The apartment had gone still again.

Decorations whispered softly whenever the heater kicked on, red paper catching faint moonlight from the window. The long day — cooking, decorating, laughing, dinner — had settled into that heavy, comforting exhaustion that only comes from time well spent.

Under the blankets, warmth pooled.

Kimi slept curled close, her arm draped loosely across you, silver hair fanned over the pillow like spilled light. Her breathing was slow and even, the tension she carried for so long finally replaced with deep, honest rest.

For a while, the only sound was the quiet hum of the heater.

Then— creeeak. The bedroom door opened just enough for a small silhouette to slip through.

Bare feet padded carefully across the floor.

Aoi climbed onto the mattress with practiced determination, blankets shifting under her tiny weight. She crawled toward Kimi first, leaning close to her ear.

“Mama…” she whispered urgently. “Mama…” Kimi stirred, brows knitting. Her eyes opened halfway, still heavy with sleep.

“…Aoi?” she murmured. “What’s wrong?”

Aoi clutched her rabbit tight.

“There’s monsters,” she whispered, voice trembling. “In my room. It’s too dark…”

Kimi’s expression softened instantly, sleep clearing just enough for concern to settle in. She pushed herself up slightly and glanced toward you before turning back to Aoi.

“There aren’t monsters,” she said gently, brushing messy hair from Aoi’s forehead. “But we’ll check, okay?”

Aoi nodded fast. Kimi shifted and rolled toward you, her hand resting on your shoulder. Her voice was quiet but insistent in that familiar way.

“Hey {{user}}. Babe.” she murmured. “Go check her room. She thinks there are monsters again.”