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Clover hated that stupid radiator.
This wasnt the first time the thing had broken, and it probably wouldn't be the last.
To be fair, it was quite old, so it made sense, but that didn't make sitting in the cold any less annoying.
Without the radiator, Clover's bedroom was, in simple terms, cold, cold, cold, and, more importantly, really friggin' cold.
The room was quite small, the walls painted a warm yellow colour, and Clover's bed laid against the wall opposite of the door, next to said bed, a desk had been set up with their computer and a large wardrobe to hold their clothing, next to the wardrobe, was a big bookshelf, in which Clover displayed their huge comicbook collection, it was a hobby they had picked up after coming back to the surface years ago.
A window illuminated the desk, under it was the radiator which Clover had come to absolutely despise.
Clover adjusted their blanket, in hopes of warming themselfes up, but to no avail.
They were wearing the warmest piece of clothing available to them, which, coincidentally, was a hoodie that Chara had left in their room after helping them assemble the bookshelf, it was comfortable and fuzzy and very warm, and it smelled like Chara, so that was a big plus.
Ok maybe they were just wearing it because it smelled like Chara, but nobody needed to know that.
Suddenly, they heard a knock on the door.
"Ya can come in! It unlocked!" They said, their teeth clattering due to the cold.
The door swung open to reveal a very puzzled-looking Chara.
"Why are you staying in the only room where the heating is malfunctioning?"
Chara was wearing a black sweater, with a little SOUL sewn in the center, half yellow and half red, Clover had made it for them, they were very proud of their work, they were also wearing a pair of beige pants and black shoes that Clover had gifted them for their birthday a couple of months prior, Chara looked very good.
Not that Chara ever looked bad, of course.
Clover found themselves shifting their gaze to Chara's red eyes, they loved looking at them, their colour reminded them of the fireplace in the living room, warm, comfortable and soothing.
"-okay?" The human finished
"Huh?" Clover exclaimed, snapping out of their Chara-induced trance
"I asked if you were doing alright"
Said Chara, giving them a warm smile
"You sort of stopped responding to my questions"
"And you were also staring at my eyes again"
Chara teased, smirking
"Oh-"
"S-sorry Buttercup, yeah, im fine, just a bit cold" Clover said, readjusting their blanket to hide their now blushing face
"Yes, about that, may you answer my question?"
"Why are you sitting in the only room where the heating doesn't work?"
"Oh, well..." Clover began
"I saw you were in the living room writing somethin', it looked pretty important, so I came here to avoid botherin' ya" They said
"You wouldn't have bothered me, idiot"
"Hey!! I ain't an idiot!!" Clover protested
"Yes you are, youre sitting in a cold room in fear of "bothering me" when youre very much aware of the fact that i really enjoy your presence"
"And the kitchen is also completely empty, and the heating in there is just fine"
"So yes, id say you qualify as an idiot"
"Hmph" Clover grunted, blushing more
"I'd have had to go through the living room to get to the kitchen..."
"Cloves, its alright, you never bother me, really." Chara smiled again, Clover really liked their smile.
"Do you want me to make something for you, maybe? I could brew you some tea if you'd like that" Chara proposed.
"Could you make hot chocolate...? If its not too much of a bother..."
"Of course it isnt, dont worry"
"Are you sure..?"
"Yes, come with me"
Chara put their hand out, smiling, and Clover reached for it, lacing their fingers together, their hand was warm, Clover was already feeling better.
Chara turned and walked out of the room, Clover followed suit.
They passed though the living room, Chara's notebook laid open on the table.
"By the way..." Clover began
"What were ya writin'? You looked pretty focused earlier"
"Oh, well, I was writing some poetry" Chara replied
"Poetry? I didn't know you were into that!" Clover said, surprised
"Its something i've started doing recently" Chara replied
"I find it... liberating, to write about my feelings"
"What kinda feelings were ya writing about?" Clover asked curiously
"Oh, nothing important, dont worry" Chara said, Clover could swear they saw them blushing, they couldn't tell though, since Chara had hastily turned their head the other side after speaking
"Can I see what you wrote?" Clover asked again
"Maybe later, its not finished yet" Chara said, they were definitely blushing now, Clover could feel it in their voice.
Once they passed through the living room, they found themselfes in the kitchen, it was pretty small, but Chara managed to organize it so that everything that they could ever need fit in there, they were quite good at that.
Chara turned on the lights and opened the cupboard.
"Take a seat, please" they gestured towards the table in the corner of the room.
Clover sat down and relaxed, the heating in the kitchen worked, so they just sat there, taking in the warmth of the room, actually, they werent really cold anymore, they stopped feeling cold once Chara took their hand, but still, the room was warm and comfortable, and Clover loved it.
They watched as Chara opened a small packet of cocoa powder they had taken out from the cupboard, they poured the powder in a pot together with sugar and another ingredient, which Clover was pretty sure was cornstarch, and then poured milk in the mixture, and then started whisking everything together, adding more milk as they mixed.
Eventually, they turned on the stovetop and went back to whisking, Clover was pretty impressed, they usually did the cooking, but it seemed that Chara was a good cook as well.
Once they finished, Chara poured the chocolate in two cups and brought one to Clover.
"Do you want marshmallows in your chocolate?"
"We have those? Heck yea I do!" Clover said excitedly
Chara chuckled and opened the cupboard again, pulling out a packet of small yellow marshmallows, they opened it and passed it to Clover, they smiled and grabbed the packet, then sprinkled some marshmallows onto their drink
"Can I have a spoon? For the marshmallows" Clover asked
"Oh, yes, of course" Chara replied, they opened a drawer under the stovetop and grabbed a spoon, then passed it to Clover
"Thanks Buttercup, you're the best" they said smiling warmly
"Its nothing, really, dont worry Cloves" said Chara, smiling back
Clover sank a marshmallow into the chocolate, scooped it up along with some of the drink and blew on it to cool it down
It smelled heavenly, Clover couldn't wait to taste it.
So, they didnt wait
They put the spoon in their mouth, then the flavour hit their tastebuds
Angel, it was incredible, the drink felt cozy and relaxing, and it brought a warm feeling all throughout Clover's body, warming them up and making them feel incredibly happy
So happy, that they instantly got up and hug-tackled Chara
"THIS IS SO GOOD THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING THIS ITS SO TASTY AND WARM AND I LOVE IT SO MUCH THANK YOU SO MUCH YOURE SO GREAT I LOV-"
"...e the drink so much, hehehe..." Clover added awkwardly, now extremely aware of the burning sensation in their face and their arms firmly holding Chara
Chara, on the other hand, did not move at all, they just stood there, paralyzed by the sudden physical contact, they werent really used to hugging, and they rarely received hugs as well, not that they didnt like them, Chara loved hugs, they just werent really used to getting them
So they just stood there, completely unmoving, face slowly heating up and going redder and redder
"You alright there Buttercup?" Clover asked
"Sorry if i startled ya! I should've probably asked for permission to hug you.." Said the human
"N-no, i-it's... ok" Said Chara shakily, still pretty shocked up
Then, suddenly remembering what one was supposed to do in this situation, they wrapped their arms around Clover and lightly pulled them closer
"Are you sure youre ok Chara? You seem very startled.."
"Y-yes, i am ok" Chara replied
"This is... quite nice, actually..." They continued, their cheeks somehow reddening further
"Your hugs are n-nice, Cloves"
"Aww! Thanks Chara!" Clover said, smiling, pulling Chara further into their embrace
"They just stood like this for a while, just enjoying each other's closeness and warmth, in that moment, they both thought that nothing could've ever topped this, it was relaxing and cozy and the humans would've gladly stayed like this for the whole remainder of the evening
Until they both suddenly remembered why they were hugging each other in the first place
"So..." Chara began
"Mhm? Is something up?" Clover asked
"No, dont worry Cloves, everything is fine, I was just going to ask if you were planning on finishing your chocolate, even tho hugging you is quite nice, I wouldn't want to be the reason for which you have to drink cold chocolate" Chara explained
"Oh yeah, i should probably finish the chocolate, shouldn't I?" Said the human
"Wait, did ya say my hugs are nice?" Clover teased
"T-that is beyond the point" Chara stammered out hastily
"Yea yea, of course it is" said Clover smirking
"Thanks, Chara, youre a great person" They added, a sweet smile appearing on their face
"No problem Cloves, anytime" Chara responded, looking into their eyes
Clover did the same, looking up to the human's eyes again
Clover loved Chara's eyes.