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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Feb 14, 2010 23:09:15 GMT -5
The warm, mouthwatering scent of sourdough and spices filled the air. Steam curled out from the simmering pot, and Hitoshi turned the burner off beneath the chowder, moving it to the back of the stove. Much more heat would ruin the soup.
He spooned a bit of the soup from the pot, blowing on it gently before tasting it. The flavor was rich, creamy, nearly perfect. He set the spoon back down on the counter. He had prepared the salad as he waited, and the dessert was tucked safely away in the back of the refrigerator to cool.
The timer on the oven beeped, and Hitoshi grabbed the frilly little oven mitts his aunt kept in the kitchen and slid the pan out of the oven. The outside of the bread was sufficiently dark and crisp, though it was too hot to try it just yet. He wished he had timed it better -- if he had begun the bread just half an hour earlier, it would have been at a much more pleasant temperature by now. It didn't help that he had never tried baking bread from scratch before, or that most of the recipes he had found required a bread machine.
Still, after all of his work, everything was ready, and not a moment too soon. He only had a few minutes until Alex should be showing up, and he still needed to change clothes -- he was still wearing an old shirt he'd had since middle school, and his pants were coated in flour.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Feb 15, 2010 0:02:38 GMT -5
Alex followed the smell of bread- glorious sourdough bread- into the mess hall.
He found himself in the kitchen and opened his eyes to see Hitoshi holding a pan full of the delicious-smelling thing, standing there in frilly oven mitts and old clothing. He grinned ear-to-ear and dashed over to (carefully) throw his arms around the boy's waist and squeeze him.
"Now what is this for, hmm?" he teased.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Feb 15, 2010 0:27:44 GMT -5
Hitoshi sighed, smiling slightly at the other boy. "You're early," he said flatly. "I wasn't expecting you for at least ten more minutes."
Hitoshi set the bread down on the stove top and turned to face Alex, wrapping his arms loosely around the other boy's neck. "You should probably be careful, or I'm going to get something on you. I busted a bag of flour this morning." Hitoshi brushed a bit of white dust off of his shirt to illustrate the point.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Feb 15, 2010 0:37:22 GMT -5
"Oh no, I will look pale as a sheet," Alex replied drily. He dusted a bit of flour off Hitoshi's cheek and gave him a peck in the same spot. "Professor Rahman let us out early, and I could smell food from halfway across the building, so I came to see. Besides, if I'm early, that gives me the chance to give you your gifts first."
He stepped back and unzipped his backpack, pulling out an oversized, square box. "Happy birthday," he grinned.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Feb 15, 2010 2:42:11 GMT -5
"Gifts, as in plural?" Hitoshi raised an eyebrow. Oh, right. His birthday. He smiled. "You didn't have to get me anything, you know."
He turned down toward the gift, his lips pressing together in concentration. Hitoshi dug his fingers under the tape, cleanly pulling the wrapping paper off of the box. It was big enough to hold several things, and given that it was the only present Alex had given him so far, it probably did.
He lifted the top of the box. The first thing he noticed was the books; one philosophical discussion of politics, the other a humorous book with cats on the cover.
There was a second, smaller box, made of dark wood and polished to a shine. The inside was lined with soft velvet. The true gift, however, was the silver locket inside. The pendant was a bit shorter than his pinky and oval shaped, with delicate embossing along one side. The chain was thick, not the sort that would break easily, though not so much that it would be heavy or uncomfortable.
He glanced up at Alex, tilting his head slightly, then clicked it open. Tucked inside the locket, where a photo might go, was a folded up piece of paper. He unfolded it slowly, reading over it, then set the box and its contents on the counter beside the salad.
Without a word, Hitoshi wrapped his arms around Alex, one at his neck and the other at the small of his back. He pulled the other boy into a tight embrace and kissed him, slowly and softly, on the lips.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Feb 15, 2010 3:01:17 GMT -5
Alex watched Hitoshi's reaction with a sly smile on his face. He'd hoped Hitoshi would like it... the note was a bit sappy, but...
Even as Hitoshi had his arms half around him, Alex was definitely not expecting the kiss.
He spent a few seconds trying to figure out how best to respond, and by that time, he wasn't particularly capable of rational thought. He slipped one hand down around the other boy's waist, the other one beneath Hitoshi's jaw, and returned the kiss as best he could.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Feb 15, 2010 22:30:39 GMT -5
Hitoshi combed his hand through Alex's pale hair, pulling away from him. He would be lying if he said that he only kissed Alex because of the gift.... He'd been hoping for a chance to do that all day. He licked his lips, slowly releasing the other boy.
"I didn't actually buy you anything," he admitted.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Feb 15, 2010 22:44:02 GMT -5
Alex made a little whimpering noise as Hitoshi pulled away.
"Huh?" He blinked, moving his eyes up from Hitoshi's lips. "I- sorry, I- what?"
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Feb 15, 2010 23:45:34 GMT -5
Hitoshi gave Alex a smug look. "I guess you don't mind that much, then," he murmured, leaning in and nuzzling Alex. "Hungry? We should probably eat before it gets cold." He smirked. As much as he enjoyed kissing Alex, he was eager to see Alex's reaction to the meal. And afterward, Hitoshi could easily manage to get a bit of time with Alex for kissing.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Feb 15, 2010 23:58:36 GMT -5
Alex blushed. "What is there to mind? You do that, you make me food... you've warmed up a lot since August."
"Oh! How could I forget the bread? And everything else. Is that clam chowder?" he said, peeking under the pot lid.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Feb 16, 2010 0:49:35 GMT -5
Hitoshi snapped the lid down on the pot. "It is." He grinned. "Go sit. I'll bring you your plate."
Hitoshi carefully ladled the chowder into a set of ceramic bowls, then spread a handful of crackers along the side of the plate. He filled the plate with the brightly colored salad, and topped the dish with a large hunk of bread -- a bit extra for Alex's plate.
He set the two plates on the table and slid into his seat, waiting to see Alex's reaction before he began eating.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Feb 16, 2010 1:08:36 GMT -5
Alex hopped into a seat and let Hitoshi serve him. Hitoshi looked so pleased about it, he couldn't help but be pleased in return. He felt positively spoiled.
When he got his plate, he peeled off a piece of the soft bread and took a bite.
A strange expression came over him; it wasn't his mother's bread, that was certain, but it had its own sort of charm that reminded him of it. It wasn't the best-made sourdough he'd ever had, either, but there was something wonderful about it.
"Mmf," he mumbled, wide-eyed. "I'm not quite sure what you did, but it's good."
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Feb 16, 2010 1:41:34 GMT -5
Hitoshi ripped off a piece of the sourdough and tore it beneath his teeth, tasting it contemplatively. He swallowed. "You think so?" he asked, dipping the bread into the chowder. The texture was slightly off from what he was hoping for, and the flavor didn't suit him right, but it was decent. And Alex seemed pleased enough by it, which was more than enough for him.
"I've never tried baking bread from scratch before. I thought maybe it might be time I tried." He looked up at Alex. "I made a lot more than necessary. I thought you might like to save some of it."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Feb 16, 2010 2:03:12 GMT -5
Alex drizzled some vinaigrette over the salad and took a few bites; he could taste crunchy spinach, bitter kale, sweet strawberries and what he thought were probably cucumber bits.
He held up one of the sliced strawberries between his thumb and forefinger, one shaped remarkably like a heart, and grinned.
"You think your uncle will be busy tonight? I think things have actually gotten sappy enough that I feel vaguely emasculated."
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Feb 16, 2010 2:08:19 GMT -5
Hitoshi stabbed a mound of the salad, taking a bite. The salad was practically flawless -- all there was to it was matching flavors and making it look nice, which was a rather simple task.
Hitoshi raised his eyebrow. "Tristan? Unless he's stalking Hitomi and her date or trying to enforce rules about PDA that don't actually exist, probably not. Why?"
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Feb 16, 2010 2:12:32 GMT -5
"I don't mean it. He's just the straightest man I know of." Alex shrugged. "Is there anything in particular you want to do after this? I know you don't have any homework, outside of that project with the boy that's dating Hitomi. Interesting coincidence, that," he said in the sort of conspiritorial tone of voice that suggested Hitomi had already told him the story.
He took another bite of salad, then switched over the bowl of soup to try dipping the bread in it before either got too cool.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Feb 16, 2010 14:13:06 GMT -5
"Interesting is certainly the word for it," he replied dryly. Hitoshi took another bite of his soup. "I'd be happy with just going back to the dorm, but if you have something specific in mind..."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Feb 16, 2010 20:26:57 GMT -5
Alex lowered his head as a bit of clam fell off the bread and bounced off his chin. He finished eating that bite and wiped his mouth before continuing; several "something specific"s danced through his head.
"Mmh. I'd like to do something, but I don't know what. I imagine if we head back to the dorm, we'll end up doing one of two things, and neither of them are... specifically festive," he smirked.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Feb 17, 2010 0:35:19 GMT -5
"There aren't too many places in the school that are reasonably private," he mused. He pushed a cherry tomato around his plate, licking his lips contemplatively. "We could go to the west tower. The balcony there has one of the best views in the castle, and it's almost never used. If you think it might be too cold, my aunt has an electric blanket we could borrow."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Feb 17, 2010 0:46:50 GMT -5
Alex laughed. "You think Professor Volkova will lend us a blanket to go off to the astronomy tower for Valentine's Day? Sure. You can bring your chess set, and we can hang out until either your uncle mistakes us for someone else or I fall asleep on your shoulder."
He swirled around the bread in the chowder and took a bite. "Mmh. I... have to admit, I've been a little bored lately."
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Feb 17, 2010 1:25:03 GMT -5
Hitoshi finished off the last bites of his salad. "Bored?" Hitoshi repeated, standing up from his chair and stretching. "How so?"
Hitoshi collected his plates and slipped them into the sink, glancing over his shoulder at Alex. He wasn't sure which Alex was going to like better, the bread or the dessert. Normally he would assume the bread, but the sourdough was fairly average, and Hitoshi had confidence that his dessert was superb.
He slid the small bowls from the refrigerator, setting one on each side of the table. The light smell of lemon custard wafted up from the bowl, which was covered in hardened caramelized sugar. Lemon zest garnished the top of the crème brulée.
He smiled, watching Alex. "I think you'll like this."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Feb 17, 2010 2:11:18 GMT -5
"I guess I'm just used to going different places all the time... hanging out with different groups of people. Here, I sleep, eat, and study in the same place every day. It's getting me kind of stir crazy," he admitted.
His attention wavered when Hitoshi picked something out from the fridge. He could smell the lemon, and his jaw dropped.
"You can make lemon crème brulée? Ngaah." He pushed aside the last few bites of his salad, grabbed a spoon, and cracked the top.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Feb 17, 2010 2:40:03 GMT -5
"I guess I'm just a lot more used to things here, but I've never really felt like that. It does get a bit repetitive, I suppose, during the parts of the year we're not being attacked or invaded."
He chuckled and watched Alex dig into the dessert. "You can make crème brulée out of almost anything. You just have to be able to make a custard from it. It's actually pretty easy to make, once you get the torching part down."
He tapped through the top of the dessert, then looked back up at Alex. "You know, there are actually a lot of places in the castle that aren't used. The classrooms, the dorms, the teacher's quarters... Those only make up a half, maybe two-thirds of the castle. The dungeons are mostly blocked off, and the upper levels of the school are hardly ever used. No one is supposed to go there without reason, but the barriers might have gone down during Halloween, and with all the fuss since then, I don't know if anyone ever thought to check them." Hitoshi swirled his spoon in the custard and scraped the sugar from the edges of the bowl. "It just makes me wonder if there's anything worth seeing up there."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Feb 17, 2010 2:49:17 GMT -5
Alex smirked around his lemony-sugary dessert.
"The dungeons? We really do have real dungeons? And why are the upper levels blocked off?"
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Feb 17, 2010 3:03:54 GMT -5
"Well, this is a real castle that used to belong to some old nobleman." He shrugged. "The headmistress says it's because she doesn't want anyone 'poking around where they don't belong.' I don't know if that means she has something up there she doesn't want anyone to know about or if it's just that she's just annoyed at the thought of a bunch of students wandering around the castle and snooping in the empty rooms."
Hitoshi took another bite of the custard. The lemon was a little stronger than most people would have liked, but Hitoshi preferred it that way, and Alex seemed to like it well enough. He looked up at his boyfriend. "I'll have to make lemon cookies for you sometime, I think."
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