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Baking.
Red was standing in the kitchen, preparing to bake with her girlfriend. How had her life gone from being a lost cause, practically a prisoner of Wonderland, to...this? How had her life gone from spending her days crying alone, to spending her days in the presence of who she was convinced was a literal angel?
It wasn't like she was going to complain. Things finally seemed to be good for her. She had a life, a future, here in Auradon, with her new friends, her sister, her kind mom, and her amazing girlfriend.
Her amazing girlfriend who was cracking an egg into a mixing bowl now.
"Okay," She laughed, "You do one." She handed Red the other egg, and Red gently pushed it back.
"I'll mess it up and get shell in the batter, Princess. You do it."
Chloe gave her a soft look, placing the egg back in Red's hands and curling her fingers over it. "Who cares if you mess it up? It's your first time ever baking something— which I'm still convinced is a crime, by the way."
Red chuckled, taking the egg and sighing, cracking it over the bowl.
"Perfect!" Chloe encouraged, giving Red a kiss on the cheek.
Red looked up at Chloe, blushing, "Are you going to kiss me every time I do something right?"
Chloe gave her a loving look. "Why wouldn't I?"
"Hm," Red hummed, "Maybe we should bake more often then..."
Chloe rolled her eyes, slowly closing the distance between them. "And you call me cheesy..."
Red leaned in, softly joining their lips together. They moved backwards in tandem until Chloe's back finally hit the kitchen counter. She brought her hands down to Red's hips, holding her, and Red cradled Chloe's cheek.
Chloe was the first to pull back, giggling when a tiny whine left Red's lips. "I know, baby, but we're going to keep getting sidetracked and these cupcakes will never be made."
Red nodded, stepping back and turning to address the ingredients on the kitchen counter once again.
"So, now what?" She asked.
Chloe glanced over at the refrigerator. "I'll get the milk, you get the flour, it's in the top cabinet."
Chloe walked over to the refrigerator and Red rolled her eyes as she looked up at the cupboard high above her head. With a resigned sigh, she headed over to grab a chair, knowing that she wouldn't be able to reach it otherwise.
Dragging it back over to the cupboard, she climbed up on top of it as Chloe placed the milk down.
"Red, be careful, love, don't fall." Chloe started anxiously.
Red scoffed. "Please, Princess, I got this."
Red's fingers finally grazed the door of the cupboard, and she strained to grab the handle.
"See?" She glanced down at Chloe, smirking smugly, "I told you I had it."
She stretched further, and as she did, her sleeve rolled up.
No. No. This can't be happening...
She yanked it back down, her gaze snapping up to meet Chloe's, but it was too late, her girlfriend had already seen the scars that crisscrossed her arm.
"...Red?"
Red could feel her own eyes widen, and felt as though she stopped breathing. As though time had stopped moving.
"Chloe, that's not— it's from Chessy, it isn't—"
Lie. Deny. Tell her anything but the truth. She can't know. She can't see. No, no, no. Things were finally going well for you, why did you have to fuck up and let her see....
Red could feel the tears building up behind her eyes.
"Red, come down from the chair, baby."
Red didn't move. She couldn't.
"Baby..." Chloe held her hand out for Red to take, to help her down, and Red couldn't bring herself to take it. "Come down, Red. It's okay."
It's not, Red wanted to croak out, Because you know now. You know I'm even more broken than you already thought I was, and that's not— you already know how pathetic I am, now you'll leave—
"Red, will you please—" Chloe broke off, shaking her head, and just walked forward. Before Red could question what she was doing, Chloe put her arms around Red and lifted her down from the chair.
"Chloe—" Red's voice cracked.
Chloe didn't put Red down, not even when they were both on the floor. She kept Red held tightly in her arms, and before she knew it, Red was crying into them, soaking Chloe's shirt.
"Darling, you could have told me..." Chloe breathed, kissing the top of Red's head.
"Didn't— didn't want to give you another reason to leave." Red managed to choke out between sobs.
Because that's exactly what she was going to do. There was only do much a girl could put up with, endless nightmares, panic attacks, the constant need for reassurance, the stupid flashbacks, and now knowing that Red used to self-harm?
"Red..." Chloe whispered. "Baby, you think I'd leave you because of something like this?"
"Why wouldn't you?" Red murmured, "I know they're old, but it's still a sign that I'm completely and utterly broken. That I'm unworthy and unlovable and pathetic, and that I hate myself, so why shouldn't you? They perfectly sum up how ugly I am."
"No, they perfectly sum up how strong you are." Chloe corrected quietly, "They show that you've gone through hell and came out the other side. That you're a survivor."
Red laughed humourlessly. "Oh, please. I'm no survivor, I hated myself to the point that I caved and did this to myself and only broke myself more. It shows that I'm weak, Chlo, not anything else."
"No, Red, that's not..." Chloe walked backwards to the couch, taking Red with her, and they stumbled until they hit it and both sat down.
Chloe hesitated, placing a gentle hand on Red's arm, then looked up. "Can I...?"
Red didn't want to nod. Well...no, she did, she wanted to let Chloe in, but didn't know if she could. She wanted to let Chloe see, wanted her to understand, but was it going to be worth it once Chloe saw the hideous, disgusting, myriad of marks covering Red's arms.
"Yes." Red croaked out.
Slowly, tentatively, Chloe rolled Red's sleeve up, all the way to her shoulder, and Red had never felt more vulnerable. So raw. She hated it but wanted it at the same time. What was she meant to feel?
All those words she felt for herself were on display with each scar, forever written and carved into her skin.
I hate you. You're pathetic. You don't deserve her love. You're a waste of space. Unworthy. Weak. Hard to love. All of those words, those thoughts she had about herself, they were able to be seen now.
Chloe reached out, caressing the scars, running her fingers over them oh so softly, and Red let her head drop back against the couch, shutting her tear-filled eyes.
She didn't want to see Chloe's reaction. Didn't want to see her expression that would surely be filled with disgust and disdain.
And then—
Lips. Softly pressed against her arm, against one of the scars.
Red's eyes snapped open to see Chloe looking up at her.
"Chloe..." She breathed out shakily, "What are you doing?"
"Showing you that you're wrong." Chloe began, then pressed another kiss to Red's scars, "Showing you that when I see these, I don't see them as making you weak or unlovable, I see them as symbols of how strong you are."
How had Chloe always been so annoyingly poetic and charming?
Red's breath caught in her chest as Chloe kissed another scar on Red's forearm.
"You're okay with this, right?" Chloe checked quickly.
Red could only manage a slow nod.
"Red..." Chloe looked back down at her arm, "I see all of you. The parts you hate, the messy bits, the jagged edges that you want to hide, but you never have to smooth them out to make me love you. Love isn't something that's earned. The only thing I hate is that you ever thought that was the case. Because, baby..."
Red's breath hitched.
"I..."
Kiss.
"Love..."
Kiss.
"Every..."
Kiss.
"Part of you."
And then Red broke down, tears rolling down her cheeks, throwing herself into Chloe's arms, and the girl held her close.
"I'm sorry," Red sobbed, "I don't— you're so perfect and I wish I could be good enough for you."
"You are." Chloe said firmly, "You always have been. You don't need to try and change yourself to be perfect. I don't want you to ever feel like you need to hide yourself from me. I'll never force you to show me anything you don't want to, but I don't want you think my love is conditional, or that I only love the parts of you that seem flawless on the surface."
She brought a hand up to wipe Red's tears, then continued peppering kisses along her shoulder.
"And I'm not perfect, Red. Nobody is. Not me, not you, not our friends, not our family...we've all got our flaws, or parts of ourselves that we don't like others seeing. But they don't make us unlovable. They make us human. So no, you're not perfect, baby, but remember this..." She stopped trailing kisses along Red's arms and instead pressed one to her lips.
"You're perfect to me."
Red let out a tiny sob, resting her head against Chloe's chest.
"Chloe..."
"I'll say it as many times as you need me to, because it's true."
Red sniffled, laughing. "Can you say it again?"
"You're perfect to me," Chloe didn't hesitate, "Please, don't you ever, ever feel like you're less than that. If you feel like you're nothing, remember that you're perfect to me. Okay?"
Red shut her eyes, letting out a tiny hum of contentment against Chloe's chest.
"I love you, Chloe. Thanks for all of this."
"I love you too, precious."