a/n: good evening, bao-beis! hope you're having a lovely month of June :] enjoy the chap - it's shortish, but a new one's already in the works!
While the Angels Walk with the Lonely Ones
Santana's not exactly sure how she feels about going to work. On one hand…it's work. She'll get leered at by sweaty men all evening, and by the end of the night she'll smell like liquor and cranberry juice.
It's the Brittany factor that's throwing her for a loop. Santana wants to see her – she honestly does – but at the same time, she'd much rather hole up in her apartment for the next couple of months. Or at least until she can forget about last night.
Unfortunately, Santana doesn't really have a choice. If she's going to eat, she needs to go to work. So she swallows what's left of her pride and gets on with it.
Brittany finds her at the bar an hour into her shift. Santana doesn't realize until she looks up from serving drinks to be greeted by her favorite pair of blue eyes.
"How are you feeling?" Brittany asks. Fuck, her eyes are blue, and Santana can see the concern glittering in their depths. She didn't know her stomach was capable of so many complex acrobatics.
Olivia and Alex are with Brittany, and Santana can't help but eye them – Olivia's lingerie hugs her chiseled hipbones with a sort of scandalous delicacy, and Alex has glitter streaking her teased curls. Alex flicks her a casual wave, while Olivia just smirks.
"Um, fine." Santana snaps back to the present and turns her attention to Brittany. "Feeling a lot better, thanks."
"I'm glad." Brittany's smile leaves Santana absolutely breathless. Literally. Santana's trying to remember how to breathe when Alex pipes in.
"We were just saying how much fun we all had with you the other night," she says with a smile. Alex looks way too innocent to be a stripper, Santana thinks, even with the glitter in her hair. The other girls prowl the bar like panthers, and even Brittany (or rather, especially Brittany) has a sort of effortless sensuality that pours off her in waves.
"You should totally come out again sometime." Olivia's voice has dropped to a low, sexy purr, and Santana knows she isn't just imagining the way the brunette is jutting out her chest.
"Totally," Brittany shoots Olivia a look before turning her gaze back to Santana. "We're going out again on Friday, if you'd like to join us."
Santana twists a dishtowel around her hands, shaking out the crumbs collected off the bar. "What's today, Thursday?" The girls nod. "Yeah, I should be able to." Santana smiles, though she feels her stomach clench at the idea of more alcohol. Brittany seems to sense her discomfort and leans in, propping her elbows against the bar.
"I'm probably just going to be dancing, if you don't want to rage again. It's really more of a party than a club."
"Anna's hosting it," Alex says shyly, naming her pretty girlfriend that Santana remembers meeting at the Element.
Santana hesitates. Brittany's lips wilt in the shadow of a pout. "Pleeeease?"
Hah, like Santana ever had a chance. She shakes her head with a smile. "All right, I'm in." Alex claps her hands together, while Brittany cheers and does a little fist-pump.
"All right, we should probably get back," Brittany says reluctantly, checking her watch and sending a glance back towards the dressing room. She brings her gaze back around and locks eyes with Santana. "I'll see you later, then?"
"Definitely," Santana grins. Brittany's smile grows to match hers, and she blows her a little kiss before flouncing back off towards the back, her friends in tow. Olivia pauses at the bar for a split second, sliding her fingers coyly over Santana's hand, then slinks off into the back.
It can't be more than five minutes later that Santana's phone lights up with a text from Brittany. Sorry about Olivia, it says. She's…working through some things. Meaning she's in major flirt-mode. I've told her to back off a little bit, but let me know if she gets out of hand.
When Robert saunters over a few minutes later, Santana's still staring at the message. "Ooh, what's that?" He asks, plopping down on his usual corner barstool. Santana wordlessly hands over the phone. Robert scans the text and then tosses it back – literally tosses. Santana ends up getting on her hands and knees to fish her phone out from under the bar.
"What does it mean?" Robert asks, once Santana is back on her feet.
"I…don't know," Santana frets, worrying at her lower lip with her teeth. "That's what I'm trying to figure out."
"Was Olivia flirting with you?" Robert prods.
"I mean…I guess? She was sticking out her boobs and stuff," Santana grumbles. "But, like, she's a stripper."
"Does Brittany stick out her boobs on a regular basis?" Robert tries to bite back a grin. He fails spectacularly.
"No," Santana snaps back. "But she's not, like, a typical stripper." She sighs dramatically and slaps her hands to her face. "I don't know, Robert!"
"What makes you think I know?" She can hear the smirk in Robert's tone, even with her eyes closed. It serves to make her even more frustrated, and she can feel her composure slipping away.
"You've been dating women longer than I have!" It's way, way too loud, and Santana can feel the stares of the patrons prickling at her bare shoulders. Great. Even more horny men to deal with.
And that's when Robert loses it. He breaks into laughter – full on belly-laughter that draws curious glances from the other patrons. Santana yanks her hands away from her face and slaps him on the arm.
"Are you going to help me, or are you just here to act like a drunk moose?" She barks, flourishing her hand in the 'ready' position for another slap. Robert wipes at his eyes a final time, still grinning.
"I mean, I guess I can help you out for the next few minutes. I'm still on break," he chortles. He bends his fingers in a beckoning gesture, and Santana passes over the phone again. Robert reads it a second time, pursing his lips, suddenly all business.
"It's…pretty straightforward, San."
"That's what makes me nervous," Santana snaps. "Like…why does she care if Olivia hits on me?"
Robert's expression is slowly morphing into one of pity. "Do you want me to tell you what you're already thinking and just don't want to admit?" He pauses for dramatic effect. "Because she likes you. She's jealous of the attention Olivia's giving you and doesn't want you getting hurt. Or," another dramatic pause, "she just wants you aaaaaall to herself."
Santana watches him for a long moment, chewing on her lip. Robert can almost hear the gears in her head turning as she processes. She finally snaps to attention.
"Get out of here, Rob. I've got people to serve." She turns her back to him, flicking her dark ponytail derisively, and stalks away. Robert chuckles to himself, loitering on the stool another moment before shoving off and returning to work.
thanks for reading, my loves! lemme know what you think!