Yuri couldn't tell the difference between reality and hallucination at the moment; the last thing she remembered was being at home all alone without anyone with her. Yet, now she was awake with her face buried into a lock of blueberry-scented hair - and no one she knew used shampoo with that particular scent. She felt as if there was a boulder on her head, and it was so, so heavy.

Several groans left Yuri's lips as she tried to sit up, all to no avail when the person beside her started to awake as well. 

“Yuri? How do you feel?”

“T-Taeyeon?” Yuri stuttered, shifting back towards the headboard as she pulled the covers up to her chest, “h-how?! W-What are you doing h-here?!”

Taeyeon frowned slightly and sat up, moving to face Yuri as she tried to ignore the look on Yuri’s face. “I came here to check on you because Yoona told me she was worried. Why are you so afraid of me?” Taeyeon asked, unwilling to admit that she did indeed feel a small prick in her chest when Yuri didn’t let her come any closer. 

“Y-You don’t even like me… what are you doing here, Taeyeon?” Yuri asked, her eyes unable to maintain eye contact with Taeyeon; she didn’t want to witness the look of disgust Taeyeon would have. “I know you don’t think we’re friends either, and if you’re only here because Yoona wanted you to be – I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to stay.”

Ouch.

Honestly, ouch.

Taeyeon could understand where Yuri was coming from but it still hurt - it's not like she wanted to hurt Yuri deliberately. She knew the hidden feelings she harboured for the latter were definitely out of the ordinary but how was she to say anything about it? Yuri was a rather well-known architect, and she was just a lowly baker struggling to make ends meet. 

How was she to express anything?

“Just let me take care of you… at least until you feel better.”

Yuri didn’t have the heart to deny – not that she would have anyway – and nodded obediently, lying back down to minimize the pain at the back of her head. Taeyeon smiled and rested her head on her hand, watching over Yuri like she would her own lover. She didn’t realise how cute Yuri was till now; Yuri was a simple-minded, light-hearted person and Taeyeon was a fool not to realise it sooner.

Slowly but carefully, Taeyeon got off the bed after making sure that Yuri had fallen asleep - Yuri must not have had the first meal of the day if she was sick enough to pass out right in front of her. 

 

Yoona are you in? yes i am she passed out in front of me tho WHAT is she okay now? wtf taeyeon i told you to take care of her not scare the hell out of her yah calm your small s she passed out before she saw me geez oh sorry but yeah you get it take care of my best friend or else i will...?  i trust her with you

 

Taeyeon knew how protective Yoona was over Yuri, so what was Yoona trying to imply by saying that? Yuri was pretty much more independent than anyone else; her parents were hardly around and her relatives were mostly overseas or in a much better place above - yet, Yuri still managed to excel in a rather unexpected occupation - what did Taeyeon or Yoona need to worry about?

That being said, however, Taeyeon would be glad to be trusted with Yuri.

“Taeyeon?”

“You’re awake already?” Taeyeon spun around on her heels, “I’m not done preparing your meal yet though.”

Yuri waved her hands around weakly; the lack of appetite was making her feel as ty as when she messed up her sketches. She felt her stomach churn a couple of times, and she let her forehead rest on her forearm tiredly. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt this sick and horrid because she took care of herself well; now that she felt like this, perhaps Taeyeon could do the job for her.

“Yuri? Are you okay?” Taeyeon walked around to where Yuri was and placed her hand on Yuri’s shoulder, “hey… does your head hurt? Or anywhere else in pain?” 

Yuri was originally going to sit up straight and stop moping around but she couldn't hide the fatigue she was feeling, and involuntarily leaned her head against Taeyeon's stomach. Taeyeon was getting even more worried at Yuri's weak behaviour but she knew better than to question Yuri right now since she was already feeling under the weather. A sigh left Taeyeon's lips and she helped Yuri up, wrapping an arm around Yuri's waist to support the taller one into the living room. 

“Here. I think you should lie down while I go and check on the food.” Taeyeon bent down and pressed her lips on Yuri’s forehead, letting them linger for a short while, “sleep well, Yuri.”

It only took a few minutes for Yuri to knock out again.

Dreamland was always better…

Because Taeyeon was hers there.

 

-

 

The strong aroma of freshly-scrambled eggs roamed around the living room, accompanied with a small tinge of rosemary, oregano as well as a couple of other spices; a small plate that plattered a nice sandwich, slices of bacon and a few sausages as well. It was the kind of breakfast any living person would want to wake up to; a breakfast fit for a king, in fact. 

Yuri was no exception; she always had a fantasy of being woken up with breakfast in bed - the only difference was that it was no longer morning. 

“Yuri? Are you awake?”

Taeyeon’s voice… 

Holy hell, she hadn’t been dreaming all this time – Taeyeon was really here and she had been since this morning!

Yuri's eyelids fluttered open weakly and she had to blink a couple of times to adjust to the evening sunlight blaring through the windows. She didn't know how long she had been sleeping for but it was definitely a power nap; compared to when she had woken up this morning, Yuri felt so, so awake and alive. Perhaps, it was because of Taeyeon's presence... she felt so energetic and so much better.

“T-Taeyeon…”

Before she knew it, Taeyeon was standing in f