A/N: Hey all. I've got Pezberry on my mind lately so i got this idea out. Mostly just friendship but worth a shot. Thanks for reading.
Santana honestly didn't think her winter break could get any worse. Yes, her parents told her long before now, that were going to a retreat the day after Christmas and wouldn't be back until the day after New Years. Santana didn't care about that, but after finding out about the party she threw the last time they left, her parents didn't trust their 17 year old to stay home alone anymore. Santana was fine when they told her they were sending her to their friends house...that is, until she found out what friend they meant. Santana assumed her parents were talking about the Pierces' because, duh, Brittany is her best friend and their parents are best friends too.
Santana didn't find out that Brittany and her family wouldn't even be in town until last week. Confused and extremely pissed off, Santana questioned her parents about it.
"What do you mean I have to stay with the Berrys'?" She exclaims in the kitchen of her parents house. Santana's mother is standing at the sink, washing dishes while Santana's father hovers near his wife, to dry them.
"It's pretty cut and dry Santana." Her father responds as his wife hands him a cup.
"No. No, no me gusta. I am not going over there." Santana crosses her arms defiantly and narrows her eyes at her parents.
"I don't remember this being up for debate." He responds.
"Papi, come on! Why can't I find somewhere else to go?!" Santana exclaims.
"Santana..." He sighs.
"It's just a week. What is wrong with the Berrys'?" He asks.
"Which one would you like me to cover first? " Santana responds with a raised eyebrow.
"Santana, you're going and that's final." Santana's mother chimes in.
"Thank you for reminding me of your dictator status." Santana's says with an eye roll.
"You're very welcome." Her father responds and Santana walks away.
That was last week and now Santana is sitting in the spare room of Rachel Berry's house, glaring at the door while she sits on the bed. I should've just fucking ran away Santana thinks to herself as the reality of the situation sits in. Santana hates the Berrys. All of them. Hiram is...well Santana doesn't have much of a reason to dislike him other than her dislike of his face and annoyingly shrill voice. Leroy is overly nice and that unnerves Santana. It's just not natural! And then there's Rachel Berry...the big mouth, selfish, hobbit that Santana tries to avoid like the plague.
It's enough that Santana has to see Rachel in Glee club or had to be 'nice' to Rachel when they were kids, deal with her parents arranged play dates and invite Rachel to parties or force Santana to go to Rachel's parties, but to do this to her...after all these years...Santana isn't sure she'll ever forgive her parents for this. Rachel and Santana have never been friends, but not because of lack of effort. Santana just never liked how much Rachel talked and talked and talked and...you get the picture. Rachel, on the other hand, has tried to befriend Santana and now keeps things cordial since she realized Santana didn't care for her but the Latina did not return the favor. They have their moments where they can be more acquaintances then enemies, and honestly Rachel likes when Santana's icy facade melts away but it doesn't happen often enough for her to consider Santana a friend.
At this point, Rachel is as happy about Santana staying with her as Santana is about being there, but she wants to make the best of the situation. If Santana has to be in her home, she wants her to at least feel welcome. Rachel lightly taps the door once she approaches the spare room. Santana has been looking in her direction, or glaring rather, but hasn't indicated she actually sees her. Once Santana hears the sound, her eyes meet Rachel and her glare grows more intense.
"As if this day couldn't get any worse." Santana mumbles to herself then rolls her eyes as she addresses Rachel.
"What is it hobbit?" Rachel sighs lightly but continues to smile at the girl.
"I was just checking to see if you were settled or needed anything."
"I need for you to stay the hell away from me. I have to stay here for a while but I do not have to deal with you." Santana says while crossing her arms. Rachel's smile falters and she nods her head.
"Fine. I'm only doing what I was told." She says then quickly turns on her heels and leaves. Rachel decides in this moment, she doesn't give a damn if Santana is comfortable or not, she just wants her to leave.
Rachel goes downstairs and finds her fathers in the dinning room, setting the table for dinner. Hiram notices his daughter as he sits a plate down and smiles at her.
"Has she settled in?" He asks and Rachel sighs softly.
"I believe she's settling in fine. I do have a question though." She states. Her fathers glances urge her to continue.
"Is there anyway...why exactly is Santana here?" She asks.
"Her parents -" Rachel cuts off her father Leroy.
"I know daddy, but I mean Santana must have friends she could have gone with or stayed home alone. She doesn't even like us." Rachel whines and Leroy sighs.
"I know Santana is a bit...rough around the edges but her father is one of my oldest friends. We can make this work. It's only a week." He tells his daughter with an apologetic smile.
"Just think of it as a...learning experience. You may never have to deal with someone you're not fond of living in your house temporarily, but it will provide you the opportunity for conflict resolution." Rachel resists the urge to roll her eyes.
"Just try to make the best of it honey? For me?" Her father Leroy asks. Rachel apprehensively nods and helps her fathers finish setting the table.
Dinner was...awkward to say the least. Leroy and Hiram made conversation with the two teenagers but neither of them seemed to be interested in speaking to each other. In fact, the adults noticed a few glares shared between the teens. This is going to be a long week.
After dinner, Santana goes to her room to gather her things before heading to the bathroom to shower. Santana turns the door knob, not thinking to knock first since she's an only child and doesn't share a bathroom, and sees Rachel standing in the mirror applying a face mask.
"Just when I thought you couldn't get any less attractive." Santana says with a smirk. Rachel glances over at her.
"Is there something I can help you with?" She asks as politely as she can even though she is annoyed Santana just opened the door, invading her privacy.
"You can get out. I'm taking a shower." She says then walks into the bathroom and turns on the water to the shower. Rachel watches her over her shoulder before speaking.
"I'm clearly utilizing the bathroom at the moment." She says, annoyance lacing her words.
"Well, now you're not." Santana says nonchalantly as she adjusts the temperature.
"You know, Mr and Mrs. Lopez are very respectable, well mannered people...I would assume they would have taught you something about that." Rachel says and Santana glares at her.
"As easy as it would be to cut you down right now, I'm going to be the bigger person or just the average sized person, and end this conversation. I've heard enough of your voice for one day." Santana says before pulling her shirt over her head. Rachel glances at the reflection of Santana in the mirror but quickly looks away.
"What are you doing?" She asks and Santana ignores her as she shimmies out of her pants. Being a cheerleader, Santana doesn't mind stripping in front of other girls.
"Showering." She states plainly.
"I'd prefer to not be here for that." Santana gestures to the door with her hand and Rachel stands while rolling her eyes then leaves the bathroom.
Rachel find herself being more annoyed with Santana a lot quicker than she expected. Santana left her hair all over the bathroom and so much water on the floor Rachel almost broke her neck when she went back into the room. Rachel showered and finished her skin care routine then returned to her room. For some reason she found herself unable to sleep once she lies down.
Rachel's fathers don't believe in having televisions in their bedrooms so the only TV's are in common areas so that people can still socialize. This realization is pissing Santana off more than being in this house. Santana always has a hard time sleeping when she isn't home and her bed is inconveniently positioned away from every electrical outlet in the room so she can't use her phone for very long. Santana huffs as she lays her phone down on the bed, flashlight on pointed towards the ceiling. Fuck...
After having been at Rachel's house for 2 days, Santana literally feels like she's losing her mind. She hasn't been able to get more than 3 hours of sleep since she's gotten here and it's starting to turn her borderline suicidal. She's tried napping but her body apparently doesn't like that. Every night, her phone dies right before she can get to sleep and tonight is the night she really feels like maybe...maybe if she just keeps the light in the room on...she can get just a few more hours.
Rachel noticed that Santana's mood is increasingly becoming more hostile the longer she stays with them. Rachel has been trying to grin and bear it for her fathers sake but she can't take it anymore! She's going to give Santana a piece of her mind. Rachel throws her blanket from her body, confidently strolls out of her room and walks the short distance to Santana's. She doesn't care that it's 1 a.m. because she can't sleep with all of this on her mind.
Rachel approaches the door when she realizes, it's slightly ajar. Curious of the illumination shining through the crack, Rachel slowly pushes the door open slightly. Peaking her head in, she sees Santana lying on her side, facing away from her. There's a light pointing towards the ceiling next to her. Rachel furrows her eyebrows and is about to speak, when the light turns off and she hears Santana curse.
"Son of a bitch!" Santana whispers to herself. Rachel quickly pulls the door back but doesn't close it, it's open just enough that she can see Santana without being seen. Santana turns on her back and huffs.
"God, why do you hate me so much? I just want to get some sleep!" She silently pleads.
"I know I'm a bitch, but I'm even worse with no sleep." Santana shakes her head at herself then sits up in the bed, hugging her knees to her chest. Rachel watches as Santana pulls the blanket incredibly close to herself then turns her head side to side...almost like she's surveying it. Santana soon starts to hum to herself before speaking softly.
"There's nothing there...there's nothing there..." She softly repeats like a mantra, while continuing to look around the dark room. Rachel carefully steps away from the door and walks back to her room. Once in her bed she ponders what she just saw. Is Santana afraid of the dark?
Rachel couldn't help but feel bad for Santana. She's in a new house and she can't sleep. It makes sense why she's so upset and is becoming more aggressive. Rachel knows that when she doesn't get enough sleep, she feels like she could rip someones head off so she can only imagine how Santana feels not having slept for 3 days. Against her better judgment, tonight Rachel decides to try to talk to Santana about her problem. Maybe it will help? Or I may regret this. If she'll stop being so mean, I guess it's worth it, Rachel tells herself.
Rachel checks the clock. It's 1:45. She gets out of bed and makes her way to Santana's room. Taking a calming breath, she softly knocks on the door. Rachel hears some shuffling before a "What?" rings out from the other side of the door. Rachel opens the door and looks at Santana.
"I..." Rachel clears her throat and flips the light switch. Santana looks so tired that Rachel doesn't understand how she didn't see it before. Santana has bags under eyes, she's been extra snappy, yawning all the time...
"I don't have any use for a leprechaun at the moment." Santana says but it doesn't have the normal spite behind it. Right now, even her insults sound tired and that's enough for Rachel to decide she still wants to help.
"I can't sleep." She says and Santana shrugs.
"Not my problem." Rachel rolls her eyes.
"Why are you awake?" She asks but Santana only shrugs.
"I'm a night owl." Santana lies with a disinterested expression. Rachel only slowly nods.
"I didn't say I wanted company." Santana says and Rachel sighs. Honestly, she doesn't know what she was thinking. Of course Santana wasn't going to talk about it. How in the world did she really expect to help Santana?
"Sorry." She says then begins to close the door when Santana says
"Turn the light back off." and that's when Rachel has an idea.
"No." She says and Santana looks at her curiously but then her expression turns to one of annoyance.
"Seriously Berry? You turned it on." She says and Rachel shrugs.
"You're awake. You turn it off." and with Rachel walks back to her room. After sitting for 5 minutes, Rachel makes her way back to Santana's room. Slowly turning the knob and peaking in to see Santana sprawled out on the bed softly snoring.
Rachel feels proud of herself. Santana was almost like a different person today. Okay, different person may not be the right way to describe it but Santana went back to her normal level of attitude and bitchiness and Rachel was thankful. Tonight, Rachel decides to go to Santana's room sooner, just around midnight.
"What now Berry?" Santana says from her spot in the bed.
"Can I have your opinion on something?" Rachel asks.
"No." Santana says with an eye roll but Rachel ignores her and walks inside the room, staying near the door. Santana huffs in annoyance but doesn't tell her to leave.
"I've been thinking about...changing my wardrobe." She says and Santana smirks but doesn't respond.
"Do you think that's a good idea?" Rachel continues.
"Depends on if you're actually going to develop a sense of style or upgrade from school girl look to Librarian."
"Very funny." She deadpans and Santana chuckles.
"Everyone should change up their look every once in awhile." Santana says and Rachel nods her head.
"Do you always stay up this late?" Santana asks her. Of course not. Since Santana has been here, Rachel has been asleep before 11 p.m., except when she went to help Santana.
"Sometimes." She says and cautiously takes a step forward. Santana lies on her side, supporting her head with her hand as she watches Rachel.
"Really? Because I would bet you had a set schedule so that you got exactly 8 hours of sleep every night." Santana says as Rachel slowly crosses the room and sits at the edge of the bed. That is an incredibly accurate guess but Rachel won't tell her that.
"Shows how well you know me." She says and Santana looks at her unconvinced.
"Well, you should masturbate. Knocks me right out." Rachel's face turns up in disgust.
"Have you been masturbating in my house?" She asks and Santana smirks then lifts an eyebrow at her.
"Do you really want to know?" Rachel isn't sure why her cheeks are burning but she chooses to ignore it and shakes her head.
"Not that it's any of your business...but I don't masturbate." She says and Santana almost gapes at her.
"Are you fucking serious? You haven't visited the little man in the boat? Diddled the skittle? Flicked the bean?" Santana asks and Rachel just shakes her head.
"Are you still a virgin?" Rachel ducks her head to let her hair fall in front of her face to hide her blush.
"Why does that matter?" She responds.
"That means yes. Your life makes so much sense now." Santana says and Rachel furrows her eyebrows in confusion.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She asks.
"Why you're so...rigid...in everything. Needing to be in charge, bossy...it's all because you've never felt the ultimate stress relief." Santana says and Rachel rolls her eyes.
"There's nothing wrong with being consistent." She says and Santana shrugs.
"You say consistency, I say having a stick up your ass." Rachel rolls her eyes as Santana chuckles.
"Just try it. I guarantee you'll thank me. Just don't touch me or do it while I'm here." Rachel shakes her head as she stands.
"Have a good night Santana." She says then leaves the room, not switching off the light.
Since Christmas has come and gone, it was a bit hard finding this but Rachel thinks this will be easier to help Santana instead of coming to her room every night, even though she has been enjoying her conversations with Santana. Yesterday they talked for hours which was surprising but enjoyable. It's around 8:30 right now and around the time when Santana retires to her room for the night. Santana has already showered and is in her room. Rachel knocks on the door and Santana opens it after a second, wearing a bra and pajama pants. Rachel's eyes rake over her toned body before meeting her eyes. Santana has a slight smirk on her lips but doesn't say anything.
"You're very comfortable here." Rachel says and Santana just shrugs.
"What if I were one of my fathers?" Rachel asks.
"I knew it was you." Santana responds.
"How?"
"They always call my name when they knock. You just knock. Now, what is it?" She asks and Rachel lifts her hand and Santana looks at it to see...a plug in air freshener?
"Are you saying I stink?" She questions and Rachel responds with a shake of her head.
"My fathers thought this would be helpful. It has stress relieving essential oils in it." Santana rolls her eyes, takes it from Rachel then puts it to her nose.
"I can't smell anything." She says.
"Plug it in." Santana turns on her heels and goes to the first outlet she finds, which is near the bottom of the dresser, across from the bed. Santana plugs it into the wall and a bright orange light illuminates from it along with an earthy scent, which Santana doesn't find repulsive. Santana stands and walks back towards Rachel.
"It doesn't smell bad so I'll keep it plugged in." Rachel nods with a smile and turns to leave. As she takes a few steps she hears Santana call out.
"Rachel." Rachel glances over her shoulder. Santana looks into her eyes and gives her a softly appreciative smile.
"Thank you." She says softly. Rachel returns her smile and winks knowingly before speaking.
"For what?" Santana giggles and shakes her head.
"Grab your laptop and that movie you've been trying to get your fathers to watch with you. I'll go downstairs and see if I can find something resembling a snack and meet you back here in 5 minutes." Rachel smiles excitedly and starts ranting about her favorite movie and how much Santana will like it. Santana doesn't stop her. The least she could do is let her enjoy this moment. Santana finally makes it downstairs and Rachel grabs her things, feeling proud that she finally did make Santana feel welcome.
"Santana?" Leroy calls out as he knocks on the door of his spare room, currently occupied by the daughter of a good friend.
"Santana?" He calls out again. He glances over at his husband who just shrugs and turns the door knob, slowly pushing the door forward, just a crack.
"Santana?" Hiram calls out this time and peaks in. He looks back at his husband with a smile who only gives a confused look in response. Hiram opens the door so Leroy can see what he was smiling at. Leroy looks to see his daughter lying on one side of the bed and Santana on the other with bags of chips between them.
"Well, I guess they finally figured it out." Leroy says softly to his husband.
"What? That they're supposed to be together?" Leroy shakes his head.
"No, that they're not enemies. They're not there just yet. Now, let's get out of here before they wake up." Hiram nods his head and they quietly close the door.
Hiram has been sure that the girls have some connection since he caught them kissing when they were 13. Leroy thinks his husband is just a hopeless romantic but after seeing the girls interacting the past few days, and now this...maybe Leroy is a hopeless romantic too.