Archive of Our Own

(“The Millennial Club - feel the same”)

Dahyun’s phone vibrated in her hands, notifying her of a new message as it popped onto her screen. 

She turned to look at the tall girl practically on top of her, cuddling into her arms, a hint of a smile playing at her lips. “Did you just text me while lying right next to me?”

Tzuyu hummed sleepily, huddling further into Dahyun’s warmth under the blanket they were sharing. “Maybe.”

Before Dahyun could open her mouth to reply, she jolted when freezing cold hands made contact with her exposed waist, yelping at the startling touch. Dahyun shot a glare at Tzuyu that only proved to be ineffective as Tzuyu only grinned sheepishly. “Sorry,” she mumbled in an unapologetic tone, not bothering to move her hands from their position. 

Dahyun squirmed in place, clenching her jaw at the contrasting temperature. It didn’t help that Tzuyu was restricting her movements with where she was laying half on her. She could only flail her limbs around wildly in an attempt to free herself from the clinging tall, cuddly girl.  

“Tzuyu,” Dahyun whined, trying to shuffle away, but the younger wouldn’t let her. 

“I need to warm my hands up, they’re cold,” Tzuyu tried to reason, pouting.

Dahyun struggled to move even an inch, shuddering at the soft hands grasping onto her. “That’s exactly the reason why–” She slumped down, giving up the fight when Tzuyu was refusing to let up. It was useless, especially with the way that Tzuyu was looking at her, dark puppy brown eyes wide and pleading. 

“Remind me to tell Sana to stop teaching you these things,” Dahyun grumbled lowly, trying her best to appear serious and unamused, and failing horribly.

Tzuyu huffed out a laugh in response, wrapping her arms tighter around Dahyun and resting her head against the latter’s shoulder. “I should definitely thank her.”

The weekends meant having lazy stress-free days with Tzuyu, where all they did was cuddle to fight the cold and binge-watch their favorite movies and television show series long past midnight together. It always felt as though Dahyun and Tzuyu were roommates with the amount of times the younger had stayed over, despite Tzuyu having an apartment not too far from Dahyun’s. 

It wouldn’t be that far of a stretch to say Tzuyu did practically live there, however, with the majority of her things sprawled haphazardly around Dahyun’s place, and Dahyun would bet on Tzuyu having more of her wardrobe in Dahyun’s room than in her own apartment. 

Dahyun wouldn’t even be surprised at this point to wake up and see Tzuyu standing in her kitchen making toast for them, two steaming hot mugs of coffee already sitting on the countertop.

For Tzuyu to look up at her entrance and grin, saying a soft, “Good morning,” to her. 

It was just a normal occurrence, one that Dahyun personally loved and would never get tired of. They were precious moments that Dahyun would catalog into her memories to look back on and smile fondly. 

And today was a simple relaxing Saturday, Tzuyu having randomly barged into the apartment without warning, turned to see Dahyun on the couch and dove under the warm blanket to sidle up next to her. The couch was barely enough to fit two people, especially with Tzuyu’s stature, so it could be an awkward and tight squeeze but they made it work perfectly. Fully pressed up against her, Dahyun found herself with little to no space left to do anything except tightly hug Tzuyu back, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Dahyun carefully lifted her arm up to hover over Tzuyu, who was dozing off silently, peering over the girl’s shoulder with a squint at the brightly lit screen. She swore if she happened to accidentally drop her phone onto the both of them, she was blaming Tzuyu. 

Dahyun clicked open her chat with Tzuyu to find a new song link waiting for her to open, smiling lightly at the sight. 

Getting song links from Tzuyu wasn’t unusual for Dahyun, as Tzuyu had been doing so for the past month. Every day, the older girl wouldn’t forget to give her a new song to listen to and enjoy. Dahyun doesn’t quite remember how it all started, she only knows that she absolutely loves Tzuyu’s music taste. Every song she received and listened to was quick to become her favorite until the time another was sent. 

Dahyun pressed on the link and upon opening it, the first few seconds of the sound bellowed out to replace the silence before the Taiwanese suddenly snatched her phone, every sign of weariness gone in an instant, and surprised Dahyun to send her heart rapidly beating at the scare. Tzuyu ignored Dahyun’s immediate protesting as she turned off the music and exited from the app.

“Listen to it later,” Tzuyu cut off Dahyun and told her with a glance, turning off the phone and tossing it to the side, out of reach.

Tzuyu ducked down at that moment, preventing Dahyun from seeing her face. Returning her arms to Dahyun, the younger girl snuggled in. 

“Huh?” Dahyun questioned, confused at what had just transpired in the last minute. “Why not now?”

At their proximity, Dahyun could feel the little puffs of air Tzuyu was letting out on her warmed skin and the steady drum of a heart. 

“Because I’m here,” Tzuyu mumbled into Dahyun’s neck where she hid, tickling Dahyun. “And it’s kind of embarrassing.” 

The last part was said so quietly, Dahyun had to strain her ears to be able to hear. 

Dahyun couldn’t help the smile that broke out onto her face. “Embarrassing? It’s just a song, though,” she tried to reassure, but the other stayed oddly mum. Dahyun poked Tzuyu’s sides to get her attention, the only response being arms tightening closer. 

Tzuyu was being way too adorable right now for her to not give in to the request.

“Okay,” she drawled, drawing her arms around the taller’s frame. Dahyun drew random imaginary figures and shapes on Tzuyu’s clothed back in a soothing manner while she let herself sink further into the couch. 

Dahyun closed her eyes, relaxing in the bliss of the coziness of just the two of them. “I’ll listen to it later, Tzu.”

(“BOL4 - Some”)

“You totally lost that on purpose,” Dahyun accused Tzuyu, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. 

Said girl blinked back at her innocently. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The big screen in front of them repeatedly flashed, signifying of Dahyun’s win against Tzuyu. 

The two of them had been playing some random fighting game for the past hour and Tzuyu had been winning only half of the fights, though Dahyun was starting to suspect the younger was purposefully losing to let her win. The way Tzuyu smiled fondly at her everytime she cheered and did a little happy dance at her win was seared into Dahyun’s memory. 

Dahyun rolled her eyes, and Tzuyu stuck her tongue at her. 

They continued to play an assortment of video games together, drifting from player versus player to calm creative type of games like Minecraft. 

(“Oh my god, Tzuyu, did you just see that huge explosion over there?”

“Dahyun, that was our house.”

“Oh.”)

It was way past noon when they decided to stop after their bodies were starting to cramp up from sitting in the same position for hours, eyes and arms burning from the hours of exertion. 

Tzuyu yawned, stretching her arms out above her. She winced at the sound of cracks. Following suit, Dahyun paused the screen, leaning back onto the floor and groaned. 

Tzuyu gingerly got up to her feet, wobbling a bit causing Dahyun to snicker, and grabbed both of their controllers, placing them on the table nearby with a clatter. Dahyun crossed her arms over her stomach, choosing to stay and let her line of sight follow Tzuyu while she stretched some more. 

Tzuyu gazed curiously down at her, dropping a hand down to prompt Dahyun to grab it. 

“Nah,” Dahyun spread her limbs starfish-style with a tilt of her lips. “I’ll get up in a bit.”

Tzuyu wiggled her fingers at Dahyun for a moment, which Dahyun did return the action, and then retracted her arm. 

“Okay, well I’m gonna go take a quick shower,” the Taiwanese said, and padded over down the small hallway of Dahyun’s apartment. 

Dahyun closed her eyes, noting the soft click of her room’s door, presumably Tzuyu going to steal some of her clothes to wear. 

In their long years of friendship, Dahyun had learned of Tzuyu’s love to steal her clothes and had gone out of her way to purchase some that were a bigger size so they could fit her taller frame, not that a lot of hers weren’t already large enough from her love of oversized everything. It was a fair trade in the end, since Dahyun would stealthily (but not really) snatch from Tzuyu’s drawers. 

Another click, this time in the bathroom’s direction, and Dahyun fought back a rising yawn. Even after hours of gaming with Tzuyu, she was still bored out of her mind, left wondering what else she could do today to pass the time. Dahyun lay on her worn-out fuzzy carpet and stared at the ceiling, no new fun ideas coming to her, her brain seemingly only useful in conjuring thoughts of Tzuyu looking soft and adorable in her hoodie. She swatted at the air, as if that would do anything to rid the images.

Dahyun rolled onto her stomach, almost bumping into her coffee table. She peeked up, her hand scrabbling around the top of the table trying to find the familiar cool feel of her phone. When she eventually got a hold of it, she brought it down and propped her elbows up on her carpet to look properly at the screen. 

It was already 3:58 in the afternoon, prompting Dahyun to wince at how long they had been cooped up at her place playing around.

She turned her phone off and tossed it back next to her, successfully rolling onto her back once again. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast this morning, which was hours ago and now she was craving for something. 

Perhaps something sweet.

A creak from behind her and Dahyun naturally turned to the noise to see Tzuyu walking out while drying her freshly-washed hair with a towel. Tzuyu was dressed in a simple oversized hoodie and grey sweatpants, such a simple outfit making Tzuyu fluffy and adorable that she just wanted to squeeze into a hug. 

She sat up, gesturing for Tzuyu to come over and sit in front of her. Tzuyu happily walked over and automatically gave Dahyun her towel, crossing her legs as she sat down. 

Dahyun doesn’t know when it became a thing for her to dry Tzuyu’s hair for her, but it did and it was a part of their routine. She wasn’t complaining and neither was Tzuyu.

Tzuyu slightly bowed down as Dahyun gently toweled the younger’s hair. Tzuyu let her eyelids fall to a close, puffing out a giggle at the feeling. She often found herself being lulled to sleep with Dahyun’s motions of going through the locks of her hair, leading her head to dip down until Dahyun laughed and tapped her cheek softly. It was calming. 

Dahyun cut into the silence, wondering. “Got any ideas on what to do?”

Tzuyu cracked open an eyelid, taking a few seconds to process the question before her eyes were practically shining and Dahyun took that as a yes, tilting her head.

The former’s eyes gleamed, peeking from the edges of the towel. Tzuyu blew a stray strand of hair getting in front of her face, only making it lift and float back to tickle her cheek. Dahyun carefully tucked it behind the girl’s ear without a second thought.

Tzuyu cleared her throat. “Do you want to go out for ice cream?” The clear, visible child-like glee had Dahyun laughing.

It sounded perfect in their own way.

Dahyun grinned widely. “How do you always manage to read my mind, Ms. Chou?” 

Dahyun pulled the towel away, satisfied with how Tzuyu’s hair was mostly dry compared to earlier when drops of water dripped onto her shirt. 

Tzuyu just hummed, patting Dahyun’s head as she got to her feet, taking the towel along with her. Tzuyu walked off to toss the towel and Dahyun did a little dorky, happy dance at the thought of getting ice cream. Just because it was cold outside, didn’t mean that ice cream couldn’t be eaten. 

Dahyun figured she’d need to change her clothes too if they were going out since she was still in her pajamas, however, before she could lift herself up, a hand materialized in front of her. 

For the second time that day, Tzuyu reached down and offered a hand to the older girl. This time, Dahyun grabbed it firmly, thankful, letting herself be pulled up. She accidentally stumbled forward from the force, but was quickly steadied by Tzuyu’s other hand on her waist. 

“So clumsy,” Tzuyu teased and Dahyun huffed, taking a step to distance herself. They were too close to each other and Dahyun would die of embarrassment if Tzuyu noticed the way her gaze had immediately fallen on her lips. She didn’t fail to notice their hands were still interlaced, though. 

“Be glad I didn’t drag you down with me to the floor,” Dahyun bit back lightheartedly. 

Tzuyu pouted, her bottom lip jutting out. “Wow, and you’re mean,” she whined.

“It’s not too late to run, you know.”

Tzuyu threw her head back and laughed at the poor warning, and Dahyun simply stood there in adoration. Tzuyu lazily smiled at Dahyun once she managed to quiet down her chuckles.

“Well I guess I’m stuck with the clumsy, mean Kim Dahyun for life.” Tzuyu softly squeezed Dahyun’s hand. 

“Because I’m not going anywhere.”

Dahyun’s heart thrummed, filling her ears with its loud sound. 

“Good, since I was ready to chase after you.”

Tzuyu rolled her eyes at the squint directed her way, masking how happy she was at Dahyun’s remark. 

She nudged Dahyun, nodding over at the latter’s room. “Okay, now hurry up and change already.”

By the time Dahyun had finished changing and they got out of the apartment complex onto the sidewalk, over a half hour had passed; however, it was the perfect weather to be out as it wasn’t too cold that it was unbearable. They casually talked about random things, stories, and whatever it was that they wanted to talk about. Their arms brushed up against each other as they walked, making their way over to the small ice cream shop nearby. 

It was a cozy place, one that they had accidentally found a while ago when they'd just been walking and exploring the area. The moment the two of them had walked through the entrance door, they knew it was going to be another of their places and it only confirmed their thoughts when they discovered the vast flavors and the cold, sweet goodness that came from the taste. 

Dahyun returned to her thought when Tzuyu had first suggested the idea of getting ice cream, speaking it aloud. “That’s kind of crazy though, since I was craving for something sweet earlier.” 

Tzuyu really did know her too well, but it shouldn’t have come to be a big surprise from the long years they’ve known each other and how often they hang together. 

“I guess it means we’re meant to be.” Tzuyu turned and teasingly winked at the older girl to which she chuckled in amusement. 

Dahyun was about to reply when they reached the corner shop, and Tzuyu opened the door for her with a sweep of her hand. The bell on the door rang and she whispered a thanks to the taller girl, stepping in to be greeted by the workers behind the glass showcasing the different flavors of the ice cream.

Tzuyu followed her in, behind, and shuffled past to speak to the waiting worker.

“Um,” Tzuyu cleared her throat and glanced at her. “Can I get one large chocolatey-chocolate ice cream in a sugar waffle cone with caramel and fudge drizzled over it and extra, extra rainbow sprinkles on top…”

Dahyun looked down at her shoes, fighting back her smile while hearing Tzuyu order for her. It was absolutely ridiculous, yet endearing to hear.

They didn’t really go out for ice cream that often, but the way that Tzuyu had memorized her exact ‘asking-for-a-heart-attack’ ice cream cone order the first time she had heard it, had her heart aching. It was the little things, or moments, when Tzuyu picked up on her subtle habits or remembered overlooked details about her like this, that made it hard for Dahyun to stop herself. To stop herself from doing something she might come to regret later on and to save her feelings from getting hurt. 

The risk was too great, one that could leave her ruined.

Yet, Tzuyu made it so difficult every time with how easy she made things look, as if she didn’t have Dahyun wrapped around her finger. 

Tzuyu tilted her head and smiled at Dahyun, all the while she stood silently with her swirling thoughts and fragile heart. Nonetheless, she returned the smile with one of hers, hoping Tzuyu couldn’t see the longing in them. 

Dahyun tried her best to dispel the thoughts, and suddenly surged forward to pay for their cones. Tzuyu’s eyes widened as she understood what she was trying to do and stepped to block her path. Dahyun pursed her lips into a firm line and the workers watched in amusement. 

“Tzuyu,” she warned, taking another step.

Tzuyu straightened up, rising to her full height to use against Dahyun. “Dahyun,” Tzuyu said in a sing-song voice. 

Dahyun couldn’t help herself and cracked a smile, that’s until she saw Tzuyu’s hand stealthily inching towards her wallet to pay for their cones. Dahyun took another slow step forward, and immediately it turned to chaos with Dahyun yelling and trying to shove past Tzuyu’s long limbs to throw her money into the owner’s face while Tzuyu backed up against her and swatted her hands away, trying to pull out her own money at the same time. 

Long story short yet embarrassing, Tzuyu had successfully used her height advantage and managed to slide her money across the counter before Dahyun could. The spectacle had the owner laughing aloud heartily for a moment, and he had bid them a farewell when they had made their way to the door, telling them to come back next time. 

Tzuyu handed Dahyun her cone as they walked towards the open table right outside the shop and took a seat. 

Dahyun pulled out a chair, grumbling under her breath how it was unfair and she swore she’d pay for the two of them next time. Tzuyu only peeked over her ice cream, liquid pools of dark brown warm with mirth. 

A comfortable silence fell over them while they ate their cold snack, leaned back in their chairs looking at the scenery around them. A couple cars passed by them, picking up a slight breeze that carried over to them. 

Dahyun buried herself further into her sweatshirt to fight the cool breeze, her shoulders coming up as she clenched her teeth together. Once the breeze passed, she went back munching on her ice cream cone. 

Most people found it strange and almost crazy to eat something that was cold in such cold weather, and to be honest, they had a point. But Dahyun couldn’t help her cravings and it was nice that she didn’t need to wait in a line or anything since no one else was there getting ice cream aside from her, and Tzuyu if she tagged along, which was all the time. Dahyun couldn’t pass up an opportunity to eat some chocolate or cookies and cream flavored sweets, add onto that she could get additional toppings of whatever she wanted. In short, the coldness of the snack biting at her teeth was worthwhile. 

Though, the Korean kind of wished she had worn her glasses instead of her contact lenses, so it could provide some semblance of a barrier from the whipping wind getting into her face.

Dahyun heard a hissing noise and turned to the girl sitting in front of her, seeing how Tzuyu shrinked in on herself from the cold, though Dahyun’s focus wasn’t on that when her gaze fell on a specific point that had her almost snorting in laughter, snickering at the sight. Tzuyu perked up at the noise, offering a questioning glance at Dahyun who seemed to be laughing at her. 

.Dahyun could only shake her head, her giggles turning into wheezes at the innocent look in Tzuyu’s expression, blissfully unaware of the smear of ice cream above her lip. She looked comical, but then Tzuyu’s face twisted in suspicion and she lowered her cone. 

“What? Do I have something on my face?” Tzuyu pointed at herself, asking Dahyun. She licked her lips and just barely missed the spot, sending Dahyun into more giggles. 

Dahyun teased, holding the situation over Tzuyu. “I don’t know, do you?”

Tzuyu pouted and her brows furrowed cutely, “Do I, or not?”

Even with the white remnants of the dessert appearing out of place on Tzuyu’s face, she managed to look even cuter and Dahyun had herself rolling her eyes internally at the thought. 

Dahyun offered her no response and instead leaned across the table and gently swiped her thumb over above Tzuyu’s lips softly. She dared not to breathe as she did so, not missing the way Tzuyu’s breath quietly hitched at the action. 

Just as silently as she had leaned forward, Dahyun leaned back into her seat. She grabbed a napkin and cleaned her thumb with it, the absurd drama-like thought of her licking the drop instead, leaving her mind as soon as it had appeared. Dahyun faked nonchalance when in fact she was screaming inside, scared to see the face Tzuyu was making, but she could only stare at the table for so long until it became glaring obvious of her avoidance. So, she looked up and the sight sent a surge of warmth rushing to her face. 

Tzuyu stared at her wide-eyed and there was undeniably a scattering of light pink decorating her cheeks, mouth left gaping in clear surprise. Realizing that Dahyun was staring back at her with a similar appearance, Tzuyu’s cheeks flushed an even darker red and she coughed, before ducking her head to hide behind her hair.

Dahyun averted away from the sight, too embarrassed of what she had just done to meet Tzuyu’s stare again, lest she collapse on the spot right then and there. The image of Tzuyu blushing and shocked was burning in her mind. 

They finished their cones in silence, with Tzuyu’s cheeks only having cooled down slightly and Dahyun occasionally stealing glances over at her, which Tzuyu never once returned, keeping her sights straight down. 

The previously comfortable silence now became an awkward, thickening tense atmosphere that Dahyun was sure she was going to choke in if she stayed in it for too long. She brushed her hands free from any remaining crumbs, wiping her hands on a spare napkin. At the same moment, Tzuyu pushed herself up from her chair, the noise screeching a bit causing the both of them to wince. Dahyun followed suit, moving to stand up and balled up her napkins, tossing them into the trash can right in front of the shop, next to a tree. She turned to find Tzuyu waiting for her, for them to walk together back to her place. 

They walked side-by-side, unconsciously matching footsteps. Dahyun was hyper aware of everytime that her shoulder happened to brush against the taller’s, due to the closeness to each other. Thankful of the chilling weather, Dahyun would have surely combusted if their skin had touched each time. She vaguely wondered if Tzuyu was aware of it as much as she was, but doubted it because why would Tzuyu care how many times their shoulders bumped. 

Dahyun’s raging thoughts halted at the feel of Tzuyu slipping her hand into hers. Tzuyu’s thumb rubbed circles into the back of her hand, going back and forth, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. 

Dahyun looked down at their interlaced hands, noticing how Tzuyu’s hand seemed to be just the right size to fit hers. Not that she had never noticed it before, because she certainly has, it was just something that had always fascinated her. Dahyun shook her head at the observation. 

A glance up at Tzuyu, but the girl only stared ahead to the point where it seemed as though she was trying not to look at the girl next to her. Either that, or Tzuyu was really focused on walking back to the complex. 

Dahyun told herself that it was normal for friends to do that, to hold hands, because what else would it be ?

Maybe it was, or maybe it wasn’t. All Dahyun knew was that the feelings that arose from the action were not in any way normal for just a friend to have. 

And she was starting to hate the love her brain was deluding herself into thinking Tzuyu was giving to her, feeling for her. Because she knew she would always be drowning in something unrequited, hoping for anything to happen while hoping for nothing to happen. 

Later that night, Dahyun got a song from Tzuyu and she stared at the ceiling wondering what she was going to do. 

(“lost spaces, JAIE - discohaze”)

“A party?”

A sudden surprise call and Dahyun and Tzuyu found that they were invited to Im Nayeon’s mansion party, a close friend of theirs who happened to be very well-known by many. 

“Wait, what about Tzuyu?” Dahyun asked, interrupting Nayeon in the middle of asking if she could come. She never heard Nayeon mention inviting Tzuyu as well, and she couldn’t help but ask.

Dahyun could imagine Nayeon rolling her eyes at her as she snarkily said, “You both are always glued by the hip,” Dahyun couldn’t make out the next muffled words Nayeon muttered under her breath. 

“What?”

Nayeon ignored her. “Anyways, it’s a given that if you go, then Tzuyu does too. Do I really have to ask?” 

Dahyun opened her mouth. “Well–”

“Tzuyu, you know you’re welcome to come.” Nayeon cut Dahyun off.

Tzuyu chuckled at their interaction, never not finding it amusing to watch whenever it occurred. 

All three of them met during their freshmen years in university, Nayeon being there to help guide them around campus and inform them of the do's and don’ts as the oldest and most experienced. Unsurprisingly enough, Nayeon and Dahyun got along incredibly well within just a single week of talking, the two often bantering and playfully teasing one another. They constantly acted as though they almost couldn’t stand the other’s presence, but Tzuyu knew they always had each other’s backs and would be there as a true friend whenever, wherever. 

“Yeah, of course,” Tzuyu pursed her lips. “But actually, I don’t think I can go.”

Dahyun raised her brows at Tzuyu, catching her attention. Tzuyu only waved her off, mouthing she’ll tell her later as Dahyun tilted her head in confusion. 

“You’re busy? Well,” Nayeon sighed. “Promise me you’ll come next time.”

Tzuyu leaned in towards the phone, grinning, deep brown locks falling down off her shoulder in its waves and her eyes crinkling at the corners in amusement, while Dahyun silently sat there peering at the younger. “Promise.”

“Okay, I’ll see you later, Dahyun.” 

Dahyun snapped her gaze back to her phone and nodded, momentarily forgetting Nayeon couldn’t see her. “Yeah, see you then.”

The moment Nayeon hung up, Dahyun turned around to look at Tzuyu, her question written over her face. 

Tzuyu’s expression was sheepish. “I had already made plans beforehand with someone.”

Dahyun made a noise in thought.

“If I had known, then I probably wouldn’t have made them in the first place...” 

Dahyun quickly shook her head, not wanting the girl to be upset, “No no, don’t worry, it’s fine. You can make it up by coming to the next party anyway.” 

Tzuyu nodded in relief, though still feeling badly guilty that she couldn’t come. 

Dahyun reached over to her nightstand to charge her phone, setting it down. The cold weather still persisted where they lived, leading Dahyun to tug up the comforter that lay bunched up at the foot of her bed. All the while, Tzuyu was sitting next to her, just watching. Dahyun side-eyed Tzuyu, knowing her tendencies.

And of course she was right when Tzuyu suddenly grinned and dove at her, Dahyun shrieking but laughing at the same time as Tzuyu grabbed the comforter from her and let herself into the space around Dahyun, the comforter smoothly falling back down onto both of them. Their legs tangled with one another, bodies pressed against each other that Tzuyu was practically on top of Dahyun. 

From any point of view it may have looked uncomfortable to be in that position, especially with the way Dahyun was shifting because Tzuyu’s hair was tickling her neck, sending her into giggles. But to be frank, it had to be one of the most comfortable times for the older girl and she was sure that Tzuyu felt the same as she did, considering Tzuyu’s arms were pulling her even closer. 

It was still light outside, only having been in the afternoon, but Dahyun felt herself being lulled to sleep despite it, letting her eyelids fall and close shut, already drifting off. Right beside her, Tzuyu’s breaths evened out, already following Dahyun to a dreamland.

The next few days were uneventful, the two just offering to stay in and chill with whatever, so by the time the day of the party came, Dahyun was frantically scrambling around, having lost track of the time when she had hung out with Tzuyu and now she was an hour late. 

Dahyun had settled with a simple outfit of a plain white off-the-shoulder with a pair of jeans that she had found in the back of her closet last minute for the party, Tzuyu assuring her that it looked good, rushing at her to hurry before she got yelled at by Nayeon. They both knew of the wrath of the older girl, having seen it previously, and neither wanted to be on the receiving end of it. 

“Please, Nayeon treats you like her own child or something, it’s so unfair,” Dahyun pointed out with an obvious pout, knowing Tzuyu was fully aware of this fact and could get away with practically anything.

“Dahyun,” Tzuyu laughed, shaking her head. “Just go!”

Tzuyu and her ended up parting just outside the apartment complex, Dahyun waving goodbye to Tzuyu with a smile, making her way in the direction to Nayeon’s place. 

Upon arriving at the gigantic house, Dahyun rang the bell, and it wasn’t even a second later that the door swung open and out came Im Nayeon dressed in a crop top and high-waisted shorts, hair let loose at her shoulders, grinning at her. She opened her mouth to say something but couldn’t get a word in before she was yanked in by the arm and ruthlessly thrown into the crowd after a quick once-over by Nayeon, a red solo cup suddenly appearing in her hand without any prompt. 

Nayeon shouted to her with an expression that could only be described as mischievous, trying to be heard over the booming music. “You can thank me later!” 

Dahyun laughed loudly and nodded. “Whatever you say!”

“Now let loose and have some fun, Dahyun!”

Nayeon took her leave then, expertly weaving into the crowd of people and disappearing out onto the other side. Dahyun’s mouth hung open and she let out another laugh at the older girl.

She wasn’t surprised Nayeon had all but just dropped her right in the middle of the chaos and left, it was something she would do without a doubt. 

Dahyun looked around at the people surrounding her, able to recognize a couple faces here and there, and even went up to some to greet them. Dahyun considered herself to be fairly popular, not so much so as Nayeon was of course, but on a more casual side. 

She saw her two other close friends, Sana and Momo, casually talking by the countertop, and walked up to say hello to them, both of them quickly recognizing her and shocked that she was there. 

“Dahyun!” Sana locked her arm with Dahyun’s, her face lighting up in excitement. The two girls had always been super touchy with her, she swore it was a part of them, moreso applying to Sana the most. 

Dahyun beamed, leaning into Sana. She had missed them a lot, and she made a mental note to find time in her schedule so that they could all hang out. 

“How have you been?” Momo asked, looking at her with a smile. 

”I’ve been good! I mean it's been a little stressful with school but it’s the usual, so what can you expect?” She said and shrugged, to which Sana and Momo nodded solemnly in unison. “What about you two?” 

Momo sighed, “Pretty much the same as you.”

“It sucks ass,” Sana spoke up from next to Dahyun, causing the shorter to chuckle at the blunt words, relating to them. 

“But anyways,” Momo looked around Dahyun before looking at her in confusion and mild curiosity, “did Tzuyu not come with you?” 

While Dahyun knew Sana and Momo, Tzuyu didn’t as much, only having a connection with them through Dahyun, though they all became friends. If Dahyun had to admit, there seemed to be a strange tense atmosphere half the time Tzuyu and the two girls were together that always left Dahyun holding her breath. 

On multiple occasions, Sana and Momo had told her that Tzuyu was terrifying and Dahyun had laughed at them in disbelief, because how was Tzuyu, a big baby, in any shape or form scary. They constantly argued against it, claiming that the Taiwanese girl glared at them like she was about to commit murder. Apparently, Tzuyu was all nice and smiles with Dahyun, but turned into a scary glaring devil to the Japanese women. 

Dahyun had tried to tell them that maybe Tzuyu just needed to warm up to them, the words falling on deaf ears. It came to a time that Dahyun ended up trapping them, but not really, into a room so that they could settle whatever was going on amongst the three of them. And by the time Dahyun had come by to check on them, they were all laughing and acting super buddy-buddy. 

Dahyun frowned. “Ah, no, she couldn’t make it.” 

It was at this moment that Sana and Momo shared a knowing look and Sana knew it was her cue, speaking up. Or so she thought was the perfect time to ask.

“Are you two dating, yet?” 

Dahyun immediately coughed, choking on air, and looked away from the peering girl. 

It was so unexpectedly sudden and out there, but the thought of the word ‘yet’ echoed in Dahyun’s mind, bouncing around for her to acknowledge. That one word implied as though there would eventually come a time when it would happen, as if Sana had expected it to have already happened when she had asked. 

“Sana!” Momo face-palmed, exasperated at the blunt question. There went their subtle ask. 

The two Japanese girls knew that while Dahyun and Tzuyu had a close bond and friendship, they also knew something lay lingering underneath all of that, something that they may have been too afraid to address. It was easy to notice such things, even an outsider looking at their interactions could spot it and would spark suspicion, asking that one single question: ‘Are you two dating?’

And each time, Tzuyu and Dahyun both flushed red and distanced themselves from one another, as if doing so could prevent and show the person that they were clearly not, an awkward silence quick to settle down around them. 

Dahyun cleared her throat, laughing at the two, trying to cool her cheeks. 

“Um, we’re not dating.” Dahyun bit her lip, that same word still occupying her thoughts, almost begging her to attach it to the end of her sentence. She couldn’t do it, for obvious reasons and then some.

Dahyun couldn’t discern the looks she got from Momo and Sana at that, like they were in on a joke that she was clueless on. She wasn’t sure if she liked that. 

Momo, thankfully, diverted the conversation to a different subject and the three continued to catch up on all the time they hadn’t been together. 

Half an hour later, the couple hugged her, saying their byes and promises to meet up when they had time, waving at her right before they fell into the crowd, disappearing from sight. 

Dahyun sighed, her body relaxing; don’t get her wrong, she absolutely loved them, but something with the way that they asked questions about Tzuyu had her mind spinning.

With that in her thoughts, she turned to set her empty cup onto the counter. It had been kind of a hassle carrying it around with her the whole time. Pulling out her phone, Dahyun noticed that she had been at the party just talking to people for quite some time already. 

There were no new messages from Tzuyu, making her wonder if Tzuyu was still out. 

Dahyun pocketed her phone again, fighting the urge to call the younger, and turned back to the crowd. 

She spotted Nayeon for a quick second, with her girlfriend by her side, Myoui Mina. She smiled at the sight, she had to admit that they were too cute together. 

Mina had known Dahyun and Tzuyu before Nayeon did, from the time when Mina had first come abroad and often struggled with the Korean language. Tzuyu and Mina would learn new words from each other, slowly improving with the help of each other, while Dahyun was always there as a friend but also acted similar to a teacher for them. The bond quickly, though not unsurprisingly, grew and the three of them became close friends, often hanging out with each other on free days whenever they could. 

The day Nayeon had laid sight on Mina, she had fallen head over heels in love with the girl, pestering and practically begging Dahyun for the Japanese girl’s number that same day of meeting, while Dahyun permanently saved that moment as a memory as she couldn’t help herself from teasing Nayeon. 

Now they would all share a laugh, except maybe Nayeon who would often stay mum in embarrassment whenever the memory was brought up with the four of them together, and Dahyun would just blatantly ignore the pointed look Nayeon would give to her, glancing at a certain tall Taiwainese girl next to her already knowing what the older girl was trying to say to her. 

Dahyun shook her head at the thought. She wandered around Nayeon’s house, constantly having to move past people to walk forward, frustratingly so. 

The loud music was pulsating through Dahyun’s entire body, wildly rattling around and giving her a slight headache. The illuminating lights definitely weren’t helping her either. 

Unable to stay there for any longer and deciding she needed a breath of fresh air, away from the loudness, Dahyun slowly pushed her way through the heavy crowd of people surrounding her out to the backyard. 

At the sight in front of her, Dahyun’s jaw dropped. Considering how Nayeon lived in a literal mansion, it shouldn’t have been a surprise that her backyard was abnormally spacious. 

The whole back was beautifully covered in perfectly trimmed trees and some assortments of blue, purple, white flowers and vines decorated at the sides, with a giant lit up pool in the center. But what Dahyun noticed is that at a first glance, a person may miss the almost hidden long brick pathway right off to the side.

Curious, Dahyun followed the path that trailed past the trees and bushes, getting farther and farther from the party music and deeper into the nature and greenlife. It eventually led her to a clear cut opening, leaving Dahyun even more speechless at how nice the stars looked above as they shined down at her. There was a little white bench placed in the front, and as Dahyun walked towards it, she realized she could spend the entire night and longer looking at the sky. 

Taking a seat, Dahyun heard a chime sound from her phone. 

Not knowing how Tzuyu constantly had such perfect timing, Dahyun softly smiled down at her phone, where the song notification was seen in their chat. 

Another chime and the next message following read: ‘Sucks I couldn’t come, hope you’re having a nice time!’

Dahyun’s smile twisted, in what way she didn’t know or maybe just refused to acknowledge, and she sighed, setting her phone down next to her and leaning back on her hands. She closed her eyes, tilting towards the moonlight. 

Quiet and blissful. 

“It would've been even better if you were here,” a whisper into the cold air, and it was like she was sharing a tiny secret as it passed by and took it along with the wind.

Her thoughts were too loud for her then.

Dahyun didn’t how long how she had sat on that bench basking in the moonlight, all she knew was that now she had found herself back inside the house, downing cup after cup that she could’ve almost tricked herself into thinking that they were just water, and she had lost count on how many exactly she had drank in that short period of time. It was hard to tell when everything was spinning and blurry. 

Somewhere during that time, Nayeon popped up in front of her, mouthing words that Dahyun struggled to comprehend in her drunken daze, and it quickly became clear that Nayeon had given up on attempting to converse with her as she just grabbed her wrist and pulled her along. 

Dahyun tried to string together a coherent sentence to ask Nayeon where she was taking her, but it sounded like underwater gibberish to her ears and Nayeon made no move to turn and listen, so she stayed mum and stared down at the backs of Nayeon’s shoes as they walked. 

While they walked, Dahyun failed to realize that most of the people had already left, only a few stragglers remaining besides herself. All that remained were the scraps from the party, from the empty red solo cups to the leftover snacks on the kitchen counter.

Nayeon firmly grabbed onto Dahyun’s shoulders before she could slam into her body, jolting Dahyun to attention. They had reached the front door and Dahyun yawned, feeling a wave of drowsiness settle in her.

“Go,” Nayeon lightly nudged her forward. 

Dahyun took a few steps forward and stood there, dumbly staring at the door in confusion. She glanced at Nayeon, who only gestured at the door to her and Dahyun didn’t know what else to do other than grab the handle and swing it open. 

The cold air bit at her flushed skin, and she grit her teeth, questioning herself if she should step back into the house. She didn’t understand why Nayeon had wanted her out here. But it seems Nayeon made the decision for her, the door loudly slamming closed behind her. 

Flinching at the sudden noise, Dahyun blew a breath out, seeing the foggy, white wisps in the air in front of her before they faded into nothing, and she giggled. 

And that’s when she noticed her. 

A tall figure stood out by the sidewalk, nudging rocks with their shoes, where the streetlamps were. Dahyun squinted and beamed, she would recognize that silhouette from anywhere. 

“Tzu!” The tiny pale girl quickly, though clumsily, made her way over to the Taiwanese, her arms reaching out.

Tzuyu giggled and caught Dahyun’s arms with her own mid-collision, smiling down at her. “Hey.”

Looking up at her with the streetlights dimly illuminating behind, making twin pools of dark brown sparkle and an indescribable beauty glow, all the while Tzuyu tilted her head with a shy-like grin, Dahyun stared at her in awe, her breath hitching. 

She vaguely wondered if she was dreaming. 

With an unknown heart-fluttering kind of ease, Tzuyu slid her hand down to intertwine her fingers with Dahyun’s, moving to tuck their hands into her hoodie pocket to warm them up as they made their way home. 

She squeezed Tzuyu’s hand.

The alcohol had loosened her up too much and Dahyun couldn’t help the feelings bubbling up. 

She tried her best to swallow it down.

“What are you doing here?” Dahyun’s words slightly slurred, sticking together in between. 

"Picking you up," Tzuyu raised a questioning brow, glancing at her as they slowly walked. “Are you drunk?” 

Dahyun suddenly stumbled over her feet then, immediately finding Tzuyu’s other arm already holding out to her in case she fell. 

She latched onto Tzuyu’s frame, leaning into the warmth radiating off of her in contrast to the cold biting air around them. “Just a bit, don’t worry.”

Dahyun felt Tzuyu trace imaginary shapes on her skin in their grasp. She bit her tongue. 

“Please, I’ll always worry when it comes to you.”

It was meant to be a teasing remark from Tzuyu, however, Dahyun felt a pang from the words and took a deep breath. 

She shivered.

And Tzuyu stepped closer.

Dahyun tried not to notice. 

That’s how they stayed until they finally reached Dahyun’s apartment for Tzuyu to drop her off. 

Tzuyu was careful to open the door for her, her hold on the older girl to help her walk through. Dahyun stood there and watched as Tzuyu made her way to the bathroom to start up and warm the water for a bath. Tzuyu lightly nudged her forward once it was done, turning and silently walking out with the door closed, only sparing her one last glance. 

Dahyun’s body felt heavy. She was starting to sober up a bit, no longer feeling weightless and the floor managed to stop spinning underneath her. She squinted, the bathroom lights being too bright for her. 

Not wanting to keep Tzuyu at her place for too long, Dahyun walked over to the sink. First order of business was brushing her teeth, to remove the smell of alcohol from her mouth. Blindly reaching out, she grabbed her toothbrush. 

Looking at herself in the mirror, she looked like a tired mess. Her tangled hair badly needed to be brushed and the dark circled eye bags weren’t doing her wonders. 

Swishing her mouth with water, Dahyun washed out the toothpaste into the sink and quickly tied up her hair into a messy bun. She turned, slipping out of her clothes to settle in the bath water, letting herself relax in it. 

Sinking down further, the water reaching up to her chin, Dahyun shut her eyes. She could hear Tzuyu quietly opening her cabinets outside. 

Her thoughts were a jumbled mess and she didn’t really know how to sort them all out. But this time she made herself not think for once, to not let the thoughts consume her entirely, instead to just let it flow and happen as it had occurred. Dahyun knew she shouldn’t overanalyze. 

She felt her nerves calm, the knots and stress and tension seemingly leaving her tired self then. It almost made her feel as light as she had felt when she had drunken herself into a haze. She rolled her shoulders back, wincing at the cracks that sounded out, before curling back to rest her chin against her knees. 

She could’ve fallen asleep right then and there, and she might have if she was alone. 

Dahyun’s eyes blinked open at the gentle knock at her door. 

“Dahyunnie?” 

Knowing that was her signal to get out, Dahyun gingerly climbed out and dried herself, putting on the pajamas Tzuyu had grabbed from her drawers and placed off to the side. Struggling to get the shirt on for a second, Dahyun finished up and stepped out.

Tzuyu looked too soft standing there that Dahyun couldn’t help how her arms instinctively went up to hug the girl lazily. Burying her face in the nook of the taller girl’s neck, Dahyun let herself momentarily melt in the embrace, breathing in the homely scent that was Tzuyu. 

Tzuyu in turn reciprocated with a sigh, pulling the older girl in even closer, giving a few light head pats. 

They hugged for a moment longer until Tzuyu unwillingly, but gently separated herself from Dahyun and looked at her.

“Let’s get you to bed.” 

Tzuyu led Dahyun to her room, where the older girl all but collapsed onto. Tzuyu stifled a chuckle, slowly bringing up the covers over Dahyun, quietly tucking her in. Dahyun blearily looked at her next to the bedside with half-lidded eyes, feeling comfortable under her blankets. 

Tzuyu would’ve stayed over to watch over her as she had insisted on doing so, if it wasn’t for Dahyun protesting, telling her not to. 

“No need, it’s fine,” Dahyun mumbled, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Dahyun's eyelids grew heavier by the second, and it was getting harder and harder to keep them open to look at Tzuyu.

Tzuyu lightly patted her arm, gaze still on her. Dahyun finally giving up the struggle and let herself succumb to the darkness. 

“Good night, Dahyun.”

A silent pause, and then she vaguely felt something like soft lips graze her cheek softly that left her blindly clutching at her bed sheets under the covers. 

Dahyun heard Tzuyu get up to stand next to her, her senses suddenly hyper-aware of every move she made in that moment. The scent of vanilla that was Tzuyu reached her from where she lay in bed, making her mind swirl though Dahyun could have sworn she had been sobering up already. 

Her door clicked closed a moment later and Dahyun slowly peeked to find Tzuyu gone from her room. 

Dahyun hoped she wouldn’t have a hangover the next morning.

And she hoped she would remember everything that had happened tonight. 

Dahyun drifted off to a peaceful sleep, the certain thought of the ghost of lips brushing against her cheek filling her thoughts.

(“Eldon - Pink cheeks”)

Dahyun swore her luck was absolutely terrible as she looked back at her schedule for the next few days. Turns out she had three big individual exams pushed back all into this week, and to make it that much worse, they were to be taken consecutively by the day, meaning Dahyun would barely get a break in between. 

An even bigger yikes when she had let it slip her mind completely and now she was forced to stay up late to last-minute cram, as much as possible, as a consequence of not keeping track with her schedule.

Dahyun regrets taking so many classes.

Forced to let Tzuyu know about her needing to cancel their plans to hang out for the day, Dahyun apologized over text and promised to make it up for her. Being the angel she was, Tzuyu told her it was fine, they could hang out when exams were over, and sent Dahyun a little ‘good luck!’ dancing gif that had her smiling from ear-to-ear. 

The panic and stress within her momentarily resided just from talking with Tzuyu and she silently thanked the girl, feeling her nerves settle down.

Only Tzuyu was able to do so, to make her feel better just from a couple of words. Tzuyu had this sort of calming effect about her that Dahyun always felt, it being one of the many reasons why she loved being with the younger girl.

With renewed vigor, Dahyun rolled her neck, stretched her arms upward before putting on her glasses and grabbed her textbook to flip to the current chapter, her notebook already out and open to a blank sheet ready for her to take notes on. 

Read and highlight the parts she thought were important, then go back and reread, finally taking notes being the last step, that was the cycle.

How many hours had passed as she went through the cycle an endless amount of times, she didn’t quite know, all she knew was that it was completely pitch-black outside, leading her to have to turn on her lights to get back to studying. 

Her head drooped down sleepily, the words from her textbook getting harder and harder to read the longer the clock ticked.

Her hand had been cramping up and no matter how hard she shook her hand and moved it around, it kept happening. There was even a bruise on her finger from how hard she had pressed her pen into it as she wrote. 

She had to have taken notes from over fifty pages in the textbook, her entire body aching to the bone. The problem was that there were still a great number of pages left for her to read through and grasp the concepts in order for her to be prepared for her upcoming exams. 

Dahyun contemplated just giving up and accepting the outcome of receiving a poor grade, considering that she had no will in continuing when it was like torture sitting there for countless hours and feeling like she was making no progress. 

Before her thoughts could get worse, Dahyun slapped herself with both her hands, the sound loud and disrupting the silence in the room, while her face was newly red and stinging with two handprints on either side.

“I need to focus.” Dahyun grit her teeth, tucking the strays of her hair behind her ear. She had to keep going even if she felt like she was actually on the brink of death. 

Right as she picked her pen back up, her whole desk vibrated as her phone rang. 

Dahyun jumped in her seat, snapping up to attention at the sound. Dahyun picked up her phone from the desk and swiped it open to accept the incoming call, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She wondered why Tzuyu was still up and calling her at this time of night. 

“Tzu?” Dahyun yawned, blinking at the poor quality of her video call showing Tzuyu’s worried face. “Why are you still awake?” Her voice was groggy and low, her words laced with sleepiness. 

The younger girl sighed, pursing her lips into a firm line. Even across a screen, Dahyun could feel the worry and exasperation directed at her radiating from Tzuyu. “Because I knew you were still awake.”

Dahyun opened her mouth to respond but instead let out another big involuntary yawn into her hand, blinking away the tears. She held back a wince at the burning sensation.

Tzuyu’s words floated to her ears, bringing her back to reality instead of the pain she felt wracking her body. “And anyways, I should be asking you that, Dahyun.” 

Dahyun leaned back in her seat tiredly, staring at Tzuyu. “You know I have to study.” Her voice came out dejected and weary, stripped of any motivation to continue any further. 

She watched as Tzuyu shook her head at her. “You’ve studied enough today already, so go get some rest and you can start again tomorrow.”

Dahyun sat silent, mulling the thought over and over, still worried that she would be unable to finish everything in time. She internally mapped out her schedule to see if she would be able to fit sleep in while managing to set enough time aside to study more, eyes glazing over in exhaustion. If her brain was still working properly to calculate it right, it seemed Dahyun was able to sleep for a bit and go back to hitting the books. It would be a tight fit, but it was possible. 

“Go,” a glare was shot at her. Dahyun fought the urge to laugh at the adorable sight of Tzuyu trying to look serious and upset. She felt ever so grateful she had Tzuyu by her side to keep her in check and make sure she didn’t push herself too hard. 

“Otherwise I’m staying up with you.”

Dahyun had a frown settling onto her face. “You can’t do that.”

Tzuyu sighed, sitting up straighter defiantly from what Dahyun could tell. “If you can, then I can.” She crossed her arms to emphasize her point.

“So what, you’ll stay on the call and just watch me until I go?” Dahyun quirked a brow, challenging her. At this point, she was just poking fun at Tzuyu, already aware she was defeated in arguing any further. 

Tzuyu only stared at her, knowing Dahyun knew the answer to her own question. 

Tzuyu knew Dahyun had a sleeping problem, as well as a problem with working herself to death. So, she had promised herself to always be there to take care of Dahyun in the times that the girl neglected herself, ready to be the shoulder she needed to lean on whenever to help her continue walking. 

Dahyun huffed out a laugh and bit her lip, then proceeded to roll her eyes after a moment. 

“Fine,” Dahyun raised her hands up in defeat. Tzuyu finally cracked a smile and Dahyun chuckled once again, the sound tender and fond. 

“You–”

Dahyun cut herself off, not bothering to continue the statement she was about to make. 

“I know,” Tzuyu said with a smug grin, already knowing what Dahyun was trying to say despite the older girl not even really knowing what it was she wanted to say. They were each other’s halves, after all. 

Dahyun stood up from where she had sat, Tzuyu wincing with her at the cracks in her back and legs. The burst of relief and looseness she felt afterwards was amazing and she felt about ready to collapse on the spot. 

“Oh to be of old age,” Tzuyu commented, her face pretending to be aghast. 

“Shut it,” Dahyun leaned down to look at the camera and playfully narrowed her eyes.

Tzuyu scrunched her nose at her. “Go to bed, granny.” 

Dahyun grabbed her phone and made her way to the bathroom, saluting at Tzuyu, making her snort. “Already on it, boss.”

With Tzuyu on the call talking about her day to fill in the silence, Dahyun brushed her teeth and got herself ready for bed, setting her glasses down on the nightstand, and slipped underneath the covers, her body practically melting into the soft mattress. 

Dahyun let out a groan, then peeked at her phone to see Tzuyu also tucked into bed and looking at her. She dorkily flashed a peace sign at the camera with a lopsided smile and Tzuyu giggled. 

Maybe it was the lighting from Tzuyu’s lamp, but it looked like a dusting of light pink had spread across Tzuyu’s cheeks. 

It stirred something up in her chest. 

“Cute,” Dahyun had unknowingly let the word slip out of her mouth, then tried to contain her smile by biting the inside of her cheek as this time she could clearly see Tzuyu’s face redden to an even darker shade of red. She’d later blame the fact that she was tired as an excuse for her slip-up but she wouldn’t regret it, not with the way that Tzuyu was gazing at her. 

But all too sudden, the next word that Tzuyu uttered made the air in Dahyun’s lungs vanish and her heart was racing. 

“You.”

If Dahyun’s brain wasn’t already fried from studying from morning to night, it was now at Tzuyu’s response. It was just one word, something that could be easily overlooked as small and nothing, so it was almost funny how Dahyun felt like she was ablaze. It was weirdly a good feeling though. 

Staring at each other, Dahyun felt bare, like Tzuyu could see through her and every secret she held, especially the one she kept locked up and shoved into the back of her heart so to say. Yet, at the same time, it wasn’t uncomfortable or strange. All the while, Dahyun could say Tzuyu felt similar to her, to have had her layers stripped away in that second for Dahyun to lay witness to, an expression now gleaming with a familiar look that Dahyun couldn’t quite put her finger on. 

It was a look that had Dahyun clenching her fists in an attempt to stop the unsaid words and feelings from bursting and escaping from her mouth. 

“Good night,” Dahyun instead managed to rasp out, her eyes still locked onto Tzuyu’s.

A few silent seconds passed and then Tzuyu’s low, “Nighty, Dahyunnie,” reached her ears, Tzuyu’s voice equally as raspy and hoarse as Dahyun’s for whatever reason that had them bound in that moment.  

A silent click when the call ended, and Dahyun replayed over the last moments. Just as she went to set her phone down for the night, mind still occupied, her phone buzzed in her hand.

And that’s how Dahyun fell asleep once again, tucked in bed with the song Tzuyu had sent her filling the room. 

(“brb - my type”)

Things were awkward, tense almost, ever since that late night video call, which Dahyun couldn’t figure out why. 

Or maybe she just refused to acknowledge it. 

‘Almost there,’ Dahyun texted Tzuyu, noticing how the message was instantly seen by the younger girl. Dahyun turned her phone off and then cursed, looking out the window of the bus at the pouring rain. She supposed she could make a run for it and not be too soaked, she just hoped Tzuyu wouldn’t be too upset at the water that will definitely be dripping onto her floor later.

Dahyun was on her way to Tzuyu’s place, both talking about how it had been a bit since they last hung out and talked face-to-face. They were simply planning on staying inside and doing whatever they wanted, whether that be talking and catching up or playing more video games, and the unexpected rain cemented that decision as now they certainly wouldn’t be going out. 

They hadn’t found time in their schedules to waste away their time at each other’s places for the past week, and adding that with the growing awkwardness, it was almost unbearable. Dahyun wasn’t blind to not notice how the days prior their schedules got all busy, things with Tzuyu were getting tense and Dahyun was getting restless from it.

Talking with Tzuyu over text and video was normal as always and at a first glance, everything seemed to be perfectly fine, but looking closer, it was obvious that something unknown was lingering under the surface. Dahyun thinks, no she knows, that it involves the simmering feelings that she was trying so desperately to hide, and she was scared. Because if Tzuyu had figured it out and this was the result, then Dahyun didn’t know if their relationship would be able to stay the same, or even exist. 

The bus came to a stop and Dahyun went down the steps, preparing herself to sprint straight to Tzuyu’s. But when she got off and set foot onto the ground, the rain stopped falling on her and the noise of the pitter patter became muffled above her. When she looked over to her side, Dahyun saw Tzuyu holding an umbrella over her with a small smile hinting on her lips, and something in the older girl’s chest clenched and twisted painfully. 

Dahyun opened her mouth to speak, when Tzuyu beat her to it. 

“You got caught in the rain?” Tzuyu’s confused, yet concerned tone had Dahyun feeling guilty. 

Dahyun rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly and nodded meekly. “Yeah, when I was trying to catch the bus it started to rain.”

Tzuyu’s brows furrowed, and then she quickly ushered Dahyun to walk so they could reach her place for Dahyun to change out of her wet clothes, lest she become sick staying in them any longer. The whole time, Tzuyu had the arm holding the umbrella wrapped around Dahyun’s shoulder to better cover the both of them, despite Dahyun arguing that she’d get wet in the process.

“Wait, don’t touch me, your clothes are going to get wet, too.” Dahyun took a large step forward in order to create space, but just as quickly, Tzuyu closed the length, coming even closer.

“It’s fine. I have clothes at mine?”

Dahyun pouted. “But still–”

“But still, nothing,” Tzuyu pushed her forward, whining. “Come on already. Do you really wanna stay standing in the rain?”

Dahyun gave up speaking otherwise and let Tzuyu walk close to her, apologizing when she stepped foot inside Tzuyu’s apartment, the floor immediately getting covered in water. Tzuyu told her to hush and proceeded to throw a towel her way to wipe some of the rainwater off herself. 

When Dahyun finished, Tzuyu came up to her. “Go shower and change, I left some of my clothes in there.”

Dahyun nodded and made her way over to Tzuyu’s bathroom, knowing the directions and the turns like the back of her hand. Once she closed the door shut, Dahyun cringed as she slowly peeled the soaked clothes off of her, a much harder task than it seemed since they were weighted down from the absorbed water. She wrung out as much water as she could from the clothes, and turned the shower on, washing herself. 

Dahyun relaxed under the hot water, letting it cascade over her. It was soothing and felt much better than the cold, harsh raindrops from before. By the time she had finished washing herself and her hair, and stepped out, more than half an hour had passed. 

Dahyun dried herself and looked over at the counter, where one of Tzuyu’s large, plain white T-shirts and black pajama pants were carefully placed. She slipped on Tzuyu’s shirt and pants, chuckling at the way the shirt’s ends reached almost to her knees, making her extra comfortable. 

Two new mugs of hot chocolate were sitting on the kitchen counter when Dahyun stepped out of the bathroom, with Tzuyu next to them. Tzuyu’s eyes flicked up at the sound, and Dahyun had to blink a couple times to see if she had just imagined Tzuyu doing a double take and straightening up after seeing her. 

All she knew was that she wasn’t imagining the light pink hue on Tzuyu’s face. Tzuyu’s mouth hung slightly open and Dahyun raised a single brow.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Dahyun lightly laughed when Tzuyu averted her gaze, then a thought crossed her mind. She fiddled with her fingers, suddenly nervous. 

“Do I look weird or something?”

“What? No!” Tzuyu quickly denied, her eyes widening. She cleared her throat, closing her mouth as she composed herself. “No, you look g– fine.”

Dahyun felt her cheeks warm and she bleakly nodded. She swore she heard Tzuyu quickly mutter ‘adorable’ under her breath.

Not knowing what else to say, the both of them stood there with red faces, avoiding eye contact.

“I– I made hot chocolate,” Tzuyu stuttered, finally breaking the awkward silence that had enveloped around them. Tzuyu pointed at the table where the mugs sat.

Dahyun walked over, cupping one of the mugs in her hands, taking in the heat. Tzuyu did the same with the other, and they moved to sit on the couch. Dahyun slowly sat down, careful to not spill any of the scalding hot liquid onto herself or the surface of the couch. She lightly blew on the top of the hot chocolate, a bit too eager, and took a sip that she immediately came to regret as she burned her tongue and yelped loudly. 

She heard Tzuyu let out a laugh and turned to playfully glare at her, choosing to wait until the swirls of heat disappeared for her to take another sip. Dahyun sighed, feeling the drink warm her body up, the chills from the cold she felt disappearing in an instant. A feeling of calmness overtook her and eased her nerves that she didn’t realize were there in the first place, only once they were gone.

Out of the blue, Tzuyu got up from the couch after setting her mug on her coffee table and walked off. Dahyun continued sipping on her hot chocolate, making a note to get Tzuyu to buy little marshmallows next time. 

Tzuyu came back with a new towel in hand, and took a seat, while Dahyun understood what Tzuyu meant to do and placed her own mug on the coffee table as well. 

Dahyun automatically ducked her head and closed her eyes for Tzuyu to run the towel over her hair, drying it gently. Her hair was a bit wet still from her shower, but it had dried a little, making the task easier. Typically it was Dahyun doing the hair-drying, but she wasn’t complaining. 

Minutes passed, hours could’ve too, Dahyun wouldn’t have been able to tell as she felt herself move with each motion, lulling her into a state of tranquilness. If it always felt like this, Dahyun could understand why Tzuyu liked it so much for it to be a kind of routine. 

She felt fingers tap on her cheek, a way for Tzuyu to tell her that she was done and could look up. Dahyun opened her eyes, locking onto the soft dark brown ones belonging to the other, holding it till Tzuyu stood up again and went to get rid of the towel, not before she ruffled the top of Dahyun’s head teasingly. 

The air was still a mix of something akin to confusion as if they were wondering what to do, and when Tzuyu sat on the couch, there was a weird space in between them that they both noticed, but did nothing to lessen, so it remained there.

Dahyun made the first move to lean closer, unable to handle the weirdness of the situation that she’d never experienced with Tzuyu of all people, under the guise of getting under the throw blanket on the couch; however, she didn’t expect Tzuyu to give it to her and then lean back, now farther away. Dahyun awkwardly pulled the blanket over her, hesitated, and turned to Tzuyu who was staring at her with a blank expression. 

Dahyun made a quiet noise of question directed at Tzuyu, almost a hum, and she knew the message got across because Tzuyu was beaming at her now, her dimple showing adorably, and all of a sudden, Tzuyu’s vanilla-like scent filled her senses and she was so, so close. 

The younger girl gleefully dove under the blanket, scooting next to Dahyun to where their legs and arms touched. Tzuyu shifted a bit so she could rest her head against Dahyun’s shoulder and somehow one of her hands ended up lightly resting on Dahyun’s stomach. 

Dahyun bumped her head with Tzuyu’s, staying like that for a short moment. Just the two of them together, Dahyun and Tzuyu, in something that felt blissful. Something that felt forever. 

“Movie?” Tzuyu asked her as a suggestion. 

Dahyun made the mistake of turning and now their noses were practically brushing and Dahyun could see every perfect intricate detail on Tzuyu’s delicate face. “Only if it’s my pick.”

Tzuyu let out a fake exasperated sigh, unable to hide the smile that was creeping onto her face from Dahyun. The latter sat on the edge of the couch excitedly, ready to pick out the movie once Tzuyu gave her the ‘okay’ sign. 

“Go wild.”

Dahyun bounded off the couch and made a big show of picking a movie but they just ended up watching “Bruce Almighty,” cuddled up under a shared blanket. 

Tzuyu smiled to herself, knowing that Dahyun could’ve picked any movie that she wanted for them to watch, and instead chose Tzuyu’s favorite movie, something they had watched a dozen times already. She snuggled into Dahyun, wrapping her arms around the older girl and pulled her closer, leaving not a millimeter of space between them. 

And somewhere along the movie without either of them noticing, their fingers interlocked and filled the gaps of the other’s hand, staying like that for the entirety of the film. 

(“HONNE - free love”)

Dahyun brought her phone up to her ear, trying to listen, despite the loudness of the courtyard where she was currently sitting on a bench. She didn’t have her earbuds with her, so she had to resort to shoving the phone into her face and trying her best to focus on the sound. 

“What are you listening to?” Nayeon leaned in, in an attempt to hear what was playing. She had been hanging with Dahyun, sitting next to her as they talked when Dahyun’s phone had beeped and the girl turned her focus to it.

Dahyun chuckled, nudging the older girl away from her shoulder to stop her from breathing over her. “Just a song that Tzuyu sent me.”

Nayeon paused, moving back to look at her curiously. Dahyun paid her no mind, eyes locked unfocused ahead of her while she shoved her phone closer to her ear. 

“A song?” asked Nayeon. 

Dahyun was barely paying attention to what Nayeon was saying, blindly nodding yes to her question. The younger girl could barely make out the song with all of the background noise coming from around her, only a hint of the lyrics and catchy beat, but she could tell it was good. Not to be surprised, since Tzuyu had great music taste and only sent her the best songs. 

Again, Nayeon’s voice pierced through her ears, clearly not leaving Dahyun alone until she answered every single one of her questions that Dahyun still didn’t understand why the matter was pressing at the moment. 

“Wait, so she sends you songs? What for?”

Dahyun sighed, giving up trying to listen over Nayeon’s loud, inquiring voice and turned to the latter. Nayeon looked almost serious, startling so that Dahyun cleared her throat, ignoring the creeping feeling she felt rising in her. 

“I don’t know, she just does. They’re really good songs though,” Dahyun said, glancing a bit to see Nayeon’s expression. She wasn’t getting why Nayeon was suddenly curious about what she and Tzuyu did, nor was she able to discern why the older girl was looking at her like that. Like she knew something Dahyun didn’t. 

Nayeon put out her hand, palm up, silently telling Dahyun to give her phone to her, but she had on an expression that Dahyun didn’t think she liked. Dahyun hesitated and looked at Nayeon uncertainly, to which the girl rolled her eyes and grabbed it herself, making Dahyun yelp indignantly and try to grab it back. 

“Hey! What are you doing?” Dahyun tried to see what Nayeon was doing, clicking and swiping away at her screen, and when she got a peek, Nayeon was scrolling through her messages with Tzuyu. 

Dahyun tried to grab back her phone, to no avail when she was pushed back in her seat. “Nayeon, you can’t–”

“Oh my god, you’re actually the biggest idiot to exist.” Nayeon looked up from whatever she had been clicking on and gave her an in-disbelief shake of her head. 

“What are you talking abou–”

Once more, Dahyun is interrupted and this time, she’s left dry-mouthed. 

“Do you like Tzuyu?”

Dahyun was at a loss for words, not understanding why the conversation had taken a turn to this point. She had never told Nayeon, or anyone for that matter, about her feelings so for Nayeon to have randomly said this, made her scared that she was that obvious. Dahyun’s throat bobbed up and down in silence, trying to formulate something, anything to say. 

“Never mind, you don’t even need to answer from how obvious it is,” Nayeon said matter-of-factly, confirming Dahyun’s fears. She felt her heart drop and a pit opened in her stomach, making Dahyun have the urge to hurl. 

Nayeon saw the utter terror on Dahyun’s face, sighing, and was quick to calm her down before the poor girl had a panic attack right on the spot, her look softening. “Relax Dahyun, you and Tzuyu are both dense and oblivious, so she doesn’t know.” 

And quick like that, the pit closed back up and Dahyun could breathe again, the part about her being dense, completely flying over her head in relief of her feelings not being outed. Tzuyu didn’t know about her feelings, everything was okay. 

Nayeon turned off the phone and slid it across the table back to Dahyun, who hastily took it in case the former changed her mind and did something else. 

“Have you ever thought, even for a second, that Tzuyu could like you?” 

Dahyun looked at Nayeon like she was crazy, and she may as well have been for even trying to ask a question like that. All of the questions Nayeon had asked were completely and utterly strange, but this one took the cake. It was torturous. 

Dahyun gave her honest answer, the depressing implication of the truth she knew of. “Why would I think that?” 

She could only sit in silence as she simply wished and hoped that maybe, just maybe, she could have a chance with Tzuyu. That perhaps in another universe, one that was somewhere far away out there, they were together with one another, but never had she thought her delusions were real. She wasn’t stupid. 

A frustrated groan sounded from Nayeon, and she muttered under her breath as if Dahyun wasn’t in front of her and couldn’t hear, “Someone save me from these hopeless idiots.”

Dahyun waited expectantly for an explanation of the whole situation, yet the older girl didn’t stop. 

“You don’t think Tzuyu returns your feelings? Not even a hint of them?” 

Dahyun was tired, tired of thinking about it, tired of talking about the undeniable facts that she knew. She looked Nayeon dead in the eye as she spoke, her words burning painfully. “She doesn’t, Nayeon. I don’t know where you’re trying to go with this. I think it’s clear that she only sees me as a best friend.”

Nayeon shook her head, determined. “Dahyun, remember the party at my house? How do you think Tzuyu knew right when the party ended and you came out?”

Dahyun stayed silent.

Nayeon sighed. “She asked me when people were leaving so she could come over and be there the moment you stepped out,” Nayeon grabbed her stuff and stood up from the bench, fixing Dahyun with one last look of frustration. “She came to my house in the middle of the night right after she had been out with her friends for hours to wait and stand in the cold, bringing your drunk ass home to take care of.” 

She really hoped that Dahyun would be able to understand what was right in front of her. 

“I’d listen to those songs she sent to you again.”

With that, Nayeon left Dahyun behind to drown in her thoughts about what she meant. 

It didn’t make sense for Nayeon to imply something such as Tzuyu reciprocating her feelings and Dahyun was sure she wasn’t messing or joking about it, Nayeon wasn’t that type of person. Now Nayeon’s implications were worming their way into Dahyun’s brain and she didn’t know what to think or feel. 

Dahyun thought back to every time that she had almost believed, being hopeful that maybe Tzuyu did feel the same, because at certain moments, she would look at Dahyun with this look. One that Dahyun knew, it was one that she saw everyday in the mirror. 

Yet, she brushed them off since Dahyun was so sure that she was tricking herself to save herself the pain of a heartbreak that would eventually come to her. She could only wish for the impossible.

‘Have you ever thought for a second that Tzuyu could like you?’

Tzuyu didn’t like her like that.

After all, Dahyun had spent years upon years falling deeper and deeper in love with Chou Tzuyu, knowing for certain that the feelings would never be reciprocated, knowing that she was forever screwed. 

But call her stupid, call her selfish for always having a small sliver of hope that maybe she wasn’t doomed to be stuck in love with someone who would only see her as a friend, a best friend. 

And if that tiny hopeful part of her grew just a little bit today, leaving her aching and in pain, silently crying out, then no one would really have to know. 

(“Jeremy Zucker, Chelsea Cutler - this is how you fall in love”)

Dahyun couldn’t sleep that night, Nayeon’s words ringing in her thoughts and every time she closed her eyes, she could see Tzuyu in the darkness, replacing it and stopping it from overcoming her. The entire night, Dahyun had felt disgustingly obsessive scrolling through her past messages with Tzuyu, clicking on each and every song link that the latter had sent to her. With every song link she pressed on, she really listened. 

The pale-skinned girl had always been the type of person to listen to how the song sounded, to the beat and melody that played and made her feel, not to what was being sung and perhaps that was Dahyun’s biggest mistake all these years ago, because every song Tzuyu had sent were love songs. This new revelation could be taken with a grain of salt, however, when over half of the songs made in the world are related to love. But, oh how Dahyun wanted so desperately to believe they were meant to be for her in that sort of special way. 

And that’s how the hours passed until the sun rose and peeked from her curtains. To shine down on her as she laid numb in bed, thinking endlessly in a loop.

Dahyun would’ve been perfectly fine with wasting away her day, even her week, sinking into her mattress and covers, to not bother getting up and just breathe. To listen and feel the rhythmic beating of her heart, losing herself in the sound. But life didn’t work like that. 

Even so, Dahyun relished the short moments of listlessly floating in her mind until the time ticked down and forced her out. 

Thump, thump, thump.  

(“I got you! Come on!” Tzuyu gleefully shouted, looking back at a terrified Dahyun. The already-pale girl blanched at the suggestion. 

Dahyun frantically shook her head. “No! There is no way in hell I’m getting on that death contraption.” 

Tzuyu had been trying for the past half hour to convince her to face her fears, to which Dahyun was swift to decline and walk in the opposite direction, only to find she couldn’t take a single step from the firm grip around her wrist. 

“Trust me?” Tzuyu’s dimple showed itself unfairly. 

Dahyun sighed at herself, for giving in so easily, and for what she was about to do, running her hand through her hair in future regret. She’d probably let Tzuyu pull her along to every single rollercoaster if it meant making the younger light up like she was now. 

Dahyun hesitantly nodded, quickly yelping with the words barely out her mouth when she was yanked forward, her legs barely catching up to stop herself from tripping like a fool. 

Dahyun silently prayed to whoever was up there as she let herself be dragged to the giant loopy roller coaster, their hands tightly clasped together, listening to Tzuyu’s excited cheers with a secret smile. 

“Always.”)

Thump, thump, thump.  

(The door to the library loudly burst open, making the librarian shoot an annoyed glare at the girl storming in. The girl paid her no mind and marched past to the raven-haired staring at her, wide-eyed. 

“Don’t scare me like that,” was what Dahyun happened to catch before Tzuyu wrapped herself around Dahyun’s smaller frame. 

Tzuyu muttered into Dahyun’s shoulder, breath tickling the latter’s ears. “Or I’ll personally come and kill you myself.” 

Dahyun hugged Tzuyu back, albeit confused as to what brought this on, glancing at the librarian watching them pointedly. After a few seconds, she pushed herself away to look at Tzuyu. 

“As much as I love receiving your death threats,” Dahyun raised a brow, “what are you doing here?”

Tzuyu ignored the question and asked her own. “Why weren’t you picking up the phone?”

Dahyun turned to her backpack, reaching in and fishing it out. “Oh, my phone died,” she said as she turned back to Tzuyu, sheepishly realizing the reason for Tzuyu’s franticness, adding in the fact that she had completely forgotten that Tzuyu was coming over to her place to hang out.

Tzuyu pursed her lips into a firm line. “So imagine when I’m trying to call you with no clue where you are and you’re not picking up, despite how late it is.” She jutted her chin to the window where it was pitch-black and Dahyun grimaced. 

Dahyun reached up, patting Tzuyu, and trying not to coo at how the girl’s eyes fluttered shut momentarily. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to worry you, I didn’t realize my phone died and lost track of time while reading. I can’t believe I forgot we were going to be at mine, though.” Dahyun shook her head at herself. 

Tzuyu pouted, “I was really worried. I thought something might’ve happened to you, so I rushed trying to find you.”

That’s when Dahyun’s gaze dropped down to what Tzuyu was wearing, which wasn’t much and definitely not suited for their current freezing weather. Tzuyu was dressed in a thin short-sleeved shirt and pants, but the real concern was that she was only wearing a pair of slides, not shoes. 

Dahyun gaped and raised her voice. “Oh my god, were you running around looking for me in th–” 

The librarian angrily shushed them, deciding to kick them out so she could finally get some peace and quiet. “You two, get out!”

They hurriedly left with Dahyun making sure to huddle close to Tzuyu to emit her body heat so that she wouldn’t literally freeze to death. Dahyun was concerned Tzuyu’s feet were in pain, but she kept insisting she was alright as they sped-walked. 

Dahyun felt bad, internally noting to make it up later. “Sorry, Tzu.”

“Stop saying sorry. It’s alright as long as you’re okay.”

Tzuyu squeezed her into a side-hug, teeth chattering in the biting cold. “Now let’s go home.”)

Thump, thump, thump.  

(Dahyun’s head fell forward, jerking her awake from her slumber she hadn’t remembered entering as the blankets rustled from her movements. She felt incredibly cozy and comfortable in her spot, having no urge to get up lest she miss it. Dahyun rubbed the sleep from her eyes, squinting at her surroundings. 

Senseless garbling background noise from some movie was playing on the television that Dahyun vaguely remembered she had been casually watching with Tzuyu. Speaking of, on her left Dahyun found Tzuyu dozing off, on the verge of falling off the edge of the couch with her unsteady swaying. 

Dahyun figured she’d let Tzuyu keep sleeping and patted the cushions around her to dig out the remote to turn off the television, replacing the white noise with silence. She then searched underneath the covers to lightly grab hold of Tzuyu’s frame to lean against her without lifting them to prevent the cool air from seeping in. Dahyun snaked her arm to grasp the girl’s dainty waist, trying not to jostle her from sleep, and tugged in her direction. 

Eventually, she managed to support Tzuyu’s resting weight, yawning as her tiredness returned like a fog. Dahyun made sure the former was comfortable before she smiled to herself and adjusted onto Tzuyu’s shoulder to settle in the warmth.)

Thump, th–

Ding.

Dahyun’s heart trembled with her. She slowly let out the breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding in. 

Waiting felt like an eternity in what was actually a few minutes, waiting for what Dahyun didn’t really know herself. When she finally, albeit hesitantly, reached for her phone, the back of her hand bumping into it clumsily, she brought it up to her eye level slowly. 

Dahyun saw her reflection staring back at her through the black screen, she looked like an utter zombified mess, and looking at her red-rimmed eyes and tangled hair, she felt it too. 

She was momentarily blinded from one shaky tap of a finger to show her lockscreen and its unread notifications, almost hissing at the bright light. A complete mess she was indeed. 

Tzuyu’s contact name stared back at her dead in the face, as the contents of the message was already clear.

How many times had she mindlessly pressed on each text message without a second thought? Yet, this time felt impossibly different and Dahyun thought she was being ridiculous, though she may as well have been.

The minutes inched by agonizingly slow and Dahyun thought to hell with it. 

She stayed mum as the first notes rang out into the air of her bedroom, ever so softly. 

And god, Dahyun really hoped she wasn’t this dumb. The aching of her heart said enough the longer the song continued. 

Each sentence, each word, spoke out to her. 

But Dahyun couldn’t shake her thoughts that she was simply imagining things, things that she so desperately wanted to be true. Nayeon could be wrong for all she knew and now Dahyun was looking deeper into something that may very well hold no other depth than from what met the eye, the surface. 

Maybe the only way she could finally get the answers she desperately craved was to actually do something about it, to confront it head on instead of running with her tail between her legs like she always did.

She was tired of the back and forth, but she was so, so scared of what she may be forced to face. 

Her head was in a disarray, muddled. The impulsiveness to do washed over her and the next thing Dahyun knew, her thumb was hovering over the send button with a song of her own picking. A click and her feelings would be sent to the girl she had wished and yearned for. 

Was this how Tzuyu felt?

It was frightening, Dahyun couldn’t fool herself otherwise. She could feel her insecurity and doubt start to creep in, seeping bit by bit through the cracks. The short window of action was ticking to a close and her courage was going along with it.

It should be fine, right? Tzuyu did it all the time after all.

That was the last thing to cross her mind as she sent it, forcing her finger down with a stuttering heart.

In a matter of seconds the action was cemented and there was no way for Dahyun to take it back even if she wanted to now.

A couple seconds more and Dahyun stared at their log of messages, frozen in place. 

And then she was throwing cleaner, more decent clothes on and rushing out the door without so much of a glance back.

Unfocused, Dahyun found her legs bringing her to a familiar direction on their own accord.

She started running.

She was insane, sprinting to get to Tzuyu’s apartment with no idea if the girl would even be there. For all Dahyun knew, Tzuyu could be out and about without a slightest clue while she was knocking on her door like an idiot. But even with those thoughts circulating in her brain, her legs hadn’t stopped pumping forward, muscles continuing to catch fire and burn as the heavy sounds of her shoes hitting the pavement echoed. The pedestrians she hastily tripped past must have thought she was a lunatic. 

What was she doing? She didn’t really know.

She just needed to see Tzuyu. Her light, her comfort, her home.

That strange sense of urgency was surging through her and Dahyun only pushed herself to run faster. With the people and scenery blurring in her eyes, and the wind whipping at her face, it felt freeing. 

Knowing the route to the younger girl’s apartment like the back of her hand, Dahyun took the approaching right and almost slipped on the ground, a small laugh bursting from her mouth unexpectedly when she caught herself. She kept going, not letting it deter her. 

She’d spent too long pushing her feelings back, hoping and praying against all that it would pass. It wasn’t until years went by that she eventually accepted it, the fact that she was hopelessly in love with her best friend.

Now she was chasing after it.

Dahyun was so close and soon she was racing up the metal steps to a certain cedar-colored door. On impulse, she rapped her knuckles against the frame, waiting with bated breath. She thinks maybe it’ll be fine if she simply got everything over with on her own terms. She could only hope. 

There was no answer and the door never creaked open for her. 

Dahyun visibly deflated, staring at the closed door. She bent down with her hands on her knees, practically wheezing for air, with the sense of an ending looming over her as if she had missed her one and only chance to change something. 

Maybe that truly was it. 

She wasn’t sure what she was expecting, nor did she have a clue on what she was planning on doing if Tzuyu had actually swung the door open, standing there. She hadn’t thought that far ahead.

It might’ve been for the better, she told herself. 

“Dahyun?”

Dahyun’s whole body froze at the voice behind her, thoughts wiping blank.

Tzuyu.

The Korean took a deep breath and stood upright, as naturally as she could like she wasn’t practically gasping and sweaty from the exertion.

Tzuyu was looking at her in confusion, definitely not expecting to see her right outside her place in that state. 

“Oh, Tzuyu,” Dahyun tried to give her best ‘normal’ smile, but it probably looked more like a wince. 

Tzuyu didn’t let her continue as she gestured for Dahyun to hold what she was about to say and follow her up into her apartment instead of standing there. Once Tzuyu’s back was facing her, Dahyun brought her hands up to her face, lightly tapping to bring herself to focus and rid of the panic. 

A jingle of keys and then they were stepping foot past the door’s threshold and turning on the lights inside. The door clicked shut and Dahyun shuffled back and forth on her feet, unsure of what to do.

“Sorry for stopping you there, I just didn’t want to have us standing outside like that,” said Tzuyu. Dahyun nodded in understanding, her thoughts running amok. 

“But yeah, was there something you wanted to talk about?” Worried eyes peered at her, seemingly searching if there was something amiss. 

The fear that Tzuyu would read her like an open book to find and realize what Dahyun was holding back before she got the chance to say something first seized her.

“Um– D– Did you get the song I sent?” Dahyun stuttered like a fool, her flustered gaze flickering down to the ground and back up to meet Tzuyu’s, heart thundering in her chest.  

She held her breath, and for a moment, everything went still.

Tzuyu tilted her head, all puppy-like, and smiled softly at Dahyun. “ I love you, baby. ”

Time started moving again, almost too quickly now. It left Dahyun spinning. 

Dahyun blushed bright red, mortified and embarrassed, silently willing her heart to slow down lest the other girl heard it. She tried to ignore the way butterflies had burst within her at Tzuyu’s words, fluttering wildly, jostling one another in their panic. 

Tzuyu was sounding too sweet, paired with how breathtakingly cute she was right in that moment just as in every single moment that Dahyun had known her. Dahyun’s mind was a complete mess, hazy and unfocused on everything except for the girl that stood in front of her. 

“Yeah,” Dahyun dumbly said. She internally berated herself for not being able to say anything else, something that seemed to happen too often when she was around Chou Tzuyu. 

Tzuyu giggled and took a step forward, lessening the distance between them as she spoke.

“I like it.”

Dahyun felt a warmth bloom in her, not missing the way she was saying that made Dahyun feel as if there was more to the statement, like maybe she wasn’t crazy. Like maybe she knew what Dahyun was trying to tell her.

“Oh.”

She wished she could’ve said something, anything really, more eloquent, but her brain was struggling to catch up to her mouth. 

Yet, she urged herself on. She couldn’t be scared forever. 

“Um, about the songs you always send..?” Dahyun started to mumble, shyly awkward and unsure in front of the girl she felt she had known all her life. 

“Hmm?” It wasn’t helping that Tzuyu was getting so close to her, making her nervousness spike, when she was trying to tell her. 

Dahyun choked over her deepest confession, recognizing the tell-tale signs of the hot, stinging pricks of tears fighting to the surface despite her greatest efforts to keep them in. It was the rising numbing fear that she had it all wrong, and this was the moment where everything ended with a single statement. “I–”

Dahyun opened and closed her mouth, but nothing came out. She screwed her eyes shut. Why was it so hard?

Inhale, exhale. In and out. In and out. 

A hand intertwined with hers, startling Dahyun to hesitantly peek through her lashes. The unwanted thoughts and images of Tzuyu looking at her in disgust were immediately dispelled when she saw the comfortingly kind smile Tzuyu directed at her. She thinks it wouldn’t be that much of an exaggeration to say she could see all the stars in Tzuyu’s eyes. Her hand squeezed hers in reassurance like she was saying, ‘It’s okay. I’m here.’

It anchored Dahyun, pushing her to keep going. She exhaled, shuddering, not noticing how Tzuyu stepped even closer, so close in each other’s orbit. This time, warming. 

“I–” Dahyun locked eyes with the Taiwanese beauty, a flicker of adoration flashing to only be a small semblance of what she really felt. 

“I like you.”

And those were her last dwindling whispered words before Tzuyu gently caressed her jaw and closed the distance, lips enveloping and moving against hers ever so slowly, ever so carefully. Ever so loving. 

It felt like Dahyun had dove straight into ice-cold water, at the same time, it was like finally taking a breath of fresh air after being deprived for years. Her heart threatened to explode, stilling her into an instant shock. It wasn’t until Tzuyu began to pull back too soon, leaving her as she once was, Dahyun’s hands scrambled for purchase of the material of the girl’s shirt to fist and hold in place. She desperately chased after her lips, eyes fluttering shut. 

Tzuyu returned her desperation, mirroring the combustion of every emotion in motion within Dahyun’s being. The kiss was bruising, yet warm like home, and Dahyun was afraid she was dreaming. Tzuyu’s thumb gently swept over her cheek, while her other hand looped around Dahyun’s waist, centering her to reality.

They stayed like that for seconds, minutes, what could have been hours, to the very last moment that left their lungs burning and chests heaving, faces blotched in a dark red. Dahyun thinks Tzuyu never looked prettier than right now with her lips kiss-swollen and blush spread down her neck to the tips of her ears. 

Their foreheads knocked against one another, eliciting a bubbling laugh from Dahyun at the whole situation. 

“I’m really dense,” Dahyun said in a breath, cheeks hurting from how hard she’s smiling, from how full her heart felt, especially so when she feels Tzuyu giggling against her lips at the remark. 

Tzuyu steals another kiss that has Dahyun’s knees all wobbly, and sighs. 

“Just a bit.” 

Dahyun tries not to melt when Tzuyu tightens her hold around her ever so slightly. 

“I’m sorry, for being such an idiot,” Dahyun said regretfully.

“It’s okay,” Tzuyu assures her. Their noses brushed as chocolate brown eyes locked with dark brown ones. “I have you now.”

Dahyun tiptoed and quickly pressed her lips against Tzuyu’s cheek, stepping back with a tingling feeling in her chest at the girl’s starstruck expression. She didn’t have time to brace herself when Tzuyu captured into a big hug, laughing as she stumbled backwards, trying to balance both of their weights.

They stayed like that for a bit with Tzuyu’s face tucked into Dahyun’s neck, hands bunched up in the fabric of the latter’s shirt while their hearts aligned with one another.

It wasn’t until Dahyun came back to her surroundings, realizing they'd been standing still in the apartment the entire time. It seemed Tzuyu had thought the same thing as they finally separated, and they both looked at each other with a giggle, eyes turning into crescents. 

“C’mon,” Tzuyu tugged Dahyun’s hand with her as she started to walk forward, glancing over her shoulder. 

Dahyun followed like she always did, like she always will, feet matching each step. “What are we doing?” 

She thinks she’ll forever revel in the way Tzuyu softly held her hand, saving the feeling and the fluttering in her heart to memory. 

“No clue,” Tzuyu said nonchalantly, grinning at the confused yet amused face Dahyun made. She turned around, walking backwards with a skip in each step and shot her an elated beam. 

Dahyun bit down her smile, unable to quell the heat tinting her cheeks. 

Her heart was going to explode at this rate, though she couldn’t care less if this was how she was going to go. She wouldn’t have it any other way, though. She was finally with her best friend, her favorite person, her first and last love, her home that was Chou Tzuyu. 

“It doesn’t matter as long as I’m with you.”