Coco had implored Crash to help her build a shelter for the two of them after the last rainstorm. Crash admitted that he was a little tired of waking up in the midst of a soaking rainfall. A house might be a good investment in the long run. The entire process was monotonous, and Crash didn't relish all the lifting and hammering, but the result would not be too sloppily done thankfully. Coco did what she could to help, and it was a considerable amount more then Crash guessed she could do. After a while, she got bored, but cheered him on during the entire process. Instead, she seemed to be quite preoccupied with fiddling with some strange looking junk. Crash combed his fingers through his hair, feeling thoroughly disgusting as sweat rolled down his face. He leaned over the roof he was currently working on.
"Oyi!" He called.
Coco glanced up at him, pieces of machinery scattered round her.
"What?"
Crash was looking for any excuse to take a break. "Just wondering, where'd you get all that stuff?"
Coco leaned back, supporting herself with straitened arms.
"I got most of it from Cortex Castle."
Crash tapped the hilt of his hammer on his jaw lightly and sported a roguish grin.
"Oh, you did, did you? Tell me something, does Aku know about that?"
Coco glared at him menacingly. "Don't you dare breathe a word to him about it. He already worries way too much about me. If he knew I was sneaking around that abandoned castle he'd never let me out of his sight again."
Crash clicked his tongue. "You can't be sure it's completely abandoned you know. It's a big place."
"Yeah, you should know. But did you really have to demolish everything? It was hard enough to salvage anything for my computer."
Crash's brow furrowed. "Your what?"
Coco narrowed her eyes skeptically. "Seriously Crash? You are far too primitive. It's a basic collaboration of mechanics and electronics, built to specification for an innumerable amount of purposes. I wanted to use it mostly for communication. These three islands aren't the only land masses on this planet you know."
Crash quit listening to Coco's long and complicated description a while back, and he continued banging away at the roof.
"When's it gonna be done?" Coco yelled over the noise.
"Unless you want to come up here and callus your pretty little hands while I screw around with that junk, I wouldn't be saying anything about it. It'll be done when it's done."
Coco snorted and returned to her work. Crash positioned a nail and slammed it into the wood with a few hard drives, each time wondering how long he could keep it up. Something he noticed about himself was that he was quite driven when he started something, and was usually bent on finishing it. That didn't discount his admirable sleeping record, but just the same, Crash decided that was a habit he would need to break.
Astoundingly, the hut took precisely four full days for Crash to complete. When he was finished, he stood before his work and smiled happily at his fine job. Coco appeared at Crash's side.
"You know, it doesn't look half bad. You did pretty good big brother."
Crash started forward at a slow pace.
"Sure, thanks kid."
Coco gripped Crash's arm hard, and the latter winced. He looked down at her, and she was scowling again.
"I'm not a kid." Her words were acidic.
Crash grinned and ruffled her hair. Coco released him with a sharp inhale of annoyance.
"Sure you are."
Crash pushed open the big, round door as Coco voiced her protests behind him. The house was empty, not a piece of furniture or a shred of furnishing to decorate their new home. Crash didn't mind. This was his new castle, and although he preferred a bed it was not a necessity. He found a comfortable place on the floor and instantly fell asleep, with Coco still chattering away behind him.
--
Crash was very comfortable, more so then he could ever be on the floor. Opening one eye slowly, he was surprised to discover that he was lying under some soft blankets. Crash sat up, and immediately regretted the action. A wave of groggy lightheadedness overcame him and he moaned.
"Good morning Crash."
Crash shook his head to clear his vision, and thought he was dreaming when he saw that the home he had just constructed was completely furnished. There were couches, lights, a rug, a fireplace and a pleasant little table. Crash scratched one ear.
"Um, is it silly to ask…where the hell did all this come from?"
Aku floated around gracefully by the window. "While you were building this structure, I was able to gather up some furniture for the two of you."
Crash placed his hands on his hips and did a full circle about the room. Crash opened his mouth once to ask where he happened to find all the stuff in the middle of the jungle, but he closed it again.
"Well, that was nice of you."
Coco wandered into the room and yawned big. Looking rather rugged with half-closed eyes and wild hair, Crash began to chuckle.
"Wow, you're sure not a morning person."
An instant later, Coco walked outside and Crash was rubbing a bruised arm. He cocked his head at Aku.
"Grumpy too."
Aku Aku grinned warmly, and then followed after Coco. Crash stood in his new home for a minute more, feeling less alone than he had for a while. He stretched and yawned, preparing for a day of sleep and relaxation. Crash Bandicoot sauntered out of the house; a grin on his face and a skip in his step, into what he hoped would be a very monotonous future.