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The crowd was still going wild, Beca could hear them from her place backstage. She’d already played her encore and she didn’t have another in her, the dizzying flashing lights and wall of sound were enough to tire anyone. That wasn't to say she didn’t enjoy it, quite the contrary. These shows were always a high point for her, she was able to get out of the studio and actually live the culture her music was embraced by.
Truly, the only thing that could make them better was if she could actually see the coloured lights. Or what her own merch looked like. It was one of Beca’s largest fears, being able to finally see colour and discovering her merch is hideous. She had people for that, sure. But she had no choice but to trust them when they said it looked amazing.
She wiped her face down with a towel, laughing under her breath at the ridiculousness of the situation. Hearing that the crowd’s noise level was dying down and people were finally leaving the venue, Beca made a snap decision.
Very rarely did the woman make an effort to interact with her fans. At least, outside of social media. She didn’t like people as a rule and their inability to respect her bubble made her want to curse them out. And if there was one cardinal rule of being a celebrity, it was to never ever make a habit of snapping at the people who got you there in the first place.
So for Beca, it was easier to avoid them altogether as she could never be sure she wouldn’t crack. Tonight though she found herself in a rare mood, high on the vibe from the show. It was a particularly good one, no one had to be escorted out by security for trying to get on the stage or crowd surf, no fights broke out, no ambulances had to be called to the venue for anyone getting absolutely fucked up in the bathroom, all in all it was one of the better possible outcomes.
For this reason, she decided that once most people had left the venue, she would venture out to the largest of her merch booths to meet whatever diehard fans had hung around in the hopes she might materialize. She figured their dedication deserved recognition.
***
Beca waited a little while before going out, deigning to flick through her social media and rehydrate first.
When she finally did head out towards the merch booth, she found the venue mostly empty. Staff were still there, cleaning floors, collecting garbage bags, restocking the bar. But sure enough, when she rounded the curve and saw the booth, there were roughly a dozen fans hanging out and socializing. They probably thought she wouldn’t show, it would be pretty typical of her after all.
It didn’t take them long to notice her though, a tall dark haired girl roughly elbowed her friend with kind of midlevel grey hair (Beca really wished she could tell what their hair colour was) and immediately all other eyes followed her wild gestures in Beca’s general direction.
Gleeful smiles broke out on their faces, but they all kept their distance. The DJ had a moment to appreciate that her diehard fans knew her well enough (as much as you could someone you’d never met who carefully cultivated their online presence) to not overwhelm her.
“Hey guys. How’d you like the show?” A confident grin broke out on Beca’s features, encouraging her fans to interact.
The tall girl spoke up first, she pushed her chest out and struck a pose as she addressed the small DJ. “It was awesome. You were awesome.” She tilted her head to the side, flirty grin firmly in place.
Beca laughed nervously. She forgot how bold some people were. Not that she was unhappy about it, the girl was gorgeous. But dating fans? Probably not the best course of action. “I’m glad you liked it. What’s your name?”
“Stacie Conrad. It’s a pleasure to meet you Beca.” She winked at her, and Beca felt a flush rise to her cheeks at her shamelessness.
“Cool. So, what are the rest of your names?” Quickly diverting the conversation, the producer made an effort to bring everyone else in. She wasn’t necessarily desperate to escape the attention, except she was.
The other people all started talking at once, enthusiastic hand gestures and excited words going wild.
All except the girl Stacie had elbowed earlier. She had remained quiet the whole time, her sharp eyes piercing Beca almost uncomfortably. Somehow, the DJ felt raw under her gaze, like she could see more than Beca was willing to share. It unnerved her a little, but strangely she didn’t feel the need to flee like she usually would. Heck, like she did from Stacie. Beca wasn’t great with being the centre of attention. Ironic, for a celebrity. She was well aware of it but it didn’t make it less true.
A girl with a voice so quiet the producer couldn’t even hear her seemed to be explaining something to her, but Beca found her eyes continually returning to the other girl. Nodding her head at the practically noiseless words being spoken to her, the DJ once again glanced over, her eyes seeming to have a mind of their own. This time she found the girl’s eyes had taken on an impish gleam and she bit her lower lip as she smirked at a thoroughly distracted Beca.
Coughing as she looked away again, Beca agreed to sign a few autographs, and take a few selfies. She put her arm around them for most photos, taking every opportunity to crush their hopes that she might bring their colour. Though she didn’t like touching people very much, she didn’t want her fans obsessing over her and the possibility she could be it for them either. So, she hugged them, gave them rabbit ears, whatever as a cute photo but also a handy cover for her true motivations.
When each person had had a few minutes with her and were milling about, admiring their new autographs or photos, the girl stepped forward and stopped just in front of Beca.
“Hi!” Her voice was bright, almost as bright as the sheen of her colourless hair. She smiled wide, not for a moment tempering it’s intensity.
“Uh, hey.” The producer awkwardly swung her hands at her sides, rocking on her feet as she fumbled for words. She’d never been this flustered in front of a fan before, uncomfortable or out of place, sure. But this was a new one for Beca.
The girl giggled, twisting her hands together at her waist as she swayed from side to side. “I’m Chloe. I was hoping you wouldn’t mind signing this for me?” Her countenance became a little nervous and she bit her lip as she pulled something from her bag and handed it over.
Beca took it from her, chuckling in surprise at the sight of the object. It was one of her first EPs, from the tiny vinyl run. Not tiny because it was a collectors item and lower quantities encouraged interest, but because she was a non-entity back then. No one knew who she was, she wasn’t a household name, she had barely gotten her feet wet in the music business.
“Holy shit, I haven’t seen one of these for years.” She smiled genuinely, looking up at the girl who looked relieved.
The DJ pulled her sharpie back out of her pocket and placed the record on the merch table, carefully writing a short message and her signature on the cardboard sleeve. Capping the marker, she slid it back into her pocket and stood up to pass the record back to Chloe.
“Thank you so much, this is one of my prized possessions. These are my favourite songs of yours, they feel a little more personal I guess.” The girl shrugged, carefully placing the record back in her bag where it would be safe.
When she looked back up at the producer, she opened her mouth to say something more but at that exact moment, Stacie returned to her friend’s side rather forcefully. She glomped onto Chloe’s back, however she wasn’t ready at all for the surprise affection and her surprise showed when she stumbled under the force. Forward, right into Beca.
Instinctively, the DJ caught her elbows to make sure she didn’t hit the ground. When Chloe found her feet again, helped by Beca’s firm grip, she grasped the producer’s forearms with her own hands.
Only when they were both standing securely once more did they notice the change.
“Wait, your tattoos are watercolour?” Chloe’s eyes were wide, her lips spread into an impossibly wide and dazzling smile.
The ever so smooth Beca replied, entirely distracted by the eye sore that was her merch booth. “Fuck I knew my merch was radioactive orange but that's what it Iooks like?!"
Chloe giggled, one of her hands lifting to bring a lock of her own hair before her face. “Kinda like my hair, huh?”
Beca blushed, her hands coming up to thread behind her head as she tried to process. The other fans still standing nearby were in complete disbelief, though not to the point where they forgot to take out their phones and record what was happening. Because of course they did.
“Wow, sorry. I am such an ass.” Beca groaned and covered her face with her hands, dragging them down dramatically.
“Nah.You’re cute.” When Beca looked at Chloe again it was to see the redhead wink playfully at her. She chuckled, crossing her arms and shifting her weight to one side. Looking to the ground for a moment, Beca considered her next words.
“Um, hey guys?” She addressed the group of fans now excitedly watching the tableau unfolding before them. “It was really nice to meet you all, I hope you have a good night.”
Chloe’s eyes shuttered, looking disappointed in the perceived brush off.
Beca only rolled her eyes, grabbing the redhead’s hand and dragging her behind her as she retreated back to the sanctity of employees and performer only territory while the remaining fans watched in fascination. Many who were now on their phones, fingers flying as they no doubt posted on their preferred social media platforms.
When they were alone, Beca dropped Chloe’s hand and turned to face her. She was now greeted with a coy smile, the girl stepping closer to the smaller woman.
“Your eyes are really cool Blue I think?” The producer couldn’t have held the words in if she’d tried. Of course, she didn’t try, censoring herself in front of her soulmate didn’t seem like a solid plan.
The redhead chuckled, her hands reaching out to loosely envelop Beca’s, swinging them carelessly between them.
“Good to know.” With that, she inched incrementally closer.
“You know, I had a rule I wouldn’t date my fans.” Beca’s words were stilted, barely spoken in her distracted state. Somehow though, they seemed important enough to speak.
Grinning from ear to ear, Chloe nudged Beca’s nose with her own. “I’ve always been a rule breaker.” And there, in the dingy backstage, lights low and the smell of sweat in the air around them, Beca kissed her.
Chloe was onto something. It was a pretty stupid rule.