Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return

Sora finished his work after a few moments and turned to look at Kairi. "I'm done," he informed her. He wasn't sure if she would give him another task to do or not, but no matter what she decided, he was fine.

 

Kairi was almost done with the oregano when Sora spoke and she turned around with a smile. "Great," she complimented. "Just let me finish this up and we'll check the noodles." She looked at Sora for a moment before returning to her work.

 

Sora nodded slightly, a small smile on his lips. He crossed his arms across his chest and patiently watched Kairi do her work, the boy being in no rush. In fact, if anything, he wished time would slow down. He treasured every moment with Kairi, even if they were doing something as simple as cooking a meal.

 

After a moment, Kairi was finished with her ingredient and she dusted off her hands against her apron. "Okay..." She looked down at the sauce before turning her head and locating the noodles. They had soaked in the water for a while, and she smiled when she recognized that Sora had put just the right amount of water in the pot.

 

Sora stayed in his position, recognizing that he would most likely be in the way if he stood anywhere else. It wasn't a small kitchen, but it wasn't extremely large, either. Besides, he was content standing to the side and waiting instruction.

 

Kairi turned to Sora, smile still on her lips. "All we have to do now is drain them on a clean plate," she informed him softly. She took in his appearance and felt her smile grow slightly at the sight of him in an apron. The blue clothing made his eyes stand out a bit, and he appeared even cuter.

 

Sora's smile widened at Kairi's, though he didn't know why she was smiling so widely now. "I'll get the plate," he said, knowing where they were kept in the kitchen. He took a few steps over and reached up into a cabinet, grabbing onto a large plate and bringing it down.

 

Kairi nodded and turned back to the noodles, lowering the heat on the stove so much as to turn it off. She then proceeded to take the pot over to the sink, using the lid for it to drain the noodles a little. Steam came from the pot, and she felt it hit her face.

 

Sora shut the cabinet door with his hand and took a few steps over toward Kairi, the teen setting the plate on the counter near where she was draining the noodles.

 

The redhead continued with her work by setting the pot in the sink, so she would not burn a mark into the countertop. Kairi bit her lip, glancing from the noodles sitting in the pot to the plate Sora had set down. She hesitated a little, afraid of the heat, but grabbed onto one of the big noodles and pulled it out of the pot, setting it on the plate. Kairi rubbed her fingers together once she let go of the noodle. "...That's hot," she said softly, making a pained face.

 

Sora immediately looked at Kairi when he heard a slightly-pained tone of voice. He saw the steam coming off the noodles and his eyes softened. "I'll do it," he said softly. The brunet gently put a hand on Kairi's shoulder, subtly checking her expression to see how bad the pain was.

 

Kairi looked from her fingers to the boy in front of her. She offered him a small, grateful smile. "Thank you," she said with sincerity. She really was appreciating his help; he had made it out to be a disaster if he offered his assistance, but Sora really was better in the kitchen than he thought.

 

Sora nodded softly, a gentle smile still present on his lips. He looked away from Kairi and then to the noodles, not feeling extremely intimidated. He had gotten plenty of wounds before, so a temporary burning sensation wouldn't be extremely painful for him. He reached in and took a large noodle between his thumb and index finger. Before he could register too much pain, he pulled it out completely and set it on the plate.

 

Kairi rubbed her fingers together again as she went back to the stove, checking on the sauce. It was close to being finished. All they had to do now was wait for the sauce to be done, and then they needed to stack the noodles with the sauce in layers, add the shredded cheese, and stick it in the oven.

 

Sora worked as quickly as he could to get the noodles out of the water. He had to admit, it was pretty hot. When he was done a few pieces, he had to stop and rub his fingers together so that the numbness would go away.

 

Kairi ended up adding a few more dashes of salt and pepper, trying to make this sauce perfect for her parents. They'd taken her in, and she couldn't be more grateful. By doing this, she was showing her gratitude, though she was told numerous times that she was a blessing to her guardians, and they didn't need a thank you, but simply her presence. The thought made Kairi smile as she turned the stove off, the sauce now finished.

 

Sora forced himself to take out another large noodle despite that he could still hardly feel his fingers. He knew it was temporary, but still, it took a lot of power to keep himself from stopping until he got his feeling back. He kept working, wanting to finish the job.

 

"How's it going over there?" Kairi asked, turning around. She saw that her boyfriend was still pulling the noodles out. She immediately rubbed her fingers, remembering the burning feeling that just holding one for a few seconds had done to her. She wondered how Sora was holding up.

 

Sora looked at Kairi over his shoulder when he answered, leaving the noodles sit for a few spare seconds. "Almost done," he informed her before he turned back to the work, pulling out another steaming hot noodle from the water.

 

"Great!" Kairi chimed, folding her hands behind her. "All that's left to do is stack the noodles with the sauce. Then we're ready for the oven." Speaking of, she turned around and pressed a few buttons, preheating the oven to 350 degrees.