A/N: Sorry I haven't been writing or updating - again! - but the words haven't been flowing, and I can't even force them lately.
Now! This story is a companion piece for chapter 8 of Canvas and it is really important that you read at least that chapter if not the whole story in order to understand this piece.
And my sincerest apologies to KriXmas92029 who asked for this way back in July, 2015. I hope this lives up to Canvas' reputation and you find it satisfactory, and again, so sorry about the ridiculous delay!
So read on and review!
Beca Mitchell doesn't play well with others.
On her first day of kindergarten, Beca was brooding (because obviously she's so good at brooding now as an adult that she must have started practicing early) in a corner by herself when a little blonde girl with glowing hazel eyes suddenly appeared in front of her, her smile wide and hope as she asked Beca if they could color together. Beca's reaction was to tell the little girl that her bright red dress was hurting her eyes.
(When Beca is later asked to explain to her parents why she made a sweet little girl – who only wanted to be friends – cry, her only explanation was that she can't be expected to be friends with someone she couldn't even look at. That dress really did hurt her eyes.)
By middle school, Beca had mastered the art of The Glare, and had discovered her love for all things black and hostile. The only way that Beca ever had anyone sit at her table during lunch was if:
A) They were new and didn't really know much about her and her left hook.
B) If they were stupid and wanted to get beaten up (see: left hook).
(She was pretty chill about outsiders though and didn't have think twice before standing up to bullies if the science club nerds were being stuffed into lockers again.)
When high school rolled around, Beca had occupied menial jobs and had enough money to buy herself a sweet pair of headphones that blocked out the rest of the world. She had also learned that her glare was even more effective when ringed with thick black eyeliner. She also knew a guy that knew a guy that wasn't too picky about tattooing minors as long as they could pay for it without causing him trouble, and soon enough she had a nice collection of tattoos and an amazingly scary earspike to ward off people forever.
(In the beginning of her junior year, a transfer student had bumped into her on his way out of the admin office and, after shakily looking her up and down, peed himself. Beca simply smirked and walked away with a small sarcastic salute.)
But somehow, somewhere along the line, Beca had strutted into Barden University, and stumbled into the Bellas. And she supposes it's because she's always had a soft spot for weird, outcast nerds because it only takes her a few months before she's made friends – actual, honest to God friends that like her and she genuinely likes back. Friends, she realizes by the end of the year, that she would actually really like to keep.
So Beca doesn't make friends, not easily anyway, but once she does- well, you don't want to mess with them because she is fiercely protective of each and every last odd one of them (again, see: left hook).
Currently, Beca was restrained from utilizing said left hook on a pair of mean girls by Chloe's arms tightly holding on to her waist.
Granted though, she wasn't complaining.
In a way, this was even better than punching Tweedledum and Tweedledee because with each body roll Chloe did, their faces turned a new shade of purple. Every time Chloe would turn her back to Beca, only to press the entire length of her body against the shorter brunette's, Beca would smugly note them get more upset. She'd then gleefully wrap her arms around Chloe's body – clad only in a bikini with plenty of skin on display – and tug her that much closer as they grinded against each other, Beca's hands shamelessly wandering as Chloe laughed and slipped her hand into the back of Beca's head, not-so-subtly tugging so her face is buried in the redhead's neck.
(It's also worth noting that they've both consumed a fair amount of alcohol by this point, hence Beca's relaxed state about groping her best friend.)
Chloe had been gracious enough to let Beca work the crowd for another half hour, after which her patience ran out and she no longer wanted only half of Beca's attention. The brunette whined and dragged her feet when Chloe's musically-inclined friend, Jackson, kicked her off the stage with his band, but ultimately smirked and settled in against Chloe's gyrating body.
Beca made sure to keep things goofy and light lest her body spontaneously combust because of the redhead with no regard for personal space.
But Chloe wasn't making it easy; her hands were always placed really low (or – if she's being honest with herself – Beca would admit that it wasn't low enough).
They'd sensually tangle in Beca's hair as the redhead would press her back firmly against Beca's front, pushing her butt against the brunette's groin enough to make Beca squirm, after which she'd turn in the captain's arms to chuckle seductively in her ears, her lips brushing Beca's lobe and making her shiver harder.
So the cycle would continue like this:
1) Body roll.
2) Grinding.
3) Turn Beca into a human stripper pole.
4) More grinding.
5) Plenty of shiver-inducing husky whispers and laughs right against Beca's ear.
6) Repeat.
Once, in a misguided attempt to cool things down, Beca spun Chloe out and pulled her back in. Except Chloe had a little too much momentum and ended up crashing harshly against Beca. Which would have been fine if it weren't for Chloe's hand landing a little too low (or – again – maybe not low enough?) on the brunette's chest, effectively stealing Beca's breath – and balance – away. The pair landed in an emptied circle made by the surrounding dancers that saw them go down, Beca briefly registering some asshole yelling "timber!" before landing hard on her back, the redhead right on top of her in a giggling heap.
Beca's thankful for glittering blue eyes and a teasing smile that distract her from the building heat and tension in the pit of her stomach brought on by the feel of Chloe's entire weight resting on her.
After that, Beca stopped trying to fight it and immersed herself in all things Chloe Beale, letting her hair down and letting herself melt into Chloe's touch.
It was a great time, it was an exhausting time.
Beca had finally broken free from Chloe when Scott saunters over, and despite Beca not wanting to let Chloe go, she's happy to have the little break and twirls the giggling redhead into the jock's arms before pushing her way towards where she left their things.
The brunette's somehow found herself in a deep conversation with the swimming team trio – Natalie, Paige, and Finley – about various kinds of candy and their many uses aside from eating them. Finley was in the middle of a particularly detailed retelling of a sexual encounter involving gummy worms and shaving cream when the twins – Seth and Sebastian – stepped up to them, looking pissed. When asked what had sparked their ire, they merely pointed out towards where Beca now recognized as hers and Chloe's umbrella. It didn't take long for Beca's blood to boil either when she looked closer.
Chloe stood under the umbrella, head downcast and cornered as she tried to push through two women, the redhead – to the trained eye that knew her well enough – looked like she was in pain. Outwardly, her smile, albeit tight and more or less forced, never wavered as her two bullies kept on pressing her back.
If anything, that enraged Beca even more.
With a soft growl and a fierce scowl, Beca marched.
She marched away from the knowing looks and smirks of Chloe's friends and right toward two unsuspecting soon-to-be-dead hags, ignoring Chloe's wide-eyed frantic head shaking.
The sight of Beca on the warpath was enough to motivate Chloe past the two women, but unfortunately (for them) they turned Chloe right back around and locked her in place by the wrist, their verbal onslaught renewed.
If Beca hated sand before this, she downright wanted it all destroyed now; trying to angrily stomp through sand and be quick about it was neither easy nor was it doing her badass reputation any good.
"…and I can't believe you brought that… that… that girl here! It's bad enough you've got the nerve to even show up here with the way your joke of a life has turned out, but now you're even flaunting that preposterous sinful lifestyle?! With your bedroom eyes and your dancing and soulless depravity-!"
If she weren't so concerned with getting Chloe out of there, Beca's convinced she'd be taken away kicking and screaming in cop car for murder.
She decided to play it cool for now and not rush it because these halfwits were bound to make her do that anyway, so she might as well yell at them first, right?
She made her way behind the redhead and pulled her tightly against her chest, one arm wrapped firmly around Chloe's waist as Beca casually sipped her drink with the other, projecting an air of nonchalance and, somehow, danger.
The redhead was shaking against her so subtly, Beca wouldn't have realized until she was in her arms. The brunette's fury was now burning hotter than the sun.
Calmly though, only wanting Chloe's wellbeing first and foremost, the brunette pressed her lips against the juncture of Chloe's neck and shoulder, and another one higher against her neck – smiling slightly at the feel of Chloe's body relaxing a little against her – before turning towards the glaring bullies.
"Is there a problem here?"
"Yes, there is; you're interrupting us and that's rude."
Beca hummed in thought, not showing the slightest indication that she cared at all.
"Well, I think you're done here anyway. Why don't you two run along and build a sandcastle or something equally challenging for your brain cells? If we're lucky, you'll kill some and nobody has to deal with you guys for a while."
The bullies looked beyond offended at this point and were ready to retaliate, "how dare you?! Do you have any idea who we are?!"
"Becs-", whatever Chloe's nervous beginning was going to lead to was cut short when she felt Beca's arms tighten around her a little more and another soft kiss get pressed against her neck.
"Yeah, I have an idea who you two are. You're spiteful, rude people that have nothing good going on in their lives so they take it out on others who are – more often than not – the most amazing humans with the fattest hearts and the biggest capacity for love out there."
The two women are red-faced and gaping, but Beca's on a roll and won't be stopped now.
"You both have probably achieved nothing memorable in high school, aside from being the resident bitches, and most likely achieved even less beyond high school, and this reunion is the ideal way to remind you that yes, some people really do peak in high school.
And I bet it's just rubbing salt in the wound to see how much Chloe's achieved then and how much more she's achieved since, and will keep achieving with every breath in her body."
The redhead's arms are left atop Beca's, lacing their fingers together, her voice thick with… something, "Becs…"
The Bellas captain doesn't let herself dwell as she barrels on, getting to the good part of her rant.
"So here's what's going to happen now; you have upset my Red more than enough today, so now you're going to turn around and walk as far away from this gorgeous creature as you can. You're going to keep your comments and dirty looks to yourself while you sit and sulk in a corner after realizing that nobody here cares whether you stay or not. And you're never, ever going to come into contact with Chloe ever again, unless it's to tell her how beautiful she looks, or I will show you exactly why I went to jail. Do I make myself clear, ladies?"
The women barely blink and turn their noses up as they briskly put distance between them and the pair of Bellas. Beca watches like a satisfied hawk as she takes another sip from her cup, her grip on Chloe's waist not loosening in the slightest, even as the redhead completely relaxes against her.
After a moment, Chloe speaks up, soft with underlying tones of gratitude, "that was harsh, Becs."
"They've had it coming since the second we got here. I can't believe you didn't stand up to them sooner, or at the very least let me go at them."
For some reason, feeling Chloe half shrug against her makes Beca bristle, and she finds herself turning the redhead around and cradling her face delicately in her palms.
"Hey, listen to me. Nobody – nobody – is allowed to talk to or treat you like that. Make you feel so bad or scared that you start to tremble. Not ever, and especially not if I'm around. I'd kick anyone's ass for you, Chlo."
Still running on the adrenaline of her argument, Beca leans in and places a delicate kiss against the redhead's forehead, Chloe opting to refrain from any more comments and closing her eyes against the feelings coursing through her.
"Come on, Red. You and I both need a stronger drink than this watered down, heated beer. Know any good bars we can easily slip into?"