Note.
To butter her muffin: to have sex with her...
To butter someone up: to be very kind or friendly to someone...
It'll make sense later.
There were two reasons to celebrate that weekend. First of all, Sam and Touya had both fully recovered; they no longer looked like ruffians. Although, their injuries had left them both with a collection of new scars. Sam now sported a thin, white line across his lips and Touya's skin at his arms and face remained discoloured. Callie assured them that they were both as handsome and charming as ever.
The second reason to celebrate, was that they had all finished their exams. Despite their ordeal, the roommates managed to study hard, their time spent indoors recovering giving them no excuse but to do so.
Rather than celebrate in the form of another big party however, Touya, Russ, Callie and Sam chose to remain at their apartment. After everything that had happened, a quiet night in with close friends seemed like the more appropriate option.
That weekend, Russ and Callie offered to cook dinner, so long as Sam baked a pie for dessert. Touya was appointed the job of providing the drinks for the occasion. Callie requested that he bring that expensive champagne she liked; the one he introduced her to on Sam's birthday at the penthouse.
As they gathered in the kitchen, Russ pulled on his favourite apron. The garment in question was rather famous among the the baseball team. Sam had once videoed his oblivious younger brother dancing in the kitchen while wearing it. It was tradition among the U.A All Mights to play the video at every occasion, much to Russ' dismay. However, as he tied the gimmicky garment around his waist, Callie immediately noticed something was different about it.
"Russ..?" she called questioningly, as she looked up from her diced onion. "Did it always say that?"
And as she pointed at the text on the front, she was pretty sure the answer was no. Sam's head popped up from the couch to peek at what they were talking about and his low, easy chuckle sounded.
Russ looked down at where 'kiss the cook' should have been written and immediately grunted in surprise. Letters had been changed and crossed out to make the innocent phrase far more vulgar.
"What the-?" He muttered, holding out the fabric to stare at it with disbelieving eyes.
Just then, a towel-clad Touya entered the room. His hair was still wet and bubbles still clung to his forearms and shoulders. When his eyes fell upon Russ, he snorted a laugh. "Shit! I forgot I'd done that." He laughed as he passed the squinting baseball star. He cast the apron another look as he reached into the fridge for a beer and chuckled again.
Russ' narrowed eyes followed him all the back to his room where he disappeared to get changed. And despite the vandalism to his apron, the meal managed to get cooked up just fine.
It was an indulgent spread that combined Russ' love for Italian food with Callie's taste for Greek cuisine. They gathered around the dining table to eat it after Sam popped his pecan pie in the oven to bake. Part way through their meal, they raised their glasses of champagne in a toast to 'good food, bad laughs and great friends.' And when Sam leaned over to kiss Callie, Russ and Touya threw their scrunched-up napkins at them in jesting protest.
As far as their relationship was going, Sam and Callie seemed to compliment each other well. Their conversations were always long, a balance between intellectual talk and silly nonsense, their silences were always comfortable, their time apart was always handled maturely and their physical connection was electric. Touya couldn't help but respect their level of compatibility and intimacy, even if he didn't understand how anyone could commit to the idea of monogamy.
And living with such a couple wasn't all that bad either. For the most part, they kept their relationship private. Though they could be seen sharing swift kisses here and there, or sharing space on the couch, they kept their more intimate moments exclusively to Callie's bedroom. On occasion, those moments could be overheard, much to Russ' quiet frustration and Touya's chuckling amusement.
And no, it wasn't sex. At least, it wasn't this morning.
No.
This morning, at around 8:30am, Sam and Callie could be heard having their first lovers tiff.
And honestly, of all the things Touya would have expected them to argue about, like Sam's forgetfulness, or Callie's inability to sleep with the window closed, or Sam's habit of muttering under his breath whenever he studied, or Callie's unnecessarily large collection of cushions, the one thing that had caused them to raise their voices was how their morning coffee should be made.
Touya and Russ exchanged glances from across the breakfast bar as they heard Callie loudly declare that 'if Sam didn't like it, he should get up and make it himself.' To which they heard Sam respond with a snarky, 'well you offered, doll. Why offer to make someone coffee if you're not gonna make it the way they like it?'
Touya couldn't help but snigger at how exaggerated Sam's New York accent was in that moment; it always grew thicker whenever he was annoyed. Then again, Touya noticed that Sam would also emphasise his accent whenever he was trying to charm Callie too. Perhaps this morning was a mixture of both.
Touya found himself imitating the way Sam said 'coffee' under his breath as he idly scrolled through his phone. Russ overheard and laughed quietly. The younger sibling's accent wasn't anywhere near as broad as his brother's.
"Well, you could at least be a bit more appreciative," they heard Callie snap back.
"I am appreciative- when you make it right." Sam's low voice followed. And even though neither Russ nor Touya could see his face, the tone of his voice betrayed the fact he was smiling when he said this.
Russ shook his grinning head while Touya smirked into his phone. The next thing that could be heard was the dull thud of a cushion hitting the door.
Damn. If cushions were being used as ammo, Callie sure had enough chances to land at least one hit.
The two eavesdroppers made sure to rearrange their faces into ones that housed more neutral expressions when they heard the door to Callie's bedroom abruptly open, followed by her recognisably soft, yet today notably angry, footfalls.
Touya tried his best to stop his lips from trembling up into a smile as he watched Callie dumped a full mug of coffee and cream into the sink. Sam liked his coffee black and bitter. Callie took it thicker and sweeter. Neither one of them ever catered to the other's taste. Touya never understood why. They managed to do far more demanding things for one another than to make their morning beverages right.
"Good morning, Callie." Russ chimed, when she turned away from the coffee-filled basin.
Touya internally praised his boldness.
Ever the picture of grace and decorum, Callie straightened her well-postured spine and managed a smile in response. It didn't quite reach her eyes however, as she replied with a swift, "morning, Russ."
Before any other pleasantries could be exchanged, the sound of Sam's heavier steps caused Callie to bristle and swiftly retreat into the bathroom with a firm tug on the door.
When Sam's eyes met Touya's, he gently shook his head and stalked over to the counter to make himself a drink. He made a show of unceremoniously tossing the carton of cream back into the fridge. When he turned back to face them, Russ and Touya let out the laughter they had been holding in. Though it promptly ceased the moment the bathroom door opened again and Callie's eyes shot over to them.
Once she had returned to her bedroom, Sam heaved a sighed.
"Ahh. Young love." Touya teased, watching as Sam poured himself a large cup of coffee.
He brought it over to the table and slid into a chair next to his brother.
"Don't worry, Sam." Russ declared cheerfully, slapping a hand on his brother's slouching back. "Give it a minute, then go butter her muffin and she'll be right as rain again."
A silence washed over the trio as Russ' words hung in the air.
Sam furrowed his brow and cast his bewildered eyes over to Touya. They held each other's gaze for a moment before the latter spluttered a loud laugh, letting his head fall into his arms.
"What?" Russ queried, his face housing a look of genuine confusion.
Sam sighed and shook his head.
"Yup. That'll do it, Russ." Touya sniggered, shoulders still shaking with laughter.
The sight had caused Sam to begin chuckling now. He put his hefty cup of coffee down to avoid spilling any. "I think you mean butter her up." Sam corrected over Touya's incessant sniggering.
Russ frowned, "it's the same thing, is it not?"
Touya raised his head. There were tears in the corners of his eyes. "Yeah, pretty much." He shrugged, grinning broadly.
But Sam was shaking his head. "No, Russ."
And when Sam clarified the stark difference between the two phrases, Russ raised his brows and snorted bashfully. "Oh. Well, I mean...either or, right?"
Which ever technique Sam settled for, Callie was in a far better mood later that afternoon. Although, it could have had a lot to do with what Touya brought home from his walk.
"Look what I found!" He declared proudly.
He kicked the front door closed behind him and held up a squirming, fluffy white cat.
Callie gasped happily at the sight and rushed over to pet it.
Sam raised his eyes from his notes and frowned curiously. "Oh hello Mr. Kitten. Where did Touya steal you from?"
The man in question handed the writhing creature over to Callie. It immediately calmed down in her arms as she began to scratch it behind its ears. Touya noted how she used a similar gesture to stop Sam fretting whenever his work got him stressed. The woman clearly had a soothing touch.
"I didn't steal it, I'll have you know," Touya retorted, "I found it in the trash."
And Sam shook his head at the clarification.
"Well, he doesn't have a collar. And the poor thing is so skinny!" Callie continued. Her voice then raised a few octaves as she addressed the purring feline in her arms. "Aren't you? You cute, little muffin, you!"
She then promptly took it upon herself to feed the hungry cat in the kitchen, opening their last can of tuna and pouring it a bowl of clean water. Sam knew then and there that the cat wouldn't be leaving the household anytime soon. He frowned as he wondered whether pets were even allowed in the apartment.
It didn't take long for the inquisitive kitty to get settled in. After eating a full can of fish and last nights leftovers, it nestled down on the sofa next to Sam and fell asleep on his assignment. The science major didn't have to heart to move it. It looked like that was the end of his studying for today.
Later that evening, as they gathered around the table again, Russ asked the rest of the group; "So, have you given it a name yet?" He watched as the little cat wandered around the table top, an unsure frown playing on his face. The feline began to claw playfully at the teabag in Callie's mug.
"Yeah." They declared simultaneously, and promptly followed suit with three, separate names.
"Mr Kitten." Drawled Sam.
"Muffin." Chimed Callie.
"Teabag." Declared Touya.
Russ blinked at the strange collection of titles.
"We'll call him George." Russ settled.
And the vet found the name Mr Kitten Muffin Teabag George highly amusing as she entered the pet's details into its microchip data the next morning. It looked like the trashcan cat was here to stay.
Much to Touya's disappointment, however, even after a week, the animal still squirmed every time he attempted to pick him up.
"Dude, just face it. He doesn't like you." Sam chuckled as the cat hissed and wriggled out of Touya's grasp.
"But I saved him," he pouted, as the cat leapt from his lap. It landed on the kitchen floor and immediately began to weave in and out of Sam's bare legs.
It was currently 3am on a Saturday morning. The two science majors were sat in the kitchen with mugs of hot tea in front of them. Both of them were wearing nothing but their boxers. It was particularly hot and stuffy that night.
Touya had texted Sam earlier that he was in the kitchen and Sam had come to join him after Callie had drifted off to sleep.
At least, that's what he'd thought when he told Touya as they chatted randomly over their hot beverages. So, when the kitchen door opened and in walked a drowsy looking Callie, head covered in rollers and body wrapped in satin, they both cast her a bewildered expression.
"Heya, Callie." Sam blinked. "Didn't wake you did we?"
Small, tired eyes regarded them as pouty lips turned a frown. "What are you two doing up at this time?" She rubbed a knuckle at her eye as she slid into a seat at the table and pulled Sam's mug of tea towards her.
"Couldn't sleep." Touya shrugged, slipping a hand into his waistband.
"Wasn't tired," yawned Sam.
Callie cocked an eyebrow at her boyfriend who smiled idly back at her. "You?"
"Hungry." She grumbled, and reached into the cookie jar to rummage around for her favourite flavour. The guys had soon learned not to eat the cranberry and white chocolate ones; Callie could be quite a firecracker when her preferred cookie ran out.
It seemed the early hours of the morning and the sugary snacks had made them giddy. After Sam cracked a random joke that they probably wouldn't have laughed at at a sensible hour of the day, the sound of a door bursting open snagged their attention. They turned their heads in unison as a bed-headed Russ stomped into the kitchen.
"Will you keep it down! I have to be up for practice in 3 hours!" He barked. Mr Kitten dove under the table in surprise.
Stifled laughter followed. It was kind of difficult to take the grumpy baseball player's anger seriously when he was stood in the doorframe wearing nothing but tight, white briefs. "This is the 3rd night in a row! I'm livid!"
His ranting continued as he stomped back to his room. Callie had grown accustomed to seeing the guys pretty much naked by now, so the sight of Russ' peachy bum retreating down the hallway no longer made her blush.
Each of the guys she lived with had a very distinct body type. Sam's, she was obviously the most familiar with. Other than his scarred chest, her boyfriend's physique boasted broad shoulders and strong arms. Though he was a couple of inches shorter than Callie, he could easily lift her lithe body as if she weighed nothing. Touya, on the other hand was long, lean and lanky. He had a habit of not locking the door when he used the bathroom and Callie had walked in on him more than once in the short space of time he'd been living with them. Whereas Sam had charming dimples in his cheeks, Touya had them at his lower back; 'Apollos holes' they were apparently called. At least that's what Touya had told her with a wink when he caught her looking. Finally, Russ was tall, muscular and impeccably groomed. He had a tiny waist that made his upper body look even more impressive. And although Sam's stomach was flat and Touya's lightly toned, Russ had a six pack that Callie thought only existed in magazines.
Her girlfriends always grumbled about how lucky Callie was to live with three guys, all attractive in their own way. From Touya's alternative ruggedness, to the classically handsome Russ, Callie still found herself only having eyes for Sam. With his messy hair, tired eyes, and boyish grin. After trial and error, she soon discovered she found him more attractive when he kept his glasses on...But the fact he didn't always need them kept things interesting in the bedroom. One time, she'd been the one to wear them...
And as her mind began to cloud with raunchy thoughts as she lead Sam back to her room, she couldn't help but let out a giggle when she heard Touya repeat the last thing Russ had said to them before they made the decision to finally go back to bed.
"I'm livid!" He whispered mockingly, in a highly accurate impression of the younger Gaster sibling.
"I heard that!" Snapped Russ, as the door to Touya's room closed to the sound of quiet laughter.