Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Man, this club is a bust.”

Yujin whispered while twirling the cocktail glass in her hand. The glass holds remnants of the first Tequila Sunrise she’d consume that night. The comment was loud enough to be heard by her friend Yeeun, who was chatting up the DJ on the playlist she prepared for the reception. “Yujin, sweetie,” Yeeun walks towards the bored girl and gestures around them.

“First, this isn’t a club, it’s our best friend’s wedding.”

Yeeun looks around the hotel’s ballroom. She’s had her fair share of visits to this place while running errands for the newlyweds the past few months. She felt elated to see how it all got together and how happy her friends looked with it. Sorn and Seunghee were currently dancing to Taylor Swift’s Treacherous, their first dance as a married couple. Yeeun noted how both looked into each other’s eyes like they were each other’s sun and stars. She dreamt of experiencing love like that, but with her current love life, or rather, lack of it, she came to terms with the fact that it might not happen in the near future.

The gnashing of Yujin’s teeth snaps her out of her trance. The older tended to do this when she was slightly intoxicated, and this was the least dangerous out of all her drunken habits. Yeeun then snatches the cocktail glass off her tipsy friend's grasp and adds, “Second, can you stop looking for people to bone? Sorn and Seunghee are having a precious moment, and we have to respe-”

“Wrong.” Yujin cuts her off, “It’s their reception.”

“I can do whatever I want. Oh!” she adds tauntingly, while smirking pointedly at Yeeun, “Whoever I want. Seunghee said that if I were to mingle, I should steer clear of the bridesmaids because they’re clingy. She basically gave me a pass tonight!” The older one argued.

“God damn it, Seunghee!” Yeeun complains to herself, exasperatedly, plopping into the chair beside Yujin’s, “I talked to her about this already!” She then turns to warn Yujin, “Remember what happened after Hyuna unnie’s wedding?” She and her friends had to help Yujin escape a really weird one night stand, and Yeeun would rather not have a repeat of that incident.

“Jesus Christ. I need a drink,” she points out as she stands up to go to the open bar she practically begged Seunghee to get.

“You,” she points at Yujin, “need Jesus.”

“Who knows? I might see Jesus tonight if I get lucky!” Yujin winks at Yeeun. “And get me a tequila sunrise while you’re at it!”

 “Hi, I’ll have a Corona, please, uhhh," Yeeun greets the bartender who, in Yeeun's opinion, has a nametag as short as her patience. "Jaewon? Right. Jaewon. And a glass of orange juice delivered to that tiny brunette at Table number 3. Please tell her it’s a Tequila Sunrise, thank you!” The bartender slides her a bottle as she leans on the counter, surveying the scene. While taking a sip, she sees a little girl who lost her hair brooch on the dance floor. As she walks to help the little girl, she sees a woman, roughly her age, in a black floral halter dress kneeling down next to the little girl, already applying the brooch for her. Curiosity taking the best of her, she starts to observe the helpful lady.

Observe.

Not in a creepy way, just curiosity, just for a few minutes, Yeeun promises.

The girl finishes putting the brooch back and leads the little kid to the middle of the dance floor. The current song switches to the YMCA song (which was specifically requested by Seunghee because it brought her and Sorn together at a frat party in college) and to Yeeun’s surprise, the lady knew the lyrics by heart and was joyously belting them with the little kid. The kid might’ve told her an adorable joke because the lady suddenly smiled and laughed like there was no tomorrow.

And just like that, Yeeun was spellbound.

***

She didn’t know how to remove her eyes from the girl’s captivating smile, which never faltered, even after the song ended and she retreated to her seat. She hasn’t felt this focused since she saw her friend Eunbin cook her some fried oreos. She was itching to go talk to the girl and she knows her night’s going to suck if she doesn’t do so.

You know I’m just going to ask her how she’s doing, no biggie, she convinces herself.

I am the maid of honor, don’t they do shit like this at weddings?

Don’t make it awkward, don’t make it awkward!

Yeeun’s head was swimming in a pool of doubts, justifications and last-minute excuses to high-tail the fuck out of there, and before she knew it she was standing beside the woman’s chair. Immediately, the lady turns to face Yeeun with a curious and questioning look.

Quick, Yeeun, think! Say something! Anything! Even a little noise! she thinks.

She frantically looks around and notices an empty chair and it’s like a light switched on in her brain. This could work!

“Oh! Is this seat taken?”

“Not at all.”

The lady gestures to the drink, “A Corona?”

“Yup?”

“Neat,” she nods approvingly.

“Thanks,” She laughs nervously, “so what brings you here?”

“Besides the wedding?” She hums pensively, “Oh, I don’t know, I just thought it would be nice to enter a random hotel ballroom in this gorgeous shimmery gown I borrowed from my friend.”

“Right. Sorry! I tend to get flustered when I talk to pretty girls.”

She takes a sip of her champagne with a smirk, “Smooth.”

Yeeun gestures tipping an imaginary fedora. “I almost forgot! How rude of me. My name-“

“I’m going to have to stop you right there, honey,” the girl stops her mid-ramble by placing her hand on Yeeun’s thigh. Yeeun gets flustered, but she doesn’t miss the way the word honey rolls off of the woman’s tongue. Wow. She could call me honey any day, she thinks, trying to supress her smile from widening.

“I kind of have a rule, for weddings.”

Yeeun becomes confused as to why the lady mentions this. But she brushes it off and adds an anecdote of her own.

“Me too! Well I kind of have two,” she counts off with her fingers. “It’s, one, don’t get hammered and, two, don’t give my friend over there,” she points to Yujin, “her fourth Tequila Sunrise.”

“Do tell, what happens to her when she reaches her fourth?”

“If she reaches her fourth, well, to put it simply, all hell breaks loose. She’s just had her first, and hopefully, her last tonight.”

“Wow, aren’t you a sweet one.”

“Thanks, I try.”

“But, sadly, no,” the lady sighs, “my rule isn’t like that. I’d love to get hammered, and my friends are pretty responsible drinkers. My rule is that I never hook up at weddings.”

Well fuck.

***

Yeeun tries not to look disappointed at what the girl said and curiously asked why, determined to turn the situation around.

“Well, it’s kind of an illusion,” the lady quips.

“The couple’s love is an illusion?” Now Yeeun’s really confused. Surely she doesn’t have anything against Sorn and Seunghee, right? I mean, why would she be invited if so?

“No! No! God No! That’s pure and real and amazing. They,” the lady gestures to the newlyweds busting out the Shoot dance step, “really fucking love each other so much.”

“So what’s an illusion? Did Thanos suddenly wield the Reality Stone in this ballroom and I somehow missed it or something?”

“Thanos, that bitch.” The lady chuckles. “No, what I’m trying to say is that the atmosphere is too romantic. Weddings celebrate love and I’m all for that but,” she sighs, “anything that we bystanders feel may seem magical, but they aren’t real.”

“Ah. Like a wedding filter?”

“Yes! Wedding filter. A mirage.”

“Oh, I totally get it. Which is why I’m not flirting with you.”

“This isn’t flirting?”

“You’d know when it’s flirting, believe me.”

“Oh. That’s too bad,” the lady acts dejected, “now I kind of want to see you flirt, just for the hell of it.”

“Well we could, you know,” The pout on the girl's face just made Yeeun try just one more time.

“Hmmm. Okay.” The lady snaps her fingers after a minute of deep thought. “I may have a solution.”

“I’m all ears.”

“Okay, why don’t we just dance the night away? Party hard tonight. What do you say?”

“O-kay? But that’s it? Sounds easy enou-“

“But. We don’t give out any information about us to each other. No way of contact, and we just enjoy ourselves.”

What.

“Then we leave after the wedding.”

NO.

“No strings attached.”

ALL STRINGS ATTACHED.

“Just leaving us with a memory that we could never tarnish.”

Let’s tarnish the fuck out of it!

“We could look back from the future and say that tonight was a night to remember. Oh,” she adds, “and that means no real names.”

Oh dear god.

Yeeun tries to recollect herself and stammers, “o-okay, that was a lot to process.”

But will I not take the risk? I mean, hello? I’d do a handstand for this girl. I’d kiss her feet if she wanted me to! Wait. No, that’s a little unsanitary, but the point still stands!

“I’m probably gonna regret this in a few hours but,” Oh what the hell, “you know what? Fuck it.”

Chapter Text

“Hey, you know what this reminds me of?” The girl asks as the slow song transitions to a fast one. “How I Met Your Mother.”

“Right! The one with Ted and that Girl who’d go to Germany.”

“Victoria! Yes!”

“Well, then. Ted chooses Lando Calrissian and yeah, maybe he’s been my crush since Empire Strikes Back, but it’s a long ass name and it’ll get too confusing. So, hi, I’m Leia.” Yeeun holds her hand out to the lady.

“I love it,” the girl shakes Yeeun’s hand and gestures to herself, “I’m Bambi. Shall we dance?”

Yeeun takes the girl’s hand as she drags her to the dance floor as Earth, Wind and Fire’s September nears its chorus. At first, Yeeun was a bit hesitant to wild out while dancing to one of her favourite songs in the fear of scaring her companion. The lady notices this and reminds her that it was their agreement to dance the night away.

“It’s not fair if I’m the only one who wilds out, you know,” she screams over the song as she did the Roy Purdy dance. 

"Oh really?" Yeeun retorts as she begins to attempt the Roy Purdy dance. "This isn't even my final form, babe."

***

Five party dances later, the DJ slowly faded the music out and handed a mic to the emcee.

“Sorry to interrupt your partying, everybody, but it’s time to cut the cake!”

They wheel in the most ethereal cake Yeeun has ever laid her eyes upon. Just before the wedding, she was terrified of what the cake would look like, as Sorn and Seunghee always went with Eunbin to the bakeshop. They even left most of the work, coordinating with the baker, with their youngest friend, only stopping by to taste test the flavors they wanted the cake to be and point out the motif they want. With the track record Eunbin has with food, she was surprised they still had a cake. But this? Wow.

“Three layers? Elegant white frosting? Purple and white fondant flowers on the sides? I’m really fucking impressed. This looks divine,” Yeeun breathlessly comments.

The lady whips around to face Yeeun so fast she thought her neck would break. She flashes her the biggest megawatt smile Yeeun’s seen on her.

“You really think so, General Organa?” She asks joyously, amused by how Yeeun reacted.

“Hell yes. I’m so surprised it got here in one piece. And to be this beautiful? It’s just,” she gestures around the cake, her arms flailing everywhere, “wow.”

“Good to know!”

They look back to the stage and see the couple holding the cake knife, all ready to start the famous tradition.

“Are you guys fucking ready?” Seunghee asks the crowd of their family and friends, only to be met with whoops and cheers of agreement. The newlyweds share a kiss then proceed to slice the cake. But apparently, Sorn had a different idea. Yeeun recognized the smirk she sported after cutting the cake, and the jumpy way she stared at Seunghee. Sorn also pinched her nose as if she was sniffing then scratched the back of her left ear.

This was Sorn’s tell.

Over the course of knowing Sorn and seeing her and Seunghee’s relationship progress, she picked up on the little quirks the couple have for each other, and she knew that the only thing they loved more than each other is pranking each other. And when Sorn does those quirks in the exact order, she knew she was about to do something very mischievous.

Yeeun taps the girl’s shoulders in a quick manner and gestures towards the newlyweds. “I think you’re really going to enjoy this.”

Sorn quickly grabs the slice of cake from the plate using her hands and feeds it to a taken aback Seunghee as the crowd cheers.

Adorable.

While Sorn was basking in her prank’s success with their guests still laughing about it, Seunghee scratches the middle of her nose three times and brushes her bangs upwards.

Would you look at that.

Seunghee’s tell.

“Now pay attention to Seunghee’s hands,” she points out.

Seunghee retaliates by scraping the icing of the slice with her four fingers and slowly wipes it downward on Sorn’s face, surprising her. The whoops and cheers grow even louder.

The lady quickly faces Yeeun with a shocked face.

“What? How’d you predict that?”

“Too much time third-wheeling, I guess?”

“Oh poor baby.” The girl reaches into Yeeun’s cheeks to give it the lightest squeeze and Yeeun wanted to faint. The latter had to bite her tongue down so hard to keep herself from blushing as red as a tomato.

She looks around the ballroom for other topics to talk about when she spots a few slices of the wedding cake being served to some of the tables. She grabs one plate from the nearest waiter and shows pushes it in front of  her companion. “You uhhh,” Yeeun starts hesitantly as she raises the plate, “want to split a slice?”

“I’m so down.” The girl quickly snatches two forks off of the nearest table but was stopped by Yeeun.

“But as much as I would love to eat the cake here, this looks like a really good cake, and I kinda don’t want the experience of me devouring this cake be tainted by Nicki Minaj’s Anaconda. My friends go haywire when they hear that song and I honestly don’t want to be present when it happens,” she explains.

“You know what? Follow me,” The lady suggests.

She then leads Yeeun to the completely empty neighbouring ballroom, which was a couple of feet away from the party. They could still hear the faint voice of Ms. Minaj talking about her boytoy named Troy who used to live in Detroit, but it’ll do. They sit at the middle of the dance floor, and place the cake between them. Yeeun admires the way the girl elegantly sat down on the floor, because honestly, who looks so good while just trying to sit?

“Shall we?” Yeeun asks, “I don’t think I can wait any longer.”

They nod in unison. Let’s do this. Armed with their tiny little forks, they dug into the slice and devoured a spoonful each.

Yeeun hums delightedly, “Woah. That cake was so good. It’s like the Michael Jordan of cakes!”

“Really? Thanks!”

“Huh?”

“I mean, thanks for sharing such heavenly cake with me.” The girl quickly snatches the purple fondant flower beside the slice and twirls it around. “Since you mentioned basketball, here.”

She looks focused at the fondant flower, then at Yeeun slyly. “I bet I can shoot this little flower in your mouth.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Please?”

“Still don’t think so!”

“Pretty please?”

“No thanks!”

“I’m even pouting now. Just now I never do this. Please?”

“Okay fine, but only because you begged.”

“Okay. In three, two, one,” she counts down then throws it, “Kobe!”

It hits Yeeun square in her left eye.

“Wow, so much for Kobe,” Yeeun comments humorously as she clutches her eye. She hears a bit of a chuckle come out of her MVP.

“Bambi, so nice of you to laugh when I practically got a battle wound because of you,” Yeeun accuses jokingly.

“Sorry it’s just, I would apologize but this is too hilarious!” The girl explains in between her boisterous chuckles.

“Oh yeah?” Yeeun asks tauntingly as she grabs another flower and flings it into the chuckling girl’s face.

 “Okay, now we’re even!” They both surrender and laugh a little bit more.

***

 As Yeeun was wiping the plate clean with her spoon and finishing what’s left of the slice they got, she comments, “Man, I wish my prom were like this”

“Was your prom that bad?” The lady asks curiously.

“Kinda? I’ve always loved how they portrayed prom in the movies, and it was dumb of me to think that it could be true or happen to me as well but,” she pauses, “it was full of disappointments and I would rather be eating this god tier cake at prom than socializing with the blandest set of people I’ve ever met.”

“Well, isn’t this nice? Sharing a slice of,” she gestures to the cake, “the Michael Jackson-“

“Jordan.” Yeeun corrects.

“Sorry, Jordan, of cakes, with the polar opposite of bland,” the lady gestures to herself with a smirk.

“I didn’t say anything, though,” Yeeun replies, acting innocently.

This earned her multiple slaps on her shoulder, with the girl sporting a scandalized expression

“Okay, okay,” she raises her hands in surrender, “I’m sorry. You are actually quite interesting.”

“Thanks for the compliment! Is it even a compliment? Who kno-“ Bambi was cut-off by the sound of the empty ballroom’s giant door opening, and in barges two women laughing very loudly, one of which looks an awful lot like Yujin. But Yeeun decided that, no, it couldn't be.

The rowdy couple then turns to see them conversing and shit. Yeeun was almost 90% sure that one of them was Yujin. They lock eyes and that was all it took for Yujin to pull the girl back out the room. The other girl seemed apologetic, shouting as Yujin drags her out, "Sorry for disturbing you guys!"

"That was..." Bambi trails off, with an expression that screams, 'oof,' and pointed to the slice of cake, "shall we continue eating?"

"Oh no. Yujin." Yeeun breathes out, with worry and panic etched on her face. 

"Hey," the girl said in an attempt to assuage Yeeun's panic, "don't worry. I know the girl with her. I promise that she is the most responsible person I've ever met. Seungyeon is nowhere near dangerous, I swear it on the Michael Bolton-"

"Jordan."

"Sorry again, Jordan of cakes, yeah? I can assure you she doesn't bite."

"Yujin does." Yeeun horrifiedly comments.

"Okay, okay, relax. Breathe. She's had, what? One sunrise? She's far from her fourth, okay? It's gonna be fine. My friend can handle her, I promise."

The girl smiles weakly as she tries to cheer Yeeun up which worked, but only for a short while. She heard a faint guitar strum from the other ballroom and came up with an idea.

"Do you hear that?" the girl snaps Yeeun from her deep thought.

"The song? Yeah, why?" Yeeun restlessly replies.

"well, to keep your mind off of things, maybe we can dance to this?"

Yeeun looks at her with an unsure expression.

"Oh come on. It'll be fine. I actually can dance." The girl holds her hand out to Yeeun.

Might as well.

Chapter Text

Yeeun takes Bambi's outstretched hand and places her other one on the latter's waist, as they sway to the music, while inching a bit closer together. As they dance to the slow rhythm of the music, Yeeun takes this time to observe the girl from a closer position. Bambi seems to know this song very well, much like the other songs from her playlist, and was animatedly singing along to the singer's smooth voice, a gesture which made Yeeun's lips pull upward.

Her hands, so soft, like a cloud. Not that I know what clouds feel like, but yeah maybe clouds.

Her eyes, sparkling, like crystals. Damn, I should really stop staring. 

Her hair, shiny and Yeeun swears she could smell a bit of cherry shampoo. Didn't even know those existed but I love them already.

Baby hairs falling on her forehead so perfectly, like wisps of whatever wisps are and oh my god, I should really stop, it's getting too creepy.

Suddenly, Bambi turns to her and tells her a joke, which, for the life of her, Yeeun couldn't remember, because she was so distracted by the way her nose scrunched up when she giggled. "What?" Bambi curiously muses.

"Oh," It's just that look really pretty and it's literally killing my heart, "..nothing." 

"Nothing, huh?" 

"Yeah, hey- uh, did you know that your nose scrunches when you laugh?"

"Yeah," she smirks, "I've been told once or twice." By now, they're slowly leaning into each other, neither one of them noticing, too focused on the conversation they were having. Yeeun could feel her breaths getting shorter and her heart stammering. Oh shit, I hope she can't feel my heart.

"Well, it's kinda cute?" Yeeun's gaze lands on Bambi's eyes and she could just die of embarrassment right there. She tried to look at somewhere else besides Bambi's eyes and her gaze lingers on the latter's lips a millisecond too long, long enough for Bambi to notice. She licks her lower lip ever so slightly and Yeeun swears she's going to swoon. She couldn't help but to move closer. 

Foreheads touching, noses ever so close, each of their short breaths felt by the other.

Yeeun closes her eyes for a moment and sighs,“we- we shouldn’t be doing this.” She opens her eyes and looks pointedly at the girl in front of her, “right?” she asks hesitantly, almost in a whisper.

“And why is that?” Bambi whispers.

“No-" Breath, Yeeun, breathe.

"No strings attached, remember?”

“Yeah," Bambi looks down and Yeeun was already preparing herself for an impending goodbye, until she hears-

"And what of it?”

“what about- what about-" Yeeun stammers, distracted by the close proximity, feeling too short of breath, "Victoria’s drumroll?” 

“Honestly?" Bambi looks at Yeeun with so much conviction, the most conviction she's ever seen on anyone, and says "Fuck the drumroll, I’m going to beat myself up in the future if I let the opportunity to kiss you pass.”

Yeeun was already starting to go overdrive, thinking about what Bambi said, but before she could, the petite girl has her lips on hers. 

Soft. Cherry Lipgloss. Cake. Those were the only three things running through her mind as she smiles deeper into the kiss.

***

After what Yeeun thinks is a long time to be kissing, not that she minds, they break apart for air, still swaying to the faint music. Bambi hums and smiles, "The cake tastes better from your lips." Yeeun giggles and cringes jokingly,"That was so cheesy! Who taught you that?"

"That friend from a while ago. She must be laying it down thick on your Tequila Sunrise friend by now."

"My friend will eat that all up. For the first time in a long time, I'm scared for her." An image of Yujin giving a person heart eyes pops into Yeeun's mind and she swears she would barf soon.

"Don't worry about it! I can vouch for her remember?"

"Hm," Yeeun muses, "I don't know about that, I'm kinda wary of you too"

"How dare you." Bambi asks in mock surprise, "I've been nothing but nice, tonight!"

"Oh, if I remember correctly, you kinda stole a kiss from me back there." Yeeun retorts

Look at you, Jang Yeeun, such a confident gay. If only your friends could see you know.

"I stole it from you, huh?" The girl plays along.

"Yup!"

Bambi brings her hand to her chin, seemingly in thought. "As I believe myself to be a really good Samaritan, it probably wouldn't be the best if I stole some more, you think?"
Checkmate.
Yeeun's eyes grow wide and she rushes to answer, "I- I don't think- I mean- you're practically a saint! An Asian Mother Teresa even!"

"Relax, I'm not that good of a person," Bambi giggles,"but at kissing, I most definitely am."

"That," Yeeun blushes,"that I can vouch for."

There is a faint murmur of excited voices from the other ballroom, and Yeeun estimates that they might be on the bouquet toss by now. Normally, she gets roped into such but she would rather not fight for it with a few single ladies. Thank heavens she's got an excuse to sit it out this time. A very pretty excuse. She thinks of a few more activities they could do tonight as they still have a lot of time before the party ends. Elkie seemingly read her thoughts and says,"The night is still young. Where to next, General?"
Yeeun tries to remember where else she went when she toured this hotel with the newlyweds before and offers up a suggestion to Bambi.

"You know, one of the things I like about this hotel is that you don't need a room card to make the elevator go up. We could go to the roof. It's the best!"

"I'd like that! Maybe not the best elevator, security-wise, for a guest? But I'd like to take you up on that offer, miss." Bambi pulls Yeeun and rushes to the elevator, avoiding any possible guest that could spot them. "We could stargaze. I kinda know a thing or two about constellations," the shorter girl excitedly muses as they walked.

Yeeun notes that they haven't stopped holding hands for the entirety of the trip to the elevator and it looked like they weren't letting go anytime soon. Not that she was in any rush to let go.