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"What're you thinking for dinner tonight? If we want it before it gets late we should probably order soon." Braeden lays the various takeout menus they've accumulated out on the counter.
Derek smiles and crosses his arms before responding.
"I'm cooking tonight."
"You?" Braeden raises an eyebrow in doubt, sizing Derek up. "Is this gonna be like when you thought you could take me on when you first started training?"
Derek scoffs and lowers his head to hide the blush creeping up his cheeks.
"I'll have you know," he starts, approaching her, "I am an excellent chef. It just so happens we haven't had the time for me to treat you to it."
"Alright, softie, I'll reserve judgement." With that, she sweeps the menus back up and places them back in the drawer.
Braeden rejoins Derek at the counter, propping herself up on her arms. She watches him, an unspoken staring contest between the two, until she raises her eyebrows expectantly.
"So what will Chef Hale be treating me to?"
"Uh uh, nope. You don't get to doubt my skills and then assume you get all the information. You can watch, but you have to be quiet. Let the master work his magic." He grins, a toothy smile plastered across his face.
Braeden nods obligingly, taking a seat on a stool, and admires her man at work. He pulls ingredients out of the fridge and cupboard, setting them on the counter before grabbing a skillet and setting it on the stove's flame, butter sizzling as it melts. Derek turns to the counter Braeden is seated at and lays out a cutting board, setting to work with a few cloves of garlic and vegetables.
His hand grips the knife precisely, veins in his forearm visible as he moves, and Braeden notices just how much strength and softness intermingle under his skin. She finds herself smiling softly, her chin falling to her hand as she simply admires Derek at work. This is something she realizes he enjoys, going step-by-step and meticulously measuring the ingredients, cooking each as they require.
The room starts to smell incredible, garlic and spices sizzling in the pan. The sound of water boiling fills the room, gentle rolling amidst the brunt force of the knife. Braeden stays silent as promised, but she still notices. She sees how Derek has a continual blush creeping up his neck and face, how he bites his lip in concentration when he thinks she isn't looking. It's arguably the slowest they've gone with an activity besides sleeping and Braeden has to admit that it's nice.
"You look lost in thought," Derek says, cutting the silence. "Care to enlighten me?" He wipes his hands on a towel and turns back to the stove to assemble the dishes.
"I've just never seen this side of you is all," she responds. "Thought I wasn't allowed to talk." As he meets her gaze she winks at him.
"No talking while I was cooking. Dinner's ready now, though." He sets the plates down in front of them, taking a stool to sit opposite her. "Bon appetit."
Braeden takes a forkful, stabbing a shrimp with the end of it after twirling the long pasta. She keeps eye contact with Derek as she takes it in, chewing to savor the flavors before swallowing, her eyes wide.
"Holy shit."
Derek looks apprehensive, tilting his head to the side.
"Holy shit, Derek."
"Is it okay?" Derek's voice has an edge of worry to it, his confidence waning.
"Are you kidding me?" Braeden puts her fork down and grabs one of Derek's hands, squeezing it. "Derek, this is incredible. Who even taught you? I seriously doubt Peter or Talia were ever of the cooking persuasion."
"That would be my father, actually."
Braeden's eyes soften at this, knowing Derek so rarely talks about him. She gives a small smile to let him know she's listening.
"Laura was always training with mom and Cora trailed after Laura constantly, her hero. Peter was off being his nefarious self and that left my dad to be the main caretaker. I learned how to sew from him, how to cook and do laundry. He was good."
Derek ducked his head as he sighed, only to feel Braeden gently nudge his chin back up to meet his eyes.
"If he's part of how you came to be who you are, I don't doubt that he was good."
She leans over the counter to give Derek a gentle kiss before returning back to her food.
"And this?" She asks, gesturing down with her fork, mouth full. "This is fucking fantastic. You're definitely cooking from now on."