A/N: Welcome back to Cassie sucks at posting updates starring your host, me :) I must say, I'm on a roll today though. I just posted an Arcane Cait/Vi fic if any of you guys watched the show and are into that pairing and want to check it out. I've been having some serious writers block up until a few days ago, and I've been dealing with quite a lot personally so I apologize. This fic is not abandoned and I will finish it even if it takes me the rest of my damn life lmao. And to make up for the extremely long wait this is a prettttty long chapter. Y'all might hate me at the end but TRUST THE PROCESS. Let me know what you think of this chapter! I love the feedback, it motivates me to not drop off the face of the planet for almost a year :P DONT READ THE END AUTHOR'S NOTES UNTIL YOU FINISH THE CHAPTER IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS
The week leading up to the frat gig went by quickly, and most of her time Beca spent with Chloe. Whether it was in her dorm, at the library, or in the quad. Chloe even got Beca to start going to her classes, questioning the brunette about how she always seemed to be in her dorm and how Chloe never saw her doing school work. Beca sheepishly admitted she hadn't really been attending her classes that much, to which Chloe had gently scolded her by saying, "you know for someone who is basically a genius you really don't apply yourself."
Hence why the library was a place they began to spend time together. Sometimes Stacie even joined them there, and teased Beca to no end when Chloe slipped away to the bathroom about how they totally acted like a couple. They would always sit next to each other even if it was just the two of them, sharing snacks and giggling not so quietly to the point where the librarian gave up on yelling at them for being too loud. And when they were working quietly Beca would give Chloe one of her Airpods to her so they could listen to her music together, deciding to leave her clunky over-the-ear headphones back at her dorm. Beca couldn't even argue with Stacie about them acting like a couple because honestly, Beca didn't act that way around anyone else. Even at Bellas practice she mostly stuck to herself or chatted with Stacie. When she would notice Chloe walking back to the table she'd kick Stacie's shin to get her to shut up.
Beca's wounds completely healed within two days, and Chloe had questioned how her forehead could look like the gash had never been there to begin with, to which Beca shrugged and replied, "good genes, I guess.".
It was the Friday night before their gig, and after a few days of rest Beca was swinging through the city enjoying being able to move around without pain. She had taken Stacie's advice about avoiding anything that wouldn't get her any leads towards the main criminal circle of Barden, and even with her loaded schedule she felt better than she had since she arrived at Barden. She even got her Spider-Bot to function, though she still wanted to make improvements on it. It connected to her Spidey-Line so she could control it through her phone.
She swooped down into the same alleyway where she had saved Chloe that first night in the city, near AllenCorp's main facility, and placed the robot on the ground. Then, she shot a web up to the tallest building in sight and perched on the ledge, pulling her phone out to control the Spider-Bot. She kept the robot to the shadows as it made its way into the uncharted territory so nobody would get suspicious of a random robot walking around.
She noted to herself that she would need to upgrade the camera because visibility was still a bit challenging, but she could make out enough to get an understanding of what she would be up against once her and Chloe decided to make their move against the mayor. If the mayor was involved in Shocker's release then there was clearly something he was hiding, and she had a feeling it was more than just potentially dumping toxic waste into the city's water supply.
As the robot neared the facility she could see at least twenty henchmen, appearing to be wearing the same jackets as those few goons she had taken down to save Chloe. They were moving barrels that probably contained the waste the redhead had brought to her attention, but she couldn't make out what was on the labels of them due to the robot's not so up to date camera. Beca had found it in the city one night and decided to snatch it, but she was going to need to either find something better or invest in better equipment.
She figured she had seen what she needed to and made the Spider-Bot head back to the alleyway, saving the video feed onto her phone's internal storage. Once she received her little friend, she went back to the same perch she had been at and dialed the redhead's number.
"Hey Spidey," Chloe greeted her after a couple rings. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this phone call?"
"Hey, Red," Beca smiled, feeling those familiar butterflies in her chest from the other woman's voice. "I wanted to let you know that I think I may have a lead on that toxic waste situation."
"Oh yeah?" Chloe perked up. The anticipation of getting the story out had been eating away at her. The people needed to know what their "beloved" mayor was up to. "What did you find?"
"Not quite enough proof to get the feds involved yet, but it appears that your hypothesis may be right," Beca quickly explained. "I saw a bunch of dudes carrying barrels, couldn't quite make out what it was, and I didn't see them dumping anything. But they had the same jackets on as the guys who tried to stop you from snooping around, so we can only assume that whatever is in those barrels isn't anything good."
"I knew it!" Chloe squealed in excitement. She seemed to realize what she was excited about and her mood quickly changed to horror. "Those dicklicks! They're putting the entire city in danger! Not to mention how terrible it must be for the environment."
"Miss Beale, did you just swear?" Beca couldn't help but chuckle despite how bad the situation could wind up.
"I think this situation calls for a little fowl language, Spidey," Chloe giggled. "So when are we going to bust in there?"
"I don't know quite yet," Beca sighed, wishing she could just go in there right now in a blaze of glory, but knew they needed to play this smart. "I think I should keep my eye on it for a little while, maybe see where they take these containers. The mayor is a powerful man, it's not going to be easy to convince the police to go against him. We need as much proof as we can get."
"Well, just give me the word and my camera and I will be ready, except for tomorrow. I have a gig with my a cappella team so I'm fully booked."
"How's that going for you?" Beca asked, knowing full well how it was going. The team was a straight up trainwreck, and they were in no way ready for tomorrow. She knew all of the girls had talent that was yet to be unleashed, and if Aubrey just listened to her suggestions they'd be able to break the girls out of their shells.
"Honestly, it's stressful. I found some bad news out at my doctor's appointment, and it's been hard for me to focus on getting the team in line for our performance," Chloe explained, her voice now sounding strained, like she was holding back tears.
Beca became much more alert at the confession. Chloe had never mentioned anything to her during the time they spent together, and she remembered the girl saying she was just going in for a normal check up. She knew there had been something the redhead wasn't mentioning when she had asked about it, but when Chloe seemed to be acting normal it had completely slipped her mind.
"You're not dying, right?"
"No, of course not!"
"Good," Beca sighed in relief. "We just became partners in crime, I don't know how I'd deal with that loss if you died."
She said it in a joking manner, but she also sincerely meant it. One of the reasons why she was scared to tell Chloe her identity was because then the redhead dying could be a very real possibility. Beca has had far too many near death experiences in her young age, and sometimes she even regretted telling Stacie about her powers because her enemies could harm the people she cared about to get to her. She had told Stacie when she was just taking down petty criminals, but soon after she was facing actual villains and she feared that anybody who knew she was Spider-Girl would be in danger.
"I actually haven't told anyone this, but I have nodes."
"Um, Red, care to elaborate a little more on what that is exactly?"
"Vocal nodules. Basically my vocal cords rub together at an above average rate. I can barely hit the notes I normally can without a lot of pain," Chloe sighed.
Now that Chloe mentioned it, Beca recalled the girl rubbing at her throat during practice and drinking a ton of water. She had been in pain the entire week and nobody had noticed. Beca's heart sank on Chloe's behalf, knowing she loved to sing more than anything in this world, probably even more than her journalism work.
"Chloe, I'm so sorry," Beca apologized. "I know how hard that must be for you and how important a cappella is to you."
"It'll be okay. Everything happens for a reason, right?"
Beca hummed in response, mind already swirling with ideas about what she could do to help Chloe out in little ways, just as the older woman had when the hero had been hurt. She started swinging her way to the grocery store with certain items in mind that would help ease the pain in the girl's throat.
"Hey Spidey, I gotta get going. I have a lot to prepare for the gig tomorrow and if I don't I'll have to face Aubrey's wrath."
"Okay, Red. I'll keep you posted on everything going on with AllenCorp. Get some rest, and don't let Aubrey puke on you," the hero teased.
With that they hung up the line, just as Beca was nearing the grocery store. She realized she didn't have any clothes on her, so she had to settle for walking in with her suit on. She was just hoping she could be in and out so nobody would harass her in there.
Luckily, it was pretty empty there considering the time of night, and she grabbed a basket and quickly went to work on gathering things for the redhead. Chamomile tea, soothing cough drops, honey, and fresh lemons all went in her basket. She made her way to the checkout and the cashier stared at her in shock.
"Um, are you actually Spider-Girl?" The middle-aged woman asked. She was a petite blonde with kind blue eyes and a small smile gracing her lips.
"The one and only," Beca smiled despite the fact the woman couldn't see it.
"Do you mind taking a picture with me? My kids love you."
"Oh, yeah, of course!" Beca said in surprise. Most people were too shocked or afraid to even speak to her.
The woman stepped around the counter and Beca took the woman's phone. She stretched out her arm so both of them were in the frame and threw up a peace sign with her other hand. She snapped a couple photos and handed the phone back to the woman.
Once their little photoshoot was done, the cashier rang up her stuff and Beca paid for them. She gathered her belongings and sent one more smile at the woman.
"I hope your kids enjoy the photos!" Beca said as she headed towards the exit. She felt good after the interaction, not usually getting such a kind reaction when she was out and about in her suit.
"Thanks, Spidey! They're going to think I'm so cool now. Be safe out there," the woman said as she waved good-bye.
Beca decided to make her way back to her dorm, knowing she needed to get at least a little rest before the gig tomorrow. As she was heading there, her phone rang the familiar ringtone that belonged specifically to her best friend.
"What's up, hot stuff?" Beca greeted the other woman.
"Um, why is there a photo of you in a grocery store circulating Instagram right now? Shouldn't you be out stopping bad guys?"
"Damn, I just took that photo five minutes ago and it's already blowing up?" Beca asked with a chuckle. She hoped the woman's kids would be happy. "Also, I did happen to get a lead before going to the grocery store, Stace, so I was working… just not anymore."
"What lead?"
"I used my Spider-Bot to follow Chlo's hypothesis on the mayor, and I definitely think she's onto something. Right near where she got attacked our first night in Barden there's a bunch of dudes moving a ton of containers, which both of us are assuming is the toxic waste that they're dumping, but my Spider-Bot needs a better camera for me to really know what's in those containers," the hero explained to her friend. "Plus him having something to do with Shocker's release doesn't sit right with me."
"So when are you going to ask Chlo out? Or at least tell her who you really are?" Stacie teased. Beca could hear her not so subtle laughter on the other end.
"We've talked about this, Stace. You know it's dangerous for people to know who I am," Beca sighed, exasperated with her best friend's antics on getting her laid. "Besides, I could ask you the same question about our blonde dictator."
"I know who you really are and nothing has happened to me, so I think that's a bullshit excuse," Stacie quipped back. "And Aubrey is way more uptight than Chloe is, so it's going to take some time. I can't even convince her to hang out with me during our free time."
"So just use some bullshit excuse about wanting one-on-one Bellas practice, or say you are struggling with schoolwork and want her help."
"Please," Stacie scoffed. "I don't need help with schoolwork."
"So what? She doesn't need to know that."
"I guess you may be right," Stacie pondered her options. "Who would've thought I'd be getting dating advice from you?"
"Ha ha, Stace. I'm not that hopeless," Beca huffed in mock frustration.
"Well, ask Chloe out soon, the sexual tension is killing me. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Aye aye, Captain."
Beca ended the call with a roll of her eyes and made her way back to her dorm so she could get some rest for the gig tomorrow. She couldn't help but think about what Stacie had said. Should she ask Chloe out? Should she tell her who she really was? Could she keep the other woman out of harm's way? There were too many uncertainties, and Beca hated doing anything on a whim and not knowing what the outcome would be. The thoughts flooded her mind all night, and rest didn't come easy for the hero.
Before the gig the girls all met at the auditorium. Beca brought Chloe a cup of tea, and herself a cup of coffee so it didn't seem suspicious. She was surprisingly one of the first to arrive, the only others being Chloe, Aubrey and Stacie. Stacie and Aubrey were in their own conversation, but from the way the taller brunette was leaning over the piano to show off her figure, Beca assumed she was trying to convince Aubrey to hang out outside of practice and classes.
"Hey, Becs," Chloe greeted the brunette, a dazzling smile spread across her face.
"Hey, Chlo," Beca grinned, while handing the other woman the tea. "I made myself coffee this morning and was going to make you one, but thought you seemed like more of a tea drinker so I made you tea instead."
"I love tea, thanks!" Chloe beamed. Her fingers brushed against Beca's when she took the cup and sent a chill down the shorter girl's spine. Chloe took a sip of the tea and let out a deep moan. "This is amazing. I may be asking you for one every day now."
"Glad you like it," Beca smiled, happy that Chloe enjoyed it. She was already intending on bringing one to each practice, or whenever they saw each other in their free time.
The girls started to filter in, all adorning the ridiculous Bella uniform, and their conversation was put on pause as Chloe had to go play Captain. Beca felt uncomfortable in her outfit, but she felt a little comfort that she had kept her "ear monstrosities" in, as Aubrey liked to call them. She had her hair down so nobody could see them, and hopefully avoid Aubrey's anger, but the knowledge that she was metaphorically flipping Aubrey off brought her a little happiness.
They received a quick pep talk from Aubrey before heading out, which was more of a threat to be on their A game than a pep talk. Beca had a bad feeling in her gut, she knew they weren't performance ready, and felt like the blonde dictator was pushing them too soon. Even Chloe looked nervous, maybe about her nodes or maybe she knew they weren't ready either.
As predicted, it was a trainwreck. They couldn't even make it through one song before they were stopped and told they wouldn't be paid for their performance. Beca couldn't help but laugh at how catastrophic it went. Chloe and Beca locked eyes during the performance and Beca knew they were both thinking the same thing… Aubrey was going to be pissed.
As they did their walk of shame, Aubrey's shrill voice trailed behind them, shaming them for how the gig went. However, she then turned her wrath directly to Chloe, and Beca had to physically withhold herself so she wouldn't give Aubrey a black eye. The captain clearly didn't know what Chloe was going through, and the knowledge that the redhead had only told Spider-Girl made her heart soar. Even though Chloe wasn't aware of Spider-Girl's real identity, it made Beca happy that she trusted her.
"I have nodes!" Chloe blurted out after Aubrey berated her.
"What?" Aubrey's voice shifted from nagging to concerned. "Oh my god."
"I found out this morning," Chloe lied, probably not wanting her best friend to freak out for not telling her.
"What are nodes?" Beca asked, playing dumb.
"Vocal nodules," Aubrey said as if it was obvious. "The rubbing together of your vocal cords at an above average rate without proper lubrication."
"They sit on your windpipe and they crush your dreams," Chloe said with tears in her eyes. Beca wanted nothing more than to reach out for her and comfort her.
"Isn't that painful? Why would you keep performing?" Beca questioned. She knew why, it was the same reason why she kept her career going as Spider-Girl. Even though it was hard, she loved to do it. But she needed to act like she didn't know as much as she did, so her new friend wouldn't suspect her hidden identity.
"Because I love to sing," the redhead explained.
"Yeah, it's like when my lady doctor told me not to have sex for six weeks, and I did it anyway," Stacie piped up. Beca gave her a nudge with her elbow, hoping to indicate that she was not helping the situation.
"You should really listen to your doctor," Amy replied.
"The key is early diagnosis. I am living with nodes," Chloe continued to address the group, ignoring the two women. "But I am a survivor. I just have to pull back because I am limited. Because I have nodes."
"Chloe, this is horrible," Aubrey cried, clutching the redhead's hand like a lifeline.
Beca wanted to assume positive intent with Aubrey, but something made her feel like all the blonde cared about was the fact that Chloe wouldn't be able to perform to her fullest potential and how that would affect the Bellas. She tried to see the good in Aubrey that Chloe did, but she just wasn't seeing it no matter how hard she tried. The redhead was always doing nice things for everyone, especially Aubrey, and she never saw it returned.
"Well, at least it's not herpes," Amy said, pulling Beca out of her thoughts. "Or do you have that as well?"
"Amy!" Beca hissed, also nudging her with her elbow to get her to shut up. Who would have thought that Beca of all people would be the only one handling this with tact? Maybe it was because she already knew, however she liked to think she had handled her previous conversation with Chloe well.
"Damn, Shawshank, you got some strength," Amy huffed, rubbing her arm where she had been elbowed. Beca sometimes forgot that she could inflict pain with minimal effort. Stacie was already used to it, but the rest of the girls weren't, other than Chloe now.
The girls started to break apart into their own conversations and filtering out. Chloe moved closer to Beca, most likely wanting comfort in one of the only people who had handled her confession well. The hero had noticed that Chloe was coming to her more often as of late than going to Aubrey. She was glad that the redhead trusted her, but also felt sad that Chloe didn't feel comfortable enough to go to her best friend with her problems.
"Becs, are you busy right now?" Chloe asked, reaching out to grab the hero by the hand. Their hands interlocked perfectly, just like how her body fit so well with Spider-Girl when they were flying through the city.
"No, I think I'm free for the time being. What's up, Chlo?"
"Can we just… do something? Anything?" Chloe asked, tears once again brimming her eyes. "I could really use a friend right now."
"Of course," Beca said without hesitation, immediately feeling worried for the other woman. She knew how hard it must have been to confess her diagnosis in front of everyone. Especially since prior to her confession she was getting berated by her best friend. She gave a reassuring squeeze to Chloe's hand, hoping it conveyed what she was trying to say. She was here for Chloe, and not going anywhere. "Let's get out of here."
They went back to Beca's dorm, the brunette being grateful that her roommate was not there. As time on campus went on, her fear of her roommate hadn't dissipated. She was glad that she didn't cross paths with her much.
As they settled in, Beca felt a buzz of nervous energy throughout her body, not knowing what to do to make Chloe feel better about her situation. She'd never really been someone that her friends came to for comfort. Stacie never really let anything bother her, always keeping a carefree attitude about things, and everyone else she knew she wasn't close enough with for them to seek solace in her. The redhead must have sensed her nervousness, breaking the tension by offering a suggestion of what they could do.
"Maybe we could just relax and watch a movie?"
"A movie, yeah, okay," Beca mumbled awkwardly, grabbing her laptop to hide the heat rising up her neck to her cheeks. "I gotta say though, I'm no movie buff, so you'll have to pick one."
"You don't like movies?" Chloe asked, non-judgmentally unlike everyone else when they found out that little fun fact about her. "We don't have to watch one if that's the case. We could just listen to some music."
"No, no, it's okay," Beca reassured her. She handed her laptop over to Chloe as she settled on the bed next to her. "I really don't mind. Plus, this is for you to take your mind off of things, so don't worry about me."
"As long as you're sure," she said softly, biting down on her bottom lip nervously. Her eyebrows were furrowed with worry still, not seeming convinced with her friend.
"I'm sure," Beca smiled. She reached over and gave the older woman's hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze, trying to ignore the tingling sensation that shot through her body any time it made contact with Chloe's.
It did the trick though, Chloe's worry disappeared from the contact, and so did the frown that had cracked through Beca's heart. The taller woman insisted that they get cozy, laying down on the bed with the blankets pulled up over them. Beca's bed was big enough that they weren't completely on top of each other, but their sides were lightly pressed together. Beca willed herself to take nice, long breaths to lower her rapidly increasing heart rate, and it wasn't any easier with the fact that Chloe was still holding onto her hand, their fingers now fully interlocked.
Chloe decided to put on Shrek, upon which Beca had just looked at her with an eyebrow raised in question, and Chloe defensively said, "it's a classic." Beca could only chuckle, not really caring what they watched, just surprised by the choice. She had expected to suffer through a couple hours of a shitty rom-com, this was an upgrade in her opinion.
As they settled in and started the film, it became more and more of a challenge for Beca to focus on the movie in front of them. Chloe kept scooting closer to Beca as time ticked by, craving physical touch as comfort, until the brunette decided to just wrap her arm around her and pulled her closer. Now, Chloe's head was resting on her chest, probably able to hear her rapidly pounding heart. One of her legs was tangled in between Beca's, and her arm was wrapped around the smaller woman's torso.
They were at the scene in the movie where Princess Fiona left with Lord Farquad. Beca heard a small sniffle from the woman wrapped up in her arms and looked down to see that Chloe's eyes had become glassy with unshed tears. She wasn't sure what she did in her life to deserve to have such a pure soul to be in her presence, but she gave her a small squeeze in hopes to comfort her through the emotional rollercoaster that was the Shrek movie. Chloe looked up at her then, cerulean blue pools gazing into her soul. Beca's breath hitched in her throat, and she could do nothing more than stare back.
"Your heart is beating really fast," Chloe whispered. She spoke as if any loud noise would pop the comfortable bubble they had settled into.
"Yeah, well," Beca sighed, gaze flickering down to soft, plump lips then back up. Stacie's words flooded through her mind. Ask her out. Tell her who you really are. You guys are practically already a couple. She swallowed the lump in her throat and decided to be bold, like Stacie. "It's not every day I have a beautiful girl wrapped up in my arms."
She felt the body in her arms tense slightly, and there was a look in Chloe's eyes that she couldn't decipher. She was about to apologize profusely for crossing a boundary, the words were on the tip of her tongue when lips were suddenly pressed against her mouth. Her eyes widened and her body stiffened before her mind finally caught up with what was going on. Holy shit, Chloe is kissing me, echoed through her brain. Why the fuck am I not kissing her back?!
She melted into the kiss, and she couldn't help but think of how in sync they were with one another. It was like when she held Chloe while flying through the city, they just knew how to fit together perfectly, like their bodies were made for each other. She was overwhelmed by the fiery passion that burned between them. It was as if they had been wandering in the desert for days without water and finally came across a vast body of water. It was refreshing and exciting and utterly terrifying.
She reached up to cup the side of Chloe's face, pulling her in closer, craving to be as close to the woman as possible. Her tongue brushed against the redhead's bottom lip, asking for entrance into her warm, intoxicating mouth, which was eagerly accepted. Chloe's hand reached up to curl around the front of her shirt, tugging her impossibly closer as their tongues danced together in a rhythm of their own making. All that could be heard in the room was their lips smacking together, heavy breaths between the pair, and the faint background noise of Shrek still playing. Chloe bit down on Beca's bottom lip and tugged, causing a moan to escape the back of her throat from the sensation of pain alongside pleasure.
And just like that the moment was broken. Chloe abruptly pulled back with a gasp, scrambling from her spot on the bed, laptop all but forgotten. Her eyes were wide with panic and she immediately started pacing the small dorm.
"Becs, I'm so sorry," she apologized with her hands running through her hair, probably hoping that would settle whatever emotions were coursing through her. "That shouldn't have happened, I-I wasn't thinking clearly. I'm so sorry."
"Chloe, it's okay, I'm not upset," Beca calmly replied despite her racing heart from the passionate moment shared between them. She scratched at the back of her neck nervously, ready to put her feelings out there. "In fact, I wanted that to happen. I like you, Chlo, as more than just a friend."
It seemed as though her heart stopped beating when she looked into those brilliant, beautiful blue eyes, such a contrast to what she had been feeling moments prior. Beca thought with her confession that it would make the redhead relax, but instead she just looked devastated.
"Beca, I-I like you, too. So much. You've become one of the most important people in my life in such a short amount of time," Chloe stammered as a tear fell down one of her cheeks. Beca wanted to reach out to her, but was confused why the woman was upset when it sounded like they had mutual feelings. "B-but I also have feelings for someone else, t-too. And I'm so confused because this has never happened to me before. And I care about you so much and it just wouldn't be fair of me to pursue something with you when I'm so uncertain of my feelings right now."
Oh.
"I see," she croaked, not trusting her voice to say anything else.
"I'm sorry, Becs. I'm so terribly sorry," the older woman cried, and Beca could do nothing but sit there and stare. She felt like her ribs were constricting in her chest, breaking into sharp, jagged spikes stabbing into her heart. "I-I should go. I need some time to think and process everything I'm feeling."
She quickly gathered all of her belongings. Beca sat rigid in her seat on the bed, fists clenched in her lap, not being able to move or breathe or speak. Chloe gave one last sad look in her direction before opening the dorm door and clicking it gently closed behind her. She wasn't sure how long she sat there for. Alone. Lost. Heartbroken. She had only one thought.
This was exactly why she had kept her heart caged behind impenetrable walls for so long. Until Chloe fucking Beale came along and tore them all down.
A/N: sorry :( if you can't tell I'm currently heartbroken and definitely channelled that energy into the last part of this chapter. can y'all take a wild guess who the other person that Chloe has feelings for is ;)
