Another fic!
Series: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya x FullMetal Alchemist (Quacte Nocte RP verse)
Pairings/Characters: Kyon, Haruhi, and Ling
Prompt: HaruhiLingKyon; Rice
Notes: Two fics in one night? Holy shit! I am on a roll. Another prompt from Jami here. Now, this is only part one. Because as soon as I got the prompt "Rice" I was like, "RICE PORN." So yes *cough* That's not actually in this installment. Stay tuned till next time, kidlets.
Also, another note. This probably takes place pre-Chrysalis. It's too light for that. I was going to make it after, but Haruhi and Kyon ended up still being humans for this so... Anyway, without further ado!

Kyon loved being reminded of how good a cook Haruhi was. There was a gentleness to the way she prepared the food that made Kyon turn his gaze time and time back to the kitchen, just to watch her work. It was different from her usual brashness, but both were nice.

...Though he had a sneaking suspicion that the vampire next to him was watching her for entirely different reasons. Kyon also found his gaze falling below the tie of her apron as she diligently went about her work. Well, he had enjoyed the chaste image while it lasted.

Haruhi was oblivious to their gaze, focusing on the pans and pots simmering and boiling around her. A rice cooker steamed in the background, and she periodically checked it. The rice was the backbone of the meal. She couldn’t let it get ruined.

Kyon turned around in his seat to face the table again. He wasn’t going to let Ling bait him into staring at Haruhi’s ass any longer. Because, he knew, the second Haruhi turned around Ling would discreetly have shifted his gaze, leaving Kyon alone to take the heat.

Damn that vampire.

Said damn vampire was now staring him in the face, the tinge of a smile on his lips. He seemed to have some kind of sense that let him know when Kyon was thinking about him. To reiterate, damn that vampire.

An impromptu staring match now ensued, Kyon with his mouth set in a firm grimace and Ling smiling back at him. Wait, how was this any kind of a staring match? Ling was cheating already since he kept his eyes closed 98% of the time. It wasn’t fair, damn it!

“I hope you’re not going to eat each other’s faces.” Haruhi had somehow appeared between them, and was now shifting her gaze back and forth at each of them, a look of annoyance plain on her face. So much for the serenity she had in the kitchen.

She stood up fully, brandishing a ladle as she spoke down at them. “It’s almost done, so just hold on a little longer.” She then returned to her post in the kitchen, taking the top off the rice cooker to check it for the nth time. Kyon’s eyes shifted back to Ling. He had one of those looks.

“What?” Kyon asked, speaking for the first time since they had sat down.

“Nothing~” Ling responded, chuckling. Ugh, Kyon could even hear the tilde in his voice. He was definitely planning something, as usual. If it was indeed as usual, then Kyon was pretty sure he had a general idea of what type of activity he was planning.

Kyon sighed. When Haruhi had planned the dinner, Kyon had been expecting that it would be just that: a dinner. But nothing was ever just as he expected with Ling around. It didn’t help that Haruhi went along with pretty much whatever Ling proposed. It was hard for Kyon to resist the both of them at once.

It had gone a little something like this:

“What?!” Haruhi was shocked. Completely shocked. “How long has it been since you’ve had a home cooked meal?”

“A long time,” Ling had replied.

That simply wouldn’t do with Haruhi. She even said as much. “That’s horrible!”

Suddenly, Haruhi had a wonderful (horrible) idea. Kyon could smell it from a mile away. It smelled a little like his friend Taniguchi’s old gym socks.

“I’ll cook you dinner!” Haruhi announced, her face triumphant. Suddenly, the smell of Haruhi’s idea was much more pleasant. He could almost taste the dishes she would make.

“It’s not for you,” Haruhi said to him, as if sensing his thoughts. (Thinking on it now, what was with all these mind readers?!)

Only Ling had saved him from the disappointment of missing out on Haruhi’s food. “Why don’t we all eat dinner together?” Ling asked her. Don’t just invite other people to someone else’s meal! But Kyon did feel grateful when Haruhi quickly agreed to Ling’s suggestion. But even that was soured when Kyon thought about it. Why did she always listen to him?

Back in Kyon’s present state of mind, he was beginning to smell the aroma of the cooking food coming from the kitchen. It looked like Ling had caught the scent well before him, as the vampire’s body was leaning, just slightly, in the direction of the kitchen. In the time they had spent together, Kyon had become well accustomed to Ling’s love of food. Kyon didn’t even try to hide the smile creeping onto his face. Ling was really in for a treat.

He could see now that Haruhi had finished cooking and was now preparing the plates. His stomach grumbled, signaling its intent. Ling turned his gaze back to Kyon, and said in an amused tone, “Maybe you’ll be able to keep up with me tonight.” Like that was possible, you glutton. Kyon decided to ignore the other possible meaning of that sentence.

Haruhi came out of the kitchen now, carrying two plates heaping with rice and vegetables, one of which she set in front of Ling and the other she set across the table from Kyon. She sat down at that one, looking across the table at Kyon’s look of disappointment.

“I’m not a waitress,” she said in response to his gaze, “I can only hold two plates at once. Yours is in the kitchen. Go get it.” The edges of her mouth twitched and she hid it behind her napkin, faking a cough. Yeah, as if I didn’t see that, Kyon thought, but he moved to the kitchen to retrieve his plate anyway.

When he returned he found that Ling was already flattering Haruhi on her cooking. Haruhi seemed to be receiving his compliments gladly. Like they say, never bite the hand that feeds you. Although, Haruhi probably wouldn’t mind that. She was the one who had asked to be bitten in the first place. So, was it do bite the neck the feeds you?

Ling was looking at him again. What, more mind reading? Or it could be the fact that Kyon was standing there like an idiot? Now Haruhi was glaring at him too. He sighed. That confirmed it.

He took his seat next to Ling again. Haruhi still hadn’t taken her eyes off him. It was a bit unnerving. But he caught on quickly enough. She wanted him to taste it.

He picked up his pair of chopsticks and picked up a vegetable, rolling it around in the sauce to get the most possible rice on it, before sticking it in his mouth and chewing it thoughtfully. Haruhi’s glare had turned apprehensive as she watched him eat.

“It’s good,” he said, giving her a genuine smile. Her eyes shone as she smiled back—

“No, it’s perfect,” Ling said now, flashing her a grin and effectively diverting her attention away from Kyon, “Can I have seconds?”

“Of course!” Haruhi said pleasantly, her smile now directed fully at Ling as she took his plate and went back into the kitchen.

Kyon’s mouth opened to make some kind of objection. Did Ling just one-up him? Don’t even try that smile act, you damn vampire. It’s not the same as hers at all.

Then Haruhi was back with another heaping plate. Ling took it gratefully and dug in. By this time Kyon had finished his plate as well. He was just going to test this...

“Hey Haruhi, can I—”

“Get it yourself.”

So that’s how it was. Kyon stood with his plate, dejected. Something made him pause before he went back to the kitchen. Was Ling laughing? Kyon sincerely hoped the bastard choked on his food.

But it was nice to see Haruhi so happy. Thinking back on how she was when they first met, it was really a change. Kyon was glad that he was here to see that change.

As Kyon turned from the kitchen he caught a very peculiar sight. Ling had finished his second plate already, and was leaning across the table towards Haruhi. She was doing the same, and they both talked in low voices.

As Kyon walked into the room, both turned their gaze towards him. It was threatening ...and hungry?

Suddenly Kyon felt very, very afraid.

To be continued!?