Master Chef

Being blindfolded wasn’t usually something he liked. He had endured enough tortures where he couldn’t see, so it surely would recall some of those traumas, but that surely the reason why he was holding onto Wren’s hand. It surely wasn’t that he needed comfort from the darkness and that he got that from holding the man’s hand. Surely not. It was only to make sure that the man would not walk too fast or make him bump into anything. That was all.

It was actually kind of shocking how easy Zeal had complied to it. It showed that he really started to trust Wren. Plus, knowing that he could paralyze him did help him to feel somewhat save with his own abilities. ”Alright, you can take the blindfold off, just, uh, be quiet,” he heard Wren say on a hushed tone. Zeal frowned slightly but nodded and finally let go of Wren’s hand to take off the blindfold.

Zeal opened his eyes looked around with amaze in his eyes. ”What is this place?” he muttered, before realizing that Wren had told him to not ask questions about it. ”Right, ahem,” he said with a soft chuckle, rubbing the back of his head. It did feel weird. He knew they were just going to make pancakes, but it feels like such more of a happening than just that. He tried to ignore it as best. ”So, kitchen?” he then asked on a soft tone, to show he could stay quiet as well.

Once he took of the blindfold, it was revealed how luxurious the place was where they had arrived. Zeal knew that it was a place with ‘enough stuff for pancakes’, but he hadn’t expected this. It made him wonder if he was breaking some law being here. Wren telling him to hush, basically confirmed it. Zeal didn’t mind it that much, only added spice to the experience. He pushed his curiosity away and decided to focus on their plan, for which they needed the kitchen.

His gaze shot down at their hands when Wren took a hold of his, but he tried to just not think anything of it. They had been walking with their hands intertwined before. The only difference this time was that he could see it. He instead looked around and was impressed by the modern house, in which everything looked expensive. He would be afraid to damage something. He’d be glad once he was in the kitchen as that was a place where he would know what to do.

Wren opened another door and Zeal expected to see the kitchen, but instead a man appeared. Surprised he glared at the man, who didn’t seem particularly so happy with the two. Zeal gulped softly as he gazed at the man, half hiding behind Wren while still clinging onto his hand. ”So, which one of you is going to explain this?” the man asked. Zeal’s gaze shot from the man back to Wren and back to the man, before he decided to take a change at it. ”I’m sorry, we’re here to make pancakes. I’m sorry if we’re intruding, Mister-Wren’s-dad,” Zeal apologized with a awkward smile. He had tried his best.

It made sense right? Why else would Wren be so afraid to bring someone to a house? Zeal hadn't assumed it was Wren's place since the man had said he didn't have one, but now it all made sense. Wren still lived at home with his dad. Of course! Not every teenager had a rough childhood like him, despite their similar jobs. Wren was walking through the halls with a confidence that only someone could have that came here often, so his theory only started to make more sense.

It was the moment that he saw the man's face that he had screwed up with his assumption. ”He’s- he’s my boss,” Wren whispered in his ear, making Zeal's heart drop and his cheek fluster with red from the embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry," he squealed, feeling terrified already because of the consequences. He knew his own boss, and if this man was anything like Jeremy, then he was in a lot of trouble.

”Fine,” the man said instead, making Zeal look up a bit surprised but also warry. What was the catch? ”But if you and your boyfriend make a mess you’re on office duty for a year straight with no exceptions,” Wren's boss announced. Zeal couldn't even stand still by the fact that he was labeled as the boyfriend and instead gulped as the attention got laid back on him. ”Same goes for you," the man then said. " Me?" Zeal replied, not sure what the man could do to him, or would he have to work an office job for him too?

”I know your boss and I won’t be afraid to make you feel the consequences either,” the man then continued, before walking past them and leaving them alone. Zeal didn't even have the chance to ask any questions. Instead, he felt the fear bottle up inside him again. His grip on Wrens hand tightened because of it. He turned to him. "Is this really a good idea?" Zeal asked him, the clear panic visible in his eyes. "I mean I've already kidnapped and interrogated a coworker, I don't think I can handle another punishment on top of that," Zeal quickly continued. His breathe was going faster as he softly gasped for air. His eyes started to twitch around. "If I were to mess up any alliances I would for sure be killed," he added. "I called him your dad!" Getting a panic attack over kidnapping his twin brother and thus working against Jeremy? Nope. Getting a panic attack over making pancakes? Yep.

Wren said his goodbyes to his boss, but Zeal was too busy panicking to notice it. He didn't even notice that Wren almost fucked up. Instead, the reality was slowly starting to sink in and he realized in how much shit he really was. He knew he was going to get tortured for the stunt he had pulled on his twin brother, but he couldn't handle another torture on top of that - if Jeremy would even let him get away with 'just' another torture. He could easily imagine how Jeremy would realize that Zeal had screwed up too many times and how he would better of that.

All that came pouring out between quick breaths. He clutched onto Wren's hand, barely realizing he was also holding two hands instead of one. It was only when Wren hugged him that he got brought back to the present. He looked up surprised, but then softly laid his arms around the man, finding the warmth comforting. ”Take a deep breath. You haven’t messed up any alliances, I promise. My boss is all bark and no bite,” Wren spoke softly as Zeal felt how he pet his hair. Zeal tried to calm down, but he didn’t understand how this would be fine. Would Wren’s boss really do nothing about this? He seemed pretty mad about Zeal’s mistake.

”He’ll help you get away with the kidnapping too, I’ll ask nicely,” Wren then added to Zeal’s surprise. ”Wait, really?” he replied, not understanding if Wren’s boss really held that power. ”Just don’t call him my dad again,” Wren added with a grimace. Zeal smirked a bit uncertain. ”I won’t,” he promised. That was at least something that he knew for sure he wouldn’t do.

He took a step distance, missing the comforting warmth, but knowing he needed it to think a bit more clear-headed. ”Are you sure it will be fine? You’re not just saying that to calm me down?” he asked his last questions while looking at Wren. His breathing has calmed down, but the worries weren’t completely gone yet. But maybe he should trust Wren on it, even if it seemed like an impossible promise. If anything, they were already here, they had already upset Wren’s boss, might as well make pancakes while they were at it. With that in mind he grabbed Wren’s hand again. ”Let’s make pancakes,” he said with a small grin.

Wren told him that it would be alright and tried to comfort him, but Zeal couldn't imagine that it really would. He had made an obvious mistake. The punishment for that wouldn't just go magically away. Wren promised otherwise, and he stood by his words. ”Yeah, he’ll want to cover my tracks anyways,” Wren clarified. Zeal gave him a difficult look. Did Wren's boss really have that influence? Or was it just something Wren was telling him to calm down? ”I’m sure. I can’t say a lot and I don’t know all the details, but he has enough influence over Jeremy,” Wren reassured him.

Zeal frowned slightly. Who was Wren's boss to hold such power over Jeremy? He knew he couldn't ask the question, so he tried to calm himself down instead. He still couldn't trust the situation entirely, just because he knew how cruel and unforgiving Jeremy could be, but he also tried to rely on Wrens words. In any case, he couldn't do anything about it anymore, so he might as well make some pancakes. A decision that Wren seemed to enjoy.

”Finally,” Wren said, before pulling Zeal with him. Zeal nodded, trying to get rid of the last few nerves as he allowed himself to look around again. It was easy to be amazed by the spectacular house, but when Wren opened the door to the kitchen, he was even more amazed. "It's so big," he gasped before walking in the kitchen. He realized what he had said and couldn't help but turn teasingly to Wren. "Not something you hear often," he teased.

His gaze also went to the bonsai tree. It was cute, but out of place with the stylistic vibe of the house. ”I think he’s nursing that one back to health,” Wren commented. Zeal chuckled softly. "Well if he needs help he should ask Laxus, he's good with plants," he muttered with a grin, beforing washing his hands in the sink. He then turned back to Wren. "Alright, we need flour, eggs, milk, baking soda and vanilla sugar," he said, making a demanding gesture for Wren to find them with a grin.

The kitchen was a happy surprise and a good way to distract himself from the panicking thoughts. The kitchen was luxurious and seemed to have almost, if not every, kitchen utility you could think of. Zeal felt already excited to cook and was somewhat disappointed that it would only be pancakes, but it would have to do. In any case he complimented the kitchen, which was turned in a teasing insult at Wren. He had to keep in his laughter when Wren gave him a deadly gaze. ”You shouldn’t be talking when you still can’t walk straight,” Wren replied before he chuckled. Zeal chuckled softly too and shook his head. ”I’m only doing that to flatter you,” he replied with a grin. As if. He was glad he could keep a straight face while walking.

The bonsai tree was something out of place, but it somehow fit as well. He didn’t know a whole lot about plants, but he knew who did. He didn’t want to talk about Laxus, but he still felt somewhat satisfied of the pain they had given them. With a bit of luck, it would teach Laxus to just not mess with him and his life. ”We should’ve interrogated him about that,” Wren chuckled, making Zeal grin too. ”Maybe next time.” He wasn’t planning on kidnapping his brother again (yet), but it had been fun to do something like that together with Wren. It showed that the two could work together well even in this and not just the cooking, chilling or having sex. It was weird to work so well together with someone else. Zeal wasn’t used to it. He had only experienced it with Loras, which hadn’t ended great.

He pulled himself away from the thoughts and washed his hands, before ordering Wren to get the ingredients. Wren scoffed, making Zeal think that he’d deny the order. ”You’re lucky you’re cute,” Wren then muttered, before getting the ingredients. Zeal chuckled softly and crossed his arms. ”And I better get rewarded for this,” Wren then added while gathering my ingredients. ”We’ll see,” Zeal teased, while staying still and watching how the man grabbed the few left over ingredients. He was even gentleman enough to add a bowl to the ingredients.

Zeal smirked at the expectant look. He set a few steps closer, so he stood in front of Wren. He wasn’t that much taller than Wren, maybe only a few inches, but it made his smirk widen. He then lifted his head and patted Wren’s hair softly. ”Good job,” he then said on almost a cuddly tone. He kept ruffling through Wren’s hair, before setting a few steps back again and turning to the ingredients. With still a smirk on his face he started to add the flour to the bowl, making sure to sift it first.

Zeal could easily imagine what kind of praise Wren was imagining or hoping to get, but Zeal wouldn’t give him that yet. It was way too fun to tease the man. He smirked wider as he noticed how Wren’s smile completely disappeared while Zeal pet and complimented the man for the work he did. He chuckled softly, but kept by his words and turned to the ingredients instead.

He started with sifting the flour. He expected some kind of snarky comment, but instead he suddenly felt two arms around him. He looked down, before he felt the chin on his shoulder, making him grin softly. It felt good. Secure.  ”You’re doing so good too, chef,” Wren teased with a chuckle. Zeal chuckled softly too. ”Well thank you~” he replied with a grin, before taking the next dry ingredient and sifting this as well. ”Where did you learn how to cook like this?” Wren then asked. The words hitting his ear would arouse him if the words itself didn’t remind him of his past.

”Hmm,” he hummed softly, not sure how much he want to share. He could guess that Wren wouldn’t judge him or would look weird because of it, but he didn’t want to cause any unneeded drama or low mood either. This activity was supposed to be fun, and that had already almost been ruined by Wren’s boss and Zeal’s panic attack. ”I taught it myself while growing up. I bought cooking books and tried stuff until I managed to get the right results,” he eventually decided to answer. He side-eyed Wren. ”Can you cook?” he asked the question back, before adding the last of the dry ingredients, sifting that too, before finally mixing the dry ingredients.

Standing like this together, arms wrapped around him while he's making pancakes, wasn't really the scenario he had expected when he had first met Wren. Hell, even after their first night he hadn't expected it. He had thought it would grow out into a purely sex related relationship at most, but this seemed way different than that. Zeal wasn't sure what kind of label he should put on it, but part of him didn't want to think about it either, subconsciously knowing that he would be treading dangerous territory if he did, and so instead he just enjoyed it and let it be.

He answered the question truthfully, but left out the sob story about how he, Laxus and Loras used to live together and how he would be the one in charge of making food. He didn't want to ruin the mood. ”That’s impressive,” Wren replied, making Zeal softly hum again. The two side-eyed each other, before Zeal asked Wren if he knew how to cook. ”Decently. I know how to make most things and I don’t think it tastes bad, but it isn’t my favourite thing,” Wren answered. Zeal nodded. "What kind of things do you usually make? Or do you like the most?" Zeal could imagine it would be something sweet, but he was still curious.

”I much prefer when pretty boys cook for me,” Wren then added with a wink, making Zeal laugh. "Of course you do. And that happens often I assume?" he asked, al though he wasn't sure why he asked it. ”Though it’s usually my boss who forces me to eat healthy food,” Wren then said, which made Zeal grin. "And you're sure he's not your father?" Zeal couldn't help but ask. Meanwhile he added the milk and eggs to the mixture as well and started to whisk it together. "I'm just saying, you sneak someone into his house, he scolds you, you use his kitchen, he tells you you need to eat healthy, before you know you're gonna tell me you do your laundry here too. And he's still not your dad?" Zeal further explained his reasoning.

”Anything sweet is my favorite to make,” came the expected answer. Zeal had already thought the man was a sweet tooth, but since he had liked the noodles Zeal maybe thought that Wren would like something of Asian flavor too. But sweet is was. Zeal chuckled softly and decided to add another small package of vanilla sugar to make sure it would be to Wren's liking.

Zeal asked a question, not sure if he would even like to know the answer, but it he had asked it before he knew it. ”Not as often as I’d like it to,” Wren answered with a chuckle. Zeal shook his head with a soft laugh, not really sure why that answer made him feel better. "Well I hope you enjoy this time then," he replied with a grin.

The mark about Wren's boss telling him to eat healthy, made Zeal chuckle again and realize how much Wren's boss actually sounded like Wren's dad. Zeal hadn't been totally crazy to assume it and once he gave his reasons, it seemed like Wren saw it too. The man opened his mouth only to close it again. Amused Zeal gazed at him while stirring the mixture. "Yes?" he teased when Wren didn't immediately give an argument back. Wrens mouth opened and closed again, before an excuse came out. ”It’s an easy place for laundry,” Wren muttered. "Because it's your daddy's place," Zeal teased some more with a big grin. A grin that would soon dissappear.

”Fine, maybe he acts like my dad a little bit, but he isn’t actually. I’ve had sex with him, that’d be gross,” Wren then admitted, but added a bit more information which made Zeal stop stirring the mixture. He looked down at the clunky mixture, before taking a step to the side, removing himself from Wren's grasp. "You had sex with your boss?" he asked in disbelief. Sure, Zeal had sex with some people as well, but he wouldn't even think about having sex with his boss. It would be awful, gross. He shuddered. "Why would you have sex with your boss?" he continued, not trying to hide the gross tone in his voice.

Of course, the man would like sweet things the best. He was lucky that Zeal could handle some sugar. He didn’t know why, but he was somewhat relieved to hear that Wren hadn’t others over that often. He wasn’t sure why and he knew he didn’t want to think about it too much, so he just glossed over it. ”Mhm, I’m making the most of it,” Wren whispered in his ear, making Zeal grin and almost wanting to kiss him – but not allowing himself and Wren that pleasure just yet.

It had started off as a bit more teasing and as a realization of how much Wren really used this house as if it belonged to a relative. It didn’t matte how you looked at it; in any aspect it looked like a son and father relationship. Zeal was just teasing, but his teasing was quickly shot down when Wren revealed that he had sex with his boss, which made Zeal take a bit of distance. He glared at the man and repeated the words, not sure if he heard them right – it just couldn’t be, right? ”Yeah?” Wren replied, confirming it again.

With disgust Zeal glared at him, ignoring the almost hurt expression. No one could thing this was normal, right? You just didn’t sleep with your boss, unless you were really romantically invested in them, wait- was that what was going on? Zeal asked about it before he knew it, forgetting that it might not be his place to be so judgmental about it. ”He’s not just my boss, we’re friends - or at least I think we are, I never really asked. He saved my life, I was the first to join his organisation, you know, that kind of thing,” Wren explained. Zeal’s eyebrow furrowed more at the explanation. It still didn’t make a lot of sense. If anything, it proved that there was more going on than just a professional relationship. ”I like having sex so why should him being my boss stop me?” Wren then asked back in return. ”Because he is your boss?!” Zeal replied, indignancy in his voice. ”If it’s any consolation it has been a while,” Wren added, making Zeal finally realize how he was responding to this.

He averted his gaze back to the mixture and decided to just lay his focus back on that. He continued to stir the mixture, still not sure why had responded the way he did. He did know that his response was out of the ordinary and that adding a silence to it would only make it weirder. ”I think it’s just odd to have sex with a boss,” he therefore muttered, hoping Wren would just move on from the subject as well. Meanwhile he kept adding milk to dilute the mixture, until it was smooth and thin. ”It’s ready to bake,” he announced, hoping they could both just focus on the pancakes.

Finally, Zeal realized how he was responding to it. He realized how odd it was. How he shouldn’t care. How he should laugh and just make a joke about it. There was no reason for him to get this upset about it. Sure, having sex with your boss was odd and Zeal wouldn’t think about having sex with Jeremy, but he should be able to think that that wasn’t the case with every job, right? Especially since Wren had just explained how the relationship was more than just professional – which somehow made it only worse. It all just confused Zeal. What he did know, was that he wasn’t supposed to respond this way and therefore averted his gaze in a chance to change subjects.

He just told Wren it was odd to have sex with a boss, partly knowing that was not the full reason to his response, but he hoped Wren would buy it. ”That’s fair,” Wren muttered back. Zeal nodded a bit, while his gaze was still fixated on the mixture. ”I wouldn’t have sex with your boss either,” Wren added, which didn’t particular help Zeal. It just proved that whatever it was that Wren and his boss had, that that was personal – something different. Zeal shrugged and stayed quiet, hoping that Wren would get the hint to just not bring it up again.

Zeal changed the subject to the pancakes once the mixture was done. He still didn’t look at Wren as he did and only looked up when Wren told him to hold on. He watched as Wren took out a pan and turned on the stove. ”There you go,” Wren said. Zeal nodded. ”Thank you,” he muttered, before moving to the stove with the bowl of mixture. He scooped the first batch in. ”Sorry about the boss thing,” Wren then muttered.

Zeal wanted to tell him it was fine and just ignore it, but as he gazed at Wren he noticed the puppy look and he couldn’t help but smile a bit. He grabbed the man by his shirt and pulled him closer to kiss him intensely. He then let go slowly. ”It’s alright,” he replied softly while their faces were still close. He gazed at Wren, before turning back to the pan to flip the pancake.

He knew had caused a fit over something that shouldn’t be his to be bothered about. It was difficult to move around it, especially because he didn’t understand it yet why he was upset with it to begin with, but he didn’t want to drag Wren or the mood down with him and so he worked his way around it. He couldn’t stay mad or bothered with Wren for long and the puppy eyes drew him over the line. With a fierce kiss the last tension melted away and the two returned to their cuddly way of cooking.

Zeal hadn’t baked pancakes like that before. It was a weird but cute way to bake. It hadn’t been annoying even though Zeal had expected to feel restricted with Wren around him, but that hadn’t been the case. It had been comforting. With a plate of baked pancakes, he turned to Wren, who had taken the syrup and powdered sugar. ”Want to eat on the couch?” Wren asked with a nod to the living room. Zeal nodded and decided to walk to the living room.

He put the pancakes on the coffee table and plopped down on the couch, sighing deeply as he finally had time to sit down – his face scrunching at the pain of his sore body hitting the cushions. ”I’m never letting you top again,” he muttered between his breathe. He straightened his back to put a pancake on his plate and put a bit of sugar on it. ”Speaking of sex,” he promptly started. He didn’t want to tell Wren who to sleep with and who he shouldn’t sleep with, but there was one person in particular who Zeal would never want Wren to sleep with. And if Wren did, then it would probably mean the end of whatever their relationship was. ”Can you promise me to not sleep with Laxus?” he asked. He didn’t imagine that Laxus would cheat on Loras, but he had seen of what Wren was capable of. No one could resist him.