The sun began to rise over a morning painted with distant streaks of red and orange over the lingering gray from a surprise snow filled night before. There was a late fall, early winter chill already in the air but the real cold hasn't quite arrived. It wasn't warm either but with the right coat it was cozy. In the Miller household, the lady of the house as well as her three daughters slept soundly still, comfortable and free enough in their schedules to sleep the morning away. All except for one. The youngest of the Miller women sat up in her bed, her golden hair puffed out not in her usual twin tails. She stretched and yawned as she tried to keep her eyes open against their heavy weight. The longer she was up the more she managed to fight her clearly tired body. Thanks to her desire to get out of bed it eventually caught up with her and with feet forced onto the ground she at last stood up in the darkened room where her sisters still slept. She looked around at the dim and foggy gray, how peaceful it was this early and smiled.
Fixing her twisted green sleeping gown she headed out the door and to the stairs. The Miller house was already a large and open-air house clearly built for a family or at least many guests, but to a chipmunk that same vast space felt all the more obvious. Each step felt like four and a long exhausting day turns into near unbearable for someone so small as Eleanor and her sisters. Eleanor didn't mind, most of the time, in fact she welcomed it when she had the motivation to make it into a workout. Much like her room the downstairs floor had a dim and dulling effect on her eyes with every window curtained and the sky outside cloudy. After another uncontrollable yawn she made her way into the kitchen then hopped onto the island bar stool. From there she lifted her nightgown up just enough to give her legs a little more freedom and leapt across the way onto the kitchen counter.
"Thank goodness Miss Miller wasn't around to see that," Eleanor whispered to herself. "She'd flip." She hummed along as she stepped around the kitchen sink and turned on the coffee maker. She didn't need to do that as she used to, but when no one was around she did it anyway. The girls' mugs were noticeably smaller than Miss Miller's and given their height they were kept on a custom stand close to the counter away from any human sized cabinet. She grabbed the nearby coffee kit,placed the filter into the coffee maker and next the grounded up coffee itself. The machine rumbled and in time the coffee mixed with the hot water boiled and spurted, then poured down into the mug. Eleanor looked on mesmerized at the comforting rise of the steam, keeping her fixated with its intoxicating aroma. Nothing else mattered to her in that moment than her mug filling up with her much needed coffee. Yet in the meantime she still prepared her sisters' and mother's mug as she did every morning, placing them nearby with an individualized spoon ready for when they woke up. Her own mug finally filled up to the rim and it never looked so good to the still waking Chipette. With one sip, she became immediately more alert and ready for her day. She sighed in relief at the sudden heat then returned to normal temperature giving her exactly what she wanted. Placing the coffee mug on a stool, Eleanor hopped off the counter, picked the mug back up and headed towards the backdoor, but not before grabbing her appropriate green robe.
The sky was covered in thick clouds keeping the morning in a muted lull. The streaks of sunrise distantly away and not yet through the layer. The ground below Eleanor's slippers was crunchy from the snow that fell from the night before. The rigid air sent a shiver throughout her body but she accepted that - embraced it even. She took a deep breath of that air, let it out with a grin to herself and headed towards their treehouse. Each time the wind got just a little too much for her she would hover her mouth over her still hot mug and take an occasional sip, not wanting to drink it all by the time she gets to the patio. With her chipmunk stature, she never could reach the tip of the fence and lean over like she always wanted to, so she found the next best thing: leaning over the porch of the treehouse. She got a better view anyways she thought to herself. When she got to the top of the steps, she immediately went for the railing and rested most of her weight onto it, mug in hand ready to really get her morning started. The sights from above in the treehouse patio were the same as they were every morning. It was quiet and lifeless save the rare car driving down the nearby neighborhood street and she couldn't ask for more. Things stayed the same and to Eleanor that was a good thing. One thing, however, was not the same as always and it immediately caught her attention. Down below in the Seville backyard a familiar blue hue clothed Chipmunk with glasses leaned onto the fence near their entrance to the Miller yard with a mug of his own. His hair was messy and he didn't wear a coat nearly as padded as Eleanor, instead he wore a simple hoodie and pajama pants. Despite his height being the tallest of his brothers and the Chipettes even he wasn't able to go over either the top of the fence. Eleanor smiled and spoke up.
"Well hey there neighbor," Eleanor teased, making it very obvious to catch Simon completely off guard. Simon nearly dropped his mug from the sudden shock.
"Wha-who-" Simon stuttered as he frantically looked around until finally seeing Eleanor high up above. "Oh-Oh," he muttered as he calmed himself down, seeing some drops of coffee make a stain on the snow. He adjusted his glasses and appropriately greeted her. "G-Good morning Eleanor." He did his best to keep up his emotionless composure but Eleanor giggled anyway. "What are you doing out here so early?"
"Probably the same reason you're out here too," Eleanor playfully answered as she rested her chin in her palm. Simon looked up to her then to his own mug and smirked.
"Yes, I s-suppose you're correct."
"Since when do you come out here for your morning cup of joe?"
"Well, under normal circumstances I either head to my workshop for my coffee or the front porch. But…"
"Buuuut?" Eleanor waited for his answer.
"Hmm," Simon paused to think. "I don't really have a particular explanation for the sudden exception to my habitual behavior."
"Just felt like it?"
"Yeah, just felt like it."
"Well gee Simon," Eleanor exclaimed. "I'm out here all the time! You should come around more."
"You are? How often are you out here?"
"Well… I try to head out here when I can. Y'know when the weather is good. That or I don't have any morning classes or meetings."
"Likewise."
"Sometimes you just want some cold morning air, peace and quiet." Eleanor said as she turned around and leaned her back over the porch to stretch, similar to how Simon leaned on the fence.
"Agreed." The two had a moment of harmony, but then an immediate revelation and grew embarrassed.
"Buuut I guess hanging out isn't exactly 'peace and quiet', huh?"
"Heh, I suppose not. It is rather contradictory." After the awkward silence came between them, the two shared a small chuckle and took sips from their coffee. Eleanor spoke up and broke the silence again.
"Dark roast?"
"N-No actually, light. Dark is-a… too bitter. Even with a creamer."
"Huh," Eleanor paused, almost sarcastically.
"What?"
"Heh, nothing. Just color me surprised is all." Eleanor smiled at Simon, who gave her a quick grin then looked away. "Sooo, you… save the world last night or something?"
"Save the world?"
"Yeah in your game! Or were you working on something to save real life, you know, in your workshop?"
"Well… saving the world isn't exactly that likely in any regard. But no, I was just studying for a midterm-"
"With Jeanette?" Eleanor had to ask. Simon cleared his throat nervously as Eleanor raised an eyebrow.
"Y-Yes. With Jeanette." His cheeks are now beginning to redden.
"I figured as much." Simon quickly went in for another sip from his coffee mug, almost burning himself in the process but to him it was a necessary sacrifice. Eleanor smirked and decided to tease again. "So after the movie, you guys went to study? Alone? Iiiiiin the basement?"
"Not like that!" Simon let out before shrinking back into his hoodie. "But you already knew that. She texted you."
"Bingo."
"We wanted to head back to the treehouse because it would be more convenient for Jeanette."
"What a gentleman."
"But-"
"Let me guess. Alvin-" Eleanor began.
"And Brittany," Simon finished.
"I know your pain, Si," Eleanor answered back. As she spoke up she did so with a playful eye roll at the absent subjects of their conversation. "So like last week, Miss Miller had this anniversary thing and I wanted to try a new kind of cake. And of course, she WOULD be home when I'm starting to bake-"
"With Theodore?" Simon tried to tease back, getting Eleanor to notice with her cheeks turning red. She scoffed then stuck her tongue out.
"Yes, with Theodore. I love him to death but that boy cannot keep a secret to save his life, especially in the moment when everyone's excited. Even a little tiny one like that. So I told him that it was for a class meeting and that we were making brownies… which then of course he started talking to Miss Miller about it in the living room!"
"And this led to…Alvin and Brittany…?"
"Huh," Eleanor let out. "Oh-Oh yeah right. So anyways, the plan was to move everything over to the treehouse. Buuuut…"
"Alvin and Brittany were there?"
"Oh my gosh yes! And it's so awkward walking in on them! First of all, it's not a secret you guys."
"Tell me about it. We are all aware of your 'not' relationship."
"I know right? And then when you DO walk in on them you feel awkward and they feel awkward…"
"And then they'll try to make it more awkward for you as a punishment for making it awkward for them." Simon let out a chuckle before taking a sip as Eleanor giggled from inside her own mug while she drank. There was another break in the conversation as they let out held breaths and enjoyed the morning before the sun completely broke through the clouds.
"You want to come in," Eleanor offered as Simon noticed her gesturing to the door of the treehouse with a nod.
"Thank you but I'm fine," Simon politely declined. Eleanor acknowledged with a quick shrug of her shoulders. For a while longer this morning the two continued their conversation as the coffee in their mugs diminished. For the most part Simon happily smiled and nodded as Eleanor commanded the conversation, occasionally adding in his own input. Once they noticed that the skies were getting brighter behind the layer of clouds and that their mugs were completely empty, they brought their conversation to an end.
"Well…" Eleanor started. "Guess we should be heading back."
"Agreed," Simon said back as he looked into the bottom of his mug.
"Brittany's probably up now bugging Jeanette to make her coffee."
"Oh? Does she have an early day today?"
"Yup, photo shoot. They could only pencil it in on weekends. You wouldn't believe how much she fought on that."
"Luckily for us, Alvin is still probably in a deep sleep. He'd probably just cancel or reschedule if he was in that position."
"No kidding. I'm surprised Brittany didn't." Eleanor took her one last chance at teasing Simon. "And you're not coming over to bail out your lady?" Simon nearly choked on his own saliva and looked away embarrassed.
"I-I-I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Just messin' with ya Si. I'll take care of it, don't worry."
"Th-Thank you. It's probably too early to go- wait," Simon quickly caught himself as Eleanor stuck her tongue out again. "And she's not-"
"I know I know." Eleanor took a deep breath and let it out into the open air. A smile formed over her face as she spoke to herself. "Some things never change."
"What was that," Simon asked curiously.
"Nothin'," Eleanor nodded. Simon pushed off the fence and got ready to head back inside.
"I will talk to you later Eleanor," he said before turning away. "Feel free to text me too. I'm sure we'll be hanging out soon enough."
"Bet on it! Don't be a stranger Si, even when we're all together. We've only known each other for years, you know."
Simon smiled and said "Thank you. You as well."
"Let me know next time you 'break the habit'. I'll make you a cup too." Eleanor smiled at Simon, who returned the gesture.
"Thank you."
"Light roast? Creamer?"
"Precisely. I look forward to it."