reveilation | IC INBOX

Not all savory food needs garlic. I never use that much garlic.

[ They will both just be standing in the aisle clutching this little container of salt forever. ]

You can use things like shoyu or dashi for flavor— things with more flavor than just "salt." I'll teach you.

[ ... Okay. Soy sauce. He can understand that. But... dashi... hm...

oh. ]

Is "dashi" the thing where it gives a lot of... umami or whatever?

[ The heck is that. He gradually loosens his grip on the salt container though, so that Kido doesn't fall back onto the floor. ]

[ Soy sauce is liquid salt anyways, with dashi used to lighter things. Kido places the salt back on the shelf, picks up her basket again, and resumes trying to shove Terry out of the aisle so he won't be tempted again. ]

Yeah, that's it. It gets its flavor from kelp and fish, so it would go well with your seafood pasta too.

[ Terry mindlessly walks out, since he's in the middle of thinking. That could work, though he doesn't want to overload it with seafood. He'll just treat umami as a bundle of seafood extracts. Yeah. That'll work.

His determination!! Comes back!! ]

It'll be a new challenge!!

[ Yeah, he's so pumped for this, but before he forgets, he gets his phone out again. If Kido happens to peek, the home screen of his flip phone was the picture of him, Kido, and Rei (with cats). The one they took on the sofa bed with Rimi's help. There's a stack of the developed physical photos that he forgot to pass out with... everything that's been going on lately, but they're in his room. Somewhere. He gets out the note function. ]

Parsley, leeks, avocados-- Hm... I think we can do without avocados this time.

[ Kido gives him a look like she wants to ask if they've been eating a lot of avocados but she won't. Are they expensive? You don't cook with them, and you sort of just slice it up and drizzle soy sauce on top and that's it, how has Terry been eating his avocados?? ]

What are you thinking of cooking...?

[ Parsley is something you sort of just sprinkle on top of things too, you don't need parsley.

Anyways, the whispers start up again. It's a small town, rumors spread quickly, and if it's not middle school brats sharing gossip, it's middle-aged women hiding their mouths behind their hands as they pass through the aisle, whispering things about cancer and calling Kido a poor dear, and wishing she'd get a normal wig because she has such a beautiful face, she should have long straight black hair instead of that weird choppy green one. ]

[ He once cut through an avocado, seed and all, because he didn't know there was a huge ass seed in the middle. He has since learned from that experience... ]

This is all for another day. I'm not gonna cook all this in a single day. I'm... not that hungry. It's not like I didn't cook healthy things before, but I want to try and keep that in mind more than usual.

[ He's being sappy again, but it really is what he thinks and he wants to put in the effort to make Kido feel better, and he'd do the same even if he didn't feel partially responsible for her death back in the storeroom.

Terry hears the middle aged women talk, even if they're just whispers. He frowns for a second, but turns to the women and smiles in a way that carries a "I heard what you fucking said and you better watch those mouths of yours before I tear them off your face"-level threat. Then he merrily goes to nudge Kido out of that aisle a little faster. ]

Is that it? Or did you want anything more? I already got the pack of eggs.

[ Good thing they're not getting avocado, because those are quick to go bad. Kido frowns a little, catching Terry turn and give the women a look she can't see, but whatever face he's making is more effective than her death glares, because the women turn around and leave the aisle, but not before tossing loud comments about boorish foreigners over their shoulders. ]

I think I have everything I need. Ingredients for curry [ she gestures at Terry's basket, with the potatoes ] and fried chicken. [ which she has ingredients for in hers.

The store is close enough that they can stop by any night, like how Kido would always ask Seto or Kano to pick groceries up coming home after work or wherever the hell Kano hangs out all the time. Walking around is kind of nice, too; better than lying in bed and moping all the time... That's what Kido thinks, anyways, as she shoos Terry over to the adjacent line so they can buy their apples separately. Her cashier is a chatty, probably well-meaning high school girl that tells Kido that it's still really hot out, and that Kido would look really cute in a short wig and a hat. Kido gets through the conversation with little more than a couple of "uh"s and "hm"s, but maybe being outside isn't nice after all. ]

Terrence... I'm going to the clothing store after this, so I'll meet you back home.

[ She needs a hoodie before she's the one murdering townspeople, not Terry. ]

[ He overhears the cashier Kido's with as his stuff is getting checked out. She seems to be pretty harmless, so she'll get a pass from Terry. What's with all this cancer nonsense anyway... he has to wonder. For a small town like this, stuff like that gets easily spread. He knows that he's well known in the hospital for how many times he ends up being there, but he never really had rumors made up about him outside of it... that he's aware of anyway. He checks his phone again to make sure he got everything and... hm... it's not really the note function he's looking at, but his home screen picture.

...

He feels like he's so close to an epiphany before he snaps out of it because Kido talked to him. ]

--Ah, um... you sure? I can drop off the groceries real quick and go with you...

[ He's worried as he picks up the bagged groceries after paying for them, putting his phone into his pocket again. It sure would take like maybe five minutes to organize them in the fridge. ]

[ Maybe nobody says anything around Terry because he's a scary foreigner. He definitely doesn't help the haunted hospital rumors, in any case. ]

Yeah, I'll be fine. I'll just get something plain, and I wear my clothes baggy anyways, so it doesn't have to fit perfectly. It shouldn't take long.

[ But she does transfer some things out of her shopping bag to Terry's, including the chicken, apples, and chocolate. ]

These shouldn't be kept out in the heat for too long, so you'd better take that with you. I don't mind carrying the rest of the stuff I have with me so it's not too heavy for you.

I don't mind carrying all of it! And...

[ He really doesn't want Kido to go by herself. What if those punks come back? Kido's not in a good state right now either and hearing everything would just...

... ]

--You can wear mine!

[ Maybe the only reason Kido hasn't already murdered is because Terry never gave her back her omamori. Otherwise those punks are dead if they try anything again. ]

What, your hoodie? I'm going to have to buy my own eventually anyways, so I might as well buy it while I'm outside today.

[ ... Maybe it's good that he's keeping it right now then. Kido doesn't need more trauma!! He suddenly misses Hayato and Suzume.

Anyway... ]

I just... want to go together.

[ Hayato and Suzume are good kids... I can imagine them beating up their friends for spreading rumors about Kido.

She was going to tell him that there's no reason to walk all the way home and then all the way back to the shopping district and then all the way back home again, but hearing Terry's reason makes her expression soften. It's so stupid, wanting to go together even if it's so much more trouble. It's a warm feeling. ]

...Alright, let's go together. We'll go home, drop these off, then come back for clothes.

[ If Terry sees that, he'd be so proud. Get them good, kids!!! ]

Yeah, though it's getting a little later than I thought. [ He holds all the grocery bags in one hand and holds Kido's with his free hand now. ]

Let's go fast.

[ This way, they don't have to deal with rumor nonsense on the way. ]

[ ...Kido debates between the rumor nonsense and the being carried nonsense and they're both equally terrible. She should have just agreed to let Terry go home by himself and come back. ]

Fine... I don't want the bags to split on the way back, so here, give them to me. I'll hold onto them, and you hold onto me.

[ Physics suggests that if Terry goes 80mph carrying groceries in one hand and leave them flapping in the wind, he will not have any groceries by the time he gets home. ]

[ Good thing Kido is the smarter one because Terry would not have thought about that at all. So with that in mind, Terry gives Kido all the bags and then carries her bridal style because this is the most effective way when she has all the groceries... and he likes doing this. It's fine. This is fine. And then he ZOOMS to the house. Rimi had been walking around, performing perimeter guard as usual and soaking up the sun for energy. It just passes by as Terry stands at the front door. ]

Can you unlock the door, Kido? I'll put you near the lock.

[ Rimi always creeps Kido out, especially on patrol like that even though she was the one to request that.

She gives Rimi a look, and she turns her head to give Terry one too. ]

I can, if you let me down...

[ Minato voice: "I'm not an invalid." ]

Only newlyweds carry their significant other like this through the door.

[ Let it be known that on this day, Tsubomi Kido mercilessly slaughtered a demigod clone. By that, I mean Terry goes immediately red in the face when Kido says that because he was not aware that it was a thing. His mind isn't processing things well right now, so he just uselessly stands in front of the door, unmoving, and being a speechless tomato. ]

[ ........ ]

-—Don't just stand there and not say anything?!

[ HOW MANY TIMES HAS HE CARRIED HER ACROSS THE THRESHOLD Kido doesn't want to think about that, she's just going to try and slide out of Terry's arms while he's too busy being a statue ]

[ Terry snaps out of it eventually and when he does, he sees that Kido's trying to get out of his hold. He lowers her to the ground and catches all the grocery bags well enough so that nothing tears and spills. ]

Sorry, I... I was surprised. That really caught me off guard...

It- it's fine...

[ Kido doesn't have her hood to hide behind, so she'll just have to hunch over the keyhole and open the door before stomping over to the kitchen so she can help put things away before they head out again. ]

It's just some stupid western tradition, so I thought you might've known about it. It doesn't mean anything.

[ Terry quietly brings the bags over to the kitchen and organizes them before putting them away. He's definitely not aware of the tradition, even if it's western, but that would make sense...? It honestly hasn't even been a month since they confessed to each other and I want to say that Terry would did for Kido already, but circumstances around that are difficult in Hirajiro.

In any case, he won't take the words back that he said in the Velvet Room. Maybe it's a one-sided honeymoon phase. Terry can smile from his heart now, because he won't have to say that he loved her in past tense anymore. ]

It's gonna be really hard not to think about that, you know.

[ It's got something to do with protecting the wife from demons and Kido wouldn't be opposed to it in that one situation only, but otherwise she's just really embarrassed about everything all the time. Admitting feelings is still something that's difficult to get used to, because she never intended to do anything about it anyways and even remembering how she had to silently ask for a hug back at the hospital makes her want to just go to her room and never come out.

When will she ever get over this, I don't know. ]

Yeah, well... do your best.

[ Wipe the last five minutes from your mind, Terrence Nowell. Kido grabs the chicken and the fish to stuff into the fridge so she can continue not looking at him. ]

[ Terry will absolutely never forget this moment. He'll treasure it forever. He helps her out by putting the things in the fridge and cabinets since he organized them by group already. Done! ]

Though... I wouldn't have minded.

[ Avoiding eye contact is immediately futile when he says that and Kido whips her head around to look at him because she wants to scream at him "What part??" but then he might say something about getting married and then she'll have to scream for real. ]

That's- well... uhh... A way's off...

[ But she's not rejecting it... Wow she really wants to disappear on the spot, she's just going to turn around and head out the door and do just that. ]

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