Page 75 of In This Iron Ground
“I thought you’d be able to use Google Translate. My mistake.”
“You know, you didn’t use to be such a brat.”
“I guess it’s the Salgado effect.”
“Yeah, or the Koko effect,” Hakan said.
Damien laughed. “The point is these are the wrong vegetables.”
“It won’t matter! We’ll invent a new dish.”
“Maybe next time I should just give you the recipe in scent form and you can find the right beans.”
“You know, the werewolf jokes are getting real old.”
“Are you kidding me? You make fun of me for being human all the time. Youliterallyjust laughed at me like twenty minutes ago when I couldn’t move that box of books.”
“I wasn’t laughingatyou.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. You were laughing at the random thing happening at the exact same moment I tried to pick up the box. My mistake.”
“I wassmilingat the fact that you insisted on carrying that box even though I was standing right there.”
“Oh, you weresmiling! Well, you have an incredibly loud smile! So loud, in fact, it should almost be called something else. And I’m strong, okay! Look at these muscles!” Damien pulled back his sleeve to reveal his thin arms.
“Wow. Impressive,” Hakan deadpanned.
“And I practically have a six-pack!” Damien lifted his shirt to show off his flat and absolutely untoned stomach. When he looked up, Hakan was looking away.
“You have a beautiful body, Damien. That reminds me—Fitness Weeklycalled. They want you on the cover.”
“I can’t believe you’re body-shaming me right now.”
“You’re the one stripping in my kitchen.”
“Really? You, the werewolf who goes balls-to-the-wind every full moon, are shy about nudity?”
“Balls to the…I can’t with you,” Hakan laughed. “Let’s just do the damn recipe. Whose idea was it to cook together, anyway?”
“Koko’s.”
“Figures.”
Despite the playful arguing that extended throughout the whole of cooking, the end result was surprisingly delicious.
“Wow. This actually turned out good,” Damien said, humming around the next spoonful.
“Told you.”
“When did you tell me that? You were the one that was all,‘Why are we cooking together? I hate you, Damien, I hate you and every vegetable you’ve ever touched.’”
“You’re joking, but that is honestly your internal voice sometimes, I swear to God.”
“How would you know what my internal voice is like! It’sinternal.”
“Super ears.”
“Yeah. And in between your super ears you have a super empty head.”
