Author's note: I am really happy right now. It is my birthday today and I am officially 16 now and a couple of weeks ago I heard that I passed my exams. It is some time since I wrote something that doesn't include character death or other depressing things, I hope you all enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own persona 4 or any of the characters!
"I am not eating that mystery food X," Yosuke said as Chie held the lunchbox in front of him. She looked irritated when the boy mentioned that name again. She didn't want to give it to Yosuke, but Yukiko was faster and Rise was also standing around Souji with heart shaped eyes.
"You're not getting anything else, so I should eat it If I were you," she said and she shoved the box in his arms. Yosuke held it as far as he could from himself.
"I'll only eat this if I'm suicidal," he said before he quickly added: "and I am not."
"You're a jerk, you know," Chie spat as she gave him a quick kick to his leg, which made him drop the lunch box and grab the injured leg. She walked away, towards Yukiko, Rise and Souji. The silver-haired boy was trying to decline the food without hurting the girls feelings.
The girls, excluding Naoto, had decided to make lunch, but they didn't know they were all making it for the same guy. Chie was just the unlucky victim of trying to give Yosuke a lunch. She was sure that Yosuke would have eaten it if Yukiko or Rise gave him their lunch, even if it was just as bad or even worse.
Meanwhile Yosuke was staring at the remains of the mystery food X lunchbox Chie tried to give him. He spotted a bit of black stuff and… something he didn't even know existed. It didn't even look edible. It also looked like it had a bit of hair on it, but that was hopefully his imagination.
He carefully stepped over the remains of the lunchbox and walked to his best friend. Yukiko and Rise had walked away and Yosuke grinned at Souji when he reached him.
"Yo, Partner," Yosuke said and Souji nodded at him, "did you eat something? Or did Kanji offer you a lunch too?"
"Shut up, Yosuke-senpai!" the younger male yelled from the corner where he was sitting with Naoto. Rise had joined them and was apparently asking Kanji if he was flirting with Naoto, because Kanji yelled: "that ain't it! I'm just asking something."
Chie had her arms crossed and Yukiko was sitting next to her. The brown-haired girl still looked annoyed and Yukiko noted that she whenever she looked at Yosuke her expression turned darker.
"Yosuke's such a jerk," she mumbled and Yukiko giggled, "Yukiko, that wasn't something funny!"
"I know," Yukiko answered after she calmed down a bit, "but you take it a bit too serious. He's always like this and you never seemed bothered about it."
"I am not bothered by him," Chie mumbled and she continued to glare darkly at Yosuke, who was eating a lunch Souji made for them. He smiled at the other boy as he chewed on something and he obviously praised Souji.
"That's it!" she suddenly said and she startled Yukiko a bit, "I am going to learn how to cook! And I know just the person I need to speak." Yukiko just smiled and encouraged her, although she wasn't sure why Chie wanted to cook for Yosuke.
"Souji!" she said immediately when the lesson was over and she startled the boy a little. He looked up, a questioning look in his eyes. She swallowed before she continued: "I want to take cooking lessons and… I want you to teach me, because you make lunchboxes!"
"And why do you want to cook so suddenly?" Souji asked, he sounded lightly amused and Chie wanted to punch him for that, "I thought that you liked you're cooking like this?"
"it's not like I need it," Chie quickly said and she crossed her arms, "I just want to prove Yosuke wrong and make a good lunchbox." Souji smiled and Chie glared at him: "I don't know what you're thinking, but I don't like it."
Nanako was outside, playing with her friends when Chie stepped inside the Dojima residence.
"Do you know what you want to cook?" Souji asked as he walked towards the kitchen. Chie followed him.
"I told you I wanted to make a lunch box," she mumbled and Souji grinned again when he heard that. He knew that there was another reason for this sudden cooking lesson.
When they actually started to cook, it went horrible. Chie was baking some omelets and decided to put a whole red pepper in it, just to make it spicier. Souji was searching for a drawing that Nanako made. Apparently she had made something and lost it, so Souji promised that he would find it.
"Yosuke seems like the guy who likes spicy food," she said to herself and proceeded to dump another chili pepper in the omelet.
When Souji walked back in the kitchen with a smile and the drawing in his hand, he was greeted by the smell of burnt egg and chili pepper and his smile immediately fell. Chie was staring at the black egg in the pan and Souji carefully walked towards her.
"He's not going to eat this, right?" Chie asked and Souji shook his head. He was sure that nobody was going to eat it, but he was nice enough not to say that.
"I shouldn't have left you alone," Souji said. He walked to the table and left the drawing there before he walked back, "I'll help you this time." Chie nodded and threw the ruined egg away. "How much chili peppers did you put in it?" Souji asked.
"Two," she answered and her confidence decreased when Souji shook his head.
"I'm sorry to say this, but you don't put two whole chili peppers in an omelet," he said and then he grinned: "if you don't want him to burn his mouth at least."
"I am never going to hear the end of it if I do that," Chie said and she grinned too, "it would be a great idea to have him quiet tough, we need to remember that." Souji turned to the fridge and took the eggs on the counter, Chie had put them away because she was afraid she would break them, and he broke the carefully. He stirred through them until they turned yellow and then carefully poured the eggs in the pan. Chie watched how he made the eggs and thought that she should tell Yukiko that you do not use chili peppers in omelets. Souji also explained that you don't put flour in it, just to make the omelet thick.
"Alright," Chie said and she reached out for the eggs, "I just have to do what you did. That's no problem!" Souji didn't say anything and just watched, occasionally commenting on something. When she was done he could smell the eggs and he smiled at her.
"You did a good job," he said, "are you ready to move on?" Chie nodded and she learned the right way to cook rice and vegetables. When they were done, she walked back to her house with the lunchbox securely in her arms, she just knew that Yosuke was going to love this.
Yosuke did look at her with an weird expression when Chie handed him her lunchbox. She threatened him to kick him again if he didn't accept it and he reluctantly took it from her. He opened it and paused when the smell of the food flew towards him. He looked at her and she gave him the chopsticks that she was holding.
She would never forget his look when he took the first bite.
"Chie, what did you do?" he asked and she grinned.
"I had lessons," she answered, her eyes flicked quickly to Souji, but Yosuke didn't seem to notice it. He took another bite and praised her again.
For some reason, Chie felt happy when Yosuke handed an empty box back to her, especially when he asked if she could cook again for him.
Author's note: and it's done! I am going to celebrate my birthday now!