Damage Control

The pillow smacked me dead in the face.

I didn't react. Not even a flinch.

Honestly? I deserved that.

As the fabric slid off my face and landed on the floor, I let out a slow exhale, bracing myself. Camille had her arms crossed, an expectant glare locked onto me. Sienna, while slightly less aggressive, had the same expression—the kind that told me I needed to start talking. Immediately.

I ran a hand down my face. "Okay. Right. Explaining. That's... fair."

Camille arched a brow. "Go on."

I sighed, finally sitting down on the couch. "Alright. So, you both know that my newest job as an astronaut is ranked at C, right?"

They nodded.

"Well... normally I get skills every time I get a new job, but this time, my Instinct had stopped me from gaining any."

Sienna tilted her head. "Instinct?"

I hesitated for a fraction of a second before deciding to just say it. "It's one of the detective skills I have, I rely on my gut to adapt in real-time. In all honesty, I started relying a bit too much on it since it's a really powerful skill. But this time in terms of learning and acquiring more skills? It held me back."

Camille frowned. "Alright, so what changed? You always had more methods of gaining skills."

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. "Right, normally I would use Copy, but there were no astronauts nearby and it can't be used on footage of the past. I figured I still needed to gain skills somehow, so I found a library. One specifically focused on advanced engineering and astronautics. Turns out, they were hosting a competition—a test based on NASA's hiring process, which was the reason Instinct stopped me from gaining skills, so I could enter it and I did."

They both stared at me, waiting.

"And?" Sienna prompted.

I clenched my jaw for a moment before exhaling. "And I lost."

There was a beat of silence. Camille blinked. "You lost?"

"Yeah." I leaned back. "I passed most of the tests, but the mechanics portion? I relied on luck. And because of that, I wasn't chosen."

I could see the shift in their expressions. They knew how much that must've stung.

"So," I continued, running a hand through my hair, "I spent the last month training. Studying. Fixing that flaw. Because I refuse to ever rely on luck again."

Silence settled over the room. I could feel their eyes on me, processing everything.

Then, finally, I sighed and lowered my head.

"...And I'm sorry."

Camille and Sienna both blinked.

I clenched my fists. "I'm sorry for shutting you both out. I should've told you everything from the start. I should've made time for you. I—I messed up." I exhaled slowly, shaking my head. "And I get it if you're mad, I just—"

I was cut off by a quiet snort.

I glanced up.

Sienna and Camille were exchanging a look.

Then, in unison, they smirked

That was my only warning before Camille suddenly lunged forward, grabbing my ear between her fingers and twisting.

I barely held back a wince. "Ow."

"You absolute idiot," Camille huffed. "Do you even hear yourself? 'Oh, I forgot to tell them I was leaving for months in another country, but I get it if you're mad!' Of course we're mad, dumbass!"

Sienna giggled beside her, shaking her head. "You really are something else, Rey."

Camille let go of my ear, only to flick my forehead immediately after. "Next time? Don't just shut us out like that. And don't drop a bombshell with a stupid question like 'You love me, right?' That was so suspicious."

"...Noted."

She crossed her arms. "Good."

Then, before I could react, Sienna leaned in and kissed my cheek.

A second later, Camille did the same.

I froze for a moment.

They both pulled back with matching grins.

"You've got a lot of making up to do," Sienna teased.

Camille smirked. "So you'd better start now."

—

And so I did.

The rest of the day, I spent every moment with them.

We grabbed lunch together—real food, not the rushed meals I had been forcing myself to eat between study sessions. We walked through the city, visiting old spots we hadn't been to in a while. At one point, Camille dragged me into an arcade, demanding a match in a game that she was the 'Royale Queen' in (I won, much to her dismay). Sienna, meanwhile, insisted we visit a bookstore, where she promptly shoved three different novels into my arms, claiming I owed her at least that much reading time.

For the first time in a while, I let myself relax.

And I realized just how much I had missed them.

The conversations. The laughter. The simple feeling of being there.

I had been so focused on my goal that I nearly forgot what really mattered.

But I wouldn't make that mistake again.

—

Morning came too fast.

As the sunlight filtered into the room, I opened my eyes, feeling warmth beside me.

Sienna was curled up to my left, her head resting against my shoulder.

Camille was on my right, one arm lazily draped over my chest.

For a brief moment, I just laid there, taking it in. It was serene, peaceful even.

Then, slowly and carefully, I shifted.

Neither of them stirred as I slipped out of bed. I glanced back once, watching them for a second longer before leaning down and pressing a kiss to each of their foreheads.

Then I grabbed the angel mask and some extravagant-looking clothes dyed in gold and white. Camille had made them during the month, in hopes of making me truly look like an angel of some sorts, and I couldn't thank her enough for it.

Sliding the mask over my face, I straightened, squared my shoulders, and turned toward the door.

It was time.

I stepped outside, the cool morning air brushing against my skin and the fabric of the clothing.

Today is the day that I would go to the evaluation center- the one I should've gone to a month ago.

And I was ready.