Title: After Brittany
Rating: PG-13?
Word Count: 863
Contains: Brief mentions of that scene in "Sexy"
Summary: Quinn is the first person to see Santana after she and Brittany talk.
Notes: This is my first posted fanfiction. Please tell me what you think.
Quinn looks up as the restroom door opens. “Santana, what’s wrong?” she asks. They may not have been close, but they’d been friends since sixth grade. Now Santana was crying in the girls room at school and that was beyond unusual and right into high alert.
“Nothing. I’m fine,” Santana replies, attempting a glare as she fixed her makeup.
“Because fine is what happens when you’re crying,” Quinn says sarcastically. “Is this about Brittany? Never mind, of course it is.”
“Why would you-”
Quinn cuts her off, “She’s the only one who’s close enough to make you cry.” Quinn watches Santana reapply her makeup for a bit before speaking again. “So, do you want to talk about it or ignore it?”
“Movies at your house,” Santana decides, after a brief hesitation. “Unless your mom’s home.”
“She’s at work until, like, seven, so we’re good.”
~~
Luke’s wailing about Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru before Santana says anything about Brittany. “I told her I want to be with her and she said she couldn’t because she’s with Artie.”
“They do look happy together, but she loves you. Everyone knows she loves you,” Quinn says quietly.
“Not enough,” Santana chokes out before breaking into sobs again.
Quinn scoots closer on the couch, pulling Santana against her. Santana hated to cry, hated needing comfort, hated not being in complete control of herself. Quinn just holds her and rubs her back, staring at the familiar drone of Star Wars. When Santana starts to get a hold of herself again, Quinn lets her pull away. “Do you want to stay over tonight?”
“Why?” It’s a valid question. They hadn’t had a sleepover since babygate and almost never without Brittany.
Quinn shrugs, “It’s Friday. I think my mom is seeing my dad again, so she’ll probably call about eight and say she’ll be home late and not to wait up. I’d rather have some company, if you want to stay.” Quinn picks at a corner of the couch cushion as she waits for Santana to say something.
“She’s seeing your dad again?” Santana asks, incredulous. “He’s a douche.”
“Yeah, well, she hates being alone and he’s got a nice fat paycheck,” Quinn says bitterly, staring firmly at the tv.
“Sucks,” Santana says, slinging an arm across the back of the couch. “We marathoning Star Wars, then?”
“Yup,” Quinn says. “Call your mom while I order pizza.”
~~
The evening passes with no further mentions of serious topics. Idle chat about Star Wars, gossip about school, and the failure of Schue to actually advise the glee club fills the night. They crawl into bed around one am, curiously comfortable with all the things left unsaid and unaired.
~~
The next morning, Santana wakes with a body mostly on top of her. There’s blonde hair in her face and a hand fisted at her shoulder. Brittany doesn’t sleep like this; she’s either all over the bed or spooned up behind Santana. That’s when she remembers that Quinn is a sleep invader. Brittany never minded when Quinn snuggled up to her, while Santana usually got chased off the bed because she kept trying to get away from the space heater disguised as her friend. But this, right now, this wasn’t bad. Quinn was warm, yeah, but soft and kind of cute with her face mostly pressed into Santana’s collar, their legs tangled together.
Santana brushes some of the hair off of Quinn’s cheek. “Hey,” she says softly. “Quinn. Wake up, sunshine.”
Quinn leans into the touch a bit, slowly blinking awake. She smiles sleepily at Santana. “G’morning,” she slurs.
“You’re on top of me,” Santana says, more than a little amused at how cuddly Quinn is without the walls she wears at school.
“Sorry,” Quinn mumbles, rolling away from her and, apparently, going back to sleep.
Santana just laughs a little under her breath as she gets out of bed. She pads down to the kitchen, checking a few cabinets before finding a glass and pouring juice. She wanders through the house, seeing what’s new and what’s the same since she was here last. The happy family portraits that line the front hallway, the crosses on the stairwell, the saints in the den, all the same. The empty master suite, however, reminds Santana what Quinn said last night. Quinn’s schoolwork is spread across the desk in the study, obviously the only person who uses the room. ‘She’s actually lonely,’ Santana thinks. ‘No wonder she cuddles when she’s asleep.’
“If you find anything worth stealing, let me know,” Quinn says behind her, startling her.
“Doesn’t your mom have it all microchipped or something anyway?”
“Probably,” Quinn smirks. “Are you staying for breakfast or do you have plans?”
“You get to make me breakfast, Quinnie,” Santana says, sugary sweet. “Bacon, eggs, toast, the works.”
“I see you’ve already got juice,” Quinn replies, leading the way back to the kitchen. “Coffee?”
“Hell yes.”
They don’t really talk over breakfast and Santana leaves right after, but she does call Quinn that night. Not to check in or anything, but because she knows Quinn will be watching more Gossip Girl and Santana could totally be down with that.