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Idia's luscious blue locks were pinned up front with a plain black hair clip you lent him. The boy's sharp, cat-like yellow eyes were prettily shadowed with dark blue makeup as he glared at the ingredients gathered on the table. The chef hat atop his head was nothing but an accessory to the apron you forced him into.
The older boy looked cute and equally confused, as if he were completely out of his element—which was definitely the case.
Idia Shroud did not belong in the kitchen, the programmer belonged behind his PC gaming or coding.
“I'm more suited to dark and gloomy places.”
That was his life until you.
You turned his bleak, boring life into something more worthwhile. It was scary, and made his stomach twist and churn with anxiety at the newness but he liked the light you emitted, he was drawn to it.
Idia… he cared about you. You became his best friend, after Ortho. The third-year wanted to grow even closer to you. He was willing to push himself out of his comfort zone—but he wasn't too confident of himself right now.
He never was though.
“Don't look so scared it's not gonna bite you!”
“Err,” Idia blinked at you, then he shifted his gaze to his hand. “What even is this? A tomato?” he asked, grimacing in at the vegetable with uncertainty. “This is a bad idea. I can feel myself losing already. Game over.”
You roped Idia into a personal cooking lesson for fun, after persistent coaxing the boy granted your wish.
“Don't be so hard on yourself Dia.”
The Housewarden grumbled under his breath at the nickname, a pink blush spread to his pale cheeks but he didn't tell you to stop calling him that.
“You're not alone. I'm here to teach you all you need to know,” you said, smiling as you bumped his shoulder playfully. “You won't fail with me here but if you do, we’ll be losers together. A team effort!”
You wanted to smoothen the crease lines above his brow but held back your twitching fingers. Idia flusters easily, you couldn't have him burning down the kitchen before you started! It wasn't yours after all—it belonged to your dorm: Heartslabyul. Your cousin, Trey Clover, who was vice dorm leader, gave you permission to use the area within the estimated timeframe.
“Thanks, Normie, ah, appreciate it,” Idia sounded calm until his next sentence. “But I really shouldn't be outside my room. My HP just dropped,” he groaned, and set the red pepper down. “I’ll mess everything up!”
You grabbed his hand without warning, and the eighteen-year-old nearly squeaked, jolting like a cat.
You snorted, amusingly and gave Idia’s larger, rough but warm hands a comforting squeeze which caused him to stutter. “H-Hey! This is a debuff.”
What a nerd. He's too cute. I love him—thank you Lord for this friendship.
Idia Shroud wasn't used to physical touch but he didn't hate it. He was getting better at accepting it; care, affection, attention, and touches but he still rambled aimlessly like a nervous track when it happened. The third-year liked the feel of your hands in his.
The intimacy overwhelmed him—made his heart buffer, and his stomach flip.
Idia didn't pull away, not that he could, he usually froze up when you were this close.
“This is for moral support before we start,” you said very seriously, as if holding hands were a necessary step to being a culinary master.
Idia's wavy hair flared pink for a second before it switched to blue again. You wondered why his hair changed colors, you were still unaware of some of Idia's quirks. You guessed it meant he liked holding your hand and it made him happy, well, you hoped so.
The older boy let out a breath, and relaxed his shoulders, eyeing you with a fond look that made your stomach feel funny.
Good thing you knew Idia's limit and let go of his hand after two minutes, and simply hovered as you broke apart. “I'll let you in on a hack. Something that eases my mind when I'm trying something new is—”
“Staying inside to build up stats—”
“Pfft, of course you'd say that but no,” you giggled, and rolled your eyes, not unkindly. “Prayer,” you said, as if it wasn't obvious with a playful scoff. “Do you wanna try it? I can pray for us before we start our first lesson if that's okay. I hope it'll settle you like it does me.”
The kitchen was quiet aside from the barely audible chatter of a few students in the dorms above. The air around them felt nice, smelled nice too—like recently baked desserts with a hint of fancy tea. Sunlight peered through the blinds and filled the room with light, warmth, and something more or maybe that was just God creating a calming atmosphere.
Idia nodded his head, his unease was replaced with determination, and curiosity now.
“I don't mind if it's you... ‘cause we're friends!” He tugged the hem of his sleeve, and pouted subconsciously. “It's like how you play games with me even if you suck at it.”
“That makes me glad.”
You huffed at the last part, but beamed, feeling content, and grateful for a lot of things.
You patted off the invisible dust from your matching apron. “You can close your eyes whenever you're ready, and then I'll start. It'll be quick but effective, and sure to boost your stats!”
That earned you a pretty, soft smile.
Idia scrunched his eyes shut immediately after. “You can go ahead, I'm as ready as I'll ever be.”
Your chest felt warm inside.
“Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for this day. Thank you for giving us life and strength. Lord, may You fill our hearts with Your peace—and grant us the wisdom, understanding and skills we need to have a successful, and enjoyable time together,” you halted, and thought of the boy in front of you specifically. “Lord, I ask that You help Idia overcome anxiety, and that You may be a comfort to him when no one else is. I pray that he may know that he is dearly loved in Jesus name. Amen.”
When you and Idia opened your eyes he cleared his throat.
“Eh, can we start now?” His yellow eyes were shinier now as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck looking away.
“Of course! Time is ticking. I cannot be late to any of Housewarden Riddle’s events,” you snapped into action and grabbed a bowl and set it in front of him. “I really wanna make this count. I love spending time with you Idia.”
The tips of his ears tinted pink, and he pulled a face that made you laugh. “Y-You can't just say stuff like—like that without any warning!”
