She was crying.

"M-Mina? What's wrong?"

Mina just shook her head, tears still flowing, and tried to pull Momo back in. But there was no way Momo could go through with it. She sat up, pulling Mina along, her arms still wrapped tight around Momo's waist. Her heart sank as Mina latched onto her even more, burying her face into Momo's neck. Maybe she shouldn't have asked.

"Are you okay? If you don't want to you don't have to. I don't want to make it wei-mmph!"

Momo found herself cut off by the pressure of Mina's lips on her own. She stiffened from the sudden contact before her mind went hazy and her eyes fluttered shut. Mina's lips were soft. Much softer than the inside of Momo's elbow, which she had used for kissing practice at the suggestion of the internet. But she was glad for the practice. Mina's lips moved frantically against her own and Momo finally unfroze. She caught Mina's lower lip, slowing the kiss and sweetening it. Savoring it. Mina seemed to get the message, moving her arms from Momo's waist to around her neck. Her breathing levelled and Momo felt a sigh hit her chin. Momo brought her hands up blindly, finding Mina without incident and cupping her hands around Mina's face. Her fingers her cheeks and she felt the remains of the tears that had streaked down. That snapped her out of her reverie.

"Mina!" Momo backed off slightly. Mina chased after her, but the hands on her face kept her separate from Momo's lips. "God, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking and I made you cry but I really wanted to kiss you so when you kissed me, I kissed back even though-"

"Momo..."

Momo stopped. It was the same tone that Mina always used. The one when she was pointing out something Momo needed to fix in the choreography. The one when she was getting distracted in school but needed to focus again. The one when Momo accidentally got her in trouble and she was telling Momo that she'd always be her best friend and-

"I like you as more than a friend."

"Uh- I... you. Umm..."

"Use your words Momo." That same smile appeared when Momo did as she was told.

"But you were crying?"

Mina laughed and sat back, rubbing away the evidence of her tears.

"Those were happy tears, Momoring. I was happy you liked me back."

"Wait." Momo frowned in thought. "How'd you know I liked you?"

"Well... you did ask to kiss me."

Oh yeah. That happened.

"R-right." Momo smiled sheepishly, her hand coming up to rub the back of her head. Neither of them spoke for a while, just listening to their song still blasting through the speakers.

Momo was happy. She had been scared that Mina wouldn't be okay with kissing her and, even when Mina said she was, she was scared that Mina wouldn't feel anything for her. To find out that Mina liked her too was... cliché. Like in the movies. But clichés can be good. She had learned that her writing class. Her eyes wandered over to Mina, who was still wiping away the tears that had settled on her face. The heat rushed through her face again, but this time without messing up her focus. If anything, she was more focused. Focused on the way Mina drew her hair back, the way she smiled to herself, the way her eyes, while a little red, were gleaming and content. And Momo was too.

Content.

"We should start now." Mina was the first to get up, moving to grab her phone while Momo followed.

"Minari."

"Yes?" She turned around, phone in hand.

Momo laid her hand over Mina's, gently pushing the phone away and stepping in. She pressed a quick kiss to Mina's cheek.

"I really like you. We haven't officially said it so... will you be my girlfriend?"

The most Mina-esque, quiet 'yes' was her answer.

Momo grinned and bounded away to set for the run-through. In the mirror she could see Mina blush and she laughed in her head. When Mina didn't start the music Momo spoke up.

"Focus!"

It felt good to be the one to say it for once.

---

Momo and Mina agreed that it wasn't good to be cocky. Confident sure, but being cocky was treading into dangerous territory. To a certain extent anxiety and nerves helped to motivate their competitive spirit, to make sure they weren't getting sloppy or complacent. There was no way they would push themselves as hard as they did if they were confident in winning. So, they agreed. Be confident on stage, be wary in the practice room.

But looking across the massive hall that was being used as part practice room and part waiting room, the pair were confident in placing well. Nobody was bad, obviously not at a national competition, but it was more of the same than not. Each team had their own speaker, which could only be turned up to a certain volume per rules and courtesy. Momo guessed six of every ten speakers were playing the same song. Mina told her it was technically six and a half. Momo kissed her hard to stop the explanation she knew was coming.

The pair got a few congratulatory claps and cheers from the people nearest to them. Momo just grinned and waved, getting a smack to the back of her head from a bright red Mina for her trouble.

They knew song choice wasn't everything, but it would definitely affect the judges from a mental standpoint. There were only so many times a person could listen to the same song before starting to get bored of it. They knew their song would catch the attention of the judges, make them sit a little straighter and pay a little more attention, if only for the reason that their song wasn't the one being played by nearly every other group. Another factor they had going for them was age. Most of the competitors were older than them, juniors and seniors in high school. They'd stand out for sure once they were announced. The only other person their age was someone named Lalisa Manoban. An international competitor and the only solo competitor. Mina and Momo appreciated her confidence.

The three were sitting against the wall, taking a break as they scouted their competition. Lalisa, they found out she preferred Lisa but Momo called her Lala, wasn't completely fluent in Japanese, but they managed. Afterall they had the internet.

"They're not...uh." Lisa gestured towards a group and typed into her phone. "Beautiful."

Momo inhaled the water she was drinking, coughing and spluttering as she laughed. Mina patted her back while leaning over to look at the translation that Lisa showed her. Lisa looked at the two questioningly. Mina took the phone and typed in the Japanese word for 'beautiful' before translating it back to Thai. Lisa took one look at the phone and blushed, waving her hands back and forth as she shook her head in a panic.

"No no... uhm."

Mina put in 'synchronized' and translated it. She handed the phone back to Lisa and the girl nodded furiously. Mina did some more translating on her phone and turned back to Lisa. Momo was just confused by the whole conversation. Translating Thai to Japanese and back, sometimes translating one to English then to the other and back and... yeah no.

"We say that they're not clean. It means the same thing as synchronized."

Lisa nodded again.

"They're not... clean."

Momo looked over to the group and watched them run through their sections again. Lala was right. They were good as individuals for sure, great even. But as a group they lacked cohesion, even more so since they had six people. It felt like six solo dancers that happened to be doing the same routine near each other, instead of one group performing one piece. And they weren't the most in sync either. She turned back to compliment Lala's good eye but stopped short.

This Lalisa was all up on her Mina. Head on the shoulder and everything. And what was Mina doing? Nothing. Not even looking at Lisa. Mina had the gall to hold Momo's hand and allow this stranger to lay her head on Momo's shoulder. Okay, it wasn't actually Momo's shoulder. But Mina was hers, Momo thought, so Mina's shoulder was her shoulder. She had called dibs already. Nobody just disrespects the dibs.

"Minari look! One of the officials is giving out free ketchup bottles over there!"

"Where?!"

Mina moved so quickly that Lisa flopped right over, her only support now a good fifteen feet away. Momo took the chance and scooted over in front of Lisa, putting a hand on her shoulder to keep her down.

"Mina is mine. Back off."

She was met with a confused gaze. Lisa just handed her phone to Momo in silence. Huffing and pouting, Momo typed in her threat. Lisa read over it and laughed. She laughed. The Thai dancer sat up and shook her head at Momo, a smile spreading across her face. Momo was about to type something much worse when Mina suddenly appeared behind her.

"I couldn't find him. They probably ran out since there's so many people over there."

"Aww sorry Minari."

Mina sat back down between the two, returning to her phone. Momo scooted back to where she was and put her hand on her thigh, palm facing up and fingers open, waiting for Mina to take it. She waited. And waited. Nothing. She looked over and nearly popped a vein at the sight. Lisa was leaning in, whispering something in Mina's ear, laughing the entire time. And Mina was laughing with her. Lisa made eye contact with Momo behind Mina's head and smirked, sending a wink over. Momo stretched her arms above her head, flipping Lisa the middle finger as her arms came back down. Lisa finally backed away from Mina, but not before saying one last thing that made Mina blush. Momo was ready to defend her territory.

"I'm going to practice more. Good luck!"

"Bye Lisa!"

"..."

Momo glared at the back of Lisa's head as she walked away. This girl tried to just come in and take her Mina. Who did she think she was? People these days have no respect. Momo's thoughts continued down this path until Mina filled her field of view.

"Momo?" Mina whispered.

"Hmm?" Momo shifted slightly, letting her see Mina and glare at Lisa through the mirror at the same time.

"Can I..." Her voice drifted off and blood rushed to her face. "Can I have a kiss?"

Momo felt her neck heat up. Sure, she didn't mind showing affection in public, they were just new at this. The question felt so... intimate. But Momo would never refuse. She nodded and her hand found Mina’s cheek, gently pulling her in. They parted with a louder than necessary pop, all part of Momo’s effort to spite Lisa. Mina sat back down, leaning her head on Momo's shoulder, taking her arm and hugging it. Momo smiled down at the top of Mina’s head before looking back in the mirror. Lisa was looking at her. With her free hand, Momo drew her thumb across her neck, smirking victoriously. Lisa scoffed and looked away.

"Momo look at the meme I sent you." Mina's voice drew her attention.

While Momo was busy with her phone, Mina found Lisa's eyes in the mirror. The two smiled and shared a knowing wink. Mina glanced down at the translation she had pulled up. She sounded it out in her head before looking back up. Lisa was still looking. Mina mouthed some words to her.

Thank you.

---

They had won first place. That wasn't the surprising part. In fact, their parents had already been standing and applauding for them as second place was being announced, much to their kids' embarrassment. The surprising part came after. Momo leaned in to whisper as the other teams left the stage.

"There was a prize?"

I didn't know either.

"Did it say so on the poster?"

... I don't think we read the entire poster.

"Woops."

A man stood from the judges’ table. He introduced himself as the Director of Dance at Waseda University, the top performing arts university in Japan.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Hirai Momo and Myoui Mina! Winners of the National Juniors Competition and the new junior dance representatives of Japan!"

Applause filled the room, their parents ecstatic at the news.

"Did he just say we're Japan's dance representatives?"

Junior representatives.

"Admittedly the association did not predict dancers of their age to win, but we'd still like to extend our offer with special accommodations."

Offer?

"Beats me."

"Waseda University would be proud to offer Ms. Hirai and Ms. Myoui specialized supplemental courses in addition to their full scholarship. That way, they will be able to pursue Waseda's finest dance programs while they finish their secondary education, then immediately start as university students. We, the Board of Dance and Waseda University, would be honored if you will accept."

"Woah."

Woah.

"Of course, we will discuss in further detail with you ladies and your parents, but for now, another round of applause for Hirai Momo and Myoui Mina!"

---

“We’re very proud of you girls!”

“Very much so, but why didn’t you tell us about the scholarship?”

They were piled into a diner booth for a celebratory dinner, Mina between her parents on one side, Momo between her parents on the other. Momo put down her menu first, having already decided.

“To be honest I didn’t know there was a going to be a full scholarship.”

Her parents looked at each other over Momo’s head. They shrugged and turned back to their menus. That fact wasn’t that surprising, but they were happy nonetheless. A full ride scholarship was one of the last things they expected from their daughter, especially to a school that Mina could have gotten into on academic merit alone. The Hirai’s were just grateful that Momo could continue to go to school alongside Mina. They both knew she was one of the only things keeping Momo invested in her education.

“We were wondering the same thing.” The Myoui’s addressed their daughter. “Did you want to surprise us dear?”

“I… I didn’t know either.” Mina admitted.

All four adults blinked and turned to look at Mina. Or rather the menu that Mina was trying to become one with.

The Myoui’s were sitting in disbelief. This was their daughter. A girl who was never unprepared for something as trivial as brushing her teeth, much less the opportunity for a full ride scholarship that, apparently, she didn’t know about in the first place. They just couldn’t believe it.

The Hirai’s were looking concerned as well. Not for Mina, they knew she couldn’t be prepared for absolutely everything, but for her parents. It was as if reality were crumbling around Myoui Akira and Myoui Sachiko, their eyes blank as they tried to process the information. Momo’s mother fished around in her purse, bringing out a pen and paper. She hastily scribbled something down and handed it to Mina, gesturing for her to read it aloud.

“That it was going to be such a big scholarship.” Mina cleared . “I thought it was not going to be a lot of money, so I did not mention it.”

The impromptu script did its job. Mina’s parents unfroze and laughed, patting Mina on the back.

“Ah okay so you just thought it wasn’t worth mentioning. That’s alright Mina we understand, don’t we honey?”

“Yes, just a misunderstanding. Next time you can tell us anyways, Mina dear, even if you think it isn’t important.”

They went back to scanning the menu and the rest of the table sighed in relief, Mina handing the paper back across the table. It was quickly shoved back into the purse and forgotten about.

The night was filled with congratulations and planning, the girls and their parents agreeing to accept the offer, though the mothers objected heavily to having the girls move out so soon. Eventually they relented, provided that Momo walk with Mina anywhere they went and Mina be the one to handle the allowance the university would be giving them for food. Momo, bless her soul, couldn’t figure out why her parents would agree to that. She looked across the table at Mina. Learning to understand Mina’s body language meant that Momo could communicate with it too, she just rarely used it.

Why are they making you handle the money?

Mina shrugged and looked away. Momo narrowed her eyes and kicked Mina under the table.

I know you know why, so tell me.

Mina winced and rubbed her leg, pouting at Momo. The adorable, and rarely seen, face nearly convinced Momo to stop her pursuit of the truth, but she resisted, keeping eye contact with Mina. She saw Mina sigh to herself.

Do you really want to know?

Momo nodded.

Water.

Momo went pale at the thought.

You wouldn’t actually make me drink water, would you?

The look in Mina’s eyes told her everything. They say eyes are the window to the soul, and Momo could see that Mina’s soul was determined to make her drink more water.

To make her suffer.

---

Suffering is a weird thing. Some people feel that there are those who deserve it, others say nobody needs to suffer. Some feel that the world is cruel, and others feel that the world is fair and impartial. It depends. Momo was usually in the first boat whereas Mina was in the second. It was much simpler when they were young, but education tends to add unnecessary twists and turns to otherwise straightforward thinking.

Three years of university education left Momo feeling tired already, and technically she and Mina hadn’t even started university yet. That would come at the end of the summer. In light of their unique circumstances, Waseda had sent Momo and Mina home over the summer. Sort of an apology for not being able to give them a proper high school graduation ceremony. Momo and Mina agreed that it was something at least, but the school could have done better.

The two were in their dorm packing their bags for the trip home. Momo sat on the floor and looked through her open suitcase, trying to see if there was anything else she needed. This would be the first time in three long years that she’d get to see her parents face to face for more than a weekend. She missed them and she was sure Mina was feeling the same way about her own parents. It was nice not to have supervision all the time, but Momo felt as though she and Mina could do with some…approval. She had been thinking about it for a while now.

It was more of a traditional thing, and while Momo could care less about tradition, she did care what her parents thought of her and Mina as a couple. The two hadn’t told their parents yet, deciding together that they wanted to see if they’d make it as a couple before announcing anything. Their best-friendship would survive anything, but their sanity might crumble if they got constant questions about them being a couple only to break up.

“Moguri? Did you lose something?”

Momo blinked and looked to the side. Mina had scooted up to her and leaned her chin on Momo’s shoulder, her arms wrapping around Momo from behind.

“Eh?”

“You were staring at your luggage. Did you misplace something?”

“Ah- no, I was just thinking about something.”

“What is it?” She shuffled her way next to Momo.

Momo really wanted Mina to meet her parents. Well yeah, they had technically already known Mina for years, but they hadn’t really met Mina. They knew Momo’s best friend Mina, not Momo’s girlfriend Mina. Add to that the fact that they didn’t even know gay Momo existed. Momo frowned a little. Maybe it wasn’t the right time yet, maybe it was too early. They’d been together for three years, but their relationship was moving very slowly, not that either of the girls minded. It was a bit confusing for them to establish the line between best friendship and relationship, especially since the two had known each other for so long. They actually had to look up what exactly being in a relationship means. That had helped, but it was still not the average relationship by any means. They didn’t really go on ‘dates’ per se, but they went out and enjoyed themselves together. Some solo research had presented Momo with the… issue… of intimacy. In terms of bases, though Momo didn’t understand what baseball had to do with any of it, they had never gone past first. In fact, they barely made it to first, though they very much enjoyed the kissing they did. The thought of becoming more intimate was daunting. But that didn’t stop the heat from rushing to Momo’s face and neck as she remembered the other research she did. Much more personal and solo research. At least the school didn’t track their internet history.

“Woah there, relax. You’re thinking too hard.” Mina’s hands patted Momo’s flushed skin. “You can just say it, even if it’s bad.”

Momo certainly had some bad thoughts, but she shook them aside and took Mina’s hand in her own.

“I… I want to come out to my parents.”

Mina smiled and was about to say something, but Momo pressed on.

“And I want you to be there with me.” She looked Mina in the eyes. “Come have dinner with us. I want them to know we’re together.”

Mina didn’t respond. Her face went from a gummy smile to the neutral expression she always wore in public. Momo felt her heart drop and her eyes did the same, landing on the hands she was holding.

“O-or I can just tell them on my own. You don’t have to be there if you don’t want. It’s not a big de-”

“Of course I’ll come with you! But what am I going to wear? What’s your mom’s favorite color? No wait, your dad’s?” Momo felt Mina’s grip tighten on her fingers. She was shaking them up and down and bouncing in her seat, a rare sight indeed. “I have to make sure I impress them.”

Momo looked back at Mina. She was smiling from ear to ear, gums out and all. But then her face froze, breaking into panic and worry.

“I’m meeting your parents. What if they hate me? What if they decide that I’m only good enough to be your friend and not your girlfriend? I’ll get kicked out of your house and-”

“Minari!” Momo quickly pecked Mina’s nose. “Calm down, you already know my parent’s love you. And you’ve been over plenty of time when we were young.”

“But still! This is different. I have to be perfect for them.”

“We don’t even know if they’re okay with their daughter being a lesbian. If they’re not I won’t drag you into it.” Momo wasn’t sure what her parents would think, but she had to be prepared either way.

“They will. And if they aren’t I’ll tell them I’m gay too.”

“No don’t do that, it’d be better if they only hate me-”

“Hey.” Mina cupped Momo’s face. “You’re thinking too hard. Again.”

She peppered kisses all over Momo’s face.

“We don’t need to plan that far ahead. How about we stop by my house first? I’m sure my parents are going to be okay with me being gay. Think of it as a practice run.”

“You’re gonna tell your parents? You don’t have to just because of me.”

“No, I want to. Especially if we’re going to tell them about us too.”

“I just don’t want you to feel pressured if you aren’t ready-”

Mina leaned in and sealed over Momo’s. The kiss was sweet and delicate, comforting more than exciting. If there was ever a time Momo could feel emotions, it would be right now through her Mina’s lips. The usual sense of calm wrapped around her like a blanket. Only this time, there was so much more woven in. Bright strands of pure, unadulterated happiness and small bits of amusement. Patches of confidence and anticipation. But in the background she could feel Mina’s nerves, as if each of the butterflies in her stomach were a separate worry or fear.

“Shush. Let’s go catch our train.”

The way she said it was so… Mina. She got up, grabbing her luggage before going to the living room. As Momo closed her own suitcase she knew, right then and there, that all she wanted to do was catch those butterflies. She’d put them in a jar and set it aside for Mina, for whenever she was ready to open it back up and let those butterflies go.

A/N: I originally planned for this to be a two-shot but I couldn't help myself. Ideas kept coming so I hope you like wherever this ends up ^-^