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Chloe doesn’t get surprised by people much, anymore. She’s been alive (well, undead) long enough to recognize patterns in human behavior. People are, like, super predictable.
She thought she’d seen it all.
Then she met Beca Mitchell.
She’s surprised when Beca takes it in stride when she finds out that Chloe is a vampire.
She’s surprised when Beca offers to let her drink her blood.
She’s surprised when Beca tells her she loves her, even after she sees Chloe for all that she is.
And she’s really surprised when Beca suggests they both dress up as vampires for Halloween.
***
“Come on, Chlo, it’ll be funny. Like our own little inside joke.”
“I dunno, Becs. It’s kind of an unwritten rule among vampires that you’re not supposed to look too vampire-y.”
“I won’t tell if you won’t. Unless you’re expecting any other vampires to be at the Trebles party.”
“Well…”
“Wait, what?”
“I’m just kidding. There won’t be any others there.”
“Okay, good.”
“That I know of.”
“Chloe!”
***
They agree to work on their costumes separately so they can do a big reveal on Halloween.
That part was Chloe’s idea. Even when she was human, she always liked a bit of drama.
For her costume, she decides to go in the cheesy, Hollywood vampire direction. And boy, does she go all in; she buys a Dracula cape, plastic fangs, and a whole bunch of face paint.
On the day, she dresses in black pants and a white button-down shirt before pulling the cape over her shoulders. She blends white face paint into her cheeks and paints an orange widow’s peak on her forehead. At the last minute, she draws a red teardrop under the corner of her lip.
She slips in her faux fangs, straightens her collar, and looks at herself in the mirror.
Yikes.
There really better not be any vamps at this party, because she’s a walking stereotype.
She’s, like, borderline offensive to the vampire community.
***
When it’s almost time to leave, Chloe goes to find Beca in her room.
She knows she was hesitant about this whole costume thing at first, but now she’s kind of excited. She guesses it’s not surprising -- she gets excited about anything that Beca’s excited about.
More than that, she’s eager to see Beca’s version of a vampire.
She’s a little nervous, too, because Beca’s portrayal could provide insight into how Beca views her as a, like, species. And she knows with all her un-beating heart that Beca loves her for all that she is… but they’ve never really talked about her feelings about vampires on the whole.
What if Beca has dressed like a hideous monster?
Chloe’s not sure how she would take that.
***
Beca must have heard Chloe on the stairs, because when she opens the door to her room Beca calls out from the walk-in closet to tell her that she’s almost ready.
Chloe leans back against Beca’s desk and fidgets with her collar. Fat Amy had already left -- she’d said something about needing an hour to get into her and Bumper’s couples costume -- and Chloe’s glad because she won’t have to school her reaction to Beca’s reveal.
One way or another.
She reminds herself to be positive. She’s always been a cheery person, even in the afterlife, and it’s not hard to get in that frame of mind.
Beca will probably be done up as some adorable Disney-version of a vampire. She’ll have cartoonish red circles on her cheeks and fairy wings and will walk around going “muah-ah-ah!” all night.
Chloe twirls her hair around her finger and laughs softly. She can just picture it.
“What are you smiling about?”
When Chloe looks up, her smile slowly fades from her face.
She can’t believe what she’s seeing.
She removes her plastic fangs and stows them in her pocket as she slowly looks Beca up and down, trying to process.
She decides to start from the floor up. Beca’s in black stiletto boots, fishnet stockings, and a very tight, very short black dress. The neckline is plunging, and Beca’s cleavage -- which is always considerable, even when she’s just in a t-shirt -- is pushed up and very much on display.
Her hair is straight and slicked back a bit, making it look darker than it is. Her face is pale, like Chloe’s, but for her lips she chose a deep, dark red. Crimson, Chloe thinks. Maybe carmine.
(When you’re a vampire, you learn more shades of red than you knew existed.)
The blue of Beca’s eyes especially pops because they’re surrounded by night-black eyeliner and charcoal eyeshadow. When she blinks Chloe notices how long her lashes are, too -- she must have snuck some extensions the other day, when they were at Sephora.
But the thing that stands out to her the most -- even more than how insanely hot Beca looks -- is a part of her ensemble that isn’t from a store.
It’s the bite mark on her neck -- a real one, that Chloe made last night -- visible for all to see. Beca’s even amplified it with a painted-on trail of dripping red pearls.
“What? Think it’s too unrealistic?” Beca’s asking. “I figured vamps can bite each other too, right? I think they do that on True Blood.”
Chloe blinks and shakes her head, trying to knock herself out of her trance. She pushes off the desk and strides over to Beca, still drinking her in.
“You look freaking adorable, by the way, Chlo,” Beca continues. Chloe stops in front of her and she shifts on her feet. “Okay, you say words now. You’re kinda freaking me out.”
“This is what you think a vampire is?” she asks, voice low.
She traces the neckline of Beca’s dress, starting at her left collarbone, dipping down into her cleavage, and dragging up along her other breast. She can tell when Beca’s breathing quickens.
“Um, yeah, I guess. I wanted to do the whole goth seductress thing. Is it, like, okay?”
Chloe never wants to make Beca second guess herself, but the stakes are low, here. Beca’s heart is beating faster and there’s something so hot about watching her squirm, just a tiny bit.
“It’s more than okay.” She steps in closer, dipping her finger into Beca’s clavicle. “It’s so sexy.” Her eyes fall to Beca’s neck as she draws a circle around her healing puncture wound. “Seeing my mark on you is so sexy.”
She watches Beca’s throat as she swallows. “That’s okay, right? I added makeup so it would look fake.”
“Yeah, totes.” Chloe brings her hand to the back of Beca’s neck and pushes her fingers up into her hair. She scratches Beca’s scalp the way she likes. “Even if you told them it was real, they wouldn’t believe you. People never see what’s right in front of them.”
Beca doesn’t respond. Chloe’s standing so close that she can’t bring her features into focus, but Beca’s chest is flushed and her breaths are shallow, so she has an inkling about how she feels. When Beca grabs her stiff Dracula collar and pulls her closer, it removes any doubt.
“Why are you still hot even with an orange triangle on your forehead?” she asks before bringing their lips together.
***
The party is a typical Trebels kegger, except with costumes.
It’s still pretty great, though. Chloe loves seeing everyone all dressed up -- especially the Bellas. Everyone is so cute and happy as they pretend to be someone other than themselves.
Meanwhile Chloe is dressed as her true self (sort of) and even though her costume is over the top, it’s actually kind of liberating.
Beca’s costume certainly makes an impression. It raises eyebrows and draws stares, particularly to her breasts. Chloe’s glad that everyone knows they’re official now, because she just has to clear her throat to get the gawkers to check themselves.
Everyone notices the bite on Beca’s neck, too, but Chloe lets them look. Her chest fills with pride as they bend to get a closer view, as they compliment Beca on how realistic it is, as they ask how she did it.
Part of her wishes she could take out her plastic fangs and show them her real ones; show them how they fit in the holes in Beca’s neck, how Beca melts when Chloe takes long pulls from her veins.
Beca slips her hand into Chloe’s and steps back, appraising her. “Uh-oh. I know that look.”
“What look?”
“The one you gave me just now,” Beca says, arching an eyebrow. “Like I’m a hamburger with all the trimmings. Lettuce, tomato, spicy aioli, extra pickles…”
Chloe bursts out laughing as she reels Beca in closer. “Oh my god.” She lowers her voice. “I compare drinking human blood to a burger one time...”
Beca smirks. “It was very vivid imagery. Would you rather I focus on the part about you having 10 simultaneous orgasms.”
Chloe closes her arms around Beca and pulls her to her. She lets her eyes fall to her lips.
“I mean, kinda, yeah.”
Beca scoffs playfully. “You’re so horny, Chlo.”
“And that would make you… what? Is there even a word for what you are?”
Beca hides her face in the crook of Chloe’s neck and groans. “Shut up.”
***
Trebles parties are always super hot.
No, like, literally. The house traps the bodyheat of all the revelers inside its walls, and after a couple hours the guys have to open the doors to the backyard so it doesn’t become a sauna.
The pool is closed for the season, but some people wander outside in search of relief in the late October night. Beca and Chloe wind up out on the deck, which is serving as a spillover dance floor.
It’s nice out here. Chloe had been overheating underneath her cape, and it’s a relief to get away from the throngs of people. Especially when the only person she really wants to spend time with is Beca.
“You sure you’re not too cold?” Chloe asks her. She bites her lip (with her real teeth -- the plastic fangs got too annoying) as she takes Beca in for the Nth time since she first saw her. She still can’t get over how sexy she looks.
“It’s Georgia -- it only gets so cold. Besides, you can keep me warm. Just keep looking at me like that and I’ll be toasty all night.”
Chloe smirks. She doesn’t mind being called out. She lets her gaze linger on Beca’s curves a little longer for good measure. A slow song starts to play, from inside the house, and she grips Beca’s waist and tugs her closer.
“There are other ways I can keep you warm.”
Beca loops her arms around Chloe’s neck. “Oh yeah? Do tell.”
“I can tell you what I’m gonna do to you later. How I’ll remove this skimpy little get-up of yours. Not the stockings, though. Those are gonna stay… though I can’t promise they’ll stay in one piece.”
Beca lets out a heavy breath as Chloe slides one of her hands down to squeeze her ass.
“You know...” Chloe says, returning both hands to Beca’s waist. They sway back and forth for a few beats as she debates whether she should continue. “I was actually kinda nervous about what your costume would look like.”
“What?” Beca leans back to meet her eyes. “Why would you be nervous?”
“It’s dumb. I don’t know why I even mentioned it.”
A furrow forms between Beca’s brows. “No, tell me.”
Chloe twists her lips to the side as she considers how to put it. How to explain that she’s never felt this way about someone, living or dead. That she’s never been so open and honest with a human, before. And that doing so makes her feel like her heart is on the outside of her body.
Makes her feel vulnerable.
Able to be hurt.
“I guess I was just thinking about how I don’t really know where you stand on vampires as, like, a group. And if you had dressed up as something scary or ugly, it might be saying something.” She blinks rapidly to ward off the tears springing to her eyes. Beca’s looking at her with concern, so Chloe shakes her head dismissively. “Like I said, it was dumb. Forget I said anything.”
“It’s not dumb. Seriously, Chlo.” Beca stares at her until she meets her gaze. “As the Queen of the Dumb, I have the final say on the matter.”
Chloe laughs. “Yes, your highness.”
“And also…” Beca says quietly. She strokes the shell of Chloe’s ear. “I haven’t met any other vampires, but if they’re anything like you, then I’m a big fan.”
Chloe’s eyes are stinging again. “Really?”
“Oh yeah. I’m, like, a vamp groupie.”
“Alright, calm down.”
“One might even say--”
“Don’t you do it.”
“--a Fang Banger.”
Chloe drops her head to Beca’s shoulder. “Oh my god, I can’t.”
Beca giggles, soft and light, and Chloe feels it beneath her ribs. When Beca kisses the side of her neck, she almost feels her heart come to life in her chest.
She’s been dead for decades, but Beca makes her feel so alive.
***
Trebles parties get sloppy.
Literally and figuratively.
People spill their drinks and spill their guts (in every possible way).
Even Chloe’s a little tipsy. She can tell Beca is too, even though she hasn’t been drinking much since Chloe just fed off her the day before.
Chloe can tell this because Beca’s getting handsy. They’re back inside the house, drinking and talking with their friends, and Beca’s hands are constantly on the move; they’re inside Chloe’s cape, playing with her beltloops, snaking up the back of her shirt.
There’s only so much a vampire can take.
She pulls Beca upstairs and into the nearest vacant bedroom. After closing the door behind them she presses Beca up against the wall. She keeps the lights off.
Chloe rests her hands on the wall, one on either side of Beca’s head. Beca grins and tilts her hips forwards until they meet Chloe’s.
“Oh no, it’s All Hallows Eve, and I’m all alone with a child of the night,” Beca says, eyes comically wide. Chloe thinks she’s trying to sound sincere, but she comes off kind of sarcastic. It’s still ridiculously cute. “What are you going to do with me, oh pale one?”
Chloe scoffs. “First of all, you’re paler than me.” She crowds in until they’re practically nose-to-nose. Her gaze falls to Beca’s chest, which is already flushed and heaving. She feels her fangs come out in response. “And I have an idea or two in mind.”
Beca gasps. She brings her hand to the back of Chloe’s head and urges her closer with gentle pressure. Chloe shudders, because it’s so ridiculously hot, but they can’t. She just drank from Beca last night -- it’s too soon to go again.
“That actually isn’t what I meant,” she says softly.
“You can, though,” Beca says, still trying to pull her closer. “Just a little.” She tilts her head back, exposing more of her neck -- the side that’s already marked. “You’d be helping me out. Make my costume look more authentic.”
Chloe looks down at her bite mark -- the one that everyone else has been looking at all night, not knowing what it is or what it means -- and runs her tongue along the edge of her fangs.
Beca exhales heavily, like she knows Chloe has made up her mind. She slides her hand down to the back of Chloe’s neck and, this time, when she pulls, Chloe lets her draw her in.
“Just a little,” Chloe whispers. She lines her teeth up with the existing puncture wounds and slowly, slowly pushes in.
A tremble runs through Beca once Chloe’s fangs are fully inside her. She squeezes Chloe’s neck, and that’s when Chloe starts to suck.
She doesn’t use a lot of pressure -- she really can’t take a lot -- but she and Beca both moan at the first sharp pull. Chloe will never get over the taste of Beca on her tongue, but drinking from her is so much more than that.
It’s the closeness, the intimacy, the connection.
It’s the trust.
And she really must be dumb, because she’s drinking Beca’s blood, but she’s tearing up a little bit, too.
“Harder,” Beca breathes, digging her nails into Chloe’s skin. “Just one more.”
And that brings her back to her senses. She groans as she sinks her fangs in deeper, sucking with force, filling her mouth.
She might have over done it a touch, because she feels a drop of blood escape from the corner of her lips. She can imagine it’s path, the deep red in stark contrast against Beca’s creamy skin as it trickles over her collarbone and in between her breasts.
Oh well. She wanted to look more authentic, right?
Beca’s whimpering and grinding her hips against her, like she wants more, and Chloe hates to deny her, but in this case she must. She pulls back, eager to trace the fresh trail of blood with her tongue, but just then the door swings open.
She and Beca gasp in unison at the intrusion. They look over to find Amy and Bumper standing frozen in the doorway. Their cheeks are ruddy and they’re half-entwined. (Or maybe that’s just how their costume is designed -- Chloe’s not really sure.)
But that doesn’t matter -- what matters is they’re staring right at them with gaping mouths and wide eyes.
Chloe doesn’t know what to do. She’s never been caught red-mouthed like this.
How could she be so stupid? So careless?
She can feel the nervous thud of Beca’s heart against her chest. She’s trying to come up with some excuse -- anything that will convince Amy and Bumper that this isn’t exactly what it looks like -- when Amy gives them the most exaggerated eye-roll.
“You guys are seriously gross, ya know that?” She narrows her eyes and puts a hand on her hip. “Acting out your Halloween characters in private? With, like, fake blood capsules?” She scrunches up her nose. “Just vile. Even Bumper and I aren’t that extra.”
Beca stiffens. “Pssh, yeah right. Look how you’re dressed right now.” Her arm flails out in their direction. “You’re literally attached at the hip. That’s not even a costume, by the way.”
Amy looks like she has plenty more to say, but Bumper walks backwards, pulling her with him back into the hall.
Once they hear them stumble into another room, Chloe and Beca wrap their arms around each other, laughing from the intensity of their relief.
“Well that was a freebie,” Beca says.
Chloe shakes her head incredulously. “This isn’t even Bumper’s room!”
“Yeah… It’s best not to ask.”
***
Chloe used to not get surprised by people much, anymore.
Now that she’s met Beca, the surprises just keep coming.
She wouldn’t change it for the world.