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“I’ve been wondering about one thing recently.” Luda says, eyes leaving the screen of Sojung's laptop settled on a pillow for elevated viewing.
Sojung meets Luda's questioning gaze, head tilting to the side along with her dyed sunset hair in regard.
"What is it?"
Luda elbows herself up from their makeshift cocoon where they were cuddling, pushes the laptop and pillow away at a distance, and turns to her.
"Well," Hesitance ripples through her petite stature, fingers twiddling in a habit. It melts Sojung's heart in mere seconds. "Is it true?"
Confusion arises, "What is?"
"Rumors have been circling. I've overheard in the halls of my department, about a tattoo— you having a dragon tattoo. Is it true?"
Sojung can't seem to grasp the question yet, fatigue still dampening her mind, until a graze of a touch rouses her to pay more attention.
The trail of touch circles around a part of Sojung's wrist. Where a mark of an archer resides. An arrow. A path before the finish also exists, leaving an almost cursive of a letter m. Drawn beautifully in black permanence.
"I've already met this one," Luda tells, eyes not leaving the trail she wakes, and leans forward. "Will I ever get to meet the others?"
The insinuation behind the words was tempting. Sojung doesn't really mind showing her tattoos off, especially with strangers to whom her interests pique towards. Luda, however, bears a different significance. It pains Sojung to admit, but her usual ego boosting her confidence to flaunt her compelling aura, diminishes an amount. Not because of shame, but because of reverence she can't quite expound on. And, well, Luda's a spectacle to be reckoned with.
Perhaps a reminder of how Sojung got pulled into Luda's gravity in a blink of an eye and with just a whisper to her ear. It paints her gullible, conceivably naive.
"I'm quite jealous that others got to see it before me," Luda murmurs, eyes darkening and lips forming a pout.
Sojung can feel the invitation of desire climbing arduously, calculating; counting the remaining seconds until she finally gives in to the open-palmed offer for the taking.
And it was all for her. All from Luda.
“You shouldn’t be.” Sojung breathes, taking hold of Luda’s climbing fingers – seizing them to a halt. For her to catch a breath maybe, or perhaps the anticipation keeps her from respiring at a normal pace. “I don’t show everything to everyone.”
“Hmm…” It didn’t sound too convincing to Luda, Sojung deemed. “So there are some who have seen it?”
Sojung disagrees and shakes her head, “I mean if we don’t count Hyunjung who did my tattoo. Because, you know, that’s a different thing compared to what you are referring to… unless…” Sojung waits for Luda to respond, teetering on scales that could determine which words should come next.
"But, no. I haven't shown it to anyone. Not even Jiyeon."
Luda creases a brow in amusement, "Why not?"
Sojung felt like a navigator reaching towards the stars for direction. Eager to search. Desperate to find. Any constellation that could probably hint to where her compass should lead her next. It was a peculiar type of difficulty, how Sojung would try to decipher Luda's never-ceasing afterthought.
The visage that shows no ounce of inkling to share. An enigma burrowed and prepped for uncovering. Luda is beyond the ocean's surface or the planets within universes.
Deep from the trenches, a treasure awaits. Deep within galaxies lies lightyears of unknowns.
And when Sojung's skin felt like the empty canvas in starless spaces, she allowed the inks to fill in the gaps of its voids from its cracked dimensions. Just like how she filled herself up with Luda and her enticing pull, denuded under her will.
Which Sojung pursuits, "She doesn’t have to. It's not my place to tell. You, on the other hand," She guides and drags Luda's slendered fingers on top of her button up, tugs with it gently to loose a button and share some skin, "can try and find out for yourself."
It could be how the young ones these days have been more bold compared to Sojung’s age line, but Luda didn’t waste any more time with flattery.
Her hand slithers in the dips of Sojung’s collarbones, pushing the collar’s fabric away to unveil a line of crows flapping their wings across her left collarbone. Almost as if following a wake to her shoulder. Luda does what every curious speculator initiates when intrigued: they continue to stalk the cause of eccentric behaviors, letting their senses drink in the phenomena before their very eyes.
Luda wipes a dangerously satiating tongue past her dry lips, allowing the entirety of the design to hold itself witness about her fascination. Rousing a titillating drive from Sojung’s perspective.
The warmth exhibiting from Luda’s touch invokes a quiver from Sojung, gaze fixated on Luda’s eagerness. Luda, on the other hand, lets her fingers brush further against soft skin, hovering through the line of crows – quite symbolic of Sojung, Luda ponders to herself. A murder thrives for the semantics of spiritual growth and transformation. A befitting context. Suited with a star sign that’s well acquainted with deep desires.
Luda cannot fathom the degree of burning embers searing her guts. The secrets inked like murals bearing revival from its preceding doom. Prickles the wonders of her odd mind.
It piques her nails to dig a bearing dent, and the further she trails, the more the material that hides a motif of a skull on Sojung’s shoulder joint surfaces.
“A skull? Really?” Luda chuckles, shifting her attention to Sojung’s abashed expression.
“It’s one of my first. I’ve let Hyunjung practice since she’s been using her skin a lot before.”
“You’re too cute.”
“Shut up,” Sojung leans in to pinch a plump muscle on Luda’s cheek in embarrassment. The younger retaliates, her laughs echoing in their space.
“Alright! Alright, it’s not cute! Stop!” Luda cries out, patting Sojung’s backhand to release the hold.
Sojung frees Luda from her clenches, her laughter dying down. It seemed impossible now to return to the mood they had earlier with what just happened.
“Do you still want to continue watching?” Sojung asks, her dense nature not registering Luda’s indifferent features engrossed in something else.
“Luda?” Sojung asks for Luda, sights veering from the laptop at the edge of the bed to Luda’s fixated eyes, pupils staring at something on Sojung’s chest.
Oh.
Sojung felt her quite big dress shirt drop recklessly to expose more skin, revealing the huge cross, which bears on her sternum.
Before Sojung could enter into the battlefield of flirtatious wager, Luda was fast to strike again first. Curiosity getting the very best of her, she unbuttons another one, and drags a slender finger down on the length of the cross. There were vines crawling around the indelible crucifix, marshaling Luda to give a penny for thought to its followers – the nuance of purity and passion in one.
“I thought you weren’t a believer.”
“That’s for theology students to construe.” Sojung was able to pause Luda’s quick witted quips. She knew she wouldn’t hear the end of Luda’s regard with religion. Nothing quite against it, but Luda’s appraisal about it can just go beyond a believers’ conceptual faith. She isn't one herself much, however. Neither is Luda.
Although most of Sojung’s designs have its own distinction and tenor, she would not go too far to an extent of embellishing contentions cases onto her skin. It’s shabby from her stance. Especially when she has started to fill herself up with lasting remembrances.
“Not that I hold anything against them,” Sojung adds, struggling to keep her voice even when Luda keeps lingering contact on the center of her ribcage. Leisure and repetitive strokes leave her with shivers extending to her arms, “It’s just not me.”
“I know,” It was as if Luda was mesmerized with the cross adorning her sternum, unable to tear her gaze away at a marvel so compelling to lay a kiss upon.
A smile graces her features, nonetheless, “It’s amazing how each one takes my breath away. Including the skull one. That really highlights my evening for letting me laugh to my heart’s content.”
“Can we please move on from the skull? Hyunjung had worse ones.” Sojung begs for Luda to spare her some dignity.
“Only if you can finally allow me to see that rumored dragon tattoo of yours do we start with sparing,” Luda closes their distance to a centimeter, noses bumping, fingers dragging to a treacherous want as it lands on Sojung’s waistband, and mint breath dizzying Sojung’s initial complaint.
“You’re so persistent about this.”
Luda chuckles, “You know me.”
Legs establish to inch forward and settle on Sojung’s lap. Arms wrap themselves around Sojung’s neck, the aroma of wood mixed with jasmine seeps into her senses immediately. “Nothing gets past me when it comes to you.”
Nails start scratching the back of Sojung’s neck, an act of endearment as well as a mannerism of thought.
“We talk about anything a lot. It’s always pleasant to hear your voice,” A fingernail hauls a semi-circular motion to leave a sensation on the circumference of Sojung’s throat, hitching a breath from the owner, “Your breathing… It’s funny how I find it so nice to hear. To feel against my skin.”
“But we never get past these barriers,” Luda resigns, expression somber, “But neither is at fault. Not when you have embraced my flaws, as I did with yours.”
“Who could resist you in the first place anyway?” Sojung returns the vulnerability with her own limbs enclosing a safety around them, resting on Luda’s waist.
“Not you, obviously.” Luda teases, bringing in the fall of sunsets closer to her locks of silver rises.
Sojung rolls her eyes. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
A grant filters through their conversations, Luda’s sly hands unbuttoning the shirt while Sojung wanders underneath the huge sweatshirt she owns but Luda wears for tonight.
“That I love you?”
“Hmm, it doesn’t seem convincing enough.” Sojung can feel herself getting cheeky when Luda frowns at her words.
“Well, some instances where actions better present affection than words do tend to occur.” Luda replies, and gives Sojung no room for counter when she finally gets the last button of Sojung’s shirt and pulls it down from her shoulders.
Luda presents a chaste peck on Sojung’s prominent clavicle, breathes in natural fragrance momentarily before the grand reveal, and crawls behind Sojung. “We can take that matter for some other time.”
“Always the impatient one.”
“Only this time.” Luda grins, before disappearing from Sojung’s sights as she plods behind her.
Sojung’s skin was met with a clashing coolness of the air conditioner’s breeze swirling around her dormitory room and Luda’s chilly palm resting on her back. The heat radiating from the touch, however, confuses Sojung’s physical recognition as the cold from the air conditioner and Luda’s hand should have been the only temperature to be feeling. Yet knowing it’s Luda’s own palm situated on her spine heightening her senses, causes an inverse of tangency in discerning.
Sojung remains to feel bashful under Luda’s scrutiny, even if she cannot, as of the moment, see her expression or reaction after seeing the vast artwork of a dragon splashed across her owm back. The tattoo begins at the tailbone of her back, reaching towards the rear of her neck. The head of the creature extends until at the edge of her hairline – almost reaching to kiss the shell of her ear.
“Sojung… this is…” Luda mumbles. Pads of her fingers draw a delicate admiration on the magnificent handiwork, trekking every inch and edge of the astonishing spectacle. “Amazing.”
“You like it?” Sojung asks, turning her head and wanting to see even a miniscule of Luda’s amusement.
Instead of a remark to be expected, Sojung was greeted by a response far different and far more stupefying in the best way possible.
Once more, lithe arms encircle around her torso, bringing her closer to Luda’s chest. Lips relishes from the top and about-face of her neck, kissing a trail of sweet quietudes.
Sojung jerks from the sudden affection. It felt too good that she was excruciatingly ashamed with the noise she let out due to her surprise. She was rendered speechless with the flames incinerating her insides, the grip she had on Luda’s arms that bound her midriff tightening.
“Very.” Luda said in hushes under their burning hours.
“Yeah?” Sojung shifts, facing Luda to catch her arms before Luda’s wits can catch up.
They fall onto Sojung’s mattress. Luda underneath Sojung’s bare upper body, blanketing her with heat.
Luda reaches out, palm cupping Sojung’s cheek with a thumb caressing the creases of a beam evident on her face.
“Yeah.”
Then they share endearment into the night, brimming with ardor fever. Tearing down the hurdles of secrets deep-seated into their skins. Laying themselves naked for the first time.