Work Text:
Makoto wiped the thin layer of sweat from his face with his sleeve. The combination of the continuous stirring with the heat of the pan under him was causing him to get a bit clammy. After a brief step-back from the stovetop, he went right back to work. There was no time for breaks no matter how he was feeling. Dinner had to be made, and it had to be perfect.
If he had just been cooking for himself, he wouldn’t be such a stickler. He could deal with semi-burnt vegetables or meat that got slightly overcooked from sitting still in a hot pan if he was its sole consumer. Tonight, however, he was cooking for two. This was something he couldn’t just half-ass and shrug off as “good enough.” He had to make sure every little thing about it was perfect.
A sudden knock on his apartment’s door nearly caused him to flick all of his stir-fry onto the counter. His guest had arrived.
“It’s open!” Makoto yelled over the sound of the hood range above him. He gave the food a quick glance before poking his head out of the kitchen to make sure it reached the door. He smiled when he saw it swing open and someone walked inside.
“Hey, Kyoko!” He greeted, speaking rather fast. “Sorry, it’s not done yet! Just gimme a second!” Without waiting, he slid back over to the pan. Nothing’s burned, that’s good. He gave everything inside another toss. Kyoko welcomed herself in, as she’s done plenty of times before and leaned on the frame of the kitchen’s entrance.
“Wow, you’ve got a whole operation going on in here, don’t you?” She said with a smirk as she looked around the space. It was a bit of a mess, as he hadn’t been cleaning up as she worked. Various packages littered the counters. The cutting board still had the inedible scraps of vegetables that were currently being fried. Various oils, marinades, and spices remained open and within quick access of the cooking area. The rice cooker next to the stovetop vented steam that was quickly drawn into the fan range.
“Heh… I accidentally lost track of time, so I-”
When he looked over again, he noticed she was holding a bottle in her hands. He didn’t catch it before when she first walked in because of how quickly he had to scurry back to cooking.
“Ah, hold on!” Makoto pushed the stir fry around again, inspecting the contents with scrutiny. Everything looked perfectly cooked and ready to serve. He scooped out the mix into two waiting bowls, making sure to drip every last bit of oil over it. The pan was then set aside, the stove twisted off, and the noisy fans were silenced, all wrapped up with a sigh of delight. Now, he could have a proper conversation with her.
“Couldn’t let it burn, it’s special.” He approached her and swiftly gave her a peck on the cheek.
“Of course. I’d knew you’d want to make our date perfect.” Kyoko grinned.
“Well, I got so focused on making the food perfect, everything else kinda just…” Makoto gestured to the mess of the kitchen, then to himself. He was still wearing his Future Foundation uniform minus the suit jacket and tie. A stained apron draped over it, bearing fresh spots from tonight’s endeavors.
“Don’t worry about all that right now. Besides, you knew I wouldn’t have had time to change either. Things ran a little late, and I needed to make a stop before I came here.” She too was still in her work clothes, but unlike him, she still had her coat on.
“Yeah…” Makoto began, eyes falling back to the bottle she’d walked in with. “So… what’dya bring?” Kyoko responded by holding it up so he could read the label. The liquid inside sloshed around slightly. It was a very fancy looking bottle of brown sugar shochu.
“Oooo…” He gently took the bottle from her and twirled it around in his hands, looking the whole thing over. “I’ve never tried shochu before… I hope you didn’t pay a lot for this if I don’t end up liking it.”
“The price of it isn’t important.” Kyoko brushed it off. “Also, I wanted to try it too. Let’s not knock it ‘till we try it.”
Makoto still looked at the bottle with skepticism. “...but still, something so fancy? I would’ve just been fine with some sake. If I’d known, I would’ve cooked something more grand.”
“Think of it as a celebration. We’ve nearly finished preparation on the Hope Restoration Project. That calls for something more than just sake.”
“Kyoko,” Makoto raised an eyebrow in confusion, “wouldn’t it be better to celebrate that with Byakuya?”
“Hm. We could do that…” Her face then shifted to a smug expression. “...Or… we can just keep this between us and never tell him about this.”
Makoto blinked a few times, pondering the option. Should he go through with this?
…
“...Tell him about what?” He feigned ignorance, following it up with a sly look into Kyoko’s eyes as he passed the shochu back to her.
“That’s the spirit.” Kyoko turned and walked towards the table, setting the bottle down on the dinner table, “Get some glasses for it when you bring the plates over.”
Makoto nodded. He finished the dishes with a hearty scoop of rice on both of them and an extra drizzle of soy sauce over everything. He smiled proudly at his work and delivered the plates at the already set table. The glasses came next, putting them down just as Kyoko got the top of the bottle. She poured his cup, then set it down so he could pour hers. It had an amber-like colour, almost like a watered down cup of tea.
“Perfect.” Kyoko spoke. “Everything looks perfect. I can’t wait to try what you’ve cooked up.”
Makoto chuckled sheepishly. “I think you’re setting your expectations rather high for some yasai itame.”
“Nope, I’d be excited to eat anything you’d make, no matter how simple of a dish it was.”
Makoto felt a faint sense of warmness rise to his cheeks. She always was so quick to praise his efforts. He really didn’t think it was deserved for something so simple, but there was no use in trying to push back at it. He should really get back to his date now that all the work was done. He grabbed his cup and held it up, swirling its contents slightly.
“For the future?” He offered as a toast.
The future. It was a good thing to offer it over. With their work at the Future Foundation, their development of the Hope Restoration program, and their developing relationship, everything was shaping up to finally rise from despair. The future ahead looked bright, for them and for the whole world.
“For the future.” She nodded in agreement.
The two of them smiled warmly at each other. There was nothing left do now but celebrate.
“Kanpai!” They said in unison, clinking their glasses together and taking a drink of the shochu.
An hour had passed.
Dinner had long been consumed, along with the shochu. All of it.
Both of them quickly discovered just how much they enjoyed the drink after their first sip. They’d managed to finish the whole bottle before their dinners were done. Makoto felt bad that something so pricey was consumed so quickly, so he went and dug from his own collection of drinks. He ended up serving some Western-style wine in the shochu’s absence. The wine also didn’t last very long.
Dirty plates, used cups, and empty bottles remained on the table. Both of them found out rather quickly that as soon as they finished eating, neither of them wanted to stay standing. Makoto handwaved it off. It can be done later, he said. He was desperate to get Kyoko to join him in relaxing, to which she agreed without hesitation. Her head felt funny.
The pair now laid on the couch with each other, sinking into its cushions. Kyoko had ditched her blazer, now tossed haphazardly on the floor. She held the TV remote in her hands, endlessly scrolling through the channel guide.
“Kyokooooo, pick something… This is sooooo booooring…” Makoto whined into a pillow.
“Shush… don’t be whiny… I’m picking something good…” Kyoko didn’t break contact from the screen once. She kept pressing the down arrow until the channels reset to the first one on the list.
“It just looped again!” Makoto seemingly pointed right at the TV, but he was off by a few inches. He then directed that wobbly finger in Kyoko’s general direction. “You’re skipping it over and over and over!”
“I’m looking…” She mumbled.
“I can look ssssssoooooo much better than you…”
“No. I know the perfect thing to watch.”
Instead of the down button, Kyoko had hit one of the number buttons. The channel switched to the news, and it caught her off guard. She blankly stared for a few moments before looking back down at the remote. She shook it vigorously and hit it against her hand.
“Stupid. This thing’s stupid. I didn’t pick that.”
Without missing a beat, she opened the guide again. Due to the channel being changed, the list had reset to the beginning of the list. That, of course, didn’t deter her and she went straight back into her loop.
“Gimme that!” Makoto pushed himself up from the couch and began to crawl over to Kyoko’s position, his arms shaking under his weight. The give of the cushions nearly caused him to tumble off and crash onto the floor. However, as he got close, Kyoko held it out of his reach over her head.
“M’still picking. Stop…” she slurred.
“Yer not! Gimme the remote!”
Makoto didn’t back down, continuing to reach for the remote. He propped himself up on one of her legs for added height. Kyoko grumbled and swung the leg he was perched on outwards. It completely threw off what little sense of balance he had and he came crashing down in her lap with a soft and muffled groan. He twisted around so he was facing her directly. When he made eye contact with her, his eyes lit up and his already burning red face got even redder.
“Wooooah… yer so pretty…” He marvelled. “If you were my girlfriend… I’d be so happy…”
Her own face soon mimicked his. Kyoko then lightly smacked Makoto’s forehead.
“Dummy. We’re dating. Right now. Silly.”
“Reeeeeally?” asked Makoto as if this was entirely new information to him. Kyoko nodded in confirmation.
“Omigosh… I’m fighting with my girlfriend… Imma bad boyfriend…” He moped, now giving up in his previous mission and instead went hide his face behind his hands.
“Stop being silly.” Kyoko pushed his hands off of his face. “Izz not as cute when yer all sad and stuff.”
Makoto gasped loudly. “Cute? Meee?”
“Oh, sooooo cute.”
Kyoko leaned down and wrapped both her arms around Makoto. She pulled him into an upright position so that he was now sitting in her lap. Now that he was in a better position, she brought him even closer until he was pressed up against her, putting her face in his neck. Makoto was then mercilessly attacked with a barrage of kisses. The brutal assault left him giggling with glee.
Eventually, Kyoko’s ambush began to slow. Makoto took the chance to move into her and press her body against the back of the couch. He copied her foolproof plan, with his kisses being a bit less intense. He has also paired his offense move with the secondary action of lightly stroking her hair. It felt like silk under his fingers.
“Do you forgive me, Kyooo?” He stopped to look up at her, batting his eyelashes. When Kyoko saw his face, she snorted.
“Mmmm… of course, cutie… can’t stay mad at someone so cute…”
“I wuv you, Kyo…” He mumbled as he snuggled more into her. His dizziness pulled him down to the couch’s cushions again. Kyoko came along for the ride. She didn’t protest it. The two continued to tangle their limbs together until their cuddle seemed to be tighter than anyone could possibly hope to achieve.
By this point, the TV remote had been long forgotten. Neither of them had bothered to notice it had fallen onto the floor.
They’d found something else far better than any show or movie could ever be to keep them entertained.