Sunny found it slightly ironic how a few months ago she was practically buckling under the pressure of trying to keep her group together, having the situation get a lot better and improve over time, only for everything to come spiraling down again. She was back to square one and it looks like Sunny the peacemaker has to come out of retirement.

Her eyes pass to the back of Taeyeon’s seat in the first class cabin that they’re sharing. They still have a few hours left into their flight back, and Sunny has been eye-ing for a chance to talk to her leader. It wasn’t easy however. Tiffany was constantly at her friend’s side throughout the journey and Sunny didn’t want to have to chase Tiffany away.

The thought did come to her several times though. Sunny wasn’t known for her patience. To be honest she really didn’t know what to say to Taeyeon, but Sooyoung insisted for some weird reason that just having a talk with their tiny leader would help.

“You always know what to say to make people feel better.”

‘Shut up Hyomin! I just make up as I go along!’ Sunny mentally berated her best friend as her voice played in her head.

Sunny finally sees her chance to strike when Tiffany gets up from her seat to presumably go to the washroom. Sunny breathed a sigh of relief because she was starting to wonder for the past few hours how does the American drink all that water without needing to go. It was inhuman.

Sunny gets up as soon as Tiffany is out of sight and sidestepped a sleeping Yoona to get out of her aisle. With as much stealth as she could muster (She had no idea why she was even sneaking. Half the cabin was half-asleep) she slipped into Tiffany’s seat.

She observed her leader as she laid down in the reclined seat, eyes closed. She realised how frail and tiny Taeyeon was, and she felt a pang of guilt hit her in the chest. It was unfair for Taeyeon to have to go through all the hard decisions by herself.

“Tiff…did you get that water I asked you for?” Taeyeon mumbled with her eyes still closed, slightly surprising Sunny because she thought the girl beside her was fast asleep.

“No, I think she’s still getting it.”

Taeyeon noticeably tenses and her eyes snapped open to stare at Sunny in…fear? No, she was wary, as evident by the way she was slowly shrinking into the corner of her seat.

“S-Sunny!”

“Hi leader-nim.” Sunny greeted with a bright smile, opting to put her leader and friend at ease first.

“Chill, I’m not here to pick a fight.” Sunny assured, and Taeyeon’s shoulders relaxed considerably, though her eyes were still wary.

“Oh. That's…a relief.”

“I’m just here to check up on you.”

“Me?” Taeyeon seemed confused, as if Sunny’s act of kindness was something foreign to her.

“Yes you!” Sunny said while leaning in and playfully poking Taeyeon’s shoulder. Sunny’s eyes softened and a warm smile spread on her face. This vulnerable side of Taeyeon was very unbecoming on her, and Sunny was going to try and remedy that.

“You’ve had a rough time haven’t you?” Sunny quietly asked.

“Nah. The past few weeks have been rather pleasant actually.” Taeyeon replied, trying to keep up her tough and aloof demeanor, but the way she was twiddling her fingers was an indication that her last few weeks had been anything BUT pleasant.

“Was it hard?”

There was a flicker in Taeyeon’s eyes, and Sunny knew that her leader’s pride would not let any tears slip out in front of Sunny right now. She knew Taeyeon, and the girl never showed her true emotions. In fact, Sunny was pretty darn sure that her leader even took pride in that mask that she puts on every single second. Still, just seeing the way her shoulder’s trembled would have been enough of an answer for Sunny’s question. Taeyeon was quiet for a moment, before her eyes drifted to stare out the window at the clouds outside.

“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

It was barely above a whisper, but Sunny caught it as if Taeyeon had shouted it into her ear. To get that much out of Taeyeon was an achievement in itself.

“How is she by the way?” Taeyeon asked, still staring out the window.

“Who?”

“Jessica. I know she was in the hotel last night. I’m still the leader of this group you know. I make it a point to know what goes on at all times.”

Sunny took a moment to ponder how to answer the question. She wonders if there was even a small part of Taeng that wanted to seek out Jessica that night. It was none of Sunny’s business however, and she knew better than to ask.

“She’s doing good. I’m surprised as well actually at how well she’s taking it. She doesn’t blame you by the way. She’s not angry at all. In fact if I didn’t know better, I would even go as far as to say that she was happy.”

“That’s…good to hear.”

“If I were you, I’d be more worried about Yuri right now.”

At the mention of the Black Pearl’s name Taeyeon’s shoulder tensed up noticeably again, probably recalling a certain incident regarding a high five to the face.

“I didn’t really understand why she took it worse than the others…and then Tiffany told me everything. I…I never knew. I can’t believe I never realised it before this but now that I think about it, it makes perfect sense.” Taeyeon struggles to get the words out, but her face was still turned away from Sunny. Sunny was beginning to suspect that there really was nothing all that fascinating outside the window, and that Taeyeon was avoiding eye contact for another reason altogether.

“Would you have changed your decision if you knew about Sica’s feelings for you Taeng?”

There was a pause, an almost undistinguishable sob, a small, choked out “No.”

“Then it doesn’t matter then does it?” Sunny said, putting an arm on Taeyeon’s shoulder, giving it a tiny squeeze.

“Give Yuri some time. She’ll come around when she realizes how well Sica is going to be doing. It will all be alright.”

Taeyeon nods, and finally turns to face Sunny, a small smile stretching her tear-stained cheeks.

“You would have made a better leader than me you know that Sunny?”

“Aish. Don’t be ridiculous. If I was the leader we would have never even made it to our debut.” Sunny said while wiping Taeyeon’s tears away with her thumb.

“Talk to the rest Taeng. I think they are all waiting for an official explanation.”

Taeyeon smiled and nodded in agreement. “Do you think they’ll forgive me?”

“Tiffany forgives you. I forgive you. That’s two down.” Sunny reassuringly pats Taeng’s shoulder.

“ I’m sure you hear this a lot, but thanks Sunny.” Taeyeon says with the most genuine smile and twinkle in her eye that Sunny has seen in a very long time.

“It was my pleasure Taengoo. And I expect to get no more calls regarding drama from this group you hear?! I am sick of phone calls getting in the way of my Hyomin time.”  Sunny exaggeratedly huffs, and Taeyeon giggles. It was a soft giggle, but it was a giggle nonetheless.

Sunny gets up from her seat, and nods to Tiffany who had waited off the side out of sight, obviously listening in on the conversation. She sidesteps Yoona again, who was obviously pretending to be asleep at this point.

“For an actress you at pretending to be asleep Yoong.”

There was a small giggle from beside her but Sunny didn’t bother turning to look. She was just so exhausted from the past days’ events and she could finally feel the fatigue in full now that a significant weight has been lifted off her shoulders.

“Thanks for talking to her Bunny. And I forgive her too.” Yoona whispers, and Sunny closes her eyes and smiles.

They’ll be ok. Everything will be ok.

***************************************************************

“When will you get here?”

“Umm… I’m in the van right now. I should probably be arriving in Seongbukdong in another 20 minutes.”

“Alright. See you soon then kiddo!”

“Later!”

Sunny got off the phone with Dongwook and tapped her feet excitedly. She missed her roommates, and eventhough it has only been a couple of days since she last returned to Seongbukdong, those couple of days might have been the roughest and longest days of her life. She needed a break. She needed to see her family again. She missed them so bad that she requested to be taken back to the share house straight from the airport after her manager had dropped off the rest of the members at the dorm.

“Oppa! Can’t you drive any faster?”

“I can, but I refuse to. Sit still Sunny!”

Sunny jumped out of the van before it even came to a complete stop as soon as it arrived in front of the share house while her manager shouted at her to be careful from the driver’s seat. She was joyous and she excitedly rang the doorbell multiple times as if she was tapping the buttons on an arcade console. Kang Joon had come out to greet her and help her with her bags, but not before Sunny greeted him with an amateur-wrestling level bearhug. She missed Kang Joon. She missed them all.

“They’re waiting for you inside Sunny.” Kang Joon notified her.

“Who’s they? Is everyone at home?”

“You’ll see.” Kang Joon replied with a wink.

The actor gestured to her to go on ahead and open the front door and Sunny hesitantly did just that, albeit somewhat warily. You always feel extra cautious when people insist on you to do normal things. The door had barely swung open when she was met with a blur tackling her around the waist, knocking all the air out of her and nearly taking her off her feet.

“Sunnnyyyy! AreyouokayIwassoworriedaboutyo—“

Taken aback by the gibberish being spouted around her waist, Sunny looked down to see Young Ji with her arms wrapped tightly around it.

Sunny looked around the room at everyone for an explanation because she was thoroughly confused. She decided to gently pat the maknae’s back, not knowing why Young Ji needed to be consoled in the first place.

“She’s been worried sick about you ever since the news of what happened broke out. We all have. How are you feeling?” Jong Ok said while stepping up to the interlocked pair. It was those gentle eyes that Sunny missed, and it was those very same eyes that gave Sunny comfort beyond measure. Jong Ok caressed the back of her roommate’s head, running her fingers through Sunny’s hair not unlike a mother’s caresses.

“I’m good. It’s…it’s good to be home.”

Jong Ok smiled at Sunny’s choice of words. The eldest member of the house moved in to join Young Ji in hugging Sunny, and this prompted everyone else to embrace the SNSD Energy Pill as well, creating a large group hug. It was slightly awkward to have a 12-person group hug in the living room, but they just stayed there for a full minute. Each member of the house wanted to let Sunny know that she had them as a pillar for support, and Sunny let herself bask in the warmth that managed to reach her insides that had been feeling dead and cold in the last few days.

There were smiles on everyone’s faces as they separated, and Sunny took a look around the room to meet the face of everybody there, except if was only then that Sunny realized that there were more people in the house than usual.

“Glad to see you’re doing okay there kiddo.”

Sunny’s eyes followed the sound of the voice back to Eunjung, who was standing in the corner by the stairs. Min Woo’s arm draped comfortably around her shoulder as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Eunjung?? What are you doing here?” Sunny asked as she ran to hug her friend, playfully swatting Min Woo’s hand away.

“Min Woo oppa invited me here to welcome you back. Y’know, to make sure you’re okay. I didn’t come alone though.”

Sunny had a questioning look on her face and Eunjung pointed over Sunny’s shoulder. Confused, Sunny turned around to see what the T-ara singer was pointing at.

As if time itself decided to savor the moment, everything seemed to move in slow motion as the group parted ways to reveal a goddess leaning against the piano. Like a scene taken directly from the cheesiest romance films, Sunny swears she could almost hear birds chirping some obscure Disney song in the distance as Hyomin stood a few feet away from her, a smile on her face and her light brown hair blowing in the wind. Wind? They were indoors. Sunny’s imaginative mind must have been spicing up the scene for her.

The faint glowing remnants of the setting sun found it’s way through the trees outside to have the pleasure of gently caressing Hyomin’s features, washing her in an almost ethereal afterglow. The way Hyomin’s twinkling eyes reminded her of stars in the daytime, the way her fingers were nervously twiddling with each other as if seeking to hold another, Hyomin had never looked more beautiful to Sunny than at that moment.

Her feet were moving before her brain could even process the command. Her arms reached out for Hyomin like a flower drawn to sunlight and the next thing she knew she was nuzzled into the crook of Hyomin’s neck, arms ever so tenderly wrapped around Hyomin’s waist. If her roommate family was her home, Hyomin’s embrace was her shelter. She never wanted to leave and she was willing to pick up all her emotional baggage and move into these arms that held her so securely.

“Hey you.” Hyomin softly said while brushing Sunny’s bangs out of her face.

“Hey yourself.” Sunny replied, poking Hyomin’s nose with her finger.

“Ahem!” Sunny heard someone clear their throat and she was immediately reminded that they were not alone in the living room.

“Hey guys, I’m sure you guys have had plenty of time to meet Hyomin by now before I got here, but if you don’t—“ Sunny started but was cut off by a nervous Hyomin.

“Uh, actually me and Eunjung just got here a few minutes before you did so we haven’t had the chance to properly introduce ourselves…”

“Oh! In that case, I’d like everyone to meet Hyomin. She’s….” Sunny paused and took one long glance at Hyomin who looked concerned by the sudden pause. It only took one nervous smile from Hyomin for Sunny to find the right words.

“She’s my girlfriend.”

There was a chorus of “Oohs” and a series of catcalls presumably from Young Ji and Jackson but Sunny managed to ignore all that. Instead, she had her eyes trained on the only person in the room whose reaction mattered. Hyomin had a stunned expression on her face before it gradually softened into a warm smile. A hand found its way to capture Sunny’s, giving it a light squeeze.

“Yeah, I am.” Hyomin confirmed, essentially saying yes to Sunny.

“Hey, the food is getting cold.” Ryohei announced from the kitchen, and they all nodded in agreement, all of them moving to the dining table to eat the food that Ryohei and Gook Ju had prepared.

Sunny was very grateful that she was not interrogated about what happened with Jessica. They knew Sunny would tell them in time. For now, Sunny just needed the care and understanding of the roommate family, and they were giving it in loads. Not only the members, but the cast and crew as well. She noticed that none of the cameras were switched on for today. It was all for her, and she appreciated every second of it.

*******************************************************

Sunny had volunteered to give Hyomin a tour of the house, and she did so with much gusto and pep in her step. She was excited to finally be able to show Hyomin around her house, going into elaborate stories as she tried to recall fond memories made in specific rooms. Hyomin just followed her with an amused smile on her face, barely containing her chuckles as the Energizer Bunny stayed true to her namesake and hopped around from room to room, leading her on with a hand pulling on her wrist.

They eventually found their way outside onto the courtyard, and Hyomin took a seat on the wooden swing set to give herself a much needed break. The house was huge, and Hyomin’s feet actually hurt from walking around the compound.

Sunny took her place next to Hyomin and just stared at her girlfriend trying to catch her breath. A dumb smile plastered on her face as she repeatedly called Hyomin her girlfriend in her head.

“So….girlfriend huh? Weren’t you going to consult me first before making any announcements? You didn’t even ask me properly.” Hyomin huffed, arms folded across her chest. How does this girl always know what’s going on in her head?

“But I knew you were going to say yes anyways.” Sunny cheerfully responded, moving her face dangerously close to Hyomin’s.

“Still! I would have liked to be asked formally. Like one of those movie scenes. You’re supposed to take me out at night to a clearing in a park, and there should’ve been these jars with candles in ‘em hanging from the trees and you should have asked me with romantic music playing in the background.” Hyomin whined, amusing Sunny with how seriously the girl in front of her took the situation.

“Wow. You really thought this through.”

“Of course. I’ve been dreaming of this moment for about 6 years now.”

“I’ll save that for when I ask you to marry me then.” Sunny cheekily answered and she took pleasure in watching Hyomin’s face do her best impersonation of a tomato as she blushed a shade of crimson.

“Aigooo Lee Soonkyu…. What on earth am I to do with you?”

“Well, you could kiss me for starters.” Sunny suggested as she leaned in, cupping Hyomin’s cheek in her right palm only to be playfully pushed away by Hyomin.

“Uh-uh. Nope. No kissing Sunny.”

“What?! Why not??” Asked Sunny, half shouting, half pleading.

“I don’t know…I think I might have given away our first kiss a bit too easily last time. You have to work harder to get it this time around.” Hyomin playfully answered, the mischievous glint in her eye evident. She was in one of those moods, and Sunny wasn’t quite sure she had the restraint to indulge in it.

Sunny spasmed a little bit and raised her hands as if she wanted to strangle the girl in front of her only to have them rest on Hyomin’s shoulders. Sunny gently brought her forehead to lean against Hyomin’s own and looked straight into her girlfriend’s eyes, memorizing every million ways the light twinkles off them.

“Park Hyomin. You drive me crazy sometimes. “ Sunny admitted with a chuckle.

“Is this one of those times?”

“Well, if I had to walk around the earth barefooted a thousand times, I would probably do it only because I love you so damn much and that if you said I had to, I would probably take your directions to be true.”

Sunny’s words took Hyomin by surprise. That was the first time Sunny had said that she loved her. The first time of many Hyomin was sure.

“You are such a sweet talker Sunny. Are you sure that Yuri is the songwriter in your group?”

“Well, I like to keep all my good lines for people who are worth it.” Hyomin raised an eyebrow at this new piece of information.

“Oh really? And exactly how many people have you found worthy enough to use these lines on?”

“You’re the first, so I’ve got a whole list of things to say that only you can hear.” Sunny grinned and rubbed their noses together.

“You’re so cheesy.” Hyomin giggled.

“You love it though.” Sunny whispered, eyes half-lidded. The close proximity and the smell of tangerines wafting through the air had clouded her senses to a point where it felt like Hyomin had taken control of every single fiber of her being.

“Mhmm. I do. Hey Sunny?” Hyomin’s voice came out raspier than she intended it to.

“Yeah?”

“You can kiss me now.”

Sunny didn’t have to be told twice. She leaned forward to close the minute distance between them and crashed her lips against Hyomin’s. This was so much more primal than the first time they kissed, and the intensity was incomparable. It was almost as if Hyomin wanted to kiss away all of the pain that Sunny had in her, and the shorter girl had no problem with allowing her girlfriend to try.

A hand s it’s way behind Hyomin’s neck while another held her by her waist, caressing her side ever so sensually causing a gasp to escape Hyomin’s lips which Sunny used as a precursor to deepen the kiss, slipping her tongue into Hyomin’s mouth starting a battle for control. One flick of the tongue against Hyomin’s own and the feeling of Sunny on her bottom lip resulted in the battle ending as soon as it started. Hyomin leaned her head back and felt her whole body turn to jelly as Sunny brought her deviously expert lips to kiss along her jawline, eventually reaching her neck where she led on the pulse point before making it’s way back to her lips, feather light kisses leading the way.

Hyomin eventually broke the intimate moment by lightly pushing Sunny off her, eyes still closed as she struggled to catch her breath. Sunny rested her head on her girlfriend’s shoulder, looking up into Hyomin’s flushed face and bearing a satisfied smile on her own.

“Wow.” Hyomin eventually got out after she had caught her breath.

“Yeah…wow.” Sunny agreed to the words left unsaid.

“You’re a really good kisser.” Hyomin admitted, fanning her face which was growing hotter by the second.

“You’re not so bad yourself Minnie. Round 2?” Sunny cheekily suggested while poking her girlfriend’s cheek.

“I’d love to, but we have an audience.” Hyomin giggled and pointed up towards the house. Sunny looked up and she burst out laughing as she saw Jackson, Young Ji, Nana and Joon looking down at them from the upstairs living room, Nana trying her best to cover Young Ji’s eyes while Jackson and Joon were presumably cheering her on.

Dong Wook came into view at that moment and looked as if he was telling off the 4 members watching them, dragging Joon away by his ear and shoo-ing the other 3 away with hand gestures. He turned to give a Sunny a wink as he walked away, eventually disappearing from sight as well. He really was like the eldest brother of the family.

“I don’t think I’m in the mood for round 2 anymore.” Sunny mumbled, and Hyomin agreed with a laugh. They got up and walked back into the house hand-in-hand.

They found Eunjung lying in wait for them on the couch, her head resting on Min Woo’s lap as his fingers absentmindedly played with her hair, his eyes were closed and his head was leaned back as if he was falling asleep. Eunjung informed Hyomin that they didn’t have a schedule tomorrow, so Hyomin could spend the night at the house if she wanted, which resulted in Hyomin giving a series of consecutive nods in record speed. Eunjung had business to take care of so she had to leave. Hyomin and Sunny observed as Eunjung lightly nudged Min Woo awake, and ruffled his hair before telling him that she had to go.

They watched as Min Woo and Eunjung disappear out the front door, and they couldn’t help but feel moved by the connection their friends shared. It was as if they lead such hectic and fast paced lives individually, but when they were together they could finally relax and take a breather. It reminded Sunny of her own relationship with Hyomin.

“C’mon, let’s find you a place to sleep.” Sunny suggested and they walked up the stairs to the room Sunny shared with Jong Ok.

The room was dark when they entered it, but something was slightly off. Jong Ok wasn’t sleeping on her bed, instead she was curled up in Sunny’s and she was fast asleep. It seems as if her roommate knew that Hyomin was going to stay over and wanted the couple to share the king sized bed instead.

Hyomin and Sunny blushed at the idea of sharing a bed together, but immediately brushed it off as they were both exhausted. Sunny handed some extra clothes to her girlfriend and they both got changed into their sleeping attire.

Now on the bed, Hyomin laid there hyper aware of every single shift in weight and sound the girl next to her was making. Nervous and flustered, her mind was racing with unlawful scenarios that could take place involving Sunny and her on a bed. One glance to the side however, and she could see that her bunny had already fallen asleep, obviously tired from her flight and the day’s events.

Hyomin turned to her girlfriend and brushed a stray hair out of Sunny’s face before kissing her on the forehead lightly.

“Goodnight Sunny. I love you so much.” Hyomin whispered, and felt a pair of arms encircle her waist, pulling her closer. Sunny snuggled Hyomin as if she was a bolster, and Hyomin couldn’t help but giggle at her adorable girlfriend.

And that was how the pair fell asleep; in each other’s arms.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I kinda had no time to proofread this because I'm in the middle of exam preparation, so I'm sorry for any grammatical errors. I just wanted to get this chapter up on time for Hyomin's birthday. :P

Yay! Sunbyung is back! This was one of my favourite chapters to write, and this is another one that practically wrote itself.I was just writing and writing and before I knew it I had over 4000 words in the chapter. I liked how it turned out though. I also had to include more Eunjung/Minwoo just because I like this little crackship I made. It makes no sense at all and I created the pairing on a whim, but now I'm totally all for it. hahahaha

Hope you liked this chapter. I definitely had a lot of fun writing it. I also just finished a taengsic-ish sidestory that I'm going to include in chapter 18 of this fic, and that one went on longer than I thought it would. I'm just on a writing frenzy lately. hahahaha

tasya92 and Nyleve202! Thank you so much for the upvotes! Oh wow thank you thank you! The support is more than I can ask for and I'm really grateful!

Thanks for the comments as well! They're very fascinating to read, and feedback is very much appreciated. :)