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Hirai Momo.
Hirai means to fly high in Japanese. And Momo knows this. She's capable of flying- not literally because she's sure if she ever threw herself off a cliff she'll end up dead and Sana won't be too happy about that- but metaphorically, to see everything like an eagle, her sharp shrewd eyes never missing a thing.
She's a flying eagle- Sana, who's stepping out of the dorm to go for a run points out that her name actually means flying peach, she ignores it- and because she's convinced she's a flying eagle she dwells deeper into a certain pattern she's noticed for a while between two people, between three people if she includes herself.
And right on cue, the idiot half of the two people that sends her eagle senses tingling enters the living room.
"Do you want do a vlive?" Nayeon grins.
The flying eagle doesn't miss an opportunity with its prey. Somehow the conversation drifts to hair colors during the live, she asks the fully grown adorable moron what color she likes on Mina's hair.
Mina? The idiot asks. And then she falls asleep. Or that's what it looks like with the far away look on her face, eyes glazed over. And she thinks. Thinks for a second. For ten seconds, for twenty. Momo wonders if she asked her about all her life decisions that led to this moment. But she's pretty confident she only asked what colour hair suits Mina the best. She finally gets an answer after a solid thirty seconds. "Black." Nayeon replies in a voice low and soft, unusual for her.
Curious.
She files away the information to the back of her head.
I'm not coloring my hair black, lol. Mina randomly declares on bubble.
And does the exact opposite. She takes rebirth as a brunette.
Nayeon takes rebirth as a dog. Her tongue hangs out a little, draws rapid little breaths whenever her eyes land on Mina.
Curious indeed. Momo muses.
Momo is positive, well used to be positive until the two subjects of her analysis decided to mess with her head, that she's not the most popular person of the group. It's definitely Nayeon, the babbling idiot, who draws everyone, except Mina, to her with her you'd-think-I'm-on-some-kind-of-drug-But-I'm-just-high-on-life energy.
So when Mina and Nayeon suddenly start showering her with affection and gifts, it has warning bells going off crazy in her head thanks to her spidey senses- eagle senses, she corrects herself, she shouldn't have let Sana convince her to watch the Spider-Man movie for the billionth time again last night.
"Momo gave me chocolates." Mina gushes on bubble, like it means the world to her to have her attention, to be the recipient of her affection. But Momo is the Flying Eagle, not the Flying Fool- she recalls easily how she didn't get more than a casual thanks when she actually gave those chocolates to her.
Interesting- she notes.
Nayeon appears couple of hours later, posting some random images of herself and a shot of a pathetically scrunched up M&M's in her hand.
Very interesting - she notes again.
All she needs now is a little research to validate her theory.
"Why is it called Bermuda?" Sana peeks over her shoulder to look at the notes in her hand. Momo smiles when a soft kiss is laid upon her naked shoulder, sighs into the warmth of her girlfriend and replies, "Because this triangle can put that one to shame."
Shame - : a feeling of guilt, regret, or sadness that you have because you know you have done something wrong.
That's how the online dictionary has defined the word to her. Momo is positive that neither Nayeon nor Mina are capable of feeling this particular emotion.
Because, they're flirting with her, shamelessly, when they know she has a girlfriend.
"You're the only one I see." Mina swoons. Nayeon stiffens next to her and hangs her head low. Momo's watchful eyes doesn't miss how even though the words are directed at her, Mina is actually looking at Nayeon through the corner of her eyes.
Nayeon flirts with her too. "Am I pretty?" She bats her eyelashes at her. Thousands of Onces are watching, so Momo reluctantly agrees Nayeon is the prettiest girl in the universe. The only consolation is that it's not entirely a lie, Nayeon is definitely one of the prettiest girls she's known, but in her eyes, her girlfriend tops the list.
"Did you see our vlive yesterday?" Nayeon tilts her head with a grin, asks Mina who's fixing her makeup in the mirror.
Mina gives her a blank stare that says what vlive.
The goofy grin disappears.
Momo wonders if she should change the name of her research to The curious case of Im Nayeon and Myoui Mina, because only a minute ago, Mina has pouted at her, and asked if she really thought Nayeon is the prettiest girl in the universe and when she shook her head in negative, she replied 'you better don't' in a tone that tells- warns her to not think of Nayeon that way.
"Baby." Sana glimpses at the spreadsheets she has on her computer and sighs, "You worry too much."
Momo takes one last look at the screenshot she's taken which has been filed as Exhibit 147- Mina bites her lips, an expression on her face which she can only describe as thirsty or hungry which is not possible as they just had a massive lunch before the shoot, as she stares at Nayeon from behind- closes the laptop and turns around to face Sana to claim her lips in a slow, heated kiss.
The research has to be continued at a later time, she decides, because her hands are busy conducting a research of their own on her girlfriend's body.
"Yahh! Mina's laughing at me." Nayeon whines, watching a replay of their online concert. Momo points out that Jihyo, Jeongyeon and Chaeyoung are laughing too.
Nayeon repeats with a huff, "Why is she laughing at me?!!" Momo gives up because Nayeon's one brain cell has decided to not see anyone else except Mina.
She comforts the older girl and says she found it adorable- the way Nayeon fully opens her mouth to control a sneeze, fails and lets it out on stage is nothing but that- and Momo observes that even though Mina is laughing, her eyes are soft around the edges like she's thinking that too.
"Momo." Mina snuggles into her side, and moves a puzzle piece to a corner, chuckling softly. "Wrong piece." Momo blushes, because she's plugged the dragon's tail into the Prince's butt, but continues with the task anyway.
She likes that Mina visits their dorm often- she only has admitted to Sana how scared she was that the nine of them weren't going to spend much time together after they moved to their separate dorms- she likes spending time with Mina building legos or fixing those monster puzzles that takes weeks to finish.
Nayeon walks past them every now and then- 'I'm going to make coffee' 'left my charger in the kitchen' 'it looks like it's going to rain from this window' she explains her trips even though no one asks- stopping often to look at their progress.
"Do you want to join?" Momo asks, when she walks past them for the hundredth time.
Mina doesn't look away from the puzzle.
"No, I'm super busy." Nayoen sighs.
When Mina is gone, and Momo wanders into Nayeon's room, she learns that eyes closed, mouth open in a soft snore, as you lay sprawled out on your bed dead to the world is what super busy looks like.
Momo is bored. The dorm is quiet because Nayeon is out shooting for an advertisement.
Sana whispers into her ears, "It's fine, I can find other ways to entertain you."- because she just texted Mina asking if she wants to come over to complete their puzzle and Mina has replied 'Can't today. Sorry xx.' - Momo forgets that she's supposed to be upset because her girlfriend's skilled lips makes her forget everything.
Well, everything except for one vital information; Mina drops in only when Nayeon is around.
Momo doesn't get any material for her research for a while after that because Nayeon and Mina don't interact at all. Mina doesn't even say her name. She even calls her that person during a particular shoot.
Momo notices how Nayeon walks around the dorm the rest of the day with a wounded puppy look on her face.
"How is your research coming up?" Sana hugs her from behind as she scribbles things on her notepad.
Pretty good, she admits, and glances at the paper in her hand.
So far she's concluded three things-
1. Nayeon is an idiot.
2. She's also clueless.
3. Point 1 and 2 also applies to Mina.
Nayeon moans the whole week about craving chocolates, it's beginning to get on Momo's nerves- Chaeyoung, the smitten cub lays a peck on the older girl's cheeks and gushes she's cute, the other members disagree and chime in with colorful adjectives like moron, grown up baby, pest , Mina ignores the chaos around her and plays a game on her phone- and Momo snaps, "Nayeon-chan, instead of whining why don't you just buy it?" Nayeon shrugs and says she's too lazy.
Momo decides to buy her some just to shut her up.
Momo has never seen an angel in her life before, well that's not really true because her girlfriend is definitely an angel, but she's never seen an angel who wears a figure hugging silver dress, and distributes expensive chocolates to all the staff and members. "I just felt like doing something nice for everyone today." Mina says with a smile.
Momo scrutinizes with her eagle eyes that Mina, like a nervous person about to propose constantly making sure the ring hasn't gone missing, fiddles with something in her coat pocket often.
Nayeon walks in sometimes later to join them for the shoot after finishing an individual project. A flash of disappointment tints her eyes when she sees everyone munching on chocolate except her.
Momo regards how she approaches Mina hesitantly, and asks if she can have some chocolate too, only to get, 'Sorry Nayeon-chan, it's all finished' in return. Her face falls. Her eyes blink rapidly like she's about to cry. She nods her head, gives a half shrug that says it's fine, that it doesn't matter when Momo knows for certain it's anything but that and turns around swiftly.
She narrows her eyes at Mina when she tugs on Nayeon's shirt sleeve with a soft 'wait' and retrieves something from her pocket.
"Ah!! I just found this in my pocket. Must have left it long ago." A heart shaped chocolate, wrapped neatly in gold paper, too shiny and new to be accepted as forgotten and sitting in a coat pocket for a long time, stares at Momo.
Nayeon mutters a low thanks and takes the offered chocolate.
When Nayeon tells her that night Mina treats her like an after thought, like an unwanted child, like a lone sock that needs to be thrown away, Momo solidifies her belief that her conclusion 1 and 2 are right.
Nayeon goes to visit her family for three days.
"Can I use your laptop?" Momo asks- stepping into Mina's room, doesn't wait for her permission and grabs the laptop, because they're all too comfortable around each other for formalities- Mina's eyes grow round and wide for some reason and Momo pretends she doesn't see all the bunny videos that's left open on the YouTube website.
Nayeon comes back the next day.
"Did anyone miss me?" She asks eagerly, watching Mina through the corner of her eyes.
"No." Everyone choruses. Mina shakes her head agreeing with everyone.
Nayeon pouts.
4. Points 1, 2 and 3 have been verified.
Momo writes in her notepad.
Mina's birthday rolls around. Everyone gets a tight hug and thanks in return when they give her gifts.
Nayeon goes to her last. She gifts her a gold chain- lies she found it online and Momo knows it's a lie, she spent a whole day with the older girl hopping from shop to shop, exasperated with her constant rejection of every piece of jewelry, ‘This is too bright, she is already dazzling.' This is far too thick, she's too delicate for it.' Mina tucks a lock of hair behind her ear, takes it with a whispered thanks and that's it, the hug that Nayeon is obviously waiting for doesn't come.
Momo doesn't miss the pretty pink dusting Mina's cheeks, she doesn't miss the crestfallen look on Nayeon's face either.
-She definitely doesn't miss Mina wearing the chain under her work clothes whenever she gets the chance, sometimes gazing at it fondly with a soft smile on her face.
-but Nayeon completely misses it because :
1. She is a fucking idiot.
2. She's fucking clueless.
Sana tells her that she should let them carry on with this dance around each other, that she should stay out of it because it's definitely going to blow up one day.
That one day comes far too soon for Momo's liking.
"Did you get your birthday kiss?" The host asks Mina who shakes her head in negative. One by one the girls rush in to plant a kiss on her cheek.
Nayeon stays behind watching everyone.
Momo watches how various emotions dances on her face- sadness, jealousy, frustration, and when it's her turn because everyone is done giving Mina kisses- shyness.
Momo is positive Mina mistakes the shyness for reluctance. "You don't have to. I'll take another one from Momo instead." She plays it off as a joke.
Mina leans in towards her and points to her cheeks. Momo lets out a soft breath, the cameras are watching so she plasters a playful smile on her face, and plants a gentle kiss on the waiting cheek.
Through the corner of her eyes, she sees Nayeon who's sporting silly grin on her face that tells the cameras she's happy she doesn't have to kiss, a grin that doesn't really reaches her eyes. Eyes that look broken and are blinking rapidly to keep the tears at bay.
And Momo isn't the only one who notices.
After the shoot, Chaeyoung gives Mina a disapproving glance and hugs Nayeon -who's struggling to keep her composure in front of the watchful eyes of her bandmates- tightly and lays a solid kiss on her forehead.
Nayeon pulls away, keeps her eyes brimming with tears focused on her backpack, gathers her stuff with shaky hands, reassures Chaeyoung that she's fine and rushes out of the studio like she doesn't want to break before them.
"Fix what you did." Jihyo tells Mina sternly.
Momo realizes that Jihyo has never used that tone with Mina before, nobody has ever used that tone with Mina before.
Mina drops to a chair in the studio defeatedly and buries her face in her hands.
Momo can't see, but she knows- feels, there are tears behind those dainty hands. She drags the girl to her dorm, and shoves her inside. "You can't get out of here until you both makeup."
"Right." The other members behind her agree.
She adds another point to her research later that night.
5. Love is about timing.
A phone holder that Mina made for Nayeon, comes flying out Nayeon's door, beads scattering all over the floor. Nayeon comes out after it, and yells, "I don't need you here."
She stops when she sees all the members in the living room. Her eyes, red and puffy, widens comically when they land on Mina.
Momo shakes her head in frustration.
"Mina-" Nayeon opens her mouth to say something, her tone apologetic.
Mina cuts her off, lifting a hand in air. She takes few steps forward into the room, crouches on the floor, picks up the pieces of the holder and stares at it.
She gets back up, eyes flashing with hurt as she searches for the nearest bin and throws it in there.
And then she marches out of the dorm, wiping angrily at her tears and Momo sweeps a glance at the idiot that's standing in the middle of the living room with a stunned expression on her face, and doesn't know whether to strangle her or pull her into a hug.
Momo has completed her research.
It's time to put her plan in action.
She writes, 'Get the two idiots in love together.'
It's not as simple as she thought.
Mina is stubborn. She avoids speaking to Nayeon, doesn't even look at her anymore. Momo doesn't know how she manages that even in shoots and interviews. She doesn't know if she should be upset or amazed.
Nayeon is pathetic. She wears a heart broken look on her face and stares at Mina from a distance. Momo kind of wants to pick her up, hug her and then throw her out the window right after, because she's so oblivious it's unendurable.
"Locking them up didn't work the first time around babe." Sana points out, "It won't work again."
Tzuyu hums. "Should we kidnap their dogs and threaten them to admit their feelings?"
Momo shudders.
Thankfully Jihyo cuts in immediately, "That's kind of extreme."
"What else are we supposed to do?" Jeongyeon queries.
"Deal with this reasonably." Dahyun says.
"How?" Chaeyoung asks curiously.
"Confrontation is the way to go." She announces.
Momo stands in the middle of the living room of Mina's dorm. On the two couches on either side are the members of her band- Jeongyeon, Sana and Jihyo sits with Mina, Chaeyoung, Tzuyu and Dahyun sits with Nayeon- and Nayeon and Mina aren't looking at each other.
"Okay now pass the mic to Mina." Momo says cheerfully- because she feels like she's Jerry Springer and even though Sana has insisted multiple times she isn't- Momo knows the eagle can be anything she wants to be.
"Uhmm Momo?" Tzuyu lifts her hand and waves it around, "There's no mic anywhere."
Momo rolls her eyes, they are singers, they emote through their songs, acting is supposed to be in their blood. She huffs and starts, "So Mina, why are you avoiding Nayeon?"
Mina shrugs her shoulder, "She said 'I don't need you here.' "
Nayeon immediately springs to her feet. Momo cuts her off. "You'll get your turn. Let the lady speak."
Turns out Nayeon has no respect for Jerry Springer. Or the Flying Eagle. Because she hastily continues, "I said that to the phone holder."
Mina eyes snap up, and she finally looks at Nayeon after ghosting her for three weeks. "A holder I made. It took me five days to make it, I laid awake after shoots to finish it so that I can give it on time for your birthday."
Nayeon sits back on the couch, mulling over the words with a surprised look. "You did that for me?"
Momo directs the next question again to Mina who has her gaze lowered to the floor. "How did her action make you feel Mina?"
Mina says in a small voice, "Like it meant nothing to her. Like my efforts meant nothing to her."
Momo nods in understanding. She fixes Nayeon with a scowl. "How would you like to explain yourself?"
"I didn't know she felt that way." Nayeon retrieves something from her back-pocket. The phone holder is back in shape, fixed, and perfect save for the few missing beads here and there, but immaculate nonetheless like the smile of a grandfather with his missing teeth, "I'm sorry."
Mina's eyes soften a bit as she sees the object that once broke her heart dangling in Nayeon's fingers. Her gaze travels up and settles on Nayeon's dark eyes.
Momo clears her throat as they continue to look into each other's eyes. "Back to you Mina. Why did you make Nayeon cry during your birthday shoot?"
Nayeon crosses her arms over her chest and huffs. "I didn't cry."
Mina asks at the same time, "I made you cry?"
Nayeon runs a hand through her short hair and averts her eyes, a flush creeping upon her cheeks as she admits, "A little."
"Why?" Mina asks before Momo can.
"You didn't want me to kiss you." Nayeon inspects her fingernails, "Like I'm despicable or something."
"You didn't look like you wanted to kiss me." Mina's tone is tinged with sadness.
"How could you think that?" Nayeon loses interest in her fingernails all of a sudden and stares at Mina with her mouth wide open. "I even kissed you on your lips for your birthday once."
"Then you said it was a joke." Mina retorts.
"I only said that because it embarrassed you." Nayeon scoffs, "You said it made you blush in your letter."
"Nayeon you fucking idiot." Jeongyeon guffaws, and Momo reminds her that it's not the audience's turn to talk yet, she gives her the finger and adds, "Did you ever think she probably blushed because she got shy and not because she got embarrassed?"
Nayeon finds her voice after a few seconds of staring at Mina who's staring at the floor again with a maddening blush on her face. "I'm not an idiot." She huffs, "I have my reasons to believe she doesn't like me the way she likes all of you." She narrows her eyes at Momo, "Especially you."
"State these reasons." Momo demands. The Eagle, in all her wisdom, knows the reasons are going to be fucking stupid.
"Well, she is always talking to you when she comes over." Nayeon's lower lip juts out, and Momo thinks that no one above the age of ten should be allowed to pout because it's ridiculous and childish, "Like I don't exist to her or something."
Sana cuts in and Momo pouts this time going against her earlier sentiment because she really thought her girlfriend would be the one person that respected the Jerry Springer aka The Flying Eagle aka Hirai Momo. "She only comes when you're around Nayeon-chan."
Nayeon snorts like she's heard a god damn joke and Momo thinks fuck Jerry Springer because this time it's not the participants that's going to cause chaos, she's the one who is going to beat her stupid ass up.
"She gave chocolates to everyone. And gave me some random one she found in her coat." She continues irrationally, oblivious to the blush growing deeper and deeper on Mina's face.
"Random one that was interestingly heart shaped." Dahyun rolls her eyes and Momo wonders if she's the Flying Eagle too because how the hell did she notice that?
"She said she only sees Momo." Nayeon whines, frustrated everyone, even the ones on her team, is ganging up on her. "What am I? Invisible?" She picks an imaginary lint off her jumper and mutters, "She's not the same with me, she's changed."
Mina's soft voice draws everyone's attention, "You only noticed me after I changed."
A painful silence fills the room.
"It's your turn Nayeon." Momo says, when the silence continues to stretch longer.
Nayeon shakes her head and Momo is confident she's going to punch her- until she rises on her feet and covers the distance to kneel before Mina and says, "I always notice you."
The younger girl looks up, and Nayeon lets out a soft gasp when she sees the unshed tears in those warm brown eyes. "How could I not notice you Minayah?" She wipes the tears with a gentle brush of her fingers when it begins to fall, "You're so warm, kind, thoughtful and beautiful. You might only see Momo, but you're the only one I see." Her eyes well over with tears as she says the last part in a broken voice.
Mina looks troubled, conflicted when she see those tears. "I said that to get a rise out of you." She admits softly.
"You called me that person. " Nayeon's voice cracks, she stares at the floor as the tears she has held back falls on it. "Do you know how much that hurt?"
"I'm sorry." Momo doesn't interfere as Mina lifts Nayeon's chin up with the tip of her finger. "I was only teasing you."
Nayeon smiles through her tears and offers her hand to shake. "So, friends?"
Momo, the Flying Eagle becomes Momo the Kungfu Panda as she jumps on Nayeon, knocking her over and rolling them both around on the floor.
"Nayeon-chan!! You fucking idiot!!" She grabs her collar and shakes her. The other girls don't interfere. "After everything she said you want to be friends?" She head-butts Nayeon, wincing when it hurts her own head. "It's fucking obvious to everyone she loves you."
"Get off me." Nayeon tries to push her away.
Momo shakes her again and again, "Not until you admit that you are in love with her."
Nayeon tries to wriggle out of her grasp unsuccessfully. The exertion makes her skin flush, breath shorten and she finally yells in frustration, "Fine, I love Mina. Okay. Now get off me."
Momo gets off immediately.
She looks at the audience and tells them with a wide grin. "Thanks for coming today. Drinks and food will be served at my dorm."
The members get the hint, and one by one they filter out of the dorm leaving behind a stunned Mina on the couch and a scared Nayeon on the floor and lock the door behind them.
"Anyone with an ounce of decency wouldn't eavesdrop." Momo tells the members who are hovering near the door.
"But because none of us have that, we can." Momo declares with a cheeky smile and all the girls push each other in their rush to plant their ears against the door.
"You love me?" They hear Mina's voice laced with wonder and awe, like she doesn't believe what she's heard.
Nayeon stutters, "Have for a l-long time."
"Why didn't you tell me?" The younger girl prods.
"Because you don't love me back." Nayeon answers hesitantly.
Momo wants to break the door open and kick her butt again. She only stops because Sana lays a calming hand on her shoulder.
"Nayeon-chan." Mina chuckles, "Why did I have to fall in love with an idiot?"
Momo grins, Mina has finally made her feelings obvious, there's no way Nayeon is going to miss the message this time.
"You're in love with someone?" Nayeon asks defeatedly.
Momo wonders if someone's holding a competition for Captain Clueless without telling her and Nayeon is secretly vying for the top spot.
"You really are an idiot." Mina says fondly. And then they hear nothing for a while.
Then they hear soft footsteps, and lips smacking against each other. Sound of their breaths. And then a small moan from Mina.
The girls scatter away from the door because their job is done.
Momo, The Flying Eagle's- she pouts at Sana when she corrects her again and says it's the Flying Peach really- sharp shrewd eyes never miss a thing.
She doesn't miss how Mina and Nayeon are the last ones to arrive for the shoot the next day.
She doesn't miss the dopey grin on Nayeon's goofy face.
She doesn't miss the faint bruise that travels from Mina's neck down to the valley between her breasts.
She definitely doesn't miss how they look at each other with their star crossed eyes when they think no one's looking or how they brush up against each other casually that leaves them both a blushing mess.
Because she's Hirai The Momo.
The fucking Flying Eagle that has made the Bermuda fall at her feet in surrender.