Dahyun has noticed Momo's recent strange behaviour. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, Momo is great at talking herself out of it. However, one thing about her is that her expression is always very honest. She may say that she's a little irritated because of the terrible weather, but Dahyun sees through her excuses.
What Dahyun sees is Momo spacing out more, the long and lost look in her eyes lasting a few seconds longer than what could just be summed up as tiredness. Dahyun often hears Jeongyeon asking Momo whether she's okay, Nayeon checking in on her, even Tzuyu has been trying to distract her and keep an eye out for her in her own way. But all those small gestures from the girls clearly make Momo isolate herself and her brain wander a little further than usual.
What Dahyun sees is Momo biting her lips every now and then, working on those naturally pouty lips relentlessly until they are almost kiss-swollen, something that usually Dahyun does to them. Even her whinings which were usually very vocal and verbal are now resigned to minimal mumblings and pitiful cries.
The most recent development has Momo keeping her hands to herself most of the time, bunched up around the hem of her shirt, hugging herself small, lightly scratching her own arm absentmindedly just to hold onto something. It's a stark contrast to her normally grabby hands.
Now, seated with the other members to record a radio broadcast, Dahyun offers her own hands for Momo to hold. She sees Momo looking annoyingly restless, sitting next to her with those legs bouncing non-stop. Hesitant at first, Momo quickly snaps out of it when Dahyun starts forcefully pulling her chair closer. Her eyes convey the immense appreciation to Dahyun's offer and she grabs onto the girl's hand for the rest of the hour long recording.
Seeing Momo like that makes Dahyun decide that she has to tackle the problem somehow. Sure, Momo is still a little distant, a little guarded, perhaps not wanting to freak Dahyun out by how needy she is, but Dahyun gives her a reassuring kiss on the cheek in the car ride home and that seems to do the trick. For now at least. Then, Dahyun wraps her in an embrace as Momo nuzzles into her and her hands cling tightly to Dahyun's top. They stay that way until they arrive at their apartment.
It's late and everyone is tired, but they've still decided to meet up at Nayeon and Momo's apartment room. The tiredness doesn't stop the girls from having a laugh in the kitchen, cooking up some late night supper and watching the latest K-Drama. It's a rare Friday night where they have no schedule the next day, perks of being at the tail end of their promotion period. Undeniably, the schedule has been fast and busy since their recent comeback and the girls were for the most part highly strung.
An easy night in with the girls watching some random drama sounds like a good way to end the evening. Dahyun however, opted out of the K-Drama agenda, mentioning that she's a bit tired, fully ignoring Chaeyoung's loud protests of missing out in some great scenes. She laughs it off and shares a brief eye contact with Nayeon, pulling her to the side and whispering quiet apologies.
Nayeon understands of course, she always does. If Dahyun didn't know any better, she would've thought that Nayeon didn't notice Momo's behavior. But Nayeon is the sharpest amongst them all, considering how she shares the apartment room with Momo. She checks in on the dancer and makes sure to remind her to always be safe.
"Go take care of her," Nayeon whispers. "I'll lead the girls to someone else's room."
Dahyun nods in appreciation, feeling bad for kicking Momo's roommate out for the night, but also appreciative of her kindness. Nayeon can't resist caressing Dahyun's head, looking at her with expressive eyes. Proudness is what those eyes are basically yelling out to Dahyun, but Nayeon says nothing. Instead, she smiles and turns around to deal with the rest of the girls.
