Seven didn't know what to expect but they did not expect to hear laughing. And yet...Mae was laughing her ass off. But then she calmed down and explained that she pretty much knew what was going on. They looked Mae in the eye as she spoke, though still somewhat awkward.

"Having a roommate is hard..." they grumbled, but that changed as Mae kissed her on the forehead, which reflexively wrinkled and Seven scrunched their nose. They chuckled, shaking their head as Mae finished speaking. "Okay, so I have been taking less shots to the head, and I usually do try to pick my battles, yeah."

They just sat there, looking at Mae in silence, biting their lip as they shuffled a bit awkwardly. "Uh...one thing though," they said as that sly smirk stretched back across their lips. "It was a badger, not a wolverine," they teased lightly, leaning in and kissing Mae's cheek. "But aside from that nothing gets past you, huh?"

Mae had to try hard not to keep giggling. Something about Seven's expressions just dragged the response out of her. The faces, the scrunched forehead, the embarrassment. Mae just enjoyed the moment, and then giggled again when the badger comment came up.

"So, wait, you're telling me you got beat up by a Hufflepuff?!" She dissolved into further snickering, to the point she rolled and buried her face against Seven's chest. Only, that proved to be a sort of awkward move, because Seven actually did have a chest. She caught herself before staying there too long, further blushing and giggling, trying to hide her face with her own hands now.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean...." she finally breathed, peeking out from between her fingers. "I'm just a bundle of awkward, haven't you noticed? Nothing gets past me, but I also just manage to stumble myself into situations no one intended for me to be in."

"Hey. Hey. I won that fight," they replied. "I knocked 'em out, they just made me bleed a little; that's not hard to do. Besides, you shoulda seen that ****er okay? Badgers aren't all cuddly and ****." They weren't hostile, in fact, Seven was....relaxed, smirking, and just...comfortable. Apparently, they weren't the only one, either.

"It's fine," they replied, hiding the fact that their heart was racing and those weird feelings were coming back again. "I really don't mind. Besides, I think when it comes to awkward, I've got you beat, especially when it comes to getting into situations that nobody intended to be in." Reaching out, they ran their hand through Mae's hair before gently grabbing her wrist, and then the other one, pulling her hands away from her face.

They just looked at her a moment; they were going to say something but words were lost on them. Feelings were ****ing weird. Finally, Seven chuckled lightly, a smile playing at their lips. "Goddammit, Mae..." They muttered lightly before leaning in and planting a firm yet affectionate kiss on their roommate's lips, grip loosening on the wrists as they did so.

The image of Seven fighting with a fluffy badger would probably never leave Mae’s brain. She knew that wasn’t what really happened, but sometimes, what was truth and what you imagined didn’t always line up. Also, there were other things distracting her mind now, including the sort of tangle they had gotten into on the couch. Awkward situations nobody intended to be in? Yeah, that was all of this.

Then Mae felt her hands pulled away, face pink and honestly, probably cuter than it should have been. Maybe that was why Seven said those words, and suddenly, there was a kiss she didn’t know she had been dying to have. One hand broke free on its own, finding its way to Seven’s hair and keeping the contact longer.

She was forced to breathe. She kept her face close, resting her forehead against Seven’s. Her heart was going a million miles an hour, but she liked it, ”Date me.” she said the phrase with a little bit of force, bringing their lips back together and feeling a sense of possessiveness. ”Hell if I want to share you now.”

The kiss was...nice, and Seven melted into it, gasping when they felt Mae's hand tangle in their hair and she held the kiss longer. When it broke they were smiling yet panting slightly, forehead against Mae's, and then Mae spoke.

"Date me." The words were more direct and firmer than Seven was used to, and they blinked. "O--okay." What the hell was that? Did Seven's voice just squeak? Before they could process, Mae was kissing them again, and then speaking.

"You don't have to. You're all I want," they breathed. "Besides.
.. You're kinda the only one who wants me. There's no line or anything. Just....you. And I'm perfectly okay with that. With...this.."

Okay. That was enough of a promise for Mae. Her heart felt lighter. She smiled against Sevens lips and then finally pulled back to rest her head against the other's shoulder. Her body was swimming with emotions tonight, and she was feeling a buzz that had nothing to do with drinking.

"I just, I'm glad I didn't scare you off. I...I relate to people first. And if there is emotional compatibility, the of the feelings follow. With you, I felt a connection faster and it all just sort of...snowballed. I don't fall for just anyone. And I don't want you to ever feel like just anyone. You're special. You're my lucky number Seven." She kissed along Seven's neck nuzzling rather affectionately near their hair. If she wasn't feeling a little sleepy already, she might have taken it further. There would be another night for that though. Mae wasn't sure how much she could hold back now that there had been a kiss.

They had kissed. The memory made her heart get a rush of emotions all over again. Hell she felt like such a teenager. This was the best part of a relationship. The giggles and awkwardness and just...being happy to exist. Together. Next to someone.

Seven let a hand run through Mae's hair as her head rested on their shoulder. "I don't scare easy, MaeFlower," they said with a smirk. "I...can't really explain how you make me feel, it just...feels funny, but I like it." Their breath caught as they felt Mae's lips on their neck, followed by nuzzling, and they practically melted into her. Then, they yawned, realizing it'd been a pretty busy day, and they were both tired.

"Maybe we should just go lie down," they said, somewhat disappointed but there would be other days for that, especially after they'd kissed. Seven still couldn't believe that someone actually wanted them around for more than what they could give or do for someone, but...here they were. And someone like Mae, nonetheless, who didn't seem to care what Seven did, but just liked....them. They left their bedroom door cracked a little as they changed into their usual bedtime attire, threw the dirty clothes in the hamper, and crawled in bed, cuddling up extra close to Mae tonight before drifting off to sleep.

~~The Next Morning~~

Seven was up as early as they usually were, slipping out of bed, but giving Mae a kiss on the forehead before heading to the kitchen in just their sleep clothes. Coffee pot was on, but there would be no work today; it was Saturday and Seven had other plans. They rummaged through the kitchen, finding what they needed. On the counter was a cookbook, and a laptop with ViewTube videos pulled up on how to cook.

Things went...not horribly. The smoke alarm never went off, and while things weren't perfect, they'd made a passable breakfast of bacon, eggs and pancakes, with only a few inedible attempts that made it into the trash can. Quickly, they returned the laptop to their room before Mae could wake up, and then fixed plates and two mugs of coffee(even though Seven technically already had two.)

Mae woke up to the smell of food. She hadn’t set an alarm, not needed to rush into work today, and the dead zone kept her from waking up to any noise from the kitchen. It was mostly the smell and the absence of warmth that got her stirring. She thought Seven would have gone to work like normal, so the cold wasn’t notable. But, bacon? That didn’t feel right.

Cautious and sleepy, Mae poked her head out of the bedroom, and saw what felt like something out of the twilight zone. Seven had cooked, and...honestly, it looked good.

”I didn’t hit my head going to bed, did I?” she asked, venturing forward and then slipping behind Seven to hug them. They hadn’t quite escaped the kitchen yet, and she took the opportunity to help carry things to the living room. She took a bite of the pancake first, and grinned. It was not cardboard. ”This is great....thank you.” she leaned over and kissed Seven’s cheek, despite their disheveled appearance. She didn’t mind the sweat and grease from the failed cooking. She was just touched they had done this for her.

They paused, leaning back into the hug. "I...I could get used to this," they murmured. "No, I thought I'd try something," they answered as Mae took one of the plates, helping carry things to the living room. Part of them was sad that the hug broke, but there'd probably be more of that later.

Once on the couch, Mae leaned over and kissed their cheek, causing them to smile. "You're welcome..." They murmured, surprisingly sweet as they spoke. They took a bite of their cooking and while it wasn't nearly as good as Mae's...it didn't suck. "I know it's not as good as yours, but I figured since we're dating now...I could give it a shot." They made quick work of the bacon, and took the opportunity to lean over and kiss Mae's cheek, though they miscalculated and missed, kissing her neck instead.

Then, they went back to the food, but they were mildly distracted, occasionally looking over to Mae, stealing glances at her face and her figure. They'd never really paid much attention, but Mae was pretty.

Dating... Mae was a little mesmerized by the sound of that. She blushed, awkwardly flattening her hair feeling almost nervous all of a sudden. ”I really like hearing you say it. It reminds me its real. And, I don’t mind cooking for us. But, it’s really sweet. I like...when you do things. I mean, just making me feel appreciated.”

Had she rambled enough? Mae focused on eating, and then when she was done she collected their dishes. Coming back to the couch, however, she had a somewhat flirtatious look on her face.

”As much as I’m digging the hot mess we both are, how about we take a shower?” she leaned over, and gave one long kiss, and stepped toward the bathroom. ”And yes, I said we.” she hoped that was enough, and collected two towels before hoping Seven would follow.

Seven may have kissed first, but Mae had her own way of doing things too.

"Yep, it's real. And no takebacks once you realize what a horrible decision you've made" they teased in their usual manner. "I'm trying to get better at this whole roommate thing. Before, nobody really gave a ****, but this is...different." Food was finished and dishes were put in the sink, and Seven got comfy on the couch as they usually did. They didn't mind being covered in sweat, grease and batter. It was a lot better than sweat, blood, and bruises if they were being honest.

Seven got caught up in the kiss when Mae came back, arms wrapping around her and leaning into it. This, they could definitelyget used to. And then...her words sunk in, and was it hot in here all of a sudden? And why was Mae's actions the past few days making Seven's adrenaline feel like they were getting ready for a fight?

That smile had been interesting. Different. Did agreeing to date Mae awaken some other side of her? Though...they couldn't say they were complaining...

With a shrug that hid their nervousness, Seven stood up, taking a breath as they watched Mae grab two towels. They made their way to the bathroom, leaving the red breakfast-stained tee shirt on the floor in front of the door as it slowly creaked closed.

Things went predictably steamy in the shower... Which led to the bedroom, and honestly probably undid the whole idea of cleaning up. Seven discovered fairly quickly that when it came to a physical relationship, Mae was much more aggressive of the two. It was almost funny that the shorter of the two wss in charge behind closed doors.

They ended up back in bed, and Mae was sleepily curled back up with Seven. Her Seven. There was a point during the activities, however, that she used the name Jess when Seven didn’t feel right. Whatever the name, she was happy.

Mae kisses a spot on the other’s shoulder, finding it hard to wake back up now. ”I...think this plan was counterproductive...” she commented, pushing messy hair from Seven’s face.

Okay so there was another side of Mae underneath that sweet and gentle small frame of hers. And honestly? Seven had to admit that they liked it. A lot. They finally understood what was so important about Mae wanting a 'normal' name to call Seven, and they were more than willing to make that an exception to their rule.

Seven curled up next to Mae, their blonde hair strewn about their head and hanging in their face, slightly winded, and wearing a very out-of-character smile for them. They shuddered at the kiss on their shoulder, and let their wrap around Mae to rest on her lower back. "Maybe it was, but...it was still a good plan," they breathed.

They normally liked cuddling, but it was even better now. They leaned down and planted gentle kisses along her jawline, finally stopping to kiss her lips before snuggling close and closing their eyes.

Seven was actually in a relationship. One based on emotion. Mae was theirs. And they were Mae's.

And...Seven was perfectly fine with that.