Reconciliation dinner

ㅤ Yuri had no doubt about Flynn's sincerity, especially when he smiled so broadly, revealing his soul. Flynn was troubled by the tension that hung between his squad and Yuri's companions—two important groups in his life. "…That's why I'd like to have dinner together." Imagining Sodia's irritation, her look of contempt and disgust, Yuri asked bluntly, not hiding his skepticism: "Do you want her to poison me?" "Don't worry, I'll cook!" Flynn replied enthusiastically, further depressing Yuri. "So you've decided to get rid of me for sure…" he interpreted it his own way. "It's better if she cooks…" Yuri resigned himself, not wanting to experience the horror of Flynn's cooking on anyone. "Just tell her to put the poison only on my plate." "Yuri…" Flynn said disapprovingly. "I'm doing this so you can get along, not end up in a complete fight…" "Sometimes it's enough just to leave things alone." But it was already impossible to convince Flynn otherwise. Yuri could only "soften" the consequences of the dinner.

* * *

"He's actually cooking," Karol squeaked in horror, peering into the kitchen. "He's just started—there's still a chance to fix it," Yuri reassured. "But he's already cooked something!" Karol continued to incite panic. "Just one dish. And now we know what to be careful with." Rolling up his sleeves, Yuri resolutely headed toward Flynn, ignoring Sodia's indignant look as she and Witcher leisurely set the table. "Yuri?" Flynn was surprised when his guest suddenly joined in. "You're too early; nothing's ready yet." "I figured since we're having dinner together, it makes sense to help. It's easy for me." Flynn smiled, not seeing any hidden agenda. "Thank you." The first thing Yuri did was to limit Flynn's access to spices… Seeing this and unable to tolerate his insolence, Sodia approached him directly, making accusations along the lines of: "How dare you!? You're disturbing captain Flynn!" Instead of making excuses or responding with condemnation, Yuri merely lifted the plate containing the dish Flynn had recently prepared, stopping his hand, holding the spoon, in front of Sodia. "Why don't you be the first to taste your wonderful captain's dish?" he challenged, looking straight into her eyes. "Yes, why not?" Flynn smiled. "Try it, what do you think?" Sodia looked confusedly from one to the other, then at the plate. Finally, swallowing, unwilling to give in to Yuri's provocation, yet not daring to refuse her dear captain, she finally dared to try a small piece. Her expression changed with the very first bite… Her head lowered under the weight of the truth, mercilessly tormenting her taste buds. "What? So delicious that you're speechless?" Yuri said, almost mockingly, earning him a glare of hatred. He whispered to her, barely audible: "Now, if you want at least something edible on the table, don't interfere." Yuri didn't entertain her attention for long, returning to the important matter of saving the food, quietly lamenting: "When will you learn to taste what you're cooking, Flynn…" "Huh?" "Flynn reacted to his name, not really hearing anything. "Nothing. Chop up the vegetables." Maintaining maximum control over the process, Yuri tried to assign the least dangerous tasks, ones that even Flynn couldn't screw up. And whenever Flynn wanted to experiment with spices, Yuri would immediately intercept them under the pretext of an urgent need, diverting Flynn's attention elsewhere. And he did this so deftly that it didn't even feel intrusive. Meanwhile, both found time to chat and laugh. They looked happy, even though Yuri was focused on keeping an eye on Flynn. Looking at them, Sodia didn't want to admit that they truly were… best friends, understanding each other without words. Their conversation wasn't about food, but when needed, they helped each other without even a hint. Yuri used words only to distract. For example, whenever Flynn started on a new dish, Yuri would toss him a finished one, asking him to garnish it: Flynn was excellent at this, and it often didn't affect the taste! But even then, he had to keep an eye on things… Flynn thought of decorating the dish with colorful spices—Yuri barely managed to intercept them, pushing an equally attractive greens toward him. At least it could be pushed to the edge of the plate if Flynn overdid it… While Flynn carried the food to the table, Yuri lingered over the "spoiled" dish, deep in thought. Sodia couldn't watch him for long, busy as she was helping Flynn and also welcoming the other guests—Yuri's friends. Sitting down at the table, Sodia resolved to eat everything her beloved Flynn had prepared, no matter what, not wanting to upset him. Mustering up her courage, she took a decent bite and… The taste was completely different. Yuri had managed to salvage even this hopeless dish, performing a brief cooking magic on it while no one was looking. 'Who the hell is he…?' Sodia was sincerely amazed, involuntarily feeling respect. Meanwhile, Yuri and the others were enjoying a pleasant dinner, chatting idly, enjoying their reunion. Everyone were especially relieved that Yuri's plan had succeeded… ㅤ