Archive of Our Own ^beta

Niki sighed as he pulled another tray out of the oven, shaking it slightly to adjust the cookies that sat there and avoid letting them stick. He put the tray onto the countertop, alongside many other trays that contained recently baked and cooked goods, all cooling to various degrees. There were some roasted potatoes that had been covered with tinfoil, an apple pie with a gorgeously decorated crust (he’d made little hexagons, in honor of Crazy:B, and woven the strips covering the top of the pie around each other in a way that made them seem like an art unto themselves), some caramel cookies, and more… Such goodies weren’t exactly out of the ordinary for him to make, but as it was time to come up with Cinnamon’s autumn menu, he was creating as many dishes as he could in order to prepare for the tasting. Speaking of which…

The chef exhaled and stretched, cracking his neck as he looked around, lifting some towels before eventually locating his phone. He knew Rinne would be keeping in contact with him, as he always did. Not like Niki really wanted all those messages, he hardly used his phone anyway… Swiping the back of his hand across his forehead while his other hand flicked thoughtlessly through his messages, he pursed his lips. A message from Rinne, saying he’d be there with the other bees in about fifteen minutes, displayed on the gray-haired man’s screen. It was from ten minutes ago.

“Ugh.” Niki simply gritted out, hustling to plate up the foods, cutting things as necessary, combining a couple of half-dishes to create one coherent meal, so on and so forth. After what seemed like a mere thirty seconds (but was definitely a few minutes), a knock resounded at the door to the cafe. Niki had forgotten they were actually closed for the day, to allow him the time and space to work as necessary. It was pretty sweet of his bosses to give him that freedom, maybe they had noticed how well his summer menu did…

“Coming!” He shouted, strolling to the door and spotting Madara. He perked up and smiled warmly, always happy to see the man. Unlike Rinne, Madara wouldn’t start bullying him at random… It wasn’t as if he hated Rinne’s taunts, though, he supposed. They were fun, in a way. Swinging the door open, he gestured for the taller man to enter, humming. “Ah, you’re early! Rinne-kun and the others should be here any minute now.” He remarked, gesturing for Madara to sit at the table that he’d set up with all the food. “Just wait here, ‘kay? D’you want anything to drink?”

“Nah, I’m alright, Niki-san!” Madara nodded, sitting and removing his jacket, slinging it over his chair. “Miiight need some milk to go with some of these, though!” He added, tilting his head towards the plated meals. Niki seemed thoughtful, chewing on his thumb and nodding slightly. “Milk would go well with the pie, maybe we can offer a deal on that kinda thing…” He mused, scribbling that into the notepad that he’d tucked into his apron. It was only another few seconds before the rest of Crazy:B arrived, not even bothering to knock as Rinne led the group straight into Cinnamon.

“Heyyy, Niki~!” He called, arms wide as he grinned at the chef. Niki ducked his head and groaned, as if embarrassed by the redhead’s display of… Whatever it was. Kohaku followed behind Rinne, and then HiMERU entered, closing the door as if it wasn’t weighted to close on its own. “Rinne-han, could ya shut up?” Kohaku grumbled, sitting across from Madara and giving his other unitmate a wave. “Kohaku-chaaan! That’s no way to treat your elders!” Rinne gasped, clutching his heart dramatically as he approached Niki and ruffled his hair. HiMERU seated himself beside Kohaku as Niki shoved Rinne off towards the table, where he sat beside Madara.

“Mikeneko-chan!” He greeted with his signature fox-like grin, and Madara returned it with enthusiasm. “Rinne-san! Been a while, hope you’ve been well.” Their conversation was cut short before it could truly begin as Niki cleared his throat, gesturing to the plates on the table. “Okay, so– Wait, do any of you want drinks? Actually– Lemme just show the food first, then you can decide if you wanna get something to pair with ‘em.” The chef started removing the covers on all the food, some of it giving off a faint steam.

“Okay, so we’ve got pie, salted caramel cookies, I’ve got vegan and gluten-free cookies too so HiMERU-kun, you can try those, ‘kay? I’ve got roast potato bites, and there’s some dipping sauces there…” Niki pointed to everything as he described it, and Rinne’s mouth watered at the delectable dishes. HiMERU flicked a napkin onto his lap, while Kohaku and Madara nodded thoughtfully, with Madara mentally running through them all to figure out if any of these were new to him or not. Usually, when he helped Niki taste-test food, he’d eaten it all at least once before. The chef often tried to bring some new international tastes to Cinnamon, but given Madara’s… Affinity for traveling, it rarely ended up being new to him. Well, at least that meant Madara could criticize it a little more thoughtfully.

“Anyway, that’s all, so dig in! I’ll grab some water– Anyone think they’ll need anything else?”

“A glass of milk, please, Shiina.” HiMERU requested, and Kohaku nodded. “One fer me too, Niki-han!” The younger boy piped up, and Niki darted to the kitchen dutifully, coming back and handing them both glasses of milk. Madara had served himself some roast potato bites with a side of ranch dressing, and dipped his potatoes into the dressing every few bites. “These’re good, but could use a liiiiiii’l bit more oregano, I reckon!” He commented as Niki stood over them, watching intently and taking notes.

HiMERU took one of the vegan salted caramel cookies, chewing it thoughtfully. “... This is a little dry, Shiina. HiMERU thinks you may have left out some almond milk, or something to that effect. The taste is good, aside from that.” He hummed, taking a sip of his milk and nodding slightly at Niki. He was skilled at hiding the fact that he struggled a little to chew the awkward dough. The chef chewed the inside of his cheek, nodding back. “Right, right, fair enough. I’m still getting the hang of vegan goods, so I guess it’s possible my measurements were off…” He muttered, jotting that down as he glanced at Rinne, who had dug into a slice of apple crumble.

“Niki, you gotta make this for me at home!” He declared, taking a sip of HiMERU’s milk and grinning at the chef. “This is great, it’s super sweet and warm, I’m a real fan.” The redhead announced, continuing to eat it despite the other dishes awaiting his approval. “Hey, hey, don’t just dig in to the same thing again and again! You’re here to try a bunch of stuff!” Niki scolded, swatting at Rinne and huffing as the older man just ducked to avoid the chef’s disapproving hand.

“Shaddup Niki! Go see what Kohaku-chan’s thinkin’, maybe I’ll try somethin’ else in a second.” Rinne simply waved Niki off and, to his delight, the chef sighed and loomed over Kohaku instead. Kohaku had begun eating some of the cookies, a half-eaten salted caramel one on his plate as he munched on a hazelnut one. “I’m not really a fan of salted caramel. It tastes good, I reckon, but I ain’t big on the taste of the whole thing as a concept, so I can’t really judge it.” He informed Niki, a slight frown pulling at his lips. He seemed to feel bad for the chef, but Niki didn’t let it affect him personally, understanding everyone had different tastes.

“That’s fine! How’s the hazelnut one? D’you think I should make a chocolate chip variant? I can grab some chocolate chips so you can shove ‘em in the cookie and try it–”

“I think they’re good like this. Not too sweet, nice an’ soft, I appreciate it.” Kohaku cut Niki off, shaking his head and offering a smile as he took another bite, dipping his cookie in his milk. “Madara-han, how’s it goin’ over there?” He asked his other unitmate, who had begun eating a serving of mushroom stew. Madara chewed dramatically, as if to emphasize that he was mulling it over, then nodded in approval.

“It’s got the Mama stamp of approval! A reaaal homey taste, I bet this is how a good mother would make it! Saaay, Niki-san, would you mind teaching me how to make this later?”

“I wrote the recipe down, I’ll take a picture and send it to you later! I’m glad you like it, any notes?”

Madara stroked his chin, a little bit of stubble gathered beneath his calloused fingertips as he thought about it. “Could use some homemade bread, think that’s doable?” He replied, tapping the table as Rinne’s cackling suddenly resounded through the cafe. “Niki makes some killer bread, of course it’s doable! Don’t play stupid, Mikeneko-chan, ain’tcha had enough of his food to know it’s the best?” Rinne stood abruptly, striding around the table and putting Niki in a headlock, rubbing the chef’s head aggressively. Niki groaned and squirmed away, elbowing Rinne in the stomach as HiMERU pursed his lips and Kohaku rolled his eyes.

“Could you two refrain from acting like such children?”

“It’s not my fault, he attacked me!” Niki protested, but HiMERU held up a hand, looking bored already. “HiMERU would like to finish this food sooner than later. He has to watch his figure, as an idol.” He explained hurriedly, and Niki seemed dejected at the news. He knew HiMERU wasn’t really big on eating, but he thought he’d made enough good food… Well, he supposed HiMERU had eaten a full cookie, and he’d seen him take a bite of the apple pie…

“Okay, okay, just try one of the dinner dishes before you leave in such a hurry!” Niki insisted, and HiMERU pursed his lips, nodding as he grabbed a potato bite and popped it in his mouth. He chewed and hummed quietly, then grabbed his milk and took a sip to wash it down. “HiMERU agrees with Mikejima’s suggestion. More seasoning wouldn’t hurt.” The blue-haired idol added, before pursing his lips, wiping away the minor crumbs around his mouth. “It may also benefit Shiina to cook them for longer to crispen them. HiMERU believes that would add to the experience. Now, may HiMERU leave?” He asked, grabbing his coat from the back of his chair and causing a loud whine from Rinne.

“Merumeru, why won’tcha stay? Rinne-kun misses ya sooo much!” He drawled teasingly, abandoning the chair he’d been leaning against to instead throw himself at HiMERU, poking the other man’s cheek. HiMERU’s eyebrows twitched in annoyance as he shoved Rinne off, shaking his head. “Amagi sees HiMERU plenty. Perhaps if he shows up to the next practice, HiMERU will set aside a few minutes for him.” HiMERU rolled his eyes, and Rinne clutched his chest in mock hurt. Kohaku just coughed awkwardly, waving Niki over.

“Is there anything a li’l more traditional Japanese-style here?” He asked the chef while his other unitmates bickered, and Madara watched on in fascination. Now he knew where Kohaku got his tendencies from…

“Hm… I didn’t make soba ramen, like I was planning, but I could make it for you another time and you could tell me if it’s good enough? Making soba by hand’s kinda tedious for a whole cafe, but if it ends up tasting fine, I could add it to the menu as a promotional thing…” Niki jotted it down as he spoke, and Kohaku nodded, glancing at Madara curiously.

“Madara-han. What’s so fascinatin’ about those two?”

“Ahh, you wouldn’t get it, Kohaku-san!” Madara ruffled the younger boy’s hair condescendingly, and Kohaku flapped his hand irritably, swatting at Madara to get him away. “What, does it remind ya of those parents you’re always bringin’ up?” Kohaku retorted, a brow raised. Niki stifled a laugh, covering it with a cough and shaking his head in poorly feigned disapproval. “Kohaku-chan, don’t be mean! They’re kinda like a comedy duo, don’tcha think?” The chef hummed, watching as Rinne made obnoxious gestures at HiMERU, who simply ducked away and nimbly avoided the taller man’s every advance.

“I guess. I’m real used to ‘em by now, aren’t you on the same page, Niki-han?”

“I’m used to food, but it never stops tasting like a gift from God himself on my tongue when I’m hungry!” Niki replies simply, beaming at Kohaku as if it were the simplest thing in the world. Madara served himself a slice of the apple crumble and added some fresh cream to it, taking a savory bite and letting out a delighted groan of approval.

“Rinne-san was right, this is delicious, Niki-san! Mama’s gonna need all those recipes o’ yours, ‘kaaay?” The brown-haired idol looked up at the chef, who could only smile and nod happily. “I’m glad you like it so much! I guess I should think about putting together a cookbook for Cinnamon, I’ve had a couple of people suggest it…” He mused, then whistled loudly to get HiMERU and Rinne’s attentions.

“Hey, Rinne-kun! Leave HiMERU-kun alone, come back and finish eating, you idiot! Your food’s getting cold.” He scolded, and the redhead made one more obnoxious advance on HiMERU by ruffling his hair before striding back to the table and seating himself. HiMERU pulled his lips together tightly as he fixed his hair, then relaxed and waved lightly to Niki, a small smile tugging at his features before he turned to leave.

“Alright, alright, now try some of these cookies, Rinne-kun…” Niki instructed, serving some things to the older man while Madara and Kohaku helped themselves to new dishes. Niki finally decided to sit down, finding himself pretty hungry by that point, and digging into the remainder of the potato bites.

For the rest of the afternoon, the group ate together, criticisms of the food slowly fading out of focus as they simply spent time together, chatting about practices and upcoming shows and whatever else came to mind. Madara shared stories that embarrassed Kohaku, and in turn, Kohaku did the exact same, laughing when Madara glanced away shamefully at Rinne and Niki’s laughter. The four of them had a great time together, right up until the sun had begun to set, and all the food was cold. They soon parted ways, helping Niki tidy up before splitting up for the night, looking forward to the next gathering they’d get.