wow, so heads up, this one is a super long chapter. It's also a bit of a filler chapter. I have been struggling with creating a lot of backstories and figured that now as a good time to just show you guys how Beca handles a bit of her job as well as other people. But I haven't caught up on Supergirl in a long while- and I also want to let you guys know that it's entirely possible I will stray from classic lore, but I hope you enjoy all the same. AND PLEASE KEEP THE REVIEWS COMING!~ Shelby Yarchin
THE AIR at Noonan's was always filled with a slight hint of cinnamon. It was a bakery, and Beca Mitchell didn't doubt the warm feeling that hit the core of her stomach every single time the bell above the door chimed in welcoming.
She had been coming here since she was younger- it was on the corner of the street Barden resided in. Half of the time it was filled to the brink with employees trying to kickstart their days- or students from the local high school that wanted to kill some time and some free wi-fi.
Today was a Monday, Beca's face still aching in an ugly yellowed bruise, her lip no longer tasting like a coppery mix of blood and mint. It had only been two days and her body was slowly recovering from her little run in. It still ached- still burned and chided each time she did decide to push herself past the loft this weekend.
She needed this coffee. Beca wasn't the sugar and creamer type of girl, she could take the black tarry liquid right off the burner and chug it until her throat burned and stomach grumbled in protest. But right now- that very scent of caffeine was so enticing that her mouth was instantly filled with saliva.
Beca's phone buzzed haphazardly in her pocket as she leaned heavily against the side of the wall- waiting for the sound of her name being called throughout the café. She wanted to press ignore, not wanting to deal with whatever text lay on the other end.
Dr. Conrad[8:17AM]
Hey Short Stack, Amy is out tonight so the two of us are going to take to the town.
Beca[8:18AM]
Oh, God. It's Thursday, can't I nap on a perfectly good Thursday night?
Dr. Conrad[8:20AM]
Not a chance. See you tonight.
She let out a groan as her name was called out, causing her to shove her phone into her pocket as she smiled at the young barista behind the counter. Despite being around all that coffee, the woman looked dead inside. The brunette felt her pain and gave her a sympathetic look before thanking her and turning towards the door.
Beca froze, her heart in her throat as she pressed the edge of the plastic lid to her lips. She was mid-sip when she caught a glance at a certain Red Head by the windows. She was busy shoving half of a cinnamon bun into her mouth. Even with the morning just peaking through the horizon she wore a smile. Her deep blue eyes catching Beca's as she parted her lips slightly, lifting an eyebrow towards Beca.
Her feet felt like cement. It would be rude to walk out of Noonan's without saying hi, or at least share a bit of conversation with the excitable woman who was beaming at her from across the room. Beca eventually swallowed her resolve, along with the bitter taste her coffee let behind.
"Callie, right?" She asked, giving the girl a playful glimmer. The girl scoffed loudly and shook her head, wiping the edge of her lip with her thumb, getting the bit of icing and cinnamon away from the corner of her lip.
"That woman hates me," She said, running a hand through her hair as she gestured for Beca to sit down. The smaller girl eyed her, but eventually pulled the other chair out, lowering herself into it with caution. Chloe seemed to respond well to the action, pushing the rest of the sticky cinnamon bun to the side with a gracious grin at the sudden company.
"That woman hates everyone," Beca said. It wasn't necessarily untrue. Gail Abernathy was interested in proving herself. She didn't just give manners and respect to anyone that flashed their expression at her. You had to prove yourself to gain some type of kindness from the blonde woman who built an empire out of nothing.
"She doesn't seem to hate you," Chloe said with a bit of spark as she pointed the edge of her fork Beca's way, waving it around a bit.
"Oh, trust me, she does." She brunette leaned back in her seat, taking a cautious drink of her coffee. It burned against her throat and filled her lungs with a thick heat. "Gail just realized that it was easier to have me on her side than against her."
Beca made an odd face as another wave of sweet icing and spices hit her senses. She was the one that was so used to drinking black coffee that was way too bitter for her own good. She had a feeling that Chloe would dump whole cups of sugar into the hot beverage until they formed rough ropes at the bottom of the mug.
"How do you eat that this early in the morning?" She asked, scrunching up her nose.
"Easy," Chloe shrugged her shoulders with a toothy grin as she popped the last bit of pastry into her mouth "I'm an alien."
THE YOUNG woman leaned back heavily in her chair, letting the springs creak and groan against her added weight as her eyelids began to grow heavy. It didn't matter how many cups of coffee she had downed- the day was still dragging along.
Her main focus was on the string that was laced around her fingers. It was a large strand that she had pulled from the hem of her regular black t-shirt. She wasn't worried about the two pieces of fabric falling apart- not when she had a million other shirts like it. Instead- she practiced a game she remembered learning as a child. Cat's cradle.
Beca's stare was desolate as she glanced at the intricate weaving of a tiny thread against pale skin. It reminded her of an obstacle course created by supervillains before the main hero could get to that precious artifact- the one to stop world hunger, or finally shut off a desolate machine that could destroy the world.
Jessica yawned beside her, a little whimper escaping the girls pink drawn lips as she leaned her head against the side of her hand- eyes drooping themselves. It was a boring day- one filled with watching security camera's and making sure everyone who walked through the front door had their badges.
Usually, Beca wouldn't bother herself with this kind of thing- but with Flo taking a leave of absence for the next few weeks to handle some family matters, and Ashley not bothering to get her flu shot this year, she was shit out of luck. Of course, she had more than a couple of people on her team- but none willing enough to actually sit through this torture.
"Stick your hand through here," Beca mumbled, shifting in the leather chair before she was at the very end, she had scooted close enough that she could smell the lavender coming off of her counterpart.
"What?" Jessica finally shot a deep hazel stare towards her boss- the very boss that had her tongue sticking slightly past her lips in an attempt to focus more clearly. She did that sometimes- the badass who could somehow look like a lost puppy in a matter of moments. Still, the taller blonde cocked her head to the side.
"Stick your hand in the middle of this thing," Beca said without breaking concentration, she used to do this type of thing all the time as a kid. If she had strung her cards right then she could untangle the thread in one swift movement, even with Jess's wrist in the middle of it.
The blonde took her bottom lip between her teeth to stifle a laugh at her boss's slack expression. She stuck her hand out, slowly working her fingers through the middle of the little obstacle course before staring at the woman with curiosity.
"Don't cut off my circulation, Mitchell." She mumbled with a bit of malice, but mostly bewilderment. The brunette gave a curt nod as she made one shift yank- a light grunt moving through Beca as her fingers became tangled in the very thread she had pulled.
Jessica drew in a breath as she deadpanned next to her counterpart- utterly annoyed at the woman for playing cat's cradle in the middle of a work day- especially if she didn't exactly know how to execute the maneuver.
"Am I interrupting something?" A deep voice filled the air, a stranger at that. Beca's breath caught in her throat as she pulled back completely, struggling to untangle herself from Jessica as the woman struggled to stifle a laugh. Instead, she bit her bottom lip and rubbed her stinging hands on her knees.
Beca's gaze flashed up to the man who was standing on the other edge of the counter- a goofy grin on his face as he adjusted the black leather strap of his over the shoulder bag. He wore a pale blue button-down that clashed with chocolate brown eyes and an edging grin.
"No um, not at all-"Beca stood, "And you are?"
This man didn't dawn a badge. Beca didn't care if he looked charming and harmless- he was still a stranger that had walked past the double paned glass doors and into the base floor of Barden's offices. That made her walls spring up almost instantly- a sharp chill moving through her.
"Jesse Swanson," He smirked, sticking out a hand with confidence. "I was told to come see a Beca Mitchell about a badge and an office."
He was beaming, if not struggling to stay upright. Even though she had just met this man, she knew he was clumsy- clumsy enough to mess with the dark camera strung around his neck and the prints tucked under his arm.
"Oh, you're that photographer guy!" Jessica said excitedly, her lips parting as Beca turned her head and gave the girl a curved eyebrow. She sunk into her seat nervously but still turned her attention back to Jesse. "Is it true, you know Superman?"
He blew a puff of breath out of his nose as he gave her a charming smirk. Something told Beca that he was always this playful with his words. "I've taken his picture a few times. He's posed for a few of them."
"Whoa, that is so cool" Jessica gasped, mouth agape. Beca wrapped her touch around the plastic badge that showed a chiseled jaw of Jesse himself. She cleared her throat, lifting the picture ID up.
She cleared her throat. "Anyway, I'll show you to your office, Mr. Swanson."
He faltered at the serious tone she took, stepping from behind the desk as she didn't wait for him to catch his thoughts. Instead, she kept walking, shoes echoing against the quiet lobby as Jessica leaned back in her chair once more and started to pay attention to the monitors again.
They walked past a silver set of elevators until they reached the other end of the lobby, two more elevators were carved into stone as she turned and shoved her hands into her pockets. "These are the staff elevators. You can use these, and the stairs, but never that front elevator up there. That is reserved for Gail, and Gail only."
"Gail?" Jesse pushed the button to the lift, letting a blue light reflecting off the floor.
"Gail Abernathy," Beca lifted her eyebrows with a slight smirk. "The woman who hired you?"
"Oh, she didn't hire me," He said, "I don't know who did… all I know is that I was asked to show up at Barden. I don't even live in National City, but I traded it all for an office with a view."
"Daring," She said as the elevator dinged, opening up to its silver interior as she let Jesse press his back against the side wall, staring Beca down. She wasn't dressed like a normal security guard- instead, she dawned dark jeans and a black V-neck. Her own badge was clipped to a belt loop as she stood with slack. "What about your old job?"
"I was freelancing," he explained carefully "Not a PI or anything like that but being Superman's right-hand guy is okay when you don't actually live in Metropolis. He kind of pushed me to take the job."
"Right," Beca deadpanned, still with an amused expression on her face as she stared at the slowly climbing numbers.
"That's the second time you've done that."
"Done what?"
"Haven't reacted."
She stared his way, knitting her eyebrows together as she parted her lips. She didn't exactly know how to respond to his words, not when he stared at her expectantly. He had a wonderment in golden eyes that could only be described as childish but innocent.
"Do people usually swoon when you talk about the man in red and blue spandex?"
Instead of waiting for an answer Beca exited the elevator, turning around to see if Jesse was following her. He was. She walked past most of the employees sitting at those obnoxious glass desks, not looking up at the sound of the doors opening and closing. This place, the pit, was always fuming with reporters and editors trying to do the best that they could to please Gail. To keep the news flowing.
Chloe glanced up from her own desk, meeting midnight blue eyes with a small smile as Beca returned it- knowing that the girl had memos to send, a lot of work to get through. She bit the edge of her pen between her lips. She was chewing on it, eyebrows creasing.
Beca pulled open a glass door to one of the offices- it was empty but was different from the other ones. There was a large table, and places to hand new prints- and in fact, a very good view from the windows that pressed against the far wall.
"Holy shit," Jesse said, leaning his prints up against the wall as he looked around in awe.
Beca stood back, smiling at the aloof expression on Jesse's face. "An office with a view."