#we love benji mitchell in this house

[lovcdandleft]

benji: i'm not a bottom

hannah: does anything

benji:

[livingdreams97]

Emily Junk - "The New Bella." (Part 2)

Emily Junk x fem! reader/oc

Summary: Emily is a newcomer to Barden College and her dream is to be a part of the group acapella the Barden Bellas. She entered the house of the acapella group in order to fulfill her dream, but she ended up falling in love and living an experience that she had never imagined.

Words: 2.392

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Masterlist

You POV

We've been at the Treblemakers party for a while and Beca still hasn't come home from work. Which means that Chloe is asking me every time she sees me about her and if she has responded to any my messages.

Which I deny, saying I don't know anything and escaping the situation as quickly as possible. I just hope that Beca tells Chloe about the job sometime soon, because it's her first day at the production company and I can't take the stress of keeping the secret anymore.

Stacie: It seems like the new one is flirting already.- she says, shouting close to my ear because of the music, pointing to a place at the party with her finger.

I look amused at where she points, seeing Benji move very strangely and talking to the new Bella.

Amy: They would make a good couple, they are just as weird. - She laughs, joining our conversation.

Cynthia: I don't know.- she denies with a grimace on her lips. -I feel certain vibes from him, you know what I mean.- she comments with an amused smile.

Y/n: I think they would make a slightly awkward couple.- I laugh imagining it. -Besides the fact that we're talking about Benji, I doubt he could even tell her his name, much less ask her out without getting stuck every two words.- I assure them and they all laugh in agreement.

Stacie: You know that from experience, right? - she asks me amused, moving her eyebrows suggestively.

Y/n: Shut up.- I growled, embarrassed, hitting her on the arm. -That was the most uncomfortable moment of my life and I prefer to forget it completely.- I admit sincerely.

Amy: It's true, the weirdo asked little Mitchell out.- she remembers laughing, putting her arm around my shoulders and bringing me closer to her.

Y/n: Amyyyy! - I complain like a little girl when he continues with the topic.

Cynthia: That's why I'm gay.- she assures us proudly.

Stacie: I couldn't be gay.- he shakes his head. -I can't reduce the hunter's prey in half and there are times when a good cock cures everything.- she explains to us without any shame and we all look at her with some disgust.

Y/n: Stacie, too many details.- I say with a disgusted face.

Amy: As far as I know, little Mitchell here doesn't have a dick. - She reminds her with curiosity and amusement at the conversation.

Stacie: She don't need it.- she assures her winking at me. -Besides, the toys are there for a reason.- she comments amusedly and I open my eyes in surprise.

Amy: Wait, what? - she asks with surprise and trying to suppress a laugh, putting on her evil smile. -Does little Mitchell have a harness?- she asks, looking at me completely amused.

Y/n: No, no, no. - I deny quickly, getting out from under the blonde's arm and practically fleeing the place listening to the laughter of my aka-sisters.

I see Jesse sitting alone and decide to go with him. On the way I pick up a glass of pineapple with alcohol inside and take a sip, noticing the strong flavor of gin.

Y/n: I come to keep you company.- I tell him, when I sit next to him and he looks at me funny.

Jesse: To keep me company or to run away from the girls? - he asks me with amusement, pointing with his head where my friends are and where I came from.

Y/n: I can do both at the same time.- I reply amused, taking another sip of the drink.

Jesse: What was it this time? - He asks me, amused.

Y/n: They were embarrassing me.- I respond with a pout and crossing my arms.

Jesse: Were they messing with little Mitchell? - he asks, amused, hugging me by the shoulders. -Do you want me to take care of them?- he asks again, but this time with a fake Italian accent and feigning seriousness.

Y/n: After the competition, right now we need all the bellas.- I answer him and he bursts out laughing at my answer.

Beca: Hello! - she exclaims, appearing out of nowhere and scaring us.

Jesse: Hey, you've come.- he says while they kiss and I pretend to vomit.

Beca: Are you jealous? - she asks me amused. -Don't worry, I have kisses for you too.- she assures me, sitting on my lap and leaving several kisses on my face.

Y/n: Stop, stop, stop! - I exclaim, amused, trying to push her face away, while Jesse laughs at our attitude.

Jesse: Well, how was internship? - he asks when my sister stops still.

Beca: Very productive, yes, they are not up to fooling around.- she tells us, taking my glass from the small bar and taking a sip.

Jesse: Chloe asked where you were.- he tells her.

Y/n: Many times, I have been asked about you MANY times.- I say looking seriously at my sister.

Jesse: Why haven't you told her? - he asks his girlfriend, confused.

Beca: She's very busy with the competition and all that, it wasn't the right time.- she responds, moving her hands nervously.

You see, when I'm nervous or hiding something, I scratch my eyebrow and my sister gesticulates excessively with her hands. So it's very easy to tell when Beca is nervous or hiding something, because her hand movement during a conversation increases by 80%.

Y/n: Beca, you have to tell the girls, I can't hide it anymore and it's only been one day. - I plead to my sister, scratching my eyebrow for the first time all day and feeling some relief.

My sister, seeing my action, sighs with some guilt and grabs my hand so I don't scratch myself anymore.

Beca: I promise I'll tell her soon.- she assures me, placing a kiss on my right eyebrow and hugging me by the shoulders.

Y/n: By the way, we have a new member.- I told my sister, hugging her around the waist.

Beca: But the dean said that we can't do auditions.- she comments with confusion.

Y/n: Apparently she is an heiress and we are obliged to let them audition or something like that. - I explain, shrugging my shoulders since I do not understand the situation myself.

Beca: Okay.- she says, shrugging her shoulders like me and changing the subject.

The three of us talked about everything for a bit, before getting up and joining the rest of the people on the dance floor.

Emily POV

We meet at the car show, where the Bellas are supposed to perform and because of Amy's issue with the president, they gave it to a German group.

Flo: Explain to me again what we do at a car show? - she asks with confusion in front of me on the mechanical stairs.

Chloe: There is a reason and it is very obvious: study the competition. - she answers seriously her.

Emily: Knowing who we are facing will help us win. - I support the co-captain of the group by understanding her point of view.

Chloe: Okay, let's find out where those tour stealers are.- she says confidently, when we reach the end of the stairs. -Stacie!- she calls her when she sees where our aka-sister is.

When we get off the stairs, we all notice Stacie who is perched on the hood of a red car posing and some guys are taking photos of her.

Beca: Don't be a cock-warmer.- she says amusingly to our partner.

Amy: Stacie!- she exclaims, approaching her and causing her to get up from the car. -I bet that made you horny Y/n.- she accuses her evilly.

Y/n: Oh my god! - She exclaims, hitting her forehead in embarrassment and begins to walk faster and  away from the group.

I just watch as she gets ahead of everyone, feeling how breakfast stirs in my stomach at the blonde's comment and knowing that the two have some kind of relationship.

When we get to the performance room, I don't realize that I am between the two Mitchells.

During the performance, I can't help but focus on the warmth radiating from the body to my right and the smell of pear with something floral that I can't make out.

Emily. You smell very good.- I whisper to her without thinking, opening my eyes mortified and she looks at me with confusion.

Y/n: Excuse me?- she asks, approaching me.

Emily: That they seem good.- I say quickly, feeling my heart beating wildly and my hands starting to sweat.

Y/n: Yes, they are.- she nods agreeing with me and returning her attention to the performance.

I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding, trying to calm the fast beating of my heart and wiping the sweat from my hands against my pants.

I take a deep breath, focusing on the performance and trying not to think about the interaction I just had with my bandmate.

When the performance ends, we applaud politely and look at each other without really knowing what to do. None of us imagined that they were going to be so good and that they were so synchronized.

Kommisar: The Bellas of Barden, have you come to see us? - she asks us when they approach us. -Is it because you are a little... as they say to American children? .... in heat - she says and I open my eyes surprised at the comment.

Chloe: We're not in heat. - She denies with her lips together.

Kommisar: We should thank you for giving us this tour, you know, with your clumsy inaptitude.- she tells us seriously. -Should we send them something, something like a fruit basket?.- she asks the boy next to him.

Pieter: Yum yum.- nods agreeing.

Kommisar: Or would you prefer some sweets? - she asks us this time with a smile.

Beca: Hey, we haven't come to fight with you, we just wanted to see you before the championship where we're going to crush you.- she assures the Germans with a smile.

Kommisar: You? - she asks, approaching the brunette co-captain. -Are you going to crush us?- she asks, amused, remaining a few centimeters away from her.

Beca: Well yes.- she answers, moving in her place with some nervousness.

Kommisar: What little thing, like an elf or is it a fairy, a little fairy? - she asks before saying something in her language to one of her companions.

Pieter: Troll.- he responds with a strong accent to whatever she is asking.

Kommisar: That's it, you're like a troll.- she says and I feel how they gently pull me aside.

Beca: And you are physically perfect, and I don't like you at all.- she assures her and we all look at her confused.

Kommisar: Thank you.- she thanks you with a smile.

Y/n: What you really are is a poorly educated bully. - She responds to her sister's insult by placing herself in front of the blonde, who looks at her with a raised eyebrow.

Kommisar: And you are? - she asks with a more defensive posture.

Y/n: I'm the one who will kick your German ass if you insult her again.- she assures her seriously and I can't help but bite my lip at her authoritarian tone of voice.

Chloe: You don't scare us, because when we step on stage we're going to rock it. - she assures them with a smile, changing the subject and trying to lighten the tension in the atmosphere.

Pieter: With what? - he asks sarcastically. -Showing flabby Abby's rabbit.- he says, looking at the blonde with disgust.

Amy: That's not my name. She denies something uncomfortable.

Pieter: I don't know your name, but I can improvise.- he assures her with amusement. -Malena the whale, Lisa the plump one, the bale cow...- he begins and with each name I can see Y/n's body tense up more.

Amy: My name is fat Amy and I have salchichem like you for breakfast. - She says, approaching him in a threatening manner.

Pieter: Your team is like a chicken coop without a rooster, and without a rooster you are poor untied chicks who, as soon as a rooster crows, another rooster crows at them. - he says with that horrible accent.

Kommisar: Girls, follow my advice, don't try to beat us: you can't, we're better. - she assures us with an evil smile, staring at Y/n. -And now I have to go rest my neck, it hurts to look at you from above.- she says, looking this time at Beca with superiority.

I see how Y/n is about to jump on her, so I grab her arm and pull her hard towards me, avoiding any type of altercation.

Beca: Okay, just because you make me feel sexually confused doesn't mean you scare me! We have nothing to lose! Literally nothing! - she exclaims, moving her hands and watching them go. -Aka-fidersen bastards.- she says goodbye, moving her hands above her head.

Chloe: Leave it.- she asks her friend, placing a hand on her arm.

Beca: Oh what's wrong with me? I can't control my hands.- she growls nervously, brushing her hair out of her face.

Once the Germans have disappeared, the atmosphere relaxes a little and I realize that my hand is still gripping Y/n's arm.

I let go immediately, feeling the heat flooding my face and my heart starting to beat fast again.

Chloe: Okay, after this whatever it was.- she says referring to Beca, moving her hand around the brunette. -It's time to get our act together and rehearse until we bleed if necessary.- she says intensely and I look at her surprised.

Amy: Don't get too extreme redhead. - she stops her with a hand in the air. -I already have plans for today.- she tells her, raising an eyebrow.

Ashley/Jessica: Us too.- they say at the same time with one hand in the air.

Stacie: I'm meeting a boy for a class project.- she comments, looking at her nails.

Cynthia: And what is the job? About anatomy.- she asks letting out a laugh.

Stacie: Anyway, I'm leaving.- she says goodbye to everyone. -See you all at home!- she exclaims when he walks away from the group.

I watch her walk away, not understanding how she prefers to go with a boy when she has Y/n. That is, from an objective point of view and not at all personal, I would choose her.

Because I don't know what the boy will be like, but between the eyes full of life, the perfect happy smile, the silky long hair, the abs, the butt, the way she dresses and her personality, I will stay with Y/n a hundred times.

But all this from an objective point of view, I don't like girls and she is also my groupmate. But just because I don't like girls doesn't mean I can't appreciate them.

[charmingcentry]

Bechloe - Variety Show

HS AU Bechloe where Beca and Jesse are fans of Bo Burnham. It’ll be a 4-parter going through each year of the Variety Show their school holds. This one is mainly Beca and Jesse BROTP with a hint of Bechloe.

----

Freshman Year

“Aw come on Becaw it’ll be fun!” 

Beca did her signature eye-roll towards her friend, looking straight into his puppy-dog eyes with a glare; Jesse always did have the appearance of a kicked poodle. “No dude, fuck off with it already… I’m not performing in the variety show with you!” She smacks Jesse lightly with her pencil, although it did cause him to wince, and continues on with her mathematics homework - surprisingly one of her favorite subjects. Jesse lets out a sigh and continues on with his own math homework, the duo laying down on the hardwood floors of Beca’s house.

As she shuts the rings in her math binder, Beca still feels two small holes, drilling into the top of her head. The brunette glances up and sees Jesse, quickly lowering his head down and refocuses his mind on the math problem in front of him; the male always did have trouble with factoring. The brunette shakes her head and rummages through her backpack, pulling out her English binder - her least favorite subject.

She never could focus during her English class even if it was right after lunch. Her teacher’s voice is incredibly monotone and robot-like, Beca constantly has to force her head up throughout the long lecture. The lack of decorations in the classroom contributed to the lack of exuberance amongst the class and the teacher didn’t seem to care. Unluckily for Beca, her father had forced her to partake in the Honors English class rather than the regular, one of the many cons of having a Literature Professor as your parent. For an honors class, the teacher seemed to lack the enthusiasm and ability to care.

If there was one thing Beca did care for in English class, it would be the redhead that sits diagonally from her. She would be the main energy source of the class - Beca presumes that English is her favorite subject - and would participate nearly every day. For 14-year-old usually oblivious Beca, she was surprisingly quite aware of how her stomach became a butterfly cage when the redhead would say hi to her or how her mouth went dry during group work and how her hands would become clammier. Some days, Chloe - Beca peered over at the redhead’s binder second day of school to learn her name - would shoot a smile at Beca whenever the brunette got caught dazing off in class. There were other days where Chloe offered Beca water or even gummy worms to keep her energy up - how did this girl not have cavities? I guess you could say Beca has a crush on Chloe but the brunette denies any part of it. 

The brunette continues working on her worksheet about rhetoric terminologies when she hears a rustle come from Jesse. She glances up and notices he’s pulling out a blue pill speaker Beca had gifted him for his birthday and his narrowing of eyes as he selects music. The brunette couldn’t help but sing along to the song chosen.

I am the left brain I am the left brain

I work really hard till my inevitable death brain

You got a job to do you better do it right in the right way with the left brain’s might…

Beca is startled when Jesse enters in with the next part; the brunette admits, Jesse did have a nice voice.

I like Oreos and pu- puppies! (“Nice censorship there.”) yes in that order!

And I cried for at least an hour after watching Toy Story 3… WOODY!

I am the right brain~ I have feelings

I’m a little all over the place but I’m lustful trustful and I’m looking for somebody to love

….do do do do do do

Beca playfully rolls her eyes once again at Jesse’s hilarious attempt at censorship as she answers a question about the definitions of ethos, pathos, and logos. She continues singing along to the song when Jesse pokes the top of her head. “Come on Beca, we have amazing voices! We can perform this for the variety show together.” The brunette’s face went pale as she sat up, her jaw slightly dropping.

“That’s a lot of censorship we have to do there Swanson…” Beca states, knowing how many dirty jokes there are within the song, but it would be fun to perform it she has to admit.

“We’ll work on that! You can like do the instrumental since you have that program and we can change the lyrics together.” Beca ponders and narrows her eyes slightly. “Please Becsss!” Jesse drones, clamping his hands together while shaking them. The brunette lets out a sigh.

“Fine.” 

Jesse lets out a deafening cheer as he works out the details of what would happen with their performance. Beca was surprised at his planning and organization skills, considering the 14-year-old can’t even locate his pencil case and listens to her friend’s ideas. The brunette would be taking the part of “Left Brain” of course and Jesse “Right Brain.” Beca would organize the instrumental behind the song and voice the beginning part. To settle who would be playing “Bo,” they settled with Benji who is a mutual friend of the duo - he enjoys performing on stage. Their outfits with just be Beca in blue and Jesse in red, inspiration taken off of the lighting Bo Burnham - writer and singer of the song - from his show. 

“Honestly, thank god you said yes. I signed us up before telling you.”

“Oh, I mea- wait you did what!”

---

The day before the Variety Show, Beca’s English class held a party to celebrate the end of the school semester. The brunette sat in her desk, she didn’t have friends in the class other than Chloe - the redhead was in the stage between acquaintance and friend. She scrolled through her phone, listening to a Bo Burnham playlist she had created back in seventh grade. As she chucks a brownie into her mouth, she feels a slight tap on her left ear. She looks and notices it’s Chloe, smiling brightly at Beca. The brunette widens her eyes slightly as she pulls her earbuds out. “I heard you’re in the Variety show Becs.”

Beca goes red as she rubs the back of her neck. “Oh, uh yeah. Jesse, he’s my friend, made me do it.” She puts a chip in her mouth, only worsening her dry mouth situation.

“I know him, he’s in my Biology class! He’s really nice and funny.” Beca could feel a bitter taste in her mouth as she slightly pouts. “I probably taught him all the humor he knows y’know.” The brunette bites her lip, was she jealous? “I- I’m sorry, I don’t know why I said that…” Chloe only smiles politely at Beca

“Nah, you’re alright Becs…” There’s dead air between them for a while. “Can I listen to your music? Don’t really have anyone else here to be with and I wanna hang out more with you.” 

Beca feels slightly touched and offers the left earbud to Chloe. The redhead smiles when she inserts the device in her ear and suddenly, Beca remembers she’s listening to “Eff” by Bo Burnham. Chloe gives Beca a shocked look as the brunette grimaces “Aw don’t be nervous Becs, it’s actually really good… who is this guy?”

Chloe scoots her chair closer to Beca as they both eat a platter of junk food and talk about Bo Burnham. Lucky for Beca, Chloe seems to enjoy his music and sense of humor. The two don’t notice the spreading blush on each other’s faces.

---

Of all of the places their performance could be in, Beca and her group had to be last. Last of all places! Expectations are already high and the brunette is nervous seeing that right before them was a comedy bit by a hilarious girl in their grade who goes by Fat Amy. Beca begins to pick at her nails as she sees the host walk on stage.

“Oh my god, I’m dying! That was so hilarious. Thank you, Fat Amy, for her wonderful stand-up and also stories of crocodile wrestling.” He clears his throat. “Now, give it up for Beca Mitchell, Jesse Swanson, and Benjamin Applebaum who will be performing Left Brain, Right Brain by Bo Burnham! The final act of tonight… good luck you three!”

Beca gulps as Jesse rushes to the right side of the stage as Benji goes on, starting off with a pretend magic trick. The audience laughs as Benji releases a fake dove that plops onto the ground, the brunette smiles as she nervously tugs on her blue-collared long sleeve. Then, she hears her voice. 

Hello, Patient 24602. How are you feeling?

Benji goes back and forth with Beca’s pre-recorded voice, quietly laughing at her friend’s improvisation with the dialogue. To her surprise, the audience is slowly erupting with quiet giggles and laughter as well!

“Real mature of you disembodied voice, calling me a loser.”

I was just joking you dumbass. (Thank God for the principal who allowed cuss words for this performance)

Beca stops her giggling fit when she hears the song is slowly approaching her cue. She glances across the stage and makes eye contact with Jesse. He gives Beca a thumbs up and the brunette smiles widely at him.

Splitting your neurological functions in 3, 2, 1.

The lights go out as Benji runs off stage, pretending to scream in pain. When the lights go off, Beca emerges from the side of the stage and stands with arms folded across her chest, standing tall and straight, appearing to be confident. The lights go on as her own voice introduces herself

This is Benji’s left brain, objective, logical, cold, analytical, aware of patterns, aware of trends. He’s efficient... and a prick.

The way Beca raises her hands gives the implication of the middle finger about to be raised. Then, the lights go off, causing the audience to erupt with laughter once more. The laid-back and steady beat transforms into a lively keyboard melody as the spotlight focuses on Jesse who is jumping with joy. This is Benji’s right brain. Subjective, creative, sensory, aware of feelings, aware of people. He’s emotional. And an idiot. He skips around himself and waves excitedly at the audience, pretending to be hurt by the last part of Beca’s voice.

Alright, you two.

All of the light appears on stage as Beca darts her head towards Jesse and vice versa.

Play nice.

Beca starts singing the first verse, making calm collected hand gestures towards herself as the focus of the light is directed on her. She appears to be extremely less bouncy and excited compared to Jesse’s character - or just himself if we’re being honest here - and yet on the inside, her heart is pumping dramatically. Just about when finishes her verse, she catches the eye of a specific audience member, Chloe Beale who is grinning brightly and raised her shoulders playfully when she noticed Beca staring right at her. The brunette fights back a smile when the lively keyboard melody begins once again, the focus of light on Jesse this time.

The light is now everywhere on stage, focusing on both Jesse and Beca. The audience begins to die down from laughter after a little bit between the friends, revolving around the right brain teasing the left brain about playing with Rubix Cubes.

Well, at least I did my freakin’ job, alright? I kept him working, I kept him productive. You were supposed to look after him, you were supposed to keep him emotionally stable for all this. 

The audience is silent as Beca pretends to be furious with Jesse. The brunette is throwing her hands up frustratedly as the taller of the two appears to be on the verge of tears. 

Now you’re trying to blame me for how he’s feeling, how he’s feeling! If he’s feeling unhappy it’s because you failed him! 

Beca pushes Jesse once, causing him to fall on the ground.

You did this to him he hates you I know he does! He freakin’ hates you!

Jesse begins bawling over-dramatically as the audience lets out a collective chuckle by the male’s performance. 

Beca pretends to feel bad and kneels down to Jesse, singing the next part of the song. The Left Brain apologizes to the right brain as she holds her hand out and helps the male stand up. Left Brain suggests an idea of how the two can work together, Beca playfully pushes Jesse’s shoulder.

Do you know what it is? JUGGLING! WE CAN JUGGLE AND JUGGLE OUR CARES AWAY.

The audience cackles as Beca looks towards an excited Jesse who is jumping in place, dumbfounded. The brunette rubs the bridge of her nose and lets out a sigh of frustration.

It- it was comedy. We can do comedy together.

Beca’s pre-recorded voice appears once again, stating the reassembly of the two halves of Benji’s brain.

Left brain! Left brain I love you!

Beca says with a blank slate on her face. I know.

The lights go out once again with only Benji reappearing on stage once Beca’s pre-recorded voice says the final line. The crowd cheers and hoots for the group and Beca and Jesse emerge from the wings, bowing and bowing when the crowd cheers them on. They eventually make their way down as the host concludes the Variety Show with a couple of school-related announcements. 

Out of Beca’s peripheral vision, she notices a patient redhead, looking at the brunette. She turns to Jesse’s parents and excuses herself, walking over to Chloe. Beca smiles as she tugs on the black necktie she wore for the performance, swaying side to side.

“Becs that was amazing! I didn’t know you can sing so well.” Chloe reaches out to grab Beca’s hand, the brunette notices and gulps a bit loudly, hoping Chloe didn’t hear. The brunette lets out a nervous chuckle and shrugs.”You also look pretty c-cute with that whole tie and collared polo thing...”

“I- I guess. I mean, I don’t sing really often…” Their hands pull away, Chloe still smiling as bright as ever. “Thank you by the way… Jesse gave me it.”

“Well, you look and performed great!” A voice abruptly calls Chloe from the entrance of the auditorium. The redhead snaps her head back towards Beca. “Well, I hope to hang out with you more Becs!” Chloe wraps her arms around the brunette, nearly causing the two to tumble over. The redhead pulls away and winks at Beca. “See you around!”

As the brunette walks back towards Jesse with an astonished expression and a great blush on her face, Chloe walks over to her best friends Aubrey and Stacie who have their eyebrows raised to their hairline. “I thought you didn’t like her?” Stacie asks, waggling her eyebrows

Chloe rolls her eyes and leads the two to her parent’s car. “Well, maybe I do now… hopefully, she does the Variety Show again next year.” The redhead plugs in her earbuds into the audio jack of her phone as she slides into the black leather seats of her mother’s car. “She did pretty great.”

Chloe’s mother begins the drive to a nearby restaurant as the redhead hits a familiar playlist from the day before, it was labeled “Bo Burnham Shit.” A smile washes over 14-year-old Chloe’s face as she imagines Beca singing along to the songs.

[purplebenjy]

River || Part 1

He feels like a ghost when he opens his front door.

And maybe he is. Maybe he’s dead. Maybe Forest finally did the inevitable. 

The metal of the door handle is cool against his skin, he’s far too warm for someone who is dead, far too warm for someone who just crossed the city in a pair of shorts and a kimono in December.

“Hey!” Andy calls cordially from the couch, not seeing him as he came in. Ghost Benjy closes the door behind him wordlessly, and it’s only when he feels the door against his back as he slides down to the door that it hits him.

This is real, he’s alive, he’s single.

He’s free.

“Benjy?”

He sees himself through Andromeda’s eyes for a moment, almost naked in a heap on the floor, his hair wild from sleep and his eyes wilder. He tries to hold her gaze but ends up looking at the spot between her eyes.

“Hey.” He says, his voice hollow. He turns his head to stare at the kitchen counter again.

“Um...are you okay? What happened?”

The fight, every detail, every word, comes crashing back into his memory as soon as he opens his mouth to speak, the sound that leaves him is somewhere between a sob and a squeak.

“Benj.” Her voice is softer now and she gets down on his level, squatting like his mom does with his nieces. Andy reaches for his hand and Benjy limply lets her, not holding her back.

“What happened?” She asks again, with just the slightest edge behind her words, needing to know.

“We broke up.”

His voice sounds like a ghost’s. So maybe it sounds like his. 

Andy’s eyes get huge.

“You and your boyfriend?”

All Benjy can do is nod. He finally meets her earnest light brown eyes and, seeing the care, the genuine concern for him in her gaze, he finally lets himself break.

In the years to come, whenever he and Andy bickered, or their mutual friends questioned their bond given said bickering and their other worldly tendency to piss each other off, it’s what Andy does next that Benjy will remember. What he’ll forever love her for. Because instead of questioning him or offering empty condolences or meaningless promises of how much better it would get, Andromeda simply sinks to the floor beside him. As he cries, his best friend gently wraps her arm around his shoulders and pulls the top half of Benjy onto her lap. He has no idea how long they stay there, Benjy crying so hard every part of him shakes, Andy totally still except her fingers loosely playing with his hair.

When Benjy finally sits up, Andromeda smiles at him softly as her thumb traces a tear that was rolling down his cheek.

“I’m sorr-”

“If you apologize to me I’m going to punch you in the nuts.”

He laughs and feels fifty pounds fall off his shoulders with the sound.

“Okay.”

Wordlessly, Andy stands and also pulls Benjy to his feet. She deposits him into the beanbag couch, sitting next to him and wrapping her arms around him, making herself the big spoon as she rests her chin on his shoulder and pulls so they’re both laying as flat as they can against the couch.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Benjy had always loved her voice, it was the first thing he’d noticed about her. It was deep and commanding and occasionally pitched up thanks to a life lived in Los Angeles’ Valley. It was feminie but fierce and it was coupled perfectly with her laugh that could rival any Old Hollywood super villain. Benjy loves the sound of her voice in his ear so much that he almost speaks himself, but instead he shakes his head.

“You probably should.”

Normally, Benjy would remind Andy that sleeping with psychology majors didn’t make her a therapist, but all the fight he had was left on Forest’s stoop.

“He bought me an apartment.”

“He wanted to move in together?”

Andy didn’t know much because Benjy didn’t tell her much. She knew he was significantly older and their relationship had to remain a secret, but that was it. When she saw Benjy come home with bruises and black eyes, she pretended to believe his stories. They both knew she knew-she’d seen similar marks on her own mother too many times to not recognize the hits for what they were.

Benjy shakes his head.

“He wanted me to live in this apartment and be….” He takes a deep shaky breath. “...available to him whenever he wanted.”

He moves his neck so he’s even more buried in the couch.

“He has a wife, Andy.

He feels shame course through him as he admits it. She’d never known that before, or at least, he’d never told her.

“Oh.”

They’re quiet for a while, Andy’s hands mindlessly drawing patterns on his back as Benjy silently lets tears fall.

“You found out about her today?”

Shame clogs his throat and he can only shake his head.

“Oh, Benj.” 

That’s all she says for the next couple of hours. He must have fallen asleep because when he wakes up, the giant green afghan Andy keeps on her bed was over him. He knows exactly where he is when he wakes up, and exactly what’s going on-he’s not afforded a few seconds of sleepy ignorance. He lays there, running the events of the day over and over in his head until Andy interrupts him with a plate of pizza and a cup of her weird hibiscus tea.

“You look festive right now. Red and green.”

She sits down across from him, crossed legged on the floor with her own mug.

“I feel like shit.”

“Drink that, it’ll make you feel a little better.”

He doubts that but he doesn’t argue. 

“Are you still going to your mom’s for Christmas?”

Christmas. He’d almost forgot. In a week he was supposed to show up at his mom’s house, play santa for the kids, smile, make curry and watch It’s A Wonderful Life for the 100th time.

“I don’t know if I’m up for it.”

Andy nods before taking a sip.

“Say the word and I cancel my flight back to LA. We can hole up here and give Christmas the bird.”

“Andy, you don’t have to do that.”

“I know.”

Her blue nail polish is chipped, and she only picks at it when she’s stressed, and she’s usually only stressed when she has to go home. Benjy’s voice is soft as he catches her eyes.

“You can cancel your flight and you can come with me to my mom’s. Half my family thinks we’re dating anyway, but that doesn’t matter. You know you’re welcome.”

She reaches forward and grabs Benjy’s hands for a second, before dropping her hold and handing him his mug.

“I know. But Cyg and Dru are already going to want to murder me when they hear about how not white my fiancé is, plus Cissy is the only one I can tell about that and…”

“It’s still home.” Benjy finishes for her.

Andy nods to mug. 

“Yeah.”

Benjy manages to eat a few bites and is still nursing his tea when Andy stands and crosses to the mini Christmas tree they’d constructed out of Newspaper. She hands Benjy a box, wrapped perfectly in red paper.

“You know I’m normally a stickler about waiting until Christmas proper, but uh, I think you might need this sooner.”

Benjy holds the present and is still looking at it unopened when Andy bends down and kisses him softly on the cheek.

“I’m really proud of you.” She says evenly, so much so that someone with an untrained ear would miss the slight catch in her voice. 

“It might not feel like it now, babe, but you did the right thing. I know it.”

With another smile, she takes the dishes into the kitchen. Benjy carefully unfolds one corner of the present and slides the contents out into his hand. He smiles for real for the first time today, this present far outweighing the one he’d received a lifetime ago, this morning in Forest’s kitchen.

It’s a three cassette set of Joni Mitchell’s greatest hits. He flips the box over and sees the title that fills him with something close to relief.

~

Andy’s still in the kitchen and she feels tension leave her shoulders when she hears the sound of Benjy getting up and going to his room. She smiles at the plate she’s scrubbing when the first notes float down the hallway and hit her, and she hums along to the song she knew Benjy needed.

It's coming on Christmas,

They're cutting down trees.

Putting up reindeer

Singing songs of joy and peace,

Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on.

[nearlyophelia]

[ HAILEE STEINFELD // FEMALE // SHE/HER ] – Oh my god, is that [ OPHELIA JACOBS ], Ryleigh Mitchell’s [ FRIEND OF A FRIEND ]?! The tabloids can’t seem to stop buzzing about the [ 20 ] year old [ DANCER ]. According to the press, they’re [ + ARTISTIC ] and [ + LOYAL ], yet also [ - STUBBORN ] and [ - NARROW MINDED ], but with all this gossip who really knows? All eyes have been on them since Ryleigh went missing, so are they really innocent? I guess only time can tell.

under the cut you’ll find some more about ophelia and her backstory for this verse. tw: death

this is ophelia and she’s a brat but we love her anyway

so officially her “career” is that she’s a “dancer”/”choreographer” but because shes ophelia she barely even cares about her dance career cause she just wants to be an Artist so she kinda meddles around with everything honestly?? she’s done some acting? she’s done some singing? she’s done a lot of dancing. rn she’s kinda thinking about being a tattoo artist cause that seems fun. 

she’s juliet’s younger sister and the two of them are literally so different in personality its insane. she’s a huge mess while juliet is like the picture of perfection. but being a jacobs means that she’s also close with the mathews (though not as close with the boys as juliet is bc she’s a few years younger than all of them) and spent some time at the lake house with them as a kid. she would have been more social with the other kids around the lake than juliet was bc she didnt really have a friend in the mathews house though and also just cause shes super social so if ur character is like 18/19/20 and grew up on the lake hmu to be friends w her

her best friend is benji riddle and she dated ben’s sister fay for a few months. the two girls ended up breaking up but remained close friends even after the breakup. 

ophelia’s been significantly more negatively affected by fay’s death than she’s honestly willing to admit mostly due to trauma in her past i’m way to lazy to flesh out here right now.

after gemini offered to let ben stay at her lakehouse for the summer ophelia basically just invited herself to come too without recognizing what an annoying third wheel she’s being cause she’s dumb

she just got to the lake house and saw gemini for the first time and honestly she’s just shook bc gemini looks so much like juliet and phe doesn’t know what to do or how to feel about it

[a-year-of-musicals]

Day 143/365 - Pitch Perfect 2

By Kay Cannon and Mark Mothersbaugh

Three years after winning the previous competition, the Barden Bellas are now led by Beca Mitchell and three-time super senior Chloe Beale. The Bellas have become ICCA champions each of these three years. However, the group becomes involved in a national scandal, dubbed Muffgate, when a wardrobe malfunction causes Fat Amy's pants to rip in front of President Barack Obama, showing her genitals to the public since she did not wear underwear, leading to the Bellas' suspension from the ICCAs. Beca makes a deal to allow the Bellas to be reinstated should they win the World Championship of a cappella.

Freshman Emily Junk begins her college career, hoping to follow in her mother Katherine's footsteps by being a Bella. At orientation, she watches an a cappella performance by the Treblemakers, now led by Beca's boyfriend Jesse Swanson. Benjamin "Benji" Applebaum, Jesse's best friend, overhears Emily, leading to a crush on her.

The Bellas learn that Das Sound Machine (DSM), a German powerhouse group, have replaced the Bellas on their victory tour. Additionally, Beca has started an internship at a recording studio, Residual Heat, something only Jesse knows.

Emily goes to the Bellas' sorority house to audition for them because of their absence from the auditions. When she sings her unfinished song "Flashlight," she succeeds in joining the Bellas.

At a car show where the ICCA winners are due to perform, the Bellas scout their replacements, DSM, led by intimidating duo Pieter Krämer and Kommissar, who take delight in mocking the all-girl group. Later, the Bellas are invited to an exclusive riff-off against DSM. Also in attendance are the Treblemakers, Tone Hangers - a group of former Treblemakers, including Bumper - and the Green Bay Packers. The Bellas make it to the final two, but end up losing to DSM in the final round when a nervous Emily flubs an attempt to sing "Flashlight," her original song not from the right category of 90's Hip-Hop Jamz.

The next day at the warmups, the Bellas' chances of winning end in disaster when the performance sets Cynthia Rose's hair on fire by pyrotechnics. Even before then, John and Gail question the Bellas' identity. In order to regain harmony and sync, Chloe takes them to a retreat led by former leader Aubrey Posen. Beca starts a heated debate with Chloe over herself being the only one thinking about life beyond the Bellas and Chloe's obsession with winning Worlds.

To prove to her boss that she can produce music well, Beca offers Emily to produce "Flashlight" at the studio. The group realizes that they will no longer be together and may go their separate ways after graduation, and regain harmony by singing "Cups (When I'm Gone)." At the studio, Emily and Beca present their song to Beca's boss, in which he demonstrates envy for their talent and looks forward to producing with them.

The senior Bellas graduate and they all head off to Copenhagen for the World Finals, with Jesse and Benji to cheer them on. They perform a harmonized version of "Flashlight" with Aubrey, Katherine, and other past Bellas joining in. The Bellas win the championship and repair their damaged legacy. As the senior Bellas leave Barden, they give Emily a belated proper initiation with Fat Amy showing her how to do the last tradition: christening the house by sliding down the staircase.

In a mid-credits scene, Bumper performs on The Voice, chooses Christina Aguilera as his coach and makes her uncomfortable when he gives her an oddly lengthy hug.

Favourite Songs: Lollipop, Car Show, Winter Wonderland/Here Comes Santa Claus, Riff Off, Jump, Back To Basics, Cups, We Belong, Any Way You Want It, World Championship Finales and Flashlight

Favourite Character: Benj (again)

He’s so cute and awkward around Emily and I love them together. Although I REALLY LOVE the Amy/Bumper relationship in this one.

[fruitynancywheeler]

Crash Into Me: Chapter 10

Title: Crash Into Me

Rating: T (for now)

Pairing: Beca/Chloe

Words: 3,946

Summary: When the president began getting threats regarding his only daughter, he hires Beca Mitchell, ex soldier and close friend, to protect her. Beca never expected the job to be such a difficult task. And she really didn’t expect to fall in love with the president’s daughter.

Read on FF.Net: Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four,Chapter Five, Chapter Six, Chapter Seven, Chapter Eight, Chapter Nine, Chapter Ten

Read on AO3: Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three5, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, Chapter Six, Chapter Seven, Chapter Eight, Chapter Nine, Chapter Ten

The first thing I notice is the heat. I’m laying on the ground with the heat from the sun pounding down on me, and I can feel the dirt beneath my fingertips. The next thing I notice is the noise; I can hear gunfire and screaming and bullets ricocheting off of metal.  When I open my eyes to look at my surroundings I see my men fighting the al-Qaeda group that ambushed us. I know I’m dreaming, or hallucinating, or something, but that doesn’t stop the fear from gripping at my heart.

I see a man coming towards me, but my gun is out of my reach, so I grab the knife that’s strapped to my calf and plunge it into his Achilles tendon. When he falls to the ground, I yank my knife out of the tendon and plunge it into his chest.

I look down, expecting to see the face of a young man, however when I look at the body I see the face of Unicycle. I look down at my hands that are now covered in blood, and then back at the body.

The face shifts. I’m staring at Bumper’s pale deceased face as blood seeps out of his mouth. I blink and the face shifts again. Familiar green eyes stare into my soul.

“You were supposed to protect us, Beca,” Shane’s raspy voice calls out to me. “Why weren’t you there for us, Beca?”

I look up and I’m surrounded by men I fought side by side with who lost their lives. Their bloody corpses coming closer and closer to me, their words echoing through my mind.

“Where were you, Beca?”

“Why weren’t you there for us, Beca?”

“We trusted you”

“Why didn’t you save us?”

Their words feel like knives through the heart. I can’t breathe and honestly I’ve given up trying. I’m a monster and these good men and women are dead and I’m to blame. I couldn’t protect them when I promised I would. I deserved to be right there with them. Cold. Rotting. Lifeless. They’re closing in on me when—

I feel a hand on my shoulder and I’m pulled out of my trance. I turn around to see Benji looking worried. I look around and notice I’m standing in the hallway of the hospital that Chloe had been taken to.

“Beca, are you okay? You don’t look good. Are you hurt?” He asks, his eyebrows were furrowed and I could see the concern in his eyes.

“I’m okay, I just got lost in thought,” I mumble. I take a few deep breaths to try to bring myself back to reality. The past two times I’ve been in a hospital haven’t been under good circumstances, but I didn’t expect to have an episode like that just by being here. I’m used to the dreams, but I don’t usually see things like that when I’m conscious. “I’m looking for Chloe’s room.”

“It’s down this hall, third door to the left,” he replied. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine, thanks, Benji.”

I turn back around and head for the room Benji directed me to. I quietly open the door and see Chloe laying in a white hospital gown with her red hair sprawled across the pillow. She was staring right at me as I walked in and I can visibly see her body relax when she notices it’s me, her shoulders slump back and the furrow in her brow goes away.

“Hey there,” I say softly as I close the door behind me. I could see the bandage on her shoulder peeking out of her hospital gown. Guilt surged through me seeing the woman that I have begun to grow so fond of injured. I walked towards the bed and sat on the edge, grabbing Chloe’s hand and squeezing it. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m good, they have me on some painkillers so I have minimal pain. I think they should be releasing me to go home soon,” she replied. She was looking at me closely, like she was trying to gauge what was going on in my head. I looked down at our intertwined hands to break eye contact.

This was our first time seeing each other since our first kiss, well, our first real kiss. I didn’t really know what to say or how to feel. I’m happy that it happened, but I didn’t know what that meant for us going forward. Everything has been happening so quickly, and I don’t really know how to act or what to think.

“Hey,” she whispered, lifting my chin up with her fingertips so I would look her in the eyes. “What’s going on? You don’t look well.”

I didn’t know how she could see through my facade so quickly, I spent my whole life shutting my emotions off so nobody could tell what I was thinking or how I was feeling. In just a couple weeks, Chloe has been able to see right through that every time.

“I just feel like every time something horrible happens to you it’s because I failed to do my job properly,” I muttered. “I feel like I’ve put you in more danger because I’ve made stupid decisions. I feel like I shouldn’t be the one in charge of watching over you.”

“The only reason why I’m still alive is because of you, Becs,” she said as she squeezed my hand for reassurance. Even though I still felt guilty for everything, the sound of the nickname she gave me lifted my spirits a bit. “You have proven to me on several occasions in the past few weeks that you are willing to die in order to keep me safe. You did what you thought was right earlier, you left to try to protect me. Even with everything going on you still make me feel like I’m safe, and if I didn’t have you I probably wouldn’t have even survived the car chase while coming back from the mall. You are so amazing at everything you do. Please don’t feel like any of this is your fault because it’s just like you said, you’re not the one who’s trying to kill me, you’re the one trying to put an end to all of it.”

“How do you do that so well?”

“Do what?”

“You always know the right things to say to make me feel better,” I smiled softly. “I’m just glad to see that you’re okay.”

“You have good aim,” she chuckled, and I had to bite my lip to fight the urge to smile from the sound. “The doctor said I should have a fast recovery and the bullet didn’t hit anything that would cause complications.”

Just as she finished speaking the doctor walked in to inform us that Chloe was all set to go home. One of the other Secret Service agents had brought her a change of clothes since the clothes she was wearing before coming to the hospital now had blood all over them, so once all the paperwork was filled out for her dismissal I sat in the waiting room for her to get dressed. She came out of the hospital room in a plain white t-shirt, black skinny jeans, and all black Nike sneakers.

When she saw me waiting, her face broke out into a delighted grin, and I swear my heart skipped a beat at the sight. Something about Chloe dressed so casually had my hands sweaty and made my mouth go dry, she was usually dressed pretty fancy and professional even when she was just at home. For someone who had just gotten shot, she looked radiant.

“Ready to head out?” She asked as she came closer to me. “Where exactly are we going to go now? The house is trashed after today.”

“Come with me. We need to speak in private,” I ordered, leading Chloe in the direction of the hospital’s exit. She followed along silently, and when we exited the hospital I quickly escorted her to the car. “We need to check the car to make sure nobody put any tracking device or anything on it.”

“What?!” She exclaimed, her eyes wide and jaw dropped. “What do you mean? You think someone would do that?”

“I wouldn’t put it past these people,” I sighed. “There’s gotta be a reason they found us so quickly. We had been very careful, I don’t see any other way of them knowing where we were. Take a look on your side, let me know if you see a wire or a blinking light or just something that looks out of place.”

I looked along the driver’s side of the car and didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. I dropped down on my knees to take a look underneath the vehicle. I used my phone as a flashlight, and sure enough, there it was. A blinking red light was flashing, and I reached out to pull it off the underside of the car. This is how they found us, but the pieces didn’t add up. Who else had access to this car before it was given to me?

“Found it,” I called out to the redhead. I stood back up to show her the device that was used to find our location. I dropped it on the ground and stomped on it with the heel of my shoe to destroy it. “We need to go now, they’re going to notice that they can’t track us anymore and will probably come to the last place they could track us.”

I didn’t have a plan. I had no idea where we could go. We had none of our belongings on us, but it was way too risky to go back to Chloe’s grandparent’s beach house after everything that just happened. All I knew is that I needed to get both of us far away from here without many people knowing.

We each got into the car, and as soon as we were both buckled I sped off to get as much distance between us and the hospital. I was trying to wrack my brain of possible places we could go from here, but not a single place came to mind. I was nervously drumming my thumbs against the steering wheel as I was driving, and biting my bottom lip so hard I wouldn’t be surprised if I was drawing blood. I hated this feeling that had consumed me since I saw that red dot aiming towards Chloe.

“Beca?”

I snapped my head to the right, noticing for the first time that Chloe appeared to be speaking to me and I hadn’t heard a single thing she said. I shook my head, hoping that would clear my mind, before muttering an apology and indicating that she now had my full attention.

“What are we doing?” She asked, and damn was that a loaded question. Whether she was referring to where we were currently headed off to, or whether she was referring to the kiss we shared and where that was leading us, the answer was the same.

“I don’t know,” I replied earnestly. I hated that I couldn’t give her a better answer than that, hated that she was caught in between this, hated that I couldn’t give her something to hope for. “I need you to call your father.”

Chloe nodded and immediately pulled her phone out call Jason. I wasn’t surprised when Jason picked up immediately, no doubt worried sick about the wellbeing of his daughter. I waited patiently as the two of them spoke, Chloe reassuring him that her and I were safe.

“Beca needs to speak with you, dad,” Chloe said into the phone. I could see tears brimming her eyes, obviously feeling emotional after everything that’s happened. “I love you, too. Here she is.”

She passed me the phone, and as I took it our fingers brushed and I was shocked at the electricity that shot through my body from such a simple touch. I didn’t have time to dwell on the feeling, which was probably a good thing because of course I wanted to figure out my feelings for Chloe, but it was the least of my concerns at the time being.

“Hey, Jason,” I greeted.

“Beca, how are you doing?” He asked, and I could hear the stress in the older man’s voice. Jason Beale didn’t get stressed out a lot, but with running a country and having his daughter and me being hunted,  I really wasn’t surprised that it was taking a toll on him.

“We’re okay,” I answered, hoping that would put him at ease a bit. “I’m sorry, Jason. I thought our plan would work out, at least buy us some more time.”

“You don’t need to apologize for anything,” he said, sincerity lacing every word he spoke. “I’m so grateful that you two are alive. I should be thanking you.”

I swallowed the uncomfortable feeling I get when people compliment my work, not that I don’t believe I do a good job, I just don’t like the attention on me. Plus, there were more important things to discuss.

“Jason, we found a tracking device on the car I was given while mine has been in the shop,” I explained. I let my words hang in the air for a moment for them to sink in. “I need a list of everybody who was in contact with this vehicle before it was given to me.”

“You think somebody on the inside is involved in this.”

It wasn’t a question. He caught on to what I was insinuating, and a part of me almost hoped that he would challenge that because the fact that someone who was supposed to be on our side could possibly be roped into this mess was absolutely terrifying.

“Yeah, I do,” I breathed out, wishing that the quieter I said it the less real it would make things. “We also need somewhere to go, we can’t go back to that house.”

“I’ve already got a plan figured out, I’ve been making calls the second I found out about what happened. I’m going to text Chloe an address, drive there and I have a private jet waiting with all of your things to take you both to Aspen, Colorado to one of my houses,” he explained. “It’s secluded from everybody, and it has a top of the line security system so if anybody so much as steps foot on the property you’ll be notified. When you get there, both of you need new phones with new numbers. Destroy your current devices and call me right when you get there. I’m having Amy drive your vehicle to you since it’s out of the shop. It may take a couple days for her to get there but until she does you guys will have plenty of supplies to last until she does.”

After going through the details we ended the call. I was hoping this plan would turn out better than our last but there was no way to be sure. But this bought us time, even if it was just a little bit. And that was all we could hope for at this point.

The plan was going smoothly, and by smoothly I mean we at least got to our destination and were able to settle in. Who knows how long that would last though, last time we only had three days of peace before we got disrupted. I honestly expected someone to already be here ready for us to arrive, it felt like whoever it is we’re dealing with are always a step ahead of us.

The “house” Jason has us staying in is actually a mansion that has a little mini mansion next to it as a place for guests to stay. I thought Chloe’s house was huge, and then I thought the Miami beach house belonging to her grand parents was enormous, but this place blows both of them combined out of the water.

It was 11 o’clock once we got settled into our rooms and put all the groceries away that they had on the plane for us take with us, and although a lot happened today and I should be exhausted, my mind simply wouldn’t allow me to go to sleep. It probably had something to do with the nerves of being in a new, unfamiliar area.

So instead of sleep I settled down in my bed and worked on a mix of Titanium and 500 Miles that I hadn’t gotten a chance to touch since beginning this job. When I was staying at my dad’s house after the incident in Afghanistan, the only thing that kept me from not completely losing my mind was music. I missed the feeling I get when I get lost in the tracks I’m listening to and working on.

With my headphones on I couldn’t hear anything, but I knew Chloe had to be at the doorway because I could see the light from the hallway peeking into the room out of the corner of my eyes. I slid my headphones off my ears and around my neck, and turned my head to get a better look at Chloe. She was standing in the doorway with a pair of grey joggers on and a large black t-shirt, clearly her attire for bed. I checked the time on my laptop and frowned, it was past twelve now and usually Chloe was already asleep by now.

“Hey,” she greeted softly, closing the door behind her and taking a few tentative steps into my bedroom. “Sorry for interrupting, I just wanted to see what you were up to. I’m having a bit of trouble falling asleep.”

“I can’t sleep either,” I confessed, scooting over and patting the spot on the bed next to me for the redhead to sit. When she sat down, I couldn’t help but notice how close we were. Her leg right leg brushed against mine and I had to bite my lip to not audibly gasp at the contact. The small touch shouldn’t have my head spinning, but with everything going on and not knowing what was happening between Chloe and I had my emotions running rampant. I cleared my throat, hoping to ease the tension I was feeling, and asked, “did you call your dad to let him know we arrived?”

“Yeah, I talked to him and my mom for a while,” she smiled, but it didn’t quite shine like it usually does. I knew this was incredibly hard on her, being away from her family and friends, and there was nothing I wanted more than to be able to take all this pain away from her. “Dad said he was going to send you all the files you needed tomorrow morning, he just got held up in a lot of meetings today.”

“That’s okay,” I said. I went to save my work and close my laptop, but before I could Chloe grabbed my hand to stop me.

“What are you working on?” She asked and scooted even closer so she could see what was on my screen.

“I uh, was just working on a mix,” I mumbled. I never share my work with anyone because I just do it as a hobby and don’t expect this passion of mine to lead to anything, so I like to keep it private.

But when Chloe squealed excitedly and begged to listen to what I was working on, my body started working before my brain could process that I was handing over my headphones to the older woman. I sat impatiently picking at a thread in my pajama pants as she listened, not looking at what her reaction was because I was nervous that she wouldn’t like it.

“Holy shit!” She shouted once taking the headphones off. “Beca, that was amazing! How have you not shown this to me before?”

“I’ve never actually shown anyone,” I confessed quietly, feeling my cheeks burn from the compliment. “You know David Guetta?”

“Have I been living under a rock?” She asked, sarcasm lacing her tone. “That song is my jam… my lady jam.”

I could feel my cheeks burn even more as very inappropriate images of Chloe flooded my mind. And I knew by the teasing smirk that adorned her face that she definitely said that to get this exact reaction out of me.

“You continue to amaze me every day,” Chloe confessed, and her tone shifted from teasing to serious. Her blue eyes were burning with sincerity and the complement caused my brain to short-circuit and I couldn’t form coherent sentences.

“Chloe, I uh, I-” I stammered over my words. I huffed out a sigh of frustration and ran my fingers through my brown locks, hoping that would help me formulate my thoughts. “I was wondering what exactly is going on between you and I?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged and I could tell she had more to say but was trying to figure out how to say what she was thinking. “All I know is that I enjoy talking with you when there isn’t this ominous threat lurking behind us. I feel safe with you in a way that is more than just the fact that you can protect me from danger. I feel safe being me and knowing that you won’t judge me or push me to be someone I’m not.”

Right then I wanted to reach for her and kiss her, to not say anything at all and show her how I feel. But we needed to have this discussion, it was important to me to hear her say what she’s feeling. So instead of kissing her, I reached out and holding her hand in mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze that I was listening to everything she was saying.

“Now is probably the worst time for us to jump into anything,” she murmured, looking down at our interlocked fingers. The sentence made my heart plummet into my stomach. That wasn’t where I was expecting that tangent to go, but the feeling subsided when she continued speaking. “But I don’t really care if it isn’t a good time, it may never be a good time. And I don’t want these feelings to pass us by and for us to miss out on something that could be amazing. So, I say we just take things one day at a time and see where it leads us.”

“Yeah,” I hummed in agreement. “That sounds nice.”

It sounded better than nice, it sounded amazing. We’ve had so much thrown at us in the past few weeks, and now we could have the opportunity to have some time to just be ourselves and see where it brings us. I was overcome with a feeling I hadn’t felt in a while.

Hopeful.