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Beca didn't experience much empathy, and this was something that took Chloe, who was quite sensitive, a while to adjust to.
At first, she thought Beca just didn't care about people's feelings and had the occasional tendency to be rude but, once she got to know her more, she could see that wasn't the case.
It's not like Beca ever enjoyed the arguments with her friends or seeing people upset, she just didn't get it.
One day, she caved and just asked Beca what the deal was, something she probably should've just done from jump. Beca appreciated her asking, though. Most people throughout her life had written these behaviors of hers off as someone who was just insensitive and uncaring, but she never meant any harm, so she appreciated that the ginger was making an effort to understand.
"I don't really experience empathy" Beca explained. "Or, when I do, it's not a lot"
"Oh" Chloe replied. Her eyes were slightly wide. This sort of thing was something she only had ever heard of being typical to sociopaths, but Beca wasn't a sociopath... Was she? "Wait, why?"
"I'm... I don't know" Beca admitted. "I think it's the same thing that's behind most of the odd things about my brain, but I don't have the money yet to see a doctor or anything about it"
"Do you think it can be cured?"
"I don't think it needs to be" Beca shrugged. "That would completely change how I interact with people" she went on. "I don't enjoy seeing people not doing well, I just don't feel for them the way you do" she explained. "And, if it's not someone I care about, then I struggle to care at all"
"Do you care when it's me?"
"Of course" Beca nodded. Chloe felt something warm bloom in her chest, though she wasn't sure quite what the feeling was.
"Very flattering, Bec" the ginger smiled, eliciting a small chuckle from the other woman. "Thank you for explaining it to me. I think I understand better now"
"Thank you for asking"
"I'm sorry if I ever made you feel bad for it" Chloe apologized. Beca just shrugged. "I just didn't understand"
"I understand, it's okay"
"Bellas?" Chloe held out her pinky finger. Beca smiled and curled her own pinky around it.
"Bellas."