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“Could you hand me that plate?”
The hedgehog semblance scoffed but obliged as you stacked the plate on top of a pile in a cabinet above. Glasses sat on the counter alongside plates, utensils, and other various items used for cooking. Glad there's not as many dishes as last time. You grimaced a little at the thought of Sunday’s load before shaking that off. No need to bring that disaster to mind again.
“You are fully capable of putting your own dishes away,” He began to speak, his tone calm but slightly off-putting. He handed you a glass and you started to wipe off water droplets. “I know, I know. Still, you did promise me that if I play your game for a longer time, you'd help me out with house chores.” “Amusing that you believe you can order me around.” “Hey, it was your words, not mine.” You put the last glass on the counter away and close the cabinet, a smile gracing your face. “And we're finished!”
A wicked, toothy grin stretched across X’s face and he clasped his hands together. Red pupils like Xs locked onto your eyes. “Are you ready to play?” “There's more stuff we gotta do, man.” The lord’s grin faltered a little but remained. “Then what is next?” You furrowed your brow in confusion. “What’s with the openness?” “You agreed to partake in my game for an extended period of time. I can be patient, unlike you.” “Pfft, since when have I not been patient, let alone with you?” Lord X started to list off reasons on his gloved claws, the digits somehow still stained with dried blood after washing them 3 times. Miraculous (or more likely unfortunate) how blood clung to its body like a leech to a warm-blooded animal. “Hm. When you played a game of chess against me, when your neighbor couldn't decide whether he wanted to be in the middle lane or left lane, when you had to wait in an excessively long line at that new restaurant, when your-” You rolled your eyes at the jab and elbowed him lightly, to which he chuckled at and jabbed you back harder. You clutched your side while waving him off. Hope that won't leave a bruise. “Alright, I get your point. Geez. Anyway, we gotta wash my car. Come on.” “Lead the way.”
You walked out of your apartment with a quick stride, your “companion” right on your heels. You opened the door to see your white automobile, littered with the occasional stain and the glass foggy. You've been meaning to do this, but you keep putting it off. Well, no time like the present, right? “I'll watch you first to learn.” You didn't respond, instead grabbing a bucket and running back inside to fill it with water. You returned as quickly as possible, finding X standing with his hands posed behind his back in a respectful manner.
“Okay, here's how you do it. You rinse the car down first-” You tossed the bucket towards the car without letting go, water splashing all over it. You reached over to pick up a rag and brought out another bucket, this time filled with soapier water. “You get a rag or a mitt, dunk it in soap water, and scrub, especially in places more caked up with dirt.” “Your methods feel inefficient.” “You've never washed a car or, hell, yourself at all. Seriously, you reek. Have you ever taken a bath or shower in your life? How would you know-”
You were promptly interrupted by something hurled at your form. Sputtering and wiping your eyes in shock, a chill bit at you and your body shivered as 2 floating buckets hovered on either side of X, one of them recently empty. “Well, I must've aimed a little right of my target. I’ll try again.” X chortled a raspy laugh and got to work, that yellowed smile practically stretching from ear to ear as rags floated and scrubbed. God, sometimes you wished you could just punch that ugly mug of his. “You should've seen your face, that was certainly a highlight of my day.” “Oh, shut up.” You scowled as you grumbled to yourself and threw a soapy cloth onto the vehicle.
—
An hour and a half had passed. There you were, showered and changed into newer and preferably less soggy clothes. The Lord sat on top of your washer, folding shirts and pants while you separated them. “Why do you cycle through the same 3 outfits when there is an abundance of clothing here?” You attempted to untangle 2 shirts while trying to find a retort to X’s query. You don't wear the same 3 shirts and pants, you have a diverse wardrobe! “Okay, you're just lying for the fun of it.” The Void creature scoffed and held up a blouse and tie with unexpected reverence, a disappointed look in its “eyes”.
“You claim this suit holds great significance to you, but you hardly wear it.” You gazed at the suit and let out a sigh, something you didn't know you were holding in. “I…haven't seen that in a while.” “You wear it for an old friend of yours?” “Surprised you could guess that.” “You shouldn't be.” You stopped focusing on your attempt to untangle the knot of fabric and looked down, an invisible and heavy weight seeming to press on your shoulders. “Wore that to an old best friend's wedding day. Nicest clothing I have…” Unknown to yourself, you dropped the shirts and your shoulders slumped, your mind getting lost in thought. How long had it been since you last saw him? A year? 3 years? 5? It had certainly been a while since the…incident. But you would rather not dwell on that, not when you're working on chores with your demon hedgehog buddy. “I should probably get rid of this.” You were met with a noise of disapproval. “Absolutely not. This is a nice suit, and you will not be getting rid of it. Hmmmm. Perhaps you could star in it in my next album…” It reminisced, an oddly gentle and closed smile gracing its semblance. You picked up the tangled shirts and finally managed to separate them, folding them neatly into a pile. “I can put the clothes away on my own time.”
You blinked your eyes, a tiredness surfacing to your mind. Man, that was a long evening. Productive at the very least, which was something you were proud of. You trudged your way across the tiles, your mind blank. Then your heart jumped and you slipped, a sudden rush hitting you. You found yourself in 2 arms, red Xs staring back intently. “Watch your step.” “I didn't trip on anything-” You darted your eyes around and found a…an empty cardboard box. Sheesh, you should really stop leaving those around. “Well, flattered you care for me.” “Can’t have you playing with a possible concussion, now, can we?” Ah. His game. You forgot.
“We can do this tomorrow or something. Now let go of me, I'm headed to bed.” Your complaint normally wouldn't sound so biting, but the lack of sleep was catching up to you. A small grumble surfaced from X as he tried to compose himself. “I distinctly remember you promising to-” “-play, yes, I know I did earlier. I just…” You found yourself drifting off and rubbing your eyes. You attempted to stand but clumsily stumbled again. X let out a sigh and grabbed you by the back of your shirt, dragging you out of the laundry room. You murmured to yourself as you found yourself floating into your bed. A blanket was casually pulled over you and a grumpy intonation sounded out.
“Get some rest. You can visit me in the morning.” “Really-” “The morning.” “...Thanks, man.” “Good night.” “Night.”
The lord took one last look at you before hopping back into your computer as you shut your eyes.