A/N As always thank you all for your kind reviews and everyone who added me to their favourites or to their alerts list, every time I get an e-mail I smile! Here's the next chapter, hope you like it!
Disclaimer: Still not mine.
Somewhere between Saw VI and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Santana accepted that she and Wes could be friends. Anyone that squeamish that willingly sat through hour after hour of merciless gore was probably someone she could get along well with. Wes had stayed in her house screaming and flailing like a little girl until a little past ten. Her mother hadn't returned home but she had called her to let her know that she'd be staying at Greg's so in a way it had been a comfort to have him there. Sam was out of town for the weekend, he'd sent her a few texts that she'd replied to half heartedly but with the smug knowledge that it was her he was texting and not Quinn. It was an odd feeling, she'd had a guy over who wasn't her boyfriend, or anyone's boyfriend for that matter, and they hadn't fooled around. She almost felt like she was doing something wrong. Normal people were often at a loss to find logic in Santana's warped morals.
She hadn't had a guy friend before, not outside the parameters of the 'benefits' set-up. Kurt didn't really count, they'd never been that close even after spending time together at cheerios the year before. Despite that, they'd always seemed to have an understanding of sorts. She'd missed his biting sarcasm more than she'd expected to and although she never said anything she'd seen how his confidence and happiness had wilted over the course of the year. It had made her sad and it had made her angry; Angry at him, herself, the rest of the glee club, Karofsky. She's wanted him to be better, to be normal again. He was always a nice, if slightly less offensive, counterpart to her cutting words. She also worried about the affect some of her words had on him towards the end. It made her feel guilty and Santana didn't like feeling guilty. She'd usually stop thinking about Kurt the moment that uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach set in. This time though, she allowed her mind to wander in directions she usually fiercely avoided.
It was thoughts of Kurt that occupied her brain as she pulled into the car park outside the little coffee shop Wes had given her directions for. She parked the car, turned off the engine and automatically pulled down the sun-visor to study her reflection in the little mirror. She applied a slick of gloss and fluffed her hair before getting out of the car and locking it. The coffee shop was small but the amount of people crammed in there gave it a bustling life. She was just reaching out to pull the door when it opened outwards towards her. Santana came face to face with two familiar boys, the taller one laughing in a way she hadn't seen before. The way his eyes lit up at the shorter, dark haired student next to him pulled a little at Santana's heart. Eventually the light blue-grey eyes found hers and there it was again, the guarded expression she'd come to recognise so well.
"Santana," Kurt blinked at her in surprise, his arched brows rising. "What are you doing here?"
Santana shifted her gaze between Kurt and the dark-haired boy who had sung during Kurt's singles awareness party. The latter giving her a bright, polite smile. She smirked a little at this and opened her mouth to answer him but before she could say anything a great force descended upon the two unsuspecting boys, wrapping his arms around their shoulders and leaning heavily so that Kurt and the other boy's heads bowed against the weight.
"Blaine! Kurt! Where are you two sneaking off to at this glorious Sunday afternoon?" The trapped boys struggled against him but he didn't even flinch. He noticed Santana and he smiled broadly, eyes widening in excitement. "Santana!" She stared at him curiously; the fact that she was becoming immune to his boisterous personality was an unnerving sign.
"Wes damn it! Get off me! Better yet, let go of Kurt!" The short boy swatted in vain against Wes' bulk and added height. Santana recognised the mad grin and the gleaming eyes, they were the same ones he'd used that first afternoon where he'd ruined her hair. Having fallen victim to Wes' vice-grip before she knew from the past experience that no matter how hard you struggled it was practically impossible to escape.
"Blaine! I have to admit, that is very un-dapper of you" scolded Wes. Blaine continued to struggle as Wes leaned down to Blaine's ear and added in a loud conspiratorially whisper, "There is a lady in our midst little one." Wes' eyes locked with Santana's and he winked. Santana tried and failed to repress the very unladylike snort that escaped her lips. The short boy who she supposed was Blaine coloured a little at that but his mouth curved into a grimace, from his grumbling she could deduce the words 'little one' being repeated with enough venom to kill. Wes looked pleased with himself. It was at that moment that a squirming Kurt growled angrily.
"Wes, if you get my hair even remotely ruffled - I will end you." The last threat was uttered with added vehemence, each word executed with perilous emphasis. All three boys froze for a second as Wes considered Kurt seriously. He must have decided that Kurt's was a valid threat because he released them both from his grip. They both straightened up, Kurt brushing off his shoulders primly and shooting a filthy look towards Wes; Blaine adjusting his skewed tie looking disgruntled.
"Why we let you go anywhere unsupervised I'll never understand..." He shook his head, an expression of affectionate exasperation on his face. Santana studied his face with interest. Sure he was a little on the short side and his eyebrows where a little - well they certainly weren't little – but despite that he exuded something incredibly attractive. Santana smiled suggestively at him, he looked a little surprised but gave her a playful grin in return. In the few seconds their exchange took both Kurt and Wes jumped into action. Kurt wrapped his fingers protectively around Blaine's arm and narrowed his eyes at Santana whereas Wes shifted around and placed one of his hands gently on her arm.
"Gay, Santana, Blaine is Gay."Santana didn't usually get to see Kurt so flustered, it was fun to watch his eyes catch fire again. Blaine was looking at Kurt's fingers clutching his arm tightly with a slightly bemused expression, Kurt saw where Blaine's gaze had rested and flushed to his ears. Their eyes met for a second and it was then that Santana finally began to understand. Seeing her ex-classmate like this made her realise how morose and lonely he'd become back at McKinley. Kurt relaxed his grip, he swallowed and took a deep breath before turning his attention back to Santana, he began to say something and stopped, noticing Wes' hand still shadowing Santana's forearm. Her eyes moved in the same direction as though she'd only just noticed. Santana considered the hand curiously and grinned. While Blaine remained oblivious Wes and Kurt both saw the evil glimmer in her eyes and prepared themselves.
"Kurt and – Blaine was it? Are clearly both suffering from a serious case of repressed sexual tension," stated Santana with a smirk and a wink at an appalled Kurt who glanced frantically at an amused Blaine. She focused on Wes and lowered her voice playfully "what's your excuse?"
Wes grinned a little but didn't let go of her arm. His eyes burning down into hers.
"Something along those lines..." There was the irritating fluttering again. It always came back to haunt her. It made her nervous and angry as well as taking the fun out of her provocations. She pressed her lips together tightly and turned away from him. Kurt was staring at her angrily. She tried not to flinch under the judging stare.
"What?" Santana hissed. Kurt shook his head slightly, stepping towards her so that Wes and Blaine couldn't hear Kurt's low tone. They both seemed to take the hint and Wes promptly began talking animatedly with Blaine, occasionally ruffling the shorter boy's hair, much to his poorly disguised irritation.
"You know, Sam's a really nice guy..." he began, eyes meaningful. She frowned at him and raised her eyebrows. Kurt waved his hand dismissively, "Mercedes gives me weekly New Direction's dating updates. My sources tell me that you are currently dating one Sam Evans." Santana's frown deepened and her eyes narrowed at him.
"What does that have to do with anything?" She asked. Kurt placed his hands on his hips and narrowed his eyes right back at her.
"It has to do with everything Santana." She saw how his eyes flickered over to Wes and back to her. Inside the slow burning fury was growing in heat and intensity. She wasn't doing anything wrong, this time the accusations really were unwarranted.
"You don't know anything." She retorted angrily. Kurt crossed his arms and pinched the bridge of his nose. He took a deep breath before continuing.
"Look, what you do at McKinley? That... that doesn't affect me anymore." She noticed how his voice faltered a little, the flicker of pain in his eyes as they raised to meet hers. "What are you doing with Wes?"
Santana didn't know how she was going to answer him when she opened her mouth to speak but she felt like her words would amount to nothing anyway. She was the slut, the bitch. Nothing she could say would ever make any difference to them, so why not give them what they expected? She composed herself and fixed Kurt with a withering glare. She sneered at him and was about to give him exactly the kind of dirty, scathing comments he would expect from her when a pair of familiar strong arms wrapped their way awkwardly around her neck. Wes weight made her knees buckle a little but she somehow managed to stay upright.
"Wes what the hell–" She began to whine before he cut across her, answering Kurt's question for her.
"We're friends!" He chirped happily. She couldn't see his face but she heard his sloppy, goofy grin in his excitable voice. She didn't even try to resist, she watched Kurt's confused expression with a twinge of smug satisfaction.
"Friends...?" Kurt asked sceptically, pointedly ignoring the big grinning buffoon currently constricting Santana's air supply and kept his eyes fixed on the girl before him. In truth, for Santana, the jury was still out on that one. It worked as well as anything else right now though. She shrugged at Kurt with a roll of her eyes.
Kurt still looked confused but his attention quickly refocused when Blaine squeezed his shoulder gently. Santana was about to say something catty when the arms wrapped around her own shoulders tightened slightly and she felt the head rested on hers shake from side to side. She compromised by heaving a heavy, deliberate sigh and pouting. Her disguised protests fell on deaf ears as it became apparent that Kurt didn't care for anything other than the boy smiling at him and suggesting they leave quickly before they missed the first screening of the film they were going to see. Kurt smiled serenely and agreed without protest. Blaine aimed a punch at Wes' arm as they left. He grinned at Santana as Wes doubled over in exaggerated pain.
"I'll get Kurt to text you with David's number, it's essential for any sane person who spends more than a few minutes a day with him." He nodded over her head at Wes. Kurt gave Wes a meaningful look before shooting Santana the same one with added suspicion.
As they walked away in the direction of Kurt's navigator Wes released her and gave a frustrated sigh. She turned to look at him questioningly to see him staring at the two boys getting into the big black car, he glanced down at her briefly.
"Sorry, I just wish they'd get together already!" Wes shook his head with a half-smile playing at his lips, he shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck.
"So...coffee?" He asked at last.
"I'll probably need it if I'm planning on spending any time with you." She said pushing past Wes and into the coffee shop. Wes grinned at her and bounced eagerly behind her into the warmth of the coffee shop.
"You know, she really didn't seem quite as bad as you made out Kurt..." Blaine noted as Kurt drove them out of the parking lot. Kurt gave him a quick sideways glance the set of his mouth hardening.
"You don't know her like I do," Said Kurt, his mind flooding with an unpleasant montage of Santana's schemes playing out in his head, "She'll probably crush Wes as a part of some plan to elevate her own social standing, or as revenge over someone else back at McKinley." The frustrated words were sharp and hung in the air between them. Blaine pondered this for a little while, watching the world fly by the windows. Kurt's eyes flicked to him and back nervously. Blaine noticed that and turned back to look at his best friend with a vague little smile.
"I think you're underestimating Wes." Blaine's eyes had clouded over in a far away expression, Kurt was about to ask him what he was thinking about when the warm hazel eyes refocused. Kurt's eyes locked with his briefly before turning back to the road.
"Is that right...?" Asked Kurt with a slight smirk, Blaine stretched his legs out and leaned his head against the head rest.
"I know he acts like a complete moron but there's more going on in that crazy mind than you might expect." Blaine paused and sipped from his Styrofoam coffee cup seeming deep in thought.
"He might even be good for her you know... Wes has a pretty unique effect on people." Blaine laughed to himself. He saw the scepticism in Kurt's face, his slender fingers drumming the steering wheel irritably.
"You don't know him like I do." He echoed Kurt's words. Kurt glanced at him and sighed in defeat, he couldn't argue with those eyes.
"Fine," he conceded reluctantly, "But don't say I didn't warn you."
As they took their place in line Wes looked over at Santana. He could tell that she was deep in thought from the way she nibbled at her lip slightly, he stared at those lips until she finally came back from wherever her mind had wandered. She turned towards him and opened her mouth to speak but seemed to think better of it and sealed her lips tightly together with a shake of her head.
"What?" he encouraged, squeezing the tips of her fingers lightly. The touch was brief but it left a pleasant heat mingling through her fingertips. She mulled her thoughts over for a second and then asked him her question in a quiet voice.
"Is he... is Kurt better now? I mean... he's happy right?" Wes' heart felt like it grew a little in his chest, Santana was staring down at their shoes and biting her lip self-consciously. He smiled at how young and vulnerable it made her seem, he resisted the urge to brush away a stray strand of hair that kept falling into her eyes.
"Yeah, I think he's getting there but..." Santana's eyes became worried as he trailed off so he rushed to finish his sentence, "I think, from what Blaine's told me, he misses you all a lot." Her eyes softened and she nodded slowly. Wes sensing that she didn't want to breach the subject further launched into a heartfelt debate, mostly with himself, on the pro's and con's of using complicated dance routines during performances. Santana relaxed into the conversation, content in the knowledge that at least someone from New Directions, even if he wasn't technically a part of their group anymore was doing something right.
A/N – Kurt and Blaine seem to have hijacked this chapter a little! Next chapter is going to be based around Blame it on the Alcohol episode, I wasn't planning on following episodes but they just gave some wonderful Santana stuff to work with, so I'm going to be picking up on some of that I think. Drunk!Santana and Wes should be fun... I've got a long weekend so I'll hopefully have it out on or before Monday. Any reviews would be amazing, you make my day :) Thanks!