A/N: Hey everybody, sorry for the late update. My cat had to get a pretty serious surgery and I was dealing with that for a few weeks. I hope you all like this chapter and if you have anything you wanna see possibly happen in this story feel free to let me know. Sorry if there are any mistakes I wrote 99% of this on my phone. I love all your feedback, it keeps me motivated to keep up with writing. ily :)
It was the night after auditions and the chaotic bank heists, and Beca was able to find some time to work on her music. It was her first time really getting a chance to work on it since she came to Barden, unless she stayed up until the crack of dawn running off of Red Bull. However, her days were pretty draining and those nights weren't happening as often as they used to.
Luckily Kimmy Jin wasn't in the dorm so she could have the music blasting as loud as she wanted in her headphones without getting death glares from the other girl. She was working on a mashup of Titanium and 500 Miles, which totally wasn't inspired by her impromptu shower performance with Chloe. At least that's what she told herself. She scrapped the previous mix of Titanium that she had been working on to make this current mashup. Her fingers worked the knobs and buttons of her equipment with practiced ease, not even really having to think about what she was doing.
She was completely wrapped up in what she was doing when something was thrown over her head. All she could see was darkness, so she acted on instinct. She planted her feet on the ground and used her body to shove her computer chair back towards her assailant. She ripped the sack and her headphones off her head, spinning around to face her assailant who was on the ground, ready to start throwing punches.
Her eyes widened in horror when she realized that she wasn't actually in danger, and the one who snuck up on her was just Chloe. She quickly crossed the small dorm to help the redhead onto her feet, hoping she didn't harm her at all.
"Oh my god, Chloe I'm so sorry," she apologized, grabbing the girl by her arm and easily pulling her to her feet. "Are you hurt? What are you doing here?"
"Wow, Beca. You're strong ! How did your little body hurl that chair at me so hard?" Chloe questioned. She dusted herself off and to Beca's relief looked relatively okay.
"I um– I've taken self defense classes," Beca lied, hoping the redhead wouldn't read anymore into it. "Are you okay, though? Also, what the hell were you doing here and why did you throw a sack over my head like you were kidnapping me?"
"Because I am!" Chloe grinned. "It's aca-initiation night! You weren't supposed to know until you got there but you made it into the Bellas!"
"Okay," Beca drawled, scrunching her face in confusion. It seemed like a weird tradition but so far everything about this a capella thing was strange to her. "How about you walk me to wherever you're taking me and when we get there you put the sack on my head and I'll act surprised?"
"Sounds aca-awesome!" Chloe beamed and grabbed Beca's hand.
The walk wasn't too far. Beca had to pretend like she didn't know where Chloe was taking her even though they had spent time on the rooftop of the auditorium. But that was as Spider-Girl, not as regular Beca Mitchell. As they got closer to the building Chloe put the sack back on her head and laced their fingers together to guide her inside. Beca wasn't sure if she imagined the sound, but she swore she heard the other girl's breath hitch when their hands interlocked.
Once they entered the auditorium Chloe placed Beca with the other girls and they began their initiation process. Similar to how all things have been with the a capella world, it was a bizarre ritual that all the former Bellas have gone through, involving lots of candles, drinking the "blood" of the former sisters, and threats of vocal cords being ripped out by wolves.
Chloe informed Beca that it wasn't actually blood, and winked at her. The small gesture made Beca's knees weak, and again she mentally cursed herself out for being such a sap for pretty girls. The two of them barely knew each other and the redhead already invoked such a strong physical reaction in Beca.
They went to a party afterwards of all the a capella groups, and she briefly spoke with a drunk Jesse, who again tried hitting on her. She got him out of her hair momentarily by telling him to get her a drink.
"Hi," Beca heard from the distance. She was surprised when hands gripped her wrists and then she was pulled close to an equally drunk Chloe. She honestly didn't know how the redhead had already consumed so much alcohol.
"Oh," Beca mumbled, a bit unsure of what to do at the close proximity of Chloe's face to her's.
"I am so glad I met you," Chloe grinned, her eyes darting back and forth from Beca's eyes to her lips. "I think that we're going to be really fast friends."
"Yeah," Beca squeaked awkwardly, fighting to not also look at the other woman's lips and failing miserably. "Well, you saw me naked, so…"
"You know," Chloe drawled as she swayed slightly. Her hands slipped down further until they were interlocked with Beca's. "You should be just as confident about all that as I am."
Beca could feel Chloe's eyes roaming over her body and felt her face reddening. She knew that Chloe was just drunk and probably didn't mean anything she was saying, but that fact didn't change the effect it was having on her. Also from her short span of knowing the older woman, she knew that Chloe's sense of boundaries were practically nonexistent, and that she was probably just being friendly, not flirtatious.
"You wanna come get a drink with me?" Chloe asked. "This ginger needs her jiggle juice."
To emphasise her point, she spun around and shook her ass in Beca's direction. The brunette knew that being near Chloe like this was extremely dangerous for her steadily growing feelings for her, but her mouth seemed to be moving before her brain could raise the red flags.
"Who would I be to keep you from your much needed jiggle juice?" Beca smiled. "Lead the way, Red."
They spent the entire party together. Chloe even got Beca on the dance floor for a little while even though she had been refusing profusely. All Chloe had to do was grab her hand and give her puppy dog eyes and she was submitting to Chloe's every wish. She was enjoying her time, even with the redhead bringing her out of her comfort zone. Beca couldn't remember a time where she laughed and smiled so much with anyone other than Stacie.
Chloe had a little too much to drink and couldn't keep dancing without stumbling, so they found a quiet place away from the rest of the still raging crowd and just talked about anything and everything that came to mind. Beca learned that the other woman was from Miami, she had two older brothers, and she was studying to be a journalist. That didn't particularly surprise her since she was an intern at the Barden Bugle, but Spider-Girl knew that, not Beca Mitchell. It was kind of difficult to differentiate the conversations she has had with Chloe as Spider-Girl and as herself, but the other woman didn't seem to be any wiser.
Beca even opened up about herself surprisingly. She couldn't even blame it on alcohol because she only had one drink in case she was needed as Spider-Girl. She told Chloe about how her parents died when she was eight during a mugging gone horribly wrong, and how she'd lived with her Aunt May since then. She told her about her love to produce music and how that's her end-game goal, but also about her love for science and inventing.
Chloe listened intently, never tearing her gaze away from Beca. It made the brunette slightly nervous opening up to someone on such a deep level. Chloe knew the perfect things to say, which helped calm her nerves. Even when she spoke about her parents, Chloe just listened and wasn't being overly sympathetic like most people are when they find out she's an orphan.
"I know I said this already earlier, but I'm really glad I met you, Beca," Chloe smiled. She bit her lip as though she was considering something, but Beca couldn't tell what the girl was thinking about. "Is it stupid that I don't want this night and our time together to end?"
"No," Beca replied sincerely. She was happy to hear that Chloe didn't want their time to end, because she didn't want it to either. "It's not stupid at all. I was thinking the same thing."
"You know, under all your sarcasm and broodiness, you seem like you're a total softie," Chloe giggled. "You remind me a lot of someone else I know."
"Oh yeah? Who?"
"I know this might sound crazy to say, but I'm friends with Spider-Girl! At least, I think she considers me as a friend," Chloe explained enthusiastically. She was very happy to be friends with the hero, and couldn't help but be intrigued by the girl. She felt similarly to how she now felt with Beca, wanting to know everything and anything about her as she could.
"Spider-Girl?" Beca asked, again playing dumb to not draw any suspicions. "Like, the superhero? Isn't she from New York or something?"
"She is! But she's down here now at Barden! She saved me a couple weeks ago from a group of big, scary guys. I'm helping her figure out what's going on in Barden and she's helping me with stories for the Barden Bugle!"
"Well, damn," Beca sighed. "How am I supposed to compete as your friend when you have a superhero as a friend?"
"It's not a competition, silly," Chloe giggled, nudging Beca's shoulder with her own. "Besides, we can hang out whenever you want! I'm only able to see her when bad things are happening in the city, so that gives you some extra points."
Chloe winked at Beca, and it wasn't the first time it has happened, but Beca's body reacted the same as it always does. She could feel the blush creeping up her neck, and she hated how pale she was because she couldn't ever hide it.
"Speaking of bad things happening in the city, I think it may be time to call it a night so we can get home safely," Beca said. "Can I walk you home?"
"But how are you going to get home safely if you don't have anybody with you?" Chloe asked, genuine concern etched on her face.
"I've taken self-defense classes, remember? I'll be fine."
Chloe agreed to letting Beca walk her home, and the two quickly made their way across campus. It was almost 1am, and Beca truly didn't realize how much time had passed in Chloe's presence. The girl was like a breath of fresh air, and it was a nice change of pace for Beca. She was always putting herself in nasty situations to help others, and it was refreshing to be able to be herself without anything else to worry about. She could forget about all the bad things to come for a few moments and just be .
"Thank you for spending tonight with me, and walking me home," Chloe said as they approached her building. "I had a lot of fun with you tonight."
"I had fun, too. Maybe we can do it again sometime."
"Totes! That would be awesome!" Chloe exclaimed.
She pulled Beca in for a hug, which took the shorter woman by surprise. Once her initial shock wore off, she remembered to reciprocate the contact and wrapped her arms around Chloe's hips. She was always weird with physical contact from anyone other than Stacie or her Aunt May, but Chloe was continuing to break down her barriers, and she couldn't even find it within herself to be upset about it.
"Goodnight, Beca. Get home safe," Chloe whispered in her ear before breaking away from the hug.
Beca watched Chloe get into her building safely before making the trek back to her dorm. It was a quiet night, and she was welcoming it with open arms. She enjoyed being Spider-Girl, but being able to live her life without constant threats was nice.
As if the universe was playing some sick joke on her, the familiar ringtone of her Spidey-Line reverberated through the quiet evening. She huffed in frustration before pulling her phone out and answering the call.
"What's going on now?" She answered the line bluntly.
"Shocker's in town," Gail answered just as bluntly on the other end of the line. "He was spotted near AllenCorp's main building in the center of town."
"How is that possible? He was arrested and sent to Riker's three months ago."
"Well, someone let him out. Video footage shows a guard unlocking his cell and releasing him. He seemed to be in some sort of trance and doesn't remember it happening."
"Well, what does he want? Who was the one behind letting him out?" Beca questioned.
"We don't know, but what we do know is that we think he came to Barden for you. Be on the lookout."
Gail ended the call after that and Beca sighed. Her life was never just normal , and really she doesn't have anyone to blame but herself. She could have just kept her powers a secret and never became Spider-Girl to begin with, but no, she had to go and be the hero.
"Well, I guess sleeping is out of the question now," Beca muttered to herself. She scanned the area to make sure nobody was around before shooting a web at one of the buildings, and making her way to the roof of her dorm where she left a backpack with a suit inside.
Once in her suit she made her way through the city to see if she could get her eyes on Shocker. She tried to think of any places away from the general public that he could be hiding out, but every place she checked turned out to be empty. She was beginning to get frustrated in her search efforts when she thought of something that could end up being a horrible idea, but she needed to try.
She swung up onto the roof of a building and dialed the number that should not have been familiar to her, but was. She waited with bated breath as the line rang, and half expected to not get an answer.
"My, my, I didn't expect a call from you so soon," the sultry voice on the other end said. "What can I do for you, Spider?"
"Hey, Miss Cat," Beca replied, feeling a lump in her throat from nervousness. "I was hoping you could help me out with something."
"And what is it that you need my assistance with?"
"Shocker got out of Riker's and is apparently here in Barden. Do you know of where he might be?"
"Hmm," Black Cat pondered. "What's in it for me?"
"I think you kinda owe me one for letting you go after the bombs," Beca huffed in frustration. She knew this was going to turn out to be a back and forth between the two women, and she was regretting making the call to the antiheroine. "You know what? Forget it. I'll figure it out myself."
Beca was about to hang up the phone when she felt something approaching. She quickly jumped out of the way when she saw a vibrational shockwave hit where she had just been standing. She looked over to see Shocker on the rooftop with her, looking just as she remembered before sending him to Riker's, but with what looked to be an upgraded suit.
"Spider, what was that sound?" Black Cat asked. Beca nearly forgot she was still on the line with her.
"Looks like I didn't need your help after all," Beca explained as she quickly dodged another vibrational shock. "Shocker just showed up, and looks like he's packin' a new upgraded suit."
"Where are you?"
"A block away from the Mayor's office. Gotta go, Cat."
Shocker kept coming at Beca with large shock waves, and it was becoming harder to dodge them on the small building they were on. Usually when she had to face Shocker he had a moment of weakness from all the shockwaves and she could strike her attack, but it seemed like this new suit of his didn't cause that to happen.
"Spider! I'm going to kill you!" Shocker screamed as he sent multiple other blasts towards her.
She needed to get him away from all the buildings so he wouldn't destroy the whole city while she tried to take him down. The only way she knew how to get him off his guard was to make him angry, causing him to make mistakes.
"You've had your chance to kill me many times, Shocker. Maybe all those shockwaves caused your balls to shrivel up," she snapped back at him as she did a few back handsprings to get away.
"You BITCH!" He shouted as he sent a huge blast towards her.
Luckily Beca's stamina wasn't drained a bit. She felt like she could do this all day. She leaped high into the air, and while Shocker was blasting she shot a web directly into his face. She used this moment to bring him towards a less populated area of the city.
"C'mon, Shock. Did Riker's really do a number on you? Ya can't even keep up anymore!" She teased as she swung away.
She was about to reach level ground when she felt her senses warn her about an incoming attack. She shot a web at the last building on her left to swing away from the shockwave, but another one quickly came and hit her before she could dodge. It flung her directly into the building, and she smashed through the window of an office.
"Fuck," she groaned as she got on her hands and knees. She was disoriented from the impact and glass was stuck in many places on her body. From her blurred vision she could see blood dripping from her face onto the carpet of the office. She was going to have to call Gail once this was done for her to do some damage control.
She heard the heavy footsteps of Shocker land into the office building with her, and turned around onto her back to face him.
"I told you I came here to kill you," Shocker snarled. She could see his hands charging up for an attack. "You should have listened."
"Who sent you? Who released you from Riker's?" Beca questioned, hoping to distract him for a little bit while she regained some strength.
"The mayor hired someone to get me out, not sure who. But him and I have the same goal of killing you," he explained. "You cause problems everywhere you go, whether you're in the Big City or down here trying to play the neighborhood's friendly Spider-Girl. I'm here to squash you."
His hands were fully charged, and Beca wasn't sure she was going to be able to get out of the way in time. She squeezed her eyes shut and braced for impact. If this is how she was meant to go out she wasn't going to plead for her life. She waited and waited, but nothing ever came.
She opened her eyes and saw Black Cat standing over Shocker's unconscious body, holding what looked to be a paper weight from one of the office desks in her hand. She never thought she would be so relieved to see the other woman.
"You were really just going to sit there and let him kill you?" She asked, extending a hand out to help Beca up.
"Of course not," Beca lied. "I totally had a plan."
"Whatever you say, Spider."
"Um, thank you for helping me, Miss Cat," Beca whispered, the words feeling foreign on her tongue. She wasn't used to needing to be saved or needing help in general, but she was grateful the other woman was there.
"Anytime, Spidey. I guess this means we're even now," the blonde replied. "Do you need me to help get you to a hospital?"
"No, I don't do hospitals," Beca said, a shiver running down her spine at just the mere thought. "I have someone who can help me, but first I need to wait until the police show up so I can make sure this idiot is taken back to Riker's where he belongs."
"Well in that case, I guess I should be going. I don't do well with authority figures."
"Okay, thanks again, Cat."
"Of course," Black Cat said as she made her way back towards the busted window. "You know how to find me if you need anything."
With that said, Black Cat jumped out the window and made her way to wherever her hideout was. To anybody else they wouldn't be able to see her stalking through the night, but with her senses Beca could see her travelling through the city. She wondered where she was hiding out and if she was up to any other devious plans like the bank heist.
She heard Shocker groan and decided with what little strength she had to secure him to the ground. While she did so she called Gail.
"Spider-Girl, there were reports of flashing light beams through parts of the city. Have you found him?" Gail asked as soon as she answered the call.
"Yes, he's secure, but you might want to bring in a clean up crew. He destroyed part of an office building by hitting me with a shockwave into said building," Beca explained. She rattled off the address to Gail and could hear the captain on the other end of the line telling her crew where to go.
"Are you okay?" Gail asked, actually sounding concerned in exchange for her normal sarcasm.
"He got me pretty good, but I'll be okay. I'll debrief you on what happened later. I have to go meet with a friend to patch me up."
They both said their good-byes, and Beca waited until she could see the police sirens pulling up before making her way back to campus. She made a quick detour to a rooftop to change back into her civilian clothes because she didn't want anyone to see her as Spider-Girl while she was injured, especially since she recently found she had more enemies here than she knew of.
It was a challenge to get to where she needed to be. When she took her suit off she noticed she was more injured than she originally realized due to the adrenaline from her fight with the villian. She had hit her head which is where the bleeding had been coming from, and she was pretty positive she had a concussion from it. Her vision was still blurred and she was stumbling towards her destination.
Once she managed to get to where she was going, she knocked on the familiar door and hoped there was somebody there. It was almost four in the morning and she knew the other girl was either still partying, having sex, or sleeping like the dead.
"Beca? What the fuck happened?" Stacie grumbled sleepily. This wasn't the first time she had to patch her best friend up after getting roughed up by her foes. She always came out on top, but that didn't completely prevent Beca from leaving the fights unscathed.
"Please tell me you have a first aid kit."
The last thing Beca saw before her wounds got the best of her was Stacie reaching out to catch her when her legs finally gave out and she succumbed to exhaustion of her night.