oneshot / pg / 2238w

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"Stop staring at her."

Taeyeon flinches from her seat at Sooyoung's implication and whines, "I'm not," before blushing and burying her head into her arms.

Sooyoung just sighs. It's such a Taeyeon thing to do, turning into this…this self-conscious pile of goo whenever Jessica is involved in anything. It's predictable and exasperating, and maybe sort of cute sometimes. But only when Taeyeon isn't being so dramatic about it.

She pulls Taeyeon's notebook closer to her desk, scribbling something along the edge of the paper.

Just go up and talk to her for once. She's obviously not going to do it first.

Taeyeon rolls her eyes, then scribbles back.

Is this subtle implication that I'm out of her league?

"Yup, you're exactly right," Sooyoung whispers, grinning, before her friend goes back to pouting in her seat.

She punches Taeyeon's arm in friendly reassurance and grabs her notebook again.

Shut up you're hot. You are so in her league okay. Anyway, but look, this is what will happen when you finally swallow your pride and talk to her, then her in with your numerous charms!

Taeyeon follows the arrow down to see a poorly drawn doodle of her and Jessica holding hands. There's a heart drawn in-between them, andJessica + Taeyeon = Taengsica written in Sooyoung's terrible bubble letters.

Taeyeon fights a small grin off her face and pretends she's utterly disgusted. "You're killing me, Soo."

"That's my job."

Taeyeon sticks out a tongue and they go back to taking notes, elbows rubbing against each other.

"It's not that easy, though," Taeyeon adds a moment later. "You know me."

Sooyoung is quiet for a moment. "What if it is?" her voice is more serious than it's ever been. "What if you're making things harder than they need to be?"

Taeyeon looks her in the eye, then glances at Jessica's hunched over form, searching for an answer.

"Yeah…" she trails off, her eyes falling on Jessica again, suddenly mesmerized by the way her blonde tresses fall perfectly over her shoulders. "What If I am?"


***


"I'm gonna do it today," Taeyeon says as a greeting, propping her lunch tray on the table.

Sooyoung and Sunny look unfazed, gobbling on their food and waiting for her to continue.

"Do what?" Sunny finally asks, still chewing on her food, realizing a little late into the conversation that Taeyeon is waiting for a response.

"I'm going to talk to her."

Both girls look absolutely scandalized.

"Jessica?" They ask in unison, wide eyed, like it isn't obvious.

"Who else could it be?"

"Wow. Is this actually happening?" Sunny laughs. "Am I getting pranked right now?" Sooyoung adds for maximum effect. "Who is this and what did you do to Taeyeon?"

"Seriously guys. I'm freaking out as it is."

"I mean, are you really going to actually, seriously talk to her? Jessica? The Jessica? The girl you've been fawning over for the last month?" Sunny asks, still slightly in shock.

"Yes, The Jessica. I am."

"Wow. When?"

"After school, when we finish math class."

"Damn, Taengoo. You're serious about this, aren't you?"

"I thought about it pretty hard last period," she mumbles, poking at her rice. "I think I'm ready to just, put everything on the line and finally do it."

Sunny and Sooyoung stare at Taeyeon, then at each other, then back at Taeyeon again.

"Better than moping about it all the time, I guess."

"Well. If you're serious, then I'm really proud of you," Sooyoung replies, running fingers through Taeyeon's hair.

"Hopefully you'll still be by the end of the day," Taeyeon laughs, but there's still an edge to her voice, "when I'm crying in your arms after the inevitable rejection."

Sunny just throws a straw in her direction.

"Jessica will be all over you. Trust."

"Thanks, Sun. I'm gonna go ahead and go to the restroom now to fix my makeup, and lament my life."


***


Taeyeon checks underneath the bathroom stalls before she stares at herself in the mirror and begins to practice.

"Jessica, I like you."

Nah, way too blunt.

"Jessica, I have something I need to tell you. I've been liking you for some time now-"

Still too blunt.

"Hi, I'm Taeyeon, and I think you're really pretty."

Jesus.

"Hey Jessica. Wanna get lunch together some time?"

Getting a little closer.

"Hi. You're Jessica, right? I'm Taeyeon. I was just wondering if you wanted-"

"Wanted what?"

It's a voice Taeyeon has heard before, but she can't pinpoint who it belongs to - until.

Like the universe is out to get her, as per usual, Jessica walks into the bathroom from the wall barricade, her smirk all-knowing.

Taeyeon gapes. All she wants to do right now is curl up into a ball and roll out the door, all the way home so she can hide in bed for a year, or until she dies. Maybe she'll move schools.

"Jessica," is all she manages to say.

"Taeyeon."

"How much did you hear?" she blurts, like Jessica's answer would determine the outcome of her life.

"I think, everything."

The world feels like it's collapsing. Taeyeon can't breathe.

"Oh, um."

"Taeyeon," she says again, more softly. "It's alright."

"Uh, uh…sorry I have to go."

"Taeyeon wait!"

But she runs, runs as fast as she can out the door and into the hallway and down the stairs, far, far away from Jessica and her stupid blonde hair and stupid face and - stupid, stupid, stupid.


***


Taeyeon is still reeling from the turn of events two hours later.

She opens her locker to get her math book, dreading having to see Jessica again in class.

"So," a soft voice hums when Taeyeon slams her locker closed.

Jessica.

Damn universe.

Taeyeon stops dead in her tracks, barely making eye contact.

"So..." Taeyeon manages. Her cheeks suddenly feel like they're on fire.

Jessica's gaze burns into her for awhile, like she's waiting for Taeyeon to confess, like she knows everything. But all Taeyeon can think about right now is how much more beautiful Jessica looks when she's right in front of her.

"Explain?" Jessica finally inquires.

"I," Taeyeon starts, but fails to conjure up words. Jessica smiles, inches a little closer and Taeyeon flinches. The last thing she needs right now is Jessica all up in her space like this.

She can say she likes her, simply. Or make an excuse - it wasn't you, it was another Jessica. This other girl I know in America - like it would even be believable. Just something so she could get out of this terribly hot, terribly insane situation in one piece, be able to breathe normally.

But when Jessica suddenly whispers into her ear, hot breath and perfume filling up her senses, Taeyeon can't seem to breathe at all.

"Just go ahead and tell me, Taeyeon," Jessica's tone makes her shiver.

Taeyeon gulps, steps back so there's some much needed space in-between them.

"I knew beforehand, if that makes you feel better. You're pretty obvious you know," she adds casually.

Taeyeon suddenly feels stupid. "Really? We never really talked before - so - I thought -"

"You stare too much," she says simply, "Actually, I was waiting for you to finally make a move."

"Oh."

"And you still haven't. Technically speaking."

"Yeah," Taeyeon mumbles, head looking down more than anything, "I still can't believe that happened. Please never bring it up again or else I'll die of embarrassment."

"Well," Jessica says thoughtfully, smiling, "we can always start over."

If she couldn't breathe before, she would be on the verge of cardiac arrest by now.

"What do you mean?" but, Taeyeon thinks, if she's on the right track, she knows exactly what Jessica means.

"Why don't you then, make a move on me?"

Taeyeon just looks at Jessica, looks up and down and around like the Gods are playing some cruel joke on her, like her friends are going to pop out of the lockers with cameras anytime now. But Jessica keeps smiling, and she still looks so breathtakingly beautiful, and the heartbeat ringing in her ears sound like a song, now.

Taeyeon seems to finally take everything in, settling on a resolve.

"Come with me?" Taeyeon asks, struck suddenly with self-confidence.

"What, right now?" Jessica seems awfully surprised for someone who initiated this conversation.

"Let's go somewhere. Just you and me," she says again, even more firm.

"Our math class starts in two minutes."

"And?" Taeyeon is doing the smirking this time. Jessica raises an eyebrow.

"What did you have in mind?"

"Do you trust me?" she just asks, softly, cautiously, seriously.

"Well, I just met you today," the blonde starts, "but yeah," her voice gets quieter, "yeah I do."

Taeyeon holds out a hand as the bell rings. The hallway is deserted now, except for them, and the air is stifling, so stifling, when Jessica takes her hand and locks their fingers together.

Maybe Sooyoung was right.

Maybe she did make things harder than they needed to be.


***


"Today was really fun," Jessica beams, arms holding a large stuffed minion.

It's dark out now, a little over eight, and the way the streetlights frame Jessica's face makes Taeyeon's heartbeat pound against her chest.

"Worth ditching math class for?" Taeyeon jokes half-heartedly before stuffing the rest of her cotton candy into , willing it do something more useful.

"Anything's worth ditching math class for. But it was more worth it, because I was with you."

"My fingers are curling," Taeyeon scrunches her nose, but there's a grin on her face anyway.

Jessica adds, "I mean it more like, it was worth it, because you won me this minion, not because you're here with me."

"Hey!"

Jessica nudges her in the shoulder and Taeyeon smiles. She hasn't been this happy in a long time, she thinks, walking side by side with her dream girl in comfortable silence. It makes it so that the whole fiasco in the restroom never even happened.

She pinches herself and it stings. She has to remind herself constantly that she isn't dreaming. That Jessica is here, flesh and bone, beside her.

Now if only the walk home could last forever.

"Truthfully, I would've never thought you'd take me to a fair, of all places," Jessica says suddenly.

"Mmm, where did you think I'd take you?"

"The school utility closet. An empty classroom. Your bed. Get where I'm going with this?"

"I'd be lying if I say I didn't think about it," Taeyeon grins, and Jessica shoves her, "but I thought it would be way too fast, you know."

Taeyeon can feel the mood change quickly. The air is cold but suffocating.

"Yeah," Jessica says in quiet agreement, then shuffles her minion so that it's dangling in one hand. As they swing their arms in unison, she brushes her free hand against the brunette's fingers deliberately.

Taeyeon takes the hint and laces their fingers together. She thinks in her head, it'd be better to ignore the way their fingers seem to fit together perfectly. Maybe she's biased. Maybe she's in too deep. Maybe this is a sign that this - whatever this is - is more than a simple case of schoolgirl infatuation.

Yeah, that's it.

"This is my place," Jessica says at the turn.

Taeyeon lets go of her hand.

They look at each other silently, shuffling their feet in nervous anticipation. They linger, bodies close, eyes burning into each other's.  Taeyeon wonders how someone so normally poised and confident and intimidating and downright perfect could look so unsure. Strangely, it's endearing more than anything.

"I had fun," Jessica breaks the silence.

"Yeah, me too."

Jessica purses her lip. Taeyeon doesn't even realize until now that she's staring there.

"Taeyeon," her voice seems deeper than she remembers.

Jessica inches forward. Her eyes look different, now. Softer, darker, shinier. She wets her lips. Taeyeon can feel the warmth of Jessica's body get hotter and hotter as the gap between them closes.

"Jessica," she responds, so soft even she can barely hear. Jessica is so close. Too close. Taeyeon can feel her hot breaths ghost over her lips.

The last thing she sees before closing her eyes is the mole on Jessica's nose.

Taeyeon isn't sure why she thinks it's the most amazing thing in the world.

"I like you," someone says, she's not even sure who, before the minion's thrown on the floor and their lips crash together.

Jessica's lips are so soft and so fitting. So sure. Taeyeon's mind short circuits when Jessica cups her jaw and swipes a tongue against her lips, easing them open. She moans into , lost in the moment. Taeyeon gasps when Jessica wraps an arm her waist where her shirt's ridden up, hand literally burning against her skin.

They kiss for a while, bodies pressed tightly together like a lifeline, until they finally, finally pull off each other.

"I better go in," Jessica croaks a little awkwardly, "before my parents get worried."

"Yeah," Taeyeon says, a little disappointed. "You're an amazing kisser by the way."

"You and I both," she grins, pressing a chaste kiss against Taeyeon's temple. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. See you."

"By the way," Jessica adds, glancing back at Taeyeon. "I like you, too."


***


"You guys are disgusting," Sunny groans into her sandwich, staring at anything but Taeyeon and Jessica face right in front of her.

"Downright revolting," Sooyoung adds.

Taeyeon just grins into Jessica's mouth before breaking away momentarily.

"Well, we can't seem to stop," Taeyeon says bluntly, nuzzling her face into the blonde's neck. Jessica makes a face that looks slightly apologetic, but nuzzles her head back onto Taeyeon's anyway.

"Gross," Sooyoung says endearingly, eyeing Sunny's sudden shift in mood.

"Now we just need to get Sunny that boy in her psych class."

"There he is!" Sunny screams, slapping Sooyoung in excitement.

And Taeyeon thinks, her friends and Jessica by her side, high school really isn't so bad when the people you love are there with you.