Skandl! [26]
Title: Skandl! (Chapter 26)
Pairing(s): TaengSic, side!YulTi
Rating/Genre: NC-17; AU Idol Romance
Warning(s): None of the sex is heterosexual.
Disclaimer: I don't own Soshi. I don't own anyone, in fact. All Fiction.
Author's Notes: SOSHI’S BACK, BISHES!!! EVERYONE IS BEAUTIFUL. Has anyone else watched Sense8?? Try it; it’s really gay!
Twenty-six: Jessica
--
Once upon a time, mosquito-sized dilemmas such as Anti- buttons and a ‘bitchface’ title swarmed Jessica Jung’s headspace. JiWook was her only non-Jung companion. The veteran Lucky Six members’ smiles held uncertainty, mild contempt. A flimsy voice and demeanor discouraged her from speaking up for herself or others. Lucky feeding schedules seemed impossible to memorize. She was an outsider.
Until Tiffany Hwang forced her to order tempura. Until Seo Juhyun presented a seat at her side. Until Im Yoona pinched her cheek. Until the Puppy Relay with Choi Sooyoung. Until Kim Hyoyeon’s bluntness flipped her frowns.
Until Taeyeon.
Jessica preferred her coffee strong. Triple-espresso supplied a pungent kick that made her small cup of dark caffeine drinkable.
Amidst the fellow java-addicts were dozens of combinations. Different tastes to match different people. A spectrum of face shapes, colors, sizes, languages, dialects, preferences...she blushed at a 40-something gay couple play non-subtle footsie. A schnauzer rested boredly under the balder man’s chair, pricking grey ears whenever crumbs tumbled to the floor.
New York was far from perfect, though she reveled in the change of scenery. There, she wasn’t Jessica Jung of Asia’s renowned Lucky Six. She was any other Korean-American woman, casually waiting for her date.
Her other half strided into the café, rapidly losing her cool when a mohawked waitress greeted her from behind. Waving salvation, Jessica gestured to the seat across her antique table.
“Find the place okay?”
“Um,” She scraped fingers through her fringe. Partly dyed pink in a streak and banded by a turtle-print headwrap. “Kinda.”
The same waitress appeared. Pad of paper in hand, diligent to serve.
“Coffee,” Taeyeon pronounced perfectly.
“Kay,” she spun her pen, expertly droning, “Hot, iced, cold-brew? Do you want creamer--like, half-and-half or heavy? And we have milk--skim, soy, two percent or whole. You want it for here or two go and what size? Our deal of the day is the Moroccan brew if you’re into something robust and we’re donating a dollar for every purchased 9.5 oz bag of red tea to fight colon cancer. My dad survived it five years ago, so I wish there’d been a cause for him to get treatment sooner, you feel me?”
Taeyeon’s mortified eyes inflated. “I, uh…”
Jessica intervened, baffled to have the first and possibly only overachieving hipster attendant in the city. “One hot coffee. Plenty of cream and sugar on the side.”
“Alrighty. Just a second.”
The honey brunette masked a smile. “Take off your sunglasses?”
“Ah,” Taeyeon snorted, clattering the pair into her bag. “Habit.”
“Mine, too.”
As much as Jessica’d love to indulge in this get together, they had issues to set straight. That iconic ukulele video riled the Rumor fandom, K-pop fandoms in general, various slabs of internet, news, articles, countless avenues.
“Brave”, “silly”, “attention seeker”, “waste of beauty”: many labels bounced through any circuit imaginable. Out of mouths and through keyboards of people who’d never met Taeyeon.
JiWook took the cake, lending neither ear to Jessica defense. He considered himself hoodwinked by not just her, but Lucky Six who had to have known Taeyeon’s sexuality. He couldn’t fathom why any respectable group would put such stock into Skandl, a ‘toxic menace’. Deliberate disobedience, he claimed. Guilty by association.
Therefore, he laid stringent eyes on Jessica’s whereabouts. Not Tiffany or Yoona who secretly ran amok, being as gay as they wanted. As Lucky’s leader, she endured unique punishment.
Which pissed her off.
Not at her members making love connections. At Taeyeon. For dropping a missile without warning. For jeopardizing her friends’ jobs. For kissing Sunny.
Jessica watched Taeyeon prepare her newly-placed fixings. Per routine, Taeyeon’s dairy to coffee ratio yielded a cup of off-white.
They should’ve talked this out. Settled on a reasonable decision that wouldn’t lobotomize their access, Skandl’s viability.
She all but presented a permission slip to JiWook regarding her New York trip. After literally mashing her cell phone to his ear for Soojung’s scripted explanation, she was awarded a reluctant green light. Jessica disparaged this protection. This babying, caged lifestyle.
“What made you post that video?”
“Damn,” Taeyeon dribbled, snatching a napkin from her lap. “We’re cutting to the quick, huh?”
“I haven’t seen you since the concert. A decent amount of time to organize my questions.”
The musician sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, pouting through an admittedly cute thinking process. Conversely, her stare remained mournful, pupils swollen with something intangible. “Are you mad at me?”
“Yes, honestly.”
“I figured.”
“Tae, our arrangement worked so well. We could visit each other under the radar, date at underground venues, fool around backstage, communicate via Picpockette…” Jessica sipped her coffee, moistening a dry tongue. “We should have discussed this.”
“You would’ve changed my mind.”
She huffed. “Which is bad because?”
“It’s my truth, Jessica.”
Reading a weighty atmosphere, she nodded.
Taeyeon persisted. “Dong-gun’s a fucking snake in the grass. I texted you about him.”
“Right, the YulTi reveal. You should contact Andy Lim. I doubt he’d neglect unethical managing. It’s revolting.”
“His spies had photos of us.”
“What?”
“Under the bridge.” She sucked a sugary spoon. “The pictures were too grainy and indistinct for his liking, so he scrapped them. Tiffany’s gymnast boy toy, company cover-ups, intimate images trashed as gossip fuel--that’d be us.”
Demented. That described Lim Dong-gun. A corrupt, advantageous, manipulative, bottom-feeding lowlife. No insult in either of her languages could the embody essence of someone she'd spoken to once.
Jessica lost her stomach for coffee.
"Skandl dismantled, sweetheart." Taeyeon’s small hands traced shapes in the sunshine. Divine weather didn't suit their conversation. "Yul, Sunny and I squared off from three oppositions. No teams. Then, Sunny quit and it sentenced doom...because I didn't challenge her bluff."
'I like puffins.'
Those puffins. Those significant fucking puffins.
"Tae, did I cause this change of heart, too?" She had to hear it. Absorb it.
"Short answer--yeah."
"That makes me so guilty."
"Before debut, Andy Lim pledged solid styling, more creative freedom than the average idol, integrity, and occasional head-turning scandals. Three out of four fizzled from my grasp; the reasons to hold on dwindled. What do I to fight for if the music, message, and friendships die?"
On a superficial level, Jessica's inner Rumor wept. "Is it really that hopeless?"
"That night..." Taeyeon paused as a teenager's donation tea crunched noisily to the floor, scattering fragrant leaves to their feet.
Maybe the hour was a little too chaotic for serious business. "Do you want to leave?"
"In a minute. I have to say this now."
Hesitantly, Taeyeon’s fingers crept across the table. Short mauve nails glittered brighter than her aura, scratching the uneven wood finish. Jessica's hand bloomed open instinctually. PDA was a titanic step for Taeyeon. Either of them, actually.
She allowed Taeyeon to finish the short journey, lacing into an embrace of curling digits. An audible puff of air trembled her lips, as if she'd snipped the defusing cord to a bomb.
"That night," she tried again, "I killed myself. Old Taeyeon."
Jessica caressed delicate skin with a thumb. Loving, hating how this exchange melted her to the core. "Don't speak like that."
"I lost purpose in my work, my vision, my future. Old Taeyeon armored herself in hostility and a need to belabor her insecurities. I projected most of my weaknesses onto Jinnie--turns out, she’s just a stupid fame junkie. It's like watching a horror movie, finally prying your hands from your eyes, and the monster's modeled in shitty CG."
She smiled, eyebrows bobbing to continue.
"Tiffany made me relive my last day at Elite. I realized the fear hadn't left, ya know?"
"You grew up, Moody bear."
Lashes streaked with mascara flicked forward. "I haven't immersed myself in idol news for days. Am I...negatively affecting you or Lucky Six?"
Jessica stalled, sifting her memory’s index, keen to identify another moment when Taeyeon concerned herself with Lucky members. "We can't mention you at all. Distance is key so the leeches will grow bored and move on."
"Wise."
"Besides, speculation of your possible 'lady love' isn’t centered on me."
Taeyeon's held tilted, intrigued.
"Dedicated Rumors are taking Skandl’s 'demons battling over an angel' concept seriously. Seeking hidden meaning. Starring you, the selfless sacrifice, and your best friends as adversaries of love. You chose one of them; your group imploded."
"Damn fanfiction."
Jessica batted shiny hairs from her vision, apprehension tinting her gestures, her expression. "Sunny loves you."
"Loved. Old Taeyeon. Temperamental, heartbroken Tae."
"Have you ever loved her?"
Taeyeon's lip quirked, eyes finding the ceiling fan. Oddly calm about the earnest question. "Only two people have turned me into an moron. You and that Bae lady."
"So, never ever?"
"Sunny's attractive. Like a flirty, modern-day bard with impeccable hair. Though, we never slept together until I needed distraction from you."
"Thanks, I guess." Jessica had to rush this; discussing Lee Sunkyu prickled her pores. "I have a confession."
"Oh?"
"Seeing you kiss Sunny for a stadium of greedy onlookers...it broke my heart."
"Fuck," Taeyeon's other hand clasped theirs, squeezing. "Th-that was my last-ditch effort to piss off our management. Sunny even punched me when the lights went out."
"Seriously?"
"My intestines probably rearranged."
"Well," Jessica rotated her cup. "The girls were with me when you sent the ‘I love you’ message. I was so mad since you know how Sunny feels, how I feel. You Jinnied us."
Taeyeon flinched like she'd been slapped. "I did?!"
"I asked everyone if I should answer you. They had a Lucky vote."
A snort. "Ah."
"'Yes' won 4 to 1."
"Lemmie guess the one: Tiffany."
"No, she typed the text. It was Hyo who dissented. She called you a bitch for using tongue."
"S-sorry, Jessica. I'm an ass."
"You shouldn't expect me to be your perfect princess 24/7. I wouldn't have replied, had I been alone."
"That text saved me," she whispered, brushing her eyes before tears descended. "I was in a dark place. I totaled this old album I kept in my closet. Slashed pictures of what some would call, 'happier times'. My chest was--" Taeyeon's eyes closed in a deep inhale. "the most constricted it'd ever been...then, I saw your response and my lips morphed into a dopey fucking smile. For that, I thank your friends."
"We shouldn't cry in public like this," Jessica laughed, waving at her eyes.
"Americans hate that, eh?"
"Totally," she joked. "It's up there with taxes, slow internet, student loans..." She hailed the chatty server for a check. “We should eat somewhere better than this.”
Taeyeon shrugged, draining her milk drink. "You're my designated tour guide."
--
A cloud of hesitance hovered above as they wandered West Village. Sensitive, reserved energy broke whenever Taeyeon gave commentary on characters boasting architectural facial hair or buildings straight from TV scenes. Dogs of all sizes. Cute items in windows. Even a chick wearing a scarlet ‘Skandl’ wristband--to which they ran in the opposite direction, chortling hysterically.
Manhattan’s concrete trail felt startlingly natural. Like they were any other couple in a city of low eye contact.
Because they were.
"Picture?"
Taeyeon blushed, automatically chasing fingers into her rosy side-swept fringe. "Don't wanna cramp your style sightseeing and stuff."
"Shh. I haven't lived here in years." Jessica sought a particularly gorgeous backdrop. Sunlit, accented by rows of trees and hueish brick brownstones. "Mmm, there. Stand--" She posed Taeyeon in the ideal position, thawing at the woman's sheepish compliance. "Smile big."
Contrary as ever, the vocalist snarled for the phone's camera. Full studio gangster style. Jessica banished the reminiscence of Loco while she giggled through four captures. "And you call me uncool? God."
Taeyeon judged the photo outcomes. "This sassy tourist. I'd fuck me."
"Eternally humble."
"You weren’t a Rumor for my humility, Coma.”
“Will you miss your Rumors?”
“Of course,” she rebounded, unblinking. “They’ll be so disappointed when Skandl’s breakup is finalized. Wish I found a way to cushion the blow.”
“Watching you work the stage gives me life.”
“The feeling’s mutual,” Taeyeon mumbled, trotting ahead to avoid another Charm accusation.
Their exploration led them to Greenwich Village. Jessica’s nerd side readied a summary of the area’s gay history, but the blonde’s gape at rainbow flags proudly flying outside random buildings cracked her up instead.
“Is it homo central here or somethin’?”
“Kinda,” Jessica giggled, tucking a hand into the back pocket of Taeyeon’s yellow shorts. “Want one?”
“Of what?”
“A flag.”
“Ahh, I dunno.” Taeyeon swayed in step. Profile horrified yet oddly intrigued. "What if someone sees us?"
"Like who, wristband-wearing fan?"
"Sure. Or...anybody."
They couldn’t repeat their episode under the bridge, where her goofy, smiling girlfriend regressed into panic mode. Jessica squeezed her pocketed hand a bit, earning a precious squeal. "We're hiding in plain sight. To most, we’re touchy-feely friends. Don't act so suspicious, babe."
Not fully persuaded, Taeyeon pouted. "You're not out and I'm on thin ice. Is it worth it?"
"Am I worth the risk?" The other women probably didn't remember herself saying it, but Jessica surely did. It'd been confident and startlingly sexy.
"Fine. How does one acquire a rainbow flag?"
They browsed less crowded stores. Two idols huddled tight, giggling at their clueless search and shared fear of asking harmless store clerks for assistance.
This heady privacy tickled Jessica pink. For once, they didn't dart their eyes at every corner for security cameras. Furthermore, they'd never shopped together. Feeling high off a very uncommon comfort, she puffed one cheek out and bounced it against Taeyeon's. The singer, who'd been absorbed in a stand of 70’s records, snickered and reciprocated a bump.
"Lame-bot."
"Are you going to buy one?"
"Maybe. I wanna grab souvenirs for Sunny, Yul, Narsha, and..." She lost her voice studying a Donna Summer album. "Disco. Sweet."
"For who else?" Jessica urged, wrapping Taeyeon's free arm around her waist.
"You'll tease me!"
The brunette's mouth fell open, mildly offended. "That shouldn't stop you from telling me the truth."
"Damn, you're bad at surprises." She sailed soft fingertips beneath the edge of Jessica's midi skirt. Gentle, habitual arcs stroked into her top. "I'm getting something for your girls--nothing big. Just a...I dunno...peace offering for being so bitchy."
"Even for Fany?"
"Her benefit's a liability. Can’t be helped."
Taeyeon wound up purchasing five records. Along with a few other items that piqued her interest. Waiting in line, Jessica willed herself to ask, "Getting anything for your parents?"
A ripple of disgust panned over glossed lips. "I have no parents."
"Tae..."
"I've been cooped up in a fuckin' hotel for weeks. That woman who birthed me and my sperm donor don't call, don't visit..." Fuming, Taeyeon uncovered her credit card. "I committed the ultimate act of shame, obviously."
Jessica hid her pity in small talk with the cashier. Poor Taeyeon. No matter how miffed she became regarding Sunny, Skandl's fate, and the extra effort required to keep the blonde cemented to her side, empathy came first. If Lucky Six ever suffered similar misfortune, Soojung and her parents would reserve the earliest flight to Korea. Like true family.
They'd rectify this.
Between various boutiques and endless photos of each other (and some together, too), they maintained their hip attachment. Novelty of the simplest of privileges plastered giddy grins on both their faces.
Sure, difficult times peeked from the precipice.
Taeyeon's smile made that meaningless. So did watching her shy from basic English conversation, overload frozen yogurt like a toddler, and lose her shit when she stepped in gum. This was a vacation for both of them, after all. An unofficial couple's retreat.
They hadn't noticed their hunger until the sky shaded to a deep purple. Chagrined by the setting of a valuable, fun-filled day, Jessica chose a small restaurant for dinner. One with outside seating--an unimaginable option back home.
Jessica rested a chin upon her palm. Taeyeon seemed so free. "Are you happy, Tae?"
Dark eyes met hers, temporarily averted to lick tomato sauce from a fingertip. "Do I look happier?"
"Yes."
"Our café talk cleared some of the smog, right?"
"Mmhmm." She brought her napkin to Taeyeon's chin. "Missed a bit."
A quiet purr. "You're still wearing your robot necklace."
“And you have on your pistol earrings.”
“I suppose you still love me?”
“Mm. I do.”
"I love you, too. Oh hey--" Her sulk made its appearance. “Why isn’t this place a smoky paradise? I demand reefer madness, damnit!”
“Told you Soojung lies.”
The majority of their hike to Taeyeon's hotel consisted of bantering and embarrassing younger sister stories--the only reasonable way to travel on foot. Idling at her door, silence descended. The hesitant cloud reaccumulated.
In the dull light of awkwardness and avoidance of JiWook's snooping, they booked separate buildings for the first night. What a speed bump in the hub of their rekindled mood.
"Care to come in?"
Jessica declined, kinking an eyebrow. "That wouldn't be a good idea."
Hands crammed into yellow pockets. "Why not?"
"Soojung doesn't know I'm in the city yet. She'll want to blab all night, making plans not limited to carting contraband and hot-wiring cars."
"Kickass! Count me in."
"Lovable criminal," she cooed. "In addition to the younger Jung, I have five other sisters to provide a rundown of my day. They’re teaching Miso how to fetch, apparently; must be bored."
Jessica couldn't miss the sadness passing through Taeyeon's thin smile. "Don't forget to sleep. That'd be a travesty, taking your namesake into account."
"You should call Yul."
"That bum should be out of bed by now."
“Perfect.”
"Your lids are droopy," the singer scolded, timidly drifting mauve nails from a Jessica's temple to the bottom of her cheek. "Thanks for the date and..." Her gaze clouded. "having an open mind."
Jessica exhaled.
Taeyeon was undeniably gorgeous. Smooth skin. Softly trimmed cheekbones. A precious nose. Those emotive, glowing eyes. The sharp plunge curving her upper lip..
Transfixed on the last observation, she realized they hadn't kissed all day.
"Jessica," Taeyeon sighed--lowly, from the hind of her throat. "Try me."
So, she leaned in.
United in gloss and lipstick, a curl of pleasure roused seamlessly. Eyes slammed shut; hips rolled on their own volition. Less-disciplined hands bunched Jessica’s backside through the pleated skirt's rich fabric. Jessica sucked shamelessly, twisting pale strands and nursing a tongue sweet from one too many froyo pit stops. Their cheeks flushed something terrible. To hell with a virginal goodnight kiss.
"Now, I can rest," Taeyeon ceded, fingers threatening to untuck Jessica’s top.
"Funny." She pushed to regain command of their wet liplock. "Since I can hardly breathe."
"Get some fresh air."
She growled, licking special care to the ruby lip stud. "Hm?"
"Bye, Coma. I'll see you in the morning with my luggage."
Jessica's neck snapped back. "Are you leaving me like this?"
"Mmhm." She gathered her bags, grinning pure evil. "Night night."
Lasering astonishment into the closed suite door, Jessica cursed. Taeyeon stole her 'Try me' line, kissed her into heat, and bolted like the wind into her room. This 'being left high and dry' was not fun on the receiving end.
--
Basic to her character, Soojung’s unreasonably late call left a narrow leeway of four hours' sleep. By the time the hellion finished a diatribe about her tyrannical Post-production professor with the Sylvester the cat spitting and inability to distinguish 'they're' from 'their', three pillows constructed a pyramid over the older sister's head. Jessica hated this guy, too, for assigning a project that locked Soojung in college's all-nighter purgatory. Nonetheless, she discouraged the student from Fedexing a bulk order of bibs to his office.
When a morning knock ripped her from freshening up in the bathroom, only knowledge of the person on the other side energized her bare legs.
"Where can I unload these?" the chinstrapped porter asked, rolling a trolley of oversized suitcases.
Jessica pointed to a random corner. Her concentration lingered elsewhere--onto a cutie in a Culture Club tee and spandex shorts. She'd been partially trolling when she texted Taeyeon last night, bidding her to arrive in pajamas so they could get ready together. Knowing her bashful creature snuffed out her pride to catch a cab virtually in undies guaranteed taunting material.
But, not as much as the next moment. When the bellhop accepted Taeyeon's tip.
"Will there be anything else, Ms. Jung?"
The woman faltered, speeding a horrified glance to Jessica when the foreign words sunk in. "M-me?"
"Yes, Ms. Jung. Need anything else?"
"She's all set, thank you," Jessica chirped, letting her partner off the hook.
Taeyeon removed Converses and socks once the dude left. "Did we get hitched while I was unconscious?"
"I booked us under 'The Jungs' for simplicity's sake." Her lips shimmied into Taeyon’s combed tresses. "Granted, he called you Ms. Jung, not Mrs. You'll know when you're married to me."
Ceasing a tongue-tied band of grumbles, Taeyeon bobbed her chin to the king-sized bed. "Are we sleeping in?"
Their days were numbered--four, to be exact. A chinsy excuse for a vacay, yet she and her Lucky girls would get chiseling on chunk of of rigorous projects. On top of that, World Tour promotions. "No, silly. We have a full day ahead of us."
"Full day...in bed? A 'mouthful' day?"
"Punny little perv."
"Punny puny perv. Alliteration, Coma. Learn it."
Fed up and wholly amused, Jessica probed several shopping bags littering the floor. The largest produced a miniature flag of six colors. She flapped its white stick, flirtily swishing the latter's nose. "Now, you have something to match your gay hot pants."
"Where'd you get that!?"
"A shop. While the hanging rack of mandolins seduced you. They were literally in a tin of free goodies, believe it or not."
"I completely forgot." Taeyeon's visage softened. Lips somewhat downturned, sailing the material through her fingers.
Reminiscent to her likeness in the coming out video. As she stumbled through its introduction. Enigmatic openness coated by disquiet, a grit strummed into her yellow ukulele. Mysterious and alien even to Jessica--how the rock star exuded this intensity. Vulnerable intensity. Commenters who researched each frame swore she’d been crying. Possibly drinking.
"Tae?"
"Sorry I acted so rashly," she whispered. "You're right. I Jinnied you, Sunny, Yul...I'm selfish."
Jessica shushed her with a single digit, emptying the woman's hands to bring on a tight hug. "I forgive you."
"You're too nice."
"I have to be nice to you. After you waived all those parking tickets."
Taeyeon pulled away, squinting confusion. Thankfully, it took mere seconds for the reference to register. "Pay this millionaire lawyer in lots of sex."
Effects of last night’s feel-fest trickled into her salacious grin. "Our suite's shower is enormous. Kill two birds with one stone?"
"Lead the way."
Stoking desire in feathery passes--the kind of kisses where they grazed noses and giggled--the lovers moseyed slowly to the bathroom. Luxury ceiling fixtures triggered on their own, shining a path. A detour against a pronounced wall slab gifted Jessica the chance to shed her own violet camisole.
Heavy-lidded, Taeyeon whined, "You get undressed so fast. Like Superwoman or somethin'."
"You're welcome."
"Mmm. My thanks was implied, wasn't it?" Two fingers scaled the sensitive contours of Jessica's abdomen. Delicately. Marveling as if they hadn't made love before.
Her torso bowed, arcing into the maddening touch. A hard shiver accompanied a play at her navel. Painlessly twisting, circling, kneading. "This is so, so much better than Skype. Last time was our anniversary, right?"
"Feels like an eternity, Jessica."
Her name. Rasped, crooked beneath her jaw. Again, her arms circled Taeyeon's shoulders.
How would they live so deprived? Especially after this NYC trip came to a close. When frequenting Korea's most infamous ex-idol demanded more finesse, more scheduling gymnastics.
More lies.
Jessica laved laps around a fleshly earlobe. No piercings today--just skin, traces of citrus conditioner. "Want to take this fast or slow?"
"Depends on our agenda."
"What if we spent the whole day here, in the hotel?"
Taeyeon's nose met hers; unruly strands of hair clung to rosy, swollen lips. "That'd be worth my fourteen-hour flight. On Andy Lim's dime, too."
"He's sponsoring our lesbian sex life. Cute."
She dipped lower, laying a warm cheek above Jessica’s bra cup. "Your heart's beating a song for me."
"Sentimental CardYeon's revival."
"New profession's a possibility, given current circumstances."
A sinking feeling tapped her throat. "Music's what you do, beautiful. Don't let that slip away."
"Or what?"
By handfuls of pinkish blonde, Jessica routed the smartmouth into a deep kiss. Her smooth leg slanted, rotating its knee into the heat of grey shorts. Thickly responsive moans dizzied remnants of her mind. "Or everything I believed about you was a lie."
"Don't worry," Taeyeon stated, exuding greater confidence than she had thus far this trip. "I'm not out of ideas."
Ideas. Sounded promising. "Yeah?"
"I swear on Skandl's complete discography. I'll keep singing or my name's not Jung Taeyeon."
Her cackle vibrated throughout the bathroom's confines. "Better than Jessica Kim?"
"I won't miss my family name." Shaking her head of a suddenly serious scene, Taeyeon snapped the elastic of Jessica's shorts. Killer smirk challenging. "Overdressed."
And, exerting an unprovoked flare of--something too satisfying to classify--the woman whirled Jessica past tall, glass panes, into the shower. The brunette's shoulders slapped cold tile. She shivered.
"Chilly, sweetheart?"
Words barely at the tip of her tongue, a heavy flow of water cascaded from the overhead tap. The space was large enough to avoid the splash, but it surprised her regardless. "Tae, my god!"
"I'm flattered," she quipped, testing her hand for the temperature. Nodding satisfaction, her attentive sights flew to her prey. "We've got all day and I'm impatient already. It's so--" Her teeth clamped onto Jessica's lip to guide her into the spray. "Painful not to touch you."
Their wet kisses turned wetter, soaked. Silky manes glued to foreheads, skin, eyelashes, weighing their bodies as well as drenched clothing. They gasped in atmospheric steam, savoring territorial fingers drawing stripes along Jessica’s hips, up her back. Purging her of an offensively present bra.
"You, too," Jessica slung Taeyeon's shirt over her head, to a wall like slop. Smarmily, she eyeballed excitement rigid beneath the polka-dotted cups. "They're staring at me."
"Stare at this," she growled as she grappled her hooks. Then, their breasts, nipples, glossy stomachs meshed.
Jessica braced herself upon vertical tile, gripping the safety bar for dear life. For Rough Taeyeon sank her incisors into defined collarbones and treaded bite marks to twin mounds. Devoid of meek treatment. Those teeth dished the sexiest ache.
Until it ballooned into pleasure too urgent to handle. Free streams traced Jessica’s open mouth; knees locked to forestall the inevitable. "H-hurry. Oh, damn you. Puh-please, hurry."
Her jerk lover mimicked the cracks in her voice. "As y-y-you wish."
Soon, she was nude, writhing from a superb mouth’s thorough hostage. A confident mouth trained by LTE and Elite suctioned in intuitive sequences, licked pirouettes, brushed sweet kisses, and initiated a hide-and-retreat pattern that made Jessica sing. She gathered the mind to swallow warm water, to glance down at her favorite performer in the universe doling her best techniques.
Taeyeon's carnivorous eyes found hers. To wink.
A cutesy, over-the-top wink. Followed by a limber tongue flicking in a lustful wave. To remind her what they were doing, where that wonderful muscle had been. Careening, Jessica's vision blurred for a climax which superseded her very definition. One that seized her hips into uncontrollable twitching and knocked wind from heaving lungs.
"I--fuck--love you."
Soggy and unbearably adorable, Moody bear answered, "I fuck love you, too" before jamming her tasty orgasm machine into the other woman's mouth for a moist make out.
Because Jessica had manners not to pass out from a supreme orgasm, she rolled Taeyeon's shorts and panties down in one go, stopping at her knees. She'd usually help kick them off, but her girlfriend didn't seem to mind being taken like this. Legs constricted together created a unique sensation for them both. Encouraging two fingers to contort, drive, thrust inside in jaggedly unbridled rhythms.
Every swear word in Taeyeon's vernacular crested. Vulgar, sloshy cries of release Jessica loved. Her eyes fell shut as spasming flesh hugged her fingers until the currents subsided.
"That was--" A quake, a fresh flood from below. "new, Coma."
"Like it?"
"Do you need an diagram?"
Jessica laughed, thankful for this addictive peace. They had uncertain futures, yet it kind of excited her. She wanted to know see Taeyeon's ideas come to life.
"I'm proud of you," she breathed into a lazy press of lips.
Taeyeon just sighed. The sparkle in her smile said all.
--
Late next morning, Jessica suffered an incredibly rude awakening.
Eyes.
Girlish dark brown eyes, vigilantly aligned with hers. Creased in a form of speechless greeting.
However...
These didn't belong to Taeyeon.
"Rise and shine, sis."
"Shit!" Eyes silver dollar-round, Jessica diffused a fight-or-flight reaction.
"Is that what Korea's taught you? To disrespect your treasured sibling?" Soojung harped, chucking a fluffy robe to a very bare chest. "Elite doesn't supply complementary boob jobs? Cheapskates."
Physically reconnecting to family members, conventionally, was supposed to adhere to a 'heartwarming, hugs and welled tears' motif. In truest nature, Jung Soojung gutted that dream. "How'd you get in?"
"Your itty bitty lemonhead had the decency to answer your phone."
"God, I would've texted you first thing." Jessica wrangled fingers into her hair. Muffled sounds of a shower explained Taeyeon's whereabouts. "Did you finish your project?"
Soojung tossed an empty Red Bull can into the wastebasket. "Nope. My partner's still on the grind. I, on the other hand, need sustenance."
"Shall I feed you?"
"That's more like it." Betraying her human side at last, she tumbled sideways into Jessica's lap, wrapping long arms around her middle. "It's so nice to see your pretty face again."
This position reminded her of childhood. Before Krystal conceived the meaning of independence, streamed porn on the family desktop, and hit her growth spurt. "Soojungie, I love youuu."
"You're so gay."
"I'm not alone," she countered. "Lest we forget the awkward phone call with Mom. About your bisexual self-discovery."
"Hush. They won't quit pestering me."
"I recall her saying, 'Soojung, I assumed--"
"Nooooo!"
"She and Dad assumed you'd be the gay kid, not me. You've pinged to them since primary school--when you bought a plastic wedding ring for your homeroom teacher."
"That bitch would have accepted if I didn't wet the bed anymore."
"Oh, you stopped?"
A shoving match commenced. Flippant, harmless slaps.
"Laugh to your heart's content, Jess! I snitched on you!"
"How?"
"Guess who's having lunch with two pissed-off parents this afternoon? Anddd guess who's going to spectate with popcorn?"
"Monster!" Jessica screamed, jaw hingeing in an audible click.
"It wasn't intentional. How the hell can you dick around the city and not alert them?"
Because the Jungs (as evidenced by Soojung) were clingy and invasive. The slightest hint of her touching American soil would blow cherished plans with her girlfriend. Reconciliation, souvenir shopping, hours upon hours of lovemaking--down the possessive gutter. "What'd they say?"
"My dear, idiot sister." The younger woman flipped onto her back, hand absentmindedly stroking lush covers.
Jessica cringed. She and Taeyeon probably came all over those. "Well?"
"Bottom line: after twenty sordid years in your do-gooder shadow, I'm no longer the least favorite child."
"Please," she scoffed, "those shadows lent you license to party, sell fake photo IDs, and skip anything academic. You needed my protection."
"That's why I try to protect you," Soojung muttered, voice tender. "I showed them Taeyeon's video."
"Ah." No specifics. Those 114 seconds went down in history.
"I pressured her with my ‘fuck your idol bullshit’ jazz. Mom warns me about sensitivity..."
"No, Soojung. You're not at fault."
"You sure?"
"Positive."
"Shit, yes! Sensitivity sucks." Instantly refreshed, Krystal swiped imaginary sweat from her brow. "Anyway, our judgement ruled unanimous. Kim Taeyeon's a badass fuckin' rebel and she's drafted to the war that is impressing Mom and Dad during lunch. She's at a great start."
Jessica's heart leapt at the implications. "I'm not worried. She's engaging and accomplished, unlike the unsolved mysteries you brought into our home. Whatever happened to Screenwriting Goddess?"
"Banned to prude hell. My Post-production partner, however..."
"The poor soul cooped up in the computer lab?"
"Yep, that one! Behind her prescription glasses are eyes of a nympho, I swear."
Proceeding a sharp thunk, the bathroom door crept open. Taeyeon, precious in skinny jeans, a plaid button-up rolled at the elbows, and a nervous smile sauntered to their attention.
"Hi," Jessica crooned.
"Hi back."
Swiftly--and shockingly--Taeyeon angled forward, placing a short kiss to the brunette's parted lips. Reflecting one hell of a blush, Taeyeon acknowledged the (loudly gagging) sister. In rehearsed English, she said, "Good afternoon, Soojung."
The latter offered a formal hand, shaking firmly. "Glad to witness you in your lesbian uniform, Ellen."
"Hm?" She blinked. Completely clueless.
Jessica switched them back to Korean. "Get friendly while I shower, you two."
"I don't do friendly," Soojung objected.
"Rehash our special lunch plans," she continued from the bathroom's threshold. "Also explain why she hasn't run into many blazed New Yorkers so far."
The pop star closed the door, collecting air.
Two more days of this living fantasy. Where her family, home city, and girlfriend existed on the same plane.
Paparazzi, slander, curious spectators, and Andy Lim's final sentence awaited Taeyeon. Several obstacles, boogeyman-like fears to tackle.
Although, Jessica would stick by her side, through fragile and celebratory times alike. Over managers' complaints, incessant itineraries, Sunny rivalry, averted glances from Fifteen boys she once trusted, Tiffany's redemption, and the largest tour of her life. Anything, everything.
And when the dust cleared, her Moody bear could finally accept herself.
[A/N #1]--
Don’t be afraid of LJ, y’all! I’d love to hear from a lot of Skandl!’s readers at least once. ^^ Anons are surely able and welcome to leave comments, in case anyone questioned that. I don’t bite. Unless that’s your kink. :**
I’ll also add that since we’re near the end, I’m more open to answering Skandl!-based (or personal, idk) questions in the comments section.
[A/N #2]
--
During this ‘15 Comeback, Sunny is trying to make Skandl! dreams come true. I ❤ you, #NationsPervert~
