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“Okay, and now you spin,” Chloe instructed, going through the choreography steps for around the thousandth time that day.
“Yes, I know!” Beca grumbled, trying to spin gracefully but stumbling half way through. She’d wanted to impress Chloe by nailing the choreography, but the opposite was happening. She just could not get it right, no matter how hard she tried, and frustration was definitely rearing its ugly head.
“Maybe we should work on something else?” Chloe raised an eyebrow with an amused chuckle.
“I can do it!” Beca insisted, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment. She tried to spin again, and this time more or less stayed on the same spot, though the wobbling was excessive both throughout and after, as she posed with her hands on her hips. “There! I’m ready to graduate to heels.”
“Beca,” Chloe said. “I mean this in the nicest way possible, but I don’t think you’re quite there yet. Why don’t we take it from the top and I’ll show you the spin technique again?”
“Fine.” Beca crossed her arms. The routine was seemingly not that complicated, which made it all the more ridiculous that she was struggling.
Chloe went through the entire routine, from drawing a perfect rectangle in the air using her fingers, to spinning and posing, hands resting on her hips. Beca was staring intensely the entire time. Of course Chloe would make the movements seem so effortless and graceful.
“Ready?” Chloe asked as she got to the end.
“Ready!” Beca confirmed, jumping into the choreography.
To start her rectangle looked more like an oval, and then came the spin… Just as she’d nearly completed it more or less decently, she managed to trip over her own feet right at the last second. With a gasp, she began tumbling onto the ground. Chloe was quick to react, trying to reach out and catch her — but it was too late, and Beca was already in a heap on the ground.
“Ow, fuck!” Beca mumbled as she clasped at her ankle, which was definitely twisted a little too far to the side than was natural.
”Beca!” Chloe exclaimed, kneeling down to get a better look at the injury. “Are you alright?”
“Just peachy,” Beca hissed through gritted teeth, sarcasm dripping from her tone. “I’ll be okay— I just need to walk it off.”
Chloe tutted. “You stay where you are while I go and get the first aid kit. Don’t crowd her, girls.”
The other Bellas had come over to see if Beca was okay, making disturbed ’oh’ and ‘ah’ sounds as they saw her injury.
“It's no big deal, guys, really!” Beca insisted as Chloe grabbed the first aid kit, including nabbing an ice pack from the freezer in the kitchen.
By the time Chloe had gotten back, Beca’s ankle was already starting to swell, and quite badly too. She really wasn’t fine. An ice pack and some bandages wouldn’t be enough.
“I think you need to go to Urgent Care,” Chloe suggested as she gently pressed the ice pack to Beca’s injury. She was no doctor, but she was studying to be a vet, and there was some overlap. Certainly enough that she could recognise that this was bad enough that ‘just needing to walk it off’ was not going to work.
“Ow!” Beca winced at the ice pack’s touch. “No, I’ll seriously be fine.”
She attempted to stand and prove she was okay, but immediately she sharply inhaled, an involuntary whimper falling from her lips before she stopped attempting to bear any weight on her foot.
“Beca, it’s okay, let me help you,” Chloe said. “Hey Aubrey, can you finish running this training session on your own? Beca needs some medical help.”
“I have everything under control,” Aubrey confirmed. “Beca, you better be better before regionals or you're off the team.”
“Thanks for your well wishes,” Beca snarked. “Real nice.”
“Come on people,” Aubrey turned to the rest of the Bellas. “Let’s keep up the cardio.”
“Don’t worry, that’s her way of showing she cares,” Chloe said with a wink. “Now, let’s get your ankle bandaged up and then we’re going straight to the Urgent Care clinic. I’ve only ever actually bandaged up animals before, but I imagine a human isn’t too different!”
Putting the ice pack down, she began gently wrapping the compression wrap from the First Aid kit around Beca’s injured ankle, staring just behind the toes. Tight, but not too tight. Each spiral slightly overlapping the last until all the swelling was well and truly covered. Beca watched Chloe the entire time, her heart fluttering as she bit her lip. The way Chloe was treating her, her touch soft and caring, almost felt intimate — far more than when they’d sung Titanium naked in the shower together.
“Can you hold the ice pack against your ankle?” Chloe asked, and the once argumentative Beca was quick to do as she was told.
Beca had expected to wrap her arm around Chloe’s shoulder and sort of lean on the redhead to limp to the car, but Chloe seemingly had other ideas. Before Beca could say anything, Chloe had put one arm under Beca’s knees, and the other behind her back, lifting Beca from the ground.
“Wow!” Beca exclaimed, keeping the ice pack against her ankle with one arm, but wrapping the other around Chloe for stability. “I, uh— I didn’t realise you could carry me”
“I’m not a bodybuilder or anything,” Chloe chuckled. “But the whole two hours of training a day, seven days a week for years as part of the Bellas does wonders for one's health. Plus, you’re tiny, Beca.”
Chloe began carrying Beca bridal style out of the building, yelling bye to the other Bellas as she left. They all started wishing Beca a fast recovery before Aubrey snapped at them to keep training.
Chloe frowned down at Beca as they neared Chloe’s car. “No need to be embarrassed, Beca. Accidents happen!”
“Embarrassed?” Beca questioned. “Who said I was embarrassed?
“Your cheeks are bright red,” Chloe explained.
“Right, embarrassed!” Beca stammered, not willing to embarrass herself for real by revealing the truth. “That is me, very embarrassed.”
If anyone asked, the flush certainly wasn’t being caused by being held in Chloe Beale’s arms, safe and secure, her side pressed up against Chloe’s stomach.
Beca didn’t even understand what was happening to her.
It was like her body had subconsciously been craving Chloe’s touch, and finally getting it was making butterflies flitter in her stomach. She could honestly barely feel the pain in her ankle over how amazing being carried by Chloe felt.
And then it came to an end. They’d reached Chloe’s car, and Chloe gently lowered her into the passenger seat.
Beca missed being in Chloe’s arms already. God, she was screwed. Her supposed ‘little crush’ on Chloe was spiralling out of control.
“Thanks for doing this for me,” Beca said as they started driving to urgent care.
“No worries at all,” Chloe said. “Always happy to help a friend in need.”
Ouch. A friend. Beca couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
“We’re nearly there,” Chloe reassured Beca, probably assuming the sigh was injury related.
“I really am grateful though,” Beca tried. “Why don’t I take you out for dinner some time as thanks?”
“I would like that,” Chloe agreed. “Do you mind if Aubrey tags along as well, I think she’s been really stressed lately and could use a night out.”
Beca had meant like a date, but Chloe clearly hadn’t taken it that way. Ugh, Beca did not know how to hint to Chloe that she really liked her. What she did know, however, was that Aubrey didn’t particularly like Beca, though for Chloe’s sake she said, “Sure!”
When they got to the clinic, the wait wasn’t long. After a few tests and an x-ray, Beca left with a diagnosis of a sprained ankle, some crutches, and an order to rest and elevate her foot as much as possible for the next two weeks. Soon they were back at Barden University, and unfortunately for Beca she no longer had an excuse to be back in Chloe’s arms. Instead she had the crutches, and getting around was a matter of using said crutches to hobble all the way to her dorm. Of course Chloe was kind enough to accompany her, making sure she got home safely and without further injury.
It would be good to spend two weeks apart while on rest from the Bellas training. Beca could use that time to get these ridiculous feelings under control without Chloe doing something sweet and making Beca fall even more in love with her.
Chloe held Beca’s dorm room door open so Beca could enter more easily. “Do you need me to get you anything, Becs?”
“No thanks,” Beca said with a yawn as she sat down on her bed. “I think I’m going to have an early night.”
“Good idea,” Chloe agreed. “I’ll see you tomorrow then!”
“Tomorrow?” Beca’s brows furrowed. “What’s tomorrow?”
“Me visiting you and making sure you’re okay!” Chloe said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “We can practise singing the set together every day until you're better. Your voice isn’t injured, and I love singing with you!”
Spending time with Chloe. Alone. Every day for two weeks. Oh God, Beca was absolutely fucked.