#trope!

Given the choice, she’d much rather play a game of poker, but as that isn’t exactly a certified college party game, she’s usually vetoed. (And besides, if they did play she’d almost feel bad taking all her friends’ money. Because yeah, Chloe Beale cleans house. Obviously.)

So she’s stuck with kings and flip cup and beer pong and those are all okay, but somehow truth or dare occasionally gets added in, and it’s just a bit too lame to be her favorite. At all. Chloe’s agreeable though—she’s not the sort to complain— she goes with the flow when the right people are involved, so truth or dare with the Bellas can’t be all that bad, and when Amy suggests it, she gives an almost full smile— one that looks a lot more convincing when paired with the ridiculously sullen frown of the woman beside her. 

"What are we, 12?”

"Well, you’re about the right height," CR calls back, and Beca pouts so much that Chloe feels like she really ought to put an arm around her shoulder and give a few (sort of) encouraging words.

"Don’t worry, Bec. It’s not like everyone will totally go after you with the worst dares because you’re this grumpy little target that’ll be fun to hit.”

The entire circle of girls grins. Aside from the one that grumbles.

"Thanks. Thanks for that."

So, no, truth or dare isn’t Chloe’s favorite, but it’s a little (a lot) better with a grumpy brunette at her side… and Fat Amy.

(Eat a spoon of chili powder while standing on your head. Put a ice cube in your pants and break dance until it comes out. Who in this room have you had a dirty dream about? Call Bumper and start get him to talk dirty to you.)

And by the time they get to Beca, Chloe’s actually genuinely enjoying herself. Especially when Beca, in a stroke of bravery (and/or stupidity) picks dare.

And either Amy’s just been waiting for this moment since they started or she really can come up with this stuff on the fly, but the word ‘dare’ has barely left Beca’s mouth before Amy is offering up her suggestion.

"Okay, we’re going to need some raw chicken, a machete, a big ‘ol croc, and a—"

Needless to say, Beca doesn’t respond very well to any of that.

"Oh, hell no.”

"But, Beca! I’ve wrestled crocodiles and dingoes…"

 ”Simultaneously,” everyone finishes, but Amy doesn’t even flinch.

"So you can handle one tiny little 6 footer, eh?”

Chloe feels like this is probably a good time to cut in. “That might not be… in the spirit of things.”

"But—!"

 ”No death, Fat Amy.”

"Fine, then." It comes a bit too quickly and it only takes a second before it’s apparent why that is. "Shorty, I dare you to wrestle Chloe."

“What?” 

“Excuse me?”

"Did I stutter, bitches?"

Chloe and Beca exchange a look— Chloe’s eyes are wide, Beca’s are narrowed.

"I’m not wrestling Chloe!"

Well, okay, that’s a little hurtful for some reason. (Never mind that just a second earlier her sentiment had been something of the same.)

"What? You don’t think you can take me?"

Fat Amy leaps up (in a pretty impressive display of cardio, actually) and throws her arms out, as though she's announcing at a brawl. “Awwe yeah, ginger’s bringing the fire!”

"C’mon, Chloe, what are you—?"

Chloe’s hand darts out to pinch gently at Beca’s side. “Hey, it’s okay. If you think I’m too much for you…”

Apparently trash talking doesn’t really work on Beca. Her only response is an eye roll.

But tickling, it turns out, is a much, much better course of action, because when Chloe’s hand darts out again and barely brushes against that one spot on Beca’s side that she knows is particularly sensitive, she suddenly finds herself being tugged forward and flipped around and… lots of other things that happen way too fast for her to catalog any of it.

But the gist of is it ends with her on her back and Beca on top of her, leaning her chest into Chloe’s with her mouth right by her ear and her arm under her neck and her hips— oh, god, oh, god, her hips are pressing against Chloe’s and—

And it’s—

"Hot," Stacie says. "That’s hot."

Yeah. That.

"That’s wrestling," Beca grumbles, but it sounds a little breathy. Maybe because the words go right into Chloe’s ear and down her spine and it makes her shiver a little, which pushes her hips a little further into Beca’s and…

"Happy, Amy?"

Chloe doesn’t hear Amy’s response, but apparently it’s something in the affirmative, for Beca’s weight lets up not a second later (far too soon). And when Chloe blinks in an attempt to clear her thoughts, she notices the tinge of red on the back of Beca’s neck that’s probably mirrored on her own.

But Beca’s smile is warm when she offers a hand and pulls Chloe up off the floor and her touch seems to hold for a second longer than it typically does.

Fat Amy interrupts the moment by challenging Beca to a wrestling match, and that’s the end of truth or dare.

Chloe finds she wouldn’t mind if they got back to it if it involved more of Beca’s body on hers.

Suddenly Chloe’s hand doesn’t brush against Beca’s when they walk and she doesn’t nudge Beca’s shoulder with her own when she finds something amusing, and she doesn’t even hug Beca every time she sees her. And…

And this is what Beca wanted, right?

Right.

But then it goes on for days and Beca’s not so sure anymore. She misses Chloe, even when she’s right next to her. She misses the bumps and the hugs and the pokes and she misses Chloe. 

So Beca finds herself reaching out to Chloe instead. It’s little stuff at first; just casual touches and grazing of skin. But then it becomes more purposeful— a bold and lingering hand on the small of Chloe’s back, a tug instead of a spoken direction when they’re going somewhere, fingers threading through Chloe’s hair when they’re listening to music on the couch.

But Chloe still won’t touch her and it actually hurts and Beca doesn’t know what mystical words she used to stop the touching, but she wracks her brain for the exact wording so that she can take them back. Nothing works though. (Not bargains or pleas or angry shouts to the whatever that granted her wish in the first place.) And she gets more and more desperate.

Until finally, she kisses her.

She kisses Chloe. She puts her hands on the side of her face and brings their bodies together and presses her lips against hers and she kisses Chloe.