“Fany-ah, hurry,” Yuri whined as she jumped up and down Tiffany’s bed.

“Have you never been to Disneyland?”

“I’ve never been to a place where there’s a Disneyland.”

Tiffany took one last look at herself in the mirror and turned her attention to the hyperactive Kwon Yuri. “I know you’re excited to go try the rides there but—“

“I’m excited to see Mickey!”

“That’s…what?”

“I want to see Mickey Mouse!” Yuri yelled louder.


---


Tiffany was given tons of hints on their way there but somehow she still couldn’t believe that Yuri would be acting like this. She was shamelessly glaring at the kids around her who were, just like her, waiting for their turn to take a photo with Mickey Mouse.

She knew Yuri liked Mickey. Her plush toy that she hugs every night and the jacket that she first lent her were enough to convince her but she didn’t expect Yuri would turn into one of those crazy teenage fangirls at the sight of her favourite cartoon character. Needless to say, it was embarrassing. Cute but embarrassing. She just wanted to dig a hole and bury herself in it.

Tiffany tapped Yuri’s shoulder and asked. “Is this your first time seeing a Mickey Mouse mascot?”

“No but this is the real deal!” Yuri exclaimed.

Tiffany tilted her head to the side. “It’s just another dude wearing a costume, Yuri.”

Yuri grunted and glared at her. She could only chuckle at the sudden change of expression but she had to admit that she already misses the tanned girl’s child-like grin.

“It.is.not. It’s Mickey Mouse.”

“Fine. God, so pressed.”

When most of the people have cleared out and she’s finally able to have Mickey all to herself, she asked Tiffany to take a picture of them both.

Tiffany lazily took the camera from her and took several photos. Most of it was a photo of Yuri and half of Mickey’s face. She wanted to take a decent photo but she just couldn’t help but zoom on the tanned girl’s face. The expression on Yuri’s face is so priceless that she thought it’d be a shame to not capture it.

The taller girl might not have an eye-smile like hers but she had to admit that the twinkle in Yuri’s eyes while she was holding onto the Mickey Mouse mascot for dear life is more precious than her eye-smile.

Yuri bowed to the mascot and waved goodbye before running towards Tiffany. “Let me see.”

“Just look at the photos later,” she said as she put the camera inside her bag. “So are you done fangirling over a mouse?”

Yuri grinned and nodded.

“What do you want to do next?”

“Eat and ride every single thing here and then eat again.”

“Are you sure you want to eat before going into any rides?”

Yuri nodded and pulled Tiffany. “There’s nothing Kwon Yuri can’t handle.”


---


Taeyeon and Jessica decided to stay at the hotel on their first day in Japan instead of going out. Taeyeon who planned all of this and paid for their airfare was still sleeping while Jessica was in the living room making sure her surprise for Taeyeon would be executed well.

She went downstairs and asked the receptionist a favour. “I really need you to call our room. I have to wake my girlfriend up,” she said in English, not knowing any word in Japanese besides saying “Hai.” She didn’t know if it was because she looked crazy at that time but the receptionist didn’t ask any questions and did what she was told to do. She said thank you and then left.

Meanwhile, Taeyeon groggily opened her eyes and tried calling Jessica, hoping she’d be the one to answer the phone. The incessant ringing of the hotel phone was making her head spin.

“Sica, please answer the phone.” The ringing never stopped and Taeyeon was forced to finally get up and answered it. She picked up the phone not noticing the small toy beside it since she was still half-asleep. “Hello?”

The receptionist hung up and Taeyeon looked at the phone before hanging up as well and that’s when she noticed the green plush toy with a note that said. “ me.” It took her a few seconds to understand it and when she did, erted thoughts were the first ones to enter her erted mind. It made her grin and giggled like a mad man. “I’m such a byuntae.”

She opened the zipper of the plush toy and was greeted with three small peas and a Polaroid photo that was neatly placed inside. It was a photo of Jessica smiling widely with a short note at the bottom. “Rise and shine, Taengoo. Call me.” She smiled and continued to admire her girlfriend’s neat handwriting.

She put the plush toy on her bed and immediately dialled Jessica’s number. She went to the bathroom to see if Jessica was there but there was no sign of the younger girl. Jessica finally picked up and all Taeyeon could hear were the sound of cars passing by and people chatting. “Sica, where are you?

“Just outside the hotel. Don’t worry I won’t get lost. I need you to look under the bed.”

“Why?”

“Just do it.”

She knelt down and blindly reached for something under the bed. “Another toy?”

“Open it again.”

When she ped the toy, she saw another photo that was taken when they arrived in Japan. Taeyeon looked drunk with messy hair and she had an arm around Jessica’s waist. “I was so tired I didn’t even notice you took this photo.”

“Look at the note at the back,” Jessica said before hanging up.

“Wait…Yah! Aish, Sica!” She tossed her phone on the bed and read the note that was longer than the other one.

“I saw you looking at these peas online a few weeks ago so I thought of buying it for you. I bought a lot and I decided to make use of them. I hid all of them and you just have to look for them all. I hid some of them at the other’s rooms too. The key cards would be with the peas so don’t worry about not getting inside the room .Good luck in finding all of it(:”

She smiled after reading the whole thing. “She actually woke up before me just so she could hide those peas?”


---


“Fany-ah, we’re good friends, right?”

Tiffany put her hot dog sandwich down and wiped the corners of her lips. “Yes, why are you suddenly asking me this?”

“I need you to help me with something.”

“Sure what is it about?”

“Help me bring Mickey Mouse back to Korea with us.”

Tiffany stared at her incredulously as her grip on the water bottle got tighter. “Are you serious?”

Yuri smiled sheepishly. “Yes.”

“You do know that if we bring ‘Mickey Mouse,” she said with an air quote, “back home with us, we’d be abducting a person inside that ridiculous costume, right?” She looked at the girl who sat across her as if she was going insane. Tiffany had every right to do just that.

“But I really want my own Mickey Mouse.”

“Sheesh, go buy a plush toy. You can’t just take a person dressed up in a costume without their permission.”

“How about we ask him to come back to Korea with us then?”

Tiffany grunted and flicked Yuri’s forehead. She watched as Yuri furiously rubbed her now stinging forehead and she sighed. “I’ll try to do something about your irrational need for a real life Mickey Mouse. Something that won’t get us in jail for kidnapping.”


---


Despite walking back and forth from one room to another for about an hour now, Taeyeon still had a wide grin plastered on her face.

She’s already collected ten three peas in a pod plush toys and the tenth one said she only had one more left to find. She was expecting to see notes from Jessica but she was surprised to see handwritten notes from their other friends. The plush toy that she found in Tiffany and Yuri’s room had a photo of Yuri strangling a pillow that had a piece of paper taped on it and it said “Taeyeon.” At the back of the photo was a short message from Yuri.

“I swear to god, midget, if you make her cry again, I’m going to do something with the ovens you use during class and make sure it would look like an accident if you get half of your body burnt.—Yul.”

Tiffany also wrote a short message for her.

“She’s probably kidding but seriously don’t you dare hurt our Jessie again.—Your future-sister-in-law…if you don’t screw up.”

The tenth pea instructed her to go back to their room. She was expecting to see a bigger plush toy since that what she really wanted in the first place.

She got what she wanted and more. Jessica was standing in the middle of the room holding onto a huge pea plush toy on one hand and a single red rose on the other. “Happy first anniversary, Taengoo.”

“My Jessica Jung is being cheesy…oh god, the world is coming to an end,” she joked as she walked towards her girlfriend.

“You’re always cheesy so just take a rest for today and let me be the one to do all of that.”

Taeyeon nodded and kissed the tip of Jessica’s nose. “Happy first anniversary.” She held the younger girl’s waist and pulled her closer making Jessica wrap her arms around Taeyeon’s neck.

“I hope it wasn’t too bothersome for you to do all of these.”

Jessica kissed her cheeks and said, “This doesn’t compare to all the things you’ve done for me. I’m sorry I can’t cook for you.”

“I don’t mind. I know how to cook. I can do that for both of us.”

Jessica smiled and started humming a song. Taeyeon broke the hug and took the rose and plush toy away from her only to place it on a chair. The shorter girl hugged her again and whispered, “Sing for me.”

She did and she felt Taeyeon moving which then eventually turned into a slow dance.

“So close, so close and still s—“

Taeyeon stopped Jessica from continuing the song by tracing the latter’s lips. She leaned forward and gently placed her lips on Jessica’s, hoping that time would just stop for the two of them. She kissed her as if trying to say, “I would never want to reach that famous happy ending, I’d rather stay here at this moment with you.”

Much to Taeyeon’s dismay, Jessica pulled away and leaned her forehead against Taeyeon’s. Lips still touching that when Jessica spoke, her own pair of lips grazed against Taeyeon’s. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, Sica.”

Jessica smiled and breathed in, mustering every ounce of confidence that she has before leaning in to whisper something to Taeyeon’s ear.

Taeyeon blushed and it didn’t help that Jessica kissed her ear before pulling her towards the bed.

“Only if you want to,” said Jessica.

“I-I do,” she managed to say although stuttering. She stared at Jessica’s lips before capturing it again with her own and pulling her down to the bed with her.


---


“Yul, let’s go back to the hotel,” Tiffany said while Yuri’s back. The latter had her face buried on a trash bin.

They’ve only went to three rides so far. After riding the last one, Yuri couldn’t help but to throw up everything she ate earlier. “So much for there’s nothing Kwon Yuri can’t handle. I told you not to eat so much.”

Yuri lifted her head up from the bin and sat at the bench beside it. She wiped the corners of with her right sleeve and used left sleeve to wipe her forehead. She’d been sweating real badly and she felt really sick.

Tiffany sat beside her and let Yuri rest her head on her shoulder. “Yul, let’s just go back to the hotel. We could come back some other time.”

“I don’t want to go home yet.”

“But you don’t feel so good. Come on.” She saw Yuri’s frown and it break her heart seeing the hyper Yuri just hours ago being so pale and sad right now. “You should just take a rest for today, Yul. Remember what I said about doing something about the Mickey Mouse situation? I’ll do something about it now if you agree on going home and resting.”

She could see that Yuri was thinking about it and she grinned in satisfaction when she saw her nod.

“I’ll turn this day around. I promise,” she said, determined to end this day with the same Yuri that she was with when they first got there.


---


A fully clothed Kim Taeyeon was on the left side of the bed while a topless Jessica who was trying hard not to laugh was on the right side.

Jessica pulled up the blanket over her head and released the laughter she’d been trying hard to suppress and Taeyeon could only pout even more. “Stop laughing at me,” she muttered.

Jessica kicked the blanket off her and glanced at her girlfriend’s crestfallen face. She reached for her hand and held it tightly. “You know you’re still cute even when you’re upset.” She kissed it and it made Taeyeon smile a bit. “You should just relax.”

“How can you expect me to do that? This would be my first time doing it.”

“This would be my first time doing it too but you don’t see me freaking out.”

Taeyeon stared at her and her frown only grew bigger. “No fair. You’re always calm and collected. I think your reaction during a fire drill would be the same if there was a real fire. That’s how calm you are.”

“You should be calm too. Your name’s Taeyeon for crying out loud,” she said as she chuckled.

“Do we really…have to do this now?”

“Only if you want to.”

Taeyeon tried to calm herself down by rambling. “Who does it at noon? People usually do it in the middle of the night, at night or in the morning. I’ve never heard people doing it at noon. They might have a valid reason. I mean, who does that?”

“People from the other side of the world.”

It took Taeyeon a minute to understand what Jessica meant. “But it’s technically not noon wherever they are.”

“Well, that’s kind of the point. Why does it matter when you do it?”

Taeyeon sighed. “I don’t know.” She glanced at her girlfriend who seemed to be checking herself out. “You really have a nice body. If I weren’t so freaked out right now, I’d probably be .”

Jessica raised her eyebrow.

“I mean, uh, I am but I’m just…I’m thinking too much.”

“So don’t think,” Jessica said, pulling Taeyeon by the collar of her pajamas, closer to her. “Just…” She didn’t get to finish what she was trying to say because she was too caught up with the task at hand and that was taking Taeyeon’s top off. As soon as she undid the last button, she slid it off of Taeyeon and ran a finger on the latter’s milky white skin. “You’re beautiful, Taeyeon.”

“You’re only saying that now because you’re seeing me without a shirt on?”

“I—what? No. Ugh! Don’t ruin the mood. I just…what I meant was you’re…you’re perfect.”

Taeyeon brought her hands up and covered her reddening ears. “I could say the same thing to you.” She blushed even more now that she could focus at the girl in front of her.

Jessica got off the bed and picked up the blanket that fell off before ping her pants and taking them off as well. Taeyeon took the blanket and covered her face with it but being the byuntae that she is, she couldn’t help but take a peek. “Y-yah, Sica…”

Now that she was only clad in her undergarments, she slipped under the covers with Taeyeon and placed her head on the crook of Taeyeon’s neck, her arm across Taeyeon’s bare waist.

“We could either do it or just sleep.”

“You’re going to sleep in your undies?” asked Taeyeon.

“If that’s what it’ll take to stop you from freaking out every time you think about it then sure.”

“But…”

Jessica lay on top of her and used her elbows to prop herself up. “Kim Taeyeon, make up your mind,” she said in a stern voice.

“I-I…”

Jessica got impatient and decided that she should help her girlfriend make a decision. She started kissing Taeyeon’s jaw down to her neck and she managed to make her more tensed. She was thinking about stopping whatever she was doing because it only seemed to make Taeyeon more nervous but she had a hard time convincing herself to do it. She liked…no, she loved how it felt. Her lips against Taeyeon’s soft skin.

It took a while before she felt Taeyeon’s hands holding her waist. She felt the temperature inside their room dropping the same time Taeyeon’s hand started her bare skin.

Jessica left a trail of kisses from her neck to her shoulders before propping herself up with both hands and staring at Taeyeon whose look seemed to have changed. Her eyes definitely were different now and she was breathing more heavily than before.

The shorter girl pulled her back down by placing a hand on the small of her back and the other on her nape. Their lips were close but before Taeyeon kissed her, the byuntae made sure that she’d make it more awkward for both of them first. “My body’s ready,” she whispered and if it wasn’t for the kiss that involved more than just their lips, Jessica would’ve probably laughed at her face.


---


Tiffany’s been out all day trying to find a way to keep her promise to Yuri and to herself. So far, all her effort has gone down the drain and she continued to check all the stores that were listed online.

“Last store. I really don’t know what to do anymore if they still don’t have it here,” she mumbled as she entered the store.

It took a lot of convincing before the store owner eventually gave in and let Tiffany have the item that she wanted. Its sole purpose was to be a display inside the store but because of Tiffany’s convincing powers, she was able to buy it. She didn’t mind the price. All she cared about was seeing Yuri grinning like a kid again.

She got back to the hotel and decided to change in her sister’s room that she’s sharing with her girlfriend. She knocked several times but no one’s answering. She even tried calling Jessica and Taeyeon but to no avail. “Dammit these two.”

She tried knocking on the maknaes’ room and luckily they opened up. When she finished changing, Yoona and Seohyun helped her get out of the bathroom for she couldn’t really fit that easily through the door.

“Unnie,” Yoona called and knocked on the costume’s huge and apparently hard head. “Are you okay there?”

“Yes, it’s hot but I’m fine.”

“Can we take a picture with you before you go out then?”

Tiffany sighed. “Fine. Hurry.”

After the short photo taking session, the two girls helped the older one to get out of their room and be able to go to her own room.

She tried to enter the room as quietly as possible. She saw Yuri still sleeping and contemplated on whether to wake her up or just wait. It was unbearably hot inside the damn costume so she just went ahead and tapped Yuri’s shoulder to wake her up.

The next thing that happened was a total chaos.

Yuri got scared but that’s understandable. Who wouldn’t get scared if a huge mouse woke you up? When she was fully awake, the tanned girl did a hundred and eighty degree and started jumping around, laughing even. “Oh my god! Tiffany did kidnap Mickey Mouse for me.” Yuri hugged the mascot in front of her and even lifted it up. “You are very light.”

“YAH! GET ME DOWN RIGHT NOW, KWON!”

“Fany?”

Tiffany took the heavy head off her and wiped the beads of sweat that formed on her face. “Yes, it’s me, idiot. I told you I’m going to find a way to get you Mickey.”

Yuri grinned and gave her a peck on the cheek which was enough to make Tiffany blush. Yuri picked up the costume and hugged it. “Thank you, Fany.”

Tiffany could only grin in return. She felt warm and fuzzy inside knowing that Yuri was smiling that way because of what she did.


---


They were all back in Korea with the exception of Sunny and Hyomin who decided to stay there for a couple more days. Those two never quite minded if they didn’t attend their classes that much. They somehow manage to use up all the absences allowed.

Tiffany wanted to sleep but she couldn’t for some reason so she decided to go sit on her favourite place and go back to doing one of her favourite hobbies. Their front door steps and observing other students that would pass by.

“Thinking about something?”

She turned her head and saw Sooyoung munching on mini chocolate chip cookies. “What makes you ask such thing?”

“You and Yuri…you both stay here when you want to think about something, I think. Well, maybe I’m just assuming things.”

“How are you?” Tiffany suddenly asked.

“I’m good although I think I’m gaining weight,” she answered as she stared at her tummy and it.

“You’re not. You’re still skinny as ever. But seriously…how have you been doing?” she asked hesitantly this time.

“I’m…I think I’m fine. You might think it’s odd but even though we’ve only been together for several months, I’m still having a hard time not being with you. It’s going to take some getting used to but I’ll get there. Eventually,” she stated as she checked the bag for more cookies. She frowned when all she saw was crumbs.

“I’m sorry,” Tiffany whispered. She glanced at Sooyoung who had her hands at the back of her head as she leaned on the door.

“I don’t regret anything you know. I’d still ask you to be my girlfriend even though I know we’d end up breaking up,” she smiled sadly at Tiffany. “Every time I remember all the things we did together, it hurts me…only because I know that won’t ever happen again and they’ll only remain that way…memories. That doesn’t mean I want to forget about them though. I know that in time, I’d be able to look back at those memories and be able to smile. I’m pretty optimistic and I know that I’ll find someone who’d help me achieve that. I’d be able to find my Yuri one day and she might not be able to cook me good food but I can live with that. I was able to be with you even though you can’t cook anything decent.” She chuckled as she stared at her former girlfriend.

“I still don’t know how I’d react when that day comes though. Once you and Yuri announce to all of us that you guys are officially together. I’d probably be happy for you two forfinally being a couple. Seriously it’s not that hard telling her that you love her because you obviously do…but anyways, maybe I would sulk and be all emo again…I don’t know. I mean, I loved you. I still do and I know I will always love you. I won’t be able to lie to myself and say that it’s fine because it’s not…at least not yet.”

Sooyoung leaned forward and pulled her knees up to her chest before propping her chin up on both arms. “That’s the weird thing about love, I guess. I can’t blame you or Yuri for falling in love because I felt the same thing for you and I know how that feels. You feel like you could fight it. You tell yourself that you won’t fall deeper and that’s it’s just a crush but in the end, you’d realize that right from the start, right when you first felt your eyes being glued to that person and it seemed like no one else existed, or when you get that satisfying feeling of making that person smile, even that moment when you feel your heart aching, your whole body actually, because you know they’re hurting…it was already a lost cause...trying to fight it and go against what you feel. It’s either you don’t act on it or take the risk and do something about it. I did something about it. I knew that there was a chance that it won’t work out but I guess I was hopeful. I tried to prepare myself for the worst so it could soften the blow but that obviously didn’t work. You never really get over it, you know. You just learn to it up and accept the fact that it didn’t work out.”

“I could’ve prevented hurting you more by saying no when you asked me to be your girlfriend.”

“So you didn’t love me at all?”

Tiffany frowned. “I did. I never lied every time I told you that I loved you.”

“So don’t say stuff like that then. It makes me think that you didn’t really love me. I’d take all those memories that make me cry every time I remember it over not having any of it at all. Am I sounding like a masochist?”

“A little,” Tiffany answered as she imitated Sooyoung’s position. “You’re a nice person, Soo.”

“I know. You’ve already told me that before. So when will you two stop acting like some teenage girls who are having their first crush?”

“I’m still not sure if I—“

“Oh come on, Fany. You are sure. You two, especially you, need to stop being so careful when you’re around me. I’m not going to break down and cry if I see you two together acting all lovey-dovey. I do like the fact that Yuri cooks me whatever I want but really don’t let me hinder your…whatever you guys have and just show each other what you feel. And for pete’s sake, you dressed up as Mickey Mouse and even brought home that burdensome costume that you got from god-knows-where so don’t tell me you’re still not sure if you’re in love with her or not.”

The tall girl put a hand over Tiffany’s shoulder and said, “Look, tell her what you feel. Don’t think about what I’d feel. Don’t think about me and don’t let my reaction cloud your judgment. Even we know you’ve fallen for her already so just tell her.”

“What about you?” Tiffany asked as she armed her face with an adorable pout.

Sooyoung giggled. “Stop pouting like that. Goddamn and what about me? Stop acting like an overprotective mother hen and just confess. That Jung girl, Krystal, would be a serious competition.”

“Why?”

“Didn’t you hear? She asked Yuri out for a date.”

Tiffany gasped and furrowed her eyebrows. “What did Kwon say?”

“She hasn’t given her an answer yet.”

Tiffany stood up and went upstairs. Even Ms. Thor who was lying on the bottom of the stairs could probably tell that the girl was fuming in anger.

“I suppose I should’ve told her that it was a date with Krystal and her friends.” Sooyoung shrugged and went inside. She went to the kitchen and grinned as she opened the fridge. “More cookies…and milk and chips. Oh and maybe a couple more brownies.”