Creature of the Underworld [VIXX WonTaek Fanfiction]

Chapter 21 ~ A Day Between Us pt.2

I later asked Leo what he liked to eat or drink in order to remove the awkward atmosphere from our room. He said he loved coffee, specifically lattes - something I didn't know how to make. We did have coffee in the Upper and Underworlds, but the coffee beans that grew were different from those on human lands. It was because our ground was different itself. It was recorded that Upperworld coffee beans had a slight sugary sweet smell and taste, and Underworld coffee beans had a stronger scent. I told Leo about this and we made our way to the kitchen.

"You do have coffee machines though," he pointed out. "Three."

"It was an angel that invented it," I told him. "The angel believed coffee beans to have some sort of magic in them, and created a tool to turn the beans to liquid. Coffee does have healing effects, but it's not some sort of holy magical liquid."

"Can I try to make coffee with this?"

"That's what we came down for." Leo opened the small, fat pouch that sat by a machine. He took a handful of beans and poured them into the machine. He pressed buttons and turned levers - I couldn't make sense of any of it, no matter how hard I tried. I didn't even know that there was stored water inside the machine until I heard bubbling.

"How did you learn all of this?" Leo shrugged.

"I don't really remember. I guess I learned bit by bit when I kept trying to make coffee. I'll teach you," he offered. Soon, brown liquid dripped into the cup Leo had placed under the machine. The smell of coffee filled the air - it was soothing. "Your turn."

"I don't know anything about cooking or coffee-ing," I told him. "I gave up after burning meat to crisp. And I mean crisp, okay? There was only a black, flaky substance left." Leo laughed.

"Just do it slowly, and don't panic. Okay, take some beans - about a handful, and put them into the top funnel shape." I followed his instructions carefully. I checked twice with him that the amount of beans was okay. "Now push the red button, and crank the lever."

Well, leave it to me to mess up coffee making. Soon enough, the machine is burning hot and coffee is all over the counters.

"Gah! I told you, I can't make coffee!" The machine suddenly turned off. The humming ceased, and the body cooled. It spat out burnt beans.

"It's fine," Leo told me. "Let's make something together. Can we make a cake?"

"A cake? I mean, we can, but why a cake?"

"It's ideal for making together. You just need to mix ingredients and pour the batter into a shape, and bake it. Then decorate it."

"That's not simple," I tell him.

"Oh, come on." Leo was already placing ingredients on the clean counter as if he'd used the kitchen for his whole life. "Use this cup and pour milk up to this line, okay?" Leo pointed to a faint line that was carved into the transparent, plastic cup. I nodded.

"You know, you're talking way more than usual. You're really excited, aren't you?"

"U-Um..."

"Hey, don't worry, I like it when you talk a lot. But I like it when you're quiet, too. It's not bad to get out of your comfort zone, okay? I'll always love you." Leo's cheeks went pink.

"That sounds like something from a romance drama. 'I'll always love you.'"

"But it's true." Leo nodded, and cleaned up the counter. I followed his instructions and slowly filled the silver bowl with ingredients, then whisked the stuff with a tool I'd seen rarely ever in my life. So much for avoiding kitchens. I got a thick liquid that was pale. I became a bit uneasy, wondering if I'd done anything wrong. Leo told me I was doing fine, and ordered me to pour the stuff into a circular, short pan-sort of thing. It filled it up and became a short cylinder of liquid. I put the can into the oven, and heated the oven.

"Let's make the icing," Leo said. He cracked two eggs and perfectly poured the white and yellow into the new bowl. No shell bits fell in. My jaw fell.

"How the heck is did you do that?!"

"Hey, you can summon blue lightning to your hands and make black spheres from thin air," Leo countered. "This is nothing compared to that." Leo and I poured ingredients into the bowl, luckily less ingredients this time. We whisked the stuff again, and it started to puff into a creamish thing. Leo poured half of it into a plastic bag, wrapped the top and closed it up. Then he cut the edge. "Pull the cake out," he told me. I opened the oven and pulled the cake out. "Ravi! I meant with gloves!"

"We're not human, Leo. We have a higher tolerance for temperature." I put the cake that was warm to me down. Leo turned it over on a plate, leaving the cake alone without the pan. He spread the icing that was left in the bowl across the cake, making it white. Then he used the frosting that is inside the plastic to decorate. I watched with surprise as perfect shapes slipped from the plastic and onto the cake. They looked like short sideways commas. Halfway done, he said, "Your turn."

"What?" Before I knew it, the tool was in my trembling hands. Leo was behind me, peeking over my shoulder. His arms came around and his hands were on top of mine. It only made me tremble more.

"Take it slow." I applied pressure to it, and created an uneven lump. "Slower," Leo said. My heart began to race. His face was right behind mine, over my shoulder. I could feel his soft breath on my neck, and his words rang through my body every time he spoke. I tried again, with his guiding hands on mine. The lump came out smoother, more formed. We finished the rest of the cake, and I ended up proud. Then Leo brought up a smaller wrapped melted chocolate bag I hadn't realized he'd prepared. He squeezed chocolate with a swift, practiced grace, and began to write.

"Thank... You," I read aloud. "Why?"

"I want to thank you. For everything so far. For bringing me out of the silent home I lived in... for letting me find you. Meet you. For helping me fit into my real world."

"You fit in on your own," I told him. "You're a pro at shifting, and you don't get surprised."

"Well, I can't get surprised if I expect the unexpected."

"That sounds complicated and mysterious."

"I already kinda expect to get surprised, but I don't know by what. Now let's eat this in our room." We took the cake to our room after cleaning the kitchen. Leo placed the cake on the table next to a window, where two chairs were at. I closed the door, turned around, and found Leo right in front of me with a finger tipped with frosting. He wiped the frosting on my nose. He laughed, and I joined him.

"You aren't getting away with this!" I swiped my finger through the icing and chased Leo, smiling. I caught him in the small space easily, and wiped the icing onto his nose. We both took the icing off and licked it away. We eventually calmed down and sat at the table. I brought out the forks I had taken, and we ate the cake. It was relatively small, so we finished it quickly. Leo set his fork down, and so did I. I snapped, and the plate and forks disappeared.

"Where'd it go?" Leo asked.

"To the sink. Being washed."

"That's amazing... you don't have to wash the dishes." I nodded. Then Leo began to lean closer. I wondered what he was doing, confused, until he wiped his thumb under my lips. His thumb came away with frosting. I felt my ears turn red with embarrassment - I hadn't known I'd eaten messily. Then Leo licked the frosting from his thumb. "I guess that's also a kiss?" We laughed lightly together.