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After the commotion in Penacony had finally died down, The Family wanted to celebrate the success together. With the upcoming new year, the people were in full preparation of a special New Years celebration. However, this year Robin wasn’t feeling it; the celebration felt empty.
The rushed goodbye from her brother wasn’t helping this empty void in her heart. She knew that would be the last time she would see him, as he was finally spreading his wings and going on his own path.
Partially absent and stuck in her thoughts, Robin helped put the party together. People asked her for instructions, which she gave; only that they weren’t sincere and thought about more than a second.
Everything felt… different than usual. The people she was once circled by with affection weren’t there anymore. The absence of her brother and Gallagher had hit harder than she expected. Normally, she’d spent the holidays together with her brother and close friends, but she already struggled to get through Christmas this year.
A voice that addressed her snapped Robin out of her deep thoughts. It was a member of the Family, busy making preparations for the spectacular party that was about to commence. “Miss Robin, how do you want us to set up the stage for your performance?”
Robin blinked a few times, processing the question, before coming up with an answer. “Right, sorry,” she quickly apologized, flashing a warm smile. Then, she quickly explained how she wanted the stage to be. It wasn’t all that special; her performance was about her singing after all. The Family member that had asked her the question scurried of in a hurry, clearly nervous about not finishing the needed preparations in time.
Robin went over to a table with a lack of purpose in her movements, tracing it’s lining before her fingers landed on a list. Her fingers enveloped the list and she picked it up gently, skimming over the contents. It appeared to be a guest list. There were a lot of people from the Family on the list and also residents of Penacony. What actually caught her eye, were the names of the Astral Express members. She took a closer look, clearly seeing the names of the members: Himeko, Welt Yang, March 7th, Dan Heng and Trailblazer. She smiled upon reading their names, feeling a bit more at ease knowing they would be attending the festivities. She didn’t read much more of the list, putting it back where she got it from.
‘Right, I should probably prepare for when the first guests come,’ Robin thought to herself, glancing over at the clock that displayed that it was already 8:35 PM. The guests were invited for 9 PM, so the first guests might already arrive soon. Robin went over to the dressing room behind the stage, where she would go often if she had a performance here.
Entering the room, it was deadly silent; you could even hear a pin drop in this room. Robin went over to the seat in front of the mirror, where she had placed her bag with make-up earlier. Looking in the mirror, she scanned over her face.
‘Dammit… Your lack of sleep is showing, Robin…’ she thought to herself, covering the slightly visible eyebags with concealer that perfectly matched her skin tone. Sitting in the sear, she thought back at the times where her brother used to be here with her. He used to encourage her before a show, sometimes even give her a hug to encourage her. Now, Robin was only met with a painful silence. She closed her eyes, trying to imagine her brother being there with her, yet she couldn’t bear to hear his words.
Opening her eyes again, Robin stares into her emerald eyes. ‘I must stay strong… For Penacony and brother. I must give an unforgettable performance tonight, so there’s a chance brother will hear it,” she thought, a determination sparked by her sorrows. Finishing her make-up quickly, she made the final finishing touches to her look. She stood up, her hands resting on the table as she grabbed the gloves and put them on, the last thing to complete her look. After a last glance in the mirror, she made her way over to the backstage.
Peeking through the curtains of the stage, she watched the first few people enter the room. Slowly, but surely, the room started filling up. Laughter and chatter emerged from the guests. Robin stayed backstage, waiting for her moment to step on stage and greet the guests.
After a small while of waiting, one of the Family members approaches Robin. “Miss Robin, most of the guests are already here, you can go onto the stage whenever you please.”
Robin nods in acknowledgement and mutters a thanks to the Family member, who was now already turned around and walking away. She stood up from the small wall she had seated on and grabbed the microphone that was ready for her. Taking a deep breath, she mentally went over her text, before steeling herself to go on stage. Clenching the microphone in her hand, she stepped onto the stage with determination. Applause erupts from the room as she makes her way over to the middle of the stage. She secures her microphone on the stand and taps a few times to make sure it works.
“Good evening, Family members, Penacony residents and guests from all planets. Tonight, everyone is welcomed to reminisce the past, or celebrate the upcoming year,” Robin starts her speech, her voice clear as she speaks through the microphone, “I would like to give my special thanks to everyone once more, even though I had already did this at the Charmony Festival, but I can’t help to say thanks again. Thank you, those who helped solve the commotion and restored peace to Penacony. My special thanks goes to the followers of the Trailblaze, Astral Express, who have heroically helped resolve the crises.”
In her mind, Robin also thanked her brother. However, she knew thanking him in the open wouldn’t be received great, considering the fact that he was the reason for most of the commotion.
“Today, we will start with a performance. I will perform a few songs, after which the festivities truly start. At 12 AM, we will celebrate the new year with a firework show you won’t forget, to start the new year off with a bang. Let the show commence!” Robin says as she raises her hand into the hair, making the entire room applause. The spotlight on her goes on and her first song starts playing, the melody filling the room. She clutches the microphone with two hands as she picks up the pace of the song. Hitting all the high notes, she starts singing, her voice as beautiful as always.
“Rise up into my world~ Renew your definition. Woah, so high!” she sang while slightly swaying. She looked up into the crowd, hoping catch a glimpse of her brother’s presence. However, she was only met with unfamiliar faces and a few she did recognize, but not that of her brother. Continuing her performance, she kept smiling as she sang her lyrics, even dancing across the stage as the song went on. She finished up her first song and went on to the second song rather quickly. The melody changes from an upbeat song to a more melancholic melody. People swayed with the song, instead of cheering like when the first song was up. When that song ended, the melody of the last song started playing.
‘Brother… If you’re here, this song is dedicated to you…’ she thought to herself, searching the crowd once more for that familiar presence. Her eyes slightly widened as she saw him there, standing with the members of the Astral Express. He smiled at her, the same smile she was waiting so eagerly for. However, when she blinked, she couldn’t find him anymore. He had disappeared the same way as he had appeared, making Robin wonder if she was just hallucinating.
“Will our path’s converge ‘neath the sun? A silent desire in melody sung… Beyond this stolen night, we share a cherished dream” Robin sang her heart out, pouring all her emotions into the song. Clearly, the audience had noticed this, as they were watching her sing in awe. Ending the song, she lingered on the last note a little bit longer, before the spotlight on her turned off and the lights in the venue went back on. The audience applauded her, returning the smile on her face as she bowed for them.
“Thank you, everyone!” She held the microphone with two hands as she said these words, now picking it up out of the stand and moving back to the backstage. Taking a deep breath, she put down the microphone.
‘Now… Time to join them in the venue.’ Robin thought to herself as she made her way over to the bustling hall where she was standing on the stage first. The chatter could be heard even through the door and she slowly pushed the door open, making her way through to the crowd. She searched for the place where she saw the Astral Express earlier, hoping to catch a word with them.
“Pretty please? Come on, there’s lots of food here!” the familiar voice of a girl rang out, causing Robin to smile. She approached the voice, maneuvering through the crowd, and found a desperate March 7th trying to convince Dan Heng.
“You can go on your own, March. You don’t need me to come with you,” Dan Heng said, as calm as ever, looking in another direction than the pleading March. Trailblazer was next to them, also pleading for Dan Heng to go with them.
“Hello, special guests,” Robin approaches the five of them, smiling warmly. Five gazes fall onto her in an instant, having caught her attention.
“Miss Robin, what a pleasure to speak with you here. Your performance was beautiful,” Himeko greets her. Welt nods at her statement, clearly agreeing with her.
“Miss Robin!” March exclaimed, being the same fangirl as always, “can we take a picture together?”
Robin nodded, smiling at the cheerful attitude of the girl. They positioned themselves in a selfie, before she clicked the camera and checked the photo. She thanked Robin before pulling Dan Heng and Trailblazer away from the area, to the table with food. Robin couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. Robin walked over to Himeko and Welt, standing a bit closer for a proper conversation.
“Miss Himeko, Mr. Yang. It’s my pleasure to talk to the two of you again. I presume everything is going good?” Robin started a conversation.
Himeko nodded, “Yes, we’re currently preparing for the next trailblaze journey.”
“Ah, I see. Have a course in mind yet?” Robin inquired, the topic having caught her attention.
“Early January next year, we’re headed towards the planet Amphoreus. However, you might not have heard about it,” Welt answered her question. Robin tried recalling if she knew anything about the planet, to no avail.
She shook her head, “Indeed, I haven’t heard about that planet. I wish all of you the best of luck though. I’ll be praying for a good outcome for all of you.”
“Thank you, Miss Robin. We wish you the best as well, especially with the circumstances surrounding your brother,” Himeko said thoughtfully, probably knowing about her struggles with adapting. Robin smiled a bit awkwardly, not wanting to indulge in her issues on such a special day.
“Thanks,” Robin said, not further talking about the topic. Himeko noticed this change and didn’t further inquire about the situation.
“I trust this took a long time to organize? You and the Family did a great job,” Himeko swiftly changed the topic, not letting the spirit in the conversation die down. Robin silently thanked her for this.
“It all went pretty smoothly, if I have to be honest. The preparations were over before I processed it,” Robin chuckled.
“That’s great. The party is exquisite so far, I can’t wait for the firework show,” Himeko smiled.
The three of them talked for a while, going over the past year and everything that happened. Even the other three that had left earlier joined them in the conversation. The time passed rather quickly as they enjoyed their evening and before they knew it it was only around half an hour until the next year. Robin felt the festivities getting a bit too much, so she said her goodbye’s to the Astral Express crew, grabbing a champagne and sneaking out of the venue. She already knew where she was headed; the roof of the building. The best view of the firework show and the best way to say her silent congratulations for the new year to her brother, without having anyone to interrupt her.
Robin made her way over to the roof, finally reaching it. It was quiet, just as she hoped. Making her way over to the railing, she leaned against it, looking at the view over Penacony. It was beautiful, more melancholic than she had expected. The silence was as peace to her ears, much better than the bustling venue she was in earlier. With a sigh, she took a sip from her champagne as she gazed up into the starry night sky. Even if the sky was in a dream, it was beautiful nonetheless. She was always captivated by the beautiful stars and could stare into the sky in silence for hours.
“Am I interrupting something, Miss Robin?” a shy and soft voice called out, standing in the doorway of the entrance to the rooftop, Robin twirled around to see a familiar person; one that she definitely hadn’t suspected to see today.
“Ah, Firefly. No, of course not. Go ahead,” Robin said as she turned back to the beautiful view of the city. Firefly joined her, standing next to her in silence for a moment, also having a glass of champagne in her hand. Seeing this, the gears turned in Robin’s head and she figured Firefly probably also escaped from the bustle in the hall.
“Didn’t you leave Penacony already?” asked Robin, breaking the silence. Firefly looked up, not having expected Robin to talk to her.
“Ah- No, I haven’t. I wanted to spend the last few days of the year here since my script didn’t say anything about leaving. Besides, I hadn’t even properly said my goodbye’s yet.” Firefly’s gaze fell back to the city view.
“I see. Not busy then, I presume?”
“Nope, just seeing a few more sights before I leave,” Firefly chuckled softly as she stared out to the starry night sky, just like Robin did a few moments earlier.
“So are you leaving after today, then?” Robin asks, a hint of hurt in her voice that she tried desperately to cover up.
“Yes. I have to get back to work. Back to the busy life of being a Stellaron Hunter and probably receiving a new script to follow,” Firefly rambled on, before a small moment of silence that Robin breaks.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Robin’s gaze follows that of Firefly, now also looking up into the sky. Mindlessly, Firefly nodded while captivated with the stars.
The silence continued for a moment, before Robin broke it again.
“I haven’t even properly said my thanks to you yet.”
“T—to me?”
“Yes. To you.”
“…why?”
“You made quite the contribution to solving the disturbances in Penacony. Don’t think I didn’t notice,” Robin smiled, enjoying the way she made Firefly flustered.
“O—oh! Thank you… I was just following my script though,” Firefly avoided eye contact, a red flush on her cheeks.
“Even if so, you still helped a lot. You also made quite a few sacrifices, I had heard.”
“Thank you… Miss Robin,” Firefly flashed a smile to Robin, making Robin’s breath hitch in her throat. She hadn’t seen such a genuine smile in a while.
Robin looked back at the view, the same thoughts returning that had been stuck in her mind for weeks after the conclusion. She had hoped her brother had said goodbye to her, yet he was still way too cowardice to face the truth.
“Hey, Miss Robin?” Firefly snapped her away from her thoughts.
“Yes?”
“Is something on your mind? You seem more… distant than usual,” Firefly asked, as if seeing right through Robin’s thoughts. Robin didn’t want to lie to Firefly, but she didn’t want to burden Firefly with her thoughts either.
“Just thinking about everything that happened, that’s all.”
“Is it… about your brother?” Firefly asked softly, not wanting to jump to any conclusions. Robin’s eyes widened slightly as Firefly practically read her mind.
“Am I… that see through?” Robin asked, smiling awkwardly. Her wings slightly twitched as well and the breezed gently carried her hair as she looked at Firefly.
“N—no! I just… figured it would affect you, since the two of you seemed close and-” Firefly quickly apologized, before Robin interrupted her.
“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” Robin shifted her gaze back to the night sky once again, “I just… terribly miss his absence. I probably won’t see him again, maybe not for a long time or… maybe never again. I never thought I’d miss his absence so much, especially during the holidays.”
Firefly silently listened, wanting to give Robin the opportunity to talk about her problems, to make sure she had a listening ear during the times she needed one.
“I… also saw him a few days ago… But… he had disguised himself to talk to me. It was our final goodbye, yet he still couldn’t bear to say goodbye directly… He thought I hadn’t seen through his disguise, but I already knew it was him. I’d recognize him anywhere,” Robin clutched the railing with the hand that wasn’t holding her champagne.
“I see… That must’ve been very hard for you,” Firefly said, subtly taking a step closer. She put down her champagne on a spot on the railing.
Robin didn’t even notice her step closer, still gazing out into nowhere. She nodded slowly, not wanting to admit it.
“Hey… It’s alright to feel that way, you know?” said Firefly, while gently putting her hand over Robin’s hand that clutched the railing. She smiled, looking for Robin’s eyes as she twirled around, looking at the contact Firefly had made. Robin’s cheeks were slightly flushed, but Firefly didn’t know if that was because of the sudden contact or the cold temperature outside. However, she didn’t back away from the small gesture Firefly had made.
Robin didn’t respond to her comfort, simply drowning in the words as she felt her eyes water up. She put her champagne glass down, just like Firefly had earlier, and wiped her eyes with that hand, hoping Firefly hadn’t seen her emotional state.
Sensing Robin’s distress, Firefly removed her hand from Robin’s, instead pulling her into a hug. The hug caught Robin off guard, making her stiffen up, before she eventually relaxes into the embrace. They stood there for some time, as Firefly didn’t want to pull back unless Robin was ready for her to; she wanted to give Robin the time she needed. Robin buried her head onto Firefly’s shoulder, forgetting the world around her for a fleeting moment in time. She clutched Firefly, as if her life was depending on the hug. Firefly’s gaze softened as she felt Robin’s grip tightening. She knew Robin needed a hug, desperately, after all this time she was suffering in silence with the “loss” of the person dearest to her.
“Thank you…” Robin whispered, still in the embrace. Firefly put one of her hands up to Robin’s head to gently draw circles on the back of her head and ‘protect’ her.
“Shh… it’s alright…” Firefly cooed her, her voice soft. They stayed in the hug for a while, before Robin finally pulled back, smiling with tears in her eyes. Firefly smiled back, wiping the tears that rolled down Robin’s cheeks. Her hand lingered on Robin’s cheeks for a bit longer, gently caressing them.
Robin’s gaze had softened as well, she was now looking directly at Firefly’s eyes. The subtle staring made Firefly get a bit flustered, thinking over what she had just done; what if she stepped over Robin’s boundaries?
Firefly wanted to take her hand back, but when she tried Robin had already grabbed her hand and was intertwining their fingers. The gesture was small, but it most certainly made Firefly flustered and she blushed like a schoolgirl who just got a hint that their crush liked them back. Robin thought it was cute, the way she was now avoiding eye contact as if her life depended on it. Robin chuckled at the sight.
When Firefly heard her chuckle, a part of her was glad she made Robin laugh, but another part was getting more flustered because she was basically laughing at her. “H—hey! Don’t laugh at me…” she uttered as she continue looking away, hiding her face with the hand that wasn’t intertwined with Robin’s.
“I can’t help it, little bug. You are way too cute this way,” Robin said with a smile plastered on her face. Firefly’s cheeks reddened even more with the little nickname Robin used to address her. However, she didn’t mind, it was just that she was caught off-guard by it. However, before she could melt of embarrassment Robin piped up again, “Hey, why don’t we take a selfie? As a memoir.”
“Right… now?” Firefly asked, clearly still flustered.
“Yes. Right now,” Robin confirmed her question, a look of determination plastered on her face.
“O—Okay…” Firefly hesitantly pulled out her phone. Of course, she did like the idea of a memoir of her journey in Penacony, but she knew her cheeks were currently as red as a tomato considering the teasing of Robin earlier. Firefly let go of Robin’s hand to position herself next to her. They pose together, Firefly’s arm around Robin, while Robin leaned her head on Firefly’s shoulder. The picture turned out very cute; Firefly loved it, even despite the fact that she still looked like a fresh tomato. “I’ll send it to you so you have it too, Miss Robin.”
“How mindful of you, little bug,” Robin had positioned herself in front of Firefly again, now pinching her cheek. Firefly closed her eyes, being tired of the relentless teasing. However, another part deep down of her loves it.
“M—miss Robin…”
“Yes?”
Firefly wanted to say something, but the words were stuck in her throat. Firefly opened her eyes again, her sunset eyes meeting the emerald eyes of the songbird in front of her. She stood still, looking into the beautiful eyes in front of her, the angel that was standing in front of her that made her question reality for a second. She felt drawn to her beauty, like a moth akin to a flame.
“Did you want to say something?” Robin inquired, tilting her head slightly as she noticed the distant expression Firefly had while staring at her, but also definitely curious for what she wanted to say.
“Uh… I forgot…” Firefly said, rubbing the back of her neck out of embarrassment, while grounding herself back in reality. Robin chuckled quietly, returning her gaze to the starry night sky.
“It’s almost the new year now, isn’t it?” she pondered out loud. Firefly checked her phone for the time; it was 11:54 PM.
“Only 6 more minutes, Miss Robin,” Firefly put her phone away and joined Robin at the railing once more, just like earlier.
“Y’know, you can just call me Robin, little bug. Or perhaps you can give me a nickname if you please,” Robin mumbled, just loud enough for Firefly to hear her. She grabbed her champagne and took another sip, the glass almost empty. Firefly does the same, thinking about an answer.
“I’ll think about it,” she chose to say. Nothing too risky, because she was a bit hesitant about it.
The two stood there quiet for a few minutes, enjoying their accompaniment in silence. The silence wasn’t awkward, they both knew that.
“Hey, Robin?” Firefly broke the silence this time, making Robin perk up.
“Yes, little bug?”
“I just wanted to say… Whatever the new year brings with it, you won’t have to face it alone. I’ll always be with you, maybe not physically… but…” she trailed off and took a step closer to Robin, placing her hand over Robin’s heart, “…here. I’ll always be there… if you let me in.”
Robin was touched by her gesture, on the brink of falling into her arms and crying her heart out. Firefly’s words were so gentle, compassionate… yet so genuine at the same time. She knew Firefly was shy to express her feelings, yet she put it into words so beautifully.
Robin hid her eyes behind her wings, clearly flustered now. Her body language betrayed her true emotions, but Firefly was reading them wrong.
“Miss Robin…?” Firefly said, now afraid she had said something wrong by the way the songbird was hiding her face behind her wings now. “What’s wrong?”
“Too cute…” Robin mumbled as she continued hiding her face behind her wings, peeking under one of the wings. The sound of counting down could be heard in the distance, even on the roof. They didn’t hear this as Firefly tried pulling Robin’s hand to make her stop hiding her face. She pulled Robin towards her, as Robin fell against her chest. Robin looked up to Firefly as they stood in silence, staring at each other. The songbird quickly noticed Firefly wasn’t looking at her eyes, Firefly was looking at her lips, but before Robin could react Firefly cupped Robin’s cheeks and pulled her in, their lips connecting as the first fireworks go off. Robin’s body froze as their lips touched, but she closed her eyes and relaxed into the kiss eventually, sliding her hand up to Firefly’s head to make sure she wouldn’t break away from the kiss yet. The fireworks surround them, yet they fade out of the little world they are in right now.
Finally, after around thirty more seconds, Firefly breaks out of the kiss and looks up at the fireworks. Robin follows her gaze looking at the beautiful sky now painted in different colors and forms, like a canvas that’s freshly painted.
“Woah…” Firefly stands in awe, looking up at the different types of firework up in the sky. There are so many different types of colors and types that it was hard to keep up and comprehend what she was seeing at the same time.
“Happy new year… brother…” Robin mumbles quietly as she watches the firework. Her expression is a mix of nostalgia and sorrow as she tries desperately to hold back her tears. Firefly notices this and wraps her arms around Robin once more, pulling her into another hug as they watch the fireworks together.
Firefly leans in closer to Robin’s ears and whispers softly, “Happy new year… birdie.”