fic: understand.
Title: Understand
Pairing/Characters: Blaine, Santana, Background Kurt/Blaine
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 725
Warnings: homophobia
Spoilers: 3x07
Summary: Blaine finds Santana crying in the girls' bathroom.
Blaine’s rushing down the hallway after school, heading to meet Kurt, when he hears something inside the girl’s bathroom. He backtracks, eyebrows creasing, and listens for only a moment longer until he realizes it’s the sound of someone crying. He isn’t for sure, but the sobs sound familiar. Carefully, he steps forward, peaking his head around the doorway, and sure enough, there stands Santana. He bites his lip, checking over his shoulder. Kurt can wait.
“Santana?” he ventures.
She jumps, her head whipping up. ”What do you want, Stublegs McEyebrowface?”
Blaine lets the jab roll right off of him. ”You’re upset,” he says.
“I can see that,” Santana says with an eyeroll. ”Now, I repeat - what do you want?”
“To help,” Blaine says simply, and he can see that Santana’s on the verge of accepting it.
“Well, this isn’t exactly something you can help with,” she replies bitterly.
Blaine holds out his arms. ”Try me.”
Santana sighs, wiping at the mascara under her eyes before turning to him. ”I came out to my grandmother,” she says quietly.
“And?”
Santana presses her lips together, looking at the floor. Taking a deep breath, she says, “And she kicked me out of her house and told me to never come back.”
Blaine nods, swallowing hard.
“As it turns out, I know how that feels.”
Santana narrows her eyes. ”What do you mean?”
“Well,” Blaine starts, heaving a deep breath. ”Let’s just say my dad isn’t as vocal as your grandmother, but … “
Santana bites her lip. ”How did he take it?”
“He didn’t, really,” Blaine says. ”He kind of just does his best to ignore it. He tries to convince himself that it’s a phase, that someday I’ll come home with a beautiful, young girl and not Kurt. And - and it’s only when I bring up the truth that he gets angry.”
“I’m - I’m sorry,” Santana says blankly, shaking her head a little.
“It’s fine,” Blaine says. ”Well, no it’s not - it’s - it’s really difficult sometimes. I just - I can’t ever fully please him, and it makes me feel awful, but I’ve learned to deal with it. I have other people who support me, and that really helps.”
Santana nods, but doesn’t say anything; she really doesn’t know what to say.
“Come here,” Blaine says quietly, and he walks forward, holding out his arms.
Santana walks right into them, burying her face in Blaine’s shoulder. Soon, he feels the warmness of her tears seeping into his shirt, her body shaking against his.
“Santana,” he sighs, frowning. ”Santana, I know this sucks. I know this feels like the end of the world, right now. But it’s not, alright? Like Finn said, everyone in glee club is here for you - and your parents accept you.”
“But,” Santana says, lifting her face. ”I - I just want her to. I j - just want my abuelita b -back.”
“Shh,” Blaine says, and he cradles the back of Santana’s head in his hand as she buries her face in his shirt once again. ”I know you do. All I want is for my father to accept me, but that’s not going to happen any time soon. And I just have to deal with it. I have to remind myself that I do have other people in my life. That I do have people who love me for who I am, and I can’t live my life only trying to please him.”
Santana continues to sob, holding tightly to Blaine until she can’t find it in herself to cry any longer. She lifts her face from his neck, taking shaky breaths and wiping her eyes.
“I know you’re not okay,” Blaine says. ”But you will be. This is hard, I know. But one day you’re going to look back on this and realize what a stronger person it made you.”
Santana shakes her head, and Blaine can see a hint of a smile on her lips.
“God, Blaine,” she mutters. ”I just - thank you. Thank you so much. Like I said earlier, it’s nice knowing that I’m not alone.”
Blaine smiles back. ”You most definitely aren’t. Now, come on. Kurt and I were just heading to the Lima Bean, and I’m sure he won’t mind one more.”
Santana nods, grinning, and follows after him.