All about LADS

There was always something fulfilling, about keeping a collection.

When they were little, they each had some of their own—Caleb had his plane models and building sets, and Miki… had found her own comfort, collecting little keepsakes. They were more important things, like her recital programs, or competition medals... Report cards of her best years, or newspaper clippings, even. Photographs. They were noticeable things; special things. Things that meant something, not just for her, but for anyone who'd peek in at first glance. It was a collection that made sense to be a collection.

Yet, the older she grew, the more she found this collection gradually becoming more… ordinary.

There was always something fulfilling about keeping a collection.

As the years went by, Miki realized that this something in question pointed more towards the things she'd like to treasure for herself, and not for others. Now, her collection had things like the tag of a teabag she found she liked the flavor of—not strawberry, this time, but butterfly pea. They also had a flower petal she'd found on the sidewalk, finding some sort of solace in its shade of purple, and simply wanting to preserve that. Or receipts, from cafes, or grocery shopping, or one of those custom dresses she ordered for her weekend performances.

Ordinary things.

Things that people saw everyday, things that might have been thought of as clutter... But to Miki, it was this collection that filled her with a small, but certain, sense of happiness.

Just like this morning.

Now, sunlight pooled across the living room floor, spilling through the curtains in soft strips of gold and white. Dust drifted through it, turning the air around them all warm and hazy.

And Miki was tucked into Caleb's side.

The two lay snuggled together up on the couch, Miki's head resting comfortably on his shoulder. It was one of her favorite things in the world—that a guitar lay across his lap, and quiet conversation melted into the sound of music.

There was something comforting about listening to Caleb play.

Perhaps, it was because he rarely did so for anyone else; perhaps, it was the way that some little, softer pieces of him shone through when he did—pieces that, to Miki, felt especially reserved for her. Because unlike Miki herself, Caleb had never been called into a career of music. Yet it was the both of them who had found solace in it together, and it would warm her heart whenever he could join in her world of song, right there with her. She listened to the soft strumming of his fingers, the humming that accompanied it. Here, in this ordinary, sunlit morning, was another moment she wanted to collect in her heart.

She loved it, she really did.

It felt so nice to wake so close to him. It felt to so wonderful to recognize just how much of her life he'd come to occupy. Her fingers curled lightly into the fabric of his shirt, and it was a way of anchoring herself into reality. That this, while she listened to him, while she stayed with him, while she could be, with him… It wasn't at all a dream at all.

The little melody he'd been humming shifted. And without thinking, she followed. A hum of her own, one that matched with his. Something to thread ever so gently between his own notes, an instinct so easy, so natural, almost exactly how their synergy had become.

She loved this. She really, really did.

Her eyes closed.

She didn't notice how his gaze had wandered. Didn't notice the faltering of his strumming, the slowing of his voice. That Caleb, in that moment, had settled his attention somewhere else entirely.

On her.

Miki.

Miki, with her hair still messy from sleep, loose from its usual braid, and a soft, warm orange in the light of the morning.

A frown formed slightly on her face as the notes drifted away into silence, and Caleb stopped his strumming altogether.

Her eyes fluttered open.

"Huh…? Why did you…"

Brown eyes met violet, and Miki's breath caught a little. There was a look that Caleb got sometimes—a quiet one, softer than teasing, gentler than amusement. It was a look that always made her feel as though she'd become the center in his universe; the only thing in the room worth paying attention to. Which, to him, she probably really was.

His smile appeared slowly. "Hmm…"

Caleb reached out, brushed lightly against her hair to tuck a loose strand back, even though it couldn't stay.

His thumb lingered near her cheek.

"You're real pretty like this, angel."

Ah…

The reaction was instantaneous, as though some part of her still hadn't learned how to hear things like that from him without short-circuiting entirely. With warmth in her cheeks and a darting glance to the side, to the ceiling, to the floor—

"Caleb…" she whined.

A weak protest.

His smile only deepened.

"What?"

"Y-you're teasing…"

"Hm? What, I can't call my girlfriend beautiful?"

And before she could respond, he leaned in. Gentle—just the soft press of his lips against her forehead, a lingering touch, and then a lingering whisper.

"Happy birthday, pips."

…Birthday.

Right.

That's what this was.

Miki couldn't help that giddy little smile making its way to her face, couldn't help the way her eyes brightened. Something like love, something like joy… though by now, she'd learned that the two could never be separated, especially not with him.

She didn't reply.

Instead, she dared, closed the distance once more without a second thought. Miki had learned many things in this one, single year of their relationship—hesitation had long since been overridden by lost time, and shyness had long since been covered with longing.

Her lips brushed his in a soft, quiet kiss.

Thank you.

Caleb chuckled, stealing a few more—one, two, and then his hand rose to cup the side of her face.

"Mm… Good, I made you happy." He nuzzled her nose, as he often did. "Could make you happier, though. I got somethin' planned for today."

"You… you do?"

Last year, they'd stayed at home, and…

"I invited your friends over. Thought you might want ‘em here."

Miki's eyes widened.

In a room full of people, the world had always narrowed down to them. Bit by bit, they would gravitate towards each other without pretense—simple, like the law, as if the universe had ordained one half of a whole to search endlessly for the other. And so, for most of their lives, they had belonged almost entirely to each other.

As children, her world had always orbited around him. His friends became her friends. His interests became her interests. Wherever Caleb went, Miki followed a few steps behind, and neither of them had ever questioned it.

There were certain things that grief could change.

That was one of the things that it had, just a little bit.

Because Miki knew—the world had grown just a little bit , and it no longer had room for only the both of them.

Under a wider sky, there, new names had become woven into her stories. There were other people waiting for her messages. Other people that she worried about, other people that she trusted. And although none of them occupied the same place in her heart that Caleb did, they mattered. They mattered enough to give her another small, but certain happiness, in the life she'd learned to build for herself.

Miki recalled the look in his eyes he tried to hide whenever she made plans without him. Miki also recalled the cold wars with Delia, and the quiet arguments that followed when the conversation led to her own life.

Caleb never used to particularly like that she'd lived without him.

And yet, now—

It was a touching sort of excitement that rushed in, clear in the way she straightened, clear in the way her expression opened.

That he'd become accepting enough to share their special day with other people she so loved, meant everything to her.

"Really?" she whispered. "You did?"

"Yeah. I did."

And it was there, again.

That rush, another fit of excitement poured into affection, as Miki wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a quick little kiss.

One, and then another.

And then Caleb was laughing, and basking in her happiness, and thought—this was how it was supposed to be.

He poked her forehead, set down the guitar. "Okay, okay. C'mon, pip-squeak."

"Huh?"

"What d'you mean, huh?"

Caleb rose from the couch, pulling her gently to her feet with a grin.

"Let's get you ready before everybody starts showin' up."

When they got there, the bathroom filled quickly with steam. Water from the shower pattered softly, filling the room with a steady, almost lulling kind of white noise. Miki waited patiently—she felt him tug up her shirt, watched him undress her with a soft, content little gaze.

They had the liberty of doing this now.

All the time in the world, it felt—and, more than that, all the comfort and familiarity with such a level of intimacy.

His hands brushed over her skin. Fleeting, reverent… Not too long ago, Miki might have still been far too embarrassed at the mere suggestion of showering together, sharing such vulnerable space in the way they did now. But she stepped in first, closed her eyes under the warm, comforting spray of water, and allowed that lingering laziness from earlier to be washed away. She smiled, at how ordinary this all was now. Caleb stepped in behind her, and she found that she more craved his presence, than felt the need to be shy about it in any way, anymore.

"Hair first," he murmured.

"Mm."

The bottle clicked softly.

A moment later, warm fingers threaded through her damp hair, with the cool touch of her favorite shampoo. Since they'd moved in, they'd gone shopping together for few essentials—one of them being the same strawberry-scented shampoo she'd always been using, now with a permanent stock in the bathroom cabinet.

The sensation of his massaging immediately made her shoulders relax.

Little slow, soothing circles… Miki tilted her head back, a quiet smile on her face as she closed her eyes. Caleb had always been careful with her hair. It had been this way for as long as she could remember. In the same manner she'd have expected of him, he gathered long ginger locks, worked shampoo through them with gentle care.

"Mmm…"

Pressed back against his chest, the soft sound left her lips before she could help it. She was met by a quiet chuckle.

"I take it I'm doin' good, then?"

"5-star service…"

Caleb grinned as he began washing it off.

"I really do love your hair, y'know," he hummed.

And under the warm cascade of the water, he turned her around, looked into her eyes with a soft gaze. "Buuut… Not as much as I love you, though."

Cheesy.

Caleb had always been like this, and every time without fail, her cheeks would get that same warm, rosy blush on them.

He just had that effect on her everytime.

Yet still she rest her hands on his waist, stared up at him with slow, loving blinks, because she wouldn't have it any other way.

Miki felt pliant, like this.

His hands lathered soap all over her body, reverent and almost worshipful touches moving down her sides, her hips, the backs of her thighs. He'd kneel briefly, reaching her legs with that same careful attention. Every movement was attuned to the way she liked it, the way she enjoyed being taken care of, the way she enjoyed how much he could love her.

"I love you."

She said it.

A quiet whisper nearly lost in hush of the water, yet he glanced up with a smile.

"I love you, too, Miki."

Caleb pulled her flush against him. And even under pouring water and soap suds covering their bodies, she didn't mind at all that he leaned in to kiss her.

It only seemed to her, then, that this was the best birthday she could possibly wish for.

Caleb had chosen her dress for her.

She'd spent several minutes trying to decide, herself. She'd stood in front of the closet with a towel wrapped around her body, and, at first, it wasn't even a dress at all.

First, a plaid brown cardigan with a little bear on the pocket that she thought was adorable. She'd claimed it was too casual.

Then it was a knitted vest and a ribbon. This one, instead, she'd deemed too formal.

When it came to the dresses, then, she'd pulled out three. A little yellow sundress—far too plain for the occassion. A longer, red-and-white dress with a lace trim—it didn't resonate well, and she thought she'd seem like she was trying too hard. Then a white floral one, held at the waist with a ribbon corset. Miki had stared longer at that one, before ultimately slipping it back into her closet with a sigh.

Caleb had stepped behind her, sifted through her clothes with a casual motion that soothed her own frustration.

"Caleb…"

It was a quiet whine, but for help rather than reprimand.

He pulled out a dress with a satisfied smile.

"How about this one?"

Miki considered.

Red, of course—still her favorite color, and still the shade that dominated her closet. Yet this dress, she realized, had been shoved all the way in the back—relatively older, yet not quite as worn as the rest of her clothing. It was long, with sleeves to cover her arms, and flowy fabric enough to drape comfortable on her body. Plain, mostly, with subtle embroidery and a single, thin ribbon at the neckline.

She wondered why she hadn't considered it at all.

"I… haven't used this dress in a long time," she mumbled thoughtfully.

"Then it's the perfect opportunity, right?"

"But… Is it alright to wear a dress, after all? I mean, w-we're just at home… Wouldn't it be embarrassing to—"

"I think it's just right for the birthday girl."

Miki looked at Caleb, then. He had his head tilted, and he held out the dress patiently towards her. The smile—those eyes—carried much more certainty than her own, and she felt a sense of calm wash over her in that moment.

I suppose… he's… right…

So Miki had slipped into the dress, and they found themselves sitting in the living room, while Caleb had gathered her hair back into his hands.

She'd since grown into her clothing choice, and allowed herself to relax as he combed through her hair.

"You want the usual braid today, ooor…?"

Miki smiled.

Caleb had loved doing her hair since they were little, but back then, braids had also been the only things he'd known how to do. Perhaps it was the very reason it became her standard hairstyle at all, but in recent years, he'd begun branching out into newer hairstyles to try on her. Miki had always been happy to be his hairstyling guinea pig. Since their reunion, she had also been more than happy to leave her performance hairstyles to him.

Today, however…

"Mhm."

Miki nodded.

She tilted her head up, glanced behind her with a smile.

"I always like it best when you braid my hair."

He placed a kiss into her hair at that.

"You're a spoiled little girl."

"Caleb…"

"Okay, okay—you're my spoiled little girl."

"I'm not little…"

"Fine, but you are spoiled."

"I…! I-it's my birthday! And besides, you—"

Her phone rang.

A quick glance at the caller I.D. showed that it was Delia, and she all but scrambled to pick it up.

"H- hello…?"

"Birthday girl! Listen, where. Is your boyfriend. It's ten minutes past our agreed time. Is he aware of how hot it is in the summer? And of how inconsiderate it is of him to leave his guests out in the heat just because his house is so inaccessib—"

"HHHEEEEYYYYYYYYYY MIKI-MIKS! HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRLIEEEE!!"

"Star!"

"Whaaaat! I didn’t get to greet her yet!"

"…Anyway, Miki, please tell Caleb to come and pick us up. Not everyone has a plane around here!"

Astonished, Miki could only turn towards Caleb with a half-amused, half-accusatory expression as the call cut.

"Caleb…"

He grinned, let go of her hair, and stood up with his hands raised in surrender. "Right! I'm goin', I'm goin'!"

But perhaps, what he said had been very right. Perhaps Miki was spoiled, and perhaps she still depended on him a little too much—

All that time, she stayed rooted to her spot on the couch, orange hair neatly de-tangled, but still loosely splayed over her shoulders.

Until the door opened.

It was Delia who rushed through first, and although Miki had barely moved to stand, she was immediately engulfed in a warm, familiar embrace.

"Del…!"

"Happy birthday, Miki! I know I already texted you, but happy birthday still. Oh, I'm so happy I get to celebrate with you again…"

Miki laughed as Delia squeezed her tighter.

For all of Delia's composed nature, for all the patience and quiet wisdom she carried… There had always been a deeply affectionate side of her that emerged whenever it came to the people she loved. And Miki knew she was one of those people. She had known ever since that day, when Delia had appeared beside her without being asked, carrying groceries, dragging her out of the house for meals, sitting through uncomfortable silences when grief left Miki unable to speak.

"Thank you," she whispered, hugging her back. And it was a thank-you filled with more things than she could say.

The two girls exchanged a meaningful smile.

When Delia finally released her, it was only just enough giving her space before another voice exploded into the room.

"MIKIIIIII!"

The warning barely had time to register.

A second later, Star launched herself through the doorway like a missile, and Miki squeaked.

"H-huh!? Wait! Uh, wait, Star, y-you're very…!!!"

Unlike Delia's embrace, which felt grounding and warm, Star's affection arrived with the force of a natural disaster. "Miki, look at you!" she cried dramatically. "You're so pretty! Your dress! And your makeup! And—oh my gosh, did you get even cuter somehow?!"

"U-um...!"

"I know, I know… it's just, like, totally impossible, right?!"

The squeeze seemed to last for much longer than Miki could count. And then a familiar voice drifted in from the hallway.

"Nymeria, if you wanted to carry the cake, I'm fairly sure you should learn to carry yourself first without—"

Caleb didn't get to finish his sentence, and what sounded like a crash by the doorway seemed to resound instead. Much to Miki's concern, Nymeria stumbled through the door a second later, somehow managing to catch herself before falling completely onto the floor.

"...I'm… I'm okay! Uh— I brought the cake!"

It was a miracle.

A genuine miracle.

"How did you not drop that?" Star frowned.

"Skill, of course."

"You tripped."

"I recovered!"

"You literally almost faceplanted!"

"I… recovered!"

"But—"

Nymeria pointed dramatically at the cake. "Look. What matters is! The cake is alive!"

"A… a-are you, though…?"

Miki watched her friend settle the cake down at the dining table, before she walked up to the group with a grin and her hands on her hips. "Way alive," she nodded. "At least, alive enough to see you looking gorgeous with a capital G, happy birthday, Miki!"

And she was pulled into another hug, and despite all the direct contact there seemed to be today, she truly didn’t mind at all. Already the day had been filled with rays of sunlight, and she felt warm—the good kind of warm, and not just summer kind of warm.

"Super thanks to Caleb for inviting us. I mean, what do you know? He's sure grown a lot, so now this year he didn't have to hog you all to himself!"

"I can hear you, y'know."

Miki pulled back from her friend, and Caleb had leaned against the doorway, sunlight spilling in behind him. The flight had ruffled his hair a little, and his sleeves were rolled to his elbows. Yet, standing there like that, Miki realized that this had likely been the warmest she'd ever seen his home. Unlike that night, back then, after her opening performance, there was something a little different. Something that felt as if this was real confirmation, then, that even the world she'd built for herself had grown to merge with Caleb's anyway. No longer two separate worlds, but one they'd managed to share together.

The thought of it made her happy.

Even if—

"Again, which is good. You should know that it was only recently that you've passed our standards." Delia's response came immediately.

"Aww. You missed me, too."

"I said no such thing."

"Mm, you implied it, though."

"I did not!"

Delia's banter with Caleb was never one absent from their little gatherings, but Miki smiled. She, too, caught the tug of her best friend's lips; she, too, caught that familiar tone of playfulness that Caleb only ever used with people he considered trustworthy.

Without a beat, Miki quietly walked over to him, hands folded neatly in front of her. Her head tilted, and little innocent eyes peered up at him.

"Caleb… you didn’t finish braiding my hair yet…"

He blinked at her in mild astonishment.

Behind her, Nymeria brought a hand to her mouth.

"Oh my god, guys… Has Miki always been this bold?"

##

The dining table was already crowded by the time Caleb emerged from the kitchen, carrying the last platter of food.

"Careful," Delia warned immediately.

"I'm always careful."

"Oh! Hm… Like that one time you made Miki cry?"

"Oooooh, get him, Delia~!"

Caleb looked personally offended. Across the table, Gideon snorted into his drink, and both Nymeria and Star gave each other a little nudge. Delia, of course, crossed her arms over her chest with a victorious smile.

"Touché," he mumbled.

And Miki shook her head with another smile.

Caleb had been moving back and forth between the kitchen and dining room carrying the food platters. While chatter had gone on naturally, she'd then stood to set the table herself—plates, utensils, napkins… The scent of food wafted through the house as the table became filled with it, and soon enough, Caleb had moved to stand next to her.

"Hey, birthday girl doesn't need to do any work."

"But you're forgetting that it's your birthday, too…"

"Not yet, though."

He reached past her to set down another serving platter, and their hands brushed. He smiled. It was instant, as their eyes met then. Warm. Familiar, even. Miki felt her heart flutter despite herself, because—some things never changed.

Before she could overthink it, she rose onto her toes, and pressed a quick kiss to his lips.

"Really?!" Star cried dramatically. In the midst of the teasing whistles. Miki pulled back with a flustered start. "In front of my salad?!"

"Th-there isn't any salad!"

"That's so not the point!"

"Ahem."

With the table set and the food all served, Delia stood and gestured towards the box in the middle.

"Before anything else," she announced, tilting her head, "cake."

"Cake!" Nymeria cheered.

And a few minutes later, candles flickered atop, a carefully-ordered cake with apple-shaped icing and strawberry filling, and pretty, red lettering:

Happy Birthday.

The dining room lights had been dimmed. Miki stood beside Caleb, as everyone gathered around the table. And for a brief moment, in quiet silence, she simply stared at the tiny flames dancing before her.

Birthdays.

For as long as she could remember, birthdays had always meant Caleb. They'd had celebrations, and gifts, and cards—always addressed to the both of them, not simply just one or the other.

Birthdays, had been celebrated as a pair. Two halves of the same fruit. Two halves of… a whole, complete thing that she could now call just—them.

Perhaps it was fitting that it had been the same date that marked their anniversary. Perhaps it was fitting that things had circled back to this moment. Perhaps it was fitting that now, they stood together, finding company in the same friends, the same warmth, the same love.

It was the same summer.

It was another summer, all the same, and yet, also different in ways that Miki thought was good.

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday, Miki and Caleb…

Happy birthday to you!

In perfect synchronized movements, the two leaned down to blow at the candles.

It had been two years since Miki's other half had found its way back to her, and one year since their two halves merged back into the whole they were meant to be.

Two hands wrapped around the same knife.

Today, another year began for the both of them.

Gideon leaned by the doorway as he waited, looking pointedly at the girls that had crowded around Miki. He'd been assigned their personal driver back down to the mainland of Skyhaven—Colonel's orders, of course, not that Gideon really minded.

And beside him, the Colonel in question stood with his weight on one leg, and crossed his arms. For before him stood the exact same scene.

"She's grown a lot, you know," Gideon started thoughtfully. "Feels like back then, she didn’t shine half as bright as she does now. Kinda makes you proud in a way, right?"

"Boy, do I know." Caleb laughed quietly, shaking his head.

A brief silence settled over them.

Lately, Caleb had been thinking more that it was better like this. That she'd grown out of her shell a little. That she could have a bright corner of her world, much like he had his before…

"Hey."

Gideon nudged his shoulder, and he turned with an eyebrow raised.

"What's up?"

"Happy birthday, dude."

"Pfft. As if you haven't already given me your greetin' just—"

"Nah, I mean. Not just from me. From the DAA, too."

Caleb's expression softened.

He watched as Gideon took out a little envelope from his pocket, and his gaze drifted down as it settled into his own hands.

A package from the Deepspace Aviation Administration.

"This is…"

"Not much."

Caleb frowned as he looked up, but Gideon shrugged.

"You, uh… Remember that one photo you bothered me about like, a month ago? Took a picture with her, and your girl posted it on moments."

Caleb snorted, "Yeah. I remember."

"Well… she tagged me, and I guess the guys saw it. Realized I was still in touch with her, and all."

With a nod in Miki's direction, Gideon let out a soft laugh.

"This envelope was supposed to be given to her, but they kinda pulled some strings and sent it through me, instead. But when I tried to tell her about it, she told me to give it to you myself."

"Huh? When did you—"

"The point is… It's just, you know. A small token of appreciation. Just… read it for yourself. You've always meant a lot to the DAA."

Caleb turned it over. In printed, golden letters, it read Miki's name—and his own, right beneath it.

His eyes closed. He let out a long, quiet sigh.

"Damn if I don't miss them, too," he mumbled. There was another pause as Gideon remained silent, and then in that moment Caleb shifted to lean against the wall behind him.

"Back then… Miki always used to be part of our group."

"Uh, yeah. But everyone used to call her your—"

Caleb rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut up. She's not really—"

"—You never corrected them—"

"—And say what?!"

He shifted his foot, stepped on Gideon's with a look. The latter let out a quiet "Oww!", and Caleb shook his head.

"…Look at her," he sighed instead, nodding towards the girls.

Still she was surrounded by them, happily chatting as the group had seemed to forget that their, quote on quote, "taxi driver", was right there waiting for them to leave. Neither of the girls had a care in the world for it—and neither did Miki, who seemed to brighten in their very presence.

In earlier years, that was an expression he hadn’t ever seen Miki make… not unless she'd been with him.

She had been part of his group, but he'd always known that she had none of her own.

Now…

"It's kinda like the tables have turned," he said with a slight smile. His gaze remained fond, as he looked at the girl he'd devoted his life to. Yet behind his gaze held a certain sense of happiness—flickering, perhaps, and barely there. Caleb had always been good at masking his emotions.

But Gideon noticed.

Gideon noticed, when Miki turned, caught Caleb's gaze, and let out an even brighter smile.

"They kinda have," he agreed, "but it's not all bad, right? Now you're part of her group."

Miki stood, walked over. She had slightly flushed cheeks, and though she offered Gideon a nod, she immediately tugged almost helplessly at Caleb's sleeves. Gideon thought that she'd grown a lot—but even then, he still saw it. Those faint, familiar little traces of the smaller Miki who'd followed Caleb around like a puppy.

Some things were different now, and yet some things still never changed.

"Caleb, they're teasing me…" she huffed.

"Um! Wow, Miki. You're telling on us?!"

"Miki!!! Why would you run off to your boyfriend like that!!!"

Star and Nymeria had their arms crossed as they approached, but Delia didn't relent.

"No, no, he needs to hear this, too," she said coolly. "Miki told us she's planned something for you. But if in the case any birthday sex is involved, you better make sure you're using protection."

"D-Delia!"

"I'm serious, Miki!"

"Y-you know I'm on the pill…!"

"It really doesn't hurt to be extra careful!"

Gideon choked on his saliva.

Beside him, the tension in Caleb's features seemed to have eased, and he let out a laugh.

"What're you goin' on about? D'you really think I'd be that careless with—"

"Miki told us that you almost—"

"UH! HELLO!"

Gideon waved his hands helplessly in their faces, the tips of his ears red. "Can we not?! I do not want to hear about their sex lives!!"

"I… I-I don't, either…"

A mortified Miki had pressed the backs of her hands against her cheeks, which were remarkably, remarkably red.

And somehow, laughter had found its way to them.

It was there again—laughter, and joy, and love, all in one.

All of this… it was a different kind of experience. Caleb could see what he meant. Because he knew, even after all this time, that Miki had saved a spot just for him in this world she'd built with her own two hands.

Miki had insisted he dress up. And since he had chosen her clothes, she was determined to do the same for him.

Except it had been taking hours, quite literally.

Miki stood in front of his closet with a frown, and she'd been sifting through his clothes with the same frustrated indecision as when she had tried to choose her own clothes.

"Pips…"

"No, no, I…! Th-this is important!"

"Pip-squeak, you're bein' stubborn."

"You have to look the part, just trust me that I need to pick out the perfect—"

"Hanae Miki."

Immediately she squeaked, and turned around to face a Caleb with his arms crossed, eyebrow raised in half amusement, half exasperation. If Miki really were a puppy, she'd have had her ears down, and her tail between her legs.

Instead, her head bowed. "I…"

Caleb chuckled.

He stepped forward to ruffle her hair, and knelt down to her eye level. "Hey. Angel, I'll like anything you pick out for me. No stress in tryin' to be perfect at everything, right? I'm happy to leave the task to you, but don't sweat it."

It was two fifty in the afternoon. The group had left roughly an hour ago.

Now, with the surprise that Miki had planned for him—not the birthday sex—she had pushed Caleb back into the room to find something to change into.

With a deep breath, she turned back to face his clothes.

Maybe it won't be too bad if…

Slow, careful hands reached out to pick out a few pieces she'd been considering. A classic white shirt, first. Then white pants, and a loose, knitted vest.

She held them out to him with a hopeful look.

"I… I don't think I've seen you in this style yet before, so, um…"

Caleb looked at the clothes she'd stuffed into his hands.

He bit back a laugh, first.

A moment passed.

It slipped through his eyes, then his lips—

"C-Caleb…!"

He was laughing.

"Haha! Sorry, angel, it's just—I love it, This's so obviously your style, it's the best!"

Her eyes widened.

"B- but you! You've had that sweater vest in your closet for a long time, and I-I've never seen y—mmphf!"

Caleb swooped in to steal a kiss, effectively getting her to stop doubting, and effectively bringing another one of those adorable blushes to her cheeks.

"Give me a minute. Let me change, and then we can leave together for this mysterious place you wanna bring me to. 'Kay?"

"M- mm..."

And so another half hour passed, and Miki had found herself here, in a hall, looking exceedingly more nervous now than for one of her shows.

Caleb looked around curiously as he followed her down the hallway. He'd been nothing but questions, but those questions received zero answers. At some point they had faded into silence, filled instead with the nerves that seemed to radiate from where Miki was standing. He had an inkling of her surprise, by now, yet still, what remained was the utmost sense of curiosity to see exactly what she'd be spoiling her with.

Miki pushed open the door to the auditorium, and Caleb took in a breath.

It was almost like stepping into another world.

In the auditorium, rows upon rows of seats stretched downward, softened beneath carefully dimmed lighting that bathed the room in warm amber and gold. The usual harsh brightness of such a place had been completely transformed. Every corner seemed touched by deliberate care, every shadow arranged to feel gentle, rather than stark. The overhead lights had been lowered until the space resembled the inside of a dream. Details emerged gradually, and nothing felt entirely anchored to reality.

And the clouds.

Handcrafted ones, delicately put together with cotton.

They drifted throughout the auditorium, suspended from nearly invisible threads. Some hung low enough to float just above the aisles, others gathered higher near the ceiling. Together, they created the illusion of an endless sky suspended indoors. The lighting cast subtle halos, giving each little cloud a faint glow around its edges.

Like a stolen a piece of the sky, tucked it carefully inside the building.

A sky vast enough to carry the little paper planes that were hung delicately up there with them. A sky, with those streams of folded paper, flowing through the auditorium almost as if invisible wind currents had been captured and preserved in time.

Wishes, preserved in time.

And there, right by the stage, front and center, lone by the center… stood an elegant grand piano.

It felt so much like Miki.

Miki.

"Miki…"

At first, he didn't know much else to say but her name.

He turned to look at her, saw the way she wrung her fingers together in front of her dress.

And in that moment, he wondered how it could be possible that he loved her even more, right then and right there, than he already had, all these years.

Miki lifted her head to meet his gaze. Brown on violet; earth onto the sky at sunset.

"I… I-I know your birthday's only tomorrow. And, um—our anniversary, technically. But I… I wanted to give you something special today, too. Because I like it better, when we're not separated like that. I think that… my day should be your day, too."

She gave a shy smile.

Another moment had her gaze sweeping across the auditorium—a month ago, she'd asked Nymeria and Sylus to pull strings enough to book such a place, and she'd worked tirelessly with Luke and Kieran to decorate the place. It had been a different experience, trying to hide things from Caleb—but now, seeing that look on his face, she felt comfort in knowing that it was worth it.

"…Will you watch me?" she murmured, keeping hopeful eyes on his.

"Mm."

"Always?"

"Of course, angel."

"Then…"

Miki took in a breath, and smiled. Relief, partly, and then determination.

"I wrote you a song," she murmured. "So stay there, okay? And… and listen."

And look at me.

She didn't say it.

But she walked on stage, saw that lovesick smile on his face, and knew that he knew.

Her hands lifted over the keys.

On the first note, music plays.

It was smooth, practiced movements.

She could feel him, even then. He sat exactly where she'd left him, occupying one seat at the front row. His posture had relaxed into the seat, one arm draped across the backrest beside him, but his attention remained fixed entirely on her. The realization sent a familiar warmth blooming through her chest; that it was just as she'd wanted.

It was the same warmth she'd felt when she was sixteen, waiting for his calls. The same warmth she'd felt when she was twenty-one, secretly wishing he would look at her differently. The same warmth she'd felt during birthdays, and arguments, and reunions, and reconciliations.

Love, simple as that.

Love.

Love, as she played, and love, as she opened her mouth to sing.

Love, still, as she thought—keep your eyes on me.

And how many weeks had she spent worrying? She would wonder; wonder whether all of this would be enough, or instead just too much. Wonder, whether the decorations were silly, whether the auditorium was too much. Wonder, whether the song would sound foolish, once she finally played it out loud.

Yet now, she understood that none of that had really mattered.

She loved music. She loved Caleb even more. And he—he had already loved what she'd prepared for him, from the very moment she had taken his hand and brought him here.

Because when she played, it was their story. It was them—that shone through. All of it existed within the music. And all of it belonged to her, and all of it belonged to him.

When the last notes played and her voice reverberated through the auditorium, her fingers lingered over the keys before she turned her head. Nervously, a little, yet she found his eyes still, anyway. Like gravity, slowly—she would always find him.

It was Caleb who moved first.

Slow, and then quicker. He moved to the stage, scooped her up into his arms with a tight embrace.

"Miki, you… You'll be the death of me…"

"H-huh—?"

His arms squeezed her tight.

He held her, and held her, and held her, and then he buried his face into her neck.

"Of course you can fall," he mumbled into her skin. "Didn't I tell you I'd catch you? Haven't I?"

"Caleb…"

"I'll stay with you. I want to stay with you, Miki, I…"

He raised his head, pressed his forehead against hers.

Breathless.

"…Miki, I love you."

And these were words that Miki would hear from him often, yet words that still filled her with far too much air to breathe in every single time. So she did it, first. Stood again on her tiptoes, captured his lips into another kiss. When he held her by the waist, she smiled, felt sincerely how much space he held in his heart for her, almost even more than she could hold for him.

"I… I'm not good with words," she whispered, against his lips.

"Liar. You wrote me a song."

"Well… You gave me my music. So, I… I-I wanted to use that to tell you what I felt, instead. Did it… reach you?"

Caleb closed his eyes momentarily.

One moment, and then two.

"Are these your wishes?" he murmured. "The same ones… on the planes you wrote, when I left?"

Caleb had never asked about them before. Even if, that night, he'd seen them himself—the box, that Miki had panicked over, enough for him to respect her space.

This time was different.

There was a look in his eyes, a desperation of sorts, one that nearly drowned out the light of her sun almost entirely.

"That's… I…"

She bit her lip.

But what could she say?

That she had cursed him for leaving? That she had cried over her loneliness? That she had grieved, every moment of every day, for the love of the person who had lived in the walls of every object in the life she lived?

"…You know that I wished for you back," she looked away, "because I… I couldn’t do it. I didn't like living without you. And you know that, but, I… Even so, I…!"

Her hands curled into the fabric of her dress, and her gaze flitted right back to his.

"Even now, I don't like it!"

"Angel…"

"A-and I know, I know that we live together now, and I see you everyday, and wake up to you everyday, and there's no more counting down to the weekend for a trip to Skyhaven, and…"

Miki's voice trembled.

"But I want to be with you, Caleb. Still, now, I feel greedy, and I… I want more. I want to be part of your life, just like… how you've always been a part of mine. You're here now, so I don't need paper airplanes to make a wish anymore. But, Caleb…"

"…You know more than anyone how much I want the same, Miki, but—"

"I know. It's… selfish, isn't it?"

Her eyes downcast.

"It's not selfish, pip-squeak. Who's to stop you from feelin' that, bein' greedy? When all this time… I've always been much, much more."

He took a breath, lifted her up to sit upon the closed lid of the piano, leaned down to look at her eye to eye.

"I want to keep you in a world where it's just the two of us. A world free of suffering, and pain, and obligations, and just… us." He laughed softly. "If only I could. If only such a world existed. If only you could be mine, and only mine, and we wouldn't need anything else or anyone else at all. That has always been my deepest, most selfish wish."

"Caleb…"

"But I know I can't do that. I know I'm not your keeper, I know that you share parts of yourself with other people that you love. And I know… that I have to do my part to protect you."

"But!!! But you don't have to do that!" Miki cried out. "You're wrong, I… There's no one else in the world that I love more than you. Haven't I told you? Don't you know that? I-I need you with me, too. Why… Why do you think I follow you everywhere? Despite what others might think of me because of it, I've never once…!"

"Miki."

"Caleb, I'm serious!"

"Miki, I have to protect you."

"But—!"

"I can't… I can't tell you."

Caleb's voice broke.

He leaned back into her, something more desperate seeping into the way he held her, the way he spoke.

His eyes closed.

"I… I don't know what the future is like. I still don't know… so many things… But the things I do know, I can't tell you. I can't do it. I can't endanger you, Miki, because the worst thing that can happen to me is losing you, and I…"

"…You won't lose me."

Miki raised a hand, thread her fingers softly through his hair.

"You won't lose me," she said again, "and I won't lose you. Isn't that a better promise?"

"Miks…"

"Back then, when we were kids… You said… that you would be the sky, and I would cover the ground. That the world could be a little bit more of ours, that way. And that… we would always be together."

"I… remember."

"Then couldn't it be the same now? If we've learned to trust each other again as much as we have in the past year, couldn't we trust each other even more? Couldn't you let me… protect you, too?"

Miki looked hopeful.

More than hopeful—pleading.

"I want every future with you, Caleb… and I want… to be by your side through it."

"…Even if it's not pretty?"

"Even if it's not pretty."

"And if it's difficult, and not what you asked for—"

"If we have to fight for it, that doesn't matter so long as we're together."

Miki let out a slow breath. Their hands intertwined, foreheads pressed together once more.

One breath.

Two.

"This… this is how you catch me," she whispered. "I've already been falling. For a long, long time, Caleb. Loving you… is all I've ever known. So… catch me. Not as someone who stands behind you, but as… someone who stands by your side." She cracked a small, tiny smile. "I think, that is… my deepest, most selfish wish."

Caleb laughed.

It was soft, and helpless—people would say that the sky could swallow the world whole, but in this moment, perhaps he thought it was the opposite. As vast as the sky was, the ground beneath it existed as a balance. It gave him somewhere to land, and someplace to feel… home.

Caleb thought that maybe it was he who'd been falling endlessly, instead. And Miki had always been there ready to catch him.

"Mm. In the end, you've always had me in the palm of your hands, haven't you."

Eyes closed.

Breaths mingled.

For yet another time that day, their lips met in a long, passionate kiss.

Another one.

And another.

Kisses deepened slowly; a melody unfolding in the vast, empty auditorium. Their lips moved together with tender urgency, breaths shared in this quiet space where only the beating of their hearts remained tangled up as one.

Could anything else truly matter?

Did anything ever matter, so long as she could be held like this?

Thoughts would spill like a broken record; only a single word remained:

Caleb.

Caleb.

Miki didn't notice when he'd lifted her, settled her properly onto the polished surface of the grand piano. And with heated kisses and fingers tangled deep into her hair, the braid began to slowly, gradually come undone. Caleb stepped between her knees, then. Legs parted instantly as one hand rest on her thigh, gently stroking through the fabric.

Breaths mingled as they parted.

Despite herself, Miki could only smile.

Such a helpless fool in love.

"You performed so beautifully tonight," he murmured, nuzzling against her temple. "I didn't get to say it earlier. That song… It really was somethin' beautiful."

"Mm…"

"S'it fair if I give you your gift tomorrow? Right now, I…"

He let out a slow, shaky breath.

"I still wanna be a bit greedier."

Mouths met again. Harsher, needier. Caleb’s hand slid higher up her thigh, bunching the red dress gradually until his fingers found the smooth skin beneath, and Miki let out a tiny, breathy sound—half sigh, half whimper.

He kissed along her jaw, then slowly down the column of her neck, while his hands worked patiently at the zipper of her dress. The fabric parted slowly, red pooling at her waist like spilled wine. Caleb’s lips brushed reverently over the small, sensitive peaks on her chest, drawing out a soft gasp—

And it was so easy.

She arched toward him, fingers threading through his hair.

"Caleb…" Her voice trembled. "P-please… I need you."

She felt him smirk against her skin.

"Mm…. And who would I be to deny this sweet, sweet angel of mine?" he hummed.

Gently he helped her lay back against the surface, fingers trailing from her waist down to the inside of her thighs. Another kiss, and another, and another still—he went from her mouth, to her collarbone, to the valley of her breasts.

And then he knelt down.

Miki's breath hitched as his hands slid up her legs, parting her wider, exposing the blatant wetness seeping through her panties. A soft, embarrassed whimper escaped her—She knew he would comment, knew he would tease her for being so shamefully wet and so shamefully easy—

Despite the attempt to close her legs, he held them open with the gentlest pressure.

"Shh, angel," he whispered, lips brushing her skin. She drew in a shaky breath, and he pressed a soothing kiss to the inside of one trembling thigh. "No need for hidin'. You’re so pretty like this, don't you know? Because all this's mine…"

Something wet, and warm, licked over the damp fabric that covered her.

Miki immediately let out a keen of pleasure—the heat of his tongue seeped through the thin material, and instantly her hips twitched upward. The sensation was teasing, for all the times that he'd done this. Muffled, yet incredibly intimate, and the wet sound of his tongue dragging across her panties seemed to fill the hall with something so obscene to her.

"M- Mmn…!"

Her hands flew to her mouth in an attempt to keep quiet, but the breathy moan still escaped loud enough to reverberate off the high ceilings of the auditorium.

Miki flushed.

From her ears, down to her neck, stained the very color she so loved to wear—and truly, to Caleb, she looked the finest wine for him to devour.

Caleb hummed in satisfaction, the vibration traveling straight through the fabric and into her core. Miki shivered—yet there was no chance that he would relent.

"Mmm… My Miki… y'taste so sweet, soakin’ right through these f'me."

Embarrassing.

It was so… embarrassing.

Miki would squirm, and whine, as he flattened his tongue and pressed it up against her clit through the cloth. Slow, practiced circles—Caleb knew her body like the back of his hand, had spent days, weeks, months, mapping out pleasure over her skin.

Miki didn't even know, anymore, if she had always been like this.

Had Caleb found what she liked? Was it not simply because it was Caleb that she found she'd liked it anyway?

Lick, after lick, and Miki fell putty to his hands as she usually did.

The minute his fingers hooked through her panties, his tongue touched slick, bare folds, and her hands scrambled forward to find rest in the locks of his hair.

"Ah—C-Caleb!"

Her cry resounded loud into the hall, but by this point, she couldn't care less.

The polished wood of the piano—her instrument—felt cold against her skin, and yet still did heat continue to course through her body, more, and more, and more.

"M… m-more…"

Arousal leaked and spilled onto the surface. Between her legs, Caleb was slick with her juices, eyes squinted happily as he looked up at her.

Schlick. Schlick.

"H-hnng—! I…!"

He pulled back.

Glinting mischievously, he left Miki to catch her breath, eyes raking over her figure with a possessive sore of satisfaction, and he reached up to wipe his mouth with the back of his hand.

Her folds pulsed.

Panting, she leaned back against the piano, weight held up by her arms, as she stared dazedly up at her boyfriend. With her chest laid bare and her legs spread so lewdly, she looked the picture of pure sin—yet she had always, even now, been just the perfect perfect one for Caleb.

"Now that's good handiwork," he hummed. "I think I really will save this image in my head forever. You should see yourself, pip-squeak… Don't think I've ever seen you this naughty b'fore…"

She was barely aware of her surroundings, let alone the state she displayed herself in. Only hazy eyes, and hazy thoughts, and the world surrounding them had ceased to exist.

Now, even now, Caleb was the only one that mattered.

"Why… did you stop?" she breathed, half whimper, half whine.

"Mm, just takin' a moment to admire how my—"

"Caleb… aren't you going to fuck me?"

And Miki had never quite been one to be so… vulgar; so forward.

Yet all sense of logic, and shame, and anything else she would normally have in her arsenal, had since flown out the window the moment he'd put his lips on her.

"You really…" Caleb's voice cracked, and his words shook slightly. "You really really will be the death of me."

He kissed her again.

Again, and again, and again, and again—

When she whispered his name, so soft, and so needy—he eased her back carefully to lie on the piano’s surface.

The position left her open to him, flushed and glistening under the stage lights. Caleb freed himself from his trousers, leaking, and throbbing, still with the same love that filled his gaze.

He positioned himself at her entrance, rubbing the head of his cock slowly through her wetness. The loud, wet sound of it echoed softly through the vast auditorium again—lewd, still, yet strangely beautiful in the passion they had found themselves locked into.

"Y'sure?" he murmured.

"Yes, Caleb, please, please, please, I want it mor—mm… mmnngh!"

She felt herself stretch, the feeling bringing a shiver through her body as Caleb cut her off with a slow, forward thrust into her heat. Gritted teeth and fingers digging into his shoulder had her tensing as he pushed in, relaxing only at the soothing coo of his voice in her ear.

No matter how many times—still, still, still, she would melt into it the way that she did.

"Y-you feel s'good," Miki's eyes closed, breathing growing heavy with increasing pleasure. "I love… being like this, so full of you…"

Her legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer.

"Yeah? S'good, then. The feeling's mutual."

And he moved.

With a soft groan, Caleb kissed her deeply, tongues brushing together in tender rhythm with his hips. The piano surface grew slippery beneath her, arousal pooling and spreading with each rock of his hips. And the sounds they made together filled the auditorium ever louder, still—another ever present reminder of the extent of their pleasure; of how far they would go just to be with one another, how much they would do just to cement it into their hearts.

The wet glide of his cock plunging into her soaked pussy, the soft slap of skin on skin, Miki’s increasingly needy, breathy moans…

Still, she wanted more of him.

Needed more of him.

Craved it—the smirk on his face, the lust that clouded deep in his eyes… because he knew.

He knew her so well.

And with deeper, harsher strokes that made her toes curl and her walls flutter, he leaned in to nibble at her ear. "Anythin' for you, pip-squeak."

Anything for you.

From the start, it had always been that way.

As Miki gave herself, now, it was another reminder for him, that—such a statement was no longer one so limited to come only from him.

Anything for you.

No, that wasn't quite right—

Anything… for us.

This was the phrase that repeated in Miki's mind.

Anything; no matter the storms, no matter the hardships, no matter the future so obscured in a mess of clouds that they couldn't reach through.

And from the outside came a little breeze, flowing through the room like a gentle rustle—

The paper planes moved.

One by one, at first.

Then, several together, nudged by that breeze. Those tiny currents carried them all throughout the auditorium, lifting them from where they had rested among the clouds—

A slow migration.

A quiet release.

They drifted through the air in graceful arcs, crossing the empty rows of seats and sailing beneath the dim lights…

And then a memory, of sorts, emerged, both formed and shaped from their paths.

"Yeah! You fold 'em like this, and then like this. And, see? You can't even see what you wrote anymore! That's the first step."

"But… What if someone unfolds it…? I-if you really throw it out the window, won't it still end up somewhere?"

"Hmm… Somewhere, sure, but it stiiilll won't be here. And if someone opens it, then that only means it's not yours to carry anymore."

"What does that mean?"

"C'mon. Think about it. If a thought's so heavy that you gotta turn it into a paper plane and throw it away, then maybe somebody else can hold it for a little bit, y'know?"

"But no one likes heavy thoughts… So what if they don't want to hold it?"

"Then, they'll just throw it out again."

"That's not very nice…"

"It's a paper plane, Miki. It likes flying."

"H- how do you know that?"

"It told me."

"Y-you're making things up again!"

And paper planes had a little set of rules.

The first—fold the paper until you can't see those bad thoughts any longer. The next—don't tell anybody the contents, at least unless you want to.

The third…

"When you throw it, you gotta really throw it."

"Huh…?"

"It means, no take-backs."

"E-even if I'm scared?"

"Especially if you're scared."

"B-but we folded those together… I don't like letting go of things I did with you…"

"S'okay! I'm right here, aren't I? So we can make as many paper planes together as you wanna! These ones… They gotta go, 'cause they're makin' you sad. You wouldn't be sad anymore if the thoughts were gone, right?"

"R-right…!"

And Miki hadn't told him.

Every single day he'd been gone, that last, important little rule… had been broken, and broken, and broken, and broken. She'd never thrown away that box. Argument after argument, and she wondered if she ever would.

Not looking at them was one thing—

Keeping them, she knew, meant another.

Now, she figured she could let them be. They belonged to the sky—those words, those thoughts, those feelings. Ever ones that she had thought she'd let go of, ever ones that stayed helplessly in the back of her mind.

Caleb, of course, had been right.

Rule number three: When you throw it, you gotta really throw it.

The breeze that sifted through the auditorium from the open windows in the corner, was enough.

And on the piano, landed a smaller, newer plane.

On this one, a single sentence was written in golden text.

Caleb, I want to be with you, always.

This paper plane had found its own landing. Just as she had found hers with him.

Summer in Skyhaven was warm during the day, but the nights always carried a chill.

It was something came with the altitude—with living so high, almost up above the rest of the world. And so the balcony doors stood partially open behind where they sat, allowing the cool night air to drift through the house.

But the two of them lay cuddled beneath a blanket.

Miki rested against Caleb's chest. It was one of those lounge chairs they'd bought together. Positioned just so, overlooking the clouds. And beyond them, an endless sea of darkness and silver cloudbanks stretched on, and on, and on, and on.

There were no stars tonight.

The moon glowed silver, yet it had no lamplights with it.

And yet the clouds themselves were beautiful; as beautiful as they had ever been, and as beautiful as Miki had always loved them. They drifted lazily through the night—something like fluffy sleeping creatures, lulling the evening into a quiet, comforting calm.

That night, everything felt peaceful.

Caleb's arm rested around her shoulders beneath the blanket, holding her close against his side. Every so often, his fingers would drift through her hair in smoothing, absent-minded strokes. Every so often, his lips would press soft against the top of her head.

And just for a moment, neither of them spoke. It was a long while before Miki broke the silence.

"Caleb?"

"Hm?"

"I… think, I'm..." she paused. "I-I think I'm a little scared."

A breeze passed.

In it, Miki found her gaze sweeping over the cloudy scene before them, and then her gaze lowered. Down to the blanket; their limbs tangled together just beneath it.

Caleb rest his head against hers. "Yeah? What of?"

"Of… tonight."

She sighed.

"I… I-I know this sounds silly. But it's just, I think… I'm scared that one day I won't… remember this. All of this. I mean..." Still she tripped over her words, struggling to find the right things to say. With all this mix of emotions in her chest, Miki had never been good with words. Yet—

"…This exact moment. The way the air feels, the way the blanket feels… Even the way your heartbeat sounds. Right now." She chanced a small, sheepish smile up at him, and felt eased to know he'd been looking at her.

Attentive, still, and warm.

Miki continued, "Eventually, all of this will just become… a memory, right? Like… like all things do. Like back when we were kids, and back when you left for Skyhaven. All… all of those become memories, and then… And then they're… never the same, after that."

"Y'mean we won't look at them the same?"

"Mm… I think so, maybe. I… You know that saying? 'I love you so much, it hurts'?"

Caleb chuckled. "Weelll…. I do vaguely remember us usin' it after one of those fights we had…"

Miki's face fell. "Caleb!"

"Haha! Sorry, sorry!"

With a huff, she shoved him lightly, and yet the small distance the motion had created between them felt… dissatisfactory.

Miki snuggled back into him.

"Just, I… think that phrase goes beyond the arguments. The fighting, and maybe even the… grief." Her expression softened. "I think, the way I see it now… I-it hurts, because there's so much love. So much that it feels like your heart can't hold all of it. And it hurts, because..."

Miki's voice trailed off.

Another moment had her gazing back st the sky, before she lowered her head and buried back into his chest.

"Because moments like this don't stay."

A whisper.

"Even if they happen, and even if they become perfect… They just end up as memories. A-and a really beautiful memory is still just a memory, in the end. Even something like this."

Her eyes closed.

"Even… something I love this much."

It hurt, because even the most perfect of moments she could pour all her love out into would never happen again. It hurt, the fact that even a love like that, could be reduced to a moment meant to fade out into history. Just like that.

A long silence followed, after that.

For a long while, Caleb's fingers resumed their slow strokes through her hair, contemplating her words, contemplating exactly what this meant, for people like them.

And then he smiled. Miki felt it.

Small, and slow, and accompanied with yet another kiss into her hair.

"Y'know what I think?" he murmured.

"What?"

Caleb looked out toward the clouds. "I think right now couldn't be more perfect than this."

Ah…

His hand slipped beneath the blanket, finding her own, moving to intertwine their fingers as if to ground her in a firm, steady response.

"You're probably right," he nuzzled her. "S'true, we'll probably never remember this night exactly, and there's no real chance of relivin' everything to the T. But…"

Caleb leaned down, kissed her cheek, this time, and smiled at the way his actions had coaxed one of her own smiles. A little giddy, even now, at such simple affection.

"We felt it, right?" he murmured. "And we're feelin' it right now. And I think that's enough."

"Mhm…"

"I mean, look. I like to think that somewhere in our hearts, there's a place for moments like this. A little corner, just for things that matter a little more, like this. Maybe that's what eternity actually is, y'know? Not one giant ball of forever, but just… thousands of little moments." His forehead rested lightly against hers. "Moments like this, where our hearts could beat together like one."

Miki's heart softened.

There wasn't holding back a smile, at that. She let it spread, warm and helpless, and she buried herself further into his chest.

She liked the sound of that.

Eternity, with him, made up of little moments with their hearts intertwined.

A soft chime broke the silence, then, Miki's phone screen illuminated bright beneath the blanket.

The alarm she'd set earlier glowed quietly.

12:00 AM.

His birthday, and another year. Another step, another future… Another collection, of tiny moments, waiting for them.

Miki smiled.

There was something fulfilling, about keeping a collection.

When they were little, they each had some of their own—Caleb with his plane models and building sets, Miki with her little standout keepsakes. The older she grew, the more she found this collection becoming ordinary: full things she'd treasure for herself, like the tag of a teabag, or a flower petal she'd found on the sidewalk, or receipts, from cafes, or grocery shopping, or one of those custom dresses she'd order for her weekend performances.

To Miki, it was this collection that filled her with a small, but certain, sense of happiness.

Just like now.

Now, as she leaned up, and now, as she pressed a soft kiss against his lips, one of many, and one of many more.

Again, Miki smiled.

"Happy birthday, Caleb."

Stop the clocks, it's amazing You should see the way the light dances off your head A million colors of hazel, golden and red Saturday morning is fading The sun's reflected by the coffee in your hand My eyes are caught in your gaze all over again

 We were love drunk, waiting on a miracle Tryna find ourselves in the winter snow So alone in love like the world had disappeared Oh, I won't be silent and I won't let go I will hold on tighter 'til the afterglow And we'll burn so bright 'til the darkness softly clears

 Oh, I will hold on to the afterglow.

BONUS:

Star wasn’t creative like her sister, who seemed to create things out of nothing, or worked with nothing until it became something. Yet, knowing her shortcomings had its perks, like learning to know who else was good at what, and knowing what money could buy.

And money could buy a lot.

What money couldn’t buy, however, was the right words. Well, it could—at the expense of something raw, genuine, and heartfelt. Star’s birthday cards often weren’t the stuff of pretty prose, so much as they were as witty or pretty as she could find, and signed with a quick sweet note and her name. But Zayne had written her a letter once that made her sob for hours. It opened a world into the raw, imperfect way that words didn’t need to be perfect just real. So she bought a gilded stationary set, dazzled with stars about the edges, and did her best.

She even mailed it the old fashioned way.

And Miki, that night, going through her gifts, found—inside velvet purple box—a letter. And a gilded apple blossom broach.

Miki girl,

Late birthday gift this one got lost in the mail whoops! Who’s counting?? Not me! I hope you’re feeling better, babe. Please rest up and try not to sweat too much. Wanted to let you know, I lose control of my evol too, and it freaks me out. I used to have nightmares of dissolving into mist. Hah! It seems much less scary when there’s good girls around you t good FRIENDS around you to make the dissolving not so like, real feeling? There’s a better word for that. You know what I mean! Well you’ll always have me and the girls and Caleb and I’ll throw Zayne in there too for extra measure. He said hi by the way!! I love you and seriously can’t wait to see your next show so get lots of rest and practice so we can see you real sooooooon!

XOXOXO!

That same night, Miki had gone ahead and spammed the poor girl's messages with a barrage of emojis.

She, at least, was more than grateful that the incident hadn't made things as awkward between them as she had thought.

☁️; AAAAAAAHH. YELLING INTO THE SUN !!!!! ITS FINALLY. FREAKING DONEEEEE 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 i started this damn fic in MAY alongside 'all of the stars' and 'mahika', and it really did take ssuper forever long to finish 😭 it's not even completely proofread. AUUUUU. BUT IM. IM DONE AND IM SO HAPPY AND

real talk truly for all that i've been. so. insecure about my writing and so down about the things i create. writing for appleberry again has given me a little bit of that spark back. like yes im TIRED… IM EXHAUSTED… but im.. happy!!! im happy for once! happy with what i wrote and how much i wrote and!

with my birthday being on the 12th and caleb's on the 13th and appleberry canon anniv to me being the midnight between both, too… june really is a packed month for them akghsjgjs. last year i was entire months late, this year i'm only a few days late to their tribute. WHICH IS IMPROVEMENT !!!

and so this is !!! a happy birthday to me, a happy birthday to miki, and a happy birthday to caleb. <3

this fic. means so much to me 😭😭😭😭

🎡 Carnival Lights — What are carnival/amusement park dates like for the two of them? Which carnival ride would each of them choose first?

Skyvier - Sky's a different person at amusement parks. She really chills out and lets loose and usually knows exactly what she wants to do.

If it's a new one, she does a lot of research and makes a plan of attack as if it's a wanderer mission... LOL, she would not want to cram "everything" but she'd try to just hit all the "important" things as efficiently as possible. She's usually very go with the flow, but this is one of her exceptions. UNLESS... Xavier insists on planning.... then she's basically passenger princess. She'd be ok letting him guide as long as he swears up and down they won't get lost (they do and she planned for this and has the park app with the guided map Lol).

If there's one she frequents often, she's not there for the rides so much as she is the vibes. Strolling through the park, some superfluous sugary latte in hand or an ice cream cone, holding his hand, seeing what comes their way, maybe catching a ride or two, or watching a show, then going home. She's there to chill and try new foods and desserts. Xavier of course is... a sleepy guy. But he's chill, and likes experiencing new things with her. Even if it's things he's done before, but everything feels "new" with her. I feel like he'd like taking her to every single one in the vicinity of Linkon and then they'd pick a park and get an annual pass and just stick to it. It's like, a destresser? She likes the rides, coasters are ok, just maybe not the crazy coasters. She gets enough thrill at work 😅 She probably likes that carnival ride where you sit together and it spins you like a top and you end up bumping into the person next to you... she likes bumping into Xavier lol. Xavier is more the activity type. He likes winning things for her. Shooting games where you win prizes.

🐚 Seashell Collection — What random object would their S/O keep because it reminds them of you? Would they have something like that, too?

Starpear - Zayne has a plethora of things (cufflinks, a scarf, the snowmen on his dashboard...) that she gave him or remind him of her. I think something maybe specific would be something for his desk, something practical. A honeydew paperweight, that he bought himself, because it's her favorite fruit, and she probably has a "matching" pear on her desk at work. Star probably has a little seal in her workbag, just to think of him. Probably had it before they even started dating lol. It reminds her of the seal snowballs he made her long ago.

🌻 Sunflowers — What flowers do you associate with them, their S/O, or your ship?

🍓 Strawberries — What does your ideal summer vacation together look like?

🌻 Sunflowers — What flowers do you associate with you, your F/O, or your ship?

🧺 Picnic Basket — What's the food situation on a picnic date? Does your F/O insist on packing a certain food? Will it be homecooked food, or ordered takeout?

🏖️ Beach Day — How would you and your F/O spend a day at the beach?

🐚 Seashell Collection — What random object would your F/O keep because it reminds them of you? Would you have something like that, too?

🌧️ Summer Rain — How do you spend a rainy day together? Is there one of you who very much loves or hates the rain?

🎡 Carnival Lights — What are carnival/amusement park dates like for the two of you? Which carnival ride would each of you choose first?

🌅 Sunset — What is your favorite thing to do together when the day is ending?

📻 Radio — What's on your summer playlist? Any notable songs you'd each sing at karaoke night, or maybe dance to in the kitchen?

🦋 Butterflies — What tiny habit of your F/O makes you fall in love with them all over again?

📸 Disposable Camera — A roll of film from your summer adventure is finally developed. What photos are on it?

🚗 Road Trip — You're trapped in a car together for hours. What is the journey like?

🌼 Dandelion — What wish would you and your F/O make together?

🍦 Ice Cream — What flavor reminds you most of your F/O, and vice versa?

🎐 Wind Chime — What sound instantly makes you think of them? What sound woud instantly make them think of you?

🌊 High Tide — What's a hidden side of your F/O that only you get to see? Do you have one that only they see, too?

🍒 Cherry — What is the sweetest compliment your F/O has ever given you (or would give you), and vice versa?

🕊️ Warm Breeze — What are some of your favorite things about each other?

🍑 Peach — What physical feature of your F/O do you find most attractive? What physical feature of yours do they find attractive?

🩴 Sandals — What's the most distracting outfit you've ever worn for your F/O, and what outfit could your F/O wear that makes you feel some type of way?

🌙 Summer Night — What is your aftercare like?

✨ Fireflies — Where do they love to kiss you? Where do you love to kiss them?

🧴 Sunscreen — Where’s the most public or riskiest place you’ve done stuff (or fantasize doing) with your F/O?

🍯 Honey Bee — Where do they like to cum? Do you have your own preference?

🌺 Tropical Flower — What's something they could say to immediately get you going, and vice versa?

🌌 Fireworks — What kinks are most involved in your bedroom?

🌡️ Heatwave — Slow and sensual, or fast and intense?

on the first note, music plays going back, that summer, staying late your laugh spilled warm out on the floor under blue and sunny skies i would share your sweater and your smile we'd be running free, your hand in mine

since that time, things have long been different yet even now, my heart still beats like- am i allowed to just take that leap and fall?

all my days circle back to your name i'd stumble, yet it all ends the same the world bends to you, leads me straight to your arms so if this is, mmm...

if this is falling falling falling, oh then let me fall endlessly find rest in your orbit, closer, still oh, let me fall endlessly to you to you

refrain, and summer passed woolen winter coats felt sharp as glass tired eyes and calls that fell to quiet thinking, how did your voice drift away so far from mine? just, when did our laughter turn so hard to find? still, i'd reach for you, dark at night

since that time, things have long been different yet even now, my heart still beats like- am i allowed to just take that leap and fall?

ooooh, stay with me ooooh, please never let the dark part us here, again

all my days circle back to your name i'd stumble, yet it all ends the same the world bends to you, leads me straight to your arms so if this is

if this is falling falling falling, oh then let me fall endlessly find rest in your orbit, closer, still oh, let me fall endlessly to you to you

on the first note, music plays

ෆ ; SO....... originally this was supposed to be paired with. the birthday fic. but. aksjfnkvjdfhnkjh UNFORTUNATELY. that fic isn't done yet,,, skdjhf so the truth is that Yes this song was supposed to be based on that fic, and i wanted to write this in a way where the lyrics ended up something like a culmination of miki and caleb's relationship, from miki's point of view !! it's.... definitely not perfect or polished akjsfnvjfk making music with limited equipment is a hell of its own and i fought tooth and nail with my mic quality LMAO. but !!!!!!

a very happy birthday to me, and to miki, and to caleb <3 i'm happy to dedicate a song not just to appleberry as a whole, but to caleb as well <3 silly fictional guy <3 u occupy so much space in my heart...

"And, like, I'm telling you. If I had five minutes in that theater, I totally would've stolen the show!"

Star was standing on the couch, one hand on her hip. She had her arm out, a dramatic finger pointing at—well—no one, in particular, despite the sincerely smug expression on her face, but Miki, who had been watching her theatrics for the past five minutes, let out a soft laugh.

"On the contrary," came a hum, "You would've been escorted outside in three."

"Hey! You're supposed to be a supportive boyfriend—"

"And I am, by being honest."

Zayne, with a hint of a smile, replied with a voice contrastingly calm to Star's. He didn't look up, only settled for taking another bite of the cheesecake on his plate, before promptly offering some to his girlfriend.

And it was cheesecake, of course—because this was Miki's celebration.

It was that day.

No strings pulled, but of her own widely-recognized effort—she had done the opening performance for Skyhaven's newest grand theater, just mere moments before. Miki's own heart still stirred at the memory of it. The warm spotlight, the large stage… Rows, and rows, of seating, and Miki had stood there, used her voice in the way that she loved, in front of arguably the largest audience she'd ever performed in front of before. Looking back, she knew her younger self would never have believed she'd made it this far. And now, basking in the thrill of it, a small smile turned up the corners of her lips as she glanced bashfully back down at her feet.

In the same vein, this was also the liveliest she'd ever seen Caleb's home.

Cheesecake, and strawberries, and all her favorite dishes… Her friends had insisted on throwing her a little celebration party right after the performance, and there was no reason for Caleb to refuse when she'd lit up with loving disbelief herself.

Everyone really did… put in so much effort…

Beside her, Delia's arms wrapped loosely around her shoulders, and her chin rest lightly against her head.

"You did really well, though, Miki," she murmured. Soft—as if she knew, and she did, that Miki hadn't yet fully absorbed the night's events. "I mean it. Standing applause and everything, too, you know? The audience loved you."

"Haha… i-it was, um, a lot of people… who stood up, and everything…"

"You were just that amazing!"

Xavier peeked out from behind her, subtly pulling Delia back into his arms. Still, he nodded in quiet agreement. Miki looked at him, and found that same soft, yet genuine look of approval—pride, if anything, of her achievements. It brought another wave of warmth over her chest.

"You captivated the whole room," he smiled. "Not everyone can do that, so you should be proud."

"Yeah, no, really!"

This time it was Nymeria who spoke, chiming in where she sat cross-legged on the floor. "I mean, how did anyone stay all well-behaved and clapping normally when you were done?! If the venue wasn't so fancy then I'd have been yelling and cheering—WHOAH—"

In her enthusiastic response, she'd spilled a glass of champagne onto her lap, and beside her, Sylus promptly handed her a napkin. "Likely for your benefit, sweetie. You could have knocked over the woman next to you."

"She was way too close, it wouldn't have been my fault…"

"Anyway, what the point is," Gideon raised his own glass with a nod of his head towards Miki, "is that this one's to you, Miks!"

"Cheers!"

And shouts and laughter rippled through the room, and Miki could almost… melt, in all of it.

She'd wondered, then—just how long had she felt so far from this kind of feeling? So much had happened in the past year, and these people, and all of their feelings, and all of this warmth… they were hers now. She was loved. And this, too, she knew her younger self would have likely never believed it could happen. That this time, her world was open, and free. And full of all these people she could hold tightly, close to her heart.

Her eyes softened.

Still…

Miki's gaze turned to the kitchen where Caleb had disappeared to a few moments earlier, and the noise around her buzzed.

She loved her friends, she did, but it was also…

"Hey," Delia murmured, tilting her head up to catch her eyes. "You okay?"

With a quick nod and a little smile, Miki stood slowly. "Um, yeah, I just…" Again she looked in the direction of the kitchen. "I… I-I think I'll go get some water."

"Okay… Do you want me to—"

"N-no!"

She spoke too quickly.

Ah, the noise is getting…

She glanced back at the group. Star was there, again—animated, telling some kind of story, freely bickering with Gideon who insisted that haunted houses were not scary—

She turned to Delia and offered a sheepish smile. Her head felt a little heavy, despite the warm fluttering in her chest. "I… I'll be back. Just, um, give me a moment, okay?"

Xavier turned to give her a curious look of his own, before promptly nuzzling his head into Delia's shoulder.

"Xavier…"

"She'll be fine, just stay here…"

Miki slipped out before anyone else could stop her.

And in contrast, the kitchen was much… quieter.

The noise from the living room still drifted through in muffled bouts of laughter and voices, but it was much more bearable. Miki felt herself relax. Shoulders loosened, and a long, slow breath of relief... She'd spent far too much time in the spotlight for one day.

Here…

Caleb stood at the counter, sleeves pushed up, moving easily between chopping and plating in that same smooth, easy way that he'd always done. The softer lighting they'd installed here caught gentle along his shoulders, the line of his back familiar enough that something in Miki settled instantly.

He glanced over when she approached. A grin tugged at his mouth.

"Miss me already?" he teased.

There was a pause—Miki, ever gravitating towards him, let her gaze move down to the floor. Instead of answering immediately, she allowed herself a while, allowed herself a little moment of indulgence as she hovered in his orbit, basked in the safety of it.

A few steps closer.

"…Yeah," she murmured.

It had slipped out before she could think about it, but she didn't take it back. Likely noting the blush that had formed on her cheeks from directness of her words, Caleb let out a quiet laugh under his breath.

"Well," he hummed, "good thing I'm not goin'’' anywhere."

"Zayne! That's literally your third slice of cake this evening!"

"I'm only taking what's available…"

The noise drifted in again.

Despite herself, Miki let out another smile, but it wasn't just that her friends were being silly... There was something grounding about it—being here, with him, even as things still continued outside. Miki liked having her own little world with him, liked the predictability of his movements, liked the quiet confidence he had in the things that he did.

"You didn't have to spend so much time here all alone," she mumbled.

"Yeah, but who else's gonna cook my girl's favorites?" He nudged her, "Plus, I thought you'd want some time with your friends. They came all the way here to Skyhaven to watch you. Even I know how much they care about you."

Miki smiled.

"If this was back in high-school…"

"I'd… be makin' sure I mattered more, yeah," he laughed.

A few more chops, before the pieces of garlic floated into the pan.

Caleb turned away from her to give it attention—

But Miki's elbow bumped the edge of the counter. A bell pepper rolled clean off, and in that brief moment of silence, it hit the floor with a dull little thud.

Caleb paused.

They both looked down, then at each other. And then his mouth curled immediately. "Clumsy."

"I… I-I'm sorry, I didn't—"

"I know."

With another little laugh, he shook his head, sat the knife aside with a soft clink. "But seriously, you can stop bein' cute. Leave this to me, yeah? It's your day."

But…

Perhaps she was doing this to sneak in a little more time with him alone; perhaps she was doing this in another attempt to stay in his orbit as more than just a little decoration. Because even now, few things have changed. She'd still let Caleb do everything, when she could clearly have let him share more of his burdens with her…

She smiled wryly.

It's just cooking, Miki. You don't even like cooking.

Still, she acted before thinking.

They both crouched at the same time; Miki had moved instinctively. And their hands reached towards it, paused as their fingers brushed—

Ah…

There was the scent of his cologne. Her cologne.

Up close like this, knees nearly touching, and faces mere inches apart… Miki could smell the soft scent of strawberries, and she vaguely remembered having left a bottle of her perfume at his place.

He's… wearing my…

Caleb's expression softened. Miki watched as his eyes met hers, watched his hand raise to gently cup her cheek.

"I told you to leave it to me, pips… You really—"

Miki leaned in.

You used my perfume.

Her lips pressed against his.

You keep my sweaters, and a stock of all the things I like…

Did you know, Caleb?

I keep yours, too.

The world narrowed down to the two of them, soft breaths mingling when she pulled back. Those eyes of his, the color of the sky she loved so dearly, and the sun she reached for in all her days…

Her own closed, and Caleb pressed his forehead to hers, close enough for her lashes to brush against his cheek.

"What're you doin', angel?" he whispered.

"I… I-I don't know…"

"Don't know? Hmm… M'sure you know how fast my heart's beating right now all 'cause of you…"

"I, just…"

Caleb's nose nuzzled against hers.

When Miki's eyes opened, there was a slow, crooked smile on his face—one so gone, so helplessly in love with her—

"If you wanted to kiss me," he whispered, lips just about ghosting hers, "you've never had to sneak 'round for it, y'know. 'Cause I can just do… this."

When he leaned in, the brush of his lips started soft. Slow—intentional. His thumb brushed lightly against her cheek, and when he kissed her like this, Miki knew he was giving her as much of the love he had for her as he could.

If you want a kiss, she could hear him, you can just ask.

"Caleb!"

Gideon's voice cut through from the living room, causing Miki's eyes to widen as she immediately sprung far apart from Caleb in shock.

"Dude! Where are you, man?! Hurry before the cheesecake's all gone!"

For a while, the both of them looked almost incredulous at the sudden interruption, before Caleb huffed out a laugh.

"Patience is a virtue, you know."

"Then stop fooling around with your girl and c'mere! Seriously… Who serves dessert as an appetizer?!"

"It's not the worst idea in the world…"

"Zayne!"

Caleb rolled his eyes, before looking back to Miki with a grin.

"C'mere, pip-squeak."

She gasped as she felt herself lifted weightless up from the floor, before she crashed right into his arms. Instantly, he peppered her face with kisses.

"I—mmfph— C-Caleb, wai—!"

He laughed, placing one last peck on the tip of her nose. "There. Now you won't miss me too bad, right? If we're lucky…" He stood up and offered his hand, not before giving her a cheeky little wink. "You'll get way more than that when they're all gone."

"Caleb!"

"Haha. C'mon, help me finish this dish before we get back out there."

That was the last time they'd spent time together for the next three weeks.

It was torture, almost. Texts, and calls, and letters would do what they would do—but even so, Miki couldn't deny that craving his presence was something that things like that just couldn't solve.

On the third week, she'd received a summon at headquarters on a very urgent notice. Another weekend she'd be unable to travel to Skyhaven, and another mission she needed to focus on. Another quick message, another "Don't do anythin' reckless, alright, angel?"

And if she could think that the sudden influx of Wanderers the past week had been trying to keep them apart… It was a silly thought, but one she grumbled with on the inside anyway.

Still, they'd made their way to the location by early morning.

The forest stretched endlessly beyond the clearing—dense black trees tangled together beneath a dim blue sky, the morning mist curling low around their boots. A rusted warning sign hung crooked near the entrance to the trail:

NO-HUNT ZONE #45 — RESTRICTED ACCESS

Someone had spray-painted over half the lettering years ago.

Star immediately pulled her jacket tighter around herself. "Okay," she announced, staring into the trees, "this place is sooo haunted."

"It’s four in the morning," Nymeria yawned. "Everything feels haunted at four in the morning."

"No like, seriously! Look at this!" Star gestured dramatically toward the woods. "This is where people hear whispering and then die."

 "Did you stay up watching a horror movie, or something…? Look, it'll only be ominous if you think about it. Personally, I'm choosing optimism!"

"Riiight… Only a member of the Alpha Team can ever be optimistic about this…"

Delia cleared her throat.

"Well, optimism, as Nym said, in this case is in the fact that this is only classified as a retrieval mission." She gave a light tap on Star's shoulder, before she offered the girl a reassuring smile. "We're avoiding as much unnecessary combat as possible. So… Don't worry, Star. We'll keep you safe."

"Yeah, and anyway! How long has it been since all four of us got assigned the same place?! Almost a shame Xavier couldn't make it! Right, Del?"

"…Xavier is dealing with fluctuations elsewhere."

Miki simply let out a sigh as she looked further ahead into the forest.

It wasn't often that they were assigned missions in No-Hunt Zones, but she had come to dread the very few times that they were.

"No matter how many times we've been briefed on missions like this, the No-Hunt Zones really are scary…" she murmured.

"See! See! Miks, you totally get it!"

What's more…

Miki ignored the way Star had clung to her arm, and warily fastened the strap of her gloves tighter around her wrists.

Though it should go without saying that if the Data Analysis team had picked up faint signals of an aether core in this forest, it wouldn't be a normal forest… Still, the air felt strange in this place. A slight glance at Delia told her their leader had felt the exact same thing, and it did little to quell her unease.

She closed her eyes briefly, letting herself listen. And there, beneath the rustle of leaves and distant birdsong, she felt a faint, pulsing rhythm.

An aether core shouldn't feel like that… should it?

"Miki?"

She blinked, and looked up.

Delia had been watching her carefully. "Do you sense anything?"

"Um… kind of. Not what we're looking for, I don't think, but… There's definitely something in there…"

Star groaned dramatically. "I'm like, seriously not built for the things you guys do!"

"Sorry, Star… But, um, if the worst happens, then we'll really need your evol…"

"But Xavier isn't here to teleport us out of here!"

"Chill, girl, it'll help us escape regardless!"

"Ugh…"

Once again, Delia cleared her throat, and tapped her watch once. "Focus. Let's review the plan one more time."

Everyone gathered closer instinctively.

"The Protocore signal was gathered to be strongest near the center," Delia explained. "We enter through the east path here—" she gestured toward the narrow trail disappearing into the trees, "—avoid the deeper Wanderer nests we know of, retrieve the core, and then leave before dusk. Ideally."

"Simple," Nymeria nodded.

"Simple to say…" Star whined.

Delia ignored them both.

"Nym, you'll stay front-line if we encounter resistance. Star, keep visibility support and monitor injuries." Her gaze shifts toward Miki then, gentler. "Miki, conserve your resonance where you can. Don't overuse it. You have me here as well."

Miki nodded obediently. "Okay."

Delia studied her face for a moment longer, almost as if she wanted to ask something else, but seemed to abandon the thought after another few seconds. Instead, she stepped back and unsheathed one of her pistols with a smooth click.

"Alright," she said, letting out a slow breath. "We've got this. Okay?"

"We've got this…!"

The four of them nodded resolutely at each other, and Delia gestured forward.

"Let's move."

Step. Step. Crunch.

It was Star who'd almost jumped at the sound of a branch snapping into half.

"Ohmigod! If you could just, like, I dunno! Walk carefully!" She whisper-yelled, to no one in particular.

Miki, who had stepped on the branch, offered her a sheepish smile. "Sorry…"

"Star, literally relax. We've been walking here for hours and there haven't been any Wanderers. Don't kill the good vibe!"

"Mm… but that's a little bit of the problem."

Behind them, Delia had paused her footsteps, and turning towards her Miki could catch the faint trace of a frown.

Because they had been walking for hours.

The three of them who knew No-Hunt Zones from deeper experience also knew one thing—that something like that shouldn't be normal.

"Okay, but don't scare our resident scaredy-cat…" Nymeria sighed.

Still, Delia shared a look with Miki, who could only shudder at the memory of getting lost in a forest much like this one.

And Miki could see it in her eyes. Delia had been using her resonance more frequently than she had, and she was certain she'd sensed something she wasn't quite voicing out.

"Del," she said softly, "what did you sense?"

"That's… the thing. Nothing at all, Miki. Isn't that… weird?"

Miki glanced around.

The forest was quiet, and they'd been following the same narrow trail that had been outlined on their map. The mist—sticky, and unfrendly, and not at all soothing the way Star's was—seemed to thicken the further in that they traveled, swallowing the morning light that peeked in through the canopy until everything became all muted silver and shadow.

Hand to her chest, her eyes closed. Resonance extended in waves, listening, feeling for any sort of signal—

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

A gasp, and she withdrew, a slight stinging pain in her head drawing her out of it.

"Miki? What is it?" Delia rushed to her in concern, and Miki held her head with her gaze drawn to the floor.

"I… I don't know. It's the same thing as earlier. There's something, but I… I can't place it. Even the rhythm is unstable, a-and I can't read it, it keeps—"

"Okay. It's okay. Relax."

Immediately Delia placed a hand over hers, enough for Miki to pause, remember the beating rhythm of her own heart.

Right… Relax…

Nymeria glanced around, before taking another step forward. "Well… Didn't we already know the readings were distorted, though? Maybe it's really just like that."

"But…"

"It'll be fine!"

Both Miki and Star looked to Delia next, who sighed and followed suit. "Let's stick with the plan. There's no point in moping about what-ifs now."

And yet, the deeper they walked, the heavier the pressure that built in Miki's chest.

With small, testing little bouts of resonance, she heard the wind through the branches, the soft vibration of Delia's footsteps, the nervous heartbeat of Star's, Nymeria's heavier stride ahead of them.

Ah—

Miki's eyes widened.

Almost simultaneously, their watches beeped collectively with a reading, and Miki's gaze moved upward.

"A… Above!"

A shriek tore through the forest, and the trees exploded with movement. A Wanderer lunged from the mist above, so fast it barely even looked real, all jagged limbs and twisting black mass—Miki didn't even know what this one was. In that moment, she suddenly wished she had Nero to contact easily.

Nevertheless, Nymeria took action quickly.

A clean, precise strike easily cut the Wanderer in half.

"Three incoming. Left flank." Delia raised a pistol smoothly as more movement flashed through the fog ahead, and shots cracked sharply through the trees.

Two Wanderers dropped instantly.

"Star! Last one's heading—"

"Come to me!"

Star shrieked and scrambled back as the remaining Wanderer made a lunge towards her, but before it could reach her, the sound of Miki's voice seemed to halt its movements. In the next second, its head snapped almost eerily in Miki's direction—taking a better look at it, this one seemed larger than the ones they'd just defeated.

Is this the leader of these Wanderers…?

She broke off into a sprint, clearly leading the Wanderer in her own path now that it had locked onto her.

"Nymeria, it's yours!"

The girl's sword flashed in a clean silver arc, and the Wanderer collapsed instantly at her feet.

And their watches beeped.

Again.

And again.

And again.

"There's… m-more?"

Back to back, the four of them regrouped, finding themselves face-to-face with numerous glowing, red gazes. Five first, then eight… ten… twelve…

More.

Star grit her teeth. "Um, so, do any of you know what these things are?!"

"They they look like Knaves, almost…"

"They're definitely not, though. They're not as agile." Delia spoke with certainty in her voice as they approached, and she gripped her pistols tightly. "They're not attacking, either, it's almost like they're…"

"Observing?" Miki pursed her lips into a thin line. "I-it's odd... Even if they were Knaves, just why are there so many of them? They're easy enough for us to kill, but with this number…"

Grimly, Nymeria let out a short laugh. "Well. Good thing they aren't Knaves, huh? Those ones work pretty badly with you, Miks. Your resonance barely works against those things."

Miki nodded with a sigh.

"Dellie, your call! What do we do?"

And it was true that this wasn't quite unusual work for them. As members of the UNICONRS sector, they were some of the most capable Hunters out there. The fact was—they weren't assigned retrieval missions like this because they were easy, they were assigned them because they could survive things that other teams couldn't.

That had always been what it meant to be part of this sector.

And these Wanderers—if the number had ended with what they could see, Miki knew they could take it.

Keyword: If.

"Del… There'll be more," she whispered. "I can…"

"Sense them?" she grit her teeth. "Yeah. I can, too. But we don't have much of a choice when we're surrounded. Star can't use her evol to get us out of here like this, so…"

Delia took in a deep breath.

"Formation!"

The command snapped through the clearing immediately, and Miki inhaled slowly.

Come and get me.

The effect was immediate. On resonance, several of the Wanderers shifted abruptly towards her instead of the others, movements jerking unnaturally as though something inside them had been hooked, and pulled. Miki exhaled. She broke out into another run, gathering a group behind her.

Three of them. No… Five. Six…

"Right side!" Delia called.

Gunfire cracked sharply through the woods. Wind spiraled around the bullets mid-flight, curving their trajectories cleanly through two Wanderers at once before Nymeria surged forward to meet the next wave head-on.

Steel flashed silver. Shrieks tore around them.

And yet, they didn't stop.

Miki ducked beneath jagged claws and slashed upward cleanly through its torso before it hit the ground, but the moment it died, three more seemed to replace it.

Too fast.

Too many.

More movement surged through the mist, and in this moment, Miki felt every weight of Star's words to be true—there was no one to teleport them out of the forest, and every path of possible exit had been completely blocked off. They couldn't advance, and they couldn't retreat.

It was unusual.

Despite being in a No-Hunt-Zone, the difficulty of this mission hadn't been rated high enough for the kind of struggle they were dealing with.

"To your left, Star!" Delia shouted.

"Got it!"

Nymeria swore under her breath at the newest wave surging forward. Metal spikes erupted violently from the earth around her, skewering two Wanderers instantly—but another lunged past the opening she created.

Straight toward Delia.

Miki moved without thinking.

"Delia!"

The Wanderer jerked off-course at her voice, attention violently redirected toward Miki instead, and she intercepted it cleanly before it reached the others—

Pain stabbed behind her eyes. She staggered as her vision blurred, and even with a cry of her name and a wave of healing from Star's wand, she winced at the sharp stinging remaining in her head.

Ah…? Why am I…?

Beep. Beep. Beep.

All four of them froze then. A momentary glance at their watches made Miki's blood run cold, even as she caught her breath and regrouped once more with the team.

The reading was abnormally high.

But it was more than that.

She'd try, once more, to resonate—and that pulsing turned into a thrum. Rhythmic, synchronized—Miki didn't know if Delia could sense the same thing, but she was almost certain that it wasn't a coincidence they'd gotten cornered like this.

Was this really a mission to retrieve a Protocore…?

"It… it feels like a trap," she murmured. "But why would…?"

"If I were to guess?!" Star gripped her wand tighter with both hands, gritting teeth, "We kinda have all three of you with something Ever wants!"

Miki, Delia, and Nymeria all looked at each other with grave expressions.

"Well. This sucks."

But if this was orchestrated, then even the mission level…

Another pulse of pain tore suddenly through Miki’s chest.

She flinched hard enough to double over, a sharp, ringing sound echoing in her head.

What…?

"Miki! Are you okay?!"

"I… something’s wrong…"

The Wanderers stepped forward almost in unison. Every single gaze locked directly onto her.

"…Uh… Hey, Miks… Why are they focusing on you?"

Miki didn’t know.

The ringing in her head resounded louder.

I… don't…

Another shriek split through the forest.

"We have to move!"

Delia's voice remained commanding, yet still as calm at it ever was. Miki knew she was right.

Focus.

She needed to focus.

Just draw their attention exactly as she'd been doing, let the team get their attacks in while it's distracted…

Another turned.

Then another.

"Miki!"

"Miki, stop pulling them all at once, that's too much for you!"

Huh…? But…

The Wanderers' frenzying towards her only intensified. Their movements became erratic; desperate, almost, practically shoving past each other to reach her first.

Ah, but I have to… I have to kill…

I have…

Miki stumbled backward after a strike as another spike of pain ripped through her chest. The ringing in her head grew louder.

Protect them.

Protect them, protect them, protect them, protect—

"Miki! Miki, calm down!"

Oh… Is that Delia…?

"Stop resonating! It's too dangerous!"

No, I…

I…

Behind her, Star dropped to one knee suddenly, breathing unevenly as panic clawed violently through her chest for reasons she couldn’t explain. Delia's hands shook as she made a shot, bullet completely missing its mark. Nymeria, losing balance, tripped over a branch as she let out a cry of fear she didn't understand.

Her resonance extended in pressured waves. Her chest hurt so badly—Why did it hurt so badly?

Another Wanderer lunged. Miki cut it down instantly. But by now all their voices blurred, and her vision had narrowed down into shades of red.

She needed to protect them. That was what she needed to do, right? Why should she stop resonating? She needed to do more of it.

If they looked at her, they wouldn't bother anyone else.

Miki could kill them.

Killing was easy.

Killing was so, so, so, so, easy.

Killing was…

"M- Miki!"

Someone grabbed her wrist.

Killing…

Was incredibly, incredibly easy.

Nymeria was thrown backward hard enough to slam against a tree, and in the same moment, the Wanderer in front of her was cut down in an instant.

The world in her eyes clouded darkly.

Another one.

Another one.

Miki's body moved instinctively as one by one the threats began to vanish, but she could barely register her own surroundings. Her head rang with voices she couldn't recognize; her chest twisted with a searing pain that fought with the bloodlust raging through her heart.

It hurts…

No. I need to do more.

This pain… Why won't it stop?

Doesn't matter.

I want to cry. It's too much, I can't take it…

More. I need to kill more of them.

I can't…

I can't… Protect anyone, if I…

If…

Miki was long gone.

The three of them watched in astonishment at the scene in front of them; watched, in both horror and concern tangled up into one, and the Wanderers stopped converging. Less, and less, seemed to surge through the forest. Sure, though injured, the three of them had continued fighting beside her, supporting her from the edges of the battlefield as Miki tore through the swarm at the center.

But…

When the last of them fell, the forest didn't fall to silence.

Clang.

Miki's sword plunged down again. The final Wanderer was at her feet.

Clang.

Again.

Clang.

Again.

Delia’s chest tightened painfully as she watched. That Wanderer had already stopped moving several strikes ago. Yet now, Miki remained kneeling over it, trembling with every hoarse sob that tore from her throat. Her hands shook so badly that the blade would slip before driving downward again, and across from her, Star sat pale and terrified, one hand pressed over her own mouth.

"She… She doesn't know it's over," she whispered.

Nymeria swore quietly under her breath as she pushed herself upright. Blood streaked down her side beneath torn fabric, but her gaze never left Miki. "Miks," she called carefully, voice roughened from pain. "Miks, hey… You can stop now…"

Miki’s shoulders jerked violently at the sound.

For one awful moment, Delia thought she might lash out again. Instead—another broken sob tore from her chest.

And the sword came down again.

Clang.

Star flinched.

"Miki, c'mon…"

Delia stood, taking slow, cautious steps towards her friend—because what else could she do? The air was heavy enough to make her own chest ache with emotions that weren't hers. And if she could feel it this strongly, just… how horrible must it be inside Miki's own mind right now? Closer, she could see how unfocused Miki’s eyes had become. Wide, and glassy, and filled with terror. Her gaze was fixed somewhere far beyond the scene in front of her, trapped, almost, inside a nightmare that none of them could reach.

Delia hated that she couldn’t reach it.

"Dellie… What are you doing?"

Star had caught the movement then.

The tranquilizer that each of them carried—emergency purposes, and meant largely for enemies rather than allies—

Delia reached to her belt, murmured an apology to the girl before her that she loved dearly.

"Delia, wait—!"

"No. I don't want to watch her to destroy herself."

"But—!"

With a quick, decisive movement, the needle stabbed into Miki's neck.

"We're leaving. Star, clear a path for us."

First, the dull ache in her eyes. A thrum that radiated to the back of her head, bruising, pressed deep beneath her skull.

Then came the sharp spikes of pain. Her legs, first, then her arm.

And then there was—

Warmth.

Miki's consciousness returned slowly.

She felt soft blankets tucked around her body, heard the faint hum of medical equipment somewhere nearby. The smell of antiseptic lingered in the air, and her lashes fluttered weakly before she managed to open her eyes.

White ceiling.

Dim lighting.

Huh…? Is this… Akso Hospital?

For a few quiet seconds, Miki simply stared upward in confusion, thoughts moving sluggishly through the haze in her head.

The forest… The Wanderers…

Miki's eyes widened.

Her body jerked upright too quickly, pain immediately zipping through her head hard enough to make her gasp and hold her head.

"Miki!"

Hands caught her shoulders gently before she could fall.

Star’s voice.

Miki blinked rapidly, vision swimming as she looked around properly for the first time.

They were all there.

Star beside the bed, Nymeria sitting stiffly against the wall with fresh bandaging visible beneath her half-open jacket. Delia was closest to her, one hand still steadying Miki carefully by the shoulders.

Relief flashed visibly across all three of their faces the moment they realized she was awake.

And yet, somehow… That only made everything worse.

The memories crashed into her all at once. Resonance. Panic. That dark, abysmal feeling of losing herself in something so foreign.

Miki’s expression crumpled instantly.

"Oh… O-oh, no…"

Her voice broke. Her hands flew shakily to her mouth as the full horror of it all seemed to hit her.

"I—"

The next breath left her as a sob.

"W-what have I done…?"

"M-Miki! Wait, girl, listen—"

"I hurt you!" Miki answered herself helplessly, voice rising with panic. "I-I hurt you, didn't I?! I couldn’t stop, and I couldn’t— I couldn’t hear any of you, and I—"

Another sob tore from her chest hard enough to make her curl forward.

The pain in her body no longer mattered; her chest hurt far worse. Images kept flashing behind her eyes no matter how hard she tried to stop them: Nymeria being thrown backward, and Star’s terrified expression…

She'd lost it, hadn't she?

She'd completely lost it, and they must all be terrified of her.

She was terrified of herself.

She was…

She…

"W… What's wrong with me?!"

"Miki."

This time, it was Delia who spoke.

Calm, and soft, and gentle—Miki knew the sound of her voice well.

"Nothing's wrong with you, Miki."

"But… b-but there—" she sniffled, "there is, I…! I-I put all of you in danger because, because i got too ahead of myself and—!"

She pressed trembling hands against her face.

"I-I thought I was protecting everyone…"

The shame in her voice made Star’s eyes immediately fill with tears too.

"You were trying to protect us!" Star said quickly. "I mean, Miki, you literally saved us!"

"No…" Miki shook her head harder. "No, no, I hurt you—"

"Miks, look at me."

Nymeria pushed herself upright, but Miki couldn’t. She couldn’t bear to.

"I’m okay," Nymeria said firmly. "Seriously. You didn’t do that on purpose. I mean, you had crazy strength, yeah! But I know you didn't mean to do it."

But I still did.

Miki's head hung. The room blurred through tears. She couldn’t get the feeling out of her head—that awful moment where everyone had stopped looking like people and instead started looking like threats.

And how easily it had happened.

What if it happened again? What if all she was good for was putting the people she loved in danger? What if all this time, she's been a liability to the association and what it meant to be a Hunter, and she simply shouldn't—

There was the sound of footsteps. Quick ones, then voices.

"S-sir! Please wait, she's still slee—"

"If she's not yet awake, then I'll stay with her."

"But sir! Visiting hours are—"

"It's okay, let him go."

"Dr. Greyson!"

"It's okay! Well, he's from the Fleet, and… He's listed as her emergency contact. Anyway, her condition's stable, and I let her friends stay. Right now, what she needs the most is support."

The door opened.

Outside, Dr. Greyson poked his head in and gave the girls a sheepish smile, before allowing the newest visitor to step inside.

Miki lifted her head weakly.

Oh…

Caleb stood in the doorway, still clothed in his uniform, dark coat slightly worn as if he'd rushed here without a second thought. For one brief moment, Miki saw it—the slight crack in his expression, the fear in his eyes that he'd allowed to slip through before he grit his teeth.

"…Angel," he whispered.

Miki's bottom lip trembled.

The girls stepped back to give them some space, and the moment Caleb walked over towards her, her voice dissolved into another sob.

"C-Caleb… Caleb, I…!"

His composure—that polished, controlled image of the Farspace Fleet's Colonel—had already fractured around the edges. And by the time he'd reached her bedside, it was gone entirely.

"Hey, hey…" His voice came out low and tinged with worry, but… soft. Grounding. "Easy, pips. Easy."

Caleb crouched beside the bed, one hand cradling the side of her face carefully, almost as if afraid she’d disappear if he held too tightly.

And, god—his touch felt familiar.

So warm, and so steady, and so....

Real.

Miki let out a broken sound and grabbed desperately at the front of his uniform.

"I… I-I’m sorry!" she sobbed. "I’m sorry, I-I hurt them, and I… I didn’t mean to—”

"I know."

"B-but I couldn’t stop it—"

"I know."

Her breathing kept hitching painfully between sobs.

The others stayed quiet behind them now, instinctively giving space as Caleb focused entirely on Miki like the rest of the room had disappeared.

"You’re okay," he murmured softly.

But Miki shook her head violently.

"No! No, I’m not, I can't be—"

"Yes, you are."

His thumb brushed gently beneath one eye, wiping them away with slow care. "Look at me, angel."

And Miki tried.

Her vision had blurred far too much to focus properly, and tears streamed down her cheeks. She felt it—she must look so pathetic in front of him like this.

"I need you breathin' with me, okay? C'mon. In…" He inhaled slowly. Miki’s breathing, on the other hand, stuttered unevenly as she tried to follow his lead.

"That’s it," he whispered. "Good girl. Again."

And Caleb kept one hand against her cheek, while the other rubbed slow circles against her back through the blanket. It was that same voice he used, that same gesture whenever she was overwhelmed. Caleb knew exactly how to anchor her, remind her what safety felt like again.

Safety.

She felt safe with him.

She had always… lways, felt safe with him.

And Caleb looked at her, saw her eyes red and swollen from crying, saw the exhaustion and weariness evident in her features.

But even worse—she looked afraid of herself. Broken apart by overwhelming guilt, of this thing that she was capable of. And for one horrible instant, another image overlapped the scene in front of him—Miki at five years old, shaking after an experiment. Miki at six, crying silently into his shirt because something hurt and she couldn't understand why. Miki, reaching for him every, single, time.

Except this time, he hadn’t been there.

He should have been there.

If he’d been there, he would've noticed her resonance destabilizing much earlier. He would’ve pulled her out of it before it escalated. He would’ve—

Caleb closed his eyes.

Miki had her hand fisted into the front of his uniform, desperate to keep him there, or desperate for physical proof that he was there.

This time, right now, he was with her.

"Caleb…" she sniffled.

"Mm?"

"W-what if… What if it happens again…?"

Something in his chest twisted, first. When he looked into her eyes, he saw fear nd hope coalescing into one.

Then he leaned forward until their foreheads touched gently.

"If it happens again," he said softly, "then we figure it out together."

…Together.

Miki liked that promise, she always had. And she knew he didn’t keep them very often—somewhere in the back of her mind she could recal every single promise to her that he'd broken, but she didn't care.

She liked that promise.

She wanted to believe in it this time.

Maybe it was her own selfish wish to keep him with her, that she wanted to believe in it this time.

But she looked into his eyes, melted into the small, soft kiss he placed onto her lips.

Caleb… could you be sure to never leave me alone long enough for it to happen again?

She wished that she could say it out loud.

Miki would be discharged tomorrow.

That was what the nurses had promised, at least, if only to get the girls themselves away from Miki after their extended visiting hours had ended, and with a promise—they would come back.

Delia had been the last to leave, after a reassuring squeeze of her hand, and a pointed look in Caleb's direction.

He'd been allowed to stay overnight on the basis of being family.

Now, night had fallen, and Caleb had slipped into something much more comfortable before sitting at the edge of her bed, turned towards her to comb through her hair with his fingers.

Moonlight sifted in through the curtains. Stars seemed to glitter in the sky from where she could see them. The hospital was quiet at this hour…

And Miki's gaze drifted absentmindedly to the window.

It was a while before Caleb let out a soft little breath of a laugh. "Y'know, you always did like lookin' at the sky."

"…Mn. It's, um… because of you, though."

"Yeah?"

Miki smiled faintly.

"When we were little." Her voice softened. "You used to tell me about all the places you'd visit someday."

The corners of Caleb's mouth twitched.

"I remember."

"And… You said you'd bring me along to see the whole world."

"I was, uh, a very ambitious twelve-year-old."

That earned a tiny laugh from her. Miki could remember that day clearly—Caleb had aways been fond of saying such grand things to her, and she would believe them, because how could she not? When they were kids, they could dream as big as they wanted to. The world did feel like something they could hold in their hands, so long as they were together.

She tore her gaze back from the window, and leaned back into Caleb's chest.

"It's okay if you can't keep that promise," she said quietly. "I… I think it's enough for me, anything is enough for me, whenever you're here with me."

She picked at a loose thread on her hospital gown.

Even when I don't know what I really am…

If you're here with me like this, then isn't it all… Okay?

That was what Miki wanted to believe.

If logic didn't exist back then, she didn't see why it had to in this very moment.

I just… really want him to…

 "… Y'know, pips, whenever I'm up there, I always wonder what you're doin'."

Miki blinked, looked back up at him slowly.

With a shrug, he added, "Sometimes I see a sunset and think you'd like it. Or… I'll pass over some little part of Skyhaven I haven't brought you to yet, and I'd wonder if you'd write a song about it if you got to see it." A small smile appeared. "Aaand if you would, it'd probably make me cry."

Miki laughed weakly.

"You are such a liar."

"What? Your music does too make me cry!"

"I haven't ever seen that happen, and you sit front row at my shows!"

"What can i say? Sometimes I'm good at hidin' it!"

"Caleb!"

A louder laugh, this time, and she used a fraction of strength to playfully shove at his shoulder.

Caleb grinned.

And outside, the sky stretched endlessly beyond the glass, all dark blues and silvers, and a world much more vast than they'd ever dreamed of.

"But, y'know… it's all still one sky, Miks."

She looked at him carefully.

"The sky's really big. Even bigger, out there in the Tunnel. But… it's still the same, right? The sky over Skyhaven's just the same sky over Linkon. Fact is, if that sky makes you think of me, then it's always been the same for me. And if that's the sky we'll always be under, then that also makes us connected, all the time."

Caleb chuckled, shifted just to tuck her in properly against him and help her relax. "In one way or another, I guess our horizons just always keep meetin' somewhere."

Miki stayed silent for a moment after that.

The thought was there—that they counted the same stars each night, that the sun that rose to greet them happened to be the very same one each evening. She liked that idea. And she knew it was another little way of his to reassure her that everything will be alright, even if…

Even if…

Her gaze dropped.

"You have to leave tonight, don't you?" she whispered.

"…Angel—"

"No, I… I know. Y-you rushed here when you weren't really supposed to, and they must be paging you back, and…"

"Miki, hey."

She sniffled, looked back at him.

"Just… a few more days. I wish I could stay 'til you're discharged tomorrow, but I'll be back when everything's all settled. I promise."

"Will you keep that promise…?"

"I'll do my best to."

I don't like being apart from you.

"And, hey. I owe you a movie night, right?"

If we didn't have to live such different lives, I could just stay by your side always.

Caleb leaned in, pressed a quiet kiss into her hair.

"You need to get some rest, pip-squeak. I'll stay by your side at least until then, so don't worry about it."

"…I don't like you," she murmured, half-heartedly. "You're mean, and you leave me all the time, and I don't know when I can see you next…"

But she closed her eyes.

Instead of continuing that thought, she turned and buried herself into his arms, smelled that same, familiar scent of strawberries.

Even today, he wore her perfume.

And she knew he hated every second he was away from her just as much as she hated hers.

"Since you promised you wouldn't let me go through what happened today alone, then I'll believe you. So… Come back safely, okay?"

"Mm. Your wish is my command, angel."

☁️; — this might be a more miki-centric fic than other appleberry fics i've written, but,,,, also i think that's what made this difficult for me to write akjfnvdf. but it did give me the opportunity to write in more about miki's evol, which is great !! there's something terrifying about the true extent of your own powers being such a secret to you as its user, and then that 'true extent' being extremely destructive… i kind of wish they explored more of that feeling in canon, especially since mc goes through so much grief and then has to deal with finding that out while, you know,, all this time she's been working in a profession that's supposed to help people…..

neway . i wanted this to look into how all that would affect miki, but also her relationships with the people she cares about… and what that means for caleb especially given their long-distance setup and the things he already knows. this might have been a difficult fic to write out properly but im really glad its done and,,, after being so upset with my writing for several months on end, i think i can say that i might actually be kinda proud of this one. akdjghvjdf

this was an important fic for me to finish before i write their birthday fic !!!!!!!! a very important setup !!! BC IM. MAKING A PROMISE TO MYSELF. to finish a few chronological fics before that and Then finish the birthday fic !!!!!!! in time !!!!!!!!!! not late !!!!!!!! I WILL DO IT. I CAN DO IT. FOR THEM I WILL