Prompt: Dani stays the night at the loft because Santana feels more comfortable with her staying there while she has the flu.

Through the Eyes of Dantana
Chapter 3 - Sharing Germs

"Why are you here today?" Santana pressed her hand against Dani's forehead, frowning when she felt just how hot her skin was. "Baby, you should be at home in bed."

"I'm fine, Santana." She cleared her throat as she grabbed a stack of menus and made her way toward a table of newly arrived patrons.

Santana continued to watch her girlfriend with concern. Dani should not have been there. Her cheeks were flushed, and just from the simple touch to her forehead, she felt like she was on fire. Santana could even see the way that the blonde had been moving around slower than normal and would squint her eyes every time there was a loud sound in the kitchen, or the diner itself.

"Gunther!" Santana called out as she walked into the back. "Gunther, we have a problem."

"What is it now, Santana?"

"Dani's really sick."

"Yea, yea, whatever. Go." He waved his hand at her to get her out of his office.

"Thank you." She went back out to the diner just in time to see Dani sitting at the bar with her head down and eyes closed. "Rachel, I'm taking Dani home."

"No you're not." Dani lifted her head, but groaned when she did so. Her entire body hurt as she tried to focus her eyes on her girlfriend. The pounding in her head prevented her from keeping her eyes open very long.

"Yes I am." Santana grabbed Dani's jacket to drape it over her shoulders then grabbed her own to put on. "I don't need you passing out here. If you're going to pass out, I'd rather it be in the comfort of my bed."

"San, take me home, to my home. I don't want to get you sick."

Santana wrapped her arms around the girl as they walked out of the diner and toward the bus stop. "Nope, I don't want you by yourself. At least at my place, there's almost always someone there."

Dani didn't say anything as she just lifted her jacket to cover her mouth with it as she coughed loudly.

XXXXXX

"San, you're gonna get sick." Dani groaned as her girlfriend helped taker her jacket off of her. "I don't wanna sleep in your bed."

The darker girl gave her a pointed look. "First, you're adorable when you're whiny, second, my immune system is impeccable. I'll be fine." She worked on the buttons of Dani's uniform top and watched at the girl struggled to keep her eyes open.

"I'm not whiny." She whined out, causing Santana to laugh softly. "Stop." Dani allowed her arms to be lifted up as a long sleeve pajama top was pulled down her arms. "San, I'm cold."

"I know baby, I'm hurrying so you can lay down." Santana slid the zipper on Dani's skirt down before letting it fall from her hips, the then bent down to help her into some thick pajama pants. "In you go." She motioned to the bed as she pulled back the blankets.

Dani nodded, suddenly wishing she hadn't as her head started throbbing again. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she groaned loudly. Her whole body ached, even the simplest of movements like blinking her eyes, hurt. "So cold." She shivered , but was thankful when she felt the warm blankets be draped over her.

"I'm going to go and get you some medicine. I'm sure Rachel has some around here somewhere." Santana watched Dani just nod. She hated that her girlfriend was so sick and there was nothing she could really do to make her feel better. It was just a ride that she had to take to the end and help her out as much as possible.

Santana pulled the dividing curtain closed behind her as she walked toward the bathroom to search the medicine cabinet. She sighed as she found nothing, then she started searching through Rachel's and Kurt's things until she finally found someone she was looking for. She picked up the bottle and read the label. It was a medicine that was supposed to relieve fever and body aches. Better than nothing, Santana thought as she went back toward her bed area. She sighed when she saw that Dani had already fallen asleep.

"And you tried to tell me you were fine." Santana shook her head. She sat on the edge of the bed and reached up to brush some of Dani's blonde hair out of her face. She smiled sadly down at the woman when her eyes fluttered open. "Sorry baby, you need to sit up and take some of this."

"Why? I hate medicine." Dani peeked at the taller girl from under the blankets. As soon as Santana left her alone, she'd pulled the covers up over most of her face and curled into a ball.

"Because it will help you." Santana placed her hand on the top of the bottle and pushed down as she twisted it to open it. "Come on, sit up for me?"

"Mm, mm." Dani shook her head, causing Santana to laugh. "Come on, honey." She poured some medicine into the cup and looked at her girlfriend. "See, if I let you go home by yourself, you wouldn't even try to take any medicine or anything."

"No… sleep." Dani closed her eyes again. A whimper escaped her lips, soon followed by a series of loud, harsh coughs. "Just sleep."

"Please baby, I'll let you sleep if you take this medicine."

Dani's brown eyes opened again to look up at the woman seated beside her. "Fine." She slowly pushed herself upright, groaning as she did so. Dani saw the flash of worry on her girlfriend's face. "I'll be fine." She held herself up with her right hand and used her left to take the medicine cup.

"All of it."

"Yes, mom." Dani rolled her eyes before throwing back the liquid medicine like a shot. As soon as she swallowed it, she gagged audibly. "Disgusting."

"Well it can't all taste like that bubblegum stuff from when we were kids."

The blonde curled back into the pillows and lifted the blanket back over most of her face. "I miss that bubblegum stuff."

"Go back to sleep, D. I'll come and check on you later." Santana tucked the blanket in tighter around the blonde and pressed a soft kiss to her burning forehead. All Dani did was nod. The darker girl watched her for a few moments before getting up to allow her time to sleep. She was thankful that she'd brought her to the loft instead of letting her go home and be by herself when she could barely move.

XXXXXX

She groaned as she rolled onto her back. Slowly she forced her eyes open as a rough cough escaped her chest. "Dammit." She mumbled as she threw the blanket off of her overheated body and pushed herself upright. Another cough escaped her lungs and she groaned loudly. Her body ached in ways it had never ached before. "Rachel?" She called out as she trudged through the loft. Thankfully the girl was spotted standing by the stove.

"Ye…. Oh goodness, Santana you look horrible."

"You're nothing to look at either, Berry." Santana flopped down unceremoniously on one of the chairs at the table.

"Oh no, you are not about to spread your germs all over this apartment. Back to your bed. Now!" She turned the stove off before pulling her shirt up over her face and mouth. Santana just glared at her. "I'm not joking, Santana. Now."

"I just want some water." The darker girl stood up slowly and tried to go to the sink, only to have Rachel pinch a piece of the fabric on her shirt and redirect her.

"Germs Santana! You and Dani are on quarantine until you're both better."

"But, my water!" Santana tucked her mouth into the bend of her elbow to cough. Then grabbed onto the back of the chair to steady her sudden dizziness.

"I will get it for you. Now go, shoo!" She pushed her friend toward her bed and hurried to the sink to scrub her hands. The last thing she needed, was to get sick. Especially with 'Funny Girl' opening in just two weeks.

Santana drug her feet along the floor then crawled head first into her bed. "San?" Dani's eyes slowly opened up. She was feeling better than she was the day before. Her body no longer felt on fire, but her muscles still ached. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She rolled away from her girlfriend to cough into her own pillow.

"Good morning, Dani. How are you?" Rachel chirped as she walked into the bedroom.

Dani looked up and tried not to laugh at the sight of her friend. She had a baby blue surgical mask over her nose and mouth, her hair had been pulled back into a ponytail to keep it out of her face. Rachel even had beige colored gloves covering both of her hands. "What's up with you?" She turned her head to cough.

"You two are on lockdown."

Though Dani couldn't see her actual smile, she could see the way her eyes squinted some, a sure sign of a smile. "For what?"

"Because you got Santana sick." Rachel held out a bottle of water to the darker skinned girl, then offered another one to Dani. "The only time you're allowed out of this germ infested corner of the loft, is to pee. And even then it's right to the bathroom, and right back. Understood?"

Santana groaned and pulled her pillow over her head to try and block out Rachel's voice. "Just go away, Rachel."

"Gladly, Santana." Rachel pulled the curtain tightly shut behind her as she walked away to scrub her body of any germs she may have picked up from being in the same vicinity as them.

Dani opened up her own bottle of water as a coughing fit hit her. She was thankful for the cool liquid to be washing down her throat. "San?"

"Hm?" Santana still didn't move the pillow off of her head. It aided in shielding her eyes from the light, and her ears from the sound. Anything to help the pounding that wouldn't go away in her head.

"I told you, you'd get sick." Dani capped her bottle and put it on the stand on her side of the bed, then curled up against her girlfriend's back.

"Shut up, Dani." She still allowed her hand to rest on the blonde's and their fingers to lock together. She was miserable, but at least she was with the woman she loved.