Second Floor Common Room, Thursday Evening

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

It was pretty quiet in here tonight, and that meant the kitchen was free. Therefore, Anders was making cupcakes while the TV ran some 80s TV show about high school kids who frequently broke into song.

Because what else do you do on your birthday but make cupcakes for other people to share?

Comments

[kitty--fetish.livejournal.com]

Alphonse wandered by and poked his head in, noticing Anders and some baking going on. "Mmm, something smells good in here."

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

"Hey, Al! You made it back okay and everything!" Okay, that had been a while ago, but Anders hadn't seen Alphonse since before his trip. He waved with one oven-mitt-covered hand. "Cupcakes always smell good. Just got the first batch out of the oven if you want 'em."

[kitty--fetish.livejournal.com]

"Yep! It went great! I left with cupcakes and I return only to find more cupcakes. Couldn't get any better than this."

[sogothcally.livejournal.com]

"There you are," Cally said as she wandered in. "Birthday boy was wanting to avoid me or something?"

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

Anders laughed. "It's definitely an improvement over trying to make it through a dark, smoky maze, which is how I spent my morning."

[stykera]

Stark was lured out of his room by the smell of something baking down the hall. So he went to investigate. Baked goods were always worth investigating.

"That smells good. Whatever it is. And hello."

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

"Hey, coach! It's not that I'm avoiding you," Anders said as he popped the second tray of cupcakes into the oven. "I was just trying to avoid being cupcakeless."

[kitty--fetish.livejournal.com]

Alphonse picked a cupcake out of the batch. "A maze?" he questioned curiously.

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

"Cupcakes, and have some," Anders said. "The one thing I know I can safely bake without help. Speaking of baking, you're in that workshop with me, aren't you?"

[sogothcally.livejournal.com]

"So, that's the reason you disappear on your birthday? Because you needed cupcakes?" Cally's eyebrow was raised quite high.

[stykera]

Stark nodded as he reached for a cupcake. "Thank you. I'm in Baking, yes. How did your pie turn out? My crust wasn't...crusty. The apples were good though."

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

"A maze," Anders confirmed. "For my Leadership and Outdoorsmanship workshop. We had to figure out how to get safely out of this maze without losing anyone in our group. It wasn't so bad, but sometimes cramped spaces creep me out."

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

"I wanted to share?" Anders offered. "Can't have a party, even a little one, without some munchies, right?"

[kitty--fetish.livejournal.com]

"Eep. Sounds kinda rough." He bit into his cupcake, which was quickly approved as benig very good. "So, what's the occasion for the baking?"

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

"It came out pretty well. Some of the apple pieces were kind of chewier than others, but it wasn't bad. Good thing I didn't do the crust, though. I would've botched that completely, but Willow did a pretty good job with it." Anders got started mixing up a third batch of cupcakes, because he was on a roll.

"So I've seen you around a few times, but I don't think I actually know your name," he ventured. "Which is kind of frakked up after all this time."

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

"None really." Anders shrugged. "I mean, yeah, it's my birthday and all, but I just felt like cupcakes."

[kitty--fetish.livejournal.com]

"It is?" Alphonse said, surprised. "Happy birthday, then! Why didn't you say anything?"

[sogothcally.livejournal.com]

"I guess not," Cally said. She patted him on the back. "I'm gonna go sit down, okay?"

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

Anders shrugged. "It wasn't a big deal or anything. Didn't want to make a huge thing of it, but thanks."

[stykera]

"I did the crust. Sam did the apples. Nothing caught on fire, so I think it went well," Stark said with a small grin. "The cupcake is better than my pie was though."

"I...don't get out much," Stark continued after a pause. "So I think a lot of people don't really know who I am. My fault. I'm Stark."

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

Anders laughed. "Not like you need to ask. Mind if I join you as soon as this pan is ready to go in the oven?"

[kitty--fetish.livejournal.com]

"Aw. But hey, cupcakes are just as good!" Alphonse had been demonstrating this by eating his cupcake through the conversation. "Hope you have another good year."

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

Anders whistled. "Yeah, all things considered it went pretty well, I guess. Last time Carter and I worked together there were flames." He adjusted the heat on the oven and scratched his nose, getting cupcake batter smeared all over it.

"I get like that sometimes, too," he said. "But hey, Stark. I'm Anders."

[sogothcally.livejournal.com]

Cally shrugged. "As long as no one beats you to it," she said with a wink.

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

"Glad the cupcakes are a hit," Anders said. "And here's hoping, huh? How was your trip home? Freak out any friends with weird only-in-Fandom stories?"