Not for the first time is Max struck by how cute Bart is when he's in work mode like this. Max has to stop himself from laughing at the sudden sound of notes being taken. He knows the feeling of needing to write this down now now now.
"Wanna come over now? I'm free for the rest of the afternoon."
"Yeah, of course." Max doesn't find the question strange at all by virtue of being raised in the Midwest, where it might not be uncommon to apologize just for breathing.
He turns around with a bright smile, eyes wide and eager as he answers, "Recipes for honey? You bet I do. Honeycakes come to mind first, those are strong so you'd probably like it. I know how to make honey lollipops too. Those can be great for if you have a sore throat."
"Yes, of course. Only... I wonder if the acquaintance I'm asking about this for might have counterintuitive tastes. I don't really know. Perhaps we could try for something that meets in the middle?"
"I wouldn't want to take up more of your time than necessary, but if you're sure, I can be by in just a bit to make some alterations." There's a moment of hesitation before he adds, "thank you for calling to let me know that it's working. I'm honestly very excited to get the change to work on this." The smile is audible in his voice.
Just as promised, he would show up at Max's door with his bag slung across his body, dressed in his simple utilitarian clothes that already had some machine oil stains, smiling brightly up at Max when he sees him. "I trust that you've had the time to clean it. I'd rather not interrupt you in the middle of anything."
“I’ve never had a sore throat, but Eddie has. So I should probably learn, for his sake.” Those bright eyes are so much. Angel can almost feel a flutter in his chest, having that look directed at him.
Max still isn't home when she hauls herself through the door of their house, still covered in blood and dirt. She takes one look at the disaster, sighs and goes to grab whatever alcohol she can find. She doesn't even bother pouring a glass, just slumps on the couch and drinks straight from the bottle, waiting.
"Well... I guess I could do half and half. If it's no good your special someone can pick it off." He's got to let go of his food sensibilities for this but, oh, it's hard.
"As if hanging out with you is taking up my time?" Max counters. Bart is a delight to spend time with so this is a win/win in Max's eyes. "Come on over dude, I'm excited too."
***
Bart will soon see the answer to his question when he follows Max into the kitchen. "Yep. I got to work on that as soon as I got off the stone with you. See?" Max motions to the mixer sitting in the dish drain next to the sink.
"Go ahead and unpack on the kitchen table and I'll bring it over."
"Aw, yeah, that would be so sweet of you. I'm sure Eddie would like that a lot." Max is still the biggest shipper on the island. He's weak for cute couples.
"Is that what you want to do first? It's probably the easiest."
She doesn't have to wait long. Crumpet comes bounding in first, running right up to here where she sits. Max is not far behind, but he freezes in place when he sees... everything.
Valdis looks at him when he enters, noting the concern in his eyes. The guilt feels heavy in her chest, not just for the mess, but for hiding things from him.
"You should see the other guy..."
Though she doesn't dare hope that the Dirtman is gone for good. People aren't that lucky in Pumpkin Hollow.
"I mean, Eddie will be enthusiastic whatever I make. He's really sweet like that." Angel offers one of his awkward little smile. "But yeah, that sounds good. I mean, if you're up for it?"
There had been a moment of bewilderment at someone classifying him working around them as hanging out, but people liked quality time, even if one party was more distracted, so he wouldn't look sideways at it. After all, he's happy to be here, happy to help, and he enjoys Max's gentle, ever-positive attitude.
As soon as Max has shown him where to set up and assured him that the mechanism was clean, Bart moved to carefully lay out his tools, including a battery pack pioneered by Tarantulas before they'd had their...falling out. The small, occasionally delicate handheld tools are arranged carefully atop a linen cloth, and then he moves to assist in moving the parts to his temporary work space.
"It smells lovely, by the way," he says of the smell of Max's freshly baked sweet potato fare.
It takes a lot to get the better of Valdis, so Max can't help but be spooked to find her in such a state. If she's here though then, yeah, he isn't giving the other guy very good odds.
"Seriously, what happened? Did someone attack you in here?"
"I'm always up for baking with friends." Max makes it sound so obvious.
"You're in luck, too, because I already pre-treated some sticks. I was planning to make lollipops this week already."
Max grabs an apron for himself and then holds a second one out to Angel. "Here. You'll want to wear this in case any of the hot sugar splashes out. It can cause some nasty burns if you're not careful."
"You want one? I made them the way you like as a thank you gift. Here, I'll go grab a plate of them." Bart can't go to Max's house these days and not come away fed. Max has the tenacity of kindly grandmother whose favorite catchphrase is, "Eat something, you're skin and bones, sonny boy."
He will return with a plate of four confections arranged like petals on a flower. He also had one in his mouth, too. A good baker always tastes his work.
"The texture of these came out so much better already. You have to try it."
"He probably will be within 24 hours like the rest of us."
If she could hear his train of thought, she would be half bristling at the idea that anyone could get the better of her. Even if it was technically true this time...
"It's fine. But I need to talk to you about Erik."
Bart's smile fades into a surprised sort of slackness, dark eyes following Max as he moves off to collect the cookies that had to still be warm from the oven. Of course, he's gotten used to Max plying him with whatever he had going at the moment that was within what Bart could readily eat, and while he wasn't the slightest bit surprised that he was once again being fed, what does take him offguard is the thoughtfulness behind the gesture itself. That they had been made for him. It's easier for him to look at it as a transaction, because he'd made this thing for Max and had volunteered to help in testing out new recipes, but...Max isn't the type to look at these things like that. Max did it because he cares, and he likes taking care of people.
Bart isn't used to that.
Still, he takes one when the plate is put down, breaking it apart to examine the texture, nodding approvingly. "It looks much better than the last attempt. Less stodgy." A bite confirms the assessment, and Bart smiles around the bit in his mouth. "Adding the pumpkin spices really helps, too. I think these will be very popular if you make them for the cold weather."
She blinks in surprise, trying to figure out how exactly he reached that conclusion. Though, it is an oddly logical conclusion based on their conversation so far.
"No. Erik is too afraid of me and too scared of alienating you to do something that stupid."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2024-07-13 07:07 pm (UTC)"Wanna come over now? I'm free for the rest of the afternoon."
(no subject)
Date: 2024-07-13 07:43 pm (UTC)He turns around with a bright smile, eyes wide and eager as he answers, "Recipes for honey? You bet I do. Honeycakes come to mind first, those are strong so you'd probably like it. I know how to make honey lollipops too. Those can be great for if you have a sore throat."
(no subject)
Date: 2024-07-13 08:26 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2024-07-13 08:36 pm (UTC)Just as promised, he would show up at Max's door with his bag slung across his body, dressed in his simple utilitarian clothes that already had some machine oil stains, smiling brightly up at Max when he sees him. "I trust that you've had the time to clean it. I'd rather not interrupt you in the middle of anything."
(no subject)
Date: 2024-07-14 05:33 am (UTC)Middle of July
Date: 2024-07-14 10:08 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2024-07-15 01:28 am (UTC)"Does that sound reasonable?"
(no subject)
Date: 2024-07-15 01:35 am (UTC)***
Bart will soon see the answer to his question when he follows Max into the kitchen. "Yep. I got to work on that as soon as I got off the stone with you. See?" Max motions to the mixer sitting in the dish drain next to the sink.
"Go ahead and unpack on the kitchen table and I'll bring it over."
(no subject)
Date: 2024-07-15 01:44 am (UTC)"Is that what you want to do first? It's probably the easiest."
(no subject)
Date: 2024-07-15 01:50 am (UTC)"V-Valdis? What happened? Are you okay??"
(no subject)
Date: 2024-07-15 01:59 am (UTC)"You should see the other guy..."
Though she doesn't dare hope that the Dirtman is gone for good. People aren't that lucky in Pumpkin Hollow.
(no subject)
Date: 2024-07-15 03:36 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2024-07-15 10:31 am (UTC)As soon as Max has shown him where to set up and assured him that the mechanism was clean, Bart moved to carefully lay out his tools, including a battery pack pioneered by Tarantulas before they'd had their...falling out. The small, occasionally delicate handheld tools are arranged carefully atop a linen cloth, and then he moves to assist in moving the parts to his temporary work space.
"It smells lovely, by the way," he says of the smell of Max's freshly baked sweet potato fare.
(no subject)
Date: 2024-07-15 07:05 pm (UTC)It takes a lot to get the better of Valdis, so Max can't help but be spooked to find her in such a state. If she's here though then, yeah, he isn't giving the other guy very good odds.
"Seriously, what happened? Did someone attack you in here?"
(no subject)
Date: 2024-07-15 07:23 pm (UTC)"You're in luck, too, because I already pre-treated some sticks. I was planning to make lollipops this week already."
Max grabs an apron for himself and then holds a second one out to Angel. "Here. You'll want to wear this in case any of the hot sugar splashes out. It can cause some nasty burns if you're not careful."
(no subject)
Date: 2024-07-15 07:33 pm (UTC)He will return with a plate of four confections arranged like petals on a flower. He also had one in his mouth, too. A good baker always tastes his work.
"The texture of these came out so much better already. You have to try it."
(no subject)
Date: 2024-07-15 08:23 pm (UTC)But he takes the apron and puts it on.
(no subject)
Date: 2024-07-15 09:19 pm (UTC)If she could hear his train of thought, she would be half bristling at the idea that anyone could get the better of her. Even if it was technically true this time...
"It's fine. But I need to talk to you about Erik."
(no subject)
Date: 2024-07-15 09:40 pm (UTC)Bart isn't used to that.
Still, he takes one when the plate is put down, breaking it apart to examine the texture, nodding approvingly. "It looks much better than the last attempt. Less stodgy." A bite confirms the assessment, and Bart smiles around the bit in his mouth. "Adding the pumpkin spices really helps, too. I think these will be very popular if you make them for the cold weather."
(no subject)
Date: 2024-07-16 12:36 am (UTC)"Did Erik attack you?!"
(no subject)
Date: 2024-07-16 12:41 am (UTC)She blinks in surprise, trying to figure out how exactly he reached that conclusion. Though, it is an oddly logical conclusion based on their conversation so far.
"No. Erik is too afraid of me and too scared of alienating you to do something that stupid."
(no subject)
Date: 2024-07-16 12:45 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2024-07-16 12:47 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2024-07-16 01:04 am (UTC)Valdis puts the bottle down and reaches for his hands.
"Do you remember when I told Claunthe I would pay your way off that insect ship?"
(no subject)
Date: 2024-07-16 01:12 am (UTC)"I... yeah? I do. I've been so worried about that. What happened? Do you need my help to pay? You know I would have already."