Chapter Text
Danielle Marsh is the sun. She illuminates cities with her bright smile and puppy dog eyes. She radiates overpowering warmth in her tight hugs and gentle touch. She energises others through her adorable laughter, passionate reactions and infinite arsenal of sincere compliments. She even has a whole Solar System of people waving at her as she walks through Ditto High's hallways. Haerin Kang is painfully aware of all of this because she is Dani's Mercury.
Haerin is Mercury because she is the closest to the Sun. Haerin had met Dani on the first morning of kindergarten, when Haerin had been quietly doodling a cat and dog in her trusty notebook. This doesn't look right, 5-year-old Haerin had thought frustratedly as she sketched the cat's face, furrowing her brows and pouting in concentration.
Then, a high-pitched and almost sunshine-like voice had sounded from directly next to Haerin, causing the artist to yelp in shock. Haerin, her heart still pumping at an allegro rhythm, had found herself entranced in a set of glistening wide-open eyes. Ones that revealed a kaleidoscope of colours beyond their natural hazel hue and made lovestruck Haerin’s hands go limp, dropping her pencil on the wooden desk below.
Haerin had speechlessly stared at the girl in the seat beside her, making detailed note of silky-smooth blunt bangs that framed adorably chubby cheeks and naturally-curled pigtails that bounced about with the girl's every action. Haerin had never seen anyone so stunning. The models in her mum's magazine paled in comparison to the effortless beauty before her. Haerin had intently examined every freckle and eyelash as though the gorgeous girl was just a hallucination, one that would soon fade from life and memory.
A heartbeat or two later, Sunshine Girl tilted her head endearingly and slowly waved a small, slightly yellowed hand in front of Haerin's face.
'Hello? Anybody home?' Sunshine Girl had teased as she gently knocked on Haerin's forehead. Haerin had prayed that the heat creeping up her temple wasn't the deep blush she suspected it to be. At least I know she's real, Haerin had sighed mentally.
'Y-yeah. Sorry, what do you need?' Haerin had stuttered in response, nervously forcing a polite smile.
'This,' Sunshine Girl had re-stated patiently as she pointed at Haerin's long-forgotten artwork, 'Is this you?'
Haerin had dumbfoundedly followed Sunshine Girl’s index finger to Haerin's deformed cat sketch. It was then that Haerin had first undergone the ‘5 stages of not understanding Dani’: confusion, offence, anger, guilt and go-along-with-it. Haerin's face had morphed from emotion to emotion in rapid succession, making her look like the avatar in a dress-up game when the player couldn't decide on the right eyes or lips.
Sunshine Girl had panicked at Haerin's silent expressive response and had quickly raised her hands in surrender. 'I'm sorry, was that rude? You were making this exact face earlier and it was really cute, I swear I didn't mean anything else by it!' Sunshine Girl had defended in a rap that would make Eminem stutter.
She thinks I'm cute? Haerin had thought, her previous troubles fading away as her face naturally drew into a smile. Sunshine Girl had relaxed at this and took a deep breath as she waited for Haerin to respond.
'It wasn't meant to be me,' Haerin had begun, choosing her words carefully, 'but why not?'
Sunshine Girl had grinned, half apologetically and half in pure joy, pumping Haerin's adrenaline and pushing her to continue.
'Different interpretations are what make art interesting,' Haerin had gushed as she fidgeted with her hands shyly, 'So, thank you, for making my drawing interesting.'
Maybe it was because Sunshine Girl gazed at her so softly, like she was a stray kitten that she wanted to take in as her own and nurture, that Haerin revealed a side of herself that day that she had never shown anyone before. Maybe it was because Sunshine Girl encouraged her with small 'mhm's and energetic nods that Haerin had rambled endlessly, unafraid of judgement for once.
This is nice, Haerin had thought as she giggled at 'Dani', as she had learned was Sunshine Girl's name, attempting to draw in the dog's face, only for it to end up looking like a torn scarecrow. ('Don't laugh!' Dani had whined, her ears glowing ruby red.)
From that day onwards, Haerin and Dani's combined artwork had a reserved place on the Marsh's fridge, with special heart and smiley-faced magnets holding it up. Dani became Haerin's source of energy, someone who would effortlessly lift her spirits with a cheerful and encouraging demeanour. Haerin became Dani's support, someone who would always offer her ears and arms and notice when she wasn't okay. Undoubtedly, they were best friends.
But Mercury isn't special. It's the closest to the sun but it's not even the hottest. It's the smallest planet and doesn't have moons or rings. Mercury is always watching the Sun, but the Sun watches the whole Solar System equally. Haerin might be the closest person to Dani, but she isn't a significant aspect of her life, and she probably never will be...
Haerin's dream was rudely interrupted by a sharp stab to her back, which caused her to snap up from her sneak-sleep position. Haerin glared daggers at her science desk partner, Hanni, who clutched a ballpoint pen behind her vulnerable back. Hanni only rolled her eyes nonchalantly and retracted her hand in surrender.
'Well, so-rry for trying to get you out of detention!' Hanni scoffed, glancing over at their science teacher, who was scolding someone for saying that elements and compounds were the same thing. 'Ms. Min is literally going to burn you alive.'
Haerin could only mumble in irritation as she hastily scribbled down notes so that said teacher wouldn't notice the significant blank space (Dani's swiftieness must be rubbing off on her) on her page.
'Did you stay up late last night or something?' Hanni asked absentmindedly as she continued writing in her #aesthetic #academicweapon #studyqueen science book, which had calligraphy titles, colour-coded highlighted sections, stickers and so much more. They made for the best notes to copy off of because they were legible and organised, unlike the rest of the (sane) teenage population's books.
'I'm just not in the mood for science,' Haerin explained drily as she cracked her sore knuckles.
'Are you ever in the mood for science? Excluding the topics about the reproductive system,' Hanni teased with an infuriating grin.
This little- Haerin thought before taking a deep breath. I do not have the energy for this.
'Can it,' Haerin ordered, jabbing at Hanni's arm with her ballpoint pen.
'Ouch. Violence is never the answer, Kang Haerin!' Hanni pouted as she switched to yet another pastel highlighter.
'And the answer to number 3 most certainly isn't Lithium,' Haerin countered as she leaned over to try and copy Hanni's work, only to be immensely disappointed.
'Whatever, nerd,' Hanni dismissed as she poked her tongue out childishly. Is this girl really almost a year older than me? Haerin wondered in disbelief.
Just as Haerin hoped that she could get some peace and quiet, Hanni spoke up again.
'Hey, why are you being so boring today?' Hanni groaned, poking at Haerin's arm like she was a dead bug on the sidewalk. 'My highly intelligent comment about your fascination with the human reproductive system would normally make you blush like crazy. I'm talking almost Danzo level.'
'I do not blush around Dani!' Haerin hissed, snatching Hanni's pen mid-poke.
'Of course you start being interesting when I mention Danzo,' Hanni sighed as she slid her hand into Haerin's to grab her pen back.
'You can't talk, you have the fattest crush on Minji,' Haerin grumbled, clawing at the breadcrumbs of her shattered pride.
Hanni suddenly stabbed her elbow into her desk and rested her chin in the palm of her hand, gazing deeply into the distance like she was the main character of a Wattpad (maybe next time bro.)
'She so wants me,' Hanni longed, twirling her hair dramatically. Haerin soured her face and shot Hanni a look of disgust. So cringey, Haerin thought as she made a vomit face.
'Oh my god. Time and place! And you did it at my birthday dinner!' Haerin quoted, causing Hanni to fall from her lovesick girl pose as she held back hysterical laughter. 'Kim Minji literally flirts with half the female population at our school bro,' she continued with a sudden voice change.
At this, Hanni abruptly ceased laughing and straightened her back to now only be a whole forehead shorter than Haerin.
'At least she flirts with me!' Hanni defended indignantly, 'You're always ranting about how Danzo has completely friend-zoned you!'
I hate it when she actually says something smart, Haerin thought, silenced by the painful stab of truth.
'Were you silent or silenced? Anyway, you still haven't told me why you're so emo today. I bet it's something about Danzo,' Hanni snickered as she spun her pen in her non-dominant hand (one of her biggest and only flexes).
'It's not, actually,' Haerin replied, ignoring Hanni’s quip. Then, Haerin realised that she literally just dreamed about Dani (for the 5th time this week.) Damn it, Haerin cursed to herself.
'Well, maybe just a bit,' she continued quieter, her eyes fixed on the diagram on the board in shame.
'Yep, seems about right,' Hanni chuckled as she rubbed Haerin's head with that same infuriating grin.
'Stop acting like a wise old turtle that knows everything,' Haerin growled, lifting her hand to block the sudden hair attack.
'But you're so cute when you're heartbroken!' Hanni joked as she wrestled with Haerin to maintain her hand's position resting atop her head.
'At least I have a heart,' Haerin managed out through struggled grunts. Did she get stronger since our arm wrestle yesterday? Haerin thought with knitted eyebrows. That match, like all the ones before, had ended in a tie for both hands, but Haerin could swear that Hanni was overpowering her right now.
'Hey, not nice!' Hanni whined, pushing at Haerin to make her lose balance before finally relenting, much to Haerin's relief.
'So, what's up?' Hanni asked, genuine concern and curiosity in her voice (a rare phenomenon).
'Nothing,' Haerin stated stubbornly as she massaged her hands.
'Fine, then what are you going to do about your emo-ness so I'm not bored tomorrow in science?' Hanni asked expectantly.
'I will...' Haerin began, scouring her tired brain for a satisfactory answer, 'clear my head by saying yes to lunchtime basketball with Hyein.'
'What?! But lunch is your precious 'Dani time'!' Hanni argued, feigning disbelief as she put her hand to her mouth like a Victorian lady.
'Leave me alone, will ya?' Haerin groaned, thumping her head against her workbook in frustration.
Hanni took this as an opportunity to continue ruffling Haerin's hair with a prolonged 'fiiiiiine.'
Haerin was spared from further humiliation by the end-of-period bell. While Hanni organised her ridiculous amount of stationery into her even more ridiculously massive pencil case, Haerin slipped out of her seat and was pushed out the door by a vicious crowd of fellow students.