A Taste Of Normalcy
Henry/Mr. Whatsit x fem!Reader
Summary: You and Holly made cupcakes and ask Henry to decorate them with you.
wc: 1100+
A/N: Thank you so much for the love on my last post!
The smell of butter and vanilla filled the kitchen as you and Holly placed the last batch of cupcakes in the oven. The old batches already sat on the countertop dusted in flour, waiting to be cooled off so they could be decorated.
After you finished, you grabbed the sponge to clean up the mess while Holly went off to wash her hands.
Twenty seconds after, she reappeared in the kitchen and was already eyeing the frosting you had previously set out, her hands now clean and not covered in flour anymore. “How about we do some pink ones, some blue ones and maybe some with both?” Holly was practically bouncing on her toes with excitement now, nose all wrinkled in expectation. She looked at you with mischief gleaming in her eyes, “What do you think?”
“Sure! Sounds like a great idea,” you said, drying your hands with the kitchen towel asHolly tilted her head at you.
“Do you think Henry will like them?” She asked, looking at you with curiosity.
“Of course he will, Holly.” You said as you dragged the last set of cupcakes out of the oven. You let your mind wander to your husband and after all these years with him, you still get the warm flutter when you think of him.Though recently you felt like there was something else underneath it. Something you couldn‘t quite name. You couldn‘t help but love the way he managed being everywhere and nowhere all at once. You felt a little flip in your stomach when you thought about his reaction.
The sound of the front door opening snapped both Holly and you out of your thoughts. “That‘s him.” Holly whispered, her voice suddenly nervous and adorable at the same time. She grabbed your hand as she tried to drag you out of the kitchen, “He‘s home early.”
Hearing your footsteps approaching, Henry entered the kitchen. His face was as usual, calm but his smile clearly showed that he was pleased. His eyes fell on you first before flickering over to the cupcakes. “What‘s this?” His voice was calm, measured, but there was a hint of curiosity underneath.
“We made cupcakes!” Holly said proudly, pointing at the cooling racks. “And we‘re about to decorate them. Can you join us? Please!.”
Henry‘s gaze shifted to Holly and then back to you, hesitating. “Please?” Holly repeated and took a step towards him, “It‘s really important!”
“Is it now?” One of his eyebrows arched enough for you to see that he was fighting a smile and you decided to jump in.
You walked over to lean against the counter, “It really is. We will need your artistic input and Holly and I need supervision since we can’t be trusted to not create a frosting disaster.” “We‘re very responsible,” Holly said confidently but still grinning.
Henry looked to you then back to Holly and you could see the exact moment he decided to give in by the way his shoulders relaxed slightly,
“Fine.” He said as he walked over to the sink, “But if this is a disaster, I will blame both of you.”
“Deal.” Both you and Holly said at the same time, gaining a smile from Henry.
Soon, Henry was somehow leading the operation with quiet efficiency. He‘d let Holly choose the colors of the frosting as he organized them, set up piping bags with different tips and was now showing Holly how to hold the bag properly.
His hands were steady and precise, and he was surprisingly mesmerizing to watch. Holly was paying close attention to every single thing he said.
“Like that?” Holly asked, focusing hard on her cupcake. “Yes. You‘re doing well. You have excellent control.” Henry said and you heard the pride in his voice. Holly gushed at the praise.
While working on your own cupcake creating a swirl pattern Henry moved to stand next to you. He was close enough for you to feel the heat of his body, and you could have sworn the temperature in the kitchen went up by at least ten degrees.
“You need to hold it looser.” His voice was low so only you could hear and before you knew it, his hand reached out to reposition your grip on the piping bag, brushing your hand with his fingers. “Better. Are you alright? You seem tense.” His voice was soft and only for you. You nodded, not trusting yourself to speak.
Your cupcake has now become the most significant thing in the world. “There you go,” he said and you could swear you could hear a hint of amusement in his tone. “You‘re doing really well.” He said as Holly happily chatted away about her plans for the next design next to you. “I‘m going to make this one look like a galaxy. Is it okay if I use some dark blue and purple?” She asked eagerly, wanting to use the darker colors. Henry agreed, stepping back to help her while you could finally try to compose yourself.
Twenty minutes later, the kitchen looked like a bag of frosting had exploded in it. But the cupcakes turned out amazing. Holly had made a galaxy adventure with frosting and sprinkles, Henry had produced dozens of elegant and slightly chaotic patterns, and your swirls looked better than you imagined. “Wow! These look fantastic.” Holly said in proud admiration of what she had helped make. “Can we do this again?” “Maybe,” Henry said, taking pride in the cupcakes. You look at them, already thinking of ways to convince him next time as Henry begins cleaning up.
You moved in to help him while Holly went to the living room to watch TV and eat one of the cupcakes. Henry looked at you and spoke softly. “You seem very good with her.” Your eyes lit up and your heart flipped. “Huh? “Holly really clicks with you.” Your heart warmed. “I like her. She‘s a sweet girl.” Henry suddenly seemed distracted as he dug a dirty bowl out of the sink. “I‘m glad.” He went quiet and you took a closer look at him though you couldn‘t see if he was smirking or not. You handed him the towel, your fingers brushings against his. “Thank you.” He whispered. “For what?” Your voice was breathless in appreciation.
“For today, for including her. It‘s nice to see you happy.” His smiling voice eyes somehow... a little wistful. He reached out and wiped a smear of frosting from your face with his thumb. “Come on. We should try one before Holly eats them all on her own.” You managed a smile he adored so much as you followed him back to the counter This was what you really loved about him. All those quiet moments where there was no one else but the two of you doing special things together. You concentrate on how great he looks, contenting himself in the kitchen when he grinned after eating a cupcake.
And suddenly, all of your doubts disappeared.
dividers were made by @viviansturns
