Bastard 𝄁 an inoaoi love story 𝄁ゝ

C H A P T E R 23 ☆ [The Dare]

Later that evening, Aoi and Inosuke stood in front of Kanae and Sanemi's front door, the faint sound of laughter and conversation drifting through the walls. Aoi held the dessert plate carefully in her hands, the ribbon still neatly tied, while Inosuke stood beside her with his hands in his pockets, eyes scanning the neighborhood like he was preparing for battle. Aoi grabbed his hand out of his pocket and squeezed it lightly. "Nervous?"She asked looking him in the eye "I- uh, yeah kinda" "don't be. it's gonna be fine, i promise."she gave him a smile and he slightly smiled back, Aoi led inosuke towards the side of the house and opened the fence door. She dug into her purse and pulled out the spare key Kanae had given her months ago. "We're going in the back. I am not knocking and getting dragged into the chaos already." Inosuke snorted. "You just wanna scare them." She shrugged, slipping the key into the back door lock. "Maybe a little."

The door creaked open and they stepped inside, instantly hit with the smell of failed cooking. it smelled like soy sauce, garlic, and something else on the verge of burning. Inosuke sniffed. "That's either a bomb or your sister's cooking." Aoi covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. From the kitchen came the sound of Genya yelling, "I SAID I GOT IT, SANEMI!" "You nearly chopped off your fucking hand last time!" Sanemi shouted back. "Not my whole hand—"

Aoi creeped into the kitchen and stood in an area that was blind to both sanemi and genya "Gosh, it's louder than the boys d—," Genya's head whipped around. and accidentally threw a bag of rice towards the direction that the sound was coming from causing aoi to fall to the ground"AOI!" He rushed over and engulfed her in a bone-crushing hug."Oh fuck sorry!" "oh wow, well that surely wasn't on my 2025 bingo card"inosuke grabbed her by her waist and pulled her back on her feet

Kanae appeared from the hallway just then,wiping her hands on a kitchen towel. "Perfect timing! You can help me set the table before this place burns down."Tomioka trailed in behind her, silently placing down a tray of cups like he'd been forced to do this against his will. Aoi grinned. "You poor thing," she whispered to him. He just nodded once, with the look of a man who had accepted his fate. Aoi followed them leaving Inosuke with the Shinazugawa brothers. he looked at the food in front of him and gave Genya a disappointing look "It's not my fault! blame.. uh— the pan!" "How long do we have to fix this?" "i'd say about 35 minutes" sanemi said "Eh that should be enough"

36 minutes later

The sound of sizzling meat and the smell of spiced toppings filled the kitchen as Inosuke proudly stood at the stovetop, his usual irritated expression was replaced by the concentration on his face. He had taken over the kitchen in the last few minutes, and the results were well.. a lot better than Genya's. Soft shell tacos and nacho-stuffed bowls were scattered across the counter, the delicious scent of freshly cooked food overwhelming the room.

Aoi leaned against the doorframe, watching Inosuke work with a look of determination, like he was really trying to impress her sisters. It was a side of him that was almost... surprising. She'd never thought of Inosuke as much of a cook, but today, he was proving her wrong.
"Smells amazing," Aoi commented with a grin, stepping inside to get a closer look. Inosuke grunted, not looking up from his work. He lifted a taco shell, filled it with seasoned meat, cheese, guacamole and salsa, and handed it to her. Aoi took it with a smile. almost melting at the scent

Aoi took a bite, her eyes lighting up as the flavors quite literally burst in her mouth. "Holy shit.." "i'm gonna take that as a compliment" he said before handing out plates. "You... actually pulled this off," Kanae said, raising an eyebrow in surprise as she joined Aoi at the counter. "Yeah," Aoi said between bites. "I wasn't sure he could handle this, but I guess Inosuke's got a hidden talent."Inosuke grinned, his usual cocky attitude returning. "I told you, I'm good at everything. Don't underestimate me." Genya snorted. "You're good at eating everything, that's for sure." Inosuke shot him a playful glare. "Shut up. These tacos are good, admit it." "I'll admit they're better than I expected," Genya replied, before taking another bite.
"Did you guys seriously start eating without us?" kanao said 
"Uhm maybe.. Oh Tanjiro you made it!" Kanao gave him a small nod and smiled, gently elbowing Tanjiro. "I told you it wouldn't be awkward." He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't think it'd be awkward, I just didn't expect.. well this. especially not inosuke in the kitchen"