Clockwork | Brittana

Chapter 10

The natural musk of sweat mixed with antiperspirants, and a small tracing of disinfectant, whispered into Brittany's nose as she followed Kurt through the gym. Beyond the metallic clinks of weights and percussive thuds of feet on treadmills, Kurt's voice was barely registering on her consciousness.

How had she stumbled into this mess?

"It's not really that irregular for her to cut out of work to go to the gym," Kurt adjusted the Nike duffel bag that was slung over his shoulder as they walked further into the maze of weightlifters and runners. "In all honesty, she's been slacking this month, and with that photo shoot next week..."

Brittany blinked back into focus, "Are you kidding me? She's beautiful."

Kurt glanced over his shoulder at her, and Brittany had to look away to hide her blush. Way to be subtle.

"That much is indisputable," he continued with a small smirk, "but the camera adds ten pounds, honey."

"When's the shoot?" Brittany asked to change the subject. She knew the answer, she just needed to talk about something.

"Next week. There they are," he pointed through the glass wall of a yoga room.

Santana was on the ground doing situps with a medicine ball, touching it from the ground above her head to the hands of the man kneeling on her toes. Arms above her head, athletic shorts bunching around her upper thighs, and with each situp the cotton of her blue tee shirt shifted, flashing just the most sensual sliver of stomach.

Brittany couldn't breathe.

The man on her knees said something, and with the most adorable glare, Santana changed her motions, moving the medicine ball from one side of her hips to the other while keeping her back off the ground. Brittany could practically see a bead of sweat rolling down her furrowed brow. Her bottom lip between her teeth in a show of effort.

"Oh good, they're almost done," Kurt's voice brought Brittany back to real life.

"How long have they been working out?"

"Their sessions are usually around two hours," Kurt waved her along, "come on."

"Yeah," she cleared her throat and followed Kurt through the glass door.

The air was different in here, and Brittany wasn't sure if it was because she could hear Santana's labored breathing or maybe it was her own pulse that making her feel hotter.

"That's it Santana," the man encouraged her, "just ten more."

"I hate you so much," Santana mumbled through her teeth.

"You say that every week," he laughed, waving at Kurt and Brittany as they walked in, Santana had her eyes pressed closed and didn't notice them.

"I hate you more every week, that was ten," she dropped the medicine ball and fell ungraciously onto her back, pressing her palms to her eyes. She pulled one foot out from under his knee and pushed her heel into his chest. "Get off of me fatty."

"Love you too, Santana," he fell back laughing and patted her thigh sarcastically as he slid to his feet.

Brittany's eyes trained on the action, who was this man, allowed to touch Santana's bare thigh? And Santana, still yet to open her eyes and realized that there were two more people in the room, was pulling up her shirt, using it to wipe the sweat from her face.

Who was this man? For Santana to be comfortable enough to lay unencumbered next to him, her stomach and underside of her sports bra revealed casually. Was it because she was outside of Clockwork that her guarded demeanor towards men had changed? Or had this man somehow made it past Santana's defenses? Brittany wanted to know how he might have done that.