Title -- Chestnuts and Cookies
Author--
cornerofmadnessDisclaimer -- Arakawa owns all
Rating -- teen
Characters/Pairing -- Roy/Riza/Maes/Gracia
Word Count -- 541
Warning -- none
Summary -- The happy foursome celebrates the solstice.
Author’s Note -- Written for
gaia_lulia in
fmagiftexchange. I have the cookie iron in question. I have no idea how my great grandmother and grandmother use to hold the sucker over the gas burners. I’ll stick with my electric one, thanks.
XXX
“Why don’t you just stand back?” Roy lounged against Hughes’s couch, nursing his custard nog which had been expertly blended so neither the bourbon nor the rum overpowered the sweetness.
“I’ve got this.” Maes argued, fussing with the crumpled paper he was using to start the fire.
”Dear, you have the Flame Alchemist sitting there doing nothing. Let him do it,” Gracia said, coming into the living room with a heavy cookie iron on two long poles. Riza was behind her with a wooden bowl filled with dough in one hand and bowl of chestnuts in the other.
“He’s not a match, Gracia.”
“Yes, but you’re suffering. Let me put you out of your misery,” Roy said, eyeing Maes’s butt as he squatted in front of the fireplace where he’d been for the last five minutes fighting with it.
“If you don’t let him do it, Maes, he’ll be telling everyone you were defeated by paper and kindling.” Riza laughed then set her bowls down. She went back into the kitchen.
“Fine.” Maes got out of the line of fire.
Roy fished his gloves out of his pocket, not entirely sure when he had started to carry his static gloves no matter if he were in uniform or not, but at least it would be handy to get the winter solstice fire going for their party. Roy snapped and the fire jumped instantly to life. Maes made a face at him. Roy stuck his tongue out, only to have Maes suck on it, climbing into his lap as the Riza returned.
She had tin foil, wax paper and a platter. She and Gracia wax papered the platter and Maes abandoned Roy so he could put the chestnuts with their little Xs carved into them into a sheet of tin foil. He tapped in a bit of water from a glass. He sealed it up and set it in the fire.
“You ladies need help?” Roy asked.
“Just get us a couple glasses of the nog,” Riza said.
Roy poured the drinks, watching the women roll out a small ball of dough each and put them on the cast iron cookie maker with its flower pattern. They patiently flipped the cookie iron over in the flames before turning the cookie duo out onto the wax papered platter. Roy and Maes filched them as soon as they could.
“Want us to spell you?” Maes asked.
Gracia chuckled. “Sure.”
He nearly dropped the iron on his foot. “This is heavy as hell. How do you hold it still in the fire?”
“A woman doesn’t’ give up her secrets.” Gracia smiled.
“They’re so strong they could take us in a fight without trying,” Roy laughed.
“And never forget it,” Riza replied.
It took a while to get a pile of cookies and for the chestnuts to roast. Afterwards, they snuggled up on the couch with their cookies, nuts and drinks.
“Oh look, it’s snowing.” Riza pointed to the window where in the pale light filtering in from the moon, they could see flakes floating around.
“How perfect for the solstice,” Roy said, wrapping his arms around her.
“With us all her together, it’s a perfect night,” Maes replied.
They all knew he was exactly right.