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Sleep, Beca has decided, is one of life’s true pleasures.
As a teenager, Beca could achieve around twelve hours of sleep a night whenever she got the chance, cradled pleasantly in the comfortable embrace of blissful dreamland.
(Her mother would lecture her about “wasting the day away” by sleeping so long, but Beca would always vehemently protest to that claim. Spending time becoming well rested, she would argue, was never a wasted day.)
All through college was much the same, especially in her freshman year. Kimmy Jin would always leave loud enough in the mornings to make sure she woke Beca up, only to glare at her before slamming the door on her way out, then would make enough noise upon her re-entry hours later to make it clear that she thought it was ridiculous Beca was still asleep.
It was a nice routine, really. One that Beca grew familiar with and almost (not really) looked forward to.
Moving in to the Bellas house pretty much put an end to Beca’s all-day sleep-athons.
Living in the Bellas house meant living in constant noise, for the most part. There were certain hours of the day in which its occupants were either all miraculously asleep or away at classes, but the vast majority of the day was filled with various chatter, laughter, and singing. Which Beca didn’t mind, honestly. It was certainly a far cry from the tense silence of the barely-functioning home she shared with her barely-functioning parents throughout her childhood.
The noise was a welcome change, even if Beca would never admit that to anyone.
That being said, the natural ruckus of the house did cause Beca a few rude awakenings: Flo ranting loudly about something one of her professors said, Stacie squealing about some all-around unremarkable thing, Amy stomping loudly up and down the stairs to their shared attic room.
Luckily those instances of interrupted slumber were fairly few and far in between. Her room was far enough away from the rest of the house that most of the noise didn’t even reach Beca’s sleeping ears, and most of the girls knew better than to wake her up, lest they face her tired wrath for the remainder of the day (or longer, depending on how petty she felt).
Most of the girls knew better than to wake her up, that is.
Chloe Beale did not fall in that category. Which, Beca supposes, wasn’t totally a surprise, seeing as there were many categories of “normal” that she didn’t fall under. After all, most girls would not burst into a stranger’s shower and demand an impromptu duet.
So Chloe wasn’t afraid to wake Beca up, which meant that she would do exactly that.
Often.
So often, in fact, that Beca became surprised on the mornings when she would wake up around noon, not an Amy or Chloe or anyone in sight. Because more often than not Beca would find herself awakened in a panic when a body jumped on top of her own, or when her name was called loudly from beside the bed, or when deft fingers would stroke softly through her hair as a quiet voice gently coaxed her into consciousness.
Actually, that last one didn’t bother Beca all that much, nor did it cause her to wake in a panic. And luckily that seemed to be Chloe’s favorite way to wake Beca up: curled up beside her on the bed, all gentle touches and quiet murmurs making Beca feel not all that mad about being awake at the ungodly hour of 10 AM.
In retrospect it was really no wonder that Beca ended up falling for Chloe in the end, Beca supposes. Not when Chloe was easily every exception to Beca’s rules in life. Not when Chloe had made her way over the brick walls protecting Beca’s heart and settled comfortably inside by the first year of knowing each other. Not when Chloe made Beca feel like she could take on the world without breaking a sweat.
So really, falling in love with Chloe was inevitable for Beca, even if it did take until they were out of college for her to realize it.
And really Chloe is the one who forced her to the realization: they were sitting on the floor of the living room in Beca’s apartment on some odd Thursday night, sharing a cheap pizza and watching some show that really wasn’t as interesting as the way Chloe looked in her large sweater and messy bun, when Chloe turned to Beca and said “I want to kiss you, and if you’re not okay with that you better tell me right now before I do it.”
Beca was pretty quick to realize her feelings when soft lips touched her own.
Where was she going with this? Beca had a point.
Ah yes: Beca loves sleep, and somewhere along the way she ended up loving Chloe as well.
And Beca supposes she could add sex to that list. Especially sex with Chloe.
Maybe that’s the sleepy part of her brain talking, or maybe it’s the three (four?) mind-blowing orgasms that Chloe gave her last night.
And on top of that, Beca’s definitely found her new favorite way of being woken up.
Chloe presses up closer behind Beca, lips trailing leisurely along the length of her neck. Beca stifles her smile, holding as still as possible to maintain the illusion that she’s still asleep, not ready for her bedmate’s ministrations to stop anytime soon. The kisses travel down to Beca’s bare shoulder, and Beca resists the urge to shiver at the feeling of so much smooth skin pressing deliciously against her own.
“You haven’t breathed in a solid minute, I know you’re awake.”
Chloe’s scratchy morning voice speaks up quietly, and Beca releases the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. Chloe chuckles from behind her, her arms tightening in their hold around Beca’s middle, and while Beca would normally try to act grumpy at the light teasing so early in the morning, Beca can’t find it within herself to even attempt to be anything but blissfully content at the moment.
Beca smiles and presses her face further into her pillow. “I’m not awake. Try again later.”
Chloe laughs quietly again and, to Beca’s relief, continues her movements from before. Her kisses remain languid and unhurried, Chloe apparently content to lay in bed and do exactly this all day long.
And well, Beca definitely doesn’t have a problem with any of that in the slightest.
She rolls over and catches Chloe’s mouth in a lazy kiss, tongues sliding easily against one another’s as Chloe shifts to lay half on top of Beca, their legs tangling together in a way that makes Beca groan. Chloe hums in reply and deepens the kiss, hand coming up to bury itself in Beca’s hair. Beca’s own hands slide around Chloe’s back, fingertips dragging lightly against smooth skin and causing Chloe to shiver.
Beca grins against Chloe’s lips. Tightens her hold. Feels her heart flutter.
That stupid Disney song might know what it’s talking about. So this is love.
It’s some time later when Beca’s bladder can no longer allow her to keep leisurely making out with Chloe. She (reluctantly) pushes herself away from Chloe’s warmth and rolls out of bed, throwing Chloe’s t-shirt from the previous night on as she gets to her feet. Beca turns to look at Chloe in all her nude glory on the bed as she stretches sleepily, arms raised high above her head, and bites her lip, wondering how the hell last night wasn’t some crazy (and remarkably vivid) dream.
Beca snaps herself out of her ogling and turns to leave the room, but something catches Beca’s eye before she can: Chloe’s feet, sticking out from beneath the untucked covers at the end of the bed.
Beca’s eye nearly twitches at the sight, but she shakes her head and ignores it, choosing instead to head down the hall and slip into the bathroom to do her business.
Really, it wasn’t a big deal. Beca just liked having her blankets properly tucked in at the end of her bed- that was all. Surely they had just become untucked at some point in their activities the previous night, and Chloe stretching in the bed just now happened to put the fact on display.
Beca flushes the toilet and washes her hands. She would simply tuck the covers back the way they were later in the day, easy as that. It was a one-time thing; no need to pay it any extra thought.
Besides, Beca muses with a wry smile as she walks back into the bedroom to see Chloe lounging invitingly in her bed- there were much more important things to be thinking about right now.
* * *
It was not a one-time thing.
The untucked covers, that is. And the sex. Neither was a one-time thing, and Beca was only okay with half of that statement.
And okay, look, it’s not like Beca is some sort of neurotic, controlling, perfectly-made bed freak- she’s not. Sometimes Beca’s too lazy to make her bed in the mornings. Sometimes she doesn’t even get out of her bed at all in a day. She’s not completely crazy over how beds should or shouldn’t be made. Like, she’s not the Aubrey of beds.
But Beca believes that beds are holy places meant for only the most remarkable of activities (sleeping, sex) and should therefore be treated with respect. So it was reasonable, really, that Beca had a few (unwritten, of course) rules when it came to beds: blankets are to remain tucked in at the end at all times, all limbs are to remain on the bed whilst sleeping at all times, and all objects besides blankets, pillows, and girlfriends are to remain off the bed at all times.
They’re simple rules. Rules that any normal person would abide by with little to no trouble at all.
Except, as stated before, Chloe Beale is no normal person.
Chloe Beale is, without a doubt, the most chaotic sleeper that Beca knows. Untucked blankets, feet hanging over the mattress, and thrown pillows are all common occurrences on the nights they spend together, regardless of whoever’s apartment they happen to be at. The worst of it are the times that Beca will walk in to see Chloe already asleep, completely sideways or upside down on the bed.
On those occasions, Beca seriously considers just taking the couch for the night.
So with all that in mind, if Beca has to watch Chloe purposefully untuck the covers on her bed one more time she is going to go absolutely crazy.
“And I honestly don’t know what Chelsea’s problem is. I mean it’s not like I’m getting any special treatment or anything. I’m doing the work just like everyone else is.”
Beca watches Chloe go about her nighttime routine from the comfort of Chloe’s bed, amused at the little rant that she’s been going on about for the past five minutes. “Please, I’m sure you got that promotion because you work harder than everyone else, Chlo.”
Chloe shoots Beca a grin over her shoulder. “Well, I mean, that’s definitely true. It’s not like anyone else exactly gives their all, you know?” she muses, pulling off her shirt to replace it with a tank top to sleep in. Beca’s eyes are immediately drawn to the copious amount of enticing skin on display in the brief moments in between the clothing swap, teeth sinking in to her bottom lip in the process.
“Bec?”
Beca’s eyes snap back to Chloe’s face to see a teasing glint in clear blue eyes. Beca immediately feels her cheeks heat up, already knowing that she’s been caught. “Like what you see?” Chloe asks coyly.
Beca crosses her arms petulantly and bites the inside of her cheek. “I… don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Chloe hums a little and crawls forward on the bed to reach Beca, leaning in close enough that Beca can smell the familiar scent of her shampoo. Beca gulps and feels a shiver run down her spine at the proximity. “I think you do, but I’ll let you pretend if that’s what you want,” she whispers before pecking Beca quickly on the lips and pushing herself off the bed.
The breath that Beca didn’t even know she’d been holding rushes out of her in a puff of air. She glares at her girlfriend. “You’re an evil woman.”
Chloe laughs from where she stands at the end of the bed. “But you like that, don’t you, baby?” she asks casually, bending down to untuck the blankets at the end of the bed that Beca had meticulously tucked just minutes before.
And Beca didn’t know what she would have responded to that with before, but she certainly doesn’t know what to say now as she stares at the unkemptness that is the end of the bed.
But it’s not a big deal, Beca tells herself. Whether or not the covers are tucked is not a big deal and she should stop worrying about it.
So, Beca grits her teeth and forces a grin on her face, looking up as Chloe moves to turn the lights off in the room. “Yep, you caught me. I really do like the evil act.”
Chloe laughs easily as she slides into place next to Beca under the blankets. “I knew it. I’m surprised you admitted it so easily.”
Beca winces. Yeah, there would definitely be consequences to her off-handed answer later on, but it’s whatever, it’s fine. “I’m going to bed,” she grumbles, burrowing herself under the covers.
Chloe simply chuckles again in response and scoots closer to Beca, arms coming forward to pull her into her body. Beca (of course) allows it, sighing in contentment as she buries her face in Chloe’s shoulder, ignoring how she can just feel the loose blankets around her feet.
It’s a couple minutes later as Beca is just falling asleep that she realizes there’s something digging uncomfortably into her side. She shifts and reaches underneath the covers, only for her hand to meet the shape of something that absolutely should not be in the bed at that moment.
“Chloe,” Beca says, trying to keep her voice even.
“Hmm?” Chloe hums in response, quite obviously nearly asleep.
“What is this?” Beca questions, pulling the item out from under the covers and dangling it in front of Chloe’s face.
“Oh!” Chloe says in surprise, taking the object from Beca’s hand. “My keys! I was wondering where I’d put them…”
Beca’s eye twitches. Something inside of her snaps.
“That’s it,” Beca yells suddenly, body moving in a whirlwind until she’s switched on her bedside lamp and pacing the room. “I can’t sleep like this anymore.”
Chloe sits up and looks at Beca with wide eyes. “What do you mean? What’s wrong?”
“Everything is wrong,” Beca says, running her hands through her hair. “The blankets, the pillows, and now the keys are what’s wrong.”
Chloe presses her lips together. “Beca, I can’t help you out here unless you tell me what’s happening.”
Beca stops her frantic pacing and comes to a stop at the end of the bed, facing Chloe. She sighs. “You are, without a doubt, the most chaotic sleeper I have ever known. And while you might not see anything wrong with the way you sleep, it’s been slowly driving me crazy.” Beca grips the end of the untucked blankets and flips them up so that the end of the mattress is exposed. “You don’t even tuck the blankets in at the end of the bed. I just- I need some order when I sleep.”
Chloe waits to speak until Beca has been quiet for a few seconds. “You done?” she asks, and Beca winces at the tone. She lifts her head, expecting to see anger on Chloe’s face, but what she actually sees is probably closer to amusement.
Beca nods her head, suddenly feeling shy.
“Okay, first of all, I’m sorry about the keys, I really didn’t know I left them in here,” Chloe starts off, setting the very things on her bedside table. “And is this really all about our bed not being tucked in at the end?”
Beca shrugs sheepishly. “I just… I like to have them tucked in.” She pauses for a second before adding, “Are you mad?”
Chloe chuckles kindly, and the sound loosens something in Beca’s chest. She crawls forward until she can kneel in front of where Beca is standing at the foot of the bed and takes Beca’s hands in her own. “No, I’m not mad at this. None of this is that big of a deal, Bec. I literally don’t care about what conditions we sleep in- tucked or untucked covers and all. The only thing I care about is that it’s you that I get to fall asleep with each night.”
A soft blush colors Beca’s cheeks at that. “Oh,” she says simply.
Chloe leans up to place a quick, comforting kiss against Beca’s lips. “So tuck the covers in and get back in bed. I want some grumpy control-freak snuggles.”
And any lingering Beca had felt is blown away by that. All Beca can do is laugh and do exactly what Chloe said to do: she tucks in the end of the bed, flips off her bedside lamp, and sinks right back into her rightful place in Chloe’s arms with a sigh of contentment.
“I love you,” Beca whispers right before falling asleep.
A kiss is pressed to the top of her head, causing Beca to smile. “I love you, too. No matter what.”
* * *
Sleep is one of life’s true pleasures, and Beca has decided that having someone to curl up with while you do it makes that statement even more true.
Chloe may hog the blankets, hang off the side of the bed, and kick the covers away once in a while, but all around Beca really doesn’t mind. They’re only little things, after all, and don’t matter in the grand scheme of the wonders of sleep.
So even if Chloe does leave her headphones or water bottle in between the sheets on occasion, Beca can live with that.