#swlis

“Knock knock!” Theta calls, walking into Donna’s new flat without actually knocking.

“Theta, that is not how we human knock, and you know that.” Donna rolls her eyes, and sets another dish in the cupboard.

“Human knocking is a dumb concept. Maybe the dumbest.” Theta shrugs, setting the box in their arms on the counter and leaning against the empty space next to it. “Dumb pigsoleximas things and their dumb pigsoleximas meanings.” They mutter under their breath.

“Oi, you are literally talking to a dumb pigsoleximas right now, Space Boy!”

“Dumb pigsoleximas genders, too.” Theta grumbles. “But, anyway, that’s not why I’m here!”

Donna looks up expectantly from fishing the last dinner plate out from the bottom of the box.

“Do you remember the first time I came over to your last place?” Theta opens the box, and begins shifting around heavy-sounding but ambiguous objects.

“Really early into your stay?” Donna confirms, flattening her now empty box and moving onto the one with the mugs.

“Yeah. When I was crazy homesick and still adjusting to mostly-verbal communication. Do you remember what we ate?”

“Chocolate chip pancakes.” Donna smiles, pulling the world news page of last Wednesday’s Times off a dinosaur-themed museum mug.

Theta grins, and holds up a plug-in electric griddle.

“No,” Donna gapes. “You--you’re not?”

“I thought we could break in your new place?” They offer mildly. “I brought everything we’ll need to make them, since you’re still unpacking and I wasn’t sure what’s still packed or lost to the Void or--”

“Yes, yes of course!” Donna grins, moving the box of wrapped-up mugs back to the floor.

It turns out that part of the heating element is busted on the griddle, so the first few pancakes are 50% burnt and 50% raw. Thankfully, the trash bin is one of the first things Donna unpacked, purely for the pleasure of slam dunking things into it as things got unpacked.