Anon prompted: non-established, Chloe asks to use Beca's computer and when she opens it, there's a mix open that Beca's been working on called "Chloe" and it's equal parts sexy and romantic.
You would think that someone who is so effortlessly able to do about six things at once with a mixing deck would have less of a one-track mind. As it is, Beca is incapable of really hearing anything being said around her when she's already knee-deep in a discussion with someone else. The 'someone else' on this occasion is Emily and their conversation is, from the sounds of it, centred around their demo and how Beca's boss's reaction to it is continuing to ripple. And Chloe doesn't really want to derail their train of thought completely, so she quietly approaches Beca and lightly presses a hand to the small of her back, leaning into her just a little.
"Bec?" The captain jerks her head around, blinking owlishly at Chloe while her mouth hangs open, mid-sentence. "Sorry." She flashes Emily a rueful smile. "My laptop is dead. Can I borrow yours? Five minutes tops. I just need-" Beca nods, waving a hand toward Chloe.
"Yeah, dude. It's fine." She says, obviously distracted and with her brain already turning her head back to Emily before she loses track of what she was saying. Chloe pats her back and takes the stairs two at a time, padding across the landing and ascending to the shared attic bedroom.
Beca's laptop is where it usually is, plugged into a mess of sound equipment on her desk, and Chloe plops down into the computer chair, glancing around at the madness of Beca's workstation with a soft smile before thumbing the space bar. When the screen blinks to life, she's greeted with an extension of that madness; the program Beca uses to mix. She's seen the interface a thousand times and has even had the master herself try to explain how it works, what does what, numerous times, but it's a bit beyond Chloe's expertise. That and anytime Beca goes into what she has affectionately dubbed 'pro mode', Chloe sort of gets distracted by the way Beca's mouth moves when she speaks and the way her eyes light up whenever she talks about music. Really talks about it, beyond what should and shouldn't be in their set list.
As Chloe's eyes roam over the screen, she notes that there are a few more track windows open than usual and quickly realises that Beca's attempting to mix all of them into one cohesive melody. She hikes her eyebrows, impressed. She makes a mental note to ask Beca if she can listen later and strokes her index finger over the touch pad until the little arrow is hovering over the minimize icon.
It's the title of the mix that catches her attention. It's completely by accident, she's merely following the path of the cursor, but seeing your own name often has that kind of effect. Makes you do a double take. And Chloe does, in a manner that would be comical were anyone else around to see it, then her face lights up because Beca Mitchell is making her a mix and, when strung together, those are seven of the most exciting words in any language to her. Because Beca's made her mixes in the past and Chloe has adored each and every one of them. Listened to them until other members of the Bella house had begged her to stop and then she'd listened some more, but only via headphones. Usually Beca's. Usually snagged from right around the brunette's neck while she's not paying attention.
And in that moment, Chloe doesn't think of it as snooping. She's just really, really excited and, while she does spare a thought towards the idea that she's spoiling the surprise, she can't help herself. She wants so desperately to know what songs have inspired Beca to tackle such a seemingly insurmountable endeavour. Her eyes flicker to the window at the top left of the screen and her brow furrows when 'Breathe – Télépopmusik' doesn't jog any of her musical memories. She resists the itch to hit play though and slides her gaze to the next window.
Massive Attack's 'Teardrop' is one of her top ten favourite songs of all time. Beca knows this because Chloe has made her write out a top ten list twice annually since they met and that song has appeared on all of the ones Chloe has handed to her. Her stomach doesn't start somersaulting until she reads the third track listing and even then it's really just a tiny back flip. Because while 'Love To Love You Baby' is an undeniably sexy song, it's also a song everyone loves, and so the flip is, Chloe thinks, largely unwarranted.
But then Jakalope's 'Feel It' actually sends her stomach roiling, throws her head into a spin, and sets her whole body on fire. Because that song is basically Beca's lady jam equivalent, something Chloe had weaselled out of her during an alcohol-infused night that the aforementioned brunette had claimed not to remember the next morning. She feels hot from her toes right up to her face and wonders, briefly, if she's blushing. Breathing suddenly slightly more laboured than it had been moments ago, she flicks her attention towards the last track and feels all of that external heat turn inward when she reads 'kiss you all over – exile'. The air turns thick and stifling, as her brain puts the very large, glaringly obvious pieces together and comes away with only one possible conclusion.
Her name is at the top of this mix. Her name.
"Chloe!" She hears Beca calling it from the floor below. "Chloe, hold on!" Hears it grow clearer as she nears. "I need to-" Hears the muttered "shit" as Beca stumbles on the stairs and the final "Chloe, please, wait" as she crests the horizon of the staircase and finally appears. Chloe sees her, a Beca-shaped blur in her periphery, but she can't quite look away from screen just yet. Her brain hasn't caught up to the rest of her body. "Shit." But the anger in Beca's voice snaps her out of it. Or maybe it isn't anger, maybe it's some potent mix of a handful of different things, all of which paint themselves across Beca's features. Chloe sees them all flare to life when she turns her head and catches Beca's gaze. There's a beat where neither one of them dares breathe and Chloe can feel her heart pounding its way towards her throat.
"Bec-" Her breath hitches and holds as Beca closes the distance between them and reaches around Chloe to slam the lid of her laptop down, before straightening and backing away. She stares at Chloe then, as the redhead blows the air out of her lungs, and she can't decide if the way dark blue eyes are shining screams betrayal or devastation. Beca brings a hand up to tug harshly at her hair.
"Fuck." And Chloe just manages to catch the way her expression crumples before Beca turns and flees back down the stairs. Then there's panic as Chloe's heartbeats match Beca's rapid footfalls and she registers what's happening as well as what could be happening, and all at once she's rising from the chair and spinning herself around the bannister to follow.
"Beca!" Her voice cracks unexpectedly as she races after her, almost tripping over her feet in her haste. "Beca, wait!"
"Chloe, please," Beca's waving a hand at her again as she crosses the landing ahead of her, "I can't."
"Will you just stop and talk to me." Before Beca can make it past the first stair, Chloe manages to grab the sleeve of her t-shirt and it jerks her backwards just enough for the redhead to wrap her fingers around a slim wrist and pull Beca back. She stumbles up the step and roughly twists herself out of Chloe's grasp, midnight-blue eyes burning. Glassy in a way that makes Chloe's heart ache.
"About what? What can there possibly be for us to talk about, Chlo?" She flinches at the way Beca says her name, all forced callousness and a coldness that's alien, and even though she knows what Beca's doing, it hurts. "You saw. So, you know. And I'd really like to skip over the patronizing bullshit that inevitably comes next." Rolling her eyes, Chloe folds her arms over her chest, mildly annoyed by the fact that even the things that should be simple are often still so complicated when Beca's involved.
"I know you think you know everything, Bec, but you don't." Beca makes for the stairs again but Chloe flings an arm out to block her path, resting her other hand against the brunette's shoulder and pushing her back against the hallway wall with a little more force than is probably necessary. "Can you stop acting like an embarrassed child for one second?" Beca deflates a little at that, but her posture remains stiff and her gaze downcast. Her face is drawn, expression painfully pensive like she's going over a million things that might have resulted in a different outcome, and Chloe heaves a sigh. "Look at me."
"I'm not-"
"Look at me, Beca." She can count on one hand the number of times she's been genuinely annoyed with Beca Mitchell. This instance is quickly working its way to the top of that list. Beca does eventually do as she's told though and the fear that's shining in watery eyes is turning their rims red, melting Chloe's annoyance away to nothing. She sighs again and lifts the hand at Beca's shoulder to the brunette's cheek, brushing her thumb over smooth skin. Her heart thumps behind her ribs, steady and solid, certain for a change, and she wonders if Beca can hear the heavy beats. She stares back at Chloe, unblinking, as sky-blue eyes narrow. "How many Chloe's do you know?" Beca's expression once more twists towards hurt and she turns her head away, muttering something Chloe can't make out. "Just answer the question, Beca." Because as impulsive as Chloe is, she has to be sure. Fingers lightly gripping Beca's chin, Chloe jerks her back around.
"Jesus Christ, Chloe! One! You know that-" She presses Beca into the wall, until their bodies are flush, and catches still-moving lips in a kiss that Chloe's been thinking about for a long while now. She feels Beca's body respond instantly, hand coming up to twist the hem of Chloe's shirt between slender fingers, and Beca's mouth doesn't miss a beat. She doesn't hesitate, doesn't freeze; she lets Chloe in with a soft whimper and curves her hand around the back of the redhead's neck, holding her close. Chloe sinks into it, keeps the pace somewhere in the infinite space between slow and hurried, and breathes out a silent 'finally' against Beca's skin.
When they break apart, Chloe ducks down to rest her forehead against the shorter woman's.
"Can I listen to it some time?" She asks and after a few seconds of silence, Beca laughs.
"Yeah, okay."