Work Text:
Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces.
It seems like years since it's been here.
Here comes the sun.
Here comes the sun, and I say:
It's all right.
- Here Comes the Sun, The Beatles.
~
The first thing that came to Ashe’s mind as she began to regain consciousness was a warmth enveloping around most of her body, save for her right leg. The second thing she grew to notice was the bleeping from an alarm, slowly reeling closer as she awoke, and in turn, becoming more and more annoying. Another noise tried to contest the alarm, the rain from the outside, joined in on the chorus of noise, promising a grey morning to those planning to venture out into it.
Groaning, Ashe stretched out her hand from the safe haven of the blanket, and tried to find the alarm to turn it off. After a few failed attempts, she made a sound similar to a mix of a sight and a groan, and peered her head out from the blanket. Though her vision was still blurry from sleep, she managed to turn off the alarm while being able to see somewhat where it had gone. Yawning, Ashe stretched her hands above her head, and scratched her head and wiped out the remaining sleep from her eyes. Looking over at the other side of the bed, she noticed the lack of the other body. In its place, the blanket was covering the bed, having been tidied up before the occupant left the room. Slowly getting off her bed, and careful not to step on anything, Ashe turned around and pulled her blanket to a similar fashion as the other side, albeit more sloppily.
Turning back to face the rest of the room, Ashe surveyed it. Most of her clothes were sprayed out on the floor, so finding a safe route without accidentally stepping on something hidden underneath the cover on her way towards the door would not be easy. However, before she could leave the room, she stumbled through it all as she began looking for something to wear amidst the chaos.
“I really should just clean up the room, huh? Haa, another day, another problem,” Ashe muttered to herself while searching.
Eventually settling on a green, striped jacket-like shirt and a black t-shirt, and a pair of dark blue pants, she went to her phone, trying to find out how much time she had left until work. Her heart skipped a beat as she noticed the time, before cursing. She would be arriving late again for sure. She grabbed her bag, and threw together whatever she could possibly need, and begun to make her way downstairs, a bit slower than usual. If she was going to be late anyways, why stress?
On her way down, she begun to smell the scent of newly warmed toast and the bitter, yet energizing smell of coffee. Confused for a moment as to who has made these smells possible, Ashe, upon getting to the bottom of the stairs, walked towards the kitchen, hunger growing by the footsteps. As she got to the open wooden door, she saw a radiant ray of sun, her dearest, humming lightly to a tune on the radio, sitting at the kitchen table, while whipping something in a bowl. Standing in the doorway, Ashe could only admire her like a piece in a museum, as she shone like the brightest sun on a warm summer day.
Probably sensing her presence, the sunbeam stopped whipping the bowl, and faced Ashe.
“Oh, Ashe! I’m glad you’re awake! You seemed to sleep so well, so I didn’t want to wake you.” Firi said, waiting for Ashe to come inside the kitchen. Gathering her wits, Ashe began scooting over to Firi, and as she neared, Firi signalled for her to sit down at the table.
“I bet you’re probably starving, so I went ahead and made something for us to eat. I couldn’t find much in your refrigerator, so I hope you like toast!” she beamed, and after putting away the bowl she had been holding, turned to face Ashe, who had a barely noticeable red colour on her cheeks.
“Gosh, I--- You didn’t have to do this,” Ashe said, scratching the back of her head.
“Nonsense! You’re letting me stay at your place, it’s the least I can do,” Firi answered. She lifted a plate of toast, and held it in front of Ashe. “You want one? They should still be warm and crispy.” Slowly bringing her hand back on the table, Ashe used her other hand to grab two slices of toast, and slowly began to fix what she wanted on it. Nodding to herself, Firi followed suit.
“Oh, and I also brewed some coffee! I might have put in a little too much powder, so it’ll probably be a bit strong,” Firi asked, as she stood up and leaned on the chair so she could reach the coffee can on the nearest kitchen counter. After sitting down again, she held it ready to be poured out of, tilting her head slightly to the side, before asking, “I hope that’s fine?”
“It’s okay. I usually take it strong,” Ashe replied, and held out her cup, to which Firi smiled and filled it up. After filling up her own, they both took a sip, and continued eating in more or less silence.
As they both began to finish eating up, Ashe stood up.
“I really should be going. I’m already late for work, and I won’t be hearing the end of it from Thog if I get too late again,” Ashe said, and gathered up what she had used, to which Firi shook her head, and stood up.
“I’ll take the dishes, so just go ahead,” Firi cooked her head to the side, and smiled.
“Just make sure you get home in one piece.”
Ashe was about to protest, until Firi took her plate.
“Are you sure? It shouldn’t take too much time, and you’ve already done so much---”
“I’m perfectly fine. Just get along, now,” Firi interrupted her.
Fidgety adjusting her bag, Ashe hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to just help out anyway or run along. Sensing Ashe’s distress, Firi giggled a bit, and stood up so she would be able to take Ashe’s shoulders in her own arms.
“I’m fine, Ashe. You don’t have to worry, you know? You need to work to earn enough to live and do what you want, and this is the best way for me to repay you for letting me crash your place,” Firi said, looking into Ashe’s face. Ashe’s gaze went sideways, as she tried to avoid looking at Firi.
However, Firi noticed, and after sighing, she moved her face closer to Ashe’s face. Before Ashe could notice, Firi planted a peck on her chin.
“Ehehe, did you know? You’re always so cute when you’re blushing,” Firi giggled, resting her forehead on Ashe’s, the latter being surprised by the sudden action. Ashe was at a loss of words.
“I, uh… I should get--- get going. Yes. Work. It’s, uh… It is important. Right,” Ashe tried to string together, face beet red. Firi continued to smile as Ashe tried to talk, giggling a bit as Ashe almost managed to say a comprehensive sentence.
As Ashe took a quick step back towards the door, she noticed that some weight on her shoulders disappeared. Metaphorically, there was no change in weight. Physically, on the other hand…
With the sudden movement, Firi’s grip on Ashe’s shoulders was ripped off, and the poor girl began to lose her balance. Had it not been for Ashe’s quick reflexes, Firi would almost certainly have come face to face with the floor. Hurriedly, Ashe pulled Firi up, and began guiding her towards a couch in the living room.
“I’m so, so sorry! I forgot---” Ashe hurriedly said, as they walked.
“It happens, Ashe. You don’t have to feel sorry, I shouldn’t have tried to walk without my crutches,” Firi tried to reassure Ashe, but the whitehaired woman continued to mumble apologies until they reached the living room. After plopping Firi down on it, Ashe began walking towards the kitchen again.
“Ashe, wait! You’re getting late---”
“That assh---- guy will just have to wait. You’ve already worked so hard, so I’ll get the dishes. Just wait here, okay?” Ashe replied, and went away.
“It’s not like I can get anywhere, though,” Firi tried to say back, but the remark fell only on Firi’s ears. Sighing, Firi looked around the couch, trying to find what she had been working at for the past few days. Scooting towards one of the edges, she finally found her what she was looking for. With a little victory ‘Yes’ and a smile, she scooted back to the middle of the couch with her knitting set, and began to knit with the monochromatic colours.
In the background, Firi could hear the clinking of the dishes and running water, as they were rinsed before being put into the dishwasher. When the sounds of water stopped, Firi put away what she had been working on, and found another of her projects, with a simple light pink colour. After a few minutes, Ashe emerged back into the living room, crutches in hand. She gently placed them on the side of the couch. Muttering a faint ‘thank you’ and ‘you’re welcome’, Ashe took a few steps towards the door, adjusting her bag on her shoulder along the way, before suddenly stopping. With a brief moment of just standing still, she walked to the back of the couch, and leaned down on it. Firi, seemingly unaware of Ashe’s presence, continued her project.
“You sure you’re doing okay? With your leg and all?” Ashe asked, concern evident in her words. Firi paused her knitting for a moment, before resuming.
“What has happened has happened. All we can do is just live with what we’ve done, and hope for the best,” Firi answered, closing her eyes as she put down her knitting. “I know you’re worried about my leg after that accident, but really, I’m fine! Even the doctor said I was lucky to only get minor wounds, considering the situation.”
Ashe shifted uncomfortably.
“Firi. Losing a leg isn’t just some ‘minor wound’. It’s a goddamn leg! You--- You’ll need assistance for even minor things for the rest of your life! There’s just so many things you’ll never be able to do again, just because of that idiotic bastard’s---” Ashe, getting more and more agitated with ever word, was about to go on, before Firi shushed her.
“As I said, what has happened has happened. There’s no need to continue dwelling on it,” Firi repeated, trying to calm down Ashe. Seeing her breathing even out slightly, she continued, with her trademark smile faltered away.
“Of course, I’m not happy about losing a leg – who would be? – but I would rather lose a leg than lose the life of a dear friend of mine.” She turned her body halfway towards the back, towards Ashe, and her face to look into Ashe’s face, as she rested her hands on Ashe’s face. “But at least something good coming from it; I got to stay with you,” She added, smiling again.
Ashe looked to the side, not meeting Firi’s gaze. “You still haven’t told me what actually happened while you and Gregor were out on your assignment.”
Panicking for a brief moment, Firi’s happy expression faltered for but a second, before she managed to regain her composure.
“It’s… It’s all in the past.”
“It was just a few weeks ago. You just got out of the hospital! Firi, I swear, it doesn’t help you to keep---” Before Ashe could continue, a loud sound began to play off, catching the both of them by surprise. Recognizing the tune, Ashe fumbled through her jacket’s pocket, and retrieved her phone. Pushing the answer button, the first thing that was met after the loud song was yet another loud noise, followed by an annoyed voice.
“Ashe, I swear to whatever deities are out there, if you don’t get your ass over here I’ll personally–”
“I’m on my way, Thog. Jeesh, haven’t you heard about traffic?” Ashe answered, clicking her tongue to make a tch-sound. “And what’s with that annoying sound?”
“Oi, I fucking heard that. If you’d just gotten to work in time for once, you’d know what it was, and maybe fucking dealt with it already. And you don’t fool me – There ain’t any traffic on the subway,” Thog grunted through the line. Ashe sighted.
“I’m on my way. Just hold your chill, okay?” She answered, hanging up before Thog could come with any more remarks. Putting the phone back into her pocket, Ashe turned to Firi.
“Whelp, guess I’ll have to go to help their sorry asses from whatever that noise was. I’ll see you later, Firi,” Ashe said, ruffling Firi’s hair a bit before walking towards the door.
“Ashe, wait up!” Firi exclaimed, quickly grabbing her crutches to help her walk. Waiting for Firi, Ashe stood where she had gotten before Firi stopped her. After a brief moment, Firi got to where Ashe was waiting.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Firi asked. Upon seeing Ashe’s puzzled expression, Firi pointed to her cheek. “Right here?”
As she realized, Ashe gave Firi a fond smile, before she leaned in to give Firi a peck on her cheek.
“I’ll be back before you know it,” Ashe said, looking into Firi’s eyes as she stroked through her soft hair. “And remember, ---”
“’If you ever need help, don’t hesitate to call me’, right?” Firi asked, and as Ashe nodded, Firi giggled a bit.
“I’ll be fine, don’t you worry. Just worry about not getting there too late now, Ashe,” Firi continued, and turned Ashe around with relatively little trouble, before giving her a clap on her back. “Off you go now, my dandelion!” Firi smiled. Ashe, clearly a bit annoyed at the nickname itself – it only brought forth unpleasant memories of a certain event involving a certain person–, tried to give Firi a forced smile, to which Firi began to chuckle ever so slightly.
“Well, see you later.” Ashe opened the door, gave a final wave to Firi, and opened her umbrella. Waving back, Firi watched as Ashe walked towards the opening to the subway, and watched as she began to descent away from the showers of rain. Sighting, Firi slowly closed the door so no more cold would creep inside, and walked slowly towards the couch. Upon reaching it, she plopped down, and carefully placed the crutches so as they wouldn’t fall down. Putting away the light pink project, she inspected her other project, the little plush with a half-finished white cape with black fur. Smiling, Firi set to work on the present once again.