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Silco woke up pushed to the very edge of the bed. Next to him, sprawled out sea star style, was Jinx. Her cheek was pressed against the bed, drool pooling down. She had crawled in after having a nightmare, as she did most nights. Silco didn’t mind necessarily. This, however, meant that the bed became Jinx’s for the night. Silco sighed. “Jinx, it’s time to get up.”
She didn’t stir, her chest still rising and falling slowly beneath the piles of stolen blankets. The light from the windows bathed her in a bright glow. Silco shook her gently. “ Jiiinx . Wake up.” Slowly but surely, her eyes began to blink open. Good. She was always stubborn in the morning, and Silco had to drag her out of bed several times. “Good morning.”
She yawned, pushing herself up by her elbows. Her blue hair stuck out in all directions. “Is it time to get up already? We just went to sleep.”
“We did, about nine hours ago. Plus, you woke up in the middle of the night to crawl into my bed, then proceeded to steal half of it for yourself.” He rubbed his eyes. “Go take a shower, then meet me at the table for breakfast.”
“Do I have to wash up?” Jinx whined, dramatically falling back against the bed. “I washed, like, yesterday.” She paused to tap her chin. “Or maybe it was three days…”
Before moving in with Silco, the girl’s cleanliness was not the best. Vander, nor Jinx’s sister, seemed to mind whether or not she cleaned. Silco did not enjoy the dirty lifestyle of Zaunites, having always enjoyed feeling clean. Now, Silco was trying his best to make sure Jinx washed often. “Yes, we don't live in a pigsty. I can hardly see you beneath all this filth.” Picking Jinx up, he grabbed the sides of her face. “I can’t see Jinx beneath all the dirt! Where are you hiding her?”
Jinx laughed, swatting Silco’s hand away. “Okay, okay. I’ll go wash.” She slid away, running to get washed up. “But you get to make the bed today!” she called after him.
Silco chuckled, folding the sheets and adjusting the pillows. He had tried to get Jinx to make the bed every other day, but he never got her (or himself) to go through with it. Once the bed was made, he peeled off his pajama shirt and pulled on his red button up. Throwing on the vest and tying his tie. Looking at himself in a grimy mirror hanging on the wall, Silco brushed his hair back. He was thankful he didn't get Jinx’s bed head. That was a whole nightmare to take care of on its own. He pressed a finger to his scarred cheek, frowning.
After getting dressed, Silco made his way to the kitchen. He fished the mug Jinx had made for him from the cupboard. It was made from spare bomb parts, with a face painted on in bright pink. He placed it on the counter as he turned on the old coffee machine. It sputtered to life, hacking like an old smoker. Silco poured ground up coffee on the top, then pressed start. Coffee poured into the mug.
Jinx bounded in as Silco sipped his coffee at the table, her hair still dripping wet. Wordlessly, she crawled onto Silco’s lap, holding out a brush and hair ties. A routine that needed no instruction. It came to them as natural as breathing. Silco placed the mug on the table, picking up the brush and placing the hair ties around his wrist. He brushed through her tangles, making sure each strand was perfect. Occasionally he’d come across a tight knot, yanking Jinx’s hair to get it out. “Ouch-.”
“Sorry, I’m trying to be gentle. Maybe if you’d wash more…”
She laughed. “I’ll deal with the pain.”
Thoroughly brushed, Silco’s bony fingers began braiding the blue strands. With Jinx’s hair being much longer than when they had first met, he began braiding it into two braids instead of one. Jinx found she liked it better, as it kept all her hair out of her face when she was working. As Silco braided, he found himself humming under his breath. Only did Jinx ever see this more relaxed, soft side of him.
“I know that song,” Jinx stated. “You’ve hummed it to me to help me sleep.”
Silco nodded, completing one braid. “It’s an old Zaun lullaby. I’m not sure how I still remember it.”
“I like it. It’s calming. You done yet?”
“Just about.” Silco finished her second braid, letting it fall down her back. “Is it alright?”
Jinx ran a hand down each braid, nodding enthusiastically. She turned to face Silco. “It’s perfect-” The sound of Jinx’s stomach growling cut her off. “Uh, what’s for breakfast?”
“Eggs and sausage. Go set out the plates and utensils.”
They worked side by side, Jinx placing a plate on two place mats, forks clanking together as she scooped them out of the drawer. Silco placed a pan on the stove, carefully cracking eggs, watching them sizzle as they hit the metal. Jinx drummed with her fork on the table as Silco started on the sausage, putting them in a separate pan. Jinx let out a yelp. “Wait! Can I cook the sausage?”
“Of course. Grab a spoon to flip it with.”
While Silco scrambled the eggs, Jinx occasionally poked at the sausage. She had a satisfied look on her face, like she was crafting a meal fit for a king. Silco had always been one to stress that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. Jinx took this advice to heart, making sure she never left the house without having eaten her morning meal. Once the eggs were done, Silco took the pan to the plates and slid an equal amount on each. Jinx did the same with her sausages, obviously placing a few more sausages on her plate. Silco pretended not to notice. As long as she was eating, that was good enough for Silco.
They sat down, their seats across from each other. Jinx began eating right away, scarfing food down. Shoveling eggs into her mouth like she hadn’t eaten in years. Silco cleared his throat. “Manners, child.”
“But I-“
“And do not talk with your mouth full.”
She frowned, and her bites slowed. “Can I drink coffee?”
“No, it’s bad for your health.”
“But you drink coffee.”
“I’m an adult,” he clarified.
“Okay, so when I’m older then-“
Silco took a bite of sausage. “No. All you’ll be getting is a proper nine hours of sleep and a healthy breakfast. Much better than coffee.” He stabbed a piece of egg. “Besides, I like your energy just fine without coffee.”
“You’re no fun,” Jinx complained, though she couldn’t hide her smile. “What are we going to do today?”
“ I am going to be dealing with business. You will try to refrain from blowing up any of our property or workers. Understand?”
She shoved the last sausage on her plate in her mouth, swallowing with a loud gulp. “Can we play Tea Party later today? When you’re done with work?”
Of all the games Jinx got Silco to play, Tea Party was her favorite. They would sit on the floor, usually in Silco’s office, and drink fake tea from empty cups. Silco had found the idea ridiculous at first. Why pretend to have a tea party when you could have a real one? But after seeing how much Jinx loved playing it, Silco changed his mind. He’d indulge in fake tea from time to time. For Jinx. “Once I’m done with all my work, then yes. Until then, I want you to stay out of trouble. Otherwise I’ll get Sevika to babysit you.”
Jinx’s nose scrunched at the mention of Sevika. “She’s mean to me. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“She’s just got a temper.”
“That’s for sure.” Jinx snorted. “I’m going to put my shoes on. Thank you for breakfast.” Jinx put her dish in the sink, along with the rest of the pans. Rinsing the crumbs off each. She left the actual cleaning to Silco.
“Wait. Come here. You’ve got food in your hair.” Jinx placed herself in front of Silco. He pulled a piece of egg from a blue strand. “Go brush your teeth.”
She shot him a quick smile before running off, her heavy footsteps echoing through the air. Silco took a long sip of the rest of his coffee. It wasn’t until after he met Jinx that he realized the truth.
Mornings were meant for sharing.
As the years went by, Jinx and Silco’s morning routine faded. Silco got consumed with work, often rising hours before Jinx did. He let her sleep as long as she wanted now. Besides, Jinx had her own things to do. She was older now, she understood that. Still, she missed calm mornings when the kitchen smelled like fresh coffee and the sound of eggs frying was like music to her ears. As she got older, Jinx had stopped needing to run to Silco’s room after a nightmare. She learned to deal with them herself. Even so, there were some routines that never faded. When Silco would sit at his desk, consumed in paperwork, Jinx would stroll right in with a brush and hair ties. She wouldn’t speak as she crawled on his lap, far too big now but she didn’t care. He’d wordlessly grab her brush and start untangling each strand. Braiding her hair, very long now, into two braids. And on some mornings, when Jinx pretended to be asleep, Silco would come into her room and press a kiss to her forehead, whispering, “Good morning, my Jinx.” Jinx would lay still, a smile touching her lips once he had left.
Some things just came as natural as breathing, as natural as cups of coffee in the morning.