Paradox [Blue Exorcist x Male Reader]

Kitchen Nightmares

"Oh, hey, [L/n]." Rin greeted, looking up from his cooking as he gave his friend a wide smile. Yukio offered him a small wave that [Y/n] returned as he sat on the stool next to him. "Since we get paid next to nothing and only once a month, we can't afford cafeteria food. So I'm making bento boxes for our lunches for the week." He explained as he began frying some rice over the stove.

"Smart." [Y/n] replied, resting his head on his hand as he watched Rin. He chuckled quietly at the sight of bold and rebellious Rin giddily bouncing around the kitchen in a bright yellow apron with his hair pinned back.

"By the way, where do you get your food for lunch?" Yukio suddenly asked, pulling [Y/n] from his thoughts as he turned to face the brunette with a raised eyebrow. "You said that you don't have a lot of money so I doubt you buy from the cafeteria." Yukio added and Rin suddenly looked up from his cooking, seemingly interested as well. [Y/n] scratched the back of his head in embarrassment as he let out an awkward laugh.

"No, on Sundays I run to the store off-campus and stock up on whatever premade sandwiches or fresh fruit I can last on for the week." [Y/n] replied, looking away in embarrassment. He wasn't exactly 'broke', he had saved up a lot of money from working in the library and he had the money that was left for him from his parents, but he was still far from wealthy. And considering how True Cross was a rich kids' school and the cafeteria food averaged at around 4,000¥ per meal, he wasn't exactly planning on splurging every time he had to eat. Rin smiled at the reply before gesturing toward some of the boxes he had already made.

"Well, then it's a good thing I made you some too!" He announced with a giddy smile. [Y/n]'s eyes went wide as he leaned forward to try and get a better look at the lunches. They looked delicious.

"You... made me lunch?" [Y/n] asked, completely taken aback by the act of kindness. He hadn't expected that. He appreciated it, of course, but he still felt a bit guilty for not contributing to it. Rin and Yukio smiled as they nodded.

"We bought more than enough ingredients so we figured that we'd put them to good use." Yukio explained as he watched his brother dish up the rise as he finished frying it.

"You didn't have to..." [Y/n] replied awkwardly before taking out his wallet. "Here, at least let me pay you back." He said, taking out a wad of cash and holding it out toward Yukio. The younger Okumura put his hands in front of him while shaking his head. [Y/n]'s lips formed into a tight frown as he pushed the money toward him again. but Yukio still didn't budge.

"It's fine." Rin announced, quickly moving beside [Y/n] and pushing his handful of yen notes down to his lap. The [h/c]-haired male was about to protest but Rin cut him off before he could. "We're friends so we don't mind."

"Thanks, you guys." [Y/n] thanked with a sigh as he put the money back in his wallet before pocketing it. "But next time let me know when you're buying your ingredients and I'll chip in. It's only fair." He ordered, flashing the pair a quick smile as they nodded in agreement.

"Deal." Rin replied, giving [Y/n] a thumbs up as he turned back to his current task - sauteing mushrooms.

"That actually works out a lot better." Yukio spoke up, putting his hand on his chin in thought. Rin and [Y/n] both turned to him, curious about his explanation. "We have more money to work with and [L/n] doesn't have to worry about buying crap food a week in advance." He explained with a confident smirk while Rin nodded in agreement, already mentally preparing a list of all the new ingredients he wanted to experiment with. [Y/n] smiled as he watched Yukio calculate the cost of the ingredients against how reliable they could be while Rin bounced around the kitchen muttering about all of the new dishes he could make. Letting out a sigh, [Y/n] shook his head with a small smile.