Jewish A decides that this year is finally the year that they're going to teach gentile partner B their families super top secret recipe for the perfect potato latkes, and makes B swear they won't reveal the secret to anyone on pain of death, even though it turns out to not be that crazy a secret at all.
Reki is a great cook, okay. He can make you an amazing 3 course dinner. However, he may have skipped a few basics getting there. So, when his sisters want mac and cheese, he knows the perfect motivator to call.
(This is basically nearly 2000 words of fluffy food making and kisses)
CW/TW: food (making and eating), worry/panic (brief), ambulance mention, mild teasing, kissing, feeding someone else, alluding to burns (brief), and food cutting (brief)
“Langa, I’m in trouble and I need your help.”
Well, that got his attention. The boy was sitting up in an instant. “Reki? Are you okay? Should I call an ambulance or Joe or Cherry or Shadow or something?”
Langa was already standing and had one shoe on by the time he heard, “What? No, it’s nothing like that. I just need help making…”
Langa stopped his panicked rushing and turned all his attention to the phone. “What was that? I couldn’t hear the last bit?”
Reki sighed, attempting to gain courage, “I just need help,” he said loudly through the phone, “making instant macaroni and cheese for Chihiro and Nanaka.” He was thankful this was only a phone call so the other couldn’t see how badly he was blushing. He was embarrassed and frustrated that he needed help. Sure, he could do it himself, but he knew Langa had actually done it before and would make it much easier.
Langa’s sputtered and barely concealed laughter didn’t help anything. “Dude! Come on!” Reki sighed as he leaned over the counter staring at the materials he’d already gathered. It felt like they were mocking him.
“Sunshine, aren’t you the one who’s constantly in the kitchen with either your mom or Joe and helping them or watching over their shoulder? Why are you coming to me?”
Again, thankful for the phone as Reki stared at the ground fiddling with his headband and the edges of his sweatshirt. “Because, I never had to learn that stuff. Joe and my mom threw me into the deep end. You’re the Canadian who’s constantly hungry. I figured if anyone would know out of our group, it’d be you. Besides, Cherry, Joe, and Miya are too busy and stuck up for it and Shadow would take away my free ride privilege for a week if I called him for something like this.”
“So you don’t want me to text the group about this?”
“Langaaaaaaaaa!”
Langa laughed as he finished getting ready. “I’m kidding. I won’t.” He left his house and got out to his bike. “I’ll be there in five or ten minutes, okay?”
“Oh? You're coming over?” Reki looked around. The house looked the same as it always did when Langa came over, so not too bad. He let out a breath in relief.
“Yeah. I figured it was easier to help in person.” He got on his helmet and gloves. “Is that okay?”
“Just fine! I’ll see you in a bit. Love you.” Reki smiled at his phone.
Even though Langa couldn’t see it, he smiled back. “Love you too.”
…
Pretty soon, Langa was knocking at the Kyan’s door, welcomed by a smiling Reki and two little girls partially hidden behind his legs.
“Hey Su-- Reki,” Langa greeted, realizing their present company. The twins giggled.
“Hi. Sorry. They started to get hungry and restless, so I was distracting them,” Reki apologized, ducking his head a bit.
The newcomer just smiled at him. “It’s alright. Why don’t we get started then?” The girls cheered and began dragging the two boys back to the kitchen.
Reki threw Langa another regretful look, but his boyfriend gave him a small smile in return. A smile that was reserved just for Reki, and he knew it, causing him to break eye contact.
Once they reached the kitchen, Reki gently chased the girls out, getting them to go play and telling them that food would be ready soon. As he turned around, Langa was already washing up, so he hurried over to catch up, not wanting to fall behind for a moment.
“Alright, so, do you know what to do first?” Langa asked as he dried his hands.
Reki dried his hands as well as he looked over the supplies he’d grabbed before, “Umm…” when his eyes caught the side of the macaroni box. He snagged it, quickly reading it over and muttering the words to himself. “We… put eight cups of water in a pot,” he said at last, looking up at his partner.
Langa gave the other a kiss on the cheek as he reached for a measuring cup. “Correct.” Reki just smiled at him for a beat. “So we should…” Langa started.
“Right!” Reki jumped and gently grabbed the measuring cup from him, getting the water and putting it in the pot.
“Perfect.” Langa punctuated that with a kiss on the forehead. Reki could really get used to cooking with Langa if it continued like this. “Now, what’s next?”
Reki grabbed the box again, muttering to himself once more, “It says to boil the water.” He looks over at his boyfriend. “How long will that take?”
Langa looked unsure. “It depends on the pot size and amount of water. With this much,” he flicked on the stove, “it’ll take a few minutes.” Reki groaned and stared at the water. Langa came up behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist and laying his head on his shoulder. “Staring at it won’t make it boil faster.” Reki groaned louder, slumping back against Langa. He snickered at his partner's antics and gave him a squeeze.
They stood like that, listening to the twins play and Reki tapping his fingers against the counter until a few bubbles started floating up. “I know that isn’t technically boiling, but that’s a start, right? Can’t we call that close?” Reki asked, craning his neck as Langa still hadn’t let go.
Langa shook his head. “It’s gotta be a rolling boil before we can put in the noodles, otherwise they won’t cook right.” Reki started to complain again, but Langa temporarily pacified him with a kiss. “I promise, just another minute,” he muttered as he pulled away. Reki was quiet, but clearly still not content, so Langa did the first thing he could think of to satisfy an annoyed Reki.
A quiet humming filled the air as Langa gently swayed the pair. Reki shook his head and tried to hide his smile from the other, but Langa could tell, which just egged him on more. He moved the couple around more, dancing them around, singing a bit and encouraging Reki to join him until he eventually did. They laughed and danced until they heard the water boiling over and turned the stove down, while still laughing.
Reki poured in the noodles while Langa stirred. The pair chatted about everything and nothing, catching up, even though it had only been a few hours since they last talked. As Reki rambled on excitedly and Langa listened intently, hanging onto every word. Reki coincidently motioned over to the pot of macaroni. “Hey,” Reki’s change in tone snapped Langa back to reality, “how long are we supposed to let the noodles cook for?”
Langa looked at his boyfriend confused, “Uh, whatever we set the timer for?”
“I thought you set the timer?”
“Sunshine, why would I have done the timer?”
“I figured you would have done it since you actually know the cooking times for all of this stuff.”
Langa sighed and moved over to the drawers. “It’s probably fine. If they’re over cooked, there is nothing we can do, but if they are alright or under, it’s okay.” He grabbed a fork, not wanting to use anything else as he tried to snag a noodle from the pot. After a few attempts, he picked up a couple noodles. He held them over his hand to blow on them before turning to Reki. He looked at Langa, confused. “What’re you…”
“Open,” Langa lightly commanded, holding the fork out further towards his partner.
Reki compiled, if only out of shock, and Langa slipped the food in so fast, he barely even noticed. Thankfully, he closed his mouth in time and no noodles were lost. “Hmm… I think they’re about good,” he announced as he finished chewing.
Langa smiled brightly, secretly very happy that the noodles weren’t over cooked like he had feared, but Reki didn’t need to know that. “Alright, Chef Sunshine, what do we do next?”
Reki, knowing the routine by now, grabbed the box, yet again, “Okay Sous Chef Snowflake, we need to strain the noodles.”
Langa hid his mild blush in his shoulder as best he could as the couple quickly washed again. “So, I’ll hold the pot and you hold the strainer?”
“Works for me!”
“Great.”
Langa wrapped a pair of pot holders around the handles and moved towards the sink as Reki grabbed the strainer. Langa poured and Reki held tight to his end. “Ow! Hot. Shit!” He muttered as the steam and hot water splashed a bit.
“It’s okay,” Langa attempted to sooth, finishing his part, “and, we’re done. Nothing too bad?”
“No, just was uncomfortable when it happened,” Reki muttered as he rested the strainer on top of the pot, now on a hot pad on the counter.
Langa carefully grabbed the wrist that had gotten sprayed and brought it to his lips, giving it a soft kiss. “Did that help?” Reki grinned at him and nodded.
Langa moved their hands to a more relaxed position, now intertwined. “I think we’re almost done. What’s left?”
Reki grabbed the box one last time, “It looks like we just have to add butter, some milk, the cheese sauce, and mix it together. Then, we’re done!”
“Excellent.” Langa kissed his temple before gently pulling away completely to grab the last of the ingredients. Reki pouted slightly at the loss of contact, but quickly followed suit.
The duo followed a steady rhythm of measuring, cutting, and pouring until Langa began stirring everything together. Since that was pretty much a one man job and it seemed covered, Reki went to call the twins and get them washed up.
As Reki finished with the giggling and squirming girls, Langa was plating the food. Upon seeing food, the hungry sisters scrambled to their seats and dug in.
Reki rolled his eyes at his siblings and took his seat and plate next to Langa.
Langa just stared at him for a while before giving him a nudge with his shoulder. “What?” Reki asked.
Langa motioned to mac and cheese. “It was your first try, how is it?”
Oh, Reki thought. He grabbed his utensil and took a, probably too large, bite. “Actually, it’s pretty good,” he said once most of the food was down. “But I think,” he put his hand on top of Langa’s, “ we did an amazing job.”
Reki could hear Chihiro and Nanaka laughing at him across the table, but he was much more focused on his boyfriend’s sweet smile next to him.
…
Reki was cleaning up the dishes since the twins had grabbed Langa to go play the second the two girls were done with their food. As he swept around, he saw his phone light up on the table in the kitchen where he’d left it. “Huh, a new group chat message?”
In it was a simple picture of a plate with macaroni and cheese on it. The text sent with it read:
❄Snowflake💙: Reki’s first mac and cheese from a box :) I’m so proud!
A few people had already sent their replies.
🐾Catboi🛹: the slime downgraded? Nice. least it looks edible
🤡Clown Prince💐: Atta boy! great start, but next time make some for all of us
💪Joe Joe🍜: Boxed mac and cheese?!? I thought I was teaching him better than that!!
🌸Mama Cherry🖌: Calm down, you gorilla, before I tell them what you used to eat in high school
Reki set the dishes down and groaned.
“Langaaaaaaaaaaaa! You said you wouldn’t tell them!”
