I ❤️ U (L x Reader)

6: Eggs

The next morning that you woke up, everything felt normal. It took a moment for the reality to set back in. The crushing weight set down onto your chest. Your neck hurt from sleeping on the couch and your eyes were nearly crusted shut from the salty residue of your tears.

"Oh Lawliet..." you whispered as you rubbed your eyes. You took a deep breath. "What do you want for breakfast, Law?"

"Could you learn how to cook? I'm tired of waiting for Wammy to make us food."  Lawliet turned to you in the morning. It was just a day after your sixteenth birthday and you were in England for the week. Lawliet insisted.

"You learn to cook." You scowled at him.

Lawliet smiled and kissed your cheek.

"Compromise. You make desserts for me. I will make breakfast. You will make lunch. I will make drinks. You will make dinner." He crouched on the chair, in that unusual way he always did.

"That's no compromise." Your scowl lessened after the display of affection. "You're really just making breakfast and tea."

"It's better than nothing, hmm? Think of it as a birthday gift. Belated."

"I thought my gift was you bringing me back to England." You raised an eyebrow.

"Part two, I shall make you breakfast. Whenever I am with you." He reached a bony hand towards you and laid it over your own. "What would you like, darling?"

"Eggs." You declared. "In fact, Eggs Benedict. Proper."

Lawliet looked at you with his dark eyes.

"So, you hate me?" He cocked his head.

"What?!" You laughed.

"It's going to be disgusting. Why are you requesting such a complex dish?"

"Because you are requesting I learn how to cook all other meals. Eggs Benedict is one of my favorite breakfast meals, ergo, you should begin practicing now." You stated matter-of-factly.

"Then you accept the compromise?" He stood up, still hunched over, but next to you.

"Sure, Law. Go make eggs." You patted his hand.

That first dish had been morbidly disgusting. It was simultaneously under and over cooked. It looked murdered on your plate. And it was generally a poor flavor. Yet, you ate it anyway because Lawliet had tried his best. And now today, this morning with an Eggs Benedict craving, you would try your best as well.

First, you had to make the clarified butter. You heated up a small saucepan filled with 1 inch of water over medium heat until it began steaming. Then, you placed a stick of unsalted butter in a glass bowl over the saucepan and let it separate until the milk solids fell to the bottom.

You skimmed the milk solids that were floating on the top, then slowly poured the clarified butter liquid through a sieve lined with cheesecloth. This part seemed like a waste, but Lawliet always did it to make sure there was absolutely no milk solids.

You preheated the oven to 450° Fahrenheit and got out three English muffins; placing them on a sheet pan, broken in half with faces up. Next, you brushed each one with the milk solids. A smile crept over your face. Lawliet would always tickle you with the brush. The smile quickly faded into a frown and, you tossed the pan into the oven until the muffins were golden and crisp: 4 to 5 minutes, like usual.

Next you needed to make the hollandaise sauce. You set up the steaming process from the clarification of the butter and put another glass bowl on top.

You added 3 egg yolks, lemon juice and a large pinch of salt to the bowl, whisking constantly until the egg yolks were pale yellow and thick, about 1 to 2 minutes. While whisking constantly, you had to slowly stream in 1/2 cup of the clarified butter until it became thick and creamy. You groaned, hating even when Lawliet did this. You kept burning yourself on the bowl, splashing the butter and getting tired from stirring. Finally, when you finished, you seasoned the thick yellow sauce with salt and cayenne pepper.

To poach the eggs you used the microwave trick Lawliet had picked up from an American. Crack an egg into a cup with 1/3 cup of water, 1/4 teaspoon of white vinegar, throw a plate on top and microwave for one minute. Repeat for three eggs.

Finally, you assembled the three Eggs Benedict.

"Not bad for my first time. Oh, I forgot your bacon, Lawli-" You turned around. "Oh yeah... I guess I got too focused and I made too much food..."