One-shot: Swan Love [PART 2]
Title: Swan Love
Pairing: Jessica x Tiffany
Rating: PG-13
Genre: AU
Word Count: +7,000
Summary: Swan love is labeled as the strongest of loves.
A/N: LJ is a bitch, making me split my fic into two parts
Light broke through a curtain-concealed window, dimly lighting the apartment that Jessica and Tiffany shared. Inside one of the rooms was a large bed where two figures resided under layers of thick blankets and pillows.
Tiffany softly moaned when she felt a flutter of kisses being placed on her bare shoulder. Her body automatically made the movement to roll out of bed, so that she could stumble into the bathroom. However, the process was hindered when she felt a tugging feeling around her waist hold her back. She tried to manually dislodge the arms around her, but her efforts were wasted.
“Yah, Koala Jung. Let go. I need to take a shower.” Tiffany quietly groaned, sleepiness evident in her voice.
She mewled when she felt a wet kiss on her neck followed by teeth grazing the edge of her ear in response to her demand.
“Why don’t you make me?”
Pillows and blankets began to fly into the air as the room erupted with chaos. Laughter filled the air as the bed creaked loudly with the excessive movement. When the noise died down, Jessica found herself sprawled across the bed with her head hanging over the side. She panted heavily, feeling a grin spread across her face as she watched the silhouette of her lover enter the bathroom. She ran a hand through her bedridden hair, the smile on her face never disappearing.
Jessica didn’t mind waking up every morning like this.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
It has been several years since the two girls have been living together, and Jessica felt that every day she spent with Tiffany was a day spent in heaven.
Jessica came out of their bedroom fussing with the buttons of her shirt when she noticed Tiffany standing in front of their fireplace. She smiled when she saw what she held in her hands. It was a small porcelain figurine of two swans with their heads connected. Tiffany had bought it long ago from the zoo as an anniversary gift, claiming it as a symbol of the love that they ventured for.
Her smile dropped a little when Tiffany began her fits of coughs and was even more concerned at the sound of slight wheezing. She made her way towards her lover, and placed a hand on her shoulder. Tiffany turned to see Jessica, placing the figurine back onto the surface over the fireplace.
“Cough drop?” Jessica handed her the piece that she pulled from pocket.
“Thanks, Jessi.” Tiffany accepted the cough drop, plopping it in her mouth.
Jessica wrapped her arms around Tiffany’s waist, resting her head on the side of her temple.
“Baby, are you sure you don’t want to go to a doctor? You’ve had these coughs for months now…”
“I don’t know… should I?”
“It would make me feel better.”
“Alright, but only because I’m doing this for you.”
Hearing Tiffany’s acceptance, Jessica smiled as she placed a quick peck on the girl’s lips. Tiffany turned and fingered the edge of her shirt before helping her buttoning the rest of her shirt.
“Going somewhere?”
“I’m going to grab a drink with Yuri.”
“Catching up with old friends?”
“It has been a while, hasn’t it?”
Once finishing buttoning up Jessica’s shirt, Tiffany patted it down to rid of any wrinkles. Jessica reached for the crown of Tiffany’s head, and pulled her forward so she could give her a light kiss on the forehead.
“Make sure you call me when you get your check-up, ok?”
When she saw Tiffany nod, she reached for the keys on a hook, and left out the door. Once Jessica had gone, Tiffany resumed her horrid fit of coughs, feeling her knees buckle.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
“Don’t tell me you’re drunk.” Jessica said, looking in disgust at the multiple bottles on the table where Yuri sat at, her head bobbing around occasionally.
“Wha-Me? Pfft, as if… drunk… only sissies get drunk!” Yuri slurred, waving a bottle in the air.
Jessica sat herself across from Yuri, flagging a busboy down for a glass of water. Once she received her drink, she took a quick sip from the straw and set it down on a coaster.
“So, I’m not sure how to feel to see that you haven’t changed much from your youth.”
“Damn it Sica, why-why you gotta say it like I’m old? I’m not a granny; I’m still young, so I’ll do whateva’ the hell I want.”
Yuri took a swig from her bottle, slamming the drink down as she recoiled from the alcohol. After recovering, she raised the bottle again, pointing it towards Jessica.
“So, how’s the whole ‘married’ life going for ya? You’ve-Damn, you’ve been with Tiffany for a really long time now. How-How do ya handle that? Being with the same person for so long…”
Jessica scoffed as she retorted, “Says the person that can’t keep the same girl for more than a week.”
“Hey now. I think I’m making pretty good progress if I do say so myself… I met this girl last week. The prettiest thing I’ve ever seen, and she’s got a real good personality. Her name’s pretty cute too; Yoona…” Jessica arched an eyebrow when she noticed a change in her friend’s expression. For once, Yuri looked serious when she shyly whispered, “I think there could be something for us...”
Yuri’s seriousness soon ended, however, when her loud behavior returned, “We’ve already been on two dates, and man, she’s real cute! Even the way she laughs is cute! And hey, lemme tell you, she’s not your typical girl. She’s got the rough attitude, ya know what I’m saying? Man, I’m telling you now, she sure is special…”
Jessica zoned out from Yuri’s drunk ranting when she heard her cell phone ring. Reaching into her pocket, she answered the call.
“Hello?”
“Hello, yes, is this Jessica Jung?”
A frown knitted onto her face; she didn’t recognize this voice.
“Who is this?”
“This is Doctor Kim Taeyeon from the Seoul National University Hospital. I am calling on behalf of your spouse, Tiffany. I would request that you come to the hospital immediately.”
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Jessica shakily placed her hand on the glass, looking in disbelief. Lying in the hospital bed behind the glass window was her Tiffany. There wasn’t any sign of life from her; the only thing indicating she was alive was the monitor displaying her heart rate. The hand soon turned into a fist, as Jessica said weakly,
“I don’t understand… All she had were bad coughs…”
“Well, she must’ve been really good at hiding how bad of a condition she really was in.” The woman said, keeping a fair distance despite the fact she stood next to her.
Realizing the state of distress that Jessica was in, Taeyeon pulled her aside where they weren’t in view of the glass window.
“Doctor… how bad is her condition?”
Jessica heard the woman sigh deeply, and felt anxiety build up.
“She’ll get weaker day by day… We aren’t entirely sure how long she’ll last…”
Anger flared in her chest at the sound of those words. Jessica raised her voice in desperation and frustration as horrid and heart-wrenching thoughts began to fill her head.
“Can’t you save her?! Can’t you help her?! How can you say something like that?!”
The woman’s voice was stern and direct, “She has a terminal illness. I’m sorry… but there’s nothing we can do…”
Jessica was frozen in her spot at those words. Knowing that she could not console the woman any more, Taeyeon merely gave a light pat on her shoulder before walking down the hallway back to her office. Soon, the weight of the words sunk in, and it was like a jab to her heart, as Jessica leaned heavily against the wall while sinking down to the floor. She couldn’t stop the tears from spilling, her anguish engulfing her mind as she mumbled between her sobs,
“Oh god, no. Please no. Not my Tiffany… Not her…”
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Jessica spent as much time as she could every day to be with Tiffany. She sat beside her bed and held her hand. She would caress her fragile cheek and comb her fingers through her hair. She didn’t want to forget how she felt, and she was afraid that someday, she wouldn’t be able to feel her gentle touch ever again. She felt a vice on her heart when she began to notice the changes in Tiffany’s appearance; she seemed much smaller, skinnier, paler, and more fragile. The obvious decline in her health hurt Jessica the most.
When the visiting times were up, and Jessica was forced to leave the hospital, she would gently lean in to place a soft kiss on Tiffany’s forehead, trying her hardest not to cry in front of her. Jessica soon realized how much she hated to be alone, to be without Tiffany. Sitting inside their apartment, she sat on a lone chair in the dark room, sobbing the day’s amount that she hid from Tiffany. It pained her so much to be inside that apartment, the apartment where she had spent so many happy days with her lover. In the end, Jessica tried to avoid going back to the apartment, and instead, wandered the night.
She often found herself wandering back to the zoo’s park, where she would sit on the bench until morning came. Tonight was no different as she trudged slowly towards the bench in a zombie- like manner. She buried her face into her hands, trying to muffle her cries as she let out her tears once more.
Sniffling, Jessica raised her head, and wiped the edge of her eyes. She stared at the lake stretched in front of her, trying to find serenity in the view. However, something about the image felt different. On the shore of the lake, one swan was seated, its head hung low.
Jessica flinched when she saw an old man approach her; after the many years she’s been here, she recognized him as one of the workers at the zoo. The old man smiled at her as he stood still beside the bench.
“Ahjussi.”
“Yes?”
“What happened to the other swan that was here?”
“Ah, it’s real sad, it really is. I was a young man when the two swans first came here, they haven’t been apart since the day I was here. But then, two days ago, one of the swans died. It was a real shame, it was a real pretty swan, too… What’s even sadder is that now, that poor swan over there just sits at the spot where the swan died. He doesn’t swim or move, just sits there all day. Poor fella… must be so lonely…”
Jessica was silent as the old man soon walked away. She gazed at the unmoving animal at the shore. She shook her head, only imagining the grief that the swan must be going through. Tiffany’s words from long ago echoed in her head, and she merely murmured,
“You poor thing… living life alone, without your lover… it must be hell…”
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Jessica took a deep breath, standing in front of Tiffany’s hospital room. It had been a week since she had seen Tiffany, since she had to keep up with reality and go to work. She had been dying to see Tiffany’s precious face, and fabricated in her mind that Tiffany would be mad with her cute little pout once she stepped inside that room.
In one hand, Jessica held a string that was connected to a red balloon. With the other hand, she opened the door. Walking into the room, she tried to sound as happy as she could.
“Hey, Tiffany. Happy Anniversary-“
The balloon floated to the ceiling as Jessica stood in shock. The respirator mask, the sole thing that was keeping Tiffany alive, was laying in the girl’s lap. Jessica couldn’t tell whether the girl was sleeping or was already gone.
Adrenaline kicking in, Jessica screamed out, “Tiffany, Oh my god!” She rushed to the bedside, frantically picking up the mask, and tried to raise it to the frail girl’s mouth. Jessica was surprised, however, when a hand tried to push away the mask. Tiffany’s eyes opened; they were fatigued and faded.
“Tiffany, what are you doing?! Put on your mask!” Jessica cried, tears beginning to brim as she tried to put the mask on her face once more. However, the girl weakly shook her head, pushing the mask away again.
“Baby, why are doing this? Why…?” Jessica choked on a sob, as her hand dropped, releasing the respirator mask.
A small hand rested on hers, putting all its strength in giving it a squeeze. Jessica shook her head when she heard a raspy, husky voice weakly say,
“Jessi… it hurts to breathe… it hurts so much…”
Her heart wrenched at those words. Jessica carefully sat herself on the bed beside the girl. She placed a cautious kiss on the side of her temple, resting her forehead there soon after. The love of her life was in agony and there was nothing she could do to sooth it. The tears began to flow freely.
“What do you want me to do?” she whispered.
“Sit with me while I die…”
Jessica cried out at the sound of such a request, sucking in air painfully as the tears never ended.
“Oh god, please… please don’t leave me Tiffany… I’m not ready to let you go… please don’t do this… please…”
Jessica felt a hand gently stroke her cheek, causing her to look into Tiffany’s dim eyes.
“Jessi… your face is so beautiful…but I want your smile to be the last thing I see…” she rasped, wiping a tear from the older girl’s eye.
Jessica sniffled, trying to hold back her tears for the sake of her lover, although the pain in her heart still thrived strongly. For a long time, the two girls just sat there, the only sound that could be heard was the laborious effort of Tiffany breathing and the beeps from the heart rate monitor. Occasionally, Tiffany went into a delirious chant, quietly repeating, “Thank you, Jessi. Thank you so much. Thank you for this. Thank you…” in which Jessica shook her head sadly as she raised a finger to her lover’s mouth to silence her, to stop her from wasting her limited breaths.
It had been an hour that they sat together or maybe longer. Jessica wasn’t keeping track, because the only thing she cared for was the time she had left with her beloved Tiffany. At this point, it sounded like Tiffany was gasping for air, as if she was being strangled, and it pained Jessica to hear it.
She flinched at the sound of Tiffany’s voice.
“Jessi…I love…you…so much…”
“Baby, please don’t talk, it’ll hurt more.”
“Jessi…I have…one last…favor to ask…you.”
Jessica gulped the lump in her throat to swallow down the wrenching pain, though it did not help. She nodded, heeding Tiffany’s words.
“Jessi…please…take away…my last…breath…”
Jessica backed away a little, shocked at such a request. Tiffany was asking that she’d be the one to end her life. She shook her head, feeling her eyes beginning to brim with tears again. She couldn’t do such a thing to the one person she loved the most. However, a hand grabbed the hem of her shirt, causing her to look back at her face. Tiffany’s eyes were filled with desperation and pain as her eyes began to fill with tears as well.
She cradled Tiffany’s head, raising her up a little with one hand, and used the other hand to wipe a slipped tear from Tiffany’s eye. After examining Tiffany’s face, Jessica hesitantly leaned in until their lips touched. She could feel that Tiffany was pouring all the strength she had into this, feeling the girl push into the kiss as much as she could. Jessica gently grazed her teeth over her lower lip, before planting a soft kiss on her upper lip. She heard a quiet whimper escape from Tiffany’s mouth, followed by a loud exhale through her nose. Jessica could tell that was her last breath, as the body in her embrace soon became limp, Tiffany’s head resting against her arm. She waited for a long time for her eyes to open again, to see her crack a smile, but it never happened.
Jessica didn’t cry when the nurses came in, and took over Tiffany’s body while they shoved her out the room. She didn’t cry at the funeral where Tiffany’s body lied in the casket. She didn’t cry when the casket was lowered into the ground, soon to be covered by dirt. Only when the funeral had ended, and Jessica was alone, where she knelt by the gravestone, running her fingers over her lover’s name and the engraving of a swan that the tears were finally spilled. She wailed, screamed, and cried. She called out “Tiffany!” with all the anguish in her heart in which she never received a reply.
After tiring out her despaired soul, she was reduced to muffled sobs as she rested her head against the cold stone.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
“Baby you’re all that I want,
When you’re lying here in my arms…”
Jessica didn’t stop the tears from falling, as she looked at her empty hands, imagining Tiffany’s head resting in her embrace.
“I’m finding it hard to believe,
We’re in…heaven…”
She choked on her sobs, as she buried her face into her hands. She tried to ignore the loud bangs behind her. Facing her back was the door that would’ve led to the roof and lead downstairs as well. However, the doorknob was propped with a chair, inevitably making it unable to be opened. The door vibrated with every bang as a voice, though muffled, shouted loudly,
“Damn it, Sica! Open this door right now! Sica! I know you can hear me, open up!”
The door rattled harder and harder as the punches became more vigorous. The hinges began to wobble, and after a couple more pounds, the door crashed open, Yuri toppling through the open doorway. The loud sound caused Jessica to stand from her spot, her heels against the edge of the roof. When Yuri realized where the brunette was, she flinched visibly. She lowered her stance as she raised a cautious finger.
“Sica, back away from the edge. Let’s talk about this, ok?”
“There’s nothing to talk about.” Jessica’s voice was strained with weakness and weariness.
“Sica, this is not the answer to your problems. Please, just come over here.”
“Then what am I supposed to do?!” Jessica yelled, causing Yuri to cringe, though she took two steps forward as well.
Jessica clutched at the fabrics of her shirt, where her heart beat painfully.
“Tiffany placed this pain in my heart, and this pain just keeps getting bigger and bigger like it’s going to explode, and the only way I can stop it is by doing this!”
Yuri was speechless for a moment before shouting, “Damn it, Sica. You’re not even in your right mind! You’re not thinking straight! Please, just, back away from the edge.”
There was silence as Jessica closed her eyes and took deep breaths. When she opened her eyes, Yuri could see the melancholy in them.
“You know, a long time ago, I made a promise with Tiffany. That I would grant her dream of having a swan’s love. And… I think I did it, because just before she died, she kept saying ‘thank you’. But, now I’m also living with this incomplete swan love. I love her too much to get over her and fall in love with someone else, but it hurts to live without her either…”
Yuri winced when she saw a small bittersweet smile on the brunette’s face. Jessica turned so that her body faced the open air, but her head was still tilted towards the raven-haired girl.
“I’m sorry Yuri, but I made a promise…so I have to be with her…”
Seeing Jessica turn her head around and raise her foot into mid-air with her body leaning, Yuri gasped, her senses kicking in as she sprinted forward.
“SICA, NO!”
Yuri frantically stretched her hand out as she tried to lunge at the falling brunette. Her fingers skimmed over Jessica’s body, and her foot hit the edge of the roof, but it was too late. Soon, Jessica’s body was over the edge as she speedily fell towards the ground down below. Jessica closed her eyes, imagining Tiffany’s bright smile with her perky eye-smiles once more. The image brought one last smile onto her face as she whispered,
“I’m coming for you, my beautiful swan.”
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
[Many years later]
The zoo was busy, the pathways filled to the brim with passing people. Down by the park, the grass rippled as a breeze passed by. Towards the shore, Yuri brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She was knelt down near the water. Thumbing the object in her hand, she placed it beside a small metal plaque.
Yuri was startled by a hand on her head. She tilted her head to see a skinny woman with mid-length brown hair. Smiling, she stood back up, leading for the other woman to wrap her arms around her waist.
“Hey Yoona…” Yuri calmly said.
“Whatcha’ put down there?”
The two woman stared at the porcelain figure of two swans with their heads connected leaning against the silver stand of the plaque.
“I found it in their apartment. I’m sure they’d be happy that it was here.”
With the image of the object in their minds, their vision turned towards the lake’s center where a new pair of swans swam merrily along the waters. Yuri felt Yoona lightly bump her head with her forehead as whispered into her hair,
“Ready to go?”
Yuri nodded in compliance. Bending down slightly, she brushed a little dirt off the silver plaque, and then held onto Yoona’s hand as she led the pair up the hill.
‘This plaque is dedicated to Jessica Jung and Tiffany Hwang; their love was as strong as that of swans in love.’
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
I don't want your pennies for thoughts, sorry.