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Barely, just barely, making it to his next period Desmond skid into the classroom, his Nike's making a loud screech against the tiled flooring while huffing and puffing. Next time he decided to stay a while longer at his locker he was going to shorten it to a minute.

The bell ringing just a second after he skid inside indicated just that.

"...you really should stop messing around..."

Glancing up, the brunet glared at his friend, whom was leaning back against the counter with a raised brow - though his hood was atop his head.

"Yeah, yeah," Raising a hand and waving it, Desmond moved over to the lab station and set his bag down before bringing out his notebook and looking up at the board to see what they were making today. A Chinese rice dish. "You've...made that before right?"

"...not really." Oh the nervousness in both their tones, if someone else who knew how to make this heard they would probably laugh at their dismay.

In fact, Ezio had heard the dilemma that the two boys now had to deal with. He rubbed the back of his neck and walked up behind Altair and rest his hand atop the hooded boy's head. "Sorry, Alt, I'd pair up with you guys, but Ugo's my partner."

The hand atop his head had Altair lower it a bit with a soft groan. "I know, it's not a problem."

Ugo shrugged as he was gestured to. "Let's switch partners. We've both done this before and I wanna be with Desy anyway." He looked at the boy with a smile. "What do ya think? Tired of me yet?"

Blinking at the offer of switching partners, Desmond glanced over then reached a hand up to scratch his cheek in a thoughtful manner. "It doesn't really sound like a bad idea." he admitted, glancing over to Altair to notice that he was looking between them.

"Fine." was all the hooded boy gave in response, waving the younger male away with a straight face. "But just for today."

Laughing a bit at this, Desmond grabbed his things, about to step away then paused. "Oh yeah..." Turning to face the two, he pointed at them. "And don't make kissy faces during this." Quickly taking into consideration that Altair was slowly reaching for a spatula, Desmond made his retreat over to Ugo.

Ugo chuckled, watching the two love-birds.

"Aww...but that's what I was looking forward to most." Ezio shook his head in a laugh, taking the spatula from Altair once he'd gripped it and pulled him over to their lab table and asked Ugo to toss over his things, which he did.

Letting himself be relieved of the utensil, Altair simply let himself be dragged with furrowed brows. At least the other wasn't holding his hand, otherwise people might think something was up. They haven't really told anyone yet - though perhaps they should soon. What with this whole dance thing coming up and the girls clamoring to get their claws into Ezio's skin -

Sighing inwardly, the Arabian slumped his shoulders. Worry about it later...there's always time for that later.

Ezio sat Altair down on the left and climbed into his own chair on the right. He began to set up some plates and other items once he'd settled himself. They had a relative "Chinese" menu available due to the teacher's theme for the day. There was chicken, bamboo sprouts, rice, everything that one might need or want. "Okay, so...I was thinking about making some kong pow chicken with a side of rice." He looked over at Altair, "Sound good?"

Raising a brow at this, Altair then rubbed his chin before nodding. "I'll deal with the rice."
---(there's going to be some 'scene swaps' coming up)
The jock smiled from his seat on the right, watching as Desmond took a seat next to him, setting up the supplies thoughtlessly. The plates were rather oddly stacked and the utensils atop that while he grabbed a few other things as well. "Since Ezio and I have done this before, why not make what we did last time? Sweet and Sour Chicken with a side of rice?" It was a good offer and made sure that they'd get the right outcome.

Cocking his head as the other just placed things where he wanted, Desmond offered a nod in response to the suggested food they should make. "I can make the rice." Pushing to stand, he went to go get a pot to put the rice in, after he filled it with enough water for said grain.
---
Ezio nodded and then stood, walking to the front and grabbing the food he needed. Boneless chicken breasts, white wine substitute, soy sauce, sesame oil, etc. He got it all from memory and put it on a plate that he'd brought along.

Letting out a soft sigh, the hooded student grabbed a bowl to put the rice in, heading up to the front with a bored look.
---
Desmond's partner followed him, but diverted to the front and found himself picking a good amount of chicken and makings for the sauce as he talked with Ezio about what they were making.

Now gathering the amount of rice he needed to heat up, Desmond glanced over to Altair whom was simply staring blankly at the white little rods as they fell out of the box.

"Be the food, people!"

"...great...Mrs. Crazy's at it again..." the young Miles mumbled before taking the box from his friend and pouring some into a measuring cup, like everyone else had, and then dumped it into the pot.

"Think as it does..." She then peered over Desmond's shoulder to witness how he uncaringly just set the box down. "...be kind to it..."

This woman scares me, Quickly he beat a retreat back to the lab.

For the most part, the class ignored the ravings of the teacher who swore that food had a life force and that if you ate it, its force would become apart of you. It was alive.

"It was alive at some point, not anymore." Ugo had said this to Ezio before, causing the two of them to laugh silently behind the teacher's back.

"First we..." Ezio began to measure the food once they'd returned to their lab table, but for the most part, decided on how it felt. He'd add more or take some away depending on his previous experiences. After a moment he had the coat for the chicken and began to cover it with it. "I hope you like this. It's very delicious." He looked over at his boyfriend with a smile.

Lifting his head up from staring down into the pot filled with rice, Altair glanced over at Ezio, twirling his wrist that was holding the spoon slowly. "...I'm sure it will be." was all he responded with, along with a tiny tint of red on his cheeks before looking back down at the water.
---
Ugo, who was not a genius with food in any sense of the word, measured everything to the best of his abilities, hoping that he could make something nice for Desmond to eat.

"Oh, it's so delicious, Ugo. You're very talented!" Yeah, that's how he hoped it would be.

It was...a cup for every cup of rice right? So...if there's two and a half here then I need...three right? At this point Desmond was holding the liquid measuring cup under the water, and while thinking it was overfilled and flowing out. Or was it two and a half cups of water for the same amount of rice...if I measure it wrong it'll be undercooked and it'll taste wrong...but if I overdo it...

Blinking, Desmond dropped his sights down to the measuring cup and quickly turned the sink off to dump out the water he didn't need.
---
Everyone in the room was intent on getting everything done well. If they made it well enough to be eaten, they could take it to lunch which was in between their next period.

Ezio wasn't worried because he had confidence in his abilities to cook and he didn't even think about making sure that Altair made the rice correctly. Rice is easy to make.

"Almost done here. Just gotta fry it."

"Uh-huh..." his partner mumbled, still stirring the rice with a distant look in his eyes. Well, if anyone pulled down the hood to see it they'd notice he wasn't really paying attention.

These girls keep asking him to the dance... He twirled his wrist in the other direction. Maybe we should just tell people about us being together... Or maybe I should ask him to - wait, that's stupid. I don't like dances, last one I went to all they played was crap and I regretted it. At least I won't be worrying about other dances - crap, no. Ezio's popular...

And he didn't even notice that the pot was boiling like crazy.
---
Across from the lovely couple's table, Ugo was finishing up with his chicken too, getting the skillet out and getting ready to fry them. "How're you doin', Des?"

"Fine, just fine." Stirring the grain still, Desmond cast a glance over to where the two lovebirds were, entirely distracted by noticing how they actually did make quite a pair, a perfect example to opposites attract. Soon looking back into the pot with half-lidded eyes.

Well, I mean...I'm glad he asked me to go somewhere with him, but......there are girls clamoring after him and Ezio. No shit, Sherlock...they're popular, jocks and football players. Any girl who gets them to go with them first is on cloud nine for the rest of the month or halfway through two months... These were just depressing thoughts. But...seeing the nickname he gave me with those little hearts around it......made my heart feel like it was - A dark red colored his cheeks. Focus, Desmond.
---
"Done!" Ezio grinned, putting the food he'd been dealing with onto plates and then drizzling the sauce he'd made onto their plates and put them on the side so that they'd be safe as he cleaned up his mess. "How's the rice?" He looked over and his eyes widened. "...Altair. I think the rice is burning."

"What?" Blinking, coming out of his revere, Altair looked down at the, indeed, burning rice. "Shit!" Turning the stove off and letting out a frustrated groan.

About now, all the people around the room were finishing up. Some already looked rather displeased with what they'd come up with.

Ugo was just putting his food on their plates before he looked over and his eyes fell down onto the pot and then to Desmond's rather vacant expression. "Um...Des? You...you're burning the rice."

"Huh?!" Being knocked off his train of thought, the brunet's eyes went wide at what he saw. "Fuck!" Quickly reaching out to turn the burner off.

Both Ezio and Ugo blinked, looking rather confused with eyebrow up in disbelief. "...can you cook...at all?" They both said, looking rather confused at how someone could burn rice.

Whereas both Altair and Desmond stared down at the rice with confused looks before glaring at their partner. "I know how to cook." they growled, a mix between a scowl and a pout adorning their faces. "Get me more rice."

Ezio looked up at the clock and shrugged. "We have time, I think." He and Ugo both did as they were told and went to the front of the class and grabbed the right amount of rice and returned, watching as Desmond and Altair poured the burnt rice down the bin.

Sufficed to say, their teacher was not happy.

Not at all.

"You didn't even try to be the food!" she complained, rubbing her face. " You're supposed to treat it with kindness, as if it were a child..."

"...'child' my ass..." Desmond grumbled, getting more water then pouring the rice into the pot once more, Altair doing the same although silently. "It's a grain for Pete's sake, not a baby."

About sixish minutes later the two had the rice done and distributed it evenly between the two plates, although Desmond wasn't looking too happy since he was the one who received a lecture about cursing whereas Altair was left to his grumbling self.

Mostly trying to figure out exactly how he didn't notice that the rice had been burning.

Sighing, both then plopped down into their seat.

They all took a seat in the back, Ezio, Ugo, Altair, and Desmond. It was silent for a moment as they all ate a bit of the food they made. Ezio and Ugo offering each other looks at how one could burn rice but they didn't want to upset their partners and ate silently.

"Lemme try some of your, Ez. It's gotta be great." The jock reached over without giving him so much as a second to comply. "Damn, you're a genius."

He laughed in reply, looking over at Altair and patting his back. "Look, it's alright." Ezio looked around and then bent in and kissed him on the cheek. "It turned out fine."

Munching slowly on the rice, Altair furrowed his brows, not letting the look vanish even when his cheek was kissed. "It shouldn't have been burned in the first place." he muttered, taking another bite of something else off his plate.

Eating some of the stuff off his own plate, Desmond blinked once he ate some of the Sweet and Sour chicken. Chewing. Chewing. Swallow. "This...this's awesome." Taking another bite, he chewed with a happy expression. "Dawishis!"

"...don't talk with your mouth full," Altair pointed out, fork pointing in the other's direction.

The second that Desmond complimented his food, Ugo swelled up with pride and grinned. "Thank you."

Grinning as well, the brunet parted his lips and was about to add something else then blinked once he noticed someone heading over to where they were, simply settling for taking another bite from the plate.

"Um...excuse me?"

Cocking his head to see who had called out, Altair then noticed why Desmond went back to his food. Scowling, he did just that as well.

Ezio blinked, looking to high right and seeing a young fairly pretty shy girl looking right at him. "Yes?" He smiled, giving her his attention.

"Well, I was hoping that I could ask you to go to...the dance with me?" She looked very nervous.

The brunet seemed to take the surprise quite well, looking over to Ugo and getting a shrug in return. "Well...thanks for the offer, but I'm kinda..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry." Ezio looked off, quite uncomfortable.

She shook her head. "I understand. Sorry for bothering you..." Walking off, she looked close to tears.

"Dammit..." Ezio couldn't help but feel bad about it.

"...poor girl." was all Altair gave as a response, his right elbow on the table, cupping his cheek with a frown while continuing to chew.

"That's been happening for a while now. You can't feel bad about it, Ez." Ugo tried to comfort him.

"Y'know...I think it's kinda sad that the girls are after the football players first," Desmond sighed, poking at his food with slanted brows. "I mean...what if there was a guy who was her friend and liked her?" He stopped poking the chicken and let out a soft breath.

This is probably normal for them, being asked to a dance and saying 'no' or whatever. Rubbing the back of his head, Desmond returned to eating.

Setting down his fork, Altair then reached back with his left hand to remove his hood. Amber hues turned to look over to the captain of the football team, lowering his gaze a moment later. "He has a point. I'm sure this has been happening each year..." Lifting his hands, he twirled them, as if trying to get the rest of his sentence to come to him.

"Listen to you," his friend teased, raising a brow as if skeptical that this was really Altair Ibn La-Ahad he'd known since his childhood. "Agreeing with something for once."

Dropping his hands, the outcast scowled. "Very funny."

"I'm hilarious."

It was quite a surprise for Ezio that Altair was so understanding of a football player's plight as well. The handsome quarterback smiled, looking down at his hands as if searching for something to do to hide his happiness.

Ugo smirked at his former crush, raising an eyebrow at him before turning to face Desmond and Altair. "It's not all that easy, especially for Ezio. They always go to the star captain of football team. As if they think they'll 'die happy' if they nabbed him." He turned to clap said star on the back.

"It's...it's not really all that bad." Ezio rubbed the back of his neck and looked rather disapprovingly at Ugo.

If there was one thing that he didn't want, it was Altair feeling the need to ask him to the dance simply because it'd be easier on him if he did.

Heaving a sigh, Altair lifted his hand and lightly tapped his knuckles against Ezio's chest. "I get the feeling you're lying about it not being 'all that bad.'" Bringing his hand back, the Arabian looked up to his boyfriend's face. "Seeing as you did look like you felt bad when you said 'no,' so it is 'all that bad.'"

There was a mutter along the lines of, "Details." from Desmond, whom simply shook his head and went back to eating.

Shrugging his shoulders, Altair then made a motion of, 'But what would I know? I'm not you.'

Ezio smiled. He didn't know that he was so transparent. "Ah...that's true."

"But that's just me." he added then reached for his fork to get some more of this delicious food into his mouth.

"Hey, I've been wondering about this for a little while, but I guess I'll ask now." Ugo looked at Ezio with a mischevious grin.

The captain frowned, knitting his eyebrows together. "What are you gonna -"

Ignoring him, Ugo continued looking at two of them. "What do you think of the dance?" It was more toward Desmond, but he knew that it would both Ezio because he'd been waiting for Altair to ask. If he was going to.