Chapter Text
AKI
Ready?
HARU
I think so.
AKI
Kk! o(≧▽≦)o
I’ll start the call.
Aki was alone in the call for a few seconds—just long enough to make sure he was properly in frame—and then Haru was there too, a look of concentration on his face as he fussed with his setup. It was cute. And it felt good to be able to openly admit it to himself without any guilt at all, even as Haru frowned.
“Can you hear me okay?”
“Sure can!” Aki agreed. “But you’re supposed to start these calls with hi, I think.”
“Well, yeah, but you won’t be able to hear my hi if the audio’s not working.”
“Fair enough,” Aki agreed with a shrug. “Do I get a hi now, at least?”
“I guess,” Haru allowed, “though it feels a little silly doing it after we’ve already started.”
“Well then, let’s start again! Hi Haru! It’s good to see you!”
Haru scratched the back of his neck. “Hi, Aki. It’s… really good to see you too.”
There was a fond smile there, even despite Haru's exasperated expression. It made something inside Aki's chest feel warm and pleasant.
“Where am I, anyway?” Haru wondered. “I mean, I know you gave me the grand tour of your apartment, but I don’t remember this view.”
“Ah, you’re on the counter,” Aki explained. “They were selling phone and tablet stands at work, designed for the kitchen. The primary purpose is for you to easily be able to use online recipes, but I figured it’d work well for this too. If it’s a success, I’ll buy you one! It’s sure to be better than propping your phone up on the window ledge, even if it is further away from the action.”
Haru blinked. “How did you know how I set up my phone?”
Aki smiled. “You forget—I’ve spent waaaayyyy more hours in that kitchen than you have. I know its every secret.”
“Right, right,” Haru allowed. “Speaking of… are you sure this cooking together thing is going to work?”
“I don’t see why not,” Aki replied, “but that’s also why I thought we’d start simple. That way if it fails, it’s no huge loss. And if it goes well, we can work our way up from here.”
“Fair enough,” Haru agreed. “So where are we gonna start today, o kitchen guru?”
“Well, this is a pot—“
Haru rolled his eyes. “I’ve spent some time in here cooking already, you know.”
“Fair, fair,” Aki allowed. (It was still worth the tease for the tinge of pink it brought to Haru’s cheeks.) “Anyway, we’re gonna fill it with water, and then start it boiling, okay?”
“Right,” Haru agreed, turning his attention to do just that.
“Back left burner’s gonna be best for you,” Aki added, hoping that Haru could hear him over the running water. But sure enough, when the water was turned off, Haru was furrowing his eyebrows as he held a now-full pot.
“Sorry. Did you say something?”
“Yeah. Back left burner, high heat,” Aki repeated. “We’ll use the front right for getting everything else ready.”
“Right,” Haru agreed. “And for that one….”
“Frying pan,” Aki instructed. “I normally use a pretty deep one, but since you’re only making half as much…”
“I’ll still use it,” Haru decided. He disappeared from view as he grabbed it, and Aki took the opportunity to turn his stove on as well.
“Okay chef! Water is in the back boiling, and frying pan is up front. What’s next?”
“We’ll start by heating some oil in the frying pan on medium while we chop our ingredients,” Aki explained, “and then we’ll get cooking.”
The meal that they were making really wasn’t fancy; just the same tomato shio ramen that Aki knew Haru loved. But it didn’t need to be fancy—it was just a way to share a meal together, now that they were living in different prefectures. When Haru was inevitably hungry later, he’d take his boyfriend through how to make risotto from the leftover broth, so it would be at least the first of two. But if the experienced worked out as well as Aki hoped, it would be the first of many.
It wasn’t the same as sitting beside Haru at the kotatsu, nor would it ever be. But still, there was something nice about digging into a meal, and knowing that somewhere over an hour away by bullet train, someone he cared about was eating the exact same thing, and thinking about him.
And that, Aki thought, would make this the most delicious tomato shio ramen of all.