A/N: I felt like at the end of Pitch Perfect 2 I would've liked some bechloe closure. This idea just came into my head so I decided to write it, not my best but I hope you enjoy it!
Beca hurried through the Bella house, holding her graduation cap firmly to her head in order to keep it upright.
"Beca! We're waiting!" Stacie called through the open doorway, "Can we just get this over with then the real party can start."
"Coming!" Beca yelled back, tripping over her feet as she ran down the stairs from her bedroom to the front door.
Panting, she joined her fellow Bellas outside. It was graduation day and they were preparing to take a group photo before going to the ceremony.
"Christ what took you short stack?" Amy asked, "I could've singlehandedly won the worlds in the time it took you to get down here."
"Seriously, 3 years refusing cardio has officially taken its toll." Beca moved in next to the blonde and rested her elbow on her shoulder. She wasn't one for running and this had certainly tired her out.
"No, captain Beca step down to the front", Amy prodded as she gave Beca a shove to stand at the front of the group.
"Ok, are we all ready now. Good." Stacie quipped as she turned to Emily, "Alright legacy, we're ready to roll."
The Bellas huddled into a group, bright smiles illuminating their faces. As Emily positioned the camera and started the countdown for the photo, Beca suddenly realised a certain redhead wasn't present with the group.
"Wait where's Chloe?" Beca asked, standing back upright. "We can't take the photo without her here, come on guys."
A mix of groans and words of agreement erupted from the group.
"Guys, two seconds I'll find her", Stacie said as she made her way up through the doorway.
"Take a buddy!" Flo called after her.
"Stacie, wait." Beca hurried after her, stopping her in the doorway. "Let me find her, I think I know where she'd be at."
"Alright, just don't take too long ok, otherwise I will skip graduating and go straight to the party." Stacie replied in all seriousness.
Beca made her way through the Bella house, down the corridor to Chloe's room. She remembered back to the start of junior year when the Bellas first decided to get this house together. She couldn't recall how she managed to have to share a room with Amy, but it turned out pretty great. The Australian was out a lot "getting smoothies", so she gave Beca enough privacy to be alone in their room and work on her mixes. And when she was there, they were able to talk for hours sitting on opposing beds. The Australian always managed to make Beca laugh, or at least crack a smile as much as she hated to admit it.
Making her way to the door, a pang of sadness hit her; she wondered for a moment why she didn't opt to share a room with Chloe. The redhead seemed to have a way to make her smile too, but in a totally different way. Beca couldn't help but think of the memories they could have made together, not that she didn't spend enough time in Chloe's room already, she just felt like they could've done more. Sighing, she knocked on the door lightly.
"Chlo, you in there?" She asked softly.
When she wasn't met with a response, Beca pushed the door open quietly and stepped inside. She saw Chloe standing in the middle of her room, her back to her, but clearly observing her 'dream wall'. Chloe had a wall next to her bed covered in hundreds of photos of the Bellas, along with posters of her dreams and plans for the future. As she made her way inside, Beca spotted a photo right above Chloe's bed. It was of the two of them at the hood night party earlier that year. She remembered them dancing and Amy taking a photo of the two of them as Chloe pulled her into a tight hug. Chloe had put a big heart around the photo and it made Beca smile sadly. Her and Chloe got on so well together considering they had completely different personalities. They complemented each other, and Beca couldn't help but feel a tug at her heart when she thought of all the times Chloe had tried to get photos of the two of them together, to which Beca would hide her face and say she didn't like having her photo taken. Only now she realised how happy it would've made Chloe just to have another photo of Beca on her wall. And there was nothing she liked more then making Chloe happy.
Beca moved next to Chloe and the two of them stood in comfortable silence, both reliving an avalanche of memories from the past three years together. Minutes past before Chloe turned to her, unshed tears evident in her piercing blue eyes. She was wearing her graduation gown and her red hair flowed in natural curls down her back. She looked perfect. But then again, she always looked perfect to Beca. Not that she would ever dare tell Chloe, but Beca was sure the redhead was the most beautiful thing she'd seen in her entire life. That would be weird if she even told her she was beautiful, right? You're just friends, Beca scolded herself.
Beca couldn't tear her eyes away from the redhead but she managed to get out, "The girls are waiting outside, we were gonna take a group graduation photo, remember?"
She watched Chloe sigh as she turned back to her wall. The redhead reached out for Beca's arm and her fingers ghosted lightly around it. She then wrapped one arm around Beca's while her other drifted down and clasped their hands together. Beca smiled softly at the feeling of Chloe's hand in hers, the thought of hurrying Chloe for the graduation photo leaving her mind. Chloe then tilted her head to rest on Beca's shoulder and the two stood in silence for another minute or so, just enjoying each other's company.
Beca was jolted out of her peaceful state when she felt hot tears dripping down her neck.
"Hey, hey Chlo," Beca coaxed, turning her head to the redhead leaning against her. She brought the hand that wasn't joined with Chloe's up to tilt the older girl's chin towards her. She felt her heart splinter at how sad Chloe looked staring up at her. Her big blue shining eyes, puffy and red from her tears.
She didn't speak, just squeezed the hand wrapped in hers tighter and waited for Chloe to talk. She would when she was ready.
Chloe took a deep breath and raised her head back up from Beca's shoulder. "Sorry", she spoke quietly, "I've got your gown all teary, God whats wrong with me." The redhead looked up and wiped the tears from her eyes before wringing her hands together and awkwardly facing Beca, begging that she'd say something to break the silence.
Beca moved closer to her.
"Don't be sorry", the DJ whispered, barely loud enough for either of them to hear. "Chlo, please tell me why you're upset. I mean, I know your upset because of graduation - at least, I think that's why you're upset, I mean I just assumed, I don't - " Chloe couldn't help but giggle at Beca's stuttering, even through her tears.
"Sorry, i'm not good at this cheering up thing, you know that," Beca said, moving her hands to play with the collar of her gown uncomfortably.
Chloe giggled again, "Don't be sorry Beca, and you are good at this cheering up thing, look, you've already made me laugh".
"Oh", Beca let out a breath she felt like she'd been holding for at least a minute now, and gave Chloe a small smile. "Well, I'm glad… Of that".
They stood facing each other for a moment before Chloe spoke.
"Look Beca, I wanted to tell you why I'm upset."
Beca locked her eyes with Chloe's immediately as if to encourage her to continue.
"I just - You know, I am sad because the Bellas have been my family for the past seven years and, it's just so hard to finally let that go but - " She paused averting her gaze from Beca's deep blue stare.
"There's more to it then that. Another reason why I failed, to stay in the Bellas was," she took a deep breath and looked back to Beca.
"Was because I'm afraid of losing you." Her voice cracked on the last word as she brought her arms to wrap her body and sobbed.
She searched Beca's face for signs of emotion before continuing, "Beca, I feel like I'm nothing without you, I - who am I gonna call to hold me in the middle of the night if I have a nightmare? Who am I gonna force to watch Dirty Dancing with me once a month? Who's gonna keep me in line when I get drunk and handsy? To know that I cant just run upstairs and you'll be there Beca, it kills me."
Beca could feel tears threatening to escape her eyes as she took in the fragile woman in front of her. A million thoughts were running through her head. Sure, she'd thought about graduation and how tough it would be on her but only now she realised how much harder this must be for Chloe. Leaving her family after seven years for what?
She tentatively stepped towards the older girl and brushed a stray piece of hair from her angelic face, tainted with tears.
"Chloe," she said quietly, not exactly knowing where she was going with this, words weren't her strong point.
"It's true," she continued, "We're not going to see each other every day after this. We're gonna move on and - and hell we might not even see each other every week" She saw the redhead's face drop and quickly added, "but Chloe, you are never, ever, going to lose me, ok? If it weren't for you, none of this would even have happened, we wouldn't have happened. If you didn't force your way into my life, burst into my shower - and so easily break down the walls I'd taken years to build, I would still be some weird alt girl with no friends." They both smiled for a second remembering Chloe's intense friendliness towards Beca in her first year of college, "Chloe, without you I'd be nothing - moving on without you, I'd achieve nothing, certain to god. There is no way I'm gonna let you get away from me now that I have you in my life, you know that."
Chloe whimpered softly as she started deeply into Beca's eyes, she was standing so close. The redhead felt fresh tears fall, she couldn't help it.
"Hey", Beca soothed, moving her hands to hold Chloe's head and brushing her tears with the pads of her thumbs, "Don't cry, your gonna make me cry!" Beca laughed as she sniffed back her tears.
Chloe sucked in her breaths trying to regain control of her emotions, but let out a soft laugh all the while. She breathed out and pulled Beca into her, wrapping her arms around the smaller girls back and hugging Beca into her body.
The DJ reciprocated her movements and pressed their bodies tightly together.
"I love you," the redhead said softly, moving her face to nuzzle Beca's neck.
"I love you too Chlo", Beca breathed out as she too, couldn't hold back her tears any longer.
Chloe felt Beca hug her impossibly closer as the two of them grieved the end of an era together.
Minutes passed and the pair's tears subsided. Chloe pulled back, just far enough to wrap her arms around Beca's neck and she pressed their foreheads together, closing her eyes and trying to convey all the feelings she had for the younger girl through this small gesture.
She could feel Beca's warm breath against her lips. They were so close. Chloe yearned for Beca, she always had. Four years now and she thought the feeling would have phased out, but no one made her feel quite like Beca could make her feel. And she could never shake that attraction.
Suddenly Amy burst through the door, not taking any notice of the exchange between the pair, she was used to the two being publicly intimate and not admitting their feelings, "Come on guys, seriously, we've been waiting outside for so long we thought you guys were dead!" She slammed the door and her footsteps stomped off down the corridor.
Chloe squeezed her eyes shut and pressed herself into Beca further; savoring their last moment of contact before pulling back and taking Beca's hands in her own. "Come on Becs, better not be late for that photo!" She said optimistically, apparently back to her usual self.
She spun Beca around and slapped her butt on the way out, "See you out there!" She moved quickly out the door and didn't look back to see if Beca was following her. The redhead's smile faltered as she breezed down the hall, facts are facts and she couldn't deny it. She was in love with Beca and still too afraid to tell her at possibly the last chance they had together. Her heart filled with regret as she joined the group outside, hiding her pain behind her cheerful giggle as she hugged her fellow Bella's goodbye.
Beca on the other hand was left bewildered and standing alone in Chloe's room. What just happened? Her body and emotions couldn't cope. One second Chloe was pouring her heart out and standing at a distance that friends just don't stand at, and then suddenly she's flying out the door with her usual bubbly aura in tow. Chloe Beale was a conundrum wrapped in a riddle and she sent Beca's mind into overdrive just trying to comprehend where their relationship stood. Their close encounter only minutes in the past left Beca feeling different, like a sudden realisation had dawned on her. Why hadn't she seen this before? The way Chloe was always touching her, smiling at her, trying to experiment with her? God I'm so stupid, Beca thought to herself. Chloe makes her stomach do flips just by saying her name. That doesn't happen even between best friends.
Standing in the middle of Chloe's soon to be old room, staring at her dream wall, Beca finally realises - the love she feels for Chloe isn't a friendly love. It's love love.