Thirty Seven

"...even. Thirty Seven. Hey! Snap out of it!"

I snap awake, face to face with a rugged demonkind. He's got a little scruff on his chin, and dark bags under his eyes that somehow match his cute unkempt hair. Ahaha, it's Luke; Designation Six Dash Nine.

"Uuooa... hey, how long have you been here?"

His eyebrows scrunch together, seemingly irritated at my question. 

"What do you mean, 'how long have I been here'? You were the one that invited me to eat together. If you're going to fall asleep here, who's going to pay the bill?"

"Hee hee, don't be such a worrywart! I've got it, of course."

I did invite him here, right? It's a date or something!

"Hey," his tone suddenly turns serious as he places his arms on the table, leaning slightly forward. I'm intoxicated by the smell of bacon, but this looks important, "you're not skipping on your Monopyriac shots again, are you?"

"Ah.... well... maybe! ...maybe?"

"Thirty Seven!"

"Wah! I was waiting for the lab rations! They didn't come today, and they didn't come yesterday so..."

"This is why you're supposed to keep a backup supply!"

He's really angry now, isn't he. For some reason, it makes me feel warm inside when he gets mad at me like this.

"It's fiiiiine! I feel just..."

...! If only for a moment, a sharp pain strikes my gut. My stomach feels like it's twisting into knots. Yet it disappears as fast as it came, and I'm left panting.

Haaah. Haaah. Hah...

"Are you-- Agh, no, we're leaving!"

Luke hurriedly drops a few bills on the table. "Keep the change," he says, "Sorry, but we need to go!"

"I'm fine Luke, I'm sure tomorrow the Chief'll be back."

He stays silent, hoisting me up and putting my arms over his neck to support me. Haha... I wish I could enjoy the moment a little bit more, but right now I'm feeling hazy.

****

By the time I come to again, I'm at Luke's apartment. For a guy that doesn't care much about his appearance, it's really clean and tidy.

We used to spend a lot of time together when we were kids, but he hasn't let me stay here in a very long time. I wonder why he keeps me at a distance...

As my thoughts wander, he injects some Monopyriac on my arm. A golden glow flashes from the device as it drains the liquid into my body. Ahhhh! You idiot. Save the expensive stuff for yourself! 

"H-hey, um... thanks for the..."

"Can it." 

"Oh."

"This should keep your body stable for a good while. Get some rest. Take the bed."

Aaah, he's saying all this while sitting right beside me!

"Wait, wait... I can't let this go!"

I reach into my bag, pulling out my prized cat-in-a-ball, and shove it into his hand. 

"Here! As thanks for today!"

I try to ease up the mood a little by laughing. I'm sure he doesn't want a kiddy toy like that, but my bag's empty aside from my wallet. ...maybe I should've given him some money instead.

His eyes dart from the capsule toy to my face. And he starts... laughing? What's so funny?!

"If you don't want it give it back!"

"Ahaha, no, no, it's not that. You just prioritize the dumbest of things."

"What does that even mean!?"

Before I can get an answer, he gets up, cracks open the eggshell case pulls out the cat with a hat, and places it on his desk.

"Thanks. ...Mina."

With stars in my eyes, I reply.

"It was a nice day today, Luke!"