#so any time they can just cuddle and be vulnerable together is incredibly valuable to them

[crowdsourcedloner]

16. If they had the ability to just spend free time with their partner, what would they do? Would they go out or stay inside?

For the G'raha/WoL you have!

!!!!!

They commonly just cuddle together in their free time, with G'raha given free reign to ramble about any interesting discoveries he's made and Nailah doing her best to keep up. She'll occasionally interject with stories or anecdotes that she's picked up since they've last met, but more often she just listens to his voice and lets herself relax for once in her life. Cuddle locations change regularly, however, with Nailah dragging G'raha out of the annex every chance she gets with the excuse of showing him some new allagan technology she found (and of course she can't bring it with her, it could damage something!).

[thehermitcraftqueen]

Love Will Chase the Nightmares Away - Fluff, Etho x Tango

It's a routine night for Tango. He's just protecting his base from the mob of monsters that come, like usual. Only this time, he has another visitor. When the monsters are gone, Tango's task changes to comforting the injured and distressed Etho who showed up at his home.

~~~~~

Placed in a Hermitcraft AU of mine.

Slight blood and mentions of death warning.

-----------------------------------------------------

Swords slashed and flames flickered as a battle raged between Tango and the onslaught of monsters surrounding his base. The half-demon flipped back his golden hair and wiped the sweat off his brow, before tossing another fireball at an incoming zombie. Defending his base every night was no new thing to him, but it was becoming worse. The monsters kept returning, getting stronger each time. From what he'd heard, the others were having similar problems, and no one knew what was up with the monsters. It was bad enough already that traveling anywhere at night, alone, was a death wish.

After what seemed like another hour, the monsters finally retreated. Tango watched them go, breathing heavily. He glanced around, his tail flicking in annoyance as he realized how much of the grass and surrounding area he'd managed to scorch, as well as the monsters. That was the one downside to having fire powers--things got burned too easily. The moon was still up, though, and Tango would rather not be fixing his yard if the monsters decided to attack again. He'd fix it in the morning.

With one last glance around to make sure no monsters remained, Tango entered his nether-themed base. Though he'd built it in plains, Tango had decided to make his base out of nether blocks, since they reminded him of home. Even if the nether didn't hold all of his best memories, it still held some good ones; enough that he would be constantly homesick if he didn't do something. So, his nether brick fortress was the result. The soul fire lanterns hanging from the ceiling and the shroomlights carefully hidden in the walls gave it enough light, and various decorations throughout the place were made of different nether blocks to give it some color.

The blackstone couches, covered in black wool to give them some softness, were where Tango headed. He stretched out on one of them, ready to just chill after that fight. Naturally, with nothing else to do, his thoughts drifted to Etho. Tango knew Etho's abilities with his powers, along with most any weapon, were incredible. Theoretically, he'd have no problem defending himself. But Tango couldn't help worrying about him. The monsters were unnaturally strong, and getting stronger. Etho was strong too, but he tended to get closer to them than he should to use his sword more. Get too close, and one mistake was all it took for the monsters to drag you down.

An explosion suddenly sounded from outside. Tango shot up and rushed to the door. Were the monsters back? But if they were, why would creepers be blowing up long before they ever saw him?

As he stepped outside, it took Tango a moment to realize what he was seeing. At first, it looked like the monsters were fighting each other. After a second, though, he realized it was a person in the middle of them--a very familiar person at that.

"Etho!" Tango yelled, shooting a burst of flame at the mob. Some of them fell back, opening a path for Etho. Etho raised his sword and slashed at a few monsters holding him back, then hurried over to Tango, though limping badly. "Get in there!" Tango ordered, quickly gesturing to his base before returning to shooting flames at the monsters. He didn't stop to see if Etho listened, continuously attacking the monsters with his fire until they fled. Once he was sure they were gone, Tango turned back and returned to his base. He faced Etho, who was leaning against the wall in the hallway.

"Sorry about that, Tango..." Etho said quietly.

"What were you thinking?!" Tango demanded. "You know how risky it is to travel at night! You could have been killed!"

"I know," Etho whispered. He sank to the floor while clutching his leg, which was bleeding heavily. Tango couldn't stay angry as worry flooded over him at the sight of Etho's wounds.

"Wait here," Tango told Etho. He headed to his storage room and grabbed a healing potion, then returned to Etho. Etho took the potion gratefully and drank it, sighing as his wounds began to magically heal.

"Thanks," Etho murmured.

Tango nodded a bit. "What happened?" he asked.

Etho didn't meet Tango's eyes. "The monsters attacked me?"

"I know that part," Tango said. "I guess I meant like...what brings you here in the middle of the night?"

Etho didn't respond, his gaze fixed on the floor. Tango realized he must be uncomfortable about something, but he didn't know what it was. Tango set a hand on Etho's shoulder.

"Etho...is everything okay? You know you can tell me anything," he said reassuringly.

"I-I..." To Tango's surprise, Etho's voice was cracking. "You'll think it's stupid..."

"Etho." Tango's tone had a firmness that made Etho look up. His heart broke when he realized Etho was crying. "If it's something that makes you this upset, I won't think it's stupid at all."

Etho took a shaky breath. "Y-you know I don't sleep and...w-when I do it's usually nightmares." Tango nodded slowly, and Etho went on. "T-this time...it was awful. T-they killed everyone...I had to watch everyone die...I-I had to watch you die. I couldn't do anything...and it was so, so vivid. T-that's why I came over. I-I needed to know...that you were okay..."

Etho choked up at the end, hugging his knees to his chest as tears poured down his face. Tango's heart clenched to see him so sad and vulnerable like this. He sat down next to Etho, wrapping his arms around him. Etho buried his face in Tango's shoulder, and Tango pulled Etho close, holding him as he cried.

"Shh, it's okay. I'm okay. We're all okay," Tango said soothingly.

Slowly, Etho began to calm down. After a moment, he raised his head, blinking tears away. Tango met his eyes and smiled. "Better?"

"Yeah," Etho murmured. "I'm sorry-"

"Nope, nope," Tango cut him off. "You have nothing to be sorry for. I won't hear it."

Etho sighed but rolled his eyes. Tango grinned and brushed a thumb over Etho's cheek to wipe away the last of his tears.

"Hey, Tango, I...I hate to ask any more of you, but..." Etho bit his lip nervously. "Can I stay with you for the rest of the night?"

"Do you think I'd say no?" Tango replied. "Of course!" He suddenly thought of something and felt his face get a little warm. "Oh, I uh...only have one bed though. So we'll have to share...not that that's a problem! I, um, it could be fun! Or, wait--I-I mean-"

Tango was cut off by giggles from Etho. "I know what you mean, it's fine."

"Oh, okay, good." Tango knew his face was red after all that. But at least hearing Etho happy again was worth it. "It's about time I got some sleep anyway, now that all the monsters around here are gone. Do you wanna try to sleep too or...?"

"I'll try, I guess," Etho said.

Tango nodded and stood up, offering a hand to Etho. He hesitated, then accepted it, letting Tango pull him to his feet. Instead of dropping Etho's hand afterward, Tango intertwined their fingers before leading Etho to his bedroom.

The bedroom was located in the center of the fortress. There were some chests against the walls with valuables that didn't belong in the storage system, like old pictures. The red carpet floor matched the double bed, and soul fire lamps stood on the blackstone shelves next to the bed to provide some light.

Tango released Etho's hand to slip under the covers, motioning for Etho to do the same. He was only slightly hesitant, soon joining Tango. Tango wrapped his arms around Etho once more, and Etho snuggled close to Tango.

It felt good, being this close to Etho. They had both been so busy lately that they never got much quality time together, and moments, where they could just cuddle like this, were rare. A smile crossed Tango's lips as he glanced at Etho nestled in his arms, with his eyes closed. He was finally peaceful, cute even. Tango admired everything about him. He got the sudden urge to kiss Etho, but eyeing the mask, he wasn't sure if he wanted to bother Etho about it. He settled for a kiss on the forehead instead. To his surprise, Etho's eyes fluttered open, and he pulled his mask off. His hand rested on Tango's cheek, and Tango wasted no time in connecting their lips.

They lingered like that for a long moment before breaking apart. Etho's soft smile only caused Tango to fall for him more, if that was even possible at this point.

"I love you, Etho," Tango smiled.

"I love you too," Etho murmured, lightly nuzzling Tango's neck.

They both soon fell asleep, arms wrapped around each other as they cuddled. Both slept well for once, comforted by the other's closeness.

[oopcio]

Hello!! Could I get some domestic life headcannons for the arcana women :3 I would love lots of fluff bc I’m soft for them. Tysm!💕

yes!!! love the arcana, love women, love the arcana women... perfect request [chef kiss]

nadia:

married life was treating both of you royally. when married to lucio, nadia once wondered if there would ever be a point in time when she would be happily wed - not simply for politics, but for herself, and for love. fortunately for the both of you, such a day did come! it was crazy to think that you’d been brought together by the mysterious murder of her ex-husband. fate has a funny sense of humor, huh?

nadia is normally quite busy as the countess of vesuvia, but rest assured, because she will always make time for you. if she has any say in the matter, there will never be a time when you don’t feel like her first priority, or when you feel anything less than the most important thing in nadia’s life. when these things become too overwhelming for either one or both of you, you take little vacations! perhaps not too far away when there is work to be done, or if you don’t want to travel too far. you can visit the surrounding cities and whatnot, and you’re always invited to prakra! that is, undoubtedly, the place you visit most often.

and that doesn’t go without saying that nadia’s family doesn’t visit you, because they definitely do! at least once every month or two, either you will visit prakra to see them or they come to see you if at all possible. her family absolutely loves you and it takes little to no time at all to be considered one of them. natiqa immediately includes you in her good-humored pranks, nazali in their medical practices, nahara in fighting techniques, nafizah in dancing and lively fun, so on.

if you want a baby, a baby you will get!!! if the pregnancy/adoption process overlaps with the masquerade, that is when the announcement will be made that the countess and her partner’s next heir is on their merry way, and a baby shower will be held not long after, where the entire city of vesuvia is invited. if the baby is already born/adopted by the next masquerade, then nadia will spend most (if not) the entire evening with you carrying the child and introducing them to all the citizens attending. not to mention how she’d have a special little masquerade costume tailered especially for them!

however, if that’s not something you want, fear not! it’s not something strikingly important to nadia, and she wouldn’t particularly be opposed to the act of baby-proofing the whole palace, taking diaper checks in the middle of meetings, getting spit-up on extravagant clothing made from exotic cloths and the like. she can easily settle for just showering you in love, affection, and gifts for the rest of her days.

you bring out the very best in nadia, and she soon realizes that she could not picture a life without you. you make her strive to do her best, you remind her of all the people in vesuvia looking up to her, their lives in the palm of her hands. if she ever started to get a bit too power hungry, you quickly put her back on track. you complete her, as cheesy as it may sound, but you really make her feel all of these things. she hardly thought she’d ever find love as a countess - she was wed simply to lay peace between two lands and even if she did, somehow, find someone, it was likely that they’d use her in order to get her position, or her wealth. but you completely erased all those thoughts. you gave her no reason to second guess your love, you were always there for her; a cuddle at the end of a hard day, a well-spoken word or two when she needed it, a shoulder to cry and bare her most vulnerable state to. whatever she needed, you were that. you were always that.

in short, domestic life with nadia, summed up in one word? ideal.

portia:

she’s the ultimate cottage core wife, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. she used to feel like she was just a secondary character in her own life - looking around her, there was her brother ilya, a fugitive doctor always on the run to save his skin, and asra, a great magician who was undoubtedly well-known in vesuvia, even nadia herself! the very countess of vesuvia! and portia was just... the head servant. she had a comfortable life before meeting you; living in her cottage with pepi and growing flowers and plants in her garden, but even then it was missing something. it was missing you. you brought that excitement and adrenaline that she so desperately needed into her life, and how silly would she be to let you go?

meeting you was the best thing to happen to her. not just for the exhilaration you brought, but because you made her feel like a heroine. you made her feel like she was no longer the secondary character in her life, taught her that she is just as unique and fun to be around as any of the others, even if you were a bit biased...

it didn’t take very long for her to realize, during your first thrilling adventure that you were the only person she wanted to ever do these quests with, for the rest of her life. your relationship developed as slowly or as quickly as you ideally wanted - she never pressed to hard and progress just came naturally to the two of you.

when you moved in with portia in her cottage, mornings were spent drinking tea in the morning sun, sitting in front of a window in the bedroom with pepi curled up between the both of you. portia loved the feeling of providing for you, even in the most minuscule ways, just to sort of feel like she was - in some way - returning something to you since you were the one who taught her how to discover herself. she makes breakfast in the mornings before you get up, so she can bring it to you while you eat in bed. she does her best to make you as comfortable as she possibly can 24/7, claiming she wants to make you “at least half as comfortable as you make me, every single day”.

you and portia talk about everything, and, in many ways, you hold the same morals and believe in the same things. if you ever want to get married one day, she will take the information to heart and find the most beautiful sunset and the prettiest garden blooms to propose to you in, if you don’t take the initiative yourself. if you’re the one who does make the first move, however, she’ll definitely tear up happily and jump up and down, grabbing your hands once you slide the ring on her finger. she’d never had such an important piece of jewelry, until that moment.

if you don’t really believe in/like the concept of marriage, that’s fine too! she’ll explain that she sees the whole process so time consuming. why spend time wasting hard-earned time and money on a wedding when you can get a head start on living your best life, together? when that valuable time could be spent either relaxing in the cottage or going out and exploring what the world has to offer.

you want a baby? awesome! portia makes sure to help as much as possible, no complaints. she’ll take every available moment to constantly tell you and your baby how adorable your child is. parenting is definitely an easy job when you’re both easily compatible (and just flat out incredible). and if you don’t want kids? that’s fine too! she’s not particularly baby crazy, and would just as well like to baby little pepi with you! you’re cat parents now, and that’s good enough, right?

but, if you’re looking for a summary? the simplist way i can phrase it is... like heaven, pretty much. i mean, having a wife who has a thirst for thrill and exhilaration, a cottage in the woods witn her own little self-sustainable garden, and an adorable little kitten? and your wife is adorable 5’1 portia, no less?! who wouldn’t want that?

(a/n: first headcanon whoo!!! leave some feedback if you want, i just noticed halfway thru writing that most hc lists are bulleted rather than written in paragraphs, so if that’s how it’s supposed to be or smthn lmk. i guess i’m just used to writing in paragraph forms??? oops, oh well. i guess you can tell me what you thought if you want, and i hope you enjoyed this!!!! thank you so so much for reading!!!! 💜 p.s. too tired to proofread lol. i will tomorrow (maybe))

- jiah 💖

[1rosex]

The Downsides of BTS Members

Masterlist

PLEASE READ vvv

 Every human being has downsides and every relationship has arguments. So this is what I think would be some of the boys' traits you might encounter in a realistic relationship. This is totally my opinion, and I in no way mean to offend BTS or make them out as bad people, because they're angels. This isn’t how they’d behave constantly either.

Seokjin

Sometimes you need him to be serious and he won’t stop messing around

Eventually this might lead to small arguments

He just makes jokes at the wrong times

They might go too far, but he’ll apologize if that happens

He can be clingy or affectionate when you don’t want it

He can be sensitive and hold a grudge against comments on your part

He acts confident, he’s really not that much

Tries to talk his problems out, but he’s prone to hiding them

He’s very headstrong in an argument

In the heat of the moment, don’t expect him to back down

He normally doesn’t shout or yell anything hurtful, he gives you the cold shoulder and glares

If you yell at him, he’ll probably just leave

He strongly hates being yelled at

It takes him a while to cool down

Despite this, Jin is good at holding people together and fixing problems

So he’ll do his best to hold you two together.

Namjoon

Busy busy busy

He gets really busy as leader

He can become easily discouraged or upset

He can also be a buzzkill to your or the people around

Most of the time he’s selfless and caring

But he has moments where he doesn't listen, just rambles on or fails to realize you're upset

His clumsiness is cute, but sometimes too much for you

Prone to breaking valuable things and not a very good cook

During arguments, it’s almost aggravating how calm he is

Afterwards he gives silent treatments, he goes out of his way to show that he’s doing just fine without you

Even if he’s really not

If the argument was his fault, he is mature enough to come to you with an apology

However if it is was your fault, he won’t come looking for you anytime soon

He subtly brushes you off if you’re embarrassing him with PDA or in any other way, but he’ll go off on you if you do it too much

You have to understand that it’s not his fault

He’s an idol, he needs to be careful what the public sees it’s not up to him

but Namjoon’s a great person, his flaws are to be embraced as much as his personality.

Yoongi

He gets really stressed

Puts himself down often

It’s hard to tell what he's thinking and he's quite closed off

Sometimes you'll want to cuddle or talk

But if he’s not in the mood he’ll be unresponsive

If he uninterested and you keep attempting to grab onto his hand or get a hug, Yoongi will pull away from you

His comments might also get offensive if you're not used to his humor

Won't compliment you all the time because he can never find the right words, though he is kind to you

Doesn't always take jokes well and might get offended

Arguments with Yoongi aren’t regular but fired up

He can say some hurtful things when he's really mad, but that’s rare

Can get violent with the objects around (EX: slamming doors)

Doesn’t like raising his voice, has a low tone even when mad

He finds it hard to admit he’s wrong

He’s not good at apologizing, so if he’s apologizing he means it

But if this argument is your fault, Yoongi is going to be cold

He won’t come looking for you he’ll wait it out and have you come to him

But if he’s really hurt you, he’ll look for you

Because no matter what, you mean everything to him.

J-Hope

He's so sweet

Sometimes too sweet

He clings onto you a lot, and gives a lot of PDA

Everyone wants some quiet sometimes, but Hobi is bad at taking the hint

He'll still be hanging around when you want to be alone

He'll also make quite some noise, and you'll have to confront him about it

Which usually ends with his feelings being hurt

Sometimes he takes things to seriously or jumps to conclusions

Like Jin, he doesn’t always know when to be serious and can sometimes be funny at the wrong time

He doesn’t really know how to effectively comfort you, but he really does try his best

His worst days are some of the most difficult for the two of you

When he gets sad, it’s like nothing you do or say can fix it

When he's angry, he becomes even a bit scary

He’s normally so smiley, so the cold stare and low tone on him is unnerving

All you can do is wait for him to calm down, but he’s reasonable and is able to control his words even when angered

No matter who’s fault, Hobi is usually the one searching for a resolution

He’ll find you to apologize or talk it out

Because the last thing this boy wants is to hurt someone he loves.

Jimin

He's insecure

Not only in his appearance, but in his relationship

Which means he'll get jealous a little too easily sometimes

Don't take advantage of it, it'll just hurt him

He’s very indecisive, very forgetful too

This kid is the absolute sweetest

But when he's angry, he's the scariest of the members (which is confirmed by Tae)

He gets violent, but never towards you

He'll slam doors, hit objects or yell

Afterwards he'll stay quiet and give you silent glares

Worst part is he gets angry over meaningless things sometimes

It just takes a lot for him to actually get riled up

He'll leave you alone to calm down

Could leave you for a few minutes, to hours to days depending on why he got angry

But he'll feel so bad about going off on you he'd apologize as soon as he was ready

But if it’s your fault, then expect ignored calls

Ignored texts

Will not speak to you until you’ve gone looking for him, with a good reason

Yes, he's tough when he's angry

But in reality he's just sensitive

He's sensitive because he's so afraid of losing you, and he doesn’t want either of you getting hurt.

Taehyung

He is the hardest member to read

He is incredibly stubborn

He will only open up if he is in the mood to talk, otherwise it’s best to not bother him

Being persistent in Taehyung’s case will likely only irritate him

Trying to have a talk with him or getting him to do something can be challenging if he doesn’t want to hear it

Which means his sad moments are hard to get past, though Taehyung will find strength

He does have great trust in you 

Don’t get discouraged by his attitude 

When he’s in a good mood he can be a bit hyperactive or overwhelming, but for the most part he knows when to stop

He can be indecisive, bad at making decisions and telling you right from wrong

In an argument, he’s alarmingly calm

He’ll let you get all your frustration out, then leave without a word

He’ll apologize eventually if it was his fault

But if it wasn’t, he won’t hear you out until he’s ready

He loves you though, and he appreciates you. He wouldn’t deliberately hurt you.

Jungkook

He’s young so he’s a bit inexperienced

You might have to initiate some things or make plans a lot of the time

He can be greedy or inconsiderate sometimes

Like if he’s had a hard day he might not say anything if he sees you have too, acts self-centered

He can have a big ego and doesn’t like being vulnerable

He’s not very good with commitment yet so if you go on about marriage or kids, he’ll get a bit nervous or freaked out

It’s not that he never wants that with you, he just has a long way till then

He doesn’t always make or have time for you under so much pressure

You have to understand he’s all over the place

He has, is and acts on a very competitive spirit

Things don’t go the way he wants them to, and he’s potentially going to become upset or childish

During arguments, he’s very hard-headed and stubborn

If he believes he’s right, he will argue unapologetically

However, if he knows he’s wrong, he finds it hard to accept defeat

Eventually though he’d put his anger aside and reason with you

Because nothing would be worse than losing you.

[heryellowcup]

Bechloe week day 1 - Accidental kiss

"Um, Becs, do you really think that's a good idea-"

"I'm fine!" It's intended to sound calm and collected, comes out as a nervous shriek instead. One that causes Chloe to raise her eyebrows even higher, a skeptical smirk grazing her features already. Almost as though she's maliciously waiting for her to fall.

Beca knows that what she is currently doing isn't necessarily safe, is aware of how wobbly she is balancing on a toolbox, on their kitchen counter. Blaming Chloe for being worried doesn't seem fair, but it's also not her fault that Amy somehow happens to be the only one tall enough to reach the top shelf.

She's usually not one to indulge in such carefree and foolish activities, her demeanor serious and guarded more than anything, but Chloe's gaze on her isn't judging. It's amused more than anything, the smile on her lips teasing, practically spurring Beca on to keep going. And if it makes her grin like this, Beca thinks, she gladly will.

Chloe is craving a certain kind of cereal and Beca pretends to want it too, deems it an appropriate excuse to literally climb up on the counter and possibly hurt herself in the process of doing so. It's barely fair, how influential those blue eyes are.

Though it's the smile that causes her to slip, all dimples and breathtaking and suddenly she loses her footing, desperately holds onto the shelf. The dull pain rushes over her as soon as her head hits the counter with a loud thump and the smile responsible for all of this fades immediately. Chloe is frowning now and, eyebrows furrowed, she's next to Beca in less than a second, her concern obvious even in the way she brushes some strands of hair behind the brunette's ear so she can inspect the spot of impact properly. It's all gentle and loving and the sheepishness that should have taken over by now instantly gets replaced with the sudden need to rush forward and capture the other woman's lips with her own. They're so close.

Beca fears that if it wasn't for the stinging headache coursing through her body, she might have done just that. Another foolish act to emphasize just how incredibly skittish Chloe makes her feel.

"It's okay," is what she mumbles instead, unconvincingly so, grimacing in pain, still. "Really."

The statement lacks a certain sense of reassurance and Chloe is all over her for the rest of the evening, worries too much. Both of them sure that it's not a concussion, Chloe still takes care of her all night. It's almost embarrassing, how much comfort Beca finds in it, a roll of her eyes every now and then suggesting that she is annoyed more than anything. And yet an undeniably goofy smile finds its way onto her lips when Chloe brings her another ice pack, gently places it on her head, still cradles Beca as though she's the most valuable thing in the redhead's life.

Though if someone were to ask Beca later, she'd most likely blame it on the fact that Chloe is no doctor, can't possibly tell if she perhaps has a concussion after all. She supposes they make one feel giddy, cause one to admire a certain dimpled smile even more than usual. It's the only explanation for the way her stomach churns whenever soft fingers brush against her warm cheeks. The only explanation for the sudden nausea that seems to be taking over.

"Are you sure you're alright?" The words sound so incredibly caring coming out of her friend's mouth that Beca considers shaking her head just so she'll get to hear some more of them.

She nods instead, like she feels she ought to, doesn't want to be that much of a burden despite the throbbing of her head.

There's a response forming on her lips already, but its impossible to voice out loud when Chloe suddenly presses hers to her temple, gently, and blue eyes flutter close involuntarily. It's over before Beca can properly process the soft touch, one that a certain redhead insists will make it all better.

It's cute and Beca doesn't even try to fight it when her lips curve upwards yet again.

//

The sweet gesture is something that Chloe repeats more than once after that. It becomes somewhat of a habit, even, one that Beca relishes despite all of her efforts not to act the part.

It's soft lips gently brushing against every little and insignificant scrape Beca earns herself in the most mundane ways and when the brunette finds herself to be even more clumsy than previously thought, she can't find it in herself to actually care. She knows that Chloe, without a doubt, will be there to 'kiss it better'.

Telling the redhead that it doesn't help, that it's illogical and childish is merely a miserably failed attempt of trying to keep up all of the walls that Chloe has learned to easily look through. She can read Beca like an open book, if the discrete and victorious smirk she cracks every single time is anything to go by.

And yet it takes a painfully long time for Beca to reciprocate said ritual, on a movie night nonetheless. They're silly, really, because they actually live together now, but Chloe successfully manages to ignore any objections regarding the topic. Chloe loves her traditions and who is Beca to deny her those? Who is Beca to resist Chloe in a pajama, cuddled up on the bed next to her? Who is she to resist those blue eyes and the giddy smile that broadens notably whenever they get ready to watch one of her beloved Disney movies. The ones Beca still pretends to dislike. She has an image to keep up, after all, and no, The Lion King did not make her cry, no matter how often Chloe tells the story with that stupid, fond smile grazing her lips.

They order food on some nights, decide to cook on others. Beca doesn't mind anymore, has accepted that Chloe will always be the one doing the cooking while she herself has seemingly perfected the art of burning food to a crisp. The redhead usually bans her from the kitchen about halfway through, but watching from the living room doesn't seem like all that bad of an option either.

She can see it from there, too, when Chloe's knife slips and cuts right into her finger, the action accompanied by a loud hiss. There's blood everywhere before either of them can do so much as blink. Beca usually isn't overprotective, isn't too fussy about blood either, but Chloe definitely looks like she is in pain and the brunette has to do something. The panic in all of her movement is apparent as she desperately tries to find the first aid kit that she knows they have lying around somewhere.

Listening to Chloe reassuring her that everything is fine, over and over again, that it's just a little scratch, seems to be practically impossible when there's still so much blood. It's only once the redhead has rinsed it thoroughly and there's a bandaid on her finger that Beca feels like she can breathe again. Feels the worry and concern vanish slowly, a little less of it controlling her with every new smile that Chloe regards her with.

"You're cute when you worry about me." Chloe is all mocking and teasing and she knows exactly what it does to Beca, the flush creeping up her neck immediate even when she shakes it off with an awkward motion of her hand.

"Maybe I just didn't want you to bleed into our food," Beca mumbles nonchalantly despite her still heated cheeks. All of her efforts trying to hide said blush fail when Chloe merely snorts in response, doesn't believe one word her friend is saying, adores her grumpy demeanor nonetheless.

The whole badass facade falls apart seconds later anyways, when Beca hesitantly reaches for Chloe's hand, brings the injured finger up to her lips and presses a featherlight kiss to it. Avoiding the redhead's gaze while doing so, feeling incredibly vulnerable.

It's not sweet, not loving, not a sign that Beca finally starts softening up even more so than she already had. It's simply what they do, now, just another part of their friendship.

//

It's something that they keep doing even weeks, months later. It's something that even Beca does until there's absolutely nothing weird about it anymore. Until it's something as normal and incredibly necessary as breathing, as having Chloe around in the first place.

Though it's on a Sunday morning that everything comes to a grinding halt, that the normality of it all fades into something more dangerous.

It's not Beca's intention, by any means, to stare. To stare at Chloe when she once again leaves their tiny bathroom in nothing but a towel, her hair still wet and strong shoulders on display. Beca hasn't previously thought it to be something that actually happens, but somehow her eyes keep snapping up to Chloe from where she is working on her music and in the midst of things, she just so happens to bite her lips.

Hard. Until she can distinguish the familiar, metallic taste on her tongue. It's ridiculous, really, but then Chloe is looking right at her with this electrifying look on her face, one that makes her look like a mischievous predator more than anything and Beca doesn't even have time to wipe the blood away before the redhead takes a few steps closer, is suddenly right in front of her.

"I guess I'll have to kiss it better, huh?"

And Beca might not be an expert when it comes to female friendships, but even she can tell that this is crossing a line that they won't be able to come back from. It's not that she necessarily minds, is kind of unable to breathe, to move, to do anything but wait for the arrival of Chloe's soothing lips. To kiss it all better.

Chloe's lips are on hers in an instant and it almost physically hurts when she doesn't get the chance to slip into it, to close her eyes, to enjoy the way it all makes her heart beat so fast it might jump right out of her chest and into Chloe's lap.

Beca doesn't think Amy has ever witnessed their soft tradition, believes it to be just like her to barge into the room at exactly this moment.

It's something that almost angers Beca and yet she can only feel it rise in her chest when she turns around and notes how unfazed Amy actually seems to be. By all of this. As though this isn't something huge, something surprising, something that Beca now realizes is something she's been waiting for all this time.

"What's up, guys?" It's nonchalant, without any intentions of wanting to tease them and for the first time Beca actually misses just that. What's up?, she wants to ask, Chloe Beale just kissed me. Chloe Beale just kissed me and I think I might die if it doesn't happen again and why is no one surprised?

"Chloe just kissed me." And there it is. Two can play that game. It's not a big deal, after all. Right?

"That wasn't a kiss." Chloe manages to sound dismissing in the most gentle and playful way and Beca immediately realizes that's not all there is to this. There's more and blue eyes are practically begging her to ask. She does, despite the fact that it seems to hurt just a little too much.

"Oh no?" she asks, eyebrows raised questioningly. It's exactly what the other woman had wanted her to ask and Beca sees it in yet another, dimpled smile. In the mischievous gleam in her eyes.

Beca doesn't expect her answer to come in the form of soft hands pulling her closer, until there's no space left between them and their lips are touching again. Softer, this time, yet firm and passionate and deeper. They don't pull back as quickly as before, but when they do, after losing themselves in each other for way too long, Chloe's grinning at her.

"That, Beca, was a kiss."

Almost thinking that the moment couldn't get any better, Beca turns around to see that Amy finally has the decency to look at least a little surprised. She mirrors Chloe's grin, then, and somehow it's impossibly brighter.