Archive of Our Own

It all started with a visit.

It was a rainy Saturday afternoon in October, and Sho had just finished the work that he brought home. The deadlines were piling up that week, and as much as Sho wanted to accept Bukki’s offer to go out and meet some of their friends, he couldn’t. Instead here he was, sipping on his cup ramen soup under his kotatsu .

His doorbell rang just as he was about to get up for his bath, and his eyes widened when he saw his mother from the intercom camera monitor. He quickly scurried to buzz her up.

“Mom? What happened? Why are you here?” Sho asked, delighted. Work had been keeping him from returning to his family home in Gunma, and having his mother visit was a surprise Sho wasn’t expecting at all.

“Takizawa-kun said you won’t be able to come home for a while, and one of my friends just had her first granddaughter here. So, I thought I’d just visit you since I’ve already gotten this far anyway.” Yoko smiled warmly at him as Sho let her in.

Sho was glad that the only messy part of his apartment were his work desk and his kotatsu––and that was only because he had just eaten and finished his work over there. He’d never hear the end of it if it was messy everywhere else.

“Sorry for the mess, I was finishing a deadline,” Sho explained.

“Sho-chan, I’m your mother, this was a big improvement from 20 years ago.” She smiled, and Sho laughed at that. She had a point.

“Tea? I have those chamomile ones that you like.” Sho offered.

“Thank you, Sho-chan.”

Sho went to the kitchen and made the tea, before coming back to sit next to his mother on the couch, and placed the cup of tea carefully on the table. “Isn’t it raining out there? Were you okay getting here?”

“It’s okay, I took the taxi,” she said, inhaling the tea. “Say, Sho-chan, are you even eating anything other than those?” She eyed the cup ramen, and Sho wanted to curse himself because of course .

“I do! I eat out, or I bring take out home for dinner, reheat them for breakfast….” He trailed off. “I don’t cook, but I don’t eat cup ramen all the time , Mom, you know that.”

“You’re 36, Sho-chan. You need to start eating healthier. Mai has been telling me that she’s been worried about this.” She said with her typical disapproving look on her face that Sho knew wasn’t a good sign.

“I’m too busy to cook.” He mumbled. “On top of that, I’m helpless when it comes to it.”

“Go to a cooking school, then. You know, now, there are the flexible ones. Night classes, or the ones where you can just go whenever you feel like it,” she said. “I know a good cooking school for busy, workaholic people like you.”

“I’m––“

Sho was about to argue some more, but he has always been unfortunately weak when it comes to his mother. Moreover, he can just attend a few classes if it meant making her happy.

“Well, I guess I can try, then.”

***

The message from Yoko containing the address for the cooking school came 3 days later, while Sho was in the middle of a meeting involving the discussion of what places they should feature in this month’s issue. 

As the editor-in-chief in a well-known travel magazine, Sho does not travel as often as he used to before his promotion, instead doing more of the office work in the headquarters. While he previously chose to work under this specific magazine because of his love for travelling, the reduction of his travel opportunities have not made him enjoy his job any less.

The cooking school is on the second floor , the message wrote. There’s a really good bakery on the first floor. You should try the cream puffs .

Sho smiled; at least that’s one thing to look forward to.

His mother informed him that this cooking school has afternoon and night classes. Since Sho managed to clock out earlier today, he could still make it for the 7 pm one. He barely managed to get there on time––6:56, duh––but finally found himself in front of a white and pink building, ‘ White on White’ written on the sign in front of the shop.

As Sho entered the shop, he was welcomed by the heavenly smell of baked goods, as well as the sight of a small, sleepy-eyed man from behind the counter.

“Welcome, how may I help you?”

“Ah, good evening. I’m actually going to the cooking school…” He said unsurely. The man’s eyes lit up in recognition, and he tilted his head towards the set of stairs at the corner of the room.

“You can just go upstairs there.” He directed.

“Thank you.”

Sho went up the specified stairs, and was greeted by a bright room, with two big table at the middle of it. A neat kitchen set-up sat at the corner of the room, while the other side of the room was furnished with a long dining table.

There were a few people chatting leisurely at the dining table, and Sho was not sure which one was the teacher.

“Oh, welcome!” A voice greeted him and Sho’s eyes moved to track the owner of said voice. “You’re the newcomer, aren’t you? I was wondering when you’d drop by.” The man stood up and left the group to walk towards Sho.

…and Sho had to swallow because, wow.

The man was wearing a blue hoodie that highlighted the width of his shoulder and slim waist, and he paired it with some really well-fitted jeans. He had prominent eyebrows and strong facial features that may make him look intimidating, but the bright smile that turn his eyes into half-moons failed to give Sho that impression.

“Good evening, I’m Sakurai Sho, my mother…recommended this place to me.” He said as a blush crept up his cheeks.

“Matsumoto Jun, I’m the head teacher. Nice to have you with us, Sakurai-san. Come! I’ll introduce you to everyone.” Matsumoto grinned, and Sho followed him to the dining table.

“Guys, this is the new person I told you about, Sakurai Sho-san.” Matsumoto introduced as Sho gave a slight bow.

“I’m Sakurai Sho. I’ll be in your care.”

“Sho-chan!” A man who was clad in a black sweater and  standing at the corner of the table smiled before getting up to put an arm around him. His dimples highlighted his bright attitude, and Sho had a good feeling about him immediately. “Welcome! We’ve been waiting for you! I’m Aiba, by the way. Aiba Masaki. I’m the other teacher. I help Matsujun out.”

Sho was a bit overwhelmed with the sudden familiarity, but he tried his best to keep up. Judging from the Matsujun nickname, Sho decided that perhaps it was just Aiba’s thing.

“Masaki, stop scaring him.” Matsumoto scolded lightly, and Aiba let out a laugh before offering Sho a seat at the table. “Maybe you should introduce the others to him, since you’re good at that.”

“Okay!” Aiba’s smile grew wider– Sho thought it was as bright as the sun––before he pointed at the man next to him. “This is Toma-chan. Ikuta Toma. He kept saying that he’s great at cooking just because he managed to flip some eggs, but he’s helpless, I’m telling you.”

Toma smacked Aiba’s arm, but smiled at Sho.

Aiba continued his introductions––Kiko the fashion designer, Nana the model, Kato the high school teacher, Yuri the artist, and Ryoma, a university student. Apparently, the cooking school opens their classes from Monday to Friday, and they have 3 classes, 1 PM, 4 PM, and 7 PM, all last for 2 hours. The room had the capacity of around 15 people, but Aiba said 10 people was typically the busiest they would get.

“So, maybe the next time you come here, you’ll meet other people! But that’s the fun thing!” Aiba said, grinning. “I suggest that you come here often. Since you paid for the course fee and it’s flexible, you can come whenever you want. You don’t want your money to go to waste, right, Sho-chan? Just come whenever you’re free, after all, we made this school for people like you.”

“It sounds amazing,” Sho smiled. “I look forward working with you.”

“Well, now that Sakurai-san has gotten the hang of how things work, shall we start?” Matsumoto said, standing up to put on his sushi-patterned lavender apron. “We’re making tamagoyaki! And cheese katsudon, if we get extra time.”

Kiko sighed. “I’m horrible in making tamagoyaki.”

“That’s why you should practice more, Kiko-chan! Also, we get to eat Matsumoto-sensei’s tamagoyaki again! That’s something to look forward to!” Nana chirped, and Sho wondered just how good of a cook Matsumoto is.

He got his own apron, a yellow one with sun embroidery on the sides, and they all sat down to watch Matsumoto and Aiba demonstrate how to do it. When they started cooking, they did with effortlessly (Sho could’t help but wonder if Matsumoto and Aiba were a thing, but he pushed it to the back of his mind for now), and continued to amaze Sho with their cooking abilities.

There was something about the way Matsumoto acted in the kitchen. Maybe it was the concentration in his eyes, or the way he handled his knives and cracked eggs and fried them. Or perhaps it was the way he tasted his dishes or explained the steps to make them. Sho had no idea, but he couldn’t really take his eyes off him.

Sho looked down at the print-out of recipes Aiba gave out to everyone earlier, and tried to match what was written on the paper to what Matsumoto and Aiba just did, before taking a long breath and started on his own tamagoyaki.

Sho took 5 eggs to his side of the table and carefully cracked them one by one. He soon realized that a shell fragment fell into the measuring cup,  and sighed - he dreaded this part of cracking eggs. Truly.

“Doing okay, Sakurai-san?” Matsumoto came to check up on him.

“Uh, actually…” Sho eyed his measuring cup, unsure of how to say it.

“Hm? Let’s see.” Matsumoto leaned closer, and Sho could catch a whiff of his cologne, mixed with the scent of food, but still smelling nice. “Ah, the shell? Right, you can use another shell to take it out,” Matsumoto took a piece of the broken shell and used it to lift the piece of shell out of Sho’s measuring cup easily. “Better than using your hands.”

Sho nodded and kept it in mind. “How do you do it without the shells falling in?”

Matsumoto chuckled, but he wasn’t mocking him. It was a fond one, if anything. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I just remembered asking the exact same thing to my teacher.” He smiled at Sho. “There’s really no trick to it. Even the greatest chef still get shells into their yolks. But you’ll get used to it, Sakurai-san. It’ll take some time, but it’s okay.”

“Okay, then. Thank you, Matsumoto-sensei.” Matsumoto gave him one last smile before going away to check on the others. Sho put in a pinch of salt before mixing the eggs, and made sure he was not using too much power, but enough for the eggs to be mixed properly.

He put away the eggs to take the carrots and started cutting it, splitting it into half, and so on, into smaller pieces. He knew he was taking an awfully long time, but also, he just wanted to play it safe. He was not the most courageous of people after all.

“That’s good, Sakurai-san, you’re doing well.”

Sho looked up, and Matsumoto was giving him an approving look.

“Keep it up! It’s okay to go on a slower pace at the start, you’ll increase it little by little.” He said, before moving closer. “But please do keep a distance of your face and the knife, so it wouldn’t block out the lighting.”

“Ah, right. I guess I got a little bit too into it. Thank you for the reminder.”

“No worries. You can continue.” Matsumoto nodded, and Sho was left alone to deal with his dish once more.

Sho managed to cut the carrots and the green onions safely, and placed them into the measuring cup together with the eggs. The next part was to actually fry them layer by layer, so they would be thick and fluffy.

Sho heated the oil on the pan, before carefully putting a little portion of the egg on it, waiting for it to harden, rolling it, and setting it to the side of the pan. But then he stopped, unsure how he’s supposed to make the next layer.

“Um, Aiba-sensei…?”

Aiba whipped his head from where he’s helping Toma with his katsudon. “Ah, Sho-chan! Sorry, Matsujun, can you help him?”

Matsumoto was observing Kiko and her eggs, but he immediately walked towards Sho. Sho tried to stay calm because obviously he called Aiba instead of Matsumoto for a reason . But now that it had happened…

“You okay?” He asked, sounding less formal than before. There’s a tiny part of Sho that felt happy about the change, but he quashed it quickly.

“Ah, yeah. I’m not sure how to go to the second layer, do I just put another portion of it on the pan, without removing the one before?” He asked, gesturing at his pan.

“Yep, that’s right. Let’s see how you do it.” Matsumoto said, and he watched. Sho put another portion of eggs on his pan, hoping it’s balanced with the previous one, and did the same thing like he did with the first one.

Matsumoto nodded approvingly. “Good, Sakurai-san! Just continue doing that until you run out of eggs. You have the sense for this, you know.” He said, and Sho didn’t know how he should feel about the rain of praises Matsumoto just gave him.

Sho felt a blush creeping up his cheeks, but he ignored it.

“Thank you,” he managed to mumble, and Matsumoto patted his shoulder before he left.

Somehow, he managed to finish his tamagoyaki without any more trouble, and this must be the best dish he had ever made all his life. It didn’t look messy, and looked perfectly the way he wanted it to be: thick and soft, and most importantly, fluffy.

“Oh, Sho-chan, you did it!” Aiba grinned. “You did well, that looks really good! We always eat together after the cooking sessions, but if you want to bring them home, that’s okay too.”

“I’ll eat with everyone,” Sho smiled. “It’s my first time, after all.”

“Cool!! Just put it on your spot on the dining table.”

Sho did so, and he jolted a little when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, I’m sorry,” Matsumoto said softly. “We still have plenty of time, do you want to try making the Katsudon Cheese, too?”

Sho perked up. “Of course! Are you sure you won’t mind if I take a longer time than everyone else?”

“No, not at all. Everyone’s learning, Sakurai-san. It’s more fun this way, anyway.” Matsumoto gave him a boyish grin, which made Sho somewhat more confident. He went back to the cooking table to start on his second dish.

***

Jun was intrigued.

It was not uncommon for them to get people who came to them because they were busy but want to build a healthier lifestyle, which was why Jun always settled on the simple dishes, so that these people would still be able to make it in the middle of their busy lives. As a result, he wasn’t surprised at all when Sakurai Sho applied to the school.

What he wasn’t expecting was for Sakurai to be attractive, and with a really good … back view, too.

Aiba must have noticed something, for he had been busying himself with everyone but Sakurai so that Jun would have to handle him by himself. Not that Jun minded, though. It was cute watching Sakurai give his utmost concentration on a simple task such as cracking eggs.

But what grasped Jun’s weak, weak heart the most was probably the way Sakurai ate his food like it was the best thing he had ever eaten. Firing praises to the food––ones he made himself and other people’s––and looking like he’d never looked happier in his whole life. And his laugh, his laugh…

“Matsujun, the dishes aren’t going to wash themselves, you know.” Aiba pulled him out of his thoughts of Sakurai’s loud, boisterous laugh, and once again Jun was at the almost empty, quiet kitchen, with just the sound of the faucet running and the plates clinking to accompany him and Aiba.

“I’m sorry, I was thinking.” Jun sighed, and continued his task.

“About the very, very cute Sho-chan?” Aiba asked, and Jun didn’t have to look at him to know that he had that shit-eating grin on his face, an expression he learnt  from Nino––their best friend.

“Masaki,” Jun exhaled, and Aiba laughed.

“Sho-chan is single, you know, just in case that’d be useful.”

“No, it’s not.” Jun glared, and that earned him another laugh. “Also, you should stop invading people’s privacy on the first day you meet them.”

“Hey!” Aiba splashed water on him, and Jun squirmed at the sudden coldness. But then again, Aiba knowing things after meeting people for the first time is not a new thing. “I didn’t invade his privacy! I was just telling him that many people come here because their partners want them to be healthier, and I asked if that was the case for him too. He told me he didn’t have a partner, and that his mother was the one who told him to come here.”

“Some people only come here because they have too much free time too, you know?” Jun commented, avoiding the topic entirely.

“Yes, but Sho-chan isn’t someone with a lot of free time,” Aiba shrugged. “Anyway, I say you go for it, Matsujun. I’m cheering for you!”

Jun splashed more water at Aiba in reply.

***

Sho came back a week later, once the first draft for this month’s issue was finalized and under revision. It had been a stressful week; with two of the interns going down with the flu, they were short-handed and the hectic situation led to some unnecessary mishaps.

But now here he was, already finding the smell of Matsumoto and Aiba’s kitchen familiar and comfortable. Any thoughts of deadlines and revisions were saved in a drawer in a different part of his brain.

“Sho-chan! It’s nice to see you again!” Aiba smiled at the sight of him and waved.

“Good evening,” Sho greeted, finding himself more at ease and less stiff than the last time he came. He could only recognize Kiko, while the others he didn’t recognize. “I’m not late, aren’t I?”

“No, you’re perfectly on time,” this time it was Matsumoto who spoke up, and Sho could feel the weird feeling in his stomach once again, despite having being able to push it away with work during the past week. “It’s nice to see you again, Sakurai-san.”

Matsumoto looked more tired than the last time Sho saw him, but he still had the bright smile on his face that reached his eyes, and Sho could feel the stress he had gathered from work slowly seeping out of him.

(He’s doomed.)

“So this is the famous Sho-san!” A cheery voice came from behind Jun’s back, and Sho tilted his head, confused.

“Nino, behave.” Jun scolded lightly, and the man - apparently, Nino -  laughed.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’ve just been really excited to meet the guy Jun-pon and Aiba-sshi were busy talking about last week. I felt left out, you know?” A grin spread on his youthful face. He couldn’t be older than Sho, instead maybe a few years younger… More importantly, though... Matsumoto and Aiba? Talking about him?

“Sorry, Sho-chan, this guy is just like that,” Aiba interrupted. “This is Ninomiya Kazunari, or you can call him Nino. He’s our childhood friend, and sadly, it looks like we’re going to be stuck with him for the rest of our lives.”

“Ah, nice to meet you, Ninomiya-san.” Sho gave Nino a smile, a little bit taken aback by the familiarity and the snark, and the way he’s throwing mischievous looks at Matsumoto, but a small part of him is telling him that Nino is just as nice as his childhood friends.

“Nino is okay. We’re making Jun-pon’s favorite food today, so let’s get along well and feed him lots!” Nino winked, and behind him Matsumoto was murmuring something like I don’t eat the food you guys make .

“What is this favorite food of yours that we’re making, Matsumoto-sensei?” Sho asked curiously

“Crab cream croquette,” Jun mumbled. “Are you going to make fun of me about it, too?”

“No! Why would I?” Sho defended, horrified. Crab cream croquettes were heavenly and amazing, and while he wasn’t expecting Matsumoto to be this … cute, the new information simply added to his attraction towards the man. “I think that sounds great. I’ve never made crab cream croquettes before.”

“Aiba-sshi is good at it.” Nino said. “He was even the one who taught Jun-pon how to make it because he couldn’t get enough of Aiba’s crab cream croquettes.”

Aiba laughed at the claim and nodded at Sho. “I’m sure you’ll do great. Shall we start?”

***

Jun didn’t know that Sakurai doing his best in cooking his favorite food would affect him this much, but it definitely had become his new weakness.

Aiba and Nino have been teasing him endlessly about Sakurai, and now that Nino finally met Sakurai, Jun had more reasons to be terrified what those two evil masterminds could come up with when working together. It was not that Jun wanted to deny his attraction towards Sakurai, but he knew that his current relationship with Sakurai was strictly professional, and that he should set his own feelings aside, especially while working.

“Matsumoto-sensei?” Sakurai broke his train of thoughts as he approached Jun with a plate of crab cream croquettes in his hands.

“Yes?”

“I wanted give you these,” he said, a relaxed smile on his face. Jun froze when Sakurai moved to place two pieces of crab cream croquettes onto Jun’s plate from his own. “I apologize in advance if they taste horrible, but since it’s your favorite and all...”

Jun blinked. “Sakurai-san, you don’t have to, you made this yourself––“

“Which makes it mine to give to whoever I want.” Sakurai gave him a reassuring look, and pushed Jun’s plate towards him, encouraging him to start eating.

Jun could see Aiba and Nino giggling silently behind Sho. He was never going to hear the end of it, but nevertheless, he smiled at Sakurai.

“Thank you, Sakurai-san. I’ll humbly partake.”

Sakurai watched him as Jun took a bite of the croquette, eyes bright with expectation. Jun looked down at his plate in return, unable to look at Sakurai in the face;  he felt like he could kiss the man if he did.

There was something lacking in the dish - perhaps Sakurai didn’t mix the sauce enough, or something to that extent. But having seen Sakurai’s face while he was making it, putting his utmost concentration in it, Jun instantly knew that he did not have the heart to tell Sakurai that... Even though a part of him was yelling at him that as a teacher, he should be able to give constructive criticism in order to help his students improve.

Jun gave up.

“You did well on this, Sakurai-san,” he murmured, and his heart swelled when Sakurai’s eyes widen. “This is really good, especially for someone who is making it for the first time.”

Jun probably shouldn’t have praised him that much, for now Sakurai had a blush creeping up his cheeks, and a smile plastered on his plump lips. If Jun were honest, the sight was bad for his heart.

“I’m glad you think so,” Sho preened. “Thank you for teaching me today, Sensei.”

Jun shook his head. “You’re a good student.”

The praise must have had a good effect on Sakurai as the man smiled brightly one last time at him before going away to mingle with the other students, while happily gobbling up his food.

“Jun-pon~” A small hand tapped Jun’s back, and Jun wanted to sigh loudly.

“What?”

“You know, Jun-pon, a good teacher has to give constructive criticism to allow their students to improve. But here you are, completely head over heels, and whipped to the point that you’d overlook any of his mistakes. And it’s your favorite food too! Even though usually you’re super fussy even if it’s just a bit too oily.” Nino laughed out loud. Jun wanted to smack him on the head. “Ah, I haven’t had such a good laugh in a long while.”

“Go away, Nino, please.”

“Seriously, though,” Nino’s voice softened. “There’s nothing wrong for you being happy and crushing on someone like a schoolboy, Jun-pon. You work too much.”

“I’m not crushing on him,” Jun sighed. “More like, I don’t want that to happen yet ; I don’t want to be disappointed anymore.”

“I know,” Nino smiled, and reached up to pat Jun’s head despite being shorter than him. “Take your time, but also have fun, okay, Jun-pon?”

Jun found himself nodding at Nino’s words.

***

7 weeks passed since Sho started coming to the cooking school, and he now found himself good friends with Aiba, Nino, and Matsumoto. On some Saturdays where work allowed Nino and Sho to join (Nino was a game developer, apparently), they would gather to get coffee and share sweets at White on White.

Ohno Satoshi, the sleepy-looking owner and head chef of the bakery, was apparently Matsumoto’s senior in culinary school. They agreed to work together and bought the building, with Ohno using the first floor for his bakery and Matsumoto the second, for his cooking school, where he worked together with Aiba, while Nino went off to work in the gaming sector.

Even though the others have known each other for a long time, Sho never felt left out. Being with them was easy; it was like he had known them for a long time already.

They listened to Sho’s whines about work, Nino would tell them about the games he was working on, Matsumoto would inform them about the new restaurant he went to the other day, and Aiba would ask for Sho’s travel recommendations Sometimes, when he’s free, Ohno would drop in to talk about his fishing adventures.

Sho decided that they were friends that he will treasure forever.

…His attraction to Matsumoto was something that had yet to disappear, however.

While Matsumoto often asked him how his cooking progress was going, such as what kind of dishes had he tried cooking at home, and all other strictly work-related topics, they hadn’t made much progress on other fronts. Sho learnt early on that Matsumoto liked bonsai and the arts as well as fashion, and also shared his love for watches. Despite the small things they were slowly discovering about each other, there hadn’t been any significant improvements to their relationship, which Sho was secretly glad about as he was personally unsure if he’s ready for a relationship.

Besides, he still had no idea if Matsumoto and Aiba were together, and did not feel that it would be appropriate to ask them, obviously. They’re friends, yes, but Sho felt that he’d still be intruding if he asked for any information they didn’t offer themselves.  

Seeing Aiba and Matsumoto cooking next to each other every week was enough of a challenge for his heart. Furthermore, they often wore the same sweaters from time to time.

Sho noticed; he noticed everything about Matsumoto. But he didn’t have the courage to ask for the truth.

Sho hadn’t been flirting with Matsumoto either; Sho simply enjoyed his company, talking about their shared interests, and the times when Matsumoto would talk to him about cooking, and share simple tricks that Sho can use. In return, Sho often talked him about what he does at work and any new good restaurants that Matsumoto might be interested in that Sho learnt about in work.

It was easy and simple and Sho liked it, and at this point, he was certain that he didn’t want any romantic feelings to ruin what he had with Matsumoto. Sho wanted to take his time with Matsumoto after all, to know the man better and become his friend. If Matsumoto turned out to be with Aiba, then Sho can be satisfied with staying friends with him at least.

This was enough, Sho told himself. It had to be enough.

***

It was another Friday evening, and in today’s agenda was pasta. Apparently, and according to Nino, Matsumoto was an expert in Italian dishes, having taken a special course for it back in culinary school. Sho could see it too, in the way Matsumoto was more relaxed as he demonstrated how to prepare chicken pasta, obviously very much in his comfort zone.

“Ouch,” Sho hissed when he felt a sting on his index finger. He had accidentally hurt himself, and the blood was seeping from the little wound. It hurt like hell, but just as he was about to bring his finger to his mouth, he heard Matsumoto call out to him.

“Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?” He asked, eyes concerned. Sho grimaced and gestured at his still bleeding finger.

Matsumoto frowned and took his hand in his. Sho discovered that Matsumoto’s hand was bigger than his–– and found that it’s a wonder that his brain could still process this information despite the pain. When Matsumoto lifted Sho’s hand up to his lips, Sho’s heart was beating so fast he thought it might jump out of his chest anytime.

“Excuse me,” Matsumoto muttered, and that was the only warning Sho got before Matsumoto brought his bleeding finger to his mouth, and sucked the wound.

It was only for a moment, but Sho’s head spun at the action, the world blurring out around him. Matsumoto’s lips were wrapped around his finger, his gaze down, avoiding Sho’s eyes.

Sho thought about all the times he hurt himself cooking at home and would suck on his own wounds while imagining that it was Matsumoto. He couldn’t wrap his head around it.

“Alright, let’s wrap it up before you start cooking again.” Matsumoto’s voice brought Sho back to reality, and his gaze snapped on the cooking teacher. “Come with me.”

Matsumoto turned away, but Sho was sure he saw a faint blush on Matsumoto’s pale cheeks, the pink coloring and highlighting his sharp cheekbones.

“Masaki.” He gestured at Sho, and Aiba gave him a thumbs-up and smile in return. With that, Matsumoto took him to the corner of the kitchen, and rummaged through the drawers to pull a first aid kit. He swiftly retrieved a bottle of antiseptic and a Band-Aid.

“I can do it myself, you know,” Sho said softly.

“I know,” Matsumoto whispered, and reached out for Sho’s hand. “Let me, anyway.”

Sho didn’t say anything else after that, not after he saw the look on Matsumoto’s eyes. He lifted his hand for Matsumoto to take, and watched as the antiseptic was gently applied on the wound, and Band-Aid stuck on neatly.

“Is this the first time you got hurt from cooking, Sakurai-san?”

“Sho,” he blurted out. There was a sudden rush of courage flowing through him, despite him not knowing where it came from. “You can… you can call me Sho. It has two fewer syllables.”

Matsumoto smiled, “Sho-san, is this the first time?”

A weird knot developed in Sho’s stomach after hearing his given name fall from Matsumoto’s lips.

“No,” he confessed. “I hurt myself a few times. At home.” Matsumoto hummed at his answer, but did not reply, instead focusing on finishing his dressing of the wound.

“There you go,” Matsumoto let go of his hand, and Sho found himself already missed the warmth of his touch. “Be careful next time, will you?”

“I will,” Sho smiled. “Thank you, Sensei.”

That night, when Sho went home and got under his blanket, for this time, just this one, single time, he allowed himself to forget about Aiba and Matsumoto and the probability of them cleaning up the kitchen together. Instead, he focused on the memory of warmth of Matsumoto’s mouth, of his hand. With that that thought, Sho drifted to sleep, the heat of Matsumoto’s light touch still lingering on his skin.  

***

“Jun-pon!” Nino’s voice came from the intercom. “It’s me and Aiba-sshi! Let us up?”

“Why are you guys here?”

“To get some hugs, of course.” Aiba’s voice came, the smile audible even through the audio.  

“No. You just want dinner.” Jun said flatly, but he pressed the button to allow them up anyway.

Digging into his fridge, Jun checked if he had enough ingredients to feed three people tonight, since he hadn’t done his grocery shopping in a while. Fortunately, he did, and settled on making hamburger steak for dinner. Nino was going to love him forever.

He took out all the ingredients, and was just about to put on his apron when Aiba and Nino arrived at the door.

“So, what are you making today?” Nino asked the moment he stepped into the genkan .

“A “sorry for the intrusion” would be nice,” Jun grumbled, but there was no real bite to his complaint. “Guess.”

“Pasta.”

“Much better.” Jun grinned, and left it at that before returning to the kitchen and letting Nino and Aiba make themselves comfortable. They often spent a lot of time at each other’s apartments, most especially Jun’s, so it was no longer a foreign thing to have his two best friends sprawled on his couch playing karuta cards.

He was barely a few minutes into cooking when he suddenly yelped in pain, the knife accidentally cutting his thumb. He dropped the carrot he was cutting back on the tray, inspecting the wound.

“Matsujun?” Aiba came into the kitchen and Nino’s head poked at the entrance to check on his person.

“Jun-pon? You okay?”

“Yeah, just accidentally cut myself.” He mumbled as he sucked on the wound. His mind flew to the similar incident with Sho the other day, and he remembered the shocked expression on Sho’s face when Jun brought Sho’s bleeding finger to his lips.

“That’s unusual,” Nino commented as Jun reached for the first-aid kit he kept in the kitchen. “You’re not sick, are you, Jun-pon? Being lovesick doesn’t count, by the way.”

“Get out of my kitchen or you’re not getting any of the hamburger steak, Nino.”

Nino let out a cackle before sprinting out of Jun’s kitchen and back into the living room.

“Seriously, though,” Aiba asked with genuine concern. “Are you okay, Matsujun? Did anything happen with Sho-chan? It’s not like you to be this distracted... Would it have been any better if we didn’t come today?”

“It’s okay, Masaki,” Jun smiled at the older man. “I’m glad you guys are here, on the contrary.” It’s a good distraction , he thought, but chose not to say.

Because truth be told, since the incident happened, Jun hadn’t been able to get Sho out of his head. It was actually troublesome, if Jun were being honest, as it was distracting him from getting anything done during the weekend. And the thought of how he was not going to see Sho again for at least another week killed him. All he wanted was to meet Sho again.

But Jun also knew that he shouldn’t rush into this.

“Okay. But tell us if you need anything, okay?” Aiba patted Jun’s cheeks softly before leaving Jun back to preparing dinner.

Jun took a deep breath, and resumed from where he last left off.

***

“That should be all. I expect the final revised version at 5 pm today. Thank you for your hard work, everyone.” Sho closed the meeting he was leading, and his closing was promptly followed by a rumble of chairs scraping and acknowledgements.

Sho was sipping the last bit of his coffee when he realized that one of his oldest friends, Takizawa, was waiting for him.

“Takki?” As they were alone, there was no reason for him to address his friend so formally.

“I completed the research for the travelling locations that are most popular with high school kids lately, for next month’s issue. Could you go through it and check it over?” He handed Sho a brown folder and hesitated for several moments  before choosing to sit near him.

“Thanks, will do,” Sho replied, and quickly flipped through the papers before glancing back at Takki. “Anything else?”

“Did you get a new hobby, Sho-kun?” Takki asked as he eyed the Band-Aids on Sho’s fingers. Sho could unfortunately hear the grin behind the question. “Bukki told me about a certain cooking school you are going to with wonderful teachers.”

“You and Bukki gossip too much whenever I’m unable to join you guys,” Sho rolled his eyes, but carefully avoided the topic. He made a mental note to keep his mouth shut the next time he will go out with Bukki––Tsumabuki Satoshi.

“Come on, Sho-kun! Bukki said he wouldn’t have known if you weren’t drunk and accidentally told him about it,” Takki laughed. “I mean, I’m not that curious about your love life, but a cooking school?”

“Mom signed me up for it, said I should start to live healthier.”

“How very Yoko-san of her,” Takki chuckled. “Well, if this really wonderful teacher actually made you capable of cooking, don’t forget to invite me and Bukki over for dinner one day, okay, Sho-kun? Anyway, I’m not going to get in the way of you and your work, so I’ll take my leave now. See you around!”

Sho sighed loudly, and Takki burst into laughter once more before patting Sho’s shoulder and leaving him with his work.

***

“Sho-chan, won’t you go for drinks with us after this?” Aiba looked at Sho hopefully.

They had just finished yet another Friday class, and the others had already gone home. Sho looked up from the game that Nino was making him play, and faltered at the sight of Aiba’s smile.

“Eh?”

“Me, Matsujun, and Nino are going out for some drinks after this. We were thinking you should come too! It’s been 6 months since you first came here after all! You could say that it is to strengthen our friendship,” Aiba explained. “But if you can’t, that’s okay too. We can all go another time. Oh-chan is coming too, by the way.”

Sho carefully weighed his options; He had been avoiding interactions that may be too personal with Matsumoto since the ‘finger’ accident, as he was afraid that his feelings may grow, but he also felt bad if he declined as he didn’t have plans for the night or the next day.

“If you don’t mind me intruding...” Sho decided.

“You’re never intruding! You’re one of us now.” Aiba attempted to wink (and failed), but the action made Sho laugh anyway.

“We’ll go once we’re done with the dishes. Satoshi also mentioned that he had some stuff to take care of downstairs.” Matsumoto remarked from the sink, not turning to look at them, still focused on the dishes he was washing.

They ended up leaving fifteen minutes later, with Ohno fumbling with the keys for the store and Matsumoto laughing at him while calling him an old man. Aiba informed Sho that the bar was in walking distance, and so the five of them walked together in the chilly weather. Despite the cold, the company was comforting and brought a warmth to Sho’s chest.

In the corner of his eye, Sho spots Nino reaching out to hold Aiba’s hand, their held hands hidden by their coats, before Nino clung closer to the older man. It was a side of Nino that Sho had never seen before, and he was surprised by it. And what confused him the most––Nino and Aiba are a thing ?

“Sho-kun?” Ohno tilted his head in confusion, and Sho realized that he had stopped walking.

Matsumoto, Aiba, and Nino who were walking in the front also stopped to look back with questioning eyes.

“Aiba-chan… you... and Nino…”

There was a beat of silence before Nino burst into a high-pitched cackle, and Aiba supported his weight as Nino slumped in laughter, his whole body shaking. Matsumoto shared an amused look on his face, while Aiba, clearly equally amused but offered Sho a kind look, chuckled.

“Sho-chan, I’m so sorry this idiot met you every week for the past 6 months and never bothered to tell you that he has been dating me for 7 years already.” Nino said between his peals of laughter. “Well, now you know.”

“I literally had no idea, I thought… Aiba-kun and Matsumoto-kun…”

Matsumoto gave him with a half-horrified look. Sho wanted to bury himself under a rock for the rest of his life, but he couldn’t help but feel a secret relief rushing through him.

“No, no, Sho-chan, oh no, dating Matsujun would be too scary. He would scold me all the time, oh no,” Aiba shook his head quickly. Next to him, Nino was still panting to catch his breath from laughing too hard, his eyes still crinkling as he pressed closer to Aiba.

“Sho-san,” Matsumoto chuckled. “You could’ve just asked.”

“It would have been rude.” Sho defended while faking a pout, but eventually joined the others  with his own chuckles. It was nice, like this, with them five together; Comfortable. And it feels so much like a home.

***

Jun was stunned.

The ever so cool and composed Sakurai Sho was now passed out, his head on Jun’s shoulder in the backseat of a quiet taxi, simply because Aiba had shoved the very drunk Sho onto him once they decided to go home for the night.

He glanced at the sleeping Sho. His quiet puffs of air smelled like whiskey, but Jun is sure he smells like alcohol too, so he honestly didn’t mind. Jun selfishly took advantage of this opportunity to take a closer look at Sho. With their proximity, it was easy for him to see how, Sho’s face was not really perfect, marks from adolescent littering his cheeks, and the sight was even more attractive to Jun. His eyes slipped down to gaze at Sho’s plump lips, and then his eyelashes touching his skin.

The taxi driver might thinking that they had something going on between them, from the way Jun was looking at Sho and the closeness of his bodies, but Jun didn’t care. He probably wouldn’t get this chance anymore.

Jun wished the trip to Sho’s apartment was longer, long enough for Jun to get his fill of watching Sho sleep. Sho’s hands suddenly moved to take Jun’s own, and Jun held back a noise of surprise. His hand was still on his lap, but Sho’s warm hand covered it, his touch feeling as though it was almost burning on Jun’s hand even with the unintentional touch.

It was then Jun noticed that Sho’s fingers and hand had band-aids on them: there was one on his index finger, one on his palm (it felt rough against Jun’s hand), and also a few on the sides. Jun smiled to himself at the sight, a small wistful smile that was likely invisible in the dimness of the taxi. The thought of Sho cooking by himself at home, trying out new recipes and experimenting, somehow made Jun’s heart swell in many ways.

Jun had to restrain himself from flipping his hand to twine their fingers together. He did not want to wake Sho up with the movement and end the moment. Thus he stayed still, making most of the rare opportunity while it lasts.

They arrived shortly after that, and Jun reluctantly let go of the warmth that was Sho to help him home. Thankfully, Jun remembered Sho mentioning the floor and room of his apartment, and could thus help the man off the taxi and up to the appropriate door. With Sho’s arms around his neck, Jun could easily feel the warmth of Sho’s body against him.

“Sho-san, I need your keys.”

“Backpocket.” Sho mumbled against Jun’s shoulder, half-conscious, and Jun fished in his pocket to find what he needed.

Sho’s apartment was neat, and although it was not as tidy as Jun’s apartment, it was acceptable. There were papers, magazines and reference books cluttered on the desk in the corner of the room.

“I’m sorry for the intrusion,” Jun mumbled.

When Sho stumbled and went off half-drunkenly towards the direction of what Jun assumes was his bedroom, Jun followed him and helped him take off his coat and suit-jacket. Jun hadn’t had the time to take in the rest of Sho’s apartment, but his bedroom had a big bed and a nightstand next to it, as well as a stack of books with a lot of post-its attached to them on the nightstand.

He couldn’t help but smile.

“…thirsty.” Sho muttered a few moments later, and Jun nodded placatingly, leaving Sho momentarily to find the kitchen.

He was astonished at the multitude of cooking guides he found in Sho’s kitchen. There was an opened first-aid kit on the counter as well, and notes that were full of Sho’s handwriting. Jun couldn’t help but stop to look at them, forgetting momentarily that he was there to fetch water for Sho.

Jun paused at one of the recipes; ‘ Matsumoto-sensei: heat for 7-8 minutes for the best result’ was written on the bottom, and following that, he found other additional caveats too, including advice from Aiba. Jun felt warm at the discovery. Sho was really taking cooking seriously, and the band-aids were surely a result of his practicing at home.

His heart almost stopped when he saw a particular recipe.

‘Crab Cream Croquette. Matsumoto Jun’s favorite! You should really learn to master this one, Sho .’

Jun’s mind drifted to the image of Sho, forehead scrunched up as he looked at the recipes and made crab cream croquettes to master it for Jun. Sho hurting his fingers in his best attempts in cooking to impress Jun, to be a good student for him. Overwhelmed by the discovery, Jun closed his eyes.

Jun knew this was his cue to stop before he found anything else, so he tidied the notes on the counter and retrieved the water he came to the kitchen for.

When he came back to the room, he found Sho already under the blanket. Jun crouched down to press the glass against Sho’s lips, and held Sho’s head with his hand to allow to Sho gulp the water down.

“…thank you.” He heard Sho mumble, and he smiled.

“You’re welcome. Good night, Sho-san.”

Once he made sure Sho was sound asleep, he refilled the glass with water and place it on the nightstand, along with some painkillers for Sho to drink in the morning. He included a note to say that Sho’s bag was on the couch  too.

Taking a deep breath, Jun looked at Sho’s sleeping face once more, peaceful and beautiful, before he willed himself to turn on his heel and returned home, his heart pounding.

Sakurai Sho’s handwriting of his name was stuck at the back of his mind for the rest of the week.

***

It was another Friday evening and they’re making Nasi Goreng this time, a dish Ohno recently discovered and immediately requested Jun to include in one of his lessons so that he could send a plate downstairs.

It had been a long week for Sho, with a new batch of revisions having came up and some mishaps happening at work which caused him to have had to spend some additional hours on work and barely having time to sleep at night. He could’ve just gone home and got his good night’s sleep, but he thought perhaps cooking would be able to help take his mind off work things.

(And also allow him to see Matsumoto, but Sho didn’t want to admit that to himself).

Matsumoto had been somewhat distant since the drunken incident. In all honesty, Sho had unfortunately no memory of subsequent events after he got drunk, and was thus surprised when he recognized Matsumoto’s handwriting on the note he found on his nightstand. When he thanked the man for taking care of him, his thanks were waved away by Matsumoto.

It had been 2 months now, and Matsumoto was interacting with Sho less. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that Sho was slowly getting better, but it made Sho feel awful anyway. Or perhaps Matsumoto was taken aback during the incident, that he hadn’t been expecting Sho to be such a mess behind the calm, collected image Sho hoped had been maintaining.

Sho had no idea, but at the same time, he was too scared to ask.

When his mother sent him the options he could pick during signing up for Matsumoto and Aiba’s cooking school, Sho opted for the one year contract, meaning he could come whenever he wanted to during that span of a year. Now it has been 8 months, his classes were going to end in around 4 months, too.

And so Sho chose to his feelings be, and just go with the flow.

“Sho-san.”

Sho looked up when he heard Matsumoto’s voice, but he wasn’t given the chance to reply before Matsumoto’s hand was on his, long fingers wrapping around Sho’s own around the hold of his knife. Sho held his breath, feeling Matsumoto’s touch like a burn on his skin as Matsumoto squeezes Sho’s hand to tighten his hold on the knife.

“Don’t hold the knife loosely like that. Focus. It’s dangerous.” Matsumoto’s voice was stern, and Sho wondered if he was worried.

“Sorry, Matsumoto-sensei.”

“You may continue.” Matsumoto’s hand fell from Sho’s, and Sho was already missing the warmth of his touch.

But Sho did as he was instructed and resumed cutting the carrots and onions. That was probably the first skin-contact he’s had with Matsumoto since the night Matsumoto took him home, and it surprised Sho how large of an effect Matsumoto still had over him.

Sho glanced over at Matsumoto who was currently telling off Toma that he was putting way too much seasoning in his dish. It confused him sometimes, the signals he got and the signs he picked up. He didn’t want to be overly self-conscious, but sometimes he couldn’t help but notice the way Matsumoto paid him special attention. 

After all, he could have simply told Sho to hold his knife properly instead of taking the trouble to fix Sho’s hold directly like that, and then (un)intentionally messing with Sho’s feelings. Even though to be fair, he probably had also sent some … mixed signals to Matsumoto, and while Sho did feel guilty about it, still does, he still couldn’t find the courage to confront Matsumoto about how he felt towards Sho.

Maybe it would have been for the better if Matsumoto continued to keep his distance from him, then Sho wouldn’t have to think of these any weird thoughts  and get his hopes up, or to possess any hope or dreams that may just disappoint him at the end.

Sho took a deep breath, dropped his cut carrots and onions on the pan and stirred. With the same motion, he pushed all thoughts about Matsumoto aside.

***

“Jun-chan, I made crab cream croquette, you know. Come join us?” Aiba called out from the living room, and Jun looked up from the new recipe he was making. They were in Aiba and Nino’s apartment this time, Aiba having insisted for Jun to come for the weekend since apparently, Jun had been looking, according to Aiba, too ‘dead’ recently.

Jun peeked at the living room. He found Nino busy with his laptop and his games, probably working on them, and Aiba was sitting next to him; smiling at Jun and gesturing for him to join them. The heavenly smell of his favorite food quickly took over his senses.

Jun fitted himself between his two best friends and curled against Aiba and Nino. He made himself comfortable, the warmth of the two of them enveloping him.

“Are you okay, Jun-pon?” Nino asked suddenly without, looking up from his laptop.

Jun hummed, and accepted a croquette from Aiba before taking a bite. He shifted a moment later to rest his head on Aiba’s lap. 

“Masaki, you’re a crab cream croquette genius.” Jun mumbled. “Everything is okay as long as I have this.”

Aiba chuckled and stroked Jun’s arm, and Jun was grateful for the contact. Soon, he heard the sound of Nino’s laptop being closed and then Nino’s weight was on him, both of them effectively curled on Aiba’s lap, and the older man laughed at the pair.

“I heard your beloved Sho-chan hasn’t come by for two weeks.” Nino started, and Jun automatically reached out for another croquette. “I’m sure it’s just because he’s busy, J. You don’t have to worry too much about it.”

“I told him the same thing,” Aiba shrugged.

“But what if it was because he was taken aback?” Jun murmured between chewing. “Because I … I …”

“What? Took his hand to fix the way he was holding the knife?” Aiba chuckled. “If it’s any reassurance, Sho-chan didn’t stop blushing after you went away to scold the poor Toma-chan. C’mon, Matsujun. Go for it. I think you should go for it,”

“I just…” Jun took a deep breathe, eyes closed. “He’s just… he’s so nice, you know? He always smells so nice, he wasn’t intimidated by my stupid eyebrows and my face, he even had this stupid noted in his kitchen, and even told himself to master crab cream croquettes because it’s my favorite,” Jun sighed. “He’s so good to me and he’s such a good friend, and I don’t want to ruin it, I don’t want to ruin this,” Jun admitted with a small voice.

“But do you want him to leave, to finish the course without ever finding out how he feels and without telling him how you feel, Matsujun?” Aiba asked softly. “As I said, I think you should go for it,”

Jun was silent for awhile, but then Nino’s fingers threaded through his hair in a comforting manner,. “And if it doesn’t work out, Jun-pon, Aiba-shi here will make you the best crab cream croquette, and you and I can stay up all night long playing the unreleased product I’m working on right now. It’s great stuff, I promise you,” he said softly, and Jun leaned into the touch, letting himself be comforted by the warmth provided by the two.

Jun took another bite of his crab cream croquette.

“We’ll be your number 1 supporters, Matsujun,” Aiba repeated softly, and this time, Jun found himself nodding.

“Okay.”

***

Sho visited the cooking school again after 3 weeks.

Aiba and Matsumoto’s faces lit up at the sight of him and they welcomed him with open arms. Even though Matsumoto’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, it was nice to see him again. Sho missed him, after all. Sho missed him a lot.

He had spent the past 3 weeks working hard, using his work as a distraction from the thought of Matsumoto, but also to organize his feelings. It was all done in preparation for the day he would see Matsumoto again, to allow him to smile at him genuinely without having his feelings being in the way. 

Now that he was seeing Matsumoto again, the man with his soft smile and in his cute sushi apron, Sho knew his feelings were not something he could help anymore. So much for being able to forget his feelings for Matsumoto. Sho might have fallen a little bit more in love with him, right then.

They quickly fell back into the familiar routine of Aiba sharing stories and asking him how he’s been, Matsumoto asking about his progress with cooking and laughing at shared jokes, and in return, Sho asking them how they’ve been and how Nino’s doing, telling them about work and all the new travelling spots featured in this month’s issue.

A bit later on, Aiba was leaning against the table next to him as Sho was stir-frying the main ingredients for the dish tonight. They’re making katsudon and Matsumoto was currently occupied with some new students as he made sure that they were not going to hurt themselves.  

“Say, Sho-chan, do you like Matsujun?” Aiba asked casually, and Sho almost jumped in surprise.

“Well, yes, Matsumoto-sensei is nice. And he’s… he’s my friend too now, isn’t he? Why… why wouldn’t I… why wouldn’t I like him?” Sho stuttered.

“Hmm, I was just asking,” Aiba grinned. “I like him too, Matsujun is so nice, isn’t he?”

“He is,” Sho affirmed. That one was obvious; Matsumoto Jun was one of the kindest, nicest person Sho had ever met, despite his first impression of the man. He thought Matsumoto would be scary, but no, he wasn’t scary at all.

“Matsumoto-sensei is incredibly kind-hearted and nice, and I think it’s amazing that he even put up with me and became my friend. And I really do think…” Sho looked up to find Aiba tilting his head at him, “Nevermind. I didn’t say anything, Aiba-kun.”

“Okay.” Aiba grinned. “Sure you didn’t.”

“Don’t tell Matsumoto-sensei.” Sho repeated once more, just to be sure.

“Okay.” Aiba grinned wider.

Sho was pretty sure that he was blushing and that he had just given himself away to Aiba, and unfortunately, he also knew that Aiba was smart and attentive enough to completely bust him out on his secret. Sho exhaled and returned to his task.

“I just wanted to say that Matsujun likes you too,” Aiba added nonchalantly, and Sho’s jaw nearly dropped until he heard Aiba continue with his answer, “I like you too. So does Nino-chan. No one was putting up with anything, Sho-chan. You’re a great friend, fine as you are. And I definitely wish you can just stay here forever.”

Sho stayed silent and remembered that his contract was going to end soon. After that, he wasn’t going to have any other reason to come here.

Aiba gave Sho another blinding smile before leaving Sho alone with his katsudon .

Sho tried not to think too much about what Aiba had just told him or about his weird behavior. Instead, he continued following the instructions written on the recipe Matsumoto gave him, and attempted to cook without needing to bother the teachers as much as possible.

When they were done, everyone gathered at the dining tables as usual and ate together. Matsumoto and Aiba were eating while mingling with the others too, Aiba chatting with Kazama and Yoko, while Matsumoto spoke to Higashide at the other side of the table.

Sho scooted closer to where Matsumoto was once the man was done talking, and now simply focused in cutting his own food. “Matsumoto-sensei?” He called out softly.

“Sho-san? What’s wrong?”

“Would you mind?” He gestured at his plate. “The usual feedback.”

“Ah, yes, sure.” Matsumoto grinned–– Sho had missed his smile.

Sho had always made sure to get feedback from Matsumoto on what to improve on in his dishes. Most of the time, Matsumoto praised his cooking and gave pointers on where it was lacking: ‘stir-fry this a little longer’, ‘add more onions’, ‘add a little more salt’, ‘flip it before it turns brown’. He always seemed to know how to make Sho’s dishes better, and Sho didn’t understand how, but Jun did.

(He forgot for a second that Jun was his cooking teacher, of course he’d know.)

His fingers brushed against Matsumoto’s fingers when he handed his plate over to the man, and Sho tried to ignore the way Matsumoto’s light touch burnt his skin, and knew the heat would linger for the rest of the night.

Matsumoto did quick work of cutting Sho’s katsudon into smaller pieces before putting it into his mouth. Sho tried not to stare at the way Matsumoto’s lips closed around the fork, and waited.

“Another job well done, Sho-san,” Matsumoto praised genuinely, and Sho blushed. “You’ve improved so much during the time you’ve been here. You have a sense for this, you know?”

“You have told me that before,” Sho replied shyly, “that I have a sense for this.”

Sho might be imagining things, but he felt like there a blush was creeping up Matsumoto’s cheeks as Sho was talking.

“And I was telling you the truth,” Matsumoto continued, voice barely a whisper. He cleared his throat. “Anyway, this is good. Maybe you could be a little bit more daring on the seasoning? I’ve noticed that you hesitate with your seasonings, and while you do have to be careful so as not to make the flavours too overwhelming, I think this could use some more taste.”

Sho scribbled them down on the hand-out recipe. “Okay, thank you as always, Matsumoto-sensei.”

Matsumoto nodded, and Sho left to return to his seat and finish his food.

Sho remained in his seat until everyone else was gone, leaving him eventually alone with Matsumoto and Aiba. It was always like this, except when Nino came, then there would be Nino together with them. However, Aiba didn’t look like he was staying this time.

“I’m sorry for leaving you with the dishes, Matsujun.” Aiba apologized as he grabbed his bag.

“Leaving so soon, Aiba-chan?”

“It’s Nino’s birthday,” Aiba smiled. “I promised him I’d be home earlier to celebrate.”

“Really? Happy birthday to him,” Sho offered He was somehow getting warm feelings just from the thought of Aiba getting home earlier to celebrate Nino’s birthday with him. “How very Nino-like to spend his birthday at home.”

“I’ll drag him to Oh-chan’s shop this weekend. He secretly appreciates the affection,” Aiba chuckled fondly, and the warmth in Sho spread to envelope him. “See you around, Sho-chan, Matsujun.”

“Be careful, Masaki. Have a fun night!” Matsumoto yelled from the sink, and gave Aiba a wink. Aiba simply laughed before going down the stairs.

“Do you need some help cleaning up?” Sho suddenly asked as a rush of courage washed over him. Maybe it was the warmth and giddiness he obtained from thinking about Aiba going home earlier to make time for Nino’s birthday, or maybe it was because of Matsumoto praised his dishes (but he does that frequently), or perhaps… it was from the fact that he was alone with Matsumoto right now.

“Sho-san, you know you don’t have to.”

“Yes, but I’m also not that heartless to leave you to tackle that mountain of dishes alone.” Sho insisted.

“Well, if it’s really no bother then, I’ll gladly have you,” Matsumoto answered gratefully, and Sho got up from where he was sitting to approach the sink. “I shouldn’t have a student helping me, but I guess you can do it as a friend,”

“Right,” Sho grinned, and washing his hands before he started scrubbing the plates.

They stood in silence, the sound of water running and plates clinking accompanying them. Sho could feel Matsumoto’s body warmth from where he was standing. They were so close, and the tiny distance between them was maddening.

“Your contract,” Matsumoto broke the silence finally, and Sho nearly dropped the plate in surprise. “It’s ending soon, isn’t it?”

“On October, yeah.”

“I see,” was Matsumoto’s only response, and with that they fell back into silence. The dishes at Matsumoto’s side were finished first, so he reached out to get the remaining pans and bowls on Sho’s.

With their fingers accidentally brushing and their shoulders softly bumping against each other, Sho couldn’t help but feel like he was feeling too much. He was too aware of what was happening, too aware of every contact, every touch, and every movement Matsumoto was making near him.

“Once I graduate, I won’t have any reason to come here anymore, right?” Sho said once they were finished as he washed his hands.

There was a short silence, then,

“I guess you don’t.”

Sho stayed quiet after that. He kept the water running, prolonging the process of washing his hands. He hadn’t been expecting that answer from Matsumoto at all; Certainly not indirect rejection from Matsumoto, especially after what Aiba had said to him earlier.

A chuckle.

“Sho-san,” Matsumoto said softly, and Sho looked up. “Your fingers are pruning.”

Sho didn’t reply to that as Matsumoto turned off the faucet, and pointedly tried to ignore the way Matsumoto’s wet hands brushed against his while the man did so. Matsumoto turned to him again, expression soft. “I’m sorry, Sho-san, of course you will always have a reason to come here. You’re always welcome here. Be it for cooking or to  hang out...”

Matsumoto took a step closer towards Sho, and then suddenly he was in Sho’s space, close enough that Sho could feel his body heat, and could see the fine specks in his brown irises that always seemed so capable of look deeply into Sho’s––

“Or for this,” Matsumoto whispered, and then he leaned forward to kiss Sho.

The kiss was tentative, almost hesitant; a bold contrast to the Matsumoto Jun who confidently seasoned his food, Sho thought in amusement. But Sho recovered fast and returned the kiss, treasuring the moment while it lasted, his still wet hands reaching out to grasp Matsumoto’s side as he tried to get as close to Matsumoto - no, Jun -  as he could. 

Jun’s hands trailed up to cup the back of Sho’s head, Jun’s fingers tangling into the soft hair, and Sho pulled him closer to kiss him slowly. Eventually, they parted, and Sho rested his forehead against Juns, breathless.

“Jun.”

“Took you long enough,” Jun chuckled. His eyes fluttered close, and his long eyelashes brushed against Sho’s cheeks. The sound sent a warm vibration through Sho’s body and made him tingle all over. Jun pressed a quick kiss on Sho’s lips. “Say it again,”

“Jun,” Sho whispered, liking the way Jun’s name rolled out off his tongue. And then he dived in to kiss Jun once more. This time there was no hesitation, and Jun melted in his arms. Sho deepened the kiss, kissed Jun until his lungs were burning and Jun was sighing happily into Sho’s mouth. Jun pulled away to litter kisses on Sho’s face, on his cheeks, and on the corner of his lips.

“Again, Sho-san.”

“Jun.”

Another kiss, this time messy and affectionate. Sho took his time caressing Jun’s cheeks with his fingers, pulling away long enough to appreciate the way Jun’s face isn’t all that perfect - there were scars left there from puberty - but it didn’t make him by any means less attractive. He was beautiful and so perfect for Sho. And the Sho was distracted once again as Jun decided to lean in for more kisses, as though he is unable to get enough.

“Again,” Jun sighed against his lips.

“Jun, Jun,” Sho whispered, and kissed the beauty mark right above Jun’s lips, then the one on his lips, and the other one beneath his lower lip. He wondered if Jun had anymore of these beauty marks, and he suddenly couldn’t wait to find out. But it’s okay; They had all the time in the world now.

“Sho-san––” Jun let out a pretty gasp when Sho lightly bit his bottom lip before pulling away a little to look into Sho’s eyes. “Say it again, and look at me,”

“Jun,” Sho sighed, and Jun rewarded him with another kiss. Jun kissed him for a long time; each kiss was longer than the previous, and his hands were buried in Sho’s soft hair as his fingers tangled in the strands. Sho was eager as well, earnestly trying to give back as much as Jun was willing to give, whispering Jun’s name between kisses, finally able to call him the way he had always wanted to.

Even as Jun pulled away, Sho leaned up and became the one who was giving Jun the quick, repetitive kisses, and Jun would hum approvingly as he smiled against Sho’s mouth. Sho’s heart was light with affection and warmth, and he didn’t think that he would be able to forget the way Jun’s lips felt against his for the very first time.

As Jun pulled Sho into his arms for a hug, Sho thought, maybe all those crab cream croquettes experiment he conducted at home was worth it after all.

***

8 months later

When Sho cracked his eyes open, warm sunlight was creeping from beneath the curtains. It was a chilly Saturday, despite it being spring already, with flowers and sakura trees blooming here and there. When the cold air hit his face, Sho reflexively nuzzled closer to the warm body next to him - the warm body who had somehow managed to steal all the blankets off him throughout the night.

Jun stirred as Sho wrapped his arms around him, breathing unnaturally heavy, and Sho’s senses went on full alert when he realized that Jun was warmer than usual. The man had been coughing a lot for the past few days and ignoring Sho’s concern whenever he brought it up. Knowing how stubborn Jun was, Sho learned not to push too much, but he couldn’t help but be worried.

Sho ditched the idea of going back to sleep and instead got up to fetch a thermometer. He placed it under Jun’s arm, and was careful not to wake Jun up when the younger man stirred a little. Soon enough, the thermometer beeped, and Sho took it away to look at the read-out.

39.4 , well, no wonder he was burning. 

Sho sighed and cupped Jun’s cheek. Jun’s eyes fluttered open at the touch, and he burst into a fit of horrible coughing.

“Jun?”

“Sho-san, it’s so early,” Jun rasped once the fit passed over. “My head hurts,”

“Yes, because you have a fever, and don’t even try to deny it. Let me put you in something warmer,” Sho explained soothingly. Jun hummed, and didn’t protest when Sho helped him into a hoodie before getting up to leave for the kitchen. “I’ll make breakfast so you can take some medicine.”

Jun sleepily nodded against the pillow, and Sho dropped a kiss in his hair.

Since Sho moved in with Jun at the beginning of the year, Jun had been the one who was responsible for cooking meals, but also allowed Sho to watch and practice in the kitchen from time to time. Sho would cook for Jun whenever he felt like doing so too, and Jun would still give him pointers, claiming that it’s out of habit. His stream of praises never failed to make Sho the happiest, though.

His mother met Jun on one of her impromptu visits to Sho’s apartment, a visit that coincidentally clashed with Jun’s, but the man took it in good stride and took over Sho’s kitchen to make miso soup. Yoko on the other hand, almost dropped all her belongings at the sight of Jun. A warm cup of tea later, Sho sat down with Jun and his mother at the dining table and while Jun served his miso soup, Sho introduced Jun as his boyfriend.

He wasn’t planning to tell his family so soon, but when Jun squeezed his hand under the table, he was sure that everything was going to be alright.

And everything did turn out to be alright, as Yoko smiled warmly at his declaration and chuckled, saying, “Sho-chan, I sent you to cooking school to learn how to cook, not to find a boyfriend to cook for you,” she grinned, and Sho blushed. “But I’m very happy for you, Sho-chan. Please take care of him, Jun-kun,”

Jun smiled warmly at her, “I’ll do my best, Mother,” Sho’s heart skipped a beat, and Jun squeezed his hand tightly once more. “I’ll also make sure he gets rid of his beloved cup ramen.”

Sho was so happy.

But Ohno, Aiba, and Nino were the happiest, of course, and Nino happily claimed that it was thanks to him having his birthday that they finally got the chance to get together because Aiba had to leave first. Jun cheekily replied that it was their birthday present to him, and Nino stuck his tongue out at him. 

Aiba gave Sho and Jun a big kiss on their cheeks before squeezing the two men tightly, relaying his happiness, and how relieved he was that he didn’t have to hear Jun sulk about his crush again. The comment earned him a playful smack at the back of his head from Jun, however.

Ohno made a special cheesecake for them, one with a huge heart in the middle drawn in jam, and despite Nino’s claim that it’s embarrassing, the five of them shared the cheesecake anyway.

On Sho and Jun’s part, they decided to take their time to learn each other and get used to each other’s habits, be it the good habits, or the ‘bad’ ones. Sho found out that Jun liked to read, that he liked to collect antique things, and how he preferred having his amenities organized prettily in the bathroom. Sho also learnt that Jun was very cute in the mornings with his refusal to wake up, and that Jun would get extremely mad at him if Sho ever ruined his cooking utensils. That Jun was happy whenever Sho ate his dishes like it was the most delicious meal in the world. With every new discovery, Sho found himself falling even more in love for Jun.

They spent a lot of time together as well, kissing, talking, touching, compromising and trying to understand each other; Jun learning and accepting Sho’s quirks and flaws and Sho doing the same with Jun’s. It wasn’t a smooth ride all over, Sho admits. But together, Sho know that they would able to do it.

Jun’s cough from the bedroom reminded Sho again that he should finish this porridge soon–– it was another dish that Jun taught him even after Sho’s contract ended. After preparing tea, Sho ladled some porridge into a bowl and made up a tray to be brought into the bedroom, where he found Jun still curled up, asleep.

Sho carefully set the tray on the nightstand before sitting next to Jun and softly caressing the man’s cheek. Jun barely stirred at the contact.

“Jun,” he called softly. “You need to eat something,”

Jun blinked at the sound of Sho’s voice before squinting at the morning light. He didn’t say anything as Sho helped him sit up, instead resting his head on Sho’s shoulder. Sho’s arms wrapped around Jun to support him, and he pressed a soft kiss on Jun’s cheek.

“Porridge, okay? You’ll have to let me go a little to get the tray, though,” Sho said again, tone soft, and Jun took a deep breath before reluctantly letting Sho go and leaning against the headboard, slowly arranging pillows to support his back.

“I don’t feel like eating,” Jun said hoarsely.

“I know,” Sho answered. “You still have to anyway, come on, open up,"

“I can eat by myself, Sho-san,”

“I know that, too. Let me,” Sho pleaded with a smile, and Jun pouted, a blush extending to his pale cheeks and accompanying the fever spots. He opened his mouth, and Sho carefully handfed Jun the warm porridge.

Jun flinched when he swallowed, but then closed his glassy eyes in contentment. “You know, I’ve never had someone I taught cooking cook for me when I was sick before,”

“Well, it was good that you taught me to do so, if not, I’d have to call Aiba-chan up to cook for you instead, because I’d hate to feed a sick person cup ramen,” Sho laughed, and Jun joined him, crinkles appearing around his eyes. It was the same, priceless smile that Sho loved the most.

“You and your cup ramen obsession,” Jun chuckled. Sho continued feeding him until the bowl was almost empty, and perhaps it was his imagination, but Sho could have sworn that Jun’s blush just got deeper in colour each time Sho guided the spoon into his mouth.

Sho grabbed the medicine from the medicine tablet and handed it to Jun, along with a glass of water. Once he had Jun all snuggled under the blanket again, Sho joined him, Jun’s arms wrapping around him and head nuzzling under Sho’s chin.

“Feeling better?”

“Yeah, but this headache won’t go away, though,” Jun complained. “But it’s okay. Let’s sleep.”

Sho cupped the back of Jun’s head to press a kiss on his forehead, and then continued to drop kisses in Jun’s thick hair. When Jun leaned into the kisses and tilted his head,  Sho gave Jun’s nose a quick, final kiss before pulling away.

“Matsumoto-sensei?” Sho asked, and Jun made a confused sound. “Feedback on the porridge?”

Jun laughed and pulled Sho closer.

“Perfect. It was perfect.”