Mina would always walk to school and home alone because her mother couldn't drop or pick her, but under the circumstances, Momo insisted she would give her a ride everyday. That meant having to wake up a bit earlier to drop Sana at school first and then pick Mina up at her house, but Momo didn't care. Her father followed her while she was walking home alone, so Momo couldn't risk it. Mina opposed, of course. She didn't want to be that much of a nuisance to her friend. But Momo made her see that it was the best option for now. Admitting she was afraid of being alone, Mina ended up taking the offer.

The deal was effective the very next day. Even though she knew this was about Mina's safety, she thought about what would happen when Mina felt safe again. Maybe she would be so used to Momo's company she would want her ride anyway.

Momo arrived at Mina's building a little before 8:30am, the time they had agreed to. She spent her spare time rehearsing ways to pose with her bike, trying to figure out how she would look the coolest when Mina stepped outside. When she decided on the perfect stance, she kept it until Mina finally stepped outside, greeting her with a warm smile. Momo smiled back. It was as if the rise of Mina's cheeks triggered something in her body that made her suddenly need CPR.

"Good morning." They said at the same time, the both of them giggling after.

"I'm glad your wounds are better." Mina said, taking a closer look at the blonde. The bruise on her cheek was barely noticeable now and the lip cut was starting to heal too.

"Y-Yeah, the medicine you applied did all the job! Well, it was you that applied it, so you did the job, right, well..." Momo stuttered, making Mina laugh. As long as it made Mina smile, she didn't mind making a fool out of herself. "Thank you."

"Oh, i-it was nothing." Mina looked away, tucking a piece of hair that fell to the front of her eyes behind her ear.

Mina didn't just treat Momo's wounds. She trusted Momo enough to tell her about her fear of showing her body, she let Momo hug her close and the most important, she let Momo protect her.

"How are you feeling?" Momo asked, handing her the helmet.

"I'm... okay. Better now that you're with me." Mina said before putting the helmet on her head.

Momo wasn't ready for that answer. She rushed to put her own helmet, attempting to hide the ear to ear grin on her lips and her red cheeks.

---

Momo told her sister and her boyfriend what happened, because she trusted them more than anyone. But she forgot that, even though her wounds were better, they were still visible. Of course people would ask what happened. Tzuyu and Pinky were the first curious people to ask about it when Momo arrived at school, along with Mina. Momo threw her partner a look, her eyes showing as much concern as her own. There was no way she could tell the truth without having to reveal Mina's situation, and she wouldn't do it out of respect. Actually, she could say she was slapped by a creep that was harassing Mina without saying who he was. But Sana, noticing how hard Momo struggled to figure out what to say, stepped in.

"She was walking behind me, following me to my room, but I didn't notice her, so I slammed the door right in her face." Sana hugged her from her side and pouted, forcing a cute tone in her voice. "I hurt my sis! Sana-chan is such a klutz~!"

What a save.

"I-It's okay, Sana! You didn't do it on purpose, we all know how clumsy you are, right?" Momo hugged her back, patting her head.

Momo took a look around to see everyone's reactions. The sisters laughed, Tzuyu stealing Sana from Momo's hug, pinching her cheek.

"How many times do I have to tell you to be more careful with your surroundings? I don't want you to get hurt!"

Momo frowned. She was the one hurt and all Tzuyu worried about her girlfriend possibly getting herself hurt.

"You worry too much about me, Tzuyu."

"Priorities." Pinky patted Momo's shoulder, shrugging with a mocking smirk. "You're a tough girl."

Momo ended up laughing along with the others, eyeing Mina by the corner of her eyes. She was smiling. Even if she wasn't that much of a tough girl, she needed to be. Because she had someone that needed her to be tough in her place.

---

The practice of the day before really took a toll on Momo's ankle. It had started to hurt at Mina's house, but when she got home and laid down on her bed to call Jungwon and tell him what happened, the pain on her ankle struck even harder. It was swollen, so she needed ice to keep the swelling down. When she got up, she lost all the strength on her leg with the pain. She ended up calling Sana for help. With rest and ice, she could at least walk the next day.

But throughout the day, and with classes, it started hurting again. Momo was growing worried as the pain increased, because their academy showcase would be in two days and she couldn’t be injured.

Being Thursday meant having academy practice, and it was going to be the last one before the showcase. She needed to make an effort to endure the pain so she could finish mastering the ’24 hours’ choreography with Mina. 

They all practiced 'U Go Girl' a couple times to be sure it was perfect. Victoria was more than satisfied with it, so she dismissed the other units to different practice rooms to practice their acts. 

Since Mina and Momo were going to perform '24 Hours' barefoot, Mina suggested they practiced like that for the day. Momo took off her sneakers, completely forgetting about the bandage on her ankle. She didn’t want Mina to see it because she would feel guilty, but it was too late now. She had already noticed it, her eyes staring at it in concern.

“Momo-senpai... You said you weren't hurt.” 

“Oh, I-I'm not! It’s just a bit sore, nothing to worry about!” She, once again, lied.

Mina nodded, her straight lips showing her suspicion.

They started the choreo sitting on the floor, back to back. Momo struggled to get up when they needed to, but she somehow managed. She still had to bite her lip so she wouldn’t hiss in pain, but her frown betrayed her. She was glad Mina didn't notice.

Thing was, that wasn't the only time Momo had to go to the floor and get back up in the routine. About ten seconds later, they had steps on the floor again, and this time, Momo didn't manage to get up. She tried, resulting in a stronger pain on her ankle, making her stumble and fall to her side.

"Momo-senpai!" Mina rushed to her, to stop her from trying to get up again. "You are hurt!"

"I-I just tripped, I'm fine!" Momo kept insisting, but Mina held her arms and made her sit on the floor.

"Stop lying to me!" Mina looked straight into Momo's eyes, making her look somewhere else. "And stop pretending you're okay! Don't you think It's hard enough to look at the wounds in your face? And remembering that it was my fault? Having to watch you endure the pain in your ankle just makes me feel worse, because I know it was also my fault! So just stop hurting yourself even more!" She said, making an effort to speak louder than the song still playing.

Momo slowly moved her head to look at Mina. Why did she look like she was about to cry? Momo had just promised herself she wouldn't let Mina cry, and there she was, about to cry because of her stubborn attitude.

The song was coming to an end, so Momo waited for silence in order to speak, pushing Mina to sit in front of her.

"I'm sorry." She said, looking back to Mina's eyes, but only for a couple seconds. "I didn't want to bother you about this when you have much more important things to worry about now."

"And that makes you think I don't worry about you?" Mina said, grabbing Momo's hand, making her eyes widen and her breath stop. "My father went after me, but you were the one getting hurt! Now he might as well want to go after you because you hit him, don't you think I'm worried sick about your safety too?! More than my own, because you want to be with me, and I know you will want to protect me if anything happens. That means you can get hurt again!"

"And I don't mind getting hurt if that means you're safe."

Their eyes met and silence settled in. Mina was still holding on Momo's hand, squeezing it as she broke the silence.

"Why, Momo-senpai? Why are you willing to get hurt because of me?"

Momo smiled.

"I don't quite know myself, Myoui-chan. But I can't stand seeing you crying, in fear or in pain, so I want to do everything in my power to protect you. I guess I worry too much about you."

Momo was impressed with how easy it was for her to say what she had just said, with how the words just flew without her thinking about them first, with how honest she was with herself and her own feelings.

"Why do you say you worry too much about me?"

"I can ask you the same."

More silence, another stare. Momo didn't know if she was actually expecting Mina to answer it, but she sure was hoping for it. She wanted to know how Mina felt about her, why did she worry and care so much about her. So many times Momo found herself questioning things like that, and maybe now she could get the answer.

Mina cupped Momo's hand between hers, looking at them.

"You're a very important person to me, Momo-senpai. And I... I like you. Very much."

"I like you too, Myoui-chan." Momo smiled. It felt good admitting it like that.

"Yeah but I... I really like you." Mina met Momo's eyes. "Like, really."

"And I really like you too. That's why I care about you."

Mina's lips formed a small smile, as she dropped her head, slightly shaking it with her eyes closed.

"That's... good to hear." Mina's smiled even more, as she looked at her again.

"So, there's nothing you can do to stop me from sticking to you to be sure you're okay." Momo smiled, winking.

"I think I can live with it." Mina teased, making them both laugh.

They completely forgot that they were in academy practice. Only Victoria's knock on the door made them remember. The girls shot an alarmed look at their teacher, feeling guilty for slacking like that. But Momo was injured, so even if they hadn't spent the last 15 minutes talking and sharing their feelings with each other, Mina wouldn't have let Momo dance anyway.

"Taking five?" Victoria asked.

"Y-Yeah!" Momo answered between her teeth.

"A-Actually, Momo-senpai is injured, so I was telling her we should stop for today."

"Injured? What happened?" Victoria approached and squatted near them, eyeing Momo until she found the bandage on her ankle. "Ankle sprain?"

"I-It's just sore."

Victoria looked concerned.

"Make sure to rest your foot a LOT. Our showcase is in two days! Of course I'm not making you dance if you're not healed until then, but make sure to rest and apply ice regularly."

"Y-Yes. I'll be fine until then."

"I was going to massage her ankle too, I think it would help." Mina said, arranging herself on the floor and placing Momo's foot carefully on her lap.

Momo widened her eyes and Victoria smiled.

"Great! You're in good hands, I see! I'm gonna check how the others are doing." Victoria stood and left, smiling at them before closing the door.

"S-Sorry, I-I hope you don't mind, I didn't ask if I could-"

"It's okay! A massage would be nice, actually."

Mina nodded and started removing the bandage around her ankle, slowly and carefully so she wouldn't hurt her. Momo felt her cheeks warming up and her skin shiver with Mina's touch. So gentle and caring, just like last day's.

"Tell me if it hurts." Mina said, rubbing her ankle with her thumbs.

Momo nodded. It hurt a bit, but it felt good at the same time. Momo had no idea Mina also knew how to do massages. The question was – what wasn't Mina good at?

The minutes passed without a single word shared. It felt like heaven. Mina had her eyes on her hands, massaging Momo's ankle, while Momo had her eyes on Mina. Analyzing her face, her features, like she was seeing her for the first time, reflecting about the words she said just a bit ago. Momo really liked Mina, and she was still clueless about the reason why. She had had a lot of girl friends, but she never worried, cared or liked them like she did with Mina. Just... why?

---

Momo had to insist even more to ride Mina home after practice, because she didn't want her to make effort on her foot. Even with Sana going to Tzuyu's house, she needed to ride her bike anyway to go home herself, so what was the difference? Mina could not argue with Momo's reasoning, so she complied.

They reached Mina's house and bid goodbyes. Momo was waiting for Mina to go inside when she turned to face Momo.

"M-Momo-senpai... Do you mind keeping me company?"

How could she say no?

---

"Are you hungry?" Mina asked, after arranging the pillows under Momo's foot on the footrest.

"Y-Yes." Momo admitted. When wasn't she hungry?

Mina smiled and headed to the kitchen, leaving Momo alone, comfortable on the couch, trying to find something interesting to watch on the TV.

After a few minutes, Mina was back with a tray in her hands, placing it on the coffee table. Momo's eyes shined with how delicious those cheese, ham and egg toasts seemed. Mina sat next to Momo, handing her a toast and grabbing the other for herself. Momo muttered a thank you and munched on it. It tasted as good as it looked.

"Tell me something, Myoui-chan," Momo said, before taking a sip on the orange juice, while Mina looked curious at her. "Is there anything you're not good at?" Mina frowned in confusion. "I mean, you're good at everything! You're good, wait no, you're great at dancing, you know a lot of English, you're good at video games, you know how to do massages and you also cook well! This toast is delicious!"

"I-It's just a simple toast..." She said, looking away. "But thank you."

"Oh, and even though I never heard it, I know you're great at singing." Momo added, taking another bite.

Mina looked back at her. Momo could see how her cheeks were redder than before.

"If you never heard it before, how do you know?"

"Because you're a Dance and Vocal student, so you sing well, right?"

"That doesn't exactly mean I'm good at singing."

"But I know you are." Momo said, her eyes wandering to the TV again.

Mina smiled.

"Do... Do you want to hear it?" She unconsciously whispered.

"What?"

"Me... singing."

Momo eagerly beamed at Mina, excited about the fact she was finally going to hear her sing.

"Yes."

Mina put her unfinished toast on the tray, muted the television and arranged herself on the sofa, with her left leg under her , her body slightly turned to Momo. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. Momo was sure Mina could hear her heart beating during the silence of the next couple seconds, before she opened and let the melody fly.

The time we spend together everyday is not enough,
I hide my feelings again on this sad day.
"Stay a little longer",
I wanted to say it, but I couldn't.
My heart wants to give you more than anything you've seen.
I hope you realize that I want nothing else other than that.
Oh baby,
Perhaps you might be waiting for me,
Perhaps you might want to see me.
Just think about what you like.
What should I do?
You're sweeter than ice cream that melts me baby,
You melt me with your smile and words.
I see only you,
Tell me you love me.
You're sweeter than the ice cream that melts me,
I hear your voice.
Become my butterfly,
Flying towards the fragrant flowers.

If Momo tried to explain in words how much in awe she was, she would fail miserably. She knew Mina could sing. But never she imagined her voice would sound so unique, so compelling, so... impossibly pleasant. All that minute felt like an out of body experience. Like she was melting and turning to mush.

Mina's eyes slowly opened and met Momo's. She was waiting for a reaction, an opinion, something. But Momo was still coming back from heaven.

"So, not only I was right about your singing skills, but your Korean is also perfect."

"T-Thank you. I've been learning and practicing it a lot."

"Wait, you're actually learning Korean?"

"Yes."

Her eyebrows raised until they couldn't anymore. Momo was beyond impressed. Mina couldn't be a human, there was no way.

"But really, you sing... really well. You're really talented, Myoui-chan, and you put a lot of feeling into your singing."

Mina smiled, looking down at her hands on her lap.

If only Momo knew the meaning of the words Mina just sang to her... Maybe she could understand the feeling Mina put into it.

---

A/N: Seems like Mina is really trying to make Momo see how she feels sdiugbsiudgbai poor Mina ;___; if you didn't get it, the song Mina sang was Melting AAAAAAAAA I LOVE THAT SONG SO MUCH and it represents her feelings so well omg
Okay so I can say... prepare for next chapter. Something is going to happen.............. keke