Choice Cuts

Just Another Chill Day

Muffled Christmas songs filter in through the wall of their apartment and into Dawn’s ears, their corny lyrics and even cornier melodies making her already spinning head swirl even more. 

She reaches out a hand for the neck of the wine bottle and misses. Dawn scowls and tries again. 

A hand gently slaps hers away. “Stop that, you’re gonna knock it all over the table.” A gruff voice scolds, and another hand wraps around the neck to get it away from her. Dawn scowls at said hand and at the person it’s attached to. 

“Don’t look at me like that.” Sig says, not looking at her but instead at the wall-mounted tv in front of them. “You’re a clumsy drunk.” he says. 

Dawn slumps back on his lap, crossing her arms. “Am not.” she says, pouting. 

Sig laughs, and Dawn savours the rumbling feeling of it along her back. She instinctively leans back some more. 

“Oh yeah?” Sig starts, and Dawn knows he was smiling without needing to turn around. “Beat this for me, then.” he challenges, and hands her the gamepad. She accepts it and tests some of the buttons. 

Dawn was minutes into the current level when Sig taps her arm. She pauses the game and glares at him, thinking he was going to rib her again about the way she’s playing. “What?” she hisses.

“Get off, I need to fuckin’ piss.” he says, chuckling. 

Dawn gets off of him with a huff and slouches against the sofa cushions. She waits until Sig’s out of the living room before resuming the game. 

She stares intently at the screen, eyeing the puzzle pieces that look like a rainbow vomited all over them.

“You better solve yourself, or else.” she says lowly. 

The miniature puzzle pieces start to slide and slot themselves into the proper places on their own. In seconds, an image of a rabbit made entirely out of swirling water is complete. 

A few moments later, Sig comes back into the room. 

“It was so easy.” she says, looking over at him from the sofa. “You were just shit at it.” she finishes with a grin. 

Sig takes it in stride. He plops down on the soft cushions beside her. He reaches for her next and Dawn eagerly climbs up his lap again. “Not as shit as you playing COD, though.” he shoots back, tone smug. 

Dawn smirks up at him. “Bet.”

|Originally written: January 02, 2023