“Just relax.” Tzuyu’s hand is firmly in hers, but Chaeyoung squeezes tighter just in case. “It’s just school, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“It’s different now.” Tzuyu protests, feet dragging as they near the classroom.

“Why? Because we’re idols?” Chaeyoung snorts dismissively. “So are most of the people who go here. No one’s going to treat you differently Tzuyu, we’re all just here to grab as many school days as we can and hopefully graduate.”

She can tell that Tzuyu doesn’t fully believe her, but Chaeyoung doesn’t know what else to do. It’s not like she was super close to Tzuyu before they debuted, but now that they’re the only two Twice members in this year Chaeyoung feels a strange sense of responsibility. Tzuyu is younger and more introverted and clearly not as confident as Chaeyoung about starting high school.

“If things go bad, we can meet up with Dahyun at lunch time to complain about it.” She tells the taller girl as they reach the classroom door. “No matter what happens, we’re the school meal club now, so we’ve got your back.”

“You mean it?” Tzuyu’s dark eyes are full of worry. “I know we didn’t know each other that well before Twice, so I understand if you have other friends that you want to hang out with, but would it really not bother you if I tagged along?”

 “Hey hey hey!” Chaeyoung doesn’t know how the conversation has gone sideways so abruptly, but she shuts it down before Tzuyu can spiral further. “What the hell? Of course I want to hang out with you! I just told you we’re going to meet Dahyun for lunch, didn’t I?”

“I know, I just…” Tzuyu shuffles from side to side, ducking her head to avoid Chaeyoung’s questioning eyes. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to babysit me.”

Chaeyoung tugs Tzuyu’s hand up, finally getting the younger girl to look her in the eye.

“I don’t feel like that at all.” she says firmly. “I feel like you’re my friend and I want to hang out with you. Yeah I didn’t know you that well before, so what? I know you now, and I’m going to be right next to you all day, because that’s how I want to spend this schoolyear.”

There’s this moment where Tzuyu’s stoic expression breaks into this shy, delighted smile, and Chaeyoung gets this weird sense of pride at how good she’s gotten at coaxing that bright smile out of her. It’s moments like this where she fully understands how Tzuyu managed to win the hearts of so many viewers, because something about this precious smile makes Chaeyoung’s own heart flutter.

Instinctively, she reaches up to press a kiss to Tzuyu’s forehead.

“Come on.” she says, pulling Tzuyu into the classroom while she’s still too surprised from the kiss to panic. “Let’s get some good seats at the back. I feel like today is going to be a doodling day.”

Chaeyoung does end up doodling a lot in her notebook, although she tries her best to pay attention to the teacher too. At first she’s still worried about Tzuyu, but ever since they stepped into the classroom Tzuyu’s been struggling not to smile. She’s still shy when the teacher forces them to introduce themselves, but it’s a warm smiley shy as opposed to the cold stoic nervousness Chaeyoung had expected. She thinks it might be because of their talk and the forehead kiss, but when lunchtime comes and Tzuyu skips giddily down the hallway to meet Dahyun, Chaeyoung is forced to reconsider why the taller girl is so cheerful. Maybe Tzuyu is just happy that her earlier anxiety has passed. Maybe it has nothing to do with Chaeyoung.

After all, one platonic forehead kiss shouldn’t have such a huge effect on someone, right?

---

Tzuyu finds her staring at the reflection in the mirror. Chaeyoung can’t remember how long she’s been standing there, but judging by Tzuyu’s worried eyes she’s been gone too long.

“Do you really like it?” Chaeyoung asks quietly. “Be honest with me. Please.”

Tzuyu wraps her arms around Chaeyoung, resting her chin on the shorter girl’s shoulder. Her expression is calm, and Chaeyoung automatically feels some of the tension leaving her as she leans into Tzuyu’s warm embrace.

“I love it.” Tzuyu says. “I think it really suits you.”

“Don’t lie.” Chaeyoung warns her. “You would say I looked good if I shaved all my hair off.”

“True, but I wouldn’t mean it. Probably. Who knows actually? You might be able to pull the bald look off.”

Chaeyoung snorts and Tzuyu giggles, shaking both of them.

“What I do know, is that your short hair suits you and I love it.” Tzuyu hugs her tighter. “More importantly, you love it. So why won’t you believe me?”

“I don’t know, it’s just…” Chaeyoung shrugs. “I think you’re the only one who genuinely thinks I look good like this. The others say I’m crazy and the company is mad that I went behind their backs to do it.”

“The others think you’re crazy for going behind JYP’s back, not for cutting your hair short. I heard Momo compliment you this morning. Do you really think that she didn’t mean it?”

Chaeyoung can’t answer that, and she ducks her head to avoid Tzuyu’s concerned look.

“Chaeyoung, what did the company say to you?”

“It’s not them, not really.” Chaeyoung shakes her head. “I just saw some fans online say they didn’t like it, and I know I shouldn’t let them get to me but-”

“It’s impossible not to let online comments get to you once you’ve read them.” Tzuyu interrupts her. “But the important thing is not letting them control you.”

Chaeyoung’s lips twitch, a smile forming on her face despite her sombre mood.

“I’m usually the one telling you to ignore the internet. Glad to see you listened to my wisdom.”

“So why can’t you take your own advice this time?”

Again, Chaeyoung struggles for an answer. Tzuyu doesn’t press, just holding Chaeyoung steady while the smaller girl gathers her thoughts.

“Maybe it is the company.” Chaeyoung admits. “All I did was cut my hair, and it feels like I’m in the middle of a scandal.”

She regrets the words the minute she says them, but it’s too late. All Chaeyoung can do is huff an incredulous laugh at her own stupidity.

“Look at me whining because of a few mean comments about my hair.” She straightens up, and Tzuyu loosens her hold. “I’m sorry, I didn’t even think about everything you’ve been through.”

“It’s fine.” Tzuyu says quietly. “It’s not your fault they’re freaking out over a haircut. I just wish there was something I can do to help you feel better.”

“I’ll be alright.” Chaeyoung turns from side to side, admiring her new angles without hair draping down her face. “I love how I look and I don’t regret getting it cut. I just need some way to stop feeling like I’m the only one who really thinks I look good like this.”

“You do look good.”

“See you say that, and I do believe you. But I still wish there was some way for me to know just how much you mean it, because otherwise there’s this voice in my head that won’t stop telling me you’re all just being nice and overexaggerating.”

Tzuyu lets go of her completely, and Chaeyoung immediately worries she’s done something wrong. Tzuyu’s face is blank, and it’s only from years of experience that Chaeyoung can tell she’s conflicted about something.

“I think I know a way for me to show you how much I mean it.”

Tzuyu is looking directly at Chaeyoung’s lips as she talks, but this is something Chaeyoung’s brain only processes after has already opened to reply.

“Go for it.”

Tzuyu kisses her.

is as soft and careful as a feather at first, but when she meets no resistance, Tzuyu kisses her harder, fiercer, like she has something to prove.

Chaeyoung dimly remembers that Tzuyu is trying to prove something. The thought barely registers, because most of her brain isn’t functioning and the part that works is preoccupied chanting Holy holy holy .

Because Tzuyu is kissing her.

Tzuyu pulls back after a solid… ten seconds? Fifteen seconds? Chaeyoung really wasn’t counting. The taller girl raises an eyebrow, and if Chaeyoung didn’t know her so well she would assume her cocky grin was completely honest and ignore the way Tzuyu’s hands were trembling.

“So?” Tzuyu says, the barest trace of hidden nervousness in her voice. “Did that convince you?”

Chaeyoung just blinks, hanging open like a goldfish. Tzuyu isn’t as patient this time, but Chaeyoung thinks she’s earned a few seconds to gather her thoughts because Holy .

“You kissed me.” she says at last.

“Yes.” Tzuyu nods, and the more Chaeyoung stares blankly the more Tzuyu’s false cockiness starts to fade away. “Was it ok? I didn’t mean to make things weird it just… it felt right.”

“Can you do it again?”

This time it’s Tzuyu’s turn to blink like a deer in the headlights. Then her face breaks into that special bright smile, eyes shining like Chaeyoung just gave her the best gift in the world. She leans down to kiss her again, and this time Chaeyoung kisses back.

Long story short, Chaeyoung ends up with a girlfriend and renewed love for her short hair. As the days go by, she discovers how much Tzuyu likes playing with it, ruffling the top of her head or blowing on the strands covering Chaeyoung’s neck. Chaeyoung pouts and whines and bats Tzuyu’s hands away, but secretly she loves every minute of it.

Judging by her girlfriend’s giggles, it’s not much of a secret at all.

---

There will be cameras waiting outside for them, because there always are. Tzuyu knows this, yet for some reason today she just doesn’t feel up to facing them. She’s low for no particular reason, and she fears that the second she steps outside she will burst into tears, and neither she nor the group need that kind of controversy.

She shuffles to the back of the line while Jihyo and the managers check that everyone has their bags and accessories. It turns out Momo left her hat inside the building, and the search for it provides a big enough distraction that Tzuyu thinks her nervousness goes unnoticed.

Arms wrap around her middle and a familiar head nuzzles against her shoulder. Even with tears threatening to fall, Tzuyu can’t help but smile. How foolish of her to think Chaeyoung wouldn’t pick up on her mood. Tzuyu isn’t even sure if it’s a deliberate thing, the way the shorter girl drifts over to Tzuyu and hugs her every single time she’s desperately in need of one. Part of her thinks it’s just how she and Chaeyoung work, magnetic forces constantly drawn towards each other.

“Stay with me?” she whispers.

Chaeyoung hugs her tighter, and Tzuyu wraps her arms around her girlfriend’s shoulders, twisting them so that they can walk outside without tripping over each other. Chaeyoung doesn’t pry, she just lets Tzuyu rest her head on top of hers. Tzuyu inhales the scent of strawberry shampoo, and she feels at peace for the first time today.

When they step outside and the cameras start flashing, she just buries her head further into Chaeyoung’s hair. Chaeyoung keeps her eyes down as they head over to the black van waiting to drive them to their next schedule, but Tzuyu risks glancing up at the cameras.

Maybe the paparazzi and fansites think the smile on her face is for them. Tzuyu loves her fans, but the glee in her eyes has everything to do with the precious secret she’s flaunting in front of them. Her arms tighten around Chaeyoung’s shoulder and she thinks Mine.

They have no idea, and it’s enough to lift Tzuyu’s spirits. She can walk out here holding her girlfriend and her privacy is still intact. Whatever the cameras capture, the people behind them can’t comprehend, and Tzuyu no longer feels so raw and exposed. She is secure in her little bubble of her and Chaeyoung, even when they have to untangle to climb into the van.

Chaeyoung holds her hand the entire way to the arena, and Tzuyu risks kissing her once right before she walks on stage to sing and dance with all the joy her heart can’t contain.

---

“You’re so beautiful.” Chaeyoung pressed a kiss against Tzuyu’s jaw. “My beautiful girlfriend. All mine.”

“Only yours.” Tzuyu whispers back.

It’s a promise she knows Chaeyoung needs right now. The shorter girl peppers Tzuyu’s neck with hard quick kisses, and Tzuyu struggles to muffle her gasps. Most of the girls are out today but one or two are still knocking around the dorm, and the last thing they need is someone walking in on them right now.

“How did I get so lucky?” Chaeyoung murmurs, Tzuyu’s hair. “The most beautiful girl in the world, my girlfriend.”

Tzuyu practically purrs, basking in Chaeyoung’s words as if they were sunlight. She needs this too, the reassurance that she’s not the only one head over heels in love. Sometimes it scares her how much she feels for Chaeyoung, but when Chaeyoung talks about her like this, with such awe in her voice, Tzuyu feels relief that at least they’re in this together.

“Luck had nothing to do with it.” Tzuyu reaches up to pull Chaeyoung down into another kiss. “I looked at what the world had to offer, and I found the best girl crush there is.”

She knows Chaeyoung loves the girl crush compliment, and sure enough Chaeyoung’s intensity breaks for a moment as she gives Tzuyu a big toothy smile.

“Besides, I’m the lucky one.” Tzuyu turns so that they’re lying side by side. “There’s no one in the world like you Chaeyoung. You’re the coolest, prettiest most amazing girlfriend I could possibly have.”

“I love you.”

Usually Tzuyu is the one to blurt out those words, so she takes great pleasure in times where Chaeyoung breaks first. Chaeyoung knows this, and she never makes it easy, which is why the satisfaction is always so great.

“I love you too.”

Chaeyoung pulls Tzuyu closer, and she knows that the make up crew are going to kill them for the number of hickeys they will have to hide. But Tzuyu can never resist when Chaeyoung gets possessive, not when Chaeyoung’s pride at having Tzuyu as her girlfriend matches perfectly with the joyful awe Tzuyu feels. It’s a constant exchange of giddy ecstasy, one that Tzuyu can never see ending, even when they are old and grey.

Maybe it’s naïve of her to think she’s already found her soulmate with her first love, but she knows that Chaeyoung is on the same page, so the thought doesn’t scare her. If they’re young and foolish, then they’re young and foolish together.

As long as she has Chaeyoung by her side, Tzuyu feels capable of anything.