[Mushverse: Liveman Family and JK]

[gibken]

So I've decided to not think about my screwed up pathetic excuse for a memory for a few days. I have better things to focus on. Club activities, family crises, Gai getting ready to start school, and most important of all, I found out (possibly inadvertently) that JK's birthday is literally right upon us.

And I want to do something for him. To convince him that he's as important to me as I say he is (though I'm not entirely sure why I feel like he won't believe me otherwise). To introduce him to my parents, too, because even if I am actually a twenty-something space pirate or whatever, they've still taken care of me for this long, and I respect them.

I started smuggling an array of cake baking ingredients into the house a few days ago, hiding them at the back of the bottom shelf of the fridge, and the very back of the lower cupboards.

Tonight I'm just going to make the cake, and try to figure out whether I can afford to order something in to eat for dinner, since I'm not about to spring a multi-person meal on Megumi at the last minute. Maybe Don will help me. I know he's a good cook. I'm absolutely lost outside of baking.

Comments

[redfalcon]

"For what?" He's a funny little kid sometimes, "have a think about what you want to do for dinner. I'm sure between us we can come up with something." Megumi is supposed to be taking Gai shopping for sensible school shoes later. If I pick them up in the car, we can go around the supermarket.

[gibken]

"Oh, nothing." I'm not about to spell it out for him. He thinks I'm weird enough as it is.

"I will. I'll figure something out."

[redfalcon]

"Okay. Oh -" I open some cupboards and begin pulling out tubes of silver balls, sprinkles, sugary decoration thingies, glacé cherries, a bag of icing sugar, and some more bits. They're all the things Megumi uses when baking, "go nuts." Oh, right, nuts. Do we have any of those too?

[gibken]

I had already bought stuff to decorate the cake with, but mostly I'm just amused that Yuusuke automatically knows where Megumi keeps all of this stuff. I smile slightly, moving over to sift through what's available. "Thank you."

It needs to be colorful. It's for JK.

[redfalcon]

I unearth a bag of shredded coconut and sprinkle some into my mouth before putting it down on the table, "that cake has turned out nicely. What's in it?"

[gibken]

"Mostly chocolate." JK likes chocolate, I hope. He's always drinking chocolate milk, anyway.

I duck down to retrieve the things I got for decorating, and get out one of the bowls I'd already washed to mix icing in. "I hope it's big enough," I muse aloud. Probably not. There definitely won't be anything left over, anyway.

[redfalcon]

"We could always knock up another one? You're free to use whatever ingredients are in the house. We've got eggs and flour, right? I was gonna pick up Megumi and Gai later so we could buy stuff for dinner. We can always replace it all then." Gai will be so jazzed about this. He's taken really well to living with us. I can't wait to see his face light up at the table.

[gibken]

He has a point. I should have enough supplies. "That's a good idea, thank you. Um. Maybe a different flavor?" What do the others like? I should know this kind of stuff about my family. I feel bad that I don't.

[redfalcon]

I try to think. What do we have? "uh ... plain sponge with jam? Poppyseed? Green tea? Hazelnut? Coffee? Fruit?"

[gibken]

That's a pretty vast array. I stare around the kitchen idly, then shrug. "Coffee's not bad. I can work with coffee."

[redfalcon]

I pull out the jar of coffee granules to offer him, "we've got filter coffee beans if you wanna grind 'em up." We keep both but the filter is usually for guests. Joe's boyfriend is important so he should have the best.

[gibken]

I accept the coffee with a little duck of my head. "Thank you. You've been a big help." I mean it, though, I'm not just saying that.

I'm looking forward to having a nice evening with the people who are most important to me. The rest of all the trouble and strife can just wait, for one night.

[redfalcon]

Well, well. What do you know. I want him to at least have one happy day he can enjoy with us. "You're welcome. Maybe when you're done you could make a shopping list and we'll pick it all up when we go to the supermarket."

[gibken]

"Yes, okay. I'll take care of it." I'm compelled to thank him again, but he might just ask me what for again, and I'm not sure I could answer. For being here? For being my father? For loving me? For not caring that I'm a scary space pirate with a broken brain?

[redfalcon]

I ruffle his hair and swipe a banana from the bowl. Better have a shower before everyone else gets up and starts hogging the bathroom, "text me if you want anything."

[gibken]

"I will." I'm sure he's heading to the bathroom so he can have the first and hottest shower of the day, so I elect to hold off on washing any more dishes.

"I love you." I mumble once he's practically gone. Very sweet, Joe. I'm ridiculous.