AN: Hi all! I wanted to try my hand at a oneshot, and got inspired by a picture of Anna Kendrick in a cupboard for a dare (at least I think it was a cupboard; I'm not sure where I found the picture so I couldn't check). As usual, though, I got a little carried away, and the ending leaves some (plenty of) room for me to eventually add more... I'd love to hear your opinion on that after reading!
-Jamie
PS: The -line break- thing is supposed to be a.. line break.. but I couldn't figure out how to do that, and it doesn't look as nice this way, so I apologize for that. Does anyone know how to do a break line with just white?
[*-1-*]
There's something about small people that makes you just wanna stuff them into a cardboard box to see if they'll fit.
Or, like, a fridge, or a locker, or maybe one of those little kitchen cupboards.
Either way, fitting small – sorry, somewhat shorter than average – people into tiny rectangular areas must be a thing, because Beca's seen so many of them from the inside she literally lost count. (She's tried. Multiple times).
Now, whenever she notices anyone looking at her with that look that says, 'How many of you could I fit in here?' she bolts. It's like a skill. Like, people would be impressed if they knew.
Unfortunately, getting the hell out is so much harder when she's exhausted, high on sugar and surrounded by these incredibly weird, kind of annoying loudmouth girls that have over the past year-and-a-half somehow managed to make her call them 'friends'.
Which is so very inconvenient right now.
-line break-
"No! No way," she shrieks, as Chloe's pillow smashes into her face. "Seriously, Chlo, I'm not doing that."
She looks really serious, too, the way she's bent over from laughing and dodging pillows – God, feminism is dead – and dressed in an old T-shirt that says 'Psycho but Cute' (a gift from Chloe, because who else?) and shorts.
Unfortunately, she can't withstand all of the Bella's when their complete attention is on her – unlike during rehearsal, when it would actually be useful – so a minute later she finds herself examining the inside of Chloe's closet. Intimately.
To be honest, it's far from the most uncomfortable place she's ever been in (don't even get her started on the trash can incident): there's a heap of clothes underneath her that's surprisingly soft, and when she leans back just right there's a layer of dresses between her and the side of the closet that she can rest her head against. And at least she's not getting smashed with pillows anymore.
And when someone closes the door ('to check if she really, completely fits in there') she doesn't even entirely mind.
-line break-
-0-0-0-
About thirty minutes and a long and heated discussion involving taco's and hair conditioner later, Amy frowns.
"Hey, you guys, where did Beca go?"
Confused whispers rise up as the girls start looking around, shrugging when they realize they haven't seen their captain in a while.
"I thought she went to the bathroom or somethin'," Cynthia Rose says, one eyebrow raised.
Somehow, all eyes end up on Chloe, who is smiling enigmatically. (Probably for that reason.)
"Shhhh," she whispers, raising a finger to her lips. Then she points at the closet.
It's kind of a miracle Beca doesn't wake up from the chorus of 'awww's' and 'ahhh's' that rises up when Chloe slowly opens the closet door, because despite Chloe's warning, none of them can really help themselves.
Beca's curled up on a pile of clothes, knees drawn to her chest. There's a glittery pink dress draped over her like a blanket. And she's smiling.
There is an actual, honest to God, non-sarcastic smile on her face.
"Let's go, everybody out," Chloe urges softly when everyone has taken their time to gush, and they all does without too much protest because it's just always been a fact that Chloe deals with the Beca situations.
When the girls are all out, Chloe tiptoes back to the closet and kind of feels like crying because it's just too sweet.
-line break-
When Chloe gently taps Beca's shoulder, the brunette groans and snuggles deeper into her substitute mattress. "Go 'way, 'm sleeping," she whines, covering her face with a t-shirt Chloe's pretty sure is not entirely clean.
"Come on, Beca. You're in a closet," Chloe tries.
"Whose closet?" is the muffled reply.
"My closet."
"Oh. That's nice."
Which is not weird at all.
-line break-
Chloe ends up half dragging her out, and damn, Beca must have been really exhausted, because it's only when Chloe drops her onto the bed that she blinks drowsily and looks around the room like she's finally seeing it for the first time.
"Hey. Where'd everyone go?" she asks sleepily, dragging herself somewhat upright.
She still looks like she's half asleep, blinking and rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, and the dopey look on her face is so not-Beca that Chloe finds herself laughing.
"Beca, they all left fifteen minutes ago. You were sleeping in the closet."
This time, somewhere in Beca's mind a light must switch on, because her eyes suddenly widen in horror. The hand that was on its way up to her face falls back into her lap.
"Wait, what? Seriously?"
She apparently reads the answer on Chloe's face, seeing as she buries her head in her hands and groans.
"Oh my God, that's… That's so… I can't believe that happened."
"Don't worry about it; I made sure no one took pictures." Chloe grins and sits down on the bed next to her. "Though they all wanted to. You look really sweet when you're sleeping, you know?"
Beca groans again. Behind her hands, her cheeks are glowing. "I hate you." The yawn that follows kind of takes away the force behind the words.
"You seem really tired," Chloe remarks. "Are you having trouble sleeping?"
Beca shrugs noncommittally. "Not particularly."
"What does that even mean?"
"...Nothing."
"Beca," Chloe sighs, and puts on her stern-face (the one usually reserved for Aubrey when she's being an ass). "I'm your best friend; I can tell when you're lying. And you're lying. So spill."
"I don't really want to talk about it."
-line break-
Chloe looks her friend over again, notices the dark circles under her eyes and the paleness of her face, and nods.
"Okay. But, you know, if you ever do want to… If you ever need to talk, I'm here. "
"Yeah. Thanks." Beca grants Chloe a small smile that doesn't reach her eyes, and sighs. "I should probably get to bed."
Chloe nods again thoughtfully. "Well, you could stay. Aubrey's bed is free."
She hasn't got a roommate since Aubrey graduated, but the bed is still there, clean and ready in case anyone ever wants to use it. It's really convenient, actually, because Chloe hates sleeping alone.
"And you look like you might fall asleep in the hallway, and that would be so irresponsible of me as the oldest of the house," she adds with a grin.
"Sure, Mom," Beca mutters, and Chloe expects some kind of addition to that to make sure that Chloe knows that Beca is really just doing this for her (as if she doesn't secretly love sleeping in Chloe's room, if only because it means breakfast in bed in the morning because Chloe's just that nice), but the brunette remains silent.
A second later, Chloe realizes Beca has fallen asleep again.
"Alright, sleepyhead, time for bed," she says softly, carefully pulling her friend over until she's spread out on the bed somewhat like a normal person. Then the redhead tiptoes over to the other side of the room and lies down on Aubrey's old bed, staring at the ceiling.
Tomorrow, she decides, she'll make sure Beca gets a full night sleep. And after that…
Well, after that she's going to find out what Beca isn't telling. Because hey, what are friends for?
AN: So, what do you think? I've got some ideas for a few more chapters, but I must warn you that if I continue it the way I have in mind right now, it will become a lot darker than this (although this chapter wasn't dark at all, but I mean it'll get really dark..). It will focus mainly on Beca and Chloe, though Aubrey may play a small role. Anyway, if you'd be interested in that, let me know!
Any remarks/questions/comments are entirely welcome. If you thought something was particularly funny or weird or bad or out of character (especially that; I'm trying to work on my characterization), leave a review!
-Jamie