Cookie Cutters
It was their first Christmas together. And Owen had been doing all he could to make it special for Zach. It would also be the first Christmas the young man had spent away from his family. Gray was supposed to have come, but his flight had been grounded by a sudden snowstorm. So Zach was stuck alone, with only Owen to keep him company this holiday.
So Owen was going to make it perfect! Even if he really didn't have proper Christmas decorations. What was so wrong with sticking dinosaur figures on the tree anyways? It looked awesome!
Owen bent down in front of the over, staring into the tiny window. Don't burn, don't burn, don't burn! If he messed up the cookies, that would just be another notch in the bad Christmas post. And then he'd feel awful! Owen let out a sigh and glanced at the clock on the oven.
35 seconds! Oh shit! He jumped up and grabbed the oven mitt.
25 seconds! He slipped the mitt on.
10 seconds! He gripped the handle and narrowed his eyes at the timer.
BEEEEEEP!
Owen pulled the door open quickly and grabbed the cookie sheet. He pulled it out gently and stood back up straight. Gingerly, he set the pan down on the stove top and pulled off the over mitt. Well... they looked fine. He smiled and reached over the counter to pull out a spatula.
For the next hour, he finished the cookies. He carefully transferred them to the cooling racks. Then he got out the icing and food coloring and set to work decorating them with slow precision. And then they were perfect!
The door opened and Zach came in. He sighed deeply and dropped the bags he was holding on the floor by the couch.
"Hey." Owen called.
"Hey." Zach breathed out. "Gray's not here but his present just arrived in the mail."
Owen frowned. "Well... you can still wrap it and put it under the tree. He'll come eventually."
Zach shrugged and sunk down on the couch.
"Stay right there!" Owen smiled brightly as he set the cookies on a plate walked around the counter. He set the plate down on the coffee table in front of Zach.
Zach looked down at the non-Christmassy cookies. His mouth slowly curled into a smile. "Did you make raptor shaped cookies?"
Owen nodded his head, still smiling widely. "Cut them out by hand."
Zach let out a laugh as he picked up a cookie colored just like Echo. He bought the cookie to his mouth to take a bite. But as he started to chew on it, he knew right away something was off. He chocked down the revolting bite and dropped the cookie back on the plate.
Owen frowned. "Zach?"
Zach looked up at him, looking about ready to be sick. "What'd you do to them?"
Owen shrugged. "Nothing! Same cookies I make every year!"
"You make these every year?"
Owen nodded. "Yeah! They're awesome! The girls love them."
Zach's eyes widened and he jumped up. "Oh god..." He turned for the bathroom. "Do not tell me what you put in them! I mean it!"
Owen frowned and tilted his head. He watched Zach disappear into the bathroom and slam the door. "Hmm..." He mused aloud. He bent down and grabbed the headless Echo cookie. He took a bite and chewed it. Tasted fine to him. Perfect balance of sugar and insect mash.