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“And that’s how it’s done!” Lailah smiled sweetly at the younger boy standing next to her. She gently placed still a hot baking tray filled with freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. This was already the fifth batch they made together, or well more correctly said, Lailah baked while Mikleo just watched.
Now, Lailah was a patient woman, if she could say so herself, but it was starting to frustrate even her. It’s not like Mikleo was a newbie in the kitchen, heck this wasn’t their first baking session together either. Granted water seraph had yet to produce even one batch of unburnt cookies, but he couldn’t just keep watching all the time, he had to keep trying himself, plus Lailah just about had it with his ‘one more time’s.
“Could you show me once more, I think I almost got the timing down”, Mikleo asked once again, crossing his arms and staring intently at the tray with the cookies as if he could somehow decipher the secret how they turned as perfect as they did. He had been trying to figure out how to make them for years now, albeit so far unsuccessfully. He just couldn’t understand why would they always burn, he had the bather and the shaping of treats down to a tee, but whenever he would put them in the oven they would come out scorched, solid black and uneatable.
Back in Elysia others theorized that perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he was a water seraph, hence his ability to produce most fantastic cold treats while having absolutely no luck with baked goods, at first he found it ridiculous but little by little he was starting to believe in their words. Perhaps indeed fate just so decided that he could not produce any of the baked goodies that his shepherd loved so much.
Sure Sorey would always turn around and in a heartbeat proclaim that Mikleo’s soft serve was his favourite of all sweets he ever had, but that was not the point. Mikleo didn’t want to monopolize Sorey in the sense that all his favorite treats were of Mikleo’s making, he just wanted to uphold the childish old promise to his best friend. Well, that was what started this torture anyway, by now he just wanted to prove himself that he could bake at very least simple things as well. Mikleo was not one to accept defeat that easily.
“Now, now,” Lailah clasped her hands freed from oven mitts, “You know that no matter how many times you watch me do it, by now it won’t do you any good, what you need is practice!” The fire seraph nodded a couple of times as if agreeing with each word she spoke, and while it was true that Mikleo couldn’t help but feel just as frustrated about it all as he was before.
“I know that, they do say practice makes perfect, don’t they…” Mikleo offered the fire seraph a weak smile, he was not ready to give up just yet. Rolling the sleeves of his shirt back up, Mikleo laughed a little, partially amused by his own stubbornness, partly of how motherly Lailah was. “Okay, I will give it a shot again.”
“That’s the spirit!” She giggled excitedly, moving further away from the table they were working at. ”Plus you have plenty of time till-! Oh, sorry…”
“It’s okay, I do have plenty of time till he wakes up.”
oOoOoOo
He couldn’t remember if winters in Elysia were always cold like this, the sun was already high up in the sky but it made little to no difference to the prominent winter weather. Sorey could not muster any strength or will to get out of his warm sheets he was rolled up in on his bed. Not even the sweet aroma of herbal tea or the spicy scent of ginger hanging in the air gave him enough courage to face the cold air that would surely nip at his skin the moment he removed the sheets.
Sorey gently patted the empty space on the bed next to him, finding it cold but the clanking of dishes already told the young seraph that much. He noticed that Mikleo seemed very animated yesterday, promising a pleasant surprise, although he refused to let Sorey in on what it was in the end. It hasn’t been that long since Sorey woke up from his slumber with Maotelus, so there was hardly any way of him knowing what exactly got his beloved all excited, but from a couple of months spent together he could already gather that it would be good day. Probably not one where they would discover yet another ruins that Sorey didn’t see yet, but one where they would stay in and relish in each other’s company. No matter how much they loved to explore the wonders surrounding them, now that they had all the time in the world, spending it at home together was just as alluring as a promise of an adventure.
Sluggishly Sorey threw sheets off himself and shivered at the cool winter morning air attacking his skin. Taking one of the lighter blankets and draping it around his shoulders, as there was no chance that he would actually move from his spot with no guard on his shoulders, he slowly dragged his feet to the small kitchen of their shared home. There stood Mikleo, still only in his briefs and slightly too big shirt, his hair pulled in messy bun at the back of his head and softly humming an old lullaby while pouring hot tea in a pair of matching tea cups.
“Morning.”
“Good morning love, slept well?”, Mikleo chuckled as Sorey yawned instead of an answer, placing the two cups on the table with freshly baked goodies he smiled softly, “why don’t you join me for tea?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” Sorey grinned back to Mikleo, moving further in the kitchen to sit down next to the other. “Has Lailah been over while I was asleep? These are amazing!” Sorey exclaimed through mouthful of gingerbread cookies in the shape of various animals that he started eating the moment he sat down.
“Why would you think so?” Mikleo halted midway of raising his tea cup, blinking a couple of times, visibly confused.
“Cause these are still warm.”
“Well I will have you know that I can bake pretty well now.” Mikleo huffed, finally taking a sip of his tea.
“Seriously? These are amazing you know!” Sorey praised him, reaching for yet another cookie.
No matter how many years it took him, seeing Sorey smile like that while eating his baked goodies made Mikleo believe it was all worth it. All those sleepless nights of frustration and all burnt down kitchens were worth it. Perhaps it was a bit selfish, but all that mattered to Mikleo, that in the end Sorey was here with him, enjoying hot tea with cookies in this cold winter morning. Honestly that was more than he could have ever asked for. More than he could have ever hoped for.
“Well I had a lot of time to practice.”