Just For Tonight

Mathias thought he, by some cosmic joke, may have accidentally found Lolo's little sister. “Uh … huh …” he said, “... I'm sure that's what all the people in trucks say when they take to new random cities.” He said unconvinced.

“You think this happens a lot?” Serena asked him, a little too hopefully.

“No. I do not. That was sarcasm.” Mathias said and stopped letting our a deep exhale. “Do you even have a place to sleep tonight or are you just going to find a random box?”

Serena shook her head no. “I don’t have a place with a couch,” she said, miming his action from earlier. “Or a place without a couch.”

“Do you at least have a box?” Mathias asked.

Serena looked around, hoping to see one.

“Thanks not … wow. It was a yes or no answer.” Mathias said, dragging a hand across his face.

“No. But at least it’s not raining,” she said, trying to find the bright side.

“Yet.” Mathias said offhandedly. “How long have you been …” He made a motion at all of Serena. “... out by yourself.”

“By myself?” Serena held up 4 fingers. “Four days. But the drove for a long time before that, since the bombs went off.”

“Bombs?” Mathias said his concern for the kid growing.

“I’m not supposed to talk about it,” Serena repeated, “but yeah, they bombed the building and then another building, and now... “She shrugged. “Free.”

“So they just … set you out … in the Spawl. Just like that?” Mathias asked eyebrows up.

“That’s where this is?” Serena asked. “He said I’d be safe, but this isn’t. So far someone stoled all my credits an’ someone else threatened to cut off my arm on account of I took two apples.”

“Yea, they do that here …” Mathias said walking up to the stairs leading to the cracked door that was his home. He stopped after a few steps and let out a sharp exhale. “ … you coming or what kid.” Mathias asked without looking back.

“Really?” Serena asked happily, yet a little warily. “But… I tried to take your money. An’ I ate your dinner.”

“Tried and failed to take my money and I gave you my dinner.” Mathias clarified as he quietly opened it. “Just keep your voice down, I got a brother and sister who are asleep. It’s one night you get a safe warm place to sleep and tomorrow you can hop your merry way on to wherever.”

“One night!” Serena agreed happily. “Safe an’ warm. Tomorrow I’ll hop off.”

Mathias motioned for the girl to follow reminding her to be quiet. He was careful which lights to turn on, Isaac was already home but dead to the world in his closet, he would be hard to wake. Cyd looked like she had already gone to bed too seeing her door closed.

“Bathrooms there if you need it.” Mathias explained. “My name is Mathias by the way, that lump in the closet my little brother Issac, and my sister Cyd is in that room.” He explained hanging his coat.

“I’m Serena,” she whispered, pointing to herself, while stifling a yawn.

“Just a few things, keep your hands to yourself, no stealing in the house, especially from the red jacket.” Mathias warned passing her an old shirt of his and a pair of shorts Lolo had long grown out of. He realized now why so many folks in the Sprawl were borderline hoarders. This moment her only justified the condition. “If you wana sleep in something more comfortable. Go on and change in the bathroom.” He offered holding the makeshift sleepwear out for the girl.

Serena took it and skipped to the bathroom to get changed. It was almost like being back with the Erinyes…. Almost.

Mathis quickly changed into sweats and a shirt he had gotten doing a last-minute gig. It was a quality shirt if it wasn’t a walking billboard for Doki Doki neuro protein bars … now in family size. He laid down blankets on the couch for Serena and set himself up on the lazy boy with another blanket. Now that everything was winding down it was all crashing down and yawn sitting down on the lazy boy he barely fit on.

“I could stay there instead,” Serena yawned, already sprawling on the couch.

“Just for tonight …” Mathias said sleepily. The world was not built for anyone remotely considered tall and Mathias had long come to terms with the fact there was nothing that would fit him properly. So sleeping on the lazy boy required some cleverness and arranging his limbs and blanket just right. Thankfully at this point, he was dead tired so he was already drifting off ignoring the uncomfortable lumps.

“Just for tonight,” Serena agreed sleepily, her eyelids drooping closed.