A/N: Finally watched "Pitch Perfect" last week and it lived up to expectations: awesome! Had to learn the cup routine and have now added it to my repertoire of party tricks. This story ensued from it…
Two Can Play
Chloe knew it was a bad idea, especially after what transpired at Nationals between Beca and Jesse. But it was her final night at Barden before graduation and she decided she wasn't going to waste it with "what ifs".
The Bellas were all hanging at Aubrey's parent's house on Lake Lanier to give the seniors a proper sendoff. It was going to be an event to remember before the graduating members had to leave the acapella group in the hands of the grievously unprepared juniors (or so Aubrey put it, somewhere close to tears). The drink of choice was of course Boone's Farm in a variety of fruity flavors and it had flowed all-too-freely along the shore of Chateau Posen as the sun set on the final day the National Champion Barden Bellas would find themselves together. These bitches were drunk. Or as Fat Amy would say, "druuuuuuuunk"…as Lilly would say, "…"
However you put it, inhibitions were lowered and Cynthia Rose was on the hunt. She wasn't the only one.
Before leading to some regrettable and not-so-regrettable hook-ups, the alcohol caused a rather entertaining rendition of a mash-up composed of Rihanna's and Sugarland's "Stay". It's interesting that no one thought to put those two ballads together. They had the same damn title for goodness' sake! And even if Aubrey and Chloe were hard to handle on a good day, most of the Barden Bellas wanted their senior leaders to do just that: stay.
After the song, the majority of girls headed back towards the house for refills and snacks…
That's when the fast friends, Chloe and Beca, found themselves alone on the well-seasoned dock enjoying the spring breeze creeping off the darkened lake. The booze seemed to creep up Chloe's neck as she eagerly watched Beca take the last sip of her mountain berry knock-off wine and slam the empty cup onto the planks. Damn, why was reformed emo so attractive? Chloe audibly gulped, probably a result of her ever-present neck scarf. She clicked Beca's cup outside of her own and turned the small stack over. Her hands trembled and Chloe hoped it wasn't too noticeable. She looked up at Beca and the brunette smiled her easy smile as she leaned back on her arms, giving the older girl her full attention and not quite knowing what to expect except a good show.
Chloe started the beat: clap clap, tap, tap, tap, clap, cup, cup. She'd been practicing ever since Beca's audition for just a moment to show the younger girl. It wasn't the best timing; as much as Chloe knew, Beca and that nerdy Treblemaker Jesse were still going strong. But it was her last night and this might be her last chance…two passes through the pattern and she started to vocalize.
I've got my ticket for the long way 'round
Two bottle whiskey for the way
And I sure would like some sweet company
And I'm leaving tomorrow…What d'you say?
It hit Chloe suddenly—yes, in the middle of a very complicated hand-eye coordinated routine—that she was coming to the end of the best years of her life. And the one question that kept rushing around her head as she bang-clapped the red cups between Earth and her palm was: why hadn't she met Beca Mitchell sooner?
When I'm gone, when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me by my hair
You're gonna miss me everywhere, oh
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone
It was a couple octaves deeper than when Beca performed it herself, but it was still pretty recognizable…especially with the empty Solos tapping against the worn wood of the dock. Beca's eyebrow rose in wonder and appreciation as she picked herself off her arms and leaned into Chloe's performance.
I've got my ticket for the long way 'round
The one with the prettiest of views
It's got mountains, it's got rivers
It's got sights to give you shivers
But it sure would be prettier with you
Beca did have shivers…and goose bumps. And felt Chloe singing the lyrics straight to her even if the redhead had to concentrate most of the times on making sure her hands grabbed the cups in front of her.
When I'm gone, when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me by my walk
You're gonna miss me by my talk, oh
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone
Beca took a second to recover her voice, daring it not to crack as she spoke. "I am going to miss you…but you won't be gone. Your grad school is like a half day drive away. Swear, we're going to see each other every other week." The younger woman stuck out her pinky and kept it out until Chloe locked her own digit with it. They kept their fingers locked for a few more moments, smiling at one another though the heaviness of their last night as undergrads together weighed in the night air.
"Even if we pinky swore, I'll understand if it's not every other week…I mean, you'll be pretty busy with Jesse I'm sure…" Chloe trailed off, taking her hand back into her lap and swinging her legs over the edge. Her bare feet swished slowly through the water.
"Yeah, Jesse…" Beca paused, sliding along the dock until she was thigh-to-thigh with the older girl and dangling her feet in the lake too. "I don't think that's going to be a problem." The brunette didn't seem too broken up over the confession.
"I don't want to pry, but you know you can talk to me if you need to about it…him." Even if Chloe knew it would be painful to hear about Beca's relationship with her boyfriend, she was a friend first and had to make the offer.
"There's nothing to talk about. I told him I wanted a break for summer and as a result he's stalking me like he used to before we started going out. You know, he's that clingy type of guy that's not going to get a clue for a couple years." Beca smiled wryly and nudged her shoulder against Chloe's. "I'm over it. It was never a good fit." She paused before continuing, "and he kisses like a girl."
Chloe laughed, trying not to sound too relieved with her reaction. "What does that even mean, kisses like a girl? Do you even know what kissing a girl feels like?" The redhead had asked the questions before realizing how it would sound. "I mean—I don't even…" Maybe it was best to just stop talking.
"I would imagine it feels something like…" Beca turned towards Chloe, somehow managing to not fall in the lake as she wrapped her right hand along the base of the older girl's head all the while pulling her face closer. She looked at Chloe, trying to detect any hesitation about what she was about to do. Seeing the slightest bit of shock mixed with desire spurred her on. Their lips met tentatively at first, just enough for Beca to breath in the tiniest remnants of cheap strawberry wine. The part of her mind that was still able to process information realized that Chloe's lips were actually a great deal softer than Jesse's ever would be. She smiled into to the kiss.
It's what Chloe had wanted since the day she had confronted (it's the nicest word she could really use to describe the incident) Beca in the communal showers. She'd admit, first it was a purely physical attraction…weird in itself because she'd been in the middle of a shower hookup with a very attractive young man when she'd been overtaken with the urge to find the source of the beautiful singing. After getting to know Beca through the ups and downs of Bella Aca-drama, Chloe came to realize that there was an emotional attraction brewing. She loved how Beca wasn't afraid to speak up for herself and the other girls in front of Aubrey. She also loved how creative the younger girl was when it came to arrangements and choreography. She was soon beginning to love the feel of Beca's hand resting on her hip and her other hand caressing her cheek…
Chloe reluctantly pulled away until she was facing Beca and had her full attention. "Is this the part where we break out in some sort of Katy Perry medley?" the redhead asked, her husky voice due more to the desire coursing through her body than the nodes she was living with (and surviving, dammit!).
"This is the part where we keep kissing until the girls come back out looking for us." Beca stated matter-of-factly, closing the distance to steal more sweet contact with Chloe's already-swollen lips.
"I'm pretty sure Cynthia Rose would just stare at us undisturbed for a while. I hope they send her." Chloe mumbled against Beca's mouth before continuing her exploration with lips and tongue. She wanted to taste everything and everywhere, moving her assault to the creamy skin covering Beca's chin and neck.
"I'm pretty sure I don't even care if she does as long as you're doing that," Beca answered almost breathlessly, lifting her head to give Chloe more access as she made her way down to the collarbone. Beca pulled Chloe's head back up, kissing her soundly and never wanting to stop. They stayed locked in the loving embrace for a few minutes before Chloe pulled away once more.
"So…this means that you really are going to miss me when I'm gone?"
"I'm going to miss you by your lips…" Beca sang as she kissed Chloe again before continuing, "I'm going to miss you every bit…" she mischievously squeezed Chloe's backside. "But you're not going to be gone. We're going to Skype and Facetime and road trip. We already pinky swore. And I am not going to tempt fate by going back on a pinky swear."
"Word." Chloe smiled, her eyes sparkling in the bright moonlight. She hated that she was leaving Barden right as she was starting this new and exciting adventure with Beca. But she was reassured that they were in it together, come what may.
The End