The Mouse and The Monarch

13

~MOUSE~

The dull hum of fluorescent lights barely penetrated the dimly lit mess hall as Ophelia stirred from her slumber.

The first rays of dawn tiptoed through the dusty windows, casting a soft glow on the tables littered with remnants of the night before.

She rubbed her eyes, a yawn escaping her lips, and surveyed the room as if waking up to a world that had changed overnight.

But nothing ever really changed.

Rolling off the couch, Ophelia's fingers fumbled to find the small tube of cream she had carefully stowed away the night before.

Next to it, a folded note and her phone waited patiently in the cavernous pocket of her oversized hoodie.

So it hadn't been a dream. The terrifying Colonel had wrapped her in a blanket, given her antiseptic and left her a note apologising.

She had never been more confused.

If he hated her, why go through all that trouble?

The cool metal of the phone pressed against her fingertips as she retrieved the trio of items, the weight of the unknown settling in her gut like a stone.

Her knife was still pressed in her pocket.

She never went anywhere without it, not anymore.

The rhythmic clattering of pots and pans drew her attention towards the kitchen, where the aroma of breakfast being prepared wafted through the air.

It smelt like burnt oats and milk.

Ophelia's gaze locked onto Zero, his silhouette illuminated by the warm glow of the stove.

He caught her eye and shot her a friendly smile, a silent acknowledgment as he frowned down at the pop on the stove.

He was cooking for Roze. And judging by his massive smile, it was because he got laid the night before.

Ophelia scoffed as she watched him make food with no grace or skill.

"Told you the couch was comfortable," Zero yelled from over the stove.

Ophelia rolled her eyes and stood up, gathering her belongings and shoving them in her pocket.

"Just keep cooking your apology oats for Roze," she said as she held her phone tight in the pocket of her jumper.

For some reason, it felt like a bad idea to tell him she had their Colonel's number.

Zero huffed and waved a spoon coated in dark brown oats at her.

"Don't detest me just because the COL hates you more than the rest of us," he said as he slammed the spoon back into the pot.

His dark eyes then moved up to her face as he smiled sympathetically.

"Don't be too hard on yourself kid, he's just tough as shit, left us all bloody and furious at some point," he said as he looked back down at his smoking pot.

"Hey, is porridge meant to smoke this much?" he asked as he winced at the stove.

Ophelia could only stay silent.

She felt a strange mix of bewilderment and shock at whatever had happened the night before.

He probably only messaged her because it didn't look good for the Colonel's bunkmate to be sleeping out on the couch.