The food experiments

IX

Otacon kept thinking not about the stolen piece of cake, but about Snake's chest. Even if for a brief moment, the side of his face pressed against it had felt the volume of his muscles and the warmth of his body.
He had already experienced such thing via hugs, and even spent a whole night with his back glued to it, but the sensation had been much different.

"I know for a fact that he has some complex feelings towards me, the same way I do with him - he has expressed it recently and he's not the kind of person to joke with those specific words. He knows exactly how I feel, too. However, neither of us seem too keen on taking one step further. We're kind of testing out the waters in our own ways... I guess? I do want to showcase my affection, but I always end up embarrassing myself. What should I do? Oh, he also looks troubled with something he won't talk about and I don't wanna pressure him, but I'm worried", he wrote on the thread he had started days ago about his romantic queries.

Otacon trusted his friends from Hungry Puppy. They had seen him grow during his cooking experiments and had left several congratulatory comments on his previous post about the Heaven Cake he had done. They had given him so much confidence about himself in such a short time...

He put a frog documentary on his computer while he waited for someone to respond, a bit anxious. He hadn't slept that much trying to find a way to properly convey his emotions, thinking about Snake's smile -so rare...!-, and those terryfing mountains of fur that were being expanded at that same moment.

David had bought several wholesale cigarette boxes in the morning, as he always did when he was running out of smokes. He felt determined and was deeply focused on his task of grooming the dogs, to the point he was almost done in half the time he had taken yesterday.

Once he finished, he let them run freely around the house -they already knew how far they could go- and, still with his fur-sacrificed clothes on, he collected their remnants inside huge garbage bags. He then took the working suit off, hanged it and sent an SMS to Tonraq, a man who he had seen years ago creating clothes and whatnot out of fur. They sort of became acquaintances because of the amount of dogs under his care. It wasn't hard money to get. The results were great, he had bought a thing or two in the past - he even got a discount. Plus
Snake liked the guy - he was just as serious and quiet as him, meaning they wouldn't waste each other's time.

He went to check on Otacon, but saw his bedroom's door closed and decided not to bother him. Instead, he walked to his own and took some clean clothes - he never fully trusted the working suit to protect him from all the fur, so he'd always take a shower to make sure none stayed on him. After cleaning himself he set the washing machine and ate some snacks.

_____

Hal was crying. His face had reddened and he could barely see even with his glasses on. He was both happy with the content he had seen —so many beautiful little froggies...!—, but also sad knowing several frog species were endangered - this led him to think about the rest of animals that are constantly threatened by human beings.
He opened his room's door and tried to walk towards the kitchen, his hands busy dispersing his tears.

He bumped into David, who had failed to contain his Heaven Cake craving and was serving himself a slice.

—Otacon? -he turned around and asked, worried-. What's wrong?

—Oh, Snake... —he was still covering his face, but he was now trapped in a hug—. It's nothing... I was watching a documentary...

Snake sighed - it wasn't the first time this had happened and it wouldn't be the last one.

—You want some cake? I suggest you say yes, otherwise I'll eat all that's left of it. And I mean right now.

Otacon nodded, after which he was released from Snake's hug and guided to the couch.

David brought him a bottle of pink tea he had in the fridge, although he had no idea what flavor it was supposed to be - it was all written in Japanese and the graphics showed some cartoon characters he wasn't familiar with. They ate together, during which time Hal had cheered up.

—You still owe me-

—I know...! -he interrupted-. It's just-

—I don't think you need to practice more, Otacon. I would've devoured that cake if I had been left alone with it. I'm pretty sure it'll be the same with any other thing you try cooking now. You're good at it.

—Snake...

David waited for a response, maybe a nervous look, but Hal stayed quietly still for a few seconds. His expression made him think he was debating whether to continue talking or not.

—...Are you really okay? —Otacon finally said, looking directly into his eyes.

This time, Hal was the one who had to wait. Snake hadn't looked away, but he had frowned his eyebrows slightly more than usual and he could see the tension on his face. He definitely didn't want to talk about it..., did he?

—Sometimes —he answered—. Sometimes I'm not. But, you know, Otacon, I've come to not pay attention to it - the bad memories. I didn't care being consumed by them. Until recently, that is. Because of you. You've turn my world upside down, but that's not a bad thing. I've come to realize I can move forward and look back to other kind of memories - sharing my space with you, adapting to your habits, doing things together, thinking of you whenever I find frogs... You've made my house feel warmer and more welcoming, and that might be the reason my coats feel the same way to you. We're stuck together now, Otacon, so yeah. I'm okay. Maybe not yesterday, maybe not right now, but I'm sure I'll be. That's enough.

Hal stayed still, his eyes moving from one place to another, utterly confused. He was anything but prepared for an answer like that - he was already feeling overwhelmed by his thoughts and started crying again. David frowned his eyebrows a bit more, upset with himself —did he really have to say that in such context?—, while surrounding his thin body like he had done moments ago.

—I'm sorry —he apologized, no longer sure of what to say or do.

Otacon tried to calm down as quick as his mind allowed him to. He wiped his tears behind the glasses, slowed his breathing... 1... 2... 3... He inhaled... Held the air... Exhaled...

—You'll be sorry when I leave you without cake —he replied, almost as calm as usual.

Snake backed up and inspected his face - it didn't look like he was feeling down anymore. He put his hand up in the air and let it fall on Otacon's shoulder, petting it.

—You wish.

David held his shoulder tightly and kissed him.