Author's note: Hi! This is by far not my first fanfic, but my first in this fandom and on this site. I swore I would never be lured into the world of Asian pop, but it turns out the cuteness was too strong to resist.
My overall goal is to write a nuanced and sensitive story that combines elements of romance, comedy and drama. That means there will be no villains and no heroes here - just flawed people making the best choices they can. So Hebe is not the villain here and neither are any other characters possibly keeping our two leads from getting together, including the leads themselves.
I know the premise of this story might initially put people off, but I promise the intention of this fic is purely Chun/Ella. However, to get there might require a mature and open-minded reader. There will be cursing and adult themes - though I do not plan to venture into explicit sex scenes - such as homosexuality, homophobia, infidelity and imperfect love.
I also plan on writing in other pairings for Chun and Ella, (for example, Chun/Hebe, Ella/Hebe, Jerry/Ella, Leehom/Ella), so if you are one of those people who absolutely cannot bear to see one or both halves of your pairing getting with other people, even temporarily, then turn back now.
If otherwise, then we shall go onward! I hope I do justice to this amazing and adorable pairing!
The club is small and dark and filled with scarcely clad bodies gyrating to the beat.
"There is a worrying lack of lesbos here," Leehom says.
In the crowd, Ella's back is pressed to his front. Leehom's arms are wound around her shoulders and his chin is resting on top of her head.
"What?" she yells. She can't hear anything over the pounding music.
He presses closer and leans toward her ear.
"There is a worrying lack of lesbos here!" he shouts. He's so close she can feel the damp heat of his breath when he yells.
If it were with anybody else, Ella would call it an intimate position. But it's Leehom. She just grabs his hand and says, "I told you this was hopeless."
Leehom makes a determined face and squeezes her hand. His palms are dry and warm.
"No way!" he says. "There must be a girl around here desperate enough."
Ella elbows him in the stomach and he jerks away.
"It's a joke!" he laughs over the pounding music. "Ah, stop, it's a joke!"
"Lame," she says, leaning her head back onto his chest.
Ella's been told her relationship with Leehom is "weird." But she doesn't know if it's weird because she's a lesbian and he's a straight guy and they're best friends, or if it's weird because they're also technically exes.
Ella dated Leehom in high school when she still thought she was straight. And she doesn't regret being a lesbian – obviously – but she hates that she hurt him in the process of coming out. She knows he really loved her; and she loved him too, in the best way she could, even though it wasn't enough.
But for as great as a boyfriend Leehom was, he makes an even better friend. If she was into guys, she knows she'd be into him.
A guy in glittery blue eye shadow and a mesh shirt comes up to them and points to Ella.
"Girlfriend?" he asks-screams Leehom.
"Platonic lesbian best friend," Leehom replies matter-of fact. Then he hurriedly adds. "I'm the straight wingman."
"What?" the guy yells.
"I'm her wingman!" Leehom yells back, making a bunch of ridiculous pointing motions towards himself. "Straight!"
The guy's face falls. "Oh," he says. "Have fun." He saunters off, melting into the dance floor.
"C'mon, why'd you have to chase that guy off!" she pokes Leehom in the ribs. "You could finally bring somebody home to your mom!"
"Ha-ha," Leehom says dryly. "Very funny. But we're here to find somebody for you, not me."
Ella doesn't even have to think about it; she knows there's no chance.
"Sorry to disappoint you, Leehom!" she says.
"What do you mean?" Leehom says, annoyed. "We just got here!"
She spins around so they're facing each other, "Thanks for trying, but I really don't think I'm going to find somebody here."
His eyes scan the club. There are a lot of people dancing on the floor and drinking at the bar. But not a lot of girls. And out of those, none of them are Hebe Tien.
Leehom sighs. He was hoping this wouldn't happen. He looks at Ella.
"There's still a chance," he says slowly. "Is there?"
She shakes her head.
"Sorry," she says, entwining their fingers and swinging their hands together.
"Let's just go get something to eat," she says. "How do you like the sound of that?"
"Fine," he says softly, sadly. He knocks their hands together. "But you're paying."
"What?" Ella squawks.
Hebe is watching TV in her pajamas when they get back.
"Hey, Ella!" she looks surprised. When she sees Leehom trailing behind, she gives him a less enthusiastic smile. "Leehom."
Leehom nods at her curtly.
Ella looks between her two best friends. It's not like they're aren't always polite to each other, but it's clear they share a mutual distrust. When they're in the same room, Ella inevitably feels awkward and torn in half.
"Thanks for dropping me off," she says too loudly to Leehom in an attempt to dispel the tension.
"Yeah, no problem," he says. "I'll see you soon?"
"Sure," she says quickly. "I'll text you, okay?"
He makes a face at her, but allows himself to be shooed out of the apartment. As soon as the door closes, Ella sighs in relief.
"So how was your night?" Hebe asks. She's still sitting on the couch and wearing a giant t-shirt and baggy pajama pants. Her hair is tied up in a messy bun and she isn't wearing any make up. Ella doesn't think she could be more beautiful.
"Um," Ella says, hurrying back to her own room. "It was okay."
She doesn't want to tell Hebe that she and Leehom went to a gay club to try and pick up a girl. A mission that was obviously unsuccessful, given that she's back home now, alone, and it's not even midnight.
It's not that Hebe doesn't know that Ella's gay. She was actually one of the first people to that Ella came out to. Ella bets that Hebe even already knows that Ella's in love with her. After all, it's not hard to guess. But still – it's embarrassing.
Ella goes to the bathroom and strips off her clothes and climbs into the shower. She can still hear the club's loud thumping music in her ears. Or maybe that's her heartbeat.
There had been a few cute girls at the club. She could have tried to talk to them, she knows. Maybe. And Leehom had wanted her to, too. He had hoped that another girl could help her move on past this hopeless crush.
But for some reason, she can't. No matter how much she reminds herself that Hebe's straight, that she'll never return the feelings, Ella can't.
Ella finishes showering and goes back to her room. Her limbs feel heavy and bloated, like anchors. She's exhausted.
She puts on her PJ's, and without bothering to dry her hair, she climbs into bed and falls asleep.