Drama-bomb—it's just that I have to work out all the issues and have them actually grow closer before the romance seems believable, right? I do honestly think that Stacie's encouragement of Aubrey would cause her to get attached, particularly with Stacie not blatantly preferring Beca to Aubrey. To me it seems pretty legit that Aubrey's possessive of the people she considers to be hers, even subconsciously, because she's had so few close friends (headcanon :P), and Stacie choosing Aubrey over Beca (even unwittingly) would probably cause Aubrey to see her as a precious, rare thing that she doesn't want stolen. Just my opinion. Please remember to review, and I hope you enjoy!

UnPerfect

thefanshipdarkhorse

Three: Of Gayngst and Bonding Over Toilet Seats

Aubrey Posen was just a little bit miffed.

Just a little bit, because it wasn't like Chloe meant this to be horribly awkward and uncomfortable for her best friend (besides Beca, apparently, she huffed). It's just that Chloe was a really bright, cheerful person and kind of loved everybody, and wanted everybody to love each other as well. And it wasn't as though Aubrey didn't like Stacie—she loved all the Bella's, in her own weird, pressed lemon sort of way, and Stacie had been particularly sweet to her the other day.

Except that was just the problem, because now Aubrey had no idea how to act with the other girl. Stacie was clearly similar to Chloe in that she didn't quite understand the concepts of 'boundaries' and 'personal space', although she did seem to respect them a little bit more than the redhead. Then again, Aubrey had more than three years to get used to Chloe and her regular invasions of personal space, and it wasn't like Stacie was really similar to Chloe at all besides the obvious boundary issues.

Stacie was a new breed of affectionate—where Chloe was genuinely oblivious (for the most part) to the effect she had on others, Aubrey got the sneaking suspicion that Stacie reveled in making her squirm. Stacie also seemed to be slightly more selective—Chloe's affection was easy enough to forgive, simply because she was like that with absolutely everyone. Stacie seemed to pick and choose—for example, she'd had no problem blowing her rape whistle when Cynthia-Rose groped her during…the incident…while just the other day, she'd grabbed Aubrey in a bear-hug out of absolutely nowhere. Really, if Aubrey were to compare the two, she'd compare Chloe to a Labrador retriever, while Stacie would be more of a husky, or even a cat. More selective. She got the feeling that Stacie was smarter than she let on, and while the younger girl was certainly genuine, she also felt that she got a twisted high from making people...well, squirm, and Aubrey was well aware that she was a prime target.

Still, despite her discomfort, Aubrey did like Stacie, and was glad that, at the very least, she wouldn't have to endure another night of being the third wheel.

Or worse, she thought to herself as she watched Chloe poke a pouting Beca's cheek, being no wheel at all. Because Chloe spent a good part of her time at Beca's place now, and Aubrey really couldn't stand it. At least this way, she got to be around Chloe, even if it wasn't her the redhead really wanted. She hated playing the jealous best friend—it was, in some ways, worse than playing the jealous love-rival, because she really had no excuse from Chloe's standpoint, if the other girl were ever to call her on it. And Aubrey did try to hide it, but she was well aware that she did an awful job of that—she was often short with Chloe when she returned, and usually spent the rest of the night pouting while Chloe tried to make it up to her. And it always ended the same, too—Chloe would poke and prod until Aubrey lashed out, and then she'd start to cry, and then Aubrey would feel like an absolute ass and spend the rest of the night groveling like a boyfriend stuck in the doghouse.

Ironic, considering the situation.

From her position watching Bechloe happening on her couch, it felt like it took Stacie an hour to finally show up, when in reality it was more like five minutes. Still, the relief flooded Aubrey like a tidal wave when Chloe hopped up and she heard the younger girl's voice floating through the doorway. She was so relieved, in fact, that it almost didn't bother her when Stacie very unceremoniously dropped to the floor against Aubrey's legs (it wasn't a particularly large couch, and Aubrey was squished as it was with just Beca and Chloe there), dropping a Wal-Mart bag into the blonde's lap as she went.

"What's…this?" Aubrey asked, picking at the bag with her thumb and pointer finger. Stacie tilted her head to meet the blonde's eyes and couldn't help but snort a laugh at the way she was holding the bag like its contents were radioactive.

"Movies, Bree—you know, the little disk-thingies you put in a DVD player and—"

"I know what they are," Aubrey snapped, rolling her eyes and shoving the girl lightly with one sock-clad foot, to which Stacie only giggled. "I meant…Harry Potter?"

The taller girl smirked as she twisted to face Aubrey, her chin resting on the older girl's knees. Aubrey flushed bright red, but didn't push the girl away—she actually quite enjoyed the attention and affection (strange as it may come) that she got sparingly from her Bellas. She just didn't exactly know how to react to anyone outside of Chloe, and even then it was a stretch. Her instinct seemed to kick in at that moment, however, and her hand moved to touch the girl's hair, only for her eyes to widen and hand to jerk back like the soft, chocolate brown locks were on fire.

Stacie gave a small, slightly confused smile—she hadn't been expecting anything in return from Aubrey, but found herself disappointed when she was given a taste only to have it yanked away. "Well, I was sitting there like, how can I torture Beca the most?"

"Hey!"

"And it just came to me," Stacie continued, winking playfully at the shorter brunette. Aubrey found herself frowning at this gesture—did even Stacie prefer Beca to her? Then she quickly shook the thought from her head—what did it matter if she did? Was she really so jealous of Beca Mitchell that she was getting irrationally jealous over any and everything to do with the girl? After a moment, Stacie returned her attention to Aubrey, mouth open to continue, before she noticed the girl's expression, and frowned for a moment. Aubrey mimicked her expression, confused, until she realized that she'd probably been making some sort of face, and of course Stacie was confused. Steeling her shoulders, she pasted on her Stepford smile and nodded to the girl to continue. Stacie was now looking at Aubrey with more than a hint of suspicion, but continued anyway. "I figured I'll only get one shot at this, so I might as well enlighten as well as entertain."

With a flourish, the taller girl turned and emptied the contents of her bag onto the coffee table, revealing all eight of the Harry Potter classics. Beca raised an eyebrow at her taller friend, who was grinning wickedly as she stood up and claimed the arm of the couch immediately next to Aubrey, resting her legs in the (now crimson) blonde's lap. "Everyone's seen Harry Potter," she stated bluntly. "Love it or hate it, at least you won't be ignorant anymore."

The alt girl rolled her eyes and scoffed, but said nothing more on the subject, instead getting up and wandering off after Chloe, who'd disappeared into the kitchen after Stacie's arrival. Said girl watched her go, then turned to a still-flushed Aubrey, who was steadfastly avoiding her gaze, and nudged her with her foot. "Jealous?" she asked, teasingly, and was rewarded with Aubrey flushing impossibly darker.

"Don't be ridi—I mean, why would I be jealous?" Aubrey snapped, stumbling over her words a bit in her flustered state.

"I don't know," Stacie answered with a shrug. "Why don't you tell me? You got pissy awfully quick there."

"I got—what?" Aubrey asked, an incredulous laugh escaping her lips. "If I got 'pissy' at all, as you so delicately phrased it, it was in response to your insistence turning everything anyone says into flirtations!"

Stacie couldn't help herself—it was Aubrey's red-faced indignation that did her in as she began to giggle. This was, apparently, the wrong thing to do, as the older girl tensed and made a point of shoving Stacie's legs away. "Oh, come on, Bree," the younger girl protested as Aubrey folded her arms over her chest. "It's cute, really, how you're always making everything to do with Beca into some kind of competition with her. I mean you're always doing it when it involves Chloe, but isn't this taking it a little too far?"

Aubrey felt her stomach turn at Stacie's giggling, and swallowed hard before daring to open her mouth. But in the instant between that and the words actually escaping her lips, her posture fell just slightly, and her tone changed completely. "I'm just a little bit tired of always coming in second to her," she muttered, face still flaming. Why the hell was she saying this, and to Stacie Conrad, of all people? The girl couldn't take a funeral seriously!

But Stacie's giggles had ceased entirely, and she was instead watching Aubrey with an expression the blonde had never seen her wear. Her pretty features were caught somewhere between thoughtful and concerned, and Aubrey found herself enthralled by the picture. After a moment, Aubrey felt the tall brunette shift again, and without thinking, she curled a hand around Stacie's calf. She didn't know why she did it, but Stacie hadn't pulled away, hadn't laughed, and suddenly Aubrey just really didn't want her to leave.

"Is that really what you think?"

This time, Aubrey scoffed. "I know you're not as stupid as you act, Stacie," she snapped, hating herself when the girl tensed beneath her grip. "I mean," she corrected, "isn't it obvious? The Bellas, the pitch pipe, Ch—just everything," she finished, catching herself (unnecessarily). "She's taken everything, and she hasn't even been here a year."

A long moment passed, and Aubrey bit her lower lip, staring straight at the wall in front of her. Was she really spilling her deepest insecurities like this to Stacie Conrad, of all people? The girl hardly had a reputation for being trustworthy, as nice as she was. But then she felt Stacie shift again, which in turn caused her to tighten her grip even further, although the gesture was unnecessary, as the girl had shifted toward her. "Nobody really takes her seriously, though," Stacie finally said. "I mean, she has the pitch pipe, yeah, but that doesn't really mean anything to anyone but you. Everyone still looks to you for leadership—I mean, come on, nothing's really changed except maybe we like you a little more now." Aubrey found herself fighting off a smile at the corner of her lips at Stacie's words. "And I get that Chloe's all into her now, but Chloe's not it, you know? Like, she's not your end all, be all. There'll be other girls."

And suddenly Aubrey realized just exactly what they were talking about, and she was up and off the couch before Stacie could offset the weight, sending the brunette toppling to the floor as the blonde raced to the bathroom. At the same moment, Beca and Chloe reentered with arms full of popcorn and soda, the former looking confused while the latter was shooting her a (surprisingly frightening) glare. Once she'd gotten over the initial shock, however, and with a (not-so) little nudge (kick) from Beca, Stacie scrambled ungracefully to her feet and off in the direction Aubrey had run.

She found the girl curled up on the bathroom floor against the shower, arms folded tightly around her stomach. "Go- go away," Aubrey choked out the second she entered, unable to meet Stacie's apologetic gaze, and for the first time, Stacie realized just how bruising it was for the blonde's pride to lose control in front of anyone else. As horrific as the second pukegate incident had been for all involved, it had probably been infinitely more traumatizing for Aubrey herself.

"Bree…" Stacie began, only to receive a lead-melting glare from the blonde, which was fairly impressive, considering how pale the girl was. "Come on, Bree, it's not a big deal," she said, stepping forward despite Aubrey's desire for her to leave. "I mean, everybody loves her, and you've been around her longer than any of us—hell, I'd do her if I weren't sure Beca'd murder me."

This comment earned her the predictable reaction of Aubrey's eyes widening in shock and fury, and Stacie raised her hands in submission. "You know what I mean," she said bluntly. "Stop being so damn literal all the time, can't you see it's bad for your fucking health? I mean, Jesus Christ!"

This had Aubrey sitting up straighter, and while Stacie was glad she was apparently feeling better, she was also growing slightly concerned for her own wellbeing, as Aubrey was looking more and more like she may regain the ability to walk. And, you know, kill.

Finally, she managed to speak—the words that came out, however, were nowhere near what Stacie had predicted. "I'm sorry," the blonde muttered, and the younger girl had to strain her ears to make sure she hadn't heard wrong. "I know I'm hard on all of you, and you all probably hate me for it, and with good reason, I just—it's just the way I am, and I can't help it." She finished on a somewhat self-righteous note, and Stacie found herself thankful that there was still a little bit of Aubrey in there.

"I know, and we know," Stacie replied, taking the final step closer and reaching out a hand to pull the blonde to her feet. "And I'm not asking you to change that, just…just trust us a little more, yeah? I mean, do you really think I'm going to think less of you if you finally admit you've got a massive toner for…well, you know," she said, nodding in the direction of the door, where she wasn't entirely sure the other two Bellas weren't listening in. "If anything, at least it proves you're not some psycho acapella robot."

Aubrey actually laughed at this, weak though it was. "Well…you know me," she finally said, brushing her hair back. "I don't like losing control…of anything. And love is…"

"The opposite of control," Stacie finished. "I know. But…if you never acknowledge it, you can't move on, right? And nobody wants to feel like that forever."

Aubrey swallowed thickly. "Well…right, well, if we stay here much longer, they're going to think you're having your way with me," she deflected, and Stacie's eyes widened. Aubrey raised one eyebrow. "What, you actually thought I had no sense of humor?"

"Well…"

"Don't answer that," the blonde sighed, grabbing Stacie's hand and pulling her back out into the living room. Stacie wasn't sure exactly what had happened—one second she'd been comforting the blonde, and the next, Aubrey had taken complete control of the situation. Finally she shrugged as Aubrey pulled her down beside her, brushing off Chloe's concern and grabbing the remote to start the movie. Aubrey probably felt better being in control than being comforted, odd as it seemed, and really, who was Stacie to complain? She'd gotten Aubrey to trust her enough to at least not deny her feelings for Chloe, and, unless she was very much mistaken, her blonde captain was starting to view her in an entirely different light.

While she didn't outright say anything, the light touches throughout the first two movies spoke volumes, particularly when Beca did something too familiar or got too close—those times, Aubrey's touch became more of a hold, and Stacie couldn't help the shiver of excitement that ran down her spine at the thought of the blonde becoming possessive over her, even just a little bit. Really, she hadn't expected any less—for all her bravado, Aubrey was fairly transparent, and Stacie had seen the change in her expression when she'd talked to her. Aubrey was going to grasp and hold onto anything that chose her over Beca, whatever or whoever it was.

Stacie fervently ignored the sinking feeling that came along with that realization—it was a good thing, after all. At least then she could bed Aubrey without the blonde getting hurt.

But what about me?

Stacie immediately squelched the decidedly un-Stacie-like voice coming from somewhere deep in her subconscious with a generous gulp of the beer that Chloe had procured from the kitchen, steadfastly ignoring the glare of disapproval from Aubrey, who was seated to her immediate left (too close too close too close, that same part of her mind screamed until she silenced it in the same manner).

Fuck, what wouldn't she do for a good lay? This was getting ridiculous.

Okay, so you know you're fucking tired when you spend the entire second half of your shift having a crush on someone who's like, totally not your type and you never thought of like that. I didn't even like said person to begin with and I can see getting to know someone better and liking them, but this is just ridiculous, guys. But I've learned I can convince myself of almost anything when I'm out of it enough—last time it happened was in my junior year with some girl who looks remarkably like that girl who played Topanga on Boy Meets World :P And that…well, I'd rather not repeat THAT particular year of my life. Oh, my god. So much bad poetry. So. Freaking. Much. BAD. Poetry. But I'm pretty sure I'm just so tired I'm hallucinating a bit—I've also started coming down with this weird cold thing that hit me on the weekend and then has been pretty minor since, so maybe that's part of it. Ugh. I seriously don't even know—this person has a habit of rubbing me the wrong way at crucial times, and let me tell you, that is REALLY hard to do with me. I tend to be fairly agreeable, if only to get out of dealing with conflict, but some people…and I spent FIVE FUCKING HOURS thinking about having a crush on this person! I think I'm delusional, guys. Either that or I need to get a freaking boyfriend. BOY. Friend.

On a random note, if you could date any of the girls from Pitch Perfect, who would it be? Obviously, I'd be Team Aubrey ALL the way, because I'm a freak of nature and find her controlling personality to be insanely attractive (she's controlling, but in a certain way that's attractive to me—I like being told what to do and having other people make decisions, but I really can't stand people being controlling in regards to not letting me do things I KNOW I can do, especially if I know I can help at something). But what about you guys (those of you bored enough to still be reading this :P)?