Work Text:
1.
"Can I get a takeoff here?"
"Huh? You mean takeout right? We don't do that here."
"O-oh… No takeout, huh…?"
Her conversation with Sakura when they first met lingered in her mind at the most inconvenient time. She was already juggling four bags full of groceries and food ingredients; any more and she'd need to grow extra hands to manage them all. Despite this, she couldn't get rid of the thought. So, she did what any sensible person would do: she bought even more items than she could carry. She heaved out a sigh, realizing this was going to be a real hassle to lug around.
— —
The constant pinging of notifications filled the cafe's atmosphere. Sakura was staring at the screen, face scrunched, trying to keep up with the chat. A fresh plate of omurice sat before him, half-eaten. He dug his spoon into the meal and shoveled another spoonful of omurice in his mouth. Silently fuming at his inability to respond faster, he sped up his eating pace.
Kotoha watched the entire scene with a smile tugging at her lips. She turned her attention back to the box in front of her. Carefully sealing the container, she slipped it into a bag.
"Argh!" He growled at the device, his plate now empty, "I'm leaving!"
"Sakura, wait!"
Sakura, who had stomped towards the door, stopped in his tracks. "What is it, now?" He whirled around, sounding annoyed.
"Take this with you," Kotoha pulled out the paper bag and passed it to him over the counter.
Sakura peeked inside the bag, visibly confused. "What is it?"
"Take out." She nodded towards it, "didn't you want that?"
The gears in Sakura's head went on overdrive processing the information. His face heated up with the turn of each gear.
"B-but you said you don't do that!" He managed to sputter out finally.
"It's fine, Sakura," she let out a short laugh, further reddening Sakura's face. "I'll make an exception."
She sent him off with an encouraging smile despite his initial protests.
The cupboard full of takeout boxes remained hidden from his sight.
2.
His stomach growled again. Grunting against his futon, he put his arms around his ears, hoping the sounds would subside. However, the rumbling only grew more violent.
He stretched out an arm to fish around for his phone. Clicking the power button, he was immediately blinded by the sudden light. He squinted his eyes to look at the time.
2:47 A.M
He slammed his fist against the floor and grumpily got up. Dragging his feet to the storage space he called a kitchen and yanking open the empty shelves, he hoped food would somehow materialize from thin air. Sakura had already eaten the takeout he got from Kotoha, and he didn't want to consider going out at this hour, so he went back to his room still sulking. All the while not bothering to turn on the lights.
He stood at the foot of his futon and leaned against the old cupboard, slowly feeling himself seething with anger turning into boiling rage, at the world or himself; he couldn't tell. He slammed his trembling hand against the creaky cupboard doors and watched it burst open from the pressure.
It was a regular occurrence for him—the door was old and ratty—naturally, it wouldn't hold under pressure. What was not a regular occurrence for him were the two bags full of snacks that tumbled out.
He reached out his hesitant hands towards the bags. For a moment there, he wondered if he had lost his brain to hunger and was hallucinating the food. His worries were eased when he saw the bag's contents, only to be replaced by new ones.
"DRINK YOUR LIQUIDS" "HOPE YOU GET BETTER SOON" "TAKE CARE"
Various assortments of snacks with encouraging sticky notes stared back at him. He belatedly recalled the exchange he had with Nirei and Suo a week ago, when they visited his sick self.
"This is from everyone in class. They're all really worried. They hope you get better soon."
That's what they told him.
"Please lean on us a little more."
He felt something pricking at the back of his eye and his chest constricting. That day, feeling overwhelmed, he had hastily tossed the bags in the cupboard the next day, not bothering to see them again. He acknowledged how disrespectfully he had treated the snacks everyone bought him.
Ripping off all the sticky notes, he put them together in a makeshift box of an empty gummy candy packet he had consumed that day. The wrapper that he had shoved into the bag when dumping them in the cupboard. He carefully tucked the box in one of the empty drawers in the closet for safekeeping.
He carried the bags to his kitchen corner and sat himself in front of the shelves. He started stocking up the shelf while trying to regulate his ragged breaths. He placed each item one by one on the shelves. The overwhelming feeling of remorse does not leave him.
He stared at the shelf full of food and picked out a snack at random. He didn't care what he got; he started chewing on it, trying to savor the taste, while choking on the tears, threatening to fall.
He ripped open another packet, eating up what it had to offer, filling up his stomach and the holes in his heart.
3.
"Sakura, there you are!" Tsubakino pounced on the startled boy, squeezing him in an embrace.
The boy in question struggled in their grip, flopping his limbs like a fish freshly pulled out of the water.
After they were satisfied with the hug, Tsubakino let go of him.
"What was that?!" Sakura leaped back, pointing an accusatory finger at Tsubakino.
"That was a hug for our date Sakura!" Tsubakino beamed at him, unfazed by his outburst, "I promised you remember?"
"T-this is not a date!" He protested, backing away into the nearby wall.
"If you say so~" Tsubakino pulled him along, "I still want to treat you to lunch because you are such a good little boy!" They ruffled his hair affectionately.
Sakura resigned to his fate, and let himself be dragged through the street to wherever Tsubakinono wanted to take him.
"Here we are!" Tsubakino finally released him from their clutches.
He staggered a few steps to regain his balance. Embarrassed by being coddled publicly he avoided Tsubakino's gaze and looked at his surroundings.
They were standing in front of a fancy-looking cafe. The outside had a Western look which he assumed was inspired by European architecture. The interior had a warm inviting feeling. Flowers hung from the ceiling, soft instrumental music played in the background and a faint scent of coffee and vanilla filled the atmosphere.
Sakura immediately felt out of place. He had never been allowed in a place like this, like he could afford it. He was overcome with the urge to bolt out of there.
"Come on," Sensing his hesitation, Tsubakino gave him a reassuring smile. "It's my treat. After all, I was the one who asked you out!"
"T-this is not a–"
"Even if it is not a date," they interrupted Sakura's outburst. "As a senpai, I should be looking after you." They diverted their gaze to the floor, "I've been a very unreliable senpai. I left you all alone to carry our expectations," Sakura could faintly make out the tears forming in the corner of their eyes. "The least I can do is treat you to a proper meal," they whispered.
Sakura was rendered speechless. Comforting people had never been his forte, but he couldn't bear to see them like this.
His face was flushed and his eyes were downcast. Tsubakino's heartbroken expression kept replaying in his head. "You- you are not unreliable." He managed to speak out after a moment and hoped it would be enough to convey his sincerity.
It was now Tsubakino's turn to be left speechless. They looked at the embarrassed boy with soft eyes. Taking a few steps forward, they gathered him in an embrace, this time gentler than before.
"Sakura, you're such a sweet boy!" Sakura didn't have it in him to push them away.
"Aren't we going to eat?" He mumbled against their shoulder.
"Yes, of course!" Tsubakino pulled away, face beaming and the earlier sorrow had dissipated. "Eat all you want. It's on me!"
4.
"Sorry Sakura, for dumping all this work on you." Kanji apologized. "We are really short on hands so I'm glad you showed up."
"It's no big deal," Sakura put down the boxes he was carrying, "I should thank you for helping us deal with the Norishi."
Kanji let out a hearty laugh. "That old thing? It's all good." He patted Sakura's back, "come on, let's get some food. Suzuri was excited to show you his cooking."
Kanji guided him to a table and asked him to stay seated. He was supposed to come here with Tsubakino to help Kanji at the restaurant. But Tsubakino had to leave at the last moment so now he was sitting here alone.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Kanji returned.
A variety of dishes were placed in front of him. Some of which he could barely recognize.
"What is that?" Sakura asked, pointing at a peculiar-looking dish.
"This is a French cuisine called Ratatouille," Suzuri answered him, "I don't know much about it either but Uryu seems to like it."
Sakura hesitantly dug his chopsticks into the food. Before he knew it he was seemingly inhaling the food served to him. Kanji was momentarily taken aback before encouraging him to eat to his heart's delight. Which he did.
"Did you like the food?" Suzuri asked him after the dishes had been taken away.
"It was good." He acknowledged Suzuri's skills. Despite being a newbie he had already evolved to the level of a professional chef.
"I'm glad," a soft smile was dancing on Suzuri's lips, "making food with my own two hands and feeding it to other people… feels… refreshing."
Sakura couldn’t comprehend why his stomach squirmed at those words.
"Why don't you also try cooking, Sakura," Kanji intervened, clapping a hand on his shoulder.
"I, uh, don't have cooking stuff…" Sakura whispered, his cheeks puffed and his nose scrunched.
"That so?"
A few days later a package was delivered to his place, with a message saying:
Dear Sakura Haruka,
Last week I received my first wage. It was the first time I earned something by my own hard work. It made me very happy. I have been thinking what to do with it. I could save that money for a game but I feel there is something more important than that. I wanted to repay Tsubakino and Furin for their help. Without you all I never would've been able to experience this joy. So, please accept this gift as a token of gratitude. I would be honored if it is able to help you in any way.
Suzuri Shuhei
The box was filled with cooking utensils he had never had the joy of owning.
5.
"Sakura-kun, here have some eggs," Chiyoko placed a carton of eggs in his hands.
"Huh? What do I do with these?!"
"Eat them of course," Chiyoko chuckled at him, "this is a thank-you gift for carrying me every day."
This has been happening more often lately. Along with eatables or snacks, he had started receiving ingredients as well. Last week a rice trader gifted him a whole sack of rice to help him transport his goods. He mindlessly carried it home only to realize he had no space to keep it. Just like he is mindlessly carrying these eggs with him.
He opened his now overflowing shelf mixed with ready-to-eat snacks, drinks, and raw ingredients. If this keeps up he might need to start storing food in his room. He made space for the eggs at the top and hoped they wouldn't fall over and break.
Sighing he sat back on the floor. He pulled out the bread he got from the owner of the Cactus bakery earlier this morning. Its taste was still fresh even though it had turned cold.
He looked at the package of cooking utensils sitting in the corner and the overflowing shelf in front of him.
He might need to do something about this.
+1.
"Sakura-chan, what are you doing?"
Kiryu peeked over his shoulder, causing him to leap into the air to keep him away from his phone screen.
"Induction stove…?" Kiryu tilted his head questioningly at the boy who wouldn't meet his eyes. "Are you trying to cook, Sakura-chan?"
"What about it?!" Sakura tried to defend himself, attracting the attention of the onlookers.
"Oya? Is it because I showed you how to look up cooking videos online?" Kiryu teased, "can I take some credit when you become a professional chef?"
"As if!" Sakura was glad it was only Kiryu with him for patrol right now. He couldn't deal with Suo along with him.
"So you wanna buy a stove, Sakura-chan?" Kiryu gestured to him to continue walking.
"I can't really buy it…" Sakura admitted, shifting awkwardly. He maintained some distance between himself and Kiryu. "The regular gas stoves can't be installed in my kitchen, and electric ones are too expensive…"
Kiryu regarded him carefully. His face flushed and eyes downcast; Sakura was clearly embarrassed. But Sakura was opening up to him, which was rare, so he couldn't let him down.
"That's great, Sakura-chan!" He chirped, "I recently bought this induction stove because of a bet with my sister, but I haven't used it once. I was thinking about what to do with it." He flashed a grin, slowing down to keep up with Sakura. "You should have it! It'll be a huge favor to me because I can't let my parents see that."
"But how do I pay you back?" Sakura gaped.
"What, no, don't be silly." Kiryu giggled, "you are the one helping me out, Sakura-chan! In any case, it would've been wasted. But if you have it, it'll be put to good use, and my parents won't find out about our bet. It's mutually beneficial!"
"Are you sure…?" Sakura asked hesitantly.
"Of course, Sakura-chan. Don't worry about it. I'll bring it over to your place tomorrow."
"T-thanks, I guess." Sakura looked away, the tips of his ears tinted red. The slight sparkle in his eyes didn't go unnoticed by Kiryu.
He let Sakura walk in front of him and whipped out his phone to send a quick text to his sister.
Nee-chan, where do I get an induction stove by tomorrow?
— —
He heated the pan again, the one he received from Kanji, and poured the egg mixture on it. Spreading it evenly, he allowed it to cook for a while.
Now that he thought about it, everything in this kitchen was something given to him by someone else. He doesn't recall buying any of it.
The stove he was cooking on—it took him three days to get used to cooking on it—was a gift from Kiryu. The pan and the utensils he got from kanji were scattered near the stove. All the ingredients he was using, from the eggs to the spices were given to him by the residents of Makochi.
There was one thing though, that he bought himself. He looked at the stack of bento boxes sitting in the corner. The corner of his lips lifted at the thought of creating something with his hands and sharing it with others.
He placed the cooked omurice in the box, tucking it neatly inside. A few stray rice grains did peek out, but they were unnoticeable. He put the lid on top of it with a soft click. He then switched the video on his phone from an omurice recipe to a bento wrapping tutorial. Following the steps carefully he wrapped each bento to the best of his abilities.
Kiryu Mitsuki
About to reach o(*￣▽￣*)ブ
Nirei Akihiko
See you all!
He looked at the notifications pop up over the video. He was late. They were supposed to meet at Cafe Pothos in ten minutes and he hadn't even left yet.
Cursing at himself he started working faster. He swiftly put the three prepared bento boxes in a bag and cleaned up the kitchen, making sure the stove was turned off.
Grabbing the bag, he shoved on his shoes and made a dash towards his destination. He looked at the time again - he was really late. He saw messages from Nirei asking him where he was and he messily answered back, not slowing down from his sprint.
He finally stopped outside his destination, slightly out of breath. He looked through the glass to see Nirei and Suo sitting at a table facing him, with Kiryu and Tsuegura sitting opposite them.
Nirei was the first to notice his presence as he waved him over.
He tightened his grip on the bag and pushed open the doors.
"Making food with my own two hands and feeding it to other people… feels… refreshing."
Suzuri's words echoed in his mind.
When he saw their faces light up. When he watched them devour every bite with nothing but happiness on their faces. When they teased him. When they thanked him. When he carried home those empty bento boxes...
Returning empty-handed never felt so satisfying.