Author's Note: Jesse-centric; some Jesse/Beca, but with Beca/Chloe endgame.

Like Oil and Water

He made his way along the pathway through the quad, taking fleeting note of faces, both new and old. A month into his sophomore year and Jesse still got a chuckle from seeing the new freshmen struggling to find their way around the campus. Barden wasn't a big place, so he didn't really understand how they could still be lost four weeks in.

When he approached the intersection, he looked both ways before tightening his grip on his backpack strap and jogging to the other side of the street and up to the campus radio station's door. Jesse threw his head up in a silent hello to the desk attendant, Kevin, before heading back into the studio.

Before graduating, Luke had named Beca as station manager; she was ecstatic. Well, as ecstatic as Beca Mitchell gets, anyway, without emoting too much. God forbid she inadvertently ruin her "cool" image by being excited about a promotion. But later that night when they were hanging out, she did accept the big hug he gave her and he even got her to smile.

The few weeks they had between Nationals and the end of the school year had been great. He took her on dates and continued her moviecation. She opened up a little more to him when he asked her things about her life pre-Barden. There were times he basically had to drag things out of her, but she was getting better at the whole sharing thing. She made him mixes and one time—though accidental—let him hear one of her very first attempts at mixing. Jesse was blown away by how much she'd improved.

Then finals happened—and Chloe and Aubrey graduated—and something seemed to shift. He hadn't paid it any mind at the time. Honestly, he'd just chalked it up to her being apprehensive about staying in Atlanta with her dad and stepmom for the summer. Jesse reminded her that he was only an hour and a half away back home in Dalton, to which she only hummed a response. He didn't get what her problem was, and he figured by the reply he'd gotten already that asking about it would lead nowhere.

-/-

Summer was alright, he supposed. His dad had lined up a part time job with a landscaping company for him so Jesse would have some extra money for the school year and wouldn't waste his entire summer inside watching movies and eating popcorn. He and Beca would call and text and Skype frequently…at first.

As summer wore on, the calls were less frequent. Texts were answered with less than enthusiastic responses, if they were answered at all. Skype sessions usually were cut short with lame excuses of having other things to do. Really, it was because things were awkward or strained.

Jesse made the trip to Atlanta every other weekend to see Beca and hang out, and while the first few trips were fine, things were just as awkward and strained as their Skype dates had been as the days passed. By the middle of July, he stopped making the trip entirely due to a fight they'd had.

-/-

They were out for a late night walk in Dr. Mitchell's subdivision, and Jesse had noticed Beca's off mood since he'd arrived that morning. When he tried to talk to her about it, she said she didn't want to. Angry because he'd thought they were past that, he blew up at her.

"You're seriously going to be like this again?" he asked as he stopped walking.

Beca walked a few more feet before she stopped and turned towards him.

"Be like what, again?"

Jesse shook his head and scoffed, "Don't be like that, Beca. You know what I'm talking about."

He could see her features begin to darken; at least he knew she was feeling something…

"No, Jesse. Why don't you tell me what you're talking about?"

"You're walling yourself off from me again. I thought we were done with this. You've been so hot and cold all summer, Bec. I told you already, I'm not going to deal with this. I can't put myself out there for someone who isn't going to try."

Beca's face was the furthest thing from the picture of happy. In fact, if he'd been a little closer, he was pretty sure she'd deck him in the face.

"Are you serious right now? Are you seriously trying to guilt me-"

"I'm not trying to guilt you, Beca!"

"Yes you are!" she yelled out, stepping closer to him. "That's all those temper tantrums you throw are: a guilt trip. I'm so sick of it, Jesse. You're going to be 19 in October, and yet you act like an eight year old girl."

That one had hurt. He didn't think he was throwing a tantrum. In fact, he didn't think he was asking too much of her to let him in. He was her boyfriend for God sakes.

He looked down at the road, hands in his shorts pockets and whispered, "I just don't get why you won't talk to me."

Beca sighed heavily and gently touched his cheek. "You know it's not easy for me to do that, Jesse. I can't just be an open book."

Jesse swallowed thickly, "You don't seem to have a problem doing it with Chloe. Why is it so easy for you to talk to her but not to me?"

"You think it's easy for me to talk to her?" she asked, looking at him genuinely perplexed.

"You guys talk for hours, Bec. And I've seen your texts-"

"You what?"

Record scratch. Screeching tires after suddenly slamming on the brakes. White noise.

Beca's jaw clenched uncomfortably tight before she lit into him about privacy and boundaries and how she didn't know why Chloe is different, just that Chloe is Chloe and why was he even bringing her up anyway? But mostly, she yelled at him for the privacy and boundaries thing. He'd left the next morning after sleeping on the living room sofa.

-/-

After a few days he tried to call her. He was surprised that she had actually picked up, but didn't waste any time in apologizing. If he was being honest, he was a bit miffed that she didn't offer an apology of her own for accusing him of throwing tantrums and acting like a little girl. By the end of their conversation, though, they had agreed to stop with the visits and just Skype if they wanted to see each other.

He found out (read: checked Facebook) that Chloe had come back to Atlanta to visit Beca the weekend after the phone call. Based on the pictures in her new album, "Me and My Becs :)," they'd had a great time together. Beca was actually smiling and laughing. And even though in some of them she was pouting or scowling or trying to block the camera with her hands, it was clear she wasn't the least bit mad or upset.

-/-

By the beginning of August, things seemed to be getting better. They were talking more. He suggested some movies she should check out. She sent him a mix or two. When he casually mentioned the possibility of her making a trip up to Dalton to see him before school started she told him she couldn't; she was going to Athens with Chloe for two weeks to help the girl find an apartment close to the UGA campus for her first semester of Graduate school.

When he asked why she had to go instead of Aubrey, and why for two weeks, she'd just rolled her eyes and said she had to go work on some mixes; quickly ending their Skype call.

-/-

When he checked Chloe's Facebook again, her album had grown enormously. Pictures of Beca and Chloe hugging and smiling were everywhere. There were even a few of Beca and Aubrey laughing together. Jesse never thought he would see that. Despite working together for Nationals, those two had a relationship more tenuous and hostile than friendly.

He swallowed thickly and shook his head. He'd see her in a few days at move in, and then they could get back to where they'd been before the summer.

-/-

The first week back at school was actually great between them. Beca, now rooming with Fat Amy, seemed more at ease than she had in a long time. She'd actually tell him about her day without having to ask. He took her out for a welcome back dinner date and they laughed as she opened up to him a little about the two weeks she'd spent in Athens with Chloe and Aubrey.

It went downhill pretty quickly after that. He would try to spend extra time with her, to continue her moviecation, but she claimed that she had too much homework.

When they did get together and he tried to hold her hand, she would find a reason to occupy it with something else. When they kissed, it was like she was just waiting for it to be over. Unless they were drunk, then she was really into it. But if Jesse tried to sit up and talk to her or slur to her that he loved her, she would sigh harshly and try to shut him up by pinning him back to the wall or bed or couch—wherever they happened to be—and kissing him some more.

-/-

So now there he was. On a Tuesday afternoon, skipping his Sociology lecture, to try and make plans with his girlfriend before her weekend filled up.

He walked through the music racks, giving a passing hey to the new freshmen interns stacking CDs and vinyl, and knocked on the booth door before letting himself in.

Without turning around, Beca held up one finger to acknowledge him.

"95.7, WBUJ: Music for the independent mind," she husked out into the microphone before queuing up a few more songs.

She spun around in the chair with an eyebrow raised, "What's up?"

"I was thinking," Jesse smiled widely at her and continued when he realized she wasn't going to give him a smartass comment in return. "This Saturday, since Hood Night is Friday. You. Me. Dinner in town, then we could go to The Garage and check out the DJ and then, maybe-"

"I can't," Beca said simply and swiveled back to the computer.

"You can't."

"No. I can't."

"Why? You bailed last weekend to go to Athens and the Thursday before that because you said you had to study. How can you possibly have plans already? It's Tuesday!"

He saw Beca shake her head slightly before she stood up and walked over to the CD rack closest to left.

"Chloe's coming to town."

"So that means we can't hang out?"

Beca turned around with an incredulous look on her face and shook her head slightly.

"What part of 'Chloe's coming to town' don't you understand?"

Jesse walked a little further into the booth and leaned against one of the tables, observing his girlfriend. She was being weird again.

"The part where that apparently means we can't hang out."

"We're having girl time. That means no dicks allowed," Beca bit out.

"Except the one in your pants, right?"

Now normally Beca would laugh at that and maybe playfully punch him. It had been one of their inside jokes ever since she told him about Aubrey's ridiculous 'toner' word. Obviously today was not a normal Beca day...

She sighed exasperatedly, rolled her eyes and leaned against a different table.

"Chloe and I are hanging out this weekend. Alone."

"What is your guys' deal? No, actually, what is your deal? You guys are always alone when you hang out. It's seriously weird that you won't let your boyfriend tag along."

"Aw, are you jealous?" Beca said sarcastically, a dark smirk playing on her lips.

She sauntered over to him and put her hands on his chest before she leaned up, as if she was going to give him a kiss on the cheek. Instead, she whispered in his ear, "You should be," and pushed him towards the door, seriously over this conversation.

"Are you for real?" Jesse scoffed disbelievingly as he caught himself on the doorway. "I just want to hang out with my girlfriend. You're being weird. You're blowing off plans with me all the time for crap reasons. You're being that same closed off, surly girl with the amazingly scary ear spike that I met in this studio last year. I'm sick of it Beca."

"You know what I'm sick of, Jesse?" she asked, irritated beyond belief. "I'm sick of you constantly pushing me to open up like it's the easiest thing in the world to do. I'm sick of you constantly trying to change me, to mold me into who you want me to be—some ideal you've created in your head based on too many Brat Pack movies or romantic comedies. I can't do this anymore. I can't be who you want me to be without compromising myself."

"Bec, c'mon. Wait-"

"No. You asked me why it's so easy for me to talk to Chloe? Because she accepts me as I am. She doesn't try to change me. She knows when to push and, thankfully, she knows when to back the hell off. But you? You just push and push and that's why I get annoyed with you. And that's why things got awkward this summer. Because you push for things I'm not ready to do yet."

She shook her head and walked to a CD rack on the far wall of the booth, lightly running her fingertips over the jewel cases.

"That's the thing with us emotionally stunted people," she lightly laughed, self deprecatingly, and turned back to face him. "We need more time for things. And you are too damn impatient to let me get it figured out in my own time, in my own way."

Jesse felt nauseous. Was he getting dumped right now? He sped across the small room and grasped Beca's shoulders.

"Beca, I'm sorry. Please, we can work on this. We can get better! What about our inevitable aca-children?"

She looked at him sadly for a moment before reaching up and cupping his face with her hands.

"You're a great guy, Jesse Swanson. You're one of the best friends I've ever had-"

"But…"

"But you and I? We don't work that way; in a romantic way. You want things from me that I can't give you. You need a girl who knows who she is and is prepared to open up to you. You need a girl who is sure of where she is now and where she's going in her future."

He choked back a little bile. This wasn't how it was supposed to go.

Jesse grabbed her hands and removed them from his face and stepped closer to her.

"Beca, I love you-"

"I love you, too. But I'm not-"

She couldn't finish her sentence because he'd grabbed her chin and kissed her. He kissed her with everything he had, trying to convey his feelings.

She shoved him hard in the chest and shouted, "Jesse, no!" wiping at her mouth in slight disgust. "God. This is what I'm talking about! You're trying to push me into something, but it's not going to happen."

"Beca…"

Beca ran a hand through her hair and let out a shaky breath. "You need to go."

"Bec-"

"NOW!" she screamed.

He nodded numbly and stumbled his way back to his dorm.

-/-

Hood Night was awful.

Beca wouldn't even look at him. None of the Bellas would. What made it even worse was Chloe.

She was by Beca's side all night. Getting her drinks, making her laugh, throwing her arm over her shoulders or wrapping it around her back to rest easily on Beca's hip; doing all the things he should have been doing.

He was expecting an all out bitchface glare, but no. What he got—those big, baby blue eyes, cast his way from time to time, full of sadness and pity—was so much worse.

He did the only logical thing: he got completely wasted.

When he woke up the next morning, naked, in some girl from the High Notes' bed, he wanted to vomit. And not from the hangover.

-/-

One month later, Beca still wasn't talking to him. And he didn't dare try to talk to her.

Benji kept him updated, since he and Beca were still on good terms, but everything just felt off. It felt like he had a huge piece missing. And it wasn't even the romance that he missed, because God knows there was a distinct lack of that for a good portion of their relationship. No, he just…he missed his friend. He missed his buddy. Aside from Benji, Beca was the first friend he made at Barden.

He wanted that back.

-/-

Jesse and Beca didn't speak again until Regionals.

He awkwardly wished her and the Bellas good luck. She, just as awkwardly, returned the sentiment.

They spoke at length after the competition.

"So, I hear congrats are in order."

"Yeah, sorry we had to kick the Trebles' asses again. We're going for this thing called a dynasty."

"Actually, I meant about you and Chloe."

Beca winced slightly. She figured he'd probably seen the status change on Facebook a few weeks ago, but she didn't know how he'd react. She was still getting used to the idea herself, actually.

It was weird, the whole having a girlfriend thing. There were differences between dating a boy and dating a girl. Dating a girl like Chloe, though, was a different animal all itself. Then again, Chloe probably felt the same about dating Beca, she figured. So yeah, it was weird. But it was also pretty great.

"Oh, right…" she glanced through the stage's curtain at the leaving audience uneasily. Chloe was most likely making her way backstage at that very minute.

He smiled softly at her, "It's ok, Beca."

Her deep blue eyes shot back to his, appraising him to see how genuine his words were. She wasn't going to talk about this and have it turn into a big scene that ended with someone in handcuffs being taken to jail if he flipped out on her.

"Is it?" Beca said warily.

He held up three fingers on his left hand and covered his heart with this right, "Scouts honor."

A small smile began to crack through on Beca's lips until he heard a soft voice come from behind him and then to the side.

"Who's gay?" Chloe asked as she sidled up to Beca and gave the other girl a easy smile and a peck on the cheek.

Jesse raised an eyebrow good naturedly. "Well clearly you two. I was just offering Beca my congratulations. I extend the same to you, Chloe. I know you'll take good care of her."

Chloe smiled brightly. "Thank you, Jesse. It means a lot to hear you say that. And yes, of course I will!"

They talked for a short while longer before the sound of high heels clacking on the floor interrupted them.

"Chloe, are you ready to go? It's game day; traffic back to Athens is going to be a nightmare," Aubrey asked as she checked something on her cell phone.

Jesse took in her profile. Her platinum blonde hair was half up, half down—similar to how she'd done it for last year's Nationals. She had a small amount of makeup on, and just a hint of perfume. She wore a sensible pencil skirt and a pea coat covering her blouse. There was a sense of calm around her, even though she still carried herself in that no nonsense kind of way…

She was breathtaking.

Chloe wasn't an idiot. She'd noticed the way he was staring at her best friend, and she'd also noticed that Aubrey had had a very strange fixation on the guy through Beca last year.

Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match.

She cleared her throat, "Aubrey. You remember Jesse, right?"

Aubrey's eyes widened slightly at the name before she contained herself and acknowledged him.

"Right.. Hi, Jesse."

She graced him with a cordial smile, which he returned tenfold.

"Hi, Aubrey. Pleasure to see you again," he greeted and extended his hand for a shake.

-/-

At Nationals, the Bellas and the Trebles went one-two, respectively.

Jesse and Beca congratulated each other with hugs, because they were finally on good terms and friends again.

Aubrey kissed Jesse for the first time, mumbling something about getting the hell out of Kuwait.

They'd been talking constantly since Regionals and found they had a lot in common. The biggest thing was that Aubrey absolutely loved movies. Jesse would name a movie and they could talk for hours; dissecting the plot, pointing out glaring plot holes, giving suggestions for better casting choices. It was amazing.

As for Beca and Chloe? Well, they hugged. And they kissed. And then they celebrated all night long in their hotel room.