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A fact about Kim Jiwoo is that she loves cartoons. She especially loves Tom and Jerry .
Jiwoo has always been fond of the silly cartoon – it was associated with good memories, curled up on the couch with her siblings on a lazy weekend, usually with a bowl of popcorn or other treats they were allowed to indulge in. Eventually, her siblings had grown bored, preferring the company of friends or the Internet, and Jiwoo was left to watch the antics of the determined cat and cunning mouse by her lonesome.
Jerry’s her favorite though. With mischievous eyes and cute puffy cheeks, her love for Jerry grew beyond the television screen and into her own life. She imagined the cracks on the ground as pitfalls laid out by the mischievous cat, and even though Jungeun laughed at her, it was still fun to imagine herself as the mouse that outsmarted her nonexistent foe.
But what’s a Jerry without a Tom?
It’s not until her second year of college that Jiwoo finally meets the perfect Tom the Cat. And instead of him being a him, he’s a her, and a beautiful one at that.
Ha Sooyoung is like Tom: determined and thrifty, with a lithe body similar to a cat. She’s tall, gorgeous, and undeniably stubborn – just as Tom is determined to catch Jerry, Sooyoung is just as determined to make Kim Jiwoo hers. Real traps are laid this time, but instead of the imagined elaborate machinery of the past tacked together to cage her, it replaced by a fancy dinner here or a lavish gift there or even public words of bold adoration set in front of her so glaringly obvious that it’d be a shame to turn away from it. Perhaps if she had an audience, cued laughter would sound whenever she sidestepped a request for a date, or even flirt with her back because even if Sooyoung acted like a huge player, anything redirected at her had her becoming a stuttering mess.
If only poor Sooyoung knew what role she played, maybe she could have moved on to an easier target.
And then there’s Spike.
Jiwoo’s favorite episodes of Tom and Jerry always included Spike the Dog, a lovable but dopey bulldog with the buffest shoulders and an aura intense enough to stall anyone in her tracks with a simple glare. He’s a real cutie despite his killer looks, and Jiwoo always had a soft spot for dogs anyways so it was expected that he’d join her ranks of unofficial official list of favorite cartoon characters.
Thus, her adorable best friend – stubborn as a rock and with a soft spot singled only for Kim Jiwoo – enters this warped game as the Spike incarnate. Jiwoo hadn’t noticed it before, but with how similar Sooyoung is to Tom the Cat, it’s impossible not to notice how alike Jungeun is to Spike the Dog.
Kim Jungeun has always been by her side, an excellent guard dog that protects Jiwoo from any sort of grievance. Every morning, she walks with Jiwoo from their dorm to class, parting only to return after the end of club rehearsals to walk home together. Sure, Jungeun’s smaller than her by a couple of centimeters, and sure, Jiwoo could beat her up in a fist-fight (she is a holder of a third-degree black belt after all), but the sheer aura Jungeun exudes in comparison to Jiwoo’s rather happy-go-lucky countenance prevents the latter from being approached on the daily basis men and women alike.
That is, except for sneaky, sneaky Ha Sooyoung.
--
Another fact about Kim Jiwoo is that she’s incredibly indecisive. She plans her outfits the night in advance so she can go through all the variations without feeling the pressure in the morning, and she also takes at least fifteen minutes to decide what to order off a menu (two of many things that annoy her infinitely patient ex-roommate Park Chaewon). She likes having options, but really, she just wants everyone to be happy.
(Hyunjin calls her “unrealistic” but really, isn’t Jiwoo just “optimistic”?)
“You have to choose eventually,” Chaewon chides her gently, “You can’t keep leading them both on. Eventually they’ll give up and move on.”
Jiwoo doesn’t want to think about a future like that. Besides, how was she supposed to choose – call her selfish, but Ha Sooyoung and Kim Jungeun are so fundamentally different it doesn’t feel fair to judge them besides each other. Sooyoung was fun and spontaneous, always keeping her on her toes with daring skinship that had her blushing and giggling all at once. And then there was Jungeun who was stable and grounding, the one Jiwoo went to when she felt too airy, her thoughts floating far from her.
“Can’t I just combine them?” She whines, pawing at Chaewon dejectedly.
Chaewon throws her a look. “Jiwoo unnie.”
Jiwoo sighs. Okay, so maybe she may be oblivious to most flirtations, but Sooyoung and Jungeun have passed the point of subtle long ago. She knows when she’s being chased, but it has to ends eventually. It’s like whenever Jerry pushes Tom too far, the retaliation that comes is ugly and harsh, perhaps even sadistic, and Spike is never in all the episodes, having his own life away from the usual cat-and-mouse cycle that plays onscreen.
Eventually, Jiwoo knows that they too would follow the same pattern as her beloved cartoon.
(Jiwoo would never admit it, but she likes the thrill of being chased – wanted – by two of her favorite people in the world.)
(It’s selfish of her, she knows. But she’s also a people pleaser, so asking her to pick between the two wildly different people really didn’t make any sense – it’s really not a fair thing to ask her to do, and so she doesn’t. Not because she doesn’t want to, but because she can’t, and it’s just not fair.)
--
They’re at a college party, one thrown by Park Chaewon, the unofficial official leader of said sorority house. A glittery sign with big bold letters reading “GAYS ONLY EVENT” drapes its way down the only staircase of the house as booming Soundcloud rap music drums heavily in the background. The normally clean house is filled to the brim with people, and had Jiwoo been a little less intoxicated, the obvious signs of a fire disaster waiting to happen would have had her jumping out of the second story window and hopefully into the insanely large, but equally dingy inflatable water pool on the lawn below.
Instead, Jiwoo is pressed to the side of the couch, half her body hanging off of Sooyoung’s lap as another couple joins them in the space meant for only two. Jungeun’s gone, claiming she needs at least another shot to deal with the chaos (“I can’t listen to another one of her shitty raps, Jiwoo, at least not sober!”) and had left an opening for Sooyoung to claim immediately.
She’s happily tipsy, face red from the alcohol. Sooyoung looks sober in comparison, but Jiwoo can tell from the way she blinks rapidly that she’s definitely had more than enough to ride the buzz.
“You’re so pretty,” Jiwoo says, fully climbing onto Sooyoung’s lap, legs wrapping around the other’s waist. She ignores the pointed glares from the girls sitting next to them (It’s a “gays only event,” sue her) to cup Sooyoung’s face, nose pressing against the others teasingly. “Kiss?”
“Gladly!” Sooyoung beams, her arms curling around Jiwoo’s waist naturally. A large hand pressed against the small of her back to press her closer, any space between them eliminated. Heat flares in the pit of her stomach as Sooyoung pushes her lips against her own. They’ve made out before, countless times, but Jiwoo’s intoxicated, needy, and possibly a bit turned on by how Sooyoung’s tongue swipes against her lower lip.
Teeth bite into her upper lip as Jiwoo pulls back, summoning an uncharacteristic whine from Sooyoung.
“Jiwoo –“
She grins impishly. Pretending to fix her already perfect bangs, Jiwoo swipes her hair to the left, throwing it behind her shoulder as she leans backwards, showing the full expanse of pale skin. (She wore a button-up blouse precisely for this purpose, but Sooyoung doesn’t need to know.)
“Get me a drink first?”
Sooyoung gives her a flustered glare. “Are you joking?”
“I’m not.” Lips pouting in practiced innocence, Jiwoo pushes a finger from underneath Sooyoung’s chin, persuading the girl’s gaze to turn upwards back to her eyes instead of her chest. Pretending to cast a spell, Jiwoo twirls a finger in the air before she lightly runs her hand from her lips to jaw to neck, stopping just right below the collarbone.
Sooyoung’s eyes follow her the entire way.
“Drink?” Jiwoo asks again. She doesn’t bother hiding the triumphant smile.
“Fine.” A growled response.
Jiwoo brightens at the desperation.
“Great! I’ll be waiting.”
A grumbling Sooyoung stalks off, pushing Jiwoo off her lap and back onto the couch in time with a beat drop. She hits the deflated cushions right as the sorority house explodes into chaos.
She only has to wait a minute – which apparently is more than enough time for her to get sprayed in the face with glitter by a cackling Yeojin wearing a green frog hat and ridiculous star-shaped sunglasses – before Sooyoung returns.
“Yeojin,” Jiwoo says before Sooyoung can ask as to why she’s picking rainbow glitter off of her face.
“Ah, makes sense. Anyways, I grabbed us shots.” Sooyoung raises two shot glasses with a slice of lime in both hands, a lazy smirk curling the left corner of her lip higher into a sort of lopsided smile. Before Jiwoo even has a chance to reply, one is placed into her palm, fingers gently forced to curl into physical acceptance.
“What is it?” Jiwoo shouts over just as Chaewon’s crunchy vocals play again in the background.
(It’s a Nicki Minaj cover, she realizes, making out the lyrics to a barely comprehensible rendition of Anaconda.)
Sooyoung shrugs, “I don’t know. I just got it from Hyunjin.”
Jiwoo looks at the unidentifiable liquid, sniffing it cautiously.
“You wanted a drink, I got you a drink! Let’s do it!” Impatience is clear in her voice.
A countdown starts before Jiwoo’s even aware of what’s happening, and by the time Sooyoung hits one, the shot glass is lifted to her lips, unidentifiable liquid (which, she quickly realizes is a horrendous mix of tequila and vodka) hitting the back of her throat like magma.
Jiwoo screams, loud and high enough to shatter Sooyoung’s eardrum. The girl hardly notices, her own face red from pain.
“What the fuck Hyunjin!” Sooyoung’s sputters like mad, holding onto her throat as she pulls a cup from the hand of a random person walking past, ignoring the indignant “Hey!” to chug the liquid. Jiwoo makes grabby hands soon after, tears springing in the corner of her eyes as she hears a familiar cackle from behind the makeshift bar near the couch and a “Fuck you, Ha Sooyoung, that’s for calling me a furry!”
“You’re so fucking dead,” Sooyoung growls, placing the shot glasses on the ground before turning to Jiwoo. “Wait for me while I go kill Hyunjin?”
Jiwoo nods, the previous fire in her stomach replaced with the unpleasant burn of alcohol too strong for her. “I’m going to get us water.”
Sooyoung gives her a brief kiss in appreciation.
“Also tell Chaewon to play the playlist I sent her. Her shit sucks.”
--
Had she been a little more careful, Jiwoo would have noticed Jungeun hanging around the corner of the hallway that led to the staircase connecting the two floors. But it isn’t until she’s in the hallway, pushed up against the wall with Jungeun’s hands running down her sides that she realizes that her best friend was back, had seen the entire exchange with Sooyoung, and is now more than slightly inebriated.
“You made out with her. Your lips are swollen.”
Jiwoo dodges the question in favor of fixing her bangs.
“How much did you drink?” She asks instead, pushing Jungeun’s face away from the sensitive skin of her neck. Jungeun swats her hands away, biting at the same spot.
Jiwoo holds back a groan. “Jungie .”
She pushes her friend’s face upwards, physically preventing her from reaching the already reddening hickey on her pulse. “How much?”
“Dunno.” Jungeun shrugs, “Haseul made me do shots. Maybe four? Five? Then Jinsol challenged me to chug a bottle of soju with her, and I can’t be called a wimp in my own fucking house.”
“You don’t even live here,” Jiwoo frowns, concern more powerful than the alcohol that thrums in her veins. The previous shot of mixed horrors lays forgotten as it stalls in her stomach, warming her whole body. “You okay?”
“Yes. No, I don’t know, I just – Sooyoung, ” Jungeun latches onto her neck again, lips seeking a different patch. Jiwoo feels her heart flutter, fingers curling in response to Jungeun’s lips sucking at a particularly sensitive point – it’ll leave a mark, but Jiwoo isn’t complaining this time.
Sighing, Jiwoo tugs at the collar of Jungeun’s shirt. Jungeun grips on with her teeth, a childishly high whine breezing through a clenched jaw as she’s pulled away from Jiwoo’s skin and forced to stand straight. “I’m going to get you and Sooyoung unnie both waters,” she mumbles, nose pressing against her best friend’s cheek. Jungeun’s breath smells of soju. “Wait on the couch, okay?”
“Don’t wanna.”
Jungeun pouts. Jiwoo thinks its cute and presses a light peck against puckered lips.
“Please?”
“Fine.” Raised shoulders slump in defeat. Jungeun steps back, allowing Jiwoo to slide through to reach the stairs.
“Tell Sooyoung unnie I’ll be right back.”
“Tell her to go fuck herself,” Jungeun grunts, “Got it.”
Jiwoo doesn’t bother to correct Jungeun. From the open door leading to the hallway to living room, she catches Sooyoung’s gaze – alcohol makes even the more impenetrable honest, and Sooyoung is no exception. The fire in her eyes is clear from even from this distance, and Jiwoo feels the familiar twinge in her pit of her stomach return as the frown on Sooyoung’s face deepens the closer she gets to Jungeun. Maybe it’s the alcohol making her brave, or maybe its pure stupidity that drives her to latch onto Jungeun again to do something crazy.
Sometimes, it’s Jerry that lays the preemptive trap. Sometimes, it’s Jerry that gets to taunt Tom, having planned the unexpected. So this time, it’ll be Jiwoo planning the surprise!
Luckily Jungeun’s too distracted by how Jiwoo curls her fists around her tie to notice Sooyoung or the frown on Sooyoung's lips turn into a scowl. Jiwoo tugs, Jungeun follows, teeth clacking as they clumsily kiss.
It lasts barely a minute, but from how Sooyoung’s eyes narrow, they might as well have been having sex right in front of her.
Jungeun gives her a dopey grin, clearly satisfied.
“Watch out for Yerim. She somehow got hold of a kazoo,” Jungeun warns, letting Jiwoo continue her path to the staircase in peace. “And her and Hyejoo are playing some shitty ocarina-kazoo duet to Chaewon’s mixtape.”
Jiwoo grimaces.
--
If the second story of the sorority house was a mess, the first was a literal warzone. Music blares loudly from the speakers set on both sides of the room, the steady thump of the bass punctuated by the pitched squeak of the kazoo or ocarina or both. Bodies lay sprawled on any available surface, the contributors to the steadily increasing body count knocked out by a combination of heavy drinking and unadulterated touching better suited behind locked doors and closed windows. The smell of puke wafts from the bathroom, but it’s quickly stifled by the musk that radiates off sweaty bodies; pheromones are high and powerful, and by the way Jiwoo sees Jinsol grinding with a literal harem of girls surrounding her swaying hips, she can’t help but think maybe she’s the most sober one in the whole house (minus Chaewon, of course, the girl is actually allergic to alcohol but still managed to be the wildest one of the their twelve-member group chat).
Two shots later (“One shot per water bottle is the price, ladies and gaydies!” Haseul yelled from behind the counter of the larger downstairs bar), Jiwoo steps over a passed out Heejin on the stairs, sidestepping a giggling Kahei as she carries two cold water bottles in both hands back up to the second level.
“Confetti cannon!” Yeojin screams from the top of the steps, spraying Jiwoo in color paper bits that stick to her hair and clothes. She’s lucky enough to avoid the worst of the attack, blowing back pieces of paper with a startled squeal, but Heejin’s slumped form collects enough to look like some unfortunate art project.
“Im Yeojin!” She screams, voice swallowed by Chaewon finally switching off her Soundcloud and turning on whatever K-Pop track she had cued instead (“You attack my heart!” Jinsol shouts, arms raised above her head).
Yeojin just waves pleasantly, seated haphazardly on the rail of the staircase. Jiwoo casts a worried glance at the confetti cannon held tight in Yeojin’s tiny hand, her ring finger curled threateningly around the trigger.
“Oh, Jiwoo unnie! You might need another drink before you enter the room.”
“What?”
Playful laughter crackles the air as Yeojin jumps off from the staircase, feet landing firmly on the step carpeted step below. “You might want to take another shot.”
Unsettling confusion seeps into her blood, worsened by the effects of the two soju shots Haseul had made her take earlier. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” The smirk on Yeojin’s face grows as she shrugs her shoulders, both hands raised towards the air almost mockingly. “Have fun.”
“Uh,” Jiwoo blinks, “Thanks.”
--
Okay so maybe Yeojin was right.
She definitely needed another drink – no, wait, maybe she didn’t need any more drinks. Maybe she was so drunk her mind transported out of this realm and into some alternative universe because this could not be really happening right now .
Reality hits her like a truck because this is actually happening, and a pinch to her own forearm quickly – painfully – confirms she’s not dreaming.
Sooyoung and Jungeun, her Tom and Spike, interacting without the pivotal mouse character to facilitate their rocky relationship. No, no, they’re doing more than just interacting. They’re kissing – they’re making out and Jiwoo wasn’t, isn’t, there.
Jiwoo pinches herself again, just to be safe.
It still hurts. Dang.
Jungeun is faced away from her, light brown hair reflecting the colorful lights that bounced off the disco ball spinning in the center of the room. Sooyoung’s hands are lost in the strands, busying themselves by gripping at the base to pull her best friend closer the same way she had pulled Jiwoo earlier that night.
Moments pass – maybe a year, heck, Jiwoo doesn’t understand the passage of time anymore because she’s stuck to the floor, her feet suddenly frozen to the gross carpet splashed with human fluids and spilled alcohol.
Sooyoung notices her before Jiwoo can unstick herself and run. Their eyes catch – Jiwoo sights the familiar glint of challenge, and suddenly Jungeun is staring unabashedly at her too. Red stains her cheeks, and the color only flares as Sooyoung leans forward, nipping at Jungeun’s ear before whispering something. Jungeun face darkens at the response, an expression Jiwoo’s only seen when they’ve casually hooked up a couple times, and suddenly the twinge of uncertainty flares in her chest.
That expression is meant for her and only her . Yet Sooyoung smirks at her from behind Jungeun’s shoulder as the latter lowers her head to kiss Sooyoung’s neck.
Jiwoo feels her hickey from earlier burn.
It’s only when she sees Jungeun’s hand slide underneath Sooyoung’s flannel that Jiwoo is kicked into motion – jealousy erupts, and something else (hurt, maybe? Or hapless despair? Jiwoo doesn’t know) punches her in the gut as she rushes forward. Sooyoung’s head is lolled back against the back of the couch, a purposefully loud groan cutting through the air as Jungeun’s hands wander up a little higher than Jiwoo could ever imagine was possible. Jiwoo almost blackouts on sight of her two… whatever they are caressing each other as though no one else existed in the confines of the overcrowded living room.
Perhaps Jiwoo pushed a little harder than she should have with Sooyoung and Jungeun, and like when Jerry goes too far and Tom cracks, the retaliation she feels from Sooyoung and Jungeun combined is almost too sadistically comic; to think a mere mouse like her could do the impossible and set a cat and dog together.
But how could Tom and Spike exist without a Jerry?
It just doesn’t make sense.
Time slows as she approaches the two, footsteps stalling at the end of the couch. Her nerve falters, and despite the liquid courage clouding her judgement and slurring her words, Jiwoo stands wordlessly as Hyunjin wolf whistles at the newly formed couple on the couch. Her fingers curl around the water bottles wordlessly.
Sooyoung’s flannel is half off her body now, Jungeun’s deft fingers undoing the final button just as Jiwoo starts to stare at the dips near her collarbones above a black sports bra. Sooyoung grins up at her, one hand waving at her lazily while the other remains on Jungeun’s waist.
“Hey, Kim Jiwoo. You took a while.”
Jungeun snaps backwards, shocked for only a moment before allowing a cooled smirk to settle on her own lips.
As much as Jiwoo hates this, and is utterly confused by whatever the heck is happening between them, it’s hard to deny how incredibly attractive it is to see Jungeun and Sooyoung flushed close. The mask of dim lights heightens the appeal of her attractive partners – lovers? – by an ungodly amount.
“Uh… hi,” Jiwoo gulps nervously, throat suddenly dry. The water bottles lie forgotten by her feet. “You two, uh?”
(Hyunjin wolf whistles again, but Yerim’s quick to shut her up with a smack of her kazoo.)
“Yeah, got bored of waiting,” Sooyoung replies, leaving another lazy peck on Jungeun’s jaw, “Your friend here is a good kisser, but you already know that.”
Jiwoo flushes. She can’t find herself disagreeing.
“You’re not bad yourself,” Jungeun voice is shot, gruff and low, a contrast to Sooyoung’s airy chuckle. Jiwoo frowns again, fear and attraction mixing together and she’s weirdly turned-on, but also so very confused and equally dumbfounded.
“But you hated each other seconds ago,” she protests weakly.
Sooyoung laughs. Jungeun even cracks a smile.
“Don’t you know, Jiwoo, that love and hatred are simply a fine line apart,” Sooyoung wags a finger, patting the empty seat next to her (the two girls who sat here previously had departed). Jiwoo finds herself taking the empty seat despite all her instincts telling her not to. “Jungeun and I had a little chat while you were gone, talked through some misunderstandings, and tadah!”
Sooyoung gives little jazz hands.
Jungeun groans at how lame they are.
Jiwoo would join her if she could.
“So, you two…?” Her hand motions between Jungeun and Sooyoung. A pout forms despite herself, eyes lowered on the couch as drunken tears spring to the corner of her eyes. “Are you… um, should I leave?”
Okay, so maybe she’s a lot more drunk than she realizes because suddenly the world is spinning and there’s something hot, not tequila or vodka, burning at the back of her throat, clogging her chest and nose. Her vision swims, glassy lights dancing in the periphery of her sight, her lower lip quivering.
God is she drunk crying? This is a new level of embarrassing, even for her.
(Jiwoo’s not one to drunk cry – that’s more of a Heejin thing – but the last shot she received from Haseul may have pushed her over normal limitations.)
Hot tears slide down her cheeks before she can stop herself, and oh no, she really is drunk crying in front of Jungeun and Sooyoung – her makeup is ruined – and this is so embarrassing.
Stunned silence washes over, only to be abruptly cut by Jiwoo's whimper.
“Oh my god, shit, Jiwoo, oh no,” Jungeun’s panicked voice cuts her watery whine, “What the fuck, Ha Sooyoung, you made her cry!”
Fabrics brush and shuffle against the beat of a Hayley Kiyoko song – a fitting choice to whatever this lesbian mess is – as the couch cushion behind her dips to accompany a new weight. Comfortingly familiar arms wrap their way around her shoulders, but that only enlarges the already hefty droplets that slide past her closed eyelids.
“I made her cry?” Sooyoung’s indignant voice slices through the chaos of Chaewon’s unrelentingly gay playlist and Jiwoo’s own muffled sobs, “You were the one who thought pranking her would be fun!”
Sooyoung’s large hands cup at her face, tenderly wiping the tears from her face. Jiwoo feels the person behind her, Jungeun, press kisses on her shoulder. Jiwoo flutters her eyelids, allowing them to clear the tears from her vision to meet a worried Sooyoung’s gaze.
“You made out with me first!” Jungeun yells back over Jiwoo’s ducked head, another kiss pressed lovingly on her nape.
Sooyoung brushes back her bangs, pecking her forehead despite Jiwoo’s protests of how it had taken her an hour to get them right. “And you were the one undressing me first, dumbass!”
Jungeun presses her lips against Jiwoo’s ear.
“I’m going to kill you, I swear to god –”
Sooyoung retaliates by pulling Jiwoo onto her lap.
“Not if I get you first, you dipshit—”
Jungeun lowers her arms, looping them around her waist instead so Jiwoo’s sandwiched neatly between the two.
“Go die in a fucking hole—”
“Hey,” Jiwoo pipes up, tears replaced with timid bewilderment. “What’s happening?”
As if finally noticing the existence of another person between their squabbling, Sooyoung and Jungeun stop abruptly. It feels quieter despite the crowd of girls playing stack cup in the middle of the room.
“Your idiot of a best friend thought it would be fun to prank you—” Sooyoung is cut off, one of Jungeun’s hands freeing themselves from Jiwoo’s embrace to press against Sooyoung’s cheek face, physically shoving her away. “—And this dumbass took it too far by saying we should try to make you as jealous as possible by pretending to like each other.”
“We wanted to see who you would choose.” Sooyoung admits, softly this time, eyes lowered guiltily. Clearing her throat in silent agreement, Jungeun shifts.
“Oh,” Jiwoo says quietly, too drunk to properly respond. She doesn’t quite know what’s going on still, but the alcohol tugs at her heartstrings; she’s been sort of awful (okay, maybe completely awful) to her friends and she hadn’t mean for it to get so out of hand, but it was so nice to have the attention of both and – maybe she’s the biggest idiot in this room after all.
She ducks her head, hiding in the crook of Sooyoung’s shoulder while simultaneously sinking Jungeun’s embrace. “I’m sorry, I’ve been kind of horrible.”
“I mean, yeah,” Jungeun mumbles. Sooyoung grumbles an agreement. “It wasn’t the greatest thing…”
The three fall silent, Jiwoo’s face still smooshed against Sooyoung’s shoulder, her fingers linking with Jungeun’s to rest on her tummy. Jiwoo wants another drink, but from the way her stomach churns nervously, it's probably better for everyone there that she refrain from taking another shot of Hyunjin’s awful concoction – no need to make an already awkward situation worse by puking over everyone involved.
The study thump of whatever Hayley Kiyoko song ends, only to be replaced by a remix of some Tegan and Sara song.
Jiwoo hears a snort from behind her. “Chaewon really wasn’t lying about making this a gays only event.”
“Better than her stupid mixtape,” Sooyoung nods along.
“God, don’t get me started on her idiot Soundcloud rap career.” Jungeun groans, chin resting on Jiwoo’s shoulder.
“Only I’m allowed to insult my adopted child.”
“No wonder she grew up like this then, your parenting methods must suck.”
“Not as bad as you and Jinsol with Yerim. The girl has a pet roach.” Playful disgust is evident in Sooyoung’s voice.
Jungeun hums, the vibrations traveling from her lips to the skin of Jiwoo’s neck. “Hm, fair. But I think we can agree we’re both better than Yeojin’s pseudo-parents. That girl is actually the devil.”
“Agreed. Haseul sucks as a mom.” Sooyoung nods.
“For once we can agree on something.”
Jiwoo giggles despite herself, the corner of her lips twitching into the smallest of smiles. “Don’t bully Haseul, she’s doing her best.”
“Oh, looks like we made you smile,” Sooyoung remarks cheerfully, sounding relatively sober except for how the end of her vowels slur together into a strange cadence. Jungeun grunts, “Mission accomplished.”
“So, you don’t hate me?” Jiwoo’s voice is as reticent as a mouse, fear evident in the trembling pitch.
“Of course not—”
“No way, we just—”
The two talk simultaneously, jumping over each other’s words. Jiwoo defaults to her usual puppy eyes, unsure of what her facial muscles were doing in response to the confusing blur of words.
Sooyoung shoots Jungeun a look, the latter responding with furrowed brows, lips pursed into a tight line. “What are we doing?”
“We should probably talk about it.” Jungeun sighs, amazingly sober considering the number of drinks she’s been forced to take in the span of two hours. “Not here.”
“Agreed,” Sooyoung leans forward, kissing Jiwoo briefly much to her surprise (she’d be lying if she said it didn’t at least help calm the unease in her heart). “We should probably leave.”
Jungeun huffs, obviously vexed by the intimacy. The grip on Jiwoo’s waist tightens. “Let’s go back to my room, then.”
“No way,” Sooyoung shoots back with a glare, “Hyunjin will bring Heejin over and you know it. My apartment is open.”
“It across town! We’ll have to take a taxi, and it’ll take like half an hour – the dorm is literally a five-minute walk from here.”
“But there’s privacy back at my place. Hard to say you’ll get that with the dorms.”
“You know, you’re a real bi—”
“Um,” Jiwoo chimes in again, cutting short what would spiral out into another match of who could come up with the most creative insult, one that Yeojin would inevitably copy as the youngest girl sat in the corner, clearly listening to their conversation with the utmost interest. She knows that they’ll be spammed with messages the next morning from the other nine girls, but that’s a problem for another day. “I live by myself since Chaewon moved into the sorority house with Yerim. We could just go there?”
Jungeun bites her tongue, contemplating the thought. “Yeah. That sounds best.”
“That’s my girl,” Sooyoung caresses Jiwoo’s cheek dotingly, a coy smile playing on her lips. “Much smarter compared to your friend here.”
“That’s it. I’m going to murder you,” Jungeun threatens, pushing Sooyoung out of the way. (Sooyoung falls onto the floor, yelping as her bum connects with the carpet.) Jungeun, however, softens immediately as she shifts to face Jiwoo. A hand reaches out to turn Jiwoo’s head gently, angling her body so Jungeun could easily kiss her without either straining. “Not you, of course, the idiot in front of you.”
“That’s you, Kim Jungeun.”
“Shut up before I murder you, Ha Sooyoung.”
“I’d like to see you try –”
“You’re both so fucking annoying,” Hyunjin finally cuts in. She’d been listening the entire time, and as funny as it was to watch them fight the first couple of times, the repeated pattern of arguments got old quick. “Just get out already. Your insults aren’t even good anymore.”
Both turn to flick Hyunjin off simultaneously.
For people who claim to be so different, Jiwoo’s amazed at the synchronicity of the two.
(They eventually do shuffle out to find their scattered belongings. Once they’re at the door, Kahei presses a bottle of white wine into her hands with a knowing look. “You’re going to need this.”
Jiwoo doesn’t quite understand, but nods anyways, sliding it into her tote bag with a wordless thanks.)
--
Somehow, they end up lying in pajamas on the floor on a makeshift bed made from a sleeping bag borrowed from Jungeun’s room, multiple blankets, and the mountain of pillows and stuffed animals Jiwoo kept. They sit, side-by-side, binge watching an entire season worth of Tom and Jerry episodes that Jiwoo has downloaded illegally.
(Sooyoung and Jungeun don’t give a single damn about the cartoon, but if that’s their penance for having made Jiwoo cry publicly, they’re willing to suck it up and watch it for a night.)
Naturally, Jiwoo ends up snuggled in the middle, Sooyoung and Jungeun on either side. They’re all freshly showered, changed to pajamas (Sooyoung borrows one of Jiwoo’s oversized hoodies and a pair of athletic shorts), and enjoying a steaming bowl of popcorn and a newly opened bottle of wine poured into paper cups.
Jungeun has her arm thrown around Jiwoo’s shoulders, guiding Jiwoo to rest her cheek against comfy shoulders. Sooyoung has her hand laced through Jiwoo’s, their interlocked hand resting in Jiwoo’s lap.
“Tom’s so dumb,” Jungeun says in response to yet another failed attempt at capturing Jerry.
Sooyoung rolls her eyes, “Not as stupid as Spike. He has one job, and he can’t even do it right.”
“I think Jerry’s the dumbest.” Jiwoo adds as solemnly as possible despite being bubbly from wine and affection. “He’s mean to the people that like him best.”
Both Jungeun and Sooyoung give her a perplexed look, eyebrows quirked in similar but separate ways.
“No way. They’re both so stupid, Jerry deserves to mock them.”
“He actually has braincells unlike the other two.”
Jiwoo hides a growing smile behind her hands.
--
The bottle is quickly finished in the time it takes to watch five episodes. Empty popcorn bowls are stashed to the side with a promise to clean them tomorrow to appease Jungeun’s itching fingers (though they’re forced to get up and properly wash their hands and brush their teeth by Jungeun’s insistence).
Once their fingers are cleaned of butter and their breath minty fresh, Sooyoung pulls Jiwoo onto her lap again, hands fiddling with her pajama buttons as she presses one playful kiss after another. They’re buzzed from the wine again and while Jiwoo prefers more fruity cocktails, the wine seemed to be another factor of agreement between Jungeun and Sooyoung, so she’s more than willing to swallow a few cups worth to see them pleasantly discuss something as extremely pretentious as the notes of wine or whatever bougie people talked about when drinking. (It all tastes like bitter grape juice to Jiwoo, but whatever.)
Jungeun’s quick to join despite her protests about Sooyoung’s never-ending sex drive, hands finding themselves pressed flat against Jiwoo’s now bare tummy. The tension from earlier returns with vengeance, now powered fully on suppressed feelings and wine, but it’s when Jiwoo lets out a low groan that it really boils over.
“Fuck this,” Jungeun whispers, Sooyoung quick to agree as the plans to have a warm fluffy night of cuddling is ditched alongside the clothes that grow into a pile near her door.
Maybe it’s because it’s two of the people she loves most touching her, or maybe it’s because it’s the combined expertise of Sooyoung and Jungeun that has Jiwoo tumbling over the edge more than once – each a different way. Marks dot her entire body, and though she can’t tell which belong to her, Jiwoo glows with contentment as she rides down her high, noticing similar spots that litter Jungeun’s and Sooyoung’s bodies; it’s a new experience, a little scary at first, but surprisingly welcoming despite the situation.
Limbs fly whichever direction, all connecting each other through physical touch. Jiwoo’s still placed in the middle, protected by Sooyoung’s taller figure curled against her back, nose pressed gently into the soft skin of Jiwoo’s neck. A long arm is thrown over her waist and haphazardly sprawled onto Jungeun’s as well, fingers splayed against warm skin. Jungeun reciprocates by tangling their legs together, her own chin tucked on top of Jiwoo’s head.
It’s familiar – warm.
There’s still a lot to discuss, and Jiwoo still has a lot to apologize for, but the elephant in the room seems more manageable now, having shrunk to a size where her feelings don’t terrify her. So maybe basing her life off Tom and Jerry wasn’t the best idea she’s ever had, but she’s still fond of the characters despite their faults.
Though, just maybe, it was time to grow up and watch something else.
“You two like movies, right?” Jiwoo mumbles into the air, unsure of whose skin brushed against her lips.
“I guess,” Jungeun groans sleepily.
Sooyoung only grunts, but Jiwoo takes it as tired agreement.
“Okay, cool. I’m thinking of starting Harry Potter, I’ve never seen it.”
Sooyoung sighs.
“Jesus fuck, Jiwoo.”
“Please?”
Sooyoung rolls over, pulling the blanket over her head. “Okay fine, just, please, sleep.”
“Jungie?”
Light snores answer in her place.
“Yay.”
“Sleep, Jiwoo.”
Yeah, Jiwoo smiles, eyes closed.
They’ll be okay.