A/N: I wrote this one-shot in my journal based on the word prompt "kitchen" and liked it enough to publish it. Now, I know, it's not an update to my other story, You're Still Here?, but I promise I am working on that as well! I will have it done and published as soon as I can. Until then, maybe this will tide you over! As always, I do not own Naruto.
Neji's eyebrow twitched.
"Kiba, get your fingers out of my cookie dough," he said through clenched teeth, not even bothering to turn around. Kiba jerked his hand away from the mixing bowl and tried to look innocent.
"Damn! I swear, it's like you've got eyes in the back of your head sometimes," Kiba mumbled. Neji rolled his eyes and turned his focus back to the baking sheet he was greasing.
"I told you to stop doing that. We need to make as many cookies as possible for the bake sale, and every time you eat the dough, that's less that we can bake, and therefore, less we can sell," Neji explained for what felt like the thousandth time.
"I know, I get it, I just can't help it! I swear, the stuff's addictive," Kiba said, longingly eyeing the contents of the bowl. Neji finished greasing the pan and turned to where Kiba stood on the other side of the kitchen island. He set the pan down between them, wiped the excess butter from his hands on his apron, and reached into the bowl to pinch off a small chunk of dough. He formed it into a rough ball and placed it on the pan. Kiba rolled up his sleeve and reached for the mixing bowl, meaning to help out, but Neji stopped him.
"Wait!" he snapped, grabbing Kiba's wrist, "didn't you just stick your finger in the dough and lick it off?" Kiba quirked his eyebrow.
"Yeah, so?"
"So, you're going to put all of the disgusting germs from your mouth back into the food that we intend to sell to the public tomorrow? Go wash your hands." Neji couldn't help but smile as Kiba sulked off to the sink and flicked the water on. He knew Kiba wasn't the most hygienic person in the world, but really? He thought everyone knew that it was gross to taste food and not wash your hands before sticking them back in. Kiba finished washing up and dried his hands on a dishtowel. Normally he would've just wiped them on his jeans, but according to Neji, that was also 'disgusting'. He returned to the island and joined Neji in arranging balls of dough on the baking sheet.
"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Neji asked, still smiling.
"I guess not," Kiba replied, shaping a lump of dough between his hands, "but I still wish I could eat the dough. Why don't we just sell it like that? Everybody likes cookie dough more than actual cookies anyway..."
"Somehow I don't think it would go over too well. You know, you're lucky I decided on an eggless recipe, or you might've actually gotten sick from eating all of that dough," Neji explained, walking to the other side of the counter to preheat the oven. Kiba blanched.
"I didn't even think about it," he admitted, "and hell, I guess I've been eating killer egg dough my entire life, too!" Neji laughed.
"Well, you've gotten lucky so far, I suppose. Just don't do it again! I'd hate for you to die so young," he said, pouting, and wrapped his arms around Kiba's neck. Kiba smiled and kissed him on the cheek.
"Don't worry! There's no way I'm kicking the bucket when we haven't even made it to third base yet..." he whispered against Neji's ear, making him blush.
"Kiba, do you ever think about anything besides sex?"
"No."
"Didn't think so," Neji said, rolling his eyes.
"Well, I guess a few minutes ago I was thinking about how uptight and bitchy you get in the kitchen, if that counts," Kiba said, grinning.
"You jerk!" Kiba dodged the playful punch Neji swung at his chest. "I am not being uptight! I am trying to teach you the proper way around a kitchen so that you aren't doomed to a life of delivery pizza and Top Ramen," Neji said.
"Why do I need to learn how to cook if I have a sexy-boyfriend-slash-amazing-live-in-chef to cook for me?"
"Was that supposed to be a compliment? This isn't 1950, Kiba- I'm not about to resign myself to being your housewife. Besides, who says we'll even live together in the future?" Kiba blushed and looked away.
"I dunno, I guess I just assumed-"
"Hey," Neji grasped Kiba's upper arms and stepped close to him, "don't worry about it. I'd like to live together someday, but we don't need to think about that right now. We haven't even graduated from high school yet!"
"Or gotten to third base," Kiba added absentmindedly, earning a blank glare from Neji.
"... Or that. Well, for now, let's just get back to baking," Neji sighed, giving Kiba a quick kiss on the lips. Just in time, the oven chimed to indicate that it was fully preheated. Neji grasped the pan with a potholder and slid it onto the bottom rack, closed the oven door and set the timer. He took the empty mixing bowl and started to put it in the sink, but a sly smile spread across his face and he stopped.
"Kiba, since you did such a good job- for the most part- following my instructions today... do you want to lick the spoon?"
"Hell yeah!" He grabbed the spoon out of Neji's hand and shoved it into his mouth. Neji shook his head.
"I swear, you are such a kid sometimes," he chuckled.
"Wou know wou wuv me..." Kiba mumbled unintelligibly around the dough-covered utensil, smirking. Neji made a sick face.
"What have I told you about talking with your mouth full!"
Kiba finished off the last of the cookie dough and dropped the spoon into the dishwasher. He walked back over to Neji, who was sitting on one of the barstools around the counter, and wrapped his arms around the other boy from behind.
"We have thirty minutes until the cookies are finished," Neji said, eyeing the oven timer, "so, what do you want to do?"
"Mmmm…. You," Kiba growled, kissing behind Neji's ear.
"Kiba! I told you I'm not ready yet," Neji reprimanded him, blushing furiously, "Besides, my family will be home soon."
"Okay, okay," Kiba said, turning Neji around in his arms and kissing him passionately. Neji gasped, his hands finding their way to Kiba's shoulders and holding on tight.
"There are other things we can do, too," Kiba said when they pulled apart. "There's nothing wrong with staying on second base for a while."
Neji blushed again, but he couldn't pretend he didn't want the affection that Kiba was showering him with. He quickly untied his apron and draped it across the counter before grabbing Kiba's hand and leading him upstairs to his room.