Cooking

It had been an incredibly long day. Practice had been long, and tedious, although not bad. Honestly it was getting better slowly now that Kaiser was feeling confident once again. Well, at least it was better for Ness. Seeing Kaiser so distraught when playing soccer was oddly painful for Ness. So despite how long they had spent out on that field, practicing together, and despite the fact that his legs and feet hurt like nothing else, Ness was feeling surprisingly energetic. Once they got back to their apartment, Ness sighed deeply. It was almost 8 pm already. 

"I am starving." Kaiser grumbled after throwing his soccer bag to the side, immediately going up to Ness leaning against him, poking his cheek repetitively. "What is for dinner?" 

Ness smiled a bit and tilted his head ever so slightly, just so that he could see the edge of Kaiser's blonde hair. 

"I have no exact plans right now. Is there anything that you would like to eat?" He asked, gently reaching up to pat his head. Despite being so aggressive, Ness did enjoy seeing him needy like this. There was just something about him when he was vulnerable that made his heart melt... even if he thought he was smooth, or if he called himself manipulative, Ness knew better. Kaiser really was needy, and he was more than happy to provide that love and support. It made him happy feel so wanted after all. 

"I think I want that soup." Kaiser said with a small sigh, his expression calm. He smelt good, like the body wash he had used in the shower after practice. 

"The soup I made the other day? Again?" Ness asked, though he was more than happy to make it again. After all, if it made Kaiser happy, what was the harm? It was easy enough to make. "If I do you have to help me this time. It takes too long to cut everything on my own." 

"Fine." Kaiser huffed and moved away from Ness, only to go and pull his hair back in a ponytail. "What do you need me to do?" 

Ness smiled at him again. He was cute like this too, even when he was trying to appear cool and all. 

"Well to start we need to get some onions, red ones, and cut those up. Then we can get working on the carrots, celery, peppers, potatoes, and green beans. I think we have everything in the fridge." He replied, opening the door to their fridge that was thankfully just recently filled. He grabbed each ingredient carefully, making sure to place it where Kaiser could easily grab it. 

It was almost incredible how quickly Kaiser picked up on what he was supposed to do. He had grabbed a cutting board and instantly began cutting up the onion, making sure to get the gross outer layer off before doing so. He was surprisingly good at it too. 

Kaiser looked back at Ness and frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly. 

"What are you doing just sitting there and staring?" He asked, placing the knife down rather aggressively, as he does when he gets annoyed. 

"Sorry. I just didn't think you would know anything about cooking, since you make me do it all the time. But the way you are cutting those vegetables-" 

"Of course I can cut damned vegetables. I am not stupid. Besides, I had to cook for myself as a kid. Don't make a fuss over it." 

Ness nodded and walked over to Kaiser, patting his shoulder affectionately. 

"Okay. Let me get the pot ready. Thank you for helping." Ness knew when he should let things go. But still, it was a bit nice to see Kaiser like this too. As more time when on, he wanted to see all sides of him. Not just the soccer side, or his anger, or passion.. But Kaiser like this too. Kaiser cooking food, or Kaiser getting ready for bed... To get to know Kaiser in ways that no one else ever got to see. This was a side of him Ness was certain no one had seen before, and that alone was enough to make him happy. 

He got the pot and put it over the heat, adding oil to it to prep it for the onions that would soon be thrown in. Kaiser finished cutting them and quickly threw them into the pot, moving onto the rest of the ingredients. Ness stirred them carefully, watching as the onions caramelized and slowly he began to add the sausages that had been cut previously. He allowed those to cook up slightly before he added spices, garlic, and salt. As he allowed these to cook, Kaiser finished the vegetable prep and placed the cutting board by the pot. He then wrapped his arms around Ness's waist, laying his head against his shoulder. 

"You look way too happy right now, puppy." He said, his face still hidden within Ness's neck. Ness felt his heart begin to skip a beat, although he didn't stop what he was doing. 

"What do you mean?" Ness asked, although he had a feeling he knew what Kaiser would say. 

"Since I agreed to help you haven't stopped smiling like an idiot. What is with that?" He asked, although they both knew why. Ness felt his cheeks grow red with embarrassment. 

"I guess I am just happy that I got to see this side of you, I guess. It is refreshing." Ness admitted, leaning closer to him. Kaiser scoffed, though it was almost loving in the way that he did it. Not that Ness could really call it love, but.. 

"That's lame. But.. I guess what can you expect from a little puppy?" 

Kaiser leaned forward then and kissed Ness's cheek, only to bite down on it. 

"Ow!!! What are you doing?" Ness exclaimed, moving away slightly only for Kaiser to laugh. 

"What? How did you expect me to act when you look so bitable?" He teased, wrapping an arm around him then. 

"I need to pour the broth." Ness hummed, although he didn't particularly want to move. 

"Go ahead. I won't move until its all done." Kaiser retorted, resuming his position of laying on Ness's shoulder. The rest of dinner was easy. Ness added the broth, slowly so that the juice from the onions and meat soaked in it. Then he added the rest, along with the harder vegetables and he let those simmer. Finally, he added the peppers. 

It was nice to have seen Kaiser like that, even if it only was for an hour.