tamaki loves to cook and he loves to especially cook for you. when he’s cooking it’s the only time you see him fully confident, that same confidence that only starts to slip when he waits for you to tell him your opinion 🥺
IM CRYING PLEASE I-
you never would’ve guessed that tamaki loved to cook. nothing in his behavior clued you into that fact.
you complained one day that you were so stupid to forget your packed lunch at home and that you coincidentally had no money so you couldn’t purchase anything from the cafeteria. mirio and nejire snickered at your dramatics while tamaki was quiet beside you. once mirio and nejire were entranced in conversation, tamaki gently nudged your shoulder, pushing his bento until it lied in between you, stuttering out that you could share. you tried to protest, but tamaki told you that he wasn’t that hungry and wouldn’t finish.
that was all the permission you needed before digging in. the first bite was nearly heavenly. with your mouth full of food, you sang tamaki’s praises, telling him thank you over and over again and that the food was so good. once you had actually bothered to chew and swallow, you asked him if his mom made it for him. with his head facing downward towards the table and the tips of his ears red, he replied that he had made it and in a small whisper that you could barely hear, he said that he wouldn’t mind cooking for you. before tamaki had a chance to overthink, you threw yourself onto him, chanting yes, yes, yes and that you’d love that. mirio gave you both a look before sending a wink tamaki’s way when you began chatting with nejire.
there is a distinct shift in tamaki’s demeanor when he steps foot inside of a kitchen. it’s entrancing to watch him float around, grabbing the proper ingredients and tools for the dish he’s making. even when you question what he’s doing, tamaki doesn’t stumble over his words and explains in great detail about what he’s doing exactly.
it’s only when tamaki’s finished plating your food that his usual apprehension seeps through the cracks. he hands you the food and tells you that he hopes you like it. he’s afraid to look at your expression and see disgust. when he musters up the courage to look up, his eyes widen when he sees how you’re practically inhaling your food. with your mouth full and eyes bright, you give him a thumbs up before swallowing your food and telling tamaki that it’s delicious and you don’t think you’ve ever eaten anything that good before.
his entire face flames up and he turns towards the nearest wall to compose himself. you giggle lightly in the background and tamaki smiles to himself, happy that you liked his cooking.
