Archive of Our Own ^beta

Yui will admit it; he isn't the stealthiest of guys. He's not like Komugi or Makoto who can barely go anywhere without causing some sort of scene, but he's not the world's next teen super spy either. He would say his sneaking around skills are perfectly average for a boy his age; which is to say, they're above average for pretty much everyone else.

Unless of course, you're an Ebina woman, in which case you are somehow psychically alerted the moment anyone in your house steps a foot out of bed.

Nee-chan gazes blearily at him from the other side of the kitchen. "What're you doin' up so early when ya don't have practice today?" She yawns.

"Why is it that you sound like a foreigner when you could speak just fine yesterday? And none of your business," Yui replies as he rifles through the cabinet.

"Ya makin' breakfast for your boyfriend?" His sister croons as she saunters across the kitchen and grabs the orange juice out of the fridge, taking a swig and pulling a face at the taste.

Said boyfriend is safely tucked upstairs, sleeping like the dead. It hadn't been too much of hassle to get Akira's aunt to agree to a sleepover; thank God for small mercies. He remembered the last time they had a sleepover without letting her know. For such a trusting woman, she really knew how to go on the warpath.

"Now, now, stop teasing your little brother," Mom says as she grabs the orange juice out of Nee-chan's hand and puts it back in the refrigerator. Yui has learned not to question his mother’s penchant for appearing when he least wants her to. "Yui, the ingredients you asked for are on the top shelf of the pantry and in the fridge."

"I knew it!" Nee-chan crows and breaks down laughing. Yui winces at the sound, mentally thanking whatever had caused Akira's ability to sleep through anything. Mom grabs Nee-chan's arm and forcibly drags her out of the kitchen.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Mom asks from the entrance to the kitchen. Nee-chan cackles again from the hallway and Mom rushes out without waiting for a reply. He can vaguely hear the sounds of Nee-chan being dragged up the stairs underneath the sounds of her hysterics.

Nee-chan should never get up before ten o'clock. Ever.

Now onto the real challenge. He had never made a Western breakfast before, but it couldn't be too hard, could it? He had recipes and Mom had made it plenty of times before.

Akira had mentioned he loved it when Yui's mom made Western breakfast, since they didn't have it on the island where he grew up, and his aunt didn't like it, so she didn't make it. Thus, Yui decided he would make Akira a Western breakfast.

First, the eggs. He cracks the eggs into the pan. The website said you were supposed to let them sit in the pan for a bit before you took a fork and dragged it along the pan. This was supposed to make the eggs 'scrambled', but Yui was doubtful. Then again, what did he know?

Next, Yui decides to get started on the toast. Mom had told him where to find the toaster last night, but that makes it only slightly easier to obtain. It's wedged behind the rice cooker, so he end up taking that out and pulling out the toaster before putting the rice cooker back in. Once that is done, he finally gets to making toast. He puts the bread in the bread-shaped slots. There's this dial in the side labeled zero through four. He's making four slices of toast, so he turns into the dial to four, pulls down the little lever thing, and movers into the next component of his Western meal.

After the toast, Yui starts on the fruit. This is something he is reasonably confident he won't mess up. He starts cutting the watermelon. It would be wasteful to just cut two slices, so he decides to just cut up the entire thing. Mom and Nee-chan will eat some for sure, and if there's any extra he can just bring it to the clubroom. It will get devoured in an instant there.

Yui has just finished cutting one ring of watermelon into slices when he smells it. The acrid smell of something burning invades his nose. He quickly looks at the toaster (the toast is suspiciously black, but not quite burnt) before darting his eyes over to see the stove.

Yep, the eggs are burning. Yui runs over to the sink and fills a cup with water. He dumps it on the pan, mentally patting himself on the back as he does so. Disaster averted.

No, that was not supposed to happen. What is he supposed to do now? The flames roar to life, doubling in size as the water hits them. The fire leaps over onto the toaster, burning the bread that already looked quite black in the first place. So you can burn burnt stuff. Good to know.

Okay, plan B. Yui jams a hot mitt onto his hands and grabs the lid to the frying pan. He covers the flames with the lid, effectively smothering them. The smell of smoke has gotten stronger, and Yui can hear the smoke detector ringing in his ears. He can see Mom beside him, smothering the flames on the toaster.

Yui breathes a sigh of relief. No one is dead. The fire is not spreading throughout the apartment and setting the entire complex ablaze. Nee-chan must have taken care of the smoke detector, because he can hear himself think again.

Now if only Akira had slept through that. The boy in question is standing in the entrance to the kitchen, looking slightly disoriented and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Akira surveys the room, his eyes lingering on the remains of the toaster.

"Yui-senpai, please don't ever try to make breakfast again." Akira grins, Yui attempts to scowl (but ends up failing miserably), and this time both Mom and Nee-chan break down laughing.