RP log: Oshitari Yuushi & Tezuka Kunimitsu Part 1
Who: Tezuka Kunimitsu and Oshitari Yuushi
When: Sometime.
Where: Tezuka's house
Summary: Part 1: The boys watch LOTR, Yuushi and Tezuka cook dinner, Tezuka wants to kill Oshitari for messing up the table finished off by Yuushi watching Desperate Housewives with momma-Tezu.
Warning: PG
Comments/Crits Allowed: Of course.
Perfectly on time, he mused to himself, flipping his phone closed before shoving it into his coat pocket. Oshitari had almost missed the train earlier, he had been too caught up in which sweets to select at the bakery. It had been a while since he had last visited a friend's home and impressions on their families (mainly mothers) was key, and what woman did not enjoy delicious desserts?
The blunette closed his book shut and slid it into his backpack once they had pulled into the station, unfolding himself from the seat before making towards the exit. It was crowded, as usual, but he didn't really mind. It was great for alternating his reading with people watching.
Once out of the train station, his eyes caught sight of the familiar figure he was to meet with today. Oshitari smiled to himself before calling out to him. "Tezuka!"
As Tezuka was always early, he appreciated Oshitari's promptness.
"Oshitari," he inclined his head in greeting and leaned off of the pillar. "I trust you found everything okay."
"Aa." He assured. "No problems." The blunette allowed his eyes to take in Tezuka briefly and glanced at his arm. "It's good to see you without the sling."
"Thank you," his own gaze followed Oshitari's to his arm. "I only have to wear it while I sleep now."
Quietly, Tezuka lead Oshitari out of the station and onto the street. Tezuka's family home sat nestled in the quiet suburban area, only a ten minute walk or so from the station. "It's not far from here," Tezuka disclosed. He had simply come to pick Oshitari up to give him company, and because all of the houses tended to look the same.
"I see." Oshitari replied a bit idly. He was curious to ask him questions about his arm related to tennis, but he refrained himself. The tensai wasn't sure how to ask things really and perhaps the subject was a bit sour to the other. He didn't know and figured it best not to find out.
"I appreciate you coming to pick me up." Now that he looked around, he was more than glad Tezuka had decided to greet him there, considering the houses most looked the same. Yuushi glanced down at the small dessert box in his hand.
"I like the walk," Tezuka admitted as they turned onto his street. "Are you looking forward to watching the films?"
Tezuka stopped at a modest house on the corner of the street, with a small, vine-covered archway over the tiny driveway. There was no real lawn, but plenty of plants made up for that. "This is my house."
"Very much so." Plus, he was looking forward to spending this time with Tezuka. Oshitari enjoyed the other's odd nature and found it a bit refreshing? Amusing? He wasn't even sure of the right word to use for him. "After having read through the books, I am curious as to see how the movies live up to them."
Compared to his own home, this house was most definitely modest, but he found their array of plants quite enjoyable to look at. It reminded him of who he would be meeting today -- the great Marilyn. "Quite a lot of plants."
"There are many differences, but if you see the movies as more of a translation of the books' spirit, they are quite faithful."
There were many characters in the book who didn't appear in the movies; not even Peter Jackson can do everything within an acceptable time frame. "Aa, my mother likes to garden," he opened the door for Oshitari. "The yellow slippers are the guest ones."
"Ah, I see."
Oshitari nodded upon entering the home and mumbled a small 'I am sorry for intruding' towards Tezuka before lowering himself on the ground. He untied his sneakers and set them neatly off to the side before sliding into the yellow guest slippers. "Is your family home today?" He asked, tilting his head curiously at the brunette.
Before Tezuka could even say he was home, or answer Oshitari's question, Tezuka Ayana bustled in to smile at her guest. She was a short, lovely woman who practically radiated affection to everyone she met with. "You must be Oshitari-kun, I'm so pleased that you've come to visit Kunimitsu, come in, I've made you boys some snacks to take up stairs."
Oshitari's eyes caught sight of the woman approaching them and he bowed briefly before setting his gaze on her. "I am sorry for intruding." He said, offering one of his winning smiles. Meeting other's parents was something he actually looked forward to and was never one to shy away from. "I've brought some sweets for you and your family to enjoy." The bluenette extended the small carrier towards Tezuka's mother.
If possible, Ayana's smile widened. "You're so sweet to do something like that!" she took the box with a delicate bow, and then all but dragged Oshitari into the kitchen. "And so handsome too. Tell me, do you play tennis as well?"
Following them, Tezuka said, "Upstairs?"
"Yes dear, your grandfather is asleep in the living room watching sumo."
"It's the least I can do after intruding in on your home today." Oshitari offered her a sheepish blush upon her handsome comment and widened his smile to match hers. He could safely assume that Tezuka did most certainly not inherit his personality from her.
"I do play a bit of tennis, yes." Well, more than a bit really. He shot a quick glance towards Tezuka at his 'upstairs' questioning and was unsure if whether to move from his spot or stay put speaking to the lovely woman.
"I'm sure such a strong, handsome boy like yourself does very well on the court," she cooed at him while Tezuka took up the tray of food.
"Mother, stop harrassing him," Tezuka said patiently, giving her a look. "We're going upstairs," he jerked his head slightly to the stairwell in the corner of the kitchen.
"You are too kind with your compliments." Oshitari purred with that accent of his before glancing over his shoulder at Tezuka. He would take that look that he flashed towards his mother as slight annoyance? It was hard to tell when his face didn't change. Indeed such a difference from the woman standing before him.
"I am sorry for intruding once again and thank you for going out of your way to make us some snacks." He flashed her another winning smile and bowed his head slightly as he turned to follow Tezuka.
Tezuka was not annoyed with his mother and she knew it; she just occasionally made people uncomfortable with her constant doting. Fortunately, Oshitari seemed to be okay with it.
"You're good with her," Tezuka commented, once they were far enough up the stairs to be out of earshot. Though he really shouldn't be surprised. Oshitari was fairly close to Atobe, who also got along well with his mother.
"Am I?" Oshitari chuckled a little to himself. He always got along rather well with females, let alone those much older than he. "Your mother seems quite lovely." Perhaps it was his father then that Tezuka took such a stoic persona from? Or grandfather?
"She is," Tezuka confirmed, expression slightly softer for hearing good words spoken about his mother. "She just tends to overwhelm some people."
Tezuka showed Oshitari into his room, which was, save for the corner of the room reserved for Marylin, completely lined with books.
"Really? She didn't seem overwhelming in the least." Oshitari said, knowing what the brunette had meant. Her personality was of no problem to him though.
Yuushi tilted his head at Tezuka slightly upon entering the room and allowed his eyes to quickly glance over the area. The space had been exactly what he had pictured it to be and would of been surprised otherwise. In a way, it was much like his own when it came to the amount of books lining the shelves. Though instead of a corner dedicated to a certain plant, his was dedicated to an instrument. "I take it that is Marilyn?" Oshitari asked and tilted his head towards the corner.
"Aa, I've had her for many years," Tezuka answered, looking fondly to the beautiful bonsai. Today she wore a decorative, Seigaku colored bow tied around her pot because Tezuka had taken her for a walk earlier. "Please make yourself comfortable," he motioned to the bed.
"She's quite beautiful." Oshitari said over his shoulder as he lay his backpack against the wall next to Tezuka's bed. Although the other had said to make himself comfortable, he didn't want to seat himself on such pristinely made sheets.
"She's quite beautiful." Oshitari said as he slid his backpack off of his shoulder, leaning it against the wall besides Tezuka's bed. "The bow is rather cute as well." The blunette noted it's Seigaku colors and flashed a smile at Tezuka. He did not know much about bonsai plants, but he could tell that the other boy took great care of her. The tensai glanced at the bed once Tezuka had motioned to it, but stopped himself from sitting. The sheets were just so...pristinely made, much unlike his floppy mess back home.
"Thank you," Tezuka said, a ghost of a pleased expression crossing his face. "I thought the colors suited her nicely." Oshitari smiled a lot, but he couldn't deny that it was enjoyable to look at.
As he put in Lord of the Rings, Tezuka noted Oshitari's reluctance to sit down. "My bed won't harm you," he promised, just a little facetiously.
Oshitari chuckled a little at Tezuka before nodding slightly. "That is good to know." Saying a small inward goodbye to the crisp sheets, he sat himself comfortably on the bed and glanced over at the brunette. Somehow he found all of this amusing and would of never guessed that one day he would be sitting in the stoic boy's room let alone watching a movie with him.
Once the movie began, Tezuka settled on the bed next to Oshitari and turned on the Japanese subtitles. He knew the movie by heart, but sometimes he still liked to read it.
He put the tray of snacks in front of them on the bed, so they could pick at the pieces of onigiri and seaweed crackers at will.
Oshitari was thankful for the Japanese subtitles, despite understanding what was being said, he still found himself following them. It was just in his nature to enjoy reading things.
The bluenette glanced at the tray and eyed one of the crackers, debating whether or not to eat one. He could, but what if a crumb would fall on the bed? It was not in him to care about such things usually but this was Tezuka. His eyebrows furrowed at the snack in question before glancing back at the TV.
Tezuka debated the same thing himself, but he came to the conclusion that he could shake the comforter off before he went to bed. As Bilbo Baggin's birthday party went on, Tezuka grabbed a few dried seaweed pieces to munch on.
He had eyes only for the movie.
As long as the other did it first, then Oshitari had no problems following. The bluenette reached for a few seaweed pieces and placed one in his mouth, side glancing at Tezuka as the movie went on. He could almost feel the boy's passion for the film as the scenes went on and wanted to laugh a little at how endearing it was, but instead turned his gaze back to the television. A part of him wanted to make comments, but he chose to stay silent for now and ate another one of the small snacks.
Tezuka watched with rapture to the end of the first movie (over two hours). As the credits rolled, Tezuka turned to his friend and asked, "Are you hungry?"
He had never watched a movie in such complete silence before
"Just a little." Oshitari responded, removing his glasses and placing them on his lap. He had never watched a movie in such silence but oddly enough, the quiet that had stretched between them didn't bother him in the least. The bluenette rubbed at his eyes gently before setting his gaze at Tezuka, offering him a small smile.
The smallest of smirks twitched to life on Tezuka's face, "Then I take it you're ready to cook with me." He stood and took up their tray of snacks.
At some point, Oshitari had forgotten about the whole cooking bit and was reminded only when Tezuka's face seemed to twitch in a smirk. He felt his grin widen at the brunette's words and replaced the frames properly on his face before standing from the bed. "I am ready, Tezuka-sensei." The tensai teased and followed behind his friend.
"Good," Tezuka said, and led the way downstairs to the kitchen. He wouldn't protest being called Tezuka-sensei; it had a certain appeal to it. "How did you like the movie? Do you feel like it held up to the book?"
"I quite enjoyed the movie." He said with a nod once downstairs in the kitchen. "Though I could spot the differences between book and film easily, I thought it was very much laudable given the enormity of the story." Oshitari went to work on the buttons at the end of his sleeves, popping them open before rolling them up to the mid of his arm.
"Aa. Overall, the translation of an entire world as elaborate as Middle Earth was extremely successful. Did you approve of Aragorn and Sam?" he recalled that Oshitari had singled the characters out earlier.
The first step to cooking anything, of course, was washing one's hands. Tezuka did so, and stepped back so Oshitari could follow suit.
"The movie was well aligned with the novel, so I have high expectations for the other films." Oshitari tilted his head slightly at Tezuka and stepped forward to wash his hands once he had moved aside.
"I did! I thought the actors personified the characters perfectly." There was a little excitement in his tone as he spoke, recalling scenes from said characters in the movie which reflected the book. He really did enjoy the film and could see why Tezuka was so enamored with the series.
As he removed shrimp and vegetables from the fridge, Tezuka asked, "What did you think of Aragorn and Arwen?"
Oshitari was the romantic expert, so he was curious as to how they measured up in his eyes.
Oshitari stared as Tezuka went about retrieving the ingredients from the fridge and found himself a bit nervous suddenly. The kitchen and him just didn't get along so well.
"I thought the on screen chemistry between those two played off wonderfully." Then tensai bit his bottom lip briefly before asking Tezuka much the same thing, a bit curious as to his answer. "I don't think I ever asked you, but what do you think of their romance?"
"Their romance, like the rest of the story, is fantastic in nature. Eowyn seemed like a more reasonable choice."
Noting Oshitari's nervous body language, Tezuka gave the tensai explicit instructions. "Fried shrimp are well and good, but they do not compose a full meal. First we will cut up some vegetables to be steamed."
With a gentle hand at Oshitari's back, he showed him to a cutting board with a sweet potato, a yellow zucchini and several carrots. "Can you cut these while I get everything we need for the mix?"
"I suppose they don't count as a full meal, do they?" The idea of cutting anything in the kitchen was not appealing to him in the least, but he would take it as a challenge. Clearly a tensai in the courts could be one in the kitchen as well with a little guidance. Maybe. Hopefully.
Oshitari moved to make way but the gentle hand at his back stopped him momentarily, side glancing at Tezuka for just a second before edging to the cutting board. He smiled to himself at the small touch and nodded at his new cooking instructor. "Of course, sensei." The bluenette drawled the word with a grin before eyeing the vegetables. Was there a certain way these needed to be cut?
Tezuka nodded in a way that was meant to be encouraging before he turned to arrange everything else necessary for the dishes that they would make.
"If you make this again, make sure you look for shrimp that have already been de-veined and shelled," he warned.
Tezuka hadn't considered that Oshitari didn't know how to cut vegetables.
The sweet potato was his first victim, he noted, staring at the vegetable with a frown. He had seen his grandmother do it countless of times so he more or less had an idea (emphasis on the less.) The bluenette went about cutting it in whichever way he thought correct and the final result was ...some chunks larger than others. It wasn't the neatest of jobs, no, but it all looked the same once inside the stomach, yes?
Oshitari glanced at Tezuka and smiled as brightly as possible, pointing to the chunks of sweet potato. "Is this alright?"
Oshitari's enthusiasm was as endearing as his technique was alarming. Eying the potatoes discriminately, Tezuka said, "Most of them will suffice, but these here..." he pointed to the thickest ones, "Need to be thinner, or they won't cook all the way through, but more importantly..." he stepped behind Oshitari and placed his hand over his to show him the motion. "Cut away from your body, or you will hurt yourself."
Oshitari could feel Tezuka's judging eyes on his handy potato work and held back a laugh. He knew they were terrible, but he was hoping his winning smile would of thrown the other off. The captain of Seigaku was not one to be swayed by his charms.
"I see. Now that I look at them, they are rather large chunk--" The bluenette's eyes widened at the sudden feel of Tezuka against his back and felt just about all his muscles tense. Oshitari was not one to find himself easily shy or embarassed over anything, but this was one of those rare moments that caught him off guard.
"Thank you, Tezuka-sensei." He finally managed to say, inwardly cursing at his increased heart rate. Perhaps he had read too many romance novels, after all. Only in the books, these types of scenes usually led to something far less innocent than just cooking. "I appreciate a hands on teacher." Yuushi tilted his head so as to glance at the brunette over his shoulder, offering the same bright smile from earlier.
Tezuka felt Oshitari tense and he wondered vaguely if his method of teaching made his new friend uncomfortable. He had opened his mouth to apologize when the Hyoutei player commented in praise of the 'hands-on' method.
"...Aa," Tezuka said finally, staring at that smile a little longer than was really necessary. "Do you have the hang of the proper stroke, or would you like to try the carrot together?"
"I don't think I have the hang of this proper stroke just yet, perhaps it would be safest if we tried the carrot together." Oshitari all but purred, quite content with the situation. The other's choice of wording had been quite amusing as well, but perhaps that really was the influence of all his homo erotic novels of choice lately.
Somehow the effect of Oshitari's voice made him hestitate and just stand there for a moment at his friend's back, and his hand over the tensai's. He recovered his wits quickly enough and said, "Aa."
With his injured left hand, he positioned the carrot, and then guided Oshitari's hand in the proper stroke to cut off the green cap of the vegetable.
"I see." Oshitari hummed. "So this is what is considered the proper stroke." It took him a great deal of effort not to laugh at the phrase instead choosing to nod over his shoulder at Tezuka.
His smile was gentle as they finished off the carrot and he found he quite enjoyed the small warmth the brunette's hand provided against his.
"It is," Tezuka confirmed, lips curling up pleasantly at Oshitari as he stepped away. "Now try on your own," he managed to make his tone all business, despite Oshitari's seeming amusement.
He was almost sad once Tezuka had stepped away and tilted his head slightly at his direction. "Yes, Tezuka-sensei." Oshitari said with a nod and tried his best to match the other's serious tone.
The tensai turned his attention back to the vegetables in question and went to work, though this time a lot neater than earlier. At least the chunks weren't mammoth sized anymore.
For a few moments Tezuka simply observed Oshitari's technique. "You're doing well," he complimented. It seemed that he was doing okay, so Tezuka located the aprons in the drawer. He had his own blue one, but for Oshitari...
"Are you okay with pink?" Tezuka held up his mother's pink ruffled apron.
The compliment from the other put him at ease with the vegetables and he continued to work his way through them without much trouble. The proper stroke, despite being hilarious named by Tezuka, was actually quite useful.
"Pink?" Oshitari asked and finally turned to look at his temporary cooking instructor. "Oh! Of course, I have no issues with the color pink." Or ruffles, he added to himself and took the apron from Tezuka with nod of grattitude. The color didn't phase him in the least and neither did the added frills. The bluenette had enough confidence to wear just about anything.
"So? Does it suit me?" He teased after slipping the apron on over his frame.
"It doesn't fit as well as it could..." Tezuka surveyed him discerningly. "But it will serve its purpose."
He slipped behind Oshitari to tie the apron behind his back.
"Next we'll be breading the shrimp."
Oshitari glanced at Tezuka over his shoulder as he tied the apron and laughed a little. "I guess it could be a bit bigger." It was just like the other to survey him with seriousness over the apron fit.
"Is there a proper technique for this too?"
"Yes," Tezuka said, almost wryly. "Try to spill things on the apron and not elsewhere." He drew back from the apron only when the back was tied up into a neat bow.
"Do you remember how to bread from the recipe?" Tezuka asked. He knew how to bread, but he wanted to see how much Oshitari remembered.
He frowned at the other boy's words and regarded him seriously for a moment. "I will be careful, Tezuka. I promise I won't make a mess." Oshitari was paranoid about crumbs in the brunette's bed, let alone spilling things in the kitchen. He would be extra careful with the next few steps of their meal preparation.
"More or less, I recall your instructions from the e-mail you sent me." The bluenette said and reiterated the steps he remembered.
"I was teasing you, Oshitari," Tezuka said, somewhat amused by the blunette's sudden onset of sternness. Gently, he instructed "I have all of the ingredients set here before you. Show me how you did it, and I will let you know if you do something wrong."
"Eh?" Oshitari stared at him for a moment in surprise before laughing at himself. He never expected the word teasing to come out of Tezuka's mouth, but was thankful even he could joke (albeit too seriously to catch though).
"As you wish, sensei." There was a subtle coy to his words as he regarded Tezuka and turned his gaze away from him and onto the shrimp. He went about breading them as per the instructions he remembered.
A small smirk crossed Tezuka's face to see Oshitari laughing and playful. Tezuka readied the pan and began to heat the oil while he watched Oshitari's breading technique. There was nothing to complain about in terms of technique, so he remained silent and let the tensai work.
Oshitari heard no complaints from Tezuka as he breaded the shrimp so he continued along with his methods. Though the other had said he was teasing earlier, he still felt slightly nervous about creating a mess so he worked as neatly as possible.
After breading a moderate amount of shrimp he glanced at Tezuka, cocking his head to the side. "There we go!" He said, satisfied with his final product though his eyes traveled to the heating oil with slight discouragement. He hoped Tezuka would deal with the frying part.
Nodding his approval, Tezuka pulled Oshitari's shrimp closer to the frying pan. "I will fry the first half of the shrimp, and while I do so..." he started placing the shrimp in the pan, fingers getting away just in time from the hiss of the oil, "Bread the sweet potatos and observe. You will be doing the second half."
Oshitari frowned at the oil and regarded Tezuka with the same expression. The fizzle and snap of the burning oil wasn't pleasing to him and he recalled quite a few burns last time he tried frying anything. He nodded though and turned to bread the sweet potatos.
"The pan and I don't really get along." Yuushi finally said once he had finished his task and stepped closer to Tezuka. The bluenette closed much of the distance between them and hovered over his shoulder to watch his handy work. "I hope you have first aid around if I am to fry the second half." He almost assured with a gentle laugh, lips close to the other's ear.
Normally such close proximity would bother him, but he had a strange awareness of Oshitari's presence that somehow made it that he didn't resent the closeness. The tensai's breath, smelling of tea and seaweed crackers, tickled at his ear.
Tezuka turned his head to face the man at his shoulder. The distance seemed even closer face to face. "I will not allow you to get hurt during my lesson," he promised quietly.
As if he had never said such a thing, he turned back around to see to the shrimp. "Check with a long fork every so often to see if the side is done. Do not let your guard down and refrain from getting too close to the pan."
Oshitari blinked a little once Tezuka turned to face him and the smile that crossed his face was all too visible. At least the other hadn't pushed him across the room or anything, yet. He stayed content in his place and perhaps even shuffled just an inch closer so that his chest was pressed a little against the other boy. "I feel much reassured then, Tezuka-sensei." The words were drawled out and he purposely leaned ever so slightly into his companion's ear.
Satisfied with himself, the tensai finally stepped back away from the brunette and settled beside him to observe the cooking technique. "Check with fork, don't let my guard down." Oshitari nodded and flashed a quick smile at him. "Got it."
Tezuka couldn't help the odd shiver that trailed down his spine. It had nothing to do with Oshitari, or having Tezuka-sensei whispered into his ears. The room was just too cold. And his ears were sensitive.
Clearing his throat, Tezuka continued, "When they're browned on one side, flip each one carefully, so as not to splash oil on yourself..." Tezuka began to do so. Some oil spattered on the apron, but that was meant to happen.
There's nothing special about the way he says don't let your guard down just focus on cooking...
Oshitari nodded at Tezuka's words and tucked away some stray blue strands behind his ears. He would've picked up his hair in a small pony tail but alas his elastic was upstairs in his bag.
"So, do not splash oil on myself like you just did?" The tensai laughed a little and knew it was impossible to be completely neat about this. As long as the oil would splash on his apron and not his fingers, he could do this. Maybe. "Will you take responsibility if I get hurt?" His smile stayed present as he glanced at Tezuka over the brim of his glasses.
"Earlier I stipulated that the apron was meant to be spilled on," Tezuka pointed out as he arranged the frying shrimp with his fork. "And yes, it would be my fault if you came to harm under my tuteledge," he answered seriously. Though the wide smile made him wonder just how seriously Oshitari was taking it.
"Does that mean you will kiss it and make it better?" Oshitari asked and almost laughed out loud, he knew very well Tezuka had no idea what he meant. The other had probably never even heard of such expression and could only imagine he would get questioned.
"I will try my hand at it then." He outstretched his hand for Tezuka to pass him the fork.
As Tezuka handed over the fork, his brows gathered in mild confusion. "That does not sound like a medical solution. You would probably be better off with aloe and a bandaid."
He allowed his fingers to graze Tezuka's more than they should before taking the fork into his hand. "It was just an expression, sensei." Oshitari tilted his head lightly and gently patted the other's shoulder with his free hand before stepping infront of the pan.
It was time to fry. The bluenette took one of the breaded vegetables and dropped it into the oil quickly, pretty much outstretching himself from the stove. He wasn't a chicken or anything, he just didn't want to get burned is all. His hand snapped back safely once they were inside the oil and nodded to himself. So far so good. Maybe.
For a moment, Tezuka just stood and watched Oshitari. "If you place it gently instead of dropping it quickly, the resulting splash will not be so large." The task was done, but he should let Oshitari know for next time.
Then, he vocalized his reflection on the 'expression.' "What is it supposed to express?"
"Aa, I see." He knew this but didn't exactly want his hand hovering over the oil for any amount of time that required this gentle process. Oshitari's experiences at frying anything previous to today had been all but pleasant.
The bluenette flipped the vegetables and glanced at Tezuka. "Mmm." He hummed. "If you're hurt and someone you l--..." Oshitari thought his words carefully for a moment. "...get along with well tends to you, then it makes you feel better." It was a terrible explanation of the expression, but it would have to do.
Tezuka kept an eye on Oshitari as he steamed the vegetables that were not going to be fried. "That seems reasonable, yes, but tending to a wound with a kiss would not be productive at all to the healing process. It would be better tended to in other ways."
Tezuka's literal ways were so amusing to him, he thought, glancing back away from him and onto the vegetables. "The kiss would be the start of the healing process." Oshitari smiled. "Then you can tend to it properly with those other ways."
He turned to look at the brunette once he figured nothing would burn and pointed a playful finger at him. "Besides, you don't know from experience that it would not be productive. You'd have to have someone you like kiss one of your injuries first." Oshitari laughed a little and turned to look at the pan again.
"If I liked someone, I would not want to subject their mouth to my bloody wound," Tezuka pointed out wryly, raising a brow at Oshitari. He had absolutely no intention of trying such a theory. It delayed proper treatment.
And besides, he did not like anyone.
"Have you tested it?"
"I wasn't talking about openly bleeding wounds." Oshitari laughed and would of been surprised had Tezuka given any other answer. He dropped his pointing finger from him and onto the vegetables. Were they done? He had no idea.
"I have." He said plainly. His doting grandmother had kissed his scrapes and scratches countless of times while growing up.
Tezuka nodded, "You can turn the stove off and put them in the plate to your left."
So this was a tested theory. Tezuka gave it a little more thought. "Did you find it to be effective treatment?"
"Yes, sensei!" Oshitari nodded and turned the stove off as he was told, carefully placing the vegetables on the plate Tezuka had set out. Nothing burned, hands still in one piece and his sensei's kitchen was not burnt to a crisp. Overall, a successful attempt at cooking. Mm.
The bluenette placed the fork down and closed some of the distance between he and his cooking instructor. "Very much so." He confirmed and took one of the brunette's hands into his own, allowing his thumb to graze over Tezuka's index finger gently. "Say you were to cut your finger." This was going to be the most ridiculous attempt at getting through to him, but what else could he use? "Wouldn't Marilyn's presence and leaves gently caressing your hand make you feel better?"
Though he had been about to praise Oshitari's successful cooking, the blunette's proximity, and hands on his, closed his half opened mouth abruptly.
It took awhile due to the distracting touch, but Tezuka finally focused on Oshitari's words. Looking up from their hands to meet Oshitari's dark gaze, Tezuka said, "I suppose it would improve my morale, yes, but medically bonsai do not have the same properties as aloe."
He removed his hands gently from Oshitari's. "Please check on the steaming vegetables while I set the table."
"Improving your morale is already the start of healing, isn't it?" Oshitari dropped his hand once Tezuka removed his and smiled. So literal the other was and he found it quite fascinating.
Now, there were vegetables that needed attention! The bluenette went to them and picked up the fork, poking at them to check their tenderness. "They seem done to me."
Tezuka thought about the difference his internal attitude made in the recovery of his arm and, after a moment of paying entirely too much attention to the even distribution of plates, conceded, "I cannot argue with that tried logic." His arm had not been kissed, by any means, but the support of his friends helped him through that hard time.
"Good," he set up the chocolates. "Turn off the stove."
Oshitari turned off the stove and glanced over his shoulder. "What should I do with them?" He asked, genuinely unknowing. Did he drain them? Pick them out one by one?
"Scoop them out with the big spoon in the drawer to the left of the stove and put them in a bowl."
There, the table looked perfect.
"Aa." He nodded and would've gone for the spoon in the drawer, had his eyes not caught sight of the table. It was so ...meticulously set. Oshitari stared at it for a moment, then at Tezuka, then back at the table.
"The table looks almost too perfect, Tezuka." He said, unknowingly responding to the other's thought. The tensai shook his head and flashed him another wide grin.
"I prefer order at the beginning of dinner," Tezuka admitted. However people moved things once they were seated hardly bothered him. It was just nice to see a perfectly set table after spending so much time cooking. "Is there a such thing as too perfect? The phrase seems counter-intuitive."
Oshitari smiles a lot, Tezuka noted, randomly. For some reason he could not quite avert his gaze from it.
Oshitari stared at Tezuka for a moment and his eyes looked over him curiously. He certainly seemed like the type to need some sort of control and order at the beginning of dinner only further highlighted his thoughts. How fun would it be to stir the stoic one up sometime -- it probably wouldn't be hard if he tried.
He caught himself staring at Tezuka far longer than he should have and turned to grab the spoon from the drawer. "Yes, things can be too perfect I think. But that is just my own thought." Oshitari shrugged and went about scooping the vegetables out of the pot and into the bowl, some of the boiling water splashing onto his apron.
"Be careful," Tezuka said, eying Oshitari's sloppy scooping warily. He meant what he said, that he would not allow Oshitari to be hurt on his watch. "Please provide examples to illustrate your thoughts on the matter," he requested.
"Aa, no worries." Oshitari finished scooping the vegetables with no further splashes and laid the spoon down next to the bowl. "It was on the apron so no injuries, your student is safe." He said and quickly flashed Tezuka a peace sign for victory.
Examples? Aha. The brunette would not like his example. "Well." Yuushi licked his lips and clicked his tongue. "I could show you a demonstration, but I am not sure you would enjoy it very much, Tezuka." With that said, he edged towards the table and walked two fingers over to the neatly placed chopsticks.
The symbol for peace was greatly mitigated by the two fingers that threatened warfare on his perfect table.
His jaw tightened. "There is nothing wrong with the table setting."
"Really?" Oshitari asked and he could feel the corners of his mouth twitching into a knowing smirk. "I happen to think it is too perfect." His fingers edged closer to the chopsticks.
"It is functional the way it is. Touching the arrangement before dinner time would serve no purpose whatsoever."
Tezuka twitched unconsciously.
"Mmm..." Oshitari hummed and turned to look at Tezuka. "You asked for an example and I would simply like to oblige." The tensai snapped the chopsticks up with his fingers and slowly edged away from the table.
It was with great restraint that he refrained from jumping Oshitari, wrenching the chopsticks out of his hands and putting them back after giving the tensai a sound beating with them.
"Your example is wrong. I disagree. Hand over the chopsticks," Tezuka held out his hand. His glare could have deprived cute polar bears of their homeland, adding another species to his list of extinction.
This, this...was fantastic. The glare Tezuka gave him only enticed him further and it was all too impossible to remove the grin from his face. Finally, an expression other than concrete. Though, in hindsight, he might regret this later.
"Really? I think my example is perfectly fine." Oshitari slipped his hands behind his back, holding the chopsticks within his grip.
The smile was no longer cute. Tezuka wanted to wipe it off his face...only after he retreived the chopsticks.
"Oshitari," Tezuka said sternly, approaching the tensai until their noses were mere centimeters apart. "Give them back."
The or else was implied.
Oshitari was not one to back down easily, from anyone or anything, but the tone in Tezuka's voice sent a shiver down his spine. Or perhaps it was their sudden proximity. Either way, he enjoyed it to the very core.
"Oya. oya." He teased and took the opportunity to close the gap between them entirely.
"So scary, Tezuka." Oshitari's lips poured the words out like silk against Tezuka's ear and he glanced through his peripheral. "You can take them back now, if you'd like." From this position, he could simply just snatch them from the tensai's grip.
Clenching his jaw tightly at the smooth, seductive voice in his ear, Tezuka yanked the chopsticks out of Oshitari's hand and jerked away from him. He was too bothered to pay the mocking words notice.
As he arranged the chopsticks perfectly again, he twitched and did his best to ignore Oshitari.
It was his own fault. He let his guard down.
Oshitari laughed, a bit disappointed once Tezuka had jerked away from him. He tried his best in stifling the chuckles that escaped his throat, but it was all but impossible at the moment.
"Ah -- I'm sorry." He tried to say and coughed into a closed fist. "I didn't think it would upset you so much." Yuushi figured Tezuka liked control, but he had no idea he would get that upset.
Tezuka ignored Oshitari completely as he lay the food out on the table. Only when the blunette stopped laughing did he address him, "Try again without laughing," Tezuka said succinctly, having regained his calm. There was no longer any anger in his stance or tone.
Oshitari blinked at Tezuka. He had been ignored completely.
"Tezuka." He said rather softly. "I really didn't think you'd get so angry." Oshitari's usual smile was replaced with an uncharacteristic frown. His fingers reached to grab the brunette gently by his right arm, turning his attention towards himself and away from the table.
"I'm sorry."
Pausing in his action at the touch, Tezuka looked at Oshitari analytically to determine the sincerity of his apology. He just stared for a moment to take all of the body language in.
"You are forgiven," Tezuka said, finally.
"Are you sure?" He asked, fingers still laying against Tezuka's arm.
Oshitari leaned forward just an inch and locked his dark eyes with those of the brunette's. "You won't ignore me again, will you?" There was almost a sadness to his tone as he spoke and his frown had not yet left. Though he enjoyed seeing such a side to Tezuka, he hated the result. Being ignored was not something Yuushi took to very well, at least not by certain people.
"No, not unless you do something to deserve it," Tezuka said, hazel eyes flicking down to look at the hand on his shoulder, and then back up at Oshitari. He kind of regretted his behavior toward the blunette, but Oshitari should have listened to him.
"You may sit down for dinner, I'll tell my family that everything is ready."
Satisfied with his answer, Oshitari moved his hand away from Tezuka and nodded. "I will try not to do something that deserves it then." For today at least. Clearly, he had not learned his lesson.
He waited until the brunette had gone to call his family and slipped the pink apron off his neck, sliding his hands behind him to untie it. Yuushi had no problems wearing pink and the what not, but he didn't think it necessary for Tezuka's family to bear witness to it.
Tezuka's grandfather entered the kitchen before anyone else, and saw Oshitari taking off his daughter-in-law's apron.
"Kunimitsu made you use the pink apron?" he said with vague amusement as he sat down for dinner. Tezuka's grandfather was about to tease him further when his mother walked in to defend him.
"Oh hush, it looks lovely on him."
Blue eyes flickered to the voice and he regarded Tezuka's grandfather with a polite bow.
Oshitari would of responded how he didn't mind the pink but his mother walked in at that moment and he flashed his usual smile at her. "I hope you don't mind that I used it." He said and folded it neatly, placing it on the counter.
"It's a lovely color." The bluenette laughed and went quickly to hold out the seat for Tezuka's mother.
"Not at all dear," Ayana giggled as Oshitari helped her into her seat. "What a gentleman. Kunimitsu told me you cooked us dinner and everything."
Tezuka walked into the room with his father, who Tezuka resembled so much that his father looked like a taller, older doppleganger.
"With great help from your son, of course." He continued to smile at Ayana as she sat. "He was my cooking instructor for the evening."
Oshitari turned to walk to his own seat but his eyes caught sight of the two walking in. The tensai blinked and shifted his gaze between the father and son. It was like having two Tezuka's in the room, only one slightly taller and older. Equally as handsome in his own way, but that was another thought for another time.
He brushed aside his initial shock and quickly went to introduce himself to Tezuka's father. He hadn't met him earlier in the day and would feel it impolite to not do so.
"I hope he wasn't too demanding," Ayana laughed and patted the seat next to her, indicating that Oshitari should sit down.
Tezuka's father bowed politely to Oshitari as he walked in. "Welcome to our home," he offerred softly, but not insincerely. Somehow, he was even more quiet than his son.
"Not at all." Perhaps a bit scary, but that had been his own fault.
Oshitari nodded his thank you to Tezuka's father and went to seat himself next to Ayana. His eyes glanced at his friend and offered him a smile as well. The bluenette couldn't sense any lingering anger from earlier, but he still couldn't be sure. That and he was feeling particularly smiley today.
Once all parties were seated, they all murmured, "Itadakimasu," and Ayana started scooping food out to everyone.
"Thank you so much for cooking boys, I got to catch up on the most recent episode of Desperate Housewives."
None of the Tezuka men appeared at all interested in the show, but Tezuka did mumble something about cooking lessons, and that it was Oshitari's idea.
Oshitari thanked Ayana as she scooped his portion out for him.
He would of replied to Tezuka's mumble had his interest not been immediately pulled towards the brunette's mother. "....." The tensai shifted his sights between the other two adults before regarding her quietly. "I watched the episode myself last night." He admitted and bared his teeth in a wide grin that reached his eyes. "So teasing of them to end in such a cliff hanger."
"Really?!" Ayana's eyes lit up, glad to have found a fellow watcher. "What did you think of..."
And so the entirety of dinner passed in discussion of the Desperate Housewives. The Tezuka men ate quietly and did not impede the talk of the show. But the fact that there were no leftovers showed how good of a job Oshitari did in his first cooking lesson.
Oshitari continued in his chat with Ayana, taking bites in between their Housewives chatter. The other men were quiet throughout the whole meal but he figured they weren't exactly the talkative bunch either way. Tezuka must of tossed aside all his mother's genes and taken only those of the men. The two were like night and day, a concrete wall versus a talkative flower.
He noted the lack of leftovers once he was finished and smiled to himself. At least the food hadn't been unedible. Once he was sure everyone was done with their meals, his gaze shifted between Tezuka and Ayana.
Before Oshitari could say anything to the contrary, Ayana grabbed the tensai by the wrist and started pulling him toward the living room, "Come and watch the next episode with me! Kuniharu and Kunimitsu can clean up."
"Aa," Tezuka nodded, not particularly bothered by that idea.
"Eh? Ah --" Oshitari could feel her grip on his wrist and he was all but dragged to the living room. He shot Tezuka an apologetic glance over his shoulder. The tensai had every intention of having helped with the dishes but that seemed impossible now.
Yuushi chuckled and turned his attention to Ayana, seating himself next to her on the couch. "I'm glad to have found someone else who enjoys the drama!" He expressed and waited until she went about turning on the television. Both his mother and sister did not enjoy the series so he was all alone in his Desperate Housewives island.
"Me too!" Ayana expressed a sigh of relief. "The only things any of my men will watch are documentaries and sports."
Having overheard their conversation from the kitchen, Tezuka wondered if he should tell his mother that Oshitari wasn't very fond of documentaries. Especially not ones that involved butterflies or snakes.
"Though I do enjoy my share of sports..." He left out the documentaries purposely. "I can't help but watch shows like these as well." Oshitari was an avid fan of Desperate Housewives as well overseas reality TV. America's Next Top Model was one of his favorites, but he would not admit to that one.
The bluenette leaned back into the couch comfortably and quickly glanced in the direction of the kitchen. He felt bad he wasn't helping in the clean up.
"They're just so fascinating...Oh my!" she sat, attention riveted to the television as a fight broke out between two of the women.
Tezuka joined them on the couch with a book as soon as everything was cleaned up.
Oshitari's eyes followed Tezuka once he returned and was thankful the brunette hadn't retreated upstairs. He had no problems watching Desperate Housewives with Ayana whatsoever but having her son around put him more at ease.
"That one." Yuushi pointed to the screen and said her name aloud. "Is my favorite. She's probably the cattiest of them all."
The episode carried on and Yuushi continued his back and forth chatter with Tezuka's mother. They talked about their most disliked characters and some of the more interesting cat fights from last week's episode. It was refreshing talking to someone else about the show.
Tezuka knew better than to leave his new friend alone with his mother. Even if he had no interest in the housewives squabbles, he was perfectly pleased with the opportunity to catch up on his reading. He had read Tanizaki's short stories many times, but he never quite lost fascination with them. When the episode ended, he was too absorbed to even notice.
Oshitari did not want to be impolite to either Tezuka or Ayana so he frowned once the other had not even looked up from his book. He would have to take it up on himself to depart from the living room then.
"It was lovely watching the episode with you." He turned his cool eyes on her. "I hope we can keep discussing them in the future." Oshitari's smile was gentle as he regarded Tezuka's mother. "Though..." He lowered his voice to a playful whisper. "I think we bored your son."
He stood from the couch and shot a glance at his friend. "Tezuka." He said. "Did you fall asleep behind your book?" Yuushi knew he hadn't.
Laughing and very far from offended, Ayana said, "He just doesn't understand the troubles of rich married women. Isn't that right, Kunimitsu?"
Tezuka started paying attention when he heard his name the first time, when Oshitari spoke. "I am not asleep. Nor do I care about such problems."
Placing his bookmark neatly pack in Tanizaki, Tezuka looked at Oshitari and said, "Do you think you can stay awake through one more?"
Oshitari laughed at Ayana's comment and nodded in agreement. "Aa, your son doesn't seem the type to care about the dilemmas of rich married women." The bluenette shrugged in jest. "His loss, not ours."
His smile stayed present from the chuckle and tilted his head at Tezuka. "Of course." At the moment he was not tired in the least.
The problems of rich ridiculous women could belong to Oshitari and his mother. Why were they still talking about that when they could be watching Lord of the Rings?
"Good night, Mother," he kissed Ayana on the cheek. "Shall we?" Tezuka said, standing with his book, indicating that they should go upstairs.
He watched Tezuka's small act of affection at Ayana and couldn't help but grin to himself. At least his stoic demeanor didn't prohibit him from such a simple thing. Oshitari waited until the other had righted himself and gave another polite bow at his mother.
"After you." He said at Tezuka and motioned at the stairs. Yuushi followed behind him.
"I'll see you boys in the morning," she said with a smile, returning Oshitari's regard before going to find her husband.
When: Sometime.
Where: Tezuka's house
Summary: Part 1: The boys watch LOTR, Yuushi and Tezuka cook dinner, Tezuka wants to kill Oshitari for messing up the table finished off by Yuushi watching Desperate Housewives with momma-Tezu.
Warning: PG
Comments/Crits Allowed: Of course.
Perfectly on time, he mused to himself, flipping his phone closed before shoving it into his coat pocket. Oshitari had almost missed the train earlier, he had been too caught up in which sweets to select at the bakery. It had been a while since he had last visited a friend's home and impressions on their families (mainly mothers) was key, and what woman did not enjoy delicious desserts?
The blunette closed his book shut and slid it into his backpack once they had pulled into the station, unfolding himself from the seat before making towards the exit. It was crowded, as usual, but he didn't really mind. It was great for alternating his reading with people watching.
Once out of the train station, his eyes caught sight of the familiar figure he was to meet with today. Oshitari smiled to himself before calling out to him. "Tezuka!"
As Tezuka was always early, he appreciated Oshitari's promptness.
"Oshitari," he inclined his head in greeting and leaned off of the pillar. "I trust you found everything okay."
"Aa." He assured. "No problems." The blunette allowed his eyes to take in Tezuka briefly and glanced at his arm. "It's good to see you without the sling."
"Thank you," his own gaze followed Oshitari's to his arm. "I only have to wear it while I sleep now."
Quietly, Tezuka lead Oshitari out of the station and onto the street. Tezuka's family home sat nestled in the quiet suburban area, only a ten minute walk or so from the station. "It's not far from here," Tezuka disclosed. He had simply come to pick Oshitari up to give him company, and because all of the houses tended to look the same.
"I see." Oshitari replied a bit idly. He was curious to ask him questions about his arm related to tennis, but he refrained himself. The tensai wasn't sure how to ask things really and perhaps the subject was a bit sour to the other. He didn't know and figured it best not to find out.
"I appreciate you coming to pick me up." Now that he looked around, he was more than glad Tezuka had decided to greet him there, considering the houses most looked the same. Yuushi glanced down at the small dessert box in his hand.
"I like the walk," Tezuka admitted as they turned onto his street. "Are you looking forward to watching the films?"
Tezuka stopped at a modest house on the corner of the street, with a small, vine-covered archway over the tiny driveway. There was no real lawn, but plenty of plants made up for that. "This is my house."
"Very much so." Plus, he was looking forward to spending this time with Tezuka. Oshitari enjoyed the other's odd nature and found it a bit refreshing? Amusing? He wasn't even sure of the right word to use for him. "After having read through the books, I am curious as to see how the movies live up to them."
Compared to his own home, this house was most definitely modest, but he found their array of plants quite enjoyable to look at. It reminded him of who he would be meeting today -- the great Marilyn. "Quite a lot of plants."
"There are many differences, but if you see the movies as more of a translation of the books' spirit, they are quite faithful."
There were many characters in the book who didn't appear in the movies; not even Peter Jackson can do everything within an acceptable time frame. "Aa, my mother likes to garden," he opened the door for Oshitari. "The yellow slippers are the guest ones."
"Ah, I see."
Oshitari nodded upon entering the home and mumbled a small 'I am sorry for intruding' towards Tezuka before lowering himself on the ground. He untied his sneakers and set them neatly off to the side before sliding into the yellow guest slippers. "Is your family home today?" He asked, tilting his head curiously at the brunette.
Before Tezuka could even say he was home, or answer Oshitari's question, Tezuka Ayana bustled in to smile at her guest. She was a short, lovely woman who practically radiated affection to everyone she met with. "You must be Oshitari-kun, I'm so pleased that you've come to visit Kunimitsu, come in, I've made you boys some snacks to take up stairs."
Oshitari's eyes caught sight of the woman approaching them and he bowed briefly before setting his gaze on her. "I am sorry for intruding." He said, offering one of his winning smiles. Meeting other's parents was something he actually looked forward to and was never one to shy away from. "I've brought some sweets for you and your family to enjoy." The bluenette extended the small carrier towards Tezuka's mother.
If possible, Ayana's smile widened. "You're so sweet to do something like that!" she took the box with a delicate bow, and then all but dragged Oshitari into the kitchen. "And so handsome too. Tell me, do you play tennis as well?"
Following them, Tezuka said, "Upstairs?"
"Yes dear, your grandfather is asleep in the living room watching sumo."
"It's the least I can do after intruding in on your home today." Oshitari offered her a sheepish blush upon her handsome comment and widened his smile to match hers. He could safely assume that Tezuka did most certainly not inherit his personality from her.
"I do play a bit of tennis, yes." Well, more than a bit really. He shot a quick glance towards Tezuka at his 'upstairs' questioning and was unsure if whether to move from his spot or stay put speaking to the lovely woman.
"I'm sure such a strong, handsome boy like yourself does very well on the court," she cooed at him while Tezuka took up the tray of food.
"Mother, stop harrassing him," Tezuka said patiently, giving her a look. "We're going upstairs," he jerked his head slightly to the stairwell in the corner of the kitchen.
"You are too kind with your compliments." Oshitari purred with that accent of his before glancing over his shoulder at Tezuka. He would take that look that he flashed towards his mother as slight annoyance? It was hard to tell when his face didn't change. Indeed such a difference from the woman standing before him.
"I am sorry for intruding once again and thank you for going out of your way to make us some snacks." He flashed her another winning smile and bowed his head slightly as he turned to follow Tezuka.
Tezuka was not annoyed with his mother and she knew it; she just occasionally made people uncomfortable with her constant doting. Fortunately, Oshitari seemed to be okay with it.
"You're good with her," Tezuka commented, once they were far enough up the stairs to be out of earshot. Though he really shouldn't be surprised. Oshitari was fairly close to Atobe, who also got along well with his mother.
"Am I?" Oshitari chuckled a little to himself. He always got along rather well with females, let alone those much older than he. "Your mother seems quite lovely." Perhaps it was his father then that Tezuka took such a stoic persona from? Or grandfather?
"She is," Tezuka confirmed, expression slightly softer for hearing good words spoken about his mother. "She just tends to overwhelm some people."
Tezuka showed Oshitari into his room, which was, save for the corner of the room reserved for Marylin, completely lined with books.
"Really? She didn't seem overwhelming in the least." Oshitari said, knowing what the brunette had meant. Her personality was of no problem to him though.
Yuushi tilted his head at Tezuka slightly upon entering the room and allowed his eyes to quickly glance over the area. The space had been exactly what he had pictured it to be and would of been surprised otherwise. In a way, it was much like his own when it came to the amount of books lining the shelves. Though instead of a corner dedicated to a certain plant, his was dedicated to an instrument. "I take it that is Marilyn?" Oshitari asked and tilted his head towards the corner.
"Aa, I've had her for many years," Tezuka answered, looking fondly to the beautiful bonsai. Today she wore a decorative, Seigaku colored bow tied around her pot because Tezuka had taken her for a walk earlier. "Please make yourself comfortable," he motioned to the bed.
"She's quite beautiful." Oshitari said over his shoulder as he lay his backpack against the wall next to Tezuka's bed. Although the other had said to make himself comfortable, he didn't want to seat himself on such pristinely made sheets.
"She's quite beautiful." Oshitari said as he slid his backpack off of his shoulder, leaning it against the wall besides Tezuka's bed. "The bow is rather cute as well." The blunette noted it's Seigaku colors and flashed a smile at Tezuka. He did not know much about bonsai plants, but he could tell that the other boy took great care of her. The tensai glanced at the bed once Tezuka had motioned to it, but stopped himself from sitting. The sheets were just so...pristinely made, much unlike his floppy mess back home.
"Thank you," Tezuka said, a ghost of a pleased expression crossing his face. "I thought the colors suited her nicely." Oshitari smiled a lot, but he couldn't deny that it was enjoyable to look at.
As he put in Lord of the Rings, Tezuka noted Oshitari's reluctance to sit down. "My bed won't harm you," he promised, just a little facetiously.
Oshitari chuckled a little at Tezuka before nodding slightly. "That is good to know." Saying a small inward goodbye to the crisp sheets, he sat himself comfortably on the bed and glanced over at the brunette. Somehow he found all of this amusing and would of never guessed that one day he would be sitting in the stoic boy's room let alone watching a movie with him.
Once the movie began, Tezuka settled on the bed next to Oshitari and turned on the Japanese subtitles. He knew the movie by heart, but sometimes he still liked to read it.
He put the tray of snacks in front of them on the bed, so they could pick at the pieces of onigiri and seaweed crackers at will.
Oshitari was thankful for the Japanese subtitles, despite understanding what was being said, he still found himself following them. It was just in his nature to enjoy reading things.
The bluenette glanced at the tray and eyed one of the crackers, debating whether or not to eat one. He could, but what if a crumb would fall on the bed? It was not in him to care about such things usually but this was Tezuka. His eyebrows furrowed at the snack in question before glancing back at the TV.
Tezuka debated the same thing himself, but he came to the conclusion that he could shake the comforter off before he went to bed. As Bilbo Baggin's birthday party went on, Tezuka grabbed a few dried seaweed pieces to munch on.
He had eyes only for the movie.
As long as the other did it first, then Oshitari had no problems following. The bluenette reached for a few seaweed pieces and placed one in his mouth, side glancing at Tezuka as the movie went on. He could almost feel the boy's passion for the film as the scenes went on and wanted to laugh a little at how endearing it was, but instead turned his gaze back to the television. A part of him wanted to make comments, but he chose to stay silent for now and ate another one of the small snacks.
Tezuka watched with rapture to the end of the first movie (over two hours). As the credits rolled, Tezuka turned to his friend and asked, "Are you hungry?"
He had never watched a movie in such complete silence before
"Just a little." Oshitari responded, removing his glasses and placing them on his lap. He had never watched a movie in such silence but oddly enough, the quiet that had stretched between them didn't bother him in the least. The bluenette rubbed at his eyes gently before setting his gaze at Tezuka, offering him a small smile.
The smallest of smirks twitched to life on Tezuka's face, "Then I take it you're ready to cook with me." He stood and took up their tray of snacks.
At some point, Oshitari had forgotten about the whole cooking bit and was reminded only when Tezuka's face seemed to twitch in a smirk. He felt his grin widen at the brunette's words and replaced the frames properly on his face before standing from the bed. "I am ready, Tezuka-sensei." The tensai teased and followed behind his friend.
"Good," Tezuka said, and led the way downstairs to the kitchen. He wouldn't protest being called Tezuka-sensei; it had a certain appeal to it. "How did you like the movie? Do you feel like it held up to the book?"
"I quite enjoyed the movie." He said with a nod once downstairs in the kitchen. "Though I could spot the differences between book and film easily, I thought it was very much laudable given the enormity of the story." Oshitari went to work on the buttons at the end of his sleeves, popping them open before rolling them up to the mid of his arm.
"Aa. Overall, the translation of an entire world as elaborate as Middle Earth was extremely successful. Did you approve of Aragorn and Sam?" he recalled that Oshitari had singled the characters out earlier.
The first step to cooking anything, of course, was washing one's hands. Tezuka did so, and stepped back so Oshitari could follow suit.
"The movie was well aligned with the novel, so I have high expectations for the other films." Oshitari tilted his head slightly at Tezuka and stepped forward to wash his hands once he had moved aside.
"I did! I thought the actors personified the characters perfectly." There was a little excitement in his tone as he spoke, recalling scenes from said characters in the movie which reflected the book. He really did enjoy the film and could see why Tezuka was so enamored with the series.
As he removed shrimp and vegetables from the fridge, Tezuka asked, "What did you think of Aragorn and Arwen?"
Oshitari was the romantic expert, so he was curious as to how they measured up in his eyes.
Oshitari stared as Tezuka went about retrieving the ingredients from the fridge and found himself a bit nervous suddenly. The kitchen and him just didn't get along so well.
"I thought the on screen chemistry between those two played off wonderfully." Then tensai bit his bottom lip briefly before asking Tezuka much the same thing, a bit curious as to his answer. "I don't think I ever asked you, but what do you think of their romance?"
"Their romance, like the rest of the story, is fantastic in nature. Eowyn seemed like a more reasonable choice."
Noting Oshitari's nervous body language, Tezuka gave the tensai explicit instructions. "Fried shrimp are well and good, but they do not compose a full meal. First we will cut up some vegetables to be steamed."
With a gentle hand at Oshitari's back, he showed him to a cutting board with a sweet potato, a yellow zucchini and several carrots. "Can you cut these while I get everything we need for the mix?"
"I suppose they don't count as a full meal, do they?" The idea of cutting anything in the kitchen was not appealing to him in the least, but he would take it as a challenge. Clearly a tensai in the courts could be one in the kitchen as well with a little guidance. Maybe. Hopefully.
Oshitari moved to make way but the gentle hand at his back stopped him momentarily, side glancing at Tezuka for just a second before edging to the cutting board. He smiled to himself at the small touch and nodded at his new cooking instructor. "Of course, sensei." The bluenette drawled the word with a grin before eyeing the vegetables. Was there a certain way these needed to be cut?
Tezuka nodded in a way that was meant to be encouraging before he turned to arrange everything else necessary for the dishes that they would make.
"If you make this again, make sure you look for shrimp that have already been de-veined and shelled," he warned.
Tezuka hadn't considered that Oshitari didn't know how to cut vegetables.
The sweet potato was his first victim, he noted, staring at the vegetable with a frown. He had seen his grandmother do it countless of times so he more or less had an idea (emphasis on the less.) The bluenette went about cutting it in whichever way he thought correct and the final result was ...some chunks larger than others. It wasn't the neatest of jobs, no, but it all looked the same once inside the stomach, yes?
Oshitari glanced at Tezuka and smiled as brightly as possible, pointing to the chunks of sweet potato. "Is this alright?"
Oshitari's enthusiasm was as endearing as his technique was alarming. Eying the potatoes discriminately, Tezuka said, "Most of them will suffice, but these here..." he pointed to the thickest ones, "Need to be thinner, or they won't cook all the way through, but more importantly..." he stepped behind Oshitari and placed his hand over his to show him the motion. "Cut away from your body, or you will hurt yourself."
Oshitari could feel Tezuka's judging eyes on his handy potato work and held back a laugh. He knew they were terrible, but he was hoping his winning smile would of thrown the other off. The captain of Seigaku was not one to be swayed by his charms.
"I see. Now that I look at them, they are rather large chunk--" The bluenette's eyes widened at the sudden feel of Tezuka against his back and felt just about all his muscles tense. Oshitari was not one to find himself easily shy or embarassed over anything, but this was one of those rare moments that caught him off guard.
"Thank you, Tezuka-sensei." He finally managed to say, inwardly cursing at his increased heart rate. Perhaps he had read too many romance novels, after all. Only in the books, these types of scenes usually led to something far less innocent than just cooking. "I appreciate a hands on teacher." Yuushi tilted his head so as to glance at the brunette over his shoulder, offering the same bright smile from earlier.
Tezuka felt Oshitari tense and he wondered vaguely if his method of teaching made his new friend uncomfortable. He had opened his mouth to apologize when the Hyoutei player commented in praise of the 'hands-on' method.
"...Aa," Tezuka said finally, staring at that smile a little longer than was really necessary. "Do you have the hang of the proper stroke, or would you like to try the carrot together?"
"I don't think I have the hang of this proper stroke just yet, perhaps it would be safest if we tried the carrot together." Oshitari all but purred, quite content with the situation. The other's choice of wording had been quite amusing as well, but perhaps that really was the influence of all his homo erotic novels of choice lately.
Somehow the effect of Oshitari's voice made him hestitate and just stand there for a moment at his friend's back, and his hand over the tensai's. He recovered his wits quickly enough and said, "Aa."
With his injured left hand, he positioned the carrot, and then guided Oshitari's hand in the proper stroke to cut off the green cap of the vegetable.
"I see." Oshitari hummed. "So this is what is considered the proper stroke." It took him a great deal of effort not to laugh at the phrase instead choosing to nod over his shoulder at Tezuka.
His smile was gentle as they finished off the carrot and he found he quite enjoyed the small warmth the brunette's hand provided against his.
"It is," Tezuka confirmed, lips curling up pleasantly at Oshitari as he stepped away. "Now try on your own," he managed to make his tone all business, despite Oshitari's seeming amusement.
He was almost sad once Tezuka had stepped away and tilted his head slightly at his direction. "Yes, Tezuka-sensei." Oshitari said with a nod and tried his best to match the other's serious tone.
The tensai turned his attention back to the vegetables in question and went to work, though this time a lot neater than earlier. At least the chunks weren't mammoth sized anymore.
For a few moments Tezuka simply observed Oshitari's technique. "You're doing well," he complimented. It seemed that he was doing okay, so Tezuka located the aprons in the drawer. He had his own blue one, but for Oshitari...
"Are you okay with pink?" Tezuka held up his mother's pink ruffled apron.
The compliment from the other put him at ease with the vegetables and he continued to work his way through them without much trouble. The proper stroke, despite being hilarious named by Tezuka, was actually quite useful.
"Pink?" Oshitari asked and finally turned to look at his temporary cooking instructor. "Oh! Of course, I have no issues with the color pink." Or ruffles, he added to himself and took the apron from Tezuka with nod of grattitude. The color didn't phase him in the least and neither did the added frills. The bluenette had enough confidence to wear just about anything.
"So? Does it suit me?" He teased after slipping the apron on over his frame.
"It doesn't fit as well as it could..." Tezuka surveyed him discerningly. "But it will serve its purpose."
He slipped behind Oshitari to tie the apron behind his back.
"Next we'll be breading the shrimp."
Oshitari glanced at Tezuka over his shoulder as he tied the apron and laughed a little. "I guess it could be a bit bigger." It was just like the other to survey him with seriousness over the apron fit.
"Is there a proper technique for this too?"
"Yes," Tezuka said, almost wryly. "Try to spill things on the apron and not elsewhere." He drew back from the apron only when the back was tied up into a neat bow.
"Do you remember how to bread from the recipe?" Tezuka asked. He knew how to bread, but he wanted to see how much Oshitari remembered.
He frowned at the other boy's words and regarded him seriously for a moment. "I will be careful, Tezuka. I promise I won't make a mess." Oshitari was paranoid about crumbs in the brunette's bed, let alone spilling things in the kitchen. He would be extra careful with the next few steps of their meal preparation.
"More or less, I recall your instructions from the e-mail you sent me." The bluenette said and reiterated the steps he remembered.
"I was teasing you, Oshitari," Tezuka said, somewhat amused by the blunette's sudden onset of sternness. Gently, he instructed "I have all of the ingredients set here before you. Show me how you did it, and I will let you know if you do something wrong."
"Eh?" Oshitari stared at him for a moment in surprise before laughing at himself. He never expected the word teasing to come out of Tezuka's mouth, but was thankful even he could joke (albeit too seriously to catch though).
"As you wish, sensei." There was a subtle coy to his words as he regarded Tezuka and turned his gaze away from him and onto the shrimp. He went about breading them as per the instructions he remembered.
A small smirk crossed Tezuka's face to see Oshitari laughing and playful. Tezuka readied the pan and began to heat the oil while he watched Oshitari's breading technique. There was nothing to complain about in terms of technique, so he remained silent and let the tensai work.
Oshitari heard no complaints from Tezuka as he breaded the shrimp so he continued along with his methods. Though the other had said he was teasing earlier, he still felt slightly nervous about creating a mess so he worked as neatly as possible.
After breading a moderate amount of shrimp he glanced at Tezuka, cocking his head to the side. "There we go!" He said, satisfied with his final product though his eyes traveled to the heating oil with slight discouragement. He hoped Tezuka would deal with the frying part.
Nodding his approval, Tezuka pulled Oshitari's shrimp closer to the frying pan. "I will fry the first half of the shrimp, and while I do so..." he started placing the shrimp in the pan, fingers getting away just in time from the hiss of the oil, "Bread the sweet potatos and observe. You will be doing the second half."
Oshitari frowned at the oil and regarded Tezuka with the same expression. The fizzle and snap of the burning oil wasn't pleasing to him and he recalled quite a few burns last time he tried frying anything. He nodded though and turned to bread the sweet potatos.
"The pan and I don't really get along." Yuushi finally said once he had finished his task and stepped closer to Tezuka. The bluenette closed much of the distance between them and hovered over his shoulder to watch his handy work. "I hope you have first aid around if I am to fry the second half." He almost assured with a gentle laugh, lips close to the other's ear.
Normally such close proximity would bother him, but he had a strange awareness of Oshitari's presence that somehow made it that he didn't resent the closeness. The tensai's breath, smelling of tea and seaweed crackers, tickled at his ear.
Tezuka turned his head to face the man at his shoulder. The distance seemed even closer face to face. "I will not allow you to get hurt during my lesson," he promised quietly.
As if he had never said such a thing, he turned back around to see to the shrimp. "Check with a long fork every so often to see if the side is done. Do not let your guard down and refrain from getting too close to the pan."
Oshitari blinked a little once Tezuka turned to face him and the smile that crossed his face was all too visible. At least the other hadn't pushed him across the room or anything, yet. He stayed content in his place and perhaps even shuffled just an inch closer so that his chest was pressed a little against the other boy. "I feel much reassured then, Tezuka-sensei." The words were drawled out and he purposely leaned ever so slightly into his companion's ear.
Satisfied with himself, the tensai finally stepped back away from the brunette and settled beside him to observe the cooking technique. "Check with fork, don't let my guard down." Oshitari nodded and flashed a quick smile at him. "Got it."
Tezuka couldn't help the odd shiver that trailed down his spine. It had nothing to do with Oshitari, or having Tezuka-sensei whispered into his ears. The room was just too cold. And his ears were sensitive.
Clearing his throat, Tezuka continued, "When they're browned on one side, flip each one carefully, so as not to splash oil on yourself..." Tezuka began to do so. Some oil spattered on the apron, but that was meant to happen.
There's nothing special about the way he says don't let your guard down just focus on cooking...
Oshitari nodded at Tezuka's words and tucked away some stray blue strands behind his ears. He would've picked up his hair in a small pony tail but alas his elastic was upstairs in his bag.
"So, do not splash oil on myself like you just did?" The tensai laughed a little and knew it was impossible to be completely neat about this. As long as the oil would splash on his apron and not his fingers, he could do this. Maybe. "Will you take responsibility if I get hurt?" His smile stayed present as he glanced at Tezuka over the brim of his glasses.
"Earlier I stipulated that the apron was meant to be spilled on," Tezuka pointed out as he arranged the frying shrimp with his fork. "And yes, it would be my fault if you came to harm under my tuteledge," he answered seriously. Though the wide smile made him wonder just how seriously Oshitari was taking it.
"Does that mean you will kiss it and make it better?" Oshitari asked and almost laughed out loud, he knew very well Tezuka had no idea what he meant. The other had probably never even heard of such expression and could only imagine he would get questioned.
"I will try my hand at it then." He outstretched his hand for Tezuka to pass him the fork.
As Tezuka handed over the fork, his brows gathered in mild confusion. "That does not sound like a medical solution. You would probably be better off with aloe and a bandaid."
He allowed his fingers to graze Tezuka's more than they should before taking the fork into his hand. "It was just an expression, sensei." Oshitari tilted his head lightly and gently patted the other's shoulder with his free hand before stepping infront of the pan.
It was time to fry. The bluenette took one of the breaded vegetables and dropped it into the oil quickly, pretty much outstretching himself from the stove. He wasn't a chicken or anything, he just didn't want to get burned is all. His hand snapped back safely once they were inside the oil and nodded to himself. So far so good. Maybe.
For a moment, Tezuka just stood and watched Oshitari. "If you place it gently instead of dropping it quickly, the resulting splash will not be so large." The task was done, but he should let Oshitari know for next time.
Then, he vocalized his reflection on the 'expression.' "What is it supposed to express?"
"Aa, I see." He knew this but didn't exactly want his hand hovering over the oil for any amount of time that required this gentle process. Oshitari's experiences at frying anything previous to today had been all but pleasant.
The bluenette flipped the vegetables and glanced at Tezuka. "Mmm." He hummed. "If you're hurt and someone you l--..." Oshitari thought his words carefully for a moment. "...get along with well tends to you, then it makes you feel better." It was a terrible explanation of the expression, but it would have to do.
Tezuka kept an eye on Oshitari as he steamed the vegetables that were not going to be fried. "That seems reasonable, yes, but tending to a wound with a kiss would not be productive at all to the healing process. It would be better tended to in other ways."
Tezuka's literal ways were so amusing to him, he thought, glancing back away from him and onto the vegetables. "The kiss would be the start of the healing process." Oshitari smiled. "Then you can tend to it properly with those other ways."
He turned to look at the brunette once he figured nothing would burn and pointed a playful finger at him. "Besides, you don't know from experience that it would not be productive. You'd have to have someone you like kiss one of your injuries first." Oshitari laughed a little and turned to look at the pan again.
"If I liked someone, I would not want to subject their mouth to my bloody wound," Tezuka pointed out wryly, raising a brow at Oshitari. He had absolutely no intention of trying such a theory. It delayed proper treatment.
And besides, he did not like anyone.
"Have you tested it?"
"I wasn't talking about openly bleeding wounds." Oshitari laughed and would of been surprised had Tezuka given any other answer. He dropped his pointing finger from him and onto the vegetables. Were they done? He had no idea.
"I have." He said plainly. His doting grandmother had kissed his scrapes and scratches countless of times while growing up.
Tezuka nodded, "You can turn the stove off and put them in the plate to your left."
So this was a tested theory. Tezuka gave it a little more thought. "Did you find it to be effective treatment?"
"Yes, sensei!" Oshitari nodded and turned the stove off as he was told, carefully placing the vegetables on the plate Tezuka had set out. Nothing burned, hands still in one piece and his sensei's kitchen was not burnt to a crisp. Overall, a successful attempt at cooking. Mm.
The bluenette placed the fork down and closed some of the distance between he and his cooking instructor. "Very much so." He confirmed and took one of the brunette's hands into his own, allowing his thumb to graze over Tezuka's index finger gently. "Say you were to cut your finger." This was going to be the most ridiculous attempt at getting through to him, but what else could he use? "Wouldn't Marilyn's presence and leaves gently caressing your hand make you feel better?"
Though he had been about to praise Oshitari's successful cooking, the blunette's proximity, and hands on his, closed his half opened mouth abruptly.
It took awhile due to the distracting touch, but Tezuka finally focused on Oshitari's words. Looking up from their hands to meet Oshitari's dark gaze, Tezuka said, "I suppose it would improve my morale, yes, but medically bonsai do not have the same properties as aloe."
He removed his hands gently from Oshitari's. "Please check on the steaming vegetables while I set the table."
"Improving your morale is already the start of healing, isn't it?" Oshitari dropped his hand once Tezuka removed his and smiled. So literal the other was and he found it quite fascinating.
Now, there were vegetables that needed attention! The bluenette went to them and picked up the fork, poking at them to check their tenderness. "They seem done to me."
Tezuka thought about the difference his internal attitude made in the recovery of his arm and, after a moment of paying entirely too much attention to the even distribution of plates, conceded, "I cannot argue with that tried logic." His arm had not been kissed, by any means, but the support of his friends helped him through that hard time.
"Good," he set up the chocolates. "Turn off the stove."
Oshitari turned off the stove and glanced over his shoulder. "What should I do with them?" He asked, genuinely unknowing. Did he drain them? Pick them out one by one?
"Scoop them out with the big spoon in the drawer to the left of the stove and put them in a bowl."
There, the table looked perfect.
"Aa." He nodded and would've gone for the spoon in the drawer, had his eyes not caught sight of the table. It was so ...meticulously set. Oshitari stared at it for a moment, then at Tezuka, then back at the table.
"The table looks almost too perfect, Tezuka." He said, unknowingly responding to the other's thought. The tensai shook his head and flashed him another wide grin.
"I prefer order at the beginning of dinner," Tezuka admitted. However people moved things once they were seated hardly bothered him. It was just nice to see a perfectly set table after spending so much time cooking. "Is there a such thing as too perfect? The phrase seems counter-intuitive."
Oshitari smiles a lot, Tezuka noted, randomly. For some reason he could not quite avert his gaze from it.
Oshitari stared at Tezuka for a moment and his eyes looked over him curiously. He certainly seemed like the type to need some sort of control and order at the beginning of dinner only further highlighted his thoughts. How fun would it be to stir the stoic one up sometime -- it probably wouldn't be hard if he tried.
He caught himself staring at Tezuka far longer than he should have and turned to grab the spoon from the drawer. "Yes, things can be too perfect I think. But that is just my own thought." Oshitari shrugged and went about scooping the vegetables out of the pot and into the bowl, some of the boiling water splashing onto his apron.
"Be careful," Tezuka said, eying Oshitari's sloppy scooping warily. He meant what he said, that he would not allow Oshitari to be hurt on his watch. "Please provide examples to illustrate your thoughts on the matter," he requested.
"Aa, no worries." Oshitari finished scooping the vegetables with no further splashes and laid the spoon down next to the bowl. "It was on the apron so no injuries, your student is safe." He said and quickly flashed Tezuka a peace sign for victory.
Examples? Aha. The brunette would not like his example. "Well." Yuushi licked his lips and clicked his tongue. "I could show you a demonstration, but I am not sure you would enjoy it very much, Tezuka." With that said, he edged towards the table and walked two fingers over to the neatly placed chopsticks.
The symbol for peace was greatly mitigated by the two fingers that threatened warfare on his perfect table.
His jaw tightened. "There is nothing wrong with the table setting."
"Really?" Oshitari asked and he could feel the corners of his mouth twitching into a knowing smirk. "I happen to think it is too perfect." His fingers edged closer to the chopsticks.
"It is functional the way it is. Touching the arrangement before dinner time would serve no purpose whatsoever."
Tezuka twitched unconsciously.
"Mmm..." Oshitari hummed and turned to look at Tezuka. "You asked for an example and I would simply like to oblige." The tensai snapped the chopsticks up with his fingers and slowly edged away from the table.
It was with great restraint that he refrained from jumping Oshitari, wrenching the chopsticks out of his hands and putting them back after giving the tensai a sound beating with them.
"Your example is wrong. I disagree. Hand over the chopsticks," Tezuka held out his hand. His glare could have deprived cute polar bears of their homeland, adding another species to his list of extinction.
This, this...was fantastic. The glare Tezuka gave him only enticed him further and it was all too impossible to remove the grin from his face. Finally, an expression other than concrete. Though, in hindsight, he might regret this later.
"Really? I think my example is perfectly fine." Oshitari slipped his hands behind his back, holding the chopsticks within his grip.
The smile was no longer cute. Tezuka wanted to wipe it off his face...only after he retreived the chopsticks.
"Oshitari," Tezuka said sternly, approaching the tensai until their noses were mere centimeters apart. "Give them back."
The or else was implied.
Oshitari was not one to back down easily, from anyone or anything, but the tone in Tezuka's voice sent a shiver down his spine. Or perhaps it was their sudden proximity. Either way, he enjoyed it to the very core.
"Oya. oya." He teased and took the opportunity to close the gap between them entirely.
"So scary, Tezuka." Oshitari's lips poured the words out like silk against Tezuka's ear and he glanced through his peripheral. "You can take them back now, if you'd like." From this position, he could simply just snatch them from the tensai's grip.
Clenching his jaw tightly at the smooth, seductive voice in his ear, Tezuka yanked the chopsticks out of Oshitari's hand and jerked away from him. He was too bothered to pay the mocking words notice.
As he arranged the chopsticks perfectly again, he twitched and did his best to ignore Oshitari.
It was his own fault. He let his guard down.
Oshitari laughed, a bit disappointed once Tezuka had jerked away from him. He tried his best in stifling the chuckles that escaped his throat, but it was all but impossible at the moment.
"Ah -- I'm sorry." He tried to say and coughed into a closed fist. "I didn't think it would upset you so much." Yuushi figured Tezuka liked control, but he had no idea he would get that upset.
Tezuka ignored Oshitari completely as he lay the food out on the table. Only when the blunette stopped laughing did he address him, "Try again without laughing," Tezuka said succinctly, having regained his calm. There was no longer any anger in his stance or tone.
Oshitari blinked at Tezuka. He had been ignored completely.
"Tezuka." He said rather softly. "I really didn't think you'd get so angry." Oshitari's usual smile was replaced with an uncharacteristic frown. His fingers reached to grab the brunette gently by his right arm, turning his attention towards himself and away from the table.
"I'm sorry."
Pausing in his action at the touch, Tezuka looked at Oshitari analytically to determine the sincerity of his apology. He just stared for a moment to take all of the body language in.
"You are forgiven," Tezuka said, finally.
"Are you sure?" He asked, fingers still laying against Tezuka's arm.
Oshitari leaned forward just an inch and locked his dark eyes with those of the brunette's. "You won't ignore me again, will you?" There was almost a sadness to his tone as he spoke and his frown had not yet left. Though he enjoyed seeing such a side to Tezuka, he hated the result. Being ignored was not something Yuushi took to very well, at least not by certain people.
"No, not unless you do something to deserve it," Tezuka said, hazel eyes flicking down to look at the hand on his shoulder, and then back up at Oshitari. He kind of regretted his behavior toward the blunette, but Oshitari should have listened to him.
"You may sit down for dinner, I'll tell my family that everything is ready."
Satisfied with his answer, Oshitari moved his hand away from Tezuka and nodded. "I will try not to do something that deserves it then." For today at least. Clearly, he had not learned his lesson.
He waited until the brunette had gone to call his family and slipped the pink apron off his neck, sliding his hands behind him to untie it. Yuushi had no problems wearing pink and the what not, but he didn't think it necessary for Tezuka's family to bear witness to it.
Tezuka's grandfather entered the kitchen before anyone else, and saw Oshitari taking off his daughter-in-law's apron.
"Kunimitsu made you use the pink apron?" he said with vague amusement as he sat down for dinner. Tezuka's grandfather was about to tease him further when his mother walked in to defend him.
"Oh hush, it looks lovely on him."
Blue eyes flickered to the voice and he regarded Tezuka's grandfather with a polite bow.
Oshitari would of responded how he didn't mind the pink but his mother walked in at that moment and he flashed his usual smile at her. "I hope you don't mind that I used it." He said and folded it neatly, placing it on the counter.
"It's a lovely color." The bluenette laughed and went quickly to hold out the seat for Tezuka's mother.
"Not at all dear," Ayana giggled as Oshitari helped her into her seat. "What a gentleman. Kunimitsu told me you cooked us dinner and everything."
Tezuka walked into the room with his father, who Tezuka resembled so much that his father looked like a taller, older doppleganger.
"With great help from your son, of course." He continued to smile at Ayana as she sat. "He was my cooking instructor for the evening."
Oshitari turned to walk to his own seat but his eyes caught sight of the two walking in. The tensai blinked and shifted his gaze between the father and son. It was like having two Tezuka's in the room, only one slightly taller and older. Equally as handsome in his own way, but that was another thought for another time.
He brushed aside his initial shock and quickly went to introduce himself to Tezuka's father. He hadn't met him earlier in the day and would feel it impolite to not do so.
"I hope he wasn't too demanding," Ayana laughed and patted the seat next to her, indicating that Oshitari should sit down.
Tezuka's father bowed politely to Oshitari as he walked in. "Welcome to our home," he offerred softly, but not insincerely. Somehow, he was even more quiet than his son.
"Not at all." Perhaps a bit scary, but that had been his own fault.
Oshitari nodded his thank you to Tezuka's father and went to seat himself next to Ayana. His eyes glanced at his friend and offered him a smile as well. The bluenette couldn't sense any lingering anger from earlier, but he still couldn't be sure. That and he was feeling particularly smiley today.
Once all parties were seated, they all murmured, "Itadakimasu," and Ayana started scooping food out to everyone.
"Thank you so much for cooking boys, I got to catch up on the most recent episode of Desperate Housewives."
None of the Tezuka men appeared at all interested in the show, but Tezuka did mumble something about cooking lessons, and that it was Oshitari's idea.
Oshitari thanked Ayana as she scooped his portion out for him.
He would of replied to Tezuka's mumble had his interest not been immediately pulled towards the brunette's mother. "....." The tensai shifted his sights between the other two adults before regarding her quietly. "I watched the episode myself last night." He admitted and bared his teeth in a wide grin that reached his eyes. "So teasing of them to end in such a cliff hanger."
"Really?!" Ayana's eyes lit up, glad to have found a fellow watcher. "What did you think of..."
And so the entirety of dinner passed in discussion of the Desperate Housewives. The Tezuka men ate quietly and did not impede the talk of the show. But the fact that there were no leftovers showed how good of a job Oshitari did in his first cooking lesson.
Oshitari continued in his chat with Ayana, taking bites in between their Housewives chatter. The other men were quiet throughout the whole meal but he figured they weren't exactly the talkative bunch either way. Tezuka must of tossed aside all his mother's genes and taken only those of the men. The two were like night and day, a concrete wall versus a talkative flower.
He noted the lack of leftovers once he was finished and smiled to himself. At least the food hadn't been unedible. Once he was sure everyone was done with their meals, his gaze shifted between Tezuka and Ayana.
Before Oshitari could say anything to the contrary, Ayana grabbed the tensai by the wrist and started pulling him toward the living room, "Come and watch the next episode with me! Kuniharu and Kunimitsu can clean up."
"Aa," Tezuka nodded, not particularly bothered by that idea.
"Eh? Ah --" Oshitari could feel her grip on his wrist and he was all but dragged to the living room. He shot Tezuka an apologetic glance over his shoulder. The tensai had every intention of having helped with the dishes but that seemed impossible now.
Yuushi chuckled and turned his attention to Ayana, seating himself next to her on the couch. "I'm glad to have found someone else who enjoys the drama!" He expressed and waited until she went about turning on the television. Both his mother and sister did not enjoy the series so he was all alone in his Desperate Housewives island.
"Me too!" Ayana expressed a sigh of relief. "The only things any of my men will watch are documentaries and sports."
Having overheard their conversation from the kitchen, Tezuka wondered if he should tell his mother that Oshitari wasn't very fond of documentaries. Especially not ones that involved butterflies or snakes.
"Though I do enjoy my share of sports..." He left out the documentaries purposely. "I can't help but watch shows like these as well." Oshitari was an avid fan of Desperate Housewives as well overseas reality TV. America's Next Top Model was one of his favorites, but he would not admit to that one.
The bluenette leaned back into the couch comfortably and quickly glanced in the direction of the kitchen. He felt bad he wasn't helping in the clean up.
"They're just so fascinating...Oh my!" she sat, attention riveted to the television as a fight broke out between two of the women.
Tezuka joined them on the couch with a book as soon as everything was cleaned up.
Oshitari's eyes followed Tezuka once he returned and was thankful the brunette hadn't retreated upstairs. He had no problems watching Desperate Housewives with Ayana whatsoever but having her son around put him more at ease.
"That one." Yuushi pointed to the screen and said her name aloud. "Is my favorite. She's probably the cattiest of them all."
The episode carried on and Yuushi continued his back and forth chatter with Tezuka's mother. They talked about their most disliked characters and some of the more interesting cat fights from last week's episode. It was refreshing talking to someone else about the show.
Tezuka knew better than to leave his new friend alone with his mother. Even if he had no interest in the housewives squabbles, he was perfectly pleased with the opportunity to catch up on his reading. He had read Tanizaki's short stories many times, but he never quite lost fascination with them. When the episode ended, he was too absorbed to even notice.
Oshitari did not want to be impolite to either Tezuka or Ayana so he frowned once the other had not even looked up from his book. He would have to take it up on himself to depart from the living room then.
"It was lovely watching the episode with you." He turned his cool eyes on her. "I hope we can keep discussing them in the future." Oshitari's smile was gentle as he regarded Tezuka's mother. "Though..." He lowered his voice to a playful whisper. "I think we bored your son."
He stood from the couch and shot a glance at his friend. "Tezuka." He said. "Did you fall asleep behind your book?" Yuushi knew he hadn't.
Laughing and very far from offended, Ayana said, "He just doesn't understand the troubles of rich married women. Isn't that right, Kunimitsu?"
Tezuka started paying attention when he heard his name the first time, when Oshitari spoke. "I am not asleep. Nor do I care about such problems."
Placing his bookmark neatly pack in Tanizaki, Tezuka looked at Oshitari and said, "Do you think you can stay awake through one more?"
Oshitari laughed at Ayana's comment and nodded in agreement. "Aa, your son doesn't seem the type to care about the dilemmas of rich married women." The bluenette shrugged in jest. "His loss, not ours."
His smile stayed present from the chuckle and tilted his head at Tezuka. "Of course." At the moment he was not tired in the least.
The problems of rich ridiculous women could belong to Oshitari and his mother. Why were they still talking about that when they could be watching Lord of the Rings?
"Good night, Mother," he kissed Ayana on the cheek. "Shall we?" Tezuka said, standing with his book, indicating that they should go upstairs.
He watched Tezuka's small act of affection at Ayana and couldn't help but grin to himself. At least his stoic demeanor didn't prohibit him from such a simple thing. Oshitari waited until the other had righted himself and gave another polite bow at his mother.
"After you." He said at Tezuka and motioned at the stairs. Yuushi followed behind him.
"I'll see you boys in the morning," she said with a smile, returning Oshitari's regard before going to find her husband.