Work Text:
Mint’s eyes drifted open from their afternoon nap. A clamour from the kitchen had pulled them from their dreams, and they could hear Beel and Belphie’s distant voices, seeming to be at the epicentre of the disaster at hand. Mint had half a mind to ignore the noise and seize the rare opportunity for more sleep, but curiosity and hunger took the reins, and they got up, grabbing their sweater and uniform jacket to investigate.
The trip to the kitchen was short, and Mint was sure they saw Belphie turning a corner as they wound their way through the hall. Unusual as it was to encounter him in the day, Mint let him be, soon arriving to the kitchen to meet none other than his twin. Beel was hunched over a small – for him – cake, carefully applying smooth layers of blue and yellow frosting to each surface. He had a surprisingly good hand for it, Mint thought – which made the second cake beside it all the more perplexing. The top layer of the cake had slid almost entirely off, and looked almost as if it had been caught with someone’s bare hand.
“You’d better be careful with this next one.” Mint spoke as they approached Beel from behind.
“Hm?” Beel looked back over his shoulder before setting his spatula down. “Oh, Mint! I thought you were sleeping.”
“I was. Sounds like you had a bit of trouble there.” Beel flushed a bit at the toothless jab.
“It’s fine. That one’s for me anyway.” He turned back to his work as Mint settled beside him, and they saw his eyes linger on the sad cake for a beat too long before he got back to frosting the more successful specimen.
“Who’s that one for, then?”
Beelzebub hesitated. “It’s for – someone else. For White Day.” His eyes remained locked on his work, head bowed down as he hunched down to work on a countertop just a bit too low for him.
“Oh? Somebody’s lucky. I knew you could eat a cake by yourself, so I guess I should have guessed you’d like making them too.”
“It’s nothing, really. And Bel– well, I mean – I’m almost done, so… if you want, you could help? It could be fun.” Beel was silent for a moment before continuing as if with an afterthought. “And then I can eat that other one sooner.”
“I don’t know. Baking isn’t really my strong suit. There’s a reason I only ever eat at the dining hall.”
“Oh.” Beel seemed dejected. “Well, I could always help you. This part isn’t hard. We just have to put some flowers on it. With icing.”
“That absolutely does sound hard.” Mint thought for a moment. “Are you sure you want me messing up your White Day gift like tha–“
“You won’t mess it up.” Beel cut Mint off, catching their eyes with his. “You’ll see.” He nodded, seeming satisfied with his explanation.
Mint had a feeling they were in this till the end, now, and let their curiosity take over. “Well… You’d better show me what this is supposed to look like then.”
“Sure. Just watch what I do.” Beel grabbed an icing bag full of yellow frosting, before deftly using it to plant petal after petal on the edge of the cake until, before long, a single yellow flower was perched there. Setting the bag down, he turned back to Mint. “Did you get it?”
“I… don’t think so.” Mint confessed.
“Wanna try? I’ll help you.” Beel seemed far too eager at this point for Mint to turn back, so they reluctantly acquiesced.
“Good.” Beel smiled, stepping back from the counter to let Mint take his place. “I’ll guide your hands and walk you through it while you try one. If that’s okay?!”
“I guess so, if you think it’ll help.” Mint picked up the bag and, all too soon, felt Beel’s warmth against their back as he watched over their shoulder and lightly set his right hand on the back of theirs, and the other on the icing bag.
“All you have to do is turn your wrist like this as you stop the icing.” Beel explained as he guided Mint’s hands through the motions. “You can try the next one.”
Mint tried. The petals came out, just like Beel had said they would, but Mint could see the difference between their first attempt and Beel’s evidently practiced handiwork. Still, Beel offered no criticism, and let them continue, his hand still lingering ghostlike on theirs, offering no direction. Mint normally avoided this kind of work, but part of them was enjoying the teamwork. Mint shook the thought, remembering what this cake was for in the first place.
Still, after the first flower was finished, having quickly earned Beel’s seal of approval, Mint found themselves working through each one faster than the last, letting themselves get lost in the task at hand before, finally, the last flower was completed. Mint felt Beel nod, before straightening up, his chest rising off of Mint’s back and letting the far-too-cool air replace the warmth.
“It looks good. Don’t you think?”
Mint was not as sure, but nothing they had done looked bad, so they swallowed their self-criticism before responding. “I guess so. Yours is the best one, but…”
“I like yours.” Beel affirmed. “Do you wanna eat it now? I’m getting hungry too.”
“…Sorry?” Mint turned around to face Beel. “I thought… Was this for me?”
Beel nodded again, smiling. “That’s why I picked out the yellow. I was gonna bring it to you later, but… this was good, too.” Beel jolted, seeming to remember something. “Is this a good White Day gift? This is everyone’s first time doing it, so…”
“Only one way to find out, I guess.” Mint grabbed the platter their cake had been set on, and Beel picked up his own dishevelled portion of the cake. Mint admired the foresight, imagining all too easily how Beel would otherwise have eaten his own White Day gift before ever delivering it. “Should we eat in my room? The dining hall might be crowded with everyone the same thing.”
Beel nodded, not trusting himself to say anything in response. Mint led the way.
***
Mint set their fork down. They had felt Beel’s eyes on them as they ate the first two pieces, but their limits were far lower than his, as evidenced by the quick disappearance of Beel’s personal, and just as large, cake. “I don’t think I can eat any more. I was already tired, but after that…” Mint yawned.
“Do you want me to put the rest away?” Beel offered.
“Knowing you, ‘putting it away’ probably means ‘finishing it.’” Mint pushed playfully at Beel’s shoulder. “… You can if you want. I… really appreciate this. If I’d known you were going to do anything, I would have planned to have a bit more energy today.”
“It’s fine. I like you however you are.” Beel grabbed the rest of Mint’s cake and stood up from their bed, quickly wrapping it up and setting it in their fridge. “You can even sleep if you want. I could go, or…” Beel hesitated. “I mean, Belphie says I make a good pillow. I wouldn’t mind, if it’s you.”
Mint wouldn’t mind either, they realized all too easily. “Come here, then.”
Beel did.