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[grakraka]

[Akechi listens to the list, then takes out his notebook again. After a moment of thinking, he writes something down, looks over it, then nods.]

All right. Go get the honey, rice, apples and vegetables. I'm going to get what we need for the rest. We'll meet back in front of this shop when we're done just to make sure we have everything before going back. Agreed?

[scaling]

[ Divide and conquer—a good plan, one that'll get them through the shopping list that much quicker. Akira is curious about what Akechi's planning to buy in place of those ingredients, but he'll find out once they've reconvened. ]

Okay. I'll see you in a bit. [ And as he heads out the door and down the lane, he gives one warning over his shoulder. ] Don't get distracted by anything sweet.

[grakraka]

[It gets Akechi to turn around and glare at him but he otherwise just waves him off as he heads in a different direction. It takes him about a half an hour to gather up everything he needs for it, so that when he comes back to the sweets shop, he has a bag under his arm of the things he needs.

He is tempted to buy something from it now. But after Akira teased him, he refuses to today, staunchly not looking at it.]

[scaling]

[ Somehow, Akira manages to take longer than Akechi does to return to the sweets shop. Finding apples turns out to be harder than expected—turns out there are some seasons where they're less common, which the grocery stores back home never hinted at—and then he gets sidetracked at the stall of a particularly friendly turnskin who's selling some sort of pancake-esque dessert. The crepe challenge is still in the back of his mind, so he swings by to ask a couple of questions about the ingredients and what the shopkeeper thinks would be good for doing a thinner sort of alternative. It gives him a direction to go in, at least, and stirs a couple more ideas.

He finds Akechi already waiting, back turned to the shop, when he returns, a small sack with the vegetables in hand. ]

Sorry it took me a while.

[ He glances down to Akechi's bag. Looks like he found what they need. ]

[grakraka]

[Although surprised by the wait, he looks up at his voice with a smile.]

That's fine. Did you get everything you need? We can look together if you were having difficulty.

[scaling]

[ Akira shakes his head, lifting the bag just slightly. ]

Got it all. Apples just aren't that common in spring.

[grakraka]

[He sighs. That makes sense. Greenhouses might exist and there might be imports, possibly, but overall, things will be seasonal.]

I miss modern conveniences more and more everyday. But in that case, we're all set.

[scaling]

So do I...

[ There are plenty of other things that he misses more, but it takes being thrown into a weird, magical Victorian-era city to realize how many of those conveniences he took for granted. ]

Let's head back, then. [ A jerk of his head indicates the way they came from, a quick warning before he starts off in that direction. ]

[grakraka]

[Akechi walks alongside him, his mood brightening the closer they get back home. Although he does enjoy Leblanc's—and by extension, Akira's—curry, it's more than that. The taste of it, the smell of it, all the familiar things he took pleasure in will be his soon enough. And he gets to have a chance to see Akira cook again, too.

Although he doesn't realise it, the smile on his face happens to be a little childish.]

[scaling]

[ The trip back to the Haven is quieter than the one out. Akira doesn't mind it; the intermittent silences doesn't feel like gaps that needs to be filled but rather comfortable reminders of days at Leblanc with Akechi seated at the counter and him behind it, the rare moments when he would be quietly focused on a book or case notes rather than talking at Akira while he worked.

For Akechi not to be speaking, it means that there's probably something going on inside of his head. A glance over reveals the smile on his face, not the sort he's used to seeing, evidence that perhaps his suspicion is correct. ]

... What are you thinking about?

[grakraka]

[Although he could lie, he doesn't put much thought into it this time.]

Your curry. I knew the smell of it really well. Coffee and curry... [He shuts his eyes for a moment and breathes in.] I can still smell it even now.

[But more than just that, he can hear the quiet sounds of the TV, either news or some variety show or, occasionally, Featherman. The uncommon sounds of another patron. Akira's quiet voice when he did speak. Sometimes, the rain outside.]

I'm looking forward to it. Ah, especially because you're making it.

[scaling]

[ Suddenly he understands the nature of Akechi's smile all too well. The comment expands on the previous memories, a span of months pressed into one nostalgic smell, the mingling of spice and coffee. ]

I can, too. [ It makes Akira feel terribly homesick, but he tries to keep that out of his voice, soft though it becomes.

Knowing that he's about to smell it for real, removed from Leblanc, both lifts his spirits and makes his chest clench. He doesn't really want to focus on the latter, so he regards the last bit with quiet humor. ]

I thought you found my curry too spicy.

[grakraka]

A bit, yes. But I don't really mind it. It's how I can tell you made it.

[Though, saying it that way feels like it reveals too much but it's true—he loves knowing that it was made by Akira. Akechi brushes some of his hair back behind his ear, toying with the ends of it.]

In general, what makes that curry so good is that it doesn't taste like any other curry. It's unique and memorable. Even when you make it too spicy, that too is part of why it's good.

[scaling]

[ It's like that night in the basement: a rare glimpse of unguarded, unfiltered honesty. If Akira's caught off guard (which he is, a little—he's still adapting to the idea that he can openly trust Akechi, after all), he doesn't let it show on his face, only offering a smile. ]

... Thanks. I'm always happy to make it for someone who appreciates it.

[ He'll still try to adjust the spice level more to Akechi's taste, even if he claims it's fine. ]

[grakraka]

[He doesn't expect Akira to after he said it was fine. But he smiles back.]

Do you like cooking that much?

[scaling]

It's calming. [ The methodical chopping of vegetables, the smell of the spices washing over him while the pot bubbles in the quiet of the cafe. ] But my favorite part is seeing people enjoy something that I made.

[grakraka]

How very sentimental. [He isn't condescending about it, though.] Watching food made by your own hands eaten by someone grateful to taste it imparts good memories for both parties.

[scaling]

Exactly.

[ There's only the barest pause before he continues. His smile shows that he's fully aware of how cheesy this sounds and is leaning into it full force. ]

Let's go make some good memories.

[grakraka]

[It's so cheesy that after half of a second, he bursts into laughter.]

Right, right. But if I help with the cooking, it won't be a very good memory anymore, so I'll be moral support.

[scaling]

Not even chopping vegetables? [ He breathes out a laugh of his own. ] Fine, I'll allow it since you helped pay for it.

[ They're nearing the Haven now, so Akira leads the way along the now-familiar path to his house and lets them inside. ]

I'm home. [ He calls out the customary greeting as he steps through the doorway, but no answer returns from farther inside the house. Looks like they're alone for right now.

Akira takes off his shoes, pure habit, and moves towards the kitchen. ]

[grakraka]

[Akechi does as well, following him into the kitchen.]

If you really want me to try chopping, I can make an attempt, but if it has to be a certain way for it to taste right...

[scaling]

If you want to try. It doesn't have to be perfect.

[ The more uniform the cuts are, the more evenly everything will cook, but if Akechi can be even a quarter as precise with a knife as Akira knows him to be with a sword, it won't be anything to worry about.

Once inside the kitchen, he sets the bag of vegetables and his school bag onto the counter space and begins unloading the ingredients, setting them out so that he can easily find what he needs when he needs it. ]

[grakraka]

[Although he could not be more out of place in a kitchen, he does at least want to do this much. Well, he has seen people chop vegetables, so he does have some frame of reference. He finds a knife and starts. It isn't nearly as elegant as he can be with a sword and slower than he'd like to be, but it is the quarter "good enough" that Akira hoped for.]

Ah, hm. Are these good enough?

[scaling]

[ He's gathering up the rest of what he needs—a pot, a spoon to stir with, and so on—when Akechi's question draws him over to where he's started to work. ]

Yeah, not bad. [ Akechi's seen the curry enough to have an idea of the size he should be going for, after all.

Akira does reach over to give a little nudge to the fingers holding the knife before he begins chopping again, showing him exactly how to pinch the top of the blade between his fingers. ] It's easier to control like this.

[grakraka]

Ah...

[Akechi watches him, head tilted. Whenever Akira did anything like this, he was always back in the kitchen, so Akechi couldn't see him work.]

You're rather good at it.

[He has no idea if it is a difficult skill or not, so he says it sincerely.]