#yes i also did just blur a photo of dream’s castle for the background

[ebellaart]

how dare vivienne take such a drawable selfie. the biggest change is that morpheus would never smile as big as tom did (even if posing with his best of companions), so i changed accordingly

(linework and non-castle version also included for viewing displeasure)

[beca-mitchell]

show me where my armor ends, ch. 7/7

chapter 7: i like me better

ch. 1 | ch. 2 | ch. 3 | ch. 4 | ch. 5 | ch. 6 | ch. 7

Summary: Chloe Beale goes to Disneyland. Again. 

Chloe-centric chapter to end this week. I just want to say that it has been delightful writing these little snippets of their life together for you all.

Chapter title refers to “I Like Me Better” by Lauv.

See graphics/manips and q&as in this fic’s tag: show me where my armor ends

Also on AO3.

Word count: 2,241

day 7: disney

Growing up, Chloe always wondered what it would be like to be a Disney princess. She had also begged and begged her parents to take her when she was younger, but they had refused, citing bad timing and monetary struggles.

Then, her career had taken off and she hadn’t thought about it.

Not until she picked up that music video gig with Beca Mitchell.

And now, in the best, most serious, most stable, and healthiest relationship she’s ever been in, Beca holds true to a promise made nearly three years ago - a subtle text of all things and brings them on a mini vacation to Anaheim.

Before nearly every ride, Beca mutters something along the lines of “why am I doing this?”

To which Chloe responds, “Because you love me.”

Beca never says anything in response to that. She simply holds Chloe’s hand as best as she can before she’s screaming and cursing Chloe’s name for dragging her here.

“Hey you should ask her if she dyes her hair,” Beca suggests, pointing at Ariel who is waving and gesturing at them to take pictures with her.

“Is that your idea of a pick-up line?” Chloe asks in return. “ You go take a photo with her. I know you have a crush on her.”

Beca flushes immediately. “No? I was just - ugh. I hate you.”

“You love redheads,” Chloe says, grinning at how aggravated Beca is becoming. It’s so easy to rile her up.

“So what if I do?”

“Do you two want a photo or not?” ‘Ariel’ asks, jolting them both out of their intense staring. “There are actual children waiting.”

“Yes please,” they both mumble, eyes downcast.

Beca thinks there is something very, very wrong with making out at an amusement park that is crawling with children.

Of course, what she thinks and what she actually does are two very different things.

There’s something about the intensity in Chloe’s eyes when they start their “It’s a Small World” cruise that makes her cave almost immediately.

And finally...

They’re standing in front of that majestic castle, tinged with blue. The skies are clear and the sun is hot.

But Beca doesn’t want to move, not when she’s standing right next to Chloe Beale.

Chloe leans against the railing, on arm around Beca’s waist as they quietly watch the gentle ripple of the water. It’s not much to see, really, but it’s a peaceful moment.

“Good day?” Beca asks, leaning into Chloe’s side. They’re both a little warm and more than a little sweaty, but she finds comfort in how softly she sinks into Chloe, as naturally as ever.

“The best,” Chloe sighs happily. “This is the vacation I needed,” she says, stretching her legs a little.

Beca nods, understandingly. Chloe had been filming a movie in New York over the past month and before that, she had been working on her series, which had kept them apart for almost two and a half months. She had missed Chloe desperately, finding excuses whenever she could to fly back and forth.

“Are we going home now?” Chloe asks, noting that they’ve stopped exploring. “Or do you want to get one last ride?”

It’s almost early evening, but people still mill about them, not really noticing who they are, despite the fact that they got stopped only a couple times for photos or autographs.

“I do have something I want to do,” Beca says lightly. She takes her baseball cap off and ruffles her hair to get it to fall into place messily.

"You know, when I was seventeen and just about to graduate high school," Beca says, drumming her fingers against the stone of the railing. "I had this...fantasy. It was what - what my life would be like by the time I turned twenty-five. Visions, dreams, goals – you name it."

"You’re twenty-seven now,” Chloe says, a teasing smile on her lips.

“And you’re twenty-nine, almost thirty,” Beca points out, pouting.

Chloe laughs, gently touching Beca’s pouty lower lip with her thumb. “Okay, sorry, continue.” She reaches out to squeeze Beca’s hand reassuringly.

"I just…wow. The reality is so much better, especially with you. Even if I have lulls in my career, I know you’ll be there.”

"You won’t have lulls," Chloe promises instantly. "You're so talented."

"I love your faith in me," Beca murmurs with a soft smile.

"It's not faith, Bec,” Chloe says gently. “It's just a fact.”

Beca bites her lip, shrugging as she lets go of Chloe's hand briefly to grasp the railing again. She fidgets, letting her knuckles turn white as she tightens her grasp.

"My point is," Beca pushes on determinedly, "I don't need the awards or the records or – or the validation from anybody else to be happy. Not anymore. I could stop touring tomorrow, if I wanted,” Beca says, pausing as she contemplates the reality of how true that feels. “I could stop everything because I have you.”

There’s a brief silence, barring the sound of screaming and laughing children around them, but it fades to background noise as Beca stares straight at Chloe, feeling like she’s twenty-five again, filming a music video at this very location, wondering how she got so lucky to have met Chloe at all.

Chloe’s brow furrows, wondering if Beca’s trying to tell her something about her career – that she’s struggling with something. She turns, eyebrows raised. “Did something happen? You’re starting to worry me a little, Beca,” she says slowly. She knows Beca had a meeting recently with Universal, in talks to work on a movie soundtrack and original music. It had been a big deal in her house.

Beca huffs, loving and hating how concerned Chloe is in whatever situation they find themselves in. They’re literally in Disneyland, having spent a full day – almost – on rides, screaming themselves hoarse. "I'm trying to be symbolic, Chlo. Could you just...?"

Chloe mimes zipping her lips, nodding seriously.

Beca nods, almost to herself, as she gathers her wits about her. She turns back to face the water, licking her lips a little nervously before facing Chloe once more, with renewed determination in her eyes.

Beca's smile wavers, and she swallows visibly, bracing her right hand against the railing.

“Beca,” Chloe breathes.

"I'm so in love with you," she murmurs, powering through. "I love this…this weird, crazy life we've built together. I love knowing that I get to wake up every morning to the one person – the only person - who knows me better than anyone. You know me better than I know myself sometimes and you still somehow love me for everything I am. That’s…” Beca reaches out to hold Chloe’s hand, leaving one hand on the railing steadily. “The good, the bad, and everything in between. You’ve seen me cry and scream and make a complete fool of myself on the red carpet, but you have never wavered. Not once, and it is my hope…not ever.”

“Never,” Chloe echoes, unable to help herself. She thinks people are starting to stare because they have been in one spot for a while now and Beca has removed her hat as well as propped her sunglasses up on her head.

“I love you in exactly the same way, Chloe," she says, voice light and carefree and enshrining everything Chloe has grown to love about Beca over the past two and a half years of being together.

Chloe's heartrate begins to speed – more than it had been before. She holds Beca’s hand tight and tries to remember how to just breath e, while her mind spins with Beca's words—with the entire day. Beca obligingly agreeing to wearing matching t-shirts. Beca pulling strings to get them special tours and quiet moments away. The increased amount of PDA; the gentle and sweet kisses Beca had placed on her cheeks, lips, and hands over the course of the day.

Chloe feels herself already begin to tear up.

"I'm the best version of myself when I'm with you," Beca continues. “I feel like that was something I already knew while filming that music video. It feels like a lifetime ago, which I guess is true because I was living a very different life back then. Even though we met at the Golden Globes, I was waiting for the day I could see you again.”

“Beca,” Chloe says, though she has no real thought. She just has to say Beca’s name because she feels lightheaded and weak suddenly.

Beca pauses to lick her lips again, feeling her throat constrict nervously. “So now, I’m standing here, on this bridge, where I believe I found the will to just live my best life again…” She lifts her hand from the railing to reveal the small velvet box that had been resting comfortably underneath. Then, without warning, she slowly bends down on knee, gazing up at Chloe with all the hope and love in her eyes.

“I don’t need to film another music video here to know that standing next to you for the rest of my life is the only thing I need. Here, where dreams come true – where I realized it was okay to dream again – I want to know, just one small question.”

Chloe thinks she gasps, or maybe somebody in the crowd gasps – and yes, there are definitely people taking photos of them. Chloe can’t wait to read all about it.

Beca is still smiling tearfully as she opens the box, finally letting go of Chloe’s hand to do so. "Chloe Beale, will you please marry me and share my forever?"

Chloe silently replays the question several times in her mind as she stares at the ring through eyes blurred with tears. She hastily wipes at her tears, pushing her own sunglasses up on top of her head.

She can't quite believe what she's seeing, but she somehow manages to process enough with her haywire sense that she’s seeing  a diamond engagement ring (a beautiful one), which means that – that Beca definitely just proposed to her.

At Disneyland.

(God, she’s such a nerd.

And she definitely said please. Beca is so soft - Chloe will never let her live it down. But it’s fine, Chloe is equally soft.

Chloe loves her so much. Her heart might burst.)

"Chloe?"

Her gaze lifts to Beca's face when she realizes she had been staring transfixed at the ring for a few moments. She notes, with a watery laugh, that Beca actually looks scared and nervous. “God, yes Beca. As if I’d say anything else.”

She doesn’t wait for Beca to say anything in return, simply tugs Beca up, careful not to jostle her, and cups her cheeks, kissing her passionately and vigorously.

“Yes,” she repeats, mumbling it straight into Beca’s mouth. “Yes, yes, yes.” She pulls back with a sigh, holding Beca’s face close to hers. “A hundred times yes, I’ll marry you.” Chloe chokes back a tearful laugh, nodding her head vigorously as she drops her hand and breathes out, "Yes. Yes, yes, Beca," she reaches for her, bending down to kiss that beloved mouth and whisper, "yes, I'll marry you," against her lips.

She feels Beca smile more than she sees her, and Beca kisses her again, just once more, joyfully, before pulling the ring free of its box and reaching for Chloe's hand. They’re both shaking and Chloe thanks God that Beca didn’t drop the ring into the water or something horrible.

“Now you can stop stealing my rings,” Beca says, though it’s tinged with a tearful laugh, lacking any real bite.

“Never,” Chloe whispers back.

Watching Beca slide the ring into place, Chloe marvels at how wonderful this whole day had been.

She's so happy.

She has wanted this for so long , but Beca never really mentioned marriage or serious commitment beyond the fact that they moved in together about eight months ago. Chloe had been too nervous to bring it up because she wanted to focus on the domestic bliss and comfortable bubble - at least until Beca gave her some kind of clue.

This is so much better than she could have ever imagined. She loves it when Beca surprises her.

"I love you so much, Beca Mitchell. Even if you are a giant, cheesy, nerd," Chloe whispers. "Nothing will make me happier than being your wife."

"My wife," Beca repeats with lopsided grin. "I really love the way that sounds," she murmurs as she slips her arms around Chloe's waist. There’s more cheering in the background, but once again, it fades to nothingness.

"Me too," Chloe agrees, looping her arms around Beca's neck and kissing her like she means it.

As they kiss, right in front of that famed castle, Chloe thinks that it is ridiculously poetic – or incredibly cheesy – that she just got engaged , during her second-ever trip to Disneyland.

Beca is thinking the same thing, clearly, because she mutters “I’ve never gotten engaged in Disneyland before, so this is a treat.”

Chloe laughs, kissing Beca once again, resisting the urge to just wrap her legs around Beca’s waist. “There’s a first time for everything.”

“Shut up,” Beca laughs, trying to kiss her again.

Chloe lifts her hand to Beca's hair and buries it in the silken strands.

Now all she has to do is find an equally perfect ring for Beca because Chloe might be just a little possessive and she maybe wants everyone to know that Beca is very much taken .

But for now, she’ll just enjoy the fireworks, well ahead of schedule.

Entertainment Tonight

The Latest:  Relationship upgrade! See the moment Beca Mitchell proposes to Chloe Beale at Disneyland!

fin // ch. 1 | ch. 2 | ch. 3 | ch. 4 | ch. 5 | ch. 6 | ch. 7

happy bechloe week! it was a really fun time writing these for you!