Charlie's turning into a giant asshole. He grabs his phone and calls the first person he can think of who can fix this. "Santana." He breaths when she answers. "Fix him."
"He's an asshole." Santana dismisses. "But I plan to. Listen, I need your help. I need you to take me to the hospital tomorrow morning."
Quinn stops only then realizing he had been pacing. "Why? Are you pregnant? You didn't smell pregnant the last time I saw you."
"No I'm not pregnant." Santana snaps and Quinn can practically hear her eye roll through the phone. "Just, can you come pick me up? My appointment is at eight-thirty in Toledo."
"Toledo? Why the fuck are we going all the way out there?"
"Would you stop asking stupid questions? I'll tell you on the way. Just—can you take me?"
"That's like a two hour drive."
"Which I would make myself but I don't have my damn license yet." Santana points out. She's planned every detail meticulously but if Quinn falls through for her then she doesn't know what her next plan is.
Quinn nods, a small smirk forming. So Charlie didn't want him to drive the car? He'd show him. All he had to do was pick up the keys while Charlie was asleep and slip out before anyone realized what happened. There might be hell to pay later, but it'd show Charlie that he couldn't be a little pansy every time he didn't get his way. "Yeah, I'll pick you up around six."
"Good, I'll buy breakfast and fill the gas tank on the way back." Santana says before biting her lip, wondering if she should ask Quinton how he was. He couldn't stay mad forever right?
"Better be a lumberjack breakfast. Lots of bacon," Quinn retorted, if he was going to be grounded until he was thirty, then so be it. He was going to enjoy himself.
"Fine, whatever just don't tell Charlie okay? You can't tell anyone." Santana insists.
"Whatever." Quinn responds dismissively.
Santana raises a brow but doesn't say anything right away, "So how'd it go with the hobbit? Did she swipe your v-card?"
"Goodbye Santana, I'll see you tomorrow. Don't keep me waiting." With that Quinton hung up on her shaking his head. He was only slightly curious to know why the hell Santana was going to fucking Toledo to go see a doctor. If it was important why couldn't her parents take her? He shrugs it off, Santana had always been weird. Now he had to focus on swiping Charlie's keys.
~O~
Quinn stalks into the cafeteria the next day like a man on a mission. Santana and Charlie were both idiots, but Charlie needed to know what Santana had planned. He might not even get in trouble for this, because he was helping. Finally locating his brother in the far corner of the lunchroom, he strode toward him and dropped the keys on the table. "Thanks for the ride." He smirks.
It's the last straw and Charlie's up and in Quinton's face shoving him hard before taking a swing at him. He was so sick and tired of Quinn and Santana bossing him around. The punch connects and the lunchroom goes silent. Omega's didn't fight alphas it was some unwritten rule, but at this point in time he didn't really care. Instead he simply jumps on Quinton not caring that his brother is stronger than he is and throws in another punch pausing as he smells Santana on Quinn. All over him, it's enough to distract him and enough for Quinn's fist to slam into his chin.
It's enough to shove Charlie off him, and he doesn't care right now that he's not supposed to hit omegas, Charlie fucking started it. He had been acting all high and mighty and maybe he needed to remind him what his place was on the food chain. He quickly wrestles his brother to the ground holding him there with ease before slamming his fist down hard onto Charlie's face. He was going to make Charlie submit to him if it was the last thing he did. He was about to throw another punch when he suddenly gets shoved hard from the side sending him flying off Charlie.
"The fuck are you doing?" Santana demands immediately her voice cracking like a whip. It's enough to get people to take a step back.
Charlie moves to stand but the pain in his face is too much for him to really concentrate right now. He stumbles forward a bit and shakes it off.
"I'm teaching him his place." Quinn snaps.
"Fuck you." Charlie snaps at him causing Santana to turn to study his face and reach for him. It's enough for him to stumble back. He was angry, he was beyond pissed and right now more than anything he wanted to beat Quinn's smug face. "I'm so sick of alphas always thinking that they fucking own me. I'm so sick of your self entitled attitude. Dad was going to buy you your own car this weekend and I was going to help you fix it. But instead you just need to show me that I'm just a lowly omega, who needs to shut my mouth and do as he's told. No wonder Rachel wants nothing to do with your pathetic alpha ass."
Quinn lunges at him only to have Santana completely block his path. "Step back." She shoves him for good measure. She might still be pissed at Charlie but she is not about to let Quinn push him around. "Stay." She barks causing Quinn to scowl at her. She had always kicked his ass when they were kids—before his growth spurt but he was now freakishly tall, and all that football had made his body hard. She wouldn't get out of this unscathed like all those other times before. "Quinton don't make me kick your ass publically," she threatens when he takes another step towards Charlie. It's enough for Quinn to pause and stare at her for a second before turning and storming off, shoving David Karofsky who was snickering. Santana exhales, and turns to Charlie. "Let's get you to a—"
He swats away her outstretched hand, cheeks flaming with embarrassment. Quinn had just kicked his ass in front of the whole school and rather than seeing how he could be the most popular guy in school, Santana thought she had to protect him. "What part of 'leave me the hell alone' don't you understand?"
"Charlie—"
"Leave me the fuck alone." Charlie snaps at her stumbling to grab his keys, so he could get to the fucking nurses office. Fucking McKinley where were the fucking teachers whenever you really needed them.
~O~
Santana storms into the house, slamming the door behind her. Today fucking sucked. She drops her backpack and the rest of her shit unceremoniously on the floor and makes her way to the kitchen. She short when her mother rounds the corner with a disapproving look. "I know I taught you better than to leave your stuff everywhere."
She startles, but quickly schools her face lest she accidentally reveal that she skipped her morning classes. "Mami, what are you doing home?" She picks up her bag and moves it to the corner of the room, hoping that's good enough.
"You do know that forging my signature is illegal, right?"
Santana freezes. She can't know. Maybe she's talking about something else. "I would never—"
Maribel arches her brow, daring Santana to continue the lie.
Santana gulps, "I haven't—" She cringes when her mother's glare hardens, "recently—"
Maribel shakes her head and pulls out the one piece of paper that Santana prayed they would never find. "Then what's this? It's dated for today."
Santana's mouth runs dry. Fuck. She is going to be so dead.
"Maribel." Carlos chides, pulling on her elbow and gesturing for Santana to follow. "This isn't a cross examination, I thought we were going to confront her together." He guides her to the living room, and motions for her to take a seat on one of the couches. "I'm considerably more concerned about why you want breast implants. Does it have something to do with cheerleading?" He glances at Maribel, "I told you that it wasn't a healthy thing to do for her. It was going to give her a complex and now here we are."
Maribel rolled her eyes, "No one likes hearing 'I told you so' from their mate, it's unbecoming," she sniffs slightly irritated.
Santana swallowed, it would be so easy to blame this on cheerleading but she actually liked being a cheerleader and if her parents forced the issue she'd lose all the perks of being head cheerleader. Not to mention Sue would murder her. "No—fuck—I mean, it has nothing to do with cheerleading. Hell Sue has a no plastic policy or something." She mumbles and looks away. "Look it was just—"
"Mija," Carlos frowns crossing his arms over his chest. "This isn't something foolish like getting a tattoo, this is major invasive surgery. There's a million things that could go wrong, and not only that you're fifteen. Your height might, unfortunately, be locked in but the rest of your body is still growing." When Santana doesn't answer him, doesn't give him something he shakes his head, deciding to go on the tried and true method of getting her to talk. "What would Charlie think?"
Santana's brow twitches and she clenches her fists, "Like Charlie won't love it?"
Maribel frowns, that didn't go the way she had expected. Based on Carlos's shocked expression, he hadn't either. "I'm sure Charlie wouldn't want you to put your life in danger just for a cosmetic procedure. Have you told him?" In her personal opinion Charlie should be grateful to see any breasts at all.
"You mean between him slamming the door in my face or announcing to the school that I was a fucking terrible alpha? No. It didn't come up." She snaps, silencing both her parents. She'd rather they didn't know anything about her life, but if they were going to try this part time parenting thing, then they'd have to figure it out.
"He said what?" Carlos sputters after a moment.
But Maribel isn't so easily swayed. Santana's probably just being dramatic and they have had countless talks about respecting Charlie and his choices. If Charlie did say something like that to her, then she must have failed him as the alpha. "Maybe you just misunderstood."
Santana frowned, "Which part? After I saved him from getting his ass kicked he said and I quote, 'Leave me the fuck alone.' So no, I didn't misunderstand. He's been like this for weeks. He didn't talk to me all through spring break and he attacked Quinton at school today and I saved him and he couldn't just look at me—he was pissed to see me. So yeah, maybe bigger boobs will distract Charlie from whatever's crawled up his ass."
"Oh." Maribel frowned. She had no idea what she was supposed to say to that. The idea of failing their omega was an alpha's worst fear and she could only imagine what Santana felt. This wasn't even why they were here, they were supposed to be talking about Santana's decision to get breast augmentation at fifteen, but if it was tied to the Charlie issue then they'd have to take it one step at a time. "Why were Charlie and Quinn fighting?"
"The hell if I know, but Quinn was determined to put Charlie in his place so it's not just me he's angry at. I do know that Charlie hit him first." Santana shrugged.
"Santana," Carlos pressed.
Santana rolled her eyes, "Probably has something to do with that stupid death trap of a car that Quinton was driving, who the fuck buys their sixteen year old a sports car?" Santana shakes her head, Quinton had mentioned it was Charlie's she had simply assumed that he had borrowed it. "Quinton probably took it from Charlie."
"So they were fighting, they are brothers. I'm sure it happens all the time. Why did you get involved?" Maribel presses.
"Uh, because Quinton was going to cave Charlie's face in, over a stupid car. What would you have done? I'm his alpha, I'm supposed to protect him."
"Protect him, but not smother him." Maribel reasons. "Mija, believe me. I know what it's like to meet your mate and love him so hard that he feels like he can't breath." She glances over at Carlos who still seems to be mulling over all of this thoughtfully. "But part of the reason we send you to Puerto Rico every summer is so that you and Charlie can both have space. Charlie's a teenaged boy who can fight his own battles every once in a while. I'm sure if you just give it time everything will work out."
"I have given him time alone. But he's mine. Isn't he supposed to want me to be his too?" She's whining but she doesn't really care. She misses him more than anything in the world, and she wants him to miss her too. She's not even sure if he does miss her with the way he's been acting. He didn't even want her to touch him today and that had hurt more than him being an asshole.
"That's it." Carlos stands, shaking his head. "I'm going to have a talk with that boy."
"Papi, no—" Santana cringes in embarrassment. That's the last thing she needs, her father making this all worse.
"Carlos—"
Carlos looked at her, "She was about to get breast implants in an attempt to satisfy him, to make herself more pleasing to him. They're mates and the longer this fight goes on, the crazier she's going to get. He can't decide to ignore his alpha, or reject her, or whatever it is he's doing. His own health is on the line too and let's not forget our daughter's sanity. So whatever the issue is it needs to be resolved." He glances at Santana, "Unless there's something else that you're not telling us."
"I don't know! If I knew what it was I would have tried to make it better."
Maribel shares a look with Carlos. She's never actually seen Charlie angry. Frustrated, and irritated absolutely. But angry? Charlie's always been the more reasonable of the two of them and she has to believe that all of this wouldn't just change out of the blue. She sighs knowing that Carlos is right. She turns to her daughter and narrows her gaze. "So he hasn't told you why he's angry with you?" She clarifies.
"Well I stopped listening after he called me a shitty alpha and accused me of trying to make him jealous by having omegas hang all over me. Which is not true—" she emphasizes before her mother can jump on that train of thought, "—because I've treated all the stupid omegas on the Cheerios the same way I've always treated them."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure and it's his fault that they've been getting all touchy feely with me." Santana insists. "If he hadn't called me a shitty alpha in front of everyone and made it seem like we were broken up, the other omegas wouldn't be pouncing on me." Santana sniffed indignantly.
"So, Charlie has had alphas trying to get his attention then?"
"Of course not, I'd rip their arms off and beat them with it." Santana snips immediately. Like hell any alpha would get within sniffing distance of Charlie. "I'm the most popular girl at school and head Cheerio, Charlie's mine, I made sure everyone knows it. He's off limits."
Carlos and Maribel glance at each other and sigh in unison, Santana had always been like this and she'd always been a handful. Carlos takes a breath, "Even with all this going on, you forged your mother's signature, skipped class, and made the silly decision to get breast implants when you aren't done growing. Being desperate is not a good enough excuse Santana. Your mother and I talked about it and we've decided that you need to have some time to clear your head."
Maribel takes over from there, hoping her daughter isn't stupid enough to think she got off with just a warning. "We've booked a ticket for you to visit your abuela in Puerto Rico for the next week—"
Santana jumps to her feet in disbelief. "You're just going to ship me off? Now when Charlie wants to break up with me?"
"Enough." Maribel barks, enough to cow Santana slightly for the moment. "Your father and I aren't here to enforce your grounding and it's only because we understand how hard this is for you that you aren't being sent there until the start of the next school year."
"You can't do this to me. I have Cheerios—"
"We already spoke with Coach Sue and she agrees this would be best for you. You're going to school tomorrow to get your homework for the week, and to learn of any tests that you may have and then we're taking you to the airport after school."
"But—"
"There's no buts Santana, so why don't you go to your room and pack? You'll be back in time for your nationals, so don't worry and maybe the distance will do you and Charlie some good. Distance makes the heart grow fonder or something like that." Carlos says dismissively.
"Please." She's begging and probably being pathetic but she doesn't care. "Look, I promise, I'll go to mom's office and help out. Just please don't send me away."
Maribel winces. She probably should have thought of that. She glances over at her husband that has a similarly shocked expression and then slowly shakes her head. "I'm sorry, but the tickets are already booked. Your flight leaves at six tomorrow night." She declares with finality.
Santana wants to scream. But that seems to childish, she didn't throw tantrums. She exhales loudly and gets up before she's excused and storms up the stairs to her bedroom. Her parents were being unreasonable and unfair. She slams the door behind her and grabs her stupid suitcase and begins to throw some clothes into it haphazardly. She didn't want to go stay with her abuela. Her house smelled weird, and she didn't have the internet and she was pretty sure her abuela was going deaf. It was going to be hell.
What she wanted more than anything was to fix things with Charlie. What she wanted was to know that they were going to be okay. That he wasn't going to go off and find some other alpha to take care of him. She wanted to know if he was going to miss her. She hoped he was going to miss her. She glances at her door for a moment and then looks at her window. She had snuck out before to go to parties and the Fabray household was only a few blocks away she could totally make it before her parents noticed that she was gone. She needed to talk to him anyway. She slips on a pair of comfortable shoes and a pair of sweatpants and opens the window to her room and looks at the tree. Sue would murder if she found out what she was doing, but right now there were more important things than what Sue would do to her. She needed to talk to her mate.
