Just Us

The city outside roared with its usual chaos — honking traffic, hero headlines, and skyscrapers that blinked with synthetic light.

But inside the apartment, everything was still.

⸻

Cyntia sat cross-legged on the floor, hair in a bun, humming softly while sorting groceries.

Kai lay sideways on the couch, half-buried in a blanket, one arm dangling off the edge as he scrolled through code he wasn’t really reading.

“Did you know,” she said suddenly, “that ice cream isn’t technically medicine?”

Kai glanced up. “…Why would it be?”

She held up a tub of half-melted vanilla with fake seriousness. “Because I felt better after eating it. That counts.”

“You also felt better after skipping class. Doesn’t make it therapy.”

“Disagree,” she said, opening the freezer with her foot. “Skipping class and eating ice cream? That’s healing.”

⸻

It was holiday break. No lectures. No work today. Just the two of them and a flickering lamp that buzzed every time the heater kicked in.

Their apartment was cramped — barely enough room for a mattress, a coffee table, and a hand-me-down rice cooker. But it smelled like laundry and cheap candles, and felt more like home than anywhere else.

Kai glanced at her over his screen. “You’re off today?”

“Miracle, right?” she said, stretching. “Boss said I deserved rest. I said thank you and left before he changed his mind.”

He smirked. “You threaten him?”

“No. I just smiled. That’s enough.”

⸻

They spent the rest of the morning doing almost nothing.

Cyntia played music through her cracked phone speaker. Kai refilled the water tank. She danced barefoot to a song that didn’t match her rhythm. He watched her, pretending not to.

⸻

Later, they curled up on opposite ends of the couch, sharing a single blanket and a pack of instant noodles.

Kai stirred the noodles with chopsticks while Cyntia scrolled through a quiz titled “Which Hero Would Be Your Ideal Partner?”

“Guess who I got,” she said.

Kai raised an eyebrow. “Please don’t say Krakatar.”

She grinned. “Krakatar.”

He groaned. “Of course.”

“He’s strong, kind, and emotionally stable.”

“That quiz is propaganda.”

“You’re just jealous.”

Kai gave her a sideways look. “If Krakatar actually walked in here, I’d throw this soup at him.”

Cyntia laughed, mouth full. “You’re so dramatic.”

“Heroes are too perfect. It’s suspicious.”

“You sound like an old man.”

He didn’t respond, just watched the steam rise from his cup.

She noticed.

“Hey,” she said softly. “Just for today… can it just be us?”

Kai looked up. “It always is.”

⸻

That night, they lay in their separate corners of the room — her on the bed, him on a floor mattress with a worn-out blanket. The window buzzed faintly from the cold air outside.

“Kai?” she asked in the dark.

“Yeah?”

“If everything stayed like this… would you be okay?”

He thought for a moment. The silence stretched.

“Yeah,” he said. “I think I would.”

⸻

This was their world. Small. Simple. Safe.

No headlines. No powers. Just her warmth, his quiet, and the in-between.

And for now, that was enough

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