Chapter Text
“I’m back!”
Kai opens the front door, carrying so many grocery bags he can barely fit through the door.
As he’s taking off his shoes, he realizes something is wrong — the air feels heavy, and not just because he has just come from the street.
Smoke. There’s a faint smell of something burning coming from the kitchen.
Without bothering to put on his slippers, he bolts to the kitchen to assess the severity of the situation.
The cause of the smoke turns out to be a pot on the stove. On the opposite side of the kitchen, Keiji is standing by the open window to try to get some fresh air, staring at the pot with a scowl.
“What happened here?”
“Your friendly detective was just tryin’ to cook somethin’.”
“You? Cooking?” Kai’s eyebrows shoot up. “Color me surprised.”
Keiji turns around to look at him and rubs the back of his neck. “Hey, it’s not like I’ll be able to rely on you forever, y’know? I figured I should try to learn someday.”
Kai puts the bags of groceries on the counter and peeks at the contents of the pot.
To be fair, he doesn’t even know what Keiji was trying to cook. It appears to be some kind of chicken broth — or at least, it was supposed to be, before a good part of it evaporated.
Kai takes the wooden spoon on the counter and scoops some of the remaining broth (if it can even qualify as such). Tentatively, he brings the spoon to his mouth and grimaces instantly. If someone had told him it would be possible to concentrate all the salt in the world into a single dish, he would have been skeptical. Now, he’s tasting the liquid equivalent of a halite crystal.
“Well? How does it taste?”
“It’s… bad. Quite bad,” Kai says as he throws the spoon onto the counter with a scowl.
“Thought so.”
“But I suppose it could be worse,” he adds, taking the groceries from the bags and putting them into their respective cabinets and fridge. “I’ve tasted worse things.”
“Worse than that? What the hell could be worse than that?”
“Cyanide.”
When he turns around to see his reaction, the look on Keiji’s face is priceless. Kai bites his lip to stop himself from laughing, but in the end, the feeling is too much to handle and he explodes into laughter. Keiji soon follows.
“Well, shucks,” Keiji laughs. “Guess I’ll have to try harder if I want to get first place, then.”
“I thought your intention was to improve?”
“I’ve changed my mind. Tryin’ to surpass the taste of literal poison sounds more fun.”
“Let’s aim for something that won’t get us both in the hospital for food poisoning, shall we?” Kai chuckles. “How about you help me prepare lunch? I was thinking of preparing a Spanish omelette.”
“…Yeah, guess that’s a better plan,” Keiji sighs.
“Good. Could you please crack some eggs while I cut the potatoes?”
Kai places the remaining groceries save for a few potatoes in the fridge and lays the required utensils on the counter — a frying pan with some olive oil, a spatula, and a knife. As he waits for Keiji to bring the eggs, he takes the knife and starts peeling the potatoes one by one, absentmindedly observing the helicoidal peels falling onto the counter.
At least, until the sound of eggs rolling over the counter snaps him out of his trance.
“Very well, now that you have the eggs, take—” It’s then that he realizes Keiji has left a full dozen of eggs on the counter and is now rummaging through the kitchen cabinets. “We don’t need that many eggs, Keiji,” he says, a frown on his face.
“Who’s sayin’ I was gonna cook them all?”
Closing the cabinet with a straw in his hand, Keiji cracks one of the eggs and sticks the straw on it to drink the yolk. As he dodges the spatula thrown his way, he takes off running with the egg before Kai can’t catch him.
“Come back here!”
They both know Keiji has nowhere to go, but Kai chases him anyway.
Kai stares at the clock on the kitchen wall: it’s 6:25 in the evening. He takes his phone from his pocket to double-check, just in case it is malfunctioning, but the display on the top of the screen says the same thing.
He starts pacing around the kitchen. Where could Keiji be? He’s usually home by 6 o’clock to help Kai decide what to prepare for dinner, but he’s almost half an hour late with no explanation whatsoever. His mind starts going over the possible reasons why he might be late — did he get carried away by an investigation? Did he get stuck in traffic? Did something happen to him?
Kai’s phone starts ringing and he’s so taken by surprise he almost drops it. Once he’s certain his grip on the phone is secure enough to not risk dropping it again, he looks at the screen to check the ID of the caller. It’s Keiji.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Kai.”
“Hello, Keiji. Is something the matter?”
“Yeah, I’m callin’ to let you know I’ll get home later than usual.”
Kai looks at the clock again. “Yes, I already figured that,” he deadpans.
Keiji sighs. Kai can almost imagine him standing in front of him, hand pressed against his face, as he always does whenever he’s stressed. “Sorry. Your friendly detective got carried away by an investigation and didn’t realize how late it was.”
“It’s alright. But I need some help deciding what to prepare for dinner.” Kai opens the fridge to check what ingredients he has at hand. There’s beef, chicken, eggs, salmon, vegetables… With the number of recipes he knows, the possibilities are practically endless. “Do you have any suggestions?”
“Well, about that…”
“Hm?”
“The man I’m investigating has a meeting tonight, and he’ll be stayin’ out until late in the night. So I won’t be having dinner with you today.”
“Oh.”
Kai would be lying if he said he wasn’t at least slightly let down at the news — after living with him for over a year, Kai has gotten used to having Keiji’s company during every meal, and even if Keiji’s usual provocations get on his nerves on a daily basis, he feels oddly disappointed at the idea of having dinner on his own. However, he tries his best to not let it show — Keiji already has enough on his plate and he doesn’t want to inconvenience him any further.
Still, Keiji’s detective insight seems to be as sharp as ever, since he replies, “Sorry about that. The woes of bein’ a detective, I guess.”
“It’s alright.”
“Not gonna lie, I’d kill for a nice dinner,” Keiji mutters, as if he’s thinking out loud. “At this rate, I doubt I’ll even have time to get somethin’ from the bar. Guess I’ll have to settle for whatever I find in the fridge when I get home.”
As he says this, an idea pops into Kai’s mind. Preparing dinner for both of them and leaving a plate in the fridge for when Keiji comes home would definitely alleviate some of Keiji’s stress — after all, if he’s going to work until late, he will be exhausted when he comes home, and a plate of a dish he enjoys will surely help lift his spirits.
“Anyway,” Keiji continues, “your friendly detective’s gonna go back to gatherin’ info, so I’m hangin’ up, alright? See ya tomorrow.”
“Alright. Have a good night.”
Keiji hangs up and Kai opens the fridge to take the ingredients needed to prepare gyūdon — knowing Keiji’s tastes, he would surely enjoy a meat-based dinner.
He slices some beef and onions and puts them on the pot on top of some dashi, soy sauce, and mirin with a pinch of sugar to make a sauce. While it’s being cooked, he prepares another pot with white rice and adds some sliced scallions and an egg to the beef.
After stirring the contents of the pot a few times to ensure it’s properly cooked, Kai serves a bowl for himself and places the pot with the remaining gyūdon into the fridge with a smile. Keiji might not be able to join him for dinner, but ensuring he’ll get to have a nice meal after a long day is enough satisfaction for him.
“How are you feeling?”
If Keiji’s prominent eyebags are not enough of an answer, his coughing fit definitely is. Kai sits down on the bed beside him and places a hand on Keiji’s forehead. It’s warm.
“I think you have a fever,” he says, slowly running his hand over the side of Keiji’s face until he's cupping his cheek. “Do you want me to prepare something to eat? You should eat something before taking any medicine.”
Keiji nods weakly, leaning into his touch. He looks at him with heavy-lidded eyes, sparking a pang of sympathy in Kai’s chest.
“Very well,” he says. “I will make some soup. Try to get some sleep in the meantime, alright?”
Keiji nods again and closes his eyes, and Kai takes that as his cue to leave for the kitchen. After careful consideration, he settles for preparing some miso soup. In one pot, he puts some remaining dashi they had from the previous day’s meal and adds some miso, tofu, seaweed, and green onions; in the other, he prepares some plain white rice to use as a side dish. As he waits for the pots to simmer, he prepares a bowl with cold water and a small towel and places them onto a tray. Once the food is ready, he puts the soup and rice into bowls and adds them to the tray, as well as a glass of water and some medicine. Carefully, to avoid spilling any liquid, he goes back to Keiji’s room, pushing the door open with his foot.
Keiji slowly opens his eyes and mutters a raspy ‘thanks’ as he sits up on the bed so he can eat.
“I will be in the kitchen if you need me,” Kai says, putting the tray on Keiji’s lap. “Just send me a text message if you need anything and I’ll come as soon as I can.”
He turns around to leave, but Keiji’s hand on his arm stops him.
“Actually, can… can you stay here for a bit?” Keiji croaks before going into another coughing fit.
Kai freezes in his spot for a second. He’s never been a great conversationalist, and frankly, he’s used to hearing that most people find his presence slightly awkward, perhaps even unnerving, so he would have never expected someone to ask him of all people to keep them company.
“Please?” he adds.
Even so, he cannot deny such a request. Much less if it comes from Keiji.
“Of course.”
Kai sits down beside him and presses a towel with cold water against Keiji’s forehead.
“Thanks,” Keiji says before taking a spoonful of soup.
He will stay as much as he needs him to, no questions asked.
For what feels like the millionth time in the night, Kai turns around in bed in hopes that he’ll be able to fall asleep. For some reason, sleep keeps on eluding him — first, he feels too hot, so he has to remove the blanket; then, he’s cold; then, the sound of the occasional passing car by the street feels too loud, or his hair or shirt tickle the back of his neck, or…
He looks at the clock on his bedside table. It’s past three a.m. With a sigh, he sits up on the bed and runs a hand through his hair. His throat feels dry after not drinking anything for hours, so he gets out of bed, puts on his slippers, and tiptoes his way to the kitchen to get some water, trying to avoid making any noise.
As he passes by the living room, he sees a light coming out of the door — Keiji must be awake. Slowly, he peeks into the room to see what he’s doing awake that late in the night.
“...Oh?”
Keiji is slumped over the table, sound asleep. Photographs and papers with data are scattered across the table, some of them folded under the pressure of Keiji’s head and arms.
Apparently, he had stayed up late trying to solve a case. Kai shakes his head with a smile. Typical of him, he thinks.
He finally enters the kitchen and closes the door behind him — he doesn’t want to wake Keiji up, especially if he has just fallen asleep. After getting a glass of water for himself, he prepares some coffee — black, with no sugar or milk, just as Keiji enjoys — and pours it into a thermos to make sure it stays warm. Since it feels like too little, he gets some bread from one of the cabinets and spreads strawberry jam on it to make a sandwich. He tiptoes back to the living room and lays everything on the table, far enough from Keiji to ensure he won’t knock it off the table by accident while he’s asleep. Finally, he writes a note saying ‘Here’s some coffee and food in case you wake up and decide to continue working. Please don’t overwork yourself’ and places it beside the plate with the sandwich.
As he’s about to leave, he sees Keiji stirring in his sleep. Or, perhaps more accurately, shivering in his sleep. Kai takes a blanket from his room and, as he softly drapes it over Keiji’s shoulders, he notices his lips curling into a gentle smile. Kai returns the smile and goes back into his room — he doubts he’ll be able to fall asleep this late in the night, but at least he’s certain Keiji will get some needed rest.
“There. It’s done.”
Kai turns off the heat from the stove before carefully placing the poached eggs and bacon on top of the English muffins.
Preparing Eggs Benedict for breakfast has always been his favorite part of his Saturday routine: waking up early in the morning, just as the sun is rising, in order to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and—
“Ooh, that smells delicious,” says a voice behind him.
And of course, Keiji’s sudden appearance in the kitchen to try to steal some of the ingredients has also become part of this routine.
“Good morning to you too, Keiji.”
“Wahaha, sorry ‘bout that,” he replies, stepping closer to Kai to peek over his shoulder. "Good morning."
Trying to ignore the feeling of Keiji’s breath on the side of his neck, Kai takes a wooden spoon to taste the hollandaise sauce. He purses his lips and savors the sauce with a satisfied nod — as expected, it’s not too runny nor too thick, with just the right amount of salt and pepper. “It needs to cool down a bit first, but it will be ready to eat in around five minutes,” he says, pouring some sauce on top of the eggs.
“Can I taste it?”
“Hm?”
He stops pouring the sauce and turns around to look at Keiji. To his surprise, he’s not staring at any of the plates on the counter, but at Kai’s lips. Confused, Kai runs the back of his hand over his mouth and chin in case he has any remaining sauce on them.
“Do I… do I have something on my lip?”
Keiji rubs the back of his neck. “Nah, you’re good. It’s just…”
“What is it?”
“The sauce,” he says, looking directly into his eyes this time. “I asked if I could try it.”
Kai chuckles. Of course, Keiji was desperate to taste the food. “You’re an impatient one, aren’t you?”
Kai takes another spoonful of sauce and, after blowing gently to cool it down, he brings the spoon to Keiji’s lips. He looks perplexed for a moment, but quickly gives in and tastes Kai’s offering.
“Well? How is it?”
“Delicious.” He puts an arm around Kai’s shoulder with a grin. “Your friendly detective is lucky to be livin’ with someone like you, wahaha.”
Keiji’s hand lingers on his shoulder for longer than Kai thinks is necessary, but surprisingly, he finds himself not minding it.
Kai finishes packing the chocolates into the box and tops it off with a carefully tied ribbon.
He’s finally going to confess. It’s been months of him trying to put a name to the feeling in his chest whenever Keiji is around, but now, he’s certain that what he feels for him is what people would call ‘love’.
So, considering it is Valentine’s Day, he prepares his confession in the best way he knows to express his affection: food.
He hears the front door opening and takes a deep breath. It is the moment of truth; there is no going back. Holding the box of chocolates with both hands, he can’t help but double-guess himself — while he was making them, he was certain Keiji would appreciate the gesture and perhaps even return his feelings. Now, he isn’t so sure.
Feeling his heart pounding in his chest, he leaves the kitchen to meet him at the door. When he arrives, Keiji is still fumbling with his clothes, trying to unzip his jacket to no avail.
“Welcome home.”
“Hey, good evenin’,” Keiji says without even looking at him. After struggling for a few seconds, he finally manages to remove his jacket and places it on the rack, and only then does he look at Kai and notice the box in his hands. “What’s that?”
Slightly lowering his head in hopes of making the blush that is surely tinting his cheeks less noticeable, Kai offers him the box. “This is for you.”
Puzzled, Keiji unties the ribbon and opens the box. “Chocolates…?” The realization suddenly hits him, and he turns to Kai, bewildered. “Wait, you mean…?!”
“Yes.” Kai nods, and before he can stop himself, he adds, “I… I love you.”
Keiji freezes, and for a moment, Kai regrets his decision.
Of course he wouldn’t return his feelings. Keiji is too much of a flirt, too much of a social butterfly to settle for someone as ordinary as him.
“I do not expect you to return my affection,” Kai says, trying to soften the blow, “but I needed to get this off my chest—”
“Actually, I do.”
“Huh?”
Before Kai can say anything else, Keiji takes a step forward and closes the distance between them, gently pressing his lips against Kai’s. Keiji’s hands reach for his head, running a hand through Kai’s hair as he caresses his cheek with the other hand.
Keiji’s moves are careful and almost timid, which is surprising, given his usual boldness when it comes to flirting. Keiji’s lips feel soft against his, and while Kai’s hands are too busy holding the box of chocolates, he tries his best to follow Keiji’s implicit directions, letting himself go for once.
The moment Keiji finally lets go of him, Kai asks, out of breath, “So… you have been feeling the same way all this time?”
“Yup. After all, you know how the sayin’ goes: the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” Keiji scratches the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. “No wonder your friendly detective here fell head over heels for a skilled cook such as yourself, Pretty Boy.”
They both laugh, and Kai finally feels the tension between them dissolving.
“I suppose that makes sense.” Still smiling, Kai presses a quick peck against his lips and adds, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Keiji.”