A/N: This is a rework of the cringefest I originally published back in 2013. My writing has developed and improved since, or at least I'm hoping so, so I'm going to revive an abandoned fanfiction that had so much potential. Let's hope this ride is better the second time around. If it sucks, it's not my fault.
When Beca first started college, she didn't expect it to be anything special. She had no intramural activities or long-lasting friendships planned. All she wanted to do was attend her classes in the mornings and mix music in the evenings. She'd hoped to add in dinner with her dad once or twice a week into the mix, but she took what she could get. Instead of living the recluse lifestyle she'd hoped for, Beca reluctantly joined a regionally acclaimed A Cappella group with a bunch of women – women she would never be able to get rid of after college. She not only ended up with them in her life, but she ended up spending a lot of time – some could say too much time – with them outside Bellas rehearsals and performances. Whether it was a weekend, a late school night, or a holiday, one or more of the girls were always near or with Beca. Some of them, though, she spent much more time with, whether she intended to or not.
Beca rolled over in bed, rubbing her closed eyes with the back of her hands and yawning. The aroma of Korean food lingered in the autumn air, a smell she had become familiar with after spending a full semester with Kimmy Jin. Another scent wafted into her nostrils, though. An unfamiliar scent. Beca squinted hard as she tried to open her eyes. The morning sunshine peeked through the slats of the semi-open window blinds in a way that it completely violated her retinas.
"When the hell?" Beca mumbled in confusion as she sat up on her bed, examining the excessive light pouring through her window. The thick fabric of her comforter fell into her lap as she sat erect, causing the cool air to nip at the bare skin of her torso. "Jesus Christ!" Beca exclaimed in discomfort and confusion as she realized her torso was clad in nothing but her bra. The cold on her chest and back reminded her of the night she had before, causing her to shudder. She gripped the edge of her blanket and pulled it up over her chest in embarrassment.
"Shut up, Beca," a raspy voice groaned weakly from inside Beca's dorm room, causing her to gasp in shock. Wasn't she alone? She could've sworn she went to sleep alone the night before. Kimmy Jin, as well as most of Barden University's student population, were out of town for the beginning of Thanksgiving break. Who was in her room?
Beca scanned the perimeters of her room, pulling her blanket closer to her chest than before. If she did indeed have company, she didn't want to give them a show or anything. She'd made the mistake with the Bellas barging into her room one too many times.
"Hello?" She called out with a shaky voice, hoping deep down that she was going crazy and hearing voices. Beca held her breath as she sat in silence, waiting impatiently for a response. There wasn't usually an eerie vibe hanging in the atmosphere of her dorm room when she was alone, but this instance was so much different. Moments passed without a sound, giving Beca a sliver of hope that she was alone, but going crazy. She waited a bit longer before letting out a big sigh of relief.
"Shut up," the same voice groaned once more, breaking Beca's oddly comforting silence.
"Uh…" Beca's faced drained of all color as her mind computed the fact that the voice wasn't something her subconscious wanted to freak her the fuck out with. "Where are you?" A cringe consumed Beca's face as the fear in her own voice resonated in her ears. Why did she sound so scared?
"Down here, idiot," the voice sighed softly, a slender hand shooting up from the side of Beca's bed and waving pathetically.
Beca shifted her weight, peering over to the floor next to her bed. Her eyes widened as she eyed the back of a blonde head, wavy, golden locks splayed messily all around it.
"Aubrey?" Beca queried softly as she stared at the woman, clad in a green Barden sweatshirt and what appeared to be Beca's shorts, curled up on her fuzzy floor rug.
Aubrey stretched her body out and groaned in discomfort. She rolled over to face Beca's bed with blurry eyes barely opened. The light from Beca's slightly opened blinds glared in her face, causing her to groan once more. "What?" Aubrey could only respond with one word as her head began to throb due to her hangover.
"Why are you still here?" Beca questioned as she began ruminating about the night before, sniffling because of the chill that lingered in her room. As she cleared her nostrils of mucus and yuck, the unfamiliar scent invaded them once more. "And what the hell is that smell?"
Aubrey rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands and shrugged lamely. "I don't know, Beca, I was hoping you'd have the answer to that." She inhaled sharply, swallowing hard as the aroma overwhelmed her nostrils. One of her eyes shot open as she realized the smell was incredibly familiar. "It smells like my regular order at Starbucks."
"What the…?" Beca's confusion increased exponentially as she continued to sit awake. She scanned the perimeter of her dorm room once more when she noticed a white Starbucks cup with steam rising from the hole in the lid, placed right next to the turntables on her desk. "Is that what you get?" Beca pointed her index finger in the direction of the cup.
Aubrey whimpered in discomfort as she sat up to investigate Beca's findings. "It could be."
"Did you bring that in here?"
Aubrey scoffed and stiffly gestured towards her own face. "For serious, Beca? Do I look like I'm capable of leaving this room?"
Beca noted Aubrey's dark-tinted under-eye bags paired with her unkempt hair and matching attire and shook her head slowly. She knew Aubrey never dared to go out in public without her hair and outfit styled perfectly with a made-up face to match.
"Then you have your answer. You would've noticed me leave, anyways. Your floor is awfully creaky." Aubrey shifted her wait to prove the noise the Beca's dorm room floor made, eliciting a muffled creak from the floorboards.
Beca lifted her comforter away from her body to make sure she had some form of lower body covering on. Instant relief overwhelmed her as she spotted the grey cotton of her sweatpants covering her upper thighs. Beca pulled the comforter off her body and swung her legs over the side of the bed as she watched Aubrey lay back down on the rug and rake her messy hair over her face.
"Did I drink?" Aubrey mumbled as she covered the hair draped over her face with her forearms.
Beca chuckled as she stood up from her bed, stepping over Aubrey's slender legs and padding towards her desk. "A little bit."
"How much is a little bit?" Aubrey questioned, tightening the grip on her face with her arms to block as much light from her eyes as possible.
"Well," Beca began, grabbing the steaming cup with one hand and twisting the rod to close the window blinds with the other, "you brought over a gallon of Chloe's jungle juice." She pivoted on one foot and padded back towards her bed. "You drank almost all of it." She tiptoed around Aubrey's splayed out legs and sat back down on her bed.
"Are you serious?" Aubrey asked, almost sounding embarrassed. She didn't usually drink, but when she drank, it was an experience for everyone, to say the least.
"Dixie Chicks serious," Beca replied with a sly smirk, failing to miss a beat. Immediately, she peered down to make sure Aubrey hadn't seen the smirk and shook her head erratically, causing the loose, chocolate-hued bun on top to sway. She had to protect her broody alt-girl image that everyone (mostly Aubrey) loved to hate if she wanted to survive the rest of her first year at Barden.
"Did I do anything weird?" Aubrey asked hesitantly, too concerned by the possibilities to notice Beca's break in character.
"Ummm…" Beca recalled all that she could from the night before and sighed. She wasn't going to tell Aubrey what happened. Not yet, at least. Instead of giving an honest answer, she sniffed the steam coming from the Starbucks cup she held and grimaced in disgust. "Here." Beca held the cup about a foot above Aubrey's face.
Aubrey hesitantly opened her eyes and uncovered her face to see what Beca was trying to hand her. She reached up with a slender hand to take the drink from the younger Bella but noticed something off about the cup. "Beca," Aubrey began, eyeing the bubbly handwriting in dried-out Sharpie on the flat bottom of the cup, "look at the bottom."
Beca furrowed her brows and lifted the drink cautiously, expecting antics something like Aubrey pushing the hot drink over onto her face. Instead, she managed to raise the cup to where she was eye level with the bottom lip. "What?" She scanned it carefully, looking for any abnormality that would leave Aubrey concerned, or let alone, confused.
"Under."
Beca moved her head to where the flat bottom of the cup was in her direct eye line. Faded words immediately captivated her attention.
"Share, lovebirds.
~Chlo"
"Really?" Beca wasn't sure whether amused or angry was an appropriate reaction to Chloe's gesture. "How the hell did she get it in here?" Beca moved the cup down into her lap and sighed, trying so hard to ignore the fact that Chloe had called her and Aubrey lovebirds.
Aubrey groaned as she sat up once more, grabbing onto the side of Beca's wooden bed frame as a means of support. As her tired eyes met Beca's, she shook her head and shrugged. "I'm not her mom, I don't know what she does or why she does it." Aubrey's tone when talking about her best friend was sharper than usual, but Beca was hoping and assuming her hangover was to blame. She never usually spoke of Chloe in such a harsh manner; not to her, at least.
"Well, however the hell she got in here," Beca paused, lowering the cup into her lap and sticking an open hand out in Aubrey's direction, "she came bearing gifts." She gestured for Aubrey to take her hand. "Get up here, Aubrey."
Aubrey smirked and scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "You really think I'm getting anywhere near your bed? I don't know what kind of fungi or diseases could possibly be breeding on that thing."
Beca rolled her eyes and gestured once more. "Get your ass off my floor, Aubrey." She'd warmed up to Chloe's immaturity and sass but would've never guessed that Aubrey allowed herself to inherit it as well. "Come here." Instead of allowing Aubrey a chance to change her mind and take the offer, Beca opted to lean forward on her bed, wrapping the fingers of her free hand around one of Aubrey's wrists, and yanking upwards. "Get," Beca paused, grunting as she pulled on a resisting Aubrey, "up!"
"God, okay!" Aubrey gave in to the younger Bella, throwing her hands up in defeat. "Let go of me, Mitchell." Emerald-tinted eyes rolled in irritation as Beca jokingly tugged on Aubrey once more before releasing the grip on her arm. She huffed, placing both hands palm down on the floor and maneuvering herself up to her feet. After regaining her balance and analyzing the situation she was in, Aubrey let out a loud sigh. "You know what?" She spoke shortly as she smoothed stray hairs on her head and adjusted her clothing. "I'm gonna go."
"Aubrey, wait," Beca protested quickly, holding her breath, and biting her tongue as she watched Aubrey move towards the door. She cringed and shook her head in disbelief, quickly realizing how desperate she'd just sounded.
Aubrey halted and whipped around, her hands resting on her hips in irritation. "What?"
"Um…" Beca mumbled, looking for something she could use to persuade Aubrey to stay. She eyed the cup in her hand and held it out in Aubrey's direction. "Do you want this?" The scent alone was overwhelming for Beca, she couldn't have even imagined what it tasted like. "You don't want it to go to waste, do you?"
Aubrey stared at Beca for a moment, her eyes narrowing on the steam rising from the Starbucks cup.
"It smells like something you'd bathe in, to be honest."
Another moment passed before Aubrey scoffed and made her way back to Beca. "Fine." She stopped in front of the younger Bella and snatched the drink out of her hand. As she brought the cup up to her face, the scent overwhelmed her sense of smell and caused a grin to creep across her lips. "Mmm," Aubrey hummed in approval of the aroma.
Beca watched as Aubrey continued to stand, pressing the cup against her lips and tipping it back. She let out an impressed chuckle as moments of Aubrey gulping down the drink passed.
"Are you just gonna stand there and drink the whole thing?" Beca questioned as she watched Aubrey pull the cup away from her lips and sigh.
"I told you." Aubrey shook her head and looked at Beca's bed in disgust, wrinkling her nose and furrowing her eyebrows.
"Dude, I just did my laundry a couple nights ago," Beca protested, grabbing a fistful of the blanket, and holding it up to her nose. "I even used the really nice dryer sheets you and Chloe use." She inhaled deeply and let out an exaggerated exhale. "Mmmm, Snuggle."
Aubrey looked down at Beca, unfazed and unimpressed by Beca's choice in laundry products.
"Come on." Beca patted the space on the bed next to her, smoothing out the comforter to try to make it more pleasing to Aubrey. For a split second, she considered jutting her bottom lip out into a pathetic-looking pout, but she decided against it for what she knew was her own good. "Just sit down, Posen," Beca huffed.
"Aca-scuse me?" Aubrey replied angrily. She was vehemently against anyone her junior addressing as her last name, and alt girl Beca Mitchell was no exception. "Stand up."
"What?" Beca questioned with a smirk, amused by the fact that she'd gotten Aubrey's mood to shift so quickly.
"Stand up, Beca." The vibe coming from Aubrey's glare gave Beca very visible goosebumps.
"Yikes," Beca mumbled, reluctantly pushing herself up from her bed without asking any more questions. "Okay." As she stood up, Aubrey stepped towards her, leaving all but a few inches between their bodies. "Yes, Aubrey?" Beca fought the tugging sensations at the corners of her mouth that wanted so badly to pull her lips into a sly grin.
Instead of barking out any more demands at the younger Bella, Aubrey lowered her head slightly to crash frustrated lips into Beca's.
Beca's eyes widened in shock as she felt Aubrey melt into the kiss she had initiated. Instead of standing stiff like a log, as she was doing, Beca opted to kiss Aubrey back. Beca took in the remnants of the Starbucks drink on Aubrey's soft lips. It tasted a lot better than it smelled, but it didn't make her want to drink it any more. As she noticed Aubrey wasn't pulling away or resisting, Beca took advantage of the opportunity and allowed her eyes to flutter shut, lamely wrapping her arms around Aubrey's slender waist and pulling her closer. She was abruptly stopped by a hand to her collarbone.
"No," Aubrey started, trying to push Beca away and shaking her head, "I can't do this."
"What's going on, Aubrey?" Beca pressed fingertips into her temples in shock and wiped the saliva from her lips with the back of her hand. She was as confused as anyone could've been about the kiss, but at the same time, an unusual sense of relief washed over her.
"I-I… I don't…" Her failed attempt at explaining herself elicited a loud sigh. She turned and sat down on the smoothed-down comforter space on Beca's bed. "I don't know." Aubrey shook her head disapprovingly, allowing it to hang towards the floor a bit.
"Are you okay?" Beca questioned sympathetically, plopping down onto the mattress next to Aubrey and placing a caring hand on the small of Aubrey's back. "You're not usually so… touchy-feely." She was tempted to snatch the cup from Aubrey's hands and take a sip, just to say that she took one, but decided against it.
"Mention that happened to anyone and I will be sure to make your next three and a half years at Barden a living hell," Aubrey half-joked as she lifted the cup to her lips once more and sipped slowly.
"Relax, dude," Beca chuckled playfully, thinking Aubrey was loosening up for the first time in her life. Boy, she was wrong.
Aubrey shot an extremely irritated glare in Beca's direction, her mood flip-flopping completely once more. "Do not call me that," Aubrey demanded in a low tone.
"What?" Beca dropped the hand that rested on Aubrey's back to the bed in confusion. Her body tensed up slightly as she processed the seriousness of Aubrey's request, rather, order. Any preconceived ideas of Aubrey being soft or relaxed had completely vanished.
"Do not call me dude. I am not your dude," Aubrey spoke harshly through clenched teeth, gripping the comforter beneath her with her free hand. For some reason – a reason she would never disclose to anyone if she were to figure it out – she found the tension between her and Beca to be enticing. More enticing than the Pumpkin Spice Choco-Chai latte Chloe had somehow snuck into Beca's dorm room.
"My bad, I didn't mean to offend or disrespect or anything," Beca attempted to apologize, despite calling Aubrey "dude" earlier without her noticing but was far too distracted by Aubrey's locked gaze on her lips to focus on what she was trying to prove with her apology. "Um…" She mumbled, contemplating whether to say something or just sit in silence. Their eyes locked, overwhelming Beca with both the urge to run far, far away and to initiate the almost inevitable kiss.
Before Beca could utter another word, Aubrey leaned in and placed much gentler, but much needier lips onto Beca's. Immediately, she brought her free hand up to the back of Beca's neck and pulled her into the kiss. Knowing Beca hadn't resisted her advances the first time around brought Aubrey a bit more relief and confidence; both proven by how passionately she was kissing the younger woman.
"Oh wow," Beca mumbled against a gaping mouth as Aubrey coerced her tongue past Beca's lips. A warmth consumed her body as she felt the tip of Aubrey's soft tongue grazing across her own. She knew what had happened the night before, but she hadn't imagined it would happen again, especially when Aubrey was sober.
Aubrey took Beca's comment as a sign of approval as she maneuvered herself to where she was straddling the younger Bella. Her grip on the Starbucks cup remained firm in one hand, but the other began exploring the surface of Beca's body; it traveled swiftly from the back of her neck, down over her chest, and to the very bottom of Beca's back, resting right above where her back ended and behind began.
Beca, who was really getting into the kiss as well, opened her eyes widely as she felt Aubrey establish a firm grip on her butt. Holy shit is the only phrase Beca could focus on in her mind as Aubrey fluidly moved her hips towards the younger Bella to grind against her thighs. A moan resonated from the base of Aubrey's vocal cords as she made contact, exciting Beca more than she'd ever winced, expecting another wave of warmth to consume her as she felt Aubrey raise her hips to try to recreate the movement. Could Aubrey have actually known what happened the night before?
Before Aubrey could use Beca's thighs as a means of pleasuring herself once more, a petite knock paired with a petite voice came from the other side of Beca's dorm room door.
"Aubrey? Beca?"
"Shit!" Aubrey gasped quietly, trying to remove herself from Beca's lap in panic. As she shifted her weight, though, she ended up tipping backward, falling off the younger Bella and onto the floor. She grunted as her body flopped against the hardwood.
"I know you two are awake," Chloe giggled, "I heard Aubrey moaning."
Aubrey's eyes widened in worry and embarrassment. She hadn't realized she had gotten so into the moment, but it was clearly clear to everyone else.
"Are you guys decent?" Chloe questioned sweetly from the other side of the door, patiently waiting for an answer from one of the girls inside Beca's dorm room.
"Ummmmm," Beca began, searching frantically for a shirt she could slip on before Chloe came barging in, "one second!" Instead of continuing to look for her shirt, Beca frantically threw herself from the bed, bringing the comforter and all onto the floor next to Aubrey.
"I'm taking the silence as an okay to come in!" The clicking sound caused by a key unlocking Beca's doorknob from the outside startled Aubrey, causing her to almost knock over the Starbucks drink she had managed to salvage after the fall from Beca's bed.
The door creaked open and a wide-eyed, chipper-looking Chloe Beale crept in.
"Good morning, you two," Chloe began, peering down and grinning at the two women that laid in the middle of the floor under Beca's blanket, "How'd you sleep?" Chloe punctuated her sentence with a wink, paired with a simultaneous tongue click.
"Separately," Aubrey blurted out as she sat up, doing everything she could to lure Chloe away from her heinous idea that she'd done anything with Beca the night before.
"Sure, if you say so," Chloe winked smugly in Aubrey's direction a second time as she stepped over the pile of comforter and walked into Beca's cluttered closet.
"Um, what are you doing, dude?" Beca asked in an annoyed tone as she watched Chloe rummaging through the hanging garments and making various disgusted noises and certain clothing item.
"It's Thanksgiving week!" Chloe exclaimed, pulling a sleek-looking long-sleeved black dress and over-the-knee leather boots to match from Beca's wardrobe and holding it in her direction. "We're going out for our traditional Thanksgiving pancakes!" Her chipper demeanor was not something Beca wanted to be greeted with in the morning, but Chloe silently affirmed that she had no choice but to put up with it. "Put this on and get yourself dolled up, Becs."
Beca narrowed her eyes on the ginger and scoffed.
"You're kidding, right?" Beca rolled her eyes, immediately drawing a pout out of Chloe.
"Does she sound like she's kidding, Mitchell? Stop being so defiant and do something someone else tells you to do for a change, maybe," Aubrey scolded the younger woman, shaking her head in complete disapproval and trying to maneuver herself to her feet and far away from Beca.
The feeling of regret of showing Aubrey any kind of sympathy pinged in Beca's chest. "You know what?" Beca mumbled as Aubrey bent over in her direction. She grabbed the wrist of Aubrey's free hand and yanked downwards, causing Aubrey to squeal as her body made contact with Beca's. Her face stopped mere centimeters away from Beca's, their lips barely touching as Beca's curled into a smirk.
"Now is not the time for sex, you two!" Chloe whined jokingly, placing fists on her hips and feigning disapproval. "We have to go or they're going to stop serving their turkey and pilgrim shaped pancakes for the day!"
Aubrey sighed, knowing very well that Chloe was serious, despite her childlike tone; the Thanksgiving-themed pancakes had been the staple of their many traditions since they first met at Barden.
"Guess we gotta go get some pilgrim pancakes, huh?" Beca spoke with forced excitement as she eyed the ginger standing by her closet. She groaned up in Aubrey's direction, trying to subtly suggest that she get off Beca and get up. As moments passed and Aubrey remained in the position she was ultimately forced into, Beca grew impatient and irritated. "Dude, get up."
"Bree, can we go?" Chloe questioned sweetly before Beca's tone could anger Aubrey any more.
Before giving her the chance to get up or even move away from her, Beca shoved Aubrey off of her. She grunted softly as her body thumped onto the ground, the blanket falling awkwardly over her body.
"I'm up," Beca huffed at Chloe, who had crossed her arms over her chest in impatience. She was growing tired of staring at the monstrosity of an outfit Chloe had picked out for her and almost felt bad that she hadn't put it on yet. She groaned as she brought herself to her feet, leaving Aubrey tangled up in her blanket on the floor. As Beca began to move in Chloe's direction, she halted, turning her head to look over her shoulder at Aubrey. "Well, you'd better get up. Don't wanna miss those pancakes, do we?" Beca smirked slyly in Aubrey's direction as she grabbed the dress from Chloe and began to get ready for their breakfast.