#i imagine that haru is quite the traditional japanese natto-loving man

[partrin]

"is that natto?" rin asks, wrinkling his nose as he watches the other man rip the seal of a small, white plastic container open.

haru just stares at him, blindly reaching for his chopsticks. he tears open several tiny packets that had come with his food and empties them into the container, mixing everything like he's some sort of witch making a love potion in a cauldron. rin tries to tune out the squelching noises it makes and fights the urge to gag.

"don't ask questions you know the answers to," haru chides. "living in australia for a few years doesn't suddenly make you any less japanese."

"no need to get defensive, haru. i was only asking."

the squelching stops. haru lifts his chopsticks and makes a quiet little satisfied hum as his eyes follow the sticky string that stretches between the mixture and the tip of his chopsticks. he brings it to his mouth and tastes it, makes tiny, content smacking noises with his lips before sliding the container across the table.

"it's good," he says. "do you want some? i didn't buy you any."

rin grimaces. "no thank you. i'm not exactly a fan of natto, if you couldn't already tell by now."

haru shrugs, pulling the container back towards him. "it's good," he says again, digging into his meal. "you just don't know how to appreciate good food."

"one could argue that it's an acquired taste, but what do i know? i eat regular food. you're a weirdo who likes weird things."

haru gives him a pointed look. rin takes this as an opportunity to drive his point home.

"you eat mackerel with toast. you're like, the epitome of a weirdo when it comes to food. or liking weird food. and you never eat a balanced meal. you probably have like, i don't know, fish oil running through your veins."

"i don't remember inviting my dietitian to dinner," haru scoffs before taking another small bite of his fermented beans. "and if i'm a weirdo, then that just makes you even weirder."

rin glares at him as if to dare him to elaborate. haru, however, continues chewing on his food, effectively avoiding the need to remind rin that he had chosen to date him. rin hears him anyway. being with haru sharpens the skill of being able to listen even when no words are spoken.

"fine," rin caves, rolling his eyes. "i'll have one bite. just the one."

he pretends he doesn't see the dignified smirk that stretches haru's lips thin as he unceremoniously pushes a large scoop of natto into rin's mildly welcoming mouth.

he also pretends he doesn't drop by a konbini on his way home later to buy two containers of natto, one for haru and one for himself, for when haru decides to grace his apartment with his presence in the weeks to come. maybe having an acquired taste isn't so bad.

#free! #rinharu #matsuoka rin #nanase haruka #drabble #ficlet #i wrote this because i was craving for natto #i imagine that haru is quite the traditional japanese natto-loving man #and he insists the western world has worn down rin's true japanese identity #whereas rin argues he just doesn't like anything fermented #haru will then be petty about it and bring this up any time he catches rin eating yoghurt or cheese #they argue #and then they have make-up sex #yup that's all #DOES ANYBODY HERE LIKE NATTO??????