December 10

With about a week and half left of school, you make the executive decision to help your kids tackle the last leg of the school semester by surprising them with sweet treats for the coming week ahead.

After all, you were a kid once. The smell of peppermint and gingerbread from a small classroom would fill your nostrils with Christmas cheer; your mouth would water in anticipation for candy canes and cupcakes and cookies signaling the impending end of the semester.

So here you are, mixing together a homemade dough and cutting it in half. One side gets a helping of red food dye while the other remains untouched. Some careful planning and you've rolled both doughs together into a candy cane pinwheel. On another baking sheet, you throw in some gingerbread cookies.

After several moments, Enji's drawn into the kitchen from the office by the smell of Christmas.

"Gingerbread and…" He sniffs the air once more before carding his fingers through your hair. "Peppermint?"

"Yep! I'm making peppermint pinwheels."

"Mmm, the kids will enjoy that." His hands rest on your waist while his head rests on your shoulder. "You're such a good mother." He kisses your neck before whispering. "You make me want to put another baby inside you."

"Enji Todoroki!" You squeal, smacking his arm and going red in the face. Then it hits you: the kids aren't due home for another hour. So you lean up to whisper back, "Do it, coward."

Challenge dances in his eyes before the oven beeps and you smirk.

"Later." He promises, reluctantly releasing you from his grip to let you take the cookies out of the oven.

"Well, since we're talking about putting buns in the oven, why don't you help me make some regular chocolate chip cookies to add to this mix of deliciousness? I had more time than I thought." You suggest as you set the pans on top of the stove.

"I've never made cookies before." Enji says.

"Well, there's no better time to learn!" You encourage, before setting out a handful of ingredients after digging out your cookie recipe from the recipe box. While Enji washes his hands, you do the honors of measuring out the ingredients for him. "Add these sugars and the melted butter into this and mix it, hot stuff."

"Oh? Giving me the grunt work, yeah?"

"I've been mixing ingredients all afternoon. I think I've earned a little break." You crinkle your nose at him. "Now, mix in the eggs and vanilla when you're done. The worst is yet to come."

"That's encouraging." He huffs, following your instruction.

You scavenge for the cookie cutters while he mixes. Whenever he's done, you point to the flour. "Five cups of flour and two teaspoons of baking soda. Have fun."

Enji rolls his eyes. He makes a living lifting and moving things much more difficult that a mixing spoon through thick dough. He makes it look easy. Throw in some chocolate chips and they're ready to be spooned onto a baking sheet.

"I don't think I've ever made cookies so quickly!" You hug his arm as you pull out the shaped metal. "Now we have to roll out the dough on the sheet for some fun shapes."

"Shapes? Why not just regular cookie shapes?"

"Because it's Christmas time! When else am I going to use my Santa and reindeer cookie cutters?" You snort, reaching up to boop his nose.

"Alright, alright." Between the two of you, shaping the cookies with the cutters doesn't take much time. "How long do we put them in for?"

"About twelve to fifteen minutes. Just long enough to taste one of the gingerbread and peppermint cookies!" You giggle. "Which would you like to try first?"

"The gingerbread, I'd like to end on a mintier flavor." Enji holds his hand out for the little gingerbread man you offer him without the need to wait for it to cool like you do. "Mmm, Wife, you are an excellent cook." He kisses the side of your lips just to leave a crummy little mark on the corner of your mouth. He hands you his half of gingerbread while you offer the other half of your peppermint cookie.

You feed each other and harmonize hums of satisfaction.

Later, when the kids rush in from school and the buzzer goes off for the chocolate chip cookies, Enji sneaks one off the baking sheet so he can be the first one to taste them.