The morning light crept through the blinds in thin, pale stripes, painting the infirmary ceiling in shades of gold and gray.
Hoshimi had been awake for fourteen minutes.
He hadn't moved. Not because he couldn't, but because moving would disturb the weight pressed against his side.
Kira.
She was curled against him like a small animal seeking warmth, her dirty brown hair splayed across his shoulder, her fingers curled into the fabric of his hospital gown with a grip that hadn't loosened all night. Her breathing was slow and steady, the rhythm of genuine sleep rather than the restless tossing that had characterized her previous nights in the chair beside his bed.
[She's like a cat]
She'd crawled into the bed sometime around three in the morning. He'd woken to find her there, her body was trembling despite the warmth of the room, her face was buried against his chest. He hadn't said anything. Hadn't pushed her away. Had just let her stay.
"Kira."
She stirred, a small, sleepy sound escaping her lips. Her fingers tightened on his gown, then relaxed, then tightened again. Her eyes fluttered open, those clouded lapis eyes found his face.
"Hoshimi." Her voice was barely a whisper, rough with sleep. "You're awake."
"What else would I be doing?"
"I don't know." She pressed closer, her forehead against his shoulder. "I had a dream. You were running away from me, from everyone. I was alone in the dorm and the entire place was going into flames and the-"
"Kira." He patted her head. "I'm here."
"I know." She took a shaky breath. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm being—I'm being clingy. I know I'm being clingy. I just—" She swallowed hard. "I don't want to be alone. Not right now. Not after everything."
"You're not alone."
She looked up at him. "Pinky promise?"
"Pinky promise."
She nodded slowly, her grip on his gown loosening just slightly. "Okay. Okay. I believe you." A pause. "Can I-can I stay with you today? Just for today? I'lll try my best not to get in the way. I won't be annoying. You won't even notice me."
"You're not annoying."
"I know I am." She sat up slightly, pushing her tangled hair out of her face. "I know I'm a burden. I'll try to improve, try my hardest. But everyone always says I'm too much. When you were unconscious, I kept thinking—what if he doesn't wake up? What if—"
"Shut up."
"I-I'm s-sorry."
"Stop being self deprecating, you tried your best to help me so you're not useless, alright?"
She stared at him for a long moment. Then, very slowly, a smile crept across her face. It was small and fragile and barely there, but it was real. "I helped."
"You helped."
The door creaked open. Reina stood in the doorway, a spatula in one hand, her ginger hair pulled back in a messy bun that suggested she'd been awake for hours. She wore an apron over her usual black suit, a frilly, ridiculous thing covered in cartoon cats.
"Rise and shine, lovebirds." Her gold eyes swept over the scene with obvious amusement. "Breakfast is ready. And Kira, if you're going to sleep in my dear Hoshimi's bed, at least have the decency to make it look like something happened. If you two are planning to have any children, at least let me know~"
Kira's face went crimson. "M-Miss Reina! We weren't—I wasn't—"
"Sure you weren't." Reina's smile widened. "Anyway, food. Kitchen. Now. The others are already there, and I didn't spend two hours cooking for it to get cold."
She disappeared back through the doorway before either of them could respond.
Kira buried her face in her hands. "I want to die."
"You'll be fine."
"She thinks we—" Kira made a strangled sound. "She thinks we—"
"She's teasing you." Hoshimi swung his legs over the side of the bed, testing his weight on his feet. His body protested, but it held. "She's not being serious."
"I've never seen her that way before, I thought she was supposed to be strict."
"That's because you're close to me."
"Close to you? What is your relationship with her?"
"Um…my step sister."
[It would be kind of weird if Kira knew she was my step mother based on the way she acts around me, she would have preferred if I called her that way too]
"I thought Sophia was your sister."
"The Vice is our oldest sibling."
"Anyways, she was joking…..probably." He offered her his hand. "Come on. Let's go eat."
She took it without hesitation, her fingers curling around his with that same desperate grip she'd had since the alley. "Okay. But I'm staying with you. All day. You promised."
"Yeah sure."
The common room kitchen was warm, filled with the smell of eggs and toast and something sweet that might have been pancakes. Sunlight streamed through the windows, catching the dust motes floating in the air and turning them into flecks of gold.
Reina stood at the stove, flipping pancakes. Her apron was dusted with flour, and there was a smear of batter on her cheek that she didn't seem to notice.
Edward sat at the table.
His metal legs were stretched out beneath him, the prosthetics gleaming in the morning light. A plate of eggs and toast sat in front of him, and he was eating. Not with that blank, empty stare he'd worn since the chamber. He was actually eating, his dark eyes focused on his food, his jaw moving in slow, deliberate chews.
Lucy sat across from him.
Her empty sleeve was pinned up neatly at the shoulder, the fabric crisp and clean. A plate of pancakes sat in front of her, three of them, stacked high, dripping with syrup. She was cutting them into small, precise pieces with her remaining hand, but it didn't seem like she was eating much.
Hoshimi stopped in the doorway. Kira bumped into his back, made a small sound of surprise, then peered around his shoulder.
"Oh," she breathed. "They're—they're eating."
[Color me surprised]
He didn't comment on it. Didn't draw attention to it. Just filed it away as he walked to the table and took a seat. Kira settled into the chair beside him, close enough that their shoulders almost touched.
"Good morning, Hoshimi." Lucy's voice was quiet but steady. Her crimson eyes met his briefly before returning to her pancakes. "You look better."
"I feel better."
"Good." She took another bite. "That's good."
Edward didn't say anything. But his dark eyes flickered to Hoshimi's face, and he gave a small nod. An acknowledgment. A greeting. More than he'd offered in weeks.
Reina slid a plate of pancakes in front of Hoshimi, then another in front of Kira. "Eat up. Both of you. You look like skeletons."
"I was in the hospital," Hoshimi pointed out.
"And whose fault is that?" She brandished her spatula at him. "If you'd just let me handle things instead of running off to fight assassins by yourself—"
"You knew they were going to come after me."
"Tsk tsk tsk, tiny details don't matter." She waved a hand dismissively. "Eat your pancakes."
Kira was already reaching for the syrup. She poured a generous amount over her pancakes, then glanced at Hoshimi's plate. "Do you want some? You should have some. You need the energy."
"Kira."
She stopped, her hand hovering over his plate. "Sorry. I'm doing it again."
"What did I say about being self deprecating?"
[I'm starting to feel like miss Reina]
She stared down at the ground, twiddling her thumbs.
He took the syrup from her hand and poured a small amount onto his pancakes. "Thank you."
Her smile returned, brighter this time. "You're welcome."
Neila swept into the kitchen like a small, impeccably dressed hurricane. Her white blouse was pristine, her dark pants perfectly pressed, her blonde hair pulled back in a neat ponytail. She looked like she'd just stepped out of a fashion magazine rather than a dormitory bed.
"This is disgustingly domestic," she announced, sliding into the chair on Hoshimi's other side. "Is this supposed to be an example of a happy family? Thanks for the example but I doubt anyone at this table has experienced something like this."
"You really do talk too much," Reina said without turning around. "Can you not sit down without commenting on how terrible everything is for once?"
"I am a delight, actually." Neila reached across the table and stole a piece of bacon from Lucy's plate. Lucy didn't protest, just watched with an expression that was almost, but not quite, amusement. "Any news from the outside world? Are we still at war? Has the assassination squad given up?"
Reina set her spatula down and turned to face them. Her expression shifted from playful to professional. "Actually, yes. Intelligence reports suggest that the immediate threat has died down."
Hoshimi's eyes narrowed. "Died down?"
"The failed attempts, the bombing, the assassins." Reina leaned against the counter, crossing her arms. "Everything was broadcasted on the news, the people that came after you weren't novices, after hearing that we're assuming that the assassins have died down." She paused. "But the stupid ones who believe they're stronger and the actual stronger ones might still come after you."
"So they've stopped?"
"For now." Reina's gold eyes were serious. "That doesn't mean the threat is gone. It just means they're not chasing you for a while. But for the immediate future, weeks, maybe months, you should probably be safe."
Kira's grip on her fork tightened. "Safe. He's safe."
"Safer," Reina corrected.
"That's—" Kira took a shaky breath. "That's good. That's really good."
"One thing I'm worried about is the great families chasing after him," Reina said. "Nothing much I can even do about that, the total government would find things easier to give him to one of the families instead of trying to protect him. After all we still have Sophia and Hoshimi is an unexpected variable, who knows when he might switch sides."
"You'll protect me won't you?"
"Of course."
Under the table, Hoshimi felt a foot nudge his ankle. He glanced at Neila, who was studying her plate with elaborate disinterest. Her lips didn't move, but her eyes flickered to him briefly, a signal, a reminder. The meeting.
He gave an almost imperceptible nod.
"Miss Reina." He set his fork down. "I'd like to go outside today."