#it’s her fault right? she was supposed to be chloe’s angel but she hasn’t felt like a good influence in a year…

[chaseprice]

lord help me i’m thinking about late ambrprice

[beca-mitchell]

fool’s gold (1/1)

Summary: Beca finds herself in Colorado bidding on a date with one Chloe Beale. Accidentally, of course. Besides, it’s for charity. Set after PP3.

Word count: 4,216

Rating: T

Read below or on AO3.

Beca finds out about it accidentally. A total accident wherein she did not intend to find out this information. She had been perusing the Bellas groupchat, a chat which she had been slightly too busy to participate in recently, when something caught her eye.

Chloe’s name plus the word “date”. It had taken a few tries and a few shaky swipes of her finger before she figures out that Chloe is participating in some charity event.

Beca hesitates at first, about to type out a message to Chloe right in the groupchat, but she quickly switches over to her private conversation with Chloe and winces when she realizes that her and Chloe haven’t really kept up an ongoing text conversation (and hardly any phone calls) over the past few months.

Beca sighs, flipping back to the groupchat and hoping against hope that somebody else—probably Aubrey or Flo—will ask Chloe about it.

Flo F. What kind of charity is it?

Chloe Every year, the senior vet students run some kind of fundraiser. This year it's for research. In the past, this auction thing has been a huge hit!!

Fat Amy So you’re selling your body? Nothing wrong with that of course.

Chloe No, I’m just…auctioning off a date.

Beca puts her phone down slowly.

Had three and a half years really flown by that quickly? Chloe was almost done with veterinary school and Beca felt like she was still struggling to stay afloat herself.

Well, that was a little untrue. Six Billboard Top 100 hits, a Grammy nomination, a North American tour with an international tour on its way, her first album had gone platinum with the second hot on its heels—

It’s just that Chloe Beale had always seemed so wholly unattainable even with everything that had transpired between them. And Beca wasn’t completely stupid, she knew some of this was her own fault, but life just came at her too fucking fast.

(This being the whole ‘we definitely have feelings for each other but we are also definitely not doing anything about it because one of us is in Colorado and the other is in California sometimes but not always’ thing. God, that always knocked the wind out of Beca. In any case, it had been one weekend of Chloe visiting Los Angeles and a drunken kiss that led to a little more, but nothing really, then an unspoken decision to never speak about it again.

Yeah. This.)

— — — — — 

It takes Beca another two hours to finally message Chloe and she almost has a heart attack when she pulls up their conversation.

Chloe’s last sweet dreams! xo stares back at her accusingly. 

Beca So, a date huh?

She groans. 

Yes, obviously a date. Aubrey already asked for more details an hour ago and the groupchat had long moved on.

Chloe’s reply is nearly instantaneous.

Chloe ?? 

Beca The whole auction thing you know for charity 

Chloe oh haha, yeah. It’ll be nothing. Just some rich student with too much to spend. I don’t have my hopes up or anything.

 But if Chloe could have her hopes for somebody in particular…Beca’s fingers tap anxiously on the edge of her table as she stares back at Chloe’s innocent-enough message.

  Beca oh, well fingers crossed lol

Chloe yeah.

 Beca winces at the one-word response, telling herself not to read too much into it—it doesn’t mean anything, they’re fine, they’re fine, they’re fine—

  Chloe I miss you

She sighs in relief.

Beca miss you too chlo

— — — — —

“You didn’t ask her out yet?” is Theo’s confused inquiry. “Wait, you weren’t dating already?”

“Just—just look up flights to Colorado.”

“I’m not your assistant, just in case you forgot.”

“I know, but Jeff’s on the fritz today and I don’t need another snide remark from him.”

“Snide remark? About what?”

“…about Chloe.”

“Ah.”

 — — — — — 

 Beca isn’t sure how she ends up here, but she ends up doing some casual research about this supposed senior tradition at CSU’s veterinary college and it ends up being more of a thing than Beca originally expects. Like a super serious thing where people buy tickets to attend. 

All proceeds go to the National Animal Disease Center and the Animal Welfare Institute. Tickets at the door will be $55.

Beca stares at the long list of details and scrolls for an embarrassing amount of time until she finds a list of “Auction Participants”. She exhales noisily through her nose when she finds Chloe’s name, surprised to see separate profiles attached to all the students participating.

Chloe Beale, Rising 4th Year Veterinary Student, DVM Candidate

Chloe enjoys singing and morning runs. She will probably fight you over whether the CSU Rams could hold up against the Barden University Knights. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering at Larimer Humane Society as well as the CSU Zoo. You might have seen her running a few weekend educational programs for children 10 and under.

PS. She’s single!

Beca isn’t sure what grates on her more, the fact that the description doesn’t say anything about how Chloe hums her favorite songs when she gets nervous, or how Chloe’s hair grows at least a shade and a half lighter during the summer, or—or how Chloe can talk at length about nearly anything if she thinks it’s something that another person will find interesting. She is selfless and beautiful inside and out. 

And that last line. Beca’s fist clenches. She isn’t sure why it annoys her so much, but she hates the idea of this auction gimmick even if she knows instinctively that it is all in good fun and Chloe genuinely wouldn’t have consented to it if she didn’t believe in it or trust everybody who would be participating. Still, maybe Beca doesn’t want Chloe to…be single.

Her brow furrows at that last tapered-off thought.

To distract herself, she taps Theo’s number into her phone and waits with bated breath.

“Hello?”

“Did you book the ticket yet?” she asks in lieu of greeting.

She’ll let his amused chuckle slide this once.

 — — — — — 

 So maybe it isn’t really an accident.

She’s in Fort Collins, Colorado, on a beautiful but pretty damn chilly campus. Beca pulls her windbreaker tighter around herself and tugs her scarf up over her mouth and nose. She hasn’t been recognized yet, but she has a suspicion that there have been two young ladies following her, but she can’t be certain.

Though her fame is manageable, it still flares up unexpectedly and at inopportune times.

Like the last time she had visited Chloe on campus and they had spent the weekend eating at Chloe’s favorite spots and drinking cheap wine until they were laughing and leaning heavily against each other. Beca had loved the scent of Chloe’s shampoo as it wafted up from where Chloe had her head pressed against Beca’s shoulder and neck, her giggles tapering off into nothing. Back then, they hadn’t kissed yet—Beca was still recovering from the sting of seeing Chloe kiss Chicago even though it had happened months prior, but nothing had ever transpired.

And for a moment, when Chloe lifted her head off Beca’s shoulder, Beca had thought Chloe was going to kiss her. And she wouldn’t have minded, not at all. It had been something she had been thinking about for so long that Beca’s heart began to pound in anticipation. Then Chloe’s roommate had let herself into the apartment despite Chloe’s insistence they were going to be alone and she had recognized Beca surprisingly quick considering Beca had only one or two viral music videos released at the time. Beca hadn’t been sure, but Chloe had looked supremely disappointed.

Focusing back on the present, Beca gazes at the familiar, yet unfamiliar campus. She had made sure earlier that there hadn’t been a completely strict dress code for the event and opts for a loose wool sweater and nice jeans (a memory of Chloe’s fleeting “those jeans make your ass look good” passes through her mind, but she pays it no mind). She buys a lanyard with the CSU name and mascot emblazoned on it. Just to add to the look.

She finds the student center soon enough. Happy to be out of the chill for a moment, Beca pulls her scarf down but leaves her toque on, keeping it tight over her eyebrows.

“Hey,” a voice calls instantly and Beca jumps because for a moment, it sounds like Chloe. But that would be impossible, she’s barely been there five seconds— “I know you, you’re Chloe’s friend, right?”

Beca turns to see young man, around her age, smiling in a completely nonthreatening manner. She vaguely recognizes him from some of Chloe’s social media posts, but she can’t quite place his name. “Hi,” she says instead.

“Did Chloe invite you to this?” he asks, sounding entirely too amused for Beca’s liking.

“Uh…” Beca isn’t sure what the better answer would be—yes, Chloe invited poor hapless Beca Mitchell to watch her get auctioned off and alternatively the implication that Chloe would need some pull from somebody like Beca which is dumb because despite the crappy dating profile on the website, Chloe needs no help at all; or no, Beca invited herself because she’s there on a mission. “Hm,” she says evasively instead. “Sorry, what was your name again?”

“Benjamin, but you can call me—”

Beca smiles. “Ben,” she finishes. It’s cute how much he reminds her of Benji. “Chloe posts about you a lot.”

“Yeah, we kind of…” he laughs, pushing up his glasses. “Bonded, I guess. She’s been a good friend. Helped set me up with my boyfriend.” He nods his head towards the door. “Want to come sit with us? We’re mainly here for the show and the food. Do you have your ticket?”

Beca blushes but tamps it down as best as she can. “Uh no, I was gonna buy at the door.”

He grins again, but says nothing about that. “Okay, we’ll see you inside. We’re kind of near the back. Turn left when you get in.”

 — — — — — 

 The emcee is fairly decent and Beca cracks a laugh at a few jokes. She has a pretty good view of the stage and she feels comfortable enough sitting near Chloe’s friends. They seem to take a shine to her and teasingly press an auction paddle into her hands.

“For an emergency,” Ben says, mirth in his eyes. And something akin to knowing, as if he knows something Beca doesn’t. She tries to scowl at him, but she misses that opportunity because Chloe is being walked on stage looking like—

“Oh,” Beca murmurs, blushing when she can feel eyes on her. There is no way Chloe can see her in the crowd because she’s sure the spotlight is bright enough based on Chloe’s squint and embarrassed smile. But otherwise, Chloe looks stunning, wearing a pretty blue sundress and white doctor’s coat. Beca blinks back the unexpected surge of emotion—not quite tears, but her eyes do sting a little—that she gets upon seeing Chloe in person for the first time in at least a year.

God, she had gone a whole year without seeing Chloe’s face—without having Chloe’s hands to hold and Chloe’s arms around her.

She never wants to do that again. She never wants to be apart from Chloe for that long, too afraid of her own feelings to push for something she knows Chloe wants as well. She had seen it in Chloe’s eyes over the past decade and more of knowing her. Chloe, her best friend and confidante—the person who most got on her nerves but also knew how to put her back together in more ways than one—

“We’ll start the bidding at fifty dollars! Ten-dollar interval minimum, please and thank you.”

There’s some cheering and laughter in the crowd from a group near the front. Chloe blushes again under the spotlight, but she flips off the group whom Beca assumes consists of people Chloe knows well enough.

“That’s kind of low,” Beca comments.

“You should bid,” Vlad, Ben’s boyfriend, suggests.

“No, I’m just here for support,” Beca replies distractedly as another person bids up to $100. Beca’s fingers tighten momentarily around the paddle before she relaxes and wills herself to scan the crowd as nonchalantly as possible. But before she can really settle down—

“Two hundred!”

It’s arguably the biggest jump Beca has heard over the last few auctions and the murmur that rushes through the crowd indicates that they think it’s something worthwhile as well.

Beca tries not to think about how she made two-hundred dollars in the first minute—probably less—of releasing her second single on Spotify.

“Two-fifty,” a female voice calls out, distinctly confident and self-assured. Beca notes that the blush on Chloe’s face is a little different now, this time a little shy and demure like she knows that person and is touched by the gesture.

“Who is that?” Beca asks quickly.

“Oh, I think that was Amelia,” Vlad says when he notices that his boyfriend is not responding. “She’s in Chloe’s cohort.”

But who is she, Beca wants to demand further.

“Two-seventy,” the same male voice from earlier counters, though with a tinge of hesitation.

“Three hundred,” ‘Amelia’ counters.

A pause. “Three-twenty.”

“Four-fifty.” Without hesitation. An excited murmur ripples through the crowd. Chloe’s hands are now covering her face, but Beca sees that she’s smiling ever so slightly.

“She likes her,” Ben says simply.

“Who likes who.” Beca considers this a very important distinction.

“Amelia likes Chloe.”

“And does Chloe like Amelia?”

“They’re friends.” He stares at Beca pointedly. “Like you guys are friends, right? So what’s a little competition.”

“But Chloe and I are—we’re—”

Beca finds she has no real justification, no real insight to offer because she and Chloe have been teetering on that edge of almost for so long that she has forgotten what it meant when competition came along.

Until Chicago.

And before that, for Chloe, Jesse, but Beca had been nearly completely blind to it.

And now this.

Beca’s hand is rising before she can stop herself. Her brain seems to shut down completely—the rational part at least—as her heart grabs the reins. It’s stupid, it’s archaic, but this is for Chloe (almost literally, but Beca will never succumb to the belief that this is any valid way to date somebody). “Seven hundred,” she calls out. Her eyes widen when heads swivel to her and she quickly ducks, pulling her scarf back up to her nose and mouth. She waves her paddle above her head, too embarrassed to see whether Chloe’s eyes are scanning the crowd for her.

“Holy shit,” Ben mutters.

“Eight hundred,” Amelia counters somewhere in the distance, but suddenly Beca’s ears are roaring with the oddest sound—like a chorus of fucking angels or something.

“Oh my God, the animals are lucky today,” somebody mutters somewhere to Beca’s left.

“A thousand,” Beca counters.

“Um—” Ben seems to think better of it and clamps his mouth shut, though he looks like he might laugh, or worse, smile at Beca. God.

“A thousa—”

Beca’s had it. “Two thousand!”

The shocked silence that follows is enough to tell Beca that she’s completely lost it.

(But she lost it long ago—somewhere between agreeing to join an all-female acapella group when she was eighteen because of that girl with blue eyes and a killer voice and that chaotic year that followed, somehow ending with her kissing the wrong person at the end of it all. No more of that.)

“Um,” the auctioneer has apparently lost all capabilities of auctioneering. “I…guess…? Sold to—” He peers over the crowd. “You?” he asks again, still unsure. “For two thousand dollars.”

Beca quickly presses the paddle into Ben’s hands and sinks lower in her seat, distinctly avoiding all eye contact. Those closest to her finally seem to catch on and she catches the faintest hint of whispers.

“Is that…?”

“No fucking way.”

“God, I knew Beale was lying when she said they weren’t hooking up.”

Beca tries not to think about any of that, suddenly very interested in the patterns on the carpeted floor.

 — — — — — 

  Beca i did something really stupid

Aubrey Yes, the auction was livestreamed. Chloe sent me a link.

Beca holy fuck could you see me???

Aubrey No, but thank you for confirming. Two thousand dollars, Beca Mitchell.

Beca is about to type something incredibly cheesy in response to the mild snark in Aubrey’s text, but she is distracted by Ben’s shadow appearing over her.

“Hey, so uh, you have to actually meet Chloe backstage. To set up the details and stuff. And they’re going to need a check or some other form of payment? For that two thousand dollars you just dropped?”

“Do they accept Amex,” Beca deadpans.

“Yes, I believe so. So now that that’s covered, shall we?” He holds out an arm for Beca.

Beca sighs and clicks off her phone, decidedly ignoring the very long paragraph of text Aubrey just sent to her (she caught words like “my best friend” and “hurt her” and “bear trap” so she figures that’s something she can laugh or cry over when she is inevitably sent back on a plane to Los Angeles).

“Does she know it’s me?” Beca finally asks.

“I honestly don’t know. You’re kind of short and I don’t think she could actually see you.”

“Oh, that’s good,” Beca says, feeling lightheaded.

“It’s going to be fine.”

“Yeah, of course, why wouldn’t it be? We’re friends. We’ve done stupid shit before. She stayed back three years to just be part of an acapella group.” And to be with you, an annoying voice sounds in her head.

Oh, that was actually Ben. Who sounded eerily like Aubrey in that moment. Beca steps away from him.

He stares at her pointedly, pointing at the door.

Fuck, Beca thinks.

It is a simple study room and when Beca opens it, she isn’t expecting the space to be so small and so brightly lit. She winces immediately and nearly steps back out, but Chloe’s gasp is enough to keep her rooted to the spot.

“Beca,” Chloe squeaks. “What the fu—what are you doing here?”

“Hi,” Beca says, waving. Chloe continues to gape at her. “Hi?” Beca tries again.

Before she realizes what’s happening, Chloe is flying towards her and wrapping her arms so tightly around Beca that all the air rushes out of her in one fell swoop. She has enough sense to grip tightly at the back of Chloe’s coat, her fingers scrabbling on the thick, coarse fabric until they settle easily into each other like no time had passed before.

Beca sighs—literally sighs—like a disgusting teenager in love and she kind of thinks Chloe does the same before Chloe is pulling back and punching her in the arm oncee she’s at arm’s length.

“Ow! What the hell?”

“You seriously paid two thousand dollars?”

Oh right, that happened and was still happening.

“It was an accident,” Beca says instinctively and defensively.

“You raised the price by a thousand dollars accidentally,” Chloe clarifies.

“Don’t—don’t call it a price, like you’re…” Beca gestures uncomfortably. “Like you’re on sale or something. And I totally believe it’s your right to do what you want with your body and stuff because you should be allowed to have all that agency and—”

“Wow, Beca slow down.” Chloe grins affectionately. “Nobody’s doing anything with my body, not without my permission anyway. These things usually just end in a quick dinner or like. Laser tag or something. It’s never that serious.”

“I knew that,” Beca says quickly, trying to ignore her own blush at Chloe’s choice of words. “I just…I wanted to be…I wanted to,” she takes a steadying breath, “go on a date with you. And be your girlfriend. And do couple-y things. Because we’d be dating…as girlfriends.”

“You did?” Chloe asks quietly and so delicately that Beca’s breath catches. She tries to maintain eye contact as best as she can.

The air around them feels so heavy. “So much.”

“So you…” Chloe’s brow furrows. “Came to Colorado and paid two thousand dollars to go on a date with me? And I’m assuming you flew…so even more than two thousand dollars.”

“I…it sounds weird. I know. I’m weird. I just—” Beca heaves a breath. “I panicked, okay? I had this crazy vision of you ending up with somebody…with somebody else. That wasn’t me. And that sounds crazy jealous and crazy possessive and I have no right, but I’ve been thinking about you so much and I don’t know that I’ve ever really stopped thinking about you since that first day at the activities fair that entire fucking lifetime ago.” Beca feels winded suddenly and quickly looks up at Chloe with desperation. “I should have just…” she trails off, unsure.

She should have never let Chloe slip away the first time. Then the second time when she had the chance. When Chloe met her in the middle so many times before.

“Beca,” Chloe whispers, pulling her out of her swirling thoughts. “It’s…” She struggles to think of a word for a moment. “It’s okay. I’m not mad, I promise. It’s just…a lot.”

“I’m just so sorry because it seems like I’m always like…just one step off from you. And I just want to be on the same page. I want to be what you deserve.”

“Me too,” Chloe replies, reaching forward to take Beca’s hand. She doesn’t hold Beca’s hand however, opting instead to gently grip her wrist, her thumb beginning to trace soothing circles along her wristbone. “I want to be what you deserve too.”

Beca swallows the immediate protest. She lets it die in her throat because she knows Chloe is right—that they have so much to work on. But they can do it together.

“Things have been weird between us, haven’t they?” Beca asks quietly. She fixes her gaze on the “Since you came to visit me. And we…” she swallows. “We kissed.”

“We did,” Chloe murmurs.

“And have things been weird?” Beca presses.

“A little,” Chloe admits after a pause. “But things have always been a little weird between us.” A small smile slips across her lips as she uses her free hand to tilt Beca’s chin up so their gazes meet once more. “But I’ve liked that.”

“You have?”

Chloe shrugs. “Kind of.”

“We…we don’t have to go on this date, you know?” Beca clarifies, eyes flicking between Chloe’s eyes and her lips frantically. Chloe draws closer. “We…” Beca’s voice cracks. “Don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

“What do you want to do?” Chloe asks, her finger still tracing the underside of Beca’s jaw and the side of her neck.

Beca’s eyes flutter shut. “I want to kiss you again. If that’s okay.”

“Do you…” Chloe’s breath is warm against Beca’s mouth as she moves closer still. “Do you…have another thousand dollars?”

Beca’s eyes would fly open if she weren’t completely lost in the sensation of both of Chloe’s hands coming up to tangle into her hair. She moans at the sensation before she can help herself and immediately closes the distance between them, their lips bumping uncomfortably for a second before they settle into a somewhat familiar rhythm. Just like that, with a hint of banter and the way their touches soothe each other, they settle back into familiarity—back into what made them work all those years ago.

Instantly, Chloe’s body seems to press into hers with ease. Chloe’s head tilts and her mouth parts and Beca just about loses her mind. She reaches up to grab Chloe’s shoulders with difficulty before she moves her hands down to hold Chloe’s waist while subtly tugging her closer. Chloe sighs a little into the kiss before she pulls back with Beca’s lower lip trapped between her teeth for a brief moment.

Beca shudders. “Unfair,” she murmurs, momentarily forgetting her own name. Chloe’s name. Amelia. Ben.

There is nothing but this moment, with Beca’s heart threatening to burst from nerves and excitement and passion and sheer joy at the feeling of having the woman she loves in her arms once more.

“Never wait that long to ask me out again,” Chloe teases, pressing her forehead against Beca’s. “This was like…weirdly romantic, but I don’t need you to drop two thousand dollars. No matter how rich you are, miss Grammy nominee.”

Beca tilts her head to steal another kiss. “Again? As in we’re going to have multiple dates.”

“If you play your cards right.” Chloe’s nose brushes against Beca’s lightly. “Not your fancy credit card though.”

“Oh,” Beca says because Chloe’s hands are tugging through her hair again and somehow her toque is on the floor and they’re kissing again.

She could get used to this.

But of course:

“Wait ‘til I tell the girls you paid two thousand dollars to go on a date with me.” She doesn't need to sound so smug, but Beca would be remiss if she didn't acknowledge how hot Chloe sounds saying that.

It isn’t an accident that Beca shuts her up with a kiss.

fin.

[myownworldstayout]

New Friends Ch. 11

Ch.1 / Ch.10 / Ch.12

(Time skip! And Felix getting infinitely sick of all the bullcrap. aren’t we all?)

“See you later, Mama and Papa!” Marinette waved as she passed her parents in the kitchen. 

“Bye, Sweetie!”

“Have a good day!”

Marinette smiled brightly, stepping outside and preparing herself for another day of school.

“Morning Marinette. You look refreshed.” Luka greeted with a warm smile.

“Hey, Luka! I feel refreshed. Thanks for walking me to school.”

It’d been a few weeks since the group decided to form a “buddy system” for Marinette to make sure Adrien couldn’t ambush her. She’d gotten used to the routine almost immediately. Luka had the first shift. Felix had most of the day since they shared the same classes. Aurore or Kagami would take her home depending on whose schedule matched up with hers.

“It’s no problem. I enjoy talking with you.” Luka waved off the comment, gaining a giggle from Marinette.

“Same here.” 

-

Once the two got to school, they met up with the rest of the group at the front.

“Morning Mari! Hi Luka!” Aurore greeted brightly.

Marinette smiled. “Morning Aurore.”

“Looks like you got a good night’s sleep.” Wayhem noted with a humorous smile.

“For once.” She chuckled, playfully rolling her eyes.

“Glad to know you’re feeling better.” Kagami commented. 

“We should go inside now. Class is about to start.” Felix spoke up in his usual, flat tone.

The group gave a few grumbles and sighs, but they agreed nonetheless. 

“Alright, Felix. I pass the angel onto you. Take good care of her.” Luka joked, patting her shoulder. 

Marinette flushed a delightful pink, even more so when Felix’s lips twitched into a smile as he said, “Don’t worry. I will.”

The friends laughed at the exchange, before heading into the school building. After doing so, they dispersed to their respective classes, Felix and Marinette going to Mlle. Bustier’s class and Luka and the others going to Ms. Mendeleiev’s.

~~~~~

“Morning, Marinette.” Agreste greeted as the two walked through the door. 

Felix sent him a glare, moving between Agreste and Marinette while they passed. The group had agreed they wouldn’t let Agreste even talk to Marinette until he exposed Rossi. That was a promise he was all too happy to keep.

He saw Marinette give him a glance of concern out of the corner of his eye, then down to Agreste’s direction, though she couldn’t really see him since Felix made sure to block her view of the blonde. 

Agreste frowned, watching them take their seats in the back. The idiot probably didn’t have a clue why they’d been ignoring the class for weeks. The rest hadn’t even seemed to pick up on that little fact that they were giving them the silent treatment. 

Cessaire and Lahiffe noticed the short interaction, though.

“Hey, what was that?” Cessaire snapped, turning to the pair.

Marinette tensed when the supposed journalist confronted them, but she remained silent, sitting down and taking out her tablet.

Felix glared down at Cessaire, also not saying anything. She wasn’t worth the effort, in his opinion. Besides, Marinette still had some sort of attachment to them even after everything that’s happened. The last thing he wanted to do was make her more upset.

Cessaire gaped, probably more towards Marinette ignoring her than Felix’s glare. Then she let out a huff and stood.

“What is your guys’ problem today!” She yelled, slamming her hand on the table.

“Alya, come on-” Lahiffe tried to play peacemaker, but Cessaire cut him off.

“NO, Nino! Marinette’s been picking on Lila ever since she got here! Her tactics have become worse and worse and now she won’t even talk to us?! Like it’s somehow our fault?! That’s ridiculous!” She ranted, causing Marinette to flinch slightly.

It seemed Felix was the only one who noticed this, either that or no one else cared. The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth. 

“What makes you think she’s been picking on Rossi?” He cut in sharply, getting Cessaire and some of the other students’ attention.

Felix tried to be good, he really did. However, people’s stupidity can be too much for him sometimes.

“What do you mean? Like, Everything that she’s done in the past two months?” Cessaire retorted as if it was obvious.

Two months. Felix thought, hands clenching into fists. This has been going on for two months now.

How could they be so blind? Marinette said Cessaire was supposed to be her best friend. So how could she cast Marinette aside so casually?

Marinette never told them how long Rossi had been there. She just said “a while”. He’d been with her for the second month, making sure the situation didn’t escalate any further. In a way, it worked. Rossi didn’t go any farther in her lies than when he got there. Unfortunately, the class was still just as against Marinette as the day he got there. He hated to think of how isolated she must have felt before she found Couffaine and the others.

Why was the class so set on condemning her?

Whatever the reason or excuse, Felix was certain the class didn’t deserve Marinette as much as Marinette didn’t deserve this treatment.

“And what, pray tell, has she done over the last two months?” Felix challenged.

Cessaire gave an incredulous scoff. “What hasn’t she done? First of all, she broke Lila’s phone just a few weeks ago-” 

“Let’s start there.” Felix interrupted. “Do you have any proof?”

Cessaire faltered. Agreste looked up with wide eyes.

“Proof of what?”

“That she broke the phone.”

“Lila’s phone was broken, and she said Marinette broke the phone.” Cessaire furrowed her eyebrows as she spoke.

“In other words, you don’t have any proof.” 

“Wha-”

“Just because someone said something happened, doesn’t mean it did happen. If you’re willing to believe such outlandish claims because a single girl said it was true, then you’re a worse journalist than I thought.” 

Yes, Marinette had told him much about her classmates, just before getting the same sad expression she had now. It helped to know which buttons to push to get underneath the class’ skin, the same thing they’d done to Marinette for a full two months.

As expected, anger flashed across Cessaire’s features. “That is not the same thing-”

“Isn’t it? You’re taking one person’s word over another’s. Have you ever seen Marinette actively try to harm Lila or do anything else to hurt her?” 

Cessaire, though upset, paused to think about it. Felix watched as she searched through her memories, knowing full well she wouldn’t find anything. 

“I-” She stopped, putting a finger to her lips and a hand on her hip as she thought about it. 

“Of course you can’t.” Felix stated flatly. “She never did.” 

He could see the dots connecting in her mind, but before she could fully come to a conclusion, Mlle. Bustier walked into the room.

“Is everything alright?” She asked with a raised eyebrow, seeing Cessaire out of her seat and the rest of the class quietly yet intently watching her.

Felix sighed, simply turning to take out his tablet and his textbook.

Cessaire sat down, muttering an apology and opening her textbook.

With that, the class began.

~~~~~~

Alya tapped her pen against her desk, racking her brain for that evidence Felix mentioned earlier.

There had to be something right? There’s no way Marinette would do all of that stuff with only Lila as a witness. Of course, everyone saw her challenge Lila’s stories, but Lila seemed to be the only one to actually see Marinette attack her.

Or attack anyone for that matter.

Alya shook the thought from her mind. 

Lila wouldn’t lie to everyone. She wasn’t that kind of person. Alya was certain other students had seen something, they just didn’t say anything since Lila was already bringing it up. 

Speaking of which, wasn’t  Lila always the one bringing it up?

“Alya, pay attention please.” Mlle. Bustier requested, taking Alya from her thoughts.

“What’s up? You seem distracted.” Lila whispered. She had come in with Mlle. Bustier right after the fight. So it made sense she didn’t know.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Felix just said some weird things.” Alya brushed it off, sparing a glance to the back.

Felix was reading his textbook along with Mlle. Bustier, while Marinette scribbled down notes on her tablet.

Alya furrowed her eyebrows at the sight. Over the past two months Marinette’s gotten progressively more and more like Chloe, specifically towards Lila. Alya tried to help and talk to Marinette about it, but she just got upset and shut her out. Then Felix came along and made it worse.

He was cold, rude, and over all a jerk in general. Why Marinette would even talk to him in the first place was beyond her, let alone befriending him.

However, looking at them now she had to admit, Marinette and Felix looked.. Normal together.

Marinette appeared to be her cheery, sweet, usual self. The person Alya met at the beginning of the school year. 

Felix looked more open and relaxed. His shoulders were sagging slightly in comfort and he was actually leaning more towards Marinette instead of  sitting on the edge of the seat on the other side. If Alya hadn’t known better, she would have thought she saw him smile when Mlle. Bustier suddenly called on Marinette, causing the ravenette to stutter out an answer.

“What did he say?” Lila asked, raising an eyebrow as she glanced to the back as well. 

Alya turned back to Lila with an unsure expression. “Well.. he said we have no proof that Marinette’s been picking on you.” 

Lila clicked her tongue, a hint of something flashing across her face.

Agitation? No, that couldn’t be it.

“Of course we have proof, I saw her do all of it.” Lila replied like it was obvious. 

Alya nodded. “Right, right, I know.”

It was foolish, Alya thought, actually taking Felix’s words seriously. He made it quite clear he didn’t like Lila, just like Marinette had. She assumed that was the reason they got along so nicely. Felix just wanted to believe Marinette was right.

Alya smiled.

Lila wouldn’t lie to them.

~~~~~~~

Marinette was torn.

She knew ignoring the class was going to be hard, especially towards Alya and Adrien. She didn’t expect Alya to explode over it, though. Nor did she expect Felix to step up against Lila again.

Don’t get her wrong! She was glad Felix had her back. It just saddened her to see Alya so set in her opinion of Lila.

Marinette could practically see the gears turning in her head when Felix told her they had no proof. Her journalist instincts were kicking in and Marinette held her breath, not daring to interrupt the thought process.

Unfortunately, Mlle. Bustier walked in at that moment, losing any hope Marinette had of getting her friend back.

Although she claimed she was over it, pain was inevitable when your former best friend kept stubbornly choosing their own interests over you.

“Are you coming?” A voice inquired from the doorway of the now empty classroom. 

Marinette looked up at the expectant Felix. They were meeting up at the library today for a small study session. She had almost forgotten due to the mess that morning.

“Ah. yes, sorry.” Marinette apologized, brushing her hair behind her ears and grabbing her backpack.

Felix didn’t respond at first, watching her hop down the steps towards him.

“It’s gonna be alright.” He then said. 

Marinette hummed questioningly, looking up at him.

“I know it’s upsetting, your friends turning on you, but it will pass.” His voice was logical, yet sincere. It was kind.

Marinette gave a small, somewhat sad smile. “I sure hope so.”

Felix nodded, turning to exit the classroom. “Besides, now you have us.”

Marinette’s eyes widened at the statement. He was right. She had new friends now.

Marinette’s smile brightened.

She had real friends now.

~~~~~

Adrien sulked down the school steps. After class, he tried to find Marinette multiple times to hang out with her or just talk, but each time she was swept away by Felix and the others before she could respond. Just like it’d been for the past three weeks. What’s worse is that Marinette seemed completely content the whole day despite this. She didn’t show any trace of remorse towards being taken from her friends.

He could tell Alya was peeved about it as well, and Nino was worried. Why wouldn’t Marinette just talk to them?

Adrien noticed Felix briskly walk past him. Seeing him alone was a rarity now, contrary to their childhood days.

“Felix!” He called out to the blonde.

Felix visibly stiffened, pausing on the last step but not turning around.

“Where’s Marinette? She’s normally with you.” Adrien asked, hoping to catch her before she left somehow.

Felix looked at him then, his gaze less than friendly. “That’s really none of your business, now, is it?” 

Adrien blinked, not sure whether to be shocked or angry.

He chose angry.

“Of course it’s my business! She’s my friend!” He yelled, his grip tightening around the strap of his bag.

Felix scoffed. “Some friend you are. You won’t even stand up for her against a Liar and a cheat.”

Adrien huffed, about ready to tear his hair out in frustration. How many times had they been over this now?

“It would be pointless to tell them! It would only make someone get akumatized!” 

Felix stared silently for a moment, then clicked his tongue. “Let me be explicitly clear.”  his glare frosted over. “If you want to be friends with Marinette, you need to expose Lila.” 

Adrien groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Exposing someone doesn’t make them good. Like I said before, it would only make Lila get akumatized and cause more problems.”

“So you would sacrifice Marinette. To appease a bully. You are truly a garbage human being. A coward.”

The words might have stung had they not shocked Adrien so much.

“That’s isn’t what I-!”

Felix held up a hand, silencing him. “Save it. Her emotional investment on you is wasted.”

His cousin turned around and walked away, not saying another word. Not giving Adrien the chance to.

Tag list: @unabashedbookworm @bluerosette23 @minightrose@kuroko26@im-here-for-the-content @angstyrastuff @clumsy-owl-4178 @fanboy7794@choaticneturcl @bigcheeseyboi @burntnugget-tae @ayuchan07@honorisfortheweak @knightrose15 @mjisntme@rhub4rb @simplythebestbug@wilhelmares@zebrabaker@dargeon-lissa @kristycocopop @alumneia @kaydenth3gayden @thornangelic727 @flirtshobi @whatamessofwords @miraculousl4dybug @orrabbit

[my-name-is-alice-ayers]

Chaos Theory pt 8

@topstory21

(Erik x Raven)

Erik ran his hands through his hair as his eyes were glued to the projection of the sentinel program blue prints. Trask had crafted these machines without any flaws. Once he had Ravens DNA these would be the end of the mutant race, just as Logan had warned them. His stomach clenched when the photos of his friends (Angel, Emma, banshee) autopsy's flashed across the walls. The things these humans had done to them was a disgrace.

His own thoughts were barely drowned out by the TV in the background of his hotel. "...enhanced individuals brought out in Paris today..." the voice on the television caught his attention. He watched the fight between he, Hank and Raven replay. People scrambling around in fear as camera flashed. It all seemed like a blur to him now, the pain in his head still throbbing but it couldn't compete with the ache in his heart.

He leaned back his body tensing as he watched Chloe's face go pale, tears falling as she watched him leave. He cursed under his breath, but he didn't see any other way in the moment. Trask had plans for the more powerful of their kind, Chloe, Xavier, even himself. He had to protect that at any cost.

He hopped up grabbing his jacket as he left his room in a hurry, suddenly feeling like he couldn't sit still. He knew Charles would take care of her but it didn't make it sting any less to leave. He prayed Chloe would forgive him and they could find some peace when this was all over.

Erik's feet move in a frenzy as he jogs down the concrete steps leading to the subway. He can't get Chloe out of his head, he doesn't even notice the old man walk by him. In a flash he's grabbed and thrown into a phone booth, the door slamming shut as the man transforms into Raven.

She presses something sharp to his throat clutching his shirt, "If I see so much as a screw move I will jam this in your throat!"

"How did you find me?" Erik asked his hands up defensively as he tried to remain calm.

"You taught me well," she snapped.

"It's been a long time...how are you?" He asked trying to keep his voice soothing.

"Small talk really? You tired to kill me!" She pressed the knife harder into his throat.

Erik scoffed, "So the rest of us could live."

"What do you mean?" She looked confused.

"We received a message from the future," he stated plainly as if that would be enough to justify what he did.

"Don't lie to me!" Raven yelled now irritated.

"I didn't want to believe it either, but I knew it would take a miracle to have Charles and Chloe break me out of that cell together, so when they told me I believed it. Why would I lied? You saw them there didn't you?" He watched her step back lowering her weapon and he let out a breath of relief.

"A miracle, Chloe was my best friend I didn't see her try to stop you," Raven groaned.

"With good reason, did you know she was pregnant before she left me?" Erik's eyes darkened with sadness.

Ravens jaw dropped, "What? What happened?"

"She was going to tell me but she saw you kiss me and then took off. Charles took her in but she lost the baby shortly after."

"So what? Shooting me was some attempt at securing a new future with her? Jackass!" She punched him in the shoulder. She hated that for Chloe, even Erik. She had only been drunk and lonely, not meaning to hurt either of them that night.

"It doesn't matter how. I left her on the sidewalk and she's probably never going to forgive me... did you know they have your blood?"he lowered his eyes ashamed.

"Whose fault was that?" Raven growled at him.

"Mine. I've seen their plans, not just for you. For all of the mutants. They're creating a weapon and now they have what they need to take it further. I have to strike now, while I still hold the upper hand," Erik said.

"I've seen too many of my friends die, Trask is mine. Either go home and hopefully fix it with Chloe or get the Hell out of my way," she pushed him back against the glass. "Don't get it twisted, I'm not here to start a war. Trask is the enemy."

"Killing one man isn't enough," Erik stated plainly.

"It never was for you. I'm really sorry about Chloe. You should just leave and go home to her. For me this is a one way trip and you're just going to get in my way," she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I lost everything because of your little drunken mistake, I'm not taking orders from you," Erik pushed back at her.

"Sounds like we're at a crossroads, Erik. I wasn't a good friend to her when I should have been, but this one thing I can make up for. Find Chloe, go have babies and live a normal life. You're not changing my mind about Trask. Goodbye," she sighed pushing past him and in a flash she was lost in the crowd.

———————————————————

(At the mansion)

You follow Logan, Hank, and Charles down the hallway to Cerebro. Your stomach was in knots and you felt like you were in a daze as you barely listened to anything they were saying.

"Chloe," Logan grabbed your hand pulling you aside for a minute. "I can handle this with Charles, maybe you should lay down for a little bit."

"I have to find Erik..." You could feel yourself panicking at the thought of him. You wiped a loose tear from your cheek, "Am I this ridiculous in the future when it comes to him or does it ever stop?"

Logan smiles, "When you love someone you do everything whole heartedly. I've been on both ends of that with you. Did he say where he was going?"

You shook your head, "He told me to let him go secure our future and I didn't see much of a choice. After he shot Raven he and Charles weren't going to work together well."

"Don't make yourself sick about it, one thing about Erik is if he says he's going to do something he damn well does it. Just promise me you'll rest because it's going to take all of us to stop Trask and Raven," Logan soothed holding you at your elbows.

"Are you all tight?" Charles called stopping his chair noticing you both weren't behind him.

"Let's do this," Chloe wiped her eyes as she moved last Logan, you reached for his hand lacing your fingers with his as you pulled him back towards them. "How long has it been since you've been down here?"

The last time we went looking for students," Hank smiled at Chloe referring to her.

"A lifetime ago," Charles voice was somber as the light for the door scanned his face, unlocking as it confirmed his identity.

"Welcome Professor," it stated as  you guys walked through the door. Charles wheeled ahead and you felt yourself get a little uneasy. You hadn't been in this since Erik showed it to you when you guys first moved into the house.

Hank went to turn the machine on as Charles hesitated but reluctantly reached for the helmet. Lights and panels began to glow as you three stepped back a little.

You felt your heart pounding in your chest as white lights flashed in front of you, then red..mutants as Charles searched for Raven. You were trying to scan for Erik the best you could but in a flash Charles fear took over. You placed your hand on his shoulder thinking it would soothe him but your grief mixed with his. Charles moaned in pain as the lights started flashing, panels began popping with electricity.

You growled in pain as your eyes landed on Erik for a moment. He looked as if he was in pain as he walked down a street with his hands in his pockets. Logan pulled you back suddenly as Charles screamed in agony, tossing the helmet off to the floor.

"Charles!" Hank asked concerned. He leaned forward gasping for air as you fell into Logan's arms.

"What were you thinking, Chlo!" Charles choked out as you cried into Logan's chest.

"I'll go check the generators," Hank replied softly trying to avoid this conversation that seemed inevitable.

"I thought I could help take on the load of emotions, I didn't know it was going to do that," you murmured as Logan stroked your hair.

"I can't do this—-my mind—-."

"You're just a little rusty Professor," Logan replied.

"You don't understand it's not a question of being rusty...I can flip the switches, I can turn the knobs, but my power comes from here, it comes from..."he touches his head and goes to point to his heart, "And it's broken. Something only she can understand, when you touched me love, it only amplified it."

"This has to work—-I can't lose anyone else." You kneeled in front of Charles reaching for his hands trying to stop him from giving up again.

"I felt like one of my students, helpless. It was a mistake coming down here. It was a mistake freeing Erik. This whole thing has been one bloody mistake!" Charles pulls back from your touch, making you gasp.

"If you really believe that I wish you'd just left me at the hospital. We were destined for this, were blessed with these gifts and they are what drew us all to each other. You used to believe that," you wiped your face on the back of your hand. "You are lost, just like we all were, but we're here trying to guide you back. I'm not going to leave you ,Charles. The same way you didn't leave me. Raven is on a dark path and Erik..in his mind he's doing what his heart says will keep us all safe."

"I'm not the right guy..." he muttered sadly, he looked at you overwhelmed by your pain.  The look in your eyes of defeat was almost too much for him to bear.

"You're right, I am the wrong man, " Logan's stared, "Actually it was supposed to be you. But I was the only one who could physically make the trip. And uh...I don't know how long I've got here, but I do know that a long time...actually, a long time from now, I was your most helpless student, and you unlocked my mind. You showed me what I was, you showed me what I could be. I don't know how to do that for you. You're right, I don't. But I know someone who might."

Charles looks up at Logan confused.

"Look into my mind," Logan urged. "Chloe got a glimpse earlier, I know you could find you way back to you."

He scoffed, "You saw what I did to Cerebro. You don't want me inside your head."

Logan kneels down beside you,"There's no damage you can do that hasn't already been done, trust me."

Charles touches his fingers to Logan's head and enters his mind, he sees Logan's memories of Stryker experimenting on him, he even saw the love Logan shared for you and even Logan's worst memories : Jean Grey.

"You poor poor man," Charles groaned in discomfort.

"Look past him, Charles," you whispered watching him struggling to get a hold on his power.

"I can't take on his suffering..I don't want his future," Charles groaned in pain losing his grip on Logan.

"Look past it, find your future." You soothed.

Charles takes a deep breath refocusing.

You and Logan watch him panting for a moment but then he straightens in his seat, calm and relaxation washing over his face. You got him..he's back.

"The powers back on," Hank yelled jogging back up the ramp.

A smirk was now on Charles face, "Yes, yes it is."

Logan helps you stand as you all crowd back over him, his new enthusiasm is empowering. Charles grabs your hand, "Thank you Chloe."

"Don't thank me yet," you teased.

Charles places the helmet back on his head and just like all the times you'd witnessed before, things fell into place. The lights flickered in, the lights appeared and he searched for Raven. He searched for the girl who held the key to your future, good or bad, you guys would go down together either way.