• One Lifestand [BxB] •

21

[NOT EDITED, CAN'T BE BOTHERED TO WRITE THE USUAL, IT GETS TIRING]

Dedicated to @killerkel and @vanjakuronen, thank you for your support!
And @killercookie2003 for your amazing comments, they really made me smile! :)

Also big shout-out to who made the effort to let me in on his/her perspective and get my ass up for this chapter :D Hope you like it! 😊

Zale's PoV:

My heart melts by seeing his exitement about being allowed to bake Cookies with me. I can't remember someone ever being this happy about something so innocent. It's as if the big dominant male beside me turned into a small boy, exited about the small things in life and I think it's precious. How he has so rarely baked Christmas Cookies that he could act like this is beneath me thought.

"You can't be that bad in the kitchen" I say, once I caught my breath again after his death hug.
"We'll see, I just hope I'm still allowed in the kitchen after this" he replies cheekily making himself comfortable in his own seat again and turning his gaze out the window, a cute smile on his face. I look at him from the corner of my eyes, another blush gracing my overheated face, images from this morning replaying in my head. I had been basically naked, his shirt not covering half of my body from riding up during the night and coming into my room with only a towel covering his very much mouthwatering and inviting body should be illegal!

The rest of the journey is relatively quiet with the radio playing silently in the background, only my straying thoughts causing me to squirm quietly in my seat. No more than a couple of minutes later and the both of us finhd ourselves standing in the kichen, me with a casual shirt I brought with me, and Mario in an expensive looking suit and a tie.

"Uhm.." I try to start while looking him up and down questioningly, "do you plan on wearing this for baking cookies?", not missing how gorgeous he looks in his attire, his muscles visible eben through the multiple layers of clothes.

"What do you mean?" he asks confused, his thick eyebrows scrunching together. "Something wrong with my outfit?".

"Not particularly... but they might get dirty in the process." I point out the obvious.
A look of realization crosses his features and I grin up at him with my eyebrows raised in expectation. Mario gets the hint and and disappeares out of the kitchen to presumably, hopefully, change into something more casual and suitable for baking.

Not knowing anything better to do I look through the different drawers around me, stuffed with all kinds of kitchen utensils, among them a hand-mixing machine and a pink apron. Taking out the mixer Mario walks back in, this time more casually dressed but instead spotting an expensive designer shirt instead of the previous suit. Not thinking too long I grab the apron out of the drawer as well before finally closing it and walking over to Mario.

He looks a bit confused but I just throw the apron over his head and tie it behind his back before walking around again, taking in the view and bursting out in laughter at how rediculous he looked with the piece of equipment.
Standing in front of me is a tall, muscular man in a pink apron reading "kitchen fairy" on the front. How the hell could I not crack up at that?! He looks himself up and down raising a single eyebrow and grins down at me in amusement.

"I take it my outfit wasn't appropriate right? " he chuckles, shaking his head before ruffling my hair with the words "you're too cute" leaving me flustered and blushing in the entrance to the kitchen. Clearing my throat in hopes of my voice cooperating I turn around trying to supress the blush "shall we begin?" I squeak out, awkwardly gripping the hem of my shirt with my sweaty hands.

How come that his words increasingly affect me this much? That'll be my absolute downfall I can practically smell it five feet against the wind...
I have to be careful as to keep a healthy distance with him.

Shaking that thought out of my mind for the time being I follow Mario behind the kitchen counter, where he is already impatiently waiting to start baking the cookies.

And true to his words it doesn't take long for me to realize that he has no clue about baking or whatsoever. He barely knew all the ingredients and didn't know in which order to mix them for his life. So step for step I guided him through the process of baking cookies, amused about his persistance of doing it himself and not letting me do it to save some time.

Arriving at the last step, pouring in the flour, I explain that he can mix half the amount with the maschine before adding the second half by hand. With the goal to get out the rolling pin, I cram through the drawers behind the kitchen isle , trying to remember where I've seen it, when a huge flour explosion hits the whole kitchen. Startled I immediately turn around and look at an equally shocked and helpless Mario, from head to waist coated in the white. That sure woke up even my laziest cells fast.

Caught off guard I couldn't form words, but that wasn't necessary when Mario turned around ever so slowly in fear of something exploding again, and I'm met with the image of a ghost. Getting a hold of myself again I burst out in laughter, not able to control myself, hands on my knees for support. A thin layer of flour coats his whole front only his wide eyes remaining, Looking at me like a deer caught in the headlights.

Momentarily forgettting about who the man in question is I instinctively grab my phone out of my pocket, which is coated in flour as well from bending over, and snap a quick photo of the scene in front of me, before the moment would be over. Trying my best to calm down from my fit of lauhter I inhale deeply and wipe away the tears that had managed to slip out.

"..wh- what did I do..?" Marios still very shocked voice rings trough the mostly quiet kitchen sending me off into laughter once more, just as I managed to calm my erratic breathing. I can already feel my stomache hurting and think back to the last time that this was the case, realizing that I hadn't had this much fun in a long time. I didn't quiet have it in me to feel sorry for Mario either since the joke is clearly on his expanse. Even with Charles who honestly is a blessing I didn't laugh this bad in recent months. I push back those thoughts, with my laughs turning into a content smirk, embracing the warm feeling around me and flick Mario, who is still standing stiffly like a statue, off.

"You mixed the flour full power, didn't you?" I chuckle while looking for something to clean the mess he had produced in a single second of me not paying attention to his actions. He really is a natural disaster in the kitchen. Just when I find the rag by the sink the door to the kitchen opens and in walks Linda, it didn't take her more than a few seconds to throw her hands up in horror at the mess, before looking between us incrediously before halting her head turned towards Mario, who still held the mixer in one hand and the flour in the other.

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I smile relieved after we finally lay the last Christmas Cookie on the baking sheet and place it in the oven. While I had helped save the Cookie dough with Mario's "assistance" Linda was so kind to clean the mess we had made, saying he would only make it worse if he tried helping her. I had to smile at that comment, she truly was like an aunt or the likes to him. We had turned up a Christmas playlist in the kitchen and danced around doing our tasks like a bunch of goofballs and I honestly couldn't even begin to tell how amazing it felt letting loose and feeling the comfort of a somewhat strange family.

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You wouldn't believe how long writing one single chaper takes. o.o
I was sitting at this chapter for about 2 hours 😱
Also I know this chapter doesn't have much actual plot but I like taking the time to write about the small more irrelevant things in their relationship because that's what makes it authentic for them to maybe get together in the future :)

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As always if you enjoyed it leave a vote or a comment, and criticism is also welcome.

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Love-
Bella
🌸