Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

JUNE

Jisung nudged her suitcase toward the wall with her foot, stepping over her discarded pajama bottoms to grab her rings off the dresser. She'd been intending to put in a pair of stud earrings as well, but she hadn't unearthed them from her luggage yet, and she knew she had about thirty seconds before her aunt called to her that they had to leave.

It was fine. It really didn't matter. It was just dinner at one of her aunt's tenant's apartments- something that happened every Sunday night, apparently. She was just going because she was staying with her aunt all summer before she went back to her final year of college, because apparently this was precisely when her parents thought to remodel their whole house.

She wasn't grumpy about it. Not at all. She was just two hours away from her high school friends in her hometown and an hour and a half away from her college campus in the other direction, and she was spending the summer with her super conservative (albeit nice) aunt who leased the top and bottom floors of the building she owned near absolutely no one Jisung knew. And now she couldn't find her earrings.

“Jisung!” came the call through the guest room door- right on time.

“Coming!” she replied, grabbing a fresh pair of socks off the floor and stepping into them before meeting her aunt at the front door.

“Is that what you're wearing?” her aunt asked, eyes sweeping over the plain black camisole and denim shorts Jisung had changed into after a similar remark about the worn concert t-shirt and ripped jean shorts. It wasn't a drastic change, but she'd thought it would be good enough for a Sunday night dinner at some woman's apartment.

“I thought you said it wasn't formal?”

“It's not,” her aunt conceded, seeming to at least acknowledge that there weren't any rips in her clothing (regardless of whether it was intentional or not). “Well, let's head out. She's very prompt about serving and it's almost six.”

Relieved to be off her appearance for the time being (unsurprisingly, her aunt had not been a fan of Jisung's hair- cropped close on one side while the other was cut into a shaggy bob and dyed silver), she shoved her feet into her worn high top sneakers and followed her aunt out the door and up the outdoor stairs to the apartment above hers.

“I can't wait for you to meet the men who live downstairs,” she was saying as she led the way up the weathered wooden steps. “They're in their mid to late twenties, I'd guess. Just a bit too old for you, probably, which is such a shame because they are both such gentlemen!”

That was another thing that was going to prove troublesome. Jisung was a lesbian, but her aunt had no idea. It had been her own choice not to tell her when she had come out three years prior- she just hadn't wanted to deal with the judgment and the comments she knew she would receive. Her parents knew and were fine with it, and they also supported her decision not to share it with her aunt and other select family members.

So being back in the closet for the summer… definitely not Jisung's idea of a vacation.

“And you'll just love Minho’s cooking!” her aunt went on, referring to the woman whose apartment door they were now nearing. All Jisung knew about her was that she was a lawyer, she cooked dinner for the building residents every Sunday, she had three cats, and she was, according to her aunt, “younger than me, but quite a bit older than you.”

Jisung was at least looking forward to seeing the cats.

When they arrived at Minho’s door, her aunt knocked and let herself in, calling out that they had arrived.

“Just finishing up!” came in response from the kitchen.

“I'll see if she needs any help,” her aunt said, stepping out of her shoes and nudging Jisung toward the living room. “Go ahead and see if you can find the cats.”

Shoes kicked off, Jisung was met with an orange and white cat sniffing at her ankles curiously as soon as she stepped past the threshold.

“Hi there,” she cooed, dropping into a squat to hold out her hand to be sniffed and gently stroking over the soft fur once she had been deemed acceptable.

There were two other cats perched on a cat tree near the window, early evening sun making their whiskers look almost fiber optic. And though the cats were the most interesting thing in the room, the room itself was nice- comfortable. There was a cornflower blue throw draped over the cream colored couch, a book on botanicals on the coffee table, and a smattering of little figurines, novels, candles, and framed photographs decorating the shelves on the opposite wall.

It was warm and lived in without feeling overwhelmingly cluttered like her aunt's apartment, which felt almost oppressively full with every surface covered with knick knacks, and the walls nearly completely covered with shelves and pictures.

“His name is Soonie,” said a gentle voice over Jisung's shoulder, and she nearly tipped over in her surprise.

“He's so cute,” she replied, turning her head to properly introduce herself to the woman whose home she was currently invading and nearly falling over again in a different kind of surprise.

She'd been expecting some middle aged cat lady, not…the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen in real life.

“You must be Jisung,” the woman- Minho, she reminded herself- said when Jisung met her eyes.

Her chestnut brown hair was half pinned back with wispy bangs brushing the long lashes that framed her large, glittering eyes. Her nose was more impeccable than even Michelangelo could manage with how perfectly straight it was, and her pink lips were pulled back across the cutest teeth Jisung had ever seen as she smiled warmly at her.

She didn't know what she thought Minho was going to look like, exactly, but it hadn't been that.

“Yeah, hi, nice to meet you,” she struggled to get out, Soonie letting out a meow at how her petting hand had frozen in place as she took in Minho’s appearance.

“He's going to enjoy the extra attention this summer,” Minho teased as Jisung resumed the light scritches on his chin. “The others too, even though they're acting like it's too much trouble to get up right now.”

“What are their names?” Jisung asked, keeping her eyes on the cats lest she stare too long at the deep v of Minho's burgundy wrap blouse.

“Doongie and Dori,” Minho replied, pointing to each of them in turn.

Jisung felt panic seize her as her poor, gay brain scrambled for anything halfway not idiotic to say in response, but she was saved by a commotion behind her.

“Hi, sorry!” said a male voice, and Jisung turned to see two men stepping into the entryway.

“Too late,” Minho scolded, standing up from where she had been crouched by Jisung. “I fed your portions to the cats.”

“Noooo!” the second man wailed, gripping his chest in faux heartbreak.

“Not yours,” Minho amended with a quirk of her lips. “Just Chan's.”

“Hey!” the first man- Chan, apparently- complained with a laugh.

“Oh, Jisung! This is Chan and Felix from downstairs!” her aunt announced happily, appearing from around the corner. “Chan, Felix, this is my niece, Jisung. And I see you've met Minho already.”

“Nice to meet you,” Jisung greeted, standing from where she'd still been crouched even though Soonie had abandoned her at the arrival of Chan and Felix.

“Nice to meet you, Jisung,” Chan said with a dimpled smile. “Your aunt said you'll be staying here all summer?”

“Yeah,” she confirmed, watching as Minho led the way to the dining room and hanging back to let Chan and Felix walk ahead of her.

Chan's hand strayed to Felix's lower back, seemingly without thought, as he followed him further into the apartment, and Jisung had to bite back a laugh.

Of course her aunt had a managed to miss the fact that the tenants from the first floor were in a relationship with each other. They weren't a couple of bros living together as roommates. They were living together. Age was not the main thing keeping either of them from being a potential partner for her.

Jisung felt herself relax a bit as she sat down at the table across from Felix and next to her aunt. She might not have been able to be out entirely, but at least she was among familiar company.

“Alright,” Minho announced, sitting down at the head of the table, “I attempted beef wellington for the first time in years so apologies if it's not up to par. And in that bowl over there are maple glazed carrots. So at least those should be fine.”

“I'm sure it will be delicious!” Jisung's aunt gushed, helping herself to a spoonful of carrots as Minho began slicing the pastry wrapped beef.

“You go all out for a fresh face, huh?” Chan joked, and Jisung felt herself go red even though Minho obviously hadn't cared about making something complicated to impress some college kid she'd never even met.

Minho looked up from where she was placing meat on a plate to meet Jisung's eyes. In that second, it felt like she looked straight into Jisung's soul and saw firsthand all of the gay panicking she was doing, because when their eyes caught, her lips pulled up in a little smirk- so fast, Jisung almost wondered if she'd imagined it- before she was back to slicing the beef wellington like nothing had happened.

“Seems like it,” she said easily, and smoothly moved on as she started passing plates down the table.

Her poor lesbian brain was playing tricks on her. Or she was so obvious about her appreciation that Minho was straight up laughing at her. Valid, honestly. And somehow still hot.

God, she was fucked.

“You're in college, right?” Felix asked once they had all been served and Minho and Chan seemed to have been pulled into a conversation about taxes by her aunt.

Swallowing down her first bite, Jisung nodded.

“Yeah, I'm going into my last year in the fall,” she confirmed, stabbing a carrot with her fork and trying not to look over to see if she was imagining Minho’s eyes on her or not. “Business major and art history minor.”

“Art history?” he asked, brows jumping. “That sounds really cool!”

“My parents wanted me to major in business, and it was one of the only arts related minors offered at my college, so I just went for it,” Jisung admitted with a laugh. “But I ended up actually really liking it.”

“As someone with a business degree who isn't interested in business, I can commiserate,” Felix told her on a chuckle, and Jisung grinned.

Felix was an easy conversation partner as the others discussed…whatever it was they were talking about. The homeowners’ association? The house down the street that had recently been torn down? It didn't sound particularly interesting.

But while Jisung knew she was probably absolutely losing her mind, she couldn't help but feel like she could feel Minho’s eyes on her, especially when she and Felix were brought into the conversation as her stay for the summer became the topic of discussion.

It was hard to focus on what her aunt was saying about her parents’ renovations when she was so aware of Minho's eyes continuously sliding towards her. It had her cheeks flushing with heat- a buzz under her skin like radio static. She felt crazy as she shifted in her seat and saw Minho’s gaze shift to her in her periphery.

The impulse was stupid and embarrassing and reckless, but the heaviness of Minho's eyes on her was doing something to her head. So Jisung was unable to stop herself before she found herself pressing her upper arms tight to her sides, shoulders raising with the effort, in order to press her tits together so the swell of her (normally quite unremarkable) cleavage was visible over the top of her camisole.

God, it was so stupid, and as soon as she did it, she realized how ridiculous it was. She was sitting next to her aunt, her conservative aunt, at a dinner with people whom she'd met forty minutes prior, and pushing her boobs together like a teenager taking a selfie for the benefit of a gorgeous older woman who probably thought she was some dumb kid. Absolutely humiliating.

Flopping back in her chair and hunching over in embarrassment, Jisung chanced a glance up to see if anyone had noticed. Felix was eagerly spearing the last of his beef wellington with his fork and Chan was nodding along at whatever her aunt was saying.

Minho, however, was looking right after her with her lips pressed together like she was trying to hold back a smile- eyes dancing with amusement- and Jisung wanted to die.

Why did she have to be like this? No wonder she didn't have a girlfriend. She wasn't capable of normal, human interaction. Why was she always so weird?

“Jisung is absolutely useless in the kitchen,” her aunt said, Jisung's name grabbing her attention from the black hole of humiliation she was getting sucked into. “She makes instant noodles, and that's the extent of it.”

And eggs, Jisung wanted to add, but she was still hoping she might become invisible if she wished hard enough, so she left it alone.

“If she could only cook, she'd be beating potential husbands off with a stick!” her aunt crowed, and Jisung attempted a polite laugh that definitely sounded more like a croak to her own ears.

“I'd be happy to teach her,” Minho interjected, voice light and smooth, and Jisung's head snapped up in surprise. “If she's interested, of course.”

“That would be wonderful!” her aunt exclaimed, going on to thank Minho profusely for her kindness, but the sound of her voice faded to a quiet hum as Jisung found her eyes locked with Minho’s.

As before, her eyes were shining with a secret kind of smile- head tipped to the side in question.

Jisung could say no. She could say no and lock herself in her aunt's guest bedroom for the next three months. It was certainly tempting, what with the way she had already managed to completely embarrass herself in front of Minho. But at the same time, with those cat-like eyes sparkling just for her, there was nothing she could do but nod and watch the smile bloom on Minho’s face.

“Anything will be an improvement,” her aunt was saying, gesturing happily with a fork in her hand. “It will be so nice to see Jisung be able to master even one dish.”

“I think we can do better than one,” Minho grinned, chin in her palm as she rested an elbow on the table- collarbones standing out in stark relief in the v of her blouse. “We have all summer.”

---

Pushing her wet hair off her forehead, Jisung wiggled to find a more comfortable position on the pool float she had spent an embarrassing amount of time blowing up that morning. Her aunt managed to find the float, but not the air pump.

The squeak of plastic had Jisung wincing, but she relaxed as she closed her eyes against the afternoon sun and swayed with the gentle movement of the water.

It was the following Saturday, and it had taken Jisung that long to climb out of her own head to enjoy the above ground pool housed in the backyard of her aunt's building.

Yes, she had embarrassed herself in front of Minho, but surely, to Minho, it was just a tiny blip that she would forget about in a matter of weeks. Jisung was just some girl who happened to be staying in the apartment beneath hers. She was a nobody.

By then, she had convinced herself that she must have been imagining Minho staring at her. She had probably just been looking at her because she was a new acquaintance. Maybe she thought Jisung's hair was as stupid as her aunt did. Maybe, and this was the worst case scenario, she realized Jisung had been ogling her and she thought it was entertaining.

Whatever it had been, it didn't matter because Jisung was the only one who was still thinking about it.

There was the issue of the promised cooking lessons, but it was possible Minho had just been being polite and she wouldn't bring it up again. Or maybe she would and Jisung would spend an hour learning how to marinate chicken or something one afternoon and that would be it.

She needed to get ahold of herself because she was going to be here all summer, and she couldn't handle anything as humiliating as The Cleavage Incident again.

The past week had been mostly as boring as she'd expected. She'd had a couple of tutoring sessions for underclassmen taking summer classes via videocall, which was how she would be making money until she could return to her job in the computer lab at the start of fall semester. Besides that, she'd just been taking naps, scrolling too much on her phone, and texting with her roommate, Jeongin, about how bored they both were.

So the afternoon spent floating in the pool was a much needed reprieve from the banal existence she'd created for herself here.

The sun was verging on too hot against her exposed skin- slathered in sunscreen, at least- but the sound of the water hitting the pool walls and the lazy sway of the float had Jisung feeling like she could fall asleep.

So the mind if I join you? had her yelping in surprise and nearly falling into the water.

Eyes squinted open against the brightness of the sun, Jisung was met with Minho shrugging off a sheer cover-up and climbing the ladder to get up into the pool.

“It's fine,” she squeaked, trying not to let her eyes catch on the strong and soft thighs that disappeared into the water as Minho eased herself down the ladder and into the pool, or the swell of cleavage peeking over the sweetheart neckline of her one piece suit.

Jisung couldn't help but be reminded of Botticelli's Birth of Venus.

Minho’s smile seemed knowing as she pushed her sunglasses onto her head, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear that had come free from the big clip that she wore, and Jisung burned under her gaze.

Suddenly, she was all too aware of just how tiny her black and white checkered bikini was, and the fact that she was splayed out on the pool float, nearly naked, in front of the woman she couldn't seem to stop embarrassing herself in front of.

One arm hooked around the ladder, Minho stayed there- presumably perched on one of the rungs- as she shook her bangs out of her eyes.

“Did you want to swim?” Jisung fretted, sitting up a little on the lounger and nearly upsetting the balance enough to send her toppling into the pool. “I can go. I'm not really swimming.”

Minho shook her head, lips quirked. “I can't swim.”

The fact that she hadn't strayed from the ladder made sense, then.

“Me neither,” Jisung confessed with a giggle. “I pretty much just dipped in and then climbed on here.”

Minho’s laugh was more uninhibited that Jisung would have expected for someone so… beautiful? Seemingly successful? She didn't know what she thought was surprising about it, but she liked it, watching the crinkle of Minho's eyes with a grin on her own face.

“I hope I didn't put you on the spot with the cooking lessons,” Minho said, easing herself further into the water with a hand still tight on the ladder. “Don't feel like you need to take me up on it.”

“No!” Jisung was quick to deny- the swiftness making Minho smile again. “No. I- thank you. That was really nice of you to offer.”

Minho shrugged, the soft hair at the base of her neck getting wet with the motion. “Husbands aside, it's nice to know you're capable of making yourself what you want to eat.”

“I'm not interested in getting a husband,” Jisung found herself blurting out before she could stop herself. That was really not the point of what Minho had been saying, and it wasn't like it mattered if Minho thought she was in the market for a man or not.

Jisung's cheeks heated as Minho let out another laugh, not unkind.

“No, I didn't think so,” she replied easily, and something about the amused curve of her mouth had Jisung's stomach flipping.

“Are you?” she found herself asking before snapping her mouth firmly shut as Minho’s brows jumped.

What the fuck are you doing? Jisung, get it together and shut the fuck up, she silently scolded herself.

“Am I interested in getting a husband?” Minho replied, almost disbelieving, and Jisung wondered how long it would take to drown herself to avoid the rest of this conversation. What an inappropriate thing to ask someone! Someone she had just met.

She'd meant it in the are you straight way (which was none of her business), but with Minho being in probably her mid to late 30's, it could be taken in a why aren't you married way, which was horrifyingly insensitive and something Jisung would never ask, and-

“No,” Minho said with a somehow-attractive snort before Jisung could spiral any further. “I am not interested in getting a husband. At all.”

Jisung swallowed, skin feeling too tight all of the sudden. Because Minho definitely didn't seem angry or offended, but her eyes on Jisung were heavy with meaning, and Jisung was sure she was red all the way down her chest.

“Is that Minho in the pool?”

The call across the yard had the moment breaking- Minho blinking before turning her head and Jisung sucking in a lungful of air. Evidently, she'd forgotten to breathe.

“It's a million degrees, Chan,” Minho yelled back, surprisingly loud. “Why shouldn't I be?”

“I just don't think I've ever seen you in here,” Chan replied with a chuckle, jogging over to rest his forearms on the top edge of the pool with a grin.

“You've only been here four years,” Minho said with a flick of her wrist, blasé. “You have no idea how often I used the pool before you moved in.”

“Sure,” Chan agreed easily, smiling at them both, but it had Minho rolling her eyes anyway, albeit good-naturedly, it seemed.

“Well, I should probably get going,” Minho announced after a beat, standing up and providing Jisung with the stunning visual of water sluicing off her body and droplets tracing over her curves. “I have several depositions to get through tonight.”

Chan clicked his tongue, shaking his head. “Brutal.”

Patting herself dry with a towel she'd brought down, Minho looked at Jisung again.

“If you're free, I'm going to start cooking around one tomorrow if you want to stop by,” she said smoothly, eyes glinting with something that had Jisung's stomach flipping again. “No pressure.”

“Yeah,” she was agreeing probably too quickly if the now familiar amused tilt of Minho's mouth was anything to go by. “I will. I mean, I can. Come by.”

“Great,” Minho replied with an easy smile as she shrugged her sheer cover-up back over her shoulders and placed her sunglasses back on her nose. “See you tomorrow, then.”

Jisung made some noise of agreement that made her cringe, watching Minho’s hips sway as she turned to walk back to the building.

“You too, Chan!” she called over her shoulder, and Chan yelled back a reply that was effortless and relaxed, and definitely nothing like Jisung's near whimpery response.

She was such a mess.

“If she's taking suggestions, will you put in a good word for the fancy mac and cheese she makes?” Chan asked, attention back on Jisung and countenance casual, like Jisung wasn't about to melt off the pool float in her gay panic. “It's been ages.”

“Yeah, sure,” Jisung answered, trying for normal and not on-the-cusp-of-death. “Yeah, sounds good.”

Chan's victory fist pump had Jisung letting out a genuine laugh, taking another deep breath and centering herself.

They chatted for another few minutes before Chan excused himself to run some errands, and Jisung stayed out for another half hour or so before climbing out of the pool and heading inside.

She knew she was probably reading into things, but if she made herself come thinking of Minho's heavy gaze on her when she got into the shower to rinse off the chlorine, it was no one's business but her own.

---

At 1:01, Jisung knocked on the door to Minho’s apartment. She’d rushed out to be there at one on the dot, but second guessed herself enough to hesitate an extra minute before making her presence known. Arriving at exactly one seemed kind of insane.

After overthinking every second of interaction she’d had with Minho when she was trying to fall asleep the night before, Jisung had come to a conclusion of what was most likely. Their conversation yesterday had heavily implied that Minho was not interested in men, and it seemed she knew that Jisung wasn’t either. It was probably quite clear that Jisung was attracted to her- she’d never been good at hiding crushes- so what Minho was most likely doing was harmless, fun flirting.

Jisung could work with that. Getting the attention of a gorgeous woman was really more than she could have thought to hope for when her parents had suggested she stay with her aunt for the summer. If nothing else, the interactions would be enough to fill her mental folder of fantasies for years to come, probably.

But there was still the hope that niggled at her brain no matter how much she tried to tamp it down. What if Minho wasn’t just flirting to pass the time, but because she wanted her?

It was probably delusional to even consider, but Jisung couldn’t shake the weight of Minho’s eyes on her the day before in the pool. Maybe it had just been her, but it had felt significant- almost something tangible she could hold in her hands.

Jisung had texted Jeongin about Minho and the flirting, hoping that Jeongin would tell her that it sounded like Minho was into her for sure. Unfortunately, Jeongin thought she was out of her mind, but Jisung couldn’t help the little seed of hope in her chest that just wouldn't die.

What if the cooking lessons weren’t cooking lessons at all?

It was wishful thinking times a thousand, but it had Jisung carefully choosing her underwear after her shower that morning, just in case, as well as the lacey bralette she almost never wore because it dug into her ribs a little.

Easy access probably wasn't needed, but it was what she'd had in mind choosing her denim skirt. And the crop top that showed off her waist just went with the skirt. That was all!

“Jisung,” Minho greeted with a smile when she opened the door. And then with a laugh, “I feel a little underdressed.”

She was in just a pair of sweatpants and a soft looking t-shirt that was oversized enough that the neckline was almost slipping off her shoulder.

Jisung flushed, feeling overdressed all of the sudden, and realizing how silly she was to have considered this could be anything other than a cooking lesson.

“You look nice,” she added with a tilt of her head that had her ponytail swinging, and Jisung stuttered through a thank you as she stepped inside and toed off her sneakers.

Soonie moseyed over, weaving between Jisung's ankles and hitting the backs of her calves with a wayward tail.

“Hi there,” she cooed, bending over to stroke his soft head and scritch under his chin.

Minho was smiling fondly when she straightened back up.

“I got the ingredients for blueberry pie,” Minho told her, gesturing behind herself toward the kitchen. “And after it goes in the oven and it's closer to dinnertime, I can show you how to make a quick stir fried pasta.”

Cooking lessons. Minho was going to show her how to cook. Obviously.

Jisung felt a little foolish for thinking anything else.

Even worse, her disappointment must have been showing on her face because Minho’s eyebrows raised as she appraised her- lips titling just slightly.

“Is that not how you wanted to spend the afternoon?” she asked, and Jisung's cheeks burned at the teasing shine of her eyes.

She knew. She had to.

Fuck. This was so humiliating.

“No, no,” she insisted, waving her hands probably too frantically in front of her. “That sounds great! I love pie!”

Minho was laughing lightly when Jisung finished speaking, and for as embarrassing as it was, it still had a fission of warmth melting through her.

“I got the ingredients because I wasn't sure you'd be interested in anything else,” Minho told her bluntly, and the renewed hope had Jisung lighting up from the inside out. “Flirting is one thing, but I didn't want to presume you wanted anything more.”

More?

She had to be misunderstanding.

Minho- beautiful, calm, and collected (sans the cutely flushed ears)- couldn't possibly want Jisung who knew she must have been as red as the nail polish on Minho’s short nails.

“Is that something you want?” she prompted, eyes dark as they took in Jisung's flustered visage. “More?”

Jisung wasn't entirely sure what more entailed, but it was safe to say she wanted it.

She nodded, and Minho grinned.

“No pressure, though,” she added. “I'm completely fine with baking a pie.”

The thing was, she didn't feel any pressure. The fact that Minho had gone out to buy pie ingredients to make good on her promise of cooking lessons in the case that Jisung didn't want her was so endearingly sweet, somehow.

“I'm sure,” Jisung told her, more emphatic than she maybe needed to be, but wanting Minho to know just how resolute she was. Even though she barely knew her, Minho considering her feelings like that made her feel safe.

Which probably was the only thing keeping Jisung from exploding into a loud pop of confetti at the thought of doing anything more with her.

“Okay.” Minho’s lips curved as she stepped forward. And then forward again.

Jisung just had a chance to realize that Minho was going to kiss her before she did. She felt like she needed to suck in a lungful of air as though she was about to be submerged in water, but then Minho’s hand was on Jisung's shoulder and she was slotting their lips together in a chaste kiss.

And there was the confetti, breath stuttering and electric shocks traveling over her skin from just that much contact.

With another soft smile that contrasted with the glint of promise in Minho’s eyes like the sharp blade of a knife, Minho gently gripped Jisung's hand in her own and led her down the hall to her bedroom.

If Jisung were in any other situation, she might have noted the nice, supple-looking velvet duvet or the gauzy, cream curtains covering the windows that diffused the sunlight enough that it felt like the room was glowing. She could have commented on the pretty perfume bottles sitting on a mirrored tray on the dresser or the softness of the fuzzy throw rug under her feet.

She couldn't focus on any of that, however, because she was being pressed against the door and kissed breathless with Minho’s fingers running through her hair.

Even through her nerves and disbelief, Jisung felt the heat of arousal spreading through her and making her head spin with nothing more than Minho’s tongue in her mouth and her thigh pressed gently between her legs. She wanted this so, so badly that it was nearly a physical ache, but she knew that if they were really doing this, she needed to be completely upfront.

So with great difficulty, Jisung pulled away from Minho’s soft and insistent lips to gasp out, “I've never actually done this before.”

The surprise that flickered over Minho’s face, cheeks pink and lips slick from kissing, had anxiety rolling through Jisung's limbs. Maybe Minho wouldn't be interested in someone so clearly inexperienced. Why would she be? She surely had been with plenty of women whose sexual prowess would only serve to highlight everything Jisung was lacking.

God, she kind of wished she hadn't said anything at all, but it just felt too dishonest not to. Minho deserved to know whom she was inviting into her bed, afterall.

“This,” Minho finally replied, tongue dragging over her lower lip as she blinked at Jisung, “as in sex?”

“No! I-” Jisung was quick to defend before shrinking back, sheepish. “Kind of.”

Minho raised her perfect brows, and stepped back enough so that Jisung wasn’t pressed against the door.

“I had a boyfriend in high school,” Jisung explained, talking too fast, but unable to slow down. “We had sex a few times, but it was…bad. You know. And uh-”

Jisung cleared her throat, feeling her cheeks heat the longer she talked.

“Since then, well, in college, I mean, I've made out with girls, and um, over the clothes? But I haven't really had sex with a woman before.”

Minho nodded slowly, still looking at Jisung like she could see into her head if she focused hard enough.

“We really don't need to do this if you aren't comfortable,” she said, and Jisung fought herself not to lunge forward and pull Minho back in to erase any doubt that she wanted this.

Talking was probably more appropriate for now.

“I am!” she insisted, deciding she didn't care how desperate and needy she sounded as long as Minho knew she was telling the truth. “I really, really want to. I haven't before not because I'm not ready or anything. The stars, or whatever, just haven't aligned yet. Hadn't aligned yet.”

Minho’s smile was amused when Jisung finally got herself to stop babbling, and she was going to take that as a win. At least she wasn't looking at her with judgment or derision. Not that she thought she would! But even if Jisung's inexperience and awkward rambling had turned her off, it didn't seem like she had completely ruined whatever camaraderie they had started to cultivate.

“The stars have aligned now?” she asked, teasing, and Jisung felt her face flame even as she laughed helplessly.

“I think so!” she decided to say because it was true. Minho already knew she wasn't some smooth seductress, so being truthful was the next best play. Cards on the table. If Minho turned her down now, at least it wouldn't be because she'd said something weird trying to seem like she was someone she wasn't.

“Cute,” Minho chuckled, and the embarrassment Jisung had been feeling quickly melted into wanting anew. “As long as you're sure.”

“I am,” Jisung reiterated, stepping forward when Minho beckoned her with a smile that could have lured her off a fucking cliff.

Minho’s hands were gentle as she guided Jisung toward the bed, lips connecting intermittently as they sat and scooted so Jisung was propped against the pillows with Minho leaning over her.

Fingers brushing her hair behind her ear and sending shivers down Jisung spine, Minho’s gaze on her felt almost as tangible as the fingertips against her neck.

“What do you want?” she asked softly, thumb stroking along Jisung's jaw.

What didn't she want was maybe a better question with a shorter answer. Saying everything or anything in response was accurate enough, but wasn't what Minho was asking for.

“Can I eat you out?” Jisung rushed to say before she lost her nerve. Was that too forward? Was there such a thing when she was in Minho’s bed?

The request appeared to surprise Minho as she paused and blinked, which had Jisung prematurely looking for an escape route to dodge her embarrassment. But then Minho was smiling somewhat indulgently as she leaned in to press a soft kiss to the side of Jisung's throat.

“Of course you can,” she purred, breath hot on her skin. “But isn't there anything you want me to do for you?”

Jisung's brain seemed to have frozen on the response dealer's choice or there aren't enough hours before dinner for me to list it all. Both were awful answers, and she knew she couldn't say either of them, but somehow she was coming up empty on what to say instead.

“How about if I take the lead for now, and you can let me know what you like,” Minho suggested, taking pity on Jisung and her malfunctioning brain. “Just promise me you'll let me know if you don't want something or want to stop.”

Eagerly, Jisung nodded, barely stopping herself from offering up a pinky. Why was she like this?

Fortunately, Minho was kissing her again so she didn't have time to ruminate on her…interesting social impulses. Instead she was gasping into Minho's mouth as she sucked on her tongue, startling a whimper out of Jisung when she dug her teeth gently into her bottom lip.

Minho's fingers slid underneath the hem of her top, just a little ticklish against the flesh of her abdomen, before she was helping Jisung push the shirt up and over her head.

Her eyes were questioning as she discarded the fabric over the edge of the mattress. Okay?

Jisung was reaching for her without even thinking, needing to feel the wet warmth of her mouth against her skin again. And that was the answer Minho had been looking for, apparently, since she let herself be pulled down again to reconnect their lips- fingers starting on the button of Jisung's denim skirt.

“This is cute,” Minho said once the skirt had joined her shirt on the floor, lightly touching the little butterfly on the bar that pierced Jisung’s belly button. “Sexy.”

Jisung flushed, shivering and arching against her with a whine.

She had gotten it done impulsively when she'd accompanied her friend, Hyunjin, from college when he'd gotten his eyebrow pierced.

She'd been loitering by the jewelry display, admiring all the cute and sparkly jewelry that people could choose from for their piercings, and found herself transfixed by the little purple butterfly.

When the woman who had just finished Hyunjin's piercing asked if she wanted to get anything done, she'd asked how much it would cost, and with Hyunjin hyping her up, she'd agreed on the spot.

It was funny that with how much she was prone to overthinking, how easily she made choices sometimes when she just let go. And how happy she had been with the result despite the rash decision.

And now, with Minho looking at her like she wanted to eat her whole, Jisung could not have been more pleased with her choice.

Ironically, this whole situation probably fell into the same category.

Losing her virginity (the kind that counted, anyway) to a woman she had met only a week ago? Some might call it impulsive, but Jisung had never felt more sure of anything in her life as Minho gently cupped her breast through the lace of her bralette, thumb rubbing against her peaked nipple.

Jisung squirmed, sucking in a breath through her teeth. Minho had barely touched her, but she was on fire. She wanted more. The lace of her underwear was soaked through, she didn't even have to check. She knew it.

Minho knew it too as she dragged her fingers against the fabric with her tongue back in Jisung's mouth.

It could have been embarrassing, getting worked up so quickly, but the noise Minho made against her lips sounded like a moan, and Jisung would do anything to have Minho feeling half as affected as she did.

Hips kicking up, chasing Minho’s light touch, Jisung arched off the mattress so Minho could pull her bralette over her head.

It was only then that she really realized how bare she was in comparison to Minho whose clothes remained entirely intact. The throb between her legs was proof that Jisung didn't really mind, but that didn't mean she didn't want to get her hands on Minho’s skin, unobstructed, as well.

“Can you…” she tried, shuddering as Minho laved her tongue against her nipple- warmth that quickly gave way to a chill as the air hit her wet skin when Minho pulled back.

Minho’s dark eyes were on her, arousal evident enough that Jisung shivered under her gaze, and she nearly lost her train of thought. But the feel of Minho's soft shirt gripped in her fists quickly reminded her.

“Off?” she suggested, forgoing a complete sentence in favor of getting to the point.

Minho sat back on her heels and, without hesitation, yanked her shirt over her head leaving her ponytail a little mussed. Even more eye-catching, though, was the emerald green silk that cupped her full breasts.

Jisung tried to swallow, eyes stuck and hands itching to feel the weight in her palms.

“I guess I was ready for more than a cooking lesson too,” Minho said wryly, lips quirking as her fingertips traced the edge of Jisung's lace panties.

Jisung let out a helpless laugh that quickly morphed into a gasp as Minho leaned back down and nipped at the soft curve beneath her belly button.

“Still okay?” she asked, looking up through her tousled bangs with her thumbs pressing into Jisung's hips.

“Y-yes,” Jisung affirmed, one hand clenched tightly enough in the bedding that it was in danger of cramping and the other traveling to Minho’s shoulder- the soft warmth of her skin leaving her breathless.

Jisung expected Minho to take her underwear off then, but instead she felt the warmth of her breath through the fabric before her lips pressed to her clit over the lace.

The whine that escaped her was too loud for the fleeting contact, but she burned even brighter to see the little smirk on Minho’s lips as she leaned back just enough to pull the damp crotch of her panties to the side.

This wasn't the first time she'd been eaten out- the boyfriend had gone down on her twice during their ill-fated relationship, though neither time had been particularly noteworthy. It had felt mildly good, as a tongue against her cunt should, but it had been decidedly worse than her own fingers, and she hadn't come.

Jisung knew that it would be better with someone she was actually attracted to. She was very confident it would be better with a woman.

But she hadn't been prepared for how much better it could be.

Minho’s tongue against her was gentle, exploratory. Little licks against her clit, her entrance, her labia. Just enough to have her jerking against the mattress, feeling herself get wetter.

Somehow having her underwear still on, held out of the way of Minho's questing mouth, felt filthier than if she'd been naked, and it was making every little kiss and suckle against her folds echo that much strongly through her body.

“Please,” Jisung gasped, fingers trembling against Minho’s shoulders. Because it was so good, but not enough.

Minho was just working her up, seeing how much she could make her twitch. That's what it felt like. And she was close from the teasing alone.

“Can I take these off?” Minho asked finally, scooting back enough that Jisung could see the slickness of her pink lips.

She shivered, nodding and watching as Minho easily slid the lace down her thighs with blurry eyed arousal. Even when she blinked, trying to fully appreciate the sight of Minho between her legs, she felt like her eyes struggled to focus, crossing and then slamming closed when Minho’s mouth was on her again.

The illicit feeling of her underwear pulled out of the way of Minho's eager mouth was replaced by the fresh sensation of being wholly bare for Minho to do what she pleased, and it had her legs trying to widen- hips rolling to get closer to Minho’s mouth.

Gone were the teasing flicks of her tongue and press of her lips. One hand braced on Jisung's thigh and the other warm on her abdomen, it felt as though Minho was making love to her with her mouth.

Jisung let her hand travel to Minho’s jaw as she laved and sucked at her folds, feeling the movement of her mouth beneath her palm and only heightening the pleasure brought on by the flat of Minho's tongue dragging over her clit again and again.

She could have come seconds after Minho took her panties off, but she'd wanted it to last- holding off her orgasm with all of her might. But it was like trying to stop a rushing current, an avalanche, a landslide.

“Oh fuck,” she whimpered, feeling tears at her lash line as the pleasure swelled and grew. “Minho, I can't. I can't- I'm gonna-”

There was a hum against her, Minho's fingers digging into her thigh and the thumb of her other hand stroking the skin right above where her clit was being assaulted by Minho's tongue.

Nothing could have stopped her from coming then.

Vision going mottled and white behind her closed lids, Jisung's body locked up- toes curled and mouth stuck open- as her release washed over her like a tidal wave crashing back into the sea.

Distantly, beyond the thrum of her pulse in her ears, she could hear the high pitched moans and whimpers she was making, not unlike an injured animal. Maybe she would have been embarrassed, but her brain had turned to static- white noise like the rushing of a waterfall that drowned out everything beyond the pleasure of her release.

Unseeingly, Jisung's eyes opened- fixated on the white ceiling as she shook and gasped and started to come down from the most intense orgasm of her life even as aftershocks of pleasure continued zipping through her.

Minho’s tongue had gentled and she pulled away after pressing a wet kiss to Jisung's still spasming clit.

“How was that?” she asked softly, warm hand petting against Jisung's belly.

All that Jisung managed was a wheeze, but Minho’s tinkling laughter wasn't cruel. She sounded fond.

“I'm glad,” she told her with a smile in her voice, easing herself down next to Jisung on the bed.

Even half delirious from coming, Jisung's eyes still landed on Minho’s chest- the swell of her breasts spilling over the edge of silk with the way she was laying on her side.

The smirk on Minho’s lips didn't have Jisung wanting to shrivel up in shame even though it meant she'd been caught staring. She was actually quite sure she'd reached the stage of nirvana after having Minho’s tongue work her to orgasm. Earthly problems like shame were a thing of the past. That's how that worked, right?

“We can stop here if you want,” Minho told her, eyes sparkling with amusement and lust as Jisung reached out to mindlessly trace along the edge of the cup of her bra to feel the soft skin against her fingertips. “No pressure to do anything else.”

“Wanna eat you out,” Jisung insisted, feeling her brow furrow with her pout. “You said I could.”

So much for growing into the role of some femme fatale who could have Minho eating out of her hand.

Minho’s chuckle sounded like the most beautiful melody Jisung had ever heard, tilting her head into the touch of Minho's fingers running through her hair.

“I'd like that,” Minho told her, humming into the kiss Jisung surged up to initiate.

She could taste herself on Minho’s tongue- musky and a little sharp. It had her moaning into the kiss, head spinning at the reminder of what had just transpired.

“Can you sit on my face?” Jisung asked against Minho’s mouth, getting a handful of her breast and feeling the subtle shudder as she gently squeezed.

“Ambitious,” Minho teased, but Jisung could hear the way her voice went a little thin- eyes dark with arousal as they regarded her. “It would probably be easier if we just switched spots for your first time.”

Jisung blinked, head full of images of Minho gasping her name, Minho riding her face, Minho on her back- hands tangled in Jisung's hair. Minho, Minho, Minho.

She was close to short circuiting, but even that wasn't going to stop her.

“Does that mean you'll sit on my face another time?”

Maybe the shame would come back and Jisung would be embarrassed by how candidly she'd voiced her wants, but for now, she was still floating in the air from her post-orgasm high like a cartoon character levitating after smelling pie. And with Minho’s feline eyes crinkling with a smile as she regarded her, Jisung wasn't too worried about later.

Except, of course, the later that involved Minho riding her tongue.

“If you still want me to another time, I will,” Minho told her, teeth peeking out from between her kiss swollen lips.

Jisung was taking that as a promise.

Minho on her back, bra tossed to the side and sweats kicked off her feet, was more enticing than Jisung could handle.

Having Minho straddling her face really might have done her in, and then her aunt would find out that Jisung was a lesbian via her cause of death.

She wasn't giving up on that fantasy, sans the untimely demise, but it was for the best that they'd work their way up to that.

Minho’s silk underwear cutting into the flesh of her hips was already a danger to Jisung's ability to breathe.

As was the way her plush chest and soft skin felt against Jisung's lips as she mouthed at her breasts and sucked on a nipple.

The sensations of getting to touch her were already enough to have her reeling, so Minho's gasps and the fingers tangling in her hair were sending her into a different stratosphere.

“Can I?” she asked, thumbing the edge of Minho's panties where the silk pressed into the skin of her belly.

“Yeah, baby,” Minho told her, petting against her hair and making her head spin. Baby.

The pet name had butterflies erupting in her chest and her head going all fuzzy. She liked it so much.

She liked Minho so much even though she barely knew her. How had she gotten so lucky that of all the people in the universe, Minho was the one who lived above her aunt?

With eager fingers, Jisung peeled Minho’s underwear down her thighs with bated breath. She admired her neatly trimmed pubic hair and felt her mouth water when Minho easily parted her plush thighs after the silk fabric was discarded on the floor.

Minho was visibly wet, and just knowing that kissing her and eating her out had been enough to turn her on this much was heady. She felt like she'd won an award, though thanking the academy seemed a bit inappropriate.

“Fuck,” Jisung whimpered instead, scooting back so she could settle on her belly between Minho’s spread legs. “You're so hot.”

Minho’s chuckle was a little pained, a little desperate. But she just peered down her own body at Jisung, threading her fingers through the shorter strands of hair curling at her temple.

Jisung could smell her arousal, and waiting another second to taste it wasn't something she was interested in doing. So with a burst of confidence, she leaned in and licked against Minho’s cunt.

The hitch of breath above her head was a good sign, but Jisung was too busy spreading her open with her index and middle fingers to bury her face even further between her thighs. She wanted to inhale her until the scent of Minho was imbued into her own skin.

“Fuck, Jisung,” Minho squeaked, almost choking on her breath as Jisung pressed her tongue as far into her opening as she could manage. She wished she could go further- really feel the muscles flutter and undulate around her tongue- but lapping the taste straight from the source was incredible anyway.

Why did she taste so good?

Jisung knew what her own pussy tasted like. She'd sucked her wet fingers out of curiosity. And it hadn't been bad. As far as she was concerned, it was a million times better than how spunk tasted. But it definitely wasn't good.

Minho though… Maybe Jisung was just out of her mind with lust, but she could have sworn there was something sweet about her taste underneath the musk.

The diet thing must have been true. Minho almost certainly had a better diet than she did.

“Slow, slow,” Minho requested, hands in Jisung's hair and voice tight. “Too much. You're gonna make me come too quick.”

Pride bloomed in Jisung's chest to know that her mouth could have Minho, experienced and seemingly perfect, losing it so fast. God. She felt powerful.

But she heeded Minho’s request, switching from a desperate thrashing of her tongue to a more steady swipe.

Minho relaxed a fraction, easing up on the grip she had in Jisung's hair, and moaned from deep within her chest.

Jisung throbbed at the sound, a shiver rolling over her skin.

Adjusting her pace to pull the most devastating sounds from Minho’s lips, Jisung found herself moaning against Minho’s folds as she gripped her thick thighs and all but consumed her.

Even though she'd come, she could feel the slickness of her own arousal- slippery between her legs. This was what she was going to think about when she masturbated from now on. This was heaven- her face buried in the pussy of the most beautiful and sexy woman she had ever met. She could have happily done this for hours.

Still, despite her desire to eat Minho out in perpetuity, she was desperate to make her come. She wanted to feel it against her mouth and hear the sounds she made when she tipped over the edge.

Just imagining how her face would look in the throes of orgasm had her own body pulsing. It would put the Ecstasy Of St. Theresa to shame… even though comparing a holy statue to lesbian sex was definitely going to get her sent straight to hell. But with Minho tugging gently at her hair and gasping through praise that inflated inside Jisung's chest, she knew it was well worth it.

“Baby, I'm close,” she warned, thighs shaking on either side of Jisung's head as she pushed Jisung's hair from her face with trembling fingers.

Baby.

She wanted Minho to keep calling her that so she could keep feeling the electric jolt it set off inside her every time.

And fuck, she wanted to make Minho come so bad.

With renewed vigor, Jisung kept up her steady pace against Minho’s clit and very gently just rested the pad of her index finger against Minho’s opening. They hadn't talked about it, so Jisung wasn't just going to press it in with no warning no matter how much she wanted to feel Minho’s walls flutter and squeeze around her fingers.

But she thought it might have been okay if she had when Minho jerked against the sheets and let out the most desperate little cry before her muscles stiffened and she was coming silently against Jisung's eager mouth.

Even without seeing Minho’s gorgeous face etched with pleasure, Jisung felt the echoes of Minho's orgasm vibrating through her body as she kept up her ministrations until Minho was relaxing into the bed with heaving breaths and a hand petting gently against Jisung's hair.

“Was it okay?” Jisung asked, pushing herself up from where she had been crouched and rolling her neck to get the kinks out.

She was feeling pretty good about her performance based on Minho’s reactions, but she still wanted to be sure. And maybe she wanted to hear Minho praise her some more. Was that so bad?

Minho snorted, which shouldn't have been attractive but was.

“What do you think?” she asked, arm flung over her head and lips pulling up on one side.

“It sounded good.” Jisung hurried to clarify when Minho laughed. “You sounded good.”

“It was really good,” she confirmed with a breathtaking smile, holding a hand out for Jisung to join her at the head of the bed instead of staying crouched at the end like a cat.

“That was incredible,” Jisung agreed, letting Minho pull her in and maneuver the covers over their bare skin. All of it was- Minho making her come, returning the favor. Feeling Minho’s skin warm against hers as she relaxed into the pillows.

Eating pussy was her new favorite thing. When listing her hobbies in the future, she put it right between listening to music and visiting art museums.

She honestly felt like she could go again, but didn't want to be too greedy or demanding. Minho had already lent enough of her time to her inexperienced, overly eager temporary neighbor. Jisung was just grateful Minho had been interested at all.

There had been that comment about sitting on Jisung's face next time, but she didn't want to get ahead of herself and take a theoretical next time for granted.

Minho probably had better things to do than assist Jisung with her attempt to cross off everything on her sex bucket list.

Minho’s hand against her waist as she settled made her shiver- nerves overly sensitive and body still craving more stimulation.

“Do you want one more?” Minho asked, eyes seeming to darken as she drank in Jisung's face.

“You don't-” she tried, not wanting to be a bother. Minho had already made her come once. Spectacularly. She didn't need to do it again when she'd already come too and probably wanted to rest.

Jisung choked on the rest of her sentence when Minho’s fingers dragged between her legs and had her gasping. There was no mistaking how wet she was, and Jisung flushed at the knowing look Minho shot her.

But then her eyes were slamming shut as a moan trembled out of her at the swirl of Minho's fingers against her swollen clit. Even though she'd just come, the touch had her arching desperately into Minho's hand- the taste of release already behind her teeth.

Her second orgasm always came quick. And hard.

Jisung's fingers dug into Minho's shoulders as she whimpered into her neck with the mounting pleasure. She smelled like jasmine and her skin was so soft against Jisung's parted lips.

“Fuck, fuck.” An urgent inhale, hips rocking without thoughts. “Gonna come. Gonna-”

Another expert flick of Minho's fingers and Jisung was coming again, maybe even harder than the first time as colors flashed behind her closed lids and she trembled through another orgasm at Minho's hand.

“That's it,” Minho was soothing against her hair as she brought her down. “You did so well. Breathe baby. There you go.”

If Jisung had the ability to keep going, she'd have been chasing Minho’s touch at the praise, but as it was, her limbs felt like jelly and all she wanted to do was sink into the mattress and never move again.

“Fuck,” Jisung said again, though it was more of a muffled grunt against the pillow than anything. “That was-”

“Second one is always better, hm?”

There was a smile in Minho’s voice that Jisung found herself returning before she forced her eyes open to see it.

“Do you want-?”

But Minho was shaking her head, amusement painting her features at Jisung's haste to offer, before she could even get the sentence out.

“I'm gonna hop in the shower,” she told her, clean hand petting against her hair and making Jisung want to purr like one of her cats. “You can nap if you want, and I'll wake you if you want to just rinse off when I'm done?”

Part of her wanted to protest- to offer to join her and wash Minho’s hair for her, even though she hadn't actually been invited. Getting made to come twice and then falling asleep in Minho’s bed seemed too indulgent. But at the same time, moving sounded far too ambitious for the current jellied state of her limbs.

“Okay,” she agreed, eagerly meeting Minho’s kiss before she climbed from the bed and padded over to her dresser.

And for as heavy as Jisung's eyelids felt, she couldn't help but take in the miles of skin she was privy to as Minho, stark naked and practically glowing in the diffused, afternoon light, pulled something out of a drawer.

Her smirk casually tossed over her shoulder on the way to the bathroom when she caught Jisung staring only had heat flaring in her abdomen and maybe a little in her cheeks as well.

“Don't forget why you're here,” Minho teased, her soft brown hair falling over her bare shoulder as she stepped into the bathroom. “I'm going to teach you to make stir fried pasta before the night is up.”

A laugh was startled out of her, and the last thing she saw before Minho shut the door behind her was Minho’s pleased grin.

---

Jisung hadn't really been planning to fall asleep. Not really.

A little lounge while she got the feeling back in her toes was all she was going for. Maybe resting her eyes. But the next thing she knew, there was a hand on her cheek and Minho was softly telling her that it was her turn if she wanted to use the shower.

Minho was dressed in a black, scoop neck shirt, a claw clip holding her hair back though a few small strands were sticking to her neck from presumably coming free of the clip when she was showering.

Jisung wanted to brush at them with the tips of her fingers and feel the soft, warm skin of her neck with her lips.

Still waking up, her mind got stuck there, and she only realized she hadn't replied or made any move toward getting up when Minho giggled.

“No rush if you want to sleep a bit longer,” she offered, smile so bright as she looked down at Jisung in her bed. “Dinner isn't until six, so we have an hour or so before we really need to start cooking.”

“I'm- I can get up.” Jisung stumbled over her words, the connection between her mouth and brain still rebooting.

Minho was still smiling when she pointed out the towel she'd left in the bathroom as well as the toiletries she had for Jisung to use.

But for as nice as the shower felt as she cleaned the remnants of their earlier activity from her skin with vanilla and lavender scented body wash, Jisung hurried through the process.

She didn't want to keep Minho waiting, was part of it. But mostly she didn't want to waste the opportunity to get to know her. If this was the only cooking lesson she got, she wanted to make the most of it. Even if that meant actually learning to cook in the process.

Minho had her hands full of vegetables, closing the fridge with her hip, when Jisung emerged from her quick shower- hair by her nape a little damp, but makeup intact. By the time the others arrived for dinner, the evidence that anything aside from cooking happened would be gone.

“Ready for your lesson?” Minho asked cheekily, depositing a carrot and zucchini next to a bottle of olive oil on the counter.

Jisung wasn't sure where she got the balls, but she found herself replying, “I thought I already got a lesson?” Her cheeks heated immediately, but Minho’s surprise morphed into a pretty cackle that had Jisung unable to hold back her grin.

“Touché.” Minho’s eyes were sparkling when she beckoned Jisung over, motioning to one of the bar stools at the counter.

Perched on the stool with one foot underneath her, Jisung watched as Minho lifted a large pot into the sink and turned the tap on so the water began to fill it.

“I'll talk you through what I'm doing, and you can help out here and there if that's alright,” she said, glancing over at Jisung before going back to watching the water rise.

“Yeah, no problem,” Jisung agreed, as though she wouldn't have agreed to nearly anything Minho suggested. “Just let me know what I can do.”

“Putting the water on to boil first since it's a big pot, so it will take a while.” Turning off the water and picking up the heavy pot, Minho let out a little grunt of exertion as she maneuvered it to the stove top and turned on the burner. “Lots of salt in the water. I'll clean the vegetables, and then you can peel the carrots for me.”

Once she was set up with a paper towel to catch the shavings and a peeler, Jisung enthusiastically started in on her task as Minho pulled out a few spices before grabbing a knife and starting to chop the zucchini across the kitchen island.

“So, not out to your aunt?” Minho prompted with a tilt of her head, barely seeming to concentrate on what her knife was doing but still managing to cut even slices.

Jisung let out a snort, looking down as the peeler slipped off the carrot halfway through her stroke.

“No,” she confirmed, shaking her head and trying to line up the peeler with the spot she left off. “I'm out to my parents and everything. Most of my family knows. But the more…conservative ones don't.”

Minho nodded, humming in understanding.

Having someone who understood, genuinely, had warmth unspooling in her chest and her words spilling out before she even noticed.

“It's not that I think she would flat out reject me and disown me or anything,” she clarified, gesturing with the carrot before realizing she had stopped peeling. “At least I don't think she would. I just don't want to have to hear her opinion on it, you know?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Minho commiserated, starting in on the second zucchini. “I didn't come out to my dad's side of the family until after his mom died for that exact reason.”

Jisung had to force herself to focus on finishing the one carrot Minho had given her instead of watching Minho’s sure hands and animated face as she spoke.

“Actually,” Minho began, a smile pulling at her lips, “I kind of came out at her funeral.”

“You what?” Jisung sputtered, laughing disbelievingly and watching Minho giggle sheepishly.

“It wasn't on purpose,” she defended, grabbing another carrot and beginning to peel as well. “One of my cousins knew I was gay and had met my girlfriend at the time. I guess she forgot no one else knew because she asked about my girlfriend in front of two of my aunts and another cousin. After that, it seemed pretty pointless to be coy about it, so I just went with it and basically came out to the rest of my family through small talk at the wake.”

“Oh my god,” Jisung cackled, leaning over the counter as she laughed so she granite dug into her ribs. “That is legendary.”

Shrugging, Minho huffed out a wry laugh through her nose. “If my grandmother's ghost was privy to her funeral, I don't think she'd agree.”

“Hopefully she had other plans that day,” Jisung offered, carrot waving.

“On the day of her own funeral?” Minho asked, lips twitching like she was struggling to keep a relatively straight face.

Jisung nodded earnestly. “Afterlife orientation. Heaven or whatever. I bet hell’s is lit though. Eternal gay disco.”

Minho's laughter burst out of her, unrestrained- eyes creasing and slightly crooked front teeth on full display.

Jisung wanted do whatever she could to make Minho laugh like that again.

“Give me that,” Minho said impatiently once she'd gathered herself, reaching out for Jisung's half peeled carrot. “We only have three hours.”

Her eyes were shining with mirth when Jsiung passed it over, fingers brushing and making Jisung's stomach flip.

“The water's boiling,” she added, making quick work of what Jisung had failed to peel. “Can you put pasta in a pot?”

“On it!”

That, she could handle.

Later, at dinner, her aunt asked what she had helped with.

“Um…” Jisung started, unsure how to make peeling half a carrot and putting pasta into boiling water sound more impressive.

“I took the lead this week, since it was her first time,” Minho cut in smoothly, smile easy like she was really just talking about cooking. “Maybe next week we can try something a little more advanced?”

That was directed at Jisung who was sure her face had flushed crimson.

She nodded quickly, coughing as she inhaled a piece of zucchini and had to gulp down the rest of her water to clear her airways.

Minho patted her back and casually fielded Chan’s question about pine nuts.

Was face sitting advanced? Shower sex? Sixty nine-ing?

Jisung hastily sucked in another breath before she could go too far down that road and soak through her underwear during dinner.

She could be normal.

Even with Minho regarding her out of the corner of her eye while discussing different types of cooking oil.

Even with the promise of next week.

The stir fried pasta was good, though.

Too bad Jisung couldn't take credit for that at all.

--

you:
GUESS WHAT

Jeongin:
You learned how to make meatloaf
but there was ~eye contact~ that means she wants you?

you:
every single thing about that was wrong
it was STIR FRIED PASTA, first of all
but that was only after we had sex!!!

Jeongin:
No way
Are you serious?

you:
yeah dude!
I wouldn't joke about something like this!

Jeongin:
That's crazy
Like seriously crazy
I can’t believe you were actually right
My whole belief system has been shaken, tbh

you:
I can't believe I tell you I had sex
with the hottest woman alive
and all you have to say to me is that your beliefs are shaken
smh

Jeongin:
My apologies, oh great lesbian
Congratulations on this greatest achievement

you:
rude

Jeongin:
fr tho, that's amazing
I don't want details, but I'm happy for you

you:
THANK YOU :D
...are you sure you don't want details tho??
bc omg her tongue ;;;;

Jeongin:
Bye
I'm blocking you

---

By some extremely favorable twist of fate, Jisung found herself in a routine that involved weekly visits to Minho’s apartment for what could publicly only be called cooking lessons.

Privately… well. Jisung didn't think calling them lessons was so far off, though Minho had disagreed when she'd said as much.

“I haven't had to teach you a single thing,” she'd remarked wryly, ears glowing red even as they lounged naked in her bed after she'd made good on her promise to sit on Jisung's face. “I guess you're just a natural talent.”

That had had Jisung's cheeks heating as Minho pinched one and jokingly cooed over her alleged god-given talent for eating pussy.

But how was she meant to be anything other than enthusiastic with Minho’s beautiful thighs on either side of her head and her glistening arousal hovering over her face? She'd watched some video once where they compared eating a woman out to savoring a juicy peach, and while that might not have been wholly accurate, Jisung could understand the comparison.

With her tongue plunging into Minho's wetness, arms wrapped around her strong thighs as Minho rocked against her mouth, Jisung could safely say that she hadn't been doing anything short of savoring.

Was there a stronger word for that? Luxuriating in? Relishing in? Language hadn't evolved to a point that it could accurately capture how Jisung felt about having Minho’s slick cunt moving against her tongue. If she’d suffocated while Minho found pleasure with her mouth, she'd have considered herself lucky.

Though she supposed she was even luckier to survive and be invited to straddle Minho’s face in return.

It was a wonder her quaking thighs hadn't given out and had her actually suffocating Minho as she trembled and shook through her orgasm at Minho’s wicked tongue and unyielding lips.

She'd never been so attracted to someone in her life- not any of the girls she'd kissed, not any of her crushes. Minho was in a category all her own that had Jisung feeling insane once their clothes were off and she had so much skin in front of her to caress and kiss and press herself against like she might just get absorbed into Minho's being.

Even after coming, she still couldn't get enough of her- hands grasping onto her waist, sliding onto her ribs and back down again so she could grab at her thigh. So soft and smooth. Jisung wanted to bite her all over and then run her tongue along the ridges her teeth left.

She needed to keep herself in check lest Minho saw the frenzy in her eyes and booted her straight out the front door.

After they'd both cleaned up, Jisung exited the bathroom to find Minho in the kitchen, just like the week prior.

“Is this the moment you've been waiting for?” Minho teased when she caught sight of Jisung slipping onto a barstool to sit. “Learning to make lasagna?”

Jisung laughed, relaxed as she leaned forward against the counter and watched Minho assemble all the ingredients.

It was surprising, really, that she could feel so at ease with Minho, just existing- watching her move around the kitchen with a grace that seemed impossible for such everyday tasks.

Of course they'd slept together twice, so the familiarity was to be expected to some extent. They certainly were many steps past strangers or even acquaintances. But Jisung knew herself, and she wasn't the type to warm up to people quickly. Not because she wasn't interested in building a connection, but because she was in her own head with worries and insecurities so much that she found it difficult to get close at first.

Even with Jeongin, when they had been randomly assigned as roommates their freshman year, it had taken until nearly winter break for Jisung to feel like they were actual friends and not just two people who'd ended up in the same space.

But for some reason, that typical trepidation wasn't there. The ease with which she found herself answering Minho’s questions and tossing back some of her own made it feel like they'd known each other for months, not two weeks.

Maybe it was the sex. Jisung hadn't had that experience except with her ex boyfriend whom she'd known well before they'd slept together. Was it the fact that she'd buried her face between Minho’s thighs like she didn't need to breathe that she felt so comfortable joking with Minho as she turned on the stove?

It was possible. And surely it was helping. But Jisung felt like it was more than that.

Some people just clicked- easily, immediately. Jisung had seen it happen with Jeongin and Seungmin when the latter had knocked on their door sophomore year to rather tersely ask them to turn down their music because he was trying to study.

Somehow, Jeongin's eyeroll had turned into a stuttered apology when she took in Seungmin's (admittedly) handsome face, and from there it had seemed so easy. Maybe not for them to actually date since they were still dancing around each other like a couple of idiots, but what was easy was how they just fit.

There was no awkward interlude where they tiptoed through the journey of being acquaintances to friends. They just were. Strangers, and then nearly inseparable.

Jisung had been kind of jealous at the time. Not because she wanted Jeongin's frustrated lamenting about “what does this text message mean” to be about her. And she certainly wasn't fawning over Seungmin's boyish smile.

She just saw how easily they fit together, and wondered why the hell that had never happened to her.

Every friendship had been precipitated by Jisung's awkwardness and anxiety that made it near impossible for her to even enjoy the process of getting to know someone. It also made it near impossible for the other person, as well. There had been a handful of burgeoning friendships, or maybe even relationships, that hadn't made it past the hurdle.

But here she was, leaning over the counter to pick up the box of lasagna noodles to get a closer look while laughing easily at a joke Minho had made about cardboard boxes, and not even thinking about whether she was being too loud or too clingy or too much.

It was like they were tuned into the same frequency from the start- no need to fiddle with the dial to try to find the right station through static and feedback.

Jisung didn't feel like a weirdo because Minho was kind of a weirdo, and despite their age difference, they seemed to have an easy understanding and a compatible baseline that made everything that came after that easy.

It was as exciting as it was almost a little scary with how unfamiliar it was. But mostly, Jisung just couldn't believe how fortunate she was to have met Minho at all.

“I can't believe you were meant to spend a boring summer with your aunt, but you're getting laid!” Jeongin lamented via videocall the next day. “You have the craziest luck.”

“I know, it's insane!” Jisung enthused, headphones on and voice quiet enough that her aunt hopefully wouldn't be able to hear her through the closed door. “But why are you so mad about it? You don't want your favorite roommate to be happy?”

Jeongin scoffed, rolling her eyes, and Jisung snickered, rolling onto her back on her unmade bed with her phone held above her and having to yank on the lump of blanket beneath her so it wasn't digging into her lower back.

“I'm just not mentally prepared to deal with you being all giddy,” she complained, crinkling her nose on the screen.

Jisung cackled.

“You're just mad Seungmin is in Europe all summer,” Jisung told her, watching the way Jeongin's face immediately filled with color as she stuttered through an unconvincing denial.

The late afternoon sun was slanting through the window to fall on Jisung's messy sheets, dust motes dancing in the light. She could smell dinner being prepared in the kitchen (not as good as whatever Minho would cook, but Jisung also could concede that she was extremely biased), Jeongin was still furiously defending her ill will toward Jisung as anything other than jealousy, and Jisung had less than six days to wait until she was in Minho’s bed again.

Life was good.

“There! See?” Jeongin exclaimed, pointing at the camera. “You're just sitting there smiling like…like an idiot! Probably thinking about boobs or something! And I have to be the one to deal with you!”

“Wow,” Jisung dramatically marveled. “So unsupportive. I can't believe this. Just for that, I promise to be absolutely miserable for you at your’s and Seungmin's wedding. No maid of honor speech or anything.”

Jeongin gritted her teeth and made like she was going to pull out her own hair as Jisung just cackled.

Life really was good. No complaints.

Or at least very few.

---

“Oh fuck, oh fuck, ohfuck,” Jisung squealed, vibrator pressed to her clit and Minho’s tongue dipping inside her.

The sheets were scrunched under her feet because she couldn't stop squirming, and she knew she was making a mess of Minho’s hair with her fingers clutching desperately at it, but she couldn't help it.

Not with how close she was. Not with the eye-crossing, life-ruining combination of Minho's dexterous tongue and the pulsing vibrations from the toy she had teasing against her.

The sound of a ringing phone had Jisung making a noise of surprise, leg kicking out and gasp getting bitten off when Minho pulled away.

“Shit, that's my landline,” she said, rubbing at her slick lips with the back of her hand. “No one calls me on that except your aunt. I have to answer.”

“What?” Jisung whined, trying to prop herself up against the sweaty sheets to look at Minho. She had to be kidding. She was so close.

But Minho was standing up, stark naked and unfairly stunning, as she made for the door.

Jisung had already watched with her mouth agape as she plunged a thick, pink dildo into Minho over and over until she was gasping and begging for Jisung to get her over the edge with her mouth.

She'd been achingly turned on and soaked since she'd worked Minho’s underwear down her thighs. And now, when she was about to finally taste the sweetness of satisfaction, Minho was getting up and leaving her alone on the bed.

She whimpered pathetically, thighs twitching and pussy clenching against nothing.

“Please don't answer,” she begged, not even caring how destroyed and desperate she sounded.

“I have to, baby,” Minho told her, seeming a little indulgently fond at Jisung's pleading as she turned the doorknob- phone still ringing in the other room. “If I was showing you how to cook a filet, I'd have no reason not to answer, right?”

Jisung made some sort of defeated whine as she flopped back against the pillows, listening to Minho’s bare feet on the hardwood floor before the hello when she answered the phone.

“It's going really well,” Minho was saying as she moseyed back into her bedroom- phone to her ear and a teasing grin on her face.

Jisung bit back a groan, looking at the soft dip of her waist and the curve of her hip as she casually leaned against the doorframe.

She was a piece of art.

Reading a book about Kirchner, she'd wondered about the sketches of nudes he'd apparently made mid-coitus- stopping to capture the beauty of the woman's prone form, splayed across the sheets.

She understood the desire to immortalize as she took in the shapes Minho’s body made. If she had a pad of paper and some charcoal, she thought she'd try to capture the contour of her breast or the soft swell beneath her bellybutton.

“No, I don't think I need anything, but thank you for asking,” Minho continued as though she hadn't been between Jisung's spread thighs a minute before. As though she hadn't been moaning through an orgasm ten minutes before that.

“Mmhmm, that's true,” she was saying, voice belying none of the heat behind her eyes as she let her gaze rove over Jisung's skin where she lay, prone on the bed. “They're in season right now.”

The contrast of Minho's tone and the look in her eyes was setting Jisung on fire. A throb of want pulsed through her and she squeezed her thighs together before spreading them wide again to watch the unadulterated want shine in Minho’s eyes.

Her desire was making her reckless, and before she could think it through or talk herself out of it, she used her index and middle finger to spread herself for Minho to see and rubbed the fingers of her other hand against her throbbing clit.

It was with teeth digging into her lower lip that kept the ragged moan from escaping. She was reckless, afterall, not stupid.

Minho swallowed, gaze so dark it made Jisung's skin buzz. Her tongue darted out to swipe against her lower lip, and Jisung the movement with her eyes.

She wanted so badly that, despite her own touch paling in comparison to Minho’s, she was in danger of coming just from Minho’s eyes on hers.

“Okay, thanks again,” Minho was saying, voice taking on just the slightest edge that hadn't been there a second ago. “I'll see you tonight. Bye.”

The phone was tossed onto the padded bench underneath the window, and then Minho was on her in two steps- batting Jisung's fingers out of the way she she could get her own hooked into Jisung's dripping cunt.

“Fuck, Sung,” she nearly growled, wide eyes almost crossed as she looked at Jisung with their noses brushing. “You're insane.”

“Need you,” was all she managed in reply- cheekiness replaced with molten want that had her melting down at Minho’s touch.

Minho’s lips against hers were feverish- tongue seeking entrance and licking into her mouth like she was going to consume her. But for as much as Jisung wanted to suck Minho's top lip into her mouth and roll it between her teeth, Minho was abruptly pulling away from her mouth and scooting back down her body to reclaim her position between her legs.

The whir of the vibrator had Jisung jerking in surprise against the sweat damp sheets, a cry working its way up her throat at the first touch of the soft, silicone tip against her clit.

“Ohmygod,” she slurred, hips jumping until Minho pressed a forearm across her pelvis to keep her in place. “Gonna come.”

She'd been so close before, and somehow waiting for Minho to get off the phone only worked her up more.

Her body was buzzing at an even higher frequency than the toy as Minho’s mouth brought her even further up.

“Fuck, Minho,” she choked, unable to stop herself from babbling when it felt so good. “I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm- ah!”

Jisung wasn't sure if she was still breathing as her orgasm crested and took her plummeting into the depths of pleasure. Her mouth was stuck open, but she couldn't tell if she was making a sound as the vibrations took her release and unspooled it so it just kept going as Minho’s lips sucked at her trembling folds.

After a couple of knee-jerking aftershocks that had her wheezing half into the pillow beneath her head, Minho finally relented and switched off the vibrator.

“You're crazy,” Minho chuckled softly as she crawled up the bed to lay beside her as she caught her breath. “Touching yourself when I'm on the phone with your aunt?”

Jisung snorted out a laugh, feet still tingling from the force of her orgasm.

“You're the crazy one,” she defended, too lazy to really put any force into her argument. “Answering the phone in the middle of eating me out?”

Minho laughed, voice like the tinkling of fine China in her ear.

“I had to,” she insisted through a giggle, leaning over to brush at Jisung's damp cheeks from a couple of tears that had slipped free. “If I was teaching you to cook, why wouldn't I answer?”

“You could have had food on your hands,” Jisung pointed out, not quite sure why she was still arguing, but unable to stop as Minho regarded her with a fond smile. “Maybe there was water boiling over. Or the stove caught fire!”

The way Minho’s eyes scrunched up as she laughed had Jisung's chest feeling warm, unable to stop her own smile as she watched her.

How was she real?

“Okay, next time I won't answer, and I'll tell her you set my kitchen on fire, how's that?”

Jisung sputtered.

“I-”

Minho pushed herself off the bed with a wry smile and a kiss pressed to Jisung's cheek.

“Think about it,” she teased, making for the bathroom.

“I mean, it's better than answering the phone!”

Minho cackled as she shut the door.

When Jisung headed to the kitchen after her own speedy shower, she bypassed the barstool and joined Minho by the cutting board.

“Tell me how I can help,” she said, determined not to be the culinary version of a pillow princess.

She didn't think she imagined how bright Minho’s grin was in response.