Cup-Cookie Disasterpiece

Muffy and Arthur were home alone in the Read family kitchen. Ingredients were spread around the area, a recipe book deciding which ones were available. The annual Lakewood Elementary bake sale was set for the next day, and since the Crosswire's didn't want their beloved daughter cooking in their kitchen, she knew the next best choice would be the Read kitchen, especially since Muffy enjoyed Mr. Read's food so much.

"So, we've mixed the butter and the sugar, and we've added the flour, salt, and baking powder," Muffy listed, her flour-coated finger leaving a white, chunky line on the recipe page.

"We added baking soda, not baking powder!" Arthur corrected, showing her the box. "And you're getting the book dirty. Dad's going to be really mad if we make a huge mess."

"Oh, right," Muffy blushed, trying to wipe the caked flour from the page. "All that's left now is to add the eggs, vanilla, and to finish mixing, and then we'll have the most amazing cupcakes ever!" Muffy exclaimed. "Ooh, I'm so excited for the bake sale tomorrow. I say we charge a dollar-fifty for our cupcakes. They're going to be amazing."

Arthur nodded, his focus on mixing the batter. When it looked consistent, he nodded to Muffy, and she brought over the muffin pan they were going to use for the cupcakes. Paper cups lined every hole, and Arthur knew they were ready. He spooned in the batter and made sure the cups were filled evenly. Half of the batter remained in the bowl, so he put it in the fridge while Muffy put the pan in the hot oven. The timer was set, and the kids spent the next few minutes trying to clean up their massive mess.

"Are you sure they didn't mind us cooking in here, Arthur? We made a pretty big mess, and your family doesn't have maids or servants to help clean it up. This flour is never going to leave your grout lines," Muffy cried, running her finger between the tiles and showing Arthur the white streaks in her fingerprint.

"I know we made a mess, but if we clean it up they shouldn't mind," he said, passing her a broom and dustpan. He worked on scrubbing the counter, which was coated with sugar and spilled vanilla extract. As he scrubbed and scrubbed, he felt eyes on his neck. When he turned around, he immediately dropped his sponge. "Uh-oh," he murmured.

"Uh-oh is right, Arthur Read! What are you doing in here?!" Jane demanded, eying the disaster zone with a very red face. "And...Muffy? You brought others into this?!"

"No, Mrs. Read, I asked him to help me. You see my parents didn't want me using the kitchen for the bake sale, and-"

"So you thought you'd help my son destroy my house? Ooh, when your father hears about this!" she huffed, leaving the room. "That better be clean in an hour, Arthur Read, or you're grounded for weeks! You're still grounded anyway," she muttered, slamming the master bedroom door and locking it behind her.

"I'm sorry I got you into trouble, Arthur. Maybe we can give her a cupcake for free, just to keep her from being so mad," Muffy offered with a nervous smile, but Arthur knew that probably wouldn't help. His mom was M-A-D-, like supernova status. He knew she could explode further and any moment. The only solution was to keep cleaning.

Halfway through their cleaning, David Read walked in with two paper bags full of groceries. He moved to set them on the dining table but found broken eggs and piles of leftover flour. The bags hit the floor and the yelling began again. Arthur was told to clean up the mess before he could even respond, and then his father left the room, banging on the master bedroom door so his wife would let him inside.

"Man, we're in big trouble now," Arthur groaned, standing and looking for Muffy. She'd cleared the area where they mixed most of the batter, but that wasn't why his jaw hit the floor.

Behind Muffy, the oven was puffing with smoke, and within seconds, the fire alarms were blaring throughout the house. His parents ran into the kitchen and took over, forcing them both to sit on the living room couch until things were cleared. They waited as the alarms stopped blaring, their noses wrinkling as the smell of burnt cupcakes filled the house. Soon that was replaced with the smell of cleaning supplies, and finally, nearly thirty minutes later, Arthur's very angry parents stood before them, their arms crossed as they stared at their son.

"I've told you a million times not to use the appliances while we're gone, but you did it anyway. I've told you a million times to clean up your mess, but we had to finish the job for you. There isn't much going for you right now, Arthur Read," his father said, trying his hardest not to yell at his son full-force.

"I'm sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Read, but this is all my fault. I needed a kitchen for the bake sale, and I guess I helped Arthur forget your family's rules. I'm sorry," Muffy whimpered, holding back tears.

"No, Arthur doesn't just forget family rules over a girl, Miss Crosswire. You are to leave here within the next thirty minutes, and you can tell the others that Arthur is grounded for three weeks and will not go anywhere except school and home until those three weeks are up," Jane said, eying Arthur carefully. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself, Arthur?"

"Were they at least good, or would they have been if they didn't burn?" Arthur asked. "I'm just curious."

"You used baking soda instead of powder, Arthur. You got burnt cup-cookies, not cupcakes," his father sighed. "Jane, we should try again, just to show him the right way to bake."

"No, he'll destroy my entire house!" she exclaimed.

"If we had an adult there, we would've made the right decision," Muffy offered. "Please, let me help too. I've never baked before, and it was so fun. Please, can I make this right? Arthur doesn't have to participate in the bake sale if you don't want him to since he's grounded."

"So you'll take them with you when you're done?" Mrs. Read asked. She nodded. "Do as you please, David, but if I hear so much as one beep from those fire alarms, you're both done. I have to get the girls from Thora. Don't burn down my house, and if you do, I suggest you flee the scene and never come back," she said, leaving the room with an angry stomping walk.

"Well, let's try again, kids," David smiled, leading them into the kitchen. It sparkled the place was so clean, but soon flour coated the counter and filled the grout lines again, and two more broken eggs littered the floor. But with David's guidance, they followed the recipe directly.

When the cupcakes emerged from the oven, they looked perfect. After placing them on a cookie rack to cool, David helped Muffy fill a piping bag, and soon they were covering the vanilla cupcakes with a light buttercream frosting swirled into a curly-Q at the top. Sprinkles were added, and Muffy pulled out her phone to take pictures of the cupcakes.

"I can't believe we made these," Arthur gaped, staring longingly at the cupcakes. "Are you sure we can't sell these at the bake sale, Dad? The proceeds go to the Asperger's Association, which is a good cause."

"I have to ask your mother, but...as far as I'm concerned, you should sell these. And here's two for you two and one for the rest of the family. Maybe that'll sweeten the deal," David winked, looking up as his wife and daughters emerged through the door.

"My god, they're beautiful, David! Did they do this?" Jane asked. David nodded. "Well...and you made a few for us too. Fine, fine, you can participate in the bake sale, Arthur, but the two of you need to be more responsible when it comes to work in the kitchen. Working with ovens is a very dangerous business, and I don't want you working in the kitchen alone until you're older, and that goes to you too, DW," Jane warned. DW was barely listening, her mouth coated with icing, sprinkles, and cake crumbs.

"Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Read," Muffy smiled, using her finger to eat the icing from her cupcake.

Soon the household was back to normal, and the next day, David helped Arthur deliver the precious cupcakes. They sold them for two-fifty each, and they made almost thirty dollars for the Asperger's Association. Arthur ended up not being grounded, but his parents knew he'd learned his lesson. He never used the kitchen again without getting permission first. He was still working on the baking powder VS baking soda lesson though….

Theme 019: Delicious Decadence

To complete the themes yourself, I have the list posted on my profile. The list is for any type of fan fiction (one-shot, drabble, etc.) and any fandom. Challenge yourself in other ways to make it more fun, and enjoy!