dessert (itsuka kendou x gn!reader)
word count: 855 + 4,917 characters
Strawberry shortcake, or Japanese Christmas cake regarding the upcoming holiday, is a very popular dish in several Asian countries.
You and Itsuka were both currently standing in the lobby kitchen, running around the small space provided to gather the ingredients you guys needed.
“Cake flour, strawberries, water, vegetable oil, eggs, honey, sugar, vanilla extract, salt… What are we missing, Itsuka?”
You rummaged through the cabinets to find baking powder, and you released a sigh of relief as you grabbed the remaining item and placed it next to the other ingredients.
And thus, the cooking had begun.
You cracked open the egg yolks, letting it delicately fall into the mixing bowl. You then quickly added the sugar, salt, honey, vanilla, and water into the bowl and began to aggressively stir the substances, only stopping when it resulted in a fluffy texture and a pale yellow color.
Meanwhile, Itsuka was busy beating the egg whites to firm peaks and added half of the beaten egg whites to the egg yolk mixture, gently folding it. You and Itsuka gave each other a high five before going immediately back to work, no words exchanged between the two of you.
While Itsuka added the cake flour and baking powder into a fine sieve and sifted it into the mixture, you grabbed the vegetable oil and started mixing it with two tablespoons, or what you estimated to be two tablespoons, of the mixture, gently folding it into the remaining half of the egg white meringue.
Since Itsuka didn’t want you accidentally burning yourself, she took the mixtures in parchment lined cake pans and gingerly positioned them into the oven at 350 degrees F. In the meantime, you had taken the strawberries and began slicing them, dropping them into a bowl afterwards.
While you were both waiting for the spongy material to bake, you were caught off guard as you suddenly heard Itsuka let out one of her charming laughs. “You know, Y/N, I’m a bit surprised that you somehow knew what to do. Last time we tried cooking something, I had to give you instructions the entire time,” she observed, an eyebrow arching as she placed a hand on her hip, the oven mitt gently resting in her palm.
The night before, you had done excessive research on how to make strawberry shortcake. You watched YouTube videos on multiple professional chefs making it, read the recipe on different food sites, and you even tried it out yourself (it didn’t go as smoothly last night as it did today, however).
You let out a nervous chuckle as you scratched the nape of your neck, awkwardly returning Itsuka's stare. “Well, I-”
“Ooh, hold that thought.”
The timer had gone off and Itsuka quickly swooped the oven mitt back on and scooped the pans and deposited them on the counter in very fast and smooth movements.
She began slicing even layers, brushing the sugar syrup on each individual layer.
“Y/N, could you add the whipped cream and strawberry slices?”
You nodded aggressively and immediately dashed to her side, spreading the whipped cream and messily placing the strawberry slices on top of the cake layer. You then sprayed the cream on the strawberry slices, repeating the process until all of the cake layers were used.
Itsuka took the whipped cream and began to frost the sides of the cake, while you took out a few whole strawberries and plopped them onto the top of the cake. You both leaned backwards to analyze your creation, and you were both very satisfied.
Your girlfriend clapped her hands together and looked at you in utter adoration. “Good job, Y/N! I know that you were very nervous but look! You did it perfectly,” she tenderly said, a smile painted on her lips as she leaned over to give you a warm kiss on the cheek.
Her kisses were always so sweet– you could compare it to the spongy, delicious texture of the Christmas cake sat before you both.
“I almost don’t want to eat it,” you commented, despite hunger scorching your stomach as you basically drooled over the cake. Itsuka laughed in response, nodding in understanding. “Well, I think we did really well and I think we shouldn’t leave our creation to waste away, hmm?”
You leaned your head on Itsuka's shoulder, still a bit confused as to how you managed to get a girlfriend as amazing as her.
“Yeah, you have a point there.”
Itsuka cut two slices and placed them on paper plates, happily walking to the seats in the lobby. She placed one of them down on the small wooden table, which you assumed to be yours, and then sat down on a rocking chair, and began to eat her share.
You followed after her and began to eat as well, content with your day with Itsuka.
Itsuka thought of you as the most precious being in the entire universe, and while you do disagree, you can’t help but feel giddy with the way you’re lovingly viewed by your extraordinary girlfriend.
Maybe one day you two will bake strawberry shortcake as an old married couple.
A/N: I recently started this blog & I found this AMAZING post with Christmas prompts (I reblogged it before this post). I'm gonna have to do a LOT of writing in order to catch up.
