Author's Note: I really didn't expect that kind of response to last chapter, so you guys are pretty great. Just so you're prepared, though, I'm leaving this story as it is, for now; it's a giant time vortex, honestly, and I've spent every spare second of the last four days typing this up for you. My girlfriend is becoming bitter. :P I've really loved writing this, though, and I might post one-shots from this universe in the future, so keep an eye out if you're interested! As usual, let me know how I did, please. : )

"Beca…" Chloe pries nervously, audibly stalling over the DJ's name in a way that tells Beca that nothing else will ever follow, but that's okay.

Beca doesn't need Chloe to say anything else, really. At least, not about this.

Chloe is tugging with increasing urgency at Beca's hands and squirming restlessly at the edge of the freshman's bed, but Beca doesn't need for her to explain why. She already knows what Chloe wants from her.

She wants for Beca to say yes, and she's been pretty clear about that.

Chloe has literally and repetitively pleaded with Beca to stake some kind of claim over her; the redhead has shamelessly begged to become hers, and Beca has so far refused her an answer, but she kind of feels like that's her right.

Beca thinks it's important to consider all the angles here, and she's trying to work this through. She and Chloe are being honest with each other right now, and in order for that to work, Beca has to do a bit of soul searching to figure out what she actually needs; she's taking her time with that, and Chloe doesn't have to like it, because Beca thinks it's necessary.

Chloe is pushing unusually hard for an answer, though – something that she typically knows better than to do – and it's starting to grate on Beca's nerves.

She's given Chloe a lot of leeway this afternoon, and she thinks that maybe Chloe's been spoiled with it.

Beca gets that the redhead is confronting a new and frankly uncommon part of herself, and she might be insensitive, sometimes, but Beca isn't cruel; she can see how that could be kind of scary, particularly with something this deeply personal, and Beca's been trying very hard not to let her own hurt feelings get in the way of that, for Chloe. She's offered the redhead her ear, and she's offered up her comfort to help Chloe come to terms with it, but- Beca is beginning to think that her leniency is only serving to further upset the already-skewed balance in between them.

If Chloe needs some kind of punishment to restore that lost balance, then they can figure it out. Beca understands, sort of, and that's fine – but this is important, too, and Beca won't be rushed. She isn't going to coddle the redhead for her impatience, and she isn't about to let Chloe and her big, uneasy eyes pressure her into a decision that she isn't ready to make, no matter how badly Beca wants to reassure her.

The fact is, though- Beca can't actually be expected to seriously consider the idea of making Chloe hers when she still isn't even sure that she's forgiven Chloe, in the first place.

Beca isn't stupid. Chloe is a devastated, anxious mess, and Beca knows that she's sincere in her apology. The senior Bella doesn't even know how to be anything other than sincere, really, and Beca isn't trying to be unreasonable about this; she honestly doesn't doubt that Chloe regrets what she did.

That just- doesn't actually feel like enough.

Right now, Chloe only hurts because Beca is hurting – and while that's admittedly sort of nice and very new for Beca, on its own, the DJ wants more than that.

Beca wants Chloe to hurt because she understands why Beca is hurting. She wants to hear Chloe tell her – in concise, coherent detail – why what she did was wrong. Beca wants to know how Chloe had rationalized her decision to prioritize Beca's needs last, when all she claims to care about is simply making Beca proud.

She wants for Chloe to explain herself, and Beca feels like it's fair to expect that of her.

It's sort of weird, because it isn't something that she normally makes a habit out of doing, on principle, but Beca is realizing that all she actually needs from Chloe, right now, is to talk.

Only, the redhead isn't currently in a place that's open to a calm and sensible dialogue.

Beca's emotions got a little out of control a while ago, and Chloe had taken action instantly; the redhead had completely surrendered her needs in favor of tending to Beca's, instead, and the DJ thinks that's kind of sweet – but it really doesn't take much to see that Chloe's emotional forfeiture had only ever been temporary.

The redhead is still frantic and a little bit needy, and she is still – pretty literally – a glutton for punishment. It's evident in the shamed, embarrassed shimmer of Chloe's unfathomably blue eyes, and in the constant, nervous shuffle of Chloe's entire body; Beca can even feel it in the indecisive way that Chloe's slender hands sporadically try to pull out from beneath her own, between counterintuitively latching over them even tighter.

Beca especially likes that last part, in particular, even if she thinks that her enjoyment of it is probably a bit fucked.

She wants to touch Chloe like this, and she doesn't want to stop doing it. It feels sort of nice to have the redhead's agitated palms cradled between the care of her own, and it grounds Beca in a way that she really isn't used to; it reminds her that any decision she makes will affect Chloe just as much as it will affect Beca, in the end, too, and the DJ sort of needs that reminder.

People don't care about Beca, and that's fine. It might initially have taken her some time to smarten up, but she eventually learned to accommodate for that; Beca invests a ridiculous measure of effort in making sure that she never cares about people, either.

But Beca cares about Chloe.

Chloe is important to her, no matter how betrayed Beca might actually be feeling right now, and she needs this personal, invasively intimate contact with the redhead to remind herself that Chloe's needs are important, too.

Still, Beca isn't convinced that Chloe has even earned her touch, in the first place, and it's weirdly satisfying to know that Chloe doesn't think she's earned it, either.

Beca likes it.

She likes that Chloe is so fundamentally conditioned to her reward system that the redhead is actually uncomfortable with Beca's touch when Chloe knows that she doesn't deserve it, and it's exhilarating to know that she can affect Chloe this way. It makes Beca feel somewhat like she is killing the redhead with her kindness – and that actually seems like a really fitting kind of punishment, for Chloe, in a lot of different ways.

Beca doesn't think this is the kind of punishment that Chloe is looking for, though, and she's stalled on that subject as long as she thinks she can really get away with; ultimately, Beca just needs to talk, with Chloe, and Chloe- apparently needs some physical form of reprimand before she can be ready to participate in that conversation with her.

That's really all it comes down to, Beca realizes, and it doesn't actually need to be this complicated.

"Take off your pants," she demands abruptly, boosting herself from the floor with only a mild degree of strain to the muscles in her thighs, before the DJ moves in the direction of her desk.

She doesn't look at Chloe.

Beca graduated in the imaginary field of passive-aggression with practically glowing honors, and the brunette partly avoids eye contact because she's still kind of irritated with Chloe for trying to hurry her decision – especially when Chloe is the one here to apologize, to begin with; mostly, though, Beca thinks she probably keeps her gaze averted because she still isn't even sure how she actually feels about the situation, and Beca doesn't want the redhead to mistake her emotional ambiguity for reluctance or disgust.

Beca isn't judging her.

If punishment is Chloe's thing, then that's honestly okay; Beca had said as much to Chloe, and she had genuinely meant it. It's unusual, sure, and Beca knows that this kind of sexual deviancy probably wouldn't be well-received by most people, but that really doesn't even matter. Beca isn't bothered about that.

Beca just- isn't sure how comfortable she feels with being the one responsible for doing that to Chloe. She doesn't know that she actually has the heart to hurt her, and, even if she does, Beca can't think of a single reason why she would ever want to hurt that girl on purpose.

And, frankly, it really only helps a little that Chloe is outright asking for it.

Beca wants to do this because Chloe needs it, and because Beca even thinks she's beginning to understand why Chloe needs it, but she makes no claim to confidence.

Still, as Beca gravitates toward the direction of her laptop, she hears Chloe suck in a sharp, telling breath of air from behind her, and something in Beca's stomach unexpectedly clenches with overpowering greed.

"What?" Chloe squeaks.

Beca snorts, and also rolls her eyes.

She knows that Chloe heard her, and she knows that Chloe doesn't actually need for Beca to repeat herself. She knows that Chloe is probably surprised, and probably nervous, too; Beca gets that, and it's fine – but the DJ mostly just wants to get this over with, and Chloe's delayed reaction is really only serving to drag it out even longer.

"Take off your fucking pants, Beale," Beca reiterates with a deliberately patronizing drawl.

And it's sort of unexpected, how swiftly Chloe moves to obey her the second time around, but- it's also sort of nice.

Beca instantly hears the redhead scramble to find her feet, and an oddly satisfied burst of pleasure charges up the length of Beca's spine in answer. She hears some fabric drop to the floor in the immediate moments following, and it kind of makes Beca dizzy just to imagine what the redhead must look like, right now.

Beca swallows, but she still doesn't face Chloe.

Instead, she busies herself with searching out some music. The DJ isn't exactly sure what kind of mood she's even meant to set for this, and she thinks it might be better to avoid making assumptions about that, altogether, but- Beca also thinks that spanking someone probably has the potential to generate some pretty interesting sounds.

The thing is, Beca lives in a dorm room – and even if most of the building's residents fled campus in a mass exodus for spring break two days ago, that kind of noise disturbance really isn't kosher.

Beca isn't interested in fumbling her way through that conversation with her RA.

She eventually puts together something slow – Beca won't be rushed; not by Chloe, and not even by the music – but she makes sure that every track in the playlist boasts a deep, fairly consistent bass to shadow as much of the noise as Beca thinks she can. She still isn't sure that it's enough, but it's really the best that Beca can do.

The brunette fiddles briefly with the volume, tampering with the speakers expertly arranged on Beca's half of the room, but Beca doesn't fool herself; she mostly only does it to just give herself some time. Her hands are shaking, her heart is pulsing at an uncomfortably quickened rate, and Beca slows her pace for a minute to take a couple of very deep breaths.

When she eventually musters up the courage to face Chloe, though, Beca is very quickly reminded of something vitally important: Chloe likes to please.

And the redhead has more than adhered to Beca's instruction.

She hasn't just removed her pants; Chloe is completely stripped – of jeans, shirt, underwear, bra and all – and her clothes lie neatly folded on the floor at Chloe's feet. The girl is entirely bare from head to toe, chin morosely tucked against her chest and palms pressing gently into the soft skin of her thighs.

It seems sort of obvious that Beca would be allowed to look, but the DJ doesn't know that she should. Chloe is confident about her body – Beca remembers that much clearly – but this is different. This is a completely foreign experience for both of them, and Beca doesn't want to take advantage. Chloe might be confident, but right now she is also vulnerable, and Beca- sort of feels like it's her job to make Chloe feel as comfortable with that as possible.

So Beca tries.

She gives her very best effort to keep her gaze from wandering, but her eyes drag heatedly down the length of Chloe's frame, anyway, like the things are on fucking autopilot, and Beca can't actually even feel bad about it.

Because Chloe is dazzling, in practically every sense of the word.

It isn't news, really. Beca's known it since the day they met, and if she ever had any doubt, Beca's pretty positive that Chloe had effectively banished it in her shower stall six months ago.

The redhead's body is slender and fit, her tits are basically the perfect size, and Beca thinks that Chloe's legs are probably a sin. Freckles smear flatteringly like tiny stars over the blushing plane of Chloe's chest, sprinkling sparsely across the gentle swell of her breasts, and Chloe's lowered blue eyes glitter in the soft glow of the sun, peeking through the small, solitary window in Beca's room; her stomach is toned and flat, with a tiny, beautiful bit of muscle rippling from beneath in nervous anticipation, and when Beca spies it, she curiously spares a second to wonder if she should thank Aubrey's deeply offensive exercise regimen for the existence of that muscle, to begin with.

Ultimately, Beca vehemently decides against thanking Aubrey Posen for anything. Ever.

Besides, Chloe doesn't even need Aubrey's help. She's just naturally this pretty, Beca is sure of it; she's seen pictures of Chloe's parents and sisters, and that entire family makes the notorious curse of ginger DNA look like a genetic blessing.

Beca strongly suspects witchcraft.

"You know, you could probably consider letting a girl watch, the next time you plan to strip for her," Beca smirks, and actively tries to keep things playful rather than strained.

She probably shouldn't be surprised when it doesn't actually work. Beca really isn't that good at this sort of thing.

"Sorry," Chloe giggles quietly, but it emerges weak, and it lacks her typical warmth. "I, um- I'm sorry," she sighs out tremblingly. "I thought that maybe- maybe this would be better," she explains. "If that's not– I mean, I can put my shirt back on if that's- if that's what you want," she worries between a couple of small, apprehensive pants.

Beca frowns.

She thinks that some measure of anxiety should definitely be allowed, right now – Beca thinks that's probably healthy, honestly – but she needs to be sure that this is still what Chloe wants, and Beca isn't convinced. The redhead sounds timid and maybe a little bit afraid, and the DJ- doesn't want Chloe to be afraid. Not of her.

Even the idea of Chloe fearing her – for literally any reason at all – makes Beca's mouth feel dry, and causes her heart to constrict painfully inside of her chest. It destroys Beca on a seriously fundamental level, and she helplessly falters over her first step forward.

Beca practically stops breathing.

"You okay?" She asks lightly, purposefully nonchalant.

"Yes," Chloe rasps brokenly, a sad, tiny smile pulling weakly at the corners of her mouth. "Thank you for asking," she adds sweetly, nervously swiping her tongue across noticeably quivering lips.

The words are fine, Beca supposes, and Chloe's behavior probably falls within range of what Beca might have thought to expect from her, given how frantically apologetic Chloe has already proven herself to be, but that's far from the confirmation that Beca had been looking for.

She isn't second-guessing, really. Beca is honestly committed to doing this for Chloe no matter how much she expects to hate it – as long as she's sure that this is still what Chloe wants.

Beca just needs to know that Chloe understands she has a choice; it's okay if Chloe wants to back out, now that the redhead's hypothetical "would you?" has escalated into a very present reality, but it's also okay if Chloe wants to continue, and when Beca finally speaks, she tries to make sure that her tone expresses all of that as genuinely as Beca means it.

"Chloe," she begins slowly, pausing to ensure that she has the redhead's full attention, "I just want to be clear – you know that this doesn't have to happen, right? I mean, I'm game if you are," she rushes to include, "but you don't actually have to do this. You know that, don't you?"

"Yes," Chloe nods in swift reply. "I know, Beca. I know that I don't have to, but I just– Please, I just need it," she whispers beseechingly.

"Okay," Beca offers her palms in surrender. "I just wanted to be sure. I know that this is important to you, Chloe," she tells her solemnly, hands falling to her sides, "and I'm not sure that I totally get it, or whatever, but I'm really trying," she vows with unprecedented devotion. "I'm willing to do whatever you need me to, okay? This is just– It's kind of a big thing, you know?" Beca rolls her shoulder awkwardly. "And I'm not trying to, like- scar you for life on your very first try."

A second giggle bursts rapidly free from somewhere low in Chloe's chest, and it's- kind of perfect, actually. It's genuine, and soft, and barely even a sound at all, if Beca is honest, but the DJ is so relieved to hear it that she thinks she might could cry.

Still, Chloe is blatantly laughing at Beca's sincerity, and that- also sort of stings, in a way that Beca doesn't like.

"What?" She demands.

"Nothing," Chloe swears on the dying ends of her delight. "It's just- you're sometimes pretty cute, that's all," she shrugs shyly.

Beca grits her teeth in abrupt annoyance.

She's sure that Chloe doesn't mean to imply anything beyond strictly the surface value of those words, but- it feels a little bit like the redhead is ridiculing Beca for caring, anyway, and that upsets her.

She just wants to make sure that the redhead feels safe. She wants Chloe to know that she can stop this whenever she's ready. Beca wants Chloe to be comfortable – or at least as comfortable as she can be, right now – and she wants Chloe to know that she can trust Beca to make sure that she stays that way.

The DJ is only looking out for her – the same way she had tried to do at semis – and that's something that Beca typically just doesn't do. She never actually lets herself care about other people enough to want anything for them, frankly, and that makes Chloe special.

Beca is honestly doing everything in her power to guarantee that Chloe knows that, but it feels an awful lot like the redhead is mocking her for it, after already rejecting Beca's heartfelt attempt to demonstrate that fondness for her, six days before.

It really sort of hurts, and it definitely isn't nice.

"This isn't cute, Beale," she scoffs coldly, and Chloe flinches all over, brows closing together in immediate confusion. "I'm trying to take care of you," Beca tells her quietly, softening her tone. "I'm trying to make sure that you have everything you need from me, Chloe, and it isn't fair of you to laugh at that," she frowns deeply.

"You're right," Chloe murmurs after a couple of thoughtful seconds, flushing furiously in shame. "I shouldn't- I shouldn't have laughed," she stammers over a breath. "I appreciate that you're concerned for me, and I'm- I'm really sorry, Beca."

"Yeah," Beca rolls her eyes impatiently. "You've been saying that a lot – and, just so we're clear, I have every intention for us to discuss each one of those apologies later," she remarks pointedly. "But this is about you right now, Chloe," Beca says quietly, and bravely shifts her feet forward to cross the couple of steps worth of distance between her desk and the bed, before she perches herself on the longer edge of her mattress.

She takes a minute to get herself settled, and Chloe's wide eyes – slightly restricted by the disgracefully lowered angle of her head – track every movement fiercely, the redhead's body turning to find Beca as the DJ navigates around her.

Beca doesn't move much, really. She kicks her shoes toward the corner of the room, and shifts her body around until she feels comfortably situated, but that's basically it. Still, Chloe watches all of it like she's counting down the seconds, restlessly fidgeting in front of the brunette as her whole body progressively begins to redden.

Chloe seemingly can't be still. The redhead twists her hips and wiggles her toes, swaying gently back and forth like the motion somehow calms her, but Beca doesn't say anything; she's still working through her own emotions about this, and she isn't sure that she can take on Chloe's apprehension, too.

Beca is going a little bit out of her way not to think about this too hard, frankly – because if she does, she'll probably lose her nerve.

So Beca doesn't.

Instead, she lightly pats her knee, takes a breath, and softly instructs, "Come here, Chloe."

And Chloe just- does.

It happens in an instant; the redhead inhales a swift, eager gasp of air into her lungs and practically dives into Beca's lap, all in the same blink. She presses the top half of her torso into the mattress, legs lined prettily along the opposite side of Beca's waist, and Chloe squirms her hips a little until they rest over top of Beca's thighs.

Beca's palm finds quick, safe purchase in the nook of Chloe's lower back, and she taps her fingers briefly along the knots of the redhead's spine, but Beca isn't particularly focused on it.

She's seen Chloe nude, and also in about a thousand other states of various undress, but- Beca is realizing that she's really never seen the back of Chloe. Granted, she's seen the redhead in spandex from behind, and even lacy underwear – Chloe isn't shy; she'll strip down to practically nothing in front of anyone in her vicinity when she feels the desire to change – but Beca's never actually seen Chloe's ass bare.

It's round and full, and – naturally – a bit pale, and Beca is sort of really enjoying that it happens to temporarily be available for her personal viewing pleasure.

She ghosts her fingertips along the dip of Chloe's spine, and she feels more than hears as Chloe rakes in a couple of heavy breaths in answer, but Chloe doesn't stop her progress. Beca accepts that as permission to continue, and keeps going until her fingers dance along the skin of Chloe's right cheek. The DJ becomes bold after a few minutes of exploration, and she eventually splays her palm flat across a single globe, before she offers it a squeeze.

Chloe moans in immediate answer, trembling somewhat violently over top of the brunette's lap as her hips reflexively press into Beca's legs to seek contact, and Beca's stomach tightens.

The redhead is beautiful, and she always has been, but Beca's never touched her like this before; she's never heard sounds like that crash off the edges of Chloe's lips, and she's never felt so much of Chloe's naked skin underneath of her own palm.

It's sort of really nice, Beca thinks, and frankly better than any fantasy Beca might independently have been able to conjure, even if this isn't actually about sex, in the first place.

Chloe's soft flesh gives easily, sinking beneath the gentle pressure of Beca's fingers as they curl, and Beca draws her second hand up to join the first, applying similar attention to the opposite cheek. Beca really doesn't have a goal. She isn't aiming for anything, and she knows that this isn't even close to the intended reason for Chloe's nudity, but Beca's only human, and she likes touching Chloe.

Still, Chloe is sighing impatiently beneath her, and Beca knows that she's already made Chloe wait for this longer than the redhead would have liked.

"Did you- Did you maybe have a number in mind, or something?" She croaks between clearing her throat. "Like, for how many times you want me to…?"

Beca knows that it's an awkward question – she isn't completely oblivious – but she still thinks it's an important one. She doesn't know what Chloe is expecting, right now, and she thinks that it's probably good for her to know that.

"No," Chloe whimpers in reply, her blushing cheek flattening over the mattress as she moves her face toward Beca.

Chloe still doesn't look at her, though. Not completely, at least.

Beca gets that Chloe's shame plays a crucial role in that, somewhere. Beca isn't trying argue with that, and, frankly, she kind of enjoys that Chloe doesn't even feel that she has the right to properly look at Beca, after hurting her the way that she had; still, Beca would a little bit like to be able to see Chloe's eyes.

As expressive as Chloe has the tendency to be, in basically everything that she does, her eyes tell Beca the most about what she's actually feeling; she wants them within view so that she can make sure Chloe is alright throughout the duration of her punishment.

The redhead's gaze eventually lands somewhere near the underside of Beca's jaw, though, and Beca thinks that's probably close enough.

"That's, um- That's your decision," Chloe explains breathily.

Beca honestly doesn't have any idea how many spanks are even appropriate for a child's punishment, let alone for Chloe's. Still, the fact that Chloe is investing that kind of trust in Beca, and allowing the DJ total control over how much pain Chloe is expected to suffer is- kind of dizzying.

She takes a few minutes, gently massaging the smooth swell of flesh beneath her palms. Chloe squirms all over and releases a couple of sweet, quiet noises spurred from the pleasure of it, and Beca likes the way that Chloe moves across her lap in answer. She likes the way that Chloe's breaths increase in frequency, too, like Beca's touch is systematically destroying her even without much effort, but Beca knows she really can't wait any longer.

She draws in a long, steadying breath, and braces one arm across the stretch of Chloe's lower back to keep her steady. Beca offers one more tender stroke across Chloe's skin, before she lifts her palm upward.

Beca tries not to think about it.

She tries not to think about how she is seeking to hurt Chloe, even at the redhead's own insistence; she tries not to think about how far her hand pulls back, or how much speed it will inevitably gain on its way back down; she tries not to think about how she would feel in Chloe's place, or about the way that Chloe's body tenses when she feels Beca's touch separate from her flesh.

Beca just lets her hand fall.

And, all at once, there is a sharp smack, and an echo of it that lingers through the small space of Beca's room; Chloe startles over Beca's thighs with a violent jerk of her whole body, and a surprised yelp clamors up from her throat with a pitch so high that it rings in Beca's ears like fucking Big Ben at noon.

"Oh my god," Beca breathes dumbly in instant reply. "Chloe, are you okay? Jesus, I can't believe I just did that to you! Are you alright?" She insists quickly, swallowing thickly. "Are you hurt? Are you good?"

Chloe trembles aggressively in her lap, and Beca watches her shoulders rise and fall beneath a series of too-hard breaths. It takes a few, agonizing seconds for the redhead to collect herself, but when she does, Chloe frantically pants, "I'm fine. Beca, I'm fine. Again. Just- just do it again."

Beca can't believe this.

She can't believe that she literally just spanked Chloe, but, more than that, Beca can't believe that Chloe is actually asking for her to do it again. This whole situation is basically unreal, for Beca, but- Chloe's eyes are wide and pleading, and this is all about what Chloe wants, the DJ reminds herself.

Or, at least, it's meant to be.

Only, when Beca miraculously gathers the mental strength to do what Chloe asked, Beca sort of has to just- blink.

A whimper falls from Chloe's lips, this time, but it ends in something more like a moan, and Beca isn't sure how to take that. It sounds nearly like part of Chloe enjoyed the second slap, and Beca really can't fathom how; she gets that it's probably pretty normal, for people who like this kind of thing, but it's still baffling, for Beca.

Her palm renews its tender caress across Chloe's skin, fingers gently smoothing the slope between Chloe's butt and thigh, just to give the redhead a second to recover; Chloe's breaths are heavy and wet, her blue eyes are wide and brimming with tears of relief, and Beca thinks that she could probably use the time.

Beca doesn't plan for it; it isn't like she knows how long it takes for this to happen. It just- sort of conveniently works out that the time she offers to Chloe is just enough for Beca to watch the redhead's flesh as it begins to brighten in color.

And it's actually sort of nice, Beca thinks bemusedly, the way that her skin burns with that deliciously warm glow in the shape of Beca's palm. It's also sort of hot, Beca swallows as she realizes, and even the sight of it causes a vicious wave of something that feels a lot like possession to swell through Beca's core. The feeling is intoxicating and demanding and forceful, and Beca really can't rationalize this emotion in her head.

It's fine.

It's not important, Beca tells herself – and it becomes even less so when Chloe wiggles her hips and arches them up closer to Beca's face in a silent plea for more.

This whole thing is insane, and Beca knows that, but- as she raises her stinging palm all over again and feels it spank into the redhead's eagerly waiting flesh, Beca thinks she might- like it.

She likes touching Chloe's body this intimately, and she likes the way that Chloe responds to her touch in return, even when it isn't kind. She likes the soft mewl that blisters through the air between them when Chloe's hips grind fruitlessly into Beca's legs with growing want. She likes that Chloe is allowing her to do this – she likes that Chloe trusts her to do this – and she sort of likes having the freedom to translate her own hurt in a way that Chloe can undoubtedly understand.

So Beca powers her next strike with a little bit more strength.

The DJ raises her hand a tiny bit higher, puts a little more effort into it, and lets it swing across Chloe's newly lightened ass.

The redhead whines desperately into Beca's comforter, fingers snatching urgently around the blanket for stability, but Beca doesn't wait. She lets the next blow fall into Chloe without sparing a second for pause, and the one after that follows in immediate succession, with equally as much force as the last.

Chloe writhes like a goddamn snake, legs shuffling and hips arching, hands clenching and releasing over top of the bedspread. Tears spill freely from Chloe's oddly delighted blue eyes, and collapse from the one cheek that Beca can still see into the fabric underneath of her, and Beca–

Beca doesn't know that she has ever thought of Chloe as otherworldly, until now, but- she is fairly convinced that the redhead might actually be an angel.

She wants to forgive her. Beca wants to be able to forgive her. She wants to comfort Chloe, and she wants to hold her, because Beca feels like Chloe's devotion to serving out her punishment has probably earned that much, from Beca, at least.

So Beca coaches Chloe through one last apology, just to give Beca a reason to warrant her forgiveness.

"Tell me that you're sorry," Beca whispers to her softly.

"Oh, god, I'm sorry," Chloe sobs instantly, forehead bowing into the mattress. "I'm sorry, Beca. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry," she promises deliriously.

Beca really should have expected this.

She should have expected that 'tender' was not the route to take, when Chloe is basically putting Beca in a position of authority over her; she should have expected that Chloe might fall apart without firm and detailed instruction.

So Beca offers that, instead, and it isn't actually all that hard.

Beca has waited patiently for six days to hear this; she has sacrificed her needs for Chloe's, and she has honored her affection for the redhead in every way that she actually even knows how, but Beca is done waiting. She expects a detailed apology, from Chloe, and Beca's going to have it.

"No," she growls swiftly in frustration. "Chloe, look at me and tell me that you are sorry. Tell me what you did wrong, Beale. Tell me why you're being punished," Beca insists harshly.

And it's maybe sort of nice, how easily those words fall off of her tongue.

It makes Beca feel a little bit like she is somehow above Chloe; like Beca somehow has the right to demand this of Chloe, and Beca can't begin to explain why, but she likes that. Beca doesn't especially love that she's power-tripping over it, and she'd never want to actually demean Chloe, but the feeling that it gives her is- sort of incredibly nice.

"I'm s-sorry that I didn't appreciate w-what you did for me at s-semis," Chloe starts swiftly, hiccupping between words and sniffling weakly into Beca's bed. "I'm sorry that I b-basically forced the Bellas on you and m-made you c-care about them, and I'm sorry that I t-took them away from you like you w-were never even o-one of us," she whimpers in exhaustion. "I'm sorry that I was a-afraid, and I'm sorry that I put my o-own fears above y-yours. I'm s-sorry that I was w-weak, and I'm sorry th-that I was e-ever willing to disappoint you b-before them. I'm sorry that I let Aubrey talk to y-you that way, and I'm sorry that I b-betrayed your trust. I'm sorry that I m-made you feel like you were n-nothing to me, Beca, and I'm sorry that I l-let them tell me you weren't worthy. I'm sorry that I d-didn't put you first."

Beca asked for an apology, she knows, but that's the prettiest string of words that Beca's ever even heard – and it's only made better because she knows that Chloe means it.

Chloe knows what she did; she knows why it was wrong. She knows that she made Beca feel unimportant, and that she'd given Beca someplace to belong right before helping to snatch it out from right underneath her feet. Chloe knows that she had broken Beca's trust, and Beca knows that she knows better than to do it again.

That's all that Beca actually wanted, and, really, Chloe has probably been punished long enough.

"I forgive you, Chloe," she swears softly, pulling at Chloe's hips until the redhead understands what Beca wants from her, and turns onto her back. "I forgive you," Beca promises earnestly, tugging Chloe upward to fold the redhead in her arms. "I forgive you," she vows, over and over again, pressing soft, butterfly kisses into Chloe's hair and cheeks and nose.

Chloe shakes and cries and twists frantically relieved fingers through the fabric of Beca shirt, whispering her constant gratitude as she breaks in Beca's arms, but Beca keeps forgiving her.

She forgives Chloe when the redhead's face tucks warmly into Beca's neck, and she forgives Chloe when she falls into an exhausted sleep in Beca's lap. Beca forgives Chloe as she shuffles her up the bed, tucking her beneath the blankets for warmth, and she forgives her again when she winds her arms around Chloe's hips in the most intimate touch that Beca can remember since her grandmother hugged her when she was twelve.

And it's okay, Beca thinks. It's okay that Chloe is still here, and it's okay that she's asleep; it's okay that the redhead is a practically angelic disaster, and it's okay that they will need to talk about this more fully after Chloe wakes.

It's okay, because Beca likes being trusted to take care of Chloe when Chloe can't be trusted to take care of herself.

It's sort of nice.