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Soft pop music thrummed through the one bed, one bath home, the sound of running water audible from about any room. The kitchen faucet hushed with a squeak of the handle as Himiko lifted a stained plate, clearly succumbing to use, as she examined for spots she might have missed.
The plate clattered against the other dishes sitting snuggly on the drying rack. Himiko exhaled softly, water splotches scattered around her baby pink sweater. As she dried her hands she hummed along with the melody pouring from the small, portable speaker sitting on the kitchen counter beside her. She reached over and switched the speaker off with a soft click.
She was satisfied with today, having been productive and focused on her tasks, though they were very few, made her proud. So proud that she decided to reward herself with a treat.
Shuffling to the corner of the kitchen, Himiko cracked the fridge door of their top-freezer style refrigerator. Cold air trickled out, contrasting with the warmth of the heater that had been on all day. Or at least it had been since Himiko got up this morning. She crouched down, examining the contents laid out on the shelves before her.
She reached for the center shelf, a plastic blood bag squishing under her fingers as she grasped it. Himiko stood, shutting the fridge door with a soft thud.
A small black and white cat sauntered into the kitchen at the sound, meowing softly as he pressed his head against Himiko’s legs. Sitting down before her, he pawed at Himiko’s foot gently, drawing a smile from the blonde woman’s lips.
“Hello, Jin.” Himiko placed the chilly blood bag on a counter beside the refrigerator. She lowered herself, sitting crisscrossed at Jin’s level, her back against the refrigerator. The vocal cat purred as he climbed into the woman’s lap. Himiko ran her nails through Jin’s short fur, scratching his ears and chin, her smile persistent as he purred softly.
Shuffling and the clatter of keys at the front door pulled Himiko out of her cat induced trance. A wave of happiness swept through her body as she gently nudged Jin off her legs, poking her head around the kitchen corner where the front door was visible.
A short, disheveled woman with an auburn bob staggered into the home, huffing as she plopped to the ground, grabbing at and pulling off her oversized boots, the gentle aroma of food filling her lungs. She muttered a plethora of things under her breath as she unzipped her winter jacket, tossing it atop her boots.
“Rough day, hm?” Himiko lowered herself, sitting beside the costumed woman, Jin following close behind. She poked gently at the fabric covering the hero’s arm. “You look crazy in need of a bath, Ochako.”
“Ouch.” Ochako turned her head to face Himiko, smiling warmly at the woman in front of her. She reached behind Himiko, scratching Jin on the head gently. The two of them stood, Himiko helping Ochako up from the floor. The space cadet fiddled with the disks around her wrists, pulling them off and tossing the nausea suppressers to floor with her coat and boots. Jin sauntered up to the pile of clothing, sniffing about methodically. He pawed at the costume pieces, his mouth hanging open at the smell of sweat and dirt.
Himiko reached for Ochako’s head, lifting the helmet up and off the hero’s head, tucking it under her left arm. Her right hand ruffled Ochako’s dirty hair gently, “Seriously, Miss Gravity, rinse off at least.” A warm, almost knowing smile spread across her face.
“He-ey!” The space cadet nudged Himiko’s hand away in an attempt to fix her hair. “Shower-got it.” She flashed her signature Uravity smile and turned, moving toward the bedroom, Jin trotting after her.
Himiko watched the hero walk away before she turned to the articles of clothing sitting on the floor. She sighed, a smile still very present on her face as she knelt before them. She lifted the jacket from the floor, wrist cuffs thudding to the ground.
Water pipes hummed as the sound of running water echoed through the house, the noise being most audible in the bedroom as Himiko plopped the hero equipment beside Ochako’s side of the bed. Himiko stared in the direction of the running water, the bathroom door cracked open only a few inches allowing steam to inch out of the room.
Himiko took the sound of halting water pipes and soft drips as her queue to leave the room, allowing privacy for Ochako. Jin slinked out of the cracked door, seemingly being shooed by the brunette. He followed Himiko back into the kitchen.
Himiko washed her hands after handling dirty equipment and turned her attention toward the stove where a warm meal sat. She dished out the food evenly onto two plates, giving Ochako more knowing she needed the nutrients, and carried the plates out to the living room, placing them gently on a coffee table that sat in front of the sofa. Ahead of the coffee table, sitting against the wall was a console table where a decent-sized T.V. was placed. Himiko flicked the T.V. on, flipping through movies and shows.
Ochako’s footsteps pattered out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. The sound of cat food being served into a dish clamored from the room behind Himiko, Jin’s head swiveling toward the sound. Ochako stepped lightly into the cozy living room, cat bowl in one hand, the other in the pocket of her pajama pants. There wasn’t much room for a proper dining room, so this is where they typically ate.
“What’re we watching?” Ochako crossed in front of the T.V. to a corner reserved specifically for Jin. She placed the food down beside his water dish as he sprinted toward her, meowing repeatedly until he could stuff his face.
“Not sure...” Himiko plopped herself onto the soft couch, sinking into the cushions. Ochako sunk beside her, their shoulders touching. They sat like that for a minute or two, the only sounds in the home being Jin scarfing down and the click of a remote button.
“There’s a new season of Quirk Island?” Ochako bumped her shoulder into Himiko’s lightly, turning to the cutest girl in the world with a goofy smile plastered on her face.
Himiko rolled her eyes dramatically, sighing in the process. She turned to face Ochako, clearly trying to suppress a smile, “You know how I feel about that show. The first season was so corny!” She clicked over to ‘Quirk Island’, her attention shifting to the screen. The preview played, Himiko’s face contorting into a grimace. She could hear Ochako laughing beside her.
“What’s not to love about this?” Ochako continued snickering softly as Himiko clicked into the show, plopping the remote into the hero’s lap.
“You tell me when you’re bored of this.”
“Oh, you can’t be serious.”
“Dead serious.” Himiko leaned forward, grabbing the two dishes of food, handing one to Ochako. Her eyes reluctantly met the T.V. in front of her.
“Why do they always pick the ugliest guys for this?” Ochako said through a mouthful of food, drawing a soft smile from Himiko.
The show blared as they ate, an occasional comment being made here and there about something that didn’t make sense or a person that was annoying. Two plates clanked against the coffee table as the second episode went to end credits.
Jin jumped up beside Ochako, stepping into the woman’s lap. “Hi, Jin.” Calloused hands ran through his fur gently.
Himiko shifted gently into Ochako’s person, the hero’s arm instinctively wrapping around the vampire’s shoulder. Ochako sighed, allowing herself to relax fully after a long day. She felt the woman beside her melt into the touch they shared…before tensing and sighing heavily.
“I left a blood bag out.” Himiko’s head dropped seemingly in defeat.
“Oh that? I put it away for you.” Ochako moved her hand away from Jin, much to his discontent, and lifted Himiko’s chin and cradled the side of her face, smiling at the golden-eyed woman beside her.
“You’re a saint, Ochako.”
“I try.”