Chloe's parents weren't bad people by any means, they were honestly quite the opposite. They were just as bubbly as their daughter, a trait that made them loved by most of the community. Their spare time was spent volunteering at local soup kitchens or knocking on neighbors doors with fresh baked cookies, because why wouldn't they do that? It wasn't difficult to see where Chloe got her sunny disposition.
They always fully supported their daughter's dreams, letting her take charge of her future, but always ready to offer advice when it was needed. Chloe's childhood, unsurprisingly, was filled with happiness and pure joy. Holidays were filled with laughter and warmth. When Chloe told them about her girlfriend, it was not surprising that she assumed that her parents would be accepting. Why wouldn't they be? People that kind wouldn't kick her out, because she was interested in romantic relations with someone of the same sex.
She was right, they didn't kick her out. That didn't mean that they approved. In the seventeen years of knowing her parents, at that point in time, she had never seen her father's face get that red or her mother's lips purse so disapprovingly. She knew that all hopes of her parent's acceptance were futile when she saw the look on her parents' faces. Her parents never yelled when she spilled an entire gallon of orange juice on the floor, even if the floor was sticky days afterward. They didn't yell at her when she came home, in tears, after she failed a test with a capital F.
When she came back home well into the morning hours slightly tipsy, her parents sat waiting in the living room. She thought she was in for it, but her parents simply told her to let them know where she was next time and to drink responsibly. Some things are just too good to be true. Her father turned possible redder, yelling unintelligible words about sins and how he'd never have a daughter like that.
Chloe didn't know how to react. Her parents had never yelled at her. She hadn't even ever had an altercation with people out on the street or classmates at school. She had once accidentally spilled water on the residential asshole of the school, everyone in the cafeteria held their breath, but the guy simply smiled and left the scene with a pat on Chloe's shoulder. That day spread the ridiculous rumor that Chloe was secretly a witch who had put a spell to charm everyone.
So she just stood their, taking her father's verbal berating, she couldn't even bring herself to get angry or upset at that moment. That was the last day they ever talked about Chloe being part of the LGBT community. She promptly broke up with her girlfriend of one week. She did her best to shove down any feelings of attraction for females, because her parents were kind people, so their reaction obviously meant that being gay was wrong. Seventeen-year-old Chloe Beale couldn't see it any other way.
Her parents reverted back to their bright and kind selves. She never heard her parents raise their voices again or saw their faces redden in anger. Sometimes she wondered if that afternoon ever happened, or maybe it was just a figment of her imagination overwriting rationality. She wished it was a figment of imagination, it would make more sense. She wished it was a figment of imagination because she couldn't imagine pretending that she wasn't attracted to females forever.
The following year she went off to college. She told herself that maybe she could date other women without her parents' knowing, but that thought was only fleeting. She could never really ignore her parents wishes. They gave her so much freedom and love, she could sacrifice her attractions to keep that love. Her outwardly sunniness didn't dim through those turbulent times in her head.
She arrived on move-in day with a permanent smile on her face as she greeted her oddly formal roommate. Aubrey didn't smile much, she simply greeted Chloe with a firm handshake, before unpacking. Aubrey's parents weren't there. A testament to Chloe's happy personality was how quickly she got Aubrey to be her friend. It only took a week before she saw Aubrey smile. Another two weeks for her to hear the blonde laugh. Chloe was quite proud of herself for that.
They became inseparable, almost immediately. They both joined the Bellas. Chloe was a little surprised that the blonde enjoyed singing. When Alice and her little cronies tried to crush their spirit, the redhead just smiled. It was hard to crush her spirit. Aubrey took it harder, criticism always seemed difficult for the blonde. She once got a high B on a small assignment and Chloe had to try and calm her down as she practically began to hyperventilate. It was the first time Chloe had seen her like that.
They were a good team, they balanced each other out. Chloe never tried to date a female after, not even a hook-up. She slept around with guys a lot. Sometimes she wondered if she just had to find the right guy to make her forget about girls. It was the only grey mark in her character. She wasn't proud of it, and she could feel Aubrey's disapproving stare as she trudged back to their dorm in the early hours of the morning. The blonde never said anything. Their routine didn't break much through their junior year.
Chloe just stayed up later with Aubrey at the library as classes got harder. Chloe held onto Aubrey more as the blonde's breakdowns became more frequent. Aubrey hadn't been the same since their summer before that year. She had always been uptight and an anxious worrisome mess, but it had increased ten-fold that year. Then there was the disaster at the ICCA championships and Chloe wondered if Aubrey would ever be the same. Failure was the blonde's biggest fear.
Aubrey kept that fear at bay by simply not failing, what happened at the championships was simply unacceptable to most, but perhaps more so to Aubrey. As expected, the following year started off difficult. Trying to convince people to join the Barden Bellas after last year's incident was needless to say, difficult. They'd just finished a bizarre interaction with a blonde Australian who called herself Fat Amy when Chloe's eyes landed on the prettiest person she had ever seen.
When the small brunette's eyes met her she gave the girl her famous Chloe Beale smile, hoping she would come over to their table. The brunette looked at her, hands fiddling awkwardly with the headphones around her neck, Chloe had never seen anyone cuter. When the brunette looked away Chloe nudged Aubrey at pointed at the girl. She wasn't the least bit discouraged when the blonde said she was too alternative.
To Chloe's delight the girl that had grabbed her attention started to walk over to the table, she could see the hesitation her walk. Chloe beamed when the girl got in hearing distance. Her smile wasn't dimmed at the brunette's enthusiastic "oh right, that's a thing now." She felt her resolve start to slowly chip away after the small brunette, said "yikes" after Chloe told her what a cappella was.
Chloe couldn't help but be taken aback when the brunette called their life lame. Well, the brunette never directed it to their life, but a cappella was basically life. She tried to calm Aubrey down, who had been on edge already with the lack of proper prospective Bellas and the brunette calling their art lame did nothing to help. The brunette seemed to have recognized that she hit a nerve when she apologized and let them know that she didn't sing when Chloe gave the girl, her most sincere words.
"Help us turn our dreams into reality?" She even pulled out what Aubrey called her Chloe-puppy eyes, because looking into her eyes was like next level puppy.
The next week was a mess with trying to start senior year off on the right foot and creating the Bellas on the right note. She was in the shower with Tom, a position she often ended up in whenever she felt any sort of attraction to a female. It wasn't the best logic, but she could always hope that sex would get rid of those stupid crushes on girls that she knew couldn't and shouldn't pursue.
Then she heard singing and froze. It was as if she was caught during a game of freeze tag. She couldn't help but shiver as the music washed over her body. She completely forgot that she was in the shower with Tom and followed the voice. To her delight, it was the brunette from the quad.
Maybe telling the brunette that the song was her lady jam wasn't the best way to convince her to join the Bellas, but she hoped that the way they harmonized would. She thought that she and Aubrey sounded good together, but it was nothing compared to how the shorter girl's voice blended with her own.
Singing with the brunette, both in a state of complete undress did things to her body that she would never admit. She was snapped out of their little bubble when Tom appeared.
Auditions rolled around and she hoped that the brunette would show up. There were a few good singers, but they weren't the old Bellas. She was about to admit defeat that the brunette would never show up until she saw her peering through the curtains. She watched her curiously as she took the yellow cup and started tapping a beat. Yeah, the shower meeting wasn't a fluke. Her voice was still beautiful.
She could tell that the blonde next to her was impressed, albeit grudgingly. The brunette hadn't necessarily given her the best first impression. The brunette walked off the stage and Chloe abruptly got out of her chair and half jogged towards the smaller girl.
"Hi!" Chloe greeted cheerily, "that was amazing," she winked, "there's no doubt that you'll get in!"
"Uh, thanks dude," the brunette said, seemingly confused about Chloe's cheerfulness.
"I'm Chloe, I think it's best we formally meet," she giggled, "the shower doesn't really count as a meeting."
Chloe watched, slightly amazed and how the brunette's face flushed so quickly at the comment. It was adorable. "Beca."
Chloe stared at her a little confused, "My name," Beca clarified.
"Do you not speak more than two words at a time," Chloe said with a laugh and then she saw Aubrey waving her over, "Bree is calling me, I'll talk to you when I put a bag over your head." She couldn't help the giggle that left her at how confused Beca looked.
A few hours later and she was grabbing Beca's arms letting her know that they would be fast friends. A few hours later and she almost passed out because of the wink. A few hours later and she realized that she might have feelings for the freshman.
Aubrey wasn't stupid, no matter how socially inept people thought she was. She noticed when Chloe came stumbling into their apartment in the early hours of the morning. Sometimes she could smell the remnants of aftershave on her friend the next morning. It always baffled her, Chloe was literally perfect. She was sunshine and rainbows, and there wasn't a single person that outwardly disliked her. She could date anyone she wanted, boys or girls.
Yeah, she could even date girls. Aubrey wasn't blind to how the redhead's eyes focused more on the female on their movie nights or when they hung out in the quad. She once tried to approach the topic, because if her friend was attracted to women, Aubrey wanted to let her know that she'd always be there for her, just as Chloe was always there for her. When she brought it up, Chloe froze and Aubrey had never seen her look so unsure of herself. She quickly dropped it, because there wasn't much that made the cheery girl unsure and she didn't want to be the cause of her distress.
So it was only natural that Aubrey was skeptical of the Mitchell girl. She saw the way Chloe looked at her. Her bright eyes became even brighter when she talked about the midget. Her smile, if even possible, became even wider when she gushed about a new mix that Beca let her listen to. She talked about Beca as if she was the most prized jewel in the world, and it was a little disconcerting see Chloe extra happy.
Her best friend was hyper and happy by nature. Aubrey could count the number of times she had seen Chloe distraught on one hand, and she'd known her for four years. If Aubrey thought Chloe's extra radiation of happiness was odd she wondered how the hobbit felt, she didn't seem like a person who could keep up with Chloe's sunshine.
Her opinion of the hobbit didn't improve as the Bellas practice piled up. She was constantly questioning Aubrey's decisions with that stupid smirk on her face. The only thing stopping Aubrey from strangling her was that Chloe genuinely seemed to enjoy spending time with her.
Some sometimes really hated Chloe's ability to like everyone, it made it really hard for Aubrey to be mean to anyone (and no, she wasn't being mean to the Bellas, she's just making them work hard so they can win). Aubrey once raised her voice at a barista for getting her order wrong, and Chloe looked at her with those stupid Chloe-puppy eyes.
Aubrey now preferred to glare at people, and Chloe seemed to accept it, because it was a step up from yelling. Aubrey loved Chloe, she was her sister in everything but blood. When the pressure became too much, or she had a lovely conversation with her father, Chloe was always there. She was always there with that Chloe smile and a carton of ice-cream with an unplanned movie night, even if it was a Monday night.
That was why she did her best not to complain when Chloe informed her that the hobbit would join them for their weekly Friday movie night.
"Does she even like movies?"
"Everyone likes movies, Bree."
"Are you sure she doesn't have anywhere to be Friday night?"
"Do you not like Beca," and she pulled out those damn Beale eyes.
"I don't like her ear monstrosities and her attitude," she grumbled. Chloe just continued to stare at her with those stupid eyes that Aubrey could only rarely say no to. "Fine, but if she says something rude, I won't hesitate to kick her out."
It was like a flip was switched, because Aubrey blinked and then Chloe's eyes were glowing with happiness again, "Beca's not mean." Aubrey scoffed at that. "I'm serious Bree, we were hanging out in her dorm and there was the little ant crawling on her desk and she took a piece of paper to have them crawl on it, and she took them outside."
"She's an idiot, the ants will die immediately, somebody is going to step on them," Aubrey wasn't too impressed by Chloe's anecdote. Although, grudgingly, she had to admit that Beca's actions were a very Chloe thing to do.
"Promise not to be mean Bree," Chloe said as she held out her pink to Aubrey. The blonde sighed before interlocking her own with the redhead.
The doorbell rang and Chloe practically skipped to the door. She opened the door and immediately grabbed the small brunette on the other side into a tight hug.
"I'm so happy that you're here!"
"Don't suffocate the Hobbit before I do," and Chloe burst out in laughter at the horrified look on Beca's face.
"Well, you have a lovely apartment Beale, I'm just going to..." Beca trailed off as she promptly spun around and opening the door behind her.
"Beca," Chloe giggled, "don't go." At Chloe's voice, Beca slowly turned around.
"Only if your friend isn't a bitch."
"This bitch is your captain," Aubrey glared.
"Can you both pretend to be friends today?" Chloe asked, knowing that both her friends wouldn't deny a request like that.
"I'll tolerate her," Beca grumbled. Chloe leaned down and placed a soft kiss on the brunette's cheek.
"Thank you Beca," Chloe smiled at Beca's reddening face. There really wasn't anyone cuter.
"Bree?" she asked. Her best friend just grumbled something, but she didn't try to take another jab at Beca, so Chloe took that as a win.
Many hours and a few movies later, they finally decided to call it a night. Beca was curled up on the couch clutching a pillow in her arms.
"I guess she doesn't like movies," Aubrey said, as she got up from her seat on the floor, "I need blackmail," and before Chloe could stop her, she took her phone out to take a picture of the brunette.
"Bree," Chloe almost whined, "I told you to be nice."
"I'm not being mean," Aubrey said innocently, "I'm just capturing a memory."
When Aubrey left the room Chloe gently shook Beca's shoulders. No response. She tried again, and Beca opened her eyes, blinking sleepily.
"You should have told me that you don't like movies."
"I like movies," was the tired mumble from the brunette.
"Beca, you fell asleep not twenty minutes in."
"Fine," Beca rubbed her eyes, "I don't like movies, but I like you," and with no farther explanation she fell asleep. Chloe froze, "like" meant that Beca just liked their friendship, right? Chloe couldn't control the way her heart started beating faster and faster as she fantasized about what it would be like for Beca to like her, romantically.
Then, as if slapped in the face, she called Tom to ask him if she could come over. She didn't like women. She wasn't attracted to females. She certainly wasn't romantically interested in Beca. It was wrong for her to even think about that. Before heading out she grabbed a spare blanket from the closet and gently lay it on the sleeping brunette.
"Get up hobbit," Aubrey practically yelled as she dumped a glass of water on Beca.
"What the fuck Posen," Beca spluttered indignantly.
"Where's Chloe?"
"I don't have a fucking tracker, I don't know her every move," Beca glared, clearly upset about how she was woken up.
"Did you have a fight with her?" Aubrey demanded.
"Dude! Who fights with Chloe, and of course not. I was literally asleep the entire time."
Aubrey wanted to find a reason to continue yelling at the hobbit, but it seemed that she was being honest. How unfortunate. But right now she had a bigger problem that her innate want to strangle Beca.
"Did you try calling her?" Beca helpfully suggested.
"No, that's a brilliant idea Mitchell, why didn't I think of that," Aubrey said, the sarcasm evident in her voice. "I will break your finger," Aubrey glared as she saw Beca stick her middle finger up at the corner of her eye.
Then she heard the door open, ceasing any farther argument she could have with Beca.
"Where were you?" Aubrey asked, with arms folded over her chest, looking every bit the angry blonde.
"I got bagels!" Chloe replied cheerily.
Beca turned to glare at the blonde, "you woke me up, by dumping water on me, because Chloe ran off to get food?"
"It's not your house hobbit, I'll wake you up however I want" Aubrey retorted.
"Children, there's no need to argue," Chloe said with a smile as she got their breakfast out of the paper bag. Aubrey could smell the scent of cologne as Chloe walked by her. She sighed internally, not for the first time wondering why Chloe did what she did. It wasn't that Aubrey wanted to dictate her best friend's life, it was just that she couldn't understand why Chloe slept around. It was the only glaringly obvious out of character thing that she did.
An hour later and Beca had finally left their apartment, Aubrey had never been more relieved. Chloe was clearing up the table when Aubrey carefully confronted her, "who's place?"
"Tom," Chloe whispered.
"He's a douche, why do you do this to yourself," Aubrey asked, because Tom was genuinely a trashy person, and Chloe wasn't the type of person who deserved to be with a trashy person. Even if it was just sex.
"You don't understand," Chloe said, and Aubrey could see how annoyed she was getting, so she dropped it. She needed to focus on the Bellas anyways, regionals were just around the corner. The SBT's Fall Mixer showed them that they were nowhere near ready. Chloe's nodes also meant that they would need somebody else to solo, because Aubrey couldn't have the solo song with anything less than a strong voice.
Fat Amy practically ripped her shirt off, they were almost beaten by undignified people with sock puppets, and Beca got arrested. Aubrey was less surprised than she should have been, but it didn't mean that she was any less disappointed. This was the last year to redeem her reputation, and she wouldn't have it ruined by a hobbit. That's why she was sitting patiently on Beca's bed for her to return.
She came into the room, her shoulders slumped. If this was anyone else Aubrey would have felt bad, but it was Beca, so she didn't really care. Without a second thought, she started to launch into a discussion about what they could do to improve. She was taken aback when Beca started talking about experimenting with their sound, and it didn't take her long to shut the brunette up.
Aubrey wasn't surprised when Chloe stayed in Beca's dorm as the rest of the Bellas left. She was surprised when Chloe didn't show up in their shared apartment until late in the morning.
"Did you sleep with Beca," Aubrey asked bluntly. It probably wasn't the most tactful thing that the composed blonde had ever said, but she was still on edge after regionals and she just wanted to get to the root of why Chloe was extra happy.
Chloe glared at her, Chloe never glared, "I'm straight," and that was the last time Aubrey tried to insinuate anything that had to do with Chloe being with a girl.
Chloe tried to blink back the tears as she watched Beca walk away from her and the Bellas. She glared at the blonde captain who was still standing their straight-backed, filled with righteousness. "Is that what you wanted Aubrey?"
"Don't get mad at me, it's all Beca's fault."
And then Chloe was yelling, and it might have been the first time that Chloe had ever yelled at anyone in anger, "Don't you dare blame this on her, if it wasn't for Beca we would have placed last. Should she have consulted us first? Yes. But you would have never listened to her anyway. You like to live in a delusion that you know what's right for the group," she paused to take a breath, "I love you Bree, I really do, but this is your fault."
Chloe looked sheepish after her rant, but she couldn't help but feel a little satisfied at the flabbergasted look on Aubrey's and the rest of the Bellas' faces.
The next few days before spring break were a blur, Chloe wanted to talk to Beca, but she didn't know how. She knew that she was partially to blame for never standing up to Aubrey about the setlist. She couldn't change that now, but she could make it up to Beca. That might have been what she regretted most. She regretting squeezing her way through Beca's walls.
She regretted making herself comfortable in the brunette's arms, a place she knew was only reserved for her. She knew that nobody else would dare to get that closet to Beca. She regretted not running after Beca after the semifinals fiasco. She just hoped that Beca would forgive her, because being around the brunette made her feel different. It was terrifying, but just spending a few days without the grumpy Bella made her sad.
Chloe prided herself in her ability to keep her emotions in check. She rarely got upset, unless she was watching sad videos about animals, because who doesn't get upset at that stuff? She more rarely gets angry. In the past few days, she felt those two feelings more than she had the rest of her life, and she didn't want to feel that way anymore.
Armed with two boxes of pizza, and a case of root beer she marched up to Beca's dorm and knocked. She rocked back and forth on her feet, hoping that Beca would open the door. It took about a minute of pounding the door with her fists before the door slowly opened to reveal a darkened room with a small brunette that looked even smaller than normal standing beyond the open door.
Chloe didn't miss the way that Beca's sad eyes brightened slightly at the sight of her. She held up her weapons of choice for Beca to see and the brunette smiled before opening the door wider to let Chloe in.
Chloe couldn't help the word vomit that left her mouth, "I'm so sorry Beca, I should have stood up to you, it's just that even though Bree is my friend she still intimidates me and-" Chloe stopped talking, not by choice, but because Beca had put her hand over the redhead's mouth.
"You're forgiven Beale," Beca said with the cute little smirk that seemed to be permanently on her face whenever she was around Chloe.
"Then why do you seem so sad," Chloe pouted.
Beca chuckled lightly before wanly answering, "Believe it or not Chloe, I genuinely enjoyed my time with the Bellas even though Aubrey was a bitch, and I was terrified that you would stop randomly barging into my room because I fucked up."
Chloe threw her arms around the unsuspecting (but probably should have suspected) brunette, "I could never leave you alone Beca," she mumbled, her voice muffled, because her face was buried into Beca's neck. She felt Beca awkwardly pat her on the back, and wondered if it was normal to have butterflies in her stomach because it felt so nice to be around Beca again. It had only been a few days apart.
The two spent the rest of the day together, eating pizza and just talking about nothing and everything. Chloe was always a sociable person, she loves people and she loved talking to them. Being around Beca was different. Being around Beca was effortless. Chloe always wanted to get to know the people around her, but with Beca, she wanted to know everything, no matter how small it was.
Chloe was Chloe, so she shouldn't be scared at how well she was getting along with Beca. She was terrified. She was terrified, because she could tell that what she was feeling was more than a simple deep friendship. She wanted to ignore the feelings and push it to the back of her mind, but she couldn't. She couldn't, because Beca was Beca. The only way to not feel how she was feeling was to not be around Beca.
Simply pushing her feelings to the back of her mind wouldn't work. It wouldn't work, because simply thinking about the brunette would make those feelings emerge again, and there was nothing that Chloe could do to stop them.
Aubrey could be a bit of a bitch, and she would be the first to admit it, but not to anyone's face. It took her until the end of spring break to realize how awful of a captain she was, but her pride wouldn't let her admit it to anyone. That's why she was in the Bellas practice space wrestling the pitch pipe out of her best friend's hand. Nobody ever said that a lot of pride was a good thing.
She quickly got up from the floor when Beca entered, trying to look as dignified as possible with a vomit stain on her shirt. It was a little (or a lot) degrading to hear how horrified Beca seemed at the scene in front of. Going down to standards that even Beca thought were crazy, wasn't something that Aubrey was proud of.
She tried to hand on to the last bits of authority she had, but she couldn't let the brunette drag the chair out of the practice space. Although, she had to give it to the hobbit, the ingenuity of using Aubrey's own actions against her was pretty impressive. They all sat in a circle and shared their secrets. Aubrey was crushed that Chloe didn't tell her about the surgery.
Fighting with Chloe on the floor of the practice room opened her eyes, but knowing that Chloe didn't think to tell her about an important surgery made her realize that she had truly, seriously, royally, screwed up. That's what prompted her to toss the pitch pipe to Beca. Sure, it landed in the vomit, but it was the thought that counted.
Aubrey didn't choose Just the Way You Are for a reason, but she'd heard Chloe sing it a lot around their place, so she figured it was a good song as any. It was also fun to look at Beca's confused but impressed face at the fact that Aubrey had chosen a song by a man from this century.
It wasn't that she had started liking the Hobbit now, Aubrey still thought she was a pain in the ass. But even she couldn't ignore how cute Chloe and Beca were as they serenaded each other as if the rest of the Bellas weren't there, but at least the entire group sounded good, and that's all Aubrey cared about.
Well, she'd actually be lying if she said that was all she cared about, she also cared about how widely Chloe was smiling as she sang to Beca. She would never admit it to Beca, but she wouldn't be opposed to Beca dating Chloe. The last note finally rang out, and Aubrey honestly (unfortunately) had no criticisms to the way Beca led them.
She was a little jealous at how seamlessly Beca was able to make them sound so good. Beca was going to make a great leader, because she was able to incorporate the different sounds that everyone brought to the table, without changing everyone. Something that Aubrey wished that she had learned earlier. She couldn't dwell on it, because Posens didn't have any regrets.
She curiously watched as Beca hesitantly approached Chloe as the rest of the Bellas dispersed. Aubrey got closer, but not too close, because she knew how eavesdropping worked (her excuse was that she was looking out for her friend).
"Um Chloe, I need to ask you something, and like please listen to everything I have to say," Beca started shakily. Chloe nodded, still beaming at Beca, probably on a high after singing and probably just being around Beca. Aubrey had noticed that Chloe always looked at Beca differently than the rest.
"I hate people," and Aubrey had to suppress a laugh at that, "I'm not good around people, I hate hugs, and I hate movies, but all of that doesn't matter when I'm around you." Aubrey walked a little closer, not wanting to miss anything that came out of Beca's mouth
"I never understood the point of getting close to a person, because I was never surrounded by people I wanted to be close with," and Aubrey observed as Beca visible got more nervous, "I like being around you."
Chloe was still smiling, and Aubrey could tell that it reassured the smaller Bella, "I like you," when Chloe didn't react she added, "like, I really like you and I would love to take you out on a date, Friday." She rushed out the last bit of her sentence. Aubrey was sure Chloe was going to say yes, but then she watched Chloe's face fall.
"Shit, I'm sorry, never mind, can we just stay friends?" Beca stuttered out as she saw the ever-present smile leave Chloe's face. Then Aubrey watched as tears started to appear in her friend's bright blue eyes and she knew she had to intervene. She gently pushed Beca out of the way, whispering to her what she hoped was a comforting way. She didn't really know how to comfort hobbits. But she wasn't a monster, she could tell that Beca was crushed at the silent rejection.
Aubrey was more worried about Chloe, who stood their, frozen. "Chloe," she said gently, as if prodding a sleeping dragon, "what's wrong," and then Chloe was sprinting away. Then it clicked in Aubrey's head, and she ran faster in a different direction. She knew the campus like the back of her hand, and she knew her best friend like the palm of her.
Aubrey was more than reasonably fit, but she was huffing as she arrived at the front of Tom's place. Not a second later she saw the glint of red hair underneath the streetlamp. Chloe looked, frazzled, for lack of a better word. Most of all, she looked lost, and Aubrey could not stand that.
Chloe didn't seem to have seen her yet so Aubrey slowly approached the redhead, who seemed to be halted underneath the lamp.
"Come on Chloe," Aubrey gently said, taking her by the elbow. She didn't protest, and that worried Aubrey. Unresponsiveness was worst the anger or sadness. It took longer than it normally would to walk back to their apartment, it was almost as if Chloe was simply moving on autopilot.
"What's wrong Chloe," Aubrey asked, "the hobbit isn't that awful," she tried to joke, wanting to get any reaction she could out of the redhead.
Then Chloe was sobbing, and Aubrey immediately gently sat her down on the couch so she could hold her friend. She had never seen Chloe like this, not even once. Sure, she's seen her cry, but never sob. She had never seen her cry so hard that her shoulders shook. Aubrey didn't know what else to do other than tightly hold and whisper that everything was going to be.
What else was she supposed to do?
Hearing Chloe cry was perhaps the worst thing she had ever experienced. It wasn't that Chloe wasn't supposed to be sad, because everyone got sad. Chloe just wasn't ever supposed to be this sad, she wasn't supposed to be sad enough that Aubrey could feel her shirt get damp and her friend's entire body shake.
It was over an hour when Chloe finally spoke. Her voice was hoarse and it cracked as she started her story. She told Aubrey about her parent's reaction to her having a girlfriend. She told Aubrey how terrified she was that she would lose her family, because family meant everything to her. She told Aubrey how she wasn't supposed to fall for a girl, because it wasn't right.
She told Aubrey how she couldn't, because her parents were so perfect, and that they had to be right that being gay was wrong. She told Aubrey that the least she could do to repay her parents kindness was not fall for a girl. Aubrey was mad, no not bed, but furious. The idea that anyone could react like that to Chloe, was abominable. The idea that anyone could react like that to anyone, was abominable.
Tears from Chloe's eyes fell again, and she eventually exhausted herself to sleep. Aubrey carefully placed Chloe on the couch in what she hoped was the most comfortable position. Then Aubrey got up, purpose in her step as she pulled her phone out.
Hide-and-seek was almost every child's favorite game at some point in their lives. Closets were always in the top five list of places that people hid in a house. Getting out of the closet was the hardest part of the game. Trying to step out of the closet after you had buried yourself behind old clothes and stuffed animals was a challenge to try and not trip. Coming out was like that. You stayed comfortably in the closet, proud of your hiding place, but surrounded by your identity as you tried your best not to fall as you came out.
There really isn't much that displays identity more than your own mind than clothes, clothes that are stored in your closet. Chloe had questioned her sexuality for a few years before she found a girlfriend. In middle school, she spent an entire week freaking out because she realized she hadn't ever had a crush. The other girls talked about cute guys, and sure, Chloe could appreciate how they looked, but that was all it was.
She wondered if she could ever find love if she never had a crush, and for Chloe, love was something of high importance. Then she realized that those feelings she should have attributed for a guy were attributed to various girls in her past. That realization didn't scare Chloe, because it was an answer to her question. She knew that being gay in Georgia wasn't going to be the easiest. She wasn't too worried, because she knew her parents would accept her.
She waited a while to come out, because she wanted to be sure. It was like waiting in your hiding spot during hide-and-seek for over fifteen minutes, and debating whether or not to come out, because you weren't sure if anybody was ever going to find you. But with coming out, it was not waiting to see if anyone would find you, but waiting to make sure you were ready.
Chloe met a girl early in her senior year of high school, and she was smitten. They had magical two weeks when Chloe decided that now was a time good as any to tell her parents. She didn't write a letter, or try to make her coming out too formal. She simply let her parents know that she was dating someone as they were all in the kitchen after dinner. When they asked for his name, she told her hers.
She couldn't have expected that reaction. She should have expected that reaction. Chloe was always the optimist, it was difficult for her not to see the good in a person or in a situation, especially when it came to her parents. That's why Chloe didn't try to argue, she didn't burst out into tears when she found out that her parents weren't accepting.
She just accepted it and moved on, or at least she tried to do. When Beca asked her on a date, it was a war in her mind and her heart. Half of her mind told her to go for it, because she would never find a guy who was as perfect as Beca. The other half of her mind told her to not go for it, because she would be going against her parents wishes. Her heart hurt at the strain of one side siding its loyalties to family and the other to Beca.
It was overwhelming to the senses, so Chloe had to leave, she had to leave to someplace familiar. She didn't realize her feet were taking her to Tom's until she was standing at the streetlamp in front of his place. Aubrey was there, and she shouldn't have been surprised, Aubrey knows Chloe more than Chloe knows herself.
Her mind hadn't really been properly functioning after Beca asked her out, but as soon as she Aubrey, it was like everything went completely blank. Before she knew it, she was sobbing in the arms of her best friend, because it hurt so much. She wished that she could be angry at someone, that someone being her parents. She wished that she could be angry at herself for falling for Beca, or angry at Beca for making her fall for her.
It was times like these that her own sunny disposition didn't come in handy, because it hindered her ability to be angry at another person. So instead of feeling angry and having the ability to blame the blame on someone she just felt an overwhelming sadness. She didn't know how long she spent crying a river on her friend's shoulder, but the tears eventually slowed down, and she found it somewhere in herself to gather the strength to explain everything to Aubrey.
That was the last of her strength, and before she knew it, she was asleep. It was sometime late the next morning when she finally woke to bright sunshine streaming through the window and the sound of pots and pans clattering in the small kitchen. She tried to go back to sleep, still drained by the events from the previous night, but to no avail. A second later, she was greeted with the sight of a smiling Aubrey.
No, not smiling, but grinning. Chloe pinched herself. Yeah, she wasn't dreaming. Maybe she was in heaven, or would it be hell? A grinning Aubrey in the morning had to mean that the blonde had done something ridiculous, or stupid, or a bit of both.
"What did you do?" Chloe asked suspiciously.
"Oh, nothing, nothing at all," Aubrey said, and the forced nonchalant tone gave it away.
"Aubrey," Chloe said, stressing her friend's name.
"Chloe," Aubrey said, mocking the tone Chloe used.
"Where'd you bury the body?" Chloe asked.
"Why is it that when I'm happy, you suspect that I've done the worst," Aubrey said, a little offended. Chloe just stared at her. The last time Aubrey had that stupid smile on her face was when she was drunk and...well, drunk Aubrey was stupid Aubrey who did stupid things. It was disconcerting to see that look on a sober Aubrey's face.
Then Chloe's phone started to ring, it was her mom. She felt herself stop breathing, and turned to Aubrey with alarmed eyes, searching for comfort.
"Take the call, you are going to be okay," Aubrey said softly, her grin dimming down to a more normal small smile. Chloe was still suspicious of her blonde friend.
"Hey mom!" Chloe greeted, inflecting as much happiness into her voice as possible. It wasn't hard, even though she was terrified about her feelings for Beca and just everything, it wasn't hard to find the happiness in her.
"I owe you an apology Chloe," her mom said, and Chloe stayed quiet wondering what in the world her mom would want to apologize for. Her mom hadn't forgotten any major occasions, she sent a present for Chloe's birthday, and gave her a good luck call on the days before regionals and semis.
"You're friend called, and made your father and I realize how unfair we were to you, and how we didn't even try to be open-minded," and Chloe knew immediately what her mom was talking about, but she didn't dare hope, "your friend truly made us realize how foolish we were being. We don't care who you fall in love with, Chloe, whether it be a boy or a girl. You are the perfect daughter in every way, and I and your father are so sorry that we made you feel like you couldn't love the people that you fell in love with it."
It wasn't often that Chloe was without words, or sounds (has anyone heard Chloe Beale squeal? It's almost as expressive as her using words). "I-" Chloe started, still trying to find the words, "that means a lot mom, but do you really mean it?" Chloe could feel her voice slip to how it was as a child, asking if her mom was really sure that there were no monsters underneath the bed.
"All I want is your happiness Chloe," and Chloe had never known happiness more radiant than the way she felt at that moment. She was a happy person by nature, but this happiness was different. After a happy good-bye and a promise to visit. She immediately knew who was behind the change in her parent's nature when she saw a smug Aubrey leaning against the wall.
"What did your mom want," Aubrey asked innocently. Chloe rolled her eyes before practically leaping over the couch to hug the blonde, saying thank you over and over again.
"How?" Chloe asked, not really knowing what she was asking, "why?"
Aubrey scoffed, "Why? Because you, Chloe Beale, don't deserve to be sad because your parents can't revaluate their views to accept their only child for who she is."
"As for how..." Aubrey smiled, "Well, I may have had a word or two with your mom about how they don't deserve to be parents of a daughter so perfect, and how broken apart you are, because of their views."
"Bree!" Chloe exclaimed, a little afraid at exactly what words Aubrey threw at her mom, but nonetheless, grateful for her best friend.
Asking Beca for forgiveness was easier than she thought it would be. Although she supposed she shouldn't have been too surprised. She knew she was a big part of Beca's heart just as Beca was a big part of hers. A bouquet of red carnations behind her back, her famous 'Chloe-puppy' eyes, and a proper explanation later, the two girls found themselves sitting on a picnic blanket on a hill overlooking Barden.
Chloe looked over to see a smiling Beca doing the same, "thank you for forgiving me,"
Beca gave her a slightly loopy grin, "there was nothing to forgive Beale."
They spent the next hour, or five, basking in each other's presence as they exchanged stories and thoughts. Their food was almost left unforgotten, distracted by the presence of the other person next to them. When it finally got dark enough for the stars to come out, Chloe made a move to get up.
Beca stopped her, and Chloe stayed seated, confused as to why Beca wouldn't let her stand up. Beca herself got up, stretching her arms above her head before standing in front of Chloe and reaching her arm out to the redhead
"M'lady," Beca said, with mock chivalry in her voice, Chloe giggled as she reached her own arm out to grab the brunette's. Beca pulled her up with ease, and they were standing mere inches from each other. "Hey," Beca whispered with a smile. There was no hesitation when Chloe placed her arms on Beca's shoulders and leaned in.
Her lips barely brushed against the brunette's when she felt Beca's hands rest on her hips. Chloe leaned forward a little more, and there weren't any fireworks. No fireworks, but Chloe could feel warmth spread from her lips and all the way down to her toes. Beca was intoxicating, and Chloe couldn't help but deepen the kiss. She couldn't believe that she had tried to convince herself for so long that she had to be straight.
Maybe it was because Beca was a girl, or simply because Beca was Beca, but it had never felt so right to have her lips attached to another person. It had never felt so right to simply be around another person. They two had to eventually come apart, because breathing was a thing. Their foreheads were touching as they both tried to slow down their breathing, and Chloe couldn't help the words that came out of her mouth.
"I love you," she stiffened as she realized what she had said, it seemed too much for a first date.
"Yeah?" Beca asked, "you're alright," she grinned, "I love you too."
Chloe only had time to remind herself to get something special for Aubrey before melting in Beca's embrace.
A/N: Coming out sucks. Sometimes it goes great, but other times the people you think should accept you the most, don't. They don't all eventually come around to be accepting, but I hate sad endings, so that's why you lot get to read a happy one where Chloe is loved and accepted by all (as she deserves to be). I genuinely enjoyed writing this and I hope you enjoyed reading it.
If you liked reading this and you're into Mitchsen feel free to check out my other story :)