Prompt: "Somehow one day Beca gets an asthma attack and faints."

A/N 1 – So I have exercise induced asthma – which I'm sure is just asthma for lazy people – and I kind of know that when you actually faint during an attack, shit gets serious really quickly and I didn't really want to write about hospitals in this story again, so I tweaked it, just a little…

Just Breathe

Chloe remembers the moment Aubrey had asked her that question just shy of the blonde's graduation. It was something she was sure she could never forget; there was something serious about her tone and almost a pleading in her eyes when she pulled her away from the crowded party, "What do you see in Beca Mitchell that I don't?""

It was a hard hitting question that Aubrey made no attempt to build up to; she just came outright with it, looking baffled. Chloe had laughed, her smile stretching from ear to ear as she thought of some of the reasons she and Beca were perfect together.

But considering their environment and the amount of alcohol her best friend had drank leading up to her asking, Chloe just shrugged with an even bigger grin, "There simply wouldn't be enough time for me to tell you, Bree."

God wasn't that the truth - Chloe loved everything; every perfection and every fault was what made Beca Mitchell so, well, Beca.

But then it got her thinking and she was sure her girlfriend all but noticed the glee in her face and the not so subtle side glances for the rest of the night and a few days after. It was no secret Chloe had spent all of that year slowly chipping away at Beca's elusive exterior but she never gave in. No matter how many times the younger woman pushed her away both physically and emotionally; Chloe was hooked and she never stopped until she was allowed to see every aspect of her.

It was more than just worth the wait.

Chloe loved confident Beca; the woman who would make bold flirtatious comments and pull Chloe into a heated kiss in a busy crowd; or the way she would elegantly drag her fingers over the keys of her laptop with a proud smile as she worked on a mix.

She thought nervous Beca was the most adorable thing she'd ever seen. Chloe will never forget the way she stuttered through her love confession in the corner of the auditorium after practise or how she'd fought with the back of Chloe's bra for a sold three minutes the first time they slept together. The redhead had eventually directed Beca's hands to her chest with a soft "it opens at the front, Becs" and a blush quickly followed.

Sleepy Beca was one of her favourites - who was she kidding; they all were. When in the haze of sleep in a morning she would sink into the crook of Chloe's shoulder and pepper her neck with soft delicate kisses and it made the redhead feel like she was walking on cloud nine for the rest of the day. It was also the time Beca turned into an almost clingy child and would outstretch her arms for Chloe's touch with a cute pout on her face until Chloe snuggled closer – Yeah, it was adorable.

It seemed Beca could effortlessly communicate how she felt or what she wanted to say simply with a look or a touch and vice versa – that was a testament to the strong bond of their friendship and relationship.

But the look in Beca's eyes right now was one she couldn't read as clearly as usual.

Aubrey had arrived back at Barden to visit for a few days and offered to help lead a cardio class for the Bellas. After much convincing, Beca and Fat Amy reluctantly agreed (the most difficult ones to persuade) and dragged their feet around the bleachers defeated as Aubrey's barks of 'encouragement' – she wasn't sure she would call it that – echoed off the walls and around the auditorium.

Chloe's eyes would naturally find Beca's in a crowd, so it was no surprise they had been stealing glances at each other throughout the practise. Usually the younger woman would mouth insults aimed at Aubrey to her from across the room as she tried to stifle a laugh, or roll her eyes when Aubrey insisted they run faster.

This look wasn't like the others; it seemed almost worried, no, panicked in fact. Chloe stopped running, ignoring Aubrey's shouts as she watched Beca stop, remaining stationary and supporting all of her weight on one of the hand rails. Her breathing was uneven and laboured and Chloe's legs were already moving towards her girlfriend before studying the look further.

As she got closer, it became apparent Beca was having an asthma attack of some sort and the panic and fear reflected back from Beca's eyes and into her own - Beca never told her she had asthma.

Growing up, Chloe had had her fair share of experiences with asthma; her little brother Jake suffered really bad with it during his younger years and Chloe was the only one who could calm him down and even out his breathing.

It seemed old habits never die and the redhead was instantly lowering Beca to sit on the step with her hands on her forearms. The rest of the Bellas were turning their heads now and Aubrey promptly silencing her orders. The rest of the group were crowding around them, concerned, as Chloe was looking into Beca's eyes and gently rubbing her hands up and down her biceps.

"Beca, look at me, just breathe. In and out, slowly. It's OK, I'm here, just breathe."

She shooed the rest of the Bellas away trying to give Beca her space; Chloe was taking long and deep breaths of her own, urging Beca to imitate her.

When the fear in Beca's eyes wasn't fading, the redhead was cupping her cheeks, "Babe, just try and forget everything and focus on my breaths. You're going to be OK."

Beca was wheezing, almost gasping for air as her eyes frantically searched Chloe's as they darted back and forth. Her shoulders were rattling and short raspy breaths leaked from her lips as she desperately tried to inhale more oxygen into her lungs. Her head was slumping to rest on Chloe's shoulder and suddenly the older woman was scared – usually Jake would come out of it by now.

"I have an inhaler!" Jessica shouted, rushing to her bag and running back to the step Chloe and Beca were currently slumped on. Chloe took it with an appreciative smile before lifting Beca's head and pushing it into her hands with a quick "Here, use this."

Beca was bringing it to her lips slowly, like the inhaler weighed one hundred times heavier than it was and took two long puffs.

It seemed to work, easing the rasping and wheeze in Beca's throat.

"Just relax, Becs. Take a minute to catch your breath."

After a couple of minutes her breathing almost returned to normal and she was shuffling even closer into Chloe's side. Her head was burying itself into her shoulder as Beca attempted to ground herself and maintain a steady heart rate. Chloe placed a light kiss to her temple and rubbed comforting circles on her back, "It's OK. It's all OK."

XXX

They had cut practise short after that, all of the Bellas fussing over Beca as they made their way across campus together and back to the house. Beca was back to normal now, and in typical fashion, brushed off their hugs and insisted she was "absolutely fine."

Chloe kept a tight grip on the sweaty hand in hers the entire time, not able to let go. Beca looked and sounded fine but it had scared her; for a minute she wasn't sure what to do and things slowly slipped out of her control. Beca would tell her she was just being over dramatic but Chloe couldn't help but let her mind ponder the worst; what if Jessica hadn't of had that inhaler? What would she had done if…

"Hey, are you OK?"

Beca was gently tugging on her hand and pulling her back to the front door, as Aubrey and the rest of the Bella's carried on.

"Yeah" she replied, forcing a smile.

"That was your fault…"

Chloe's face dropped, as she scanned Beca's eyes worriedly.

"…You looked so hot today, you literally took my breath away" she smirked, wrapping her hands around Chloe's waist and pulling her closer.

"Beca, that isn't funny. What if-"

"Chlo, life is way too short for what-if's, I'm fine; don't worry about it."

Before Chloe could reply, Beca was pressing a quick kiss to her lips and turning around to pull Chloe into the kitchen with her hips.

XXX

It was supposed to be pizza and movie night, but the Bellas had decided to call it an early night. Beca was the last to shower and change into her pyjamas, so when she walked into the living room asking what "crappy movie" they would be watching this time, everyone had shuffled uncomfortably, informing they were all just going to go to bed.

So, yeah, maybe Chloe had a quiet word whilst Beca showered but she needed her rest, OK?

"What? But movie night is like sacred to you guys, right?" Beca had questioned before Chloe was gently pushing her closer to the stairs and into her room.

"Bree feels awful" Chloe said, curled next to her on the bed, her leg wrapped around Beca's thigh.

"I know, we talked. I told her not to worry about it" she whispered into Chloe's hair with a smile.

"And I'm going to tell you exactly the same thing…" she added, pulling away to look at her girlfriend properly, "…please stop worrying."

Chloe closed her eyes for a second and breathed out a defeated sigh, "OK, I'll try."

It was ridiculous to think Beca was the one who actually suffered her first asthma attack today and she was telling everybody else not to worry. Chloe couldn't expect anything less really; although Beca didn't want many people to know it she made a habit of putting the people she cared about before herself.

It was another reason she could have listed to Aubrey eight months ago; if they had the time.

"I made a doctor's appointment earlier, so I'm all good" she assured moving to turn on her side.

"Good" Chloe smiled, mirroring her girlfriend's positon and lightly running the pad of her thumb over her cheek.

"Thank you" Beca mumbled against her lips just before she closed the distance and kissed them.

"For what?" Chloe asked, breathlessly, the curiosity winning her internal battle as she eventually pulled her mouth away, not allowing herself to get lost in the kiss.

"I don't know, for being there. And, like, reminding me to inhale oxygen and expel carbon dioxide" she shrugged with a smirk but then nervous Beca was making an appearance.

She cast her eyes down to the bedsheets between them and busied her hands by rubbing circles on Chloe's arm, "You stayed with me and made me feel calm – I don't think I would have been able to act so cool about it now if you hadn't been there."

"I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, Becs."

Her words were spoken lightly and her finger softly poked Beca's shoulder with a smile. They had an underlining meaning; a quick and reassuring reminder that Chloe was in this for the long haul. Chloe was aware of Beca's biggest fears and insecurities and being left alone was on the top of that list.

Chloe wasn't leaving, ever.

"God, just tell me how to get rid of you already!" Beca teased, rolling her body on top of a now laughing Chloe with a mischievous smile.

Nervous Beca was quickly evaporating and replaced with her confidence. A finger was dipping under the waistband of Chloe's pyjama shorts as Beca assaulted her neck with open mouthed kisses. The redhead was grabbing Beca's wrist and pushing it the rest of the way down her body before breathing out a quiet "I'm pretty sure that…" she tightened her grip momentarily with the raise of her eyebrow, "…isn't going to make me go away."

Beca's hot breath bounced off Chloe's collarbone as the brunette let out a chuckle, "Good job I don't want you to go then, isn't it?"

XXX

A/N 2 – Loved it? Hated it? Thought it was kind of "meh"? Let me know in the reviews.

Thank you for reading and thanks for prompting :)