Keep Calm and Curry On
Jan. 25th, 2018 11:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
duckyshimetaiTitle: Keep Calm and Curry On
Author: duckyshimetai
Beta-reader: none
Pairing: Sho-centric, general friendship
Length: One-shot
Rating: G
Summary: Sho wants to make some curry for Ohno, but he needs a little (okay, maybe not so little) help.
Notes: It's still the 25th here! Written for Sho's birthday 2018. Happy birthday to our future leader! The one who works tirelessly for the fans, the company, and the viewers of News Zero, and stays humble despite being so talented and admired by thousands (if not millions) of people. He inspires me to continuously improve myself and strive for my goals. Thank you, Sho-san!
------------------------------------------
Sho had always envied the way Ohno’s mother doted on him. With food, mainly. The plastic containers filled almost a third of their shared fridge (there were five people sharing it) and she showed no signs of stopping.
Ohno naturally shared his food with the others, and it was all delicious even when reheated after two days. However, Sho knew there was one thing that Ohno preferred ready-made rather than reheated. The texture was just different, and Ohno himself couldn’t explain it.
That dish was curry. And Sho could tell how different it was, by seeing how much Ohno’s expression lit up when he was eating freshly made curry as compared to reheated curry. Aiba had almost wanted to try an experiment about that, but Sho stopped him. This was why, one day, Sho decided to try making his own.
He wrote to his own mother (because it was weird asking Ohno’s mother, no matter how often she came bearing food her son) for instructions on how to make curry. She replied by sending him a box of roux and telling him to “just follow the instructions on the side, that’s what Cook does at home”. Sho was a teensy bit disappointed - Ohno’s mother would probably have written out detailed instructions on every step and added extra warnings to be careful when handling knives and hot surfaces, ending with a heart mark - but he was glad his mother even took the time out of her busy schedule to send a reply.
Flipping the box over in his hands, he studied the ingredient list carefully.
I guess I can do this, he mused.
The perfect chance came soon after. Ohno went on a fishing trip for three days, and that was when Sho set his plan into action.
Grocery shopping was easy. He just popped over to the supermarket and got everything that was listed on the ingredient list, as well as a few extra items that the nice middle-aged ladies at the counters slipped to him, giggling as they did so.
The hard part started when he got home. Unpacking everything on the kitchen counter, Sho was astounded at the sheer volume of everything. He eventually decided to start by cutting everything up first. Tying an apron around himself, he set to work.
A few minutes later, Jun passed by to get a drink of water and was horrified to see Sho attacking a potato like his life depended on it.
“Sho, what are you doing?”
“I’m… I’m making curry?” Sho tried.
“That’s not how you cut a potato, though! You’re going to get one of your fingers if you’re not careful.” Jun reprimanded, before softening his voice. “Here, let me show you.”
He took the knife from Sho and carefully cut another potato in half. “See, it’s easier to hold the potato down when there’s a flat surface on one side.” Sho observed and nodded.
“You have to cut the potatoes into roughly equal sizes so that they’ll all cook at the same time.” Jun’s deft knife work left a beautiful pile of potato cubes on the chopping board.
“Now, it’s your turn.” He handed the knife over to a reluctant Sho, who tried it out. His efforts resulted in a much more misshapen, but still acceptable, pile of potato chunks.
Satisfied with Sho’s apparent understanding, Jun turned to leave, and noticed an onion lying innocently near the chopping board with its crusty brown skin still intact.
“I hope you’re not planning on using that without peeling it!” He called over his shoulder. Sho, who hadn’t got around to thinking about that, blushed and said defensively, “Yeah, of course I’m going to peel it!”
“Good,” Jun replied and went back on his way.
Half an hour later, Sho was regretting letting Jun go so fast. He’d struggled a lot with getting the onion’s skin off, and the worst was when it started stinging his eyes. He briefly considered asking for help, but Jun would probably be reading in bed with earphones in, and Nino would be gaming, and Aiba… oh, maybe Aiba could help! Sho called out his name, and Aiba appeared at the kitchen in the blink of an eye.
“What’s up, Sho-chan?”
“It hurts, Aiba-chan! My eyes are watering!” Sho complained.
“Why?” Aiba scanned the kitchen for the source of Sho’s discomfort and zeroed in on the onion, which was looking less like an onion and more like a mess.
“Oh, so that’s what it is. I have something that will help! Sho-chan, just go wash your eyes first while I get it!”
Without further explanation, he bounded back to his room.
Sho did as he was told and the pain gradually faded. Aiba crashed back into the kitchen shortly after, with something dangling from his hand.
“Ta-da! Swimming goggles! I use them for my experiments a lot.” Aiba giggled as Sho put them on.
“By the way, what are you doing, Sho-chan? Can I help?”
“I’m making curry…” Sho didn’t see any point in trying to hide it.
“Ahh, for Oh-chan?” Aiba’s eyes sparkled. “He’ll be so happy!”
“Yeah,” Sho sighed. “If I could actually make it.”
He glanced at his watch. “Oh-chan’s coming back in another couple of hours, and all I’ve done is cut the potatoes and half of the onion… I still have the carrots and meat left...! Not to mention the rice! Oh no, oh no, oh no…”
“Chill, Sho-chan! I’m here, remember?” Aiba grinned. He rolled up his sleeves and washed his hands. “Come on! Let’s get started already!”
Under Aiba’s guidance, Sho picked up speed and finished slicing the onion. He peeled and cut the carrot into chunks - “That’s it, Sho-chan! You’re getting better already!” - and cubed the meat.
Once everything was cut up, the next step was to start the actual cooking. Aiba showed Sho how to wash the rice properly and put it in the rice cooker so that it would cook while they were preparing the rest of the meal.
Sho was a little wary of switching on the fire, and he kept well back as the oil sizzled in the pan. He jumped a little when Aiba added the onions and meat and pushed them around timidly.
“Put some muscle into it, Sho-chan! The onions are gonna burn!” Aiba said encouragingly. “Oops, forgot that yours are air muscles.” He chuckled.
True enough, the onions were starting to look a little too brown. Sho stirred around more enthusiastically and soon a delicious smell wafted out.
With Aiba holding a pot steady, Sho then transferred the meat and onions over and added the rest of the vegetables and some water, leaving everything to simmer. Aiba nearly added a handful of salt at this point, but Sho stopped him in the nick of time, saying, “Isn’t it supposed to be a pinch?”
“Oh, yeah.” Aiba grinned. “Oops.”
The rest of the cooking went on without a hitch. Just as Sho finally switched off the stove, he heard the click of the front door opening.
“I’m home!” Ohno’s voice rang out. “Ooh, something smells good!”
Aiba popped his head out of the kitchen. “It’s curry and rice! Sho-chan made it!”
He tried to wink - it was a pretty good attempt this time - and Ohno got the message. Smiling to himself, he went to unpack and freshen up for dinner.
As the five of them sat around the table, Sho watched as Ohno took his first bite.
Ohno chewed slowly, beamed, and delivered his verdict. “Delicious!”
Sho let out a breath that he didn’t know he had been holding, and smiled. The others voiced their appreciation as well. He started on his own portion, but something puzzled him.
After the meal, when he and Ohno were alone doing the washing up, he blurted out his question. “Oh-chan, why did you say it was delicious? It wasn’t exceptionally good…”
Ohno carefully dried the dish he was holding before answering. His answer filled Sho with warmth from deep inside.
“It may not be perfect, but Sho-chan made it specially for me, and that made it delicious.”
~♥♥♥~
Author: duckyshimetai
Beta-reader: none
Pairing: Sho-centric, general friendship
Length: One-shot
Rating: G
Summary: Sho wants to make some curry for Ohno, but he needs a little (okay, maybe not so little) help.
Notes: It's still the 25th here! Written for Sho's birthday 2018. Happy birthday to our future leader! The one who works tirelessly for the fans, the company, and the viewers of News Zero, and stays humble despite being so talented and admired by thousands (if not millions) of people. He inspires me to continuously improve myself and strive for my goals. Thank you, Sho-san!
------------------------------------------
Sho had always envied the way Ohno’s mother doted on him. With food, mainly. The plastic containers filled almost a third of their shared fridge (there were five people sharing it) and she showed no signs of stopping.
Ohno naturally shared his food with the others, and it was all delicious even when reheated after two days. However, Sho knew there was one thing that Ohno preferred ready-made rather than reheated. The texture was just different, and Ohno himself couldn’t explain it.
That dish was curry. And Sho could tell how different it was, by seeing how much Ohno’s expression lit up when he was eating freshly made curry as compared to reheated curry. Aiba had almost wanted to try an experiment about that, but Sho stopped him. This was why, one day, Sho decided to try making his own.
He wrote to his own mother (because it was weird asking Ohno’s mother, no matter how often she came bearing food her son) for instructions on how to make curry. She replied by sending him a box of roux and telling him to “just follow the instructions on the side, that’s what Cook does at home”. Sho was a teensy bit disappointed - Ohno’s mother would probably have written out detailed instructions on every step and added extra warnings to be careful when handling knives and hot surfaces, ending with a heart mark - but he was glad his mother even took the time out of her busy schedule to send a reply.
Flipping the box over in his hands, he studied the ingredient list carefully.
I guess I can do this, he mused.
The perfect chance came soon after. Ohno went on a fishing trip for three days, and that was when Sho set his plan into action.
Grocery shopping was easy. He just popped over to the supermarket and got everything that was listed on the ingredient list, as well as a few extra items that the nice middle-aged ladies at the counters slipped to him, giggling as they did so.
The hard part started when he got home. Unpacking everything on the kitchen counter, Sho was astounded at the sheer volume of everything. He eventually decided to start by cutting everything up first. Tying an apron around himself, he set to work.
A few minutes later, Jun passed by to get a drink of water and was horrified to see Sho attacking a potato like his life depended on it.
“Sho, what are you doing?”
“I’m… I’m making curry?” Sho tried.
“That’s not how you cut a potato, though! You’re going to get one of your fingers if you’re not careful.” Jun reprimanded, before softening his voice. “Here, let me show you.”
He took the knife from Sho and carefully cut another potato in half. “See, it’s easier to hold the potato down when there’s a flat surface on one side.” Sho observed and nodded.
“You have to cut the potatoes into roughly equal sizes so that they’ll all cook at the same time.” Jun’s deft knife work left a beautiful pile of potato cubes on the chopping board.
“Now, it’s your turn.” He handed the knife over to a reluctant Sho, who tried it out. His efforts resulted in a much more misshapen, but still acceptable, pile of potato chunks.
Satisfied with Sho’s apparent understanding, Jun turned to leave, and noticed an onion lying innocently near the chopping board with its crusty brown skin still intact.
“I hope you’re not planning on using that without peeling it!” He called over his shoulder. Sho, who hadn’t got around to thinking about that, blushed and said defensively, “Yeah, of course I’m going to peel it!”
“Good,” Jun replied and went back on his way.
Half an hour later, Sho was regretting letting Jun go so fast. He’d struggled a lot with getting the onion’s skin off, and the worst was when it started stinging his eyes. He briefly considered asking for help, but Jun would probably be reading in bed with earphones in, and Nino would be gaming, and Aiba… oh, maybe Aiba could help! Sho called out his name, and Aiba appeared at the kitchen in the blink of an eye.
“What’s up, Sho-chan?”
“It hurts, Aiba-chan! My eyes are watering!” Sho complained.
“Why?” Aiba scanned the kitchen for the source of Sho’s discomfort and zeroed in on the onion, which was looking less like an onion and more like a mess.
“Oh, so that’s what it is. I have something that will help! Sho-chan, just go wash your eyes first while I get it!”
Without further explanation, he bounded back to his room.
Sho did as he was told and the pain gradually faded. Aiba crashed back into the kitchen shortly after, with something dangling from his hand.
“Ta-da! Swimming goggles! I use them for my experiments a lot.” Aiba giggled as Sho put them on.
“By the way, what are you doing, Sho-chan? Can I help?”
“I’m making curry…” Sho didn’t see any point in trying to hide it.
“Ahh, for Oh-chan?” Aiba’s eyes sparkled. “He’ll be so happy!”
“Yeah,” Sho sighed. “If I could actually make it.”
He glanced at his watch. “Oh-chan’s coming back in another couple of hours, and all I’ve done is cut the potatoes and half of the onion… I still have the carrots and meat left...! Not to mention the rice! Oh no, oh no, oh no…”
“Chill, Sho-chan! I’m here, remember?” Aiba grinned. He rolled up his sleeves and washed his hands. “Come on! Let’s get started already!”
Under Aiba’s guidance, Sho picked up speed and finished slicing the onion. He peeled and cut the carrot into chunks - “That’s it, Sho-chan! You’re getting better already!” - and cubed the meat.
Once everything was cut up, the next step was to start the actual cooking. Aiba showed Sho how to wash the rice properly and put it in the rice cooker so that it would cook while they were preparing the rest of the meal.
Sho was a little wary of switching on the fire, and he kept well back as the oil sizzled in the pan. He jumped a little when Aiba added the onions and meat and pushed them around timidly.
“Put some muscle into it, Sho-chan! The onions are gonna burn!” Aiba said encouragingly. “Oops, forgot that yours are air muscles.” He chuckled.
True enough, the onions were starting to look a little too brown. Sho stirred around more enthusiastically and soon a delicious smell wafted out.
With Aiba holding a pot steady, Sho then transferred the meat and onions over and added the rest of the vegetables and some water, leaving everything to simmer. Aiba nearly added a handful of salt at this point, but Sho stopped him in the nick of time, saying, “Isn’t it supposed to be a pinch?”
“Oh, yeah.” Aiba grinned. “Oops.”
The rest of the cooking went on without a hitch. Just as Sho finally switched off the stove, he heard the click of the front door opening.
“I’m home!” Ohno’s voice rang out. “Ooh, something smells good!”
Aiba popped his head out of the kitchen. “It’s curry and rice! Sho-chan made it!”
He tried to wink - it was a pretty good attempt this time - and Ohno got the message. Smiling to himself, he went to unpack and freshen up for dinner.
As the five of them sat around the table, Sho watched as Ohno took his first bite.
Ohno chewed slowly, beamed, and delivered his verdict. “Delicious!”
Sho let out a breath that he didn’t know he had been holding, and smiled. The others voiced their appreciation as well. He started on his own portion, but something puzzled him.
After the meal, when he and Ohno were alone doing the washing up, he blurted out his question. “Oh-chan, why did you say it was delicious? It wasn’t exceptionally good…”
Ohno carefully dried the dish he was holding before answering. His answer filled Sho with warmth from deep inside.
“It may not be perfect, but Sho-chan made it specially for me, and that made it delicious.”
~♥♥♥~
no subject
Date: 2018-02-03 03:40 pm (UTC)Actually, I intended the fic to be ambiguous or just generic friendship, so it can go almost any way (except Sakumiya, I just kind of failed at putting Nino in, *facepalm*). So it's definitely okay to read it the way you did! ^^