Chapter Text
Momo has to have something against her. Why else is she so resistant to Sana’s charm? She’s beginning to wonder if the girl is actually gay. It’s quite hard to resist someone like Sana. Fems or mascs she’s attracted them all. Why is it so hard for a little geek to even look her way? Also, why is Momo always around with her cousin? Yes they're best friends but shes getting sick of the daggered stare she gets when she greets or smiles at Momo.
“Hows your plan coming along?”
“Well, she knows im gay now,” all her friends bursted out laughing. “What?” Nayeon wheezed out, “well funny story, apparently Hyejin was closeted and they thought I outed her because I find gay people revolting,”
“What!” Jeongyeon laughed out, “has Mina not seen how obsessed you were with mako mermaids and h2o??”
“Okay shut up, I liked mermaids and the girls were pretty leave me alone, it’s time to retire that phase of my life,” All the girls at the table drifted over to the talk of the hour.
Sana was not staring.
She was just… strategically observing.
From three tables away.
While aggressively stabbing her pasta.
“She blinked,” Jihyo narrated. “That means she’s in love.”
“Shut up,” Sana muttered.
Across the cafeteria, Momo was explaining something with exaggerated hand gestures, nearly knocking over Mina’s drink in the process. Mina caught it just in time, laughing, that soft, quiet laugh again.
Sana’s fork bent slightly in her grip.
“She doesn’t laugh like that with me,” she mumbled.
Nayeon raised an eyebrow. “You’ve spoken to her like… ten times.” Sana rolled her eyes, it’s actually been way more but ten is probably an accurate number this year.
“That’s enough times. I’m memorable.”
“Yeah,” Jeongyeon said. “Like a minor car accident.”
Sana ignored her. Her eyes stayed locked on the other table.
Why was Mina always there? Not just physically, but emotionally. Every time Sana tried to talk to Momo, it was like there was an invisible wall. Not because Momo was rude. She was polite. Kind.
Just… careful.
Like she didn’t trust Sana yet.
Which made sense.
But still irritated her.
“I bet Mina warned her about me,” Sana said.
“Or,” Nayeon replied, “Momo has basic emotional intelligence.”
Sana shot her a look. “Whose side are you on?”
“I’m on the side of you not emotionally sabotaging yourself for once.”
Sana slumped back in her chair. “I’m not sabotaging. I’m adapting.”
“To what?”
“Resistance?”
Jihyo leaned forward. “Have you tried just talking to her like a person instead of like you’re auditioning to ruin her best friend’s life?”
Sana opened her mouth.
Closed it. “I hate when you make sense,” she muttered. At that moment, Momo stood up from her table.
Alone.
Mina stayed seated, focused on her notebook.
Sana sat up straighter.
“This is my moment,” she said.
Nayeon grabbed her wrist. “Don’t be weird.”
“I’m never weird.”
“You are exclusively weird.”
But Sana was already walking, flipping her hair with an extra pep in her step.
Momo was at the vending machines, frowning at the buttons like they’d personally offended her. “Let me guess,” Sana said, leaning against the machine beside her. “It ate your money.”
Momo startled slightly, then smiled. “No, I just can’t decide.”
“Critical life moment.” Sana teased
“It is. This is snack commitment.” She went along, making Sana have a little hope. “You getting anything?”
“Umm, I was just taking a stroll, and……” she gave Momo a small smirk coming up with something on the spot, “saw your cute little face so I couldn’t resist,” Momo’s face flushed immediately, she played with the pieces of her hair, taking quick glances between Sana and the machine. “Oh by the way, your sweater, I’ll return it soon I promise,” Momo’s face got even redder at that. “Y-yeah no rush,” she blinked harshly, most likely trying to erase that embarrassing memory away.
Sana glanced at the options, smirking, it’s good to know she has an effect on Momo, maybe it’s gotten even better after she ‘came out’. “Don’t get the cheese crackers. They taste like regret.”
Momo laughed. “Noted, what do you like?” Momo asking her a question? Maybe Sana’s getting somewhere.
“I like chocolate, soooo snickers or m&ms for me,” She pressed a button, E27, snickers, the snack dropped.
Victory. Sana hesitated, then added, “You heading to practice later?”
“Yeah. Always.” She unwrapped the candy bar, taking a small bite.
“You ever get tired?”
“Constantly.” She groaned.
“Why do you do so much then?”
Momo shrugged. “I like feeling like I’m getting somewhere.” Momo’s responses still felt calculated and cold.
Sana tilted her head. “Where’s ‘somewhere’?”
Momo looked at her, surprised by the question. “I don’t know yet. But I don’t want to stand still. I like to keep myself busy.”
That hit closer than Sana expected.
“Fair,” she said quietly.
There was a small pause. Not awkward. Just… silence.
Then Momo spoke again, softer. “Can I ask you something?”
Sana smirked. “Depends. Is it about my tragic backstory?”
Momo smiled faintly. “Why do you look at Mina like you’re mad at her for breathing?” Direct. Always direct. Sana’s smirk faded.
“I don’t,” she said automatically.
Momo just waited.
Sana sighed. “It’s complicated.”
“I figured.”
Another pause.
“You don’t have to tell me,” Momo added. “I just… don’t like feeling like I’m standing between something I don’t understand.”
Sana blinked.
“I’m not trying to put you in the middle,” she said, and for once it wasn’t a line. “It’s just Mina’s gotten me in some hot water, intentional or not it still happened. We just don’t get along,”
Momo studied her face like she was checking the sincerity level again.
“…Okay,” she said.
And somehow that felt like both forgiveness and a warning.
From across the cafeteria, Mina looked up.
She saw them talking.
Saw that it wasn’t loud or flirty or performative. Just quiet. And that scared her more than anything else had so far. Because this, this slow, careful way Sana was starting to show up .This was the version of her that people would easily fall for.
“So, what did Sana want?” She immediately investigated her best friend. “Nothing, she was just around,” Momo shrugged, finishing her chocolate bar. “She followed you there, it definitely wasn’t nothing,” Momo let out a little knowing grin.
“Did she? Well, we didn’t talk about much, don’t stress Mina,” Momo held her hand comfortingly, trying to soothe Mina’s thoughts. But it’s hard to do that when it’s so obvious that your evil cousin is trying to hit on her best friend.
Then came Sana’s big opportunity, a major math test that would decide whether or not Momo could carry on with her class or retake it the next year. “I’m so screwed,” Momo clutched her head in stress, she just opened the email where her teacher told her she needed a 60% in order to pass the class.
“Did you give in all your graded assignments?” Tzuyu tried to come up with ideas, but they were immediately shut down.
“Yes! Not like they help much. I get like 50 or 40 percent for them,” Mina’s jaw dropped, “you know you can look up videos on how to do it right?”
“Yeah, but who’s got time for that?” She sighed, Mina couldn’t believe this, her friend was failing a class and didn’t tell her until it’s too late. “Ummm, fuck dude I have pratice like everyday now, except for Wednesday, but you stay back on Wednesday for dance,” Mina started biting her nails, she can’t go through next year without Momo in her class, and this would also be bad for Momo when they apply to uni.
The door to Mina’s house opened with a loud creak.
“How am I supposed to get a 60%?” Momo groaned out, flopping her whole body to the floor.
“Sana darling, close the door,” she could hear her aunt’s booming’s voice. “Oh hi girls, I got some snacks for you,” she handed them a box of donuts. “Where’s your mom Mina?”
“Oh hi Misses Minatozaki,” she politely greeted, making Sana’s mom laugh, “always so formal you,” Mina nervously chuckled, “umm I think she’s in the garden right now,” she gave her a quick thanks before rushing off.
“Did she say Sana’s here?” Chaeyoung asked with a scowl on her face, just on cue the young Minatozaki girl walked by, in her oversized my melody hoodie, short grey sweats, glasses, headphones, hair up in a bun and her face free of makeup. She took a long sip of whatever tea she had in her cup and almost spat it out seeing the group of girls huddled together watching her.
Momo blinked, she’s never seen Sana like this, soft, unpolished and completely unguarded.
On the other hand Sana was completely caught off guard, she wasn’t told that anyone but Mina would be here. But of course she should’ve expected it. “Hello,” she said eerily, feeling slightly embarrassed of her state. She just woke up from her nap before getting rushed out of the house by her mom.
“You’re here a lot now,” Mina scoffed, “pipe bursted in the kitchen, washing machine leaked, I’m staying over for the night,” Then Sana’s dad walked by bowing at the girls holding what looked like way too much luggage for just one night.
“Mina honey, you’re gonna share a room with Sana,” both girls snapped to the unaware woman. “What!” Mina loudest anyone’s ever heard her.
“Oh that’s fine auntie, I can take the other guest room,” Sana awkwardly chuckled.
“Are you sure? The bed is quite small,”
“Not an issue, I’m just grateful that you’re letting us stay over,” Sana’s mom gave her a proud smile, which annoyed Mina. She doesn’t want it as much as her, she’s just better at hiding it. The look her own mom gave at her just made Mina knew she’s gonna get scolded later.
“I’ll go set up the bed then,” Mina’s dad grabbed her bags and head off tot he second floor. One thing about Mina is that she’s crazy rich, of course Sana was too but Mina’s a whole other level. She doesn’t spend her money on as much brand names but the amount of professional dance, piano, pickleball classes she’s had was still expensive. Not to mention that Mina lives in a big ass mansion with three floors, one being her basement filled with games, they even got a whole pool table and wine cellar down there.
“Oh dammit,” Momo mumbled, "I misread the email, she said 70%…” all her friends looked at her with pity and horror. “Oh god this might be impossible,” Tzuyu groaned.
“Oh the math final?” Sana questioned, they all looked at her in a judgy manner, except for Momo. “Yeah, I’m gonna have to repeat this class,” a lightbulb flickered in Sana’s mind.
“Oh I can help,” she perked up, swirling the drink in her cup.
“Oh yes, that’s a great idea,” Mina’s mom clutched her hand in joy, “you both could help Momo, isn’t that right Mina,”
“O-oh um yes!” Mina chuckled, giving Sana a quick glare.
“But, you have the dance recital next week, you’ll be busy all week,” Momo looked at her in confusion. In which Mina replied with a quiet stare, like she didn’t get what Mina was implying. “Oh right! Can’t having you slacking off on that Mina.” Mina gave her a tight lipped smile and nodded, “Then Sana can help you Momo,” the parents all agreed in unison, leaving Mina feeling hopeless and Sana feeling triumphant.
“I can tutor you everyday Momo,” usually Sana would be annoyed that her after school private hours are being taken away to not only study but HELP someone else study. But, if she manages to actually help Momo score a high grade then maybe it’ll be a little worth it.
“How good are you even at math?” Mina scoffed. Sana smirked, “I have a 98% average so, I’m pretty well off,”
“Woah, that’s higher than Mina,” Momo mumbled, earning a slap on the arm from the mentioned girl.
Which then led to Sana going over to Momo’s humble apartment the next day. Momo’s place was quieter than Sana expected. Soft lamp light. The faint ticking of a clock. A half finished glass of water on the coffee table. It felt lived in, in a way Sana’s house never quite did.
“This is bad,” Momo broke the silence, staring at the test review sheet like it had personally betrayed her. “I need a 70 to pass. A 70. I’ve never gotten higher than like 58 in math. Not since like fourth grade,” Sana dropped her bag beside the coffee table and sat on the floor. “Okay, first of all, dramatic. Second, you did not drag me over here for a funeral.”
Momo sat across from her, legs crossed. “You don’t understand. Numbers and I have a toxic relationship.”
“Oh yeah, I remember,” Sana chuckled, “remember Mr Tony? He literally tore your homework because what you wrote made no sense,” Momo pouted at the memory. It’s hard having history with the person you’re supposed to act indifferent to. She promised Mina that this would just be a normal tutoring session. Instead here she is, kind of enjoying Sana’s bubbly presence.
“Relax,” Sana said, pulling the worksheet toward her. “You just haven’t had a good teacher.” They started with algebra basics.
Momo leaned in close to see the page, their heads nearly bumping.
“Okay,” Sana said, pointing with her pencil. “You’re not bad at math. You’re bad at confidence.”
“That’s worse.” She groaned, throwing a small fit.
“No, it’s fixable, numbers are your friends,”
“That might be the corniest thing I’ve ever heard you say,” Sana rolled her eyes and walked Momo through the first problem slowly. No teasing, no rushing.
When Momo got the next one right on her own, her whole face lit up.
“Wait, I did that? By myself?” She exclaimed.
Sana grinned. “See? My very own math prodigy. I expect a speech when you become famous.”
Momo laughed, covering her mouth with her sleeve. “Shut up.” Sana noticed that laugh. Soft. Unfiltered. Different from the quiet covered one she used at school. “You have a beautiful smile,” Momo’s face immediately dropped. “Sorry, not in a weird way, just I dont usually see that side of you I guess,” She filed that expression away without meaning to.
“Yeah, it’s been a while since we’ve talked just us two,”
“Mhm, not that I didn’t mind the bathroom encounter, usually though it’d take a few more drinks or convincing for girls to take instantly take off their top around me,” Momo slapped Sana’s mouth shut, “shhhh- stop, forget that, I- I wasn’t thinking in the right-“
“It’s okay Momo, it was funny,”
Momo groaned into her palms,”pretend that never happened,” Sana made a tsk noise.
“That might be hard, I didn’t expect you to be so built-“ Momo’s face turned so red Sana was wondering if tomatoes were in her ancestors tree. “Sorry, sorry, I’ll forget that happened, but deep down I’ll always know that doing ‘the floss’ gets dancers more toned than you’d expect,” Momo laughed but at the same time she looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole and die. “Get this question right and I’ll stop talking about how crazy good your body is,” she tired to clear the air with a few harmless jokes, but at the same time she forgot that Momo was just a shy geek that hasn’t experienced Sana’s flirty nature for almost half a decade.
They sat on the floor of the living room, backs against the couch, worksheets spread between them.
“Okay,” Sana said, tapping the page with her pen, “you were right about the first step. You just messed up the sign here.”
Momo leaned closer to see. Their shoulders touched.
Neither of them moved away. “Ohhh,” Momo groaned. “That’s so annoying.” “You’re welcome,” Sana said smugly.
“I didn’t thank you.”
“You were going to.” Momo bumped her shoulder lightly against Sana’s. “Don’t push it.” The contact lingered a second longer than necessary. Sana tried very hard not to notice.
An hour later, the practice worksheet was mostly done. The papers were pushed aside, replaced with a bowl of chips neither of them was really eating.
They were still sitting close. Closer now, knees brushing whenever one of them shifted. And it left a burn on Sana’s skin. She softly exhaled, trying to not get too much of Momo’s soft and gentle scent.
“You’re different here,” Momo said suddenly.
Sana glanced over. “What, in your house?”
“Yeah. You’re quieter.” She mumbled, flipping through her mistakes.
“Rude. I can be calm.”
“I didn’t say calm. I said quieter.”
Sana smirked. “Maybe you’re just not annoying enough to bring out my full personality.” Momo laughed softly. Then her expression turned thoughtful. “No, I think you just don’t have to perform.”
That hit.
Sana looked down at her hands. “I don’t perform.”
Momo gave her a look.
“…Okay, maybe a little,” Sana admitted. “But only because people expect things.”
“Like what?”
“Like me being loud. Funny. Not caring about anything.”
Momo tilted her head. “You care a lot thought, don’t you”
Sana let out a quiet breath through her nose. “Yeah, I guess.”
They fell into a softer silence after that.
An hour passed.
Papers spread everywhere. Eraser shavings on the floor. Momo somehow sitting even closer because “it’s easier to see from here.”
Their shoulders touched every few minutes.
Neither of them commented.
“Okay,” Momo said, squinting at a word problem. “Why is this train leaving at 3pm? Where is it going? Who approved this?”
“Focus,” Sana laughed. “We don’t question the train. We find its speed.”
“I don’t trust it.”
“Math is built on trust.” Momo rolled her eyes again, she can’t believe this is the girl awarded with the title of being Mina’s rival.
“That’s horrifying.”
Sana laughed again, and realized she hadn’t been forcing it. It just came out.
Later, Momo dropped her pencil and groaned, flopping back onto the rug.
“I can’t do this. Tell my dance team I loved them. I’ll get kicked off before you know it,”
Sana looked down at her from above. “You’re being dramatic again.”
“I’m tired.”
“Yeah, because you panic think. Your brain’s been sprinting for hours.”
Momo peeked up at her. “So what do I do?”
Sana shrugged. “Take a break. Let your brain breathe.”
Momo stayed on the floor, staring at the ceiling.
Sana sat beside her a moment later, backs of their arms brushing.
The quiet didn’t feel awkward. “Thanks for helping me,” Momo said softly.
Sana looked over. “Don’t thank me yet. You still might fail.”
Momo laughed. “Gee thanks,” she fiddles with the edge of her shirt, ignoring Sana’s soft gaze. “Seriously though, thank you, even if I end up failing you’ve already spent like three hours here with me,”
“No worries, there’s no place I’d rather be momoring,” it slipped out, her little nickname for her when they were kids. “Wow, haven’t heard that from you for a while,” Sana was the one to blush now, “sorry, being around you made old habits come back I guess,”
“It’s fine, nostalgia is a bittersweet return to the past isn’t it,”
“Way to kill the mood Hirai,” But she was smiling when she said it. Maybe she could benefit from this ‘nostalgia’ by more than just taking Momo away from Mina. She might finally know what it’s like to fully have Momo by her side.
After the break, things clicked faster.
Momo started solving problems with less hesitation. Asking questions without apologizing first. Each time she got one right, she looked at Sana like she needed confirmation it was real.
Each time, Sana nodded.
“See? You’re not bad at this,” she said.
Momo hesitated. “I think I just needed someone to explain it without making me feel stupid.”
The words landed heavier than she meant them to.
Sana’s voice softened without her permission. “You’re not stupid.”
“You’re not that bad,”
“What?”
“I mean, to Mina you’re pretty mean but like, I guess in general you’re chill,”
“I’m chill?”
“Yeah.. thanks again for helping me,” Momo gave her a soft smile, making Sana’s stomach do small flips.
“No problem, wouldn’t want a cutie like you to suffer,” she chuckled, poking Momo’s shoulder. Sana started noticing how close they were. How Momo’s side stayed pressed lightly against hers instead of shifting away.
“You smell like jasmine,” Sana said without thinking.
Momo blinked. “That’s my shampoo.”
“Nice. Very… educational scent.” She pumped up her eyebrows. Momo laughed. “That made zero sense.”
“I’m not here for sense. I’m here for support and mild distraction.”
“You’re succeeding at the distraction part.”
“Good. It’s part of my tutoring strategy. Step one: lower math anxiety. Step two: increase charm exposure.”
Momo shook her head, smiling down at the page. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Yet effective.”
A few minutes later, their hands bumped as they both reached for the pencil.
Neither of them moved right away.
Sana raised an eyebrow. “Woah, holding my hand already?”
Momo pulled her hand back, flustered. “Focus!”
“I am focused,” Sana said. “On your academic success.”
“And?”
“And your handwriting. It’s cute.”
“That’s not academic!” Momo scoffed, dropping her pencil.
“Everything is academic if you try hard enough.”
Momo laughed again, softer this time.
Sana felt something warm bloom in her chest at the sound.
Dangerous.
Abort.
“So,” Sana said, pointing at the equation, “solve this and I’ll stop flirting for five minutes.”
“You’re flirting??”
“I thought it was obvious.” She rolled her eyes.
Momo buried her face in her sleeve, laughing. “You’re so bad at it!”
“Excuse you. That was premium material.
“You said my shampoo smelled educational!”
“It smells like knowledge and emotional growth.” She felt defensive, yes, she couldn’t come up with amazing things but she worked with what she had.
“That’s not a thing!”
“It is now.”
An hour in, Momo leaned back with a groan, flopping onto the rug.
“I can’t feel my brain.”
Sana lay down beside her, shoulders touching. “That’s because you’ve been using it. New experience.” She teased with a smirk.
“Rude.”
“Accurate.”
They stared at the ceiling in comfortable quiet. Sana could feel the warmth of Momo’s arm against hers, steady and real.
“You’re actually a good teacher,” Momo said softly.
Sana turned her head slightly. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. You don’t make me feel dumb.” The teasing answer sat on the tip of Sana’s tongue. She swallowed it, not wanting to do too much. “Cause you’re not dumb Momo, you’re a clever girl,” Momo wanted to talk back, ‘clever girl? What are you some old professor hitting on me?’ Instead she swallowed down the compliment with a sense of pride and joy.
“So if you pass,” Sana added, “I expect full credit. Maybe a trophy. Or at least a dramatic thank you speech where you call me your hot math mentor.”
Momo burst out laughing again, tension broken.
“Hot math mentor??”
“It’s a title. Respect it.”
“I’m never calling you that.” Sana smirked, “do you deny it tho?”
“What?”
“Is my title up to date?”
“Huh?”
“Ok, am I hot Momo?” Sana’s stare was intense, seductive even.
“O-oh, um , you’re ok,” she immediately looked away, this was way too dangerous, she feels like she’s betraying Mina for feeling this way.
“Really? After everything I’ve done for your future.” Sana pretended to act offended. “You can’t even call me hot?”
Momo nudged her shoulder lightly. “Thank you, Sana. Seriously.”
Sana smiled, softer now. “Yeah. You’re welcome.”