Work Text:
Sunlight filters through the window, through the thin veil of pink curtains. Niki blinks away the bleariness in her eyes as she wakes, sitting up in bed. Another day of watering her beloved plants, broadleaves beauties her only comfort in this cramped space.
Niki approaches the window, long sealed with disgusting gunk. Not that Niki minds. That’s all on the outside, and there’s no real need to open it when the ventilation system works fine.
Well then, it’s time to tend to her lovelies. After a drink of water, that is. Niki moseys on to the kitchen, pouring herself a glass and downing it. It’s commendable that the water and drainage system are still intact, even though the power cut some time ago.
The watering can stands innocuously by the sink, and Niki fills it up. Hearing the gush, seeing the clear, crystal liquid gathering in the navy can is a tiny pleasure that Niki appreciates oh-so much.
Once full, Niki heaves it over to her plants, growing very nicely in their pots. On her desk, her shelf, her bookcase. With every tip of the can, the soil darkens with moisture. Leaves shine with pearls of water, like dewdrops on a spider’s web.
Speaking of webs…Niki has got to start clearing out the cobwebs in the corners of her house. On the ceiling, between furniture…
Well, Niki thinks, picking up the broom, she should get to work.
*
Chores were never so…exhausting before. Her stamina definitely has deteriorated from all the time she spent cooped up in here.
It’s not a prison, per se. No, Niki wouldn’t refer to her apartment as such, not with her babies here. This place is a sanctuary. There’s no need for the outside world. No need to leave.
All she could ever want or need is right here.
Niki stands once she’s regained her energy. She puts the broom back into the closet and returns to bed. Already, the sun is beginning to set—just how long did she spend cleaning the house?
No matter. It’s the end of another day.
Niki’s sore all over anyway. She could use a nap. Yeah, sleep sounds really good right about now…
*
A loud crash resonates in the dead of night. Niki sits bolt upright, heart racing a mile a minute. She glances at the door, breathing a sigh of relief at the wooden boards still nailed in place. But if the door is fine, then what made that sound?
Niki swings her legs off the bed, gasping when jagged edges jab into her soles. She casts her gaze to the strange texture of the floor, only to realize that the sharpness belongs to a shattered pot, her lovely plant fallen from its perch on the desk.
Soil is spilled everywhere, clumps of brown scattered, the plant’s roots curled tightly around the dirt. Its stalk lies weakly on the ground, leaves spread and almost crushed under Niki’s foot.
Oh dear.
Save it! Niki needs to save it, pronto! She carefully sidesteps her baby and jogs to the kitchen. Sifting through her cabinets, the tension dissipates when she chances upon a bucket, one meant to collect water from her leaking pipe. Looks like this would have to do for now.
She’d deal with the leaking pipe later.
Although…she could just let it leak. Water never did hurt anyone.
Niki dumps the bucket of water into the basin and fills it with soil, before returning to the plant. With caring, gentle hands, she moves it into the bucket, burying the remainder of its roots with soil. Once done, she stands the plant back upon the desk.
Niki wipes perspiration from her forehead, a smile growing on her face. That was close. If she was too late…
She wouldn’t know what she would do.
How did her baby topple? Niki inspects her cluttered desk—it’s certainly seen better days—her laptop rests atop a stack of books. Unfinished worksheets and a tiny backpack are stuffed in one corner.
Maybe she should neaten it. With the overcrowding, and it was just a matter of time. Niki shifts her things around, so that the plant stands in the middle, where it shall receive maximum sunlight.
There. That should do it.
All that activity tired Niki out. She needs some time to herself, to rest and relax. She plops herself on the sofa and reaches for the lone magazine on the coffee table. It details gardening tips and tricks, pages yellowed and tattered. That’s a given—Niki’s had this magazine for quite a while now.
She thumbs through it, re-reading the same words, the same paragraphs, for the umpteenth time. She’s lucky she likes this issue. After all, there is no way to get new ones.
When the day wears thin and the sun’s rays have left the earth behind, it’s time to water her plants for today. After a quick trip to the toilet.
Washing her hands at the sink, Niki glances up at the mirror. Cracked and browned at the sides, but still usable. It’s then that she notices the green amidst the pink of her hair. A razor-toothed leaf, to be exact.
But it can’t be…
Niki reaches for the leaf, plucking it from her ear and inspecting it. Just a normal leaf. The same kinds from her plant babies. It probably got snagged in her hair when she was cleaning up.
Disposing the leaf in the bin, Niki leaves the bathroom. The bed looks particularly inviting, but her parched throat demands otherwise. She also needs to water the rest of her beloved plants.
The water running down her throat relieves her of her overwhelming thirst. And perhaps her hunger as well. Niki isn’t quite sure, because she stopped getting hungry about a week ago. Only ever needed water since then.
Niki fills the watering can and shuffles out into the living room, making sure that all her lovelies got their share. She’ll make sure they grow up strong and healthy. Sunlight, water and air—all they need to live wonderfully.
When Niki is done, she places the watering can back on the counter. Now that she’s done all she needed to do, it’s time for bed. The end of another day.
*
The next morning, Niki feels even more sluggish than before. Her head throbs slightly, her muscles stiff like they atrophied. Is she coming down with something? Hopefully not, because she ran out of medicine the last time she fell sick.
Well, as long as she remains well-rested and hydrated, she’d be able to stave it off and recover quickly.
That said, she desperately needs water. Her throat’s as dry as a desert. Niki drags her feet to the kitchen, reaching for her glass. She is about to flick the tap on when she spots a little green leaf peeking out from the sink. Not just a single leaf, but a whole shoot growing along with it.
Niki’s lips quirk up into a smile. That’s rather smart of it, growing in a place where it would receive all the water it’ll ever need. Niki fills her glass with life’s essence and downs it. And another. And another.
It was only after the third glass that her throat stops screaming, and her energy returns. She wasn’t sick; she was thirsty. The glass clinks against the counter and Niki grabs the watering can. It’s time to feed her lovelies today.
On her shelf, her bookcase, the one growing in the bathtub…
Wait a second. Niki stares at the plant on her desk, squealing in delight at the pink bud peeking out from under its leaves. She’s never seen such a flower before…but look just how gorgeous it is. A hint of colour in this dreary room.
“Here you go.” Niki tips the can, drenching the soil. For a second, she was certain that the plant moved, as if looking at her. Seeking comfort in these trying times.
“I’ve got to show you to Ori. Hold on. Let me go get my phone.”
Ori loved to hear listen to her gardening exploits and loved to see her little roses and peonies and sunflowers. He wanted to start his own garden, but never quite got around to it.
Niki puts the watering can back in the kitchen before hunting for her phone. The device is a light baby pink, a strap of that cheerful sunflower from Plants Vs. Zombies attached.
The closet? Nothing. The drawers? Also nothing.
In the bathroom? A thorough search of the sink, the tub and the shower yields no results. What about the kitchen? Niki combs the cabinets frantically, shoving her hand wherever it could reach, even into the microwave. Where is it? Why can she not—
Oh.
That’s right.
She threw it out the day the power cut.
With no way to charge it, all she could do was watch the numbers decrease. The phone enter power-saving mode. Die out altogether. She threw it away after that.
Looks like there’s no contacting Ori. Not anymore.
The adrenaline wears off, and Niki sinks back onto her couch, all tired out. Her memory’s gotten fuzzy of late. Fuzzy and messed up and…
Oh well. Not that it does her any good thinking about that, or just thinking in general. It’s almost time to shower and prepare for bed.
The shower is always relieving, a curtain of water raining upon her, soaking Niki to her very core. It washes her worries away, seeps into her skin and revitalizes her with every splash. She emerges with a towel wrapped around her hair, in the shape of a turban.
It’s only then that Niki notices something in her ear. Something soft, thin as a sheet of paper. She looks into the mirror, and she sees it. Another leaf, sticking out of her ear.
Vibrantly green.
No. No, no, no…Niki rips the leaf from where it grows, flinching at the pinprick of pain. That’s…that’s not happening. That pain must be an illusion, the leaf must have…it must have gotten caught on her ear when she was tending to her plants, is all.
She has absolutely nothing to worry about…
Besides the sudden onset of thirst, of course.
After satisfying her body’s natural needs, it’s time for her to head to bed. The end of another day.
*
Water.
She needs water.
Niki rises from bed, shuffling to the kitchen in the dark of the room. Her vision swims, legs as heavy as lead. She has to get to water. Just a single drop will do. Or a gallon. A gallon sounds better.
Niki gulps down water like there’s no tomorrow, with no care for the tiny leaves, the shoots, floating in the glass. Refilling again and again, stopping only after the bloating catches up with her.
Niki wipes her lips, slumping against the counter. That was the worst thirst attack ever. How many cups did she drink?
Who knows? She wasn’t counting.
By now, the sun appeared from behind the skyscrapers. Its inviting beams shines upon her desk, her bed. Her wonderful plants. Her heart swells with love at the sight of those green tendrils, the flowering pink bud…
Niki fills the watering can, scratching at a hairy vine wrapping around the shell of her ear.
It’s time for her lovelies to drink as well. They can all drink together.