Wendy delivers a considerably strong punch to the last of the simulated putty, toppling it down crumbling on the ground. She winces. Her fist is definitely gonna bruise.

"Look unnie–"

Wendy groans. She's been training for the better part of an hour to clear her head and Kim Yerim, their dear little Pink Ranger, has been sitting on the sidelines and giving her a million reasons to get punched in the face.

"Why are you still here," Wendy grumbles.

"To help you with your pathetic love life, dummy," the younger girl says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"No thanks." Wendy picks up her water bottle. "Don't you need to go do your homework or something? Leave me alone, I'm thirsty."

"Maybe if you just asked Joohyun out," Yerim mumbles.

Wendy almost chokes on her water, some of it spilling out from cut lips that are already on their way to healing.

"Yerim!"

"What? You've had a for her since we've been chosen by these damn coins. Hell, maybe even before that."

Wendy splutters, hands trying and failing to forcefully close her water bottle only to accidentally crush it useless.

"I don't even have a !" she sputters.

"But you don't deny liking her, ha! I called it!"

It's not a lie. Joohyun is a very pretty, very capable leader and it's only natural for Wendy to have a crush on her. Hell, the entire town is probably half in love with her. It's not Wendy's fault the girl is so likeable.

"Ask her out."

"No. She'll reject me."

Wendy picks up her gym bag and starts to walk away, Yerim hot on her tail with absolutely no intent of letting this go.

"Don't be a , unnie."

"I am what I eat!"

Wendy belatedly realizes the consequences of her outburst but she stubbornly stands her ground even as heat starts to climb her face. Yerim stubbornly stands her ground.

"You're a ."

"That's not what Seulgi said."

Yerim's eyes widen this time, gasping loudly while Wendy hurriedly runs away from the words she accidentally spilled.

"Yah! Son Seungwan!"

But Wendy's already jumped up and out through the lake, leaving a flustered Yerim behind.

::

The thing about being a teenage superhero is that saving the world doesn't mean you get a free pass on homework. 

Seulgi groans from her spot on the bed, her face firmly planted on an open math book.

"I hate school," she mumbles.

"So I've gathered." Wendy nudges her bestfriend with her foot, annoying her until she looks up. "Wanna copy mine?"

"You know I do!" Seulgi makes grabby hands at Wendy, gratefully accepting her already finished homework. "Honestly Seungwan, why would you make me try to do it myself when I always end up copying from you anyway."

"Are you complaining?" Wendy raises an eyebrow.

Seulgi embraces the flimsy homework paper and protects it with her arms. "No take backsies!"

Wendy rolls her eyes and goes back to her notes on the study desk. She has to keep studying if she wants herself and Seulgi to pass the next bio test.

They work by themselves for a bit, the silence only betrayed by Seulgi's soft hums and scritching of pencils on paper.

And it's usually in silences like this when the talking starts.

"Hey, Wan?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you like Joohyun?"

Wendy's pencil stops, eyes refusing to meet Seulgi's knowing how much honesty can pour out if she allowed herself to.

Seulgi doesn't push but she doesn't back down either.

This isn't something they can ignore.

"Seul..."

"You should ask her out."

Wendy's head snaps so quick, she almost gives herself whiplash. Seulgi meets her with a welcoming smile, confident eyes sparkling under pretty crescents.

"I've seen the way you look at her. The way you act around her."

And she's okay with it, she doesn't say out loud.

They've known each other for too long that Seulgi knows to open her arms to give Wendy her safe space. Wendy doesn't hesitate to drop her notes and crawl into Seulgi's embrace, holding on to the warmth of her bestfriend gratefully.

"I don't know what to do," she admits quietly.

"That's okay," Seulgi reassures her. "I'm just happy you finally admitted to your feelings."

Somewhere in the distance, their enhanced hearing picks up a familiar rumble of a car engine. Wendy's parents will be home soon.

"And that's my cue," Seulgi giggles.

Wendy reluctantly lets go and pouts. She hates how she has to hide everything about herself from her parents.

Seulgi packs up her own stuff and tucks away the homework she still needs to copy before walking to the window.

"See ya at practice, Wan!"

Wendy waves her goodbye as she jumps out.

::

It was a moment of pure recklessness. Wendy jumps in front of a raging monster to save the Black Ranger without any plans. Unless you count using her body as a shield to get pummeled.

"Idiot!"

Wendy hears the scream somewhere in her brain before she got fist pounded and thrown away. She managed to buy Joy, the Black Ranger, some time to get up and get back to fighting.

It's the last thing she remembers before blacking out.

She wakes up to gentle hands fluttering about her stomach. Wendy groans, the pain in her battered body finally catching up to her conscious mind. She feels like she got hit by a giant monster except worse because she actually did get literally hit by a giant monster.

"You're okay," comes a familiar soft voice cutting through the self pity about to surface.

Joohyun.

Wendy turns to look at her frazzled leader, bruised hands holding up bandages and gauzes. Her eyes are little shiny, worry visibly indented on the edges. She's never seen her like this before.

"Un–" Wendy winces, then tries to clear the desert from her throat.

Joohyun hurries to get her a tumbler of water, even going as far as assisting her up and helping her drink.

"Thanks, unnie," Wendy sighs after. 

She watches Joohyun quietly put the tumbler away, eyes now trained at anything else other than Wendy.

"How bad is it?" she asks the older girl. It seemed to work enough to get Joohyun's attention.

It's almost comical how many emotions pass by the older girl's gaze before settling back to worry. She sighs and moves closer, sitting herself on the cot with Wendy.

"We already had your elbow reset. Nothing else is broken but you might have a concussion."

Wendy nods. That was expected. It's not like saving the world is the safest part time job.

Then Joohyun hiccups a sob, though her eyes stubbornly refuses to shed tears.

"You weren't moving."

Wendy instinctively sits up in alarm only to have her bruises scream in protest. With a wince, she settles back down but still reaches out with her uninjured hand.

"Unnie?"

Joohyun takes her offered hand and holds it close to her chest. She looks so sad. Wendy feels the guilt crawl up to settle at . She did this to Joohyun. She did this to her team.

"This isn't your fault, unnie. You're our leader but you didn't make me do stupid stuff. I did the stupid stuff. I should have–"

"Seungwan, this isn't about me being the leader."

Wendy stops talking, attention solely given to determined eyes locking her in a gaze she can't decipher.

"Seungwan..." her leader sighs, bites her lips. "I thought I lost you."

Tears finally escape and Wendy silently curses her pain for not letting her get up and comfort Joohyun the way she deserves to be comforted.

"I'm so sorry, unnie," she tries again. "I should have thought about the team."

"Gosh, you just don't get it, do you?" Joohyun says, her tired voice laced with exasperation.

"Wha–"

Joohyun leans in and captures her lips in a soft but tender kiss, somehow skillfully avoiding the busted bruise enough to not hurt.

"I'm scared of losing you not because you're another team member," Joohyun whispers over their shared breaths. "I like you, Seungwan-ah."

There's a distinct yelp from outside followed by a series of loud grumbling noises that breaks the two from their moment. Unwelcomed interruptions. Joohyun pulls back and calls them over, voice uncharacteristically loud and clipped.

"You guys can come in,"

"Is it safe?" Yerim teases, then yelps, "Ow!"

Joy opens the door, pulling along a reluctant Seulgi and an annoyed looking Yerim. Wendy visibly perks up as soon as she sees her bestfriend.

"Hi Seul!"

Seulgi's eyes immediately water, hand pulling away from Joy's hold so she can run to Wendy's side.

"Idiot!" she cries. "You stupid little idiot!"

Wendy laughs and gestures for a one armed hug only to be rejected defiantly.

"You're hurt, idiot."

"And you're ugly when you cry but am I complaining about it?"

Seulgi almost hits her in reflex but remembers halfway she's injured. It sends her into another bout of crying.

Yerim plops on the bed next to Wendy's, mischievous eyes judging. "Wow, I didn't know badass Seulgi unnie was this soft."

"Leave her alone, she was worried," defends Joy.

"We're rangers." Yerim rolls her eyes. "Give her a few days and she'll be right as rain."

"You say that as if you weren't crying your eyes out earlier."

"Slander!" Yerim kicks at Joy who expertly doges with a loud laugh.

This isn't an unusual scene. It would have escalated into a full on spar if Joohyun didn't intervene, making the pouting duo sit quietly.

"Thanks for worrying about me guys," Wendy tells them.

"We would have been here sooner if Joohyun unnie didn't hog you all to herself."

"Kim Yerim, my knee is really itching to meet your face," came Joohyun's warning growl.

This sends Wendy and the almost calm Seulgi into a laughing fit, joined in by Joy who's eagerly egging the two to fight.

They're part time superheros. Teens who bruise and break and take on responsibilities bigger than their little bodies.

With the usual spat effectively diffused, Joohyun stomps back into the bed, instinctively taking Wendy's hand into hers. She visibly relaxes when gentle fingers slot her own in response into a firm hold.

Joy's the first one to notice but of course Yerim's the one who opens to tease.

"The hags are together!"

It takes some time before Seulgi gets it but when she does, she immediately joins in the fun. Joohyun wants nothing more than to release her wrath with pillows.

But Wendy softly tugs at their joined hands, pulls her in and really, Joohyun doesn't have a choice but to lean in and hide herself on the crook of her girlfriend's neck, does she?

This garners even more obnoxious screeching, because of course.

It doesn't matter though. Not when Wendy's laughing, strong and warm and alive in her arms.

Their Wendy.

Also, hers.