Work Text:
Steam from the morning shower still clung onto her skin as she tied her damp hair into a loose bun. Wrapped in a fluffy robe, she padded barefoot towards the door, drawn by the cheerful knock that echoed through the quiet apartment. Opening the door, she found Charlie, the new neighbour from two doors down, standing there with a grin and of course — a basket of bread.
“Good morning!” Charlie sang, holding out a warm loaf wrapped in parchment paper. The scent of the freshly baked cinnamon rolls swirled through the air. “Thought you might like this. Just pulled it out of the oven.”
“Oh, you’re spoiling us!” she said with a laugh, accepting the bread. “Thank you. It smells amazing~”
Before Charlie could respond, a low, sleepy grunt sounded behind her. She turned to see Xavier emerging from the bedroom, shirtless, his hair sticking out in all directions, and a scowl plastered on his face. He rubbed his eyes like a grumpy toddler and shot a pointed glance at the man by the door.
“Bread again?” Xavier muttered, his voice still hoarse from sleep. “Morning, Charlie,” his tone was less than enthusiastic.
The neighbor was unfazed as he gave Xavier a polite nod. “Morning, Xavier. Hope you both enjoy it!” with a wave, he turned and headed back to his apartment.
Xavier waited until the door clicked shut before crossing his arms over his chest, the pout on his lips deepening. “Is he planning to send bread every day? What’s he trying to prove?”
She couldn’t suppress a giggle as she locked the door. “You’re jealous, aren’t you?”
“Jealous?” he scoffed, though the tips of his ears turned red. “No, it’s just… we don’t need that much bread. Your cooking is enough to feed two people.”
She giggled and leaned closer, teasing. “Aww, is my big, strong, starlight feeling threatened by a loaf of bread?”
His pout grew even more pronounced. “I could make bread too if I wanted to”
“No. You’re not allowed in the kitchen.” And just like that, she dismissed his ideas with a good giggle.
Days passed by, the mission had taken longer than expected. By the time she finally unlocked the door of the apartment, exhaustion weighed heavily on her shoulders. She dropped her bag by the door, taking a deep breath of the familiar scent of home. She then heard some rummaging in the kitchen and a whiff of something that smelled warm and… bread-like?
Curious, she immediately kicked off her shoes and padded towards the kitchen. The sight that greeted her stopped her in her tracks.
Xavier stood by the counter, surrounded by chaos. Flour coated the countertops, the floor, and somehow even in his hair. A cracked egg dripped onto the counter, his mixing bowl contained something that might have been dough? or possibly glue.
Watching him mutter and frown, his brows furrowed in concentration, was so endearing she had to stiffle the laughter bubbling up. “Xavier?” she called softly, her voice tinged with both surprise and amusement.
He spun around, eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights, a streak of flour across his cheeks and even his nose. “You’re home?!”
Her heart swelled at the sight of him, messy and utterly adorable. “I am. uhh… what are you doing?”
His face turned red, and he quickly looked back at the dough as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world. “Baking a bread.”
“Of course you are,” she echoed, stepping closer and taking in the disaster zone. “Why?”
“Charlie happened,” he answered. “You went on a mission and he kept dropping off bread like some kind of bakery superhero and I thought…” he trailed off which was cut off by her giggles.
“Oh starlight… You’ve been doing this while I was gone?” she asked as she cupped his cheeks.
He shrugged, looking more like a sulky puppy than ever. “I wanted to surprise you…” He whispered, voice laced with vulnerability, glancing at the sticky dough on the counter.
She chuckled, brushing a bit of flour off his cheek before kissing it. “I’ll help you,” she said, tying her hair back and rolling up her sleeves.
What followed was pure chaos, but the kind of chaos that felt like magic. Together, they started from scratch, and the next hour was pure, chaotic joy. She showed him how to properly measure ingredients, though he got distracted by sprinkling flour on her hair like snow. He made dramatic groaning noises as he kneaded the dough, and she flicked water at him when he got too smug about his “biceps.”
When she tried to correct his technique, he smeared a streak of flour across her nose, prompting a full-blown flour war.
“You’re a walking disaster,” she teased, siping flour off her nose.
“And yet, you love me to a point you’re helping me,” he shot back, grinning as he smeared another streak of flour on her cheeks.
By the time the bread as in the oven, they were leaning against each other, breathless from laughter. The kitchen was a mess, but she wouldn’t have traded it for anything else.
When the timer dinged, they pulled the bread out together, peering at the golden loaf with bated breath. It wasn’t perfect — it was slightly lopsided, and there was a mysterious dent in one corner. But to her, it was beautiful.
“It’s not bad for a first try,” Xavier declared proudly, standing behind her and his hands on her hips.
“Not bad at all,” she agreed, leaning into his arms.
“Charlie doesn’t stand a chance,” he said, smirking.
She laughed, resting her head on his shoulder as the warmth from the oven mingled with the warmth in her chest. “I don’t need Charlie’s bread. I’ve already got everything I want right here.”
And as they stood there in their flour-covered kitchen, laughing over their imperfect loaf, she realized something. It was never about the bread. It wasn’t about who could knead better or who baked the fluffiest loaves. It was about the way Xavier’s pout turned into a smile when she teased him, the way they couldn’t stop giggling as flour rained down like confetti, and the way they worked together — messy, imperfect, and completely in sync.
Their bond, their laughter, and their love — it was all that had ever mattered. And it always would be.