Summary: Coach Sylvester's survival training pushes the Cheerios to their limits... but Santana has a whole other dilemma - her lust for Brittany. Being stuck, alone and naked in the wilderness with her best friend proves to be more than Santana can handle and her repressed feelings finally come to the surface.

A/N: Brittana season is here again!

I've always wanted to write something based on that deleted scene from S6 where Brittany talks about how she and Santana's first time fooling around with each other was at Sue's survival training. This is a little one shot based on that. I can totally imagine Santana being the one who chose the knife and Brittany choosing the dreamcatcher. They're kind of metaphors for their personalities even.

Please feel free to leave comments at any time. I'd love to know your thoughts. Take care xoxo Major thanks to everyone who has supported this fic.

Please note that this is a canon divergent AU in which Brittana don't kiss/hook up until they're a little older - I'm imagining them as high school seniors for the purpose of this one shot - and Santana still has her rivalry with Quinn going.

*** Obviously, there will be some NSFW/smutty scenes, just as there have been in previous chapters

This fic is also available on AO3


"Ladies, quit your idle chitchatting and get your asses into gear. Guess what? You babies will have one special item to take with you on your mission. Choose wisely. Survival training starts now!"

Coach Sylvester gave a sinister cackle, a sly glint in her eye as she revealed what she had placed on a table. The Cheerios and their coach were standing at the edge of a forest on the outskirts of Lima that afternoon, their vans parked nearby.

Each of them were dressed simply in McKinley High-issued black shorts and t-shirts, their hair pulled back into ponytails. There was a collective feeling of panic rising up amongst the girls as they began to whisper among themselves. Santana hadn't imagined that cheerleading camp was going to be like being in the army but there was no way she was going to wimp out. Not when she was so close to usurping Quinn and gaining the captain position she deserved.

Santana had never been a breakfast person. She had barely eaten that morning - just coffee with half of an egg and she was beginning to regret that decision as Sue informed them that they were going to have to push themselves to their limits for the next day and a half. The dark-haired girl huffed as she wiped sweat from her brow, noticing that others were doing the same as they shifted uncomfortably on the blistering hot summer day.

There was a violent struggle as a horde of teenagers pushed and shoved. Santana instantly reached for the huge bowie knife, growling and death glaring at two other Cheerios who had the same idea as her and tried to get to it first.

Grabbing the knife was a no-brainer and she smirked at the way others stared at her when she walked off, obviously envious that she had thought of the idea first. She pressed her lips together and scowled, noticing the way Quinn was proudly walking off with the only box of matches.

Coach glared at them with her hands on her hips as the girls fell back in line after they had each grabbed their item of choice. The tall blonde woman began to lecture the group about how this training was meant to prove their strength of character. She shoved a worn-looking map into each of their hands.

"Alright, the only rule is you make it to the edge of that field by tomorrow at twelve noon. If you have to call for help, you immediately get disqualified and you're off the squad. No exceptions. I don't care what you have to do to survive, just make it there and in one piece," She noticed Brittany putting her hand up and turned to her. "Bimbo, what do you want? Make it quick."

"I can't read the map, Coach. It's too confusing." Brittany piped up, holding it upside down in front of her as the other girls snickered. Santana scowled so venomously at any Cheerio who was jeering at the blonde until they promptly shut up, terrified of the Latina.

Santana wasn't entirely sure it was legal for Sue to take twenty teenagers out into the middle of nowhere then leave them to potentially starve or freeze to death but she wasn't about to argue.

"Alright, quit your bitching and whining you bunch of babies. You've got work to do. You think this is hard? Try living with hepatitis!"

The girls watched enviously as Sue drank from a cold water bottle in front of them, taunting them by spilling the rest of it on the ground in front of her and refusing to give them any.

Santana instantly searched the crowd for familiar, soft sapphire eyes and light blonde hair, practically knocking over another girl who was trying to talk to Brittany.

There was no one else Santana would be able to tolerate - far less enjoy the company of. Brittany noticed her storming up to her and gave her one of those soft smiles that made Santana's stomach do flip flops. Brittany nodded at her slightly and waved, confirming that she'd be her partner. She looped her arm through Santana's when the darker girl offered it to her.

They already had the knife, which was great but hopefully Brittany had chosen another useful item…

"A dreamcatcher?"

"I know right! It's exactly what we need to catch our dreams," Brittany smiled, looking happy with herself and proud. "You don't have to thank me."

Her eyebrows rose. She tried hard to figure out why on earth Brittany would have chosen a dreamcatcher of all things - the most useless of all of the items. It made no sense.

Quinn, who seemed to overhear their conversation, elbowed Santana in the ribs, whispering to her in her usual clipped, nasally tone as Santana reluctantly walked off with her to a tree on the other side of the field.

"Santana, are you insane? You're going to choose Brittany of all people as your survival partner?" Quinn scoffed, "She can't even remember her middle name most of the time, far less survive Sue's wilderness training. It's like you're asking to get yourself failed. I'm not going to associate with you anymore if you make a fool of yourself."

"Shut up, Fabray," Santana grit her teeth, shoving her back, glancing in the direction of the tall, freckled blonde who was in the middle of innocently cloud gazing. "Keep her name out of your mouth. I'll do what I want."

"Suit yourself. I'm just trying to look out for you, Santana. Pretty sure you don't want to deal with the humiliation of failure and lose all of your popularity."

Santana arched an eyebrow, folding her arms.

"Yeah, well maybe you should worry about yourself, Fabray. Brittany and I will survive and win. I'll make sure of it."

Santana rolled her eyes, making her way back to Brittany's side.

Brittany was cute, though. Really freaking cute. So cute that Santana just nodded like an idiot as the girl kept telling her about how pretty everything was that day and how fun this was going to be even though she felt the exact opposite. She kept reading the names wrong and Santana couldn't help but giggle at how adorable she was. This was bad… no one and nothing could ever make Santana literally giggle.

"Let me fix that for you, Britt." Santana adjusted the map, flipping it around so it was right side up.

"Oh! You're so smart, Santana." Brittany leaned in and kissed her on the cheek in gratitude. Santana felt a rush of heat and looked away shyly. Her eyes darted around as suddenly she was self-conscious, paranoid that everyone could tell how much she liked Brittany… that she had feelings for her she shouldn't feel about another girl.

Brittany and Santana had become best friends ever since they first met each other in kindergarten and the dark-haired girl had protected her from some bullies. They both felt this instant, powerful connection to each other that neither of them had ever felt with anyone else but Santana was terrified of how intense her feelings were becoming.

Was it normal to have constant fantasies about kissing your best friend?

The girls began to trudge through the forest, soon breaking off into smaller groups. Some brave ones chose to be on their own but most stuck to groups of three or more, thinking it offered them more of an advantage. Santana felt the fear coil in her stomach as they saw the dense forest ahead and saw the way Brittany's face paled.

She had been through a lot with her friend but she wondered if they'd be able to make it through this.

"Don't worry, Britt. I'll protect you." She whispered and the girl leaned closer to her, looking at her adoringly. Uh oh… the butterflies were back again.

Sue lead the way twenty feet in front of them on her quad, sipping from her cooler as she barked orders through her megaphone.

"Sloppy babies! Move faster! Oh by the way, Ladies. I forgot to mention something else. One other little important detail. You'll need to be naked to complete your training. Just be careful you don't freeze to death!"

There was a collective groan from the girls but they obediently stripped off everything, even their sneakers and socks, knowing that Sue took her rules extremely seriously.

Santana tried to keep her eyes off of Brittany but she couldn't help but look in awe at the angelic goddess in front of her. The other girl was frozen in place, gaping as Brittany moved slowly, sliding her tight t-shirt up inch by inch, then reaching behind her to unclasp her bra. She didn't even seem to notice Santana's eyes on her as she shed the last two pieces of clothing, pushing down her shorts and then stripping away the remaining, tiny piece of pink cotton.

Brittany S. Pierce was naked in front of her.

She couldn't believe it. Sure, she had seen her friend a couple times when they were in the school showers or locker room but somehow this was so much more overwhelming than even that had been. Santana swore all of the blood in her body rushed to her face and between her legs. She felt a heat building low in her stomach as she gave in to temptation and stared at her friend's breasts, then her eyes flitted down to the area between the girl's legs… then to her thighs and ass.

"Santana? Are you okay?"

She heard Brittany giggle and looked up to meet playful, upturned blue eyes. It was obvious that Brittany had caught her staring. Santana made a show of grunting and turning to back her as she grabbed at the hem of her own shirt, trying to cover up her embarrassment.

She paused in the middle of taking her clothes off. She couldn't strip in front of Brittany. She just couldn't. This already felt too intense and she was afraid that if anymore clothing was shed between the two of them, she was going to short circuit and do something she really shouldn't. She suddenly really regretted the idea she had of partnering with Brittany. It was going to be a major distraction. It was already next to impossible to hide her feelings for the girl. Santana decided that leaving her sports bra and shorts on would have to do.

"What happened to you, Santana? Don't tell me you're shy?" Amanda, one of the meanest girls there who had always had it out for the Latina taunted her while Chelsey and Kelsey who were on either side of her laughed as if it was oh so hilarious. The other girls snickered at Santana who was the only one still wearing any clothes.

"Sandbags, you better obey my orders unless you want to disqualify yourself."

"Fine." Santana grunted but made no move to comply with her order. She figured that she could just take her clothes off when they got to the end point the next day and there'd be no way for the coach to know whether she'd been nude the whole time or not.

Brittany just skipped along, as if she didn't have a care in the world as she hummed to herself. Santana couldn't understand how the girl could be so casual about this when Santana felt like she was burning up from the inside out at even the thought of the blonde being naked.

It was proving to be the most difficult thing in the world to ignore Brittany's perfect, pale freckled form as she followed behind her completely naked. She was using literally every fiber of her being to control herself when she wanted so badly to look and touch her skin.

Soon it felt like they were completely alone as everyone else continued on their own path while Brittany allowed Santana to silently lead the way still as the Latina held her map out in front of her.

It felt like a million years had passed since they had started but when Santana glanced at her watch, only an hour and half had passed.

"This is the fucking worst." Santana complained bitterly.

"I don't think it's so bad," Brittany chirped. "It's kind of nice to be outside like this. Being one with nature, you know? I feel free."

"I feel disgusting."

They both knew Santana hated hiking, camping, and just about everything about the outdoors.

She hated the feeling of the mud and leaves under her bare feet. She cringed at the feeling of twigs and branches scraping against her skin. She knew as the day wore on, the intense heat and humidity was making her hair frizzy and curly, much to her frustration. Everytime she felt something moving against her skin, she shuddered and flinched, hoping it wasn't some disgusting insect. Everytime she heard a noise in the distance, she had this fear in the back of her mind that it was some predatory animal coming to kill them.

She didn't know the first thing about survival training other than what she'd seen in a few TV shows.

That was when something latched onto her arm. Santana yelped, whirling around and gripping her knife tightly.

"It's okay. It's just me," Brittany chuckled and Santana jumped back, edging away from the angelic blonde. She realized Brittany was so close to her now that she could count every perfect freckle on that oh so soft, translucent skin of the girl's neck and chest. Brittany leaned up to adjust her hair and the high, perky ponytail she was pulling her blonde tresses into only made her seem even sexier to Santana. The darker girl gawked at her, captivated by her lithe form. "What's wrong? You're really quiet and serious."

Santana accidentally looked down, catching a glimpse of pink, pointed nipples and felt like she was going out of her mind. She knew she had to do some damage control fast.

"Brittany, c'mon," She huffed, trying to sound calm and unaffected though she could hear how flustered she sounded even to her own ears. "We can't play around. We have to make it to the end of the forest and somehow build a shelter before it gets dark."

"Okay." Brittany quipped, confused. She couldn't figure out why Santana was being so tense and awkward with her, instead of falling into their usual comfortable banter.

Another hour passed of them walking along in silence. Santana felt guilty when she finally dared to look behind her, noticing the small pout on Brittany's face, her cheeks cutely flushed from exertion and sunburn.

"I'm really thirsty. It's getting so hot."

"Me too," Santana admitted. Now that Brittany had said it, she realized how parched she was, and the sun making her feel light-headed. She could feel the sweat trickling down her. "Don't worry. There's a river nearby, about five minutes from here. If this map is right."

The blonde breathed out a sigh of relief when they saw the river ahead. Santana's heart began to beat fast when Brittany moved close to her, their bodies pressing together tightly.

"Brittany!" She practically shrieked. She was practically wedged in between Brittany and the massive tree against her back. "W-what are you doing?"

"I was just trying to slip between these trees."

"W-why would you do that?" Santana growled, a little more aggressively than she intended to as she felt all the blood rush south once again. She was desperately trying to ignore the way Brittany's breasts and thighs felt against her. There was no way she could be so well… aroused for Brittany like this, yet everytime her smooth skin moved against Santana's, it was making it increasingly difficult to think coherently.

"Sorry!" Brittany whimpered.

"Well aren't you going to move?"

Brittany started squirming against her and Santana regretted saying that. She swallowed hard, holding back a moan when Brittany's smooth thigh pushed up between her legs as they struggled and she felt the girl's breast graze her arm. They were as close as they could be physically…

God, this was the sweetest form of torture. The only way they could be closer than they were now would be if they were having…

Do not think about having sex with her… Santana kept repeating to herself like a mantra, trying to focus on anything other than Brittany's naked body. That was proving to be almost impossible when their hot, sweaty skin was sliding together constantly.

Meanwhile, Brittany noticed the way Santana's heart was practically thudding against her chest. The shorter girl's body felt so warm.

"I think we're stuck." The blonde girl finally pointed out flatly.

"What? We can't be!" Santana heard how high and strained her voice sounded in her flustered state as they remained in that position for the longest and most challenging… yet best moments of her life. "We c-can't stay here, we have to get to the river before it's dark."

"Santana, it's okay. Don't panic. Look, I can just do this."

Brittany finally moved around a little more and Santana was amazed by her flexibility as she wriggled herself out then rolled onto the grass. She smiled at Santana, offering her hand to her to help her out as well.

Santana's eyes widened, registering how wet she felt between the legs, to the point where it felt uncomfortable to walk, the fabric of her underwear sticking to her. It would help if she took her pants off but then… it would be totally obvious to Brittany.

The blonde shrieked happily when she heard water and they both saw the clear, light blue pool of water in the near distance. She was confused when Santana let go of her hand instantly as soon as they began moving across the clearing. She reached for her hand again but Santana scowled at her with a weak glare, pulling it away quickly. Brittany pouted sadly.

"You don't want to hold my hand?"

"Why would I want to hold your hand?" Santana snarled. Brittany was stunned as she never talked to her like this before. "We're not six years old anymore."

"But we always hold hands. You always liked that before."

"Just don't, Brittany. I don't want to argue. Just, don't come any closer," Santana held up a hand, stopping her when the tall girl tried to move close to her again and her voice was all strangled and high-pitched when she shouted. "Don't!"

Brittany was confused and hurt by how her friend was acting.

"I just don't understand why you're acting so weird. You haven't looked at me all day. You don't talk to me. You're angry at me all the time and you freak out if I even touch you. Did I do something wrong?"

"I'm not angry at you!"

"Then why are you angry?"

"I just," Santana stabbing her knife into the nearest tree in frustration. "I don't want to talk- I- I can't, okay?!"

They both winced as Santana's loud, enraged and flustered voice echoed in the forest. Brittany followed her, not backing down when Santana tensed up and refused to look at her after her latest outburst. It wasn't anything unusual for Santana to be in a bad mood but she usually never directed her anger toward Brittany. She was usually able to figure out Santana's moods and make the girl feel better but she was completely at a loss this time.

"You were walking funny," Brittany pointed out, as she went around gathering some dry twigs and leaves while the dark-haired girl busied herself by going through a pile of stones and tossing them aside until she found a piece of flint. She kept scraping her knife over the sharp edges, trying to make sparks so she could get a fire going. She looked down at the girl's shorts and Santana gasped when she put a hand on her thigh. "Did you hurt yourself? Let me see it."

Santana was growing increasingly frustrated as she couldn't get a fire going no matter what she did. Fucking stupid rocks! All she could think about was Brittany's bare body right in front of her.

"Fine!" Santana finally grunted, her face feeling hotter than ever as she finally threw the knife and the dumb rock aside, and pulled the shorts down, completely flustered as she tossed them aside.

Brittany couldn't help it when her eyes zoomed in on that area and gasped when she saw the small damp spot on the middle of Santana's panties. When Santana stripped off the last piece of fabric, it was impossible to miss how wet the girl was. She was dripping down her inner thighs. Brittany kept staring at her openly until Santana covered herself self-consciously and she swore she saw a tinge of red in the girl's cheeks through her dusky complexion.

Then Brittany figured it out.

Oh. Oh!

"Santana?" The darker girl ducked her head, still covering that area with her hands. "You're really…you're so… That's all because of me?"

She could practically smell it… that distinct, earthy scent she picked up before. The way Santana was breathing so heavily, her heart thudding against Brittany when she was pressed against her before. Brittany was stunned. She hadn't even touched her or kissed her yet Santana was already so worked up.

"I-I'm not… what are you talking about?!"

Brittany gave her a highly skeptical glance. She snaked her hand between Santana's legs as the girl shuddered, her knees practically giving out. Santana trembled and her hips canted upward, searching for more contact. Her ab muscles clenched, her whole body twitching and it was the hottest thing Brittany had ever seen. She loved the way she had this effect on the girl.

"You really like me," Brittany smiled happily. Now everything made sense. "That's how much you want me."

The blonde had made out with a lot of people in her life but she had never seen anyone who was this hot for her. Although Santana couldn't express her feelings verbally too well, the physical evidence was more than obvious. She experimentally slipped her fingers lower, feeling the slick, swollen heat. Santana inhaled sharply, her pupils fully dilated and Brittany got lost in black heat as the fiery girl stared into her eyes intensely.

Before she could say another word, she gasped when Santana took her by the shoulders and shoved her up against a tree, pushing her body up against hers forcefully. Brittany smiled against her lips, pleased when Santana took her lower lip between hers and kissed her furiously. Brittany felt Santana gush against her leg when her tongue slid against hers. She helped her take her bra off so they were completely naked and grinding against each other. She had seen Santana gaze at her lips so many times but she couldn't believe she was finally kissing her, the way Brittany had always dreamed of.

"You want me so bad."

"Brittany, I- we shouldn't - I can't-" Santana panted heavily, looking a little confused and panicking. "I have dirt all over me, my makeup's gone, I'm covered in sweat, my hair's a nightmare, I haven't had a shower in- whoa, wait, you want this too?"

Brittany took one of the girl's hands, pressing Santana's fingers between her own legs and heard the girl's sharp intake of breath as she realized the blonde was in a similar state to herself.

"I've always wanted you. This is everything I've ever dreamed of," The Latina could swear she saw stars in Brittany's eyes, mesmerized once again by the girl's beauty as she faced her, slipping her hand out from Santana's hold and bringing it up to the girl's face to cup her warm cheek. "I couldn't imagine you being any more perfect than you are now."

Santana sighed, visibly relaxing as she realized Brittany felt the same way. Brittany wrapped her arm around the girl's neck, kissing her deeply and closing her eyes as she took in that musky, earthy scent that was so unique to Santana. Santana still felt so tense with nervousness even though she was calmer than she was before. Brittany gently guided her into the next kiss, touching her gently as she tried to soothe her.

"Shh, it's okay. You're so tense. Relax with me. Move with me, like this."

She stroked along the shell of the girl's ear with her fingertips then massaged Santana's shoulders and neck, sliding her palms over her back as she pulled her black hair out of its ponytail, then did the same to herself. She could tell how much her long hair turned Santana on.

Santana began to kiss Brittany's neck and the blonde gripped into black hair, spreading her legs wider as she tried to press herself against those fingers. She thought about how she'd feel if Santana just pressed two fingers a little lower, pushed into her and curled…

"Wait." Santana breathed out and Brittany could feel the girl's whole body trembling in arousal as the blonde pulled her hands up to her chest, encouraging her to squeeze her soft breasts.

"Santana, I really want you."

"I know," Santana told her in a calmer, softer voice, pulling her toward the area where they had laid out their t-shirts on a soft, flat square of grass. "It's just your back - against the tree - it's more comfortable if we do this here."

Brittany swooned at how considerate she was and didn't argue, happily laying back and giggling when Santana immediately climbed on top of her, resting the weight of her body against hers. Everything after that was a rush of frenzied kisses and touches. Everything else in the universe faded away as they focused on each other. Then everything felt so much more intense when Brittany felt Santana's hand on her thigh and parted her legs for her. The way Santana pushed into her tight, warm flesh like she couldn't wait a second longer and bit into her neck made Brittany's eyes roll back.

"Oh, Brittany. You're just so pretty, so soft, so gorgeous." Santana kept babbling and Brittany thought it was adorable how emotional she was being.

She clung to Santana as she kept moving in and out, adding a third finger and then another. Santana curled her fingers sharply and Brittany whimpered, begging her not to stop. It wasn't long before she came around her fingers with a cry of Santana's name and once she recovered, rolled the girl onto her back so she could touch her the way she'd been dying to the whole time. Santana squirmed, clearly aroused beyond belief and kept pushing her hips upward, searching for friction as Brittany smiled against her, pausing to kiss perfect brown skin.

Santana practically melted when Brittany found and circled the tiny bundle of nerves. She could tell Santana needed her desperately as she groaned and whimpered, so she finally curled her fingers into her and upward. She kept stroking her, loving each reaction Santana had and the way she moaned at the slightest movement. Santana finally tensed up and arched her back, grabbing Brittany and biting into her neck when she came. They curled up together like that, loving the feeling of heated skin as they held each other and caught their breaths.

"I've never… done that before. I mean you're my - that was my first…" Santana caught herself when she realized what she was about to blurt out in the heat of the moment and Brittany smiled, noticing how flustered the girl became as she cut herself off.

"Me too," The blonde admitted. "I'm really glad it was with you. I always wanted it to be with you. It's how I always imagined it."

"Oh, Britt…"

Santana pulled her close, kissing her forehead as she allowed Brittany to rest her head against her chest and stroked her long, golden waves.

"That was totally amazing. I love being here with you like this." Brittany sighed afterward when they shared water they had boiled from a piece of wood they had managed to carve into a cup and snacked on a contraband sandwich that Brittany managed to somehow sneak into her shorts that she carried with her. There was finally a fire blazing nearby and Santana felt incredible, in spite of everything she had been through that day.

"I guess it is pretty amazing," Santana laughed at the way Brittany was acting like they were on a luxury vacation, kissing the girl's bare shoulder. Brittany had a way of finding the good in anything. "I never thought it was going to be like this but I wouldn't want it any other way, Britt."

"The dreamcatcher really worked. It's like magic."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"It made my dreams come true."

"Britt…" Santana melted at how adorable the girl was. She didn't have the heart to tell her she didn't think that was exactly how dreamcatchers worked… and that they weren't real.

It didn't take much for Brittany to entice Santana into having sex with her in that river, then in the tipi-like structure they built for shelter that night, twice. Even though they built it so badly that it fell on top of them in the middle of getting it on.

Sue Sylvester looked at them suspiciously, shaking her head and frowning when they showed up at the finish line the next day, clinging to each other with huge smiles on their faces. She groaned, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

"Alright already, you won, Bimbo and the Bitch. This is the last thing I expected. Now take your sickeningly sweet romance away from me and go makeout somewhere else."