Feed Me For Friendship (Mathis)

[Deleted]

While Nao spend a majority of his free time in the training rooms practicing his martial arts by himself, there was still the actual class/club lesson that he attended with everyone else in the group. He and Xun had gotten along rather quickly. Nao didn't like the hyperactive girl, Brooke, who always seemed to want to annoy his friend. As for the others, he was impressed that there were so many different people and styles which tried to incorporate this class into their own individual knowledges of self-defense and commitment to it. He enjoyed working with them.

After every class, it was the student's job to clean up the area and put away any equipment that they happened to use during practice. Last time Nao stayed to clean, he was partnered with the hyperactive girl. The time before that he was with Xun. This time, it was with...Mathis? That was his name, right? Nao was really bad with names.

The tiny boy finished up with his current cleaning project, giving the floor a good sweep. The mats had been stacked neatly in the corner and the sparring equipment had been put back in the equipment room. They were almost done. "Good work today," he offered to his cleaning partner as he wiped the sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his white gi. Nao was looking forward to changing and getting something to ease the slowly growing pangs in his stomach.

[Mathis Reeves]

Mathis loved his self defense class, almost as much as he loved basketball but not quite enough. As with basketball he was in love with it because of the physical movements. The ability to feel free while running and exerting his body to push whatever limits there were, usually pushing until something gave. But that wasn't the only thing he loved about his class. A close second to why he loved the class had to be the fact he could practice his particular flavour of kickboxing while facing against people who could and would use any number of martial arts. There were times when Mathis was bowing to his partner, completely unaware of what kind of style he'd have to defend against. Though the class was actually for self-defense, Mathis often neglected that particular detail and just acted as if it were a normal class that prepped him for any opponent he may have.

However, though he loved the class there was only one time when Mathis wished he should have just opted for another sport- cleaning. At the end of every class students would have to stay behind to clean and put away equipment, which was by far Mathis' least favorite activity in every aspect of his life. Thankfully he'd been spared up until now from having to stay after since it seemed it rotated between members--for some reason the name 'Naozumi' showed up every time but Mathis thought he may have just volunteered--but eventually his luck ran out. Today when Mathis went to leave the room he was stopped by the instructor, who then pointed to the board where his name was displayed along side the ever present Naozumi.

So with a rather loud and quite fake laugh he nodded and headed to work. The mimic wiped down the mats before carrying them into the corner to be stored in a pile, carrying the equipment as well after he had done that since he thought Naozumi might like to do something else. Plus Mathis really couldn't complain too much about carrying anything heavy since it gave him an excuse to try and use his power. Which, apparently wasn't that great an idea since as Mathis was walking back to the room his stomach growled loudly and a burning sort of ache resonated from his muscles. Wiping the sweat from his face with the bottom of his sleeveless black shirt, Mathis looked up at the slight boy with a slightly embarrassed grin. It seemed the boy had heard him coming from awhile away. "Yeh!" he added helpfully before cocking his head to the side, a thoughtful smile on his face. "Wanna hit the home ec room? I'm starving and could use some good food. If you want I can make some for you too? Like... Waffles?" he offered, holding up his hands in what he thought was the universal sign for 'I don't care.

((HRM...
HRM... THIS WORK?
Muse: Hard To Love- Lee Brice))

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Nao had heard that there was another dojo within the town that he could go to. Honestly, Naozumi would love to do so if there wasn’t always the chronic chance of him getting turned around and lost either on the way or returning to Hammel. Additionally, tuition cost money that he didn’t really have. And….he also didn’t know if they taught his particular branch of martial arts. Until then, he was going to have to settle with self-practice for the most part. He had been showing Xun some of the ukemi of aikido lately though, so that they could possibly practice together. In return, he was to show Nao some of his wushu. Naozumi was looking forward to that.

There were definitely a lot of different styles between the students. Brooke, the hyperactive girl, studied for a short time with a kung fu instructor, he’d heard. Nao would never believe it considering how undisciplined she often behaved. Koty had been a student of Meian-sensei for a long time, he’d heard, and was quite advanced in what seemed like a few arts. Mathis, from what he’d seen, was some form of kickboxing, but Nao wasn’t completely sure about that. He was more familiar with the eastern arts.

But…that laugh…he clearly didn’t want to stay and help with the cleaning. That was a poor impression. Nao took his practice very seriously and learned that upkeep of the dojo and equipment was the students responsibility since they were the ones using it. Therefore, participating in the task was not to be viewed as a grueling task given by the instructor, but a chance to take care of the equipment as if it were your own. A sign of respect and honor to the dojo. Nao finished his cleaning in silence until the end and he offered his appreciation for Mathis’ assistance. He paid no notice to the noise coming from his companion’s stomach. It was to be expected by this time of day and after such a workout.

Nao was prepared to just go back to the locker rooms in his usual absent-minded silence when his ears keyed in on just one word. Or maybe two. “Food” and “Waffles”. He looked up at the taller boy with blank eyes that hid a keen interest in such concepts. Naozumi nodded. “Okay…” was all he said.

[Mathis Reeves]

Mathis had never really given much thought into Naozumi's way of thinking. Unlike the boy, Mathis saw cleaning the room as merely cleaning; something which was to be avoided at all costs. In fact the only thing he regularly cleaned was his cooking equipment. But he found that an entirely different sort of critter to tackle, since if he didn't clean his equipment people would get sick. Perhaps his reluctance to clean as a normal student would was due to his lack of formal training since Mathis was self-taught in about every aspect of his craft and hadn't stepped foot in any formal class until he joined the club this year.

His entire body perked up from the tired slump he had maintained at the other student's acceptance of his offer. "So waffles or would you like something else? I could make muffins or or a steak or... Um... Anything!" he offered up cheerfully, nodding along with his words as he wiped his hands on his pants. Mathis bounced once before cocking his head to beam down at the shorter male with sparkling smokey blue eyes. Eyes that flicked away to scan the room to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything before returning to the boy. "Okay so! Do you need ta get anything from the locker room before we head out? Otherwise..." he trailed off, casually taking a step back to indicate they should head away.

[Deleted]

Nao supposed it wasn’t any of his business, however, whether other students felt the need or responsibility to take care of the equipment that they used. Nao did so because he knew it was expected of him, because it instilled a sense of belonging to the community, because it made him feel like the tools he used were his own. And if he took care of his own things, they were less likely to fail him at a crucial moment. If Naozumi had his own collection of weapons, then he would treat them in the same manner, so that they would be ready for use when he needed them.

Nao liked the prospect of eating…everything that Mathis had just listed off. It didn’t matter if he logically didn’t have the stomach for it, Nao would find a way. And if it so happened that he couldn’t consume everything, well, that’s what leftovers were for. Nao nodded his head. “Those sound good.” Which didn’t really clarify which one he wanted. Nao honestly wanted them all.

They were done with the cleaning, all that was left was to lock up. “I’d like to change first,” he said concisely as they headed out of the training room. “It’ll only take me a few minutes.” Nao assumed the other boy would wait. Assuming he got the go ahead, Nao stepped off down the hall to the locker room where he quickly stripped, rinsed in the showers, and reclothed himself in his normal attire. Once finished with his locker room business, he scurried right back out to where he’d left Mathis. “Sorry. I didn’t take too long, did I?” Hopefully not. Naozumi was quickly becoming very hungry.

[Mathis Reeves]

Mathis' face fell with the boys response. Or rather, his lack of response. After all how was Mathis supposed to blow Naozumi away with his cooking skills if he didn't have any idea what the kid would want to eat? He leaned against the doorway, lips pursed together in thought while he tried to think up something that wouldn't take too long to cook. The steak would work quite well, if he didn't cook something too time consuming with it. Maybe he'd make some of the garlic toast to go with it, definitely whip up some of those muffins that he'd promised. The waffles had to come as well but they didn't really seem like they'd go with the whole arrangement. Maybe he'd lose the toast and add on some grits or mashed potatoes to try and tie the breakfast and dinner together.

All in all, Mathis barely noticed when the boy spoke up again but he bounced up slightly with his usual grin. "Yeah yeah! Go change! I'll wait here for you." he responded cheerfully, giving Naozumi a wave like he was greeting the other male. After that he went back to mentally planning the meal ahead of him. It would help if he knew anything about the male, but maybe could be what this meal was for- to get to know a potential new friend. Mathis perked up when the new boy came back, grinning even more than before at the frenzy of the male's movements. "Nope! Not long at all! Now you're cleaner than me! So! Do you like grits or wouldya rather have mashed potatoes?" he asked conversationally, bouncing on his head before leaving the room to head down the hallway. His stomach growled again as he walked and he tilted his head to give the other a sheepish grin. "Probably gunna make those muffins first ta tide us over for the main meal, alright?"

[Deleted]

Nao was not a particularly talkative person. Nor did he usually have a preference of what he ate for his meals. Most of them consisted of ramen, candy, or whatever they had at the cafeteria. There were few foods that he wouldn’t eat and he rarely had cravings for anything specific. When he did, it was usually for something sweet, like ice-cream or cake or pocky. Though if he were required to pick something, Nao would have to say that he enjoyed the simple pleasures of Japanese food. Takoyaki was a great snack. Gyuuyaki, toriyaki, basically any sort of niku-yaki he enjoyed. Oden was marvelous, his mother’s was the best, along with the tons of other recipes that she brought back from Okinawa. But there weren’t many places in Pilot Ridge that served traditional Japanese food, especially none from the southern islands. Most of it was fusion and hybrid type foods, combining it with various flavors of the east and Americanizing them beyond recognition.

So in light of this, Nao knew he couldn’t be picky. He tilted his head at the question. “Grits?” His eyes lit up a bit. “I’ve never tried grits before.” They weren’t very common in San Francisco. He nodded as they walked. Muffins sounded great. “Do you like to cook?” he asked. It sure seemed like it. Nao wished he could cook something more than just instant noodles.

[Mathis Reeves]

Mathis, on the other hand, was the sort of person who could talk your ear off if you gave him the chance. It didn't really make sense to him as to why people would purposely become quiet. Though, it didn't mean he would judge them for it. No.. Mathis would just attempt them to talk more. Specifically, talk more to him. Usually about whatever kind of food they would enjoy eating. Which is why the mimic was never really happy when he ran across a person who didn't have a preference for the food they put into their bodies. They might think it makes his life easier since he could make anything, but really it just left open so many possibilities Mathis had no idea where to begin.

However, he smiled when he noticed the other boy's eyes lighting up. The smile quickly grew into one of his usual cheek splitting grins. "The grits will take... forty or so minutes ta cook so I'll start them first, that alright? They ain't a good for short time limits but you have ta try them!" His hand briefly raised to scratch at the back of his neck as he started practically skipping to the home ec room. "Of course I like ta cook. Ain'tcha like it ta?" The mimic grinned once more before settling into a passive face of joy.

[Deleted]

It wasn’t that Nao was quiet on purpose, he just didn’t mind the silence, not like some who felt the need to fill the silence with something and anything they could think of. He didn’t really see the point of idle conversation, though he would answer questions if they were directed at him. Besides that, Nao just had a tendency to space out into his own head at random times, so if it was quiet for too long, he might not notice the break in silence. Even so, his responses were typically short and succinct.

Unless, of course, the topic was something he had a particular interest in, like food. Naozumi had no idea how grits were made, so he was surprised to hear that it would take so long. “What exactly are grits, anyway?” He’d never been able to figure that part out.

Nao shook his head. “I’m not that great at cooking,” he admitted. “The best I can do is boil water.” And microwave things. But microwaveable meals were expensive. It did him best to just go to the cafeteria for his meals, but sometimes Nao did have particular cravings that led him to venture down into the town.

[Mathis Reeves]

Mathis was the master of idle conversation. The shinobi of filling silence with anything and everything that came to mind. Which is probably why he didn't really mind hanging around quiet people. Usually they just let him gabber on and on until eventually they either got sick of it or he noticed he'd been talking for five minutes straight. Granted, he was still attempting to get them to join in the conversation (because really, what was the point of silence unless you listened to nature?) but he could go long spans without noticing they had yet to contribute. Perhaps this wasn't really something that was taught in most Texan boys... But Mathis was glad to be up further North. People talked faster and no one judged him for sounding like he'd had a boat load of sugar and then some.


There was a pause in Mathis as he looked down at the smaller boy walking beside him. Why did people always ask what grits were? How was he supposed to answer that sort of question? "...Grits are grits." He grinned some before going into an actual explanation. "They're a lil' like oatmeal and a lil' like porridge. They're real good though. But you gotta put something in ta flavor 'em or else they don't taste so good. You can try cinnamon or syrup or apples or lotsa butter or cheese. Basically whatever ya want! And if you're worried about time I can try and cook 'em faster. It just depends on the grits I guess."

Mathis frowned at Nao, cocking his head to the side as he listened to the male's pitiful cooking skills. They were barely above that of Antosha's! At least Nao could boil water... "How about after practices I take you ta the home ec room and I can teach you how ta cook? We can even start today. Grits are super easy and I can show you ways ta make steaks easier. And since we're doin' muffins I can do 'em from scratch and you can practice. How 'bout that?" This rather long speech was followed by another grin. One of self satisfaction for coming up with a solution to the boy's plight.

[Deleted]

Mathis spoke about as much as Ray did, he noticed. And Savvy. Naozumi had to ponder the reasons why a quiet person like him had a tendency to attract so many rapid speaking people. Naozumi was very careful in his speech patterns. He wasn’t constrained to only one-word answers, but he did like to get straight to the point rather than rambling about seemingly unrelated things. Nor did he refrain from offering or initiating conversation, if there was a reason to or he felt it necessary.

”Grits are grits.”

Nao frowned slightly at that answer, or rather non-answer. That was like saying “a butterfly is a butterfly” to someone who didn’t know it was a colorfully winged insect. Or saying “oden was oden” without providing the ingredients that composed it and how it was cooked. He tired to take in Mathis’ answer, but it still didn’t tell Nao what it was. Oatmeal and porridge were both made of oats, though his mother made a very nice rice porridge. “Okay,” he said, not completely satisfied. Nao would probably look up the answer later.

Nao wasn’t sure about the suggestion to learn how to cook. He had never really tried before, it was true, but it was intimidating to say the least. “Okay,” he replied with a slight nod. “I guess I can try.” Though Nao had no problems with just waiting for the other boy to finish. Nao was shameless in that respect; he didn’t mind waiting and eating while someone else did all the work. “Is it hard?”

[Mathis Reeves]

Not noticing the other's boy confusion with his answer as to what grits were, Mathis just continued his trip through the school hallways. There was a pause mid step as he realized he hadn't told Mr. Everett he'd be popping by and the teacher was likely gone from the home ec room. "We're gunna go to my dorm room!" The declaration was sudden and filled with usual excitement that colored all of Matty's words. He paused again and glanced over to Nao. "That a'ight with you?"

Assuming the answer was yes before the boy had even answered, Mathis turned some to alter their course to go to the dorm building. His grin increased as Nao agreed to trying to cook. "Good! Now wanna try a bit of everything or would you rather just be in charge of somethin' easy... Like the muffins?" In his head there was no way Nao could possibly screw up muffins. Especially with Mathis watching over his shoulder. Sure fire method to get some really good muffins. It was a relatively short trip to the doors leading outside, which Mathis pushed open and held out for Nao. Once the smaller boy walked through the mimic was back to bouncing back to his side, smiling more.

[Deleted]

Now to the dorm room? First the home-ec room, now the dorm room? Nao was a little inclined to say “make up your mind”, but that would be rude. And Nao didn’t want to be rude. Then again, it was his desire to not be rude which often kept Naozumi from speaking up when certain things bothered him. But it wasn’t like it was a huge problem anyway, so what was the point of complaining? “Sure, that’s okay.” As long as he got fed. Simple minded boy.

But…looks like Mathis was really intent on teaching Nao to learn how to cook. Nao was nervous about that and thinking that perhaps it wasn’t a good idea? No, it would be rude to refuse such a generous offer. “I think I’ll be okay with just the muffins.” If he was okay at all. He really didn’t know what he was getting into. He sent the other boy a nod to confirm then proceeded to follow him to his dorm room.

[Mathis Reeves]

Mathis was completely oblivious to the smaller boy's slightly rude thoughts, as he wasn't a telepath. But it wouldn't have really made a difference to Mathis if Nao had said it out loud or not. After all, Mathis had far ruder friends than Nao could possibly be. If he were to voice those thoughts anyway. So, in any case, Mathis was still happily leading the way to his dorm room, occasionally shooting Nao a smile as they went.

With yet another smile, the mimic nodded his eagerly. This would be fun! After all, every one liked food and who wouldn't enjoy learning how to make their own food? Well Nao obviously wasn't excited but Matty wasn't really taking the time to try and read a stranger, and even when he glanced over, the stoic boy seemed perfectly fine. Had Nao voiced him concerns, Matty might have offered they do it another time. Starting with something far easier. Granted muffins were about as easy as it went. Just add ingredients, start a timer, shove them in at the right temperature. Nothing could be easier than that. Except maybe cookies, but Mathis had a tendency to go overboard with the types of cookies he made.

Pushing open the door to the dorm building, Mathis continued leading the smaller boy around until they reached Matty's dorm room. He paused to grin at Nao before unlocking the door and holding it open for Nao. "Here we are! Enda the line!"

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Naozumi wondered just how much he’d be able to learn out of this venture. As much as he liked food, Naozumi didn’t have as much passion for cooking. He liked eating food, not feeding it. Though it was a skill that his mother often got on him over, since he was essentially taking care of himself these days. With luck, however, this newly obtained skill would prove to be something he could take back to his family and impress them with. Yes, he could be excited about this. If he could manage to pay attention long enough to absorb the lesson that Mathis would give.

It wasn’t exactly that Nao wasn’t excited, he was looking forward to the lesson in earnest - even if he had persistent reservations about doing so - but Naozumi was simply very poor at expressing the subtleties of his emotions on his face. His mother once joked that the boy only had three expressions; happy, sad, and indifferent. And that it took an act of either God or Lucifer to lure him away from a face of indifference.

For the moment, though, Naozumi continued to follow Mathis to his dorm room, the boy panning over cookie cutter set up that all the dorms seemed to have upon entering the common room. “Which one is your room?” he asked in mild curiosity, gesturing in the direction of the individual bedrooms.