Author's Note: I decided that I should just store any sick!fic one shots I feel like writing in the same place. Enjoy!
Sleep Study
Aubrey Posen has never needed help studying for a test before – she needs to make that clear to herself. She aced her midterms and finals all through high school, and she was rarely liked by other kids in classes where teachers graded on a curve. AP Physics was a breeze. And her French teacher stopped offering extra credit to everyone once Aubrey became fluent and began scoring over 100% in the class. This has nothing to do with needing help, and everything to do with her new friend in Biology – which, honestly, doesn't make this any better.
She feels like she's falling behind at Barden (if falling behind means not completing the optional research material for bonus questions on each test), because she can't concentrate. Not in class. Not when Chloe, who had assigned herself as Aubrey's lab partner on the first day, never stops whispering commentary to her and continuously tries to make eye contact and always needs to borrow a pencil. And not now, when she's considering picking up her phone to ask Chloe if she's going to do extra studies on Genetics and Genomics. Because, maybe, they can work together. She has a pounding headache and the test is tomorrow, and a little collaboration never hurt. Except for that time it hurt Lise Meitner, who spent over 30 years collaborating with Otto Hahn only to have her name left out of their co-discovery of Nuclear Fission. But men are asshats, and half of the time, Chloe can barely remember where she put her own work, let alone locate someone else's.
Why does she have to think about her so often? They have one class together. One. On Mondays from 10:30 – 12:00, and then they go grab lunch. And sometimes dinner throughout the week. And Chloe recently asked her if she has time to get coffee before class on Thursdays. And, it's official, she's a hindrance to Aubrey's schoolwork. Which could change if Aubrey picked up the phone and asked her for some help. It didn't even have to be considered help. Plenty of people at Barden studied together for the sake of having some company. People who actually cared about their schoolwork wouldn't have a social life if it wasn't for the study groups that take place on the quad. But Aubrey considers herself too smart for study groups, which is probably why the only friend she has is none other than Chloe – whose constant presence is rather inexplicit.
Aubrey lowers her head to her hands and presses her palms against her eyes to ease some of the pressure. Arguing with herself isn't helping her make any headway here. She lowers one hand and grabs her phone. Her vision is blurry from rubbing her eyes, and she relies on autocorrect to get her point across. She has a headache. She needs someone to study with. End of message, there's nothing else to say. She closes the text conversation and lowers her forehead onto her desk. Soon, it'll be like they're playing twenty questions – each question a different variation of asking Aubrey what's wrong. And Aubrey will have to fight the urge to tell her that she is what's wrong. Her hair is too red and her eyes are too blue. It's distracting to the class. And, she needs to find a new perfume, because she always smells like peaches and vanilla, and it's hard to concentrate while sitting next to her. Maybe one of them should just find a new seat, but Aubrey realizes if she really wants Chloe to move, she wouldn't have just invited her over to study. She's putting a lot of thought into one random person; what the hell is wrong with her?
Her phone vibrates.
Aubrey slowly lifts her head and glances at the message from Chloe as it appears on the lockscreen.
'wow okay be right over'
Wow? Is her invite really that shocking? Aubrey knows that she can be considered a little standoff-ish at times, but she's never quite been cold toward Chloe. But, then again, Chloe is just very dramatic. She puts her head back down and counts the seconds it takes Chloe to get to her room from the other side of the floor. It always seems to take her a second less each time. It won't even surprise Aubrey the day she just teleports inside.
Chloe doesn't knock. She never does. She doesn't even stop outside the door. Aubrey can hear the sound of her footsteps as she turns the knob and lets herself right in, shutting and locking the door behind her. "Hey." Just that one word is bubbly and cheery and sickeningly sweet in a way that reminds of Aubrey of how she can never stop eating candy corn even after it starts making her feel nauseated. "I'm sorry your head hurts."
Aubrey lifts her head and turns her chair, determined to skip past all the small talk and pleasantries. "Let's just get started." She looks at Chloe, realizing she doesn't have books or her laptop and raises her eyebrows.
"Oh. Um. Okay." Chloe must have recently been out, because she's wearing a leather jacket that she quickly strips off and drapes over the bottom of Aubrey's bed. "But before we, like, start, I'm a little taken aback. I knew you were brazen, but…" She sits on the edge of Aubrey's bed and unties her shoes. "Maybe I'm just stupid feeling like this came out of nowhere. Not that I'm complaining. I wanted to ask you, but I never would have thought you wanted to be around me like that."
Aubrey stares at her, trying to process the words that are leaving her lips at a rate of roughly a mile per minute. She isn't sure what to say. They've never actually studied together before, but is she really that uptight about her grades that even just asking Chloe to study with her would take her completely off-guard? She knows that people gossip about her being high-strung, but this feels like a little much. "I guess I'm just full of surprises," she deadpans, and realizes that Chloe is doing more to take up their time than be productive with it. "We're friends. Isn't this what friends do?" So, she's a little fuzzy on the whole 'being friends with people' thing, but asking to study definitely isn't crossing any strange boundaries.
Chloe is rendered silent for a fraction of a second – possibly the longest Aubrey has ever seen her go without talking. "Well, I didn't know we were that kind of friendly," she starts talking fast again, "Had I known, we could have done this sooner and I wouldn't have spent half the year trying to just envision it. Sorry, I'm just a little nervous. I haven't done this a lot, and never with a girl yet, not that you being a girl is a problem. I prefer you being a girl as to opposed to, like, a boy…" She slides her shoes off and kicks them under the bed. "Not that it would change my mind if you were a boy. I don't really have a preference that way. I just mean, I prefer you as you…"
It occurs to Aubrey that somehow they're on two different pages about something. She tilts her head as Chloe goes on and on, not making a whole lot of sense. She slowly reaches to the side and grabs her phone to actually read her text, because it's apparent that somehow autocorrect has failed her yet again, and she really needs to stop trying to utilize it like it has ever spelled anything correctly for anyone. She draws in a deep breath and looks down at her words.
'I have a headache. Want to come over and sleep with me?'
She freezes. Normally, under stress, Aubrey vomits – but this, this is a whole new level of anxiety that dries up her throat and causes her to be able to feel all of her pulse points working overtime. And she realizes that, plain and simple, she's going to die. This is it. She doesn't need to worry about studying, because life is over. She's going to have to leave Barden. Move out of the country. Change her identity. And die as a stranger so no one can even identify her body.
"I get that you just invited me over to get rid of your headache. I just thought it was an old wives tale that orgasms are basically natural pain relievers, but it makes sense." Chloe stands up and walks over to Aubrey's chair and kneels down with her knees on either side of her, straddling her lap. "But I feel like now is probably an appropriate time to say I have a crush on you. Hi."
Aubrey's gaze snaps up at Chloe's words and she accidentally locks eyes with her. Her phone slips out of her hand and hits the carpet with a muffled thud. What? Her thoughts come to a freezing halt that probably has something to do with how blue Chloe's eyes are, and is it cheesy to hope that her red hair warms them back into motion? She smells like peaches. And vanilla. And her lips are curved into an awkward, nervous smile, and, wait, when did Aubrey start looking at her lips? They look soft and inviting. Is this what a crush feels like? No, because Aubrey doesn't have crushes. But she totally does. Fuck. She tries to swallow the dryness in her throat away and meets Chloe's eyes again, frozen in place on the chair. Is this how Chloe feels about her? No, because people don't feel that that way about Aubrey. Right?
Chloe leans forward and brushes their lips together, confirming that hers are as soft as they look.
All of Aubrey's senses hit her again at once. She parts her lips and presses them against Chloe's. Her chapstick tastes like blueberries, and Aubrey feels like she's dying again for all new reasons. She leans back too far and knocks several things over on her desk as she reaches out to steady herself, the back of her office chair creaking under the weight of both of them.
Chloe pulls back and looks at the scattered books and papers that were once a perfectly aligned stack. "Should we move to the bed?" She rests her hands on Aubrey's chest, lightly resting her fingers on the neckline of her t-shirt so her fingertips are just barely touching her skin.
It occurs to Aubrey that they're actually doing this. Sex. How the hell did this happen? Everything around her is moving so fast. She's never had sex before, but judging by the discomfort between her legs, her body doesn't care about that nearly as much as her thoughts do. She tells herself that she's just trying to save herself from the humiliation of her text message as she quickly nods her head. It has nothing to do with the tension between her legs or the knowledge that Chloe is about to be the one relieving it – clothes off, lips pressed against Aubrey's, hands on her most sensitive parts, idle thoughts that Aubrey always brushes off a sudden reality. "Let's go." She grabs Chloe's arms and stands them up so quickly that Chloe almost trips backwards and Aubrey nearly falls with her. She's about to sputter out an apology for being too rough when Chloe grips her waist and spins them around, her lips pressing against Aubrey's as she backs her up toward the bed.
It apparently isn't just Aubrey who can be too forceful. Aubrey falls back when the back of her legs hit the bed and she crashes down hard onto the mattress, pulling Chloe down on top of her. She lets out an unchecked moan as Chloe spreads her legs apart and kneels in-between them, leaning forward over her. Was the room this warm before? She isn't sure what to do with her hands, so she lets them rest on Chloe's sides as Chloe parts her lips with her tongue and kisses her harder. There are steps to having sex, and she struggles to think of them in chronological order when she's so focused on the way Chloe's knees are pressed against her in simultaneously the best and worst way. Clothes are supposed to come off next. She knows that much, for sure.
Chloe's shirt has buttons – which should be positive seeing as they shouldn't have to stop kissing for Aubrey to take it off. But they do have to stop kissing for Aubrey to take it off, because no one ever told Aubrey how difficult it is to undo buttons when her brain is somewhere else. "For serious, Chloe?" she mumbles and tilts her head away from Chloe's mouth, scrunching her face in frustration as she fumbles with the third button.
"What?" Chloe pulls back, looking confused. "Did I do something wrong?"
Aubrey shoots her a glare and motions vaguely at her shirt.
Chloe sits back on her heels, just looking at her.
"This is the most inopportune time to wear that shirt." Aubrey doesn't mean to go off on her, but her entire being feels worked up and she's still confused as to how she went from Biology to Anatomy. "You couldn't have worn something that didn't have buttons? Like a t-shirt? Or no shirt? I know you don't care about walking around without clothes." Honestly, Aubrey can't imagine how this night would have progressed if Chloe had decided to walk in her dorm room half naked. It's already weird enough as-is. But, not really the point.
"Oh." Chloe looks taken aback and then slightly irritated. "It's not that difficult. It comes right off." She looks down at her shirt and tugs at the button Aubrey had been trying to undo. "Sort of."
Aubrey watches her slowly undo each button on her shirt. It's purple and silky and while it looks good on, she likes it even more as Chloe works diligently on taking it off. She discovers she still has some patience and settles back against the bed, unable to help but focus on the concentrated expression on Chloe's face and her frustration as her hair gets in the way of her work. It's different than how Aubrey usually sees her. She seems less scattered.
Chloe finally manages to undo every button and she slides her shirt off then throws it on the floor, like it doesn't matter that she's going to need to iron it now. "See." She gives Aubrey a sheepish grin. "Easy-peasy." She winks.
Right. Easy-peasy-whatever her ass. Chloe is never wearing that shirt during sex again. They haven't even had it once, and she's already thinking about having it again? Her cheeks feel hot. Aubrey swallows and tries to look unabashed by her own thoughts. She forgets them quickly, because Chloe is in front of her in only her bra and jeans. It isn't like she hasn't seen Chloe half naked (or all the way naked) before, because Chloe has no qualms about where she undresses, but never quite in such close proximity. The room definitely wasn't this warm earlier. She notices now how toned Chloe's body is. And that she has several random freckles. And that she thinks Chloe is beautiful in more than a strictly platonic type of way. She looks up as Chloe smiles and grabs the bottom of her shirt, tugging it up over Aubrey's head. It joins Chloe's shirt on the now-needs-to-be-ironed floor pile.
Aubrey isn't prude. Not really anyway. She tells herself. But, she also doesn't just go around with no qualms over whether or not she's wearing clothing like Chloe occasionally does. Long story short, aside from her parents when she was a baby and her doctor, no one has ever seen her naked. Or topless. Even while she's still wearing a bra. She knows how she looks clothed: confident, poised, collected (most of the time). That's how she feels as well. The feeling she has now is disconcerting. Clothed, she has a barrier. Now, she feels exposed. Vulnerable. Ready to push Chloe off of her, throw her shirt back on, and transfer to a school on the other side of the world. Is there a foreign exchange program she can get involved in? Dubai sounds nice. She can get herself a land phone and not need to worry about texting.
"You're unfairly beautiful," Chloe comments softly. She traces her fingers down the straps of Aubrey's bra. "Can I take this off?"
"You first." Aubrey crosses her arms over her chest. As much as she suddenly wants to stop, she doesn't want to stop. She just wishes they had done this before so she isn't going into it blindly. It wouldn't be so bad if she was feeling confident and knew what she was doing.
Chloe reaches behind herself and unhooks her bra. "Do you want to take it off?" she asks with a playful smirk, holding it against her chest.
They're supposed to be studying. Aubrey doesn't let herself hesitate, because she doesn't want to come across as nervous as she feels. She hooks her fingers around the straps of Chloe's bra and slides them down her arms as Chloe moves her hand. They're supposed to be reading about the difference between Genetics and Genomics. The urge to fold Chloe's bra is strong, but that can't possibly be a turn-on, so she throws it as neatly as possibly to the end of the bed. There is a test tomorrow, and it's going to have bonus questions that Aubrey might not know the answers to. Since when did Chloe leave her this breathless? She's just a random girl from Biology (who happens to be on top of her, stripping their clothes off).
Chloe leans forward and pecks her lips. "Your turn. Sit up."
Aubrey takes orders as she's told. Goosebumps form on her skin, even though she's far from cold, as Chloe reaches behind her and unlatches her bra. She doesn't even know where Chloe discards it, her mind too focused in the way Chloe is looking at her. Her constant staring in class makes more sense now. She tries to swallow away her nerves. How did they get in this position again? She rests hand hands on Chloe's bare sides and Chloe shivers underneath her. It was her phone that got them here, right. But why does this feel so okay? Her first time isn't supposed to be spent on someone she barely knows. But she does know Chloe. She knows that her favorite color is blue. And green. And purple. Because she switches it roughly once per week. She hates raw onions. She wishes they could keep cats in the dorm. Chloe's lips are suddenly against hers again and she's being eased back down onto the bed. Chloe gets homesick a lot. She's scared of the dark. She thinks pink cotton candy tastes better than the other colors.
Chloe somehow manages to lean forward over Aubrey while undoing the button on Aubrey's pants without crashing down on top of her. It doesn't provide any of the relief Aubrey thought it would; only makes her realize just how uncomfortable the fabric is against her skin. Chloe kisses from Aubrey's mouth to her jaw then down to her chest. She places her hand flat against the center of Aubrey's jeans, rubbing her through her pants, and Aubrey nearly slams the top of her head into the wall as her back arches on its own accord. She can feel Chloe smirking against her skin.
It occurs to her that her hands should be doing something too, and she decides to be a little more bold. She was already shameless enough to (accidentally) ask for this. She grabs Chloe's arms and tugs her back up to kissing her lips again, then undoes Chloe's jeans and slips her hand inside. Chloe's panties are damp and she's radiating heat, and she utters a throaty moan against Aubrey's lips as Aubrey's fingertips brush along the fabric. It isn't a sound Aubrey has ever heard her make before, but she knows she wants to hear it again. Chloe's legs part, forcing Aubrey to spread her legs wider as well. She bends her knees and fights the urge to reach down and put more pressure on Chloe's hand. Chloe's slow, light movements are an effective form of torture.
"I don't know what I'm doing," Chloe murmurs, voice giddy rather than nervous.
Aubrey doesn't know what to tell her. She isn't exactly a pro at this either. "Whatever you do to yourself, I guess." That seems like a logical enough instruction. She doesn't know why it would be considered funny, but Chloe breathes a light laugh against her lips. Unfortunately for Aubrey, she doesn't have much experience with herself. But she feels like it's safe to assume Chloe knows herself well enough.
Chloe crawls off of Aubrey so she can pull Aubrey's pants off and add them to the never ending laundry disaster pile. The air becomes thick with the rich smell of arousal, and Aubrey realizes just how turned on she is, despite that all of her clothes now need to be ironed. She blushes, wondering if Chloe can smell how worked up she's getting her, too. She quickly tries to quell her embarrassment by removing Chloe's jeans as well.
"Aubrey, relax." Chloe rolls them onto their sides and leans their foreheads together. "You know, when I woke up this morning, I never would have guessed we would be ending the day like this."
Neither would I.
"Do you wanna go out on a date?" Chloe asks. "We could just skip the whole friends with benefits thing and get right to the point." She nudges Aubrey's nose with her own.
"Okay." The word slips out before Aubrey even has time to comprehend she's giving Chloe a response. She nods. What will her father think if he finds out she just agreed to go out with a girl? …not any worse than if he finds out she accidentally booty-called her first. Maybe Chloe is right when she says there are some things he just doesn't need to know. She presses her lips against Chloe's, feeling lightheaded as Chloe smiles against her mouth. Chloe's breasts press against hers and she makes a humming noise as she reaches down to strip Chloe out of her last item of clothing.
"When is your roommate coming back?" Chloe mumbles, following Aubrey's lead and removing her panties.
Never, Aubrey hopes. She shrugs. Whenever it is, it isn't probably anytime in the near future. Her roommate prefers to spend as little time around her as possible. The dislike is mutual. Chloe's hand ends up between her legs again, stroking up and down with the pads of her fingers, and Aubrey feels out of breath from the pleasure coursing through her body. She kisses Chloe hard and slides her fingers in circles around Chloe's center, a feeling of pride rippling through her when she realizes how wet Chloe is – because of her.
Chloe loses rhythm for a moment and nearly melts into the bed. Their kisses become sloppier and less focused, and the tension building up in Aubrey's body is a stark change from the tension she usually feels. She wants more of it. Chloe's body arches against her hand, and her reaction to Aubrey's movements serve to push Aubrey closer to the edge. She quickens her motions and Chloe does the same, pressing her entire body in closer to her and adding more pressure. It isn't hard to let go. Not right now. The moment Aubrey feels Chloe start to tremble, she falls over the edge with her, using Chloe's lips to muffle the soft cry that somehow escapes her. Suddenly, she doesn't care all that much about Genetics and Genomics. She breaks the kiss and her breaths start to even out, and she would rather stay in bed than study – with Chloe right beside her.
Chloe collapses down into the bed, seeming to have no intention of leaving anytime soon. "Is it any better?" she asks, still out of breath. She wraps her arms around Aubrey and pulls her in closer, intertwining their legs.
"What?" Aubrey asks. She adjusts herself so she can hug her back, not feeling nearly as annoyed by Chloe's touchy-feelyness as usual.
"Your head," Chloe replies softly, "Does it feel any better?"
Oh. Honestly, Aubrey forgot it hurt to begin with. She nods. "It worked. It did the trick." She's going to save so much money on Advil.
"Good to know." Chloe smiles and wrinkles her nose. "How did you ever find out this works? You just decided to have sex when you had a headache?"
Aubrey's breath catches in her throat, because, yeah, that's basically it, isn't it? "I've actually never had sex before," she admits.
"Oh." Chloe props herself up on one arm. "What?" The look of confusion on her face makes Aubrey wants to kiss her again. "No offense, but you're not exactly the try something new just for the sake of it type of person…"
"I was trying to ask you to come over and study." There is no harm in the truth. "My phone changed it to sleep." Maybe there is a little harm, because Aubrey feels like an idiot. "We were supposed to be doing Biology right now."
"Oh my god." Chloe blinks a few times then collapses down in a fit of laughter. "Why didn't you say anything?!"
"It's not funny!" Aubrey slaps her shoulder. Only, it is funny. Thinking about all of the events that just played out so smoothly, it's actually hilarious. She fights back laughter, hearing Chloe laugh not exactly making it easy. "It's not like you didn't like it. You were here in twenty-three seconds, ready to take your clothes off."
"That's so embarrassing!" Chloe laughs harder, pressing her face against Aubrey's shoulder.
She is embarrassed? Aubrey is the one who sent the text! Tears sting her eyes as she holds back from laughing. It could have been worse. Chloe could have stormed over to ask what the hell is wrong with her. She can't take it anymore, and she dissolves into giggles with Chloe.
Chloe props herself up again, her face inches from Aubrey's. "Do you want to study?" She nudges her shoulder.
Aubrey glances over at her mess of books and papers. It doesn't seem all that appealing anymore.
"Not Biology." Chloe gives her a devious smirk. "We could prepare each other for next year when we have to take Anatomy and Physiology."
Aubrey realizes that she is never going to be able to ask Chloe to actually study with her again - at least not for science where their minds will wander down the same path. She pretends to think for a moment, before leaning forward, pausing right before her lips press against Chloe's in another kiss. "I do like to get a head start on my work."