"Chloe!"
Her name is a long and drawn out whine and Chloe hides her smile in Aubrey's neck. She knows exactly why Aubrey's complaining. They're supposed to be getting ready to go onstage at their second national final. But Chloe is enjoying Aubrey in her new Bella outfit way too much to concentrate on hair and make-up or whatever she's supposed to be doing right now. She lifts her head to meet Aubrey's eyes, wearing as innocent a smile as she can muster.
"What's up, gorgeous?"
Aubrey frowns, her lips protruding adorably. "You know what's up. You're distracting me and I need to finish getting ready."
"I can't help it, Bree. I just can't get enough of you in this outfit." To emphasise her point, she places a kiss on Aubrey's neck, and another on her collarbone, her arms sliding around her waist to pull her closer as she continues to kiss Aubrey's neck and chest. Despite Aubrey's protests, she hasn't even tried to get out of Chloe's embrace and there's a pink flush creeping up her neck, so Chloe knows she's enjoying herself.
"The outfit's not that different, Chlo," Aubrey says, tilting her head to let Chloe suck on her pulse point, letting out a moan when she runs her tongue over the same spot.
"Oh, it so is," Chloe argues, sliding her hands into the gap between Aubrey's bustier and her jeans, scratching gently at her back. "There's so much more skin to touch."
Aubrey scoffs, but Chloe knows it's to cover the hitch in her breath. "You're incorrigible," she murmurs, but Chloe can hear the smile in her voice. It's nice to be back at this place in their relationship. Where they can touch and tease and laugh together without a cloud of tension hovering overhead. Since the fight they had in the auditorium, they've had a number of heart-to-hearts, and faced up to some harsh truths. And they're working on them. Right now, Chloe's just delighted that Aubrey's not stressing about their performance. It's such a change from last time and it reminds Chloe of how Aubrey used to be when they first joined the Bellas, before the crushing weight of responsibility started pushing down on her shoulders.
She raises her eyebrows at Aubrey as she slowly sinks to her knees, loving the slightly panicked look Aubrey throws her. Pushing Aubrey's top up a little, she leans in and drops a kiss on the soft skin of Aubrey's belly. She grins as Aubrey emits a high pitched squeak; that area's always been kind of a weakness for her. Her hand comes to the back of Chloe's head, gently encouraging her to continue and she drops kisses all the way along Aubrey's waistband before gently dipping her tongue into her belly button.
Aubrey lets out a surprised squawk before grabbing Chloe's shoulders and yanking her back to her feet. Chloe is pleased to see that her eyes have darkened and her face is flushed, her breath coming faster than it was.
"Look, if I kiss you the old fashioned way for a while, will you let me finish getting ready?" Aubrey almost pants.
"I suppose so," Chloe sighs, hooking her finger into Aubrey's belt and pulling her closer. "If you promise we can continue this later."
"Chloe, I might explode if we don't continue it later," Aubrey says in a low voice before covering Chloe's lips with her own in a kiss that feels like it's sucking the marrow from Chloe's bones with the sheer need it contains.
She whimpers a little when Aubrey ends the kiss, only managing not to stumble because of Aubrey's strong arms around her waist.
"Later, I promise," Aubrey whispers, kissing her forehead and squeezing her tightly before letting her go. Chloe nods dumbly and starts to walk away to do whatever she still needs to do before they go to the stage, when Aubrey's voice stops her. "Chloe Beale, get back here!" It is no longer soft nor low.
Chloe turns and walks back, stopping a few steps away from Aubrey and covering her mouth to hide her smile. Aubrey is pointing at her neck, where there is a very large, very purple, hickey.
"Shit, babe…I…" She presses her lips together to keep from laughing at Aubrey's anguished face. "It's fine, we can jus-"
"Fine? Fine?" Aubrey shakes her head in disbelief. "Chloe, it is not fine. It's-"
"Aubrey, sweetie," Chloe says, stepping forward. "Last time you were here, you puked all over the front three rows. A tiny little hickey is nothing." She picks up Aubrey's left arm, untying the scarf that's wound around her wrist. She shakes it out and places it around Aubrey's neck, covering the blemish. She ties it in a knot and steps back to inspect her handiwork. She winks at Aubrey. "Nothing wrong with keeping some of the Bella traditions alive, right?"