Chapter Text
Nox nearly cried when he saw the laundromat.
The sign was missing two letters, several windows were cracked, and weeds had grown through the sidewalk, but the lights inside were still glowing.
More importantly, the machines were still running.
"You're kidding me," Nox whispered.
He pushed open the door and stared at rows of working washers and dryers.
After months of washing clothes in rivers, Nox felt like he'd just discovered heaven.
"Finally."
He dropped his backpack onto the floor and started sorting through his clothes.
"Go ahead," a voice said.
Nox froze.
He slowly looked over.
A man around his age was sitting near the dryers, holding a sleeping baby against his chest.
Beside him was a scruffy dog.
The man nodded toward the washing machines.
"You can use them."
Nox relaxed slightly.
"Thanks."
He started loading a washer, but curiosity got the better of him. He glanced at the baby.
"Your daughter?"
The man's eyes dropped to the little girl.
"No."
Nox looked at him.
"No?"
"Her name's Prunella."
He adjusted the blanket around her.
"I was babysitting her when everything happened."
Nox stopped what he was doing.
"When the apocalypse started?"
"Yeah."
The man's voice was quiet.
"Her parents were supposed to come back for her."
Nox waited.
"They didn't make it."
The words hung heavily in the room.
Nox looked at Prunella.
She was completely asleep, unaware of the ruined world outside.
"I'm sorry," Nox said.
The man nodded.
"Me too."
Nox noticed the dog watching him.
"And him?"
The man glanced down.
"I don't know what his real name is."
Nox smiled slightly.
"So you just call him something?"
"Deacon."
"Why Deacon?"
"After my cousin."
The man's expression became distant.
"We got separated during... you know."
"The end of the world."
"Yeah."
The dog leaned against his leg.
Nox looked between the man, the baby, and the dog.
"You've got quite a group."
The man gave a tired little smile.
"I guess I do."
Nox turned back toward the washer.
"Well, I'm Nox."
"Chase."
"Nive to meet you, Chase."
Chase nodded.
"Likewise."
The washing machine began its cycle.
For a few minutes, neither man spoke.
The machines hummed.
Prunella slept.
Deacon kept watch.
And Nox realized that, somehow, he'd found more than a place to wash his clothes.
He'd found someone else who was still trying to keep a little piece of the old world alive.
Nox glanced around the laundromat again.
"Can I see your setup?"
Chase looked toward the back of the building.
"Sure."
He gestured for Nox to follow.
They passed through a narrow doorway behind the rows of machines and entered a small back room. It looked like Chase had slowly turned it into a makeshift living space.
There was a mattress on the floor, several blankets, a few bags of supplies, and a small collection of canned food stacked against the wall. A battered chair sat beside the mattress.
Prunella's things were arranged carefully in one corner.
Nox looked around.
"You've been living back here?"
"Couple months."
"A couple months?"
Chase nodded.
"I discovered the place not long after everything went bad. The power was still on, nobody was using it, and the back room was dry."
He shrugged.
"Figured I'd stay."
Nox looked at the mattress.
"How long are you planning on staying?"
"As long as it keeps working."
Chase shifted Prunella in his arms.
Then he looked at Nox.
"I'd be willing to offer you a bed."
Nox raised an eyebrow.
"Seriously?"
"There's enough room."
Chase pointed toward a second mattress folded against the wall.
"But you'd have to pull your weight."
Nox crossed his arms.
"Meaning?"
"Food. Mostly."
Chase looked down at Prunella.
"Helping feed her. Finding food. Keeping supplies stocked."
Nox stared at the baby.
Prunella yawned in her sleep and curled closer against Chase.
Nox's first thought was immediate.
This is a bad deal.
A baby meant another mouth to feed. Another person who couldn't fight. Another person who couldn't run if they had to abandon the laundromat.
And if things went wrong, she'd slow them down.
She'll drag us down.
Nox looked at the mattress again.
Then at the washing machines beyond the doorway.
Clean clothes.
Every week.
Hot water.
A safe place to sleep.
A roof that hadn't collapsed.
He sighed internally.
...But clean clothes every week would be pretty damn nice.
Chase watched him carefully.
"So?"
Nox rubbed his chin.
"You're asking me to help keep a baby alive in exchange for a bed and laundry."
"Basically."
Nox looked at him.
"That's a terrible business model."
Chase smiled.
"It's the only one I've got."
Nox glanced toward Prunella again.
Then he sighed.
"Fine."
Chase raised an eyebrow.
"Fine?"
"I'll pull my weight."
A small smile appeared on Chase's face.
"Welcome to the laundromat, Nox."
Nox shook his head.
"Still think I'm getting ripped off."
From the doorway, Deacon gave a quiet bark.
Nox looked over.
"Even the dog agrees with me."
Chase laughed.
"Deacon doesn't agree with anybody."
Nox smiled despite himself.
Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad deal after all.
The laundromat had gone quiet hours ago. The machines had stopped, the lights were dimmed, and the only sounds were the occasional creak of the building and Deacon shifting somewhere near the doorway.
Prunella was asleep on her little makeshift bed.
Nox lay awake on his mattress, staring at the ceiling.
Across the room, Chase was sitting against the wall, keeping watch.
After several minutes, Nox finally spoke.
"Chase?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
Nox hesitated.
"Why didn't you just abandon Prunella?"
Chase looked over at him.
"What?"
"I mean..." Nox turned onto his side. "How old is she? Eighteen months? Two?"
"About eighteen months."
Nox nodded.
"You could've left her."
Chase stared at him.
"Why would I abandon her?"
Nox didn't answer immediately.
"She's just a baby," Chase continued. "She can't take care of herself."
"I know."
"So why would I leave her?"
Nox looked down at his hands.
"I don't know."
Chase studied him.
"Did you think about leaving her?"
"No."
"Not even once?"
Chase shook his head.
"Never."
Nox was quiet.
Then he finally said, "I was a foster kid."
Chase's expression changed.
Nox continued before he could respond.
"I was already a legal adult when all this happened. Eighteen. Technically, I was on my own."
He gave a humorless laugh.
"But the thing is... the world really doesn't give a shit about kids."
Chase remained silent.
"Not before the apocalypse," Nox said. "And definitely not after."
He stared toward Prunella.
"People like to say kids are the future. They say they're precious. They say somebody will protect them."
His voice became quieter.
"But when you're actually a kid who needs protecting, suddenly everybody has a reason why they can't."
Chase looked at Prunella.
Nox swallowed.
"So when I saw you with her, I kept wondering why you stayed."
Chase's eyes softened.
"Because somebody had to."
Nox looked at him.
Chase nodded toward the sleeping baby.
"Her parents aren't coming back. She doesn't know why. She doesn't understand what happened."
He paused.
"But she knows I'm here."
Nox said nothing.
Chase leaned his head back against the wall.
"Maybe the world doesn't give a shit about kids."
He looked at Nox.
"But I do."
Nox stared at him for a long moment.
Then he quietly said, "Yeah."
His eyes drifted back toward Prunella.
"Me too."
Nox stood by the little counter in the back room, stirring a cup of black coffee.
Chase walked over, glanced into the cup, and immediately reached for the sugar.
"Hey—"
Too late.
He dumped in several spoonfuls, then added a generous amount of creamer.
Nox stared at him.
"That's a lot."
Chase handed the cup back.
"Try it."
Nox took a sip.
His eyebrows lifted.
"Thanks for the Starbucks addition to my coffee."
Chase smiled.
"I like sugar in my coffee."
"I noticed."
"I miss dessert drinks."
Nox chuckled.
"Can't say I've seen a coffee shop since the world ended."
"Exactly."
Nox took another sip.
"Well, it's probably nicer to have fresh clothes."
Chase's smile disappeared.
He went quiet.
Nox noticed immediately.
"What?"
Chase looked down at his coffee.
"You asked me why I didn't abandon Prunella."
Nox nodded slowly.
"Yeah."
"I never thought about it."
Chase paused.
"Well... not until once."
Nox stopped drinking.
"When?"
"The week I got separated from my cousin."
He glanced toward Deacon, who was sleeping nearby.
"That's why I started calling the dog Deacon."
Nox didn't interrupt.
Chase continued.
"Prunella was crying constantly. She wouldn't settle down. I was exhausted, scared, and completely alone."
His fingers tightened around the cup.
"Then she vomited all over my clothes."
Nox winced.
"She kept getting sick. I'd give her food, and she'd throw it back up."
Chase swallowed.
"I was washing clothes by hand at the time. Sometimes it took me days to get everything clean."
He stared at the floor.
"And I started resenting her."
Nox stayed silent.
"I knew it wasn't her fault. She was just a baby."
Chase's voice cracked slightly.
"But I was so tired."
He rubbed his face.
"All I could think about was that every time I tried to feed her, she got sick. Every time she got sick, I had more clothes to clean. And I remember thinking..."
He stopped.
Nox quietly asked, "What?"
"I wanted to leave her."
The room went silent.
"Not hurt her," Chase said quickly. "Just... leave. Put her somewhere safe and walk away."
He looked toward Prunella.
"I almost did it."
Nox's expression softened.
"What stopped you?"
Chase gave a small, almost disbelieving smile.
"I saw the laundromat sign."
Nox blinked.
"The sign?"
"Yeah."
Chase looked toward the doorway.
"It was way off in the distance. I just started running."
He laughed quietly.
"I don't even remember deciding to go there. I just dashed toward it."
Nox listened.
"I got inside, stripped off all my clothes, threw everything into a washer, and just stood there."
Chase shook his head.
"Once I had clean clothes, I felt like a completely different person."
He looked at Prunella.
"And I didn't hate her anymore."
Nox was quiet for several seconds.
Chase continued.
"This place isn't where I want to spend the next few years of my life."
He looked around at the peeling walls, humming machines, and makeshift beds.
"But it saved her."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"That day, at least."
Nox looked at the washing machines.
Then at Chase.
"Maybe it saved you too."
Chase considered that.
"Maybe."
Nox raised his coffee.
"To the laundromat."
Chase smiled and lifted his own cup.
"To the laundromat."
Their cups gently tapped together.
From the other room came a tiny sleepy noise from Prunella.
Both men immediately looked over.
Chase smiled.
Nox did too.