1st.
Seulgi pecks Joohyun on the cheek before rushing off to class.

It leaves Joohyun momentarily stunned, like she’s been tasered.

She’s heard the saying before, ‘lightning never strikes the same place twice’ but Joohyun wonders if maybe that was just common sense? If you were struck once wouldn't you just move away? More than likely, the reason no one has been hit in the same place again is because they ran so far away after the first time. Seulgi’s the one fleeing the scene though, on her way to class, leaving Joohyun in her wake.

Decidedly, Joohyun tries not to think of why she doesn't move right away, as if she’s waiting to see if the expression is true.

 
2nd.
Joohyun kisses Seulgi soft and sweet in their high school gymnasium.

It’s like the final scene in a teen movie where the couple everyone was rooting for finally gets together in the end. Joohyun and Seulgi are kissing. They’re kissing and kissing and kissing. 

It feels like someone lit Joohyun up from the inside out, it feels like Seulgi always dreamed a first kiss would.

When they kiss that first time in the gym, they’re surrounded by virtual strangers, people who are only interested because they’re here and they’re queer and all that stuff. But there’s confetti in Joohyun’s hair that makes Seulgi think she’s embarrassingly, insultingly beautiful. And Seulgi is so soft that Joohyun thinks she may never be able to stop touching her.

The first time they kiss on the lips, Joohyun is exhilarated and terrified and wants to fall through the floor.

The first time they kiss on the lips, Seulgi can’t think straight, just breathes out a “whoa,” because whoa.
 
3rd.
Joohyun kisses Seulgi in the quad during lunch with the whole school chanting “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”

It’s only their second kiss but already Joohyun is more confident, pressing firmer and parting her lips as to grant Seulgi more access to . There’s no confetti this time and although they’re doing this in the middle of campus with everyone cheering them on, it’s still less of a spectacle.

They were just having lunch, goofing around like usual, and now they’re kissing.

When they break apart, Joohyun looks less like her world just exploded but still freaked out. Seulgi is willing to chalk that up to the fact that they just locked lips in front of the entire student body—again. That being said, Seulgi still can’t help but wonder why the first coherent thought she had after Joohyun shifted away was whoa.

 
4th + 5th.
Seulgi kisses Joohyun in her bed when there’s no one around to impress.

“We should practice.” Seulgi announces as Joohyun settles underneath the blankets beside her.

“Practice what?” Joohyun asks, already exhausted with Seulgi’s antics. It’s too early for this ; Joohyun wants to sleep.

Seulgi sighs and rolls on to her belly; Joohyun can be so oblivious sometimes. “Kissing, stupid. What else?”

“You’re impossible.” Joohyun mutters in that kind of annoyed way that says she’s unimpressed with Seulgi’s lack of giving a but not pissed enough to shut her down completely.

Seulgi, who’s now lying on her side and turned towards Joohyun, sees that her friend’s shirt is riding up. When opportunity knocks Seulgi seizes it. 

She kisses the exposed skin and smirks when Joohyun practically jumps a foot. Taking advantage of the other girl’s sudden shock, Seulgi climbs atop her and ducks her head low so their lips are barely brushing.

“I just had a mint so at least if I’m an awful kisser my breath won’t smell bad.”

They kiss for a minute, maybe two, before they break apart. Joohyun doesn’t tell Seulgi that she has nothing to worry about, that she has good breath and she’s a good kisser. Instead, she lets Seulgi convince her that they need to keep rehearsing. The pace should be right, she insists, and the tempo.

“The tempo? Where’d you learn that? Cosmo?” Joohyun crows, all high and mighty and amused and making fun of Seulgi, rude! But her lips red from exertion and her cheeks are flushed, and Seulgi would be lying if she said it didn’t look good.
Grinning stupidly and telling Joohyun to “shove it,” Seulgi moves in for another kiss.
 
6th.
Joohyun kisses Seulgi hard on the mouth the first time she gets drunk.

It’s sudden and sure. Her breath reeks of tequila and her hands are trembling, pushing Seulgi’s hair out of her face so she can make eye contact because very suddenly that seems important. They kiss messily, drunkenly, eagerly. They’re swapping saliva on the porch in Byulyi’s backyard, there are people mulling around with plastic cups and beer bottles in hand. Some of them cheer the girls on with the kind of enthusiasm only happy drunks can muster.

For the first time, Seulgi doesn't think about what everyone else is going to think. She doesn't care if no one is watching at all. She just wants to keep her hands on Joohyun’s thighs, her lips on her neck. The taste is strange because Joohyun tastes like tequila and Seulgi reeks of vodka. It’s not horrible though, in fact they kiss until someone comes stumbling out the patio doors, throwing themselves over the deck railing so they can puke on the bushes.

“I’m so drunk right now,” Joohyun slurs once she and Seulgi have split apart, her limbs too loose as she sways sitting down.

“I bet I could run a mile right now. Dare me to run a mile and I’ll do it! Dare me, Seul. Dare me!”

“No, no, no,” Seulgi decides though her words are staggered. They don’t feel like they belong to her, if that makes any sense? They don’t fit in so she pushes them out quickly, awkwardly.

“You don’t even have running shoes. We’ll go shopping!”

Nodding along agreeably, Joohyun reaches into her pocket for her phone and finds a missed message from Yerim: get your fake gay home by 2 or your mom is going to be pissed. PS: thanks for eating the rest of the ice cream sandwiches, .

“Uh-oh,” Joohyun comments sarcastically. “The wicked witch of the west has a broomstick lodged up her .” Wide, glassy eyes look up at Joohyun. Seulgi is wasted. “Your mom or Yeri?”

Choking in laughter, Joohyun punches Seulgi jokingly. “Both. Yerim. I got to get home. Want to come?”

Of course, Seulgi thinks, and apparently she’s spoken aloud because Joohyun is dragging her out of the backyard so they can start walking the couple blocks from the house party back to her place. The next morning with twin hangovers, neither girl mentions the night before.
 
7th.
Seulgi kisses Joohyun so slowly that Joohyun actually thinks the Earth stops spinning on its axis.

They’re barefoot in Joohyun and Yerim’s shared bathroom, kissing so painstakingly slow that Seulgi can feel her heartbeat out of sync. In science class they studied the human heart. She thinks of the material on the last pop quiz, how you can save someone’s life to the beat of Staying Alive.

She wonders how, upon waking up in the ER, she’d ever explain that she had a heart attack from kissing Bae Joohyun.

It also doesn’t help that if Seulgi did actually go into cardiac arrest right now she’d be half . It’s not as if she and Joohyun have reached this level of commitment to the fake gay dating thing yet. No, Joohyun was just helping her into her dress, doing up the zipper for her. To be honest though, Seulgi’s not entirely certain how they went from “hey, can you stop checking out that guy and come zip me up?” to ‘let’s kiss in my bathroom while the Star Trek reboot plays in the background.’ Not that she’s complaining about it though.

When they come back to themselves long enough to stop kissing, Seulgi tries to tamp down her nerves. Joohyun doesn’t meet her eye, just turns around and asks Seulgi to do up the dress. When she turns around, Joohyun looks nervous but for a split second catches Seulgi’s gaze.

“What do you think?”

She’s chewing her lower lip, the one Seulgi just kissed. She knows how soft it is even when it’s sticky with the lip gloss Seulgi lent her.

“Beyonce can eat her heart out,” Seulgi assures with a genuine smile. “Ready to go?”

With a put upon sigh, Joohyun collects her belongings. “I still can’t believe you talked me into this.”

Hooking her arm in Joohyun’s, Seulgi smirks at her friend. “It’ll be worth it when you get to see the look on Yerim’s face when you’re named queen.”

They don’t talk about the kiss after that.
 
8th + 9th + 10th. 
“We are proud to announce ***** Homecoming royalty: Irene Bae and Kang Seulgi!” Principal Lee announces, her smile broad as the two girls make their way through the crowd.

Seulgi takes the tiara and smirks when she delicately places the crown atop Joohyun’s head. The room is alive with noise and movement, everyone applauding and cheering them on.
 

“I think we’re supposed to kiss now,” Seulgi murmurs but Joohyun is already swaying close, her lips catching the end of Seulgi’s suggestion.
They kiss chastely, appropriately, but they drag it out a whole minute before separating.

The audience’s excitement hasn’t subsided and looking across the room, Seulgi thinks she got exactly what she wanted: popularity, to kiss Henry, to stay best friends with Joohyun. But she got a lot more than what she bargained for too. She sees Henry in the crowd, who’s standing with Byulyi and Solar, nursing a drink. He’s cute, especially all dressed up, and Seulgi remembers how kissing Henry felt exactly how she always imagined it would. But Joohyun’s beside her with their fingers interlaced, and she can’t help but wonder when she stopped thinking that being blown away by Joohyun’s beauty was weird. Years ago, Seulgi realizes.
 

“Time for your first dance as Homecoming Queens,” The principal advises the girls, urging them on to the dance floor with an enthusiastic smile.
A slow song starts up as Seulgi guides Joohyun into the space the crowd as carved out for them.

They press close enough together that they can feel heat radiating off the other but not so close that it looks inappropriate for a first, romantic dance. Joohyun leads, which throws Seulgi for a loop. She didn’t expect her to because of her hesitance towards the whole fake dating debacle, and yet here she is comfortably moving with Seulgi like they do this every day. Smiling, Seulgi rest her chin on Joohyun’s shoulder and kisses the nape of her neck. Joohyun always smells incredible and it’s not just her shampoo because when Seulgi sleepovers and has to borrow it never smells as nice as Joohyun does.
It’s not until later—when they’re dancing to a much quicker song, doing all the stupid moves they made up in Seulgi’s living room when they played the stereo loud enough for the neighbours to complain—that Seulgi smiles cockily at Joohyun.
 

“What?” Joohyun asks but there’s a joking edge to it. Like she’s accusing Seulgi of keeping a secret but knows Seulgi’s joking. “I got you the popularity and Homecoming Queen. You owe me.”
 

“Extortion!” Seulgi accuses, faux-offended.

Rolling her eyes, Joohyun dips her close to the floor. “I’ll drop you flat on your non-existent , Kang.”

Seulgi tightens her hold on Joohyun so in case she decides it’ll be funny to watch her collapse on the floor then at least she’ll be dragged down too.

“Worst girlfriend ever!”
 

“Yeah right,” Joohyun snorts as she captures Seulgi’s lower lip between her teeth.