Chapter 10. Itauk

Feliciano set down his cooking materials and looked at the people in front of him. It was routine for him now to teach a cooking class thrice a week. What he didn't expect was for Arthur Kirkland to be sitting there, front and center.

"Ciao... Arthur," Feli started, running options through his head that wouldn't end in the room on fire. "I haven't seen you here before."

The Englishman grumbled, embarrassed. "There's absolutely no need for me to be here. My cooking is fine enough as it is, but that git Alfred made me take a class. I'm just here to observe."

Feli smiled in relief. "Okie dokie. We were just going to make pasta today. Nothing new."

The class preceded to make pasta, Feli going around the room and helping whoever was having trouble. He kept stealing glances at Arthur, who looked uncomfortable sitting and watching with... was that jealousy?

"Artie, did you want to make pasta too?" the Italian offered nervously.

Arthur sputtered and turned his head. "I'd rather not, but I guess I could just to be polite."

Feliciano blinked. "I can help you if you want."

He saw the blond's shoulders relax for a second, maybe in relief, and manage a smile. "I would like that."

Feli smiled. "Okay, then. First we have to make the dough."

"Dough...?" the Brit asked, confused. "I would have thought pasta came in a box."

Feli rolled his eyes and got out a bag of flour. "Not traditional pasta. Can you get me two eggs?"

Arthur nodded and got the required ingredients. The Italian made a healthy mound of flour onto the table, and cracked the eggs into a convenient space in the middle.

"Now you mix the eggs with your finger like this," the brunet instructed, showing Arthur what to do. "And with your other hand you make sure not to let the eggs run over the sides.

"Wouldn't it be cleaner to use a bowl or something?" Arthur asked, rolling up his sleeves.

The other man grinned. "Si, but this way is more fun!" Once Feli was satisfied with the dough, he stopped Arthur. "That's good. Now we knead the dough."

Arthur nodded and cracked his knuckles. "I can do this. I just use my fingers, and-"

Feli shook his head. "Not just your fingers. You can use the balls of your hands, and your elbows too." He placed his hands over Arthur's and helped him knead it properly. The blond went stiff, not used to the touch, but soon relaxed and helped him knead the dough. "The best part is throwing down the dough. Sometimes it even bounces!"

Arthur blinked. "And why would we want to do that...?"

Feli grinned and picked up the dough, then threw it back onto the table. "It helps make it more elastic. Plus, it's fun! You try it!"

Arthur picked up the dough carefully, then threw it onto the table with a satisfying thump. He cracked a grin.

"Good," the Italian encouraged. "That should be good. And, in a half hour, we can start rolling it."

Arthur nodded. "Seems simple enough."

Feli went and got what looked to be a machine with two stainless steel rollers. "Do you know how to use a pasta machine?"

Arthur blinked and stared at the contraption for a moment.

Feli giggled. "I'll take that as a no. You put the dough through here, and roll it out until it's thin enough. The dough doesn't get wider though, so you have to be careful."

Arthur nodded slowly as the Italian pointed to the machine as he talked. And, soon enough, he understood completely what the machine did. Together they rolled out the dough into thin strips, then paid them out on paper towels to dry. Everything was going fairly smoothly until the Brit cut himself when cutting the pasta.

"Ouch!" Arthur exclaimed before holding his finger up to examine it. It wasn't bad, but now a small red bead had begun to well up at the cut.

"Let me see," Feliciano murmured, taking the other's hand gently. He dug through his pockets shortly before coming up with a small band-aid. He put it over Arthur's cut, gave a comforting smile, and kissed the band-aid. "All better."

Arthur drew his finger away, embarrassed. "...Thank you."

The brunet smiled. "It's no problem. I'm usually pretty clumsy, so I've taken to carrying around a few band-aids."

Arthur turned back to cutting the pasta, making sure to be more careful. "That's pretty smart, actually."

Feli nodded. "It comes in handy." He got out a pot and began to fill it with water. He then set it on a portable stove. "When you finish cutting, we can let the noodles dry, and then cook the pasta."

When that was done, Feliciano helped Arthur drain the pasta. Arthur took a noodle and ate it, satisfied. Feli did the same and smiled. "It's good."

The blond smiled. He couldn't remember the last time someone had complimented his cooking, even if it wasn't entirely his. "Thank you."

And so pasta went on the list of the few things the Brit could cook successfully. It made Arthur think of Feliciano whenever he made it, too.