Drabble 2
Prompt 20: A making awful breakfast for B and B eating it because they appreciate it that much
Characters: Ben, Audrey, Ally, Mal, Evie
Ben was more than willing to try new things for Mal. He didn't need her trying to run off to the Isle again. Lately the stress had been getting to her and he was trying to think of ways to help her feel better. It was those thoughts that had him in the dorm kitchen early the next morning, trying to cook. Cook books and an array of ingredients were collected on the counter, but Ben had no idea what to make for Mal.
He flipped through cook book pages looking for an ideal breakfast. Should he make pancakes, waffles, or porridge? He sighed.
The kitchen door creaked open as a sleepy Ally entered. Ben gave her a strange look. It was too early for any of the other students to be up. "Good morning, Ally," he said.
"Morning, Ben," Ally answered. "Have you seen my kitty, Dino?"
Well, that explained why Ally was awake. She often lost the kitten and had to go looking for the little guy at odd times. Ben shook his head, "Sorry, but I haven't seen him."
Ally frowned. "Oh well, he'll turn up eventually. What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to make Mal breakfast as a surprise," Ben answered honestly.
"Doesn't look like you are having much luck," Ally smiled and gestured to the mess.
"I'm having trouble deciding what to make for her," Ben replied.
"Well," Ally started, picking up a cookbook. "Have you ever cooked before?"
"Never," Ben answered. "That is part of why I'm lost in all of this."
"Well then, you should start with something simple," Ally held out the cookbook in her hands to him. "Why not a strawberry parfait? It doesn't really require cooking, just putting ingredients together in a cup. And a little cutting."
"That does sound pretty easy…" Ben trailed off. "But I don't want to just go the easy route. I want to show Mal that I really care by doing something for her.
"Hmm," Ally started flipping through cookbooks again. "I understand what you are trying to do, but maybe you should ask for help. You've never cooked before."
"It would mean less if I got help," Ben replied. "I've got to do this on my own." He flipped through a few more pages of a cookbook. He stopped with a smile on his face. "How about this?" He pointed at a page and showed it to Ally.
"Pancakes?" Ally questioned.
"Yeah, and I can put strawberries on top. Mal will love it," Ben looked so excited.
"I wish you luck, Ben," Ally said skeptical of his skills. "Are you sure you don't want help?"
"I think I should be fine," Ben replied. "As long as I follow the recipe, right?"
"Then I will go back to looking for Dino," Ally moved to the door. "Let me know how it goes later, okay?"
Ben smiled. "Alright. Good luck looking for Dino."
Ben tried to follow the recipe word for word, but he may have slipped up a few times. The pancakes looked like they came out okay and Ben didn't hurt himself trying to cook. After decorating the pancakes with strawberries and whip cream, he carefully made his way out of the kitchen with the plate. He made his way up the stairs and down the hall, heading straight for Mal and Evie's room.
"What are you doing, Ben?" Audrey stopped him. He had been concentrating on not dropping the plate of fluffy goodness, but now he looked at Audrey. She looked like she was ready for the day ahead and had probably been heading to breakfast.
"I made Mal breakfast and am now taking it to her room," Ben answered simply.
'What?" Audrey looked at Ben shocked. "You never did that for me."
"I've got to get going. I'll see you later, Audrey," Ben moved around her and continued to Mal's door.
Balancing the plate in one hand he knocked on the door, hoping someone was awake. He could hear movement behind the door.
The door opened just a crack for Mal to peak out. "Ben?" she questioned.
"Good morning," Ben smiled at her. "I know you've been stressed lately so I got up early and made you some breakfast."
Mal slowly opened the door, shockingly looking at the pancakes on the plate in Ben's hands. She slowly backed up and let Ben into the room. Ben looked to see if Evie was there. He noticed the bathroom door was shut, so he assumed she was in there, still getting ready for the day. He placed the pancakes on Mal's desk and waited for her to try them.
"You didn't have to do this," Mal said looking at the pancakes still.
"But I wanted to," Ben replied. "I thought I told you to let me spoil you."
"But you've never cooked before," Mal added. "This was your first time, right?"
"Right," Ben answered. "You do so much for me. And you've been so strong, so I thought I would try cooking something for you."
Evie poked her head out of the bathroom. "That is so sweet," she squealed before going back in.
Mal suppressed a laugh at her roommate. Ben did the same. "Try it," he told Mal.
Mal did try it. She used the fork to separate a bite from the rest and put the food in her mouth. She chewed slowly, trying hard not to spit it out. Her lips were tight as she finally swallowed the food.
"What do you think?" Ben asked, excited.
"It's interesting," Mal replied. "Not bad for your first try at cooking."
Ben pulled Mal into his arms. "I'm glad you like it." He pulled back. "I'll leave you to finish getting ready. Make sure to eat all of it."
Ben rushed out of the room, realising he was late for a morning meeting. Mal took another bite as he glanced back, showing him that she was going to eat the pancakes.
Evie came out of the bathroom, looking perfectly ready. "That didn't sound like you actually liked what he made."
Mal found a paper towel and spit the nasty food out. "He had to have majorly screwed up something when he was cooking. These taste awful."
"And you didn't want to hurt his feelings so you ate it," Evie added with a smile.
"Well, it would have been mean to tell him that his cooking sucks," Mal justified her actions.
"I think you are just becoming even closer to good everyday," Evie put her arm around Mal's shoulders. "Soon you'll be lying to others to save their feelings, not just Ben."
"Ha," Mal laughed. "I don't think so. Been there, done that, and suffered greatly for it."
