♡ Kitchen

@Im Changkyun ᶠᵉⁿⁿᵉᶜ ᶠᵒˣ There was a pleased hum was Zhan's response at knowing that Changkyun was doing well. Knowing a friend is doing well was a relief in itself. As he measured out some spices for the coconut oil and putting them in, the other calling for his attention made the bunny perk up. Another bright smile appeared on his face before he was moving closer and snatching the snack up with his mouth. "Thank you, Kyun-ah." Zhan said around the gummy as he chewed. It really did taste great. A cute and healthy snack, what more could you want? As he moved back to the stove, keeping an ear out for the younger speaking. The time Changkyun was sleeping was not something that was too favorable but at least he was sleeping at a more reasonable time. Especially since the fox was nocturnal. The older hybrid taking Melatonin every night before bed himself to help. "Really? That's wonderful!! Could I take a peek at it sometime?" Zhan asked with a glimmer in his eyes at the prospect of seeing the other's artwork. Once the oil was mixed and melted, he moved towards the bowl of popcorn with saucepan and poured it over. Mixing it all together, squeezing lime juice on top, and smiling proudly at the snack before turning off the stove top.

@Xiao Zhan ᵇᵘⁿⁿʸ „right!”, he fell into line with the older male, smiling proudly when hearing the sound of his laughter and seeing the happy expression spread all over his face. changkyun liked bringing joy into other people’s lives, even though it was true that his ways of achieving this goal were rather… distinctive. taking the plastic container from his friend’s hand, the fox busied himself with carefully pulling the remaining gummies from the silicone molds. however, only every second gummy could rest in the container as changkyun simply couldn’t refuse the temptation of eating some (many) of them anyway. well, he was there to be the test fox-rat of zhan’s cooking experiments after all and he was going to be scrupulous about completing this task. “extremely well”, he answered, at the same time quietly debating whichever gummy to have this time. all the them, flavors and shapes were delicious, and eventually his clammy fingers picked a yellow-ish asian pear bear, but instead of stuffing it into his own mouth, he reached out to feed the fellow hybrid with it. “hyung”, he said, trying to attract the attention of the bunny who didn’t seem to be interested in resting yet. “I’ve tried to go to sleep around three in the morning in the past few days, so I guess it’s something?”, he shared, unsure whether or not the latter would like his honest answer. as a nocturnal creature, changkyun tried to embrace his humanly side as well. “and I got a new order. this client wants me to make the cover and illustrations for their children’s book.”

@Im Changkyun ᶠᵉⁿⁿᵉᶜ ᶠᵒˣ "You're not being robbed of anything! It just means that I love you more since I'm putting the effort in, right?" Zhan had to laugh at how the younger was acting. Gluten wasn't good for hybrids anyway. Barely good for certain humans as well. Besides this opened up for other options in cooking as well. Making his skills much more versatile for other people. It did make his mind wander to the possibilty of selling some of these snacks since it never hurt to make a bit more pocket money. Zhan's eyes nearly sparkled when Changkyun agreed that it tasted good; a bright smile taking over his features. "Great! Then now you have better fruit snacks. Here," He moved towards the cupboard and pulled out a purple plastic container, handing it to the fox. "Put all the gummies in here and we can make more." Then he was moving to the popcorn machine, gently shaking the bowl as kernels fell in. This snack was mostly indulgent for himself but didn't mean the other wouldn't like it. As soon as the bowl was filled, he looked over the recipe and tilted his head for a moment before grabbing various spices as well as a few limes. "Have you been busy lately? You're sleeping well, right?" Zhan asked as he grabbed a small saucepan, putting coconut oil in the middle and waiting for it to melt on top the stove. Spending time like this settled something within his body. Muscles relaxed and a content smile settled over his features. It felt nice to care for someone.

@Xiao Zhan ᵇᵘⁿⁿʸ "food equals love, so if I were you, I would be tickled to death knowing that the feeling is mutual", he replied with a smug smile spread over his thin lips as he made himself comfortable in his seat, ready to snatch a thimble of the dough, but it seemed like zhan was going to guard his unfinished baking good like a knight. pouty, even though the latter was trying to save his stomach from getting upset, changkyun gave up on tasting the mixture, folding his arms in his small silent discontent. "gluten free?", he repeated after his friend. "this sounds like I'm being robbed of the goodies", he added sarcastically, before turning into a motionless observant. his dark orbs followed every movement the older made, feeling the ease he was working with in the kitchen. for a pet, the default domestic help, changkyun was quite terrible at cooking in comparison to his fellow hybrid. he wouldn't die from starvation, not he would be constantly food-poisoned, but the word 'fancy' didn't exist in his cooking book. his attention was successfully attracted by that colorful something zhan took out of the fridge. his eyes shimmered from excitement and his empty stomach could do a little flip, asking to be filled up immediately. easily encouraged to try the gummies, the fox completely forgot to pretend to be offended with his friend's interest in fixing his bad eating habits. he picked a claret star and happily put his on his tongue, tasting the flavor as soon as he started to chew. "mmm, it's a little drop of heaven, hyung."

@Im Changkyun ᶠᵉⁿⁿᵉᶜ ᶠᵒˣ It felt like a dance, moving from place to place and mixing or measuring things. Zhan wasn't exactly the most skilled in dancing but he assumed it was like this. There was a soft tune playing through the air; another love song that he was readily added to a growing playlist. Thankfully, the older hybrid had heard Changkyun enter the kitchen. His own ears were pulled back with a velvet scrunchie just to make sure that nothing got on them. They were a bit on the longer side considering his height. About to his shoulders to be exact. "You only love me because I feed you." Zhan had laughed, glancing up just as the fox slid into an open chair. "Agh-!" His hand quickly grabbed the other's before he could poke the dough that sat on the counter. "Careful, Kyun-ah. It's a really finicky mix. Gluten free." It was a gentle fact and he sighed softly with an amused smile before letting go of Changkyun's hand.

Then Zhan went back to filling up an air-popper with white corn kernels. Brows furrowing in concentration as he slid a bowl under the opening and pressed the needed buttons. Once it started up he moved towards the fridge and eagerly pulled out a tray with various smaller silicone moulds. "Look! They're fruit gummies but made with fruit juice that I made with honey, vanilla, and gelatin." They were in cute shapes; hearts, paw prints, stars, and little bears. Different colors were different flavors so he pushed out a few pieces for the younger. "Try them! Tell me your favorite." Zhan's voice was more than excited and his eyes gleamed at the prospect of making a successful snack that was a healthier alternative. "There's strawberry-kiwi, blueberry, raspberry, and asian pear with mandarin oranges."

@Xiao Zhan ᵇᵘⁿⁿʸ in contrary to changkyun's usually quite light schedule, this day didn't seem to serve him any sort of boredom since the very moment he opened his eyes. after grabbing a quick breakfast and brewing himself a big mug of black plain coffee, he hid inside the four walls of his bedroom, disappearing into the digital world of his computer. working as an illustrator for a minor game developer was a decent source of income for the lonely fennec fox, who, aside from buying himself any gadget he wanted to have, also loved to spend a great share of his salary on food, not necessarily the best type of food for his health. yet there would always be something extremely magical about homemade meals, prepared with love and passion, making him unable to ignore the merest invitation to even the leftovers off a spoon. changkyun almost missed the momentary lightening up of the screen of his phone, his earphones successfully blocked any type of sound other than music of early 00s to be heard, but once he read the short message, he didn't even waste his time to reply. after saving his work, he waddled to the kitchen right away, catching delicious scents already in the corridor. his head peeked into the kitchen and he grinned widely, seeing the bunny hybrid busying himself with some kitchen equipment changkyun didn't even know the name off. "lop-hyung, I love you so much with my cold little heart!", he expressed fervently, before sliding onto one of the chairs and reaching out to dip his finger in a dough.

@Im Changkyun ᶠᵉⁿⁿᵉᶜ ᶠᵒˣ Trying new things in the kitchen was always a pleasure for Zhan. Even though it was always a bit of rarity. Right now though, he was flipping through 4 different cookbooks regarding healthy alternatives to junk food snacks. Right now he was making healthy donut holes, which was... strange but so far they smelled okay. There was a whole spread of different ingredients to different recipes. This one was mildly promising. With the perfect taste tester in mind as well! 《Changkyun-ah, would you like to eat some snacks with me? I'm in the kitchen! (o´∀`o) 》 Sending a quick text to the other, ensuring that he would make it in time to try not only the 'donut holes' but also the surprise in the fridge. Zhan hummed to himself as he put a tray of freshly glazed rolls into the freezer before moving on to the next savory snack. Something he was most excited to try out.

@Im Jaebeom ʰᵘᵐᵃⁿ The words met Jinyoung and seemingly struck him hard - His eyes went wide as though he'd been slapped and his head ducked down quickly. "Yessir, of course sir. I'm sorry, I know I'm not worth the dirty dishes." The response was shamefully automatic due to what he'd been through.

@Bae Jinyoung ʳᵃᶜᶜᵒᵒⁿ After finishing with getting the stove ready, Jaebeom pulls out a pan and a spatula, setting them on the counter. He tried his best to not cause a lot of noise when searching for the right pan, not wanting to startle the hybrid. "Plates? I was going to have us eat off of the floor." Speaking with sarcasm, Jaebeom exhaled longingly as he muttered curses beneath his breath, scolding himself for what he said. "Anyway.. let me know when youre done mixing so i can start cooking the pancakes."

@Im Jaebeom ʰᵘᵐᵃⁿ JInyoung shivered slightly as he moved closer to the other and into the kitchen, eyes flicking back to the doorway after a few seconds just to make sure the path was still clear. Part of his PTSD meant that he showed compulsive behaviors when it came to finding and knowing exit routes. Raccoons were slightly twitchy as is was already, but Jinyoung took if to an extreme when it came to people he didn't know, and places he wasn't quite comfortable in. He moved towards the island and grabbed the bowl, taking up a wooden spoon to mix the batter together. "I can also get plates, later on."

@Bae Jinyoung ʳᵃᶜᶜᵒᵒⁿ Jaebeom could easily tell how shaken up the raccoon was, though he couldnt blame the poor thing. He knew how scary his appearance may be at times considering he never really shoved his kindness out in the open like a softie would. No, Jaebeom hate feeling weak, so he hardly showed his care for hybrids even though deep down he did care. ¨I suppose you could still help without being involved with the stove.¨ Jaebeom spoke mostly to himself as he put the right amount of each ingredient into the bowl, ¨Do you mind mixing this while i get the stove heated?

@Im Jaebeom ʰᵘᵐᵃⁿ Swallowing to try and clear the knot in his throat, Jinyoung nodded a few times, his dark, sleepy-looking eyes remaining fixed on the man who was preparing the food. His tone changed, and it was kinder now, but that didn't mean Jinyoung would immediately loosen up. Instead it made him a little more nervous - Usually people began talking sweet to lure you in, then snapped when you got close enough. "I had to cook a lot... before..." His words still sounded hesitant, and he flinched with the sound of the cracking egg. It reminded him of cracking bones, and sent a chill through his body that made his tail puff up. "I can mix for you... Or, maybe... Prepare some fruit?" He offered, hoping that making himself useful would mean he was safe.

@Bae Jinyoung ʳᵃᶜᶜᵒᵒⁿ Noticing how afraid and skittish the hybrid was, Jaebeom took it into consideration to be kind with the boy. Taking a quick glance at the tail of the hybrid when he got closer, he was able to guess what hybrid he was. A raccoon. "How kind of you to offer help to a stranger, little one." He spoke gently, looking at the hybrid before looking back at the bowl after setting out the ingredients for pancakes. "I would let you, but i dont want to risk you getting hurt or burned. Hm?" Jaebeom said as he cracked the eggs and let the raw yolk fall into the bowl, tossing the shells into the trash can.

@Im Jaebeom ʰᵘᵐᵃⁿ Jinyoung startled to hear the voice addressing him; paling considerably and pressing his body to the doorframe, hoping to disappear. Something in that low, calm voice reminded him of his past; a past he'd rather forget, honestly. He felt paralyzed with fear but didn't dare to make a sound quite yet. Trembling hands cupped his flat stomach beneath the plus-sized hoodie, unable to deny that he was hungry, even if the man preparing food seemed... disinterested, maybe? with his company. "I... like pancakes?" He stated quietly, taking one cautious step into the kitchen, and then another. He stayed close to the doors though, just in case the other got mean with him, wanting to know his escape route was clear. "Did, uh, you maybe... wantsomehelp?" The last words mushed together under Jinyoung's nervous tongue, counting each breath in his head like he'd been taught to curb his panic.

@Bae Jinyoung ʳᵃᶜᶜᵒᵒⁿ After a long day of hanging outside in the warm weather and silence, Jaebeom decided to come inside for something to eat. Knowing the kitchen was the best place to get something decent enough, he went straight to that room of the place. He wouldnt say he was starving, but he was bored enough to be hungry. While he was looking in the fridge, he heard a small sound just outside the door, deciding to ignore it as he grabbed a few eggs from the fridge and setting them on the counter, wanting to make himself a pancake or two to satisfy his boredom. Hearing a different sound coming from the door again, he turned his head, his eyes meeting the hybrid that watched him through the kitchen entrance. "Dont be scared. I wont bite. Hard." He teased before turning his attention to making the pancake batter, humming faintly, "You must be hungry, hm? Up for some pancakes?" He offered coldly, deciding to be nice enough to offer food to the hungry hybrid.

@Im Jaebeom ʰᵘᵐᵃⁿ Scurrying through the halls was always done quickly, trying to minimize the amount of time he was out in a space where humans could be since he was still rather skittish; but it's not like he could stay holed up in his room all the time. That just made him feel like a prisoner all over again. Instead, like his namesake bandit, he moved around in short bursts, cautiously looking around to make sure he was alone before moving again. The goal was the kitchen to settle a rumble tummy, but of course, it wasn't going to be so easy. Hood up but small hands hugging his stomach, tail hanging down low behind him, Jinyoung carried on until he was just outside the space, peeking in and shrinking back at the sight of a new face - all masculine, sharp angles and narrow, cold looking eyes. His breath caught in his throat, making a strangled sound that he clasped a hand over to muffle. Last thing he wanted was to be noticed so he hung back by the door's opening, wondering if the new face was friendlier than it looked. He would find out soon, however, given the monstrous sound his aching, empty stomach made, giving away his presence.