Day 6 - Cooking

Souji sat on the couch in his dorm, working on some crossword puzzles to pass the time. He should crack out the textbook for the class he was skipping today, but then he'd have to get up and find it in his room, and he wasn't sure he could. He shifted on the couch, trying to get comfortable, but only managed to regret it as a pain shot through his leg. It wasn't bad at all when he didn't move, but it was hard to sit still for so long. With a sigh he tried to focus on the next puzzle.

About a half an hour later, Yosuke finally came home from his morning classes. "Hi," Souji greeted as he walked past the couch.

Yosuke jumped and let out a cute little gasp. He calmed down a second later. "Damn, don't scare me like that! I didn't see you there."

"Sorry," Souji said with an uneasy smile.

Yosuke frowned at him, thinking. Souji realized he had to be wondering what he was doing here instead of in class. The way his nostrils flared and his eyes widened meant he was probably jumping to the worst conclusions. It was almost like Souji was waiting here for him, after all, which wasn't far from the truth, but not for the reasons Yosuke might be thinking.

Souji headed it off before it could become a problem. "So, uhh... I overdid it at the daycare yesterday. I bent down too much, and now my legs are so stiff and sore. It hurts too much to walk far, so I had to skip class."

"Ahhhh," said Yosuke with a nod. "You should take it easy today, then."

"It was hard enough to use the bathroom," Souji said.

"All right," Yosuke said. "Do you need anything? Food? Water?"

"I didn't eat anything this morning," Souji admitted. "Anything's fine."

"I can totally make you lunch," Yosuke said, his eyes lighting up.

"We can order takeout," Souji said.

Yosuke was shaking his head. "It's fine, partner. I got this."

He headed into the tiny alcove that was their shared kitchen. Souji tried to turn around on the couch to watch him, but his body protested and he soon gave up. His curiosity would just have to wait.

"Hey," Yosuke called from the alcove. He was chopping something, but Souji couldn't tell what. "Do you need any muscle rub?"

"I'm all right," Souji answered. "But thanks."

"Aww, you don't want me to rub it on for you?"

Souji smiled to himself. "Save that for sunscreen the next time we go to the beach."

He heard Yosuke let out a chuckle. "That's a promise!"

Soon a distinct smell came from the kitchen: egg. More correctly, the smell was probably coming from their fridge. Souji remembered he'd boiled a couple dozen eggs the other night so that they could bring totally Junes deviled eggs to a party Rise was hosting this weekend. Every time you opened the fridge now, that eggy smell wafted out.

"I think we have a heating pad somewhere," Yosuke called. "Want me to find it?"

"After lunch, please," Souji answered.

Just a minute later, Yosuke came over to him and handed a big red rubber hot water bottle. "Found it in the kitchen," Yosuke said, "so I filled it up with hot water from the sink."

"Thanks," Souji said. It was nice and warm, heavenly when he placed it on his lap over both his thighs. He closed his eyes and relaxed while Yosuke went back to work.

Sometime later, Souji felt a tap on his shoulder. "Ta-dahhhh," Yosuke said. With a flourish, he presented Souji with a plate. On it was a sandwich, cut diagonally, with a handful of pretzels on the side.

Souji blinked at it, then took the plate and lifted a corner of the bread to peek at the stuffing. "Egg salad?"

"Yeah. I mean, we made all those eggs. We can spare one."

"Huh," said Souji. "I thought you could only boil eggs. Not... this!"

"Come on," Yosuke said flatly. "You can't just eat a boiled egg. Well, I guess you could, but... It's better if you prepare it in some way! This is just the next step."

"Egg salad," Souji repeated with a dreamy sigh. He balanced the plate in his lap on top of the water bottle and began to eat.

In a word, it was delicious. The perfect ratio of mustard to mayonnaise, a little bit of dill pickle relish to add flavor, tiny chunks of celery for texture...

"Uh, Souji," Yosuke said slowly, "are you... all right?"

"H-happy," he said through a mouthful of egg. He sniffled and dabbed his eyes with the back of his hand. He swallowed, then choked up when trying to say, 'it's good.'

"Are you crying?"

Souji wiped his eyes again. "Sorry, I just... I felt so helpless all day and I was hungry too and then you made this for me and... it's good, and...!"

"It's just egg salad," Yosuke said.

"But you made it with love," Souji said, "and I can tell, and..."

"G-geez..."

"Can you..." Souji began. He took Yosuke's hand and ran his thumb over the back. "…make this again sometime? Please?"

"I-it's just egg salad!" Yosuke was totally blushing, but he relented. "All right, all right... The next time we boil some eggs, I'll make some egg salad for both of us. All right?"

"It's a promise," Souji said with a smile.