A Note from the Authors: Written collaboratively, and as a result styles may differ slightly. Rating is for explicit content in later chapters (graphic violence and sexual situations) - do not proceed further if you are not of the age of majority or are otherwise uncomfortable with such content.
Dinner was a mad affair. The twins were mocking Zenas mercilessly about his earlier defeat to them in a chess match. His father was trying to have a civilized conversation with Zahir, but every few words were interrupted by shouts to Zach or Zane to stop playing with their food or to Micha to lower his voice. Glancing around the table, Zenas would never have guessed at their ages. He was full of rich red wine, floating through the night in a half-drunken stupor to keep himself from breaking into pieces again.
"Boys, boys!" His mother shouted across the table, earning complete silence for her efforts. "I wanted you all to know that we will be hosting the Winter Ball a little late this year. Zenas will be unable to attend, but I expect the rest of you to be here! Zahir, I haven't seen your wife in entirely too long. Bring her. Zach, that girlfriend of yours better be here too! Zane, just bring someone, since you never seem to be able to make up your mind." There was a round of snickers from the twins, Zach, and Micha. "Zig and Zag have friends that have already been invited. Micha dear, I don't believe you'll be able to make it either, but if something changes, be sure to write and let me know."
Everyone nodded their agreement. Dessert was presented in glorious platters that Zenas had helped to decorate himself. He snagged a few macaroons but avoided the rest. He was stuffed to bursting from the roasted quail and sauteed vegetables. His glass of wine was filled once again.
"Hey, these are better than they usually are," Zig mentioned as he popped a tiny macaroon into his mouth. Zag hummed his agreement as he chewed.
"Zenas made them," his mother said, beaming with pride. "You should make some sweets to take back with you! We can work on it tomorrow morning." Zenas nodded once. He was reluctant to take anything of this sort back to headquarters, but Welcome and Petra would enjoy the treat. Any chance to spend a moment alone with his mother was a gift in and of itself.
He was itching to direct the conversation away from himself. "What happened to that guy you brought home last time, Zane?" Zane flushed red and stared into his wine glass. The twins laughed along with Zach. Zenas and Zach might have been similar in nearly every way, but Zane was the only one who shared Zenas' tastes for both sexes.
"We heard that he was dumped." The twins mocked together.
Zane's face screwed into an expression of annoyance. "No, I found him eating some chick's face."
"Even worse," Zig taunted.
"Given over for a girl," Zag added, sticking out his tongue.
"How tragic." Zach's comment piled onto the others. Zenas couldn't suppress a chuckle as Zane sank into his chair.
"At least your lovers live long enough to leave you." Zahir's comment was scathing and icy, directed right at Zenas.
"Watch yourself," their father warned with a sharp edge to his tone. "My brother was in the Survey Corps. This family has supported the Corps for generations, and I will not tolerate your continued badgering." Zahir tossed his napkin on the table and stood. "Have the carriage returned once you reach headquarters. Good night."
Zahir stalked out of the room without another word. Zig and Zag stifled their laughter behind their napkins. Zane drained his cup and Zach relaxed back in his chair. Zenas sighed heavily. He'd been the cause for the rift in his family since he was thirteen. His mother was the neutral entity, fighting to keep the peace between everyone. Regardless of what he'd done, she'd wrap her arms around him and tell him it was okay. She'd protected him from as much of the world as she could until he'd lost Zara, then he'd graduated and went to the Survey Corps.
"Where's Zeno been lately?" Zenas asked. He stood with the others as they prepared to move to the parlor. His father would switch to scotch and smoke a cigar. His mother would have brandy. Zenas wondered about the whisky from the night before, but didn't bother asking for it. He'd stick to wine. Zane offered him a cigarette. He accepted, if only for something to do. The twins settled down for another game of chess. Zach settled himself in a plush armchair across from their mother.
"Oh, somewhere in Utopia I imagine," his father said with a dismissing wave of his hand. "That man… what's his name?"
"Finneas," their mother supplied with a small smile. Zenas remembered the first time he'd met Finn. He was tall and lanky, too thin and bony for his personal tastes, but right up Zeno's alley by all appearances.
"Yes, yes - Finn. Damn my forgetfulness. They've got a small portion of our business going out there, keeping the supplies flowing and such." Their father settled himself more comfortably in his chair as the footman helped him light his cigar with a thick, long match. "They'll be here for the ball, I imagine, but they like their solace."
"I don't blame them," Zane mumbled. "Dad, give me something to work with in Sina!"
The old man just chuckled. "Not in a hundred years." He took a sip of his scotch as Zane's face pinched up. "You'd need to quit this business with pissing all of your time away in the Military Police Brigade."
"Best not to say such things in front of Zahir," their mother said with a small smile.
"You'd need to have formal education and you'd need to learn how to run a business." A drag from the cigar came with a thick cloud of smoke. "No son of mine will be allowed to waste valuable resources just for the hell of it."
The twins laughed to themselves. Zenas let himself smirk just a little. He pitched the last half of the cigarette into the fireplace. Zane was scowling. Zach shared Zenas' own look of mild amusement. Micha was half asleep on the sofa, his hand propping up his head where his elbow rested on the arm.
"My children, husband," their mother addressed them all with a flourish as she polished off her tiny glass of brandy. "I bid you all goodnight. Breakfast, boys, and no butts this time!"
They each bid their mother goodnight with a soft kiss and a gentle squeeze of her hand. She looked better today, Zenas thought, less like a corpse. He hoped she'd be recovered for the ball - dancing had always been her favorite thing in the world. She'd taught him when he was still little. He and Zara had danced together every chance they could, too. They'd been the perfect partners.
He excused himself for the night, leaving his glass on the mantle. He was leaving tomorrow afternoon, so he wanted to make sure he was up early enough to bake with his mother in the morning. Sleep found him quickly, for which he was grateful.
When he arrived back at headquarters, he found Welcome first. He was lounging in the mess hall. Zenas slipped the bag from his shoulder and pulled the tray of confections from the top. Thankfully, none of them had been damaged during the ride. Welcome's eyes lit up. "Here." Zenas' grunt came as he shoved the tray across the little table between them.
"These yours?" Welcome asked, unwrapping the tray. He snagged one of the tiny lemon squares and bit into it. Zenas smirked at his moan. "Holy shit man; I forget you can cook."
Zenas snagged one of the miniature cookies for himself as he sat on the edge of the table. "Mom helped."
That stopped Welcome's next groan of pleasure. "She alright?"
"No." It was easy to be honest with Welcome, even when he didn't want to be.
"The chair again?" Zenas nodded his answer. Welcome finished off the last of the lemon square and licked the powdered sugar from his fingers. "Well, you might want to go give some of those things away before I sit here and eat them all."
Zenas cracked a smile. Welcome really would eat the entire tray if given half a chance. He picked it up and carried it through to the kitchen. Petra was in there, her back to him while she prepared some tea. The natural assumption was that it was for Levi. Ever since she'd been added to his squad, she was forever doing little things like that for him.
"Here." He was much more gentle with his tone to Petra than he was with Welcome. He placed the tray on the counter beside her. She jumped a little, staring at the tray for a moment. A wide smile broke out on her face as she looked up at Zenas.
"Those look delicious!" She snagged a ginger cookie and nibbled at it. A look of surprise crossed her face as she found the rich cream in the center. "Where did you get these?"
Zenas shrugged as he slipped a few more of the cookies from the tray. He found a plate for them before adding two lemon squares and a few Madeleines. He gave her a cream puff too - one of only three. "I made them."
Petra gave a tiny sigh as she finished off the ginger cookie. "I remember now… Last time you brought those tiny chocolate cakes and the apple tarts." Zenas nodded once. She was silent for a moment. She collected the tea set on a tray, ready to carry it upstairs. Zenas added the plate of sweets. If Petra wanted to share them, she could. "I have a favor to ask…"
Zenas knew it wasn't going to be something he wanted to hear, but how could he say no to her? "What is it?"
"Would you make a cake for Captain Levi's birthday?" She gave him a tentative smile. "I know you two don't exactly get along, but… I can buy the ingredients and everything. I just don't think he's ever had a proper birthday cake."
Zenas nodded once. With her hopeful smile, he didn't even feel bad about it. Truth be told, he enjoyed baking. Each creation was its own work of art. "What kind?"
"Whatever you think is best." Petra gave him a bright smile, but Zenas took that to mean she that she wasn't sure what he would like. He ran through a quick list of his favorite cakes in his mind. The sight of the orange zest in the bottom of the cups gave him an idea.
"Dobos torte, then, with orange zest instead of lemon." He couldn't help but return some of Petra's smile. "When is it?"
"Next week, a few days before we go out on the next expedition." She lifted the tea tray and stepped away from the counter. "Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help!" He stepped aside and watched her leave.
"Fuck dude, just kiss her already and be done with it." Zenas snapped his head around to glare at Welcome from the other entrance. He smirked and shrugged as he stalked through the room. "You took too long with my sweets." He snatched up one of the other cream puffs and bit into it, little flakes and crumbs sprinkling everywhere. There was a smear of the cream on his face. Welcome made to wipe at it with his sleeve, but Zenas shot his hand out and scooped it off with his finger.
"Don't waste this shit." He licked the glob from his finger and laughed at Welcome's flat expression. "It's too good for that."
"That's hardly hygienic." Zenas rolled his eyes at the sound of Wil's voice from behind him. He turned, propping his back against the counter. Welcome still had the tray in his hand.
"Hey, even Dr. Death should like your sweets!" He held out the tray to Wil. Welcome was the only one to really use the dark nickname, but he treated it like a joke. Zenas could always tell it make Wil uncomfortable, but he knew it was better for Welcome to joke about it and desensitize him to its use. When people began to say it in earnest in front of him, then maybe it wouldn't affect him as badly.
Wil stared at the tray for a moment, hesitating. "The lemon squares are the best." Zenas snagged one of the last few himself and bit into it, the powdered sugar dusting his fingers and sprinkling down over his jacket. He brushed it away as Wil reached for one. "They aren't poisoned."
Wil shot him a dark look before biting into the small square. Zenas smirked just a little with satisfaction as Wil's expression brightened slightly. He was enjoying the confection, even if Zenas knew he probably wouldn't admit it. He scooped the last cream puff from the tray and held it out for Wil. The kid looked like he could use a little cheering up. Eating something sweet had always helped him in the past.
"Hey, that's the last one!" Welcome whined as Wil took the pastry.
"Quit your bitching," Zenas muttered. "I can make more. Petra wants me to make a cake anyway, so I'll go ahead and get the stuff for more of those." He tried not to watch Wil bite into the cream puff, but he wanted to know what the kid thought of the fruity cream in the center. It was something new he'd tried. While Welcome and Petra would always praise his sweets, he wanted an unbiased opinion. Wil seemed to enjoy it. There was a softening in his expression that spoke of distant memories.
"Well let's go then!" Welcome snagged a macaroon and grabbed Zenas' arm, dragging him out of the kitchen. "I'll even help you."
Zenas laughed a little. "No way, not after you nearly burnt down the kitchen last time. Erwin would kill me if I let you near the stove again." They shared another moment of laughter, then bundled into their coats and headed for the market. Zenas found himself just a little proud that Wil had enjoyed the cream puff.
