Cookies Galore

-

The month and a half for the preparation of the festival had (much too soon, in the opinions of the students) dwindled down to the final day, and the middle and high school divisions were in a rush in giving last touch ups and rechecking to see they had everything in order.

The cultural festival was open to any and all people, and it gave new incoming students an opportunity to see what the academy was like – a free tour that came with fun and games, so to speak. For some, parents and other family members came to get a chance to see their child working and interacting amongst the school faculty and their peers. Of course, for the actual students of the academy, it was a chance to focus on something else besides schoolwork during school hours.

The field court was littered with food stands, prizewinning games, and others that would display small souvenirs on the counter (some free, some not) the next day when the festival officially started. The interiors of the classrooms were also decorated appropriately according to the theme each class had chosen to focus on.

Zero's had teamed up with the one next door to work on a play, and all the younger of the Kiryuu twins had needed to offer assistance on was the stage sets, so he hadn't been as busy as say, his brother or Yuuki. And as such, both had volunteered him (without his consent, mind you) in preparing some of the food their classes would need in the festival, much to his exasperation.

In order to save time on preparation, he was forced into using store bought pre-made ingredients, such as the cookie dough and the cream or icing; something he never would have done if he were cooking for just Ichiru or the chairman and Yuuki. It just didn't taste the same, in his opinion.

Waking hours earlier than usual, he set about to working those precious hours in the kitchen, setting up trays and the ingredients, rolling up his sleeves and staring down at them with a determined expression. He would get his done.

Having been just about to take the dough out of its packaging, Zero nearly jumped at the sound of the door opening. His brother and Yuuki were still fast asleep, as well as the chairman (for once), and he doubted a thief entered anyone's house through the front door. He turned, raising a curious brow, and spotting a very familiar figure at the entrance to the kitchen, he huffed a light laugh and tilted his head.

"Don't just stand and stare like a creep, take a seat," he gestured to one of the stools at the counter. Retrieving a cup from the cupboard, he filled it with water and placed it in front of his unexpected, but not unwanted, he thought fondly, guest. "I don't have any caramel today," he waved to the cluttered side of the counter. "A little busy this morning."

Sculpted lips lifted in a slight smile. "That's fine. I apologize for coming over so early, the lights were on, and…" He couldn't hold himself back from wanting to see him. He'd just gotten back from a particularly frustrating meeting with the elders of the council, and he'd been forced to leave rather abruptly in fear of giving into the urge and going on a mass-murdering spree. He'd instead ended it with a cool, detached, but firm request (order) to please keep their noses out of the affairs of the academy.

"I don't mind, and I'm sorry I don't have anything to give you." Zero smiled wryly as he kneaded the dough, warming it with his hands and flattening it out on the cookie sheet, which was laid on top of the tray.

Kaname watched silently as Zero's slender hands and fingers, pale and beautiful, worked at softening the dough. He didn't get many chances to see Zero in the kitchen, always arriving when the food he prepared was finished and already served on a warm platter, ready to be eaten.

He loved to watch Zero move. Despite how quiet the younger of the twins seemed to be, he was always moving, physically involving himself in one activity or another. Kaname personally thought Zero looked the most natural in the kitchen though, his movements smooth and graceful, not too hurried, and not too slow, with an elegance Kaname never tired in watching.

Zero spared a glance at the pureblood and saw his cup empty. "If you want more water, you know you're free to drink as much as you want, right?" Even with the number of times Kaname had been here, he always seemed to have a sense of reservation, never quite letting himself go, keeping distance.

"I'm fine for now."

Zero sighed, momentarily stopping his dough kneading. "You always say the same thing – 'I'm fine.' Are you really? If you want tea, there's some in the fridge. Apple juice? Orange juice? Just because I only gave you water doesn't mean that's all you're allowed to have." See? This was what he meant by reservation.

Kaname blinked then laughed softly. "I really am fine, Zero." Zero narrowed his eyes playfully and smirked before leaning forward and grabbing one of Kaname's hands in his own, warmed and sticky with dough, to pull him off of his seat.

"Then you can help me make some cookies. It's better than just sitting your butt on that stool for hours."

"Cookies?" Kaname hadn't cared to really notice what Zero was making, too busy following his form with his eyes.

"Mm, what I'm making isn't hard. I bet even the chairman could make this without messing up if he had supervision." Gently tugging Kaname over, he had the vampire roll up his sleeves and gave him an apron, one of the chairman's, to tie around his slim waist. "Wash your hands, and we can start."

Kaname gazed down at the cookie dough uncertainly, knowing what he had to do, but hesitant in screwing up if he tried. He'd never cooked anything in his life, and whenever he went near food, it was to eat it, and not to make it. What if he did something wrong and Zero got mad at him?

The young teen in question tilted his head as he watched Kaname watch the dough. "It's not going to attack you, or start moving, you know. Just do it the way I was doing before and lay it flat on the tray, maybe half an inch thick." He took the dough and Kaname's hand, plopping onto his palm. He needed to work on the cream cheese.

Dumping them all into a large bowl, he poured in some sugar and added a number of eggs, before mixing them together, whipping it into a smooth cream. Sticking in a finger, he swiped a bit off from the side of the bowl and tasted it, nodding to himself. It wasn't bad. Maybe a bit more sugar.

Turning to see how the vampire was doing, he let out a soft smile. There was something irresistibly sweet in seeing a vampire handling cookie dough, hands sticky, sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and wearing a baby pink apron. "You're a lot better than the chairman at least."

Kaname sent him a wry smile. "Was that supposed to be taken as a compliment?" Zero laughed quietly. "Maybe, maybe not. But you did well. Looks like you aren't too bad at this either." Three other trays were successfully dough covered. Kaname worked fast.

Fetching two knives, he brought the bowl of cream over, setting it between them. "There should be enough in there. Just lay it out on the dough," he demonstrated, "it's like buttering toast."

Kaname carefully layered it out, not too thick and not too thin, turning to Zero for approval. Seeing the younger boy's lips lift in a bright smile as he nodded gave Kaname more confidence and warmth as he worked. Getting to actually make something with Zero was decidedly much different than simply watching him. Zero felt so much closer, more approachable.

The younger boy had always seemed untouchable, similar to Yuuki, someone he was only allowed to feel for from afar, but probably even more so than her, as with Yuuki, he knew she'd once been his sister, and even without her memories, they were still connected by blood and her instinctive affection for him. Zero, he hadn't a past with, and no previous connections or bonds. Not to mention, the boy's parents had been hunters.

And of course, there was Ichiru to consider.

"Kaname?"

"Yes?"

"You seemed far away for a moment," Zero tilted his head with a bemused smile. "We need to add another layer of dough on top of this one. A cookie sandwich." Yuuki would probably take a liking to them.

"A cookie sandwich…"

Zero looked up at him warily. "You sound as if you've never had them…"

Kaname gazed down at the partially finished cookies and murmured, "I haven't, actually…" Something as 'normal' as cookie sandwiches weren't 'appropriate' for purebloods.

Zero patted his hand, shaking his head. "You poor deprived thing…" He gave the vampire's warm hand a slight squeeze. "How about having a taste once these are done?"

"But these are for the festival, aren't they?"

"Yeah, but no one's going to know if you have a few. No one should turn down cookie sandwiches, Kaname," Zero smiled. "And if you like them, you can take some with you. Share it with whoever isn't stuffy enough for a little snack." He knew how some nobles could be.

Not waiting for an answer, he got to working on the dough; now wishing he could have made everything from scratch, especially if Kaname was to taste them. The pureblood, for the past month and a half, had true to Zero's offer, been stopping by for sweets that included caramel as well as other desserts. Making food for him had become routine and something Zero took just as much joy in and looked forward to as when he was cooking for Ichiru, Yuuki and the chairman.

He supposed he could try the next time the pureblood decided to stop by.

"They smell delicious." Kaname smiled as he opened the oven, looking in. "Careful," Zero warned, crouching next to the vampire, "it's hot."

Bringing the trays to rest on the counter, Zero set about taking out a knife. Cutting a square piece off of one of the trays already cooled, he called Kaname's name. The vampire turned to him expectedly, his mouth parted in the beginnings of a 'Yes?' which he never got to finish, as a freshly baked cookie sandwich was pushed between his lips.

Kaname blinked, his mouth automatically working to chew the soft sweet in his mouth.

"How is it?" Zero asked, leaning on the balls of his feet.

"Very good." Kaname smiled. Zero smiled back, "Enough to want to take some with you?"

"Yes, though I'm afraid I won't be too inclined to share them."

Zero laughed softly. "Then don't. Who says you have to?"

Kaname's smile turned wistful. No one had ever given him much choice in doing what he wanted. They always had something they 'needed' him to do. Something he was expected to do.

One of the reasons why he so enjoyed coming over to eat was the fact that he was free to come and go when he wanted. It was especially true in the last month and a half. If he was in the mood for something sweet, or if he wanted to see Zero in general, all he had to do was travel the way from his dorm to their home. No one told him when to go or what to do. He was free to spend his time with those he cared about, eating what he liked. He was free to relax and be plain old Kaname for a few hours.

As Kaname grew quiet again, Zero wondered what the pureblood could be thinking about. Every so often, when he was with them, he would get a far away look in his eyes that spoke of an aching lingering pain. Zero always assumed he must he remembering something particularly painful, and was careful to leave him alone. He did get curious at times, but no one liked talking about something that hurt them, and he doubted Kaname was any different.

Leaving the pureblood to his thoughts, Zero moved to cut a few pieces of the cookie sandwich, placing them in a container and snapping the top on. Quietly placing it aside, he cut the rest into bite size pieces and placed them in the small miniature baskets Ichiru and Yuuki had gone out to buy the previous day.

About to cut another line down the cookie sandwich, he started as another knife joined his own. A pale hand, slender and larger than his own, one he was becoming more and more familiar with, wrapped around the handle of the knife. "Kaname, you scared me," he smiled wryly. "Make some noise."

"I apologize," the pureblood murmured. "I wanted to offer assistance."

"Thanks." Seeing the vampire cutting them into perfect squares, Zero let out a fond laugh. He wouldn't be surprised if all four sides were exactly the same in measurement. He'd come to see Kaname was very particular about doing things 'right', something that stemmed from his strong sense of responsibility and pride. Kaname could be unnecessarily strict with himself, his own expectations higher than what anyone else had for him.

It was a trait Zero saw as both exasperating and endearing. It was also a trait he didn't doubt others loved to exploit for their own ends. It was fairly easy for him to imagine.

He'd shared his thoughts with his brother, and as much as Ichiru disliked having to think about the pureblood at all, he'd scoffed and called Kaname an idiot, letting all those 'vampire losers' take advantage of him.

'What is he, a doormat?'

Ichiru wasn't new to having expectations put upon him either, with his potential as a hunter. He'd had teachers complimenting him left and right, 'buttering' him up, as he'd called it, but with Ichiru, he'd made sure others around him knew he didn't live by anyone's expectations but his own. He couldn't be persuaded to do anything unless he felt like being persuaded. His attitude, much to his amusement, had pushed the red buttons of many of the teachers.

But the mere fact that Ichiru had only insulted Kaname and hadn't decided to use the pureblood along with the others showed how far he'd come in the last two months, Zero thought wonderingly. Kaname's influence was amazing.

"Now for the icing," Zero announced. Ichiru's would be without, but Yuuki requested some on her share. Scooping some into the cone, Zero squeezed it and swirled some onto the cookie sandwiches. Catching Kaname's curiosity, he made a cone for the pureblood, filled it with icing, and handed it over.

"You can decorate it however you want," he offered, squeezing out a smiley face onto one of them, a frown on another, and other abstract lines on some.

His expression serious with concentration, Kaname placed an uncertain amount of strength in his fingers and watched, dismayed, as too much of the icing was squeezed onto the cookie square. Immediately about to apologize, he paused as Zero merely leaned over and swiped the sides of the square, ridding it of the excess icing that'd leaked over, licking his fingers clean afterward.

"Mm, try another one," he said simply. When the vampire only continued to stand there, Zero looked up. "Uh, it's okay if you didn't like it. I could finish doing the rest."

"Ah, no, that's not why I… You're not angry?" Kaname asked, feeling a bit lost as to why he wasn't getting reprimanded for messing up on one of the cookies. They were going to be used in the festival, weren't they?

Zero frowned. "Why would I be angry?" Kaname could be so weird. "If you're okay with the icing, do more," he pointed to one of them, "how about that one?"

"But I…"

Zero sighed. He could sort of see where this was going. "Ever heard of trial and error? Besides, it doesn't look bad, does it? Don't think too much about it, Kaname, just do it." Worrying over every little mistake would take the fun out of everything. "The ones I did don't look perfect. The eye on that face looks bigger than the other one." He casually pointed out.

"Thank you."

Zero blinked up at the pureblood. The soon to be prefect tilted his head. It seemed there was still a lot more about Kaname he had to know, as he'd no idea why the vampire thanked him. And the amount of emotion that'd been placed on just those two words implied it hadn't just been a simple show of gratitude.

"You're welcome…?"

Kaname merely smiled and went back to icing the cookies. Zero shrugged and went back to his own share.

When looking over a little while later, his eyes widened before he let out a laugh. "How did you manage that?" The designs on the small cookies were as elaborate as one could get with the current tools they were using. "Are you sure you don't want to work as a wedding cake designer?" He teased. "They're beautiful, Kaname." He said softly. "Yuuki's going to love them." He smiled. "Thank you."

How often was it he was able to make someone happy with something he did? He'd previously thought Yuuki would be the only person he would ever be able to offer any happiness to. It was rather amazing, how good one could feel in just being able to bring a genuine smile to the face of someone they cared for.

"You're welcome."

Ichiru rushed into the kitchen the moment his mind started to fall out of sleep. That pureblood was here! And since his brother always woke up so early… "Zero!"

"Ichiru? You're up earlier than usual. Where's Yuuki?"

"I don't know. She could still be sleeping. What the hell is he doing here?" He gestured wildly to the vampire sitting innocently at the table.

"To have breakfast with us." Zero answered matter-of-factly. "Oh, Ichiru, do you want to have a taste of the cookie sandwiches? Just one though, since you need to eat your breakfast."

Ichiru faltered, staring between Kaname and the small plate of cookies. Pursing his lips, he went for the cookies, biting into one of them, before smiling and pressing a kiss to his brother's cheek. "It's good Zero."

Zero smirked. "That's good, since Kaname helped me make them." Ichiru paled. If he could only spit food out without looking like an idiot… Not mention, his brother would scold him for wasting food.

"Zero, how could you?" He whimpered, his hold on the cookie loosening. His brother wasn't looking at him however.

"Told you he'd think they were good," Zero said smugly. The smile Kaname aimed at his brother looked much too happy in Ichiru's opinion; but it wasn't like he could retract his statement without inciting his brother's anger and seeming like a total spiteful ass.

"Nn," he grunted as he sat down. Whatever. He'd get that pureblood back later.

Disclaimer: No own vampire Knight.

Just a short something on the cultural festival :D The ingredients are the actual recipe to one of my mom's friends' cookie sandwiches XD