Title: Hearts Racing
Genre: College AU? Doesn't really concern the plot.
Pairing: ChaeKyul (Chaeyeon & Jieqiong)
Words: 2700+

Chaeyeon and Jieqiong end up kissing due to a harmless dare - and Jieqiong just can't stop thinking about it.

- & -

Damn, Sejeong-unnie.

A single thought echoed through Jieqiong's head as she hid in the dark, unlit closet. She drew her knees to her chest, enjoying the soft, warm embrace of her blanket wrapped around her. She was completely undressed, having just come out of the shower, and to make matters worse, the cool breeze coming in through the hinges of the closet doors made her shiver cold.

She cursed the older girl under her breath as she rubbed ferverously at her shoulders, easing for the slightest bit of warmth from her body. Things had been like this for quite a while now - nearly a month in fact - and frankly, Jieqiong was sick and tired of having to go through such drastic measures to avoid Chaeyeon all because of a stupid dare that Sejeong had demanded during their last meeting.

That stupid, stupid dare.

It all started a few weeks ago when Jieqiong and her housemates had decided to hold a small party, celebrating the start of their winter break. It was a simple gathering of six, including Nayoung, Chungha, Sejeong, Heehyun, and of course the aforementioned Chaeyeon and Jieqiong. It was also a party hallmarking Jieqiong's coming of age, as her birthday had just passed a few days prior, and so Sejeong had brought alcohol into the whole mix of things.

Then it all slowly spiralled out of control.

The girls eventually ended up in the middle of a game of the notorious, "Truth or Dare", deep into the night, when Chungha was nearly passed out from drinking and even Chaeyeon seemed to have a big swig of alcohol. Jieqiong also felt a little tipsy, much to Sejeong's joy.

Now, it was no secret to the other girls that Jieqiong had a clear inclination toward girls over boys, even though Jieqiong wasn't quite sure, herself. It was an even more clear fact that Jieqiong had a complete head-over-heels crush on Chaeyeon, and so Sejeong, embracing her devious and mischievous side, challenged Chaeyeon to give Jieqiong a peck on the lips.

Under any normal circumstances, Chaeyeon would have been too shy to display such affection, but as drunk as she was, she crawled her way over to the younger girl and cupped her cheek.

"Just a peck?" Chaeyeon echoed Sejeong's words, her lips moving enticingly with every pronounciation. Jieqiong's heart pounded against her chest, her heartbeat getting faster as Chaeyeon eased in closer.

It only occurred to Jieqiong after the kiss that it had been her first kiss, ever.

What followed in the next few weeks was a very flustered Jieqiong who couldn't come to look at Chaeyeon face-to-face let alone talk with or about her.

And so here she was, trapped in her own closet, after running into Chaeyeon right as she came out of the shower. She zipped on by to her hiding place before Chaeyeon could chase after, leaving the older girl bewildered and puzzled.

In the midst of all the chaos going on in her mind, Jieqiong could only mutter out a few words.

Damn, Sejeong-unnie.

- & -

Chaeyeon lied down on the sofa, holding her head up with a propped elbow, her legs kicking in the air behind her. She stared blankly out through the window, watching the clouds lazily move around the sunset. It had been quite an uneventful day, with school being over and all, and so Chaeyeon had spent most of her time around the house, cleaning and rearranging her little belongings here and there. She had been scurrying around the house all day and had only just started to take a break when Heehyun walked through the front door, having arrived from a nice outing.

"Hey, Chaeyeon," Heehyun said. She held a shopping bag with one hand and her purse with the other, balancing on one bare foot as she tried to kick the other shoe off. Heehyun frowned when Chaeyeon lacked any response. "Yah, Chaeyeon!"

Walking up to where Chaeyeon lied on the sofa, Heehyun put her hands on her hips, brows furrowing in annoyance. She sternly raised a hand, swiftly lowering it down onto Chaeyeon's back with a smack.

"Ow!" Chaeyeon yelped, immediately swivelling around and sitting right up to see who had hit her. "Who the hell- oh! H-hi, unnie," Chaeyeon stammered. She rubbed her back, easing the pain. "When did you get back?"

"Just now..." Heehyun said. Her eyes narrowed as she analyzed the expression on Chaeyeon's face. After a few seconds of silence, she exhaled, taking a seat next to Chaeyeon. "What's bothering you?"

"What?" Chaeyeon responded, inching over to give Heehyun a little more room.

"Look, Chaeyeon, I've known you for like what... ten years? I can tell when something's on your mind," Heehyun said, leaning back into the cushions. "It's practically the only time you're ever drawing a blank. So, I'll ask you again, what's on your mind?"

Chaeyeon bit her lower lip, hesitating.

"Ah... fine," Chaeyeon mumbled in defeat. Her cheeks tinged with pink as she thought of how to construe her next few sentences. "I-It's about... It's about Jieqiong."

Chaeyeon flinched back startled when Heehyun burst into a sudden fit of laughter, slapping her knee and nearly falling off the couch.

"Grr..." Chaeyeon grumbled as she started to get off the sofa. "Fine, nevermind, forget I said anything-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Heehyun chuckled as she grabbed Chaeyeon's wrist. "You're serious?"

The younger girl sat back down, resting her chin on an elbow propped against her knee. She nodded slowly.

"What, did the soulmates have their first fight?" Heehyun mocked, hiding a laugh behind pursed lips. It wasn't unheard of for the other girls to tease Chaeyeon and Jieqiong, dubbing them 'soulmates', considering how well their personalities meshed together, but Chaeyeon cringed.

"No... It's just... I think she's avoiding me?" Chaeyeon said sort of like a question, unsure of what to think about it herself. "Like this morning, I was going to take a shower but I bumped into her on her way out and she just sort of ran full speed!"

"You sure she wasn't just in a hurry to get dressed or something?" Heehyun dismissed. "I'm sure you're just reading too into it, Chaeyeon."

"No, I'm sure of it," Chaeyeon assured herself, shaking her head. "She's been like this ever since that party night earlier this month. You know, the one where Sejeong-unnie brought us alcohol?"

"You mean the one where Sejeong vomited all the alcohol?" Heehyun laughed. "Wait, is this really what that's all about? You guys kissing each other on the cheek or something?"

"For your information, our lips touched," Chaeyeon corrected. "And I don't know... I guess? All I know is that she's been acting really weird around me.