author's note: there's going to be one more after this one.
(this one has slightly mature themes though nothing explicit.)
chapter two: i swear i could never burn out under your starlight
Beca dropped her mug gently on the desk and picked up her keys as the alarm blared through the fire station. She exits the pantry and bumps into Chloe, her eyes widening.
"Bec!" Chloe smiled at her. Beca tilted her head to the side and stared at her. Jeans and a button up blouse, her red hair bunned up messily and her eyes shining as usual. Beca must've been staring too long because Chloe poked at her shoulder gently. "Hey."
She's known Chloe for a long time now, longer than she can remember.
"Chloe." Beca breathed and cocked her head to the side again. "Hey, look I want to talk but—" She points at the flashing red light by the door and motions to the loud siren sounds ringing though the station. Chloe grins and nods tucking a loose strand of hair behind Beca's ear and stroking at her cheek once.
Beca blinked and took a tiny step back. She knew she shouldn't be messing with the chief's daughter, of anyone in the world. Her eyes focused on Chloe's sapphire irises before snapping out again when Chloe poked her cheek.
"Go save the world, Mitchell." Chloe laughs and Beca's heart stops. "I'll buy you coffee later."
Beca rushes off with the feeling of Chloe's warm hand against her cheek a moment ago.
Chloe bustles around the area busily, checking for injuries and making sure everyone was alright. Beca stands by the fire truck, leaning against the trunk as she surveys the situation.
"We got everyone out in time." Beca motions to the paramedics tending to the shocked casualties. The chief nods quickly, blurting a good job and awkwardly patting Beca on the back before rushing off to check on others. Chloe's at Beca's side in a matter of seconds.
"You're okay?" She gripped Beca's arm and concern washed over her features. Beca smiled and her heart fluttered at the smile that Chloe returned. She nodded quickly as Chloe's hands frantically account for her minute injuries. She poked gently at a slowly forming bruise on Beca's collarbone and the brunette winced. Chloe laughed and stepped back.
"You're okay." She finally breathed, pulling her hands away from Beca and Beca let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Beca nodded and Chloe pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. "You're okay."
Beca hears a distant Chloe, we need you here and she squeezed Chloe's arm once.
"Go save the world, Beale." Beca laughed and nodded her chin at the direction of the ambulance.
"Shut up." Chloe jabbed at Beca's ribs before taking off.
"I was thinking we go for ice cream instead." Chloe suddenly brought up as Beca packed up at her locker.
"What?"
"I'm treating you to coffee, hero." Chloe rolled her eyes, a small smile playing at her lips. Beca mouthed a quiet oh and nodded.
"Sure."
Later when Chloe hands her a chocolate fudge cone at the ice cream parlour, her eyes widen and she clenches her teeth before receiving the cone. Thank you slipped from her lips softly and Chloe only smiled at her.
Beca thought she was going to die.
Her lungs were hurting and her eyes were tearing up uncontrollably. She wheezed loudly when she finally located the small boy trapped by the raging fire. She managed a weak hey as she stepped forward and picked the boy up over her shoulder. Stumbling over falling beams and ceilings, she collapsed on the lawn finally, her breathing erratic and her eyes squeezed shut. She dropped the boy in a paramedic's arms and inhaled the clean air around her quickly.
"Beca!" Came ripping though Beca's system and she was suddenly very aware of Chloe's hands cupping her cheeks. "Bec—"
"I'm okay, Chlo." Beca cut her off, a tired grin spreading on her face. Chloe was out of breath and her eyes filled with unshed tears.
"My father almost went in after you." Chloe sobbed, throwing her arms around Beca's neck. Beca wet her lips with the tip of her tongue and let out a breath.
"I'm okay, you're okay." She lifted her arms tiredly and gripped at Chloe's shirt. Chloe smelled nice, she inhaled deeply, nudging the redhead. "Hey."
"I got scared." Chloe pulled away, her voice a small whisper. Beca pushed herself up and pulled Chloe into a hug.
"I'm sorry." Beca kissed Chloe's forehead reassuringly. "I'm here."
Chloe insisted on following Beca home that night, even though Beca was cleared and declared that she didn't need further special assistance. The chief gave her two days off though, and she was thankful, honestly. She loved her job but she needed a break.
The redhead carried all of Beca's bags, not wanting her to put pressure on her sore areas. Beca chuckled and argued that she was fine but allowed Chloe to carry her items. They cooked up a simple dinner of microwaved Mac and Cheese and put on Netflix on Beca's laptop.
They stayed there for a solid three hours, Chloe nestled in between Beca's thighs and Beca laid down on her back. They finally made it back into Beca's room by eleven. Beca almost passed out once she hit her bed if not for Chloe's hands suddenly on her bare stomach. She suddenly became so so aware of Chloe in her personal space. Taking in a short breath, she arched her eyebrows.
Chloe ran her fingers over each of Beca's ribs again and Beca licked her lips as a smile broke on her face.
"I'm okay, Chloe." She mumbled. Chloe's grin forms and she's suddenly leaning down against Beca. The brunette's breath hitched while Chloe dragged her nails down Beca's midriff.
"Uh—"
And Chloe's lips are suddenly on hers. Beca's hands shot up to grip at Chloe's hips, currently straddling her own. And god, Beca almost passed out. She's been dreaming of this for the longest she could remember, now that it was happening, she froze. Chloe let out a tiny moan and Beca slipped her hands underneath the material of Chloe's t-shirt. She swiped at Chloe's bottom lip, drawing out another soft moan from the girl above her. A smirk formed on her lips as Chloe propped herself up against her palms on both sides of Beca's shoulders.
"Beca, I lost my mother in a fire." Chloe's voice suddenly grew very very small and Beca pulled herself up on her elbows. Her stomach clenched and her throat constricted tightly.
"I know."
"I was so scared, when you, you—" Beca pulled her down and stroked at her hair gently.
"I'm sorry." She reiterated and Chloe let out a shaky breath before her lips were on Beca's again. Beca's hands travelled up Chloe's back, tracing at her spine before she dragged her fingers over to Chloe's stomach and up to the top of her ribs.
Beca's fingers fiddled with Chloe's belt buckle and Chloe whined, pushing herself back and undoing the buckle herself.
"Eager, are we?" Beca smirked at the ginger and Chloe merely pushed her hips down against Beca's, eliciting a groan from the girl beneath her.
"You almost died today Mitchell, shut up."
(And as Chloe's hands descended down towards Beca's shorts, Beca shut up.)
Chloe would appear at Beca's house at the weirdest times, bringing bags of take out or just cups of coffee sometimes. Beca knew it was just an excuse to come here, she hoped she was right about that. Chloe would stay with Beca and keep her company, until somewhere along the way when things would escalate and Beca would push Chloe against the nearest wall.
They always end up in bed again, in Beca's bed, pressed close together as Beca's fingertips drag themselves gently over Chloe's bare back. And when Chloe asks sleepily if she could spend the night there, Beca found herself pulling Chloe closer to her and kissing the girl's forehead.
Her day could not get worse than this. Beca's been working twelve hours straight with no rest and barely any food in her system. On top of that, she got chewed out by the chief for losing someone to the fire. Of course she'd tried to get the little girl out from the fire, she tried so hard and yet she was being reprimanded for not even trying. Beca snapped at the chief and retreated into the resting room in the station, flopping down on the make shift bed.
She pulled the blankets over herself and muttered angry words at herself, until someone came in to drop a bag of Reese's on the side table and she cast them a side glance.
"We got you a bag of these things you like." Benji, one of the guys under Beca's command, spoke softly. Beca loved the guys, they'd always been like brothers to her, like family. Beca thanked him quietly and he left, sensing that his presence was definitely unwanted.
Beca buried herself deep in the blankets and screwed her eyes tightly shut. She almost fell asleep when the door opened with a gentle creak again.
"Go 'way." She mumbled, squeezing into a tighter ball. She felt a dip at the side of her bed and suddenly, the tiny weight was straddling her hips. Warm hands slipped under her shirt and caressed at her ribs, running down her midriff soothingly. Beca's eyes blinked open.
"Chlo," she whispered and twisted so that her back was fully on the bed instead of lying sideways.
"They told me not to disturb you." Chloe grinned. "But I told them I could make you feel better."
Beca arched an eyebrow at the redhead and suddenly, Chloe was all over. Her lips pressed quickly against Beca's and her hands scramble to unbuckle Beca's belt. Beca moaned low into Chloe's mouth and she smiled. Pulling away and earning a whine from the girl beneath her, Chloe pulled Beca's belt off and unbuttoned her pants quickly.
Beca almost made a comment about how they're in work place when suddenly, Chloe's fingers were pressing into her. A soft oh escaped her open lips and she took in the image of Chloe smirking at her. Chloe leaned down to nip at her neck, eliciting a low groan as Beca tried to contain herself.
As Beca came down from her high and Chloe pulled her fingers out from under the blanket, Beca's chest heaved heavily and she let out a sigh.
"Told you I could make you feel better." Chloe laughed, licking at her fingers. Beca only chuckled softly and tugged at Chloe's shirt, pulling her down to lay against her side.
"Thank you." She murmured softly into Chloe's hair and she felt the redhead smile against her neck.
(Thank you for everything.)
Beca couldn't fall in love with the chief's daughter, of anyone in the world, it had to be Chloe.
(It's always been Chloe.)
She did the only thing she was capable of doing, the only thing she felt she could do. She avoided Chloe. She spoke minimal amounts of words to Chloe and she avoided eye contact, because god, if she looked into those eyes, she's done for.
The chief dropped by her office after three days, holding out an ice cream cone while licking at another one himself. Beca cocked her head to the left and accepted the cone, licking at it immediately.
"What's with you and Chloe?" He asked, leaning back against Beca's desk. Beca shrugged.
"What do you mean?" Beca nipped at the edge of the cone. The chief sighed and Beca looked at him. He glanced at Beca and his mouth hung open slightly, as if saying I'm not stupid, Beca.
"I just—" Beca shrunk into her chair and held her ice cream away from her. "I killed her mother, I—I killed your wife."
"I know." The chief merely said, letting out a deep shaky breath. "But you weren't the one who started the fire."
"How would you know?" Beca's bottom lip was trembling and she took it between her teeth.
"Because I know you," the chief nudged at Beca's ice cream, which was starting to melt. "And you wouldn't ever do something like that."
The chief was like a father Beca never had, she felt herself tearing up at the thought of her father, he was barely a father to them. Beca pulled herself up and plunged into the chief's arms, murmuring thank you over and over again into his shirt. A low chuckle was heard and Beca felt the chief's body shaking a little as he laughed.
"Get off me, you're getting your ice cream on me." He grumbled affectionately and Beca pulled away, licking at the cone.
"Yes sir!" She saluted half mockingly and as the chief walked out of her office, she felt as if a huge weight was lifted off her.