Shulk pondered.
He quietly thought to himself: life, death, existence, and love…
He let the hot, invisible steam escaping the pot on the stove condense onto his face, letting miniscule drops of water form on his cheeks. Embracing its burning sensation for another moment caused him to wake up and step back. It was his cue to add a couple pinches of salt to the water.
Then, Shulk let his mind wander off again, but it was only for a small moment.
"Shulk?" called out a familiar voice.
The angel with an insatiable stomach leaned forward and noticed the blank expression on the taller male's face. Impatient as he was, he was curious as to what Shulk was doing during the time of cooking. Pit only knew the very basics of making the dish to come, and was eager to learn how to enhance the flavor himself. Yet, he didn't expect Shulk, the one who offered to teach him, to daze out during the lessons.
"What're you doing?" Pit asked.
"Thinking."
"Thinking?" Pit gave him a weird look.
"Is it weird of me to daydream while I'm cooking?"
"Well, you have to put in the macaroni now, don't you?"
Shulk shook his head gently, "Not yet."
"Then…what do I do?"
"Just wait."
Shulk saw that the water had become a rolling boil. The next step was adding the pasta.
As he opened the box of pasta, with a serving size considered for four, he emptied all of the contents into the pot. Then, he stirred the contents for a few circles, and let the pot sit.
Shulk nodded. "All right, now as for the cheese…"
The second pot that had been sitting on the stove was left on low heat midway during the boiling of the macaroni's water, and left Pit curious during its existence. Shulk had then changed the temperature into high heat, and then retrieved an amount of butter and flour, and adding both together into the empty pot. Pit watched the butter sizzle within the heat and become mixed with the flour as Shulk stirred them together.
"You need butter and flour for cheese?" Pit asked.
"It's a common method to create it, yes," Shulk said. "You've never made cheese sauce before?"
Pit nervously grinned, "Like I said, all the mac and cheese I usually make is premade."
Shulk smiled back, "Trust me again when I say making it yourself is much tastier, and worth the time."
"I believe you," Pit responded. "So, what's next?"
Pit continued to observe Shulk's cooking methods, noting each move he made and etching it into his memory as best he could. He watched him pour milk and adding a bit more salt. Once the mixture had boiled, Shulk stirred the contents, and then lowered the heat. Then, Shulk stood still for another moment, closing his eyes. Pit saw that Shulk returned to another daydreaming state.
"What're you thinking about?" Pit asked.
"…The joys of life," Shulk answered.
"Joys of life? Like, things that make you happy?"
"Yes." Shulk returned to stirring sauce as it weakly simmered in its place.
"What makes you happy?" Pit asked.
"Hm…for one, cooking a delicious meal to eat myself."
Pit chuckled, "I think I would be, too."
"Yes, especially since you're learning my recipe," Shulk added.
Shulk finally added shredded cheese and a couple of spices into the current mixture, stirring once more. Then, he turned the heat off for both pots.
"Is the cheese done?" Pit asked.
"Almost. The macaroni is, though."
Shulk took the pot and a colander to the sink, separating the water and pasta from the pot. After drying out the water, he returned to the stove and set the colander holding macaroni aside. He stirred the cheese sauce once more, taking note of its texture. He scooped up a tiny amount with his spatula, and brought it towards Pit.
"Try it," Shulk offered.
Pit leaned forward and licked some of the sauce that was offered. His eyes widened upon savoring the taste. "Whoa, that's good!"
Shulk also went to taste the leftover amount that Pit did not take in, noting of its taste as well. He concluded that the cooking was done. It was time to serve it.
"All right, since I won't be eating as much tonight, you decide how much you want," Shulk told.
"Sure!" Pit grabbed a large bowl for his self and placed it onto the counter next to the stove. Shulk then took the macaroni and a large, clean spoon, beginning to add some to the bowl. He stopped when the contents filled a small portion of the bowl.
"More macaroni," Pit told.
Shulk did as asked, pouring out a couple more scoops.
"…More macaroni."
After the bowl was near three-fourths full, Pit asked him to stop. Then, Shulk retrieved the cheese sauce and spatula, and began to pour it into the bowl. Shulk ceased when he thought there was a substantial amount of cheese given.
"More cheese," Pit asked.
Shulk gave the angel a playful look, and gave him what he requested. However, Shulk's hand slipped for a moment, causing the spatula scooping out the cheese to push out a generous amount.
"Less cheese!" Pit cried out quickly.
Shulk quickly pulled the pot away, however it was too late. They both stared at how smoothly the cheese sauce had smeared onto the top layer of the pasta. To both the chef and the trainee, it seemed more than enough of both ingredients had been given to the bowl.
"Hm, maybe too much macaroni," Pit said.
"Sorry, I'll take what you don't want into my portion."
Shulk grabbed another bowl for his self, and spooned up a bit from Pit's bowl and returned to the colander and cheese pot. After finally retrieving a satisfying amount for both parties, they stirred their bowls quickly and still gently, admiring the sight and sound of the dish to come. Then, with their finished bowls in hand, they headed to the small dining table set in the kitchen and sat together.
Pit was the first to take an eager scoop of the finished product. After a couple of chews and swallowing, he squealed in pleasure. His wings also stretched out for a moment, exhibiting an obvious sign of delight.
"It's so good!" Pit exclaimed. "Way better than premade mac and cheese!"
"I told you," Shulk said, tasting his own share.
"But it's just milk and cheese," Pit said. "Essentially it's all cheese, but how does it taste so much better? And it has a hint of…what is it…?"
"It's the butter, salt, pepper, and light amount of oregano I added," Shulk answered.
"All that makes this big of a difference?" Pit gasped.
"It can," Shulk told. "The salt in the macaroni's water and in the cheese sauce give both ingredients more impact. The butter and flour give more taste and depth for the cheese, and the milk smooths the cheese to make it easy to stir, and also adds more taste. To finish it off, the pepper and oregano gives a refreshing aftertaste that makes you crave for more to eat."
"Wow…" Pit looked down at his food. It looked nearly just the same as what he would usually make, and yet he was in awe of the major differences in taste. "You're really good at cooking, Shulk," he complimented. "You're way younger than me, yet you know so much more… I'm kind of ashamed."
"Nothing to be ashamed about," Shulk reassured. "Everyone has their own pace of learning."
"Yeah, but I never really took the spare time I had to look into improving my cooking. If I have to make something to eat, I just follow the directions off of boxes and that's it. It's probably why I don't get chosen to be a Smash Chef for Fridays at all—not that I mind."
"Well, perhaps I can continue to teach you more, and maybe when your cooking gets better enough, you can cook for everyone for once."
"That'd be nice," Pit nodded. "For now, I think I'll just enjoy cooking that isn't mine."
Shulk set down his spoon, putting resting his hand on his chin. "You know, while I was cooking, I was also thinking of how my cooking could make someone happy."
"Make someone happy?" Pit asked. "Who?"
"Well…" Shulk paused. "For instance, someone I may come to love." The two boys stared at each other for moment. Pit nodded in agreement, but Shulk quickly turned his sight away, following up hesitantly. "…Or, friends that I cherish. To make them happy through the way of cooking is a nice idea."
"And it makes you happy too?"
"Yes—you never thought of it? Cooking a dish so delicious that someone else would love to eat more of it made by you?"
"Hm…not really."
"That's what chefs have in mind when they make their food. They put a lot of care into their food, so when the ones eating it are happy, then the chef is also happy."
Pit looked at his food for another moment, and scooped up another portion. "So then, are you happy that I'm happy about eating your food?"
Shulk nodded, gazing at Pit's innocently delighted expression. "Yes—very happy."
Pit's smile beamed bigger. "Well you should be, you're a great chef!"
Shulk looked away for a moment. "I still don't know very much myself. Most of the time, I'm still experimenting with spices and condiments to common meals. In fact, I only learned of trying oregano to macaroni and cheese recently."
"Still, haven't you thought about becoming a Smash Chef?" Pit asked.
"I do get offered to be one when no one else is a candidate. But I often reject."
"Why?" Pit tilted his head.
The taller male huffed. "I'm not that great. I'm still experimenting with so many recipes. Though it's hard to find which one is the best mixture when I'm the only one eating them all."
"Well, in that case, how about I be your taste tester?" Pit offered.
Shulk blinked, "Huh?"
"You can try improving your cooking with all the dishes you want, and I'll taste them all. And, I can learn to cook more from you too! And that way, I can probably cook something for you too, so I can try to make you happy as well."
"Why not, then?" Shulk smiled.
"All right!" Pit exclaimed, pumping his fist into the air. "Can't wait to eat more delicious stuff from you!"
Shulk laughed, "Well, finish this dish first. And wipe the cheese sauce on your cheek there."
Pit poked the spot Shulk had pointed out, and felt the slick texture lingering on his skin. "Oh…heh!"