Movement wakes Brittany in the morning. Still asleep, Santana had tightened her arms around her waist. The blonde buries her nose into her neck and inhales. She feels warm, loved, and safe in Santana's arms. As their breasts press together, she admires how her girlfriend's tan skin contrasts beautifully with her own pale skin. She feels like she's on a high after last night. They gave themselves to each other; she opened herself up to Santana in a way that she had thought she would never want to do again. Now, though, she can't wait.
After simply laying there for a while, listening to Santana breathe and enjoying the feel of her warm skin, she remembers that they have to check out by 11 AM. Looking at the clock, she sees that it's just after 10. They both definitely need to shower, and Santana can take forever to get ready sometimes. She brushes her dark hair out of her face and traces pouty lips gently with the tip of her finger before leaning down and kissing her gently. Once she feels Santana start to respond, she deepens the kiss.
After a few seconds, Santana pulls back slightly. "Good morning, love." Her voice is still raspy with sleep.
"Good morning." Brittany runs the tip of her nose up the bridge of Santana's before kissing her forehead. "Sorry I woke you, but we have to check out soon."
"Don't ever apologize for a wake-up call like that." Santana grins before pulling her back down into another kiss.
Brittany feels her body begin to respond to Santana's lips and tongue, so she gently pulls away. "We definitely don't have time for that. You shower first, so you have time to do your hair. I'll go get you some coffee." Brittany kisses her once more before reluctantly pulling herself out of Santana's embrace.
"You're too good to me." She playfully smacks Brittany's butt as she climbs out of bed. Brittany squeals in response, and Santana falls into a fit of laughter that quickly fades as her eyes roam her naked body. "Babe, I can't believe I'm saying this, but please put clothes on. Otherwise, we won't be leaving this room."
Brittany shakes her head but gets dressed in a mixture of Santana's clothing and her own. "Get in the shower. I'll be back in a few minutes." She walks over to Santana before shyly looking into her eyes. "I love you."
"I love you too," Santana returns and kisses her sweetly.
Brittany bites her bottom lip before turning and walking out of the room, giving a last backwards glance at Santana. After exploring the lobby for a few minutes, then running to Starbucks to get Santana's coffee and a couple of muffins, she returns to the room. She hears the hair dryer and Santana singing something she can't make out the words to. Setting everything down, she goes into the bathroom, where Santana watches her in the mirror as she undresses for the shower. Soon, Brittany notices that Santana is staring, and the hair dryer has stopped moving and is just pointing at one spot. "You're going to burn yourself, baby. You can look at this any time," she gestures up and down her body, "but right now, you need to get ready. Your coffee and breakfast are on the desk." She winks at Santana before stepping into the shower.
Despite working together seamlessly to shower, eat breakfast, and pack, they barely manage to make checkout at 11 due to a heated makeout session up against the door. After leaving a generous tip with the valet, Santana confirms that they can leave their car at the hotel while they explore the city before driving to her house, which is on Staten Island. With that, the girls squeal and head to their first destination.
"We can't get back too late tonight, babe, but we can come back to the city another day if you want. We could even spend a weekend here, so we don't need to cram absolutely everything in today, okay?"
"Uh-huh." Brittany is half-listening, distracted by the sounds and colors and sheer quantity of people surrounding them. Like most native New Yorkers, Santana isn't a huge fan of Times Square, but she knew Brittany would love it. They weave their way through the crowds of people, Santana throwing in random information here and there and Brittany jumping and clapping every time she sees an advertisement for yet another show she wants to see. Santana mentally notes every single one so she can ask Gabe, who has a few connections. Suddenly, Brittany exclaims, "Oh, we need to eat bagels for breakfast! They're supposed to be the best here. Rachel told me it's the water!"
"We already ate breakfast, babe. Plus, it's almost noon." Brittany starts to pout, but Santana quickly gives in. "Well, there is an excellent bagel place over here, so why don't we split one?" Brittany's answering smile makes it worth the line they're about to stand in to get breakfast part two.
Santana will never understand the sheer quantity of food Brittany puts into her body, while still looking the way she does. Dancing helps, she knows, but Brittany also just literally exudes energy. After bagels (Brittany finishes part of Santana's), they "share" a pretzel and a hot dog that she insists on having because it's part of the experience. Now, she's sipping lemonade as they make their way to the subway.
The subway is...an experience. Having ridden it her entire life, Santana doesn't think much of it, but Brittany absolutely loves it. She wants to get her own subway card instead of just swiping Santana's. It takes her a minute to figure out, and Santana glares at anyone who looks the tiniest bit impatient. She keeps her hand pressed protectively to her very happy girlfriend's back and helps only when Brittany asks. They finally get on the subway, hands clasped together, Brittany already asking about dinner.
After a few stops, complete with more food and some souvenir purchases that make Santana laugh, they end up at a place Brittany hadn't even known she desperately wanted to go: FAO Schwarz. Santana can't help but laugh when Brittany grabs her hand and pulls her along, more excited than any of the children around her. They spend over an hour there, looking at all the displays and playing with anything Brittany wants. She'd never admit it to anyone but Brittany, but Santana has fun too. While her girlfriend is distracted, Santana manages to sneak off by saying she has to make a phone call. She quickly runs to a nearby store and buys some food, drinks, and a few other things that she can fit in her purse before running back to the toy store. Stopping at a display of FAO Schwarz bears, knowing the blonde would love one, she buys one of those as well before returning to find Brittany wandering up and down the aisles. "Ready to go?" she asks.
Brittany beams and hugs Santana. "This has been the best day."
"It's not over yet. Come on." Taking her hand, Santana leads her out of the store and down the street to Central Park. She hadn't originally planned to stop here, but the weather is surprisingly pleasant. A sunset viewing in Central Park with a picnic—pretty romantic for a spontaneous decision, she thinks.
"Where are we going? What's left on the list?"
"Chinatown, but first, I want to add something." As they come to a bench, Santana slows down and turns to look at Brittany. "Central Park. Since it's not too cold, why don't we have a picnic?"
"That sounds perfect! Do we need to get food?"
"Already done, babe." Santana starts pulling bags out of her purse. "First, I got you this." She hands Brittany the bear she bought.
"Aw, Santana!" Brittany reaches out and gently takes the bear. "Thank you!" She looks at him and strokes his soft fur before kissing Santana. "How are you so perfect?"
"I blame you," she answers sweetly.
"Now when I have to spend nights without you, I can hug my bear. It has brown eyes like you."
"Not too many nights though, hopefully. Here's a sandwich, chocolate milk, and a massive cookie for you. I also got us a fruit cup to share." They laugh and eat and feed each other fruit with their hands, licking each other's fingers teasingly. Santana notices that Brittany keeps glancing at the pond and finally realizes what she's looking at. "We can go over there if you want." She gestures to the ducks swimming on the surface.
"I didn't know they stayed here for the winter."
"I guess they haven't left yet. They usually don't until the pond freezes over," Santana tells her as they walked towards the pond. Unfortunately, when they get there, they see signs telling them not to feed the ducks. "I'm sorry, Britt. I didn't know we weren't allowed to feed them."
"It's okay, they probably shouldn't eat cookie anyways." She looks slightly dejected.
Santana's about to say "fuck it, let's feed them" when an older woman comes up to them and hands them some bread. "Here, honey. Feed away. Just don't let the guards see you. I'm here every day." She winks at Brittany before walking away.
"Go on, B. I'll keep watch," Santana laughs. Brittany happily feeds the ducks until all the bread is gone and then, as Santana suspected, feeds them the cookie as well. By the time they leave the park, it's almost dark and Santana can tell Brittany's getting tired, but Brittany insists that she still wants to go to Chinatown.
When they get there, though, she thinks she'll have to bring Brittany back when she's less tired, because she looks a little overwhelmed. They don't stay long. Brittany manages to eat some street food, and then they get back on the subway. Santana decides that they should get off at Times Square and walk back to their hotel, because she thinks Brittany will like it. She's right, of course. Brittany loves the flashing lights and colors. They'll definitely be back. This place just fits Brittany—energized and happy.
Once they get their car from the hotel, Brittany sits down and groans. "I think I ate too much."
"That might be true," Santana laughs as she pulls out of the garage. Driving in Manhattan is a skill, and although Santana's pretty decent at it, she can tell Brittany's scared. "Lay back, baby. Close your eyes. It's fine, we aren't going to crash. I've done this a million times." Brittany nods and lays back. Santana holds her hand comfortingly and is thankful, not for the first time, that she's left-handed. During the drive, Brittany is uncharacteristically quiet—a kind of quiet that lets Santana know she's thinking hard about something. "What's going on in that pretty head of yours?"
After a few seconds, Brittany admits into the dark, "I'm nervous to meet your parents."
"You don't need to be, Britt-Britt. They'll love you. It's impossible not to."
"What if they don't think I'm good enough for you?"
"Babe, you're more perfect for me than anyone in the world. They'll see that," Santana answers easily.
Soon, they pull into the driveway of a house that's bigger than any around it. "Let's do this," Santana says as she gets out of the car, grabs their bags, and walks with Brittany to the door. The quiet stillness tells Santana that her brothers aren't here yet. After setting their stuff down, she takes Brittany's hand and leads her towards the kitchen. "Mami?" she calls.
"Mija!" Santana is pulled into a tight hug. "Let me look at you." Her mother steps back, and Santana feels Brittany shifting behind her. She tightens her hold on her hand. "You've lost weight. I can tell." She's twisting Santana's face back and forth by her chin. "You need to eat more. Are you going to introduce us?" She gestures to Brittany. Santana loves her mother, but she moves and talks so quickly that it can definitely be intimidating.
"Mami, slow down," Santana chuckles and pulls Brittany to her side. "This is my girlfriend, Brittany. Britt, this is my mother," she says gently.
Her mother immediately pulls Brittany into a hug. "Call me Maribel. Oh Santana, she's so pretty." She hugs her again. "But so skinny. Are you feeding her?" She then looks at Brittany. "Is she taking care of you?" Santana just shakes her head, laughing lightly. "What do you girls want to eat? I can heat something up, or I can cook."
"No more food, Mami. I swear we ate our way through the city today."
"Tea, then. Sit. I'll get it."
Santana looks at Brittany and mouths, "She's always like this." Brittany smiles and mouths back, "I like her." Santana's relieved. If she had to pick one word to describe her family, it'd be "overwhelming." They're loud, and they all have big personalities. So far, though, Brittany likes her mother and all her brothers.
Sitting down with the tea, Maribel launches into questions about their drive and school. "What's your major, Brittany?"
"Dance, ma'am."
"Stop with this 'ma'am' thing. It's Maribel. So, you dance. Do you have a favorite style?"
"I love all kinds. My favorites are hip hop and jazz. I love swing dance too, but just for fun. Ballet is beautiful. I love all dance," Brittany answers quietly, still looking down slightly. Santana wishes she could say or do something to make Brittany realize she doesn't need to be afraid of her mother.
Picking up on Brittany's shyness, Maribel tries to stick with comfortable topics, despite her curiosity about the girl. "Do you know how to waltz?" Brittany nods. "Maybe you could show me sometime."
Brittany makes eye contact for the first time and smiles. "I could do that. I think I'm a decent teacher." Santana squeezes her hand under the table, encouraged by Brittany's sudden enthusiasm. She wants to hug her mom for playing this right.
"Have you taught before?" Maribel asks.
"Just a little. I taught a class called Dance Movement, but it was for really little kids, like 3-5 years old. I loved it."
So she loves children? Maribel thinks. Promising. "That sounds so cute."
Suddenly, Santana hears footsteps, and before she can turn around, she feels a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Papi." She looks up and smiles at her father.
He smiles back down at her before glancing at their guest. "And who is this, Santana?"
"This is my girlfriend, Brittany. Britt, this is my dad."
"Hello, Mr. Lopez," Brittany says quietly.
"Antonio, please. It's very nice to meet you, Brittany." He sticks out his hand and shakes hers very gently.
Eyeing him, Brittany can see where Santana's brothers get their size and their looks from. Her hand is dwarfed in his. "It's nice to meet you as well," Brittany says shyly. "Thank you both for having me here for Thanksgiving."
"It's our pleasure, Brittany," Antonio replies as Maribel nods enthusiastically. "Well, I need to get upstairs and send some emails. I want to hear about school sometime, Mija." He thumps Santana on the shoulder before leaving.
"My husband is a man of few words, but it's true, Brittany. We're glad you're here. I'm sure your parents must miss you though."
Brittany's face falls, but she quickly recovers. "Somehow, I think they're okay." She smiles sweetly at Maribel.
Then, conversation switches to something that happened at work, which has Brittany and Santana both laughing into their tea.
After a few minutes, Brittany stands up. "Could I please use your restroom?"
"Of course, sweetie. It's down the hall and on the right." Maribel points in the general direction. After Brittany excuses herself, Maribel turns to Santana. "She really is beautiful, Mija."
"I know, Mami," Santana replies.
"I can tell you love each other, just by the way she looks at you and the way you look at her. I'm so happy for you, Santana. I feel like she's settled you. You seem less on edge."
"Brittany brings out the good in anyone that lets her in." Santana smiles at just the sound of her name.
Maribel feels her heart swell at the happiness in her daughter's voice. "Santana...I spent a lot of time worrying about whether we had made the right decisions for you, afraid that you'd never feel comfortable in your skin or that you'd never find real happiness. But now, I know you're happy. I can feel it. I'm so very thankful, Mija, for her and everything else that has made you into this person you are." Maribel feels tears welling in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get so emotional."
"You don't have to apologize, Mami." Santana smiles, knowing Brittany says the same thing to her. "You and Papi have always done everything you could for me, I know that. I'm lucky to have Brittany, but I'm lucky to have you guys too."
Her mother quickly wipes away another tear before taking her hand. "Well, I love you. Never doubt that. Anyways, you and your lovely girlfriend should probably get upstairs and to bed. She looked a little tired. Is she always so shy?"
"No, she's definitely tired. I think she's just really worried about you liking her." Before Santana can say anything else, she hears Brittany's footsteps.
"I really like your soap. It smells awesome." Brittany smiles, and Maribel laughs.
"I think I'm ready to go to bed, babe. Are you?" Santana asks.
"I should be heading in that direction myself. Have a good night, girls. Sleep in as long as you want tomorrow. Maybe we can watch some movies until your brothers get home." Maribel pulls Santana into a hug, kissing her cheek. "Good night, Mija." She then turns and pulls Brittany into a hug, kissing her cheek as well. "Good night, sweetie. I'll see you both in the morning." With that, she heads to the staircase.
Santana gently takes Brittany into her arms. "I love you. Thank you for coming and meeting my parents and liking my family. It means so much."
Brittany buries her face in Santana's neck. "I love you too. Thank you for bringing me and wanting me here."
"Always, B." Santana kisses her temple, and they head to her bedroom after grabbing their things.
The first thing Brittany notices is that the room doesn't smell like Santana, which is disappointing but makes sense since she's usually at school. She walks around the room, taking in the little things pinned to her walls, posters, and many pictures of her with her brothers and of her with Quinn. "I like your room."
"I like you being in my room."
"Goof. We should shower. Separately."
"If you insist. Why don't you go first, babe? You look exhausted."
"Okay. Where do I go?" Santana laughs and points at a door behind her. "You have your own bathroom?"
"Technically, I share with Gabe, but he never uses it. Plus, he's not here right now."
Brittany nods before turning around to pull out pajamas. "Can I borrow a towel?"
"Of course. There will be some in there in the linen closet." Brittany starts to walk away, but Santana grabs her hand and swings her into her body. "Kiss first." She presses a long, tender kiss to Brittany's lips, then a small one before smacking her butt playfully. "Now you can go." Brittany giggles and heads to the bathroom. When she comes back out, she sees Santana putting the last of her things in a drawer. "I unpacked us. I hope you don't mind. I just figured, why live out of suitcases? We're going to be here for a week."
"Thank you, baby," Brittany says as she wraps her arms around Santana from the back, resting her head on her shoulder.
"You smell good."
"I used your soaps. Go shower so we can cuddle."
While washing her hair as quickly as possible, Santana suddenly remembers that she never told Brittany how wonderfully she had performed at the dance show. She feels like the worst girlfriend in the history of girlfriends. After taking the fastest shower of her life, she rubs a towel through her hair, knowing she'll regret not blow drying it in the morning but not caring at the moment. She runs back into her bedroom. "Brittany, I—" The blonde is fast asleep, curled up on top of her bed. She looks adorable. Santana grabs her phone and snaps a quick photo, then kisses Brittany's forehead, down her nose, and to her lips, before Brittany stirs awake. "I'm sorry to wake you, baby, but it's cold. You should get under the blanket."
"I didn't mean to fall asleep," Brittany mumbles as she clumsily gets off the bed. Once Santana pulls the covers back and ushers Brittany in, she turns off the lights and climbs in herself. "That's why I didn't get under the covers."
"You could've gone to sleep, baby. You didn't have to wait for me."
"No, I wanted to talk to you first."
"Before you say anything, B, I am so unbelievably sorry that I didn't tell you how amazing you were at the dance concert last night. I feel like the worst girlfriend on earth. You were absolutely breathtaking, and I'm so mad at myself for not telling you sooner. I couldn't see or think of anything but you."
"It's okay, San. I could see you the whole time. I could tell you liked it. There was a lot going on. I honestly hadn't even thought about it."
"I promise to make it up to you next time. After the spring dance concert, I'll take you out and wax poetic for hours about every detail of your show. Okay?"
"Definitely." Santana can hear the smile in Brittany's voice. "So...your mom is nice. Your dad seems nice, too. I'm sorry I was so awkward. I'm really trying."
"Meeting your girlfriend's parents is always awkward, baby. You're doing wonderfully. My mom really likes you."
"You think? How do you know?"
"Definitely. She's really obvious when she doesn't like someone."
"I hope she keeps liking me."
"Britt, you are impossible not to like. When you went to the bathroom, she told me that she had a lot of guilt and worry when I was growing up, and seeing us together today helped ease that. I hate that she's felt that way my whole life, but it feels like we're getting closer now."
"That's amazing, San. It makes me happy that she's opening up and trying to get closer, but it doesn't surprise me. You are pretty amazing." Brittany's earnest reply encourages Santana to continue.
"My dad is nice but quiet. I just wish my anatomy were easier for him to deal with. Whenever he said I should get surgery to be completely female, it hurt. I feel female. Even though he hasn't brought it up in a really long time, I still can't help but feel that he's always wondering why I don't just do it so I can be normal. Now, we don't talk about it, other than when he asks me if everything is okay medically. I usually just say that nothing has fallen off, if that's what he means."
Brittany laughs. "God, I hope not." Santana laughs too and kisses her clothed shoulder. "I'm excited to spend more time with them. I hope I can be less nervous." Brittany yawns.
"Go to sleep, baby," Santana whispers into her ear. She slips a hand under Brittany's shirt, trailing her fingers over warm, soft skin. The blonde hums and nods in content, and Santana starts to sing lightly. Soon, both girls are asleep.
