"First we have to prepare the butter." Kyoko said pulling her apron over her head.
While they were at the store, he had insisted that they both needed aprons. No matter how she tried he wouldn't let her pay for her own nor would he permit her to pick the cheap plain white one. He would have preferred to get her a cute princess themed one, but the store only had generic sayings and coking themed ones. Lucky for him she had liked a brown apron with gold trim and cooking utensils patterned on it. Lucky because there was a larger black one with gold trim and the same fabric as hers was used for the pockets. So, they matched but she wouldn't object with some notion about tarnishing his image.
She set a small saucepan on the stove and Ren cocked his head to stare at her.
"Don't give me that confused puppy dog look. Clarified butter is the first step to any good hollandaise sauce." She said.
"Holan what? I thought we were making eggs benedict?" He questioned his confused look deepening.
"Yes, and in order to do that you have to make the hollandaise sauce that goes on top." She explained and motioned to the butter they had purchased. "To do that we need to start by heating the butter to separate the milk fats from the butter."
"That sound difficult." He said concerned that he might not be able to do it.
"It's actually quite easy to do. Just grab a ladle from the drawer." She assured him as she turned on the stove. "We'll put the butter in here and wait for the milk fats to rise to the top."
Ren was at a loss as to wear to find a ladle. This may be his apartment, but it was really more her kitchen than his. He pulled open a drawer and found potholders. The next drawer had wash cloths and the next had his cutlery but no ladles.
"Do you not know where anything is in your own kitchen Tsuruga-san?" Kyoko asked not knowing why she was so surprised by that.
"Not only do I not know where most things are, I wasn't even aware that we owned a ladle." Ren said jokingly though he really didn't know.
She blushed at his use of the word we, like they were a pair.
"I can find the coffee mugs and make some instant coffee." Ren shrugged as though that were all he needed the kitchen for. "And I can get water. Water is important."
She smiled at him. He really was hopeless. Maybe it would be best to call Yashiro and tell him to not let Tsuruga-san ruin his reputation by cooking in front of an audience. But if she did that then he would think he was unteachable and then he might give up on ever cooking again. Then what excuse would she use to come over? She shook her head and retrieved a ladle from its drawer. It wasn't like she had agreed to show him how to cook for any ulterior motive. She just didn't want him to embarrass himself in front of an audience.
"Ok, so what do we do?" He asked.
She cleared her throat; there he went saying we again. She stood over the butter and watched it heat up waiting for the color to change. He stepped over to peer over her and watch the butter with her.
Calling on her teacher spirit she did her best not to be affected by his proximity.
"You have to be careful not to burn the butter, but it is pretty simple and straightforward. All you have to do is wait for a white foam layer to form at the top and scoop it out." She said doing just that and quickly putting the milk fats into a bowl she had set out. Then she handed the ladle to him, "Now you try."
"Only the top layer?" He asked dipping the spoon into the pan.
"It's fine if some butter gets in but we want all of the milk fat out." She said as she watched him try to carefully extract only the white foam.
With him standing behind her, she was sandwiched between him and the stove as he continued to scoop the foam. At first it made her nervous but there was something relaxing about his warmth surrounding her.
"Is that good?" Ren asked pulling her out of her revery. He looked down at her with hopeful eyes. Like a puppy waiting for praise.
She looked at the butter and shut off the stove with a nod.
"Yes, it looks very clear. Now we'll lay some cheesecloth over a measuring cup and pour this into the cup. That is how you make clarified butter. As a bonus we can use the milk fats to make other kinds of sauces." She said taking the ladle from him and swirling the butter to make sure the majority of the foam was gone.
Happy that he had completed the first task correctly Ren practically skipped over to the cheesecloth Kyoko had prepared and placed it over the measuring cup she had set out. He wondered if her comment meant that she was planning to come over again and teach him how to make something with the milk fats. It would have to be sometime soon, he hoped.
"This should catch any remaining foam that we missed and then we can set the butter aside." Kyoko said pouring the butter over the cloth and watching as it strained into the cup. "Could you fill the medium pot with water please?" she asked motioning to the pot she had set out.
"Yes, Mogami-sensei." Ren said grabbing the pot and taking it to the sink.
"Good now place it on the stove and turn it on then come over here and add four egg yolks to this bowl." She said astutely. Ren did as she instructed but when he picked up his first egg Kyoko stopped him. She remembered what he was like with eggs.
"Take these two smaller bowls first." She said pushing two small clear bowls towards him.
He pouted eyeing her suspiciously. Did she not trust him to know how to crack an egg?
"You have to crack the eggs like this." She said taking and egg and cracking it then she pulled the two halves apart careful not to let the entire eggs fall into the first bowl. "Carefully pass the yolk back and forth while letting the egg white drip into this bowl then gently place the yolk into this one." She said completing her task with proficiency.
Ren stared open mouthed at the perfect yolk sitting in the bowl. It was round and unbroken, and he didn't think he could accomplish not breaking one if he tried to do that.
As if reading his mind she said, "It's alright if the yolk breaks. We just need the whites and the yolks o be separated. We only want the yolk."
"Alright." Ren said gingerly holding an egg in between his fingers.
It felt so fragile in his large hands. He had to take a deep breath to keep himself from shaking as he tapped the egg on the side of the bowl. It didn't crack and he had to tap it again a little harder than the first time. The tiniest crack formed, and he frowned at the egg. Kyoko did her best not to giggle as he tried to crack the egg again with the slightest bit more pressure. She had never seen someone crack an egg so adorably. She shook her head and rewrote her thought; she had never seen someone need to try so hard to crack an egg.
Ren tried to let the egg whites fall into the bowl just as she had but he spilled most of it on the counter. He nervously passed the egg back and forth but ended up popping the yolk and spilling it with the whites. Sighing he looked to her for help. With a patient smile she had him dump the remaining yolk as she picked up another egg.
"Try this way instead." She said pouring the entire egg into the egg white bowl then dipping her hand in and scooping out the yolk. She let the whites drip off then set the yolk into the bowl with the first one.
"My hand might be too big for this bowl." Ren said with a pout. She was so dainty and delicate it made him feel like a great big brute.
"Ok, then crack the egg directly into your hand while holding it over the egg white bowl. Then just let it drip. We can clean up the counter later. Besides the show runners should already have some eggs prepped for you." she said trying to reassure him. She had seen these types of cooking shows before and the ingredients were always prepped for the celebrity. "So, it wouldn't be a problem even if I separated all the eggs for you."
"No, I'll do it." He said determined to learn how to do it. Maybe then he could help her in the kitchen more often.
She winced at the messy way he plopped the egg into the bowl breaking the other yolks. The man had absolutely zero finesse in the kitchen, but he seemed so proud of finally separating an egg that she couldn't help but to give him praise.
"Good job. I knew you could do it. Now we only need one more yolk and then we can pour in the wine. I'll measure it out while you do the last egg." She said and he gave her a look that made her imagine he had perky ears and a wagging tail. She blushed turning away from him to open the wine.
"What's this for?" Ren asked holding up a lemon that she had sitting next to the eggs.
"We'll add lemon juice in too once we have all the egg yolks." She said bending down so she could see the lines on the measuring cup.
She heard another egg crack then a low curse before the shell plopped into the trash. Rather than being discouraged Ren took another egg and cracked it into his hand trying to be gentler as he let the gooey whites of the egg fall into their bowl. He wanted to say that he had contributed one yolk that was as perfect as hers.
"They don't need to be perfect Tsuruga-san. You're going to whisk them up anyway." Kyoko said pushing the measured-out wine towards him. "Now you'll cut the lemon and squeeze out all the juice into the bowl then pour in the wine."
"Yes, ma'am." He said taking the knife. Finally, something he could do. He thought as he cut the lemon in half. Then he realized that the only skills he had in the kitchen had to do with drinking alcohol or coffee. He shook the thought out of his head and squeezed the juice into the bowl holding his hand underneath to catch any seeds.
"Oh good, I forgot to tell you to do that." Kyoko said retrieving a whisk from the drawer. Ren watched where she had gotten it from for future reference. "Ok, now the wine. Then whip it up really fast. Good." She praised as he followed along with her instructions.
"How long do I whisk it for?" He asked.
"Until it gets nice and foamy." She replied standing on her tip toes to peer over his arm into the bowl.
"Foam again." Ren commented mostly to distract himself from the way her warmth pressed against his arm.
He could think of a dozen things he would rather do with her after midnight on this counter and that was dangerous. He needed to forget that she liked him back. But there was no going back in time to erase the confession and rebuild the boundaries between them. There was no way for him to get rid of the nagging what if questions in his head. Like what if he set the bowl down and scooped her into his arms for a kiss? Would she let him kiss her? Would she kiss him back?
"It's ready Tsuruga-san, take it over to the pot of water and start to heat it up." she said calling his eyes to her lips. "Be careful this is the tricky part. You'll need to keep whisking and lifting the bowl from the heat to control the temperature and not end up with scrambled eggs."
"That sounds difficult. Are you sure I'm ready for this Mogami-sensei?" he asked growing more nervous as he set the bowl over the pot of boiling water.
"Just keep whisking and you'll do fine." She assured him.
"Alright but if I fail at this, I'll send you to bed, and I can keep trying until I get it right." He said noting the time on the stove clock. He felt guilty for keeping her up so late just to help him cook. Then again Yashiro-san had said that she was already headed over before he spoke to her.
"That's looking good. I think it's time to add the butter. Pull the whisk up so I can make sure." She said and he paused. "Tsuruga-san?"
He pulled the whisk up showing her the consistency then set the bowl aside. She looked up at him confused by his suddenly somber expression.
"Why are you here, Mogami-san?" he asked. Did she need work advise? It had to be work related. She never came over for any other reason.
"Oh, um I'm sorry." She stuttered in hurt and confusion. She was here helping him, but he suddenly had a problem with her presence.
"I don't mind that you're here. In fact, I'm really enjoying having you here. I was simply curious because you were coming over even before Yashiro-san asked you to teach me to cook. Did something happen at work?" he asked trying to avoid another misunderstanding.
"Umm…yes, sort of but no not really." She said not wanting to say that she wanted to see him because she was feeling lonely.
"Mogami-san." He said in a stern voice. Smiling brightly at her he leaned towards her.
"MycharacterdiedandIwasfeelingreallysadandlonelysoIgotadvisefromkogasanbutthatonlyhelpedalittelsoIwasgoingtocomeoverjusttowatchyoufromafarbecauseI'mpathetic." She rushed her words out then turned bright red and hid her face in her hands.
"Oh." Ren said nodding then after a moment he cocked his head and asked, "What?"
"Mmm…" she whimpered dropping her beet red face onto the counter and covering her head with her hands. "I just wanted to see you." her words were muffled by the counter, and he couldn't quite understand but his heart gave a hopeful flutter.
"Mogami-san?" he began and place a hand over hers on her head. "Kyoko-chan do you want a hug?" he asked, and she popped her head up suddenly. Now he was going to get it. She would lecture him about propriety. She would remind him that they weren't a couple and tell him that he was being too familiar with her.
Her slight nod was almost imperceptible he was convinced that his hopeful brain imagined it. But he opened his arms for her, anyway. She hesitated for only a moment, but the temptation of his broad chest proved too much. She placed one tentative hand over his heart then laid her head down on her hand. Slowly so as not to spook her he wrapped his arms around her small form and cradled her head.
"I was sad." She said after a moment of warm silence. "We filmed Momiji dying today and even though I still have scenes left to film it made me really sad and lonely. Koga-senpai said that was normal and understandable. He said that I should find a way to fill the hole that Momiji's death scene left in me."
"Koga-senpai said that?" he asked trying to keep the bitter jealousy out of his voice.
"Yes." Kyoko said, "And it annoyed me because all I could think of was," she quieted and peered up at him.
"Me?" he asked his heart fluttering.
"It's embarrassing." She sulked. She had thought she was done acting foolish for love but here she was fining comfort in his arms. Here she was incapable of being sad because he was holding her. "I always give up everything and become pathetic when I fall in love. I'm even more of a fool than I was before."
"You are not pathetic." He said rubbing her back. "And you are not a fool."
"I am." She insisted.
"Well then I am too." He declared causing her to raise her eyes to his ready to protest his claim. How could Tsuruga Ren call himself pathetic or think himself a fool? "I am." He insisted before she could speak. "I only think of you when I'm sad too. In fact, aside from acting you're all I ever think about. Why do you think I send you pointless messages throughout the day? And demand selfies?"
"Pointless?" she asked not sure what he was referring to.
"I messaged you to ask what you were having for supper. I know you know that I don't care about food." He said and there were a million other absurd messages with absurd requests that he had sent her.
"Yes, that's why you were asking because you need inspiration on what to eat." She said knowing that it was a flimsy excuse.
"Except I had already eaten a quick meal. Which I purposely told you about because I knew it would prompt you to call me so I could hear your voice." He said then proudly added, "I got to talk to you for a full hour and a half that night."
"Twenty minutes of which I spent scolding you. You cannot expect me to believe that you enjoyed that." She said aghast not only that she had scolded her senpai but also that he still had such atrocious eating habits.
"Every minute of it was heaven. Because I am pathetically and foolishly in love with you." he said. "By the way I lied about eating a quick meal. I promised you that I would eat healthier, and I do. I just wanted you to call me."
"That's manipulative Tsuruga-san." She accused taking a step back but not moving out of his arms. "Don't lie to me."
Shrugging he said, "Only if you promise to call me every night before bed."
"Every night?" she asked worried about his schedule. What if she called and he was busy or already asleep? He needed all the sleep he could get. It completely slipped her mind of course that they were cooking in the middle of the night.
"Or give me permission to call you." he said hoping she would barter with him rather than outright refuse. Every other night would sate him for the time being. If he had to, he would accept skipping two nights at a time, but every three nights would be pushing it. Unless they could text on those three nights they wouldn't be talking.
"You can call me whenever you want." She said as though it were no big deal.
"I can?" he asked unconsciously pulling her closer and leaning down.
"Well, I can't promise to always answer or that we could talk for a whole hour and a half but yes you can call me before bed. You don't have to lie to get me to do things Tsuruga-san. Next time just ask." She spoke the words sweetly but there was a sternness to them that he knew not to disobey.
"I'm sorry. Next time I'll just send a message asking if you have time to talk." He said wishing he could lean down and kiss the tip of her nose. "And next time you want to see me just message me and I'll be more than happy to pick you up."
"No. Tsuruga-san we really need to start being more discreet. I shouldn't come over like this and we shouldn't be shopping together." She said panicking again about the clerk who had seen them.
"Why? The staff here already knows you. They let you in at the residence entrance, didn't they?" he pointed out and she hid her blushing face in his chest.
"The doormen called me Mogami-sama and told me that you had given them permission to give me a key card for the elevator if I needed it. I already got one from Yashiro-san though." She said.
"We can give him that one back and get yours from the doormen tomorrow…er… later today I guess." He said then nodded towards the sauce. "Not that I particularly want to let go but we should finish before the sun comes up. I already feel bad for keeping you up so late."
"I would have been up this late anyway as I'd still be on my way home by now if I had come to see you and left." She reasoned.
"So, wait, you were really going to get a glimpse of me and leave?" he asked chuckling at how cute she was.
"Yes, I told you I'm a fool!" she whimpered into his chest.
"Yes, you are but only because you were going to leave. I'm getting you that card tomorrow and you are going to come inside next time. Don't go running around outside that late at night." He said then leaned down to whisper in her ear. "It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who is lonely without the other."
She bit her lip, "I'm such a fool. Just five more seconds."
"Ok." Ren said closing his eyes and reveling in her scent.
"Ten more. Ten more minutes then I'll be satisfied." She said more to herself than him.
"Alright." He chuckled but then realizing he had to be the levelheaded one this time he said, "We should finish cooking before we run out of time to sleep."
"Right." She said but didn't move away.
Sighing he held her tighter and buried his nose in her hair. He then whispered, "You could always join me in my bed. Then I could hold you all night."
This had the instant effect of her jumping ten feet away from him.
"Tsuruga-san don't be a pervert!" she shouted only growing more miffed as she heard him laughing. "Bully."
"Alright. Alright tell me what to do next sensei." He said between his laughter.
Taking in a deep breath she collected herself before motioning for him to pick up the pot.
"Put it back over the boiling water and start to whisk in the butter little by little." She said and he complied. "Good, not too much. That should be good now take it off the stove."
"This is good?" he asked setting the bowl onto the counter.
"Yes, just add some salt and cayenne pepper." She said handing him the spices. "Only a pinch." She said suddenly pulling the salt away from his outstretched hand.
"Yes, I know."
"And let me taste it before adding more." She said insistently and he nodded with a sarcastic yes ma'am.
Once she relinquished it, he added in the salt then added a dash of cayenne pepper. He stole the spoon she had retrieved from a drawer and scooped up some of the sauce; he was going to have to ask her to label the drawers. Kyoko looked shocked as he held the spoon to her lips. She tried to take it from him with her hand, but he held it out of her reach.
"Tsruga…!" he placed the spoon in her open mouth before she could finish scolding him. "Mmm." She vocalized licking her lips as he pulled the spoon away. "It's irritating how good that is."
"Why, you made it? I was simply the tool of your creation." He said wanting her to blush some more.
"No, you made it. I am little more than a recipe book your using to learn how to cook." She said.
"If I wanted to use you it wouldn't be for cooking." He muttered to himself.
"What?" she asked setting a frying pan on the stove.
"Nothing." He said opening the package of Canadian bacon.
"We'll use the same pot as before for the poached eggs. Could you replace the water and set it on to simmer? We don't want it boiling." She said choosing to let go of his comment. If he had said what she was almost certain that he had it would be less troublesome for her to ignore it.
"Yes, Mogami-sensei." he said hurrying to dup the pot and refill it.
"These last three steps are going to go pretty quickly so pay attention." She said placing two cubes of butter into the frying pan. "Once the butter melts add in the bacon. Then step over to the pot of simmering water and add in the vinegar. Take this spoon, give the water a swirl, and drop the egg right in." she said settling him in front of the stove to watch the butter melt.
As he watched over the stove, she cracked two eggs into two separate bowls and brought them over to the pot of which was starting to form bubbles.
"Is there a reason you didn't have me crack the eggs?" He asked irritably as he placed the Canadian bacon into the pan.
"Nope." She said innocently with a smile. "No need to worry about that though I will have Yashiro-san make sure that all the ingredients are prepped beforehand."
"Mhm." Was his noncommittal annoyed response.
"Vinegar in." He said pouring in a teaspoon. "If they ask me why what do I say?"
"It helps with the eggy smell. Some people think it also helps it poach better but it's mostly the smell. The swirl is what really helps it to poach better as it causes the whites to wrap nicely around the yolk." She explained and handed him the bowl with the first egg as he finished stirring the pot. "You can do this, just gently pour it into the center of the swirl."
Instead of letting him do it himself she held onto the bowl as he tipped it into the water and the two of them watched as the whites closed around the yolk.
"We did it!" Ren said excitedly. "How long does it cook for?"
"Just until the whites completely solidify. Runny yolks are a must, but runny whites are gross. That's what Yayoi-san used to say." She explained then pointed to the bacon. "In the meantime, you should flip those. And I will toast the English muffins as that is pretty easy. Unless you've forgotten how to work the toaster oven since I showed you."
"I must confess that I always knew how to work the toaster. It was just an excuse to get you to come over. One that I might say you fell for quite easily. Please tell me it was because you wanted to see me too and not because you think I am actually that inept." He said suddenly realizing how lacking she must believe him to be in his cooking skills. He could make toast at least. Since he became an adult that is. Kuon had never had a need to learn how to work the toaster oven.
"It was not an excuse Tsuruga-san. You didn't even know which knob was the timer and which was the temperature control." Kyoko said evading his inquiry.
"I was messing with you." he insisted as he lifted the bacon out of the frying pan and set it on a plate, she had prepared with a paper towel.
"Ok, I believe you." she said sounding an awful lot like she didn't believe him. "They will probably already be toasted for you anyway."
"Will the eggs be poached beforehand as well?" He asked plopping an overcooked egg onto the paper towel. Disheartened he looked to her for guidance.
"Most likely but they'll still want you to do one to prove that you can. Swirl the water and try again." She said in a honey warm voice meant to soothe his worry. "You can do this. I know you can."
Kuon tried again but he was distracted by the amount of confidence she had in him, and he pulled the egg out too soon. Blushing he peaked over his shoulder at her making sure she was too busy to notice what he was doing. She was chopping up parsley and chives and missed him sneaking over to grab two more eggs. Knowing himself well enough he cracked both eggs into two bowls and picked out the shells with a grimace.
"How are the eggs coming along?" Kyoko asked as she took the toasted English muffins out of the toaster over.
"Good." He answered with a start. It was going better than the first two times he had tried. His egg was dropped into the center of the vortex created by the swirl. He watched as the whites enveloped the yolk and gave himself three minutes before pulling it out and setting it aside. "The water is getting cloudy; do I need to change it?"
"No, it should be fine." She replied coming over to discover his first two attempts with the third.
"I wanted to get it right." He said with a shrug. "Look I have this one in here and I think I'm getting the hang of this." He concluded beckoning her to peer into the pot.
She moved over to examine the egg floating in the water. Her body fit neatly between his and the stove and she didn't even seem to notice how close they were. Kuon didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He fought the urge to settle his hands at her waist. Knowing her she would freak out and never agree to help him cook again.
"This looks good." She said scooping the egg out and setting it on the paper towel. She turned the stove off and removed herself from his personal space.
He was proud of himself for not pulling her back over. He wanted to snake his arms around her waist and pull her closer, but he knew that she wouldn't relax into him and close her eyes. He knew that suddenly nuzzling her hair would make her feel more awkward and embarrassed than warm. That type of intimacy was just too new to her and he wouldn't rush her. There was also the little annoying fact that they weren't together. This was a cooking lesson not a date, even if it was passed one in the morning and she was going to sleep over his place.
"Alright come over here." Kyoko called to him.
He joined her and watched as she assembled on egg benedict. She set the English muffin in the center of a plate and placed the bacon and poached egg on top. They both reached for the hollandaise sauce at the same time and touched hands instead. With a surprised oh Kyoko jerked away and knocked the bowl.
"Shit!" Kuon cursed as the sauce spilled over the edge of the counter.
"Nononono!" Kyoko panicked trying to catch the sauce in her hands and scoop it back into the bowl. "All your hard work!"
With a chuckle Kuon set the bowl back up right and grabbed a washcloth from where he had found them earlier.
"I'm sorry Tsuruga-san." she cried as he took her hands and wiped the sauce off them.
"It's ok." He said gently. "There's still some left and now thanks to my amazing teacher I know how to make more." He leaned down and took the risk of pressing his lips to her cheek. "Thank you." he whispered before pulling away and leaving her to wipe her hands off herself.
Momentarily short-circuiting she held the towel in her hands and stared at his back as he assembled their meals. The spot where he had kissed tingled with warmth and her heart pounded almost painfully against her ribcage. Why did this man always have to thank people in that weird way? The questioned sobered her and she scrubbed her hands quickly going over to the sink to clean them properly then she stomped over to him.
"Is something the matter Mogami-san?" he asked seeing her normally large eyes formed into slits and her mouth pinched in what he could only assume was anger.
"I told you that you can't go around thanking people like that. Someone might get the wrong idea. This is probably why you were so caught off guard when Kana kissed you. You leave yourself open too much. You can't go around randomly kissing people and…"
"I only kiss you." he cut her off tersely. He crossed his arms. "Just what kind of guy do you think I am? When have you ever seen me thank anybody else in the same way?"
"Well, I… um…" she said flustered. Never she had never seen him thank anybody else like that. He only kissed her and that was what she wanted to know. Now that he had confirmed it though her sudden jealousy fled from her making her lose all her nerve.
"You always accuse me of lecherous things but for the record I haven't engaged in any sexual activity in the past five years. I don't flirt with anybody other than you. In fact, some of the things I do are borderline sexual harassment, but you don't even have the decency to notice. So sometimes I push the boundaries of our relationships in the hope that you'll react in some way even though it's never a pleasant reaction." He said letting out some of his pent-up frustrations over their lack of progress. "I am not a womanizing playboy."
Mouth hanging open she stared into his eyes which were more hurt than angry. After a moment he turned from her and took their plates. Retrieving two forks and two knives he took the food to his table and sat down. Sighing she took the parsley and chives she had cut over to the table and garnished their dishes before taking her seat next to him.
They ate in silence both of them stewing over what he had said. He was trying to think of how he could properly apologize for his outburst without her convincing herself that he actually was a womanizing playboy. She was worrying over how she must have made him feel when she had accused him of such things. It wasn't much different than when Sho called her a prude or accused her of being a boring woman who thought only of love. It was an assumption based solely on her perception.
"Tsuruga-san," she began once she finished her meal. He looked up from his half-eaten food and she leaned up. She hesitated near his lips and released a stuttering breath before pressing her lips to his cheek. "Thank you." she whispered pulling away. "For the meal and for liking me despite the fact that I'm weird and prudish."
He caught her chin with a smirk refusing to let her pull away from him. "I love you because you're weird and I don't think you're prudish. I think that if I wanted to, I could seduce you right now."
"Tsuruga…!"
"Shhh, I promise not to if you promise to always thank me just like this." He said teasingly and kissed her cheek before letting go of her chin.
"Finish your food Tsuruga-san." She ordered then took her plate and marched off to the kitchen to hide from him.
"Mogami-san." He said after he completed his meal and brought his own plate to the kitchen. "I am sorry for my outburst earlier. A gentleman shouldn't raise his voice like that, but I really need you to understand that I don't treat everyone the way I treat you."
"I understand." Kyoko said hiding her face from him. "Tsuruga-senpai only likes to bully me."
He tilted his head to the side in thought. "You are rather fun to pick on so that one is true enough." He said taking the sponge from the sink to clean his dish. "You didn't have to clean up without me." he said noting how much she had done while he was finishing his meal. He would have to learn to eat faster so he could help her next time.
A hand tugged at his back, and he turned to find her blushing.
"I understand that I am special to Tsuruga-san." She said then lifted herself onto the tips of her toes and kissed the corner of his mouth. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight." He replied cheeks turning red as she skipped off to his guest room.
A/N: done I think.