A/N: So this is my first Pitch Perfect fic, a Chaubrey, and it's a high school AU. It took me hours to write, but I'm pretty proud of it. So let me know what you think.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pitch Perfect or it's characters, but I do own Anna Kendrick. Just putting that out there.
Aubrey couldn't hold back a groan as she stepped through the double doors at Harrison High School. There, hanging high above the throng of students milling about in the hallway, was a massive pink sign that read, "PROM NIGHT: A NIGHT TO REMEMBER!" She glared at the sign as she passed under it on her way to her locker. If there was anything she hated (besides cheerleaders and the color green), it was school dances. They made her nervous and stressed out, and a nervous and stressed out Aubrey Posen normally meant that anyone within range was going to be wearing her lunch.
She spun out the code on her locker and opened it, taking out her literature book and putting it in her backpack. Her French textbook tumbled out of her hands as the breath was knocked out of her by a whirlwind of ginger hair, the scent of strawberries and citrus, and a high pitched squeal of "Bree!" as slender arms wrapped around her waist and a small warm body slammed into hers.
Aubrey's heart jumped into her throat. "Jesus, Chloe," she muttered, patting the arms around her waist before she peeled them off of her. "You gave me a heart attack." She bent down to pick up her French book as Chloe giggled.
"How was your weekend?" Chloe asked, leaning against the lockers beside Aubrey's. Aubrey glanced up at her from her bag, rolling her eyes. "We hung out for most of it, Chlo."
Aubrey couldn't help but smile as Chloe threw her head back slightly to laugh- Chloe's perpetual happiness was contagious. Chloe put her hand gently on Aubrey's wrist as she said, "I know, silly." Aubrey's heart leaped again. "I was just making sure you enjoyed it," she practically purred, with a sly wink in Aubrey's direction. Aubrey's knees trembled. The light pressure on her wrist vanished as Chloe crossed her arms over her light yellow jumper. Aubrey's fingers itched to run themselves through the ginger waves of hair falling lightly on Chloe's shoulders, but she instead directed them back to her locker, shutting it firmly.
"I did," Aubrey said with a tight smile.
"So… prom, huh?" Chloe raised her eyebrows at Aubrey. She linked their arms as they began walking to class.
Aubrey huffed. "Yeah. Prom." Just thinking about it made her stomach turn.
"You gonna go?"
Aubrey glanced down at Chloe incredulously. "Seriously, Chlo? You know what school dances do to me." She shuddered as she remembered their eighth grade dance four years ago. Aubrey's stress mixed with sketchy punch had ended in Aubrey's last meal all over her date's front. Aubrey pushed the memory out of her mind as Chloe spoke.
"Aw, come on, Bree, it's prom! Senior prom! You can't just let it pass you by!" Chloe nudged her side with her arm that was still linked with Aubrey's. They stopped outside the door to Aubrey's first class, and Chloe let her arm go, turning to face Aubrey, standing close in the packed hallway.
"I don't know. You know how I get." Chloe cocked her head, a sympathetic look in her eyes. "Plus," Aubrey said, cheeks turning a light pink. "There's no one who wants to go with me anyway."
"Oh, I doubt that," Chloe said, with another wink. Aubrey's blush deepened slightly, and she wasn't sure if the butterflies in her stomach were because of prom talk, or if it was Chloe, once again setting her heart pounding. "Well, I've gotta get to class! See you at lunch!" Chloe chirped, giving Aubrey a quick but firm hug, and then she disappeared into the throng of students.
"Bye," Aubrey said weakly, cheeks still tinged pink.
She trudged into class, mind still on Chloe, and prom, which was not a good mix, as her stomach was still a mess. She silently thanked whatever higher power there might be that she hadn't eaten breakfast that morning, and plopped down in her seat, pulling out her binder and lit book.
The day slugged by, nearly bringing Aubrey to tears of boredom; the only parts of the day to bring her out of her education-induced stupor were punctuated with bursts of ginger hair and Chloe's excited laugh.
Aubrey met Chloe at her locker after school. "Need a ride home?"
Chloe flashed Aubrey a winning smile as she put a few textbooks in her backpack. "Yeah, sure. Does Dakota have practice, or is he gonna ride with us too?" Chloe said, asking about Aubrey's younger step-brother, Dakota. He was a sophomore at Harrison High, and he was on the baseball team.
"Sadly, no practice today, so he'll be riding with us," Aubrey said, feigning extreme exasperation with a sigh and an eye roll. "But don't worry, I'll lock him in the trunk so he can't bother us." Aubrey reassured Chloe with a smug grin.
Chloe giggled as she shut her locker door, covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh my god, Aubrey!"
Aubrey shrugged as they headed for the student parking lot. "What?" she asked innocently. "It's the only way to handle it. The kid never shuts up."
Sure enough, as soon as they met Dakota at the car, he slid into the backseat and began chattering about his English class, and the baseball practice tomorrow, and how it wasn't fair that sophomores could only go to prom if invited by an upperclassman, and it wasn't until they had pulled out of the parking lot that Aubrey interrupted him with, "Hey, Dakota."
"Yeah?"
"Shut up."
"Aubrey!" Chloe said indignantly from the passenger's seat, swatting Aubrey's arm lightly, but she was grinning all the same.
Aubrey saw Dakota stick his tongue out at her in the rearview mirror, and she returned it in kind, smirking at Chloe as she did so.
There was a silence, broken only by the muffled quiet music coming from the radio. Suddenly Chloe gasped. "I love this song!" she exclaimed, and cranked up the volume. She started to dance in her seat and sing along to a song Aubrey didn't recognise. Aubrey smiled at Chloe's enthusiasm for, well, everything, and kept her eyes on the road and cars ahead of her.
By the time they reached Chloe's house, Chloe had already sung and danced her way through four more songs, two of which Aubrey recognised, two she didn't. Aubrey pulled into the driveway and Chloe unbuckled her seatbelt, and reached down to grab her bag. She leaned over and gave Aubrey an awkward side hug and a kiss on the cheek that set Aubrey's stomach doing flips and cheeks turning pink. "Thanks for the ride," she said softly as she got out of the car, closing the door behind her.
Aubrey watched her walk to the front door, and when she saw her wave before she closed the front door behind her, she backed out of the driveway.
Dakota leaned forward from the backseat with an evil grin.
"Oh, god, what is it now, Dakota? You have that look."
"You've totally got it bad for Chloe."
Aubrey choked and sputtered out a broken, "What?"
Dakota's grin grew wider at Aubrey's reaction and he sat back in his seat. "You've got the hots for little miss sunshine," he said smugly.
"I- I d- I do not!" Aubrey stuttered out, face turning a bright red. She kept her eyes focused on the road, trying to ignore the air of smugness emanating from her little brother.
"Don't even try to deny it, Bree. You know I'm right, you know you've got a crush."
Aubrey was lost for words for a moment, and then she muttered, "Shut up."
Dakota grinned hugely. "So are you gonna ask her to prom?"
"Definitely not. You know what happens when I go to school dances, it stresses me out, and then it turns into a-"
"Puke fest." Dakota interrupted. Aubrey shot him an evil glare in rearview mirror, but he just grinned back evilly.
"Plus, she doesn't even like me." Aubrey grip tightened on the steering wheel at her own words.
"I dunno. It seems to me like she's got the hots for you, too."
Aubrey didn't say anything, just shook her head as she pulled into their driveway, their massive white house looming before them. Dakota continued as they walked to the front door, and inside the house. "I'm just saying, Bree, the way she looks at you is the way Kim Sanders looked at Jared McIntosh, and they ended up hooking up in the janitors closet last week."
"Gross!" Aubrey said with a giggle, shoving Dakota's shoulder as they parted outside the door to her room. Dakota shrugged, walking backwards to his room with his hands raised in surrender. "All I'm saying is, don't let a girl that hot get away, Aub."
"Don't call me that!" Aubrey yelled as he closed his door.
A week dragged by, and then another week, the date of prom creeping slowly closer, and Dakota's words were never too far gone from Aubrey's mind. She often found herself awake at ungodly times, analysing every word and look from Chloe that day, when she should've been sleeping. She made up her mind on a Friday night, two weeks before prom, to do something about it. A short conversation with her step-brother in the hallway outside the bathroom was what prompted her.
"So have you asked her yet?" He asked, a serious look on his face for once, as he intercepted her in the hallway after she brushed her teeth that night.
Aubrey pretended confusion. "Asked who what?"
"Don't play dumb with me, Aubrey. You know what I'm talking about."
Aubrey sighed heavily, leaning against the door frame. "No," she huffed out frustratedly.
"What are you waiting for? Some guy to whisk her away, while you sit back and miss your chance?"
"Since when did you become so concerned with my love life, Dakota?" Despite the annoyance in her voice, Aubrey was genuinely touched by his concern.
"Since you started moping around and pining after Chloe," he retaliated.
Aubrey crossed her arms, quickly becoming uncomfortable, stomach starting to feel uneasy.
"You gotta do something, Aub, before someone else gets your girl," he said, and pushed around her to go into the bathroom, closing the door in her face.
"She isn't my girl," she muttered. "And don't call me that!"
Now, here she was, three a.m on a Friday night (or a Saturday morning, depending on your point of view), thumb hovering over the 'send' button on her phone, hesitating to send a message to Chloe that read 'have you got plans tomorrow? I wanna hang out'. She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed send.
She wasn't expecting a response until the sun was up, so it surprised her when her phone vibrated not two minutes later. She opened the text from Chloe, a small smile curling up the corners of her lips. 'Nope, no plans. what did you have in mind? :)'
'what are you doing still awake? and, nothing too crazy planned, just a lazy hang out day'
Aubrey's phone vibrated less than a minute later. 'I could say the same to you, bossy pants. ;) sounds good. hell, if you're coming over here, I might not even get dressed'
Aubrey giggled as she typed out her response. 'why, ms beale, are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?'
'oh, shut it, posen, you know what I meant' Aubrey covered her mouth to keep from laughing too loudly- her dad and step-mom would not have been happy to be woken up at three in the morning.
'goodnight, chlo. see you tomorrow, bright and early ;)'
'and by that you mean no earlier than noon, correct?'
'you'll just have to wait and find out, won't you?'
"So then, he leans over my desk, and writes his number across the top of my notes, with a 'call me' written underneath it. I mean, seriously? If you're trying to get me to go out with you, that is not the way to do it, you creep." Chloe enthused, hands flailing wildly as she talked. Aubrey watched on, fascinated as Chloe told a story about how some guy in her calculus class had tried (and failed miserably) to ask her out. Aubrey tried to push down the flare of hot jealously- even if Chloe had turned him down, he had still had the courage to ask her out, something Aubrey was seriously lacking.
The two were sprawled across Chloe's bed, pajama-pant clad legs tangled together as they talked. Aubrey had turned up on Chloe's doorstep at twelve o'clock on the dot with a bag packed with movies and overnight clothes, and Chloe had answered the door with a bright smile, pulling Aubrey into the house for a crushing hug. They had spent the majority of the day in the same position they were currently in, only getting up for bathroom breaks, and to change the movie.
Aubrey could see the night quickly falling, the daylight and her chance to work up her nerve waning fast. She detangled herself from Chloe, letting go of the hand she wasn't aware she'd been holding, and stood up. "I'm gonna go change for bed, I'll be right back."
In the bathroom, Aubrey glared at her reflection, stomach churning. "Aubrey Jessica Posen. You are going to march right in there, and ask that girl to the prom, so help you god," she muttered to the mirror. She changed quickly into her pajamas, swallowing thickly at the bile that threatened to force its way up her throat. "And you will not vomit while doing it, for fuck's sake."
She left the bathroom and took a deep breath to steady herself before she entered Chloe's bedroom. She stopped before words left her mouth at the sight before her.
Chloe was asleep, curled up into a ball, face peaceful, yet somehow still managing to spew happiness. Her breath was quick, and punctuated by tiny gasps of snores, and her ginger hair was splayed across the pillow haphazardly.
It was adorable.
Aubrey contemplated for a moment, nearly losing her nerve at the sight of sleeping Chloe, but then she made up her mind. "I did not just nearly lose it all over your bathroom for nothing, Chlo," she murmured under her breath, settling down on the edge of the bed.
She poked Chloe's slim waist gently, then prodded her arm a little harder when it had no effect. "Chloe," she half whispered. Chloe's blue eyes blinked open slowly, and then more quickly as she realised what had happened. "Shit, Bree, did I fall asleep?" Her voice was just a little raspy from sleep, and Aubrey felt her heart throb in her chest.
"Yeah, you did." Aubrey smiled at her. "But it's okay." She paused, her nerve slipping for just a moment before she reigned it back in. "Hey, Chlo? I, uh. I wanted to ask you something."
Chloe sat up at that, pulling her fiery hair back into a ponytail as she said, "Yeah, what's up?"
"I, um." Aubrey glanced down, not able to meet Chloe's eyes, stomach still doing wild flips and threatening to send her last meal all over Chloe's bedspread.
Chloe scooted closer to Aubrey, worry in her eyes. "You know you can tell me anything, right, Aubrey?" She touched Aubrey's shoulder gently.
Aubrey took a deep breath. "Yeah, yeah, I know." She looked back up at Chloe, who was gazing at her with clear blue eyes, and her resolve deepened. "I, um. I was just. Will you go to prom with me?" The words spilled from her mouth without any kind of decorum, and her cheeks burned, stomach churning menacingly.
A small smile played across Chloe's lips, and Aubrey found that even in her nervousness, she couldn't look away from Chloe. "I thought you didn't like school dances," Chloe said softly.
Aubrey's mouth opened and shut once before she answered. "Well I mean- I just- if you already have a date then that's okay, it's not a big deal, I-" Aubrey stopped as Chloe put her hand on her thigh. Aubrey glanced down, swallowing thickly again.
"I wasn't saying no, Bree." Her voice was still gentle, and Aubrey looked up to meet her gaze again.
"You… you weren't?" Aubrey managed to say.
"I'd love to go to prom with you, Aubrey. As your- as your official date." There was a moment of hesitation, and a bit of a question in her statement, but all Aubrey could do was nod. Chloe beamed, lighting up her whole face, and Aubrey returned the smile, even if it was a bit weak from her state of nervousness.
"I have something I want to ask you, if you don't mind." Aubrey's mouth formed an 'o' shape.
"R-really?" she choked out. Chloe nodded, scooting even closer, bringing her face close to Aubrey's. Aubrey felt her heart jump into her throat again, and her stomach churned, but she was sure this time that it was Chloe's nearness, and not a potential 'puke fest' that caused it.
"Can I kiss you?" Chloe whispered, searching Aubrey's eyes.
Aubrey's pulse jumped erratically as she felt Chloe's hot breath brush across her lips, the scent of strawberries and citrus nearly intoxicating her. She nodded weakly, a small "please" escaping her lips.
So Chloe kissed her.
Aubrey had had her fair share of kisses in her lifetime. She'd kissed her fair share of people, and some of them had been incredibly good at it.
But never, in her short 17-and-three-quarter years, had Aubrey ever experienced a kiss that made her brain short circuit, every nerve ending in her body fizzing out with a bang. The tips of her fingers tingled as she brought her trembling hand up to rest on Chloe's cheek, and her stomach and neck flamed where Chloe's hands where touching them, pulling her closer. Aubrey shivered as Chloe ran the tip of her tongue lightly across her bottom lip, but before Aubrey could reciprocate in kind, Chloe pulled away, leaving Aubrey gasping for breath and yearning to touch Chloe.
"Shit," Aubrey whispered, her own hand ghosting across her still wet lips, her face burning even hotter than before.
"That was nice," Chloe said with a giggle.
Aubrey raised her eyebrows. "Nice? That's it, nice? Chloe, that was so far beyond 'nice' that you calling it 'nice' is practically a felony."
"You're cute when you're flustered."
"I- I am not- shut up." Aubrey stammered out, sticking out her tongue when Chloe laughed again.
"You better put that tongue away, Posen, or who knows what could happen to it." Chloe winked at her.
"Why don't you come over here and show me, then, Beale?"
"Oh, is that a challenge, bossy pants?"
"You bet your ass it is, little miss sunshine."
