a/n: Broken Clocks by SZA

Also, thank you to the few who commented that they enjoy the story! It makes me happy others like it since when I thought of this fanfic I was very excited to write it :)

...

Dahyun woke up as early as she usually did, happy to be able to greet the morning. 

She stretched out her body on her bed, yawning deeply. She felt great, no signs of nerves from not having had slept without a night light. Dahyun got up, in order to begin to get ready. Today, she wanted to make breakfast for herself instead of going out and buying something. There was something about cooking that made Dahyun feel as though she had achieved something great, even if most of the time her 'dishes' looked a little...off. 

As Dahyun stood, she caught sight of her still soundly asleep room mate. It was quite obvious she didn't have any morning classes, and if she did, she was probably going to skip them. Dahyun lightly bit her lip as she looked at how relaxed Sana's features looked. She didn't look as lifeless as she did when she was awake, her chest rose slightly from her breathing. The pale girl found herself smiling, this image of Sana felt warm to her. She wishes Sana could always look this relaxed. 

Dahyun completed her morning routine, and chose her clothes. A nice simple blue striped tee, and blue jeans. 

She walked into the small, tight kitchen they had in their dorm room. It wasn't much, but Dahyun knew that these kind of things were irrelevant. She should be able to cook something good. She resorted to making a typical American breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, and french toast. She made just enough for both Sana and her, though she knew Sana wasn't waking up anytime soon. She still did anyway, knowing the girl would surely wake up hungry. Dahyun happily ate her food, and was elated to find the taste delicious. She quickly inhaled her breakfast, and placed her dishes away. She wished she would be able to see Sana's reaction to her food, but unfortunately, she had morning classes she had to attend to. Hesitantly, she placed Sana's fixed plate in the microwave. 

Dahyun searched for her backpack, and quickly tossed it over her shoulders. 

Before leaving, she caught a final quick glimpse at Sana. She thought carefully, she felt as though she had to do something else. The korean girl gathered her possible options, and opted for the one that seemed simple and small enough. So simple and small, that Sana wouldn't find it overwhelming. 

Dahyun smiled at herself as she quickly padded to her desk, taking some sticky notes and getting a pencil from her pen holder.  She hurriedly wrote down a few messages to leave behind for Sana, hoping that she'd read them.

When she finally finished placing them, Dahyun felt satisfied. She took in Sana's face one last time, and finally made her way out of the dorm. 

...

The japanese girl woke up groggily at what she assumed was by now later than 8 am. She forced herself to open her eyes as she checked the time on her phone. She was correct, it was already 8:10 am. That meant her roommate was long gone. She sat up and glanced around to prove her suspicions, the pale girl was nowhere in sight. She sighed before standing up. Sana dearly hoped that Dahyun had no issues sleeping last night, not even a single drop of anxiety. As she walked to get some clothes to change into, she spotted an unfamiliar post it note on her desk. Her eyebrows furrowed at the light pink note that hadn't been there last night. She picked it up, and read it carefully. 

Goodmorning Sana! I hope you slept well. Thankfully I had no trouble at all last night. Well, I had to go to class. I made some breakfast for myself and you aswell, but obviously you were asleep. I put the plate in the microwave. I'm not the best cook, but I hope you like it. Have a great day! :) ~

Sana bit her lip to contain her smile as she read the small note. She wanted to fight whoever created Dahyun. Who in their right mind, would think of making her this kind? Sana tried her hardest to not let her heart go wild at the small gestures Dahyun was so good at doing, living with her was a blessing. She now felt a little proud that she was Dahyun's room mate. and no one else was. Deep down she also knew that this was one of the many land mines she'd experience while getting to know Dahyun. She wished she could just spread all her past experiences out in the open and let the girl read them all. However, it was so much easier said than done. God, did Sana wish she was built by the same creator that built Dahyun. Maybe then, she wouldn't be the way she was. 

She didn't have the heart to throw the note away. Keeping the note felt like a way to be close to Dahyun, in a way that didn't make Sana's fists clench. Just because she was an emotionally closed off person, it didn't mean she had to be unecessarily cold. She safely tucked in the small pink note in a pocket inside her bag, treating it as if it were some fragile artifact. 

Sana resumed to get her clothes, and completed her morning routine. 

She entered the small kitchen, and glanced towards the microwave. She opened it, and found a fully stocked plate, and another small pink sticky note. 

Sana smiled, at both the fact that the food looked appetizing, and that Dahyun had left another note. She reached for the note, plucking it off the edge of the plate. 

Have some typical american breakfast food! I tried my best so don't be mean ): Enjoy ~

Sana lightly chuckled at the girl's words, and also placed the note along with the other one in her bag. She didn't know what she'd do with them, but she knew she had to keep them.

She heated up the plate Dahyun had left her, and began eating. The japanese girl happily hummed at the taste, and savored each bite. This was Dahyun's cooking. Sana slightly frowned at how that had such a huge effect on her. Just how much did she come to like her room mate in just a couple of days? It was sickening. The last time she had romantic feelings for someone, her heart ended up dead in a ditch. As much as she knew Dahyun would probably be the type to genuinely love others, her mind told her to trust absolutely no one. 

Sana refused to let her issues ruin her appetite. She quickly gulped down her remaining bits of food on the plate, washed it, and left the dorm room. 

As she walked through the hallway, the idea to visit Momo before she had to go to her classes popped up in her head. She had some things to say in regards to a certain korean girl, and she felt comfortable venting to Momo. Sana was just as close to Mina, but she felt intimidated by her stern friend when it came to thoughts about Dahyun. She could practically picture Mina's words and expression so clearly in her head. Momo was more patient, and probably spoiled her alot more than Mina did. 

Sana hurried her steps more, confirming that she would in fact stop by Momo's dorm. 

...

Sana knocked lightly on the door. She hoped her friend wasn't in the middle of sleeping, if she was Sana would be in trouble.To her satisfaction, Momo swiftly opened the door and she showed no signs of annoyance. She looked at Sana with a puzzled look.

"Sana? What's up?"

The girl smiled, "Can I come in?"

Momo nodded and quickly let her friend pass. She was growing rather curious as to why Sana looked a little tense. She wondered if something had happened with Dahyun, since she knew she had actuallly spent the night there. Both girls sat on Mina's bed, as if that was enough to give the feeling that Mina was there. Sana didn't really know where to start. She never felt troubled telling her friends things that go through her head, but this certain topic just felt on edge for her. It confused her to no end.

"So...I slept in Dahyun and I's room," Sana began. 

Momo gestured her friend to continue, for she hadn't really gotten the issue. 

"I can't do it Momo," she finalized. 

Her friend's nose scrunched up, not really knowing exactly why Sana had came to that conclusion. "Why? Did she do something?"

Sana shook her head frantically, "Oh no no no, it would never be her that did something wrong. I don't think she's capable of that." She looked at her fingers, and it reminded her of how Dahyun had fiddled with her fingers last night when she told her about her Nyctophobia. Momo continued to stare at her, "You're gonna have to elaborate."

The girl looked into Momo's eyes, wishing she was able to just know what was going through her head. "She's too kind Momo. She lets people in so quickly, she treats me so nicely, like if we've known each other for years. She looks like she's the reason why the sun shines so bright in the mornings, like she's the reason flowers bloom so beautifully. And I hate it. I hate it because I know I'm the complete opposite of that Momo. I don't deserve to try and break my walls for her, I already know I'd hurt her along the way. I never want to do that Momo, I don't wanna add on to what she has on her plate." Sana could've gone on for hours. She could describe Dahyun's aura for hours, even in the couple hours that she's seen her. It was enough, and it did nothing but give Sana the need to know Dahyun more. She wanted to know every nook and cranny of her room mate's personality, it pained her to know that it could never be. 

Momo furrowed her brows, "What do you mean add more on to her plate?"

"She told me last night that she's scared of the dark. But like, it's an actual phobia that makes her anxious and everything. She has to have either a night light or another person sleeping in the room with her at night. It's called Nyctophobia."

Momo let all the words sink in. Something about knowing the pale girl had a phobia like that made her feel the need to do something about it. Whatever that meant. 

"I felt like such an idiot. She told me this really big personal thing about herself so easily, and when she asked me something so small like when I met you and Mina, I shut down like some kind of machine," she chuckled bitterly at her own actions. 

Although Momo badly wanted for Sana to just quickly get over her barriers and let her guard down, she knew that getting over these kind of things would be hard for the girl. She felt a bit helpless. All she wanted to do at the moment was to go out and fight every single person who had wronged her dear friend, which was surprisingly more than she can count on one hand. How Sana ever came to have such bad luck when it came to being betrayed by others, she didn't know. All she currently knew was that she wanted to comfort her best friend to the best of her abilities. 

Momo began rubbing Sana's back, before taking her into a hug. The latter quickly wrapped her arms around Momo's waist, feeling far more protected now that she was in her arms. She shouldn't be living this kind of way. Were she felt that Momo and Mina were her only sources of happiness, the only people she considered family. She let herself succumb to Momo's warmth, feeling her breaths become much more calm. Sana had never appreciated anything else more than Momo and Mina's existence. Handling her was an entire chore in itself, she was grateful the two had chosen to stick by her side throughout every occasion. 

"Sana, you know you don't have to let her in quickly right? All Mina and I asked of you is to try for your own sake. Please don't feel pressured to rush yourself, okay? It's gonna be okay," Momo reassured her friend while playing with her hair. When she heard the other whine, she released her from her hold and looked her right in the eyes. "Mina and I both know how hard it is for you. Don't push yourself, at the end of the day we just want what is best for you." She said her words so sternly, making sure she had made herself clear. "You don't have to trust Dahyun head on. Let her in little by little, by telling her tiny details about yourself."

Sana felt overwhelmingly reassured by her friend's words. Her soft gaze and words were able to make her feel as though she had courage again, like she was able to face Dahyun head on. She smiled warmly. 

"Thank you, Momoring. I really appreciate it."

Momo returned her warm smile, "I love you Sana."

Sana whined loudly, "Come on! That's too cheesy!"

Momo laughed loudly at her friend's reaction. However she did hear her say 'I love you too' under her breath, and somehow, that was enough for her. 

She figured the next best thing was to change the mood, and god was Momo curious about Dahyun. "So, did anything happen this morning with Dahyun?"

Sana's face lit up, recalling the memories of the sticky notes and the breakfast plate. "Oh Momo she's an angel! She cooked breakfast for me before she went to her class!" Sana was a little too shy to tell Momo about the sticky notes, so she decided to keep those to herself. She didn't want to make herself look like a fool for keeping them. 

Momo's mouth gaped, "Really?! Was it good?!"

Sana nodded her head enthusiastically, humming happily. 

Momo groaned, "I wish Mina still cooked breakfast for me before her morning classes."

The latter giggled, "She's right though, she won't be there for you forever. You have to learn to do your own breakfast."

"Okay but she's here for me now. What's the harm in cooking breakfast for me too?" Momo pouted. 

Sana laughed at her friend's logic, and felt even more thankful that her room mate was Dahyun. The initial reason Sana didn't room with either Momo and Mina, was because the two believed it would serve her better if she tried branching out by getting a complete stranger for a room mate. Which basically sounded like they had thrown Sana to the sharks, she realized it couldn't have been that bad. She wasn't inclined to tell a room mate everything. Now, she was so glad she had went through with it. One day was all that it took for Kim Dahyun to make a mark on Sana's heart.

She knew that despite this new sensation of encouragement, she wouldn't be able to spend the night again in her dorm. It was too fast for her, and she wanted to think about how she wanted to approach the entire situation. She needed time, time to get herself to have tiny spurts of bravery for Dahyun. She just hoped she would be able to break through in the end. 

...

Momo had been pacing back and forth ever since Sana left. It first began with her just simply day dreaming, but after her afternoon class she had been filled with a sudden burst of nervous energy. She practically power walked to her dorm, passing by various confused faces from other students. 

When Momo arrived to her dorm, she was relieved to find that Mina was there, and that she had looked like she wasn't busy. Mina looked up from her phone, confused as to why her room mate had looked so tense. Momo was basically gasping for air, and her eyes were wide. Basically, she looked like a maniac.

"Is something wrong? Or are you just gonna stand there like if you're about to kill me?"

Momo shook her head and padded over to Mina's bed, sitting down directly across from the bob haired girl. "Mina I'm going through some kind of crisis."

Mina let out a laugh, "That doesn't sound new coming from you."

The girl pouted and lightly smacked Mina on her arm. Calming herself down in order to stop giggling, Mina replied, "Okay okay, what's wrong Momo."

"I- I want to text Dahyun."

Mina's eyes widened a bit in interest, now fully attentive to her friend. "Really? Why?"

Momo looked nervous, as her eyes looked everywhere else apart from Mina's eyes. She didn't even know the reason herself, she really didn't. She was stuck inbetween her simply being worried about her or her just being interested in getting to know her better. A part of her felt weird, she wasn't used to getting clammy hands over a girl. She'd much rather get nerves over other things that didn't cloud her mind. 

"Its just, I really don't know okay? Its weird." 

Mina sighed. Of all her years of knowing Momo, she had grown used to her obscure explanations. She pondered over all the many reasons Momo would like to text Dahyun, she figured all of them would be harmless. Then again, Momo looked so visibly skittish. Mina became more and more curious as to just what was making her best friend act this certain way. It almost amused her that Momo also felt the need to tell her something as noncomplex as a text. 

"If you want to text her, just do it."

Momo perked up at this, now able to handle Mina's gaze. If she were being honest, she felt a little silly now. Silly that she had to tell her friend about something like this. She was glad that Mina wasn't one to judge her antics. 

Nonetheless, she thanked her friend. "Why are you thanking me? I really didn't do anything," Mina lightly chuckled. Momo smiled at her and waddled over to her own bed, letting her body drop over the mattress. She rested her head on a pillow, thinking as she listened to the music Mina had began playing. She should really just do it already, there wasn't much put into a damn text. Yet the thought that Momo was still somewhat of a stranger to Dahyun still penetrated her mind. What if she would find it weird? It's times like these that she just wishes she didn't worry as much. Mustering whatever courage she had in her body, she opened her phone and clicked on Dahyun's contact. She wish she could be able to explain the rush that occured within her veins, or the way her heart began to lightly swell. However, she was too afraid to even begin to explain these symptoms. Quickly, before she could back out, she typed up a message and sent it.

hi dahyun :) this is momo! i was wondering if we could hang out if thats ok haha

Momo squealed as soon as she read the 'delivered' under the message. Mina must've heard her over the music, since she giggled. "Did you do it?" Momo nodded happily, and hoped that she didn't sound too weird, or worse, dumb. 

She found herself not being able to distract herself from the awaited reply, and her fingers became fidgety. As if a god were answering her prayer, she heard her phone buzz due to a new notification. She frantically unlocked her phone and read Dahyun's text. 

from dahyun: hiii momo! yeah yeah of course! come over to my dorm! chaeyoungs busy and im bored ha ha 

Momo would have squealed again had she not done so already. Before she could reply, she got another text. 

from dahyun: oh yeah btw our room number is 180

The japanese girl smiled, becoming excited to go and meet the other girl. She quickly typed in a response, and stood up. She looked at herself in a mirror, making sure she didn't look homeless. Mina watched from afar, clearly amused and interested in her friend's behavior. "I'm guessing you're going to go meet Dahyun?"

Momo turned back to her room mate, and nodded as calmly as she could. She didn't want to appear too happy. That would be a little weird. "Yeah, and I think maybe I'll go study at the library later on." 

Mina looked at her with furrowed brows. Momo? Studying? Without her having to force her? It sounded a bit weird to her, but she figured maybe she was turning a new leaf. Maybe she got inspired by Sana trying to change her ways. "Well, okay then. Sana said she wanted to go drinking tonight, so that's where we're going. I'll tell her you were busy." Momo nodded, "Okay, have fun with Sana. Bye Minaring." With a small wave from her room mate, she made her way out of their dorm. 

As she walked in search for the room number Dahyun had told her, she felt her nerves increasing. It gave her dejavu to when she first met Dahyun in the cafe, and how just her simple smile was able to have a big effect on her. This felt a bit different, she'd be alone with her. She was starting to think she hadn't thought this through. It was a bit too late to turn back now, she was already on her way, and she had already told Dahyun she'd go. On her way over, Momo clinged on to the hope that whatever it was that she was feeling, it would be small and innocent. 

...

Dahyun was currently waiting patiently for the arrival of her room mate's best friend. She was a bit confused at first when she saw that Momo had texted her in the middle of nowhere, but she was never one to turn down an invitation to get to know someone better. She figured hanging out with someone for the first time was a bit weird to do in her room, but she really didn't know anywhere else to go. After all, she was new to the city. So far, she only new a couple of restaurants, stores, and cafes thanks to Chaeyoung. Dahyun was pleased to know Momo had no issues with this. She wondered what had made the japanese girl want to see her out of nowhere. At the same time, she hoped she'd be able to get to know atleast something about Sana. The most she knew about her was that she liked to get drunk, her best friends were Momo and Mina, and that her last name was Minatozaki. The very limited amount of information left Dahyun positively starving for more. She wanted to know Sana's favorite color or favorite foods; anything else that wasn't just the very few things she already did know. Although she pretty much expected to not get anything much out of Momo about Sana, it wasn't wrong to hope. 

A knock broke Dahyun out of her daze, and she quickly went to go open the door for her guest. She opened the door to reveal Momo with a brigth smile, met with Dahyun's own. "Hi Momo! Come in make yourself comfortable."

Momo stood awkwardly at the doorway, she had made it this far. She pretty much didn't know what to do with herself at this point. 

Dahyun stared at her expectantly, "Come on, I promise I won't murder you."

"That sounds exactly like what a murderer would say," Momo smirked, finally stepping fully into the room. 

Dahyun let out a bark of laughter, something that made Momo's stomach turn in a twist. 

"Sit down anywhere, I'll go get some tea or whatever," Dahyun gestured around the room, which made Momo chuckle. 

The japanese girl took in her surroundings, easily being able to differintiate between what was Dahyun or Sana's side. Dahyun's bed was neatly done, with several plush animals on it. Her desk was filled with pastel stationery, she had planners and notebooks. Meanwhile, Sana's bed was unmade, with random items in places they didn't belong. Her desk looked untouched, and although she knew Sana was pretty smart, she knew anyone who saw this would assume Sana was the type who only came to college for parties and booze.

Momo chose to sit down on Sana's bed, since it felt somewhat familiar to her. She waited patiently for Dahyun to come back, she didn't even have a clue what she'd do. She began to hope that Dahyun was a great conversation starter. 

"Hey, I only had some iced tea, is that okay with you?" Dahyun came back, with two glass cups of iced tea. Momo nodded, happily taking the glass.  Dahyun sat on her desk chair, rolling it in order to be closer to Momo. Atleast the slight elavation now allowed her to be at eye level with Momo. The korean girl took a sip of her iced tea, and didn't allow herself to waste any time. 

"Hey Momo, can I ask you something?"

Momo hummed a yes, prepared to try to answer questions that hopefully wouldn't be too heavy. 

"When did you meet Sana and Mina?" Dahyun asked sheepishly. "I asked Sana last night, but she seemed tired. And I guess I was just curious since you guys seem so close, you don't have to answer." Momo chuckled at how easily the girl was able to put herself in rambling state. "It's okay Dahyun. Mina and I knew eachother first than Sana, since maybe about birth. Our parents were crazy close, so it was only natural for us to be so as well. We both met Sana maybe around elementary, she fell down and Mina had to help her go to the murse's office," Momo giggled as she recalled the memory. Dahyun also chuckled, feeling happier she had gotten to know something about Sana. "What about you and Chaeyoung? When did you guys meet?"

Dahyun took a sip of her iced tea before answering. "We didn't know eachother long. We met around middle school, did Sana tell you about my phobia?" Momo's breath hitched, she thought that maybe Dahyun might be bothered that Sana had told her. To her relief, when she nodded, Dahyun didn't seem the slightest bit on edge. "Well, I got lost in a dark park, I started getting a panic attack. Chaeyoung was on her way back from a convenience store and she saw me, she instantly made it her duty to take care of me." Dahyun smiled softly as she thought about her best friend, she remembered feeling as though some knight had came to save her that night. "Ever since that night, we became closer. Even if I'm older, Chaeyoung became so protective over me." Momo smiled at the idea that Chaeyoung had been taking care of Dahyun well, but she couldn't help but wonder what happened before the two had crossed paths. "Do you guys have to take care of Sana alot?" Dahyun asked carefully, not wanting to ask too much about her own room mate. "Oh hell yeah, she's like our child. Mina's the youngest, but I swear she acts the oldest. I'm glad she's able to handle how much of a handful Sana is," Momo laughed. Dahyun stayed pensive for a bit, really wishing she was able to get close enough to Sana. Still, she needed to remain patient for the other girl. 

The two girls conversed for hours, asking eachother questions about themselves. They hadn't realized it had gotten late. Dahyun realized Sana was yet again, not going to come back to the dorm, much to her disappointment. Momo had noticed the downfall of Dahyun's mood, and quickly realized it was because Sana wasn't going to sleep here tonight. Momo bit her lip as she thought of what she should do. She knew Dahyun needed someone else in the room in order to sleep, and she still didn't have a night light. She ended up offering to stay over in order to keep Dahyun from having a panic attack, the korean girl thanked her endlessly. She did feel embarassed that Momo had the need to offer to sleep over because of her phobia, but she knew she would've suffered. Due to her not wanting to ask Chaeyoung to come over so late at night. Momo dismissed her thanks, saying that it was no bother for her. She hoped Mina and Sana wouldn't question where she was in the morning. Both girls began to get ready for bed, Momo trying to tidy up Sana's bed a little bit. As they told eachother goodnight, they closed their eyes. Dahyun felt fortunate to have others who were considerate of her phobia who weren't Chaeyoung. It would make it a lot more easier for her to learn how to stop excessively depending on her best friend. So far, Momo had been incredibly nice. Definitely someone Dahyun would like as a friend. Although she had yet to get to know Mina, from what she gathered from Momo, the girl was just as good. Dahyun felt at peace that Sana had been surrounded by two such caring and thoughtful friends. The last thing she wanted was for Sana to feel as if she were alone, the very idea made the korean girl gloomy. As she fell into a slumber, she silently asked the unirverse for a small favor. Her days were already getting better, but she knew it would increase if they included the presense of a certain Minatozaki Sana.