Archive of Our Own

People often assumed that because Stella had lived in Canada for a long time, she would be more open-minded than Leean and would naturally be the one to take the initiative in their relationship.

However, things did not seem to be quite that simple.

—

Stella and Leean were currently roommates, an arrangement that Stella had fought hard to secure for them. At this point, though, Stella seemed to deeply regret that decision.

“Unnie, do you think this shirt looks good on me?”

Stella looked up from the kitchen and immediately saw Leean wearing one of her white shirts. The tiny shorts Leean had been wearing were almost completely hidden beneath the hem, leaving only her bare legs visible.

Stella nearly spat out her milkshake.

She quickly tried to hide her flushed face behind ridiculous coughs.

“It does not suit you, and you are not wearing my clothes outside. Go get yourself another shirt before we are late."

The disbelief on Leean's face looked so genuine that Stella had to look away before she started feeling guilty.

After receiving no further response, Stella heard muffled noises coming from her room.

The moment she opened the door, she was greeted by a shirt flying aggressively toward her face.

It was the shirt Leean had just taken off.

Stella slowly lowered it from her face. She could still feel Leean's warmth lingering in the fabric, along with the faintest trace of her scent.

After carefully folding it and placing it on the table with an almost ridiculous amount of reverence, Stella stepped behind Leean and wrapped her arms tightly around her.

“Yo, get out, lil fashionista. You just don’t understand my style” Leean complained as she continue digding Stella's closet.

“I am sorry. I did not mean that.” Stella buried her face near Leean's neck.

“It is just… the thought of you wearing my clothes outside is too much for me.

It took Leean a moment to process what she had just heard.

“Oh my God. Are you jealous, Stella?”

Leean looked as if she had just witnessed something historic.

Stella usually kept her feelings hidden, so hearing her openly admit that she was jealous was definitely a huge bingo moment for Leean.

Stella's face immediately began burning.

She could not believe what she had just said.

“Uh, nothing. Just forg-ah!”

Leean did not let her finish.

She turned around, leaned toward and kissed her.

The kiss was warm and unhurried at first, but it was enough to make Stella forget whatever excuse she had been about to give.

It made Stella melt into Leean's hand. The kiss intensified, growing increasingly passionate, accompanied by Stella’s ragged breathing. Leean's hands settled gently against her waist, and Stella instinctively leaned closer.

At some point, Stella was kissed until her legs turned to jelly and she could no longer stand. Leean noticed this so she led Stella toward the bed while still holding Stella’s waist.

Go to bed was a great choice

When there is no more obstacle, Leean finally freely kisses wherever she wants. From the chin to the neck and then shoulder, Stella being settled under Leean body, lips swollen from kisses, traces of tears lingering at the corners of the eyes, and blonde hair suddenly in disarray against the white bedsheets.

One kiss became another.

And then another.

By the time Leean pulled back, Stella was already breathing unevenly.

“I need to breath too u fckin idiot”

Only then did Leean pull away slightly, giving Stella just enough space to catch her breath. She was absolutely not playing around when it came to kissing.

Comparing Leean to an overly affectionate puppy was not an exaggeration. Once she started, she seemed incapable of stopping. She loved showering Stella with kisses, especially when Stella was already flustered enough to complain about it.

“Okay” Leean murmured. “Break time is over” “Wait–”

Too late.

Leean leaned in again, and Stella had barely recovered before another wave of kisses made her lose track of what she had been trying to say.

Her hand fastened on Stella’s waist, pulling their body closer.

Giving a response, Stella’s hands settled around Leean's neck almost automatically, deepening the kiss despite herself.

After one sentimental kiss, Leean's attention drifted toward her jaw. And Stella immediately knew where this was going.

“Wait. We have a shoot today!”

She quickly pulled Leean's hair back, trying to keep her away from her neck.

“Ay ay. That hurts! Are you trying to make your baby bald?”

Leean looked absolutely pitiful, which was impressive considering she had been attacking Stella with kisses only moments ago.

The warning successfully stopped her from continuing.

For approximately three seconds.

Stella looked into Leean's eyes and immediately realized that she was not getting away that easily.

“No."

“Say you are jealous again, or get kissed."

“I am not choosing either of them.

“So you choose the tough one huh?”

Before Stella could react, Leean's hand tightened around her waist.

Stella let out a startled breath as Leean pulled her closer, their bodies pressing together naturally. The teasing gradually softened into something more intimate, and Stella's protests became increasingly less convincing.

She slipped her hand beneath the hem of Stella’s shirt so swiftly that Stella was caught off guard, revealing her flat, fair midriff to Leean. Kisses were scattered across it, like a garden of strawberries blooming upon that smooth skin.

Stella’s body arched instinctively, her hands rested on Leean’s head, fingers threading through the dark hair as she tried in vain to push her away.

After making Stella's stomach look like it had been bitten by dozens of mosquitoes at once, Leean finally lifted her head in satisfaction, only to see Stella pouting, her eyes wide with tears, staring intently at Leean.

Leean stared at her.

Stella stared back.

Then Leean sighed dramatically.

The chaotic morning ended with Leean wearing an off-shoulder shirt while Stella had to search for something with a higher collar.

—

Later, at the studio, Stella was helping the staff after the shoot had ended.

One of the staff members stopped what she was doing and rolled up her sleeves.

“Whoa, your skin is so fair! It is even smoother than mine!”

Stella immediately began complimenting her and asking for skincare tips, despite the fact that her own skin was by no means inferior.

The chirping Stella was so standout that Leean cannot help staring at her from across the room.

“Looks like she really likes that staff member, huh?” Yuna said, clearly enjoying the grimace on Leean's face.

“She loves unintentionally flirting with everyone,” Juun pointed out.

“Yeah. She really does."

Leean's expression slowly turned into a smirk as she began walking toward Stella.

“Oh my God, unnie, you have a mole near your eye too. With a figure like yours, you could totally be an idol."

That was what Leean overheard as she approached.

A mole? I have two of them near my eyes and you compliment her? You xibvjsbdivs!

A wave of irritation rose within her.

Leean knew Stella was naturally drawn to beautiful people, and normally, she was not worried about it. After all, she was perfectly confident that she was exactly Stella's type.

Still, seeing Stella smile like that at someone else was incredibly annoying.

“Hey! Manager sunbaenim is calling you."

Leean spoke while glaring at the staff member like a tiger guarding its territory.

Stella had no choice but to pause her conversation.

The disappointed look on her face only made Leean's jealousy worse.

And to think that just that morning, Stella had admitted she did not want Leean going outside looking too beautiful because she was jealous. Yet the moment Leean looked away for five minutes, Stella was already out there charming someone else.

After discovering that the manager had not actually called for her, Stella climbed into the vehicle with a deeply suspicious expression.

Leean was sitting in the back row with her headphones on, eyes closed and arms crossed.

“You said the manager called me, but he said he did not."

Leean, who had clearly been pretending to sleep, slowly opened one eye and removed an earphone.

“Did you say something?”

Stella was losing patience.

“The manager did not call me. Why did you lie?”

“I must have misheard."

Leean gave her a curt answer, put her earphone back in, and closed her eyes as if nothing had happened.

Stella stared at her, completely bewildered.

Things had been so affectionate this morning.

What had happened?

Still, instead of arguing, Stella quietly sat beside her. She adjusted the blanket around Leean and gently guided her head onto her shoulder so she would not wake up with a stiff neck.

They remained like that for the rest of the journey.

Jiwoo turned around, about to say something, but Stella immediately gestured toward Leean, signaling that she was asleep.

Yuha leaned over and whispered into Stella's ear.

“We are talking about going for a hotpot after changing clothes at the dorm. Are you two coming?”

Stella glanced down at Leean and thought for a moment.

“I think we will pass. Leean seems tired today, we will just cook something at the dorm."

The other members had no objections, and the car soon fell silent again.

No one noticed the faint smile that appeared at the corner of Leean's mouth as she listened to Stella speak.

—

The dinner was great, pajamas were on, iPad was full battery, everything was ready for a relaxing evening. But Leean-feeling as though she’d been supercharged by instant noodles-didn't see it that way.

This was the fifth time Stella had caught a glimpse of Leean walking past in nothing but a towel.

“Jeong Leean, if you do not put on your pajamas right now, I am probably going to kick your ass out of here."

Stella said it harshly while stubbornly keeping her eyes on the show playing on her iPad.

She was not actually paying attention to it.

She could feel Leean approaching.

And she was right.

The iPad suddenly disappeared from her hands.

In its place, a pair of fair thighs entered her vision.

Leean sat directly on Stella's lap, casually draping one arm over her shoulders while staring straight into her eyes.

“Just doing my night routine, you know, like to have a fair skin”

Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Then Leean leaned closer, forcing Stella to look directly at the beauty marks near her eyes.

Stella did not disappoint her.

Or rather, Leean's little attempt at seduction worked perfectly.

Leean met Stella halfway. The kiss tasted of the orange-flavored toothpaste they had bought together just last week. At first, the kiss was playful.

Then it slowly became more intense.

For Leean, the kiss seemed to carry everything she had been feeling throughout the day: jealousy, irritation, affection, and the satisfaction of finally having Stella's full attention again.

By the time they pulled apart, Stella was the one taking the lead.

She kissed Leean again, slower this time but with enough confidence to leave Leean momentarily speechless.

When Stella finally pulled away, their foreheads rested against each other. Their breathing mingled in the quiet room.

“I want more."

“You are so bossy."

“You like it though."

Stella can't denied.

Then she began kissing Leean again, not with the same urgency as before, but gently, affectionately. Her lips brushed against Leean's cheek, nose and eyelids.

“You know I do not just mean this,” Leean murmured.

Stella paused.

“I want more than this."

Leean placed her hand on Stella’s shoulder, trying to push her away. She turned her face aside, but the petulant tone in her voice made it clear to Stella exactly what she was talking about.

"Leean…. You're still young. We can take things slowly."

Stella cared about their relationship more than anything. She wanted whatever came next between them to happen naturally, without pressure or expectations.

She gently cupped Leean's face.

“I am not going anywhere."

Leean looked back at her with an unmistakably sulky expression.

“So… if you do not want to touch me, I guess I will just touch you instead, right?”

The reaction on Stella's face shifted

"Who said I didn't want to touch you? I didn't mea–"

Before Stella could finish her sentence, Leean pushed her backward onto the bed, nearly making her hit the headboard and began planting kisses all over her body.

“Hey careful!”

Leean ignored her.

Instead, she leaned down and began showering Stella with kisses.

Stella immediately burst into laughter.

“Leean, stop–”

“No."

“Leean!”

“Should have thought about this before provoking me."

The kisses were scattered everywhere, deliberately hovering over sensitive spots and teasingly grazing the skin without quite making contact. It left Stella feeling like she was floating on air, yet also as if thousands of ants were crawling over her.

One kiss turned into two.

Two became too many to count.

And then the hours ticked by until it was three in the morning. Stella had been kissed non-stop for two hours before finally drifting off to sleep, utterly exhausted.

Stella mumbled something unintelligible.

“Are you asleep?”

No answer.

Leean smiled to herself and pulled the blanket over them.

After that night, Stella probably learned one lesson by heart.

Never tease your young girlfriend.

Especially when she had spent the entire day feeling jealous and had far too much restless energy to spare.