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He made two eggs every morning.
It was out of pure habit. First, he would wake up early. Then, he would shower. Afterwards, he would cook himself an omelet comprised of two eggs. Finally, he would make his way to Huaxu Academy. Like clockwork.
A routine so perfected, that he practically ran on autopilot every morning while carrying it out. It left little room for error and minimized his disruptions first thing in the morning, crucial as he could not allow his day to end before he even began.
One morning, he was standing at the stove, preparing his breakfast as usual. Nothing more, nothing less. Yao's mind was still wandering in a half-sleepy daze. He slept rather well the night before, probably the best sleep he has had in a while, yet the temptation to return to bed was still rather strong. In fact, he’d argue that he hadn’t slept that good in quite some time. Truthfully, Xiangli Yao was just looking for an excuse to return to bed, as Rover was still likely laying down.
As thoughts of her comfort still lingered in his mind, he glanced down at the frying pan, pushing the two eggs about. Slowly, the problem that had neglected to account for dawned on him.
He only made two eggs.
Now, it would be quite unfair to not offer a soon-to-be permanent resident of his home something to eat on their first stay together. At the same time, he couldn’t sacrifice his own breakfast, and the time did not allow for a second meal to be fully cooked and enjoyed.
Xiangli Yao looked at the sizzling eggs in the pan for a moment, debating. Eating a little less than usual just this once would do him little harm, and other factors took priority at the moment as well. He took the spatula and sliced the eggs in half as equally as possible. If she were to ask about the apparent small meal, then Yao would just lie a little, saying that he normally made himself either one or two.
He grabbed one plate for himself, then slid another one out after a simple glance reminded him of his once singular omelet becoming two. Xiangli Yao was going to adjust his routine ever so slightly to account for two, which was easy enough of a feat.
He laid the plates out on the table and debated on whether or not he should go wake Rover. It would be quite rude to eat without her, but it would be equally rude to disturb her slumber. All things considered, research waits for no man nor sleeping woman. Yao stared at his plate, backed into a corner on what decision to make.
After a few minutes of debate to no avail, he was about to give in and start eating alone, when Rover came walking into the room. She was still tired and dazed, hair a complete mess and rubbing the crust out of her eyes.
"My apologies if I woke you," Yao said.
"What’s that smell? It smells goooood…" Rover said, completely ignoring his statement.
"...Eggs. I made you one in case you wanted-"
"Don’t mind if I do," she said, wasting no time flopping her body into the chair.
Rover picked up the fork.
She enthusiastically stabbed the prongs through the egg.
She shoved the entire egg into her mouth and happily chewed it.
Well, perhaps he worried for absolutely no reason at all. No comments about being woken up, no comments about how much he was eating, nothing. Perhaps she was simply glad to be surprised with food taking zero of her energy to make first thing in the morning. Yao was a bit baffled, indeed, but he saw no use in pressing her for an answer. He spaced out as he watched his beloved bedhead chew away at her egg, thinking about how this would soon become an almost daily sight for him. Rover, on the other hand, didn’t seem to be feeling as sedimental right now, at least, not with an omelet shoved in her mouth.
It occurred to him that perhaps, he should save the longing gazes for a more appropriate time. His food was going to get cold, and he would soon be due to make way for Huaxu.
After Rover had finished her egg, the smile had yet to leave her face. The combination of her bright expression and disheveled appearance created this odd sort of feral cuteness to her. Xiangli Yao found it hard to pry his eyes off of her.
But he must. It was rude to stare.
He felt guilty for admiring a lady who was somehow beautiful even when she was a bedheaded mess, as if he wasn’t deserving of such perfection. It was too early for him be dwelling on these thoughts, and snapped himself back to reality so that he could finish his food.
There was one thing that he was certain of, though.
Tomorrow, he would cook four eggs.