Chapter Text
Bijou finds herself to be the first in line at the subway station; a convenience that regularly eludes her. She wanted to find a seat rather than be subjected to holding onto the end of a random salaryman's sleeve. She knows it is only a small victory, but much like herself, she prides herself in being able to tackle her day one step at a time.
Thanks to Bijou's decision to arrive early, the car she steps into is sparsely populated. Her chance to sit down at a seat is coming to fruition. With the extra time she has allotted for herself, the gemstone idol decides to choose a perfect spot to park herself. Within Bijou's peripheral, she notices the familiar forms of a fluffy and fuzzy duo sitting on a bench near the back of the car. Bijou enthusiastically approaches her genmates now that she has the opportunity to sit beside them.
Bijou prefers to sit on the side that is furthest away from the door, but there doesn't seem to be a spot for her to slot into beside the twins. Rather, there seems to be a gap between FUWAMOCO that seems to be designated for her. This detail strikes Bijou as incredibly strange, so she makes the point to ask in case the sisters weren't paying that close attention to their positioning.
“You want me to sit between you two?” Bijou asks, her voice peaking a little bit.
Of the twins, Fuwawa is the only one to look up at the gemstone idol to acknowledge her question. Before answering Bijou, the hellhound looks to her left to get the attention of her sister, “Can Bîboo sit between us Mogojyan?”
Mococo doesn't directly answer her sister or verbally address Bijou, but she does visually gesture her genmate to sit down by patting the bench with her hand. Mococo retreats her hand and turns her head away from the two of them the moment Bijou's eyes shift from her to Fuwawa. Bijou sits down.
The trio decided that they were going to pick up the remaining members of Hololive English -Advent- from the airport. Usually the five come together like this to prepare for an event or scheduled appearance, and while it is true that there is an upcoming event that the five of them will be participating in; FUWAMOCO wanted to get Shiori and Nerissa to fly to Japan a week early so that they could have a chance to hang out before everything got busy for them again. The quintet are still expected to stream despite their impromptu vacation, so FUWAMOCO had prepared a collaborative stream with the rest of Advent later today.
“I'm actually really glad I ran into the two of you already,” Bijou exclaims, flashing her exuberant smile to the women on each side of her. She has been looking forward to spending time with her best friends, “I've been having nervous jitters all morning!”
“I'm sure you're not the only one who is nervous, Bîboo,” Fuwawa replies, giving Bijou a smile of her own. However, Bijou can't help but feel like the expression the fluffy idol gives her seems quite sad. Additionally, she gets the sense that Fuwawa's gaze is attempting to peer through her. Fuwawa's attention is directed towards Mococo.
Fuwawa suspects that Mococo is nervous, but she has not yet been able to pinpoint the mood that her sister is in. Although Mococo patted the bench with her hand in a manner that seemed to suggest that the answer to Bijou's question was yes, Fuwawa observed the fuzzy idol's body language shift uncomfortably once Bijou had sat down. Fuwawa only has the sequence of events that took place this morning to infer from, but asking her outright would put in a position that could potentially make her even more uneasy. Fuwawa makes a mental note of this within her mind and tells herself that she should check-in with Mococo at a more opportune time.
“Being nervous means you care, yæh. It's okay to admit that you're nervous, bau bau,” Fuwawa replies, bouncing and bobbing her head after her signature pronunciation of the word ‘yeah’.
Mococo's ear twitches as she feels like her sister is indirectly talking about her. Based on the fluffy idol's tone of voice, Mococo surmises that Fuwawa is worried about her. Mococo noticed that her sister has been guarded around her since last night, but she hasn't gotten the feeling that Fuwawa has been walking on eggshells when attempting to converse or interact with her. Perhaps it is instinct that Fuwawa has in being her twin sister, but Fuwawa would be correct to show concern for Mococo. The fuzzy idol has had a lot on her mind considering she was the one who had planned the bulk of the events that she and Advent are going to be doing today. However, Mococo does not solely consider herself nervous. When she feels comfortable enough to confide within Fuwawa or a member of Advent who approaches her in good faith, Mococo will reveal her feelings to them. Mococo isn't ready to do that right now.
Mococo doesn't want her sister to stress, so she attempts to respond to her and Bijou. However, the fuzzy idol's reply to Fuwawa is much more curt and snappy than she initially intended. Mococo is able to dial it back after the first word, but she cowers afterwards, “Nœh! I want to make sure everyone has fun. I'm just deep in thought about everything.”
Bijou's smile nearly blinds Mococo once the fuzzy idol sits up from her slouched position. Mococo is always amazed that her genmate is so regularly enthusiastic; this thought would usually be enough to warrant Mococo to smile back at her friend, however, she can't quite bring herself to smile at Bijou. The hellhound briefly shifts her gaze to Fuwawa as she expects her sister to partially cover her and respond with a witty comment, but Fuwawa seems to be just as surprised as Mococo is. If Mococo hadn't come to the conclusion earlier, the gentle smile that the fluffy idol gives her sets world-view in stone.
“I think it'll be fun!” Bijou pipes up again, aspiring to give the fuzzy idol confidence, “I believe in the power that twin magic provides!”
“Bau bau!” Mococo replies expeditiously, half-expecting her twin sister to sync with her.
All that manages to come out from Fuwawa is an uncomfortable chuckle. Fuwawa does not want to push Mococo on what it is that has her so anxious, but it is becoming clear that whatever is bothering her is not something that could be soothed through a big hug, a good night's sleep, or a healthy meal. However, Fuwawa is not confident that she is enough by herself when it comes to keeping an eye on her sister in this situation. Fuwawa's next decision is to figure out which of her genmates is the person she entrusts to shadow Mococo until she is convinced that her sister is okay.
Fuwawa doubts that the situation that befalls upon Mococo manifested itself overnight, but she feels like she should have noticed that something was weighing her down on her mind. There is a pang of guilt that fills the center of her chest. The fluffy idol did notice that Mococo ate less of her breakfast than she normally would have, but this incident in isolation wouldn't indicate anything out of the ordinary in most circumstances. Although Fuwawa struggles to call it normal considering their everyday lives as virtual idols and streamers are the furthest things from such, Fuwawa wouldn't fault Mococo whatsoever if being given an opportunity she hasn't yet had the privilege of receiving is partially why Mococo seems so nervous and stressed.
The twins synchronize, but it is in a way that neither Bijou nor Fuwawa and Mococo expect as both twins come to the independent decision. With Bijou sitting directly between the two sisters, the sisters decide to embrace the gemstone idol as a means to subdue the complicated feelings swirling around within their chests. Thus, Bijou feels her arms get locked within FUWAMOCO's grasp from either side. The hellhounds rest their heads on the significantly more petite woman's shoulders. Bijou immediately has the thought to immediately tweet out the fact that the twins hugged her at the same time due to how incredibly precious it is. Bijou starts to giggle as she can't help but express how happy she is to be affectionately held onto by her friends. The gemstone idol flutter-kicks her feet for her lack of a squeal since she is short enough to not kick the person directly in front of her.
“You two should hug people like this a lot!” Bijou suggests as she regains her composure from being squeezed against, ”It instantly made me happy, and I'm sure it'll make everyone else happy too!”
Fuwawa chimes in, but she remembers to keep her voice down a little bit due to how much closer she is to Bijou now that she had decided to rest her head on the woman's shoulder, “Who should we give a big hug to next Bîboo?”
“What about Nerissa? If she's in a funk, a big hug like that will pull her right out of it!” Bijou suggests, her giggle changing to that of a small chuckle due to the fact that she feels like she just blurted the quiet part out loud.
Although Bijou feels bad that she more or less called Nerissa rather sensitive, the ease of which Bijou was able to make that direct statement gives Fuwawa a bit of an epiphany on how to approach the ongoing situation with Mococo. Nerissa is sensitive, but she is also in-tune with those emotions as she regularly wears them on her sleeve. From time to time, Fuwawa has noticed that Nerissa has been amongst the first to praise, confide and relate to their disappointments and frustrations, and reach out as a means to check-in. Nerissa resembles an older sister.
If anyone besides herself were to sit down with Mococo and ask her to vent, Fuwawa would trust Nerissa the most. Of course by thinking this, this doesn't mean that Fuwawa is unable to trust Bijou or Shiori with the complicated feelings of her sister if Mococo did inform them of her woes, Fuwawa just feels that the gentle aura and presence could provide Mococo an easier chance to say what she wants to without necessarily feeling like she is being backed into a corner. When she gets the chance, she is going to pull Nerissa off to the side and inform her that she is worried about Mococo and will ask her if she could help keep an eye on her.
“Yæh, Nerissa is a really good idea,” Fuwawa replies, shifting her eyes up to Bijou's face so that she can give her a bit of a smug expression, “Maybe we could tickle her too, hœh?”
Bijou instinctively squeals as the mention of FUWAMOCO tickling Nerissa makes Bijou fearful that they are about to do the same to her. However, after bracing herself and squirming as she determines that she would be unable to escape the grasp of FUWAMOCO, the tickling never arrives. Bijou was especially worried about the thought considering Fuwawa has Bijou gripped around the bicep and lower armpit and Mococo is leaning a significant portion of her body weight into Bijou as they can hug onto her. If FUWAMOCO wanted to tickle the gemstone idol, there is very little Bijou could do to stop them.
Fuwawa cherishes the privilege of being able to rough-house with and tease her sister and her genmates, but she intuitively understands and accepts that as a twin; Mococo does not want to mess with Bijou right now. Perhaps Fuwawa could have done away with the second portion of her reply, but the sight of seeing Bijou squirm beneath her helped Fuwawa clear her own mind.
“We won't tickle you Bijou,” Mococo retorts solemnly, apologizing with the tone of her voice. Mococo's grip has been cinched in more around Bijou than her sister's has been, but she loosens it a little so that she can pay the top of her genmates head. Mococo feels that it is her fault that Bijou was unable to protect herself, “We're sorry for scaring you.”
Bijou protests Mococo's apology as she doesn't know why the fuzzy idol is apologizing on behalf of both of them, “Fweh? You don't need to apologize! You weren't the one who scared me.”
When it comes to antics involving the twins, FUWAMOCO usually partake in shenanigans together. The gemstone idol knows that it was Fuwawa who threatened to tickle her, so Mococo isn't at fault whatsoever. Although that detail in itself is an easily provable fact, Bijou still finds it strange that Mococo wasn't involved in the plot to begin with. Bijou didn't feel or perceive the menacing aura she felt from Fuwawa's query present within Mococo, so Bijou hugs around the shoulder of Mococo's that is not currently pressing into her with the arm that Mococo was tightly holding onto. Bijou feels guilty for reacting to FUWAMOCO, especially Mococo, in that way, but what throws Bijou off the most about this situation is why she is putting so much thought into this seemingly minor altercation. Bijou uses the hug she gives Mococo to shake herself of her feelings of disorientation.
Mococo continues to lightly pat and rub Bijou's head to soothe her. The fuzzy idol glances in Fuwawa's direction to make sense of the verbal exchange that occurred. Although it is unfair to think that Fuwawa would have been irked by Bijou emphasizing that Mococo wasn't at fault, the fact that Fuwawa and Mococo are twins makes it hard to believe that Fuwawa is incapable of having the same thought. Mococo wouldn't blame her sister if she took offense to how direct Bijou was, but the slightly selfish side of Mococo hopes that the fluffy idol didn't take the comment negatively. Fuwawa understands that Mococo is upset, but the twin does not yet know that this line of thinking is indirectly related to the root cause of Mococo's mood.
Before the situation can resolve itself or grow more tense and awkward, the train comes to the stop that Fuwawa, Mococo, and Bijou plan to get off the subway cat at. Bijou expects FUWAMOCO to let go of her arms so that she can get out with her own partner, and even though this is partially true, Mococo lingers. Mococo transitions her grasp so that she can hold Bijou's hand while they exit. The touch of Mococo's hand is soft. A momentary twinge of worry fills Mococo as the thought of asking Bijou on whether or not she'd like to hold her hand only comes to her after initiating and interlacing fingers with her, but the confused smile that Bijou gives her reassures Mococo.
Although Mococo is concerned about making the rest of Advent worry about her, Mococo hopes that she can begin the process of dealing with and remedying the troubles that weigh her down rather than simply trying to cover them up in hopes that they magically go away. Mococo didn't intend to act upon these feelings of hers so soon, but she is glad that she had instinctively taken the first step rather than toil aimlessly and eventually shy away from the idea to commit.
The woman who brazenly grasped Bijou's hand and led her outside of the train car is shaking a little bit. The grasp is secure enough for the natural shake to not let the interlacing of their fingers come undone so, the fuzzy idol is confident in the action she took overall. Bijou's hand is cold, but the natural body heat that the hellhound emanates warms a large portion of Bijou's arm up instantaneously. Bijou could have easily stuffed her hands into the bulky jacket that she is currently wearing over a thin sweatshirt, for that is where her opposite hand resides. Bijou is curious as to why Mococo wanted to hold her hand, for such an instance would usually arise if both twins wanted to simultaneously.
“You're both very affectionate today,” Bijou quips, attempting to comedically accentuate her rather small voice so that she sounds haughty, “I'm kind of liking the attention!”
Fuwawa sees that there is a noticeable improvement in Mococo expression as she seems to have relaxed a little as a result of her physical closeness with Bijou, but Fuwawa is able to observe uneasiness lingering within her body language. Mococo is walking on the portion of the sidewalk that is the closest to the road, but the fuzzy idol occasionally wobbles as she struggles to walk in a straight line down the sidewalk. The fluffy idol, already worried about her sister, attempts to get Mococo's attention by gazing at her until the hellhound feels forced to look her way. The expression on Fuwawa's face seems to be silently asking her a question.
“I'm okay,” the hellhound mouths to Fuwawa. With Mococo granting her sister this simple answer, the fluffy idol turns back to pay attention to what is in front of her.
Mococo makes herself audible to both Bijou and her sister as she continues, “I've heard stories of you being really clumsy Bîboo. I do trust you, but I also want to look out for you in my own way.”
Mococo is not looking down on Bijou for being clumsy, for the gemstone idol being clumsy is a trait that the fuzzy idol can easily identify Bijou with. In addition, describing the act of hand-holding as ‘looking out for her’ seems to brighten Bijou's smile even more. There is a bit of a skip in Bijou's step as she accompanies Fuwawa and Mococo to greet their genmates who should be landing in from the airport at any moment.
The trek to the airport is a ten minute walk from the station, but the three members of Advent aren't planning on heading back onto the subway line once they secure the accompaniment of their genmates. There is plenty of time for the entirety of Advent to spend time together off-camera before the collaborative stream that Mococo had scheduled for the five of them starts, so the idol unit planned to go to a convenience store to get snacks before getting lunch together.
Mococo did lie to Bijou regarding her reasoning for wanting to hold her hand. She of course meant it when she said she wanted to look out for her, but Mococo didn't reveal her intention fully. Mococo could have probably gone on without insisting for Bijou's hand since the gemstone is not a child that the twins have to keep a close eye on at all times, but the fuzzy feels compelled to not second-guess her decision. Holding onto her genmate's hand like this helps put the hellhound’s mind at ease
Mococo continues, trying to steel herself so that she can say something genuinely kind to her friend, “I'm glad that you were able to make it to the station safely by yourself.”
“Eh? I know I'm clumsy, but saying that is embarrassing! I thought you had faith in me.” Bijou protests, allowing the grasp she has around Mococo's hand and fingers to tighten a bit.
The hellhound’s smile is piercing, “I always have faith in you. Stepping outside of your comfort zone and overcoming obstacles is always difficult, so I'm proud that you were able to despite it being hard.”
Fuwawa raises an eyebrow in response to Mococo and Bijou's conversation. From where she once saw unease, there is a light within Mococo's gaze that didn't seem to be there beforehand. The observation that Fuwawa sees within her sister does give her a bit of direction in what to discuss with Nerissa when the time arrives.
Bijou clings a bit to Mococo's arm, now hugging onto her whilst they hold hands. She knew FUWAMOCO were committed to protecting the smiles of everyone, but hearing Mococo say that she is proud of her for overcoming something she had been struggling with fills Bijou with more warmth than the physical closeness that she is sharing with Mococo could ever provide.
She is very appreciative that they noticed her in this manner, but Bijou doesn't wish to shed tears as a result of their kindness so soon before they are set to meet their genmates to spend time together. The gemstone idol allows the fuzzy feeling she got from Mococo's compliment to linger within her heart.
“Thanks, Mococo,” Bijou murmurs sheepishly.
Bijou questions why the sisters are especially sweet this morning as the pampering from Mococo felt like it came from nowhere, but as much as that interaction made Bijou want to instinctively run away to collect herself, she is unable to deny that FUWAMOCO made her entire week from that. She will probably not be able to get the soundbyte of ‘I always have faith in you’ out of her head for the next month. In spite of Mococo's comment igniting a litany of emotions within Bijou initially, she is positive that letting the phrase replay within her mind will incite an overwhelming surge of motivation for her when she needs it.
The gemstone idol does inevitably regain enough of her composure to not need to hold onto Mococo so tightly around the arm, but Mococo pulls Bijou slightly closer to her. Pulling Bijou closer allows Mococo to be further away from the edge of the sidewalk, so Fuwawa's heart is put at ease by this development. As an added bonus, Fuwawa too can feel herself fill with determination as the act of purity currently ongoing behind her proves to be contagious.
Nerissa and Shiori's flight to Japan was booked around four months in advance as that was around the time that Mococo learned of Advent's duties and appearances within the country, so FUWAMOCO know exactly which airline their genmates took and what terminal that they need to go to to pick them up. Bijou being with them so early was not accounted for as Fuwawa figured that the gemstone idol would meet up with them whenever Bijou felt comfortable riding on the subway, but the plan that Mococo had set out for herself and Fuwawa to greet and welcome the remaining members of Advent has gone flawlessly thus far.
Fuwawa approaches Mococo and reaches to unzip the small backpack that she had entrusted her sister for the small excursion they had planned for themselves and the rest of Advent this morning. Fuwawa remembers packing this backpack with Mococo two nights ago, but it seems Mococo packed more into the bag last night or earlier this morning without Fuwawa noticing. Her sister didn't decide to travel with anything egregious within the bag, but Fuwawa can't help but feel like the added contents are unnecessary.