Stacked with: MC4A; Shower of Words
Individual Challenge(s): Gryffindor MC (x2); Neurodivergent; In a Flash; Click Bait It
Representation(s): Birthday; ADHD James Potter
Bonus challenge(s): Delicious Lie; Second Verse (Fizzy Lemonade); Chorus (Not a Lamp)
Tertiary bonus challenge(s): NA
Word count: 514
Shipping War entry information:
Ship (Team): Lily Evans and James Potter (Patronus Pair)
List (Prompt): Big List (Baked Goods)
Icing Was a Mistake
James did another lap of the block to cool off after his run, before leisurely making his way back to the cottage. Their neighbor, who they hadn't met yet, had elaborate rose bushes in her front garden which highlighted just how much love their own front lawn needed—but James was optimistic that once they got settled in, they'd figure something out.
He opened the front door and was immediately hit by the smell of cinnamon, brown sugar, melted butter, dough… He checked his watch again. He was an early riser, but surely he hadn't been out that long…
"Lily?" he called cautiously.
"Kitchen!" she called back. He arched an eyebrow. Lily Evans. Awake by 7:00. On a Sunday..?
He meandered over, navigating the labyrinth of moving boxes that yet to be unpacked, and there she was in the kitchen. The countertop was floured, and the sink was full of dishes, but James was focused mostly on Lily. She was standing in the middle of the room wearing her pajamas and holding out a plate of cinnamon buns drowned in icing. She had dug up a single candle to top it all off.
"Happy birthday!" she said.
He smiled.
"You got up at the crack of dawn to bake?" James asked.
"Well, it's your birthday," Lily said. "I suppose that would be clearer if this was a cake, but as it turns out we don't own any cake pans, so I had to improvise. I did want to make something that could hold icing, though, so cinnamon buns it was."
"Which was probably more work," he said, dipping a finger in the icing and licking it off. "This is delicious."
"There will be actual cake later, I promise," Lily said. "I called Sirius and apparently Remus is on it."
"I don't need actual cake later," James said. He took the plate from her hands and put it on the table so that he could pull her close to him. "I've got everything I need for the best birthday ever."
"That's good to hear," Lily said, trailing her fingers down his bare chest. "I wasn't sure where we stood on the issue of birthday cinnamon buns."
"We are pro birthday cinnamon buns," James said. "We are pro anything you make, actually."
"That's good to know," Lily said. "I had half a mind to bake these completely naked, just in case you weren't."
"We would also be pro naked baking," James said. "Just for future reference."
Lily laughed. "Also, you already have icing on your face. How do you already have icing on your face?"
"A rare gift," James smiled, electing not to bring up the patch of flour in her hair. He bent down to kiss her, in the interest of causing a distraction, and reached out to dip his fingers in the icing again. When he pulled back, he smeared some on her face.
"James!" she said.
He laughed and darted off, running through the cottage before she could catch him. It was really her mistake, to give him icing in the first place.