A Closer World

Cael did his best to focus on the mushrooms and onions caramelizing in the pan. Their rich, savory aroma filled the air, blending with the soft crackling of oil. He had to make sure they didn’t burn.

But that was proving difficult, given his current predicament.

He shuddered as Val’s breath tickled his ear again, her soft chest pressing firmly against his back.

A couple of days had passed since their mutual, emotional breakdown.

Since then, something had changed. He didn't know if it had been the crying or the feelings of loneliness finally breaking free that had done it, but it felt like an unspoken understanding had formed between them.

Of course, that wasn't the only thing that had changed.

“Val,” Cael mumbled as his face heated up. “You can wait at the table. You don’t have to be here.”

“…No.” She shook her head and wrapped her arms around him from behind. “I like it here. I like watching Cael cook.”

“You’re so difficult,” he sighed to himself, flipping the mushrooms and onions.

Val had somehow become even clingier.

She was practically glued to his side now. Wherever he sat, she sat beside him. If he went to the kitchen, she followed. If he went to the bathroom, she—thankfully—waited outside, but the moment he stepped out, she latched onto his arm again. And now, even as he cooked their dinner after a several-hour language lesson, she was standing behind him, peering over his shoulder.

Cael briefly debated whether or not he should try moving her again. He had attempted to pry her off several times before this, but every attempt had ended in failure and her burying her face in his shoulder with a soft whine.

He sprinkled some seasonings into the pan as Val nudged into him once again.

"…I like this," she whispered. "Being close."

Right, 'close'. It had been one of the many new words he was able to use to communicate now. He just wished that she wouldn't be this close right now.

He muttered under his breath, “Yeah, close enough to feel your 'boobs'—"

He froze.

Crap. He’d said that out loud.

Val's response was immediate. "'Boobs'?" He could practically see the question mark in her voice.

Panic set in.

“That, uh—” He fumbled for an escape route. He knew that she would ask what it meant—she always did whenever he used a word from his language.

Lying wouldn’t work. The language barrier was already a struggle, and it would likely make things worse. Plus, she could pretty easily see through them. That meant his best option was… ignorance!

"It's nothing," he finally said. He quickly added a few more herbs from the cabinet to the pan, hoping to dissuade her interest.

"Is 'boobs' an important word?"

"No, it’s not." His voice cracked slightly as he attempted to sound casual.

She was going to make things hard for him, wasn't she?

"Explain, Cael. I don't know the word," Val pressed.

He focused on cooking next and pretended she wasn’t there. The mushrooms and onions were done, so Cael re-oiled the pan and scrambled some eggs. Then, he poured in the batter he had prepared earlier—potato flour, whipped egg whites, cream, and chopped cabbage, all mixed together.

"Cael." She almost whined out his name this time. Her arms squeezed tighter, and her chest pressed further into his back.

His mind started going blank. Ignorance wasn't working. He needed a diversion. Fast.

“Um, oh! Look, this is something new!” He seized the opportunity to gesture at the frying batter. “You were curious, right? This is from my world. It’s called ‘okonomiyaki.’”

That got her attention.

“Okonomiyaki?”

“Yes.” He exhaled in relief. “It’s a savory food, not sweet.” He gestured toward the salt, then crossed his arms toward the sugar jar. “You can put various things inside. It’s delicious.”

Honestly, he was proud of how it had turned out. The ingredients weren’t exact, and he had to get creative since he hadn’t found anything like baking soda or powder in the cupboards, but he thought he had done a decent job replicating the essence of it.

“‘Okonomiyaki…’” Val repeated under her breath, trying to commit the word to memory.

He relaxed. The distraction had worked. Now he could finally—

"Mmm," she hummed softly against his neck. "Okay. Now, explain. What are 'boobs'?"

Cael nearly dropped the spatula.

“…It didn’t work,” he muttered in defeat.

He should’ve known better. Val was stubborn.

“Caaeeellll,” she prodded, poking his sides.

“Alright, alright! Just—stop pressing against me!” He wiggled free, doing his best to keep the discount okonomiyaki from sticking to the pan. “I’ll explain, just wait a second.”

His face burned as he clambered to find the right words.

“I was referring to your… chest area.” He vaguely gestured at his own, flipping the pancake carefully.

She pulled her dress forward to peek inside, and he quickly turned away to avoid getting any accidental glimpses.

“Is something wrong with my boobs?”

“N-nothing! Nothing is wrong with them!” he said quickly.

“Do you like them?”

He nearly choked.

“I—what—Val, please! I'm trying to cook.”

For just a little bit, she relented, and Cael deflated in relief. He didn't know if he could keep handling questions like that.

However, she quickly found something else to talk about.

"Cael, your face is red. Are you okay?"

He gave her a strained smile as he ensured the pancake was fully cooked through. "Er, yes, I'm fine. I'm just getting… hot."

She gazed at him thoughtfully before tugging at his sleeve.

"Then take off your shirt."

He nearly doubled over. “V-Val?! No! Where did that even come from?!”

“If you’re hot, you can take off clothes,” Val stated matter-of-factly. She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. “Also, I’m curious about Cael’s body. I think it’s… interesting. I want to see.”

“…”

He had to be hallucinating, or maybe he had misheard her, because there was no way she had actually said that.

"Anyways, the food is done. Why don't you set the table, Val?"

He felt her pout against his neck. “Cael…” she whined.

What the hell had gotten into her today?

"Val." He did his best to keep his voice from shaking and his hands steady. "Please, just let me focus. If you do… we can do anything you want after."

She perked up immediately. "Really? We can?!"

"…Yes."

“Okay!” She finally let go and moved to grab plates and utensils.

Cael nearly melted at the brief—but much-needed—reprieve as he finished things off.

He plated the food, cutting the okonomiyaki into quarters, then added a dollop of the fresh mayo he had made just a day earlier. Val really seemed to like the stuff.

“Alright, here we are,” he sighed, placing the plate down.

“Thank you.” Val beamed at him.

"You're welcome." He sat down on the chair across from hers feeling the tiniest bit anxious. "Tell me if you like it. The ingredients are a little different from normal."

Val didn't seem to register what he had said though and eagerly took a bite. The instant the flavors hit her tongue, her eyes widened, and she let out a soft, almost sensual moan.

She froze, realizing what she had just done, and quickly covered her mouth. “I—I mean! It’s delicious! Very good!”

"Uh-huh," he said, smirking slightly at her flustered expression.

Why of all things was a moan making her this embarrassed and not… well, anything else?

Cael dug into his portion, pleased to find that despite the substitutions, it was still flavorful. Maybe it wasn't quite the same, but it was close enough.

They ate in relative silence, the only sounds coming from the clinking of utensils and the crackling of the fire. Occasionally, Cael would glance up to look at Val—only to find her already watching him. Each time, she caught his gaze with a shy, bashful smile.

His mind began to wander.

It was just the two of them in the entire world. That alone carried a lot of implications, but lately, his thoughts had turned to the more personal ones.

Like, what did that mean for their relationship? Were they friends? Were they partners? Or were they something… more?

He didn't know, nor did he know how to broach the topic. Hell, he wasn’t even sure what words to use. They’d learned so many new ones together recently, yet there was still so much left unspoken.

“Cael, are you staring at something?” Val's question snapped him back to reality.

“Oh. Sorry.” He took another bite. “I'm just thinking.”

“About?”

“…Things.”

She cocked her head. “Things like boobs?”

He nearly choked.

"…I think I'm going bathe now." He hurriedly shoveled down the rest of his food before standing up and carrying his dishes over to the sink.

"But you didn't answer my question," Val protested.

"I'm not answering that."

"Why?"

"Because it's… 'inappropriate'," he muttered, not quite knowing the word for that in her tongue, before walking away.

She puffed out her cheeks, looking like a disgruntled chipmunk. "Cael is weird."

"Maybe I am, but you don't have to say it out loud."

And with that, he fled to the bathroom.