Work Text:
'Careful!' As Noriaki called out, Hierophant Green was already sprawling out to catch the flour bag before it fell. Emporio turned his head just in time to get a face full of the powder as it puffed out of the jostled container, dusting his nose with the flour.
'Sorry, jiichan!' He said, wiping his face on his sleeve before rolling it up again, 'Does the batter look right yet?'
The batter was indeed a good consistency, impressive for a kid who'd never really baked before. Noriaki swirled the baking spoon around the bowl a few times, catching no unmixed ingredients. Impressed, he nodded to Emporio, Hierophant already bringing over a greased baking tin.
'You did good, kid,' He assured the child, 'Pour it into the tin, then, and you can lick the spoon when you're done.'
'I can?' Emporio looked thrilled at the mere idea.
It was tragic, knowing the boy had never experienced the little things in his many years hiding in prison walls, but Noriaki could at least find peace in witnessing his happiness now, finally getting to be a child. He knew Jotaro felt the same, but sometimes he was sure his husband was just glad there was someone so interested in everything about the outside world that he'd tag along on beach trips even when it was pouring with rain. Gosh, that ocean man was such a dork.
Focusing back on the present, Emporio had finished scraping the cake mix into the baking tin; Noriaki gave him a nod of approval to taste the batter for himself, and sent his stand to pop the tin in the oven. He set a timer on his mobile, a thing Jotaro still couldn't wrap his head around, and set to work tidying away the ingredients the duo had used.
'Do you think this cake will taste as good as Great Granny Holly's?' Emporio asked as he finally dropped the bowl in the sink, 'The batter was really good, so I bet it will!'
'Of course it will, we made it after all,' Noriaki assured him; sure, he didn't believe that, but it had to get about as close to Holly's extraordinary baking as was possible. Noriaki was still sure her stand must've been helping her out in the kitchen since before it had fully manifested.
The timer beeped, and Noriaki removed the cake, well risen and fluffy looking. There was still at least an hour before Jolyne and Jouta were bringing their dad back, so plenty of time to let the cake cool off before it was decorated. Emporio was more than happy to sit and watch whatever cartoons were on for a while, so he swayed happily on the sofa as a kids show played at what was probably an obnoxious volume. Noriaki wheeled his chair up beside the sofa for a moment as he checked in with Jolyne; luckily, her dad was still as enamoured as ever with the starfish at their local aquarium, so there was no need to rush on the final preparations. After fifteen minutes or so, he returned to the kitchen to mix up some icing, trying his best to make it a decent consistency, before grabbing the several tubs of sprinkles tucked away in the back of the baking cupboard and calling Emporio back in.
The cake was decorated chaotically but with love, and after Emporio had doused it with enough icing and sprinkles to give a dentist a heart attack, Noriaki added the 4 and 2 candles to finish it off.
'He'll love it,' He said with a fond smile, squeezing the kid's hand affectionately, 'Might even get a smile out of the old man.' Emporio giggled goofily at the comment, a precious moment.
The cake was on the counter, the presents on the dining table, and everything was about as prepared as it could be when Jolyne unlocked the door, winking conspiritorially to the boys as she walked in.
'Jouta got him talking about shellfish again, so they're still a little behind. Everything ready?' she asked, and Emporio nodded with such force his hat nearly fell off. The telltale clacking of a cane became slowly louder and louder, and as Jouta and Jotaro entered the Kakyoin-Kujo household they were met with three beaming faces.
'HAPPY BIRTHDAY!' They all yelled, being met with the usual 'yare yare' and hat tug characteristic of the man, though the slight upward twist of his lips wasn't unnoticed.
'We made you cake! You should try it!' Emporio, still not accustomed to how birthdays usually went, piped up excitedly, 'It's in the kitchen!' He offered an outstretched palm to Grandpa Jojo, leading the way. Jotaro offered his giant hand to the kid and awkwardly let himself be lead along.
Candles were quickly lit, the usual song rushed through to save a greying man death by embarrassment, and soon the kids were distracted with big wedges of cake, giving Jotaro and Noriaki a moment of peaceful domesticity.
'Almost as good as what mom makes,' Jotaro said with his softest smile, 'I'm impressed.'
'I asked her for a recipe weeks ago,' Noriaki responded, 'You deserve it, Jojo,'
Behind them, Hierophant already held Splat in a tight hug, and with a tug on the wrist from his husband Jotaro took the hint, pulling Noriaki into a warm embrace too.
'Thank you, Nori,' He whispered in his husband's ear, stroking his greying curls out of habit.
'Hmm, you're welcome, Jojo,' His husband replied, face already tucked on the side of his good ear, 'I hope this was a good birthday, love,' He murmured, 'Emporio tried his best with the cake, we'll have to bake with him more. Together, as a family.'
'We should make a fish cake,' Jotaro offered half-jokingly.
'Of course, you silly ocean man,' Noriaki replied, 'Any excuse to spend more time with you.'