First Lesson in Cooking [Roxas]

The eighth member of the Organization stepped into the empty room and turned on the light. This castle was full of empty rooms that had once been filled with empty words and empty promises. Never this room though. Sure, Axel had his bedroom, but this one had been claimed as well. No one really messed with this one much. The kitchen had, at one time, been filled with wonderful aromas and plenty of food before Roxas came along. All his time had been dedicated to teaching him the ropes of the Organization and then a true friendship had emerged.

It looked like that friendship had grown again, become something more. There was a good reason that he thought the small blond was the reason he had returned and it seemed the kid felt the same. It put a small smile on his face and someone inspired him to return to something most had probably sorely missed. The kitchen was looking very nice now though. Not only did it have the appeal of just cooking again, but Axel had gone ahead and fixed this room up a bit.

He knew Marluxia would want full control of fixing the castle more to their -- mostly his -- liking, but how could he not take this one since no one else cooked? Plus, it was his munny that went into getting a new fridge since the other one was useless with all the ... science growing in it. Now it was a nice modern kitchen with shining appliances with a red, black, and white theme running through everything. Even the flatware matched.

The castle needed more though. The redecorating would come with time, but if they were really going to make this place more of a "home" kind of place, then they needed food. He felt particularly inspired for sweets. He would worry about dinner later on tonight. The redhead began setting out bowls, pans, and various items with which to mix and measure. Then came the ingredients needed to be mixed together. Hmm ... for all the things floating through his head that he might make, he could use a little help. Hey, Roxas!

The blond boy had been tinkering with a gadget that he ha taken out of the room that had been previously owned by Vexen - there was no way he'd be able to actually decode it and make some sort of meaning out of it, but it was nice to be able to know that he wouldn't be coming around the corner demanding to know where he 'latest invention' was. Roxas had no idea what it was or what it did, but it looked kind of funny, so he.. took it. Aside from Marluxia, the young teen had been going through people's old rooms and seeing what they had left behind.

What he had been able to deduce from this was that Zexion was insanely neat, Xaldin had a hoard of bobble-heads, Demyx had something molding somewhere, and he had found an empty snake-cake wrapper in Saix's room under the bed. It was as though he was really seeing what each, individual member of the Organization was like; in a weirder, way it was like he was meeting them for the first time, without them actually being there in front of him at all.

Hey, Roxas!

"Coming!" He announced, putting the invention down on the table and lifting his body up from the couch he had been settled upon. He moved from the gray room to the kitchen, looking around to see that Axel had organized some ingredients on the counter, intending to make something, it seemed. Oh no - was he asking for help? Roxas knew what that look meant, and it meant for him to get off of his butt and do something useful while Axel did the majority of the work. He smiled nervously, knowing that if he even tried to do so much as boil an egg, the whole castle would burn down (There had been an instance, but he'd rather not talk about it. Let's just say he wasn't allowed back in the kitchen for quite some time).

"Okay, okay. I get you." He laughed out the words, moving around to see what the redhead had in store for him. "Are we making cookies?" The boy asked, seeing a baking sheet before anything else and having a large grin appear upon his lips. He hadn't had any of Axel's sweets in quite some time, and the Flurry knew a thing or two about how to work a kitchen. "What do you need me to do?" He turned around to face the other. The poor thing was a little excited for just a batch of cookies.

Axel retrieved a few more things as he began to properly organize his materials while he waited for Roxas. He had to make sure that each thing was in the right spot so that they didn't end up ruining something they were working on by grabbing the wrong ingredient. He had learned when he first started cooking for everyone that it wasn't always as easy as he made it look now. He had ruined a few perfectly good dinners because he had used one wrong thing.

He looked up and smiled as the Key entered the kitchen. It was good to know that he really was back and would come when called. Yes, they had been back for long enough that it should have settled in, but the blond had been gone much longer than they had been back. It took him until the other day in Notre Dame to realize all the little things that he had missed about the blond that he cared for so much.

The redhead found him very attractive with his golden hair and sapphire blue eyes. His height was adorable but it as all the little things as well. He looked just like Ventus and he could fathom looking at the other blond this way if he were around. Their history together and all the little quirks had helped to build this desire to be around him and want to keep him as close as possible.

So rather than let the innocent little thing explore as he liked, he was going to make sweets. Cupcakes, too. Axel held up a muffin tin and set it on the small table behind them that held the wrappers for the small cakes. That would be a concern for later once they were ready to start pouring them out. He set two large bowls in front of them, one a little further from the other to make it a little less confusing.

First what flavors do you want? Then we can measure out the flour and sugar, He said, knowing that which kind of cookie and what flavor of cupcake would determine how much of each they might need. While the Flurry waited for his answer, he still cracked eggs into one bowl, knowing that the cupcakes would need them no matter what flavor Roxas wanted. He wanted to do the same for the cookies, but he knew a few recipes that called for different numbers of eggs. How troublesome.

It was surreal to be spending time together with Axel like this - he wondered for a moment of Xion would be into baking. Of course she would, as long as she was spending time with her two best friends. With the way things were going, it wouldn't be long until she was back - Roxas found it easier to remain optimistic about the whole thing. The blond boy listened as the Flurry said that not only would they be making cookies, but cupcakes as well, placing a muffin tin on the table behind them that they would be utilizing in a few moments.

"Hmm," He pondered for a few seconds before turning to look at the emerald-eyed Nobody with a grin. "Sugar cookies and Strawberry cupcakes with cream cheese icing. Think we can handle that?" Of course he knew Axel would do everything in his power to make it happen. He may have acted like a tough guy in the past, but the Key of Destiny knew what he was truly like, and that was a big softy who enjoyed doing things for others and making the people he liked happy. Even if it was just by doing simple things like cooking for them and baking them cookies every once in a while - he was a good person. Roxas had faith in that till the end.

The inquisitive little Nobody went over and watched everything that the firestarter was doing, throwing ingredients together, measuring things and putting them together, and soon, he asked if he could take over the stirring of the cake batter. The boy took the whisk in his hand an begun to match the motion he saw his best friend use with the cooking instrument, and he soon realized that not only was he able to make sweet treats, but he also had a rather... powerful weapon. He placed his finger in the gooey batter, then turned, reaching up to smudge it on the eighth's nose, laughing after he had done so.

"Aww!" Roxas sneered as he saw the might Axel now reduce to this adorable display. As if to make him feel better, the Key of Destiny did the same to himself, sticking his finger in the batter and wiping it over the tip of his nose, scrunching his features after his did so - it felt thick against his skin. "Now we match. Smells good, though." He mused, sounding rather pleased with himself.

The redheaded cook lightly rested his hands on the counter as he waited for his answer. Once given, he had to readjust certain things, and pushed a few things back while grabbing certain ingredients that would ensure a delicious strawberry flavor in the cupcakes. If only he had some fresh berries to add that would have been better. Oh well, at least he knew how to make them tasty anyway.

He started first on the cupcake mix, adding a few powdered items with a decent amount of liquids to get that thick batter going. He was quickly handed off to the blond upon request. Careful not to get it everywhere, He warned as he handed over his whisk. Now, free of that, he grabbed the other bowl for the sugar cookies. In his distraction, he didn't bother to check to see what Roxas was doing.

Bad move.

He flinched as a wet, sticky finger ran down his nose. Oh, that felt so ... unusual. His nose wrinkled in distaste which just made it feel weirder. Slowly, he looked at the Key and raised a brow. He was so wonderfully cute with a spot of batter on his nose, but smelling it was not the point yet. The aroma was important once they were in the oven. You're supposed to taste it so you get the flavor right, He instructed, sticking his own finger in the batter. He made sure there was a good amount to smear across the shorter male's lips.

Now you can adjust the recipe if you need to. He gave a pleasant smile and lifted his finger to his own lips. He stuck the digit in his mouth to clean off the excess and emphasize his point. He made a pleased sound at the flavor. He had done rather well getting it to taste close to a really strawberry. He smiled to himself as he washed off his hand so he could return to the sugar cookie mix without contaminating it with cupcakes.

Axel would wait to work on the frosting. Somehow, it seemed like that was going to add more mess than usual with Roxas helping him. More room with everything unneeded put away sounded like a good idea.

Hmm.. What a cheap move. Just as he was told not to get it everywhere, his best friend dipped his own finger in the gooey stuff and smeared it all over Roxas' mouth. He blinked his oceanic eyes a few times, licking his lips to get the flavor of the pink texture, giggling at the sweetness and the situation they were in. This was becoming quite the experience, and the blond knew that it was only going to get worse from here. He moved his hand to his mouth, trying his best to wipe the rest of it away, but it wound up creating a pink streak on his cheek, and he could feel it there too. But that was okay. This was.. Fun.

"I don't think it needs adjusting." They Key of Destiny announced, making sure that it was stirred up enough and then moving to the table with the bowl in his hand, placing cupcake liners in each other indentations in the pan. The young teen poured the batter into each liner, filling them up a little over halfway to keep them from overflowing while they were baking. When he set the bowl back down on the table, he was stricken with an idea most fowl. And he was prepared to deal with the consequences of said idea.

Roxas stuck his hands in the bowl, rubbing them all over the sides and accumulating a large amount of left-over batter upon his palms and fingers. He snuck up behind the redhead as he worked on the frosting, a defiant little grin on his face. The younger male stood on his tip-toes and reached up, his arms having circled around to smack both of his hands on the firestarter's cheeks, wiping all of the pink batter off on his face. Roxas was laughing the entire time, showing just how much fun he was having dirtying up his best friend (and cooking, of course.)

As soon as he was done, he moved around to Axel's side, bringing one of his hands up to cover his mouth while he laughed, ultimately getting more of the pink color all over his own face, though he was having such a good time that he didn't even notice.

"Got'ya!"

The Flurry smirked at his small counterpart, a slight chuckle escaping him as he returned to his own work. It was good to know that they had gotten the flavoring they desired the first time around. He had tasted it himself, though he hadn't thought it necessary until he had batter on his nose and there was a demand for retaliation. At least cookie dough was harder to mess with. He was able to portion that out onto the flat sheet without incident as Roxas was busy with the cupcake linings.

He set the cookie and cupcake paraphernalia in the sink to keep his work space in order. As he prepared for the cream cheese icing, something much more sinister was going on behind him. While they might be a bit of a mess, the kitchen wasn't which made it easier for him to work. However, it seemed like that wasn't necessarily going to be the case for long. He very nearly ruined his icing as small hands covered his cheeks and smeared batter over his face.

This had been a terrible idea. Why had he asked for help? He was beginning to view Roxas as a bit more than a friend but this was going to change that. They were quickly becoming kitchen enemies and he was not going to fight fair. He knew a good many more tricks to make a mess that the poor blond was sorely out matched.

A shiver ran down Axel's spine nonetheless as the Key giggled beside him. Fair warning, you are not going to be a happy camper soon enough, Roxy. He made no move to clean his face but the set of his shoulders certainly conveyed his distaste for the nastiness of egg and flour coating his skin. You will still learn how to make proper toppings, He stated as he pushed the cupcake frosting toward the other Nobody.

Axel reached for a new bowl, one he hadn't intended on using at all. He added sugar and began separating eggs by hand, letting the whites run through his fingers and depositing the yolks elsewhere, having no need for them. The mark of a proper meringue is whipping it until it can form peaks that won't fall, He said as if being a true teacher in this. He was really just setting this dessert up to be ruined, but Roxas would still walk away knowing something.

He took his time in hand whipping the mixture, quietly instructing the blond to place the cupcakes and cookies in the preheated oven at the right time. A few moments later Axel stepped near his best friend. Moment of truth. It shouldn't move if I did this right. The Flurry turned the bowl over, holding it above the Key's head. For a second it seemed like it had been fully whipped into the proper consistency. Sadly for the thirteenth member it promptly began falling onto him, making a bigger mess than the redhead would have liked, but he would suffer the clean up for the enjoyment he gained from doing that.

Oh boy - he could have just made a dire mistake. Although it had all been in good fun, Axel seemed to be extremely displeased with the turn of events and had turned, saying that Roxas would be learning how to make "proper" toppings. How did the blond know that there was something else that the redhead was planning to dole out of his sleeve?

Meringue, huh? The young Nobody had heard that word a few times before, but he hadn't ever guessed that it was a desert item. It sounded more like some sort of foreign cuisine - he peered careful at the bowl, watching the egg whites transform into fluffy peaks.

"Oh!" He said with a smile, doing just as he was told and placing the items into the oven, proceeding to close the door. Curiously, he watched them for a moment as though the chemical reaction woul take place right before his eyes, but he needed to understand that such a thing took time, and it simply wasn't practical for him to sit here and watch for the entirety of its baking session. "Hmm?" Moment of truth?

"Wha-" The bowl had been turned over, and as he stared up, it was like staring into the eyes of the Devil. The meringue began to fall onto his face and into his hair, dripping down and soaking into his shirt, causing a shudder to travel throughout his spine that was most unwanted. Carefully, Roxas brought his hands to his face to try and get the fluff out of his face, flicking some of it onto the floor and fluttering his blue eyes open. He looked like a puffy ghost, completely covered in the light and airy substance; it was still uncomfortable.

"So that's how we're gonna be." He mumbled with a dark undertone of mischief able to be heard. Without any warning whatsoever, the smaller of the two was darting forward, smothering his coated face into the fabric of Axel's shirt, spreading the meringue all over the clothing, smearing it anywhere he could. When he pulled away, there was a big grin on his face.

"We should probably go wash off, huh?"

It was cute that Roxas was so intent on the baked goods that needed the time to actually cook. Asking for his help had both been a good and bad idea. The good was that he enjoyed the Key's company and the eagerness with which he took to doing what he could. Axel was the only one that really knew how to utilize this room but that didn't dim Roxas' excitement.

The bad thing was that in their fun, they made quite the mess. The redhead laughed, one hand going to his side as it began to ache. The look on his friend's face and the ridiculousness of him covered in the white dessert was priceless. He wished for a camera so badly right this moment. He gave a small cough and tried to calm himself. With a deep breath he shifted the few things from the unnecessary meringue into the sink and was about ready to finish cleaning up the counter top.

Roxas had other plans, attacking him with what some might misconstrue as affection. Axel gave a shout of surprise and mild distaste. Ugh, it was moist and sticky through the soft fabric of his shirt and made him feel sullied. He stared down at the mess his clothing had become then up at Roxas who was now mildly cleaner with half the eggy mixture now on his shirt. That was a low blow, He sneered, nose wrinkling and reminding him of the batter that had dried on his face. He gave a small hiss and carefully grabbed the hem of his shirt.

Washing up sounds wonderful, He agreed, pulling the fabric gingerly over his head to get as little of the meringue over him as possible. Sadly, it still got in his hair, but at least he felt a tiny bit better without the soaked material touching his skin. He dropped the top to the floor and glanced at the oven. You go shower. I'll watch the cookies so they won't burn. It would also give him the opportunity to tidy up his kitchen while he waited for the treats to finish up. They could cool down while he was in the shower and be ready for decorating after.

He was told to go ahead and be on his way towards the showers while Axel made sure that the treats they had put together would be baking to perfection. Of course, Roxas had no idea how all of that worked, so it did make sense for him to go first. Smiling and beaming, the boy nodded, turning and heading to the bathroom-styled, though it lacked toilets - each member had their own personal bathroom joined in with their room, so they needn't worry about things of that manner. Roxas moved into one of the shower cubicles, undressing himself and throwing his clothes on the counter with the sinks, some of the meringue hitting the mirror. He winced as he saw the mess he continued to spread, laughing to himself soon afterward.

The blond Nobody turned on the water and quickly jolted out of the way to allow it to heat up, not really enjoying the concept of being blasted with water that was considerably ice-cold. Steam began to rise and he finally moved in the line of impact, sighing and letting his eyes roll into the back of his head. Showers were always wonderful in his opinion. The heat was soothing to his skin, his body leaning against the slick shower wall; he was able to relax. He stayed like that for at least five minutes, not even being able to gather the will-power to ensue movement to begin actually washing himself.

He turned, finally, his back now facing the endless stream, wetting his hair and running his fingers through the soaked locks, pumping some of the shampoo from the bottle next to him into the palm of his hand and lathering it into his dirtied hair. The foam dripped from his head to his neck an shoulders before he began to wash it out, the cleanly scent from the soap being rather delightful.

Jeez - if it wasn't for Axel being out there to make sure that Roxas was preoccupied and having a good time, then the little blond could probably stay in here for the rest of his existence.