She's trying to focus. She really is. Emily's excitedly chattering about her song, gesturing with her hands, her arms, her whole body as she tries to convey her vision. Jesse's bopping his head along to something playing over the store's speakers as he stacks some merchandise. Cynthia Rose is sitting next to Bambi on the couch, nodding at the tall brunette's words. And Beca can't bring her foggy mind into the present. She's eyeballs-deep in her daydream. Because Chloe is just a force that can't ever be ignored.

"C-Chloe." She grits her teeth at how breathless she sounds, but is helpless to prevent it. "Chlo." Beca tries exhaling through her nose to minimize the noise fighting to escape, like a river pushing at a dam, searching for any crack. Chloe hums, completely distracted.

"Yes, Beca?" And it's only two words, but it sounds loaded. Nothing about those words has anything to do with moisture, yet even in the maze that her mind has suddenly turned into she knows that the question sounds remarkably wet. The redhead licks up the column of her neck, skirting her nose along to Beca's ear, breathing hotly into it, "What do you... need?"

She wanted to say that they needed to stop, that they're in the storage room at work, that Cynthia Rose walked down the hallway to go to the restroom, that there's a ghost in here, but the only thing that comes out is a squeak as Chloe yanks the top of her jeans by her belt loops, first down and then towards the redhead's hips. The noise seems to encourage her, because she slides her hands around and under her pants, squeezing her ass firmly. And even though Beca's got her lips pressed together, her body betrays her, letting a high whimper slip out as her head falls back against the wall. The redhead chuckles.

"What's wrong, darling? Cat got your tongue?" Beca scrunches her nose, wanting to protest being called something as cheesy as 'darling' but refusing to open her mouth whilst she's being assaulted. The amount of joy that the redhead's getting from basically steamrolling over her willpower is only slightly annoying, because a happy Chloe is a good thing. A fun thing. She decides to let her mind take a break from the stress of trying to function while her girlfriend is actively melting it.

Beca pushes Chloe off of her. Ignoring the beginnings of a question and a frown on the redhead's face, she roughly shoves her back again, directing her to a work table at the back of the room. She's not listening to anything Chloe might be saying as she presses her hands to the back of the redhead's thighs underneath her dress. Chloe gets the hint and places her palms flat on the table, lifting herself slightly to sit on it. When her hands come to rest on Beca's shoulders, the brunette leans forward, forcing hands to find the surface of the table again. As soon as Chloe opens her mouth to speak, Beca joins their lips. With a soft sigh, the redhead accepts the tongue demanding entrance.

She loves this, loves that Chloe can go from being the aggressor to so passionately submissive. She loves that Chloe can flirt and tease her to the point of setting the room on fire like they're lighting a freaking pyre one minute and be sweet and innocent the next. Chloe tilts her head back and her hair falls over her shoulder like a fiery cascade as they take a breath. The sight of those bright blue eyes closing in pleasure tears at something inside of Beca, a set of tightly wound strings that have been steadily fraying. Her hands feel like they're submerged in boiling water, a scalding burn so hot it feels cold. Seeking relief, she runs her palms up the redhead's torso, from hips to anchor at the back of her neck. Eyes flutter open, seeking her own midnight blues.

"Baby?" And it's so soft, so caring, so concerned. It sets off her heart, turning it from a stammering into a jackhammering because Chloe's always, always making sure she's okay. She's always putting Beca and her lingering emotional hangups first. Beca shakes her head, blinking away a tear as she brings their lips together.

Chloe lies down, taking Beca with her by the front of her shirt. She indulges the redhead for a minute, then breaks away to kiss down her body, slowly slinking down to hips, where her hands have brought the hem of the dress up. Beca gently kneads Chloe's hips, pressing an open-mouthed kiss to the ridge, gliding her tongue along it. Looking up at the redhead, she gives her a little wink, pulling on the lace of Chloe's panties with her teeth. Beca chuckles when she expels a muted gasp. At the questioning look, Beca briefly grazes her lips over the junction of Chloe's legs.

"You're always doing things for me. Always asking how I am, how I feel. You're always taking care of everybody else. I'm thankful for that. I'm happy. Let me take care of you." She moves her hands purposefully over hips, hooking fingers into lace as she skims her nails down.

The room around them seems full of noise and completely silent all at once. Beca feels the body beneath her straining to stay still as she works the underwear off. Pausing at Chloe's knee, she quickly pecks it before finishing her task and standing again. The redhead sits up, worrying her lip as she runs her foot up and down Beca's leg. Though she's taller than the brunette, even on the table, Chloe still manages to look up at her through her lashes. The coy look works really well, Beca muses. She pushes red strands back over Chloe's shoulder, sweeping her cheek with it on the backswing and bringing them together again when she steps closer. As she caresses her tongue with firm strokes, the redhead's breathing catches until it breaks. When Chloe tilts back to inhale, Beca sinks down, pulling her hips closer and pressing a solid kiss to the curls at the apex of her thighs.

Chloe whimpers loudly.

It's a broken, almost pained sound. A grunted "a-ah" that Beca feels slithering all the way down her body like a drug, burning through her veins and lighting her up. That same electric heat short circuits her brain, and she moves on animal instinct, licking hungrily. Hands that have found their way into her hair flex and clutch sporadically, lightly tugging and pushing. Sneaking a glance at Chloe, she sees her girlfriend still sitting up, head lolled to the side, eyes shut tightly and mouth barely open. A particularly fervent stroke of her tongue forces a choked exclamation, a quietly uttered "fuck" followed by a deep moan. Beca finds herself echoing the sound as the redhead leans back on a hand and her hips start bucking.

She glides her hand up a leg to perch Chloe's thigh on her shoulder, giving her more room. Hazily, she hears someone outside talking. The combined thrill of excitement and fear pushes her forward and she quickly thrusts two fingers into Chloe, eager to bring her girlfriend to climax before they have to stop. The redhead seems to appreciate the enthusiasm from the way she spreads her legs and rolls her hips into Beca's mouth. Her head falls back and she lets out a wet moan.

"Jesus, Beca. I'm so close." And it's breathy and whispered, a barely spoken utterance, but Beca hears it loudly as it reverberates inside of her chest. She twists her fingers through slick heat, curling and stroking. Beca laves her tongue over a sensitive nub, drawing it into her mouth and grazing her teeth over it. She maintains her rhythm but increases the pressure when she feels Chloe trembling. Her body, wound tight like a coil, finally snaps as it gives in to pleasure. And the sight of Chloe Beale climaxing is something to behold.

Eyelids fluttering closed before staying shut tightly, a brilliant blush sprawling from her cheeks to her chest. Mouth open in a silent cry before closing teeth over a bottom lip plump from ardent kisses. Both hands pressed on the table behind her because one isn't enough to prevent her from buckling. Nails digging into the wood of the table as hips push and raise.

Chloe in the throes of release is like a sculpture in relief. Prominent, vivid, and incomprehensibly beautiful.

After a minute of being completely overtaken by awe, Beca blinks what feels like maybe a hundred times. She exhales deeply and stands up, bringing Chloe's panties with her. She slowly slides them back on as the redhead recovers, kissing her way up. Beca raises her wrist to wipe her mouth, but her girlfriend pulls her down, licking along her lips, spilling her moans into the brunette. She honestly feels her knees give for a second, having to grab onto the table. They both chuckle before Chloe lets her go, opting to pass her fingers through her own hair as she expels a tired breath. Beca feels her insides twist at how dark the redhead's eyes still are.

"You, Beca." She quirks an eyebrow when Chloe doesn't elaborate.

"Me? What about me? Aside from being awesome." Beca bites the inside of her cheek when Chloe purses her lips like she's fighting a smile. The telltale tug would give her away even if she didn't just know.

"You're awesome, and talented, and sexy. God, I can't believe we waste time talking when you can do that with your mouth." And- even though she was expecting something like this - because she's caught off guard by Chloe's words, Beca lets loose a peal of laughter. She knows her grin matches the redhead's when she smothers Chloe in a hug that's giddily returned.

She's just beginning to sink back into her girlfriend when Jesse's voice rings out from the front of the store.

"BE-BE-BECAW! BECAW! OUR DEAR EMILY SEEKS YOU! COME FORTH! ALSO HI CHLOE!" She groans in frustration as Chloe's soft laughing shakes her head where she's resting it on the redhead's collarbone. Consoling hands run over her, still amped up but not going further.

"Boo. Poor baby didn't get off." She feels soft lips imprinting kisses on the top of her head and over to her temple. Chloe tilts her head to whisper in her ear.

"Don't worry, Becs. I'll make sure I thank you properly tonight. Come over after my last session?" And it's so full of false innocence that her hands fist involuntarily. She just nods, hiding the bit of a pout forming.

She straightens her posture, helping Chloe down. Her hands feel magnetically drawn to the redhead and they seek out hips, squeezing as Chloe tries to fix her clothing and hair. She giggles like a schoolgirl, swatting at Beca's hands shyly. It makes the brunette grin stupidly, filled to the brim with excitement and adoration. Wrapping Chloe in a hug, she leans up and kisses her jaw, whining out a small, "I love you" as she shakes the redhead.

Chloe turns her head down to capture her mouth, smiling as she says, "I- love- you- too," pecking Beca on the lips in between each word.

Beca takes Chloe's hand and leads her back into the main area of the store, hastened only by the rustling of boxes from the other side of storage.

She sighs loudly, remembering how adorable Chloe was as they said goodbye at the redhead's car, with a cute, little plaintive, "I miss you already." Emily pauses at the sound, turning to look at Beca.

"Did you not like that idea? Was it, like, super weird and not good?" Beca jerks, finally coming back into the situation. She shakes her head.

"No uh, sorry. I was thinking about something else. It's a good idea. I think we should keep the song clean and focus on the vocals." The look that Cynthia Rose is giving her makes the entire half of her body closest to her itch. She briefly flashes back to earlier, when she heard CR's voice float down the hallway outside of storage, singing casually.

"Will the song be cleaner than my storage room, Beca?" And it's a toss-up over who makes a stranger noise, between Beca's sputtered choking and Cynthia's wild snort. Awkwardly shrugging her shoulders, she avoids making eye contact.

"The storage room has always been dusty, so, for sure."

"You and Chloe didn't seem to have a problem with it." Emily sits up.

"Why were you showing her the storage room?" Beca coughs loudly over Cynthia Rose's laughter.

"I was showing her the inventory and stuff." And the laughter just builds.

"Oh, you were showing her something, alright. Just make sure you don't make a mess." With an eye roll, they go back to work.

Beca's got her laptop out on a stool next to her, explaining how she plans to construct the song. She points out the line of vocals, running through her intentions. They toss thoughts back and forth. One of the perks of working at a music store is that there's a plethora of musical equipment.

As they work on the song, she ponders how weird it is that they're deferring to her. Everyone gives their input but in the end, they seem to gravitate towards whatever she thinks is the best. It's a little befuddling, honestly.

In the middle of her musing, Jesse ambles over with a bit of a cowboy swagger, hands in his front pockets. He's even got the rebel smirk that's normally on her own face.

"Let's go out tonight, guys. We haven't been to Ashley's in a while." Emily pouts.

"I'm not old enough to drink." Beca chuckles.

"We can get you a juice box, Bambi. With a bendy straw and everything." Everybody titters, and Cynthia Rose pats Emily's back comfortingly. Beca starts packing up. It's still relatively light out, but with November starting to settle in, the sun is departing faster and faster these days.

"So, meet at 7? Food and then reconvene?" She stands up and claps her hands like she's closing a staff meeting instead of settling plans. In the ambient mix of background music and people talking, Beca thinks about Chloe. She sends a quick text before heading off to get a bite with Jesse.

"You inviting Chloe?" She nods.

"Yeah, just letting her know where we'll be if she wants to join." Beca doesn't mention that the invitation extends to Aubrey as well. Jesse shrugs his jacket on as they head out.

"Are you planning on drinking tonight?" Beca shakes her head.

"Not too much. I don't really feel like getting drunk or anything."


This so wasn't the plan. She's drunk. She's really, really drunk.

And she's drunk inside a bathroom stall. With Chloe.

She's sure she'll be embarrassed about this later, when she's sober. When she's not being smothered in an alcohol and lust-induced haze. She's sure that she'll think this wasn't such a great idea. When she's not being pinned against the side of this tiny metal box in the bathroom of her friend's bar with her girlfriend going to town on her neck and between her legs.

"Oh my God." Her head slams back against the wall as Chloe's thrusts hit just right. The redhead's drunken chuckles slide into her ear, followed by a warm breath and a hot tongue.

As she's praying to different deities - all of them, just in case - she fuzzily hears the bathroom door open. The voices sound familiar. Chloe, ever the adventerous lover, simply ignores the added head count and continues her ministrations. There are two distinct voices.

"So, you seem to really like her." There's a giggle.

"I do. Ash is amazing. She's so kind and like, really crazy, too." Another laugh, from the first voice. Wait, doesn't she have a friend with that nickname?

"I'm happy for you, Jessica." Wait. Doesn't Chloe have a friend named Jessica?

"Thanks, Aubrey! We have to find you someone, too. Though, a little birdy tells me you've got someone on your mind already?" WAIT. Doesn't Chloe also know an Aubrey? How many Aubrey's could there possibly be? This time, when Beca calls to a deity, it's with a bit of panic. "Oh God."

The voices outside pause. She feels herself starting to sweat nervously, adding to everything else that's on her. Like Chloe's lipstick.

"Doesn't that sound like...?"

And Chloe, her dear, lovely Chloe, chooses, in the lull of speaking, to drop to her knees and show Beca just how grateful she is for the brunette's loving from this afternoon.

With absolutely no warning and no warm-up, her tongue is buried deep and Beca is completely defenseless against the moan. Her hands scramble uselessly against the walls of the stall, and she finds space in her mind to be thankful that she decided not to change out of her Chucks as she just barely keeps from slipping. Her reaction seems to be exactly what Chloe's looking for, because she giggles.

Beca's biting her lip so hard that she's sure she's going to bite through it. This is like a leveled-up version of earlier events, with higher stakes because if Aubrey catches them, Beca's probably going to be stabbed if she doesn't do something right. It seems like something that would happen. She's already been given 'the talk' from the blonde, after all. She tries to pull Chloe up, to stop her until her friends are at least out of the bathroom, but apparently yanking on her hair below her loose bun only fuels the fire.

Chloe moans loudly, reaching around to grab a handful of her backside. Beca squeaks. Someone's washing their hands, and Aubrey clears her throat.

"You know, I'd recognize my best friend's voice anywhere, right? Even if she were, say, to be vocalizing in a manner that doesn't necessarily consist of words?" And Beca isn't sure who she's talking to, but she's really turned on and absolutely terrified and horribly confused. Jessica laughs like everyone's at a picnic and Aubrey just told a joke. She tries to whisper to her girlfriend.

"Chlo, fuck. Chloe." Her call is subsequently ignored.

"And I would also recognize my best friend's girlfriend's voice, because that's pretty distinct, too." Beca screws her eyes shut as the redhead goes into overdrive, fucking her like they're not ten feet away from her best friend. As much as she attempts to stymie her release, it's inevitable and she's coming undone around Chloe, bucking and moaning. The redhead strokes along and inside her softly, drawing it out and slowly bringing her down. Even drunk in a bar restroom, Chloe's so caring. The juxtaposition is a little jarring.

"Judging from the sounds, it seems like a certain best friend was busy giving her girlfriend a good experience?" And why is Aubrey trying to have a conversation? Chloe drags her hand away from Beca's ass and smacks the stall door twice, loudly. She detaches her mouth to yell, "Oh my God, Aubrey. Get out of the bathroom already!"

Their laughter drifts off as they leave.

Beca's fairly certain there's no real visual difference between a flush of arousal and one of dire mortification, but she definitely feels one. Chloe seems to sense the disturbance, standing up to embrace her, cooing softly. She can tell that the redhead feels a little guilty.

"I'm okay. I just wish we were alone." She kisses up Chloe's neck, having to raise her feet a bit to match the redhead's height in heels. With a fast but firm peck on the lips, she smiles softly.

"I really don't know if I can look them in the eye, though." Chloe's bubbly laughter widens her grin.

"I guess you know how I felt when we got frisky in my car now." Beca scoffs.

"Not even close to the same thing, dude. My friends weren't in the same room."

They continue their petty argument as they rejoin the group of friends at the booths. Friends Beca tries to pretend aren't there. Aubrey's got a smirk a mile wide though, and it's like there's blood in the water with how much she reminds Beca of a shark in that moment. She sits back in her seat, eyeing the brunette.

"So. Beca. It seems there are some things I didn't know about you." Beca looks up at the dark ceiling, wishing that something would come crashing through it and distract everyone.

"Want to tell us about how sturdy you think the bathroom stalls are?" And there's a chorus of guffaws, bookended by snorts from Fat Amy. Chloe rubs her thigh underneath the table, but she's looking plenty satisfied, if not just a hair predatory.

"They're great, Aubrey. Everything is great." She's getting ready to launch into some teasing about her and Jesse, who is staring at the blonde with a faraway smile, but her torture seems to be unending tonight. Stacie leans forward, almost lunging.

"Short Stack. Becs. Beca. Come on." Beca just takes a deep breath, knowing that there's going to be something ridiculous at the end of this. "On a scale of one to ten, ten being mind-blowing orgasms and ruined panties, rate Chloe's sexual prowess."

There's more laughter, some whistles, and an insufferable smirk from one girlfriend with superb bedroom skills - that extend outside of said bedroom. Beca sips her fruity cocktail, much more sober after having the rush of the bathroom run-in burn through some of it. She's still loose enough to make some flirtatious quips, though. Plus, she can't let Aubrey have this. She'll be embarrassed privately, but for now, she's going to sack up and play it cool.

"I think Aubrey can tell you how highly I'd rate Chloe." The blonde blushes, a vibrant red that tinges even her ears. Beca smirks, finally feeling level again now that she's not the only one being thrown off-balance. She comments around the lip of her glass, "Though, if you couldn't tell from just looking at her, my girlfriend is pretty fucking amazing in bed."

She can tell how pleased Chloe is with her statement. Her eyes are brighter than bright, and she's pink in the cheeks. Everyone is cheering and toasting, celebrating like some team just won a game. The jubilance spreads to nearby tables, and strangers start cheering, too.

In the din, all the sound seems to fade the longer she stares at Chloe.

Her hair is up in a low bun, fiery tendrils curling down here and there, framing her face. She's toying with the straw of her drink, laughing at something Flo is saying as she places more drinks on the table. The dress that she wore tonight makes her eyes pop, a sparkly blue number with a modest choker neckline that cuts high but has a low back. The way the light glints off of her bare shoulders makes her want to kiss them. When Amy makes an outlandish joke about crocodiles and underwear, Chloe's whole body shakes in the uproar of her merriment.

Beca skates her hand across the flowy skirt of the redhead's dress, catching her hand and lacing their fingers. When Chloe looks her way, she leans in and kisses the redhead softly. It's happily returned, and the normally boisterous Chloe is quiet in reverent observation. She seems as content as Beca feels. The brunette turns away to watch the others.

Flo is being propositioned by yet another dashing bargoer as they laugh. She's long since stopped accepting shots from the patrons due to her popularity.

Stacie is toasting with Cynthia Rose as they heckle Flo from the booth, throwing out flirtatious line after line. A curvy brunette approaches, winking at Cynthia Rose and sliding a piece of paper over. Stacie whistles when CR pockets it.

Benji and Emily seem to only see each other as they both drink apple juice. Beca thinks it's really cute that he elected to stay away from alcohol for her.

Lilly is sitting at a different table, beatboxing with a group of guys Beca hasn't seen before. Fat Amy cheers them on from next to Chloe, deciding to get up when a loud man challenges her to a drinking contest.

Ashley is leaning against the booth, running idle fingers through Jessica's hair as they talk. Her eyes occasionally scan the bar but always return to the woman in front of her.

When she brings her gaze over to Jesse and Aubrey, she notices that they've drifted closer, sitting at a separate small table. He's waving his hands around, fingers of one hand curled around his beer. Probably telling another dumb joke that Aubrey inexplicably finds funny.

Looking at all of their friends, Beca's hit with this burst of warmth. She feels her eyes start to prickle, tingling with emotions she pretends not to have when it comes to people who aren't Chloe. She rests her temple against the redhead's shoulder, finally planting that kiss that she was thinking about on it.


As the night ends, Beca's standing outside with some of the group.

The bar hasn't closed yet, but it's late enough that people have started leaving. Benji's next to Emily, pulling thornless roses out of his hair and giving them to her until she has a dozen. Jesse and Aubrey are still inside, and Beca's decided to leave them alone all night, knowing that her teasing would put some serious dents in the timeline. Lilly is off to the side, with a couple of the beatboxing guys, impressing them with her ability to pick up the skill. The brunette turns around as Chloe's finishing with calling a cab.

So many things about this moment feel so familiar. She hasn't been forced to sing anything, but she has spent a large portion of the night with a beautiful woman. The déjàvu just wouldn't be complete if she didn't sing to Chloe as they awaited the cab. She pulls the redhead to her. Chloe smiles.

"What's up, Becs?" She starts singing something she's been writing during her free time at work.

"I met you in the dark, you lit me up. You made me feel as though I was enough." Chloe bites her lip as her eyes twinkle knowingly.

"We danced the night away, we drank too much." A wink from the redhead. "I held your hair back when you were throwing up." A laugh, because that happened once when Chloe was sick and it was Beca's turn to take care of her. The memory of heroically fighting her own nausea makes her smile.

"Then you smiled over your shoulder. For a minute, I was stone-cold sober. I pulled you closer to my chest." She brings her arms around Chloe, hugging her loosely as the redhead traces her collarbone. "And you asked me to stay over. I said, I already told ya, I think that you should get some rest." She tip-toes to kiss Chloe briefly. The redhead wrinkles her nose to vainly fight her grin.

"I knew I loved you then, but you'd never know. 'Cause I played it cool when I was scared of letting go." A tear slips free from where it swam around icy blue eyes. "I know I needed you, but I never showed. But I wanna stay with you until we're gray and old." Chloe chuckles wetly as more tears escape. Around them, the others have gone quiet. Beca hugs her tighter as she sings quietly, "Just say you won't let go."

Chloe husks out another laugh, full of tears as she sniffs once. She shakes her head and wipes her eyes. Beca tracks red strands as they flow with the movement. A delicate hand pinching her chin brings her attention back.

"This is almost just like the first night we met, Becs." She winks at Chloe, and that elicits a small, fascinated giggle.

"How do you keep doing that?" Beca raises her eyebrows in question. She mumbles out a, "Do what?" The redhead draws her in by her hold for a quick kiss.

"Make me love you more." And Beca's heart zings. It flies around, lifted by the storm of butterflies, set on fire from the heat generated by the beating of a hundred thousand fluttering wings inside of her. She feels choked up, but instead of crying like she wants to, she squints her eyes and shrugs. In contrast to her unaffected reaction, her words are bursting with the emotion roaring inside of her like a whirlwind.

"I love you so much. Sometimes I feel like I don't tell you enough. So, like, I've kind of been writing a song, because you're turning me into this disgustingly cheesy, lovestruck... zombie," she barks out the last word, struggling to find a description that's apt, "And I think that I can still make it badass even though it's corny because really, writing music makes musicians hotter, if-mmph." Chloe cuts off her emotional rambling with a passionate kiss that has all of the energy of a healthy thunderstorm. It rolls around inside of her, shaking and trembling and tumultuous. It's like lightning, white-hot and immediate, shooting through her. She grasps at Chloe, palming up her back, reveling in the smooth skin she finds. They break away at the sound of clapping nearby.

Emily's bouncing up and down, incredibly excited for her friends. As the cab pulls up, she moves to leave with Benji, a cheery little, "Congrats, guys!" making its way over to them as they wave. Chloe giggles, turning to open the door of the car. She leans down to rest her head on it between her hands. The redhead watches as Beca twists to look at her from the other side, placing her palms on either side of Chloe's. She brings their fingers together, drawing both hands to her lips to pepper kisses along Beca's knuckles.

From behind their joined hands, with eyes so dazzling that the brunette actually has to blink more than once, Chloe murmurs, "Come home with me this time, Beca."

And as she slides into the cab next to the redhead, Beca can't help but think that maybe moments like this were meant to be, because everything about Chloe feels like destiny.


AN: Kim, you're still the tits.

Song: James Arthur - Say You Won't Let Go