Chapter Text
Question 3. According to the MSDS and pages 45, 65 and 155-158 of the textbook please detail the exact procedure in the event of a choloform spill. Include all possible secondary hazards and make an assessment...
Haruka’s eyes glazed over as her brain slowly shut down out of sheer boredom. Her train of thought shuddered to a stop after teetering towards an idea about as likely as her ever finding a male attractive: doing Modern Japanese first. Chemistry was meant to be fun, at least the borderline pyrotechnicians of the Chemistry Club at Mugen made it seem so. But no, instead she had to trawl through a safety manual larger than the one for her race car and copy word-for-word scientific mumbo-jumbo. Half of the words were quite clearly some international standard and were thus transferred from English or Latin...meaning in Japanese they were complete gibberish. What kind of idiot would write a question like this? How did Setsuna do this day in day out?
She moved back to the incredible tome and flipped between the marked pages managing to actually comprehend maybe one word? Two? The entire heading of page 396? The fact that 396 isn’t the page she is meant to be on?
Ugh. She needed a break. But she promised Michiru she’d at least do at least five “homework questions” first. Well, they really weren’t “homework” as such as extra work because home schooling meant that all work was done at home. She’d only started the program three weeks ago, instead of transferring to the offered school after Mugen blew up. Her and Michiru both decided it would be better, so they could be there for their daughter.
Their daughter. Their daughter. A soft smile spread over Haruka’s features. To think that only a month ago her life was so different, she was so different, so harsh and cold and now, well, she had mellowed out into being a parent. Her responsibilities had morphed from the weight of the world to keeping a little, tiny, cute, adorable human safe, fed, clean and happy. Though, some days, it was kind of odd that the domestic adult tasks required to raise Hotaru had actually restored some of her youth, but Michiru laughed more than ever now. Life was good.
Thinking of Michiru, Haruka turned to face her study partner (well, everything partner), only to see her packing up.
”You’re done already?” She asked, incredulous. Michiru definitely was the more academically driven of the two, although not by much. No, she was just on her break. Just make sure. “All twenty questions?”
”Yes.” A blunt answer in reply.
”Seriously?” How did she end up eighteen questions ahead?
”Yes, I have been done for a couple of minutes now.”
”You coulda tapped me on the shoulder or something...” Haruka said, embarrassed. How long had she spaced out? Michiru lightly bopped her on the nose.
“And why, when I have such an irresistible sight before me?” She laughed. “I’ll get dinner ready. We’re having curry over natto.”
Haruka was unable to completely suppress her disgust. She met her lover’s eyes. She had that look again. That look that meant Haruka had fallen for it...again.
“Just kidding! I’ll leave you to finish studying.” And with a peck of the lips and a flourish she left Haruka alone. All alone with the most boring work in existence.
With a grunt she attempted to concentrate once more. Copying word after word after diagram after word after word after word. A lull settled over her as she completed the mindless task.
Well, until a cry came through the baby monitor. Then she was up in a flash and straight to the nursery homework (or whatever it was) the last thing on her mind.
There she was. Hotaru was lying in her crib, bawling her eyes out. As quickly as she could she got her daughter up and out of the crib, placing her on her chest.
“Hello, Hime-chan”, she sang holding her child close to her as the cries stopped. “You hungry? Need a change...thank god you don’t. You just woke up and wanted us, didncha? You just wan play with Papa?” Taking her smile as an affirmative answer Haruka returned to the lounge, rocking Hotaru and whispering sweet nothings into her ear. Hotaru just giggled and cooed in response, delight clear on her face. It was one of the best things Haruka had ever seen. And with it came the realisation that she was the reason for her baby’s smile and laugh. It was a strange feeling, yet a warm and proud feeling: love.
The giggles didn’t stop once they reached the lounge, if anything, they increased. As Hotaru could now sit up and crawl (and all by herself!) Haruka tried to teach her catch. It turned out to be closer to roll-the-ball-to-the-baby-then-collect-it-after-she-threw-it-in-the-wrong-direction but Haruka didn’t care one bit. She’d move up to real ball sports when Hotaru was a little older.
When Hotaru seemed bored with the ball, the racer bought out what she thought so far was the best toy. Yes, it was a race car. Yes, they had turning wheels and was a ride on. Yes, they may not have just been for Haruka herself as much as Hotaru but Hotaru totally liked it! And Odango got her a Bunny Rabbit toy!
So off they went, cruising through the city (around the lounge), took a wrong turn through the tunnel (accidentally went under the table in the dining room), expressed road rage at pedestrians (Hotaru shrieking in delight at a passing cat) and just generally wore each other out.
They were cuddling on the couch when Setsuna came home, immediately striding off for a shower, muttering something about biohazard labs. It was around then that Michiru emerged from the kitchen to say dinner was ready, well, after Setsuna was appropriately decontaminated. She placed Hotaru in the high chair and fastened a bib around her.
“So,” she began. “You finished that homework yet?”
Homework?
What homework? The only work Haruka was doing of that sort was...
Oh.
The Chemistry Homework.
She knew it was clear on her face that she hadn’t done it. Oops. Michiru just left her with an exasperated sigh and her promising she’d get it finished after she’d eaten. Playtime had worn her out.
After dinner she kept good on her word. Her study buddy had been replaced by an infant using her leg as a pillow. Not that she complained. Now Question 11. What are the rules dictating the rounding of significant figures according to the Internati...
Her eyes began to glaze over again. Why did she have to waste brain cells on this again? It was all just common sense and rounding! She stroked Hotaru’s hair as she detailed out sentences of nothingness. After a while, she was just content to look a the baby in her lap (hey, she needed a brain break).
Hotaru had seemed to have only just discovered her feet and toes, from the way she stared at the ends of her legs, grabbing one foot and deciding to chew on it. Haruka just held the other in her hand, rubbing circles on the sole. She heard a noise and looked up just in time to see a camera flash. Uh oh. Caught.
“Um. Sorry? Michiru?”
”You need to finish that, it’s due tomorrow.”
”I know.”
”So that means no more distractions. I do apologise though, as Hotaru needs her bath, so you’ll have to pass her over.”
She did, recultantly.
Back to work, this time with an ultimatum. No holding the baby until after you have finished all homework or improve you work ethic. She soothed the annoyance with the knowledge that Michiru just had her in the bath now, and you can’t do homework in the bath. Question 13, Question 14 done.
By 7:30 Hotaru was restless and cranky. Bedtime. Haruka was halfway through Question 18. She offered to take her up and read her a bedtime story (she liked those) but no, Michiru said she had three questions to go.
Instead she heard beautiful violin music through the walls of the house. It was like a nursery rhyme, though none she had ever heard. It was low and sweet and pitch perfect.
Lovely.
~~~~<<<~<~<~<~<~~~~~~
The fact that Hotaru had managed to fall asleep before eight meant that the little project she had had had paid off. Her little princess’ face was calm off in dreamland, no nightmare graced her thoughts. She kissed her on the forehead and left the nursery, making a mental note for Haruka to drive her to the studio tomorrow so she could record Hotaru’s Lullaby, now that she had found a tune that worked on the night owl. The others would need it.
She sighed. This was simultaneously the easiest yet hardest tune she had ever written. The chord pattern and melody were practically beginner and it was classical music, the music that sends most people to sleep anyway. But yet as it was for her daughter, she had trawled through article after article on music and sleep and babies so she could calm her child down of a nighttime.
Reaching the lounge, she realised she may have done too well. Placing down her violin she touched her sleeping lover’s face. She had had three hours of sleep last night, poor thing, Setsuna had said. No wonder she couldn’t get this work done.
Unconsciously Haruka leaned into the touch and from there she attempted to wake her up so she didn’t rise up stiff tomorrow from sleeping on a coffee table. There was a pen still twined in her fingers over illegible kanji, working til unconsciousness overtook her, just like Michiru on the nights she got inspired and would just paint until dawn.
She made it to the end of question nineteen. A valiant effort.
Oops...