We've reached the 2k mark!!! Whoop whoop!! *does a lil dance* thanks everyone!

You: But Artemis, you just type up so many chap-

*feeds you an onion* hush little one

"...it is...?" Ryou asked into the phone, listening to the voice on the other end. "No, no, it's okay. I'm sure I could manage....thank you for letting me know."
And then he hung up.

Mariku hovered behind him, catching Ryou off guard when he turned around.
"Bloody—!" Ryou jumped.

Grinning, Mariku asked, "Who was that?"

"One of the complex owners. Something happened to the heater, so we'll have to go without it tonight."

Backing Ryou into the wall a bit more gently than he did with the bookshelf, he tilted his chin upward and purred, "I know a way we can keep warm..."

"...soup?"

Mariku leaned forward and kissed Ryou's cheek, not thinking about what he was doing. "You're too innocent for this world."

Ryou's face, neck, and ears burned strawberry red.

Mariku kissed his face again, but held his lips there longer. "You're adorable."

He thinks I'm adorable!

When he saw Ryou's smile, he picked him up and sat him on the counter. "I think..." Mariku twirled a piece of Ryou's hair in his fingers. "...you like it when I flirt with you."

Ryou shrugged, still blushing. "...guilty as charged."

"Seriously?" Mariku found himself surprised that Ryou didn't deny it. "Why's that?"

"I guess...I guess it's because I felt very unappreciated and invisible for a bit too long." He shifted and dropped down from the countertop. "Of course, you're quite touchy, but it's kind of nice to know someone can see me and...I don't know...care about my existence."

"Oh." Mariku said, not thinking that he would feel the slightest hint of pity for him.

It felt wrong to tell him that it was a mistake when he first met him, and it was bit too late to back out, so he feels like it's just something to do for shits and giggles. But if he could sleep with him, that'd be cool too.
So he kept his rude mouth shut for the first time in...ever.

"Anyways, I was thinking, because of our conditions, I'll just make soup." Ryou laughed and added, "It's from a can, so don't worry about my cooking."

Mariku wrinkled his nose. "You know, you're not supposed to stop doing something just because someone doesn't like it."

"But you know I can't cook. It's kind of rude to feed you something you don't like the taste of."

"That's not the point. You need to improve on it. Or just accept that you suck and rub it in people's faces."

Ryou raised his eyebrow at him. "Isn't that not what you want? Do you want me to cook you something you won't like?"

"All I'm saying is that if I were you," Mariku snatched an apple from the fridge and took a bite. "That it wouldn't matter to me."

"Okay, Mariku." Ryou muttered, smiling."So, do I make soup instead of microwave it?"

"Do whatever your squishy heart desires."

Ryou reached into the cupboard below the counter, took out a large pot. Filling it with water, he said, "I guess our ways of doing things are a bit different. If you were truly me, you would understand why I couldn't bring myself to do such a thing."

"Obviously." Mariku took another bite. "You're an innocent Creampuff."

"I don't try getting on anybody's nerves."

"So you're one of those people?"

Lifting his head up from his cooking, Ryou looked over at Mariku, who gnawed at an apple core.
"...those people?"

"People pleasers." He said, throwing his useless appetizer away. "You know...you try too hard to make everyone happy with you."

"Is there anything wrong with that?"

"You'll just be upset. You can't make everyone like you."

"I can try."

Mariku huffed, letting his head hang back as he looked up. "What would you gain from that? People don't change."

Ryou rinsed off some carrots and took out a cutting board. "What do you mean?"

"What's the point of getting everyone to love you? Why do you want that?"

"It's not necessarily about making people like me," He pulled his long, white hair back into a ponytail, and blew air at the bangs on his face in attempt to move them. "I just want others to be happy. I like making people smile."

Mariku frowned. "What if you end up disappointing them instead? It's a waste of time."

Ryou turned to face him, showing him more of his face now that his hair was pulled back. He stepped closer to him, having to crane his neck upward a bit to meet eyes with him. "Have you ever made someone smile before? Or vice versa?"

He wasn't too surprised to see Mariku huff and say, "Not a skill of mine."

"Making other people feel good makes you feel good, too. At least, I hope it does." At this point, Ryou had turned around and tried to chop carrots all too slowly. "I'll make it my goal, as long as you're here. I'll make you smile, and you'll see what I'm talking about-"

"Oh my Ra! Pick up the pace!"
By this point Mariku had stood up and snatched the knife from his hands, making Ryou stiff at his legs and suddenly it felt hard to breathe.

With the knife in his hands. Mariku looked more menacing, and he definitely looked, well, complete, with a sharp object in hand.

It seemed that he didn't even notice Ryou's reaction- he simply cut the carrots into little bite-sized pieces with swift motions and got the job done quicker.

"Who the hell taught you how to cook?" He laughed, scraping all the bits to one end of the cutting board. "I mean, I can't cook for shit, but this is just careless."

When finally seeing Ryou's wide-eyed expression, he put some carrot bits in his hands to make him feel better.

"Happy Birthday."

Ryou looked down at the carrots like some foreign object. When he looked back at Mariku, he could hardly find the right words to say.

"Look, if I offended you with the cooking comment, then I give you permission to poison me with your food."

"No, no, not that." Ryou blinked a few times before he said, "You're good with a knife."

"What can I say? I like sharp things."

"I'll say." He didn't think he'd find himself feeling so scared and cautious. Ryou didn't even ask before he took the knife out of Mariku's hands and set it down on the counter. "Why don't you go relax? I can take it from here."

Of course Mariku found it odd, but he didn't get all up in Ryou's face. He brushed it off with a nod, and silently walked back to his room.

When the spoon had cooled down enough, Ryou took a sip of whatever he had managed to make. It didn't taste bad, but...

Ryou put down his taste-testing spoon and leaned against the counter, sighing. He'd only ever cooked soup a few time in his life, but apparently Mariku would better appreciate that he make a statement and defy the dislikes of others.

That definitely said something about Mariku, didn't it?

Still, he couldn't seem to figure out why Mariku made that creepy expression. When holding the knife, his eyes lit up and there was an unsettling smile on his face. It was enough to give Ryou the chills. And all he did was chop carrots.

Ryou felt he should just brush it off. Mariku's preferences don't affect him at all, so why should he worry?
Then again...what if he did horrible things to people?

No! Listen to yourself, Ryou! He shook his head and tried to focus on the soup. Why would Mariku enjoy hurting people? Why would anyone...?

Ryou judged added salt to the food, trying to shake off any thoughts about Mariku, and who, or what, he actually is.

"I'm back." Mariku announced, making Ryou jump.

"You left for about forty seconds!"

"And that matters? Are you doing something you're not supposed to?" After sniffing the air, he added, "I was joking when I said you could poison me. Are you poisoning the food?"

Ryou, instead of denying that he would ever do that, simply smiled and winked.
"It smells better, doesn't it?"

Mariku didn't know whether to feel very impressed or very afraid.

Pouring a two bowls for them, Ryou carried his soup to the living room and set the on the coffee table in front of the couch. "I felt that maybe we could watch a movie."

Mariku didn't always appreciate movies. He could never sit through them. But Ryou made him want to hop onto that couch and stare mindlessly at a screen for an hour and a half. That little twinkle in his eyes made him want to do anything that would let them be closer together.
"And what would that accomplish?"

"Well, we're flatmates now. Gotta do something worth bonding over, right?"

As Mariku approached the sofa, he squinted at Ryou and said, "You didn't correct yourself this time?"

"I'm British. I say British things."

"Fair enough."

Ryou grabbed a blanket from his room and curled up onto the couch, then he patted the spot next to him. "Let's talk about what movie we want to watch. I have some DVDs, but I mostly watch Netflix."

At this, Mariku grinned (That's right I'm bringing this back from Limey and the Psychopath). "Netflix?"

Ryou nodded.

"And...we don't have a working heater in here?" Mariku sat onto the couch next to him, leaning closer and closer to Creampuff that Ryou could feel him breathing down his neck.
"So...we'd be watching Netflix...and chilling...?"

"What...? What does that mean? Is there something I'm not getting?" Innocent lil Creampuff didn't get the hint.

Mariku sighed. "Nevermind. Netflix is fine."

"I mean, if we don't pick a slow movie. I usually fall asleep watching those." Ryou laughed a little, then added, "I'm not much of a sleeping beauty."

Mariku just laughed at him, and they decided to watch a horror movie. It would keep Ryou awake, and Mariku might see what would freak him out, and he would find his weakness.

Guess what?

Ryou fell asleep anyway.