Rice cooker

[onifukuchou]

[There is a new rice cooker in the apartment. The previous (ancient) one had met it's demise in a fizzle of sparks from the cord and much swearing, and had summarily been replaced. The new one is very white, very shiny, and has roughly three times the buttons on it that the old one had.

Hijikata has decided, in honor of this, he will actually cook dinner at home. Dinner that isn't half from a box.

Unfortunately, the rice cooker is proving to be A Problem]

Comments

[onifukuchou]

[Shhhh he is the Adult here. Adults are supposed to be good at these things. Particularly Manly Adults :|]

It's fine, it's almost the same as the old one was. And the news should be on right now.

[yep this is the only thing he ever bothers to watch]

[mumyo_ken]

[Bur he's an adult to. Sort of. Sometimes.]

The news is boring.

[Flops around a bit.]

You have no idea what any of those buttons do, do you?

[onifukuchou]

[Only on a technicality B|]

Of course I do.

[He presses what he thinks is the start button and the timer starts beeping loudly instead. He tries not too look too startled... but doesn't really succeed.]

[mumyo_ken]

[Okay, he was doing a good job not laughing, up until that point, but the look on Hijikata's face was the breaking point, and now he couldn't help himself]

Oh. Of course.

[onifukuchou]

[Hijikata picks up the manual and looks like he's contemplating throwing it at a certain bratty idiot's head, but no, it gets thrown at the counter instead. This is the closest to pouting you will ever see Toshi, Souji.]

Damnit, it's not that funny!

[mumyo_ken]

[Congratulations, Toshi. That 'thunk' noise is the sound of a certain young man laughing so hard he's fallen off the couch in the process.]

[onifukuchou]

[...Okay, he's torn between being THOROUGHLY ANNOYED AT YOUR BEHAVIOUR and kind of worried you banged your head or something, Souji :|]

[mumyo_ken]

[Nope, not his head. Just his elbow. Which he's rubbing now as he pops back up.]

Can I help now?

[onifukuchou]

[Thank god for that much, at least. Toshi sighs heavily, finally giving up]

You make the rice, I'll cook the rest of it.

[mumyo_ken]

Okay!

[And that's all he really wanted anyway. To be useful. So he'll just hum happily to himself while he gets the rice cooking without even needing that manual.]

[onifukuchou]

Hn.

[You didn't have to be useful. HE IS MAKING THIS FOR YOU. But while he cuts onions he will... try to see what setting Souji is using so he can remember for the future.]

[mumyo_ken]

[But he *wants* to be, damnit. And it's not like it's hard. Unless you're a grumpy old man, apparently. He'll have to not-so-subtly go and mark the right settings in the manual later when Hijikata's not looking.]

I was right. It's like the one my sister has.

[Maybe that would take the sting out of it. ...okay, probably not.]

[onifukuchou]

[HE'S NOT THAT OLD goddamnit kids these days grumble grumble :|

The onions go in the pan on the stove, and he glances at Souji.]

Beef or chicken? I bought both.

[mumyo_ken]

Hmm. Let's have the beef.

[Since he'd bought it, and it probably had been a bit expensive.]

[onifukuchou]

[It kind of was, but it's not like he spends much of his money elsewhere anyway.]

Alright. This stuff should be done pretty soon.

[Into the pan goes the sliced beef]

[mumyo_ken]

[Poking his head around to watch]

It looks good.

[onifukuchou]

It's just tanindon. And you live off of instant ramen anyway.

[But he looks a little pleased at the compliment]

[mumyo_ken]

I do not.

[Okay, maybe. But only because that was what he could afford.]

[onifukuchou]

You do. You probably haven't had homemade food since the last time you visited your sister, am I right?

[mumyo_ken]

I cook real food sometimes!

[Miso counted, right?]

[onifukuchou]

If it comes in a box, it doesn't count.

[Not that... he cooks from scratch much. Other than rice.

The eggs go into the pan, and he glances over at Souji and the rice cooker]

Dish that out when it's done. The bowls are over the sink.

[mumyo_ken]

It doesn't!

[Over the sink... over the sink... Who kept their bowls all the way up there? People taller than him, clearly. Cue Souji clamoring up onto the edge of the sink to pull them down. Wheee.]

[onifukuchou]

[Hijikata looks vaguely worried at that for a moment, before he switches to annoyed.]

You could have just said they were too high.

[mumyo_ken]

[He wobbles a little but catches himself]

Or you could keep them somewhere less silly.

[onifukuchou]

[Hijikata sighs, and leaves the stove for a minute to go and reach over Souji's head for the bowls]

It's not that silly.