Yeahanotheroneofthese [OPEN]

[notalfredjones]

Characters: Matthew. everyone else. if you want.
Location: omg where do you think. the kitchen :|
Time: Any time from 9 pm to 6 am. HE WILL NOT BE THWARTED BY YOUR CURFEWS
Content: Cooking. Worrying. cooking to stop worrying. pancakes. omnomnom
Format: uuugh starting in prose but whaaatever you want. I do action more but I feel wordy
Warnings: None

Comments

[usedgust]

The smell of baked goods was something Naruto was getting far too accustomed to. He caught a whif a good bit away from the kitchen and knew at once who was bustling about. Sanji's cooking smelled amazing, too. But Matthew was less a threat to Naruto's safety. At least for the most part.

He slipped into the kitchen without announcing himself, hands in his pockets as he walked towards the other boy. There was still the lingering worry at the back of his mind- That Al could be in dire need of help right now. In danger or worse... And then at the same time there was Al's brother, cooking in a fret. He'd never forgive Naruto if he knew he didn't at least try to cool the mother hen down and let him frazzle himself to death.

"Whatcha cookin', Mattie?" he says suddenly, leaning over Matthew's shoulder with absolutely no intentions to respect his personal bubble. He was reaching around the boy's side, finger going straight for a simmering pancake. "Is it food? Can I eat it? I'm starvin'!"

[notalfredjones]

Matt jumped, looking back over his shoulder and sighing softly. Of courses it was Naruto, who else would it be. He batted at the reaching hand with his spatula, reflexes left over from Al, and rolled his eyes.

"Mmmn, what else would I be cooking? Sand? And you can have some when it's done, not when it's half-cooked." He flipped one of the pancakes and rolled his eyes. If Al had been here, he'd be sure Naruto was sent in his place, but Al wasn't here to tell Naruto he did the all night cooking things.

"...When Al gets back, you'll have to take up that nickname with him. He wouldn't let my last boyfriend call me Mattie."

[usedgust]

He hadn't pulled his hand back in time and winced, the sting from the cooking tool traveling up his arm. Naruto scowled and pulled back, tending to the limb like he'd been burned.

"Jeez, whatsit matter how cooked it is? M'sure it'll all taste the same." Though the blond knew better and didn't try fighting the boy's logic any further. He'd have been happy to simply allow Matthew to continue cooking and enjoy his company, but he was throwing out Al's name before he could properly distract him.

"Don't care what that guy says..." It was mumbled as he tried to work his mind around Alfred- When he would get back. If he was alright... And then suddenly realization of what he was being compared to. "Woah. Wait. M'not your boyfriend!"

[notalfredjones]

"Of course it matters, it won't taste as good when it's half-cooked. It will be done in a second." Matt sighed and tapped his foot, spatula hovering in front of his lips.

"Huh--what? No I'm not saying you are, just that's the only other person who has even tried to call me Mattie. And good luck with that."

[usedgust]

"Then you should start cookin' things that don't take as long!" Obviously this was the best course of action that would resolve all of his issues.

Meanwhile, Naruto was spinning about so his back was facing Matthew, arms crossed over his chest. "Well I ain't that jerk, either. So it shouldn't be a problem. You're... you're family after all and I should be able to call you whatever I want!"

[notalfredjones]

"Maybe you should be more patient. Food doesn't appear fully cooked you know." He slide two pancakes onto a plate and set in the counter, where Naruto would see it out of the corner of his eye.

He went back to his cooking, but paused as he finished pouring out a pancake.

"We're family? When did you adopt me?" He was amused, usually it was the other way around, but...Tatsuki had done that too, maybe it was just that Al's...relationships took an interest in adopting Matt?

"Either way, family or not, you'll still have to take up with Al. He's oddly possessive of the name."

[usedgust]

"... Well. You are, ain't you?"

His tone made it horribly obvious how important Matt's answer was to him. Naruto pointedly ignored the plate as he glanced over his shoulder at the other, eyebrows knit. Sure, to Matthew and Al this might not be that big of a deal, but...

"S'not gonna matter much what I call you if you ain't even that."

[notalfredjones]

Matthew watched him silently as he spoke, head tilting a bit. He wasn't sure what to say, because sure, Naruto was family, but he...

"This isn't just because you're snogging Al right?" The words slipped out before he could catch them and he winced, rushing to clarify the statement. He was so used to people seeing him because of Al, being his friend because they knew Al, that he was sure this was the reason.

"I-I mean we are, but--I. Yeah we're family."

[usedgust]

Ow. That little jab had hurt quite a bit, though Naruto didn't show it. He resorted to smacking Matthew hard against the shoulder, angrily flustered. "What kinda question is that," he said in a tone best reserved for someone far more serious and mature than himself.

It didn't seem so weird to him. That those he cared for just a little bit more than everyone else were special snowflakes no matter their relation to the others in his life. They were important in their own right...

"Che... You're a real jerk, y'know. Who woulda figured." Mentioning snogging didn't help Matt's case, either.

[notalfredjones]

"I...sorry. I shouldn't have. I know you better than that." He flinched a bit from the smack, but didn't react otherwise. He really did know better, Naruto wasn't like that. Besides he'd befriended Matt, somehow, before he and Al...

"I'm just...used to it being that way? People don't admit it, but they get to know Al first, me second? It's...just the way it's been?" He looked up at him and shrugged. He was sure even Tatsuki had seen it that way. Adopt Matt because you're dating Al seemed to be a trend.

"I know it's not like that, it's just...a reflex to assume it after all these years?"

[usedgust]

"Yeah, so. Say somethin' like that again and I'll kick your ass!" Though his words held no visible threat. Naruto didn't make to hit Matthew again and instead haughtily grabbed the plate of pancakes and hoarded them to himself.

It was some time before he chose to speak again, mumbling only after finishing the food in a petty/vengeful way even though they were probably for him to begin with. "... You're pretty stupid, Mattie. I like you plenty with or without that guy around." And he meant it. There was no way around it. Naruto just wasn't that sort of guy. The kind that tugged people around by their heartstrings.

Around this time he slid the plate back onto the counter and made quick work of snatching the spatula out of Matt's hand. He had a lot more weight to him so shoving the guy aside wasn't that hard, either. "Don't waste my time with that sorta thing, ok? You're my friend and that'll always be true."

[notalfredjones]

Matt listened to him speak at first, well aware he deserved what he was hearing, and he didn't look up. Wouldn't be the first time he thought the wrong thing and it wouldn't be the last. He was sort of glad he still ate the pancakes though.

"Huh--oui." He whispered, letting Naruto snatch the spatula out of sheer shock and blinked when he was pushed aside. The uneasiness increased for a moment--why was Naruto pushing him away--then it lifted entirely.

"...What are you doing with that spatula Naruto." His voice was almost amused, but a bit serious. He didn't know if Naruto could cook and that looked like what he was going to try to do.

[usedgust]

No amount of disgruntlement was going to keep Naruto from eating. In fact that was a leading reason behind his actions, almost taking the entire task of cooking too seriously.

He stared at the pan with the spatula gripped firmly in his hand. The bubbles on top meant he could flip it, right? Naruto had been watching Matthew cook for some time now and while he had trouble paying attention in class this was something entirely different.

"Whatsit look like?" He replied while sliding the tool underneath the cooked batter, peeking underneath to see- Ah, good enough! And gave them a quick flip all the while ignoring the boy off to his side. He'd better be watching. This was history in the making.

[notalfredjones]

Matt watched anxiously, there were few people in the world he could watch cook without feeling some sort of need to take the spatula from them and do it himself. Naruto was not one of them. Not yet at least. But Matt watched carefully, finally settling onto the counter, chin propped on his hand.

"...I'd say it looks like you're making pancakes, but I'm not entirely sure why. Possibly I'm hallucinating it all. You smacked me so hard I've had a concussion."

[usedgust]

"'Course it is! What else could I be makin'?" Silly Matt. Naruto knew that he definitely didn't hit him that hard. He rolled his eyes and busied himself with plating the pancakes before they burned. Surely he had enough sense to not do so after seeing Matthew do so in the past.

The finished plate was picked up and pressed to Matthew's chest, a blond brow raised. "Eat up, stupid. If I don't make sure y'eat Al will never shut up 'bout it."

[notalfredjones]

He didn't bother to respond to the first bit, far too engrossed in dealing with the plate shoved at him. He took it before Naruto dropped it or something, brow raised right back.

"Because Al will never shut up about it. Right." He smiled slightly and proceeded to pour a judicious quantity of maple syrup over his pancakes. He took a bite and nodded a little.

"Pretty good. Hard to screw up, but still good."