Yuzai awoke to two things; a pounding headache, and the sound of rustling in the kitchen. He really wished it had all been a dream, that there was no one called "Heishi Senso" and that they weren't currently living in his apartment, and that he was alone again with no one bothering him.
Unfortunately, as he opened his bedroom door, he was greeted by the lovely sight of the Octoling, currently digging her hand into a box of Crabby Cakes. Her mouth was covered in crumbs. She froze mid-dig.
"I-I'm so sorry! I-I was just really hungry and..."
"No, please don't start apologizing again." Yuzai rubbed his eyes with his hand. "I needed to go get more anyway."
"Thank you, Yuzai sir!"
He sighed, and glanced up at the Octoling. She had bright green eyes that stood out against her purple eye marks. She looked...pitiable. The massive amounts of apologizing and calling him "sir" han't helped her image in that regard.
He sighed again. "I'm going out." He paused as Heishi nodded. "I want you to stay here. And don't touch anything. Don't search around. If you get hungry, eat something, or if you get bored, watch some TV or something..." He gestured vaguely. "Just don't go poking your nose where it doesn't belong."
Heishi nodded vigorously. "Yes, sir!"
Yuzai sighed and walked out of the apartment, locking the door behind him.
The clock ticked loudly. Heishi sat, unmoving, for a good two minutes before she glanced around her.
The apartment was a mess. Trash, clothes, and various posessions lay strewn about the floor.
Heishi grimaced. She never liked messes...
An idea popped into her head, and she stood up. That was it. To repay Yuzai's kind mercy...
"I'll pick this place up a little!" She announced. And got to work.
Yuzai sighed as he reached his apartment door. He honestly had no plan regarding the Octoling. He had considered taking her to the police, but her begging almost made him feel bad about doing so. Why was he doing this? She was an Octoling. She could be taking advantage of him. What if she came for information? Then again, that'd be a pretty stupid plan, since any Inkling in their right mind would splat her on sight. Did that mean he was out of his mind? Still though, his apartment specifically...
He heard a small "click" from behind the door, and perked up. He cautiously turned his key, and opened the door slowly.
He was greeted by an Octoling tying off a large trashbag, and a very, almost sparkling, clean apartment. He stared.
"Sir!" Heishi announced. "Welcome home! I promised I would do anything, so I helped clean your apartment, sir! O-oh!" Her face dropped. "B-but you said you didn't want me touching anything. I'm sorry, sir, I disobeyed you."
Yuzai opened his mouth to say something about apologies and "sir" again, then paused and looked Heishi directly in the eyes. He quickly glanced down.
"No, thank you for cleaning up. You did...well, I guess?" He walked over to Heishi and put his groceries down.
Yuzai was unsure what to do. He fumbled with his hands for a second and then, confused more than anything, placed his hand on her head and rubbed a little. Heishi smiled. Yuzai stared for a moment, then smiled himself.
The two were interrupted by the sound of voices coming from the hall. Yuzai lifted his hand off Heishi and listened for a second.
He knew those voices, his face fell.
"Hide." He said.
"Huh?" Heishi had been gently poking the spot he had petted her with her hand.
"Hide!" He grabbed her by the arm and tugged her into his room. He looked around, and then pushed her into the closet, not really forcefully, but enough to make her stumble a little. He grabbed the closet door.
"S-stay put until I come get you. D-don't make a sound." His face was filled with genuine worry.
"H-huh? I...o-ok." Heishi paused, then smiled again. "Whatever you ask, sir!"
Yuzai couldn't help but smile back, but the smile quickly vanished as the voices got louder. He shut the door softly, and Heishi sat in the darkness.