“I’m really sorry,” Dahyun whispered as she and Momo got under the covers, “I should have done more.”

Momo grabbed the younger’s hand from under the blanket and pulled it out, kissing each and every one of her knuckles before covering it with her two palms. “I already told you, the bear was more than enough.”

It was. The fact that Dahyun had remembered the multicolored bear they had seen at least a month ago was impressive, especially since it was something she mentioned briefly. She wasn’t expecting anything at all and it was the thought that counted.

“Still,” The younger rubbed her eyes with her free hand out of frustration, “you deserve more than that. I just didn’t know what to get you.” 

She had an idea. Momo laid on her side, supporting her weight on her right arm to look at Dahyun from above. “I know what you can give me,”

The slight smirk on Momo’s lips gave Dahyun a clue of where things were going, but she kept it to herself just in case. “What is it?”

“Let’s start with a kiss. I haven’t gotten one of those in a while.” Getting closer, the older pecked her lips briefly before withdrawing with a big smile. “Yeah, I think that’s the best birthday gift I’ve gotten so far.”

Dahyun rolled her eyes in exasperation, half flattered by the compliment and half annoyed by the change of topic. “I mean it, though.”

“So do I,” An amused grin was inevitably on Momo’s face, and her eyes had a glimmer of something Dahyun had never noticed up until that moment. “Please?”

“Okay, I guess if that’s what you really want…”

Dahyun was sure that, for a second, time stopped when their lips met. It wasn’t their first time, and it probably wouldn’t be the last, but somehow every one of their kisses felt just as magical, like all of her senses intensified yet all she could focus on was the softness against . It was electrifying.

The feeling of cold fingers sliding under her shirt and caressing her sides made her release a muffled gasp, silencing all of her thoughts and only having enough time to grab onto the older’s neck before losing consciousness once again. 

It was risky, too risky, and they both knew they’d have to stop before they lost control of the situation.

“Happy birthday to me,” Momo whispered smugly, pressing one last peck on Dahyun’s lips before laying down next to her. 

“That was all you have to say? Really?” 

“It is my birthday, after all.” Momo replied cockily, enjoying the playful conversation. Even then, when they could barely see each other in the darkness of their room, she could see forever in Dahyun’s eyes.

There were still a lot of things to figure out about their relationship but it felt right and that was all that mattered.

---

“So you’re telling me,” Sana’s words were barely comprehensible between her soft giggles, “that Chaeyoung gave you some ty excuse about why you shouldn’t call the girl from the other day and you actually listened to her?”

Mina’s eyes narrowed as she nodded. “It was a ty excuse, but the fact that I haven’t called Somi has nothing to do with what Chaeyoung said!”

“Uhuh, whatever helps you sleep at night, love.” Momo added to support Sana.

Mina wasn’t lying. Chaeyoung’s opinion hadn’t influenced her decision at all. She thinks. She still didn’t want to be asked too many questions in case she dug herself deeper.

The three friends were talking in the back of the classroom; one of the few perks of being exchange students was that Japanese class was a free period for them. However, this time Mina just wanted it to end.

“Can we please talk about something else?” Mina whispered but still somehow managed to keep her tone demanding.

“Not yet. I think she’s jealous. Like, in love with you type of jealous.”

“Momo, her acting that way could just mean she’s a .” Sana argued back.

“Can you please not call my roommate a ? I’d appreciate it.”

“Yeah, Sana, you’re just bitter because she kissed got to kiss Tzuyu and, even though you’ve had months to do it, you still haven’t.” The older winked at Mina to show she was teasing, but she couldn’t help but notice the way her eyebrows furrowed at the thought of Chaeyoung and Tzuyu. Maybe Mina wasn’t completely over it yet either.

“No. I mean, yes, it was definitely a little shocking, but I’m saying this because she has been playing hot and cold with Mina for weeks now. She acts like she doesn’t mind but then makes a scene about how Mina shouldn’t go out with other people. First with that guy she punched and now with this girl.” Sana rubbed her cheeks with her palms to show her frustration. “I just don’t think it’s fair.”

“She has a point, Mina. We don’t want you getting hurt, especially since you two are gonna be living together for months.”

“She apologized for her behavior.” Mina breathed out to collect her thoughts, silently hoping her friends wouldn’t think she was crazy for what she was about to say. “I’m not gonna do anything about it. The ball is on her side, it’s really up to her. I’ll keep things exactly the way they are now, and if she makes a move, great! But I’m done missing out on opportunities because of her.”

Momo was about to go crazy because she knew so much more than she led to believe (courtesy of Dahyun) but she also promised to not say anything that could alter Chaeyoung and Mina’s relationship. She clearly wasn’t thinking straight when she made that promise. “What makes you believe she knows you like her?”

“The fact I haven’t gone out with any of the people who have asked me out?” ‘Oh, also that we sleep in the same bed and share meals and cuddle while watching movies.’ Her friends would kill her if they knew that.

“I don’t know if that’s gonna be enough for her, though.”

 ---

Exam season was going to be the ing death of Chaeyoung. Partially because there were so many exams accumulated in a single week she would probably die of exhaustion. Maybe the fact that Mina was leaving in a week and she still hadn’t confessed her feelings was also playing a big part in her uneasiness though.

She could slowly feel how Mina was slipping out of her fingers like sand and it was hard to handle. Chaeyoung herself wasn’t exactly sure why she hadn’t told the older, it was a crush, she wasn’t asking the girl to marry her and be the mother of her children. 

Perhaps she was afraid she had misinterpreted the whole situation and would not only be rejected but also ruin their fun dynamic, but it was also fear of not knowing what to do. Women weren’t something she had a lot of experience with (or none for that matter) and the last thing she wanted was to wreck something good because of her ignorance.

At this point, she was a lost cause.

Despite all the books she was drowning in, there was one good thing that was keeping her afloat. Mina. Mina, who she had all to herself because they had gotten the week off school to study for exams.

Sure, they spent most of the time in silence, but there was something so heartwarming and comforting about their shared time it felt like she was in heaven. Sometimes Chaeyoung just wanted to turn Mina’s chair and scream to her roommate about how every little thing she did made her heart beat so fast she could feel it in her ears, but it was probably not the right time. It was definitely not the right time.

She still had a few more days left, it couldn’t hurt to wait.

Mina, on the other side, was also very satisfied with their study sessions. Turns out it was beneficial to have Chaeyoung as her roommate and, as a consequence, her study buddy. The girl worked diligently, apart from her occasional doze-offs, and she was always there to answer questions when Mina had any doubts, being patient and repeating herself as many times as it was necessary.

They worked perfectly as a team, and by Sunday afternoon, they were both ready. Kind of.

“Chaeyoung,” Mina called while her head leaned on the book in front of her, clearly tired from the long hours of studying.

“Hmm,”

“This isn’t working. I know math is my strong suit but I just can’t understand this and I’m so tired of numbers.” She needed attention. Was it embarrassing? Yes, very, but anything to get rid of the boredom she was in.

“Let me see that,” Chaeyoung tapped on her roommate’s head lightly, silently asking her to move to see better what was causing her struggle. “You forgot to cross out this on the denominator, that’s why it’s not making any sense.” She circled the mistake with the pencil she had been spinning between her fingers.

At that moment, the blonde was extremely proud of her ability to put her feelings aside and concentrate on what was important.

“Oh, that’s- thank you, Ms. Chaeyoung.” Mina smirked and grabbed an eraser to start the problem from scratch.

“Don’t say it like that.”

“Like what?” The older her lips, inevitably making Chaeyoung blush even more.

“You’re making it sound ual.” The sentence could barely be heard because of how softly it was said but Mina still managed to understand it.

“Maybe that was the whole point.” For some unknown reason, she was feeling courageous today, and seeing how it made Chaeyoung react, she’d probably do it again.

“Whatever,” It wasn’t whatever, actually, the opposite, but if she didn’t let it go now she wouldn’t be able to focus on anything other than Mina for the rest of the day.

After that, the pair continued working in silence for a few more hours. Their routine had changed drastically, in Chaeyoung’s opinion, for the better. It allowed her to be productive but still be around her roommate, and considering that she wouldn’t see her for more than a month once the week ended, it was a blessing. 

“Do you want more coffee?” The blonde got up from her seat and pushed the chair backward with her feet to have more space.

“Mhm,” In Mina, that meant yes, so the younger grabbed both of their mugs from the desk and made her way to the kitchen.

Some minutes later, Chaeyoung walked into the room holding the two mugs in one hand, while the other carried a small plate. Seeing her struggling, Mina immediately got up to help.

“I made you this,” Chaeyoung gushed as she pointed with her chin to the brownies she had brought in with her. “I’m not gonna lie, it was hard to bake, but I think I turned out well.”

At first, Mina didn’t know how to react, especially because there was a small heart drawn with powdered sugar on it. It was adorable, but also extremely confusing. 

“Can you please speak? This is making me anxious.”

“Thank you, I just never expected you to bake something for me. It’s very thoughtful of you.” Mina grabbed the piece that was closer to her, taking a small bite before putting it back. It was a lot better than she expected, it was moist on the inside but not to the point it felt raw, and she wa