Title: Perfectly Good At It
Author: slacker_d
Pairing/Characters: Aubrey/Beca, Jesse
Rating: PG-13
Summary: When Beca goes to apologize to Aubrey, she learns something unexpected.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Word Count: ~1,185


Beca is avoiding Aubrey. Bellas' rehearsal was particularly heated this afternoon and Beca worries that she may have been a little harsher than necessary. Apparently her mouth got ahead of her brain when arguing about the set list. Aubrey had actually looked a bit hurt, so Beca decided that a little space might be necessary.

"Hey."

Beca looks up to find Jesse blocking her sunlight. "Hey."

"Can I?"

Beca nods.

"Thanks," he says, sitting.

They sit in awkward silence until Jesse eventually says, "I didn't think you'd ever want to talk to me again."

"Depends on how this conversation goes," Beca tells him.

Jesse sighs. "I'm sorry. It's just... you and Aubrey dating seemed to come out of nowhere. Plus you guys are still always arguing about the Bellas' set list."

"So?"

"Plus you and me always seem to be on the same wave length, well, except on movies, but still. It just seemed natural to assume that you and I might, you know..."

Beca sighs. "I like you Jesse, I really do. Just not that way. And don't you dare say I didn't tell you I liked girls, because you never asked."

Jesse nods. "I know. And I'm sorry."

Beca studies him for a moment, but he really does seem sincere, so she nods in return. "Okay then."

"So we're good?"

"Yep, we're good," Beca tells him.

"Cool," he says. "Wanna watch a movie?"

Beca smacks him in the arm.

"Kidding. Kidding."

...

Patching things up with Jesse makes Beca want to make things right with her girlfriend. Even though Aubrey was just as cruel as Beca, the brunette can admit that she started it this time, so she figures some flowers couldn't hurt. Normally, she'd do something ridiculous to the Trebles again for Aubrey, but she's still sore from this weekend and knows she should probably save her strength for the final match anyway. So that's out, leaving flowers as the next best option in her opinion.

She ends up getting a dozen pink and red tulips because they catch her eye and they're on sale. It's not her fault, she only has twenty bucks on her.

When she knocks on the door, Chloe answers. She smirks at the flowers clenched in Beca's hand and just waves her towards Aubrey's room. Beca thanks her and knocks on Aubrey's door.

"Come in."

Beca opens the door slowly and stick her head inside. She had a whole apology planned but it immediately disappears from her brain when she sees what Aubrey is doing.

The blonde is sitting on her bed wearing a stethoscope and apparently listening to a dial combination lock. There are several other locks, some open, some not, surrounding Aubrey.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Beca asks.

Her girlfriend looks up in surprise. Her eyes widen and she whips the stethoscope off and tries to hide it and the lock behind her back. "Beca! Hi."

"May I come in?"

Aubrey nods.

Beca slips inside the room, closing the door quietly behind her. "I came to apologize," she says, holding out the flowers. "I'm sorry I called you a cold hearted dictator."

"Well, I'm sorry I called you a selfish, waste of space," Aubrey replies, accepting the flowers.

"So," Beca says, sitting on the bed. "What are you up to?"

Aubrey gets a little red. She sets the tulips down on the bed and reluctantly reaches behind her back. She holds up the lock and stethoscope. "Relieving stress."

"Um..."

"When I get really stressed out, like really stressed out," Aubrey explains. "I find that focusing on something else helps relax me. I spent most of high school learning that."

"Totally understandable," Beca replies. "But that still doesn't explain what you were just doing."

"I, uh, was trying to crack this combination lock," Aubrey answers.

"With a stethoscope?"

Aubrey nods. "If you listen carefully while slowly turning the dial, you can hear things click. It takes some practice, but over the years I've gotten pretty good at it."

Beca stares at Aubrey. "You're kidding me."

Aubrey shakes her head.

"Show me," Beca says.

"Really?"

Beca nods eagerly.

Aubrey puts the stethoscope headset back in her ears before picking up the lock and pressing the chest piece against the back of it. Beca watches Aubrey very carefully turn the dial clockwise. After a few seconds, she must hear what she wants to because she says, "The first number is nineteen."

Beca nods and watches as Aubrey begins spinning the dial even slower, this time turning it counterclockwise. Holding her breath, Beca watches Aubrey pause in her turning again.

"The next number is seven," Aubrey says.

Beca nods again because she doesn't know what else to do as Aubrey begins turning the dial clockwise again. Beca didn't think it was possible, but Aubrey is spinning the dial even slower than she was before. In fact, if Beca didn't know that Aubrey was actually turning the dial, Beca wouldn't believe it because the dial seems to be barely moving.

"Thirty-seven," Aubrey breathes out quietly.

"Nineteen, seven, thirty-seven," Beca says.

Aubrey hands her the lock and Beca slowly spins the dial; nineteen, seven and thirty-seven. Beca loops her finger around the shackle and pulls. It opens with a click.

"Holy shit," Beca says.

"It's not that big of deal," Aubrey blushes.

"It's cool as hell," Beca tells her. "And super hot."

"Yeah?"

Beca nods. "It's so random. How did you even figure that out?"

"A friend of mine in high school had a lock that she couldn't remember the combo for and I jokingly put it up to my ear and began spinning it. I heard a click and just kept going from there."

"And the stethoscope?" Beca asks.

"I used to see people do it in movies all the time," Aubrey replies. "It was mostly for safes, but I assumed it was a similar principal. And I was right."

"If you were able to crack one by just putting it to your ear, why the stethoscope?"

"It's a bit more sensitive," Aubrey answers. "If a lock is super old or incredibly sensitive, you can sometimes miss the click. The stethoscope helps."

"Wow."

"You're being ridiculous," Aubrey tells Beca. "It's really not that impressive."

Beca shakes her head. "You're wrong." The brunette then climbs off the bed and begins removing everything from the bed.

"What are you doing?" Aubrey asks as Beca sets all the locks on her desk and the flowers on her dresser.

"Stethoscope?" Beca asks, holding out her hand.

Looking slightly confused, Aubrey hands over the stethoscope and Beca adds it to the pile of locks.

"For serious, Beca, what are you doing?" Aubrey says.

Beca shrugs before climbing back onto the bed. "I just figured that since we just made up and you're being super hot with the locks, that we should have sex."

"What a romantic proposal," Aubrey retorts.

"Hey, you asked," Beca replies. "I was going to try and seduce you, but since you asked, I figured I'd just be upfront."

"Fine," Aubrey huffs. "Come here, weirdo."

"Oh and suddenly I'm the unromantic one?"