he poured the fresh coffee into the cup in front of them, paying close attention to the amount he would fill it.

"why are you doing mine first?" they asked gently.

the question caught him off guard, and he spilled a bit, stopping to wipe it up. he wasn't sure why it surprised him so much.

"it's just polite, i guess." there was enough coffee, so he added a bit of milk and sugar, the ratio he knew they liked, and stirred it.

they smiled, and he had the feeling that there was something he was missing. "thank you."

he continued to stare at them for a moment.

"you aren't going to pour your own now?" they asked.

"i... i'm going to in a second."

"and why are you waiting?"

he hadn't even thought about it, but upon being asked, he realized the answer. "i'm... waiting for you to try it, to see if there's anything i need to add."

"that's very interesting," they said, finally picking up the cup, an action which gave him a surprising amount of relief. "that goes a bit beyond basic manners, doesn't it?"

he could only think that he wanted them to drink it. "i guess."

they still hadn't sipped it, hovering it near their mouth as they spoke. "you're not aware of how strange you're acting?"

he didn't feel like he'd done anything strange. the only thing that was strange was his own feelings.

they finally drank some, and he relaxed, noticing the tension he had been holding a moment ago.

"that's perfect," they said.

"i'm glad," he responded, finally pouring his own. "i'm really glad..." he mumbled.

it wasn't as if they were picky, or that he didn't expect them to like it, or even that he expected them to complain if he did mess something up. they hadn't even asked him to fix their coffee for them in the first place.

he paused in the middle of stirring his own coffee, feeling a tingle in the back of his neck.

he looked up at them again. "i don't remember you asking me to do this."

"to do what?" they asked, clearly feigning innocence.

an odd sense of embarrassment flooded through him. "to serve you coffee."

"that's a very interesting way of wording it. to say that you don't remember me asking you. you're assuming i did?"

"maybe it was more that you told me to..."

they took another sip. he still found himself trying to gauge their enjoyment of it.

"isn't it nice?" they asked. "having a routine to follow in the morning? it's a good way to prepare yourself for the rest of the day. i wonder what sort of day you prepare yourself for, when you start by serving someone else?"

his face was warm.

"i wonder what other sorts of habits you might pick up," they continued, "without really thinking about it."

his whole body was warm.

"but, you're still a bit sleepy this early in the morning, aren't you? why don't you have your own coffee, and wake up?"

he took a sip, and the drowsy, foggy feeling vanished.

he must have slept very deeply the night before.