Work Text:
A fierce storm rages outside. Flurries of snow roar through the empty streets. Gusts of icy wind bash against the buildings, rattling windows and freezing the air. The kitchen radiates heat in an attempt to combat the chill. Silken tofu jumps up and down in bubbling water. Ground pork and green onions coated in spicy paste sizzles and browns on the hot pan. The rice cooker beeps out that rice is done.
Eijirou sings along as his phone blasts music, muffling the wind outside and the shower running. He dances around, stirring the large amount of pork, extra for him, as he swivels his hips. He scoops out the rice and taps it onto the plate in time with the rhythm. He sets them down and finishes up the meal by carefully spooning the boiled tofu into the meat sauce. Eijirou swings to the side where the cutting board lies. He picks up the knife and swings it down, chopping the spicy peppers, extra as garnish for Katsuki, to the beat. Dinner is almost ready.
Sweat slips down his head into his eyes. Eijirou wipes it away, but more droplets stream down, blurring his vision. On the next drumbeat, the next swing down, the knife digs into the back of his hand, right below his fingers. Blood spills, staining the knife and board and ruining the topping.
“Shit!”
Eijirou drops the knife and stumbles back. He grips tightly into the gushing wound with his other hand to stem the blood flow and flinches as capsicum sears into the cut. As Eijirou heads to the sink, he hears a door bang violently against a wall. A wet, naked Katsuki slides into the kitchen, sparks set off around him.
Eijirou’s startled face stares wide-eyed at Katsuki’s worried one, whose face becomes more concerned after taking everything in. Katsuki gently but hurriedly pushes him to the sink and coaxes his tight grip off. The water washes away the blood bubbling up, and they see the extent of the damage.
The blade sliced deep into the fat of his hand. Katsuki curses upon seeing it. He shuts the stove off and grabs a clean towel, wrapping up the cut. He forces Eijirou into a dining chair and quickly fetches the first aid kit out from under their bathroom sink.
Katsuki walks back in, in boxers this time, holding the kit and a towel. Katsuki dries his hands off and then Eijirou’s. He dumps disinfectant onto the cut. Eijirou curses at the burn, worsening the throbbing pain. Katsuki ignores him as smears topical lidocaine on the wound. Eijirou sighs in relief as the pain fades. Katsuki expertly stitches him up. They’ve both done this enough times, too tired, physically or emotionally, to go to the hospital for something like this. Neat little lines cross back and forth.
After bandaging his hand, Eijirou is forced to move again, this time to the kotatsu. Katsuki orders him to stay and heads to the kitchen. Eijirou groans and slumps against the table. The music shuts off. He hears Katsuki clean up and plate their food. He picks his head up when a plate is set in front of him. It smells so enticing, especially with an extra heaping of pork. The other plate is set down, and a sliver of guilt worms inside him at the lack of spicy toppings. That was the last of their peppers, too. Neither had time to go before the storm hit.
Eijirou frowns down at the steaming meal, feeling his hunger wane. He doesn’t look up when he feels Katsuki sliding under the heated table next to him, just moves over. A pair of chopsticks is jabbed into his right cheek. Eijirou tilts his head back in time to see a bit of mapo tofu and rice as Katsuki holds up a bite for him. He scolds him about wasting food. Eijirou takes the chopsticks and mumbles an apology before eating. The warmth of the savory meat reignites his hunger as does the spiciness of the meal. While not the most spicy, Katsuki should still enjoy it.
They both sit there silently eating and appreciating the heat from the table and their meal, soothing the aches in their bones. After eating, Katsuki stacks their plates and shoves them back. He picks up his phone and fiddles with it before leaning it against the plates. A Crimson Riot movie is playing. Eijirou smiles softly at Katsuki trying to make him feel better. His smile grows as Katsuki rests his head on his shoulder and quietly says, “Happy anniversary, Ei.”
Eijirou rests his head on Katsuki’s. “Happy anniversary, Tsuki.”