The Captain and The Coach

The Cooking Class

Junpei grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder, ready to follow the rest of the team out of the room.

"Junpei?"

He stopped in his tracks and turned to Riko, who was still standing over the stove.

"What is it, Riko?" he asked, and watched as she ducked her head.

"Well, uhm, Taiga taught me another recipe. I was wondering if you could stay and taste it?" she asked shyly.

Junpei set down his bag and said, "On one condition."

She looked up at him, and he said, "Show me your hands."

Riko blushed and Junpei knew he was right. She had been hiding her hands behind her back when they tasted her curry.

He walked up to her and held his hand out expectantly.

Slowly, she laid her hands on top of his, and he tsked as he saw the band-aids on her fingers.

She quickly withdrew her hands and said defensively, "What? It's normal to cut yourself in the kitchen."

Riko turned to the table and grabbed a potato, setting it down on the chopping board and wielding the knife. Junpei's eyes widened as he watched her chop the potato furiously, only to nick herself with the knife's blade.

He grabbed her hand and instinctively raised it to his mouth, sucking the blood out of the cut she sustained. It was only when he saw that her face was completely red as she looked up at him that he realized how intimate this was.

Junpei dropped her hand quickly and felt his own face turn red. "You don't have to chop things that fast, especially if it means you cutting yourself," he said, avoiding her eyes.

"Junpei, do you know how to cook?" Riko asked in surprise, and he shook his head.

"Cook, no. But I do help my mom in the kitchen by chopping stuff," he replied, then turned to the table. Riko watched as he took the potato and the knife, chopping a few pieces in a steady but careful pace. The pieces came out finely and evenly chopped.

"Could you show me how to do that?" she asked shyly, and he handed her the potato and the knife.

She took them from him, then she almost dropped them as she felt his arms circle around her from behind.

Junpei placed his hands over hers, and Riko felt light-headed from how close he was to her.

"Hold the knife like this," he said, and his breath tickled her ear.

Riko struggled to focus as his grip felt strong, and his other hand curved over her fingers.

"You have to curve your fingers this way so that you don't accidentally cut yourself," he murmured, and she managed to nod.

Then his hands began to move, as he guided her in slowly chopping the potato. "See? There's a certain rhythm when you slice through it. Just go slowly," he said as his hands continued to guide hers. His forearms felt hard against her arm, and she could feel his chest pressing against her back.

Riko took a deep breath and did her best to concentrate, while Junpei fought against his every instinct to just wrap his arms around her in an embrace.

They continued to chop the potato slowly in silence, then Junpei slowly let her hands go as he said, "Keep going."

His hands hovered above hers, ready to step back in if she needed the help, and Junpei watched as Riko continued to slice the potato slowly but steadily. Finally, she finished chopping it, and he said, "And you did it without cutting yourself!"

Riko turned to look at him and beamed, "I did it!"

Junpei was startled to realize how close their faces were, and time seemed to stand still as Riko stood in front of him with a smile on her face and he realized he loved to see her smile.

Riko looked up at him and blushed as she saw the intensity in his eyes. It was one of the things that she liked about Junpei, how he was always so intense about everything, especially when he was out on the court. It was what made him a great captain.

They stared at each other and blinked, and it was as if the spell was broken. Junpei cleared his throat and quickly stepped away from her, circling around to sit across the table instead. Riko ducked her head and grabbed another vegetable that needed chopping, and he watched her carefully as she practiced her new chopping skills, then set about cooking the dish Taiga had taught her.

A dish she was making just for him.