Chapter 12: Victory Haze
February, Fifth Year
The Slytherin common room was packed. Muffliato charms had been placed all over the walls to stop the thumping bass escaping to alert any passing professors. The whole school knew what was going on in the dungeons, except perhaps Professor Figgins, but it was generally accepted that as long as post-quidditch parties didn't disturb the rest of Hogwarts they would be tolerated.
Brittany hung onto my arm as I pulled us through the crowd towards the secret stash of alcohol kept hidden behind the fireplace for occasions such as this - an aspect of post-quidditch parties that the professors were less aware of. Jason, as one of the seventh years who helped acquire said drinks on a regular basis, was standing right next to it being congratulated on his catch of the snitch. He saw me and grinned, beckoning us over and reaching into the hidden cabinet to draw out a bottle of firewhiskey.
"Nice play earlier, Lopez. Maybe you should have been a beater after all," he commented with a smirk. I popped off the bottle top and took a healthy swig, ignoring the burn in my throat, then handed it on to Brittany to smirk back at him.
"Anyone would be better than those two lummoxes. I almost got knocked off my broom twice 'cause they weren't paying attention," I replied, rolling my eyes when I noticed Azimio scowling in my direction. "Yeah that's right, I'm talking about you! Get over yourself, you were shit!" I called across to him.
He shouted something back but I was suddenly distracted by the feel of Brittany's hand, already on my waist, pushing up my shirt a little to trace across my hipbone with her finger. I took back the bottle from her and had another long drink. Hooking up with her alone is just fine, but I couldn't let anyone else realise just how much of an effect she had on me. And what an effect she was having… just two fingers on my skin and I could already feel myself getting too hot. I gulped the firewhiskey down, but considering its name it really wasn't helping me cool off.
"Steady on Lopez, leave some for the rest of us," Jason laughed, yanking the bottle out of my hand and spilling some down my shirt in the process. I glared at him, trying to brush it off, and he just shrugged with an annoying grin. He knew that as long as he was my quidditch captain he was one of the few people I wouldn't dare hex, and he took full advantage of that. I reached for Brittany's hand that was still on my hip, pulling her away with it. I sent him one last fierce stare and headed towards the stairs to the girls' dorms as the chilled liquid began to soak through to my skin. It was difficult getting through the crowd, people kept stopping me to try and talk even when I scowled at them as much as I could. Time started to feel fuzzy - it felt like I'd only just left Jason, but when I looked at the clock when we finally reached the stairs it said that a whole twenty minutes had passed.
"Why'd Jason think you should be a beater?" Brittany asked as we climbed the stairs. She still sounded sober, but all that firewhisky had start affecting me a lot quicker than it normally did and my head was buzzing and I tripped when I turned to look at her. She giggled as she stared down at me lying on the stairs, and I started laughing too. I wasn't really sure why I was laughing, but it seemed like something about was funny. And then it wasn't funny, because she was so close and all I could think about was how I wanted to pull her down and kiss her as hard as I could. But her arm looped around my shoulders and she lifted me to my feet before her face could come close enough.
"Come on, just one more floor," she encouraged. I grumbled something about teasing but followed, really only because it meant I got to lean into her really close. I wrapped my arms around her, yearning for more of her skin against mine. Except she was wearing a dress, which meant the only way to touch more skin would be to put my hands up the skirt or down her bra. Someone brushed past me, and I realised exactly where we were, and that I couldn't do that. I'd just have to wait until we were alone in my dorm, I decided.
"Britt-Britt… Britt… we're here, see!" I exclaimed, surprised to see my dorm door right in front of me. She was already pushing it open and helping me through. It wasn't empty, though - sitting all prim and proper on her bed was Rachel Berry, reading a book. "Berry you're so boring," I told her when she looked up. "There's a party going on downstairs, a party! And you're all… just… reading!"
I didn't understand her. And I wanted to be alone with my Brittany but I couldn't with her there. Finding a glass of water pushed into my hand I quickly gulped it down.
"You should come downstairs, Rachel," Brittany said with a smile as she sat me down on my bed and unzipped my stained quidditch vest. Good, she had the same idea as me. I dropped the empty cup on the floor and watched with interest as it rolled under my bed. "It's fun, we play games and you'll meet new people. Finn's down there, you'd like Finn."
"Finn… the Hufflepuff keeper? I don't think he'd like me very much."
"Sure he would!" Brittany replied encouragingly, pulling my t-shirt over my head and leaving me in my bra. She needed to slow down, it would look weird if she just left me undressed until Berry left. I reached out blindly for one of her hands, clutching it between mine to try and tell her without speaking. "Finn's always singing to himself, and you're always singing, so you'd have something to talk about! Come on, you should come down!"
Gently she extracted her hand from between mine and moved to my chest of drawers to take out another top, this one more appropriate for a party than my quidditch uniform. But then she pushed it over my head. What was she doing, dressing me again?
"Um… okay, I guess I could come down for a little bit," Berry agreed, putting her book away and getting up from her bed.
"That's great!" Brittany exclaimed, pulling me to my feet again and towards the door.
"But… Britt-Britt," I objected. She turned to look at me, surprised. I sidled a little closer, aware of Berry waiting at the door. "Can't we stay up here for a bit? Just you and me? I want…" I hesitated. I couldn't admit what I wanted. Not even when I was drunk, and especially not in front of Berry. "I want a pepper-up potion so I don't get a hangover. Please?" I asked, hoping she'd realise what I was really asking. Out of Berry's line of vision I ran a hand slowly over her stomach, tugging at the fabric of her dress.
"I… I don't think that's a good idea when you're like this, Santana. You… it…" She struggled to answer without giving away my true meaning, but Berry interrupted.
"Brittany's right, it has been proved that pepper-up potions actually make hangovers worse if taken with alcohol. Of course, the perfect solution for not having a hangover is to not drink at all, which is what I intend to do despite my attendance at this-"
"Shuddup Berry," I growled. I could feel tears threatening and I forced them away. I hated how emotional I got when I was drunk! It was ridiculous, I shouldn't feel like crying about this! I walked past Brittany almost in a straight line and scowled at Berry, daring her to say anything. I pushed the door open, stumbling a little against it, and turned my head to look back into the room. "C'mon Britt, yous gots some catching up to do."
I made sure to smile at her as I leaned against the door, beckoning her with one finger and not bothering to acknowledge the hobbit any longer. If she wanted to come join in then fine, but she wasn't getting between me and Brittany. Brittany wrapped her arm around my waist again and I leaned into her, turning us. I could hear the irritating buzz of Berry's voice but I paid no attention as we meandered back down the stairs.
"Santana, there you are!" someone shouted as we re-entered the common room. I peered around to see Puck lumbering towards us, and I couldn't help but shrink back a little into Brittany. I didn't want him around, I wanted to be with Brittany. "What's with the dwarf?" he asked, nodding behind us to Berry.
"I'm going to introduce her to Finn! I think they'd get along well, don't you?" Brittany replied happily.
Puck started laughing, and I scowled. Why was he laughing? He didn't have the right to laugh at Brittany.
"Oi, don't laugh at Britt!" I objected. I tried to kick him, but I lost my balance and just fell back further into Brittany. Her arms around me kept me standing and it felt so good leaning back into her, but then I noticed Karofsky watching us and I quickly straightened.
"I wasn't laughing at Britt, that's just… that's brilliant!" Puck wheezed.
He dropped an arm around my shoulders and I couldn't protest. We were meant to be dating after all, even if that didn't really amount to much. I knew Brittany was following anyway, and I twisted my head to see her better. She'd found another bottle of firewhiskey and was trying to persuade Berry to drink some as she dragged her along. If I hadn't been jealous I might have laughed. Wait, jealous, what? Ugh, Santana, you're drunker than you thought. Get a grip. I reached up to angle Puck's chin towards me and pushed my lips firmly against his. He paused, willingly complying and I pressed my body against him. Someone whistled and I could still hear Brittany chattering away, but I tried to block out everything and pretend it was just me and Puck.
I didn't even realise I was tilting until suddenly Puck broke off our make-out session to catch me when I lost my balance. I blinked in confusion, staring up at him and around when I heard laughter.
"As smokin' hot as you are Santana, there's no way we're making out now. Remember the last time you were drunk?" Puck teased, pulling me back to my feet and twisting me around to push me towards the sofas near the fire. I giggled when I remembered his reaction when I started crying then threw up on him last week, even though it had felt horrid at the time. I noticed Brittany and surged forward to slide in next to her on the sofa. I knew I was grinning maniacally but I couldn't help it - and she was smiling back. Opposite, Berry was delicately sipping a bottle of something and talking to Finn, who was swaying back and forth to the music without even realising it. Losers.
"So Brittany, what were those games you said we could play? As a child I was always excellent at musical bumps, and I happen to have a rather strategic mind that gives me a good edge when playing wizarding chess."
I snorted, snuggling into Brittany as I watched Berry, letting her know that just because Britt decided to be nice to her they weren't friends. She wasn't going to take Brittany away - not that she stood a chance anyway, compared to me. I still had to make sure she knew that, though.
"Flip cup is fun, except Puck always cheats by magicking Santana's cup to constantly refill so he can get her drunk."
"Hey, whoa, I'm not going there again!" Puck protested. I turned towards the direction his voice was coming from and saw him sitting next to me. "I'm not dealing with that mess tonight."
I nudged him with my foot but couldn't be bothered to argue. I was comfy curled into Britt.
"And… I guess there's spin the bottle," Brittany added, "but we haven't played that in ages."
"Spin the bottle! I've never played that, is it fun?"
I rolled my eyes, about to interject that we hadn't played in ages because it was a child's game, but then Finn spoke up.
"We should totally play! You've got to play spin the bottle at least once in your life," he enthused, sounding eager even through my drunken haze.
"You matchmaker," I hissed in Brittany's ear. It was a bit loud for a hiss though I think, because Berry and Finn suddenly turned to look at me. I sighed. "Ugh, fine, spin the bottle it is. Chug it, Berry," I ordered. She still had almost the entire bottle left, but the only way this was going to be fun was to have her drunk. She gulped, but obediently started drinking under my glare. "That's not chugging, seriously Berry, do it properly," I snapped. She started drinking a little faster, but she was still taking breaths every few seconds. "Ugh, give it here," I finally said, losing my patience and holding out a hand. I wasn't going to move away from Brittany, she needed to come to me. Lucky for her, she did so before I had to start yelling - she mostly just looked grateful to not have to drink the rest of it. But when the bottle neared someone else reached out to take it instead with pale, slender fingers. I turned to Brittany confused, and she smiled.
"I don't want you feeling ill again, Santana. I can drink this," she told me, tilting her head back and downing the rest of the bottle in a matter of seconds. I stared as she lowered the bottle and a drip of liquid moved slowly down her lower lip and onto her chin. She brushed it away, and I brought myself back to reality with a shake of my head.
"And that, Berry, is how you down a drink. Finnocence, you were so keen on the idea, you go first," I decided as Brittany dropped the bottle onto the floor in the middle of the crooked circle we had formed. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that there a few others had joined us - that weird Gryffindor kid Kurt, Sarah from my dorm and Karofsky and Azimio.
Finn reached out to begin the first spin, and I laughed aloud into Britt's shoulder when it landed on Berry straight away. I felt something prod my leg and looked down to see her tucking her wand back into her sleeve. She gave me a conspiratorial wink when I looked back up at her face, and I shook my head and turned to see the action. Not that it was action. Their lips barely even touched. Berry's eyes were wide and Finn looked scared he was going to knock her over. Britt was trying so hard, the least they could do was have a proper kiss for all her work. When Rachel spun the bottle again and it landed on Karofsky, he was hardly any better. It was like he didn't even want to kiss her - although then I remembered exactly who he was kissing and it made sense. I sure as hell wouldn't want to kiss Berry.
I closed my eyes as he spun the bottle again, nestling my head against Britt's shoulder. I felt her shift and opened my eyes to complain when I saw Karofsky leaning in. Beside him was the bottle on the floor, pointing straight in Brittany's direction. I tensed, succeeding in catching his eye and sending him the most threatening glare I could produce. He hesitated, and when he leaned forward again he gave her an even smaller kiss than he'd given Berry. It still burned inside though, especially when Brittany tried to follow his lips when he pulled away. It wasn't right, Brittany shouldn't have to kiss that lump of a quidditch player, and she definitely shouldn't be trying to get more! Why would she even want to?
"Santana, you're hurting my arm," she whispered, and I realised my nails were digging into her skin. Some of the other people in the circle were staring at me and I quickly released her, reminding myself that things weren't any different to what they had been before last night. Sex is just sex, and I'm always protective of Brittany. Even if we hadn't had sex last night I still wouldn't want her forced to kiss Karofsky under any circumstances.
But then I realised the bottle was spinning and I couldn't let her kiss anyone else in this circle. I mean, Mike wouldn't like it, right? I probably owed him after my earlier quidditch foul. I dug into my pocket for my wand, and remembering I needed to keep it out of sight I pressed it against my leg. I fumbled to remember the spell that would let me control the bottle that was already slowing down in its spinning, then concentrated as best I could on controlling it non-verbally, trying desperately to direct it towards me. It was coming closer, and closer, but then Brittany sat back next to me and the feel of her thigh pressed against mine distracted me. The bottle head swivelled past me and came to a stop at Puck. Puck? Of all the people it could land on, it had to be him?
He was chuckling and already leaning over. I tried to give him the same glare I had sent at Karofsky, but that just made him laugh more.
"Don't worry Santana, I'm not gonna leave you for Brittany," he grinned, not even pausing before pulling a giggling Brittany to him. "Come on Britt, let's show these losers how it's done."
Then they were kissing - not just kissing, practically making out - right in front of me, and the nausea I'd been fighting for some time now came rushing back up to my throat. My clenched fists pressed into the sofa as I fought to contain myself. This shouldn't be happening! Brittany was my best friend, and yeah last night hadn't meant anything properly but barely eighteen hours later she was sucking face with my boyfriend!
"Ugh, that's enough you two," I groaned aloud, grabbing Puck's shoulder and shoving him away. I had the right to do that, I was his girlfriend.
Brittany sat back happily but Puck just reattached his lips to my neck, muttering something I couldn't quite make out but which sounded obscene. I twisted my head away without thinking about how it would look and pushed him back again. His touch was making me feel even more nauseous than before and I leaned into Brittany, trying to get away. She was looking at me like she knew something was wrong but didn't understand what, and I quickly turned away so I didn't have to look at her face.
"Spin the damn bottle," I snapped. Brittany's fingers running through my hair helped to calm me a bit but I continued to glare at him. I knew through the haze of alcohol that I should be upset about him kissing Sarah as well so I made a point to scowl at her, but it didn't make me feel sick like watching Brittany kiss him had. In fact, with Brittany's hand massaging my shoulder and the other still nestled in my hair, the nausea was rapidly fading.
Sarah kissed Azimio, and then to my annoyance the bottle landed on me. Azimio looked half-excited, half-cautious - good, my reputation preceded me. I'd prefer more fear, but cautious would have to do. I beckoned him over - I wasn't going to move again - and he shuffled over eagerly. I grabbed him by his collar and yanked him forward, nails digging into his neck as I kissed him. I bit down on his lower lip far harder than I would normally have done, even with Puck. I could feel him wincing but I didn't let up until I felt him try to stick his tongue in my mouth, then I shoved him back. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, shaking his head and muttering something I didn't want to hear to Puck.
I reached out with my foot to kick the bottle, sending it into a lazy spin that barely lasted one rotation before coming to rest with the head pointing straight at Brittany. Puck and Azimio cheered loudly and Karofsky joined in a moment later, and the nausea was back. I hadn't thought this through when I'd tried to get her spinning bottle to land on me before. I'd been kissing Brittany for the past five years, but never in front of someone else. That was one of the few rules that had remained in place right from the start - what we did was between us and no one else needed to know. But Brittany was already turning to face me and a crowd had gathered to watch and if I refused it would look strange. So I turned to her on my knees and leaned in.
The moment her soft lips grazed against mine the nausea disappeared, as did everything else. The cheering and music and shouts faded, and it was just me and Brittany like it always was. Her hand curled around my neck and I could feel my pulse beating faster than usual against her palm as I leaned in further, wanting more and pressing her into the back of the sofa, my fingers tilting her chin up slightly. Her tongue flicked against mine and it felt like the room was getting hot, but then a particularly loud cry broke through the barrier of sound that had formed around us. I jerked back and became aware of the catcalls and wolf-whistles surrounding us. I sank back against the sofa, gathering myself enough to send a withering glance in the boys' direction, but inside I was dizzy with confusion. Puck had to be doing something wrong, because he could never make me feel so good when we kissed. Even kissing Brittany with all these people around, worried what they might think, it still felt better than the best time with Puck. And they hadn't made any accusations about how best friends weren't supposed to kiss each other. They'd loved it.
I realised too late that Brittany was spinning the bottle again, but to my relief it landed on Kurt, who barely noticed because he was too busy watching Finn. Kurt was gay, everyone in the school knew it. Why he'd allowed that knowledge to get around this whole gossiping mess of a school I couldn't understand, but he seemed to deal with it mostly okay. And he wouldn't get funny about kissing Brittany. Well, he might, but it would be out of awkwardness rather than being turned on. Even though I was testament to the fact that liking boys didn't mean you were immune to Brittany's hotness.
He looked so awkward that I had to bite my lip to stop myself laughing at his expression when Brittany kissed him. It was a relief after Puck. Barely a second passed before he was pulling away, his face bright red and reaching to spin the bottle again immediately. I noticed his eyes turn to look at Finn and I smirked, but then the bottle head slowed to land on Karofsky instead. There was silence, then Kurt shuffled forward a little, looking even more nervous than he had before. Karofsky was frozen, but the moment I saw his face I knew there was going to be trouble.
"Fuck this! I'm not playing this with fags!" Karofsky spat, jumping to his feet and kicking the bottle hard. It flew into the air and crashed against the wall behind Finn. "This game's ridiculous, if anything's gonna create homos it's this kind of fucking thing!"
"I don't think that's really fair for you to decide, after all Santana and Brittany and Kurt all kissed people-"
"Can it, Berry!" I demanded.
My chest was tight, but it was different to the nausea I had felt before. I didn't need her reminding anyone that Brittany and I had kissed after Karofsky's outburst. I felt suddenly sober, and my eyes were on Karofsky as he and Azimio started ranting about the rampant gayness that was apparently running around Hogwarts and a few of the other guys joined in.
"Game's over, it was getting boring anyway," I declared. Hummel!"
Kurt's eyes snapped to me immediately. He was still frozen in the middle of the former circle, wide eyes betraying his otherwise emotionless expression. Behind him, Karofsky was sending him increasingly threatening glances.
"Find Brittany a drink from somewhere, she's way too sober for this time of night," I ordered. His face began to turn back to Karofsky and Azimio, so I shouted. "Now!"
He jumped up, hurrying away to hunt out the alcohol stash that had been relocated at some point in the last hour. With him out of sight, Karofsky began to calm, but I still didn't feel right. I wasn't drunk anymore - a bit tipsy yes, but nothing like earlier. Instead, it felt like a giant bezoar stone had been lodged into my lungs, making it difficult to breathe and think clearly.
"Are you okay?" Brittany murmured into my ear. Her hands had resumed running through my hair and I quickly moved away.
"Fine. Why wouldn't I be?" I replied woodenly.
It took Kurt ten whole minutes to return with a bottle of something, but when I realised he had come back only moments after Karofsky and Azimio slouched off somewhere else I didn't comment. I didn't bother drinking either, just handing the bottle straight to Brittany. Now I was feeling more sober, I was thinking back on the events of the night with the bezoar stone just growing and growing. Propositioning Brittany in the girls' dorm, with Berry there. Hanging all over Brittany in front of everyone, and snuggling up to her on the sofa. Kissing her and forgetting every other person in the room until they got too loud. I closed my eyes, trying to convince myself that no one actually minded from their reaction to our kiss, but my mind was spinning and I couldn't think straight because it was too late to be realising all of this now because everyone had already seen-
"You're looking a lot more sober now, time to find some privacy?" Puck murmured into my ear, making me jump. His hand slid over to rest on my thigh.
I turned my head away, trying to move away from him without it being too noticeable.
"I'm not gonna leave Brittany alone here, Puck," I answered him quietly, trying to calm my beating heart.
"She wouldn't have to be alone. She could come with us, you two seemed to be pretty into it earlier," Puck replied. I twisted my head quickly to face him and he smirked, wiggling his eyebrows. I jumped to my feet, rage and fear coursing through me all at once.
"Don't start getting ideas, Puckerman. You don't touch Brittany again, got it?" I told him. I realised people were listening in, and the fear started to overtake the rage. I had to make sure they understood what I meant. "You're mine, and I'm not gonna share you with anyone just 'cause you got a bit horny seeing two girls make out as part of some stupid game. You're mine - not Britt's, not fucking Annalise's," I added scathingly, staring fiercely across at the sixth year sitting a few metres away at one of the tables. "Sort yourself out and come back when you have the ability to talk to me without drooling," I said, kicking his shin sharply. The moment he stood I dropped back into my place next to Brittany, glaring up at him. He looked confused, but he'd got the message and walked away without another word.
"Santana… it's okay, I don't want Puck. I've got Mike," Brittany told me seriously. The reminder didn't improve my mood.
I nodded anyway, shuffling over a bit so I was leaning against the opposite armrest, my legs stretched out next to hers. Her toes nudged against me, running up and down my calf. It was exactly like she had done last night. I met her eyes and she was smiling that closed-mouth smile I loved so much, the smile only I saw, and I knew she was thinking the same. I smiled back; it was impossible not to. I remembered waking up this morning feeling more rested than I could remember waking up in years, even though we'd been up half the night. I remembered the happiness at seeing her wake next to me, even as she pretended to sleep. I wanted that again. And she wanted it too; she was still smiling at me, her eyes never leaving mine.
"I think it's a bit loud in here to get any sleep tonight, don't you Britt?" I asked. I didn't even have to make an effort to come up with an excuse; it formed on my lips without thinking. "Your dorm tonight?"
She nodded immediately and I smiled wider, swinging my feet off the sofa and standing. I felt a bit dizzy this time, reminding me just how much firewhiskey I'd downed earlier, but Brittany was immediately at my side, steadying me. We headed to the exit together, not bothering to say goodbye to anyone else, and the moment the door shut behind us her hand slipped into mine and she grinned excitedly at me.
"We're not really going to my dorm, are we?"
I shook my head with a matching grin and we began to hurry down the dungeon corridor. Thoughts of earlier came back - how much I'd wanted her in my dorm, and the kiss on the sofa – but they didn't feel bad now we were alone. I shivered a little at the memories and she squeezed my hand tighter. We were just passing the corridor that led to the Hufflepuff common room when an all too familiar voice called out. Brittany paused, stopping me from hurrying ahead.
"Was that Mike?"
Sure enough, before I could tell her I hadn't heard anything, the Ravenclaw seeker appeared in front of us. I pulled my hand out of Brittany's.
"Brittany, I've been waiting for you for ages!"
"Sorry Mikey, we've been having fun at the winners' party. Brittany knows how to pick the right team to support," I told him before she could get a word in.
He glared at me and I knew he was still angry about earlier.
"Brittany, I made us dinner. I even got permission for you to come to the Prefects' Bathroom with me," he added. I rolled my eyes. He really thought that was something special, when we'd been blackmailing prefects and sneaking in there since first year?
"Remember your promise, Brittany? That if I really wanted to spend time with you without Santana interfering then I could? Well I want that now."
My smugness disappeared and I turned to look at Brittany. She'd made that promise? One glimpse of her face confirmed that she had. I gulped away the lump in my throat.
"Sure Britt, go ahead. Enjoy it while it lasts, no one likes a loser," I added, directing the last part at Mike as I took a step back away from them both. Brittany looked at me one last time them hurried over to join her boyfriend. I heard her whisper as they turned and he wrapped an arm around her.
"You said you wouldn't tell her! She's gonna feel bad now!"
He looked back and winked at me, and as subtle as it might be he'd got his revenge for quidditch. Why would she do that? Why would she make that kind of promise? Well, if she was getting some tonight then I certainly wasn't going to miss out. I turned to march back towards the common room, intent on finding one Noah Puckerman.
Regarding Brittany's promise to Mike: I see it as something he came up with and got Britt to agree to after one time Santana was being particularly irritating, on the condition that she didn't find out about it because Brittany knew it would hurt her feelings. It's not massively important except for the fact that Mike knew it would hurt Santana and he was still mad about earlier.