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Dany sat on her phone, scrolling through TikTok as she waited for her mom to pick her up from school. All of her friends had already been picked up or gone their separate ways, and she was the last one waiting today.
As she scrolled, a handful of reels about "the best friend challenge" popped into her feed. Curious about what that was, Dany let the videos play, watching as friends quizzed each other to prove how well they knew one another. The videos soon shifted to ones where friends challenged their bestie to do something silly, and the friend had to reciprocate or else they failed the unspoken test of loyalty and were no longer considered a true friend.
Dany couldn't help but laugh as she watched, and then she found herself smiling, immediately thinking of Jon Snow and wondering what she might dare him to do.
Jon was her best friend, and had been for as long as she could remember. If she challenged him, he would go along with it. He always did. Jon would do anything for her just as she would for him.
The two of them had always been close, so close that everyone at their school constantly teased them, telling them they should just date already, but it wasn't like that. They were best friends, nothing more. At least, that’s what she’d always told herself. They had both dated other people, but never each other. She wasn't exactly sure why they'd never even tried dating, but they just hadn't. Maybe it was better that way. Maybe they weren't even compatible.
Except Dany knew that wasn't true. They were absolutely compatible.
And Jon was an amazing boyfriend. She’d seen it firsthand. She'd seen how thoughtful and how attentive he could be...how effortlessly it all came to him. They were the same qualities that made him such a good friend to her, and they had definitely carried over into his relationships. Jon never half-assed anything, including being a boyfriend.
If she were being honest, Dany could admit that she lowkey hated when he was in a relationship – but it wasn't because she was jealous. It was because the girls he dated always became jealous of her, and as a result, Jon would pull away and they'd spend less time together. He always made sure to check in and make sure she was okay, but it wasn't the same. And even though he wasn't really gone, she still missed her best friend.
And then whenever Jon and his girlfriends inevitably broke up – they always did – things would go back to normal and she had her best friend back. Who could blame her for wanting that?
Okay, so maybe in a way it was jealousy, but not because she was in love with him…
Dany exhaled, shaking her head at herself. Who was she trying to fool? She was in love with Jon.
It was something she'd only begun to realize recently though. Or maybe not. Maybe it had always been there, buried under years of friendship and denial. Maybe she just refused to risk their friendship for something more.
Jon was hot. There was no denying it. He was hands down one of the best looking guys in school, if not the best. He’d always been cute, but something had shifted over the summer after freshman year. He'd grown into his body, and now, with his hair grown out again, it almost felt unfair. Dany had always loved his hair longer and he knew it. Running her fingers through it was one of her favorite things to do. She swore she liked it almost as much as Jon seemed to enjoy letting her do so.
But it wasn't just Jon's looks that attracted her to him. He was the whole package. He was smart – top of their class, like her – and he was kind and always there for her. Their relationship never felt forced. It was easy. And no matter what happened, she never had to question if Jon would be there for her. He always had her back.
The videos continued to play in her feed, but they had changed again. Now the challenge had morphed into something new – girls kissing their best guy friends just to see what would happen. Clip after clip, girls leaned in first, catching the boys they claimed were their best friends off guard. Some of the boys kissed them back without hesitation, almost like they’d been waiting for it, while others just froze, looking confused or flustered before both of them burst into awkward laughter.
Dany's face felt hot as her mind betrayed her. She could picture it all too clearly, imagining herself and Jon in their places. And not the awkward ones either. They were the good ones. The ones where the boys kissed the girls back like they'd been dying to do so. Jon had to be a good kisser...she'd always wondered.
The timing was perfect too. He and Ygritte had just broken up, and so had she and Daario. For once, they were both single at the same time, so it's not like she would be kissing Jon when he had a girlfriend. They wouldn't be crossing any lines.
Maybe she just needed to do it. Needed to take matters into her own hands and see if Jon felt the same way she did. She could always laugh it off later if he didn’t, or she could pretend to gag or something and make him laugh. They could pretend it was simply part of the trend. It was just a silly challenge anyway.
But if he did kiss her back...if he did reciprocate and like her as more than a friend, then she needed to know.
Her mother's car pulled up in front of the curb, snapping her out of her thoughts. Dany quickly locked her phone and hopped into the car.
”Everything alright, sweetheart?” Rhaella asked.
Dany's brows pressed together, frowning. “Yeah?”
Rhaella smiled as she looked her over. “Your cheeks looked a little red.”
”Oh.” Dany squeaked out too fast, her voice a little higher than usual. “It's hot out there today, that's all.”
It wasn't, but thankfully her mother was gracious enough to let it go.
“Tell me about your day.” Rhaella said as she pulled away from the curb and began to drive them home.
The next day, Jon and Dany sat together on her bed, books and notebooks spread out between them as they studied for their big chemistry test. They were so comfortably close and so completely, unquestionably platonic that her parents never even hesitated to let them study alone in her room. Door closed.
Her father would've burned Daario alive if he tried to enter Dany's room, but not Jon.
Gods, maybe she had read this all wrong.
Dany had been gathering her courage all day to try and convince herself to go through with her plan. She didn't want to wait any longer because she would definitely lose her nerve, and the trend might die out and then she'd lose her excuse. Even if Jon didn't feel the same way about her, she had convinced herself that their friendship would survive. She would just laugh it off and pretend like it was a joke and Jon would go along with it. He had to.
She only hoped her heart could handle it. That it wouldn’t ruin everything or forever change how she saw him, or how they were. The last thing she wanted was to lose Jon.
“Okay." Jon said, tapping his pencil against her notebook and pointing to the next question. “Explain this one again to me. Le Chatelier's Principle?”
Dany forced herself to focus on his question, dragging her attention away from the warmth of his shoulder brushing against hers.
“Le Chatelier's Principle states that if you change the conditions of a chemical system at equilibrium, then the system will shift its equilibrium position to counteract that change and restore balance.” Dany replied, actively avoiding looking at his lips, or his face in general as she gave her answer. “Essentially, the system fights back against any disturbance to minimize its impact.”
Then, like the fool she was, she chanced a glance at him and immediately regretted it.
Jon was looking at her too with a small smile tugging at his lips, the kind that always made her butterflies fill her stomach. “You always make it sound so simple.”
“It is simple.” She teased, trying to keep her composure. After all, chemistry was her favorite subject. “You’re just overthinking it.”
“Am not.”
“Are too.”
He nudged her lightly, and she laughed, the tension leaving her body and a certain calm washing over her. Jon was Jon. There was nothing scary about him. He was her best friend and she trusted him.
They moved on to another problem, going back and forth over formulas and concepts, quizzing each other over and over until her brain hurt enough that she needed a break.
It was time. This was the perfect opportunity to ask him to play along with her. She couldn’t stall forever.
Well, actually she could but if she waited any longer she'd chicken out and Jon would go home and she’d be left wondering what might have happened. She couldn't keep obsessing over this. It wasn't healthy. She had to know.
“Hey...” Dany started, setting her pencil down and sitting up straighter. “Do you want to try something with me?”
Jon raised a playful eyebrow. “That sounds suspicious.”
Dany huffed out a small laugh. “It’s not. It's just a dumb challenge I saw on TikTok. I thought it might be funny to try."
“What kind of challenge?”
“You'll see. It's a surprise.” She said quickly, already reaching for her phone on her nightstand before she could continue to overthink the whole situation. “You in?”
Jon studied her for a second, then shrugged easily. “Yeah, why not. I trust you not to do something shitty to me on camera."
"You sure about that?" Dany teased, hoping her voice didn’t give away how fast her heart was pounding in her chest.
She stood up and crossed the room, propping her phone up on her dresser and angling it just right towards the bed. Her hands felt extremely clumsy and she had to adjust it twice before she was satisfied with the angle. When it was perfect, she took a steadying breath and turned back to face him.
Jon was watching her now, curiosity written all over his face.
“You’re being weird.” He said, sitting up and closing his notebook, letting his eyes track her as she approached the bed again.
“No, I'm not." Dany muttered, though there was no bite to it. "Shut up."
Jon chuckled, but didn't push back.
She sat back down on the bed beside him, closer this time. Close enough that her knee pressed against his and that when he turned his head, she could see every detail in his gray eyes. His gaze was intense, as if he was trying to read her every thought.
Suddenly, she was terrified again.
It must have shown on her face, because Jon frowned slightly. “Hey, are you okay? What even is this challenge?"
Dany hesitated, and then she met his eyes again. She looked at him, really looked at him.
This was Jon.
Her Jon.
The boy who had been there for her through everything. The one who knew her better than anyone else. The one she trusted more than anyone in the world.
And just like that, she no longer felt scared or worried. Her fear faded as fast as it had come.
“Yeah, I'm okay." Dany replied softly, even adding a reassuring smile to convince him. “The challenge is…”
Her voice trailed off, and then, before she could overthink it any longer, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.
For a split second, Jon froze.
Dany's heart nearly stopped. Gods she was an idiot for doing this. His lips were soft, softer than she could have ever imagined and now she knew. It was worse knowing. All she wanted was more from him, but he wasn't moving. He was frozen and stunned and probably hated her for doing this to him and putting him in this posi –
Suddenly, his arm was wrapping around her waist and pulling her body into his, and then Jon was kissing her back. There was nothing hesitant about the way he was kissing her. It was gentle at first, yet still urgent, and then it grew deeper. His free hand slipped beneath her jaw as their lips moved together, angling her head back as he stole the breath from her lungs.
Dany’s entire world seemed to tilt. Her hand came up to his shoulder, gripping lightly as the kiss deepened even further, warmth spreading through her entire body. Her nerves dissolved completely. She could feel his pulse as it thrummed beneath his skin. He was just as excited and nervous as her, and that realization warmed her to her very core.
The kiss was everything she had dreamed of, and suddenly she felt light-headed. When she finally pulled away, it wasn't because she wanted to – it was because she had to. She was completely breathless.
Jon blinked at her, clearly still stunned. His one hand still rested at her waist, fingers digging in, while the other lingered against her cheek, brushing ever so lightly over her skin.
“What, uh...what was that for?” He asked, his voice quieter than usual, almost like he was nervous now.
Dany's cheeks flushed.
"Um, that was the challenge.” She said, gesturing vaguely toward the phone. “You kiss your best friend and see how they react.”
Jon glanced toward the phone, then back at her, something unreadable flickering in his expression as it all slowly dawned over him.
“Oh." He said finally, his voice and eyes lowering. If she wasn't mistaken, he sounded – and looked – disappointed.
Dany's stomach dropped and her eyes widened. Was he upset?
“But that’s not why –" Dany paused. "I mean, it is, but also..." She let out a breath as she tried to calm her racing heart. The disappointment in his eyes was killing her and she knew she needed to tell him the truth, even if it ruined things. She could never hurt Jon. "I didn't just do it for the challenge..."
Jon stilled, his eyes slowly trailing back to hers.
Dany swallowed, forcing herself to hold his stare and not look away.
“I’ve kind of wanted to do that for a while now.” The words fell from her lips before she could stop them. Her cheeks felt burning hot now. “I just didn’t know if you’d feel the same, and I didn’t want to ruin what we have. You're my best friend, Jon. But lately, I can't stop thinking about kissing you and what it would feel like to be with you."
For a moment, Jon just stared at her, but then he exhaled, and a small, almost disbelieving smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He looked relieved.
“I thought I was the only one."
Dany blinked as her mind worked to catch up to the words he'd just spoken. “What?”
“I’ve wanted that too.” He admitted. “For a while now. I just didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to lose you. Our friendship means everything to me.”
Relief flooded through her so quickly it made her laugh, a soft, breathless laugh. “So we’re both idiots.”
“Seems like it."
They smiled at each other, the kind of smile that felt new yet familiar all at once. And then, without any hesitation this time, Dany leaned in again.
Jon met her halfway.