#literally does this guy even have a tag. inferno. that's just a word
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AUGH. right I forgot about the ps1 models. I'm gonna put closeups AND their beast modes below the cut so I don't flood anything so I'm begging you to not just look at this small ass picture if you care
By the WAY I didn’t include Dinobot in this main photo because I actually altered his model when I first exported him (being the first one I got out) . Mainly because it kinda fucked up his beast mode textures (mouth was upsidown) and also because his tail sword got too aggressively corrupted for me to fix, but I could probably fix it now. I may make that into a separate post if I wanna stay true to the original model. I’ll put him below the cutalong with all the close ups SO in no particular order:
and these two, who don't have beast modes. I KNOW theyre ugly but its ok... I still love them... I'm sorry but the n64 models geometry is SO much better. I must admit some of the textures are pretty decent though
also!! the black spots are from where they used vertex colors instead textures. Ill fill those in with as accurate of colors as I can get when I have the motivation
I have the enemies tooooo but erm. idk what to tag those guys because they aren't in the actual show lmao
#transformers beast wars#beast wars#terrorsaur#airrazor#black arachnia#scorponok#inferno bw#optimus primal#Rhinox#rattrap#cheetor#dinobot#bw megatron#tarantulas#ps1 games#bw inferno#literally does this guy even have a tag. inferno. that's just a word
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Blood Bound: Blackened Bond (Ch 16)
Warnings: Action, Coarse Language, Fighting, Descriptions of Blood, Death, Gore, Japanese Mythical Folklore, No Major Character Death
Previous Chapter: 土御門天皇 (Tsuchimikado)
Next Chapter: Inferno: Flames of Hell
Word Count: 3.3k
Tags: Kamo Noritoshi x Reader, Soulmates AU, Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Fem!Reader
Taglist: @lessie-oxj @rizzo-nero @whoreuc @fkngkumiko @isl3t @gojoussunglasses @onepotatostand-blog @s-t-f-u-b-i-t-c-h @sunaswife @lordguameow @track5enthusiast @nayydoesthings
Notes: If you want to be tagged for every update, and specify if you're okay with NSFW posts or not, please mention it in the comments below ty ❤
This chapter is LONG, a lot longer than I expected haha, happy reading!
Chapter 16: Non-Standard
Noritoshi was in a shitty mood to say the least. He went home to his clan immediately after getting a summon. The clan head had discussed their stance on the upcoming war and is readying their jujutsu sorcerers for battle.
His half-brother had made a not too subtle snarky remark about you. "You've already gotten yourself a woman? Wonder if she even likes you. I'm willing to bet Homura's cuter than her." Secretly his brother was curious about you, having heard about your special grade status.
Noritoshi steeled himself, knowing his brother's playboy tendencies at his school.
"That's enough. I am quite serious about her, so don't even think of taking her."
He watched his brother shut up upon seeing him like this and left him hanging.
'Heeehhh? That Noritoshi is actually interested in someone? Interesting…'
Other serious matters aside, his father, as usual, asked about you, only for him to find out you've both gotten into an argument.
The head of the Kamo clan only raised an eyebrow. "That’s normal for every couple."
Noritoshi kept his temper at bay. But he couldn't help resenting his phone call with his father that day. If his father was less controlling and obsessive over their clan status, maybe it would have gone better.
No... He was also influenced by the elders. Ashamed as Noritoshi was to acknowledge it himself.
“We… broke up…”
At that, his father shuts his eyes, mood obviously souring.
"You are literally a fated pair, how is that even possible? *sigh* If it proves too difficult with her… well we had that list of marriage partners set up for you. Homura has made it quite clear she and her family would be very delighted to assimilate with ours."
Is this what Noritoshi wanted? A woman who obviously flirted with him as she lusted for power? No, he wanted you, who never inquired about his status. Just about his family, his mom, dad and half siblings.
You made it very clear you were worried about his family's well-being. And whether they would like you or not. You want him to meet yours. You never even asked him for a gift or much favors. (Though he had a feeling your family was pretty well off, based on your clothes and jewellery.)
And he loved the fact that he could breathe like a regular teenage guy around you. The only thing you’ve requested from him so far was honesty and transparency.
"No. That won't be needed. Y/N is mine. She is the only one for me." He spoke slowly and clearly. This is the first time he actually disagreed with his father. He'd lose his sanity without you.
"I expected as much, I've never seen you this determined about something before. Soulmates are so complicated." His father sighed out. "Do as you wish. It isn't wise for me or the elders to interfere with something as sacred and ancient as this soulbond you share with her anyways."
Noritoshi felt himself earn a small win at that. He was growing a backbone. "Thank you father."
“However! You cannot force her to love you back. Surely you know this. If you don’t get married by the age of 25, as per our clan tradition I’ll have you set up with another woman.”
Noritoshi inwardly sighed, resigned to his fate.
◇◇◇
Needless to say, you trained like a demon as the eve of Christmas quickly approached. Nobody dared come 10 feet near you as you perfected your Blizzard and Tornado techniques. It was normal to hear the crack of a sonic boom and see flashes of lightning around you.
You were hesitant to use your cursed technique reversal. You barely use flames and Inferno in general, but it can't be helped. But now you hold a pack of matches in your hand.
You lit a match and manipulated the flames. It danced dangerously around your fingers before you moved it from one hand to the other.
You were doing well. Spending a lot of time here on campus helped you to control your emotions and not let anger fuel your cursed energy like you did when you were younger. Those were such bad habits.
A wheel of flame circled in front of you. Very clean and stable. All of the sudden, a strong whirl of wind and empty space extinguished the flames like a vacuum … Only one other person in Japan is capable of doing that other than you.
You turned your head to the side and saw an incredibly tall man with snow white hair and a pair of sunglasses approached you. His bright baby blue eyes gently twinkling and peeking over the rims of his shades.
“Satoru nii, it’s been a while. Why visit me now?” You tiredly asked. He came up just a few inches away from you, staring down at you.
“I got a call from Hiroki. I’m here to help you with your special cursed techniques. It’s time, you’ve stopped holding yourself back Neko-chan.” He leered down with his trademark grin.
◇◇◇
You spend the entire afternoon getting pushed around by Satoru. This man was crazy strong. He kicked you against a tree. “OOF” you heaved.
"You avoid using Inferno. Is it because of your childhood trauma? I'm not shaming you but it's something you need to overcome."
You frowned at his words.
"You only have today to train with me y/n! Aren’t you honored I went out of my way from Tokyo to Kyoto?”
"Like hell I am."
“You’re not using the full extent of your cursed techniques. That power is your one true ally in this world. Trust it a bit more. Apart from your soulmate anyways, but I can see you and Noritoshi aren't exactly swell right now." Your eye twitched at that statement.
Satoru eyed the broken strands of red ropes that floated around you. Not a good sign. It was reaching out to the distance. Maybe to where Noritoshi is huh, Satoru wondered. Until he spotted one thin string, still very much intact and alive. He grinned.
‘This prick and his fucking special eye abilities’, you grumbled. He hit your back hard, “What bad language you have. Imma straighten you up today kitteeeen~”
He pranced around you and squatted to lean down to your level.
"But seriously, you say you want to get strong but you fear your own power kitten. Don't do that." Satoru pointed straight at your eyes. “Remove the fear of hurting the people around you. Because you’re literally fighting to protect the ones you love, focus instead on harnessing your cursed energy to fight. Your messed up emotions could cost you a fight, even your life. Doesn’t matter if you’re a special grade like me. At this rate you won’t catch up to me.”
You slumped to the ground in defeat.
“To be honest, I feel like my growth has stunted. I don’t know if it’s the lack of powerful opponents I’ve had lately.”
He sighed out so loudly and obnoxiously that your anger flared up at him. “Thaaat’s what I kept telling you. You shoulda come to Tokyo Jujutsu instead of here! 100% I would enjoy teaching you and I mean it. I could teach you ya know, and Yuuta is there as well. Another Special Grade, although his circumstances are quite unique and with the way he is right now, you have a better chance at beating him one-on-one since he’s a newbie to this world. And yet you kept saying you wanted to be here for your family.” He shook his head.
You felt as though your head cleared up all of a sudden. “Because I was here…. I was meant to be here. Satoru. I know it deep in my soul. Because I met Noritoshi and…. “ Your heart throbbed so loudly you heard it in your ears. A deep pain stabbed into you.
Ah right. You said you were over him. You broke up with him weeks ago.
“And? You’re not together anymore. Figure out your heart and I could let you reconsider transferring to Tokyo Jujutsu High you know?” He said with a frown.
Why does the idea of leaving Noritoshi behind feeling like you were carving your heart out? He isn’t anything to you anymore and yet…
No. Enough of this. You’re here to train and fight that curse that killed Sora. Your emotions were all over the place. Satoru came up to you and wiped your tears off your face.
“What are you doing to yourself y/n? Don’t lie to yourself. I thought you wanted to live life as honestly as possible.” Even Satoru looked concerned and troubled over your state.
You gulped. “Yeah you’re right. I told myself I wanted to get stronger and protect the ones I love. Now I’m just running away. Noritoshi at least has been trying to reach out to me, but I shut him down.” Your heart is hurting.
Satoru stared at you and the cursed energy that was rapidly pulsing around you. Then grinned. “Then... Fight me one-on-one right here right now. Let’s make sure to keep the damages to a minimum and take care of the buildings. All the other students are still here on campus. Sky's the limit since both of us can move well in mid-air. I want to see you control your emotions and fight me properly. I’ll hold back.” He said.
You took a deep breath and looked back up. “Challenge accepted.”
You’ve envisioned this countless times. You wanted to see how you could match-up against Satoru and all his years of experience. You weren’t expecting to win, but you were not going down without a fight. Your cursed technique is actually a good matchup for his.
You can manipulate molecules. Though you suspect his control is on an atomic level, and thus could overpower yours due to his finesse and 6 eyes. But you could at the very least try.
Satoru, on the other hand, already knew of your potential. 'She is the only one I know who can actually touch and surpass me, given that she can control gravity and condense molecules. It will come down to timing and refining techniques.'
“Give me 5 minutes to suit up.” You asked. He agreed. You flew to your room and eyed the katana of your father. He actually planned to give it to Sora when she turns 16. But due to her death, he gave it to you instead on your 16th.
The name was Kintsugi, because it was made of two halves before being welded together in the centre with high grade steel. The center has a core of a fine diamond dust that’s infused with cursed energy. It’s a grade 1 special tool that multiplies the cursed energy you put into it by 10.
“Don’t break it. Don’t break it…. But It’s Satoru I’m going against. It will break.” And so you put it back and instead reached for your best twin blades and metallic whip. You coiled it around your wrist like a bangle, before flying back to Satoru.
“Done preparing, kitten?” He had removed his sunglasses and his blue eyes were out wide open as they assessed your cursed technique.
“Yep!” You yelled. “Ah Toru, shouldn’t we inform the elders or Utahime sensei that we-”
He didn’t give you time to speak as he appeared in front of you all of the sudden. Rushing with a right hook. You quickly dodged. He kept his word and is going easy on you at least.
You exchanged a few blows with him, both his limitless and your spacial barrier active so technically, no hits were landed.
Until you warped the space and forced the molecules around them to retract, making you actually reach and hit him.
He must have expected the solid punch, because in return, he kicked you as he warped off your spacial barrier. You eyed him as you regrouped. It’s anyone’s game huh.
“You’re still holding back! Are you going to be like this in a real battle? Are you okay with staying weak? Or do you have to wait for someone special to die before you ignite?!”
Oh no he didn’t. Your emotions raged, and you tried to calm them down. But all you saw was blood red. You never felt this angry at Satoru before. Before you knew it, you had activated inferno, making the entire surrounding area, which Satoru was in, combust and burn up in flames.
You lit up a match and pulled the flames on the ground and trees towards your smaller flame and held a massive ball of fire. Satoru was gone, it was only soot on the ground. You looked up to see him hurtling down at you.
You barely dodged, before wrapping the flames around you as you used it to strike at him repeatedly. You both rose up higher and higher into the air.
“Special art: Goldenrod,” you shot a bolt of lightning at Satoru only for him to dodge it. “Don’t just shoot it from your hands! Electricity is a current! You can make it run through your entire body!” He yelled as you both spiraled and fought over the campus.
He had the energy to teach you while you were fighting. You scoffed, but listened carefully, generating electricity in your hands before letting it wrap around you.
You were both dodging and striking at each other with such power. The trees swayed violently as winds and rubble were thrown about.
“What on earth…” Noritoshi and the other students stared at the flashes of fire, lightning, and wind above the campus.
The sky darkened. Good. If you had water, that was another asset.
He must have realized this as he immediately activated his Cursed Technique: Reversal. “Red.” You were forced back, plummeting to the ground. You swiftly turned and saw Miwa and Mai staring at you with horror.
You pulled yourself up back into the sky, still filled with fire and lightning, narrowly missing the building. You twisted your fingers to the side. The flames turned into the shape of the Dragon and you whipped back to hit Satoru from the front while your dragon of flame hit him from behind.
He danced around your attacks, teleporting from one area to the next to dodge them.
He then easily extinguished your flames with a flick of his wrist, but your lightning stayed. He can’t extinguish it, because it was coursing through your body, constantly moving.
You both stood, hundreds of feet high above the Kyoto Campus in midair. Lightning flashed above and winds howled.
You’ve never been pushed this hard your entire life. Not with Hiroki. Not with Todo. But Satoru was really on another level of strong. Unbreakable like a monster. He didn’t feel human anymore.
You tried for a Mach Speed hit, which you’ve never tried on anyone else; it would kill them on impact. “Mach 3.5” There was a loud BANG!
Going at Mach Speed has its limits of course. You can afford to do Mach 1, 5 times a day. Mach 2, 3 times, and Mach 4 only once.
A huge cone of smoke formed behind you as you launched yourself at Satoru. He was still able to evade you, but you pointed one hand to him, quickly following up on another attack.
“Fubuki.” Your blizzard technique was a combination of Niflheim and Tatsumaki. Cold air whipped around you and you thrust it towards Satoru. A mini tornado has formed around you and it pushed and pulled widely. But you were in the eye of the storm.
Satoru dodged your winds, but couldn’t escape them all, wincing as some small ice shards cut into his skin. He attracted debris and rocks towards you. One caught on your shoulder, making you yell in pain, but the rest you were able to guard against with your winds.
He immediately closed in on you to prevent you from doing another full blast and punched with ‘Red’. You countered with a roundhouse kick supercharged with your blizzard and lightning, neutralising his infinity jujutsu with a bit of mixed gravity control.
A huge gust of whirlwind was emitted from the impact, forcing everyone on campus down to the ground.
“GOJO! TSUCHIMIKADO! STOP THIS!” Utahime was screaming at the top of her lungs, still heard over the roar of thunderclap.
You both looked at each other and knew it had to end soon. Rain was starting to fall.
He threw his back and laughed out loud. “I hadn’t had this much fun in ages. You’ve grown really strong. Stop me if you can.” And flew away from the buildings and into the surrounding forest. You whipped your tornado around you and quickly followed him.
All the other students that had been watching you go at it followed. Utahime did as well. They stood from a distance as both of you exchanged more hits.
You lit another match and let arrows made of flames rain on Satoru, weakening his limitless barrier as much as you could. Only one arrow slightly singed his sleeve. Damn he was good.
Satoru attracted your body with “Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue.” You felt like your insides were tearing as you tried to stop his force. But his limitless technique easily overpowered yours. You let go and rushed towards him with both your swords out.
He easily sidestepped and kicked them out of your grasp. The hit was so heavy, even though it hit your swords, you felt the force reverberate throughout your body.
Satoru grabbed your neck from behind, and for the very first time since you were awarded the Special Grade Jujutsushi status, you were forced down onto the ground.
You used your cursed technique to soften the blow as much as possible, but Satoru was relentless as he slammed you head-first down onto the grass.
Everyone winced as you hit the ground hard. "He's not human." Mai said. Everyone agreed, not used to seeing you at the mercy of another party like this. They were reminded of who exactly was the strongest sorcerer alive.
In order to win against Satoru, your goal was to touch him and move past his limitless barrier. Even if it’s just for a moment. You couldn’t use Niflheim or Inferno from afar. He would remain unaffected as he guards and stops the change in movement of molecules around him.
But now his hand was around your neck. Your twin blades suddenly rush to close in around his neck in an x position to gather his attention, while you use your technique to warp the space around his hand to weaken limitless and hold onto him.
You lashed out with your metallic whip, letting your cursed technique run through it. It worked and scratched his cheek a bit.
"Enhanced gravity: Output 30%", the ground cracked underneath the both of you as a massive weight pressed down. And then you shocked both Satoru and yourself with the lightning coursing through you. Screaming at the pain in the process.
He gritted his teeth as volts shocked his bones.
Utahime and the others stared at both of you. "What a huge amount of cursed energy." Todo said in awe. "Non-standard Jujutsu users are insane."
Satoru still had the strength to hit your lower back which caused you to heave out and stop Goldenrod from activating. Both of your clothes were literally toasted. “Haha. You’re a scary one y/n.”
That’s all you remembered before you passed out; you were out of cursed energy.
◇◇◇
Noritoshi rushed over to take you in his arms. Pulling your unconscious body close to his, he gave you a once-over. You had just fainted from exhaustion, there were no serious injuries. Good.
"Noritoshi," Satoru called.
"Yes, Gojo San?"
"Take care of her for me please."
He straightened up, "Of course. There’s no need to ask that from me." He then carried you to the infirmary, holding you gently in his arms.
Blood Bound: Table of Contents
Author's Notes: Me writing this entire scene: FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!!! (x100)
Y/n was able to fight on par with Satoru, because he chose to limit his cursed energy output and match his skills to her level. A psychokinesis cursed technique would be a natural enemy for limitless since you can condense and expand space between molecules. But you still lack experience in battle. And if we were going to talk about Domains, Satoru would dominate the battle.
#kamo noritoshi x reader#jujutsu kaisen fanfic#jjk imagines#gojo satoru#jjk x y/n#jjk x o/c#jjk fluff#noritoshi angst#kamo noritoshi x you#kamo noritoshi x y/n#kamo noritoshi#jjk x poc!reader#noritoshi x fem!reader#jjk kamo#noritoshi x you#noritoshi headcanons#jjk noritoshi
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inferno matt murdock x reader
+++++++++
prompt: "I'm not going to be sympathetic until you go to a doctor." ; "You're bleeding all over my carpet." ; "Tell me you need me."
idk how i did it but this is exactly 1000 words
song: my friend of misery by metallica
tag list: @cynic-spirit @juniebugg
+++++++++
"ya know im starting to think you like getting beat up."
he laughed as i sterilized the needle, looking over the cut in his shoulder again.
"that is not the first time anyone has said that to me."
i snorted.
"why does that not surprise me?"
he sent me a small smile.
"if it makes you feel any better, when i go out at night the goal is to not get beat up."
i sighed as i got to work on his arm.
"but like everything else you do, it is one of the drawbacks of the job."
he smiled wider, nodding in agreement.
"not exactly a perk."
i bit the inside of my cheek as i finished stitching him up and worked to clean it off with rubbing alcohol.
"i would say i feel for you but you keep going out and keep coming to me afterwards so there's not much i can do outside of literally fixing you."
"what? no 'gee matt, maybe you should get a better hobby' or 'that looks like it hurts, let me make it better'?"
i sent him a look.
"I'm not going to be sympathetic until you go to an actual doctor."
he shrugged before putting a clean shirt back on.
"i have an actual doctor."
i sat back as i cleaned up my supplies.
"i dont mean check ups and the guy you see when you have a cold matt. i mean, like, when youre bleeding all over my carpet and i cant get you patched up fast enough. when you need more help than i can dish out."
"if its any consolation i appreciate the help more than you know."
i made a face as i dropped my gloves into his kitchen trash can.
"oh i know, youve mentioned it before. but sometimes it doesnt feel like it. i just wish you could see how much you really need real help; whether that be from a side kick or more than just me."
i followed him to the couch and watched with my arms over my chest as he struggled to fall into the brown leather.
"i cant just give myself up like that y/n."
i sighed before sitting beside him in defeat.
"i know you cant, but i just- i dont even know anymore."
he turned his head like he was listening more intently.
"youre not quitting on me are you?"
he asked and i laughed a little bit.
"could i ever?"
there was a short pause.
"no, im not quitting on you. i just dont know what i need out of this anymore. at first i thought it was a companion. someone to take care of because i had just lost everyone else. but the more im here, the more im realizing just how dangerous that is. because just like them you could be gone sooner than i want and itll be my fault."
he was quick to sit up, hissing in pain as he touched my arm.
"it would never be your fault. i want you to know that right now."
i sent im a look.
"matt if you die on my watch then thats on me. of course it would be my fault. and itll be just like everyone else whos trusted me with their lives. i wont be able to follow through with my end of the bargain."
he shook his head quickly, wiping away the few tears that had slipped down my cheeks.
"hey, dont do that to yourself. i did this. if i reach my limit it would have nothing to do with you."
"what if i cant save you?"
he swallowed hard and i tried to study his face.
"then i wasn't worth saving."
"matt."
he titled his head up quickly.
"no, i mean it. if i come to you and you cant save me then i truly believe it was my time. god works in mysterious ways, and if i die then take it as a sign that my job is done. that He decided my job is done."
i let another tear slip, his hand holding my jaw lightly as i looked over him through blurry vision.
"i cant lose you too. you literally fell into my lap but at this point you're the only one ive got left. matt. please."
he closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to mine.
"then tell me you need me."
i pulled away a little surprised.
"what?"
his eyes shifted back and forth like he was bargaining with himself.
"thus far i havent had a reason to quit. the city needs me, but if you need me more... maybe its time to take a break."
i let out a staggered breath that was almost a sob and he pulled me into a tight hug.
"i need you so much matty."
i cried, feeling him pet my hair down, his other hand pressed hard against my back.
"im such a mess."
i said through a sob/laugh and he pulled away, a small smile on his face.
"youre my mess. or uh, you are if you want to be."
he said a little shy and i smiled, nodding quickly.
"you mean that?"
he nodded once.
"ive spent my whole life pushing people away. maybe i need to learn how to let people back in."
"maybe we both do."
i took his hands in mine and rubbed my thumbs gently over his knuckles.
"we'll save each other."
he pressed his forehead to mine again.
"if youre the last person i ever save then all of the pain ive endure until now will have been worth it."
i couldnt help the smile that cracked across my face at that and before i knew what was happening his lips were on mine. it was gentle, salty because of the tears, and he tasted like iron from the blood still between his teeth. but god did this feel like the solidarity i had been waiting for. when he pulled away he smiled back at me like he had the same thought.
"my personal savior."
i joked and i could see the blush creeping to his bruised face.
"im yours just as much as you are mine."
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Words: 4,874 Fandom: Pitch Perfect (Movies) Rating: T Relationships: Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell Characters: Chloe Beale, Beca Mitchell Additional Tags: Angst, Pining, Canon Compliant Summary:
Chloe is in love with Beca, and Beca is in love with Chloe. Just… not at the same time.
In which Beca and Chloe can’t seem to figure out their timing.
Dedicated to my loving mother @darby-carter <33
* * *
Falling in love with Beca Mitchell isn’t something that Chloe necessarily expected upon their first meeting, but she can’t say that she’s particularly surprised by it, either. Chloe has always been free with her emotions- something that her mother always says she admires about Chloe.
Although she can’t really know for sure, Chloe likes to think that she generally feels things faster and stronger than most people. When she hates someone, she will go out of her way to avoid them at all costs. When she likes a show on Netflix, she will spend every waking moment watching it and looking up any information she can find on it. When she crushes on someone, they become all-consuming; Chloe thinks of them constantly.
So when a small spark of attraction starts deep in her chest for Beca, Chloe knows that it is only a matter of time before Beca completely takes over Chloe’s world.
And take over Chloe’s world she does, with startling swiftness and terrifying completeness.
Because even if Chloe has been in love before, every kind of love she’s felt in the past pales in comparison to how she feels about Beca.
And sometimes, Chloe thinks that Beca might just love her back.
Beca is a naturally prickly person, Chloe has noticed. Averse to almost any form of physical contact, affection, and intimacy. The emotional side of things isn’t much nicer. Beca hardly answers questions about herself and tends to get her way out of any conversation that seems like it may be heading in a sincere direction. It’s almost impressive how well she does at distancing herself from others, both physically and emotionally.
Maybe that’s part of why Chloe falls for her so hard and so fast; she just aches to make sure that Beca feels loved in some way.
So naturally, Chloe inserts herself into Beca’s life.
And Beca, shockingly enough, doesn’t really seem to mind.
At practices while Aubrey is lecturing Amy about her lack of cardio, Beca will slink away from Stacie’s attempts of showing affections towards her, only to allow Chloe’s arms to circle her middle from behind a moment later. Beca will answer Cynthia-Rose with some sarcastic quip when she asks why Beca is in the Bellas if she hates it so much, yet when it comes up in a late night conversation with Chloe a week later, she seems to have no problem opening up about how her dad will help her move to LA after the year is done if she ‘shows some real effort.’
Chloe seems to be Beca’s exception in almost every aspect of life, which thrills Chloe to no end.
Beca kissing Jesse is unexpected and surprising, to say the least.
Chloe didn’t think that Beca even liked Jesse as a person, let alone liked him as a potential romantic partner.
Watching Beca and Jesse kiss quite literally breaks Chloe’s heart. She cries about it on she and Aubrey’s couch for a solid week until Aubrey tells her that she needs to get over it, because it’s not like she and Beca were even dating or anything.
It was just a crush, Aubrey tells her. She hadn’t even known Beca for all that long, Aubrey says. You’ll be okay, she assures her.
But none of those things feel true to Chloe.
It’s funny, Chloe thinks as she watches the Hallmark channel, bottle of open wine cradled in her lap protectively. It’s funny how discovering that someone you have a crush on likes someone else feels like a breakup, even though you were never even in a relationship to begin with. At the end of the day, the person who broke your heart never technically had any obligation to love you back, because they never knew how you felt in the first place. It is an entirely one-sided heartbreak, which makes it all that much worse.
And since Chloe has always felt emotions more strongly than others, she thinks it’s pretty safe to assume that her heartbreak hurts more than it really should.
* * *
Failing Russian lit isn’t something that Chloe necessarily expected herself to do, but she can’t say that she’s particularly surprised by it, either.
The class was hard, and Chloe knew that she had done poorly on a lot of the tests and assignments in it, so her failing isn’t exactly the most shocking news of the day.
There are both upsides and downsides to Chloe having to stay in school another year.
Positives: Chloe has another year to figure out her life before she has to face the harsh reality that is the real world. Chloe gets to be in the Bellas another year, which is arguably her favorite thing in the world. Chloe gets to stay with Beca for another year.
Actually, the whole ‘staying with Beca’ thing could be a downside as well.
It’s a downside because Beca is dating Jesse, and Chloe is still tragically in love with Beca.
The thing is, Beca justmjust it so easy to be in love with her.
It’s in the little things that Beca does. Like the way she makes mixes for Chloe and gifts them to her with a shrug, telling her it wasn’t a big deal. Like how she looks so adorably grumpy cuddled up with Chloe under a blanket during Bella movie nights. Like how her cheeks flush whenever Chloe kisses her cheek, allowing it with only a small amount of grumbling.
Every single little thing that Beca does is endearing to Chloe, which is as frustrating as it is wonderful, because Beca gives Chloe so many reasons to hope that they could be together someday. It’s in the things she says:
“I’ve never known anyone like you before.”
“You’re the only person I feel like I can trust in this world, Chlo.”
“I don’t deserve you.”
If Beca didn’t have a boyfriend Chloe would swear that Beca felt the same way. If Beca didn’t have a boyfriend, Chloe would have absolutely told her how in love with her she is by now. But the reality is that Beca does have a boyfriend, one which she is very much in love with.
So for now Chloe will just ignore all the different ways that Beca Mitchell can make her heart clench and selfishly hope that Jesse and Beca won’t work out in the end somehow.
* * *
Chloe is still selfishly letting herself hope three years later, with no end in sight.
Emily asks them if they’re dating one day over lunch, causing Beca to almost choke on her food. Chloe pats Beca’s back as she tries to fight the blush blooming on her cheeks, avoiding sweet, innocent Emily’s curious gaze.
“What?” Beca squeaks out as soon as her airways are clear again.
Emily blushes deeply. “I was just wondering if you guys are dating, because you’re always holding hands and sharing a bed and saying ‘I love you’ and you just seem to know each other really well.”
Beca laughs as if the idea is absurd, and Chloe ignores the slight pang of hurt that it sends to her chest. “Oh wow, no. We are definitely not dating, Chloe’s just super affectionate.”
She’s still laughing as she says it, as if it’s the funniest thing in the world, which makes Chloe feel slightly offended. “You make it sound like dating me is the worst thing that could ever happen,” Chloe says coolly, raising an eyebrow at Beca.
It’s almost comical actually, the way both Emily’s and Beca’s eyes widen in response to that.
“No no no, that’s not what I’m saying at all,” Beca rushes out. “I just don’t think we’d never date.”
Chloe’s pushes down the tears suddenly threatening her eyes. “And why not? You don’t think we’d be good together?”
Beca shakes her head and laughs in astonishment. “Jesus, dude, that’s not what I’m saying.”
“That’s what I’m hearing.”
“Why are you pushing this so hard?”
Chloe shrugs in an attempt to act indifferent. “I just want to know why you wouldn’t date me.”
“Because you’re my best friend and I don’t think I could ever like you like that.”
Silence follows Beca’s statement, filling the kitchen with tense energy. Emily looks between Beca and Chloe nervously while they stare at each other. And as much as Chloe is hurt by Beca’s words, by her claim that she could never see Chloe as more than a friend, she still can’t help the way that her eyes drift down to Beca’s lips.
“Thank you for the clarification,” Chloe says quietly before forcing her eyes away from Beca’s face. She stands from the table and moves to set her plate in the sink, excusing herself from the kitchen without another word.
Beca doesn’t come after her.
* * *
Somehow Chloe ends up moving to New York with Beca.
Well, Beca and Fat Amy, that is.
Chloe never expected to move to New York, but she can’t say that she really minds it all that much. It’s vibrant and exciting, full of people and possibilities; exactly Chloe’s type of scene.
Except, Chloe usually spends the night in with Beca instead of experiencing all that New York has to offer.
Beca, who is recently single for the first time in nearly four years.
Beca, who came out to Chloe a couple months ago over an intimate dinner at a nice restaurant.
Beca, who will never see Chloe as anything more than her best friend.
And Chloe, being the hopeless, stupid romantic that she is, still can’t help but feel a tiny bit of hope that something will change between them. The hope is small, nearly completely put out at this point, which is exactly how Chloe likes it. Being in love with Beca at this point is more like embers in a fire bit rather than a raging inferno: still there, still warm, just not quite as intense.
Although, some nights those embers spark into a small flame, and those nights are usually aided by alcohol.
Tonight is one of those nights.
And Chloe honestly really hates herself, and hates Beca, and hates emotions, and doesn’t understand what the point of anything is anymore.
But damn if Beca still isn’t just as breathtaking today as she was when Chloe saw her at that activities fair five years go.
Beca is talking about… something. Chloe honestly isn’t sure what she’s going on about, because she’s had nearly a full bottle of wine and it’s making her head fuzzy and right now Chloe is positive that Beca has never looked so good in all the years they’ve known each other, even if she is only wearing sweatpants and an old Barden t-shirt.
“And like, I asked him if he was happy with that take, and he just shrugged so I was like ‘do you want to run it again?’ and he shrugged again, which really made me want to shove his fucking sunglasses down his throat.”
“He’s stupid,” Chloe says distractedly, though she doesn’t know who Beca is even talking about at this point. She’s too busy admiring the earrings lining Beca’s ears, and the curve of her neck so perfectly on display thanks to how Beca's hair is pulled up in a messy bun, and the shape of her lips and how kissable they look.
Chloe was sitting on the other end of the couch from Beca. She knows she was because she purposefully sat on the other end at the beginning of the evening to keep herself from reaching out a touching Beca impulsively.
So Chloe was sitting on the other end of the couch, but she is definitely not sitting on the other end when she pulls Beca in for a kiss by the back of her neck.
As soon as Chloe realizes what she’s done, she is immediately mortified with herself and starts to pull away. Hands coming up to cup her face halt her retreat, however, and a mix of confusion and elation overcomes her when Beca starts kissing Chloe back.
Their kisses become increasingly more frantic the longer they last, Chloe eventually pushing Beca back against the couch cushions to lay on the top of her. Chloe isn’t sure how long this dream that she’s in is going to last, so she figures she might as well enjoy it for as long as possible.
Chloe deepens the kiss, tongue pushing its way past Beca’s lips as Beca groans beneath her. Beca’s hands tighten in Chloe’s hair, not necessarily pulling or pushing in any way; just holding as if Beca is trying to anchor herself. Chloe knows that she’ll have to pull back for air soon, but she’s scared that as soon as they stop the dream will be shattered, so she tells her lungs to suck it up and pushes her lips harder against Beca’s.
Beca is the one to pull back, her head pressing against the cushions beneath her to gain some distance between Chloe’s lips and her own, chest heaving as she tries to steady her breathing. Chloe is panting too, but instead of taking the time to breathe probably she begins pressing lights kisses to Beca’s neck, unwilling to part from Beca quite yet.
Beca’s breathing starts to even out and she lets out little sighs of contentment at Chloe’s ministrations, hands stroking softly through Chloe’s hair. Eventually Chloe’s lips stop moving and she relaxes her body fully on top of Beca’s, enjoying the closeness as she buries her face into the crook of Beca’s neck.
The hands in Chloe’s hair move until they’re running lightly over her back instead and Chloe resists the urge to shiver. She remains quiet, not wanting to shatter the calm that surrounds them. Beca says no words either, and that is the way they remain, tangled up on their shitty couch in their shitty New York apartment until they fall asleep.
* * *
The next morning, Chloe wakes up still entangled with Beca. Beca is still asleep – which doesn’t surprise Chloe, she’s always been the earlier riser between the two of them – so Chloe carefully climbs off Beca and makes her way to the kitchen to make some coffee.
Beca wakes up with a grunt just as the coffee finishes brewing, and Chloe smiles a little at the familiar action as she pours coffee into two mugs, settling down in one of the chairs at their tiny kitchen table.
“Morning, Bec,” Chloe says once Beca is sitting up and looking a little more alive.
Beca grunts again in response and shuffles over to the table, plopping herself down across from Chloe and reaching for the second mug of coffee. She takes a generous sip and curses when it burns her tongue, and Chloe can’t help but chuckle in response.
It’s a few minutes later when Beca is finally awake enough to form actual sentences, and what she says makes Chloe choke on hot coffee.
“So what was last night about?”
Chloe coughs as she tries to clear the liquid from her throat. Beca winces in sympathy. Chloe uses the choking as an excuse to find her words, because she honestly had not expected Beca to confront her about their impromptu make out session.
“Um, I don’t know,” Chloe says hesitantly after a minute. “I was just drunk, I guess.”
It’s a lame excuse. A terrible excuse, in fact.
“Oh,” is all Beca says.
“What about you?” Chloe questions, turning the question on Beca. “You kissed me back.”
Beca shrugs and avoids eye contact with Chloe. “I’m not sure. Like you said, we were drunk.”
Disappointment fills Chloe as Beca opts for the easy cop-out as well. “Right,” she says, looking down at her coffee. “Just a drunken mistake. Nothing more than that.”
And in that moment, Chloe feels those burning embers within her completely die out for good.
* * * * * *
Falling in love with Chloe Beale isn’t something that Beca expected upon their first kiss, and she would be lying if she said she wasn’t surprised.
Because Chloe has been Beca’s best friend ever since her first year at Barden, even if she tried to downplay just how close they were a lot of the time. She didn’t want to say that she saw Chloe as a sister, because there would be a lot to unpack there if that were the case, but Beca definitely never thought of Chloe in a romantic sort of way at all.
Sure, Chloe was kind and thoughtful and always knew just how to make Beca’s day better. She was always there when Beca needed someone to talk to, or a shoulder to cry on, or just a good hug because she’d had a shitty day. And Chloe really did give the best hugs, and Beca always felt so at home in her arms, especially when they were cuddled up together after falling asleep while working on Bellas stuff or homework or just talking until they could barely keep their eyes open. Plus, Chloe has always just understood Beca in a way that nobody else ever has…
Shit. Had Beca been in love with Chloe the whole time?
The realization that Beca had possibly been in love with Chloe for years causes Beca to pull away from the kiss that had grown decidedly more heated than any friendly kiss should ever grow. Her chest heaves as she struggles to catch her breath, both overwhelmed with the passion of the kiss and the way her thoughts have attacked her in such a sudden onslaught. Chloe moves to kiss her neck, seemingly undeterred by Beca’s withdrawal, and Beca is torn for a moment between pushing her away and pulling her closer before ultimately deciding to do neither.
Beca remains silent – save for the involuntary whimpers and sighs that escape her due to Chloe’s lips moving against her body – as she processes her new emotions. Eventually Chloe stops her ministrations and settles her weight against Beca, and Beca waits for the inevitable moment that Chloe pulls away and makes them talk about what just happened.
Except, that moment never comes. Chloe only burrows herself deeper into Beca, apparently content to remain silent for the remainder of the night.
Which she does- which they both do, actually. Chloe falls asleep soon after, leaving Beca to stare at the ceiling in the dark of their apartment and wonder how her heart is still beating so fast in her chest.
* * *
Beca holds off her curiosity about the whole thing the next morning for as long as she can, but ultimately ends up caving only about half an hour after waking up.
“So… what was last night about?” Beca attempts to sound casual, but is painfully aware of how much she’s failing.
She asks the question right as coffee goes down the wrong pipe in Chloe’s throat, causing her to start coughing for a few moments. Beca winces and internally curses her poor timing.
“Um, I don’t know,” Chloe says once she can speak again. “I was just drunk, I guess.”
Beca’s heart sinks. Of course it was because they were drunk, why else would Chloe have kissed her?
“Oh,” Beca says lamely.
“What about you?” Chloe asks suddenly, glancing at Beca. “You kissed me back.”
Panic fills Beca at the question, so she tries for an indifferent shrug and stares into her coffee. “I’m not sure. Like you said, we were drunk.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Beca thinks that Chloe’s shoulders might slump a little. “Right,” she says softly. “Just a drunken mistake. Nothing more than that.”
Beca looks back up at Chloe only to see that Chloe’s eyes are directed down towards her drink. The sun shining in through their apartment's sole window shines over Chloe, bathing her in golden light. Beca’s heart pounds painfully in her chest at the sight and fuck- right there in that moment she feels herself fall hard.
* * *
Being in love with your best friend is difficult, Beca has decided. On top of that, being in love with your best friend and living with them and sharing a bed made it all that much worse. Beca wouldn’t ever wish it upon her worst enemy.
Beca wishes things could go back to the way they were before, when neither of them were secretly in love with the other, and when Beca’s heart didn’t feel like it would burst out of her chest when Chloe came home from work in the evenings, and when Beca felt like she could tell her best friend anything.
Beca wishes she wasn’t in love with Chloe.
But the thing is, Chloe makes it so easy to be in love with her.
It’s in the little things that Chloe does. Like the way she always makes coffee for Beca in the morning, even though Beca has two perfectly good hands and could make it herself. Like how she’s always willing to give Beca a back massage after a long day of Beca hunched over a soundboard or computer for work. Like the way she doesn’t seem to mind Beca’s frequent awkwardness in most aspects of life, telling Beca that it’s ‘endearing’ to her.
Which Beca thinks is unfair because every single little thing that Chloe does is endearing to Beca. Chloe makes Beca feel like the most loved person in the world without trying. It’s the way she says things like:
“You’re my favorite person in the world.”
“I don’t know what I’d do without you in my life, Bec.”
“I’ll always be here for you, no matter what.”
Beca has never had someone that is such a stable in her life like Chloe is. Beca never has to worry about if Chloe has her back, or if she can trust her, or if she’s someone Beca can count on because Chloe has done nothing but be dependable in the six years they’ve known each other.
And while Beca would like to tell Chloe how she feels about her, she can’t. She can’t tell Chloe and risk losing the singular best thing that she has ever had in her life.
* * *
Beca doesn’t know who this Chicago guy is, but she does know that she hates him.
She doesn’t know why exactly she hates him- actually, no, scratch that because Beca actually has many reasons why she hates him. At the very of top of that list is the way Chloe can’t seem to get enough of him.
From the very first moment Chicago stepped into view and introduced himself, he had Chloe following him around like a little puppy. Beca had tried to keep up with them at first, trailing uselessly along Chloe’s side, attempting to jump into their conversation every now and then, but ultimately decided that it was no use.
Chloe was hooked on this guy, which meant that Beca’s presence when she was around him was obsolete.
Beca didn’t like it.
For years now, Beca has been used to being Chloe’s favorite person in any given situation. She’s gotten used to (and fond of) the way Chloe clings onto her in some sort of way when they’re together- holding her hand, looping their arms together, hugging her waist from behind. Except now Chicago is the one on the receiving end of Chloe’s physical affections. Chloe is always pushing his shoulder playfully, or brushing a hand down his arm, tugging on his hand; any excuse to just touch him, it seems.
Beca feels colder than she has in a long time without Chloe’s presence near her.
And Beca has never been one for physical affection. Physical touch is decidedly not one of her love languages. Beca has always been more of a quality time type of person, where no contact or words are necessarily needed for her to feel close to someone, but now that Chloe has stopped directing all her touchiness towards Beca, she realizes just how much she craves that connection with Chloe.
Throughout the course of the entire USO tour, Beca begins to feel like Chloe is pulling away from them- whatever them is. Beca has never felt so much distance between them, both physically and emotionally. The whole situation is rapidly spiraling out of Beca’s control and she has no idea what to do about it.
So Beca decides that she’s going to tell Chloe how she feels. She’s already losing Chloe as it is, so she might as well say fuck it and go all out.
Beca dedicates her final performance to Chloe, even if she never actually tells anyone she’s doing so. She thinks she makes it pretty obvious, though, what with the way she doesn’t take her eyes off of Chloe for the entire first half of the performance before inviting the rest of the Bellas onstage. Their eyes connect and Beca smiles from the stage, thinking that maybe there is a chance that Chloe feels the same way.
When all the Bellas rush to hug her at the end of their performance, Chloe the first one to do so, Beca has to resist the urge to kiss her right there onstage in front of everyone. Beca doesn’t want to rush this, she wants to do it right.
As soon as Beca is able to break away from all the ‘important’ people she needs to talk to afterwards, she starts rushing around to find Chloe. Her thoughts start spinning in her head as she tries to figure out what exactly she’s going to say.
You’re the greatest thing in my life.
I’ve never wanted to be with someone as much as I want to be with you.
I love you, Chloe. I love you I love you I-
Beca finds Chloe.
Chloe is kissing Chicago, looking happier than Beca has ever seen her before.
Suddenly Beca understands exactly what people mean when they say their heart has been broken.
Because she feels it happening to her right now.
* * *
The silence between Beca and Chloe in the car is uncomfortable, which is how all their silences have been since returning home from the USO tour.
It’s an unfamiliar feeling, having uncomfortable silences with Chloe. Pretty much since the first time they hung out, they have always been comfortable around each other. Part of that is because Chloe is a natural at interacting with people and makes conversation easily, but even when they weren’t even talking things were always easy with them.
The silence between them now feels like it’s trying to choke Beca.
Arriving at the airport feels almost like a blessing to Beca, because it means that they don’t have to endure the tension any longer, but it is also most definitely a curse as well.
Because arriving at the airport means that Beca is leaving for LA soon. It means that she is leaving Chloe soon.
They walk through the airport until they get to security, making small talk along the way. Beca stays mostly quiet, though, internally debating with herself the entire way. Because she is quite literally running out of time and now is her last chance to tell Chloe how she feels, but she knows that Chloe is with Chicago now and it would be unfair to dump all of her feelings on Chloe before she jets off to the other side of the country.
And Beca is afraid. Afraid of losing Chloe, afraid of telling Chloe how she feels, afraid of never telling Chloe how she feels.
But Beca figures it’s now or never.
“I have to ask, Chloe. Did you… do you think we ever could have been something together? Something more than friends, I mean,” Beca says quietly, uncertainly. She swallows before adding, “Do you think we could have loved each other?”
Chloe smiles softly and gently laces her fingers with Beca’s. She leans forward and brushes a kiss against Beca’s cheek, and Beca’s eyes instinctively close at the feeling. “Beca, I think you I both know that we loved each other. We just… never seemed to get the timing right is all.”
Beca’s breath hitches at the words. Chloe smile turns a little sad and she squeezes Beca’s fingers once before letting go.
The speakers above them inform Beca that her flight is ready to board, so Beca grips her suitcase handle and prepares herself to walk away.
“I love you,” Beca tells Chloe before she can lose the nerve. “I think I’ll always love you.”
Some expression flashes on Chloe’s face – regret, sadness, clarity, maybe – but it passes too quickly for Beca to tell exactly what it is. “And I think a part of me will always love you, Bec.”
And somehow that’s all they say before Beca is turning around and walking through the gate of her flight, all of her senses feeling completely numb. She wills herself to turn back and rush towards Chloe; to kiss her, to tell her that she can’t go to LA, to tell her that she can’t live without Chloe in her life. She wills Chloe to call out to her and tell her to stay, tell her that she loves her, to give Beca a reason to stay.
Beca doesn’t turn back, and Chloe doesn’t call out.
And maybe that is the most unexpected thing of all.
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