simulation 1.194

" - and there, that's how you get the answer."

Yaya turns back to see varying degrees of awe in her tutees faces and has to stifle a laugh.

Teaching has always been something she'd wanted to do, and while the thought of spreading knowledge is still her prime motivator, the looks she gets from kids that make it seem like she just handed them a pile of candy is coming up to a close second.

So she settles for a smile as the kids start working on the rest of their exercises. One of them is still staring at her, though, but before she can ask, the kid beats her to it.

"How are you so good at this?"

His expression is - it's a look she's familiar with as a hero, but never as a tutor, and something in her warms at the thought. She walks closer and crouches down so they're eye to eye, before ruffling his hair and murmuring, "I've had a lot of practice. If you do that, too, I'm sure you'll be even better."

"Really?" he asks, eyes shining with so much hope, and Yaya's smile brightens.

"Really."

simulation 2.937

Gopal makes a good show of pulling the bag from under the table, before presenting it with a flourish.

Boboiboy laughs, which was the whole point of the present, and Gopal feels a little relieved that his cheering up process still works. He puts on his best look of mock hurt and whines, "Hey, stop that! I go all the way to bring you a present because you were sad, and this is what I get?"

"S-Sorry," Boboiboy says, trying to hide his grin. He's not very successful.

"Wow," Gopal huffs in exasperation, crossing his arms and being as ridiculous as possible. He grins when Boboiboy chokes, still playing along but barely holding it together because Gopal's just that good, apparently.

It takes Boboiboy a while, but he finally manages to catch his breath enough to give Gopal a proper smile.

"Thank you for this, but you really didn't have to," he says as Gopal shoves the bag towards him. Gopal just waves him off.

"It's fine, just open it!"

"Okay, okay," he huffs, rolling his eyes a little before pulling the bag open and peeking inside. Gopal watches with a triumphant grin as the other's eyes widen, and then he's suddenly being tackled by an excited friend who's showering him with a hundred 'thank you's and exclamations.

"You're giving me the latest Galaxy Garrison installment?!"

"Uh, yes?"

"Why?"

"Well, you were upset and video games make you feel better, so - "

"Gopal," Boboiboy deadpans, "You literally just bought a whole clothes store for Yaya and Ying last week."

"It wasn't that many!" Gopal argues. "Besides," he mumbles, "I owe you guys a lot, so it's the least I can do." Boboiboy gives him a look, but before he can say anything, Gopal starts nudging him towards his house.

"Now come on, I wanna try the game, too!"

"Okay, okay! But - Gopal?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks."

"No problem."

simulation 3.712

"Um, before I do this," Boboiboy starts tentatively, "You have to promise - "

"What the hell - "

" - promise that you won't... panic."

Boboiboy doesn't really have the right word for this because he doesn't know how Fang will react, but -

"Boboiboy," Fang says, his current expression the one he usually saves for the field, "What's wrong."

It's not a question, and they both know it, so Boboiboy takes a breath before quickly placing the item between them and saying, "Here." Both of them look down at his powerwatch, and for a moment, he thinks the other has stopped breathing.

A few seconds pass before Fang manages a quiet, "What?"

And Boboiboy was right, because there's panic edging at the other's tone, so before everything gets more confusing, he finally decides to say - "It's not broken, or anything. It's just… I wanted to give it back, I guess."

He looks up and suddenly wishes he hadn't.

"Why?"

Fang looks at him like he was just betrayed, and isn't that a little ironic, but then - "I don't need it anymore."

When Fang's expression crumples further - he's hurt, you hurt him, this was a bad idea - he looks back down and explains softly, "I - Earth is safe now. We made sure of that, and - and I wanted to take a break. I just realized how we took it for granted back when we were fourteen, so I…"

He trails off, unsure of how to explain it, how to make Fang understand that he just wants -

"Okay."

Boboiboy snaps his head up in surprise, startled enough that his hand almost knocks off a mug. "Okay?"

"Mm," Fang hums, poking at the orange watch. He's smiling, but it's small and bittersweet, like he knew this was coming but still wished it wouldn't. "I kind of get it. The whole superhero thing is - "

"Really tiring?" Boboiboy offers.

"Really tiring," Fang repeats with a quiet laugh as he finally looks at him. "You, of all people, deserve a break from it," he says, tone sincere as he takes the watch and spares a glance at it. His face darkens a little, and he murmurs, "I guess I just…"

He shakes his head and pockets the watch, but Boboiboy knows him enough to finish the thought.

"I'm not going anywhere, you know." Boboiboy smiles when Fang sighs; he nailed that one on the head. "I'll always be ready to help," he adds, shrugging when Fang raises a brow at him. "You guys know where to find me."

Fang gives him a long look, but finally relents, shoulders drooping a little as he says, "Okay."

"…"

"…"

"Fang?"

"Yeah?"

"Keep it safe?"

Fang rolls his eyes before getting up and saying, "As if there was any other option."

Boboiboy just grins at him and waves as he leaves.

simulation 4.289

Ceremony done with, Fang is stuck in a daze he's not sure he wants to leave. He's pretty sure he's somewhere between throwing up and collapsing on the floor, or maybe both. He thinks it shows on his face, but that doesn't stop Yaya from bounding towards him for the obligatory 'congratulations!'

"You look like you're dying."

...not what he expected, but he'd take it.

"I feel like I'm dying," Fang mumbles, letting Yaya pat him in attempted comfort. "How long until they get here?"

"About an hour," she says after a quick glance at her watch. "Gopal apparently made them stop for snacks."

He rolls his eyes at that. "Why am I not surprised?"

It doesn't matter that much anyway, it's just a ceremony. Fang breezes through the other people that offer him praise and best wishes, Yaya having stepped back a polite distance to let him have his time. Really, the only people he wants to celebrate his promotion with are his friends, and maybe -

"Fang," a familiar - too familiar, he'd know that voice anywhere - voice calls, and Fang turns to see his br- Kaizo approaching him. Internally wincing at the correction, he steels himself for this conversation.

"General," he salutes out of habit, but Kaizo waves it off.

"The promotion suits you," he says, and Fang has to stop himself from freezing at the way his brother's head tilts, eyes sharp and expression pensive. It's so reminiscent of how he looks when he's scheming that Fang has to remind himself where he is, he's not in the ship, he's not going to be left again -

"You'd do well as a captain."

"I - " Fang internally flounders for a reply, idly noticing how Yaya seems to be closer now. "Thank you."

If Kaizo notices the slight question in his tone, he doesn't mention it. Instead, he gives a nod, lips quirking into a slight smirk as he stalks off with the officer that's been trying to get his attention. Before he gets too far, he calls back over his shoulder, "I'll see you at the meeting, Captain."

Fang barely manages a nod.

What?

simulation 5.065

"How is it there?"

Ying hums, pretending to ponder it over as she fiddles with her mask. She'd been too tired to remove it earlier, opting to crash on the bed with all her layers still on, when her phone rang with the call.

She didn't have to look to know who it was.

"It's busy," she starts, predictably getting an exasperated huff. It makes her grin. "But it's nice. Gives me something to focus on, so the work's not that bad. Although," she looks up and out her window, "I do wish I could see the sky."

"Is it too dark there?" Yaya asks.

"No, I mean - " Ying sits up so she can lean closer to the glass, eyes squinting up at a pitch black sky. "There aren't any stars."

"…oh."

"Yeah."

They're quiet for a while, before Yaya says, "You can see Orion here."

"Really?" Ying whispers, chest tight with a longing she hasn't felt in years. Yaya hums, starting to list off all the visible constellations - Boboiboy had rubbed off on all of them - and before long it was past midnight, the conversation having devolved into sleepy mumbles and stifled yawns.

"We should sleep," Yaya murmurs from her end, and Ying nods until she realizes Yaya can't see her and replies with a quiet, 'right.'

"Goodnight Ying," the other says, and Ying can hear the smile in her voice, "We'll see you soon."

The last statement jolts her back into awareness, and Ying knows the call has been ended but all she can think about is how she misses the stars. She misses them and she misses her friends, misses having hot chocolate that makes her feel warm instead of empty.

She misses home.

Heart pounding in her ears, Ying tugs her mask back on and heads for the door.

It's about time she went back.

Prompt-

[ Supernova: What's one thing you want to do before you die? ]