Disclaimer: Don’t own. Just borrowing.

Rating: PG

Summary: Love is…when she finally puts it in writing.

Brittany’s been scribbling their names all over the place ever since Santana can remember.

Even before she knew the girl’s last name, Brittany’s notebook margins were always full of ‘Santana & Brittany’ or ‘S & B’ or ‘Britt-Britt and San’ and so forth and it’s really surprising that it never creeped Santana out given the implications of it all.

Brittany basically was writing out ‘I love you’ for years and Santana’d just been letting it happen.

No wonder Brittany got so confused when they first talked about their feelings and Santana shot her down.

But that’s all in the past and she’s totally ready to proclaim to the world that her girl is her girl and no one else’s so that’s why she’s here, in this place, gripping Quinn’s hand like it’s going out of style.

“Just because I haven’t said anything about it, doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hurt,” Quinn states, her face still stoic. “Cut it out.”

Santana finally releases it long enough to take a deep breath in.

The guy sitting two chairs down coughs up a lung just then, body heaving as his belly bounces and she’s so over this impulse it’s not even funny.

“You know what else says ‘I love you and only you’?” Santana asks, her voice much higher than usual because of her nerves and she hates that Quinn can tell, if that smirk she’s wearing is any indication that is, “Dinner at a fancy restaurant and it’s probably less expensive so…”

“Nope,” Quinn says, grabbing her arm, most likely just in case Santana’s thinking of making a break for it. “You called me up crying and I drove four hours for this so it’s totally happening. I don’t care if you have to use a microscope to see it, you’re getting a tattoo just as sure as my name is Lucy Quinn Fabray.”

“The fuck?” Santana gasps. “Lucy? Who the hell is Lucy?”

“Oh look. You’re up.”

—

Her arm is still stinging like a bitch – it’ll feel better after a couple of hours her ass – when Britt gets home, bundled up in two coats, a hat, and three scarves.

She looks like the cutest Eskimo.

“Hey Baby,” she greets her warmly, helping her shed all the extra layers until Brittany’s only wearing jeans and a t-shirt, her cold, red nose, pressed against Santana’s as she accepts her ‘hello’ kiss.

“Hey,” Brittany breathes, walking her fingers across Santana’s shoulders as she wraps her up in a hug. “I thought you weren’t gonna be in until after 5. I would’ve brought something home for dinner.”

“My appointment didn’t run as long as I thought it would,” Santana shrugs, leading her girlfriend over to a chair and sitting her down on it and then moving to sit astride her thighs. “But…” she starts cutely, catching Brittany’s hands before they can get too roam-y, “…I do have a surprise for you.”

“Ooh,” Brittany gasps, eyes widening, “Lemme guess. Animal, vegetable or mineral?”

Santana’s nose scrunches up with a smile. “I don’t think it’s any of those Britt.”

Brittany laughs, kissing Santana’s nose. “Is it a tattoo?”

The gasp and stunned look on her face makes Brittany cackle hysterically and Santana hits her girlfriend on the arm, not amused. “Who told you?”

“Nobody,” Brittany assures her through a smile, “But you’re wearing a t-shirt and there’s a bandage taped to your arm so I kinda figured.”

Santana pouts out her lower lip, annoyed but Brittany just chuckles and kisses it, wrapping her arms around her waist. “Stop pouting and show me it. What’d you get?”

“You’re the psychic. You tell me.”

“Brittany’s bitch?”

“You wish,” Santana says, scoffing and Brittany just nods, done teasing.

“Coooome oooon,” she drawls out, past ready for the revelation and Santana just smirks, carefully pulling back the fresh bandage and brandishing her arm so that Brittany can read what’s there.

It’s nothing elaborate or even profound and it probably wouldn’t hold any meaning for anyone other than them but when Brittany sees it, the tears that instantly spring to her eyes are all Santana needs to know that she chose wisely.

“I’m yours,” she whispers, grabbing Brittany cheeks and pulling her in for a kiss, the Proudly So now inked forever on her skin standing out prominently.