Santana Lopez (auntie_snixx) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2016-12-30 22:14:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | !closed, !log, ~2016 december, ~25 points, ~~quinn fabray (butyoucantletgo), ~~santana lopez (auntie_snixx) |
WHO: Quinn Fabray and Santana Lopez
WHERE: Their apartment
WHEN: Christmas Day
WHAT: Spending time with each other
RATING: PG-13
STATUS: log; still in progress
It was Christmas Day and Santana lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. She wished she had somehow finagled Quinn to have come to bed with her, but it was not to be. She hated waking up alone, especially when they were both off, but sometimes it was better that they were apart. She rolled over, her gaze falling on her nightstand where inside the top drawer sat the engagement ring she had gotten for Quinn. Not this version but the one previous. This Quinn knew about the ring. They had shared memories and Quinn knew everything about the past relationship. Santana wondered if it would be too forward and fast if she proposed now. She just wasn’t sure. But at least it was Christmas and she was excited to spend more time with her girlfriend, especially after how good it was during Thanksgiving.
She rolled out of bed after letting her mind wander a bit more. She stretched, the red satin pajamas she had worn to bed shifted and readjusted and were one of the comfiest things she owned. She took care of business and made herself up just slightly, making sure her hair was en pointe. She walked out of her room and into the living space they shared. The Christmas tree was tastefully decorated and a few presents lay wrapped under the tree. Stockings hung nearby. They had decorated off and on during the month and now it just looked perfect. Small, tasteful - but perfect.
She started the routine as normal, starting the coffee and watching for Quinn’s door to crack. She knew the blond would eventually make her way out. Santana donned her Santa hat to get even more festive. If she had more time, she’d have dressed as Santa’s helper just to entice Quinn later. Maybe later, she thought to herself.
***
It had been quite the struggle to not follow after Santana as she took to her room the night before, but distance and a bit of time did make the heart grow fonder, right? Quinn settled for her own bed which was, in truth, very comfy and warm even if her favorite addition was in the room next to hers and not beside her. Knowing you didn’t have to wake up for pesky school the next day made her slumber peaceful and with few interruptions aside from reaching for her water bottle when she happen to be thirsty. Quinn didn’t mind school, but like most of her fellow students, a break was necessary and desired, especially if it involved spending time with her girlfriend. It was more special because this was the first Christmas they had as a couple or at least for Quinn it was. From shared memories, she knew Santana had spent quite a few holidays with the other Quinn and the blond would be lying if she said there was not a bit of pressure to live up to the moments witnessed within Santana’s memories. Still, she knew the raven haired woman would be just content with making new ones with her or she could hope so.
The scent of fresh, brewing coffee leaked into her room and Quinn’s eyelids fluttered open. It wasn’t long before a bright smile followed and she was tossing aside the comforter. Coffee was always a good motivator for Quinn, but perhaps more so, was the woman waiting for her on the other side of the door. Unable to stop grinning, the blond tugged up her sheets and made up her bed, pausing only for a second to glimpse in the mirror. Her hair was a tad on the messy side, beyond acceptable and she ran a brush through the strands before pulling it up in her standard ponytail. Smoothing out her flannel pajamas, Quinn pulled open the door and slipped out into the hall, covering the small distance to the kitchen in an instant. Like the rest of the house, the kitchen was decorated to the nines with as much tasteful Christmas garb the two of them could manage to find. As always, there was a bit of excitement that came with Christmas morning; the childish delight and possibly having something with your name on it under the tree never quite left anyone.
Feeling eyes upon her, Quinn couldn’t keep the blush from falling across her cheeks. “Stalker, much?” the blond teased, leaning in to give the other woman a peck on the cheek. Quinn couldn’t help, but raise a hand and straighten her cute Santa hat. “Where’s the rest of it?” Quinn couldn’t stop herself from flirting even just a tiny bit.
***
“You say stalker, I say potato” Santana grinned. “I’m just taking my cues from the big man. I know when you’re sleeping. I know when you’re awake. I know if you been bad or good” she said in a sing song voice.
“Oh, you mean my Santa’s helper outfit? The slinky number I wear to get the dads to buy the pictures of their kids so they can have a picture of me to remember?” Santana said with a grin. “It’s in my room. Was going to change into it later, but if you want to use a Christmas wish, I can go change into it” Santana said, her eyes never leaving Quinn. “Or” she said, drawing the word out “We can have some coffee and I can make some breakfast for us and we can open presents” she said. “Your call. It’s your first Christmas here so I want to make sure it’s a magical one” she said.
***
“Potato, huh? Since when did you start doing double duty as Santa’s little helper outside of the mall?” Quinn replied with a smile. “And whatever. The thought of some old guy spying on me is creepy. You though...I can make an exception.” When you were a kid, the song was cute, whimsical even, but as an adult, well, aside from the perk of Santana’s belting it out in a lovely voice, it came off as laced with major stalker tendencies. The loss of childhood innocence was rather depressing and to contemplate. On more than one occasion, Quinn longed to be a kid again. It was so much easier to have someone take care of you then having to deal with the bullshit of caring for yourself and all that responsibility. Though a teenager, she was already feeling the effects of “adulting”.
The blond feigned an expression of deep, profound thought before she nodded. “That would be the one. The only reason they drop the money to buy those pictures,” she added, giving the other young woman a playful wink. The pictures were not exactly cheap, but in such an outfit, Santana was able to con more than a few of them, especially of the male variety, to open their wallets and buy most, if not all of them. “I’ll suffer through the anticipation,” Quinn replied, unable to keep from pecking the other young woman on the cheek. “Let’s have some breakfast and open presents first. I kind of can’t refuse free stuff.”
***
Santana grinned and made sure that the food was rich and delicious. Chocolate chip pancakes with authentic maple syrup, sausages and a variety of fruit were devoured, and Santana ate just enough to make her stomach rebel against her and start to try and put her in a food coma. She enjoyed watching Quinn do the most mundane things - even eating. It was so nice to just be in the moment. A fleeting thought of Quinn leaving ran through her head but she pushed it to the back. She’d deal with that thought later.
“Present time?” Santana asked. “Because I want to make sure I get all the fun on camera” she said, when she saw Quinn finishing her plate. “I have to get that look of shock and awe” she grinned playfully.
***
Once upon a time it had been much more difficult for Quinn to digest anything outside of Sue’s nasty concoction she doled out to the Cheerios. Being pregnant had not always been a joy, especially as a high school student, but outside of her lovely daughter, the joy of eating and putting her health first returned. With it came a decent sized appetite, especially for Santana’s chocolate chip pancakes saturated in a decent layer of actual maple syrup. It was a treat and the blond savored every bite before she eagerly polished off a few sausages and varied fruit. Offering a bright smile over the rim of her coffee, Quinn finished off with a few sips of the sacred, freshly brewed coffee. It was rare to have a sit down meal, consisting of more than just leftovers with her girlfriend and the moment was precious to the blond. Both of them were busy and holidays were the only time they could actually take a breath and enjoy each other’s company without work or school lingering like a dark cloud overhead.
“Shock and awe, huh? What exactly did you buy me?” Quinn couldn’t help, but tease her girlfriend. Part of her wondered if the contents consisted of a particular ring she’d found out about through extenuating, strange circumstances, but Quinn quickly squashed the thought and took another sip of coffee. They were doing so well together, but were they at that point yet? She figured Santana would have given something away, dropped a few hints by now, but then again, she had gotten better at keeping secrets too. What would Quinn do if it was the ring? Truthfully, she wasn’t entirely sure, but a lot of her leaned toward a positive answer. Still, it was pointless to dwell on something that might not even be; preparation was key for Quinn in much of what she did-mostly-but engagement was not something anyone could fully ever prepare for. “And if I have to end up with the shock and awe along with a flattering shade of red, so do you,” Quinn held up her smartphone with a somewhat wicked grin.
~~~~
Santana grinned as Quinn helped up the smartphone. “That phone won’t save you” Santana said saucily as she got up from the table after they finished to clear the plates, letting her hand happen to fall on Quinn’s shoulder and draw a line from one shoulder blade to the other. Quinn’s skin was exquisite. If there was anyone who came close to perfection, it had been Q. She laid the plates in the sink and made sure everything was off. She wasn’t going to let a fire happen and ruin everything.
“So I guess it’s time to go back to bed, right?” Santana said with a wink and a grin. “Overly stuffed sloths is what we are” she said laughing with that thought. “Or there are these lovely boxes under the tree”
~~~~
“Oh, but I think it will put up quite the fight, lovely,” Quinn replied, giving the raven haired beauty a wink. Though it was just a few steps to the kitchen sink, Santana moved with grace and exceeding calculated balance. It was truly a former cheerleader show of movement and style. Santana’s hand paused, skimming Quinn’s immaculate, pale skin from one petite shoulder blade to the other. The movement caused an array of goosebumps to cascade about her flesh and she barely managed to refrain from reaching out and taking a light, gently hold of Santana’s arm. Upsetting dishes would probably not be the most romantic of moves and Quinn took a sip of coffee to distract herself. Thankfully, for Quinn the distraction only needed to be brief and it was only a few agonizing seconds until the other woman returned, no doubt pausing to make sure everything was off beforehand.
At the mention of bed, the blond gave Santana a playfully nudge. “We wouldn’t be such lazy sloths then, would we?” she flirted. “It’d be a good thing we had so much delicious food.” Santana’s laugh was like a sweet melody to her ears and it was impossible to not prompt one bubbling from Quinn’s parted lips in return. “But I think those presents are kind of tough competition, “ Quinn teased. As superficial as Quinn could be at times, when it came to someone she loved, especially Santana, nothing could compete with them. Oh, the prospect of gifts was thrilling and she couldn’t shake that “kid on Christmas morning” feeling, the thought of Santana without a shred of clothes, cuddling up to her under warm covers. Still, she could control herself to enjoy ripping up some shimmering, shiny paper into a multi-colored confetti, shiny storm.
~~~~
Santana took Quinn by the hand and sat her down on the sofa. “I’ll be Santa” she said, her eyes sparkling from the lights of the Christmas tree. “Now then, don’t go too bananas. I did the best I could, under the dome circumstances” she said. She bent down and looked under the tree. She had marked each one in a particular order to give to Quinn and found the first present, a long box wrapped simply in a brown paper and tied criss-cross with twine.
“This is present number 1 for one Quinn Fabray” she said, handing the present to her.
***
Quinn allowed the other woman to lead her to the sofa and gave the hand a gentle squeeze before accepting the gift. It was simple in brown paper and twine, but for Quinn it might as well been all the foil wrapping in the world and a bright bow to match. “Santana, you could never disappoint me. I promise,” Quinn assured her and gave her girlfriend a gentle kiss upon her cheek. “You’re amazing to me. All the things you do for us. That alone is every gift I could ever get and be satisfied with.” Tad sappy? It was very sappy, but it was the truth. If Santana had not been here, if she hadn’t let her live with her, Quinn knew her existence wouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable in Madison. Most of all, she would not have developed such an amazing relationship with the other woman. It never would have crossed her mind because of the events in her own world upon her arrival here. No, Santana made all of this possible and Quinn could never find enough ways to express her feelings.
The blond gave a gentle tug on the twine and brown paper separated to the sides without a single rip or tear. A bit of the fabric caught her eye before the remainder fell away and bright grin formed upon her face. It was pure vintage, a classic fifties style mash up of bold color and flare. Quinn was positive she would make quite the impression when she wore it through the halls of the high school. A few stray tears slipped from the corners of her eyes and she quickly brushed them away. “It’s beautiful. You know I love bold patterns in this style,” Quinn couldn’t help, but gush a bit. The dress was exquisite and she’d be sure to wear it for Santana too. She leaned in and caught the other woman’s lips in a chaste kiss. “Thank you. I’m totally going to model it for you as soon as possible.” The blond pulled back and carefully folded the elegant garment on the seat beside her. Casting a brief, wicked grin at her girlfriend, she bent down and retrieved one of the presents beneath the tree. The paper was frilly and over the top, but this was Quinn Fabray after all and anything she did, she did with pristine style and fashion.
“Don’t laugh by the way. Call me nostalgic just a bit, too. It’s not exactly the same, but I wanted you to have it,” Quinn held out the parcel to young woman beside her, a small, rare shy smile tugged at her lips.
***
Santana grinned and opened up the package quickly. The frilliness was cute and all, but she was curious about what was inside. As she tore into the box, she saw the familiar colors of red and white and found herself looking at a cheerleading uniform bearing the the WMHS across the front. She grinned and looked up at Quinn.
“Where did you” she started to ask, before letting her hands run across the fabric. It was new, pure, untouched by their experiences back home. “I can’t believe it” she said, holding the uniform to her body. “And to think, I almost got you the same thing” she said with a laugh and a wink at her girlfriend. She held it, remembering all the good memories and the bad. “I just hope I still look good in it” she laughed as she put it back in the box and slid it out of the way slightly. She reached back and found gift number two and three for Quinn, one in a pure black wrapping paper with silver stripes running diagonally across the paper and the other in festive red and green spots overlapping each other.
“Here, yours next” she said, watching Quinn.
***
Quinn was pleased with the result. She’d been a bit scared that Santana wouldn’t approve of the gift because it was their past. A partial past or future they would never experience because they were here in Madison Valley. She wasn’t sure Santana wanted to be reminded of everything they’d technically lost back home. Though, seeing the smile and wink, she knew it was a good choice. “”Santana, we both know that next to me, you were the embodiment of that uniform,” she nudged her girlfriend’s should gently. “I know you’ll still be able to rock it. And you should have! We could be a little over half the Cheerios again.” Though, if Britney was here, things might have been a lot more complicated for all of them. The dynamic had changed a lot compared to what happened back in Ohio.
Accepting the gifts, Quinn took a second to admire the paper before ripping into it eagerly. The first was a sexy pair of shoes that were ideal for that dress she’d just opened. Rather childish, Quinn clapped her hands. “Thank you. I’m so wearing it for New Year’s Eve by the way.” The other gift was much more precious to Quinn and consisted of a beautiful framed picture of them sitting in bed. Heat rushed the blond’s cheeks and she smiled brightly, tears shimmering in her eyes. “Santana, I love it.” Reaching over she gave the other woman a tight hug before sitting back. Brushing at her eyes furiously, she was careful to set the picture on the table before bending down to retrieve two gifts for Santana.
“I’ve been saving like crazy for these. But you deserve them,” Quinn said, a remainder of red tinged her cheeks.
***
Santana opened the two gifts, the larger of the two first, while doing her best to remain relaxed and not just smothering Quinn with love. She pulled out a coach purse in the traditional brown and tan coloration. It was perfect. Just the right size for what Santana liked. Not too big and not too small. “Q” she whispered. “You need to be saving your money” she chastised for a moment before realizing she should just be grateful for it. She gave her girlfriend a look and then opened the third present, finding diamond stud earrings. “Shut up” she said. “Quinn. I don’t know how you afforded all this, but it’s so….” she said, trailing off. “I love them all”
She set the gifts next to her box and got Quinn her last present. It was a small, rectangular box and Santana knew that Quinn would probably love this the best of all. There still was the opportunity for what was in the top drawer, but Santana had other plans and she needed to still see where Quinn was.
“Here” she said, handing the gift to Quinn, it wrapped in wrapping paper with stick figure snowmen on it. “I hope you like this” she said.
((To be updated/continued either in our gdoc or threaded and will update))