The snow falls heavily in Hokkaido, falling in sheets as the breeze blows coldly. Visiting the vacation house of the Chous for Christmas was once of Momo’s more sane ideas, and quite possibly the first that was received well by the gang. Tzuyu, and most of TWICE, are wisely staying out of the cold, instead choosing to stay in with Yeri and Kyulkyung. It’s Christmas Eve. The ideal prospect would be in the warmth, with friends and family and a warm fire.

Uncharacteristically, Mina’s gone against the grain, deciding to brave the cold. Winter always makes her thoughtful, and walking in the falling snow gives her time to contemplate.

More so, she hasn’t finished buying all her presents yet.

It’s so cold; Mina almost wishes she had brought a much warmer coat. Almost— because as she pauses in her step, a bare hand comes up and grasps her gloved one. It really shouldn’t provide any comfort, but Mina feels warmth spread through her body. Not breaking her stride, Mina turns her head to look at who it is— but she doesn’t really need to. Only one other person would come with her in the freezing cold, only one could make her feel so warm so quickly—

“Momoring,” Mina greets, pulling the other girl closer to her as they walk. “Sorry for walking so fast! I didn’t mean to leave you behind, I was just lost in thought…”

Momo smiles back, warming Mina even more than the grip on her hand. “Don’t worry about it! I was thinking about some things too, that’s why I didn’t try to catch up with you.” Mina’s cheeks start to get a little pinker, spurred on by their close proximity, even though she’s the one who initiated it.

Almost nine months with Momo, and the other girls still gets Mina flustered at any opportunity.

Of course, Momo’s been throwing Mina for a loop since they met. Though getting knocked into the canal from behind by your now-girl friend is a fun story to tell. (though Mina will always answer, “How did you two meet?” with “We happened to meet at a concert.” for years to come,) in the moment, it was just a scary surprise.

And as time’s gone by, the fear has been lost, while the surprise has just kept coming. From the first, “Do you want to be famous?” onwards, Momo’s just kept hitting Mina with shock after shock, not giving her any moments to retaliate or recover. Building up Mina’s confidence would have never been an easy task, and being around the whirlwind that was Momo didn’t make it any easier. But Mina was bound to explode at one point and—

“I love you,” She had said, putting all her emotions into the crisp summer morning.  But with Momo’s warm hands in hers, Mina hadn’t felt afraid. And now, nearly nine months later, the same hand grasped hers, and she felt just as safe.

A shoulder nudged Mina’s, and the noirette was pulled back into the present. Suddenly, she realized that she had paused in her walk, and had been standing in the snowfall for what had probably been a few minutes. The heavy flakes had gathered in her hair, and a few were melting down her white coat.

“Ah, Momoring, I’m sorry!”

But Momo just giggled and smiled at her. “Don’t worry, Minari.” The girl shakes her head, sending snowflakes sprawling in the air. At the same time, Momo reaches for Mina’s other hand, leaving them in the position they had been nine months prior.

“Just so you know, I love you.” Mina squeezes her girlfriend’s hand tighter. “Maybe I don’t say it enough but, y’know… It’s almost been nine months and I love you. I really do.”

Mina expects a hug for her heartfelt proclamation. Maybe even a kiss. Probably even an “I love you.” back. Instead, all she gets is the loss of warmth as Momo lets go of her hands and throws her arms wide.

“Aw, I knew I was forgetting something!” Momo spins in a circle. “Nine months? Nine months already? That’s important, I can’t believe I forgot!”

“You still have time…”

“But I should remember! Ah, I’m the worst girlfriend ever!”

“No, you aren’t… unless you leave me hanging for much longer.” Mina giggles a little, letting out a puff of air.

“Hanging…?” Momo scrunches her eyebrows in confusion. Mina raises her own. A lightbulb practically goes off above her head. “Oh! Minari, I love you too!”

As if to make up for her fallacy, Momo leans in to plant a kiss on her girlfriend’s cheek.

“That can’t be all.” Mina grins as Momo pulls away. After all, it’s nearly Christmas.”

At Momo’s confusion, Mina simply laughs and leans in, capturing the lips of the other girl. It’s quick, and chaste, as Mina’s acutely aware of the fact that they’re still in the middle of the street. Still, Mina feels the warmth spread through her once again.

“C’mon, Momoring, we’ll keep going.”

Mina hums happily, and the two continues to walk, hand-in-hand, until they reach the store Mina was looking for.

The store is small, but warm, and Mina’s surprised by how cold she actually was. Momo’s touch warmed her to the point that she was numb to how her body was actually feeling. The thought makes her stupidly giggly, and it stays with her as she splits from Momo to walk around the store.

She hasn’t bought anything for Chaeyoung or Tzuyu yet, but really, Mina wants to find something else for Momo. Already, she’s purchased a limited edition of Barbie doll, the Pink Splendor Barbie, but she feels like something more is in order. It’s their first big anniversary, and their first real holiday together.

What do you buy for your best friend, who also happens to be your girlfriend?

A quick walk around the store finds a Watercolor Pencil Set for Chaeyoung and a huge stuffed dog for Tzuyu. And still, nothing for Momo. Mina tries to peek at the jewelry, but as soon as she starts to look at the case, she spots a pair of brown eyes peering back at her. Mina walks toward her girlfriend, tucking her arms around Momo’s waist.

“Momoring,” Mina teases.

“Yes, my Minari?”

“What do you want for Christmas?”

Momo smiles. “All I want for Christmas, Minari,” A finger reaches out to poke Mina’s nose. “Is you!”

Mina sighs and pushes Momo away. “You’re no good.”

Another fifteen minutes passes before Mina admits defeat, buying the watercolor pencil set and the stuffed dog. Momo buys something too, but Mina doesn’t see what it is.

At the next store, Mina finds a few things that suit Momo. Nothing is perfect, just generally suited to the other girl— things in colored pink, shirts with random English words on the front. But nothing perfect. And Momo deserves perfect.

After walking a bit more, hands still firmly clasped together, they come to a clearing. In it stand several booths, each holding a vendor boasting different types of handmade goods. The pair splits up, each girl wandering to different sides of the vendors.

Mina finds cute things for most of her friends, even picking up peach-flavored fudge for Momo. It’s not the perfect present, but it’ll have to do for now. Mina resigns herself to just find something better in the coming weeks.

That is, until she reaches one of the last booths in the market. The seller has all types of flowers in her booth, gorgeous bouquets adorning every edge of her space. It’s something a little bit smaller that catches her eye, however.

Flower wreaths, they feature an array of different flowers, but there’s one that’s perfect. This flower wreath contains their favorite flowers, forsythia and red tulips. It’s gorgeous. It’s them, it’s Mina and Momo, and it’s perfect.

The vendor smiles knowingly when Mina buys it. Mina hides it along with the other presents as she goes to meet up with Momo again. “I’m good, Momoring. I bought everything.”

Momo beams. “Great, me too! Let’s head back. Tzuyu might be getting worried by now.”

“Maybe not—she seemed to be getting pretty close to Kyulkyung when we left.”

Momo laughs, filling Mina’s ears with something akin to jingle bells.

Indeed, when they get back, Kyulkyung and Tzuyu seem nestled pretty close, although Tzuyu immediately gets up to fuss over the two of them, pushing Mina to sit next to the fire.

Mina doesn’t mind the fuss, however. She feels light, and free, and happy, like she never has before. With Momo tucked into her side, and her friends laughing all around her, and the promise of presents the next day, she’s never felt more open or lighthearted.

As she drifts off in the warmth, Mina feels a kiss on her forehead, and a, “Love you, Minari.”

She can’t tell if it comes out of or not, whether it’s in her head or , but Mina knows in her heart that it’s true.

“I love you too, Momoring.”

//

i imagined mina's gift to look like this (without the dogwood flower) https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0812/2699/products/RCH4361.jpg?v=1527164929