Sky's Deepspace Blog

I think what this banner is doing is... underlining the main themes and story beats of each LI's storyline. Fittingly enough, given the whole "once upon a frame"... well, frame.

Do I find it super duper interesting on a meta level? Yes.

Do I think these cards were absolutely necessary? No, I don't think they bring anything new to the table, if you pay attention to main story and past memories. Still they're very nice, and having everything laid out in one single memory sure is useful - as confirmation if nothing else.

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 😭😭😭😭