“Pass me the salt.”
Surprisingly, Simon can bake. He’s shit at cooking, can barely keep a sandwich from setting on fire and is banned from the kitchen at base. But baking? He excels at.
You do as he says, passing him the little salt shaker that has the form of a ghost. He rolls his eyes when he grabs it, but you can see him try to hide a smile. He fails, of course.
“What do you need salt for?” You ask, tilting your head to look at him better. He’s frowning down at the mass he’s moving around, his fingers pushing and pulling the mix in ways that you can’t fully understand.
“It potentiates the flavor, helps the mix absorb water, makes it less like gum.” He answers fast and steady, almost like he has it memorized. He always makes sure to know everything he can about his mission, in and out of field.
He has never baked for you before. But it’s three in the morning, it’s dark outside and sleep has fled the house a long time ago.
His eyes are a bit red on the edges, it hasn’t been long since he came back. He hasn’t said, you haven’t asked.
“How do you know how much?”
He shrugs, smiling briefly at you. “Usually it’s just a pinch. But you learn to know by heart.”
It surprises you a little. He’s not a fan of going at things “by heart”, used to following rules and orders almost blindly, if he’s not the one giving them.
“What are you making?”
“You’ll see.”
A couple of hours later, Simon has rows of cookies on top of the counter and you wish you had a camera.
“You look cute with those baking gloves, chef.”
Simon scoffs, but you can see the bridge of his nose turn pink. He helps you sit up on the table, standing between your legs as he breaks one of the cookies in two. Then, he blows at it softly, making you smile without meaning to.
“They look amazing,” you tell him, turning slightly to fully appreciate what his insomnia has gifted you. You can hear the birds chirp already, a little bit of sunlight slipping through the curtains. You don’t pay it any mind.
“It’s hard to find good ones,” he answers, “I decided to learn instead of looking.”
You think he’s right, of course. His sweet teeth make him eat some crazy stuff, but he’s very particular about the flavours sometimes. It’s not like he’s a picky eater, he wouldn’t survive in the military, but when he gets the chance? You can be sure he’ll search for the best.
He hands you one half of his creation, but you ignore it and take a bite straight from his hand. His cheeks go red too, but you’re too busy biting back a moan to pay attention.
“Holy fuck,” you say once you’ve swallowed. “Simon, this is delicious.”
He laughs awkwardly, but you can see him absorb the praise. “Yeah?”
“Yes! Oh Lord, you have to bake some for me every time you leave.”
He laughs harder this time, shaking his head and taking his own bite. He smiles at you as he chews, brushing your cheek to get rid of crumbs.
“I’ll bake all you want.”
He gets closer, wrapping an arm around you and leaving flour stains on your clothes. You don’t say anything, looking at his eyes and smiling at what you find.
In a way, you realize this is what he does to reconnect with himself. So used to violence and harshness, he turns to baking. It must help him remember that he’s capable of being gentle, of kneading instead of punching. He’s not a machine, and he’s a real good baker, apparently. And he bakes for you.
You pull him down to kiss him and lick the sugar off his lips.