[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i”]”of course,” chimes like a bell. the smile she flashes him is as warm as his body leaning into hers. ”anything for you.”

while he grabs the pasta, she drifts to collect various supplies. butter, flour, milk, four different cheeses, and a large frying pan.

”start boiling water for the pasta,” she murmurs. her eyes drift toward him for a moment as if unable to stay away long. her body slides back into place beside him and she’s turning a burner on a moment later. ”i’ll start the cheese sauce.”

nikki sort of knowd what she’s doing yay

MATIAS SILPH
mission

anything, huh?

"yes, ma'am."

instructions are heard loud and clear as he prepares the pot for the pasta. water fills it, and it soon finds its place atop the stove.

he doesn't have much to do, really, and he's not going to watch water boil. so he turns to look at her, watching her instead.

"how often do you cook?"

illeana reyes

☉

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i”]anything. you name it and it's done.

she flashes a cheeky smile at the utterance of yes, ma'am. being in a leading role isn't comfortable for her usually but here in the warmth of this kitchen, side by side with him, it feels a little more natural.

while he works on setting the water to boil, she begins by coating the pan with butter. it melts easily over heat. flour and milk come next, whisked to keep from settling and bubbling. he questions her as she reaches for the first cheese, a sharp cheddar from candice's farm.

"not often." cheeks radiate warmth beneath the admittance. is she embarrassed by what comes next? definitely. "truthfully, i'm actually a terrible cook."

she shreds each cheese and adds it into the pan in increments, passing the spoon over in his direction for him to keep stirring as she adds more.

"do you usually cook?"

MATIAS SILPH
mission

"i'm sure you're a better cook than me."

it's not much praise, really, because he's a terrible one to begin with.

he takes the spoon, continuing to stir as she adds more cheese in.

"not usually. we usually order something, or i just grab food on the way home."

what he says next leaves him quieter, almost an admittance as their shoulders brush.

"i've never made actual mac and cheese."

illeana reyes

☉

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i”]amused laughter bubbles up and out before she can stop it.

her, a good cook? absolutely not. next joke pls.

"we'll have to test that theory soon," if they don't get food poisoning from today, anyway. they probably won't. hopefully.

she hums softly, adding more cheese while he stirs.

"it's okay," her smile is warm when her head turns toward him. "i do the same. no shame in ordering out." if there was, she would've died from starvation by now. ALEXANDER STONE spoiled her with homecooked meals and now? if she doesn't get takeout, she's not eating.

their shoulders brush and she chooses to ignore the spark of electricity it provides.

"well," her attention returns to adding cheese. three have already been added and the last one is about to join the pan. "you're making actual mac and cheese now, aren't you?"

MATIAS SILPH
mission

"i am."

who would've thought? well, matias is doing about thirty percent of the work, but still, it's a team effort.

he bumps his shoulder into hers, smiling fondly.

"with you."

illeana reyes

☉

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i”]we'll consider it a team effort. thank u, matias.

his shoulder bumps hers and warmth spreads beneath contact. her smile is affectionate.

"yes," she lets out a laugh. it's a tinkering and pleasant sound, almost like a bell echoing against walls of the kitchen. "sorry you got stuck with me."

although, once the mac n cheese is done, she doubts he'd consider himself stuck. they'll look like cute and fat baby seals when they're done eating.

in the background, she can hear the kids' cartoon playing loudly. a quick glance over her shoulder confirms they are, in fact, still there with a happily sleeping nugget in their laps.

MATIAS SILPH
mission

"don't be."

who's stuck with who?

with the water now boiling, he salts it, then throws in the pasta, stirring gently every now and then. the kids' cartoon plays idly in the background, though he pays it no mind.

with about ten minutes to go until the pasta is ready, he sighs, turning his body to lean against the counter before looking at her.

"the only thing i know how to cook decently is tacos."

illeana reyes

☉

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i”]maybe they're both stuck with each other. hm... hard to say.

she takes over stirring as he shifts to toss the pasta in. and as the last bits of cheese are added in, she keeps going to ensure it stays nice and hot without burning before the pasta is finished.

her eyes follow when he moves, when he turns and leans against the counter. her smile is small but warm.

"tacos sound good," she murmurs. the smile increases slightly. "i'd burn them if i tried making them."

unsurprisingly, the only thing she can actually make that's edible is mac n cheese. that's definitely only because that's all nikki knows how to make. oops.

MATIAS SILPH
mission

"i believe you."

it's a wonder how he's finally found a worse cook than him. a good suprise, nonetheless, as it makes him feel that much better about his own cooking.

from very shitty to just shitty.

"random question."

he looks over.

"do you want kids?"

illeana reyes

☉

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i”]she shifts to regather what's left of her ingredients, ushering them into her arms with a soft hum.

and as she turns toward the refrigerator, he asks a question. it's honestly surprising she didn't just drop the milk with the way it causes her to freeze.

"uhhh," she manages to squeak out, cheeks already beginning to flush a soft pink. where did that come from?

"maybe some day... why do you ask?"

MATIAS SILPH
mission

"just curious."

briefly, he looks over into the fridge, noticing some fruitcake. it looks really nice. moist. delicious.

"i think i want kids. not sure how good of a dad i'd be, though."

when both his parental figures were absent, who could blame him for thinking as much?

illeana reyes

☉

[attr="class","illie"]

[attr="class","illie b"]

[attr="class","illie i”]her nose wrinkles slightly at the sight of fruitcake. gross... who enjoys that? apparently, matias. smh.

"do you?" she tries to busy herself with placing ingredients back into the fridge. milk there, remainders of each cheese here, and so on. by the time the butter is safely returned, she's shutting the fridge with a soft click and turning to face him once more. her back leans until cold steel meets bare arms.

"why wouldn't you be a good dad?" although, does she have any room to talk? probably not... she's not even sure if she'd be a good mother.

MATIAS SILPH
mission