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The kettle on the stove whistles, Hotdog taking it off the heat and turning the knob on the stovetop until it goes to zero, clicking.
They brings their mug over--tea bag already sitting inside--pouring the boiling water into the pumpkin shaped cup. The water steams, the white almost cloud like thing floating up as they fill the mug up, making sure not to overfill it.
They set the kettle back down, making sure to but it on a different burner to let it cool. They watch as the teabag's mixture begins to seep into the hot water, seeing it being dyed a deep yellowy-orange.
They allow themselves to lean against the corner where the countertops met, changing their view to the rain outside as they wait for the tea to cool. the rain pours down, the pitter patter of it hitting the roof becoming background noise as they slip into their thoughts.
Hotdog had never particularly enjoyed tea before, but since getting closer to Loveshot, he's tried it again. They've told him all about how they make their healing potion and different plants they use to make different versions of it for each round, as they find it boring to just use the same things each time.
One time, when he got too hurt to eat one of his own hotdogs, they helped him out, and for once the concoction tasted pretty good. He asked them what they put in this one, and they said it was a mix of lemon, ginger, and some herbal tea.
Since then, he's asked occasionally if they make him a batch of little teabags with the same flavor, and they did so, lovingly.
He's glad to have someone like them.
Blinking, he looks over to see the tea steaming a little less, the tea fully combined into the water. He takes the teabag out of the mug, making sure to get all of the tea out of it that he could before going over to the trash and throwing it away.
A part of him felt like saving them, drying them out and hording them in some kind of journal, but he decided against it, worried about bugs.
Going back to the pumpkin mug on the counter, making sure to be cautious, he grabs it. It's not too hot to touch, he finds, but due to how much it's still steaming, it's still probably too hot to drink.
He holds it close to his chest, feeling the warmth gently on his chest compared to the cold kitchen.
"Hotdog?"
He turns, taking the mug away from his body, only to see Loveshot themselves standing there.
Similar to him, they're wearing longer pajamas in order to try to keep the cold out. from the way they slightly shiver, he can tell that neither theirs or his are really working.
"Oh hey, Loveshot," He greets with a soft smile and warm cheeks.
"Tea?" They ask, looking at the pumpkin mug in his hold.
"Sure is."
"You really like my blend, huh?"
"One of the best tea's i've had honestly,"
"You're just saying that because I made it," They chuckle softly, wrapping an arm around him.
"Hehe, maybe, but still."
He brings the mug up to his lips, taking a small sip to try to see if it was cool enough. He can't help the expression of slight pain as he burns his tongue. Definitely not ready, then.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, just burned my tongue a little, it's fine,"
"Do you want me to kiss it better?" They joke, a smirk on their lips.
He blinks, a little surprised.
"Sure?"
"Oh, I didn't," They laugh softly. "you know what, why not."
They put a hand under his chin, tiling his head up to look up at them, leaning down a bit and kissing his lips gently. His eyes flutter shut at the action, still not quite used to being kissed yet, or the butterflies in his stomach that come with it.
Even if only a moment, he still loves it anyways.
They pull away, smiling softly at him, cheeks dusted with rose. He can't help but smile in return, feeling warm inside despite the cold of the room.
"So, do you want to come to my room?"
"Why?"
"Why not? you've never seen it, plus I wanna hang out somewhere that's not the middle of the kitchen."
"That's fair, sure, lead the way."
Loveshot walks out of the kitchen, Hotdog trailing behind them as he's lead into the main hall of rooms in the shared home. Their room is furthest from the living room and kitchen, being closer to the front door.
The wooden door has a nameplate on it, reading their name. Every door to someone's room has their name on it, so people don't get confused. Though, doors are also decorated with something that person likes.
For Loveshot, it's decorated with sticker lilac hearts around their nameplate, big and small scattered on the surface of the door.
They open the door and walk inside, ushering him to follow.
Hotdog steps into the room, staring in awe of the space.
The walls are a darker purple like their hat, some lilac hearts dotted around in a pattern. Taped in different places are photos and drawings of flowers. There's a small desk, nightstand, a full bed, tv stand, and a bookshelf.
All the furniture other than the bedframe is made of wood, it being made of metal instead. Their bedsheets are a lilac color, matching the color of the painted hearts on the wall. Their nightstand had a lamp shaped like a heart on it, a warm white lightbulb inside, illuminating the slightly dim room.
Fake flowers are sat in a vase on their desk, along with a book with many sticky notes sticking out about potion making. There are several other books similar to this on their bookshelf, some about the same subject, and others about plants, flowers, and a few notebooks. From where he stood, he could tell all the books were loved dearly.
"Wow, your room is so nice," He complements, looking over at them.
"Thanks, I've worked hard to make this feel like home, even though it's not the same as where I used to live. But, here is better than there." They smile, sitiing down on their bed.
"It's quite the difference from what it used to look like when we got here."
"Sure is," They agree.
He can't help but think to his room, which he's barely had time to change up. He didn't even bother to change the color of the walls or his bedsheets, just moving in his few graphic novels and comic books. Really the only personality in the room might be his roller skates and laptop.
With how much different their room is, he wonders if they'd be horrified to see his terribly simple room.
"Come lay down with me," Loveshot cuts him out of his thoughts, laying down and holding out their arms to him.
"Okay,"
Hotdog takes a quick sip of his tea, letting the warmth go through him, before placing his mug onto their nightstand and going onto the bed, gently laying on top of them. They wrap an arm around him, holding him close. Their free hand goes into his curly hair, petting him.
He hums softly into the touch, resting his head rest on their chest, closing his eyes. He'd never gotten head pets before, but it did feel nice.
They let out a soft huff of air--what he assumes is a smile--continuing with the action.
The two settled into a comfortable silence, the rain becoming the only noise. They didn't need to speak, the comfort of each other better than conversation. His tea was long forgotten for the warmth of his loving partner, using each others body heat to keep warm in the cold of the storm.
"I love you," He mumbles, sleepily.
Loveshot pauses, hand stalled in his hair. He opens his eyes, fearing the worst.
but he's just met with a red face, them blinking a little.
"Sorry, too soon?"
"No, no. Just, didn't expect it? I love you too." They smile softly, returning to petting his head.
"Mm," He hums, letting his eyes flutter shut once more.
Usually on days like this, he'd just curl up in bed with a book, covered in blankets to keep the cold out. But he had to admit, cuddling with them was better than that will ever be.
It definitely beats cuddling a pillow at night, for sure.
Without realizing, he drifts off, feeling comfortable enough to relax in their presence.
He could get used to this.