A/N: Listen. Listen. This idea came to me and there was nothing I could do about it, okay? OKAY? I just had to write it. I had to get it all out and honestly? I don't even know if I'm done. They were supposed to smash. I'll say it. I just got really tired and I have this fic I need to read (RoseEyes as written a fantastic YYH/FMA crossover, please go check it out, I'm insanely stoked for it) and this is all I can offer you guys right now. My stay-at-home order is in effect until 6/1/2020 so my brain is just…gears turning.

Gears turning and 90% of what is resulting is shit like this. I just like Shinpi/Iruni a lot. And I like writing relationships. And I'm out of my mind.

Thanks for reading. You're the real ones. Please stay safe and wear fucking masks when you leave your homes.

Kurama stared up at his ceiling studying the way the light filtered in around his curtains. The alarm on his phone began beeping, growing louder with each pass. Without having to look he swiped the Dismiss option to let silence rush in. What a strange feeling, waking up on a work day but having no where to go. No commute to navigate. He had roughly two hours before he had to actually be presentable for his video call with his boss, a quick check-in to go over assignments before they left him to his own devices.

What was he supposed to do with all this extra time?

He'd read that it was good to stay in a routine so he sat up and tugged his hair into a sloppy ponytail to keep it out of his face while he made breakfast. He could shower after he ate, he decided. A rare luxury for him, to not have to rush around in the morning to be sure he didn't miss his trains.

Leaving his room he glanced toward the door at the end of the hall. He'd never seen it open. Should he knock and offer to make breakfast for them? Probably not, as he'd never seen them awake this hour anyway. In fact he'd never actually seen his roommate at all. They kept odd hours, their ad had said, weren't around much. That's part of why he'd applied for the house. He didn't even know what they did for work. It was like living with a ghost. For all he knew whoever rented the room wasn't even there. Every now and then he'd hear noise, like music or a video game, coming through the door. The place would be miraculously cleaned when he arrived home from long shifts. Food was sometimes waiting for him, either delivery or rudimentary home cooked meals. Kurama did his absolute best to be respectful in kind, cleaning up after himself and occasionally leaving leftovers with notes that the other man was welcome to them.

Were they going to be on lock down as well? Or was their job the sort that required them to leave every day?

The truth would reveal itself sooner or later.

"Shit." He pressed the heel of his hand to his brow in frustration. "I forgot to pick up groceries. I wonder if any stores are even open right now."

Not expecting much he guided himself downstairs to the kitchen to peruse the limited selection he'd seen the night before. There was bound to be something he could scrape together for breakfast. Peeling the door to the refrigerator open he felt himself sigh before he even truly processed the interior.

"Oh." He blinked, studying the abundant contents. More eggs? Juice? The shelves were burdened with ingredients that hadn't been there when he'd gone to his room. Half the topmost shelf was nothing but canned coffee, sweet and creamy, and there was a post-it on the front row warning him off in crisp, decisive handwriting.

A strawberry cake also took up space, nestled in the back corner with a note that allowed him exactly half. A black sharpied line drawn over the plastic cover clearly indicated what 'half' meant.

That was fine by him. He wasn't much for sweets. Instead he helped himself to a pot of fresh, hot coffee with a touch of condensed milk. Only a touch. His breakfast was simple, but it tasted better for the fact he was able to sit and enjoy it. He wasn't sure when he'd last had such a leisurely morning. The pandemic was an awful mess, he was worried about his mother and how prone to illness she was, but it was sort of nice to have a break from the nonstop hustle of his life.

Kurama enjoyed his longest shower in at least a year, taking some time to just stand and smile as the heat of the water ran over his back and shoulders working through some of the permanent tension in his shoulders. That's what working at a desk for several years would do to a body, his stepfather had joked. 'You sound like an old man with all your complaints.'.

By the time his laptop was turned on, his webcam focused on his face he was able to greet his team from the comfort of the kitchen counter with sincere enthusiasm. One of his coworkers had to stop mid-conversation to wrangle their upset toddler, bringing the child to sit on their lap and he felt a pang of relief at his situation. There was also a sense of curiosity about what it might be like, to have a child looking up to him. After the divvying of assignments they all agreed to check in at the same time at the start of the next week.

"Keep an eye on your emails for updates. We're all in this together. It's a learning process." His boss told them all before signing out.

"In this together." Kurama huffed, palm cupping his cheek as he resolutely exited the application to bring up his email. "Right. I'll be sure to remember that."

Without the distraction of his coworkers stopping by his desk to chat with him, or his need to escape such interactions by scurrying to hide in the break room or bathroom for a chance to breathe his work flew by. By the afternoon he was finished with the whole day's worth of documents. His cursor hovered over the 'send' button on his email. If he submitted the work now, they'd think he was capable of this level of productivity every day. Normally being an overachiever came naturally to him.

He flourished under pressure, that's why his bosses always turned to him in a crisis. It's why his coworkers ran to him for help with issues. He could, realistically, take on more work.

Or…

He sent the email to his drafts box and got up to stretch. It wouldn't hurt to smudge the truth a little in this circumstance he decided. He needed as much a break as everyone else and he'd already agreed to take more assignments so some of the others would have lighter loads. He didn't have obligations, he explained. He practically lived alone.

"What to do for lunch." He mosied into the kitchen again, at a loss for his next move.

When was the last time he'd had to make himself lunch at home? He generally ate at work, either from the cafeteria or a convenience store meal. Saturdays, his only real day off, he tended to eat the leftovers from whatever bar he'd gone to the night before with his friends or coworkers.

He wondered if Yusuke's ramen cart was still open. Maybe he could convince his friend to drag it to this neighborhood. He shot a text with his partially joking request.

Just eat instant. Keiko grounded me.

That was to be expected, Kurama realized. Naturally if the rules didn't close Yusuke his wife would have pulled him home by the ear. Her parents were aging. She'd want to be as careful as possible. In fact, he'd been going home fairly early on fridays the redhead remembered. Something about his health too. Maybe there was news there that the couple hadn't wanted to share yet.

I'm not sick. Just bored. This is my hell. Yusuke texted back with a few choice emoticons. How about you?

It's only been a day. Everything is fine. I have plenty of food and I can work from home.

How's your mom?

Kurama continued his conversation, nursing his luekwarm coffee as he waited for a kettle of water to boil. There was always a stash of instant ramen hidden in his cupboards for emergencies. There'd been more than the packages he'd bought for himself. Apparently the other occupant had thought ahead for the both of them. He eyed his roommate's cabinet doors. What sort of provisions did the other man keep on hand?

It was nosy to check.

He poured the boiling water into the styrofoam cup of noodles.

He'd never felt the urge to delve into the other's privacy before. He'd been living peacefully in the shared house for roughly six months without incident. Yet his hand closed around the cupboard handle, ready to pull it open when his phone went off, the alarm letting him know his food should be done stewing.

"I'm pretty sure she's going to try to kill me. I'm scared for my life." Yusuke explained to his friends through the computer screen, exasperated. "She's going to garote me with my own socks, I know it, I'm telling you."

"Maybe if you'd do the laundry she wouldn't have a weapon handy." Kuwabara remarked dully. "You're a mess, you always have been. It's amazing someone as cool as Keiko has put up with you this long."

"Rude."

"What's the problem, Yusuke?" Kurama asked with a smile, not even bothering to hide his humor. He toyed with the cable of his headphones idly. It had been nearly a week since the lock down had kept them all in their homes. Instead of their usual Friday night social calls, they opted for an online alternative. Each man had a drink in hand or nearby, pretending this was just a normal day.

The week had been more exhausting than Kurama had expected. Staying home all day wasn't sitting well with him. He was starting to miss the previously conversations with his coworkers, the small talk that had eaten up so much of his time. Even the crowded morning and evening commutes he endured had at least given him a reason to get out of the house.

He hadn't spoken to anyone face to face in a week.

Yusuke had been right on Monday. This was a sort of hell.

Kurama had always enjoyed his solitude. He'd never been particularly lonely before. He had his friends, his mom, his studies and then his work. Now though, he had his laptop, sparse phone calls and only enough work to occupy a few hours of his time. He was beginning to sleep in and stay up late like he had when he'd been in school. He was eating enough instant ramen to inflate the stock prices, he was certain.

His shoulders still ached.

"There's no problem, really. I mean, I guess I could be quieter when I play my games. And yeah, fine, maybe I should pick up my clothes and shit. I'm not as bad I used to be."

"It's amazing that you, the worst of us, managed to get married before the rest of us even got serious girlfriends. Remarkable." Kuwabara deadpanned. "I hate you."

"Download a dating app and stop complaining." Yusuke snorted. "You're going to need to really work on your selfie angles though, with a face like that."

"Fuck you, Urameshi."

"She sounds stressed." Kurama interjected, considering it. "I'm sure this is a strain on you two and if you're not communicating it's going to be harder than it should be. You should talk to her and come up with a way to keep you both happy."

Yusuke squinted at his screen, face screwed up as though he disagreed. Kurama rolled his eyes. His friend was notoriously stubborn but he'd eventually do what was right. He adored his wife. There was nothing he wouldn't do to make her happy.

"Hey who is that?" Kuwabara asked him, face too close to his camera as he stared at his screen.

"There's someone behind you." Yusuke pointed uselessly. "It's super dark though."

It was dark. Kurama had turned the lights down to save on costs since he was home more often. The lamp in the living room had given him just enough to see by and for him to be seen by his friends.

"That's not funny." Kurama told them both.

"He's not joking." Kuwabara's mouth fell open. He lowered his voice. "Kurama, there's someone watching you."

Going still, green eyes moved to the side of the screen to view his own face. There was a shape he could hardly make out. Slowly, he turned to look over his shoulder.

And promptly shouted, shoving his computer off his legs to rocket to his feet. Without thinking he tried to jerk himself back but his headphones were still plugged in and all he managed to do was spill his beer and yank his head painfully to the side. The figure got closer and his friends yelled for him to tell them what was happening. His laptop's camera faced the back of the couch, leaving them effectively blind.

"Who are you?!" Kurama tore his headphone off and threw them onto the couch, brandishing his mostly empty beer bottle. "What do you want?"

"A drink." The cool, female voice told him before her figure was lit up by the light of the fridge as she opened it.

A shorter woman, probably close to five foot. Dark hair unless the lights were fooling him, fashioned into a bun. She wore a pair of baggy shorts and a hoodie. When she pulled back from the appliance she had a can of coffee in her grip.

"Those aren't for you." He scrambled around the couch, keeping her in sight. "What is this? One of those stories like an urban legend? Where there's a woman living in the walls?"

She closed the refrigerator and popped the tab on the can, staring at him without much a reaction. "I live here."

"No you don't."

"That'll be news to the bank considering it's my name on the deed." She informed him. "I'm Mikamoto Iruni. Your landlord and roommate. Unless you're not Minamino Shuichi, in which case it'll be me calling the police."

Kurama tried to slow his breathing, his hand searching the wall for the light switch. When he hit it she winced, shielding her eyes before blinking to adjust them. His pulse hammered in his throat and hands, his whole body shook with it.

"Mikamoto?" He asked with some disbelief. "That can't be right."

"You should tell your friends you're not getting murdered." She lifted her canned coffee toward the couch, pointing with one finger. "I can here them yelling from here."

"Oh. Oh, right." He nodded and rushed over to right his laptop, bringing himself back into frame. Donning his headphones but leaving one ear uncovered he shushed them. "It's fine. It's apparently just my roommate. It's all okay."

"Roommate?" The two men leaned forward in tandem. "The elusive one? Show us! We want to see this guy!"

Kurama sat up to look over the back of the couch at the woman who was back to rummaging for food. He considered just lifting the computer but it felt awfully childish and rude to not warn her.

"My friends were wondering if they could see you." He announced.

"Why?" She drawled without interest.

"To be sure you exist, I think." His admittance made her squint at him. He turned back to the computer. "Actually, I think I should go. I'll catch up with you two later."

Without waiting on a response he closed the computer and got back to his feet, removing his headphones again so he could try to display some sense of decorum after his previous outburst.

"I'm sorry for my wild reaction. I wasn't expecting you to be-" he dropped the sentence, grimacing. "At any rate I apologize."

She stared at him and drug her eyes, which he noticed were quite a lovely shade of dark blue, from his head to his toes then back up. Whatever assessment she made of his slacks and t-shirt made her tip her head. Then she shoved a plate toward him cross the counter that kept them apart. He looked down at the hefty slice of cake with a blink.

"It'll go bad." She told him, grabbing a fork for her own sizable piece.

"No thank you. I'm actually fine without it." He shook his head.

"So you want to throw it away." Her words made him think. "That's wasteful. I bought it to share."

"In the future feel free to buy enough for just yourself." He accepted the plate despite not wanting to eat the treat. "I appreciate the kind gesture."

"I'm going back to my room." She took the plate with her, walking around him. She paused on the stairs, turning to him. "You're not going to start taking showers at night, are you? The current schedule works best for me. I like taking long showers at night, it helps me think. This way we don't have to share hot water."

"Morning is fine with me." He assured her, confused.

"Good. Please clean your beer off the couch." She told him. "I'll stay out of your hair."

Just as smoothly and oddly as she appeared she disappeared. He heard her door close as he absently ate the cake she'd forced onto him. It was probably for the best that she hadn't jumped at the chance to see his friends. They'd never let him live down the fact he had a female roommate he didn't even know about.

He was supposed to be the smart one.

The next Wednesday faced Kurama with a dilemma as he stared at the flooded mess of his keyboard, paper towels held limply in his hands. Of all the times for him to spill his coffee, it had to be during a time when all the stores and repair places were closed indefinitely. Might as well go through the motions. He dabbed at the brown liquid seeping between his keys, frustration mounting in his stomach and chest.

"Stupid." He scolded himself hotly. "I can't believe I did this."

The poor computer was only four months old. A treat he'd bought for himself after his old one, which had lasted him six years, finally succumbed to it's age. He'd splurged on this, gone with something more than the bare minimum for once. And now?

Now it was ruined.

And he still had to work.

"Try putting it in rice." His boss suggested on the phone. "Don't turn it on for a while."

"I need it to work." Kurama reminded the man, tension creeping into throat.

"Use your vacation time."

Ending the conversation as politely as his mother had raised him to be, he lowered the phone and swallowed the urge to scream. Maybe into a pillow. He didn't want to waste his precious vacation days on being trapped at home against his will with one of his only lifelines cut off. If he knew for certain he'd be continuously paid he'd buy a new one, this time springing for the accidental protection. As it was the company was considering saving costs by laying people off.

With humility he rapped his knuckles quietly against the door at the end of the hall. He didn't know what else to do.

She didn't answer at first.

He waited and then knocked a second time. If she didn't answer he'd give up. It wasn't her responsibility to help him anyway. This was him going out on a flimsy limb sure to break underneath him.

Kurama lowered his hand, pressing his forehead against the wall beside the door, staring at the plaster without seeing it.

What a terrible time to be alive.

"Khakis." Mikamoto spoke, her eyes on his pants with pursed lips when he barely moved his head to look at her.

"Pardon?"

"You're always in khakis or slacks or dress pants. That must be annoying. Don't you own sweats or something?" She asked him curiously.

"They're my work clothes." He informed her emptily. With a deep breath he pulled away from the wall and ran his fingers through his bangs. "I have a favor to ask of you, and I know it's sudden. There's no obligation to help me."

"Noted."

"Is there any possibility you might have a spare computer?" He deflated. "I spilled coffee on mine and I need it for work or else I'll have to either go unpaid or use my earned time, neither option I want."

"You're awfully clumsy suddenly." She put her hands on her hips and he noticed that today she wore sweatpants herself, and a rather large looking t-shirt with a band name he didn't recognize. He'd seen the album art before though. "Unless you've been spilling things so often and just managed to clean up well enough I didn't notice."

"This is a strange time for me." He sighed.

"Show me." She gestured for him to walk. When he showed his confusion she waved her hand down the hall. "The computer. Show it to me. I'll see if I can help."

"There's nothing to be done." Despite his words he led her to the kitchen where the murder scene was still as he'd left it.

"I thought you were an accountant not a computer engineer." Her tone suggested she might be joking but he couldn't see her face to decide if that was the truth. She picked up his laptop and studied it for a few minutes. Then she closed it decisively. "Alright. I've got an old rig you can use until I get this one patched up."

"You do?" His eyes lit up.

"I always keep a backup around, just in case." She nodded. "I'll want it back though."

"Of course, of course! Thank you so much, you have no idea how much this helps me." He followed her back up the stairs. "You're a lifesaver."

She passed him his loaner laptop and the power cable, her door still mostly closed so he couldn't see into the room at all. Not that he was trying to look. It was her private space. She refused to let the computer go at the last second, staring up into his face with intention.

"Eat something with protein for lunch today. All that ramen is going to make you sick." She chastised.

"Oh, I've been meaning to thank you for getting so many groceries. I'll get the next round, if you'd like. You can give me a list." The extension of the favor came naturally to him.

"Well, you know, I gotta feed the woman in the walls or else she sneaks up on people at night." Her smile broke through this time, lighting up her eyes. "Focus on improving your week, Minamino. Thank you."

She closed the door, taking his defunct laptop with her. Kurama smiled at the wood.

"Thank you." He spoke to the door. "I appreciate this more than you know."

Iruni stepped out of the bathroom in a billow of steam, water droplets still clinging to her hot skin. Damp hair piled atop her head in a clip she shivered from the cooler air of the hall, pulling her towel firmly around her. Not that it mattered. Minamino always slept this time of night. He was one of those people dedicated to the art of being responsible. His routine was set in stone until recently. They'd never really interacted, which was generally fine by her.

She just liked knowing someone trustworthy was in the house. Plus his rent paid for her upgraded internet package. Her last roommate had been a nightmare. Well, technically they were tenants she guessed. It was her house she was renting out, after all.

The idea of being a landlady made her feel weird.

Roommates it was.

Creaking floorboards earned her attention. She padded over the polished wood to spy her roommate pacing the floor below.

"Is she okay?" He asked and she realized he was on his phone. His teeth worried at the base of his thumbnail while he walked. Catching himself in the habit he shook his hand out and pushed it through his scarlet strands.

He had nice hair, she'd noticed. It was well cared for. Then again most things about him seemed rather purposeful to her. Down to his ugly khakis.

"Keep me informed. You know I worry. I'm glad she doesn't have a fever." He told his conversational partner and Iruni decided that was a good time to pull away from the railing. The sound of a burdened sigh gave her pause.

She worked through it and made her way to her bedroom.

…

"It's working?" Kurama accepted the laptop that was handed to him, eyes wide. "You fixed it?"

"I did more than fix it. I made it better than before." Iruni ran her fingers over the shell of the computer. "I upgraded your hard drive and ram. Went through and cleaned up your settings a bit. Updated a few of your drivers. Nothing too fancy, but it should work like new."

In a hurry, he set it down on the kitchen table and opened it. She flashed her hand out and pulled his mug of piping hot coffee away, cautiously moving it to the kitchen counter instead.

"No more drinks near the computers." She advised.

"It's running." He exhaled, stunned. "You fixed it."

"Fixed your audio port too. It got knocked loose, probably when you thought I was a murderer." She smiled.

"How?" Kurama demanded, turning to stare at her in awe. "How did you manage to make this miracle happen?"

"Miracle? No. I like computers." Iruni offered him a shrug. "I had some extra parts lying around that happened to be compatible and you seem like you've been really struggling lately so I figured it would hurt to go the extra mile. Please don't break it again."

"I won't." He promised. "I am so happy to have it back. This was my first major purchase that I've ever bought myself. I thought I'd ruined it forever."

Her eyebrows shot up on her forehead as she looked him over with some concern for the undeniable happiness and relief in his voice. This man was obviously held together by some fairly strained and flimsy threads.

"You have to tell me how to pay you back." He demanded suddenly.

"This already benefits me. If you make money you pay rent." Iruni wasn't sure what she'd ask for if he pressed. She didn't do it for reciprocation. She did it because it needed to be done.

"That's not enough." He protested. "How much did the parts cost? I'll pay you for them."

"I had them on hand." She spread her hands to demonstrate this was a lost topic. "Oh well, it's fine. Just take care of it."

"Is there anything I can help you with?" His earnestness made her wrinkle her nose. Then her face relaxed. "You thought of something."

"Do you play video games, Minamino?" She asked him with a charming smile.

…

"Be forgiving, but please give your honest impressions." Iruni set up a gaming console in the living room, selecting a loaded game before passing Kurama the controller. She sat on the couch, a cushion's distance away, with a notebook out and pen poised to write. She'd also set up a camcorder focused at the screen. "Say everything out loud, if you don't mind."

"I've never heard of this title." He admitted. "I'm afraid I won't be familiar."

"That's good." She scribbled something down. "Best case scenario, actually. That will make your input truly invaluable. When was the last time you played a video game?"

"Oh, um, I suppose it was a few months ago. I used to play a lot as a child." He studied the loading page and then the start menu. "The art in this is beautiful so far. Is the whole game rendered to this level or is just the cut scenes and loading screens?"

"I can't tell you that." She informed him. "When was the last time you finished a game?"

"Also a few months ago. I like these character designs."

"What do you like about them? Is there anything you wish was different?" Her eager interrogation made him turn to face her. "There's going to be a lot of questions. Just please answer honestly. Your unvarnished opinion."

"They're cute." He explained. "I like the variances in color schemes. I do wish they didn't all look so similar."

"Similar?"

"If you were to switch outfits, I might have an issue knowing which character was which if not for the hair. A little more deviance in body type would be interesting. Height. Skin tone, even." He explained. She sagged against the back of the couch shaking her head to the ceiling. "I'm sorry, was that wrong?"

"There's no wrong answers. Please start the game. Describe your experience as you go. Talk about the mechanics, the art direction, the music, everything and anything." She urged him, waving her hand at the screen.

Kurama once again looked her over but she was focused on the screen. There was a twinkle in her eye, a certain almost chaotic aspect lighting her smile. Her mussed hair had strands falling everywhere with no sense of organization or intention. Her shirt was wrinkled and he was actually certain she'd been wearing the day before. The same with her basketball shorts. To indulge her he started the game.

By the end of it, her feet were pulled up to the cushions, her grin had broadened considerably. The screen went black at the end of the level and he frowned. "Is that all there is? I beat it that quickly?"

"No, that's just the first level." She promised. "You have a keen eye, you found the two secret items. Were they too easy to detect?"

"Reasonably so, I'd say. I almost missed the second one because I didn't see the glow." He set the controller on the couch between them. With his own grin he turned back to her. "Did I pass, Miss Mikamoto?"

"Almost. You missed the hidden passage." She scribbled in her notebook. "It takes you to a minigame. A puzzle. They get more complex as the game progresses, but it builds gradually on the previous levels."

"Can I play it again?" He became immediately determined to correct his mistake.

"Are you a perfectionist, Mr. Minamino?" She asked him with humor. "Of course you are. Sure, you can restart it."

Kurama chose a new character to see if it made any difference. It did, he discovered. The powers were slightly different. He assumed they could be built up, which he vocalized. It made it easier to find the secret passage but harder to locate the items. An interesting balance mechanic. "Can I ask what this is about?"

"It's my baby." Iruni explained to him happily. "Your input is invaluable to me, thank you so much. So far only the other testers have played it and they aren't offering me enough criticism. I want this to be better than a passable game. I want it to leave an impression. I want people to crave a replay. It's my debut title as a game designer and developer."

"You made this?" He stared at her, shocked.

"Down to the last pixel." Her bun bobbed with her nod. "The character designs, level sets, it's all me. It's taken me forever to get it to this point but it's so worth it."

"Maybe I should have varnished my opinion a little at some moments." He winced. "I probably sounded rude, I'm sorry."

"No, not at all. I needed to hear it. You actually echoed a few of my sentiments, if I'm being honest. The company I'm working under didn't want me to be too wild with the designs. They wanted me to play it safe for my first attempt. Now I have consumer support for the changes I wanted from the beginning." She sank against the back of the couch with a satisfied smile. "I'm so happy to see someone play it. This must be like seeing your baby walk for the first time."

"I'm glad I was able to help." Kurama leaned back too. "It was genuinely enjoyable. Who composed the background music? It rather calming most of the time, but then when you interact with an enemy it has this particular frenzy to it."

"Me."

"You?" He let out an impressed whistle. "You weren't joking when you said this was your baby. It must be a lot of work to do alone."

"It is. I don't sleep for days sometimes. I live off of coffee. And I do this outside of my actual job. It takes everything I have at moments, but I know it'll all be worth it in the end." Her hands clasped together stretching over her bent up knees. She pressed her cheek to knees with a grin. "This has been dream for so long. Thank you for helping me with it."

Kurama blinked, color and heat rising in his cheeks. Something about her expression, how cute it was, made his heart pound. He cleared his throat in effort to conceal his reaction. "It's my pleasure, Miss Mikamoto."

"We've been roommates for half a year, you might as well call me Iruni." She told him with a giggle. "Do you always get so easily embarrassed when someone thanks you?"

"Never, actually." He swallowed, daring to peek at her. "I'm normally rather collected, as a general rule."

"Khakis. Yeah, I suspected as much." She stretched her arms up and unraveled herself until she was on her feet, retrieving her game. She began to undo the wires connecting it to the tv and the wall when she stopped. "If you want I can leave this here for a while. Since you don't have your own. You can borrow a few of my games."

"That would actually be rather nice." He got to his feet as well.

"Come on, pick out what you want to waste your life on." She motioned for him to follow her up the stairs.

"Are you sure?" Kurama hesitated on the threshold of her room.

"It's a room, not a trap." Iruni laughed again. "It's a mess though, sorry about that."

Not sure what to expect he stepped into the room and immediately came to a stop. Shelves. Tons of shelves. Floor to ceiling shelves burdened with figures, books, graphic novels, movies, games, cameras, photos, trinkets. All looking painstakingly arranged. A large TV mounted on the wall, several systems connected to it via HDMI cords. A computer desk scattered with papers, pens, a triple monitor setup and a state of the art keyboard and mouse.

Her bed was a tangle of sheets and comforter, four posts and what appeared to be drawers underneath. No light made it passed her curtain which went from the ceiling to the floor just like her many, many shelves. The floor itself was clear of clutter though. The one wall that wasn't a shelving unit was littered with instruments left hanging with precision. Guitars, violins, ukelele, banjo, a flute, a saxophone, and below them all shoved against the wall a keyboard piano. He could see an effects pedal resting on it's top, and a midi-pad next to it. Sketchbooks were stacked on the floor next to the bed, some taking up space on the bed itself as well.

"Is that a mini-fridge?" He fixated on the little appliance.

"Yeah, well, sometimes I don't like leaving the room to get or get drinks. I get in the zone." She nodded, patting the top of it where it hummed next to her desktop computer. "I also keep a hotplate around. An an electric kettle."

"Why bother with a kitchen? You seem more prepared to live in a studio apartment." Kurama hadn't meant to say the words out loud but her constant encouragement downstairs to speak his opinions was still in effect apparently.

"The house came with a kitchen when I inherited." She told him darting over to one of the shelving units, gesturing to the copious amounts of games lining it. All by genre and within that, alphabetical order. "Here, you can choose whatever you want to play. I'll set up a secondary profile for you that way you don't interrupt my saves."

"You inherited this house?" He questioned, too distracted to focus on the selections presented to him.

"Yeah. From my parents." She nodded, her smile wavering. "Three years ago."

"I'm sorry."

"So, what sort of games do you like?" She refused to acknowledge his remark, spinning to face her collection. "I should have something that's to your tastes."

Kurama noted her dismissal and decided not to press onto the subject too hard. He wouldn't want to talk about it either, if he'd lost his mother. "I think the question will be in how to limit myself to just a handful."

"I'll let you switch them out. Just don't come in here without my permission. I don't like people touching my things without me around." She warned him in a friendly way. "That's why guests aren't allowed without prior consent."

"And here I thought you just somehow knew my friends were ridiculous ruffians." He smiled at her. "Thank you. Maybe we can play something together sometime."

"Co-op?" She straightened. "Or like, switching off? Or joint-story modes. Are you into horror games? I have this one that's been tedious to play alone. It's designed for a group."

"If you want a group, maybe I can invite my friends eventually." He suggested. "Why do you have so many games? Inspiration for your baby? A dedicate hobbyist?"

"It's my job." The information made one of his eyebrows arch. "Not to own games, I buy them once they're released. Every title in here is a game I've had the pleasure of testing."

"You're a video game tester?" He clarified, to which she nodded. "How fascinating."

"It's insanely draining sometimes. Grinding day in and out to make it through levels. It loses it's joy but I'm good at it. I've written quite a few articles and reviews as well. I write under a pseudonym though. I also do play-throughs on youtube." She clasped her hands together again, rolling her weight to her heels. "I'd say I'm not bragging but I am."

"At least you're big enough to admit it." He chuckled, finally scouring her options before selecting three games. "This should be enough for now."

She read the titles and then made a sound of interest before she nodding. It made him feel like he was being tested all over again. He was about to pry into her reaction, but she covered her mouth when a sudden yawn struck her. Blinking a few times she wiped at her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I got so excited I forgot that I haven't slept yet." She muttered. When she looked at him again it was hard to deny she was indeed tired. "Enjoy the games, I think I'm going to finally turn in."

"I'll keep quiet. Is it alright if I make my own profile? I don't want you to delay sleep for longer than necessary and I'm familiar with the process." He headed for the door.

"Sure. Just. Please don't spill anything on my console."

"I really am not that messy." He grimaced.

"Goodnight, Mr. Khakis Minamino." She closed the door behind him without allowing him the time to respond.

Kurama realized she'd given him permission to use her first name but he hadn't returned the favor. He'd have to amend that the next time they saw each other.

"I NEED HEALING SLOWASS." Yusuke's shout made Kurama wince, wishing he had turned his volume down as they group of them played a game online together through the console he'd been so generously loaned access to. "KUWABARA, YOU DUMBASS."

"I move slower when you yell." Kuwabara told him with heavy annoyance. "If you would group up with a real damn strategy I could heal you. Instead you left me to get my ass kicked. If you die it's on you."

"I'm at the way point." Kurama told them both with humor. "Honestly, Yusuke, you should know better by now."

"Whatever FoxBoy. What sort of dumbass middle school tag is that?" Yusuke demanded as he mashed his controller so hard it could be heard through his microphone.

"It's from middle school. You gave it to me." Kurama reminded him. "Oh no, Yusuke. I missed my shot, I'm sorry."

"You did that on purpose."

"I would never. We're a team." Kurama watched Yusuke's character die with a smile he kept out of his voice. He pulled his headphone off his left ear as the cushions moved under the weight of an additional body. He turned to Iruni, covering his microphone with his hand. "Am I being too loud?"

"Not at all. Who is BigFingerBang? They play like a twelve year old." She judged easily.

"My friend, Yusuke."

"I do not think I want to play a cooperative game with him."

Kurama lowered his hand from his mic, laughing. The match ended and he waited for his friends to decide if they were going to play another round. "You're up early."

"I felt the disturbance of sloppy play in my sleep and it woke me up." She giggled. "I actually managed to sleep at a decent time last night so I was able to wake up like a human being."

"Is that a girl?" Kuwabara asked.

"Who is that?" Yusuke demanded.

Kurama muted his mic. "I can stop if it's bothering you."

"It's not. You should keep playing. I'll watch and offer a completely devastating critique." She laughed and then got to her feet. "I'm joking. Enjoy your game with your friends. I'm going to eat."

"There's leftover food in the fridge." Kurama let her know, his focus redirecting to the game. "I made a large lunch so that you wouldn't have to cook dinner for yourself. As a thank you for the breakfast you made the other day."

"You're a real tit-for-tat guy." She surmised idly, scrounging for the food he spoke of. "Thank you."

"Yo, Kurama, where'd you go?" Yusuke beckoned. "You dead? What's up man?"

"I'm fine." Kurama spoke finally after watching Iruni reheat her food for a moment. "Are we going again?"

"I gotta do some chores. I promised Keiko. We're still on for later though, right? The conference call?"

"I'm in." Kuwabara voiced immediately.

"I'll be there." Kurama told them. "Alright, if we're done with games for now I'm going to sign off and get some food. I didn't realize how late it was getting."

"Yeah, tank up before we get drunk."

He pulled his headphones off his head and stretched to his feet, popping his back. Then he made his way to the counter to drain his water, which he'd left a safe distance away from any and all electronics. "I have a call with my friends tonight. If I get too loud, please let me know."

"You're never too loud." Iruni informed him. "You should learn to relax, you know. All this constant worrying has got to be bad for you."

"I don't want to be rude. There's no harm in that."

"No?" She studied him carefully.

"Not that I've found." He returned her look to her.

"I bet your shoulders are so tight your neck hurts." She accused and he was alarmed that she was right. "That sort of tension carries itself in the shoulder muscles. If you don't learn to relax and shake it out you're going to end up in a world of pain."

"How could you tell?" Kurama wondered, reaching up to grip his trapezius muscle, perplexed. "Is it that obvious?"

"I get it too." She popped the microwave open and retrieved her food, moving it to the counter. "Sit down, Khakis."

"Kurama." He followed her directions and sat in a chair, curious what she was going to do. "My friends call me Kurama."

"Why?"

"I honestly don't remember at this point. They just always have." He stiffened when her hands pressed to his shoulders.

"Relax." She huffed, gripping the muscle lightly. "How the hell do you even lift your arms?"

"You don't have to-" he tried to tell her not to bother rubbing his shoulders but she didn't seem to care as she continued to work over the knotted muscles. After a few minutes he succumbed, then relaxed under her careful guidance. Her fingers prodded at him, working things free he hadn't realized had been bothering him. By the end of it, he could barely will himself to stay upright. He wanted to slump forward over the table and just lay there for a few minutes.

"Better?" She asked, not waiting for an answer before leaving him alone to tend to her food.

"Mhmm." He closed his eyes. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Iruni walked passed him. "Careful, Kurama that's an awful cute face you're making."

"Face?" He peeled his eyes back open at the sound of her fading laughter. When her words finally processed he jolted upright. "Cute? Me?"

But she was gone and he heard her door close, leaving him to wonder if he was losing his mind.