Timing is Everything

She hated this. She hated every little thing about this situation. It was exhausting. She had never hated a cake so much in her life, but as she sat on the cold, white tiles of her apartment kitchen, staring at a two-tier cake with nothing but buttercream hastily smoothed around… She felt the cold, consuming tendrils of defeat slowly begin to creep over her hunched frame. Huffing, the woman slowly stood and stepped back from the centrepiece in her kitchen. Tired eyes taking in the catastrophic mess that was her haste baking. Flour covered almost every inch of her benchtop and cabinets, even herself as she looked down, noting she had forgotten to put on her favourite purple apron in her haste to complete the cake. Numerous spatulas, beaters, piping bags, icing, fondant, decorating tools, and random colours of frosting were everywhere. And she hadn't even gotten to the decorating yet. Just prepping for it. She let out a small defeated groan as she decided to sit on a stool and place her forehead against the soothing cold of the bench. Thinking about how much of a mess her day had already been, and how it wasn't going to be over anytime soon, no matter how much her body begged her to rest.

While wallowing in her own defeat, she neglected to hear the front door open as she tried to think how she was going to complete an entire wedding cake in one night, without ringing the poor, probably stressed bride, and tell her the wedding cake would be late, or even no existent after being so adamant they would have it on time during the appointment. Suddenly, she jumped as she felt warm hands gently slide onto her shoulders and massaged her neck gently. Causing her to slump into the seat even further as the feeling of sleep came rushing came back with a vengeance. The only thing stopping her from falling asleep then and there was the voice that broke the silence she'd been in for hours now.

"I'm going to assume I'm not the only one who has had a long day." The corners of her mouth peaked as she listened to his dry joke. She could hear the sleep in his voice, low and husky like it always was after he finished another long shift. Sometimes when it was really bad, they would lie in bed while he laid against her chest and she played with his hair, listening to him complain about his issues and certain patients. Careful to not break confidentiality while still letting her understand his frustrations. One almost wouldn't believe Itachi ever complained. He was always so well-mannered and confident, patient and resilient with patients. No matter their attitudes or situations. He only ever received glowing reviews from patients and bosses alike. It took a long time for him to finally confide in her. She always knew that deep down, things must get to him. It's a hard job, with a lot of expectation, especially for someone as gifted as him. She had once accidentally walked in on him in the shower, and he'd been hunched over, with his face in his hands. She could almost feel her heartbreak as she watched his body shudder, the sound of sobs being overshadowed by the rush of water. She'd opened the door and ignored the immediate spray of freezing cold-water colliding with her clothed form. Wrapped her arms around his shoulders and let him cry into her instead.

Swallowing that memory, she leans back into her lover. As much as she complained about her work, it was almost comforting to know it really didn't matter in the larger scope of life. If she stuffed up, someone would be upset over a cake. If Itachi made a mistake, it could mean life or death for somebody. It made her job seem entirely less stressful. She opened her eyes to once again gaze over the mess of her kitchen and narrowed them. It didn't help with the motivation, though.

"What happened? You don't usually bring cake's home unless it's urgent. And that's rare." She smiled slightly at his subtle compliment.

"One of my apprentices, Matsuri, accidentally tripped and tumbled into a stand. Sent the wedding cake for soon-to-be Mrs Oortori into the ground. It's due at 9am tomorrow." Hinata sighed as she flashbacked to the accident. The poor girl wasn't paying much attention, had been complimenting everyone on how good the said wedding cake looked completed. How the bride and groom were going to love it and began daydreaming about her future wedding, and how she'd absolutely request a cake from here. During her little daydream, she fumbled and while trying to stop herself, managed to tumble even further and smacked her back into the cake stand, forcing it to topple over, and with it, the completed cake. Hinata had watched as the cake fell from the pedestal and had imagined her following night of chaos even before the cake hit the ground. For a split second, she had been furious, wanted to yell at anything, which would have unfortunately been Matsuri, before she composed herself.

"She didn't mean to. I'm positive the poor thing was in tears before the cake even fell. I had to take her aside and reassure her she wasn't going to be fired and fail her entire course off of this. Honestly, if it wasn't her, it probably would have been me that did it." Hinata giggled as she remembered the bright red face of her pupil, tears of happiness streaming down her eyes as she told the girl she wasn't going to be fired, and that mistakes happened. It happened. You couldn't change that. And Hinata firmly believed that things always happened for a reason. Even bad things. Besides, she was known to be a bit of a clutz. So, her toppling over a cake wasn't that far fetched of an idea. In fact, from memory, she had done it before as well.

A secret smile wrapped itself onto Itachi lips as he listened to his partner, staring at the utter cake bomb that had desecrated his kitchen. Trust her to sympathise with a cake destroyer, rather than yell at them. He would have been furious. He probably wouldn't have yelled at them, but there would defiantly be some harsh words and consequences to their actions had he been in that position. But that's just one more thing he loved about her. She was far too kind and understanding for this world. She would give the world so that a stranger would stop crying. And he loved it. He'd always thought she would be an excellent nurse, if not for the easily queasy stomach of hers. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he gave a tight squeeze and kissed her temple softly.

"Well, if anyone can make a beautiful cake and decorate it in one night, it would be you. I know you can do it. And if you need me for anything, I'm right here." Hinata felt warm and fuzzy at his words, he always knew just what to say. With him by her side, she's sure she could run the world if you asked her. Shaking her head, she turned to him.

"You're tired, you've already had a long day. You don't need to add this onto it. Thank you though, I appreciate it." It sounded a bit weird, but her and Itachi had begun to verbally admit when the other was appreciated. Previously, it was always implied, but they both found it more helpful when it was physically stated, leaving no room for doubt in their once fragile, beginning relationship. Now it was more of a sweet habit. Hinata smiled up at him and made to jump off the stool with a renewed sense of purpose and grabbed her favourite apron, tying it on. She looked confused as she felt Itachi stand behind her, and reach over her easily to grab another black apron before stepping away.

"And so have you. You left that house the same time I did this morning, and I know you've been working on this since you got home. You've been just as busy as me, so I will help where I can." She smiled at his pointed look, moving to hug him tightly in thank you before turning back to her work. Placing her hands on her hips, she grinned and moved to turn her radio back on, lowering the volume to a less ear-piercing sound now that there was another person around. She began asking if Itachi could help clean up a bit and organise her stations so she could have somewhere to roll out her fondant, without accidentally putting another colour into the bright white paste. As he did that, she grabbed out a bright blue mat, and a bucket of fondant before beginning to knead the substance until it was palpable. Measuring was much easier when she had already done it all prior. She then smoothed the sweet blanket over the frosted cake, asking Itachi to hand her tools as she worked to remove every bubble and imperfection from the sheet of sugar.

Itachi smirked as he started to feel like a scrub nurse. Noting to begin saying please and thank you when he demanded his equipment from them from now on. He watched as his pretty fiancé began to hum quietly, suddenly in her own zone as she worked on her current masterpiece. He leaned back against the bench slightly, choosing to admire her while still handing out tools when asked. He could honestly say he had no idea about cooking or baking. He was forever hopeless at it. And when Hinata had come into his life in a flurry of flour and wooden spoons, he had been astonished. Amazed that a woman this talented hadn't been scooped up by another man yet. So he decided he was going to rectify it almost immediately. He had worked hard to get her attention. He was quite taken back when she didn't show immediate interest in something more between them. She had even told him she liked being friends well before he had ever actively brought up being a couple. And he found he liked that most. She liked him, more than the mere idea of being with an Uchiha, or a surgeon. At first, he had fallen in love with her looks and wonderful cooking. But eventually, he learnt there was so much to fall in love with and had decided that he wanted to fall in love with everything. He'd almost immediately asked her out after that realisation. He hadn't looked back since.

Hinata hummed to herself as she continued her work, immensely enjoying Itachi's help and company as they worked. Everything seemed to be going flawlessly and faster than when she had been stressing alone. She tried to teach him how to pipe ribbons and pretties onto a cake, but he was adamant he didn't want to mess up her flawless work. And that if he added something, he would notice the difference in quality. She thought he would have done perfectly well. He had attention to detail and the skills, but she couldn't help the warm feeling that spread through her chest as he compliments her work and skills. Things she had worked so tirelessly on, and people never really seemed to notice. Itachi mentioned how he liked small details, and it makes Hinata puff out her chest in confidence. She liked the small details. Those were what really made design work. Sure, people noticed big things, like toppers and streamers and such, but those never looked quite as good if there weren't details to help bring them out more. She was glad someone else noticed them as well. Even if he was a little biased.

"I'm going to spray-paint for a bit, so you can go rest for a little while." She smiled up at her current working partner, and lifted her chin slightly, silently asking for a kiss as he passed by her. She hummed as he granted it and turned back to her work. She worked slowly, not wanting to mess up on a crucial colouring. She couldn't get it wrong because it wouldn't just wipe away nicely. Once it was one, it's on. She gradually made her way through the cake, only sparing glancing at the time on the wall as it grew earlier into the morning.

When she finished and looked up, she saw a bright 3 on the clock and almost gasped in shock. Her head turned to her love, worried he was still awake when he was needed at work in only a couple more hours. She smiled when she witnessed him sound asleep on the sofa. She stood and quickly grabbed the quilt off the end of the sofa and draped it over him. Kissing his cheek lightly before returning to her work. She put her hands on her hips as she smiled at it. It was perfect. Maybe even better than when she first made it. She'd scrutinised the complete piece earlier and found things she wanted to change but couldn't and this time she made sure to implement her new ideas, and it turned out beautiful. She smiled at the two-tiered white cake, a gentle spray of various shades of green and brown on one section while the rest had a beautiful glossy shine. The white fondant was gently folded on either side of the green and brown spray as if the white cake was opening to reveal more colours. Delicate pipping of ribbons and decal covered the white portion, a very traditional looking wedding cake despite the odd section of colour and drapery.

She decided to leave it for the morning and finish the final touches after a couple of hours of sleep. And then begin the nerve-racking task of delivery that would take a few hours during the rush hour of the morning. She considered going to bed, however, one look at her love on the sofa, and she decided she'd prefer to be there. Sleeping alone never felt quite right anymore. So, taking off her messy apron, she wrapped down her face and arms before shimming her way into Itachi's arms, where he stirred, kiss her and went back to sleep.

Eventually, she felt stirring, opening her sleep covered eyes in a lot more effort than she would hope for, she watched as Itachi walked away from her, stretching as she assumed, he made his way to the shower to begin his morning ritual. She smiled and considered getting some more sleep, but that quickly passed as she remembered she still had a delivery to make ad some final touches to complete. She stood and reached for her phone, letting Ten-ten know that she would be opening the store alone today while Hinata made the delivery. The dark-haired woman stood and yawned, stretching out her arms as she tried to regain feeling in her body once more after such little sleep. She soon moved to the kitchen, anxiety rising as she thought of numerous ways the cake would be destroyed in the two hours, she'd been asleep. Maybe she left a window open, and a big gust of wind managed to knock the cake? What if she had left something too close, and it ended up falling onto the cake? What if cake burglars came and stole the cake right from under her sleeping nose? However, as soon as she saw the cake, her shoulders relaxed. It was fine. Perfect. Almost. She smiled, suddenly feeling energised as she reached into her fridge to receive a carefully packed box.

Luckily, the cake had fallen on the traditional side and hadn't damaged the numerous succulent shaped chocolates on the cake that her, Ino and Ten-Ten had spent hours moulding, spraying and building to look life-like. Thank Kami for small miracles. She had originally been confused when the bride and groom had come for a consultation. They were the owners of a very prominent gardening company. And apparently, they both loved succulents. Had hundreds of them all over their house. Originally, they had wanted an entire cake, covered in them, but had expressed worry that it was too untraditional for a wedding cake and would make traditional relatives upset. Hinata had tried to ease them, subtly informing them it was their wedding and their opinions where all they should worry about, but the wife then confessed she'd always dreamed of a pretty traditional white cake too.

So that was when Hinata had to put on her thinking cap. Eventually, they came to an agreement that three-quarters of the cake would be a traditional style wedding cake while opening up to a beautiful succulent garden section. That way, everyone would be happy. She had originally thought of creating a tier that resembled a garden, but it didn't quite fit the traditional theme. Eventually, she had thought of a cake draping and immediately fell in love with the idea. Hinata began to gently place the chocolate moulds onto the brown patches, bunching some and leaving some singles as she made her way down the cake. Finally, she reached for the last piece. The Bride and Groom topper. She smiled as she analysed it. It resembled the two customers, the groom sitting on a marble seat, one you would find in a garden with small succulents surrounding it, with the bride sitting on his lap while holding hands. It was very cute in her opinion, Ino had put so much thought into the idea, and she silently thanks all Itachi's anatomy books as she worked to mould human bodies out of chocolate for the first time in her life. Placing the figurine on the very top of the cake, using it to hide the beginning of the folded drapes carefully, she stood back and smiled widely, gently spinning it around on the wheel as she observed every inch, trying to find an imperfection to correct before she boxed it up and contemplated travel. She felt arms once again wrap around her waist, similar to last night when she felt like she would never finish this cake.

"It looks incredible. You did a wonderful job, just like I thought you would." Itachi mumbled above her as he observed the cake too. She grinned and turned to him, hugging him back tightly.

"I couldn't have done it without you. You always know what to say at the right time." Itachi smiled down at her and rested his forehead against hers.

"When I walked through the door last night, it almost felt like déjà vu. Like I'd stepped back in time for a moment. Seeing you and the kitchen covered in flour, cake tools everywhere and a stressed-out woman trying to make the dreams of cake lovers a reality. This used to be almost every day before you could afford the bakery." She smiled. It had felt like when she'd first decided to specialise in cake decoration. She'd dreamed of owning her own bakery for a long time, but her father had always told her it was a ridiculous notion. That bakeries were always bound to fail in an oversaturated market with cheaper fast food options. And she had believed him for the longest time. Until she met the love of her life. He had been so kind. Always complimenting her cooking and baking. All her efforts at school paying off. Eventually, she had the courage to tell him about her dream after her father had made it seem so impossible. He'd been so casual when he said it was a good idea. That she would easily be able to pull it off with skill like this.

Itachi had always had a sweet tooth, and no matter what city he went to, his goal was a find a nice coffee and well-made sweets. Which he'd mentioned was quite hard. When she had brought up her reservations with the idea, that bakeries were bound to fail as there were so many already, Itachi had given his usual genius answer. Offer something no other bakery here has. Make a staple piece that you can't get in other places. Force it to stand out. Offer something creative and different. It had put a whole new perspective on her dream. That maybe if she tried hard, and did something different, it wouldn't be so hopeless.

"It did. I was always so stressed doing it alone all the time. Always worried they wouldn't like my ideas, or the cake didn't taste nice." Hinata giggled as she realised, she hadn't really thought those things while making this one.

"You've come so far. I'm very proud of you. Everyone is proud of you." Smiling at the thought of her lovers very supportive family. They were everything she had wished for growing up.

"We've come so far." Itachi looked down at his shorter fiancé and smirked before leaning down and pressing his lips firmly to hers.

"We have."

Another small idea. Hinata frustrated with work. And Itachi just being his reassuring self… even though he has no idea what she's doing.

A big thank you to Awwanyaa! Your review was so sweet, and it definitely prompted me to write this a bit earlier than I was planning to.

Hope everyone enjoys!