a/n: Burning by Sam Smith.

...

It has been three whole months. 

It has been thirteen weeks.

It has been ninety-one days. 

It has been two thousand one hundred and ninety hours. 

To Dahyun however, it felt like an enternity since she last saw Sana. 

She felt as though everything was weighing down at her. At first, her optimism had kept her hope up and running, but when she counted the tenth day she just stopped hoping all together. Part of her still wanted to though. Part of her wanted to run through the streets of the city in search for her room mate, or to go through Mina's dorm. Dahyun always stopped herself from doing so, though. Even if it did deeply pain her inside that Sana hadn't returned to their dorm, she knew there was a reason. There had to be. 

As much as she tried to push the feeling away, it gnawed at Dahyun's inner core. The need to see Sana again, to even just get a text from her. The desire was growing desperately. Had she done something wrong? Had she somehow crossed some boundary along the way?  She couldn't have. It all happened so suddenly, to the point where the pale girl had no idea what to do. 

She was grateful for Momo and Mina for filling her in occasionally. Momo reassured her alot more often, but in times where Dahyun was deep in doubt Mina's simple words was what kept her grounded. According to them, Sana was still going to school, still going to bars, still trying to figure herself out. The only information that stuck with Dahyun was that she was okay. As long as her room mate was doing okay, her mind was at bay. That didn't stop the chaos in her heart, however. 

So, Dahyun knew she had to practice her initial promise she made since the moment she met Sana. To be patient. 

Dahyun knew she'd wait for Sana no matter what, and she showed it to her. 

She showed it to her by still leaving behind post it notes everyday despite Sana's 'disappearance'. She wrote about her day, some jokes in hopes to cheer the reader up, some wishful thoughts, and the occasional pleads for her to return.

Everyday the post it notes would be gone by the time Dahyun got back to the dorm. Of course, the very thought of Sana's presence being recent calmed her, but she just wished to see her face to face. She missed her eyes, the way her hair fell over her shoulders, the way she looked like when she woke up in the morning, even cooking for her. Dahyun missed it all, and it was slowly making her feel as though she was being punished. She couldn't for the life of her figure out why it hurt as much. Or maybe she was just avoiding it all. 

So, all she could do was lay in bed. 

Lay in bed, stare at the ceiling, or occasionally at her night light. All in silence. 

Well, it was in silence, until she heard a knock on her door. Dahyun had a good guess on who it could be. 

In barged in her very worrisome best friend. 

"Dahyun, are you still moping? You have to do something, you can't just lay around all day!"

Dahyun groaned. "Why are you so loud for Chaeng? I don't have classes nor homework, let me live my life."

Chaeyoung rolled her eyes and sat down at the edge of her best friend's bed. "Dahyun, Sana's still living her life as she used to. She's still going to bars and everything. Why can't you just do the same?"

The pale girl sat up and stared at Chaeyoung. "I just can't. It's weird, for some reason I don't have the need to do anything else but to think of her and what she's doing," Dahyun mumbled shyly. She never really could hide feelings from her best friend. 

Chaeyoung looked at her friend deeply in the eyes with one raised eyebrow. She knew exactly what was going on. After all, she was never one to be oblivious. 

"Dahyun-ah, do you...like Sana?"

Dahyun scrunched up her nose, "Of course I do,I thought we established that."

Chaeyoung shook her head, she really couldn't believe how dense her friend could be at times.

"Dahyun, do you have romantic feelings for her?"

The pale girl's eyes went wide, a blush quickly forming on her cheeks. She tried to hide her cheeks from her best friend by hiding her face behind her stuffed animal, but Chaeyoung still laughed. 

"Oh," was all Dahyun could say. 

She had never really thought about it before. When she first met Sana, the only thought she had was to become friends with the girl. She had come to care for the girl immensely, but Dahyun believed it was just in a friend way. Like how she treats Chaeyoung. Then, she began to compare the way she thought about Chaeyoung to how she thought of Sana, and she quickly discovered the difference. How could she not notice? 

That would describe the way her heart jumped when she first saw her room mate smile. How her eyes seem to want to take in all of Sana's features, or how her lips never really could quite stop themselves from smiling at the thought of the girl. That would also explain why it all hurt so much. How she longed to hear the girl tell her goodnight, or to wake up at the sight of her. 

"You never thought about it, haven't you?" Chaeyoung chuckled, knowing her friend well enough. She was much too busy at the thought of others feelings or other things than to pay attention to her own. 

Dahyun shook her head, a pout on her lips. Chaeyoung made her way over to her best friend, embracing her immediately into a cuddle. 

"It's gonna be okay Dahyun-ah, I'm sure Sana will come back."

Dahyun knew Chaeyoung had absolutely no evidence nor knowledge of that actually happening, but the words didn't fail to comfort her. 

She smiled and snuggled herself into Chaeyoung's embrace.

"Also... how did you not know you have a crush on Sana? Like, you literally woke up to make her breakfast in the most cutesy way possible."

Dahyun frowned, "Shut up! You know I've never had a crush before, I thought I was just treating her like how I treat you."

"Dahyun-ah, you really are thick sometimes huh?"

At this point, Dahyun released herself from Chaeyoung's embrace and smacked her in the shoulder. Both girls eventually erupted into a play fight, which ended rather quickly considering Dahyun's bed was small and neither wanted to fall and possibly get themselves hurt in a dumb way.

"Dahyun?"

"Hm?"

"I love you, you crackhead."

Dahyun smiled, "I love you too, you gremlin."

Dahyun was incredibly thankful for her best friend She felt like she took care of her more in the end, no matter how many times Dahyun chose to try to repay the girl back by doing small things like buying her food. Going through this whole hurricane named Sana was hard for her, but she knew Chaeyoung allieviated much of the pain. 

That didn't mean it didn't feel any much less like hell.

...

Chaeyoung really didn't know why she kept agreeing to these meetings, she really didn't. 

Part of her tried to convince herself that it was only because she was being nice, or a good friend. That she only agreed to these because she felt as though it was her duty as a respective friend. 

However, when she saw Momo's face she knew exactly the reason why. She agreed for her sake. 

For when the whole issue with Sana began, Momo started asking the shorter girl how Dahyun was doing, since she was too shy to ask herself. 

Chaeyoung was very hesitant at first, as she knew her own feelings, she didn't want to dive into a deeper hole. It also didn't help for her to know that Momo's side of the story was also unrequited. So in a way, both girls were fools. Chaeyoung was fine with her being hurt in the end, but seeing Momo being hurt was another story. She knew it would happen eventually since Dahyun finally realized her crush on Sana, it was all a matter of time. The short girl felt like she should do something, Momo's oblivious trait would be the end of her. 

Chaeyoung sat on the chair waiting patiently for the japanese girl. She was growing more nervous by the second. She considered ditching until she caught sight of the taller girl approaching her with a wide smile. The shorter girl treasured the smile, no matter how bittersweet it felt to her. It was still a beautiful sight to her. 

Momo pulled out her chair and sat, waving enthusiastically to the korean girl. 

Both girls were quick to emerse into a conversation, already being close enough to avoid any awkward beginnings. 

Chaeyoung tried to avoid talking about her best friend, trying to test the waters and see how long she could go. Every feeling she felt was contradictory, it made her wonder how Momo was able to make her feel on edge yet relaxed all at the same time. She blamed the way she talked, or the way her face lit up so beautifully when she recalled memories. Every movement felt specifically crafted to make Chaeyoung fall deeper. 

The shorter girl listened intently to anything Momo said, making sure to pay attention to every detail. Eventually, the conversation switched from that of a casual one to one in regards to a certain pale girl. Chaeyoung tried her hardest to fight her slight frown. She cursed at herself for reacting this way at the mention of her best friend. At first, Chaeyoung answered the japanese girl's questions vaguely. However, the older girl wasn't leaving the topic any time soon. The korean girl was nearing her breaking point. She really hated to end what was the original comfortable atmosphere, despite that she knew she had to break it to Momo. Mina surely knew, she had to, so the shorter girl wondered why she wasn't the one to tell her own best friend. 

"Chaeyoung? Are you okay?" Momo asked sincerely, noticing the other girl visibly tensing up. 

The shorter girl snapped out of her thoughts, and looked at Momo's eyes. "Yeah sure, um, I just- can I ask you a question?"

Momo nodded, urging the girl to go ahead and ask. 

Chaeyoung gulped, suddenly feeling as if the air was a bit too thick to breathe at the moment. "Uh, why do you ask so many questions about Dahyun?"

The japanese girl's brows furrowed, "Cause I care about her? Plus with the whole thing with Sana, and you're her best friend."

The shorter girl wanted to look everywhere else except for Momo's eyes. Did she know? Did she even know that most of their conversations often drifted to the pale girl? Did she know that Chaeyoung only dealt with the slight pain because she couldn't just ignore the way her eyes lit up? 

"Momo, I uh, how do you think of Dahyun?"

Momo's expression only became more puzzled. "She's my friend."

Chaeyoung's eyes looked up, as she directly stared into fellow brown ones. Her gaze shifted from a nervous one to a more solid, stern one. 

"Momo, you have romantic feelings for Dahyun," she figured ripping off the bandaid would be better than to tip toe around the entire subject, due to Momo being as dense as her best friend. 

Momo's eyes widened a bit at her words. However, she shook her head slightly. "I- I don't. I don't know where you got that from," her voice wavered a bit. She tried to hide her feelings from Chaeyoung, but she felt like the shorter girl was too smart for her own good.

Chaeyoung's gaze didn't falter. "I got that from all our conversations, Momo. All you do is talk about her, don't you realize that?" The girl said softly, she didn't want to raise her voice.  

Momo only shook her head. "If it bothered you, why didn't you stop me?"

At that moment, Chaeyoung's eyes finally did falter, immediately shifting into a more softer mood. She didn't know what to say. Her intentions weren't to confess, no she actually didn't want to confess ever. However, she was always one to succumb to what her heart desired, and she was never one to be afraid of crashing and burning. 

"I never stopped you because I like you, Momo. So I can't bear seeing you have a crush and not even knowing you do," her voice was quiet and timid, but Momo still heard her loud and clear. Chaeyoung's bravery ran out, and she quickly stood up, "I'm sorry Momo, I have to go." She rushed away from their table, not listening to any of the japanese girl's protests. 

She made her way outside, feeling reality hit her. She really couldn't just keep shut huh? Chaeyoung wondered if what she did was the right thing to do, she knew deep down it was. She wanted Momo to save herself before the inevitable. She didn't want her to be as hurt as she could've been if she stayed blind to her own feelings. Chaeyoung, however, could not control her own wilding heart beat. It shouldn't have felt this heavy to confess, right? She remembers her last crush, her only one before Momo. She remembers how she confessed, and how effortless it felt. Chaeyoung didn't feel like she was at war with her lungs and mind like she did at the moment with Momo. 

She figured that maybe she should've stuck to what her mind told her when she first met Momo. She shouldn't have bravely let herself fall into a pit willingly. Chaeyoung had underestimated just how much she'd end up liking Momo. 

It was much too late for that realization. 

...

Momo silently paced back and forth. 

She had absolutely no idea on what to think about her current situation. It was never supposed to be this complicated. 

Then again, maybe this was her own doing. She couldn't bring herself to deny everything Chaeyoung had told her. Deep down, she knew it was all true. Ever since the japanese girl caught sight of Dahyun's blinding smile, she fell into the same pit Sana did. It was all a matter of time that her feelings would build up, after all she did nothing to stop them from growing. Maybe, just maybe, this was her own fault. What she didn't expect was to drag Dahyun's own best friend into all of her mess. 

Chaeyoung, who looked so defeated before her earlier. Chaeyoung, who battled her own heart just to be around Momo. The japanese girl felt like a complete jerk. She should've considered the shorter girl's feelings, she should've noticed signs. Yet, she was too busy focusing on Dahyun that anything else, she figures that's where things went wrong. 

Momo takes in a deep breath. "What the have you gotten yourself into?" Momo cursed at herself under her breath. 

She had no idea how to deal with her own emotions, let alone how to tend to Chaeyoung's own hurt. Although she had been blind before, Momo still gained a soft spot for Chaeyoung. She wouldn't deny both girls had become good friends, and Momo was feeling like an for just unknowingly crushing Chaeyoung like that. Her mind rushed with many thoughts.Thoughts of Sana, Chaeyoung, and Dahyun. She was so wrapped up in her own worries that she had not noticed her best friend enter the room. 

"What has you all worked up, Momoring?"

Momo's eyes widened as she turned to see Mina's face. Just looking at her best friend's face made her want to let herself fall apart in Mina's arms. She was barely keeping herself stable. 

"Minaring, I'm such a up."

Mina instantly frowned, and hurriedly enveloped her best friend in a hug. She hated seeing Momo be in such a state, especially since she was always cheery and aloof. 

"No you're not, did something happen? What's wrong?" The girl spoke softly. 

"I, I spoke with Chaeyoung earlier..." Momo began, tone a bit weak. 

Mina nodded, urging the girl to continue. 

"She said I had to...admit that I like Dahyun romantically. And the thing Minaring, is that I did, and I thought it would be fine, right? But I just failed to realize another aspect...I'm so blind," Momo stumbled over her words.

Mina looked at her confused, "What aspect are you talking about?"

Momo ducked her head, she felt bad. She felt like she had somehow toyed with the shorter girl's feelings, even if that was never her intention. "Chaeyoung... likes me romantically. She put up with my because she likes me." 

The younger girl began rubbing circles on the other's back in order to comfort her. "First of all, don't call yourself a . Second of all, what are you gonna do about her?"

Momo shrugged defeatedly. "I have no idea. I do care about her, if I didn't it wouldn't hurt this much. The very idea that I was the one who caused her own hurt. But what am I supposed to do? I was prepared to deal with my own feelings, not Chaeyoung's."

She sighed.

"I...have to wait until this whole thing with Sana and Dahyun is over. This is more important, I think she knows that too. After that, then I have to talk to her," Momo said sullenly. 

Mina lightly smiled, proud of the way her friend was dealing with everything. Granted, she might've underestimated her own best friend far too much. However, she knew there was another important aspect she had to uncover. How she believed Momo was oblivious about her own feelings, she has no idea. Perhaps Momo was better at hiding her own feelings more than she thought. The thought scared her, the possibility that she had been hiding things so important from her.  

"Momo... you do know that Sana has-"

"Of course I do Minaring, we've known Sana for years. I know how she feels," Momo smiled weakly. 

"I just, I knew I had feelings for Dahyun a long time ago. I also quickly picked up on Sana's feelings. Mina, I didn't want to interrupt what could be the best thing to happen to Sana, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I just decided to step back when it came to my feelings, I guess Chaeyoung was sort of my outlet for that. And now it all backfired."

Mina noticed the girl wanted to continue, so she only nodded. 

"She looked so much happier Minaring, you know it. She looked like she was ready to place trust on Dahyun, I wanted her to finally let herself free. I didn't want to let my feelings be known, you know how Sana is."

Mina whispered, "She would've backed away."

Momo nodded, "Sana needs Dahyun, and now she's ran away from her. What are we going to do Mina? It's been too long, Sana needs to go to her."

The japanese girl bit her lip, she was just as clueless as Momo when it came to knowing what to do. 

A couple of months ago, Sana entered their apartment and decided to not see Dahyun for awhile. At first, Mina thought she meant a couple of days, maybe a week at most. However, she didn't expect her best friend to go on this long without returning to her room mate. Although the girl was doing pretty fine in her studies and such, she was going into a deeper hole when it came to drinking and such. To the point where not even Mina could keep up with her outings, and she was usually pretty good at doing so. Not even Mina could get her to go back, and usually Sana was pretty much easily convinced by her. Mina was growing more and more worried as she counted the days pass by, each day she was met with a hung over Sana, pink post it notes surrounding her. All Mina felt like she could do was hope that this wouldn't be a major step back from her dear friend's progress. 

Mina heard sniffling, which interrupted her train of thought. She quickly hugged her best friend tightly, not being able to witness her best friend crying. She began to pet her head, massage her back, anything to try and comfort Momo. Mina understood how her best friend must be feeling at the moment. Both girls cared deeply for Sana, and watching her not letting herself be happy was incredibly hard. Especially when she deserved to be happy after all her years of being hurt. Their best friend meant the absolute world to them, her hurt became their own hurt. However, Mina knew there was extra weight on Momo's heart. The weight of her own feelings for Dahyun, and the weight of Chaeyoung's feelings on her. Which surely must be taking a huge toll on her friend, a toll Mina wishes she could take instead. 

Mina knows she has her own added weight on her heart, but she's far too scared to reveal it. The timing was horrible, it would do nothing but cause trouble at a dire moment like this, so she figured it would be best to keep it a secret for now. For Sana's sake. Mina hoped she had done the right decision in doing so. 

"Momoring, I don't want you to feel like you have to keep your feelings a secret from me. I want you to depend on me, okay?"

Momo backed her head away from the crook of Mina's neck, revealing a small smile through sniffles. 

"I already depend on you so much Minaring, do you really want to baby sit me more?" she joked. 

Mina smiled, glad that her best friend had cheered up a bit. She lightly smacked her shoulder. "Shut up, you know I love you."

Momo nodded, "I love you too."

Both girls stayed in comfortable silence, until they heard sniffling. However, Momo had already stopped crying long ago.

Their expressions shifted into confusion, as they turned to see who was the one crying.

Then, to their surprise, they were met with Sana's wide eyes, tears streaming down her face, as she hid behind the door. 

As they tried to get words out, the girl didn't allow them too. For Sana quickly turned and ran.

...

Sana ran.

She didn't know where she was going, but she still ran. She couldn't bear to stay a second longer in that room with her two best friends. Especially after she had heard everything. 

It was all her fault, every single thing. She caused this downfall, and she hated herself for it. She never expected things to turn out this way, it was all supposed to be innocent. Sana should've seen it coming. Things never did quite work in her favor. 

She wanted to be far away from it all, from her heart, her mind, and reality. 

She didn't want to think about Momo's face as she cried to Mina. 

She didn't want to think about Mina's furrowed eyebrows and her expression of deep worry.

 She didn't want to think about Dahyun's notes and how they all pleaded her to come back. 

She didn't want to think about the way her heart felt like it burned in her chest. 

All these thoughts felt like they were crashing down on her all at the same time, she just wanted to breathe. Sana felt like a coward for running away, but she had become desperate. Desperation led her to the only place she knew that would be able to rid her from her countless intruding thoughts. 

She hoped it would all end up okay. 

...

a/n: hey guys! sorry for the short hiatus, i had some issues and i didnt want to post a forced chapter. i at writing angst, but i hope you guys enjoy this

have a good day :)