Chapter Text
“Tzuyu?”
There’s a gentle nudge against her leg, and Tzuyu blinks slowly, trying to remember where she was. When her vision clears, she realizes she’s on a plane, the lights dim and occasional beeps every now and then. She looks Chaeyoung, who also looks sleepy and disoriented.
Right, they’re in America now. New York City, to be more specific.
Tzuyu isn’t sure how much time has passed since she tracked down Chaeyoung in Incheon. Perhaps a day or two? A week at most? Her sense of time is muddled—all she can focus on is Chaeyoung. It’s taken them so much time to get to this point. Tzuyu, looking back on her career with Twice, thinks she’s always loved Chaeyoung in some way, even if she only came to terms with it while in Taiwan. She’s loved Chaeyoung unknowingly, secretly, silently.
Chaeyoung loves her back.
They figured out so many things recently, and yet, so many things are still unanswered. Tzuyu doesn’t feel rushed. They have time. She’s pretty sure she’d give Chaeyoung all the time in the world if the shorter girl asked.
For now, they’re content to go to America together. Tzuyu’s trying out Chaeyoung’s method of traveling. Instead of mapping out attractions and restaurants and hotels, she’s going in completely blind. It’s scary—Tzuyu isn’t used to this type of uncertainty.
“You okay?” Chaeyoung murmurs, her voice low from disuse. She squeezes Tzuyu’s hand, somehow sensing the thoughts and worries running through Tzuyu’s head. Tzuyu takes a deep breath. She has Chaeyoung, and that’s all she needs.
“Yeah,” Tzuyu says, squeezing Chaeyoung’s hand back, making Chaeyoung smile softly.
Once they exit the airport, Tzuyu stares at New York city in awe. There’s towering skyscrapers and countless people going about their day and wildly different stores. It’s similar to Seoul, but it’s also very different. She can’t quite put her finger on it, but it’s not the same as Seoul.
Tzuyu glances at Chaeyoung and sees the barely contained excitement in her eyes—a sight that’s quickly becoming more and more familiar. It used to worry Tzuyu since it usually meant Chaeyoung disappearing for a day or two without contacting anyone. Now, she feels the same infectious excitement.
“Let’s eat,” Chaeyoung suggests, grinning when Tzuyu gives a nod of confirmation. They walk hand-in-hand down the busy street, looking at the many street vendors and shops in curiosity.
They end up in front of a corner shop, a large sign outside the door displaying the price of a slice of pizza. Is a dollar considered a good deal? Tzuyu isn’t too sure, but Chaeyoung seems interested, so they walk inside the shop. Chaeyoung places her hand on Tzuyu’s back to guide her to the back of the line.
Chaeyoung orders two slices while Tzuyu looks around at their surroundings. It’s weird being out in the open without masks or managers or multitudes of fans trailing them, but it makes sense, considering they focused on promoting in Asia rather than in America. Besides, it’s nice to be able to be normal, even if it’s just for a little bit.
It’s nice to walk with Chaeyoung down the busy street, having the feeling of freedom that was so hard to obtain in Korea. Tzuyu now can see why Chaeyoung always seemed to gravitate towards new places. If this is how it felt, Tzuyu can’t truly hold it against her for going away from for so long.
She’s glad Chaeyoung chose to bring her this time around.
Chaeyoung turns to look at her at that exact moment, pizza hanging precariously from the paper plate and a long string of melted cheese tying Chaeyoung and the pizza together. Chaeyoung tilts her head—she’s always so attuned to Tzuyu’s emotions—and Tzuyu swears her chest swells with pure adoration.
“What?” Chaeyoung mumbles, finally managing to separate the cheese from the pizza.
Tzuyu smiles softly, reaching out to swipe a tiny bit of sauce near Chaeyoung’s chin with her thumb and bringing it to her mouth. “Cute.” She’s never been really good at expressing her emotions, especially the type where she has to take a risk to show them, so it’s a surprise how the words seem to fall naturally from her mouth.
Chaeyoung chuckles, a bit embarrassed, and looks down. It’s a stark contrast from their usual conversations where Chaeyoung would say something that makes Tzuyu’s heart race and cheeks redden. It makes Tzuyu’s confidence surge, and she leans forward to place a kiss on Chaeyoung’s cheek.
“Tzuyu-ya…”
Tzuyu laughs, schooling her face into a wide-eyed expression, something she perfected in her younger years to get her unnies to do anything for her. “What?”
Chaeyoung rolls her eyes and throws away their trash before linking hands with Tzuyu. “C’mon, I have more planned for us than this fancy dinner.”
“Fancy?” Tzuyu teases, allowing herself to be led by Chaeyoung.
“Only the fanciest for you,” Chaeyoung replies, winking at Tzuyu. Ah, now they’re back to the normal routine where Chaeyoung turns Tzuyu into a blushing mess. Typical.
Chaeyoung seems determined to lead them to a specific spot, which surprises Tzuyu. She thought Chaeyoung would be loose about places and timing, preferring to explore whatever catches her eye rather than follow a schedule. This must be important.
Eventually, they reach a tall building Tzuyu’s seen in many pictures, though she can’t quite remember the name at the moment. They walk inside, and Chaeyoung tells Tzuyu to stay back before going to talk to the doorman. After a few moments, he reaches under the desk and hands Chaeyoung a keycard.
“C’mon,” Chaeyoung murmurs, slipping her hand into Tzuyu’s, something that’s quickly becoming a pattern. Tzuyu likes it—she hopes Chaeyoung never stops holding her hand.
Chaeyoung swipes her keycard in a slot next to the floor buttons, and a green light glows shortly after. Tzuyu examines it, trying to figure out exactly where they’re going. “Chaeng?”
“Surprise,” Chaeyoung immediately responds, making Tzuyu pout. “Stop pouting at me, I became immune to that years ago.” She pauses. “Mostly immune, so stop looking at me like that, Chou Tzuyu. We’ll be there soon.”
Tzuyu sighs, deciding not to push it. Though, she’s curious to see whether Chaeyoung had really become immune to her puppy-eyes, or she’s just bluffing, she decides to allow Chaeyoung to have this for once. The shorter girl seems excited for what she has in store, and who is Tzuyu to ruin that?
It seems like forever (maybe it is) before the bell rings, signaling their stop. Chaeyoung tightens her grip on Tzuyu. “It may be a bit much at first, but don’t freak out.”
“You’ve come to murder me,” Tzuyu deadpans, making Chaeyoung slap her shoulder.
“You caught me,” Chaeyoung says, nudging Tzuyu out of the elevator and towards two glass doors. “Now c’mon, the sun is setting and I want to see it from here.”
“Where’s here-” Tzuyu’s voice dies in her throat the moment she walks through the glass doors.
They’re standing on a small balcony overlooking the city. Tzuyu can see the tops of buildings and the water all the way on the other side and the countless people that are barely specks on the ground now. She looks out to where the sun nearly is gone below the water, casting a golden light everywhere, then she looks down at the thousand-foot drop, her stomach flipping with nerves.
It’s exhilarating and terrifying being this far up in the air, only a railing reaching her hips separating her from falling.
“This reminds me of you,” Chaeyoung comments, leaning against the railing with her forearms and seeming a lot more calm than Tzuyu feels.
“How?” Tzuyu asks, gripping the railing so hard her fingers turn white.
“I could fall at any second and never return, and that’s terrifying me. But it’s also calming in a way. It feels like I’m invincible, like nothing can hurt me while I’m here.” She looks at Tzuyu. “That’s how it feels like when I’m with you.”
Tzuyu looks back at Chaeyoung. Her eyes are dark and stormy and honest. It makes Tzuyu feel like she’s soaring, and she inches closer to Chaeyoung on the small balcony. “Is that a good thing?”
Chaeyoung grins, her dimple carving into her cheek. “Depends. Do you think you’ll fall with me?”
“I fell a long time ago,” Tzuyu confesses lowly. She reaches up to cradle Chaeyoung’s jaw and leans in. She can feel Chaeyoung’s breath ghost over her lips, warm and inviting. Tzuyu stills. She wants Chaeyoung to decide. It doesn’t take long for her to move forward and capture Tzuyu’s lips.
Years of unspoken words and hidden feelings manifest, and Tzuyu’s brain short-circuits because she’s finally kissing Son Chaeyoung. Kissing Son Chaeyoung thousands of feet in the air while overlooking New York during the sunset, no less.
Chaeyoung really knows how to make a girl feel special.
They kiss until air becomes a necessity, and then they break apart. Chaeyoung laughs quietly. “I fell too.”
They stay on the balcony until the last rays of sunlight disappear, then they have to go back down before they can charge Chaeyoung’s credit card anymore. Tzuyu doesn’t let go of Chaeyoung’s hand the entire time.
She isn’t going to let go ever again.
“Where to next?” Tzuyu asks when they exit the building.
Chaeyoung shrugs. “This was as far as I planned. Got any ideas?”
“Lead the way,” Tzuyu says, content to go anywhere as long as Chaeyoung is there.