Work Text:
Chloe's phone rang at 11:47 p.m.
She stared at it for a moment from where she sat at the tiny kitchen table, veterinary pharmacology flashcards spread around her like fallen leaves.
Beca Boo ❤️
Chloe smiled immediately.
Then frowned.
Beca had texted two hours ago.
Work dinner! Don't wait up! Love you!
Chloe answered her phone, wondering where her girlfriend had gotten to.
"Hey, babe." Beca’s voice sounded muffled like she was holding her phone upside down.
A long pause. A series of rustling sounds.
"...Chloe?" Her voice was clearer now, phone obviously in the correct position now.
Something about the way Beca said her name immediately made Chloe sit up straighter.
"...Beca?"
"...You're pretty."
Chloe pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Oh no."
She knew what was happening now.
"I'm at..." Another pause. "I'm at the place."
"The place."
"The... drink place."
"The bar?"
"Yesssss." Beca sounded excited with Chloe for guessing the correct location.
Chloe laughed despite herself.
"I may have..." Beca whispered conspiratorially.
"What?"
"...done a little drinking."
"A little?"
Another thoughtful silence.
"...Maybe... a medium."
Chloe could hear people laughing in the background.
Someone yelled, "Beca! Your Uber here?"
Beca answered loudly…
"IT'S MY GIRLFRIENNNND!"
A cheer erupted behind her.
Chloe could practically picture Beca standing on top of a stool announcing it to the room.
Someone shouted…
"WE LOVE CHLOE!"
Beca giggled.
Then hiccupped.
"They love you."
"Apparently."
"I told them."
"...What did you tell them?"
"That you're pretty."
"...Thank you?"
"And smart."
"Aww."
"And that you save puppies."
"I occasionally help save puppies."
"I think that's basically the same as Batman."
Chloe laughed so hard she nearly snorted.
"I'll be there in ten minutes." Chloe promised.
"Okay."
Another pause.
"...Chloe?"
"Yeah?"
"I miss you."
"You've been gone three hours."
"It's been at least... six days."
"It has not."
"It hasn’t?” Beca sounded confused.
Then as if she’d made a sudden decision, she said “Bye” and hung up.
Chloe let out a good natured sigh and headed to the hallway to get her jacket and shoes, picking up her purse and car keys on the way.
It was going to be a long night.
When Chloe pulled up outside the neighborhood pub, she immediately spotted Beca.
Mostly because Beca was waving at every single passing car.
Including a taxi.
A city bus.
And a police cruiser.
Her coworkers stood around laughing and taking pictures or video that would embarrass Beca for months to come.
Chloe rolled down the window on the car, ready to call out to her very soused girlfriend.
One woman stepped forward as Chloe parked.
Slightly older than the rest of the group, tight afro and skin that Chloe would have killed for.
"You must be Chloe."
"I am."
"I'm Hannah."
"The boss?"
"Yep."
She grinned and shot a look at Beca, who was now trying to show that she could still balance on one foot, fuck you very much.
"I'm so sorry."
Chloe laughed.
"What happened?"
"We were celebrating finishing a project."
She lowered her voice.
"Beca insisted she could totally handle three margaritas."
Chloe looked over.
Beca was currently attempting to pet the decorative stone lion outside the pub.
"...How many?"
"...Three."
"...Three did this?"
"She weighs about as much as a backpack. And we did warn her the bartender here has a heavy hand. She insisted that we were treating her different because she existed at a lower altitude than the rest of the team. And here we are."
Fair point.
Beca finally noticed Chloe.
Her entire face lit up.
"CHLOE!"
She practically skipped toward the car.
Then stopped dramatically.
"You're beautiful."
Chloe leaned over and unlocked the passenger door.
The familiar click sounded.
Beca reached for the handle.
...
Click.
She frowned.
"The door won't open."
Chloe blinked.
"...Try again."
Beca did.
Click.
She had just locked it.
"The door still won't open. Naughty door"
Beca sounded like a disappointed toddler.
Chloe stared.
"...Honey."
"It won't."
"You just..."
Chloe hit Unlock again.
Click.
Beca instantly hit Lock.
"..."
"The car is broken."
Chloe covered her mouth to hide her smile.
"No, sweetheart."
"It is."
"Pull the handle."
Beca did.
Nothing.
She gasped.
"I KNEW IT."
Chloe was laughing now.
"Beca."
"What?"
"Look at your thumb."
Beca looked.
It rested triumphantly on the lock button.
"Oh."
A beat.
"I don't trust that button."
"You are the button."
"Oh."
Chloe unlocked it again.
Beca immediately…
Click.
Locked it.
Chloe burst out laughing.
Beca looked genuinely offended.
"Don't laugh."
"I'm sorry."
"The door won't open."
"I know why."
"I don't."
"I know."
Another coworker wandered over, still filming.
"This has been happening for two minutes. It’s gonna get so many views.”
Chloe sighed dramatically.
"Beca."
"Mm?"
"Hands up."
"What?"
"Hands."
Beca slowly raised both hands into the air like she was surrendering.
"There."
Chloe leaned across, opened the door from inside, and gently took Beca's wrist, pulling her forwards.
"Now step in."
Beca looked amazed, her eyes like saucers as she stared at Chloe.
"...Witch."
Five minutes later they were finally driving home.
Beca had somehow managed to buckle herself in.
Chloe counted that as a victory.
For almost thirty seconds there was silence.
Then…
"...Chloe?"
"Yeah?"
"I have a secret."
"Oh?"
"It's a good one."
"I'm listening."
Beca leaned toward her as far as the seatbelt allowed. She had a wide grin plastered on her face and a strand of hair had fallen out of her bun and across her face. She blew it out of her way with a grumpy exhale and then looked at Chloe with shining eyes.
"I like somebody."
Chloe smiled.
"Oh really?"
"Mhm."
Chloe decided to play along.
"Anyone I know?"
"...Maybe." Beca drew out the word like she was pulling taffy.
"Are they nice?" Chloe asked, playing along.
"The nicest." Beca sounded excited.
"Cute?"
"The cutest." Now the brunette sounded smug, like she’d won a prize.
Chloe chuckled.
"What do they look like?"
Beca looked thoughtfully out the window.
"They have..."
Long pause.
"...hair."
"Excellent start."
"Red."
Chloe smiled.
"Anything else?"
"They smell like cinnamon."
"I do smell like cinnamon."
Beca looked offended.
“Who said it was you, hush and let me ‘splain.”
She burped a soft belch.
“Scuse me.”
Then kept talking.
"They smile."
"I hope so."
"And..."
Beca sighed dreamily.
"They're so hot."
Chloe nearly missed the next stoplight because she laughed.
"Oh?"
"Mhm."
"So hot."
"You should ask them out."
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"They have a girlfriend."
Chloe bit her lip.
"They do?"
"Mhm."
"That's unfortunate."
Beca nodded sadly.
"But..."
Another conspiratorial whisper.
"It's you."
Chloe's heart melted.
"It's you, Chloe."
She reached over with one hand and squeezed Beca's.
"I certainly hope so."
Beca smiled sleepily.
"I won."
"You won?"
"I got the hot girl."
"You absolutely did."
"I don't know how."
Chloe grinned.
"I ask myself that every day."
They pulled into the apartment parking lot.
Chloe turned off the engine.
"We made it."
Beca blinked.
"We live here?"
"For almost two years."
"Oh."
"...Nice."
Chloe walked around to the passenger side.
Unlocked the door.
Click.
Locked.
Chloe stared through the window.
Beca smiled innocently.
"The door won't open."
Chloe closed her eyes.
"No..."
"It won't."
Chloe unlocked it.
Click.
Locked.
She tried again.
Click.
Locked.
Beca frowned dramatically.
"I think someone keeps locking it."
Chloe rested her forehead against the window.
"...Beca."
"What?"
"Who's locking it?"
"I don't know."
Chloe pointed.
"What's your thumb on?"
Beca slowly looked down.
"...Oh."
Another pause.
"I don't trust me."
Chloe laughed so hard she had to brace herself against the car.
Beca looked concerned.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"You sound broken."
"I'm just laughing."
"Oh."
Chloe unlocked it again.
Immediately…
Click.
Locked.
Chloe burst into fresh laughter.
Beca gasped.
"STRANGER DANGER."
"What?"
"The stranger!"
"There isn't a stranger."
"There is!"
Chloe leaned closer.
"It's me."
Beca squinted.
"...Chloe?"
"Yes."
"Oh."
Visible relief washed over Beca.
"I thought somebody was trying to steal me from the car."
Chloe couldn't stop smiling.
"No one is stealing you."
"Good."
"I happen to like you."
Beca beamed.
"I like you too."
Chloe finally opened the door by physically covering the lock button with her hand before Beca could press it.
"There."
Beca stepped out carefully.
Success.
For exactly three seconds.
Then she wrapped both arms around Chloe.
"I love you."
Chloe hugged her back.
"I love you too."
"You're really pretty."
"You've mentioned."
"I should tell you more."
"I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing it."
Beca nodded seriously.
"I don't either."
Getting upstairs proved easier.
Mostly because Beca insisted on holding Chloe's hand "so she wouldn't get lost."
Inside the apartment, Chloe guided her to the couch.
"Shoes."
Beca looked down.
"...I have feet."
"Yes."
"Shoes go on feet."
"They do."
"Oh."
Chloe knelt and untied them.
Beca watched with enormous concentration.
"You're good at shoes."
"I've had practice."
"Can you teach me someday?"
Chloe kissed her knee.
"I'd be delighted."
Water.
Painkillers set aside for the morning.
A piece of toast.
Eventually Beca changed into one of Chloe's oversized university hoodies before curling into bed.
She immediately rolled across the mattress until she bumped into Chloe.
"There you are."
"I've been here all along." Chloe giggled.
Drunk Beca was fucking adorable.
"I found you."
"You did."
Beca tucked herself against Chloe's side with a contented sigh.
"You smell like home."
Chloe's chest tightened.
"And cinnamon."
"And cinnamon."
Beca's eyes were already drifting shut.
"...Chloe?"
"Hm?"
"Thanks for getting me."
"Always."
"I wasn't... embarrassing?"
Chloe laughed softly.
"You were a little."
Beca groaned into the pillow.
"Oh no."
"But mostly?"
"Mostly?"
"You were adorable."
Beca smiled without opening her eyes.
"...Good."
Within seconds she was asleep.
Chloe brushed a strand of dark hair away from Beca's forehead.
The apartment was quiet now, the city humming softly outside.
She thought about the repeated locking of the car doors.
About Beca loudly announcing she had the hottest girlfriend.
About the whispered confession in the car.
It's you.
Chloe couldn't imagine loving this ridiculous woman any more than she already did.
She was wrong.
Because as Beca sleepily reached for her even in dreams, mumbling, "Don't let the strangers steal me..."
Chloe wrapped both arms around her and smiled into the darkness.
"I've got you," she whispered.
"And I'm not going anywhere."