𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐒𝐄𝐒 | bakutodo

SIXTEEN

"hm. how much butter did you put in?" ... "i thought you said oil."

"WHY WOULD I TELL YOU TO ADD OIL?!" "i don't know. aren't you the expert?" "I AM! THAT'S WHY I SAID BUTTER, NOT OIL!" katsuki pinched the bridge of his nose, cooling his head by taking a sip of his red bull.

"this is fine. it can be fixed. i'm scared to ask, but what kind of oil did you put?" "olive oil." "i- hmph. how much." katsuki spoke through gritted teeth, trying his absolute hardest not to lose it. "..about half a cup." the blonde exhaled, thanking the lord.

"okay. now add one quarter of a cup of butter to even it out. it might taste a bit like.. olives, but the sugar should overpower it." shouto nodded and reached for the margarine and the measuring cup.

;

"why is it smoking?" "hUh?" katsuki turned around, dropping his knife once his eyes found the sauce pan which had grey smoke steaming above it. "WHY IS IT SMOKING?!" "i don't know. that's why i'm asking you."

"OH MY G- okay, step back." shouto complied, stepping a fair distance away from the stove. katsuki snatched a tea towel from the side, lifting the handle with it wrapped around it. the chocolate and the butter looked fine, so..

"you just had the temperature too high. you didn't burn anything. not yet, at least." "okay." shouto nodded, moving over to stir the chocolate once the blonde had turned down the heat.

;

"why wont it turn on."

"hm?" katsuki peered over, eyes scanning the electronic mixer.

"you forgot to plug it in."

"oh."

;

"alright. now we can put the batter in." katsuki pushed the frosting he had been preparing to the side, making his way to shouto who had plainly been mixing the batter together. but after just one whiff, he could tell something was off.

"why does it smell like caramel."

"i added more vanilla extract."

"..how much."

"a few table spoons."

"OH MY FUCKING- okay. can you go pre-heat the oven to 160?" shouto nodded, innocently shuffling over to the oven.

katsuki turned his pantry inside out, searching for a certain ingredient he doubted he even owned. once he had luckily spotted it, he closed the door behind him and returned to the bowl which reeked of vanilla.

"what are you doing?" shouto asked curiously, standing on the tips of his toes to peer over the blonde's shoulder. "adding citrus extract to even out the vanilla." shouto hummed in acknowledgement, watching with the greatest interest as katsuki's strong arms whisked the batter.

"okay. now, we can put it in the oven."

;

"-ant to do, is cut them in a triangular shape, and then insert the ends into the slits. like this." katsuki demonstrated, building the finely cut strawberries into a small flower.

"hm," shouto copied him. "that's what she said."

"i swear to god-"

;

"alright. go put this in the fridge." shouto nodded and took the fresh, steaming cake from his hands, making his way towards the fridge.

wait... did he say fridge or freezer?

he shrugged and pulled the door of the freezer open, placing it on the top shelf before gently closing it. "oi. come help me with the icing."

;

"WHY IS THE CAKE IN THE FREEZER?!"

"that's where you told me to put it."

katsuki sighed, putting his palms together as he prayed for his sanity. "peppermint. sweetheart. darling. baby." he smiled a bittersweet smile. "touch this." shouto pressed the vanilla cake with his index finger.

"IT'S FROZEN SOLID YOU DUMBASS!" ... "oh."

;

"the only thing you've been good at was cutting the strawberries and this. you told me you were an excellent baker."

"i am."

"bullshit!" katsuki barked as he guided the heterochromatic eyed boy's hands in circular motions, the pipe squeezing out little spikes of chocolate frosting. "good." the blonde praised, leaving shouto to cover the rest himself.

once the top of the cake was covered, katsuki gently placed the layered strawberry flower in the middle, marvelling at his work as he dusted some baking powder over it.

"there we go-..."

shouto ignored him, squeezing frosting directly into his mouth with a contented face.

"stop eating the fucking frosting! you're going to get sick!"

;

"my stomach hurts!" shouto whined as he curled up into a ball on katsuki's bed, stomach flipping inside and out from the amount of cake and frosting he had consumed.

"that's what happens when you eat half a cake in less than an hour." katsuki mused, crushing 500 milligrams of ibuprofen into a small glass for the whiny boy on his bed after ten minutes of shouto refusing to take them whole.

"here," he mumbled, throwing himself down on the bed next to shouto.

"you're a real pain. you know that?" katsuki grumbled, resting a hand on the top of shouto's head.

"you love me." shouto responded teasingly.

yeah. katsuki thought. i do.