Chapter One: Not-So-Early Bird

You would've been fine with being woken up on any other day of the week, but it was a Sunday nearing the fucking end of summer, and you just wanted to sleep in until the midday humidity forced you out from under your comfy sherpa blanket.

"What is it?" you mumbled groggily, one arm lazily hung across your forehead. "You know how I feel about this."

Your housemate threw a pillow at you, which you didn't need to roll away from to dodge because you knew without a doubt that she'd miss from her angle. This was proven by the dull boomf of the pillow landing to your left, probably on your desk chair. "Get up," she demanded. "You need to make cookies."

Was that really it? She interrupted your precious sleep for a sugary breakfast? "You know how to bake," you replied, scowling.

"Actually…" Her voice trailed off.

You suddenly sat up, peering at the figure of your housemate standing in the doorway, your sleepy, near-sighted eyes struggling to focus. "What?"

"Don't freak out, okay?" Her eyes were serious, but there was an underlying smile fighting to make an appearance. Did she have coffee again? … Did she at least make an extra cup and put it in the fridge for you to drink later?

If there was anything amiss, she didn't bring it into the light. "Look," she said, "just please, will you make some cookies? You're the one who can make them crunchy on the edges and soft and chewy on the inside, with just the right amount of chocolate chips."

Were you missing something? You only ever made them on the holidays. Y'know, when you actually had the time and were in the mood for them.

"Is there a new holiday that I don't know about?" She was still a blur but you knew she could see you just fine, so you pulled the most questioning face you could manage.

She let out a massive sigh and crossed her arms over her chest. "Look, there's a surprise and I don't want to spoil it, alright? Just make the cookies. I'll be in the lounge watching Game Grumps YouTube videos." Another smile hinted at the corners of her lips, but she ducked out of your room before you could ask her anything about it.

Well, there went your blissfully-empty morning. Peeling your sherpa blanket off and swinging your legs over the side of the bed, you got up to face the already trying day. A glance at your buzzing phone told you it was only nine o'clock. Ugh, whatever the surprise was, she owed you big time. You'd gone to sleep at six this morning after finally finishing up your part for an MAP (Multi-Animator Project). Standing up and stretching, you padded to the bathroom to take care of business and brush your teeth before heading into the kitchen to bake the demanded pastries.

I might as well make two batches, you thought to yourself while you measured out the flour. "Hey!" you called out. "I'm gonna' make a second batch! Do you want more chocolate chip or something else?"

After a few moments of silence, her response finally came. "Could you make some sugar cookies?"

"Sure!" you yelled back. "Less sweet or more sweet?"

"The fuck kind of question is that?"

You pursed your lips, frowning down at the sugar jars in your hands. Fair enough. So you continued, prepping two and a half cups of brown sugar, along with one cup of white sugar. When you were sure you had all the ingredients out and measured appropriately, you began mixing and finally scooped the cookie dough out onto two pans lined with parchment paper. Then you slid them into the preheated oven and pushed the door shut.

You had half an hour until they would be finished, so you figured you'd get some answers out of your housemate. After setting your baking mitts down on the back of a dining chair, you went into the lounge and leaned against the door frame, raising an eyebrow at the bundle of laughter rolling on the sofa.

"You good?"

She wiped her smile off her face as she took in the apparently horrifying sight of you in your pajamas. "Oh, shit. Could you change real quick?"

That was totally not suspicious. At all. "Why?"

"We're going out today," she easily replied.

She smiled innocently as you groaned. "Really?" you asked. "We're going out, too? It's Sunday. Sunday. Does this day no longer mean anything to you?"

"I'm sorry," she apologized, looking genuinely guilty. "The surprise is super worth it, though. I'll even pack up the cookies for you. And I'll feed Privilege. Okay? Just go change."

Oh, shit. You forgot about the kitten the two of you shared responsibility for. It was a white kitten, and you'd found it appropriate to name it Privilege. Your housemate had agreed. Well, if she was volunteering… "Fine," you muttered, "but you so owe me."

"Right, I owe you. I'll treat you to boba tomorrow."

"It's your turn to pay for boba tomorrow anyway."

"Exactly." She got up from the couch and pushed you out of the lounge and into your room. "Knock on the wall if you need anything."

Sigh. "Just don't burn the house down."

"I make no promises." Her voice softened as she got farther away and disappeared into the kitchen to keep an eye on the cookies.

Wonderful. You shut your bedroom door behind you and opened your closet, revealing your colorful array of dorky graphic shirts and merchandise. These were what your usual attire consisted of. Farthest on the right were a couple of your fancier options, in case of a party or banquet.

"Yo!" You held up a black shirt with a white circle on it in front of yourself and stood in front of the mirror. "Casual or formal?"

"Uhhmm! Formal casual!"

"Jeans and a nice top?" You frowned, returning the shirt to its spot in your closet..

"Bingo!"

Hmm… You could wear a shirt with a jacket over it… Man, RedBubble hoodies were so damn comfortable. Your favorite one was simple and nice enough - NSP in large, bright, colorful letters. Surely, you could wear that. Okay, that left you with deciding what shirt to wear. It wasn't like anyone would see it with a jacket over it, but what if it got too hot? You'd either sweat like you'd just dive bombed into hell, or be forced to walk around in a bra. No, thanks. So, you briefly freshened up, tried on numerous graphic shirts before deciding on a fitted gray Game Grumps shirt and the NSP hoodie, and shimmied into your best pair of black jeans. To finish the look off, you put on blue puppy socks and a pair of sneakers and slid your black, metal-framed glasses onto your face.

That's pretty good. Aaand so is the smell coming from the cookies.

You returned to the kitchen and stood with your hands on your hips. "Is this good enough?"

Your housemate spun around in her chair to give you a quick look-over and beamed. "That's actually perfect. Come on. I packed the goods." She held up her hands with a big tupperware container in them as proof.

"Great." You nodded and gestured at the front door, mentally readying yourself for whatever shenanigans she had in store this time. "Lead the way."