#ttlviola

Vi was having the best birthday, even if the party she was attending was a holiday party and it wasn’t for her birthday. She had taken an Uber with Brody and brought along her Christmas gift for Santana. She was nervous and excited to be here. She wouldn’t be putting in for the auctioned vacations because she certainly couldn’t afford them, she was pretty sure. But she was having lots of drinks and getting pretty drunk, which helped to cause those nerves to ebb away. Vi had stared at Santana a lot in that outfit she was wearing. She couldn’t not stare. And after her fifth rum and coke, she asked Santana to meet her upstairs on the mezzanine, where it was a little quieter and a little more private because she wanted to give her the gift she got her.

She chose to go towards the back corner where it seemed most private and waited for Santana to join her. She pulled the wrapped gift from the bag she had been carrying all night, and she was glad too, so that she could toss the bag away and not have to be responsible for it for the rest of the night. The butterflies started to return to her tummy and she rocked on the spot, trying to stay calm, cool, and collected.

Santana really loved Christmas. She always had, and why shouldn’t she? She was her parents only child, and with her parents being divorced, they each seemed to love to “go overboard” with her presents. She got to eat delicious food, and now that she had her own house, she got to go all out and decorate. Now, she had this party she hosted annually. It was a fairly big turn out, and so many people had bid on her vacation giveaways that she had enough to buy even better vacations next year and still have plenty to donate after.

Tonight, she’d really outdone herself. It looked just like Santa’s workshop. The food was amazing. People were dancing. The alcohol was flowing, and Santana had pre-hired a few Uber drivers to be available just in case her guests were too drunk to drive. She, herself, wasn’t partaking.  She was the hostess. She couldn’t get sloshed. It just wouldn’t be right. She needed to make sure no one got too rowdy or something. She did not want to have to pay for any kind of damages, not that he didn’t trust the people she’d invited.

This year was the first time she’d invited as many of her coworkers as she had, and it was the first year she’d invited Vi. They’d never been particularly close, but she’d always liked the other woman enough. She wasn’t like a weirdo art teacher like Santana’d had in high school, and she was gay, but not stereotypically so. Only Santana thought things had gotten a little different after Vi’d driven home with her for Thanksgiving. At the time, she hadn’t thought it a big deal that Vi had gone, but maybe she’d been wrong. Now there was flirting and stuff, and she didn’t know what to make of that. It felt very real, like maybe Vi meant it, and Santana didn’t know what to do with that. She didn’t know how to feel. She didn’t know what she felt, but she wasn’t put off, and that was something she didn’t want to look at too closely. She certainly didn’t know why she’d taken Vi from Jake as a Secret Santa when he couldn’t do it or why she’d spent so much money on the gift she’d gotten Vi for her birthday. She’d also put something extra in her Christmas giftbag, but Vi wouldn’t know that.

When the other woman has asked her to meet her up away from the party, Santana should’ve been wary, but instead, she was curious. She stepped towards the mezzanine after grabbing Vi’s birthday present. She looked around when she reached the top floor and found Vi tucked into the corner waiting. “Not for nothing, but it’s creepy that you’re waiting in the shadows,” she joked as she walked over to the other teacher.

Vi perked up when she saw Santana at the top of the stairs and her tongue slid over her lips as she waited. God, that outfit, seriously… Vi couldn’t get over it. She wondered if it was something Santana would keep after this party tonight. “Well you’re the one agreeing to meet in them so…” Vi replied and was still trying to act so cool but she felt like she was out of her element. She just wanted Santana to like her back. “I, um, I just wanted to steal you away for a second so I could, um, give you this.” She held up the wrapped gift to Santana and offered a smile to her.

Santana looked down at the present in surprise then back at Vi. “You got me a Christmas present?” she asked as she reached out and took it from the woman’s hand. She made sure not to get Vi a Christmas themed bag for her birthday, picking one that clearly denoted a birthday. She handed it over so that she could cradle her present in her hand. “I got you...well the Christmas present is in the gift bag you get at the end of the night, but I got you a birthday present. Happy birthday, and all that,” she finished quietly, feeling uncharacteristically nervous. Her heart beat a little faster in her chest, and she felt really lame for a moment before she pushed the feeling away.

“Well of course. We’re at a /Christmas/ party,” she replied and grinned even more and she was hoping so much Santana would like it. “Ah! A birthday present!” Vi was really glad that Santana had placed it in a birthday bag. She had received so many presents over the years that were wrapped in holiday wrap and while she tried not to care because it was the thought that counted, it still kind of sucked because sometimes those people handed her the gift and it counted for both her birthday and Christmas. Santana had been thoughtful to put it in a birthday bag. Vi pulled the present out and gasped, staring at it, then up at Santana, slack jawed, before looking back down at the 3D pen. She couldn’t /believe/ it. “Santana…” She was stunned a moment and then she came to. “Holy shit.” Her grinned returned and her gaze went back to the other woman. “Holy shit, this is amazing. Holy shit. Thank you. This is… wow, thanks, really, Santana.” Vi still couldn’t believe Santana had given her such an awesome gift, and one Vi knew had to have been a little pricey.

As much as Santana liked receiving presents, she liked giving them as well. That mostly had to do with the fact that she was really awesome at giving the “perfect” gift. Usually it was just her parents and abuela that were on the receiving end, but it was nice to have a challenge of someone she didn’t know as well. The fact that Vi seemed to genuinely like it was just a bonus. She smiled wide. “Yeah, no problem. There’s some extra of those...plastic things you need in there.”

Vi checked the bag to see that everything was in there. “Thank you.” She placed the pen back inside the bag and looked up at Santana. “I got to play with one of these once and I wanted one ever since, I just couldn't justify myself buying one cuz, you know, bills.” She laughed lightly. Really, she wasn't hurting for money or anything but she didn't often buy herself a lot of things. Mostly she used her money on paints and canvas, video games, and eating out. She hadn't yet saved enough to allow herself to get something as cool as this pen. “It totally means a lot that you got me anything at all even.” And Vi wondered if Santana could like her too, that maybe she did like her, a little bit, but that just didn't seem likely. Which was a shame because Vi thought she looked really hot right now and she certainly wouldn't have minded to be able to kiss her. She wondered if there was mistletoe anywhere.

“I thought it was pretty unique but fun when I found it online. You’ll have to make me something so that I can see it in action,” Santana replied with a little chuckle. “And now you don’t have to justify the purchase. Even though a part of me wants to encourage you to treat yourself.” She shifted on her feet and took in Vi’s outfit for the first time that evening. She looked really good, but Santana kept that to herself. “I mean...you did buy me that awesome birthday present. It would just be rude if i didn’t.”

“Oh, yeah, once I get the hang of it, I’m totally gonna make you something.” You know, ‘cause Vi totally wanted to be around Santana and do things for her and kiss her. “Oh I do treat myself. Like, I eat out and go out and buy my art stuff so I totally do do things, but, really thank you so much.” She grinned at Santana and nodded. “True. I did buy you that /really/ awesome gift so you totally owed me,” she joked.

Santana laughed again. “You eat out…wanky…” she teased before looking down at the present in her hand then back at the other woman. “I did owe you, and now we’re even...though I have no idea what’s in this box. So it better not be something expensive.”

Vi’s cheeks reddened at Santana’s words but mostly because her intoxicated mind thought about eating out… with Santana. But she laughed and tucked her hair back behind her ear and tried to stay cool. “Oh. Um. Just open it and find out.” She grinned.

Shaking her head, Santana cleared her throat. “I think I wanted to save it for Christmas Day. My dad sends me stuff, and my mom’s driving in tomorrow, but...I don’t have a lot of things to open on Christmas that aren’t from my parents. So this...is nice. So thank you…”

“Oh. Okay.” Vi was having doubts suddenly, like, did Santana somehow know what she got her? Had Brody told her and did she know she wouldn’t like it so she didn’t want to open it in front of her? But her reason seemed legit so Vi tried not to get in her head about it. Why did she care so much? It had been such a long time since she felt this way. “Tell your mom I said hi,” she told her with a slight laugh. “That’s cool she’s coming in. And it’s cool you throw this party every year. Like, it’s awesome of you. I’ve been having a good time. So thanks for inviting me.”

Santana wondered at the change in Vi’s demeanor, but she didn’t ask. She just focused on the other things the woman was saying. “Well, yeah, I like my house, and she likes coming to me for the winter break.” She had no idea why she was sharing any of this, but Vi knew her mom. So she just reasoned that it wasn’t weird to talk to her about it. “Christmas is kinda my thing. You don’t have to thank me. We’re clearly friends. I mean...you met my mom. That doesn’t happen often.”

“True, friends,” Vi agreed and goddamn why was she now looking down at Santana’s breasts. She tore her gaze away before she hoped Santana noticed and a smile was back on her face. “We gotta be friends if I met your mom.” She laughed lightly again and then licked her lips. “I think Halloween is my thing.” She nodded. “Definitely.” She didn’t want to keep Santana long, she knew she had to get back to her party, but she kind of wished they could go somewhere more quiet, more alone. But, she figured, she would have Santana’s time and attention tomorrow for sure.

It was at that weird moment in an interaction with another person where Santana could tell that the conversation was winding down, but she wasn’t sure how to end it. It felt like they were both still kind of lingering and she didn’t understand why. She ran her tongue over her lips in and nodded. “Well, maybe you should do it up for Halloween next year. People love a good Halloween party.”

Vi perked up a bit at the thought and nodded. “Yeah, I could throw a killer Halloween party.” She smirked. “Get it…?” And then she laughed. “But um, I should totally let you get back to your party. We're still on for tomorrow thought, right?”

“I got it…” Santana answered in an amused tone. “You’re such a dad and you don’t even have kids.” Only she wasn’t put off by Vi’s jokes. She thought it was cute, and that meant that she needed to walk away. “Yeah...can’t have anyone thinking I just disappeared…” She cleared her throat, her smile growing. “Yeah, we’re still on. So dress nice. I’m taking you somewhere a little fancy.”

Vi laughed at that. “God, I’m gonna be the best dad one day…” She smirked at Santana then nodded along with her. She didn’t want to hold Santana up too much, even though she really did. “Oh shit,” she commented and then laughed. “I mean, okay. I will dress nice. You totally didn’t comment on my digs tonight though,” Vi said and then just had to pose.

“Yes, best dad ever, I’m sure.” Santana’s eyes scanned Vi’s outfit again. “You clean up nice,” she complimented. “I’d even venture to say you look hot, but I don’t want you to get even more conceited.” She laughed and realized she was suddenly really looking forward to the next day.

“Guess I’ll get one of those number one dad mugs,” Vi told her with a slight laugh again. Santana’s words totally went to her head anyway. She basically said she looked hot, which gave Vi hope. But… she wasn’t after just sex here so… it was still uncertain territory. “Thanks. Yeah, my head was swell, I think.” She grinned. Fuck, she was so happy right now. “Okay. You go back to your thing. And I’m gonna go grab another drink. And… find Brody, I guess…” She laughed lightly.

Oh, this was what was happening, Santana thought. Vi was drunk. It all made more sense as to why she was being slightly weirder than normal. She laughed and nodded a little. “Yeah, I should get back.” She glanced at the gift bag. “Don’t lose that,” she joked. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Oh, I won’t,” Vi reassured her. “This is like the best gift ever. Thank you, Santana.” And then she did it. She went in for a hug, slipping a hand to Santana’s back as she gave a squeeze and she was able to smell her perfume or hair stuff or something and fuck, did Santana smell good. She pulled back just as quick. “See you tomorrow.”

She hadn't been expecting a hug, but Santana didn't mind it. She hugged Vi back for a moment then pulled away. “Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow,” she mumbled before turning on her black boots and headed back towards the stairs to head back to the party.