Work Text:
i.
Yixing thinks the way she meets Sehun is no less than cliche.
The cafe she usually frequents is busy when she visits, tables full and a few people at the counter waiting for their drinks. Still, she hears one of the employees conversing with a customer at the table nearest to her.
“Sehun-ah, you’ve got to stop hogging this table,” he sighs, with his arms crossed. “You haven’t ordered anything in an hour and if you looked up for a second you would see we need this table!”
“But Jongin-ah,” she pouts, chin on her hand, “it’s midterms next week! I can’t afford another D, dad will kill me.”
“So go study at home?”
“In those dorms?” Sehun scoffs, rolling her eyes a bit dramatically. “Unlikely.”
“And it’s oppa to you.”
“You’re two months older than me! Who cares!” the girl says a little too loudly, ignoring the wide eyes she receives in return.
“Listen, the manager is gonna have my neck if I keep making exceptions for you,” he says, his tone a little harsher this time. “And no, you batting your eyelashes at me is not going to work.”
“Yixing?” An employee calls and Yixing bows a thank you as she takes the drink from the counter.
“Fine,” Sehun mumbles and grabs all of her textbooks and notes off the table, destination: the door. Unfortunately, in her obvious irritation, she collides with Yixing who happens to be heading to a table, sending a scolding hot chai latte down Yixing’s front, and a few of her notes and books to the floor in her shock.
“Oh shit- fuck- shit I’m so sorry,” Sehun squeals as Yixing stands there in shock, trying not to scream at the feel of burning burning burning on her skin. “Let me - um,” she grabs some napkins and a bottle of water out of her bag and wets them, pressing the sloppy material to Yixing’s chest without a second thought. “Jongin get over here!” she yells in the direction she came from.
“Um,” is all Yixing offers, watching Sehun earnestly try to clean her white shirt, apologies spilling from her pretty lips. “It’s okay - you don’t have to -”
“I’ll buy you another one okay?” Sehun says, when Jongin comes over. “Get me more napkins. And ice. It’s your fault I spilt coffee over this girl.” Jongin rolls his eyes but clearly can’t be bothered to argue with the girl.
“It’s really okay,” Yixing smiles and Sehun widens her eyes, blushing a little. As if suddenly realising her hands are basically on Yixing's breasts, Sehun quickly takes her hands back as if caught red handed.
"Um, unnie," the girl says, apparently assuming Yixing is older than her, her voice suddenly small. "I really am sorry... not only did I burn you but your shirt is so pretty... and now..." her voice trails off guilty, but she completely changes her character when Jongin comes back over with what Yixing assumes is ice wrapped in napkins. Sehun snatches them off him and hands them over to Yixing with a shy smile, apparently now too embarrassed to touch her again.
Yixing gives her another reassuring smile and Sehun shoos Jongin away, walking Yixing over to the table she was previously at and dropping her textbooks back down. She insists on buying Yixing another drink even when Yixing says that no, it's okay. But she gives in anyway because Sehun is all but persistent with her pink pouty lips and long batting eyelashes.
Besides, she told Yixing if she didn't tell her what she wanted she would just buy her a coffee anyway. Yixing scrunched up her nose and quickly confessed her previous order of a vanilla chai latte and Sehun surprisingly giggled, walking over to the counter a little too happily for a girl ordering a drink for someone else.
When she comes back, she takes the seat opposite Yixing with a smile, forgetting her piles of notes for now.
"You don't like coffee either, then?"
The rest, as Yixing might say, is history.
A few short months later, after dry cleaning the shirt Sehun thought was so pretty, after exchanging numbers, after numerous dates and plenty of sleepovers as Sehun innocently called them, Yixing finds herself living with the pretty girl that spilt a hot drink down her chest.
Her friends tell her she's crazy, and she guesses she probably is, because it really hasn't been that long at all, but here Sehun is, moving all her stuff into Yixing's cramped apartment. But Yixing thinks she really doesn't mind being crazy when Sehun smiles with her eyes and presses a quick kiss to Yixing's lips, tasting like cherry flavoured lip gloss, before opening more boxes and making Yixing's place her home.
Sehun was just starting her new semester at University and was sick of dorms, so Yixing couldn't help but offer. Sehun had been shy about it at first, but quickly warmed up to the idea, saying how she was there most of the time anyway.
Sometimes, Yixing can't help but realise just how young Sehun is, still only twenty and in her second year, but then she scoffs at herself because she's only a mere three years older. “Two and a half,” Sehun’s voice rings in her head. She thinks it's really not that much, although Sehun reminds her quite frequently that she is not a child, Yixing does not need to pamper her. But really, how can Yixing not. Her girlfriend is just way too cute.
Yixing's bed is a whole lot warmer with Sehun in it -- Sehun who, despite the emotional side of their relationship progressing so quickly, wants to take the physical side a little slower, but wants all the cuddles, all the time, which Yixing finds she is fine with. It creates a balance in their lives, she thinks.
Sehun laces their fingers together, and presses a fleeting kiss to Yixing's knuckles.
"Do you think this is too fast?" she asks, so seriously, and Yixing can't help but laugh a little. Sehun pouts and tries to take her hand back, but Yixing holds onto her long fingers tightly.
"Honestly? Yes, maybe a little," Yixing says, and Sehun looks a little hurt, looks like she's holding her breath a little. "Let me finish? I don't think it's a bad thing, I mean I am the one who invited you to live here with me, not the other way round."
"Sorry," Sehun says, letting out a breath. "I -- I don't have much experience with relationships, you know?"
"I know," Yixing smiles, "to be honest, I'm no expert either. That's why I think we just have to... do it our way, you know?"
Sehun frowns and hits Yixing's arm, "are you mocking me," she mumbles as she presses her face into Yixing's shoulder.
Yixing lets out an indignant gasp, "I'd never!" she says and Sehun glares up at her in disagreement. Yixing presses a kiss to her forehead and hears a sigh. "You do the same to me," she laughs. "I wasn't, really, though, just a coincidence."
"Great minds think alike," Sehun laughs, "that's what you like to say. I think you're just a copycat, though."
Yixing glares her meanest glare and Sehun quickly scrambles up, ready to make a getaway, but Yixing is faster, pinning her thin body beneath her.
"I'll make you regret that," she says with a smirk and Sehun reciprocates with her own.
"Try me," she whispers, tilting her head up to meet Yixing's lips.
Happy things don't necessarily last though, Yixing knows. Sehun goes as fast as she came, and Yixing thinks she ought to have guessed it. She guesses part of her did, knowing Sehun is so young and more likely to change her mind, want to see and touch and feel more of the world alone first.
Sehun doesn't really give her much of an explanation, and Yixing doesn't ask for one as she watches her repack her boxes that she emptied just earlier this year. They didn't even reach their first anniversary, but Yixing can't find it in herself to be bitter when Sehun kisses her for the last time.
"I did love you, you know," she whispers and Yixing nods, even if her heart aches at the past tense. "Please don't think otherwise. It just... isn't working."
Yixing could ask why, how to make it better, but she only holds Sehun's soft hand, presses a lingering kiss to Sehun's fingertips and wishes her well. "I love you," she says, and knows Sehun's eyes are wet. Hers aren't. Not yet.
After Sehun leaves, Yixing crawls into her cold, empty bed, and lets herself cry, a little glad she didn't bother to put makeup on today.
ii.
Luhan taps freshly manicured fingertips against the table, waiting for her date to arrive. It's raining outside, her black umbrella safely stored somewhere in the corner of the restaurant, she assumes, as the waiter had taken it off her when she walked into the place. She fights the urge to click her heels together, a nervous habit.
It makes her nervous enough to be doing this. To have a date with someone she's never met, although she knows what Yixing looks like, thanks to the internet. But the fact that Yixing is late...
"Thank you," she says, bowing her head when the waiter brings over a double malibu and coke with a smile. It's not even dark outside, but she hardly cares.
Internet dating, something Luhan never thought she would be doing at age twenty six, especially when her conservative parents were nagging at her to get a husband, of all things. Her friends weren't much better, although some of them were a little less dense. It wasn't that she didn't find men attractive per-say, the waiter for example was decent looking, not her ideal type, but decent.
But, well, men. Women were generally, not complete sleezebags like most straight men seem to be.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," a voice pants out and she looks up at a wet Yixing. She suddenly feels her maternal instincts set in, more than anything, until she sees Yixing's white shirt, completely soaked through and see through. "I got a taxi here and there was so much damn traffic -- I ended up getting out and running a block but well. Forgot my umbrella and --"
"Yixing, calm down," she smiles up at her. "Just sit down and order a drink, okay? Don't worry."
"Okay," Yixing smiles, pressing down the creases in her skirt and sitting opposite Luhan. Once the waiter comes over, she orders a rose wine. It makes Luhan feel a little better about drinking malibu in daylight, although wine is unfortunately considered more sophisticated than her coconut rum drink. She has no idea why, honestly.
They talk about the usual things as they pick their food from the menu, work, how they got into internet dating, more work, and it's not thrilling but Yixing is sweet and seems to have quite the appetite, and Luhan likes that a lot.
When the food comes, they wind up talking about their hometowns and how they wound up in Korea and for some reason have stayed a while despite the homesickness. Yixing even requests to speak in Korean for a little bit because even after living here for a few years, she still feels like she needs to practice.
The rain lessens when they leave the restaurant together, their stomachs full and their minds a little hazy from a few glasses of alcohol. Luhan only lives round the corner, but they end up sharing a taxi because Yixing insists and Luhan finds it a little hard to say no, wanting to poke the prominent dimple that shows even when she has a straight face. It's even cuter when she smiles, though.
Luhan presses a kiss to Yixing's cheek with a promise of meeting again soon.
A month down the line finds them in a little diner near Yixing's, one she's been wanting to take Luhan to. Luhan still hasn't been to Yixing's apartment yet, much to her original dismay. When she had teased Yixing about it, Yixing had such a sad face that Luhan told her it was fine, it didn't matter why and had attempted to kiss it away. Yixing had stopped her, though.
"It's just... if you don't mind, I'd like to take it slow," she had said, worry clear on her face. "My last relationship -- it --"
"Oh," was all Luhan could manage to come out with as she held Yixing's hand loosely. "It's okay, I understand."
Yixing let out a breath of relief. "It was both our faults really," she concluded, and Luhan decided she didn't really want to pry anymore. Yixing would tell her if she wanted to.
They sit together in a booth, ordering a huge milkshake to share, matcha flavour. When another waitress comes to take their order, Luhan watches as both the girl and Yixing widen their eyes in surprise.
"Yixing," the waitress smiles, and Luhan thinks it's a little informal.
"Sehun-ah," Yixing says, "how are you?"
Luhan sips her milkshake through the straw quietly, waiting to be introduced.
"I'm good! I just got back from travelling actually, needed to do some um, soul searching," she says, looking a little too nervous. "And this is?" She gestures to Luhan and Luhan freezes although she doesn't know why. This 'Sehun-ah' is really cute, though.
"Oh! Um," Yixing seems to take a minute to gather herself, "this is Luhan, my um, girlfriend," she says and Luhan can't help but blush. "Luhan, this is Sehun. We... used to date."
"You don't need to tell her that on your date, Yixing," Sehun sighs and Luhan laughs when Yixing scratches the back of her neck awkwardly.
"It's okay,” she smiles, “it’s nice to meet you, Sehun."
"You too, Luhan," she smiles but catches herself. "You're with Yixing so um... unnie?"
"Mm, I'm older than Yixing, unfortunately," she smiles and Sehun blushes.
"Oh, that's nice," she says, though Luhan has no idea why. She gets the feeling Yixing does, suddenly looking down at the menu.
They date for a few months, taking it slow just like Yixing requested, although Luhan tries to push things forward a few times, wondering if they're going anywhere at all. Weirdly enough, she thinks, Yixing is the one who breaks up with her with the line, "it just isn't working."
Luhan thinks she's said it before. Or at least heard it before. They're in Luhan's house when it happens, so Luhan has no real means of escape if she wants one.
"Fuck, why can't this ever go right," Yixing says, putting on her shoes, sounding like she's about to cry. Luhan steps forward, wanting to hold her or. Something. But she resists it. Yixing leaves without giving Luhan much of a chance to say anything. She didn't have anything to pack and take with her anyway, she never left a trace of herself in Luhan's home.
Luhan is honestly too shocked to do anything. She refuses to spill a tear, instead changing into clothes suitable for exercise. She grabs her keys and a bottle of water out of the fridge, slams the door shut behind her and lets her legs take her away. It's been a while since she went for a run, she forgets how time passes so quickly when the air is hitting in her in the face so nicely, sweat wetting her brow.
She doesn't allow herself to think until she makes it back to the house, collapsing down on her sofa with a huff. Her phone sits on the coffee table in front of her, an arm stretch away. She manages to bring it forward with her long fingernails, catching it just as it threatens to drop onto the floor. Butter fingers, Yixing always said.
Luhan unlocks her phone to find a text from her recent ex girlfriend (ouch). I'm so sorry, is all it says. No explanation, not that Luhan wants it over a text.
Me too, Luhan sends back.
Yixing calls her. She answers but says nothing. Just waits.
"Can we be friends still?" she asks, and Luhan sighs. As if she hasn't heard that one before. "No, Han, I really mean it."
iii.
Sehun sighs as she wipes down a table. A family had just left, leaving her to clean up after the messiest kids she had seen in a while. Crumbs all over the chairs, probably half of the food that was on their plate on the floor, and sauce smeared on the table. She goes and gets the dustpan and brush from under the counter, grateful it was quiet now, at least. It was just her and the manager today.
Her back aches as she gets to the floor, sweeping up all kinds of food. Sehun really hadn't expected to still be a waitress at twenty five. But she hadn't had much luck with finding a degree after graduation, so she took what she could get. At least they fed her here, treated her well, and it paid the bills of her small studio apartment she calls home.
"You can come back home any time," her mother's voice always chimed in the back of her head, but as usual, she shakes it off. She had told her enough times she wanted to be independent. Even if the job she has right now was because of family. She still works as hard as anyone else, not mooching off her parents. She did that enough in University, and when she went travelling. It was time to make up for that.
The bells above the door tinkle, indicating a customer, breaking Sehun out of her chain of thoughts. She stands and brushes herself off, pressing down her apron. Her manager beats her to taking the customer to the table, though, having been closer to the door while cleaning the windows. Sehun puts the dustpan back away and grabs a menu to take over, eyes wide when they set on the person in front of her.
"Hello, here is your menu," she says cheerfully as always, and the customer looks up from her phone, eyes blinking rapidly.
"Thank you," she bows her head then looks up at Sehun with the prettiest smile the waitress thinks she's ever seen. Although she's seen it before. "I like your hair." The tone of her voice indicates her amusement, referring to Sehun's pastel pink short hair.
"I like yours too, suits you," Sehun laughs, because she has pink hair too, though it's long and flows down her back beautifully. She must have used three times the amount of dye Sehun used. "Luhan unnie?" she smiles, hoping her memory is correct.
Luhan nods, still smiling. "Sehun-ah." Luhan's wearing a black dress, sleeveless and short, simple but stunning. Sehun wishes she didn't have food stains on her black apron, wishes her uniform was allowed to be a bit more flattering than a poloshirt. "I'm surprised you're allowed it here?" she laughs, "I know most places aren't fond of our colour of hair."
"Ah, it's not that strict here," Sehun smiles, wondering why Luhan feels so calming to talk to when they're only talking about hair colour, something some people would find hopelessly boring. She’s only met Luhan the once, and it was years ago. But she feels so familiar. "And I have the advantage of being in the family."
"Nobody to tell you off then?" she grins and Sehun blushes. "Help me pick something to eat? I need comfort food."
"Did someone stand you up?" Sehun says, widening her eyes at her big mouth. Really, she just wants an excuse to talk to Luhan. She's so pretty. No, gorgeous. And Sehun is so... awkward.
Luckily Luhan doesn't seem to mind. "Why would you think that?" she laughs, eyes blinking again.
"Um, well," Sehun fiddles with her apron slightly, hoping her manager isn't watching, but she hears his voice speaking and realises he's on the phone. "I can't think of any other reason you would be alone," she says without thinking, "and comfort food.. so..."
"Oh," Luhan laughs again, and Sehun thinks she could really get used to the sound. Already is. "Nah, just a bad day at work. A friend recommended this place to me a while back," she pauses, "I can see why."
Sehun is oblivious. "You haven't even tried anything yet-"
"Not what I meant, but never mind," Luhan says with a wink and Sehun feels her whole face go pink. The wink is actually more cute than anything, Sehun thinks, because Luhan's other eye closes briefly too.
Luhan orders a cocktail and Sehun helps her pick out what to eat, surprised by her appetite, though she thinks she shouldn't be really, seeing as Luhan dated Yixing, too. When she thinks about that, suddenly it feels a little bit complicated and weird. She knows they broke up, she had bumped into Yixing since, but knowing they both dated the same person... It feels a little odd to her as she goes back to wiping tables and pretending to look busy.
When Luhan leaves, not only does she leave a generous tip on the table, she also leaves a business card underneath.
With her number.
Obviously.
Sehun's hands feel clammy and her fingers feel a little shaky as she pockets the card into her apron, keeping it safe for later. She doesn't know if she really has the guts to contact her, it's not like Sehun's had the best luck in the romance department. Or any department.
Luhan might not even want to really date her anyway, she thinks, feeling like she's getting a bit ahead of herself.
When Sehun gets home, she decides to give it a try anyway, because what's the harm, really?
One thing Sehun is certain of is that Luhan was, and is, definitely worth any risk.
They agree to take things at a medium pace. Not too fast so that it would blow up in their faces and fizzle out with nothing to leave behind; not too slow with thoughts unshared and tension in the air, only to end without a reason in sight. Luhan is still friends with Yixing, Sehun discovers, really good friends, actually. She even suggests they meet her, promises it won't be awkward because apparently Yixing is dating someone else.
Sehun pinches Luhan's side and repeats the word medium to her. Luhan shrugs, saying they can leave it for a better time, then. She does tell Yixing about them though, who only sends them her blessings, hopes it works out for them two when it couldn't with her. Sehun feels guilty but Luhan helps her brush it off. "It's been years already, Hun-ah."
Sehun pouts anyway and Luhan tries her best to kiss it away, causing Sehun to burst into laughter, smile reaching her eyes. "You've been using my cherry lip balm, haven't you?" Sehun says, heart fluttering. Somehow she likes that Luhan's lips taste the same as her own. It feels comforting. Homely.
"I can't help it when it tastes so much like you," Luhan winks, voicing Sehun's thoughts.
"You're so cheesy," Sehun says, ears going pink.
"As if you weren't thinking of the exact same thing," she laughs, flopping down over Sehun's lap, legs stretched out on the sofa.
Sehun laces their fingers together and flicks through the channels mindlessly. "Let's dye our hair together soon," she says and Luhan hums in approval.
One night staying at Luhan's, Sehun pokes her head round the door to Luhan's office and finds her girlfriend with her head down on the desk, face pressed into sheets of papers and laptop moved to the side. Her heart lurches painfully at the sight, especially when Luhan mumbles in her sleep as she often does. Sehun hears her name as she gets closer and thinks again about Luhan and risks.
With Sehun's lack of experience and their agreed pace of the relationship, she really has no idea when is too soon for anything. Especially the emotional things. She usually lets Luhan take the lead, being the older of the two, but recently she's felt particularly attached to Luhan, dizzier in her presence.
"Luhan, wake up," she whispers, having recently dropped honorifics. Luhan said she didn't need it.
"Mm? Baby?" Luhan mumbles, and Sehun still finds herself blushing at the nickname even though Luhan has used it plenty of times already. "I fell asleep? Ugh, fuck work," she says as she lifts her head, almost attacking a piece of paper when it gets stuck to her cheek. Sehun laughs and Luhan gives her a sleepy smile, looking awfully goofy for someone so perfect. But that's just one of the many things Sehun loves about Luhan.
Loves, she thinks, as she lifts Luhan's long hair off her neck and bends to press a kiss there. It's black now, so is Sehun's. She moves it to the side and trails light kisses along to Luhan's shoulder, receiving a content hum in response.
"Why the special treatment?" Luhan asks, turning around to face Sehun, placing pretty hands on pretty hips. Sehun's only dressed in one of Luhan's t-shirts, which is honestly rather short on her younger, but taller girlfriend, and underwear. Lacey, at that.
"You're special," Sehun whispers, tucking a loose strand of hair behind Luhan's ear. Luhan stands and pulls Sehun's arms around her neck, pressing her fingers into Sehun’s hip bones as she leans in to press their lips together.
"So are you," Luhan whispers in reply as she pulls away slightly, biting her lip.
"Luhan?"
Luhan hums in response, leaning down to nose at Sehun's soft neck.
"I think I love you," Sehun says, heart beating so fast she wonders if Luhan can hear it. Luhan presses lips to her skin and pulls back again.
"I know I love you," she grins.
Sehun decides again that Luhan is worth every risk; pace, experience, and fear be damned.
ii // iv.
Luhan discovers one day that back when she had first met Yixing, Sehun had been on the very same dating website and sent Luhan a message. Honestly, she received quite a lot, and after she had met Yixing she left her account alone, not seeing any point in replying to any. She feels guilty when Sehun eventually tells her, Sehun suddenly remembering while they’re talking about the website in bed. It was just an unanswered message, after all, not something all that memorable.
“Yixing snatched you up first though,” she laughs, fingers dancing over the smooth skin of Luhan’s ribs.
“I bet your message was so cute though,” Luhan pouts, “I would have replied instantly, I’m sure.”
“It’s okay,” Sehun says, leaning forward to press a kiss against Luhan’s collarbone. “I wasn’t ready for a relationship back then anyway, really.”
“Hm? When were you, then?” Luhan smiles.
“Probably when you came into my work with your long pink hair and short black dress,” Sehun laughs, letting Luhan pull her close. Luhan presses a kiss to her temple.
Luhan never really asks Sehun to move out of her small studio apartment into Luhan’s house, but Sehun ends up there all the time anyway. So when Sehun mentions about renewing her lease, Luhan’s heart races as she tells her not to bother, to stay here with her, in the most nonchalant way she can manage. Sehun, of course, accepts, throwing her arms around Luhan, and Luhan’s smile reaches her eyes, no longer afraid of the possible rejection.
She thinks that really, everything that had happened up until now had been to lead them to each other. Especially when she refuses let tears fall from her eyes when Sehun nervously slides down onto her knees, fingers and voice shaking as she reaches out for Luhan’s hand and tries to find the best words. Somehow, she ends up on her knees too, holding Sehun’s shaking hands.
Luhan ends up crying anyway when she has a ring on her finger (Sehun is crying too, smudging her well done eyeliner) and she decides she’ll take Sehun to buy the same one the very next day. It’s beautiful, but nothing compares to the happiness on Sehun’s face.
♥