This one kind of got away from me. I hope you don't mind it being a little bit longer?

He makes it into the dining hall late one day, much later than he normally would make it in for his typical dinner time. But the Trebles had an atypical rehearsal schedule that week - including the one he had just escaped from that ran until 8pm.

The dining hall's decorated for the upcoming holiday, as it had been for the past few weeks now. Bright lights running around the windows, a tree in the corner, decorated with only a few ornaments that students had probably put up themselves. There's green and red and silver tinsel wrapped around the beams from floor to ceiling, tinsel wrapped around the cases displaying the food options that were still available for him to choose from.

He swipes his student identification card to pay for his measly selection of hot chocolate and a bagel - a quick fix to end his grumbling stomach. He turns around to find a seat to sit in when he spots her.

Beca.

She's sitting in the far corner, at the table closest to the Christmas tree lit up with the red and blue and pink and green lights, her face buried into her laptop, headphones wrapped around her neck.

All alone.

He doesn't even hesitate when he turns around to make a second purchase.

He walks in her direction after, she's completely oblivious to her surroundings - she probably preferred it that way, he guessed, to just pretend she was alone and that no one else existed.

"Mind if I join you?"

Her eyes dart up at him. She's silent for a moment, the lights of the tree reflecting against the windows behind her figure. He shouldn't have bothered her, she really didn't seem to like company, but her response surprises him when she answers a beat later. "I guess not."

He places the hot paper cup in front of her before sitting himself down in the chair directly across from her. "I bought you a hot chocolate."

She's so shy, so timid in her response that he's not sure if it's her when she mutters a simple, "Thanks."

He takes a moment before pointing his finger at her computer and continuing with, "Whatcha working on?"

"Just a paper for class."

"What class?"

She only shrugs in response and looks back at the screen in front of her; it doesn't seem like she's going to say anything else, so he decides to press a little further.

"Do you need any help?"

She looks up from her screen then, confused eyes and a dead stare meet his welcoming gaze. "No."

She doesn't want to be bothered, he can tell. He shouldn't have even bothered buying the second cup of hot chocolate and trying to spend some time with her, it's clear she wants to be left alone.

He's about to get up and leave, find somewhere else to sit or just head back to his dorm room. But, when she pulls the hot liquid up to her lips a moment later, takes a small sip and a tiny, little smile forms at the corner of her mouth - he counts it as a success.

:::

He doubts she remembers, figures she's completely forgotten about their meet up last year at the end of the fall semester, but he does, he remembers clearly, a small success in chipping away at the walls he had to climb so high to get over - a tiny glimpse into the real Beca Mitchell.

It's the last week of classes before their winter break; they've both working on their end of the year assignments, studying for the final exams that were rapidly approaching them and they had both been so busy, most of their time dedicated to their education, barely having a moment to spend with each other.

He tells her on the last day of classes, the last Friday before exams start the following Monday, that they're in need of a break, tells her he'll meet her at the Bella's house after rehearsal when his own a capella group had ended.

He shows up a few hours after the sun had already set in the west, rehearsal running slightly behind schedule as it normally did. He walks up the girls staircase slowly and softly, carrying the beverage tray in one hand and the bag of goodies he had in the other.

She's already under her covers when he walks in to her room. (She's alone, her roommate obviously out for the night and he's happy about that, too.) The lights are dimly lit, just barely enough for him to see his own way into the room and sit down beside her. She rolls over on to her back when she feels the weight of him next to her, opening her eyes to smile up at him as he leans down to kiss her hello softly.

"I brought you something." He holds the bag up in his hands, pointing to the two red cups sitting on her side table. He hands her own of the paper cups as she sits up against her headboard, digging into tiny bag and pulling her out a sugar cookie shaped like Santa Claus.

"Really, Jesse?"

"Santa cookies are iconic for this time of year."

"You're really quite something." Her voice is laced with sarcasm, but he chooses to ignore it, watching on as she pulls the Christmas themed paper cup to her lips, the expression in her face identifying immediately that she knew was he was trying to do. "Hot chocolate?"

"I thought I'd try to start creating some traditions between the two of us," he smiles, leaning down and pulling her close to his side. "Do you remember?"

"Of course I remember." She turns her face into the side of his chest and he can feel her smile against his skin. "All I wanted was for you to leave me alone."

"Aren't you so glad that I stuck around, though?"

He feels her smile grow even wider against the cotton tee he's wearing. "Yeah, I guess."

:::

She decides to take the initiative this year, decides it's her turn to show him how much he means to her and how this silly little three year tradition actually means something to her, too.

She just…doesn't know how to make it as special as he always does. As special as anything he ever seems to do for her. She's not good at this stuff. Not like he is.

She manages to get Benji to let her into the Treble house when they're rehearsing, away from Jesse's watchful eye so he doesn't suspect anything thats coming. She hangs out for a while getting some homework done, she knows she has a few hours to kill before she gets started on anything, but when she notices the time a while later, she gets to work.

She's not great in a kitchen so she settles on buying Swiss Miss French Vanilla cocoa packets, much easier than whipping up a batch from scratch for herself. She microwaves a few cups of milk so it's bubbling, then proceeds to mix the packets of powder and milk with the silver spoon she finds in their silverware drawer.

She pours the warm liquid into two mugs she finds in the cupboard and sneaks off to his room to hide when a few of the guys start to walk through the front door and tell her he's on his way back. She sets the mugs on his side table and gets herself under his covers and only moments later does Jesse appear in the doorway. "Hey, nerd."

"To what do I owe this surprise?"

She sticks her thumb out in the direction of his table. "Just trying to uphold a tradition."

He doesn't say anything, just kicks off his shoes and climbs under the covers next to her and she's quick to rest her head against his shoulder. He pulls one mug and hands it to her before grabbing the second one for himself.

:::

Final exams had just wrapped up on campus when he realizes they've yet to complete their tradition of getting a cup of hot chocolate together this year. He knows he's gotta get it squeezed in tonight, seeing as he was scheduled to be on a flight back home early in the morning, Beca staying behind in Atlanta to spend the holiday's with her father.

She's sleeping in her room when he walks in to the small space she shares with Amy, of course. Beca loved to sleep, and he's not surprised to find her passed out under her warm covers after her exams. He kneels down besides her bed, getting down to be in line with the height her body. He leans in and presses a chaste kiss against her forehead. "Hey, sleeping beauty."

"Go away," she mumbles, barely, not even moving with the sounds that her mouth make.

"C'mon, you gotta get up. We're going out."

She opens her eyes slowly, blue ones meeting brown. "No."

"I'm afraid this isn't negotiable."

Her face scrunches up and she pulls the covers down off her body. "I hate you."

"No, you don't," he chuckles as she pulls herself out of bed and stands on her two feet. "Put on a coat. It's chilly out."

They walk to the little coffee shop thats only a few blocks from campus and he can't help but smile at how when they turn the corner away from the crowd of students, Beca reaches out to tangle their fingers together between them.

"Grab us a table, I'll get the drinks."

Her face turns in his direction. "You didn't even ask what I wanted."

"Beca, we've been together for three years. Give me some credit."

She turns around without saying a word as he watches her find a small little bistro table in the corner of the cafe and sit down in the chair closest to the window. He places his order and grabs the two mug from the barista behind the counter before making his way over to Beca.

He hasn't even sat down when she speaks up. "You think I don't know what you're up to?"

He places her cup in front of her and sits down across from her. "You caught me."

:::

It's when they finally make it to Los Angeles and the holiday's quickly approach them that she begins wondering about their tradition from their four years at Barden, if it's going to continue now that they're actually living together.

So many things are different, but still, so much is the same.

She makes it back to their apartment one night from her internship, a little later than he usually gets home from his own work obligations for the day, and he's standing over the stove with a sole saucepan heating up from the orange flames below it. There's a container or Hershey's cocoa powder set on the counter, along with a bag of marshmallows and their carton of milk from the fridge set to the side.

"Hey," he smiles back at her when he notices her in the doorway. "I hope you're in the mood for hot chocolate."

"I didn't think you were going to remember," she confesses quietly, making her way slowly to him standing in front of their stove.

He turns towards her, arms thrown out to his side in surprise. "Oh yea of little faith."

"It's just that…we're living together now," she says. "I don't know. It's stupid."

"It's not stupid." He takes the ladle on the counter and spoons some of the hot liquid into two mugs, handing her the green one, keeping the red one for himself. "In fact, I'm happy to hear you were looking forward to our little tradition."

Of course he didn't forget about their tradition, she thinks as she sips the warm, chocolatey liquid from her mug.

It's Jesse.

If anything, this tradition was just in it's beginning stages.

In fact, she thinks there's probably many more traditions to come.