Delicate Love

Shiori had her back to Penny, and was picking stuff up off of the floor that seemed to have been knocked over. She wasn't moving her left arm much, or looking at Penny.

Shiori kept turning her face away from Penny, but she shook her head in response. "Ain't nothin'," she grunted. They tidied up as quickly as possible, and then Shiori went to sit down. They hadn't eaten dinner yet, but Shiori didn't seem to be going to make it. She just sat there, hunched with her arms wrapped around her knees.

In years to come, Shiori would regret this moment more than any other in her life, but doing so now meant that she never repeated it again. She was hurt, tired, and stressed. So Penny's hands on her knees brought out the worst response in her. She lashed out and shoved Penny away, not enough to hurt her or make her stumble, but it created a gap between them. Physically and metaphorically. Her expression was wild and angry, and Penny got to see the graze on Shiori's cheek that meant a broken cheekbone and a bruise that would last months. "I don't want your pity," she snarled. "I ain't no charity case, I can live fine on my own." She stopped before a rant spilled over, and frowned. "If ya hungry, ya should'a said. Wait here," she added gruffly as she got up and grabbed her jacket. "Lock the door, don't let no one in." She was out of the apartment and gone before Penny had much time to react.

Shiori returned about half an hour later, still pissed but ever so slightly sheepish. Her relief at seeing Penny still in her apartment was overshadowed by guilt at seeing her look so depressed looking, but mostly she was annoyed that Penny hadn't locked the door like she'd told her to. Shiori simply scowled and brought in her shopping. She'd bought the most basic cheese and bacon, and was going to make a simple carbonara. It wasn't something she normally ate as it was quite fatty, but she thought Penny might be impressed by Italian cuisine. If Penny stopped sulking. Shiori set to work cooking, and every so often she looked back at Penny. Oh dear, she really did look so down... And to think Shiori did that to her. The guilt began to set in by the time Shiori got to the pasta boiling, which went badly with the amount of pain she was still in. Seeing Penny like that hurt worse than a broken bone. The meal was now finished, but Shiori wasn't dishing it up. She was silently crying.

Penny heard Shiori snivel, then she wiped her face with her good hand and began to plate up. "Comin'," she mumbled. The food was served up and Shiori brought Penny's over to her first before returning to her own. Her red eyes were a definite sign that she'd been crying, though one of them was closing over from the swelling of her cheek. Shiori sat down next to Penny, but didn't start eating. She was staring at her instead, looking like she wanted to say something.

And just like that, seeing Penny cry made Shiori's eyes well up too. "Nah," she grumbled, wiping her eyes again with the back of her good hand. "I was horrible 'n stupid. I'm sorry, Pen... C-c'mon, let's eat," she encouraged, hastily stuffing food into her mouth before she could cry and make more of a fool of herself anymore. Ugh, she burned the cheese sauce a bit.

[I totally wrote Pen by accident hahaha.] Shiori knew Penny had more to say, so she held back until she was done. She was smiling like a goon by the time Penny finished. "I-I know, Penny," she reassured her. "What I said, I didn't mean it. None of it. I was mad 'n ashamed, but it ain't no real excuse. Livin'... Livin' with you'd be so, so awesome," she admitted. "It'd make me so happy, but ya don't need to worry 'bout that. I want ya to be happy more'n anythin'. So if it means me stayin' with ya... I-I'll pull ma weight. I'll pay all the bills 'n stuff ya want me to. I-I'll cook for ya!" Her excitement made her look ten years younger.

Shiori smirked a bit. "I don't think either of us're gonna be movin' much stuff," she said, seeing as it was already night time. Also they'd both been pretty badly beaten up so it wasn't like they could carry anything that distance. Shiori would love to leave her right now, but it wasn't feasible until the morning at least. Penny's joy and youthful energy did make her want to leave sooner though.

They ate their food and continued to chat happily, like nothing bad had happened to either of them that day. In fact, being with Penny made Shiori forget how shit her entire life had been. She would definitely love to move in with Penny. After they'd eaten, Shiori gave the dishes a spartan washing and put them away.

Shiori turned to Penny and cringed a bit. "I-I'd love to, but..." In case Penny had forgotten, she shrugged one shoulder to indicate that one of her arms wasn't really working right now. A one-handed massage would be a letdown. "It ain't gonna be good," she said, to show she wasn't going to not do it even though she was in pain.

Shiori just curled her lip slightly and shook her head. "Nah, ain't nothin' to be done," she said. "Just gotta make sure it heals straight... I-I can give ya a gentle back rub 'stead of a massage, that a'ight?"

Shiori sat down next to Penny but then stopped to squint at Penny. Should she take her shirt off? Man, Penny said some things sometimes...