A/N: Hi. It's been months, but I came back to post this way-overdue epilogue and dip.

Just to be clear, there's really no plot here. It's more of a tacky, little bow to wrap up this entire fic, so don't get too excited. I actually got bored while writing this, hence the reason why I took so long to actually finish it.

Edit: Aight, so I read the whole thing and my lips just flattened into the thinnest line ever. 😬 delete me.

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“Souls say things that we can't hear, but feel.”

It’s Saturday morning when Shuhua wakes up, her eyes half-lidded as she rubs at them groggily.

Turning over, she finds Soojin lying beside her with the softest look in her honey-brown eyes. Almost like they were melting into golden rays from the early sunlight as it seeped through the blinds of their dorm, and Shuhua couldn’t help the little smile tugging on her lips from the endearing sight.

What a way to start a new day.

“Morning, Shu-Shu.” Soojin greets before shimmying over to plant a sweet kiss on her slightly dry lips.

Shuhua lets out a sigh of delight when Soojin's cool hand cups the side of her face, a thumb caressing her cheek as it moves in languid . She can taste mint in and knows that this isn’t just another dream, but a blissful reality. Something she has trouble accepting until now, because Soojin is beautiful, smart, compassionate, and so much better than she’ll ever be. But for some reason, Soojin had convinced herself that Shuhua is just as perfect. If not more.

“I made you iced coffee, by the way.” Soojin tells her once they parted, rolling over to the side and reaching for one of their mugs on the nightstand. It’s three-quarters of the way full with Shuhua’s favorite brand of instant coffee, and the mug also happens to be her favorite one too.

Soojin had gifted it to her last Christmas as part of their matching couple set, which she specifically asked to be custom-made by her younger brother Changbin. The art major was more than happy to design the mugs (“No. I didn’t threaten him at knife-point, Shu.”), and even printed his own drawings of two particular animals on the matte ceramic—a baby wolf for Shuhua, and a baby fox for Soojin. Their nicknames “Shu-Shu” and “Jin-Jin” were also printed just below them in blue and red bubble font respectively.

(“He said that you reminded him of a baby wolf when I showed him your picture.” The older girl explained after meeting her curious gaze. “I’ve got to say, the resemblance is uncanny. Small, cute, and very huggable.”

This is one of the rare times that Shuhua was thankful for being mute, or else Soojin would’ve heard a whine behind the pillow she used to hide her flustered grin.)

She blinks a few times to focus herself. Because her brain is still coming back from sleep-mode, and she can’t seem to figure out how Soojin managed to shower and make coffee without waking her up.

Or maybe, she’s just a really heavy sleeper.

Grasping the cold mug in her hands, Shuhua mouths “thank you” to her thoughtful girlfriend before taking a long, lazy sip of the coffee. Smiling into her drink when she tastes the scoop of sugar and the splash of milk, just the way she likes it.

“So, I was wondering if maybe we could stay in bed for a bit?” Soojin offered as they sat up properly. “I just bought this new book yesterday, and I’ve been wanting to read it before we meet up with our friends later.”

Oh, right. Soyeon invited the group to an 'end-of-the-year' party at one of the campus ballrooms. She and her cousin Yoongi are going to be DJs for the event, and the girls wanted to support them. It wouldn’t be until the evening, however, so they made plans to hang out at the new mall that had recently opened nearby. Minnie and Miyeon wanted to visit this crafts store, and Yuqi wanted to check for the video game she and Shuhua have been itching to play.

So, yeah. They’re pretty much booked for the rest of the day. Might as well make the best of their morning together.

Shuhua nods at her suggestion with a grin. The days spent just relaxing in bed are some of her favorite ways to spend their downtime, and she thinks that Soojin is the best girlfriend for proposing such an idea.

After grabbing the novel and glasses from her desk, she helps Shuhua in arranging the bed to make it more comfortable. Trading pillows and moving the blanket around in childish glee, until they were both satisfied with the arrangement.

Shuhua cuddles up to her side while Soojin leans against the headboard, a pillow cushioning her back and her arm resting on the other girl’s shoulder. Settling into their usual positions with Shuhua playing on her phone, the volume turned down so that Soojin can read peacefully, and the only sounds being the constant hum of the AC unit, along with the quiet flips of pages.

Sometime later, Shuhua gets bored of playing Geometry Dash (because dying a hundred times gets too repetitive) and glances up to find Soojin’s eyebrows furrowed in concentration. It’s an attractive look, even more so with those thin, rounded spectacles sitting low on her nose bridge. Adding to the softness factor of her bare face and plump cheeks, which are slightly flushed from the cool air of their dorm.

Shuhua has her own glasses—rose-tinted ones, to be exact—that make them all the more enticing to gaze at. Because pink is such a good color on her girlfriend, and maybe she wants to see more of it.

Soojin catches her staring though, and she locks eyes with Shuhua from where her head is lying against her stomach. A perfect brow raised as a smirk hung on the corner of her plush lips. But before she could even start teasing her, Shuhua had propped herself up to press a quick, sloppy kiss on Soojin’s cheek.

Gotcha.

Caught off-guard by the sudden affection, the older girl lets out an adorable squeak while raising the book to her face. Trying to mask her blush as it bloomed across her skin in a flood of warmth.

“What was that for?” She mumbles shyly, trying to act serious in spite of her eyes being pushed up into those cute, little half-moons. Shuhua has that signature smile on as she typed her response, then waited for Soojin to unlock her phone after grabbing it from the nightstand.

Shu-Shu <3:

You look really cute when you’re focused, unnie ^u^

Especially with those glasses on. You should wear them more~

Soojin reads over the text when she opens it, and a hearty laugh slips out of .

“I’m flattered, Shu. But you’re definitely a lot cuter.” Her brown eyes are absolutely sparkling right now as she puts aside her book in favor of kissing Shuhua on the lips, a hand cupping the back of her neck to deepen it briefly.

Shuhua tastes like sweetened coffee, and Soojin tastes like minty toothpaste. An odd combination, but it doesn’t stop them once they’ve fallen into a steady pace. Not until they hear the simultaneous rumbling of their stomachs, which makes them pull apart with equally flustered looks on both their faces. A glance at the clock reveals that it’s almost lunchtime, and neither of them had even eaten breakfast yet.

“I should probably cook something for us.” Soojin grinned as she carefully detached herself from the clingy Shuhua, who could only pout while she patted her head affectionately. “I’m thinking ham and egg sandwich. Is that okay with you?”

The eager nod she gets has her chuckling. “Alright. Be back in a few.”

She gives her one last kiss before leaving the bedroom, and Shuhua curls up in the warm blanket as she listens to the sounds coming from the kitchen. Her mind drifting to past memories, old and new, while she stares out the window. A wistful smile on her lips that still have the lingering taste of mint on them.

Shuhua thinks about how nice it is to wake up next to a warm body, lying against it with her ears picking up the steady heartbeat and gentle breathing. Cozying up to Soojin as she pulled her close to her chest.

She thinks about her childhood and how pitifully alone she felt, despite being surrounded by many people. How everyone kept their distance from her the same way she did to them, until Soojin came into her life and took the initiative to approach her. Taking that extra step to really befriend her when no one else (save for their mutual friends) did.

Most importantly, she thinks about Soojin and how incredible these past three years have been with her. How genuinely kind and caring she’s been from the start. How she willingly stuck around in spite of Shuhua’s closed-off personality and never treated her muteness like a limitation in their relationship. How she welcomed Shuhua into her life with open arms and those gentle, brown eyes that held no judgement or contempt when they first locked gazes at the summer camp years ago.

Those same eyes that would look at her with all the unconditional love in the world, and convey the feelings that Soojin couldn’t put into words.

Soojin, with her sun-kissed skin and short hair, her luscious lips and that little beauty mark under her left eye, and the perfect set of teeth that Shuhua loves running her tongue along whenever they kissed. But her favorite is when they flash into that special smile reserved only for her—the one just for Shuhua.

Thump. Thump. Thump. She can feel her heart beating faster at the mere thought of her girlfriend, and the growing warmth that bloomed on her cheeks. Who knew Soojin would affect her this much?

God, I really do love her.

It didn’t take long until Soojin comes back into the room, carrying two plates of ham-and-cheese sandwiches and orange juice on a foldable tray. She even took the liberty to add a couple eggs on Shuhua’s plate. Creamy and scrambled, with a bit of chives sprinkled on top. Just the way she likes it.

As they’re settled against the headboard to enjoy their food, Shuhua’s mind goes back on its trip to memory lane. Thinking about everything else that lead them to where they are now—sitting in bed and sharing a meal like a happy, domestic couple in the honeymoon stages of their relationship. It feels… nice, to say the least, and gave her this sense of contentment that she couldn’t find anywhere else. Something that can only be provided by Soojin alone, with presence making her feel like she’s found a home in the older girl.

A poke on her cheek drags Shuhua back into the present, and she looks over to find Soojin staring at her. “Penny for your thoughts?”

The Taiwanese lets out a breathy laugh, her shoulders bouncing slightly from the action, before putting down her fork to type another message.

Shu-Shu <3:

Just reminiscing on the past. Mostly about you tho ;)

Soojin reads it and chuckles. “Oh? And what are they exactly?” She teased in a light-hearted tone, with the corner of her lips quirked up into a little smirk.

Shuhua types again.

Shu-Shu <3:

Ah, you know~

Our first meeting, our first kiss, our first date… bla bla bla :P

Pretty much everything that has you there with me.

“Cheesy.” Soojin leaned in to peck her cheek, but not before she wiped her lips clean with a paper napkin. “I remember our first kiss. It was sweet, given the moment. But I probably should’ve considered the garlic aftertaste from that pizza we had. That being said…”

She quickly adds, laughing a little when Shuhua feigns an offended look.

“… I still think it was perfect. It felt natural, and the timing was just right… Even if you had to go all handsy and my right after. Honestly, Shu. Had I known you had a for that, I would’ve laid ground rules from the moment we became roommates.”

Okay, now Shuhua is a bit insulted.

Shu-Shu <3:

For the last time, unnie! It’s NOT a !!! >_<’

It was in the heat of the moment, ok?

And, well… maybe I DO like your …

It’s… shapely??

Poor Shuhua can feel her ears burning when Soojin bursts into laughter, but it’s totally worth seeing her curved eyes and the broad grin that she tries to hide behind her hand. Wholesome, is what she thinks about it.

“Oh my God... Shu-Shu, I was just kidding!” She jests while fanning her face, trying to calm herself as she beamed at her flustered girlfriend. “But thank you for your shameless appreciation of my shapely bum.”

Shuhua groaned. I shouldn’t have sent that in the first place!

However, her regret is short-lived under the spell of Soojin’s lips. Kissing her slowly with the smile still plastered on her face, even after she had pulled away. “If it helps, you’re the only person who’s allowed to touch it.” She says cheekily, prompting Shuhua to roll her eyes in playful mirth.

Eh, fair enough.

Soojin then reached for her hand and laced their fingers together, pulling it to her lap while she inched closer to rest her head on Shuhua’s shoulder.

“Remember our first date?” She whispered, feeling a nod from where the younger girl had pressed her cheek against her head. “You took me biking along the Han river after class, and we took pictures there until a guy came up to flirt with me. I swear, I’ve never seen you look at someone with so much hostility in your eyes.”

The older laughs softly while Shuhua scrunched her nose in disdain.

She had gotten a new bike from her parents as a birthday gift and installed pegs for Soojin to hitch a ride on. Although initially terrified (“You can’t expect me to stand on those and not fall off, Shu!”), Soojin enjoyed the short trip to the river bank and took polaroid photos of them there—until Stranger Danger came into the scene uninvited.

As much as Shuhua really wanted to throw him off the bridge, it was incredibly amusing to watch him flounder through his mediocre pick-up lines while Soojin remained unimpressed at his advances. Even more so when he shrunk back under the cold, steely glare Shuhua had given him right after she purposely stepped forward to wrap a possessive arm around Soojin’s waist. Sending him daggers all the way until he finally got the hint and left them alone to avoid the wrath of a very unhappy dongsaeng.

Thankfully, the rest of their date went without any other “disturbances”. And the Taiwanese didn’t have to terrorize a flirty waiter during their dinner at a nearby bistro.

Shu-Shu <3:

Ugh, the NERVE of that guy! -_-

I’ve seen better pick-up lines on Twitter, and most of them are pretty generic.

Like I get it, you’re suuuper hot. But did he really have to hit on you like that?? Smh

Seeing how Shuhua’s cheeks are puffed out in annoyance, Soojin calms her down by kissing them both. Easing away the frown that painted her girlfriend’s features as she lets out an airy sigh.

“I have to admit, I felt a teeny-bit bad for embarrassing him that way. But it’s cute how easily jealous you get sometimes.” Soojin grinned, pinching her cheek and giggling when Shuhua makes a winded grunt. “Honestly, everything you do is just… cute. Even if it’s unintentional. Like right now, I can tell that you’re whining because of your expression. I can’t hear it, but I still find it really adorable.”

Shuhua purses her lips while trying to maintain a neutral front, despite the faint blush that’s blooming on her face. Unfortunately, Soojin came prepared with a whole arsenal of compliments and heartfelt confessions that would leave Shuhua feeling overwhelmed—only in the best possible way.

“Lately, I’ve been thinking about all the things I love about you. Soyeon told me that I should probably list them down, but it’s hard when I’m always learning something new about you almost every day. It’s just…”

Soojin does a grasping motion with her hands and hopes that it’s enough to get her meaning across.

“… I seriously love you, Shuhua, and every little thing that comes with you. I love the way you smile so brightly, and I wish to the Heavens that you’ll never lose it. I love the intense look in your eyes, and the way that they remind me of mini galaxies whenever I stare into them. They’re so compelling, yet… also mysterious. Like you’re trying to tell me something, and I need to dig even deeper to find out what it is. But it’s worth figuring out anyway, because whatever I find is always very beautiful. Just like you, Shu.”

She then reaches out to take Shuhua’s hands in her own, squeezing them gently as she keeps going.

“I love the way you get flustered whenever you make any sound, even if it’s like a wheeze or a breathless laugh—Do you know how much I love it when you do that? It’s so subtle, but I think it’s one of the cutest things I’ve ever heard. And the way your shoulders tremble every time you do so is just… God, it makes me want to hug you so much and keep you in my arms forever. I never thought of myself as the affectionate type, but you’re an exception to me. You’ve always been, and I’m okay with that.”

Lord knows how badly Shuhua’s face is burning from all this. Even more so when she can just feel the utmost sincerity pouring out with every admission, while Soojin fixes her with the warmest gaze that could've melted her into a happy puddle on the sheets. Earnest, and full of pure, unabashed devotion that could stretch an entire lifetime.

Until now, Shuhua can’t seem to wrap her head around the fact that she’s dating an absolute sweetheart and wonders what she’s done to deserve someone as perfect as Soojin.

It just seems too good to be true.

After they finished eating, Soojin has set aside the tray on the nightstand for Shuhua to lie down and rest her head on the older girl’s lap. A complacent grin across her face when she looks up at Soojin, who just rolls her eyes playfully before running a hand through Shuhua’s hair. Gingerly brushing it along the sable tresses and humming a steady tune, while the younger closes her eyes and sighs into her doting touch.

Soojin couldn’t contain her fond smile as she stares down at her beloved dongsaeng. Loving the low keen that escapes Shuhua’s mouth when she scratches her scalp lightly, and the quiet purrs that draw out as she continues petting her.

“I love you, Shu-Shu.” She says suddenly, prompting Shuhua to open her eyes and look at her once more. Smiling all the same, even though it that she’ll never be able to actually say it back.

But seeing the adoring expression on Soojin’s face is more than enough to make up for it.

Shuhua is then shaken out of her peaceful reverie. Except this time, by the warm feeling of Soojin’s lips on her own after she leans down to kiss her softly. The both of them grinning into it as the Taiwanese pushes herself up a little to deepen their contact, before mouthing the words right back to her:

I love you too, unnie.

And it resonates loud and clear in their hearts.