Prompt #14- Garfield | Word Count: 1000 | Rating: T | CW: None | POV: Eddie | Pairing: Steddie, Platonic Stobin, Background Gareth/Di | Tags: Bakery AU, Baker Steve, Eddie's A Smitten Kitten, Fluff
Eddie glides along the front of the glass case, looking at all the dessert options. Cookies, cakes, truffles — anything he could possibly want. The woman behind the counter is clearly itching to ask if he needs help for the second time.
Eddie puts her out of her misery, pointing at the sugar cookies. "I'll take one of those, please."
"They're buy two get one free, if that interests you," she says, and Eddie nods. Sure, he'll take that deal. "You wanna pick 'em?"
He doesn't particularly care for himself, and says so, but asks for two of the unicorns. Gareth's girls will love those.
She springs into action, carefully wrapping up the unicorn cookies, then reaches in, handing him what appears to be a homemade oatmeal pie. Two large, soft cookies, filled to the brim with cream.
Eddie pays, and the bell jingles as he leaves. In his car, he takes a bite. It's fucking transcendent. He could definitely write love songs about this cookie.
"They agreed on a Garfield party," Di says.
Eddie pumps his fist in the air. Yes. His brainwashing has worked.
"I'll hit up the place that made those unicorn cookies. You guys do the decorations. Let Uncle Eddie handle the treats."
"Fine by me," Di says, and Gareth laughs from his place at the counter.
"Sucker," Gareth snarks, but Eddie doesn't mind. He's happy to go back to that bakery. See what they can do.
The bell jingles with his arrival, and the same woman is behind the counter.
"Hey, Unicorn," she says, and he raises an eyebrow.
"Good memory," he says, approaching the glass.
She preens, and it makes him laugh.
"So, question. Can I place a special order?"
"Absolutely!" she says, reaching for the computer mouse, jiggling it awake. "Name? I'm Robin, if that makes this feel like less of an interrogation."
She's somehow off-putting and putting him at ease at the same time. Eddie smiles, and gives her all his information, as she pushes a catalog of options his way. They're good. They just aren't what he needs.
So, he begins describing in detail what he's after.
"—whoa!" she interrupts. "Let me just fetch Steve. It'll be easier for you two to hash this out without the middlewoman."
"You don't decorate the cookies?" he asks, and she cackles.
"I mean, if you want them to be very abstract, I guess I could."
Eddie smiles. He'd just assumed this was her bakery, her baby, with the way she had so eagerly wanted to help the last time.
The door to the back swings with her departure, and swings again when the cookie decorator comes through, looking only slightly annoyed.
"Eddie? Robin says you want a custom order?" he asks, and Eddie nods dumbly. He just can't remember what he was supposed to get now. This guy is nice to look at.
"Uh, yeah," Eddie finally croaks. "Garfield. Cookies. A cake. Anything else you can do to match the theme. Twin girls, turning seven. 40-50 guests."
Steve's scratching notes on a pad of paper. "Budget?"
Eddie doesn't know. He's fine with whatever. They've made good money. Corroded Coffin has been good to them.
"Whatever it costs is fine," Eddie says, and Steve laughs.
"That's a dangerous thing to say," he teases, and Eddie can't help but smile. Steve continues, "Basic cookies are $45 a dozen. Detailed cookies start at $65 a dozen."
Eddie thinks those numbers sound made up, but what does he know? He's not a baker.
"Steve. Just make them look nice and I'll pay you. Robin already took my credit card number. I'm in it now."
Steve smiles, and it's a sweet expression that tugs at Eddie's heartstrings. It's as if Steve expected to barter and haggle over his own worth. Eddie understands not undervaluing your art. Sure, his art is music, but still.
"Okay, how do you want them to look?" Steve asks, grabbing a fresh sheet of paper. Starting to sketch. One is round, the other is an outline of a fat cat, and Eddie reaches over and covers his hand, squeezing.
"Steve. I trust you. Whatever you want to do, whatever sparks your creativity. I'm not gonna micromanage your art."
Eddie lets go, and Steve nods, laying his pen down.
"You must love your daughters a whole lot," Steve says, his voice all soft around the edges.
"Nieces. My best friend's kids. But yeah, I do," Eddie says.
"Okay. One Garfield party coming right up."
On the day of the party, Eddie waits out on the curb of Gareth's house. Right next to the orange and black balloons.
Steve pulls up, waving, and when he opens his back hatch it's filled with orange bakery boxes with black cat stripes drawn on them. It's a fantastic touch, and Eddie knows whatever's inside them is gonna be fantastic.
"Okay, moment of truth," Steve says, cracking open the first lid, once they're all inside.
There's sugar cookies of Garfield in many different poses. There's Odie. Jon. Fuck, there's Grandma Arbuckle.
They're perfect.
And so are the cakes. One looks like the cartoon strip, one is Garfield himself and the other is Odie. They're gonna love them.
"This is all incredible, Steve. Thank you," Eddie says, and means it with his whole heart.
"I'll have to assemble the cake," Steve says, and Eddie watches intently as Steve does just that. Eddie notices Gareth, Jeff and Goodie all standing in the doorway, spying. He shoos them away, his hand behind his back.
Eddie knows he'll never live it down, but fuck. He doesn't care. Maybe he's talked about Steve the Baker a little too much, but can they blame him?
Steve gets the cakes stacked, the cookies and other treats plated, and it's all incredible.
Standing back to look at it, Eddie cuts him a glance.
"Any chance you want to stay for a birthday party?" Eddie asks, hopeful. "I've heard the cake's gonna be good."
Steve's smile definitely says yes, he's staying.
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Notes: This Garfield cake is what I based the description here off of. Just gorgeous!
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