I'm kinda sad this fic couldn't be updated consecutively... But, stuff happens. You know, family stuff, parties, the lack of internet connection right when I finish the chapter... Hope you all understand!
Disclaimer: I do not own any familiar locations, characters, movies, etc. that I mention below.
On the seventh day of Christmas my weirdo gave to me...
Seven Hours of Nagging and Temptation
Arm in arm, Beca and Jesse walk through Atlanta's busiest malls, searching for a last-minute Christmas gift for his secret santa. Unlike Beca, he had chosen to wait last minute to find Aubrey a gift for the holidays. He figured bringing Beca would help him in finding a gift that would make the picky blonde satisfied. Plus, it was pretty much the last opportunity to spend with Beca, alone, until semester starts in January. With the concert only 48 hours away, and the fact that she was leaving the day after gave little room for alone time. The plan was to find the gift, get some dinner and dessert, and, he assumed, then she'd sleep over one last night before she had to go home and pack. He holds her a little closer, a little tighter, but Beca doesn't seem to notice.
"You know what Aubrey needs? She needs one of these— scratch that, I need one of these." She sighs as she plops down onto a massaging chair. She presses the 'trial' button and the chair begins to vibrate on her back, sending her into pure bliss. He digs his hands into his pockets, looking around the mall, trying to scope a decent store to look in. His eyes land on the pet shop's store window, noticing how uncharacteristically barren it was outside of it. His eyes flicker from the relaxing Beca back to the store window, knowing very well that if they passed by, she would never shut up about the furry animals. He makes a clear mental note to avoid the seemingly inviting aura of the pet shop until they got what they needed. Her trial on the chair is up and she pouts, wanting more.
"Does Aubrey like shoes? She likes shoes, right? We should head this way." He pulls on her wrist opposite the direction of the animals.
With a shake of her head, she refuses to budge. "She does like shoes... But I wouldn't buy her any sort of the type without her approval. She's anal about that stuff. You should get her a tea set or silverware or something. She's boring like that. I'm pretty sure it's this way, though." She says, pointing over her shoulder to the very place he was worried about. She tugs on his hand and he helplessly follows along. He moves to her other side so that he could block the view of the puppies and kittens in the pet store's window, but he fails miserably. She sees the window and she bites her lip, her blue eyes pleading with his brown ones. If Beca had one weakness other than puppy dog Jesse, it was actual puppies. And kitties.
With a straight face, he nods and she drags him to the store window. Immediately, a little golden corgi pads up to the window, yapping away as Beca taps on the glass gently. An employee notices and invites the duo in to pet the animals in person. Inside the store, they kneel down as a slur of fluffy animals gather around them, their tails wagging as they lick up Beca's face. She smiles as the same corgi somehow climbs itself into Jesse's lap, surprising him. He grins watching Beca play with the animals, glad to see her so carefree and loose.
"I want one, Jesse!" She cries as she cuddles a sleeping kitten, burying her face into its soft fur. "Barden's a pet friendly campus, I say we should get one." She says, petting the golden corgi in his lap. She sets the kitten down and picks up the playful puppy.
He shakes his head vigorously, even with a smile on his lips as the corgi continues to entertain them. "They are pretty cute, but I think you're forgetting the real reason why we're here."
She frowns. "But look at its face!" She lifts the corgi and shoves it into his face as the puppy whimpers. Jesse laughs, amused at how Beca was acting. "Look at its ears!"
"We need to go before you do something like smuggle them out."
"But Jesse!" She lifts the pup up just as it sneezes and she begins to laugh. "We can name him Fred or something. He looks like a Fred. Or maybe a Peter."
"Remind me to not let you pick the names of our children." He chuckles, but she doesn't find him funny and instead slaps his shoulder.
"I don't like you." She says once they leave the store. He shrugs, passing by the display for movie times. She silently thanks her lucky stars that he didn't notice, until he turns around to see what movies were playing. She groans.
"There's a midnight showing of Anchorman 2 tonight! I completely forgot it's coming out tomorrow." He looks at Beca, who rolls her eyes. "Can we see it, Becs? Please?"
"No."
"But Beca!"
"Aren't sequels usually terrible anyways?"
"This one has great reviews!"
"The answer's still 'no'."
His shoulders droop as they continue their search for his secret santa present. They come across a gift shop filled with various trinkets and arts and crafty things. An old lady works the cash register, keeping a wary eye on the young couple as they browse through the store. They don't notice, however, as they search the store for something to give Aubrey.
Jesse spots a display of nice tableware and goes to tell Beca, but she beats him to it.
"Oh my God, you need to get her this." She says with a giant grin on her face. His eyes follow hers.
He scratches his head at the sight of a teddy bear cookie jar. "What's so great about it?"
"She'll lose her shit. It'll be hilarious." She snickers.
"...Over a cookie jar? Does she not like bears or something?"
"No, not that. That," she tilts her head to the wall.
"Oh."
On the wall, there was a cuckoo clock, painted a light pink and covered in sparkles. There were swans painted all over it, as well as bows decorating the entire thing.
He gulps. "You're joking, right?"
She gives him a look. "Dead serious. You need to get her this."
"Well, I say that you should get it, 'cause I definitely will not."
She frowns. "Too late, I already got her something. C'mon, what could possibly be better than this?" She gestures to the modest clock, fake grinning like a tired salesperson.
"How about this nice mug and matching plates? Look," he points to the pink bow tied around the mug's handle, "it'll go with your cuckoo clock theme."
She gives him a sarcastic laugh and shrugs. "Whatever. Nothing will beat the cuckoo clock though. Actually, maybe a gift certificate to Jamba Juice would be better. Yeah, I like that idea a lot more." She smirks.
"Ha-ha." He rolls his eyes and takes the set to the old lady behind the counter, ready to pay. The old lady inspects the glassware carefully before packaging it into boxes.
"Who's this for? Your mother? Sister?"
"Just a friend." He says, taking in the wary glance the woman gives him. He blinks, unsure of his first impression of her.
"A friend, eh?" She winks, sending an uneasy vibe through Jesse's body. "Kids these days. If I were you, I'd get her chocolate and a ring. You're all so ridiculous." She shakes her head disapprovingly. "You'd think a handsome lad like you would know what to get his girl." She mumbles as she punches in the amount in cash he gave her on the register.
"I— what?"
"And you!" She says, her voice aimed at a confused Beca. "A lady for Pete's sake! You should at least be helping out your poor brother with these choices. Geesh." The receipt prints out and is given to Jesse, who's just as astonished as Beca.
"We're not... She's not... But..."
"Thank you for the advice, ma'am. I'll make sure my brother makes a better decision next time around." She gives her a pointed smile before the couple depart the store, annoyed.
"She thought we were siblings. I can't..." Beca shakes her head disbelieving.
"Who was she to assume that? It's rude. And I would never get my girl tableware." He scoffs, tightening his grip on the shopping back he was holding.
"Then what would you get her, if I may ask?" She asks, batting her eyelashes, which cools him down a bit.
"You may not ask." He muses, making her frown. "All you need to know is that it is amazing and that she will absolutely love it, almost more than me. But, we all know that's impossible." He boasts, earning him a smack on the chest. "So, the mall closes at nine. We've got three more hours to kill. How's dinner sound?"
"Depends on where we're going."
"We're going to a fancy restaurant that requires a reservation to get in. Except, I didn't make one, so we're going to try to get in without one. Quick, make yourself look official."
He dusts off his jacket with his hands, pulls out some hand sanitizer and squirts some into his palms.
"You're ridiculous." She shakes her head, to which he straightens his imaginary bow tie. "Why do I even put up with you?"
"I'm irresistible." He wiggles his eyebrows, making her simultaneously roll her eyes and grin. He wraps an arm around her and they head to the restaurant located in the huge mall.
"Do you have a reservation, sir?" Jesse shakes his head. "Well then, I'll go see if there are any available tables. Just two?"
Beca nods and the man leaves. "See? Nothing to be afraid of."
"I thought he was gonna kick us out."
He comes back and ushers them through the silk curtains to their table in the corner of the restaurant. Like the gentleman that he is, he pulls her chair out for her and pushes her into the table. He takes his own seat across her, folding the cloth napkin into his lap.
"Wow, so fancy," she muses.
After a couple of minutes of flipping through the menu, they order their food and hand them to the fancy waitress.
"Dammit, I should've brought my fake I.D. I could go for a couple of glasses of wine right now."
He takes a sip of his water. "It's a good thing you didn't. I can't have you drunk while we watch Anchorman 2."
She gives him a deadpanned look. "You just won't give up, huh? We're not watching a movie, especially not at midnight. I'd rather catch some sleep than watch a stupid movie."
"Oh come on. You always fall asleep during your movications. It'd be a nice change if, you know, didn't."
"There's also the fact that there's a ton of work to be done tomorrow with setting up the stage and last-minute rehearsals. Oh, and of course, the secret santa thing. That'll just ruin everything."
"Grinch."
She rolls her eyes. "I never said that you weren't allowed. Go see it with Benji or someone else."
"But it'll benefit your movication!"
She shakes her head, unwilling to give in.
"How about The Hobbit? It's on at 9:30." He suggests. She sighs. "Isn't that thing like four hours long?"
"Fine, fine. I'll go see if one of the guys wants to see it." He grumbles.
"Thank you."
Their bread and soup come, giving pause to their conversation. She tears off a bit of her bread and chews it, savoring the flavor.
"So, what'd you get your secret santa? Am I allowed to know?"
"A Star Wars snow globe."
"Let me guess... Benji?"
"Yup. I hope he doesn't already have it. I got it at this little nerd place at the main square. You'd love it."
"What, the snow globe or the store?"
"Hm, both." She smirks.
"I hope my present is as awesome as Benji's."
She rolls her eyes. "You're just going to have to wait and see. All I'll tell you is that it is very... You." She says, smiling.
"I really hope you like mine. I might have to switch mine out for a puppy or something after seeing you with those animals." He grins, remembering her obsessive behavior with the puppies and kittens in the store window. He wished that she acted like that more often, but he was perfectly content with his Beca as she was.
She leans back onto her chair. "You might, but then it'd be no surprise. I don't like surprises, so it might just work out for you. I'd love that golden corgi. Peter or Fred?"
"What about Bubbles? Cookie? Buddy?"
She crinkles her nose as her face contorts into a sour expression. "Ew, why would you ever? You're terrible!"
"They're better than Fred!"
"So, Peter it is."
"Peter is a rabbit, not a puppy." He points out, making her sigh.
"Dammit, you're right."
He takes a spoonful of soup into his mouth before speaking. "Guess what?"
"What?"
"You're pretty."
She blushes, unexpecting such an offhand comment. She tries to hide the redness by placing her hands on her cheeks, but it goes unnoticed by Jesse, who grins goofily. The waitress arrives to take away their appetizer dishes and replace them with their entrees. She digs into her pasta, while he feasts on his grilled cheese sandwich.
"I can't believe you ordered grilled cheese. We're at a fancy restaurant and you choose to order that."
Beca and Jesse are about to leave the mall when suddenly, Jesse remembers something.
"I forgot to get Nan something. And Kaia."
"Well, the mall's open for about another hour and a half. I think we can make it."
He starts heading for a toy store, but Beca stops him once she sees the Disney store. "Isn't Kaia's favorite movie Tangled?"
"How'd you know?" He asks, raising an eyebrow.
"She told me."
They enter the Disney store, which was bustling with kids and parents alike. They quickly spot the Tangled merchandise, and immediately Jesse sees something he thought his niece would like. "She loves art. Fine arts, performing arts... She's great. My sister in-law is raising her so well." He holds up an art case set, gleaming with pride. She hears him mumble something about 'his future kid' and looks away, biting the inside of her cheek.
"She'll love it. If I got that for Christmas, I'd shit bricks."
He gives her a look. "Should I buy two? One for you?" He jokes.
With a roll of her eyes, she picks out a Rapunzel plushie to add along with the art case. They pay for the items and exit the store, finding themselves in the middle of the mall.
"That store we went to earlier, with the angry old lady? I think I saw something Nan would like in there. Except, I'm kinda scared to go back." He admits, making Beca chuckle.
"Maybe she left? Anyways," she suddenly comes up with a brilliant idea (well, in her mind, anyway), "we could totally play with her mind a little. Show her we're not sister and brother."
"I have a feeling that, that wouldn't be a very nice thing to do..."
"Why not?" She demands.
"Well, for one, she's old. And I take it that she isn't as laid back as my own Nan."
"It could go either way, you know."
"I don't think I wanna try. Sorry Becs." She lets out a frustrated sigh.
"Fine. But if she talks any more scrutinizing shit, I'm not holding back."
He scoffs. "You truly are America's sweetheart, aren't you?"
"I try." She smirks. They go back to the store, sighing in relief at the sight of the empty counter. Jesse looks through the various curios, trying to find the perfect one. He spots a hanging glass bird feeder, deciding it was just what she needed.
From the corner of her eye, Beca spots the old woman saunter back to the counter. She smirks, her devious idea brewing in her mind. "What's that for?"
"It's a bird feeder. She loves birds. Maybe they'll let her hang it outside her room." He says. She slowly runs a hand up his bicep, noticing the confused look in his eyes. "And, uh, she used to own a parrot. Its name was—" She presses her mouth onto his, shutting him up. He closes his eyes and leans into the kiss, while Beca opens an eye to see the old woman's reaction. She does nothing, failing to notice the heavy PDA going on in her store. Beca pulls away once air becomes a problem, slightly disappointed that the old woman didn't catch that.
"What was that for?" He asks, flustered. She shrugs innocently. "Well, anyways, its name was Ollie. He used to mimic everything—" She coughs, loud enough to capture the woman's attention. She wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him again, this time lighter and quicker. The old lady gasps.
"INCEST! INCEST!" She shouts, grabbing the full attention of everyone in the store. "Those two! INCEST!" She points a finger at an embarrassed Jesse and Beca. A young woman, probably around their age, appears from the back, noticing the startled senior citizen.
"Gran, are you okay? Do you want me to take over?" She says, tucking her brown hair behind her ear as she tries to calm her grandmother.
"INCEST!" She points again to the couple near the glass bird feeders. The brunette's head whips to their direction, squinting at their faces.
"Jesse? Jesse Swanson?" She says, taking a couple of steps closer to them. Beca, now confused, watches Jesse's face contort from an angry/frustrated, embarrassed one, to one of relieved recognition.
"Dani? Is that you?"
"You know this young man? Did you know that he is kissing his sister?! HIS SISTER!" The grandma yells. Dani brings a hand to her cheek, unsure of how to react to her grandmother's tantrum.
"I— I'm sorry, Jesse. Gran, I can assure you that she's not his sister. I would know." She muses, waving off her grandmother's raging mumbles. "Well, unless he's been hiding her for a very long time. But I doubt that."
Jesse takes the box that contained the bird feeder and walks over to the other brunette, who was beaming at him. Beca narrows her eyes, wondering who the fuck she was.
"Wow, I'd never once thought that I'd ever see you again, Jess." Dani says, smiling at him affectionately. Oh God, Beca thought to herself as she started to feel the swirling vortex of jealousy bubble in her stomach while the two embraced in a hug.
"Same goes for you. Wow. You look great."
Shit.
"Thanks, you too."
She coughs, trying to grab hold of their attention.
"So, was I right? Have you been hiding from me all these years as Jess's secret sister? I'm Dani, and you are...?" Dani asks, finally acknowledging the shorter brunette.
Beca gives the girl her signature tight-lipped, eyebrows raised expression. "I'm Beca, not Jesse's secret sister."
"Oh, so he does have one? You never told me!" Dani giggles, punching him lightly on the arm.
She wasn't allowed to do that. Only Beca's allowed to. She didn't like this feeling boiling inside of her, but she had no idea how to control it.
"That's because there isn't one," He chuckles nervously, noticing the daggers Beca was giving Dani. "Beca's my girlfriend. Nothing incest going on around here. Sorry for the confusion, miss." He apologizes to the older woman, who still seemed shocked and mad.
Dani scans Beca's outfit (sweatpants and a tank top underneath a jacket, unchanged since practice earlier in the day) and bites her lip, obviously judging her. "Oh."
"Dani and I were really good friends all through high school—"
"—We even went to prom together."
"...Yeah." Jesse awkwardly scratches the back of his neck, feeling the tension between the two girls. "Can I just buy this real quick? We'll be on our merry way."
"Of course! I'll use my employee discount, just for you." She grins, taking the box Jesse was cradling and ringing it up. He hands her exact change before she awkwardly invites herself into another hug with him. Beca watches uncomfortably before they leave the store.
"She seems... Nice. You know, until her inner bitch came out once you mentioned me."
"She's not all that bad." He tries to reason, failing by the look on her face. "We were just friends, really. That's it. She may or may not had a crush on me all through high school, but that's beside the point."
"You don't have to explain yourself. I'm just glad she gave you that employee discount of hers." She scoffs, the sarcasm oozing out of her skin.
"You aren't out of the bag, either, Becs. What was that stunt you pulled? With her grandmother? Didn't I tell you very specifically to not do that?"
Beca wrinkles her nose, unhappy at how he was taking this. Had she not gone with her plan, there would've been no Dani or her screaming grandmother ready to kill somebody. "Yeah, well, I've learned my lesson. Karma's a bitch, and I don't even believe in that shit."
Somehow, he convinces her to watch the first Anchorman movie instead of dragging her to the theater to watch the second one. He claims it's essential for her movication, but her commentary speaks otherwise.
"The balls? You can't be serious." "...Suits so fine they make Sinatra look like a hobo?" "Hehe, what if his name was Ron Maroon." "I have this theory that if you let your hair grow out and that if you had a mustache, you'd look just like Will Ferrell."
His mouth gapes open at this one. "What?! There's no way."
"Dare ya to do both. You'll see, I'm always right." She snickers.
"You really shouldn't be drinking. Especially during movication time."
Ah, imagine Jesse and Beca try picking out baby names. I can only imagine their... Difference of opinions. Hahaha.
So guys, what'd you think of Dani? She's not coming back... Just curious to hear your thoughts.
What do you think Jesse got Beca? :)