A/N: This is a one-shot I thought up. Short back story, one of my friends made a negative comment about homosexual relationships and I flew off the handle and lectured them. Then BAM this story came up, the theme of parallel world was pretty much the point I made during my lecture to my friend. I just want to spread the message that there is no 'right' sexuality, just like a poem it can be interpreted differently but no 'definite' right or wrong answer. Maybe one day society will evolve, one can only wait. Hope you enjoy!
Heads up! Boy!Santana (Santiago)
Named after the song Who I am Hates Who I've Been by Relient K
Tumblr: stuff-normal-be-awesome . tumblr . c o m
Twitter: Hayley_Lo
Thank you for reading! Pass this around like a nasty virus (; Do your thing.
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee which is a shame.
Upstairs in a quiet house the sounds of kisses echoed through the empty halls as two teenagers partook in a heavy make-out session.
"San." Brittany whimpered when lips connected with her neck and tried her best to softly push the body off.
"Alright I'll stop." A low chuckle left the person's lips, "I was having fun." The deep voice whined.
"Santiago." The head cheerleader said with a serious tone as she sat up and pulled her best friend's football jersey over her naked torso.
Santiago knew where the conversation was headed, lately his best friend had bringing it up but each time he'd managed to dodge it but something told him this time he wouldn't be able to talk his way out.
"What is this between us?" Brittany asked as she bit her lip.
There was no way he'd get out of this, "Look, it's just some fun Brittany. I'm not straight or anything. We're nothing like Rachel and Kurt, look we're best friends and all that's it." He knew it was harsh but it was the best, for the two of them.
Both Brittany and Santiago lived in Lima, Ohio their whole lives and grew up with each other. They became close because they spent practically every day together. By the time they hit high school they began experimenting in the privacy of their bedrooms, being the first for everything. Experimenting then turned into regular occurrences but it was kept to their bedrooms or car on the odd occasion.
"I'm just really confused." Brittany whimpered.
Santiago grumbled and ran his hand through his short hair, "Look, we're not straight. We're gay."
"I don't think I'm a lesbian." Brittany countered, "I don't know but I think I'm a bicorn…"
"That's you, not me. I don't want to talk about this anymore." Santiago mumbled and got up from the bed. He moved to Brittany's dresser and pulled out one of the shirts he left at her place since it was like his second home.
"Wait." The cheerleader shot out her arm to stop her best friend, "I'll stop talking about it, just don't leave." She pleaded.
One look at his best friend's eyes, Santiago knew he could not say no, "Alright." He sighed and crawled into the bed with her. They snuggled together until they fell asleep, well, mainly Brittany. The thoughts of being with her raced through his head. It would've been a complete lie to say that he felt nothing for her, they were perfect, so alike yet so different.
Both were top athletes with Brittany being the head cheerleader of the Cheerios and Santiago being the quarterback of McKinely's football team. He was hot headed and she was kind and sweet, he protected her from the bullies and she protected him from himself. He was emotionally handicapped but she helped him see what was deep down. She wasn't the smartest in school but he helped her pass. Their relationship was a partnership, both being equal partners, helping each other. It was a friendship that blossomed into a romance but Santiago refused to acknowledge it that way.
In a world were being straight was frowned upon he was just simply scared. He'd seen what students of McKinley had done to the resident straight couple Rachel and Kurt. Every day the couple would get slushied by the jocks and pushed into lockers. It also didn't help that both Rachel's biological parents were in fact together in a romantic sense, however her mom and dad were not legally married as it wasn't allowed in their small town or even most states in the country.
Instead of dwelling further into his thoughts, Santiago just groaned and shifted comfortably behind his best friend. He placed a soft kiss on her clothed shoulder, covered by his jersey and tried his best to force himself to sleep.
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Santiago was distracted by the Cheerios on the field, especially his best friend who was flipping about on the field. He was so immersed in watching the cheerleader move he hadn't noticed the oncoming brute heading towards him and sacking him.
"San!" Coach Beiste growled when she blew the whistle, "Watch the field!"
"Sorry coach!" He mumbled through his mouth guard.
"We all know you have a thing for Brittany, Lopez." Puck teased, "Didn't think you swung that way."
The quarterback snapped his head towards his fellow footballer and pushed him on the chest hard, "I fucking don't!" He yelled, "What you think I'm straight? The way you eye Rachel I'd think you were." He countered.
"Fuck you!" Puck yelled and threw down his helmet before tackling the quarterback.
"GUYS!" The coach yelled and pulled the two footballers apart, "There will be NO discrimination on this team do you hear that?" She yelled, "You're supposed to work together! So start doing that."
The footballers followed their coach's commands and moved back on the field.
"If you want, you can come back to my place and I can show you what you'll be giving up." Puck winked at Santiago.
"Aren't you meant to be dating Finn?" Santiago rolled his eyes.
"Whatever." Puck shrugged off and returned his attention to the game.
Before receiving the ball from Mike, Santiago glanced to the side quickly and caught sight of his best friend. His attention snapped towards Finn who was yelling out his name to pass the ball. With relative ease he threw the ball strong and hard right into Finn's awaiting hands. Their team made a touchdown and were congratulated by the coach on their practise despite the small fight between Puck and Santiago.
"Hit the showers!" The coach yelled as the footballers hustled into the locker rooms except for one.
The quarterback quickly jogged towards the Cheerios and pulled on the head cheerleader's arm and practically dragged her towards the bleachers.
"San, I need to shower."
"Sh, I love it when you're all sweaty." Santiago leant forward for a kiss but grumbled in frustration when his lips didn't touch his favourite pair.
"No." Brittany refused the kiss and tried to push away, "I can't keep being your dirty little secret."
"I already told you Brittany. Do you not see what this town does to straight couples?"
"Whatever they throw at us I know we can get through it. I know you feel the same about me, don't deny it."
Santiago sighed, "It's not that easy Britt."
"It is." Brittany stated with a firm and authoritative voice, a voice that her best friend had never heard her use, "If you can't accept yourself and this thing we have then I'm sorry, I can't keep doing this. I don't want to be your secret." She left before letting her best friend saying anything because she knew if Santiago opened his mouth she knew she'd cave in. Her feelings for him were that strong, just one word of pleading would make her reconsider.
The footballer could only stand there alone under the bleachers and watch his best friend walk away from him. In theory it was simple, they both had unspoken feelings for each other, well unspoken on his part since he was emotionally challenged. The previous year he'd spent every weekend hooking up with other guys just to push away the thoughts he was having about his best friend but that soon stopped during the summer before they started junior year. He never felt fulfilled after those nights and only ever truly enjoyed sex when it was with his best friend, there was something there that was different.
It wasn't until recently he realised what it was, he'd developed feelings for Brittany. Then it hit him, he hadn't just developed feelings for the cheerleader, he was falling for her ever since they started middle school. He'd supressed the unknown emotions for so long they eventually erupted and it wasn't until Brittany flat out refused to continue just being best friends with benefits that he realised he truly wanted to be with her.
An idea then hit him. He rushed off the field to grab his bag and see someone he thought he'd never go to for help.
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Seated in the black Escalade was someone who the small town of Lima often condemned because he didn't fit in with the social norms. Kurt Hummel was practically the only straight student who was out of the closet besides his girlfriend Rachel. The boy was sending a text to his girlfriend when he heard a tapping on the passenger side of his car.
What he hadn't expected to see was Santiago Lopez, the quarterback of the football team standing outside his car with a pleading look.
"Kurt." He heard the muffled voice outside the door say. Reluctantly he leaned over and opened the door so he could hear the guy more.
"Yeah?" Kurt said with a questioning look.
"Can we talk?"
Kurt carefully assessed the well build, athletic teenage boy standing outside his car asking for advice. This was the same boy who threw slushies at him, threw him in the dumpster and generally made life hell for him, but something deep down told him that he had to give the guy a chance.
"Get in."
Santiago crawled into the car and sat down looking at his hands in shame. Under normal circumstances he'd never be caught dead talking to Kurt but he had to do this, for himself and Brittany, for their relationship.
"How did you know you were straight?" the quarterback forced out with a shaky voice.
Kurt was taken back by the question, sure his straight-dar was the best there was and guessed there was something going on between Santiago and Brittany, but he never really expected for the footballer to go to him for advice.
"I just knew. When I was six I never thought about marrying boys, I always wanted to be with a girl."
Santiago nodded his head thoughtfully and took in every word that Kurt said, taking them all to heart, "How'd you and Rachel meet? How did you know it was worth it?"
The straight boy took a breath and smiled, "When I was at Dalton briefly I met Rachel who was attending Crawford at the time and had this instant connection with her. She was so sure of herself and brave, I think she gets it from her mom and dad. Her parents are the greatest they don't care where love comes from, I'm glad my dad's cool about it as well. He convinced me to take the chance. Whatever this town threw at us we'd take it on together." Kurt just shrugged and smiled politely.
"Don't you sometimes get sick of the whispers and stares?"
"I would be lying if I said I wasn't bothered by all that but honestly, with Rachel by my side it's made me more confident. Having her there makes it easier to deal with because I know I'm not alone and it's my job to protect her, that's what makes it worth it."
Santiago thought hard for a moment and nodded his head after listening to Kurt's speech. He knew what he had to do and Kurt was right, in the end it'll be worth it.
"Thanks Kurt."
"No problem, but before you go do you think you could promise me one thing?" Kurt waited for Santiago to agree before continuing, "Could you maybe, just leave Rachel and I alone? Or at least stop the slushies?"
"I'm sorry." Santiago sighed, "I'll try but I can't make any promises the team will stop, but I'll promise that you won't receive any slushies from me personally."
"That'd be great."
That night Santiago went to sleep with a plan in his head.
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The next morning with his head held high, shoulders pushed back and chest puffed out, giving him a more masculine and menacing look he marched into the halls of McKinley with purpose. He was headed straight towards a familiar locker where he was going to implement the plan that he spent all night thinking about. A genuine smile graced his lips when he saw the gorgeous girl that he was lucky to call his best friend, collecting books out from her locker.
With a deep breath he walked towards Brittany with confidence and leant his shoulder against the locker next to the girl.
"Hey Britt." He greeted with his always charming smile.
Brittany just glanced to her left only slightly turning her head and returned her gaze back to her locker without even saying a word to the boy standing next to her.
"Britt, can we talk? I want to tell you something."
This definitely piqued the cheerleader's attention but she did her best not to show it in front of her friend. Instead she just shrugged and turned her head slowly towards him to give her full attention. She looked down suspiciously when he placed a tender hand on her bicep and gave it an affectionate squeeze before rubbing it up and down in a soothing motion, something that under normal circumstances he wouldn't do in such an open place.
Santiago took Brittany's silence as a cue to continue and smiled when she gave him her attention, "I've been thinking…"
The way his eyes fell down shyly had Brittany smiling softly because she could read her best friend inside out and by his shy demeanour she knew where it was heading. She'd been waiting for the day, the moment where her best friend would finally confess his feelings. Just when she thought he'd finish his words a ruckus down the hall cut their small moment short.
"Move it Hummel." One of the football jocks barked and pushed the straight boy hard against the lockers.
Kurt tried his best to struggle from the giant's grip to protect his girlfriend who he knew was going to receive a slushy from an approaching Cheerio.
"This'll teach you two parade around with your disgusting show of heterosexuality." The jock barked and continued to repeatedly slam Kurt against the locker. He voiced the boy to watch as his girlfriend got hit by a giant cup of blue slushy right in the face.
The way Kurt was helpless to protect his girlfriend from the inevitable slushy had awoken the fear that Santiago spent all night supressing. Suddenly all that fear bubbled to that surface he wasn't that confident to carry out his plan. He watched silently as Kurt was thrown to the ground and the empty cup was thrown at Rachel's feet. The way the couple clung onto each other as they picked themselves off the ground and how vulnerable they looked made Santiago reconsider his plan.
Doubt began to build within and that was when he knew he couldn't go through with it. One look at his best friend he knew that she was fully aware of his inner conflict. The look of disappointment in her eyes didn't go past him and it hurt him even more as he continued to step back, almost as if he was afraid she'd attack him.
"I-I" He stuttered before swiftly turning around and sprinting towards the locker room. "Shit." He mumbled and refused to look back towards his heart broken friend as he ran away.
Brittany could only stand there with a heart broken expression, her lower lip jutting out into a sad pout. They were so close, so close that she could almost taste it. So very close.
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Santiago paced his floor with frustration, trying to think of ways to bring the subject up to Brittany. Well, first he needed to get her to talk to him. After he left her there in the halls she hadn't texted or called him, she hadn't even returned any of his calls. Every single one of his calls went to voicemail. The beneficial aspect of their relationship had been a recent development, only starting in their freshman year but deep down both of them knew it wasn't experimental.
What gave it away were the fleeting kisses, soft hand holds under tables, cute text messages sent to each and of course the secret intimate meetings they had in the safety of their bedrooms.
He'd told her 'sex isn't dating' but in truth he only ever said that to convince himself that what he had with Brittany was nothing but a phase. He didn't want to face the fact that he, Santiago Lopez was straight, a straight up heterosexual who had fallen for his best friend. His body dropped to the ground with his knees hitting his carpeted floor with a loud 'thump'. Around in his room were pictures of him and Brittany growing up, when they were at the park as toddlers, when they went to California to visit his family together, when they attended Brittany's cousin's wedding. All the photos showed the two of them posing happily together with massive smiles on their faces. If only he could go back to those happier times he thought to himself. There was even one photo from Brittany's cousin's wedding where it looked like he was mid-sentence and Brittany's lips were on his cheeks. He remembered both Pierce parents cooed over the two lifelong friends and how Mr. Pierce made a joke that he'd rather Brittany marry Santiago than some girl.
With one look of the photos he knew that he had to see Brittany and without any further thought he shot up from the ground and ran out of the house. His legs were working harder than he had ever pushed them, not even during the big games did they work that hard. Heavy breathes, feet pounding hard against the ground, brow sweating, heart pounding his head was telling him his body was about to collapse but Santiago couldn't care less. He had to tell Brittany, he had to confess to her that he was in love with her.
Santiago's legs were burning and his lungs were having trouble in taking oxygen but he couldn't care less at that moment. All he wanted was to see Brittany. There was only one thing, well two things preventing him from reaching his best friend, a tree and window.
"Fuck it." He mumbled and hoisted himself up on the tree. Usually it wouldn't have been too difficult to scale the tree but with tired limbs it made the whole feat even harder. With a final grunt he pulled his muscular body onto the tree branch that was on the same level as his best friend's window.
He lifted the window and slowly crept inside. The moon shone it's radiant light against soft blonde hair and it only further concreted his ideation that Brittany was in fact an angel. That very moment he knew that he couldn't hold it in any longer, he didn't want a girl to touch Brittany and it'd just kill him if some other guy was with her. With all his courage mustered from within he took a deep breath and sat on the edge of the bed and shook the sleeping angel gently.
"Brittany, wake up." He cooed.
"Mm. San?" Brittany grumbled sleepily and turned her head to see her friend.
"I'm sorry, yeah it's me. I had to come here. I have something to tell you."
Brittany lifted up the covers behind her, silently asking him to cuddle up behind her under the covers.
"What is it?" Brittany mumbled through her smile when she felt strong arms wrap themselves around her waist.
Silence enveloped the room, Brittany's small breaths were barely audible whereas Santiago's heavy breathing rung through the empty air. His heart hammering through his chest and he was pretty certain that his best friend could feel it against her back. Warm heavy breaths hit the back of Brittany's neck which made her shiver in anticipation for what was to come next.
"Brittany, I…" Santiago paused, forced his doubt and insecurities away. He pushed away all thoughts of the consequences and what was to come in the morning after and continued on. "Look, I'm sorry I said sex wasn't dating, I didn't mean it. Thing is…I'm straight Brittany."
The angel in his arms stiffened and Santiago was just seconds from running away. Thoughts of rejection raced through his mind the minute he felt her shift in his arms. Just as he was about to lean back and clamber off the bed he felt his arms being brought closer to his best friend.
"Don't." Brittany was now turned around and faced the scared boy. "I'm so proud of you." She leant forward and kissed him tenderly on the lips, "I've been waiting so long for you to say that."
"I want to be with you Brittany."
It was like the whole room lit up the moment his angel let out the biggest smile he'd have ever seen in their lives. The way her blue eyes sparkled like the ocean on a sunny day or the way she bit her lower lip nervously. Everything at that moment, he felt that it was perfect and wondered why he took so long to do it.
What he wasn't expecting was to be pushed so his back was against the mattress and the girl of his dreams straddling him. It was a beautiful sight to watch as she leant forward slowly, her hair fell down and acted as a curtain when their lips met.
That night they didn't have sex but instead let their bodies mould together as they lost themselves in a shared dream about their shared future.
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"You can do this San." Brittany coached her boyfriend out of the car and took his hand. She could see the way his eyes darted around them and the way his Adam's apple moved with every gulp he took.
A small tug was all it took to finally get Santiago's feet moving. His girlfriend smiled happily when he didn't unlatch their hands when they entered the double doors of McKinley. She smiled even wider when he placed an affectionate hand on her lower back as he leant on his side against the lockers, and waited for her to collect her books.
What made her lose her smile wasn't because of something he did or didn't do but because of the slushy that hit them both. Her smile didn't come back when her vision was blurred and all she could hear were yells and fists connecting with body parts. It made her sadder and more worried when she heard the painful grunts from her boyfriend. It made her cry when she heard the names he was called followed by the strangled groans of pain from him. It made her angry when the bullies wouldn't stop and kept beating on him. She became furious when she heard them beat him for trying to protect her.
Then something inside her snapped. She forced her eyes open and ignored the stinging sensation in her eyes. She charged at one of the jocks like a raging bull but stumbled when he mindlessly back handed her. Onlookers looked with wide eyes as the slap resonated through the halls.
Next thing she knew her boyfriend lost himself to a fit of rage and began ruthlessly attacking their bullies. His body tackled into the jock who'd dared put a hand on his girlfriend as he threw punch after punch. It took three other bullies to pry Santiago off him and they desperately tried to hold him back. She watched as he took the hits they threw but retaliated with much more brutality than she thought he could ever possess.
"Stop!" Her voice cracked, "Please." She took a step closer to the disaster zone. Her cheeks still stinging from the slap, an angry red mark marred her skin. A sob broke through as she tried to move closer but something or someone was stopping her.
"Don't Brittany!" Her boyfriend commanded before getting hook punched in the face, "Quinn take her away!"
She struggled against her fellow cheerleader's grip and tried to keep her eyes on her boyfriend who was still trying to fend off the bullies. Pain shot through her heart when she heard the harsh words leave the bullies mouths. The way he yelled that their love was disgusting and unnatural acted like venom coursing through her veins. Her body shook and she used all her energy to pull away but her friend was much stronger.
Next thing she knew her vision of her boyfriend was being obscured then his image seemed to diminish in size until she was brought around the corner. No longer could she see her boyfriend, the sounds were no longer clear as day, all she could hear were the muffled sounds of the fight continuing. Her eyes followed the teachers who came rushing down the halls towards the fight. She so desperately wanted to follow but the grip Quinn had on her was too hard to break from.
She heard the loud rant in Spanish leave her boyfriend's lips, the words getting louder. With one look up she saw him being held by the teachers and lead towards the principal's office. She noted the way he looked battered and bruised, how it seemed like he had trouble even standing on his own two feet. He was practically being carried by his football coach and the Spanish teacher. The way he winced when he looked up and caught her eyes, shot worry through her chest.
As they passed he smiled at her, his lips cut and bleeding, face bruised and eye swollen. "I still love you Brittany, this won't stop me."
It broke her heart to see him in such a battered state but at the same time he mended her heart and made it fly by his words. She scrambled to her feet and was thankful that Quinn loosened her grip because she ran over to her battered boyfriend.
"Brittany we need to take him to Figgin's office. The ambulance will be here soon." Coach Beiste told her gently.
Brittany ignored the words and gently cupped her boyfriend's cheeks and gave him a soft kiss. Their lips barely touched but to them it meant it felt like they were both flying on cloud nine together. She waved sadly as the teachers carried her boyfriend away and fell back into her friends arms where she cried for him.
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A week passed and McKinley had four less students and one student back from recovering. Santiago still had the bruises and broken bones that were still healing to remind him of what happened but, it also reminded him of how much his love for his girlfriend was. Yes, he got brutally beaten but karma got the students back and no other students even tried to bully him or his girlfriend, or at least they toned it to a much lower level. They all had seen the severity of the situation and although the slushying and physical abuse stopped, it didn't mean the words did. When he started thinking that in few months he'd be leaving their small town and heading out to the big world with his girlfriend, the words suddenly didn't matter.
He smiled and happily took his girlfriend's books off her hands much to her disapproval and kissed her to wipe away the pout. The sparkle in her eyes and the smile he received made him forget about the aching muscles in his left arm from having to carry both of their books. He'd never tell her though, he still wanted to be the perfect boyfriend and a tired arm and a few broken bones weren't going to stop him. Too many years were spent trying to hide his feelings for her and while in hospital he decided that he'd make it up to her for the rest of his life. Every day a small box resided in his pants or bag, patiently waiting for the right moment to pop out and surprise his angel. He was in no rush but when the perfect time came he wanted to be prepared.
While in hospital, the Pierces had visited him and he kindly asked permission from the parents whilst his angel was getting food for him. After a stern lecture about making sure it was what he wanted, all bases were covered and not to rush into anything and no ceremony was to commence until they both had careers, they kindly gave permission and told him he was already a part of the family. The look on his angel's face when she entered the room was priceless because she was cutely confused why her mom was crying and her father had a look of pride on his face.
A soft pair of lips shook him out of his memories and reminded him that he still had an angel to give all his attention to. Whispered words invaded his ears and all he could do was stand with his jaw wide open and watch as she sauntered into her classroom with extra sway in her hips. He looked up and thanked whoever was out there for sending him an angel.
The bell rung but he stayed rooted in his spot and made sure his girlfriend was seated and safe before rushing off to his own class. On his way he dropped one of his books and watched it slide across the ground and stop at a stranger's feet. He expected the person to kick the book away which many of the students had done but this particular person didn't.
The person bent down and picked up the book, "Here man." Initially Noah Puckerman admitted to being one of the people to have thought the relationship between Brittany and Santiago was downright wrong. Though, after hearing of the brutal nature of the fight he came crashing to a realisation that it shouldn't matter who you loved. Then another epiphany in the form of Quinn Fabray knocked more sense into his dense mind.
Think about it, in a parallel world you having sex with other guys would be thought of as wrong and disgusting. Whereas Santiago and Brittany would be considered 'normal' and no one would be bothered by their relationship. How do we know we're not living in the parallel world and the other world is the real one?
Those words had sunk in and built a home in his mind. They never left and his thoughts were soon cleared of the prejudice he had against heterosexuality. How could he think that their relationship was wrong when somewhere in another world they'd think homosexuality is wrong? Their world might not be real, but then again the other world may not even exists so there was no possible way to say that either heterosexuality or homosexuality were right, all that one could say was it is what it is. Simply love was a feeling, bond shared between two people not genders. That was enough for Puck, because in reality Santiago was still the same guy he always was. Sarcastic and rude but a total softie around Brittany, it was always like that even when they were growing up.
"Thanks." Santiago accepted the book and watched as a fist moved and stopped midway, between him and his football friend. It was a silent invitation saying he accepted him and he'll have his back, off and on the field.
The two fists bumped against each other in a silent agreement that everything was good between them. No more words were exchanged between the two and they headed off in their own direction.
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Stars populated the dark sky, illuminating the universe surrounded them. The moon shone bright, painting the atmosphere with a faint glow. In a small room, within a quaint house, situated in a small town on a large country apart of a small planet, in an endless universe, lay a boy and a girl. Two people sharing kisses and soft words between each other. They ignored the world outside of their bubble, whispered secrets of a forever between the both of them and explored their bodies in way reserved only for each other.
Everything was serene and peaceful, maybe the box would have an appearance that night or maybe it waited patiently for a more perfect opportunity.
Nothing was certain but that didn't matter, life for them was an adventure waiting to be experienced. That night they didn't fuck, they didn't have sex, no, they made love because, with feelings, it's perfect.
The End