Work Text:
Sonia rummaged awkwardly through the myriad of pockets in her gym bag in a feeble attempt to locate her keys. It had been a long day, she was eager to get inside into the warm with as little stress involved in the process as possible.
The bitter cold of the evening wind had left her on edge and shaky, even after all the time she'd spent at the gym working up a sweat. Akane and Peko had insisted that she leave her comfort zone and try more demanding routines, all it did was leave her breathless and exhausted by the end. The gym was a long walk away from the apartment block too, so all in all, some rest and relaxation was highly anticipated. But unfortunately, it would only be possible if she found the keys.
The keys. Where had she left the keys? She put them in the bag that afternoon, she was sure of it. Order and routine was practically in her blood, she couldn't have forgotten them.
Her train of thought came to a crash as she heard the sound of the door unlocking from the inside, an ever familiar hand pulling it in ajar and dangling a set of keys in the gap in front of her face.
"They're here." A soft voice called out from the gap, which extended to reveal her girlfriend, Chiaki, holding the keys in one hand and a Nintendo switch in the other.
Sonia let out a sigh, half relief and half frustration.
"How on earth did I forget them?" She closed her gym bag before swinging it onto the coat hanger next to the front door.
Chiaki shrugged, seemingly nonchalant to the notion that Sonia would forget something so imperative. That said, she was quick to reassure her.
"It's a common mistake, I've made it before too." She placed the keys down and brought her hand to Sonia's cheek, the remaining sensation of the cold weather brushing her fingertips. "I wouldn't worry about it, love."
Sonia smiled fondly, Chiaki was certainly the first face she'd want to see after a day like today. They'd been living together for months now, greeting each other, letting each other into the house when necessary, and personally neither of them would have it any other way.
Chiaki shuffled to the kitchen counter, putting the switch into sleep mode and shifting her attention towards the kettle.
"Tea?"
"Yes please, you won't believe the evening I've had…"
"Do tell," she left the water to boil and fetched
two tea bags from the cabinet, earl grey and chamomile, "was working out with Owari-san and Pekoyama-san any different from doing it alone?"
"'Different' is putting it…loosely."
Chiaki chuckled lightly.
"I'd imagine it's pretty tough, they're both super athletic after all." The faint click of the kettle prompted her to pour the water over the teabags into each mug; a tall, pale pink mug with the design of a cat's face and a smaller, daintier mug with a lilac floral design along the top edge.
"I'll be honest, 'pretty tough' is also putting it rather loosely." Sonia leaned into the kitchen counter, arms folded and resting on the surface, supporting her still-weary upper body. "In my opinion, the most accurate adjective would be 'intense'. Not to mention the walk back, it's getting a lot colder out there at night…"
"Intense, huh? Heavy words from you, get some rest while you can." Chiaki poured a splash of milk in Sonia's mug, no sugar and not too strong. As she liked it. In her own, just a dash of honey. She slid the smaller mug in her girlfriend's direction across the table. "Here, this should warm you up. At least in much less of a…physical activity sense."
Sonia thanked Chiaki for the tea and made her way to the sofa, flopping rather unceremoniously into the far corner. Chiaki followed, bringing with her the Nintendo switch and a blanket. Both mugs of tea were put on the coffee table within arms reach.
Chiaki leaned back against Sonia, head against her chest and resting just under her chin. Sonia brought her arms around her girlfriend's shoulders, pulling her in as close as she could. The cozy ambience of the apartment was welcoming and familiar to her, immediately soothing her from the wear and tear of the day.
The only sound that could be heard was the gentle tinkling of Animal Crossing music coming from the switch, Sonia had always admired Chiaki's dedication to the game. She put a lot of effort into making every inch of her island into this idyllic, pastel paradise.
Sonia had tried the game once herself, but found that she got bored of it quickly. There was so little to do, the switch was Chiaki's after all. She was the one who played it regularly and did all the in-game work. Sonia couldn't wrap her head around it, how was Chiaki able to do the same monotonous tasks everyday and still manage to enjoy the game? An endless loop of talking to villagers, watering flowers, building furniture, placing furniture, terraforming, rinse and repeat.
When asked about it, Chiaki joked that it was sort of like being a princess, but to Sonia, Chiaki's little in-game world seemed so…small. So confined. How she got used to it was such a mystery, and if there was anything Sonia liked, it was a mystery.
When Chiaki talked about video games, it was hard to get her to stop. But in public, she only talked so little. Sonia did the talking for her, and didn't mind it. She knew of her girlfriend's dislike for public speaking, and conveniently, public speaking was what Sonia was best at.
Which was why she found the moments where it was just them, alone at home and where Chiaki could talk with minimal stress about whatever she wanted, all the more precious.
The faint clicking of buttons, the music, the little murmurs and hums she'd do as she was playing, it was like an art form. Soothing to watch and fascinating to hear about.
Getting lost in her admiration, the sound of Chiaki's voice caught Sonia off guard.
"You've been quiet."
"What can I say, it's just relaxing watching you play!"
"I get that, you're normally a bit more talkative is all. It's ok if you don't wanna talk though."
From there, a moment of quiet. Only a moment though, Sonia was the first to break it.
"How about…you be the one to talk today!"
Chiaki seemed perplexed at first, she even laughed a little at the request.
"I- alright then…? What should I talk about?"
"What's going on in Animal Crossing?"
"That's sort of a vague question, I guess there's a lot of answers for it."
"Give me all of them! In any order."
Another pause, Chiaki smiled briefly at her girlfriend's insistence.
"Alright then…"
Chiaki started to explain the lives, mannerisms and hobbies of just about every villager on her island, the ones she wanted to keep, the ones she wouldn't mind letting go of and the ones she'd rather be without. She explained her vision for her island, the plans she had for different areas, the work she'd put into certain areas, gameplay mechanics, the thought that went into the placement of everyone's houses…
"...ah! There's yours, Sonia!"
She went up to a house next to her own, the difference was like night and day, very telling of the commitment levels they'd both put into the game. Sonia's was a small house, red roof and white walls, better than a tent at the very least. Chiaki's was something of a mansion, tailored to fit the aesthetic of the rest of the island. It was a little jarring, having two distinctly different houses next to one another, but it was almost endearing. Chiaki loved Sonia enough to let her house stay and leave it as is.
Sonia wasn't looking though, her eyes were closed and had been closed for minutes now. At a certain point, Chiaki's ramblings had become rhythmic and soothing enough to put the princess to sleep.
Chiaki knew, but figured she'd keep it up and let her sleep a little longer. She'd had a hard day, a night's rest was the least she was owed.
"Anyways, here, I'll show you the beach next."
One full tour of the island later, Chiaki had turned off the switch for the night. Sonia was sleeping heavily now, and was unlikely to wake up for a couple hours or so.
Gentle as ever, Chiaki set her girlfriend down further on the couch, laying on her side. She propped a cushion under her head and pulled the blanket further up to her shoulder.
Her tea had gotten cold by now, but she'd wash the mugs in the morning.
For now, perhaps she needed some rest too.