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It was a very intense week of tests for sterling if the dry-erase calendar they had pinned to the fridge was anything to go by.

Yu Felt tired just looking at it, and he had a part time job to go with his classes. But…lets be real, he was a part time student who was taking a far less intense line of study.

He remembered the sticky buns as he stared at the calendar, sharing them hot and buttered there in the kitchen and made up his mind.

He shifted his focus from concentrating entirely on stripping some of the … tremendously ugly wallpaper out of the dining room to that, and clearing away a path to something he’d spotted in the small back ‘garden’. Well, it might have been a garden once, but now it was a mostly over grown mess, but it had ‘good bones’ as Sterling would probably had said. Not the least of which was an monument of brick and plaster that he hacked his way to to check how functional it still might be.

It had promise…

Cleaning it and checking the air flow he needed would be there.

The next two days were spent gathering wood, scraps that didn’t have chemicals or other nasty things.

Then… it was all about gathering ingredients.
He even called off from work the day he wanted to make this all come to work, it got him a HELL of an ear full, but he’d never called out before, and he didn’t mean to make a habit of it.
He made buttermilk to season the wings as a base coating, mixed peppers for sauces of variable heats, made dough spent good money on -good- cheese and even a paddle that he could use to do this -right-.

He even… dug out a few beers to chill. Because you just didn’t do this kind of dinner without the right kind of drink to go with.

He had smudges of flour on his cheek and up his arms, and it was an exhausting jog back and forth between the kitchen where the wings were going, and the oven he’d spent so much time rescuing. The wings were finally sitting on trays in the oven to keep warm and the pizza was finally ready to cook, all he needed was for Sterling to get home, and get him to sit the heck down.

“Not the only thing you missed.” He quipped, distractedly trying time swipe flour off his face and instead adding some to his hair.

“Plant your butt, you don’t get to die till AFTER dinner.” He pulled out a chair and angled it towards Sterling.

He waited till the taller man was seated before pushing it in slightly and patting the table with his hand.
“Right... now... just... stay ok? And uh... try and stay awake.” He added, grabbing an oven mitt and opening the oven to pull out the wings. Shaking them into the biggest mixing bowl he could find and setting it in the center of the table. He swept back to add a smaller bowl for bones, and a spoon to ladle sauce into them to suit.

“Start there.” He said firmly and then made a strangled sound, hurrying to add a beer to the table.
“I ... gotta put ... I’ll be just a few, don’t fill up all the way ok?”

He held his palms out like he wasn’t sure what reaction Sterling might have to this sort of treatment.

He exhaled a breath to see that small swatch of pale skin, unmarked, so… so tempting to mark it.

He swallowed hard and -ran- to get the pizza in the oven. He made it back just in time to see the first bite of wing. He flashed a grin that was all feral and delight, sharp teeth and wild eyes.

“Nice…” He said half a hiss.

“Be one sec… part two in the oven…”

But then he was outside again, not…the oven.

It took him longer to get back this time, He’d paused to throw sand on the fire to smother it after he slid out the pizza, He didn’t trust the thing -just- yet. It was a little too improvised.

He carried the pizza inside, carefully and backed in through the door, jamming it open with his hip and sidling in with careful boot dragging steps.

“This… is… the real test.” He said and carefully moved to set the pizza down on the counter and grab the cutter.


“Annnnd yes, I -saw- the calendar, so… I’m betting you’re hungry… I’m betting you’re TIRED. You have a damned house that can’t stand you know.”

He shook his head like it was the most serious business.

A small flinch, just a twitch at the corners of his eyes and a soft curse.

“Almost?” He said trying hard to sound casual. “Help me out, More heat? too tangy?” he slid a hot slice of pizza onto a platter and slid it over the table before turning a chair to straddle it, watching the table as Sterling ate.

“I’ll make it as good, or better next time.” He swore.

He dipped his finger in the sauce, a quick gesture and tasted it, exhaling sharply because he didn’t have that same tolerance for spice on its own.

He gave a small sharp cough.
“Damn… gotta work on that.” He laughed, a fine tension.
“It… you know I should make this with some honey… I know it won’t match but s**t…” He said distracted and thoughtful in that moment. <******** really wanted to nail this. I found like, this chimney affair in the back yard and scrubbed it out, so its wood fire pizza.”

He waved his hand.

“You should dip that crust in the sauce though, I don’t… make pizzas normally. Its too close to baking.” He was… nervous.

God damn he was absolutely, nervous as hell.

“I mean, first I’m getting you the ground red pepper.” He replies, standing to grab the small shaker.

“I know it won’t have the same crunch but maybe the heat will be right.”

His cheeks felt warm.

“There was this run down brick thing by the back fence in the corner, I thought .. I mean I’ve seen places with them, there was even a park I saw once that had them for grilling ....” the words were scattered as he set down the pepper.

“Ah... right right. Y-yeah I’ll share but. This was, I just want to make sure its right too.” He admitted.

He started to sit again, detoured to the fridge and grabbed a second beer. Removing the lid and sitting down to watch again for a moment. Resting his chin on the back of the chair.

“... I’ll put pepper flakes on the list. Next time it’ll be better.”

He snagged his lip with one sharp tooth, deliberate and thoughtful before stealing a slice of pizza and folding it in half to bite.

“You don’t have to do anything either, this is like... like the sticky buns that’s all.”

Not that he would protest especially hard over more baked goods appearing, not really.

Yu’s shoulders sagged in relief and he let out a small breath even he hasn’t realized he was holding.

“Good... good.” He nodded. “I had to get help with the crust.” He admitted. “But it wasn’t the worst.”

He took a bite and sighed more out of relief than tasting what he’d made. “I never would have thought this is what I’d be doing, but I like cooking.” He admitted, a distracted thought.

“But uh... well let’s hope it all tastes as good leftover. Pizza isn’t good pizza if it tastes like s**t cold or reheated.” He nodded like that was the final say in the matter.

That earned a laugh.

“Good to know.” He chuckled and then nodded.
“Y-yes to both.” He said. “You pick the movie this time though.” He pointed . “I’m gonna clean this mess up while you clean up and then pick. You get a beer... I’ll make popcorn, something like that?”

He polished off the body of the pizza and made most of the crust vanish in one long bite.

“I know it’s not as good as your baked goods...” he added “but ... and I am not surrendering this lightly.”

He pulled a plastic bag out of the fridge and removed a take out container and slid it .... hesitantly towards Sterling.

“I’ll, be right back imma make sure that fire is out!”

He stood and backed towards the door, pausing long enough to snag one more piece of pizza.