Hell's Kitchen

[Insalius]

It was a small miracle that Kurtis and his new friend had managed to not only find all the ingredients that they needed but had also managed to sneak them all on board his Star Destroyer's galley without his crew finding out. It had been a close thing, especially with his Executive Officer getting overly curious about the new face on the ship. Lieutenant Sebrina was incredibly sharp and the two had been through plenty of engagements together so it was no small feat to throw her off the trail. The Commander had a feeling, though, that they weren't entirely home free quite yet.

Setting down the bags of ingredients, he looked to Nati with a slight smile and gleam in his eye. "Okay, I think that may have been the easy part. So, which recipe do you want to try first? I have no skill with cooking, so I'm a novice at everything." What he DID remember, though, was that he needed certain utensils regardless of what they were making. Keeping his attention on the other man, he began to locate and gather the spoons, knives, and other items they would be using. Luckily the large galley had just about everything they would need, almost as if the Empire knew that the key to a hard-fighting soldier was keeping them well fed.

 

[Kuroshi]

Nati had been rather excited about getting to cook, though he was also somewhat excited to spend time with Kurtis. He wasn't exactly sure of the reason, but his presence calmed him a bit. It was strange yet at the same time comforting. The older man seemed kind, considerate, just plain helpful really. When asked what they should make he wasn't fully prepared. What should they make? What would be interesting to make? Opening up one of the books he borrowed from the library he skimmed through the pages, his gaze shifting from page to page looking for something easy yet fun.

The pages would cease to flip once Nati reached a page with an illustration of circular pastries. They were donuts mixed with nuts. Simple enough right? The feline held up the book to Kurtis, "Want to make this? Donuts with chopped ettel nuts?", he asked. "Maybe puff cakes?" He wasn't sure what they'd be better off making, but deserts and baked goods tended to be pretty easy. "We could also do pie if you'd be interested in that." He was somewhat passive when it came to specifically what they made, with his time on the ship meant to spend time with Kurtis rather than making anything overly fancy.. or at least that's what Nati had in mind when agreeing to go along with him.

 

[Insalius]

Kurtis stepped closer to Nati, looking over the recipes that the young man was referring to. The donuts seemed like an easy enough recipe to start with, and they were a popular snack that just about anyone would like. He knew his whole crew, as any good Captain would, and luckily none of them had an allergy to Ettel nuts or any of the other ingredients. While they would probably not turn out perfect, it should still have some kind of good flavor to them. Hopefully. Kurtis had high hopes, yet the pragmatic part of his mind was worried that his precious Star Destroyer would be done in not by enemy fire but by a kitchen fire. "I think the donuts would be a good starting point. Let's see..."

Looking at the ingredients, the Commander moved over next to Nati to start pulling out what they needed from the bags. This put him very close to the other man, barely touching in some parts. and the warmth and feeling of being so close to another managed to cut right through the usual distance he kept from others. It felt nice, reminding him of the time he had spent with his parents before their passing, and something stirred deeper within him. He wanted more of this feeling, to be close to someone, and for the first time since his parents died his heart began to crave the company of another. Though, this was definitely a different feeling than when he was with his parents. He just hoped that the other man didn't notice him wanting to stay as close as he was, yet another part of him wanted the purple feline to not mind the closeness.

 

[Kuroshi]

Nati kept the book open to the page displaying the recipe, setting it down on the counter. It was a simple enough recipe to follow, only needing seven ingredients to do successfully. Flour, sugar, milk, baking powder, butter and chopped nuts. Aside from the nuts, most things were common enough to be in most kitchens which made things a bit easier. A gentle chill echoed through his spine at Kurtis's move to get closer to him. He wasn't used to people being close to people in general but them being in a somewhat private setting only worsened it. It wasn't bad per say, just... different. He tried his best not to let it bother him too much, taking a bowl out from a cabinet.

"So outside of the cooking thing, was there any reason you decided to start up conversation?", he asked, setting the bowl down on the counter and looking over to Kurtis. "Can't really say that I consider myself all that interesting of a person." Taking the dry ingredients -- flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder -- he placed them all into the previously retrieved bowl. Fork in hand, he mixed them together in the bowl. He wasn't really sure what drew Kurtis to Nati, or what drew himself to Kurtis, but it seemed pretty nice. He silently hoped that they could be nice friends... or maybe more depending on events that would happen, the wolf was decently attractive after all. He felt compelled to mention it, but he wasn't sure if something like that would scare him away and decided against it. He wouldn't want to lose a new friend only a few hours after meeting them.

 

[Insalius]

"I was so engrossed in my work that I hadn't noticed you sit down originally, so when I looked up to take a break and saw your striking figure..." Kurtis shook his head, unsure of if he was choosing the right words or not but now more speaking from the heart. Something inside told him that was what he should do now, instead of dancing subtlety that most social interactions called for. "That was what first draw my interest, I must say. Seeing what book you were reading was second, and I suppose it gave me the reason to approach. I've never met a Nav'ir before and I wasn't prepared for how handsome you were." It was a good thing he had fur covering his body, otherwise his blush would have been deeper hue than a Sith's lightsaber.

Moving away, Kurtis began to make sure the deep fryer was heating to the correct temperature before preparing the sheets and pans they would need to use for the cooking. He had to marvel at himself, years of keeping cool under the face of enemy attack and ambitious subordinates only for a handsome young man to come along and take his composure. He had never really thought about being close to anyone after his rescue, meaning gender wasn't even a thought to him. The only real thing worrying him now was how Nati would respond to his words, and still again about burning down his ship. It would be a story he would never live down, and probably something the Emperor himself would probably laugh at for a second before choking the life out of the Commander.

 

[Kuroshi]

Nati had been caught off guard majorly with Kurtis's comment. A chill went down his spine at the words, not expecting him to say that in the slightest. Turning his head to look over to him, he hesitated for a second. "You think I'm handsome?" He almost had to make sure that he heard the other man right. He wasn't sure how to appropriately respond, so he initially didn't. He was still apprehensive when it came to their intentions, and didn't want to push anything.. if the wolf really wanted to further go into the topic that would be his choice, not Nati's. "Arni’soyacho... Dan ohk cla.", he said under his breath, either hoping that the shistavanen wouldn't hear him or just didn't understand his words.

He didn't want to seem rude, but at the same time, he had never been put in a situation like this. After mixing the dry ingredients he took the butter and began cutting it in with a fork. Thoughts swirled through his mind, prematurely hyping up whatever Kurtis would reply with. An ear remained perked upward, almost in anticipation. It wasn't often that the purple feline would receive compliments if any at all. It seemed as though he was experiencing more than one new thing that day; he began to learn a basic recipe, he made a new friend out of Kurtis, he was given an actual compliment, and he was on a Star Destroyer for the first time in his life. All were welcome changes, just maybe a bit odd.

 

[Insalius]

Kurtis' eyebrow raised at the words, though a light flashing on his commlink had him bring it up in view. He'd installed a translation application in it a long time ago, not holding as many languages as a protocol droid but holding the most common languages found in the Empire. It was originally so he could communicate better with crew members who didn't know Basic as their first language. Apparently the words that Nati spoke were from one of those languages, their translation displayed for him to view. "Thank you...You are too." Was what it said, Kurtis muttering the words under his breath. He looked over at the other man, the blush still under his fur, and thought of what he should do. Was that an invitation, a validation of his feelings? Or was he misreading things badly again?

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of his doubts. He could dance around it all day and he'd regret just leaving things as they were. He knew it in his heart, he felt something for Nati, even if they'd only recently met. Was it love, at first sight? He was a romantic at heart, yet sometimes he felt such things shouldn't be so easy. Maybe he was being too hard on himself, though, feeling that he didn't deserve to be close to anyone otherwise his parents would still be alive with him. The thought had gone through his head plenty of times in his despair, and for the first time he'd found someone who made that pain go away. He didn't want to let that go, he wanted to stay with that person, to know all about them and to give them all the love he could offer.

Moving over to the Nav'ir's back, he swallowed his anxiety away before he mad his move. He wrapped his arms around Nati's waist, giving him a gentle hug as he rested his head against the other man's back. He was so warm, his presence so real, and once again his loneliness was banished by this feeling alone. "I'm sorry if this surprises you, but...I care about you. I understand if this is too much and you want to leave, but...I hope I'm not wrong in that you feel the same. I know it's sudden, but I felt it then as I feel it now...I care about you...I think more..." He wasn't usually so halting in his words. He was more concise and definitive in what he said, yet something about Nati took the words from his mouth and turned his mind to fuzz. It felt nice, but made conversation awkward for the moment. He just hoped he wasn't forcing him away now, though a part of him felt he needed to show courage and speak his heart.

 

[Kuroshi]

He flinched at the first sign of physical contact, his eyes clenched shut for a second before he heard Kurtis's words. A purring hum and a racing heart made themselves known before the other spoke. This was the first time in years he felt the embrace of another. It was strange.. yet comforting to an extent. He dropped the fork he had been using when initially feeling arms around him, a small sound being produced as metal clashed with metal. Even after the man's words, his heartbeat was intense. "Why?", he asked as he turned around to look at the shistavanen, breaking the grasp they had around him. "You're right that I like you... but what reason is there to care about me?" His body heat rose as the situation escalated, the electricity in his cells growing a bit stronger.

"I don't understand." He felt conflicted, maybe a bit scared even by an abrupt move toward intimacy. He'd never experienced any sort of intimate or romantic actions against him, so he was even more lost as to what to do than he was with the compliment. It had been three years, if not more, that he genuinely felt the touch of another that was soft, caring almost, which made the current situation feel odd and maybe made him a bit anxious. He wasn't expecting any sort of physical affection from anyone in the empire, much less a legionare that he just met a few hours prior to the exchange. Though not turned away, to suddenly have someone say that they cared about him made him uneasy.

 

[Insalius]

The fact that Nati said that he liked Kurtis was a wave of relief that was surprisingly strong for the Commander. The other words from the young man, though, pulled on his heart a bit. While normal for such a situation, Kurtis couldn't help but feel there was something else behind them, something painful, and the sudden welling of emotion over this possibility threatened to bring a tear to his eye. The hug was broken, but he hadn't stepped back yet. An urge to be close and comforting overcame him, a need to protect and console that he'd never experienced before. Perhaps this was how his parents had felt for him, when they had been together, so was this also a part of love? Such a strange feeling, yet one that was not unwelcome.

"There are a few reasons. Some selfish, some not so. My parents were...killed, when I was young. I was forced to do some things I still have nightmares over in order to survive after their murder, and I thought I'd closed myself off from feeling close to someone again. Then, when I met you and talked to you, I felt that closeness again. It was...nice, warm, and I wanted to keep that feeling instead of losing it again. It didn't take long to find out that you were the cause of it." He looked up at the feline, his own wolfish ears twitching softly at the sudden emotions to his words. "And...there was something about you, how you sat and talked, that made me want to...take care of you, to hold you and comfort you and tell you that everything would be okay and that you wouldn't be alone anymore. I don't understand much about this, as usually I need to be far more composed and distant when doing my job, so I'm sorry I can't explain better. But what I can say is that something is drawing me to you, and you're the only person I've met that's been worth enough for this feeling." It was true, psychology and emotions weren't his forte, but at the very least he was speaking straight from his fast-beating heart.

 

[Kuroshi]

Nati was less than put at ease by what Kurtis had to say. The wanting to care for him bit was nice, but he took the mention of the man's dead parents as an odd sign. He had still been spooked by the sudden physical contact, and he wasn't sure how to really approach the situation. He didn't understand much of the situation and it seemed like Kurtis didn't either. Everything was just... confusing. "I guess.. thank you for showing interest?", he said, his eyes trailing off to look at the ground. His heart rate lessened a small amount as he attempted to start calming down. He wasn't used to situations like this, so he was able to navigate it about as well as a bat flying around in a dense fog. "I'm sorry..." He didn't really know why he felt like he had to apologize, or if he even needed to, he just did.

"I-... I like you too, but it feels really weird." He stepped away from both Kurtis and the counter. He felt bad about moving away from the shistavanen but at the same time, he wasn't totally comfortable with him invading his personal space. "Can you have someone take me to a guest room or something?", he asked, his gaze shifting to the sliding door for a brief moment then back at Kurtis. "I think I need time to think if that's ok." He didn't really want to just abandon him, but after the sudden exchange, he was understandably a little upset. Anxiety still fresh in his mind, thoughts swirled around his head poking and prodding going over several different scenarios not caring about their likelihood. He assumed Kurtis might have expected something different to happen, hell Nati didn't even know if his actions were the right ones. His heart sank a little, fearing he may have disappointed Kurtis while not meaning to. "Sorry..", he murmured.

 

[Insalius]

While Nati's words weren't exactly what Kurtis had hoped to hear, at least the young man wasn't trying to get as far away from him as possible. He nodded, stepping away and gesturing towards the door. The sleeping quarters on the ship were already close to the galley, so it didn't take long to walk there nor was there any need for awkward turbolift trips. There were plenty of empty rooms for visiting officials or politicians that wanted to ride in a Star Destroyer as their means of transportation, which left a decent number of these rooms very well furnished. He gave Nati one of these, smiling kindly the whole time. "I hope this will be comfortable enough for you. Take as much time as you need. And...I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable. It was never my intention. I'll, uh...see if I can finish up making those donuts." Once he was sure that the Nav'ir was situated, he departed. Mentally he went through everything he did and said, using hindsight to know what he should and should not have done.

 

[Kuroshi]

Nati just nodded to Kurtis, looking around the room after he left. He was alone now, the cause of his anxiety going away, and he was able to independently try and calm himself. He stripped off his jacket and shirt casually after checking that the door was fully closed. He felt hot, the actions taken by Kurtis raising his body heat a bit. His hand brushed against the fur on his chest after he kicked away his boots and sat down on the bed. His breathing began to slow as each breath taken got deeper and more controlled. Over the next few minutes, he used his isolation to help rationalize the situation in his head and the best course of action. "Ish huhsi karau ar wolha toe san.. ohk circoo a raboo ar freak onhso veo si'mori veo Do nie?", he whispered to himself. "Do ohk a ekeosur." A finger fished through the braids in his hair to unwind them, snagging the tie holding them together. The feline then took his hair in his hands and brushed through it all, collecting it in the back before finally tying it off into a small bun. His back fell flat on the bed, his arms now stretched wide across. "Qato nie Do ahan anasan cea?" He still felt bad about just leaving the wolf, and he still wasn't sure if that was the right move. What did that do to Kurtis? He hoped that they were doing better than he was at least.

In thirty minutes time, Nati would be asleep hugging a pillow as if it were a person and holding his legs close to him. It seemed almost defensive as his face buried itself into the pillow held in his embrace. No blanket covered his body, and it looked like he might have just slipped into a sleep state while just laying down. In truth he was somewhat tired, feeling a bit overwhelmed by Kurtis and not really having the best sleep schedule to begin with. He'd deal with the situation later, for now he just wanted to let time pass so that he'd be able to make the best possible decision.

 

[Insalius]

Kurtis returned to the galley, mind occupied with worry as he tried to continue the recipe. The first few attempts were...explosive, almost. He was pretty sure that he'd never be able to get the burn marks out of the hull of the ship, nor did he know that a deep fryer could create such things in the first place. He tried another recipe and managed to burn a hole in a cast-iron pan, nearly a perfect circle. For some the feat would be impressive, yet for those who had to clean up the mess all they could do was ponder at how such a thing was even possible. They would certainly be earning their pay that day, even if they would grumble about it for weeks to come.

Once Kurtis had made some of the donuts in a way that seemed...somewhat edible, he returned to the door to the room Nati was sleeping in. He sat down against the wall, holding the plate of very roughly made pastries and waited. He wanted to gift the food to the young man, hopefully they were edible enough to eat even if some of the nuts were burnt. He felt remorse for what he did, shoving his feelings on the other man so quickly without much thought as to how he would react. The donuts were part of an apology, one that hopefully wouldn't make him alone again. After having finally felt that warmth again, he didn't know if he could handle it being taken away for a second time.

 

[Kuroshi]

A couple minutes went by after Kurtis entered the room before Nati would come to. His bright yellow eyes springing back to life, they looked directly at the canine near the wall. A gentle chill went down his spine before he spoke up. "Hey, put those down and join me.", he said still laying in the bed. "Your touch feels weird... interesting.. and I want to feel it again." With a clearer mind not plagued with this overwhelming feeling of anxiety, he felt as though the best thing to do would be to just be open. "We barely know each other, if even that, but I like you. You seem to like me.. so let's just see what happens." He was a bit worried about his words but spoke them nonetheless.

This time his breathing was calmer, as was his heart rate. How much of that was him still being tired and half-asleep was up for debate. He was really taking a chance, never even considering romantic attraction prior to this point in his life, but he tried his best to be open-minded and at least try it. Kurtis seemed nice enough, and there weren't any immediate red flags that he could spot. In all honesty, he was surprised to even see the man with donuts in his hand, he didn't really expect anything from him after he went off to sleep. It was in a way sweet.

 

[Insalius]

The request was a surprise, but a welcome one. The other man seemed even cuter when still bleary and sleepy and Kurtis found this to be irresistible. Placing the donuts on a nearby table, the Shistavanen took off his shoes before climbing into the bed as requested by Nati. Already being this close was an amazing thing to him, bringing back the warmth that he had already been afraid of forgetting just like with his parents. When he gently embraced the feline, though, there was something...more. Something that felt beyond that warmth, a sense of completeness and belonging that was completely new to him. As he thought, this was something more, something he wanted even more than the feeling of being with his parents again.

He stopped thinking, an incredibly hard act due to how he had trained himself to always be observing everything around him. It had been the only way to stop himself from focusing on his loss, on the beast he had become to survive, but now he didn't feel that fear or anger. All he felt was peace, listening to the gentle breathing of the man he knew now for sure that he loved. Leaning his head down, Kurtis felt the gentle beating of Nati's heart and a sense of surety fell over him. He closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep with the feline in his arms and feeling the most whole than he had ever felt in his entire life. Even if the future had nothing but sorrow and blood in his future, he would treasure this time here until the day he died.