[DISCONTINUED] ❝Ante Mortem❞ 【Sally Face】

【xv ; breakfast waffles】

"Honey, wake up, I made breakfast."

You wake up groggily, lifting your head off someone's shoulder. You blink, seeing Sal beside you. He has his eyes closed, still asleep. You hear a chuckle, turning only to see your mom crouched in front of you.

"Come on, your waffles will get cold. That, and I need to get to work." She leans in, kissing you on the forehead. She smiles apologetically as she stands up, "I thought today is a free day for us to hang out, but I need to clock in for a co-worker. Sorry, dear, we're short staffed again today."

"It's alright." You sit up properly, getting out of the blanket carefully as to not wake up Sal. She smiles at you, before heading to the door and leaving the apartment with one last wave. You stand up, stretching your arms with a yawn before heading to the kitchen. You see a stack of waffles on two plates, making you smile. You bring them to the living room, seeing Sal had woken up judging by the way he has a hand under his mask, rubbing his eye probably.

"Morning." You greet cheerfully, catching his attention. He looks up at you, eyes squinting in happiness.

"Damn, I didn't even notice I fell asleep." He says groggily, ruffling his hair lightly. He stands up, pointing to the bathroom, "Be right back."

"Sure." You give him a thumbs up, sitting on the couch and putting the plates of waffles on the coffee table. You run to the kitchen, taking two forks and coming back to the living room. You dig into your waffles, as your mom has dripped syrup onto them. You hear the bathroom door open, Sal getting out as he wipes his hands against his pants. You point at the coffee table, "Waffle?"

"Your mom made this?" He asks, sitting beside you and taking the fork and plate of waffles on the coffee table. You nod, smiling as a fork dangles off your mouth. "Well, tell her I said thanks."

"Didn't even realise she went home last night." You take the fork off your mouth, stabbing into your last waffle. "I'm only glad she didn't tell me off for having a boy here."

"She doesn't strike me as a strict mom." He mumbles. You give him a questioning look. He shrugs and explains, "I was awake when your mom said goodbye."

You nod, continuing to eat your waffle. You point at him with your fork, "Isn't, uh, your mom or dad worried that you didn't come home last night?"

"My dad would have called me, or he was too tired to notice." He replies, swallowing his waffle. He seems to avert his gaze, saying, "I don't have a mom anymore."

"Now it's my turn to be sorry." You avert your gaze, feeling guilty so suddenly. It was silent between the two of you for a moment. You look up at him, furrowing your eyebrows at he has to lift his mask to eat, "Don't you want to remove your mask?"

He thinks for a moment, and you suddenly panic, "Wait, no, sorry, I didn't mean to pry! You can keep it on, sorry."

"I mean.. you have seen my face, right?" He says, his voice a bit shaky. You found this strange, but with the slowly forming friendship between the two of you, you find yourself smiling.

"It's completely your choice, Sal, I wouldn't want to intrude on your privacy." You tell him softly, hoping that he does whatever he's comfortable with. Your eyes widen as he unbuckles the top clasps of his mask. Taking it by the front, he slowly takes it off. You close your eyes, just in case he changes his mind.

"You can open your eyes, you know." He mumbles. You slowly take a peek, before fully looking at him. It takes a few moments to get used to the sight, and you continue to eat in total, awkward silence. You both hear a loud sound from your room, and you put down your plate to retrieve your phone. You see the ringtone, it being Larry. You answer it, getting back to the living room.