A/N: Hello! Late coming to this fandom (and in watching Pitch Perfect), but here I am- shipping Donald and Lilly so hard. And they had only 23 seconds of screen time together. Anyways, hope you enjoy reading this!
Warnings: Cursing and Blatant Shipping.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pitch Perfect or its characters. Those masterpieces belong to Jason Moore.
For one thing for sure, it's not love at first sight.
And Donald Walsh is no Prince Charming. Prince Charming doesn't wear hipster glasses or beat box for an acapella group that may or may not consist of nerds. Prince Charming doesn't party on the weekend either or drink booze. And he certainly doesn't invite girls to his bed for more than gentlemanly activities.
(Of course, a good portion of the female population could say otherwise, save for the ladies who got kicked out of his bed the following morning. Or the ladies who kicked him out of their bed.)
That being said, she's no princess either. She's too quiet to stand out in crowd. She's quirky at best and weird and mute at worst, so Donald wouldn't say she was exactly princess material. And let's be honest; Donald doesn't go for quiet and timid.
He sees her several times on campus before and every time, she manages to catch his eye. How could she not? She wears bright colors and odd accessories that may or may not hurt his eyes. That alone sets her apart from the rest. What really puzzles Donald though is how she still disappears under other people's radars anyways.
She is a contradiction he cannot understand. (Until he notices another pretty girl; then he decides it's not worth thinking too much over.)
Donald is not surprised when she takes the stage at auditions. But that's only because he spied her at the activities fair approaching Aubrey and Chloe, the new leaders of the Barden Bellas. His curiosity piques. He never pinned her as the acapella type. Instinctively, he leans forward and strains his ears when he hears nothing at first.
Aubrey and Chloe give each other a look, but the other Treblemakers snicker. She flushes in embarrassment when the leaders of the Bellas ask her to start again. She finishes much faster this time and makes a quick exit off the stage. Bumper calls her a freak and while Donald is inclined to feign agreement, he doesn't laugh at all.
She has a pretty soprano voice. That stays in the back of his mind for the rest of the auditions even when Kori and Stacie distract him. Now they are the kind of Bellas he expects to get into Aubrey's posse. They're confident, they're loud, and they give him a good idea of what to expect later tonight.
But before he leaves the theatre, he stops by the auditions table to see if he can get the weird Asian chick's name.
Her name is Lilly. He thinks it's pretty, just like her voice.
The Aca-Initiation has barely started when Aubrey and Chloe arrives with the new Bellas. Donald snorts at Jesse, the new Treblemaker, who drunkenly stumbles over to that Cups Bella. Kid can't hold his alcohol well, but he's got four years to get the art down.
Donald, for some reason, also lets himself breathe when he sees Lilly by the drinks' table with Stacie-The-Maneater and Not-Dude Cynthia Rose. So Aubrey did let her in after all. Here, Lilly looks a little more comfortable, but her eyes are still wide. She's still out of her element. With alcohol slurring his vision, he makes a move to approach her, but becomes distracted by Kori, another new Bella, who looks damn hot on that dance floor.
He changes his direction and spends a good part of the party grinding against Kori. It isn't long before she drags him to her dorm. He probably shouldn't have come onto Kori like that, but hey, she came to him and that's Treble tradition. Getting as many Bellas kicked out as possible. And besides, it's Kori's responsibility to keep the oath, not him.
As he lies in bed with Kori curled up against him, his last thought of the night is of a petite girl with big eyes and a pretty soprano voice. Donald makes a note to talk to her sometime in the near future.
He finally makes good on that promise the following week. (He's been meaning to for some time, but hey, life gets in the way.) Treblemaker rehearsals are, overall, intense. It's not just memorizing the lyrics; it's also remembering choreography, pitch, and rhythm. Then it's also Bumper, who tends to grate on everyone's nerves. But it's cool. That's the B-man for you and he loves winning. Donald can't outright say that he doesn't enjoy winning either.
Jesse seems to be taking it just fine though. He's a natural-born singer and he's athletic enough. He doesn't need to get whipped into shape too much.
No matter how brutal Treble rehearsals can get, Donald can only imagine how much worse the Barden Bellas' rehearsals must be. Aubrey Posen may have been cool freshman year, but now, she's a damn prick. Puking during last year's finals probably doesn't help the uptightness either.
That's how he knows Aubrey must have really grated on Lilly's psyche. He catches Lilly sitting on a bench sullenly with an ice cream cone.
"Bad day?" Donald asks sympathetically, taking a seat next to Lilly. Surprise colors her expression and her eyes bulge. She reminds him of a rabbit. Then, recognition, followed by suspicion, kicks in. He smiles at her in an attempt to put her suspicions at ease. "Remember me? I'm Donald. I saw you at auditions- you have a really nice voice, Lilly."
If she's surprised that a Treblemaker has approached and struck up a conversation with her, she shows no indication. Lilly nods, murmuring something before licking her ice cream.
He thinks he heard something along the lines of 'thank you' but he can't be too sure. Suddenly, Donald feels silly and nervous too. Grasping for another topic, he eyes her gym bag. "Aubrey giving you a hard time?"
He waits for an answer and continues when there is none. He doesn't blame Lilly for saying nothing. After all, even he has to admit the Tremblemakers (him included) do act like assholes to the Bellas. So if she doesn't want to say anything, he's not going to force her otherwise. "Yeah, she's a bitch like that; try not to let her get to you too much. You'll only have to deal with her for a year."
Donald smirks, hoping to lighten the mood a bit. "But if you're looking for a way out, I can help you there-"
Her reaction is more than what he hoped for. She snorts and rolling her eyes, she smacks him playfully on the shoulder. He yelps in fake agony. "Hey! That was just an offer!"
Lilly shakes her head with a soft smile. Grabbing her gym bag, she stands up.
"I like to watch puppies drown."
That's at least what Donald hears before she scurries away from him, her ice cream cone now leaking. Watching her retreating figure, he decides it's might be better to just not ask.
"Okay, that's cool." Donald calls after her.
And also because that was kind of adorable.
When he graduates, the monthly Riff-Offs are going to be one of the many things Donald will miss about being a Treblemaker. The competition fires him up and much like Bumper, Donald hates losing in the Riff-Offs.
When Justin announces the next category (Songs about Sex), Donald knows he's got this round in the bag. Cynthia Rose beats him though with an intro of S&M. Stacie joins in as extra firepower and hot damn, she is sexy.
Stacie Conrad is probably every man's sexual fantasy and as a man, Donald is no exception to her charms. He can't stop himself from checking her out from top to bottom and imagining her in bed. He is turned on.
Still, the competition is more important than any woman's sex charm. By the time, Cynthia Rose and Stacie have returned to the chorus, he knows exactly when to cut in and segues into 'Let's Talk About Sex'. The other Treblemakers back him up and as usual, Bumper makes a solo for himself. Stacie appears unfazed and only retreats because Aubrey reins her in. Donald waves 'see ya' because sex appeal can only get you so far.
Then Stacie returns full force with a rendition of 'I'll Make Love to You'. He's impressed. He likes a challenge, but now Donald's got nothing. Jesse picks up with 'Feels Like the First Time' and has Donald ever expressed how fucking glad he is for Jesse? Because he's got the talent, potential, looks, and personality all in one. The Treblemakers will be in good hands next year.
Victory is only a few seconds away as Donald beat boxes in harmony with the other Treblemakers' voices. Then Beca (Cups Bella) cuts in, leading a Bella performance of "No Diggity". Defeat seems imminent since none of the Treblemakers have a song to counter them.
But Donald can't deny he isn't enjoying himself. It takes everything for him to not smile. He watches Lilly peek out from the rest of the Bellas and imagines her soft soprano voice apart from the medley of voices Cups has sparked.
And now, Lilly has drifted to the front of the pack. Her shell has disintegrated for the time's being and she radiates of edginess and sass. The girl, who loads an air crossbow and shoots imaginary bullets at the Treblemakers, must be the real Lilly. The Lilly, Donald now wonders why, she hides behind a wall of silence. When she takes aim at him and fires, he cracks a smile, hand coming up to stroke his chin. Kolio claps him on the shoulder to remind him that the Bellas (Lilly) are still the enemy.
It's a surprise later, when the Treblemakers win this year's Riff-Off. They only won by default because of the technicalities of the rules, but Donald's not complaining. He hoots in victory and slaps Jesse on the back.
Lilly's disappointed frown puts a damper on the victory for a moment before he pushes it aside for the rush of joy. Who is he to care anyways?
It turns out he does care more than he expects to. But in retrospect, this was all Bumper's fault.
After all, Donald likes to believe it's a dick move to throw a hot burrito at anyone, let alone Fat Amy. So when Bumper announces the Bellas' bus has broken down (mainly because of him), Donald's conscience burns with guilt. Jesse stiffens, as have many of the other Treblemakers. Donald isn't much better; he doesn't realize his fingers have gripped the wheel tighter, thoroughly uncomfortable with having one less team to compete against.
(Donald also imagines Lilly faltered frown. This time, the thrill of victory can't distract him. The guilt continues to claw at him.)
Since he is the driver of the bus, Donald could reverse it and drive back to pick up the Bellas. But then he wavers, one hand hovering over the stick. If he stops now, Bumper will complain incessantly. Being a longtime victim of this, Donald learned long ago to just go along with whatever Bumper has to say. It saves everyone the trouble. Luckily, Bumper must be on one of his good days (or maybe is it because he likes Fat Amy…?). The tensions eases and a weight has been lifted off Donald's shoulders when Bumper asks him to make a U-turn.
Fat Amy dashes for back of the bus once Donald lets the Bellas in. She smacks Bumper upside the head before plopping down next to him, so Donald figures it's cool between Fat Amy and Bumper for now. Donald then nods at Chloe, who returns the gesture. They've always been civil with one another, having to deal with…strong personalities (Bumper and Aubrey).
He watches Jesse tense when Beca boards. She doesn't even look at him- Donald sighs, wanting them to at least try to make up. He doesn't like to see his friend down over a girl like that.
Stacie winks and smiles coyly at him, while Aubrey makes a point to ignore him and the rest of the Treblemakers. She holds her head up high, nose pointed up. For both Bellas, Donald chuckles. He may go along with the other Treblemakers' teasing, but he likes this year's Barden Bellas. They are certainly more colorful than last year's.
The back of the bus is completely full when Lilly climbs on after Aubrey. It doesn't matter though since Donald remembers seat behind the driver's (his) seat. Besides, it's no big deal really, being that close to the girl with long black hair and big eyes. She just occupies his thoughts sometimes.
He smiles slightly at her and gestures to the seat behind. There won't be enough room for Lilly to sit with the rest of the Bellas, despite her being so small. She nods gratefully and takes his advice. Then they're off.
It's harder than he expects it to be.
If the Treblemakers and the Bellas aren't going at it like cats and dogs, then he feels nervous because Lilly Onakamura is sitting behind inches behind him. He doesn't understand because he can't remember the last time he's felt like a schoolboy and why does this happen when he's around Lilly?
For most of the ride, she doesn't pay attention to him. Her head is buried in a textbook that he definitely didn't notice beforehand. It's easy for him to keep his cool, though that in general, isn't difficult for him. He knows how to keep his emotions in check. But even if she's stuck in her own little world, watching puppies drown, he still makes an occasional glance at her (and to the back) through the rear view mirror.
Once they're close to the Regionals, the books go forgotten and she watches him, leaning against his seat.
His heart hammers against his chest and with other cars angrily honking at him he resists the urge to cuss and blow the horn back. She is watching him so very carefully; he can't let his frustration get the better of him now. So he beatboxes to some random tune he remembered had been on the radio. He falls back to silence when he realizes she's still staring at him wide-eyed. Well that's embarrassing.
He sighs, eyes glued to the road and oh look, they've got nine miles left.
From there, something magical happens. A moment of silence and then a staccato beat. A staccato beat accompanied by a melody. She is beatboxing.
"You're pretty good." Donald says, impressed.
Lilly looks away bashfully. "I set fires to feel joy."
"That's adorable." He deadpans, once again deciding not to say otherwise. So what if she's just admitted to being a pyromaniac? Fire's pretty. It's the right thing to say because they transition into beatboxing in sync with one another until the bus reaches Regionals.
(Which is a disaster for the Bellas. They don't advance and they lose Beca. The ride back to the campus is tense. He tries to cheer Lilly up with some beatboxing. It works well enough- she joins him, her voice barely above a whisper and they spend the rest of the ride home beatboxing in their corner of the bus.)
Spring Break is relatively uneventful for the most part. Aside from the few Treblemaker rehearsals, Donald spends most of it catching up with sleep and studying. And beatboxing.
The beatboxing club at Barden University is a nice change from the Treblemakers once in a while. Donald would never admit that to Bumper though, but the club is everything the Treblemakers' rehearsals are not. It's sudden, informal, unofficial, and most importantly, everyone is welcome.
The sound of staccato beats and snare drums and a variety of voice-made instruments is music to his ears as he wanders the area. He nods to a few familiar faces, but generally, he doesn't recognize half of the faces here. Many of them, he never expected to be beatboxers. But they are and he chides himself because a beatboxer is a beatboxer no matter the appearance. It's been too long since he's last attended a meeting.
In the peripheral of his eye, he catches a flash of yellow contrasting with a curtain of long dark hair. He does a double take before she turns slightly.
Lilly Onakuramara. Well isn't this a pleasant surprise? He taps her on the shoulder and she whirls around, her eyes bulging. Her voice hitches for a moment before it bounces back on beat. Shuffling to the side, she makes enough room for him to squeeze into the group. He catches on in no time and with a few clucks of his tongue, he earns an awed look from Lilly.
"You were pretty good." He tells Lilly later.
"I collect glasses for my china doll collection."
He laughs. "I'll be sure to donate mine."
"Hey Lilly." Donald greets her a day later. The weather's beautiful, the Quad's almost empty, and Lilly's sitting alone on the steps of the Bellas' (former) practice hall. Why shouldn't he sit next to her? The other Treblemakers and Bellas aren't around either.
She greets him barely audible and goes back to her book and that's okay. He takes out his economic book to pass the time.
An hour passes in silence. They take turns glancing over their books at each other. Boredom eventually gets the best of him; he begins humming, his book dangling in his lap. Not long after, he hears her beatbox to his tune. Happily, he smiles to himself and reads again, the words forsaken for the music.
The second day isn't much different, but on the third day, they take a step forward. Donald peers at the book she's reading. It's the same one she's been reading for the past three days now.
"What 'cha reading?"
She flips a page. "My catalog of places to play dead." He barely catches her answer. It almost gets lost to the wind.
"Seriously?"
A short pause. "…No. It's my anthropology of fairy tales."
"That's cool." Donald says, surprised. "You like fairy tales?"
"Uh-huh. Not the Disney version though."
He raises a brow. "There's a difference?"
"Yep." Her voice sounds normal now. "Cinderella's step-sisters cut their toes and heels off to fit in the glass slipper."
He blinks. Huh. Well isn't that interesting?
It grows from there. She doesn't open up completely but she does tell him things about herself. Little things that leave him hungry for more. She grew up around here. She's half Japanese and half Korean. She has an older brother. She learned how to beatbox from a brother of a friend. She speaks little and says strange things because it tells her who her real friends are.
(He hopes he falls into that category.)
Lilly's phone rings at the next beatboxing meet-up. She pulls away from the group to answer it and imagine his surprise when she uppercuts the air. Ending the call, she returns with a huge smile on her face.
"We're back in we're back in!" She chants excitedly before crushing him in a tight hug. Stiff at first (why is he uncomfortable? She's a friend.), he returns the hug just as enthusiastic. The Bellas are back in and no matter what that means for the Treblemakers (which is not much really), it doesn't make him any less happy for Lilly.
"Seriously?" He exclaims when she pulls back. "But how?"
"The Foot notes got disqualified, so we get to take their place!" She grins widely. "Aubrey says we start rehearsing when we get back from spring break- Donald? You okay?"
(It's right there and then when Donald decides Lilly is the most adorable when she smiles like that.)
The Treblemakers have the ICCA Finals in the bag, just like every other year. The songs are picked and they've got the choreography down no problem at all.
Then Bumper walks through the door and says he's leaving. Something about back-up singing for John Meyer, he reveals. What the actual fuck?
Unicycle voices everyone else's thought. Really, someone should've said it sooner: Bumper's always been an ass. But that's not important now. Their frontman's gone and they're scrambling to pick the pieces he's left in his walk to glory.
Jesse, luckily, finds them a replacement (Benji, who should've been accepted into the Treblemakers from the start) in no time, while Donald steps up to lead the Treblemakers. He pulls several all-nighters to make a new set list and choreography.
In the end, their performance turns out better than it could've ever been with Bumper. And it's not just better; it's probably the best the Treblemakers have ever performed.
They aren't the only ones though.
The Bellas don't just give the Treblemakers a run for their money. The Bellas completely own the rest of the competition. Jesse knows this when Beca belts out 'Simple Mind'. Donald knows this when Lilly solos 'Price Tag'.
And somehow, it doesn't feel like a complete disaster. Donald can't stop smiling as his eyes trail after the Bella in the bright yellow tank top.
Lilly.
She seems to have found the confidence she needs to break out. Her beatboxing is loud and clear and she has no hesitation. The Lilly on stage is beautiful- she's wild, she's edgy and this is the Lilly the world needs to prepare for.
Later, after the Bellas have descended to the floor, he and rest of the Treblemakers (sans Jesse) rush from their seats to flock the women they previously mocked.
"Mad beatboxing back there, Lils," Donald compliments her. "Good job, human orchestra."
She grins up at him, her voice at a normal volume. "It's all thanks to you."
He raises a brow. "Me? How?"
He's curious to see what she has to say, but she doesn't get to answer. A chorus of wolf whistles and cheers cuts Lilly off. Jesse and Beca are kissing like there's no tomorrow.
Donald joins in, with a wide grin. Good on him, he thinks. Jesse deserves a happy ending.
It's only then when Donald realizes Lilly's staring him. Through the corner of his eye, he gazes at her too and he swears, the same thought's running through their heads.
What if?
He dances around the thought for a couple of weeks.
There's no denying it anymore, Lilly has captivated him. Completely and utterly put him under a spell. No other girl can compete, not anymore. Compared to Lilly, every other girl is plain and dull. Their colors are muted compared to Lilly's bright ones.
He wants her. And with graduation looming, Donald realizes he must make his move soon or else Lilly will slip through his fingers.
Surprisingly though, he doesn't have to.
The dance floor is a level playing field- anything can happen, so anything goes. This time, a tipsy Fat Amy dances behind Donald while he beatboxes with Lilly. He really should learn to watch his back because drunken people are wild cards. In a drunken stupor, Fat Amy slaps him on the back.
"Hurry up and kiss her, ya brown dingo! Or feel the force of the kraken!"
He may be well toned, but even he can't withstand the force of the 'kraken'. He stumbles into Lilly and captures her lips in an accidental kiss.
Her lips are moist and soft and Donald kind of wants to kiss them forever. Lilly stiffens though so he pulls away and blushes. Fat Amy is nowhere to be seen and suddenly, his shoes are very interesting.
"Sorry." Donald mutters, rubbing the back of his neck. It's not like he hasn't kissed any other girl before, but he just kissed Lilly. Lilly is special. Speaking of which, she hasn't said anything.
Donald forces himself to look up again. She's not blushing. Actually, she's just looking at him very intently and it's impossible to tell what she's thinking now and-
Oh, what the hell.
He throws caution into the wind. Pulling Lilly closer this time, Donald leans in for a second kiss. Lilly doesn't take long to follow his lead. When they finally part, they're both panting, foreheads against one another.
"Is that how you ask other girls for a date?" Lilly whispers, her breath hitting his face. She smirks and for a moment, Donald forgets how to breathe.
He chuckles nervously. "Well if I did have a plan, it would've involved me serenading you and then sweeping you off your feet like Prince Charming."
She makes a face. "Cheesy."
"But then I remembered you don't do Prince Charming." He cups her face, mouth inches from her. "Better?"
"Better." She leans in before suddenly pulling back. He eyes her curiously. "I don't think you would've made a good Prince Charming anyways."
"Is that a challenge, milady?" He asks with a glint of mischief in his eye. She smiles against his lips as he draws her into another kiss.
Let me show you.
A/N: And I'm done here. Please review or favorite- it means a lot to me. Critique is also always welcome!