Birthday Dinnerz [Kureno, Asuka]
[[Backdated liek woah to June 11th, Kureno's birthday]]
It was still a little surprising, honestly, that Kureno had asked her to cook for his birthday. After all... seriously, he knew she wasn't much of a cook. In all the time that they'd known each other, they'd either eaten out or he'd cooked. On a few rare instances she'd offered to throw together some microwave bento (which was how she learned of his allergy to microwaves), but that was about as far as it went. Granted, she hadn't killed anyone with her cooking lately, but that didn't change the... 'why the hell?' feeling behind his question.
And that was when she decided to just... stop worrying about it. Which, on the one hand, she realized she was doing far too much lately, but on the other hand, if she didn't stop trying to analyze him she'd never be able to act normally around him again. It honestly felt like there was probably something she ought to be picking up on here, but was utterly failing in the finding. Then again, Asuka had a feeling she'd been missing an awful lot of subtleties coming from him lately... even long before he'd admitted being jealous of Hanato. Maybe that was just making her paranoid.
... heh. Damn right she was paranoid. She just wished she didn't have to be paranoid of Kureno.
So the kunoichi just threw the jar of pancake mix into a grocery bag, stared a few minutes at her half-used bottle of syrup before throwing that in just in case (after all, he didn't have much of a sweet tooth, didn't make sense for him to have one himself), and headed out the door. Cooking pancakes was a simple task, and certainly nothing could be construed from the act. She just... needed to relax.
Asuka blew out a sigh when she reached his doorstep, and took a moment to shut her brain up before knocking. She really needed to talk to Chiriku.
Kureno's kitchen door wasn't far from his front, so it didn't take long for him to answer her knock. "Hey, come on in," he greeted, leaving the door open for her while she stepped inside and pulled her shoes off. He was more casual than usual this evening, at least as far as his outfit went. His "casual" side practically always included a button-down shirt of some kind, but today it was simply a brown sweater, the sleeves currently rolled up just past his elbows making it almost look like a t-shirt if one wasn't looking closely enough.
Kureno led the way back into the kitchen where there was a small collection of fruits being sliced up on a cutting board. "I was just making the side dish," he said, feeling he needed to explain for the mess.
The walk to his place had been a calming one, letting her drop the anxieties that were bothering her (low-level that they were) and just concentrate on having a good evening. Breakfast for dinner. Hanging out with Kureno. Picking on him and feeding his fish. And then going on patrol later in the evening, but she could deal with that. She wouldn't be staying at his place until one in the morning, after all.
It certainly helped that she got a few cigarettes in on the way.
After the cursory greeting, involving shoes off as always, Asuka followed him into the kitchen and couldn't help but give a smile at his 'mess.' "I had a feeling you wouldn't be able to live with something as unhealthy as 'only pancakes' for dinner," she said dryly, and made her way over to the fridge. And, as she expected, no syrup. "Or any syrup." She stuck her bottle on the top shelf and closed the door.
"I said I'd make something to go with it. Besides, I don't have syrup because I hardly ever need it," he sniffed. "I don't usually make myself things like pancakes or waffles for breakfast, and to be honest I don't usually eat them for dinner either. Today's a special exception." It was also an exception because it had been the only real thing she offered that didn't sound like it would be microwaved (heaven forbid). "Looks like you came prepared anyway, so we're good."
Kureno returned to his cutting board, picking up the remains of a cantaloupe and motioning around the kitchen before he went to finishing his job of reducing it to bite-sized chunks. "You can use anything you need. Skillets are in that cupboard, spatulas and whatnot there."
... well, that made sense. She couldn't really find any way to pick on him for not having something he never used, after all. Sigh, so much for making an argument out of it.
Setting the grocery bag and its contents on the counter, Asuka went ahead and began pulling out what she wanted. She supposed now was not the time to mention that she'd poked around his kitchen quite a bit when he was sick (hey, you never knew where a person would keep their medications) and already knew where those skillets and spatulas and whatnot were. She could always blame it on a lucky guess if he asked how she knew where his mixing bowls were kept...
Since he'd made a valid excuse for his eating habits that she couldn't pick on him for, the kunoichi thought for a moment on how to change the topic while gathering and arranging the items for her project: a skillet on the stove, a ladel and spatula and plate on the counter nearby. It was when she was pulling a bowl down out of the cabinet that she asked, "What are you making over there?" Obviously it involved fruit, considering the fresh scent and what she'd seen when glancing over, but that didn't really say what it would end up being.
"Just a fruit salad, nothing really complicated." Seeing her get the bowl he remembered he should have told her where those were. ...But apparently she found them. Rather quickly. Huh. Lucky guess. Probably wasn't that hard to figure out another person's kitchen anyway. But just to be sure... "Mixing cups are in the same cupboard," he indicated with a nod. "Anything you don't want in this salad?"
Settling the bowl down on the counter next to the pancake mix (still in the bag), Asuka stepped forward in order to see what exactly he was killing chopping up. Pretty simple, compared to what he usually threw together, just apples, cantaloupe, strawberries, and a bag of grapes. Looked pretty good.
...
... no, she had to say it.
"Needs chocolate," she commented, a tiny grin ruining her deadpan, one hand sneaking forward to steal one of the uncut strawberries.
His nose wrinkled in distaste--probably to the chocolate and to her teasing. "It's fine without chocolate and I don't have any anyway. You know I don't like sweets." He turned his body a little to protect anything else from being filched off his cutting board. "You can put anything you want on your servings but leave mine alone."
Damn. Figured he wouldn't. Not that she really wanted chocolate syrup (except for on the strawberries), but it would be perfect to tease him with. Too bad.
With a roll of her eyes at his defensive protection of the fruit, she stuffed the strawberry in her mouth before retreating again to her side of the kitchen. "Be tha' way," she replied around a mouthful of fruit. "Jus' leaves moa' fo' me."
Then, wiping her hands on the thighs of her jeans, Asuka completed her mission by procuring a wooden spoon and a measuring cup from the depths of his cabinets. She usually just eyeballed the whole thing (and had leftovers for the next few days), but since she didn't have any idea of just how much he was going to eat, it would probably be a good idea to actually measure for a change. Consulting the side of the jar for measuring dry portions was necessary, then, though she never did the same with water. (She had learned through trial and error just how thick the batter ought to be.)
....hmmm. Chocolate syrup. Maybe next time she should try adding some of that to the batter.... Asuka kept this in mind with a thoughtful look.
Plastic rustled as she removed the jar of pancake mix and turned it to consider the label. It wasn't the standard cheap-o mix in a bag, but rather a brand that she had grown up on and was sort of picky about (although really, most all kinds of pancakes were do-able. she just liked this one best.). Other than the fact that it was in a jar (unusual enough by itself), it also had a red and black plaid ribbon tied around the neck. She untied this and left it on the counter before glancing back across the kitchen to Kureno. "D'you want me to start now or later? And how many do you want?"
"Go ahead and start, I'll be finished with this soon. And...four should be fine." Usually he could eat more, but...well, no telling if he'd really like these or not. Not that he believed Asuka's could be worse, but experiences like Kakami's cooking made one cautious about serving sizes. Four was still a good number though, enough to be satisfying without risking obligating himself to eat more if he happened to not enjoy them. (He was pretty sure Asuka wouldn't appreciate him thinking her cooking could be a risk or obligation though.)
Pushing the finished cantaloupe aside, he spared a glance over his shoulder and stared. "I didn't know pancake mix came in a jar."
She blinked at him and then dropped her gaze to her hands, turning the jar back to the side with the measurements.
"Not so often anymore," she replied, "but back in the day they used to a lot. I got hooked on this brand when I was a kid. Most all pancake mixes taste the same, but hell, I can be picky sometimes, too." Asuka flashed him a small smile (only half teasing about his eating habits) before twisting off the lid, measuring the powder into the bowl, and turning to the sink.
For whatever reason, the instructions that pre-made pancake mix gave always made the batter too watery and thin. Made it harder to make nice, thick, fluffy pancakes that way. So rather than measuring out water as well, Asuka just added a little at a time from the tap, mixing as she went, until she was pleased with the consistency. It was almost like really cooking. Kureno ought to be proud.
Having Asuka used the line "back in the day" and have it be something he was unaware of felt strange. Granted, he'd remained sheltered from and clueless about most things associated with "normal" in his youth, but it just meant he felt all the more left-out and even embarrassed for not knowing what other people were talking about. Especially since he and Asuka were the same age.
...Well, okay, as of today they weren't the same age anymore, but they were still of the same year and that meant something.
It was also one of those things that didn't need to be fretted over as much as he was right now, so he moved on, noticing the way Asuka wasn't using any measuring tool for the water. "Eyeballing it, huh. Does that mean you like them thicker or thinner than the recipe?" He left out the 'should I be scared' joke.
"Thicker." She took that moment to test the batter, watching to see how quickly the bits dripping from her spoon stayed on the surface. "The batter's always too thin when you follow the instructions. You get more pancakes, but they're all thin and easier to burn and just not as good." Her voice turned a touch wry as she determined her batter perfect and took the bowl back to the stove. "I promise I won't kill you on your birthday, don't worry."
Kureno made a vaguely amused sound as he rolled his eyes and turned back to his own task. It didn't take long to finish, and he rinsed the knife in the sink before stepping closer to Asuka's side as he looked in his cupboards for a serving bowl. Bringing on down to the counter, his eye caught on a bit of color.
"So you even gift-wrapped it for me, how sweet," he said, picking up the red and black plaid ribbon she'd removed from the jar earlier. "Unless it came that way and you're cutting corners."
With Kureno on his side of the kitchen finishing with the fruit and her at the stove, there really didn't seem to be too much need to do any talking. He hadn't bothered to shoot anything smart back after her last comment, after all. So she didn't try to continue the conversation; honestly, it was easier that way. At least if she wasn't opening her mouth she wasn't saying anything stupid, right? And he wasn't saying anything she felt like she needed to interpret or otherwise react properly to. Quiet was easier. Quiet kept her from stressing out. Yes, quiet was good.
Withdrawing a stick of butter from his fridge (of course he'd only have the real stuff), she got the skillet ready for the first pancake and ladled it in with a hiss. That was when he re-approached her and found the ribbon she'd discarded earlier.
Then it was her turn to roll her eyes. "I would never cut corners for you," she replied dryly. "I picked it out special for you to put in your hair. It even matches your eyes."
His nose and lips twisted a little with distaste again. Like he'd be caught dead in plaid. "It's not going into my hair," he stated very clearly. Then holding it up next to her ponytail he mused, "Yours on the other hand..."
Asuka gave him a sideways look that dared him to try such a thing. She'd take it from him (or try to) if her hands weren't full; first pancakes always came out worst, and it was already looking like it needed to be flipped.
"I wasn't what came gift-wrapped," she replied warningly. And then paused to consider her words.
... she really could have said that better.
While he caught the intention of her words, the way her eyes darted a little at everything but him didn't help stop him from also thinking about the other ways to interpret that sentence. He still tried not to--and not to blush, although she probably wouldn't have noticed anyway--especially when putting gift-wrapping and Asuka together reminded him of exactly what one did with the wrapping paper. Kureno was fairly certain he wasn't entitled to have thoughts like that yet. Hadn't always stopped him though.
"Huh." The word came out more like a slightly nervous and amused sound. "And here I was trying to keep the awkwardness out of the evening..."
It took a few seconds for Kureno to realize that yes, he had said that aloud when he only meant to think it. Brilliant. Damage control time.
"I mean, if I was going for awkward, I would've asked you for the first thing that came to mind for my present."
Hmm. Okay, distracting away from her slip up was a good thing, but doing so by putting himself on the spot couldn't have been the smartest move. ...He could always blame chivalry for making him sacrifice himself.
...stupid chivalry.
... okay, he had been doing good up until the point where he opened his mouth the second time.
For a second she had been reasonably well assured (and slightly comforted) by the fact that this whole mess of relationship crap that had recently come up hadn't just been making things awkward for her, but for him too. Maybe she wasn't the only one who was worried about saying something stupid. But then he turned around and did say that 'something stupid,' and her train of thought abruptly derailed while wondering what that first thing to come to his mind had been.
Asuka glanced down just then and realized the pancake was starting to burn.
"Sh-" The hiss that escaped her didn't quite evolve into a full curse, as the pancake didn't look all that bad when she flipped it over. Just... a little more crispy at the edges than it should be at this point. It did stick, though, and ripped a bit down one side in the process. Well, first pancakes always came out worst...
The kunoichi turned the heat down a little and reached for the butter again, sparing Kureno a quick, no-longer-quite-as-flustered glance as she did so. "I'm not sure I want to ask," she said a touch hesitantly, because frankly, she really wasn't sure if she did want to ask.
He scowled defensively, perhaps putting a little exaggeration into his eye roll. "It's not like I was going to ask you to let me take advantage of you or anything." That wasn't a total lie. It depended on how one interpreted the "taking advantage" part. "I just know that you would've been a little uncomfortable with it."
...Great. It was his turn to have his words coming out sounding completely wrong.
"I mean I would've asked you to wear a dress. A nice dress. Subject you to one of those 'fancy' places I like for an evening. I was good though," he expressly pointed out. "This is just supposed to be a comfortable dinner. So gift-wrap aside..." He held the ribbon up to eye level, closing one eye and obviously envisioning it tied around her ponytail. "...I still say this would look better on you."
Oh. Fancy places. Yeah, that sounded more like his style. And fairly innocent, for what she knew, just a typical Kureno-thing. Nothing to interpret there. She thought.
Asuka stifled any sighs of relief that might have escaped her and gave him a dirty look instead. Dirty looks were easy.
"I don't wear ribbons," she said, and made sure to keep a closer eye on the food this time. Last thing she wanted to do was burn the other side, too. "And I wouldn't buy a dress just to indulge your taste in food, so there. Pancakes and jeans are better any day of the week."
"I thought you'd feel that way," he said, lowering the ribbon again but not quite putting it down anywhere. "Again, why I opted for something you'd be more agreeable to. I'm being nice tonight, Asuka, honest." Remembering why he came over to this side of the kitchen, he finished grabbing a bowl and headed back to his cutting board.
But not without standing over her shoulder for a moment, eyeing the pancake she'd just scooped out.
"If I wasn't, I'd say something about only needing two pancakes after all. But hey, gentleman."
He blamed that one on her just being prickly before retreating away with a slightly snide grin.
"Hey! First pancakes always turn out bad!" she said in protest, shooting him an annoyed look over her shoulder as he retreated.
Being nice. Right. At least being sarcastically picky was normal conversation.
The pancake came out right about then, and honestly, it didn't look that bad on the plate. Just browner than it ought to be. Turning the heat down and adding more butter (and not having Kureno come back over and open his mouth) ought to do the trick for the rest. Another pat of butter and a generous glop of batter later had another pancake on its way to perfection, damnit.
"Just stay over there with your fruit," Asuka muttered at the batter as bubbles formed on the surface. Seriously, man.
"I'm done." The slices had been thrown into the bowl and Kureno was currently cleaning his work space and rinsing the sticky juice off his hands. "If you need 'alone time' with my skillet so much though, I can always still set the table."
In a strange, twisted way...this was still being nice. It was being familiar and keeping within the regions of normalcy. If he was going to be really mean, he'd be teasing her on a different level. Or worse--make her talk about what she thought of that kind of teasing. Playing it safe like this was definitely being nice.
Which is why when he finished laying everything out and sat down at his table to watch Asuka finishing up the last bit of that batter, he felt perfectly fine with saying, "My fruit and I are ready for you and your burnt pancakes any time now."
She was not blushing. She was not blushing. Asuka rolled her eyes up to the vent over his stove and told herself quite firmly that she was not blushing. Alone time with his skillet indeed.
She should so not be taking that out of context just because of a little slip up in conversation. Brain, out of gutter!
The second pancake went much better than the first, and the third even better, and all the rest after that, and they looked very damn good, if she said so herself. It also gave her the time needed to recompose herself and set her train of thought back on its rails. Not that Kureno was exactly making anything easy on her, oh no. Asuka tapped the ladel against the inside of the bowl after starting the last pancake.
"My pancakes are not burnt." Like talking to small child. A small, annoying child that got sadistic glee out of pissing you off. Keep your voice level and try not to sound angry. She closed her eyes and nevertheless couldn't stop her brows from coming together in irritation.
"Tell that to the first one." ...Alright, maybe he was being a little mean now. She kept her back to him, but Kureno was picking up annoyed vibes. Ah well, guess it was time to change the subject. He glanced around the room as he tried to come up with something.
"Oh, drinks." He got up again and opened his fridge. "Anything you want? Mostly milk, water, or something alcoholic. I think I have concentrate in the freezer...and the last bit of cranberry juice," he listed off after going through the shelves. "Preference?"
One brow twitched in irritation, but she kept it to herself. It wasn't such a big deal if he thought she couldn't cook; she'd complained about her lack of skills many over the years, he'd never seen her cook before, and she hadn't exactly shown off well on that first pancake. She could live with a little teasing if it meant she could forcefeed him his own words later. Or make him eat the burnt pancake. (She already knew she wouldn't do that, though.)
The last pancake flipped just as nicely as the rest (ignoring the first), and it looked like the rest of this batch was going to come out perfect. Asuka let that override her irritation and chose to concentrate on being hungry and wanting the damn food to just finish cooking. It wasn't easy, but it was easier than thinking about beating Kureno with a spatula.
"What do you have that's alcoholic?" Not that she really needed to be drinking before work... "No, nevermind. Water is fine." No more alcohol for a while, Sarutobi. Stay dry for at least a week, will you?
Having heard about a few of her recent bar-hopping debacles himself, Kureno realized offering her alcohol in the first place probably hadn't been a good idea. Not that he couldn't make sure she kept responsible about it, but... Water. "I can get you water."
Opting for the last of the juice himself, he filled his glass and placed a water pitcher on the table. He eyed things to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything (utensils, napkins, drinks, extra butter and syrup were all in place). He picked up her fork and fiddled a little with it as he waited, glancing over his shoulder at Asuka to see how the progress was going.
"Almost done?"
One more flip of the spatula and the last pancake slide out of the pan and onto the plate. Perfect. By her standards, at least. If he didn't like her standards, he'd just have to choke it down anyway. Asuka nodded to herself and set the skillet aside before turning off the stove.
"Yup." She picked up the plate and carried it over the table, settling it down between the butter and the syrup with a not-quite-flourish. "Bite me and my burnt pancakes, jerk."
... it was when she was sitting at her spot, giving Kureno a smug look that was just daring him to say something snide, that she noticed that he'd apparently tied the ribbon around her fork while she was busy cooking.
Sigh.
He very quaintly pretended not to notice the face she made when she spotted the ribbon. (It was great. A picture to keep treasured in his memory.) Instead, he preoccupied himself with looking over the stack on the plate she put down.
"Impressive. They not only look edible...but appetizing as well." He considered making a joke by trying to break whatever genjutsu she was using, but if he'd finally let slip a compliment, why not end on it for once?
See? He was being very, very nice today.
The look of quietly resigned disgust passed and was replaced (again) with that smug look. "Told you first pancakes always turn out bad." She didn't add that he hadn't helped matters any, but that was mostly to avoid potentially derailing trains of thought again. "I've been making them for years, I can at least do this much right. And you saw me make the batter, so don't go making comments about poison."
Asuka would get her final satisfaction when saw how much he actually ate, so she gestured at the plate. "Hurry up, take some. I'll take the burnt one so you won't have to stretch yourself."
In the meantime, while he was serving himself she'd be removing this damn ribbon and deciding what to do with it. Strangling him with it was not an acceptable alternative; it would keep him from eating the pancakes, after all.
"While I could argue that you're a ninja and could hide the poison anywhere, I'll do my best to refrain." Taking a second to properly accept the meal, Kureno reached over with his fork and knife and piled the four pancakes he'd sworn himself to on his plate. Buttering them up and adding a reasonable amount of syrup, he cut himself out a four-layered square that disappeared into his mouth.
...And it was good in a way he couldn't quite specifically describe. They didn't melt in his mouth but they didn't stick there either. They were fluffy and light like a pancake should be without any added spice or flavor making them stand out as an extraodinary sensation in his mouth. Not the best he'd ever tasted but a far cry from being the worst, and yet... For some reason he was preferring these over any other pancakes he'd had before. Which just seemed silly without a reason to explain it, but...that's how it was.
"These are good," he commended at last after swallowing. (He never talked with his mouth full.) "Really good. ...Just pancake mix?" Maybe she did something different he hadn't caught? This was going to bug him a while if he didn't figure it out.
Asuka would not admit that she was hanging on his expression and waiting for his final verdict. It was a matter of pride, maybe, that the one thing she knew she could reliably cook would get at least an 'it's okay' out of him. The last thing she wanted was to get a thumbs down and have to order take out to make up for it. (It had to be pride, because it was pride that told her she wouldn't let him pay for it if it had come down to that.)
So when he not only stated they were good, but emphasized they were good, she couldn't help but grin in pleasure. It didn't match the smug look she'd been wearing earlier, but really, he was such a damn picky eater that it was good to know she could make something he would eat. Even if he had just been expecting something much worse, she'd take what she could get.
"Just pancake mix," she affirmed, picking at the ribbon and pulling it loose from her fork. "They put some extra spice in the batter, cinnamon or allspice or something, I'd have to check the label, but it's just regular old mix and water. Well, and butter and syrup, but those are regular, too."
"Huh. I think I can see why it may have been your favorite." He paused before taking another bite to look up at her and put some sincerity into his voice. "Thank you, Asuka. I appreciate you humoring my gift request."
It really had been an odd thing of him to ask. He still wasn't sure himself why it came out in that particular form. He knew it was mostly because he just wanted to spend time with her, but if that was all he'd wanted, he could have just told her to buy him a round of drinks or something. This was more...personal. Perhaps he'd subconsciously knew that when his brain came up with this idea.
"You're welcome." If all he wanted for his birthday was some pancakes, then she at least wanted him to like them. And since he seemed to like them, then that made her day (or at least her gift). So the smile she gave him then was one of genuine pleasure. "Happy birthday."
Thankfully, the rest of the meal went well. Or at least, normally. For them. Which involved teasing and arguing and picking on each other, of course. (The subject of her most recent night out on the town came up, like she expected - thankfully he didn't do much more than psuedo-compliment her on actually getting a Hyuuga drunk, along with criticizing her on the whole drinking irresponsibly thing... though she really just expected he was envisioning how much it must have pissed Hiashiko off.). But it didn't approach the realm of awkward again. Asuka was careful to keep it that way.
And he even had an extra pancake. Which did more to say how much he liked the food than any verbal compliments.
It was nice to have a night with him that was normal. Asuka didn't ever really feel as completely comfortable as she normally did, but... well, she supposed that was to be expected. Until this thing resolved itself (... or didn't...), she'd just take what she could get. She was still reminded of how much she wanted to talk with Chiriku when she left, though.
It was still a little surprising, honestly, that Kureno had asked her to cook for his birthday. After all... seriously, he knew she wasn't much of a cook. In all the time that they'd known each other, they'd either eaten out or he'd cooked. On a few rare instances she'd offered to throw together some microwave bento (which was how she learned of his allergy to microwaves), but that was about as far as it went. Granted, she hadn't killed anyone with her cooking lately, but that didn't change the... 'why the hell?' feeling behind his question.
And that was when she decided to just... stop worrying about it. Which, on the one hand, she realized she was doing far too much lately, but on the other hand, if she didn't stop trying to analyze him she'd never be able to act normally around him again. It honestly felt like there was probably something she ought to be picking up on here, but was utterly failing in the finding. Then again, Asuka had a feeling she'd been missing an awful lot of subtleties coming from him lately... even long before he'd admitted being jealous of Hanato. Maybe that was just making her paranoid.
... heh. Damn right she was paranoid. She just wished she didn't have to be paranoid of Kureno.
So the kunoichi just threw the jar of pancake mix into a grocery bag, stared a few minutes at her half-used bottle of syrup before throwing that in just in case (after all, he didn't have much of a sweet tooth, didn't make sense for him to have one himself), and headed out the door. Cooking pancakes was a simple task, and certainly nothing could be construed from the act. She just... needed to relax.
Asuka blew out a sigh when she reached his doorstep, and took a moment to shut her brain up before knocking. She really needed to talk to Chiriku.
Kureno's kitchen door wasn't far from his front, so it didn't take long for him to answer her knock. "Hey, come on in," he greeted, leaving the door open for her while she stepped inside and pulled her shoes off. He was more casual than usual this evening, at least as far as his outfit went. His "casual" side practically always included a button-down shirt of some kind, but today it was simply a brown sweater, the sleeves currently rolled up just past his elbows making it almost look like a t-shirt if one wasn't looking closely enough.
Kureno led the way back into the kitchen where there was a small collection of fruits being sliced up on a cutting board. "I was just making the side dish," he said, feeling he needed to explain for the mess.
The walk to his place had been a calming one, letting her drop the anxieties that were bothering her (low-level that they were) and just concentrate on having a good evening. Breakfast for dinner. Hanging out with Kureno. Picking on him and feeding his fish. And then going on patrol later in the evening, but she could deal with that. She wouldn't be staying at his place until one in the morning, after all.
It certainly helped that she got a few cigarettes in on the way.
After the cursory greeting, involving shoes off as always, Asuka followed him into the kitchen and couldn't help but give a smile at his 'mess.' "I had a feeling you wouldn't be able to live with something as unhealthy as 'only pancakes' for dinner," she said dryly, and made her way over to the fridge. And, as she expected, no syrup. "Or any syrup." She stuck her bottle on the top shelf and closed the door.
"I said I'd make something to go with it. Besides, I don't have syrup because I hardly ever need it," he sniffed. "I don't usually make myself things like pancakes or waffles for breakfast, and to be honest I don't usually eat them for dinner either. Today's a special exception." It was also an exception because it had been the only real thing she offered that didn't sound like it would be microwaved (heaven forbid). "Looks like you came prepared anyway, so we're good."
Kureno returned to his cutting board, picking up the remains of a cantaloupe and motioning around the kitchen before he went to finishing his job of reducing it to bite-sized chunks. "You can use anything you need. Skillets are in that cupboard, spatulas and whatnot there."
... well, that made sense. She couldn't really find any way to pick on him for not having something he never used, after all. Sigh, so much for making an argument out of it.
Setting the grocery bag and its contents on the counter, Asuka went ahead and began pulling out what she wanted. She supposed now was not the time to mention that she'd poked around his kitchen quite a bit when he was sick (hey, you never knew where a person would keep their medications) and already knew where those skillets and spatulas and whatnot were. She could always blame it on a lucky guess if he asked how she knew where his mixing bowls were kept...
Since he'd made a valid excuse for his eating habits that she couldn't pick on him for, the kunoichi thought for a moment on how to change the topic while gathering and arranging the items for her project: a skillet on the stove, a ladel and spatula and plate on the counter nearby. It was when she was pulling a bowl down out of the cabinet that she asked, "What are you making over there?" Obviously it involved fruit, considering the fresh scent and what she'd seen when glancing over, but that didn't really say what it would end up being.
"Just a fruit salad, nothing really complicated." Seeing her get the bowl he remembered he should have told her where those were. ...But apparently she found them. Rather quickly. Huh. Lucky guess. Probably wasn't that hard to figure out another person's kitchen anyway. But just to be sure... "Mixing cups are in the same cupboard," he indicated with a nod. "Anything you don't want in this salad?"
Settling the bowl down on the counter next to the pancake mix (still in the bag), Asuka stepped forward in order to see what exactly he was killing chopping up. Pretty simple, compared to what he usually threw together, just apples, cantaloupe, strawberries, and a bag of grapes. Looked pretty good.
...
... no, she had to say it.
"Needs chocolate," she commented, a tiny grin ruining her deadpan, one hand sneaking forward to steal one of the uncut strawberries.
His nose wrinkled in distaste--probably to the chocolate and to her teasing. "It's fine without chocolate and I don't have any anyway. You know I don't like sweets." He turned his body a little to protect anything else from being filched off his cutting board. "You can put anything you want on your servings but leave mine alone."
Damn. Figured he wouldn't. Not that she really wanted chocolate syrup (except for on the strawberries), but it would be perfect to tease him with. Too bad.
With a roll of her eyes at his defensive protection of the fruit, she stuffed the strawberry in her mouth before retreating again to her side of the kitchen. "Be tha' way," she replied around a mouthful of fruit. "Jus' leaves moa' fo' me."
Then, wiping her hands on the thighs of her jeans, Asuka completed her mission by procuring a wooden spoon and a measuring cup from the depths of his cabinets. She usually just eyeballed the whole thing (and had leftovers for the next few days), but since she didn't have any idea of just how much he was going to eat, it would probably be a good idea to actually measure for a change. Consulting the side of the jar for measuring dry portions was necessary, then, though she never did the same with water. (She had learned through trial and error just how thick the batter ought to be.)
....hmmm. Chocolate syrup. Maybe next time she should try adding some of that to the batter.... Asuka kept this in mind with a thoughtful look.
Plastic rustled as she removed the jar of pancake mix and turned it to consider the label. It wasn't the standard cheap-o mix in a bag, but rather a brand that she had grown up on and was sort of picky about (although really, most all kinds of pancakes were do-able. she just liked this one best.). Other than the fact that it was in a jar (unusual enough by itself), it also had a red and black plaid ribbon tied around the neck. She untied this and left it on the counter before glancing back across the kitchen to Kureno. "D'you want me to start now or later? And how many do you want?"
"Go ahead and start, I'll be finished with this soon. And...four should be fine." Usually he could eat more, but...well, no telling if he'd really like these or not. Not that he believed Asuka's could be worse, but experiences like Kakami's cooking made one cautious about serving sizes. Four was still a good number though, enough to be satisfying without risking obligating himself to eat more if he happened to not enjoy them. (He was pretty sure Asuka wouldn't appreciate him thinking her cooking could be a risk or obligation though.)
Pushing the finished cantaloupe aside, he spared a glance over his shoulder and stared. "I didn't know pancake mix came in a jar."
She blinked at him and then dropped her gaze to her hands, turning the jar back to the side with the measurements.
"Not so often anymore," she replied, "but back in the day they used to a lot. I got hooked on this brand when I was a kid. Most all pancake mixes taste the same, but hell, I can be picky sometimes, too." Asuka flashed him a small smile (only half teasing about his eating habits) before twisting off the lid, measuring the powder into the bowl, and turning to the sink.
For whatever reason, the instructions that pre-made pancake mix gave always made the batter too watery and thin. Made it harder to make nice, thick, fluffy pancakes that way. So rather than measuring out water as well, Asuka just added a little at a time from the tap, mixing as she went, until she was pleased with the consistency. It was almost like really cooking. Kureno ought to be proud.
Having Asuka used the line "back in the day" and have it be something he was unaware of felt strange. Granted, he'd remained sheltered from and clueless about most things associated with "normal" in his youth, but it just meant he felt all the more left-out and even embarrassed for not knowing what other people were talking about. Especially since he and Asuka were the same age.
...Well, okay, as of today they weren't the same age anymore, but they were still of the same year and that meant something.
It was also one of those things that didn't need to be fretted over as much as he was right now, so he moved on, noticing the way Asuka wasn't using any measuring tool for the water. "Eyeballing it, huh. Does that mean you like them thicker or thinner than the recipe?" He left out the 'should I be scared' joke.
"Thicker." She took that moment to test the batter, watching to see how quickly the bits dripping from her spoon stayed on the surface. "The batter's always too thin when you follow the instructions. You get more pancakes, but they're all thin and easier to burn and just not as good." Her voice turned a touch wry as she determined her batter perfect and took the bowl back to the stove. "I promise I won't kill you on your birthday, don't worry."
Kureno made a vaguely amused sound as he rolled his eyes and turned back to his own task. It didn't take long to finish, and he rinsed the knife in the sink before stepping closer to Asuka's side as he looked in his cupboards for a serving bowl. Bringing on down to the counter, his eye caught on a bit of color.
"So you even gift-wrapped it for me, how sweet," he said, picking up the red and black plaid ribbon she'd removed from the jar earlier. "Unless it came that way and you're cutting corners."
With Kureno on his side of the kitchen finishing with the fruit and her at the stove, there really didn't seem to be too much need to do any talking. He hadn't bothered to shoot anything smart back after her last comment, after all. So she didn't try to continue the conversation; honestly, it was easier that way. At least if she wasn't opening her mouth she wasn't saying anything stupid, right? And he wasn't saying anything she felt like she needed to interpret or otherwise react properly to. Quiet was easier. Quiet kept her from stressing out. Yes, quiet was good.
Withdrawing a stick of butter from his fridge (of course he'd only have the real stuff), she got the skillet ready for the first pancake and ladled it in with a hiss. That was when he re-approached her and found the ribbon she'd discarded earlier.
Then it was her turn to roll her eyes. "I would never cut corners for you," she replied dryly. "I picked it out special for you to put in your hair. It even matches your eyes."
His nose and lips twisted a little with distaste again. Like he'd be caught dead in plaid. "It's not going into my hair," he stated very clearly. Then holding it up next to her ponytail he mused, "Yours on the other hand..."
Asuka gave him a sideways look that dared him to try such a thing. She'd take it from him (or try to) if her hands weren't full; first pancakes always came out worst, and it was already looking like it needed to be flipped.
"I wasn't what came gift-wrapped," she replied warningly. And then paused to consider her words.
... she really could have said that better.
While he caught the intention of her words, the way her eyes darted a little at everything but him didn't help stop him from also thinking about the other ways to interpret that sentence. He still tried not to--and not to blush, although she probably wouldn't have noticed anyway--especially when putting gift-wrapping and Asuka together reminded him of exactly what one did with the wrapping paper. Kureno was fairly certain he wasn't entitled to have thoughts like that yet. Hadn't always stopped him though.
"Huh." The word came out more like a slightly nervous and amused sound. "And here I was trying to keep the awkwardness out of the evening..."
It took a few seconds for Kureno to realize that yes, he had said that aloud when he only meant to think it. Brilliant. Damage control time.
"I mean, if I was going for awkward, I would've asked you for the first thing that came to mind for my present."
Hmm. Okay, distracting away from her slip up was a good thing, but doing so by putting himself on the spot couldn't have been the smartest move. ...He could always blame chivalry for making him sacrifice himself.
...stupid chivalry.
... okay, he had been doing good up until the point where he opened his mouth the second time.
For a second she had been reasonably well assured (and slightly comforted) by the fact that this whole mess of relationship crap that had recently come up hadn't just been making things awkward for her, but for him too. Maybe she wasn't the only one who was worried about saying something stupid. But then he turned around and did say that 'something stupid,' and her train of thought abruptly derailed while wondering what that first thing to come to his mind had been.
Asuka glanced down just then and realized the pancake was starting to burn.
"Sh-" The hiss that escaped her didn't quite evolve into a full curse, as the pancake didn't look all that bad when she flipped it over. Just... a little more crispy at the edges than it should be at this point. It did stick, though, and ripped a bit down one side in the process. Well, first pancakes always came out worst...
The kunoichi turned the heat down a little and reached for the butter again, sparing Kureno a quick, no-longer-quite-as-flustered glance as she did so. "I'm not sure I want to ask," she said a touch hesitantly, because frankly, she really wasn't sure if she did want to ask.
He scowled defensively, perhaps putting a little exaggeration into his eye roll. "It's not like I was going to ask you to let me take advantage of you or anything." That wasn't a total lie. It depended on how one interpreted the "taking advantage" part. "I just know that you would've been a little uncomfortable with it."
...Great. It was his turn to have his words coming out sounding completely wrong.
"I mean I would've asked you to wear a dress. A nice dress. Subject you to one of those 'fancy' places I like for an evening. I was good though," he expressly pointed out. "This is just supposed to be a comfortable dinner. So gift-wrap aside..." He held the ribbon up to eye level, closing one eye and obviously envisioning it tied around her ponytail. "...I still say this would look better on you."
Oh. Fancy places. Yeah, that sounded more like his style. And fairly innocent, for what she knew, just a typical Kureno-thing. Nothing to interpret there. She thought.
Asuka stifled any sighs of relief that might have escaped her and gave him a dirty look instead. Dirty looks were easy.
"I don't wear ribbons," she said, and made sure to keep a closer eye on the food this time. Last thing she wanted to do was burn the other side, too. "And I wouldn't buy a dress just to indulge your taste in food, so there. Pancakes and jeans are better any day of the week."
"I thought you'd feel that way," he said, lowering the ribbon again but not quite putting it down anywhere. "Again, why I opted for something you'd be more agreeable to. I'm being nice tonight, Asuka, honest." Remembering why he came over to this side of the kitchen, he finished grabbing a bowl and headed back to his cutting board.
But not without standing over her shoulder for a moment, eyeing the pancake she'd just scooped out.
"If I wasn't, I'd say something about only needing two pancakes after all. But hey, gentleman."
He blamed that one on her just being prickly before retreating away with a slightly snide grin.
"Hey! First pancakes always turn out bad!" she said in protest, shooting him an annoyed look over her shoulder as he retreated.
Being nice. Right. At least being sarcastically picky was normal conversation.
The pancake came out right about then, and honestly, it didn't look that bad on the plate. Just browner than it ought to be. Turning the heat down and adding more butter (and not having Kureno come back over and open his mouth) ought to do the trick for the rest. Another pat of butter and a generous glop of batter later had another pancake on its way to perfection, damnit.
"Just stay over there with your fruit," Asuka muttered at the batter as bubbles formed on the surface. Seriously, man.
"I'm done." The slices had been thrown into the bowl and Kureno was currently cleaning his work space and rinsing the sticky juice off his hands. "If you need 'alone time' with my skillet so much though, I can always still set the table."
In a strange, twisted way...this was still being nice. It was being familiar and keeping within the regions of normalcy. If he was going to be really mean, he'd be teasing her on a different level. Or worse--make her talk about what she thought of that kind of teasing. Playing it safe like this was definitely being nice.
Which is why when he finished laying everything out and sat down at his table to watch Asuka finishing up the last bit of that batter, he felt perfectly fine with saying, "My fruit and I are ready for you and your burnt pancakes any time now."
She was not blushing. She was not blushing. Asuka rolled her eyes up to the vent over his stove and told herself quite firmly that she was not blushing. Alone time with his skillet indeed.
She should so not be taking that out of context just because of a little slip up in conversation. Brain, out of gutter!
The second pancake went much better than the first, and the third even better, and all the rest after that, and they looked very damn good, if she said so herself. It also gave her the time needed to recompose herself and set her train of thought back on its rails. Not that Kureno was exactly making anything easy on her, oh no. Asuka tapped the ladel against the inside of the bowl after starting the last pancake.
"My pancakes are not burnt." Like talking to small child. A small, annoying child that got sadistic glee out of pissing you off. Keep your voice level and try not to sound angry. She closed her eyes and nevertheless couldn't stop her brows from coming together in irritation.
"Tell that to the first one." ...Alright, maybe he was being a little mean now. She kept her back to him, but Kureno was picking up annoyed vibes. Ah well, guess it was time to change the subject. He glanced around the room as he tried to come up with something.
"Oh, drinks." He got up again and opened his fridge. "Anything you want? Mostly milk, water, or something alcoholic. I think I have concentrate in the freezer...and the last bit of cranberry juice," he listed off after going through the shelves. "Preference?"
One brow twitched in irritation, but she kept it to herself. It wasn't such a big deal if he thought she couldn't cook; she'd complained about her lack of skills many over the years, he'd never seen her cook before, and she hadn't exactly shown off well on that first pancake. She could live with a little teasing if it meant she could forcefeed him his own words later. Or make him eat the burnt pancake. (She already knew she wouldn't do that, though.)
The last pancake flipped just as nicely as the rest (ignoring the first), and it looked like the rest of this batch was going to come out perfect. Asuka let that override her irritation and chose to concentrate on being hungry and wanting the damn food to just finish cooking. It wasn't easy, but it was easier than thinking about beating Kureno with a spatula.
"What do you have that's alcoholic?" Not that she really needed to be drinking before work... "No, nevermind. Water is fine." No more alcohol for a while, Sarutobi. Stay dry for at least a week, will you?
Having heard about a few of her recent bar-hopping debacles himself, Kureno realized offering her alcohol in the first place probably hadn't been a good idea. Not that he couldn't make sure she kept responsible about it, but... Water. "I can get you water."
Opting for the last of the juice himself, he filled his glass and placed a water pitcher on the table. He eyed things to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything (utensils, napkins, drinks, extra butter and syrup were all in place). He picked up her fork and fiddled a little with it as he waited, glancing over his shoulder at Asuka to see how the progress was going.
"Almost done?"
One more flip of the spatula and the last pancake slide out of the pan and onto the plate. Perfect. By her standards, at least. If he didn't like her standards, he'd just have to choke it down anyway. Asuka nodded to herself and set the skillet aside before turning off the stove.
"Yup." She picked up the plate and carried it over the table, settling it down between the butter and the syrup with a not-quite-flourish. "Bite me and my burnt pancakes, jerk."
... it was when she was sitting at her spot, giving Kureno a smug look that was just daring him to say something snide, that she noticed that he'd apparently tied the ribbon around her fork while she was busy cooking.
Sigh.
He very quaintly pretended not to notice the face she made when she spotted the ribbon. (It was great. A picture to keep treasured in his memory.) Instead, he preoccupied himself with looking over the stack on the plate she put down.
"Impressive. They not only look edible...but appetizing as well." He considered making a joke by trying to break whatever genjutsu she was using, but if he'd finally let slip a compliment, why not end on it for once?
See? He was being very, very nice today.
The look of quietly resigned disgust passed and was replaced (again) with that smug look. "Told you first pancakes always turn out bad." She didn't add that he hadn't helped matters any, but that was mostly to avoid potentially derailing trains of thought again. "I've been making them for years, I can at least do this much right. And you saw me make the batter, so don't go making comments about poison."
Asuka would get her final satisfaction when saw how much he actually ate, so she gestured at the plate. "Hurry up, take some. I'll take the burnt one so you won't have to stretch yourself."
In the meantime, while he was serving himself she'd be removing this damn ribbon and deciding what to do with it. Strangling him with it was not an acceptable alternative; it would keep him from eating the pancakes, after all.
"While I could argue that you're a ninja and could hide the poison anywhere, I'll do my best to refrain." Taking a second to properly accept the meal, Kureno reached over with his fork and knife and piled the four pancakes he'd sworn himself to on his plate. Buttering them up and adding a reasonable amount of syrup, he cut himself out a four-layered square that disappeared into his mouth.
...And it was good in a way he couldn't quite specifically describe. They didn't melt in his mouth but they didn't stick there either. They were fluffy and light like a pancake should be without any added spice or flavor making them stand out as an extraodinary sensation in his mouth. Not the best he'd ever tasted but a far cry from being the worst, and yet... For some reason he was preferring these over any other pancakes he'd had before. Which just seemed silly without a reason to explain it, but...that's how it was.
"These are good," he commended at last after swallowing. (He never talked with his mouth full.) "Really good. ...Just pancake mix?" Maybe she did something different he hadn't caught? This was going to bug him a while if he didn't figure it out.
Asuka would not admit that she was hanging on his expression and waiting for his final verdict. It was a matter of pride, maybe, that the one thing she knew she could reliably cook would get at least an 'it's okay' out of him. The last thing she wanted was to get a thumbs down and have to order take out to make up for it. (It had to be pride, because it was pride that told her she wouldn't let him pay for it if it had come down to that.)
So when he not only stated they were good, but emphasized they were good, she couldn't help but grin in pleasure. It didn't match the smug look she'd been wearing earlier, but really, he was such a damn picky eater that it was good to know she could make something he would eat. Even if he had just been expecting something much worse, she'd take what she could get.
"Just pancake mix," she affirmed, picking at the ribbon and pulling it loose from her fork. "They put some extra spice in the batter, cinnamon or allspice or something, I'd have to check the label, but it's just regular old mix and water. Well, and butter and syrup, but those are regular, too."
"Huh. I think I can see why it may have been your favorite." He paused before taking another bite to look up at her and put some sincerity into his voice. "Thank you, Asuka. I appreciate you humoring my gift request."
It really had been an odd thing of him to ask. He still wasn't sure himself why it came out in that particular form. He knew it was mostly because he just wanted to spend time with her, but if that was all he'd wanted, he could have just told her to buy him a round of drinks or something. This was more...personal. Perhaps he'd subconsciously knew that when his brain came up with this idea.
"You're welcome." If all he wanted for his birthday was some pancakes, then she at least wanted him to like them. And since he seemed to like them, then that made her day (or at least her gift). So the smile she gave him then was one of genuine pleasure. "Happy birthday."
Thankfully, the rest of the meal went well. Or at least, normally. For them. Which involved teasing and arguing and picking on each other, of course. (The subject of her most recent night out on the town came up, like she expected - thankfully he didn't do much more than psuedo-compliment her on actually getting a Hyuuga drunk, along with criticizing her on the whole drinking irresponsibly thing... though she really just expected he was envisioning how much it must have pissed Hiashiko off.). But it didn't approach the realm of awkward again. Asuka was careful to keep it that way.
And he even had an extra pancake. Which did more to say how much he liked the food than any verbal compliments.
It was nice to have a night with him that was normal. Asuka didn't ever really feel as completely comfortable as she normally did, but... well, she supposed that was to be expected. Until this thing resolved itself (... or didn't...), she'd just take what she could get. She was still reminded of how much she wanted to talk with Chiriku when she left, though.