Nayeon didn’t know how long they lay there, just basking in each other’s presence. The grass was cool, but with her head resting on Sana’s stomach, it didn’t bother her so much. Part of her didn’t want to break the atmosphere by talking, but there was something she needed to tell Sana.

Sana chose to stay, and Nayeon needed to tell her just how much that meant to her.

“Can I tell you something?” she asked. “It’s nothing bad, I promise. I just want to tell you a bit more about how I got into the supervillain business.”

Sana ran her fingers through Nayeon’s hair, and Nayeon closed her eyes at the gentle comfort. She never thought she could be this tender with someone, but Sana just made it so easy to be soft.

“You can tell me anything you want.” Sana replied. “I’m in no rush to go anywhere.”

“I mean, I want to get off this grass before my left buttcheek gets frostbite, but I promise I won’t take that long.”

Sana laughed quietly, making Nayeon’s head bob up and down. Nayeon grinned. She would get to make Sana laugh every day from now until forever. It still felt almost to good to be true.

She knew where that doubt was coming from, and she also knew it was wrong. Now all she needed to do was explain it to Sana.

“When I first got my powers, I didn’t know what to do with them.” she began. “I tried getting a normal job and settling down, but nothing worked. I just couldn’t fit in. I was feeling pretty low, and I wasn’t sure where my life was headed next. Then I met a girl.”

She glanced up to see Sana’s reaction. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, a tinge of jealousy maybe. But Sana just looked concerned, like she’d already figured out that this story didn’t have a happy ending.

But she was wrong. What Sana didn’t realise, and what had taken Nayeon some time to realise, was that her story did have a happy ending. And it was thanks to Sana that it came to be.

Nayeon was jumping ahead. She had to get through the bad stuff first.

“She was the one who convinced me to start stealing . In fairness I didn’t need much convincing, but the first things I stole using my power were all for her. We had a crazy few days, and being with her really made me believe like I’d found the next step. I thought I was in love.”

Sana’s hand found hers, and she squeezed. Preparing for the inevitable drop.

“She didn’t feel the same way. This was all a fun adventure to her, and when her parents rang all angry because they’d found out, she immediately bailed and went home. I begged her to stay, rewound time so many times to try and find a way to convince her, but nothing worked. I didn’t understand why until she told me flat out that we would never work because of my powers. She said that we were on different levels and honestly? She was right. We couldn’t connect properly, not when I could rewind our conversations and she couldn’t.”

Sana looked like she wanted to protest, but she held whatever anger she was feeling back, which Nayeon appreciated.

“I never told anyone the full story, not even Jeongyeon and Jihyo. It only lasted a few days, but it left me completely shaken. I fully believed that I would never be able to connect with anyone again, not while I had this godlike power and they didn’t. I had Jeongyeon and Jihyo, because they were my friends before I’d created the reversal light, but the thought of not ever being able to bond with anyone else? To never form new relationships because I would never be on the same level as them? It was pretty awful. I almost threw the reversal light away, but I’d spent years working on it, and even if it was gone the effects of the lightning strike on my brain would still exist.”

She glanced up, hoping Sana got what she was trying to say. It was too dark for Nayeon to see clearly, but it looked like Sana was crying a little. It brought another soft smile to her face, and she reached up to carefully brush the tears away before continuing.

“I didn’t know what to do. I was angry and hurt and spiralling because all of a sudden it felt like I was unlovable. I went to a museum and robbed it for no reason. The police couldn’t catch me, and so they sent Tzuyu after me, and that’s when something clicked. Even if Jihyo and Jeongeyon would be my only friends for the rest of my life, there was another superpowered person in this city that I could form a relationship with. Obviously, I didn’t want to date Tzuyu or anything. But being her archnemesis was… something. Better than being alone.”

Nayeon was almost scared to look up. She knew it sounded ridiculous, and pathetic, but she couldn’t think of a better way to explain it. Being a supervillain gave her life purpose and direction, as well as a relationship where they were both equals. She was aware that it was kind of irrational. But so far Sana had always been able to understand Nayeon’s mentality, and she trusted her girlfriend to understand this choice too.

When she looked up, she was not disappointed. Sana didn’t need to say anything. Even in the dim light, Nayeon could see the sympathy and understanding in her eyes.  It made her chest feel warm. Nayeon cleared and brought the story to an end, before the temptation to kiss the sad look off Sana’s face grew too much to resist.

“So that was me. That was where I was at in my life, and nothing looked set to change. It wasn’t all bad, I still had my two best friends, and this weird frenemy relationship with Tzuyu was entertaining. But still, I firmly believed that this was it for me. That this was as far as I would ever get.”

She looked up, making sure Sana could see how much she meant this next part.

“Then you came along. And suddenly, I had someone new who wanted to be with me. Someone who cared about me and didn’t think my power was too much for them to handle.  It was scary at first, realising I was falling for you. But every step of the way you crushed my insecurities and proved that you wanted this just as badly as I did. And now, knowing that you’re staying here to be with me, it feels… I can’t describe how great this feels. I know I talk a lot of nonsense, but being with you has genuinely helped me love myself again, and no matter what happens I’ll always be grateful to you for that.”

There were a few seconds after she’d finished, a few seconds where Nayeon came back to herself and realised how raw and vulnerable she sounded. She sat up, feeling her cheeks redden in embarrassment. There was a witty comment forming on her tongue, but it never left . Sana reached forward and kissed her, and any awkwardness Nayeon felt was swept away.

They kissed for a long time. Nayeon was honestly proud of how long they went without needing air. When they finally parted, Sana made sure to keep Nayeon’s face gently cupped in her hands.

“I love you too.” she said softly. “Thank you for telling me this.”

Then she leant forward and booped their noses together.

“Nerd.”

“Hey!” Nayeon protested, indignation mixing with her giggles. “You’re the one in love with this nerd, so any attempt to slander me is automatically a self-drag.”

“Well I can’t argue with your flawless logic.” Sana grinned. “But I can suggest that we celebrate my decision by going to the hotel Momo booked us all into and spending the rest of the night having fun, just the two of us.”

“By fun to you mean a mixture of tender lovemaking and rough times?”

“Well I was trying to be coy but yeah that’s exactly what I meant.”

“I’m in.” Nayeon jumped up, shaking the numbness out of her legs and pulling Sana up. “Let’s try to stay away from our friends, because otherwise we’ll probably get roped into more shenanigans and I really just want to kiss you somewhere warm and comfortable.”

“Deal.” Sana laughed.

They almost succeeded too. They didn’t run into Chaeyoung, but on the way up to their swanky room, they got stuck in an elevator with Momo and Mina. It wasn’t really a problem, except that Mina was still out of it and kept trying to pull Momo’s clothes off.

“She found some alcohol when I wasn’t looking,” Momo explained. “and apparently alcohol mixed with weed makes Mina…”

Mina nibbled Momo’s earlobe and Momo gulped.

“If I could just get her to the bedroom I think she’d fall asleep but that’s proving to be…” Mina’s hand went under Momo’s shirt and Momo’s voice went up three octaves. “…a bit of a challenge!”

She squirmed away and Mina giggled quietly. Nayeon was almost tempted to stay and help because that laugh was adorable, but when the elevator dinged Sana dragged her out with a quick “Good luck!” to Momo.

After that, well…

It wasn’t hard to guess what they did next.

In the morning, Nayeon skipped over to the elevator. She and Sana were practically glowing, and not even once again being stuck in an elevator with Momo and Mina could fully dampen their vibe.

Mina’s hair was sticking up in five different directions, and Momo looked like she’s barely gotten any sleep. Not the fun lack of sleep like Nayeon and Sana, the taking-care-of-my-drunk-girlfriend-all-night-kind.

Both of them could clearly tell what Nayeon and Sana had been up to, but no one was willing to acknowledge it. The first half of the elevator ride was spent in total silence, until Momo finally grew brave enough to break the ice.

“So…” she smiled awkwardly. “Anyone here watch RWBY?”

“Is that the western anime about lesbians?” Nayeon asked.

“You’re going to have to be more specific.”

“Uh…” Nayeon racked her brains for what little she heard about the show. “One of them is blonde and the other is a catgirl?”

“More specific.”

“I think the catgirl is involved with a shady organization or something?”

“More specific.”

“Seriously?” Nayeon threw her hands in the air. “How many western anime are there about gay catgirls?”

“Well I only know of two, but now that I think of it, that is a weird coincidence. Although I think the one from RWBY is bi, so you’re probably talking about She-ra.”

Thankfully, the elevator opened at the ground floor, saving Nayeon from further conversation. Sana really did have a fondness for nerds of all kinds, it seemed.

Jeongyeon was waiting in the hotel lobby, looking grim. Nayeon wondered what she’d done to deserve that glare first thing in the morning. Were the police still mad at her? She thought saving the city from Chanmi would be enough for a pardon or something.

“What’s wrong?” she asked Jeongyeon, as the others made their way over to the breakfast buffet. “Also whatever it is, I didn’t do it.”

“It’s not you, don’t worry.” Jeongyeon sighed. “Tzuyu, Chaeyoung and Dahyun got arrested last night. Jihyo’s at the police station picking them up.”

Nayeon stared at Jeongyeon. Jeongyeon stared back.

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that? I think my brain is having trouble processing what you just said.”

Jeongyeon rolled her eyes, but complied.

“The three of them got arrested for public indecency. I don’t know the full story, but Jihyo’s on her way over there to find out.”

Nayeon blinked. She blinked again.

“Sana!” she yelled. “Tzuyu got arrested! I need to get over to the police station to see this!”

“I’ll steal us a car.” Sana was at her side in seconds, a plate of fruit ready for Nayeon to eat on the way. “What happened? Why did she get arrested?”

“I don’t know yet, but it was probably Chaeyoung’s fault.”

Nayeon came to the police station prepared. She had sunglasses on, a beanie, and a scarf covering the lower half of her face. Sure, she probably looked very suspicious, but she was confident she could play it off as hungover.

Sana’s invisible hand held hers as they walked in. Jihyo was waiting anxiously on the bench across from them. She smiled once she saw Nayeon, then frowned once she saw what she was wearing, then shook her head and decided to ignore it.

Nayeon loved being able to make her friends go through multiple emotions in the span of seconds.

“Sana’s with me too.” she said. “We’re just going incognito to avoid any heat from the cops.”

“Don’t try and sound cool.” Jihyo said. “Also hi Sana.”

“Hi.” Sana whispered back.

“So what’s the story? Why did they get arrested?”

“Tzuyu called me and explained.” Jihyo did not sound pleased. “Apparently, they were on their way to the hotel for a final before Tzuyu and Chaeng got engaged, which I’m not going to discuss now because it’s just too much to deal with. But Chaeyoung was getting impatient so she started trying to get them to forget the hotel and do it behind a patch of bushes. The police caught them with half their clothes off and they ran for it. They almost got away, but then Chaeyoung started tweeting about how they were on the run and they got caught again.”

“How did they get caught? Does one of the officers follow Chaeyoung on Twitter or something?”

“No. They just saw the light of her phone and followed it to where they were hiding.”

“Oh. Yeah, that makes a lot more sense.”

Jihyo grimly handed Nayeon her phone, showing all three of Chaeyoung’s drunk tweets.

LMAOOO y’all are never going to believe what happened to me. Almost got busted by the police for making love to my girlfriend. #copshatealllesbians #evensuperheros

Calm down I’ll give you the full story just let me type it all out

Oh shoot nvm they found us again gotta blast

“She’s got pretty good spelling and grammar considering how stoned she was.”

“Really? That’s what you’re focusing on?”

“You’re right. The amount of replies is incredible.”

“Nayeon.”

“No in all seriousness, why do so many people on Twitter talk like that?”

Jihyo looked ready to strangle her, but before she could the door to the cells suddenly opened, and all three girls were led out. Beneath her scarf, Nayeon wore the biggest eating grin of her life. She stood up, and before Jihyo could stop her, made her way over with her phone out.

“Say cheese!”

Tzuyu looked murderous and tired, Chaeyoung looked confused and still quite drunk. Dahyun actually smiled for the camera, bless her.

Nayeon loved them all so much.

“What’s it feel like to be on the wrong side of the law Tzuyu?”

“I will murder you as soon as my head stops spinning.”

“You hear that officers? A death threat. Better send her back in and increase bail.”

Tzuyu looked ready to snap, but then she noticed Jihyo waiting for them and she grew pale.

“Felix, is there any way you can hide me in a cell for a few more hours?”

“Afraid not Tzuyu.” All the police officers looked like they were trying to hold back their laughter.

“You three.” Jihyo stood up, and even the police officers stopped chatting. “Car. Now.”

Tzuyu shot Nayeon a helpless look, and Nayeon did actually feel a twinge of pity for them. She shook her head sadly.

“I warned you kid. Get prepared for the most uncomfortable talk of your life, as well as a lecture on responsibility and obeying the law.”

“She’s best friends with you, why does she have the moral high ground on lawbreaking?”

“I don’t know, but do you really want to argue with her about this?”

Tzuyu almost looked tempted for a few seconds, but then Jihyo glared at her and she quickly got moving. Nayeon could feel Sana shaking with silent laughter beside her.

Chaeyoung was the last of the trio to leave the station. She paused in the doorway to put her middle fingers up, and she was swaying so hard that for a second Nayeon thought she was going to fall over.

“ the police!” she yelled.

Then she threw up on the carpet.

“Tzuyu’s going to marry her.” Nayeon said, as Dahyun helped get Chaeyoung into the car. “Isn’t that beautiful? Isn’t that the most wonderful thing?”

“They’re a perfect match.” Sana replied cheerfully. “Just like us, but in a very different way.”

“Very, very different.” Nayeon agreed. “Also, we best get out of here before the police catch on to us.”

“We already know it’s you Nayeon.” The officer behind the desk said. “Plus you’re talking to thin air so I assume Sana is with you?”

“You can’t prove anything.” Nayeon quickly backed out of the station. “Try it and my lawyers will hunt you down.”

“Yeah, yeah, see you in a few weeks.”

“Screw you Felix! I know about your secret rap group!”

She grabbed Sana and ran, cackling as the precinct burst into curious babble. Once they reached the stolen car she ditched the scarf and Sana flickered back into visibility. Soon they were out on the open road, and Nayeon lay back with a grin as Sana drove them who knows where.

“I’m not going to lie. These have quite possibly been the best twenty-four hours of my life.”

“Want to hear something that’ll make it even better?” Sana said, a smile on her face as her eyes darted between the road and Nayeon. “It’s not just twenty four hours. We can spend the rest of our lives having this much fun.”

Nayeon may have kissed Sana then, and Sana may have swerved and accidentally crashed into a lamppost. It’s entirely possible that was the reason why they came back to the hotel in a different car they left in, but it wasn’t like Nayeon was going to admit it.

Outside the hotel, they found Jeongyeon, Momo and Mina engaged in a bizarre game of tag. In order to make it fair Momo seemed to be carrying at least ten backpacks and three sets of ankle weights. From the looks of it she was still winning.

Nayeon and Sana joined in fairly easily. They put a bell around Sana to counter her invisibility cheat, and Nayeon had to put her beloved reversal light in one of Momo’s many backpacks. It turns out both of them were terrible at being athletic, but had a natural ruthlessness when it came to winning. Every single dirty trick in the book was used, from shoving other targets into the line of fire to faking being tagged in order to confuse the enemy.

It felt like they played for hours. When they finally collapsed to the ground, Nayeon immediately started crawling over to Momo in order to find her reversal light. Sana was tangled up next to her from where they’d tripped over each other while trying to escape Mina. Nayeon looked around, from Jeongyeon and Mina trying to drag each other towards the water bottles, to Jihyo and Dahyun coming out with lunch for everyone, to Chaeyoung and Tzuyu next to them, each sporting shy grins and brand-new engagement rings, to Momo looking at Nayeon with nothing but happiness, none of the previous animosity remaining.

And finally, to Sana, face scrunched up in joy, revelling in the pure silliness of their antics.

If this was Nayeon’s future, if this was her happy ending…

It was a damn good one.