4☆TOWN - Gingerbread Shenanigans
Gen ;; Fluff - Drabble/Short Story
Proofread + Edited ;; Grammarly coming in clutch once again
Auth. Note ;; WELCOME TO DAY 5 OF THE CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN AND DAY 25 OF ADVENT !! MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE <333
i do hope you've enjoyed these short stories and have had a wonderful christmas,, enjoy !!
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“Gingerbread time!” yells T as he slides down the hallway into the kitchen.
Already waiting by the countertop, Jesse dramatically rolls his eyes, causing Tae Young to stifle a giggle and quickly cover it with a fake cough. They’d spent the morning setting up the kitchen, organising all the necessary tools - bowls of icing, bags of sprinkles, gum drops, candy canes, chocolate buttons - and putting a station together for each member to build at.
Bounding over to the kitchen table, where the stations were set up, T grins at the others. “Nice work you two, looks very orderly, like something straight out of some baking show!” he compliments. “But where’s Z and Ro?”
“Probably writing together somewhere,” Jesse answers, placing down some protective table covers just in case. “If you don’t mind grabbing them for me, try the bean bags.”
“No problemo, Jess, be back quick as lightning.” T calls, already speeding out of the room.
Soon enough everyone is gathered around the table, suiting up for the kitchen in matching ridiculous aprons, T and Jesse even donning some comically absurd chef hats that towered over their heads.
Clapping his hands together, T's excitement and anticipation practically radiating off him in waves. “Alright, alright, enough waiting around already! Let’s get this show on the road!” His voice has a commanding edge as if he’s about to lead hoards of gingerbread soldiers to victory.
Jesse raises an eyebrow. “If you wanted less waiting around you could’ve helped out instead of masking us do all the prep work, you know.”
“But you do it so well.” T returns in mock admiration.
Tae Young cuts in, a mischievous grin already spreading across his face as he announces confidently, “I’m ready to let the games begin. But don’t think I’ll let any of you get away with boring houses, I’m putting together a full-on gingerbread palace.”
“Challenge accepted,” Z replies, eyes narrowing playfully. “Don’t think I’m going down without a fight.”
Robaire scoffs haughtily, “This isn’t about pure technical skill. It’s about imagination, and clearly, I’m the only visionary at this table.”
The table bursts out in a series of eye rolls and snickers, all used to Z and Robaire’s tendency to take any and all perceived competition far too seriously.
“Boys, boys, let’s not forget this isn't a competition,” Jesse tuts, falling back into parental habits as if he were wrangling his actual kids.
“Maybe not for you,” Z counters, a slight edge to his voice, “I’m here to win.”
“What about you, T?” Tae asks, his tone goading, “You got any winning ambitions?”
“Nah, man. I’m just here to slap an edible house together and then feast, no time for competing. I’ve gotta be thinking about the best flavour combos.” T replies solemnly and perhaps too genuinely for some store-bought gingerbread house kits.
“Okay, okay, I can guarantee there’ll be no competition if we don’t get round to actually making the houses,” Jesse counters, putting an end to the discussion. He reaches for one of his house’s walls when he notices no one else is moving. “Go on then.”
As soon as the words tumble from his lips, the table dissolves into a mad flurry of gingerbread house construction, with members already laying claim to certain sweets and stealing them away to their stations to keep for whenever needed.
Starting first, Jesse takes his time assembling the foundations of his house, measuring each wall and securing them with just the right amount of icing to do the trick. Having made gingerbread houses with his kids almost every year since they were born, Jesse’s built up a knack for the assembly of each part and a step-by-step method to creating a simplistic yet perfectly acceptable gingerbread house. In the end, he’s left with a neat, distinctly homemade gingerbread house that feels strangely nostalgic.
Similarly, Z also takes an orderly approach to his building. His house is all clean edges and symmetry like it’s been lifted right off the instruction manual. Even his candy decorations are meticulously placed in pleasing patterns, with perfectly spaced M&M’s forming neat lines and edible star sprinkles arranged carefully on the roof. He may be the only one in the room taking this entirely too seriously, but that’s just how Z rolls, and he’s more than okay with that.
Robaire, on the other hand, was taking a more artistic approach in his gingerbread house assembly, as he did in life. His house may be leaning slightly to one side, and the sides of each slab of gingerbread may not line up perfectly, but the decorations are carefully thought out and executed perfectly. The gumdrops are arranged in a beautiful swirl of colour on the roof in a hypnotising pattern that draws attention far more than any of the imperfections of his build.
After initially attempting to stick the walls together with icing, which ultimately failed, T had tried to resort to superglue before being warned that superglue is not in fact edible. Eventually, T decided on haphazardly piling the gingerbread pieces together and dumping a load of icing over them before dumpling an even larger pile of sweets on top. To all the judging side-eyes he receives, T simply grins and claims “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
Tae Young, however, had somehow managed to craft himself some upward extensions and a whole new semi-detached tower out of the sweets laid out on the table, transforming the ordinary gingerbread house into a castle just like he’d promised. There’s a light layer of frosting slathered all over the house, mimicking paint, candy canes used in all the corners as support beams, and gumdrops acting as bushes surrounding the building. Despite the added weight, his foundations don’t wobble or shift an inch.
Noticing everyone’s finished, T leans back, wiping his hands on his apron. “Alright, time for the gallery. Line ‘em up, boys.”
Everyone at the table stands up simultaneously, arranging their gingerbread houses into an orderly line, completely juxtaposing the chaos of the table around them.
“Alright, we’ll get my midnight snack out the way so we can move on to your little contest, yeah?” T offers, already stepping up to present his ‘house’.
Receiving no complaint, T gestures lovingly to his pile with a large grin. His creation is, at best, abstract, being only a pile of broken gingerbread slabs, fat dollops of icing, and a large helping of sweets dumped over the mess. “I don’t expect any of you to understand the enormity of the beauty you see before you, but worry not, I shall forgive you for your ignorance and allow you to gaze upon it either way.”
Robaire snorts, barely holding it together through T’s dramatics. “You sure that’s not just a pile of whatever you’ve been craving for the past couple weeks?”
Ignoring Robaire, T moves on. “Anyway, now onto the real reason you’re here… the contest.” Pretending to hold a judge’s clipboard, T struts around to line the boys up as well in front of their respective gingerbread houses.
“Who’s up first?” T asks.
First looking around for any other volunteers, Jesse steps forward. “I can go.” Cool and collected as ever, Jesse presents his gingerbread house with confidence. “I’ve kept it pretty simple, classic, if you will,” he says, with a small, approving nod of his own handiwork, “Can’t go wrong with the basics.”
“Can’t argue with that,” Tae comments, clapping for Jesse’s house.
“I'll go next,” Robaire volunteers as Jesse steps back into the line, walking up to show off his creation. He gestures to his colourful masterpiece with pride, despite its leaning walls. “Feast your eyes, everyone. You won’t be seeing art like this again in your lifetime.”
“Not bad,” Jesse compliments, “Definitely a great use of colour.”
Robaire grins at Jesse as he steps back into the line, Z popping out without a word to present his gingerbread house next. He gives it a quick once-over, checking its condition as if he hasn’t seen it for days, detecting no faults he goes on to speak. “Here is mine.”
Jesse whistles lowly at it, impressed by the precision and clear thought put into the house.
“Looks like it was made by a robot,” T whispers loudly, supposedly under his breath despite everyone hearing it.
“Thank you,” Z replies shortly. He always becomes more withdrawn when he gets into competition mode.
“And finally, contestant numero four is Tae.” T announces, gesturing grandly to the table, “Step on up.”
With a proud little grin, Tae bounds over to the table “Behold, losers,” he announces, gesturing towards his palace with great flair and gusto, “Read it and weep.”
Z rolls his eyes as T pretends to swoon, dramatically swooping, “It’s the gingerbread castle of my dreams!” he cries.
The group erupts into laughter, then stands in a line, admiring their work. While it’s clear none of their houses are particularly exceptional - except maybe Tae Young’s, which was definitely something - it doesn’t matter. There are no judges, no prizes, just a group of friends enjoying themselves during the holiday season.
T turns to the group with a grin. “Alright, time for the final decision… we’re all winners here!” he declares excitedly.
With everyone’s gingerbread creations lined up in front of them, the laughter continues. The competition ends, but the real fun is just beginning - snacking on their hard work. With T leading the charge, they dig in, trying to figure out how much of each house they can eat without it all falling apart.
And as the last crumbs get devoured and the last bits of frosting licked from their fingers, the group settles back into their chairs, their laughter still echoing in the kitchen, content in the knowledge that sometimes the best holiday memories are made in the messiest moments.
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