A/N: Wow. Okay, I'm back. I am so sorry it's been so long, and I honestly have no excuses. I've warned you before though, that I only write when I have time and feel inspired. That being said, I've been inspired, so here you go! I wrote a quick little one-shot back at the beginning of June, but lost it. However, I still wanted to post something today (because today -June 26th 2018-is the anniversary of the SCOTUS ruling that gay marriage was legal) so I cranked this out in about an hour. Not proof read or beta-d but it's out. I may go back and edit later, but for now, this is what I have.
The month of June is pride month, and Chloe thought it would be the perfect time to tell Beca about the feelings she had been harboring ever since their shared moment in the shower back at the beginning of Beca's freshman year.
To Chloe, love is pretty simple. She loved completely and fully with every fiber of her being. Whether it be a picture of a puppy, a delicious smoothie or a person—male or female—she loved them all with the same amount of passion. The object of her desires though, was a different story all together.
Beca wasn't incapable of feelings, nor was she oblivious or stupid. She just didn't always know what to do when she felt things, so she pretended that she didn't feel them at all. All the Bellas knew about Beca's not so subtle toner for Chloe, except for maybe Beca herself. Admitting that she had feelings meant that she was vulnerable, and Beca was not about to be seen as anything but a badass.
Chloe had been developing a plan for the best way to tell Beca that she has like liked her for almost an entire year. Now that the Bellas caught wind of it, they insisted upon being a part of this proclamation as well.
The Bellas loved any excuse to party. They also liked to celebrate and support their fellow sisters. Ever since the girls recently had an 80's movie marathon, they were all about the big, grand gestures that usually happened at the end of a film. The majority of the time, in all the movies that matter to the Bellas at least, the guy always gets the girl and there's a happy ending. The fact that there are hardly any same-sex couples in the movies is something that they all thought needs to be fixed, but they appreciated the sentiments none the less.
The Bellas didn't do anything subtle, or with dignity very often, but they were going to do their best to get their co-captains together, without ruining the surprise.
"BECAW!" Jesse greeted Beca at the radio station one day. "I'm supposed to tell you, that Benji told me, that Emily told him to tell you that you need to be back at the house by 12 pm, because she wants to work on some songs with you before Bellas practice starts."
"What?" Beca asked, shooting her goofy coworker a confused stare.
"I. Am. Supposed. To. Tell. You…" Jesse began slowly and loudly, as if Beca was an elderly woman who was hard of hearing.
"Skip to the point, Jess. Is something is happening at noon?"
"Go home in 20 minutes," Jesse said, giving up.
"Why?"
"Because Benji told me that Emily told him to tell you to," replied the boy, as if that was enough of a reason to do anything.
"But…" Beca said, gesturing to all the work she had left to do. "I'm nowhere near being done."
"I got it covered, don't worry about it."
When Beca still looked skeptical, Jesse started to get annoyed. "Don't ask questions, Bec. Just do it."
"Alright. Geeze. I'll do it," never one to pass up the opportunity to leave work early.
When Beca arrived home, she should've known something was up the minute she walked in the door. It was quiet. TOO quiet. And the house was clean. Which were 2 clues right away, that something was not right.
Assuming the girls were about to do something, like attack her with nerf guns which they did last Sunday, she called out to them.
"Em? You there? Jess said you wanted to see me." There was no response.
"Emily? Guys? Ok, I'm coming upstairs, please don't shoot me."
Then all of a sudden, she heard quiet whispers and giggles on the stairs.
"Ah," Beca thought to herself. "That's more like it."
"Ok seriously, I'm here and it isn't funny. You can all come out now." The owners of the whispers and giggles made their way down the stairs, but to Beca's surprise, only Stacie and Fat Amy appeared at the bottom.
"Is it just you two?" Beca inquired.
When Stacie and Fat Amy nodded, she asked, "Did you need anything?"
"Nope. Just wanted to talk."
"Okay, well, why were you hiding? You could've just waited for me in the living room."
"Because we know it drives you nuts. Besides, Flo just cleaned it and threatened to hurt us if we made it dirty."
"Can you get to the point please? Emily and I were supposed to meet up soon and I also want to take a nap."
"You can nap later. Right now, you need to put this on, and come with us," Stacie said, handing Beca a rainbow colored sparkly bandana.
"Why?"
"Because we're meeting up with the girls."
"All of them?"
"No, a few of the girls will meet up with us later. Now come on. We're already late. Are you gonna come on your own or does Fat Amy need to carry you?
"Fine. I'll come with you, but there's no way in hell I'm wearing that." Beca bargained. It was a testament to how much Beca had grown over the year as a person, that she now trusted her fellow Bellas (to some degree) to take her somewhere without telling her the final destination.
Surprised that Beca agreed so easily, Fat Amy hoisted Beca over her shoulder and began to walk out the door, Stacie following close behind.
"Amy! I said I'd go! Put me down!"
"Sometimes people say one thing but do another. You'll get used to it."
"Don't I know it…" Beca sighed, not even putting up a fight as the blindfold was tied around her eyes and she was shoved in a car.
Stacie drove the girls to the heart of Atlanta, headed towards the Civic Center MARTA Station. As they got closer Beca could hear a lot of shouting and loud music but none of it was distinct enough for her to make out.
When they came to a stop, Stacie and Amy made Beca wait in the car while they talked to someone. Suddenly the car started moving again, and Beca was once again disoriented. When she was finally let out of the car, she saw that she was surrounded by rainbows and shirtless people and a whole bunch of people roaming the streets. It didn't take long for her to realize she was smack dab in the middle of a parade. A pride parade no less.
Beca fully supported the LGBT community, and in fact, had many friends who identified somewhere on the spectrum. Hell, there were even a few girls in the Bellas! For Beca though, her own personal sexuality was different. It still wasn't a big deal, but she also didn't like drawing attention to it. Mostly because of the negative stereotypes she was aware of that unfortunately still existed.
She realized she was 'less than straight' when she was in high school, and if you asked her about it, she'd tell the truth, but she wasn't really 'out of the closet' per se. She liked boys, and had only had boyfriends in the past, so aside from the occasional obvious lingering glances and not so subtle comments, you'd have no reason to believe she was anything but. Even so, the thought of being with another girl wasn't totally repulsive, and if asked to think of a girl to date right off the top of her head, Beca would immediately be able to list at least 3 or more.
This however, was on a whole new level. This was just short of someone shoving their barely covered tits in your face and screaming nonsense words.
As Beca looked around at her surroundings and took it all in, she didn't notice Stacie and Fat Amy slipping away. When she did, she about had a panic attack in the middle of 10th street. Suddenly, she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. It was a text from Stacie. She pulled it out, and read the message.
"Sorry. Amy ran off, and I went to chase her down. Go to Piedmont Park and sit by the Charles Allen Dr. gate. I'll meet you there."
Beca leisurely strolled down the street, following the parade, until she arrived at the park. On her way, she passed many happy people and snuggly couples. Even though Beca was NOT a touchy-feely person, or a major fan of PDA, she did get slightly jealous of those who were in a relationship.
Ever since her failed one with Jesse where they realized they were better as friends, she had been single. Beca didn't mind being single, but she did like certain aspects of dating, that you just can't get from your friends. The only person that ever came that close, was Chloe. Beca let her mind wander down that path for a fleeting moment before she shut the door on it. "She doesn't even like you that way, so stop," she told herself.
Expecting to see her friends, she was a bit disappointed when she didn't see them right away. But then suddenly, as if on cue, her phone vibrated again.
"Change of plans, meet us by the promenade. It's less crowded over there."
So, Beca made her way over to the promenade. As she got closer, she saw a large crowd gathered around one end. Still not seeing her friends, Beca decided to check it out as she waited. When she got to the front though, she gasped. It was all the Bellas on the stage, in various rainbow pride outfits. "She's here!" Cynthia Rose shouted.
Beca began to approach the stage to join, assuming they were performing a song, slightly frustrated, and a bit annoyed that nobody told her what was going on. However, she was quickly grabbed by a strange man and shoved in a chair, strategically set up in the middle. She was tired of being manhandled but followed directions anyway.
The girls all spun around and quickly got in their places, as the girls started to hum. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, Chloe appeared, shooting Beca a wink, and began to sing.
Jesse is a friend, yeah
I know he's been a good friend of mine
But lately something's changed that ain't hard to define
Jesse's got himself a girl and I want to make her mine
And she's watching him with those eyes
And she's loving him with that body, I just know it
Yeah 'n' he's holding her in his arms late, late at night
You know I wish that I had Jesse's girl
I wish that I had Jesse's girl
Where can I find a woman like that
Chloe began wiggling her hips and dancing around the stage, all while remaining eye contact with Beca.
I play along with the charade
There doesn't seem to be a reason to change
You know, I feel so dirty when they start talking cute
I wanna tell her that I love her
But the point is probably moot
'Cause she's watching him with those eyes
And she's loving him with that body, I just know it
And he's holding her in his arms late, late at night
You know I wish that I had Jesse's girl
I wish that I had Jesse's girl
Where can I find a woman like that
Like Jesse's girl
I wish that I had Jesse's girl
Where can I find a woman
Where can I find a woman like that
And I'm looking in the mirror all the time
Wondering what she don't see in me
I've been funny, I've been cool with the lines
Ain't that the way love supposed to be
Tell me, where can I find a woman like that
You know, I wish that I had Jesse's girl
I wish that I had Jesse's girl
I want Jesse's girl
Where can I find a woman like that
Like Jesse's girl
I wish that I had Jesse's girl
I want, I want Jesse's girl!
As the Bellas finished their song, and everyone around them clapped, a slightly out of breath Chloe walked over to Beca.
Blushing furiously, Beca looked up at her best friend from her seat and asked, "what is all this about?"
"Did you not listen to the song at all?"
"Yeah, I did. Kinda hard not to Beale," Beca smiled. "But you know I'm not with Jesse."
"I know but singing "I want Jesse's ex girl" just didn't flow right."
"So what does this mean?"
"It means I want you. If you'll have me," Chloe explained. "I know this might be kind of out of the blue, but I like you. I like like you, and I have ever since I ambushed you in the shower. You don't have to like me back, but I'd be really happy if you do."
"I do." Beca said quickly.
"Awesome. To quote the great Avril, 'Hey hey, you you, I could be your girlfriend. Hey hey, you you, I know that you like me. No way, no way, no its not a secret. Hey hey, you you, I want to be your girlfriend."
Beca rolled her eyes. "Really?"
"Really. So. Will you be my girlfriend then?"
"Whatever weirdo. I guess so."
The rest of the afternoon, was spent celebrating with thousands of other Atlanta residents who loved and supported them, making the new couple's relationship even that much better.