Love Blossom
baking
The normal instinct for anyone who is suddenly woken from their pleasant late evening nap due to the sharp smell of something burning, Yakumo figures, is to first cover themselves with a blanket and pretend it's a dream, and then eventually work up to jumping out of bed and running toward the source.
His pace slows once Haruka is standing in front of the oven with a pair of mitts on.
"Are you trying to set us on fire? Dying together is not nearly as romantic as the world seems to think," Yakumo says, casually leaning against the fridge.
The tray, the source of the smell, is held by her mitted hands. "They would have come out well if Miki hadn't called." Her voice is lined with regret. Casting one final glare down, she ruthlessly dumps the parchment paper, along with the burnt lumps, into the trash.
Her floral oven mitts are thrown onto the counter and Haruka takes a seat at the small dining table. Yakumo sits across from her.
Her frustration is rolling off in waves and he decides talking will help set her at ease. "Are you going to explain?" he asks.
She instantly perks up at that, sitting up in her chair and uncrossing her arms, and Yakumo has to work to wipe the relief off his face. "I'm making them for Nao tomorrow! I promised her, remember?"
The last time they went to visit the temple together was when Haruka went over with dango from her mother's visit. His cousin had ruined the food by tripping in the midst of her glee and Yakumo was going to laugh at the incident had it not set off a round of waterworks. A promise for more sugary things was how Haruka managed to console her.
Yakumo nods and his thoughts land on Nao. "So, what are we baking?"
At his intentional choice of words, Haruka smiles and Yakumo looks down at the print of the table mat.
She stands up and he sees the determination back in her eyes. "Cookies," she says.
Yakumo is surprised when Haruka holds out an apron for him. In return, he gestures to herself, still wearing regular clothes. A glare and a few words is all it takes for Yakumo to understand that Haruka has to make the point that she even though she appreciates his help, she does not trust him to be anything but a disaster. It's a weird feeling for him to have the tables turned on him, but he still takes the apron. And then proceeds to place it back, to making his point. Haruka huffs.
He finds that he spends most of his time standing by the fridge to watch her. During that time, he learns that Haruka seems to be quite capable at baking. Her cooking is not bad, it's not worse than his at all, but her skill was more clumsy and experimental.
When she snatchrd away his mixing bowl to better efficiently mix the ingredients, she answers his silent question and says it was once a hobby she did with her mom that died down when she moved away from home for school. Noting the way she deftly moves around the kitchen and happily tastes the dough, plans form in his head to ask for more homemade baked goods.
Eventually, Yakumo ends up with a spoon in his mouth and Haruka scrunches her face at him, but backs away when he pretends to lean in for a kiss.
While waiting for the cookies, they both end up on the couch. Haruka sits up while Yakumo reclines with his head resting on her lap. He holds his book up away from his face, but it clashes with Haruka's own book and then it's suddenly a death match for best glare. Eventually, Yakumo is the one who waves the white flag but still considers himself the winner as he savours the feeling of Haruka's hand running through his hair while her other hand holds the book she reads.
The timer (Yakumo had insisted to use one this time so her previous mistake wouldn't be repeated) goes off and he is at the oven before Haruka.
"I could have sent a ghost to everlasting peace by now."
Haruka ignores him and walks back with the oven mitts on. She rests the cookie tray on the counter and looks at them appreciatively, a smile on her face.
The new sweet smell in the air makes Yakumo take in a deep breath. He thinks he can do this baking thing again.
After the cookies cool, Haruka blows on one and holds it out for Yakumo. He takes a bite and his eyes immediately close. He hums in delight.
Haruka eats the rest of it and comments, "Not bad."
Yakumo glares at her and in the next few minutes, four cookies are gone and Yakumo's mouth is covered in cookie crumbs.
Upon seeing her raised eyebrows, Yakumo defends himself. "I have to make sure they're edible for Nao."
When Haruka returns from her late night shower and steps into the kitchen to pack Nao's little gift, the towel in her hair drops. Only four cookies sit on the tray.
"Yakumo."
Her gaze instantly pierces Yakumo's back, who faces away from her and into the couch.
"I don't have ingredients to make another batch! Or time," she adds.
He finally speaks when she pokes his side and makes him jump.
"...I'll drive you to the grocery store."
Haruka insists they go to a less established grocery store so they can buy a pack of cookies that don't look too store-bought. She can only hope that Nao's intuition isn't somehow linked to her ability to communicate thoughts. The pain of betrayal would be too much.
But at least she could always blame Yakumo.
A/N: I very nearly did not make the last few updates in time, but I'm determined to keep this up. One more week until the end!