Work Text:
the first time it happened, it was a rainy night.
joohyun simply couldn’t fall asleep; the thunder was far too loud, and with every rumble of the night sky, she felt her bedframe tremble too. frustrated, cold, and afraid, she sits up with a frown, turning her head to look out the window.
rain relentlessly pelts down against the glass, her faint reflection in the glass wobbly with every wave of rainwater pouring down the surface of it. outside, joohyun can just make out the outline of large gray clouds hanging low in the night sky, bleak and dark.
she then turns to her right, sighing to herself when she spots yerim sleeping like a baby. the girl is huddled underneath her duvet, looking so peaceful and cozy that it makes joohyun genuinely curious as to how she manages to sleep through a whole thunderstorm. with a newfound motivation to be a little more like yerim, joohyun prepares to lie back down in her bed, but before her back can even touch her bedsheets, a bright flash of light illuminates through the dark room.
as an instinct, joohyun’s hands fly up to cover her ears, but it was too late. the deafening crack of thunder echoes around her, shocking all the sleep away from her. she feels her soul leave her body for a moment, squeezing her eyes shut as she grimaces.
okay, she’s definitely not sleeping alone tonight.
she casts one last look at yerim and the calm expression on her face, before grabbing her pillow and swinging her legs out of the bed. she flinches when her feet come into contact with the cold, hard floor, padding softly across the room and slipping out.
her feet take her to the room all the way at the end of the hallway. she briefly hesitates for a moment outside the door, debating whether she should just enter or not, but another growl from the sky makes all seconds thoughts vanish. she creaks the door open, quietly stepping into the room.
seulgi is curled up right in the middle of the bed, seemingly in a deep sleep. there is a singular stuffed bear right before her, the one that joohyun gave her as a birthday gift last year, keeping her company.
i’ll just slip in quietly and she’ll never know.
joohyun tries her very best to close the door as silently as she can, but at the creak of the doorknob, seulgi stirs, lips twitching slightly. joohyun starts to panic, but seulgi cracks an eye open, a hand coming up to rub at it.
“unnie…?” she rasps out softly, slowly heaving herself up from her bed. “what’s wrong?”
the pitter-patter of the rain outside almost drowns out seulgi’s voice.
“i…” joohyun licks her lips. “i couldn’t sleep.”
seulgi hums, flopping back down into the bed. wordlessly, she picks the bear up and deposits it somewhere behind her, before patting at the empty space before her.
a tingle rushes through joohyun’s whole body, and suddenly, her feet aren’t cold anymore. she shuffles towards seulgi’s bed, before climbing in underneath the sheets. mirroring seulgi, she tucks her knees in and sinks her cheek into her pillow, eyes staring at the girl before her. it’s dark, but she can see seulgi clearly, can see every single one of her lashes, can see the little mole right above her eye.
“go to sleep,” seulgi whispers, reaching a hand out to search under the sheets, before finding and holding onto joohyun’s. “i’m here.”
joohyun closes her eyes, and suddenly, all she can feel is the warmth of seulgi’s hand atop hers, like all her nerves are concentrated in that hand. the lightning, the thunder, the rain— they don’t matter to her anymore; all that matters is that she’s finally warm.
joohyun doesn’t know when, but at some point she fades out of consciousness, and the next time she wakes up, the sun is already shining through the wet window.
♡
joohyun will never forget that night, in that hotel, after the last stop of their first ever world tour, all the way back in yokohama, japan. the night that changed everything.
“unnie, you’re okay with that, right?” was the first thing seulgi said to her when their manager informed them that they would be sharing a room together. a room with one bed.
well, obviously joohyun wouldn’t mind. but again, sharing a room with seulgi…
“of course,” joohyun answers smoothly, but her heart, her mind starts racing. she’s slept in the same bed as seulgi a fair share of times already, but since they debuted, those kind of nights slowly trickled to a stop, and joohyun doesn’t know if she’s glad or sad. she wants to be able to share that same kind of warmth with seulgi again, but nowadays just the mere thought of being in the same space as seulgi makes her heart feel like it’s about to explode in her chest.
well, she tells herself, what could possibly go wrong?
but when she sees seulgi step out of the bathroom, fresh out of the shower with wet hair dripping, skin flushed from the heat of the water, it hits her. everything is going to go wrong. so wrong.
“unnie?” seulgi towels at her hair, cocking her head to the side.
“huh?” joohyun’s eyes widen, looking like a child that got caught stealing candy.
“you’re staring,” seulgi says, amused. she slips her feet into a pair of slippers, the sole scuffing against the carpet as she crosses the room to the hairdryer. joohyun doesn’t even know how to defend herself, just stays silent as her cheeks flame up.
“i’ll, um, i’ll go prepare for bed.”
she stands up from the couch abruptly, hurriedly shoving her makeup pouch into her luggage, before tumbling into the bed, pulling the sheets all the way up to her chin. seulgi just stares at her from the vanity, eyes following her from across the room, though this time the amused look is gone, replaced with a heavier, more ambiguous gaze that makes joohyun’s insides squirm. she can’t figure out what’s in seulgi’s mind.
the whirring of the hairdryer echoes throughout the room, masking the deafening, almost awkward silence hanging in the air. joohyun closes her eyes, willing herself to go to sleep, go to sleep, just go to sleep.
unfortunately, everything’s going wrong. nothing really works out in her favour.
there’s a click, and the whirring stops. joohyun hears shuffled around the room, the sound of a cabinet opening, the sound of the bathroom door closing, the sound of a light switch being turned off. the light before her eyelids disappear, dark spots swimming before her eyes instead now.
the bed dips beside her, and her fingers unconsciously curl into a fist as she wills herself to just not move. but maybe her, well, acting really sucked, for a moment later she hears a quiet voice next to her ear mumble, “i know you’re not asleep.”
damn it.
joohyun’s eyes flutter open, and she instinctively turns her head to look at seulgi.
bad mistake.
seulgi’s brown eyes are soft, almost melancholic, for what joohyun doesn’t know yet. under the faint light of the night lamp, joohyun can see that seulgi’s cheeks are ruddy. from what, joohyun doesn’t know. joohyun doesn’t know anything right now, except for the fact that her heart is racing so fast in her chest she feels like all the breath in her has been knocked out.
seulgi’s lips part— those soft, pink lips— and joohyun is positive that she is seeing stars.
“—re you thinking about?”
“huh?” the syllable tumbles from her tongue abruptly. joohyun doesn’t know where to look, eyes darting from the curtains to the bedside table behind seulgi.
“i said,” seulgi’s voice is soft but firm. “what are you thinking about?”
joohyun’s mouth feels dry, drier than a desert; her lips part slightly, trying to form a sentence, but nothing comes out. she doesn’t know how to answer.
i’m thinking of kissing you.
what?
joohyun must be crazy. she can’t say that. she can never say that. a helpless feeling rises up in her, bubbling at the back of her throat. she wants to say it. say that she wants to kiss seulgi. say that she thinks seulgi is the most beautiful piece of art she’s ever seen. say that maybe, just maybe, she’s in love.
she just stares and stares and stares at seulgi, like a deer caught in headlights. she knows seulgi is waiting for an answer, but nothing is coming out from her mouth. she can’t bring herself to say anything.
seulgi sighs, tearing her eyes away from joohyun and looking down.
joohyun feels her heart sink down low, and wonders, how am i going to get through tonight? how—
she feels a warm palm cup her face gently.
all the gears in her head screech to an abrupt stop.
“unnie,” seulgi starts softly. her gaze is back on joohyun. “are you thinking…” she slowly, lightly, runs the pad of her thumb across joohyun’s lips. “… of this?”
now, joohyun can see it clearly. seulgi’s intense gaze, laced with desire and yearning and— and—
— love.
surging forward, joohyun throws all caution into the wind.
her lips land on seulgi’s clumsily, and it’s soft, warm, and so, so sweet. she pulls back just as fast as she came, eyes wide as her pupils tremble, desperately searching seulgi’s own.
an excruciating moment passes, then the hand on her jaw tightens, pulling her back in.
seulgi kisses her fervently, and as joohyun slots her lips so perfectly against seulgi’s, she instantly realises that all those times they’ve uttered the words i love you— be it on screen, off screen, playfully, seriously— she wasn’t the only one that meant it that way.
well, they can talk tomorrow. for now, joohyun chases that mercurial high of kissing seulgi in the dark, a little secret, a shared intimacy.
♡
joohyun lets out a loud, dramatic sigh, flopping onto seulgi’s plush bed. her arms and legs are splayed out across the thick duvet, crumpling it.
“finally,” she mumbles to herself. after a long flight, she is at last clean, in comfortable pajamas, and on a familiar bed. she closes her eyes momentarily, basking in the cosiness of the bed, when she hears the bathroom door click open.
she opens her eyes, and without looking up, angles her head a little so she can see the bathroom. she smiles when seulgi steps out, a towel around her neck, wet hair tousled, and a loose shirt hanging off her shoulders.
seulgi raises an eyebrow, amused when she spots joohyun sprawled across her bed.
“you look really comfortable, unnie,” she remarks playfully.
“why, of course,” joohyun answers smoothly. “i used your shower, wore your clothes, and laid down in your bed.”
seulgi just shakes her head fondly as she makes her way to the dresser to blowdry her hair. joohyun gets up from the bed, swinging her legs off and she pads after seulgi. before seulgi could get hold of the hairdryer, she reaches an arm out from behind and takes it.
“sit down, i’ll help you.”
seulgi shoots her a grateful smile as she settles into the chair. “is this your payment for staying the night?”
“well, now that you mention it, yes,” joohyun chuckles. they lapse into a comfortable silence, seulgi sitting perfectly still as joohyun runs her fingers through her hair. when joohyun looks up, she notices seulgi staring at her intently through the mirror.
“what?” joohyun raises her brows. she turns the hairdryer off, setting it back down on the dresser.
seulgi cranes her head back, leaning against joohyun’s torso as she gazes up at joohyun wordlessly. joohyun smiles softly, cupping seulgi’s face with her palms. “what?” she asks again, this time more tenderly.
“nothing,” seulgi answers. her gaze softens. joohyun thinks that her eyes are the prettiest brown eyes she’s ever seen in her life. “you’re beautiful,” seulgi murmurs.
joohyun feels her cheeks heat up. no matter how many years she’s been seeing seulgi, how many compliments seulgi gives her, she’ll always feel shy around seulgi. that’s just how much she loves seulgi.
“you’re not too bad yourself.” joohyun leans down, pressing a light kiss to seulgi’s lips. when she pulls back, seulgi turns her whole body around so she’s facing joohyun, before slipping her hands around joohyun’s waist and nuzzling into her torso.
joohyun laughs, one hand coming up to caress the back on seulgi’s head gently. “you big baby.”
“yours,” seulgi mumbles against the shirt joohyun is wearing. joohyun can’t stop the fond smile growing on her lips.
“come on,” joohyun lightly ruffles her hair. “let’s go to bed.”
seulgi finally gets up, albeit unwillingly, letting joohyun pull her by the hand towards the bed. the moment she climbs into the sheets, she snuggles into joohyun, pressing her whole front against joohyun’s back. arms wind around joohyun’s waist, effectively holding her in place, and she feels seulgi nuzzling into her hair.
“you’re so clingy,” joohyun giggles. she tugs at seulgi’s arms around her waist till seulgi loosens her grip, then rolls around so that she’s now facing seulgi. they’re barely an inch apart, and joohyun feels herself getting a little cross-eyed at how close their faces are.
seulgi just gazes at her for a moment, before leaning in and pressing a kiss to joohyun’s lips. joohyun smiles, a hand coming up to rest on seulgi’s neck, pulling her in for another kiss. this time, it’s deeper, more tender, a whole lot of emotions in it. joohyun basks in the sweetness, the familiarity of seulgi’s scent around her, the feeling of seulgi’s warm lips on hers. she feels tingles shoot up her spine when seulgi’s hand slips under her shirt, warm palm coming into contact with her skin, thumb tracing small circles on her waist.
nothing feels better than this.
when they pull back, joohyun’s hair is a little mused from seulgi running her fingers through. her cheeks are flushed, and she’s a tad giddy with bliss.
“i love you.” the words slip out subconsciously. joohyun’s eyes search seulgi’s, and she sees the exact same love and tenderness she feels for seulgi.
“i love you too,” seulgi breathes. “i love you so very much.”
the corners of joohyun’s lips curve up slightly, her heart so full she’s afraid it might just explode. she snuggles closer into seulgi’s embrace, tucking her head right underneath seulgi’s chin. she can feel seulgi’s steady heartbeat under her cheek, and she falls asleep to the gentle rhythm of it, to the rise and fall of seulgi’s chest, to the feeling of seulgi tracing meaningless shapes into her back lightly.
when she wakes up, she knows that seulgi will be right next to her.
♡
bonus:
the door to seulgi’s apartment flings open.
seulgi looks up from the book in her hands, letting out a loud whine when she sees joohyun’s head pop out from behind the door.
“unnie! you scared me! i thought you were an intruder!”
“which intruder knows the passcode to your door?” joohyun laughs, bending down to tug her shoes off. she slots them into the empty space in the shoerack, the one that seulgi left empty just for her.
seulgi’s gaze follows joohyun as she stalks into the kitchen. she hears the sound of a few cupboard doors opening and closing, then the rustle of a snack bag, then the click of the refrigerator door…
joohyun comes back out with her arms full of snacks and two bottles of drinks. she flops down onto the couch, right next to seulgi, leaving absolutely no space between them, then grabs a bag of chips, ripping it open and digging right into it.
“hey! i was saving that flavour!” seulgi protests, flinging her book aside.
“well, what better way to enjoy it than sharing it with your lover?” joohyun teases. she shoves her hand into the bag, grabs a handful, then brings it up to seulgi’s mouth. “open up.”
pacified, seulgi grins, gladly accepting the chips. as she crunches on them, she watches as joohyun stuffs her mouth full, a fond look in her eyes.
“you’re cute.”
joohyun frowns. “i’m older than you though?”
“well, i still think you’re cute.” joohyun frowns at seulgi, but she seems to enjoy the compliment. they lapse into a moment of silence, just seulgi staring at joohyun eat, before joohyun turns to her.
“by the way, i’m staying the night,” she says with her mouth half full. “i have to drop by the company tomorrow, and your house is closer.”
seulgi nods, but then something comes to her mind.
clearing her throat, she turns till she’s fully facing joohyun. joohyun gives her an odd look, but continues eating her chips, though her attention is on seulgi now.
“what if…” seulgi starts. “what if we lived together? just you and me.”
joohyun stops chewing.
“i mean,” seulgi nervously twiddles with the hem of her sweater. “i was just wondering if you ever considered it.”
joohyun hastily swallows. “are you saying, you want me to shift in with you?”
“i, um, i mean, it’s up to you, like…” seulgi trails off. “well, yes.”
“okay,” joohyun says, without a hint of doubt in her voice.
“huh?” seulgi can’t believe her ears. “wait, are you serious?”
“yeah,” joohyun puts her hand over seulgi’s, stilling them. “i mean, it’s not like i’ve never thought about it; i come over so frequently. i just didn’t know how to ask you, because, well, this is your apartment. but if that’s what you want, then that’s what i want, too.”
seulgi immediately perks up, excitement replacing the nervousness previously in her eyes. “so when do you wanna shift in?”
joohyun brings another chip to her lips. “you’ve been waiting for this, haven’t you? you’re a little too excited.” there’s a small smile on her face.
“of course! do you know how long i’ve dreamed of living together with you?”
joohyun laughs, leaning forward to kiss seulgi softly. “you don’t have to dream anymore.”
♡
joohyun does shift in with seulgi a week later, and frankly, seulgi thinks her life couldn’t be any better than this, waking up next to joohyun every morning and filling the whole apartment with their boisterous laughter.
fin.