Stress Cookies! (Hermitcraft mini story)

Chapter 12 ♥︎

"Alright so just- ah not quiet..." Stress chuckled.

"Ugh! How are oatmeal cookies harder than normal chocolate chip! It's like, the most boring cookie! Doesn't that automatically make it the easiest!?" Alex cried out in anguish.

"Well I'd say the consistency of these are probably what's holding us back." Stress said, mocking how Joe would talk all formally. They both burst into laughter, only because Stress had been explaining who these cookies were for and what he was like. Alex felt homely here, learning about the Hermits he had met long ago but never really got to know, and only feeling a little left out in all of it. He pushed those thoughts out, because he was here, right now, and feeling completely included and comfortable in the skull in the snow.

"Ok luv, let's add some more flour to this mess and maybe it'll actually form a dough we can use."

Alex nodded, and started the treacherous task of trying to get a few scoops of flour in the oatmeal "dough" without getting it on himself instead.

After a few minutes of struggling, having to hand mix the tough dough because the automatic one got stuck with the googy texture of these ones, laughing at their huge mess for just one batch, and finally sighing in relief at the ding of the timer, breathing in the smell of perfectly made cookies, they were done.

"We did it."

"We did it!"

"We actually did it!"

They rejoiced, taking in the smell of the fresh cookies and relaxing in the heat of the kitchen from the oven. They did it.

"Oh we need to take these geasers out!" Stress exclaimed, quickly grabbing the oven mits and sliding them out onto the last bit of free counter they had left.

The cookies were carefully put on the cooling rack one by one so they wouldn't break apart in transport, and there was a deafening silence as the last cookie was slid off the tray onto the metal grid with the rest.

Alex felt the weight of the world on him as he put all of his focus onto this last cookie. He couldn't break it. The last cookie of this difficult batch- and he couldn't mess it up.

And then the weight washed away, as the last cookie was perfectly placed, not a crack in any of them.

"Oh my god that was more difficult than anything I've ever done." Alex sighed and leaned against a wall in exhaustion, with a content smile on his face.

"But we did it luv! And Joe's going to love these after we make the last batches and deliver 'em all."

"Please tell me the next ones aren't oatmeal again."

"Just chocolate chip, I promise."

"Phew."

Stress smiled, a little tired, but they would have time to rest while the oven cooled once they finished. For now- it was time for a baking montage. Or in reality, many hours for the two cookie bakers.

"Oh shoot shoot! Get those cookies out of the oven Alex!" Stress said quickly as she herself paused the dough she was working on in the blender. Alex jumped from where he was rolling balls of dough and scrambled to the oven, throwing the door open before reaching his lava-proof gloved hands to grab the tray.

"Where should I put them?" He asked quickly, trying to find some available counter space.

"Uhm- on top of the toaster luv!" Stress said. It was the only place sorta left, and as long as they didn't knock the tray, it would be fine until they cleaned up more room for it.