Work Text:
"Okay, so now we have to start cooking the chicken". Natsuki had already put all of the ingredients on the countertop, knowing how stressed Yuri got if not everything was prepared. There obviously wasn't a way to get her comfortable around knives, but Natsuki could probably take care of chopping the green onions, since it was the only thing left that required any cutting at this phase in the recipe. Now, if only she could find the-
"Ow!"
Natuski quickly abandoned her train of thought and rushed to her girlfriend after hearing a squeal of pain.
"Is everything all right?"
"Yes, just a splatter of oil on my hand. Don't worry."
With a quick exhale, Natsuki was able to refocus on her cooking. Baking was still, obviously, her favorite, but Natsuki was still partial to cooking. It was necessary if you didn't live with parents or at a school, which her and Yuri were not. Besides, this recipe was special to Natsuki; chicken stir-fry was the first recipe she had learned in her Home Economics class, representing her first movement into independence and out of her father's control.
"Are the green onions ready?'
Yuri's question snapped Nat back into the present, where she was chopping vegetables and working on a recipe.
"Yes honey, I'll leave them right there."
"Could you place them in instead?"
"Can't you put them in yourself?"
A slightly pouty, slightly annoyed look from Yuri snapped Natsuki out of her stubbornness.
"Sorry, sorry, I got it."
Natsuki always forgot how comparatively inexperienced Yuri was with cooking. She had led a relatively sheltered life compared to Natsuki, which she always teased her girlfriend about. Natsuki loved teasing Yuri over anything, no matter how small. She quietly snickered to herself as she remembered one of her favorites: making fun of Yuri for always losing her keys. It peaked when one morning, she decided that hiding them would be hilarious. It was... to Natsuki at least. Yuri quickly got over it, but at least for that morning, the short one received the silent treatment. Their silly little quibbles reminded Natsuki of their dynamic in school. Natsuki would prod and annoy Yuri because she wanted to be closer to her, but had too much pride to admit she wanted to be friends. The natural course of action, at least in her head, was to make fun of Yuri and tease her. Natsuki shuddered at her prior behavior, wondering how that exactly ended up with the two of them in a committed relationship. Now that the two were dating and living together, the dynamic was similar, with Natsuki still teasing Yuri, but now being gently corrected by the taller one. Nat would always put on a big show upon being told off, yelling and pouting.
She hated admitting she liked it.
"Nat?"
Natsuki snapped out of her intense focus on her memories and returned to the waking world, where she had a recipe to complete.
"Sorry. What's up?"
After a bit of time and effort, the recipe was completed. It had taken a bit more time than expected due to Natsuki constantly spacing out remembering old times, but the finished product was definitely something to be proud of.
"So?"
Natsuki cradled her head in her palms and placed her elbows down on the table to stare directly at Yuri, trying to determine her girlfriend's reactions to the meal they cooked together. Her head was directly in front of Yuri's, observing every facet of her face to analyze how she felt about every aspect of the food.
"I have to say, I think it's delicious. You did a great job here, sweetie."
Yuri leaned forward and gave Natsuki a quick peck on the lips, transferring the taste of the meal they had worked on together between them.
"Wh- I- Hu- Ga- My..."
For once, Natsuki couldn't come up with a single thing to tease Yuri about.