“You look beautiful.”

Slender fingers reach to push long blonde strands back, tucking them behind one ear, the fleshy pads of the digits lingering briefly on the shell of the ear, drawing a shiver from the blonde girl. It was not just the touch, but the look in the other’s eyes. 

Serious, focused, enchanted. If she had once compared those eyes to the sparkling stars before, they were now banked coals simmering in their own heat, threatening to burn her alive.

Was this the difference between confessing their feelings and not? Before, there was always a distance, like a thin curtain separating them, each hiding in a shell of their own making. Afraid to push forward, but unable to keep away from her; that was how Yerin felt about one Choi Yuna, who was still looking at her like she was the only thing left that mattered in the world.

“Don’t I always?” Yerin’s reply is smug, lips curled in a confident smirk as she steps into Yuju’s personal space easily, though her dress makes this sort of a challenge. All that material had to go somewhere, and she had to tread carefully to avoid tripping. 

It also prevents her from pressing closer to Yuju like she usually did, if she wanted to keep the dress intact. She sort of had to, if she didn’t want the staff getting mad at her. Her part in the shoot might be over for now, but they weren’t done with the dress yet.

Yuju had changed back to casual clothes, having finished her part earlier. She lowers her hand now, slowly, with a kind of restrained energy in her movements as her eyes wandered appreciatively over Yerin’s lithe form, lingering longer over a certain area as Yerin chuckles in amusement.

“My eyes are up here, Yuju,” she teases, and Yuju flushes lightly, raising her gaze back to meet her girlfriend’s smiling ones. It hadn’t been all that long since they finally broke down those walls between them, and other than a few tiny changes, their overall dynamic hadn’t shifted all that much. They were, as Umji summarized it so succinctly before, already married to each other. They just hadn’t acknowledged it properly until then.

“The dress suits you. You look like you stepped out of a fantasy.” My fantasy, Yuju does not add, but Yerin does not miss the heated flash in Yuju’s eyes, quickly smothered since they were still out in public. Yerin’s own eyes darken, and her smirk grows deeper.

“Something bothering you?” She heaves her chest up tauntingly, as if in challenge. She was quite satisfied by the sight of Yuju’s nostrils flaring, and almost a little disappointed when the younger woman takes a half step back almost instinctively, before checking herself with some effort. Her brows draw together into a determined frown, and Yerin gasps lightly when in the next moment, her puppy leans forward and hauls her in by the waist possessively, pulling their bodies flush against each other. The fabric crumples between them, but neither notice.

“Don’t think you can just get away with messing around with me like this…” Yuju growls lowly, snapping her teeth close to Yerin’s cheek, obviously restraining an urge to bite down. Yerin giggles fearlessly, rubbing up against Yuju and watching her girlfriend’s eyes narrow dangerously.

“But what if I don’t want to get away?” They were off towards the side of the set, almost in shadow, but this was still out in the open and in public. Yerin knew she was playing with fire, taunting Yuju like this, but she loved pushing the younger’s buttons. After so many years, it was a habit she never learned to kick. 

Fortunately, their touchy feely ways were very well known and generally accepted as them being them again, so as long as no obvious lines were crossed, Yerin was sure she could get away with it. Or so she thought. 

She felt Yuju’s arm around her waist tighten almost painfully, the irises in the main vocalist’s eyes darkening to jet black points, a sight that sent a pleasurable shudder down the lead dancer’s spine. It was bringing back some very nice flashbacks from not so very long ago. She had a great deal of fun that day, and would definitely not be opposed to a repeat experience.

Her arms were already automatically thrown over Yuju’s shoulders when the younger had pulled her close earlier, and their foreheads were leaning close, almost touching. Yuju had stripped the heavier makeup from earlier, leaving only the barest of foundations, but her lips were still inked in full, and Yerin had to resist the urge to close the remaining distance to capture that tempting prize.

She was still contemplating if a quick peck wouldn’t be too much in public when Yuju finally makes her move, closing the minute distance, planting a quick, affectionate kiss on her nose.

It was brief and sweet and oddly disappointing to Yerin, who had sort of been expecting a little more than that, but logic won over in the end. It wasn’t like they could do much more than that with staff scattered all around. Even if they were busy with their tasks. Yuju was too careful to go further than that, though casual skinship was always on the menu between them. They had enough history over the years to get away with it. Still, it was some sort of progress that her puppy had even made a move at all. Her girl was usually more passive, at least until provoked.

Not that Yerin would ever admit to provoking Yuju on purpose of course. Why would you even say that. No such thing. Plausible deniability at its best.

“Just wait till we get home,” Yuju promises with glittering eyes, a darkly enigmatic grin playing on her lips. Yerin finds her own smile matching that unspoken promise, raising one hand to cup the side of Yuju’s face fondly, her thumb tracing the corner of her girlfriend’s eye.

“I liked the eye makeup you had on earlier,” she complains with a soft pout. Yuju leans into her touch, even as they separated just enough for them to start walking, crab-like as if they were conjoined twins, towards the dressing room.

“I’ll put it on for you later if you want.” Yuju sounds amused, leaning in to nuzzle fondly at Yerin. She had automatically started helping to lift a portion of the heavy fabric of the dress so that Yerin had less trouble walking, and her eyes flicked back down towards her temptress of a girlfriend, who looked even more delectable dressed like a damsel fleeing her vengeful lover.

Being taller had its advantages, Yuju muses, and only had the decency to blush ever so slightly when Yerin’s head swivels over with a knowing smirk. The older girl reached over to tug at Yuju’s cheek in light punishment for ogling so blatantly, and after a moment, both of them burst out laughing, startling a few of the staff passing them by.

“What am I going to do with you, Yuna-yah?” Yerin chuckles, hooking an arm around Yuju’s free arm, resting her head on the taller girl’s shoulder. Yuju hums contentedly, reaching over to play with Yerin’s fingers on her arm.

“You could let me help you out of this dress.” There was a playful note in her tone, and this time Yerin doesn’t hesitate to lift Yuju’s arm to her teeth, biting down semi-viciously to ‘punish’ the girl. Yuju yelps, but it was more theatrical than out of actual pain, featuring her flailing around more than a little dramatically to play it up.

“Don’t leave any marks by the way, we aren’t done filming yet.” Sowon comments at them in passing as she swept by with a mug of coffee, not even bothering to spare either of them more than a brief glance as she made a straight beeline for Eunha on the opposite of the set. The pair freeze briefly at being called out for a moment, and Yerin recovers first, untangling herself from Yuju before her puppy could react, gathering up her skirts as she prepares to flee the scene.

“Only if you catch me first!”

Yerin was off at full speed before she even finished leaving that statement in her wake, Yuju blinking at her in surprise before the dots finally connected after a long moment. Then her eyes lit up, lips curving into a wolfish grin as she launches into a rapid sprint after her prize.

It shall remain unknown whether the pup catches up at all, but really, was it ever going to be in doubt? Umji shakes her head as the chaos passes her by. At least they were trying to keep it down. Emphasis on try.

It was a small comfort that their rooms were mostly soundproof. There was that at least. Umji sighs once more, deeply and in utter resignation.

Time to sleep with her earbuds in again tonight.