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One, two, three.
Nayeon wipes the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand, grimacing at how sticky she feels. She’s all alone in the practice room, sneakers squeaking against the wooden floorboards in time with the beat of one of their songs, eyes fixated on her reflection in the mirror.
Then, a slight misstep.
She clucks her tongue and hits the speaker’s pause button and decides it’s probably time to take a short break. Everyone else has already left to go back home to their dorm, but Nayeon had chosen to stay a while longer to go over the steps she feels she’s still flawed at.
It’s been nearly two hours since then; she has her phone left on silent and hasn’t checked it even once, so she has no idea what time it already is and missed all of Dahyun’s texts and calls as well.
Then, just as she’s about to resume rehearsing, a series of familiar knocks on the door echoes throughout the otherwise empty room. In her exhaustion, the pattern doesn’t register at first, and so Nayeon blinks and furrows her eyebrows together in confusion.
Still, she walks over to the door anyway, thinking it might be one of their managers that had stayed to watch guard and bring her back to the dorm once she’s done.
Except, Nayeon finds herself face-to-face with Dahyun, dressed and changed in one of Nayeon’s pullover hoodies and a fresh pair of black leggings. Her soft blonde hair falls in loose waves around her shoulders, a quiet smile toying at her lips that knocks Nayeon’s breath away.
“D-Dahyun?” Nayeon blinks, somewhat convinced that she’s either trapped in a dream or that her brain might be playing tricks on her. “What are you doing here?”
Dahyun chews on her lower lip, tugs at the drawstring of her (Nayeon’s) hoodie. Cute, Nayeon thinks, fingertips itching to reach out and brush away the strands of hair that shadows part of Dahyun’s face.
“It’s already getting late, and you weren’t answering any of my calls and texts, so…” Dahyun trails off with a shrug, smile melting away into a slight frown of concern.
Or Nayeon could kiss that away instead. Yeah, she definitely could.
So, when Dahyun lifts her head to peer up at her, Nayeon seizes the opportunity by leaning in to sneak a kiss right on Dahyun’s lips. This causes Dahyun’s cheeks to flush a bright red, mouth hanging open as she stares at Nayeon in shock. Meanwhile, Nayeon cocks her head to the side and flashes Dahyun a bright grin that shows her bunny teeth.
“Sorry,” Nayeon slides in smoothly before Dahyun can protest, not looking or sounding the least bit apologetic at all. “You were just too cute, I couldn’t resist.”
Blushing deeper, Dahyun fiddles with her sleeves, then mutters, “You better be…”
The urge to tease Dahyun melts away right in that instant; and Nayeon, now feeling guilty for worrying her, takes a step forward and reaches inside the pocket of Dahyun’s hoodie to hold her hands.
“I’m sorry,” Nayeon murmurs, leaning in to touch their foreheads together. “I got too caught up practicing that I forgot to check my phone…”
Dahyun shakes her head and lets out a soft chuckle. “You’re drenched in sweat.”
“Mmm…” Instead of letting go, Nayeon wraps her arms around Dahyun’s waist and tucks her chin on top of her shoulder. “Still not letting you go, though.”
“Oh, I can see that.”
Nayeon laughs and buries her nose into the crook of Dahyun’s neck, smiling when she smells a faint trace of her favorite perfume that lingers there. “You didn’t have to come back; I was about to leave in a bit.”
“What, and wait until it’s almost midnight for you to get back?” Dahyun answers incredulously. “And risk having Tzuyu murder you for worrying everyone too much while we’re at it?”
At ease and too comfortable with having Dahyun in her arms, Nayeon doesn’t respond and simply closes her eyes, the exhaustion that had been building up over the course of the day finally hitting and weighing her down.
“Besides,” Dahyun continues, voice dipping into a soothing tone that relieves Nayeon of that very same weight, “who else is going to drag you away from here when you’re too stubborn to do it yourself?”
Much as Nayeon wants to deny what Dahyun just said, she knows she can’t because it’s true. Unlike Dahyun who is immediately able to memorize their choreography within the first few tries, Nayeon tends to mess up a lot when they’re practicing or even filming their music videos; so, she tries to make up for it by staying in a lot later than the others to rehearse by herself.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right…” Nayeon mumbles, sighing as Dahyun presses down on random spots along the expanse of her back. “I’m really sorry for worrying you, Dubs.”
“Mmm, it’s okay.” Dahyun slides her fingers all the way up to the back of Nayeon’s head to massage her scalp, giggling at the low groan of satisfaction that rumbles deep within her throat. “Good?”
“Perfect,” Nayeon breathes out. “Thanks, Dahyun.”
Dahyun grins, reaches out to take Nayeon’s face between her hands, then gently pulls her down to brush her lips against Nayeon’s forehead. The warmth of her palms seeps right into the softness of Nayeon’s cheeks, keeping them both tethered to the ground despite Nayeon feeling like she’s floating away in space along with the stars that litter Dahyun’s ever-smiling eyes.
Nayeon doesn’t think she could ever live in a world where the crinkles in Dahyun’s eyes when she grins doesn’t exist; or a world where Dahyun’s bright, chittering laugh doesn’t fill the air whenever Nayeon tickles her.
TWICE wouldn’t be TWICE without all nine of them, wouldn’t be TWICE without Dahyun’s attentive, caring nature beneath the goofy exterior that she shows out in public. Other people might not see it, but Dahyun has a personality and a heart that’s larger than life – and it shows every single day whether they’re apart or together.
“You brought a towel with you, right?”
Dahyun’s voice snaps Nayeon out of her daze and she nods in response. “Yeah, I did.”
Before Nayeon can say anything more, Dahyun turns around and walks over to where Nayeon’s duffel bag lies in the corner of the room. She zips it open and rummages around inside, then fishes out a towel, a water bottle, and Nayeon’s phone.
“Here,” Dahyun says, offering the phone for Nayeon to take. “You might want to text Tzuyu and Jihyo first. You know how they get when you go MIA.”
“Right, it helps to lessen the scolding, doesn’t it?” Nayeon deadpans. “Should I tell them you already gave me an earful?”
“If you want to lie to them, then sure.”
At that, Nayeon grimaces. “Got it. Short and sweet apology it is.”
“Knowing you, you’ll just end up pissing them off. Tzuyu, especially,” Dahyun remarks dryly.
“Hey, I’ve never pissed them off! I’m a sweetheart, remember?”
Dahyun just stares at her; Nayeon pretends to shrink and sulk.
“There,” Nayeon says, making sure to add in a few kissy emojis before hitting send. “That should be good.”
“Did you also send a string of heart and hearteye emojis?”
“…no?”
Dahyun clicks her tongue.
“…yes.”
“Don’t blame me when Tzuyu blasts you with eye-roll gifs and angry emojis.”
“That’s-“
Right on cue, Nayeon’s phone buzzes with a string of texts from Tzuyu which, sure enough, contain what Dahyun had just described to her.
“Oh, come on! She never does this to you, does she?” Nayeon complains.
“Nope,” Dahyun pops out, a little too enthusiastically if the grin that breaks across her face is anything to go by. “She does send me a lot of cute stuff, though.”
“Fine.” Nayeon pouts. “Go send each other cute videos…”
“Wooh jelly, jelly, wooh jelly, jelly~” Dahyun sings in response, causing Nayeon’s pout to grow bigger. “Cheer up baby, cheer up baby!” She even does the dance moves this time, and Nayeon snorts and shakes her head.
“Goofball,” Nayeon mumbles, then grabs Dahyun by the wrist and pulls her down as her way of getting revenge.
It ends with them tumbling into a lying heap on the floor, Dahyun yelping in surprise and Nayeon guffawing as Dahyun smacks her shoulder in retaliation.
“Unnie!” Dahyun whines; Nayeon just continues laughing and snakes her arms around Dahyun’s waist.
She’s still sweaty and Dahyun is making half-hearted complaints about it, but Nayeon simply shrugs it off, unaffected. Once Nayeon has finally sobered up, Dahyun settles herself into a more comfortable position on top of her, brushing away the locks of hair that stick to the sides of Nayeon’s face.
Nayeon gives Dahyun’s waist a light squeeze, lies still as Dahyun gently wipes the sweat away from her face and neck. “Should I take off my shirt?” she teases.
Dahyun groans and swats at Nayeon’s arm. “Stop that!”
“Aww, and here I thought you wanted to mess around a bit since we’re alone and everything…”
“No, I do not!” Dahyun denies vehemently, blushing all the way to the tips of her ears at the devious smirk Nayeon throws at her. “Jeez, maybe I should’ve accepted Jihyo-unnie’s offer to come with me if you’re going to be like this.”
Aghast, Nayeon gapes at her. “You wouldn’t!”
“Would too. Heck, I’ll even bring Tzuyu along next time,” Dahyun threatens her, albeit playfully.
Nayeon almost bolts upright at that, until she realizes that Dahyun is just pulling her leg. It’s not that she’s scared of Tzuyu, of course not; it’s just that Tzuyu’s made it clear several times that Nayeon had better take good care of Dahyun or else.
What that ‘or else’ means, Nayeon doesn’t think she wants to find out.
Plus, it’s kind of an open secret among the rest of them that Tzuyu has an especially soft spot for Dahyun, given how she lights up in her own quiet way when Dahyun invites her to go out somewhere. Maybe it’s the whole wo ai ni thing at first sight, which is a memory Nayeon knows Tzuyu cherishes a lot.
“Fine,” Nayeon concedes with a pout. “I’ll behave…”
“Why do I sense a ‘but’ coming…?” Dahyun asks suspiciously.
“…but you have to kiss me,” Nayeon finishes with a self-satisfied grin as she puckers her lips.
Dahyun chokes on air, cheeks turning a darker shade of red as Nayeon sits up and closes her eyes before leaning in expectantly. Her arms are still encircled around Dahyun’s waist, keeping her secure against her lap.
A second passes, then two, stretching on for a few more beats until Dahyun cradles Nayeon’s face, her breaths warm and stuttery as she inches closer. Aside from the sound of their racing heartbeats, everything else remains quiet and still; Nayeon has half a mind to slip her hands underneath Dahyun’s hoodie to run her thumbs along her sides, but eventually decides against it so as not to spook Dahyun all of a sudden.
Then, a light peck – shy, almost, that it has Nayeon humming against Dahyun’s lips in search for more. Otherwise, neither of them says a word, until Dahyun musters enough courage to go for something firmer.
When she does, Nayeon smiles in contentment before tilting her head a bit to the side to capture the perfect angle for their lips to mold together without it being awkward. Nayeon toys with the hem of Dahyun’s hoodie, a low chuckle rumbling at the back of her throat as she kisses the side of Dahyun’s jaw.
“What’s so funny?”
Nayeon grins and shakes her head, thinks this must be what it feels like to have the stars kiss her. Maybe her exhaustion finally got the best of her, or maybe she’s just drowning in how stupidly in love she is with Dahyun.
Who knows? Does it even matter?
“Nothing.” Nayeon hugs Dahyun closer and buries her face into her chest, sighing deeply as Dahyun cradles the back of her head to stroke her hair with gentle, soothing motions of her fingertips. “Sleep in my bed tonight?”
“Okay,” Dahyun agrees readily, and Nayeon lets out a happy hum in response.
She links her fingers together across Dahyun’s lower back, heart thrumming against her chest when she looks up and sees Dahyun’s smiling, starlit eyes looking back at her, making Nayeon swear she’s invincible and that nothing in this world could ever stop her from loving this girl she’s holding in her arms right now.
“We should get going, though. Don’t want Jihyo-unnie popping a vein being worried over us,” Dahyun adds.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Nayeon agrees, resisting the urge to pull Dahyun back down as she rises to her feet. “Help me get up?” She stretches out her arms and gives Dahyun her puppy-dog look.
Dahyun rolls her eyes, though a fond smile tugs at the corners of her lips as she takes Nayeon’s hands and guides her into standing up. “There. Happy now?”
“Not yet,” Nayeon answers, shaking her head, then slides her fingers into the spaces found in between Dahyun’s. “There. Now I am.”
Shaking her head and blushing softly, Dahyun nudges their shoulders together and nods towards Nayeon’s duffel bag. “Better get that one, too, if you don’t want to get an additional scolding for forgetting it.”
Nayeon sulks and juts out her lower lip into a big pout. “Aww, aren’t you going to do something to get your girlfriend out of it?”
“Maybe I will from Jihyo, but as for Tzuyu… I make no promises.”
“You just want to watch me get tortured by Tzuyu, don’t you?”
Dahyun shrugs, feigning innocence. Dammit. How can someone be so cute? It’s unfair. So unfair.
The way her pulse races when she’s supposed to be acting like she’s bothered is really, really unfair, too.
Her heart always has been her biggest traitor when it comes to Dahyun, after all.
Not that Nayeon minds, or that she ever even bothered to try and change that. Why would she, when Dahyun is one of the best things that happened to her when she chose to follow her dream?
Their fingers remain linked even as Nayeon bends down to pick up her bag and slings it over her left shoulder, pausing briefly from walking to press her lips against Dahyun’s temple. While they’re on their way to the van, Nayeon swings their hands back and forth, savoring the light giggles that bubble out of Dahyun before they drift away into the cool, open air and all the way into the countless stars that illuminate the way before them.
Somewhere along the drive home, Dahyun falls fast asleep, eyes closed peacefully and the side of her head hitting Nayeon’s shoulder. Affection wells up in Nayeon’s chest at the sight, and she wraps an arm around Dahyun to hold her close and keep her from swaying uncomfortably from side-to-side.
She’ll deal with Jihyo’s chiding and Tzuyu’s disapproving stare when they get back to the dorms, but for now…
For now, she’ll keep watch over Dahyun and thank the stars that are shining outside the windows for this chance that had been given to her.
For the chance to fall asleep in her own bed later on with Dahyun snuggled against her.
For every ounce of Dahyun’s love and for everything Dahyun does for her.
For Dahyun.