go read the rewrite please

[Intermission 5] Quiet Dinner

at this point, "intermission" is basically my way of saying "i've been procrastinating so here's a ~1000-word comfy time whoops"
so expect that excuse for future intermissions lmao

~

Wu and Nya certainly brought back a large amount of groceries.

You had a fairly hard time trying to decide what to make for the others. Usually, you'd find a few ingredients lying around and make something out of them, though with the vast amount of options laid out before you, you had a hard time deciding on what to make.

Zane, though, easily had you covered. He decided on ramen.

You weren't really sure why Zane had asked you to help out. Zane was perfectly fine cooking on his own. You simply stood off to the side, occasionally handing Zane ingredients whenever he had asked for them.

You did help out by chopping some vegetables, though you certainly weren't as fast or as dexterous as Zane was (then again, Zane couldn't cut his hand open and spill blood everywhere, so he didn't have to be as careful as you). That was about the extent of your aid, however, and you impatiently waited to the side as Zane cooked up several bowls of ramen.

Why were you asked for help?

"Are you doing alright, (Y/n)?" Zane gently asked.

You gently wrung your hands. "I'm okay... Why did you ask me to help?"

"I had thought you would enjoy it," Zane mentioned. "Do you not like cooking?"

"No, I do," You hesitantly replied. "It's... you're already good at cooking. Why did you need me to help?"

"You have been quite helpful," Zane stated. "It is certainly difficult cooking for many people at once. You have helped speed the process." The white ninja then offered you a kind smile. "And I had thought you would enjoy the company, as well."

You held a tiny smile of your own, though it quickly fell apart. You were a bit happy that Zane had asked for your help, of all people.

But you still felt so upset, and you felt ashamed to show it. The others have seemed to move on so rapidly, yet you're still here trying to control your unstable emotions. You hadn't meant to cry when Nya offered you some supplies. It was just such a kind gesture after losing everything to the fire. You've been trying to accept the Destiny's Bounty as a new home, but it's been taking all of your focus to not crumble down and sob.

You hadn't realised you had begun to cry until Zane had taken your hand. You raised your free hand to wipe at your eyes.

"I apologise if I upset you."

"No, no," Your voice cracked as you shook your head. "You didn't do anything." You took a short breath. "...I'm really glad you guys care about me. Not a lot of people did, when I was a kid." Only Morro and Wu cared for you as much as the ninja (and Nya) were.

You started crying even more.

Zane seemed quite troubled about what to do. He still held onto your hand, though Zane didn't make a move to try and comfort you. It seemed he wasn't sure where this sadness was coming from.

You didn't really blame him. You've been hiding it as best as you could.

"Oh, honey, are you okay?"

You jumped in place at the sound of Jay's mother entering the kitchen. She looked so worried.

"I'm—" Your voice cracked. "I'm fine—..."

"I know you're not, sweetie," Jay's mother had taken your other hand. "What's wrong?"

Though you've only known Jay's mother for such a short amount of time, her caring personality and motherly nature made you trust her just like anyone else.

So, you told her what was upsetting you.

"We lost our last home to a fire," You stumbled over your words through your tears. "And— And everyone seems like they moved on except me... I've been trying not to be upset, but it hurts so much—..."

"If... I could be honest with you, (Y/n)," Zane quietly stated. "I have not moved on, either. The monastery was the first real home I had." Zane gently squeezed your hand. "I may not be able to fully understand your point of view, as you had lived there much longer than I have, but I can at least help you to the best of my ability." Tiny tears appeared at the corners of Zane's eyes.

"I might not get it either," Jay's mother said, "but I'll be here to listen to you, dearie. And if you ever need anything, I can help! I'm sure Jay will tell you how to call me!" Jay's mother then glanced over to the oven. "Oh, are you making ramen?"

You rubbed at your cheeks. "Yeah, we were..."

"You two go sit down somewhere," Jay's mother approached the oven and quickly picked up the utensils Zane had set aside. "I'll finish this up!"

"You do not have to, Mrs Walker," Zane gently protested.

"Oh, just Edna is fine," Jay's mother replied. "And don't you two worry. I'm a great cook!"

Zane almost objected again, though you stopped the white ninja. Edna seemed like the stubborn type, at least when it came to helping people who were upset. If she wanted to help you and Zane, you should let her.

"Thank you, Edna," You quietly said.

"Of course!" Edna offered a great smile. "Anything to help out!"

You led Zane out of the kitchen and to the dining room. The others were already waiting around, chatting up a storm. When you and Zane entered, though, their conversations came to an abrupt halt.

Your friends asked if you and Zane were doing okay.

Zane said he was fine. You said that you were feeling better, at the very least.

You're struggling, but you're just happy that the others were there to help you when things grew tough.

Edna soon began bringing out bowls of ramen for everyone. Zane attempted to help Edna, though Edna shooed Zane out of the way and insisted that she could take care of it.

Edna soon brought out the last bowl, and everyone sat down together and enjoyed a quaint, nice meal together.

~

i know i keep constantly picking the same four dishes for lunch i'm sorry ramen is too good sometimes

especially when i make it myself

though i burnt my throat at work recently after eating some lol
so i guess not every time when i make it myself