A suspicious figure walks down the hallway towards a closed door, footsteps carefully executed to not make as much as a sound, breaths carefully regulated to make minimal noise. Hugged closely to the figure’s chest is a folder bursting with files, an arm curled around in a manner that prevents the contents from spilling over, while the other arm reaches out to press a thumb upon the identifier plate installed next to locked entrance.

The figure holds in a breath, waiting for the screen above the plate to flash a confirmation that the door is unlocked. It should then be followed with the soft noise of the door sliding open, allowing her to enter, only—

“Honda Hitomiiiiiiiiiiii!”

Instead of two soundless words, access permitted, an exasperated face fills up the screen instead, causing the suspicious figure named Hitomi to groan.

“Don’t you dare groan at me! Oh my God, we told you not to come to work today—”

“I have some things I need to go through,” Hitomi says, holding up the folder she’s bringing.

“You have nothing! Whatever is in that folder can wait one workday, Hii-chan! I’m—ugh, Saku-chan isn’t going to be pleased, just—go back home!”

Hitomi expels an incredulous breath. “I’m already here,” she reasons, “might as well get something done.”

“It’s your ing birthday, missy—”

“Whose birthday? Who are you talking so furiously to, Nako?”

Another voice joins in, tone heavy with unresolved sleepiness, and Hitomi pinches the bridge of her nose, lamenting her fate.

“Saku-chan! Look, this gremlin is here, even after we told her not to—”

“Hold on, did you just call me a gremlin?”

Before Nako can retort, she disappears from the screen, pushed aside by Sakura, who squints and hums in an exponentially disapproving tune.

“Hii-chan.”

“Yes?”

“Go home.”

Hitomi rubs her face with one palm, sighing. While she’s on the same level of command with Nako, Sakura holds an authority over them, something she can definitely use to make this an order instead of just a petulant plea.

“It’s six in the morning,” Sakura continues, face obstructed by a puff of steam for a brief second. Probably hot coffee. “Go pick Youngsoo up, or something. It’s your birthday, why are you here to work?”

“Youngsoo is in Minhee’s place,” Hitomi explains, “you know him, if it’s his off-day then he won’t be ready to receive guests until, like, nine.”

“This wouldn’t have happened if you went with our suggestion and asked for Wooseok’s help,”

“Youngsoo’s latest quirk curiosity revolves around Minhee,” Hitomi calmly points out. “Besides, Hangyul always takes him to the rooftop at night to play with the clouds, and he loves it. And Wooseok is still busy with paperwork after the evacuation mission near Gyeonggi-do last week.”

Nako’s voice screeches something that sounds suspiciously like ‘ew, logic,’ while Sakura steps back slightly to sip on her caffeine galore of a drink. Hitomi allows herself to smile, amused, and pretends for a second that she doesn’t have a depressing answer for the latter half of Sakura’s question: why are you here to work?

“Fine,” Sakura says, continuing even as Nako’s dismayed WHAT echoes in the background, “you can go in and sort through the folder. But no creating things. At all. You’re only allowed to view through the files and note down the theoretical plans you have in mind.”

Hitomi blinks. Truthfully, that’s a lot more than she expects, considering Sakura looked so ready to send her home just a moment ago. She beams and nods, “Understood.”

“And I’m calling your brother to pick you up,” Sakura adds, smirking triumphantly as Hitomi’s smile deflates with disbelief. “Whenever he arrives, you absolutely have to leave. No buts.”

“But—!”

Her attempt to rebuke is cut off by the sudden darkness invading the screen, Sakura disabling the communication as a soft noise chimes and the door starts to slide open to the side. Sighing, Hitomi squares up, formulating an effective plan to use what little time she has on hand as best as she can, and when she finally enters the room—

“Hey,” Sakura says, approaching her and giving her a one-armed hug. “Happy birthday, you stubborn peach.”

Her other side is immediately enveloped by a much smaller, but no less warm figure. “I’m still mad you’re here,” Nako declares, jabbing one finger to her cheek, “but—yeah. Happy birthday, Hii-chan. I love you!”

For a moment, Hitomi lets the thought of rigid routines to leave her mind, allowing the warmth of Sakura and Nako to slip in. She smiles, relaxing significantly inside the hold of two people she would trust with her life over and over,

“Thank you,” she breathes out. “I love you two, too.”

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

nobronzenogoldjustsilvershiver reblogged peasant-of-peach-kingdom

 

yeahsupport:

have you ever seen that one photo of Peach Goddess giving a loving smile and creating a heart with her arms for her adopted son, Youngsoo, when pro hero Death Grip brought him along to attend the press conference for the launching of the Support official history book? because

guys they’re so

she’s so

helslpsdhjskdh oh my gdsod i’m so soft

 

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death-or-alive-grip:

OP? why are we still referring to youngsoo as hER aDoPTeD SoN its been two ing years by all accounts he’s simply her and Silver Shiver’s son now? like is it REALLY necessary to keep reminding everyone that he’s adopted literally WHAT for

 

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peachesoftheheart:

First off, I’m sure OP means no harm with their post. They’re just following the technical term, and doesn’t bear any negative connotations in how they use it.

Second off, I can see where you’re coming from, but in a magazine interview dated back to Silver Shiver’s latest birthday, Youngsoo has actually expressed that he doesn’t mind being referred to as ‘adopted’, reassuring us (in his own, simple way) that he doesn’t feel any less loved (x)

Excerpt from the interview: “I know their heart,” the little man cheerily shared with us, “I know that they love me. And it’s enough. More enough than two cans of pringles!”

So lower down the pitchforks, buy some pringles, and let’s keep the vibe positive in this beautiful day :)

 

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yeahsupport:

i’m sorry i saw this late but yeah what @peachesoftheheart said! i promise i didn’t mean to make youngsoo feel less loved or anything like that, i’ll try to avoid doing so in the future if it causes discomfort, though :) thank you for the input!

 

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peasant-of-peach-kingdom:

BACK TO TOPIC not to be spreading the gay agenda on main but yall should also check @nobronzenogoldjustsilvershiver’s fanaccount post throughout this event it has all the softness of silver peach and their interactions with youngsoo everyone pl e a s e   c ry   w ith   m e

 

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nobronzenogoldjustsilvershiver:

hey

popk

popk?

popk listen to me

i hATE YOUUUUUUUHDSUIHEJFDSHJSD how DARE you remind me that that post exist i WAS NOT planning to spend this day sobbing over that day agsisn oh gdod oh fusck

 

18,374 notes
Tagged: #happy peach goddess day #imstill sobbign in the club # you popk #AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA #silver peach is my religion #youngsoo best boy!!!!!!!! #dont ign toudch me im sdoft

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

The support base the trio occupy together is located on the twelfth floor of the building, the three windows adorning the south wall of the office sealed with bulletproof glass behind brown curtains. It is a testament to the numerous attempts done to infiltrate their place, by villains ranging from amateurs to highly dangerous individuals.

Which is why Hitomi wishes her brother could’ve picked up another method of visiting, like going through the door like a normal person, instead of pressing his face onto the glass of the middle window and obnoxiously knocking the frame, hoping for one of them to notice.

“One of these days,” Hitomi scolds, opening the window to let him in, “you’re going to encounter a villain trying to do the same thing, except with ill-intentions.”

Mitsu just hums, hopping in with ease, bouncing on the floor for three times before finally deactivating his quirk to land on his feet.

“I’ll handle it when it happens,” he says lightly over Nako’s slow clap. Hitomi wishes the shorter female would know better than to encourage him, but she has also long given up on trying to give any semblance of order to how Nako lives her life. She locks the window back, grumbling under her breath about unnecessarily dramatic entrance as she turns around to return to her table.

Mitsu approaches her, head craning slightly to the side to glance at the scattered files on the desk. “Is your work done?”

Before Hitomi can reply, Sakura has flung an arm around her shoulders and spun her away from the files. “Done or not, she’s going home!” Sakura brightly confirms, her arm around Hitomi strongly pushing her towards her brother. “Please take her away.”

“Wow,” Hitomi says, “wooow, okay, no need to make me feel unwanted—”

“Is the concept of taking a break so horrifying to you?” Mitsu asks, ruffling her hair obnoxiously like she’s back being a little kid instead of a grown woman with career. “Mom and Dad miss you, you know. Eri, too.”

“I just—” Hitomi sighs, shoulders hunched as Sakura lets her go, “urgh, fine, I guess I can continue these later—”

“Tomorrow,” Nako corrects.

“Or, like, the day after tomorrow,” Sakura enthusiastically suggests.

“I like the sound of that,” Mitsu agrees, turning to Hitomi with a mischievous grin, “I’m kidnapping you for two days.”

“Why are we siblings,”

“Anyways,” Nako says, already collecting Hitomi’s belongings and packing everything into her bag, that she brightly shoves into Hitomi’s arms, “here’re your things, see you later, have fun.”

“Kidnapped or not, we’ll meet you again, in, like, several hours, so don’t miss us too much,” Sakura sagely adds.

“Please tell Youngsoo we love him!” Nako beams.

“Traitors,” Hitomi accuses, even as Mitsu grabs her shoulders and begins to push her towards the opened door, “traitors, all of you—”

“Adiodiridarados!” the two happily chorus over their dramatic exit.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

3-R and 3 Supports Official Fanbase @3r3sity · 59m
happy birthday to the brightest sunshine who always responds kindly to whatever antics pro hero @SonicSpriteOfficial is up to
(cr: @AirplaneZ1)
#HappyPeachGoddessDay

 

3-R and 3 Supports Official Fanbase @3r3sity · 55m
remember when we used to keep a close watch to the people hanging out near our 3S to try and figure out the identity behind some of the mysterious 3-R alumni
and then in one of the airport pics with Peach Goddess we
got this
unidentified blue ball just ominously staring at the camera
(cr: unknown)
#HappyPeachGoddessDay

 

3-R and 3 Supports Official Fanbase @3r3sity · 51m
its bc some of them went under the radar throughout sport festivals (unlike Silver Shiver, Sonic Sprite, and Fiery Prince to name a few, who came out near the top every year) so we just went . Whomstve when the pro hero names for the special aid force were officially released hsdjghsgfs
#HappyPeachGoddessDay

 

3-R and 3 Supports Official Fanbase @3r3sity · 44m
OK BUT remember when peach goddess attended the national convention linking arms with someone cosplaying as silver shiver and we all went Conspiracy Theories wondering if inside the costume is Densitour’s extra or even the actual Silver Shiver herself?
#HappyPeachGoddessDay

 

3-R and 3 Supports Official Fanbase @3r3sity · 41m
well… yeah… turns out it was Cherry Blossom and we Should Have Known tbh we’re boo boo the fools and we have no rights
#HappyPeachGoddessDay

3-R and 3 Supports Official Fanbase @3r3sity · 32m
why would you say something so controversial yet so brave
#HappyPeachGoddessDay

silver peach #1 advocate @supportdeuls
PLUS silver shiver’s a coward she wouldnt dare to take our peach goddess out on a date in the open T______T #HappyPeachGoddessDay twitter.com/3r3sity/status…

 

3-R and 3 Supports Official Fanbase @3r3sity · 21m
to be fair there are instances where silver shiver Delivers such as this cute shopping date silver peach went to (allegedly to buy things for little youngsoo several weeks after coming back from Japan we Love a Family aaaaaaaaaa)
(cr: @_Littlesummer_)
#silverpeach
#HappyPeachGoddessDay

 

3-R and 3 Supports Official Fanbase @3r3sity · 20m
?????????????@#(*()$#&()&()@#&*SDUIHGHSD$@!^*&@(

 

3-R and 3 Supports Official Fanbase @3r3sity · 12m
STOSDP IM STILLSD HAVFISN A HARD TIME FUNDCTIOGNING

finger gun’s tattoos @fingerriffle
OP DHSIUHEDS HOLYS SONIC SPRITE AND DEATH GRIP ARE RTING YOUR TWEETS OMG #HappyPeachGoddessDay twitter.com/3r3sity/status…

 

3-R and 3 Supports Official Fanbase @3r3sity · 3m
3R3S 3R3S 3R3S 3R3S #HappyPeachGoddessDay

literal crocs for feet @concernedteenager
here lies admin’s soul, having lived a fulfilling life, press 3R3S to pay Respect #HappyPeachGoddessDay twitter.com/3r3sity/status…

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

“Ma!”

The single syllable alone, spoken in such a joyous tone, is enough to make the corners of Hitomi’s lips curl up into a smile. She bends down, arms opening as she waits for the running 8 year old to jump into her embrace—

Except Youngsoo doesn’t do that.

Instead of immediately tackling her, the boy skids into a stop just before her, face as bright as the new lamp Minhee has installed three days prior. Youngsoo brings his arms up as he steps closer, brushing a kiss to her cheek before encircling his arms around Hitomi’s neck.

“Ma,” he whispers, as though what he’s saying is a top government secret, “I love you. I love you a lot—happy birthday!”

She hears Mitsu’s chuckle behind her, sees Minhee suppressing a grin as he stands several meters in front of her, but above all else, she feels—love. As she curls her arms around Youngsoo, pressing a kiss to his temple, all she feels is love, a lot of love and gratitude for the boy in her arms, the large speck of constant brightness in her days filled with ups and downs.

Youngsoo pulls away a few beats later, bright grin not yet dimming. Hitomi smiles, leaning forward to press a kiss to his forehead,

“Thank you, little man.”

She chuckles when Youngsoo straightens up at the nickname, always proud to hear himself addressed as such.

“Have you been good to Uncle Minhee?”

The mentioned party chokes on air, taking offense at being called uncle, but Youngsoo nods, flashing her a thumbs up.

“I let him sleep!” he confidently says. Behind him, Minhee facepalms. “I went to sleep when Uncle Hangyul made me to, too!”

“Good,” Hitomi beams. “How were the clouds?”

“We couldn’t stay for very long, it got really cold—”

“Is Uncle Hangyul still sleeping?”

“Mhm! Sleepy deeply!”

“Then that must’ve meant you didn’t sleep early.”

“Well, that’s because Uncle Hangyul called Uncle Dohyon so we could bother him about his quirk—"

“Why don’t you tell your Ma about hijacking my phone, Youngsoo-yah?” asks Minhee without any bite in his tone. Youngsoo twitches at the call-out, and Hitomi has a feeling that if she weren’t there, the boy would whirl around to stick his tongue out at the man.

“Well…!” Youngsoo says, arms crossed in front of his chest in a defensive manner, “I was just, I was taking a peek! There were a looot of dinging sounds. I was curious.”

Hitomi tilts her head to arch an eyebrow at the man, and Minhee coughs into his fist.

“The 3R3S fanbase,” he says by way of explanation.

“Of course,” she says, huffing out a laugh, “sometimes I forget that you keep your notifications on for the fanbase.”

“It gives me a nice, daily boost of confidence.”

“Sure it is, Minhee, sure it is.” Hitomi redirects her attention to Youngsoo again, pinching his cheek, “So what did you do after you took a peek, hmm?”

The boy purses his lips, a trait he's picked up after Hitomi, “Just a picture of you and Mum,” he says, and Hitomi’s heart flutters a little— “And some other tweets! Of uncles and aunts! But never anything bad.”

“I’ll need you to show me that,” she says, and when Youngsoo drops his head, she clarifies, “I’m not mad. I’m just curious. I want to see the tweets, too.”

At this, Youngsoo brightens up and nods.

A sound of someone clearing their throat fills in the silence. “We better go soon,” Mitsu says, reminding everyone of his presence.

“Uncle Mitsu!” Youngsoo says, eyes comically widening. “You’re here too!? I didn’t notice! Maybe you have a second quirk! Being invisible!”

“What the—” Mitsu starts, and Minhee cackles loudly, leaning against the wall to stay standing up. Mitsu rolls his eyes, huffing before giving the younger man a withering glare, “Stop teaching my nephew bad things, you dork!”

“That’s Death Grip to you!”

“I’ll show you what a death grip is!”

“Come on,” Hitomi says, gently taking Youngsoo’s small hand in hers, “we need to pack your things up, okay? Let the men bicker.”

“Let the men bicker,” Youngsoo solemnly repeats, over Minhee’s cackle and Mitsu’s loud protest. He gives Hitomi’s hand a tug, ready to lead her to the guest room he’s occupied, and Hitomi rises from the crouching position, letting her son to pull her forward.

Her son.

It’s been two years, but the notion still makes her feel very, very warm.

(She doesn’t think it will ever stop.)

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

silverpeachsoldier reblogged 3r3ssential

 

RRRarchivers:

[Image Description: Silver Shiver, Illuminous, and Terragent dressed up as boys, wearing short-hair wigs. They are posing around Peach Goddess, all three trying to look cool (with Terragent terribly failing.)]

throwback to this 5 year old photo of silver shiver, illuminous, and terragent during class 3-r’s cross-dressing café event, with our peach goddess in the middle uwu

(in the comments they claimed that peach goddess was visiting their stand but knowing them they probably kidnapped her from the development studio lbr)

cr: class 3-R’s unofficial official instagram (x)

 

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healthyuminous:

OHSDFDSHJKHSDM?!?!?!? WHY IS TSHI MY FIRWST TIME SEEIGN THSI AAAAAA

 

.

 

gigagent:

literally WHO allowed them to look this good OH MY GODDDDD

 

.

 

nobronzenogoldjustsilvershiver:

silver peach nation did yall also notice that possessive arm around our peach goddess :> :> :> :> :>

 

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welluminous:

their instagram contents can be broken down like this (with examples):

20% wholesome (the collages for their pre-grad trip ft. our support trio x)

15% serious (the strongly-worded reflection piece done by sonic sprite about female pro heroes’ costume designs x)

25% out of context (why’s there a tiny we bare bear figurine sticking out from fiery prince’s hair while he’s seriously glaring at his math workbook??? the world might never know x)

40% shenanigans (just… check out this pic of death grip’s distressed face trying to eat a piece of gummyworm landing on his right eyebrow, while behind him finger gun is trying to dab as he dangles upside down from a tree, with silver shiver’s ice already covering half of the branches by the time this photo was taken x)

AND overall it’s just 100% meaningful crack tbh and it hasn’t been, like, updated as often unless if there’re big hangouts, but just scrolling through everything again is Worth It and i’m actually tearing up with laughter + feelings as i type all of this so please just check it out i beg you

 

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3r3ssential:

real talk ‘meaningful crack’ issa pretty good description for them and ill forever love u for categorizing laughter separately from feelings

 

37,102 notes
Tagged: #there’s laughter and then there’s feelings #happy peach goddess day!!! #throwback #silver peach #[incoherent screaming] #they look so young??? #SO CHEEKY AND SO YOUNG?!?!?!? #also guys omg this is The Picture(tm) #that spawned a lot of terralluminousilverpeach love-square fics #LMAOOO  #we finally meet again

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

One thing Hitomi has been endlessly thankful of is her family’s easy acceptance of Youngsoo.

Her whole childhood, her family has had her closely practicing traditions. Rigidly exercising old values, bottling up hardship and showing only excellency, thriving only for perfection. Even when they moved out from Japan, especially after they moved out from Japan—her family put high hopes on her, as the child with the most powerful quirk out of the three siblings, and it meant having to be the one to obey every single rule more rigorously.

She loved—no, loves them, and being allowed to enrol into the support course after two years of home-schooling is still a miracle she hadn’t expected back then, but the winding cord around her didn’t let go, and it was suffocating. It’s only having Sakura and Nako with her that helped her survive the first one year and a half of high school.

(And having the 3-R hero course students helped her with the rest.)

Even then, after graduation, her family hadn’t immediately changed. No change is immediate—not the ones worthwhile, and—

Perhaps it’s the several occasions Hitomi got caught in the middle of the crossfires of villain attacks.

Perhaps it’s the encounters her family had with her friends—Sakura and Nako, and the whole plethora of unique personalities contained within the class 3-R.

Perhaps it’s the quiet confirmation from herself two years after graduation and several successful projects, that she was among those planned to be sent as the special aiding force for Japan, something people in the streets had dubbed as a suicide mission, because of how badly the situation worsened day by day.

Perhaps it’s the months away from them, methods of communication reduced to quick texts and worried queries about the news.

Perhaps it’s Chaewon, silently keeping her family updated through candidly taken pictures and light-hearted anecdotes without her knowing, only confessing to it when she got taken out from the battlefield to be hospitalized, asking for Hitomi to relay her apology to her family for the absence of such updates.

Perhaps it’s Chaewon, sticking by her side the entire time she video-called her family to discuss their plan about co-adopting Youngsoo, an orphan who had lost his entire family to the July attack, shortly before the of the war.

Perhaps it’s Chaewon, without a word organizing a trip to Hitomi’s family as the first thing to do after they landed back in South Korea, exhaustion shoved down in place of bonding with Youngsoo and being Hitomi’s comforting presence.

Perhaps it’s Chaewon, taking her hand and never letting go as they learnt parenting from zero, frustration outweighed by understanding, harsh words swallowed and replaced with care.

Perhaps it’s Chaewon—

“Where’s Silver Shiver?” her father’s voice asks, and Hitomi blinks, thoughts fizzling out of her mind in a rapid pace. She looks over towards the couch her father is sitting at, Youngsoo rambling excitedly in his lap about some quirks he’s learnt over the week, and she softens at the sight.

“Heard she’s out of town for a recon mission,” Mitsu quips from the direction of the kitchen.

“Really,” her mother says, with a touch of disapproval as she looks at Hitomi, “when it’s your birthday?”

“Ah,” Hitomi stammers, “it’s—not like we’re—” words get stuck in as she tries to explain that Chaewon isn’t hers, not in a way that makes it a big sin should she misses Hitomi’s birthday, but somehow a part of her is refusing to put those thoughts into spoken words.

“Didn’t you say you last saw her two days ago?” Eri helpfully chimes in. “Perhaps the mission gets dragged on.”

“Yes,” Hitomi exhales, thankful for the provided exit. “That. I—just hope that it doesn’t get dangerous or life-threatening.”

“That’s unfortunate,” her mother hums, “I was looking forward to bug her about dating you again.”

“Mother,” Hitomi breathes in, only one teasing away from whining.

“You two take too long, sweetheart! Back in my day, your father and I only spent six months of courting before finally dating, and only two years to finally tie the knot—”

“Mother!”

“Though, you did get Youngsoo only four years after knowing each other, so that’s one point in your favour.”

Hitomi buries her face into her palms, ears burning with embarrassment. It’s almost surreal—Hitomi is sure that her parents could only vision her with a man before she reached high school, and yet, years and a lot of unbelievable stories later, here they are, in the living room, with her mother casually teasing her about dating Chaewon, her family completely embracing Youngsoo as a part of them almost as easily as Chaewon’s family does.

A lot of these changes in her life—a lot of them are tied to Chaewon, she thinks fleetingly, looking up after her mother’s chuckles fade and her brother cheerily announces his arrival from the kitchen. His steps are careful, not wanting to accidentally activate his quirk out of excitement while holding her birthday cake, afraid he would suddenly spring up and smash the cake as well as himself against the ceiling (they have had it happen at least twice).

At the sight of the cake, Youngsoo jumps off from her father’s lap, bouncing over towards her. Chaewon and her have agreed to allow Youngsoo to blow birthday candles with them, one of their earliest attempts to include Youngsoo in every activity they have.

She brings Youngsoo close, dropping a kiss to his temple. “You’ll need to blow twice as hard,” she tells him, and Youngsoo looks up at her questioningly. She smiles, running her fingers through his short, brown hair, “To make up for your Mum’s absence. Would you do it?”

Youngsoo nods, a reassuring grin—that he had practiced with the pro hero Deku during their short stay in Japan—plastered brightly on his lips.

“Leave it to me, Ma!”

And Hitomi looks at her family, gaze lingering on each of them for a while, before finally looking at the candles placed upon the same white cake they have always ordered for her every birthday. A tradition.

One Hitomi doesn’t mind to keep on doing.

She closes her eyes, and thinks of her wishes, of her career, of her friends, of her family, of Youngsoo. Thinks—of a presence she longs to be here, next to her, feels the stirring warmth in her chest at the thought, wonders for the briefest moment if Chaewon is doing the same, if she’s thinking of her too.

And when she opens her eyes, she exchanges a look with Youngsoo, sharing a nod, and in unison, they lean forward, finally blowing the candles off.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

silverpeachsoldier reblogged 3r3ssential

 

my-silver-arrow:

[Image Description: 3-R’s last sport festival, also the first recorded public interactions between Class 3-R and the Support trio. In this picture, Peach Goddess is leaning her head on Silver Shiver’s shoulder, while Silver Shiver appears to lean her own head against Peach Goddess’. They seem to be watching something happening in the field in front of them.]

So several months back I got an ask querying about my favourite silver peach fics. I know, I know, it’s RPF yadda yadda, if you’re squicked out by that then now would be a good time to click on that back button and we’ll see you again in our next post! Anyways, I’ve been working on said list and I figured now would be a time as good as any, so here goes? I guess?? Instead of quoting summaries I’ll tack in some personal notes, so kindly check the summary when you click on any of the fics!

 

o photograph us in this light by holdmyhand
Side-pair(s): Fiery Prince/Finger Gun, Death Grip/Some Braincells
Word count: 11k
Rating: T

Notes: This piece takes place in their third year, shortly before graduation. A lot of uncertainties and unspoken feelings, what if their short pre-grad trip got interrupted by a band of villains? It’s best read at night, bundled up in your blanket, with a cup of warm chocolate within reach. The prose, the unravelling threads, the touch of comedy through Finger Gun’s extra and Fiery Prince’s fond exasperation? And the way it gives more meaning to the collages posted on their instagram account (x)? Simply a Very Good Food. Must read.

 

o the thirdwheelers saga by stoodoverdaline
Side-pair(s): Mimenimal/Irresistic (in part 2)
Word count: 17k
Rating: T

Notes: Remember IOI, the temporary group formed through a survival show named Produce 101 way back (x)? In this series, the female squad of Class 3-R and the Support trio made it into the finale group of a show in a similar vein, forming IZ*ONE. It explores a warm, fluffy ride of our silver peach should there be no quirks and they live their lives as idols. They include some FMVs and made-up tidbits like interviews or pictures to support the storyline, too! Check it out, you won’t be disappointed.

 

o it takes, it takes, and it takes by pennedthoughts
Side-pair(s): Mimenimal/Irresistic, Cherry Blossom/Hummingbird, Illuminous/Facile Fairy
Word count: 103k
Rating: M for Graphic Description of Violence and More

Notes: Oh. Oh my, how to begin with this—this novel-length piece is simply Amazing. It pairs up our world with the notion of soulmate, but not the kind that gives you fluttery feelings and rainbows. No, this story’s strength lies in devastation and actions powered by anguish, love realized through tragedy instead of sunshine and cinnamon rolls—but you’ll still find yourself melting over silver peach, I promise. Occasionally. Whenever you aren’t sobbing your heart out or hating on the author :)
My last advice: prepare three packs of tissue and order some comfort food. You’ll need it.

Read more

   

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villain-to-ur-heart:

THAT ING SOULMATE AU DUISHDLJKWDBNS . KK. K ;;;_______________________;;;

 

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hellaheelys:

SILVER PEACH WITH FIERY GUN?!?!?!? DSUHIEJDKSLH HOW AND WHY HAVE I NOT READ THSI YET IM SO

(if anyone’s lookign for me for the 3 days ill be in my room crysidn over this fic thansk)

 

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gigagent:

aaaaaaaaa my favourite silver peach fic (singing that ladeedeedodeeda) made it!!! TASTE ONCE AGAIN, arrow!!!

it’s so soft and deliciously slow burn? it builds itself around sonic sprite’s remark in an interview (x) that one of the memorable memories of their pre-grad trip is terragent playing guitar as they sat around the campfire and silver shiver singing (singing!!!) joseph vincent’s our first song (x). and then sonic sprite grinned and said, “it’s a pity peach goddess isn’t here with us today,” while veeeery briefly glancing at silver shiver and then the entire Class 3-R alumni just . laughed? like they knew something we don’t?? and coupled with those words??? AAAAAAAAA this fic is EVERYTHING i imagined how it went down like and you def would be missing out if you don’t read it!!!

 

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peasant-of-peach-kingdom:

would also recommend aienbest’s invisible, it takes place in a Quirkless!AU and doesn’t start off as silver peach right away so it might have gone under some people’s radar but itS SO GOOD PLEASE READ IT AND SCREAM WITH ME AFTERWARDS HSDDFSAFDFDTRK

 

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welluminous:

[sneakily reblogs to later bookmark everything recommended in this list]

 

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3r3ssential:

is no one gonna talk about the Death Grip/Braincells tag on the first rec…? no? just me? oh… okay.

[clicks]

 

22,347 notes
Tagged: #when i said silverpreachers are blessed #i meant we are Blessed #look at these buncha fics!!! #all these excellences… #all these delicious foods… #i shall disappear for a year to devour everything now YEET #see you later #silver peach #happy peach goddess day

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

When the clock ticks past three p.m., Hitomi has left the Honda compound, and is now standing inside an elevator, on her way to Eunbi and Hyewon’s apartment, Youngsoo obediently staying back. As long as Ma brings back some cake, he demanded when Eri explained the situation to him, and Hitomi ruffled his hair, linking their pinkies to seal the promise.

She checks her phone, opening her mother’s message, the latest reminding her to drop by her shared apartment with Chaewon to pack up some fresh clothes for herself and Youngsoo. Sakura has called her two hours ago to remind her of the birthday party planned by their friends, as well as confirming that she has forbidden Hitomi from stepping into their office tomorrow—and, well, with Chaewon not being home, she might as well spend the night and the day after with Youngsoo at the Honda household.

Another scroll brings her to a message from Chaewon’s mother, warmly wishing her a happy birthday. She has replied with a rather long message, feeling quite embarrassed afterwards, but then an hour later Chaewon’s mother replied back with a similarly long message—almost causing her to tear up in the process.

Another long scroll, and her thumb finally pauses over the latest message from Chaewon. A simple see you soon, received two days ago.

Hitomi expels a breath.

Soon. And two days have passed by.

Chaewon does have a bad sense of time on occasions.

The elevator reaches the floor of her destination, and she steps out, slipping her phone back into her bag. After several steps, a strand of her hair floats, tugging slightly to her left, and Hitomi lets out an amused snort.

“Stop it, Hyewon.”

At the mention, a woman materializes out of thin air, left hand pinching the strand of hair. “You used to take a long time to realize that,” Hyewon grunts, letting the hair go.

Hitomi smiles, slipping an arm around Hyewon’s and pulling her to walk. “Has everyone arrived?”

“Wooseok burst through the window,” Hyewon recalls, and Hitomi breaks out into giggles. “It’s not funny! This is the fifth time we have to change our window this month. Dongpyo and Seungwoo said to start ahead without them, they have an urgent run to execute, so they’ll come late—”

“I’ll tell them to not rush—"

“Some people live a hectic life so some others could relax and be jobless,” Hyewon smoothly continues, “so Yuri and Yena arrived first with Wooseok and Seungyoun’s daughter.” They arrive at their destination, and Hyewon easily opens the door.

“They kidnapped her?” Hitomi asks.

“That’s what we said!” a voice from above suddenly says, and Hitomi looks up, eyes widening as Minjoo hangs from the ceiling, waving hi. “Happy birthday, Hii-chan!”

“Uh,” she intelligently says, “thanks, but why are you doing a Spiderman?”

“Junho dared me to stay like this for five minutes,” comes the light reply.

“What’s at stake?”

“Half of his skincare product stash.”

“No way—”

“Yes way, and that’s why I’m going to win! Please carry on, people are waiting for you over there—” Minjoo points towards the direction of the living room. “There’re too much balloons on that ceiling so I can’t do this there. I’ll catch up soon.”

“Good luck,” Hitomi sincerely says, before following Hyewon’s resumed steps. “Sometimes I forget that Seungwoo and Eunbi had to make four hundred rules just to keep you all away from death or expulsion during our school years.”

“It’s actually four hundred and eighty-five rules,” Hyewon corrects her, and the moment they step into the living room, someone is loudly yelling,

“Duck!”

Instinctively, Hitomi drops onto the ground while Hyewon vanishes, and for a split second she manages to glimpse a poop-shaped plushie flying overhead in a ridiculous speed.

“Did I just see a flying poop?” Minjoo screeches from the doorway, and Hitomi laughs, pushing herself up from the floor.

“Seungyoun’s fault,” is Eunsang’s curt reply as the red-haired man jogs past her, possibly tasked to retrieve the yeeted plushie.

“Why are we friends,” says Hitomi when Seungyoun approaches her next, innocent grin and all.

“Because it’s your birthday, of course!” Seungyoun replies, not caring in the slightest that his answer doesn’t make sense. He shoots her a finger gun, thankfully without activating his quirk, “Stay gold, Peach Goddess! And keep us safe from Silver Shiver’s icy wrath.”

“It’s unbecoming to talk behind someone’s back when they aren’t present to defend themselves,” Wooseok says, rapping the other man’s head from behind. Exhausted pair of eyes turn towards Hitomi, and a small smile appears on his lips. “Hey, happy birthday. Sorry I couldn’t babysit Youngsoo—we even had to ask Yena and Yuri to look over Kanae because someone—” a twist to Seungyoun’s ear, “—forgot to clear up his shift like he first promised.”

“It’s okay,” Hitomi reassures, chuckling at Seungyoun’s whine of pain. “You’ve helped us plenty.”

“Yeah, well, next time we can probably arrange for a playdate,” Wooseok suggests, “Kanae seems fascinated with Youngsoo’s interest towards quirks.”

“The next quirk talks will probably be dominated with mine and Dohyon’s,” informs Minhee from the couch, limbs sprawled messily next to a dozing off Yohan.

“I take it back,” Wooseok blandly continues without sparing a glance towards him, “we’ll start thinking about it when a more interesting quirk gets involved.”

“Hey!!!”

And then Hyewon materializes next to her again, curling an arm around her shoulders and pulling her deeper into the apartment, Seungyoun and Wooseok’s bickering closely following their footsteps from behind. There she meets Eunbi and everyone else, a cake on the table and birthday hats worn on top of their heads, and Hitomi laughs merrily, obediently accepting the birthday hat Yujin is bringing over to put on her.

They have been pro-heroes and professional supports for more than four years now, and getting everyone to be in one place together is hard. But for every birthday, they try to make time and drop by, putting in effort to be there not only through texts, but physically, too, even if only briefly. Some will have enough free time to stay around longer, while some others would have to leave halfway or even come in late, and Hitomi completely understands that.

(The fact that they still make time for her is enough gift already, something she tries her best to express to each of them every time.)

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

3r3s m3ssy d3n owo (23) | 7:32 PM

densitour: cant believe the days almost over and @silver shiver still aint here

hovercast: leave her alone pyo

hovercast: shes probably blamed herself enuf

irresistic: *enough

hovercast: i said what i said

mimenimal: still thooooo

mimenimal: not even sending any single text???

mimenimal: boi someones boutta catch these hands

peach goddess: stop threatening her!!!

peach goddess: she might never appear at this rate

sonic sprite: sheuhdhehehe bIGGG thsINKthOnK on chaweiwons disaspearanceseu

fiery prince: i

peach goddess: eunbi… are you drunk

illuminous: she is

death grip: someone quick get a camera

finger gun: MINHEE WE’RE PRO HEROES

finger gun: WE CAN’T JUST GO AND STEAL A CAMERA

death grip: eye

death grip: thats not what i meant pal lets reconsider

terragent: no pls continue

terragent: ive stolen a camera now what

fiery prince: exhales.

hummingbird: cHOI YENA

hummingbird: WE SENT YOU TO BUY ICE CREAMS?!?!?!

facile fairy: wow @terragent i cant even determine if ur joking or not

cherry blossom: can you steal the newest gaming laptop while you’re at it?

peach goddess: please don’t get arrested on my birthday

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

It’s close to eleven p.m. when Hitomi finally gets back into their apartment.

She closes the door behind her with a contented sigh, setting aside two bags of presents she has received from the birthday party. A quick once-over and everything seems to have stayed in place, exactly the way they were when Hitomi left the place to go to work early in the morning.

She tiptoes out of her footwears, neatly putting her shoes into the rack. She resists taking her phone out to check for a message—chances are she won’t see any new messages, not from Chaewon.

“Perhaps her phone’s dead,” Minjoo had suggested, “or she accidentally froze the poor thing. happens.”

Next to Minjoo, Yujin frowned, not really enthused by the speculation, while Yuri just stared at Hitomi long and hard before finally chiming in with a nonchalant air she’s always used whenever she’s pointing out obvious things,

“How are you two not dating yet?”

And Hitomi had carefully ignored the question in favour of listening to Yena’s funny anecdotes about her text messages with Ashido Mina, the acid pro hero from Japan. Yuri didn’t raise the question anymore for the rest of the party.

(She didn’t really need to.)

Hitomi slips out of her work attire, changing into a comfortable, plain black shirt, and deciding on a similarly dark shorts. She hesitates slightly over the hangers lined up bearing Chaewon’s hoodies, but takes a red one out after a firm nod to herself.

If Chaewon can’t be there, willingly lending Hitomi one of her warm hoodies is the least she can do.

How are you two not dating yet?

The words replay themselves in her ears, and Hitomi bites back a sigh, picking up the used clothes and padding over towards the south corner of their apartment, approaching the laundry basket resting next to Chaewon’s bed—

Only to pause when she sees a note stuck on the bottom of the otherwise empty hamper, something she doesn’t remember being there the last time. She swallows, bending down to pick up the note.

It reads,

Dear Hitoma,
happy birthday. From a best friend who knows of the plethora of things you’ve missed during your childhood: lift the basket, I’ve got something for you.

The familiar handwriting sends a ripple of warmth throughout every fibre of Hitomi’s being. What is she playing at, she idly wonders, crouching down to lift the basket, only then realizing that it has been raised several centimetres from the ground. Beneath it is what looks like a stack of manga volumes, a piece of blue paper on top of the translucent plastic wrapping the entire package announcing itself as a book voucher to a bookstore they both love to visit.

Smiling in amusement, Hitomi turns the package around and finds another note stuck hastily on it.

I was torn between this or a set of Doraemon DVDs. I know, Doraemon—but hear me out. You can create things, nearly as well as Creati, and in my last talks with Earphone Jack we agreed that something capable of sparking your creative juices would be a meaningful gift to you, and Doraemon is full of those triggers. Well, either way—if you ever need someone to accompany you binge-reading, binge-watching, or even binge-buying books, Doraemon or not (though Youngsoo might be hooked with the former), you know where to look :)

This time, she laughs softly, carefully plucking the note out and pocketing it along with the first one. She puts the dirty clothes inside the hamper, and brings the package to her chest, eyes scanning for an area where she can safely store the package away.

She rises when she spots a good place, slowly walking towards the drawer that makes up the table sheltering their personal computer and a stack of Youngsoo’s educational video games.

Only to find a note sticking out from one of the gaps of said video games.

Putting the package onto the table, she slowly pulls the note out and unfolds it.

It reads,

Dear Hitoma,
happy birthday. From a battle partner who’s been told that their scent gives you comfort: please go to our dressing table, I’ve got something for you.

At the words, heat starts to creep up her neck. She wonders why Chaewon still remembers that—she’s only mentioned it once, in passing, when Chaewon got heavily injured in one of the attacks at downtown Musutafu and Hitomi refused to leave her side. After waking up from unconsciousness, Chaewon pleaded for her to follow Nako into the safer section of the prefecture, trying to make her see that it’d be a lot easier to work away from the heat of the battle.

(“If you’re talking about comfort,” Hitomi had said, voice hoarse and fingers shakily clasped in her own lap, “then don’t ask me to leave you. Your scent is my comfort. You make me feel safe. So don’t—don’t ask that of me, Chaewon. Please.”)

Taking a deep breath, she walks away from the computer table and towards the dressing desk across the room. There, at the centre of the table, a bottle of perfume is innocently placed, with a brand and a smell Hitomi has long memorized and associated with Chaewon.

Another folded note is tied around the perfume’s neck, and Hitomi gently flips it open to read.

So this might—sound a little too confident, but… I was, I’ve been, wondering. About what I can do to make you feel safe. Because I want you to feel safe. I know that you’re more than capable of keeping yourself safe, but—if there’s anything I can do to make it easier, then I would. Over and over.

I think you would’ve guessed the piece of the past that brought this on. You’ve always had the better memory between the two of us, but—I remember this one, too. Vividly. Perhaps one of the clearest. Perhaps because I was so scared, for you, for me, for us, and I regretted not saying it back to you.

I regretted not telling you that your scent has always calmed me, too.

And! Sometimes I can’t physically be there for you, for Youngsoo. But do know that my thoughts are with you. Constantly. Always. And, with this, well—my scent can, too, until you run out of it. When the day comes and you need someone to accompany you on a hunt for its refill, you know where to look :)

Warmth swells inside her chest, spreading out and soothing away her fatigue, injecting her with a calm happiness; the kind that doesn’t bubble excitedly inside your stomach, instead washing over you akin to a gentle wave over the seashore.

Hitomi puts down the perfume, and lets her gaze to rake over the mirror before her.

She feels like she shouldn’t be surprised to find a note stuck on the top right corner of the reflective surface.

“What now,” she murmurs to herself, wondering idly if she’s ready for even more surprises. She reaches out to pull the note out, careful to not tear it on accident.

It reads,

Dear Hitoma,
happy birthday. From a parenting partner who wants you to know just how much you’ve been a bright part of her life: check our mini-library, I’ve got something for you.

Something tugs on her heartstrings, her gut telling her that she’s about to choke on a bowl of feelings when she figures out what Chaewon has in store for her. Still, she obediently turns away from the dressing table, padding towards their mini-library, a wooden bookshelf with three highest rows fully filled with books, while the lower rows house quite a number of pro hero figurines. They have Eunbi to blame for that—she made them see the comfort the figurines can offer whenever one of them are teetering near a mental breakdown, questions about whether they’re good enough bombarding their minds after a restless sleep weighed by nightmares.

(Youngsoo loves it, too, has taken it upon himself to collect the figurines of Deku and friends, and he diligently cares for them.)

Her mental musings fade away when she spots something out of place.

There, on the second highest row, flanked between an encyclopaedia about fire and an automotive DIY guide, is a book with the width of her thumb—one she doesn’t remember having. Gently, she pulls it out, and immediately she finds a picture of the both of them—of her and Chaewon—taken candidly somewhere around the time of their pre-graduation trip, while they were sharing earphones, listening together to a song playing in Chaewon’s phone. Chaewon seemed to be mouthing the lyrics, her gaze fixated on Hitomi, and Hitomi was watching her, something very close to fondness shining clear in her eyes.

Under the picture, four words are embroidered onto the skin of the book’s cover. You, Me, and Us. Below it is a sentence written in beautiful cursives inside a pair of brackets: [throughout the years].

She feels tighten, and she has a hunch, has an idea on what she would find should she open the book. Still, she surrenders to her curiosity, and immediately has to swallow down the surge of nostalgia when she flips the cover open and faces three pictures of all twenty-three of them, posing in front of their high school’s gate.

The caption under the pictures reads,

We attended this place by ourselves,
and left cradling a tight bond with a bunch of people we’ve come to call family.

Eyes misty with the start of unshed tears, Hitomi flips the page and chokes out a laugh at two pictures of her and Chaewon awkwardly hunching over a table in the Development Studio. It was their first meeting, Chaewon needing a new support item for the upcoming sports festival in their second year and Hitomi having recently been allowed to start tackling practical stuffs with Sakura and Nako under supervision.

The Principal agreed to let me go through the security camera rolls, I hope you didn’t find it creepy. How do we look? Awkward, right? So young. So out of tune with each other.

On the next page is a picture of the two of them on their first lunch together at the cafeteria. She wonders briefly on who had the time to snap a picture—it looks too HQ to be a result of the security camera. Then again, she fondly thinks, they're always full of surprises, this kind of things should be easy for them to do. 3-R is too full of possible suspects, and the night is too short of a time to be spent weighing the evidences to build a case against an unnamed perpetrator.

The next page bears a picture of herself, dozing off on Chaewon’s shoulder, unopened bentos on the table before them. She flushes, recalling the memory—she was going to hand over the new support item she managed to finish for Chaewon, while Nako would do the same for Wonyoung and Sakura for Chaeyeon, but the others were running late and she was severely lacking sleep.

(“Nap for a bit,” Chaewon softly told her, patting her shoulder. “I’ll wake you up when the others have gathered. Our lunch won’t go anywhere.")

You, me, and us.

Throughout the years.

Chaewon really did mean it, didn’t she?

Breathing in, she closes the book, telling herself that she’ll have all the time in the world to go through it later, slowly and more carefully, preferably with a packet of tissue within her reach—because they have gone through a lot, and some memories are bound to invite out tears.

She’s in the middle of moving to place the book back into the shelf when a particular page juts out unevenly between the uniformed sheets.

Eyebrows drawn together, Hitomi pulls the book back, carefully opening it again, flipping into the odd page.

On the page is a picture of Chaewon, hunching over a book with a glue and a picture in each of her hands. To her left is a familiar book—the picture book they’ve made for Youngsoo, documenting the little moments they’ve had and are making with him. Several printed photos are scattered around her, and her face is taking on the most serious expression Hitomi has ever seen her wear.

Under it is a long caption closer to a letter,

So it’s your birthday, and I’m supposed to shower you with gifts. But as I sit here, putting together the captured pieces of us in hope that it will never be lost with time, I’m left feeling reminded that you, Honda Hitomi, is a present that never stops giving. You are a present I could never compare with anything, a present that never stops being there with me, for me, and I sincerely—honestly—want to say that I love you so much, you know that, right?

When you go through this book and reach the little pieces wherein you need a shoulder to cry on—or even a crying buddy, let’s be real—so that you don’t feel alone in drowning with feelings, you know where to look :)

And when she blinks, a tear escapes the corner of her left eye, warmly rolling down her cheek. Her sight is blurrier than it had been before she read the caption, and something aches inside her, not entirely unpleasant, yet still bearing pain. It hurts because all of these positive feelings she’s experiencing from this note—she doesn’t have any idea on how to return it, how to reciprocate.

Silently producing a handkerchief from the glowing skin of her arm, Hitomi uses it to dry her tears, breathing slowly a few times to calm herself from the intense feelings she’s been going through in the span of less than half an hour. Her sight clears considerably, and only then does she find that there are more words scribbled several lines below the long caption.

It reads,

Dear Hitoma,
happy birthday.
From an ordinary person who’ve seen you bloom and grow and only you,
from an ordinary person who can’t help but fall a little more with every smile and every laughter you sent her way,
from an ordinary person who can barely function whenever you got yourself into a dangerous situation,
from an ordinary person who has asked and taken a lot from you while having no idea on how to even return it,
from an ordinary person who doesn’t know what to give you when you already have quite literally everything—
please come to balcony, I’ve got the last thing I could give for you.

Her heartbeat has started to speed up as she reads through the words—when she reaches the end of the note, she all but drops the book onto the nearest table and rushes towards the balcony door located at the north wall of their apartment. She yanks back the dark curtains and her breath stutters inside the rooms of her lungs when the sight of Chaewon fills her view, the latter wearing a comfortable daily attire, not at all like she’s just come out of a mission, a guitar casually propped up on her thigh, herself easily balancing on the handrails surrounding the balcony.

Mind still reeling with disbelief, she slowly opens the translucent door to the balcony, the sound of the door unlocking and the knob twisting causing the silent occupant of the balcony to lift her gaze from the ground.

A pair of eyes Hitomi’s been missing for days widens slightly at her appearance, and then a soft smile crosses Chaewon’s features, her face glowing under the moonlight.

Hitomi steps into the balcony, and slowly approaches the other woman.

“Chaewon,” she breathes out, heart aching at finally being able to say her name in greeting.

But instead of returning the gesture, Chaewon breathes in, looking down at her guitar, and slowly begins to strum the strings.

“Hello,
tell me you know
yeah you figured me out—
something gave it away…”

The night breeze is chilling and the sky overhead is dark, but what Hitomi feels under her fingertips is warmth, what she feels beneath Chaewon’s hoodie is warmth, and all she sees before her is Chaewon, bright aglow with the stars humming along with their twinkles in the background.

“It would be such a beautiful moment,
to see the look on your face—
to know that
I know that you know now…”

Chaewon’s voice lilts gently, softly, as though she’s telling a story through the song Hitomi is all too familiar with, and her eyes sparkle when she lifts her head briefly to catch Hitomi’s gaze, taking her breath away with every string melodiously thrummed.

“…and maybe that’s the case of my wishful thinking,
you know nothing—”

And perhaps it’s true. She knows nothing, and she can’t do anything—she can’t do anything except to stand there, watching Kim Chaewon sing in her balcony half past eleven p.m. while feeling constantly out of breath.

“Well you and I, why
we go carryin’ on for hours on end,
we get along much better
than you and your boyfriend—”

A boyfriend. Something neither of them has ever had, funnily enough. Chaewon had been rumoured once with a male support student, Hwang Yunseong, while Hitomi narrowly escaped a blind date her relative arranged for her with a Chinese man named Jeng something something Yancheng—but there was never something more to it, and as Hitomi’s proclaimed best friend, Chaewon should have known that fact.

And she would’ve said it, would’ve corrected her out loud—if only she could find her own voice. But a beat later Chaewon is looking at her again, lyrics spilling out of parted lips softly with a weight only the both of them are aware of—

“Well all I really wanna do is love you,
a kind much closer than friends use
but I still can’t say it after all we’ve been through—”

All. All of those days spent together and apart. The vulnerability during their weak moments, the strength as they rose together after every obstacle. The halting step when one of them fell, the waiting that followed so that they could continue walking side by side.

Youngsoo. Everything before him and everything with. All of the nights spent with one of them going over to the other’s bed, cuddling together with their lovely boy when nightmares pay a visit again. All of the nights spent leaving one bed entirely cold and empty, even without nightmares or thunderstorms, because warmth is something they find with each other, in each other.

“And all I really want from you is to feel me,
as the feeling inside keep building
and I will find a way to you if it kills me,
if it kills me…”

How strange, the way a song, written without them in mind, without their story known to the lyricist decades prior, could still have the power to resonate with them strongly as though it’s meant to tell their tale in every tune.

“How long
can I go on like this, wishing to kiss you
before I rightly explode—”

And as Chaewon goes on, with it she unravels further: her feelings, Hitomi’s feelings, everything they have between them and everything they haven’t yet grasped within hold.

“This double life I lead isn’t healthy for me,
in fact it makes me nervous
if I get caught, I could be risking it all…”

For a second, Hitomi isn’t sure she’s still breathing; and the next second she realizes that she is, if only because she’s made aware of the very breath that gets wrenched out of her lungs at the hurt flickering across Chaewon’s eyes.

“Cause maybe there’s a lot that I miss
in case I’m wrong—”
 

And she takes a deep breath, carefully joining in.

“Well all I really wanna do is love you,
a kind much closer than friends use
but I still can’t say it after all we’ve been through—”

You’re funny, Nako used to say, do you know what kind of best friends would agree to co-adopt a child together? Best friends who’re in love with each other, that’s what.

And she would shake her head, trying to come up with a sound reason and failing. Relying on Sakura to come in with her impeccable timings, saving her from the Nako predicament she was in.

Would it be so bad, Minhee said once, his entire demeanor uncharacteristically serious, to find that you’re in the cusp of something?

“And all I really want from you is to feel me,
as the feeling inside keeps building,
and I will find a way to you if it kills me,
if it kills me…”

Chaewon’s gaze never leaves her, eyes shining brilliantly with wonder. Fleetingly thinking, perhaps, if Hitomi was drowning in memories too.

(Of the times they kept finding their way back to each other, all the while trying to pretend that it’s not killing them to stay apart.)

And as the song advances, Hitomi chooses to fall back into silence again, listening, wanting to hear the next lyrics—

“If I should be so bold,
I’d ask you to hold my heart in your hand
I’d tell you from the start how I’ve longed to be your—”

The song halts into a stop.

The next chord is never struck, for Hitomi has stepped forward to rest a palm on Chaewon’s strumming hand, leaving the latter with no choice but to let the song fade, the last note quietly carried away by the calm, cold wind.

Hitomi takes a deep breath, trying to get a hold of her feelings.

“When I agreed to purchase an apartment for three of us,” she begins slowly, voice coming out hushed and more anxious-sounding than she has intended, “I didn’t mean that you could make it look like a thief has broken in and then hold a concert in our balcony near the middle of the night.”

Chaewon smiles up at her, fingers beneath her palm shifting to turn and slowly slip in-between Hitomi’s slightly warmer ones, filling in the gaps way too perfectly for it to be harmless for her heart.

“Are you going to kick me out?”

“This is your place too.”

“Still deserve to be kicked out if I made you uncomfortable.”

“Then I will,” Hitomi says, shooting down the urge to squeeze the hand clasped around hers and thereby risking contradiction. Still, both of them know even without the gesture—that those are only empty words.

Another deep breath, and she adds,

“Unless you can provide a satisfying answer as to why you’re here, and not somewhere doing a recon mission like all our friends—and myself—appear to think you do.”

Chaewon lets out a brief chuckle, the sound sending a ripple of pleasant feelings through Hitomi’s chest.

“I might have gone back yesterday.”

“Without telling me?”

“I have my reasons.”

“Without checking on Youngsoo.”

“I did, I paid a visit to Minhee—our son is good at keeping a secret.”

Hitomi pinches the bridge of her nose with her free hand, exhaling slowly through . She doesn’t expect betrayal to come from Youngsoo’s side—not this fast.

“And why would you do that?”

“It’s your birthday.”

“So I’ve been told all day.”

Chaewon smiles, briefly squeezing their entwined fingers. “I’m here to give you the fourth gift.”

“It’s not you?” Hitomi jokes, pulling the corners of her lips down into a mock-frown. “I should’ve known, I see no ribbons.”

“You have everything already, Hitomi,” says Chaewon softly, uncharacteristically accepting her joke and following it up with a serious tone. “You can create everything, too. Would you even—would you still want to have me?”

Hitomi’s breath stutters in her lungs.

What?

And Chaewon seems to have heard the unspoken question, because she continues gently, the gleaming depth of her brown eyes holding Hitomi’s gaze captive.

“It’s been years of dancing around—years of avoiding putting feelings into words, years of holding myself back whenever I’m around you,” she murmurs, loud enough for Hitomi to hear over the deafening pace of her heartbeat.

“And… I guess I just want to make sure that I got to tell you this, at least once.”

A deep breath,

“Honda Hitomi, I love you.”

And there are hints.

There are hints scattered and imbued within the gifts Chaewon has mischievously and carefully placed around their apartment. Hell, there are hints concealed in those times their hands brush and entwine and swing back and forth gently, careless of any other rhythm in the world. There are hints seeping out from the look and the smile they have exchanged, hints pouring out and flowing into and around Youngsoo as they embrace him together into their lives.

Hints quietly sewn into the way Chaewon manoeuvres around her, towards her, all these years.

But still, to hear it spoken out in the open still startles her. It still throws Hitomi off-balance, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, and Chaewon doesn’t seem to mind—because she’s already speaking again.

“This series of gifts—” Chaewon takes another deep breath, “it was, in a way, my journey. To… finding you. Starting from a best friend. To a battle partner. To a parenting partner, and—” the fingers in Hitomi’s hold are turning cold, Chaewon’s quirk starting to activate out of nervousness, “and lastly, to—a person who realizes that she wants to love you like a couple do.”

“When?” Hitomi breathes out, and the coldness wears off, Chaewon for once glancing away—the tip of her ears colouring with embarrassment.

“For a while,” she quietly admits. “Perhaps even during—the first year we have Youngsoo. When he slowly started to call you Ma—”

“It’s your fault,” Hitomi murmurs. “It’s because you always call me Hitoma.”

A shy smile. One of the rarest smiles on Chaewon, and it has always floored Hitomi whenever she can be the cause.

“It’s not something I regret,” Chaewon says. “And—when he called me Mum, that one morning. Do you remember? We huddled under the covers on my bed after Youngsoo woke up from a nightmare, with me humming and you soothingly rubbing his back. You were on his left, I was on his right, and we hugged him—” a sharp inhale, brown eyes appearing glassy from a glance, “then, in the morning, he woke up first. He woke us up, probably hungry, but do you remember what he said?”

Of course Hitomi remembers.

She doesn’t think she can forget it.

“Mum, Ma,” says Chaewon quietly, a subtle tremble to her voice, “good morning.”

She reaches out to wipe a tear from Chaewon’s cheek, fully aware that her own eyes are misty, fully aware that should she try to say something, she would end up struggling to get the words out past the lump in .

“It was then,” Chaewon murmurs, “that I fleetingly thought—how nice would life be if it could stay like this, with you, with Youngsoo, under our covers in a slow morning. How happy, how safe, and how content I felt—”

“We were still fighting a lot then,” Hitomi murmurs.

“We did,” Chaewon agrees. “And it’s why I—never said it. Out loud. I was afraid it wouldn’t work. I was afraid that me saying the words would make everything stop. I was afraid I’d wake up someday and find that the feelings have changed and I’ve trapped you in an unfulfilling commitment—”

“Chaewon—”

“But day after day, all I’ve felt is home. I come home to you, to Youngsoo, and it’s this very thought that has pushed me to survive in a lot of cases. I go to sleep with you in my arms and find myself wishing to still get to do the same thing tomorrow and the days after. I wake up with Youngsoo’s leg on my stomach and your hair in my mouth and I find myself wanting that moment to fill my future, too, everyday without a fail—”

“Chaewon,”

 “You’ve got everything,” Chaewon exhales, the streaks of tears on her face clumsily wiped with her sleeves. A wet laugh, and, “You’ve got everything, Hitomi. And when I said that I’ve got the last thing I could give to you, I was—referring to myself—”

And she lets go of Chaewon’s hand. She lets go of Chaewon’s hand to cup her palms around her cheeks, head leaning in and eyes fluttering close as she catches Chaewon’s lips in a gentle kiss. It tastes a tad salty with tears, but it’s also sweet, and warm, and soft.

It’s Chaewon.

Who shivers under her, soft pair of lips slowly kissing back, and there’re stars beneath their feet, humming butterflies filling up their hearts. They kiss, and kiss, and kiss, trying to steal back the lost moments of the past, catching up on every second they spent pretending to be blind.

When they gently part, out of breath, Chaewon chuckles against her lips, cheeks warm under Hitomi’s palm.

“I think I just froze the guitar.”

Hitomi looks down, stifling a snort at the instrument now encased with a thin layer of ice. She pulls away, taking with her the guitar, from Chaewon’s embrace, and carefully sets it aside.

Their hands seek each other’s again, a gesture they’re all too familiar with, but somehow this time around it also feels like something new.

“Hitomi,” Chaewon breathes out, tugging their linked hands towards herself.

“You’re cold,” Hitomi replies, smiling softly and resisting the urge to just kiss her again. “How long have you been camping here?”

“Hmm,” Chaewon purses her lips. “Only since Hyewon messaged me that you’re on your way back.”

“Then come on.” She leans in, pressing a chaste kiss on Chaewon’s puckered lips, “Let’s get you warmed up.”

Chaewon chuckles, letting herself to be pulled away from the handrails and onto her feet. “You know cold doesn’t bother me.”

“Whatever you say, Elsa.”

“If you’re trying to get me into your bed, you can just say it.”

The words get her movement to come into a halt, fingers slowly unclasping from Chaewon’s hands. Heat spreads up her cheeks, as it always does whenever Chaewon jokes about dangerous things like that, only this time—

Chaewon leans in, warm breath sweeping across Hitomi’s ear, causing her to flinch slightly.

“It isn’t a joke, you know,” she whispers, “all you have to do is ask.”

And before Hitomi can create a shovel out of her skin—to dig her own grave—Chaewon has ducked away, grabbing the guitar and making her way into their apartment. Hitomi inhales deeply, then exhales, then inhales again, trying to regulate her heartbeat, lamenting over how fast Chaewon gets confident after a kiss—

She follows the latter inside, distracting herself from Chaewon’s presence by locking the door to the balcony and drawing the dark curtains while the latter moves to rest the frozen guitar next to their heater. Even after the curtains have been completely drawn, she stands still for a prolonged second, trying to formulate a plausible route of actions inside her mind.

“Hitomi?”

Only, this is Chaewon. Not a task, or a support item design, or a villain attack. It’s Chaewon, with a slight doubt starting to creep back into her tone, warmth carefully away from Hittomi’s unmoving figure.

“I’m sorry,” Chaewon says, “if it’s too fast, if I’m too bold, please say so, and I will—”

“I love you,” Hitomi blurts out, her back still facing Chaewon.

“Um.” The voice starts to lighten, enough for its owner to deadpan, “I didn’t—oh no, I’ve never—I wouldn’t have thought, Hitomi. You’ve never told me that you’re in love with our curtains—”

And a part of her wants to laugh at the absurdity of the joke, but another part, that has been waiting for years, that has been wanting her to admit the three words long ago, forces her to turn around and take a deep breath,

repeating,

“I love you.”

A step forward.

“I love you.”

Another step forward, hands reaching out, arms sneaking around Chaewon’s frame and head burying into the crook of her neck,

“I love you so much, Kim Chaewon.” And she feels it, feels the pair of arms encircling around her waist, hugging her back, firmly—as though afraid they will lose her if the hold becomes loose even just a bit. “I love you,” she repeats, chasing away the doubts, forbidding them from coming back into their life ever again,

“In every way you love me, Kim Chaewon, I love you, too.”

And Chaewon chuckles, the sound of relief rumbling inside her chest, spilling out of in the form of happiness. Hitomi pulls away slightly, wanting to witness the radiant joy with her own eyes, wanting to cup Chaewon’s cheeks to feel that delight under her palms, and she spares a second to think of Youngsoo, of her family, of her friends, who must’ve been in with Chaewon’s plan, who must’ve done the teasing with more purpose this time around, whose actions Hitomi hasn’t doubted until this very moment, because everything’s been perfectly in-line with how they usually behave.

“You’re thinking of someone else,” Chaewon breathes out, forehead resting against hers, noses lightly touching together.

“A lot of someone elses,” Hitomi corrects, chuckling softly. “Does this mean my family and Youngsoo aren’t actually expecting me to come back tonight?”

“If all goes well.”

“How do you reckon it goes so far?”

“I haven’t been thrown out of our apartment, so I’d say it’s been going pretty well.”

“What are we going to do until it’s time for us to pick up our little man?”

Chaewon gazes into her eyes, one hand reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

“You look good in my hoodie,” she says in a low tone, voice thick with affection.

“I’m wearing a black t-shirt underneath,” Hitomi murmurs, and the way Chaewon’s eyes darken lights up an eager fire at the bottom of her stomach.

“You look great in black,” Chaewon says, almost whispering the words into her lips, and they kiss once again, this time longer and deeper than the last. The tiny flame spreads, fanned by the brush of Chaewon’s fingers across her back, growing steadily bigger as they move slowly across the room, as though enacting a mute waltz.

They land onto someone’s bed—probably Hitomi’s—and Chaewon hovers atop her, lips peppering hot kisses on her lips, then ears, then neck. And they don’t know yet how tonight will end, if they’ll end up breaking into giggles at some point and spending the rest of their time being disgustingly confessional with each other, or if they’ll take this further, getting lost under the sheets together—

But one thing stays the same: they will still find each other, the morning after and the many mornings after that, and that’s enough.

The stars outside of the balcony twinkle merrily as the clock ticks past midnight. The day comes into an end, and with it so does Hitomi’s birthday. But along with the daychange, another thing far more precious than birthdays blooms, and the pair of souls inside the apartment is perfectly fine with that.

(They are more than fine with that.)

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

3r3s m3ssy d3n owo (23) | 9:59 AM

hovercast: goooooooooooooooooooood morning

hovercast: @silver shiver @peach goddess little man just called me

hovercast: he been wondering when yall will pick him pick him pick him up

fiery prince: really, hangyul? that song again?

hovercast: sir,

densitour: LEAVE PICKMESUS ALONE ITS CATCHY

hovercast: thank u pyo

sonic sprite: oh my ingod my head

arcaprism: i repeatedly told you not to drink too much...

hummingbird: hitomi hasn’t woken up yet?

mimenimal: hMmMmmM

hummingbird: that’s unusual

mimenimal: this is a thinkthonk situation

cherry blossom: COULD IT BE

illuminous: dont say it

cherry blossom: that they got FRISKI FRISKI in bed ;))))))))))))))

illuminous: my innocent eyes…

finger gun: what in the nani is friski friski

facile fairy: saku-chan Bls

soundslide: no, let her continue

soundslide: my someone-just-got-laid radar is also tingling

soundslide: SJGL radar for short

fiery prince: have you been drinking too…

irresistic: i thought seungwoo’s quirk is about sound?

irresistic: not radar tinga linga

mimenimal: RADAR TINGA LINGAHJDSDUEFH

silver shiver: if public got a hold of these chatlogs

silver shiver: the top ranks of this country’s pro heroes are going to crumble

death grip: HERE YOU ARE

silver shiver: hey. sorry for replying late but

silver shiver: minhee could you please pick youngsoo up?

silver shiver: we’ll drop by at noon and treat you to lunch

hovercraft: wtf what about me

silver shiver: you too

hovercraft: generous queen we’ll deliver little man safe and sound to u

terragent: HELLO GORGEOUS

silver shiver: you’re not my type and i’m taken as of last night

terragent: HOW WAS THE FRISKI FRISKI

silver shiver: …i’m not even going to dignify that with a response

cherry blossom: ARE YOU UP FASTER THAN HIICHAN BC SHE’S SORE ;)))))

silver shiver: she’s not going to be the only one sore after my fist meet you

terragent: and heres our confirmation, folks

silver shiver:

finger gun: wooo get it

silver shiver: i hate this ing family

death grip: after all the cakes?

hovercraft: and the babysitting?

densitour: and the carefully crafted teasing?

irresistic: and the mental support?

sonic sprite: and the ing headache

arcaprism: babe,

silver shiver: urgggghhhh

silver shiver: Fine

silver shiver: i dont hate yall i guess

silver shiver: i just wish i could sell yall in a flea market for a day

soundslide: actually you know what that’s a mood and very valid

hummingbird: can someone make sure eunsang is up he has to patrol in 5m

netterrain: @vitalency

soundslide: my bad life decisions radar is tingling

vitalency: I

soundslide: anytime now

vitalency: FUCSJNSJKDHSHDSK

soundslide: ah

vitalency: I ING OVERSLEPT

soundslide: there it is

netterain: have fun trying not to be late bud

peach goddess: [strolls in] hello—

terragent: HELLO GORGEOUS

peach goddess: [s-strolls out] goodbye

terragent: I HOPE U USED PROTECTIONS

peach goddess: I ALREADY SAID GOODBYE

terragent: AND IM YELLING AFTER UR RETREATING BACK

silver shiver: yena i’m going to break your ing kneecaps

illuminous: [sobbing] pls stop you're tearing this family apart

soundslide: when is the nearest flea market going to open

soundslide: wait eunbi stop typing im just joking

sonic sprite: in three weeks there will be one held in front of the department store two blocks away from our apartment, but its not advised to sell idols standees and harne

sonic sprite: oh

arcaprism: b a b e...

sonic sprite: i hate this ing family

 

 

 

 

[END.]