Where You Belong

Checking In

Law rubbed at his eyes, rolling over on the bed and glancing at the alarm clock beside him. It was already 9:52 in the morning. He blinked, surprised by how long he'd managed to stay asleep. Usually he woke up several times a night, but today was one of those lucky occurrences.

Noises on the floor caught his attention. Shachi and Penguin were sprawled out under a blanket, in nothing but their boxers, snoring rather loudly. He winced at a particularly phlegm-filled intake of air. It was a miracle those two got any sleep at all with the volume of noise they produced...Actually, it was a miracle anyone got sleep with them around.

Swinging his legs over the bed, he padded over to the mirror and ran a hand through his hair. The circles under his eyes were getting darker and more pronounced as time went on. With a sigh, he got dressed and opened the door without disturbing his crew mates.

"Hmm." He muttered, noticing that Lexi was no longer asleep on the couch. Then, it occurred to him that Lexi was probably on her way to class. One look in her room confirmed that her purse, book bag, and Lexi herself were all missing. He was willing to bet her truck would be gone as well.

Footsteps behind him caused Law to turn. Bepo meandered up to him, rubbing at his eyes. "Where'd Lexi go? I don't smell her." He sniffed the air once more just to be sure.

"Most likely to the university." He replied, descending the stairs. Bepo followed him to the kitchen, where the captain poured himself a cup of coffee, already brewed thanks to the timer on the machine.

"Do you think my uniform is done?" The bear asked, and Law shrugged.

"You could go check. She took it in there." He pointed to the laundry room, sipping at his coffee. Bepo went to see if he could find his uniform. Law could see that his fur was matted in some places, and thought that perhaps the bear should get a much-needed bath after most of the day spent in the rain.

Thankfully, the skies looked fairly clear, though Lexi had emphasized that the weather changed quickly here.

Something on the fridge caught his eye, and he walked closer. There was a piece of paper held by a magnet. It read:

'I'll be at classes basically all day. If you need anything just call me on my cell phone. Bepo's uniform is in the dryer so he can wear it now, and tell the boys that they aren't allowed outside of the house. No exceptions! Please take care of Nana, and don't let her touch anything dangerous. I worry about her enough already. I'll call around lunch time to check up on you guys. Lexi.'

Law put the note down, grinning at her written words. It seems she had been serious when she'd grounded his engineers. Though whether he decided to go through with her threat since she couldn't still had yet to be decided.

Bepo came back into the kitchen wearing his orange jumpsuit, looking decided happier than before. "It's a lot cleaner than before." He said.

Law nodded, downing the last of his drink. "Perhaps we'll need to give you a bath today too."

"But I don't fit in Lexi's bathroom."

"Yes, we'll have to work around that." Law said slowly, placing his empty mug in the sink. He glanced around, as if the answer would be somewhere within his line of sight, but he still drew a blank. Perhaps he'd find a way later.

The door upstairs opened again, and the two engineers rushed to the bathroom. Shachi got inside first, leaving Penguin to bang on the door helplessly.

"Come on! I've gotta go just as much as you!"

"Deal with it!" Shachi called, and Penguin looked around pleadingly. Law sighed, walking closer to the base of the stairs.

"You know there's a bathroom down on this floor, right?" Law called, and Penguin perked up as he ran down the steps two at a time. Somehow, he didn't fall flat on his face.