Merome/SlurpieASF Twoshot

Mornings and Ends

A/N: This is for cenobia100, who wanted a better ending. Hope this is good enough!

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 "Hey Mitch," I slowly began, seeing if my friend was awake. No response. I was having a mental battle with the thought of waking him up or leaving him to sleep. If I woke him up now, he would be crabby and irritated. If I didn't, I wouldn't ask him about...us. However, I did not want to let the question that strangled me, continue to lurk in the back of my mind. Thinking of his possible response made me fairly uneasy.

   I decided upon not waking him up, just for my own sake. I didn't want to be a burden to him in the morning; at least, not after I made him wake up early yesterday. He looked so adorable sleeping. His face was tucked into the pillow he held so dearly to him. It almost seemed as though he was clinging to the pillow for dear life...not wanting to let go for an adult with a 'I've-had-enough-of-your-shit' attitude, only it being he seemed happy.

   After a long while of admiring his vulnerability whilst he slept,  I got up to check the time. It was only 10 o'clock in the morning, so I decided to make us both breakfast. Of course I would make him breakfast, he sacrificed his night to be with me! We goofed off a little bit last night, but it wasn't anything to think much of. 

   I peered into the kitchen to make sure no one was hiding in my house. I know it makes me seem paranoid, but who knows what I would turn to? Better safe than sorry. Once I realized no one was rummaging through the drawers, I turned to the fridge to find something for the two of us to eat. I know how much Mitch likes cereal, but I wanted to mix things up for him.

   I opened the freezer side of the fridge and grabbed some cinnamon French toaster sticks. I'm not exactly a kitchen savvy, and I don't intend on learning to cook, either. Though, I do know how to work a toaster. I put in two French toaster sticks in the first two slots, then two pieces of bread in the other two. I ran back to the fridge to grab some strawberries, syrup, and butter. 

   I placed the items on the counter quickly, followed by me rushing to the sink. I washed my hands, using excessive amounts of soap on my hands to experience true satisfaction, though it wouldn't have actually mattered. I swiped a kitchen towel and the box of strawberries off the counter and placed the towel next to the sink.

   Now, I was going to clean the strawberries while I waited for the toaster sticks and toast. I heard the toaster pop up, causing me to flinch in alarm. I laughed at myself for being so skittish, I mean, it was just the toaster. Nothing to be afraid of.

   I walked over to the a cabinet full of vivid, picturesque plates. I picked the first two my hands could lay on and quietly pulled them out, not wanted to wake Mitch. Still, he is a pretty heavy sleeper. I scurried back to the toaster and placed one of each on the plates, leaving room for the fresh fruits.

   Once I finished putting together the final touches on the meals, I set them on the table at opposite ends. I wanted to know if Mitch wanted coffee or something to drink, but I didn't want to ruin the surprise. I decided milk would suit our food and tie it all together. 

  I hurried back into the living room, feeling like it was the right time to finally wake Mitch up. After we ate, I could casually bring up my question for him. "Okay, Mitch, it's time to get up," I said to myself, shaking the sleepy boy underneath me. I heard him take a sudden gasp of air as he stretched out along the floor.

   "Heya, I made us breakfast in the kitchen, come eat with me!" I smiled. He opened his eyes and gave a bit of laughter at the idea of me making food. Of course, knowing him all these years would result in him knowing about my ineptness to certain things. He followed me into the kitchen, not saying a thing.

   Realizing I haven't properly welcomed him into the day, I scooted into the chair on the other side of the table and said, "By the way, good morning. How was your rest?" His face turned a bit pink, before responding.

   "It was good. Really good, even if it was just sleeping on the floor." He sort of laughed out the last sentence, causing me to laugh too. 

   Once we finished eating , I lent him one of the new toothbrushes I had lying in the house and invited him upstairs to brush our teeth together. He agreed, and ran upstairs with me.

   After brushing out teeth, I decided I would ask him about us. 

   "Hey Mitch?" I asked nervously.

   "Yeah?" he asked back.

   "Um... what happened last night?" 

   "What do you mean?" 

   "I mean, about us. What happened to us last night? Do you like me?" I questioned, my heart racing fast. His expression forward soon turned to me and stopped me from reaching the stairs.

   "I don't like you, Jerome," he started. For a split second, I felt like vomiting. But only for a split second, because I heard his voice continue where he left off.

   "I love you." he said quietly, holding my eyes with his. I let out a sobbing laugh and burrowed my face into his chest, letting him embrace me. He held me without speaking, knowing he shouldn't ruin the moment. I was starting to cry from the previous scare, but I was happy, so I guess they were tears of joy. 

   "Mitch, I love you too." I said, sounding muffled by his tee-shirt. I wiped my face and kissed him on the cheek.