Momo was the only one who got to hold Tzuyu's hands, but she regretted the day she let those hands go.

 

————

 

Tzuyu was sitting in the practice room, waiting for the other members to arrive. In the meantime, she decided to read some comments. She always had a bad tendency read them and it always eventually brought her mood down. 

 

 

Well, Tzuyu could admit that she wasn't the best singer in their group, but at least she tried. That was one of her mottos, "A for Effort!" 

 

 

Tzuyu didn't think she would make it. She didn't think that she would able to debut anytime soon, but that wasn't her decision to make.

 

 

That right there, was a white lie. Tzuyu could name at least 2 things she was good at: eating and sleeping. 

 

 

Now that hurt Tzuyu. For someone to say that she was dragging her group down hurt, a lot. 

 

It was during these times that Tzuyu wished she could stop reading these mean comments. But that was the one comment really hit her, hard. 

 

Tzuyu began to think, Why should I be here? Twice will still be successful without me... They don't need me... Why do people hate me? Twice is too good for someone average like me...

 

Tzuyu's mood began to drop and her thoughts were only getting worse. 

 

Yes, Tzuyu suffered from depression. 

 

She often had bad thoughts like these (and some were even worse), but she never told anyone. She didn't want to make her other members concerned about her. 

 

Tzuyu leans her head against the wall and covers her eyes with her arm, attempting to stop her tears from falling. 

 

Suddenly, the practice door opens.

 

And it reveals, Momo. 

 

Upon entering, Momo immediately spots Tzuyu leaning against the wall, looking really sad and depressed. She immediately goes over to help her, not out of wanting to get closer to her, but out of concern. 

 

"Tzuyu! What's wrong? Are you ok? Are you hurt or anything?" Momo asks, crouching down next to Tzuyu to see what's wrong. 

 

Tzuyu was hurt and she has been for a while, but Momo didn't need to know that.

 

Tzuyu quickly wipes her incoming tears, not wanting her dear member to see the state she is in.

 

Momo notices this and moves closer to Tzuyu, observing her features, trying to figure out what's wrong. For now, her feelings needed to be put aside.

 

Tzuyu manages to barely control her emotions and gives Momo a fake smile to play it off.

 

"Ah, it's nothing Momo-unnie. I'm just thinking about how hungry I am right now." Tzuyu says. managing to cover up her real thoughts and emotions. 

 

"Ok, but if you ever need anything, I'll be here for you to take your hand when you need help." Momo says sincerely, standing up and helping Tzuyu off the ground. 

 

Tzuyu couldn't take it, for someone to tell her that she'll be there, that she'll help her, that she'll take her hand, it was just incredible.  

 

Tzuyu desperately grabs onto Momo and falls into her arms, squeezing her tight and releasing her pain, her bad thoughts, and her secrets with painful tears and loud sobs. 

 

Momo hugs Tzuyu back just as tight and rubs her back affectionately. She lovingly allows Tzuyu to release all her stress and waits for her to settle down before she starts asking her questions.

 

When Tzuyu eventually stops crying, Momo's shirt is soaked and Tzuyu's eyes are swollen. They calmly separate and sit down on the nearby beach. 

 

Momo helps Tzuyu sit down and cautiously starts asking her questions. 

 

"Are you ok Chewy-ya?" Momo asks, placing her hand on Tzuyu's to help the later to feel her sincerity. 

 

"N-No unnie..." Tzuyu answers truthfully.

 

"Tell me what's wrong, I'll help you." Momo says, scooting closer to Tzuyu and wrapping an arm around her waist. 

 

As Tzuyu explains all her thoughts, feelings, and health, Momo does nothing but listen quietly and give a comforting squeeze from time to time.

 

 When she finishes, Momo can't help but want to stick with the girl and help her with anything and everything. 

 

"Why didn't you tell us?" Momo asks.

 

"I-I didn't want you and the others to be worried about me all of the time." Tzuyu answers. 

 

"But Tzuyu, if it's something as serious as this then you should tell us. Let's tell the others, ok?" Momo asks, wanting to help the girl in any way she could.

 

"N-No! Please unnie don't tell them! Please! I'm begging you!" Tzuyu pleads desperately.

 

Momo looks at the girl with eyes filled with concern.

 

"Are you sure that you don't want to tell the others?" Momo confirms, wanting to do what the girl wants.

 

Tzuyu nods her head vigorously. 

 

"Ok I won't tell the others." Momo says with concern sigh.

 

"Thank you unnie! Thank you so much!" Tzuyu replies, bowing a little bit to Momo.

 

"But-" Momo says.

 

Tzuyu looks back up at Momo.

 

"But I'm gonna stick with you everywhere you go from now on so I can take care of you, ok?" Momo says firmly.

 

"O-Ok unnie." Tzuyu agrees, understanding Momo's reasons to stay with her.

 

"Ok let's practice then!" Momo says with a bright smile.

 

Tzuyu smiles back with a genuine smile.

 

And that night, Momo announced to everyone else that she will be the one to take care of Tzuyu, and that no one else could, but her.

 

~Flashforward(5 years)~

 

After that incident, things definitely changed. 

 

Now, Momo and Tzuyu shared a room and Jeongyeon was living with Chaeyoung and Dahyun. Every time Twice had a fan meeting or an interview, Momo will always stand or sit next to Tzuyu. And every time Tzuyu needed to go somewhere, Momo would always walk her there, hand in hand. 

 

Tzuyu didn't mind it when Momo followed her around, because she knew that her unnie only wanted to watch out for her. She started to get used to it and now, if Momo wasn't there she would look for her. She began to grow a very strong attachment to the older one. 

 

The members were definitely shocked when Momo announced that she would take care of their precious maknae, but they accepted it, knowing that Momo had reasons for her actions.

 

On the other hand, Momo's feelings only grew stronger for Tzuyu over the years. She always made sure Tzuyu was cared for, putting the younger's needs ahead of her own. She was the type of person who would give anything and everything for her love and that's exactly what she did for Tzuyu. 

 

As for Tzuyu's depression and health, it was only getting worse by the day. Sometimes, Momo would have to hunt down the girl only to find her curled up in the corner, crying. On top of all that, she got sick very often, about once every two months. Momo was constantly taking care of the girl, but she didn't mind, she would give anything for her love. 

 

Tzuyu and Momo always had a special place they liked to go to when they were stressed or just wanted to think. That place was the roof of their dorm building and today was a day that Tzuyu wanted to think.

 

Tzuyu was feeling unusually weak that day, but she decided to brush it off, thinking that she was just tired. Well actually, she's been feeling this way all week. She would often times just collapse on the ground, feel a sharp pain in her chest, or feel very dizzy. She hasn't even been eating properly these days, she would just loose her appetite when it was time to eat. 

 

She knew her health was getting worse, but she didn't want to go to the hospital, because then Momo would have to watch over her 24/7 and Tzuyu didn't want that. All Tzuyu wanted was for Momo to live the life she deserved, with or without her. 

 

The two told the other members that they were going out to the roof and left. They were walking hand in hand like usual, naturally and casually, like a lock and key. When they got there, they immediately noticed the beautiful sunset in the red and orange sky. 

 

They sat on the roof together, Tzuyu sitting in between Momo's legs, leaning back on the later while Momo leaned against the wall and wrapped her arms around Tzuyu's waist protectively.

 

After a few moments of silence, Momo speaks up.

 

"What's on your mind Chewy?" Momo asks softly. 

 

"I've been feeling a little weak these days unnie." Tzuyu replies, snuggling closer to Momo. 

 

"Are you sick again? Should we go to the hospital?" Momo asks, placing her hand on Tzuyu's forehead to check her temperature. 

 

"No unnie we don't need..." Tzuyu denies the offer.

 

Tzuyu suddenly falls unconscious and Momo is in panic. She tries to wake the girl, but to no avail. Momo immediately lifts up Tzuyu and carries her on her back, finally noticing how light the girl is. 

 

Momo rushes down the stairs with quick steps while calling an ambulance to come immediately. Once she gets down the stairs, she's panting heavily, but luckily the ambulance is there waiting for her. Momo and the medical staff lie Tzuyu down on the stretcher and bring her to the hospital. 

 

~At the hospital~

 

Momo is worriedly pacing around the Emergency Waiting Room. The other members are on their way to the hospital after receiving a call from Momo about Tzuyu being at the hospital.

 

The members suddenly appear running down the hall toward Momo. When they arrive, they are panting with worried looks on their faces. 

 

"What happened?" Jihyo asks first.

 

"While me and Tzuyu were on the roof, she suddenly fell unconscious, so I took her here." Momo answer, still pacing around.

 

"Is she ok?" Chaeyoung asks, biting her lip nervously. 

 

"I don't know, the doctor hasn't come out yet." Momo says, peeking at the Emergency Room door for the hundredth time. 

 

As if on cue, the doctor comes out with a clipboard and everyone's eyes immediately go to the man. 

 

"I need to speak with Ms. Tzuyu's guardian." The doctor says.

 

"That would be me." All 8 of them say at the same. 

 

"Ok then, I'll just speak with all of you here then." The doctor says.

 

They all nod back.

 

"Well, due to her depression-" The doctor starts.

 

All the members gasp in shock, except for Momo and the doctor continues.

 

"she has not been eating and sleeping properly and because of that, she has developed a heart disease where it is difficult for her heart to pump blood through her body. That is also the reason why she has been feeling weak or has been falling unconscious. Unfortunately, this disease has been slowly developing inside of her for about the past 5 years to the point where it would be too risky to do any kind of surgery to help her. I'm sorry." The doctor explains, hanging his head low, sorry toward the other members.

 

The members are completely frozen in shock.

 

"H-How long does she have left?" Momo manages to choke out, tears already stinging her eyes. 

 

"I'm afraid at this rate, she only has about a week to a month left. I'm deeply sorry." The doctor says, bowing deeply toward the girls.

 

"Thank you..." Momo manages to say, her tears and sobs shortly taking over.

 

The doctor leaves and the members are left devastated and crying. 

 

After their tears have died down, they decide to go into Tzuyu's room. When they enter they see Tzuyu lying in the bed, still unconscious. 

 

Momo is the first to sit down in the chair next to Tzuyu's bed. The other members know how close the two are, so they decide to leave Momo alone with Tzuyu for a moment. 

 

When they leave, Momo is pulled back into another round of tears. She sobs her heart out loudly, hoping that somehow Tzuyu would hear her. 

 

All the words Momo wanted to say come out to be loud, painful sobs. 

 

Momo gently places her hand on Tzuyu's, feeling the soft yet cold skin. She wipes her tears only to have them flow out again, staining her face with pain. A couple land on Tzuyu's arm and hand, wetting her skin. That's when Momo feels it,

 

Tzuyu flinches. 

 

Momo immediately wipes her tears and scoots closer to Tzuyu. The later slowly opens her eyes, blinking several times to fix her blurry vision. She's met with the sight of Momo's tear stained face and her eyes filled concern.

 

"U-Unnie?" Tzuyu says, softly.

 

"Yes Chewy-ya, it's me." Momo replies softly, her eyes now pouring out happy tears.

 

Tzuyu slowly reaches her hand up and wipes Momo's tears lovingly, caressing Momo's face. Momo smiles a warm smile back at her and Tzuyu replies with a small painful smile.

 

"Why didn't you tell me about your heart condition sooner Tzuyu?" Momo asks softly, knowing that Tzuyu could break at any time.

 

"I-I didn't want you to take care of me at the hospital 24/7. You wouldn't be able to live your life because of me, and I didn't want that." Tzuyu replies honestly.

 

"Your so stupid Tzuyu..." Momo mumbles, only loud enough for Tzuyu to hear.

 

"The reason I stayed with you and took care of you all these years was because I love you Tzuyu. I've loved you for a very long time and when I found out about your depression that day, I dedicated my whole life for you. I spend all my time and energy chasing you, helping you, and comforting you, my life became all about you. I honestly can't even imagine my life without you and I just want to tell you, before it's too late, that I love you. Will you go out with me?" Momo confesses, staring into Tzuyu's eyes lovingly. 

 

Tzuyu smiles her most beautiful smile at Momo and Momo feels herself melt.

 

"Yes I will, I love you too unnie." Tzuyu says weakly, yawning and feeling herself drift off into sleep.

 

"Get some rest now Tzuyu, I'll still be here till morning so don't worry about me and sleep." Momo says, standing up and kissing Tzuyu's forehead before helping her lay down and sleep.

 

Tzuyu soon drifts off into sleep and Momo soon drifts off as well.

 

~Flashforward(1 month)~

 

Tzuyu was still in the hospital, but she was only getting worse and worse. Momo still visited her everyday and often brought Tzuyu some of her favorite things. One day, she even brought Tzuyu 2 big bags of her favorite breads. 

 

But despite all of Momo's efforts to cheer the girl up, she was always extremely sad when Momo had to leave due to the hospital's visiting hours. The girl would often cry herself to sleep, knowing that she would eventually have to leave Momo, permanently. She always thanked the gods for letting her have Momo as her girlfriend. 

 

She knew that she would die soon and the thought itself, was only killing Tzuyu even more. 

 

One day, she felt it. She felt too weak to do anything, too depressed to talk to anyone, too tired to sleep, and too pained at the thought of leaving Momo. 

 

She knew that she would have to sleep eventually, although knowing that she will not wake up again, knowing that she won't be there anymore, knowing that wherever she was going, there would be no Momo.

 

And that's when it happened...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She finally feel asleep...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Permanently...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The doctors immediately start rushing into Tzuyu's room, trying everything they can just to get her to stay alive. 

 

But, 

 

It didn't work.

 

Chou Tzuyu was gone.

 

Momo comes running down the hospital's hallway after seeing all the doctors rush into Tzuyu's room. 

 

She pushes her way through the doctors and nurses into Tzuyu's room. She sees Tzuyu lying in her bed, her eyes closed, looking peaceful. She looks as if she's sleeping, but in the back of Momo's mind she knows that's not the truth. 

 

Momo knows that Tzuyu, her precious Tzuyu, has died.

 

Momo falls on her knees and loud, painful sobs make their way out of her. She cries as loud as her heart desires, releasing it all. The doctors hang their heads low and pray for Momo and Tzuyu. 

 

Momo stays on the ground, her heart completely shattered. She starts beating her chest, trying to ease the pain in her heart. It's almost unbearable.

 

Momo is filled with regrets and with all of their precious memories together. It flashes by her eyes, only to have her remember everything, every touch, every kiss, every smile, every pain, everything they have been through. Momo is still on the ground even after all the doctors leave. 

 

And now Momo knows what pain really is.

 

~Flashforward (1 week)~

 

After the funeral was held, Momo stands alone in front of Tzuyu's grave. Momo can't help but be pulled into another round of tears. 

 

Momo wanted nothing more than to just hold Tzuyu's hands again. Just once.