chikaidestroyer | ∞ 95: A quaint birthday [action]

[The early dinner had been a part of his plan, of course. Carefully constructed and prepared ahead of time, down to the trips to the stores to find a transportable icebox (that is, a cooler) and ... a cheesecake.

He had kept the cooler in his room. Because Caesar would undoubtedly look in the refrigerator at some point.

Albert naps for a good hour or two before finally making his move, retrieving what he needed and heading out of his room and down the hall. He doesn't knock on the door, instead walking right in and towards Caesar's bed and nightstand.]

[Caesar still sleeps soundly even after his brother enters his room. He hadn't been expecting any visitors, of course, so when he closed his eyes tonight, it was not with the intention of napping but actually sleeping that he did so. It'll probably take more than the quiet sounds of someone stirring in his room to wake him up tonight.]

[Albert walks over to Caesar's nightstand, setting down the items he had brought along while looking down at his brother in the dark. He muses over how to do this -- he had considered shaking his shoulder, clearing his throat...

And then his attention snaps towards the ajar door when it is noisily pushed open, admitting a curious Kogoro. Even as he raises a brow at the small dog, Albert is witness to Kogoro padding right on over and wagging his tail happily. So much for respecting boundaries.]

[Fortunately for Caesar, he is pretty used to these sounds by now. After allowing Kogoro to stay in his room during a certain experiment and letting him wander around the house during the draft, it would be difficult for him not to be. Because of that, he doesn't think twice about the noise before burying his face deeper into his pillow.

Something feels a little off, though, doesn't it...? Hmm.

...nah. Despite the dog's intrusion, his eyes stay shut.]

[Giving Caesar's sleeping form a sidelong glance, Albert crouches just enough to pat Kogoro on the head. Kogoro snuffles at Albert's exposed hands, but is clearly not trying to keep him from intruding upon Caesar's space. Guard dog he definitely is not.

...Hm. Albert turns to look at Caesar, and then at Kogoro.

And then he picks up the dog and places him on Caesar's bed with little fanfare.]

[Of course, Caesar doesn't notice this right away. He's just about ready to drift back off to sleep, ready to return to his dream world when... there are suddenly a bunch of little legs poking and prodding at him as the dog tries to climb over him and find level ground. This catches Caesar's attention, because there is no good reason for that dog to be on his bed.

Drowsily, he opens up his tired eyes to look at the dog trying to make his way over to him.]

What do you want...?

[Albert watches silently as Kogoro continues his "mischief," amused by how slow Caesar is to react. Kogoro eventually manages to find his way back to the lip of the bed, hopping down to the ground and shaking himself off. Albert snorts, keeping his voice low as he finally speaks.]

Still not awake?

[Caesar watches the dog as he makes his escape, but it isn't until he hears his brother's voice that he's actually surprised, and makes a quick attempt to sit up.]

I-I'm awake. [A blatant lie. He tries not to sound so sleepy, but he fails.] Is, um... something wrong?

Wrong? [He keeps his voice light, though there's definitely a tinge of sarcasm.] Perhaps a little. [He reaches over in the dark, finding the fork he had put down and clinking it against the plate the cheesecake is resting on.]

Perhaps. Do you recall something of a birthday tradition?

[He rubs at his eyes, waiting for his brother to elaborate. The first logical conclusion is that something's wrong, of course, because it was unusual for Albert to come and visit Caesar like this. ...it was usually the other way around.

But when he hears that sound, he blinks, and turns to look for the source of it. Is that what he thinks it is?

...he has to try hard not to get too excited and smile.]

Of course I do. Did you think I'd forget?

[He thought you did.]

I suppose not. You were the one with the original tradition. [As he says that, he clicks on Caesar's bedside lamp so there's a little more light in the room. This allows for a good look at the slice of cheesecake that Albert had brought, complete with utensils.]

I thought now would be a better time for it.

[With the light on, Caesar can get a better look at the cheesecake and trying not to smile is impossible now. He'd honestly thought that his brother had forgotten, or that he didn't care, and he had been disappointed.

Now, he's just... happy.]

You planned this all along, didn't you?

[He raises a brow at Caesar's genuine reaction to keep from smirking.]

Of course. Each birthday has to be somewhat memorable, correct?

[He nods. Of course, every birthday since coming to Luceti, both his own and Albert's, had been memorable for him. But he likes that his brother had tried. It was special.]

Yeah, I guess they do. I might just forgive you for making me wait.

Then perhaps you would like to follow tradition and take the first bite.

[The cheesecake he brought is a soft mocha color with a chocolate cookie crust. Albert wasn't sure about the flavor himself, but had only seen other plain cheesecakes today. It could be coffee, mocha, caramel...]

If you insist.

[There's still a bit of a smile in his voice as he says that, but it might not be visible as he busies himself with shoving his blankets aside and moving to sit at the edge of the bed. Once that's done, he pats the spot beside him on his bed, gesturing for Albert to sit down before he reaches for the plate.]

[Albert stretches as he accepts Caesar's offer and takes a seat on the bed, watching as his brother reaches for the plate. His attention averts briefly to Kogoro, who comes to sit right in front of the bed and angle his head towards Caesar's hands and that plate of cheesecake.]

[Caesar catches sight of the dog as he brings the plate toward him, and he reaches out with a sock-covered foot to nudge at Kogoro.]

Sorry. This is for us. I don't think you're supposed to eat this stuff anyway.

[He sets the plate on his lap, almost between the two of them, and holds a fork out to his brother. Even though he isn't terribly fond of cheesecake, it does smell pretty good. Caesar's looking forward to tasting it more than usual.]

[Albert takes the fork, a sound of amusement escaping him as he sees Kogoro nudge back at Caesar's foot.]

You better start before your dog gets any bright ideas.

No funny business, all right? [He nudges at the dog one more time before turning his attention to the cheesecake. He cuts a piece with his fork and holds it to his lips for a moment before finally putting it in his mouth. There's a pause as he considers it. It's still cold, which is good, though he can't place the flavor.] It's... different.

Different? [What kind of reaction was that? Albert cuts himself a bite-size piece of the cheesecake as well, popping it in his mouth.

...] Well, I suppose you don't normally drink coffee. [Or maybe ever.]

Never had it before. [But it smelled a little better than coffee. Sweeter. It tasted sweeter than he imagined, too, but that's probably because it was cheesecake. Either way...] It's not bad. I think I like it.

The coffee cuts the sweetness of the cheesecake. It's a nice contrast. [He's thinking on the opposite spectrum, since his tastes don't run as sweet as others.] This is something I would not mind eating once in awhile.

You actually like it? [Caesar blinks. It's not so surprising with the coffee-flavored taste, but the fact that the sweetness doesn't put him off is kind of cool.] This is an accomplishment!

I can like desserts, Caesar. [He shakes his head a little. But he does understand what his brother is referring to.]

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