Nightcrawler (A Slimecicle FF)

FIFTEEN

Charlie sighed, pushing himself out of bed after laying there for hours. How was he supposed to think straight when she was just in the other room? Everything was different ever since the moment they'd shared at the hospital, and he wasn't the same.

He approached the door to his room, reaching for the handle and pressing down on it to pull it open. He jumped when he saw Santana standing there already, hand up as if she was preparing to knock.

She raised an eyebrow, too, equally as surprised. She lowered her hand. "Oh...hi."

He nodded down at her, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. His glasses were already off his face, but he still knew her features perfectly despite the dark. "Hi."

She looked down at her feet. "Um...can I come in? I can't sleep."

He nodded again, pulling open the door for her to come in. "Of course."
She slipped into the room, plopping down on his bed as if it was a regular thing. He cautiously sat down beside her, their shoulders touching, and she let out a sigh.

"Sorry," She hummed. "I'm sure you're tired."

"I'm okay," He assured her. The truth was, he couldn't sleep, either.

"Can we lay down?" She muttered, looking over and into his eyes. He tried not to blush as he responded.

"Sure."

She didn't hesitate to lay down at that, so he followed suit.

Of course, it didn't take long before she wrapped her arms around his torso and rested her head on his chest.

"I'll be honest with you, Glasses," She muttered, burying her face in his chest. He sighed, trying his best not to stammer.

"Uh...you haven't called me that in a while," He stated. "Is everything okay?"

"I've been scared shitless for the past week," She whispered against him, tightening her grip. "It's worse that I don't know where Razor is. I'm scared he's going to sneak in through my window and kill me in my sleep."

Charlie sighed, patting her back before playing with the ends of her hair. "I still don't know why you won't let me call the police."

"Because it doesn't work," She shrugged. "And...I don't want you to be a target."

Charlie smiled. "How sweet."

She reached her hand up and lightly thwacked him on the head. "Shut up."

He chuckled. "Admit it. You care about me. At least a little bit."

"Don't make me admit that," She murmured, pressing herself closer against him. "I have a reputation to uphold."

"It's no secret, Santana," He grinned when her hold on him tightened.

"Just go to sleep," She stated, still not denying it. Charlie grinned.

"Yes ma'am."

*****

The next morning, Charlie woke up with a content sigh. Santana still clung onto him in her sleep, and he spent a few minutes just laying there, listening to her breathing.

Eventually, Santana woke up, too. Charlie met her eyes and smiled softly, trying not to scare her away. The warmth was nice.

"Morning," He hummed.

She yawned, laying her head back down on his chest. "Morning."

"What do you say we go for a drive?" He asked. He'd decided he wanted to try something, so he hoped she'd say yes.

She shrugged. "I guess that's fine."

He smiled, sitting up and looking down at her. "Great. Let's go."

She raised an eyebrow. "Right now?"

He nodded. "Of course. The park is at its best in the morning."

She frowned. "A park as in...with children and stuff?"

"No," Charlie laughed. "It's a scenic park. Now come on."

She shook her head with a sigh, but sat up and ruffled her hair. He took her hand and pulled her to her feet, leading her out of the room before she could protest or change her mind.

Santana yelped, letting out a chuckle. "Slow down, Charlie, I just woke up."

Charlie grinned. She'd changed so much. Just a few weeks before, she would have backhanded him if he tried something like that.

They drove all the way to a scenic overlook in the foothills, and Charlie even let Santana drive part of the way. He'd be lying if he said it wasn't terrifying, but she was getting better. He told himself he wanted her to be able to drive by the end of the summer, which was just a few months away. Spring was almost over.

He guided her towards the spot he wanted to show her, and watched as she looked around wondrously at the pink blossoms on the trees. It was as if she'd never been out of the city.

Well...that was pretty likely.

They approached a bench, and Charlie didn't hesitate to sit down on it, taking a deep breath in and staring out at the city. Though him and Schlatt made fun of it all the time, LA wasn't all that bad from far away.

Santana sat down on the other side of the bench, her leg bouncing up and down as she rubbed her wrist.

Charlie tilted his head. "Are you...nervous?"

She met his eyes. "...no?"

He sighed. "Look, I'm almost certain that Razor wouldn't be around here—"

"It's not that," She whispered, leaning back on the bench. "It's just...nevermind."

"Is it me?" Charlie rubbed the back of his neck. "Is that why you've been gone all week? Is it too fast? If you don't want to live with me anymore, I get it—"

"Charlie, you're such a dork," She scoffed, glaring at him. "You can't tell me I haven't been obvious enough about how I've felt. How have you not seen it?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Santana, what's wrong? Why are you upset?"

"Don't make me say it, dumbass," She continued, running a hand through her hair. "You're trying to get me to embarrass myself, aren't you?"

"I don't understand—"

That's when it happened. Santana leaned over and cupped Charlie's cheeks, crashing her lips against his with so much passion that Charlie's eyes widened.

It didn't last more than a second or two before she pulled away, red as a tomato.

"I'm sorry," She stood to her feet, putting her head in her hands. "I'm so sorry. After what Oz said about me, I shouldn't have done that—"

"I'm in love with you," Charlie blurted.

She froze, meeting his eyes. "What?"

"I...I think I love you, Santana," He cleared his throat, having already dug his hole. "There's not a minute in the day I'm not thinking about you."

Her eyes started watering, and she took a step closer. "You...you do?"

"Shit, yes!" He laughed, spreading his arms out. "You're saying you've been obvious, but look at me."

She smiled a shy smile, wrapping her arms around herself. "So...does that mean we can kiss again?"

Charlie grinned, standing up and wrapping his arms around her. He leaned down and, much more gently, pressed his lips against hers, feeling her melt in his arms and wrap her arms around his neck.

When she smiled against his lips, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride.

Of all the scary, intimidating men she could have chosen, she chose him.

And he wouldn't have it any other way.