#quick cutting and jumping all over the place. the sound design too is horribly effective. plus a great cast‚ some horrible details

[lets-talk-appella]

i’m nobody’s but yours

Chapter 13/25 - Chloe

Summary: Beca is straight as an arrow. 100%, totally, completely straight. Except for one problem that 100%, totally, completely changes everything: Chloe Beale.

Title borrowed from Calum Scott’s “If Our Love Is Wrong.”

Word Count: 5k

Rating: M (for dark themes, homophobia, masturbation, and eventual smut in later chapters)

AO3, FFN, and below.

“Chlo? Where are we going?”

“Shh.”

“Not one hint?”

“Shh.”

“Is it going to be horrible?”

“Do you want me to tape your mouth shut?”

“Can you do that without taking the hood off?”

Chloe takes her eyes off the road momentarily to look to her right, where Beca sits buckled into the passenger seat with a Hood Night hood over her head.

“If you keep complaining, I can always get my handcuffs,” she grins, expecting Beca to dissolve into a mess of awkward sputtering.

Instead, Beca shoots back, “Save those for later.”

The speed of the response is shocking and more than a little arousing. It makes Chloe’s grip on the wheel tighten and her foot press more firmly against the accelerator, sending her car zooming forward through traffic and closer to their date destination.

Chloe supposes she should have known better than to goad Beca; over the past week, Beca has become more comfortable with making quips like that. Chloe’s normally the flirty one, but having Beca flirt back has been enthralling.

It’s been a week since their first date. They haven’t kissed. They haven’t told the Bellas, they haven’t had a lot of alone time, they haven’t labeled their relationship, and they haven’t kissed.

To compensate (because sometimes Chloe feels like she’s going to die if she doesn’t touch Beca), she might brush by Beca closer than strictly necessary so their bodies can touch. Or her hand will find Beca’s thigh under the table at dinner and rest there. Or Beca’s head will fit itself against her shoulder while they cuddle under a blanket at Bella Movie Night. They’ve done that before, but now with the added bonus of linking their hands under the blanket.

Touching Beca is intoxicating. She needs it like she needs air to breathe.

Chloe pulls into the parking lot of their date destination, biting her lip to keep herself from squealing in excitement. It’s somewhere Beca never would have gone by herself, and she hopes Beca won’t totally hate her for this, but she knows that they’ll have fun. Once Beca takes a second to process, anyway.

She finds a parking spot between an SUV and a smaller car, then pats Beca on the knee.

“Don’t take off the hood yet,” she warns.

“But –”

“Let me help you out and we’ll take it off outside so you can get the full effect.”

“Oh, joy,” Beca deadpans, but Chloe knows she’s just putting on a show. By the way Beca’s right knee bounces, she can tell Beca’s excited, too.

With a final smile at Beca, even though she can’t see it through the hood, Chloe jumps out of the driver’s side and hurries around to Beca’s passenger door. She takes a quick look around before opening the door – it would put a bit of a damper on their date if some good Samaritan were to call the police on her for hauling around a person with a hood on their head. After making sure they’re relatively alone, Chloe opens Beca’s door and takes her right hand.

“Okay, just climb out,” Chloe says. “I’ll make sure you don’t trip.”

Beca grumbles but unbuckles her seat belt and allows Chloe to guide her slowly out of the car. Chloe is sure to keep her hand protectively between Beca’s hooded head and the frame of the car – Beca getting a concussion would also put a damper on the date.

Once Beca is completely out of the car, Chloe steers her by the shoulders so that she’s facing the building they’re parked in front of.

“Ready?” she asks.

“This is a kidnapping,” Beca complains, but Chloe can hear curiosity in her tone.

“A sexy date-kidnapping,” replies Chloe, grinning when Beca’s shoulder muscles tense under her hands. “Here we go!”

Smoothly, Chloe lifts the hood from Beca’s head and moves so she can see her face. She watches Beca blink, first at the brightness of the day, then in confusion as she registers the letters on the side of the building, proclaiming Ricky’s Roller Rink and Arcade. A symphony of emotions cross Beca’s face: first recognition, then surprise, then horror, which finally eases into exasperation.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Chloe. No way.”

“Yes!”

“I’ll die!”

“I’ll catch you,” Chloe promises, crossing her heart.

“I’ve done this, like. Twice,” Beca groans.

“I know. I’ll hold your hand.”

Beca rolls her eyes, and Chloe already knows she’s won. “I took you on a nice, stable grounded picnic, and you’re doing this to me? Making me rollerblade?”

“Well…” Chloe hedges, taking mercy on Beca. “It’s really more the pizza and arcade that go with the rollerblading. We’ll only do that part if you want to.”

“Oh!” Beca stops, surprised. She seems to think for a second before shrugging, if reluctantly. “Well. In that case, I guess it’s fine. For the pizza.”

“Aca-awesome,” Chloe smiles, then laughs when Beca rolls her eyes.

She reaches down to link their hands together and, pretending she doesn’t notice Beca’s furtive glance around the lot, leads them inside the building.

They’re greeted at the welcome desk inside the front door by a teenage boy, maybe sixteen or seventeen, dressed in the arcade’s brightly-colored polo and wearing a neon orange hat with the name of the rink splashed across the front of it in black text. He has braces and a smattering of acne across his cheeks, but that doesn’t stop him from grinning at them enthusiastically when they walk in.

“Welcome to Ricky’s!” he greets. “What kind of ticket would you like?”

“Um,” Chloe replies, scanning the display behind him. “Let’s go with the couple’s special. That includes laser tag, right?”

Beca’s hand tightens around her own, but the teenager doesn’t even bat an eye.

“Yep, the couple’s special comes with laser tag, a pizza and drinks, five arcade games, and a set of rollerblades. Is that all?”

“Sounds perfect,” Chloe smiles, digging in her purse for her wallet.

“I can –”

“I’ve got this, babe,” Chloe cuts off Beca’s attempt to chip in on the tickets. This is her treat.

“Uh – thanks,” Beca replies, looking at her a little strangely.

Chloe pays for their arcade passes, then they turn to survey the building. It’s massive, set up in a sprawling design that probably only makes sense to the preteens who frequent it on the weekends. The roller rink is on the far side, taking up almost the entire right half of the building. A dining area with a pizza stand and a pop bar separate the rink from the scores of arcade games placed haphazardly in what might be a rectangular pattern. Beyond that, a doorway with a sign proclaiming “Laser Tag” set up above it seems to branch away from the main arcade area. Thankfully, for a Thursday afternoon, the place is relatively empty, with only a few older-looking teenagers running around.

“So,” Chloe breathes, suddenly nervous. “Is this an acceptable second date?”

Beca looks at her, her expression giving nothing away. “Well…” she starts seriously, before her face splits into a wide grin. “Only if you’re ready to have your ass kicked at air hockey!”

“In your dreams,” Chloe scoffs, and then they’re off.

Chloe knows Beca is a competitive person – you don’t co-lead a world-renowned a cappella group with someone and not realize how competitive they are – but she had no idea that competitive spirit bled over into something as simple as arcade games. She soon learns, though.

Because they have five arcade games to play with their tickets, they first decide on air hockey, foosball, Skee-Ball, and Dance Dance Revolution; Chloe is horrible at foosball, but wins the game of Skee-Ball, and they tie at Dance Dance Revolution. That’s when, instead of choosing a game they haven’t played yet, Beca insists on a second round of air hockey because she lost the first time.

“Alright,” she says seriously, cracking her knuckles and rolling out her shoulders while Chloe tries not to giggle at her. “This game is it. This is everything. Whoever wins this becomes Grandmaster Champion of the Universe.”

“Oh?” Chloe asks, arching an eyebrow. “I noticed that rule didn’t apply when you missed all but two cups during Skee-Ball.”

“Didn’t count then,” Beca insists with as much dignity as she can muster. “This is, like, the tie breaker. Of everything.”

“Okay,” Chloe says, deciding not to point out that even if Beca wins this game, they’re still technically tied evenly in arcade game wins.

Beca waggles her eyebrows grandly and, with all the seasoned confidence of an air hockey pro, drops the puck onto the table and nearly knocks it into her own goal.

“I meant to do that,” she insists when Chloe laughs. “Throw you off guard.”

“Mmm.”

Once Beca does successfully start the game, she plays with an intensity that Chloe has only seen her display on stage of their bigger performances. Her eyes are zeroed in on the puck, tracking its every movement, and she moves her paddle with grace and agility, concentrating so hard on the game that Chloe doesn’t think she’s even aware of the way the tip of her tongue pokes out from her mouth.

It’s kind of hot.

That is, until Beca’s fingers, dangling over the edge of the wall and into the “rink” area, are smashed by a poorly-aimed puck from Chloe.

“Fuck! Ouch, shit, dammit –”

“Are you okay?!” Chloe exclaims, running around the table to get to her. “Here, let me see –”

She pulls Beca’s hand into both of her own, examining it for damage, just in time to register the telltale clunk of the puck dropping into her unattended goal.

She looks up from Beca’s (red and bruised-looking) fingers to see a supremely smug look on Beca’s face.

“Shouldn’t have let your guard down,” Beca grins, nodding at the score. She’d won with the last goal.

Chloe huffs in mock annoyance; if Beca can still get a goal with her uninjured hand and brag about it, she’s not badly hurt.

“Cheap move!” Chloe protests. “You distracted me!”

“You’re the one who smashed my fingers!”

“Shouldn’t have dangled them over the edge like that,” Chloe says, then follows with, “I’m starting to care more and more about your fingers lately.”

The shock and understanding that flash across Beca’s face make losing the game totally worth it. With a wink, Chloe leans in and presses her lips against the more bruised-looking fingers on Beca’s right hand.

“Yeah, well,” Beca huffs, apparently recovering. “That helps.”

“I’m glad,” Chloe grins. “So, Grandmaster Champion of the Universe, you wanna get some pizza?”

As if on cue, Beca’s stomach rumbles loudly.

“Great,” Chloe says, taking that as an answer. “Let’s go order.”

They walk over to the dining area and put in the order for a cheese pizza, and while that’s cooking, Chloe manages to talk Beca into trying a couple laps of rollerblading.

The rink is wide open, apart from a couple of teenagers still zooming around it. Chloe leads Beca to the side of the rink, where they pick out their skates. Chloe tries not to laugh when Beca has to hunt for a size small enough to suit her.

When they have the skates in hand, they go to the little outcropping in the blading area and strap them on. Once they’re both ready, they sit, Chloe waiting for the go-ahead from Beca that doesn’t seem like it’s going to come. Beca’s not saying much, which raises a red flag in Chloe’s mind.

“Hey,” she says, resting her hand over Beca’s for a second. “We don’t have to, if you really don’t want to.”

“Hmpf,” Beca grumbles. “First you smash my hand, now you’re gonna strap wheels to my feet and expect me not to die.”

“I won’t let you fall. I promise,” Chloe reassures her quietly.

Beca’s expression softens. “I know you won’t,” she says. “I trust you.”

Chloe isn’t quite prepared for the warmth that washes over her at that simple phrase. It shouldn’t trigger that much emotion, maybe, but the way Beca says it and the way she looks at her makes Chloe think that when Beca said it, she meant a different three-word phrase.

“Okay, right,” Chloe says, trying to shake that from her mind. “Let’s, uh, try it. We’ll go slow.”

And they do go slow. Beca’s left hand never leaves Chloe’s right as they half-skate, half-wobble around the rink two, three, four times, until Beca’s movements smoothen and she becomes more confident with every stroke. By the fifth lap, though, the man working the pizza stand is waving them down, and Beca looks too relieved at the idea of getting the skates off her feet for Chloe to be able to justify continuing.

They wrap up their final lap, find that same outcropping in the rink, and pull the skates off their feet in favor of their regular shoes before heading over to collect their pizza. Beca grabs them a table, across the dining area from a group of four teenage girls, and they sit to eat.

“See?” Chloe can’t resist asking. “That wasn’t so bad.”

Beca shrugs, pizza in hand. “It could have been worse. Thanks for not letting me fall,” she adds more sincerely.

“Of course,” Chloe answers. “We can’t have any more injuries.”

Beca flexes her hand, checking it for damage. “I think I’ll survive,” she grins, then takes another bite of pizza.

Chloe’s just about to reach for her third slice when one of the teenagers from the larger group across the room arrives at their table.

“Uh, hi,” the girl says a little awkwardly. “It’s my friend’s birthday, and we wanted to play laser tag, but we’re two players short. Would you like to…” she trails off, gesturing toward the laser tag area.

Chloe looks beyond the girl at the three others sitting at the table, all watching them carefully. She waves in their general direction, not sure which is the one with the birthday, before checking with Beca.

“I’m okay with that if you are?” she asks. “We have the ticket for it, anyway.”

Beca glances toward the girls, too, then looks down at the pizza.

“After you’re done eating,” the girl says in a rush, turning a little pink. “You don’t have to –”

“No, it’s okay,” Beca interrupts. “We’ll do it on one condition.”

The girl nods enthusiastically and Chloe waits, not sure what Beca’s going to say.

“Take a picture of us?” Beca asks, extending her phone to the girl, whose eyes widen.

“Sure!” she agrees enthusiastically. “Oh, I’m the best with Instagram and finding filters, I’ll make you two look so good…”

She rambles on, but Chloe’s stopped listening. She’s too focused on Beca moving her chair closer to her, pressing into her side. When Beca wraps an arm around her waist, Chloe sinks into it so naturally that it’s like they’ve been doing this for years rather than barely a week. Beca’s hair tickles her cheek, but Chloe refuses to pull away. She just smiles for the camera, already knowing she’s going to make Beca send that to her so she can make it her new lock screen.

The girl takes multiple pictures from multiple angles, all the while assuring them they look “super cute,” and hands Beca back her phone with a smile.

“Thanks,” Beca says, scrolling through the pictures quickly to check them.

Looking over her shoulder, Chloe has to agree with the girl; they look good together.

“So…” the girl prompts, and Chloe stands to get to-go boxes for their pizza. They could have finished the last two slices, but it’s pretty obvious the girls at the table are impatient.

She and Beca join them, make introductions, and file past the arcade games to get to the laser tag area. There, another teenage employee explains the rules and splits them into teams: two of the girls plus Beca on the Blue team, and the other two plus Chloe on the Red team.

“You’re going down, Beale,” Beca hisses under her breath as the clock times down to start.

“Nope,” is all Chloe says, knowing it’ll only make Beca even more competitive. Sure enough, Beca huffs a laugh and starts bouncing in place, full of energy.

The buzzer goes off and Chloe steps inside the dark maze, blinking so her eyes adjust to the blacklight filling the room; she glances down at herself, the whites in her clothing and shoelaces glowing in the semidarkness. It’s confusing, at first; all she can do is keep moving, hearing the five other people with her shuffling along behind the maze walls. At one point, one of the girls on her team flies past in front of her, and Chloe has to stop the knee-jerk reaction to aim and fire at her own teammate.

But then, rounding a corner, she sees a one of the girls on the Blue team crouched and peering around a wall, her back to Chloe. Grinning to herself, Chloe raises her laser gun and aims. Before she can fire, though, something latches onto the back of her vest and tugs, and she’s sent careening backward with an inelegant squawk of surprise.

“Shh!” Beca laughs, her teeth bright in the black light as she pulls Chloe into a corner of the maze. “You’re gonna get their attention!”

“Is this a plot?” Chloe asks suspiciously. “Are you trying to make my team lose?”

Beca grins and shakes her head, looping her arms around Chloe’s waist to pull her closer. “Nah. I just wanted to say hi and didn’t think it was fair to shoot from behind... like you were about to do.”

“Yeah, I’m not above that,” Chloe admits casually, heart fluttering at the proximity to Beca.

“Clearly,” Beca agrees, then speaks even more softly. “Those photos of us are really nice.”

“They are,” Chloe says, hands landing on Beca’s hips. The thought of where this might be going makes her feel like she needs to steady herself.

“And, earlier,” Beca continues, whispering now, their faces only inches apart. “I liked when you called me ‘babe.’”

“When?”

“At the desk. When we came in.”

“I didn’t even notice,” Chloe breathes honestly, her eyes dropping to Beca’s slightly parted lips.

“I liked it.”

Beca’s leaning in then, until she’s so close that Chloe’s not sure if the pounding pulse she hears is her own or Beca’s. Chloe closes her eyes, shivering when she feels Beca’s breath ghosting over her lips. Their noses nudge together, sending a thrill through Chloe’s body. All it would take is one final tilt in from either of them, and the entire world would shift.

With a shaky breath that Chloe can both hear and feel, Beca closes the distance.

Beca’s lips are soft and warm against hers. They’re both still, lips just touching, until Chloe pulls back to lightly rest her forehead against Beca’s.

“Bec…”

Chloe’s not sure who leans forward this time, but then they’re kissing again and everything else is wiped from her mind. Beca’s lips grow more direct and she changes the angle gently, and Chloe can hardly believe that this is Beca, finally kissing her, but when she reaches forward to rest her hands on Beca’s waist, the solid presence reassures her until she’s giving in completely. Chloe tilts her head more into it, parting her lips to make the kiss softer, warmer, and drawn-out, nestling Beca’s bottom lip between hers.

A sound leaves Beca then, just a little hum in the back of her throat, not quite a whimper but almost, and it makes Chloe’s hands tighten on Beca’s waist. She feels Beca’s hands trace up her arms, dancing over her collarbones to rest lightly on either side of her neck. Leaving tingling, twitching skin in its path, Beca’s left thumb traces under her jaw until Chloe’s certain Beca can feel the fluttering of her pulse.

Beca’s lips turn more insistent, pressing even closer. One of Beca’s hands slides into Chloe’s hair, cradling the back of her head. This time, Chloe’s the one to make a noise, a breathy gasp that makes Beca chuckle against her lips. Chloe’s hands slide around Beca’s hips, tracing up her lower back until they encounter the laser tag vest.

Chloe’s not sure how long they kiss. A few seconds, maybe a minute at most, but when the kiss reaches its natural end and she pulls away, her head is spinning and she can’t stop smiling. Beca’s smiling right back, the flush on her cheeks visible even in the semidarkness.

Chloe steps away carefully, her hands dropping from Beca’s sides. Her lips tingle where Beca had kissed them, and she wants more than anything to continue it, but they are still technically in public with a group of teenagers running around somewhere in the laser tag maze.

She feels like she should say something, but doesn’t know what.

That’s when Beca, grinning cheekily, lifts her laser gun and shoots Chloe point-blank, making her vest buzz and light up.

“Gotcha.”

***************

“Wait, why’d you swipe no on him, he was cute!” Stacie protests, peering over Chloe’s shoulder.

“Eh, not my type,” Chloe dismisses, scrolling through some brunette’s profile next.

“Cute isn’t your type?” Stacie asks sarcastically.

“Guess not,” Chloe snaps back. She’s tired of this stupid app. She swipes no again.

“Ooh, her!” This time, Stacie practically pounces on Chloe to get her to swipe yes on an admittedly very attractive blonde woman.

Chloe swipes no and closes the app. “Look, this is stupid. I’m really not into anyone on here.”

“How?” Stacie asks with wide eyes. “Chloe, you’ve been single for as long as I’ve known you. That’s… like three years. That’s insane.”

“I date,” Chloe replies defensively, crossing her arms.

“Okay, you go on dates. That’s different from dating.”

“I – there’s no one I’ve liked.”

That’s only partially true. Yes, she hasn’t really clicked with anyone, but that has nothing to do with their own shortcomings and everything to do with the fact that they aren’t Beca.

“No one?”

“Nope,” Chloe replies, standing from the couch. “Listen, I’m pretty tired, Stace, I’m gonna head up to bed.”

No matter how hard she tries, no matter how many dates she forces herself to go on, Chloe can’t shake her feelings for Beca in favor of a stranger. It’s just not going to happen.

“But –”

“Good night!” she interrupts, heading for the stairs and hearing a soft, “Night,” thrown at her retreating back.

She deletes the app a few days later, despite the large number of unread messages in her inbox from both guys and girls. It doesn’t matter how many of them she could have tried to date; no stranger can replace the increasingly powerful feelings she has for Beca.

***************

“Bye! Happy birthday!” Beca calls, waving after the group of teenage girls. Chloe smiles goodbye at them, though she’s still not entirely sure which of the girls’ birthdays it is. She carries their leftover pizza in her right hand, her left intertwined with Beca’s. Like the boy at the welcome stand, the girls didn’t give them a second glance for holding hands and acting like a couple.

After the girls are gone, Beca looks at her, eyes alight. “Blue team kicked your team’s ass.”

Chloe grins back and replies, “Only because you distracted me.”

“Excuses.”

Chloe bumps her shoulder into Beca’s, both laughing as they make their way to Chloe’s car. Chloe feels like she’s glowing from the inside out; their second date had been just as wonderful as their first, perhaps even more so, with the kiss.

“Beca! Chloe!”

Chloe stops dead in her tracks, dropping Beca’s hand instantly at the familiar voice. A dense dread settling deep in her stomach, she turns in time to see Beca’s dad, Warren, and his wife Sheila climbing out of their car in the row adjacent to where she and Beca are parked. They’re both smiling, not looking at her with anger or suspicion, so they must not have seen her and Beca holding hands.

“Shit, fuck –” Beca swears softly beside her, then, more loudly, “Dad! What are you guys doing here?”

Chloe winces; she hopes the panic in Beca’s voice is only obvious to her.

Warren and Sheila walk over, weaving between a few parked cars to draw closer to them. Beca shifts her weight, putting distance between her and Chloe; Chloe hears the scuff of pebbles under her feet, acutely aware of every inch newly separating them.

“Don’t sound so pleased to see us,” Warren says with a smile when they’re near enough. “We’re here for a Barden faculty event.”

“At a roller rink?”

“Well, Beca, even us old people can have fun sometimes.”

Chloe glances at the ground, the muscles between her shoulders tensing in response to the strain she feels pouring off of Beca in waves. Chloe’s desperate to reach out and touch her, but she knows she can’t.

“How’re you, Chloe?”

Warren’s question startles her. “Good,” she replies hastily. “Great. You guys?”

Sheila nods, looking around the parking lot. “We’re good, all good. Are the rest of the Bellas still inside?”

Chloe’s blood turns to ice. There’s no way they can lie.

She tries to shift even further from Beca without Sheila or Warren noticing.

“Uh, no,” she replies, thinking quickly. “We figured – that is, Beca and I – figured we could use some, uh, captain bonding time. You know, just prepping things for when Emily takes over,” she finishes, gesturing vaguely.

It doesn’t really make sense – there’s no need to bond as captains now that they’ve graduated, and exactly what “prepping” they could do at a roller rink is beyond Chloe – but Warren and Sheila don’t question it.

“Right,” Warren nods grandly. “I suppose Emily will be taking over, now.”

“Yep,” Beca replies, her voice clipped. “It’s all very… is there anything else, or…?”

Warren’s eyebrows draw together and he looks at Beca quizzically. Chloe wishes a hole would open under her feet and drag her down and out of this situation.

There’s a pause, then out of nowhere, Sheila asks, “Have you heard anything from Jesse?”

Chloe’s stomach jolts.

“What do you mean?” Beca asks quickly.

“Well, you know. I mean, he was always such a nice boy.”

“I…”

“It’s just a shame to let the good ones go, you know. I don’t want you to regret anything,” Sheila says, leaning closer to emphasize her point.

Chloe closes her eyes briefly, hoping it looks like she’s shielding them from the sun.

“It’s for the best, the breakup,” Beca replies firmly. Chloe reopens her eyes; from Beca’s tone, she can tell Beca’s struggling to remain calm. “He’s still my friend, but that’s it.”

Sheila purses her lips. “Well. I’m sure if you asked, maybe he’d be willing to be more than friends again. He’s good for you, Beca.”

“I’m really okay.”

Sheila’s eyes narrow at the icy tone, then turn on Chloe. Chloe swallows, hard.

“And what about you, dear?”

“Sheila…” Warren clears his throat, looking embarrassed, but Chloe can tell Sheila still expects an answer.

Chloe forces her face into what she hopes is a polite smile. “What about me?” she asks, nervous.

“Are there any men in your life?”

Pebbles shift again where Beca stands as she moves another inch away. The anger radiating from her small frame tastes sharp and metallic.

“Oh, no, no men for me…” she tries to answer without placing inflection the “men” part.

“Really?” Sheila’s eyebrows lift. “Honey, with your looks, you should be able to get any cute boy you want.”

From the corner of her eye, Chloe sees Beca look down at the ground.

Chloe doesn’t know what to do but try to laugh it off, panic mounting in her chest by the second.

“I guess… just busy, you know,” she says, fighting to keep her tone even. “With Worlds, and... and I’m applying for internships different places around the country,” she replies, hoping Sheila will take the hint and ask where she’s applied.

“Ah,” Sheila nods. “Right, I’m sure once you move on out of this town, get settled, then the dating will pick up for sure. Between you and me,” her voice drops to a stage-whisper and she grins conspiratorially, “they make them better out there than they do here.”

“They make them okay here,” Chloe replies without thinking, feeling Beca’s wide eyes on the side of her face.

“I’m sure,” Sheila nods amicably.

Warren clears his throat more loudly and makes a show of checking his watch. “Well, I think we should let you girls go. I’m sure you’ve got plenty of – um, bonding activities planned,” he smiles at them.

Chloe hopes her answering laugh doesn’t sound as hysterical as she thinks it might.

“Bye, Beca,” Warren nods at his only child, placing his hand on Sheila’s back to steer her toward the entrance to the roller rink. “Chloe, until next time.”

Beca makes a sort of grunting noise, and Chloe tries for a smile, her cheek muscles feeling stiff. They watch Warren and Sheila go. It’s only until they step inside the roller rink that Chloe realizes she’s holding her breath; she lets it out in a whoosh, the start of a headache mounting in her temples.

She turns to Beca, mouth open, though whether to apologize or ask if she’s okay, Chloe isn’t sure. But the look on Beca’s face, equal parts mournful and exhausted, traps Chloe’s voice in her throat. Beca shakes her head, looks at the ground, and without a word, goes to Chloe’s car and climbs into the passenger seat.

Chloe stares at the car dumbly until her body catches up with her brain. She lurches forward, numb inside, and gets into the driver’s seat, closing the door and muting the world outside.

It’s silent in the car. Chloe doesn’t know what to say.

She risks a glance over. Her chest throbs at the sight; Beca’s leaning her head against the glass of the window, eyes locked on something outside.

Have you heard anything from Jesse?

Well. I’m sure if you asked, maybe he’d be willing to be more than friends again. He’s good for you, Beca.

For the first time, Chloe understands what dating Beca might mean for both of them.

Chloe’s hands grip the wheel so hard her knuckles are white. She can’t bear to look at Beca, scared of what she might see, terrified that their first kiss might be their last.

She starts the car, and, leaving the radio off, backs out of the parking spot, and drives toward the exit.

[diyunho]

The Joker x Reader - “No Names” Part 3

When The Joker told you he found somebody else, your world shattered to pieces. But what hurt the most was the fact that he didn’t even bother to come around and see his little girls; very hard to find excuses on why their father is missing, especially when the triplets adore him. And extremely hard to cope with the gloomy future after you found out some details that might explain his estrangement.

Part 1: http://diyunho.tumblr.com/post/164355559106/the-joker-x-reader-no-names-part-1

Part 2:http://diyunho.tumblr.com/post/164854110621/the-joker-x-reader-no-names-part-2

“Mommy’s going to have another baby,” Evie whispers in Frost’s ear. He’s on the couch, waiting to drive all of you to the beach house.

“Really?” he pretends not to know, even if the triplets keep on repeating the old news every time they see him.

“Yes, it’s a girl,” Mia giggles, climbing in his lap. Emma abandons her toys and gets on the couch, starting to play with Jonny’s hair. “Daddy says he’ll have another pretty doll added to his collection,” she continues to stoke Frosts’ hair and the other two agree.

“U-hum, Daddy said she’ll be cute like us,” Mia’s eyes get big with anticipation. “I can’t wait to see her; I’ll take care of my little sister,” she decides.

“That’s great!” Jonny praises, helping Mia mount his other knee. “You will be an awesome babysitter.”

“No, I’ll take care of her!” Emma sulks while Evie whimpers, unhappy:

“No, I will!”

The inevitable bickering begins while Frost attempts to calm down the spirited little girls.

“I’m telling mommy,” Mia pushes Evie’s head.

“I’m telling daddy!” she fights back, trying to slap her sister.

“I’m telling both!” Emma pouts and you enter the living room, followed by The Joker.

“Hey, what’s going on? Why are you shouting?” you crinkle your nose and the siblings abandon their current preoccupation and run to both parents, explaining why they should take of the little one after she’s born.

“You can all take care of her, OK?” J replies, grumpy from the terrible headache he woke up with this morning. He took some pills to help out with that but no relief so far. Of course the migraine is a side effect due to all the medications he’s on; never ending issues: one thing leading to another.

There’s protesting, ponytails are being pulled, plus some more pushing around and eventually the turmoil fades once everybody steps in the elevator. The excitement of playing in the sand makes things better no matter what.

*************

The girls are having fun on the beach and you joined your boyfriend on the terrace, relaxing in the huge hammock under the canopy. His head is resting in your lap, waiting for the remedy to work: you had to give him an extra dose for the migraine since the pain didn’t go away with the usual fix.

“How come there’s only one Princess in here?” J grumbles, caressing your tummy; not too big for now since you are just 5 months pregnant.

“I don’t know, but it’s exciting, isn’t it?” you cheerfully ask, knowing he’s in a bad mood.

“Yeah, it is, but only one?! I think I’m losing my touch…” he sighs and it makes you laugh:

“I doubt that’s the reason.”

He’s still frowning so you want to distract him somehow.

“You know what J ?”

“What?”

“I wanted to ask you to marry me so many times,” you smile, confessing to the actual truth.

“Why didn’t you?” The Joker looks at you, suddenly interested at your revelation.

“Well, I figured that if you wanted to marry me, you would have asked.”

“True,” he admits and you punch his shoulder.

“Not the answer I was expecting, can’t you be sweet for once?!” “I’m always sweet; the sweetest guy ever!”

“No… you’re not,” you take a deep breath and he agrees:

“Yeah…I’m not…”

You watch the children playing for a little bit and he realizes you’re still upset.

“Pumpkin?”

“Yes?” you twirl the green strands of hair around your fingers, absent minded.

“After I die and I get to the gates of hell, you know what I’m gonna say?”

You immediately want to protest against his statement but J continues.

“I’ll tell them my woman did a lot of bad things, but she should go to a better place: she put up with me and had my children so she shouldn’t follow me there. Umm…why are you crying? It’s supposed to make you laugh,” The Joker bites on his lip, confused, oblivious at your emotions. “Is it the hormones?”

“N-no…” you sniffle, struggling to bend over to kiss his forehead. “This is probably the sweetest thing that ever came out of your mouth.”

“Told you I’m a sweet guy, “ J smirks, victorious. “Are you gonna miss me?” he kisses your wrist and it makes you sadder.

“Not even for a second,” the shaky voice announces.

“Good, you shouldn’t,” he mumbles, closing his eyes and enjoying the cool breeze on his face. “But at least you’ll be left behind with my heart. Umm…can you stop crying? I’m referring to the tattoo, Kitten, all right?” J slides up your body, getting comfortable by your side. “Why are you so hormonal?” he glances at the design he was referring to, pretending not to understand your feelings.

The Joker has playing cards symbols tattooed on his fingers: spades, diamonds and clubs, but he’s missing the heart—you are the one that has the missing symbol inked on your skin, right on top of where your heart is, with the writing under it: “Mister J’s.”

“You always misunderstand what I’m saying, Y/N,” he grumbles, kind of uneasy at your tears. “Cut it out…” but his threat doesn’t even sound harsh. “What am I going to do with you, hm?... “ he wonders and wipes your cheeks which prompts more tears coming out and you cuddling to his chest.

“If you leave me I’ll never talk to you again,” the rant starts without any warning.

“Oh my God, you promise?” and you giggle through tears while the top of your head is getting covered in soft kisses. “Hey,” he gets your attention, “I don’t want you to sleep with anybody else after I die; I really think you should consider becoming a nun.”

You elbow him, laughing and crying in the same time:

“You’re an idiot,” you kiss him and J has some words for you:

“Nobody calls me that, Pumpkin! Except Godzilla,” he’s fast to add, knowing how much you hate the nickname. “Not a single soul dares fucking with the big creature.”

“Such a horrible man,” you whimper, distracted by his antiques.

“Thank you, I was hoping you’ll notice,” and he’s so satisfied with himself that he finally realizes the headache is gone. “Wanna make out?” the proposition follows and it earns criticism.

“I thought we already kind of were…”

“I was working on it, you just keep on crying! But anyway, fair warning: I don’t think I can do more than that. To my eternal shame, I’m pretty drained from my meds and I doubt more will happen,” he snarls in your ear, self-conscious about the problem.

“I just want to kiss you and hold you, honey,”  you imitate his voice and J rolls his eyes and yanks at your almost inexistent waist. “Are you using my own line?! It’s mine, find your own! And I wouldn’t be so quick to mock: you fell for it every single time; that’s how we got the kids, “ J  snickers, reminding you about the truth. “Sooo easy to trick,” he keeps on going, excited he can tease.

“Are you going to talk all day ?!” you inquire because he won’t shut up.

“I can talk for weeks,” the cocky remark bluntly comes to an end when The Joker gulps, his fingers clinging to your dress. “Shit…muscle spasms,” he groans, the pain taking over.

“Hold on!” you jump off the hammock, running inside for the treatment.

“You’re pretty fast for a pregnant woman!” J yells, trying to contain the agonizing ache taking over every inch of his being. You get back to him in a flash, worried about his condition.

“Here, take the pills,” you hand him over 3 of them with a glass of water, hoping they will work soon. J pulls you back next to him; it makes him feel better. He shivers under the pressure of his muscles involuntary contracting and digs his fingers in your back. It hurts so badly because he doesn’t realize how strong his hold is but you don’t make a sound. You’ll probably end up with bruises again, yet The Joker doesn’t do it intentionally.

His shrieky breath worries you even if this happens often.

“Do you want to go inside? It’s getting dark out here. The kids played all day, time to eat and get them ready for bed. You think you can move?”

“No, not yet,” J admits, moaning from discomfort as soon as he attempts to lift his head up.

“That’s ok, we’ll wait for a little bit then,” and you peck his temple, wishing you could take the pain away.

“What are you still doing here?” he interrupts, struggling to speak.

“Well, I’m not going inside either until you can move.”

“No, why are you still here?”

You faked not understanding what he meant but now you can’t go around the answer.

“Where else I am supposed to be? I belong here.”

***************

The triplets whined until they were allowed to sleep in the master bedroom with you two. They all passed out in a matter of minutes, the small bodies curled up against yours. J is better because the meds worked, but he wasn’t able to eat anything and you hate it: he is skinnier as it is, doesn’t need to lose more weight.

“Read to me, Princess,” he stretches and repositions himself closer to you, this way he can play with your long hair.

“Let’s see what we have here,” you reach for the two books on the night stand. “We have Shelley and his love poems plus Poe and his morbid stuff,” you whisper since the girls are asleep.

“Morbid!” J is quick to choose.

“We’ll go with love,” you wink and he puffs, annoyed:

“Yuck!”

You ignore him and search for some of your favorites when he unexpectedly turns your face towards him. The Joker stares at you, debating on what he is about to utter.

“I have a list… a secret list in my mind with people I don’t hate…”

“You do?” you smile, shifting his way since it seems important; you can tell.

“Yes, and…umm… stop smiling! You and the girls didn’t make the cut!” J puckers his lips, irritated at his own disclosure.

“Oohh, that’s sad… Who’s on the list then?” you nuzzle in his neck, kissing it.

“Just Godzilla and some loud brats,” he spits out in a hurry and you giggle.

“Do they have names?” you curiously check.

“No, no names…”

“Lucky them,” you exhale, cupping his face. “Too bad me and our children are not on the list.”

J doesn’t reply and you let go, returning to your book and starting to read with such a soothing voice he relaxes right away. By the fourth poem he’s out cold and you spend another hour gazing at him, thinking how much you wish he could live forever.

***************

“Morning, baby,” you yawn and touch his shoulder. “The girls have been up for a while, I’ll make coffee and breakfast should arrive soon. OK?... … …Hey, did you hear me?” you ask, panicking when he doesn’t open his eyes after you shake him. “Baby, wake up!”

But he didn’t wake up, not even after you gave him the emergency adrenaline shot. His doctors arrived at your hideout in a hurry, confirming your worst fear: The Joker slipped into a coma and there is no way to know if/when he will come out of it. The news broke your heart and it was very difficult to explain to the triplets:

“Daddy…won’t wake up anymore,” and you try so hard not to cry. “But he might at one point and in the meantime we’ll pretend he’s awake and continue to speak to him, allright?”

The kids looked at each other, then at you, then at him, not comprehending the severity of what was announced to them.

“Is daddy very tired?” Evie asks, puzzled.

“Yes, honey, he is, that’s why he’s resting,” you sadly smile, checking his IV line. Since J can’t take oral medications anymore, everything was converted to liquids, including the nutrients he needs. You decided to stay at the beach because he loves the ocean and maybe hearing the waves crashing on the beach might help.

“What is this?” Emma walks in the front of the heart monitor that keeps on beeping, which prompts the other two siblings to do the same.

“That’s daddy’s heart,” you explain so they can understand.

“Waaahhh,” Mia is amazed and gets on her toes to see better. She kisses the screen, snickering, followed by her sisters.

Such innocence, you think, wiping a rebel tear.

“Who wants to give daddy a massage?” the offer gets their attention and they all jump on the bed, fighting. “Me!”

“No, me!”

“Your nurses will oblige your every whim,” you peck his forehead. “If they are too loud, you just have to wake up and say so… … …No? Well then, I guess you’ll have to deal with your daughters chewing your ears off. Enjoy!”

-- “Oh my God, she’s kicking so hard! I think she may have a party going on in here,” you keep his right hand on your bump since the other one is hooked to the IV pole. “I am pretty big now, almost there with the pregnancy. You’re missing on the fun…” you keep on yapping like you always do. Sometimes you even answer for him.

“Don’t you wanna ask me if I’m auditioning for Godzilla’s part in the next movie?...No…? It’s your opportunity to tease me again, I know you want to…Wow, that’s a first! How come you’re so mellow? Rawwrrr!” you roar, even if you know it’s no use. “Hey, that was pretty funny, you can at least laugh… Uhhhh…” you give up, glaring at the spinning fan on the ceiling. “You’ve been like this for almost 4 months, aren’t’ you bored? You get bored easily… … … Anyway, I’m gonna read you something now. Morbid or love?”

After no reaction from his side, you decide.

“We’ll go with morbid, your favorite. Stephen King or Poe?... … … Poe you say? Your wish is my command,” and you start reading to him, being so tired you can barely see the words.

-- “I think I’ll have to find me another boyfriend,” you huff, injecting his weekly shot in his arm. “I am not becoming a nun so I will have to sleep with somebody else. If you don’t agree, you just have to wake up and say so… … … No? I thought you cared. Oh, well, your loss,” and then the remorse takes over.

“I’m not going to find another boyfriend, ok? You’re lucky I like you…” and looking at his face makes you aware of how much you miss him. “If you want to let go…you can…” you bite your cheek, sniffling but you change your mind in an instant. “If you dare doing this to me and the girls, I’ll hate you forever! I’m not joking!!” 

-- You are so worn out you fell asleep at the dinner table. Your people brought over food and you took a few bites, then just dozed off. The girls didn’t notice but Frost did since he was there. He had to carry you in the bedroom and tucked you in. That’s when he decided he should speak up. The next day you heard about it:

“Y/N, you need help.”

“With what?”

“You’re exhausted: you’ll have your baby soon, you’re taking care of the girls and Mister J. There are so many of us, we can help you.”

“This is my family, my responsibility, got it?” you raise your voice, irked.

“I wasn’t suggesting otherwise,” Jonny pacifies your outburst. “But if you get sick, Mister J will kill us all.”

You bite on your nails and he has a suggestion:

“Would you prefer…just me to help with Mister J?”

You softly sigh, indirectly answering his question:

“It’s…it’s hard for me to turn him.” “I can do that,” he nods and you agree by not replying.

**************

“Here’s your new Princess,” you place the newborn on his chest, wrapping his arm around her and holding it in place since he can’t do it himself. “ She is absolutely adorable, don’t you want to see her?... … … Open your eyes and look at your daughter…No? Hm, that’s pretty heartless, even for you. Oh, wait, never mind, I have your heart, I forgot,” you look down the cleavage at your tattoo. “Still, this is no excuse…I decided on the name Amelia and we can go with Amy from there. If you don’t like the name, all you have to do is wake up and tell me so… … Going once, going twice….Amelia it is then,” you kiss the little head then his lips.

-- The triplets are mesmerized by the new addition to the family. They all want to hold her and be her favorite. They get in such fights and it drives you nuts, but in a good way.

“This is my sister!” Evie struggles to get in front of the line formed around the crib. (The crib is in the master bedroom because you want The Joker to hear his little girl.)

“No, she’s mine!” Mia slaps Evie’s hand, trying to climb inside.

“No-oooo, Amelia’s mine!” Emma takes over and the newborn fusses from the ruckus.

“Ssssttt, don’t wake her up!” you admonish the triplets and they listen, disappointed they can’t play with their new favorite toy.

-- When Amy cries at night, you gently kick J.

“It’s your turn, go!... … Don’t try to get out of it!... No?... You owe me big!” and you get out of bed, dragging your feet on the floor, wishing you could nap more than 2 hours at a time. “Your turn to be on diaper duty, Mister King of Gotham,” you point out, upset. “Don’t think I don’t know you are doing this on purpose to skip your turn! So rude…” you mutter, actually being upset because the new meds J is on don’t do too much so far and he’s still in a coma. Very frustrating. There is no cure for his disease, but at least you want him awake.

“You know what? I’m leaving you! I’m taking Amelia and the triplets and we’re out of here! See how you like to be alone!” you threaten, mad at everything, finishing up your task. You suddenly realize the heart monitor intensified its beeping and you freeze. You place her back in the crib and rush to his side. His chest is going up and down fast and you hold his hand, distressed.

“Did you hear me?... Baby, did you hear me?... We’re not leaving, I was just saying! Calm down, we’re not going anywhere…” you start kissing his face all over. It takes about 5 more minutes before the heartbeat goes back to normal.

The doctors couldn’t guarantee that his reaction was due to your ultimatum but they said it’s not impossible. That was the first feedback you ever got since the morning he didn’t wake up anymore.

-- You slide the wedding band on his ring finger, taking advantage of the state he’s in and you’re not even sorry.

“There, if you don’t want it, have the courage to say it to my face. If you don’t protest, I am thinking that you want it…Yes?... Well, then, you can keep it. Looks sexy on you, I must state the obvious here. … … Did you add Amelia to that list of yours? You should…unless she won’t make the cut either…I wish you would open your eyes to see how cute she is. Don’t you miss all of us? I assume you do but you are too stubborn to do something about it…” and you continue, briefing The Joker about the plans you’ve been working on for a while. “Tonight we raid “Excell” laboratories, they are experimenting on a medication I want for you… But the catalyst that it needs to be combined with it’s made in Japan; we’ll definitely get that one too as soon as possible. Don’t worry about a thing, I told you: you will live forever. Babysit the girls, ok? You’ll have help from our men, just in case…“

-- Your henchmen are scattered all over the building, scavenging everything they can get their hands on. You can’t be in there for too long; even if you took care of the alarm, you can’t risk lingering in the medical facility.

You broke into the lab alone and found what you needed; just stashed the vials in a suitcase when you realize you are being watched from the far corner of the room.

“Of course you would show up, you always know, don’t you?” you back out, pointing your gun at The Batman. He doesn’t say a word, but takes a few steps towards you.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” and that crazy grin on your face makes him halt. “We are getting out of here and I am taking this with me ! Don’t even dream about being a hero tonight!”

Suddenly, explosions are heard in the distance, and they are coming closer and closer until a big detonation shakes the building, making the windows crack.

“That was close,” you chuckle. “Across the street to be precise.”

Alarms start blaring in the background, turmoil and chaos fastly increasing on the streets.

“All the places were empty, consider it… a professional courtesy,” you growl, backing out more. “The next ones won’t be, I made sure of that. Do you want your precious Gotham citizens to die? If we don’t leave safe and unharmed, it all goes to shit!!!”

That mask hides any trace of emotion he might have but the distorted voice echoes in the lab.

“What you have it’s useless without the catalyst. Why bother?”

“I’ll get it somehow! Now stay there and don’t move or we blow up more!”

You exit the room, not turning your back on The Batman until he is out of sight.

**************

A week passed by and the medication from Japan that needs to be combined with what you stole from “Excell” laboratories is still not in your possession. You are running out of patience.

“Y/N, our courier from East Gotham dropped this box about an hour ago. It has your name on it; were you waiting for a shipment?”

“No,” you signal him to come on the porch. Amelia is in a small crib outside, sleeping, and the girls are having fun digging a big hole in the sand. “What is this?”

“Not sure, but he said he was given to him by our West Gotham courier.”

“Weird, I wonder what…” and your heart stops when you open the sealed box and see the small typed note on top of a metal container. “Consider it a professional courtesy.”

***************

J blinks a few times, wincing in pain, his mind cloudy and confused. He has no idea what’s going on and after being in a coma for months, he’s incapable of speaking or moving too much. He feels the weight on his chest and barely manages to look down, noticing his three month old daughter sleeping on him, sucking on her thumb. The Joker struggles to turn his head to his right to see you are sleeping also, still holding the book you read to him tonight, completely passed out with the triplets snuggled to your body.

His eyelids are so heavy that he gives in, having one single thought in mind before dozing off with the rest of his family:

I think I’m gonna live forever...

Also read: MASTERLIST

http://diyunho.tumblr.com/post/153664676321/joker-x-reader-masterlist

[maliciouslycreative]

created for @spnpolybingo Title: Player Three Is Now Connected Ship: Dean/Castiel/Michael Square: Retail Workers Rating: T Word Count: 2063 AO3 link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/11242086 Tags: Alternate Universe: Retail, Video Games, Mass Effect, Polyamory, Humour, Awkwardness

------

Dean would be the first to admit that working at Final Encounter Gaming wasn’t how he’d planned to spent the last 5 years of his life. He’d certainly never intended to stay this long because honestly the pay was kinda shit and retail had a tendency to suck the life right out of you. Not to mention his boss, Zachariah, knew nothing about gaming except that there was a lot of money in it. So here Dean was, working a shit job for shit pay just because at this point Zachariah let him have pretty much free reign of the store.

So when Zachariah waltzed in on Tuesday morning Dean knew something was up. Zachariah never came in this early on a Tuesday. “Good morning, Dean-o!” Zachariah practically sung.

Dean plastered the biggest fake smile on his face that he could muster. “Good morning, boss.”

“So, I know you’re pretty good for staff right now but my nephew needed a job so he’s going to be starting this Friday. He only needs a couple shifts a week, so I’m sure you’ll have no issue working him into the schedule.

“That sounds great,” Dean lied through his teeth.

“Good to hear!” Zachariah clapped Dean on the shoulder then started heading to his office in the back. “I told him to come in while you were here Friday so you can show him the ropes.”

“Sounds great...” Dean made a disgusted face after Zachariah was out of view. This was a disaster. Every one of Zachariah’s family members that he’d given a job to were a nightmare to work with.

First had been Bartholomew. The guy had walked in like he owned the place and had expected Dean to do everything he asked. He’d known virtually nothing about video games and had been endlessly condescending to customers and employees alike. Dean had been ecstatic when Bartholomew had gotten into law school across the country.

Next had been Hael. She’d seemed OK at first but had quickly descended into an unholy terror. She’d hated how sexist and vulgar so many games were and wasn’t afraid to express her opinion on them. Dean totally agreed but he also really wanted to keep his job and scaring any and all of the customers away wasn’t the way to do it. She also had this super intense look in her eyes that screamed murder. He endured nearly six months of her murder glares and watching teenage boys leave the store in tears before she got a job with the IRA as a tax auditor.

Lastly there was Samadriel. Samandriel wasn’t a bad employee and really Dena liked the guy. He was smart and funny and, unlike Zachariah’s last two relatives, really loved video games. He was however extremely shy and horribly clumsy. Yah Dean was prone to doing awkward things when he got nervous but Samandriel had it down to an art form. He’d even managed to give Dean second hand embarrassment a couple of times. On at least three occasions Dena had to coax a sobbing Samandriel out of the bathroom with a chocolate bar. After four months he’d gotten a job at a software design company where he never had to deal with the public again.

So wen Friday rolled around Dean had his bar set pretty low for whoever this Castiel guy was. All Zachariah had told Dean was that Castiel was a good Catholic boy who was going to school to get a business degree. Honestly Dean was expecting a younger version of Zachariah himself.

“Umm, excuse me.” Someone said from the other side of the counter.

Dean jumped a little. He’d been so deep in thought that he hadn’t even heard anyone enter the store. Putting on his best retail smile Dean turned around and locked eyes with a drop dead gorgeous guy. He did a quick once over (dark sex hair, blue eyes, and holy shit was that a tattoo peeking out from under his left t-shirt sleeve?).

“Hi! How can I you to be helped. I mean I can help you. No. Fuck. Shit I mean...” Dean took a deep breath. “Welcome to Final Encounter, how may I help you today?”

The gorgeous guy chuckled and stuck out his hand. “Hi, I’m Castiel and I’m looking for...” he squinted at Dean’s name tag, “you apparently.”

Dean wanted to die. “I’m so sorry.” Dean took Castiel’s hand and shook it. “I’m not usually this much of a disaster. You’re not really what I was expecting.”

“Oh?” Castiel quirked an eyebrow.

“Yeah. You don’t seem like an asshole and you’ve got a tatty and you’re like super hot.” Dean’s eyes widened as he realised what he’d said.

This however caused Castiel to throw back his head and let out a full bodied laugh. After he finished laughing he shot Dean a gummy smile. “I think we’re going to be to get along great, Dean.”

And boy did they get along. Castiel quickly became Dean’s favourite coworker. Sure Castiel’s video game knowledge was pretty limited since he’d only been able to play them since he moved away for college. He’d however listen with rapt attention whenever Dean would talk about various games. The two had even taken to getting together at least once a week for a few hours to play games together to help fill in the gaps of Castiel’s knowledge.

The only downside was the ever mounting sexual tension. For one Dean made a point of never fooling around with coworkers. It never ended well. For two Castiel wasn’t out to his family. He was very unashamedly gay but he didn’t want to make a fuss with his family until after he had graduated since his college was being paid for by his parents. So the two of them had settled on shamelessly flirting with each other. Though it had taken nearly all of Dean’s self control not to ravage him when Castiel had pulled up his shirt sleeve to reveal an N7 tattoo.

That had been nearly three weeks ago and it was still driving Dean wild. It probably didn’t help that Castiel had just casually slapped his ass while walking by. Fuck, Dean was going to have to go out to find a lay because his right hand and mshenko fanficiton weren’t cutting it any more. Thank god they were like 10 minutes from closing.

The door swung open and someone entered the store. Dean had to swallow a sigh. He sure as shit didn’t want to deal with any last minute customers. Dean put on his best retail smile and turned around. “Hi, how can I help you tonight?” He felt so lucky that he didn’t look into those gorgeous green eyes until he was done saying his spiel because he definitely would have fucked it up. His hair was perfectly styled and, so help him, the guy was wearing a black wasitcoat over a dark grey dress shirt. This was not helping Dean’s boner situation.

“Hi, I was wondering if you could give me a game suggestion?” He shot Dean a million dollar smile and then very obviously looked Dean up and down.

“Uhh, sure,” Dean said, gripping the counter tightly.

“You see...” the guy leaned in closer and Dean got a whiff of his cologne. He smelled fucking divine. “I just love Mass effect. The story’s fantastic and I just love the characters. Especially Kaidan, you know? I just want a piece of that sexy Canadian beefcake.”

“Yeah,” Dean swallowed hard and tried to not look at the guy’s lips. Of course instead he made the mistake of locking eyes with the guy and holy shit he was giving him bedroom eyes. Fuck Dean was so weak. He was going to ask this guy out. He was so done with being professional. “Yah, Kaidan’s my favourite too. So how about we-”

“Michael?” Castiel was now standing next to Dean, hands on his hips, glaring at the guy across the counter. “What are you doing?”

“Well, you said Dean was absolutely adorable when he got flustered so I just had to come see for myself.”

Castiel let out an exasperated sigh. “You’re terrible.”

“But you love me.” Michael said.

Castiel’s face softened and he smiled. “I do.”

“What?” Dean croaked.

“Dean, this is my fiance, Michael.” Castiel gestured at Michael.

“What?!” Dean’s mouth fell open and he glanced between Michael and Castiel nervously. Shit fuck goddamn fucking shit how had he missed the fact that Castiel was engaged. ‘I should uhh...” Dean started inching towards the back room. “Just let you two do your thing or whatever. I’ll be back in a few!” Dean all but sprinted to the back.

When he got to the stock room he practically slammed the door shut. Goddamn he was so stupid. Of course a guy like Castiel had a fucking fiance!

Dean grabbed the broom near the door and began aggressively sweeping the floor because he needed something to do. He was on his second pass of the floor when the door swung open and Castiel entered. Dean froze like a raccoon that had just been caught digging through your trash at 3AM.

“Dean,” Castiel tried to being but Dean just waved him off.

“No, it’s cool. You got a fiance. It just surprised me is all. I’m so fucking sorry that I was so goddamn unprofessional and was always flirting. That was really uncool of me and-”

“Dean,” Castiel gently laid a hand on dean’s shoulder, “I’m the one who should be apologising”

“No man, really you-”

“No, Dean, listen-”

“Cas, it’s cool, we’re cool-”

“Dean! Just shut up and let me explain!” Castiel’s grip tightened slightly on Dean’s shoulder then he let out a little sigh, released Dean and stepped back.

Dean’s mouth snapped shut and he stared at Castiel in surprise. He’d never seen Castiel yell before.

“I didn’t tell you because… well I liked you, Dean. And I wanted to see if this could go somewhere.”

“So what, I was just gonna be your booty call? Your man on the side? And then you were gonna go home every night to Michael” Dean was practically yelling by the end, the pitch of his voice steadily rising with the volume.

Castiel sighed. “Of course not, that wouldn’t be fair to either of you. Look, Michael and I have been together on and off since we were 16. We love each other very deeply and we’re extremely honest with each other. I would never cheat on him. However we’re not entirely what most people would call a conventional couple. We have somehwat of an open relationship and we’re both polyamorous.”

Most of the anger Drained out of Dean as the information sank in. “And let me guess, most guys who find this out only want a quick threesome then they split.”

“Yah,” Castiel nodded.

“So you thought I wouldn’t be interested if I knew about Michael.”

“Essentially.” Castiel scrubbed a hand over his face. “Though now I see I handled this poorly.”

“We both kinda did...”

They stood in awkward silence for a moment until Dean let out a small sigh. “I would uhh… i’d stick around. You know. For like more than a threesome. I’ve been going nuts because I liked you so damn much but I didn’t want to get mixed up with a coworker. So I’ve been masturbating so fucking much...” Dean’s eyes widened at the realisation of what he just said.

Castiel smirked. “well, I think Michael and I have a solution to your masturbation problem. But first,” Castiel took the broom out of dean’s hands and set it against the wall. “We should finish closing up the store. Then Michael and I would like to take you out for dinner. Well OK I guess midnight Denny’s because I have no idea what else is even open that isn’t a bar or fast food.”

“I happen to really like Denny’s.” Dean grinned.

“Well then, it’s a date.” Castiel grinned back, took Dean by the hand, and led him towards the front of the store.

It was official, Castiel was the best coworker Dean had ever had. And, as he found out later that night, one of the two the best lovers. And, even later on, one of the two best boyfriends Dean could ever hope for.