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[abyssions]

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[thelaw]

I wanted to. Should I bring it to your place?

[abyssions]

Sure. What is it?

[That defeats the purpose, Yuri!!!]

> action

[thelaw]

A surprise. Hang on, I'll be there soon.

[And before long, Yuri has a knock at his door.]

[abyssions]

[He honestly has no idea what this could be. Really, he was expecting his birthday to pass without much fanfare, even if that maybe secretly bothered him a little. When Yuri answers, he's immediately looking Flynn over for any mysterious packages.]

You don't have to knock, you know.

[thelaw]

[He won't have to look far, because very plainly in Flynn's hands are two meals. One, a bowl of rice with a side of bright brown (maybe a little orange, even) curry with bits of tofu in it. In the other hand, a very beautiful looking crepe, complete with fruits.]

Tadah!

[abyssions]

You... cooked?

[Oh, no. Oh no, and they're his favorites. Damn it, Flynn. This is so sweet, and so utterly horrific. His fight or flight response is kicking in.]

[thelaw]

I did. I didn't know what to get you for your birthday here, but I did remember how to make these, at least. Although, I have to admit...

[He steps inside Yuri's house, placing both on the table.]

They're not my best work.

[abyssions]

[Yuri closes the door behind them, leaning his back against it for a moment as he makes a decision: He's going to eat it. All of it. And he's going to pretend it's amazing, because he's a horrible terrible liar and he can't break Flynn's heart over his cooking.

But that admission sure puts the fear of god into him.]

What do you mean? They look great.

[thelaw]

Yes, I did the best I could with what was available, but when I tried it myself...

[He sighs.]

I didn't want to start from scratch and waste the ingredients. I hope it'll be okay enough. But I understand, if you'd rather not try it.

[abyssions]

[Flynn's sense of taste is so skewed that oddly, the statement doesn't mean much. It's like Karol said—his food is either good or mind-blowingly horrific, and that yawning gap in between is what usually gets people.

But he went out of his way to make this for Yuri, to remember his birthday even with all the crap he's been through lately, and that's what Yuri cares about, not the rest.]

No, I'm serious. They look perfect.

[Which isn't a lie at all, actually. Flynn's food is always beautiful if nothing else.]

If I didn't know better I might even think you were buttering me up for something.

[thelaw]

Thank you.

[He does feel a little better at being told they look perfect. Even if he's not so certain on how these will taste, the aesthetic of it has always been important to him.]

Ha. What would I need to butter you up for? It's your birthday. I think this is the one time of the year you're allowed to accept gifts with no expectations.

[abyssions]

Yeah, yeah, okay.

[Clearly Yuri's aversion to compliments extends to gifts, too. He digs out a couple of dishes and utensils for them, then sets them on the table.]

Weird that I'm having a birthday here, huh?

[thelaw]

A little strange. Smaller.

[Considering all the new friends Yuri had, he thought Yuri's birthday would be a little bigger when he turned twenty-two. Now it's just the two of them. Not that he minds it, really, but... It'd be nice to have some of Yuri's friends around. They're not really his friends- but he likes them well enough.

He takes a seat at the table, and even though he's been given his own utensils, he's waiting for Yuri to take the first bite.]

[abyssions]

Smaller compared to what?

[It's not like he has big blowout birthday parties, and friends or not, he wasn't expecting one this year, either. Saving the world, and all.

But now Flynn is looking at him, waiting, and it's the moment of truth. Yuri is good at hiding his trepidation, at least—he slides the curry closer, digs his fork in, and takes a bite.

And it's...

Good?

It's good. Really good, actually. He'd expected immediate suffering, that combo of way too much heat and sickly sweetness that Flynn has somehow mastered with no real depth. But this time he's gotten all the spices just right. The rice is the perfect texture, the meat is tender enough to fall apart.]

Flynn, this is delicious.

[thelaw]

I had thought you might spend your birthday with your new friends; Karol, Ca- Raven, Judith and Lady Estellise. Which I'm certain you would have, if you weren't here. You'll just have to settle for me, I suppose.

[He waits and watches with some trepidation, expecting some disappointment with the flavor, but Yuri seems to... enjoy it? That's surprising.]

Oh? Really?

[With his fork, he takes a bit for himself, trying it out.]

Mm. It's nothing special, really. It still seems a little lacking...

[abyssions]

[Yuri slides the plate closer so that they can share more easily, trying and failing to hide an amused smile at Flynn's confusion.]

What do you think it's lacking? And trust me, this isn't settling.

[Sure, he misses his other friends, but spending time with Flynn is never going to be some sort of disappointment.]

[thelaw]

[He takes another helping of it, chewing it carefully as he assesses.]

It's lacking...

[Flynn gestures with his hands, open palms up but otherwise doesn't know how to describe it.]

I don't know. "Oomph!" Or something like that. No extra flavor at all.

[abyssions]

Extra flavor, huh...

[This is it, the mystery of all mysteries. If only Yuri could see into Flynn's head. Or tastebuds, maybe.]

What'd you leave out?

[thelaw]

In this? Well, there was a type of pepper that Alphen had introduced me to. I couldn't find it again, nor the powder I had used during the cooking tournament. I didn't realize they were the sort to be in short supply, or I would have purchased more... As for the vegetables, I got these at the market instead of foraging for my own.

[abyssions]

[Yuri knows exactly what peppers Flynn is referring to, and his eyes go wide for a second. God, it's a miracle Flynn hasn't killed him.]

Who taught you to forage for the plants here?

[Please say someone taught you...]

[thelaw]

One of the locals.

[He isn't trying to kill anyone.]

I think I've been fairly successful in the past, it just seemed to be bad timing on my behalf this time.

[He picks up another spoonful of food but then thinks better of eating it.]

I should really stop, this is meant to be yours.

[abyssions]

Nah, we should share it. It's better that way.

[What he means, but isn't quite saying, is that it means more to split a birthday dinner Flynn made. A little sappy. But down to the real mystery—]

Did you like Alphen's food at that competition?

[thelaw]

[Well, he's not going to insist again, since he's pretty hungry himself, even if this doesn't quite meet his standards, it's still decent.]

Of course. He had the best item there, in my opinion. Although Law's burgers were rather good too. I should show you that one, I think you'd like it.

[abyssions]

[He's not sure how to feel about that recommendation, in all honesty, so he just skates past it.]

Flynn, how the hell didn't Alphen's food kill you?

[thelaw]

What do you mean? It wasn't dangerous. Just spicy.