A/N: For November 2022, I collaborated with Yam the Nokia (yamthenokia on AO3) to bring you a wholesome moment between two Wielders who didn't really interact that much within the main story of Symphogear.

So, without further ado, on behalf of myself and Yam, I hope you enjoy our One-Shot!

Visiting the Present, Looking to the Past

Quiet evenings were rare for someone like Hibiki.

There was only the droning of the spinning ceiling fan in the room as the light brunette sat upon the couch, bored to bits and full of questions; questions regarding what she could do. Miku had gone outside to do some shopping and she couldn't call up Kirika either, something about visiting the Grand Canyon supposedly but even she could see it was a thin excuse. "Ueeeh…" It had been a couple of weeks since the defeat of Shem-Ha and life was finally back to normal. The only times the girls were called was for disaster relief as there wasn't a need to defeat some otherworldly threat anymore but even so, she can't help but get bored every now and then.

"What should I do…?" She asked herself, opening her long-closed eyes and looking at the fan. "Maybe I could practice cooking for myself…? No, the last time I did that Maria-san told me it looked like a warzone." Her thoughts think back to that horrid scene. She shudders in fear and disgust, shaking away the thought as she sits up. "Maybe I could play some games on the computer? … all of them are multiplayer though and I usually play them with Miku… ahhhh!" She holds her head dramatically, cursing herself for not having a task at hand. Not even her usual gang of friends were available, claiming they were going to improve on the beef stroganoff they made. "Jeez… maybe I'll just take a nap or something…"

[Knock knock]

"Huh?" She turns towards the door, hearing the knocks behind it. But Miku said she wouldn't be back soon. Who could it be? She stands up and walks over, hearing the door knocks again, only this time there wasn't an interval between the knocks. "I'm coming!" She opens the door and…

"Shirabe-chan!?"

Standing opposite to her was the comparatively shorter Shirabe, wearing her winter outfit. "Hello Hibiki-san." She greeted, her face remaining monotone as ever.

"Wh-What are you doing here? I thought you were busy!" Hibiki asked incredulously.

"I wasn't." Shirabe confirmed. "I just… had some time." Her thoughts were all over the place. She may look calm on the outside now, but internally she was already sweating to bits, doubts flooding into her head as the conversation continued. Did that come out wrong? Did I offend her? What should I say next? Those were all questions she asked herself but she could never seem to answer them all properly, partly because her anxiety was getting a hold of her and partly because of Hibiki replying.

"Well- What are you visiting for? Miku's out so I can't really give you food…" Hibiki told her, scratching the back of her head with an awkward smile.

"Actually, I wanted to hang out with you." Shirabe immediately replied, stopping Hibiki in her tracks. There was only one thought in her head. I think I doomed my plan.

Shirabe saw the look on Hibiki's face and began to fear the worst, but luckily, those fears were in vain. "Oh… Okay!" Hibiki said, her tone a mix of surprise and excitement. "Well, do you want to come in?"

"Of cour- I mean… Sure." Shirabe was relieved that Hibiki didn't push her away, but now her worries went from having her be rejected to not knowing what to do next. Granted, she had a plan on what to try and talk about with Hibiki, but now that she was here, in her house, all of that planning seemed to just jump out of her mind. "So… Umm… How have you been?"

"Well, you know, just living my life one day at a time like always." Hibiki replied as she closed the door. "If anything, I'm glad you showed up when you did, Shirabe-chan. With everyone either away or busy, I was getting really bored."

"It seems like everyone's been busy now that there's barely any world-ending threats, huh…" Shirabe said.

"But enough about me, how are you, Shirabe-chan?" Hibiki asked.

"With Kiri-chan and everyone away on a mission, it's been pretty quiet on my end as well." Shirabe answered. "But other than that, I'm doing fine."

"That's good to hear!" Hibiki said.

"Thank you." Shirabe replied. "It's good to hear that things have been good for you, too, Hibiki-san."

"Thanks!" Hibiki said.

...

The room went quiet after the small talk had ended. While they both seemed relaxed on the outside, they both just stared at each other awkwardly, not knowing what to say next. But suddenly, the awkward silence was broken by the rumbling of Hibiki's stomach, which made her blush in embarrassment. "Hehe… Sorry about that… I was waiting for Miku to come back before I ate, but I guess my stomach is getting tired of waiting…" Hibiki said. "I'd make us both something to eat, but I can't cook anything to save my life."

"If you're hungry, I don't mind cooking something for us to share." Shirabe suggested.

"Oh, you don't have to do that, Shirabe-chan." Hibiki replied. "You're my guest, I don't wanna force you to cook for both of us just because I'm hungry."

Shirabe thought for a moment. She didn't want Hibiki to starve herself just to be a good host, but this situation may just be a perfect way to become better friends. "I mean… I could… Teach you how to cook…"

"Really!?" Hibiki almost jumped out of the couch, freezing Shirabe in place as she pumped her fists. She could never get used to her enthusiasm which was arguably even bigger than Kirika's. "You really will!?" She asked again, looking at Shirabe with stars in her eyes. With a face like that, how could she say no? The last thing she wanted was making her feel bad.

"Y… yes." Shirabe answered, coughing into her hand. It was just something she'd have to deal with for a while.

"Oh thank you!" The light brunette brings the girl into a tight embrace. It wouldn't be so bad if Shirabe didn't feel all her bones slowly begin to die every second.

"Y-You're welcome, but please let go-" She strained, pleading for her to stop. Luckily she heard her quiet cries for help before letting go, chuckling sheepishly. With a relieved sigh, she stands up and walks towards the kitchen. "Follow me, we'll be making okonomiyaki." She told her. Hibiki was following close like an excited puppy and without needing to turn, she could tell she was even more excited. Isn't she a bigger fan of rice though…? She pondered, wondering why she could get so excited over something like a pancake.

"That's the food me and Miku usually eat at Flower!" She explained, giving Shirabe the reason why. "The okonomiyaki the lady makes is so good!" She continued, soon entering the kitchen as they stood in front of a counter. To be frank, Hibiki never had any experience cooking and, once more, the last time she tried it was a complete disaster with splattered fruit everywhere and at least one knife ending up behind the fridge somehow.

"Well, I can't guarantee that the one we're making will have the same taste but I can give you the basic recipe once we're done." Shirabe offered, looking at Hibiki. "Make sure you follow my instructions closely, okay?" She directed.

"I'll try my best!" She replied excitedly.

Some time later…

So far, things had not ended in disaster surprisingly. Apart from some mishaps here and there, Shirabe's lesson was going particularly well. Hibiki was learning quickly, with Shirabe having to remind her from time to time to not miss a step or worse, do something horribly wrong by accident.

As Hibiki was mixing the sauce needed for the okonomiyaki, her thoughts began to drift back, years ago where destiny took her down a cruel path. "... you know, I never got a chance to do something like this back then." She lamented, her smile suddenly turning into a sorrowful one.

"Huh?" Shirabe turns, confused. "What do you mean?"

"When I was younger, I always watched my dad cook in our kitchen." Hibiki explained. "I couldn't wait until I was older, because I really wanted to help him out with the cooking, but then… The incident at the concert happened… And dad left us…"

"Hibiki-san…"

Hibiki wiped away a tear that was forming in her eye. "Hehe… Sorry to bring down the mood like that, Shirabe-chan. I guess this cooking lesson just gave me something I completely forgot I wanted to do as a kid…" She said. "But hey, that's all in the past. Let's just get back to the lesson, yeah?"

Shirabe could tell Hibiki was just trying to change the subject, but if there's one thing she knew about the Gungnir Wielder, it's that things were rough when Akira stepped back into the picture. Granted, the father and daughter have long since made amends for the former leaving the latter to suffer for being the only survivor of a tragedy out of her control, but even she knew there were scars that couldn't fully heal, if their first interaction was anything to go off of… But for now, Shirabe decided to not press Hibiki on the matter. The last thing she wanted to do was make her angry while they were around sharp objects and hot surfaces. "Right. Where were we?"

Later…

With the lesson concluded, Hibiki and Shirabe looked over their plates of freshly made okonomiyaki happily. "Wow… Even now, I can't believe that we made something that looks this delicious!" Hibiki exclaimed, her mouth watering at the delicious food in front of her.

"All I really did was give you instructions on what to do and when to do it. So, in a way, this okonomiyaki was all thanks to you, Hibiki-san." Shirabe said modestly.

"Well in that case, I better not let this accident-free miracle go to waste!" Hibiki said, grabbing her utensils to chow down. "Itadakimasu!"

Shirabe watched as Hibiki's arms practically turned into drills with how fast her hands went from the plate of food to her mouth as she cleaned her plate in record time. "I don't think I've ever seen her eat that fast!" Shirabe said to herself. "I better eat the food on my plate before she tries to steal it and the leftovers."

One meal later…

With all of the okonomiyaki eaten (mostly by the hungry Gungnir Wielder) Shirabe wiped her mouth with a napkin while Hibiki rubbed her belly in satisfaction. "Ahh… That okonomiyaki tasted better than it looked. I'm stuffed…" Hibiki said.

"Here. Let me take care of the washing up, then." Shirabe replied, taking the plates over to the kitchen sink.

Shirabe placed both plates into the sink before turning the tap, water running out of the tap. It was going to be a quick task, nothing more. And yet, as she picked up the first plate she was thrown back to the past. A past that she would forever regret.

"There are too many hypocrites like you in this world!"

… why did I say that? No matter how far back she pushed it, she would always return to it one way or another. Just seeing Hibiki alone would always bring it up, sometimes it would come up when she spoke with Tsubasa. No matter what, it was like a living nightmare to her and even the apology she gave to Hibiki during their fight with Carol felt like nothing more than a flimsy one. Was it truly any wonder to her why she avoided her for so long?

"Uh… Shirabe-chan? Are you done?"

She snaps back to the present, looking at her empty wet hands. Oh… She must've been on autopilot during that time.

"Hey… are you okay?" Hibiki worried, turning over and looking at Shirabe with a concerned look. "You've been quiet the whole time, did something come up?" She would be lying if she said she wasn't scared. With how much Shirabe had been avoiding her these past few weeks, she was afraid that Shirabe would leave again even though they spent little time with her, whatever the definition of 'little' meant to her anyway. Had I been a bad host? There was no way, Shirabe didn't look the slightest bit uncomfortable. So why was she so scared?

"Hibiki-san… could I… talk with you for a bit?" Realizing she let her words slip, she quickly retracts them. "We don't have to if it's-"

"No, it's alright. I think there's something you wanted to say, right?"

She looks back to Hibiki, who had continued looking at her with worry. "If it's something on your mind, you can always talk to me. But if you don't want to, that's okay too! I'm just… worried about you, y'know?" She assured, giving her a small smile. The girl only felt guilty looking at it, knowing just how much she had to put up. But perhaps it was finally time to stop running for once. To see their pasts through and through.

She walks over to the couch and sits beside her, Hibiki turning back to face her. "... that day during the concert, when I called you a hypocrite…" She began, struggling to keep her hands from trembling. "I… never truly knew just how much you went through. I thought idealists lied behind their backs, unable to comprehend just how much we went through. But hearing you speak about your home life, the hatred you received… I couldn't believe it. There was… something I thought about then.

I… never formally apologized for calling you that, did I?"

"Shirabe-chan…" Hibiki saw the Shul-Shagana Wielder's guilt-ridden face and felt sorry for her. Was that moment nearly a year ago why Shirabe was avoiding her as of late? Realizing this guilt Shirabe had put on herself, Hibiki gently pulled her in for a hug, which took Shirabe by surprise. "I forgive you. Well, I've forgiven you for that a while ago, but I never realized that you still had that guilt on your shoulders all this time."

Tears started to form in Shirabe's eyes. "H-Hibiki-san… I wish… I wish I never said such terrible things to you…" She said. "I don't deserve your forgiveness."

"Hey, you can't blame yourself for something you didn't know, Shirabe-chan." Hibiki said. "I'm sure I would've reacted the same way if I was in your shoes and you were in mine, so please, there's no need to keep hating yourself for saying what you said back then."

Hearing this, Shirabe returned Hibiki's hug with all of her strength as she began to cry into Hibiki's shoulder. The Gungnir Wielder patted Shirabe on the back as she cried. "That's right. Let it all out."

Just as Hibiki had said, Shirabe let out all of her tears, staining the Gungnir Wielder's shirt, but she could care less as long as her friend felt better. "Th… Thank you… Hibiki-san." Shirabe said with a sniffle.

"Anytime, Shirabe-chan!" Hibiki said, before suddenly feeling Shirabe's grip start to soften. "Shirabe-chan?"

When she looked down, Shirabe had fallen asleep on the couch. "I guess lifting a weight like that off your shoulders took a lot out of you. That, or the food." Hibiki chuckled to herself, before letting out a yawn. "I guess I should let her sleep… After all, I could use a nap right about now…" Saying this, Hibiki closed her eyes and fell asleep on the couch with Shirabe.

Later…

A while after the duo had fallen asleep, the door to Hibiki and Miku's house opened as Miku had returned home with bags of groceries in tow. "Hibiki! I'm home!" She called out into the house as she locked the door.. "Sorry it took a little longer than I had- Oh!"

She looked over to the couch and saw Hibiki and Shirabe were fast asleep. She may not know what happened while she was out, but she could tell by the stains on Hibiki's shirt and the redness around Shirabe's eyes that it was something that needed to happen for a while. So, instead of waking the duo up, Miku put her groceries down on the kitchen counter, grabbed a spare blanket from the closet, and covered Hibiki and Shirabe with it so they wouldn't be cold.

"It looks like our plan worked." Miku said to herself. "I should let Kirika-chan know. I'm sure she'll be happy to hear it."

A/N: And with that, we end the One-Shot!

Again, I want to take a moment to shoutout Yam the Nokia for letting me collaborate with them on this One-Shot. When we were deciding on what to write for the collaboration, Yam suggested we write something for Shirabe and Hibiki where the former could give a proper, formal apology for her harsh words back in Symphogear G. And thus, with some brainstorming on both of our parts, the story you read was born!

But seriously, if you've read this far, go check out yamthenokia on AO3, go support their fic "Symphogear MSK" because they deserve the support!

Shoutouts aside, thank you all for reading this collab One-Shot. I shall see you all in the next one!