Chapter Text
Michinaga hand hovered just above the door knob as he stood frozen outside his apartment door. His ears pricked up as he heard rummaging noises coming from inside the apartment. Michinaga lived alone and was not expecting any visitors. Ducking under the window, he tried to peak into the apartment in an attempt to see the intruder. His vision was obscured by the drawn down curtains, but he could see the shadow of a single figure.
After a long day of hard honest work, Michinaga did not want to deal with some low-life punk. But if that’s what the day had in store for him, then Michinaga would make sure that the intruder regrated it. This bastard chose the wrong house to break into.
Holding onto the door knob, Michinaga slowly unlocked it and turning the knob. He was careful not to make any noise. He had the element of surprise and he damn well intended to use it.
Clenching his jaw, Michinaga readied himself for a fight as he swung the door open.
“Welcome home!”
Michinaga stood in the door way, dumbfounded. His shoulders dropping as he realized the scene in front of him. Standing in his kitchen wearing a frilly apron and a head scarf, Ukiyo Ace, Kamen Rider Geats, God of Creation, was cooking food.
“Hah?”
All of the adrenaline he felt earlier left him as he tried to compute what the hell was going on.
“Dinner will be ready soon,” Ace hummed as he stirred whatever he was pan frying. He turned to motion for Michinaga to come into his own apartment. “Well don’t just stand there! Come on in.”
“Why the fuck are you in my house?” Michinaga cursed, not moving from his spot.
Ace rolled his eyes, sighing dramatically. Turning the stove down to low, he walked over to where the shorter man stood. Patting Michinaga’s cheeks, he cooed, “Come, sit, relax! I’m just about done.”
Closing the door behind him, Michinaga reluctantly allowed himself to be guided into his own home. He eyed Ace with suspicion as the latter resumed his cooking. Sitting down at the dinner table, Michinaga’s stomach started to growl as he noticed the delicious smell of whatever Ace was preparing.
“I thought you were a thief.”
“Nope, today I’m your personal cook!” Ace declared with a grin. He paused for a moment in thought before adding, “And don’t worry, I may steal something yet.” Ace gave a flirtish wink as he wrapped up his cooking, plating the food.
“This bastard…” Michinaga cursed under his breath.
He turned his head away from Ace. Michinaga could not stand to look at the other with how ridiculous he was acting. Michinaga also chose to ignore the feeling a blush creeping up his neck. He would attribute the cause being from the heat of the kitchen.
Michinaga turned his head back when he heard the sound of plates being brought to the table. There was a full spread before him: marinated steak, pickled vegetables, adedashi tofu, miso soup, and a bed of fluffy white rice. Michinaga swallowed hard; everything looked so good. Ace took off his apron and scarf before sitting down across from Michinaga.
“Let’s eat!”
Michinaga sat awkward in silence as he watched Ace move to eat. He wanted to eat, the food looked absolutely delicious, but he held himself back.
“Something’s the matter, Buffa?” Ace asked with an innocent tilt of his head. He had a slight pout, blinking his big brown eyes at the other. Ace was playing dumb and it was infuriating to Michinaga.
“Why are you in my house?” Michinaga repeated his question from earlier, minus the expletive language.
“I just wanted to make you dinner.”
Michinaga inhaled deeply, feeling his patience tested. While he would normally appreciate the gesture, there were still some lines crossed. He could only hope that Ace would try to understand his position, but gods were not known to follow human conventions.
“Who said you can do that?” Michinaga asked through gritted teeth.
Ace gave a nonchalant shrug before pointing to himself. Michinaga glared at the other, letting out a deep sigh of annoyance. He wanted to reach over the table and punch Ace in the face. The taller smirked, enjoying the way he was pushing Michinaga’s buttons.
“Can you be serious just for once?” Michinaga huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Ace set his food down. He readjusted his position to rested his chin on the palm of his hand, his expression shifting into a more sincere one. There was still a light smile on his face as he looked directly at Michinaga. Ace’s chocolate brown eyes staring at Michinaga as if he was someone precious. And maybe after everything they’ve been through, perhaps Michinaga was.
“I am being serious. You worked hard today, and I just wanted to cook for you to show you some appreciation.”
He reached over the dinning table to push back a stray lock of Michinaga’s hair. The shorter man’s face flushed bright red at the intimate gesture. Looking down at his lap, he almost wished he didn’t ask for Ace to be honest with him. On the other hand, there was a part of him that appreciated and enjoyed the other’s sweet words and actions. Not that he would ever admit to it, least of all Ukiyo Ace.
Michinaga started to eat, trying to distract himself as well as hide his flustered nervousness.
“Hope it’s too your taste, Buffa.”
The food tasted as good as it looked and smelled. The rich umami flavors of the beef, the way the pickled vegetables balanced the meal out. How such an obnoxious jackass learned to be such a good cook was beyond Michinaga. Still, he had the decency to be grateful for the meal.
“Thanks for the food,” Michinaga mumbled between bites of food.
“You’re welcome.” Ace hummed in satisfaction as he watched Michinaga eat.
Michinaga could feel the wear and tear of the day slowly melt away with eat bite. The two ate in comfortable silence, their focus mainly on savoring the food. Surprisingly, it was Michinaga who broke the silence first.
“You do know that what you did was breaking and entering, right?” Michinaga questioned, squinting his eyes as he glared at Ace.
“You see, that’s a law for mortal humans,” Ace droll on. He was trying to keep a neutral face, but Michinaga could see the smug fox-like grin curling upwards at the corners of his lips. “And I am the God of Creation.”
Michinaga made a face of disgust at the deity. He swung his leg under the table to give a swift kick to the other. Ace laughed, unphased by the other’s attack. Michinaga hated the way Ace teased him, and he hated himself even more for enjoying it. Worst of all, Michinaga suspected that Ace already knew both of those things too.
Michinaga also had the sneaking suspicion that this would not be the last time he found Ace in his home unannounced.