Expectations When Expecting

Book 1, Chapter 14

A/N: As I'm rereading this, I made myself hungry. I'll add a little more info on what Yuu chose for her tart's taste. Thanks for reading!

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"Okay, now we just sprinkle on a little powdered sugar, and..." Yuu watched in fascination as Trey expertly sifted powdered sugar onto the tart.

The entire room seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, when Trey stood back.

"Finished!" Ace and Grim remarked excitedly. Yuu smiled, pleased with the image.

"Fin...ished..." Deuce said halfheartedly.

"Hey." Ace nudged Yuu slightly, leaning in to whisper. "Did something happen to him while you were shopping?"

"Yeah. He's still in shock." She laughed awkwardly. "I think I broke him."

"For sixteen years, I was so sure..." Deuce lamented, returning to muttering.

Ace watched with a raised eyebrow. "... Yeah, whatever." He said dismissively. "I'm pretty beat. Making tarts sure takes it outta you."

Yuu raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is the big tough fella tired?" She teased. "Guess you should be lucky we agreed to help~" She grinned, noticing Ace's embarrassed blush.

"Yeah, fine. Thanks for the help." He huffed, looking away.

Yuu chuckled kindly. "You're welcome!" She said, returning her gaze to the table she was wiping down.

"Hey fam!" A voice resounded in the kitchen, making Yuu jump slightly as she looked up to see a familiar ginger.

"Holy shit, this ain't moving!" She grumbled to herself. "Oh yeah! 'Sup Cater!" She called back, attempting to scrub off a bit of solidified paste from the wood.

"LOL, You look wrecked." Cater remarked. "Are the tarts done? Ooh, those look sooo cute! Lemme snap a quick pic for Magicam!" Cater smiled, scampering over to where Trey was, holding a very pretty-looking tart.

"What, NOW you decide to show up?" Ace retorted, annoyed and cranky.

"I just came to see how hard my little newbs were working." Cater said, leaning against the desk nonchalantly.

"It's tough work if you're not used to it. But there's no better cure for the ails of fatigue than something sweet from the oven!" Trey announced, placing a warm tart in front of the group. "Help yourself to some of this tart."

The group celebrated at the thought of getting to try their work.

"Pretty funny how you managed to show right when it was ready to eat, Cater." Ace remarked, scowling slightly when Cater laughed.

"Someone's gotta be the official taster!" The older ginger smiled.

"That smells so good..." Grim purred, sniffing the air as his mouth began to water. "Glossy chestnuts on top, fluffy cream below... I can't wait another second, I'm going in!"

Grim seemed to jump into his tart, completely disregarding the fork and simply taking a large bite. Yuu felt her stomach growl at how hungry she was, making her pick the fork up and take a small piece.

"Yuuum! Liked and subscriiibed!" She heard Cater beside her as she put the fork in her mouth.

"This is like something from a fancy bakery." Deuce praised.

"Rich in flavor, yet not too sweet... It's like chestnuts are dancing across my tongue!" Grim laughed.

"Is that... a good thing?" Trey questioned, seeming to look at Yuu, who had remained silent as she took her first bite.