Just Look into It

18: Quite The Fall

It had seemed like an innocent enough request. 

After all, the eggs were going to expire soon, and having someone help would make it go faster. 

She had turned around for something, and suddenly Kyouya was covered in flour. She faintly heard the sound of the mixing bowl settle, but there was no other noise as she stared at him with wide eyes. 

His glasses were slightly crooked as he stood perfectly still, arms slightly out at his sides. His mouth had quickly slammed shut, but there was no hiding the wild and confused look in his eyes. His dark hair was almost white and his shirt was equally powdered. 

"Is everything alright?" Yuu hesitantly called out, cautiously making his way over. "Oh."

"Are you okay, Kyouya?" she asked, putting down the utensil in her hand to approach him. 

There was a slight pause. "Yes, I'm alright."

She was trying very hard not to laugh. He didn't seem to have any experience in a kitchen, and she didn't want to make him uncomfortable in any way since he had taken his own time to keep an eye on her. It was pretty selfish of her to request his help for this. 

Even so, she could stop the small smile that formed as she watched Yuu struggle even more.

Kyouya looked almost... cute with such a bewildered expression. 

Ryo quickly shook her head at the thought as she grabbed the broom and threw it towards her brother. There was a mess to clean and a long evening before she could address that thought. 

"Let's get you cleaned up I suppose," she mused, pointing for the taller boy to follow. She watched him from the corner of her eye, trying not to smile at the stiff way he was moving. As he stepped into the bathroom to clean up, Ryo made her way to the master bedroom. 

She couldn't help but sneeze at the stuffiness of the room. Moving quickly, she pulled open a few drawers and pulled out a nice violet dress shirt and near black jeans. Checking the sizes, she folded them over her arm and shut the door behind her. 

"Kyouya?" she called through the door. 

There was a pause. 

"Yes?" She winced at the exhaustion in his tone.

"I was just going to let you know to feel free to do whatever you'd like to clean up. There are towels and unused products from the Suoh's under the sink. I have a change of clothes if you'd like them as well."

The brunette wondered if he was uncomfortable. 

"If you're uncomfortable, I'd understand if you would wish to head home."

Ryo bit her lips and placed the clothing in front of the door. There was no use in worrying about it anymore. There wasn't much else she could do to make him feel comfortable. She wondered if she should feel embarrassed, as he was probably used to a higher standard. 

Then again, she reminded herself that the Suoh family had provided most everything for her- the house was much nicer than anything she could have afforded even with the high pay he was giving her.

The more she thought about it, the more she owed families like the Ootori's and the Suoh's. 

Ryo returned just in time to see Yuu dump the last of the split flour into the trash. He turned around with his lips pressed flat and a flushed face. 

"Yuu?" Confused, she drew closer to her brother. 

"You should have seen it," he mumbled. She realized he was trying not to laugh. "It was like an explosion of snow."

She chuckled. "I know. Let's finish up. Want to help?"

He eagerly nodded. 

Ryo smiled, feeling more at ease as she watched her brother practically skip around the kitchen to help her. It didn't take long for the siblings to finish prepping all of the dough and get it put away. 

The smell of freshly baked cookies began to fill the home as the first batch was put into the oven. 

"Yuu! Stop eating the raw dough!" she exclaimed, reaching for the spoon her brother held in his mouth. With a smirk, he darted just out of her reach and swallowed. 

"But it's good!" 

"You'll get sick!"

She stared at him, flabbergasted, and watched as he slowly inched his way towards the mixing bowl. She reached out to take it first but flinched back when he blew a handful of flour in her face. 

His laughter filled the house as he abandoned his goal of the cookie dough and instead waited for her to retaliate like she always would. He wasn't disappointed as she growled and came racing out of the kitchen. 

"You little-" she hissed, shoving a chair out of her way. None of the flour had gotten on her by some miracle, but that didn't mean she was going to let him go. 

The two chased each other around, Ryo getting close to grabbing her brother on occasion, but mainly running into a piece of furniture when he suddenly ducked around it. 

Suddenly, she slammed her side into the corner of the table. Caught off guard, she couldn't stop herself from falling. Ryo couldn't help but laugh as she fell. It was just so absurd. 

In a matter of hours, she had gone from stressing about school and work to baking, chasing her brother, and even spending time with Kyouya. 

It was getting easier to relax and enjoy things. She thought a lot about the future and everything she had to do, but not as often. 

"That was quite the fall, Miss Ryo." 

Stifling her laughter, she turned to look at Kyouya. He was leaning against the wall in the new clothes, a towel hung over his shoulders. There was a small smirk on his face as he looked down at her. 

Embarrassment filled her for a moment, and she pushed herself up into a sitting position. 

"Are you alright?!" Yuu exclaimed, rushing to her side. 

"I'm good," she responded, putting a hand on his head. "Thank you."

Ryo figured this would become one of her favorite memories one day.