Two lives.

32. Nothing important

June 1st
2:04 PM

My stomach growled, loud enough to be embarrassing, and I decided it was time to get up and find something to eat.

I wandered over to the kitchen, where the usual suspects were hanging out. Ekko was perched on the kitchen island, swinging one leg lazily. Twitch sat quietly on a stool, eating cereal like it was the only thing keeping him alive. Skin leaned against the counter, scrolling through his phone with an expression that screamed boredom.

“Well, look who finally decided to join us,” Skin quipped without even looking up.

Ekko turned his head slightly, glancing over his shoulder at me. His lips curled into a small, barely-there smile before he turned back around like nothing happened.

“I’ve been awake,” I shot back, narrowing my eyes at Skin in a fake glare before breaking into a grin.

“You sure about that?” Skin teased, still not bothering to look up.

Ignoring him, I headed for the fridge. “I’m hungry,” I muttered, pulling open the doors with maybe more force than necessary.

“You’re wasting your time,” Ekko said casually from behind me. “There’s nothing in there. Or, well… nothing you like.”

I could hear the smirk in his voice. Before I could respond, I felt a light nudge against the back of my leg. I glanced down to see his foot retreating, a playful kick meant to annoy me just enough to look at him.

“I’m looking anyway,” I mumbled, leaning into the fridge like something new and amazing might magically appear.

I scanned the shelves, but Ekko wasn’t wrong. It was the same sad lineup of leftovers, condiments, and mystery items wrapped in tinfoil. Still, I kept staring, hoping that maybe, just maybe, something edible would materialize.

From behind me, I heard Skin chuckle under his breath. He leaned over toward Ekko, whispering something I couldn’t quite catch, followed by a low laugh from Ekko.

“What?” I said, still halfway in the fridge.

“Nothing,” Ekko replied smoothly, but the amusement in his voice said otherwise.

I pulled back, narrowing my eyes at both of them. Skin was grinning now, clearly entertained, while Ekko just raised an eyebrow, his expression infuriatingly neutral.

“Y’all are annoying,” I muttered, slamming the fridge doors shut for dramatic effect.

Skin finally put his phone down, leaning forward on the counter with a smirk. “Don’t blame us for the fact that you’re picky and can’t cook.”

“I can cook,” I shot back, crossing my arms.

“Ramen doesn’t count,” Ekko added, his tone teasing but light enough that it didn’t feel mean.

“Neither does cereal,” I pointed out, nodding toward Twitch, who was still silently eating and very obviously pretending not to be a part of this conversation.

For a moment, Ekko’s smirk faltered, just enough for me to notice, before he leaned back and shrugged. “Fair point,” he said, conceding the argument.

I sighed, letting the cool air from the fridge brush my face one last time before shutting the doors with a soft thud. Spinning around, I hopped up onto the kitchen island next to Ekko.

“We could go to the dining hall and grab something to eat,” I suggested, letting my legs swing back and forth.

Ekko tilted his head toward me, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Yeah? Let’s do it.”