Snippets of Comfort

Rice

Sorry I haven't been posting! Been really busy recently! Promise to post more often. <3

When Iida had suggested that the students of class A learn to cook for themselves, Shoto had been intrigued. Growing up, it had always been his mother and sister who did the cooking so the hybrid quirk user had never given the process of cooking any thought. Once his mother was hospitalized, his sister Fuyumi, who at the time had been around 10 years old, had promptly taken over looking after the house.

Although Fuyumi had thought Shoto how to make basic dishes, he had never tried his hands at anything complicated, so this was the perfect chance to improve his survival skills. With that in mind, he entered the kitchen where his group was meeting for their first evening together. What Shoto didn't expect was that he would be forced to wear an apron over his regular clothes.

"You could get your clothes stained, ribbit." Asui had explained when he asked if aprons were really necessary, so Shoto accepted her terms and put on the apron. It felt weird to wear a reversed cape, he thought. He had been trying to adjust the knot on his back when Kirishima spoke.

"Ah, there he is! Midoriya, hurry!" Shot watched as his freckled friend entered the kitchen in a hurry, asking what they were making. Midoriya sent a kind smile his way, and Shoto guessed that he was amused by the sight of his classmates wearing identical aprons.

"I'm here. What are we making?" Midoriya asked as he tied his apron behind his back so fast that Shoto nearly missed it.

He remembered Midoriya mentioning that he only lived with his mother, so he had probably helped her out a lot. Shoto's eyes fell on the row of knives lined up on the counter and reached for a big, curved one. His fingers closed around its black handle and Shoto tested its weight in his hand.

"I only know how to make rice." He informed Midoriya who was standing next to him. The boy looked at the knife in Shoto's hand and turned pale for some reason.

"You don't need a knife to make rice, Todoroki-kun." Midoriya told him and reached for the knife, gently removing it from Shoto's grip.

'How are we supposed to cut the rice grains then?' The heterochromia-suffering teenager thought.

"Tsuyu-chan, you and Midoriya start on the soup, Todoroki and I will handle rice and side dishes." Kirishima appeared beside them and smiled cheerfully at his group. He seemed to be enjoying himself, Shoto observed.

"I'll leave it to you then, Kirishima-chan." The frog girl and Midoriya turned to one counter while he and the redhead worked at another behind them.

"All right, let's get started! Todoroki, mind cracking the eggs in the bowl for me? I'll chop the vegetables." Kirishima had already pulled out a cutting board and was watching carrots and onions.

"Sure." Shoto reached for two eggs and cracked them into the bowl, before handing it over to the hot-blooded teenager, who was already cutting onions.

"Here." Kirishima looked up curiously when Shoto handed him the bowl.

"You're supposed to remove the eggshells, man." Kirishima grinned at him, handing him the bowl back.

"Is that so?"

"Why don't we get started on the rice then?" The redhead suggested, his gaze never leaving the onions. Shoto was impressed by his classmate's skill. His fingers worked deftly and he never made any unnecessary movements.

"We don't have a stone pot." Shoto stated after he looked over the equipment Asui had pulled out beforehand. Kirishima had now finished chopping carrots and was mixing vegetables with eggs, while the oil was heating in the pan.

"Why do you need a stone pot?" He asked Shoto, whisking the eggs with speed and precision.

"For the rice." Shoto explained like it was the most obvious thing ever. A funny look crossed Kirishima's face, but it was quickly replaced by curiosity.

"How do you usually make rice?" He asked as he started pouring the egg mixture onto the pan. The eggs sizzled as they made contact with the surface, satisfying Kirishima.

"I hold the pot and use my quirk on the bottom. It takes 40 seconds to finish the rice." How else was he supposed to make rice?