Pollen Count | ✓

t e n

Daisy's sour frown of uncertainty has slowly evaporated over the past hour.

While reluctant at first, she's found that this whole baking thing is the easiest hobby in the world. All she's done is stir a bowl or two – piece of cake, literally.

Of course, it's because Allegra has been doing all the hard work. She's the one who's measuring out all of the ingredients and figuring out the timings, but that's the point. She's intentionally making it easy for Daisy. As fun as the idea of messing with her pink-haired pal is, she can't help but feel like she ought to be taking it easy on her at the moment.

Daisy's bright pink cast is up on Allie's mother's vanity stool. Allegra brought it down from upstairs when she realized they didn't really have anything to keep her leg elevated on – the only rule was not to spill anything on it. Daisy has managed so far.

Allegra has made a cozy nook out of the corner of the kitchen for her. In the space where they used to keep cardboard boxes for Allie's father – a teacher – to take to school for the kids to use in crafts, she's plushed up a regular dining room chair with a number of cushions and throws. It's fit for a queen.

"God, this smells so good already. I'm gonna eat this whole thing," Daisy grins, offering up the well-whisked mixture she's been working on.

"Uh?" Allie says, taking the bowl from her to carry on with the next step and trying to prompt her. Daisy only raises her eyebrows, so Allie continues. "Don't I get any?"

Daisy laughs, squinting an eye and shrugging a shoulder. "Maybe."

"Maybe?" Allegra repeats. "I'm doing all the hard work. If anyone's going to eat the entire cake it'll be me," she teases, putting all of her sass into her words and gesturing at herself with a floury wooden mixing spoon.

"You're doing the hard work? Please. You're just tipping things into bowls. I'm the one who's doing all the stirring and mixing. That's the trickiest part."

Allie rolls her eyes, shaking her head. "You have no idea," she murmurs, smirking to herself.

***

They eventually agree – after much bickering – to share the cake.

"Okay, this is the hardest part. C'mere," Allie turns to Daisy and brushes her hands down her mostly-clean apron. It's patterned with flowers and hearts, and it's one of a collection of many. What else do you get for the girl who bakes? Every birthday and every Christmas, Allegra ends up with at least one new apron.

"Ugh, what're we doing?" Daisy asks, taking the hands that are then offered to her. She hauls herself up, leaving her crutches beside the chair. "Don't make me do actual work," she groans.

Allegra tuts and supports Daisy over to the counter, before she hands her an empty piping bag, otherwise ignoring her.

"I'm going to pour, like, a ton of melted chocolate into here," Allie explains.

Daisy blinks down at the bag.

"Then you're--" Allegra emphazises the word, trying to clearly designate responsibilities-- "going to draw on this paper and make a thatched pattern." Allie moves the paper over on the counter, putting it directly in front of Daisy.

"Um," Daisy pulls a face, wrinkling her nose up. "Why?"

"It'll look pretty," Allie shrugs. "We'll wrap it around the cake. So, make sure you connect all the chocolate up well, okay?"

Daisy huffs, but it's mostly discontent at being tasked with an actual job that seemingly matters to Allegra. She doesn't want to get it wrong.

"Can I, like, rehearse this?"

Allie laughs, and Daisy scowls to hide the fact that she's almost blushing.

"You can just do it, it'll be fine." Allegra glances back up at her as the microwave pings. She grins. "What, are you nervous?"

Daisy's mouth forms a word that doesn't quite come out of her mouth, but Allegra's already busying herself getting the melted chocolate out of the microwave and then--

"Okay, are you ready? Hold the bag over the-- yeah," Allie guides Daisy's hands, and now she's definitely blushing.

Allegra tips the glass jug up, and the chocolate oozes down into the plastic. She doesn't tip a lot, but enough to fill the bag up maybe a quarter of the way. It doesn't leak out of the tip until Daisy tilts the bag a bit more, and she squeezes gently. Then it's a rush, all of a sudden – Daisy's nimble, trying not to let too much come out and form a big ugly blob of chocolate in the pattern.

She slashes the bag in the air, up and down, and it forms slightly wonky V shapes that interconnect. Allegra grabs a clean spoon and scoops out some of the remaining chocolate from the jug. "That looks good!" Allie lies. It doesn't look good, but it does look fine. It'll be passable. She's proud of Daisy.

"For real?" Daisy eases off, and Allegra mm-hmms as she eats the melted chocolate from her spoon, moving a little closer.

"Considering you've never baked anything before, anyway," Allie teases.

Daisy says, "Shut up," but she's kind of proud of herself. She's happy she didn't ruin the decoration for their cake, not after all the work Allie put into it.

Allegra kisses Daisy's cheek, and Daisy turns to return the kiss fully. She has one hand braced on the counter, scared of losing her balance and falling, but the other finds the small of Allie's back just fine.

"This was fun, right?" Allie murmurs, once there's some space between them again. She scoops up another spoonful of chocolate and offers it to Daisy, who wraps her lips around it before taking the spoon from Allegra.

Daisy swallows the chocolate, mming, then hesitates. "It wasn't... bad," she admits.

"C'mon, tell me you had fun," Allegra laughs.

"I mean, I can think of a few other things we could do that'd be fun," Daisy says, catching Allie in another kiss.

Allegra nods gently, and when she pulls away it's only to look at the egg timer.

"I guess we have time," she grins.