Soma walked into his cabin, drained. It had been a hellish day. "Heh," he said at the ceiling. Yeah, it felt good to have beaten Akira in their bear battle, but how could he feel good about his victory when he knew what it meant for Hayama and the Shiomi Seminar? Ironically, the four of them were the only ones who passed. He crashed on the bed where he had been spooning Erina Nakiri only twelve hours before.
Erina…
He was sure she'd heard the news by now, and the mere thought of her reaction to the loss of nearly all their friends gutted him. He blamed himself and wondered how she was doing, where she was right now. He hadn't seen her since she left his warm bed that morning.
-8-
Soma woke up first. He wasn't the morning bird between them, but something about holding Erina while they slept made him eager to see the next day—mainly because he enjoyed watching her sleep for those brief seconds before she noticed him. Not to be creepy, but Soma loved watching Erina sleep. It was the only time he saw her without a scowl or worry etching her smooth, poreless face.
But first, he had to use the bathroom.
He slowly peeled Erina off him (a feat in and of itself because her grip strength around his torso was beastly) and slid off the bed, covering her, careful not to wake her up. As he tiptoed into the lavatory, he snuck a peak at her over his shoulder. Sleeping Beauty had nothing on her. He brushed his teeth and splashed water on his face. The sky was still pitch black, and the clock in the lavatory informed him that they'd barely gotten a total of three hours, but he couldn't go back to sleep. His mind was racing, replaying the previous night. It felt like a dream realized, but there was also a crackling of inner knowing spreading through his chest; they'd crossed some kind of relational threshold, but he wasn't sure which one.
.
.
.
"I think Mito and I are friends again. Real friends this time," she said after a long makeout session, leaning on his shoulder.
"Oh?" Soma's eyebrows lifted. She was so amusing to him. Just an hour ago, she was unnerved by how close he said he and Ikumi used to be. How quickly her mind could suddenly be changed—not the Erina he met in April. "So, you two buried the hatchet?"
"I suppose. We talked at the park this evening. She did most of the talking, but I think I gained respect for her. I'm realizing people are not disposable as Father led me to believe."
"That's very true," he smirked.
"You taught me that." Soma licked his lips, speechless. "Listening to you talk about her made me reconsider our conversation. And Megumi and I spent time together, too. You were right; she's an excellent friend." She seductively peeled off his hoodie and knelt between his legs. "I like your girlfriends," she purred into his mouth, licking his top lip.
Erina had given him shit for those two friendships, but as he sucked on her soft lips, Soma counted it all a win. He liked it when his friends got along.
.
.
.
Soma slid back into his warm spot and snuggled into a still-slumbering Erina. He watched her for a while, taking in her image, tracing her exposed features with his eyes, imprinting every line and curve of her beautiful moon face into his memory. He could've said he was infatuated with her; he wasn't sure, but this felt like so much more. He fell deeper by the day and faster than he could process their present situation. Was this a situationship, he wondered?
Erina's hair shrouded her face, and the question of if she could breathe beneath the thick golden curtain struck him. So he swept it away. Erina's eyelids fluttered.
"Hi," he sheepishly sang when she opened her eyes.
"Hi," she whispered back, sleep still fogging her view of him. His eyes darted across her sleep-ridden face—her puffy purple eyes, supple pink cheeks, and full pouty lips—tempting him to swallow her whole. His heart thumped in his eardrums.
"Your face is perfect, Nakiri," he said in awe. Erina scrunched her face. "That one, too," he teased, rubbing her nose against his.
"You are very talkative in the morning, Soma Yukihira." Erina inclined her head and planted a soft kiss on his lips. He drew her in closer, pressing them together, his tongue parting her mouth open, the tart taste of her morning breath mingling with his mouthwash.
They only talked and traded kisses until they fell asleep in each other's arms. But this early morning kiss—a new experience—was so slow, so painstakingly consuming that Soma was sure he'd die if she pulled away too quickly. Not now. It was too soon. It was as if their souls were being fused.
Erina came up for air. "I should get ready for the day," she said unconvincingly. She lingered on his lips, silently invalidating her previous statement. Soma reached over Erina's head and tapped his phone, which was charging on the nightstand. It was just after six o'clock.
"No, you shouldn't." He drew her in closer, nuzzling his head in the crook of her neck. "Not yet. I'm cold, and this bed is warm because you're in it," he whimpered. "Even the sun is still sleeping."
"Not for long," she corrected. "And you were practically sweating in your sleep, Yukihira!" He delicately placed a finger over her pouting lips.
"Shhhh, All the more reason to wait until he wakes up," he cooed. "You can keep me warm until then," shimmying closer to her. Any closer, there would be no separation between 'him' and 'her.'
"Don't shush me, Soma! Today is a critical day."
"All the more reason to be well rested, Erina..." He cajoled, pecking her jawline while pulling the covers over them. He rolled to the wall until they were a two-person burrito with Erina's chest pressed against him. He stared into her eyes.
"You've taught us well. We got this. I got you. So, stay with me. Just a little while longer?"
Soma had to admit that the person he turned into around her was not familiar, but he liked who he was becoming. She stared at him for a bit, biting her bottom lip, then closed her eyes. Soma snuck a picture of her deep in thought.
"Okay," Erina finally said. "But…only thirty more minutes."
One-hundred-five minutes later, almost telepathically, Soma Yukihira and Erina Nakiri's eyelids shot open to a brightly lit train car. Erina scrambled out of their burrito, nearly crashing to the floor.
"Shit! Soma! The time!"
Soma caught her before she rolled off the bed. "Kyaaaa…yeah, looks like we missed breakfast," the groggy boy yawned, holding her tight.
"Breakfast? Soma! Who cares about food? We missed the morning roundup!" She pushed him away.
Each morning at seven sharp since boarding the train, Erina led the rebels in an advancement exam meeting; still a member of the Ten, she had access to the exam's planning emails. It covered everything from the Central-brainwashed examiners leading each exam stage to essential ingredients to remember, pitfalls to avoid, and establishing overall moral support.
"It's a morning pep talk, Nakiri. Our friends are skilled chefs. They'll be okay if you didn't tell them to remember to use the entire potato for one day," he said, stretching to check his phone.
"No, it's more than that, Soma!"The morning roundup was vital to Erina's strategy for winning and making friends.
"Is it, though?"
Erina huffed and grabbed her phone. "You don't get it." She looked at her screen, and her skin immediately drained of all its color. "No, no, no, no, no! I need to go now!"
Soma eyed her. "Why? What's wrong?" But before she could respond, a text message pinged on his phone. "No…fucking…way…"
The two teens were looking at different messages—Erina, at an Elite Ten email sent in the dead of night when no one should be up, let alone sending out emails about last-minute schedule changes; Soma, at a text from Takumi, a screenshot of the new exam assignments.
"Yeah. Way," Erina said, with spite.
Soma was unsure if it was directed toward him or the horrifying new plans. All fifteen rebels had been assigned to battle a member of the new Elite Ten— including Erina. Soma cursed under his breath. This wasn't good. Central was not making it easy for them to advance. To make matters worse, his and hers were the only two names without an opponent listed.
"Yukihira!" Erina snapped, pulling on his hoodie and rushing out of his room. "Remember your promise. You must win." The door slammed shut, leaving Soma wondering who she'd be battling.
-8-
Exhausted and enraged, Soma, Megumi, and Takumi decided to go out for a night on the town to blow off some steam. The three remaining rebels felt a mix of emotions from shock to disappointment, to relief, to survivor's remorse over the expulsion of their friends. The newly reconfigured Elite Ten had taken down eleven rebels, and it had been all of their worst days at Tohtsuki. Just the night before, they were having fun enjoying their victory, sightseeing in Sapporo Shopping District before the train departed.
But it didn't feel the same strolling under the winter lights this evening. Each food item they ate from the food trucks tasted bittersweet compared to the night before. It just didn't feel right to be ice skating while their friends were being shipped back to Tohtsuki to pack their bags for good. Sometimes competitions sucked, because for there to be winners, there must also be losers.
Soma was silent, thinking about their next move, regretting things he could not control. Their plans and efforts had practically blown up in their faces, and he still hadn't seen or spoken to Erina about any of it. She was right this morning; he felt crummy for making light of them missing the morning roundup. If only he knew it would be the rebels' last one together...
"This sucks!" Takumi shouted. He'd put on a brave face when they'd first met up, but as the night went on, his twin separation anxiety had kicked in. They were passing a funnel cake back and forth and sipping cups of hot apple cider.
"I know, Takumi-kun. I'm so sad I could cry!" Megumi's voice quivered. "They didn't deserve to be expelled. They all worked so hard to be here!"
"I know! And I feel like we only lucked up because we had Rindo, so I can't even enjoy our win. And our friends are gone? I'm so angry!" They hugged each other, commiserating their tarnished victory. Soma looked at his two best friends like they had lost their marbles but didn't interrupt their tears. He was hurting, too.
Takumi straightened his posture and flipped his blond bangs. "But, mi amica, let us not despair, and honor the fallen by smiling and enjoying ourselves! We need to keep our spirits up. I mustn't let my brother know I have lost faith in our mission." He held out his hand proudly. "So, let's go ice skating, Megumi!" Megumi's eyes widened.
"Oh! Okay…?" She stammered, then looked back at Soma. He had a blank stare.
"What?"
Wiping her tears, she asked, "Are you coming ice skating with us?"
"You two go on ahead. I'll meet you at the rink." He gave her a small smile.
"Okay!" Takumi agreed, reaching for Megumi's hand, but she turned to face Soma before he could grab it.
"Soma-kun? Are you okay? You've been out of it since we left the train."
You're always the discerning friend, Megumi Tadokoro.
"Yeah! How can you be so calm? Isami has been expelled! We must do something, Yukihira!"
Soma shook his head and chuckled, disregarding Takumi's dramatics. "You see right through me, Tadokoro. Gotta love you." Megumi blushed strawberry red, and Takumi's blue eyes bulged green. Then, Soma's voice dropped. "But, our friends will be alright."
Takumi got in his face, refusing to be ignored. "What? How can you say that, Soma? Isami and Ikumi been kicked out!"
Soma pushed Takumi aside and went into a plan to overthrow the Elite Ten and win four Seats. "Then, we can overturn our friends' expulsion!"
"So, you were thinking about a plan to win this whole time, Yukihira?" Takumi fawned, shaking his head. "Damn you. Always a step ahead of me. But do you really think we can win?"
"I do," Soma said without reservation.
"So why do you look so sad, Soma-kun?"
Soma opened and closed his mouth. The question caught him off guard. "I'm worried about Nakiri." Megumi's face sank, and Takumi exhaled.
"Oh," she said, sounding so disappointed even Soma picked up on it. "Well, I'm certain Nakiri-san is just fine. She won her battle, remember? I'm sure she's taking it just as hard and needs some time to herself. Don't worry."
Soma let her words sink in. "Yeah, you're right." They began walking toward the ice rink. Then, he remembered. "Oh, and sorry about last night, Tadokoro."
"Oh, uh, no, It's my fault-" she stuttered, embarrassed.
"Huh? Last night? What happened last night?" Takumi pushed in.
Soma nervously laughed, scratching his nape. "Argh…well…you see, Tadokoro accidentally walked in on me and Nakiri-"
"Walked in on you and Nakiri? On you and Nakiri…doing what?!"
"-Kissing."
Takumi ran into the light pole in front of him. "You and Nakiri WHAT?!"
"Jeez, Aldini, man. Calm down. It's not that big a deal. Anyway, we're just friends, but it's weird that we haven't seen her all day, don't you think? It's making me nervous."
Takumi rubbed his bruising forehead and patted his friend on the back. "Soma Yukihira, nervous? Wow. You must seriously like her, huh?"
"You're just noticing?" Soma asked with a sarcastic smile.
"Are you accusing me of not knowing my best friend?" Takumi replied, offended.
Soma stopped and turned to face him with cherubic eyes. "Aldini, you consider me a best friend?" Takumi's ears pushed out steam.
"Soma-kun, stop; you're gonna make him blush," Megumi giggled. But Takumi did look flustered.
"So-so-so, what if I do, huh, Yukihira?!"
"Hey, man, no need to be so defensive. I do, too. That's what makes us such good rivals," Soma said, holding out his fist. Takumi hesitated to bump it back, eyeing him skeptically, but pounded his fist. "You too, Tadokoro." Soma wrapped his arms around both of them. "I've never told you this, but you two are the best friends a guy could have."
"Aw, Soma! You're going to make me blush!" Takumi wailed.
"See, I told you," Megumi laughed through sniffs. "Thank you, Soma-kun! I feel the same way," she said, tearing up.
"Mmm! Candy apples!" Soma shouted and pointed ahead. "Let's get different flavors and share!"
The trio walked down the town square center's brick-laid path, laughing about their battles against Rindo and Akira and culinary-geeking out over the sugary treats, with Soma fielding questions about him and Nakiri from Takumi. He kept it surface-level, only focusing on their long talks, careful to respect her privacy, but he wasn't shy about his feelings.
"Yup, you sound down bad, Romeo." Takumi patted him on the shoulder. "But, I must say it's been a long time coming. You two's chemistry is undeniable, and Erina Nakiri is a bellezza!" That's when Soma saw it. They were sitting by the window facing each other, holding hands.
Tucked between two towering aspen trees decorated in Christmas lights, right off the beaten path, was a small Parisian-inspired cafe. It was dimly lit, romantic even from afar, and practically empty, except for two familiar heads leaning close in deep conversation— one blonde, the other bright white. Soma stopped walking, his half-eaten apple dropping to his side.
"Yukihira?" Takumi called out. He followed his field of vision. "Aw, man. I'm sorry, Soma."
"Ho, ho, ho, you three!" A cheerful voice called from behind them. The trio spun on their heels. Soma's attention broke to see, "Isshiki?!" They said in unison.
"Live and in the flesh! Hello, young Soma, my dear Megumi, Takumi Aldini-"
"Hey! Why don't I get a cute pet name?" Takumi whined, but everyone ignored him.
"What're you doing in Hokkaido, man?" Soma asked, walking up to dap him up. The sight of Isshiki almost made him forget who he'd just stumbled upon.
"Well, I'm here on official business, and we have much to discuss! " Isshiki winked. "So, shall we?"
-8-
Later that night, Soma lay in bed alone, too excited and emotionally confused to sleep.
a/n: and things were going so well with sorina... T_T smh! but what's that i smell? have we finally reached the regimental food wars?! okay then, rabun island, here we come!
i have envisioned this chapter since i started writing TF bc i wanted to see takumi aldini try to woo megumi. the scene did not end as planned, but seeing what's on the page unfold was fun. also, are there any other e=mc-squared shippers? i kinda feel like an eishi apologist the way he keeps popping up! . but he's just too handsome an anti-hero to leave out. anyway, i'm rambling and misleading the word count again (pardon that), so as always, remember it's a joy to write for you, and i love to read how you're receiving me work; it helps keep me motivated, so if you could be so kind to leave a review, follow, favorite, and/or share this story, it would mean a great deal to my morning writing sessions.
lastly, i just released TWO new CF chapters, too, so check those out because, whew! talk about secksy dramas! and pleased to say that, as of this weekend, both Comfort Food and Twin Flame: Soma's Story have reached the milestone of THIRTY CHAPTERS! thank you to everyone who has been along this nearly two-year journey with Sorina and me! i value and appreciate your every visitor and view.
-You're Welcome!-
8.20withlove
-i don't own the rights to Shokugeki no Sōma, wah wah wah
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