1x1 daices. x tsunami,

[tsunami,]

emmie
↳ feeling: happy, uncomfy


the sincerity of mimi's words was evident in her panic, which emmie thought was kinda cute. her mind relaxed at mimi's explanation, a soft smile gracing her face in return of her comforting words. "hey, what's that supposed to mean? my teeth are sharp so you better watch out!" she protested, biting the air in mimi's direction. she broke out into a laugh soon after, feeling her worries fly away as mimi's arm snaked around her waist. it felt almost natural, like they just seemed to fit.

emmie picked up a strawberry from the plate closest to her and took a bite, gaze shifting out into the crowd as she people-watched. she turned to mimi when she spoke. "yes, and yes. i couldn't agree more." so cute. she bit her lip. "though you do look really nice in that dress." she added after some hesitation, the tinge of pink on her cheeks hidden by the subtle artificial blush that she had brushed on before she left. she thanked her past self in her head.

emmie had nearly forgotten that she had come to the party for work. after she had seen mimi, all thoughts about the real reason she had been invited to the party had flown out of her head, replaced with those of mimi. as comfortable as she was by mimi's side, she was soon pulled away to greet some company shareholders with way too much gel in their hair. she knew the company also wanted her to promote M3RCY's upcoming comeback as well, so as reluctant as she was to have to leave mimi, she knew she had to do it for her girls. though, that didn't stop her from looking over her shoulder as she was led away, mouthing a helpless save me in mimi's direction.

after a while, her cheeks were starting to hurt from the polite smile she was trying to keep on her face. her eyes darted towards mimi at every spare chance she got, wondering if she was uncomfortable as she was.

soon enough, emmie's tiny bladder pleaded for her to go. the flute of champagne she had downed early was turning into her saving grace as she excused herself from the conversation. she really had no idea what they were even talking about, and she was sure she was only asked to be there to serve as a pretty face. her black pumps clacking against the marble floor, she hurried away.

yoojin had been freed from her entertaining guests duty when the one she was speaking with had to leave. after a quick goodbye, she sighed in relief. her eyes flittered across the room before landing on mimi, a soft thump in her chest. she picked up a glass of champagne from a passing server and chugged it down before making her way over.

"mimi-ah? if you've got some time, could i talk to you alone?" she shifted her weight from one leg to the other, feeling weird about the nervousness she was currently experiencing. it was very unlike her.

taking hold of mimi's hand, she led her away from the crowd, the murmur growing fainter as they went. stopping in a deserted corridor, she turned towards mimi and took hold of both of her hands. "i missed you. a lot." she began, eyes barely meeting mimi's. she sighed, "okay look, this isn't like me at all and i'm honestly really confused about the way i'm feeling right now. but i do know that ever since that day in the cafe, i can't get you out of my head." her eyes moved to meet mimi's, her voice growing softer as she continued. "i hurt you, and i'm so sorry. after we kinda fell off i finally realized just how much you mean to me."

she took a breath. "i- i think i like you. no, i do like you. and i don't mean that as just a friendly like." she scanned mimi's face for a reaction, heart thumping harder than she had ever felt before.

[daices.]

✦ MIMI ✦
〘 feeling ↠ confused, panicked 〙
- - - - - ✦ - - - - - ✦ - - - - - ✦ - - - - - ✦ - - - - - ✦ - - - - - ✦ - - - - - ✦ - - - - -

Mimi gave Emmie a wide grin, trying -and failing- to ignore her blush and racing heart at Emmie's seemingly offhanded compliment. "Thanks, honey. I'll come find you after our responsibilities are over?" Keeping her tone light and teasing still so she wouldn't fall back into the stuttering, embarassing mess that she often found herself devolving into, Mimi soon gave Emmie a quick shooing motion with her hands as she saw some others trying to get her attention- even if she was a little reluctant to let Emmie go.

"Okay shoo; seems like miss popular's gotta go mingle." She joked, just barely hiding her laugh at Emmie's helpless expression as she responded by sticking out her tongue. Soon, she was swept into her own frivolities, rubbing shoulderswith random elites whos names she forgot within ten seconds of learning them. She often found herself meeting Emmie's gaze through the crowd every once in a while, never failing to give the smaller idol a different funny face every time. She only got caught a couple of times, but the weird looks she got from the businesspeople around her were worth it if she could keep bantering with Emmie and cut through the listless, boring event.

Soon, Mimi was back to eating, having a bit of a break as the last benefactors she was talking to became enamored by something or another- Mimi really didn't care enough to pay attention. Which could also be why they moved, but whatever. She was in the middle of another strawberry when Mimi heard heels clicking closer to her, turning around to give the approaching person her attention. She prayed that it wasn't another sleazy man twice her age; she hoped it was Emmie, so she could finally get out of here.

Surprisingly, it was Yoojin. Mimi felt a weird mix of disappointment and relief, but it quickly morphed into confusion and panic as she was led down the hall, her brain flashing back to the moment at the party. "Um... Is this a good idea?" She protested weakly, shuffling slightly to maintain a respectful distance between the two of them, making sure that her back wasn't to the wall.

Her malestrom of emotions only strengthened as Yoojin began to talk and the implication of where this conversation was going became clear. "Um... I..." Mimi could barely think.

Yoojin barreled on. "Would you like to go on a date with me?" Her eyes roved Mimi's face, desperate for a response.

"Um... I..." Mimi stalled, fidgeting with her clutch. She didn't want to hurt Yoojin, for sure; and Yoojin had been a good friend, before their last unfortunate meeting. But did she like Yoojin like that?

"It's okay if you don't want to! I just- maybe we can get to know each other better. Start fresh. Without all of the stuff that just happened; I wasn't being honest so I want to, maybe, just get to know you again."

Mimi closed her mouth with an audible click, still silent as she tried to think- someething she decidedly wasn't good at. "I... Okay."

Getting a new start with Yoojin sounded nice; Mimi didn't want these recent demons to haunt her any more. And what if she did like Yoojin? What if she grew to like Yoojin? Wasn't that a thing, growing to like someone? And especially recently, Mimi's feelings had been all on the fritz; she had been seeking companionship more and more, with her teammates and with- Emmie. Maybe it was her subconscious telling her she wanted a partner.

"Okay?" Yoojin broke into a brilliant smile. "Really?"

Mimi had to admit, she also did think Yoojin was crazy pretty. Maybe her subconscious did like Yoojin. "Yeah, sure. I don't have any other events for this week, only practices and some studio sessions." Or maybe it was just because of course, Yoojin was pretty? She was a model, after all.

"Oh- perfect! What about Friday lunch? It'll be a weekday and less people eating out compared to dinner, so there'd be less people about. I know- I know how bad that was." Yoojin winced, knowing exactly why that stress had appeared.

Mimi gave Yoojin a grateful smile. "Yeah! sure. I should be free then."

"Okay, okay; I'll text you about it tonight? I- I'm technically supposed to be on stage right now, hah." Yoojin let out a nervous, sheepish giggle, before stepping closer and giving Mimi a tight hug. Mimi vaguely noticed how Yoojin was taller than her, yet again, but the hug was short and Yoojin was soon flitting down the hall. "I'll see you later, yeah?"

Mimi gave Yoojin a wave, just a beat late, still stuck in a fog of indescribable emotion. What just happened? Mimi could barely remember. She realized that she definitely shouldn't be in this deserted hallway, though. Making her way out, Mimi spent the rest of her obligated time mechanically and habitually going through the motions of socializing until she ultimately bumped into Emmie again.

"Hey, honey. Wanna get out of here?" Mimi gave Emmie a hug and a wide smile, but quickly faltered. She had to tell someone, anyone; she was going to explode if she kept this in for any longer. "I think... I think I'm going on a date with Yoojin?"

To say she was confused would be an understatement.

[tsunami,]

emmie
↳ feeling: content, surprised, unsure


the bathroom was, unsurprisingly, as fancy as the room in which the party was being held. if the marble floors and sinks, the brightly lit mirrors, and shaped hand soaps wren't indicators of the amount of money that must have been spent to have the event there, emmie didn't know what would be. drying her hands off under the heat of the surprisingly quiet hand dryer, she adjusted her dress and hurried back to rejoin the crowd.

the first thing she noticed, or really, didn't notice, was mimi. her eyes darted around the room in search of the other idol but in the end, she came up empty. assuming that mimi must've gone to the bathroom or something and they merely missed each other on the way to and from it, she settled beside the snack table once more. she hummed as her eyes continued to roam the room in search of mimi, happily munching on the assorted snacks that she could dip into chocolate in the meantime. chocolate made everything better.

a soft bump from the side drew emmie's attention from the food on her plate. "oh!" she exclaimed softly, her expression morphing from surprised to happy when she realized who it was. "yes! definitely. i can't bear to listen to these men drone on any longer." she groaned playfully.

the smile on her face that had formed in response to mimi's hug froze as she heard her next words. "a- a date?" she choked out, trying to hide the surprise on her face. did i really just hear yoojin and date in the same sentence?

"wow, um, i mean- that's great! i'm glad you guys made up! i could tell she meant a lot to you as a friend." she offered her a reassuring smile, her brain still not quite processing what she had just been told. though she couldn't deny that she was curious to know what exactly she meant by date, she knew she probably wasn't going to like the answer.

there was nothing strange about friends going on a supposed date though, right? she and mimi had gone on about two already if you were to count the time they went out for ice cream and their afternoon at the arcade at dates. friends can go on dates, as they certainly had, so there was nothing to feel weird about. well, she wasn't sure if mimi would consider them dates but emmie liked to think of them as such. calling something a date didn't necessarily mean anything in particular was going on between the two people involved. really, you could call anything a date if you really wanted to.

emmie's reasoning quickly made less and less sense as she struggled to grasp what mimi going on a date with yoojin meant. she was beginning to dislike the word date with the way it was making her think such thoughts. shaking her head as if that would clear her head of her thoughts, she met mimi's gaze once again with a smile that didn't quite meet her eyes. "shall we go?" she asked as cheerily as she could. despite getting hit with such news, emmie really couldn't bear to remain in that increasingly suffocating room any longer.

as they began to make their escape, emmie began to realize that she couldn't quite contain her curiosity any longer, even if she wasn't going to necessarily enjoy the response. she came to a halt in the middle of the hallway, eyes cast down toward the marble floor as her hands balled into fists at her side. "what exactly do you mean by a date?" she blurted out, a nervous breathe rushing out of her. her gaze slowly moved upward toward mimi's face.

"i- i 'm sorry. that was a little uncalled for. i guess i'm just not quite understanding?" she bit her lip, brows furrowed. after a moment passed, she shook her head and flapped her hands, losing the confidence to hear what may come out of mimi's mouth.

her voice was a bit frantic, nervous laughter trickling out of her. "no, you know what, never mind! it's okay. it's not really any of my business." she forced a small smile on her face as she watched for mimi's reaction, hoping she hadn't just freaked her out with her sudden outburst and quick retraction.

[daices.]

✦ MIMI ✦
〘 feeling ↠ confused, panicked 〙
- - - - - ✦ - - - - - ✦ - - - - - ✦ - - - - - ✦ - - - - - ✦ - - - - - ✦ - - - - - ✦ - - - - -

Mimi felt her heart race as she waited for the other girl's reaction, tense and with bated breath, a breath only released in a relieved woosh at Emmie's happy reply. The other girl's response was strangely critical; Mimi felt like she was standing on a precipice. She didn't know what would have happened if she had fallen and Emmie had shown disapproval but- well, she didn't have to worry about that now, did she?

"Yeah, I'm glad things are alright now. Let's get out of here?" Mimi game Emmie a wide smile, strangely relieved. Mimi quickly disposed of her scraps -only slightly embarrassed at the amount that she had- before linking arms with Emmie. She lightly tugged Emmie towards the door as the other girl seemed to be distracted, content with simply leading them through the crowd and ignoring the men casting slezy glances their way. She felt content with silence when she was with Emmie, a rarity for her, but that just proved that Emmie was a great- friend.

Mimi only stopped when she felt resistance once they entered the quiet hallway, stumbling slightly before turning around in slight surprise. The sudden quiet made Emmie's question seem like a shout, and Mimi couldn't help but begin to blush, heat racing to her cheeks. "U-um-" Mimi scrambled while Emmie kept talking; it was clear the both of them were getting more flustered by the minute, but Mimi could barely get a word in, and Emmie seemed like she was panicking, and she was also panicking, and-

"N-no! She said she likes me!" Mimi blurted, before letting out a slight splutter and cough, gaze darting anywhere but Emmie. "U-um- I mean, that is, no, you're not overstepping, um, don't worry about it. Uh- But yeah, when you weren't there at the party, she had come over, and, um, confessed to me? I think? I mean- Not I think, um, she did." Mimi scratched the back of her neck, ducking her head to look at the ground. "I... this is all so new to me, and I- I don't think Yoojin is a bad person and we get along pretty well, and we're pretty compatible, so I thought, y'know, why not? Because that's how it works, right? You- you can, um, begin to like someone, or something. Like, when you date them, you grow to like them, I guess?"

The more Mimi rambled, the more she felt like she couldn't stop; like she was a train barreling along a straight track with no brakes in sight. She was desperate to prove... Something to Emmie; she didn't know what, but Emmie's hypothetical disapproval felt like it would be crushing, if it did happen. "I guess... I mean, recently I've been feeling kind of weird, Um... I don't know how to explain it, but maybe I was? Looking for a relationship? I don't know; I just- I'd like to try, I think."

Mimi trailed off slightly, risking a glance at Emmie's face, looking away quickly enough that she barely registered Emmie's expression, before she began fiddling with her clutch just to give her hands something to do and to let out her nervous energy, somehow. "I... I know you two don't get along super well, but Yoojin really did seem sorry, and- and I think she's really trying, really. But..." Mimi stepped forward slightly, just enough so she could grab Emmie's hands, delicately pulling at the other girl's clenched fingers so she could lace them with her own, giving Emmie what she hoped was a relaxing squeeze. Sucking in a bracing breath so she could look Emmie in the eyes, Mimi continued. "If... If you really don't like it, um- Emmie, honey, you mean a lot to me. If you really don't- don't think this is a good idea, well..."

She let out a sheepish laugh. "It's not like I have any experience in this, and your friendship matters a lot to me. A lot, a lot. I can- I can call it off. Or make sure that it's just a "between friends" thing?" Her gaze roved Emmie's face for any changes in her expression, anything to tell her what Emmie's true feelings were about everything. She didn't know if she would feel better if Emmie refused, or accepted her offer.

[tsunami,]

emmie
↳ feeling: uneasy, confused, exhausted


emmie held her breath the moment mimi began to speak, afraid of what was to come. she shouldn't opened her mouth. all she managed to accomplish in doing so was making herself panic and then setting mimi into a panic as well. she really wanted to smack herself right then but refrained from doing so so that she wouldn't interrupt mimi.

"...and, um, confessed to me?..."

emmie 's throat dried, eyes widening in surprise. in her initial shock, she could barely register the rest of what mimi was saying.

she should have trusted her gut. that faint idea that she had pushed aside partly out of dislike of the thought of mimi with someone else and partly out of fear of its truth had reappeared brazenly. the possibility that yoojin may have liked mimi romantically was one that she had considered but she still never expected it to come to fruition.

her gaze lowered to her hands as mimi gently laced their fingers together. normally this would've caused her heart rate to jump just a little, but in that moment, emmie could hardly breathe let alone comprehend was currently taking place.

her lips parted as she gasped for the words that she so desperately wanted to say. don't go, don't do it, don't- "no! no. it's okay, i respect your friendship with her and if you think this is what you want, then who am i to tell you otherwise?" a weak smile graced her face as she stared back at mimi.

liar. emmie knew that was definitely not what her heart was screaming at her to say. she knew that was not what would make her happy. but none of that really mattered. she could be selfish and tell her not to go, but at what cost? even if she were to say no, would she be able to explain to mimi why? was she ready to admit what she had been trying to bury for months out of fear of ruining their friendship and as a result of her own cowardice?

"i- i just want you to be happy. so if... if that means starting something with yoojin, then i don't want to be the one standing in your way." she gave mimi's hands a gentle squeeze before slowly pulling away. her mind whirled with all the things she should've, could've, would've said. but it was too late now. she'd look like an even bigger fool if she tried to take back all that she said. she felt like she had just been rejected before she had even had the chance to confess- not that she was even sure that that was what she wanted to do. it was almost surreal that the same girl that made her head hurt some years ago was now making her heart hurt.

it was almost laughable- she wanted to laugh at herself. did she really think mimi was hers to begin with? with all her hesitation, it should've been no surprise that someone else had swooped in and staked their claim. she had gotten too comfortable and there was no one to blame for that but herself.

unable to make eye contact with mimi, she settled for staring at mimi’s jewelry, the sparkling silver aiding as a distraction for her unsettled mind. ”i’m sorry.” she murmured under her breath, not quite sure what exactly she was apologizing for but obeying the churning in her stomach that was telling her to do so. “um, i think i might just go home. i didn’t realize how exhausted i was from having to entertain all those sleazy businessmen all night.” she offered mimi a weak laugh and she took a small step back, a hand moving up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear nervously.

“i’ll... see you again hopefully sometime soon! let me know how the date goes, yeah?” forcing a smile on her face, she gave mimi a quick hug in hopes of offering some sort of reassurance. before pulling away, she couldn’t help but whisper yet another “sorry” in mimi’s ear.

emmie wanted to pinch herself. let her know how the date goes? that was the absolute last thing she’d want to hear about from mimi. stop. it’s not about you, it’s about mimi. this is about what mimi wants. this is all i can do.

suddenly desperate to escape, she gave mimi a quick wave and small smile as she turned on her heel and hurried down the hall, glad that there was always a company car readily available to pick her up. clambering into the back seat, she shut the door behind her and slumped in her seat, a heavy sigh rushing out of her. was it cowardly of her to have just run away like that? yes. did she regret it? not yet, but she had a feeling she would soon.

[daices.]

✦ MIMI ✦
〘 feeling ↠ relieved??? ????? ??? ?? 〙
- - - - - ✦ - - - - - ✦ - - - - - ✦ - - - - - ✦ - - - - - ✦ - - - - - ✦ - - - - - ✦ - - - - -

"Stand- standing in my way?" Mimi stuttered, brow furrowed as she tried to dissect the storm of emotions roiling on Emmie's face. The sense of wrongness, that she was missing something, blind to the elephant in the room, merely grew stronger with every passing second. Slightly unwilling to let go of Emmie's hand, Mimi's palm felt cold as she let her hand fall as well, wishing now more than ever that she had pockets so she could at least occupy her hands somehow. "How would you- no, I- that's not, um..."

Mimi's mouth felt like it was full of cotton, both her brain and mouth stuttering along as she tried to form some semblance of a sentence. She didn't know how she wanted this conversation to go, but the deep pit in her stomach and the emotions choking her throat told her that this definitely wasn't it. She opened her mouth to say something, anything- but immediately deflated when Emmie beat her to the punch.

"Umm... Yeah, haha, I feel that. Haha. Should I... Um..." Walk you to your car? Make sure you're safe and feeling okay? I don't want you to go? Mimi wanted to see Emmie for just a second more, but she couldn't force the words out, yet again. "Have a good night, honey." She murmured softly, fiddling with the clasp on her clutch as she tried not to seem like she was at too much of a loss. Leaning into the hug that was gone much too quick, Mimi gave Emmie a forced smile of her own, eyes swimming in confusion at how sorry Emmie was. And why that same feeling was reflected in her.

Mimi felt cold and strangely alone when Emmie left, despite the warm overhead lights and the low dinn of the partygoers that could be heard even through closed doors. Shuffling her feet for a second, Mimi sighed before collapsing into a nearby lounge chair, pulling out her phone and calling for an uber as well. She didn't really feel like staying much herself. It was only when she was in the car did she get a message; scrambling slightly for her phone, Mimi grimaced when she saw that it was a message from Yoojin- in all that just happened, she had forgotten to text Yoojin that she was leaving. Sending out a quick apology message, Mimi then turned off her phone, thunking her head back against the seat as the night lights drifted past her.

It seemed she really was tired as she felt, because when she got back and basically collapsed into bed and didn't wake up until noon the next day, with Jia's face looming over her. Mimi merely groaned and rolled over, pulling the sheets above her head- but of course to no avail, and Mimi was quickly dragged into practice and preparations. It was work schedules one after another and Friday arrived before Mimi could even blink; she felt like she had barely taken a breath and now she was getting ready for her date, smoothing one hand over the collar of her dark blue blouse, fiddling with the gold hoops she had decided to wear today.

"When is this again?"

Mimi turned to see Jia leaning against the doorjamb, an unreadable expression on her face. Mimi quickly, compulsively glanced at her phone. "Oh- in about, um, thirty." Mimi fidgeted again, suddenly hyperfocused on the small fraying thread at the edge of her cuff.

"Hmmmm. Have fun, honey." Mimi answered Jia's encouraging smile with a shaky one of her own. Nerves; she was just nervous. This was her first date in- well, basically ever. Yes, that was it.

Mimi honestly thought she would royally screw the date up somewhere along the line, but everything went pretty according to Mimi's expectations; Yoojin showed up, breathtaking as usual in a slim, all white and silver ensemble, and together they went to the restaurant the model had picked out. It was some European restaurant that Mimi had never really heard of before, just fancy and expensive enough that she wouldn't think about visiting it on a normal occasion. Overall, the meal was fine, everything was fine; Mimi had never had a problem talking to Yoojin, and much of their conversation was just small talk, catching up on what each other had been up to in the few days that they had been apart. Really, Mimi had nothing to say about the date; it didn't feel like anything more than getting a meal with friends would. But maybe that was a good thing; it was a rarity for people to get so comfortable with their dates at first, right?

It was only when they stepped outside and stood waiting for their respective rides, full and content, that Mimi felt the energy change. She glanced down at the hand softly holding hers, then up at a rapidly reddening face and a gaze that wouldn't meet hers. Mimi frowned, tilting her head. "Yoojin-ah... Are you ok? Are you feeling alright?" Mimi raised a hand to feel Yoojin's forehead for a fever, but it was quickly caught by the hand not currently grasped in her own.

"Mimi-ah... Do you think I could...?" Yoojin trailed off, gaze flicking from her eyes to her-

Oh. Mimi blinked rapidly, beginning to blush as well. "I uh... I- yeah. Um. Yes." Voice barely above a whisper, it was like she was watching it happen in slow motion, eyes fluttering shut at the last second.

Mimi didn't know what she had expected; fireworks, maybe? Maybe she watched too many dramas, to assume that it would've been a more dramatic moment than it was. Mimi gave Yoojin a soft smile as the model seemed to duck away slightly in slight embarassement, looping her arm with Mimi's before resting her head against Mimi's shoulder. Mimi gave a distracted chuckle before patting Yoojin's arm, still thinking about how positively mundane everything was.

Indeed, when she got back home it really felt like she had just gotten a meal with a friend, sans the kiss. Her groupmates were predictably out, taking advantage of their free day to go out and romp around somewhere, she supposed; falling onto her duvet, Mimi began mindlessly scrolling through her phone, boredom slowly starting to overtake her.

After another moment, she got a message from Yoojin, thanking her for the wonderful date. Mimi sent back an assortment of heart related emojis, fingers mashing on the screen, before she paused on the overall message screen.

Screw it. Emmie had seemed sad in their recent messages; maybe she was free and they could talk a little. Hey honey; how are you doing today? I miss you!

Dropping her phone onto the covers before laying her head down too, Mimi mindlessly tapped at the screen. Somehow, she was more excited for Emmie's message than anything else that had happened today; because of their distance, Mimi supposed. Or perhaps given their busy schedules, meeting was ever a rarity.