Post by The Phantom of Paris on Jul 7, 2010 12:27:18 GMT -5
Cassie would NOT let me sleep last night after this idea came floating into my head, so I wrote this oneshot. Just fun and silly Erin/Cassie cooking stuff, taking place in current-time while Yukito and Kagayaki are in Japan, with some sadness at the very end for fluff purposes, and MtM's enjoyment. So...enjoy! 
~~~~
"I suck so badly at this, Erin!" Cassie protested as her friend shoved a plethora of little spice jars and bottles into her hands. "I've never cooked anything in my life!"
"That's why I'm teaching you," Erin said wisely, her eyes twinkling as she set out more ingredients. "Besides, that's not true. You make awesome brownies and dessert-stuff."
Cassie made a face. "The brownies are from a mix. That's my big secret. And baking is completely different from cooking. I have no idea what I'm doing. People are gonna get food poisoning just from looking at this stuff!"
"No they're not, because you're gonna do everything I say, and it's gonna be perfect. Okay?"
She grimaced once again, looking down at the array of food before her. She'd been staying at Erin and Yukito's for a few days now, and wa still getting used to being with her best friend 24/7, as well as the strangeness of not being at home. She was having a great time, though, or had been until Erin had insisted that Cassie help her with dinner. It had been part of their initial bargain--Erin, while Yukito was away, would have Cassie stay with her to keep her company until her own departure, while in exchange Cassie received a crash course in the Culinary Institute of Erin Chloe Spenser, in anticipation of living on her own. It had seemed like a great deal at first, but now, faced with the daunting task of actually cooking a meal, Cassie found herself wishing she'd never suggested it in the first place.
"Erin..."
"Cassie, relax! You're gonna be a pro at this. I can tell. Here' take this and stir the pasta a bit, so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot." She held out a spoon to Cassie, who took it skeptically as she moved to stand over the pot of boiling water on the stove. "Thank you for the vote of confidence, but..."
"Fettuccine alfredo's super easy anyway," Erin said, fetching a saucepan. "I'm surprised Ilaria hasn't taught y'all how to make it yet. That was amazing. Maybe she oughtta open up a restaurant!" Erin laughed, her words fast and excited.
"She offered," Cassie said, leaning over the steaming pot to tentatively stir the noodles. "Shelby took her up on it, actually...couldn't we start with something easier for me to make? Like..." she searched her mind frantically for a suggestion. "Boxed mac and cheese? They've got some with Toy Story shapes now..."
Erin only laughed, the sound ringing throughout the otherwise silent apartment. "Nope. How are the noodles coming?"
Cassie looked blankly down at them. "They're...they're hot. And wet. You know...'cause they're submerged in boiling water."
"Cassie!" Erin shook her head, giggling. "I mean are they cooked yet?"
"Um..." Cassie stirred a bit more, the steam rising up to warm her face. "I don't think so."
"Okay. Keep stirring then, and check in a few minutes to see if it's cooked all the way through by eating one, okay?" With that, Erin picked up her cell phone, checking for the thousandth time to see if Yukito had texted or called. Cassie chuckled as Erin bounced around the kitchen anxiously, fiddling with her phone before finally sitting cross-legged on the floor. "We would have heard it go off if he'd sent something. Give the poor guy a break. It's been...what, ten minutes since you last heard from him? He's probably sleeping...or thinking of brutal ways to murder Kagayaki's mom."
That brought the smile back to Erin's face. "I don't get why he hates her so much!" she cried. "I met her! Yeah, she's a bit scary and intense, but I don't think she's evil or anything..."
"Hey, you know what would be funny?" Cassie asked, turning away from the stove entirely. "If we made Yukito think that I had a major cooking disaster or something while I'm here. Like, we'd send him a bunch of texts or voicemails saying things like, 'Don't worry, Yukito. There's only a little smoke damage, and Cassie can repaint the kitchen!' or 'Thank God for oven mitts!' or something and watch him freak out. It'd be hilarious!"
"Cassie, the pasta! You can't leave the spoon in there, it's plastic! It'll melt!"
She turned back to the stove, taking the spoon out of the simmering water. It was hot to the touch, and the steam burned her arm a bit as she reached for it. "Ouch!"
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"Good," said Erin. "Because you know what that was? Karma! The powers that be don't want you playing pranks on my kareshi and being mean to him, ha!" She shot Cassie a triumphant look from her perch on the floor before hopping up to join her at the stove. "I'll take over the pasta. I think that's a safer idea." She stuck out her tongue at Cassie, placing the saucepan she'd gotten out earlier onto another burner and turning it on. Handing Cassie another spoon--wooden this time, no doubt to prevent further melting mishaps--she instructed, "You start on the sauce. Melt a stick of butter in that pan, and then we'll add the cream."
"A whole stick?"
"A whole stick."
"What about the shrimp?" Cassie asked with a smile. "When do we do those?"
Erin gave her a look. "Cassie, I told you we don't have any shrimp, it's too expensive."
With a sly smile, Cassie stirred the butter around the saucepan. "Okay..."
Erin's eyes narrowed, and she turned away from the pasta to face her. "Cassie..."
She looked at her friend innocently. "What?"
"Cassandra Emily Jane...I can't remember the rest Wright! You did not go out and get shrimp!"
"Look in the freezer."
Erin did so, returning with a foil-wrapped bowl. "Cassie...you didn't have to do that..." she said quietly, looking hurt. Cassie's face fell immediately. She could have kicked herself for being so stupid. She had tried to do something nice, but she'd completely forgotten how sensitive Erin could be about money sometimes. I was only trying to help...
"Erin...I didn't buy them," she offered softly, staring down at the stove. "I took them from my dad's freezer. He got a whole bunch of fresh ones on my last night there, for dinner, and there were a ton of them left over so we froze them. They won't even miss them over there, I promise."
"Cassie--"
"I thought it would be nice to have them, okay? You said you wanted to cook alfredo sometime when I'm here and that it's ten times better with shrimp, so I went and grabbed these while you were at school. Is that such a bad thing?"
Erin's face finally softened. "I guess not...I'll defrost these...but Cassie, you've got to tell me next time before you do something like this...Careful with the butter," she added, glancing over at Cassie's work. "It burns easily, okay?"
"It's all melted. What do I do now?"
"Add in the cream, and keep stirring!"
With help and encouragement from Erin, Cassie managed to finish making the dish without too much of a hassle--although Erin didn't stop laughing for a whole five minutes at Cassie's look of pure panic when Erin suggested that Cassie "taste it herself and see if it needs anything added." On a whim, Cassie decided to sprinkle some parsley flakes on the finished product, to add a bit of color to the otherwise drab dish. Finally, they got it dished out to the two of them and sat, forks poised, to do the final taste test.
"You first," Cassie pleaded.
"You made it, you should get to try it first."
Cassie pouted down at her plate. "You're only saying that 'cause you know it's gonna suck," she whined.
"Cassieeeeee! It is not! Come on. We'll try it together. One...two...three!"
Cassie put the forkful of fettuccine in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. It didn't explode into flavor on her tongue the way Ilaria's alfredo sauce did, but she didn't care so long as it was edible at all. Not bad...
Erin beamed at her. "See? It's good! I told you!" She leaned over and wrapped Cassie in a one-armed hug, the other hand busily twirling up another bite of pasta onto her fork. "I'm so proud of you!"
Cassie laughed. "Thanks. Just...don't book that Food Network spot for me yet." She burst into more giggles as Erin rolled her eyes. "Please. You? Cassie, that job is mine."
The rest of the evening was mostly uneventful--Erin did some homework while Cassie called up Shelby to talk, and they ended up watching part of a movie on Cassie's laptop. Cassie fell asleep just after eleven, leaving Erin to chat happily with Yukito for a few hours before finally going to sleep herself. All in all, it had been a great day for all of them.
Which was why Erin was so shocked to wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of crying. She hurried out of bed to find Cassie huddled in her sleeping bag, curled up on her side as the force of her sobs made her whole body shake. "Cassie! What's the matter?!"
Cassie tried to speak, but nothing came out. "What's wrong?!" Erin cried, frantically. Across the room, she could see Chika's eyes glinting at her in the darkness, glaring at this disturbance to her slumber. "Cassie?"
Again, nothing.
"Cassie!!"
"I miss him," was all Cassie could say.
~~~~
"I suck so badly at this, Erin!" Cassie protested as her friend shoved a plethora of little spice jars and bottles into her hands. "I've never cooked anything in my life!"
"That's why I'm teaching you," Erin said wisely, her eyes twinkling as she set out more ingredients. "Besides, that's not true. You make awesome brownies and dessert-stuff."
Cassie made a face. "The brownies are from a mix. That's my big secret. And baking is completely different from cooking. I have no idea what I'm doing. People are gonna get food poisoning just from looking at this stuff!"
"No they're not, because you're gonna do everything I say, and it's gonna be perfect. Okay?"
She grimaced once again, looking down at the array of food before her. She'd been staying at Erin and Yukito's for a few days now, and wa still getting used to being with her best friend 24/7, as well as the strangeness of not being at home. She was having a great time, though, or had been until Erin had insisted that Cassie help her with dinner. It had been part of their initial bargain--Erin, while Yukito was away, would have Cassie stay with her to keep her company until her own departure, while in exchange Cassie received a crash course in the Culinary Institute of Erin Chloe Spenser, in anticipation of living on her own. It had seemed like a great deal at first, but now, faced with the daunting task of actually cooking a meal, Cassie found herself wishing she'd never suggested it in the first place.
"Erin..."
"Cassie, relax! You're gonna be a pro at this. I can tell. Here' take this and stir the pasta a bit, so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot." She held out a spoon to Cassie, who took it skeptically as she moved to stand over the pot of boiling water on the stove. "Thank you for the vote of confidence, but..."
"Fettuccine alfredo's super easy anyway," Erin said, fetching a saucepan. "I'm surprised Ilaria hasn't taught y'all how to make it yet. That was amazing. Maybe she oughtta open up a restaurant!" Erin laughed, her words fast and excited.
"She offered," Cassie said, leaning over the steaming pot to tentatively stir the noodles. "Shelby took her up on it, actually...couldn't we start with something easier for me to make? Like..." she searched her mind frantically for a suggestion. "Boxed mac and cheese? They've got some with Toy Story shapes now..."
Erin only laughed, the sound ringing throughout the otherwise silent apartment. "Nope. How are the noodles coming?"
Cassie looked blankly down at them. "They're...they're hot. And wet. You know...'cause they're submerged in boiling water."
"Cassie!" Erin shook her head, giggling. "I mean are they cooked yet?"
"Um..." Cassie stirred a bit more, the steam rising up to warm her face. "I don't think so."
"Okay. Keep stirring then, and check in a few minutes to see if it's cooked all the way through by eating one, okay?" With that, Erin picked up her cell phone, checking for the thousandth time to see if Yukito had texted or called. Cassie chuckled as Erin bounced around the kitchen anxiously, fiddling with her phone before finally sitting cross-legged on the floor. "We would have heard it go off if he'd sent something. Give the poor guy a break. It's been...what, ten minutes since you last heard from him? He's probably sleeping...or thinking of brutal ways to murder Kagayaki's mom."
That brought the smile back to Erin's face. "I don't get why he hates her so much!" she cried. "I met her! Yeah, she's a bit scary and intense, but I don't think she's evil or anything..."
"Hey, you know what would be funny?" Cassie asked, turning away from the stove entirely. "If we made Yukito think that I had a major cooking disaster or something while I'm here. Like, we'd send him a bunch of texts or voicemails saying things like, 'Don't worry, Yukito. There's only a little smoke damage, and Cassie can repaint the kitchen!' or 'Thank God for oven mitts!' or something and watch him freak out. It'd be hilarious!"
"Cassie, the pasta! You can't leave the spoon in there, it's plastic! It'll melt!"
She turned back to the stove, taking the spoon out of the simmering water. It was hot to the touch, and the steam burned her arm a bit as she reached for it. "Ouch!"
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"Good," said Erin. "Because you know what that was? Karma! The powers that be don't want you playing pranks on my kareshi and being mean to him, ha!" She shot Cassie a triumphant look from her perch on the floor before hopping up to join her at the stove. "I'll take over the pasta. I think that's a safer idea." She stuck out her tongue at Cassie, placing the saucepan she'd gotten out earlier onto another burner and turning it on. Handing Cassie another spoon--wooden this time, no doubt to prevent further melting mishaps--she instructed, "You start on the sauce. Melt a stick of butter in that pan, and then we'll add the cream."
"A whole stick?"
"A whole stick."
"What about the shrimp?" Cassie asked with a smile. "When do we do those?"
Erin gave her a look. "Cassie, I told you we don't have any shrimp, it's too expensive."
With a sly smile, Cassie stirred the butter around the saucepan. "Okay..."
Erin's eyes narrowed, and she turned away from the pasta to face her. "Cassie..."
She looked at her friend innocently. "What?"
"Cassandra Emily Jane...I can't remember the rest Wright! You did not go out and get shrimp!"
"Look in the freezer."
Erin did so, returning with a foil-wrapped bowl. "Cassie...you didn't have to do that..." she said quietly, looking hurt. Cassie's face fell immediately. She could have kicked herself for being so stupid. She had tried to do something nice, but she'd completely forgotten how sensitive Erin could be about money sometimes. I was only trying to help...
"Erin...I didn't buy them," she offered softly, staring down at the stove. "I took them from my dad's freezer. He got a whole bunch of fresh ones on my last night there, for dinner, and there were a ton of them left over so we froze them. They won't even miss them over there, I promise."
"Cassie--"
"I thought it would be nice to have them, okay? You said you wanted to cook alfredo sometime when I'm here and that it's ten times better with shrimp, so I went and grabbed these while you were at school. Is that such a bad thing?"
Erin's face finally softened. "I guess not...I'll defrost these...but Cassie, you've got to tell me next time before you do something like this...Careful with the butter," she added, glancing over at Cassie's work. "It burns easily, okay?"
"It's all melted. What do I do now?"
"Add in the cream, and keep stirring!"
With help and encouragement from Erin, Cassie managed to finish making the dish without too much of a hassle--although Erin didn't stop laughing for a whole five minutes at Cassie's look of pure panic when Erin suggested that Cassie "taste it herself and see if it needs anything added." On a whim, Cassie decided to sprinkle some parsley flakes on the finished product, to add a bit of color to the otherwise drab dish. Finally, they got it dished out to the two of them and sat, forks poised, to do the final taste test.
"You first," Cassie pleaded.
"You made it, you should get to try it first."
Cassie pouted down at her plate. "You're only saying that 'cause you know it's gonna suck," she whined.
"Cassieeeeee! It is not! Come on. We'll try it together. One...two...three!"
Cassie put the forkful of fettuccine in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. It didn't explode into flavor on her tongue the way Ilaria's alfredo sauce did, but she didn't care so long as it was edible at all. Not bad...
Erin beamed at her. "See? It's good! I told you!" She leaned over and wrapped Cassie in a one-armed hug, the other hand busily twirling up another bite of pasta onto her fork. "I'm so proud of you!"
Cassie laughed. "Thanks. Just...don't book that Food Network spot for me yet." She burst into more giggles as Erin rolled her eyes. "Please. You? Cassie, that job is mine."
The rest of the evening was mostly uneventful--Erin did some homework while Cassie called up Shelby to talk, and they ended up watching part of a movie on Cassie's laptop. Cassie fell asleep just after eleven, leaving Erin to chat happily with Yukito for a few hours before finally going to sleep herself. All in all, it had been a great day for all of them.
Which was why Erin was so shocked to wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of crying. She hurried out of bed to find Cassie huddled in her sleeping bag, curled up on her side as the force of her sobs made her whole body shake. "Cassie! What's the matter?!"
Cassie tried to speak, but nothing came out. "What's wrong?!" Erin cried, frantically. Across the room, she could see Chika's eyes glinting at her in the darkness, glaring at this disturbance to her slumber. "Cassie?"
Again, nothing.
"Cassie!!"
"I miss him," was all Cassie could say.
-Mascii(: