Work Text:
I-dle
Superstar: i’ve just received terrible news
Superstar: the doctor put me on vocal rest 😫😫😫
Boss Baby: Ok but what about the terrible news?
Minnie Mouse: yea stop beating around the bush, man
Superstar: wow, is that seriously how ur gonna treat ur member who’s suffering from the italian flu?
Minnie Mouse: sounds like a skill issue
Superstar: u say that like ur not the one who’s constantly sick
Captain: Will u be better in time for Taipei?
Superstar: yea, doctor said complete vocal rest today, then 2 days of reduced use, then I should be ok to sing
Captain: So where’s the terrible news?
Superstar: HEY
Superstar: this is a BETRAYAL
Superstar: as my gf, ur supposed to be on my side
Boss Baby: Skill issue
Princess: tbf, there are better phrases to open with than “i have terrible news” right after seeing the doctor
Captain: But seriously, are you ok? How are you feeling?
Superstar: i’m mostly ok
Superstar: not contagious anymore
Superstar: just a scratchy throat
Superstar: and crippling depression
Superstar: u know how much I love to yap
Captain: I’m sorry that you are unable to yap
Captain: Get well soon, jagiya
Minnie Mouse: get well soon bro
Boss Baby: Get well soon
Princess: LOVE YOU 😚
Superstar reacted to Princess: 🤮
Superstar: Thx guys
Jagiya
can I come over?
i miss u
its been over a week since i’ve seen u
i can’t live without u
We have an hour left of rehearsal but u can let urself in
I miss u too
The second Soyeon twists the key inside the lock, she hears shuffling noises on the other side of the door, then a thud, followed by more shuffling. And as expected, upon pushing the door open, she is damn near bulldozed by an armful of very enthusiastic redhead.
“Okay, okay, I missed you too,” Soyeon giggles as Yuqi buries her face into the crook of her neck, leaning most of her weight onto the shorter woman. She lets her stay there a while longer, rocking them back and forth a little before remembering they’re still standing in the open doorway. “Can I come inside now?”
Yuqi releases Soyeon from her grasp, albeit with her lips pressed into a pout, and steps aside to make way for her girlfriend.
“Did you trip over yourself, rushing to the door?” Soyeon asks, recalling the thud she heard.
She looks up from setting her shoes on the shoe rack to find Yuqi, cheeks flushed and sporting an expression of mild surprise.
“You’re not slick,” Soyeon quips amusedly, closing the door behind her.
Yuqi takes Soyeon’s rehearsal bag and replaces it with her own hand, leading the older girl to the living room, where a plastic bag of takeout sits on the coffee table and the faint scent of marinated beef and kimchi wafts into the air.
“What’s this? Did you buy dinner for us?”
Yuqi sets her rehearsal bag on the floor by the couch. With direct eye contact and a smug smile, she gives a singular nod, then sits down.
“Yes, you are a good girlfriend,” Soyeon chuckles as she too sits down. “Thank you, baby.”
Yuqi leans into Soyeon’s personal space with puckered lips and big, pleading puppy eyes, tilting her head to the side like a confused dog when the latter does not reciprocate.
“The doctor said you’re not contagious anymore?” Soyeon questions.
Yuqi nods.
“And is that for people you’re in a room with, or people you swap saliva with?”
Yuqi purses her lips in thought, then shrugs, then pouts as her shoulders droop like a wilted flower.
“I’m sorry, Yuqi. I just want to be careful with our next tour date so close.” Soyeon gathers the younger girl in her arms, pulling her into an apologetic side hug. “I do love you very much, though.” She punctuates her sentence with a kiss on the cheek.
Yuqi has come a long way from the infamous cover-your-cough fight with Miyeon, but Soyeon knows she still feels a bit upset with these kinds of things, even if she doesn’t let it show as much. Thankfully, she perks up, seemingly satisfied with the affection Soyeon is willing to give, even though it isn’t in the form she requested.
After a few seconds, Yuqi leans away, reaching for the TV remote on the coffee table. She pushes the power button, then passes it to the Korean as the screen jumps to life.
“If you let me choose, you know it’s gonna be One Piece again, right?”
Yuqi nods and shrugs before reaching into the plastic bag, leaving Soyeon to navigate Netflix, in search of her favorite anime. And just as the opening theme starts to play, a pre-opened box of rice and beef, no veggies, is placed in front of her. Soyeon smiles warmly, ever grateful that her girlfriend never forgets to request the special alteration when ordering food.
The two eat in an unusual silence, bar the sounds from the TV. Soyeon is used to Yuqi talking with her mouth full, reacting to whatever’s on screen or just saying whatever random thing comes to mind. But while she acknowledges the silence, Soyeon feels no need to fill it. Because even when silent, Yuqi’s presence is loud, like she’s asserting herself where she belongs, not because she feels threatened but because that’s just how Yuqi is. Confident in a way that renders her unafraid to occupy space.
At some point in the dinner, the volume of Yuqi’s presence compounds loud enough to compel Soyeon to turn towards her, as if she said something. There’s no physical sound, Soyeon knows this, but she hears Yuqi anyway. And, when she turns, she finds that the other woman is already looking at her. Not asking for anything, just looking, or perhaps watching.
“The hell you lookin’ at?” Soyeon says with no real bite behind it.
She isn’t sure anymore whether it’s a Soyeon-phrase or a Yuqi-phrase, because while Soyeon was the one whom the Chinese learned it from, Yuqi took it and ran with it. So maybe it belongs to both of them simultaneously. Or neither of them. Or perhaps it belongs to them as a couple.
Yuqi’s eyes harden as she looks down the bridge of her nose at Soyeon, who half-expects her words to be echoed right back at her. Who is she kidding, Yuqi has long since claimed the phrase for herself. It nestles in perfectly between her playfulness and her brashness, the way an arcade token slots into its machine.
“Oh, don’t ‘the hell you lookin’ at’ me, you were lookin’ first.”
Yuqi throws her head back and rolls her eyes in exasperation before giving Soyeon a pointed look.
‘Yeppeuda,’ Pretty, she mouths soundlessly, as though it’s an accusation rather than a compliment.
Soyeon, still dressed in her baggy, sweat-in practice clothes and hair slightly disheveled, can’t fight the soft smile blooming on her lips.
Yuqi scoots towards Soyeon until their knees touch, closing the small gap of space between them. With her tongue hanging outside her full lips as though in deep focus, she reaches up to tuck a strand of hair behind the latter’s ear, then goes back to eating as if she hadn’t just made Soyeon’s heart skip a beat.
“How do you manage to still be cheesy without a voice?”
Yuqi smirks around her bite of food, and maybe, just maybe, Soyeon lets a fond sigh tumble out from between her lips.
It happens three more times, the loud presence phenomenon. The first time, Yuqi doesn’t notice Soyeon looking, eyes trained on the TV instead. The second time, she does notice and smiles sweetly upon receiving her girlfriend’s attention. The third time, Yuqi responds by wedging herself into the space between Soyeon’s back and the couch, bracketing the shorter girl’s legs with her own. Yuqi wraps her arms around Soyeon’s waist, pressing herself flush to the latter’s back and resting her chin on her shoulder comfortably.
“How are you gonna eat in this position?” Soyeon stifles a giggle.
She knows the younger woman tends to get a little clingy after spending time apart, but usually not to this extent. Still, Soyeon’s heart swells a little at the thought that Yuqi missed her so much that she feels the need to assume whatever this position is, in the middle of dinner.
It’s nice to be wanted like this.
She feels Yuqi’s head turning against her shoulder, presumably to eye the box of takeout left abandoned on the table. Stillness ensues, and Soyeon swears she can hear the cogs turning in Yuqi’s head. After a few seconds she waves her hand in a dismissive motion.
There’s more food in the box than Soyeon would expect Yuqi to leave, but then again, she just got over the flu, maybe her appetite is still coming back.
Soyeon continues eating, but after a few more bites, she feels the hands on her waist starting to roam. But she’s surprised to find herself slightly unsettled by the sensation, her strange reaction setting off alarm bells in her head.
Soyeon freezes. The hands don’t seem to notice. They move sporadically, lacking any intention to map or search. Gliding, tapping, holding, all without any pattern. The touch feels… antsy, in a way that’s too jerky to be sensual. Then, lithe fingers begin to clutch at the fabric of Soyeon’s shirt, just ever so slightly before locking up, as if becoming aware of an involuntary movement. The fingers pry themselves back to their extended state before resuming their aimless motions.
This is a touch meant to take, not give.
“Woogie, you alright?” Soyeon covers Yuqi’s restless hands with her own to let her know why she’s asking.
Soyeon feels her nod against her shoulder, but when she turns around to meet Yuqi's eyes, she finds her expression not unlike that of a dog who got caught tearing the furniture to shreds.
“You sure?” Soyeon gives her the softest look she can muster.
Yuqi opens her mouth, then shuts it and purses her lips in frustration. She sighs and slumps against the backrest of the couch defeatedly.
“You miss talking, don’t you,” Soyeon hazards a guess, rubbing her palm up and down Yuqi’s knee in what she hopes is a comforting manner.
The redhead nods firmly, though with eyes narrowed as if to say ‘no duh.’ Her expression softens, and she gazes at Soyeon longingly, like she still misses her even though she’s sitting right in front of her.
“You’ve been looking forward to seeing me all week, and now that we’re together again you have so much you want to say, but you can’t talk,” Soyeon offers.
Yuqi nods again, more vigorously this time, with her bottom lip jutted out in a pout.
“Aww, my baby, I’m sorry,” Soyeon coos like she’s soothing a wounded animal, holding Yuqi’s face in both hands. She lays the affection on thick because she knows that’s what her girlfriend needs right now.
“Tell you what, to make up for lost time, I’m gonna spoil you with so much attention tonight. And when you wake up tomorrow, you can finally say all those annoying, obnoxious things stewing in your head, okay?”
Yuqi’s pout slowly morphs into a smile, a small one, but a smile nonetheless. She leans in to nuzzle her cheek against Soyeon’s jaw, looping her arm through the Korean’s.
“I love you too,” Soyeon smiles at what she imagines is an approximation of a kiss.
Yuqi pulls away and returns to her original spot next to Soyeon, but instead of untangling their arms, she takes Soyeon’s hand in hers and interlaces their fingers. She picks up her chopsticks and pauses, realizing that the utensil ended up in her non-dominant hand, her right hand already occupied. She sets down the chopsticks and reaches for the plastic fork, which she previously ignored and left at the bottom of the takeout bag. She manages to tear open the clear, plastic packaging one-handed, with the help of her teeth, successfully extracting the fork. All without letting go of Soyeon’s hand.
Yuqi smiles proudly at her accomplishment.
A thought drips down from Soyeon’s brain onto her tongue. It gets caught in her brain-mouth filter, but considering the promise she’d just made, she figures she’d throw her Beijing puppy a bone.
“It’s hot when you open things with your teeth.”
Yuqi sits up a little straighter and puffs out her chest, ego sufficiently stroked. Her lips curl into a lopsided snarl, a smirk that flashes one white canine.
“You’re ridiculous,” Soyeon teases, giving her hand a light squeeze. “Really cute and kinda hot, but still ridiculous.”
Yuqi’s snarl-smirk melts into a grin. With eyebrows raised expectantly, she gestures for Soyeon to continue.
That was the end of Soyeon’s sentence, and she knows Yuqi knows. Yet, they’ve had this exchange enough times that Soyeon hears the unspoken rebuttal, loud and clear.
“But I love it,” Soyeon nods in agreement.
Their hands stay joined. Yuqi does not let go, and Soyeon does not attempt to reclaim her hand. Even after they finish eating, and Soyeon stands up to throw away their trash, their hands stay joined. From the sofa, to the trash can in the kitchen, then back to the living room to turn off the TV, then to the bedroom, Yuqi trails behind Soyeon like a lost puppy, connected arms vaguely resembling a leash.
“I’m gonna take a shower,” Soyeon declares as she picks out an oversized t-shirt and sweatpants from her closet. She looks over her shoulder, a suggestive smile playing at her lips. “You’re welcome to join if you want.”
Yuqi’s eyes widen, just for a second. Then, she lets out a small, disappointed huff and shakes her head.
Soyeon’s smile melts off her face, replaced by worry that she said the wrong thing.
“We don’t have to get up to anything in there. We can just shower normally.” Soyeon brushes her thumb over Yuqi’s knuckles.
Yuqi shakes her head again, cheeks dusted pink. She drags Soyeon’s hand towards her body.
Soyeon’s mouth parts slightly in confusion as she registers the trajectory of their hands. Her hand makes contact with her girlfriend’s clothed crotch, and she feels a subtle crinkle beneath her fingertips.
A period pad.
“Yeah, okay. I see. That’s fine.” Soyeon pulls away, finally disconnecting their hands when Yuqi’s doesn’t chase after hers.
Soyeon figured out, even before they became a couple, that Yuqi has more boundaries than she does when it comes to her body. Her mind flashes back to the time the girls went to a Japanese hot spring together, and Yuqi was the only one who wore a bathing suit instead of getting completely naked. Now, years later, Soyeon feels like the luckiest girl in the world with her bedroom (and shower) privileges, but she’s learned that her girlfriend has a special set of boundaries while menstruating. Soyeon respects them fully, and she really doesn’t want to give Yuqi reason to believe otherwise.
“I’ll shower quickly, then. Or do you wanna go first? Have you showered yet?” she rambles quickly, trying to recover.
The taller girl nods, stroking Soyeon’s cheek with a fond smile.
Soyeon feels herself reflexively leaning into the touch. But it only lasts a second before hands on her shoulders are guiding her through the door to the bathroom.
“Okay, I’ll be quick!” Soyeon promises as Yuqi shuts the door between them.
True to her word, Soyeon showers quickly. Her time estimation is two repetitions of Mono, or roughly six minutes. She opens the shower curtain to Yuqi brushing her teeth, now dressed in Soyeon’s hoodie and sweatpants. The hoodie, oversized on Soyeon, is more of a slightly relaxed fit on her taller girlfriend, while the sweatpants leave her ankles fully exposed. Soyeon smiles at the sight, knowing that Yuqi has at least two sets of her own comfy clothes in Soyeon’s closet, but she chose to wear the shorter woman’s clothes anyway.
Yuqi turns around at the metallic scrape of the curtain sliding open, and her toothbrush freezes in her mouth for a second.
Soyeon chuckles as she steps out of the shower. She watches Yuqi’s eyes track her every movement through the mirror as she dries herself off. Feeling a little mischievous, Soyeon turns her back to Yuqi before bending over to pat her legs dry with the towel. The sound of the toothbrush halts, and a devilish grin erupts on Soyeon’s lips.
“Like what you see?” Soyeon taunts as she stands up at a deliberately slow pace.
She prowls over to the redhead and plants one hand on her shoulder.
Yuqi’s eyes dart up and down between Soyeon’s face and chest, toothbrush still frozen in her mouth.
“Eyes up here.” Soyeon lets go of Yuqi’s shoulder to grab her chin instead, not caring about the toothpaste foam now dribbling down her thumb.
Yuqi obeys. Of course she does, what else can she do in this state?
“Happy to see me, aren’t you, puppy?” Soyeon croons breathily, gazing into pupils far too dilated for a small room fully illuminated by bright overhead lights.
Yuqi nods vigorously.
“I can tell.”
Soyeon giggles as she turns away to grab her own toothbrush, still completely naked. She glances at Yuqi through the mirror to find the younger woman rapidly blinking a few times before remembering how to brush her teeth.
“You’re cute when you’re flustered,” Soyeon says before bringing her toothbrush to her mouth.
Not long after Soyeon starts brushing her teeth, Yuqi finishes. Soyeon expects her to either go wait for her in the bedroom or start bothering Soyeon, depending on how clingy she’s feeling. What she doesn’t expect is for Yuqi to start opening drawers and cabinets. And it doesn’t look like she’s doing it out of boredom either. Lips pursed, she scans the contents of each drawer like she’s specifically looking for something.
“Wha- you loogin foh?” Soyeon asks, garbled by the toothpaste.
Yuqi places her hands over her stomach and winces exaggeratedly.
“Cram-s?”
Yuqi nods, frowning.
Soyeon opens the drawer she was standing in front of and pulls out a bottle of over-the-counter painkillers.
Yuqi smiles gratefully, twisting open the cap. She carefully dumps two pills into her hand, closes the bottle, and puts it back in the drawer. But instead of leaving the bathroom to get a glass of water like Soyeon expects her to, she tips the pills into her mouth right then and there in the bathroom.
“Yah, go ge- wa-er, you pabo,” Soyeon calls out.
Yuqi turns on the sink and cups her hand under the running water, before bringing it to her mouth.
“Oh m- god,” Soyeon facepalms, her toothbrush hanging from her mouth.
When she stops facepalming, the first thing she is greeted with is Yuqi giving her a thumbs up through the mirror with a firm nod and a proud smile.
Soyeon sighs but finds Yuqi’s stupid smile contagious. At least until she gets reminded that it might not have been the wisest decision to brush her teeth naked on a late February evening. She shivers as she feels goosebumps start to raise on her skin. Not a second later, Yuqi presses her warm body flush against Soyeon’s bare back and wraps her arms around her waist. It’s only then that Soyeon really realizes how cold she is. Yuqi’s body runs cold; it’s why she’s always complaining when they shoot music videos outside in cold weather. So for Soyeon to find Yuqi warm, means she must be pretty damn cold herself. And although Soyeon’s body is still cold, her heart has been thoroughly warmed.
Soyeon hears a sigh right in her ear. Through the mirror, she catches the taller woman rolling her eyes and blinking rapidly in playful irritation.
Soyeon places her free hand over Yuqi’s, replacing any trace of annoyance with a dreamy look, and that’s how they stand until she finishes brushing her teeth.
After Soyeon gets dressed, they make their way back to the bedroom. Soyeon doesn’t intend to sleep just yet; it’s still early in the night, so she figured she’d wait the hour it takes for her hair to air-dry. She sits down on her bed, leaning back against the headboard.
“C’mere, pup,” Soyeon opens the comforter and pats her lap.
Yuqi crawls across the bed, and lies down with her head in Soyeon’s lap. She lets out a wince and ragged exhale.
“Aww, my poor baby.” Soyeon adjusts the comforter, pulling it mostly over Yuqi instead of herself, given their position. “The painkillers should kick in soon.”
She slips her hand under the covers, feeling around until she finds Yuqi’s stomach. She slips her hand under the hoodie and rubs slow circles over taut abs, hoping to provide comfort or at least a distraction. Feeling the chiseled ridges beneath her fingertips is just a nice bonus.
Yuqi visibly relaxes, breathing a sigh of relief and letting her eyes flutter shut. Soyeon feels the muscle under her hand unclench, becoming more bouncy than firm.
“I know you’ve been trying to push your leopard cat agenda, but right now, you’re really like a puppy.”
Yuqi opens her eyes and furrows her brows in a wounded expression.
“Oh come on, what defense do you have when I’m literally giving you belly rubs? And you’re lucky I haven’t told anyone about your dog reflex.”
Soyeon sneaks her fingertips behind the waistband of Yuqi’s sweats, a few inches off from center, and scratches gently.
The ticklish sensation triggers a rhythmic chain of muscle contractions, running from Yuqi’s stomach, down her entire leg, causing the limb to repeatedly kick out and visibly rustle the sheets. Yuqi’s squinted eyes glare up at Soyeon, though her breaths become shallow pants as she holds in laughter.
“Hmm, I’m pretty sure leopard cats don’t do that,” Soyeon teases before resuming her previous, more soothing ministrations. “Hey, I think I’ve figured out the difference between Yuqi and a puppy; puppies can’t speak. But you’re in luck because dogs are my favorite animal.”
She leans down to press a kiss on Yuqi’s forehead as the latter catches her breath.
Soyeon is mostly joking, but maybe there’s more truth to it than she initially thought. Without the ability to speak, Soyeon sort of feels like Yuqi isn’t completely herself. Like a part of her has gone missing, and she’s trying to fill the hole with affection, whether it be incoming or outgoing. For someone who once thought she prefers the quiet, Soyeon really misses hearing Yuqi’s loud voice.
“You hanging in there, Yuqi?” Soyeon asks after a beat of silence, realizing belatedly that her joke might've hit a sore spot.
Yuqi nods, eyes glazed over like she’s drunk on the attention.
“Hey, you wanna hear what Miyeon did at practice today?”
She nods again.
“She kissed Shuhua. On the lips.”
Yuqi’s eyes widen, and her mouth falls open.
“Yeah, snuck up on her from behind with her lips puckered, then made her little ‘hmmm’ kissing hum. She expected Shuhua to dodge when she heard the sound, but I guess it isn’t easy to classically condition a baby wolf. She turned around and their lips touched.”
Yuqi’s eyes crinkle in amusement.
“And get this, Miyeon had to apologize to three people,” Soyeon laughs, recalling the memory. “Obviously, Shuhua was upset, and Minnie got sulky too, but then Shuhua called Soojin to beg for forgiveness, so Miyeon had to step in and explain how it wasn't Shuhua’s fault and that Miyeon wasn’t trying to steal her girlfriend.”
Yuqi fights to keep her laughter to voiceless, mirthful puffs of air.
“Oh, that girl was lucky you weren’t there to tease her on top of all that…”
Soyeon drops a kiss onto her girlfriend’s cheek, smiling sweetly.
“Just ‘cause I love you.”
Yuqi beams up at her from her lap.
Soyeon moves from topic to topic like the wind, indulging whatever pops up in her mind, random acts of affection included. No other stories of remarkable importance are told though, since Yuqi’s already been informed of each day’s highlights through text while she was overseas. And apparently, the woman is either still jetlagged or exhausted, as her eyes slowly drift shut after listening to the Korean’s voice for half an hour. Soyeon notices, but opts to continue talking softly and stroking her abdomen for a minute or two, so the sudden loss of stimuli doesn’t startle her awake.
Once she deems it safe, Soyeon retrieves her hand from under the covers and reaches for the manga she left on the nightstand. She’ll let Yuqi stay in her lap for now but resolves to maneuver her into a more comfortable position if the younger woman doesn’t wake up on her own before Soyeon goes to sleep.
After thirty minutes of reading, a big yawn splits Soyeon’s face. She runs a hand through her hair, finding it no longer damp. She puts the manga back on the nightstand before turning her attention to the sleeping beauty in her lap.
Cradling one hand under Yuqi’s head and the other under her back, Soyeon slowly rotates her body so her head moves towards the pillows. Just as Soyeon lowers her head down onto a pillow, Yuqi cracks one eye open, blinking confusedly.
“Go back to sleep, jagiya,” Soyeon says as she stands up. “I’m just gonna go turn off the light.”
Yuqi opens her other eye, watching Soyeon walk the small distance across the room and flick the lightswitch off. As she loses sight of her girlfriend in the darkness, Yuqi sits up and stares in the direction she knows Soyeon to be in. As soon as the mattress dips next to her, she reaches her arms out, making contact with a warm body.
“Oh my-” Soyeon flinches at the feeling of hands grabbing her face, having expected Yuqi to still be lying down.
She doesn’t flinch a second time when she feels a puff of warm breath hit her face. She wonders for a brief moment whether Yuqi is about to kiss her. She’s not sure if she has the mental strength to deny her this time if she is. But then, she feels something rubbing against her nose. It takes a few seconds to realize that Yuqi is eskimo kissing her, but when she does, she reciprocates wordlessly, a giddy grin stretching her lips.
After a few seconds, Yuqi lies down, guiding Soyeon to do the same, with the hands still cupping her jaws. Soyeon feels Yuqi straddle her, shifting her hands down to her shoulders. Their legs entangle, and Yuqi’s head nestles into the crook of Soyeon’s neck. She hears and feels Yuqi taking a deep inhale while nosing at her jaw. While their sleeping arrangement usually doesn’t involve sniffing, Soyeon decides not to question it, already having a hunch that Yuqi is affectionately uninhibited without her voice. Yuqi sighs in satisfaction as she settles into her position.
Soyeon slings one arm around her waist and cradles the back of Yuqi’s head with her other hand.
“Sweet dreams, pup,” she whispers as they drift off to dreamland together.