Work Text:
“Uh, not that I don’t want to spend time with you and all, but was it really necessary to throw a whole party?” Bianka “Durandal” Ataegina sat across from her sister, completely unsure of the casual situation. She’d only ever been formal with Kiana up until now and had no idea how to interact with her sister in a domestic situation, never mind the fact that she only just learned that she had a sister after having forgotten her whole life before the age of nine.
“Of course it’s necessary!” Kiana exclaimed. The younger Kaslana held none of the reservations her sister had, either choosing to ignore them entirely or blissfully ignorant of them in favor of getting to know her long lost sibling properly. “We have three, count ‘em, three whole reasons to celebrate! Firstly,”
Kiana held up three party poppers and pulled hard on the first. That, combined with the rather nonchalant summoning of an orange and black void portal caused Bianka to flinch reflexively, though it was so slight that her sister failed to notice. Out of the portal fell a banner, whose weighted ends landed perfectly on the table beside them and unfurled to reveal a cartoonish rendering of the former Schicksal Overseer, frowning and covered in bruises as he is assaulted by what Bianka could only assume was both herself and her sister. To top it all off, big angry letters spelled out ‘BYE CLOWN,’ the overall message about as clear as a spear to the chest.
“That blonde jerkwad is gone!” Another portal opened up and out fell another party favor, this time a blower that Kiana caught in her mouth with minimal effort. She exhaled hard into it only once before letting it fall out of her mouth and back into another portal waiting below. Bianka was half tempted to point out the rather blatant abuse of Herrscher powers when Kiana continued. “Second,”
Yet another void portal opened, from which a second banner appeared. This one was white with blue letters that just said ‘WELCOME SIS’, and had little stick figures all over. Helpful labels pointed out their mother Cecelia, their father Siegfried, auntie Theresa, and finally Bianka and Kiana, holding hands in its center.
“I HAVE A SISTER!” Kiana practically screamed and let off her second party popper. Her joyous declaration echoed through the battleship Hyperion’s halls, and Bianka could hear angry clamoring from the hallway outside (most likely Tesla, judging from the amount of swear words she could make out). “And lastly,”
The last banner sported a large and loud ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY(S),’ the edges covered in glitter and decorated with stickers of cakes and candles. Again Kiana’s drawings were on full display, this time depicting the girl as she handed off a rather large present to Bianka’s smiling visage.
“Uhm…” Bianka cut in before her twin could loose her final party favor. “You do know my– our birthday is still a good two months off, yes?”
“Well, duh. But you missed some, so we’re celebrating them now!” Kiana stated matter-of-factly.
Before the S-rank Valkyrie could respond, her sister pulled the string on the final party popper, accentuating her point with a loud crack. At this point, it was painfully clear to Bianka that she wasn’t getting out of this impromptu party. Besides, she’d have been lying if she said her sister’s enthusiasm wasn’t having an effect; of all the dangers in the world, getting along with her twin frightened Bianka the most, so to see said twin having already accepted her took a huge weight off of her shoulders.
That being said, she was still really out of her element. For as long as she could remember, Bianka had been fairly business-oriented. Not unapproachable (as her ardent fanbase would attest to), but ultimately still detached from most things that weren’t work related. Sure she had friends she hung out with, but how exactly does one go about bonding with their long lost twin/clone? As the Valkyrie watched said twin unveil a rather oversized cake (was five layers really necessary? Kiana apparently thought so), Bianka decided that maybe it was best to follow her sister’s lead on this.
Besides, if the smile forming on Bianka’s lips were any indication, she wouldn’t have to worry about getting along with Kiana.
After handing her sibling a slice of cake the size of her head, Kiana grabbed one for herself and proceeded to scarf it down in typical fashion. As Bianka took her first bite, she was pleasantly surprised. She’d heard tell of Kiana’s atrocious cooking skills, and so the girl either didn’t make the cake or had tremendous help in doing so. A second forkful found its way into her mouth before Bianka even realized it, while a third soon followed.
“This is really good.” She said between bites. “Where did you get it?”
Kiana perked up and swallowed before speaking. “Oh, it’s a recipe I got from Mei-senpai! I had to ask Rita for help, though, since…” Her chipper attitude faltered slightly, a barely noticeable detail that Bianka somehow noticed immediately. “Anyway, I’m glad you like it! Rita really knows her stuff, and she knows you, so I figured she’d do good!” The girl smiled wide before shoving another chunk of cake into her ravenous maw.
A month ago– no, even a week ago, if Bianka was asked about her opinion on Mei Raiden, she would have said that she respected the woman and thought of her as a dangerous enemy. Now, though, an unfamiliar feeling was welling up inside upon the mention of Kiana’s (ex?)girlfriend. In spite of their dubious and contrasting allegiances, Bianka couldn’t say she hated or even disliked Mei. But that was from the perspective of Durandal. From Bianka’s perspective, that woman had hurt her sister’s feelings. She wanted to drag the Herrscher of Thunder back to the Hyperion just so she could apologize, maybe after knocking some sense into her for leaving such a sweet girl behind.
Then again… The blonde looked at her twin’s jovial expression as she gorged herself on cake. If Kiana can’t find a reason to be angry or sad about it, then I shouldn’t worry about it either. She did her best to use this reason to bury her newfound ‘protective sibling’ instincts, at least in relation to Mei.
In doing so, Bianka looked down at her own slice, imagining Rita baking it and adopting a fond smile. As she carved off another bite, she failed to see the devious smirk forming on Kiana’s face.
“Soooo, speaking of Rita…” Kiana started, causing Bianka to look up just as she began to swallow. “When did you two start dating?”
Bianka’s eyes bulged out of their sockets and she choked on her cake. She covered her mouth with one hand while delivering a swift pound to her sternum with the other. Kiana watched with an amused expression as her twin regained her composure, taking care to wipe her mouth and take a swig of water before refuting the other Kaslana.
“We’re not dating. Rita’s just a friend.” Bianka paused at Kiana’s unconvinced expression. “A good friend. A close, reliable friend that I wouldn’t trade for anything, but just a friend.” The S-rank Valkyrie tried to ignore the strange lump in her chest that accompanied those words. “Like Einstein and Tesla, just without all the name-calling.”
“Just a friend, huh?” Kiana’s brow raised so high, it threatened to jump off and rocket through the ceiling. “Like Einstein and Tesla. The same Einstein and Tesla who ended their most recent argument with a passionate make-out session? In the middle of the cafeteria?”
Bianka blinked. “What.” She hadn’t heard about that.
“Good friends like Seele and Bronya, who went on a totally platonic and not romantic beach not-date a few days ago? Who tenderly kiss one another on the lips” Kiana tapped her own lips for emphasis, “in a totally not romantic way, every night before they seperate in the hall outside their rooms? Who both said they were jealous of how close Einstein and Tesla are?”
“Um.” Bianka was at a loss for words, perhaps for the first time in her life.
“Or maybe good friends like me and Mei?” Kiana continued with a sarcastic smile. “Who totally weren’t an item back at St. Freya and who didn’t even break up properly when she left us for World Serpent? Like me, who proudly declared that Mei was my soulmate and the girl I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, and Mei, who took it all in stride and literally cut ties with all her friends just to save me, and the both of us who are clearly still pining over one another despite not seeing each other in person for months? That kind of close friend?”
“...”
Binaka, wide-eyed and completely overwhelmed, was silent for a moment. Kiana waited patiently for her sister to think of a rebuttal.
“... Alright, not like them, or anyone you just mentioned.” She amended. “I mean it when I say we’re just friends.”
Kiana crinkled her lips to the left as she stared at her twin. “... Just friends, but that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t like something more?”
A faint blush crept onto Bianka’s cheeks. “... I’ll neither confirm nor–”
Kiana’s eyes suddenly shifted to look just over Bianka’s shoulder. “Oh, hey Rita!”
Bianka spun around faster than she had intended, reflexively looking for her ‘friend.’ Only when she saw the empty space behind her did her blush intensify, a clear pink now visible on her cheeks. She turned back around slowly, frowning at Kiana’s smug cat-face.
“...” Bianka sighed. “Alright, fine. Maybe I want to kiss her.”
Both twin’s expressions only got even more pronounced.
“I–” The blonde twin cut herself off, trying to find the words before simply sighing again. “I just don’t even know if Rita thinks the same way. Sure, she obviously likes me, but how do I know she likes me? Or likes girls, for that matter?”
“Well, 95% of Valkyries are lesbians, or at least bi.” Kiana remarks.
“Really?” Bianka asks, a faint glimmer of hope in her heart.
“Probably.” Her sister replied. “I just made that up, but a lot of them get together with one another. Who’s to say if Rita’s an outlier? Besides, maybe she was under orders from Otto to keep an eye on you, but the stuff she does for you kinda goes above any sort of ‘manufactured bond.’”
“You think so?”
“You’re the only person I know of who she specifically tailors meals for. I also see the way she looks at you in the locker rooms after training. It’s not a ‘oh wow she’s so strong I wanna be just like her’ kind of look, it’s a ‘I wanna run my hands all over your well-defined back muscles and kiss your neck while I do it’ kind of look.”
The blonde twin was suddenly very self-conscious of her back. “That’s… incredibly specific.”
Kiana just shrugged. “Calling ‘em how I see ‘em. It’s not like anyone on this ship makes a conscious effort to conceal their sexuality, but there’s some pretty obvious couples here.”
“You’re not wrong. I suppose I’m just afraid if I’m honest, it might negatively affect our relationship.” Bianka explained.
“I mean, you won’t know until you try, right?” Her twin suggested. “It might be scary, but trust me when I say that bottling all that stuff up only hurts you in the long run.”
“What’s being bottled up?”
At the inclusion of a third voice, both Kaslanas turned to see Rita actually standing in the doorway. Kiana noticed Bianka doing her best to act natural in lieu of her earlier uncharacteristic floundering, and to her credit, she was doing remarkably well. It was just a shame, then, that Rita was an expert at reading Bianka.
“I came to see if you enjoyed the cake, but you’re looking terribly flushed.” The maid nonchalantly pressed the back of her hand onto Bianka’s forehead, only worsening the blonde woman’s condition. “Have you been over-training again? You haven’t done that in ages.”
“I…” Bianka stumbled over her words for only a moment. “No, I’m fine. I promise I haven’t been training any more than I usually do. Just… a bit warm in here, I think.”
“Really?” Rita’s eyes wandered to the thermostat. “I should inform Doctor Tesla that this room’s climate unit is faulty. She’ll want to check them all.”
Bianka could feel Kiana staring at the two of them, clearly amused but also very much on the edge of her seat. Bottling all that stuff up will only hurt you in the long run. Her sister’s words echoed through her head, and all those repressed thoughts were suddenly hovering at the back of her throat. Briefly, Bianka tried to shove them back down, but one look at Rita’s inquisitive (and cute) face made her reconsider.
“Actually, Rita…” She started. “Do you think I could talk to you about something?”
“Oh? What’s–” Rita was cut off as Bianka carefully (but purposefully) took her friend by the hand and led her out of the room.
Kiana giggled quietly to herself before cutting off another piece of cake (there was quite a bit to be honest, she should probably save some for the others). She nibbled away at it lazily before watching her sister and Rita both come back a good five minutes later. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what had been said, between the misplaced strands of hair and interlocked fingers, but Kiana probed regardless.
“Rita, I didn’t know you wore lipstick.” The girl stated.
“Hm? She doesn’t, though… right?” Bianka said with a confused head tilt.
“Then what’s that on your cheek?”
Instinctively, Bianka’s hand shot up to her face, and it took a mere millisecond to realize the ruse. Her face crinkled into a scowl as she found no lipstick on her fingers, which were soon clenched into a fist as she beheld her clone twin’s devious visage.
“I think I liked it better when we were enemies.” The blonde mumbled. “At least then you respected me enough not to tease me.”
“Part of the territory, so get used to it… sis.” Kiana snickered.
Bianka nearly shot back until the sound of Rita’s giggles reached her ears. She blushed hard at that, only intensifying both her new girlfriend and her sister’s laughing fit.
“Add that to the list of things to celebrate!” The slightly-younger Kaslana exclaimed. Within seconds, another void portal had materialized, and out fell a final banner. It honestly didn’t surprise Bianka that the thing was made in advance given her sister’s earlier observations, but the contents of it still irked her.
“CONGRATS” was all that was written, in reflective rainbow lettering. To either side were hastily scribbled depictions of both Rita and Bianka making kissy-faces at one another, eyes closed and hands held.
Neither Rita nor Kiana could contain their giggles as they beheld Bianka’s dumbfounded expression. The white-haired Kaslana fell over in her chair, literally rolling on the floor with laughter. Bianka, meanwhile, could do nothing but smile fondly at Rita’s teary-eyed face, her happiness over confessing overwhelming her urge to skewer her sibling.