Gourmet Between Cases

[madimpossibledreamer]

I've had this floating around in my mind since I watched Ao no Exorcist (Blue Exorcist).  I'd watched a number of DSRK let's plays before that.  Even (a bit back) got to try out playing it myself, which was fun.  Ukobach showed up, and I was like, wait, what?  Isn't that...?  (Yes, it was.)  Thus, this fic was inspired.  It's a lot longer than I was planning, but hey, characters have plans of their own, y'know?  Writing Raidou is fun.

Main Points:
Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha, probably Fluff
Summary: Narumi enjoys Raidou's cooking.  Raidou leaves him in the dark.  (...okay, despite summary, this isn't a relationship fic.  Probably.  You're free to read with slash goggles if you want to.)
Word Count: 695
Rating: Gen

            Narumi makes what are probably impolite noises and always praises Raidou’s cooking.  It’s characteristic.  The man is, in general, lazy and at times even useless, but when he puts effort into something it’s wholehearted and cheerful.  It’s heartwarming, and the young Kuzunoha doesn’t see enough of the good side of the world, so he doesn’t bother to correct the assumption.

            He would fight for duty, you could bet your bottom yen, but when he remembers why he has this duty, that there are things worth protecting in the world, it lights up his world.  It’s why he lets Narumi get away with spending money, again, because he knows that the shopkeepers will cut him off without hesitation if the man racks up too high of a debt.  He has no doubts that he will be able to handle any case brought in to the detective agency (maybe a touch of pride, there, in his skills), and, since he’s come in, more cases have begun coming in.  (Narumi is less reluctant about turning down jobs now that he’s not the one who has to do all the footwork, and maybe the fact that he’s got an extra mouth to feed makes him a touch more responsible.  Raidou would like to think he’s been good for the quick, efficient dispatch of a good number of those cases, leading to a better reputation.)

            Gouto-douji twitches his tail, sometimes, and tells Raidou he’s letting the man get away with way too much, but, well.  It’s not like Narumi is useless when he actually decides to help, or that he’s unintelligent.  Often, it’s just Narumi helping him parse through clues, but if it allows the man to be useful while still being comfortable, that’s all well and good.  It’s not as if he’s much help against demons, even if he can see them.  And a very slightly cruel part of his mind has decided that occasionally switching Narumi to a more ‘healthy’ diet is the way to motivate the man, correctly, to Raidou’s surprise.  And Gouto-douji’s amusement.  (The cat’s exact words were, “All right, you’re not a pushover, are you?”  Which, if he’d been paying attention earlier in their adventures, the spirit would have known, but it’s not in Kuzunoha’s nature to be rude to the elderly, even if he’s only pointing out the truth.  He can fight his nature, if he needs to do so, but so far it hasn’t been necessary often.)

            Fortunately, Ukobach has seemed fine with Raidou silently claiming his skills, as long as the devil summoner quietly thanks him for every meal under his breath.  (Narumi is amused and thinks it’s a superstitious custom, “…but I guess we live in that kinda business, huh, kid?”)  For such a dangerous looking demon, the cooking skills were a surprise, even more than the touchiness that the demon displays about said skills, but a good lesson.  It taught him that judging based on appearance or capability was likely to be wrong, and that was a survival lesson.

            Ukobach has grown to enjoy the praise, even though it’s directed at the wrong person.  He’s demanded in his usual fashion that his tube be left out so he can hear Narumi praising his latest dish, and the Kuzunoha complies.  This, of course, earns its own comments from Narumi: “And here I thought you’d be a stiff and always be nagging me like Tae to keep this joint clean, but here you are, always leaving these summoning tubes around.  Isn’t it dangerous?”

            “Demons are invisible to most people, and if someone does mean harm they can take care of the situation,” Raidou responds quietly, taking the offered Kuda and placing it once again in its holster.

            “Kid, really, you need to lighten up.  Take a load off.  Believe me, it’ll do you a world of good.”

            Gouto-douji, on the other side of the room, is quietly mewing that if Raidou even considers becoming a dead-beat like Narumi, he has another thing coming.  And the young Kuzunoha leans up against the railing, pulls the hat down over his face, and quietly smiles.