Happy Valentine's Day! I know this isn't Valentine's Day themed, but I absolutely love Ceony and Emery, alright? Spend your Valentine's Day well! :)

Modern Day AU.

The only reason he was doing this was because Patrice wanted him to go out. Patrice, as she was practically family to him, got him to begrudgingly take a pastry class. One pastry class, she said, it would be good for him, she said. He wore a simple white button up and black slacks, hoping that was enough as he strode through the door. He didn't really need to be worried, as most of the other students were also similarly dressed if not underdressed.

He walked over to his station, noting that he was the only slightly older student, while most were around their early twenties to mid twenties. The young girls around him whispered and murmured about how he was supposedly cute, or something along those lines, while the young men stayed silent. It wasn't until the teacher stepped in that they all shushed.

The young woman strode in, hardly glancing at the students as she dusted off any excess dirt off her clothing. She wore a simple outfit, with an apron covering her bright blue dress. Her orange hair was in a braid, which worked very well for her facial structure. He couldn't help but stare, just like most of the other boys. She wasn't necessarily the prettiest person in the entire universe, but she was definitely someone to look at, if one liked her features. They were unique and different, something you don't really see everyday. She smiled towards the students, her eyes landing on Emery for a moment longer before she addressed the entire class.

"Good morning, I see all of you are ready. That's great, as last period didn't seem to know what they were doing. My name is Miss Twill, but please, call me Ceony, and I'll be teaching you all the wonders of baking." She commanded the class, grabbing the attention of everyone, including Emery himself. "Please, don't think you need to be perfect at baking and cooking. There is no grade, what matters is how well you want your food item and if you like it. The soufflé isn't the soufflé, the soufflé is the recipe, which should be to your tastes only. If you are of a sweeter tooth, that's fine. If you prefer bitterness, that's fine. It's on you." The students nodded, Emery included. It was quite the short blurb of empowerment for those who probably felt doubtful in their cooking expertise. Emery knew that his creations were very much terrible, all he could really make were sandwiches. He hoped he could make something decent. She continued on to speak.

"Now, today, we will be creating a simple dish, a pie. Not some simple pie you can buy from the shop, but a special one, from your own recipes, but the template will be from me. You can customize it if you feel as though it should be sweeter or different. You can't however, customize the temperature. We wouldn't want any of you getting food poisoning or something like that." A short chuckle from the students, "Now, underneath your workplaces, all the needed ingredients are there, proportioned for you." He listened intently, "I take it you've all washed your hands." A beat passed, "Now, wash your hands if you haven't already." Nobody moved. "Now, please." Although it was a demand, her voice was soft to the point that everyone who did not wash their hands stood, besides Emery, who already did. She was a soft spoken young woman, yet held a fire in her eyes for cooking.

As everyone washed their hands, Ceony and Emery eyes met. His dark emerald eyes met her bright blue ones and she smiled.

"At least you followed the directions, Mr. Thane." An eyebrow raise from him, "Ms. Aviosky told me you'd be joining me. I couldn't help but take a bit of a peek at your old files." She smirked and Emery felt a grin come along. She was into bantering; he could tell.

"You couldn't even wait for me to meet you properly?" He asked and he didn't even notice the students stand still by the sink, watching this encounter.

"I was curious...not my fault that Ms. Aviosky made you sound wonderful." She looked towards the class, who snapped from their stupor, "Now, to your seats please. There are several different fruits in the fridge, also proportioned. I will be using blueberries, but if that isn't to your fancy, there are strawberries and other fruits to the side." Emery followed her instructions, extremely carefully. Some people even had some questions, which helped his understanding. He personally wasn't a fruit man, but he chose blueberries and took all her words to heart.

He didn't even notice her begin to walk around until she was behind him, taking his hand and helping him stir properly.

"You're going too fast, Mr. Thane. It has to be slow, but the pressure applied should be strong." She explained, placing pressure down onto his hand and helping him stir the mixture. The sweet smell of fruit emanated from her hair and it was intoxicating. He frowned. It was his first day. No need to be like that.

Once he got the hang of it, she walked off to help the other students. By the time Ceony got back to her own station, he mixed it to the best of his abilities. Although Ceony was behind due to her analysis of the techniques of others, they all watched as she expertly stirred the mixture quickly and the pressure she applied was obvious due to the strain of her arm muscle. She smiled to the class as she continued to stir.

"I wouldn't really recommend going at that pace if you don't know what you're doing. I attempted it first time, baking my mum's pie and it created quite the mess." Ceony said, chuckling to herself as the memory came to her mind, "Now, the fun part..."

Ceony stopped approaching him until the very end, when they finished most of the steps and all that was left was the heating process. She told them to pop their creations in the ovens on the side and told them they could be on their phones, which most students gladly appreciated. Ceony was cleaning her workstation and Emery stood idly, shifting his weight between his toes and the heels of his feet, unsure what to do. He didn't really want to use his phone, as he wasn't much of a fan.

He remembered that he brought some origami paper in his pocket, so he pulled that out. He decided he'd make the stereotypical swan, just to exercise his organic muscle. Two steps in and he caught the attention of the teacher, who came forward and watched him fold the swan to life.

"Are you trying to be like one of those artsy men?" She inquired. He looked up, an eyebrow raising as he finished the last crease.

"What do you mean?" He inquired.

"Well, you're taking a pastry class and then right now you're folding origami. What's next, painting?" A hint of amusement shined through his emerald eyes, "Really?"

"I dabble in it, here and there. I'm not all that great." He shrugged, taking her hand and placing the small swan on her palm.

"That's what all good artists say." Ceony retorted.

"It just helps the extra time I have." He left out the bits as to why he had all the extra time and was glad Ceony didn't question it.

"I see." She smiled to him again as the timers went off. "Alright class, take out your pies." Emery was closest to the ovens and pulled his out first, the smell of blueberries emanating from his own. He stared at it as he walked to his station, but some dimwit left some excess egg whites on the floor. Emery slipped on them and he made sure his pie landed on a hard surface as he ended up slipping onto Ceony. She yelped as his body fell onto hers, but with quick reflexes, he managed to grab ahold of the counter and the back of the young teacher's back, preventing her pretty head from smashing onto the hard flooring. He thanked the stars that his other foot was so coordinated and didn't slip in the egg white mixture on the floor. Her eyes stared up to his, her cheeks turning a bright shade of red and although he wasn't much for facial expressions, he knew his held much embarrassment. He hadn't been this close to a woman in ages.

"Miss Twill, I sincerely apologize." He murmured, staring down at her as he helped her to a standing position.

"No, no, it's nothing." They both dusted off some invisible dirt, as though to avoid speaking. The students had watched the exchange, even a few had their phones out. One glare from Ceony and they put their phones away. Ceony walked to her work station, where someone already placed her pie out.

"This is personally my favorite part. Decoration and taste." She pulled out a can of whipped cream, "you can choose how you'd like to have your pie. I personally like whipped cream and bananas. Emery himself just like the taste of whipped cream, so he did a bit of a design of clouds with the whipped cream. He could see some students do similar things, while some just put fruits on top. "And the best part, you can grab a knife, fork, and plate. Try your own creations!" Emery cautiously took those items and took a slice for himself, the blueberry dripping from the creation. The smell of fruit emanated from the multiple pies. He took a bite and smiled. For once, it wasn't rubbish. Sounds of approval spread throughout the classroom.

"I'm glad you all were successful." Ceony took a look at her watch, "And that's a wrap, you may take your brand new creations for lunch. Thank you all for coming and I hope to see you next week." The students packed up and Emery stood a bit, still savoring the flavor of his pie. It was different. He loved it, actually. By the time he finished his slice, he was the only person left. Ceony was watching him eat in amusement.

"I take it that you enjoy your pie?"

"It's the first thing I've ever made that isn't burnt." She laughed at that.

"I'm glad. We'll be covering arctic rolls next, for a bit of a challenge. Pies were just an introduction to see if anyone would lose it."

"And nobody did."

"For now, at least." She sighed. "Go on home, Mr. Thane, but do come next week." She paused. "Bring some origami paper too. I want to learn something."

"Thought origami was something only artsy men do?" He asked, picking up his pie.

"I might have changed my mind." She said, "Goodbye, Mr. Thane. See you next week." He nodded and walked out. For once, he found something to look forward to.