The next morning starts off simple enough. Nier, as usual, wakes up before Yonah. He thinks Era is still asleep, but then she catches him by surprise when she suddenly opens her eyes just as he was checking.
"Don't…Don't do that." All he receives as a response is a few blinks, which…is better than yesterday's staring.
Or so he tells himself, as he goes off to fetch a bucket of water. Yonah is still asleep, so he has not much to worry about. And with how little that Era moves, the two of them should be fine…
And then he returns to the two, covered in mushed up baby food. It seems as though Yonah had tried to feed Era again, and in her attempts to return the favor, Era had only made a bigger mess.
"I only left for a few minutes—how?" Just how did his mother care for both him and Yonah?!
He tries to mitigate the mess that they've made, only to get pumpkin smeared across his face by Era. Yonah soon does the same, but her small size limits her reach to his shirt…
Which means that today has now become laundry day.
"Unbelievable." He still had another week to go, dammit!
Well…at least Yonah is having fun, if her laughter says anything.
…
…
Splash!
It takes a lot of effort to wash out all of the stains from Yonah's white dress. Not helping is the water that Yonah keeps splashing around, distracting him from his task. It gets worse when Era starts trying to do the same, and Nier is only fortunate enough that he had heated up more water than usual for their bath.
That still doesn't make it any less annoying when he holds up his newly washed shirt up in the air and gets a bucket of water dumped over his head.
"Hey." Just how old is this person?
Era stares at Nier before promptly dropping the bucket in her hands. Yonah laughs at the sight, clapping her hands in glee before splashing more water at her older brother and Era.
All things considered, it could be worse, though that doesn't stop Nier from sighing and shaking his head. He almost regrets taking up Popola's offer…
Splash!
Almost.
Somehow, throwing water at Era and Yonah improves his mood, especially when it only makes Yonah laugh even louder. There are no tears, just unrestrained joy. It's enough to take Nier's mind off of things…
At least until he has to wash Era's hair. There's just so much of it, and not enough soap to go around. "Guess I'll have to buy more."
It's a good thing he is getting paid for this, otherwise, Nier would have just grabbed a pair of scissors and hacked off Era's hair—actually… That sounds like an excellent idea, but Popola might get mad. Or worse, it might make Yonah cry.
For whatever reasons that Nier cannot even begin to fathom, Yonah has formed an attachment to Era's hair as is, which is why she won't stop tugging on it. Meanwhile, Era keeps trying to lather soap into his hair— "Stop that!"
He can do it himself!
And yet, that won't stop her from trying, each time he forgets to keep an eye on her. The only thing stopping him from letting her continue is how clumsy her ministrations are, tangling his hair in the process. She has an easier time with Yonah, due to how much shorter her hair is.
The hardest part, throughout all of this, is actually keeping Era's eyes closed when he starts rinsing the soap from her hair. She just won't. Stop. Staring—and now Yonah is doing the same!
"It's going to hurt if it gets in your eyes!" It might not hurt her, but it sure as hell will hurt Yonah if she keeps this up. "C'moooonnn…!"
In the end, a lot more effort goes into washing off the soap in their hair than he'd like to admit. It's better than having Yonah cry…though, the entire process leaves him with quite a few more questions about Era.
Just what is she?
Is she even human?
She looks human…but her behavior is really, really strange. Even stranger, is the ink-black writing she has on one of her thighs. That certainly made Nier stare. It's like someone had branded something into her skin, in ways that wouldn't come out, no matter how much he scrubbed.
Just what kind of life did she live, before she showed up in his village?
Nier can only wonder as he pulls on an oversized white shirt, set aside for days dedicated to doing laundry. It gives him something to wear while his clothes dry—though, now that Era is with them, he'll have to invest in something around her size, as whatever clothing he has left is meant for someone of Yonah's size.
Regardless, neither of them is leaving the house today. And he is certainly thankful for Devola, when she shows up to drop by some food.
"What happened?" She tries to stifle her laughter at the sight of Era wrapped up in a blanket that Nier won't stop adjusting.
"I don't want to talk about it." It's exhausting even thinking about it.
"You want me to buy something quick?" Nier does not even hesitate to say, "Yes."
His only regret is that he never specifies what he wants specifically, and it's just something he'll have to deal with, with how often he has to adjust the shirt that Era is wearing so that it doesn't expose her shoulders. She might catch a cold at this rate.
"Can she even get sick?" Nier isn't so sure, but he isn't taking his chances around Yonah. So he goes back to wrapping Era in a blanket, and hopes for the best. If anything, it keeps her within his sight, as she can't move as freely. Of course, that doesn't stop her from trying…
In the meantime, he feeds Yonah her dinner and smiles at her attempt to talk. Well…he thinks she is trying to talk. She's been babbling a lot more than usual, which Popola has told him is a good thing.
Era has been doing the same as well, so Nier wonders if that also applies to her. He shrugs it off and tries feeding her as well. She doesn't eat much, but she still readily accepts whatever she's given into her mouth.
At least there isn't much of a mess that he has to clean up this time. He hopes to keep it at that, as he considers making some food for himself. He considers it, because of the effort it takes him to cook anything. Cooking is difficult without his mother around.
The cookbooks from the library can only do so much, when he doesn't understand what some of the directions even mean. He's been meaning to ask Popola for help, though…he's hesitated often to do so. He just feels that Popola has better things to do than help him with such a menial task.
Sighing, Nier grabs a loaf of bread off the table, and starts tearing off bite-sized pieces that he can eat. It would taste better if he had some soup or broth, but it's more of a preference than a dealbreaker.
Maybe tomorrow, he'll try to cook something. Steamed vegetables should be fine, yes?
Thud!
Or maybe another day, when Era isn't trying to hurt herself by escaping the confines of the blanket that he's wrapped around her. Yonah sits by her side, patting her face as though she's trying to comfort her.
"She's fine, Yonah." It will probably take a lot to hurt someone as unresponsive as Era.
"Ah!" Yonah looks expectantly at him, having noticed the bread in his hand.
"You want some?" Yonah's almost two now, and the bread is soft enough, so… "Okay, here you go."
Nier smiles at the sight of how easily Yonah chews her bread. He still has to help her drink water, but he doesn't mind. He's just happy to see how much she's grown in the past few months that they've been living alone.
…
Of course, now that they have Era, well… Yonah's having fun at least, in her own way that involves sharing her food. Like she's doing now, with her half-eaten bread. She shoves her hand against Era's face, and like before, she eats the food that's offered to her.
Nier watches in awe, somewhat disgusted with how little Era seems to care about what she's given. Does she have a sense of taste? Yonah isn't exactly the neatest eater around, with how much of a mushy mess she's left behind on her hand.
"Is that it?" It would explain why Era hasn't spitted anything out. Unlike Yonah, who absolutely hates the taste of carrots. Speaking of which, Nier holds out a carrot for Yonah to see, as it was amongst the food that Devola had brought for them. He isn't at all surprised to see her making a face and then knocking it out of his hand. He laughs and ruffles her hair. "Alright, no carrots."
Munch, munch.
Well…that's one way to find out that Era likes carrots—does she even like them?
"She's eating them…" Even though she's still trapped in the confines of a blanket and moving around like some sort of caterpillar. He should probably help her sit up…
Munch.
Or he can continue to watch—he might actually do that. It's not causing anyone harm, and it's honestly a funny sight to witness. Although, it does encourage Yonah to mimic Era, despite not having the strength (nor enough teeth) to bite down on a whole carrot. After the third attempt, Nier intervenes and takes the carrot away from the two.
"No more carrots!" Not until he cuts it up into pieces at least…and cooks it—for Yonah's sake, if she really wants to eat a carrot, despite her intense hatred for them. "Wait…"
Now that he thinks about it, if Yonah keeps copying Era, then… He might be able to use this to his advantage. It's worth a shot, so he tests it out. He chops the carrot into tiny pieces and cooks them long enough in boiling water, so they're soft enough for Yonah, but just firm enough that it doesn't immediately turn into mush under the slightest of pressures. He doesn't need any more messes, after all…
(They're completely out of soap, and their clothes are still drying.)
As expected, Era eats the carrots in front of her…and so does Yonah, after some slight hesitation. She absolutely hates the taste, as noted by the way she scrunches up her face in disgust. Despite this, she refuses to spit it out, and keeps chewing it all, before swallowing and grabbing more carrots.
"Unbelievable." Where the hell was Era, when Nier was struggling to feed Yonah all those months ago?
This really does change everything.
It's why even Devola is surprised, when she visits them the next morning, to check up on them. She sticks around longer than usual as a result, far too fascinated with whatever process Nier has created, using Era to get Yonah to eat some of her most hated foods.
"Didn't think she'd be that much help." Devola gives Era's forehead a light tap. "But I guess help comes from the weirdest places sometimes."
Nier nods his head. "Yeah…"
"Also, I know Popola's got you watching over Era…but please don't hesitate to ask us for anymore help." Devola knows that Nier likes to keep things to himself. "We are here for you. You just have to let us know if you're struggling. By the way, do you need anything today? It's on me."
"Soap. A lot of it." After yesterday's shenanigans, Nier would prefer to have as much soap on hand, in case things ever get so messy. "Anything works—I just want to have more."
"Would you also like a few ribbons?" Devola lifts a long lock of Era's hair. "You look like you need a few for her…and maybe, Yonah, too. Actually—I'll buy you a new comb while I'm at it. All of you look like you need it."
Not that she doesn't like their bed hair or anything. It's cute, even, though it's better to keep up healthy habits instead of just rolling out of bed like that. Popola heckles her for it, to the point that if Devola isn't careful, then Popola can and will take a comb to her hair. The last thing Devola wants is for Popola to do the same to Nier.
It's not that Popola is terrible at detangling hair. It's just that Devola would prefer it if Popola only did that for her. That's all it really is, though Devola feels it would certainly be a funny sight to see.
She laughs to herself as she helps Nier out with Era's long hair. It's far longer than anything she's ever seen before. Thankfully, it's also very manageable as she uses the comb to work out any tangles.
As this goes on, Yonah takes her place on Era's lap, just babbling away happily as Era messily ties a blue ribbon into her short hair. It's nothing impressive, but Yonah appreciates it nonetheless and nearly cries when Devola tries fixing it.
"Yonah really likes you, huh?" Devola chuckles as she turns to Era, who only blinks a few times.
Era murmurs something incomprehensible and reaches out for a pink ribbon. She stares at it, feeling its material in her bare hands before handing it over to Yonah. Yonah squeals happily as she plays with the ribbon. She almost puts it in her mouth, but then stops herself.
"Ah!" She looks at her older brother, reaching out to him with her chubby little hands.
At first, Nier thinks that Yonah wants to be picked up. It's as he is lifting her up into his arms, that he finds her messing with his hair. Her attempts to wrap the pink ribbon into his hair are quite clumsy, but also adorable.
…
…
Well, it's adorable to Devola, who can't help but coo at the sight. "I knew she'd like that color."
"You sure it wasn't meant for me?" Because from the looks of it, it's now his ribbon.
"Maybe." There's a mischievous curve to Devola's smile. "It was meant for Era, but it looks nicer in your hair."
Era seems to think similarly, from the way she tries to assist Yonah in tying the ribbon into Nier's hair. There isn't much he can do about it—not while he has Yonah in his arms. He looks to Devola, and mouths, "Help me."
"You'll be fine!" she waves him off, seeing it as nothing but harmless fun. "Just let it happen."
It's through sheer luck alone that there isn't much of a tangled mess left behind, once Era finishes tying the ribbon into Nier's hair. It looks a lot neater, too, compared to the blue ribbon in Yonah's hair. Though, none of it compares to the purple ribbon that Devola had tied so intricate into Era's braided hair.
There's much less hair for Yonah to tug on so freely now, though that doesn't stop her from trying. And Era lets her, as she continues to show little to no response to the pain it could be causing her. She's far too engrossed in fixing the ribbon in Yonah's hair.
"Well, I'll be leaving you guys!" Devola has left the fountain empty far too long for her liking. "If you need me, you'll know where I'll be."
And for the next few hours, Nier can hear the faint sounds of Devola's singing coming. She's a lot louder than usual, likely the result of her uplifted mood. Her gentle song lulls him and Yonah into an early slumber, while Era remains awake, quietly murmuring along to the tune of Devola's singing.
In the morning, Nier finds that the ribbon in Yonah's hair has been fixed, appearing far neater than it looked previously. He turns to Era, who only stares at him with that same, blank expression on her face.
Shrugging, Nier decides that it isn't anything he should worry about. Maybe Era got bored while they were asleep…
He reconsiders only when he goes to fetch a bucket of water and sees his reflection in the water. Unlike yesterday, his hair has been pulled into a ponytail, the pink ribbon now tied into a neat bow.
It seems that Yonah isn't the only one who had her ribbon fixed. Looks like Era isn't as clumsy as he thought she was.
"I wonder what other surprises she has in store." Laughing to himself, Nier lifts the bucket into his arms and starts making his way back home.
…
…
…
A/N HEY Y'ALL, I JUST GOT THROUGH A FUCKING CHEMISTRY EXAM, AND MY COMMISSION CAME IN RIGHT AFTER!
Currently in a REALLY good mood right now, so I'm happy to bring you guys yet another chapter!
We really living in this slice of life story! Yeah…it's gonna be a while before we get any REAL story, considering how far off we are from the main story. But more than that, I just want these damn kids to have nice times.
I just got to the timeskip in NieR Replicant, and I'm still fucking in shock over how my boy, Nier, has become such a SNACK. Like, what the absolute fuck?! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BABY BOY?!
It boggles my mind with how nice his legs are, and the fact that he has an ass. Of course, it's got nothing on 2B's ass, but it's still nice nonetheless.
Also, these ribbons are brought to you by the ribbon accessories in NieR: Automata!
Was reminded of 9S and 2B, and thought it'd be cute if the colors matched the ribbons they got. :V
Hope you enjoyed some moments with Devola. I really adore her and Popola. They give me so much joy. (and angst)
There's not much else I can say, without giving some spoilers away. But ahh, I AM in the midst of making a public discord server, after getting a lot of questions about the one I often mention (it's a private server filled with personal info, hence why I don't give out links to just ANYONE). So keep an eye out for it when I finally post the link to it on my tumblr, klonoadreams!
This is all I have for now, so let me know what you think!
Thank you to everyone who has been reviewing! I'm sorry if I haven't replied, but do know that I HAVE read all of them, and I appreciate every word that you've told me! ^^
It's why I've managed to crank out this chapter so fast! So if you can, keep it up!
Until next time, everyone! Stay safe!