Clawed & Flawed: A Nekoma Story

Chapter 6

Sunday – 6 A. M.

"You can just put the bags on the table. I'll store them," the owner of the house instructed.

"Sure, I'll start cooking breakfast then," he grabbed a spare apron and tied them behind his back. "The house looks clean and organized. Are you sure you just moved in yesterday? Other than the boxes, everything seems to be in place."

Kuroo opened the cabinets and kitchen drawers. Each of the storage space was filled with an array of tools ranging from peelers and graters to a highly specialized appliance like a microplane and perfectly sharpened variety of knives. Other than the lack of ingredients, the house was fully furnished with a washer, drier, vacuum cleaner, electric kettle, and induction stove.

However hard he tried to find a hole in the amenities and facility of the house, but to no avail. It looked like a normal and fairly traditional dwelling from the outside although the interior blew him away by how well-equipped it was.

"My parents renovated the whole interior about a year ago and they sent someone to look after it once a week even when no one was staying."

"Rich people never fail to amaze me. I'll use the tools if you don't mind."

"Use anything you need. Be careful with the knives. They're really sharp. I used one of them to open all the boxes and almost cut myself. And don't worry about the dishes, I'll take care of it," the kid explained while storing the freshly bought ingredients in the fridge and pantry.

"Why would you open boxes with a knife in the first place? That's really dangerous. Does your recklessness know no end?" he opened a packet of natto.

His companion stretched their back after unloading everything from the grocery bags before folding them into tiny triangles and stored them in one large plastic bag before storing them under the sink. Shiro took a seat on the dining table that was facing the stove directly and scrolled through their phone mindlessly.

'I've never seen a boy that pretty before. What's he hiding those baggy long sleeves of his? Is he self-conscious about his figure? Or maybe he's secretly buff and has a set of killer abs. What if he's more fit than me? Lev is already taking the tall category. How can I be a cool captain if the freshmen kept on getting cooler every year,' his thought wandered as he cooked two sunny side ups.

A few minutes had passed, Kuroo avoided looking back just in case his junior had been staring at him the whole time. He focused on cooking a set of healthy breakfast consisting of a bowl of miso soup with seaweed and tofu, fried egg, natto in soy sauce, and two pieces of grilled sausages. Suddenly, he felt the lack of presence behind him.

'Did he leave? I didn't hear anything. Maybe I should check,' he eventually carried the plates of food to the table.

The soft-spoken teen had buried their face in an elbow with the hood over their head as the other hand was barely holding the phone. Kuroo smiled at the foolish yet pure scenery. He placed the meal before folding the apron and placing it on the back of an empty chair. The tall captain observed the opened boxes scattered underneath the stair. Most of the contents were exposed; suggesting Shiro's lack of privacy around him.

They contained vacuum-sealed bags of what he assumed were clothes. The lack of variety in color put a smile on his face. The plain and simple-minded side of Shiro were embodied in their fashion sense. At most, there were four different colors judging from the ones he could see; black, white, different shades of grey, and maroon.

Kuroo put a hand on top of the hooded figure's head and whispered, "Wake up and eat something before going back to bed."

The sleepy teen rubbed their eyes before sitting up straight to eat.

"I hope you don't mind eating natto. They're good for your health and I made sure that the flavor is not too strong," he blew on his miso soup. "Hey! Open your eyes! How can you eat half asleep?"

"Sorry, it tastes and looks great. I promise I'll cook dinner next time," Shiro mumbled while scooping the natto with a chopstick.

"Hahaha... We can arrange that next time. Focus on eating. I'll bring you some rice later."

"Sure," they answered drowsily.

"And I'll help you clean the whole house."

"Mhm."

"There's a wolf behind you."

"Okay."

'This kid is barely listening anymore. His muscle memory to eat with a chopstick is preposterous. Just how often does this happen? So much for saying that I look like I can sleep anywhere. This guy can function normally while sleeping. How scary,' he finished his meal and took Shiro's empty plate.

Kuroo ended up doing the dishes and organizing the boxes as best as he can before checking on the homeowner who was still deep in slumber.

"You must be exhausted, huh? Should I carry you to bed?" he wondered.

"Leave me here. Let yourself in after lunch," the kid mumbled.

"Gosh, that airplane mode is really creepy," Kuroo got startled by the unexpected answer.

The kind-hearted captain took off his jacket and covered his junior with it like a blanket before taking his leave. He didn't even bother going out quietly as he was confident that Shiro wouldn't wake up even if the house was on fire. He ran back home and started with his own chore.

The early morning breeze shook the wind chime above the lonely patio of the Nekomata household and played a morose tune; the one seeking recognition from its surrounding. Kuroo finished helping around the house and prepared a meal for his family before retiring to his room on the second floor. He opened the window to let the fresh air linger as he enjoyed the view.

"Eh? Isn't that Shiro-kun's house? I guess I can watch over him from now," he saw movement from the second story window of the house and smiled. "What is that kid up to now?"