Apple Delights

Shibani stood in the kitchen, staring at the basket of apples he had brought home earlier that day. A quick glance at the stalactites outside his window told him it was mid afternoon. With a hand on his chin, he glanced at the apples once more then headed out the door towards the orchards.

Reaching the orchard, Shibani grabbed a basket then got to work harvesting a few more apples, humming softly to himself as he looked them over to make sure they were ripe enough.
“How ripe does an apple have to be to be used in a dango recipe?” He wondered. Had Dan told him before and he just forgot? He figured they had to be ripe enough right?
“Maybe a bit bruised? I remember dango not being that sweet.” The white succubun made his way further into the orchard, scanning the ground for any apples that may have fallen off the trees.

Returning home after his haul, Shibani’s ears twitched as he heard the sound of mochi being pounded in the backyard, indicating that Dan had woken up from his nap.
Shibani set the basket down on another counter, then grabbed an apron and the cookbook.
“Let’s see… apple fritters.” He read over the ingredients and grabbed everything he needed.
“Do we have any glaze? We should, right? Wait… no that’s syrup. Maybe I can make some?” Shibani sifted through the cookbook to see if there was a glaze recipe inside.
“Aha! This cookbook has everything. I wonder where Dan bought it from.” 

Once the apple fritters were done baking, Shibani placed them on a plate then made his way towards the backyard.
“You finally decided to take a break, I see.”
Dan turned in the direction of the voice, eyes dropping to the plate in the white succubun’s hands.
“Yeah and just in time too.” He stands up and makes his way over.
“You made apple fritters?”
“Yup! Fresh out of the oven too with some deliciously handmade glaze.”
“Yeah? What brought this on?” Dan asked, taking one of the fritters and eating it, his eyes lighting up.
“Wow, these are really good.”
“Well, I figured that I should give you something as a thank you for buying me that body pillow. Especially since you don’t like crowds and I owe you something for letting me stay with you.”

Dan stared at Shibani for a few minutes.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
The other male grinned then leaned down and quickly kissed Shibani’s cheek, making him blush deeply.
“You didn’t have to do this but, thank you. Also, did you know that you’re cute when you blush?”
That comment alone made Shibani blush even more, causing Dan to burst out laughing as he took the plate from him and headed inside.
“Hey wait! That’s not fair you know?! You can’t just walk off after making me blush like that!” Shibani exclaimed..

Dan was still laughing as he entered the workshop, eventually stopping when he noticed the second basket on the counter.
“You got more apples?”
Shibani huffed as he picked up one of the fritters.
“Yeah. I figured you could use them to make some dango. I wasn’t sure if they were supposed to be ripe or bruised so I got a bit of both.”
Dan hummed to himself as he looked one over.
“Want to help me make some?”
“Right now?”
“After you finish your fritter. You can put the rest in the fridge for later.”
“Sure, I don’t mind.”
“Great. I’ll get everything prepared. We should still have enough rice to make a few batches. Plus we’ll need to think of a topping.”
“What about honey? Apples and honey are delicious.” Shibani suggested placing the fritters in the fridge.
“Ahh, honey and caramel maybe.”
“Honey and caramel together?” Shibani asked, wondering what that would taste like. Has he ever had honey and caramel together in anything?
“Yes. Honey and caramel together. Trust me, it’ll work.”
Shibani chuckled softly, helping Dan prepare everything they needed.
“Well, if you’re perfectly sure. It wouldn’t hurt to give it a try.”