Momo unlocks the door to the apartment, exhausted and running on pure muscle memory. She stumbles into waiting arms, breathing in the familiar cinnamon and chocolate scent that reminds her of home. The weight of the day crashes onto her and a small sob slips out of her mouth. She squeezes the smaller figure embracing her.
Today's schedule was a little more pushing, straining her to her limits and lasting from the morning when the sky was still dim to late at night, long after the sun had set. Sometimes, her energy isn't enough to last through the whole day. Sometimes, it's not enough to hold and bear all the mistakes she does.
In those rare moments when Momo drowns within her mind space, Dahyun is always there to catch her when she falls.
Dahyun comforts her, hands gently running up and down her back. She knows that Momo is laying herself bare and vulnerable to her, breaking the image she is forced to uphold. Idols are humans too, they crack and shatter just like everyone else. They just aren't allowed to show it.
Dahyun keeps murmuring words of reassurance and traces light patterns into Momo's skin until her small cries taper into silence.
"Let's get you ready for bed."
Momo lets herself be pulled towards the bathroom, far too fatigued to protest as Dahyun gently pushes her to shower and leaves the room.
Momo barely registers that she has turned on the shower, attuned to the cold water spraying on her back. She lays her head against the shower wall, relishing in the cool surface of the tiles against her skin. Eventually, she blindly reaches for the bottles lined against the wall, uncaring as she knocks some over and they clatter onto the floor. It has really been a long day. A knock at the bathroom door gets her to raise her head.
"Unnie? Is everything all right?"
"Yes," Momo calls out and then pauses, trying to organize her thoughts, trying to put the overwhelming gratitude she feels into words. "Thank you, Dahyuni."
She can imagine the soft expression on Dahyun's face, the subtle quirk of her lips, and the endless warmth and fondness within her eyes.
"Always," Dahyun calls back.
By the time Momo finishes her shower, she finds a warm towel and folded clean clothes prepared for her. A small part of her heart melts at the sincere action. She lazily dries her hair and puts the clothes on.
When Momo goes to her room, she finds Dahyun there, comfortably settled under the covers and back resting against the frame of the bed. Her attention is currently captured by a mystery book she had been telling Momo about the week prior.
"How's the book?" Momo asks as she slips into the bed, arms habitually reaching out to circle Dahyun's body.
Dahyun slightly adjusts her position, putting her arm under Momo's head instantly as if she had done this many times before. (She has.)
"It's good. Might be one of my favorites," Dahyun responds, smiling when Momo furrows her eyebrows in concentration, reading the book as well.
Momo always looks exhausted by the time she arrives at home. The company has been breathing down her neck in preparation for her comeback. However, nothing can be done about that because, in the end, they are idols, working for the company.
At least Dahyun can offer her presence that comforts Momo at the end of a long day. Momo's bed should be too small for the two of them, but they make it work, turning it into a cozy bed for two. And Momo would be the first to admit that getting cramped up together with Dahyun feels better than being alone.
"What's your favorite season?" Momo asks, just curious even as she approaches sleep.
Dahyun is eternally patient, answering Momo's random silly questions and fulfilling her favors, anything Momo requests of her on nights like these. It's sweet. It's more than Momo thinks she deserves.
