Player One and Two (1/1)

There's a game that Dahyun and Momo like to play with each other. A game where Dahyun smiles momentarily as Momo's warm embrace envelops her from behind, as Momo's sweet perfume starts to tickle her nose delightfully. She turns her head to look at Momo fondly, only to jump in surprise and quickly retreat when Momo leans in with bright red lips in search of a kiss. Dahyun squeaks and Momo laughs. It's all just part of their game. Well, Dahyun thinks it's a game to Momo and more like torture to her.In this so called game, Momo likes to push Dahyun as close to the platonic edge of their friendship as humanly possible. She will hug Dahyun and hold her close, bring her lips within centimeters of Dahyun's and stare at the younger girl as though absolutely enamored by her. What's the point of the game? As Momo tells it, the goal is to alleviate boredom and to make Dahyun blush. Momo has claimed that she loves seeing a rosey red hue blaze across Dahyun's porcelain white skin. And more than that, Momo loves being the reason behind Dahyun's blush.That's why she plays with Dahyun often, this little game of limits. It happens in waiting rooms as they're resting before music show performances. It happens in their apartment when the members are off work. It even happens in front of thousands of people during ISAC events when all the cameras are rolling. Basically anywhere that has downtime is an opportunity for Momo to play with Dahyun, regardless of having an audience or not. Since it's just a game, Momo doesn't care who's watching the admittedly heated looking displays of affection.Dahyun on the other hand, she cares. Momo's goal is to kill time when they play, but Dahyun's goal is entirely differently and infinitely harder to achieve with cameras rolling or people watching. Dahyun's goal when they play is simply to not show any signs of wanting Momo to actually go further. It's not easy to hold back a whimper when Momo pulls her closer and all Dahyun can think about is Momo's scent. When Momo presses her lips against Dahyun's neck, it takes all of Dahyun's willpower to not pull Momo further down her neck. That would surely change the trajectory of their friendship forever.But Dahyun always holds back. She can't lose the game, can't lose the comfort in their frienship, so every time they play the game, Dahyun pulls away at the last second. The actions aren't honest, but the blush is always sincere. Such is the laugh that comes from Momo's lips every time she wins their game. And somehow that's good enough for Dahyun. It has to be.Dahyun promises she'll never let Momo know about the heated feelings that are bubbling just below the surface of their fiery skinship. She'll never let on that she wants Momo in a way that is definitely not platonic, that she sometimes wakes up from vivid dreams of Momo kissing her and touching her. Momo doesn't need to know, shouldn't know, will never—"Hey, Momo."The summer heat stifles the pair, the sun beating down on them even as the glow of the sun begins to fade into the night, leaving their clothes sticking to their backs and their water bottles empty."Yes?" Momo's voice is lovely as always in response, a smile on her face.Dahyun tilts her head to the sky and lets out a sigh. "Why'd you do it?""Do what?" Momo tilts her head to face Dahyun.Damn this heat, Dahyun thinks to herself. Not only does she have to deal with her shirt sticking to her back and her pants being awkwardly rolled up as high as she could get them, but also Momo sitting with her hair tied in a high bun, a few strands falling to frame her face alongside her perfect bangs and a crop-top which, even more unfortunately for Dahyun, reveals the delicate curve of the older one's neck into her shoulders, into surprisingly muscular arms.Dahyun shakes her thoughts off. "At our last performance. When you and I were together for the ending pose."Momo doesn't respond, only looking upwards to the sky. Perhaps she is remembering their performance, how many hours they had put into perfecting the dance and reaching the high notes. Or perhaps she is avoiding answering.She taps her fingers on the floor, side-eyeing Dahyun. "Well, we only performed. I think the heat's getting to your brain," she says, turning back towards Dahyun with a playful grin. "Don't make me carry you home, Dahyuni."Damn you, Momo. Dahyun jumps to her feet, stepping closer to the girl. She looks down at her, but not meeting her gaze, just looking at a random spot on Momo's face. Then, she puts her hands on Momo's shoulders and this time looks into her eyes. Momo, Dahyun realizes just now, has beautiful eyes. Eyelashes frame their elegant, sharp shape, a lovely shade that dances the border between being gray and being blue, but matching her black hair at the same time."Kissing me wasn't in the choreo," Dahyun says.She remembers it clearly. She remembers how Momo and her walked towards each other as the song came to an end. As the lights dimmed, she suddenly felt something soft on her lips, something soft being Momo's lips. Dahyun was almost too late to get back to her position for the next song as the stage lit back up. It was nothing like their silly little game that neither of them know the proper reason of, nothing like a little teasing. It was a kiss to the lips that led to Dahyun having goosebumps until the end of the concert."You looked so pretty," Momo smiles.Dahyun blinks, stepping back, confusion and surprise on her face. "Huh?"Strands of hair stick out from Momo's ponytail as she looks down at the floor, her legs crossed. "You looked stunning. Your hair looked so lovely when you styled it like that and the lighting made your dress look like it was glowing. You... you were so passionate and focused when you were rapping. I wanted... I..."Am I hearing this right? Dahyun sits back down, staring at Momo. Momo, with her silky, beautiful hair, her toned but elegant body, her raspy but soft voice that somehow manages to carry across entire stages and light the room with pale blue glow sticks, called Dahyun beautiful. Dahyun knows that Momo likes giving out compliments, especially to Chaeyoung. She has called Chaeyoung adorable or called Nayeon pretty or even called Tzuyu cute, she has said that the entire group was full of the most beautiful people. But to Dahyun? Simply to Dahyun and only Dahyun? With so much detail too?Dahyun remembers how terrified she was when Momo stepped away to go back to her spot before the lights shone back onto them, how nervous she got when their eyes met during the performance after that. Momo was wearing that dark red cherry lipstick, Dahyun remembers. She remembers looking at it while the taste of it was lingering on her own lips.Dahyun averts her eyes. "What did you want, Momo?" she says, not warily, but not curiously. "What do you want from me?"Momo repeats the question she is being asked in her head over and over again. What do I want? "It would be so selfish, Dahyuni," she says as she buries her head in her own arms. "I'm already so selfish for doing that so suddenly. I'm supposed to be an idol and focus on my job, but I can't. I'm such a terrible and selfish idol.""Hey!" Dahyun flicks Momo on the head to make her put it back up from her arms. She looks at Momo with mild hurt on her face. "Where did that come from all of a sudden? You're always gonna be the best idol ever to me, so you better act like it!"When Momo doesn't say anything, Dahyun tries to comfort her further. "You're an amazing idol. That's selfless and so is," Dahyun points to her own lips, "this!"Momo just sighs and stares into space.Dahyun looks at Momo. Then to the sky, the sun painting it colours of bright pink, bleeding away the pale blue. She sighs, fixing her gaze firmly onto Momo's face again. "An idol's job," she begins, "is to give hope. You've given hope and smiles to me, to the girls, to the company, to our fanbase. So now you need to give hope to yourself.""I'm too selfish for that.""Then I'm asking you to do what you want!" Dahyun says, raising her voice. "It's not selfish if I'm asking, right?"Momo smiles faintly. "Doesn't that make both of us selfish?"Dahyun's heart skips a beat. Momo is smiling. She has gotten Momo to smile again. The girl hadn't smiled ever since the concert. Perhaps, perhaps, she can give Momo the hope she needs. "No. It makes only me selfish by asking you this." Dahyun scowls, crossing her arms.Momo giggles. She hops to her feet, smiling down at Dahyun, her gaze distant. Quietly, quietly, she asks, "Perform the dance with me again, please?""And that makes you selfish?" Dahyun teases, knowing exactly what Momo is trying to achieve, stretching a hand out to Momo.Momo takes it with a soft smile. Her eyes don't meet Dahyun's, not just yet, glancing at her shoes. "That's not the selfish part, Dahyuni."Then they start dancing. There isn't any music for them to adapt to, but they are humming the melody as best they can. Or have they simply done this dance enough times that they don't even need the music to remember the beat?Dahyun remembers her heart beating as Momo's eyes were searching for her whenever they had the chance during the performance. Dahyun thought Momo was unfairly pretty, staring at her with such a longing look on her face, all while singing and dancing. Momo is unfair, Dahyun thought. Everything about this is unfair.Selfishness in an idol is unbecoming, but perhaps if it is for Momo, Dahyun can't help herself from wanting, and wanting, and wanting. They both chose the idol life to sing, to dance, to be known by the world. But here is Dahyun standing in front of Momo, staring at each other like they're anything but band members or friends.Momo's hands are slender, with beautifully kept fingernails and elegant fingers. They're reaching for Dahyun's hands as they take the last few steps towards each other for the ending pose. Momo painted Dahyun's nails pink the day before and not a single nail has chipped polish. The sun slightly blinds Dahyun's eyes, but that doesn't change the fact that she can see Momo's eyes, that she can see the longing in them, that the older one wants this, that she wants this too, that the world forbids it. But the world doesn't have to know, does it?Momo gently pulls Dahyun towards her by her waist as the younger one tugs on her shirt. Then, Momo leans in towards Dahyun right ear. "I want you," she whispers.As Momo pulls away from the girl's ear, Dahyun pulls her back by pressing her lips against Momo's. "Then have me," she says breathlessly after.The heat is pressing against Momo as her cheeks get red. "You're making me way too selfish."Dahyun chuckles and offers Momo her hand. "It's my fault, not yours."Momo laughs in response to Dahyun, her breath still caught somewhere between her heart and throat, her heart dancing and eyes smiling."Let's walk home. We'll get ice cream on the way," Dahyun declares, hands on the older one's hips, pulling her along. "Or else I'll die of a possible heat stroke."Momo laughs again and Dahyun's heart flutters.If Momo says "I love you" on the way home and Dahyun's only response is to kiss her again, then perhaps that is another secret that they can keep from the universe. And if this is what losing their game feels like, Dahyun would gladly be a loser....