Whatever it Takes // Indigo/Adrien (clue event 3)

Following the conclusion of their latest challenge, Indigo had briefly entertained the idea that Malcom thrived on drama and that the interns hadn’t been giving him enough to watch. It led credence to his paranoid thought of there being cameras everywhere.

What would the next challenge be then? Speed dating? Indigo chuckled quietly. There he went again, letting his thoughts run away. Everything Malcolm did pertained to the business he’d be leaving one of them. Even if it was uncomfortable at times.

It was always nice to learn more about your competition. Did he think he was a frontrunner? Hopefully. But there were a few others he was certain were high up on Malcolm’s list too. And then of course, there was Adrien.

Indigo’s eyes glanced up from the cookbook to the other boy. Adrien was leaning on the counter, probably thinking about something. Perhaps why his public estimation of Indigo had not been reciprocated? Well, he couldn’t very well tip to Malcolm that he knew, now could he?

Indigo hummed to himself and bustled around the kitchen wearing oven mitts and an apron that was a little too small for his angular six foot frame, the cookbook propped open on the granite countertop. He was a whirlwind, but nothing had wound up on the floor. Except for the pepper grinder, but he’d retrieved that before it rolled too far away.

There were three pans simmering on the stovetop, and another four in the sink that contained the discarded remnants of burned or failed attempts. Some things took trial and error, but he was confident that the ones of the stove were turning out nicely. They had better, it had taken almost an hour to do. 

It seemed simple enough. All three of them were comprised of nearly the same ingredients. Unsalted butter, salt and pepper, a minced shallot, Arborio rice, chicken broth and a nice pinot grigio. Grated Parmesan. Fresh. He added asparagus to one pan and bacon to another for a little variety. He tasted it, thought it might be missing something and threw the spoon in the sink before grabbing another one.

He glanced at Adrien, unsure of what to call him. Were they friends now? Pals? With all the grandstanding they had to do and all the walls that all of the interns kept up about their personal lives, it was often easy to forget that they were all people. Regardless, the two of them found themselves hanging out more often than not, or so it seemed. Perhaps it was time he tried, really tried to step out of his comfort zone and try to befriend more people.

“Right, how does this taste?” he wondered aloud, shoving a spoonful into Adrien’s mouth. “Too much parmesan? Not enough? Maybe I should have used salted butter…” he murmured as he turned away, leaving the spoon where it was in order to pull the pan of asparagus risotto off the stove.

“You know; I think I could make a good butler.” He said with a pleased smile. “I mean, I’d rather be a teacher after all this is said and done, but it’s nice to know I have options. What about you? What are your plans for after?” he asked, raising his eyebrows in curiosity as he grated cheese over the bacon risotto.

Friends asked things like that without getting too personal, right?