Eclipse

Did He Really Just Say That?

Okay Sam. Final day. I tried to hype myself up, still a little discomforted from my own spiral last night. I really need to get a grip. The kid is great, the issue is me. How do I fix it? I don't know. The paint on my nails made me feel warm and tense in a conflicting way. I wish I knew why. Maybe then I could sort my issues out and just function. I dragged myself to the bathroom a good while before Mira woke up, determined to look presentable on my last day here.

My hair is halfway down my neck by now, something I'll need to take care of before the exams. Mira woke up a bit after I'd finished cooking breakfast. After helping her get ready, she was up and running far more smoothly than I could ever hope. Man, I'm really not a morning person. I looked around the cupboards, but found no coffee in sight. I'm halfway through doing Mira's hair when she starts asking for today's activities. I've got nothing planned or at hand.

"Well... what sort of stuff do you want to do?" I ask hesitantly.

Hopefully she doesn't try to convince me to get a pet for her again.

"Shopping!" Her answering chirp is instant and sure.

I racked my brain for a second, wondering if this is something her father would object to.

"What kind of shopping?" I asked hesitantly.

Her face fell into something serious. "Not grocery."

I smiled a little. Fair enough. Out of all the types of shopping, grocery was probably the most boring.

"Well..." I trailed off. "I do need to look at some furniture for my place."

Wave's mission had been reclassified from a C rank to an A rank. The pay was enough to cover three months of expenses, but the lack of furniture was really starting to grate on my nerves. I would rather invest in a nice home than financial security when I could take D-ranks as often as I could to make up for it.

"Do you think you'd be interested in helping me choose some stuff for my apartment?"

Mira met my eye through the mirror, judging her hair seriously before nodding in approval. Her hair was pulling back into a ponytail, streaks of pink lining her hair. Thankfully she didn't insist on painting my hair green like last time.

"Someone's got to make sure you don't make your house ugly," Mira sniffed haughtily, daintily hopping off her stool and exiting the bathroom with a flounce in her step.

I shook my head, exasperated. I forgot what it was like to have younger siblings. I ran a hand through my hair and closed the door behind me, going to the kitchen to start on breakfast. Mira worked on a 'welcome home' picture for her dad while I cooked. I listened to her lively chatter with half an ear, making sure to not let anything burn while I served her a cup of juice. Mira was just about done with her picture when I set down an omelet in front of her.

"Thanks, niisan!" She cheered, happily shoving her crayons back into their box and out of her way.

I set down my plate across from her and hummed in response, still working on getting the last of my sleepiness to ebb. Breakfast was quiet, if only because Mira seemed to be set on breaking the record for quickest time spent on consuming an omelet. I was almost envious. Ah, to be young and bursting with energy. My chewing paused briefly. I'm... I'm not thirty two anymore. I'm thirteen. Twelve? Fuck.

"Hurry up niisan!" Mira urged, chugging down the rest of her juice and rushing her dishes to the sink.

I looked at my mostly full plate and back at the kid scrubbing at her plate furiously. I sighed, resigned, and folded my omelet into a thick square, resolutely not thinking about the sheer volume of egg I was consuming. At least the broccoli muted most of the flavor. Still, my cheeks made me look like a chipmunk as Mira came and took my plate and cup to wash. I was still swallowing down the last of my food when Mira ran to the front door. She swung open the door and slammed it closed the second I had stepped out, eagerly running down the stairs.