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much to her dismay, paruko was not the night owl she thought she was, or used to be. her intentions to stay awake well into the night to greet her girlfriend as she came home were quickly foiled as drowsiness anchors her body on their shared bed, weighing down on her eyelids as she attempts to blink herself awake yet for the umpteenth time.
the apartment remains silent, as it had been for hours, the air only disturbed by the quiet beeping of the gameboy in paruko’s hands. what had she been doing? oh, that’s right. a game over screen plasters itself over the device’s display, and the anemone tosses it to the side with a quiet sigh. a brief glance to the alarm clock sitting amidst the junk spread across her nightstand tells her that it’s 1:17 am. only another forty minutes until marie would be getting off stage, and another hour until she walks through the door. she could definitely handle that.
she should probably at least change out of her day clothes, at least. she wouldn’t want to waste any time getting unready once marie gets back. begrudgingly, she gets up, rubbing stubborn sleep from her eyes as she shuffles into the pair’s walk in wardrobe. the damn thing was larger than paruko’s childhood bedroom, for kelp’s sake.
she slips on a pair of well-loved pyjama bottoms and the first oversized shirt from the front of the drawer. it turns out to be one of marie’s, an old, ratty piece of chirpy chips tour merch from their very first set of real concerts. it brushes against her knees, and has her face plastered on the front, but she’s too tired to pay much mind to it. instead, she heads into the ensuite bathroom.
squinting in front of the mirror, she shakes her hair out of its usual lazy pigtails, coaxing out its inhabitant. pixel tiredly frees himself from his spot in her pigtail, giving her face an annoyed headbutt.
“yeah, i know dude, but it’s bedtime. unless you wanna be stuck in there all night, you gotta get out.”
pixel rolls his eyes and rests himself on the towel rack next to the sink. with a mildly amused huff, the anemone gathers her hair into a loose bun, fitting her protective bonnet over top. normally, she would then take the time to go through the rest of her night routine, taking care of her skincare and teeth, but the overwhelming fatigue drags her back to the comfy confines of the bed.
after flopping back down onto the bed, she opens her phone and begins to scroll. oh, right! they had started live streaming splatfest performances on inkstagram recently. she searches for the official squid sisters promotional page, then clicks the link to open the stream. they would still be performing for another thirty minutes, so she lays down on her side and props her phone up against a pillow. pixel wanders into the room, and settles down beside her head.
they really had gone all out this time, both sisters decked out in brand new outfits complete with pulsing lights, paying homage to older chirpy chips performances with the same technology. seeing marie in action brings a smile to the girl’s face. she looks so happy to be back on stage, and it fills paruko’s heart with so much warmth knowing that her girlfriend is enjoying her career again after so much uncertainty. she deserves every last second of this. as the intro to their newest single fades in, she rests her eyes for a moment, listening to the upbeat synths dance through the beginning vocals.
she is suddenly aware of gentle arms wrapping around her waist, a familiar warmth pressing against her back and resting atop her shoulder.
“…mm…you’re back..?”
marie laughs softly, and paruko can hear her crooked smile bleed through her words.
“mhmm, just got back a few minutes ago.”
“oh…” a pang of disappointment, “i was tryna stay up, did…did i fall asleep?”
“you were asleep when i came in, but i don’t mind. let’s talk in the morning, alright?”
paruko pauses. “i think…i’m gettin’ old. real old.”
marie stifles a laugh. “you’re 27, love. you’re nowhere near old age.”
“…promise?”
“i promise. now, why don’t you get some rest, sleepyhead?”
paruko smiles as she shuffles closer to the inkling, adjusting the covers to engulf them both.
“…mm…yeah, okay. g’niiight.”
marie presses a gentle kiss to her neck, holding her close.
“goodnight, sweetheart.”