#chicken salad quinn

[dry-ass-burger-buns]

Chicken salad Quinn has such a hold on me rn. It’s been a week, I can’t do this anymore

#quinn hughes #chicken salad Quinn

[chickensaladquinn]

Chicken Salad Quinn Pt. 10: Happy Birthday

Other Parts: Pt. 1 Pt. 2 Pt. 3 Pt. 4 Pt. 5 Pt. 6 Pt. 7 Pt. 8 Pt. 9

a/n: It's officially been one year of Chicken Salad Quinn! To celebrate, I thought I'd write a birthday post. I know Quinn's birthday isn't until October, but oh well :3 think of this as a flashback to his last birthday!

Quinn woke up on his birthday with a heavy heart. It seemed like any other day; the sun rose in the sky, the birds chirped outside his window, but something was missing. As he scrolled through his phone, he couldn't help but notice that no one had mentioned his birthday. Not even mommy or his girlfriend, Y/N.

Feeling a pang of sadness, Quinn tried to shake off the feeling as he got ready for the day. Maybe they were just waiting to surprise him later, he thought optimistically.

But as the day wore on, Quinn's hope began to fade. Mommy didn't wish him a happy birthday when he saw her for breakfast, and Y/N hadn't mentioned anything either. It seemed like everyone had forgotten.

By the time evening rolled around, Quinn couldn't ignore the sinking feeling in his chest any longer. He decided to go for a walk to clear his head, trying to convince himself that it didn't matter.

As he wandered through the streets, lost in thought, Quinn was startled by a familiar voice calling out his name. It was his brother, Jack, waving frantically from across the street.

"Quinn! Over here!" Jack shouted, beckoning him to come closer.

Confused but intrigued, Quinn crossed the street to where Jack stood, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Hey, Jack, what's going on?" Quinn asked, trying to mask the disappointment in his voice.

Jack chuckled. "Come on, follow me. Luke's waiting for us."

Quinn followed Jack to a nearby park where Luke was waiting, a large grin plastered on his face.

"Happy birthday, Quinn!" Luke exclaimed, pulling Quinn into a tight hug.

Quinn's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, you guys remembered?"

"Of course, we did!" Jack said, clapping Quinn on the back. "And we've got a surprise for you."

Together, the three brothers walked to Quinn's house, where they found the door adorned with balloons and streamers. As they stepped inside, Quinn was greeted by the sight of his mom, Y/N, and a group of friends all gathered in the living room, shouting, "Surprise!"

Tears welled up in Quinn's eyes as he took in the scene before him. Mommy rushed forward to give him a hug, followed by Y/N, who held out a small gift wrapped in colorful paper.

"Happy birthday, Quinn," Y/N said, smiling warmly.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Quinn hugged Y/N tightly, feeling grateful for her and everyone else who had taken the time to make his birthday special.

But the surprises didn't end there. As everyone gathered around the table for cake, Mommy presented him with a homemade birthday cake unlike any he had ever seen. It was made entirely of chicken salad, his favorite dish.

Quinn couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the unconventional cake, feeling incredibly loved and appreciated in that moment. As he blew out the candles, surrounded by his family and friends, Quinn knew that even though the day had started off on a sour note, it had turned into one of the best birthdays he had ever had.

#jack hughes #chicken salad recipe #quinn hughes #quinn hughes imagine #quinn hughes x reader #joe burrow #trevor zegras #nico hischier #hughes brothers #cale makar #chicken salad recipet #quinn hughes smut #hockey one shot #vancover canucks #vancouver canucks

[chickensaladquinnfan]

@chickensaladquinn needs to come out with a new part of chicken salad Quinn. Im begging at this point🥺

#quinn hughes #jack hughes #luke hughes #vancouver canucks #Quinn Hughes imagines #quinn hughes fanfiction #quinn hughes x reader #quinn hughes imagine #chicken salad #jack hughes imagine #luke hughes imagines #trevor zegras #jamie drysdale #elias pettersson

[incorrectbatfam]

Could you please do some headcanons about Batmans cooking disasters over the years?

Age 5: Bruce puts tinfoil in the microwave. Alfred shakes his head and laughs

Age 6: He decorates a cookie so badly another kid cries until they throw up

Age 7: He tries to make a PB&J and the countertop is sticky for a week

Age 8: He tries to make Martha's chicken noodle soup but ends up crying on the kitchen floor surrounded by half-chopped vegetables

Age 9: He tries to impress a houseguest by recreating Thomas's mixology tricks (sans alcohol). There's still a stain on the ceiling to this day

Age 10: He makes green eggs. It's not on purpose. He's never even read the book

Age 11: He makes lava in the school cafeteria

Age 12: He tries to make cheese bread by drilling holes into a baguette and filling it with melted nacho cheese

Age 13: He melts a cutting board in the oven

Age 14: He folds a Pop Tart

Age 15: The chocolate-covered bananas he makes for the school bake sale come out looking very very wrong

Age 16: He's asked to drop a home economics class after mistaking refried beans for pumpkin puree in a pie

Age 17: He boils eggs in the carton

Age 18: He makes his entire freshman dorm evacuate after burning his ramen to ash

Age 19: He sculpts a severed hand out of meatloaf and is sent to the university psychologist

Age 20: He tries to bake a cake but doesn't have a cake pan, so he pours the batter right in the oven

Age 21: He tries Thomas's mixology tricks again, this time with alcohol. One of the tricks is flipping it over his head. He ends up losing part of his vision for 3 days

Age 22: He burns water. Harley Quinn is there. She still holds it over his head

Age 23: He packs his first patrol snack as Batman. It's a chocolate bar wrapped in a tortilla. The chocolate melts onto his gloves and he drops the tortilla down a sewer grate

Age 24: He makes an ice cream cookie sandwich to eat while he and Batgirl work on a case, but he's so engrossed in the work that he doesn't notice it melt until Babs points it out

Age 25: He enters the first annual Justice League cook-off and immediately gets banned from ever entering again

Age 26: He tries to comfort little Dickie Grayson by making fried cornbread from a book of Roma comfort recipes. It turns out about as well as you'd expect when you give Bruce Wayne hot oil. Bruce is genuinely bummed out, but Dick says it's the thought that counts

Age 27: Clark delivers a huge hunk of beef from the farm. Instead of waiting for Alfred to come back, Bruce and Dick try to break it down with a power saw

Age 28: Bruce and Dick's latkes are burned so badly they can play floor hockey with them

Age 29: He makes stuffed mushrooms. Badly. Like imagine the worst way you can fuck up a mushroom. It still won't compare to what Bruce did. And it's for a potluck with the West-Allens that Barry won't let him live down

Age 30: Bruce sees Dick struggling to make ravioli and he's like "Let me show you how it's done" before proceeding to make it infinitely worse

Age 31: Bruce sees a hungry Jason Todd and the first thing he does when they return to the manor is make a double-decker bread sandwich. That's bread with two more slices of bread in between

Age 32: Bruce packs Dick and Jason's lunchboxes when Alfred is out of town. They're supposed to include a salad. Instead, Dick gets a whole head of lettuce and Jason's is just a bottle of ranch

Age 33: He makes hot chocolate after patrol... but forgets the chocolate

Age 34: The Manor is too cold, so Bruce tries to warm it up by making Jason's favorite soup. His hands shake the whole time. Suddenly, he's eight years old again, sitting on the kitchen floor surrounded by scraps reminding him of his failure

Age 35: Jack and Janet Drake are out of the country again, leaving young Timmy by himself. Bruce decides to bring some dinner over. It's baked perfectly, but it's full of things that shouldn't be anywhere near a casserole dish. They end up ordering takeout and watching old detective movies together

Age 36: Steph walks through how to make waffles. Bruce is standing there, watching closely and taking notes. They still come out looking radioactive

Age 37: Cass asks if they can get smoothies. Bruce says he can make them at home. She gives him a warning look but that's not enough to stop him. Cue Bruce forgetting to put the lid on the blender

Age 38: Jason's first night back at home, Bruce tries to make that soup. It shoots out like a geyser and hits the lights. He's panicking until he hears Jason laugh, and then the soup doesn't matter

Age 39: Damian screws up hummus and he desperately tries to hide it so people won't see him as inadequate at something so basic. Instead of getting upset, Bruce assures him it's okay and offers to fix it. (He doesn't fix it, he just makes it worse)

Age 40: Bruce's birthday happens while he's fake-dead and away from home. He grabs a convenience store cupcake and sticks a single candle on it. Then he closes his eyes, pretends his family is around him, and makes a wish. (The candle droops and sets the hotel sheets on fire)

Age 41: Back at the Manor, he attempts to make lemonade on a particularly hot day. Selina offers to help, but Bruce declines, saying, "How hard can it be?" (Spoiler alert: it's not supposed to be full of seeds)

Age 42: Kate shows him a video of Canadians pouring maple syrup into the snow to make candy, so he gets her to boil the syrup so they can do it together. The problem comes when they can't control the pour and end up with a glob the size of Damian

Age 43: As part of a school project, Bruce and Duke try to deduce the Coca-Cola secret formula. Duke's teacher takes a point off because at the beginning he told her he'd taste the results, but there's no way he's doing that now

Age 44: The family gets together to make a full English breakfast Alfred's birthday. Each person takes a part—Dick has eggs, Jason has the grilled tomatoes, Tim has mushrooms, Duke has the bacon, Steph and Cass are tag-teaming the sausages, Damian just has to open a can of beans, and Bruce needs to put bread in the toaster. It goes South immediately when Damian reaches for his katana instead of the can opener

Age 45: Bruce puts tinfoil in the microwave. Alfred shakes his head and laughs

#bruce wayne #batman #dick grayson #nightwing #jason todd #red hood #tim drake #red robin #damian wayne #robin #stephanie brown #spoiler #cassandra cain #orphan #duke thomas #signal #alfred pennyworth #justice league #batfam #batfamily #batboys #batbros #batgirls #batkids #batsiblings #batman family #dc comics #headcanon #ask #anonymous

[finniestoncrane]

💜🍴 Finnie's 1.5k Follower Event 🍴💚

CLOSED by health inspector

even though it felt like this took forever it really didn't because i've only been on here and writing for just over a year, and i'm so grateful that people still follow me despite my personality as a whole lmao, i wanted to do something silly and goofy so here's my prompt list for my milestone ;-; hello and welcome to the vill-inn, gotham's newest restaurant (and definitely 100% not a money-laundering front for nefarious rogue activity no sirree u-u) please come on in and peruse the menu and let us know what you want to eat!! send in your order + reader/insert gender/pronouns/genitals too! the restaurant is now closed as well as writing headcanons and drabbles, i'm also doing a little give away! so anyone who asks off anon (or not, check the specials menu below) i'll enter into a little silly draw for a 1k commission and pick 3 winners u-u 🔞minors dni🔞 • masterlist • kofi link • tag: finnie1500 (to follow or to block)

Hello, welcome to Vill-Inn, how will you be DIE-ning with us today?

Sit-In [drabbles/short fic]

Takeout [bullet-point/free form story/headcanon style]

Delivery [surprise me]

Great! Wonderful! What can I get you to drink? And don't say fear toxin! (I'm this close to quitting...) (pick 1)

Water [hurt/comfort]

Soda [angst]

Milkshake [fluff]

Signature Cocktail [smut/pwp]

Black Coffee [doesn't matter/surprise me]

And what will you be having for your MAIM course? (pick 1, feel free to specify the version)

Question Mark Shaped Nuggies [riddler]

Sushi Platter [penguin]

Pumpkin Ravioli [scarecrow]

Surf and Turf [two face]

Arroz con Pollo [bane]

Steak [victor zsasz]

Cucumber Sandwiches [mad hatter]

Garden Salad [poison ivy]

Gut Buster Burger [harley quinn]

Gazpacho [mr freeze]

Plain Noodles with Butter [john doe]

Gumbo [killer croc]

BBQ Platter [captain boomerang]

And what loyal side(kick)s are you having with that? (pick up to 4)

🍟 Regular Fries [waking up with them]

🧇 Waffle Fries [sex in a public place]

🍠 Sweet potato Fries [visiting them in Arkham/Blackgate]

➰ Curly Fries [only one bed]

🍁 Poutine [slow dancing]

🥔 Potato Skins [at a party]

🍕 Pizza Bites [tending to wounds]

🍗 Chicken Wings [confession/confessing feelings]

🍔 Sliders [exacting revenge]

🌭 Mini Dogs [hate/angry sex]

🍤 Popcorn Shrimp [hugs from behind]

🐔 Chicken Strips [oral sex/how they give and receive]

🍿 Cheese Popcorn [bite marks/marking kink]

🥒 Deep Fried Pickles [sloppy kisses]

🧅 Blooming Onion [being rejected]

🍘 Rice Crackers [choking]

🍞 Bread Rolls [blood play]

🧄 Garlic Bread [straddling]

🥖 Breadsticks [neck/wrist kisses]

🥪 Half Sandwich [giving/receiving praise]

🥣 Soup [argument]

🍜 Noodles [cuddles]

🍚 Steamed Rice [denial]

🦪 Oysters [rough sex]

🍣 Sushi Sampler [edging/orgasm denial]

🌽 Corn on the Cob [instructional masturbation]

🥕 Honey Glazed Carrots ["open your mouth"]

🥗 Green Salad ["do you need a hand?"]

🍅 Tomato Salad ["i have to go"]

🍏 Fruit Salad ["i shouldn't have to ask"]

🍆 Roasted Veg ["i've never done this before"]

🥦 Seared Broccoli ["i hate you"]

🧀 Cheese Platter ["it's too late"]

🍖 Meat Plate ["i've never wanted anything more"]

🍄 Sauteed Mushrooms ["do you want it rough or gentle?"]

🥑 Guacamole ["please don't leave"]

🥜 Toasted Peanuts ["i want to hear you"]

🥓 Bacon Bits ["i didn't say stop"]

💚 Specials Menu 💚

I'm Here For A Blind Date [tell me a bit about yourself and i'll do a character pairing for who you're having lunch with]

Can I Get A Seat At the Buffet? [i don't have an idea/want to ask off anon, but i want to be included in the draw - this message won't be answered]

thanks for visiting, and please feel free to tip your wait staff 💜

#finnie1500 #I’m hoping this inspires me to write a bit more!! I AM EXCITED #NOW LET US NEVER SPEAK OF MILESTONES AGAIN FOR AT LEAST FOUR YEARS HOPEFULLY #I kept looking at the follower account too much #finnie shouts into the void

[bqluvr]

On Set - (1/2)

Warnings: none!

Words: 1.7k

Summary: You work on the Impractical Jokers crew, and you can’t deny your feelings for Q despite knowing how wrong it is.

—————

“Y/N, can we get you on the left side?” Pete, the director, called out. You swiftly scurried to the left and adjusted your chunky headphones along with the sound equipment, trying to get everything in order as quickly as possible. The headphones were admittedly too big for you but that hadn’t been dealt with yet.

You watched as Joe, Murr, Sal, and Brian all situated themselves on their marks. Brian and Murr swapped places and filming began.

The job you had was simple. You were in charge of audio; you made sure the mics weren’t rubbing against anything but still invisible to the public, you recorded audio and cut it accordingly, and so on. You were good at your job, and being in the presence of the Impractical Jokers for hours out of a day made your job that much more fun.

After around 20 more minutes of filming, Pete called a break and everyone left their equipment to grab a bite to eat and stretch their legs, you included. You preferred filming in warehouses rather than having to hide in the bushes in public because the warehouse was always stocked with food. Pete would get the interns to run out and make sure that all of the crew, as well as the Jokers, were well fed.

Today was no different. There was a large table with an even larger spread of food on it, and you didn’t know where to start. You weren’t hungry enough to grab a wing out of the bucket of chicken, but you also were not in the mood for vegetables.

“Have you tried those sandwiches?” You heard from your right side. You looked over and smiled when you saw Q who was holding a plate just like you.

“Are they any good?”

“Not the chicken salad one,” he grumbled, pointing with his thumb to show you which sandwich he was talking about, “turkey and cheese is alright. But the ham and cheese? Haven’t lived ‘til you’ve tried it.”

“But ham and cheese is so boring,” you giggled which in turn put a smirk on Q’s face.

“Can’t beat the classics, darlin’. Ham and cheese never let a man down,” he gently bumped your shoulder with his. You laughed again, your face turning a bit red at his casual pet name. You knew it wasn’t odd for him to call the ladies on the crew pet names, but when they were directed to you, you felt special.

Brian Quinn had always been the Joker that caught your eye. That wasn’t an uncommon occurrence among the crew, of course. You’d often be involved in conversations with the other women about Q’s handsomeness, or his puppy dog eyes, or his general flirty demeanour.

“So, are you gonna try the ham and cheese?” Brian’s accent cut through your thoughts. You shot him a look and he grabbed two sandwiches, holding one out to you.

“Fine. But if it’s bad,” you warned teasingly, taking the sandwich from his hands and ignoring the way you felt butterflies when his skin brushed against yours.

“If it’s bad, I’ll let you tie me up and put spiders all over me.”

You both laughed at that, but your mind immediately went to tying him up. You couldn’t lie, that episode was difficult to film for you just because you kept getting distracted by the way he looked so helpless when he had handcuffs on.

“I’ll let you know if I like it,” you lifted the packaged sandwich in the air as a silent ‘cheers’ with a slight nod and a smile towards Q. You wasted no time in turning on your heel and abruptly walking away from him, trying to contain your thoughts and not cross any professional boundaries.

You sat and ate the sandwich near a couple of your coworkers, who were chatting away with full mouths. One of the disadvantages of working in the warehouse was that it always grew unbearably stuffy after the first hour or so, due to the cameras and dozens of bodies moving to and fro.

You decided to take the chance when you could and slip away from the productions, making your way outside and taking a deep breath of fresh air. You were alone so you reached into your pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, feeling as though your smoke break was well overdue.

The cigarette hung between your lips waiting to be lit, but you couldn’t find your lighter. You patted down your pockets and sighed when you didn’t find anything, leaning your head against the wall and taking the dart out of your mouth in defeat.

“Need a light?”

You turned your head towards the voice and slapped yourself mentally when you saw Q standing a few feet away. He looked adorable; his hair was down and covering his forehead, he had his signature scarf on, and a lost-puppy sort of look plastered on his face.

“Yes, please,” you agreed against your better judgement. You knew you should minimize your time spent with him, especially alone, but you had been craving this cigarette for the past two hours.

Brian approached you cautiously, as if he was afraid he’d make a wrong move and you’d run away. His worrying was reasonable, though. You never tried to hide the way you avoided him. Though you knew he noticed that you’d never talk to him for more than a minute at a time, he never mentioned anything (you assumed) out of fear of making you more tense.

You placed the dart back in your mouth and leaned towards him when his warm body was only a few inches away from yours. He sparked the lighter with one hand and protected your cigarette from the wind with the other hand, allowing the smoke to finally fill your mouth and give you a small sense of relief.

“Why do you have a lighter?” You asked. You knew he smoked weed occasionally, but that was very rare. You had never seen any of the guys smoke cigarettes, and you couldn’t think of any other reason why he would have a lighter handy like that.

“I smoke,” Brian looked at you, “sometimes.”

“Would you like to share?” You offered, knowing it was a bad idea. He nodded and you handed him the cigarette, watching as he held it between his thick fingers. Your eyes trailed down his right hand, passing the ring and tracing a vein that was popping out slightly.

“Everythin’ okay?” He mumbled, giving you the dart. Your gaze snapped back to his and he smirked a little, huffing out the smoke he inhaled while he watched you take a drag.

“How did I not know you smoke?”

“I don’t do it all the time. Just when I’m feelin’ stressed and need a quick break,” his brown eyes stared into yours, “why do you smoke?”

“It feels nice.”

He laughed at your answer and accepted the cigarette again, his eyes scanning the bit of lipstick that you had left on it. After he took a deep hit, he glanced back over at you, his eyes dropping down to your lips.

“I like that colour on you,” he rasped out, clearing his throat a bit. You felt your face heat up at his compliment. He had never complimented you like that, especially not on something as insignificant as the shade of lipstick you were wearing.

“Uh, thank you,” you replied. You took another drag and sighed when you saw that the cigarette was almost out. You were sort of grateful, though, because it meant you could get away from Brian and recollect your thoughts.

“Why do you always run from me?” Brian whispered, and you would’ve missed it if it wasn’t for the fact that the space around you was deathly quiet.

“What are you talking about?”

“I feel like I’m always havin’ conversations with the crew, but never with you,” he looked at you but you looked away, too embarrassed to make eye contact with him, “do I make you uncomfortable?”

“No, it’s not that,” you sighed, not exactly lying to him but trying your best to avoid answering his question. You couldn’t tell him how attractive you found him. How his smile always made one appear on your face. How his laugh was the best thing you had ever heard, and sometimes you’d rewatch certain episodes just to hear it over and over. You’d cross every line, breach every boundary. It’d ruin your professional relationship.

“What is it, then?”

“I don’t know, Brian,” you huffed out, growing frustrated. It was hard bottling up what you felt, but you didn’t have a choice.

“I think you do, sweetheart,” he quietly murmured. You shot your eyes to him and watched him drop the cigarette to the ground, lightly stepping on it to put it out before turning to face you.

He stood in front of you now, his tall figure intimidating you slightly. Your heart was racing, and you felt like you were going to throw up, but you also couldn’t help the way your hands moved to grip the lapels of his jacket until your knuckles turned white.

“Is this the reason you never look me in the eye properly?” He teased, his right hand engulfing one of your wrists as you hung on to him for dear life. Brian leaned in a little more, his nose bumping into yours. His left hand travelled down your side until it attached to your hip, giving you a light squeeze that left your knees weak. It felt like you were winded and you couldn’t think straight. You wanted to kiss him, but you knew you couldn’t.

“Brian, we shouldn’t -fuck- I can’t,” you stuttered, using your hands on his chest to push him back slightly and give yourself room to breathe. He looked confused but backed up, his face flushed due to embarrassment.

“I’m sorry, did I read that wrong?” Brian quickly apologized, looking at you with concern.

“No, I mean yes, but no,” your words came out randomly, desperately trying to form proper sentences but your mind was too scrambled to do so. The proximity between you and Brian was too close.

“Y/N, are you out here?” You heard Pete call out your name as he turned the corner and you didn’t dare to give Brian another glance before responding to the director and hurrying in his direction.

If Pete saw anything at all, you’d be absolutely fucked. You had to stay away from Brian to prevent anything like this ever happening again.

God, you hated him in that moment.

#brian quinn #brian quinn imagine #brian x reader #quinn x reader #q x reader #sal vulcano #joe gatto #james murray #impractical jokers #the tenderloins

[greazyfloz]

Bend Til We Break - Chapter 3

Chapter (1) (2)

Smut Warning

A couple weeks go by and Quinn and I have started texting more regularly and hanging out a bit more. Deep down I know this isn’t going to end well, he left us. Why wouldn’t he do it again? Even though we are “just friends”, being around him builds anticipation that something might happen between us. I can’t talk about another heartbreak but he keeps pushing himself back in. 

I’m currently cooking dinner when I hear my phone ring on the island behind me, I turn to see Quinn’s contact so I answer. 

“What’s up? I say into my phone a little confused as to why he is calling me. 

“Hey, I’m in the neighborhood and figured I’d see if you wanna drive around or something”

“I’m actually cooking supper right now, but um- i guess you could come up if you’re hungry” I say questioned why I wouldn’t just say ‘no I’m busy’.

“Starving, be right there” he says hanging his phone up. 

I sigh before turning to continue to cook dinner. I heard a knock at the door about 10 minutes later just as I finished tossing the salad. I set the bowl down and make my way over to open the front door. Quinn appears on the other side of the door and I move out of the way and greet him before entering. 

“Sit, I’ll get the food” I say as I make my way back over to the counter

“Do you want any help?” he says watching me plate the salad on a plate beside a chicken breast

“Here come take these to the table for me” I say and Quinn makes his way over to grab the two plates before setting them both on the table as I am reaching for the wine glasses. When I finally get them I get a bottle of white wine and bring everything to the table. I set the glasses down first by each of our plates and uncork the new bottle.

“Wine?” I ask and Quinn nods pushing the glass back towards me on the table. I fill it to the quarter point before turning and filling it to half. I set the bottle back on the table as I take my seat across from Quinn.

“So how’s Josh?” I ask as we eat our supper

“He is in Ottawa right now, he is out for the rest of the season. Shoulder again” Quinn answers

“Poor Josh” I say sadly, “is he getting surgery again?”

“Yeah, guy can’t catch a break”

“Are you and Hanna still friends?” he asks

“Not as close, we just lost touch. Started acting weird a couple months before I moved here actually then we just kinda lost touch” I say as Quinn reaches over to pour more wine into his glass, he tilts the top of the bottle pointing at my glass

“Want me to top you up?” he asks and I nod. 

Before long I find myself getting up to grab a new bottle of wine. I come back, topping both glasses up before sitting back down. As the night goes on and the more the drink, the more we laugh. Quinn is now sitting in the chair beside me as we laugh and talk about everything. When it finally became quiet, sadness suddenly hit me. I look down and see Quinn’s hand resting on my knee as he looks at me. 

I stand up grabbing the plates and two glasses and bring them to the kitchen. I put them in the sink then grab both sides of the dishwasher. I wasn’t typically a sad drunk but tonight I was. I dropped my head so I was looking down into the sink. 

“Y/n?” I hear Quinn say behind me as he gently rests a hand on my back

“Quinn, I think you should go” I say turning to face him as he continues to stand there with his hand on my back, “Quinn, please”

“You don’t trust me?” he asks

“How could I?” I say. Before he could say anything else I continued, “It hurt me Quinn, but being your friend hurts more. We should just go back to the way things were when you had no idea I was in Vancouver”

“No, I want you in my life”

“Quinn, this is killing me” I say as I let a tear fall from my eye, “I can’t just be friends!”

Quinn makes his way to the door then grabs his coat draping around his arm, I follow him as he opens the door. I turn as the door starts to shut but instead of the click of the door hitting the frame, I hear it swing back open. I turn to see Quinn walking over to me, swinging the door shut behind him. “Quinn-” I start but his lips press hard onto mine as he continues walking, backing me against the wall. I begin to kiss him back, wrapping my arms over his shoulders as it gets deeper and deeper. 

His hands trail down my back to my ass, squeezing it hard. He bends a little, placing his hands on my upper thighs right under my ass pushing upwards. I took the hint so I pulled away and jumped up wrapping my legs around his waist. He reconnected our lips, smashing my back, back against the wall. We begin making out until I pull away, “2 door on the left” I breath into his mouth keeping my eyes closed as he reconnects our lips again as he walks us down the hall. 

We make it to my bedroom and he shuts the door behind him setting me down on my feet, taking his shirt off before taking mine off. He pushes me against the door and begins making out with me as he unbuttons his pants, kicking them off and I reach behind me to unclasp my bra, shimmying off so it slides down my arms. He pulls away looking down at my body admiring it before grabbing my boobs each in one of his hands, he messages them before bringing his mouth down gently sucking on one. I throw my head back when he squeezes them hard, nibbling my nipple, breathing out loudly before he pulls away.

“I fucking love you” he says lifting me up bringing me over to the bed laying me down. He slides his briefs down his legs and pumps himself looking at me naked on the bed. I decide to give him a little show so I start playing with my boobs watching as he pumps himself faster before tracing one hand down to my panties rubbing my clit over them in circles. “Fuck!” he groans before making his way over to me. 

He crawls overtop of me and rips my panties off me without warning then jams two fingers inside of me pumping them in and out suddenly as I push my bed back deeper into the bed. He starts curling his finger and I bite my lip masking the moans the escape my mouth. 

He pulls them out and kneels down so he is facing my entrance kissing my clit then blowing on it causing me to whimper out just as he enters his tongue inside of me flicking and pumping it around and inside of me. I arch my back a little then reach down grabbing Quinn’s hair, “So good, Quinn”.

When Quinn pulls away he immediately crawls up so he is hovering over me, with one hand he pumps himself as I wrap my arms around his abdomen before entering himself inside of me. He slides in slowly and begins to thrust, slowly picking up speed. I moan out loudly the faster he pumps. “Fuck, I love you” he says giving me butterflies as he thrusts get harder as he begins to ram himself inside of me full force. With every thrust inside of me he earns a loud whimper. “I’m not leaving” , “I’m so in love with you”, “You are so fucking beautiful” he says between his slow hard thrusts. I feel him pull out of me grabbing my ripping panties off the floor while pumping himself before cumming on them. He throws them out and I go to the bathroom, turning the shower on. 

I step inside the shower and hear the rattle from the curtain being pulled from side to side before feeling Quinn’s strong arms wrap around my waist. He nuzzles his head into the crook of my neck, kissing it softly as I turn around. He moves his arms so they are draped over my shoulders as I wrap mine around his waist. He kisses the top of my head while we are standing in each other's embrace in the shower. “I meant it” he says against the top of me head

“Hm?” 

“I do love you, with all my heart” I move my head back a little so I can look up at him, “I really fucked up, and I regret it everyday. You are right though, we can’t be friends. Because I love you so much it hurts. And when I look at you it makes me want to try harder to be here for you, to try and fix the pain I put you though” he says and I rest my head on his shoulder before for a second before pulling away to look at him again

“I love you Quinn” I say then he smiles down at me slightly before pressing his lips to mine. 

After we leave the shower and enter my room again Quinn puts his clothes back on then begins to scroll through his phone, “Oh shit” I hear him say making me turn to look at him. “I’m so sorry but I have to go” Quinn says, turning quickly to leave me here alone, again. Not even a goodbye or a pause to listen for my response.

#quinn hughes #quinn hughes fic #quinn hughes imagine #quinn hughes smut #nhl writing #nhl smut #nhl imagine #nhl fanfiction #nhl fic #hockey imagines #vancouver canucks fic

[girlwithwolftatoo]

hc of how the moon boys would be with a harley quinn type of s/o. like she is really sweet and kind when she is with them, but is also extremely chaotic and kinda be seen as a morally grey character. she always means well but she just has a very sad and traumatic upbringing.

(Please read the following headcanon listening to Gangsta by Kehlani because -yes)

Jake Lockley:

*You're too naïve for this world if you think he didn't get a hard on the first time he saw you break a guy's skull with the cricket bat of Steven.

*Night missions as the fist of Khonshu had turned funnier since he discovered your dark side. He loves driving through London and near locations to kick asses and take names with you as his perfect partner in crime.

*Jake feels he can be himself without masks for you'll accept him as he is, even in his most unhinged form. It's not that he couldn't reach that trust level with a "more-average" partner, but he knows there's something in him that can be labelled as "monstrous", and to him, the fact that you can embrace chaos is a signal of safe place.

*Dark-romantic is the way we can describe your relationship. You could either dance in the same club were you just did a carnage spree like two teenagers at their prom, or make out right next to the corpse of a criminal head (not literally) while listening to Paul Anka's "Your head on my shoulder".

*You're the perfect match for him, that's how Jake perceives you. He's so comfortable around you he may even do some crazy little things like, dunno, giving you the ring of a mafia boss he threw off a building the last week because "emerald and gold fits you well" or even worse... going for a tattoo of something related to you.

Marc Spector:

*He's lethal and thug because he has to, not by choice nor self indulgence. The fact that you're so sweet and kind gives him both the hope of finally living a normal life and the fear of getting you into troubles...

*Or that's the main worry until he sees how you break some dude's teeth with a single punch before jumping and landing on his right arm with all your strenght. Now he's like "WTF where's my cherry pie (Y/N)?"

*I'm sorry but Marc can't help but make some inner comparisons between you and Layla. The main difference is you act and feel intense. You greet him with a big hug and giving him smooches before telling him the dinner awaits, but when things get hard Marc knows you won't only fight, but enjoy every second of it, which is... slightly disturbing but fascinating.

*Sometimes he's worried you like a little too much the missions. He knows what a real blood-thirsty is like, and the idea of you turning into someone like that is something he cannot tolerate, so usually he's the one who must contain you.

*But by the same reason, Marc knows you're not like that because you like it. And slow but surely he listens to your life story and the kind of stuff you've been through, and he can emphatize with you. Ultimately you are a healing support for each other, and you lick each other's proverbial wounds and feel the world still has place for love and peace.

Steven Grant:

*You've been dating for some weeks now and he's getting used to your attitudes. You pointed acidly at the waiter Steven asked for a chicken free salad? Well, that's kind of you. You yelled at some kids on the street for harrasing a poor dog? Hey, he would do the same. You kicked someone's crotch after some dirty words? That's fair enough.

*Did you break a burglar's nose with your head and then proceeded to hurt his ears with a slap and, while they were on the floor, you finished with a K.O kick? Okay, that's a little... brutal, but he's surprised. Very surprised.

*The first time you meet him in his Mr. Knight suit you're so happy ("Steven, dear, you're a superhero! No, better than that... a super-vigilante!") you join without hesitation. At first he'll do his best to protect you, but dear, you're more than up for some hand throwing.

*Steven cannot choose if he's scared or intrigued by that crazy side of you. Yes, he despises violence, but he also knows you must respond when someone is bothering you. And your response level tends to be... high, very high, and it's worrying but once carnage is over you turn back to be the soft little dove he loves.

*One day, he may directly ask what's the deal with that. Knowing about the things that made you being like this is sad, for Steven is the most emphatetic of the Moon boys. He'll give you the comprehension, patience and words you needed, and you'll know from then he's the one, you wouldn't never drop sweet Steven of the gift shop for anything or anyone in the world.

#moon knight #moon knight series #moon knight headcanon #moon boys #steven grant #jake lockley #marc spector #steven grant x reader #marc spector x reader #jake lockley x reader #oscar isaac #marvel series #mr knight

[starsandhughes]

Im sorry but i keep seeing those fucking quinn chicken salad posts and something about them makes me uncomfortable for a reason i don't understand

oh yeah i saw them in the beginning like the first two and then blocked the person who writes them so i don’t see it anymore but i agree it made me ick

#kaylin answers <3

[of-quinn]

𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐈’𝐃 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑

01. NAME / ALIAS :  Ember

02. BIRTHDAY :  November 8th

03. ZODIAC SIGN : Scorpio

04. HEIGHT :  5′3"

05. HOBBIES : Roleplaying/Writing, Reading, Gaming, Astrology

06. FAVORITE COLOR :  Black. Red, Purple and Blue

07. FAVORITE BOOK :  I'm pretty sure it was The Language of the Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

08. FAVORITE FOOD :  Fries 🍟 or if meal wise, chicken salad

09. LAST FILM / TV SHOW :  Better Call Saul

10. INSPIRATION :  I honestly gain inspiration regarding anything to do with my character(s), I've even bought a DC book, watch the Harley Show (probably a big one for how I recently play her, other shows and movies as well. She's a big mix or everything or what I'm vibing with that particular day.

11. STORY BEHIND URL :  I run a few blogs with the term "of-something" a friend inspired it years back. Harley Quinn. Therefore Of-Quinn

Tagged by: @nerdybirdboy

Tagging: @notwonderboy @forest-of-ruin @funnystvff @righteousruin @proprioceptiion @axgmented

#♡ done clowning around // ooc ✦ #♡ mun stuff ✦

[chickensaladquinn]

Quinn holding his pride flag, the Chicken Salad flag. Green represents the garnish, the little something that ties up the whole experience and makes it complete. White represents the bowl, which makes the chicken salad possible in the first place. Lastly there's the tan, which represents the chicken salad itself. The base, the star, the main event. It's all about the chicken salad.

Please feel free to use this pride flag if you feel it represents you <3

#quinn hughes imagines #quinn hughes smut #quinn hughes imagine #quinn hughes #quinn hughes x reader #trevor zegras #chicken salad recipet #chicken salad recipe #jack hughes imagines #jack hughes imagine #jamie drysdale #jack hughes #hughes #hughes brothers #hockey fanfic #hockey imagines #pride #pride month #vancouver canucks #cale makar #cole caufield #luke hughes fanfic #luke hughes imagines #vancover canucks #nhl players #chicken salad quinn #luke hughes

[comiiical]

@mistckesmcde​

“You want cock?” Quinn asked, raising his voice to be heard as the other entered the room. “On your salad. Do you want chicken?”

#mistckesmcde #mike • hs #moonwalker

[grantiskeith]

A dinner with the Shaw Pack

Angel overcoming her fear of vampires. A little angst, a little bit of blood.

The smell of roast chicken, mashed potatoes, Hawaiian salad and all the other classic midwestern American dinner sides filled the kitchen.

Music was coming from somewhere, wolves howled from rooms throughout David's house, people were everywhere. It was a loud mess of people. But it was warm and friendly.

Angel was chopping radishes despite Asher whining in their ear that radishes are gross and should not be allowed in the salad.

What was becoming a welcomed sight was the presence of Darlin and Sam.

Angel, being the mate of the Alpha, felt that every member of the pack should be treated like an equal. And Angel knew this included Sam. This shouldn't have been hard, Sam was polite, friendly, and he made a fantastic green-bean casserole.

Yet there was some voice in the back of Angel's head. An instinct left from before they knew about this magical world, that told them to stay far, far away from vampires.

It wasn't an irrational fear, with all the chaos and fear around that Quinn guy. Angel didn't let it show, at least they tried not to show it.

Angel always smiled and exchanged pleasantries with Sam like with every member of the pack. By they wondered if Sam could hear their heart race when Sam entered their home. Or if he could hear Angel hold their breath when Sam stood too close to a weaker member of the pack. As if Angel was gambling whether today would be the day he finally attacked someone.

There were a lot of days when Angel felt suffocated by the magic world that had suddenly appeared. So much was new and it was too easy to fear it all.

The weight on Angel's chest was made so much heavier with David's position as Alpha. When David asked them to officially become his mate, he didn't mention that made Angel the equivalent of a politician's spouse. Everything they said and did was watched and judged by older members of the pack. Everything Angel did reflected on David and they would have appreciated a warning.

Angel, being in their head, tuning out Asher's complaints about the radishes didn't realize how close their finger tips were to the knife. David, being a safety freak always made sure the kitchen knives were sharp. 'So you don't have to apply a lot of pressure' he would say. So it wasn't a surprise when the knife slipped from the top of the radish down onto the top of their fingers.

"Fuck!" Angel yelled, but not loud enough for the whole party to hear. They turned to throw their hand over the sink but Asher grabbed their wrist to look at it.

Blood oozed out of the tops of their middle and ringer finger onto the floor.

"Stop that give me my hand back" Angel said yanking their hand back to the sink.

"Hey Sam" Asher yelled over the music and the talking, but not loud enough to alert anyone.

"No, no" Angel started, "I'm fine, it's not that bad I'lll just go clean it up, I don't need Sam."

"Don't need Sam for what?" Said a voice too close to Angel for their comfort. Angel was over the sink in the corner of the kitchen, boxed in by Asher and Sam.

"They nearly cut their finger off, you gotta help 'em" Asher insisted.

"That is very much untrue, I'm fine. I'm just going to throw a band aid on it" Angel turned around to face Sam and Asher, holding their hand in a towel. "Please move" Angel said, avoiding eye contact.

"Are ya sure? Ain't no trouble" Sam said. Angel was right, Sam could hear their heart racing and how they were trying to control their breathing but it wasn't working. It didn't escape him that Angel avoided eye contact when it wasn't necessary and he hated it. The last thing wanted to do is bring fear into his wolf's pack. Gaining the trust of the alpha was the easy way of being accepted into the pack but he knew he was scaring the crap out of David's mate. Sam knew he didn't do anything wrong, just the opposite. But his southern hospitality didn't cover the fact that he drank blood and used magic beyond Angel's imagination. Yet here he was, cornering Angel into a wall. He stepped back slowly, giving Angel enough room to squeeze by.

Davis had noticed the commotion by now and intercepted Angel on their way to the bathroom. He lead them into the bathroom, peeling the towel back to reveal their fingers still dripping blood.

David shut the bathroom door and spoke softly, "Angel, a band aid isn't going to fix this."

"Yes it will, it's not that bad" Angel didn't know if they should throw-up or faint because of the blood.

"Just let Sam fix it..."

"No!" Angel was trying to keep their voice at the whisper but failing. Luckily the voices outside were loud.

"It's Sam or the hospital, Angel what's wrong"

Tears were pooling in Angel's eyes, threatening to spill over. David held Angel's towel wrapped hand close to his chest.

Against gritted teeth and built up stress and pressure of being the alpha's mate Angel hissed like a snake "because I'm bleeding and he's a damn vampire you fool and because it hurts and damn it David, I'm scared of him" The knot in their throat made itself even more prominent. Angel's sudden anger made it easier to hold back any impending tears.

David dropped Angel's hand. And turned to open the bathroom door a few inches. "Hey uh Sam, could I get your help for a second"

A few members of the pack questioned why there was a party going on in the bathroom but curiosity disappeared with the cheese dip Asher had brought into the living room.

Angel's jaw dropped to the floor, offended and hurt. They backed themselves into the corner of the bathroom. Sam had to duck to enter the doorway. Tall, impossibly strong, intimating. He pretended to not have the hearing of a vampire. He wished he hadn't heard Angel's harsh words but he couldn't blame them. Especially not with now both a vampire and a werewolf blocking their only exit.

Angel sat down on the edge of the bathtub, powerless. Sam got down on one knee, looking up at Angel.

"Look, Ah won't touch ya without your permission. But if ya let me see it, I can tell ya if you need a healer or not" Sam very slowly tried to reach out for Angel's hand.

The professional in Angel won over the tears. But words wouldn't form over the knot still in their throat. Angel allowed Sam to remove the blood soaked kitchen towel away and tossed it behind them in the tub.

David slipped out of the bathroom to go ask Asher what had happened. Despite David leaving, Sam felt Angel relax just a little bit.

"Y'all keep ya knives sharp uh?" Sam asked trying to break the tension.

Angel nodded, "David keeps the knife sharpeners in business," they looked at Sam and smiled. A forced, pained smile, but a smile.

"Alright, so if you don't disinfect this and get to the emergency room, it's gonna get infected. However, if you're ok with it, I can use healing magic to clear this up and it'll be like it never happened" Sam looked up at Angel for conformation.

"I do appreciate the offer, I see that you're trying to help but I'm not comfortable with that, I don't know how it works or what it does..."

"I can explain it to ya" Sam pressed. This wasn't about the cut. This was about building trust. Angel stared at him.

"Healing magic externalizes the magic that's inside me and transfers it to you so your body can use it to repair itself rapidly. You'll feel a pins and needles feelin' for a moment and then it'll feel back to normal"

"It's not gonna hurt?" Angel asked

"No more than it already does now" Sam tried to make that a joke but he just wished he had just said no.

Angel nodded and with that Sam gently touched very close to the open cut. Angel's whole hand felt warm and then, as promised, felt the pins and needles in their fingers. Seconds later, it was like it never happened.

"Feel better?" Sam asked smiling

Angel examined their fingers in awe, "That's amazing, thank you"

"Anytime"

Sam left the bathroom to give Angel a moment to themselves. He knew it was going to take time to earn their trust, a sad fact of life for a vampire. Angel left the bathroom 5 minutes later knowing they were going to feel guilty about that they said until they could find a way to make Sam feel more welcomed in the pack.

#redacted asmr #redacted angel #redacted sam #hurt/comfort #blood #idk I wrote this cause I was bored #lemme know what you think

[blackindiaink]

Scylla flirting with someone else for cover and Raelle not having it

Sooooo, this was super fun to write so thank you for the promt!!!

They had just crossed over into Illinois and found a place to stay for the night when Abigail and Tally insisted they go eat real food at the diner across the street from their hotel. Even though there were protests and warnings from Nicte, Scylla, and Quinn about laying low, the vocal minority won out and they were now on their way across the road.

Raelle hadn't really come down on either side and stayed quiet, watching the whole thing devolve into a sneer off between Abigail and Nicte, who ultimately refused to accompany them. Scylla just rolled her eyes and reluctantly agreed to go along and Adil would always go where Abigail went. Khalida stayed behind after eliciting a promise from her brother to bring her back something.

The restaurant was a little dingy on the outside and even worse inside but the need for real food was enough of a motivator that there were only grimaces and frowns when they all surveyed the place.The front was covered in dark wood paneling and the blue carpet was dirty, beyond the front there were booths with peeling vinyl and big round tables that had seen better days.

A host came up and led them to a table near the bar that was set in the middle of the place like a watering hole of sorts. There were several people sitting at the bar, some with plates of food in front of them and others just drinking beer and chatting. Their demeanor and the way that they interacted with the bartender gave the impression that they were probably regulars.

Scylla watched them with a wary eye as she chose a seat at their table. Menus were set in front of them and everyone started to check them out. It was standard American fare, burgers and fried food all over the menu. There was even a special fish fry night on Fridays apparently. Scylla skipped all that and looked for something a little more her speed.

“What are you getting?” Raelle asked.

Scylla couldn’t help but smile. This always happened. Whenever they had stopped anywhere for food she always wanted to know what Scylla would get before she ordered herself.

“The chicken caesar salad and a bowl of vegetable soup,” Scylla replied.

“Oh, I was thinking about the cheddar burger and a milkshake,” Raelle said.

“Then, you should get them. It sounds good and I know how much you love a strawberry milkshake,” Scylla said.

She reached up and moved a few strands of Raelle’s hair away from her face and leaned in close.

“If you’re good and eat all your food. I’ll give you dessert later,” Scylla whispered.

Raelle tried to suppress a shiver and failed miserably. Her hands tightened around the plastic menu cover and she closed her eyes for a moment, stopping her breaths. When she finally resumed taking in air she looked over to see Scylla smirking at her with that mischievous half smile and all she did was shake her head.

Scylla knew just how to push Raelle’s buttons anytime she felt the urge. It didn’t take much and it was instantaneous. Even when they’d had little disagreements, Scylla could bring Raelle back around with a few choice words and a well timed kiss.

That’s when Scylla’s attention was yanked away from her girlfriend to the slender young man that had approached their table. He’d been sitting at the bar, in the stool nearest the end, but now he was here, staring at Raelle like he was solving a puzzle.

“Don’t I know you from somewhere?” The man asked.

“Who me?” Raelle replied.

“Yeah, you look really familiar,” he continued.

“She’s got that kind of face but you wouldn’t have seen her around. We’re just passing through,” Abigail said.

“No, I definitely have seen you somewhere but not here, like on TV or something,” he said.

Warning bells went off in Scylla’s head. So many people had seen that TV footage of the unit taking down the witchplague source and Penelope’s subsequent sacrifice. She quickly stood up and walked around the table, sidling up to the man with her patented charming smile.

“Maybe we have seen you somewhere. You do look a little familiar,” Scylla started.

She reached out and touched his arm, squeezing his bicep gently for show.

“Oh wow, you’re really strong too. Hmm, why don’t you buy me a drink and we can solve this mystery,” Scylla flirted.

The guy’s furrowed brow had instantly shifted as soon as Scylla started speaking to him. He brightened and stood a little taller, running a hand through his sandy blonde hair. He was cute enough, nothing to Scylla, but at least she didn’t have to turn on all her acting skills to make him think she might be into him.

“Sure, I’d love to,” he said, holding out his arm like a gentleman about to escort a lady into a ball. “My name is Brian. What’s yours?”

They turned and walked toward the bar but everyone at the table could hear Scylla’s response.

“I’m Justine. It’s so nice to meet you,” Scylla said.

She was laying it on thick and he was hanging on every word that came out of her mouth. Everyone looked at Raelle at the same time as she sat there stunned.

“What the hell just happened?” Raelle asked.

“Your girlfriend just saved our asses, that’s what,” Abigail replied.

“We should go,” Tally said.

“Yeah,” Adil agreed.

“I’m not leaving her here with him,” Raelle insisted.

Her disdain for this situation dripped off every word. Her lips were fixed in a downward turn and she nearly vibrated with energy while her eyes followed Scylla and the guy as they walked toward the bar.

“We can wait outside. You know Scylla can take care of herself,” Tally said.

“Yeah, I don’t care. I’ll wait here,” Raelle said.

“Someone already recognized you. You’re the last person who should be sticking around here,” Abigail pointed out.

“What if I go hang out at that pinball machine by the bathroom and keep an eye on them?” Adil asked.

“Yeah, no one knows who Adil is so it should be fine,” Tally said.

Raelle tensed, her lips forming a thin line before she pushed herself up from her seat with stiff hands.

“Fine. Just… tell us if anything’s going on,” Raelle said, pinning Adil in her sights.

“I will. I promise,” he assured her.

They shuffled out of the restaurant and walked back toward the hotel but before they got to the road they had to cross. Raelle stopped short, looking back at the restaurant.

“I’m waiting outside here. You guys go on,” she said.

“Shitbird….” Abigail hissed and after a moment he shook her head and sighed. “Just stay out of sight, yeah?”

“I will,” she said.

“I’ll stay with you,” Tally volunteered.

“No, you go. I’ll be fine and there’s less of a chance we get recognized if we’re not together,” Raelle said.

Tally chewed her lip and watched Raelle for a moment.

“You sure? I don’t want you to sit out here alone,” Tally said.

“I’m sure. I’ll be fine,” Raelle said.

“No way, I know that look in your eyes. You’ll go in there and make a scene if we leave you alone. I’ll stay. I can make us invisible if we need to be,” Abigail decided.

“If you stay, I stay,” Tally insisted.

In truth, she didn’t want anyone with her right now since she was getting more agitated the longer Scylla was inside with this Brian dude but having Abigail and Tally with her would come in handy if she needed backup or someone to keep her from killing this guy.

They found a somewhat secluded place in the parking lot where they could watch the door without being clearly visible, each finding the most comfortable position possible among the cars that populated the lot. An hour passed, in which Raelle paced and listened intently in case Adil sent some farspeech their way but nothing happened.

“I’m going in there,” Raelle finally said.

A strong hand caught her wrist and stopped her.

“No, look,” Abigail said.

The door opened and out walked Scylla holding two big bags that looked to be full of take out containers. A few seconds after she emerged, so did Adil. Raelle walked forward and Scylla saw her, making a beeline for their position.

“What happened?” Raelle asked when they were near enough.

Scylla shrugged, he was a talker and every time I tried to push him someone would get way too close so I had to wait until the bar cleared out a little. I told him to stay there like a good boy and forget he ever saw us till it was time to go home.

“But it was over an hour,” Raelle protested.

“Was it?” Scylla rolled her eyes. “It felt much longer. All he wanted to talk about was baseball and his truck, which he very much wanted to take me for a ride in,” she finished.

“So, he didn’t try anything right?” Raelle asked.

“I mean, he put his arm around me and tried to get a little handsy but I took care of it,” Scylla said.

“He what?” Raelle growled.

“It’s fine. I got him to back off. It wasn’t a big deal and look, I’ve got food for everyone,” Scylla said, holding up the bags.

“She was good. I almost went over there when I saw him touch her butt but she handled it perfectly,” Adil said.

Abigail smacked her hand to her face and gave Adil a glowering look.

“Again, he what!?” Raelle turned back to Scylla.

Scylla turned around and handed the bags to Adil and then looked back at Abigail and Tally.

“Why don’t you guys go back to the hotel. We’ll take a walk and meet you back there in a while,” Scylla said.

Abigail shrugged and turned around pulling Tally along who had been enthralled by the exchange. Adil brought up the rear and once they were out of earshot, Scylla reached over and took Raelle’s hand, tugging on it to get her to follow. They walked through the parking lot and out away from the restaurant over to a deserted gas station that was located next door. It was darker here and far more peaceful.

Scylla stopped when they came to an old rickety bench that was beside the east wall of te old brick station and sat down, pulling Raelle with her.

“Hey,” she started, putting her hands on Raelle’s cheeks. “I was fine. I promise. I had total control of the situation and nothing bad happened, okay?” She said.

Raelle nodded but looked down, letting out a long exhale.

“I just got worried. I don’t like it when I can’t be with you and stuff is happening,” Raelle explained.

Scylla tipped her head down and found Raelle’s eyes, making sure they were making eye contact again.

“I know.” She caressed Raelle’s cheek, pushing her hair back so she could get a clear look at her face. “I don’t like it either, just like I didn’t like when he was looking at you like he was. I just did the only thing I could think of to get his attention off of you,” Scylla said.

“And it had to be flirting?” Raelle asked, her lips turning up slightly in a tiny smile.

“Well, you have to admit that I’m very good at it,” Scylla said, her face deadpan.

“That’s true,” Raelle conceded and paused. “But maybe too good,” she added.

Scylla chuckled and leaned forward, kissing Raelle’s forehead.

“You know that you’re the only one I actually want to flirt with though,” Scylla pointed out.

“Yeah, still sucks to see some dude's eyes all over you. He was practically undressing you with his eyes and I wanted to punch him a little bit,” Raelle admitted.

“Well, if it helps, you’re very attractive when you’re jealous,” Scylla said, grinning.

“I’m not jealous. I was concerned,” Raelle scoffed.

“Okaaay,” Scylla replied.

She kept her face straight while Raelle’s lips slowly curved into a smile.

“Shut up,” Raelle said.

“I didn’t say anyth-” Scylla started.

She only got so far because Raelle’s lips interrupted her with a hard kiss. Scylla couldn’t help but smile into her lips and then kiss her back, reveling in all the emotions that the night had stirred up in both of them.

#raylla shorts #raylla #raylla fanfic #raelle collar #scylla ramshorn #motherland fort salem #motherland: fort salem #motherland #mfs fanfic #wlw

[gorgxoxus]

Scorching Summer Heat (at Christmastime): Klaine Advent Day 6: Farm:

Also on AO3. There is more info on AO3 again if you want to look at that. 

I like this chapter and things happen so it’s quite a lot longer than normal. Also i’ve started writing dialogue so hopefully it flows a little better. 

Kurt lets him know the kiosk is closed today because the family is preparing for the carols tonight so he heads straight down to the beach for a swim. The beach is busy with teenagers who have finished school for the year so he heads straight for the water and has a quick dip. He quickly dries himself off, puts his shirt back on and heads for the café on the corner. He still needs his coffee fix even if he can’t get it from the kiosk.

When he gets back Quinn and Tina remind him they’re heading to the farmers market in half an hour so he has a shower, puts a tiny bit of product in his hair and gets changed. Once he’s dressed he goes into the living room and asks, “Are you girls ready yet?”

“A couple more minutes,” shouts Tina,

He checks his messages and finds a couple from his parents when Quinn and Tina open their bedroom door and they walk towards the beachfront path that heads to the next suburb.  

Blaine asks, “what are we planning on getting,” and Quinn lists all the veggies they want and Tina budges in with,

“I need a souvlaki,” Blaine agrees, half the reason they go to this farmers market is the top-notch souvlakis. The other half of the reason is that it has cheap produce. He also goes for the best bread he’s ever had. If he moves away from here he will miss the amazing white sourdough he buys every week.  

There is remains of keep 1.5 metres apart signs in the farmers markets but no one is following them anymore after months and months of no cases. They buy their souvlaki’s first, Blaine getting beef and Quinn and Tina sharing a chicken one, because as much as Tina loves them she cannot eat a whole one. Quinn asks to find a seat and they eat them before going in search of the best bread and produce.

Quinn gets up and says, “go find the bread you love, we’ll get some vegetables,” with a knowing smile. He is unsurprised she knows him so well and heads to the sourdough booth. He gets the bread and heads to the produce section near the back to see them still looking for what they want. They are holding hands and talking between themselves so he waits back and looks at some pumpkins while they grab their produce and go up to the register. He joins them there with a small “Hi”. Once everything is packed into their cloth bags they head back to the apartment.

4pm:

Kurt: if you are not busy I could do with some help with set up. We are at the amphitheatre.

Blaine: i’m not busy.

Blaine: i’ll walk down

Blaine: see you in 15 mins.

Blaine peaks his head into Tina and Quinn’s room and says,  “I’m going down to the beach to help Kurt with carols set up” and Quinn responds with, “Ok, we will message when we get there.”

He heads down the steps of the amphitheatre and sees Kurt, Burt, Finn and about thirty others around, some looking busier than others. When he gets to the bottom Kurt comes up and says, “thanks for coming,”

“No worries”.

Kurt asks him to help Finn grab another speaker from the caravan around the corner as one is not working. Finn leads him to the caravan and they find the speaker in question and when Finn picks it up he nearly drops it.

“Kurt sent you too because I cannot be trusted holding important things,” Fin says with a laugh so Blaine grabs the other side of the speaker and leads them back towards the top of the steps. Someone quickly walks up to them and takes the speaker off them so they head back down the stairs.

“Mate, do you have a Santa hat?” Finn asks and Blaine looks at him and says,

“No?”

“Kurt your boyfriend doesn’t have a Santa hat,” shouts Finn in Kurt’s direction,

“He’s not my boyfriend,” says Kurt shooting Finn a dirty look and coming up to them.

“Why do you talk about him all the time then?” asks Finn and then if Kurt wasn’t already completely red in the face he is now.  

Blaine looks at Kurt and says, “you talk about me all the time?” and Kurt gives him a look that is much kinder than the one he gave his brother.

Kurt then jumps into action and says, “Blaine come with me, I need someone to help me move the food from the kiosk.” He can hear Finn quietly saying ‘I was trying to help’ as Kurt leads him towards the building.  

Kurt grabs the key from his pocket and opens up the back door of the kiosk into the mini kitchen, that is mostly just a bench and fridge. Kurt seems pretty intent on ignoring his brothers comments and gets him to take some plastic wrapped sandwiches back over as Kurt organises the rest of the food.

Blaine finds Burt and he lets him know where the sandwiches go. He heads back to the kiosk.

When he gets back Kurt has got all the food out and they walk back together carrying cookies, cakes and chips. Kurt does an extra trip back to the kiosk for a few more items and locks it up and Finn comes up to Blaine and gives him a Santa hat and shifts his feet as he apologises for his comments earlier. Blaine reminds him he should really apologise to Kurt and watches as people start arriving and grabbing their seats.

When Kurt comes back he asks if there is something other than small sandwiches for dinner and Kurt walks over to a cooler to grab two containers and some forks.

“Would you like a chicken salad?”

Blaine nods his head and takes one of the containers and a fork from Kurt as he quickly asks his father, “Do you need any help from us?”

“No, we are going to save some seats so meet us back here in half an hour,” Burt replies.

Kurt turns to Blaine and asks, “Do you want to sit on the grass over here to eat?”

signalling to the area looking over the beachfront and Blaine replies, “Yes.”

They get seated and open their containers. Blaine asks about the set up and Kurt goes on about speakers, the fake Santa Claus they blew up, the singers and the food. He has a light in his eyes talking about the preparations Blaine hasn’t seen yet and makes him happy to witness.

“I haven’t been to Carols by Candlelight in five years, I feel like I am a kid doing all this again,” Kurt says, taking a breath and Blaine says,

“I’ve been to carols before, but this one seems a lot more fun than the old stuffy church carol services I went to as a kid,”

“I am not a fan of Church services, but I am happy to sing some Christian songs to experience the joy of Carols by Candlelight.”

They lull into a silence to focus on eating.

When they are finished they still have about ten minutes until Burt wanted them back so Blaine says, “It’s cute that you talk about me all the time,” he watches him blush as Kurt says, “you made an impression,”

“I’m glad I did and so did you,” and catches Kurt’s eyes on him, looking back. The air crackles between them and Blaine scoots forward a bit, so he’s much closer to Kurt than before. Kurt puts a hand on his cheek and they continue to look at each other and then Kurt leans in and captures his mouth in a kiss. It’s a little off-centre so Blaine corrects it and just kisses him until he runs out of breath. Blaine drops his head for a second and then looks up to see Kurt staring at him. He quickly looks to the side to see Burt walking towards them so he scrambles out of his lap into a less compromising position. Kurt is intent on ignoring his Dad as they walk to the amphitheatre together and take their seats next to each other. They sit brushing their hands against each-others until Blaine grabs onto Kurt’s and doesn’t let go.

To Tina and Quinn at 5:35pm:

Blaine: sitting with kurts family

Blaine: also kurt kissed me

Quinn: WHOOP WHOOP

Quinn: Tina says YESSSSSSSS

Tina: YESSSSSSSSSS

Quinn: Also we are 5 minutes away

#klaine advent 2020 #klaine advent: farm #this chapter ran away from me lol #my fic

[wheresmynaya]

Two Ghosts Ch.29 | Brittana

Holy shit, one more chapter and this baby is complete. WILD!

Also available on ff.net (x) ao3 (x) & below the cut!

The last time Santana harbored a secret of this magnitude she’s was hiding so deep in the closet that she was basically in Narnia. The difference this time though is that when she thinks of this particular secret, she can’t help but feel giddy. Like a good giddy, a great giddy! This secret is going to change her life, it’s going to change Brittany’s life, and she really can’t contain the joy that it brings when she thinks of it.

She’s going to have to get it together though if she wants to pull this thing off, because although she has a bit of a track record when it comes to blurting things, she doesn’t want that to happen with this. She already jumped the gun when it came to asking Britt to be her girlfriend and asking her out on a date, she doesn’t want to do the same thing when it comes to proposing. It gets harder everyday though, because every little thing Brittany does has Santana itching to just drop down on one knee right then and there.

But she won’t do it.

She has spent some time thinking about this, from the flashy grand gestures to intimate moments with just the two of them, she has thought of it all and she thinks she has finally devised the perfect plan. So she can’t just blurt it out because Brittany decided to surprise her with breakfast in bed one Sunday morning or because Brittany said something really cute in her sleep or because Brittany coaxed her into an impromptu dance party when Santana was feeling grumpy about her favorite show being cancelled or because Brittany simply brought home flowers for her on the anniversary of her Abuelo’s passing.

Santana has to find some type of self-control because what she has planned is going to be perfect and Brittany deserves that.

\\

Santana is in the middle of getting dinner ready – which just means checking that the oven is still preheating– when her phone buzzes. It’s Brittany telling her that she’s on her way back to the apartment now and Santana smiles at the kiss emoji she ends the text with. She knows Brittany has been having a rough week with balancing dance classes and finalizing the Cheerios’ Nationals routine, it’s like the girl doesn’t have an off switch because even when they don’t have Cheerios’ practice, she’s putting work in at the dance studio.

Brittany’s never been one to complain though, she just puts her head down and does what she has to do. Santana figured she’d do something nice and come over while Brittany’s still in class and cook up all of her favorites to see if that might help cheer her up a little.

When Brittany breezes through the door 15 minutes later, Santana is still in the kitchen finishing off the salad she decided to make at the last minute. Brittany’s strong arms wrap around her waist and then she settles her chin on Santana’s shoulder. Santana grins at how Brittany instantly relaxes against her.

“Hi,” Brittany greets then tilts her head just a little so that her lips brush against Santana’s cheek for a lazy kiss.

“Hey B,” Santana replies and twists around in Brittany’s arms to face her. There’s blonde hair falling from Brittany’s loose bun and she smells like sweat and lavender laundry detergent. She looks so tired and Santana smooths out the little crinkle in her brow as she asks, “How was class?”

“Very, very intense,” Brittany sighs and drops her forehead on Santana’s shoulder. Santana takes the brunt of her weight and starts to rub up and down her back, “It was a good intense though, I think we might be able to incorporate some of what I’ve learned in the routine for Nationals.”

“That’s awesome,” Santana grins while Brittany lifts her head again.

“Yeah, I’m thinking of maybe using Alex? She’s the best tumbler and this stunt I’m thinking of needs someone with her skill level,” Brittany explains and Santana can tell she’s about to start thinking out loud, “I could put her in after the basket toss? No wait, I can put her in before and it can lead to the basket toss? But the transition… I could use Kelly? She’s the next best tumbler? What do you think?”

“I think whatever you decide is going to look great, but maybe let’s give that genius brain of yours a rest?” Santana suggests once she sees the deepening crease between Brittany’s brows return. She goes to smooth over it again, “At least just for tonight, okay? Don’t want you to burn yourself out.”

Brittany softens at that but her smile falters. She pulls away from Santana goes to pour herself a glass of water, keeping her back to Santana as she says, “This is nothing compared to how I was at MIT. I was on 24/7.”

“Yeah, you’ve told me and how did that work out for you?” Santana challenges with her brow quirked. She can see Brittany’s shoulders droop a little before she turns to lean against the sink.

“I don’t know,” Brittany says sarcastically, “It got the job done, didn’t it?”

Santana’s surprised to hear that tone, but she doesn’t take it personally. Instead she calls out Brittany’s name warningly, “Britt. You don’t have to do that again, I know how hard it was on you. I don’t want to see you put yourself through that.”

“This routine has to be perfect, San,” Brittany tries to tell her with determination in her eyes, “We have to win, we have to do this for Sue. It was like…her dying request and she specifically asked me, asked us. I don’t want to let her down and I don’t know what happens if we fail, maybe 100 years of bad luck?”

Santana can see Brittany slowly getting stuck in her head but she chuckles dryly, “I really don’t think it works that way.”

“Well, I don’t want to wait around to find out. Things just started to turn around for me, I think I’m finally getting somewhere and I don’t want to mess that up with losing Nationals. I feel like I’ve found what I’m meant to do and what I’m meant to do is get this team to Nationals and win,” Brittany pauses to catch her breath before saying, “You and Quinn and Sue and the whole squad are counting on me to choreograph this routine and if I have to work my ass off to get us there then so be it.”

Santana can clearly see now that Brittany’s wound up so tight she’s just about to explode from the stress and pressure. She had a hunch that it might be taking a turn with the extra hours Brittany was putting in at the studio, but she didn’t think it was like this. Santana feels a twinge of guilt for how long she let this go on for. Brittany was always the master of hiding her feelings, especially when it came down to things like this where she was so worried of letting people down.

“Britt, you’re no help to anyone if you push yourself too hard,” Santana says softly but Brittany just glances away. Santana sighs at that and moves to close the distance between them, “Listen, you’re a great choreographer and everyone is so grateful for the amount of work you do but, babe, you have got to give yourself a break too.”

Brittany bites her lip at Santana’s words.

“You’re clearly the one with the most experience, but Quinn and I have some experience too. After all, I did spend some time at UofL and I’m pretty sure Quinn came out the womb with pompoms in her hands,” Santana was pleased to see Brittany crack a small smile at the joke and took the moment to wrap her arms around her waist, “We can help you if you need us, all you have to do is ask.”

When Brittany doesn’t say anything, Santana squeezes at her hips and gives her sweet smile, “What do you say, hmm?”

Brittany rolls her eyes but she can’t fight the smile that begs to match Santana’s, “How can I argue when you’re pulling a face like that?”

“That’s what I thought. Now enough of that for tonight,” Santana then rolls up to press a quick kiss to Brittany’s lips before asking, “Are you hungry? I’ve got chicken nuggets in the oven and there’s mac and cheese on the stove. I also made a salad that’s in the fridge so we can still feel healthy. Oh! And also got that wine you like.”

“Those are all of my favorite things.”

“I know,” Santana winks.

“That’s perfect,” Brittany beams as she runs her hands down Santana’s arms, “Thank you, baby.”

“I figured I could do this since you’ve had such a busy week,” Santana replies casually, feeling a little bashfully beneath Brittany’s gaze, “You’ve been working so hard.”

“You’re the best,” Brittany tells her and dips down to kiss the tip of her nose, “Do I have time for a shower?”

Santana glances at the timer then back to Brittany, “Yeah, I just put them in so maybe like 20 minutes?”

“Sweet,” Brittany starts to smirk as her hands settle on Santana’s hips, “Do you have time for a shower?”

Santana giggles at that and doesn’t even have to say yes before she’s dragging Brittany to the bathroom, leaving a trail of clothes behind them.

\\

An hour later, they’re sitting on the couch freshly showered and their bellies full. Brittany has her head on Santana’s lap while they watch some new reality show and Santana plays with the damp curls along Brittany’s neck. Neither of them have said anything for awhile now and if it weren’t for the occasional chuckles, Santana would’ve thought Brittany had fallen asleep.

It’s then that Santana glances at the time and remembers the pile of laundry that she had forgotten to put on before she left for Brittany’s. She hadn’t realized how late it was getting so she starts to shift out from under Brittany to start cleaning up their empty plates.

“Where you goin’?” Brittany pouts once Santana is free.

“I’m just going to clean this before I go,” Santana tells her as she gathers the plates.

“Go?” Brittany frowns and moves to crouch on her knees, following Santana with her eyes as she heads for the kitchen. She rests on the back of the couch and watches Santana take everything to the sink.

“Well yeah, I’ve got so much laundry to do. I completely forgot about it,” Santana sighs as she starts the water.

“Do you have to though?”

“I’m dangerously low on panties.”

“Since when is that a bad thing?”

Santana glances up to find Brittany smirking at her from the couch. She lets out a giggle as she shakes her head, “What’s the point in buying all these cute sets from Victoria Secret if I don’t wear them?”

“You have a point there,” Brittany nods with this far away look in her eye, no doubt drifting into the gutter.

Santana leaves her with those thoughts and continues to do the rest of the dishes. She’s so preoccupied with washing that she doesn’t catch what Brittany says a moment later. She looks up when Brittany stands from the couch and starts to walk over to her looking perkier than before.

“I didn’t hear what you said,” Santana says because she feels like she’s missed some joke or something but Brittany just smiles anyway.

“I said that you should just live here with me,” Brittany repeats through her grin, “You should move in.”

Santana’s brows rise at the request and surprisingly she’s a little taken off guard. Why? She has no idea, it seems like the next step to take anyway and it really would save time on having to go back and forth. Maybe it’s because she hasn’t lived with a significant other ever in her life and this is kind of big so naturally she’s going to freak out a little.

Brittany seems to notice and starts to chuckle as she turns the water off and reaches for a dish towel to pass to Santana. The brunette dries off her hands but remains silent, thinking about Brittany’s words.

“You practically live here already,” Brittany explains, “You’ve got my spare key and a drawer in my dresser full of your clothes and everything. You might as well have some closet space too and maybe one of the shelves in the bathroom? We can have dinner together every night and you won’t have to go home to do your laundry because I have a washing machine. We can go to sleep together and wake up together, it’s like a never ending sleepover! Doesn’t that sound awesome?”

Santana blinks and she doesn’t realize she’s smiling until Brittany’s poking lightly at her dimple.

“You gonna say something or are you just gonna keep standing there being all cute again?” Brittany teases with this lopsided grin.

“I think that moving in with you is a capital idea,” Santana finally says and her chest wells with pride. She planned on saying more, but Brittany had wrapped her up in a hug so fast that the rest of her words were knocked out of the way. Instead, she just laughs and hugs her back even tighter.

“We’re so grown up now,” Brittany jokes a moment later, “Living together and stuff.”

“And stuff,” Santana mocks lightly, “I honestly don’t know when it happened…growing up.”

Brittany just shrugs before kissing Santana’s cheek, “Neither, but I’m glad I’m doing it with you.”

Santana swoons on the spot and nearly drops down on one knee right then and there too.

\\

They’re all at practice the following Monday when Brittany starts to introduce the new routine to the squad. She ran it pass Santana and Quinn the day before and they’ve both given her any feedback they had, but it wasn’t much because Brittany continuously comes up with amazing routines. Her background in dance and gymnastics combined with her years of cheerleading have created this awesome combination which makes her a fierce choreographer.

Santana’s so damn proud of her. To think that Brittany almost gave this part of her up for good when she was at MIT, it blows Santana’s mind. The sheer talent just oozes off of Brittany and the best part is that she’s such a great teacher as well. She’s the perfect amount of strict without being bitchy and the kids love her for that. They actually push themselves because they want to make her proud.

They want to make all of their coaches proud.

For the most part, they do. But there are some days when practice just drags on because the girls are just off of their game for some reason whether it be some outside distractions or drama. On those days, Santana gets to be very strict and she finds some joy in that.

Today though, it’s a little bit of both. Santana can tell there’s a rift going on with a couple girls which effects everyone else on the squad but there’s also some excitement around learning the new routine so it balances out a little.

Santana’s watching like a hawk though while the girls stretch and quickly spots some laziness.

“Excuse me, what is this?” Santana asks as she walks around one girl. She nudges at her foot, “Point your toe, I shouldn’t have to say this to you when we’re this far into the year.”

The girl cowers away and corrects her mistake while Santana moves on but she doesn’t get very far when she spots another error.

“Come on!” Santana groans and nudges the girl’s foot too, “Why are we acting brand new, ladies? If I have to tell one more person to point their toes…”

Lucky for them, Santana doesn’t spot any more of that and they’re able to move on from warm-ups to conditioning. This is where Quinn takes over while Santana and Brittany hang back to watch everyone’s form.

“You think Alex can do a back hand spring to a full?” Brittany asks quietly, “She’s the top tumbler.”

“She’s also the best flyer and base. She’s probably one of the only ones on the team that can do all three,” Santana replies, “But don’t tell her that, I don’t want her head getting so big that it topples the pyramid.”

“Like she doesn’t know she’s the best already,” Brittany chuckles then calls out for Alex to come over.

“Yes Coach B?”

“Can you do a back hand spring to a full?” Brittany asks.

“That all?” Alex smirks before turning to walk over to the mats.

Santana and Brittany exchange a knowing look before watching what Alex can do.

It’s really no surprise that she pulls it off effortlessly on the first try.

“Was that what you were looking for?” Alex asks upon jogging back over.

Brittany nods and jots down a note on her clipboard, “Yup, you’ll need to work on your connection but I’ll let you know if I decide to use you there. You can return to conditioning.”

Alex looks a little surprised by Brittany’s feedback but returns to the squad anyway.

When Santana glances over at Brittany’s notes, she finds the blonde drawing a picture of a flower.

“I just wanted her to think I was writing something important,” Brittany whispers, “But I’m totally going to use her for that one part. That was so awesome.”

“So sneaky,” Santana chuckles before they meet up with Quinn to run through the first 8-count of the new routine.

//

It’s one of their more elaborate routines and definitely the hardest by far, but no one ever won Nationals by doing something easy. With the Cheerios’ reputation and history of winning, there has to be certain standards and if anyone knows that, it’s Santana, Brittany and Quinn.

They’re about halfway through practice when a couple of the girls that Santana noticed at the start of practice begin to argue. She knew it was only a matter of time judging by the stink eye one was giving the other during warm-ups, so she was ready for this.

“Guys, chill!” Maddy tries breaking up the argument herself but the girls only go louder. When the pushing and hair pulling started up, Santana was quick to shut that down.

“Let go of each other right now or you’re both out of here,” Santana snaps as she pushes one girl away while Quinn moves the other. Santana grits her jaw and glares at the both of them, “I don’t know what kind of drama is going on here and I don’t care. I can tell you that it’s not going to fly at practice though. You understand me?”

“Well if she wasn’t so dam – “

“What?! Wasn’t so what?!”

“Jesus,” Santana groans before clapping her hands together, “Enough!”

The girls settle again, crossing their arms over their chests while Santana glares.

“You’re a team, you have to trust each other and have each other’s back because that is exactly how people get hurt. Whatever you’ve got going on, figure it out before you come in here. If you can’t do that then there is no space for you on this team.”

That threat surprised a lot of the girls, “But Coach S, Nationals is only four months away! We can’t find a replacement that close.“

“You’re right we can’t,” Santana cuts off and whirls back on the two troublemakers, “So you two better do everything you can to sort this out or you’ll cost the entire team Nationals. You want that? This is the last year to compete as a Cheerio for some girls here, you want to be the reason they can’t win?”

“No Coach S,” They said in unison, already looking remorseful.

Santana smirked at that, “Good. Get it together then.”

Then she returned to her position in front of the squad where Brittany had been watching. The blonde smiled proudly at her before clapping her hands and taking a step towards the squad.

“Alright, let’s take it from the top!” Brittany calls out then starts running through the counts.

It’s taking everything in Santana to not bite her lip at the sight, because nothing is hotter than Brittany being strict. She makes these little sound effects when she’s in the zone and Santana really can’t help but let her thoughts drift a little.

“I think this is Brittany’s best work yet,” Quinn comments as she comes over to stand next to Santana. She’s got her eyes on the girls, watching how they slowly get better and better after each run through.

Santana nods, “She’s been working really hard on this one. Well, she works hard on every routine but more so this one. A lot is riding on this.”

“We’ll pull this off,” Quinn says without hesitation, “This is a hardworking bunch so I’m not worried one bit. We’ve got this.”

Santana soaks in Quinn’s words and nods to agree. They’ve got less than four months to get this right, less than four months until they find out whether or not all their hard work has paid off.

\\

10 Weeks Until Nationals;

The coaches stand back and anxiously watch as the squad attempts their 14th full out. It’s rough at best and they can barely get through the entire routine without making at least five mistakes, but at least they’re getting through it now.

“Push! Push! Push!” Quinn yells out over the music as Alex tumbles across the mat. Her technique is there but you can tell she’s tired from the slight waver in her connections, but she pushes through and lands the final stunt perfectly.

“Yes!” Brittany cheers and she’s jumping on her feet as the Alex returns to her position and they shift into the next 8 count. The blonde is nodding along with the music as she calls out the counts along with Santana.

“Get her up there!” Santana yells as one of the flyers struggles to get in position. They’re going off beat now as they try to get her up there, but the coaches are proud of their determination.

“Let’s go, let’s go!” Brittany chants as they try to recover the lost time and move onto the next stunt. If they pull off this and the next stunt, this will be the first time they’ve executed the entire routine without the pyramid crumbling.

Quinn’s bouncing in her spot while Brittany and Santana just look on while holding their breath.

Maddy completes the first basket toss, perfect. Denise is next and it lands, perfect. Lastly, it’s Alex and she’s launched into the air but Santana knows the minute that she lands that it’s not good.

Her side of the pyramid collapses as Alex crumples to the mat holding her foot.

“Shit,” Santana says under her breath and Brittany is quick to turn off the music. Quinn and a trainer are already running over to Alex while Santana is telling everyone to clear the mat and hit those crunches. She hangs back with Brittany while Quinn speaks with the trainer and they look over Alex.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” Alex groans as she writhes from side to side in pain. She’s going red in the face as she slams her fist against the mat.

“Hey, easy. You’re alright,” Quinn hums as she tries to comfort the girl, “You’re going to be fine.”

By the looks of it, Santana can tell Alex is already starting to beat herself up about this and it’s hard to watch. She and Brittany continue to wait off to the side though, not wanting to crow them.

“It doesn’t look broken,” Brittany comments as she goes to squeeze at Santana’s shoulder. She gives her a hopeful smile, “I’ve seen enough broken bones by now to tell the difference.”

“Let’s hope it isn’t,” Santana sighs.

The trainer looks over Alex’s injured foot for a moment before finally breaking the news, “Bad news: it’s a sprain. Good news: it’s minor.”

Alex slumps back, a mix of relief and annoyance, and asks through gritted teeth, “Will I still be able to cheer at Nationals?”

The trainer looks uncertain, “Possibly. With enough rest, it should heal up in time but that’s a big if.”

“Great,” Alex grumbles and soon Quinn and the trainer are helping her off the mat. Once they’ve got her tended to on the side, Quinn jogs over to Brittany and Santana to give them the news.

“What happened?” Santana asks urgently.

“Is anything broken?” Brittany questions just as eagerly.

Quinn shakes her head, “No, but the trainer is saying it’s a sprained toe.”

“That’s it?”

“Santana!” Brittany scolds.

“What?” Santana softens, “The girl has nine more.”

Brittany and Quinn both shake her heads at her for that.

“You can come back from a sprain and Alex is a tough kid. She’ll bounce back,” Santana tries to recover, “We’ll be okay. We’ll just have to put someone else in her place for now.”

“Like who?” Brittany asks and Santana can already see the worry forming.

“We’ll use Kelly,” Santana is quick to say then gives them both an encouraging smile, “She knows Alex’s routine anyway.”

Brittany nods like she’s letting the thought roll around, “True, she just needs to work on like…everything.”

“Better get back to it then?” Santana smirks.

Brittany doesn’t seem comforted but Quinn jumps in next with the encouragement.

“She can do it, Britt. We just have to push her a little harder,” Quinn says, “We’re 10 weeks out, we’ve got to start testing those back up plans.”

“Quinn’s right,” Santana adds, “You didn’t spend hours and hours coming up with them for nothing. How about it?”

That seems to break Brittany out of her thoughts long enough to smile, “Okay yeah, we go this.”

\\

8 Weeks Until Nationals;

Quinn and Brittany are cheering on the squad as they attempt another full out. With Kelly in Alex’s place, things have been a little choppy but it’s getting there and the coaches are really pleased with the squad’s improvement.

“Hold it,” Quinn urges as one of the base girls struggles to lift a flyer up. She wavers but soon she’s locked in place and the pyramid holds. That’s the first time it has happened so far.

“Yes!” Brittany yells and she’s bouncing up and down while pumping her first.

Quinn’s right there with her and clapping her hands, “Great job, ladies!”

It’s not the prettiest sight, but it’s getting better and they’re progressing fast. Santana can’t stop glancing over at Brittany as she praises everyone, she’s just so perfect in this role and she loves to see her girl this proud.

Santana smiles but then catches sight of Alex with her leg propped up on a bench off to the side. She’s clapping for her teammates and on the surface she looks proud too, but Santana knows her better than that.

“How’s the toe?” Santana asks after waltzing over.

“Put me in and we’ll find out,” Alex challenges without missing a beat. It makes Santana toss back her head with a hearty laugh.

“Not a chance, kid.”

“Come on, Coach, I need to get back in there. I’ll wrap it and I’ll be fine,” Alex just about pleads.

“You want to risk injuring yourself even further?” Santana shakes her head, “No way.”

Alex frowns and slumps back against the wall, “This is stupid.”

“Sure is,” Santana chuckles then pats her on the top of her head, “You’ll be back in soon.”

When Santana leaves her side to rejoin Quinn and Santana, they’re breathless from all the cheering.

“That was so awesome,” Brittany beams while the squad winds down amongst themselves, “I bet they’ll perfect this by next week.”

“Definitely,” Quinn agrees then calls for the squad to gather one last time before being dismissed. They’re slow to come over, drained from such an intense practice and quickly packing up the mats.

“Great work today, everyone!” Brittany tells them happily, “Like really awesome job, we’re going to crush it at Nationals for sure.”

The squad looks pleased with the feedback as they start pumping each other up.

“Rest up, tomorrow we’re focusing on stunts again,” Quinn tells them and the rest of the coaches wave to everyone as they all begin to gather their belongings. Quinn goes off to lock up the equipment room which leaves Santana and Brittany by the bleachers packing up.

“God, I can’t wait to go home,” Santana sighs as she stuffs everything in her duffle, “I’m ready for a hot shower and I think we should order take out from that one place you love so much too and like veg out on the –“

Santana’s words are cut off when she feels Brittany’s lips press against her cheek. It catches her off guard but she turns to her and smiles like a dope.

“What was that for?” She asks when she finds Brittany grinning.

“You said home,” Brittany tells her simply, “You called the apartment home. You’ve never called it that before.”

Santana blushes at the fact and suddenly she feels a little shy about it, “It just came out.”

“I know,” Brittany smirks as she pulls her bag onto her shoulder, “That’s what makes it so great.”

Santana bites her lip at that and lifts her bag to her shoulder too. Soon Brittany’s hand slides into Santana’s and their fingers thread together. It’s warm and soft and it makes Santana feel grounded.

“Let’s go home.”

“Okay,” Santana grins and squeezes at Britt’s hand before calling out over her shoulder towards the equipment room, “Hurry up, Q! We’re about to leave your ass!”

\\

6 Weeks Until Nationals;

Santana watches alongside with the rest of the coaches as Denise is tossed into the air and nearly collides with Maddy when securing her position. The shaky movements have the base girls struggling to get their footing and soon Denise crashes into Maddy and the two come toppling down. Their falls are broken so no one gets hurt, but that kind of mistake shouldn’t be happening this far into practice.

“Listen to directions people!” Santana scolds, “Laura and Steph, you have to hold it. You can’t just walk away, you have to try and save it. I’ve told you this so many times already. You have got to listen if you’re gonna work on a team. This is how accidents happen.”

“Sorry Coach,” They frown and go to shake out their arms.

Santana just shakes her head, “Go back to conditioning.”

She’s got her hands on her hips and she’s doing everything she can to keep Snixxx at bay. Brittany tries to comfort Santana as she puts some distance between the squad and her.

“You okay?” Brittany asks hesitantly as Santana goes for her water bottle.

“That could’ve ended so badly,” She says after taking a drink. She glances over to where Quinn is working with Alex in some easy conditioning and adds, “Maddy and Denise could’ve been injured. We could’ve been down three girls.”

“Yeah, but that didn’t happen,” Brittany tries and she places a comforting hand on Santana’s arm, “It could’ve but it didn’t. We’re just going to have to make sure it never happens.”

Santana sighs but nods along with Brittany in the end, “Why is this job so stressful? You know I found a grey hair last night? Just ridiculous, I did not sign up for this.”

Brittany chuckles at her dramatics and pokes at Santana’s side, “You make a great coach, babe.”

“I guess,” Santana grumbles playfully and plasters on a look of confidence before turning back to the squad, “Alright, let’s do this again! We’re not stopping until we get it right.”

\\

4 Weeks Until Nationals;

“Check this out, Coach S!” Alex calls out and goes to take a running start before tumbling across the mat. She hits a back hand spring to full and lands it perfectly, showing off a proud smile. Her teammates are jumping excitedly from the sidelines and Santana swears Maddy’s cheers come be heard above them all.

“Glad to have you back,” Santana smirks, “Now if you’re done showing off maybe we can get back to this pyramid?”

“Going full out today,” Alex nods resolutely and she jogs off as everyone takes their position.

“Let’s see it then,” Santana smiles proudly and turns back to Brittany and Quinn, “Record this. I have a good feeling about it.”

Quinn nods and gets out her phone while Brittany waits by the speaker for the signal to start. Santana nods and turns back to the squad as they begin with the routine. Everyone is hitting their stunts and it’s actually looking pretty flawless; even Alex falls back into place as if not time had been lost. Kelly looks even better than before with all the extra practice she’s been putting in to fill Alex’s place and it really rounds out the entire routine.

“Okay, here we go,” Santana mumbles to herself as Maddy is thrown up, followed by Denise, then Alex and it all holds to form a perfect pyramid.

“Hold it, hold it!” Brittany chants and the girls hold their positions for a couple seconds longer before turning out and landing in their next position. Brittany claps and pumps her fist in the air, “That’s it! Yes!”

When the music fades the girls are all cheering for each other after pulling off their first full out with Alex back that was more than perfect.

“I think we’re almost there,” Quinn comments quietly after stopping the recording, “That looked really good.”

“Just need to stay on them,” Santana adds, “It has to be perfect. They’ve got to be doing these moves in their sleep.”

“They probably already do judging by that last full out,” Brittany smirked.

The coaches all exchange a look of relief before breaking off to dismiss the girls for today’s practice.

2 Days Until Nationals;

“I want you all to understand something before we get on this flight tomorrow,” Quinn says once the squad gathers after another grueling practice. Santana and Brittany flank her as she speaks seriously, “These next couple of days aren’t going to be a vacation just because we’re in a new place. We’re going to L.A. on a mission. We’re going to win, there is no other option. When we go anywhere, you’re representing this school and the long line of Cheerios that are looking to you to uphold this legacy. It is very serious and you all need to keep that in mind when you’re out there. Understand?”

“Yes Coach,” The team says in unison.

“Good,” Quinn nods and looks between the other coaches, “Anything to add?”

“We’re really proud of the progress you’ve made over the last few months,” Brittany says through a smile, “Trust each other, know what you have to do. Go out there and do your job and represent us well.”

“What Coach B said,” Santana agrees, “And everyone please show up on time tomorrow morning. I know it’s early but if I have to be up at the crack of dawn then so do you. I don’t want to hear any complaints other than my own.”

The squad nods and once they’re happy with their final words until L.A., they dismiss the team for the night.

“This is it,” Quinn says to Santana and Brittany. They all let out a sigh and the nerves are already there, but Santana’s not sure they ever really left.

“Yeah, it is,” Santana nods and they all exchange a look before she says, “We’ll see you in the morning.”

\\

The trip from Lima to L.A. goes smoothly and after everyone gets checked into the hotel, the coaches are able to sneak off for an hour to meet up with Mercedes for coffee. It’s not a whole lot of time, but they’re happy that they’re able to catch up with her and get a little break from the cheering even if it’s only for an hour.

“You guys are going to kill it,” Mercedes tells them, “I can’t wait to see. I’ve never been to a cheer competition before.”

“It’s intense,” Brittany says after taking a sip of her iced latte, “The energy there is like no other. These kids have really been busting their butts the whole year just for this moment. I guess it’s kind of similar to Glee Club but no one gets thrown in the air for that.”

“It’ll be awesome,” Santana adds and she squeezes at Brittany’s thigh from under the table which earns her a smile, “Britt did an amazing job choreographing.”

“So is this what you’re planning to do now, Britt?” Mercedes asks, “You were always a bomb choreographer and I figured you’d go towards dance but sounds like you’re doing a great job with cheerleading. You could open a studio or something? I heard Mike was doing something like that out in Chicago.”

Santana’s interest is piqued because she actually hasn’t ever heard Brittany talk about what she wanted to do for a career. She knows she has a degree, but like Santana, she isn’t really using it. Britt’s just a natural when it comes to teaching, she lights up when she dances, but Santana stays quiet as she waits for Brittany’s reply.

“A studio would be cool, but I haven’t really made any concrete plans,” She shrugs and chances a shy glance towards Santana, “Just going with the flow for now.”

For some reason, the look makes Santana’s stomach flip.

“That’s cool,” Mercedes nods and looks to Santana, “How about you, Satan? Any big plans when the school year ends, you gonna stay in Lima?”

Santana’s stomach flips again. She wants to ask what’s with the twenty questions but she knows Mercedes is genuinely curious. She’s just a little on edge because she and Brittany haven’t actually talked about what happens after the year is up. She has a plan, sort of, but it’s not too in depth career-wise so she just speaks truthfully.

“I’m going wherever Britt goes,” Santana replies and chances a glance at Brittany to find her grinning back.

Thankfully Brittany’s too busy staring at Santana to notice the knowing look Quinn gives them both.

They spend the rest of the time catching up but soon they’re back at the hotel, gathering the squad for practice. It’s a different kind of energy practicing at the pop-up gym designated for the competing teams, but Santana can tell that the squad is pumped. Every full out is executed perfectly and they’re at the point now where there are no longer any slip-ups.

But even with that in mind, once they get out there tomorrow anything could happen. They could perform the routine perfectly in practice like they have been but go out there end up making the easiest mistake. She has seen it happen to even the top rated squads so no one is exempt now matter how much you practice. All they can do know is hope that all their work pays off and that they’d done everything they can to prepare the squad for this moment.

\\

Waking up the next morning, Santana can already tell it’s going to be a day. Her stomach is still in knots after her shower and she can hardly keep her breakfast down. Brittany looks to her like she’s going to fall apart at any moment, but Santana is tough.

Or at least, she can put on a brave face in front of everyone else.

“Here babe, drink this,” Brittany offers Santana a bottle of ginger ale she must’ve picked up downstairs. Quinn’s off showering while Santana sits at the edge of her and Brittany’s bed trying to get thoughts together.

“Thanks,” Santana smiles and starts to sip the drink slowly. She always hated how worked up she got for these sort of things. No matter what kind of pep talk she gave herself, she always ended up with an uneasy stomach.

Brittany comes to sit at the edge of the bed next to Santana and starts to rub comforting circles between her shoulder blades. When it came to competition day jitters, Brittany always handled them way better than Santana. Granted, her secret was waking up two hours before their alarm to go for a run to clear her mind. You couldn’t get Santana to do that even if you bribed her with sex afterwards.

“I hate this feeling,” Santana grumbles after taking a deep breath. She brings the bottle up to her lips again and goes for another sip, but she still feels so nauseous.

“I know you do,” Brittany gives her an apologetic smile and continues to rub at her back, “They’re going to be great out there, you know that.”

“Yeah,” Santana hums, “I know.”

Quinn emerges a moment later and looks to Santana, “Still feeling shitty?”

“I should be good to go once I finish this,” Santana says as she raises the bottle.

Quinn nods and sets off to finish getting ready while Santana and Brittany count down the minutes left before they need to start checking on the girls. With the start of the competition just a couple of hours away, they need to hurry up and get out there. The most practice they can get in before it’s their time, the better.

\\

“Love it. You look stunning. Great. Beautiful. Amazing,” Brittany compliments each girl that passes her as the squad enters the practice space in a single file line. There are other competing squads around so the tension is already in the air.

“Did Jessica do this poof?” Santana smirks as another girl passes her by, “It looks so good! Snooki would be very proud.”

“Higher the hair, the closer to God,” Quinn comments as she gives each girl an approving nod.

Once everyone gets settled on the mat, the coaches go to stand in front of them. They eye everyone from their hair to their make up  to their uniforms and everyone looks on point. That’s an easy ten points right there! They go on the perform their routine in its entirety and even gain the attention of a couple other squads that aren’t in the same bracket as them.

The coaches fill with pride upon seeing the awed expressions of the little audience they’ve gained. With completing another flawless execution, the onlookers clap and compliment the squad before dispersing. It’s great for the girls’ confidence and even settles some of Santana’s nerves that are still hanging around.

Santana has entered the fight or flight mode level of her anxiousness and is working on pure adrenaline for the time being. In front of the squad, she still rules with an iron fist and drills perfection into everyone’s heads even if she feels like puking every five minutes. With just fifteen minutes left until it’s their time to perform, the start making their way to the stage.

Everyone’s holding their heads high, determination in their eyes, as they walk through the sea of their competition. They all look fierce and the crowds part for them easily. There’s just something about the Cheerios that have always commanded attention; is it the amount of wins or is it their reputation? Santana doesn’t know, but she’s not going to ask questions either. This is one of the awesome perks of the Cheerios legacy, everyone knows who they are.

It’s also terrifying because Santana, Brittany and Quinn can either continue the tradition of winning or they can run the legacy right into the ground. Was Sue’s faith in them misplaced or did she know something the three of them didn’t? Did they do everything the can to secure a win? Did they do everything they can to prepare the squad?

These are the kind of thoughts that race through Santana’s minds as the squad gathers backstage.

“Okay girls, listen up!” Quinn calls out and everyone quickly comes together for a huddle. They’re all holding each other’s hands tightly as Quinn speaks, “This is your moment, this is what you’ve been working so hard for all year. You’re going to go out there and kill it. You already know what to do.”

“No matter what we place,” Santana adds, “You will wait and accept the award with a smile on your face. Then you will go over to whoever won first place and you will congratulate them. Get me?”

The girls all nod before Brittany begins to speak next.

“Who run the world?” She asks, trying to hype the girls up.

“Girls!”

“I said, who run the world?” Brittany calls out again, this time a little louder.

“GIRLS!”

“That’s right,” Brittany grins proudly then nods to the stage, “Go get’em.”

\\

It’s the most nerve-racking 2:15 minutes of Santana’s entire life, but she gets through it without passing out so that’s a plus. She had been screaming her lungs out along with Brittany and Quinn from the front of the stage where they were allowed to watch. Her palms were sore from smacking them so hard against the mat and her voice was hoarse but she’d do it all over again because their girls fucking did the damn thing.

There were a couple places that were shakier than they were in practice and there might’ve been a close call halfway through the routine, but nothing too detrimental. At least, not in comparison to some of the other teams’ mistakes she saw.

That First Place trophy was there’s, it has to be!

\\

The top five teams gather on stage and Santana’s squeezing Brittany and Quinn’s hands so tightly that she’s beginning to lose feeling. She has to remind herself to breathe as she watches the man slide open envelope after envelope. They watch anxiously as the remaining awards are slowly given away and the feeling only intensifies the longer the Cheerios stand there.

It’s a good thing, that means they’ve still got a shot at first.

The announcer couldn’t be any slower though as he reads out the team names and Santana hates the ridiculous build up as he finally gets around to calling out the team who placed third.

It takes her a moment to realize it, but she’s actually shaking from anticipation when he finally announces the Third Place winner.

She doesn’t hear the name of the squad, she doesn’t care.

All she knows is that it isn’t their girls.

The Cheerios are now in the top two.

“Please, please,” Santana hears Brittany mumble as the three of them watch on with high hope.

They worked their asses off, the coaches worked their asses off, they’ve got to win this!

The year has been full of development and Santana needs to hear their name, she needs to because these girls deserve it after losing their previous coach and having to deal with the three of them who have little experience.

She needs to hear their name because they need to be rewarded for how hard they worked for this, they need to be rewarded for the blood, sweat and tears they put into this.  

She needs to hear their name because she, Brittany and Quinn never would’ve pictured themselves in this position. They never dreamed of being coaches; they weren’t even talking before Sue roped them into doing this and now…to see how far they come, it would be gut-wrenching for them not to bring this win home.

“In Second Place,” The announcer starts off before taking a pause, “With a score of 98.4633…”

Santana just about blacks out as the announcer calls out the Second Place winner. He waves his hand towards the designated squad as his colleague presents them with a significantly smaller trophy.

The Cheerios remain stoic, just as Santana told them, as they watch the trophy get handed out.

Santana squeezes on the hands she’s holding a little tighter because the trophy is going to the team standing adjacent from the their girls.

“So in First Place with a score of 98.4751,” The announcer is suddenly speaking quickly, “The William McKinley High School Cheerios!”

\\

Santana hasn’t felt this kind of high since winning Nationals in New York so she can only imagine how the kids feel toting around the giant Nationals trophy through the halls of WMHS upon their return to Lima.

Faculty and students watch on as they make their way through the halls and Santana can hear is the sound of We are the Champions playing through the loud speakers.

She’s been replaying the moment the trophy was handed to the girls on stage back in L.A.; how Brittany lifted her in the air and spun around just as she always does, how Quinn scrambled to get climb on stage and nearly busted her ass getting up there, the feeling of pure accomplishment as they all gathered to have their picture taken.

They did it, they actually fucking did it.

They took this squad and managed to coach them all the way to Nationals without a bit of experience coaching and won.

They put their lives on hold and took on Sue’s random proposition and succeeded.

So now what?

\\

“Welcome Coaches!” Figgins greets loudly and he’s standing behind his desk with his arms held out. If the desk wasn’t in the way, Santana’s sure he would go in for a hug, “And National Champions, congratulations!”

The three coaches bow their heads in thanks as they settle into their usual seats.

“As you know, Sue enlisted you three to lead the Cheerios to another win and you have accomplished that. Sue also promised a bonus if you were to place at Nationals.”

“Yes. We know,” Santana replies, already over the anticipation.

Figgins’ smile falters as he goes to reach beneath his desk to retrieve a stack of tapes, “Sue left these behind as well. There is a tape for every instance you may have encountered,” He starts to squint at the labels and read out the titles, “Didn’t place at Sectionals? Disgrace. Didn’t Place at Regionals? Shameful. Didn’t Place at Nationals? Outrageous.”

“None of those apply to us,” Quinn states with furrowed brows.

Figgins smiles grows, “Yes. I have a tape for that too.” He leans over to slide the tape into the VCR – why is that even a thing still, Santana will never know.

Soon the screen fills with Sue sitting at her desk. There’s a proud smirk on her face as she greets the coaches, “Well, well, well…looks like you three aren’t completely useless after all. If you’re watching this, that means you actually took the squad all the way to Nationals and won. If that’s not the case, Figgins…you’re fired.”

“She can’t fire me,” Figgins assures them, but the girls remain focused on the screen.

“You’ve managed to take this team worthy of greatness and lead them to victory. Without my tutelage, they would’ve failed but I had faith in you that you three would be able to carry on my legacy and – look at that – I wasn’t wrong. Congratulations ladies, you’ve earned this. Figgins! Hand out the envelopes.”

Figgins nods as if Sue is really there and starts to pass out three envelopes.

“I am a woman of my word so inside those envelopes you will find the bonus checks I promised to you at the beginning of the year.”

Santana’s eyes go wide as she counts the zeroes, “How in the hell?”

“Don’t question where it comes from, Sandbags,” Sue points out and Santana pales at the call out. Maybe Sue really is there in spirit? “You’ve earned it ladies, I’m sure the squad put you through hell but maybe now you can understand why I am the way that I am. Or was? I’m technically speaking to you from beyond.”

Brittany chuckles at that but Santana’s still in shock from the amount of money jotted down on this check.

“The odds were against you this year and truthfully, I didn’t think you’d get this far. Maybe place first at Sectionals, because anyone can place first there, but Nationals is a whole other thing. You exceeded my expectations of you and for that, I have one thing left to ask.”

“Here we go,” Quinn mumbles as the three of them scoot to the edges of their seat in anticipation for what’s about to come.

“You’ve managed to take this team all the way to Nationals with little experience and you won,” Sue reiterates, “That is the making of true greatness, I would know. Not just anyone is worthy of this role, so extend the offer to you three once more. Coach the girls again, bring home another win, uphold the Cheerios legacy. Give it one more year. The same offer will continue to renew for as long as you decide to stay.”

Then the tape cuts out and the screen goes black.

Santana, Brittany and Quinn are left there staring at the screen as if it’ll give it more answers. Santana doesn’t know what to think, she doesn’t know how to react. She just sits there and lets it all soak in.

Another offer. One more year. Stay in Lima.

“Well Coaches, the decision is yours,” Figgins says after a moment, “You have time to think it over, but I do hope you return. We would be so lucky to have you all coach for us again.”

\\

Santana doesn’t really hear anything Quinn says as she stands, but she takes note of Brittany’s movements too and follows them both out of the room when they turn to leave. Her mind is moving a mile a minute and the bonus check weighs heavily in her hand. She made enough money over the year to return to New York and this bonus check is enough to find a way nicer place than she had before.

But that’s just a big chunk of money that she’ll have to chip away over time, how long will it last? Could she return to working at the Spotlight Diner just to make ends meet when it all runs out? Could she even go back to that after the kind of accomplishments she earned while coaching? Does she have any idea what she wants to after this?

“You look like you’re going to explode,” Brittany comments as she nudges Santana.

Santana blinks slowly and realizes that they’re out in the parking lot. She sees Quinn hanging back a little while Brittany rests against the car. Santana tries to smile at them both, “It’s a lot to take in.”

“Yeah,” Brittany chuckles lightly and reaches out to hold Santana’s hand.

“Like Figgins said, we’ve got time to decide,” Quinn shrugs as she takes out her car keys, “You guys talk about it and let me know what you want to do. Okay?”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Brittany nods and looks to Santana expectantly.

“Yeah, I can do that,” Santana says too.

“Okay, well I’m going to head off then,” Quinn replies and goes to hug them both, “I’ll see you both on Monday.”

Once Quinn leaves, Brittany and Santana linger by Brittany’s car. They don’t move to get in, just rest against it in silence. It’s not awkward but there’s some tension there that Santana’s starts to hate the longer it stays.

“Do you want to – “

“It’s good money, Britt,” Santana blurts out and she’s already so deep in thought. She has been since leaving Figgins’ office.

Brittany softens, “San – “

“There’s benefits and it’s stable, the hours aren’t ridiculous and the kids aren’t so bad,” Santana starts to list aloud. She pauses for a moment, “But it’s Lima and I don’t know how I feel about staying here…because it’s Lima. We always said we’d get out of here and we did but coming back was never part of the plan. But the plan…it’s not exactly what it once was because none of this was apart of the plan. The plan involved living in New York – “

“You don’t have to do this now,” Brittany offers as she turns to look at Santana, “There’s time to talk about this.”  

Santana can see what looks like sadness or maybe worry in blue eyes and Santana wonders why that is as she says, “I know but I can’t just push it aside, not when it’s something this big. I’m just going to keep thinking about it until we decide.”

“Wait…We?” Brittany questions and suddenly the sadness fades, “As in, you and I?”

Santana smiles at her surprised tone, “Well, yeah? You’re my girlfriend, Britt, we do things together. We decide on things together. This isn’t just my choice, not when it effects you too.”

Brittany blinks like she’s taken aback and that surprises Santana.

“I – I thought…” Brittany stammers and a shy smile finds its way onto her lips as she shakes her head, “Nevermind, it was a silly thought.”

Did she think they weren’t going to do this together? Did she think she was going to leave her behind again? Santana can’t help but wonder.

“We’ve done the whole trying to do what’s best for each other without actually talking about it and that never ends well,” Santana adds as she pulls Brittany towards her. Her hands settle on her hips and Brittany’s instantly run up Santana’s arms, “And like I’ve said all year, I want to do things right this time. I want us to work. So I think we should go home and talk about this, because I don’t want to make this decision without us both being on the same page. Does that sound alright with you?”

“Yes,” The smile Brittany gives her is the brightest, most hopeful Santana’s ever seen before. It’s almost has her dropping down on one knee for maybe the third time all week.

Next Friday really can’t come fast enough.

#Two Ghosts #Brittana #Brittana Fanfiction #This chapter is so long lol