A/N: Slight AU where all the characters are 18+
"Excellent job on your Shokugeki against the Chaji," Arato said as she walked by your side, her hands wrapped around the clipboard with the day's schedule. She looked up at you with warmth in her magenta gaze. "Thanks to you, Erina can now expand the storage unit for her ingredients and improve her skills.
You shrugged your shoulder sand shoved your hands deeper into the pocket of your blazer. You didn't care much about Erina's own personal gains. They were all but trivial in your mind, and you hadn't even considered accepting the Shokugeki challenge until you heard whispering around the campus of Totsuki. The Tea Ceremony Practitioners that the Tenth Seat had targeted were beginning to spread rumors about your competency. They had never witnessed your talent in the classroom, as your attendance to classes was poor. You figured if you could please the God Tongue with your pastries and sugary confections, you had no need to impress the professors. She seemed to put in a good word for you when your grades began to slip. Without the ability to assess your skills prior to the showdown, they seemed to believe that you were a lesser being and little threat to them and their tea time treats, and that burned your core.
You hummed as your recalled the look of defeat on their faces. "I just did what I do best…" You thumbed the soft black ear buds that hung loosely around your neck with your sloppily tied ribbon. Beside you, Erato chuckled.
"Of course. Never the less, I appreciate it." She flipped up the papers of the clipboard and read off a few events before finding the one she sought out. "She would like you to bring her a dish around four PM. It is Friday, and she wishes to congratulate you herself." You nodded in affirmation as the secretary continued. "She's given you permission to use her ingredients and personal kitchen on the first floor." Her hand landed on the door and pushed it open for you. A luxuriously clean cooking area was laid out in front of you, and you breathed in the crisp air that wafted through the cracked windows. You murmured out a quick thank you and entered. You placed your shoulder bag on one of the pristine metal table with a rough thump before you made your way to the skin and scrubbed any grime off your hands with the over-priced, lemon scented soap that sat on the deep dish washing sinks. As you dried your hands with the brown paper towels, you heard the door open once more and your attention was immediately drawn to the two students that entered.
"Can I help you?" you asked, instantly recognizing the pale girl and her companion as Erina's cousin and her own aide. Her crimson eyes raked themselves over your form, her lovely cupid bow lips turned up into a tiny smile as she chirped your name and pranced to your side, more than glad to see you.
"Oh I'm so happy you're here!" she chimed and placed her hand on your arm. Her nails drummed against your skin as she inspected your appearance. "What are you making?" You opened your mouth to answer her, but she wasn't having any of it. "I want some of it" she interrupted and pulled away, returning to the dark male by her side. Her hand patted his back, open palmed, and impacted with a light slap of skin against skin. "Ryo wants some too; he's never had any of your sweets! And after your Shokugeki, he's so curious!" You couldn't tell; his expression didn't falter. You watched the odd pair for a moment before your own lips curled up in amusement and you shook your head.
"Alright…"you chuckled as you pulled a simple black beanie over your hair to keep it out of the food. "You can't complain about what I make thought." You ignored the playfully offended gasp from the girl and gathered the necessary ingredients from the cabinets and refrigerator. With your arms full of dairy and dry ingredients alike, you returned to the table and dropped them down much like your seemingly forgotten bag.
The black haired lad watched you systematically laid out exactly everything you needed. With it all in place, you nodded and reached into your bag and yanked out a colorful piece of fabric. The black polka dots that spattered across the surface distracted him from the smooth motion of you securing it around your waist with one of the large red ribbons. It the over sized bow landed perfectly on your rounded backside as you set to work, nothing distracting you from the task on hand. Sugar and cream flew through the air as you practically danced through the kitchen your hands plucking each ingredient and instrument from the table as you twirled about, a mixing bowl in one hand and a whisk in the other. You made sure to pay careful mind to the concoction that simmered on the stove and released a sweet scent in the air as you stirred. He couldn't help but wonder what the red, glossy glaze you stirred about was for, and how long it would take before he could put it in his mouth. He did all he could not to salivate, all without losing his cool exterior.
At long last, you slid two sparking white plates in front of the two. A exceptionally shiny candied apple sat on the plate, but on second glance, he noticed that the crimson exterior was a hardened sugar shell, and the inside of the shell was filled with a white mousse that filled the mold to perfection. You had even gone as far as to make a chocolate stem for the faux apple.
Alice didn't hesitate to crack it open with the small golden spoon that rested just beside the dessert, and the shell cracked like the exterior of a high grade chicken egg, allowing easy access to the cream inside. Her tiny moans of pleasure prompted him to follow suit and take a bite.
The spice of cinnamon and cardamom assaulted his taste buds at first, like a passionate kiss from an zealous and hungry lover. The sharp edges of the sugar scraped the inside of his lips and tongue sensually and he could almost feel the nails pulling the shirt from his chest and dragging along the muscles of his shoulder blades roughly, desperately. He was fully willing to oblige as his eyes slid shut instinctively and allowed the flavors to have their way with his taste buds. As things began to heat up, a sudden change in pace left him out of breath. The flavors that had been clawing and biting at his most sensitive areas now surprised him with a sweet, soft kiss of apple notes against his jaw line and neck, lavishing him with a tortuously gently touch until their plush, milky lips connected with his own.
A giggle to the side snapped him back to reality and he swallowed the bite hastily. The flavors intensified as he let out an exhausted breath, still craving more of the dessert. One bite had left him breathless, and he felt as if he needed to take the dish somewhere more private to fully enjoy it. His expression had only changed and twisted slightly as he tried to comprehend the sweet pleasure that had erupted in his mouth. It was just enough for Alice to notice though, and she couldn't help but giggle. "You like it?"
"It's good…" he mumbled as he toyed with the idea of eating another bite. His spoon spun on the edge of the plate. Would he be able to control himself with the second bite?
"Then you wouldn't mind…"Alice reached her spoon over in an attempt to steal a bite from him. Ryo held the plate far out of her reach, eliciting a small whine from her. "I already finished mine! You only took one bite before you were off in that fantasy world of yours!"
He ignored her and looked around for you, but you had disappeared with the remaining two plates. Your belongings were still on the table along with the remaining ingredients. He had to ask. "Where-"
Alice knew exactly what he was going to ask, and refused to answer him. "Not until you give me the rest of yours!" He shook his head and submitted to her whims. Convincing her to do anything else was futile. She snatched the plate away and popped a bite in her lips. The albino squirmed as the flavors pleasured her, and with a sigh of relief, she answered him. "Erina likes her tea and dessert around two, and she's the one responsible for bringing it to her." The girl pointed at the cup of steaming liquid on the table. Ryou didn't dare touch it, not wanting to test your power over tea. "She gets the tea mix from the spice lab on the other side of campus. That boy Akira works with her to make the best combination for her dishes." Again she sighed and placed the emptied plate on the table. "They work magic together." Icy anger blossomed in the pit of his stomach at the mention of his silver haired classmate, but he buried the reaction beneath his poker face. "I wish she was able to cook for me more, but Erina keeps her busy and away from me," Alice's voice adopted a surprisingly bratty tone as she crossed her delicate arms over her ample bosom. "I mean she was my friend first."
Ryo cocked his head to the left, strands of inky hair falling into his eyes. "You want her back?"
Alice pouted and stomped her foot. "Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?" A small smirk crossed her face," And you want her around too." He rolled his eyes and pressed his sculpted shoulders against the cool wall in an attempt to bring his body heat down. "Don't deny it!"
"I didn't say anything." He mused as he turned his eyes to your dirtied apron that lay on the table. With a chuckle, Alice skipped out of the room, humming a small tune as she did. She passed you in the hallway and couldn't contain her pleasure and yanked you into a tight hug.
"Can't wait to have you around!" She pulled away and turned the corner, waving her pale hand at you as she rounded the corner. Leaving you dazed, you entered the kitchen and moved to clean up, but Ryo seemed to have beaten you to the punch. He was busy on the dishes, his back facing you and the fabric of his tightly fitted bandana swaying with the motion of his body. Your eyes lingered on his shoulders that worked themselves up and down and traced down the well defined curves of his arms and to his large hands that scrubbed the sugar that tacked itself to the pot you used. You tore your eyes away and returned to the table and cleaned it after murmuring a quick thank you to the boy, only to find it sparkling clean and your apron folded neatly on top of your school bag. You couldn't imagine what possessed him to be so kind to you, but you weren't questioning it. That was, until two damp hands slammed down onto the metal table dangerously close to yours. The table rattled with impact and you turned on your heel with wide eyes, only to see wild crimson eyes staring into your own. You tried to put space between the two of you out of fear that you had offended the boy to the point of changing his personality so drastically, but he pressed closer. The sharp bones of his hips dug into your own as your cheeks flooded with color and you floundered for words. Somehow, your hands found their way to his chest and your fingertips fanned across the soft surface of the fabric. The position was compromising, and anyone who walked in could easily mistake the two of you for an intimate couple, but you weren't complaining about the closeness of your bodies.
"Shokugeki," he demanded. His rough voice dragged you from your trance and you stared at him, unblinking and not believing his words. "I win, and you leave Erina and stay by Alice's side. If you win," he scoffed at that, not believing that you would win against him, "you get whatever you want-"
"You become my aide." You interrupted him. If he was going to make outrageous demands, you would as well. He squinted at you, weighing the pros and cons of the situation before stepping away from you and pulling his bandana off his head. Immediately, his demeanor reverted back to the aloof, unconcerned one you had witnessed earlier.
"Tomorrow at 4 PM." Without another word, he stuffed his hands and the flame patterned fabric into his pocket and exited the kitchen just before your legs gave out and you sunk to the ground. You were just short of a heat stroke and heart attack. You preferred not to compete unless completely necessary, but you couldn't help but give in to his demands. You wanted more of this unpredictable boy.