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sohemotional · 2 years ago

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Could you write a Brittana song fic based on "Baby It's Cold Outside" please?

How I wish we got to hear Brittana singing this to each other! So many missed opportunities for Brittana duets. This is set sometime during S3E09 - Extraordinary Merry Christmas. M-Rated but nothing too raunchy.

Santana had never been a big fan of Christmas but now that she was dating Brittany, she got swept up in the fun of it almost as much as her Christmas elf girlfriend. Brittany playfully chided her for taking bites out of the snowman-shaped cookies that had been freshly baked and placed on the Pierce family's kitchen table to cool while Lord Tubbington watched the two bakers with baleful eyes from the corner.

"Santana! You know those are for Santa."

"Sorry. I'm sure old fatso has had more than enough of these to last him a lifetime. Besides, I can't help it - your cookies are so tasty, Britt." Santana smirked, kissing Brittany on the cheek as she sneakily got behind her, wrapping her arms around the blonde's waist. Brittany smiled, dipping her head bashfully.

"Mmm, all thanks to someone's help," Brittany turned around in Santana's embrace to face her, adjusting the Santa hat she had placed on the darker girl's head. "Such a flatterer. I can't resist you when you're dressed like this."

Santana raised an eyebrow, as she never knew what to make of her girlfriend's odd attraction to her in a Mrs. Claus outfit but she didn't complain one bit because it got her plenty of sweet kisses and more. Their lips met and Brittany smiled into the kiss, which made Santana smile as well.

"You taste so good. Delicious."

"And you look so good in that apron..." Santana flirted, pulling Brittany closer by her hips as her voice dropped low and husky while she leaned in for another kiss. "I think it would look even better on your bedroom floor."

At that moment they were interrupted by Whitney and Pierce Pierce loudly moving into the kitchen, smirking when they saw the position the two were in. Santana's face turned a deep shade of red and Brittany giggled, her own face flushed as she pulled away from the kiss but remained in the embrace, not taking Santana's hands off of her.

It wasn't like it was anything new to the Pierces that Brittany was dating Santana now and they had walked in on the two girls so many times that Santana could barely look Whitney in the eye. There was no way to really erase the embarrassment of your girlfriend's parents catching you getting frisky with their little girl on the living room couch.

"Oh my! I hope we're not interrupting anything," Whitney chuckled, putting on her coat. "You two are just so cute. Dad and I are going out, since well... someone forgot it's Christmas and we have some last minute shopping to do. We trust you to hold down the fort when we're gone."

"Sure, Mom. You got it." Santana grinned at how breathless Brittany sounded when she answered her mother. Whitney winked at them.

"Have fun... but not too much fun!" The older blonde woman yelled as she grabbed a confused looking Pierce's arm and pulled him out to her car in the driveway. “We’re not ready for grandkids just yet.”

"Where were we?" Santana husked into Brittany's ear seductively when the parents had driven off finally. Brittany shivered at the hot breaths against her neck but tried to resist the temptation, putting her finger against Santana's full lips.

"Uh uh, Babe... not just yet. We still have presents to wrap."

"Hmm there's something else I'd like to unwrap instead..."

"Santana!" Brittany giggled, slapping her on the arm lightly. She moved away before she could give in to the temptation of kissing that dimpled, sexy smirk off of Santana's face. Her girlfriend was irresistible. She went over to put back some decorations on the tree that Lord Tubbington had knocked off for the hundredth time that morning.

“San - Sandtana, can you help me with my snowman?” Tiffany, Brittany’s six year-old little sister chose that moment to run into the kitchen from the front yard and Santana jumped away from her girlfriend who she was in the middle of kissing. “Ew you guys aren’t allow to kiss on the lips!”

Brittany and Santana laughed at the little blonde girl’s offended face and the way she still couldn’t pronounce the dark-haired girl’s name. Santana inwardly groaned but she couldn’t very well deny her girl’s cute little sister anything she wanted.

“Sure, Princess. We’ll build the best snowman ever.”

“Let her breathe, Tiff.” Brittany giggled, shaking her head as the already tall girl tugged on Santana sleeve, pulling her at full speed into the Pierce’s yard and sticking out her tongue at her big sister. Of course, that meant both Pierce girls and Santana spent what felt like a million years having a snowball fight when Tiffany had finished her snowman, the three of them laughing the entire time.

After they finished, they went inside for hot chocolate made by Brittany and the freckled blonde surprised Santana by grabbing the collar of her shirt, pulling her in close and kissing her softly. She pulled away after a few seconds, catching a confused Santana’s eye.

“You’re kissing?!” Tiffany shouted, scandalized but giggling.

“It’s mistletoe. We have to.” Brittany laughed, pointing at it overhead.

Santana didn't get to enjoy the Christmas gift she actually wanted - getting Brittany in bed for some alone time - as the blonde kept her busy with cooking up a storm and asking her for help with putting up some more lights outside the Pierce's house. Of course, Santana never refused but it made her a little grumpy that she didn't get any further than making out with the blonde while her parents were out. Tiffany being around only made it even more difficult to get up to any hanky panky with the hot blonde as they had to keep it G-rated.

"This is the best Christmas I've ever had. A million times better than the last one." Santana admitted as they sat around drinking some wine later in Brittany’s bedroom after dinner with the Pierces. She was lazily lying on her back on Brittany’s bed while the blonde sat perched on the edge. Her expression darkened as she thought of the depressing previous year when part of her thought she had lost the blonde for good. "You and Artie..."

"Oh, Santana. That could never even compare to us," Brittany kissed her reassuringly, climbing onto Santana's lap and leaning over her. “You know I always loved you the most.”

"Me too. What do you say we make this Christmas even more special, Beautiful?" Santana's smiled turned lustful, raising her eyebrows as she looked over Brittany's body. The blonde knew exactly what she was thinking and rolled her eyes with a giggle when the darker girl put her hands on her waist. Brittany heard the robotic meow tone that told her someone sent her a new text and pulled away from Santana, reaching over to pick up her pink flip phone that was on her bedside table.

“Who’s that?”

"Huh. The Glee Club invited us to their party tonight." Brittany said, reading the texts on her phone that were suddenly coming in. Santana’s mood darkened and she made a sound of annoyance, shaking her head. It was already seven and the last thing she wanted to do was go back out. Besides, there was something way better she could be doing.

“Kind of late notice and it’s not as if I want to spend my Christmas Eve with those tone deaf losers,” Santana muttered grumpily, crossing her arms behind her head as she lay back against Brittany’s pillow. “Don’t any of them have a life outside of Glee Club?”

“I don’t know San... maybe we should go. Mr. Schue is going and Rachel’s going to be singing.”

“Fuck Schue and Rachel! Who the hell cares about them? They can all go get stuffed up a chimney for all I care.”

The blonde couldn’t stop laughing at how infuriated her girlfriend was.

“What? I want you alone okay. We have plans.” Santana insisted, nipping Brittany’s ear and toying with the waistband of her tight jeans when the blonde moved closer.

“Oh really? What plans are those?” Brittany acted coy, batting her eyelashes.

“Plans for you and me, Babe. You know you want it.”

“I don’t know if we can do that... my parents and sister are just down the hall. Not to mention, what would Santa Claus think if he saw?”

“What? Britt, they’re not gonna know. To hell with the dumbass Glee Club and everyone else.”

Brittany smiled at Santana’s annoyance at the others. She knew how much Santana had been looking forward to getting her in the bedroom all day and teased her by singing a familiar tune.

I really can't stay

Santana’s lips curved upward at the sound of Brittany’s cute, clear and sweet voice. She joined in smoothly with her raspy, smoky voice and they went back and forth.

But, baby, it's cold outside

I've got to go away

But, baby, it's cold outside

Brittany smirked coyly as Santana played along, singing in a low voice and practically chasing her around the bedroom whenever the blonde teasingly skipped away. It was all a pretense on Brittany’s part as the blonde had no real intention of leaving, nor was she as innocent as she was acting and they both knew it.

This evening has been (Been hoping that you'd drop in) So very nice (I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice) My mother will start to worry (Beautiful, what's your hurry?)

Brittany sat down on the bed and Santana slid in next to her, slipping an arm around her shoulders with a lustful look in her eyes. Brittany pretended to play hard to get, slipping away from the Latina yet again and going over to put on her jacket. Santana pouted when the blonde moved the Latina’s hand off of her ass and pulled away with an innocent smile.

My father will be pacing the floor (Listen to the fireplace roar) So, really, I'd better scurry (Beautiful, please don't hurry) But maybe just a half a drink more (Put some records on while I pour) The neighbors might think (Baby, it's bad out there) Say, what's in this drink? (No cab's to be had out there)

Brittany didn’t know how Santana managed it but before she knew it, her pink ugly sweater had been pulled off and the Latina got her back into bed, crawling up to kiss her. Brittany playfully put her hand on her face, pushing her away and Santana laughed as she lost her balance, falling off of the bed. She recovered from that and smoothly took Brittany into her arms, the tension increasing between them as their eyes drifted to each other’s lips. Brittany thought there was nothing sexier than the way Santana was trying to seduce her and singing in her low, smooth voice.

I wish I knew how (Your eyes are like starlight now) To break this spell (I'll take your hat, your hair looks swell) I ought to say, "No, no, no, sir" (Mind if I move in closer?) At least I'm gonna say that I tried (What's the sense of hurtin' my pride?)

I really can't stay (Oh, baby, don't hold out) Baby, it's cold outside

Brittany gave her a quick peck on the lips and Santana grinned, obviously thinking she had “won” their game but then Brittany danced away once again, making it clear that the song wasn’t over. Santana was confused but followed along.

I simply must go (But, baby, it's cold outside) The answer is no (But, baby, it's cold outside) Your welcome has been (How lucky that you dropped in) So nice and warm (Look out the window at the storm) My sister will be suspicious (Gosh your lips look delicious) My brother will be there at the door (Waves upon the tropical shore)

Brittany loved how persistent Santana was being and ever time the Latina came near her with those intense, almost black eyes filled with consumed lust or caressed her skin, the taller girl would shiver as she found it increasingly difficult not to give in to temptation. Santana smirked mischievously, knowing the effect her actions had on the girl.

You've really been grand (I thrill when you touch my hand) But don't you see? (How can you do this thing to me?) There's bound to be talk tomorrow (Think of my lifelong sorrow) At least there will be plenty implied (If you got pneumonia and died)

I really can't stay (Get over that cold out) Baby, it's cold Baby, it's cold outside

They sang the last part together perfectly, their voices harmonizing sweetly and by the time they were done they were both breathless. Santana kissed Brittany long and hard when she finally got the taller girl into bed after that, chasing any thoughts of the Glee Club, little sisters, candy canes, elves, sugar plums, Santa and anything else that could distract her from her head. Santana got both of their clothes off so fast that Brittany wondered whether she had some kind of super power.

“You like?” Brittany smirked, noticing the way Santana froze and stared at her body with interest with those ever so dark, lustful eyes when she noticed the new lacy, red lingerie she was wearing that she had never seen before. Apparently Brittany had been planning this all along as well, the little tease. “Merry Christmas, Babe. It’s all for you.”

The Latina glanced at Brittany’s bedroom door, making sure it was locked before stripping the lacy, silk fabric of the thong away, moving her hand and showing her girl exactly how much she appreciated her Christmas gift.

“Oh, oh, oh, Santana!”

“Shh, Sweetheart.” Santana chuckled against her skin, kissing her cheek as Brittany had to muffle her moans against her pillow, a pink flush working its way up her chest to stain her pale, cheeks prettily.

The blonde rested her head against Santana’s chest a few steamy love making sessions later as both of them were sweaty and sated. She closed her eyes, tracing a heart on Santana’s skin and smiled against her, feeling warm and cozy nestled against her girlfriend as the snow continued to fall heavily outside.

#Brittana #Santana Lopez #Brittany S. Pierce #Brittana fanfiction #Glee #Christmas fic

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fallout-lou-begas · 2 years ago

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who would you say is your favorite wrestler? also please keep filling my dash with these big hot women wrestlers thank you

honestly i think it's kris statlander (which means there will be plenty of big hot woman posting). she's not even been medically cleared for in-ring activity the entire time i've started watching AEW but i've been going nuts on youtube and stream sites watching basically every statlander match that i can just because she's so strong and cool and fun and her movement is so expressive and a joy just to watch and her fits are to die for and on top of everything else her technique is just absolutely killer. i think if she so much as looked at me i would explode with a crunchy poor stock explosion effect, for dyke reasons. it's funny because it's like, i miss her but haven't even seen her live on television! i miss her without even knowing her! anguish. agony. i've also been watching a lot of thunder rosa matches just because she's the other really crucial wrestler out on indefinite injury leave and my god she's a blast. goes apeshit. again, just so much fun to watch; like statlander she just has that je ne sais quoi where she could be doing the most basic possible moves in the ring but it's still compelling because she's the one doing them, and she's just got it. this is probably just a form of confirmation bias but digging into the backlogs for these two wrestlers, it really does throw into relief how badly the women's division is limping with all the injuries. but maybe if kris wasn't doing the double-suplexes that made people fall in love with her, her knees wouldn't have exploded so it's like...man.

as far as wrestlers that are Actually Wrestling Right Now: i do love that jamie hayter and she's basically carrying the women's division of AEW singlehandedly on her shoulders rn because the whole outcasts thing is just foul but takes up so much oxygen; mox for his rabid desire to bleed and fluid-bond with every man who enters his field of vision; bandido is a lucha who i've only seen in the ring once, against bryan danielson, but who was AMAZING and i want to see him and his fucking execution-shot gesture running attack over and over; MJF for being literally perfect in every way as a champion heel to the point where i genuinely hope darby, sammy, and jungleboy all fail to take the title because i just think it would be a huge downgrade in entertainment value; samoa joe for being DA KING OF TELEVISION; stu grayson for being apeshit (and dark order in general is always such an entertaining stable); brian cage for being probably the epitome to me of the ferocious kind of Terminator heel who just destroys people, like the motherfucker looks like a miniboss in a batman video game; keith lee is a wrestler that i fell in love with basically immediately when he showed up to diss chris jericho and then i fell in double-love with him in the ring when he gave chris a fuckin polite little kissaroo on the forehead between blows.

honorable mentions go to Wardlow who i hated at first but who has sucked so much that he has endeared me. getting his car broken into. losing the title immediately. my ex-husband pointed out that he's a hired goon without a boss, like a stray cat, and it broke my little heart. the poor guy is acting out! he's troubled! there's also a lot of women wrestlers that i would love to see a lot more of like willow nightingale and nyla rose but either they're all wrestling on friday nights (i only really watch wednesdays) or the outcasts' feud with jamie hayter is really just burying opportunities for Literally Anything Else to happen in the women's division. jade cargill is an absolute beast but she has literally run out of people to fight so i hope taya valkyrie or something finally takes the belt away (as it's looking like) so that jade can do something else beside mulch regional guests. and yeah i think i do like britt baker as a wrestler, the dentist gimmick is good to me, she's good in the ring, and i know the legit feud with thunder rosa is messy and shitty but whatever, i like her matches (including THE hardcore cage match WITH thunder rosa pre-feud). honestly when rosa comes back, maybe they patch things up face-to-face or maybe they don't, but in either case i'm expecting a fucking barnburner of a grudge match that'll make the hardcore cage match look like a kindergarten classroom

#asks #louposting #wrstlng

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newyorkkiss · 1 year ago

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i saw your post! 🥄 we always seem to be up at the same fucked up times (well theyre fucked up in my timezone at least). i wanted to say first that i read your entire response to my last anon about how spoon never really blew up the way i think they couldve, & you were totally on point with everything you said- to a much more salient and coherent degree than my ask tbh. there are definitely Levels to it that i wasnt fully thinking on at the time, plus all the nuance with the fact that they were really underserved by their own label for so long!! really enjoyed seeing your thoughts, & still appreciating all your spoonposting a ton 🫶

idk if you remember but in my first ever anon i mentioned i had the opportunity to meet them that first time i saw them live through some random connections. they were nice! i remember telling them i'd loved their music for so many years, i remember being thanked and asked the "so what do you do" thing a little awkwardly haha. i was a depressed unemployed loser at that time in life so i just said "nothing" (also awkwardly) and then i do think it was britt who quipped something like "cheers, we're doing nothing tomorrow." then we took a pic. all this is to say i dont think its the worst idea in the world to try and meet them, theyre chill guys afaik- when it comes to whether they appreciate or despise unexpected fan interactions, you'd know better than me atp! i think as long as you dont hang your hopes on running into them, or harbor specific expectations to avoid ending up crushed if nothing happens and/or if it isnt what you had in mind, then i dont see why you shouldnt be open to it. but i also get if you dont think youd be able to keep that part of you in check, ive been there with stuff like this & avoided giving myself opportunities to be let down. you'll know better than i do the correct call to make for yourself right now, but hopefully my perspective is at least helpful <3

fyffgdgfdg i was high when i wrote that last ask i’m shocked you thought it was coherent… i’m not the clearest of writers when i tumble into a tangent – made esp. worse when i’m not sober. thank you for that lol.

and yeah i’ll take that advice on board. need to be rational and not deluded as much as my brain clouds me into thinking things etc etc etc !!

#much needed grounding sesh

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tuiyla · 2 years ago

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2x08 anon returning and oh my god your santana analysis is always so great to read. and it makes me emotional to think about her at the start of the show in those first two seasons attempting to cling to that compulsory heterosexuality and the status that it brings compared to how she ends up, an out and proud lesbian happily married to the woman she loves. and the fact that it all started with a throwaway line and joke about how sex isn’t dating 😭

Aww thanks Anon. Santanalysis is like home to me, honestly, in terms of the Glee fandom. I haven't been writing much meta lately, not for months now but I still have literally so much to say about her it's insane. It's hard to find the opportunity to so I'm grateful whenever people like you ask the interesting questions. I had another anon after you ask about her s2 arc so I'll be answering that as well.

I'll never get over Santana going from this deeply, deeply insecure and closeted girl to getting married to the love of her life and standing up for herself and identity. Do I wish season 3 hadn't dropped the ball, sure, but I think the impact is still there. And it's insane to think she was first not much more than an extra, than her relationship with Britt was a throwaway joke, but because even that meant something to people Naya did her absolute best to advocate for Santana and then portray it all as beautifully as she did. We'll never have another Santana Lopez.

#we'll never have another naya either but that's an even sadder side note #people who don't think santana is the single most important aspect of glee are wrong actually #good lord do NOT take that seriously lmao #(i mean. i do mean it but don't you dare @ me)#glee asks #anon #santana asks

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fondueforme · 8 months ago

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Brittany gave the boy a grin and a small wave of their fingers, much less awkward, but just as friendly. As if sensing the questions, they answered, “Don’t worry, we’re not live. I prefer being able to edit my videos myself before putting them out onto the internet, if not, Lord Tubbington is always there to lend a paw. He’s pretty good, even if he spends time slicing himself into some of the frames. He thinks it’s a game.” They shook their head with a fond smile, almost like a parent speaking of their rebellious teenager.

“Uh-huh and how are the rest of the birds at Dalton? I heard you’re going to be performing with Training Season at this year’s Sectionals! Who’s idea was it? Was it yours as one of the Warbler’s co-captains? Some of the lyrics go,” Britt cleared their throat before continuing, their voice changing as they started to sing. “I need someone to hold me close, deeper than I've ever known. Whose love feels like a rodeo, knows just how to take control.” They do a small curtsy at the camera before turning back to Blaine. “Feels like a rodeo, are you or are you not using this as an opportunity to use it as a Warbler mating call to the one and only trouty mouth, Sam Evans?” Brittany raised their eyebrows at him before waggling them and suddenly a paper is handed to them as they read, “You were quoted earlier saying , ‘If we were boyfriends, this would and-’ I quote ‘So not be the way that we would be making that public.’ End quote.”

They wave a hand again to encompass Blaine’s entire being and pause for dramatic effect. “So is this all a Rachel Berry level of elaborateness at making #BLAM public? Or are you once again going to leave all #BLAM shippers in delusional turmoil?” Brittany then seemed to remember something and added, “Oh yeah, you can also use that mug to get fondue or hot chocolate with Jamie-Lynn. And don’t look so worried, Blaine. Unlike the punch bowl later, Jamie runs a tight ship and there’s no chance of anything there getting spiked. It’s a very safe spot for everyone. The likelihood of you even getting slushied there are absolutely zero. You’re very welcome and thank you for being a guest on Fondue For Two.”

“Um. Hi Britt,” Blaine gave his old friend and the camera an albeit awkward friendly wave. The Warbler’s eyebrows furrowed as he wasn’t entirely sure how one should even react to such an ambush. Was this live? On the internet? Again? “Celeste.” He nodded his head to awknowlege the other cheerleader. Neckbrace cheerio. Huh. What a small world.

The tiny microphone wasn’t nearly as distracting as the sudden physical zoom in on his face. He knew Fondue For Two of course. Heck, he even followed Brittany on social media. It had a notorious reputation for bringing to light all various kinds of controversial subject matter. Lord Tubbington’s many out-of-hand addictions included. “Definitely still just playing for the one team,” Blaine eyed the camera lens suspiciously, figuring that that type of information was bound to gain the most attention. “But no, not the whole store,” Blaine quickly added. “Not yet anyway. So far it’s just this scarf, a hat, a t-shirt and a giant coffee mug, which, I don’t know I’ll get much use out of at a college sports game but Sam really wanted me to get regardless.” The Warbler chuckled.

His eyes darted toward the giant ‘x’ that marked his exact location on the map that they gave to him. How did they even do that? How did Brittany know they were going to bump into one another on this exact spot? Was all of this premeditated? Had they been following him around all day? Blaine cleared his throat as the worry lines on his forehead began to make their appearance once more. “That’s… very thoughtful of you, Britt.” He hesitated. “Thank you?” Emphasis on the question mark. “I will definitely try not to.”

#f2f: blaine.#f2f.#askbwarbler

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harryisapackersfan · 5 years ago

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top 10 nineties country bops. go

oh my GOD *shania voice* let’s go, girls

(i may or may not have a playlist that made this both easy to find things and so had to pick just 10)

man, i feel like a woman // shania twian (no contest)

ready to run // dixie chicks

that don’t impress me much // shania twain

XXX’s and OOO’s (an american girl) // trisha yearwood

this kiss // faith hill

born to fly // sara evans (it’s 2000, but i’m counting it)

any man of mine // shania twain

independence day // martina mcbride

she’s in love with the boy // trisha yearwood

sold // john michael montgomery (weird choice, i know, buti have vivid childhood memories of singing this in the back of the car, and my parents being impressed i could do the fast parts. praise and validation are very important to me djfhlsjf)

#this was almost all women which i LOVE #but also that john michael montgomery song is my childhood #so it felt right #i can't believe alan jackson and tim mcgraw aren't on here #but their presence is here in spirit okay #honestly you are lucky this wasn't just shania trisha and the dixie chicks tbh #britt thank you so much for this opportunity #asks #thepeacering

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kpopfanfictrash · 4 years ago

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Raise the Barre (Ch. 8)

Author: kpopfanfictrash

Pairing: Jimin / Reader

Rating: 18+ (Eventual Smut)

Genre: Enemies to Lovers / Dance Academy!AU

Warnings: underage drinking, angst, hoseok’s bare abs

Word Count: 10,705

Summary: You and Park Jimin have been rivals for as long as you’ve known one another; ever since he tripped you in the front row of your first dance convention. When you graduate from high school and enter Russet Ballet Academy, you tell yourself you’re leaving all past quarrels behind. The main problem with this though, is that your past seems determined not to leave you alone.

Worse still, the obstacles you face while out in the real world might prove more challenging than anything your enemy has to offer.

“Okay, even you have to admit this is too soon.” Finn stared, appalled at the chalkboard. “It’s not even Halloween!”

Laughing a little, you looped your arm around his to drag him towards the back. Plopping down in a chair, you placed your order number in the center of the table. Seating himself across the table from you, Finn began to undo his coat.

“Come on.” He grinned, brown hair flopping when he leaned forward. “Admit it – this is too early for holiday drinks.”

“Okay, maybe it’s a little early,” you acquiesced. “But Halloween is tomorrow! They probably just put up the holiday drinks so they don’t have to do it on Sunday.”

“Laziness!” he cried, jabbing a finger in the air.

Shaking your head, you smiled when Namjoon, the barista, placed a pumpkin soy latte before you.

“Thanks!” you said, pulling this towards you.

“No problem,” he said, flashing his dimples before he turned to leave.

Taking a long, slow sip of your drink, you groaned. “Oh my god. This is it. This is heaven.”

Finn laughed. “Is that seriously your first pumpkin drink of the season?” Sadly, he shook his head. “I remember our senior year, you dragged me out of bed at 7:00 AM on a Saturday just to get the first pumpkin drink of the year.”

“I know,” you sighed. “But I’ve needed the extra caffeine jolt each morning. Sweet drinks just don’t cut it anymore.”

“Ah, the first step in addiction.” Finn nodded sagely.

Smiling, you settled back in your seat as he took the first sip of his black coffee. It had been two weeks since your fight at the club and since then, Finn had been on his best behavior. For about a week, things between you had been awkward but slowly, your relationship was returning to normal.

Seated in the corner of your favorite coffee shop, you drank from your cup and glanced around the room. This was what you’d pictured when you imagined you and Finn living in the city together. Coffee dates, going on new adventures and continuing your relationship where it had left off.

Of course, this morning was only possible because Miss Britt’s ballet class had been cancelled. A contemporary master class had been scheduled for the afternoon, but your day before then was free – something you’d immediately taken advantage of by calling Finn. It was becoming easier to fit each other into your schedules, more like second nature, but things were still tense whenever things didn’t line up.

None of this was eased by the burgeoning whatever-it-was you’d shoved to the back of your mind regarding Jimin. Since the day of Mr. Vlad’s ballet class, you’d managed to keep your emotions in check, but were constantly on the lookout for dangerous situations. You and Jimin were professionals, obviously, but you were also only human. It was reasonable to have subconscious wants and desires, but these weren’t important unless you chose to act upon them.

You didn’t tell Finn about it because honestly, there was nothing to tell. Okay, so you’d felt an errant spark one day during a lift. Big deal. Finn had been your boyfriend for over two years – it would take more than that to threaten your relationship. A relationship which, frankly, had been getting stronger as of late. Telling him something as inconsequential as a spark you had with Jimin would only take you further down the wrong path.

“Are you sure you’re okay with us doing separate things tomorrow?” Finn interrupted your thoughts. His brow furrowed. “It is Halloween, after all.”

“Ah, yes.” You nodded. “Halloween, the internationally known couple’s holiday.”

He laughed. “Okay, point made – but still.”

“It’s fine,” you assured him. This was something you’d already been over. “It just makes sense like this! Your friends are going to that off-campus party and I promised Noelle I’d go to this club thing with her.”

“Right, of course.” Finn grinned. “I’m bummed I’ll miss seeing you as the Powerpuff girls, though. Who’s going to be the third one, again?”

“Well, I’m Blossom – obviously.”

“Of course.” He nodded. “Miss Responsibility.”

A twinge of annoyance went through you, but you pushed it aside. You didn’t think you were always the responsible one but admittedly, you’d been more on edge than usual lately.

“Anyways,” you continued with a roll of your eyes. “I’m Blossom, Noelle is Buttercup and Irene is going as Bubbles. It’ll be fun! Aside from the whole club part, of course.”

“It does sound fun,” Finn admitted, a tad mournful. “Meanwhile, I’ve been roped into the classic college bro costume of Ghostbusters.”

“Oh, come on! That is classic! You’ll be super cute in your… suit? Cargo pants? What do Ghostbusters wear again?”

“Knowing Ben, something tragic from Party City. Pray for me.”

“I’ll light candles.”

Finn grinned, sipping his coffee again and your conversation slipped naturally to other topics.

Halloween fell on a Saturday this year, which meant every college campus was gearing up for some epic parties. Noelle had managed to snag tickets to a club fancy enough to require an RSVP. Apparently, said brother she missed was a DJ and could get tickets to a lot of things if Noelle bothered to ask.

A bunch of people from Russet were going, which made you excited. There hadn’t been many parties with your classmates so far this semester. Despite technically being in college, your classmates were all under the same intense pressure, only made worse by constant early morning ballet.

This week though, even your teachers seemed to have decided you needed a break. Aside from the master class you had this afternoon, there were zero Russet classes until Monday morning. The break in schedule meant you could actually go out – and drink – if you so decided. You and Noelle were planning on attending a ballet class tomorrow, but your entire day after would be free.

You’d originally planned on seeing Finn during the day, but then he’d been invited to a Halloween darty (day party) starting at noon. Despite not seeing Finn on Halloween, you weren’t feeling stressed. It was only one holiday and not even a couple’s one, as you’d said.

After coffee, you kissed Finn goodbye and headed to class at Danley Hall. The atmosphere was different as soon as you entered the classroom – all of the students were buzzing, excited by the prospect of the weekend ahead. The excitement only grew when coupled with the fact that today’s class was contemporary.

For nearly two months, your training had been mostly ballet. This was the foundation of all western dance, and where most dance students were expected to start. Finally though, you were being given a chance to show off. Today’s teacher, Luna Jordan, was a well-known contemporary choreographer across the globe.

You’d done a master class with her once back in high school and honestly couldn’t wait to learn from her again. She wasn’t alone, though, you noticed as you walked in – an unfamiliar, dark-haired guy stood beside her, stretching lithely before the room’s mirror.

“Holy shit,” Noelle whispered as she came to a stop. “That’s Jeon Jungkook.”

Startled, you looked twice and saw she was right. You hadn’t recognized him without his bevy of followers, but Jeon Jungkook was known in the dance world. A child prodigy, he’d been on America’s Got Talent at age eleven and finished in second place. Following this, his family had moved to LA and he’d been in high demand for movies, music videos and performances ever since.

You remembered hearing he worked with Luna Jordan, but the thought hadn’t crossed your mind before now that he might be here.

Noelle cocked her head to one side. “He’s hot.”

“Noelle,” you hissed, trying to shush her.

“What!” A devious grin spread across her face. “Am I supposed to be blind, as well as mute?”

“Well, no, but –”

“Alright, everyone!” Miss Luna clapped her hands together. “I know everyone is excited for the weekend, but we unfortunately have an hour and a half together before then. Everyone spread out for warm-ups!”

A few people laughed, spreading out on the floor as class began. Noelle wriggled her eyebrows, pulling you towards the front in order to get the best spot. Hiding a smile, you ducked your head and settled beside her into a stretch.

Noelle was nearly as excited as you were for the opportunity to dance contemporary. Most of your classmates knew this to be your forte – you caught glances from the corner of your eye while you warmed up, trying not to let their attention get to your head.

Jimin was also near the front, although on the opposite side. You suspected your class was equally excited to see him perform – as talented as Jimin was at ballet, there was a reason you hadn’t thought he’d be at Russet this fall. Jimin’s strength in jazz and contemporary was unparalleled. You would’ve thought he’d gone to LA to become a dancer like Jungkook.

Speaking of whom – Jungkook really was attractive; that much couldn’t be denied. He had dark, wavy hair pulled into a bun and cheekbones sharp enough to cut glass. When he glanced up from his stretch, his gaze somehow found yours and he smiled.

Eyes widening, you stared until you caught sight of Jimin behind him. Glancing between the two of you, Jimin’s expression soured before he looked away. Lips parting, you felt the sudden urge to say something, but there was too much distance between you.

“You ready?” Miss Luna called, an upbeat pop song blasting from the stereo. “Let’s go!”

She launched into isolations, leaving the rest of the class to follow. Warm-ups passed quickly and before you knew it, you were gathered at center to learn the combination. Miss Luna’s style was right up your alley. The steps came easily and, once you’d learned the whole chorus, she left you alone to practice.

You were helping Ari with a difficult move when you caught sight of Sabrina as you turned. She’d positioned herself near the back, which had to be a first. Usually, Sabrina was front and center to allow for maximum receipt of teacher praise.

The decision to stand near the back could’ve been strategy – sometimes, dancers did that at conventions. Conventions were giant weekends of competition with teachers from all over the globe who taught master classes to hundreds of dancers in hotel ballrooms and convention centers. Space at the front tended to be limited, so some stayed at the back, where there was more room to dance and be seen. You had a greater likelihood to capture the teacher’s attention when you had the room to do incredible leaps.

Sabrina’s decision didn’t seem strategic, though. While you watched, Sabrina stumbled transitioning from one move to the next. A brief twinge of pity went through you.

It was easy enough to spot ballerinas dancing anything but ballet. Although ballet was the root of modern westernized dance, it could be hard to translate into other styles. Ballet was more rigid than contemporary, jazz or hip-hop. In ballet, each position was defined, individual style was limited, and dancers were expected to all look the same. Standing out in the corps de ballet was equally frowned upon as missing an entrance.

Not that ballet wasn’t important to all dance styles, mind you. Even hip-hop dancers took ballet to improve their balance, core strength and general understanding of the body. There was an element of individuality in other dance styles, though, which lacked in ballet. Contemporary and hip-hop dancers were expected to have relentless technique all while creating their own, unique flair.

Just looking at Sabrina you could clearly see the holes. She was trying so hard to emulate the moves of Miss Luna, she was kind of missing the point. When Miss Luna did a certain flick of the wrist, it wasn’t a defined part of the choreography, but rather an individual choice.

Without thinking, you took a step forward – only to stop. Sabrina wouldn’t want your help; she’d already made that abundantly clear. Besides, you knew her friend Katie to be a contemporary dancer. She could help Sabrina and yet, when you looked, you saw Katie practicing near the front with Jungkook.

Jungkook obviously knew the steps, since this was probably the tenth time he’d learned the combination. Dance teachers often did that – selected a dancer to attend classes with them, traveling to different cities to demonstrate the combination and help when they weren’t free.

Before you could decide whether to help Sabrina, Miss Luna clapped her hands again.

“Let’s do groups!” she declared. “I’ll count you off into groups of four, and each group will showcase. Sound good?”

It wasn’t really a question so much as an announcement. The rest of the class nodded, waiting while Miss Luna counted you off. You ended up in the same group as Irene, Paulo and a few others. Jimin and Noelle were in the group two, while Sabrina was in the group after theirs.

Jogging off to the side, you waited while the first group took center. You were part of group four, which meant you’d be amongst the last to dance on the floor. When the music began, you closed your eyes and began to mark the combination. You tried not to focus on what anyone else was doing, but this became difficult once Noelle’s group stepped up.

Noelle had trained in jazz and contemporary, although she’d stopped in high school to focus mainly on ballet. Still, her artistry shone in her movement. She could definitely stand to loosen up a bit but was still one of the best in the bunch. You found yourself smiling when she landed a turn, silently cheering her on from the side.

While you were watching, Jimin cut across your vision.

Dropping to the ground, he rolled and arched as his forehead brushed wood. His quality of movement was breathtaking and for a moment, you felt like you were back in high school.

Suddenly returned to those dimmed auditoriums, you watched Jimin take the stage like an otherworldly being. His body seemed to move before your mind could comprehend. Barely did he finish one move before he was starting another, the steps flowing endlessly together like unhindered water. Although you knew the combination and knew how you would dance it, watching Jimin perform was a different experience entirely.

Ballet required dancers to stay on the beat but in contemporary, they were expected to lag. Extensions were all the more breathtaking when they clung to the last second, seeming as though the dancer might not make it before they caught up. Jimin was an expert in this, knowing exactly when to hang precariously over the edge and when to pull back.

Watching him dance, that pesky, strange something bloomed in your chest again.

Squashing this quickly, you looked away and resumed marking the combo. The end of the song was improvisation though and, unable to stop yourself, you found your attention drifting to Jimin again. He was ridiculously beautiful – you nearly didn’t hear when Miss Luna called for them to stop. As she turned off the music, she applauded the group while they walked from the floor.

Breathing heavily, Noelle came to a stop alongside you and – somewhat guiltily, since you hadn’t been watching – you gave her a high-five.

“That was awesome!” you said with a grin. “You definitely stood out in the group.”

Noelle snort-laughed. “Not with Jimin up there, but that’s okay. This is his specialty – and yours,” she added with a wink. “I’m psyched for group four.”

“Ah,” you groaned, rubbing your neck. “Too much pressure.”

Noelle laughed, shaking her head as group three took the floor. Both of you fell silent to watch, your curious gaze finding Sabrina in the back. Sabrina looked almost nervous; an emotion which seemed out of place on her features. It made her look almost human.

As soon as the music began, you stifled a wince. Sabrina stood out from the group, and not in a good way. She had the combination down but moved with a woodenness you would’ve expected from someone half her age. It was enough for you to glance at Miss Luna, wondering if she had noticed.

“Wow,” Noelle whispered, looking almost gleeful. “Sabrina is terrible.”

“Noelle!” you whisper-laughed.

“What? After everything she’s done? After everything she’s said?” Noelle’s gaze narrowed. “Sabrina deserves this.”

Despite privately agreeing, you couldn’t help but feel bad as Sabrina continued. Not wanting to watch any longer, you turned towards the front and resumed marking the combo. As soon as Miss Luna cut the music and polite clapping ensued, you turned back around.

It was time for group four. A shaky, sick feeling entered your stomach as you walked to center. So many eyes were on you, but it had been so long since you danced contemporary. You couldn’t help but wonder if you were as good as people seemed to imagine. Surrounded by so many dancers at Russet, surely your own talent would pale in comparison.

As soon as the music began though, everything faded. Insecurities slipping away, a lightness entered your chest as, eyes falling shut, you slowly inhaled.

Taking a step forward, you opened your eyes and began.

To you, dance had several phases. The first was learning, where you memorized each step and put them in order. The second was understanding, where your muscle memory began to take over and the combination felt smoother. The final phase, performance, was when you thought not of the steps, and were free to just dance.

This was your favorite phrase. In this phase, your mind separated from your body, leaving you only with sweat and emotion. Dance was the only art form composed solely of the body. An odd combination of physical strength and artistic beauty, it was both a testament to human capability and human emotion.

Losing yourself in the music, you ebbed and flowed through the combination until the choreography ended and improvisation began. Finally, you let go and held nothing back. Raw, unbridled passion poured out as you lost sight of yourself, so consumed by the movement.

When the song finally finished and you came to a stop, you were panting for breath. Glancing up, the first person you saw was Jimin.

He stood off to one side, leaning casually against the rungs of the barre, but his expression was anything but. Focused on you, his gaze had turned dark in a way which made you catch your breath.

Miss Luna clapped both hands once again, returning your attention to her. Blinking, Jimin shook his head and in your peripheral, you saw him straighten.

“Very good!” Miss Luna scanned the group. “I know our time is nearly at and end, but why don’t we have a few students come out and demonstrate?”

Again, this was fairly common in master classes. After learning the combination, teachers would often single out students to perform as examples. It wasn’t always the students with the best technique who got chosen. Oftentimes, it was as much for passion and performance quality.

Taking a step forward, Miss Luna began to call out names. You were one of the first – setting your water down, you jogged back to center. Jimin was the next person called, then Noelle, much to your excitement. Jungkook was also instructed to join on the floor.

Turning the lights halfway down, Miss Luna pressed play and let you improvise until the combination began. Jungkook started dancing and honestly, he was beautiful, but you couldn’t linger on him for long.

Catching sight of Jimin again, you were once more transported to earlier times. This wasn’t the first time you’d been called out together. Oftentimes, this had happened at conventions but back then, your mind had been too clouded to see him for who he was.

You’d always wanted to beat him in high school, but now, you were consumed by the oddest desire to see him do well.

Glancing up, Jimin caught your gaze and he smiled – but then, the combination began.

By the time you were finished, you could hardly catch your breath but somehow, you felt the most alive you’d been in ages. Back in your own element, surrounded by some of the most amazing dancers in the world – this was what you’d imagined when you came to Russet.

People around the room clapped, some of them begrudgingly. You got the impression many of your classmates weren’t used to not being chosen. As you walked from the floor, you saw surprisingly, Sabrina wasn’t amongst them.

Instead, Sabrina simply looked tired – as though she’d tried her best and it hadn’t been enough. You knew that look. You sympathized with that look.

The look lingered in the back of your mind while you packed up your things and listened to Noelle discuss Halloween tomorrow. When she mentioned Ari had decided to visit her family this weekend, an idea began to form in your mind.

“Wait,” you interrupted, looking up. “Ari can’t come tomorrow?”

Noelle shook her head. “Her brother just turned eighteen, so her whole family is having a party or something.”

“So… her ticket is free, then?”

“Yes…” Noelle paused. “Why? Y/N, what are you planning?”

“Okay. Hear me out,” you said as you shrugged on your coat. It was cold enough now for the coat to be necessary.

Noelle sighed, slinging her bag over her shoulder. “Alright, I’m listening.”

Glancing away, you saw Sabrina packing her things on the other side of the room. Before you could talk yourself out of it, you returned to Noelle.

“What if we invited Sabrina?”

Noelle snorted. “Pass.”

“Noelle,” you laughed, reaching out for her arm. “Come on! Do you really think she’s doing anything for Halloween?”

“Probably not. And that’s her own fault.”

“Maybe,” you said, glancing at Sabrina once more. “But how could it hurt? We have an extra ticket, there’ll be tons of people tomorrow night. She’ll probably say no – at least this way, you can claim a write-off on your way into heaven!”

Noelle upper lip twitched. “Oh, is that how write-offs work?”

“Well, I can only assume.”

Finally, she laughed. “Ugh, fine. You can invite her – but only because it’s Halloween, and Halloween is a time for peace. And slutty costumes.”

“Thanks, babe,” you said, squeezing her waist in a one-armed hug.

Sighing exaggeratedly, Noelle waved aside your thanks. Hiking your bag higher, you began to make your way across the room. As you closed in on Sabrina, you began to rethink your choice. It had been nearly a month since anything bad had happened between you but still, you found yourself feeling wary. As tough as you pretended to be, rejection hurt you just as much as the next person.

Still, dancing with Jimin had been a reminder of just how bitter your relationship used to be. If that relationship could change, you had to imagine things with Sabrina could, too.

Coming to a stop at her bag, you waited for her to look up. When she finally did, her brow wrinkled in confusion.

“What?” Sabrina asked, sounding defensive. “What do you want, Y/N?”

You couldn’t really blame her for her suspicion. Had your situations been reversed, you would’ve been equally distrustful. It was likely Sabrina thought you were coming over to gloat, or say something to do with class today. Another twinge of pity went through you as Sabrina zipped her bag shut to stand.

“I just wanted to know what you were doing tomorrow,” you said, trying to smile. “Noelle has an extra ticket to a Halloween party, and we thought you might like to come.”

Sabrina stared. “What?”

“Tomorrow is Halloween,” you said, a bit slower. “You know – when we were kids, it was all about costumes and candy. Now, it’s about costumes and booze?”

Sabrina failed to crack a smile. “And you want… me to come to this party?”

Something about the way she said this made you sad, as though she genuinely thought this might be a joke. As though at any moment, someone might jump out and yell SIKE.

“Yeah,” you said, softening a little. “Look – it’s not a big deal if you can’t make it. A bunch of our class is going though, so we thought of you.”

Sabrina hesitated, then glanced at the door. “Okay,” she said, looking back. “Okay, yeah. I’ll come.”

Stifling your surprise, you nodded. “Great. I’ll text you where to meet us tomorrow before the club. Wear a costume,” you added before walking away. “Noelle said it’s required.”

“Alright,” Sabrina said, so quiet you almost missed it.

Walking away, you were nearly at the door when Jungkook popped up before you. Flashing a smile, he fixed a loose strand of hair away from his face. Feet fumbling to a stop, you could only stare.

“Y/N, right?” he said, sounding shy.

Unable to find the words, you blinked in response. The way Jungkook danced had been so confident, you’d only assumed this to be his off-floor persona, as well. Hearing him sound shy was unexpected.

Also – you hadn’t expected him to know your name.

“I… yeah, that’s me.” Shaking your head, you smiled. “Jungkook, right?”

“Yeah.” He nodded. “I just wanted to say I’m such a big fan of your dancing. It was great to take class with you today.”

Without meaning to, a laugh escaped your lips. Jungkook stared at you, baffled until you quickly waved him off.

“Oh, no – no! Sorry,” you said. “I’m not laughing at you! I’m just laughing at the ridiculousness of you saying you’re a fan of me.”

Some of Jungkook’s wariness disappeared, and a small smile played across his lips.

“Well, I am.” His grin widened. “I used to assist on the convention circuit, too and I remember you being called out all the time. You and Jimin,” he added, glancing across the room.

You looked, too and saw Jimin still packing his things. His back was stiff, pointedly not looking in your direction. Lingering on him a moment, you returned to Jungkook.

“Still,” you said with a laugh. “It’s a bit of a stretch to say we took class together when you’re the teacher’s assistant.”

“True.” Jungkook paused. “Well, next time you’re in LA, let’s fix that. Let me know if you’re ever in town and we can take a class together.”

Despite yourself, your brows raised. It was harmless, but Jungkook was definitely flirting with you. He was attractive, sure and seemed nice, but he lived in LA and you had a boyfriend. You should probably leave before things had the chance to go any further. The last thing you needed was another complication. Adjusting your bag, you gave Jungkook a small smile.

“Sounds like a plan,” you said before turning away.

Jungkook chuckled from behind. “Bye, Y/N.”

As you joined Noelle at the door, she stared over your shoulder.

“What?” you said, coming to a stop.

Noelle’s gaze moved to yours in disbelief. “How?” she demanded as you exited class. “How do you have all these men just… tripping over themselves for you?”

Heat rising to your face, you shook your head. “That’s – I,” you sputtered. “You’re being ridiculous!”

“Am I?” Noelle grinned. “First Jimin, now Jungkook… and all this while having a boyfriend.”

“I… you... Jimin is not tripping over himself for me!”

Both her brows shot way, way up. “Is that the only part of the sentence you took objection to?”

“Shut up,” you groaned and shoved her in the side.

Noelle laughed but nodded. “Alright, fine! I’ll stop. Did Sabrina say she’ll come?”

“She did.”

“Great. I still don’t like her,” Noelle said, pushing open the door. “But I guess you’re right, I have an extra ticket. It’s nice to be nice.”

You laughed, pulling your coat tighter as you walked outside. “You’re a saint.”

While you walked, your phone dinged and pulling this from your pocket, you saw a notification on Instagram. Jeon_Jungkook97 has followed you.

Shaking your head, you returned this to your jacket as you continued. While it was nice of Jungkook to compliment your dancing, his approval didn’t mean as much as certain other peoples had. This realization stuck in your mind, making you wonder about Noelle’s teasing jibe.

She had said Jimin flirted with you, but that wasn’t true – was it? You would have known if Jimin were flirting. It was hard to pick out though, since Jimin was friendly with everyone. That was just who he was; as he’d said earlier, he liked to be liked. A note of uncertainty entered your thoughts though, recalling the ballet class with your chest pressed to his. Shoving this away, you forced yourself to focus on the upcoming weekend.

Halloween was a night for fun, for letting loose and enjoying yourself with your friends. You refused to let the night be spoiled by any lingering feelings – either from you, or towards you.

The next night was perfect Halloween weather.

Chilly, but not cold enough to risk snow falling. There were several Halloweens from childhood you could recall trick-or-treating with a winter coat flung over your costume because the temperature had dropped below freezing.

You, Noelle and Irene showed up to Paulo’s house around 8:00 PM, shivering a little while you stood on his doorstep. Paulo was one of the few freshmen who lived off-campus, having known several upperclassmen before he came to Russet. The brownstone he lived in was cute, with window boxes you imagined hosted flowers in the summer.

Tugging your pink and black minidress down, you adjusted your bow as Paulo opened the door.

Blinking, he took in your costumes. “The Powerpuff girls!” He cheered, raising an arm overhead. “Try not to take down any of the villains upstairs, yeah?”

“No promises,” said Irene, flicking hair over her shoulder.

Entering the house, you heard thumping bass from an apartment upstairs. Paulo lived on the third floor and as you climbed the steps, the music grew louder. It took Paulo two tries to shove open the door – “warped wood,” he explained – but once you were inside, you saw familiar faces.

“The Powerpuff girls!” Jasmine cried, jumping up from the couch. “Finally! Thank god – can you take down Eamon? He came here dressed as a potato, or something.”

“It’s an avocado!” Eamon shouted from the kitchen. He was dressed in a round, green costume with a halo overhead. “I’m ‘holy guacamole’ – get it?” he said, pointing at the halo.

Jasmine stared at him a moment. “That’s terrible. Worse than mine,” she said with a wave down her body. “I’ve been Princess Jasmine for the past five Halloweens. It’s easy to remember and I already have the outfit.”

Laughing, you shrugged off your coat and added this to a pile on the couch. “It’s a classic,” you agreed as you turned.

Noelle had managed to procure at least twenty tickets to the party tonight, so a lot of your freshman Russet class was in attendance. Including Sabrina, who stood in the corner, talking to Louis over cups of red punch. She looked up when you entered, pausing before she gave a small wave. Surprised by the gesture, you did the same.

“No.” Noelle groaned, coming to a stop alongside you. When you looked, you saw she’d already removed her coat. “Tell me Sabrina didn’t come to this party dressed as a ballerina.”

“We did invite her at the last minute,” you laughed. “Hard to find a good Halloween costume in a day.”

“Hey,” Noelle argued. “There’s no we here. You were the one who invited her, and you’ll be the one to accept the consequences should your social experiment fail.”

“Done,” you agreed. “Speaking of social experiments though, I’m ready to get drunk tonight. Where’s the alcohol?”

“Kitchen!” Irene called, brushing past. “Or – that’s where Brian disappeared to when we entered, so I can only assume.”

Telling Noelle you’d be back with drinks, you wound through the room towards where Irene had pointed. The kitchen was tiny, on par with most city apartments. There was only room enough for one or two people, so you were lucky it was deserted when you entered.

Surveying the counter, you found the usual party staples. A bowl of red punch, a bunch of beer and various liquor bottles with chasers. Skipping over the communal punch bowl, you reached for a bottle of diet coke and coconut rum.

“Oh,” a voice said as they entered the kitchen. “Sorry – I didn’t know you were in here.”

Glancing up, you saw Jimin and froze.

He’d dyed his hair black – that was the first thing you noticed. Jimin’s hair was no longer blonde, but completely dark. His outfit confused you at first – a frilly, white blouse with slicked-back hair and dark trousers – until you saw his bright red contacts and the dribble of blood at his mouth.

“A vampire,” you said, finally recovering your voice. Scanning his body, you frowned. “Where are the teeth, though?”

Jimin blinked, his gaze jerking up from your waist.

“Huh?” he said, sounding a bit strangled.

Cheeks heating a little – your dress was pretty short – you repeated yourself. “The teeth,” you said, pointing at your own lips. “Don’t vampires have fangs?”

“Oh, right.” Jimin dug around in his pocket – fuck, were his trousers tight – to produce twin fangs. “I took them off when I got here. They’re really hard to talk in.”

“Go on then, Park,” you said with a grin. “Put them in.”

“One second.” Twisting to face the wall, Jimin popped them in his mouth. Turning around, he bared his teeth. “Sexy?”

With the teeth in though, the word came out more like shex-shie and you burst into laughter. “So sexy,” you agreed, reaching past him for a cup.

Jimin stiffened when your arm brushed his front. Unbidden, you thought about what Noelle had said – Jimin had been flirting with you. Pulling away, you resumed making your drinks and tried not to look in his direction.

Even so, you remained aware of his presence. Jimin inched his way behind you, reaching for the whiskey on the other side. His arm brushed your elbow as he went, right knee nudging yours in an intimate gesture.

Glancing up from the counter, you accidentally caught his gaze. Despite your earlier joking, he did look sexy. Devastatingly so. Even the blood-red contacts weren’t enough to deter the shiver which ran down your spine.

Shaking yourself free from your trance, you grabbed both cups and pulled back.

“So, what’re you drinking?” you asked.

You decided it was best to steer the conversation away from how sexy Park Jimin was or was not.

Seemingly oblivious to your inner turmoil, Jimin poured whiskey into his cup. “Whiskey and coke. Can you pass me that bottle?”

“Sure,” you said, leaping at the chance to prevent him from walking past you again. “Here you go.”

Pushing this forward, you watched Jimin pour both drinks all the way to the brim. He paused near the end, staring into the depths before he looked up. He seemed to be warring with something, debating whether or not to speak whatever was on his mind.

“So…” He paused. “Do you know Jungkook, or something?”

You blinked. “Jungkook…?”

“You know, Miss Luna’s assistant. Jeon Jungkook.”

“Oh! Jungkook. No, I don’t really know him.”

“You were talking to him at the end of class, though?”

Hearing the curiosity in his voice, both your brows raised. “And?”

“And nothing,” Jimin said, sounding uncomfortable. “I just… I didn’t know you knew him, that’s all.”

“I mean, I don’t.” You paused. “But even if I did, what does it matter?”

“It doesn’t.” His cheeks began to redden. “It’s just – ah, never mind. We don’t have that great a history, that’s all. He’s kind of the reason I’m at Russet this year.”

You stared at Jimin a moment. “Wow, what a tragedy,” you said, stifling a laugh. “To have been forced to attend one of the most prestigious dance institutions in the world.”

His upper lip twitched. “It’s not that. I was deciding between attending Russet and accepting a job offer out west. I was asked to join this pop star on tour… anyways, Jungkook’s never liked me much. It’s a long story.” Jimin’s brow furrowed. “My offer was rescinded at the last minute. The artist never said why, but I always got the feeling he had something to do with it.”

You stared at Jimin a moment, unsure how to respond. Jungkook hadn’t seemed like that kind of person, but you supposed you’d only talked to him for a few minutes. If that was true, what happened to Jimin sucked and yet, the next words from your mouth nearly had you face-palming.

“And here I thought I was your biggest rival, Park,” you said.

Jimin’s eyes widened. “Are you… jealous, Y/N?”

He sounded almost pleased by the notion, which sent a different kind of shiver down your spine.

“Not at all,” you said quickly, turning back to your drinks.

Jimin made a soft tsk-ing sound, as though he didn’t believe you.

“That sucks,” you continued, determined to change the subject. “I’m sorry that happened to you.”

“Yeah. Maybe it was all for the best, though. Things happen for a reason, right?”

Looking up, you caught Jimin’s stare. He didn’t look immediately away and you got the oddest sensation he meant more than what he said. Hastily, you pushed this feeling aside, clutching your drinks as you entered the main room. Jimin followed close behind, two cups in his hands.

“When did you get here?” you asked. “Been here long?”

Jimin shook his head. “Nah. Hoseok and I got here like, ten minutes ago. He should be around here somewhere, he –”

“Y/N!”

You looked up just in time to see Hoseok, Jimin’s roommate, barreling towards you.

“It’s been so long!” Crushing you to his chest, Hoseok wrapped you in a hug. “Hope Jimin isn’t boring you to death,” he stage-whispered before he pulled away.

“Just for that.” Jimin arched a brow. “Both these drinks are for me.”

“No – wait, wait. I’m sorry!” Hoseok pouted. “Hand over the drink, Park. It’s been the longest fucking week.”

Jimin grinned and relented, handing Hoseok his cup as you laughed. Hoseok was a newer friend, but he was close to Jimin, so he’d gradually bled into your latest gatherings. Despite not being on the ballet track, most of the dancers at Russet knew of him. Hoseok had that way about him.

Glancing down at your outfit, Hoseok held up a finger. “Let me guess – Blossom,” he said, turning to scan the room. “Which means… aha! Irene is Bubbles and Noelle is Buttercup. Makes sense.”

“And you are…” Pausing, you squinted at his outfit. “Someone at the spa?”

“Sure.” Hoseok shrugged. “Honestly, I just wanted to wear a bathrobe.”

Said bathrobe was paired with only boxers, the front of the robe open to display his toned abs. The costume didn’t surprise you, based on past interactions with Hoseok.

Casually, he twirled the robe tie in a circle. “Impressive, no?” Hoseok glanced away. “Whoa, wait – they have beer pong? See you all later!”

Hurrying off, he left you alone with Jimin. Shaking your head, you glanced in his direction and saw Jimin down his whole drink. Arching a brow, you were about to ask why when Irene called your names from across the room.

“Y/N!” She waved her hands. “Jimin! Get over here, you two – we need more for flip cup!”

You found yourself pulled in this direction despite your insistence you didn’t do well under pressure. Jimin ended up at the other end of the table and you lost sight of him when you started to play, paired with Jasmine for a partner.

By the end of the first round, you discovered you weren’t as horrible a player as you’d imagined. Then someone suggested mixed drinks for the second round, and things became fuzzier. There were more people present than just current students of Russet. One of Paulo’s roommates knew Seokjin, so you saw him in the room, along with Sana.

You chatted with both over the course of the evening, in addition to a guy who’d recently debuted on Broadway, Kim Taehyung. Apparently, there was already buzz around him for a Tony. Taehyung was nice, but it was sometime during this conversation you realized how tipsy you were. Apparently, not drinking for several months and then going ham made for very low tolerance.

Collapsing onto the couch, you joined Irene and Brian’s conversation. In the corner of your eye, you caught sight of Noelle – a terrible flip cup player, she’d roped Hoseok into giving her private lessons, but these seemed to be going terribly. Or perhaps very well, given how much the two of them were laughing.

You completely forgot about Jimin until you spotted him across the room talking to Sabrina. Seeing them together, you straightened. Both seemed fairly comfortable, which struck you as odd. Since that morning in Jimin’s dorm, you hadn’t really seen them hang out together.

Despite this, Jimin was laughing at something Sabrina had said. Tearing your gaze away, you forced yourself to focus on the conversation at hand. It didn’t matter who Jimin spoke to, or even who he decided to go home with tonight. He was your dance partner and friend, nothing more and besides – you had a boyfriend.

Blinking, you reached into your clutch and pulled out your phone. To your disappointment, you’d gotten no texts from Finn since this morning. You assumed he was still at his party but didn’t know for sure. Shooting him a text, hey, you waited for a response and when you got none, returned your phone to your purse.

Across the room, you heard Noelle yell your name. “Y/N!” She cupped her mouth with both hands. “We need another person for flip cup!”

Laughing, you pushed yourself from the couch and were immediately roped into your fourth game of the night. The night blurred again after that, turning into a pleasant hum of conversation and booze. At some point, Ubers were called to bring you to the club. As you rushed downstairs, you realized you forgot your coat as soon as you stepped outside.

Shivering violently, you rubbed your arms and cursed yourself for poor foresight.

“Y/N?” Jimin came to a stop alongside you. “Hey, where’s your coat?”

“Inside,” you said through chattering teeth. “I-it’s fine, though. I’m fine!”

Jimin gave you a look. “Where’s Paulo?” he said, glancing around. “I’ll grab him, we can get your coat before we go –”

“The Uber’s already here, though,” you argued, grabbing his sleeve to drag him towards the curb. “I’ll be fine from here to the club!”

Jimin sighed but gave in, following when you rushed to the grey SUV. Irene had claimed the front seat, so you and Jimin pulled open the middle door – Noelle and Hoseok were crowding behind you, so you and Jimin ended up together in the backseat.

Collapsed in a heap, you giggled as Jimin tried to squish himself in a corner. “Sorry,” he said, trying – and failing – to keep his knees separate.

“Jimin.” You snorted. “Are we going to go through this again? Your hands have been in way more inappropriate places than that this semester.”

Jimin’s lips parted, shocked, but you were already hoisting yourself over the middle seat. Draping your arms next to Noelle, you begged her to play your favorite song on the radio. Had you been more sober, you might’ve recognized your position to be precarious – perched on the edge of your seat, your ass hovered inches away from Jimin’s face.

Plopping back down, you glanced sideways at Jimin and found him frozen. Suddenly, you realized the visual he’d had.

“Um, so what happened to the teeth?” you blurted, determined to change the subject.

Jimin blinked and managed to meet your gaze. “Casualty of flip cup,” he said. “One of them fell out during the game and I couldn’t find where it rolled.”

“Well, that’s okay. You can just be one of those vampires who blend in with normal humans. You know, the kind whose fangs only come out when they want to bite someone.”

“That’s true.” Jimin arched a brow. “Lucky for you, I’m not hungry.”

“Lucky for me? Lucky for you,” you retorted. “My blood is about half alcohol right now. If you drank my blood, you’d be a very silly vampire.”

The idea of a silly vampire made you laugh – even more so when you pictured said vampire as Jimin. He seemed much too coherent for your liking right now.

“A silly vampire, huh?” Jimin looked on, amused. “Damn, Y/N – when was the last time you went out? Your tolerance is shit.”

“I know,” you sighed. “I haven’t drunk much this semester. Too much dance, too little time. I think the last time I went out was –”

“We’re here!” squealed Noelle, throwing open the door.

A blast of cold air hit you and you shivered, wishing you’d worn your coat. Jimin’s gaze remained steady on yours.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he said lowly. “I can give you, uh…”

“Your shirt?” you said dryly, lifting a brow as you brushed past. “Then you’d be shirtless, Park. Let’s think this through.”

Jimin chuckled before he followed suit, although you cursed as soon as you left the car. He was correct. It was freezing, even with your alcohol-induced blanket.

“Come on!” you yelped, following Noelle towards the entrance.

Bypassing the line, Noelle walked straight towards the bouncer and showed him her phone. He nodded and waved her past, counting your friend group who followed. Not everyone from Paulo’s place had gone to the club, but enough for you to make quite the entrance.

“Y/N!” Noelle doubled back to link arms with you. “Come on – this way! That guy’s going to show us to our table.”

“Table?” you asked her, wide-eyed.

Tables in a club on Halloween night were ridiculously expensive, but it seemed Noelle had downplayed her brother’s connections. Your group was led right to the front of the upper balcony, getting a coveted spot overlooking the dance floor below.

This was undeniably the coolest club you’d been in. Not that you’d been in many, mind you, but this one had to take the cake. A half-circle of tables took up the top floor, with twin staircases descending to the main room below. Most of the lower floor was for dancing, although you saw additional tables pushed to the sides. Fluorescent bars and dance platforms were dotted throughout and above all was the DJ booth, blasting the latest songs.

“Whoa,” you breathed.

Noelle grinned, squeezing your arm to pull you into the booth. As soon as you settled in, Jasmine leapt up and clapped her hands.

“I want to be in one of those!” she said, pointing to a glowing cage at the center of the dance floor.

“Oo, me too!” Irene leapt up to join her.

“Me, three!” said Paulo, clambering out of the booth.

“Awesome.” Irene beamed and glanced your way. “What about you, Y/N? You in?”

The idea was tempting for a moment, but then Finn flashed through your mind. You highly doubted he’d be on board with you gyrating for a room full of strangers without him. Somewhat dejectedly, you plopped back on the bench.

“That’s okay,” you sighed. “I think I’m going to stay here for a while. I’ll join you later!”

Irene frowned but nodded, following the rest when they left for the stairs. About half the group went, clearing out the table while you stared at the dance floor.

Jimin slid into the bench alongside you. “You don’t want to dance?”

Startled, you glanced in his direction. While you watched, Jimin began to undo his cuffs, casually rolling the sleeves of his shirt. His hair, which had been slicked back at the start of the night, was starting to fall. Several dark strands hung over his forehead, although this only seemed to make the look more appealing.

“No,” you said, crossing your legs. “I just… don’t really feel like it.”

“Is this the whole hating clubs thing again?”

“Kind of.” You laughed. “I don’t know. Club dancing isn’t like normal dancing, you know?”

“It is when you’re at the club with all dancers,” Jimin pointed out, nodding towards the floor.

Following his gaze, you saw Jasmine dancing full-out in a lit-up cage. She wasn’t so much gyrating as she was creating choreography on the fly. The mere mortals around her looked on in awe. Fighting a smile, you returned to Jimin.

“Okay, that does look like fun,” you admitted. “The last time I was at a club was with Finn.”

Jimin blinked. “Sorry – what?”

“In the cab,” you said, leaning closer in order to be heard. “You asked me when I last went out. It was that night… um, the night you came and picked me up.”

Jimin stared at you a moment, as though contemplating something important. Abruptly, he stood and held out a hand. You blinked at this like he’d offered a football.

“What are you doing?” you said, glancing up.

“Taking you down to the dance floor.” Jimin retracted said hand. “Come on, Y/N! You don’t have to give out dry lap dances, or whatever.”

“Hey!” In disbelief, your mouth fell open. “You said you’d forget all about that!”

His smile turned impish. “Seriously, we can just do the sprinkler, or something. It’ll be fun!”

“The sprinkler?” Starting to laugh, you stood. “Was that really the first move you thought of?”

“Nah. My go-to move is the criss-cross, but I figured this was more your speed.”

Snorting, you shoved him in the arm before following Jimin to the dance floor. It didn’t take you long to spot your other friends, clustered near the front and around the DJ booth.

“Y/N!” Noelle cheered, breaking off from the pack. “You made it!”

She nearly spilled her drink while she danced, catching herself just in time as she spun around. You grinned, entering the circle with Jimin by your side. He did, in fact, pull out the criss-cross – Hoseok joined in and soon, there was a Fortnite dance battle between them. You truly haven’t lived until you’ve seen a TikTok dance-off between two semi-professional dancers.

This ended with both declaring mutual defeat, and Hoseok disappearing to buy the next round. Noelle shimmied her way over to Jasmine, accepting the hand given to stand on the platform.

You laughed at their ridiculous dance moves, choosing instead to stay on the ground. The crowd around you had thinned since you’d joined. Eamon disappeared a few minutes later, saying something about needing a drink upstairs. Before long, Irene had joined Jasmine and Noelle on the platform, leaving you alone with Jimin on the floor.

Under other circumstances, you might have felt uncomfortable, but Jimin was so good at putting you at ease. Determined to keep you in the present, he came up with more and more complicated dance moves which had you snorting with laughter.

On a particularly flamboyant spin, Jimin accidentally smacked the drink from someone’s grasp. Blue vodka splattered everywhere, drenching its owner – a burly man in leather who snarled in frustration.

Looking up, he met your gaze and his eyes narrowed.

“Shit. Run!” you blurted out.

Grabbing Jimin by the arm, you dragged him into the crowd.

“No, wait – let me apologize!” Jimin tried to twist around. “I can pay for his drink! I can –”

Once there was suitable distance between you and the guy, you came to a stop. Laughing so hard you nearly fell over, you turned sideways to face him.

Bodies pressed against you from every side but rather than feel claustrophobic, all you could think about was Jimin before you. His hair had become thoroughly mussed during the night and you fought the sudden desire to smooth it down.

Although your breath came hard, the club around you seemed to slow. The music somehow had narrowed to pinpricks, a heady thump of bass while everything dulled.

What you should’ve done was taken a step back – but you didn’t.

Instead, your gaze drifted across his face. Jimin stared back, something intense to his gaze you couldn’t quite name. Breath caught in your throat, his eyes dropped to your lips.

Before you could react, someone bumped into you from behind, sending you careening forward. Jimin caught you easily, one arm around your waist and your chest pressed to his. You could feel every hard line of his body, his thigh wedged between your legs while you grasped at his arms. Heart thudding traitorously against your ribcage, you tried to ignore the emotions which followed.

It was impossible.

The song playing was slower, sexier than the one which had inspired the dance-off. Without meaning to, your weight subtly shifted. This caused your hips to move against his as Jimin quietly sucked in a breath. The effect this had on him was instantaneous. His grip on you tightened, gaze heady with desire and something more. Before you could second-guess what you were doing, you moved your hips again – this time, on purpose.

Jimin’s eyes darkened. Without looking away, his grip on you tightened as he slowly dragged you up his thigh. Suddenly breathless, your hands gripped him tighter while your eyes fluttered shut. The heat of his body on yours, the faint smell of cologne and sweat, the tension in his limbs and the knowledge of what he could do to you – it all left your head spinning.

“Y/N,” Jimin murmured, low in your ear.

You weren’t used to him saying your name like that.

You were used to him saying your name in every other way, but not that. Sharp with dancer’s critique, brusque with instruction, light with teasing – but not like something heavy was lodged in his throat. Maybe his heart.

Panicked, your eyes flew open.

What were you doing? This wasn’t some random stranger and this sure as hell wasn’t your boyfriend. This was Jimin. Stumbling backwards, you broke from his hold. Jimin seemed equally stunned, staring at you on the dance floor.

“I have to go,” you blurted and whirled around.

Shoving into the crowd, you heard Jimin emit a soft groan. Despite this, he didn’t immediately pursue, for which you were grateful. Stumbling through strangers, strobe lights flashed brightly overhead. You squeezed between someone dressed as a go-go and another person dressed as a werewolf. Skidding to a stop on the edge of the floor, you scanned the room and saw no one from Russet.

When you glanced over your shoulder, you saw Jimin now followed. Panicking again, you began to move. Beside one of the bars, you spotted a hallway labeled restrooms. Heading in this direction, you quickly disappeared inside the door marked women.

Once inside, you locked yourself in a stall, lowered the lid and sat down. Head in hands, you slowly exhaled. You were a coward; that much was clear. Jimin was probably out there looking for you right now, but you’d rather hide in a bathroom than face him.

The fluorescent lighting overhead was too bright – it made you feel overexposed. After a long moment, you fished around in your purse and pulled out your phone. Flipping to your thread with Finn, you saw he’d sent no response since your text. Complete and utter silence.

Heart cracking a little, you slid this in your bag and stared at the door. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. When you imagined you and Finn at college, you’d always pictured you together, attending the same parties and sharing the same adventures. Tonight though, had proven to be anything but that. Finn hadn’t once glanced at his phone judging by the unread mark next to your text.

Dimly, you wondered why you weren’t more upset about this. It should bother you that Finn hadn’t called or even texted throughout the day. Sure, he was out with friends, but so were you and you’d reached out – as soon as you thought this, your heart sank.

You weren’t sure you could call Jimin a friend after what had just happened.

Sure, you’d only danced, and it had only been for a second but still, guilt bloomed behind your ribcage. The idea of Finn doing the same thing with anyone else made your heart twist. You wouldn’t feel that way if what you’d done wasn’t wrong.

Groaning out loud, you lowered your head to your hands. After several minutes, you felt calm enough to stand and pretend-flush the toilet. As you exited the stall, you walked to the sink and began washing your hands. Staring at yourself in the mirror, a million things ran through your mind.

Clearly, the situation with Jimin was worse than you’d thought. The spark you’d felt kept returning, no matter how much you tried to ignore it. Maybe the only solution was to find a new partner. The very idea made your heart sink, but you couldn’t deny things had gotten out of hand.

Before you could seriously consider the option, the door to the bathroom flung open and banged against the wall. Sabrina stormed in, wiping both eyes with the heel of her hand. You froze, staring at her in the mirror but she didn’t seem to notice your presence.

When she finally lowered her hands and took a deep breath, she saw you and froze.

For a moment, you both only stared at each other and then – you coughed. Awkwardly, you began to dry your hands.

“Are you okay?” you asked, tentative.

Sabrina stiffened. “I’m fine,” she muttered, walking to the sink.

You watched her wash her hands, struggling and failing to control her expression. Sabrina’s hair was a mess and you stared, wondering where she’d been. You hadn’t seen her since you’d entered the club, but had assumed she’d stayed on the second floor.

“Are you sure?” you pressed, remembering your night at the other club. “You know, you can –”

“Will you… just stop.” Sabrina closed her eyes. “Will you … stop pretending like we’re friends, or something?”

Struck with disbelief, you could only stare. “I… are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“Wow.” You shook your head. “Just wow.”

Her lips tightened and finally, she whirled around. “What?” Sabrina demanded. “What is it?”

The look in her eyes was familiar. Her frustrated, angry look was mirrored in your expression, but you found you didn’t care. Sabrina was clearly going through something, but her rudeness to you was the final straw. Tired from Finn, Jimin and the constant pressure you were both under, something about Sabrina’s words made you break.

“Why are you always such a… such a bitch,” you blurted, hurling the word like a knife. “What did I ever do to you? Why do you always act like you hate me so much?”

Sabrina’s upper lip curled. “Why do you always think this is about you, Y/N? Maybe I just wanted one second of peace and instead, here you are. Like always.”

“Here I am, in the public restroom of a club we’re all at?”

“No. Here you are in my life,” she snapped, pushing herself from the sink. “People won’t talk to me? It’s because you’ve run your mouth about things you think I’ve done. I’m falling in the class ranks? It’s because you’re after my spot. Jimin doesn’t want to be my partner? It’s because of his feelings for you. I’m sick of turning around and always seeing you there!”

“Okay, but none of those things – I, Jimin doesn’t have feelings for me,” you sputtered.

Sabrina gave you a look. “Oh, please, Y/N.” Her laughter was harsh. “Why else would he turn me down?”

“Um, maybe because he’s a decent human being? Unlike yourself.”

“Great, yeah.” Sabrina glared. “Make me the bad guy again.”

“I’m not the one doing that,” you huffed. “You are. You want to blame me because no one wants to be your friend? Maybe try reaching out first. Maybe don’t talk shit about people behind their backs. And I’m improving because I’m taking extra lessons. No thanks to you, of course.”

“Don’t try and make me feel bad because I didn’t have time to give you lessons.”

“I’m not trying to make you feel bad. I’m trying to explain why I’m improving and you’re not.”

Sabrina bristled. “Are you saying I don’t work hard, too?”

“No.” Mirthless, you laughed. “I know you work hard – maybe even as hard as I do. But you know what the big difference is between you and me?” you said, drawing yourself to your full height.

Sabrina’s eyes glimmered while she stared you down. Still, she retained her aloofness when she said, “What? What’s the big secret?”

“You think everyone’s out to get you,” you said, stepping closer. “You think not asking for help makes you stronger, but it’s the exact opposite. At least I’ve improved since the start of the year. What have you done?”

Not waiting for an answer, you pushed past Sabrina and walked out the door.

Shoving it wide, you entered the hallway. Dance music flooded your senses and you winced, remembering where you were and what you’d been doing. Luckily, Jimin was nowhere in sight. He must not have seen where you’d disappeared to.

Shoulders slumping, you pulled out your phone and dialed a number. Walking to the front, you concentrated on breathing while you waited for them to pick up. Coming to a stop beside coat check, you didn’t leave the club – a lesson you’d learned the hard way.

Noelle answered on the third ring. “Babe?” she yelled, barely audible over the din. “What’s going on? Where are you?”

“Are you…” Closing your eyes, you paused. “Can we leave?”

Noelle paused, then muffled her phone with one hand. “Irene!” you heard her yell. “You good to get a ride home for these people? Okay, cool. Bye!” Her phone became un-muffled. “Where are you, babe?”

After explaining your location, you hung up and hugged yourself with both arms. Noelle burst into view a few moments later, scanning the crowd like a mom on a mission. When she saw you, she rushed over – and you promptly burst into tears.

“Oh, no!” Pulling you into a hug, Noelle began to rub your back. “No, no, babe! Don’t cry! What’s going on? Do I need to kick someone’s ass?”

Hearing Jimin’s words said by Noelle only made you cry harder. Wisely sensing this to be a problem not easily solved, Noelle continued rubbing your back while walking towards the exit.

The two of you went outside and, as luck would have it, saw a group of people arriving at the club. Noelle snagged their taxi, helping you in the backseat and giving the driver your address. As you settled against her, your head on her shoulder, Noelle kept rubbing your arm and waited for the tears to stop.

You weren’t really sure why you were crying.

Of course, Sabrina was terrible, as was the situation with Jimin, but it was more than that. Dancing with Jimin hadn’t caused problems in your relationship with Finn. There had been problems in your relationship Finn and so, feelings had crept in which led you to dance with Jimin.

More than that though, you couldn’t help but notice Noelle had come to your aid much faster than Finn ever had. Even Jimin had dropped everything when you asked, and he was someone you’d once called your enemy. Noelle had been having fun, but she’d cut her night short because you were upset. This knowledge crushed you and for the very first time, you realized your relationship with Finn might be unfixable.

Curled up on the backseat, you let yourself cry a bit more. You could be calm and rational in the morning, you decided but for now, you just felt defeated.

When you finally climbed into bed at your dorm at night, you looked at your phone and saw Finn still hadn’t texted.

Author’s Note: Thank you for reading! 😊 New chapters of Raise the Barre are posted weekly; dates are listed on the series Master List. Requests for updates will be deleted.

RAISE THE BARRE MASTERLIST

#bangtanarmynet #btsbookclub #jimin fanfic #bts fanfic #jimin au #bts au #jimin writing #bts writing #jimin series #jimin e2l #bts series #bts e2l #jimin dance au #bts dance au

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im-just-a-mississippi-girl · 2 years ago

Text

Sweet Surprises

Pairing: El Phantasmo x female!reader

Category: Fluff

Word count: 5,375

Summary: You surprise your boyfriend at the Tokyo Dome and spend every moment with him which causes you to miss him more and to miss home. Riley’s been missing you more than he can fathom so he finally asks you a very important question.

Warnings: Swearing

A/N: I had to adjust some events to make them fit better for the story. For the full story, I recommend reading part one!

Part 1

Masterlist

Taglist

Gif is not mine. Credit to the owner.

You finally landed in Japan, relief washing over you. You were home.

As you collected your luggage, you sent a quick text to Pieter to let her know you had finally landed. She was the only one that knew about your surprise arrival, you trusted her to not say a word to anyone. You didn’t want to just surprise Riley, you wanted to surprise the rest of the club too.

Once in the car headed to the hotel, Pieter texted you the details about what was going on with Riley and the club. You let out a little chuckle as you imagined the club running around like Pieter described, they truly were helpless without you, seeing as you kept everyone and everything in order.

The car stopped at the entrance of the hotel where you would be hiding your belongings in Pieter’s room.

You quickly texted her that you were out front and paid the driver, thanking him with your best Japanese. As you turned around you saw your best friend turned sister with a huge smile plastered across her face, eyes watering at the reality of you really being here.

“Pieter!!!!” You exclaimed, dropping your luggage to the ground and racing towards her as she ran towards you. The two of you embraced in a tight hug that was making breathing extremely difficult but you didn't care at the moment, you were just so thrilled to see her in person again.

It had been a long seven months since you last saw your boyfriend but close to a year since you’ve seen Pieter and the rest of the club — close to a year since you’ve been home. You missed it so much it hurt but you did enjoy your opportunities that you've received in AEW, it just didn’t have your family.

You spent a lot of days questioning if this was the right move, leaving everyone and everything behind. You knew sometimes the right decisions were the hardest ones to make and stick with.

Despite missing Riley, Pieter, and the rest of Bullet Club, you made the most of your opportunity to gain more exposure to the new fans that AEW brought you. You learned fairly quickly that you were competing with Britt Baker, Jamie Hayter, and couple others for fan favorite in the women’s division but what you weren’t expecting was competing with the likes of Jon Moxley, Hangman Adam Page, Hook, and the self proclaimed devil, MJF amongst a few other men as well for fan favorite. Turns out you had more fans in AEW than you thought.

You were brought back to reality when you heard Pieter laugh, looking in her direction to see her shaking her head. “You we’re talking to me weren’t you?” You laughed. “I’m sorry, I just can’t help thinking about much I missed you, the club, and Japan.” Glancing at the time on your phone, you realize you both should get going if you wanted everything to go smoothly. “We better go. I can’t wait to see everyone’s reactions, especially Riley’s.” You grinned at imagining everyone’s faces upon seeing you for the first time in a year.

The two of you headed the few blocks to the Tokyo Dome, talking and laughing as you went. Listening to Pieter’s stories of the drama and shenanigans the boys had gotten into, you really missed out and you were right, they were a mess without you keeping order. You weren’t going to dwell on the past and missing out, you were going to make the best of the next few days and hopefully sort things out.

Finally arriving at the Tokyo Dome, you and Pieter slipped in the door and pretty much played a ninja game in order to stay hidden and keep watch for the perfect time to jump out and surprise the boys.

You both waited in your hiding spots for what seemed like hours before all members of Bullet Club were present. You and Pieter shared a nod, Pieter casually came out of her hiding spot, the boys all too caught up in their conversations and bickering to notice she had been hiding. She made countless failed attempts to get the boy’s attention. You decided that it would be best for you to get their attention the only way you knew how — to whistle as loudly as you could.

The whole room came to a halt, conversations and bickering stopped on a dime. You watched as the every member of the club turned in the direction of the sound, no doubt looking for the suspect.

The shock on all their faces when their eyes landed on you was beyond priceless, jaws fell to the floor, eyes were about to pop out of heads. The only movement came from your boyfriend, who all but ran to you as he shoved everyone out of his way, scooping you up in his arms and squeezing you in the biggest bear hug you’ve ever received. You wrapped your arms around him and squeezed back. “Surprise!” You managed to speak the best you could as your oxygen was running out causing you to tap him twice on the back, your signal to tell him that you needed a minute to breathe.

You felt Riley reluctantly pull away, his hands resting on your shoulders while he examined your face, taking in the moment to really grasp that you’re here for real and not some sick dream — he had plenty of those since he left you the day after Forbidden Door.

You couldn’t take your eyes off his handsome face, therefore neither one of you knew you had a audience, the entire Bullet Club was watching the sweet reunion despite whatever they felt about love and forgetting about their bickering and conversations if only just for a little while.

“How did you…. When did you…. You’re really here, right? This isn’t some dream, right?” Riley all but begged, pleaded, and prayed. He brought his rough yet still soft hands up to your cheeks, thumbs gently rubbing smoothly across them to wipe away the tears you didn’t know had begun to fall.

“Yeah baby, I’m here. I’m really here.” You smiled a watery smile.

That was all the reassurance he needed before dipping his head down and capturing your lips with his. The crowd in the room was long forgotten until you both heard cheering and clapping, Pieter desperately tried to tell the boys to stop and let you two have your moment, but none of them listened causing Pieter to shake her head and join in.

You and Riley jumped at the sudden noise filling the room, laughing as both your attention turned to see smiles on faces, even on the most stone faced members.

After catching up with everyone, you let them go get ready for the show. Pieter stayed with you and Riley and watched the massive event take place — Wrestle Kingdom 17. Hearing the crowd clapping along and showing their respect made you miss performing in front of the Japanese audience. There was nothing like it in your opinion.

The matches seemed to have flown by and before you knew it, it was time for Jay to defend the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Kazuchika Okada. You, Riley, and Pieter watched on a nearby monitor as the bell rang, signaling the start of the match. Heavy and hard slaps and kicks came from Okada, landing on their target more often than not.

The three of you watched Jay got beat down by Okada time and time again, every time it looked like Jay was making progress Okada shut him down.

As the match drew closer and closer to the end, you knew this wouldn’t end well for Jay but you hoped you were wrong. Unfortunately, you were right. Kazuchika Okada defeated Jay White to become the new IWGP Heavyweight Champion.

The mood between you, Riley, and Pieter went downhill, knowing Jay would be a range of emotions. You noticed Jay’s actions at the end of the match, how he grabbed Okada’s boot, how he attempted to pull himself up using Okada’s leg, you couldn’t mistake the look on Jay’s face, especially the look in his eyes — he was beginning to spiral, a breakdown was on the horizon.

As the audience was leaving, you slipped your hand in Riley’s and looped arms with Pieter and made the walk to the Bullet Club locker room. You were more than ready to get to the hotel and have Riley all to yourself.

It took some time to finally get to the hotel due to futile attempts to console Jay.

Finally at the hotel, you retrieved your bags from Pieter’s room, your sweet boyfriend insisted on carrying them for you. “You, my love, will not be lifting a finger when I’m around.” He told you. That was a sentence he often said to you, you didn’t mind it because not only did it make him feel wanted and needed, you knew how much he liked to remind you how strong he was. You also got to watch his muscles ripple as he lifted your bag that didn’t roll. Those arms and back muscles were just a small part of what you loved about him physically.

You deliberately walked behind him to continue to enjoy the view until he paused long enough for you to catch up with him. When you did, you saw the smirk on his face, he knew what you were doing. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did you like what you were seeing?” He teased, gently nudging your arm as you walked beside him.

You blushed at getting caught. “You know I always do.” You teased back, gliding your hand in his free one and interlocking your fingers with his.

Finally reaching Riley’s room, he opened the door and let you enter. “I was confused on why Pieter kept insisting that I get my own room instead of sharing with one of the guys, but now I know why. She was in on it the whole time?” He sat your bags down by the door and made his way to you, wrapping you up in his arms.

“Yeah, she knew. I’m glad you listened to her otherwise tonight would be awkward because the plans I have for you are just for the two of us.” You shot him a wink, reaching up to cup the sides of his face like he had done to you earlier in the day.

You watched as your sexy man raised an eyebrow at your words. “And what would those plans be? Actually, don’t tell me because I think I have an idea.” Riley lifted you up off the ground, your legs wrapped around his waist. He made his way with you towards the bed and gently sat you down on the soft mattress.

You pulled him down on top of you, your lips meeting his, clothes were soon being tossed to the floor. Riley trailed kisses down your neck and chest, but your plan wasn’t about your pleasure — it was about his. You took him by surprise and rolled the two of you over, you straddled his hips and trailed your fingertips down his chest then going back up, stopping at his shoulders. “Tonight is all about you, baby.” You leaned down and placed a passionate kiss to his lips then down his neck. As bad you wanted to leave marks you couldn’t, he had to wrestle tomorrow night but that didn’t mean his whole body was off limits.

You took your time worshipping his body and showing him just how much you loved him, making sure he wasn’t left unsatisfied.

Riley let you execute your plan but when you were done, it was his turn to worship you the same way.

After all was said and done, you and Riley were cuddled up in the bed, your head on his chest while your fingers traced patterns across his chest. You felt your lover’s hand slowly and soothingly rub your back. You both knew from experience that it wouldn’t be long before your both passed out until morning.

And that’s exactly what happened.

The sunlight peaked through the curtains covering the window across from the bed causing you to stir. Upon opening your eyes and feeling for your other half, you found the bed empty. His side was still warm indicating he hadn’t been up too long.

As you slowly sat up in the bed, you found yourself a little sore from the preceding night’s activity. You rubbed your eyes and stretched just enough to help with some of the soreness, blinking a few times as your eyes adjusted to the sunlight shining through the little gap between the curtains.

Slipping out of bed, you found Riley’s shirt from last night on the floor, you picked it up and put it on, you always loved wearing his clothes and he always loved seeing you in them. You grabbed a clean pair of underwear from your bag and pulled them on. Now where was Riley?

You could tell from where you were standing he was in the bathroom. You could see him with his back turned to you as he brushed his teeth. You smiled, thinking about how much you missed domestic life with him.

You tiptoed your way to the bathroom and wrapped your arms around his waist. “Good morning, handsome.” You voice was full of love, warmth, and contentment, and you felt his body relax into your embrace.

Riley finished rinsing his mouth then turned around still in your arms, a wide smile on his face. “Good morning, gorgeous.” He placed a loving kiss to the top of your head. “I ordered us breakfast. Should be here soon.”

Right on cue, there was a knock at the door with the announcement of room service. You grinned up at your loving boyfriend, “It’s like you planned that or something.” You giggled.

“I’m good but I’m not that good, baby.” He chuckled, reluctantly removing himself from your embrace and heading to open the door.

You trailed behind your lover but stopped at the bed, taking a seat on the edge and watching Riley talk briefly with the hotel’s staff member. The woman wheeled the cart into the room and gave you both a sweet smile before exiting.

The smell of breakfast lingered in the air. You smiled to yourself as you remembered the breakfast he ordered for you the morning after Forbidden Door, the miniature buffet containing all your favorite breakfast foods and the beautiful bouquet of flowers.

Riley came to sit beside you on the bed, watching your reaction as you examined the food cart. It was set up in the same fashion as the one seven months ago — a dome covered plate with coffee, tea, and orange juice sitting around the plate. There were small bowls of various fruit strategically placed on the tray as well. A fresh bouquet of flowers were just off to the side of the cart, a mixture of your favorite flowers — colored roses, sunflowers, daisies, and tulips. You lifted the dome lid to reveal the plate was covered in pancakes, French toast, eggs, bacon, and sausage. It was the exact same foods he had ordered you before. Seeing how he remembered every little detail of that morning made your heart swell and your eyes water. He always surprised you time and time again at how thoughtful and sweet he was.

“You remembered!” You exclaimed, a few tears slipping down your cheeks. “This is so sweet Riley!” You sniffled, turning to see him looking bashful.

“Don’t cry babygirl.” Riley said softly as he wiped the stay tears away. “I remembered how much you liked this last time so I may or may not have wrote it down for reference.” He nervously admitted. “I was hoping you’d like it again.”

“Like it? I love it and I love you!” You pulled him into a loving kiss. The moment was interrupted when your stomach growled causing the two of you to break the kiss with laughter.

The two of you made yourselves a hefty plate and just enjoyed the peaceful moment until Riley had to get ready for the busy day ahead. Tonight was New Year Dash and Riley had a tag match alongside your fellow Bullet Club members: Taiji Ishimori, Kenta, and the surprise of Jay White.

You missed being a part of these events, they were all so grand and surprises weren’t uncommon. You decided to get ready for the day as well, even if your plan was to just be El Phantasmo’s shadow. You didn’t mind it at all, you loved seeing him doing what he did best. You were always his number one fan and biggest supporter as he was yours.

Stepping out of the bathroom, dressed with the exception of your shoes, you sneakily smacked his ass as you passed him on your way to your suitcase. You giggled as he whipped around, a eyebrow raised only to freeze where he stood in font of the full length mirror on the wall by the bathroom door.

You had on his newest merch shirt, a pair of skin tight jeans, and the necklace he bought you for your birthday during the first year you were together. The necklace was simple piece, two hearts interlocked together on a thin chain. The chain was thick enough that it wouldn’t break easily but thin enough that it complimented the hearts perfectly.

Riley was always in awe when you wore his clothes whether it was his clothes from his closet or his merch that you bought, he was always speechless. He watched you slip on your shoes and dig through your bag for something. He soon realized what you were looking for, a pair of his signature sunglasses that he wore to the ring. He watched you place them atop your head.

You stood up and looked over at Riley, who was still gazing at you. You gave him a questioning look, confused as to why he’s staring at you seemingly off in his own little world.

“You’re so….” He paused, clearly thinking of the right word, “stunning.” Riley smiled at you, admiration clear on his face and in his voice. “I love seeing you in my clothes.”

You grinned and shot him a wink. “I know. Now, hurry up! You’ve got some things to do before the show.”

Once the two of you were ready, you were out the door, hand in hand. You gave his hand a little squeeze, it was one of yours and his ways to say ‘I love you’ without saying anything. You beamed when you felt your love squeeze your hand back.

He always made you feel loved and safe and this was no different. All those simple and subtle gestures, the silent exchanges of love between the two of you were so special to you and Riley knew it, you knew all those things were special to him too.

As you went throughout the day, you would stand off to the side, letting Riley get all the attention he deserved as he answered questions and gave a few comments about the matchup. Every time he finished one of his obligations, he would make a bee line for you, slinging an arm around your shoulders as you slid your arm around his waist. “You did great, hot stuff.” You would beam. His response was giving you a soft kiss to the top of your head, a smile forming on his lips.

Time flew by and the show was starting in the next hour. You were in Bullet Club’s locker room, scrolling through Twitter, looking to see if anyone has mentioned you being at the arena. You saw a few little things but nothing major, you didn’t mind it because you weren’t here for anything other than to see and support the club but mostly your other half.

When the show finally started, you watched as the opening match was announced and got underway. You were sandwiched between Riley and Kenta one of the couches in the room.

You remembered how the guys would always want comfy couches and whatever other ridiculous and high maintenance requests they could think of just to make the poor staff miserable. You would let it go on for a little bit then finally tell them to knock it off, taking pity on the poor staff.

The first couple matches went by quick and before you knew it, it was time the tag match between Bullet Club and Hikuleo, Master Wato, Tama Tonga, and Hiroshi Tanahashi.

You followed behind the boys until Riley grabbed your hand and pulled you in front of him, his hand resting on your lower back. You knew this was his way of making sure you stayed close and to and sure that no one tried to bother you. You didn’t always need protecting, you could more than take care of yourself. You knew that Riley knew that, but you knew he loved to be your protector so you let him be that whenever you could.

Finally at the curtain, waiting for their cue, you went to give Riley a good luck kiss to which he was more than happy to accept. “Thanks, love.” He had this mischievous smile on his face and you raised your eyebrow. “I appreciate that kiss, but the guys and I talked about it and you’re coming out there with us.”

You were shocked. You didn’t have any intentions on going out there but you weren’t about to refuse this. You didn’t know what Tony Khan would think but, at the moment you didn’t care. These boys were your boys and nobody was going to stop you from being there for them.

You heard their music begin to play. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go surprise everyone.” You winked, grabbing your El Phantasmo sun glasses off your head and putting them on your face. You looped your arm with Riley’s and the two of you went through the curtain.

The crowd went crazy seeing you accompanying El Phantasmo as Kenta and Ishimori followed behind. You could hear a flabbergasted Kevin Kelly discussing your presence with an astounded Chris Charlton. You could also hear Gino Gambino excitedly cheering at your return. There was also speculation amongst the English commentators about who the final member of the tag team would be. The three men were shocked to see none other than Jay White come out from behind the curtain.

It was safe to say that between you and Jay, the crowd was definitely getting their money’s worth with two back to back surprises.

You pandered to the audience and waltzed over the the English commentators, a bright smile on your face. “Long time, no see fellas!” You winked at the men and decided to accept Gino’s too sweet.

Before you knew it Jay had made his way over. You didn’t even have time to blink before the club’s leader was going off on poor ole Chris. You did your best to try to calm him but you knew when he got like this there was no calming him. You were more that thankful when your boyfriend came to help, grabbing Jay in a firm but tight hold and pulling away from the commentary team and towards the ring.

You knew this situation wasn’t the time but you were definitely feeling some type of way seeing Riley like that, taking control of the situation and being so calm and levelheaded. What a sight to behold.

Finally the match got underway, you stayed on the floor watching and waiting for any time you were needed. You would also cheer on the boys and get the crowd involved, cheering and pandering to the ones on the front row, you even taunted the opponents from across the ring.

You could feel the urgency and intensity to end the match soon by how they quickened the pace. You couldn’t help but notice how Jay was being towards Hikuleo, his betrayal really got to Jay and that surprised you but only just a little. Seeing the exchanges between the two men you knew this wouldn’t be over regardless of the outcome of the match.

It wasn’t before long that the ref counted to three and the bell rang. Your boys lost and it sucked.

You slipped into the ring and joined them, standing next to El Phantasmo as you watched Jay grab a microphone and challenge Hikuleo. You couldn’t have imagined that he would say those next words — “loser leaves Japan.” You and Riley exchanged a look, wondering what was going on in Jay’s head.

Finally leaving the ring, Riley, being the gentleman he is to you, opened the ropes and helped you out. You kissed his cheek in return with a grin.

After the boys went through the post match comments, the locker room was your next stop. You waited for Riley to take a shower and change clothes. You had forgotten how much went on for New Japan shows and you were getting tired.

Back at the hotel, you had grabbed one of Riley’s shirts that you packed and a pair of underwear and started to the the bathroom when you felt a hand gently grab your wrist. “The night isn’t over yet. I made plans for us and no I’m telling you what they are.” You’re surprised that he wants to go out. You thought you’d spend your last night together snuggled up in bed, you’re not complaining though. “Wear something nice, it’s a special occasion.” Riley told you, letting your wrist go and giving you a nervous but still mischievous smile. What does he have up his sleeve?

You got dressed in a gorgeous lavender dress and black heels. You did your hair in pretty curls with just enough makeup to compliment your look perfectly. You couldn’t wait for Riley to see you. You could just see his reaction, jaw on the floor and frozen in place.

You opened the bathroom door and it was you who was frozen in place with your jaw on the floor. There stood Riley dressed in a white button up shirt paired with a black dress jacket, his pants were dark wash blue jeans. He was doing some touch ups to his hair when you entered the room.

“Wow! You look even more handsome than usual.” Your words caught his attention and he dropped his comb when his eyes landed on you.

“I— You look— Wow! Gorgeous! Stunning! Beautiful! Breathtaking!” Riley rushed to you, forgetting all about his comb on the floor and looked you over, the admiration was unmistakable in his eyes and it made you weak in the knees.

You blushed at his compliments, no matter how much you heard them, you still felt butterflies. “Thank you.” You spoke softly.

The pair of you were out the door fifteen minutes later, arms looped together as Riley all but escorted you to the car.

You asked questions about the night he had planned but he wasn’t giving you anything. He pulled up near a fancy restaurant, you two weren’t fancy people but every now and then you’d treat yourselves like tonight.

The dinner was delicious, the atmosphere was nice, and the waiter was very friendly. It was an overall great dinner.

You assumed that dinner was all you two would do, but Riley drive in the opposite direction of the hotel, you tried guessing what would be next. You got your answer when the car came to a stop at what you called a hidden gem. It was a quiet little part of the city where the two of you had went on some dates before when you were in Tokyo. You examined the cozy park before you, a fairly big playground, a section filled with flower gardens, a walking track and bicycle path, benches and picnic tables scattered throughout as well a pair of water fountains. You loved it here, but you were confused on why Riley took you here so late at night.

“What’s this about?” You questioned, looking over at him to see he was already looking at you, a loving smile played on his lips.

“It’s a surprise.” You pouted at his answer but accepted it anyways.

Out of the car and walking towards the flower garden, you took in how quiet it was despite being in the city. The fountains were lit up setting off a beautiful soft glow, the slight breeze made you a touch chilly so you snuggled into Riley’s side, warming up instantly. You two strolled through the flower gardens and right when you got into the heart of them, Riley stopped causing you stop with him as you were still snuggled into his side. Your eyes met his and you could tell he was nervous about something.

“You okay, baby?” You turned to face him, face filled with concern.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine baby. It’s just that I’ve been thinking about us lately and I don’t know how long it will be until we see each other in person again so I want to ask you something important. You have to close your eyes first.” He tells you, still nervous but sure of himself at the same time.

You gave him a questioning look but did as he said. You heard him moving around for a minute before you heard him exhale to get his nerves settled then speak. “Okay. Open your eyes.”

You were curious as to why his voice sounded like it was coming from below you. You got your answer when you opened your eyes. There was Riley on one knee in front of you, a happy yet nervous smile on his face. Is he….? No, he’s probably going to trick you again with the whole ‘What is it baby? I just had to tie my shoe.’ He’s done it once before, but then again…. maybe he’s serious this time.

“I love you so much more than I thought possible. Being without you the these past months has been extremely difficult for me. I’ve known for a while that I love more than I’ve loved anyone. I’ll be honest I never pictured myself settling down until you graced me with your presence those few years ago. I’ve been thinking about this moment a lot over the past year.” You watch as he dug around in his dress jacket pocket and beam when he found what he was searching for. He pulled out a little black, velvet box.

You were trying not to ugly cry at this moment. Truth be told, you’ve been thinking a lot about this moment too. You’ve know Riley was the one for you a year and a half in.

“Will you marry me?” He asked as he opened the box to reveal the most gorgeous ring you’ve ever seen. It was a silver band with your favorite gemstone in the center and diamonds encircling it. It was simple but it was perfect because you didn’t like flashy jewelry.

You were full on crying now. You nodded your head repeatedly, a wide smile on your face. “Yes... Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you!” You couldn’t wrap your head around that this was really happening. You were now engaged to the love of your life, your best friend, your protector, you partner in crime, you’re other half — now you felt whole.

You watched as your now fiancé slipped the ring on your finger. The second he stood up you pulled him in for a loving and passionate kiss.

Riley returned your kiss and pulled back just enough to throw Kenta and Jay a thumbs up and a massive grin. He was thankful he thought to have them there to take pictures and video the entire thing, and sneak him the ring earlier in the day.

Kenta and Jay were happy for their friend and returned the thumbs up with their own happy smiles before quietly leaving the happy couple.

“Let’s go celebrate, fiancée.” Riley grinned, scooping you up in his arms and starting the walk back to the car.

General Taglist: @legit9thlunaticwarrior @plentyoffandoms @1dluver13xx @sunshinevirus @wwenhlimagines @crowleysqueenofhell @jackson-nickthedate13

El Phantasmo Taglist: @legit9thlunaticwarrior @abbyjacksonnn @kcloveswrestling

#el phantasmo #elp #el phantasmo x reader #el phantasmo imagine #el phantasmo imagines #el phantasmo fanfic #njpw #new japan pro wrestling #njpw imagine #njpw imagines #njpw fic #njpw fanfiction

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milfs-and-margs · 3 years ago

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My experience at the first re-opening preview of SiX on Broadway

I arrived just before they started allowing guests into the theater, so the line was easily 200+ people long going down 47th St. Right out front of the theater we’re a handful of photographers/camera men documenting the line as people began to enter the theater

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, from Modern Family, was being interviewed right in front of the theater. He also ended up sitting about 15 feet away from me for the show

I was fortunate enough to have 4th row side orchestra tickets. With my seat location I didn’t lose any part of the stage but I imagine the last 2-4 seats on the outside of those rows would lose some of the band and possibly some of the queens when they move as a group to the sides of the stage

The audience energy was insane from the moment Lucy Moss stepped on stage to introduce the show and thank the audience for welcoming them back

Lucy received the first of 12 standing ovations for the night. And yes, there are only 10 musical numbers in the show

From the second the lights went down, the audience was roaring with cheers and applause. Thank god for the queens in ear monitors or else there would be no way that they could have heard their queues

In Ex-wives, every queen got their own individual applause after each introduction. Noticeably rowdy cheers for Abby, Sam, and Britt.

Throughout the song you could see the queens sharing looks with one another. Looks of excitement and feeding off of the crowds energy. If you watch the press recording by Broadwaysho on YouTube, you will find this most obvious between Abby and Britt

If you watch the same video, you will also be able to hear a glitch in one of the backing music tracks. The audience certainly noticed, but the queens and band didn’t miss a beat. I did pick up on a couple of subtle looks from queens to the MD/conductor/keyboard after the glitch. Kind of like a “hey you heard that too, right” thing

The standing ovation after Ex-Wives was almost 2 minutes long, and again the queens were sharing looks, almost in disbelief that they were back and receiving that kind of welcome from the audience

No Way was phenomenal. I think it is my favorite choreography for the group. The drummer, Maria, was STELLAR and Adrianna sure did hit that high C

Andreas performance of DLYH is so electric and energetic. I did notice that compared to some previous audio that I heard, this performance has less of a nasally sound to it. I honestly love it both ways, but I believe she is taking a new approach vocally

Heart of Stone was just as emotional as I expected. I didn’t have my glasses on, but could still see the tears in Abbys eyes. Her riff on “truthfully”(definitely a new riff) and the climax of the song were extraordinary

I also noticed that Abby took a new vocal approach to the line “you lift me high” at the beginning of Heart of Stone. Her previous approach to the word “high” was strong with very Celine Dion-like placement. But this time she brought it up to a gorgeous falsetto.

After one of the longer standing ovations of the night, Abby was able to get out her line “what hurts more than a broken heart”, and as Andrea approached her to say her line, the audience was already applauding and laughing in anticipation for her line. She had a second of a laugh herself and actually had to pause for about 10 seconds before delivering “a severed head.”

Haus of Holbein is one of the most clever, car crashes of a song to exist in musical theater. It is the sharpest turn, tone-wise, from Heart of Stone and is exactly what you need to get back into the high energy of the rest of the show

Get Down has to be my second favorite for choreography for the group, and Britt just smashes it out of the park with so much energy and commitment to her dancing.

When Britt called on the audience member to dance with her, the woman did stand up and dance but sat back down after a few seconds which gave Britt the opportunity to give a cheeky reply of “this is Broadway. Do better” which got a huge laugh from the audience

Right after Get Down, a crew/production member announced they were having a technical problem and needed to take a brief pause. At first the queens remained on stage until a crew member waived them to go off stage. The pause was for about 5 minutes to reboot a system, presumably the one that was responsible for the glitch you can hear in Ex-Wives. However I don’t remember noticing any problems in any of the other songs. One of the standing ovations was also during this pause, for the sound team. Everything resumed and there were no additional sound problems.

During one of the queen vs queen argument scenes, Aragon called Boleyn “Bo-lame” and I’m not sure if that’s new or if I didn’t notice it before, but it was hilarious

Sams delivery of AYWD seemed stronger vocally than before, which I didn’t know was possible. And the journey that she takes you on with her acting throughout the song is unmatched. She received another one of the longer standing ovations of the night

Anna was also trying some new riffs in IDNYL and they were all beautiful. There seriously wasn’t a missed note from any queens throughout the show. They were all on their A-game

Six was as energetic as expected. The crowd was clapping along the whole song and got on their feet after about 30 seconds in, and remained on their feet until the show ended

Lots of the audience had their phones out to take pictures of bows and kept them out to record megasix. I know that you’re not supposed to, but I didn’t see any theater staff tell anyone to put their phones away. I ended up recording the last few seconds so that I could get their post-show reactions and their smiles say it all. Broadway is back!!

The queens took a selfie with the crowd in the background before exiting. Sam and Adrianna certainly had the most fun with their exit moves

#six the musical #six broadway #broadway #adrianna hicks #andrea macasaet #abby mueller #britt mack #samantha pauly #sam pauly #anna uzele #musical theater fandom #musical theatre

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fyeahbatcat · 3 years ago

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With all the headaches DC has to offer us with BatCat, my question is: beyond DC Publishing and beyond the writers, how do you see the future of Bruce and Selina? If they can't get married, do you think they can at least live together as a simple uncommitted couple who love each other? Thank you so much 😊

I will just say for the record: I do not, nor have I ever, believed that marriage is the endgame for Bruce and Selina. Would that be nice? Would I like to see it? Hell yeah! I think there’s a lot of new, untold storytelling opportunity there. But that was never my expectation or standard. I also don't think just because two people aren't married that that means they aren't committed to each other.

I think, except for AUs/multiverse/etc. and a very brief time back in the 80s Bruce and Selina have never gotten to be in an actual relationship. “Hey Britt, but what about [That thing we don’t talk about anymore by that person we no longer acknowledge]?” Without getting too much into it; I no longer feel that that time *counts*.

They’ve definitely dated in a kind of non-committal way but they’ve never been together in a way that I think reflects their feelings for each other. Hush was a really pivotal changing point in the way their relationship was portrayed. The post Hush era made very clear just how strong Bruce and Selina’s feelings and love for each other was and it was canonical. They were vulnerable with each other, they supported each other when they were at their lowest, and they professed their love for each. All of that was consistent for the remainder of the Pre-Flashpoint era, and yet they weren’t in any sort of official relationship.

All I’ve ever wanted is to see what it would be like if they decided to really act on those feelings and really commit to being with each other in relationship and trying to make it work. I’m not asking for rainbows and butterflies all the time, conflict is good for stories, I just want to see what it would be like if they really got together and decided to put effort into making it work and then sustain that for at least a while. I don’t think that’s asking for too much, but clearly DC Comics disagrees. All of the ingredients of a real and loving relationship have been there for a very, very long time; it’s just needs to be put together.

#ask #xmrbatcatx #personal note #i used to think 'if batcat got together for like 5 years I'd be happy'#but after the shit they pulled I wouldn't settle for anything less than an entire era

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hopefulobjectmiracle · 3 years ago

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wearing the smile you gave me

This fic was prompted by a sweet anon, and I decided to dedicate it to my dear friend @randomcanbian because I love her. I know the next few days will be hard for you, and I hope this makes your week a little less difficult 💕

Pairing: Brittany S. Pierce/Santana Lopez

Prompt: “My shirt is way too big on you...but it’s cute”

Words: ~2.3k

Additional Info: Fluff, Canon Compliant, Married!Brittana, Future Fic.

Read on AO3

Brittany wakes to the soft sound of snoring. The clock next to her bed reads 6:04 AM, but it’s still dark outside.

She rolls over in her bed and breathes a sigh of relief. Santana had gotten home last night, safe and sound. Not that she wouldn’t have, but New York is a dangerous city; one that the two of them hadn’t spent much time in together prior to their wedding. And so Brittany couldn’t help but worry about her anyway.

It’s been four months since the wedding, and married life has been treating them well. They've settled into their new apartment fairly seamlessly, and have been taking classes at Columbia together just like they always planned. Santana would never admit this to Mr. Schuester, but his ‘hunch’ from way back when had turned out to be right - she really did want to go into law in order to make a difference in the world. Preparing for law is difficult, but Santana is loving that she gets to have such an important goal. Brittany is taking classes part-time in the math department, spending most of her time training at the Paul Taylor Dance Company.

It’s not easy, though. Santana often works late nights at the diner to earn extra money - late nights that keep Brittany up worrying about her. Occasionally, like yesterday, their schedules don’t overlap and they aren’t able to spend time alone together. There are bills to pay, classes to attend, and responsibilities that neither one would have ever dreamed of as a teenager. And yet - it’s perfect, because it’s the two of them. Brittany thinks that her teenage self would be damn proud of where they are today.

Now, Santana lies next to Brittany, her dark hair fanned out across her face and her features lax with sleep. Brittany smiles as she traces a finger across Santana’s cheek. This is her Santana, hers alone; the soft, sweet girl that no one but her ever gets to see. And Brittany gets to spend the rest of her life with her. She gets to wake up every morning to that beautiful face, spend her entire day loving this incredible woman, and go to sleep every night knowing that Santana will be right next to her.

Forever.

This thought alone sparks Brittany’s every nerve, and is enough to send Brittany stumbling out of bed, deciding that she isn’t going to be able to fall asleep again before sunrise. Four months in, and it’s finally hit her on this dark, cold morning - this is it. This is forever with the girl she loves.

She quickly smoothes the blankets over Santana, presses a soft kiss to her forehead, and all but sprints to the kitchen of their tiny condo. Lord Tubbington, whom Brittany hadn’t even realized was awake, uses this as an opportunity to climb onto their dining table, attempting to make himself at home in their fruit bowl.

“Quiet, you!” Brittany whispers. “Don’t be an asshole, Santana needs her rest.” Lord Tubbington hisses at her, and Brittany sighs and picks him up, depositing him on the kitchen counter. He mewls in protest, and she jabs her finger at him. “Behave. My wife needs sleep, and I will not have you and your gang ruining it.” She sneaks a glance back into the bedroom. Santana is thankfully still asleep, and Brittany breathes out another sigh of relief. She turns back to Lord Tubbington and says, “I’m keeping an eye on you, mister.”

Brittany leans forward and opens a couple of cupboards mindlessly, unsure of what to make for her wife’s breakfast. It’s a rare free Saturday morning, and she is not going to let it go to waste when she can do something special instead. She sifts through the ingredients they have in their fridge, making a mental note to stock up on bagels. Brittany sighs. She wishes that NYC had at least one Breadstix - she isn’t really the best cook, and Santana only deserves the best.

Still, Brittany thinks Santana will appreciate anything Brittany makes for her, because she knows that what really matters to Santana is that Brittany loves her enough to make an effort. Even if that effort results in burnt lasagna. Which is an event that Santana has sworn to never bring up again.

Brittany shakes that thought away. Santana’s had a hard week, and Brittany needs to do everything in her power to make it better. She spins around the kitchen again and grabs the recipe book they keep on the counter. She flips through it, landing on a page with a list of Italian recipes. She scans the pasta section, hoping to find something easy enough to make. Raviolis, farfalle, fusilli...

Fettuccine Alfredo. Bingo.

Brittany thinks back to her wedding, when Kurt and Blaine burst out laughing when that dish was served for dinner. Apparently, when Sue had locked them in that elevator - a scheme that Brittany had no involvement in, thank you very much - Sue had slipped them a basket of Breadstix food, including a recipe for the pasta. A couple of weeks ago during a drunken night out, Kurt had been so gracious as to share it with Brittany, and ever since then, she’s had it in her back pocket; an ace up her sleeve that she had forgotten about until now. It’s Santana’s favorite, and Kurt’s recipe is simple enough that even Brittany can’t screw it up.

Brittany takes out her phone and scrolls through her pictures until she finds the recipe. She sets the phone on the counter and gets to work, pulling out the noodles, parmesan cheese, garlic, butter, and cream. She turns the stove on, placing a pot of water on the burner. As she’s boiling the water, Lord Tubbington climbs up next to her, knocking her phone off in the process.

“Damn it, I told you to stay away,” Brittany snaps, making a shooing motion at Lord Tubbington. She crouches down and looks at her phone, checking to make sure that no damage has been done.

On the screen is now a photo of the night Santana came to visit Brittany at the dance studio, complete with a big bouquet of flowers. That had been one of the most magical days of her training at the studio, and Santana being there had only made the night better. Brittany picks up her phone and beams. Not for the first time tonight, Brittany is made aware of how lucky she is to be able to have this life with Santana. She places the phone onto the counter again and begins grating the cheese.

Hours later, Brittany is stirring the alfredo sauce on the pan, contemplating the possibility of a four-dimensional cube within the macroscopic universe, when Santana comes padding into the kitchen. “Hey,” Santana says, startling Brittany out of her reverie.

“Hi!”

“Mmmm...that smells so good,” Santana says, stroking Brittany’s arm and inhaling the scents of garlic and cream with a sleepy grin on her face. “What’re you making?”

“It’s a surprise,” Brittany sing-songs. “And good morning, honey,” she says, giving Santana a kiss on the cheek. Santana yawns and rubs her eyes, her hair sticking in every direction. It’s the most gorgeous thing Brittany has ever seen, and - oh.

This is new.

Santana is wearing Brittany’s MIT shirt. The oversized one that Brittany used to throw on daily when she was at the school. The one that was her only source of comfort so far away from home; the one that she put away after reuniting with Santana because she simply didn’t need it anymore.

Now, it somehow looks even better on the person that is Brittany’s forever home. The shirt hangs loose on Santana’s diminutive frame. She’s not wearing anything under it, and that makes her look even more appealing than Brittany had ever thought a T-shirt would look on any one person.

“You’re wearing my shirt,” Brittany says wonderingly.

“Yeah, babe, is that okay?”

“Okay? I...” Brittany is at a loss for words. She slides her hands down Santana’s lovely arms and yanks her in for a kiss. She cups Santana’s face, holding her close and keeping their foreheads pressed together after they break the kiss.

“I’m going to take that a yes,” Santana says, grinning as she pulls back.

“You look incredible,” Brittany breathes. “You have no idea how much I-”

A loud noise goes off right then, making both girls jump. Brittany hurries back to her saucepan, pouring its contents into a bowl.

“What exactly is that?” Santana says, peering over Brittany’s shoulder. Brittany spins around and covers Santana’s eyes.

“No, Santana! It’s supposed to be a surprise,” Brittany says, steering Santana away from the stove.

“I want to help you,” Santana says, attempting to push past her back into the kitchen. “You don’t have to do this all by you- ”

“No can do, honey,” Brittany says, sweeping her hands down Santana’s back and hoisting her up from underneath.

“Britt - ah - what!” Santana yells as Brittany picks her up. She struggles to get out of Brittany’s arms. “Put me down!”

“Sorry,” Brittany says, adjusting Santana in her arms. She walks over to the bedroom and deposits Santana onto the bed, sending her tumbling into the mattress. “You stay here until the food is ready.”

Santana faux-glares at her from where she’s sprawled on the bed, and then sighs in defeat. “Okay. I love you.”

“I love you too.” Brittany leans in and kisses Santana’s forehead. “Stay here.”

Brittany races back to the kitchen, pouring the sauce over her noodles and sprinkling the remaining cheese over them. She takes out the orange juice from the fridge, removes the muffins from the microwave, and neatly arranges everything onto a tray. She carries the tray to the bedroom, careful not to trip over Lord Tubbington’s now-sleeping form.

Santana’s face lights up when she sees Brittany, and she gasps in awe as she takes in the breakfast Brittany made. Santana ducks her head, bashful and so, so cute. “Britt,” she says, smiling softly. “You made all of this for me?”

“Only the best for you, babe.”

“How did you do it? I thought...” Santana trails off. “You’ve always said that you can’t cook. But you made my favorite meal for me.”

“A chef never reveals her secrets,” Brittany says, winking at her. She makes a mental note to thank Kurt at their next night out.

“Oh, yeah?” Santana teases. She leans in closer. “And what else does this mysterious chef do?”

“Right now, she just wants her wife to eat her breakfast,” Brittany says.

Santana rolls her eyes. “Okay, okay. But you need to come eat with me.” She sets aside the tray and draws back the covers, gesturing for Brittany to join her in the bed. Brittany crawls in and tucks herself against Santana, pulling the blankets back over them. Santana sets the tray on their knees and hands her a fork. The two of them sit in companionable silence for a couple of minutes, taking turns feeding each other small bites of the food; just relishing in each other’s company.

“You know what?” Brittany says suddenly.

Santana swallows down a bite of pasta. “Hmm?”

“This shirt that you’re wearing…” Brittany reaches out and gently fingers the fabric. “This is what I used to wear when I was away. I don’t know why, but it would always make me feel safe. It helped me when I was isolated from you and all of our friends. It made me feel less alone.”

Santana nods her head in understanding. “So, how come you don’t wear it anymore? It’s pretty badass, and I bet you looked so cute in it. It’d be perfect for late nights when I’m at the diner.”

Brittany shrugs. “I don’t need it now. I have you to make me feel safe. Even when you’re not here physically, I have the knowledge that you’re my wife,” she says, showing off her wedding ring. “You believed in me when no one else did, you supported me through everything that happened before MIT, and you even managed to figure out that I wasn’t happy and got me the hell out of there. Why would I need some old shirt when I have you, my darling wife, to keep me safe?”

Santana grabs Brittany’s hand and kisses it. “You make me feel safe too, Britt,” she says earnestly. “Life is so, so hard sometimes, and you make me feel like it’s okay to just be myself in a world that doesn’t always like me.” She looks down and presses her lips together. “Growing up, I never thought I would have that. I always thought I’d marry a man, and he’d sit around judging me on everything I did.”

Brittany winces, remembering how heartbroken Santana was for most of their high school years and how long she’d had to struggle with her feelings. She remembers too, how her own heart broke every time Santana recited a hypothetical future with some nameless man, knowing that it would never make her truly happy.

“I never thought I’d be able to feel so free and so loved,” Santana continues. She cups Brittany’s cheek. “But here you are,” she says, grinning helplessly.

“Here I am,” Brittany agrees, bringing their lips together in a soft, slow kiss. Brittany tries to pour all the love in her heart into that kiss, hoping that through the kiss, Santana will feel even a fraction of the infinite love Brittany holds for her.

“And I’m going to stay with you, Santana. I’m going to love you and make you feel like this for the rest of your life.”

“I’m going to do the same for you, Britt.”

As they lie together, talking, kissing, loving one another, their stomachs so full, their bodies so comfortable, and their hearts so happy, Brittany thinks once again that this is really it for them.

This is forever, and Brittany wouldn’t have it any other way.

#glee #brittana #brittana fic #brittana fanfiction #brittana fanfic #glee fanfiction #brittany x santana #santana x brittany #naya rivera #heather morris #evelyn writes fic #anon i hope you like it too!!

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chooseyouovereveryone · 4 years ago

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10 Years Of Songbird: Brittana Fan Project

Hello my fellow Brittana lovers!

First of all, happy 10 years to the iconic Glee episode that is Rumours and the beautifully moving performance that is Songbird. Such a pivotal part in Brittana's story, and one that will forever be ingrained in my mind. Naya's voice still gives me goosebumps and reduces me to tears on that performance, paired with Heather's genuine tearful reaction.

Second of all, this is up slightly later than planned so apologies for that, but Tumblr glitched on me big time and I had to repost this all again which considering I had a draft built up for days, was rather inconvenient, but we’re here now and hopefully it was worth the wait!

Putting this project together has brought me so much joy in revisiting my favourite ship. I don't think I will ever tire of reading about them, and hearing from others why they love them so much and how this ship resonated with them.

For me, Brittany and Santana were the first positive representation I saw of a WLW relationship. I was shook to the core watching their story unfold, in how much it mirrored what was going on in my own life with my own denial and with my own relationship. I found myself clinging to that storyline like an anchor, as if it was going to give me the answers to my own story. Throughout all the confusion I had in my own coming out and realisation that I was a lesbian, the storyline gave me hope that one day, everything would be okay. Watching them go from confused and conflicted best friends to wives gave me so much hope for the future, and now as a 27 year old out and proud gay woman, I still look at this storyline with the same love-filled eyes.

Even as Glee ended and I stepped away from the fandom, Brittana have always been a huge part of my life, always there in the background, always my comfort storyline to turn to and rewatch a bunch of times. But losing Naya last year really brought me back to the fandom and the community and reminded me why I loved them so much.

I think what I love most of all about this ship is how organic it was. It came from the fans, and from Naya and Heather encouraging the writers to take it seriously. Because of this, I also wanted to add in some little touches of Heya, and include quotes from Naya and Heather talking about their fave scenes.

I'll forever be indebted to this storyline in what felt like a really hard and confusing time in my teenage years.

So thank you Naya

Thank you Heather.

& thank you so much to all of you for taking part.

Also a huge shoutout once again to @hopefulobjectmiracle for letting me use her idea and for providing help along the way. She came up with the concept for this project with Klaine, and I wanted to create a Brittana version, but I'd strongly recommend checking out her Klaine one if you haven't already.

I hope you enjoy reading it, as much as I enjoyed putting it together :)

Brittany & Santana Talk To Holly Holliday About Their Feelings- 2x15, “Sexy”

Choosing a favorite scene is hard so I'll choose one of my favorite lines: in the episode Sexy when Santana and Brittany first talk to Holly about their sexuality, Britt says "I don't know how I feel because Santana refuses to talk about it".

I love this line because most people would play it off as Brittany being a simpleton, but that's not the case. Brittany is saying she doesn't know if she's allowed to like Santana as more than her best friend. She doesn't know if it's right. Because if Santana isn't in to girls then Brittany could be crossing a line, a line where she could possibly be making Santana uncomfortable. Brittany obviously knows how she feels about Santana but she wants to make sure Santana feels for her in the same way before admitting to it, as not to ruin what they already have.

-@neversatisfiedwithlife

Landslide- 2x15, “Sexy”

It was incredibly difficult for me to choose my favorite Brittana scene. There are so many that I love and find important to me...some of these moments were even literally life-altering. Before Brittana, for example, I didn't know that girls could be gay, and I had no idea that what I felt for some of my female friends was anything other than platonic. I'm sure I would have realized I was queer eventually, but this ship and the fandom that I found myself in made the process so much easier for me. But I digress :)

I eventually narrowed it down to four choices—Landslide, Songbird, the Heart Locker Scene in New York, and Cherish/Cherish in Heart, and out of these I've decided to single out Landslide as my numero uno, as it was this very scene that started my decade-long love affair with this ship :)

There are so many things that I love about this scene. Earlier in the show we see Brittany attempt to talk about their relationship knowing that they were more than just best-friends-with-benefits, but Santana would instantly close herself off. Still, Brittany pressed on, determined to understand what they had become, while Santana began to realize that what they had—what they could become—was worth letting herself be vulnerable, worth the risk of getting herself hurt. The fact that Landslide was the product of this early struggle gives it so much meaning ;u;

The scene itself has all these details that make my heart ache in the best way possible...the way they look at each other throughout the song, Santana's eyes a myriad of emotions, full of sadness, confusion, conflict, longing, Britt's eyes filled with concern knowing how much it's taking her best friend to be so vulnerable, then the pride that shines through when she looks at Santana after the performance; the way that Santana's voice breaks singing "and I'm getting older, too"; when she stands afterwards and goes over to Brittany, and Britt opens her arms to hold Santana instantly like it's a reflex; the way that they fit against each other so perfectly, like they were made to be in each other's arms...even the visual composition of the scene was perfect ToT That instant of them hugging each other is a study in contrasts with the way Britt's flaxen hair shines against Santana's night-dark head, and with the way Santana's soft white blouse contrasts against Brittany's deep blue denim top ;u; It's gorgeous.

-@randomcanbian

My fav Brittana scene is when they sing landslide together, because it was one of the first times we got to Santana be so vulnerable

-@snowpickles

What is a landslide? Simply put, it’s defined as a collapse of a mass of earth or rock from a mountain or cliff. That’s the perfect way to describe the rocky relationship between Santana and Brittany in S2, and it‘s exactly why their performance of the infamous Fleetwood Mac song of the same name (Sexy; 2x15) is such a pivotal moment in time in for them.

Santana showed a side of herself to her friends, but most importantly to Brittany, that many would deem her incapable of ever doing. For that moment she allowed that brick wall she always had built up around her for protection to come slowly crumbling down. And the best part? She allowed that — wanted that — to happen. She needed to bare her soul to the person she loved most, but she wasn‘t sure how or when, or if she ever could.

Seeing Santana put her heart on her sleeve and confess her feelings of love and admiration for Brittany through song — finally — is one of the highlights of the entire series for me. We see her trap herself within a new world for a few minutes, one that contains only the two of them through her eyes, and let her emotions do the talking. Brittany understood everything without a single word being spoken to her. Santana hadn’t opened up to anyone at this point about how she felt, not even to herself, but so much was understood between them without saying nothing at all. My favorite spoken line is Brittany‘s, „Is that really how you feel?“

As a viewer, it was such an infamous moment because we now get to cheer for them. We see that they are on the same page with one another, that through it all, their attraction and desire for one another never wavered. They wouldn’t be a a couple for quite a bit more time, but they both now understood what we as viewers saw all along. Santana stopped denying her sexuality; she stopped denying what Brittany meant to herself. She still had a lot to sort out and wasn’t ready to free herself from the constraints of her sexuality, but she made the biggest move: allowing Brittany on the other side of that wall with her.

This performance let to the scene we grew to love known as the Hurt Locker, which is the scene that made the Brittana fandom sing praise to the high heavens. Santana felt like she could finally confess her feelings to Brittany. She was terrified, but she somehow found the courage within herself to stop closing the door on opportunities. So, I‘m thankful for Holly Holiday for being the person that Santana and Brittany felt comfortable enough to go to, and I‘m thankful for her willingness to perform with them, because it gave us much more than a song — it gave us hope. It gave us validation. It gave us Brittana.

-@TheWednesdayProject on Reddit

Hurt Locker-2x15, “Sexy”

"A lot of people have said that scene gave them courage to come out to their parents and their friends and their loved ones, so I think that it's something that's very important, and I hope that we handled it responsibly which I think that we did"- Naya (PaleyFest 2012)

Hurt Locker is my fave scene - just Santana finally coming to feel and admit the truth within. I've probably watched it a thousand times and I'll never get sick of it. The expressions and unspoken acting Naya and Heather put into it give me all the feels!

-@chasingseals

Okay so my favorite Brittana scene is probably the scene where Santana express her feelings for Brittany during “sexy” and says she’s afraid to be with Brittany because of the talks and the way people are gonna stare and that she wasn’t even afraid to what people would say to her face but to what people would say behind her back.

And that’s because I feel the same way. I’m not a lesbian, I’m bisexual, but at the moment I have a girlfriend and I am so afraid to come out to even the rest of my family (apart from my parents and sister) because I always hear them talking about these girls with names such as “dyke” or something, and it was good to see on tv someone with the same fears and it is so good to see that they had a happy ending and got married and that all this started when they decided “not to care” about everybody else’s opinions and be themselves and be happy.

-@wankybjtch

It’s so, so strange to do this without Naya, but here we are, and she and Heather made this all so beautiful. When I tried to answer this question about my favorite scene, I went first to Songbird - Naya has one of my favorite voices in this whole world - and then to Landslide, and then to Me Against the Music, and all those answers seemed really good. Brittany and Santana spoke to each other so much through music - voices and words and touch - and Heather and Naya gave themselves to their characters so much - and Naya to song so much, and Heather to dance - that they would disappear into Brittana, and would just seem like they were love, made visible. Brittana is love always seems like such a true thing to say, to me. But while what occurred to me first were three songs, I realized that my favorite scene - the one that hit me the hardest - will probably always be the Hurt Locker.

Naya was just so shining there, Santana so full of love and this terrible ache and this more terrible hope, all for Brittany, that you could see Heather glowing back, though so much more quietly. It was an absolutely tremendous thing to see a full-on love scene playing out in the middle of a crowded hallway. Naya and Heather were so beautiful together, as friends and as actresses and as onscreen lovers, and after seeing that scene for the first time, I cried every day for a week, always at these quiet, unexpected times. The love and the hurt and the fear and the hope were so raw in Santana - both in Naya’s performance and in the beautiful script - that it brought everything back about the confusion of starting out with that Oh, god. I am never, never going to be like everyone else. I love her way, way too much. But somehow, the scene made my whole world feel safer. I could see myself, and others could see me. There we were on the screen, worthy and beautiful. <3 Tess

-@venuscomb

Songbird- 2x19, “Rumours”

"I really enjoyed watching Naya sing Songbird. That's ingrained in my head, that time where I sat in the choir room and listened to her sing Songbird, because her voice is just of another world. It's always been my favorite. I will never forget that."- Heather (Entertainment Weekly 2021)

My favorite moment is Santana singing Songbird to Brittany because that is an all time classic romantic song, and Santana (Naya) sings it beautifully, and Brittany just sits there mesmerized. Plus I love what they are wearing, and how they look. i think it's signifcant that Santana sang her love for her here in the choir room, and it's where they had many of their big moments - first together, the break-up song, the flowers in 5, the proposal.

-@1908jmd

My fav scene is 100% Songbird. It’s always been my favourite song and to see it applied to a wlw relationship changed my life a lot because it made me realise that it could be me one day. Santana was always my favourite character too, so to see someone that i appreciated a lot come to terms with their sexuality made me really happy

-@illegally-luthor

My first fav scene out of two is Songbird of course because seeing Santana pouring her heart out to Britt is just the most beautiful thing ever. She was scared to accept who she really was and when it comes to her love for Brittany she’s not scared anymore because loving her is the easiest thing to do. Plus, seeing how Britt reacted was so beautiful. She knew Santana was scared and she was proud of how she confessed her love, through a song, because she knew Santana wasn’t good with words.

-@chloesnix2b

Heart Locker- 2x22, “New York”

My favorite Brittana scene is after Nationals in 2x22 by the lockers.

What I love most about this scene is Brittanys tell it how it is attitude. When Santana said that it clearly wasn’t about winning for her, Brittany looked right through her bullshit, knowing that Santana was getting defensive, because Santana knew what this year was really about for Brittany (and herself too of course), she just didn’t want to admit to it.

You can clearly see that Santana is still scared and hiding and that she still feels like she’s is going to lose Brittany any moment. But Brittany reassures her, tells her how much she loves Santana and makes her feel safe.

My favorite Brittany is always when she’s finally allowed to have feelings and say something. Often the writers didn’t give her anything to do or just made her a caricature of a person. But when she was allowed to express herself, it was in her truest, most vulnerable form. Due to writing, Brittana often seemed one sided, but it’s moments like these that show us how much Brittany loves Santana and how much she wants only the best for her.

For me, the scene felt like the real beginning. They have been taking baby steps before, treading the water. But now Brittany dove right in and her boldness made Santana follow her :)

"What about you and I?", "I love you Santana, I love you more than I‘ve ever loved anyone else in this world. All I know about you and I is that, because of that, I think anything is possible."

-@bolintheturtleduck

I absolutely love every scene that they’re in together, but my favorite is the one where Brittany and Santana are standing outside of the lockers, talking about the glee club. i feel like it showed a lot about Santana’s character at the time and it really inspired me.

-@hoodiestring

Officially Dating - 3x04, “Pot O' Gold”

Their first official date at Breadstix!

Santana and Brittany sitting in the warm lighting of their favourite restaurant in the almost comfortable awkwardness of their tender baby relationship melted something in my baby lesbian heart.

They're teenaged best friends who fell in love and this scene is just so fluffy and cozy and perfectly reflects their dynamic - they're so obviously head over heels for each other and everything about their relationship feels new and electric and full of possibility, but they've also been love each other forever. Santana's eyes lighting up at Britt holding her hand and Britt being so purely herself and everything about the scene just screams home to me and is the moment the show really became about them to me.

-@grassberry639

One of my favorite scenes is the Breadstix scene with the holding hand under a napkin because I could completely relate to it when I was dating girls that was still not yet 100% ready to come out.

-@charisadrastea

Rumour Has It/Someone Like You- 3x06, “Mash Off”

My other favorite is the Rumour Has It/Someone Like You scene because the performance was so beautiful and haunting.

-@charisadrastea

For me, it was the Adele Mashup (specifically the longing looks exchanged during it). I watched that scene over and over again when I was a kid because I felt like it did a great job of truly encapsulating what it's like to have feelings that you desperately want to pursue but can't do to your surroundings. The whole thing really stuck with me.

Naya's performance felt so genuine and, throughout that entire song, you could really feel what Santana was going through as a closeted lesbian who was terrified of losing everything. And the fact that Brittany was so close during the whole performance and, yet, instead of her singing one of the lead parts with her, they just exchange looks. I just thought it did a great job of expressing a trapped feeling.

-@aaverageperson

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face- 3x10, “Yes/No”

My favourite Brittana scene would be the small flashback when the girls are singing The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.

Santana sees Brittany’s face for the first time and she melts.

Their smiles are so soft and I love the instant connection they both have.

-@mostlygleethoughts

My favourite Brittana moment happens when Santana is singing, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. She sings the line, “I felt your heart so close to mine,” while a flashback of her and Brittany in the locker room plays. I get teary-eyed whenever I watch this scene. The love between them is so beautiful, and it’s so refreshing to see genuine sapphic love portrayed on screen.

-@sapphicbrittana

Cherish/Cherish- 3x13, “Heart”

It took me so long to decide on what my favorite Brittana scene is but i ultimately decided on the scene at the end of Heart. It’s just such a sweet moment for them. They are openly going on a date and even kiss in front of other people without caring about what anyone might say. They have come so far from the beginning of their relationship and it is just lovely to see them be so happy with each other.

-@sugarcarnation

Ok so my second favorite scene is in 3x13 when Santana asked the god squad to sing a song for Britt. So the scene at Breadstick at the end and the kiss they shared after Cherish/Cherish is just beautiful. Seeing Santana being so proud to call Brittany her girlfriend and singing her song for her is everything to me. Also Britt’s reaction was too cute. The love in her eyes when Joe told them the god squad was going to perform for her is the cutest thing ever. The kiss they shared at the end of the song was so passionate and it gives me butterflies every time I see the scene. It was also the first Brittana kiss we saw onscreen.

-@chloesnix2b

I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)- 3x17, “Dance With Somebody”

"Watching Heather dance is fun in this number, I never get tired of watching her dance."- Naya (BTS Dance With Somebody)

"They put us in twinzies outfits. We've been singing to each other like crazies"- Heather (BTS Dance With Somebody)

My favourite Brittana scene would have to be dance with somebody (the song). I love how happy they both are and how much fun they’re having together!!! The context is romantic, but they’re also having fun as best friends, which is the root of their relationship. I just think it’s really sweet and I’m a sucker for happy pretty ladies dancing around and making each other ridiculously happy. That’s all!!!

-@kurtanaaa

Tongue Tied- 3x21, “Nationals”

Q: What’s your favourite Brittana moment? A: The slow motion celebration smooch when we won Nationals

-Naya (Twitter Q&A 2012)

Mine- 4x04, “The Break Up”

It might seem strange, to choose a breakup scene for a couple's best. It's a scene that broke thousands of hearts and continues to make us cry, even after having seen the whole journey unfold and even after knowing that Brittana will, in the end, be okay. But to me, it's a scene that encapsulates much of what I love about these two and what they mean to each other. "Sophomore year, I used to sit in this back row and secretly watch you. I counted the number of times you'd smile at me, and I'd die on days that you didn't." Half the reason why I chose this scene is this quote. The sheer power of it still shakes me whenever I hear Santana utter these words. The sincerity behind them makes me stop and truly consider what it is she’s saying. It’s a summary of their journey so far. It’s a moment of incredible vulnerability, the confession of a girl who fell in love with her best friend and was terrified of the consequences of that love. Not as much as she was terrified of what it would mean to not be loved back, though.

But Brittany loves Santana with the same passion, even if it manifests differently. It’s why she holds on as long as she can and why it’s even harder for Santana to face their issues. Because you see, I understand that many dislike the reasoning behind their breakup and that it only happened here because everyone else was doing it. But there’s something so deeply caring about the way they consciously make the decision not to hurt each other by leaving themselves in this in-between state of long-distance relationships. Something so genuine about the way they say they would never cheat on each other but also something so mature in realizing that they can’t be what the other needs right now. That, to me, displays such a pure form of love. As pure as catching glances and counting smiles in the back row. As pure as words of encouragement and saying to someone: I'm yours.

Even though they were already inseparable in sophomore year, Brittany smiling at Santana during Glee practice is an intimate moment that meant everything to her. And even though it hurts, Santana letting go of Brittany before they can even think of hurting each other is such a deep declaration of love. What makes it bittersweet yet hopeful instead of just being heart-shattering is the way Santana turns the otherwise optimistic and romantic song “Mine” into a sad one, creating one of the show’s most gorgeous solo performances in the process. Because when she sings Brittany is the best thing that’s ever been hers, we all know it was true in sophomore year, it is true now and it will be on the day they exchange vows. Because Santana’s right when she sings they’re gonna make it, even if it takes a while. Even if they are (and we are) crying right now, even if it takes a few more days of dying in the absence of Brittany’s smile lighting up her world. Because even when they’re breaking up, Brittana reaffirm that they’ll always love each other the most.

-@tuiyla

Santana Walks Brittany Out Of The Auditorium One Last Time- 4x22, “All Or Nothing”

“I really liked the moment in the last episode, when we knew that Brittany was going away and it was a really sad vibe and Santana showed up and just took her hand and walked her off, I thought that was sweet.”- Naya (Perez Hilton 2013)

Valerie- 5x12, “100”

My favorite scene by a pretty wide margin is “Valerie” from “100”. It’s got that palpable backstage chemistry that Naya and Heather had that shone through so clearly in season 1, it’s poetically choreographed, and the songs even more lyrically significant than before.

I believe that Santana and Brittany are at their best and most smitten when they’re doing what Naya and Heather love the most: singing and dancing, respectively. This is no exception. Just look at Brittany trying not to smile at the beginning. When the shot is on her after Santana starts to sing, you can see her face change from smiles to grimace as if she had forgotten herself. You can’t tell me Heather didn’t break there for a second.

Every little mannerism throughout the whole sequence is laced with that fun, alarmingly pure energy. It could’ve been just excellent acting, but it felt so real. And why wouldn’t it? Naya had to learn Heather’s dance from “Sectionals”. Watching your best friend pull off some of your most iconic moves and then joining in, that’s gotta be fun.

Yeah, Santana’s dancing the choreography from their sectionals with Mike. Within the capacity of an untrained dancer, of course. She’s trying to get Brittany back into the groove by dancing probably the most involved number that the New Directions have ever done. And one that Brittany probably had the most fun with because she choreographed it with Mike. That’s some good writing. And it works, and it’s cute, but once Brittany joins in, the sequence deviates from the original.

We get this just wonderful moment of Brittany dancing solo centerstage fully embracing her passion. After she gets her moment, she and Santana dance either with each other swing-style or towards each other. You can’t forget about that embrace at the end when Santana sort of dips her. They’re not even back together at this point. Santana doesn’t want to get back together at this point. But I feel like I’m watching them dancing at their wedding 3 hours into the reception.

And I mean what an appropriate song to use given the circumstance. “Valerie” is about missing an ex after coming back to your hometown. When we heard Santana solo it at sectionals, it wasn’t super meaningful. It was an excellent way to show off Santana’s vocals and Brittany and Mike’s choreography somewhat independently. But here? Let’s talk about line distribution.

First verse, Santana sings solo. Notably, Brittany is harmonizing behind her piecemeal. By the chorus, she’s joined with Santana fully. Second verse, she’s soloing, joining the dance and by the end they’re dancing together. They’re singing and dancing about missing each other together.

But the song’s not my favorite part. Not even the dance. Not really. My favorite part is the culmination. Santana and Brittany are participating in each other’s disciplines and passions.

That’s an awesome couple right there. They went from singing and dancing somewhat removed from each other to singing and dancing with each other, and even when they were broken up, they still shared their respective passions with each other effortlessly.

-@leatherzaddy on Reddit

My favorite Brittana scene is Valerie S5. It just feels so significant to me that Santana chose this particular song to get Britt out of her funk. Valerie is special to both of them, it’s the first competition solo Santana ever got and it was the first time we ever got to witness the dance skills of one Brittany S. Pierce.

It was the first time Brittany got to show off how talented she was and how she was so much more than the dumb blonde everyone thought she was. Now, however, no one thinks she’s dumb. Now everyone sees her as just another statistic for MIT.

Santana, however, sees right through that and sees her for who she really is - not dumb, not just a genius, but Brittany, the girl who loves to dance. So Santana picks the same song from the first time Brittany got to show off her dancing to prove to her once again that dancing is what she’s meant to do.

-@hopefulobjectmiracle

Churros Kiss- 5x12, “100”

The infamous churros scene lives in my head rent free. Why? Because we saw a level of confidence in Brittany that we had never seen before and, in that moment, we were all rooting for her for giving us what we knew was right and what we knew we needed. The fans knew Brittana was endgame, Brittany knew, and we just sat back and waited for Santana to realize it as well. (Let’s give her credit: she knew.) We had waited 1.5 seasons for more and we finally got it, mouthful of churros and all.

I love this scene because we see Santana and Brittany a bit older and a lot wiser; Brittany knows that after all the time they had spent apart, Santana is the only one she really wants and she felt like she needed to tell her, to show her, before it was too late. I feel like everything Brittany did in this scene was very spontaneous and on a whim, and it makes it that much hotter.

The kiss. It’s my favorite kiss between the couple by a mile. Brittany put her heart on her sleeve and risked everything and just went in for the kill. You can see the twinkle in her eye right before she leaned in and she didn’t hesitate to show Santana what she wanted. I do appreciate Santana’s hesitancy because of their storyline at the time, but I don’t doubt for a second that she didn’t want Brittany back, too. She was just incredibly cautious, and no doubt, caught by surprise. They had been through so much and had finally found a place in their friendship/relationship where scars were healing and hearts weren’t as broken as before.

You can see in the way Santana looks at her after being kissed, the way in which she listens to her, that the wheels in her head are already turning. We know she knows what Brittany is saying is true. She just has to process what this means for her, for them, for her life back in New York. She’s just putting the scattered puzzle pieces back together, but she knows what the picture already looks like.

The kiss on the cheek? The delicious cherry on top. Brittany, having already been pushed away, one again doubled down on how she felt and so quickly, and respectfully, reminded Santana of that. You can see Santana’s breath hitch during this moment when their faces are so close together, and it’s obvious that her love for Brittany never wavered. As she always was, smitten is her middle name.

Brittana’s entire relationship from S1-S6 can be summed up, for me, with one infamous line spoken by Brittany during the churros scene, “You can’t recreate what you and I have.”

-@TheWednesdayProject on Reddit

The Lilies Scene- 5x13, “New Directions”

I will always remember being a curious and scared teenager. I was almost in high school when Brittana became official and it suckerpunched me. The fear, the anxiety, the angst, the love, all of it was so relatable. Brittana had so many trials and tribulations and they always came out better and stronger both as individuals as a couple. My favorite Brittana scene is the lily scene because it was the beginning of them consciously choosing each other. The growth <3

-@yesandmusicals

My favorite Brittana scene is when Brittany fills the room with lilies for Santana. It really proves that the connection between them is incredibly strong and they understand each other better than anyone else. Their chemistry is off the charts and you can really feel their love for each other through the screen. The way Santana sinks into Brittany like she’s coming home and the way Britt runs her fingers up and down Santana’s arm <3 Everything about it is perfect.

-@santinacedes

I think my favorite Brittana scene is the one in 5x13, where Brittany fills the choir room with lilies for Santana, because that was the biggest time when I could truly feel their love for one another and their support of each other.

-@allweseeisskyforever

The Bedroom Scene- 6x03, “Jagged Little Tapestry”

It's hard to pick one favorite scene because I just love them all. But I'm gonna go with the scene that made me the happiest and that's the bedroom scene before the proposal because it's such an intimate moment between the two of them. They talk about their future together, about how happy they are and of course "I will love you until infinity". I've wanted a scene like that since I started shipping them in season 2. And watching that scene for the first time was one of the happiest moments in my life. And when I'm feeling down I just watch this scene again and everything gets better.

-@brittanaaresoulmates13

Santana proposes to Brittany- 6x03, “Jagged Little Tapestry

My fav Brittana scene is the proposal bc it means so much to both of them. It takes place where they fell in love and there’s so many parts in the song that remind me so much of their past

-@arf128

My favourite Brittana scene is probably Santana proposing to Brittany because the number they do before is fire🔥 and BRITTANA GETS ENGAGED!!

-@pennywarbler

Hallway Scene- 6x06, “What The World Needs Now”

I LOVE THE ‘did I ever tell you that I love you’ MOMENT. The little kiss and the way Santana nudges her head in Brittany’s neck. I love the whole episode, it’s so powerful and as a lesbian I really felt seen and represented.

I love that Santana reminds Brittany of heaven. I love that Brittany loves Santana so unconditionally, that she would do anything to see her happy. Brittany knows that Santana is super happy right now, but she also knows that she really misses her abuela and that she’s sad she’s not coming to the wedding. Britt’s really doing her best for Santana, and that really shows how much she loves her.

I love that we see Santana’s vulnerable side in this episode and I love to see Brittany’s protective side (especially during and after Alfie). Although abuela said she wasn’t coming, I love how the episode ended because it really shows how much Santana has grown and how much love she has in her life right now.

-@sapphosongbird

Brittany Confronts Santana’s Abuela- 6x06, “What The World Needs Now”

After Santana sings “Alfie” to Abuela López as if her life depended on it in hopes that her Abuela would be a part of her life again, we have my favorite Brittana moment. At first, Abuela is confused and shocked to find out that she’s been tricked into seeing Santana sing. Brittany quickly confessed that she did trick her and informed Abuela, but also informed Abuela not only that she is Santana’s fiancée but that she loves her so much that she would do anything for her. Santana is quick to look at Abuela to gauge her reaction. Santana is hoping she has an opportunity to explain and to try to make her see how much she loves and needs Abuela in her life. Santana brings up how much Abuela means to her and how much being raised by this woman has made her a strong woman.

It’s likely that Abulea immigrated from another country. Like many children from immigrant families, they know the sacrifices their family took to her there. Santana likely heard from father (as i think Alma is her paternal grandmother) about the importance of doing good in school (and her education as she values it) and likely heard stories about the many jobs her grandma took. Likely those that are stereotypical like agricultural work, working in restaurants, or working as a cleaning lady. Jobs that were all she could get because of the limits society places on her (Abuela). ( Santana really admires this woman. She lets her know how much in the coming out scene. )

Santana embraces being Latina and holds no apology for being so, and admits that she is bigger and better than the limits society places on her. Santana wants to continue to be bigger and better. She admits that she can’t (or doesn’t want to) do that without Brittany and Abuela. Santana feels she simply exists without them. Perhaps also saying that they give her the strength she needs to be bigger and better. She is oh so hopeful that reminding her of all that will make her Abuela come along.

Unfortunately, it is not enough for Abuela. She reminds Santana that she loves her, but not enough to attend the stop following her beliefs. She adamantly says that girls marry boys and not other girls. It’s a sin in Abuela’s eyes, and she refuses to attend the wedding. What happens next in this scene makes me so proud of Santana. Before this moment, Santana was this scared little girl who hid behind this HBIC persona. In short, Santana struggled to love and accept herself. She dated guys for status. She rejected Brittany for so long and told her she was using her and didn’t love her. She had beards and even wrote a song about a boy. She had confessed to Brittany that she was scared about all the talks and looks she would get from others. She hid her feelings and love for Brittany and pushed her away into another person's arms. While doing so, she was more angry and miserable than she had ever been. She had to witness the girl she loved more than anything be with someone else because she was too scared, and it hurt her. It would take some more time for her to embrace herself fully. Even then, she didn’t have much choice. She was forced into accepting herself because she was outed to everyone in her school, in Lima, and in Ohio (and anyone who stumbled across that campaign ad online). Still, she did eventually get there. It was not easy for her at all, but she got there. She was happy. She surrounded herself with the love of her friends. She grew as a person. She became friendlier, was happier, and she allowed herself to love others (Brittany, Dani). Moving to New York was scary for her, but she did it anyway (with a little shove from Brittany (again, she thinks they helped to make her bigger and better). She helped her friends get a job, auditioned for Broadway, went to auditions, held various jobs, and attended school.

Santana remembered how Abuela taught her to be bigger and better than her school, her city, and her state would ever allow her to be when she was in New York. She was even bigger and better than the limits she had placed on herself, especially when she was in high school. She was determined to make something of herself. Sometimes even doing things that weren’t even her dream.

No matter the years that had passed, Brittany knew that despite Santana saying she was okay and choosing Brittany over everyone, including the woman that meant so much to her, Santana still missed her Abuela. In this scene, unlike the last time when Santana bravely confessed to Abuela about her feelings and was gay by herself, Brittany was there alongside Santana. Brittany quickly stepped in to protect the woman she loved. Despite being upset that things aren’t going as they had hoped, she puts on a brave face and tells Abuela that it is okay if she doesn’t go. With a smile and some spunk, Brittany tells Abuela they don’t want her there. Santana is surprised that Brittany spoke up at first, too.

Brittany, who usually is kind and sweet, had her claws out. She used her genius mind to give statistical facts she’d read about to tell Abuela off. Usually, Santana would know not to speak to Abuela in such a manner. This is likely because Santana knows better. Her Abuela likely taught her to respect her elders or at least always to respect her. When Brittany finishes talking, Abuela expects Santana to apologize and stick up for her, but to Alma’s surprise, Santana doesn’t. Instead, Santana, the girl who was scared to tell her Abuela she was gay because she feared losing her, stood by Brittany, the woman she loved and who had told her Abuela to go on and love herself in a way Santana likely never has and would never dare to.

Santana doesn’t just defend Brittany or stands by her. Santana refers to her relationship with Brittany as love. She uses their love as an example of what love is. Santana, the girl who told Brittany she didn’t love her and that she was nothing more than just sex because Puck was in the slammer, the girl who refused to talk about feelings, and the girl who panicked when Rachel referred to their duet as sapphic romance, told her Abuela that what she and Brittany share is love. She uses the words “real love” to describe their relationship and what they had.

The choice of Santana words is significant. Likely, Abuela empathized the importance of love when it came to family (even if Santana experienced a lot of tough love from Abuela, her dad, and likely other family members like her mom.) all her life. Santana likely had seen a lot of it.

The choice of the word “real” may indicate just how deeply Santana was hurt when Abuela disowned her. We did see her cry in season 3 when Santana came out to her. Still, the choice of words makes me think that Santana felt deceived about family sticking together and loving each other no matter what (something Abuela mentions in this very same episode in the Queso Por Dos segment) because of how quickly things changed when she came out. All it took was a confession and a few seconds for that love to disappear.

It’s possible she viewed what she knew as love before, as fake love, or love that was not unconditional. Santana choosing to use “real love” to describe her relationship with Brittany is Santana saying, “We stick together and love each other unconditionally, unlike you and I or my own blood.”

Santana then says that Brittany is her family. Again, Santana reminds us that she chooses Brittany over anyone. Again, she’s touching on her previous statement that she and Brittany are an example of “real love” or (as Santana believes with all her heart) a family that sticks together and loves each other no matter what. This is a big deal for Santana.

She is coming full circle because, in the early seasons, Brittany didn’t always come first. She often came second or last to status, beards, prom queen, people’s opinions, etc.

Santana, a girl that misses Abuela, the person she wishes would love her again, has reached a point in her life where she loves herself and Brittany so much that she no longer needs her Abuela or her support, love, and approval. Santana knows she has a lot of that already. A lot, a lot.

The next part in this scene is parallel to Abuela and Santana’s previous scene some years prior from season 3 when Santana comes out to her. In season 3, Abuela told Santana to leave her house with no other word after Santana came out. Despite Santana’s pleas, Abuela had had the final say. In this scene, things are different. Instead of faltering and hiding, Santana puts her foot down and stands her ground. She keeps her head high and has the final say (something that I believe Abuela taught her when teaching her how to be bigger and better than what the world was going to give her permission to be), and Abuela had no choice but to walk away without another word.

To finish this scene, Santana leans into Brittany. Brittany comforts her (like I’m sure Brittany did the first time Santana came into Abuela the moment she could (which I believe was as soon as Santana got into her car where Britt was waiting (just in case Abuela wanted to meet her))). Santana knows she can count on Brittany. She is her family now. They stick together and love each other no matter what, even if it means being disappointed when things don’t go as planned.

Had Abuela and Santana never made up, I would have been completely okay with it because this scene shows a lot of growth in Santana.

It makes me feel so proud of Santana. She cared so much about others' approval. She had been so scared of her feelings for Brittany that she let herself be miserable and made others feel that way, too. Santana ended up being bigger and better than the limits she and society places on her. In doing so, she learned to accept and love herself, Brittany, and their family. Proudly so. While she wanted Abuela in her life, she decided to let Abuela go and instead surround herself with her new family, one that had plenty of “true love.” A lot, a lot.

That is freaking beautiful, and I absolutely love it.

(Also, protective Britt is 😍🥰).

-@lylyluvda916

Pre-Wedding Scene- 6x08

Q: Favourite Glee scene ever? A: My wedding! -Naya (Twitter Q&A 2015)

“My favourite scene to film was the wedding with me and Naya. It’s just a beautiful memory that I am so thankful I have during this time. It happened at the same time as I was getting married, and it just felt like a double wedding, if you will, because that was the title of the episode. It just kind of summed up our entire relationship on the show and it felt so real, and so magical, to do that with one of my best friends.”- Heather (Cameo 2015)

After too much thinking, I’ve decided that my favorite Brittana scene is the pre wedding when they’re getting ready and Britt freaks out because Santana sees her before the wedding, thinking it’s a bad luck thing. And then Santana says to her that rules don’t apply to them and that they make their own luck. After that they kiss in the most perfect way. It’s my favorite because by saying that to Brittany, Santana made it clear that no matter what traditions say or people believe, everyone can choose how to be happy.

-@awesome-shipper

My favourite Brittana scene would have to be just the whole wedding episode if i’m being honest aha (i love all the Brittana scenes lol its soo hard to choose haha) because it shows that love is love and that anyone can get married if you love one another doesn’t have to be man and women, it can be women and women or even man and man! Love is love! I love the episode also because they are just soo cute in it lol, like Brittany having all the pre wedding worries and then Santana calming her down, ahhh its just soo cute aha.

-@elmamacca

It’s so ridiculously hard to pick my favourite Brittana scene, when they all mean so much. Each one means something different for them in terms of their story. Though they may lack screen time compared to other couples on the show, their scenes are filled with so many firsts. First time Santana admits her feelings, first time they mention their officially dating, first kiss, first I love you in a relationship when they're both happy...so they’re each special for different reasons. Even the break up has Santana admit for the first time that she had feelings for Brittany way back in Sophomore year (S1). Something that was implied but never verbalised before that point.

It's hard to pin it down to just one. I love 2x15 for the obvious reasons of getting to see Santana admit what was already clear to see. That she loved Brittany. Seeing her finally admit that was just really poignant for me.

Landslide and Songbird hold such special places in my heart. The bravery. The love. Everything. I felt it all.

Heart was the fluff we so sorely craved for 3 seasons, and they finally we got it in the best way, and we got our first on screen kiss (3 times over).

5x12/5x13 had me feeling euphoric because finally after a season of absolute crap they finally got back together. The kiss was amazing, and we got to see Brittany lay it all on the line for Santana and make it clear who her top choice always was deep down.

6x03 was like a treasure trove of pure joy. The softest bed scene ever which I love for, my fav duet from them and ofc the proposal. Seeing Santana so boldly (I felt so proud of her in this moment) declare her love for Brittany in front of everyone (something she once thought she'd never be able to do), and for Brittany to be able to see that after their rocky start of "I'm not making out with you because I'm in love with you and want to sing about making lady babies", was everything! The call backs to Landslide were just ugh, and it really showed how far they had come. Santana’s speech and how nervous she is, plus Britt’s tears and the way she snatches the ring, lives in my head rent free.

6x06 is also like, incredible, and one of my fav ever Brittana episodes. Just the whole damn episode and how domesticated they are, Santana’s bravery, Brittany’s protectiveness, all the soft af dialogue that looks like it’s been plucked straight from a fanfic. The “did I ever tell you that I love you?” “tell me again” scene is one of my all time favourite scenes from them ever, and I can’t with how utterly adorable and playful and in love they are. Essentially, my love for the ship holds no bounds so there are too many “fave scenes” to count. Truthfully, I could write an in-depth analysis about every single one one of their scenes and how it touched me in some way, but I think if I had to pick just one I'd go with 6x08 the pre-wedding scene.

It's their last major "two-shot" scene and I honestly think it captures everything. Not only is it just contextually sweet the way Santana can't wait any longer to see Brittany and the words that she says, and the way Brittany is nervously freaking out, it ties up a lot of their story. Santana says with confidence "you love me, and I love you" after what seems like a lifetime of self-doubt, finally she knows Brittany loves her and no longer has to question that. This is the same girl who begged Brittany to say she loved her back as a scared closeted teenager, and now she's standing in front of her on their wedding day knowing that Brittany loves her without even needing to hear it. But regardless we do get an "I love you so much" from Brittany, unprovoked by Santana, which again is a callback to that heartbreaking 2x15 scene. It was all Santana ever wanted to hear back then, now she gets to hear it so freely on their wedding day. Their wedding day guys!? Nothing can ever top that for me, for them to have that ending to such a imperfectly perfect story, after all the erasure, the angst, the break-up, seeing them with other people, watching Brittany go off to MIT and thinking yep...this ship is done because Heather's never coming back now.

The way Santana manages to calm Brittany and make her see clearly, is everything, and it really shows that yin/yang dynamic that I love so much about them.

Being someone who felt like I was living vicariously through them and seeing them get the ending of all endings and get married which is such a rarity (or certainly was at the time) for WLW ships was EVERYTHING. There's also the kiss (my fav kiss of there's) and the fact that moments later Abuela comes in and finally makes amends with Santana. It was the perfect, happy, full circle ending to a rollercoaster of a story, and nothing will ever get more satisfying than that.

-@chooseyouovereveryone

Full List Of Scenes & YouTube Links

Brittany & Santana Talk To Holly Holliday About Their Feelings

Landslide

Hurt Locker

Songbird

Heart Locker

Officially Dating

Rumour Has It/Someone Like You

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

Cherish/Cherish

I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)

Tongue Tied

Mine

Santana Walks Brittany Out Of The Auditorium One Last Time

Valerie

Churros Kiss

The Lilies Scene

The Bedroom Scene

The Proposal

The Hallway Scene

Brittany Confronts Santana’s Abuela

Pre-Wedding Scene

Top 5 Scenes

Each of them had 3 responses each.

Landslide

Hurt Locker

Songbird

Lilies Scene

Pre-Wedding Scene

Season Breakdown

Season 2, Season 3, Season 6 (5 scenes each)

Season 5 (3 scenes)

Season 4 (1 scene)

Season Popularity By Number Of Responses

Season 2 (12 responses)

Season 3 (9 responses)

Season 6 (8 responses)

Season 5 (6 responses)

Season 4 (1 response)

Thank you all so much for reading, participating, sharing etc. I really hope you’ve enjoyed it!

#brittana #brittany and santana #glee #gleeks #glee brittana #glee brittany #glee santana #santana lopez #brittany s.pierce #brittany pierce #rumours #10yearsofbrittana #10yearsofrumours #brittana fan project #brittany x santana

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