"Why are you making cake at three in the morning?" Said Arix. Steve looked blankly at him.
"I need to have a reason for making cake? Cake is good."
"Yeah, but…"
"I couldn't sleep." Probably, now that he thought of it, because Arix had woken him up. "I had cake materials. Cake is good." Steve dipped a finger in the batter and tasted it. "Huh. It's kind of plain. It'll be alright, I guess." He drizzled more honey in and mixed it, then threw in a handful of small, hard, brown chunks.
"What are those?" said Arix.
"Chocolate."
"Huh?"
"It makes everything better."
"They look like little rat shits."
"Well, you're a bundle of joy when you get woken up in the middle of the night."
"You didn't wake me up." He'd woken suddenly in a gripping fear that he was losing himself to oblivion, to dark waves which washed silently against the walls of the treehouse, held back only by the dim and flickering torchlight. He didn't feel like going back to sleep.
"Hmm." Steve looked around. "I…. don't have a cake pan here. That is a problem." He looked around the room and then under the table. Then, with an expression of deep thought, made several objects appear in his hand with a quick succession of popping noises. "Hmm."
Arix sat down in the only chair and watched him wander around the room, poking through chests and muttering to himself. He kept up a stream of talk, half to Arix and half as though he weren't there at all. He did this often, and sometimes he'd stop suddenly, acting embarrassed, and tell Arix to say something. When Arix spoke, he listened intently, sometimes cocking his head as if struggling to keep up: he listened so intently that Arix sometimes forgot what he was trying to say. It was distracting. He knew Steve was memorizing every word that he said.
"Ha!" said Steve, pulling a bucket out of a chest and holding it triumphantly above his head.
"It's a bucket," said Arix. It didn't look like a good size or shape to fit into the oven.
"It's also a potential cake pan," said Steve, "if you're willing to think creatively."
"OK. How are we going to make it a cake pan?" The bucket was anything but flimsy. It looked like it could transport just about anything.
"Simple," said Steve. He then spent several minutes rummaging through chests and muttering in confusion.
"Simple?"
"Yeah. Yeah, well, sort of, I mean, it will be, once I—yeah! Got it. Now it's simple." He stood up, holding a diamond-bladed axe. Arix blinked. Back in the city that would cost… how much? "So, we just trim it down…" it didn't matter out here. Steve split the side of the bucket to within several inches of the bottom and then carefully turned the axe to cut in a circle.
"You're good at this. Have you done it before?" said Arix, watching him shape the metal.
"Made a cake pan out of a bucket? No. I used to be a blacksmith, though."
"Really! That explains the burn scars."
"Heh. Not really."
"No?"
"Plenty of blacksmiths have a successful career with only minor scars, if any. I was a klutz, and that makes a difference."
"Huh." Arix chuckled. Steve flinched as the upper part of the pan sprang loose and fell onto the table. He held up the bottom and tested the depth.
"Success!" he aimed it at Arix. "Look! It's a cake pan!" It was a little uneven in depth, but it looked like it would hold batter just fine.
"Yeah, that looks like a cake pan."
"Behold the powers of science!" said Steve, flipping the cake pan in his hands. He then winced and popped a knuckle into his mouth. "Uh. The edge is a bit sharp though. Careful of that." Arix sighed.
"I'll get the bandages."
"No, no, it'll heal up in a bit." But he had an awkward time pouring the cake batter into the pan without pouring in any blood, and kept his cut knuckle in his mouth as much as he could. Finally the cake was in the oven and the knuckle had stopped bleeding. Steve curled up on the floor near Arix's chair and they waited. After a while Arix realized that he'd been asleep, and that he'd been woken by a thud that seemed to shake the whole treehouse. Steve had flopped over onto the floor, where he simply shifted into a comfortable position and closed his eyes. Arix looked down. Steve was relaxed, breathing deeply. It was a little odd to see him relaxed. Arix fell into a light sleep again, only waking when Steve bolted up. "Huh—what time is it? I mean, how long has it been?" he stared up at Arix, who shrugged. Steve peeked into the oven, raced around the room looking for a dishrag, found one, lifted the cake out with it and set it on the table. The top was slightly puffed and browned, reaching about as high as the edge of the makeshift pan. "It's perfect!"
Arix thought the little brown pits in the top where the chocolate had sunk in rather spoiled the effect, but he didn't say so. It had been a long time since he'd had cake of any variety. "Well, are we going to eat it?"
"Hm, not yet, it needs to cool off a bit. I'd stay up a bit if you'd like to."
"Sure." Although he was feeling better. Perhaps he would have been able to sleep. He stayed up anyway.
"It melts?" said Arix, looking down at the chocolate bits in his cake, which had turned gooey. Now it looked more unappetizing than ever.
"Oh yeah," said Steve, around a mouthful of cake. "It's good."
"You have chocolate on your nose." Steve swiped at his face, rubbing everywhere except where the chocolate was. "Your nose. No, on the end. Got it."
"Thanks." Arix looked down at his cake. It did smell good. He fortified himself with a sip of tea and took a bite. The warm cake crumbled softly into the gooey chocolate, which had a rich, sweet taste unlike any candy or food he'd tasted before. Steve watched Arix chew slowly. Arix's eyes had gotten big. "Is it good?" asked Steve. Arix silently took another, larger bite. Steve smiled. "It's good. I told you."
Arix sighed quietly and took another sip of tea. "Alright, I believe you."
"Good. That's nice. I like it when people believe me." Arix closed his eyes for a moment. Warmth radiated through the core of his body. Lamplight flickered against his eyelids. He was feeling better, and the darkness was far away. Whatever the hell chocolate was, he'd decided that he liked it. He took another bite of cake.
A/N: I uh…
I made cake late at night a few days back, and put chocolate chips in it because I didn't have icing and was making it like a sheet cake, but I'm not sure if that justifies this at all.
I'm working on some serious stuff, I swear. I just feel like writing fluff right now. I'm still settling back into school and feeling kind of stressed. So here. Have some cake.