Summary: Beca thinks of Chloe. All the time. Chloe inviting her for a cup of coffee does not help.
A/N: A tiny bit angsty. Because I can. This is barely a fic though. More like a one-shot thing.
Everything
It was inevitable. From the moment Beca approached the recruiting tent, prompted by the older woman's beckoning, she knew that she was caught in her webs.
Perhaps it was merely the way she smiled at her so earnestly, a reaction she rarely inspired to others. Or her ginger hair that bore an energy and a confidence that were both strangers to Beca. Frankly, people like Chloe were the kind of people she had worked to evade her whole life. But there she was, attracted to the glow she radiated like a moth finds a lampost in the dark.
Chloe and her shared something. Seeing the girl's naked body in the shower had done little to convince her otherwise. Singing is one thing. Standing at your most vulnerable state, bearing the other's gaze without flinching and feeling truly naked—not because your clothes lie at your feet, but because your walls do—is definitely one of the scariest human experiences.
She helped the Bellas win Nationals. Not because she wanted to own the Treblemakers and rip that smug smile off their faces. But because she knew that Chloe would love it; she understood why it was more than a competition for Aubrey and her. It meant being actually good at something you love. It meant being worth something.
And how badly did she want to mean something to Chloe. It drove her nearly insane, and as much as she tried to bottle up those feelings, they kept bursting at the seams in an overwhelming mixture of fiery passion, sizzling fear and devouring guilt. All of which led to her ultimate mistake.
Running away.
Because this is what Beca does best. Shake feelings off, bottle them up and throw them as far as she can. When she kissed Jesse, she almost believed that she had found an easy way out. She almost believed that her heart was safe. But it had already been maimed; and as far as she had managed to throw it, it came back to her, tethered to Chloe's.
Now, she is fucking trapped. Or rather the other girl is trapped within her; trapped in her head, trapped in her limbs, in the very blood that nourishes her heart. And Beca hates it.
And she loves it.
When Chloe texts her one evening, asking to grab a cup of coffee, she takes far too long before sending her reply. Playing hard to get, what the fuck am I, twelve?!
When their arms rub against each other's in line, it takes every nerve in Beca's body not to stare at the girl beside her. Not really look at anything in particular. Just stare. And marvel at how come their paths crossed on that fateful school fair day. And how come a sparkling individual such as her could take pleasure in a bumbling broken soul such as her.
Once seated at a secluded table of the small town café, Chloe asks about Jesse and Beca wants to brush it off so bad. But she figures it's best to play along and dwell on the subject just long enough to make it acceptable.
"We broke up."
"Wh—what? Weren't you like, the perfect couple?"
Beca winces. Perfect? According to whom? The girl bites her lower lip. According to anyone Chloe, but please, not to you.
"Sometimes, things don't last," Beca shrugs, staring down at her recomforting cup.
"Hey, I'm sorry."
Chloe's hand on hers is warm, timid but caring. She wants to hold it back, to squeeze it and hopefully absorb some of that goodness Chloe seems to be filled with.
"How do you feel about graduating?" Beca asks to distract herself from making a blunt mistake.
It's the redhead's turn to shrug. "A bit of excitment, a bit of sadness. You know how it is."
"Hasn't the great Aubrey already figured it out for you both?"
"Don't… don't do that," Chloe frowns, but not at Beca because her eyes are focused on the street behind the glass windows. "Aubrey is changing. You know, I've been friends with her since elementary school. And never have I seen her so serene."
"Serene?" Beca scoffs. "She's been running left and right since Nationals! She probably wrote five different versions of her valedictorian speech," Beca points out, more amused than anything.
Chloe's blue pools find her friend again and Beca's fingers stiffen around her cup."Yeah, well that's Aubrey for you. But she has changed… I think it all started when you stepped into our world."
Beca looks up from the cup she was fidgeting with only to see Chloe absent-mindedly emptying hers. She wants to probe further, but she is terrified of burning herself.
They walk silently back to the Barden dorms. The lights around the building are dim and the campus is quiet and serene. It feels like everything is in order, every single thing is where it should be. Beca wonders if this is how it should have felt like when Jesse took her on their dates. They walk to a soft patch of grass under a tree. There is a bench nearby but neither one makes a move to go sit.
"I was glad to see you tonight," Chloe smiles. Because Chloe always smiles.
While Beca always fucking melts.
"You too. It's funny how things change, hun?" Beca muses out loud, thinking of how a few months ago, the Bellas were losers, Beca had never had a boyfriend nor any real female friends, and she certainly did not go on coffee dates. "One day I like Jesse, the other I don't. One day I hate Aubrey's guts, and then not anymore…"Her voice trails off.
"But some feelings don't change."
Chloe's voice is low, raspy even. It is too dark to make out her eyes, but Beca could swear she sees a peculiar spark. A spark that is soon concealed by closed eyelids that lean dangerously closer.
The kiss takes her breath away. And not only because she was holding her breath in apprehension. It is obvious that the older girl has had far more experience than Beca, but she takes her time not to scare the girl; she is willing to do that for Beca. Their lips graze, tease and crash on each other's as if they were always meant to. Beca's restless mind yearns to be lulled by the feel of Chloe pressed flush against her. But suddenly, it feels like too much. Too much, too fast. The nagging fear that her happiness will be ripped away from her begins to settle in her stomach. Beca's palms become clammy, her heart starts to judder.
"Chloe…"Beca breathes through ground teeth as Chloe softly pushes her against the tree. Stop, she thinks. But she cannot bring herself to let the word out. Chloe nibbles the base of Beca's neck, smoothing her bites with the flat of her tongue. Beca holds the other girl's head, not sure if her hands are trying to pull her closer or push her away. Please, stop, her brain pleads once more. Although she is unsure of what she wants to stop. Stop Chloe's meticulous ministrations? Stop the furious pounding in her heart? Stop the numbing buzzing in her head? But she does not really want it to stop; this feeling is just too beautifully painful. Because for once, she is happy.
Almost too fucking much.
"It's ok,"Chloe smiles against her lips. "It's ok…"
And Beca truly wants to believe it is. Perhaps, this is as OK as it gets.
Chloe leans forward and captures the brunette's lips again. And the young girl's heart swells in her chest. Her fingers tangle in the fiery locks and tug gently. She even chuckles when Chloe's lips move up to kiss her nose.
They remain against each other for a moment, not knowing what to say or if it is even relevant to say anything.
After a moment, Chloe grins sweetly. "It was about time don't you think?"
In that moment, Beca wants to laugh because she can't think at all. So she does. And Chloe joins her. And for a moment, their sheer laughter fills the evening air and sets them apart from the rest of the world. For a moment, they have everything. They are each other's everything.