A/N: (prompt 21: cooking/baking) I'm still undecided about whether baking with Zack would be a trial of patience or loads of fun.

June 21: A Tasty Disaster

16:50; Midgar, Midgarian Continent

Sephiroth had expected peace and quiet when he returned from the reactor meltdown (why it had waited until after the ball had ended to do so, the general would never know) but that wasn't the case.

Zack was doing something in the kitchen. Normally that wouldn't be much cause for alarm: Zack knew how to cook and could prepare a variety of edible foods. But, normally, Zack wouldn't turn the kitchen into something that made a mako reactor melton look appealing. All along every possible surface were bowls of every color and size, some filled with multicolored powders, others with strange liquids, and some even half-spilling their sticky substances on the few clean patches of counter. Sephiroth almost wanted to go back to the reactor.

"Zack... what are you making?" Sephiroth didn't want to know. Judging by the ingredients, it didn't appear to be explosives or something intentionally poisonous, but, what else could be the result of such chaos be? There was tower bag of sugar, it's contents partially spilled on the floor; perhaps it had something to do with Zack's sweet tooth.

"A tasty thing! Don't worry. It's super delicious, and sweet, and amazing! You'll love it." Zack was wearing an apron over his uniform, but it didn't seem to offer much protection from the fine white powder that doused him like a ghost.

"I... see." It sounded like Zack had no idea what he was making. That boded well: neither of them knew what Zack was making. As much as Sephiroth didn't want to help, he also didn't want to wait and see if his lover accidentally mixed together a homemade bomb.

"No, no, it's like this... this bread stuff. I forget the name. But it's super crumbly and good. I totally had some today from this nice old lady I saved from monsters under the plate. And it was like... the most amazing bread I've ever eaten! And - … ow. What are you doing, Seph?"

Sephiroth was horrified. Didn't Zack know not to eat food given to him by strangers, especially by people under the plate; those people hated ShinRa! The silver general was holding Zack's face in his hands, keeping him from mixing the strange array of ingredients on the counter, and examining him. Nothing in his scent, pulse, or eyes signified familiar poisons and heavy drugs. But that didn't mean Zack was safe.

"Do you know how dangerous that was?" Sephiroth hissed at his lover. He had to get taken down to medical, get a full body exam and check for poisons. There were some lethal poisons that acted slowly when they came in contact with the enhanced, their symptoms were hard to detect until it was almost too late. There were too many people below the plate who could take advantage of Zack's good will for a free shot at ShinRa.

"Uh... taking down the monster is always dangerous?" Zack pouted, trying to come up with the right answer. The silver general practically growled at his naivety.

"I'm talking about taking food from strangers. Zack. You're SOLDIER. Do you even realize how many people would like to kill you down there?"

Zack didn't look any less confused. "But I see Mrs. Johnson once a month and she always gives me something really good. She says it's repayment for keeping thugs from tearing up her storefront. She's really nice, Seph."

The silver general felt a headache coming on. Once a month? "How long have you been seeing this... Mrs. Johnson?"

The Third hesitated for a moment, looking into his lover's eyes. "Six months."

This had been going on for six months? And he hadn't bothered to tell Sephiroth about it? Zack was such an ignorant fool.

"Look, Seph, chill," Zack brought up a hand and brushed a hand along his cheek. "Mrs. Johnson's a really great baker, I actually heard about her shop from Meyers a while back. She's trying to make enough money to move up to the plate, but people kept trashing her place and stealing her gil. So sometimes me and some other guys pop down there and check up on her and she feeds us something good. If she wanted to bring any of us down she could have done it a long time ago."

The explanation was logical: if Zack had been seeing this woman with his friends, she could have easily have poisoned them months ago. The thought was as chilling as it was relaxing. But...

"Why have you told no one about this?" Sephiroth's tone was more of an order.

"Ugh, Seph," there was a sigh as Zack rolled his eyes. "It's not like I report in every time I go to a bar with the guys or something. It's the same thing. We just meet up sometimes and head down there. I mean, like, Meyers is down there practically once a week! He's always bragging about the shit he's eating down there, he's even getting fat. Imagine, Meyers – fat!"

Sephiroth sighed. Zack was right, he knew – the Third often spent time with his friends when their schedules allowed it, but the general still disliked not knowing where Zack spent his free time. When he made First, Sephiroth would worry less, but until then... "I would... prefer it if you told me when you go down."

"Oh..." Zack's brows shot up. "Does that mean you want to come with me?"

"No."

"Oh, okay. Well... maybe you could help me out. You know, get a taste of the experience? Or maybe just a taste of the bread. It's really tasty!" Zack smiled brightly, hugging his lover close. The general could almost feel the mess smearing into his coat from where they connected.

Sephiroth sighed. He was still tense, but didn't particularly feel like leaving Zack alone in the kitchen; it still didn't entirely explain why he was agreeing to this.

"Alright, let's do this!" Zack said with exuberance. It was rare they worked together in the kitchen, usually only when there was a disaster to be averted – most notably when Zack had managed to catch the stove on fire. The Third untangled himself and took up a position at the stirring bowl he had abandoned. "Why don't you put some flour in that bowl over there while I mix these? No, don't look at the red bowl, it's the blue one. No, the other blue one. Yeah. That one."

Sephiroth took a moment to glance between the flour and the colorful bowl filled with clumps of brown – hopefully that was sugar. "How are you quantifying 'some'?"

Zack lifted his gaze up from the bowl he was stirring, one hand dashing in an fragrant liquid from an unmarked bottle – it smelled of vanilla. "Just eyeball it."

"I cannot just... 'eyeball' it, Zack. Tell me how much you need."

Zack gave him an unworried look. "I don't know. However much is enough."

They were planning to bake something. Sephiroth knew that baking was a delicate art of calculation and preparation, both things that Zack often failed miserably at. Mrs. Johnson, if she was as kind and truly a baker as Zack claimed she was, would never have let him wander off without suitable preparation. "Zack... let me see the recipe."

It was at those words that Zack actually stopped mixing. "Um..."

"Don't tell me you're going by memory?" Sephiroth sighed.

"... kinda?" The wince told the general otherwise.

"You don't even have a recipe. All you're doing is making a mess and wasting time." Sephiroth pulled away from the counter, fully intent on ignoring Zack even if he did manage to produce a bomb, but Zack's powder-covered hand stopped him.

"No way, it can totally work out! I know it!"

17:12; Midgar, Midgarian Continent

With the strange concoction finally in the oven, Sephiroth sighed and glared at Zack, who was fiddling with the timer. Not even enhanced speed had been able to save his uniform from the chaos of spilled flour, sticky dough, and strange substances; he had no idea why he had just wasted time making something that was obviously going to be inedible and getting absolutely filthy in the process. At least Zack was equally as muck-covered, even with the apron.

"Why didn't you just go out and buy it from Mrs. Johnson?" There was no way the monstrosity was going to come out edible, Zack would be disappointed.

"Noooo," Zack pouted up at him. "That's not the point, Seph! You just don't understand the passion of baking! It's the magic of being together!" Sephiroth quirked a brow but said nothing. Given that explanation, apparently he didn't understand the point of baking at all.

Thus they waited for the thing to bake as they cleaned the chaos in the kitchen. Zack had to pause every few minutes to turn on the oven light and bounce with excitement. Sephiroth didn't have the heart to tell Zack it would work out. When the scent of cinnamon began to emanate from the oven, Zack's loudly declared "It's done!"

Eagerly, Zack pulled the pan the oven and set it on the cooktop. It was steaming, wafting a sweet fragrance; it didn't smell burnt, but Sephiroth didn't trust it. He had seen what went on to precursor it, there was no way something safe could have come out of the whole process.

"Look, Seph! Our lovechild!" Zack beamed.

The word made Sephiroth physically shudder. If there was one thing the general hated more than white coats, it was the thought of having a child – like a little, mutated version of him. "Please refrain from referring to anything as our 'child' again."The words came out more harshly than the general had intended.

"Ah," Zack noticeably deflated. "... sorry..." Quietly, he sliced the bread. The Third's happy mood had dissolved instantly. Sephiroth gritted his teeth. He hadn't wanted that to happen, just wanted to tell him what was on his mind – it was something Zack usually appreciated.

Sephiroth had to cheer him up. If it meant ingesting poison, so be it. Sephiroth leaned over and took one of the still cooling slices, and, as Zack watched with wide eyes, took a bite. Surprisingly, It wasn't... overly sweet, as he had been expecting. It was rich in texture, and tinted with the flavors of cinnamon and chocolate, but they weren't overpowering.

He swirled it around his mouth, enjoying how Zack looked up at him expectantly.

"It's not bad." He said.

Zack's responding smile was brilliant. "Let me try some!" Zack began to turn to get his own slice, but before he made it there Sephirth spun him around and offered him what was already in his mouth. Zack moan sounded something like 'delicious'; Sephiroth laughed.