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“Angeeeeeal~, Aerith is coming over, will you help us make dinner?”
Angeal was sat snugly into the corner of the couch, today's sudoku in one hand and a pen in the other, delightfully tapping his cheek as he turned to make eye contact with the sniveling puppy that stood above him. “Mm,” he hummed, “And by ‘help’, do you mean ‘make everything for us while we watch and then say we did it’?”
Caught, Zack's face cracked, “Well…”
Angeal's eyes crinkled with his smile, shaking his head, “I will provide instructions, I will supervise, and I will show you how it's done when necessary, but you are making dinner for your girlfriend, not me.”
“Ah! Angeal, you're the best!! I love you, man!!” Zack swooped down to steal a hug, quickly popping back up with a new found determination, “I'll tell Cloud!!”
Restless as ever, Angeal thought fondly.
◇
“Chef! What are we making tonight!”
Angeal looked over Zack's ramrod straight posture and shook his head, “Put your hair up. Cloud, you might want a headband for your bangs.” He glanced to the blonde, who quickly nodded and scurried off to his room. Still shy, it seems.
He turned his attention back to his mentee, who's long hair was now done up in a sloppy bun. Good enough. “Now wash your hands. It's important to keep them clean, so no more fussing with your hair or touching your face, or you'll have to wash them again.”
“Yes chef!”
When Cloud re-entered the kitchen, his spiky hair had been somewhat tamed by a thin, pink headband. Probably Aerith's , he figured. Cloud dutifully washed his hands as well, bumping shoulders and playing footsies with Zack while the latter whispered protests and fiercely tried to stay in sous chef mode.
“Alright, now, I decided on something simple, but that still takes effort. Pan seared chicken thighs with mashed potatoes. For veggies, I was thinking we could steam some asparagus.” Angeal looked between them both, “Thoughts?”
“Asparagus…” Zack grimaced.
Angeal tilted his head, fighting off a smirk, “We also have broccoli.”
“Mm. Yes please. Chef.” he tacked on.
“Good. Cloud?” Speak when spoken to appeared to be where he was at with Angeal, so the least he could do is try to meet him there.
“That all sounds great, thank you Angeal.” he fiddled a bit with his fingers, but he did manage to keep eye contact for the full sentence.
“Excellent. First step, we gather our mise en place.” Angeal directed them toward the spice cabinet.
“Mee-zawn-plahce…” Zack drawled.
“Essentially it means, everything in its place. If we get everything we need set up ahead of time, it will make the cooking process much easier. Less hectic for you, puppy.” Angeal grinned and bumped his elbow into Zack's shoulder. Zack chuffed in response, still giving a ‘thank you chef’, though with notably less enthusiasm.
Angeal began calling out spices, allowing the two boys to search the cabinet and pull them each out. As he watched Cloud continuously step up on his toes, he made a mental note to reorganize the cabinet with him in mind. He nearly forgot most people aren't hitting 6 feet and above.
“Alright, now, Cloud, please go preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Zack, take the chicken out of the fridge. It's already thawed, but we'll want it to be room temperature before it goes in the pan so it cooks evenly.”
Zack moved to set the package of chicken atop the stove, but was quickly stopped by Angeal, “No no, the oven is on now, the chicken needs to come up to room temperature on its own.”
“Oh! Alright. Yes chef.” He brought it to an empty space on the counter.
For the following step, Angeal requested the boys bring out a bowl and measuring spoons for the spices, naturally prompting Zack to inquire the difference between teaspoon and tablespoon.
“But, people don't actually use teaspoons for tea, do they? Or eat using tablespoons, that'd be weird.” Zack leaned over the counter, his head resting in his hand as he fiddled with the teaspoon.
“The names come from before they were mass producing a set of standard measurements. It was more about, this spoon is small, the teaspoon, and this spoon is big, the dinner spoon, or table spoon. Most people had a big spoon and little spoon already, so they could approximate a recipe even without having specific measuring spoons like we do now.” Zack ‘ahh'ed and Angeal listed out the spices and how much they needed. “Now wash your hands again, you touched your face.”
Once he made sure the chicken was no longer cold, Angeal got out the cast iron and turned the stove on, calling the boys over to lather the chicken in oil and the spices they'd just mixed up. “You can wear gloves if you'd prefer, the texture can be off putting.”
Cloud did not hide his grimace well, opting for the gloves while Zack dove in with excitement, “Oh, wow! Weird!” he laughed, bumping his fingers into Cloud, who recoiled and elbowed his ribs. Zack laughed again, but backed off.
Angeal peered over to the pan and caught it just beginning to lightly smoke, “Focus up!” the boys snapped their heads up. “With cast iron, don't be afraid to heat the pan. Don't just set it and forget it, but it'll take a while to actually get it hot enough. Especially for our purposes here, we want the pan hot.” Angeal instructed them over, “A little smoke is likely leftover food or oil, not a big deal, but if the pan is smoking excessively, turn the heat off immediately.” He made sure to emphasize this to Zack with eye contact. “This looks good though, so we can add a bit more oil and then the chicken. Cloud, gloves off, then add the oil. Zack, you add the chicken skin side down and then wash your hands again.”
Zack definitely jumped and squealed when the chicken sputtered as it hit the hot oil. Cloud muffled his laugh behind a hand, but he still lept out of the way all the same. Angeal rubbed his poor mentee's shoulder, “My bad, try not to jump though, when you drop the chicken it'll splash the oil up worse and then you're even more likely to get hit. Lay it in slowly, and away from yourself.” Angeal mimed the action, delicately bringing his fingers down and out, then releasing.
Zack nodded, more sure of himself, and added the second chicken thigh with much more grace, though he still shot his hand back at the end. By the fourth piece, he'd gotten the technique down perfectly. He turned his gaze up to Angeal, huge smile and big eyes glimmering with the anticipation of praise.
Angeal couldn't help his fondness, he pat his head and smiled back, “Very good, no house fires yet.” Zack beamed, his metaphorical tail wagging with fervor while Angeal went to wash his hands.
“Cloud, please set a timer for six minutes. Zack, bring me one of the big pots.”
Once the pot was filled with water, Angeal set it on another burner, turning it up to high. “Now, a roasted potato can be even better for mashing, but I figured we can leave the stress of multiple oven temperatures for another lesson.” The two boys nodded gratefully. Zack took a seat atop the counter, to Angeal's insistence that he'll have to clean that later. Zack waved him off and kicked his legs, beckoning Cloud over to join him.
As he watched over them, he was struck with another wave of fondness. They did remind him of himself with Genesis and Sephiroth, in ways. He smiled as Zack scrunched his nose up and stuck his tongue out at him from behind Cloud. They were still so young, a fact that never failed to hit him hard. He was lucky to still have them, to still have Zack.
His eyes widened as the alarm went off and he shook his head. “Time to check the chicken,” he called.
He handed a metal spatula to Zack, “Cast iron can take metal, but if you use one of the nonstick pans make sure you use nylon.” he mused, “Now just check and make sure the bottom is golden brown.”
The skin released from the pan with ease, Zack lifting it up to reveal a beautifully formed crust. “Perfect. Now just turn the burner off and we can move them to the oven.” Zack did as instructed and went to grab the handle.
Angeal shoved his hand against Zack's chest, “Stop. Cast iron. The whole pan gets hot, not just the bottom.” Zack pulled his hands back quickly. “Oven mitt, here.” He handed him one of his heat proof gloves.
“Woo! Thank you chef.” Angeal hummed, and Zack successfully transferred the pan to the oven without burning himself. Cloud set another timer for 30 minutes.
“Alright boys, potato time. Grab the salt and I'll say when to stop.”
Zack went back to the counter and Cloud trailed behind him, picking up the salt and handing it over. Zack opened the flap and began pouring gingerly.
“More.” Zack tipped the box further.
“More.” Zack shook the box.
“More-” “Shiva's tits, Angeal, are you trying to kill us??” Zack pulled the box back.
Angeal rolled his eyes, “Oh please, we'll be adding even more salt later. Look how much water is in this pot, it'll take a lot of salt to make it salty, and even more to actually flavor the potatoes. But, cooking is about layering flavors, and the first layer starts here, with salt.” He grabbed the box from Zack and kept pouring.
Zack looked thoughtfully at the water before he was handed a spoon and told to stir while Angeal and Cloud washed the potatoes. Notably, Cloud gave him ample elbow room.
Once the salt was good and dissolved, Angeal brought the potatoes over. “Alright Zack, since you're the expert, you show Cloud how to add the potatoes. It'll be just like the chicken, but the water won't sputter up.”
Angeal warmed up at the sight of Zack's smile from the light praise, easy to please as ever. Cloud allowed him to guide his hands in the exact right motion, cheeks reddening, surely from the steam.
20 or so minutes of pleasant back and forth went by quickly, with Angeal pulling out a knife to check the potatoes with just as a melodic knocking hit their front door.
“SHIT. That must be Aerith! Cloud, get the door please, Angeal, what do I do?” Zack sped over and hovered his hands out, unsure.
Angeal smiled and shook his head, “Go properly meet your guest. The potatoes need another minute anyway.” Zack clenched his fists and nodded, scurrying off to be with his partners. Angeal sighed.
Cloud opened the door to reveal a huge pot of daffodils, which were being carried by Aerith, who popped her head out from behind them with a big grin. “Cloud!! Housewarming gift!”
He smiled fondly, taking the huge pot from her hands with ease, “Hi Aerith. These are beautiful, thank you.” He stepped aside to let her in, closing the door behind her with his foot.
“Of course!” she beamed, getting a good look around, “Well, look at that! You boys have really homey-d up the place since last time, how sweet!” She observed Zack's favorite blanket strewn across the couch next to a newspaper with a knowing glint. Ever the lap dog was their Zack.
Speak of the devil, Zack came rushing in with open arms, “Aerith!!! So good to see you, sorry dinner isn't quite ready yet, oh, you brought flowers! They're gorgeous, babe. Um, Angeal will make sure we don't kill them.” He planted a sweet kiss on her lips as she giggled, kissing back.
“No problem at all!” she breathed in, “Smells delicious though, what's Angeal making?”
Zack brought a finger up to scratch his nose, rather proud, “Actually, me and Cloud are making dinner! ‘Geal's just helping.” Aerith ‘ooo'ed, very impressed.
“You're gonna have to wash your hands again.” Cloud rejoined them from placing the flowers down, smug with his arms crossed.
“Ugh.” Zack huffed, dropping his arms, “You are such a suck up. ‘Yes, Angeal’, ‘Thank you, Angeal’, ‘I'd do anything you ask, Angeal’,” he mocked, pitching his voice up significantly higher than Cloud's.
Cloud raised a brow, “It's called being polite, Chef.”
“Mm, speaking of chef, don't you two have a dinner to make me?” Aerith leaned forward sweetly, “I wanna watch you in those tank tops.”
Zack jumped with a furious blush, “Wa- Aerith!!” he looked rapidly between the two of them, Cloud blushing as well while Aerith giggled delightfully.
“Oh, of course, not in front of Angeal, my bad!” she spoke in a singsong voice, then shooed them off, walking to sit at one of the barstools on the other side of the counter. “Hello Angeal! Pleasure to see you again.”
Angeal hummed, “Likewise. Boys, come peel potatoes!”
They shuffled in together, now somewhat aware of their appearances, and dutifully washed their hands again before handling the potatoes.
“So, will I be eating in my room tonight?” Angeal teased, laughing heartily at the expected ‘Angeeeeeeal!!’ from Zack, along with quiet giggles from Aerith and red face from Cloud.
Zack pouted and watched as Angeal held the potato with one hand, using just his finger tips, and used his other hand with a parry knife to remove the skin. Steam escaped the moment it pulled back, but Angeal looked fine. Zack grabbed a potato and immediately dropped it, pulling his hand back to his chest, “Ah, fuck, hot!!”
Angeal looked over pitifully, “Sorry, should have said something. Hot potatoes. They're easiest to peel while hot, so this is really the best way to do it.” He kept peeling, dropping the skins into a little bowl. Zack nodded, and grabbed the potato again, but was left with much the same fate as before. Angeal's brows knit together with a light smile, “Zack, you can use a paper towel to protect your hand.”
He sighed, but ripped one from the roll, coming back to find Cloud rawdogging the potato just as easily. “What the hell!! How are you guys doing that?!”
Angeal bumped their shoulders together gently, “I picked up a few too many hot pots and pans. I can barely feel my fingertips anymore, honestly.” Zack pondered this.
“Used to help my mom cook a bunch.” Cloud kept his eyes downcast, “I just did the little stuff. Peeling, fetching stuff. This was nice.” he mumbled toward the end.
Angeal's eyes widened at that, but he tried to not make a big deal. He had been worried Cloud would see him giving most of the work to Zack as favoritism, but apparently there was no reason to fret. He smiled as he finished peeling his potato.
“Since we want them hot, we'll be mashing as we go. To do that, we'll be using this food mill.” he pulled out a metal contraption he must have dug out while they were greeting Aerith. “This will break up the potatoes nice and smooth, better than you could get with a fork or ricer. Do it over the pot, so it doesn't go everywhere.” He placed his potato in the mill and gave it a few spins, making quick work of the little thing.
“Ricer?” Zack questioned, fumbling his own potato a bit.
“Mm. It's a little metal thing, with a bunch of little holes. It squashes potatoes into little shapes that almost look like rice if you don't mess with them. It gets the job done fine but, well I already bought the expensive food mill, so,” Angeal shrugged, grabbing another potato.
Once everything was all peeled and gone through the mill, Angeal had Cloud stir them together a bit while Zack heated the cream and butter. Things got a bit hectic when the chicken had to be pulled from the oven while the potatoes were mixed over the heat, but they all managed to come out burn free. Angeal instructed the boys on how to prepare the broccoli for steaming, and left Aerith to watch over them while he set the table.
A lovely pot of daffodils was left on the coffee table, he smiled warmly. The three of them truly were very sweet. He'd have to trim some off to decorate the whole house with.
Table set, he made his way back to Cloud and Zack bickering over how done is too done, Aerith just sitting back and nodding sagely to each argument. Rolling his eyes, too fond, he plucked the fork from Zack and tested it himself. “Perfect. Take it out and plate it, good job boys.”
Cloud perked up immensely, surprised smile quickly overtaken by a smug grin pointed at Zack, who sighed, playful.
Miraculously, the three of them had managed to make and plate a delicious looking meal with minimal injuries (Zack insists his poor fingertips needed to be kissed better).
Zack quickly made his way to pull out Aerith's chair for her, as well as Cloud's, who responded with varying amounts of gratitude. Zack even pulled Angeal's chair out finally, “For you, chef!” he gestured very professionally. Angeal rolled his eyes, though he felt very touched.
“This looks incredible you guys, really, thank you all so much!” Aerith's eyes were bright as she smiled at each of them.
“Well then, let's eat.” Angeal cut a piece from his chicken and gathered some mashed potatoes, finally sticking his fork into a piece of broccoli and ate.
Delicious.
He'd have to cook with the boys again sometime.