As of now, Tiffany had been on edge for approximately eighteen hours.  

Not that Taeyeon had been counting or anything. 

It was just a little hard to ignore the fact that Tiffany was unusually silent for quite some time now. Knowing her need for constant chatter, it was a little unsettling to be met with such unending silence.  

With her shoulders hunched, eyes glazed and hair all mussed up and disheveled, Taeyeon thought she had never seen her looking this defeated and spent before.  

Blame it on the poor lighting, but the shadows highlighting the bags beneath her eyes made her seem all the more wearier. Older. 

For a brief second, it was almost like Taeyeon had stepped into a time warp and gone back to that one particular rainy day in October.  

With the only exception being that they were a lot older now.  

And that they weren’t in the comfort of her home, but onboard a flying plane heading for Los Angeles. 

Even so, she still had that exact same look in her eyes  

That ever so pitiful and helpless look that nearly broke Taeyeon’s heart, four years ago.  

Taeyeon stood, stunned and completely stupefied. Eyes taking in, roving up and down the girl who was standing before her doorstep, she could barely even find her voice to greet her. 

‘C-can I come in?’ 

Her voice was uncharacteristically soft and thin. Any weaker, it would have gotten lost in the howling wind outside. 

Tiffany gave a shiver, and that was all that was enough to snap Taeyeon out of her dazed state.  

“Yes, of course!” 

Without missing a beat, Taeyeon quickly ushered her in.  

Her soaked shoes were the first to go, neatly placed by the side. Then, off with the soggy socks.  

Taeyeon kept a watchful eye on Tiffany as she trudged into her living room, all the while keeping her head bowed and arms tucked as close to herself as possible.  

She was not going to lie. 

Standing in the middle of her living room, drenched to the bone in their school uniform, with damp hair clinging to the side of her neck and tears— it wasn’t rain, Taeyeon was sure about it— streaming down her face…  

She looked like a complete wreck. 

And it was absolutely heartbreaking. 

When she had returned with a towel, a blanket and a steaming cup of hot chocolate, Tiffany had immediately cracked, breaking down and bawling her eyes out in front of her. 

And she held her in her arms as she sobbed her eyes out till her tears gone dry.  

Gingerly, Taeyeon reached over across her seat to lay a reassuring hand over Tiffany’s clenched one. She thumbed, gently tracing the grooves of Tiffany’s knuckles that were blanched under a death grip, and immediately felt her relax under her touch.  

She gave her balled fist a soft squeeze. 

“It’s going to be okay, she’ll be fine.” 

Sniffing, Tiffany laid her head down onto Taeyeon’s should to rest, releasing a soft sigh. She nodded, her whisper sounding more like a prayer than anything else. 

“She will be.” 

-- 

Approximately 32 hours ago. 

Taeyeon stood, wavering behind the door to Tiffany’s room. Fingers grasping round a brass knob, she found herself pressing a ear against the plank of wood, listening out for any movements— or sounds— behind the door.  

None. 

It was deadly silent in there. 

And to a certain extent, it unnerved Taeyeon. 

Now that Yuri and Jessica had finally returned back to the States, their apartment was left, pretty much in a state you would find a deserted ghost town in.  

Everything had reverted back to normal.  

A dreary normal.  

Their days were spent lazing about on the couch in the lounge, watching television and snacking on nachos and potato chips. Or cooped up in their own respective rooms, working on drafts and research papers for school. Though, at every chance she got, Tiffany would drag Taeyeon off to her room to fit and try on new stuff for her dress designs for the wedding, much to Taeyeon’s chagrin. 

And to think that their duet piece was still very much undecided at the moment. 

(It was always this or that and as a result, they had never really come to a mutual agreement over anything.) 

Well, at least they still had a good couple of months ahead of them before the wedding. And lots of time for procrastinating in between. 

They would find something… 

Eventually. 

Gingerly, Taeyeon twisted at the knob and gently pried the door open, peeking her head in into the dimly lit room of Tiffany Hwang’s. 

A small smile twirled at her lips at the sight that greeted her. 

No wonder it had been so quiet. 

Lightly padding into the direction of the pale glow of the desk lamp in the room, Taeyeon held her breath, trying her absolute best keep as silent as she could. But it still didn’t keep the floorboards from creaking beneath her toes.  

Hovering over the slumped form of Tiffany at her desk, she felt her smile grow a tad wider.  

Head buried in a pile of arms with pink lips parted slightly and breaths coming out in an even tempo, there was just something about a sleeping Tiffany that Taeyeon couldn’t help but find adorable and so… breathtakingly beautiful.  

With ever so much tenderness, Taeyeon gently pushed a couple stray strands out of the redhead’s peaceful face, her fingertips just barely ghosting over the surface of the slumbering girl’s cheek.  

Taeyeon sighed, no longer able to keep the affection she had for the redhead at bay as she gazed softly down upon her. 

From the corner of her eye, the clutter on Tiffany’s desk caught her attention.  

Eyes taking one quick sweep of the mountain of papers on her desk, Taeyeon found herself catching glimpses of drafts after drafts. It was practically an ocean of unfinished dress designs and Tiffany was merely floating amongst it.  

She didn’t need to be good at art to see the amount of effort Tiffany had poured into all of her drafts and sketches.  

Sifting through the loose drafts scattered across her table, her eyes landed onto a particularly thick folder with a larger than normal header written across it. 

PRIORITY: The Perfect Dress For Kim Taeyeon. 

With her curiosity piqued, Taeyeon couldn’t help herself. After all, it was not everyday you find your name written over an important-looking folder in huge, dark blocky letters.  

The next thing she knew, she had the folder in her hands and was briefly flipping through it. 

What she didn’t really expect, was to be left awed by what she saw in the folder. 

The first couple pages were design inspirations. Short but relevant observation of her own personality— which she agreed with, albeit, only some—, her measurements, and a variety of materials that could be used for her dress. 

Taeng is gentle, kind and warm. (And when she laughs, she sounds like an Ahjumma, but that’s besides the point.) She’s shy and really meek… A little cowardly at times, but she has her brave moments every now and then.  

On a completely side note: I think she looks the coolest in those moments. But shy Taeng is always so cute and adorable, and I just want to squish her up! If only she showed a little more aegyo and stuff…  

Anyway, TaeTae’s like a fire that is surprisingly cool to the touch— it warms you up enough, but is never too hot to burn you.  

Maybe a design that is conservative but at the same time… a little provocative? Teehee. <3 

Was that really what Tiffany thought of her? 

Taeyeon blushed, unable to contain the pleasant swell of emotions in her chest. 

Leafing through the rest of the pages up till the latest page of the folder, Taeyeon was met with an unfinished design.  

Draft 26. 

She traced the pencil markings of the sketch; the deep lines where Tiffany’s pencil had sunk in, she ran her finger down them in wonder.  

She could hardly imagine the amount of thought she had put into this. 

Looking to Tiffany, who was still very much asleep atop her desk, Taeyeon found herself leaning in, entranced. Before she could even stop herself, she had already pressed her lips against the side of Tiffany’s temple in a soft, chaste kiss. 

Pulling away, she smiled softly down at her as she delicately worked her fingers through her crimson mane. 

Tiffany sighed, stirring as she inched closer towards the direction of the warmth of her fingers, a blissful smile tugging at the corners of her lips. 

Tiptoeing her way to the side, Taeyeon swiftly swiped herself a blanket before returning back to Tiffany and tucking her in with it. 

With one last look, she left her room quietly, smiling— a gentle warmth blossoming in her chest. 

-- 

“Mmm, it smells heavenly in here,”  

Taeyeon turned to look over her shoulder briefly, passing the bleary-looking redhead a fleeting smile before turning back to her task at hand.  

“Ah, you’re awake.” She remarked, busying around the stove, speaking over the sizzling of the pan. “Did you sleep well?” 

“Uh huh,”  

She could hear the footsteps building up towards her, feel her presence hovering closely behind her, lingering for a couple of second, before finally, she felt a chin dropping down against her shoulder as arms came to wind around her waist. 

“Whatcha’ making?” Tiffany gave a yawn and the resulting breath brushing against Taeyeon’s neck— as well as her huskier than usual voice, no thanks to her little nap— sent a shiver down the brunette’s spine.  

Taeyeon swallowed, poking her tongue out to wet her lips imperceptibly as she fought down raging hormones. She did her best to keep her mind off the delicious warmth that was wrapped around her so snuggly. Or the curve of her body— the swell of her s— pressing closely into her back. Or the soft breathings that caressed the curve of her neck ever so intermittently.  

It was a daily struggle of hers, and one would have probably thought that she should be used to this by now, but no. This was something that she would never get used to. Not in a million years. The effect of Tiffany Hwang was not a force to be reckoned with. 

“It’s your favorite. Take a guess.” Somehow or the other, she was glad (and relieved) that she had managed to sound as casual as ever, without betraying her inner thoughts and desire.  

And that. Was a skill she mastered over the months and years from hiding her ever-growing feelings for Tiffany Hwang. 

Tiffany made a soft musing hum, arms gently squeezing Taeyeon around her middle in contemplation. 

“Taengoo’s delicious omu-rice?”  

Taeyeon chuckled, grinning. “Well done,” and she reached in with the spatula, cutting off a tiny cooked portion of the omelet and lifted it up towards the redhead, whom immediately chomped her reward down without hesitation. 

“Mmm, as expected… Delicious!” Tiffany declared loudly, and she could just hear the large grin off her voice. “You seriously know how to make a killer omelet, Taengoo-yah.” 

Taeyeon smiled. “Thanks,” 

And with that, they slipped into a short lapse of comfortable silence. 

It was peaceful like this. 

With Tiffany hanging off her back, watching as she did her cooking. 

It was a soothing... domestic kind of peace. 

“I don’t know about you, but I’m getting a pretty nice newly-wed vibe from this.” 

Taeyeon had very nearly lost her grip on the spatula then, but had managed to school her features together in time, to not give way to her unease.  

“Wh-what are you going off about?” She cursed herself for stuttering, albeit slightly. She cringed. So much for keeping things together. 

Chancing a glance up at the redhead behind her, Taeyeon immediately stopped dead in her tracks upon being met with a toothy grin and a look, which Tiffany only ever wore when she was up to no good.  

“Hey there, Wifey.”  

Taeyeon’s heart had stopped for a split of a second. 

Followed by the resulting flush of embarrassment, hot on her cheeks and the tip of her ears. 

She took in a subtle inhale and calmed the insane beatings of her heart, whilst stilling her shaky hands. Turning back to flipping at her omelet, she attempted her best at nonchalance, “So what, am I supposed to call you Hubby now? 

“Oh gosh, no! I’m way too girly to be a hubby.” Tiffany snorted loudly behind her, arms gently squeezing at her mid-section as she buried her nose into the edge of Taeyeon’s shoulder.  

“Oh? So pray tell what might you be then?” She figured that since she was at it, she should might as well play along and humor her a little.  

Flicking the stove off and scooping the cooked omelet into an empty plate, Taeyeon shuffled her way to the dining table, with Tiffany clinging onto her like a baby koala throughout her journey. 

“I’m your wife too, silly!” Tiffany said, eyes twinkling brightly as she fell into her usual seat at the dining table in a heap of her usual bell-like laughter. 

Taeyeon shot her a perplexed look, taking the seat across her. 

“How’s that supposed to work? A wife and a wife?” 

The redhead chuckled. “It just does,” she winked and the brunette couldn’t help but roll her eyes despite the blush evident on her cheeks. 

“So how’s the food? Is it up to your liking?” Taeyeon coughed, in her attempt to divert the topic away to something more casual. 

“Obviously. This is absolutely delish’!” proclaimed Tiffany heartily, waving her fork wildly in the air. She grinned. “Don’t you go cooking this for anyone else but me, kay’? Because you’re not allowed to.” 

Chuckling, Taeyeon gave a small teasing smirk. “I’ll try.” 

Tiffany huffed and stuck her tongue out in response. 

“Meanie!” 

Laughing, Taeyeon gave a careless shrug, before coming to rest her chin between the crevices of her palms as she watched the redhead devour her plate of omelet-rice with much fervor.  

A small smile came to tug her lips as a pleasant warmth came rushing over her, blanketing her in an overwhelming load of feel-good emotions. 

Because there was just something so blissful about this whole setting— watching your loved one enjoy your cooking. 

It was perfect. 

This was perfect. 

But sadly, all good things had to come to an end eventually. 

The sudden rattle against the tabletop had them both jolting out of their short reverie as all attention were now placed on the buzzing iPhone beside Tiffany. 

Her face was immediately lit up be a radiant grin when she caught a glimpse of the caller i.d as she made to reach for her phone, not before turning to Taeyeon, mouthing, ‘it’s Oppa.’ 

“Hey Leo, what’s up—” 

Above all the garbled flood of English resonating through Tiffany’s phone, Taeyeon could hardly make out a single meaning through the phone-call.  

But what she could make out was the darkening of Tiffany’s features as the conversation drew out, the grin from earlier long forgotten and in its place was a deep-set frown. 

Abruptly, Tiffany shot up from her seat, expression set between a mix of grave and frantic, looking close to tears.  

“I’m coming over.” It was a sentence basic enough that even Taeyeon could comprehend, but said with a ferocity that took her aback slightly.  

There was an odd warble to her voice, Taeyeon noticed. And even with the way she was standing, it looked as if her knees were going to give out at any moment.  

It all worried Taeyeon immensely. 

“I’ll get on the next available flight, bye.” 

And without missing a beat, Tiffany bolted for the direction of her room with Taeyeon stumbling to follow after her. 

As soon as she was in her room, she had immediately lugged her hot pink suitcase out from its forgotten corner, throwing whatever random clothes she could lay her— shaky— hands on in her closet. 

“Fany-ah, what’s wrong? Did something happen?” 

“It’s Michelle, my Unnie… She’s gotten herself into an accident and I…” Tiffany’s voice cracked.  

She was pacing about frantically now, hands grasping at her hair with tears just beginning to streak down her cheeks. She had looked so extremely distraught then, it broke Taeyeon’s heart.  

“I have to go back.” 

Picking up from where she had left off, she resumed her frenzied packing, half sobbing and sniffling.  

And in that very moment, Taeyeon had come to a rash decision. 

Laying her hand atop Tiffany’s trembling one and meeting said-girl’s watery gaze, she said with much conviction, 

“I’m coming with you.”  

And hence was how they had ended up in their current predicament. 

--