Archive of Our Own ^beta

It begins at a party, as all good things do.

They've just finished the first semester of their final year at Hope's Peak Academy, which of course calls for at least some type of celebration. Some of them are ecstatic at being one step closer to their futures and lives, sure, but all of them know they'll miss their time here at least a little bit.

Chihiro Fujisaki is one of the ones heavily leaning into the latter sentiment. Really, he still doesn't have any idea what he'll do after his school life comes to a close. His title as Ultimate Programmer will almost certainly allow him to nab a cushy framework or software development job, or perhaps he'll follow in his father's footsteps, but either way he knows he'll miss his classmates dearly.

Even if they do keep in touch, like almost all of them have promised to do, it still won't be the same. Right now, they see each other basically every day. They're always together and operating under the assumption that everyone will always be within reach. Chihiro likes that feeling. He likes it a lot.

Knowing you have friends beside you, those who genuinely care for you and are willing to put other things aside for your sake…Chihiro likes having that. He spends every waking moment he can with his classmates, after all. They've been through a lot together.

Nowadays, Chihiro likes to do his programming on the go. He brings his laptop with him almost everywhere. This means that, more often than not, he's programming in their class's common room or cafeteria. And he's never alone. A lot of his classmates seem to have the same idea. 

Sometimes Toko's grumbling to herself as she writes a manuscript or polishes her next novel. Sometimes, it's Hifumi silently drawing on his tablet, headphones blasting something disgustingly cutesy, or sometimes it's Yasuhiro, mumbling to himself and fumbling through cards of fortunes and tellings. Even Kyoko, as silent and reserved as she often is, likes to flip through case files with them.

This collective desire to simply be near each other wasn't instant, of course. Chihiro himself didn't start coming by the common room until well into their second semester, and even at that point Hiro was the only other one who frequented the place. But now, years later, even the ever-active athletes and reserved recluses of their group stop in to say hello and chill out a bit.

Chihiro wishes that this life could last forever. But even so, here he is at a party that serves as nothing but a distinct reminder that he is rapidly running out of time. They only have two semesters left together. After that, they'll go their separate ways.

Chihiro has already resolved to tell them all his secret after he finishes the project he's working on right now. It'd be the perfect chance, since they'll have spent well over a month together bonding and living without the expectation of school. And, well, if they do end up hating him for it, at least he'll only have to pretend to be okay for a few weeks afterwards.

"You're ruminating," a voice mumbles, languidly, beside Chihiro. Chihiro jumps, yelping and swiveling around. When his eyes meet the amused expression of Celestia Ludenberg, he sighs and places a hand over his heart. Celeste whispers something to herself and shakes her head.

"Don't scare me like that," Chihiro sighs, feeling his heart beating hard against his chest. She seriously scared him. "It's not good for my heart."

"Apologies," Celeste says, dipping her head. "I did not mean to scare you, I simply wanted to glean your attention. But with how deep in thought you seemed, I'm not surprised that I inadvertently snuck up on you."

"Oh, I see," Chihiro responds with a nod and a sheepish look away. He supposes it's his fault, really. "Sorry, I was just thinking."

"As I could see. You're hardly inconspicuous."

"That obvious, huh?"

"Painfully so."

Chihiro laughs lightly, covering his giggles behind his hand. He peers up at Celeste, happy she's here. He's going to miss this.

At simply the thought, Chihiro withers. His laughter peters out painfully, and he breaks eye contact. He sighs and looks out at all his fellow classmates, laughing and socializing with each other. Chihiro knows that he will regret wallowing over here instead of interacting with them, even if that interaction would hurt with the thought that it might be the last time he ever does so.

"You're mourning something," Celeste realizes. Chihiro winces, looking down and wringing his hands.

"I suppose I am," Chihiro admits, realizing he's probably the easiest of all of them to pick apart. Celeste knows exactly what's up, he's sure of it.

"I am too."

Chihiro turns to her, surprised. Celeste has turned away from him, instead looking over at their cheerful classmates as well. Her face is unreadable.

"You are?" Chihiro asks quietly, as if giving his voice power would scare her away. She nods once.

"I am," she reiterates. She turns to him again, and Chihiro can tell she's sincere. "Never in my life did I think I would feel such a way. That I would mourn a separation from…friends." She spits the word like it's unfamiliar in her mouth. "But here I am, spilling my guts to you anyway. How pathetic that must make me."

"I don't think it's pathetic," Chihiro says with a smile. "After all, wouldn't that make me pathetic too?"

Celeste raises an incredulous eyebrow. Chihiro grimaces. Celeste sighs and says, "You are most certainly pathetic."

"Ouch."

"I never was one to hold my punches."

"No. No you weren't."

Chihiro turns away again, watching in muted interest as Makoto scrambles to clean a spilled drink from Kyoko's coat. Kyoko herself is standing in silence, a deadpan expression on her face, and a completely uncaring nature toward the whole thing. Chihiro smiles.

"But no," Chihiro continues after a moment. "I still don't think you're pathetic for being sad about friends going their separate ways. It's bittersweet on the best of days."

"So it is," Celeste agrees, nodding in agreement. "But if you had told me, just a few short years ago, that I would give even an iota of a damn about any of you, I would've laughed in your face and had one of my lackeys rob you right there and then."

Chihiro winces, not doubting her in the slightest. "And if you had told me I'd have actual friends," he says, thoughtful. "I would've broken down on the spot, thinking you were teasing me."

There's silence for a second. Hiro is tripping over himself, running from what seems to be a very mad Toko while Byakuya looks on with a sigh. Aoi is trying to step between them, shouting something and getting caught up in the chase.

"You really are pathetic," Celeste finally says. Chihiro laughs, not offended in the slightest. Celeste's harsh manner of speech is one of the things Chihiro appreciates about her. She may be harsh, but she says it how she sees it, and that can be refreshing sometimes.

"Still," Chihiro continues. "I never even thought I'd make any friends here. But now, I'm going to bawl like a baby when we finally graduate. I'm gonna miss everyone."

Celeste hums in partial agreement, shrugging and folding her hands over each other. "I never intended to make friends," she says quietly, as if to herself. "But now, something wants to possess me and grant you all places within my castle."

"Aww," Chihiro coos, turning to Celeste with an understanding smile. "That's really sweet, though."

"Is it?" Celeste asks at a whisper, turning and locking eyes with Chihiro. He nods and shrugs lightly. "I do not know where these feelings come from, but I have a horrible feeling I will be losing something grand when we graduate."

"Hey Celeste?" Chihiro asks shyly, fidgeting and fussing at his skirt. "When you're gone, in your castle far from us…stay in touch, will you?"

Celeste is quiet for a while, ruminating. Hiro goes down with a yelp, the steps of Sakura resounding throughout the room as she rushes over when Aoi goes down with him. Someone else shouts something far across the room, but Chihiro can't take his eyes off of Celeste's sparkling blood-red ones.

"I think I would like nothing more."

The chill of the late October air makes Chihiro shiver from head to toe. He huffs out a breath he can see, wrapping his arms around the light sweater that fits loosely around his body.

It was pleasantly warm just a few hours ago, but somehow the cold seems to have set in in tandem with the rising of the moon. It hangs high above Chihiro now, the streets he walks near-silent in the soft darkness. He shivers again.

"Shoulda known better," he grumbles to himself, turning his head to lazily consider the dim streetlights lining the sidewalk. He's far from the city center now, and the lacking infrastructure proves it readily.

The familiar hustle and bustle of a busy city that never sleeps is far from Chihiro's grasp, and instead the darkness wraps around him. He shivers again, though this time it's for a different reason.

Chihiro pauses in front of an old subway station. Just as he feared, the bullet trains don't run this far at this hour. There're plenty racing around underneath the ground in the heart of the city, but out here there's no one awake to even need the subway.

Chihiro sighs and turns away, taking stock of his situation. The part of the city that he's in is certainly still urban, but it's the quiet commercial district that neighbors the start of the suburbs, so he's not surprised it's silent in the early AM.

That's also why he had to walk an hour to the nearest subway station. But it was all for naught, it seems.

Well, he passed at least a few small hotels on the way here. And they seemed homey enough, so he's sure he probably has enough money to cover a night. He really wanted to get back to the school by tonight, but it's definitely not possible now.

"Chihiro?" a surprised voice comes. Chihiro spins on his feet, stumbling a step back. He peers through the darkness at a figure approaching him.

They step into the area of the streetlight barely shining above him, and Chihiro's eyes widen at the sight of one of his fellow classmates.

"Celeste?" he asks incredulously, leaning forward to make sure it really is her. Her nod confirms it, and suddenly Chihiro is scrambling to at least half-hide the bag he's carrying behind his legs. What terrible luck this is.

"Indeed," Celeste says after a moment, her eyes flicking down to Chihiro's skirt. And the bag behind them. Even with the chill in the air, Chihiro feels sweat begin to bead down his forehead. "What are you doing here?" he asks, his voice squeaky and terribly obvious. He grimaces to himself, wincing and straightening his back to regain even the slightest semblance of confidence.

"I could ask the same of you," Celeste says, eyes narrowing. She steps forward, hands clasped behind her back. Chihiro tries his best to smile and laugh it off, though he knows it sounds fake. "Whatever could the Ultimate Programmer be doing on the outskirts of the seedy part of the city?"

"The seedy part?" Chihiro squeaks, his smile falling naturally. "I had no idea."

"Hm," Celeste hums, considering his words. She tilts her head slightly, her eyes panning over in the direction Chihiro came. "I see."

They're both silent for a moment. Chihiro's hands tremble lightly, but he hopes the light is dim enough that Celeste can't tell.

Celeste takes another step forward. This time, Chihiro takes a step back in turn.

The pleasant smile immediately falls from Celeste's face, and Chihiro instantly knows that he's messed up. He opens his mouth to say something, eyes wide, but he can't come up with anything quick enough.

"You're afraid of me," Celeste accuses observantly, her expression impassive. Chihiro sucks in a surprised breath.

"Afraid of you?!" Chihiro shouts, his voice resounding out against the silence of the night. He steps forward, panicked. "Celeste, of course I'm not afraid of you!"

Celeste holds a hand up, stopping him in his tracks. Her eyes run over him top to bottom, likely looking for even an inkling of deception. She finds none.

"Celeste," Chihiro starts, quiet this time. He doesn't know how to put his feelings into words, but he'll be damned if he doesn't at least try. "You're one of my classmates, of course I'm not afraid of you. You're very dear to me. I just wasn't expecting to run into to see you out here, that's all."

Chihiro steps forward again, ignoring the hand held up to stop him. Celeste's eyes shoot up to lock with his, and he can see clearly the slight tremble in her chest and the analytical panic in her eyes.

Chihiro places a hand against his heart. "Honest," he whispers, stepping forward again.

Celeste's hand drops, dejected. She looks away and sighs deeply, curling a ring of hair around a finger.

"I suppose I was mistaken, then," she says after a moment. Chihiro's shoes click against the concrete of the sidewalk as he walks up to her, not stopping until he finds himself directly in front of her.

"Is that something you're scared of?" he asks at a whisper, wringing his hands against each other. He rocks on his heels, looking down. "That your friends are afraid of you?"

Celeste's silence is answer enough. Her eyes flick up to catch Chihiro's briefly, but she turns away just as quickly.

"I'm scared too, y'know," Chihiro says after a long, drawn out moment. He raises his head, finding the strength to bare himself  to Celeste. "Of a lot of things, actually. Scared that maybe when we finally graduate I'll lose you all at a magnitude I wasn't prepared for. Or that maybe I still won't be prepared, and I won't ever find the happiness I've found here wherever I go out there. I'm scared that maybe…I'm not ready to tell you all the truth of myself and my feelings for you all.

"But Celeste," he continues, finding the confidence that eluded him just a minute prior. "I have never been scared of you."

The low hum of the streetlight above them leads them into another long, silent pause. Chihiro smiles and reaches one hand out, carefully maneuvering it to Celeste's. He waits, but receives no resistance.

Chihiro wraps his hand around Celeste's pale one, smiling comfortingly. She turns to look at him, searching again for even the barest hint of distrust. Once again, she finds none.

"I suppose I really am pathetic," she murmurs, but again Chihiro just laughs something light and shakes his hand. "Look at me. For the 'Queen of Liars,' it certainly wasn't hard for you to pick me apart completely."

"That's just 'cause I know you so well," Chihiro disagrees, squeezing Celeste's hand gently. She squeezes back, the ghost of a smile finding its way to her face.

"Perhaps it is," she concedes, looking down at their conjoined hands. The silence is comfortable this time. Even with the constant reminder of the biting cold air, Chihiro feels at peace.

Celeste's hand is warm, surprisingly so, and Chihiro can feel it invigorating his entire body. It spreads through his veins, heating him from the inside. Or perhaps that's just his blush, he's not really paying attention.

But even so, after just a moment, Chihiro's body shivers reflexively, completely against his will. He frowns when Celeste laughs airily, mirth in her eyes as she peers down at him.

"Fine," she says after a quick moment, squeezing Chihiro's hand again. "I submit."

"Good," Chihiro accepts easily, smiling giddily. He feels his heart begin to beat harshly against his chest. "What I might lack in strength now, I try to make up for with emotion."

"Mm, I see," Celeste hums in understanding. She shakes her head in disbelief. "Well I suppose it certainly worked on me."

Chihiro's smile, somehow, stretches impossibly wider across his face. He bounces excitedly, proud of himself. He's never been good at this whole talking thing, but this must be indicative of him finally figuring something out. After all, he's successfully pulled Celeste from her shell. Twice now.

"But let's get you out of the cold now," Celeste offers, pressing her shoulder against Chihiro's. He blushes, breaking eye contact and breathing hard. "I know a quaint little hotel just a few minutes away. The owner knows me quite well."

"They do?" Chihiro asks, confused. "Do you come here often?"

"Seedy part of the city, remember? All the good gambling dens are out here."

"Oh," Chihiro squeaks, wondering if he should've asked. But out of the corner of his eyes, he sees Celeste smile something sweet and genuine before she tugs on his hand, leading him down the darkened street.

"What's in the bag, anyway?" she asks, turning for but a moment. Chihiro pointedly avoids her gaze.

"Nothing!" he cheeps, a little too quickly. He subconsciously presses it further back behind him.

"Alright, alright, I won't pry."

"Thank you."

Chihiro doesn't tell her that it's the first part of her birthday present, obtained an entire month early. He's not even sure why he's going all-out for her specifically, but something on the inside is telling him he'd regret it if he didn't.

He smiles to himself, the warmth of Celeste's hand still wrapped around his making it all worth it.

Chihiro finds her in the game room.

Which isn't surprising, of course, but what is surprising is how long it took him to even think of checking the place. He throws the door open and lets out a despairing groan when he finds her seated at one of the round tables, hands folded over themselves.

"Finally," Chihiro grumbles, thanking the powers that be that he finally found her. Celeste looks up, meeting his gaze and raising an eyebrow in pleasant surprise. "I've been looking everywhere."

"Have you now?" she asks, turning her attention back to the cards strewn about on the table. She narrows her eyes on them, considering something.

Chihiro pads into the room, closing the door softly behind him and hoping he's not intruding too much. He makes his way over to her, taking a seat across from her and setting a bag down beside him.

"What are you doing?" he asks curiously, peering down at the haphazard placement of the cards.

"I'm not sure what to call it, actually," Celeste responds after a quiet moment, picking up one of the cards and flipping it end over end. Her stare practically bores holes in it. "Thinking, I suppose."

"Thinking?" Chihiro asks, gently picking up one of the cards and receiving no complaint from Celeste. He looks it over, but by all means it looks perfectly normal. "With playing cards?"

Celeste practically shoots up, leaning far across the table and making Chihiro yelp and drop the card. Her eyes are wide and her gaze rakes through Chihiro's being, as if searching for his soul itself.

"Is that so strange?" she whispers, her voice dripping with venom. Chihiro, impossibly, meets her gaze. He shakes his head, a small smile creeping onto his face.

"No, I don't think so," he admits, leaning forward as well. Celeste blinks, surprised. "Whenever I get lost in thought, I'm usually staring at some jumbled string of code I haven't touched in at least half an hour. So I guess it's not surprising you'd do the same with cards."

Celeste blinks again and frowns, slowly receding from her position and sitting back down in her chair. She brushes her hands along her dress, dusting it off carefully. It looks like there's a lot on her mind.

Chihiro places his hands in his lap awkwardly, smoothing the wrinkles of his skirt. He smiles gingerly, sitting in silence with Celeste for at least a few minutes. He stares down at the cards, realizing that such an act really is therapeutic in terms of letting him simply think for a while.

They're running out of time. All of them.

Chihiro knows they all feel it, but he can't get a good read on whether or not they're as terrified as he is. Some of them definitely aren't scared, like Byakuya or Toko or Hiro, but even then he can feel their reluctance any time the topic of graduation comes up.

But for Chihiro…it's like the end of the world is slowly creeping up on him, incessant in its march but remaining horrifying the entire time. Chihiro should've gotten over it by now, really. He knows he should've. There's nothing he can do to stop it. He should be spending his final months with them jumping with joy, making the most of their final stretch.

"I'm going to miss you," Celeste says, breaking them from their silence. Chihiro jolts, whipping his head up in surprise. Celeste keeps her eyes trained on the cards.

"You…you will?" he asks quietly, as if it would somehow break the sanctity of the moment. Celeste nods and closes her eyes.

"Terribly so, I fear," she admits, stilling. Chihiro's completely taken aback. To think…Celeste herself, arguably the coldest and harshest of them, is sitting here in front of soft, weak little Chihiro and admitting she's sad they'll be separating soon.

"Celeste…I'm going to miss you too. A lot."

Celeste hums in acknowledgement, sighing and tilting her head in defeat. She raps her fingers against the bottom of the table, the metal of her finger claw scraping into the wood.

"I mean that," Chihiro continues after a second, leaning back in his chair. "I keep thinking about it. I can't stop thinking about it. About how much I'm going to miss this."

"You refer to your time here at Hope's Peak, yes?" Celeste asks, finally looking up and meeting Chihiro's gaze. Chihiro nods. "You will miss us all."

"I will," Chihiro clarifies, smiling softly.

"Chihiro, I will miss you."

It takes a long, long moment for Chihiro to work through the connotations of that deceptively simple statement. There's a lot packed into it, after all. Chihiro doesn't fully understand it.

"I'll miss you too," Chihiro finally manages, his voice suddenly hoarse. He gulps his nerves down and grabs the bag beside him. He lifts it and places it on the table in front of Celeste. "So, for hopefully not the last time, Happy Birthday."

Celeste grabs the bag with wide eyes shaking hands, placing it in her lap and looking down into it. Her lip begins to quiver, and Chihiro swears he sees a silent sob shake her body just once.

Celeste reaches down into the bag gingerly, pulling out the first item. It's a tailor-made, gothic dress, one that Chihiro spent dozens of hours working on with their junior Tsumugi Shirogane. It had taken no less than five prototypes, because Chihiro wanted it to be absolutely perfect.

Celeste unfolds it slowly, raking her eyes over it like it's the most beautiful thing she's ever seen. It has a black base fabric and white frills, just like Celeste's current favorite three-piece outfit that she wears so often, but the inside fabric is blood-red and pokes through just enough to be a true staple, shining through the dress like a secret kept on display.

There're sheer oversleeves that twist over in a black mesh with a tasteful red floral pattern running along them, stretching along the length of the arms. A conservative, corded corset is embedded into the midsection of the dress, connecting the patterned bust to the soft, silky skirt that drapes down to well past the knees. Chihiro smiles, looking over Tsumugi's handiwork again with an appreciative feeling.

Chihiro figures his own talent and work would probably be enough for Celeste, since they're genuinely quite good friends at this point, but Chihiro figured if this was the last time they ever celebrated her birthday together, he might as well go all-out. He doesn't regret it as he sees a tear slip from Celeste's cheek.

She turns to him, words failing her as her mouth opens and closes in a futile attempt to convey her feelings. Chihiro just smiles wider and pours all the softness he can into his gaze.

Celeste looks down into the bag again. Chihiro figures it's simply the sheer amount of items stacked carefully in the bag, initially underneath the dress, that's enough to make her break down. She tears her eyes from the bag and peers across at him incredulously.

Chihiro stands and walks only a few steps before he wraps Celeste in a warm hug, pulling her close. She cries almost imperceptibly into his shoulder. She's completely silent, and her body does not shake with sobs. In fact, the only way Chihiro can really tell is the unmistakable feeling of the tears soaking through his blouse.

He rubs circles into Celeste's back, letting her cry. "Happy Birthday," he says again.

This time, Celeste does sob aloud.

"I think I'm going to have to kill you," Celeste says.

Chihiro looks up in muted interest, his fingers slowing to a stop on his laptop's keyboard. He peers across at her.

It's pretty early in the morning, so they're the only ones in the common room right now. Celeste has been sharpening her claw for the better part of an hour, and Chihiro's been silently sitting across from her, throwing on what he hopes are the finishing touches of his part of the Project.

"You've seen me at my lowest too many times," Celeste continues, the scraping of metal on metal picking back up as she sharpens her claw to a deadly point. Chihiro thinks for a moment.

"Well not if I kill you first," he offers, folding his hands together and sitting up straight. Celeste raises her eyes above her claw, meeting his stare. Her hands continue sharpening. "You've seen me at my lowest more than a few times, too."

"Have I?" she wonders absentmindedly. Chihiro frowns. He thinks back on the last two years of his life, focusing on the recent months where he's felt as if his life revolved around Celeste herself. In the best of ways.

"I…think so?"

Celeste sighs, setting down her claw and whetstone on the table dejectedly. She looks down, appearing almost sad. Chihiro immediately closes his laptop, his thoughts thoroughly pointed toward something far more important than coding right now

"They don't call me the 'Queen of Liars' for nothing," she says with another sigh. She tilts her eyes and looks up at Chihiro. Chihiro's eyes widen as he realizes what she's saying. His neck grows clammy and his teeth grit against each other. "You don't have to tell me yourself right now if it's too hard. I'd never do that to you. But don't you think it's a little unfair to string me along for this long?"

Chihiro gulps and squeezes his eyes shut. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't completely terrified. Of course Celeste would know. How did he not see that coming? Her entire talent revolves around lying and seeing through the lies of others.

"I'm sorry," he all but sobs. In a flash, he suddenly realizes how unprepared he is for this. He's not ready. "I'm so sorry."

"Whatever for?" Celeste's voice comes, calm and gentle. Chihiro blinks his bleary eyes open, only to be met with the soft smile of Celeste. "What do you have to apologize for?"

"I've been lying to you for so long," he chokes out, tearing his eyes away and looking down at his hands. They don't even look like his.

"But you felt as if you had to, no? You've been lying not out of malice, but out of self-protection."

Chihiro nods, his stomach churning with disgust. How quickly this quiet morning has turned on him. Now all he can think about is how he's lied to them all for so long. He can't stand himself. Celeste must hate him. They all will, in time.

"Then there is nothing to apologize for," Celeste continues, reaching a hesitant hand across the table. Chihiro looks up, mouth falling open at the grape vine that's been extended to him. "I think you're very strong to have come this far without breaking down entirely."

Her fingers beckon, and Chihiro can't help but reach across and lay his hand on hers. She intertwines their fingers, squeezing his hand in a grip that's tight and comforting. Chihiro sniffles, his tears threatening to spill over and plunge him into full-on wailing.

"Lies like that, they eat away at your insides, perpetually," she says, smiling painfully. Even still, her other hand comes up and wraps it around their conjoined ones. "Believe me, I would know."

"You don't hate me?" Chihiro asks at a whisper, wiping the tears from his eyes with his free hand. His heart pangs.

"For lying to protect yourself?" Celeste asks, incredulous. "Heavens no. I think you're far stronger than me, to lie so grand and yet keep your heart plastered to your sleeve."

A smile graces Celeste's face, and Chihiro simply can't help it: a soft smile comes to his as well. He squeezes Celeste's hand in appreciation. He sniffles, feeling silly for crying so easily in front of Celeste.

"I'll let that one slide," Chihiro says with a light chuckle. He recognizes the teasing lilt in Celeste's voice but lets it go all the same. He wipes his sleeve over his face, trying his best to calm his pounding heart and haywire nerves. He's shaking.

Celeste laughs lightly in turn, leaning forward to take one hand and wipe her thumb across Chihiro's cheek. Her smile is sweet and caring and Chihiro can barely stand it. He feels himself wanting to melt under her gentle eyes and warm hands.

"Even crying, you remain impossibly cute," Celeste whispers, as if to herself. Her hand lingers for a few extra seconds.

"Y-you think I'm c-cute?" Chihiro stutters, eyes wide and cheeks flaring. Celeste looks down at him in disbelief.

"Dreadfully so," she confirms with a grim nod. "It must be debilitating, being so utterly and completely adorable."

Chihiro's breath hitches in his throat. He's been called cute plenty of times before, of course, but never has it felt like this. Never before has he wanted the person to call him cute over and over again until he gets sick of hearing it.

But as Celeste pulls her hand away and settles back into her seat, Chihiro realizes he'd like that more than anything else in the world, as long as it was Celeste saying it. His heart squeezes in his chest, drawing his breath from his body.

"I—I…" Chihiro tries, fighting for breath. He feels lightheaded. Celeste just smiles at him, completely patient. "Thank you."

"No need to thank me," Celeste waves off, squeezing his hand again. Chihiro dips his head, hoping his blush isn't as obvious as it feels. "I simply say it how I see it."

"You sure do," Chihiro whispers under his breath, smiling to himself. He sniffles again, a joy coming from deep within him and spreading throughout his body as an impossible warmth. For a moment, he considers telling her. He's realized that maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be so bad.

They sit in silence for a cozy minute, simply enjoying being in one another's space. Or at least that's how Chihiro feels. He wishes he could stay in this moment forever, simply basking in the warmth of Celeste's kindness. He faintly wonders if this is a side only he gets to see. She's usually so prickly and cold to the other students.

"If it makes you feel any better," Celeste finally says, almost hesitant. Chihiro meets her eyes, curious. She sighs and grumbles something to herself that Chihiro doesn't quite catch. "I already know your secret."

Chihiro's blood runs cold. The warmth flees from his body even quicker than it set in, and his heart beats with sudden adrenaline. Celeste holds his hand tighter, anchoring him. He's suddenly completely terrified.

Oh. No, he's not ready for this. He's not ready for this at all.

Celeste's concerned expression pulls him back down to Earth, and the rational side of his brain begins to sift through things. If she knew and was still here, with him, then that meant she didn't care, right? Or that she didn't judge him for it? Or perhaps that she forgave him for it?

Chihiro opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. He doesn't have words to say.

"I already told you I think you're strong, yes?" Celeste leads, leaning forward. Chihiro clicks his mouth shut and nods. "Then I don't see what you're worried about. I may have figured you out, but I hardly care. It's your life."

Chihiro breathes out a sigh. He's not sure if it's a sigh of relief at hearing she doesn't care, or of dejection at learning she doesn't care. But the smile that stretches back across her face tells him it doesn't matter.

"I do have a question for you, though," she begins, peering across at Chihiro and leaning even closer. Her eyes are wide and bore holes directly into his soul.

"What is it?" he asks, almost scared. He feels his heartbeat thump against her chest.

"Do you like being a girl?"

"I…" Chihiro trails off. He doesn't know how to respond. He's not a girl in reality. He's just pretending to be one. "It makes things easier."

"That's not what I asked." Chihiro tilts his head in question. "Throw everything else aside. Society, expectations, your past, whatever else…are you happier as a girl than as a boy?"

Chihiro…doesn't have an answer. It's hard to answer that question because it's that society and those expectations and that past of his that has led him to this life in the first place. He pretends to be a girl as a consequence of everything.

"I don't know," he admits, frowning and blinking back tears. Celeste sighs and shakes her head. She reaches across and thumbs at Chihiro's cheek again, though this time it feels closer. More intimate.

"I understand why you are who you are," Celeste whispers, locking eyes with Chihiro. "I understand why you do what you do. I understand the choices you've made and the feelings you feel." She pauses, pursing her lips. "What I don't understand is why you feel the need to change yet again."

Chihiro tilts his head, not quite understanding.

"Why go back to being a boy when you're clearly better suited to being a girl?"

Chihiro can't answer. When he tries, his words fail him and not even his logical brain can save him. He…doesn't understand these thoughts clouding his mind.

He's saved by the door swinging open. Mondo and Taka stride in together, arguing loudly with one another. Their argument sounds inane, as if it's just something to fill the time and completely inconsequential. It's the opposite of the predicament he's found himself in.

Celeste sighs and frowns, pulling away from Chihiro and leaning back in her seat like nothing happened. She untangles their hands and picks up her sharpening set again, getting back to work with a huff.

Chihiro doesn't finish his part of the Project that morning.

Chihiro stares at himself in the mirror.

He's wearing cargo shorts and a button-up shirt. They're just about the only masculine items of clothing he still owns, but it's enough. His face and build is still effeminate, but he passes as a boy.

He feels…empty.

He's not sure what to think. He never really thought about what made him happier, just that he was born a boy and that's how it always would be. Even if he pretended to be a girl for many, many years, he'd never actually become one. Right?

But he looks at himself, at the reflection of him shifting uncomfortably on his bed, staring into a full-body mirror he got as a gift from Sayaka last year when she learned he didn't have one, and he realizes he feels nothing. There's no joy, no spark of happiness that tells him this is who he should be. It just tells him this is who he really is.

But he doesn't feel disgusted or anything. There's no shame in his heart, no contempt towards his appearance. He doesn't hate being a boy, really. He doesn't feel happy, no, but at least he doesn't feel sad either, right? There's a discomfort he can't place, sure, but that doesn't mean anything.

That means he's a boy, right?

This is how normal people feel about themselves. He's not happy to be a boy, but he doesn't detest it. It just proves to be an obstacle to most other people, since they're so quick to comment on his femininity and draw conclusions about him from nothing at all. He supposes he thinks it would've been easier if he were born a girl, but that's normal considering his situation. It might even manifest as a problem he sees inside himself, but that's understandable considering his situation.

He supposes he probably would like himself more if he were a real girl, but that's mostly because he's lived a life where he could be nothing but a fake one. He doesn't hate being a boy, he's sure of it. But the discomfort lingers in the back of his mind, making him doubt things just that little bit more.

He's not sure why, but he's starting to dread his next movements. Each second that passes presses Celestia's words further into his head. He's apprehensive, even a little scared, at the idea that her implication is right. That maybe he is happy as a girl. That maybe he's not happy as a boy.

Chihiro slowly stands and pads over to his closet, looking in to muse over his wardrobe. He'd look cute in that blouse, and he really likes that skirt, but he's never really worn them because of how revealing they are. He likes them a lot, and no one would bat an eye at another girl wearing them, but he tries to cover as much as possible to prevent being found out. He supposes that's not really a consideration for his current situation.

Celeste's words echo in his mind over and over, his brain spinning them over and over and over again. He's "better suited to being a girl?" Is that true?

In the back of his mind, he recognizes that it's the way that Celeste said it that sticks with him. That her serious, cold, harsh manner slipped out and made her sound more serious than she really was. But…is it true anyway?

It sure sounded like something Celeste was serious about. She was certainly exasperated enough about it.

He grabs the clothes and slips them on quickly.

He zips up the skirt with practiced hands and slips into the blouse carefully, so as to not ruffle it too much. He fiddles with the ends of the sleeves, pulling them down a little and realizing they're extremely short-cut. He sighs and turns his attention to the skirt, which hugs him just a little too tightly for him to…maneuver comfortably in.

But even so, he turns and returns to his bed, hugging the skirt close to his legs and sitting, looking again into the mirror. He blinks, and his reflection blinks back

He looks completely different.

Simply his clothes are enough to place him on either side of the line when it comes to presented gender, but really he already knew that. His natural build is effeminate, so of course he'd look like a real girl in real girl clothing.

But that's not what concerns him. What does concern him is the giddy smile on his face.

He hadn't even realized he was smiling.

He supposes he really likes this outfit, sure, but is that enough to make him smile like this? He didn't hate the last one. It was boyish, sure, but still cute, right? He liked the button-up well enough. The shorts were a little blegh and uninspired, but they were all he owned.

He forces his smile from his face and takes a good look at himself in the mirror. A really good look. No detail is too small, and he tries to find even the slightest hint of discomfort in himself. He expects to feel faintly disgusted, at least. He's pretending to be something he's not, isn't he?

But his posture is languid and relaxed. He's comfortable in these clothes, and it's clear to him that he's better at matching them. He might not wear this specific outfit all that often, but that's just because he's never been confident enough to pull it off. The shirt is loose around the chest, and it's pretty obvious he has absolutely no growth up there. Even the flattest of girls would raise eyebrows.

But that's not what he's concerned about. 

What he's concerned about is that he feels happy.

He's sure of it. There's a calm joy settling within him, as if something just fell into place and suddenly everything was right again. There's no rigid discomfort, no second guessing.

He consciously recognizes that he's pretending to be a girl, sure. But even so, for some reason he feels happy that he is. That maybe, that's just how it should be.

The dread creeps down his neck, and tears of realization spring from the corners of his eyes. He places his head in his hands, crying softly in front of a full-length mirror, dressed in girls' clothes.

Is he…even a he?

Celeste finds them in the game room.

Chihiro looks up from their place at the round table, a heap of strewn about cards covering it. They smile softly, waving Celeste over and turning their attention back to the cards. Celeste accepts their offer, sitting down silently and folding her hands in her lap.

She looks down at the cards, eyes narrow and eyebrows furrowed. She looks over the cards, concerned. She clears her throat.

"You have them placed incorrectly," she says, lifting a hand to hover over the table. She waits for Chihiro to look up and meet her gaze.

"Do I?" they ask, frowning. "I didn't know there was a right way."

"Well, there really isn't," Celeste explains, beginning to shuffle the cards around after receiving a nod of permission from Chihiro. They hum and rearrange the cards. "But it's all about the inherent cosmic randomness of the order of a deck of cards."

Chihiro nods in understanding, familiar with the idea of there being an unfathomable number of card orders in a standard deck of playing cards. They use similar ideas in programming and computing quite often, after all.

"There is not a correct order," Celeste clarifies, tilting some of the cards diagonally and being careful with the overlap. "But if the cards are haphazardly strewn about, the order you've been handed by your luck becomes clouded. It is in this inherently random order that one can feel at peace with the universe."

They're both silent for a moment, Chihiro watching quietly as Celeste reaches out a hand and fixes the final row of cards in front of them. She leans back with a gentle smile, proud of her handiwork.

"That's what I think, at least," she finishes. Chihiro gives her a grateful look, smiling cutely. They look down at the cards and, true to Celeste's words, do in fact feel at peace with the universe. The prescribed chaos is comforting. It tells them there isn't a right answer or a cosmic destination.

"It's all about the journey we choose," Chihiro whispers, a realization dawning on them. Thanks to Celeste's adjustments, a pattern is revealed in the middle of the deck.

Three red cards are followed by three black cards, which is then followed by an alternating pattern of color for four cards. At the end of the row is a joker. The next row begins with two queens, back to back.

It's a cosmic improbability. Very rarely do obvious patterns appear in playing card decks, and almost always is it due to poor shuffling. But poor shuffling or not, Chihiro's been presented with something their pattern-loving brain cannot ignore.

"A bit like fortune-telling, is it not?" Celeste asks gently. Chihiro nods dumbly, reaching out to pick up one of the queens. It's the queen of hearts. Celeste picks up the other queen, the queen of spades.

"I've been thinking," Chihiro begins, looking over the card as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. "About what you asked me."

"That's good," Celeste says, nodding. She flips the card she's holding over, peering at a small, inconsequential scuff mark on the back. There's a long, surprising silence.

"You…don't want an answer?" Chihiro asks, peeking over the top of their card to meet Celeste's gaze.

"Hardly," Celeste says, shaking her head. "Self-discovery is not something that can be rushed."

"You sound like you speak from experience."

"Of course I do. Look at me. I'm dripping with the stench of lies and deception. It's what I do."

Chihiro frowns. "But you're happy with them," they say, confused. Celeste nods, placing her card back down in front of her and folding her hands back down into her lap.

"I am," she confirms with a smile. "Very much so. But that is only because I made my peace with them long ago."

Chihiro nods, understanding. But they won't pry. Celeste is entitled to her secrets too.

"When I was young, I wanted nothing more than to be special," Celeste offers anyway.  She peers down at the claw wrapped around her finger. "I wanted to become someone."

"But your parents?" Chihiro asks, curious if this was going where he thought it was.

"Lies, of course," Celeste responds with a wave of a hand. Chihiro is not surprised. "Born middle-class and completely average, I quickly found I had nothing to my name. I was not a princess from the storybooks, nor was I a figure of mystery from the movies."

Chihiro relates, though they suppose even then their parents were important in their respective fields. Even if they weren't rich, they certainly had a degree of notability afforded to them. Not that Chihiro would think any different if they didn't, but they figure it's important to recognize that Celeste's plight has never been one they've personally experienced.

"I wanted to be someone," Celeste continues, looking up and meeting Chihiro's eyes. "So I began to lie. To everyone around me first. Then to myself.

"I threw away my old name, Taeko Yasuhiro, and I became Celestia Ludenberg."

Chihiro's breath hitches. They had no idea it ran so deep that Celeste had changed her name. Celeste smiles and shakes her head, silently waving away the concern on Chihiro's face.

"It was out of malice, at first," Celeste admits, twirling a strand of hair. "I loathed my mother, my father, my life, and the world around me. I wanted nothing more than to become someone else, and so I did. It was not a conscious choice of suddenly becoming someone I was not, but rather a slow progression of my circumstances making me feel as if I needed to become someone else to succeed."

Chihiro feels a shiver pass down their spine. This story feels eerily similar. It feels like it's a perfect reflection of their own.

"Eventually," Celeste says with a grimace. "It caught up with me. Like a house of cards, it all came tumbling down. I should've expected it, really."

Celeste laughs humorlessly, almost self-deprecating. Chihiro reaches a hand across the table; an offer. Their fingers twitch nervously and Celeste's expression melts.

She places a hand in Chihiro's offered one, lacing their fingers together. Chihiro smiles, warmth radiating from inside.

"The details of my realization aren't important," Celeste says after a second. Chihiro nods in understanding. "All that really matters is that I quickly uncovered the consequences of my decisions: I would have to pick a path, and I would have to find happiness in it."

"There was no middle ground?" Chihiro guesses, their smile falling in favor of an expression deep in thought. Celeste shrugs and nods.

"Not really," she confirms. "I made a few things work, but at the end of the day I ended up here. Celestia Ludenberg, the Ultimate Gambler. That's who I am now. And I chose to be this because it's what made me happy. Ignoring society, expectations, and my past, it was Celestia Ludenberg that made me happy."

Chihiro is silent for a moment. They consider the story Celeste has presented to them, and they realize just how close their stories are to each other. Placed next to each other, it feels like their situations are so close they might as well be called identical.

"And it all just worked out?" Chihiro asks, quiet. For some reason, they have a feeling it won't be as simple for them. Celeste laughs, surprised.

"Not in the slightest," she admits. Chihiro looks at her, surprised. "No, it took years. I worked tirelessly, honing my Talent and crafting my new life. It got me noticed, but, even then, for a long time I wondered if I had even made the right choice. But now, sitting here with you, I know I have."

Chihiro smiles sheepishly. Of course it wouldn't be so simple. Life never is.

"But y'know," Celeste says, leaning forward. "I don't think it will take nearly as much work in your case."

Chihiro raises an eyebrow, wondering. Celeste smiles something sweet, her eyes filled with something Chihiro can't even begin to name.

"You already know who you'll be on the other side," she all but whispers, squeezing Chihiro's hand and rubbing her thumb against the back. "All you really needed was a little push to realize you weren't quite what you wanted to be."

Chihiro's mouth goes dry. She's right. They do know who they want to be.

But now it's a matter of actually going through with it. And with their second semester coming to a close, time is ticking down faster than ever before.

"Thank you," they say, genuine. Celestia mumbles something in response and leans back, smiling more to herself than anything else.

Chihiro looks down at the queen of hearts in front of them.

They could be that, if only they were brave enough to take the first step.

The Project will finally come to fruition one week from now.

Chihiro's extremely nervous, double, triple, and quadruple checking the code. Their fellow students working on the same project aren't much better off, either.

Miu keeps swearing under her breath and grouping wires together. Kazuichi has been uncharacteristically silent for hours, screwing on the side panels of each pod. Even Chiaki and Keebo, students that weren't originally in the plan to be helping, have been hanging around and giving whatever tips they can to make sure everything goes smoothly.

Chihiro runs a batch file, hoping it finally works this time. They swivel in their chair and stare at the pods, hoping and praying to whatever might be that this works. They hold their breath, waiting.

Finally, after moments much too long to be good for their heart, the light panels on the inside of each pod blink green. Chihiro lets out a sigh of relief and a groan of anguish at the same time. That took way too much work.

"You got the lights working," Chiaki says, voice soft and curious. Chihiro straightens and swivels over to her, shrugging.

"Partially," they clarify, glancing back at the pods. "I ran the batch file that handles the entire startup process. I realized the other day that my success rate whenever I ran it was fifty-fifty at best, but it was impossible to notice until you actually got inside. Of course, we really can't have that for the real thing, so I built an execute function that switches the lights to a specific color depending on what sorts of errors the program encounters on startup. Green but blinking means the program is running and usable, but that there was an error somewhere on startup. It probably won't affect anything, but I should still go and check out."

"Oh," Chiaki says, wrapping her hands around her backpack straps and turning to Chihiro with wide eyes. "That sounds like a lot."

Chihiro laughs. "More than I thought it'd be," they sigh, deflating. "But that's to be expected by this point."

"Even a week away from launch, you're all still working tirelessly."

"Well that's 'cause we're doing everything from scratch. There aren't any codebases that relate to the physical transfer of memories and consciousness to a virtual platform."

Miu spits out a laugh from across the room. "It'd be so much easier if they just let me hook up an IV to all you asshats," she mutters, clicking a wire into place on one of the pods' panels. "But nooo, they want it to be like you're sleeping and have no external side-effects on waking up! So here I am, slaving my gorgeous girl genius body away trying to figure out how the hell I'm gonna keep you chumps from withering away and dying while we're plugged in for a month and a half."

Chiaki hums, sharing a look with Chihiro. Chihiro just shrugs and gives her a small smile. They're used to it by now.

"Fuckin' losers," Miu grumbles, kicking a piece of metal on the floor. It doesn't budge and Miu yelps, holding her now hurt foot and cursing violently. Chihiro would laugh, but they understand her struggle.

"But it's coming along really well," Chiaki offers, gesturing out to the entire room. Chihiro follows her motion, taking it all in.

"It certainly is a technical marvel," Keebo agrees, stepping over a mural of tangled wires and looking into one of the pods. "It's unlike anything in my databanks."

"We're the first," Chihiro says, shrugging softly. They're not sure if that's a good thing yet. There's still too many things that can go wrong. Even if some of their playtesting has been amazing, an equal amount of it has been harrowing.

They're supposed to start taking everyone's measurements and beginning the data collection in a week. They need almost all of the base code to be completely functional if they want any of that data to be usable.

"You'll figure it out," Chiaki says comfortingly, patting a hand on Chihiro's shoulder. They sigh and sag under her hand, shaking their head.

"I sure hope so," they whisper. Chiaki laughs softly and looks over at the dozens of monitors that surround Chihiro's workstation. They almost have the gall to be embarrassed at being seen with such an excessive desk.

"Might I recommend a break?" Keebo speaks up, pointing a finger towards a digital clock in the wall. "My internal timer tells me it's been three hours since the last one."

"Oh thank fuck," Kazuichi says, immediately tossing his tools to the floor and wiping his sleeve against his forehead. "I'm gettin' outta here."

Chihiro waves at him as he leaves, watching him cross the threshold in what must be record time. He doesn't look back, but raises a hand in acknowledgement all the same.

Miu isn't far behind, mumbling to herself and limping across the floor. She swings the door open forcefully and flips her middle finger to the entire pod system as she leaves. Chihiro giggles.

"Thanks Keebo," Chihiro says, standing and brushing off their skirt. Keebo simply nods and places his hands on his hips, smiling.

"My pleasure," he responds, dipping his head. Chihiro waves as they leave, laptop tucked under one arm and a smile on their face.

Their flats click against the floor, filling the otherwise silent hallway. They turn a corner, and as soon as they're out of possible perception, they sag with exhaustion. They sigh something heavy, mind filled with thoughts that maybe they aren't good enough for this. That maybe they aren't ready.

Even with the best of the industry helping them and sending them things from all over the world, this project still feels like too much for Hope's Peak Academy. Most of the infrastructure is being built by three high school students, Ultimate or not. Even with Professor Idabashi as a supervisor, there's still an impossible amount of work to be done.

Chihiro finds their way to the elevator, stepping in and inserting their key. This floor is off limits to most students, of course, so the only way in or out is by this specific elevator. They click the button for their class's floor, leaning back against the wall as the elevator doors come to a close.

The rumbling that comes is almost comforting, rocking Chihiro's body in a sort of perpetual lull that just feels right. They let their eyes slide closed, listening to the silence as if it were the nicest sound in the world.

They wonder if the weight on their shoulders is going to be worth it.

There's so much to figure out; so much to work through. They have to put basically every waking moment into making sure everything goes smoothly now that they're in the final testing phase. They finished most of the actual code weeks ago, but testing it and reworking it for input and connection is another beast entirely.

Not to mention, they're also dealing with the plethora of silent, existential thoughts that cloud their mind. They have to figure out and work through things not even related to the Project, too. And they suppose that scares them a little.

The elevator comes to a sudden stop. Chihiro cracks an eye open, seeing the display tell them that this isn't their floor.

They sigh and kick off the wall, stumbling and trying to make themselves at least somewhat presentable in the few seconds they have before the doors open. They smile lightly to themselves, pretending like everything's okay.

The doors open. Celeste walks into the elevator.

"We meet again," she says slyly, turning briefly to make sure their floor's already clicked. She hums and steps forward, coming to stand beside Chihiro with her hands clasped in front of her.

"Celeste," Chihiro breathes, eyes wide. She nods. Chihiro smiles, though it feels a little forced. "Hi."

"Greetings," Celeste nods, waiting in silence for the door to close. The elevator starts again. Chihiro tears their eyes from her, focusing on the panel of buttons across from them.

Celeste sighs, mumbling something to herself, as per usual at this point. Chihiro quirks an eyebrow and glances at her, but all they catch is her shaking her head and flexing her fingers. They turn back to the panel, their smile slowly slipping from their face.

Celeste's arms wrap around Chihiro's waist and pull them close. Chihiro yelps, trying to turn to Celeste and ask what's happening. Celeste places her chin on top of Chihiro's head to stop them.

"Relax," she says, tightening her arms just a little bit. "You're exhausted."

Chihiro's protests die in their throat. They sigh heavily and maneuver their laptop back into their grip. Then they lean back into Celeste, accepting her comfort.

Celeste hums, nuzzling her face into Chihiro's hair. Chihiro melts into the embrace, letting their eyes close again as they're enveloped in the warmth. They sniffle quietly.

"They shouldn't be working you so hard," Celeste mumbles, grabbing Chihiro's arms in her hands and massaging them gently. Chihiro sighs in quiet bliss. "You're exhausted, yet still you're working into the early hours."

"'S for a good reason," Chihiro mutters, not having realized it got so late. But they suppose the work floor was pretty silent, so they're not all that surprised. They snuggle back into Celeste, letting her ministrations drag them down into a world of relaxation.

It's a level of comfort Chihiro's not sure they've ever felt before. They can't tell if it's just the situation in general or the fact that it's Celeste, but either way they're certain they never want to leave.

Celeste's arms wrapped around them, hands running up and down their arms…her face buried in their hair, their back pressed up against her…

The elevator dings.

Celeste grumbles, squeezing their arms tighter when Chihiro moves. Chihiro opens their eyes to see the doors sliding open, presenting them with their floor.

"Celeste," Chihiro mumbles, blinking their eyes blearily. "Celeste, it's our floor."

Celeste sighs out a deep breath. "I'm quite sure I don't care," she all but growls, leaning her weight onto Chihiro to stop them from squirming.

"Celeste," Chihiro giggles, tilting their head back and forcing her to look at them. "We can't just wait here forever."

Celeste frowns. "Would you like to bet on that?" she asks, blinking innocently. Chihiro laughs, smiling up at her.

"Well, what if someone sees us?" they ask, blushing softly. Celeste stares at them, deadpan.

"It's two in the morning," she says. She has a point. "No one's around. And even if they were…" She nudges Chihiro's head back to a vertical position and leans her own head down to lay on their shoulder. "I wouldn't care."

Chihiro sighs, clicking their tongue and shaking their head. The elevator doors slide shut, closing them off from the rest of the world. The silence surrounds them.

"What am I gonna do with you?" Chihiro whispers good-naturedly, leaning back into Celeste's body. They let their eyes close again, simply basking in the warmth that surrounds them.

Celeste hums again, squeezing Chihiro's arms. No more words are spoken as they cuddle for what can only be described as an unacceptable amount of time.

When Chihiro returns to the pods no less than half an hour late, all they can do is sheepishly rub at the back of their neck and mumble a half-hearted excuse. Chiaki side-eyes them, a knowing smirk on her face.

Chihiro doesn't regret it.

Chihiro wakes up to the sound of light knocking on their door.

They roll over and groan, head foggy and muscles aching. They were up basically all of last night, working tirelessly with Miu, Kazuichi, and Professor Idabashi to fix some final minor quirks. Somehow, someway, they were making it work.

The knock sounds again and Chihiro forces their eyes open, blinking against the harsh morning light streaming in through their window. They sigh and push themselves up, grunting at the effort.

They swing their legs over the side of the bed, yawning and stumbling to their feet. "Coming," they mutter sleepily, but they doubt whoever it is on the other side can even hear them.

Chihiro shuffles over to the door, opening it slowly and setting their entire weight against it. They blink, rubbing at their eyes. "Celeste?" they ask, voice hoarse and barely operating.

"Good morning," Celeste says, dipping her head and clasping her hands together in front of her. Chihiro sighs and lets their head fall against the wood of their door with a thunk. "Now now, no need for that. It's well into the AM, you should be raring to go."

"Don't remind me," Chihiro grumbles, not protesting when they hear Celeste step into their room. They try to blink their eyes open, but the weight is so heavy they barely manage to close the door behind Celeste.

"Today's the big day," she says, looking around the room. She turns briefly to Chihiro, who's leaned up against the closed door. "The big, secretive plan the Academy's been working on finally comes to fruition this afternoon."

Chihiro grunts in acknowledgement, barely managing a nod of confirmation. They sigh and try to push themselves off the door, stumbling forward a step. Celeste's hands come up, brushing against their shoulders to stabilize them.

"Thanks," Chihiro mutters, too tired to feel embarrassed. They take small steps toward their bed, leaning up against Celeste and shamelessly letting her guide them down to a sitting position.

The fog is slowly clearing, though Chihiro still feels like garbage. They flutter their eyelids, their eyes clearing enough to see the blob that is Celeste sit beside them. They lean against her, smacking their lips in another yawn.

Celeste mumbles something Chihiro doesn't quite catch. She shifts, grabbing Chihiro's hand and lacing their fingers together.

Chihiro blinks against the sleep, looking down from their position leaning on Celeste's shoulder to see a truly unexpected sight. Sheer black and a blood-red floral pattern laces up Celeste's arm. They rip themselves from Celeste, giving her a good look as the sleep rapidly recedes from their body.

"Celeste…" Chihiro whispers, somehow already on the verge of tears. Celeste smiles at them, placing a soft hand against their cheek.

"It's a momentous occasion, is it not?" she whispers back, the beautiful dress Chihiro gifted her shining in the luminescent light streaming through the blinds behind her. "It's something you built, after all."

Chihiro clicks their teeth, searching for words that aren't there. Their chest hurts, squeezed with emotions and feelings that they can't place. It's not the first time Chihiro has seen Celeste wear the dress, but it makes tears come to Chihiro's eyes all the same. It feels like a symbol of something too great to put into words.

Chihiro can't help themselves: they begin crying. Celeste clicks her tongue disapprovingly and brushes her thumb against Chihiro's bottom eyelid, wiping the tears away as they spill.

"Come now," Celeste says, scooting forward. Her perceptive gaze runs over Chihiro's face, too close and yet, somehow, too far. Chihiro hitches a breath, tears flowing freely now.

Celeste hums, smiling gently and meeting Chihiro's wide eyes with her calm ones. There's an emotion there that, yet again, Chihiro can't place. They don't know how to feel.

"I don't know how you manage it," Celeste whispers, leaning forward with her other hand and wiping her sleeve against Chihiro's wet cheek. "You're bawling your eyes out right in front of me and yet somehow I can't help but see anything but beauty."

Chihiro's breath escapes them. They sob quietly, their cheeks burning red. Celeste sighs and reaches around, pulling Chihiro into her lap.

Chihiro squeaks, bracing their hands against Celeste's shoulders. They feel like the sudden blood rushing to their head is going to make them pass out.

Celeste reaches her hands back up, dutifully wiping away the tears on Chihiro's face as quickly as they appear. She's smiling the entire time.

Chihiro realizes that there's no doubt about it. This is a side only they get to see. Their brain begins to click a plethora of things together, one after another.

"Stop it," Celeste whispers, her breath soft against Chihiro's face. "You'll cry yourself out and end up so exhausted you won't be able to introduce us to your project."

Chihiro sniffles, giggling softly and wrapping their legs around Celeste's waist. It just feels right, like this. They press their face into Celeste's shoulder, nuzzling into her neck. They throw caution and embarrassment to the wind. It doesn't matter anymore, and they can always blame it on sleep deprivation or something.

Celeste's hand finds its way up, brushing softly into Chihiro's hair. It rests there, petting them softly.

Chihiro sighs in pure, unadulterated bliss. Their tears slow to a stop, replaced with an overflowing warmth in their chest. They sniffle again, laughing at the absurdity of their situation. They can't believe they got so lucky to make such great friends.

"Chihiro, darling," Celeste says after a long stretch of silence. Chihiro shifts, peering up at her with tired eyes. "I've decided there's a few things I must clarify with you."

"Hm?" Chihiro hums, pulling away from their place and meeting Celeste's eyes. "What is it?"

"To begin," she continues, meshing her lips into a thin line. "I must ask if you've given my suggestion much thought."

Chihiro looks away and laughs humorlessly. "Yeah," they whisper. "I've given it a lot of thought, actually."

"But you haven't yet decided?"

Chihiro shakes their head sadly. "No," they murmur, turning back to Celeste and expecting to find disappointment. But instead, they're met with the soft, understanding eyes of someone who doesn't mind at all.

"That's okay," Celeste says, curling some of Chihiro's hair with her fingers. "You said it yourself, you know: it's about the journey."

Chihiro sniffles, their lip quivering. Celeste gives them an exasperated look. Chihiro chuckles softly in response.

"Anyway," Celeste continues, meeting Chihiro's eyes seriously. "I figured it might be useful if I gave you a little push."

Chihiro quirks an eyebrow, sitting up straighter. They shift, tilting their head in question. Celeste takes a deep breath, mumbling to herself again.

"Like what?" Chihiro asks, almost silent.

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course."

Celeste takes another deep breath, the hand in Chihiro's hair trembling lightly. Chihiro leans forward, searching her face for what's wrong.

"There's something I don't think you've realized yet," she reveals, closing her eyes briefly. Chihiro becomes even more confused than before. Something they haven't realized? Whatever could that be?

Chihiro parts their mouth to ask, but Celeste is faster. Her eyes shoot open and she grabs the back of Chihiro's head, lunging forward at the same time.

It takes a moment for Chihiro to realize that she's kissing them. Their arms grow weak and their eyes flutter closed.

Celeste pulls away too fast, turning her head and pressing two fingers to her lips. She's suddenly breathing heavily. Chihiro sags, light-headed.

"Oh," they say intelligently. Their breath is ragged even though the kiss lasted only a few short seconds. Their realization comes to them. "I like you."

Celeste nods, refusing to meet their gaze. "You do," she confirms, a light blush dusting her cheeks. "And I happen to like you back. Very much so."

"Oh."

Chihiro doesn't know what to say. Are there any words for this situation?

Their brain goes haywire, alarm bells ringing in their head. They don't know what to do, this situation is so foreign, it's not like they've ever had a serious crush bef—

Chihiro makes a decision.

She blinks, barely conscious of her own thoughts. She realizes there and then what it is that makes her happy.

She doesn't have to pretend to be something she's not. She already has everything she could ever need in the palm of her hand. It's all right in front of her.

Chihiro likes being a girl. She knows that.

Chihiro likes Celeste. She knows that too.

Chihiro likes programming and computers and staying up late into the night, working on a project that she finds fun. She likes reading by candlelight and talking with her friends. She likes blueberry perfume and flowers that she can weave into a crown.

She loves this life. There's no need for her to go back to her old one.

"You're ruminating," Celeste whispers, finally turning back to Chihiro. Chihiro nods dumbly, her face still frozen in shock.

"I was just thinking," she manages, blinking a few times. Her head feels light, like it's somewhere far above them in the clouds.

"As I could see," Celeste smiles, her cheeks alight with her blush. "You're hardly inconspicuous."

Chihiro giggles with glee, a wide smile stretching across her face. She's filled with a sudden confidence, a sudden love, and she leans forward to peck at Celeste's cheek.

"Thank you," Chihiro whispers, pouring the emotion from her chest into her eyes. She recognizes it now. It's affection. It's love. It's an unrelenting care for Celeste and Celeste alone. It's everything good, bundled into one.

"Shut up," Celeste responds quietly, her cheeks flaring. Chihiro laughs, leaning forward. "Stop talking and use those lips for something far more productive."

"Yes ma'am," Chihiro whispers back, fluttering her eyes and letting Celeste pull her close. Their lips meet again, and this time Chihiro responds in full.

They kiss on Chihiro's bed, her hands fisted in Celeste's dress that she helped make for her just a few short months prior. The morning sunlight illuminates her smile, beautiful in every way possible. Chihiro locks her legs around Celeste's waist, scooting forward and hoping this moment never ends.

Celeste's lips taste like cherries.

Chihiro decides that she really, really likes cherries.

Chihiro perks up at the sound of someone knocking on her cabin door.

She blinks, finishing up a quick line of code towards the bug fixes and changes she's planning to implement once their stay on Jabberwock Island is over. The work never stops, but honestly Chihiro's certainly not complaining. Coding is her passion, after all.

"Coming!" Chihiro chirps, writing a quick note in her code on what she needs to do next, so as to not be completely lost if she comes back to her code later. It's a habit of hers that she developed after getting interrupted and coming back to her code completely lost more than a few times.

She groans, standing from her position at her desk in her cabin. She stretches lightly, padding across the floor and dully wondering if she should work on a new algorithm for the sun rays. They look fine enough on the outside, but when she glances out the window she realizes the saturation isn't quite right on object collision.

It's a small, inconsequential problem. But she wants to try her best to make sure her handiwork is as perfect as possible.

Chihiro opens the door and squints out against the bright light of midday, recognizing the figure of Makoto Naegi.

"Makoto?" Chihiro asks, shielding her eyes from the bright sun. She should probably tone that down. Even for a tropical island, atmospheric refraction certainly does more than the program's emulating right now.

"Hey Chihiro," he says, smiling and giving a little half-wave. "Sorry to bother, but I was wondering if you had a second to help me with something."

"Of course!" Chihiro says. She glances down at the steps to her cabin. She definitely needs to find a new texture for that. Maybe Angie or Ryota could help. Most of the textures were ripped from open distributions or pictures, anyway. It'd be nice to have some made specifically for this program. "How can I help?"

Makoto gestures with his hand, leading Chihiro out of her room. "I actually noticed something strange in that old building next to the hotel," he says, stepping down and waiting while she closes the door behind her. She nods, knowing of the old building. There's not much in there. "I noticed something that looked a little…out of place, I suppose? Figured I'd check with you to see if it was anything important."

Chihiro racks her brain, but she's pretty sure the entire building was some stock object she ripped from a codebase somewhere. "I'm not sure," she says. They definitely searched the place during playtesting, but she supposes anything's possible. "Just lead me there and I might have an answer for you."

"Great!" Makoto says, taking the lead and beginning to walk along the path. They aren't far from the building, so most of their journey passes in silence. Chihiro just swings her arms happily as she walks alongside him, making a few more mental notes as to things she should improve before her time's officially up.

They pass by the pool and are soon standing before the old, partially dilapidated building. Chihiro frowns at it, wondering if she shouldn't replace it with something better. It was one of the first things she added on the first island, so she kept it more out of convenience than out of actual want.

Makoto turns and smiles at her, pushing the door open with one hand and beckoning her with the other. She jogs up the steps, hugging her skirt close to her body and passing through the doorway with a soft, "Thank you."

"So what did you say you found?" Chihiro asks quietly, looking over the interior of the building. The wood genuinely does look old, but the texture is seriously lacking when you look at the edges of the walls. They don't quite mesh with the ceiling and floor. She should fix that.

"Oh, uh…it's just a…thing, I suppose?" Makoto mumbles, scratching at his chin thoughtfully. He steps forward, gesturing down the hallway. "It'll be easier if you see it."

Chihiro hums and nods her head, though she furrows her eyebrows all the same. It must be a glitch or something stuck in the floor. Or maybe a texture error? That would certainly make it unrecognizable.

Makoto stops in front of a door, looking back at Chihiro behind him. "It's right in here," he says softly. There's a gentle smile on his face. Chihiro pays it no mind, closing the distance and giving him a nod.

Makoto gingerly pushes open the door, a sudden flood of light pouring out. Chihiro peers in, eyes wide.

"Surprise!" what must be the entirety of her class yells out, jumping out and cheering. Chihiro stumbles back, her hands coming up to cover her gasp.

"Happy Birthday," Makoto says with a smile. A chorus of cheers go up from within the room, her entire class waving her in.

They've cleaned up the entire banquet hall, setting it up with a mountain of food and various games scattered around. Chihiro begins to cry, rubbing at her eyes as if she could hide her tears behind her hands.

Makoto leads her in gently, murmuring something to her and closing the door behind them, but Chihiro isn't listening. How can she? All she can think about is how all of her friends are here, apparently celebrating her birthday.

Celeste walks up to her gracefully, stopping in front of her and looking down with a soft smile in her gentle expression. "Chi, honestly," she whispers, reaching a hand across and wiping at Chihiro's tears once more. She sniffles and tries her best to smile through watery tears. "You'll ruin your beautiful face."

Chihiro laughs quietly, her chest spasming as she sobs halfway through. "Don't care," she mumbles, throwing her arms around Celeste. She doesn't care who sees them. "I'm just so happy."

"I'm sure you are," Celeste whispers, her hands wrapping around Chihiro's small body. She pets her hair calmly, mumbling something to Makoto beside them and thanking him. He laughs and turns away, walking over to talk to the other students.

The dining hall passes back into the low hum and buzz of activity as the other students begin to return to whatever they were doing previously under the suggestion of Makoto. He waves over at them, a smile and a knowing look on his face. Chihiro smiles and hiccups, her heart squeezing with thankfulness.

"Did you do this for me?" Chihiro asks quietly, turning her head to look up at Celeste. Celeste hums and nods.

"I set it up," she confirms, leaning down quickly to peck Chihiro on the forehead. "Well, more like I had the idea and convinced Makoto to bend to my every whim for it, but that's basically the same thing, is it not?"

"Celeste," Chihiro chides, laughing. She reaches up and pokes Celeste's nose, if only to do something to keep her mind from the thought of her wanting to melt into a puddle and slip through the floorboards. Celeste simply raises an eyebrow. "You can't just make Makoto do everything."

"Au contraire," Celeste smiles slyly, wrapping her arms tighter against Chihiro. "Makoto makes for a great lackey."

Chihiro laughs and sets her head against Celeste's chest, simply breathing for a second as she calms her tears. She sniffles, her heart overflowing at the appreciation she feels towards Celeste for making this happen. Towards all of them, really, simply for showing up.

Chihiro slowly disentangles herself from Celeste's grasp, turning to look out at everyone talking to each other and having fun. She smiles, leaning into Celeste's side and drying her tears on her sleeve.

"Thank you," Chihiro croaks, sniffling again as she holds back more tears. She's just so happy to see everyone together again. They're all here for her sake, and that's special.

"Of course, darling," Celeste whispers back, rubbing a comforting hand into Chihiro's back. "But now, make the most of this opportunity."

Chihiro smiles and turns up to her, affection in her eyes. She nods lightly, straining up to give Celeste a quick, soft kiss that she hopes no one else catches.

Chihiro stumbles forward, pushed along by Celeste behind her now. She chuckles and catches her feet, smiling out at all of her friends.

Aoi notices them first, jumping up with a blindingly bright smile and a frantic wave. "Chihiro!" she shouts, waving her over. "Happy birthday!"

The rest of the class turns to her in turn, congratulating Chihiro and clamoring to induct her into the festivities. She gets swept along, thanking each of her classmates individually and spending some precious time with them. They talk and laugh together, spending their day together far into the night.

It's a whirlwind of an event, and Chihiro is at the center of it the entire time. There's a genuine, happy smile stuck on her face the whole time, even when she blushes at a comment from Toko or laughs heartily from something Hifumi's said.

It's wonderful.

It's one of the best days of Chihiro's entire life.

But, alas, as Chihiro waves at the last of her friends finally leaving the now sparkling-clean room, she sighs. It all has to come to an end at some point; of course it does. She's running out of time once again.

Chihiro turns, finding the comforting presence of Celeste beside her. She grabs her hand tightly, looking up with an expression of love.

"Thank you," Chihiro whispers, stretching up on her tiptoes to give her a slow, gentle kiss. "For everything."

Celeste hums, murmuring something silent. "You would have regretted it," she says aloud after a moment, glancing back at the door. Chihiro tilts her head in question. "If your last party with us was one you watched from across the room."

Chihiro looks at the silent doorway as well. "Yeah," she agrees, squeezing Celeste's hand tightly. "I would've."

They're silent for a moment, quiet and comfortable beside each other. Chihiro leans her head against Celeste's shoulder, closing her eyes in bliss. She wishes she had the time to get used to this.

"Have you decided yet?" Celeste asks quietly, gently shattering the sanctity of their silence. Chihiro hums softly and nods even softer, playing with Celeste's fingers.

"I have," she whispers back. Celeste turns down to her, raising a hand to lift Chihiro's head. She runs a thumb against her chin, smiling delicately.

"I'll be with you every step of the way," she says, leaning in to steal a kiss. Chihiro lets her, pushing back and whining softly when Celeste pulls away. Celeste laughs softly, stepping in front of her fully.

"Thank you," Chihiro says, sniffling. She doesn't want her tears to spill over yet again.

So, instead, she throws her arms around Celeste's neck and pulls her down, kissing her for as long as she likes.

Celeste allows it, giggling into Chihiro's lips and fluttering her eyes shut. She pulls Chihiro close, wrapping her arms around her waist.

It's a wonderful birthday present.

They have a bonfire at the end.

Chihiro's sitting on one of the logs, sandwiched by Mondo on her right and Celeste on her left. Her leg is bouncing incessantly, betraying her nervousness to anyone who looks over in their direction. But, anyone who gets curious enough to actually ask is quickly scared away by the terrifying glares of Mondo and Celeste.

Chihiro whines, folding in on herself. She can't do this. It's too much. It's way too much. Her original idea was so much better, so much easier. All she would've had to do was stand up and say she was actually a boy and that would be that.

No one would object to it. They might be sad that she lied for so long, sure. Some might've even been outraged at her deception, she supposes. But that would've been the end. Nothing more would've been expected of her.

But now, here in this reality, she's going to have to stand up, walk them through her deception, tell them that she actually does want to be a girl but just wants to be transparent about it, and then ask for both their forgiveness and their support.

It's too much. She can't do this. She should just keep quiet and live her life based on her original lie. No one would even know. After all, she's been here this long without them suspecting anything.

She can just be a girl in silence—

"You'll regret it," Celeste whispers, grabbing her hand and swinging their arms to be hidden behind their backs. "You'll think about it every day for the rest of your life, believing you're living buried in deception."

Chihiro squeaks, shivering at the thought. That would be too much to bear, she's sure of it. She's not even a liar, not really. She's just convinced herself she needs to tell them all her entire truth anyway.

"She's right, little pal," Mondo grumbles, leaning closer to her and side-eying anyone who gets close with a curious expression. "It's up to you how you wanna go about this, but at the end of the day it's good to get it off your chest. It'll weigh you down forever if you don't."

Chihiro looks up, but she can see that his eyes are harrowed. He speaks from experience too, she can tell. But Mondo and Celeste are both far stronger than her. She knows they are. She could never bear the same burden.

"Surprisingly insightful," Celeste mutters, smiling slyly. Mondo cocks his head, grinning something almost evil. "I didn't think you had it in you to be eloquent."

"And I didn't think you'd ever grow a heart," Mondo bites back, venom dripping in his voice. "Thought you'd always be a prissy little brat, but it seems we're both surprised."

"You guys," Chihiro whines, pushing herself between them and pouting. They both turn to look down at her, their expressions suddenly void of malice. "Stop fighting. Please."

Mondo sighs, rubbing the back of his neck and turning away with a sheepish look. "Sorry little bud," he says, even looking a little ashamed. "Didn't mean to go overboard there."

"The same goes for me," Celeste says softly, leaning away and dipping her head in defeat. "I shouldn't have provoked you." Then, after a long, drawn out moment, "I'm sorry."

"Ah, to hell with it," Mondo groans, turning and laughing gruffly. He sticks his hand out. "I'm sorry too. We should be bonding over this, not fighting."

Chihiro smiles happily, overjoyed when Celeste reaches her own hand out and grasps Mondo's in a delicate handshake. In this small moment of shared camaraderie, she can pretend everything is okay.

"Yes," Celeste agrees, nodding seriously. She pulls her hand back and wipes it on her dress, not at all subtle. Mondo just laughs good-naturedly. "We do have something in common now, after all."

"Hm?" Mondo grunts, his eyebrows raising. "And what's that?"

"Why, her, of course," Celeste smiles politely, nudging Chihiro. Chihiro looks away, embarrassed. Mondo laughs and claps her on the back.

"Hah! Guess you got that right!"

Chihiro smiles, her chest warm again from being surrounded by two of her greatest friends in the entire world. They're the two who have accepted her whole-heartedly, even if they were under different circumstances.

Mondo and Celeste begin conversing seriously for the first time ever that night, sharing memories and experiences of Chihiro with each other. She's blushing and looking down the entire time, but the smile never leaves her face. If all it takes is a little embarrassment to get her two best friends to become friends themselves, then it's a tiny price to pay.

Chihiro does spill her guts to the entire school that night, legs shaking and half crying through her entire story. She manages only with the support of Celeste's comforting hand intertwining their fingers and Mondo standing beside her, hand firmly clasped to her shoulder.

It takes everything out of her, but the comforting, encouraging smiles of her classmates make it easier when they realize where she's going with her story. A few cheers go up throughout her reveal, and Chihiro almost faints at simply the sight of so much support.

Her class surrounds her in a giant group-hug when she finally gets through the last of it, teary-eyed and sniffling in happiness. They're all shouting over each other to provide encouraging words and get the closest to her. All she can do is bawl like a baby.

Byakuya is the only one who stays out of the hug, but even then he ends up finding his way to her immediately afterwards, offering his hand and words of acceptance. She takes it daintily and tries her best to stop herself from sobbing uncontrollably.

The conversation around the bonfire begins to pick back up slowly, but Chihiro's still standing, looking out over everyone with a smile.

"Oh," she whispers, a realization coming to her. Frantically, she steps forward and yells, "Wait!"

But her voice has always been tiny, and only a few select individuals turn their attention to her. Her face falls, thinking she's missed her chance for good.

"Hey!" Mondo barks, immediately stepping up beside her. "Listen up!"

The entire gathering goes silent again, turning to look back at the two of them in the center of the circle. Chihiro nods and thanks Mondo, waving him off back to his seat. He grumbles but obliges, and Chihiro grabs Celeste by the hand. She pulls her into the center of the circle.

"Sorry," Chihiro apologizes, a blush burning on her still tear-streaked face. "I have one more thing. I figured I'd take this chance to tell you that too."

Celeste turns to her, an eyebrow raised in surprise. Chihiro looks up at her with a sheepish expression, silently asking if this is okay. Celeste nods after only a single moment, smiling uncharacteristically wide. There's a sparkle in her eyes.

Chihiro turns back out to the crowd and holds up their interlocked hands, gesturing at them. "Celeste and I are dating," she reveals happily.

Somehow, the cheers that erupt this time are even louder. It's like a mosh pit, every single person there seems to have some sort of over-the-top, egregiously surprised reaction. Even Byakuya, someone so intent on never showing emotion, looks stricken.

"I told you!" Chiaki shouts from the back, violently shaking a horrified-looking Kazuichi. "Man, you owe me so much money now!"

"Oh fuck!" Kazuichi yelps, turning to Chiaki and beginning to plead for forgiveness. Chihiro laughs hard, covering her mouth behind her hand and leaning into Celeste's side.

Celeste turns to look down at her, mumbling something and leaning down to press a soft kiss to her forehead. Another cheer goes up, this one filled with a noticeable amount of wolf-whistles.

Ibuki starts headbanging, spasming like a madman. "I'm being filled with so much inspiration!" she shouts, turning to whoever's nearest and shaking them too. Poor Ryoma looks like he'd rather die, but he doesn't stop her from vibrating his body like a ragdoll. "I'm gonna name my next song 'Lolita Fell In Love With A Nerd'!"

Kaede jumps up from the other end of the circle, shouting, "I'm begging you to let me feature!" Chihiro laughs harder, hiding her blazing face behind her sleeves. A few more cries go up, offering their Talents to create the greatest hit the world has ever seen based on Chihiro's and Celeste's newfound relationship.

An excited uproar forms, the entire school suddenly completely active to put as many plans as possible into motion to celebrate. Chihiro feels like she's short circuiting, and she's only faintly aware of Celeste physically having to pick her up and carry her back to her seat.

Celeste, softly, peels the hands from Chihiro's face to be met with a stupid smile and a waterfall of tears. She chuckles and raises a hand, rubbing her palm against her cheeks as she pulls her closer with her other hand.

"Thank you," Chihiro whispers, her heart feeling tight. Then, before she can lose her sudden surge of empowerment, "I love you."

Celeste hums and smiles, leaning forward. "I love you too," she whispers before capturing Chihiro in a kiss.

Chihiro is faintly aware of more cheers sounding out around the circle. She picks out the squeals of Tenko and Aoi, both of whom begin to shout excitedly with each other about how cute Chihiro and Celeste are together.

But Chihiro pays them no mind. She's far too focused on kissing Celeste back, reaching up and tangling her hands in her hair and pressing in. Celeste smiles into the kiss and Chihiro smiles back.

She is so, so happy she programmed Celeste's lips to taste like cherries.

They're both silent, sitting together in Chihiro's half-empty room.

The afternoon light filters in, illuminating the floor in soft yellows and deep oranges. There's a ray of light settling on Chihiro's leg, warming it up with its early-summer heat.

Chihiro looks around quietly, her eyes running over the now sparse walls. In just a few short days, she will leave this room and never return to it. She will leave this Academy for good.

"It's a little sad," she mumbles. Celeste immediately snakes her arm around Chihiro's waist, pulling her closer. Chihiro just giggles and lets her head fall onto Celeste's shoulder.

"It is," Celeste agrees with a light nod. "Our lives here are, at long last, coming to a close."

It's bittersweet on the best of days. It still doesn't quite feel real, even. Chihiro can't imagine a life without her classmates and friends by her side. It's going to be a struggle to adapt to whatever comes next.

Chihiro has an apartment and job lined up, of course. The Academy makes sure to pay very close attention to getting its students set up for life, and Chihiro was no exception. They even introduced her to the Former Ultimate Therapist, who had told Chihiro some very interesting things about the miracles of modern medicine. Apparently the Former Ultimate Pharmacist had even gotten involved.

But none of that was important right now.

What was important was the warmth of Celeste's body pressed up against Chihiro's side. What was important was the softness of Celeste's hand and the way her thumb pressed circles into Chihiro's skin. What was important was the love in Chihiro's chest.

"Hey Celeste?" Chihiro asks, voice small. Celeste hums in acknowledgement, not turning from her place staring at the blank wall across from them. "Will you stay with me?"

It's a question that Chihiro doesn't even consider before she speaks. If she had given it even the barest amount of thought, she certainly wouldn't have voiced such an idea. But in the moment, the prospect springs from her mind and falls from her lips before she even thinks about what it would mean. It's just something Chihiro realizes she truly, desperately wishes for.

"Hm?" Celeste hums, finally turning and quirking an eyebrow down at Chihiro. Her lips are parted in surprise and her fingers still. "Are you asking me if I'll drop everything I had planned to come live with you instead?"

It clicks in Chihiro's mind. Her head whips up, expression almost scared. Chihiro is just as surprised as Celeste.

"No!" she shouts, a little too loud. "Or well, yes that is what I was asking but…" She pauses, making a vague gesture with her free hand and puffing out her cheeks in thought. "Forget it. It was a stupid idea that just came spilling out. It'd be absurd to expect you to—"

"Done," Celeste says. Chihiro falls silent, floundering for words. Celeste's eyes soften and she squeezes Chihiro's hand tighter.

"What?" Chihiro whispers, incredulous.

"Done. I would be delighted to move in with you."

It doesn't compute in Chihiro's mind. To think such an idea were even slightly possible is completely ridiculous. It's not anywhere near feasible.

"But," Chihiro manages, shaking her head in disbelief. "What about your plans? Don't you already have a place to go?"

"I did," Celeste admits with a nod. She presses a gentle kiss into Chihiro's hair. "But I would much rather be with you."

"But your job?" Chihiro tries, failing to comprehend. Celeste must have an entire life laid out before her, but she would rather forgo all of it to spend her time with Chihiro instead?

"Oh please. I'm the Ultimate Gambler. There's only so much Hope's Peak could do." She huffs and shrugs her shoulders, uncaring. "I think I'd find much more fulfillment with you."

Chihiro's eyes begin to fill with tears, her bottom lip quivering. She opens her mouth to speak again, but no words come out. Her chest squeezes around her heart.

"Come now," Celeste says with a sigh, placing her free hand on Chihiro's cheek. Her smile is full, warm, and wholly comforting. "I want nothing more than to spend my time with you, my darling Chihiro."

This is the part where Chihiro breaks down in sobs, throws her arms around Celeste's body, and begins wailing into her dress. She knows that. She figures they both do.

But something snaps in Chihiro's chest, and her happiness manifests in a different way. She isn't breaking down and losing functionality. Instead, the warmth floods through her and empowers her.

She's still crying, tears flowing freely down her face. She's still sniffling, her head lightheaded from joy. But she's not burying herself in Celeste's shoulder, crying her eyes out.

No, instead, Chihiro swings her legs around, climbing into Celeste's lap and straddling her body. She surges up, her entire being coursing with sudden zeal.

Their lips meet, and Chihiro channels every ounce of love she has into the kiss. She reaches around, tangling her hands into Celeste's hair and pulling her close. Their bodies are flush with one another and Chihiro dully wonders where her body ends and Celeste's begins.

Celeste meets her, smiling against Chihiro's lips and letting her hands come around to hold Chihiro at the waist. Chihiro whines, pressing into Celeste with her entire body and trying her best to kiss her senseless.

Chihiro decides she loves Celeste with every ounce of her being. Celeste decides she loves Chihiro back with even more. 

They both collectively decide that they could certainly get used to this.

They don't separate for a long, long while. The hours that they were supposed to spend packing are replaced by desperate kisses and hushed declarations of adoration. They're both breathless the entire time.

"You're desperately cute," Celeste mumbles between kisses.

"You say that a lot," Chihiro breathes, cheeks blazing all the same. She presses another kiss against Celeste's lips, desperate for more, more, more.

"That's because it's true," Celeste confirms, pulling away to huff for breath. "You're the most gorgeous woman I have ever met."

Another tear slips down Chihiro's face, who's overjoyed and losing functionality. Celeste leans down, kissing the tear away.

"I love you," Chihiro whines, unable to express her feelings in any other way than kissing Celeste senseless. "So much."

"I love you too, my darling," Celeste whispers, capturing Chihiro in a slower kiss this time. "De toute mon âme."