A/N: I know I just uploaded the last chapter of Jesse's Girl yesterday, but I got inspired and decided to write this quick one-shot, based a few months after the last chapter ends. I hope you guys enjoy it! If you haven't read that fic, you'll still be able to understand the plot of this one, so don't worry! Thanks for reading, and enjoy!
Okay, so maybe it wasn't Chloe's brightest idea to offer to house all of the now-graduated Bellas for the weekend so they could all go see Emily and her Bellas perform for the first time at sectionals. If Beca's now-distraught look on her face had anything to say about it, Chloe would almost think that she screwed up. Almost.
Deep down, she knew Beca missed everyone –even if the tiny brunette would never outright admit that- and she hoped that her lack of better judgment at the time would help Beca sort through the feelings she was working so hard to suppress for the past few months.
Now, with Beca sitting next to her on the couch, knees tucked up to her chest so her chin could rest on them, Chloe kind of cursed herself for being so ready to agree to this crazy plan Emily proposed a few days earlier as she stared into Beca's eyes, searching for any sign of emotion.
"I reeeeally want you guys to be there! Pleeeeeease!" Emily pleaded, eyes wide with hope as she absentmindedly circled the rim of her coffee cup with her index finger.
Chloe stared back at the younger girl who was visibly bouncing in her seat, obviously anxious to hear the redhead's response. Chloe took a sip of her coffee, wincing slightly as the too-hot liquid burnt her tongue before rushing down her throat. She knew she should probably ask Beca if she would mind having everyone staying at their apartment for a period longer than twelve hours, but her excitement got the better of her as she pushed that thought to the back of her minding, telling herself that she would deal with the consequences later.
Chloe clicked her tongue, a grin spreading across her face. "I'm in! Let's do it!"
Emily let out a high-pitched squeal, drawing the attention of the couple who was seated at the table next to them. Chloe chose to ignore the heated glares they were receiving as she reached out and placed a hand on the younger girl's arm, hoping she would get the idea to settle down. Emily's eyes widened in horror as she threw a hand over her mouth, glancing around the shop nervously at the people who surrounded them, hoping her outburst didn't draw too much attention. Thankfully, everyone was too caught up in their own conversations to notice the noise; that is, except for the couple next to them who were still intently staring daggers at the two.
Chloe gave Emily's arm a gentle squeeze before returning her hands to her cup, hesitating a second before bringing the styrofoam to her lips to take another sip, thankful that the coffee cooled down a bit. She leaned back in her chair, mind now racing with ideas on how she was going to house seven other people in her and Beca's -albeit tiny- apartment.
God, Beca was going to kill her.
And she was right (or so she thought).
Beca had been silent for five minutes now –not that Chloe was counting or anything- as Chloe fidgeted in her seat, fingers playing with the ends of the blanket covering her legs.
Chloe knew Beca was just trying to process the bombshell she just dropped on the younger girl, but the dead air between them didn't help nurse the nervous feeling that recently appeared in the pit of the redhead's stomach. Beca's eyes were trained on her kneecaps, and Chloe could tell her mind was racing (she had that signature thinking expression she made whenever she tried to match downbeats together for two completely different songs plastered across her face). Finally, Beca looked up to meet Chloe's gaze, her eyes lit with emotion.
A small tight-lipped smile began to form on the brunette's lips, and Chloe knew she was in the clear. Maybe.
"Sounds aca-awesome," Beca teased, laughing a little before a full-on smile graced her face. "When will they be here?"
"Tomorrow…" Chloe winced, voice trailing off, because sure she could've given Beca a little bit of a heads-up, but she knew she would be the one who ultimately prepared their apartment for the weekend since the brunette insisted cleaning made her grumpy (not like she wasn't already grumpy or anything).
"DUDE!" Beca scolded, slapping the redhead on the arm. "You couldn't have given me a few days' notice or something?"
"Sorry?" Chloe smiled shyly, shooting her famous puppy-dog eyes at the brunette.
"You know I hate when you do that."
"Do what?" Chloe asked innocently, a smirk replacing her smile.
"That." Beca pointed to the older girl's face, pouting slightly.
"My face?" Chloe teased, poking a finger at the younger girl's ribs.
"Yes, your face Chlo. Totally. I hate your face so much, it gives me nightmares."
"Shut up."
"Make me."
Beca stuck her tongue out as she crossed her arms over her chest, pouting, but the devilish grin that was now splayed on Chloe's face told her that she was about to regret those words.
There was a knock at the door, somewhat similar to the beat of 'Eye of the Tiger,' and Beca sighed as she shot a look towards Chloe, knowing very well the chaos that was about to enter their apartment and probably swallow her and Chloe whole. The older girl shot Beca a reassuring smile, nodding to the door in encouragement.
The knocking somehow got louder, the sound now reverberating off the wood and echoing throughout the rooms. Beca swore she thought they were going to break the door down with the amount of force they were exerting on it.
"You owe me, Beale."
Chloe winked, opening a cabinet and taking out a glass before filling it with water. "Later."
Beca blushed, the color rising from her neck to her cheeks, before making her way over to the door, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves.
She threw open the door and immediately she was greeted with shrieks –yes shrieks- that made her ears ring and feel like they were going to bleed (or fall off, which Beca wasn't opposed to at this very second).
Before she knew it, she was swept off the ground and being swung wildly in a circle, forcing her to shut her eyes to fight off the nausea that was quickly creeping up on her.
She felt herself be released from the death grip as her feet touched the ground again, causing her to open her eyes to see none other than Fat Amy standing in front of her, a grin displayed on her face.
"Short stack! Didn't get any taller, I see," Amy teased, earning a playful punch to the arm from a now-scowling Beca.
"Shut up, dude."
Amy pat the top of the brunette's head, ruffling her hair in her fingers, before racing to the kitchen to envelop Chloe in the same style of hug she gave Beca a few seconds earlier. Beca heard Chloe squeal with delight, and her scowl was immediately replaced with a small smile.
She turned her attention back to the door where the rest of her friends started to pile in, each face lit up with excitement.
After a round of hugs and fist-bumps, accompanied with the standard Beca Mitchell head nod, six eager bodies were now standing in front of her, anxiously awaiting instructions on what to do with their stuff.
"You guys can just throw everything in the living room and we can sort it out later."
As the group migrated to the living room, Beca glanced around, a confused look taking over her face once she realized Stacie wasn't with them.
"Where's Stace?"
As if being summoned by a higher power, Stacie suddenly appeared in the doorway, two suitcases in her hands and a bag slung over her shoulder. She bent over briefly, huffing, attempting to catch her breath from the two flights of steps she just had to take with her luggage.
"Geez Stace, you're only staying for two days. You plan on moving in or something?" Beca teased, smiling as Stacie shot a pointed look at her. The taller brunette dropped her bags on the floor before running over and throwing her arms around the smaller girl, tightly hugging her.
"I missed you, you little shit," Stacie whispered, arms still slung lazily around Beca's body.
"I missed you too, but damn dude, did you grow or something?" Beca laughed out, breaking the embrace.
"Shut up," Stacie snorted, playfully shoving Beca before grabbing her bags and joining the rest of the girls in the living room.
Beca followed suit, taking a place next to Chloe who was propped against the wall. Beca gently pressed a kiss to the redhead's lips, lingering for a moment, before turning to the group who was now sprawled out randomly around the room. She slipped her hand into Chloe's, running the pad of her thumb over Chloe's skin, before glancing around at her friends.
She smiled before clicking her tongue to get everyone's attention.
"Alright guys, you know the deal. No breaking anything, and if you make a mess, clean it up."
"Aye aye, captain!" Amy shouted, saluting Beca before grabbing her bag in front of her, dumping out the contents on the floor. A bottle of vodka rolled out, and Amy grabbed it, triumphantly waving it in the air.
"Alright pitches, let's get this party started!" she exclaimed, taking off the cap and taking a big swig of the liquid, unfazed by the taste.
"Amy, it's 3 PM," Beca retorted, rolling her eyes as she tried to fight off the smile that was beginning to form. God, she missed these weirdos… not like she would ever willingly admit that to anyone or anything. She would be relentlessly teased for months if she ever said something out loud, stating she's 'gone soft' or something along those lines. Pffft, Beca Mitchell is many things, but soft is not one of them.
And then she felt Chloe look at her, and she thought maybe, just maybe, she was a little bit soft.
"5 o'clock somewhere, right?" Amy's voice brought her back to reality, and she watched as the blonde passed the bottle off to Flo who didn't hesitate taking a sip. She coughed a little, wincing at the taste, before passing it off to Lilly, who murmured something inaudible, before taking a larger gulp than Amy.
Yup, Beca definitely missed her misfits.
It had been two hours.
Two hours was all it took for a lamp to be broken and a stain to form on the carpet in the living room.
Beca sighed as she swept up the broken glass, her foot tapping out a random rhythm on the floor.
Everyone in the apartment was drunk besides her, including an excited Chloe who was perched on the edge of the couch as she held an animated conversation with Stacie, arms flailing around above her head.
Sure, maybe Beca was just a little salty that her buzz had disappeared almost instantly the minute adult duties called, but she was glad everyone else was enjoying themselves, even if it meant she had to play caretaker for a night or two.
Amy appeared behind Beca, her drink sloshing around in one of the plastic cups Beca made her drink from after she accidentally spilled one of her drinks on the carpet earlier.
"Sorry about that, midget. Your lamp couldn't handle my sexy fat ass, I guess." Amy shrugged nonchalantly and Beca shook her head as she laughed under her breath, watching as the blonde moved her way back into the living room, not-so-graciously plopping down next to Flo, who was currently re-telling a story about the time two raccoons held her village hostage and ransacked all of their food.
Once she made sure all of the glass was swept up, Beca made herself a drink before taking a spot next to Chloe on the couch, kissing her cheek before wrapping an arm around the redhead's waist.
"Heeeeeeey baaaaaaabe," Chloe slurred, placing a hand on Beca's thigh. Stacie nodded approvingly as she finished off her drink, excusing herself from the couch to go make another.
"Hey drunky," Beca teased, shooting a smirk towards Chloe. "How did you manage to get significantly drunker in the past ten minutes while I was gone?"
Chloe shrugged as she let her head fall on Beca's shoulder. "Stacie."
Beca nodded as she took a sip from her drinking, thankful that it was actually bearable to swallow (unlike Amy's creations where three-fourths of the cup was vodka).
'Happy' by Pharrell started blasting through the speakers, and Beca scoffed. Why this song was even on her playlist, she had no idea (it most definitely didn't have to do with the fact that Chloe loved the song or anything; definitely not).
Beca grabbed her phone out of her back pocket, thankful that she didn't have to actually move to change the tune due to the Bluetooth speakers she purchased a month back. Chloe scolded her that they didn't need yet another set of speakers, but Beca insisted that one day Chloe would thank her. And yes, today would be that day.
Beca scrolled through her songs as she felt Chloe's hand tap the beat on her thigh, her leg muscle tensing as Chloe's hand began to wander to familiar territory.
"Chlo, no."
"C'mooooon, Becs, don't be a party pooper."
"No."
Chloe sighed, nuzzling her face into the crook of Beca's neck. The brunette tensed as she felt Chloe's breath on her skin, ignoring the way her entire body was heating up at the contact.
"Every party needs a pooper and that pooper is you."
"Please stop saying the word pooper."
"Pooper."
"Chlo."
"Poooooooooper."
"Chloe, I swear to god."
"… Pooper." It was a faint whisper, but due to their close proximity, Beca heard it. She sighed loudly, causing Chloe to remove herself from her neck and look up at her. The grin on Chloe's face was enough to make Beca's pout turn into a smile, and she kissed the tip of the redhead's nose before turning back to her phone screen.
"You're the worst."
Chloe just hummed in response as she took another sip of her drink, smiling into her cup.
Beca's finger hovered over the remix of 'Titanium' and 'Bulletproof' she made during her freshman year at Barden, debating if she should click it. After her little exchange she just had with Chloe, she knew that was ultimately setting herself up.
Fuck it.
She clicked the song, and she didn't even have to glance over at Chloe to know that her entire face was lit up the second the music started playing.
Chloe grabbed Beca's hand excitedly as she bounced up and down, a few drops of her drink flying out of her cup and landing on Beca's jeans.
"Becs!"
Beca just smiled in return, averting her gaze from Chloe's hooded eyes, because she knew that would be trouble, and instead focused her attention on the girls in front of her.
Stacie returned and was now in a chugging contest with Amy, Flo, and CR in the middle of the floor, Jessica and Ashley were sharing the armchair in the far corner as they talked excitedly about their new jobs, and Lilly was staring out the living room window as she muttered to herself.
Chloe began to sing, and while it started off low and quiet and was really only meant for Beca to hear, her now-drunk state of mind caused her to loudly belt the chorus line. After a few seconds, the rest of the Bellas joined in, harmonizing with ease –almost like they never actually left Barden.
Beca was the last to join in –mainly because she was too busy staring at Chloe's lips- but when she did, Amy raised her cup in approval and swayed her arm back and forth slowly. The rest of the girls followed, and before Beca could even register what was going on, Chloe had already raised the brunette's arm in the air and was forcing her to sway as well.
Beca rolled her eyes but smiled regardless as the group jumped into the second chorus, Lilly straying from the window and picking up the TV remote stationed on the end table, beatboxing into it effortlessly.
Amy whooped and threw her free hand in the air, fist-pumping excitedly, as she cheered Lilly on.
Beca laughed as she glanced around the room. As lame as it sounded, being surrounded with all of her friends again made her feel whole; complete. Not that Chloe didn't do an excellent of making her feel like that every day –from the second she woke up to the second before she fell asleep- but this was different. Something about having everyone back together, despite their new adult lives, lit a fire within Beca's heart. She felt lighter, giddier, happier when they were all around. She missed it.
As the song concluded and the rest of the girls collapsed on the floor in exhaustion, Beca realized just how drunk everyone was; how drunk she was. Or maybe it was just the company she was in. She felt her body sway lightly. No yeah, definitely the alcohol.
Her gaze fell on Chloe -who somehow managed to compact all of her feelings towards Beca in one easy smile that was now playing on her lips- and she blinked a few times to make sure that she wasn't dreaming. Everything about this moment was perfect: perfect friends, perfect girlfriend, perfect music; perfect everything.
She leaned forward and kissed Chloe gently, smiling into the older girl's lips.
"I love you, Chlo."
"I love you too, Becs."
And it may sound cheesy or overdone, but in that moment, Beca realized just how crazy in-love she was with this equally crazy girl.
She also realized there was no way in hell that they were all going to make it to Emily's performance tomorrow in one piece.