Liminal Lonely- Bachira Meguru (Blue Lock)

Prologue

Meguru burst out laughing as soon as he sat at the dinner table, which obviously set off his mother in her own spiel.

"What now? Does the food look weird or something?" Yuu said between giggles.

"No, it's just," Meguru gestured vaguely, murmuring a thanks for the food before digging in, "Maybe we should've bathed before eating." And that they should've, since one person wearing paint covered clothes and one person wearing dirt covered clothes, was probably not the most hygienic situation.

Yuu grinned and started to eat.

"Well, I bathed before cooking so that's good enough. If anything, you're the one who needs to bathe."

"It's too late now!"

"Microwaves exist for a reason."

"Now I don't want to," he said with his mouth full. "'s real good." Yuu rested her head in her palm, propped up.

"Thank you for enjoying it so." Meguru smiled proudly and for a couple minutes, only the clatter of plates and cutlery was heard. They finished eating at the same time and leaned back in their chairs.

"I hope you do actually shower before sleeping at least. You know how-"

"-how much of a pain it is to get stains of my sheets, yes I'm aware, dear mother." Yuu got up and gathered the dishes, her head turned up with a hidden pout. Meguru instinctively got up to help, balancing some on his arms (with surprising success).

"Now when did you get to be such a snarky kid?"

"I dunno, but I learn from the best." He promptly received a gentle flick on the forehead, causing a chopstick to fall to the floor as he grinned. The rest of the dishes rattled into the sink as Meguru bounded up the stairs.

"Don't forget to put-"

"-put my clothes in the laundry!"

"That!"

Meguru didn't quite feel like taking a bath today, so shower it would be. This decision was definitely not affected by a Chris Prince game starting in approximately five minutes. Four now, he yelped as cold water hit him. If his record time was two minutes, then how long would it take for a rabbit to hop the distance between Earth and the Sun? Assuming the cute, floppy eared variety of course. He reckoned if they put jet packs on it, at most a minute and thirty-five seconds. Plus or minus a year.

"Perfect!" he slipped into pyjamas and noisely made it to his room, his towel still draped around his shoulders. A screen lit up as he rummaged around for his stash of gummies that he was sure Yuu knew about yet never mentioned. She'd always praised him for having no cavities whenever they went to the dentist, and the constant daily exercise helped, so he figured she just didn't consider it nag-worthy. He bounced onto his bed, making sure not to make the frame creak.

"It's starting, it's starting!"