Bittersweet Chocolate

The morning dew had no chance to set upon the blades of grass as a tempest began to pour down upon the world. It was dearly needed, as the summer had been dry and the leaves on the trees and flowers in the garden had begun to wilt from lack of water. Even as the harsh drops of water began to plummet to the earth and hurt their delicate petals, it was a nourishment that they needed in order to blossom further. 

That morning, Ness had awoken early. He often did wake up early these days, really since he got a roommate. He slid out from his room as quiet as possible, still in his pajamas. His morning routine, regardless of weather was consistent. He liked it better that way. So did he. 

He started by going to the bathroom. There, he washed his face, brushed his teeth, and haphazardly combed out his hair just enough so that the bedhead wasn't so noticeable. He felt that he had to make a good example, after all. Once he finished up there he shuffled downstairs to the kitchen. There Football laid down lazily in a pile of fur and pure cuteness. Football was the little Pomeranian dog that his roommate brought in. When asked about the strange name for a dog, he had always just said it was because Football looked like a football. Despite that, Ness didn't think he treated anything so tenderly as he did Football. Sometimes, Ness found himself growing slightly jealous over it, though only slightly. 

Once Football had noticed that someone had come down the stairs, she popped up and began to wag her fluffy little tail. Ness smiled at her, walking over to her food bowl and washing it out before he filled it with her rather gross looking wet food that she loved so much. She began to jump around happily and follow him until the food was placed down. She then began to eat greedily, like she had never eaten before in her entire life. Any time she was given food, she ate like it was the first time she had ever eaten. Ness admired that a bit. 

Once Football was busy eating, Ness got to work preparing the morning's coffee and breakfast. He opened the shade to the window that resided over the sink, noting the grim weather looming above. It would be a good day to stay inside and rest, and likely a well earned day to rest. Work had been getting to him lately, and Ness felt it only right that he had at least one day to genuinely relax. He never liked to sit down for long, but Ness hated to see him so overwhelmed. With this in mind he began to prepare food for him, deciding on a warm breakfast of pancakes and eggs with some fresh fruit he had bought at a market the day before. Fresh raspberries and strawberries straight from some nice old lady's garden would pair nicely with the warm sweet pancakes. Ness threw on his apron and got to work, quickly the smell of coffee and pancakes filling the house. 

Once he finished he quickly platted everything up. He made the coffee iced and sweet with caramel, just as he liked it. Then he made the pancakes and eggs on separate plates, so they didn't touch and make each other gross. He then gingerly placed the fruit slices on the pancakes so that they made a smiley face. Proud of his work, he quickly trotted up the stairs to wake his roommate up for the feast. 

The door was closed, and Ness gingerly opened it. The unblocking curtains made the room far darker than it would have been without, and it was clear that he was still in the depths of sleep. Ness walked over to the bed, gently placing a hand on his roommate's shoulder. 

"Kaiser.. Good morning. I made breakfast." He said, softly at first. The blonde didn't as much as stir. After another shake, Ness spoke up again. "Kaiser, it is time to get up. You told me you didn't want to sleep in too much today" This time his voice seemed to express more annoyance. After a final shake, suddenly an arm darted out of the blankets and grabbed onto Ness's hand, yanking hard causing him to fall onto of the bed and Kaiser all in one go. Without hesitation, Kaiser had his arms wrapped around Ness and he just held him there for awhile, his grip tight. 

"Shut up... It's too early for that." He mumbled, his voice raspy from sleep. It was warm there, and for a moment Ness thought to abandon the work on breakfast that he had done in exchange for the comfort of laying together. Yet, the grumbling in his stomach was enough to propel him to action. 

"It is almost 10, and you said you wanted to wake up earlier than that. I let you sleep in. I made breakfast too, and your coffee just as you like it." Ness said, squirming out of the hold Kaiser had on him so he could yank off his blankets. This came with protests, and some swearing, but Kaiser slowly lifted himself up. His hair was an absolute mess, and his robe was half off of him and covered next to nothing. This was how he normally woke up, but it was almost funny every time. "Come on. You will feel better once you are up and alive." Ness smiled and offered Kaiser his hand. 

The blonde pulled himself out of bed and immediately wrapped his arms around Ness. He didn't move from that, and so Ness slowly managed to get Kaiser downstairs like that. He led him down to a seat at the island in the kitchen where the food sat ready. Kaiser sat with a tired expression, staring at the food before he sighed and began to eat it. 

"Did you make my coffee as I like it?" He asked, childishly as he stared at the cup. Ness nodded as he set himself up next to him. 

"Extra caramel, nondairy milk, extra sweet, iced. I even made the coffee with the French press just like you like." Ness hummed, proud that he had memorized the order. For awhile, Kaiser hated the coffee he made until Ness realized that he just couldn't handle regular dairy. Once he got an alternative, usually oatmilk or coconut milk, he actually began to drink the coffee that Ness made. It made him incredibly happy. 

"Good." Kaiser said, taking a sip and sighing. He slowly ate his breakfast, and he didn't leave a single crumb on his plate. Once he finished, he stood up. "I am going to shower. What is on the agenda for today?" He asked, seeming to be more awake than he had been before. 

"It is raining all day today, so I thought it would be good to stay inside today." Ness suggested, expecting Kaiser to argue a bit. He would say that he needed to get work done normally. Though that also meant that he would just stay up in his room staring at a screen getting annoyed. Yet to his surprise, Kaiser just nodded. 

"Okay." He said, wandering upstairs without an additional word. Ness walked him as he left, a light smile forming on his lips. He carefully got to cleaning up from breakfast, and by the time he was done Kaiser had returned downstairs and he plopped himself down on the couch. "Get over here." 

Ness obeyed and went over to the couch, sitting down next to him and sighing. Kaiser put his arm around his shoulder, his hair still slightly wet from not drying it well enough. He wasn't great at it yet, but at least he had actually tried. When he first moved in, he would just sit around with wet hair. It made Ness happy to see him actually try to take care of himself now. 

"What do you want to do?" Ness asked him, and Kaiser handed him the remote to the playstation. 

"I want you to keep playing that shitty game. The one you were playing the other night." Kaiser said, as if it was obvious. Ness looked up at him and tilted his head slightly. The rain outside fell heavily upon the windows. 

"Oh, you mean Wizard's Curse?" Ness asked, his eyes getting wide. Kaiser always said he looked like a puppy when his eyes got wide like that. "Of course! I didn't know you liked that game--" 

"I don't like it. Just shut up and play." 

It was a nice rainy day. Even as a tempest blew about outside, at least inside it was warm and comfortable in his arms. He never wanted to forget these moments.