Mello walked back into the kitchen and smirked at Light, "Good news: He actually finished it. Sketchy news: He wrote a lot of notes." Light took a deep breath, 'Alright… So, is that good or bad… Now I'm nervous.'

The blonde nodded as the younger of the two lifted a giant bag of flour. The doors to the kitchen flew open, startling Light into dropping all of the flour into the bin at once, causing a large plume of white powdery smoke to fluff up, clouding the immediate area. Light waved his hand around, trying to see. Once the air cleared, he instantly regretted not retreating when he had the chance. A dawning sense of dread befell the young stage.

The brunette's eyes landed on Beyond who was standing rigidly, crimson eyes closed, right eyebrow twitching in irritation. The ember-like eyes opened slowly and landed directly on Light before he calmly set his notepad and plate down, almost in dramatic slow-motion. He shifted his stare away from the young stage and brushed flour off of himself, grumbling in what seemed to be German. Upon deciding that he was barely presentable, the chef slowly lifted his head and took a long, deep, and drawn out breath from between his teeth. "What... the... hell...!" Light flinched at his menacing tone.

Mello pursed his lips and looked away, trying to hold back a laugh that threatened to slip between his lips. "Chef, that... might have actually been your fault. You scared the poor kid." The blonde flinched and took a step back when visual daggers were casted in his direction from the fiery gaze.

The raven-haired chef groaned and rolled his head back, closing his eyes, and growled from between clenched teeth, "What the fuck ever... Light. Office. Now." He rubbed his closed eyes in vexation of the whole situation. He glanced his eyes open to Mello who was retrieving a broom and dustpan. Pointing to the blonde, "Oh no. He'll clean that up."

Light retreated into the stairway and ascended the stairs at a quick pace, 'Fortunately, I paid attention to my surroundings... His office is right across from L's.' Light stood next to the door and hung his head dejectedly. He let out a crestfallen sigh. 'Of all the times for me to be holding a giant bag of flour, it just had to be when Beyond was about to open a door. ...I guess it could have been worse… I could have dropped it onto the floor. He probably would have really lost it then. I'd lose a limb or two.'

The brunette flinched when he heard heavy steps coming up the stairs. He had to bite back a small chuckle at the flour covered chef, who glared at him in annoyance as he unlocked the office and borderline kicked the door open. Beyond dropped the notepad on his desk, expelling more flour into the air.

Timidly following his senior into the office, Light dropped himself defeatedly into the chair across from the desk. The older male sat himself into the leather chair behind the grand oak desk. "Oh… little Light." He folded his hands together and stared at Light with an cryptic smirk. "What am I to do with you?" Leaning forward into the chair and placing his elbows on the desk, his smirk quickly warping into a snarl. "I oughta fucking cook you, is what I ought to do!" The brunette flinched and hung his head at the chef's angry tone.

A sheepish trembling voice escaped Light's mouth, "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

A deep sigh was heard, and after some awkward silence passed over a quivering Light, breathing air powdered with flour, Beyond rubbed his temples. He then spoke in a slightly comforting voice, "I don't even care about the flour." Focusing to the topic he originally intended to speak with the chef in training about, he crossed his arms and laid back in his chair. "Your dish."

Light peeked at the chef from behind his chestnut bangs. He watched the older man, who had just turned away from his desk, comically shaking flour from his hair. "You don't?"

Beyond looked up and out the window with a quiet chuckle, while rubbing his chin in thought. "Well… A little. But not enough to get angry over it. If that's the worst you do, I think I can manage." He glanced his vermilion eyes back to Light's honey-colored ones before looking away again. "Your dish is why I oughta cook you!" The younger man jumped slightly and let out a quiet yelp. He smiled again when another laugh was heard from the chef. "I always take notes on a dish when I critique it. First of all. Thank you for not using curry powder. Your spice blend was robust, I'll give it that. I can appreciate it as a chef. But, as an everyday diner. I'm not sure balance would be well received. Though, I personally, thought the balance of heat and sweetness was acceptable. Do not ever tell anyone I said that about a stage's cooking." He shook a finger at Light, wearing a serious expression.

Light could feel a small blush forming. 'He's... complimenting me? I thought for sure he'd tear me apart...' A small glimmer of hope came to his eyes when Beyond rifled through his notes. Light glanced around the office as he became more comfortable. His eyes landed on a violin case. 'I wonder if he still plays…' A mental image of Beyond playing the violin in a black tailcoat came to his mind, he continued to drift his golden eyes around on the walls to see a multitude of miscellaneous awards from around the world in cooking and solo music performances.

A warning tone came from the ebony haired man, startling Light from his silent musings, "Do not think I would serve it, however. Your roux was thin." Light reached into his pocket and pulled a small notebook out and snatched a pen from the edge of the desk. "You could balance that with rice that isn't as done when you serve it; allow the rice to take in some of the excess flavor. When I said you had all day, I meant it." He sat back into his chair and rested his fingertips against each other on the opposing hands, finally looking back up to the brunette. "Or you could cook the roux longer. Make it a little thicker." A brief smile crept along his lips when he saw the stage taking notes on his pocket-sized notepad.

Light glanced up from his note taking at gave a sheepish grin towards the older male. "Thank you." His voice was soft and sincere.

Beyond raised his eyebrows and nodded swiftly before standing and shaking more flour off his shirt. "Let's move along then. Much to do on a Sunday." He briskly made for the door, "I won't tell you to come like a dog. I expect you to keep up, as I believe you're not incompetent. Don't prove me otherwise."

Light stood quickly and followed Beyond out of the office and waited patiently for the chef to lock his office once again. The raven motioned for Light to follow him with a quick jerk of his head towards the stairs. The brunette beamed and happily followed him. 'Maybe I should ask Mello if he knows if he still plays… Or I suppose, I could just ask him… Would he even talk about himself with me?'

"Miheal." The blonde still working diligently in the kitchen flinched at his true name. "Just leave whatever you have behind. I mean it. Don't. You. Clean. A. Damned. Thing." He expressed emphasis on each word. "We're going to break Light in." Light slumped his shoulders and hung his head. "Come on." Following Beyond out he shifted a last glance at Mello who was shaking his head, chuckling.

Exiting the restaurant they walked up to a black van that had bold writing on the side, Epicurious. Light shifted an awkward glance at Beyond as he pulled the keys out, "Get to meet my dealers." He winked at the brunette who only nervously laughed in return.

Pulling the door open Light slid himself into the passenger seat and took a slow deep breath in. 'Oh. Great.' He sarcastically remarked in his mind. 'Now if it wasn't awkward enough… Car rides… They're the worse for awkward silence.' He flitted his golden eyes towards Beyond, who started the van and was staring at Light. 'Crap! Did he say something?' Nervously darting his eyes around the van, Light cleared his throat.

"Do I make you nervous, Light?" The chef gave a cavalier smirk as he flicked his eyes forward and shifted the van into drive.

His voice trembling slightly, Light replied, "Uh. N-No." Light mentally scolded himself for even sounding so panicked. He admitted with a sigh, "Alright. A little." He gave the raven a sidelong glance.

A little taken back at the honesty, Beyond chuckled with a brow raised, keeping clear focus on the road. "Why?"

Light bit his lip and looked out the window and watched the streets pass by, "Every reason. Your reputation precedes you…"

The older male smirked, and teased, "Ah. Does the garbage disposal actually have better people skills than me? You know, I had a serious talk with that piece of equipment. We're still in competition."

The brunette released a huff of laughter. "Oh, really?"

Beyond flashed a playful grin towards Light. "Oh, yes. But that arrogant bastard still refuses to back down…" The stage exhaled sharply, trying to hold his laughter in. "Seriously... I'm not that bad. I've been taking an unhelpful anger management course… Online, of course, because I'm a cheapskate." Light crinkled his face and hung his head as his shoulders came forward in silent laughter. "But, in all seriousness. I am an asshole. I don't care, however, If you can't prove to me your worth. I'll run out you of the kitchen. It's that simple; I don't have time or tolerance for home cooks thinking they can take on the world with their spoon."

The brunette smiled, obviously more at ease with the chef. 'That does actually make me feel a little better.' Light watched the Eiffel Tower from the window. He heard the deep voice chime again. "Never been out of Japan? Or just never been to Paris?" Light mentally groaned, 'Oh, dammit… I'm the one making this weird…'

Shifting a warm smile towards Beyond, Light replied, "I've never really been out of my home region in Japan… Nonetheless, so far away." He watched a slight frown appear on the other's face.

"That's too bad. Tell you what; Get good enough and maybe I'll take you with me next time I leave the country." The ebony haired man shifted a smile towards Light. "Deal?" The latter nodded his head enthusiastically, causing Beyond to laugh.

The van pulled up to a local farmers' market. Beyond shut the engine down and stared at the cluster of stands, "First lesson about Epicurious: We shop locally. None of that imported, flavorless shit the competition is serving. I don't care if I can't make a dish because of missing ingredients. If I'm going to serve something, I'm damned well going to be proud of it. Which is why our menu changes weekly," He added. Light nodded, watching people converse with one another. "Well. No time like the present." Beyond aggressively shoved open the door, and slammed it behind him as he walked towards the stands. The brunette hopped out, following closely behind the chef's large strides.

Stall vendors of every kind all waved at the two of them, and warmly greeted Beyond. Giving them all dismissive waves he walked with purpose towards an elderly woman who sat behind her stall with a magazine close to her nose, a 'closed' sign on her stall. Light, not far behind him, tried to keep up. However, he allowing his eyes to wander, causing his pace to slow.

Her forehead crinkled in annoyance as she brought the magazine down. She was just about dismiss Beyond, when her face lit up with delight upon realizing who it was. "Well! If it isn't my favorite brat! Who's the tail? Are you being followed?" She shifted her eyes around in a playful manner before bursting into a hearty laughter at Light's nose crinkling as he approached.

A cheerful smile broke free of Beyond's lips followed by a well-guarded laugh, "This is my stage. His name is Light." Turning to Light. "This is Annie, she's the best greenhouse granny in town."

Annie batted in the air at Beyond teasingly. "Flattery isn't going to lower the price." The chef hung his head and slumped his own shoulders in mock defeat, a tiny smirk gracing his face. Annie stood, pulling her glasses up, and inspected Light from head to toe. She let out a cryptic hum. "Yes. This one is better looking than the last fellow you brought to see me."

Beyond rolled his eyes, "Not this again. Stay out of my personal life, will you?! This one is professional."

Annie grinned wickedly, sending chills down Light's back. 'She's kind of creepy… Wait… What did she just say? No, better question... What did he just reply with?!' Light raised an eyebrow as she rummaged through her gigantic purse. "So. What will it be this time?"

Picking up a bright red apple and staring mindlessly at it, Beyond replied, "The usual." The chef shifted his stare to other various grown goods at her stall.

She landed a unsatisfied glare on the raven. "You'll be taking all my tomatoes again?"

Beyond smirked, "If you don't want that to happen, stop having the best. At least I'm paying for them, you old bitty!"

Annie sat back in her lawn chair and cackled loudly. She wiped away a small joyful tear. "Oh, B! This is why you're my favorite! I always hold the best for you."

Light shifted uncomfortably. 'They have an odd relationship.' The raven haired man leaned onto the table. "Hey! If flattery doesn't lower the price for me, it sure as hell won't for you." The old woman let out a loud cackle the resembled a witch's. Her emerald eyes gleamed. "Beyond here, he's the only one who doesn't treat me like I'm a fragile old woman who needs to be coddled or need to be tight lipped around. That's why he always gets first picks. I won't even open my stall on Sunday's until he's come around." She dramatically gasped out, "Stealing all my hard earned vegetables! Like the ruthless mongrel he is!"

Light landed a wide eyed stare at Beyond who was patiently waiting while inspecting his nails. "Hurry up, Annie. I have to get to the docks before three. Jim throws a tantrum if he can't be out on the water by sunset."

She cackled again as she lead them to her truck. "Alright. Take them, you scoundrel! Oh, by the way, Julie and I were wondering if by chance we could procure your services this Thursday night. It's cards night for the ladies."

Beyond rummaged through the truck and tossed Light an empty box, "Hold that. Yeah. Whatever, Annie, you know the drill, no special treatment." 'What? Procure? What kind of shady crap is he into… With an old lady?' Seeing the brunette's expression, Annie gave Light a knowing smile. Light was caught off guard by a head of cabbage that was tossed at him, knocking him in the forehead. "Pay attention." The brunette gave a bashful smile as box was loaded with vegetables.

Annie leaned close, inspecting Light further, "You're… Japanese? Hmm? Don't bother answering, I already know. My late husband, God rest his soul, was Japanese." She waved her hand at Light dismissively. "You know, darling. Best be on your manners with B here, you're his type."

A sputtering cough was heard before an annoyed groan. "Annie! Fuckin' hell! Leave the kid alone!" A gruff growl was heard behind the side of the truck. Annie scuttled away, winking at Light, causing the young man to blush slightly. 'She's blunt.' Another box came over the edge of the truck.

Delicately setting the box down, the brunette caught the box with ease and snagged the rogue flying vegetables with the box. He glanced up to be met with an amused smirk and a raised eyebrow from the chef. "Nice."

Annie gave a toothy grin, "His reflexes or that toned tummy of his?" She fanned herself with an unfolded fan as she walked back to her stall, "Fifty years ago…" Her voice seemed to trail off.

Beyond smirked as he hopped down from the truck and lifted the case by Light's feet. "Let's go pay the bitty so we can move on." They approached the stall where she held out a pen. Signing the page the chef smiled at her, "Bye Annie. See you next week." She waved at both of them before turning her sign on the front of her stall to open.

Light jogged to catch up slightly, "She was... forward."

Beyond smiled behind his obsidian bangs. "She's French." He said, as if that'd explain Annie's behavior. They passed the other busy vendors again, expertly dodging other patrons.

Blinking rapidly after registering Beyond's reply, the brunette crinkled his face in a confused fashion, "Are all French that way?"

"Light, that's racist." Light gave an exasperated sigh. "No. They aren't." Beyond laughed. "That's like saying all Brits are emotionless assholes. Or all Americans are loud and rude." The raven haired man pressed a finger on Light's forehead before applying some pressure, then rapidly lifting it up. "You're fun to tease."

Grumbling with a faint blush, the stage rolled his eyes and waited for the chef to unlock the van. "And you're a real pain."

Beyond pulled the sliding door open and dropped the case on the floor. He laughed as he pulled a cigarette out of his pack before lighting it in one fluid motion, "I can be."


A grand thank you to my fantastic beta readers, they put up with my irregular update speeds. They are a huge help for this story... Seriously. At this point I may as well give them coauthor credit. :p