[Not] A Date - {Akira}

[Toru Edenbrooke]

Upon dropping Akira off at his dorm to get ready, Toru made his way back to his own room. As he arrived, he quickly checked to make sure that his (sometimes) bothersome roommates were indeed gone as the plan had been. Actually it seemed to be pure luck that the other three all had claimed they had things to do and would be out until late, meaning that the dorm belonged solely to Toru and Akira for a couple hours. As that rarely happened, the taller teen was rightly excited for a chance to spend time alone with his favorite person in the entire world and he wanted to make sure everything would go off without a hitch. He dumped his bag and art supplies on his bed, then made his way into the kitchen, pulling items out of the cupboard to make dinner for Akira. It certainly didn't occur to him that such a night (dinner, a movie, being alone together) could be considered a date, but all I can do is is mentally shout at him for being so obvious.

Thankfully, Akira is about as oblivious as they come.

He checked the chicken he'd set out earlier to make sure it was thawed enough to cook, then started mixing together the ingredients to make his famous cheesy garlic bread. He wanted everything to be perfect, so he was extra careful with his measurements. Toru wasn't exactly sure when his friendly feelings for Akira became more, but he was certain it made things between them a little more awkward. Perhaps Akira didn't notice it, as there are lots of things that 'Kira doesn't notice, but to the older boy it was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore his feelings. It seemed that every day that passed, he just grew more and more attached. (And that's saying something, as Toru had known Akira since he was born. That's a long time to build an attachment) Luckily for him, the boy didn't seem to mind his over affectionate behavior and seemed to just write it off as part of their friendship.

He found it a relief that he had something to do to occupy his mind, however, as if he just been left to his own devices, he would have thought about nothing but that. He has a tendency to over-analyze things when left alone with nothing to do and it often left him distressed, but now he had something else to concentrate on; making the dough for the bread. Akira would be over shortly and he wanted to have everything well on its way when he got there. If everything went just right, they'd have a nice quiet evening with good food, a good movie, and Toru would most definitely insist on helping Akira with his dreaded math homework. I swear he worries more about 'Kira's success than his own. That's how you know he's got it bad.

[Akira Faulkner]

Akira was lucky in the roommate department. His dorm mates were relatively quiet, which suited him just fine. It suited Moxie, too. She did better in a quiet environment. As soon as he got in the door, she stirred and poked her head out of his pocket. “Home?” Akira nodded, stroking her soft head. “Yes. You need to sleep.” He gently removed her from his hoodie and placed her inside her cage. The ferret peered blearily up at him before snuggling down into her nest. “G’night ‘Kira.” Akira smiled, running his fingers across her back before closing the cage. If Moxie was sleeping, he wouldn’t worry that she was lonely. If Moxie was lonely, he’d worry. “Good night, Moxie. And... I’m going to Toru’s room for a while. We’re going to have dinner. I’ll be back tonight. And I’ll leave a note for Benji to come and say hello.” He liked Benji, a lot. And so did Moxie. The little ferret shifted. “All right...” She stretched, and then she was out.

Akira honestly wasn’t considering this a date. He was thinking of it as time with his best friend. The best kind of time possible, really. Quiet time, with Toru’s cooking, and a good movie. He was glad for the time alone with him. Most of the time, he’d avoid Toru’s room as much as possible if his roommates were there. The fifteen year old was terrified of the one called Jesse. And Horus? Well... he wasn’t so much threatening as he was loud. And the young one, Niko, he was all right. Akira hadn’t seen much of him, but if he was really as young as nine, he couldn’t rightly be that scary. Still, if he had the chance to spend time alone with Toru, he’d be happy.

Akira had known Toru for his entire life. He’d always been his neighbour, his friend. He knew their parents had expected Toru and Seta to get along, as they were closer in age. But they fought like cats and dogs. Well, Toru would throw out beautifully articulated, subtle insults, and Seta would shoot profanity. Same thing. But it had been Akira that had actually befriended Toru. All throughout childhood, he’d cuddled with Toru. He’d held his hand. To him, it was simply a (childish) habit that had carried through to their teenage years. He didn’t have any doubts that he loved Toru. He was his best friend, and his (nicer) brother. Sometimes he’d catch himself thinking there could be more to it. But then he’d look at Toru, and forget it all. He was happy with how things were. Sort of. How did you tell the difference between your feelings, anyway? It was confusing. It made ‘Kira’s head hurt if he thought about it too long.

Shaking his head, Akira picked up his movie, ignoring the fact that Seta had told him he’d cry. He’d just distract himself if it came to that. He was getting too old for crying at movies. “Bye, Mox.” Akira scribbled a note for Benji to visit with her and taped it to his door before leaving the dorm. He scooted across the hall, homework and movie in hand, and knocked on Toru’s door.

[Toru Edenbrooke]

At the knock on the door, Toru immediately dropped what he was doing, wiped off his hands on his apron (that I just now decided he was wearing because, admit it, he'd look adorable in one), then quickly opened the door for Akira. To say that he was looking forward to his evening with his best friend would be an understatement. It was rare for Toru to have his dorm all to himself, so he was definitely going to make the best of it. Smiling down at Akira, he stepped aside to let him in. "Hey there, get Moxie all tucked in?" He laughed gently and closed the door behind him.

"Just drop your stuff on the couch. I hope you don't mind, but I started already. It's just the easy stuff though!" Toru looked a little guilty, but we can't blame him for the sins of the writer, who was far too unimaginative to write a decent post for one of her oldest characters. And as long as I'm on the subject of filler, 'Rei was actually the first. He started this psychotic herd, so you would think that when you start out so low, you can only go up, right? Wrong, because at some point, Vincent came along. This really has nothing to do with... anything, but it is filling up lines in this post. It will make me feel better that it looks longer than it really is! Hush.

Now that I am done bullshitting, we can move back to the topic at hand; the one that involves Toru and Akira being fluffy and cute and obvious. Ushering Akira into the kitchen, Toru draped an apron over him, then tied it around his waist. "You don't want to get flour all over your clothes, do you? And I think you look cute in an apron." Toru said with a smile, as if it were completely normal in a platonic relationship between two boys for one to call the other cute. Then again, pretty much everything they did was completely out of place in a normal friendship between boys. I'm quite sure I've never seen my straight male friends holding hands with or kissing their man-buddies. (I wouldn't exactly complain if they did.) But hey, what do I know? Not much, considering all I'm doing is picturing these two spooning and it is so adorable that I can't think of anything else. Curse you, Toru and Akira, curse you!

[Akira Faulkner]

When Toru first opened the door, Akira just stared for a moment. Toru. With his hair up in a ponytail, and an apron. He broke into a little grin. He honestly couldn’t say that Toru didn’t look cute like that. He liked it when Toru had his hair back in a ponytail, whether he was painting, or cooking. He associated the look with good things. (And it would come to mean better things, I’m sure. If we can convince Toru to tie his hair up for more intimate things.) Akira slipped into the room, smiling up at his best friend. “Yeah. She was tired, but I left a note for Benji to visit with her, if she’s awake.” He takes care of his ferret. Better care than Seta had ever given her, anyway.

Akira followed Toru’s instructions and gingerly dropped his backpack onto the couch, and put the movie on top of it. Hopefully, Toru would see it first, and forget about homework. (Hey, he could dream.) But when he said he started, the fifteen year old turned, looking slightly crestfallen. He wanted to learn. “Aww, Toru!” There was a touch of a whine in his voice. “You said you’d teach me.” Akira might show more maturity than his eighteen year old brother most of the time, but he was still young, and quite capable of pouting. And if you’re going to go off topic, me too. Because Akira is the son of my first character, so he’s technically my third. Which is still something, considering the massive herd I have going now. Yes, Seta predated Akira. Somehow. I can’t remember how that all worked now.

Back to fluff. Akira let Toru herd him into the kitchen, and drop the apron onto him. He looked down at it, making a little face. “This is dorky. And I’m not cute.” The last bit was more of a tacked on mumble than an articulated protest. Still, he was ready to learn. Akira actually liked baking. He’d done it with his mother and sister, while his brother had opted out, calling it “gay.” He looked back up at Toru. “What’s left to do, since you cheated and started already?” He was done sulking now, and into teasing mode. ... No, not that kind of teasing, Rae.

[Toru Edenbrooke]

Let it be known that an Akira pout is like kryptonite to Toru. All the younger boy had to do was stick that bottom lip out and Toru would bend over backwards to give 'Kira whatever he wanted. Even if he wasn't trying to guilt trip his best friend, Akira was certainly doing a good job of it. Frowning, Toru's arms wrapped themselves around Akira's midsection in an apologetic hug. "I'm sorry, I didn't want you to wait too long, but I haven't started on the fun part yet!" The older teen said in an attempt to cheer his friend up, walking with him into the kitchen and to the free stretch of the counter top. "The dough!" The mixture was sitting in a bowl nearby, but he left that alone for the moment in order to sprinkle flour across the counter. "This way it won't stick when you're kneading it." He explained, then set the dough in front of Akira and showed him what to do.

While the younger boy was busy with the dough, Toru moved to the other side of the kitchen to begin cooking the chicken. "I hope you're hungry!" He said with a little laugh, glancing over at Akira and unable to stop a smile from spreading across his face. Toru had never been able to pinpoint what it was about Akira that made him love the boy. He'd come to the conclusion that it was a mixture of things; It was Akira's bright eyes, his infectious laughter, his kind heart, those adorably tiny hands, his creativity, and a million other things. He loved Akira simply because he was Akira, and his life just wouldn't be the same without him. There can be no Toru without Akira, didn't we agree on this yesterday? I can't remember.

As he laid strips of chicken in the pan, Toru once again looked over at Akira. "And, by the way, you do look very cute in an apron." Well... if Akira can tease, then Toru can tease right back! No, of course not that kind of teasing, that kind is reserved for Moe because no one can tease naughty-like the way that he can. Just ask Vincent, but not with Akira around because he would be traumatized. Yet again I'm just spewing random words in order to make this post look longer. I'm glad you don't jump down my throat when I do this. Toru does give me looks though, ones that say "Would you please shut up already?" so I'll make him happy and stop with the filler.

[Akira Faulkner]

Akira has no idea how whipped he has Toru. Sure, he knows that the older boy would do just about anything for him, but he didn’t know why he held that power. If he was a little less oblivious (we like this word, don’t we?), he might have taken advantage of it. God knows Seta would have, in his little brother’s position. As it is, he’s not in his position, so his opinion doesn’t count. As Toru wrapped his arms around him, the pout dropped off of Akira’s face faster than you can say panleukopenia. (I just came out of my kitty virus test. Shut up.) “Okay…” He walked with Toru, only to smile at the dough in the bowl. Was there anything he wasn’t good at? Cooking, math… he’s a trophy husband, ‘Kira! Real him in! … I’m now getting death glares. Joy. Anyway. He watched Toru carefully, sticking his hands in the dough and kneading it like he’d been shown. It wasn’t quite as elegant as Toru, but it worked.

“Of course I’m hungry.” What teenage boy isn’t hungry all the time? Of course, Akira’s still like a stick. I greatly dislike him for this fact. I want skinny boy metabolism. Anyway. For Akira, Toru was just… a constant in his life. He was always there. He was there when he was a child, with a scraped knee. He was there, helping him with his homework, and letting him get away with doodling, instead of working. Even in the year they’d been separated when Toru had left for Hammel, he’d still been there. Letters, emails, phone calls. Akira loved him dearly. He just wasn’t sure how it worked, this “love” thing. Did he love Toru like another brother? Was it something else? Every time he tried to sort this out, he gave himself a headache. Maybe it was better he didn’t try. Toru was just Toru, but without him, Akira would be lost.

The chicken was already smelling good. Akira smiled at the sound, but quickly ducked his head and blushed. “Toruuuuu. Stop it. ‘m not cute.” Akira doesn’t like Toru teasing. Well, he does. It just makes him blush a lot. And we all know how cute he gets when he blushes. Akira’s telling me to shut up now. “Um… all your roommates are gone, right? Even… Jesse?” He asked that one timidly, mostly because the blonde viper of a teenager scared the crap out of him. “It’s just… we haven’t gotten to do this in a while. Be with each other… alone.” Not that there was anything dirty behind that. He was just speaking the truth. (Okay, maybe he was thinking about some obscene comment Zach had made offhand the last time he’d spoken to his uncle. But that’s beside the point.)

[Toru Edenbrooke]

Toru is the ultimate example of what it means to be whipped, which also makes him the ultimate husband, because he'd do anything at all for Akira. Unfortunately, he'll have to wait a couple more years before he reels in this catch. Akira's not exactly known for his quickness. His cute little face more than makes up for it, though. I'm sure he could get away with murder with a face like that, not that he's even remotely capable of killing someone, but that's not the point. The point is... well who cares. There is other stuff that should be happening right now, like Toru laughing at the younger boy's comment. "Good, 'cause there is going to be plenty of food here. "

Toru generally made more than necessary when he cooked, but seeing as his roommates were practically hopeless in the kitchen, he was nice enough to leave some for them. It was better, in his eyes, to have the refrigerator stocked with healthy meals he had made rather than boxes upon bags filled with greasy take-out. I certainly wouldn't be complaining if Toru cooked for me on a daily basis, but then again I wouldn't have time to because I'd always have food in my face.

"Don't worry, they're all gone." Toru replied with a reassuring smile. His roommates, aside from Jesse, really weren't that bad. Niko was too small to be threatening and Horus... he was just Horus. Toru did all he could to stay out of Jesse's way, as he'd been witness to several angry fits when Horus had successfully pranked him. "The only one who may come back early is Horus and he'll probably be dragged in unconscious." The tall boy couldn't stop another laugh - it was rather amusing when the blonde's narcolepsy kicked in, but Toru had always gone out of his way to catch Horus before he hit the ground. He didn't want to see him get hurt, so he'd carried him back to bed quite a few times. He was just a gentleman like that. Seriously, Akira, you really have no idea what you've got there, but thankfully he's so completely devoted to you that you've got plenty of time to realize just how great Toru is for you. Hell, I'd take him if I wasn't already happily in love. That might be kind of awkward though... dilemmas, dilemmas.

Now, a normal (read: perverted) person might take Akira's 'alone' comment completely out of context, but trust me, the only naughty thing these two get up to is procrastinating on their homework. Scandalous, I know! Maybe in the distant future, seeing as they move slower than snails, we could misconstrue the nature of that comment, but I have a feeling that I'm going to be waiting a long ass time before double entendres come into play. This makes me have sadness. Peering over to check Akira's status on the dough, he gave a little nod, then turned the oven on so it could preheat. "Just a little more and you'll be done! So you brought the movie Up, right? Isn't that the one with the house and balloons?"

It was safe to say that Toru was always behind on the latest trends - be they fashion, media, or whatever messed up word/phrase that was spilling out of everyone's mouth. He had more important things to worry about, things like Akira, Akira, and umm... oh yeah! Akira! I'm starting to think that it's a borderline obsession Toru's got going on, I don't think it's healthy to think about a single person that much.

[Don't bother mirroring this xD It's way longer than it looked on paper!]

[Akira Faulkner]

Akira moves at a snails pace. This, we know. The only reason he’s even friends with Toru is because they’ve been friends forever. He didn’t really have a choice in the matter. Not that he’d want one. He loves Toru more than… anything. Or anyone. Even his own mother. And sister. And especially his brother. Yes, Toru tops them all. Akira blushed slightly when Toru laughed, only because he didn’t really expect it. “Okay…” I think he’s embarrassed because he’s hungry, the poor thing.

Cooking is apparently a good way to make friends. Sadly, I doubt leaving food in the fridge was going to win Jesse over anytime soon. The blonde was happier living off of junk anyway, particularly pizza, and if anyone so much as touched any of his stuff in that fridge, they were so dead. It’s sort of on topic, but Jesse tends to ignore Toru, unless it’s to his benefit not to. It’s not that he was scared of him, he just couldn’t be bothered to pick a fight. Besides, he was usually too busy warring with Horus to both with Toru or Niko. Can you say blonde war?

At least they were going to be gone. That was step in the right direction. Around anyone other than Toru, and his Uncle Zach, Akira tended to get squirrelly around other people. He didn’t have any huge problems with Niko – he was young, and not overly threatening. But Horus was generally loud and obscene, and Jesse… was dead terrifying. Akira had once been witness to one of his angry fits over something Horus had done to him. It had scared him off of going to Toru’s dorm for a few weeks. “Okay… but you better promise, Toru.” If Horus was dragged in unconscious, that was all right. At least until he woke up. And if anyone gets Toru, it’s me. It’s not quite as weird. … Sort of.

As Toru peered over Akira’s shoulder, the teenager blushed and stopped what he was doing, just for a moment, to let him assess the dough. At least it sounded like he was doing it right. “How much more?” He squished the dough again, for good measure, before smiling wide and looking up at his best friend. “Yeah! And it’s got a talking dog in it. It’s supposed to be really really good. My sister told me.” He left out that it was supposed to be sad. That wouldn’t go well.

Toru is obsessed, this much we know. And as class starts NOW and I generally have a lack of fluffy Akira muse, for a few different reasons, I shall end this here.

[Toru Edenbrooke]

"Every dog talks for you, Akira." Toru responded with a gentle laugh as he moved across the tiny kitchen to give Akira another brief hug. Anyone can see that the older boy has problems with keeping his hands to himself when his best friend is around. Speaking of talking dogs, however, I'd like to borrow Akira sometime since I'd love to know what my dog is saying when he's whining his fool head off for no apparent reason. I'd pay! Although I'm not so sure how Toru would feel about you pimping his future manwife out, but hey, I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who would pay to know what their pet is thinking. This could be a very profitable business for you.

Fetching a baking tray from one of the cupboards, Toru set it on the counter next to Akira. "Good job, now we just need to shape it." Smiling, he took the dough and set it on the tray, encouraging 'Kira to help him shape it into a loaf. Although Jesse may not be won over by Toru's amazing cooking, it was fine enough with him that they avoided each other. It was difficult since they shared a dorm, but even when they were both there, they rather politely ignored one another. If Jesse has any sort of brain in that thick blonde skull, he knows not to pick a fight with a guy who could throw him through a wall or snap any bone in his body with ease and Toru certainly doesn't want to hurt anyone. I suppose their mutual avoidance of each other works out pretty well.

Once the dough was ready, Toru placed it in the oven to bake, going to check on the chicken and flip if over, then getting a pot with water ready for the noodles. As he waited for the water to boil, he returned to Akira's side, ruffling the boy's hair fondly. "So while that's all cooking, how about we start on your homework? That way we don't have to worry about it after the movie." Oh Toru, always looking out for Akira's well-being, he's basically 'Kira's boyfriend without the title. Reaching out, Toru touched Akira's cheek and wiped away a bit of flour that clung to his skin, releasing a soft laugh. "How'd you get flour there?" These two are so stupidly cute that it's giving me cavities. Cut it out, you two!

[Akira Faulkner]

Akira giggled. Toru was right. Technically. “I knooow. But... this is a funny talking dog!” Most dogs he talked to weren’t all that funny. Especially the growly ones. Yeah, they were saying exactly what you think they are. Something along the lines of ‘I’m angry, fuck off.’ The teenager grinned when Toru caught him in a little hug. To anyone that didn’t know the pair, it would probably look like a painfully cute little date. But for Akira, it was just normal. Toru was touchy feely, and he was touchy feely right back. Now, much as I’m dying to know what Roxxi would say to me, I get the feeling it would be ‘Where’s Daddy?’ over and over again. Still, Akira planned to do something with his ability when he graduated. So no pimping necessary. This boy’s growing up to be a vet, just like his uncle.

When it came to shaping the dough, Akira was usually happy to drop back and let Toru take the lead. He didn’t want to wreck it. But with his best friend’s encouragement, he helped. Akira was all right in the kitchen. He’d often helped his sister make cookies (and help guard them from Seta, who wanted none of the work, but all of the rewards). But cooking with Toru was different. Special. And Akira feared messing up. Now, polite, and Jesse, just don’t go together. He just respects the fact that Toru could, theoretically, put him through the wall if he felt like it. That was reason enough to leave him more or less alone. Sure, a biting comment now and again leaves the blonde’s mouth, but he isn’t the star of this thread. Too bad for him.

Akira was happy to stay out of the way when Toru put the bread in the oven, and started on the water. The ruffle to his hair made him smile, but the suggestion did not. Homework? Really? Ew. The fifteen year old wrinkled his nose slightly, pulling a face. But, as usual, Toru was right. “Okaaaaay.” He sounds thrilled, doesn’t he? He began untying the apron and was about to pull it off when Toru stroked his cheek. Blood rushed to his cheeks, and he ducked his head. “I don’t know...” He pulled the apron over his head and put it on the counter before moving over to his bag and pulling out his homework. If they could rush through this, then it would be movie time. And fluffytime.

[Toru Edenbrooke]

Ushering Akira over to the table, Toru cleared a spot on it so they had room to work comfortably. PUlling out the chair for his friend like the gentleman that he is, Toru ruffled the boy's hair fondly. "I'm guessing it's only one chapter? That shouldn't take very long at all." Well, maybe not for you, genius, but we both know that Akira struggles with math. At least he has a very smart and very sweet young man to lend him a helping hand. As he sat down next to the younger teen, Toru wound his arm around his middle while he turned to the assignment.

There was very little that Toru needed to be happy: something to draw with and on, a place to call home, a camera, and above all else he needed his best friend. Moments like these, however brief they may be, only made Toru realize just how much revolved around Akira. Take the little brunette away and he would be completely lost.

Akira understood him implicitly and accepted him for who he was, no matter if he accidentally crushed things in his hands or pulled doors from their hinges. Akira didn't judge him because he was a little socially awkward or didn't always know the right thing to say. Akira didn't mind that Toru never really fit in with others his age, but the taller boy never really wanted to fit in with them anyways. It only mattered to him that he fit perfectly with 'Kira. Even if it meant putting up with his obnoxious older brother, Seta, Toru knew that he would always stand by his friend... I'm actually making myself nauseous writing this. That's pretty bad.

A private smile spread across Toru's face as he watched his companion. He always enjoyed time they spent together, even if it was doing one of Akira's least favorite activities, but he always tried to make it fun for the younger boy. He'd never get the hang of it if he had no desire to, so Toru took it upon himself to teach him in a way that would be much more tailored to the boy's particular learning style. And hey, if it gave him an excuse to spend more time with him, he certainly wouldn't shoot that down either. "Right, so what is it we're covering today?"

[Akira Faulkner]

Akira let himself be ushered, only because he knew what would happen if he resisted. He had no chance of out-muscling Toru. If he resisted, Toru would just pick him up. It was as simple as that. And much as he loved being in Toru’s arms, he wasn’t fond of the idea of being picked up just to do his homework. Once Toru pulled out the chair, he plonked himself down and dropped his workbook on the table. He made a face at Toru’s comment, because, seriously, since when is algebra easy? “Yeah, just one. But it’s hard.” Oh, was that a bit of a whine? I think it was.

Akira was happy most of the time. Moxie made him happy, Toru’s cooking made him happy, his family made him happy. But most of all, Toru himself made him happy. He had always been there for the fifteen year old. He was there when he’d had a bad day, and made it better. He was there when Akira was sad, and needed cheering up. He was there to cheer him on, and Akira trusted him with everything. He loved him. Dearly. (He still didn’t know just how deep that love ran.)

Just as Akira accepted Toru, he knew he was accepted by the older boy too. He didn’t mind when he lapsed into silence after a hard training session, because he couldn’t regain his human speech skills as fast as he’d like. He didn’t mind that he was painfully shy, often scampering behind his best friend when he was unsure of someone new, or just plain scared of someone like Jesse. No matter what happened, he was certain of one thing. Toru would always be there for him. And that was a comforting thought.

Back to homework. Akira scowled as he flipped open the book. His displeasure over the topic was obvious. His book was covered in little doodles and comments. Apparently, his teacher hadn’t inspired any kind of love between him and math. Taking comfort in the contact he had with Toru, Akira leaned against him and stabbed the page with his pencil. “Algebra. I don’t like it.” Well, that much is obvious, ‘Kira. Whine enough, and maybe Toru will play the world’s smallest violin for you. “It makes no sense.”

[Toru Edenbrooke]

"I know you don't think so now, but algebra is important." Toru said kindly, not wanting to alienate his friend. "But don't worry, I'm here to help you." And then they slipped into the same routine they always did when Toru tutored him on math. There were occasional breaks when Akira was getting too frustrated to continue and Tour would check on the dinner and give his friend time to unwind. Only when he was ready would they start again and as Akira finished the final problem without any help, the taller teen pulled him into a congratulatory hug. "See? I told you that you could do it!" Messing the brunette's hair in his favorite manner, Toru smiled down at him before going to fix their plates.

"If you want, you can go put the movie in and get comfortable." Toru said to his date friend while he poured generous amounts of sauce over the chicken and pasta. Pulling his oven mitts from the drawer, Toru opened the oven to fetch the garlic bread, testing it to make sure it was done before turning off the oven and starting to cut it into slices. "Can you smell it in there? The whole place is going to smell like food soon." That was typical for his dorm, when he cooked the scents seem to fill every nook and cranny of the place and that was something Horus always seemed to enjoy. Toru enjoyed food, but nowhere near as much as Horus did.

He carried the plates back into the living area and set them down on the coffee table. "Dinner is served." Sitting down beside Akira, he found a comfortable position on the couch where his best friend could tuck himself against his side like he so loved to do. Grabbing his plate from the coffee table, he rested it in his lap before he started to eat, happy to find that everything turned out just right. Now they could enjoy the best part of the night: each other's company.

[Akira Faulkner]

Akira just pulled a face at Toru’s simple, truthful logic. “It isn’t he protested, though it didn’t sound nearly as confident as he’d have liked. Still, the more he complained, the more time this would take. So, while still looking somewhat sulky, he resigned himself to finishing his homework. “Thank you, Toru. I wish it was easy for me like it is for you.” Akira hated getting frustrated with himself. He didn’t like it when he was annoyed and flicked the pen across the kitchen table. At least Toru knew enough to take a break and let him calm down. By the time he was on the last question, he was relieved. It was starting to make a little bit more sense. He even grinned a little when Toru hugged him, and hugged back. “Yeah... I’m sorry for being a brat.”

“’Kay.” Akira was more than happy to shove his homework into the back of his mind, flipping the workbook closed and dropping the pen on top of it. He scampered over to the couch and pulled the movie out of the case. He still wasn’t sure about the idea of it being sad. But anything with a talking dog couldn’t be sad, right? The movie was popped into the DVD tray, and Akira looked over his shoulder at Toru’s voice. “Yeah! It smells good!” As if it was agreeing with him, his stomach growled. Thankfully, Toru was too far away to hear it. “I love it when you cook, Toru.” Even better than when his mother cooked at home.

While Toru brought the plates over, Akira scrambled onto the couch and clutched the controller for the DVD player. His plate didn’t sit on the table long. He picked it up and settled happily into Toru’s side, handing the remote off to his best friend with his free hand. “It’s ready to go.” His stomach chose that moment to growl again, which made the teenager blush furiously. “Um. Thanks for cooking. And for helping me with my homework.” He stabbed a few of the noodles and stuck them in his mouth. If he was home, and they were doing this, Seta would be likely to walk through the room and say something like ‘hot date, bitches?’. Which now left him wondering. This wasn’t really a date, was it? He didn’t think it was. But he didn’t dare ask Toru. Toru would think he’d be weird for even asking. It wasn’t worth it. So he just snuggled down, pretended life wasn’t complicated, and ate his dinner.