#030 - chocolate to fix - Ohno/Aiba
Title: chocolate to fix
Pairing/Group: Ohno Satoshi/Aiba Masaki
Length: 997 words
Rating: G
Summary: “So how do you fix a broken heart?” Ohno said conversationally. Aiba's answer might be more obvious than Ohno originally thought.
A.N.
- Written for rainbowfilling with the prompt How to fix a broken heart
- Chocolatier AU?
- Chocolate terminologies are learned from a Variety show called Rock You (NTV) aired April 20, 2013 and wikihow
“So how do you fix a broken heart?” Ohno said conversationally as Aiba helped him in his chocolate project to be graded by their chef instructor the next day. Aiba turned to look at him and almost dropped his own spatula at the sudden question. Ohno couldn’t blame him - he rarely started any kinds of talk if he could help it. He wouldn’t even reply if it’s not needed too, occasionally just humming his approval in order to avoid further arguments.
But now here he was, asking for help with his chocolate project even if he was capable on his own as well as casually (he hoped) asking a vague question regarding his current love life.
Not that Aiba wasn’t talented - oh no, not at all. He was a genius in sculpturing different types of chocolates to the point where their classmates were torn between amazement and wonder if they should question their own artistic skills since the man was praised for his imagination. It’s just that more often than not, it was Ohno who was helping Aiba to make sure that he wouldn’t forget the simple concepts of mass and gravity as he carved his work (no one wanted a repeat of a sniffing Aiba and his broken Edo chocolate castle with a gigantic UFO above it, after all).
But Aiba was also skilled in a different art altogether: the art of making people feel better. And right now when Ohno was broken to the point that it was affecting his ideas, he needed this Aiba skill more than ever.
Aiba didn’t reply immediately, as if he was considering the words he would say rather than just blurt it out like he usually did. Aiba stopped working on the chocolate and went to the refrigerator.
“Aiba?”
Aiba kept quiet as he retrieved a blue box and placed it on their working table. Ohno watched as Aiba slowly opened the box, which apparently contained a chocolate-shaped heart.
“Let me ask you the same thing. How do you fix a broken heart?”
Ohno pouted. He wouldn’t particularly ask if he knew. Still he temporarily answered, “…time”.
“Alone?” Ohno nodded. “Really.” Aiba stated as he brought the chocolate heart out and then broke it into half, placing it in front of Ohno.
“How do you fix a broken chocolate?” Aiba asked in return.
“You melt it again and make chocolate to mend it?” Ohno said, unsure.
“And how would you do that?”
Ohno recounted the steps of making chocolates first, even if he was not sure where Aiba was getting at. You gather the ingredients and materials first, roast the cocoa beans, winnow the nibs, refine, conch, and then temper the chocolate. As he did this, he melted the chocolate heart in a double boiler per Aiba’s instruction and then mixed it with their new sauce.
“That’s right” Aiba replied at Ohno’s too basic of an answer as he fetched a dryer to cool off the chocolate he was mixing. He asked Ohno to pass the heart shape mound, bigger than the original size of the previous heart, before he turned off the dryer. Aiba tipped his bowl and filled the chocolate mound, carefully noting that the sugar didn’t crystallize and that it didn’t cool off so much that it needed melting again. “What goes next?” Aiba asked.
“You place it in the refrigerator. Depending on the temperature, the waiting time will vary.”
“If I set it in 5ºC?”
“It will harden in approximately 15 minutes.” Aiba smiled at that answer as he placed the said chocolate in the refrigerator to cool (It may be that Aiba himself forgot how long he should wait).
“And only then do we wait.” Ohno nodded at Aiba.
“See, the same goes when fixing a broken heart.” Aiba started. “You just don’t wait for time to heal everything. The broken chocolate won’t fix itself when you put it in a refrigerator. It wouldn’t melt, and would still taste delicious, but you can’t expect it to be whole once you brought it out again without doing much.” Ohno finally knew where Aiba was getting at.
“You have to start from the beginning and skip no steps. You mustn’t hasten the process too or it might not turn out good.” Aiba continued. “The same goes for hearts, I guess. Learn how to live without that person again, little by little. Ask for the help of friends. Get out and enjoy independence. And when that person doesn’t bother you at all, anymore, maybe start dating. And lastly fall in love again and just trust that the person that you’ll be giving your heart to won’t make the same mistake as your ex did.”
“Wow.” Ohno replied. “That was fairly deep. And obvious.”
“And obvious.” Aiba agreed as he chuckled. “It’s not like me to think of deep stuff, I admit but I still believe in the saying that “chocolate is the answer to everything life-related”, my brain kind of hurts at the moment though.” Ohno beamed, knowing that Aiba sad it to lighten the mood.
“Thank you.” Ohno looked Aiba in the eye as the latter flushed pink and dashed towards the refrigerator to check if the chocolate is ready.
Aiba brought out the chocolate and removed the mound before putting it in the box again.
“For you.” Aiba handed the chocolate to Ohno without meeting the latter’s eyes.
“Oh. Thank you. Is this really for me though?”
“It’s to commemorate the fact that Oh-chan’s heart will be whole again.”
“Are you sure you don’t have any ulterior motives behind this?” Ohno teased.
“I’ll wait.” Aiba whispered that Ohno almost thought he misheard him until he saw the taller guy looking so small.
They spent the rest of the chocolate-making period in companionable silence (or as silent as Aiba could be) without bringing the issue further. That can wait, for now, they have a chocolate project to finish, and he had his personal broken chocolate to fix.
Pairing/Group: Ohno Satoshi/Aiba Masaki
Length: 997 words
Rating: G
Summary: “So how do you fix a broken heart?” Ohno said conversationally. Aiba's answer might be more obvious than Ohno originally thought.
A.N.
- Written for rainbowfilling with the prompt How to fix a broken heart
- Chocolatier AU?
- Chocolate terminologies are learned from a Variety show called Rock You (NTV) aired April 20, 2013 and wikihow
“So how do you fix a broken heart?” Ohno said conversationally as Aiba helped him in his chocolate project to be graded by their chef instructor the next day. Aiba turned to look at him and almost dropped his own spatula at the sudden question. Ohno couldn’t blame him - he rarely started any kinds of talk if he could help it. He wouldn’t even reply if it’s not needed too, occasionally just humming his approval in order to avoid further arguments.
But now here he was, asking for help with his chocolate project even if he was capable on his own as well as casually (he hoped) asking a vague question regarding his current love life.
Not that Aiba wasn’t talented - oh no, not at all. He was a genius in sculpturing different types of chocolates to the point where their classmates were torn between amazement and wonder if they should question their own artistic skills since the man was praised for his imagination. It’s just that more often than not, it was Ohno who was helping Aiba to make sure that he wouldn’t forget the simple concepts of mass and gravity as he carved his work (no one wanted a repeat of a sniffing Aiba and his broken Edo chocolate castle with a gigantic UFO above it, after all).
But Aiba was also skilled in a different art altogether: the art of making people feel better. And right now when Ohno was broken to the point that it was affecting his ideas, he needed this Aiba skill more than ever.
Aiba didn’t reply immediately, as if he was considering the words he would say rather than just blurt it out like he usually did. Aiba stopped working on the chocolate and went to the refrigerator.
“Aiba?”
Aiba kept quiet as he retrieved a blue box and placed it on their working table. Ohno watched as Aiba slowly opened the box, which apparently contained a chocolate-shaped heart.
“Let me ask you the same thing. How do you fix a broken heart?”
Ohno pouted. He wouldn’t particularly ask if he knew. Still he temporarily answered, “…time”.
“Alone?” Ohno nodded. “Really.” Aiba stated as he brought the chocolate heart out and then broke it into half, placing it in front of Ohno.
“How do you fix a broken chocolate?” Aiba asked in return.
“You melt it again and make chocolate to mend it?” Ohno said, unsure.
“And how would you do that?”
Ohno recounted the steps of making chocolates first, even if he was not sure where Aiba was getting at. You gather the ingredients and materials first, roast the cocoa beans, winnow the nibs, refine, conch, and then temper the chocolate. As he did this, he melted the chocolate heart in a double boiler per Aiba’s instruction and then mixed it with their new sauce.
“That’s right” Aiba replied at Ohno’s too basic of an answer as he fetched a dryer to cool off the chocolate he was mixing. He asked Ohno to pass the heart shape mound, bigger than the original size of the previous heart, before he turned off the dryer. Aiba tipped his bowl and filled the chocolate mound, carefully noting that the sugar didn’t crystallize and that it didn’t cool off so much that it needed melting again. “What goes next?” Aiba asked.
“You place it in the refrigerator. Depending on the temperature, the waiting time will vary.”
“If I set it in 5ºC?”
“It will harden in approximately 15 minutes.” Aiba smiled at that answer as he placed the said chocolate in the refrigerator to cool (It may be that Aiba himself forgot how long he should wait).
“And only then do we wait.” Ohno nodded at Aiba.
“See, the same goes when fixing a broken heart.” Aiba started. “You just don’t wait for time to heal everything. The broken chocolate won’t fix itself when you put it in a refrigerator. It wouldn’t melt, and would still taste delicious, but you can’t expect it to be whole once you brought it out again without doing much.” Ohno finally knew where Aiba was getting at.
“You have to start from the beginning and skip no steps. You mustn’t hasten the process too or it might not turn out good.” Aiba continued. “The same goes for hearts, I guess. Learn how to live without that person again, little by little. Ask for the help of friends. Get out and enjoy independence. And when that person doesn’t bother you at all, anymore, maybe start dating. And lastly fall in love again and just trust that the person that you’ll be giving your heart to won’t make the same mistake as your ex did.”
“Wow.” Ohno replied. “That was fairly deep. And obvious.”
“And obvious.” Aiba agreed as he chuckled. “It’s not like me to think of deep stuff, I admit but I still believe in the saying that “chocolate is the answer to everything life-related”, my brain kind of hurts at the moment though.” Ohno beamed, knowing that Aiba sad it to lighten the mood.
“Thank you.” Ohno looked Aiba in the eye as the latter flushed pink and dashed towards the refrigerator to check if the chocolate is ready.
Aiba brought out the chocolate and removed the mound before putting it in the box again.
“For you.” Aiba handed the chocolate to Ohno without meeting the latter’s eyes.
“Oh. Thank you. Is this really for me though?”
“It’s to commemorate the fact that Oh-chan’s heart will be whole again.”
“Are you sure you don’t have any ulterior motives behind this?” Ohno teased.
“I’ll wait.” Aiba whispered that Ohno almost thought he misheard him until he saw the taller guy looking so small.
They spent the rest of the chocolate-making period in companionable silence (or as silent as Aiba could be) without bringing the issue further. That can wait, for now, they have a chocolate project to finish, and he had his personal broken chocolate to fix.