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"Alright Babe, be careful out there and I'll see you tonight! I love you!" Eijiro smiled as he hung up the phone. Today was going to be great. He just knew it.
He only had a few hours to get everything ready. While he knew without a doubt that the kitchen was not his area of expertise, he'd decided to cook dinner tonight for Katsuki. Nothing fancy of course, Just a simple seafood alfredo (the recipe online didn't look too complicated; he could totally follow it) and garlic bread. Even he could manage that.
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The trip to the market had gone smoother than he'd expected. Remembering to actually take the ingredient list had definitely helped. Back at home Eijiro smiled as he worked, mixing everything together, checking and rechecking the recipe multiple times.
"Okay, salt... was that teaspoons or tablespoons?" Check again. "Right, teaspoons." Eijiro followed that basic pattern through the whole process. It had to turn out right. At the very least, he wanted the meal to edible. There was no doubt that Katsuki could've done this much faster than him, but Eijiro didn't mind.
When the sauce had been all mixed together, he set it on the stove to simmer. "Alright, this part is where Katsu usually kicks me out, so... the recipe said to leave it on a low simmer... Damn gas stoves." He adjusted the flame under the pot to what he figured was reasonably low, without putting itself out, and left it to simmer. All he had left to do for that was cooking the noodles, and he could do those later on.
Turning around, he grabbed the pre-made garlic bread (Eijiro figured it would be okay, after all he was making the alfredo from scratch. Right?) so he could check the instructions. "Temp: 220 C (425 F). Time, roughly 12 to 15 minutes." Eijiro mumbled, reading out loud.
Oven preheated, garlic bread in; Eijiro turned to other tasks. Washing what bowls and utensils he'd used during prep; giving the pot on the stove a stir. All he had left to do was set the table. Fresh table cloth in place, place settings laid out accordingly, Eijiro thought it was damn near perfect. The only thing missing was --
"SHIT! I forgot the flowers! I knew there was something missing!" Eijiro cried, then took a moment to collect himself.
"Okay, the little shop at the end of the block should still be open. I'd be gone ten minutes tops... Alright. Let's make this quick." Like a shot, he's up and out, barely remembering to grab his wallet and keys as he goes.
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Eight and a half minutes later, Eijiro was back in his apartment gulping down lungfuls of air.
"Hell yeah... Under ten minutes... Knew I could make it..." He cheered between breaths. He could smell the garlic bread from the front door. "Man, that smells good"he thought to himself.
Walking back to the kitchen he sat the flowers on the island while he gave the pot another stir. Glancing into the oven, the garlic bread was looking less than the promised golden brown. "Everything looks good so far, i'll just get these into water, then I can finish up" he remarked as he put the flowers into a vase, and set them on the table.
"Now it's perfect." He smiled with pride, giving the room a last once-over before running to grab a quick shower.
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Still rubbing a towel over his damp hair, Eijiro strolled out of the bathroom before stopping dead in his tracks. "SHIT!" Dropping the towel he hurried to the kitchen, the stench of burning bread assaulting his nose.
"Shit shit shit..." Without thinking to even grab an oven mitt, he hurriedly opened the oven and pulled the charred loaf out with hardened hands. Looking at the remains in his hands, Eijiro was at a loss of what to do. Could it be saved? Would it actually taste right if it could?
"The fuck? Ei, what happened?"
Eijiro's head whipped around at the voice, belonging to none other than Katsuki himself. His crimson eyes were wide in what looked like a mix of shock and confusion.
What a sight he must've made. Standing in the middle of the kitchen in nothing more than a pair of boxers (black with an orange X on the side), hair still damp, holding the burnt loaf in his still hardened hands like an offering. The oven door was still hanging open.
'What a mess this turned out to be...' He thought to himself, feeling tears welling up and threatening to fall. "I-It was suppose t-to be garlic bread." Eijiro's voice hitched and he prayed Katsuki wouldn't notice.
Eijiro watched as Katsuki nodded and walked towards him. He grabbed an oven mitt and took the remains from Eijiro and dropped it into the sink. "Hardened or not, your hands are gonna burn if you just hold it like that." The tone was stern but his eyes showed concern,and a hint of amusement. Of course he was right, Eijiro thought, looking down at his hands. They were a deep pinkish color, not quite red yet, and now he could feel the heat of the minor burns he'd incurred.
"I'll go get the lotion." Katsuki said as he walked out of the kitchen, presumably to the bedroom where they kept most of their topical medicines. They had something for almost everything. The aloe lotion Eijiro used for burns was kept with those, since he used it most after dealing with fires during patrols; it used to be in the bathroom, but after a handful of times, decided it was easier and more comfortable in the bedroom.
By this point, Eijiro had long forgotten about the pot on the stove. That didn't last much longer, as it had started to boil and bubble over in the time Eijiro had spent fussing over the garlic bread. With a heavy sigh, Eijiro turned off the burner.
There wasn't much point to cussing and carrying on over it. It had most definitely overcooked, and he hadn't even cooked the pasta itself yet. Dinner was a bust. Just because there wan't a point to carrying on though, didn't mean he wasn't upset about it.
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When Katsuki had returned, he'd pulled Eijiro down onto a stool and rubbed the lotion into the reddening flesh himself, placing kisses over his knuckles. Leaning up, he placed more of the same kisses on Eijiro's forehead and cheeks. "Don't think I couldn't tell what you were trying to do." Katsuki said softly against red hair as he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend.
"It was dumb," he started."But it means more than fucking anything to me, that you wanna do this shit for me."
Mumbling into Katsuki's shirt, Eijiro started to apologize but was cut off. "'M sorry, it di-"
"Knock that off. I don't want you to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong. And that self-depreciating shit isn't gonna help you any."
"I know. But-"
"But nothing." Katsuki countered. "It doesn't matter. The only thing that matters today, is that you're with me; that we're together. I don't need a fancy dinner sitting at a fancy table." Katsuki smiled at Eijiro who was staring up at him silently, ruby eyes full of love.
"You saw the table?"
"Yep. And the flowers. Those are for me, right?" Katsuki asked with a smirk.
"Of course they are! I think they're tulips. That's what the lady at the shop said anyway. I don't really know anything about flower language or whatever, but the orange caught my eye."
Katsuki thought it over for a moment, his parents were in the fashion industry and had designed a whole spring line based on the language of flowers before he'd moved out. Tulips had been a big part of the collection, so of course he wound up hearing all a-fucking-bout it from the Hag.
"Basically, in flower language, orange tulips convey happiness, energy, enthusiasm, and desire." Katsuki stated. "Also to represent a connection and understanding, typically between couples." Katsuki felt a blush creep across his cheeks as he said it. Even without knowing what they stood for, Eijiro had (in Katsuki's opinion) chosen the perfect flowers.
"Whoa, really? That's so cool."
"Yeah, you chose really well. For just winging it."
Katsuki smiled at his boyfriend, glad to have diffused the potential breakdown. "Oi. Let's get this cleaned up. Then I'll call that Thai place down the road. We'll make this together another night, alright?" Eijiro nods, and they get to work.
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After what felt like hours, they sat on the couch, cuddled up together, TV on but not really being watched. Empty take out containers scattered across the surface of the coffee table, the vase holding the orange tulips in the middle of it all.
"Hey Katsuki" Eijiro said sleepily. Katsuki hummed in reply as he looked down at the bleary eyed man laying against his chest.
"I love you." Eijiro said as he placed a soft kiss on Katsuki's chest, right where his hear was.
Katsuki placed a kiss against forehead, smiling. "I love you too, Eijiro."