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Anton and Larrikin lived an eventful life; after all, living and running a magical teleporting hotel that did not go by the assigned magical government laws wasn’t exactly boring. There was always something to do. People to check in, people to serve, maintenance to uphold, etc. That’s why it was important to them that they kept a good work-life balance.
Sunday had become the routine assigned cleaning day- not where they focussed specifically on the hotel, but instead on their own housing on the top floor of the hotel. It was a sizable space, with a living room, kitchenette, and bathroom, as well as closet space and storage and places for the cats to run around. It wasn’t much, truth be entirely told, but it was theirs, and they loved it.
They would both wake early, enjoying their respective morning drinks as they sat on the couch, TV playing the weather channel low in the background as they discussed who would clean what for the day. Larrikin would situate themself as practically conjoined to Anton’s side, legs thrown over his own, and Anton’s arm around their shoulders. Larrikin would enjoy a simple breakfast tea, something easy on the tummy as he woke. Anton would sip his far too sweet and sugary coffee for a boost of sugar-rush related energy.
Most of the planning consisted of Larrikin speaking whatever came to mind while Anton would vaguely hum or grunt in response until he was awake enough to use his words. Once their drinks would be finished, Anton would take them, fix the coasters on the coffee table, and rinse them out in the sink- leaving them with the rest of the dishes to be done when they got to them.
Larrikin would hop up, pattering about to find and gather whatever laundry had been tossed about and needed to be done, putting it in the laundry basket as they did so. The laundry washer and dryer were in the bathroom, so they would toss the first load of laundry in and get to work on cleaning the sink. They had amassed many products over the years that would get scattered on the sink, so organization was essential. Toothpaste and toothbrushes went in the cup on the top right side of the sink. The hair dryer was on the very far right side, next to the plug-in, but the hair brushes and care products went on the left side. Well, Larrikin’s did. Anton and Larrikin had very different hair types and needed different products, so Larrikin’s went on the left, and Anton’s went on the right.
Once Larrikin had meticulously organized the sink, they’d move onto the shower, removing everything from the shelves and scrubbing down the shower wall, shelves, and then the bath. They hated the feeling of soap scum buildup on the tub walls. They’d give the scrub time to really get the grime, then rinse it all off, and then replace the shampoos and other shower products they used back where they were supposed to be.
Then, the toilet. They cleaned this more often, but it was still never a fun chore. New sponge, gloves on, they would scrub it down, the outside, on top of the tank, behind the lid, and in the bowl with a brush, then rinse, and put one of those little flower jellies for fun.
While Larrikin toiled with the bathroom, Anton would collect any dishes from around the apartment, and bring them all to the sink, roll up his sleeves, put on dish gloves (he would rather die than possibly touch soggy food with his bare hands), and set to work. Pots, then pans, then plates. Then, cups of all kinds. Then the utensils; knives (he had to be extra careful), then forks. Then bowls. Then, finally, spoons. Spoons had the highest risk of spraying water at him if he wasn’t careful, and Anton would only work in a cold, wet shirt if it would save his life, and even then he’d debate it first.
The various dishes and utensils would then be towel-dried, and placed back into their respective spots they had to go in, and Anton would move to the living room. He’d pick up all the cat toys, though occasionally getting distracted and playing with the cats instead of cleaning. He reasoned it was fine to take a break, and often Larrikin would come sit with him on the couch for a moment, and they’d kiss a little and listen to music before returning to their chores.
They’d switch places. Anton would hand the toys to Larrikin and head to the bedroom to clean, while Larrikin would fix up the living room instead. They would toss all the toys into the basket, knowing at least a quarter of them would end up back on the floor by the day’s end (that was okay; it was the thought that counted). Then sweep; no one hated something like cat fluffs sticking to their feet more than Larrikin, though Anton was a close second due to sensory issues. Then they’d dust, even though most times they couldn’t even see any dust. Apparently Anton could, and he appreciated when they did it even if they couldn’t see it, so they did it anyway, making sure to get behind the little knick-knacks they had on the shelves too, even if one wouldn’t look behind them. The duster would then be shaken clean into the garbage and replaced if need be. They’d tackle resetting any little things that had been moved askew or out of their place, and Anton began the bedroom.
Being a hotelier, stripping the bed and resetting it came naturally to Anton by now and to a point, could even be considered relaxing to him. If, for no other reason than for its monotony. Everything was off, pillows and cases separated, all put in the hamper for Anton to do the second load of laundry, moving things as needed into the dryer. He would sweep and dust the bedroom, reset the knick-knacks and whatnot, and make sure anything that did not need to be out was clean, and then put away safely back into it’s place. He’d then go check the laundry and replace it, setting the dry items into a separate hamper to be brought into the bedroom and folded.
Larrikin would gather all the trash bags that had been filled and teleport down to the ground floor and then the nearest city dump (which was harder sometimes than others depending on where they were), teleport back, and wash their hands before joining Anton to help fold the laundry.
By this time, it’d be well into the afternoon, not even counting the other breaks that had to be taken due to Anton’s still needing to manage the hotel, and move it when it hit midday on the clock.
They’d turn on the television as they sat on the bed, folding laundry. Anton folded more of it than Larrikin, but that was fine because it was another chore that Anton found a sense of comfort in, while Larrikin thought it might be the most tedious chore on earth. But Larrikin loved Anton more than they hated doing laundry, so they helped with what their ADHD would let them, mostly doing the easy folds like towels and socks and trousers.
They would talk- mostly about the day, any funny moments to note, or about what was going on in the show in the background. They playfully jibed at each other, tossing the odd sock at one another, and helped each other put all the clothes away, and Anton would fix the bed as Larrikin would start on a simple dinner.
They’d eat in the bedroom, cuddled up on the bed, despite Anton’s just fixing the sheets.
“I promise I’ll be so careful, Daisy, you won’t even know we ate there.”
“I will because I was a part of it, but fine.”
“Yippie!”
It was a good routine.