A/N: Italic indicates a flashback, song lyrics are in bold italic (outside the flashback of course). That’s it, good read!

“Your idea .” Was what Chaewon said as she let Yena and Yujin in through the backyard of her house – Yuri’s house as well, since Chae was Yuri’s older sister; She was also Yena’s best friend, the reason why Choi managed to survive the day and be here now while most people  would have faced the rage of a protective older sister.

Yena gave her friend a sharp look. “No, it does not!” It may not be the greatest, nor the most creative idea, however it was the only thing she was able to come up with and she was determined to make it a success – it had to be, the other alternative would be begging on her knees for Yuri’s forgiveness and she was almost sure the younger would ignore her if she even tried.

“It kind of does, but I’m here to help you and no one can resist Ahn Yujin’s charm.” The said Ahn Yujin gave her a smug smile that showed her dimples, draping and arm around Yena’s shoulder in a lazy way – needless to say she was shoved aside right away.

Snorting, she looked at her friends who seem to have so little faith in her – not that she could really blame them for it, after all she wouldn’t be in this situation if she hadn’t failed in properly answering Yuri’s confession yesterday, causing unnecessary pain for the two of them. “Just do as I said…Please?”

Chaewon sighed, nodding and Yujin was quick to set her backpack down and starting setting up everything. “On it, Duckie!”

It wasn’t much to do, they had to improvise due to the little time and the chance of getting caught by the girl who was inside the house.

A little sound system was connected to Minjoo’s laptop – Yena had to thank Chaewon’s girlfriend for it later – where the MR for a song was already ready to play, Yujin had her acoustic guitar with her as well and Chaewon handed Yena another one. Some Christmas lights were put on around the porch dropping down to the lawn, to provide a better and hopefully more romantic, atmosphere, and a little stage made out of some colored wood boards Yena borrowed from her dad’s workshop – her original plan also included yellow and orange balloons, and tacky banners with handwritten apologies and some cute duck drawings and “I love you’s”, but Yujin had laughed her head off and Chaewon threatened to rip it apart.

They had practiced this little performance more than once earlier at Yena’s house, and even though it wasn’t perfect, Choi hoped her feelings would still manage to reach Yuri.

“Should we get started?” Yujin asked, glancing at the older duo after taking position.

Chaewon nodded, patting Yena’s shoulder lightly and showing her the phone she had in hands where a chat with Minjoo was displayed. “Get in place. Everything is ready. I told Min to come up first and open the window, she is already in standby.”

Gulping down, the duck-like brunette nodded nervously, taking a deep breath before resting her hands over the guitar cords. “Okay, let’s get it!”

Chaewon rolled her eyes before pressing the key on the laptop to start the song, while Yujin giggled and Yena tried to ignore them, concentrating in the melody.

“I’ve been waiting since a long time ago,

With the sound of Spring that comes after the cold winter.”

Chaewon’s sweet voice started, Yujin’s slender fingers accompanying her as she played the guitar. Yena wasn’t with them yet, keeping herself hidden under the porch for now, the plan was to lure Yuri to watch the performance first, avoiding the chance of getting the window closed at her face.

Her song would come later on, once the girls were out of the house – she prayed Yuri would come too.

Yuri heard the first strands of sweet melody filling the air, a moment longer and she could see Minjoo running to the window of her room, opening it with the dumbest smile she could sport – Yuri didn’t even need to look to know Chaewon was the reason behind it, her sister’s voice was easy to recognize now.

Minjoo was joined by Nako and Hitomi, the girls gushing over the serenade – Wonyoung, the youngest, also tried to make Yuri join them in watching the performance, but she wasn’t very excited about it in the moment. Normally she would be jumping around and squealing at how sickly sweet her sister and her best friend were to each other, however in the moment it annoyed her a little bit.

Couldn’t Chaewon have picked another day for it? Serenading someone outside her window when she just got rejected seem a little bit cruel, especially coming from her own sister.

Yuri had been cursing that stupid duck – that she loved the most, but not so much at the moment – for the whole night, having cried her eyes out while eating all ice cream she could find in the fridge, surrounded by her supportive friends who tried their best to distract her from her unfortunate situation.

Minjoo insisted that she should be optimistic and that it all was just a big misunderstanding, while Nako told her to ignore Yena for the rest of the year, Hitomi said that she should wait a bit before deciding whether or not to punch her – the aggressive answer wasn’t expected and for the first time she had laughed that night –, and the group’s maknae insisted on convincing her to give Yena another chance of explaining herself. Yuri herself didn’t know what to do, or even if she wanted to do anything at the moment, part of her just wanted to sink into her blankets and watch sad movies for the whole weekend.

Yena’s words – or better saying, her silence – still echoed in her mind, making her chest all heavy with endless sighs.

She knew Yena liked her back, it would impossible to not know it by now.

They really had a special relationship. At first it was just her sister’s friend who would ruffle her hair and give her those annoyingly charming smiles, and then it evolved to some light hearted teasing as Yena started to refer to her as a ‘cute hamster’ and she would call her ‘Duckie’ in reply – the nicknames quickly spread within their friends group –, the bickering led to a nice friendship where Yuri felt comfortable enough to treat the older girl like her same-aged friends, not resisting giving her hugs every chance she got and even some pecks on the cheek sometimes. Yena was easy to like, with her big laugh and warm heart, she always had a joke to tell, but she also knew how to listen when it was needed, she was fun to be around, yet also very reliable.

Needless to say, Yuri fell in love with her. Hard.

And as far as she knew, the feeling was mutual. At least she thought so.

They had been to a couple of unofficial dates before, Yena would often offer to pay for her food and invite her to visit new places – be it escape rooms where both never succeeded in scaping, a new pc café, the karaoke down the street or even the small restaurant that served snacks for half the price to students. Yena never told her it was a date, but most of the time she would just drag her to the places, ignoring her suggestions of inviting their other friends – and Yuri couldn’t say she disliked it.

In many ways, they were already like a couple. Other people even treated them as such and Yena would even joke about it too. As far as Yuri knew, they were on the same page about it.

That’s why she had decided to confess her feelings and try to take their relationship to a new stage.

“Yena, you know I really appreciate you. The way you’re always there for me, always trying to cheer me up and making my heart flutter whenever you smile or hug me. I love your laugh and your silly jokes, I like your cute side, but I also love the serious side of you. Maybe I just everything about you.” Her words were confident, determined – even though her hands were quivering as she confessed her feelings, fists closed tightly on her lap, eyes never leaving Yena’s ever since the moment the older girl arrived at the bleachers right after class. She couldn’t tell what was going through the other girl’s mind, Yena’s dark eyes reflecting the weak sun light like a mirror, a little too open as she listened to her tentatively. “What I mean is…I really like you…Love you, Yena, for a while now. And I think you like me too…” Taking a deep breath, she gave her a smile – not because her nerves were gone, but because she wanted Yena to know how happy she felt about it and how honest her words were. “So, would you please go out with me?”

Yena’s pupils dilated even more, her eyes almost black as she gulped down nervously. She didn’t know where to put her hands, fidgeting with her fingers and moving on her seat. It wasn’t that she hated it – quite the opposite really, every single word Yuri said was making her giddy on the inside and she was struggling not jumping on her seat and act like a puppy who just met its owner, or a duckling in her case.

She loved it, for a while now Yena had thought about making things official with Yuri, expecting the perfect time to make a move. But she wasn’t waiting for it to happen when she had just woke from her afternoon nap – English class was boring, no one could blame her for dozing off – , and Yuri had just called her there without any previous warning.

The thing is: Yena is not good at reacting to surprises. Usually this will rather lead to ugly crying or her tripping over her own feet. Unfortunately for the two of them, she was about to show a new side of her awkward self.

“You confess…Me…I mean me, of course me, but you and I…Oh my God!” Was Yena's initial, very inarticulate reply, nervous chuckles leaving her lips as she tried to wrap her mind around the fact that Yuri wanted to date her – the said girl, on the other hand, was looking at her with big brown eyes that were filled with both, hope and fear, and now confusion as she watched the older stutter her words.

Before Choi could say anything else, her phone let out a loud beep, a message from one of her classmates brightening up the screen for a second and she found herself juggling to get the device from her pocket and nearly dropping it.  “Hyewon! Food get got…Got get the…I’ll talk to you later!”

This. This was her brilliant reply to Yuri’s heartfelt confession – honestly, it wasn’t a surprise the younger girl felt completely lost and dejected as she watched the brunette running away like she was a ghost.

Yuri had imagined a dozen of scenarios for this moment, but none included her crush running away while tripping over nothing and giving her the weirdest excuses as she left.

It happened yesterday and for the last twenty-four hours she had gone through a series of stages, from anger to sadness, with hints of frustration and false indifference – she always comes back to the first two. The girls had come over to try and help her to feel better, but now she only felt even worse to have to witness them being all lovey-dovey with their girlfriends – she was really going to kick Chaewon for this one. Maybe Yujin too.

“Unknowingly, my heart that has been asleep is now running,

I am reminded of that time.”

Yujin’s voice complimented Chaewon’s well, but Yuri grimaced as she dragged her feet to peak over Minjoo’s shoulder to see what was happening outside – not because she didn’t like their singing or the song, they were quite good actually, but because she was now third wheeling another couple and the romantic lyrics of the song made her want to kick Yena for being such a .

She saw her sister and her tall friend giving their best love-struck gazes to their respective girlfriends as they sang, the lights around the small stage giving it a nice atmosphere. It was such a cliché, but she couldn’t help but find it adorable and wish she also had something like this.

Why she had to fall for someone like Yena? Even if they were dating, she would probably show up with something embarrassing like a duck decorated banner – and Yuri would still love it, because that’s how much of a fool she was.

“That stupid Duckie…” She muttered to herself as she rested her head on the side of the window frame, watching the performance with a pout.

Wonyoung hugged her by the shoulders, forcing her to come to the front of the group. “Oh my, Yujinnie can be cool sometimes too!”

“Chae is always cool, like a fairy!” It was Minjoo’s turn to brag, an arm around Yuri’s shoulder, sandwiching the poor girl in between her much taller friends.

Sighing, she gave up being grumpy and smiled at them, before giving her sister a thumbs up – she might be a terrible sister, but she had to commend her for being so good to her best friend. Maybe Yena should take some notes…

Or not.

Yuri’s eyes grew wider as she noticed a very familiar voice, a new figure coming into scene all of sudden.

“The stars in the night become the light,

The songs of the small birds starts.”

She covered with a hand to avoid letting out a scream, blinking a bunch of times to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating about ducks with guitars serenading her – but no matter how much she blinked, Yena was still there, singing while stealing some hesitant glances at her.

“Along with the melody, you and I start to dance,

Forever with us.”

Now the duck-like girl had the audacity to smile at her – a shy yet sincere smile, the one that made her cheeks puff a bit and the sides of her eyes crinkle slightly, the one smile that Yuri loved so much. Her reaction, of course, was to try to hide right away. Her cheeks burning, anxious energy spreading through her body – both excited and nervous –, heart running in her chest as if it was about to break free and go to Yena’s meeting, while her mind was telling her to go down and smack the girl across the face.

Unfortunately for her, Minjoo and Wonyo had her safely locked in their embrace, making it impossible to run away and forcing her to watch the performance.

Yena didn’t sing much, she was just playing while the other two girls continued the performance. However, she kept her eyes on Yuri the whole time and the shorter girl was about to combust under her stare. What that even meant? Was that Yena’s way of apologizing for rejecting her? It seemed too much. Was it her way to confess? It seemed odd that she would let Chae and Yujin do all the work, although that whole serenate thing was the kind of thing she would do – maybe a little extra, but definitely it.

“Let’s go down now! You need to see her up close!” Minjoo informed as soon as the girls had finished singing and the others were busy clapping and throwing them compliments.

“D-Down?” She stuttering, shaking her head in a negative. “But…But I’m not even dressed!”

“Your hamster onesie is cute, you’re fine.” Nako intervene before she could protest, the girls dragging her out of the room efficiently – note to her future self, find better friends who won’t just join the enemy…Even if her enemy was her maybe-almost -girlfriend.

Yena’s hands were sweating even though the cool breeze of the night was blowing, and she took several deep breaths as she waited for Yuri to come down with the other girls.

“Just sing it. She will melt for sure!” Yujin tried to cheer her up, giving her a reassuring pat on the back, but Yena didn’t know it she should believed her.

Yuri looked shocked to see her there, yet she couldn’t say if it was the good kind of shock. For all she knew, the younger brunette might as well hate her even more for showing up there like this after the mess she has made yesterday.

Still, she had to try her best – Yuri deserved it.

“They’re here.” Chaewon informed with a quiet voice, giving her a side look. “Don’t ruin it. I won’t forgive you if you hurt my little sister again.” Giving her a sharp look, she stepped out of the small stage, waving her a goodbye without turning around. “Good luck!”

Trying to not grimace at her, hopefully, soon to be sister-in-law, she watched as the girls greeted the new comers. Now all couples were reunited, with Yuri hugging herself right in front of the others – she had tried to go back inside the house, but the other girls formed a big barrier, making sure she would stay.

‘Awesome, she hates me’ Yena thought to herself, she would have to try her best if she wanted to succeed here.

“Yuri, I know I ruined things yesterday and hurt you. But please, listen to this song, I promise I mean every word.” Giving her a shaky smile, she waited until the younger girl agreed before starting the song.

Yuri was still a little torn between smacking Yena’s cute face and running to her to give her a big hug, but she managed to keep a straight face as she heard the older brunette and nodded in agreement.

The first few lines came out a little out of pitch, Yena’s nerves taking over as she tried to pay attention to the chords and the words, but most importantly, to Yuri. She wanted to make sure every single sentence could reach her, that it could express all the feeling she failed to express yesterday.

“My love goes out of my heart and into the wind, out my guitar and under your skin,

Into your house and out of your headphones. That's where my love goes.”

So, she closed her eyes and tried to tune out everything else – their friends cheering her up, the sounds of the city during the night, the voice of insecurity inside her head – and just focus on her feelings for Yuri.

She visualized their first meeting, so long ago, when all she could think about was the fact that Chaewon’s little sister looked so much like her – yet, Yuri was many times more adorable and she couldn’t help but a little bit every time they met just so she could see the blush in her cheeks and her coming out of shell of shyness to bicker with her.

The memory was enough to bring a smile to her face, making it easier to deliver the next lines.

“Wherever you go, I'll follow. Don't worry about tomorrow,

I will be in your shadow, walking right beside you every day.”

Her hands easily found the right positions to produce the sounds in the guitar, suddenly a lot more relaxed and comfortable. Opening her eyes, she gave Yuri a smile before continuing.

“I'll be the one to save you.

When I put my pen to paper, it feels like it brings us closer, even when you're so far away.”

Yuri’s lips were betraying her, insisting in forming a dumb smile as Yena sang. If earlier she was feeling nervous, now she was a giddy mess. Her hand was once more covering , this time to hide her smile, her eyes fixed on Choi, reflecting all the fondness she couldn’t hide. Yena was an idiot and she had tried her best to hate her after what happened, but she had clearly failed.

She was in love with that Duckie idiot.

“Bullet trains and aeroplanes, I can choose the easy way.

So, I'll send a signal just for you.”

Yena pointed at her using a single finger, her smile turning into a grin as she noticed the way Yuri’s eyes were like half-moons now – smiling at her, looking at her the way they always had.

She could remember clearly the first time she noticed Yuri has a special smile for her, the one that was always so fond and sweet, the one that made her unconsciously blush and try to brush aside the feelings of butterflies in her stomach. Back then she was still in denial about her feelings, but now she could embrace it all, embrace the warm and light feeling of having Yuri’s affection and being able to give it her back, the feeling of loving someone who was so perfect for her.

“My love goes out of my heart and into the wind, out my guitar and under your skin,

Into your house and out of your headphones.”

Yena was walking towards her, and Yuri now had both hands on her face, hiding both, her blush and her smile. If earlier she wished for Yena to take some notes from Chaewon, now she was sure that it should be other way around. It was hard to be mad at her when her heart was bursting with so much love – she had to contain herself to not jump around in her hamster onesie and ruin the moment.

“My love goes out of your door and into the street, Down through the floor and up through your feet, into your car and out of your radio.

That’s where my love goes.”

Opening her fingers slightly to look at Yena, she giggled soft before mouthing to her. “Really?”

Yena’s reply was a playful wink and nod, continuing to sing the song as she stopped in front of her.

As she repeated the chorus of the song, they just exchanged looks that meant more than words. The song’s message was clear and simple, just like her feelings: she wanted to be with Yuri, regardless of the situation, and make her feel like she was always surrounded by her love and care. She may not be good at reacting to confessions, but she would make sure Yuri understood she never meant to reject her.

“That's where my love goes.” She repeated for one last time, before adding in a soft voice the last line. “Tell me, can you hear me now?”

The younger brunette finally lowered her hands, allowing Yena to see her face where a smime was still plastered, albeit her eyes were a little brighter due to the emotion – she managed to not cry, what was a personal achievement.

“You’re the biggest, most idiotic duck I’ve ever met!” The insult didn’t seem like one considering she was still looking at Yena like she was her whole world – and honestly, she felt like she was at the moment, as if her eyes carried all the stars in the universe and her smile was as bright as the light of all of them. Hitting her shoulder lightly, she lowered her gaze before replying. “Of course I can. You took your time to say it.”

Relief invaded Choi’s body, a soft chuckle leaving her lips as she reached out to hug Yuri – awkwardly pressing the girl against herself and the guitar –, rubbing her cheek against hers in the affectionate way she always did. “Admit it, this was a lot more romantic than just saying yes!”

“You could have said yes and still do it!” The younger nagged, but she snuggled up to Yena, ignoring the guitar as she hugged her by the neck, bringing her closer to kiss her cheeks.

Yena laughed again, hugging her back and letting out a long, pleased sigh that was made out of both, relief and happiness. All the time rehearsing and dealing with Chaewon’s threats was worth it.

“Wait a bit.” She pulled away to get rid of the guitar, putting it aside – on the ground, to their friends horror, but she wasn’t paying attention to them at the moment –, to pull out a piece of paper from her pocket. Unfolding it, she showed Yuri the ‘mini’ version of her duck-illustrate-apology banner. As expected, it made Yuri laugh and it was Yena’s favorite sound. “I’m sorry about yesterday. I would love to go out with you, if you’re still willing to date me.”

Yuri just shook her head, her eyes now almost completely closed due to the smile on her face. Yesterday was awful, but Yena surely knew how to make it up to her and nothing in this world would keep her from having the Duckie all to herself. “I’ll make sure you can’t run away ever again!” With this playful threat, she reached out to hold Yena’s face in between her hands, pulling her into a kiss.

And as expected, it was just like they imagined: sweet and warm, full of love.

And interrupted by their friends.

“Seriously? We’re literally right here!” Chaewon complained, making a face. Meanwhile Minjoo just hugged her with a proud smile for the success of their plan.

“Can we go back inside now? I’m freezing here!” Nako was the second to speak, while Hitomi seem to be too busy munching on her bread to speak at the moment.

“Silence, you guys! Wonyo is sleeping!” Yujin, surprisingly, nagged them, as she adjusted her girlfriend who had fell asleep on her back.

The new couple was forced to break the kiss, but there was a big smile on Yena’s face as she shouted at her friends. “I told you the plan didn’t !”

A/N: Hello there! No, I’m not lost, I’ll be back to the 2kim tag right away, but Yulyen is my second favorite ship and I needed to write a bit about them. I’m sorry if this is not that great, but I had the idea while listening to the song and I just had to write it. Someday I’ll write a proper story for them.

I’m sorry about any (all) mistakes, I hope you guys enjoyed it. Thank you for reading and see you next time :)

P.S.: If you're a yulyen shipper and would like to talk and know other shippers, please join our yulyen discord server! https://discord.gg/K6cQye9