Work Text:
It was a situation any pair of young girls would find idyllic - huddled under blankets, lights dimmed, and talking quietly yet passionately about their loves deep into the night.
“...Yeah, I usually start my workout with a 500kg deadlift warmup before moving on to the more strenuous stuff.”
“Oh, sick! I go for a 100km jog around the city to get going, but I know cardio stuff is harder on you.”
“Just a bit. But I try to make sure to get in at least a couple dozen kilometers a day, at least. Gotta keep the heart healthy somehow.”
“Makes total sense. Oh, what do you drink for nutrients? I mix raw eggs with whey protein and throw in some chocolate syrup.”
“Uhhh… I just buy pre-made protein shakes at the store.”
“Oh. Y-Yeah, me too, most of the time.”
Bibi laughed, her smile just visible in the dark. “You don’t have to hide your tastes.”
“I’m not hiding anything!” Mizuki huffed. “Nobody ever taught me how to cook, that’s all!”
“Knowing your family situation, I’m not exactly surprised…”
The two sat on opposite sides of the bed in Bibi’s room, Bibi lounging near the head against the wall, and Mizuki on the tailend with an Adorabbit plushie in her arms. They’d left Aiba and Marco with Date and Boss downstairs, who were presumably shooting the shit and getting plastered. They wanted just a little bit of completely private time, no matter the lack of depth perception that came with it. Mizuki had only known about Bibi for a few days, but it had simultaneously felt like years and only seconds. She wanted to know as much about her as possible.
“Do you know how to cook?” asked Mizuki, reclining against one of Bibi’s plushes - a large fluffy bunny turned throw pillow.
“I learned a thing or two,” said Bibi, leaning back against the bedrest and crossing one leg over the other. “Mama can’t even make cereal without spiking the milk with vodka, so when I was a teen I learned how to make a few different simple meals.”
“Wow, you’re way ahead of me,” muttered Mizuki, sinking further back. “All I know how to do is kick things.”
“But you’re so good at it,” said Bibi, a twinkle in her eye.
“And so are you!” said Mizuki, with a little pout. “I’m never gonna be normal at this rate…”
“That’s all I ever wanted for you…” said Bibi, her expression falling as she sat up a bit. “But… I guess that was always going to be a challenge for you. For both of us.”
Mizuki never liked that melancholy tone of voice, no matter who it belonged to. “Hey. I’m staying up late to talk with my sister about life. Isn’t that something everybody goes through?”
She gets a sad smirk from Bibi, at least. “Most sisters aren’t genetically modified clones.”
“Spice of life,” said Mizuki, sitting up. “And I’m lucky to have any sister at all.”
Bibi grabs a plushie from right next to her - a mouse. “You’re so kind, Mizuki. I’m glad you were raised well.”
“By who? That pervert scumbag whore?” Mizuki deadpanned, eyeing the door. “I bet he’s drowning in tits and tequila right about now.”
At that very moment, Date and Boss were both sobbing deep confessions about how much they loved their daughters. The fact that Boss’s liquor cabinet had been emptied beforehand was mere coincidence.
“You and him sure have an… interesting relationship,” said Bibi, her tone inscrutable.
“I mean, you’ve seen him. He’s a sleazy pig creep. And also he doesn’t use shampoo. He just dumps half a bottle of conditioner in his hair once a week.”
“That’s… wow,” Bibi whistled. “I make hangover cures for Mama every other day, but she at least uses soap.”
“That’s what I mean!” Mizuki snapped, squeezing Adorabbit to death in her arms. “I’d be happy if I never saw his stupid ugly face again.”
“Well, you didn’t see him for a whole six years…”
Mizuki didn’t say anything, subconsciously stiffening her grip. She stared at a photo on the wall of Bibi and Boss at a high school graduation ceremony, realizing there was a dull pain in her chest.
“Sorry,” said Bibi. “I know how parents can be… contradictory.”
“It’s fine,” said Mizuki, her gaze falling on the bed sheets. “I’ve never had any who were perfect in the first place.”
“That’s right,” said Bibi, moving her legs to a criss-cross position. “You only got taken in by Date around the time I was adopted by Mama, and before then…”
Mizuki must have been showing more pain than she realized, because Bibi trailed off. “What is it?” Mizuki asked flatly. “I’m not afraid to talk about Daddy and Mom.”
“I believe that,” said Bibi, frowning. “But are you sure it’s a good idea?”
“I’ve been thinking about them a lot lately, actually,” said Mizuki, bringing her knees towards her chest. “Ever since the case ended, and I had time to process it all.”
“Mizuki…”
“It feels kinda strange to even call them Daddy and Mom now,” said Mizuki, her voice nearly a whisper. “I always thought that, even if we were broken apart, even if we at least had blood connecting us… but we didn’t even have that.”
Bibi couldn’t say anything. She just looked long and pained with her one eye.
“You know, it’s really stupid,” said Mizuki, her voice beginning to crack. “For a long time, I thought… Date and I couldn’t be a family. Because we weren’t related that way. That we couldn’t just have that ordinary, simple, unconditional love. It took me so long to realize that family could be something you find, something you make, not something made for you. But all along, I…”
She choked on her own words. She couldn’t reconcile it within her own mind - the Shoko and Renju in her memories and the Shoko and Renju as they were. Parents, monsters, strangers - simultaneously all and none of those things at once.
Bibi put her plushie to the side and crawled towards her. “...Are you okay? I’m here for you.”
“I’m so stupid,” said Mizuki, her mouth moving with little conscious thought. “Could we have ever been a proper family…? Why didn’t I know? Why didn’t they tell me? Was I--”
She was cut off by Bibi embracing her.
“It’s okay,” she said. “You can keep talking, if you need to.”
Mizuki fought her emotions as best as she could. But she couldn’t stop every sob and tear from leaving her throat. Bibi rubbed her back all the while, with the gentlest touch Mizuki could recall knowing. Mizuki’s head fit into the crook of Bibi’s shoulder with surprising comfort. And for a moment, she just let herself cry.
“I’ve thought a lot about family, too,” murmured Bibi. “Living with the Chiedas and Mama, I wondered so often about who I could really call my kin. And I would wonder the same thing about you.”
Mizuki’s hiccups stuttered. “About… me?”
“You said it earlier. A family is something you make, not something made for you.” Bibi’s voice softened, not out of gentility but sorrow. “I realized a while ago… you and I may be connected by genes, and I may love you like a sister… but that doesn’t mean you view me the same way.”
“Wh-What?” Mizuki stammered.
“...You don’t have to act otherwise,” said Bibi, smoothly detaching herself from Mizuki. “You haven’t known me for even a week. Nobody can expect to develop a close kinship that quickly, especially since you were too young to remember our time together. So that’s why--”
“Don’t be stupid!” Mizuki yelled. “Do you really think I don’t care about you?!”
Bibi sat back , frazzled. “I-I didn’t say--”
“I never had a sibling, you know,” said Mizuki. “I always wondered what it was like. To have someone around your age who understood you more than anyone else. Who you could share anything in the world with and know they would be on your side. Someone you could have that… ordinary, simple, unconditional love with. So don’t act like our genes are the only thing connecting us.”
“But still--”
“Bibi,” said Mizuki. “Even that name. Bibi. Who else calls you that? It’s proof of the bond we share, however new it is to me. So I don’t want to ever hear you say we’re not a family, because I…” She held back another wave of tears. “I’ve already lost enough.”
“Mizuki…” Bibi clasped a hand to her own weak heart. “Thank you. And… I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” said Mizuki, wiping her face. “As long as you don’t say it again.”
“No, not just for what I said.” She took a deep breath. “Six years ago, when you were struggling so much… I wasn’t there for you. I told myself to stay away, to not reveal myself, since that would only entangle you in the web of the Horadori Institute and its terrors. But in the name of that mission, I neglected you. That wasn’t right, no matter the circumstance.”
Mizuki clutches Adorabbit again. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not,” said Bibi. “But I promise - I won’t leave your side ever again. I’ll be here for you, no matter what.”
After a moment, Mizuki chuckled weakly. “You know, I’m used to people leaving me. It happens all the time, actually. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to believe a promise like that.”
Bibi became crestfallen. “Then…”
“...Promise me something else,” said Mizuki, sitting up straight. “Promise me, that if you ever do have to go away… you’ll come back. Okay?” She held out a pinky.
Seeing the gesture, Bibi nudged over and entwined her own pinky around Mizuki’s. “It’s a promise.”
And their fingers, the interlocked strands of a double helix, shook on it.
“Heheh…” Mizuki giggled weakly. “Just like a real pair of siblings.”
“You’re right,” said Bibi. “But also, Mizuki… you’ve had sisters, haven’t you?”
“Huh?” Their pinkies separated. “What do you mean?”
“Well, there’s Kizuna. She’s our little sister, if not by blood.”
“Kizzy? I guess you’re right, though that’s more true for you than me…”
“What about Iris? If I remember right, her mom and Date have a relationship.”
“Eugh, don’t ask me if my dad and my sixth grade teacher are going out. It’s embarrassing. They’re embarrassing.”
At that very moment, Date was downstairs drunk dialing Hitomi and wailing that he missed her.
“But you get my point, don’t you?” asked Bibi. “You’ve got lots of people you can call family. Even more than just me and Date.”
Mizuki smiled. “You’re right. Even Aiba is kinda like a funny aunt. And our hamster.”
“She might get mad at you for calling her that,” said Bibi with a snicker.
“She’d still like me more than Date,” said Mizuki with a smirk.
“I think most people would.”
“I hope so, considering I’m the most beautiful girl in the world.”
“You are! And by extension, so am I.”
They both laughed..
“Phew,” sighed Mizuki. “I’m exhausted now. Can we watch a movie or something to chill?”
“Sure,” said Bibi, hopping off the bed. “What are you in the mood for?”
“I need comfort. Do you have Shrek ?”
“Of course,” said Bibi, almost offended. “Do you want the first one or the second? I always think the sequel is better.” Mizuki had a feeling that, if Bibi had two eyes right then, she would wink.
“I think the original is just as good. Maybe even greater.” Mizuki put on the biggest smirk she could manage.
Bibi smiled softly. “Mizuki…”
Mizuki jumped off the bed, leaving Adorabbit behind. “I’m really glad we met, Bibi. Even with everything else that happened… I can take it all, knowing I was able to get to know you.”
“That’s what I should be saying,” said Bibi. “Thanks, sis.”
“Don’t mention it! Say, wanna have an arm wrestling contest while we watch?”
“Heh, of course!”
And so their ordinary, simple sleepover went on.