Work Text:
"Ta-da!" The Collector sang from within the Archive Castle, conjuring a silver platter with a silver cloche that kept the surprise treats completely hidden.
He then presented it to Kid Philip, whose blue eyes were bright and wide with curiosity.
"Ooo, what's that?" Philip asked. The Collector's effortless smile widened as he simply said, "Guess."
Philip scrunched his face in thought, his mind racing through all the possibilities.
A giant, one-eyed meatball cupcake? Maybe some mini magical rock pancakes? Simply a sweet potato?
He opened his mouth to make a guess, but stopped.
He could feel the Collector's gaze, knowing this was a game. He thought harder, but nothing came to mind.
A heavy sigh escaped his lips. "I don't know," he admitted, his shoulders slumping.
He looked back at the Collector, his blue eyes welling up with cute, cartoony tears as he formed the most pathetic puppy-dog look he could manage.
He silently begged the Collector to just tell him already.
The pathetic puppy-dog look Philip gave him made the Collector let out a soft laugh. "Alright, alright," he conceded. "I'll tell you."
His knowing smile grew as he used his magic to lift the silver cloche, which hovered in the air before gently setting itself down beside the platter.
A warm, cheesy aroma filled the air, and Philip's eyes went wide, shimmering with delight.
On the platter were several golden-brown bagels, split in half and loaded with a vibrant red sauce and thick pools of mozzarella, which had melted into a glorious, bubbling expanse of stretchy, savory goodness.
As Philip watched in awe, the Collector snapped his fingers, and dozens of tiny, red pepperoni discs appeared on top of the cheesy bagels.
Philip's small nose twitched as he took a sniff, the warm, savory scent of tomato and melted cheese filling his nostrils.
His eyes instantly transformed into shimmering, heart-shaped pizza bagels.
"Mmm!" he exclaimed, a soft drool forming at the corner of his mouth. "What are those?"
"Only the greatest, most spectacular food in all of the known and unknown universe," the Collector declares, gesturing grandly at the pile.
He grins, a playful glint in his eye. "Pizza bagels!" He grabs a warm bagel half and hands it to Philip. "Here, try one. They're super duper good and scrummy!"
Philip's glowing eyes took in the pizza bagel in his hand before he loudly devoured the entire half. The Collector laughed, happy that Philip loved his favorite food.
A moment later, Philip swallowed and rubbed his tummy in delight.
"Mmm, you were right! That was scrumptious!"
"See? I told you!" the Collector beamed, already grabbing a pizza bagel for himself.
In a whirlwind of happy chaos, they both started devouring some of the pile, each bite accompanied by loud, comical chomp and chew sounds.
They laughed as they ate, smudges of red sauce and melted cheese painting their faces.
Philip swallowed, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Hey, what if we gave some to Ms. Odalia?"
"Mama Dalia?" The Collector's eyes glowed with glee.
"Ooo, that's a great idea, Philip! But first, we need to decorate the bagels with some extra toppings."
With a shared, excited grin, the two boys dashed away from the platter in a cartoonish blur.
A moment later, they returned, arms overflowing with bizarre ingredients from the palace pantry.
In a mad scramble, they started piling the new toppings onto the bagels.
There were scoops of canned tuna, spoonfuls of green peas, and dollops of fluffy mashed potatoes.
The Collector broke a few raw eggs on top, while Philip proudly dumped a glob of strawberry ice cream on another.
None of it looked even remotely appetizing, but to the two chefs, it was a masterpiece.