probably_i
in
xpuri
Log: Inui, Kaidoh, Kitchen funtiemz
Who: Inui, Kaidoh
What: Inui comes to mooch food. Kaidoh is Kaidoh.
Where: Junior dorms kitchen (back when that still existed XD)
When: Around Mar 9 (whups)
Warnings: None~
Kaidoh shifted his weight from one foot the other awkwardly as he used a pair of small kitchen tongs to pull the last bit of tempura pumpkin from the oil and carefully place it on the paper towel lined plate nearby. The shifting was just as much to keep him warm as it was to keep himself awake.
When he had first awoken in the morning, he was surprised to find the first feeling of hunger he had actually had in months. Taking that as a positive sign that spring was finally starting in Hokkaido, he forced himself to free himself from his blanket cocoon and post on his journal that he was going to cook a meal. He knew Sanada had noticed his weight loss, and while he had enough lean muscle to not look skeletal, he did look rather frail and sickly. By stating he was making food though, he knew others at the school would jump at the chance to have an easy meal, and therefore her would have to cook and presumably eat a little something himself. It would make Sanada happy. And the other bentos would not get as much tempura, this was a special batch for Sanada only.
But bringing his boyfriend the tempura and apologizing for the millionth time about his sleeping would have to wait a bit longer, as he had agreed to meet with Inui-sempai in the kitchen. (And Pi, whom he was excited to meet.) Turning off the burner, the lanky teen carefully placed the cooler tempura on a plate and arranged them with some rice, making a nice display.
Thrilled at the prospect of food that wasn’t liquid for once, Inui made his way towards the junior dorms. He awkwardly balanced two large bottles of strange liquid in one arm while his free hand kept hold of Pi’s leash. The overly curious cat was bounding about in the snow before him in a harness (an apparatus that Inui had bought on the Kisarazu twins’ advice), and Inui had to keep a tight hold so he wouldn’t run off. After several minor detours, Inui finally arrived at the kitchen.
“Yo,” he greeted as he entered, and winced as Pi shook melted snow from his fur all over the place. Looking over at Kaidoh, Inui couldn’t help but notice how much weight he had lost. Was this the result of Kaidoh’s hibernation? It didn’t seem like Kaidoh had been eating much. Snakes could go for a long time without food, but Inui wasn’t so sure about snake-people.
Kaidoh had just started to gather the ingredients needed for a crab fried rice when he heard Inui’s deeper voice from the kitchen entryway, turning to greet his sempai, his emerald eyes followed the leash downward to a small cat shaking water all over the floor. While he should have been annoyed about the fur in the kitchen, all he could think of was how cute Pi was. It was obvious Pi was Yuki’s rambunctious sibling to him. And while the cat lover inside of him wanted nothing more than to play with the cute ball of fur and snuggle it, he knew it would likely only earn him an odd look from the older male.
“Hey- got some tempura. Uh...some egg drop soup and spring rolls done, Inui-sempai-” he nodded to the various covered plates lining the counter top. “Anything sound good to eat? I can make more.” And perhaps figure out what he was in the mood to eat in the process.
“Everything sounds delicious,” said Inui, trying to keep his mouth from watering. He set the two bottles of strange liquid on some free counter space before squatting down to release Pi from his leash. The little kitten immediately went over to investigate Kaidoh, sniffing at his ankles before rubbing his head against them. Inui smiled at the sight and pulled out a chair to sit down. “I’ll wait till you’re done so we can eat together. I would offer to help, but...” Deliciousness might quickly turn to lethalness.
Kaidoh glanced at the two bottles, his brow furrowing as he thought about the possible contents, luckily his thoughts were soon derailed from that dark path by the feel of a small creature rubbing affectionately at his ankles. Again, he struggled with the overwhelming urge to cuddle the sweet creature, but he still had some pride. “I’ll be cooking a while. If you wanna have something, go ahead.” He looked at all of the various plates with a shrug. “I could teach you the rice....it’s easy.”
“Rice?” That didn’t sound too difficult. The less number of steps, the less mistakes there were to be made. “All right.” Inui stood up and went over to Kaidoh, waiting to be directed. Pi, confused as to why he was being ignored, meowed piteously and placed his front paws on Kaidoh’s leg, looking up at him with large pleading eyes.
“I think he wants attention,” said Inui with a grin.
Kaidoh glanced at the small creature, a soft hiss catching in his throat. It was unsettling having his sempai coming closer, he knew he was looking far too thin to be healthy for one, and his natural aversion to others being nearby being the other issue. But it did give him an idea, he bent down and scooped up the small creature, scratching beneath his chin with a blunt thumbnail. “Hello, Pi-san.” He nearly cooed, but stopped in the last moment.
“If I play with him, you’ll have to cook. We can’t have hair in the rice. Just dice the onion and celery up for me?”
Pi purred in bliss, nudging Kaidoh’s fingers for more, and ran a rough tongue over Kaidoh’s knuckles. Inui looked over to the cutting board and moved there, picking up the knife. He could chop vegetables-- that was what he did for Juice, after all. “Sure, just tell me what to do next,” he replied, and began dicing the vegetables up into precise 0.5 cm by 0.5 cm by 0.5 cm cubes. He took his time, figuring that there was a 100% probability that Kaidoh wanted to spend more time with Pi.
Holding the kitten to his chest, he stole a fond little smile at the small creature and chuckled softly, hoping he wouldn’t be caught looking at that. Glancing back up at Inui, he studied Inui’s vegetables and made a nearly amused sound, “doesn’t have to be perfect. Put the garlic in that cup and the red peppers, the onion and celery in the pan.” He nodded to the pan, “low flame is good.”
Nothing ever escaped Inui’s observant data-gathering eyes! Inui’s grin grew wider as he mentally noted the cuddly human-cat interaction. Data aside though, he was glad that Pi had the intended effect of brightening Kaidoh up, and perhaps even distracting him slightly from the misery of winter. “How low is a low flame?” Inui asked as he fiddled with the stove.
Kaidoh glanced over, pausing in trying to cuddle the kitten and studied the knob. “Between 3 and 4 will work. Then just kinda stir it while it cooks.” At least the kitten was keeping him a bit more alert, and the kitchen was almost warm enough, so in spite of being tired and feeling a bit stiff, he was managing to churn out a good food supply. “Ok...Vegetable oil,” he nodded to the filled measuring cup, “and the cilantro...then pour in the bowl of rice and stir.”
“All right.” Inui rather thought Kaidoh was putting quite a bit of trust in him to prepare food. Cooking was like science, Inui kept repeating to himself as he followed Kaidoh’s instructions carefully. Inui was good at science, so there was no reason he should fail at this. And yet... and yet... The mixture bubbled for a bit and turned slimy. Inui sighed and shrugged helplessly. This always happened.
“I’m...sorry?”
Kaidoh blinked at the strange transformation and tilted his head before stopping and putting the kitten down to wash his hands. “Looks like I poured too much oil....” his way to trying to take the blame for something that was likely no true. Pouring some of the slime mixture out, he quickly added more rice, some seasonings, and then the crab meat. Before long, it was sizzling and filling the room with the savory smell of the rice and sauce and a sweet hint of crabmeat. “See?”
Inui pushed up his glasses and shook his head. “I don’t think you used too much oil at all,” he said as he watched Kaidoh skillfully finish up the dish. “According to my data, you tend to be quite meticulous and careful. Therefore the probability of you making a mistake is only about 4%. On the other hand, everything I make turns out...” He sighed. “...Like that.” He picked up Pi to prevent him from making a nuisance of himself while Kaidoh was busy, and moved to a safe distance to wait.
Kaidoh glanced back at the other male thoughtfully before returning his attention to the meal, scooping the completed rice out into a glass dish and placing the pan in the sink carefully, pausing to scratch at the bandages over his scales and spines. It was too cold to be comfortable, but he didn’t want to ruin his jacket, but the wraps offered very little warm and itched more than necessary. Perhap he was preparing to shed again. “Cut the vegetables, perfectly.” He prepared a plate of the rice, some gyoza, and various tempura and set it down by the other. “Eat while it’s hot.”
“Itchy?” Inui didn’t miss anything. “Is it the low humidity? Perhaps you need to take more hot baths.” In … milk... or whatever was supposed to be moisturizing. Inui suspected Mizuki had more data about that than he did. He pulled out a chair and sat down, inhaling the aroma of the food. “Everything looks great. Thanks for the food.” Inui waited for Kaidoh to sit down as well before picking up his chopsticks. “I brought some of that warming juice for you, by the way.”
Kaidoh nodded slightly and scratched again, “I uh...think I am getting ready to shed again. Usually doesn’t happen in the winter. Takes a lot of energy....” Peeling his hand away from the bandages, he settled across from the other and poked at the rice, still having no appetite to speak of. “Yeah, if you wanna....snag a couple of the bentos for yourself. I made a ton.” His emerald eyes flickered to the warming juice. “Same as last time? M’I gonna pass out again?”
Shedding? That sounded very intriguing to Inui. He wondered if it would be considered too odd to ask for some shed skin samples. He was quickly distracted by the idea of having real food he could take with him, though. “Really? Thanks...” Inui eyed the stack of bentos, then looked back at Kaidoh, noticing that he was barely touching his food. “No appetite? Maybe you should try at least drinking something nutritious.” Like Juice. “I suppose it’s not 100% like the last time, since there wasn’t any venom left and I added more protein. The probability of you passing out has decreased to 45%.”
Kaidoh looked back up and nodded his head, still poking absently at the food. “Yeah. Take a couple.” Especially if Inui tended to destroy all food to the magnitude that he had the rice. Forcing himself to take a small bite, he considered the other’s advice, he did still drink some water and things. So maybe some healthy juices or milk might be good. “I have some mushroom miso every other day or so....” Since November. And only when Sanada woke him up and insisted. “I’ll drink it in my room if that is ok-”
But Inui wanted the data! “Well... if you could write down your observations while or after drinking it...” he agreed reluctantly. The data would be biased since it would be from the subject’s point of view, but Inui thought he could make some concessions in return for tasty nourishment. He watched Kaidoh push his food around for a bit before reaching over with his chopsticks. “Well, if you’re not really feeling hungry, focus on the more nutrient-rich foods.” He picked a few of those items to the side for Kaidoh to work on, making sure to get a good balance of food types.
“Yeah. I can do that.” He made a mental note to ask Sanada to write down anything he noticed, knowing he was likely to pass out and forget to write things down later. Sanada knew the hazards of the juices as well, so he knew the other wouldn’t be too upset with him for drinking it, especially since it worked wonderfully as far as warming him up went. Watching Inui move his food around a little, he studied the small selection of foods that Inui separated for him. “Thanks.” He picked up a small bit of rice and popped it into his mouth, forcing himself to chew and swallow.
“Take your time,” Inui said, looking concerned. He pushed up his glasses and went back to his own meal, trying not to wolf everything down at once. His stomach made an embarrassing rumble, though. “Sorry,” Inui said sheepishly. “It’s been a while since I ate something this good.”
Hearing the rumble, Kaidoh made a small noise of his own and took another bite of the the rice, pleased with the buttery and flavourful result of his cooking. Resuming shuffling his meal around on the plate, he frowned thoughtfully. “Take a bunch, sempai. You look like you need it.”
“Aaa.” Inui chewed for a bit and swallowed his food before replying properly. “I certainly will, thank you.” He helped himself to some of the other dishes as well, while keeping half an eye on Pi to make sure he wasn’t destroying anything while the humans were busy. “Um. You like cooking? You’re pretty good at it.”
Kaidoh’s face flushed a bit in embarrassment. “Uh. I used to like running and sports, but my spines and scales kinda made it impossible to play sports with anyone else. So- my mom taught me cooking instead.” He knew it was a little strange, but he sort of liked the successful end results. “Was a good way to pass time, and my Father and little brother like my cooking..”
“You could play sports now that you know how to manage your mutation,” Inui pointed out. He was rather disappointed that Kaidoh hadn’t been quite so taken with his previous idea of having rubber sheaths for the spines, though. “And cooking is a useful skill to have.” If only his family had but a quarter of Kaidoh’s cooking ability....
“Rather not risk it,” he nodded to the wraps firmly holding his spines down a bit, “not til I figure out how to make them all go in...” Like the one that Inui had been massaging for venom. In spite of all of his best efforts, he could not seem to make it happen again. Frankly, it was all just too frustrating for him.
“Maybe we can see if we can’t make the spines retract again,” said Inui. Last time he hadn’t been paying attention to precisely how he’d been prodding the spines. He would take notes next time, if he had an opportunity. “You shouldn’t give up, Kaidoh.”
Kaidoh's eyes lowered a bit to the ground and he chewed his lower lip, Sanada had tried, but no matter what they did, he could not seem to make them retract back in once more. Scowling, he popped a bit of egg into his mouth,"Who says anything about giving up?"
Inui smiled. “Good to see you’re feeling well enough to be this spirited.” He liked Kaidoh’s stubborn streak. It made for interesting data. He pushed up his glasses. “There is a 25% chance of success in the short-term,” he told Kaidoh. “But 80% in the long term. So you just have to keep at it.”
Kaidoh’s cheeks flushed slightly at the comment, so he quikly returned his focus to the plate in front of him, even if his stomach was clearly insisting that it did not have room for anything more than the few bites he had already taken. Scowling, he pushed the plate to the middle of the table and started back to the various foods on the counter, starting to individually box different bento sets for anyone who needed a meal. “Yeah- so....I will....”
“Already done?” Inui frowned at the amount of leftover food. He noted that there wasn’t anything that would spoil quickly, and in this weather... “Maybe you should keep the plate in your room and slowly work on it when you can. Otherwise it will be a vicious cycle of you having not enough energy, and not eating.” It was still quite a ways till spring here in the north, after all, and they had to do something to make sure Kaidoh remained relatively healthy.
“I’m fine. This is normal.” Kaidoh hissed quietly, working on another bento and carving up a carrot to make little decorative flowers to place in each one, his eyes locked intently on the smooth motion of the blade over the small vegetables. “Didn’t die from it last winter.” Of course, winter down south was nothing compared to this. But still, he did not really want to worry others. And maybe he wanted to just sleep through the next month or so.
“To ‘not die’ is a rather low standard to set, don’t you think?” Inui commented dryly. He finished up his food before going to the sink to help wash up the plates and cookware. “In this modern day and age surely there must be some way to ameliorate the ill effects of your condition...” The sentence trailed off as Inui became lost in thought, day-dreaming about fantastically improbable heating apparatuses.
Kaidoh hissed at the other, not really appreciating the comment. He busied himself with the dishes, enjoying the warmth through the dish gloves that protected the bandages that protected the world from his spines. “It’s not as bad as it looks. I function. I get to classes.” He didn’t know why he was even defending himself from the his senpai’s intentions. “I don’t feel bad. Just sleep a lot.”
“Ah.” Kaidoh’s displeased tone jolted Inui out of a particularly pleasant fantasy about constructing a heater that ran on decomposing vegetable peel. “Well...” Inui didn’t really know how to respond. He didn’t quite have enough data to deal with this degree of stubbornness. “I’m just...concerned,” he settled on saying. He shrugged. “If you’re fine, that’s...good.”
“Sorry...I know.” His temper vanished almost as quickly as it had surfaced and his brows knit into an almost embarrassed expression, complete with red cheeks. “I just...never know if people are trying to help, or just trying to baby me...it’s...embarrassing.”
Not for the first time, Inui thought Kaidoh looked rather cute when he was embarrassed, if only because he tried so hard not to be. “It’s alright,” he said, helping dry and stack the dishes. “I don’t know who would try to baby you though. 90% of the time people are just worried. After all, hypothermia is very dangerous for anyone, just that it affects you more.”
“Genichirou mostly.” But he loved his boyfriend more than anything and could see past his annoyance with him. “And the patronizing bastard Sakaki- just because he used to....” screw Sanada. Kaidoh bit his lower lip and squeezed a plate hard enough it slid from his hands and shattered on the floor. “Shit.”
“Kaidoh, don’t move,” Inui said, alarmed. He carefully bent to pick up the larger broken pieces, then went to get a broom to sweep up the remainder. He was a bit surprised about Kaidoh feeling so strongly about their most notorious staff member, but then again there had been so many rumours.... Inui resolved to look into it later.
“...” Kaidoh stared blankly at the mess on the floor, a bit surprised he had dropped a plate. He was never that careless in the kitchen, and he had almost spilled on why he hated the popular staff member. Muttering an apology for troubling Inui, Kaidoh turned his back and resumed putting dishes away, trying to pretend he hadn’t said a word.
“It’s never any trouble with you, Kaidoh,” Inui said, flopping back into a chair once he was done with his tasks. Pi jumped up on his lap, having grown bored of exploring the kitchen while the two had been eating. Inui cleared his throat awkwardly, not knowing what else to say. He badly wanted to ask about Sakaki, but that was a Bad Idea, with a 99% probability. He would have to collect data on his own.
“Nothing but trouble.” Kaidoh shot a look at the other and then put up a few more plates before sitting down across from his companion and poking at the ‘balanced’ plate that Inui had presented him with.
Inui chuckled. “If you say so...although that is not true.” He patted Pi and watched Kaidoh eat, half-drowsy from the food he had wolfed down earlier. “Is there anything else I can help with?”
Kaidoh picked a few more bites that looked promising before pushing the plate away again with a small yawn. The kitchen was rapidly cooling from him turning the stovetops off. "No. Uh- thank you."
“If you’re tired, I’ll walk you back to your room,” suggested Inui, clipping the leash back on Pi’s harness. It would be 80% more efficient to do that rather than to wake Kaidoh up again after he inevitably fell asleep at the table.
“Just gonna put the others in the fridge....” Kaidoh mumbled, placing the numerous bentos inside where anyone who needed a meal could have one. He gathered a last one, that one specially made and complete with a design that made it look like a computer keyboard, and yawned again. “Going to G-Sanada-san’s room anyway.”
“Then we can walk together,” Inui concluded. “Don’t forget the Juice. I can help you with that, if you like.” If Inui had known, he would not have brought the containers all the way to the junior dorm. He would not forget to factor in relationship data again, even if he didn’t quite understand it. He picked up a bento box for himself to carry back, then held the door open for Kaidoh, trying to keep Pi from winding the leash around his ankles.
Gathering the few things he needed, Kaidoh nodded his head and offered a shy nod. “Thank you. I’d appreciate it. Juice might be easier to force down than food.” Stepping outside of the kitchen, the toned younger boy shivered slightly at the even cooler blast of air that met him before glancing at the cat and relaxing a bit. Picking up his pace before the stiffness could kick in, he led their march towards Sanada’s and the other dorms.
Inui followed closely after, walking quickly. He figured that the sooner they got to the senior dorms, the better, and brisk walking would generate more heat. He kept an eye on Kaidoh until they were back indoors again and about to part ways. “Well, thank you again for the food,” he said, passing Kaidoh the two containers of Juice. “Uh. Have a good rest.”
“Enjoy the food, sempai.” Kaidoh mumbled, bowing and carefully balancing the juice before retreating into Sanada’s room and closing the door behind him.
What: Inui comes to mooch food. Kaidoh is Kaidoh.
Where: Junior dorms kitchen (back when that still existed XD)
When: Around Mar 9 (whups)
Warnings: None~
Kaidoh shifted his weight from one foot the other awkwardly as he used a pair of small kitchen tongs to pull the last bit of tempura pumpkin from the oil and carefully place it on the paper towel lined plate nearby. The shifting was just as much to keep him warm as it was to keep himself awake.
When he had first awoken in the morning, he was surprised to find the first feeling of hunger he had actually had in months. Taking that as a positive sign that spring was finally starting in Hokkaido, he forced himself to free himself from his blanket cocoon and post on his journal that he was going to cook a meal. He knew Sanada had noticed his weight loss, and while he had enough lean muscle to not look skeletal, he did look rather frail and sickly. By stating he was making food though, he knew others at the school would jump at the chance to have an easy meal, and therefore her would have to cook and presumably eat a little something himself. It would make Sanada happy. And the other bentos would not get as much tempura, this was a special batch for Sanada only.
But bringing his boyfriend the tempura and apologizing for the millionth time about his sleeping would have to wait a bit longer, as he had agreed to meet with Inui-sempai in the kitchen. (And Pi, whom he was excited to meet.) Turning off the burner, the lanky teen carefully placed the cooler tempura on a plate and arranged them with some rice, making a nice display.
Thrilled at the prospect of food that wasn’t liquid for once, Inui made his way towards the junior dorms. He awkwardly balanced two large bottles of strange liquid in one arm while his free hand kept hold of Pi’s leash. The overly curious cat was bounding about in the snow before him in a harness (an apparatus that Inui had bought on the Kisarazu twins’ advice), and Inui had to keep a tight hold so he wouldn’t run off. After several minor detours, Inui finally arrived at the kitchen.
“Yo,” he greeted as he entered, and winced as Pi shook melted snow from his fur all over the place. Looking over at Kaidoh, Inui couldn’t help but notice how much weight he had lost. Was this the result of Kaidoh’s hibernation? It didn’t seem like Kaidoh had been eating much. Snakes could go for a long time without food, but Inui wasn’t so sure about snake-people.
Kaidoh had just started to gather the ingredients needed for a crab fried rice when he heard Inui’s deeper voice from the kitchen entryway, turning to greet his sempai, his emerald eyes followed the leash downward to a small cat shaking water all over the floor. While he should have been annoyed about the fur in the kitchen, all he could think of was how cute Pi was. It was obvious Pi was Yuki’s rambunctious sibling to him. And while the cat lover inside of him wanted nothing more than to play with the cute ball of fur and snuggle it, he knew it would likely only earn him an odd look from the older male.
“Hey- got some tempura. Uh...some egg drop soup and spring rolls done, Inui-sempai-” he nodded to the various covered plates lining the counter top. “Anything sound good to eat? I can make more.” And perhaps figure out what he was in the mood to eat in the process.
“Everything sounds delicious,” said Inui, trying to keep his mouth from watering. He set the two bottles of strange liquid on some free counter space before squatting down to release Pi from his leash. The little kitten immediately went over to investigate Kaidoh, sniffing at his ankles before rubbing his head against them. Inui smiled at the sight and pulled out a chair to sit down. “I’ll wait till you’re done so we can eat together. I would offer to help, but...” Deliciousness might quickly turn to lethalness.
Kaidoh glanced at the two bottles, his brow furrowing as he thought about the possible contents, luckily his thoughts were soon derailed from that dark path by the feel of a small creature rubbing affectionately at his ankles. Again, he struggled with the overwhelming urge to cuddle the sweet creature, but he still had some pride. “I’ll be cooking a while. If you wanna have something, go ahead.” He looked at all of the various plates with a shrug. “I could teach you the rice....it’s easy.”
“Rice?” That didn’t sound too difficult. The less number of steps, the less mistakes there were to be made. “All right.” Inui stood up and went over to Kaidoh, waiting to be directed. Pi, confused as to why he was being ignored, meowed piteously and placed his front paws on Kaidoh’s leg, looking up at him with large pleading eyes.
“I think he wants attention,” said Inui with a grin.
Kaidoh glanced at the small creature, a soft hiss catching in his throat. It was unsettling having his sempai coming closer, he knew he was looking far too thin to be healthy for one, and his natural aversion to others being nearby being the other issue. But it did give him an idea, he bent down and scooped up the small creature, scratching beneath his chin with a blunt thumbnail. “Hello, Pi-san.” He nearly cooed, but stopped in the last moment.
“If I play with him, you’ll have to cook. We can’t have hair in the rice. Just dice the onion and celery up for me?”
Pi purred in bliss, nudging Kaidoh’s fingers for more, and ran a rough tongue over Kaidoh’s knuckles. Inui looked over to the cutting board and moved there, picking up the knife. He could chop vegetables-- that was what he did for Juice, after all. “Sure, just tell me what to do next,” he replied, and began dicing the vegetables up into precise 0.5 cm by 0.5 cm by 0.5 cm cubes. He took his time, figuring that there was a 100% probability that Kaidoh wanted to spend more time with Pi.
Holding the kitten to his chest, he stole a fond little smile at the small creature and chuckled softly, hoping he wouldn’t be caught looking at that. Glancing back up at Inui, he studied Inui’s vegetables and made a nearly amused sound, “doesn’t have to be perfect. Put the garlic in that cup and the red peppers, the onion and celery in the pan.” He nodded to the pan, “low flame is good.”
Nothing ever escaped Inui’s observant data-gathering eyes! Inui’s grin grew wider as he mentally noted the cuddly human-cat interaction. Data aside though, he was glad that Pi had the intended effect of brightening Kaidoh up, and perhaps even distracting him slightly from the misery of winter. “How low is a low flame?” Inui asked as he fiddled with the stove.
Kaidoh glanced over, pausing in trying to cuddle the kitten and studied the knob. “Between 3 and 4 will work. Then just kinda stir it while it cooks.” At least the kitten was keeping him a bit more alert, and the kitchen was almost warm enough, so in spite of being tired and feeling a bit stiff, he was managing to churn out a good food supply. “Ok...Vegetable oil,” he nodded to the filled measuring cup, “and the cilantro...then pour in the bowl of rice and stir.”
“All right.” Inui rather thought Kaidoh was putting quite a bit of trust in him to prepare food. Cooking was like science, Inui kept repeating to himself as he followed Kaidoh’s instructions carefully. Inui was good at science, so there was no reason he should fail at this. And yet... and yet... The mixture bubbled for a bit and turned slimy. Inui sighed and shrugged helplessly. This always happened.
“I’m...sorry?”
Kaidoh blinked at the strange transformation and tilted his head before stopping and putting the kitten down to wash his hands. “Looks like I poured too much oil....” his way to trying to take the blame for something that was likely no true. Pouring some of the slime mixture out, he quickly added more rice, some seasonings, and then the crab meat. Before long, it was sizzling and filling the room with the savory smell of the rice and sauce and a sweet hint of crabmeat. “See?”
Inui pushed up his glasses and shook his head. “I don’t think you used too much oil at all,” he said as he watched Kaidoh skillfully finish up the dish. “According to my data, you tend to be quite meticulous and careful. Therefore the probability of you making a mistake is only about 4%. On the other hand, everything I make turns out...” He sighed. “...Like that.” He picked up Pi to prevent him from making a nuisance of himself while Kaidoh was busy, and moved to a safe distance to wait.
Kaidoh glanced back at the other male thoughtfully before returning his attention to the meal, scooping the completed rice out into a glass dish and placing the pan in the sink carefully, pausing to scratch at the bandages over his scales and spines. It was too cold to be comfortable, but he didn’t want to ruin his jacket, but the wraps offered very little warm and itched more than necessary. Perhap he was preparing to shed again. “Cut the vegetables, perfectly.” He prepared a plate of the rice, some gyoza, and various tempura and set it down by the other. “Eat while it’s hot.”
“Itchy?” Inui didn’t miss anything. “Is it the low humidity? Perhaps you need to take more hot baths.” In … milk... or whatever was supposed to be moisturizing. Inui suspected Mizuki had more data about that than he did. He pulled out a chair and sat down, inhaling the aroma of the food. “Everything looks great. Thanks for the food.” Inui waited for Kaidoh to sit down as well before picking up his chopsticks. “I brought some of that warming juice for you, by the way.”
Kaidoh nodded slightly and scratched again, “I uh...think I am getting ready to shed again. Usually doesn’t happen in the winter. Takes a lot of energy....” Peeling his hand away from the bandages, he settled across from the other and poked at the rice, still having no appetite to speak of. “Yeah, if you wanna....snag a couple of the bentos for yourself. I made a ton.” His emerald eyes flickered to the warming juice. “Same as last time? M’I gonna pass out again?”
Shedding? That sounded very intriguing to Inui. He wondered if it would be considered too odd to ask for some shed skin samples. He was quickly distracted by the idea of having real food he could take with him, though. “Really? Thanks...” Inui eyed the stack of bentos, then looked back at Kaidoh, noticing that he was barely touching his food. “No appetite? Maybe you should try at least drinking something nutritious.” Like Juice. “I suppose it’s not 100% like the last time, since there wasn’t any venom left and I added more protein. The probability of you passing out has decreased to 45%.”
Kaidoh looked back up and nodded his head, still poking absently at the food. “Yeah. Take a couple.” Especially if Inui tended to destroy all food to the magnitude that he had the rice. Forcing himself to take a small bite, he considered the other’s advice, he did still drink some water and things. So maybe some healthy juices or milk might be good. “I have some mushroom miso every other day or so....” Since November. And only when Sanada woke him up and insisted. “I’ll drink it in my room if that is ok-”
But Inui wanted the data! “Well... if you could write down your observations while or after drinking it...” he agreed reluctantly. The data would be biased since it would be from the subject’s point of view, but Inui thought he could make some concessions in return for tasty nourishment. He watched Kaidoh push his food around for a bit before reaching over with his chopsticks. “Well, if you’re not really feeling hungry, focus on the more nutrient-rich foods.” He picked a few of those items to the side for Kaidoh to work on, making sure to get a good balance of food types.
“Yeah. I can do that.” He made a mental note to ask Sanada to write down anything he noticed, knowing he was likely to pass out and forget to write things down later. Sanada knew the hazards of the juices as well, so he knew the other wouldn’t be too upset with him for drinking it, especially since it worked wonderfully as far as warming him up went. Watching Inui move his food around a little, he studied the small selection of foods that Inui separated for him. “Thanks.” He picked up a small bit of rice and popped it into his mouth, forcing himself to chew and swallow.
“Take your time,” Inui said, looking concerned. He pushed up his glasses and went back to his own meal, trying not to wolf everything down at once. His stomach made an embarrassing rumble, though. “Sorry,” Inui said sheepishly. “It’s been a while since I ate something this good.”
Hearing the rumble, Kaidoh made a small noise of his own and took another bite of the the rice, pleased with the buttery and flavourful result of his cooking. Resuming shuffling his meal around on the plate, he frowned thoughtfully. “Take a bunch, sempai. You look like you need it.”
“Aaa.” Inui chewed for a bit and swallowed his food before replying properly. “I certainly will, thank you.” He helped himself to some of the other dishes as well, while keeping half an eye on Pi to make sure he wasn’t destroying anything while the humans were busy. “Um. You like cooking? You’re pretty good at it.”
Kaidoh’s face flushed a bit in embarrassment. “Uh. I used to like running and sports, but my spines and scales kinda made it impossible to play sports with anyone else. So- my mom taught me cooking instead.” He knew it was a little strange, but he sort of liked the successful end results. “Was a good way to pass time, and my Father and little brother like my cooking..”
“You could play sports now that you know how to manage your mutation,” Inui pointed out. He was rather disappointed that Kaidoh hadn’t been quite so taken with his previous idea of having rubber sheaths for the spines, though. “And cooking is a useful skill to have.” If only his family had but a quarter of Kaidoh’s cooking ability....
“Rather not risk it,” he nodded to the wraps firmly holding his spines down a bit, “not til I figure out how to make them all go in...” Like the one that Inui had been massaging for venom. In spite of all of his best efforts, he could not seem to make it happen again. Frankly, it was all just too frustrating for him.
“Maybe we can see if we can’t make the spines retract again,” said Inui. Last time he hadn’t been paying attention to precisely how he’d been prodding the spines. He would take notes next time, if he had an opportunity. “You shouldn’t give up, Kaidoh.”
Kaidoh's eyes lowered a bit to the ground and he chewed his lower lip, Sanada had tried, but no matter what they did, he could not seem to make them retract back in once more. Scowling, he popped a bit of egg into his mouth,"Who says anything about giving up?"
Inui smiled. “Good to see you’re feeling well enough to be this spirited.” He liked Kaidoh’s stubborn streak. It made for interesting data. He pushed up his glasses. “There is a 25% chance of success in the short-term,” he told Kaidoh. “But 80% in the long term. So you just have to keep at it.”
Kaidoh’s cheeks flushed slightly at the comment, so he quikly returned his focus to the plate in front of him, even if his stomach was clearly insisting that it did not have room for anything more than the few bites he had already taken. Scowling, he pushed the plate to the middle of the table and started back to the various foods on the counter, starting to individually box different bento sets for anyone who needed a meal. “Yeah- so....I will....”
“Already done?” Inui frowned at the amount of leftover food. He noted that there wasn’t anything that would spoil quickly, and in this weather... “Maybe you should keep the plate in your room and slowly work on it when you can. Otherwise it will be a vicious cycle of you having not enough energy, and not eating.” It was still quite a ways till spring here in the north, after all, and they had to do something to make sure Kaidoh remained relatively healthy.
“I’m fine. This is normal.” Kaidoh hissed quietly, working on another bento and carving up a carrot to make little decorative flowers to place in each one, his eyes locked intently on the smooth motion of the blade over the small vegetables. “Didn’t die from it last winter.” Of course, winter down south was nothing compared to this. But still, he did not really want to worry others. And maybe he wanted to just sleep through the next month or so.
“To ‘not die’ is a rather low standard to set, don’t you think?” Inui commented dryly. He finished up his food before going to the sink to help wash up the plates and cookware. “In this modern day and age surely there must be some way to ameliorate the ill effects of your condition...” The sentence trailed off as Inui became lost in thought, day-dreaming about fantastically improbable heating apparatuses.
Kaidoh hissed at the other, not really appreciating the comment. He busied himself with the dishes, enjoying the warmth through the dish gloves that protected the bandages that protected the world from his spines. “It’s not as bad as it looks. I function. I get to classes.” He didn’t know why he was even defending himself from the his senpai’s intentions. “I don’t feel bad. Just sleep a lot.”
“Ah.” Kaidoh’s displeased tone jolted Inui out of a particularly pleasant fantasy about constructing a heater that ran on decomposing vegetable peel. “Well...” Inui didn’t really know how to respond. He didn’t quite have enough data to deal with this degree of stubbornness. “I’m just...concerned,” he settled on saying. He shrugged. “If you’re fine, that’s...good.”
“Sorry...I know.” His temper vanished almost as quickly as it had surfaced and his brows knit into an almost embarrassed expression, complete with red cheeks. “I just...never know if people are trying to help, or just trying to baby me...it’s...embarrassing.”
Not for the first time, Inui thought Kaidoh looked rather cute when he was embarrassed, if only because he tried so hard not to be. “It’s alright,” he said, helping dry and stack the dishes. “I don’t know who would try to baby you though. 90% of the time people are just worried. After all, hypothermia is very dangerous for anyone, just that it affects you more.”
“Genichirou mostly.” But he loved his boyfriend more than anything and could see past his annoyance with him. “And the patronizing bastard Sakaki- just because he used to....” screw Sanada. Kaidoh bit his lower lip and squeezed a plate hard enough it slid from his hands and shattered on the floor. “Shit.”
“Kaidoh, don’t move,” Inui said, alarmed. He carefully bent to pick up the larger broken pieces, then went to get a broom to sweep up the remainder. He was a bit surprised about Kaidoh feeling so strongly about their most notorious staff member, but then again there had been so many rumours.... Inui resolved to look into it later.
“...” Kaidoh stared blankly at the mess on the floor, a bit surprised he had dropped a plate. He was never that careless in the kitchen, and he had almost spilled on why he hated the popular staff member. Muttering an apology for troubling Inui, Kaidoh turned his back and resumed putting dishes away, trying to pretend he hadn’t said a word.
“It’s never any trouble with you, Kaidoh,” Inui said, flopping back into a chair once he was done with his tasks. Pi jumped up on his lap, having grown bored of exploring the kitchen while the two had been eating. Inui cleared his throat awkwardly, not knowing what else to say. He badly wanted to ask about Sakaki, but that was a Bad Idea, with a 99% probability. He would have to collect data on his own.
“Nothing but trouble.” Kaidoh shot a look at the other and then put up a few more plates before sitting down across from his companion and poking at the ‘balanced’ plate that Inui had presented him with.
Inui chuckled. “If you say so...although that is not true.” He patted Pi and watched Kaidoh eat, half-drowsy from the food he had wolfed down earlier. “Is there anything else I can help with?”
Kaidoh picked a few more bites that looked promising before pushing the plate away again with a small yawn. The kitchen was rapidly cooling from him turning the stovetops off. "No. Uh- thank you."
“If you’re tired, I’ll walk you back to your room,” suggested Inui, clipping the leash back on Pi’s harness. It would be 80% more efficient to do that rather than to wake Kaidoh up again after he inevitably fell asleep at the table.
“Just gonna put the others in the fridge....” Kaidoh mumbled, placing the numerous bentos inside where anyone who needed a meal could have one. He gathered a last one, that one specially made and complete with a design that made it look like a computer keyboard, and yawned again. “Going to G-Sanada-san’s room anyway.”
“Then we can walk together,” Inui concluded. “Don’t forget the Juice. I can help you with that, if you like.” If Inui had known, he would not have brought the containers all the way to the junior dorm. He would not forget to factor in relationship data again, even if he didn’t quite understand it. He picked up a bento box for himself to carry back, then held the door open for Kaidoh, trying to keep Pi from winding the leash around his ankles.
Gathering the few things he needed, Kaidoh nodded his head and offered a shy nod. “Thank you. I’d appreciate it. Juice might be easier to force down than food.” Stepping outside of the kitchen, the toned younger boy shivered slightly at the even cooler blast of air that met him before glancing at the cat and relaxing a bit. Picking up his pace before the stiffness could kick in, he led their march towards Sanada’s and the other dorms.
Inui followed closely after, walking quickly. He figured that the sooner they got to the senior dorms, the better, and brisk walking would generate more heat. He kept an eye on Kaidoh until they were back indoors again and about to part ways. “Well, thank you again for the food,” he said, passing Kaidoh the two containers of Juice. “Uh. Have a good rest.”
“Enjoy the food, sempai.” Kaidoh mumbled, bowing and carefully balancing the juice before retreating into Sanada’s room and closing the door behind him.