Kokodoru did the amazing beta-reading!
Enjoy!
Luka woke to the sound of feet rushing down the stairs, delighted screaming, laughter, and cheers. Her stomach tied into a knot, stubborn anger already simmering under her skin, while she shivered at a sudden cold sweat.
She curled around Dexter tighter as the noise grew, nearing as all the inhabitants of the household rushed towards the dining room, just on the other side of the door nearest to her.
Just as she anticipated, there was a knock.
"Breakfast, Luka," Meiko said through the door. "Rise and shine."
The woman grumbled, clutching the stuffed animal tighter still. Wordlessly, Miku stood and made her way to the far door. Even in her sleepy state, Luka realized that the android intended to cross the cloakroom and the kitchen, looping through the whole house, just to get to the dining room.
All to make sure that the door to the dining room stayed closed.
The woman relaxed while another strange lump formed in her throat, which only grew when she heard the noise quiet a bit as Miku talked. She was probably talking to Meiko, from the doorframe or something, keeping her promise to stay away from the rest of the family.
She had hoped that Miku was making a good case, only for the knock to repeat against the door.
"Breakfast," Meiko said again, more stern.
Luka didn't budge. Moments later, Miku returned to her side and kneeled on the floor next to the cot.
After only a minute, the door swung open.
"It's time to get up, Luka," Meiko grumbled.
The woman dug her face into Dexter. He suddenly felt so weak, powerless.
"I'm an adult," she growled.
"Then be a better example and get up. It's morning."
"I don't care..."
"She doesn't—"
Meiko cut the android off, stating, "In this household, we do not sleep the day away. I'll give you five minutes to get dressed, Luka. As for you."
Luka turned a bit, glancing at the woman as she started talking to the android.
"Follow me. I'm going to show you how to use the lawn mower and how to pull weeds from the garden."
Miku cast an uncertain glance at the scavenger, before reluctantly standing and following the woman out.
They left the door open.
Luka lifted Dexter and flung him to the other side of the room, biting down a swear she knew the kids would otherwise hear. With some effort, she stood from the cot and stretched, groaning at the pain in her torso. She made herself presentable, roughly combing her hair into place and pulling her clothes on properly, then rummaging through the first aid kit to retrieve a painkiller. Armed with the medication, Luka stepped into the dining room.
All told, it wasn't so chaotic.
Rin and Len were helping the kids, buttering toast for Oliver, making sure the juice got from one end of the table to the other. The children cast the scavenger a wary, curious glance, but said nothing. Meiko entered shortly afterward, joining Aoki at the table, who sat as close to her as she could manage. After a second, Luka heard the growl of a battery-powered motor: through the window, she saw the AI, wearing the clothes they had tailored together, as she pushed the lawnmower forward.
Once Luka sat down, a scowl on her face, the twins immediately directed their attention to her.
"Good morning!" the twins greeted her.
"Morning."
"We prepared cereal for you," Rin announced, pulling out a chair.
The woman hummed, sitting down at the end opposite of Meiko, while Len placed the bowl in front of her, Rin the box of cereal, and Len the milk.
Cereal was a rare treat in space: the milk wasn't really the problem, it was the little flakes that could get anywhere. Lost particles in space weren't safe. Rice, cereal, quinoa, couscous, and other such foods weren't frequently packed for space travel, and if they were, they were doused in sauce to make them a big, mushy mass. Even bread, with its crust, wasn't a very viable option. Pasta was just a safer source of grain.
Suffice to say, she had missed cereal.
"Thanks," she muttered, already grabbing for her spoon which Rin had just placed beside the bowl.
With that, the twins each took their seats, one to each side of the scavenger.
Without wasting any time, they started sharing stories with their younger siblings featuring Luka when she still lived in the house. They told them of days Luka took them to the zoo, to the movies, out on random walks. The smaller kids in particular listened and laughed, while Meiko discretely glowered.
What Rin and Len had called fun, spontaneous outings were actually moments Luka had escaped from home to find some quiet and had taken the twins along to escape the brunt of Meiko's anger. The brunette had always been so concerned upon their return, and Luka would inevitably get a scolding in the evening when the young twins were in bed. It was always less bad than when she scolded Luka right after she returned from a solo outing: her anger was fresh then and without others in the way, the brunette didn't hold back.
Luka listened as well, realizing that she had inadvertently set herself up to be the cool older sibling. It was no wonder that the twins had missed her. They thought she was fun. She had considered them nothing more than a relatively tolerable shield.
A ball of guilt rolled in her gut, the lawnmower still rumbling in the backyard. Meiko knew better but didn't say anything.
The cereal, too, started tasting bitter.
"What are our plans today?" Meiko asked the table once everybody had finished most of their food.
Luka swallowed a groan; she had almost forgotten about this ritual.
"I wanna go to the zoo now!" Yuki exclaimed, Una and Rana quickly joining in on her cheers.
"We haven't been in ages!" the pink-haired girl yelled.
"Us too!" the twins chimed in.
"Does anybody want to stay home?"
"I wanted to finish making my model boat," Oliver said softly, his fingers already tapping at the armrests of his wheelchair.
"I have a raid scheduled with some friends online," Piko added.
Aoki merely glanced up at Meiko.
"Alright. Normally, this is the part where we compromise. However, we now have two adults in the household." Her eyes darted up to the scavenger. "Which group shall you take?"
"Hey," Luka said. "I didn't—"
"If you stay here, then you need to make sure your robot also stays useful. When it's done with the garden, the attic needs cleaning."
"I'm not a babysitter," Luka muttered, and she couldn't help but spy the surprise on the twin's faces.
"You're in my house now," Meiko said coolly. "And here, we all work together to make the best of things."
"You know I can't go out, ma."
"Then you will watch the children here."
"I'll be fine on my own," Piko muttered.
"I might need some help," the blonde boy admitted.
Luka glanced at the wheelchair-bound child and bit back another groan.
"You'll be here just in case something happens," the brunette added. "I'll also need you to make lunch and possibly prepare dinner in case we stay out for very long."
Luka clenched her jaw. "Fine."
"Make sure to keep your robot busy," Meiko reminded her. "If it has free time, there's always something to be done. You know this household."
She did. There always was something. Gutters could be cleared, corners could be dusted, rooms could be vacuumed, there was the garden, all the toys to clean and fix, the steps...
If it was just Piko and Oliver, though, it might be ok. It just might. Oliver was really young, but if he had something that kept him busy, then it could be easy.
"Fine," the scavenger repeated.
"Ok kids, let's get ready for our outing. Rin, Len, a word please?"
Luka watched through dead eyes as the whole family started working together, exactly like the previous evening. Each kid had a role and they all worked in harmony.
Luka wanted none of that. She stood from the table and stomped towards the living room, closing the door behind her.
As the muffled ruckus of the cleanup died down, only the noise of the lawnmower remained.
The scavenger took a few deep breaths and approached the large window that showed the backyard. Immediately in front of the house was a small patio, with sun-bleached interlocking stone bricks. Although Luka couldn't see them, she knew there was a table and chairs out there for when they wanted to hang out outside, maybe even a chest with toys like water guns, frisbees, and the like. And then there was the yard: it was large, rectangular in shape, all grass surrounded by bushes, ensuring privacy from every angle.
Miku was in the middle of the yard, still pushing the lawnmower. She was making good progress and wasn't breaking a sweat. As any android would.
Luka scowled, glaring at the sight of the gift to humanity being reduced to simple physical labor.
A knock sounded at the door.
She didn't really have a choice.
"Yeah."
Meiko stepped in, closed the door behind her.
"Neither of us are very happy about this," she started.
"Could have fooled me."
"It has been a long time since we have gone on such outings," Meiko started. "Between my work and Aoki, the children haven't been on a real trip in months. I would hate to deny them now that I have some vacation and the opportunity to keep Aoki safe at home."
"Wait. So that means—"
"Aoki is staying, too."
Luka didn't reply, her stare out the window heavy.
Meiko gulped, before quietly saying, "I know that things haven't been easy between us. I disagree with much that you do. I know I didn't want you around the children, but if you're going to stay for a week, we don't have much of a choice. I also know that you are, at the very least, capable of watching over children. I know that, when push comes to shove, I can trust you with this task. I want to be able to trust you, at least. So...consider this a trust fall of sorts. An exercise."
"Fine."
"Rin and Len will be staying as well," she declared.
Luka turned to face her. "Really."
"To make sure you don't do anything monumentally stupid," Meiko explained. "Trust, but verify: that's the twin's job. I'm sure they can help out if needed, too."
"You mean—"
"You're still the adult here. I've given the twins the day off. You're in charge."
"...Fine."
"One more thing."
"Yeah?"
"A few words about Aoki."
Right then, the small girl appeared from behind Meiko. She was staring up at the scavenger, her eyes still huge and watery, her fists clutching the skirt.
"It's also a good moment to practice for her, as well."
"What do you mean?"
"Aoki has separation anxiety," Meiko explained. "We have been working hard together to make that better. Every now and then, I need to leave her with someone else, so she learns that I'll be alright even if I'm out of sight. Today is a good chance to do this exercise."
Aoki's huge eyes darted to her mother, then back to the scavenger.
"I need you to watch over her."
"Ma..."
"I trust that all these exercises will go well. Aoki will learn, you will learn, I will learn. We will all benefit from this," Meiko explained, and despite her words, her entire composure betrayed an underlying anxiety. "Are we understood?"
Luka sighed. "I guess..."
"Excellent. We'll all be getting ready."
"Don't let me keep you."
"Before I forget," the brunette started, stepping closer.
"What is it now?"
"I understand that you need to do some shopping before you leave."
"Oh. Yeah, nothing huge."
"Is there anything I can get you while I'm out?"
Luka stood, momentarily frozen, before she nodded. Meiko handed her the notepad for the household's groceries, and the scavenger almost chuckled when she noticed that the brand and style hadn't changed in all those years. The cartoonish pups and kits that decorated the edges of the pages still had a somewhat undead-like quality to their eyes, and the pastel hues were sickening, but the childish charms had an innocent security about it.
"That's all."
"Very well. Feel free to use our television and radio to spy on the news while we're gone."
"Sure."
Meiko looked at the list briefly, Aoki clinging to her like a tick. Luka took in the sight for a moment, before daring smile, just a bit.
"Ma?"
"Yes?"
"Digging the new skirt thing you're going for."
The brunette smiled wryly. "Thank you."
With that said, Luka started for the screen mounted into the wall. Meiko didn't protest, leaving a moment later. Once the door was shut behind her, Luka turned the volume way up high so she couldn't hear the lawnmower or the noise of children in the household.
Meiko used to scold her for that, back in the day.
Right then, she was too busy getting ready.
Luka listened with one ear as the news anchor told of the local issues. Only after a minute did she realize that she needed interstellar news more than anything else. She surfed the channels, speeding past the cartoons and series and more local bickering, debates about terraforming and changing the local infrastructure to make it more welcoming to alien species.
Another knock at the door, this one from the cloakroom. "What?"
"We're leaving," Meiko announced.
"Right, have fun." Luka muttered. "You have interstellar news?"
"No."
She groaned, resuming her search for the general local news. "Ok."
"You will make sure Oliver and Piko are alright?"
"Yeah."
"And that Aoki will be fine?"
"Sure."
"And your robot?"
Luka stood still, keeping her eyes on the screen. "I'll keep her busy and far from everyone."
"Perfect."
On cue, the blue-haired girl timidly approached the scavenger, her hands clutching a little stuffed bear.
As she wandered into her field of view, Luka raised a brow. She cleared her throat, felt herself relax just slightly.
Children were sponges, really. They weren't so complicated.
With her best gentle voice, she asked the girl, "What's their name?"
"He's Bruno," she replied, her voice positively tiny.
Luka smiled a bit. "He helps you feel better?"
Aoki nodded. "Bruno is Meiko's. He sleeps on top of the wardrobe. She needs to tuck him in every night; nobody else can reach that high up. She'll come home."
"I see." Luka lifted her good arm. "Wanna sit?"
Aoki complied, sitting on the carpet right next to her, while Luka kept an eye on the news.
Meiko watched the exchange with a small smile.
"Excellent. We'll be off."
Una, Rana, and Yuki started chanting in the hall, almost drowning out her voice. "Let's go, ma!"
"We'll be back for dinner at the latest," Meiko said over her shoulder.
"Yep."
"Be good!"
"Yep."
With that, the door closed, and Luka turned her undivided attention to the screen with Aoki curled under her arm.
Honestly, she didn't need to listen non-stop. But as long as she pretended to be busy, the less she had to pay attention to the others.
It didn't really work that way but Luka didn't care.
"You'll be here?" Piko asked timidly from the doorframe.
"Right here."
"Uhm. My room is at the end of the hall," he muttered.
"Ok?"
"I'll be busy, so please knock."
She smiled at that: they might get along, given enough time. "No problem, kiddo."
He nodded and left, his footsteps disappearing up the stairs.
After a few minutes passed without any other interruption, Luka lowered the volume of the TV. She supposed the twins were off somewhere having fun on their day off. As the eldest kids in the house, those were probably few and far between. And Oliver had mentioned something about a model boat.
She hoped it would stay so quiet for the rest of the day.
"Luka?" Aoki asked, her voice paper-thin.
"Yeah?"
"Can we watch the cartoons?"
"Uhm..." Luka sighed. "Sure. But I'll need to check on the news in between."
Aoki giggled as the scavenger brought up the channel of her choice.
The woman's cautious relief evaporated as the minutes ticked on. Luka was not made for such humor. She didn't even watch TV that often. Children's cartoons? The bane of her existence. They were loud, bright, and everybody was just so darn happy. The quick-cut flashes didn't remind her of happy moments, either. Then there were the sound effects, the slapstick humor, all torture and gore repackaged, made funny and digestible.
She could barely watch.
The day was starting to turn bad. But it kept Aoki happy, she could keep an eye on the news, and nothing bad would happen as long as they stayed just like this.
She could bear a little annoyance.
"Luka?"
The woman flinched, turned towards the door to the dining room. "Oh, Miku."
"I am done with the lawn," the android explained, staying there, at the end of the room. Aoki cast her a small glance before returning her attention to the cartoons.
"Oh. Uhm. The attic needs cleaning apparently."
"Very well..." After a slight pause, Miku asked, "Has Meiko left?"
"Yeah. She took the younger girls to the zoo. She'll be doing our shopping, too."
"She left Aoki with you?"
"It's a trust exercise."
The android hummed. "Didn't you want to shower?"
"F— Yeah. I... I forgot. Uhm..."
"Do you need help with the bandage?"
"No, I'll be fine. Uhm. You can't watch Aoki."
"I could, but I may not."
Luka nodded. "Right. I guess we'll finish this episode, then I'll find the twins."
"I'll locate them."
"Thanks."
Miku kept her promise, returning a minute later to announce that they were both in their own room, closest to the stairs, before she too left towards the attic. Luka sat with the girl until the episode ended, an agonizing ten minutes later, switched off the TV without any further ceremony, and stood, holding Aoki's hand.
"Come on, we're going to find your big sister and brother."
"Oh."
"I'm just going to take a shower."
"Ok."
Aoki followed as they made their way upstairs, not once letting go of her hand. Luka knocked on the door closest to the stairs, and Rin replied.
"Yes?"
Luka opened the door, just a crack.
"Hey. I need to shower. Can I drop Aoki off here in the meantime?"
The twins were both on their respective beds: he was watching his own TV while she was playing on a handheld gaming console, headphones plugged in.
Neither seemed particularly pleased at the idea, and Luka couldn't exactly hold it against them; it made sense since they had also just been denied their zoo trip. Rin smiled nonetheless. "Sure. Come on, Aoki."
The little girl looked up at Luka with her watery eyes. "Just a shower?"
"Just a shower. I'll be right back, promise."
"Ok."
The moment the girl joined Rin on her bed and Luka closed the door, she wanted to pull out her hair.
She sure hoped that future negotiations would also be that easy.
Above, she heard the android mess around with boxes, but Luka didn't have any time to waste. If her gut instinct about Aoki was right, she couldn't spend more than ten minutes showering or else she would get an emotional meltdown of epic proportions.
After getting her medical supplies and her spare change of clothes, she tore off her bandage, showered, re-applied the bandage, put away her things, and returned to get Aoki.
The little girl stuck to her side like a magnet: she approached far too quickly and stuck without question.
"See? It's all ok," Luka said as they made their way down the steps, trying to sound gentle and calm despite her racing heart.
"Can we play outside?"
"Uhm, sure. Let's just swing by the living room, ok?"
Luka switched on the TV and turned up the volume so she could hear it from outside, then followed the toddler out the door to the lawn. Aoki let go of her hand there, going right for the toy chest, constantly checking over her shoulder to make sure the scavenger was following her.
To Luka's surprise, the girl went for the child-safe gardening supplies, and she had to follow her around as she playfully hacked at the potted plants and bushes, 'gardening' and 'making them better'. Luka knew better than to point out the line between truth and fantasy, watching her play and inserting comments when needed.
Things could be better. The sun was blistering. In her rush, she had poorly re-tied the bandage and it rode up her armpit, cutting off her circulation to her arm. And Aoki just kept going on and on and on the way children did. So much energy.
Luka closed her eyes and tried to breathe. Things could also be so much worse. They were safe there. Nobody could see them. She could keep an ear on the news...
Which she could no longer hear.
She turned towards the house. The TV had definitely been turned down.
"Wait here a second ok?" she told Aoki as she stood and entered the house, going straight for the TV.
She turned the volume back up.
"Not so loud!" a voice called from upstairs.
"I need to listen to it!" Luka shot back.
"I'm trying to hear my friends!" the voice called back, and Luka realized it was Piko: his yelling voice was so different from his soft speaking tone.
"I'm trying to—"
A new noise cut through it. Luka swore she blacked out for a second, coming to with her heart in her throat and her balance questionable. Once she recognized the sound for what it really was, though, she almost gave herself whiplash to look out the window.
Aoki was crying her little lungs out, her voice shrill.
"Fuck," she grumbled, sprinting back to the garden.
"It's still too loud!" Piko yelled.
"Fix it yourself!" she shot back as she stepped into the garden, running as best as she could to the girl. "I'm here Aoki, it's ok!"
Aoki wasn't having any of it, though. She clung to the woman the moment she made to pick her up, and Luka flinched bodily as she was kneed in her injury. The girl's nails dug into the woman's skin as she scrambled into her arms, her cries desperate and legitimately frightful.
Luka bit back another curse as her little foot kicked to find purchase, scratching along the surface of her injury.
She swore she might pass out. As her eyes drifted closed, however, recent memories resurfaced, pulled to the forefront of her consciousness by the screaming, the panic, the anger, the deafening sensorial noise of it all.
She bit through it and held her up with her one arm, heading inside where Miku found her in the living room.
"What—"
"She's freaking out," Luka explained, swallowing her tears. "Help me hold her."
"I can't—"
Aoki cried and kicked again, and Luka's knees buckled. At that, the android rushed forward, supporting them both.
"Aoki, it's ok," Luka whispered, holding her close. "I'm right here."
She realized Bruno was nowhere to be found.
"Miku. Stuffed bear. Outside."
The android backed her up until the back of her knees found the couch. Luka sat down as Aoki's crying turned into heavy breathing.
With Piko gone, the news turned down, heavy breathing was something she could deal with.
Barely.
Seconds later, Miku returned with the bear.
"Here, Bruno is here," Luka said, unable to reach up and grab the bear. "See?"
Her little hands grabbed Bruno, clutching him tight while Luka struggled to hold the girl with one arm.
"It's ok," she whispered to the android.
"Are you sure—"
"If the twins see you so close to her, Meiko will know."
Miku hesitated.
"Please."
"Very well. I'll finish up in the attic."
With that, Miku left her on the couch, with the now-muted TV and the hyperventilating child. If any of the other children heard her screams, none of them cared, or it was a regular occurrence Meiko typically dealt with on her own.
Luka felt like she might just cry as well.
She had just wanted things to stay easy.
Luka bit down her complaints. Being somewhere safe was more important. All this would be worth it in the long run. They needed to see how exactly the Shions were going to react to the death of their son.
She needed to stay.
Eventually, the child's hyperventilating and crying quieted down, and Luka helped the process along as she did her best to gently whisper to her, rubbing her back and deliberately breathing deeply and evenly.
"You're ok," she whispered. "It'll all be ok..."
"Ma..."
"Meiko's still out. She'll be home soon," Luka promised. "She always comes home."
Aoki breathed deeply for a little longer, but before she could calm down completely, Oliver floated into the room, eyes downcast.
"Is she alright?" he asked.
"She'll be fine," Luka muttered. "What is it?"
"I need help."
The scavenger eyed him, still patting Aoki's back. "I don't know anything about model boats."
"No, I mean... I need to go."
Luka bit back another swear. Just the thought made her injury scream at her. "I can't... I have one arm."
"Oh."
"Ask the twins. They can do it, right?"
"It's their day off."
"Piko?"
"He can't carry me."
Luka swore under her breath, making sure to turn her head away from the girl so she wouldn't hear. "I mean... Ask Miku."
"The robot?"
"Yes. She's made for that."
Skepticism flashed on his face. "Is it?"
"Just tell her what she needs to do and she'll do it to a T."
"But Meiko—"
"Either I drop you, you can get one of the twins to suck up ten minutes of their free day, or you talk to the big scary android who honestly won't ever hurt you no matter what Meiko thinks," Luka summed up. "Up to you."
Oliver frowned, but he backed out of the room and Luka could hear the engines of his chair engage as they lifted him up the stairs. Only seconds later did she realize the tone she had used to talk with the kid, and remorse filled her.
None of them had asked for this either. He couldn't help this.
She sighed, relieved that Aoki had calmed down, at least. It could be worse.
It could always be worse.
She turned up the volume. Just a little bit of white noise to distract from the memories.
"Stars..." She sighed. "How are you feeling, Aoki?"
The girl stayed still, clinging to her neck.
"Do you want something to drink?"
A tiny nod.
"Let's get you some water."
It took all of her strength to stand, carrying the girl with only her good arm, but she did it. Once in the kitchen, she sat her on the counter, staying close by as she poured her a glass.
She drank slowly and carefully. If it weren't for her red, puffy eyes, it hardly looked like she had cried at all.
"There you go."
Luka needed a minute to breathe. She stayed there with the girl, silent, tried to take a deep breath…
The sound of lasers being fired made her hair stand on end. She whirled around, startling the girl, only to see Rin and Len enter the kitchen. He was the one on the handheld console this time, though he wasn't using headphones.
"What's that noise?" she barked, glaring at the device.
The twins glanced at one another. "A video game?" he muttered.
"Turn that off," she growled. "Right now."
"Sheesh…" he made a show of saving and powering down the device.
Perplexed, Rin merely asked, "What's for lunch?"
"Lunch?"
"It's noon."
Luka put down the glass, lest she shatter it in her grasp. "I'll see what we have. Could you hold Aoki in the meantime?"
Rin walked up to the toddler, who looked up at the twin with her red, puffy eyes.
"Aw, has Luka been a big meanie?" Rin asked the girl in a slightly teasing tone.
Luka didn't even look to see how the girl would react, jerking open the fridge.
"Can you make pancakes?" Len asked, sitting at the table.
"I... I can try."
"Awesome. You made the best pancakes."
'Made' certainly was the key word; it had been ages since she had cooked. Pancakes, luckily, were simple enough: egg, flour, salt, milk. Luka combined the ingredients into a bowl, unsure what exactly the ratios were but she figured it was hard to mess up. She used a damp rag to make sure she could stir with one hand without the bowl slipping, heated up a pan, and started cooking.
An hour later, she had made a stack of the ugliest pancakes Terranova had ever seen. She had messed up the ratio slightly, making them more eggy than cake-y, she couldn't properly flip the pancakes, she hadn't used a Terranova combustion-safe hotplate in literal years, and the twins had been lounging around, playing with Aoki, while she also tried to keep an ear on the news.
"Lunch is served," she grumbled. "Get your brothers."
The twins looked at the pancakes, their disappointment so visible they could just as well have slapped her right across the face. "Uhm. Sure."
"No complaining. You wanted me, the space scavenger with the arm in a sling to make lunch, so here it is."
She realized her mistake only after she had finished speaking. Luka scowled and returned to the fridge and started looking for things to make the pancakes palatable.
The rising tension, coupled with her simmering anger, was almost enough to make her scream.
"Scavenger?"
"Surprise," Luka grumbled. "I'm a criminal."
The twins sat down, Aoki in Rin's lap. "Since... Since when?"
"Since the beginning. Surprise number two," Luka replied, placing jam on the table, then the syrup. "I'm a rotten apple down to the core, always have been. Why did you think Meiko had such a hard time deciding if she wanted to let me stay? Hell, why do you think I visit so rarely? Why did you think she wanted you to watch over me? "
"We thought you were out of practice..."
"Taking care of kids is common sense, a level head, and heaps of patience," Luka stated. "It ain't complicated, but it's hard. I can do it. Barely. But I'm not to be trusted with anything," she emphasized the last word by slamming the package of smoked ham on the table. "Not even pancakes anymore. Now one of you, go get your brothers."
Len stood and left without a word, Rin holding Aoki a little tighter.
Lunch was tense and unpleasant. Unknowing of the conversation, Piko and Oliver openly complained about the quality of the pancakes, the twins exchanging uneasy glances each time they spoke. Luka glowered, her appetite non-existent.
Miku was still in the attic, so far away.
Luka had no idea where Dexter was. As if that mattered.
Once they had finished eating, Oliver left, Piko following suit, paired with an off-hand comment about the laundry.
"Laundry?" Luka asked.
"It's laundry day," Len said, pushing in his chair and making to leave as well, eyes on the console. A second later, only Rin and Aoki were left.
Rin looked like she wanted to leave too.
"I guess I have to do laundry," Luka said with a sigh. "Fine. Is it still the same system?"
"Yes."
"Great." After a pause, Luka waved away the blonde. "You can go."
"But..."
"I'm not going to butcher Aoki or anything. I can take care of her. I know you want to leave, it's your precious day off for crying out loud. Leave."
Rin didn't have to be asked again, though to her credit, she did hesitate, her eyes darting to the girl.
Luka frowned. Toddlers weren't dumb: no matter how much Aoki had literally understood about the conversation, she surely picked up on the shift in the atmosphere. Children were sponges, after all.
She seemed a lot less happy about being stuck with the scavenger.
Luka swallowed a scream.
"Alright Aoki, let's do laundry together," she said as gently as she could manage. "Sounds like fun, right?"
The girl didn't reply, following along as Luka held her hand.
As usual, everybody's laundry was in a bag hanging from the door inside each bedroom. She just had to open the door enough to grab it and keep going. With all the rooms though, Meiko's included, it made a lot of full bags, and she couldn't carry them and hold Aoki's hand, so the girl clung to her calf.
She started seeing why Meiko was wearing skirts all of a sudden.
Getting all the way to the basement like that was a chore, but she did it without making the girl cry.
She sorted the laundry with Aoki's help. It was slightly grating, attempting to turn a chore into a game, not to mention a game that the girl would be bothered to play correctly. After a lot of correcting and re-sorting, she started with the reds, and went back to the TV where they watched the mind-seizing cartoons. After a while, they returned to the basement, put the reds in the dryer and the blues in the wash, then back to the cartoons, going to check the news between the twenty-minute episodes.
It was simple, straightforward, mindless work. But Luka felt her simmering, rolling anger, she felt the next interruption coming, the next reminder that she was untrustworthy scum, the next flashback, the next thing that was honestly totally normal but that she was wholly unprepared for. She felt Aoki's nervousness, the impending chaos, the weight of the twin's contempt, Miku's sore absence.
She wanted to scream and run.
But she was safe. She was being driven halfway up the wall, but she was safe.
Miku found her in front of the TV.
"Hi..."
"Hey," Luka muttered.
"Are you alright?"
"Sure. If you need something to do, there's the gutter."
"The gutter..."
"There's a ladder on that side of the house," Luka said, pointing. "Scoop out all the leaves and stuff. Make sure the water can run down it. Have fun."
"Very well." Miku stopped in the doorframe, though, eying the woman. "Will you be alright?"
"Just splendid."
"...If you say so."
Luka nodded, eyes on the screen, swallowing past the lump in her throat. She wanted to cry. The cartoons made Aoki giggle while they only made Luka want to throw things.
She was at her wit's end.
But the girl was laughing. That was good. Nobody was asking her for anything any longer. That was good. Rin and Len knew about her profession, that's out of the way. Miku was busy, which was fine, she supposed.
Perhaps, just maybe, the rest of the afternoon would go well. Then she would tuck herself in for bed and savor twelve solid hours of peace before the neverending game would continue. Maybe, just maybe, she could make it past this day without losing.
That was her thought when she returned to the basement, took the reds out of the dryer, and found a sweater that definitely should not have gone in the dryer.
"Oh stars," she muttered, pulling at the tiny shrunken garment. "That's... That sucks..."
Aoki eyed her warily, and Luka swallowed her outburst.
Accidents happened. She hadn't had to wash such materials in almost a decade. Wool was such a planet-bound resident thing to wear, anyway. She made a mistake, she had learned from it, and she wouldn't make the mistake again, she told herself. No big deal. She hadn't lost, not yet.
Everything was just fine.
She made sure all of the blues were actually dryer compatible before she turned the machine on, put in all the black fabrics to wash, and went back up the stairs.
They were in front of the TV for all of two minutes when Len stormed down the stairs.
"Hey, so, I'm going to call a takeout place," he said into the room.
"Takeout?"
"Yeah."
"There's plenty of food in the fridge."
Aoki watched the exchange.
"Yeah, but, well..."
"If you hate my cooking so much then you can make something."
"It's our day off!" Len exclaimed.
Luka took in a deep breath, standing up and approaching to give him a healthy, scary glare. "Listen. I've been there. I've had my days off ruined too, it happens."
"I'm just going to order takeout for everyone," he muttered, less than impressed, already dialing the number.
"Absolutely not! If you do, it's on my head!"
"Yeah, well—"
"Oh my stars, is that my sweater."
Luka looked into the cloakroom, realized that Rin had found the shrunken sweater on top of the heap of red laundry.
"What happened?"
"It shrank," Luka deadpanned. When she heard the beeps of the phone buttons, she turned back to Len. "No takeout!"
"What else do you expect us to eat?" Len shot back. "Charcoal?!"
"If you keep up with that attitude, maybe!"
"I'm ordering!"
"If you do, I'm fucking out of here!"
Aoki chose that moment to break out into sobs again, releasing her siren of a scream to fill the household.
Luka's heart dropped. She needed a second to return to the present before she spun on her heel to run towards and kneel in front of the girl. "No, it's ok..."
"Hi, yeah, Sakine household here. I wanted to place—"
"Don't you dare order anything!"
Aoki's screaming doubled. Len pushed his hand on his unoccupied ear as he ducked into the kitchen.
Luka, her arm around the crying toddler, glanced at Rin, who was sobbing at the tiny little sweater.
"This one was my favorite!" she told Luka over Aoki's yells. "My best friend got it for me!"
Luka could only stare as she clumsily picked up the toddler.
"Yeah, well, shit happens."
"Where am I supposed to get a new one?! Oh stars, she'll notice I'm not wearing it anymore."
"Big deal."
"It's a very big deal!" Rin snapped back.
Len emerged from the kitchen, hanging up the phone.
"Awesome. We got Craypt dinner for tonight."
"Look at what she did to my sweater!"
"Oh stars, that's your favorite. How did she manage that?!"
Luka stammered. "I—"
Miku rushed inside right then. "Luka!"
She whirled around, Aoki still in her arms.
"Are you alright? Is..."
The scavenger stumbled towards the android and almost collapsed into her arms.
"I can't do it," she broke down, still holding onto Aoki. "I can't... I can't fucking take it anymore."
"Stars, Luka."
"Please help."
She felt her arms pull Aoki closer, let the girl go as she sank to her knees in front of the AI.
"I can't do this..."
"Luka!"
The woman could do nothing but shut down.
Her injury hurt. Her arm felt numb.
Aoki's screaming was deafening.
Somehow, she could hear Piko anyway, complaining about the noise.
Rin was still crying at the sweater. Len was berating her for it, for sure.
The cartoons were still flashing their bright lights, somewhere in the corner of her eye.
"Miku, I—"
The android lifted her by her good shoulder, and Luka let her drag her along, even if her feet caught on the edge of the carpet.
Miku gently dropped her, and she felt her knees meet the cold tile of the ground floor bathroom. Seconds later, a blanket, a pillow, and Dexter were thrown in as well.
Then the door was shut, and Luka realized, blissfully, that she was alone.
The sounds were all so far away.
It only took her a moment to remember that she could lock the door.
Hearing it click was heaven.
Tears streaming down her cheeks, she curled up on the floor between the toilet and the sink, as far from the door as she could get, and clutched Dexter for dear life.