The food experiments

XVI

The sun was already starting to lower down the sky by the time Snake got out of the store. Once again, it had been exactly how Otacon had predicted, and he couldn't yet understand the note even after buying the requested album. He wasn't sure why it was so important to him to get that today - he had thought of the possibility it had something to do with that dinner he was owned, given their previous history regarding him going out to buy things, but despite that he couldn't think of any other suspicious action or word Hal might've done. ...Well, the game thing, maybe, but it wasn't really that odd coming from someone like him.
He held the album and stared at it for a few seconds. The cover was just as abstract as its name, making it impossible for David to have even the slightest grasp of the music's genre. He went straight back home, already tired from all the walking around talking to strangers.

_____

Otacon was rather pleased with how his plates had turned out - he layed them all over the small table. He had cooked a simple squash risotto and chicken parmesan pasta, which of course were accompanied by the bread with jam and the bowl with blueberries. Everything was lit by both small and regular-sized wax cigarettes which, accompanied by the DIY doggy decor, most certainly gave a peculiar look to the whole house.
The dogs knew they weren't supposed to play games with him this time, so they did their best to keep everyone in line and not to steal any of their owner's food.

He went to pick an old cardboard box hidden in the attic, where he kept his costumes. He took out the 50 little black bowties he had accidentally bought a few months ago, went down, and put them on every husky. It took this long, but they were finally using them for the first time... and they looked fabulous.

He checked the sky: it was becoming more and more orange. It didn't worry him Snake would come too late, as he identified his silhouette far in the distance. He ran to his bedroom and groomed himself as well as he could in this short period of time he had yet.

David paused for a second after opening the door and seeing his dogs wearing ties around their necks, his perplexity growing as he put his eyes on the cutouts, the strange candles and the moody living room. Hal's appearance was just as surprising, showing up with a chaotically worn semi-formal outfit and a pair of glasses that were no longer round. He invited him to have a seat, after which he let go of the requested album. While waiting for him to come back, he took a look to the food: it was rather appealing, surprisingly well displayed, and smelled good enough for him to feel interested on its taste. Of course, it didn't go unnoticed the berries Hal had put nearby. He smirked.

—You know, Otacon —he murmured—, I had my suspicions, but I didn't think you'd do this today.

—Neither did I —he confessed, turning on the music, which turned out to be ambiental synth—, but here we are.

—This is what you needed the wax for? —he gave a better look to the candles—. Cigarettes?...

—Yeah. I figured you'd like them.

Otacon sat next to him and moved the table closer to them. The dogs all laid down around them, with perfect postures, as to avoid distracting them. Snake still had a vague smile on his face, his eyes lovingly observing his companion's distracted gestures.

—Could've at least let me wear something fancier —he jokingly complained, patting his arm.

—I didn't think you'd've liked it if I had tried to make it romantic... —he paused for a second—. By the book, I mean. I... Tried to adapt it to you. Less formal. Less theatrically decorative. More... Unconventional.

Snake put his hand on top of Otacon's, holding it tight before getting closer to gently kiss him on the lips. He pet his cheek before doing the same with his hair and neck. The sun lowered enough to hit them with a highly saturated orange color, with enough power to make Hal's eyes sparkle when David looked directly at them. He kissed him one more time before leaning back to pick his tableware.

David started eating the chicken parmesan pasta, laying his eyes on Hal from time to time, as if he needed to remind himself that food had been carefully cooked by him. Its flavor was strong but not in a unpleasant way, rather the opposite. It had made it necessary for him to chit-chat a bit, giving Hal a few words of encouragement and congratulation. Otacon's blushing face was impossible to hide along with his slightly shaky body while listening to him, making it harder to eat calmly, but he was managing to keep it under control.
The time spent between one meal and the next hadn't been too long - at least not for Snake. He almost devoured the risotto, not just because how hungry he felt, but also because he had never tasted it before and was enjoying the new experience. While waiting for Otacon to finish his food, he ate a slice of bread and a handful of blueberries.

Otacon lifted his glasses with his left index finger, putting the empty plate on the table. He barely had any time to do so when he was suddenly pushed back in a rushed kiss, his chest softly pressed by Snake's hand. He was certain he could feel the quick jumps of his heart, but he decided to ignore it for as long as he could. Instead, he focused on the warmth of David's closeness to his own face and the slow motions of his lips. He unawaredly surrounded his waist with his arms, holding onto his knitted sweater. He could feel the taste of berries on his mouth mixing with the one he still had of the risotto, but it didn't really bother him at all.

Snake let go just for a second, enough for him to back up and check up on Otacon's expression. He caressed his pinkish cheeks with care before rubbing his nose against Hal's. He moved in a way that made their lips touch, just not enough to be considered a kiss. They stayed that way for a few minutes, but it felt much longer to both of them and were more than fine with it.

David let go some sort of sigh after properly sitting back on his side of the couch, pleased with himself. He smacked his lips before picking up a few more blueberries. It was getting darker and the light coming from the candles were slowly becoming the only thing lighting the room.

—So... Did I meet your expectations...? —Otacon timidly asked.

—Do you really need to ask? —he replied, surprised his actions hadn't been enough of an answer.

—Well, I... need to make sure.

Snake held his hand again, brushing his hair with the other.

—You did more than that.