a/n: Set In Stone by Terror Jr

...

Mina was surprised, to say the least. When Momo had told her that she'd go and visit Dahyun, she didn't expect that the girl would also sleep over. Mina was not oblivious. When she returned to her dorm last night with a drunken Sana clinging tightly on to her arm, she took notice that Momo hadn't come back. Maybe, she was running late. Though when Sana finally passed out on Momo's bed, it was 2 am, and there was still no signs of her room mate. Mina didn't mind of course, but it did make her much more curious. Simultaniously, she was a bit unsure if this whole thing would end well. It was a known fact that Mina was remarkably observant, she quickly caught on to movements and gestures. So, naturally, she was perfectly aware of what exactly was going on when it came to Sana and Momo's feelings. She wishes that just this once, she would suddenly be oblivious. 

Her intuition became much worse when she finally did see Momo bright and early before her morning class. So early, Mina didn't know her room mate had the ability to wake up around these hours. She was busy sipping on a cup coffee, keeping a close eye on her most likely hungover best friend. Until suddenly her room mate barged in. Mina was caught in a shocked state, and calmly questioned her best friend about her whereabouts. She wish she didn't notice the girl look nervously around the room, and clearly hesitated to answer the truth. "Uh, I actually slept over at Dahyun's." Was all that she was able to confess before she slowly headed to her bed. 

Mina really already knew, but she wanted to hear it coming from Momo. All it did was make her theories look a lot more true. She felt that them becoming true could only mean danger, but who was she to stop the way a heart beated? So, she washed her now empty cup of coffee, and headed to her morning classes. She wanted to distract herself from what was coming with lectures and work. 

Momo on the other hand was busy staring directly at the ceiling. She remembered the reason she had left in such a hurry. From the moment she surprisingly woke up early, to looking across the dorm to spot Dahyun's face. The way the sun rays hit the pale girl's face was a sight to behold, and Momo was scared. So scared at newfound reactions, that she left as quickly as she could from the room before Dahyun could even flutter her eyes open. The japanese girl only wanted to run away from everything as soon as possible. Now, she changed her view from the bland ceiling to her knocked out best friend on her bed. She stared at Sana, as though she were trying to read any hidden messages on her face. Really, she somehow wanted to get rid of her intrusive thoughts. She wanted to clear her mind. However, she only became more thought prevoked the longer she stared at Sana. 

...

Sana woke up tucked in much more neatly than the night before. Although she wasn't extremely hungover, she still had a slight headache. She longed to wake up to Dahyun's breakfast and notes instead to an empty room. She longed to wake up to Dahyun in general. No amount of alcohol and hallucinations were able to do the real thing justice. However, that wouldn't stop Sana from trying. The japanese girl would be lying if she said she expected to wake up alone. She did expect Mina not to be here, however Momo was another story. She looked all over the dorm, and noticed that the girl's running shoes were gone. Sana furrowed her brows, Momo almost only went for a run when she needed to clear her head. She was a bit confused and worried at the same time. She hoped nothing serious was affecting her best friend. 

When Sana arrived at her dorm, she felt her mind become clouded. She clinged on to the small bits of hope that Dahyun had no trouble at all last night. She'd hate to be the cause of any of Dahyun's anxiety. Especially when she knows she could have prevented it. Thinking about it, however, gave her an idea that would make her feel less bad about basically ditching her room mate. Something that could benefit both Sana and Dahyun at the same time. She made a mental note of it, in order to stop by somewhere after she got changed out of her clothes. Her current outfit smelled of smoke and alcohol, she hated that the way she chose to forget things were masked with such an unpleasant scent. She wondered how Momo and Mina dealt with it, and she suddenly became thankful the two went through these things for Sana's sake.

As Sana opened her drawer to get some clothes out, she saw a tiny piece of pink that made her heart pound in anticipation. Sana would've never been able to stop the smile that spread from ear to ear at the sight of a pink sticky note. She felt a bit silly getting this ecstatic over a small note, but she felt that she were connected to Dahyun through these. Not being able to hold herself back any longer, she quickly read over the small note. 

Goodmorning Sana! Unless its not morning anymore by the time you're reading this, then good afternoon !!! I hope you're doing well, please don't drink too much! hangovers are tough :( atleast that's what chaeyoung told me! have a beautiful day Sana ~

Sana couldn't contain the giggle that escaped from . Her room mate's words were nothing short of dorky, and it made her heart swell. She took note of how Dahyun didn't judge her for drinking, she only cared for well being. It was a small detail, but holy hell did it make her heart flutter at how Dahyun was able to effortlessly be so caring. The note gave her the urge to stop drinking excessively, for Dahyun's sake. Sana almost laughed at herself at how it took a few mere written words to get her to stop herself from slowly killing her liver. They weren't just any written words, they were Dahyun's written words. Sana reread the note a few more times, wanting it to get stuck in her head and replace all her worries. Dahyun was certainly nothing short of an angel. Sana safely tucked the pink slip along with the ones Dahyun had left for her the day before. Sana wouldn't mind if she ended up with a whole collection. Dahyun's notes were already a treasure to her, and Sana hoped they would keep on coming as the days passed. Finally, the japanese girl had something to look forward to in the mornings. 

...

Dahyun felt nothing short of happy. Maybe it was the way the skies were clear today, the way how nobody was in a rush and bumped into her rudely, or how she had made a new friend last night. Whatever it could be, she was still elated. Chaeyoung was no stranger to her best friend's usual cheery attitude, if anything it was refreshing to her. Before she had even met Dahyun, Chaeyoung hated mornings. She found it as a chore to wake up early, and would much rather wake up around the evening. She believed sun rays were rude to wake her from her precious slumber. Then, she discovered a different kind of sun that came in the form of a small pale girl. Chaeyoung never understood how Dahyun was able to wake up so happily at such at early time. Then, one day, Dahyun explained to her why she came to love mornings so much. After that explanation, Chaeyoung couldn't bring herself to hate the early hours as much as she once did. How could she hate something that gave her friend so much happiness? So, she came to love mornings along with her best friend. 

"Did Sana come over last night?" 

Dahyun looked up from her sandwich she had been eating as a snack, and stared at Chaeyoung. She knew if she answered truthfully, her best friend would quickly become worried. The idea made her heart feel heavy. Still, she couldn't just lie. 

"No, I was kinda scared to be honest." She watched Chaeyoung's eyes become wide, and Dahyun quickly elaborated. "But Momo was over, so she offered to sleep over since Sana wasn't there. She knows about my phobia," Dahyun briskly reassured her best friend. Chaeyoung visibly became more relaxed, yet still a bit wary. "Really? The one we met at the cafe? She was cool with it?" Dahyun nodded excitedly as she swallowed a bite from her sandwich. "Yeah! She was really nice! Because of her I was able to know more about Sana." Chaeyoung eyed her best friend, "What?" The pale girl took this as an indication to explain further, "I don't really know anything about Sana, but I got to know a bit more about her thanks to Momo." She rambled on a bit more on the stories of how she met Momo and Mina, and how the girl was in school according to her best friend. Chaeyoung listened to her diligently, taking notice of how soft Dahyun's face had become. She looked such in a state of bliss while she was talking about her new knowledge of Sana. Her smile became noticibly brighter, it was almost as if Dahyun was stating memories from her past rather than explaning what Momo had told her. This very sight made the shorter girl smile. She was happy Dahyun was growing interested in someone apart from her, considering her past with friendships. She hoped Sana would meet up to her now set up expectations. 

 Suddenly, Chaeyoung took note of the time, and she realized she had a class coming up. 

"Sorry Dahyun-ah, my class is almost starting. I gotta go." Dahyun nodded understandingly, being left alone to finish her snack as she watched her best friend leave. 

Chaeyoung gripped onto her bag as she made her way through waves of bodies in the middle of the halls. She already missed this class yesterday due to over sleeping, she couldn't be late. 

When she entered the room she quickly took a seat, not looking at anyone. To her surprise, she heard the body next to her speak.

"Usually, I would fight a stranger for sitting next to me without asking, but I guess you're okay."

Chaeyoung almost got whiplash as she turned to look at who it was, and caught sight of Momo smiling kindly. "Momo? You have this class?" Momo nodded, also unknown to her that she shared this class with Dahyun's best friend. "How come you weren't here yesterday?" Chaeyoung rubbed the nape of her neck shyly, as she suddenly became sheepish infront of the other girl. "I uhh, I overslept and ended up missing the class entirely." Momo let out a laugh, making Chaeyoung smile at the sound of it. "I would expect that from me, but when I met you I thought you had your life together like Dahyun." The shorter girl pouted, "I do have my life together! I just...had a moment of weakness." The girl's sudden sulky mood only became more endearing to Momo, also making her chuckle more. 

"I can't believe I'm being attacked this early in the morning," Chaeyoung mumbled, feigning hurt. "Go tell the police about it," Momo replied. Both girls stared at each other, before laughing at each other. In that moment, Chaeyoung felt herself become lighter. Something about the way Momo's eyes crinkled whenever she laughed filled Chaeyoung with joy. It was unknown to her, but she was okay with it not having a label. All she could do was joke around with Momo until their professor finally arrived. It was quite uneventful. Chaeyoung would be lying if she said she held in any information from the lecture, how could she when she was busy trying to understand why she felt so restless sitting next to Hirai Momo. 

...

Sana had an unusual pep to her step today. She felt like she was lighter than a feather, and all it took was a simple pink sticky note. That, added on to what Sana had planned. She thought over and over the words that Momo had told her yesterday, and she felt a small step was needed. Sana was of course, terrified. All within good reason, her past had given her a good amount of list of grievances when it came to trust. However, whenever she thought about a certain korean girl's smile, all she wanted to learn how to do was dive into the water head first. Every warning sign she had built told her it would be dangerous for her, but she's been choosing to avoid it. Sana itched to make a first step. No matter how minuscule it may appear to be. She already felt happier, which is what fueled her good mood. People who knew her questioned what had gotten her in such a good mood, every time they asked her just a name popped up in Sana's head. Boy, did she feel like such a school girl.

As she approached the table, she spotted Momo already gobbling down her food. Meanwhile, Mina had been patient to wait for Sana before eating. Sana took a seat beside Momo, wearing a full on grin. It caught Mina's attention, she lifted a single eyebrow. "What has you looking all smiley like an idiot today?" Momo took a break from eating to laugh, but also became interested on the source of Sana's attitude. "I'll have you know I'm gonna try to say you to all my walls today and take the first step for mankind." Mina instantly smiled, pleased to hear the words come out of her best friend's mouth. "What are you gonna do, tell her your favorite color?" Momo teased lightly, earning a smack from Sana. "Hey! You don't know what I'm gonna do with my life!" Despite her words, Momo was proud of her friend's first step. 

"I know I'm not gonna just, go up to her and tell her my life story. But I do know I can try a bit harder to get out of my comfort zone." Mina and Momo practically beamed at their best friend. 

"God, I told myself I wasn't gonna cry when the day would come. My child, she's growing Momo," Mina wiped away a fake tear. Momo played along with Mina's act, "I know Minaring, now what are we supposed to do without or precious baby?" 

"Can you guys shut up," Sana whined. She still grinned, happy that her friends supported her baby steps. As she thought about it, she remembered a question that had been bothering her. 

"By the way, how did you guys know it was Dahyun the other day at the coffee shop?" 

Momo and Mina looked at each other, visibly becoming embarassed. They decided to go through the easy route.

"Momo heard her say her name for the employee to put on her order," Mina then quickly took a sip on her water. 

Sana's eyes narrowed. "It could've been someone else named Dahyun, though."

She found it weird how both pairs of cheeks reddened. Then she heard a quiet mumble come out of Mina's mouth. "What did you say?"

"Her smile, okay! We knew it was her because of her smile!" Momo burst out of nowhere, not being able to handle the embarassment. Both her and Mina looked down, knowing how ridiculously cheesy their method of finding out it was Sana's room mate sounded. 

Sana stared at them with wide eyes, then suddenly burst out into laughter. "You guys? Found out... because of her smile?" she stopped a bit to catch her breath. "That's so funny oh my god you both are so dumb!" Both Mina and Momo reached out to smack Sana's shoulder, her fit of laughter quickly died down as she winced. 

"You're the one who basically creamed herself at how absolutely adorable her smile was," Mina commented. It was Sana's turn for her cheeks to redden, Momo laughed. 

"Shut the hell up! Such a bully, Minaring," Sana said sulkily. Mina flashed a tight grin, "You love it." Sana stuck her tongue out at her. The trio continued to finish their meals, and Sana's mood only elavated. Spending time with her best friends outside of bars was far much more fun. However, Sana grew attached to the alcohol and occassional cigarette. It pained her that she'd still keep that lifestyle, but for the first time she had hope. 

Hope that maybe, just maybe, things would go her way. She hadn't felt the sensation of hope for a good while, and she had missed it. She missed how good it could feel to once again look forward for the future. Sana only grew much more impatient, but she knew she would have to wait. 

...

Momo bit her lip. She had been texting with Dahyun all day, and all it did was make her feel like she was on top of the world. And really, it only made her confused. She couldn't quite put a finger on it, but she enjoyed getting to know Dahyun better. She enjoyed going back and forth with the pale girl with dumb jokes. She enjoyed so much, it felt so unfamiliar. All Momo could do was shrug. She deemed it as just excitement towards getting a new friend. After all, that's all it was, right? If that was the case, then Momo had no idea how to describe the way her heart raced quicker. The japanese girl came to worry that maybe she was in the beginning of getting some kind of sickness. She'd tell Mina about it, but she assumed it was nothing serious. What was there to worry about?

...

Sana walked through the busy streets, in search of a worthy store. She currently felt like a woman on a mission, a very important one at that. She absolutely needed to find the right-- no the perfect gift for Dahyun. Something that said, 'Hey, I'm sorry I'm never there but I care about you'. The japanese girl paced past every person that made the sidewalks much more cramped. Maybe it was her nerves, or the way her heart beated, that helped her realize just where this whole thing might go. Sana sighed to herself, she knew there was only one reason she would be frantically doing this. That very reason was something she wanted to wrap up with logic and throw it out her heart's window. However, not even a persuasive essay written with the perfect amount of ethos, pathos, and logos could even begin to convince someone that Sana didn't become fond of Dahyun. Fond in a way that perhaps, she'd reconsider opening her heart to romance one day. 

She finally came across a store that offered just what she desired. She quickly entered, receiving an employee's greeting. As she searched through the different aisles, she found just what she needed. When the cashier ringed her up, Sana felt giddy as she took hold of the bag. She was practically skipping her way to her dorm.

...

Dahyun was fond of many things. She was fond of the sun light, pastel colored things, Chaeyoung, etc. They all accumulated to her happiness, albeit appearing to be small. Dahyun was a believer that anything had the ability to provide happiness given that it was harmless. She failed to understand why people grew accustomed to tease others mercilessly whenever they deemed their likes as uncool. Unfortunately, she knew first hand how that was like. That had never stopped her from finding happiness in many of life's simple things. In the words of Son Chaeyoung, " what the world thinks. If it makes you happy, and it isn't harming anyone, then enjoy it."

Sana keeping her notes was one of those many things that she was fond of. She didn't think her room mate would ever think to not throw them away. However when Dahyun searched where she left them, she didn't find them. She quickly glanced inside of their trashcan, and found no sticky notes. It filled Dahyun with glee, to say the least. It was highly in her favor that Sana had kept her notes. The korean girl was only going to do them for one day, but she did it again today simply because she just wanted to reach out to her room mate-- in hopes that maybe just maybe, she'd stop by. 

Dahyun had arrived at her dorm, instantly feeling all the air leave her lungs. For on her own bed, sat Minatozaki Sana. Dahyun didn't realize just how much she wanted to see her room mate's face again. She felt a bit of a deja vu when she unconsiously began staring at Sana's face as though she had to memorize her features for a test. 

"Hey, don't repeat the first time we met," Sana chukled, trying to grab the korean girl's attention. She ignored the way heat rushed up to her cheeks. 

Dahyun shook herself out of her dazed state, and quickly padded over to Sana's bed. She was about to sit down next to her, but stopped herself. Sana noticed, and furrowed her brows. "What's wrong?"

The pale girl fiddled with her fingers. "Can I...sit next to you."

Sana could've never been prepared for her reply. Dahyun instantly made her feel warm, her timid appearance enough to make her feel like putty. Her room mate had thought about her distant characteristics before going by her insticts. Sana felt like Dahyun invented being thoughtful.

She patted at the space next to her, and gave her room mate a grin, "Of course you can."

Dahyun was automatically filled with joy. She smiled widely as she gently sat down next to Sana. She felt her hands begin to sweat, and heart beat faster. She chose to ignore these things, she had already embarassed herself infront of Sana enough. 

"Dahyun-ah, I want to apologize for not coming here to sleep last night," Sana began. She was merely testing the waters, but calling Dahyun 'Dahyun-ah' was already a step for her. Dahyun's eyes softened at the sight of her room mate. "It's okay Sana, I was perfectly fine with it." Sana smiled gratefully before continuing. "I want you to know that...I'm distant for a reason. I might not stay here every night," as much as I want to, she thought to herself. "However, I want you to know that I care about you. We've barely met but...I want you to know that." Dahyun smiled so wide, she was afraid her jaw would hurt by the end of this conversation. 

"So, I bought something for you to show you I care," The japanese girl smiled nervously, the close proximity to Dahyun was having a huge affect on her. She reached for the bag on her desk, and held it on her lap. Sana nearly giggled as she watched Dahyun look at the bag like a kid on christmas morning. "Really? You didn't have to!" Sana shook her head, "No please, take it." She gently handed the bag over to Dahyun's awaiting palms, making sure she knew the item was heavy. Dahyun looked at the bag, then to Sana. She felt a bit unsure. However, when she saw Sana's calming smile, any sense of hesitation immediately left her body.

She glanced at the bag, and began to open it cautiously. When she revealed what the item was, she almost fainted on the spot. 

"Sana-ya! You didn't!" She looked at her room mate with wide eyes. 

The japanese girl chuckled, "Oh, but I did."

Dahyun stretched her arms out, indicating a hug. Sana looked like she was a deer caught in headlights. She was a bit hesitant, because a hug was yet another small step, but god did she want to know how it felt like to envelop Dahyun in a hug. Hesitantly, Sana reached out to Dahyun, and hugged her back softly. The pale girl smelled like flowers and spring itself. Sana believed that fluffy puppies now had competition with Dahyun on who felt softer. Sana felt at bliss, taking in every second she spent wrapped by Dahyun's arms. It felt a bit like a home. A home that felt different than Momo and Mina's version of home. A home that the japanese girl wished she could come back to every day. Unfortunately to her, Dahyun began to pull away. However, Dahyun was a gift that never stopped giving. For Sana was able to feed off of her beautiful smile. 

Dahyun couldn't thank her room mate enough. She never expected to receive this. Sana had bought her a night light, an LED light shaped like a star. Bright enough to guarantee safety to Dahyun's worries. She stared fondly as she looked at the packaging. Truly, she knew there was a reason she was so desperate to get to know the mystery that Sana was. Hidden under walls, was a remarkable girl. Dahyun was prepared to wait for her to fully trust her for as long as she had to. 

"Thank you, Sana-ya. Really, I mean it. This means alot."

Sana giggled, "It makes me happy to know you liked it."

"Of course I would!" Dahyun looked at her as if she was ridiculous for ever thinking Dahyun wouldn't like it. 

"I figured since I might not be spending a lot of nights here, I'd give you a night light. I guess to try and make you feel less alone," Sana mumbled the last part, growing increasingly shy all of the sudden.

Dahyun smile became even softer, her heart swelling at Sana's intentions. 

"You don't have to use it today though, I'm going to sleep here."

Dahyun's happiness only increased. "I'm assuming you're moments of bravery ran out already?"

Sana sheepishly nodded, she was already worn out. This small gesture was more that she has done to anyone in the past few years. She didn't want to kill Dahyun's mood by saying she was emotionally tired by now. 

Both girls still had time to kill, so Dahyun placed her new light on the table, and began studying and reviewing her notes. Meanwhile, Sana had been on her phone, trying to distract herself from a certain korean girl sitting on her desk. She stared at Dahyun's side profile, and just how serious she looked while she was focused on something. The japanese girl allowed herself to shamelessly stare. Wanting to memorize her face knowing she might not be here tomorrow night. She desired to get to know every side to Dahyun. Happy go lucky Dahyun was absolutely gorgeous, but she craved to see all of her other moods. She unexpectedly became envious of Chaeyoung for knowing her for years. 

Dahyun wasn't a fool. Anyone would be able to feel whenever someone stared at them. Thus, she knew Sana had been staring at her for a good amount of time. It made it increasingly hard for her to keep focus on her notes. She also found it hard to stop herself from smiling and blushing. She was unable to keep her heart at bay, no matter how much she tried. She tried tricking her mind into thinking that the many theories of physics was far more interesting than the idea of Sana. However, Dahyun could never ignore how loud her heart seemed to bump. So, after a few hours of going over her notes, she decided it would be best to stop. She would try again on a day when Sana wasn't here, staring at her.

Both girls began to get ready for bed. Before they both laid down, Dahyun made Sana promise to wake up early so that they'd both eat breakfast together. Sana was on the fence on agreeing, not knowing if she'd be able to handle it. However, she knew any signs of resistance would be thrown out the window when she took a glance of Dahyun's pleading face. Sana was sure no one else could compete with Dahyun when it came to doing puppy dog eyes. The japanese girl felt like she had found the secret to ending world tensions within Dahyun's eyes. Hesitantly, Sana agreed to waking up, as long as Dahyun took the liberty to wake her. She was sure she'd feel regret, but as soon as her room mate's smile was in full view, she forgot the meaning of regret. After all, It wouldn't hurt to have a fix of Dahyun's enchanting presence early in the morning.

Both girls laid down after their agreement, and Dahyun had never felt more giddy. She snuggled closer to her stuffed animal, this night had felt a lot more different than the first night. However, it was a good change. Dahyun was prepared to wait. It felt scary for her, not as scary as the dark, but enough to make her hands clammy. She craved to see more of Sana, to know more about her. The feeling was unfamiliar to her, but she chose to not think too much of it. Dahyun was the kind of person who followed her gut, and her wants. She trusted on the universe whole-heartedly. The korean girl was ready to place her entire trust on Sana, just to be able to see a crack on her walls.

She smiled at herself when she imagined a day when Sana would no longer be so distant. The very image was enough to give her energy to keep on being patient, something she was never really good at really.

"Sana-ya, goodnight," Dahyun said softly.

Dahyun was afraid her room mate had already fallen asleep since she was just met with silence. 

"Goodnight...Dahyun-ah." She heard Sana say equally as soft. 

That night, both girls slept happily. Growing even more impatient to know what the future held for them.