- For otf09!
Title: How to Catch an Alligator
Recipient: otf09
Group(s)/Pairing(s): SNSD | Yoona/Taeyeon | hint!Sunny/Jessica
Rating: PG-13
Warning(s): sexual suggestion
Summary: Things aren’t what they seem the moment Taeyeon moves into her college dorm.
Notes: This became a very crack!fic.
i. be adorable and soften up those edges
“Well, this is awkward.”
Taeyeon yelped and scrambled off of the other person she fell on top of. She could feel her face burn up from embarrassment as she stood up and profusely apologized to whoever she knocked down. Her eyes were fixed on the floor as she maintained her deep bow, unwilling to look at whatever expression was being directed towards her.
“Are you Kim Taeyeon?”
A small nod, but Taeyeon remained silent.
“Ah, so you’re my roommate for this year. I’m Im Yoona.”
Taeyeon could see the taller girl stand up from the floor from her peripherals before a hand shot itself beneath her face. She lifted her head and saw the smile on Yoona’s face before she reluctantly took the hand directed to her. “H-Hi, I’m Kim Taeyeon.” A small laugh came from the girl before her and she couldn’t help but feel her face burn up even more.
“I know that, silly. Here, why don’t I help you move in? I think your friend ran off with my cousin to look for food.”
“Sunny?” Taeyeon abruptly stood up straight and looked around the dorm room only to find that she was alone with Yoona. She stepped out into the hallway to see if the other girl was there, but she wasn’t.
“I also apologize for my cousin’s behaviour. Sica-unnie normally doesn’t shove people out of the way, she usually just trips them if she doesn’t like them.”
“She doesn’t like me?” the shorter girl turned back to Yoona with a pout on her face.
Yoona grinned and cupped Taeyeon’s face in her hands. “You’re adorable. Sica-unnie was hungry and you were blocking the door with your boxes. She wanted to get out and find something to eat. Don’t worry about her, she’ll like you. As long as you don’t get in the way of her and the air-conditioner.”
“O-Okay.”
“Come on, let’s get the rest of your things in here before they come back.” Yoona turned Taeyeon around and pushed her towards the door. “By the way, just because it was awkward doesn’t mean I didn’t like it.”
Taeyeon covered her face and shook her head. All she could see behind her eyelids was the way Yoona cheekily smiled back at her.
i. when the edges soften, it isn’t what you expect
---
ii. learn whatever weaknesses you can
“Food!”
Taeyeon jumped at the yell. She looked back over her shoulder to see Yoona stumbling into the room to her bed where a bag of take-out sat. Her brow furrowed at the unlikely sight. There sat Yoona wolfing down the food as if it was the last meal she would ever had. Oddly enough, she found the sight to be really cute, albeit amusing. “How are you so skinny?”
Yoona looked up from the container and quickly swallowed the food in her mouth. “It’s in the genes.”
A quiet chuckle left Taeyeon’s lips. “Don’t eat so fast, you’ll get sick if you do.” She fully turned around and propped her arms on the back of her chair, letting her chin rest on her hands.
“Don’t worry, unnie, you haven’t seen me get sick before, right?” Yoona gave her a toothy grin as she continued to eat.
“But there is a first time for everything.”
ii. weaknesses aren’t supposed to be obvious
---
ii.i is this supposed to be a weakness?
“I told you to eat slowly,” Taeyeon stated as she sat on the edge of Yoona’s bed and watched the younger girl groan in pain. She rubbed the other girl’s back in hopes of soothing her, but the goddess of food would only howl in pain.
“You didn’t have to jinx me by saying that,” Yoona replied back. She rolled onto her back and tossed her arms over her eyes. “I want Sica-unnie,” she whined, rubbing her face.
Taeyeon tilted her head to the side. “Why? Do you want me to call her?” She reached over for Yoona’s phone and turned it on, only to blush. There was a picture of her asleep cuddling with her large peas plushie. She flicked to Yoona’s contact list and started to scroll through it.
“Sica-unnie usually rubs my stomach when I get sick like this.”
“O-Oh?” Taeyeon looked past the phone and felt her eyes widen. She pressed her lips together and suppressed the whimper that was about to escape past her lips when she saw Yoona lift her shirt far enough to reveal her abdomen.
“Yeah, like this.” Yoona reached out for Taeyeon’s free hand and rubbed it against her stomach. When she could feel Taeyeon doing it on her own, she let go and allowed herself to rest with her eyes closed.
Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god. Taeyeon continued to numbly rub the other girl’s abdomen, but she closed her eyes as well. She knew she was as red as a tomato. This kind of skin contact was something she hadn’t experienced before. Well, not with someone she had only met for a couple of months.
She tried to focus on a shining sun, pink jewels, black pearls, tiger cubs, cartoon frogs, food and lovely snowy winters, but her mind drifted off to something else. The feeling of soft skin beneath her fingertips, the way Yoona’s muscles would occasionally flex and a groan-- was that a moan?!-- would leave the girl’s mouth.
“Y-Yoona?” she quietly called out, but she received no response. She opened her eyes and chewed on her lower lip when she expected the other girl to be staring at her. “Yoona?” she tried again. Except, she realized the only reason there was no response was because Yoona had fallen asleep.
When she saw Yoona’s brow furrow, she quickly resumed rubbing the girl’s abdomen and noticed how she relaxed. She pursed her lips and decided to lie beside Yoona if only to be comfortable for the next while.
ii.i belly rubs... who would’ve thought?
---
iii. seek help from other alligator catchers
“What were you doing in my cousin’s bed?”
The question threw Taeyeon off guard and caused her to choke on coffee she was drinking.
“Taeyeon!” Sunny squeaked and quickly rubbed her friend’s back. She glared at the girl seated across from them who only returned the look back at her.
“I’m...fine.” Taeyeon heaved as she coughed a few more times until she calmed down. She rubbed her throat and waved Sunny away. “What makes you say that?”
Jessica raised her eyebrows and smirked. “Found them this morning when I came by to pick Yoona up for breakfast. It was cute to see you two wrapped up like a pretzel. You like her?”
“Oh, my god. She had a stomach ache last night and she said that you usually--”
“--rub her stomach when she gets sick like that. I do, but she only lets people she likes do it to her. Me, and my sister and my sister’s girlfriend. Interesting to see her let you do it. So, you like her? Cause she likes you.”
Taeyeon frowned when she listened to Jessica. Is Yoona gay?
“She’s gay, by the way.”
Telepath, much? Are you supposed to be the blunt version of Jean Grey?
“I’m not a telepath, you’re just thinking out loud Kitty Pryde,” Jessica commented as she watched Taeyeon try to shrink deeper into her seat. She smiled at the other girl and quietly laughed. “If you like her, you might as well just say so. I’m starting to like you.”
“B-But I don’t like girls...” Taeyeon whispered. She stared into her coffee mug before she turned to Sunny pleading for help.
“Are you telling that to me or yourself?” Jessica questioned back. She raised an eyebrow when Sunny gave her another hard glare. “You don’t have to like girls, you can only like Yoona or myself, for that matter.”
“Y-You? I thought you didn’t like me.”
Jessica sighed and shrugged. “I was hungry. You were in the way. I wanted food. Do you like me? I can be a nice person.”
“Sunny-ah...” Taeyeon whimpered.
“Leave her alone. If she doesn’t like girls, she doesn’t. Don’t push her on it,” Sunny stated as she slung an arm around Taeyeon’s shoulders.
“What about you? Do you like girls?” Jessica asked as she eyed the blonde girl with undoubtedly short hair. She narrowed her eyes when she saw Sunny silently conversing with her. An airy laugh filled the air when all sorts of revelations filled Jessica’s head. “Wow, today is becoming a very interesting day.”
Taeyeon could only groan.
iii. sometimes the alligator catchers find you, instead, and you find out things you didn’t ever expect
---
iv. observe the creature in its habitat
Ever since that short conversation in the café, Taeyeon couldn’t help but keep an eye on Yoona’s behaviour. The only thing that kept repeating itself in her head was, “She’s gay, by the way.” Stupid Jessica. She became paranoid and wondered what kind of behaviour Yoona exhibited that screamed ‘gay’. For the past while, Yoona seemed to be like any other girl, save for the odd amount of strength she had, the unladylike laugh she had, and the way she would devour her food like no other.
“--unnie?”
“H-Huh?” Taeyeon snapped out of her reverie to find Yoona looking at her in concern.
“Are you okay? I was asking you a question for the past five minutes.” Yoona crossed the room with her textbook in hand and sat beside Taeyeon on her bed. “Something wrong?”
Taeyeon bit the inside of her cheek and shook her head. She looked up at the other girl and forced on a smile. She’s really pretty...
“--unnie!”
“H-Huh?!”
Yoona let out a loud laugh and tossed her textbook to the side. She shifted about far enough to face Taeyeon. “I was asking you if you had plans for our usual movie night.”
“Um, those would be the plans...” Taeyeon trailed off unsure of what to say.
Yoona apologetically smiled. “We need to cancel it.”
“What? Why?” Taeyeon unintentionally tossed her own textbook over the bed, nearly tossing her maturity over the bed for a childish tantrum.
“Ahh, you’re so adorable,” Yoona stated as she cupped Taeyeon’s face and stroked her thumbs along the older girl’s cheeks. “I just want to hug you forever.”
“Yoona, why are you cancelling?” Taeyeon whined. She reached up and took Yoona’s hands into her own.
“Because I have a date with Nichkhun tomorrow. He asked me out today,” Yoona answered back. She tilted her head when she saw Taeyeon’s shoulders deflate and her head hang low. “Hey, we can raincheck for the day after.”
“But...” I wanted to hang out with you...
iv. observe too much and you end up missing some details
---
v. take a break to recollect yourself
“Unnie, what do you think?” Yoona turned around and faced the girl on the bed.
Taeyeon looked up from her laptop and felt her jaw drop at the picture in front of her. She unconsciously started to chew on her lower lip when her eyes took in the sight of Yoona in the tight fitting navy blue strapless dress. “Y-You’re wearing th-that?” she stammered out when she saw Yoona bend down to put on her heels.
“Yeah, Nichkhun told me to wear something fancy.”
“L-Let me help you.” Taeyeon placed her laptop aside and moved to Yoona’s feet when she saw the other girl struggling to put the footwear on. She couldn’t help but lick her lower lip when she saw the expanse of skin in front of her face before she leaned down to strap Yoona’s shoe on. Her hands fumbled with the strap when her cheek briefly touched Yoona’s leg. So... smooth.
“You won’t get bored without me, right?” Yoona joked. She looked down and watched as Taeyeon helped her into her other shoe. She held back a chuckle when she saw Taeyeon’s cheek pressing against the side of her knee.
“N-No, what makes you think that?” Taeyeon strapped on the other shoe before standing up and smiling at the taller girl. So... tall.
Yoona softly smiled and ruffled Taeyeon’s hair. “I’m going to go downstairs and meet Nichkhun down in the lobby. Don’t wait up, okay?”
Taeyeon silently nodded and watched as Yoona gathered her jacket and purse before heading to the door. She frowned and sat on her bed, staring at the floor.
“I think I’m forgetting something.”
Taeyeon looked up and froze when Yoona walked over and kissed her forever. She heard a chuckle, but she didn’t notice the door close when Yoona left. All she could really notice was the soft heat thrumming from the centre of her forehead. She fell back onto her bed with a goofy grin on her face, touching her forehead. I might like her.
v. recollect yourself now
---
vi. actually seek the help of other alligator catchers
“You should confess to her soon,” Jessica stated in a sing-song voice when she took her usual seat across Taeyeon and Sunny in the college’s café. She narrowed her eyes when she saw Taeyeon silently sitting in her seat with her eyes fixed on the table. “Taeyeon?”
“She... kissed Nichkhun.”
Jessica sighed and reached out to Taeyeon. She covered the other girl’s hands with her own and gestured for her to look up. “Hey, just because she kissed him doesn’t mean they’re actually together. It was just a goodbye kiss after a date, it doesn’t really mean--”
“It means they’re together, Jessica. What else would it mean? Maybe I do like Yoona, but it’s clear she doesn’t like me or else she wouldn’t have kissed him,” Taeyeon interjected with tears welling in her eyes. She hung her head again and forced back her tears.
“Taeyeon-ah, think of Nichkhun as your competition. They just got together, it doesn’t mean they’re going to get engaged and married. You still have time. If you really do like my cousin, then fight for her. Nichkhun’s just an obstacle. You have it easier, you know? You’re living with Yoona, so wooing her shouldn’t be that much harder since you already know enough about her. Why don’t you go back to the dorm and plan out how you’ll sweep Yoona off of her feet before Nichkhun does.”
Taeyeon dejectedly nodded and slipped out of her seat. She buried her hands into the pockets of her sweater and left the café.
“I didn’t think you had that in you,” Sunny remarked.
Jessica smirked. “I’m full of surprises, would you like to find out?”
Sunny rolled her eyes. “Cocky.”
“Nah, last time I checked I didn’t have one.”
“Wow.”
vi. other alligator catchers never cease to surprise
---
vii. strategically lure the alligator in
Taeyeon winced when she heard Yoona spouting out the list of food she wanted to eat from the menu. She could feel a hole burning through her wallet with every dish the waiter was writing down. There went most of my spare change.
“And you, miss?”
“I’ll just have the Korean barbecue and some water.” She needed to save money somewhere.
“So, what’s the occasion?” Yoona leaned forward onto the table.
“What do you mean?” Taeyeon turned away and hoped the dim lighting of the restaurant would mask her reddening face.
“You never take me out for dinner, especially at a spiffy place like this. So, what’s the occasion?”
“U-Um...”
“Yoona!”
Both Taeyeon and Yoona turned to the call. Nichkhun.
“Oppa!” Yoona stood up and allowed the other man to hug her tight with a quick kiss on the lips. “Nichkhun-oppa, this is Taeyeon-unnie, she’s my roommate.”
Taeyeon fought back the sour look that crept onto her face as she stood up and greeted the taller man. They look like a cute couple. “Hi.”
“Do you mind if I join you ladies? I just finished having a meeting with some group members for a project.”
Taeyeon wanted to say no, but Yoona instantly agreed. She watched as Nichkhun pulled up a chair to the table and it made her stomach drop. “H-Hey, I’ll be right back. I need to use the restroom.” She didn’t wait for any response when she turned around and took off.
vii. hope that the alligator doesn’t bite back and ruins your plan
---
viii. regroup when a plan fails
Taeyeon leaned back against the line of sinks as she tried to calm herself from what she had just seen. She felt like crying. Maybe I should’ve stuck to something simple like a movie marathon. At least we’d be snuggled together in the same bed and Nichkhun wouldn’t suddenly show up. She covered her face with her hands and turned around to splash some water on her face. When she pulled her hands away, she jumped and shrieked when she saw Yoona’s reflection in the mirror.
“Sorry unnie,” Yoona sheepishly apologized as she placed a hand on Taeyeon’s back. “Are you okay?”
Taeyeon half-heartedly shrugged, but nodded.
“Did you want Nichkhun to stay? I can ask him to leave.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Taeyeon answered back. “He can stay, he’s already staying anyway.”
“Um...”
Taeyeon looked up and saw the hesitation on Yoona’s face. “Yoona?”
“After dinner, Nichkhun wants to go out for a while, so you’ll have to drive home alone.”
“O-Oh...” There goes my heart. Taeyeon weakly nodded and saw Yoona frowning.
“Are you sure you’re okay? You’re turning pale. Do you want to go home?”
“I-I’m fine,” Taeyeon squeaked out. Tears suddenly started to fall down her face.
“U-Unnie? W-What’s wrong? Why--” Yoona couldn’t finish her words when Taeyeon’s arms wrapped around her neck and pulled her down, crashing their lips together. She initially froze at the action, but she wrapped her arms around Taeyeon’s waist and pulled her in even closer.
“Why can’t you like me? I want you to be spending time with me and not him. Why can’t we go to expensive restaurants? Why can’t we go out for walks at night? Why can’t you see me?” Taeyeon questioned in between kisses. She buried her face into Yoona’s chest and started to sob.
Yoona held the woman tight in her arms and softly smiled. “I do like you. I spend all of my time with you since we live together. We can’t go to expensive restaurants because I’ll have you broke in one night like tonight. I don’t want to go out for walks at night because I don’t want other people seeing you-- us and end up ruining the moment. I do see you, I’m just waiting for you to tell me you see me.”
It took a few moments until Taeyeon stopped sobbing. She looked up at Yoona with red eyes, but eyes full of wonder. “W-What?”
Yoona softly kissed Taeyeon on the lips again. “I. Like. You.”
viii. regrouping never works out the way you want it to
---
ix. catch the alligator and tie ‘em up
“Taeyeon-unnie, meet Nichkhun-oppa, my best friend for several years. We had a nice plan, didn’t we, oppa?”
“P-Plan?” Taeyeon looked between the two and it dawned on her. “Y-You knew?!”
“That’s my cue to go, bye Yoong,” Nichkhun said as he quickly stood up and left the restaurant.
Yoona took her seat and nervously smiled at the older girl. “Sica-unnie told me. Well, I knew you liked me the moment we first met. I just had to move you along the way so you would figure it out. Besides, Sica-unnie told me she told you everything and was waiting for you to make a move.”
Taeyeon took her seat when the waiter arrived with a cart full of their food. She blinked several times before she silently began to eat.
“U-Unnie?”
Taeyeon took another bite of her food and thoughtfully chew on it.
“I’m sorry?” Yoona frowned.
***
“Unnie, I’m sorry!” Yoona cried, when Taeyeon slapped her derriere. They had returned back to the dorm and the first thing Taeyeon did was lock the door and throw Yoona onto her bed. Next thing the younger girl knew, her dress was hiked up above her waist and a hand was striking her bottom.
“You thought it was a good idea to play a trick on me?” Taeyeon struck her again and eyed the lacy piece of underwear. She pulled it down and ran her fingertips along the slick skin it covered.
“I-I j-just wanted t-to give you a p-push,” Yoona stuttered out. She looked over her shoulder and shrieked when a finger slipped past her defences.
ix. plan executed
---
x. show off your prize
Both Yoona and Taeyeon awkwardly walked into the café Jessica and Sunny were waiting at. They walked inside and looked around the place until they found the two.
“Did you expect that?”
Yoona turned around and followed Taeyeon’s line of sight. “Oh, wow.”
“Are they together?”
“Um... they-- oh, they are.”
“Yoona, I think your cousin is about to suck the soul out of my best friend,” Taeyeon commented.
“W-Why don’t we send them a text and tell them to postpone? I think things are-- where is your best friend’s hand going?!”
Taeyeon’s eyes widened and she grabbed Yoona’s hand, pulling her out of the café.
x. show off your prize another day
---
“Would you say I caught your eye?” Taeyeon asked as she lied on Yoona’s shoulder, tracing random patterns on the girl’s abdomen.
“You could, but I think I caught yours as well.”
Taeyeon slid her hand beneath Yoona’s shirt and rubbed the soft skin. “Would you say I was trying to catch your attention?”
“Mmm...” Yoona stared up at the ceiling. “You could, but did you really catch my attention when you already had it from the start? Besides, if you were trying to catch me at all, I think I caught you, instead.”
Taeyeon lifted her head and raised an eyebrow. “How so?”
Yoona rolled the girl onto her back and grinned widely. “Guess.”
Recipient: otf09
Group(s)/Pairing(s): SNSD | Yoona/Taeyeon | hint!Sunny/Jessica
Rating: PG-13
Warning(s): sexual suggestion
Summary: Things aren’t what they seem the moment Taeyeon moves into her college dorm.
Notes: This became a very crack!fic.
i. be adorable and soften up those edges
“Well, this is awkward.”
Taeyeon yelped and scrambled off of the other person she fell on top of. She could feel her face burn up from embarrassment as she stood up and profusely apologized to whoever she knocked down. Her eyes were fixed on the floor as she maintained her deep bow, unwilling to look at whatever expression was being directed towards her.
“Are you Kim Taeyeon?”
A small nod, but Taeyeon remained silent.
“Ah, so you’re my roommate for this year. I’m Im Yoona.”
Taeyeon could see the taller girl stand up from the floor from her peripherals before a hand shot itself beneath her face. She lifted her head and saw the smile on Yoona’s face before she reluctantly took the hand directed to her. “H-Hi, I’m Kim Taeyeon.” A small laugh came from the girl before her and she couldn’t help but feel her face burn up even more.
“I know that, silly. Here, why don’t I help you move in? I think your friend ran off with my cousin to look for food.”
“Sunny?” Taeyeon abruptly stood up straight and looked around the dorm room only to find that she was alone with Yoona. She stepped out into the hallway to see if the other girl was there, but she wasn’t.
“I also apologize for my cousin’s behaviour. Sica-unnie normally doesn’t shove people out of the way, she usually just trips them if she doesn’t like them.”
“She doesn’t like me?” the shorter girl turned back to Yoona with a pout on her face.
Yoona grinned and cupped Taeyeon’s face in her hands. “You’re adorable. Sica-unnie was hungry and you were blocking the door with your boxes. She wanted to get out and find something to eat. Don’t worry about her, she’ll like you. As long as you don’t get in the way of her and the air-conditioner.”
“O-Okay.”
“Come on, let’s get the rest of your things in here before they come back.” Yoona turned Taeyeon around and pushed her towards the door. “By the way, just because it was awkward doesn’t mean I didn’t like it.”
Taeyeon covered her face and shook her head. All she could see behind her eyelids was the way Yoona cheekily smiled back at her.
i. when the edges soften, it isn’t what you expect
---
ii. learn whatever weaknesses you can
“Food!”
Taeyeon jumped at the yell. She looked back over her shoulder to see Yoona stumbling into the room to her bed where a bag of take-out sat. Her brow furrowed at the unlikely sight. There sat Yoona wolfing down the food as if it was the last meal she would ever had. Oddly enough, she found the sight to be really cute, albeit amusing. “How are you so skinny?”
Yoona looked up from the container and quickly swallowed the food in her mouth. “It’s in the genes.”
A quiet chuckle left Taeyeon’s lips. “Don’t eat so fast, you’ll get sick if you do.” She fully turned around and propped her arms on the back of her chair, letting her chin rest on her hands.
“Don’t worry, unnie, you haven’t seen me get sick before, right?” Yoona gave her a toothy grin as she continued to eat.
“But there is a first time for everything.”
ii. weaknesses aren’t supposed to be obvious
---
ii.i is this supposed to be a weakness?
“I told you to eat slowly,” Taeyeon stated as she sat on the edge of Yoona’s bed and watched the younger girl groan in pain. She rubbed the other girl’s back in hopes of soothing her, but the goddess of food would only howl in pain.
“You didn’t have to jinx me by saying that,” Yoona replied back. She rolled onto her back and tossed her arms over her eyes. “I want Sica-unnie,” she whined, rubbing her face.
Taeyeon tilted her head to the side. “Why? Do you want me to call her?” She reached over for Yoona’s phone and turned it on, only to blush. There was a picture of her asleep cuddling with her large peas plushie. She flicked to Yoona’s contact list and started to scroll through it.
“Sica-unnie usually rubs my stomach when I get sick like this.”
“O-Oh?” Taeyeon looked past the phone and felt her eyes widen. She pressed her lips together and suppressed the whimper that was about to escape past her lips when she saw Yoona lift her shirt far enough to reveal her abdomen.
“Yeah, like this.” Yoona reached out for Taeyeon’s free hand and rubbed it against her stomach. When she could feel Taeyeon doing it on her own, she let go and allowed herself to rest with her eyes closed.
Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god. Taeyeon continued to numbly rub the other girl’s abdomen, but she closed her eyes as well. She knew she was as red as a tomato. This kind of skin contact was something she hadn’t experienced before. Well, not with someone she had only met for a couple of months.
She tried to focus on a shining sun, pink jewels, black pearls, tiger cubs, cartoon frogs, food and lovely snowy winters, but her mind drifted off to something else. The feeling of soft skin beneath her fingertips, the way Yoona’s muscles would occasionally flex and a groan-- was that a moan?!-- would leave the girl’s mouth.
“Y-Yoona?” she quietly called out, but she received no response. She opened her eyes and chewed on her lower lip when she expected the other girl to be staring at her. “Yoona?” she tried again. Except, she realized the only reason there was no response was because Yoona had fallen asleep.
When she saw Yoona’s brow furrow, she quickly resumed rubbing the girl’s abdomen and noticed how she relaxed. She pursed her lips and decided to lie beside Yoona if only to be comfortable for the next while.
ii.i belly rubs... who would’ve thought?
---
iii. seek help from other alligator catchers
“What were you doing in my cousin’s bed?”
The question threw Taeyeon off guard and caused her to choke on coffee she was drinking.
“Taeyeon!” Sunny squeaked and quickly rubbed her friend’s back. She glared at the girl seated across from them who only returned the look back at her.
“I’m...fine.” Taeyeon heaved as she coughed a few more times until she calmed down. She rubbed her throat and waved Sunny away. “What makes you say that?”
Jessica raised her eyebrows and smirked. “Found them this morning when I came by to pick Yoona up for breakfast. It was cute to see you two wrapped up like a pretzel. You like her?”
“Oh, my god. She had a stomach ache last night and she said that you usually--”
“--rub her stomach when she gets sick like that. I do, but she only lets people she likes do it to her. Me, and my sister and my sister’s girlfriend. Interesting to see her let you do it. So, you like her? Cause she likes you.”
Taeyeon frowned when she listened to Jessica. Is Yoona gay?
“She’s gay, by the way.”
Telepath, much? Are you supposed to be the blunt version of Jean Grey?
“I’m not a telepath, you’re just thinking out loud Kitty Pryde,” Jessica commented as she watched Taeyeon try to shrink deeper into her seat. She smiled at the other girl and quietly laughed. “If you like her, you might as well just say so. I’m starting to like you.”
“B-But I don’t like girls...” Taeyeon whispered. She stared into her coffee mug before she turned to Sunny pleading for help.
“Are you telling that to me or yourself?” Jessica questioned back. She raised an eyebrow when Sunny gave her another hard glare. “You don’t have to like girls, you can only like Yoona or myself, for that matter.”
“Y-You? I thought you didn’t like me.”
Jessica sighed and shrugged. “I was hungry. You were in the way. I wanted food. Do you like me? I can be a nice person.”
“Sunny-ah...” Taeyeon whimpered.
“Leave her alone. If she doesn’t like girls, she doesn’t. Don’t push her on it,” Sunny stated as she slung an arm around Taeyeon’s shoulders.
“What about you? Do you like girls?” Jessica asked as she eyed the blonde girl with undoubtedly short hair. She narrowed her eyes when she saw Sunny silently conversing with her. An airy laugh filled the air when all sorts of revelations filled Jessica’s head. “Wow, today is becoming a very interesting day.”
Taeyeon could only groan.
iii. sometimes the alligator catchers find you, instead, and you find out things you didn’t ever expect
---
iv. observe the creature in its habitat
Ever since that short conversation in the café, Taeyeon couldn’t help but keep an eye on Yoona’s behaviour. The only thing that kept repeating itself in her head was, “She’s gay, by the way.” Stupid Jessica. She became paranoid and wondered what kind of behaviour Yoona exhibited that screamed ‘gay’. For the past while, Yoona seemed to be like any other girl, save for the odd amount of strength she had, the unladylike laugh she had, and the way she would devour her food like no other.
“--unnie?”
“H-Huh?” Taeyeon snapped out of her reverie to find Yoona looking at her in concern.
“Are you okay? I was asking you a question for the past five minutes.” Yoona crossed the room with her textbook in hand and sat beside Taeyeon on her bed. “Something wrong?”
Taeyeon bit the inside of her cheek and shook her head. She looked up at the other girl and forced on a smile. She’s really pretty...
“--unnie!”
“H-Huh?!”
Yoona let out a loud laugh and tossed her textbook to the side. She shifted about far enough to face Taeyeon. “I was asking you if you had plans for our usual movie night.”
“Um, those would be the plans...” Taeyeon trailed off unsure of what to say.
Yoona apologetically smiled. “We need to cancel it.”
“What? Why?” Taeyeon unintentionally tossed her own textbook over the bed, nearly tossing her maturity over the bed for a childish tantrum.
“Ahh, you’re so adorable,” Yoona stated as she cupped Taeyeon’s face and stroked her thumbs along the older girl’s cheeks. “I just want to hug you forever.”
“Yoona, why are you cancelling?” Taeyeon whined. She reached up and took Yoona’s hands into her own.
“Because I have a date with Nichkhun tomorrow. He asked me out today,” Yoona answered back. She tilted her head when she saw Taeyeon’s shoulders deflate and her head hang low. “Hey, we can raincheck for the day after.”
“But...” I wanted to hang out with you...
iv. observe too much and you end up missing some details
---
v. take a break to recollect yourself
“Unnie, what do you think?” Yoona turned around and faced the girl on the bed.
Taeyeon looked up from her laptop and felt her jaw drop at the picture in front of her. She unconsciously started to chew on her lower lip when her eyes took in the sight of Yoona in the tight fitting navy blue strapless dress. “Y-You’re wearing th-that?” she stammered out when she saw Yoona bend down to put on her heels.
“Yeah, Nichkhun told me to wear something fancy.”
“L-Let me help you.” Taeyeon placed her laptop aside and moved to Yoona’s feet when she saw the other girl struggling to put the footwear on. She couldn’t help but lick her lower lip when she saw the expanse of skin in front of her face before she leaned down to strap Yoona’s shoe on. Her hands fumbled with the strap when her cheek briefly touched Yoona’s leg. So... smooth.
“You won’t get bored without me, right?” Yoona joked. She looked down and watched as Taeyeon helped her into her other shoe. She held back a chuckle when she saw Taeyeon’s cheek pressing against the side of her knee.
“N-No, what makes you think that?” Taeyeon strapped on the other shoe before standing up and smiling at the taller girl. So... tall.
Yoona softly smiled and ruffled Taeyeon’s hair. “I’m going to go downstairs and meet Nichkhun down in the lobby. Don’t wait up, okay?”
Taeyeon silently nodded and watched as Yoona gathered her jacket and purse before heading to the door. She frowned and sat on her bed, staring at the floor.
“I think I’m forgetting something.”
Taeyeon looked up and froze when Yoona walked over and kissed her forever. She heard a chuckle, but she didn’t notice the door close when Yoona left. All she could really notice was the soft heat thrumming from the centre of her forehead. She fell back onto her bed with a goofy grin on her face, touching her forehead. I might like her.
v. recollect yourself now
---
vi. actually seek the help of other alligator catchers
“You should confess to her soon,” Jessica stated in a sing-song voice when she took her usual seat across Taeyeon and Sunny in the college’s café. She narrowed her eyes when she saw Taeyeon silently sitting in her seat with her eyes fixed on the table. “Taeyeon?”
“She... kissed Nichkhun.”
Jessica sighed and reached out to Taeyeon. She covered the other girl’s hands with her own and gestured for her to look up. “Hey, just because she kissed him doesn’t mean they’re actually together. It was just a goodbye kiss after a date, it doesn’t really mean--”
“It means they’re together, Jessica. What else would it mean? Maybe I do like Yoona, but it’s clear she doesn’t like me or else she wouldn’t have kissed him,” Taeyeon interjected with tears welling in her eyes. She hung her head again and forced back her tears.
“Taeyeon-ah, think of Nichkhun as your competition. They just got together, it doesn’t mean they’re going to get engaged and married. You still have time. If you really do like my cousin, then fight for her. Nichkhun’s just an obstacle. You have it easier, you know? You’re living with Yoona, so wooing her shouldn’t be that much harder since you already know enough about her. Why don’t you go back to the dorm and plan out how you’ll sweep Yoona off of her feet before Nichkhun does.”
Taeyeon dejectedly nodded and slipped out of her seat. She buried her hands into the pockets of her sweater and left the café.
“I didn’t think you had that in you,” Sunny remarked.
Jessica smirked. “I’m full of surprises, would you like to find out?”
Sunny rolled her eyes. “Cocky.”
“Nah, last time I checked I didn’t have one.”
“Wow.”
vi. other alligator catchers never cease to surprise
---
vii. strategically lure the alligator in
Taeyeon winced when she heard Yoona spouting out the list of food she wanted to eat from the menu. She could feel a hole burning through her wallet with every dish the waiter was writing down. There went most of my spare change.
“And you, miss?”
“I’ll just have the Korean barbecue and some water.” She needed to save money somewhere.
“So, what’s the occasion?” Yoona leaned forward onto the table.
“What do you mean?” Taeyeon turned away and hoped the dim lighting of the restaurant would mask her reddening face.
“You never take me out for dinner, especially at a spiffy place like this. So, what’s the occasion?”
“U-Um...”
“Yoona!”
Both Taeyeon and Yoona turned to the call. Nichkhun.
“Oppa!” Yoona stood up and allowed the other man to hug her tight with a quick kiss on the lips. “Nichkhun-oppa, this is Taeyeon-unnie, she’s my roommate.”
Taeyeon fought back the sour look that crept onto her face as she stood up and greeted the taller man. They look like a cute couple. “Hi.”
“Do you mind if I join you ladies? I just finished having a meeting with some group members for a project.”
Taeyeon wanted to say no, but Yoona instantly agreed. She watched as Nichkhun pulled up a chair to the table and it made her stomach drop. “H-Hey, I’ll be right back. I need to use the restroom.” She didn’t wait for any response when she turned around and took off.
vii. hope that the alligator doesn’t bite back and ruins your plan
---
viii. regroup when a plan fails
Taeyeon leaned back against the line of sinks as she tried to calm herself from what she had just seen. She felt like crying. Maybe I should’ve stuck to something simple like a movie marathon. At least we’d be snuggled together in the same bed and Nichkhun wouldn’t suddenly show up. She covered her face with her hands and turned around to splash some water on her face. When she pulled her hands away, she jumped and shrieked when she saw Yoona’s reflection in the mirror.
“Sorry unnie,” Yoona sheepishly apologized as she placed a hand on Taeyeon’s back. “Are you okay?”
Taeyeon half-heartedly shrugged, but nodded.
“Did you want Nichkhun to stay? I can ask him to leave.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Taeyeon answered back. “He can stay, he’s already staying anyway.”
“Um...”
Taeyeon looked up and saw the hesitation on Yoona’s face. “Yoona?”
“After dinner, Nichkhun wants to go out for a while, so you’ll have to drive home alone.”
“O-Oh...” There goes my heart. Taeyeon weakly nodded and saw Yoona frowning.
“Are you sure you’re okay? You’re turning pale. Do you want to go home?”
“I-I’m fine,” Taeyeon squeaked out. Tears suddenly started to fall down her face.
“U-Unnie? W-What’s wrong? Why--” Yoona couldn’t finish her words when Taeyeon’s arms wrapped around her neck and pulled her down, crashing their lips together. She initially froze at the action, but she wrapped her arms around Taeyeon’s waist and pulled her in even closer.
“Why can’t you like me? I want you to be spending time with me and not him. Why can’t we go to expensive restaurants? Why can’t we go out for walks at night? Why can’t you see me?” Taeyeon questioned in between kisses. She buried her face into Yoona’s chest and started to sob.
Yoona held the woman tight in her arms and softly smiled. “I do like you. I spend all of my time with you since we live together. We can’t go to expensive restaurants because I’ll have you broke in one night like tonight. I don’t want to go out for walks at night because I don’t want other people seeing you-- us and end up ruining the moment. I do see you, I’m just waiting for you to tell me you see me.”
It took a few moments until Taeyeon stopped sobbing. She looked up at Yoona with red eyes, but eyes full of wonder. “W-What?”
Yoona softly kissed Taeyeon on the lips again. “I. Like. You.”
viii. regrouping never works out the way you want it to
---
ix. catch the alligator and tie ‘em up
“Taeyeon-unnie, meet Nichkhun-oppa, my best friend for several years. We had a nice plan, didn’t we, oppa?”
“P-Plan?” Taeyeon looked between the two and it dawned on her. “Y-You knew?!”
“That’s my cue to go, bye Yoong,” Nichkhun said as he quickly stood up and left the restaurant.
Yoona took her seat and nervously smiled at the older girl. “Sica-unnie told me. Well, I knew you liked me the moment we first met. I just had to move you along the way so you would figure it out. Besides, Sica-unnie told me she told you everything and was waiting for you to make a move.”
Taeyeon took her seat when the waiter arrived with a cart full of their food. She blinked several times before she silently began to eat.
“U-Unnie?”
Taeyeon took another bite of her food and thoughtfully chew on it.
“I’m sorry?” Yoona frowned.
***
“Unnie, I’m sorry!” Yoona cried, when Taeyeon slapped her derriere. They had returned back to the dorm and the first thing Taeyeon did was lock the door and throw Yoona onto her bed. Next thing the younger girl knew, her dress was hiked up above her waist and a hand was striking her bottom.
“You thought it was a good idea to play a trick on me?” Taeyeon struck her again and eyed the lacy piece of underwear. She pulled it down and ran her fingertips along the slick skin it covered.
“I-I j-just wanted t-to give you a p-push,” Yoona stuttered out. She looked over her shoulder and shrieked when a finger slipped past her defences.
ix. plan executed
---
x. show off your prize
Both Yoona and Taeyeon awkwardly walked into the café Jessica and Sunny were waiting at. They walked inside and looked around the place until they found the two.
“Did you expect that?”
Yoona turned around and followed Taeyeon’s line of sight. “Oh, wow.”
“Are they together?”
“Um... they-- oh, they are.”
“Yoona, I think your cousin is about to suck the soul out of my best friend,” Taeyeon commented.
“W-Why don’t we send them a text and tell them to postpone? I think things are-- where is your best friend’s hand going?!”
Taeyeon’s eyes widened and she grabbed Yoona’s hand, pulling her out of the café.
x. show off your prize another day
---
“Would you say I caught your eye?” Taeyeon asked as she lied on Yoona’s shoulder, tracing random patterns on the girl’s abdomen.
“You could, but I think I caught yours as well.”
Taeyeon slid her hand beneath Yoona’s shirt and rubbed the soft skin. “Would you say I was trying to catch your attention?”
“Mmm...” Yoona stared up at the ceiling. “You could, but did you really catch my attention when you already had it from the start? Besides, if you were trying to catch me at all, I think I caught you, instead.”
Taeyeon lifted her head and raised an eyebrow. “How so?”
Yoona rolled the girl onto her back and grinned widely. “Guess.”