Work Text:
Birthday Hero
Bailey 18; Blake 6
It was the night before Blake's 6th birthday. He was having his first party with other kids from school. And being the end of summer, Beca couldn't think of a better way to have a kids party than a Mitchell-Beale Waterpark Madness Birthday Event. She had rented a ridiculously expensive water bouncy house with a slide and climbing wall, purchased a long enclosed slip and slide that ran nearly the length of their backyard, which was quite large, and bought a big shark pinata. She also brought out the big inflatable pool that had been in storage since Bailey was a kid. Beca, with Bailey's help, had set up most of the backyard that night, since guests would be coming by 11. She needed to have enough time to go get all the food in the morning.
The water bouncy house was up and running with screaming 6 year olds loving it. The slip and slide was in near constant use. Beca, unsurprisingly, was the first to try it out. Safety reasons, of course. Chloe was sitting in the living room with most of the moms and Blake's best friend, Nicky's, dads, Danny and Miguel. She, and most of the other parents, weren't as thrilled about the prospect of getting soaked as Beca.
"Your wife seems to be having a good time." One mother peeked out the window and saw Beca sliding down the bouncy house with several kids.
"Oh, yeah. I'm pretty sure she planned this party more for herself than our son." Chloe said dryly, earning a few laughs.
"Its cute, though."
"Yeah." Chloe glanced out and grinned widely at her wife, clearly having as much if not more fun than Blake. "She's pretty great."
After a few rounds through her makeshift water park, Beca left to start making the burgers and hot dogs. She kept looking up happily, keeping an eye on all the kids, but especially her son. She was pretty pleased he seemed to be having the time of his life. She was less pleased to keep glancing over at Bailey and Mason who were sitting pretty cozy together on the porch swing.
"Hey! I want to see two feet you two!" She pointed her spatula at them and waved it back and forth. Bailey shot Beca one of her own trademark glares as she scooted slightly away from Mason.
Beca had begrudgingly allowed Mason to come over since his little brother, Gabe, had been invited. And Bailey would be heading off to college soon, away from her boyfriend. So her daughter, understandably wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. They agreed that Mason could come over, but they couldn't go upstairs since Beca and Chloe would be occupied with the party. Beca, knowing her daughter had become sexually active, struggled with seeing them together in the same room. Chloe was working ever so gently on getting Beca to loosen up about it.
"Food time!" Beca shouted from the porch. The kids seemed to react to her like a siren call and they flocked to the porch. The parents came out to help them dry off and load their plates.
"Burger? Or Hot dog?" Beca looked down at a little girl holding out a plastic plate.
"Do you have a vegan option?" The little girl looked grossly disappointed at the spread in front of her.
"Nope."
"I don't eat meat or animal by-products." The little girl said stubbornly. Beca was surprised at the gumption of this six year old. She wondered how many 6 year olds knew what being a vegan was, much less wanted to be one.
"Well, we have a meat burger or a meat hot dog. And we have bread, but its not gluten free. Sorry kid. You can go ask Mrs. Beale if she has something different." Beca nodded her head inside with an air of indifference and annoyance. The spunky girl gave her a chilling glare and marched inside to talk to Chloe. Danny and Miguel let out little snickers at Beca as they requested two burgers for them and a dog for their son.
"Mrs. Beale?" The little girl composed herself back into a sweet little six year old as she approached Chloe.
"What's wrong, Quinley?" Chloe sat up on the couch, pausing her chat.
"Mrs. Mitchell said there's no vegan options." Quinley jutted out her bottom lip and looked like she was about to cry. Chloe rolled her eyes at her wife who was standing just outside the window. Beca knew full well Chloe had made a big bowl of pasta salad and a veggie spread for some of the parents who had differing tastes than burgers and hot dogs.
"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry." Quinley's mom patted Chloe's thigh. "Her dad just adopted the vegan lifestyle and she wants to be just like him. It makes dinner a struggle sometimes."
"I bet." Chloe laughed good naturedly as she stood up. "Come on, we have some pasta salad in the kitchen. Vegan approved." She gave Quinley a wink.
"I like you better than your wife." Quinley whispered, knowing she would get reprimanded by her mother if she heard. Chloe couldn't help but let out a full laugh. That might be the only kid of the day that preferred her over Beca, so she'd take it.
"Hey, babe." Beca came inside with a plate of foot and sat on the arm of the couch beside Chloe.
"I hope you dried off before sitting there." Chloe nodded to where Beca had planted herself.
"Yes, I did, thank you very much. The grill was hot enough to dry me off." She stuck out her tongue. "You should come out though. Have a little fun in the water."
"Becs, look at what I'm wearing." Chloe held her own bowl of pasta salad to the side so Beca could see her outfit. She was wearing white jean shorts with a white tank top underneath a long loose blue blouse that was left unbuttoned and tied around her waist.
"Yeah, you're hot, so?" Beca winked. "I don't see a problem with getting that white tank top a little wet. Among other things." She whispered salaciously, earning a quick slap from Chloe.
"Beca!" She couldn't help but laugh a little bit, though. "There are children present."
"Party pooper." Beca smirked as she took a bite out of her burger. She happily settled for Chloe's hand sneaking slightly under her shirt to draw small patterns on her bare back while they ate.
Once Beca finished and said her goodbyes to the other adults and left Chloe with a quick kiss, the other parents gave knowing smiles to Chloe.
"What?" She looked at all of them with a measure of confusion.
"I think its great how in love you still are." One mom said sweetly.
"Your wife may be a little crazy and over the top for some of our tastes, but she clearly loves you and your family." Another chimed in. "I can't help but be a little jealous at what you two have."
"Oh." Chloe smiled and blushed, but also felt a little sad that other people didn't seem as happy in their own marriages. "Well, she can drive me up a wall sometimes, too."
"I can imagine. She's so amazing with the kids, its like she's not even the adult out there." The same mother smiled warmly.
Suddenly there was a chorus of screams and giggles making the parents in the room jump. Chloe was completely unfazed as they all turned to look out the window. Beca was currently running around the yard being chased by a few kids with small water guns as she sprayed them with her big power soaker. Chloe just shook her head. God, she loved that woman, no matter how crazy she could be.
Beca was standing at the front of the slip and slide giving each kid in line a good push to make them go faster. She had to break up a few near fights for kids trying to cut in line who wanted a second go. She had just sent a giggling girl down the tube when she heard crying come from the inflatable pool. Chloe's ears perked up too from her spot on the porch and went jogging over when she saw her son was involved.
"But mommy, she's being a baby." Chloe could hear Blake whining to Beca as she pulled him to a quiet spot in the yard.
"You don't splash other people in the face, Blake. Especially when they tell you to stop. Now go apologize." Beca said sternly.
"But, mommy-"
"Go apologize or we won't do the pinata." Beca stood up straight and folded her arms. Blake let out a heavy sigh and stalked off to go give his apology. Kids are pretty resilient when it comes to pain and feelings. His apology was accepted quickly and they continued playing as if nothing uncomfortable had happened. Thankfully no harm was done to the overall festivities.
"Look at you being all disciplinarian." Chloe smirked as she wrapped an arm around Beca's damp waist. "It's kinda hot." She turned to whisper in Beca's ear.
"Keep it in your pants, woman." Beca blushed and looked around for any eavesdroppers. "There are children present." She repeated Chloe's earlier words right back at her.
"Guess I'll have to wait for them all to go home then." Chloe sighed dramatically. "You know, you're really impressing all the parents."
"Oh?" Beca always loved to hear when other adults were impressed by her.
"They've had fun watching you entertain all the kids. They think you're amazing with them."
"Well its fun." Beca shrugged like it was no big deal. "I think if some of those hoity toity parents had a go through my water park they'd have some fun themselves."
"Well some of us have to be adults." Chloe sighed like it was her burden to bear. "But I love you. I'm glad you've made this a great day for Blake and his friends."
"Love you too." Beca gave her a quick kiss and a smile. "But now I have to go and bring out the hose. I promised Blake I'd chase them around." She grinned mischievously. "So warn the lame parents they might be in the splash zone."
Chloe and the parents who were opposed to getting wet watched the spectacle from the big living room windows. It was quite the show. Beca ran around the yard chasing various groups of screaming children with the water hose. It was one of her favorite past times with her own kids, so it was no surprise she loved doing it for the party guests.
She paused in her sprinting around the yard when she saw Bailey nearly draped over Mason's lap. They were basically making out and being overall disgusting and assaulting for Beca's eyes. She paused her game and quickly marched over to the bench where her daughter sat and sprayed both her and her boyfriend, making them fly apart.
"Mom!" Bailey shrieked as she jumped back to examine how drenched her clothes had suddenly become. Mason leaned as far to the opposite side as he could, running a hand through his hair, awkwardly avoiding eye contact from both Bailey and Beca.
"I said...two. Feet." Beca looked between them while still pointing the hose. "Don't make me remind you again." She gave one last stern look at Bailey before running after the kids again who were screaming for her.
Chloe was once again relaxing with the parents, sipping on a cocktail she had made for those who were of age and not driving. They were telling random stories about their children and moaning the fears of them already growing up. The peaceful share time was interrupted by a loud scream from Beca.
"Hey! No! No! No!" Chloe turned quickly to look out the window and then heard the sound of a loud and angry cat wail. There was a flurry of children running in various directions and she could see Beca chasing a little gray and white blur around the yard.
"Oh, no." Chloe put a hand on her forehead, but still let out a little laugh when she saw Bailey get up and spring into the yard to help Beca capture the little creature. Mr. Snuggles wasn't usually allowed outside unless Bailey was there, hovering over him. She had been too afraid ever since she was little that he would run away. There was quite a commotion until Bailey finally snatched the traumatized cat up in her arms and marched angrily inside trying to calm him down.
"Bailey, what happened?" Chloe asked before Bailey could stomp upstairs.
"Your son thought it would be hilarious to sneak Mr. Snuggles outside and throw him into the water bouncy house!" Bailey announced to the group while holding the older cat protectively to her chest before spinning around to put him safely away in her room. Chloe smiled apologetically at the group.
"Hey, babe." Beca stepped inside a moment later with guilt face. "So...the whole water bounce house I rented? Well...it couldn't stand up against Mr. Snuggles' claws." She grimaced, showing all her teeth. "So we now own a deflated water bouncy house!" She spread her arms out in false cheer and all Chloe could do was sigh and shake her head, being grateful that at the very least no one was hurt...aside from their checkbook.
Chloe had to help Beca wrangle all the kids to the porch deck so they could get cake and ice cream. They stood together as they led all the little munchkins in a rendition of "Happy Birthday" that Beca considered an assault on her ears. Chloe couldn't help but smile ear to ear as she took a video of Blake blowing out his candles and cheering proudly. Chloe quickly lined everyone up to start cutting out their pieces. Beca took that moment to escape inside and have a moment of quiet.
"Hey you." Chloe followed her inside with a slice of cake once the kids had been served and were being watched by parents.
"I'm exhausted." Beca leaned dramatically on the counter as Chloe happily took a big bite of the cake she had spent the morning preparing. She also had a smug look on her face that Beca wasn't too keen on.
"Oh? You wore yourself out, did you? I told you your waterpark explosion might get you a little tired. Especially when you're in your forties."
"Oh, not this again. At least I'm not in my late forties." Beca shot right back, taking her own bite.
"Very funny." Chloe narrowed her eyes. "I think the kids are almost ready for that pinata you've been talking about. I'll watch from inside with the AC." Chloe grinned.
"Ugh." Beca groaned, knowing she'd have to deal with twenty little ankle biters wanting to take a swing at the big shark pinata.
"Mommy!" Blake came sprinting into the house smelling like outside and sweaty, musty little boy. Chloe had a brief moment of fear thinking about the atrocious smells he might bring forth the older he got. "Is it pinata time yet?"
"Yes, Blake. I'll be out there in a minute." Beca said with a fake smile and Blake quickly turned around to run back outside and make the announcement to his friends.
"Have fun, sweetie." Chloe patted Beca's cheek before giving her a quick kiss. Beca took a deep breath and looked outside at the waiting 6 year olds, who were now on a sugar high after cake, trying to muster up any extra energy she could find.
The shark pinata was a big success and the kids were screaming with excitement when one of them finally broke it open and sent candy raining from the skies. Beca watched them closely as they swarmed like vultures all over the yard to snatch up any candy they could find. Greedy little gremlins, Beca thought to herself.
The kids seemed to have come down from their sugar high. And almost as if their energies were synchronized, they all got tired at once. The party came to a natural end and parents started wrangling their sleepy 6 year olds. Chloe passed out little party favor bags to each parent as they left. She received so many compliments on such a wonderful party. Once it seemed everyone was gone she joined Beca in the kitchen.
"I like how everyone's giving you the praise when I was the master genius behind the whole party." Beca grumped playfully.
"Well I take compliments much better than you do." Chloe grinned as she helped Beca pack up or toss the remnants of all the food from the day.
"Do you think Blake had fun?" Beca asked, a hint of nervousness in her voice as if that's the only approval she really wanted out of the day.
"I think he had the time of his life." Chloe glanced over the kitchen island into the living room where Blake was past out on the couch surrounded by various birthday gifts. "He's going to remember it forever."
"Good." Beca grinned sheepishly as she tossed the rest of Chloe's pasta salad in a tupperware container. "Do you mind finishing up in here? I'm gross and sweaty and in desperate need of a shower."
"I wasn't going to say anything, but yes please go get cleaned up." Chloe wrinkled her nose as if she was affronted by Beca's smell. Beca brushed past her with a playful swat on the butt, making Chloe giggle.
Beca was about to head upstairs and take a long hot shower. Her body was aching from all the activity she participated in that day. As she passed the front living room window she saw Mason's little brother sitting on the hood of his car rocking his feet back and forth impatiently. Beca narrowed her eyes when she heard the muffled voices of her daughter and daughter's boyfriend on the front porch.
"Mason! You're still here!" Beca flung the door open and greeted the pair with false cheer.
"Oh, hey Mrs. Mitchell, I was, uh, just saying bye to Bailey." Mason took a cautious step backwards and smiled nervously.
"Well, don't mind me." Beca waved her hand, clearly not intent on leaving the doorway. "Say goodbye."
"Bye, Bailey. I'll...call you later." Mason smiled, tight lipped as he hesitated to step towards Bailey. He quickly leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before spinning around to walk to his car.
"You are SO embarrassing." Bailey grumbled as she stomped up the stairs.
"Its a gift." Beca shrugged as if Bailey had just paid her a compliment. She turned her head and saw Mason walking towards his little brother. Maybe it was the high of a really great day and the residual adrenaline she had over gifting Blake with an amazing birthday party that had him smiling the whole day. But a wave of kindness and sympathy overtook her as she took a deep breath and stepped outside, closing the door behind her.
"Hey, Mason wait." She folded her arms in on her herself in a slightly defensive nature. It was her typical pose for when she delivered apologies. "I just wanted to say sorry."
"Oh." Mason looked dumbfounded, almost like he might be stepping into a trap. "For-for what?"
"I've been hard on you. I know I have. It's just...Bailey's still my baby girl, you know? And I just felt like you might be taking her away from me."
"I don't want-"
"Shush. Just let me finish." Beca raised a hand to prevent him from continuing.
"Yes, ma'am." Mason bit his lip and waited for her to continue. Beca relished the fact that Mason was one of the very few people in the world who were truly intimidated by her.
"If I had my way, my girl wouldn't date till she was thirty. But, I understand that's unrealistic. And out of all the crappy guys and girls out there that she could possibly date, you are probably one of the top choices. You treat her well. You respect her. You even brave facing her parents on a regular basis just to be with her. And you make her so happy. I guess I'm just a little jealous that there's a happiness that I can't give her anymore. But I'm really glad that you are. So...I'm sorry for all the times I've made you uncomfortable or a little scared. And I'm not promising to never do it again. But with you guys heading off to college soon I want to make sure you know that I really am glad you make my daughter so happy. And I hope you continue to."
"Wow, um, thanks Mrs. Mitchell." Mason smiled, still a little nervous. "I'm really glad to hear you say that. I could only hope to be half the parent you are one day." And then his eyes widened. "Not that I want to become one soon. Or that me and Bailey are like...planning or anything like that. I mean, I have to finish college first, get a job, and-"
"Settle down." Beca waved her hand, interrupting his freak out. "I'm too tired to torture you. I just wanted to let you know I don't hate you. And thank you for loving my little girl."
"Easiest thing I've ever done." Mason shrugged with a grin, trying to keep himself from rambling anymore.
"Alright, well. Have a good night. See you soon, I'm sure." Beca waved her hand over her shoulder as she walked back inside. She froze when she saw Bailey leaning against the railing at the bottom of the stairs with a smug look on her face.
"Aww. You like Mason!" Bailey's smirk grew into a full smile as Beca's face turned red.
"Shush, you. You weren't supposed to hear or see that." Beca crossed her arms and looked away from the gleeful expression in her daughter's eyes.
"I love you, Mom." Bailey said seriously as she skipped forward to give Beca kiss on the cheek before trotting upstairs.
"Great day." Beca whispered to herself unable to wipe the smile off her face even if she wanted to as she trudged up the stairs.
Later in the evening,Beca collapsed into bed next to Chloe, worn out from the past 24 hours. Chloe took pity on her and started giving her a little backrub.
"You know." Chloe said softly as her hands started massaging a little slower on Beca's shoulders. "I think its really sexy when you go all super-mom." Her voice had lowered and Beca tensed up slightly, knowing what that tone meant.
"Oh?"
"Yeah." Chloe leaned down and gently pressed her lips against the skin on Beca's shoulder while her hands moved lower to sneak under Beca's tank top. "You're such a milf."
"Oh my God!" Beca couldn't help the full body laugh that came out of her from Chloe's statement.
"What?" Chloe asked with a faux innocence. "Is it so wrong to find my hot wife attractive?"
"No." Beca drawled, feeling her skin tingle as Chloe's hands slowly slid up and down her bare back.
"Is it so wrong I want to make love to you right now?" Chloe leaned in and whispered against Beca's ear before tugging at her earlobe.
"Chloe." Beca sighed, trying not to focus on how Chloe was pressed against her back and nibbling on her ear.
"What, baby?"
"I'm so sore and tired. And I gotta be up early at the studio." Beca was almost ill with even the thought of turning down Chloe's advances.
"Are you saying no?" Chloe paused her hand movements and hovered questioningly over Beca's back.
"I'm not saying I don't want to. I'm just...I'm just tired." Beca twisted around to try and look at Chloe. Chloe sighed dramatically as she slid off Beca's back and rolled onto her own. In their twenty years of being together Beca had never turned down sex. Even when they had fights, Chloe was somehow able to ease the tensions and break Beca down. Beca just never ever said no. Never wanted to.
"I guess I should have known this day would come." Chloe was making a show of being disappointed as she wiggled underneath the covers.
"What day?" Beca turned to look at her wife with confusion.
"The day when you're not attracted to me anymore and don't want to have sex." Chloe shrugged. And Beca knew she was being so clearly baited, but she couldn't stand to think there might be even the slightest chance Chloe believed that.
"Chlo, I am so ridiculously attracted to you. I have the hottest wife in the whole city. Even the state. Hell, the country. I will never not be attracted to you. And I want to have sex, I really do, I just, am really tired is all." Beca ran the backs of her fingers up and down Chloe's arm soothingly.
"Ah." Chloe nodded knowingly, having one more trick up her sleeve. "So we've just reached the day you're too old to be able to have sex without planning ahead."
Beca's hand stopped and her eyes narrowed. Chloe just sighed as she reached over to turn her bedside lamp off, avoiding eye contact. Beca hated being played like a fiddle. Especially when she knew she was getting played. But sometimes, most times, she just couldn't compete with Chloe.
In one swift move Beca grabbed Chloe by the wrists, pinned them above her head, and swung her leg to straddle her. Chloe let out a surprised squeak followed by a giggle when she looked up at Beca hovering over her in the dark room.
"I am NOT too old to fuck my wife." Beca said sternly.
"Prove it." Chloe bit her lip and then giggled again when Beca's lips found hers for a heated kiss. Chloe would feel guilty for how easy it was to break Beca, but she never took too much advantage of her abilities. And besides, she shouldn't feel guilty when they both benefited from her tactics.
Chloe's hands were roaming Beca's back as her hips slowly found a rhythm as they exchanged calm, but thorough kisses. Just as Beca dipped her head down to start peppering Chloe's neck with kisses she felt a lightning bolt of pain shoot up her spine after a particularly hard roll of her hips.
She froze and hissed out an unintelligible stream of sounds that made Chloe look up at her, wide eyed with worry. Beca's eyes were clenched shut as she bit her lip, wondering if she should attempt to drop down to the mattress or just stay put.
"Beca, what's wrong?" Chloe lightly held on to Beca's upper arms, waiting for her to say something.
"My...My back." Beca squeaked out. Chloe rolled her lips together and accidentally let out a snort as she tried desperately hard not to laugh. "You are not allowed to laugh at me right now!" Beca groaned in agony.
"I'm specifically doing my best to not laugh, sweetie." Chloe's chest shook as it tried to contain the laughter threatening to bubble over. Beca was in too much pain to refute the statement and she remained hovering over Chloe, grimacing in pain.
"Do you want to try and lie down?" Chloe stroked Beca's arms, the teasing gone from her voice. Beca just nodded tightly. Chloe held on to Beca and ever so slowly and gently started to turn her around to lie on her back.
"Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow." Beca chanted every inch she moved until she was flat on her back. She'd never been more grateful for Chloe's upper body strength than that moment as Chloe was able to hold her and keep her from collapsing painfully onto the mattress.
"I'm sorry for coercing you into having sex." Chloe said as she stroked Beca's hair. "Want me to run you a hot bath? I can put some of my oils in it."
"Bath sounds nice." Beca smiled through her pain.
"Kay." Chloe leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before disappearing to the bathroom. Beca laid still, taking in as short of breaths as she could to prevent any excess pain shooting through her back. It felt like hours until Chloe returned with a bathrobe for Beca.
"Alright, supermom, let's get you into that bath."
"If I were supermom, I wouldn't be so incapacitated after one day of playing with my kid that I can barely move." Beca grumbled as she held on to Chloe to stand up.
"Maybe you should come to my yoga classes I go to with some of the other moms." Chloe suggested as she carefully helped remove Beca's shirt. Beca just grumbled incoherently as she worked hard to get her clothes off.
Chloe finally got her into the robe and was able to walk her gingerly down the hall to the bathroom where the pleasant aroma of her bath oils were permeating the air.
"I can't do it." Beca froze once both of her feet were in the tub and Chloe was holding her hands, keeping her from stumbling.
"Don't be dramatic. I'll help you go down slowly." Chloe immediately regretted her choice of words when a snort came from Beca.
"The only going down I wanted to do tonight was hard and fast." Beca let Chloe start gently guiding her down into the bubbles with a smirk on her face.
"Yeah, well your back had other ideas." Chloe bit back the smile that wanted to escape when she saw Beca's smirk turn into a scowl as she sank down into the bubbles.
"The traitor…." Beca mumbled as she closed her eyes and leaned against the walls, feeling a measure of relief in the bath. Chloe watched her for a moment, smiling at how she finally seemed a little relaxed.
"I'm going to go get some wine and come back up and sit with you okay? Want anything?"
"I want to be twenty again." Beca whined, eyes still shut. "But I'll settle for some wine too."
Chloe left her with a kiss and a grin, hoping this would give Beca the push she needed to start working out a little more. (It probably wouldn't.)
Chloe returned with a bottle of wine and two glasses as Beca's reward for working so hard that day. Well consolation reward, she supposed. She paused in the doorway to look at her wife who'd literally sacrificed her body to give her son an amazing party, soaking her pains away in their spacious tub.
Few of the other moms in their friend circle, or even the dads for that matter, would do everything that Beca did for their son's birthday. Sure, they would've hired someone to set everything up and make a fun day, pay money instead of doing it themselves. Hell, the parents even fled inside during the water wars while Beca was the only one brave enough to act silly and play with a bunch of six year olds. And Chloe could tell by the look on Blake's face that he was really happy. And if the joys of the day cost Beca her back for a night or two, it was well worth it. (At least to Chloe.)