His Warmth
"Crap, lets get inside Monika! It's a shi-shizz storm." she giggled at Isaac's hasty censorship, but allowed herself to be lead through the doorstep.
Three sharp barks burst into her eardrums, and then Monika saw it. The most adorable animal she has ever laid eyes on, was standing a ways from herself and Isaac, wearily eyeing the female.
"Hey Lily! Be nice, she's a friend okay? Show some hospitality for Pete's sake!" but at the mere mention of the word friend, the dog's defensive posture suddenly 'deactivated' and Lily excitedly trotted over to Monika's knees.
She wasn't a monster, she had to give this dog with a curly tail the petting session of a lifetime! She kneeled down and started energetically scratching Lily's chin "Awww, look at you! You acted all mean to me at first, but your such a softy~! Isaac's right, I'm his girlfriend, so I hope me and you can get along!"
Monika then turned her eyes toward her unofficial lover and saw the reaction she was hoping for. It was easy to see the flush of red spreading across his tanned face because it was so bright and she decided to mess with him even more by throwing out cutesy wink at him.
"Oookay!" it was fun watching him shuffle awkwardly "Monika, how about we get you showered and out of those wet clothes. Follow me." he waved his hands, clearly trying to stop her onslaught, but she was relentless.
"Oh Isaac! Already trying to get a girl out of her clothes~? You sure do move fast!" she doesn't know how she says it without giggling madly, but she pulls through with sheer willpower. She could practically feel the facepalm he gave himself after she spoke.
"Alright, here's the bathroom. On the right side, there's a closet with fresh towels, you can grab whatever one you like. The room across from here" he pointed to said room " is mine, I'll lay out some fresh clothes for you to change into and you can just throw your wet ones into the laundry basket inside. I'll be waiting in the dining room for you."
"Thank you Isaac!" she beamed him with her smile " I know I've teased you a lot and it's very sweet of you to be a good sport about it ahaha~! You're such a good boyfriend." she hugged him, noticing the stiffening of his body and the hesitant wrapping of his arms around her back. Seems like he wasn't used to physical contact, but she was sure she'll be able to get him used to it with all the cuddling they were going to do! Being able to feel his warmth and hear his heartbeat, was her greatest desire and wildest fantasy back in the hell called the Literature Club. But with the warmth enveloping her rain-soaked body, she knew that her one wish had come true.
"Yeah, no problem" he stuttered bashfully, his voice barely a whisper.
She broke free from the embrace after a while and headed into the bathroom, but not without a quick peck on his cheek and playfully tossing his scarf's tail at his face.
Once inside, she took in the sight of the admittedly gorgeous bathroom. With the slate-grey tiles lining the walls and floors, and the obsidian-black, marble counter top of the sink, the interior screamed "modern" at her. Monika was especially in love with the large vanity hanging above the sink, glad to see that even though she looked like she had been tossed into a washing machine, she still managed to look as cute as ever. She had never been egotistical, she just knows what she's got and she's got it good.
Monika quickly peeled off her school clothes and stepped into the shower, the hot water thawing her body.
"Gosh, I can definitely get used to this…" with a sigh, she let the steam envelope her and enjoyed the relaxing feeling.
After grabbing a towel from the closet Isaac mentioned and wrapping it around herself, she quickly peeked out to make sure the coast was clear, for all her teasing, Monika felt like she wasn't ready to get that intimate with Isaac so quickly. She didn't want to fuck up the one good thing that's happening to her. So she scampered into Isaac's bedroom and shut the door, hastily locking it for good measure. She had a feeling Isaac was a fine gentleman, but she just wanted to be sure.
She took in the sight of his bedroom, which was pretty bare. His king sized bed was neatly made, but Monika thought it was way to big for someone who was presumably living by himself.
'Doesn't he get lonely?' she pondered 'I'll be sure to fix that problem right away~!' she giggled to herself at the thought.
She then noticed a pile of clothing that Isaac probably put out for her atop the folded comforters, so she checked out what he had laid out. A black hoodie and a pair of loose sweatpants, alongside a white undershirt. There was a little note ton top of the pile of clothes, so she unfolded the piece of paper to find a sloppily written message.
It read, 'Hey, if you need lotion, it's on top of my dresser, feel free to use as much as you like' at least it's what she thought it says. Isaac had disastrous handwriting, but at least he was thinking about her needs. The warm feeling blossoming in her chest only confirmed the fact that she was falling in love with this guy all over again. If Isaac truly was lonely, she'll make sure she makes him just as happy with her as she is to be with him.
The bottle of lotion was indeed on top of his dresser and she decided she didn't want to dry out her skin, so she pumped out a good portion of the cream into her palm and spread it across her entire body. She then realized that Isaac had smelled just like the lotion when she was hugging him and she could only describe the scent as 'clean'.
'Oh, so this is why he smelled great. Ehehe, it's a little embarrassing to be thinking stuff like Isaac's scent, but I guess he doesn't have to know'
After putting on the outfit Isaac had chosen, Monika was without a doubt, a happy camper. A long, hot shower and a comfy sweatshirt made her feel incredible. She was even tempted to skip her way back to the dining room, but resisted the temptation.
As she rounded the corner she saw Isaac sitting at the wooden dining table. In front of him was a ceramic bowl and mug, alongside a matching set across for him, presumably for her. She decided to get a good look at him, since she was too busy teasing him and simultaneously holding back the water works when she first met him. Isaac was decently tanned, showing that he went outside pretty often. His raven locks were noticeable shorter on the sides compared to the top and was parted to the back right part of his head. This style was entirely foreign to the Japanese girl, who was used to the messy, spiky hair the male NPCs possesed back in her hellish nightmare. Then her pale face flushed red, when she noticed that he filled out his tanktop very nicely, with a toned chest and muscled arms. He wasn't necessarily very big, but he absolutely had definition. His black scarf was wrapped loosely around his neck and looked warm, even though she found it a little odd to be wearing one inside the house. She shouldn't judge though, if it was as soft as it was when she had tossed it at his face, she could understand why he was wearing it.
Isaac's cough dragged her back into the present "If your done standing there, I could grab you something to eat." she seemed to have embarrassed her boyfriend with her appraising look.
She beamed at him with her patented Monika Smile ™ and nodded, not trusting her voice to stay steady if she replied verbally.
Isaac made his way over to the kitchen, which happened to be a stone's throw away from the dining table and was even in the same room. This allowed her to see him ladle out some sort of liquid from the pot that was simmering on the stove into her bowl and set that aside. Then the all too familiar shrill of a kettle announced to the two that the water was ready for beverage making, which she assumed was tea.
Her intuition was spot, after he had poured the boiling water into her mug, he plucked a tea bag from a tin he had in his cupboards. He cautiously carried the mug and the bowl back to the dining table and set the two in front of me, the steam lazily wafting up into his glasses, fogging them up. With a giggle, I slowly reached up and pried them off his face, which had surprise written all over it. I wiped his semi-frame less lenses, which were absolutely filthy by the way, the grime basically made it looked foggy anyways! Once she was done with her cleaning, she gently folded it and handed it back to him with a teasing comment on how unclean the lenses were.
Isaac sheepishly grinned and told her he would take better care of his glasses. He then went back to the stove to doll out his portion out as well. Monika decided to see what was on the menu and saw that inside the bowl was a thick, chocolate-like soup, with flashes of white sprinkled throughout the liquid.
"Isaac? What are we eating, I've never seen a dish like this before." she wasn't disgusted at all, because she knew Isaac wouldn't feed her something that wasn't edible, but she just wanted to know what to expect from her food.
"Oh right! Sorry, I kinda forgot that you wouldn't be used to the things I eat, hehe silly me." he laughed nervously as he sat back down with his food and drink
"The stuff in the bowl is called champorado. It's basically chocolate rice porridge and it's one of my favorite comfort foods. It's a Filipino dish and my grandma would make this whenever it rained when I was younger. I also got you green tea, with some honey and orange juice mixed in to make you feel better, wouldn't want ya getting a cold! "
Her heart clenched painfully.
Here she was, eating a meal with somebody who she cares for with all her heart. The best part was, she knew that he was real and that this situation wasn't some part of cruel joke. Isaac had something of a warm air about him, which enveloped her in his warmth. This, combined with the simple act of concern for her well being almost drove her to tears, for she could have never imagined a scenario back in her prison. Being here, with him, seemed all too good for her.
"Ahh crap, did I say something wrong? You, uh, seem sad. I'm sorr-" a light and shaky grasp of his hand promptly shut him up.
"No, you didn't do anything wrong, its just-" she paused, mentally yanking at her words to come back to her "It's the fact that you're you Isaac. You took me in and gave me a hot bath and meal, you're making sure I don't get sick, and you're just… real! Gosh, I'm just having trouble wrapping my head around the fact that I'm with someone who I love, in your reality!"
Isaac nodded hesitantly and gently intertwined his fingers with hers " You're real Monika, this is really happening to you. I'll be here for you whenever, day or night. It'll take some gettin used to I think, to this whole you being here, thing but know that… Well I'm glad your here is all."
"Ehehe, thanks Isaac, really. I should be the confident one shouldn't I? I should stop being such a baby, right?"
He scoffed "Like I would blame you for being overwhelmed, I definitely would act the same as you no doubt about it! Nobody is gonna fault you at all, and besides it's only me here, and I ain't gonna judge." He held his free hand up as if he was being sworn into office, which Monika smiled softly at the sight and at his reassurances.
A comfortable silence developed, their hands still meshed together.
"The foods getting cold, we should eat." She pulled her hand away and decided to taste test the fabled comfort food in front of her. "Oh! This is good! It's still warm and the chocolate gives the rice a smooth feel!"
"Glad you enjoy it, honestly was kinda nervous giving you this since it is kinda a weird concept, but it seems like I made a good call! Try out the tea as well!"
The tea was just as excellent, the rich honey and citrus zang of the orange both gave the tea a soothing yet energetic aftertaste. She was impressed at his menu choice and was compelled to ask how he learned how to cook.
"Oh you know, I just practice a lot and cook for myself usually. My Lola, which is grandma in filipino, taught me all the basics and passed on some tasty family recipes!" He seemed to be a grandma's boy for sure "Okay since you asked a question lemme ask one of mine. How'd you know my name, when you first showed up? I'm pretty sure I didn't say my name, yet you knew it before I said a word."
"Ehehe, I guess that is kinda weird~ But I knew your name because you told me game, remember? You named your character the same as your IRL name. I also remember us spending a lot of time talking in our room, so I guess I feel closer to you than I should, given the fact that we technically haven't met yet. Gosh, that does sound weird huh?"
"Imma have to agree with that one Monika. But I just feel like that I know more about you than you know about me, since ya know, I wasn't able to talk to you and everything." He looked apologetic for some reason, it's not like he could've done anything about it "So what I'm askin is is there anythin you wanna know 'bout me?"
She hummed a bit, sipping her tea as she gave his question some thought "Well, I do have one question but it may be a bit rude. Would you mind if I ask anyway?"
"For sure, go ahead." he nodded, leaning towards her with curiosity etched into his eyes.
"Do you have depression?"
'He clearly wasn't expecting that' but she had to know.
"Gosh I know this came out of nowhere but I really do want to make you happy! Like you've seen how people can hide things like this and I can't bear the thought of you suffering through such a thing without some support. You saved me somehow, from that game, so now it's my turn to help you, because I love you, don't doubt that. I promise to you that I will be the best girlfriend ever okay~!." she hoped that her eyes conveyed the sincerity in her only she had time to write a poem!
A soft chuckle came from his lips, "Just hearing you say that…" he trailed off, dazed by her conviction "No I don't have depression, I never have. I've lived a good life with many blessings, so what is there to be upset about. No the worst thing that I've been dealing with recently would be, oh I guess loneliness?"
"This house is just way too big to be living in with only your dog, I feel like ever since I moved in life hasn't been at full volume, like I was underwater. Every step was just going through the motions and I was just drifting around…" she could see his eyes shimmering, so she gently squeezed his hand in encouragement "But now, food has never tasted better! Everything in this house feels real now! I-I can't explain it, and I know it sounds cheesy, but I bet it's because your here.I think having my wonderful girlfriend with me will make this house a lot more homier."
That smile of his was a treasure to see, Monika promised to herself she'd wouldn't ever forget it.
We finished dinner shortly after that, and I insisted that I wash the dishes since he had cooked. He protested as I thought he would but I refused to completly take advantage of Isaac, that wouldn't be very girlfriend-dy!
He relented, showing me where the sponge and soap were. As I got down to work cleaning, he stood by me, watching. I thought he wanted to make sure I was doing it right, but instead he rinsed the excess food off the plates that I had yet to wash. We made short work of the dishes and pots that he used to cook, falling into a rhythem. He would first rinse the plates first and would hand it over to me to wash. It was really romantic that we would 'accidentally' brush hands with one another and I made sure to flash him a cutesy smile every time. That blush of his is a cute look on him.
Once we finished up everything, he grabbed my hand gently and led me to a room that wasn't his bedroom or the bathroom
"So uh, here's the spare room of the house, theres spare blankets in the closet there and-" I swiftly interupted him with a deadpan pout.
"C'mon Isaac! We're already past that part of out relationship, right? Stop being so silly~"
I yanked his arm and forcibly dragged him back to his bedroom. I childishly hopped onto his bed and jumped up and down a few times before finally faceplanting into the soft sheets.
"Ahh, you're bed is as soft as it looks Isaac!" I muffled out through the blankets and bed coverings.
I twisted to my side and looked at him staring at me dumbly. Giggling I motioned him over and panted the bed next to me. It took him a bit to register the message, but he slowly padded over to his bed and layed beside me. He then surprised me , by quickly wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me close to him, the feeling of his body and his smell overwhelming her senses.
"G'night Monika, I love you." he pecked my bangs quickly and I felt like it was my turn to blush.
"Good night Isaac, I love you too." She had never slept so quickly as she did that night.
AN: Critiques would be very much appreciated, since I'm trying to provide the same quality material as Parcasious, whose one of the best authors on this site IMO. So tips for improving would be great. Thanks for the reviews guys, glad to know its a good concept.