fandomhigh | Cupcake Skirmishes, Period 3, Friday 5/28

Like the previous 2 weeks, Stark was waiting in the Home Ec room. Today he had a large coffee from the Perk with him, one of his usual extremely sugary drinks.

“Coffee,” Stark said brightly, holding up the cup, “goes well with baked goods. Or in baked goods!” He’d maybe already had coffee today. He might need the extra caffeine to get through paintball later. It certainly wouldn’t hurt. “It goes very well with chocolate, especially. But chocolate goes well with a lot of things.”

“I have instant coffee,” he said, pulling a jar out of the box on the counter, “chocolate-covered espresso beans, and there’s regular coffee, brewed coffee, as well. And cold brew. Different recipes call for different things. The beans are mostly for decoration. Or just eating. And of course plenty of chocolate. There’s almost always chocolate.”

“I’ve brought several recipes to choose from.” He pointed to a stack of printed recipes on the counter. "Try one, or more than one if you're feeling ambitious."

Coffee cupcakes with coffee buttercream and raspberry filling
Coffee cupcakes with salted caramel frosting
Mocha cupcakes with espresso buttercream
Cold brew cupcakes with mocha buttercream
Chocolate cupcakes with coffee cream filling

"I can help if you need. Or want. Oh. And there's coffee for drinking, if anyone wants that."

It was just going to be a caffeinated sort of day.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Like you need some caffeinated treats.

Edited 2021-05-28 10:23 (UTC)

Faye Valentine

Sakaki

Tahani al-Jamil

If you have any thoughts on coffee and baked goods, this is the time to share them.

Or drink some coffee. Eat a few of those chocolate espresso beans. Maybe all those things!

Yeah, Faye was mostly into eating chocolate espresso beans, but she did give the raspberry filling one a shot.

Which mostly meant that while everything turned out fine, Faye ended up with underfilled cupcakes because she kept eating the filling on its own.

Not surprising, really.

"It might taste better all together. Although," Stark shrugged a little, "I didn't try the raspberry on its own."

Faye held the bowl of raspberry filling out -- that's right, sharing food, because something was wrong with her these days -- with a lift of her brow.

"They're deconstructed," she replied, smiling.

She'd seen that on a food show one time. Seemed like a flimsy defense, but she'd try it.

"Oh, of course. Deconstructed." Stark nodded and offered a small smile in return. He was willing to go along with that.

"Haven't got a spoon," he added, looking around for one as he took the bowl.

Faye offered him her own spoon. "Little late to be worried about my cooties," she noted.

She would also not object to fingers being used here, because Faye was kind of fast and loose with manners and stuff.

"I would just eat this stuff straight. Maybe on pancakes or something."

"I wasn't worried," Stark said, ducking his head just a little as he took the spoon. It was definitely too late for that to be a concern. "Didn't want to be rude."

"It is good," he added after a spoonful. "Pancakes would be good."

"I promise I'll let you know if you're ever actually rude to me." Because she would be shrieking it, probably, but Faye also didn't really see Stark doing anything that would piss her off. (He had been spared as a potential victim of the balcony back in February, after all!)

"I have no idea how to make pancakes," she added. "Or anything. It's amazing these turned out." She gestured to her cupcakes, and like, that was a pretty liberal use of 'turned out.' But they weren't raw! And they vaguely looked like cupcakes!

He wouldn't try to upset her but sometimes these things happened. Especially when Stark was less calm than he had been lately.

"It takes practice," Stark said. "Making anything. But pancakes aren't hard. I could make some?"

"You can make me pancakes anytime," Faye replied. Stark. Stark. You should know better than to give her an opening like this. "I mean, I assume this is a case where I'm staying for breakfast after a sleepover, right?"

Like, honestly, she could have made that a lot worse.

Stark had walked into that without meaning to. Really. Forgive him while he stammers for a moment.

"...I. That wasn't... that wasn't what I meant. I just meant food... but. That..."

He stopped, took a breath, and started again. "I meant pancakes. But I... if you wanted?"

And that was exactly the reaction Faye had wanted.

Not because she liked him or anything! Don't be silly. It was just fun to watch Stark get all flustered.

For no reason. Not because Faye found it kind of adorable. Gross. Never.

"I know that's not what you meant," she replied with a wide smile. "But it's what I meant, because yeah, I think that's more fun than just pancakes on their own."

Good thing for Faye that it was easy for her to get Stark flustered. One week in April aside, he just wasn't used to this sort of attention.

"I... it would be. I mean, yes it was fun, before."

"Both times," Faye noted cheerfully, really enjoying the flustering here. "Worth the ice water, even."

(That admission was not the same as forgiving Anakin, please note.)

"So yeah," she added, "we should do that again. Any time. Pollen not required."

But not because she thought Stark specifically was cute or anything, okay? Just because she liked sex. That was all. Obviously. Duh.

Well, Anakin didn't deserve forgiveness even if the ice water had ended well.

"I..."

He had to process that 'pollen not required' statement because he really did think that was the entire reason.

"I... yes?"

The pollen had just opened up Faye's options and made things easier, really. She hadn't done anything she wouldn't without pollen.

"Cool. You know where to find me," Faye said, ultra-casual about it just because she was really getting a kick out of this reaction. "And hopefully no kids show up to steal all those pancakes."

Because really she was just in this for the pancakes. And the sex. And nothing else.

"I don't expect any. I didn't expect those two. But there shouldn't be any for a while." That, at least, Stark was fairly confident on.

"I do know where to find you." Whether he worked his way up to doing so was another question entirely. Of course, she did live next door. It wouldn't require that much.

He's here for that!

I don't even like coffee. But I like coffee flavored things.

This post brought to you by that fact and by my inability to sleep through the night for the past month or two.

Cupcake Skirmishes, Period 3, Friday 5/28

Sign In [Week 3]

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Re: Sign In [Week 3]

Listen to Stark / Discuss

Bake some cupcakes! [Week 3]

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Re: Bake some cupcakes! [Week 3]

Re: Bake some cupcakes! [Week 3]

Re: Bake some cupcakes! [Week 3]

Re: Bake some cupcakes! [Week 3]

Re: Bake some cupcakes! [Week 3]

Re: Bake some cupcakes! [Week 3]

Re: Bake some cupcakes! [Week 3]

Re: Bake some cupcakes! [Week 3]

Re: Bake some cupcakes! [Week 3]

Re: Bake some cupcakes! [Week 3]

Re: Bake some cupcakes! [Week 3]

Re: Bake some cupcakes! [Week 3]

Re: Bake some cupcakes! [Week 3]

Re: Bake some cupcakes! [Week 3]

Re: Bake some cupcakes! [Week 3]

Talk to Stark! [Week 3]

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