Archive of Our Own ^beta

Three months ago, Mizuki… no, she was Bibi now… never would have imagined this would be her life.

After so many years, she had finally been reunited with her long-lost sister. Said sister was currently lying on her stomach, playing a game on her handheld console. Bibi was also on her stomach, sprawled horizontally on top of Mizuki’s back. Something so commonplace, yet so comforting.

Exhausted from their day at the hospital, Bibi opted to sleep over at Mizuki’s house. That was the other thing. As promised, Riichi Chieda had fast-tracked the development of the PERGE genome editing treatment for humans. He wanted Bibi to be the first one to receive it.

Bibi’s first appointment had been a month ago, and Mizuki was right there to accompany her. Bibi tried to hide it, but her nerves were so bad that her hands shook. She had avoided any kind of doctor or hospital for years because of her trauma. But she knew she had to get well. Both for herself, and for Mizuki’s sake. Only with Mizuki’s hand squeezing her own did she feel confident enough to step inside the building.

The staff seemed friendly, but Bibi still couldn’t help being on edge. They wanted to do a few examinations on her first, just to be sure her body wouldn’t react negatively to the treatment. Mizuki kept a watchful eye on them as they listened to Bibi’s heart and lungs, then took her blood pressure.

Bibi was sure that the nurses probably didn’t appreciate Mizuki practically glaring at them the whole time, her fingers occasionally brushing over her revolver in its holster. She was all smiles whenever Bibi caught her eye though.

Both of them only visibly relaxed when Mr. Chieda showed up to perform the procedure personally. He explained what would happen: they would use a needle to draw a large sample of blood from Bibi, capturing the cells that were causing her disease. After correcting them in the laboratory, Bibi would come back for another appointment, when the cells would be reinfused via a simple injection.

It was as quick and noninvasive as possible, a fact that Mr. Chieda took pride in. Still, Bibi had been dreading that goddamn needle for weeks. Her head spun as Mr. Chieda prepared it. The thing was easily just as big as the ones they used as the Institute… maybe even bigger. She felt like throwing up.

“Hey… you’re gonna be fine,” Mizuki said softly, taking Bibi’s hand again. “You’ve got this.”

Bibi sighed shakily, keeping her face angled away from Mizuki’s. She could feel tears welling up and didn’t want to freak the other girl out. Instead, she squeezed Mizuki’s hand as tightly as she could, nodding at Mr. Chieda to proceed.

While it wasn’t on par with literal torture, it definitely hurt more than she had expected. Fortunately, it was over in about thirty seconds, leaving Bibi with a dazed feeling of relief. She nearly lost her footing when she got up to leave, prompting Mr. Chieda to offer her a wheelchair.

Mizuki commented that it wouldn’t be necessary, scooping Bibi into her arms instead. Normally, Bibi would never let Mizuki do this unless it was a dire emergency, but that time… it was fine. She needed a little extra comfort that day.

This morning, the two of them had returned to the hospital for Bibi’s blood transfusion. The needle used to hook her up to the IV bag was tiny in comparison to the last one: about the size of the ones she used to inject herself with an antidote when she was having a bad heart tremor. Still, having a stranger do it unnerved her all the same. She had to take Mizuki’s hand as the nurse sunk it into her vein.

Mizuki kept her company throughout the entire three hours, after which Bibi was ready to yank out the needle herself. Mr. Chieda congratulated Bibi before the two left and warned her about the potential side effects of the treatment.

Bibi was already experiencing some of the things he mentioned. She started feeling nauseous almost immediately afterward, and there was a strong metallic taste in her mouth. Mizuki was spoiling her, of course: on the way back from the hospital, they had stopped at the convenience store to buy a huge bag of hard candies. Admittedly, sucking on those fruity morsels was helping.

She also felt strangely energetic, despite having been awake since 5:00 that morning. She knew she also hadn’t gotten enough sleep the night before, wide awake worrying about more needles. She also had a little muscle weakness, particularly in her legs. Still, these symptoms were much more manageable than the side effects from last time. The arm where they had drawn her blood had been so sore that it was basically useless for a week.

However, she was feeling one strange thing that Mr. Chieda hadn’t mentioned: extreme infatuation. Probably not a side effect.

Was that the right word for it? Bibi and Mizuki had been practically inseparable since they met. In fact, Bibi couldn’t remember one day that they hadn’t spent together since the TC-PERGE incident. If Bibi didn’t stay at the Date residence, Mizuki would sleep at Boss’s house. And always in the same bed.

But lately, Bibi had been wishing they were even closer. She didn’t want to think this was a crush, but…it definitely felt like one. She got these weird butterflies in her stomach whenever Mizuki looked at her sometimes. Lately, after Mizuki would give her a hug, she wondered if she could let her hands explore a little further across Mizuki’s body. When they would go one errands together and Mizuki grabbed her hand, Bibi got way too excited.

Sure, Bibi wasn’t experienced in romance, but she was experienced in having a sibling. At least, one in the more traditional sense. And she had never felt such intense attraction towards Kizuna.

Maybe it was a clone thing? In the same way that broken skin eventually seals itself back up, maybe her body was just naturally drawn to Mizuki’s. She wanted it to be that simple, but it didn’t exactly explain away her decidedly romantic thoughts.

And if that were the case, wouldn’t Mizuki feel the same way? Then again, she had been more affectionate towards her older lookalike lately, but Bibi had written it off as concern over the gene treatments.

God, but if that was the only reason… why did the possibility make Bibi feel a little disappointed? This was so confusing. She wished there was some kind of clone support group online she could join. It definitely wasn’t something she could talk to Kizzy about, or anyone else for that matter.

Except for one person…it was risky, but…they already told each other everything.

“Mizuki, I’ve got a question.”

“Me too. What the hell am I missing here?” Mizuki growled, staring at her game and not looking at Bibi.

The other girl lifted herself from her current position to sit next to Mizuki. “I feel like you’ve been on this puzzle for at least twenty minutes,” she teased.

“Are you seriously judging me right now? I haven’t heard any tips from you,” Mizuki’s eyes were still glued to the screen.

Bibi huffed in an extremely exaggerated manner. “I’m supposed to be resting, remember? And I’ve already played this game. I didn’t want to show you up with my god-gamer skills.”

Mizuki aggressively switched the camera around with her control stick a few times before offering the console to Bibi. “Okay, you do it.”

Bibi accepted it. “Are you sure that won’t ruin it for you? I know exactly how this one plays out.”

“Oh, I’m sure. Put those skills of yours to work,” Mizuki replied, looking away to check her phone for something.

Admittedly, Bibi had played this game, but not since she was Mizuki’s age. She actually didn’t remember this particular puzzle offhand, but she figured she’d give it a shot.

Bibi’s eyes widened as she got the Bad End screen not two minutes later. “Actually, never mind,” she said, forcing the console back into Mizuki’s hands.

“Dude, what the hell?! You said you knew how to solve it!” Mizuki groaned.

“Well, I thought I did.” Before Mizuki could respond, she pointed at the game screen. “Ohhh, look! That’s the rare CG though. You only get the garbage truck ending, like, once every ten plays.”

“Um, it also means you did extra bad on that puzzle. You know that, right?”

“And yet… you’re watching it.”

Mizuki was all smiles as she watched the mob boss (who she was supposed to save) get violently tossed into a dumpster. “Well… I do love this part. Reminds me of something I’d like to see happen to Moma.” They both watched the cutscene with rapt attention.

“And now it’s over,” she said, setting her game down and reaching for something on the bedroom floor. The next moment, Mizuki was raising a pillow above her head and giving Bibi an impish grin. “Which means it’s time to pay for your mistakes!”

Bibi couldn’t help but laugh as the pillow made impact with her arm. She managed to dodge the second hit, grabbing one of Mizuki’s rabbit plushies in the process. With its two floppy ears clenched in her fist, she successfully countered another swing.

Mizuki was obviously trying to look pissed off, but her huge smile broke her facade. “Using Adorabbit against me?! Oh, that’s low.”

Now they were both laughing as they exchanged blows with their soft weapons. It occurred to Bibi that being so rough with Mizuki’s stuffed Adorabbit could damage it: the one in her hand already had a loose eyeball. Not that Mizuki was lacking for these things: she had several different variants of the plush around her room.

Nonetheless, Bibi dropped it and reached behind her for a pillow instead. As she expected, Mizuki’s lighting-fast reflexes kicked in, though she thought she would be fast enough to avoid them. She forgot to account for her slightly incapacitated state, and Mizuki showed no mercy.

A soft blow to her stomach knocked Bibi onto her back, and Mizuki was laughing so hard that she practically fell on top of her. “Okay, okay, no more! I surrend-ow!!! Will you cut it out??” Bibi managed between giggles. She managed to wrench Mizuki’s pillow out of her grip and toss it to the side.

“What’s this, a surrender?! I don’t think I heard that right,” Mizuki taunted playfully. Despite Bibi squirming underneath her, the identical girl had managed to raise herself up back on her knees and was ready to resume combat. She had one of Bibi’s arms pinned down with one hand, while the other was searching for the pillow she lost.

“Yeah, yeah, you win. You can get off me now.”

Mizuki didn’t budge. “In a minute. I’m enjoying my victory.”

As their laughing calmed down while they each caught their breath, Bibi couldn’t help but notice how flushed Mizuki’s face was. Her hand was still over Bibi’s wrist, effectively pinning her arm down. Mizuki’s other hand rested beside Bibi’s opposite shoulder. She was looking down at Bibi with a small smile on her face, seeming to study her.

Now, from this angle, Bibi could sort of understand how people felt in all those corny movies Boss liked to watch. Her rosy cheeks, soft breathing, messy hair from their rough-housing… Mizuki looked even cuter than usual, for sure.

Judging from Mizuki’s face, it might be safe to assume that she was thinking similar thoughts. The girl on top of her wasn’t sending anything through the receptor they both shared in their eye sockets, so it was hard to tell for sure. Mizuki had taken Aiba out, but Bibi had forgotten to remove Marco from the previous day. They were so quiet that Bibi often forgot they were there.

She wondered what it would feel like if Mizuki’s face was closer by a few inches, which caused her to go lightheaded for a moment. What the hell was this? She considered asking Mizuki to lean down, but…

“So what’s my punishment, officer?” Bibi asked sarcastically, breaking out into a grin.

She still wasn’t sure about what she was feeling, and she couldn’t stand the thought of making Mizuki uncomfortable. For now, she was content to be as close as Mizuki would allow. Which, to be fair, was already quite close.

Mizuki grinned back, releasing Bibi’s hand and gently shifting herself back to the foot of the bed. “Eh, I’ll letcha off with a warning this time.”

Was her tone… a little off? Bibi rose back up to a sitting position and scooched over to sit by Mizuki. “Giving up already?”

“Um… what about your heart?” Mizuki asked.

Bibi raised an eyebrow. “What about it?”

Mizuki didn’t meet Bibi’s eyes, suddenly more interested in a frayed thread poking out of her sleeve. “I felt your pulse just now. It was a little high.”

Ah. Failed by her organs yet again. She hated making Mizuki worry. She took one of Mizuki’s hands and gently between her own. To her surprise, Mizuki’s pulse was going just as fast… interesting.

“Yours too. Copycat.”

Mizuki didn’t respond, but Bibi could see her relax a little bit. “I promise I’m okay. You know I’ve been through much worse. Besides, I’m supposed to be better now, remember?”

“Mr. Chieda said it might take a while for your cells to re-adjust,” Mizuki said softly.

“I remember. I was in the room when he told us.”

“Yeah, and remember when he said there’s a small chance it might not work? Aren’t you worried?”

“Maybe a little? But he said it’s like, a 3% chance. Listen, you need to stop being the mature one here. It’s weirding me out.”

This made Mizuki smirk. “Wait, there’s a mature one in this relationship?”

Bibi rolled her eyes. “Yes, and since that comment established that it’s me-”

“Debatable.”

“I insist that you tell me what’s on your mind. It’s not healthy to keep everything bottled up,” she reasoned, glad that Mizuki wasn’t clued into the hypocrisy of that statement coming from her. Bibi supposed it was possible that Mizuki’s elevated heart rate was simply due to concern, but it seemed very unlikely.

Mizuki exhaled, looking up at the ceiling and kicking one of her legs absently. “Well… you know how when…dogs get so excited they pee?”

Bibi groaned, flopping back over on her side. “Not that analogy again-”

“No, hear me out!” Mizuki insisted, turning around. “It’s like. Okay, when we were playing around just now… obviously I’d never hurt you for real, but-”

Bibi turned over on her stomach, propping herself up with her arms. “Why, because you know I’d kick your ass?”

Mizuki let out an adorable little tch and shook her head. “Because I love you, silly.”

Bibi chuckled warmly. “Oh, yeah.”

“Anyway, you know how when you’re tossing around some goons and you’re about to flip them right over your head…I just get such a rush from it. And when I grabbed your hand for a sec, I… felt a little bit of that. Like, I had to stop myself.”

So that’s all it was. Bibi supposed it was weird to think it was something else, especially attraction of all things. Mizuki never talked much about romance in the first place, not since she and Bibi had been reunited. In one of their many conversations, both of them professed to never wanting a boyfriend. They were all just so… boring.

After all, what average boy could relate to the struggle of keeping your genetically-modified reflexes in check? That was something only the two of them understood. She loved that she could be here for Mizuki like this.

“It’s okay, I getcha. But listen, you don’t have to treat me with kid gloves. I can fight back.”

Mizuki didn’t look assured. “It’s not that I think you couldn’t… I just don’t want you to think I’m like. A violent freak or something.”

Bibi scoffed. “Please. You’ve always played rough, even when we were kids. I remember one day, at the orphanage, you got in your head that I wasn’t giving you enough attention. When I refused to acknowledge you, you literally picked me up and threw me up one of those tube slides.”

“Wait, I what?!” Mizuki sputtered, equal parts amused and mortified.

“Yeah, you gave me some good scrapes on both my knees. But I was fine otherwise.”

“What a little shit I was,” Mizuki actually did sound embarrassed now, so Bibi rose up and wrapped her arms around Mizuki’s shoulders gently.

“Hey, you’ve grown up. A little,” she teased, getting another laugh out of Mizuki. “Wanna know something else? I think it’s cute when you get a little crazy.” Bibi could think of a few other saucier descriptors, but she was saving those for later. Possibly. “Even on me.”

“Seriously? Well, EVERYTHING I do is cute, actually. I see where you’re coming from.” Mizuki conceded.

“Plus, you know when to use your strength when it’s needed. Why would you doubt yourself?”

“Honestly? Finding out I was really different from everyone else, like on a molecular level, kinda made me insecure.” As Bibi pondered what to say in response, Mizuki fixed her good eye on her. “But it helps that I’m not alone.”

Bibi smiled. “Never again. And if anyone tries to judge you for it, judge you for anything, actually…I will personally break their kneecaps,” she snickered, bumping Mizuki’s forehead softly with her own. “How’s that?”

She wondered how she could have gone for years without seeing the smile that Mizuki gave her just now. Good thing Mizuki couldn’t feel Bibi’s elevated heartbeat this time.

“Only if I can join in.”

“Deal,” Bibi said, then separated herself from Mizuki and stood up from the bed. “Hey… wanna go downstairs and flip Date over something?” Might as well have been a rhetorical question: she knew it was an offer Mizuki couldn’t refuse. Plus, she was having another burst of energy and didn’t want to sit around in such an enclosed space with Mizuki for much longer, moments away from blurting out something impulsive. A change of scenery might distract her racing thoughts.

She’d ask Mizuki about it later, Bibi promised herself. Enough about her, she needed to tend to Mizuki’s emotional needs.

Mizuki definitely looked excited about the idea, but she didn’t immediately agree. “Hmmm, he didn’t really do anything, though…I feel like we should at least have a reason…”

“Mizuki, I have complete faith in your ability to think of one in less than ten seconds. Go.”

Unsurprisingly, it only took Mizuki about three seconds.

Mizuki’s eyes narrowed. “God, I forgot he used MY email address to get two free trials on one of his pervy porn sites. Cheapskate CREEP. Now I’m getting all these skeezy spam messages!”

Bibi shuddered. “Ewww… yikes. He’s gotta go down.”

Mizuki practically sprinted off the bed. “Let’s go.”

She grabbed Bibi’s hand as she darted past her, interlocking their fingers. That’s how lovers hold hands. The thought came before Bibi could stop it. She couldn’t remember where had heard such a thing… maybe a manga series? A TV drama? Could very well be a Boss philosophy too. Whatever the case, it was a very inconvenient thought to have, what with Mizuki’s face looking so kissable right now.

With great effort, she forced it out of her mind.

✧✧✧✧

“Jesus Christ, why are there two of them now?!” Date groaned loudly from the floor, sprawled out pathetically and holding his forehead. One minute he had been peacefully dozing on his couch, sitting up with his arms stretched out on top of the cushions. It was close to midnight, after all. He was in his own home with seemingly no danger to fear.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, Mizuki yelled his name from behind. He didn’t pay her any mind at first, half-heartedly swatting at her with one hand. Mizuki took the opportunity to her hook her arm over Date’s shoulder, effortlessly flipping him over onto the hard floor.

Date swore under his breath, attempting to scrabble to his feet as Mizuki loomed over him gleefully. Before he could do so, another Mizuki slid across his path, causing him to lose his footing and meet the floor face-first this time.

The two swiftly abandoned their victim, practically leaning on each other to keep from collapsing with laughter. Once they were safely in Mizuki’s room with the door locked, they gave each other a high five.

“Okay, that was actually? Just what I needed.” Mizuki said. “Bullying Date is so much funnier with an accomplice. And you’re a natural.”

Bibi tossed her hair playfully. “What can I say? It’s in my genes.”

Suddenly she winced as another wave of nausea overtook her. She had been having so much fun with Mizuki that she had forgotten about the side effects from her treatment.

Mizuki noticed her discomfort instantly. “Whoa, Bibi, are you okay?”

“Yeah, just more stomach cramps… coming back with a vengeance.”

Mizuki pulled Bibi gently with her across the room, setting her down on the bed. “Why don’t you lie down?”

Bibi made a soft noise of protest, but the cool sheets underneath her were surprisingly inviting. She was finally starting to get sleepy, her eyes fluttering shut as her head hit a soft pillow.

“Maybe… that’s a good idea.”

Mizuki smiled, brushing a lock of hair away from Bibi’s face. Bibi hummed blissfully at the action.

“I’m so goddamn proud of you,” Mizuki said.

Bibi opened her eyes slowly, smirking. “Mizuki, all I did was trip your old man.”

Mizuki pushed Bibi’s arm gently. “Not because of that. I’m talking about the gene editing. I know it wasn’t easy for you, going to the hospital. I know that they experimented on both of us, but… god, I really hate that you’re the only one who has those memories. You don’t deserve them.”

The hurt in Mizuki’s voice broke Bibi’s heart a little. She reached out and brushed one of Mizuki’s hands with her fingertips. “Please don’t say things like that. I’d never want you to have those.”

“R-right, sorry, I just…” she exhaled, as if letting off steam. “Anyway, what’s important is that you’re going to get better! Because you were so brave. And now we get to have even more time to do stuff together…beat the shit out of bad guys, mess with Date, hang out… anything.”

“That’s right,” Bibi said, smiling. She really did love the sound of that. “We really do have a lot of lost time to make up, huh?”

A big grin spread across Mizuki’s face. “Yup.”

“It’ll have to wait til tomorrow, though,” Bibi muttered, yawning. “I’m wiped.”

She was vaguely aware of Mizuki saying something in reply, but she dozed off before she heard what it was. Truthfully, Bibi thought she had only closed her eyes for a few moments, but the room was nearly dark when she opened them again. Her head darted toward the sound of Mizuki’s bedroom door creaking open.

And there was Mizuki, dressed like she was about to go out. Bibi remembered that they were both on a case today. Mizuki smiled at her apologetically. “Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you.”

“You didn’t,” Bibi reassured her, raising herself up on her arms to dig around in the bed for her phone. After she pulled it out from beneath some pillows, she pressed the home button to check the time. Quarter til six in the morning.

“Oh, in that case,” Mizuki flopped down hard next to Bibi in the bed, nearly bouncing the other woman off balance. “Good morning.”

Bibi chuckled, shifting slightly closer to her almost-twin. “Hmm, you smell nice. What shampoo is that?”

Mizuki grinned mischievously. “I dunno, I just grabbed it from your mom’s last night. Ayyyy~”

Bibi groaned playfully, shoving Mizuki’s arm. “Oh, shut up. You were with me all night, as I recall. I think we were a little extra flipping Date over the couch.”

Mizuki considered this briefly. “Eh, maybe. It was funny, though. AND it was your idea!”

Bibi couldn’t help but grin at that. “Oh yeah. Oops.”

“Baaaad influence,” Mizuki teased.

Oh, if you only knew, Bibi wanted to say, remembering all the thoughts that had been swirling around in her mind hours before. She couldn’t believe she had almost told Mizuki to kiss her. Even with their increasingly-close relationship, it was probably wasn’t appropriate to spring on someone who shared your DNA. She had to get a grip.

She ran a hand through her hair, which was messy from sleeping. She noticed her hair tie around her wrist, and realized Mizuki must have taken it out for her. A simple act of caring, and yet she could feel her grip getting away from her again. “I’d be even more of a bad influence if I made you late for work. Speaking of which, I should probably get ready too.”

Mizuki sat back up. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. I already called Boss and told her you’re staying home today.”

Bibi shot up next to her, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Why? We went over this last night, I’m fine-”

“We were scheduled for a twelve-hour shift, remember? I don’t think you should be pushing yourself so soon. You haven’t even had anything substantial to eat since the day before yesterday.”

As if on cue, Bibi’s stomach gurgled. Mizuki had a point: she hadn’t eaten much the day before her appointment, and her appetite had been reduced to nothing the next day. Even with her lingering nausea, a huge plate of fried rice or something sounded amazing right now.

“Look, I know you hate missing work, but pleeeease take the day off? You deserrrrve it,” Mizuki shamelessly pleaded, putting on her best puppy-dog stare. Goddamn it, Mizuki.

“Fine,” Bibi relented, “just be careful, okay?”

ABIS’s latest case seemed relatively innocuous by that department’s standards. A missing person with no evidence of foul play yet, but there was still a lot of investigation work to be done. Which meant the potential for dangerous suspects.

Mizuki grinned. “Aren’t I always? …Actually, don’t answer that. But I’ll have Aiba and my phone on me all day. Text me whenever you want.”

“Oh, I will. All day. Like, you’re gonna wanna block my number.” Bibi taunted.

Mizuki just scoffed, standing back up. “Like that would ever happen.”

Her phone buzzed, reminding her of the time. “Alright, talk to you soon, Bibi.”

“Mmhmm. Have fun,” Bibi said, still a little put out. She yawned and stretched her arms over her head. Stray bits of sunlight were getting into the room through the cracked window curtains. After Mizuki was gone, she was considering staying up for a while.

But Mizuki hadn’t left yet, her hand lingering on the door handle. She suddenly turned around and strode over to the bed.

“Forget something?” Bibi inquired, raising her eyebrows.

“Mmmhmm,” Mizuki hummed coyly, leaning down to Bibi’s level. Bibi barely registered what was happening before she felt Mizuki’s lips press against the corner of her mouth. She leisurely pulled away, like a goodbye kiss was something they did every day. Which, to be clear, it definitely wasn’t.

She probably had the goofiest look on her face, judging from Mizuki’s cocky expression. Bibi had to keep her cool. “What was that for?”

Mizuki shrugged. “I could tell that you wanted me to.”

What… what else could she tell that Bibi wanted?! Were they clone hiveminding right now??

“Anyway, byyyye, see ya later!” Satisfied with her work, Mizuki turned around and headed for the door again.

Now Bibi felt her own impulsive streak taking over. “Wait, Mizuki-”

She rose from the bed so quickly that she lost her footing, practically falling into Mizuki’s arms.

“Whoa, easy-”

Bibi steeled herself, grasping Mizuki’s arms lightly as she stared her down. “By any chance… did you know that I wanted that last night too?”

Mizuki’s good eye seemed to widen, but she didn’t push Bibi away. “Um… when, exactly?”

Was she dodging the question? “Mizuki… I really need to know.”

“I mean… kinda, yeah,” Mizuki admitted, her face flushing ever so slightly. “Of course I knew. But I didn’t…” she trailed off.

Bibi tried to wait patiently, but she broke their silence after more than a few moments had passed. “Didn’t what? Spit it out,” she said, pressing a little firmer on Mizuki’s arms.

“I just didn’t want to be weird, okay?!” Mizuki burst out. “Because I was so close to doing it. I wanted to, but that’s not just something you do to your, like… sister, or whatever.”

“Well, to be fair, you’re the one who called us sisters first,” Bibi pointed out. The gravity that Mizuki possibly may have returned her feelings hadn’t quite hit her just yet. The way she just said it with hardly any reservation… then again, that was Mizuki for you.

Mizuki looked annoyed. “Okay, genius, then what would YOU call us?”

Bibi shrugged. “I dunno. I’m just saying you may have gotten ahead of yourself, considering…” she paused, not really sure what to call this just yet.

Mizuki exhaled a little nervously. “Right, whatever the hell we’re doing right now.”

“Listen… it might. Not be so weird?” Bibi ventured after another pause. She let go of Mizuki, giving her a little space between them. “Not if we’re both okay with it.” Mizuki didn’t say anything for a moment, making Bibi fear that she had overstepped a boundary. “But only if that’s the case. So… what are you thinking?”

Mizuki’s phone started buzzing again, spooking them both. Mizuki cursed and silenced it with one hand, keeping her gaze on Bibi. Mizuki could have easily taken the alarm as an out, yet she made no attempt to remove herself from the situation. Bibi also noted, not without some satisfaction, that Mizuki’s pupil was dilated.

“Is this really okay, though? Like, this might sound a little crazy, but… I’ve thought about this a couple of times. That’s totally not creeper behavior, right?”

Bibi almost laughed at such a ridiculous notion, but she reserved herself. “I said I’d never judge you for anything. I meant that. I just wish you would have said something last night so that I would have felt less creepy about it.”

“Sorrrrry,” Mizuki said, a little sheepishly. “I can’t read your mind that well. I didn’t know exactly what you wanted.”

“I can show you, if you think you’re up for it.” Bibi offered playfully, a hint of a challenge in her voice.

Sure enough, Bibi’s tone made Mizuki smirk despite her anxiety. “Bring it on.”

Confident now, Bibi pulled on Mizuki’s tie and brought their lips crashing together. Mizuki let out a muffled noise of surprise, then melted against Bibi with a contented sigh. The sound and sensation of Mizuki pressed against her sent sparks through Bibi’s body. It was instantly apparent that this wasn’t some strange clone issue: their shared contact didn’t bring Bibi a sense of resolution at all. This unbridled magnetism, and her desire to kiss Mizuki even deeper… this had to be something else.

Despite feeling so heady with desire, she wanted to gauge Mizuki’s reaction. She pulled away and opened her eyes in time to see Mizuki’s flutter open, an adorable dazed look on her face. “Holy shit…”

Bibi’s ears were burning, her blood pumping with happy adrenaline, but she managed a cool facade. “Something like that… is what I was thinking about.”

Mizuki still didn’t say anything back after a few moments. Bibi snorted, waving a hand in front of Mizuki’s face. “Heeey, Mizuki? Did I lose you?”

Mizuki snapped out of her trance, breaking out into a huge grin. She cupped Bibi’s cheek in one hand and brought her back in for another kiss, more eager this time. Her other hand snaked around Bibi’s waist, bringing their bodies closer together. Bibi couldn’t suppress the low moan that escaped her as Mizuki nibbled on her bottom lip, obviously wanting to taste more of her. It felt amazing.

Mizuki’s phone went off again, a more urgent alarm this time. Mizuki gently pulled herself away from Bibi, wrenching her phone out of her pocket. “Ohhh my god, shut the fuck UP!!” she shouted at it, silencing it again.

Bibi laughed as Mizuki threw her arms around Bibi’s shoulders the next instant, nuzzling her cheek against her own. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.”

“R-really?” This felt like such a perfect dream that Bibi didn’t want to get too cozy.

Mizuki leaned back. “I was, uh… kinda fishing last night. When I said I loved you.”

Bibi raised her eyebrows. “That was a hint???”

“Well, yeah?” Mizuki said, as if it was the most logical thing in the world. Like they hadn’t said they loved each other so many times already.

“You better stick to police work. Sorry for holding you up, by the way.”

Mizuki puffed out her cheeks, pouting. “Nooo, how do you expect me to work in these conditions?”

Bibi smirked. “What conditions?”

“I’m just going to be thinking about kissing you all day,” Mizuki sighed.

“Same,” Bibi admitted, running a hand slowly down Mizuki’s arm. “You could let me come to work with you…”

Mizuki seemed to consider it, but apparently Bibi’s charms still couldn’t shake her resolve. “Nice try, but you need your rest.”

Bibi huffed, taking her hand away and putting it on her hip. “I don’t think we’d be doing much of that if you stayed home, anyway.”

Mizuki cocked her head innocently. “What do you mean?” And then in a slightly huskier voice, “You can relax and let me do allll the work.”

Bibi tried to keep herself from blushing, knowing that it would only encourage Mizuki. When the hell did she get so smooth. Instead, she shoved Mizuki gently towards the door.

“We’ll have time for that later. Unless my mom bites your head off for being so late.”

“Pssh, she loves me,” Mizuki said with a wave of her hand. “But, uh… don’t forget to text me, okay? Work is going to be so boring without you.”

Bibi smiled. “I will. See you tonight.”

After Mizuki had gone, Bibi flopped down on her bed in disbelief. All that worrying and Mizuki had been harboring the same feelings. Given how often they managed to be in sync, this shouldn’t have been a surprise. Yet here Bibi was, squishing an Adorabbit against her face to keep a swiftly-spreading blush at bay. She missed that damn girl already.

She heard the familiar soft voice of her AI-Ball in her head, remembering that Marco had seen everything. “Sorry, I probably should have warned you that I was about to do that,” Bibi said out loud.

Fortunately, Marco wasn’t the hypercritical type. God, she hadn’t even thought about what their friends might say. And frankly, she couldn’t be bothered to care at this moment. She had spent enough time worrying about the future: she could afford to enjoy the present for once.

Without Mizuki to distract her, Bibi felt her eyelids getting heavy again. She made herself comfortable on Mizuki’s side of the bed, where a subtly-sweet smell lingered from her shampoo. Marco said something else, prompting Bibi to reply “You didn’t see anything,” before falling asleep.

✧✧✧✧

Hours later, Bibi was mentally struggling under the weight of 20 unanswered texts from Mizuki. Why the hell did she have to be like this?

“No initiating anything, I said…” she growled under her breath, revving her scooter’s motor a little harder than necessary. After she had woken up from another nap, the reality of the situation crashed into her. There was no way this could work, she told herself, and yet she had let her hormones take over.

The fact that Mizuki had indulged her only made it worse. Sure, she had kissed her goodbye this morning, but so what?? It shouldn’t have been an invitation for Bibi to jump her like she had done. Whether they were technically sisters or not, the fact that they shared the same genetics made this attraction unbelievably taboo. Maybe even perverse… a quality Bibi had accepted about some of her fixations long ago. But now Bibi was just dragging Mizuki down with her.

The worst thing was, when Mizuki got an idea in her head, she never let it go. Even if Bibi wanted to break it off (was there even something to break off?), she’d have to fight Mizuki to convince her. Something she definitely never wanted to do. She couldn’t even imagine how to start that conversation.

She had hoped that driving around on her bike would clear her head, but it wasn’t working so far. Especially not with Mizuki blowing up her phone. Kizuna had called her too a few hours ago, asking about her treatment. Bibi had only given Kizuna the shortest of responses before hanging up, so she was also angry at herself for that.

Everywhere she stopped… Aioen, Misetan, and even Yoyagi Park… the thoughts in her head were too loud. She attempted to have lunch at Brahman, but could only stomach a few bites. She found herself regretting not going to Marble instead, but thought better of it. Mama always had a way of extracting secrets from her patrons, and Bibi was too ashamed to let this one slip.

At 5:30 in the afternoon, Bibi’s scooter was almost out of gas and Mizuki would be off work soon. She didn’t have the mental fortitude to go back to Mizuki’s place without a plan of action. She drove back to Boss’s house instead. In the extremely likely event that Mizuki would chase after her, she wouldn’t have to look far.

Bibi’s room was very minimalist: a mattress shoved into the corner, a tea table with a few floor cushions near the center, and some other miscellaneous treasures that Bibi had procured through the years. Some of these were from her days in the thieves’ guild, but most of them she had scoured from the trash. One of these was a huge floor chair, which she proceeded to drag over to the room’s solitary window. It was also close to the floor: sitting down, the windowsill was within perfect reach for Bibi to rest her elbows on top of it.

It also allowed her to get a good view of the street below: her stomach was tightening with the thought of seeing Mizuki again. Some of that was from anxiety, but more than anything, she just wanted Mizuki near her. Maybe that would help her see things a little more clearly, since nothing else seemed to be working.

At twenty past six, Bibi heard the screech of tires in the distance. Mizuki pulled up to Boss’s residence mere moments later, almost letting her bike fall to the ground without leaving the kickstand up. Bibi had given her a key weeks before, so Mizuki wasted no time letting herself in.

A few frantic footsteps later and Mizuki opened the bedroom door carefully. “Bibi?” she ventured, looking around the room. Her bad eye was closed: she must have left Aiba to charge. She let out a small sigh of relief when she saw Bibi sitting by the window, though Bibi could tell she was still a little annoyed.

“Hey,” Bibi said, smiling. “How was your day?”

“Um, okay I guess? What about you? You didn’t answer any of my texts. I mean, not like you had to, but…”

“No, I’m sorry,” Bibi interrupted. “I had to go out for a ride to clear my head. I wasn’t really paying attention to my phone.” It wasn’t completely a lie. Most of the time she had been on her favorite bench at Aioen, her phone hidden away in her pocket on silent. Unfortunately, since they always responded to each other's messages under normal circumstances, this excuse was obviously bullshit. Mizuki thought as much too: Bibi could see it in her face.

“Wellll… you’re feeling okay, right? No more side effects?” Mizuki asked. She looked concerned now.

“My… oh, yeah.” Bibi had been so preoccupied with her emotional crisis that she had almost forgotten about her treatment earlier. “I think I’m fine now.”

“That’s good, so… what else is bothering you?”

She should have known it was pointless to hide anything from Mizuki. As she tried to find the words to explain herself, Mizuki spoke first. “Look, if it’s about this morning, I’m sorry if I came on too strong. We can take it slower, if you want.”

Bibi looked at her incredulously. “Mizuki, I made the first move, remember?” She smiled at the memory in spite of herself.

Mizuki grinned. “No, that was ME.”

Bibi cocked her head. “Are you sure that counted? It was just a cheek kiss.”

“It absolutely counted!!” Mizuki yelled, laughing as she sank down to her knees beside Bibi. “And it’s a good thing I did. Who knows how long it would have taken you.”

Mizuki definitely sounded happy about the current circumstances, but Bibi couldn’t bring herself to share the sentiment. Not for lack of trying, but the internal conflict was eating her alive. “You really want to do this, don’t you?”

Mizuki smirked. “Well, duh. “

“And… you think it’s a good idea?”

Mizuki’s smile faltered slightly, and she stood straight up again. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Mizuki…” Bibi said gently. “Remember what I told you after you found out who I was? I just feel like if we do this, I’m holding you back from a normal life. We probably can’t get married, I can’t give you kids… are you really okay with that?”

Mizuki looked offended at the mere implication. “I don’t even want any of that gross stuff!” Then, grabbing one of Bibi’s hands and squeezing it, she said, “Come on, you know you’re more important to me.”

Bibi pushed Mizuki’s hand back to her, getting up from her chair and starting to pace. “You say that now, but what about later? Besides, I’m supposed to be protecting you, Mizuki. You know how cruel the world is to people like us. I couldn’t live with myself if someone hurt you because-”

“You don’t have to protect me, though!” Mizuki almost shouted from across the room, making Bibi flinch a little. Mizuki lowered her voice. “You shouldn’t have to put that all on yourself. You know how I feel about homophobes. I’ll beat ANYONE’S ass who says that we can’t be together. And even if that happens, so what?!”

She walked back over to Bibi’s side. “I mean, Bibi… look at everything we’ve been through. Especially you! So many people have tried to hurt us, like, way worse people than simple-minded bigots. I’m not scared of them, and you shouldn’t be scared for my sake. Especially if you think it means that… you can’t be honest with your feelings because of them.”

Mizuki’s voice wavered with her the last sentence, making Bibi wince again. She could certainly see the truth in Mizuki’s words, but…

“Everything we’ve been through is exactly why I worry,” Bibi said softly, looking off to the side. “Do you blame me?”

Mizuki sighed after a moment. “No… of course not. But things are different now, you know? We’re stronger than when we were kids, and we have each other to rely on.”

Bibi found herself smiling at the memories of them fighting NAIX agents in perfect harmony. “We definitely make a good team.”

“Right? So… can you please be selfish for once?” Mizuki asked, touching Bibi’s shoulder gently. “You’re allowed to do that. And you sure as hell deserve it.”

Bibi felt so torn. All this time she had been dreaming about getting to this point, she had never thought that Mizuki would be on the same page. She hadn’t been prepared for all the uncertainty and the guilt that plagued her mind, like she might be ruining Mizuki’s life. And yet, Mizuki was still standing right next to her, and Bibi wanted to believe everything that she was saying. After all, if she couldn’t trust Mizuki, who could she trust?

With barely another thought, Bibi closed the gap between them. As soon as Mizuki’s lips were back on hers, she could feel all the other bad thoughts in her head fade away. She needed Mizuki closer: her hands pulled at Mizuki’s hips, her tongue darting inside Mizuki’s mouth as their kissing got deeper. She feared that Mizuki wouldn’t like that for a split second, but a fervent moan quickly proved otherwise.

They finally broke for a bit of air after several moments, swaying with their arms wrapped around each other. Mizuki smiled knowingly. “Still want to go back to our totally platonic relationship?”

Bibi rolled her eyes. “Hell no,” she said, eliciting a laugh from Mizuki. “And thank you for reminding me.”

“No problem,” Mizuki said, blushing even more. She looked slightly weak in the knees, so Bibi pushed her towards the bed. Bibi sat down first and pulled Mizuki into her lap, who eagerly straddled the older girl. Then they were kissing again, though they were slightly more relaxed this time. Bibi let her hands roam slowly across Mizuki’s body until they rested on her thighs, giving them a good squeeze. Mizuki practically mewled in delight against Bibi’s lips, giving the other girl another huge dopamine rush.

“God, how are you so good at this?” Mizuki breathed against Bibi’s skin. She ducked her head to trail more kisses along Bibi’s neck.

“I dunno,” Bibi replied, arching her back in delight at Mizuki’s touches. “I’m guessing it’s… our DNA. I’m just touching you where I like to be touched. I think our pleasure receptors…,” she gasped softly as she felt Mizuki’s tongue swirl around a particularly sensitive spot, “are… wired the same way.”

“Must be why it’s so easy for me, too,” Mizuki said, pulling away to look at Bibi’s lovestruck face properly. “I was going to ask you if you’d been with anyone else before. I mean, you’re SO gorgeous, I figured you would have.”

Bibi had to keep herself from squirming in delight at the compliment. “I actually haven’t. Well… there was my 21st birthday. Boss threw a party for me at Marble and invited, like, a dozen sex workers. Women, mostly.”

“Geeez,” Mizuki said, “Definitely sounds like something she’d do.”

“Yeah, it was super awkward. And I was so nervous that I had to get shitfaced before I could even interact with any of them. Back then, Boss knew I was struggling with my sexuality, so in her own way… I guess she was trying to help?”

Mizuki cracked a smile. “That’s… one way to go about it.”

“Anyway, yeah. I… did some stuff with one of them.” The memory was honestly embarrassing for Bibi, so she had blocked most of it out. “But it didn’t go very far. Boss ended up getting between us when she saw how drunk I was. And I haven’t even so much as thought about anyone else that way until now.”

“Sooo, what was she like? Was she pretty?”

Of course Mizuki couldn’t resist asking. “Jealous?” Bibi teased.

“Um, as if,” Mizuki said shortly, crossing her arms. “I already know there was no way she was cuter than me.”

Bibi laughed softly, giving Mizuki a quick kiss on the mouth. “Definitely not. Also? Her kissing game didn’t even compare to yours.”

Mizuki’s annoyed expression turned smug as she wrapped her arms around Bibi’s middle possessively. “Good answer.”

“Honestly, I’m pretty sure Boss thought she scared me away from women forever, after that. She’s been trying to set me up on blind dates for years.”

“She’ll probably be thrilled about this, then,” Mizuki said, then almost looked like she regretted it. “Do you… want to tell people or…”

“Yeah,” Bibi replied so quickly that Mizuki blinked in surprise. “You know I’m used to hiding, but… I think everything you said earlier was right. We don’t have anything to be ashamed about.”

Mizuki sighed happily. “Good, because it would actually be SO annoying to keep this a secret.”

Bibi smiled at her enthusiasm. “Can you do one thing for me, though?”

“What?”

“Can we, maybe… hold off on telling our friends for a little while? It’s no big deal if strangers know, but… the past six years, I feel like I drifted apart from almost everyone we know. I was thinking about it last night, and I just… don’t want to lose them again. Or worse, have them think badly of you.”

“Aww, Bibi… “ Mizuki’s gaze softened and she hugged Bibi gently. “I really don’t think you have anything to worry about. But… if it’ll make you feel better, I’m cool with that.” She pulled back. “Maybe we could tell them, like, one at a time? That way you won’t be overwhelmed.”

After thinking it over for a few moments, Bibi nodded. “I think that would work. Thanks, Mizuki.”

Mizuki smiled, obviously pleased with herself. “Good. Alsooooo, um… here’s the funny thing about that…”

Bibi’s eyes widened. “You… already??? Who?!”

Mizuki rubbed the back of her head, a little embarrassed now. “I might have been… flexing a little… to Ryuki…”

Bibi resisted the urge to facepalm, shaking her head at Mizuki instead. She wasn’t mad necessarily, though she did wish Mizuki would have asked her. “Oh my god… it hasn’t even been 24 hours??”

“Well, you didn’t answer my texts ALL day, and I was stuck with him the whole time. How else was I supposed to entertain myself?” Mizuki asked defensively.

“Fair enough,” Bibi relented after a moment. “I can’t hold you responsible for something I just told you, anyway.” It was also impossible for her to be pissed off with Mizuki sitting adorably in her lap, but she didn’t voice that part.

“Nope, you can’t,” Mizuki confirmed with a grin. “And now that I know, no more surprises. Promise.”

Bibi exhaled slowly, doing her best to accept the situation. “Then I suppose Aiba and Tama know too.”

Mizuki’s hands made their way up to Bibi’s shoulders, squeezing them reassuringly. “Yeah, but Aiba doesn’t care. She was just like,” Mizuki cleared her throat and adopted her best Aiba impersonation, “‘I’ve already noticed a drastic increase in your oxytocin levels. If the chemical reaction experienced by Bibi remains similar, I’d say that you two make the perfect pair!’”

She played up the snootiness in Aiba’s tone to the extreme, making Bibi laugh. “Okay, what about Tama? Give me Tama.”

“Okay, hold on,” Mizuki said, reaching both arms deftly around her head to undo her braids. Free from their restraints, her turquoise hair billowed around her like a lion’s mane, and she tossed it back over her shoulder dramatically. What skilled fingers she has, Bibi couldn’t help but think, trying not to betray how flustered the thought made her. She rolled her hips flirtatiously while shoving her slight chest in Bibi’s face. As ridiculous as Mizuki’s display was, Bibi found herself strangely into it.

“‘Ohhh, Mizuki’,” she purred, lowering her voice a few octaves, “So that explains all the sleepovers you’ve been having.” She punctuated this with a fake moan and draped her arms over Bibi’s shoulders. “‘Can I join the next one? I’ve never been on a panty raid before.’”

“I wouldn’t mind,” Bibi said, lowering her eyelids suggestively.

This made Mizuki snap out of her charade. “Maybe I don’t feel like sharing,” she said with a low, playful growl in her voice that made Bibi swoon.

“Jussst kidding,” she said, taking advantage of Mizuki’s lips right in front of her to steal another kiss. Then, with a more suspicious tone, “And the verdict from Ryuki?”

Mizuki scoffed, blowing a stray lock of hair out of her eyes. “I mean, he was just Ryuki about it. He seemed surprised at first, but not really bothered by it?”

“You think he’s told anyone else?”

Mizuki shifted herself out of Bibi’s lap to sit beside her instead. “I really doubt it,” she said, elbowing Bibi in the ribs. “Hell, since I didn’t tell him something about Date, he probably already forgot.”

Bibi snickered softly. “True. So, when you say ‘flexing’... what were you saying about us?”

“Well, since everyone’s always BUSTING my BALLS about not having a boyfriend or whatever, I just wanted to rub it in Ryuki’s face that I got to kiss the prettiest person in the world,” Mizuki said with a cheeky grin. “

Bibi felt another blush coming on. “The cutest? I think your point of reference might be a little limited. How many other people are you kissing?”

“I don’t need a point of reference. You’re the only other person in the world who looks like me, making you the cutest by default,” Mizuki replied matter-of-factly.

“An excellent point,” Bibi agreed. “I love you.”

Mizuki beamed. “I love you,” she replied, bumping Bibi’s shoulder with her own. “So, you’re okay with everything now, right? You can be honest.”

The turbulent emotions that Bibi had felt earlier had indeed subsided to minuscule levels. “Yeah. I’m actually… starting to think this will work.”

✧✧✧✧

It shouldn’t have been a surprise, Bibi told herself, that something would fall through eventually.

Not things with Mizuki. In fact, their relationship was probably the only thing keeping her from spiraling. Their daily routine hadn’t changed too much: they behaved normally at ABIS, of course. After work, they still slept over at each other's houses and slept in the same bed. Only now there was a lot more touching.

A ton of kissing too. More often than not, their play-fighting ended in heated make-out sessions. Bibi was usually as competitive as Mizuki, but lately she had been letting Mizuki dominate her on purpose. She loved seeing the thrill in Mizuki’s eyes, her body buzzing with energy and she ravished Bibi with bites and kisses. She had given Bibi her first hickey a couple of days prior, and Bibi could easily see herself getting addicted. Good thing they were relatively easy to conceal under the collar of her bodysuit.

They hadn’t had sex yet, mostly due to some lingering reservations on Bibi's part. She still worried about potentially corrupting Mizuki and her own abilities as a lover. Thankfully, Mizuki was never short on enthusiasm over Bibi's touches and kisses, so Bibi was working up the nerve at a rapid pace. And they had gotten close once or twice. A little groping here, some grinding there… the day before, Mizuki had grabbed Bibi from behind and started nuzzling her neck. Her breath hitched at the sight of Mizuki’s bare arms: when she had the chance to turn around, she saw that Mizuki was undressed from the waist up with just a bra covering her breasts.

The who of them had seen each other naked before, more than a few times. She fondly remembered the first bath they had taken together, on a day when Bibi was having a particularly hard time managing her chest pain. As Mizuki gently washed her body, Bibi thought she might melt from happiness.

Afterward, they found themselves slipping further and further from “sisterly” touching in the bath. Bibi remembered playfully grabbing Mizuki’s breasts from behind, then spending the rest of the night wondering it why it had made her so excited. But to see Mizuki actually presenting those breasts to Bibi, along with a tempting grin and bedroom eyes… definitely took a moment to process.

Once she did, she was all too eager to pull Mizuki close for a kiss, relishing the feel of her almost-bare breasts against her own under her clothes. Had Boss literally not been a few yards away in the next room, and the fact that had a shift that day, Bibi doubted they would have been able to control themselves.

In fact, she had wanted to pick up where they left off when they got home from work, but things hadn’t quite worked out.

A particularly troublesome suspect had tried to escape interrogation that night, leaving Bibi and Mizuki to chase after him. They lost him at an intersection and had split up the opposite way, and Bibi had been the one to find him first.

It was the first time she had been doing any intense physical activity since her treatment, and she couldn’t help but be anxious about it. She felt slightly dizzy running and jumping to catch up to the suspect, but it was nothing she hadn’t been able to handle before. She had no problems subduing the man with a few well-timed kicks and a backhand, but not before he whipped out a taser and jabbed her hip.

She honestly hadn’t been thinking much about her heart condition since her last treatment two weeks ago. Partially thanks to Mizuki, but she had been feeling stronger in general. But in addition to the bone-rattling shock from the taser, she also felt the familiar pressure in her chest that had plagued her for years.

Static blurred her vision and she sank to the ground, weakly fumbling around in her pocket for a needle. She was glad she was still carrying her antidote: it usually worked in a pinch. She gently pressed her cheek against the cold concrete as she waited for it to take effect, vaguely aware of Mizuki’s frantic yelling nearby.

Though her head was swimming and she couldn’t see straight, she didn’t actually lose consciousness. The antidote also seemed to calm her heart relatively fast. Usually, after a direct shock to her body like that, she’d have to rest for hours.

Still, Mizuki had been so shaken up that she insisted Bibi called Mr. Chieda the next morning. He recommended that Bibi come in for an echocardiogram, just to check that the gene treatment had actually worked. Fortunately, that didn’t involve any more big needles: all she would have to do was lie down while a technician listened to her heart.

Still, she was so irritated and restless. She had really wanted to be fixed, for both of their sakes. She felt like punching something, but she held herself back. Probably wouldn’t have been wise, considering she was hugging Mizuki’s waist on the back of her bike. Mizuki had insisted that it would help calm Bibi down, and Bibi couldn’t deny that it helped a little. Physical contact with Mizuki always did wonders for her mental state. She just wished it would have been under better circumstances.

“You okay?” Mizuki asked after they had disembarked at the research hospital.

“I don’t know,” Bibi said despondently, prompting Mizuki to grab her hands, pulling her close enough so that their foreheads touched.

“Whatever’s going on… I’m sure they can get it straightened out.”

Bibi wasn’t convinced. “I’m just starting to think I CAN’T be fixed at this point.”

Mizuki squeezed her hands gently. “I’m not gonna believe that. Let’s just see what the doctors have to say first. You’ve come this far anyway, so… might as well see it through, right?”

She hated that she could see Mizuki’s point. “If I must. I just don’t want this to be a regular thing. You know I HATE being poked and prodded like a damn animal.”

“I know, Bibi,” Mizuki said in a tender voice that made Bibi want to melt despite the bile in her throat. “Want me to deck one of the doctors?”

Bibi couldn’t stop herself from cracking up at that, leaning in for a quick kiss. “Don’t. Not yet, anyway.”

The procedure only took a half-hour, but Bibi was glad that Mizuki had followed her inside all the same. Afterward, as Bibi was about to change out of her gown, Aiba alerted Mizuki to a call from ABIS HQ. Bibi gave her a nod to take it while she put her clothes back on, eager to leave as soon as possible.

As she exited the changing room, she almost bumped into the back of Kizuna’s wheelchair.

“Oh, geez, I’m sorry,” Bibi said. “Wasn’t paying attention.”

“It’s good to see you, Big Sis,” Kizuna greeted her warmly as she turned herself around to properly face the other girl. “What are you doing here?”

“Um… just, a check-up. Your dad just wanted to see how the gene therapy was working.” Bibi held back on mentioning the events of the night before. She didn’t feel like bringing it up again, but she also didn’t want to worry Kizuna.

“Oh, of course. I hope everything’s going alright?”

Bibi rubbed her arm self-consciously, suddenly remembering their phone conversation from a week prior. She had been so wrapped up in work and Mizuki that she never apologized for being rude over the phone. “I guess we’ll see. Hey, listen… I’m sorry I was such an ass last week.”

Kizuna looked like she had to remember what Bibi was talking about for a moment, then realization dawned on her. “Oh, when I called you? I had already forgotten about it, honestly. You’ve been going through a lot recently… I figured I just caught you at a bad time.”

Bibi sighed with relief. “Still. Anyway, what are you doing here? Everything okay?”

Kizuna nodded. “I’m fine. Just had to talk to my father about something. Hey, I thought Mizuki was with you?”

“Oh, yeah. She had to take a call.”

“I saw the two of you from the window. You’ve gotten very close lately, I see.”

Bibi felt herself stiffen defensively. Just how much had Kizuna seen? Her first impulse was to play it off, or ignore the comment entirely. There was nothing Kizuna could prove after all: Bibi and Mizuki acted closer than any normal siblings around their peers. A kiss here and there could make sense… right?

Then she remembered how Mizuki had just brazenly told Ryuki without even thinking about it. He hadn’t so much as brought it up again, and the two of them had been alone with him plenty of times since then. Plus, this was Kizuna. One of the sweetest people Bibi knew… it had to be okay to trust her.

“Yeah, we’re kind of dating, I think?” Bibi blurted it out before she even realized it. “I’ve liked her for a really long time and it finally just… happened.”

Kizuna’s eyes widened. “O-oh. I had no idea. Well, I did see you kissing, but… I didn’t want to assume.”

Bibi’s face flushed slightly at having possibly exposed herself for no reason. But it was out there now. She ran a hand through her hair self-consciously. “You think it’s weird, huh? Sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“It’s… unconventional, I’ll admit. But I can’t say it comes as much of a surprise,” Kizuna said, smiling. “You know, you really seem to glow every time she’s beside you.”

Bibi didn’t know what to say for a moment, the comment making her insides flutter. She wondered if the two of them were that obvious to everyone. Still, it meant a lot coming from Kizuna, and she found herself grinning.

“Yeah. I love her SO damn much, Kizzy.”

Kizuna giggled softly. “Then that’s all that matters!” She reached out to touch Bibi’s arm reassuringly. “Lots of relationships have their quirks. Look at Iris and Amame… they’re still dating despite the fact that most people would call Amame a criminal. Even Lien and I got strange looks sometimes, and we were as straight-passing as you can be! I’m just happy you both found each other.”

Bibi knew that Kizuna was fond of all genders when it came to dating, but the comment about Lien threw her for a loop. “Hold on, ‘were’? What’s with the past tense?”

Kizuna’s expression became troubled. “Yeah… we decided to take a break for a while.”

“Kizzy… I’m really sorry.”

Kizuna shook her head. “Don’t be, I was the one who suggested it. I love Lien as a dear friend, but… I don’t know… I’m starting to think I may have rushed into something without thinking about it. I used to think that only Lien could love someone in… my state. But lately, I’m not sure that’s the case.”

“Definitely not,” Bibi confirmed.

“Anyway, I just need time to sort things out on my own, y’know?”

Bibi nodded. “Yeah, of course.”

“I was actually going to mention it when I called you, the other day.”

Bibi groaned, rolling her eyes skyward. “Sheeesh, and all I did was hang up on you. Sorry.”

“Like I said, no big deal.” Kizuna’s mellow expression returned, no trace of ill will in her voice. She was too good, Bibi thought.

“If you need anything, you know I’m here for you. Seriously. You’re still my little sister,” Bibi reminded her. She could sense that Kizuna was feeling a little insecure, so her protective instinct was kicking in.

“I know that. Thanks, Big Sis.”

“Kizzy, hey!!!” Bibi and Kizuna looked down the hallway to see Mizuki running up to them excitedly.

“Good to see you, Mizuki,” Kizuna greeted her warmly.

“I know, it’s been a while!” Turning to Bibi she said, “Sorry that took so long, Date would NOT shut up.”

“You’re fine.” Bibi said. Feeling emboldened, she grabbed Mizuki’s hand and pulled her in for a quick smooch. She couldn’t hold back a smirk at Mizuki’s adorably shocked expression.

“Bibi… ?!” Mizuki’s eyes darted between Bibi and Kizuna, who also seemed thoroughly amused.

“What?” Bibi asked innocently, swinging Mizuki’s arm gently.

Mizuki huffed after a moment, grinning as she rolled her eyes. “Nothing. Just didn’t expect you to tell Kizuna without me.”

“I can do things without you sometimes.”

“CAN you?” Mizuki teased. “You’re so obsessed with me.”

“Yeah. So what?” Bibi said in an unexpectedly husky voice that made Mizuki’s face redden.

“Honestly, you two… Kizuna is right here,” Mizuki and Bibi heard Aiba’s chiding voice in their ears.

“It’s just Kizzy,” Mizuki said out loud, then remembering that Kizuna lacked a receptor in her eye socket, she relayed the message. “Aiba thinks we’re annoying you.”

Kizuna shook her head self-consciously. “O-oh, it’s okay! I think it’s sweet.”

The comment went to Mizuki’s head in an instant. “Yeah, AIBA,” she said cheekily, “At least SOMEONE appreciates us.”

“Oh?” Aiba chirped. “In that case, I would happy to show her some holograms of your other activities. Here’s one from May 27th, at 1:17 AM, taken from the top of Boss’s kitchen counter-”

“Aiba, those are PRIVATE!!! Why were you recording that?!” Mizuki practically shouted in her head through the receptor.

“It was late at night after all, and the kitchen was very dimly lit. Someone could have fallen and gotten hurt. Not to mention, both of you weren’t paying attention to your surroundings. What if an intruder had been present?”

“You can call the police without RECORDING us!”

“I wouldn’t mind seeing that again,” Bibi’s voice chimed in Mizuki’s head. She was relishing the memory of lifting Mizuki up on said counter, peppering her bare stomach with kisses.

“Maybe LATER,” Mizuki said over the line, not wanting to add fuel to Aiba’s fire. She was never forgetting to take that AI ball out again. She just hoped her flustered expression wouldn’t raise any questions from Kizuna, who was still watching them with a smile.

✧✧✧✧

“You wanna know something funny?”

The two of them were sitting on the roof balcony of Boss’s house when Mizuki popped the question. It was a nice place where they could be in private, as Boss usually only used the area for entertaining guests. The two of them were seated on a small sectional, Bibi lying comfortably with her head in Mizuki’s lap.

“What’s that?”

“I used to get these ideas in my head of taking you shopping for clothes… and then, like, watching you try them all on… can you believe I never tried to unpack that?”

Bibi smirked, now remembering Mizuki’s outburst at Moma’s office shortly after the HB case was closed. She reached up to touch Mizuki’s cheek. “Awww, was it because you were crushing? And here I thought you just felt sorry for me. Running around in these… what did you call them the other day? ‘Ratty’ clothes?”

Mizuki smiled. “Well, that was only partially the reason. But other times I’d see an outfit and think… wow. Bibi would look SO hot in that.”

This girl was actually going to drive Bibi insane with affection. “You are so cute.”

“Does that mean you’ll let me buy you new clothes?”

“Hmmmm… no.”

“Why nottttt?” Mizuki sighed, though she was still smiling. “One outfit.”

Bibi groaned, knowing Mizuki would never leave her alone about this. “Why don’t you ask me after I get my test results back? When I can really relax.”

Mizuki put her hand over the one Bibi had on her face. “How long are those supposed to take, anyway?” It had been a few days since they had been to the hospital, and now Mizuki was starting to get just as impatient as Bibi.

“Apparently up to a week,” Bibi said sullenly, letting her other arm drape off the couch. “I was talking to Mr. Chieda while we were there. About what we would do if I needed more work done.”

Mizuki rubbed one thumb over Bibi’s hand gently. “What did he say?”

Bibi grimaced at the memory. “He said we could try taking a larger sample of genes and maybe… redistribute them back to the source of the problem.”

Mizuki’s good eye widened. “Oh… you mean…”

Bibi swallowed. “Yeah. They’d put the modified ones back in my heart. I mean, I guess that would have the highest success rate. They’d just have to cut me open.” She laughed, a little bitterly. “Just what I need, more fucking scars.”

Mizuki pouted a little, brushing her fingers over the back of Bibi’s left shoulder, resting over the scar there. “Hey, scars are cool,” she said softly, trying her best to make Bibi feel better. Now she knew why the older girl’s mood had been so low since they returned from the hospital that day. Bibi hardly said a word when they were out at work: lately, she hadn’t even been bullying Ryuki as much.

And while Bibi wasn’t cold to Mizuki by any stretch of the imagination, her genuine smiles seemed few and far between. She also wanted more alone time than usual, which was terribly out of character for her.

“That might be all that’s left of me soon,” Bibi sighed. “And what if it doesn’t even work? What if-guh!”

Bibi was cut off as Mizuki suddenly stood up, sweeping Bibi up with her. Mizuki set her doppelganger gently upright, rubbing her back gently with one hand. “Okay, seriously, I think you’ve had enough sad thoughts for a while. Let’s go do something.”

Bibi made a noncommittal whine, slumping her shoulders. “Mizuki, I’m really not in the mood.”

“You’ve barely done anything for days besides work, eat, and sleep. You wanna be a gross hermit for the rest of your life?” Mizuki goaded.

“Who’s ‘gross’? I’m the sexiest hermit alive,” Bibi said, the corners of her mouth lifting ever so slightly.

Mizuki rolled one gray eye. “Good to see you’re still as modest as ever.”

Bibi exhaled, looking off to the side self-consciously. “I really have been a downer lately, huh? You must be sick of it.”

“It’s not like that,” Mizuki emphasized. “I know that you’re trying your best with the situation… trust me, it’s hard to see you like this. Especially when I know… I’m probably a big part of the reason you even started this treatment in the first place.”

That was at least partially true: if it weren’t for Mizuki, Bibi wasn’t sure she would go to such great lengths to fix her condition. Especially when there were so many unknowns about the effectiveness of gene editing. But more than that uncertainty and potential discomfort, the likelihood of disappointing Mizuki seemed worse.

“...I won’t deny that.” Bibi said finally, looking back at Mizuki.

“And you know I’ll always appreciate the way you out for me. But you know I’m here to support you through anything, right? …Whatever you decide to do. Even if I might not agree.”

Bibi’s eyes widened at the implication. “You mean… even if I don’t…” Mizuki seemed to imply that she would respect Bibi stopping any further treatment, but she wasn’t confident enough to voice it.

Mizuki did it for her, sighing. “I might think it’s really STUPID of you and get a little sad, but… that’s not my choice to make. You’ve already come so far and I’ll still be proud of you for that. And I’m sorry if I made you feel pressured to do it in the first place. I know I can be pretty annoy-”

Bibi embraced her tightly, nearly knocking Mizuki off her feet. “Never,” she muttered into the crook of Mizuki’s neck, causing the younger girl to hug Bibi back with just as much enthusiasm. They swayed together for a few moments until Bibi leaned back, though she kept her arms around Mizuki’s waist. “Trust me, a part of me wants to see this through, it’s just… like I said, it’s a lot to process. I’m still thinking everything over.”

Mizuki reached out a hand to smooth down Bibi’s soft hair, messy from lying in Mizuki’s lap. “Wellll… why don’t you take a break from that? You could use a little distraction.”

She let out a noise of surprise as Bibi pulled their bodies together, her fingers trailing down over Mizuki’s hips. She expertly slipped her hands under the younger girl’s skirt, feeling her way over the waistband of Mizuki’s panties.

“Lace today, huh?” she said with a smirk.

“Bibi…” Mizuki said, trying to her best to sound discouraging, but her large grin and flushing face said otherwise.

“Want me to guess what color?” Her fingers brushed over the front of Mizuki’s pelvis, trying to suss out the material. “Or were you planning on showing me?”

Mizuki grabbed the back of Bibi’s neck and brought their lips together, effectively distracting Bibi from her undergarment fixation. It was a little hard to focus with Mizuki’s tongue against her lower lip, and Bibi eagerly let her in with a happy gasp. After a few dizzying seconds, Mizuki pulled away. “Honestly…”

“What? You told me to distract myself.” Bibi said, still grinning.

“I was TRYING to ask you out on a date!”

Bibi considered it. Mizuki had been mentioning this a lot lately, but they had been busy with ABIS’s latest case. Frankly, Bibi also didn’t see why Mizuki placed so much importance on it. How was it any different from how they normally hung out? It all blew over Bibi’s head.

Still, Bibi thought that Mizuki deserved a little bit of indulgence. After all, it wasn’t just Bibi who was on pins and needles waiting to see how this treatment would play out. Still, she couldn’t give Mizuki the satisfaction without a little teasing. “Are you sure? I don’t think I have the right clothes.”

Mizuki laughed. “Nooo, your clothes are fine! Can we go, pleeease? I promise you’ll have fuuuuun.”

Bibi leaned in to give her another quick kiss on the cheek. “Don’t worry, we’re going,” she said, feeling a wave of affection wash over her as Mizuki practically started bouncing on the balls of her heels. “Only question is where.”

“You’ll see.”

✧✧✧✧

The building they entered was rife with a chaotic energy: really, Bibi wondered why she expected anything less. The walls were splattered with paint and various graffiti messages, and a few patrons were spraypainting the walls a few feet from where the two of them stood.

Mizuki had excitedly described this place as a ‘rage room’: for a fee, you could reserve a few hours to smash any many things as your heart desired. It had once been a sports center: in fact, it even had a large outdoor stadium. Bibi was also beginning to suspect it may have been repossessed by Moma’s ilk: she distinctly recognized one of his cronies handing out admission wristbands. Frankly, she was surprised she hadn’t learned of this place sooner

“I figured since you were so stressed, breaking stuff would be the perfect outlet. It always helps me feel better.” Mizuki said.

Bibi raised her eyebrows at her twin. “And the fact that YOU like to break stuff didn’t factor into your decision?”

Mizuki smiled. “It sorta did. But also, it definitely wouldn’t be as much fun without you.”

Bibi couldn’t lie, it did sound like a fun time. Plus, she found it incredibly endearing that Mizuki had her in mind when she planned this. That in itself gave Bibi a silent resolve to enjoy herself and stay in the present, away from her fears of the future.

Bibi’s hunch proved correct: the person at the admissions counter recognized her as Quartz instantly. Normally, a chaperone had to be with guests at all times, but Bibi’s seniority (high praise from Moma might as well have made you a seasoned yakuza yourself) granted the two of them unsupervised access. They received their wristbands and made their way to the first unoccupied room they could find.

Most of the relatively pedestrian rooms, where you could smash random objects with various blunt weapons, were all filled up. A little more exploring and they found some free rooms, choosing the first one without a party inside. Unlike the previous areas, these ones had targets lined up on one side of the room. On the other side, there was a rack of various sharp weapons, from small knives to axes.

Now this was more suited to Bibi’s taste. She took a knife from the wall, turning it over in her hands appreciatively. She hadn’t seen one this nice since her days assisting Moma, Lien, and the rest of that group. She helped Boss gather weapons for ABIS on occasion, but those were largely of the automatic nature.

Mizuki was watching her with a bemused expression. “Bibi, can you throw one of those?”

“Sure,” Bibi said. “How could Boss call me a ninja if I couldn’t?” She tossed it up in the air with a flick of her wrist, catching it and flinging it across the room in the next instant. It landed a hair away from the bullseye, making Bibi narrow her eyes. “Well, I might be a little rusty.”

Mizuki obviously couldn’t tell the difference, her eyes practically sparkling with admiration. “That was. SO COOL.”

Bibi shook her head, though she certainly appreciated the praise from her beloved. “Oh, stop.”

“Do it again!” Mizuki urged, plopping herself down on a nearby table and kicking her legs excitedly. Bibi obliged, grabbing another knife off the wall. She distanced herself a little further from the target this time, wanting a little challenge. She took careful aim and threw it, the blade spinning through the air and landing directly in the target’s bullseye. The satisfaction from that hit felt so great that she threw another one at a different target, hitting the bullseye with even more accuracy.

Mizuki looked on with satisfaction, pleased that Bibi was clearly enjoying herself. Mizuki was enjoying this for another reason: she couldn’t get over the way that Bibi threw each knife with such confidence and skill. It was ridiculously attractive.

Bibi stole a glance over at Mizuki, who was practically ogling her from her seat on the table. Bibi rolled her eyes. “What don’t you stop drooling and give this a try?”

Mizuki jumped off her perch and grabbed a smaller blade from the wall. “Okay, but you’re gonna have to teach me,” she said, walking over to where Bibi stood.

“I wouldn’t trust you with one of these otherwise,” she said, guiding Mizuki about three meters away from a target. “Hold the handle just like your pipe, only not so tight. You don’t want your grip to be too heavy,” she said, adjusting the knife in Mizuki’s hand.

“Easy,” Mizuki said, following Bibi’s lead and training her eyes on the target.

“Slow down, your stance is a little off,” Bibi laughed softly. “One leg out, and keep the other one back.” She demonstrated and Mizuki copied her, more or less. Then she positioned herself behind Mizuki, close enough so that Mizuki could feel Bibi’s breath on her neck.

“Once you have your aim, you just angle your arm like…” Bibi brought Mizuki’s arm up and bent it slightly at the elbow, then brought it down in slow motion. “Like that when you throw.” She punctuated that with a quick kiss on Mizuki’s neck before pulling away, catching the younger girl off guard. “Got it?”

“Uh, yeah,” Mizuki said, slightly flustered.

Bibi crossed her arms with a devious grin. “No, you look a little distracted.”

“Because you DISTRACTED ME!” Mizuki burst out, throwing the knife a little too recklessly. It stuck to the outermost ring of the target, eliciting a curse from Mizuki. “That one didn’t count.”

Bibi snorted, grabbing another pair from the wall. “Easy with the throw this time. Just let it slide out of your hand.” She handed one to Mizuki and arched her arm back to throw the other one, nailing the target almost dead-center.

“Okay, show-off,” Mizuki said with a shake of her head, lining herself up again.

Bibi stood back a little, just in case. “Just imagine the target is Date.”

“Oh, GREAT idea!” Mizuki said, fully concentrating this time. “This one’s for you, bastard!” She let the blade go flying, still a little heavy-handed, but managed to stick it in the ring just above the red target circle.

“Ooohh, right between the eyes,” Bibi praised Mizuki, who proceeded to spin around and do an exaggerated victory pose.

“Did I look as cool as you just now?” Mizuki asked with a cocky smile.

“You don’t want me to answer that.”

Mizuki got up in Bibi’s face playfully. “Excuse me?!”

Bibi put rested a hand on her hips, looking Mizuki up and down appreciatively. Even if she had missed the target, she always looked cute when she was trying to be badass. “Your form still needs a LOT of work.”

Mizuki shrugged, taking it in stride. “Just wait til I get more practice. I might get better than you eventually.”

Bibi flashed her a toothy grin. “It’s possible. But I have YEARS of experience over you. In many things.”

Mizuki hummed thoughtfully, throwing her arms around Bibi’s neck and locking their eyes together. It was one of the rare instances when she had left Marco at home, and Mizuki was thoroughly enjoying having Bibi all to herself. “What, besides scoping out my underwear?”

Oh, she knew exactly what to say to get Bibi riled up. Her hands, which had automatically gone to Mizuki’s waist, started trailing a little down her backside. “Oh yeah.”

Mizuki twirled a finger around one of Bibi’s locks of hair, her tongue peaking out to wet her lips enticingly. “Why don’t you show me some?”

Bibi kept Mizuki in suspense for a few moments before leaning in to give her a surprisingly soft kiss, lingering for a moment before pulling away. “Mmmaybe later. They’re secret,” she said, nodding her head to the ceiling. Mizuki twisted her neck around to look at the security camera high above them.

“Hmmph. I bet I can break that from here,” MIzuki mused thoughtfully.

Bibi laughed softly. “Don’t. I don’t want to get us kicked out before I’ve had a chance to throw one of those axes.”

Mizuki’s eye widened. “The axes!?”

///

An hour later, after Bibi had finally had her fill of throwing sharp objects, Mizuki was doing a little teasing of her own.

“I know what you’re doing,” Bibi said, tapping the end of her metal pipe against the concrete floor.

“Not sure what you mean,” Mizuki said, swaying her hips to the rock music that was blasting out of the arena’s speakers. The domed stadium had been essentially turned into another wrecking area, surrounded by broken railings and crumbling seats that had been hit too many times. The playing field was filled with trashcans and other objects that patrons could beat with their choice of blunt instruments. Being superhuman clones, Mizuki and Bibi had quickly started their own game of hitting trashcans into the air as high as they could with their pipes, as if each one was a mere baseball.

Unlike the other areas of the building, this wide area was open for multiple parties of customers at a time. However, after seeing what Bibi and Mizuki were capable of, nearly all of them had been spooked away. Probably for the best. The way Mizuki was behaving right now, Bibi would have to beat someone into the ground for ogling her.

Mizuki quickly figured out that twisting her body to hit the trash cans caused her skirt to fly up, initially embarrassing her. However, when Mizuki caught the blush that swept across Bibi’s face, it only encouraged her to keep doing it. Bibi kept trying to keep her attention on the cans that Mizuki was hitting, but the thought of catching a glimpse at the outline of Mizuki’s panties was much more appealing.

She wasn’t sure why she was so distracted. After all, she was fairly sure she knew exactly which pair Mizuki had decided to wear that day. She only had four pairs with lace at the edges. It wasn’t easy to feel the exact material with Mizuki’s tights in the way, but she was fairly certain it was the light blue pair. She could always tell because it was ever so softer than the rest of her undergarments. And, as Mizuki took another swing at the garbage can they had been abusing, Bibi could glimpse that the panties were light enough to contrast with Mizuki’s black tights.

Still, there was always the possibility that Mizuki had bought some new pairs without Bibi’s knowledge. Admittedly, she hadn’t combed through Mizuki’s underwear drawer in a few weeks. The thought of Mizuki having a pair of panties that Bibi didn’t know about…

…Shit, maybe she should be letting Mizuki take her shopping sometime.

“Hah! Biiiibiii, did you see that one? Or were you too busy staring up my skirt?” Mizuki twirled her pipe around smugly, looking at her clone over her shoulder.

Bibi ignored the blatant call-out, though she couldn’t bring herself to take her eyes off Mizuki. “I saw it.”

Mizuki raised an eyebrow skeptically. “No you didn’t! Okay, how high did it go?” Bibi gestured vaguely at a row of seats on the far right of the stadium, eliciting a smirk from Mizuki. “Yeah, not even close.”

“Whatever,” Bibi scoffed, dropping her pipe at her feet and walking over to Mizuki’s side. She ran her hand along one of Mizuki’s strong arms, and Mizuki responded by putting one around Bibi’s waist. Bibi grabbed Mizuki’s cheeks with her hands and kissed her, Mizuki practically wiggling with delight.

“It’s not like we were competing anyway,” Bibi said as they separated. She was about to kiss Mizuki again when a voice came over the loudspeaker, alerting patrons that the facility would be closing in ten minutes.

“We could MAKE it one though,” Mizuki said excitedly. “Best two out of three?”

The trash can they had been beating around previously was beyond mangled at this point, so Mizuki retrieved three new ones from a corner of the arena. Bibi cracked her neck and rolled her shoulders before picking up her bat again, and Mizuki set one of the cans in front of Bibi before getting out of the way. Bibi took a deep breath and hit the can a few moments later with a sharp clang, sending it crashing down along one of the center aisles of the stadium’s seating area.

She cocked her head at Mizuki to go next, who was already eagerly lining up her shot. Bibi was glad she had let Mizuki take her here: it made her happy to see Mizuki having so much fun. Bibi had been enjoying herself as well, though her right arm was a little achy from all this physical activity. Still, the endorphins she had been experiencing all night were doing wonders for her frustration over her heart problems.

Mizuki’s trash can went even higher, hitting one of the middle section’s stadium seats so hard that the headrest fell off. Mizuki whistled appreciatively at herself. “I dunnoooo, looks like this might be my win.”

She turned around to look at Bibi, who was now massaging her right arm with her other hand. Mizuki was at her side in an instant. “Whoa, you okay?”

Bibi stretched her arm out again, feeling the strain subside for the time being. “Yeah? Mizuki, this is RELAXING for me. That swing just hurt my shoulder a little.”

Mizuki happily deflated. “Oh, good. I MEAN. Good that it’s not your heart acting up.”

“And you say I’m the one who worries too much,” Bibi teased.

“I was just checking! I mean, that WAS a really good hit just now.”

Bibi tightened her grip on her pipe again, eyeing the last trash can Mizuki had found. “You think so? Watch this one.”

Mizuki was barely aware of it, but she had just given Bibi a massive confidence boost. Once upon a time, Bibi might have been just as concerned about her condition as Mizuki had been just now. While she was used to intense combat, she had learned to pace herself with intervals of rest. Otherwise, she might end up collapsed on the ground as she waited for her lurching heart to slow to a normal pace.

And yet, with MIzuki, a few hours had flown by without a trace of tightness in her chest. Whatever her test results found, things had already changed for the better. Now that she was open with Mizuki about the full extent of her feelings, Bibi felt stronger than ever. Maybe this was another benefit of being a clone, drawing strength from being in ideal sync. …Or maybe Bibi just wanted to show off to Mizuki, that she was in an even better position to protect her. Both could be true, she supposed.

A grin spread across her face as she aimed high, hitting the trash can as hard as she could. It soared upwards, several meters in the air before it hit a broken beam. Had it not been for that obstacle, Bibi was confident it could have cleared the stadium’s walls entirely. She exhaled from the effort, and was almost knocked off her feet as Mizuki hugged her from behind.

“Okay, I am not even mad I lost that one. Have you been lifting behind my back?”

Bibi almost looked appalled. “Are you kidding? Gym life is your thing, not mine.” It was one of the few things they disagreed on, not that Bibi hadn’t tried to enjoy it. She just couldn’t see the appeal. Although, she certainly didn’t mind watching Mizuki deadlift a couple hundred pounds.

“Well, it was awesome,” Mizuki said, kissing Bibi’s cheek before resting her head on her shoulder. The older girl found herself melting a little bit: it didn’t seem that she would ever tire of Mizuki’s compliments.

Bibi leaned back against MIzuki contentedly. “I could definitely use a break after that one, though.”

“Let’s get out of here, then.”

Walking back to Mizuki’s scooter, Bibi squeezed the hand of her clone’s with a smile. “I really enjoyed that. I think we should go on dates more often.”

Mizuki looked ecstatic at the idea. “Um, this one isn’t even over? I’m still treating you to dinner. ANYTHING you want at Sunfish Pocket.”

Bibi smirked, unable to suppress a laugh. “Very generous of you, Miss Restaurant Owner.”

Mizuki shook her head. “Hey, that doesn’t mean I let just anyone have free food, okay? Can you imagine if Ota had that privilege? He’d never leave!”

“Not to mention his hair would be scaring away the customers,” Bibi added.

“Oh my god, you’re so right. And you know who else I can’t stand…”

Bibi half-listened as Mizuki launched into another tangent, pulling her phone out of her pocket. It had been turned off the entire night, something she usually didn’t do. While Boss generally had a detached air about Bibi’s business, she also knew that her parental figure had a tendency to worry.

While she didn’t see any messages from Boss, she felt her head rush as she recognized the number of Mr. Chieda’s personal cell. She immediately put her phone to her ear as the voicemail played. The message lasted for a little over a minute, during which Mizuki noticed that Bibi’s steps had slowed until they were both standing in place. Bibi’s hand shook slightly as she lowered the phone away from her ear.

“Um, Bibi… was that..”

“Y-yeah,” Bibi replied, trying to collect her thoughts. “They, ah… couldn’t find any trace of an abnormality in my tests. My heart condition’s just… gone.”

“What?!” Mizuki practically screamed, a huge grin spreading across her face. “Then why…”

Bibi shrugged. “Mr. Chieda sad it could have been anything… maybe I pushed myself too early, or had too much anxiety. I guess it doesn’t matt-”

She was cut off as Mizuki scooped her up, spinning her around and laughing, a sound so infectious that Bibi couldn’t help but join in, despite the shock that was still making her shake. She was definitely thankful that Mizuki’s arms were around her right now.

“I couldn’t be happier for you, Bibi,” Mizuki said as she set her down, practically vibrating. “Not to brag but. I knew you didn’t have anything to worry about.”

Bibi laughed again, hoping she could scare away the happy tears that threatened to spill out of her good eye. “What do you want, a prize?”

“Maybe,” Mizuki said slyly, putting one of her hands on her look-a-like’s cheek, giving her one of those adoring stares that she only reserved for Bibi.

“Go on, then,” Bibi said, and their lips met in a long, deep kiss that made Bibi’s heart pound in her ears. And for once, it wasn’t a sensation that she worried might get out of control. Now the blood pumping was just a reminder of how hard she’d fought for this moment with Mizuki, and the many more that would inevitably follow.

She welcomed every beat of it.