Cranberry Juice [ On Hold ]

3. Soup Really, Really Helps

Have some fluff ;) just warming up for the plot, but I'll throw you some crumbs of happiness. Shorter chapter today, they *might* be a little short now that I've published the book.

It had taken him longer than he'd expected, but Soren had recovered from the market incident. That was the first time in months that someone had been that rude to his face. Asshole. Who the hell does something like that on purpose? Maybe he was overreacting. But he wasn't? She was pretty mean, but then he-

"Noodles and soup. The flavour packets were a bit moist, it might be a bit off, but hey, so am I," Crow said, shoving a chipped bowl of instant noodles under his roommate's nose. He wiped the steam off his glasses, and handed Soren a spoon.

Soren managed a laugh. "Vampires - the human version of spoiled food. Still works, just a bit older. And possibly a bit more deadly," he said, sipping the soup, letting the warmth wash over him. It wasn't great, but that didn't matter.

"I don't know whether or not to take that as a compliment," Crow admitted, sitting next to him. The two sat down on their ratty sofa, and the vampire took a noisy slurp of his coconut water. "Hey, Soren, can I ask you about a reference?"

"Shoot," Soren said, wolfing down the noodles. Crow passed him his phone. The screen showed a wide-eyed dog surrounded by eye-bleeding text.

Soren let out a soft chuckle as he saw the image. "That's Doge. You don't see that many pictures of her anymore. She's very famous, though," he explained, handing back the phone. Crow peered at the image with curiosity.

"She's a very pretty dog," Crow decided. He blew a tuft of hair out of his face, and leaned back into the couch. "One day, I'm gonna get a dog," he mused as he turned off his phone. "Anyways, how's the soup?"

"It's definitely soup," Soren offered. Seemed to satisfy Crow.

The vampire clapped his hands together, grinning. "Great! I'll write down the recipe. I'll call it Gender Soup," he said, attempting to open his Notes app (and actually just opening the calculator. Took him a few tries to get there, but he's learning).

"Isn't it literally just instant noodles?" Soren asked - too late. Crow was already typing (very slowly).

Gender Soup - for Sore

"SORE?" Soren's jaw dropped as he cackled.

Crow laughed. "I'm sorry! Soren, I meant Soren!" he wheezed, going to fix his mistake. His roommate stopped him.

"No, it's funny! Well it's not really, but it is. Keep it," he said through tears. 

As they settled down, Soren coughed. A spoonful of soup spilled on his shirt. "Ah, crap. Took me ages to get the last stain out of this thing. Crow frowned, then took the bowl and splashed a few drops on his sweater. Soren's eyes widened.

"What the hell was that for? That's your favourite jumper, dude," he said, confounded. Crow just smiled.

"We're matching. We'll make it a trend," he said, smiling.

"You can't leave the house," Soren deadpanned.

"I'll stick myself to the window, then."

Soren realised this was a battle he couldn't win. He let himself recline into the sofa, and gazed out the window. Crow did the same.

"Thanks for being there for me, Crow," Soren said, not taking his eyes off the view.

A now soup-scented Crow closed his eyes. "Anytime, Sore. I know you'd do the same for me."

A/N: That was fun to write. Are you enjoying the story so far? Any suggestions are appreciated. I've got both artist and writer's block hrngh

Have an excellent day gamers, see you next chapter