Work Text:
the first time momo cares for mina:
Mina's stomach felt empty, like all the food she ate this week was taken out and thrown into the drains of their dirty school sinks. It's the first time she felt this lightheaded and lethargic.
Void of any energy to continue scrolling, she turns off her phone with a yawn, throwing it on the nightstand before counting the imaginary sheep on the ceiling of her bedroom.
They say that your senses get heightened when you lose another one. In this case, Mina lost her sense of sight (because her room is awfully dark and the curtain's closed which completely covers the moonlight). So it's either she's hallucinating or her nose just got an upgrade because why– actually, how in the actual hell can she smell kimchi?
Really? In the middle of the night? On a Friday? That's unusual for her loud neighbors– who don't even know how to properly turn on a stove next-door. And what the hell, almost everyone in Korea knows how to make kimchi.
The loud knocks of the main door echoed through her dorm. Mina groans in annoyance, her eyes being forced open at the unpleasant knocking of that stupid portal to the outside world full of socialization.
Even the task of getting up from her bed seemed herculean. It was too hard for her to do, now that she found the best position for her foot to be in the blanket.
She assumes that it's one of those fuckgirls who want to hit on her roommate again. So she shouts about Nayeon not being here (well I mean, it is true. Nayeon's at Jeongyeon's dorm), securing herself in her comforter like the small slab of crab that's settled nicely inside a roll of kimbap.
"Nayeon?" A deep, muffled voice questions. "Oh- no wait- uh- I'm not-"
The girl sighs audibly. Mina's certain that the girl's body leans against the doorframe since there was a loud thump that resonated through the whole dorm– and probably a few cracks considering that Nayeon almost broke the doorframe after slamming Jeongyeon against it while making out, "It's Momo."
Mina rolls over, covering her head with a pillow and kicking her sheets out of frustration for a good minute before standing up.
She drags her feet and opens the bedroom door. It takes a few groans and mutters of complaints and frustrations before she reaches the main entrance of her dorm. Mina's hand approaches the silver knob, but she quickly retracts it out of contemplation.
She scratches her head. Does she really want to open the door and socialize with another human?
A few seconds were spent with silence and pure thinking before Mina goes for it and swings the door wide open, averting her gaze to avoid Momo's eyes. "What brings you here?"
Momo's head turns to Mina. There was a glass tupperware barely even balancing on her arm and a butter toast sandwiched between her plump lips.
Her eyes crinkled at the corners, a response to the surprised expression painted on Mina's face.
"Is this.. food?"
"Yup," Momo manages to speak while chewing a small bit from her toast, the tupperware almost falling down (luckily, Momo tucked it in between her arm and chin) "You've been paler than usual, Mittang."
"Mittang?"
Momo clears her throat, rubbing her chin with her knuckles. "Uh- I assumed you didn't eat, since well, midterms."
Mina tried desperately not to scramble and jump out of the window because of this sudden act of.. affection that she has certainly never received before.
The food inside instantly tempted Mina's eyes, her vision seemingly focused on the noodles. "Is this for me?"
"Who else would it be for?" Good point. Momo smiles, an assuring hand landing effortlessly on Mina's shoulder despite the small food container on her arm daring to fall. "Can I come in?"
Mina steps aside, making way for Momo before softly closing the door. She notices the girl's careful steps, chuckling at the way she tiptoed while balancing the tupperware before finally putting it on the kitchen island.
Momo dusts the crumbs off her palms. Her brows furrow at the unusual darkness of Mina's dorm. "Are you turning emo or something?" She jokes, a fist hitting her shoulder.
"No, not really." Mina smiles, sensing how it's difficult for Momo to adjust to the darkness. She scurries towards the switch, her thumb flipping it to turn on the lights. "I just got home a little over five minutes ago."
Momo huffs, scrunching her nose at the light suddenly hitting her eyes. She scans the younger's dorm, finding the cleanliness of the room bizarre. It was void of any warmth or presence, like a person didn't even live there.
"Am I allowed to touch your bowls and utensils?" Mina sighs at the dumb question, but nods anyway. "Right."
She watches intently as Momo grabs the small white bowl on the top shelf, taking some chopsticks from the kitchen drawer under the sink and placing them on the table. "You know your way around my kitchen don't you?" Mina jokes.
"No, it's just intuition." Momo opened the tupperware and set the lid on the marble countertop, "I didn't break into your dorm or anything."
The reply she got didn't match her light energy. It was serious, much to Mina's surprise. Momo was never serious, she was goofier than that dog in Mickey Mouse.
She pulls the chair for Mina to sit on, leaning on the opposite end of the island. She smiles, feeling her cheeks get warm as Mina tastes the ramen with kimchi.
She watches intently as Mina's forehead creases at the taste. Momo tries to take in every little detail of Mina's expressions. The way her nose scrunches every time she takes a bite out of the cabbage, the way she licks her lips when sauce drips from her mouth (and how she wants to wipe it off), the way she slurps the noodles and covers her mouth, or the way her lips curl upward and her eyes close while tasting the food she made just for her.
Momo sighs, gently taking Mina's wrist into her palms. "Slowly." She lets go, an exhale of worry escaping her mouth. "Your food isn't going to run away from you."
Mina nods, moving a bit more carefully after getting scolded. Momo softly pinches Mina's cheeks, earning a small, shy glance in return.
She clears her throat to speak. "I'm actually quite disappointed in you." Momo says.
Mina's head darts up from her food. "Why?" She asks in between slow munches, wiping the sauce that dripped from her lips with the back of her hand.
"You try to survive college life off of stupid and unhealthy instant food when you should eat healthy stuff like this," Momo taps the side of the tupperware, "Not those plastic noodles." She grabs a small, chopped radish from the kimchi with her chopsticks and transfers it to Mina's small bowl.
"Don't starve yourself, please."
Mina's heart melted after that.
the second time:
Mina dreaded the idea of P.E. classes. And no, it wasn't because of the activity itself, it was because of their stupid coach.
It may sound irrational from Mina's perspective, but Coach Park's stare can make you confess to crimes you didn't even commit (not to mention his jaw-dropping sarcasm that makes you think: How the hell is this man so religious yet so offensive with his words?
Speak of the devil, there he is.
"You're late, Myoui." He scoffs, gesturing at the track field. "If you were one of the Israelites during the parting of the red sea, Moses would've left you by now."
God, Mina hated that man.
And she hated the way Momo snickered behind the line of students.
"Run, ten laps. I'm giving you twelve minutes." Coach brought his arm closer to his face and squinted at the time, turning his watch around and sliding his hand inside the pocket his gym shorts.
If Mina's professor told her to make a diagnosis right now, she'd be telling Coach Park to get some glasses. That man is more nearsighted than Nayeon.
"No warm-ups."
Oh you have got to be kidding me. Mina eyed the coach, feeling the burning stare of his eyes onto hers. "No warm-ups or a low GPA?"
If she had the rights, she'd choose the low GPA.
But with Coach Park's pedigree (being one of the great-great-great grandchildren of one of the founders of the university), it'd take him ten thousand twerks in front of the principal to get his teacher's license revoked. No amount of student complaints could get him fired– well, maybe twenty thousand, but there aren't enough students in the university.
Mina rolls her eyes, and goes straight for it. Her sneakers touch the wet, peach concrete. The after-smell of the rain was evident.
Maybe it isn't so bad after all.
She starts speeding up, her moving figure can be compared to a leaf being blown by a violent wind.
Mina feels a big lump form in her throat, swallowing it down until all that's left is the feel of her shoes crashing the pavement of the track field. One wrong step and-
Slam! She tumbles over, her elbow scratching the hard surface and her body following her head's movement.
That movement can be described as sadly falling down to the dusty surface of their track field.
Yeah, it's bad. Bad bad.
Damn her foot.
Mina braces herself and pushes upward, her elbow supporting her body.
She manages to stand up, but the weight on her leg (and the g-force) pushes her back down. Mina tumbles at the sharp pain stabbing her ankle, a shaky exhale escaping her mouth, so she gives up and lies down there. "I- can't stand up"
And before she was even aware, two swift hands grab her body and swoop her off the ground.
That sensation suddenly jerked Mina's nerves back to life. She isn't entirely sure what she's feeling. Maybe it's something about the thought of Momo carrying her, or the smell of cappuccino and musk that she gives off, but it's probably because Momo's here. It's probably because Mina can see, touch, and smell her right?
Right?
"Now that is an inversion ankle sprain." Momo says, slightly amused, "How are my piggyback skills?"
Mina couldn't care less about Momo bragging about her very little knowledge about medical terms.
What she does care about though, is the way her heart fluttered when Momo picked her up.
"They're okay."
the third time (and the first time mina finally does something about it):
She doesn't know how exactly it happened, but she's thankful it did.
Mina lets out a long exhale, examining the bruises on the girl's cheek, her fingers slightly grazing Momo's face.
"Goodness, Hirai." Mina clicks her tongue, sighing before she feels the tenderness of Momo's skin under her thumb. "Was it really necessary for you to get into a fistfight?"
It was out of character, really. Of all people, it was Momo who did that. The girl that would pick up an ant when it's lost with a sheet of paper to bring the little bug back to its colony punched and fought a guy in a little college party. "Don't you think he needed to get humbled?"
She expected Jeongyeon to be the first person in their friend group who would punch a person. Mina was still in disbelief when she saw how Momo ripped the dignity out of that man when she punched him in the groin, scoffing as he tumbled over and spilled the juice on his pathetic (as Momo liked to call it) little varsity shirt.
Mina sighs, her forehead creased at Momo's remark. "Look, I know it's frustrating but-"
"Frustrating? It was more than frustrating." She says sternly, her hands fisting the younger girl's sweater as Mina applies an ice pack on her bruises, "He almost gave you a panic attack because of his stupid.. requests."
"But still," Mina brushes away a stray wisp of hair away Momo's cheekbones, pressing an ice pack onto the skin, "You didn't really have to do that."
Momo winces before staring down at the ground, hissing at the pain. "You pressed too hard there."
Mina mumbles an apology, taking Momo's chin into her hands and lifting it up. She clicks her tongue, caressing the bruise below Momo's chin. "You know, I'm surprised no teeth fell out of that naughty mouth of yours."
Momo smiles at that, her lips turning into a tight pink line as Mina's thumb softly caresses her bruised chin. "What are you doing this time?"
"Oh," Mina rubs her suddenly itchy nose with a slightly shaking thumb, biting the inside of her cheeks, "Nothing."
Momo flashes Mina a grin. She stretches her neck from side to side, feeling tiredness spread through the strings of her muscles. "What? Too scared to tell me the reason?" She says, the cockiness evident in her voice.
"Will you please shut up for once?" Mina scoffs, "Do you want me to punch you like that man did?"
Momo rapidly shakes her head. "Good, now quiet." Mina lets out an exhausted sigh, a hand supporting Momo's head to keep it from moving. She watches as salty drops of water trickle down Momo's neck, and Mina can't help but wonder why she's sweating despite the perfectly fine air conditioning in the library.
"Don't be so nervous." Mina chuckles at the sudden flush of red creeping up Momo's neck, leaning closer inch by inch to observe the bruises until Momo can feel her hot breath against her neck, "You survived a fistfight, this ice pack won't hurt you."
Momo mumbles something inaudible before tilting her head, exposing the small bruise below her jaw. "There's still some here."
Mina's heart drops for a split second, and now all of a sudden her heart's frantically pounding and her hands are suddenly clenched tightly on the ice pack she's holding.
"What are you waiting for?" Momo asks, taking Mina's wrist and leading the small pack on the small bruise.
Momo sighs with relief. She slowly rests her heavy forehead on Mina's shoulder, losing her grip on the younger girl's wrist little by little. "Keep it there for me."
and the second time mina does something about it:
Their footsteps resonated against the creaky floors of the library, slowly getting softer and softer as they exit the building and feel the winter evening wind graze their exhausted expressions.
Mina yawns, the action being halted to a stop when Momo's hands slightly bump into hers. "Ice cream? Really? It's 7PM, it's winter, and we didn't even eat dinner yet."
"What? I can cook you dinner later." Momo says in a rather grumpy tone as they walk outside the snowy campus.
Oh, so you're serious. "You really think I'd believe you?" She asks, a doubtful brow creasing her forehead.
"I'm serious." Momo gets down on one knee, sighing and rolling her eyes.
Momo pats the soft rubber of Mina's shoes, feeling the rough laces of the girl's sneakers with her sweaty palms. "Tsk, why do you not notice little things like this?" She takes the shoelaces into her fingers, tying them and securing it in place.
"Oh," Mina smirks, her eyes trailing over to Momo's hands. "You're good at tying knots, aren't you?"
Ah, do you really have to flirt again Mina? An innuendo? Seriously? Momo looks away, the heat on her cheeks making it unbearable to look at Mina in the eye. "Is this an innuendo?"
"Psh," Mina laughs, patting the girl's shoulder, "I'll leave it to your imagination. Let's get our ice cream."
Still filled with disbelief, she follows Mina. As they approach the sidewalk, Momo makes sure to be at the area of the pavement nearer to the road since well, that's what good people (or green flags or whatever they call it) do right? The sidewalk rule? Momo lets out a shaky exhale, cold mist materializing from her mouth.
They walk in silence, trench coat pockets filled with warm and sweaty hands. Mina feels the unusual closeness of Momo from the way their bodies nudge every now and then– how the faint scent of Momo's cologne is travelling into her nose.
They approach the flickering neon sign of the convenience store. Momo pushes open the door, a jingle from the action almost deafening her. A gray rug welcomes their shoes as they enter the convenience store. Greeting the cashier, they scurry through the cramped aisles filled with distracting goods. Their only priority was ice cream– Momo's priority was to get the ice cream, and if it was Momo's priority, then it was hers too.
When they reach the end wall of the convenience store– the one lined up with fridges full of beverages and soju, Mina opens every single condensed door. It was hard to see from the mist that built up from the previous customers that used it, so it took them quite a bit. Momo did the same. This time, she opened the freezers starting from the right end corner of the wall.
Mina found the pints, tubs, and cones, and they both chuckled. "It's here!"
Momo closes the fridge door, tilting her head to Mina before fully processing what she just said.
"What flavor?" Mina asks, skipping through the melon-flavored ice cream, "I'll get the mint chocolate, you?"
Momo hums, using her hand to support the door while resting her head on top of Mina's as their eyes scroll through the fridge. "This one." She takes a cheesecake-flavored cone with her free hand, closing it once Mina is done.
Momo walks towards the counter, placing the cones on the conveyor belt. She spots Mina grabbing her wallet from her bag and rummaging through it.
"Hey," She carefully takes the wallet away from Mina's hands and puts it in her bag. Momo grabs some spare change from the cafeteria food she bought earlier at lunch today and uses it to pay. "I'll pay."
Mina's eyes dart to something else, focusing on the tables outside to calm her racing heart. That warmth when Momo touched her wallet and fingers sent shivers hotter than the rising greenhouse levels.
Her trail of thought suddenly gets cut off. "Fifteen thousand won?" The taller girl's jaw drops in shock. That's around five thousand won more than the usual price! Mina pushes the jaw up, a hot sensation invading her fingers. Momo visibly gathers herself together and slides over the bill to the cashier.
After paying, they both mumble a soft thanks to the cashier before heading out the store, hearing the jingle of the door chime as they struggle to open it.
Momo grunts, struggling to push the door.
"Stupid," Mina chuckles and smacks Momo's shoulder, "It says pull, not push."
Momo scoffs, pulling the door open and heading out. "Walk while eating, rest while eating, or run while eating?"
Mina takes some time to think. "Walk." Absolutely walk, it's been a while since they had some physical activity since their examination-slash-hell week just ended.
They stop in their tracks after feeling something fall on their shoulders.
Snow?
It's snowing. "It's snowing!" Momo smiles, sticking her tongue out to taste the flakes. Mina rolls her eyes, shaking her head in an attempt to remove the sudden cold shivers surrounding her neck.
Mina feels a pat on her shoulder, turning to face Momo removing her scarf. She shakily wraps it around her neck, making sure it stays in place. It's that feeling again. That hot, tingling sensation creeping up her neck again like the magma rising up a volcano.
Momo clears her throat, unwrapping the ice cream and tossing the wrapper into a nearby trash can. "Do you want me to hold your hand?"
Momo's head turns to Mina for a brief moment, before looking back at the trash can. "Why?"
Mina chuckles, her gummy smile making Momo's stomach fill up with fireworks. "Don't be ridiculous" She takes the older girl's shivering hands, sliding their intertwined fingers in Momo's pocket, "You already have a bruised face, I don't want you to suffer with frostbite."
"And besides," Mina warms up her hand, rubbing her thumb over Momo's, "I'm here to keep you warm."
Momo smiles, an exhale of comfort escaping her chapped lips. "Thanks." She squeezes their hands together, lightly scratching the top of Mina's hands with the tip of her fingers.
Momo takes a small bite out of her ice cream, and Mina laughs at the sight of ice cream on the tip of Momo's nose. Momo eyes her out of confusion. "What is it?"
They stop in their tracks. Mina motions towards her nose in an attempt to notify Momo of the bit of ice cream she had on it. She didn't seem to understand the gesture, tilting her head instead. A groan comes out of Mina's mouth, and with her hand– the one that isn't in the older girl's pocket, she wipes it off, licking the cream off her finger and looking back up at-
Why did I do that? Momo stares at her, a blank expression plastered on her face.
Mina suddenly feels self-conscious. The sudden squeeze of Momo's hands, the cold wetness of the mint-chocolate ice cream wrapper on her hand– what does she look like? Shit, the results would come out next week and she might fail and-
And a pair of lips land on hers, stopping all rational thought. It was just too much. Mina's breath hitched, and there was that warmth, and a hand that cupped her cheek, and she was frozen again before finally returning the comforting energy Momo's kiss sent to every nerve in her body.
Yeah, it was romantic. Imagine sharing a kiss while it's snowing at 9:24 PM with Momo. Shit, she's kissing Momo. Hirai Momo. Campus crush, smart-but-dumb-at-the-same-time Momo. Her best friend, Momo.
In disbelief, Mina quickly pulls away. "Shitshitshitshit."
Momo grumbles, "I- shit sorry I got carried away when you wiped off-" Mina licks her lips. The cheesecake flavor of the other girl's ice cream invades her sense of taste. She starts staring at Momo rambling, trying to compose herself. "or when you placed that stupid ice pack on my face earlier I reallywantedtokissyoualready."
Mina chuckles and places a thumb on Momo's lips. She sneaks a kiss on the tip of her nose, wrapping her arms around the girl's neck and pulling her closer like she waited her whole life for this moment. And oh boy, it was worth it.
Mina softly grazes her lips each and every one of Momo's bruises, being careful not to hurt her. The the vibrations from the girl's laughter touch her lips in the most delicate ways possible. And no, she absolutely does not give a fuck if it's snowing and they're on a sidewalk and there's a small probability that once their lovey-dovey kissing is over, they might slip on the pavement and the next thing they know is that they're in the afterlife. She doesn't care about that.
The bruises on Momo's face look like galaxies, painted with a slight purple. People say they look disgusting, and that bruises are a sign of sickness or clumsiness, but no. When they're placed on Momo's faces, the bruises look so beautifully situated. They show just how much the girl cares for Mina, and it somehow gives her a sense of comfort in her chest that slowly swells into a feeling of euphoria.
Mina plants one long and final kiss on the girl's lips, before opening her ice cream wrapper and tossing it in the bin. "We should do that more often, don't you think?"
Momo nods. "I can do that until all oxygen from the deepest recesses of my lungs gets deprived of your affection."