#day7

“Ok, hun, do you have all the ingredients we talked about?” Dennis’ mom’s voice rings out from your phone. As you place it down on the loudspeaker. 

“I think so,” you reply, scanning everything before you. “Thanks for taking the time to help”

“Of course sweetie, anything to help make this day special for my baby boy,” she beams. 

Your lips curl up at her words. 

Despite having not met her yet in person, Dennis’ mom was always so kind to you. Warming and loving. 

You suppose that was where Dennis had gotten it from. 

In the lead up to today you had messaged her to try and learn the best way to make today special. 

And after a little digging. A few choice questions to Dennis. 

You landed on making these Maple Brown Sugar Cookies. 

With the very recipe his mom would use. 

He had mentioned the cookies once. Just in passing, a fleeting memory he shared with you. How on special occasions the kitchen at home would be drenched in an aroma of toasted pecans and sweetened by maple syrup. 

As perfectly chewy and crisp cookies would sit on the window sill to cool. 

It was something you had tucked away. Saved for a rainy day in your memory. 

Something you reached for when you learnt Dennis’ birthday was coming up. 

You understood that living so far from home could be difficult. 

How he sometimes craved the familiarity of home. 

Homesickness was something you understood all too well when you were serving overseas. 

So today you decided to help bridge his longing by taking the time to bake the very cookies he dreamt of. 

And who better to help you than his mom. 

“So, let's get cracking sweetie.” Her voice rings out once more. 

Her words filled the air as she guided you. Step by step. 

Until eventually all that was left to do was wait for the dough to firm in the fridge. 

As you moved around the kitchen to clean up, she remained on loudspeaker. Adding her own anecdotes, her own little stories of fond memories when Dennis was younger. 

How he was always so hardworking, even as a soft spoken child. Pride melted into her words. 

Listening with a smile you let her talk. 

Laughing at her funny stories and sharing your own in between. 

Until soon enough it was time to roll out and shape the cookies, popping them into the oven as your home was enveloped in the sweet soothing scent of maple syrup. 

“Now for the icing, you’ll need to keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t burn and become a messy mistake,” she joked, “Just melt the butter, and whisk in the maple syrup. And then it’s important to pull it off the heat once it's combined. Oh! – and make sure you measure out the icing sugar first so you don’t have to fiddle with that– so after you pull it from the heat you’ll add the icing sugar and a few pinches of salt.”

Moving around you listen to her instructions, “Now I’m not there to taste it, but I trust your judgement”

As you pull the tray of cookies from the oven, you sigh in relief. The perfect balance of crunch with a tender inside. With little bits of pecan within to balance the sweetness. 

Not a burnt bit in sight. 

Moving your phone you take a photo and send it through to her, as she says with glee, “Oh, sweetie, they look perfect. Now tell Denny happy birthday for us and that we love and miss him.” 

“You’re too kind,” you reply. 

“And you’re an absolute sweetheart! Oh we simply have to have you come visit when Denny and you have time”

“I can’t wait, thanks again Ann,” you smile at her words. 

“You are going to make a great daughter in law,” she says quickly catching you off guard and before you can say anything else she adds, “Bye bye now” 

And with one final goodbye, you hang up. 

You had just a few moments to get everything else ready before Dennis would be walking through your front door. Her words, simmering in the back of your mind. 

Moving around you pull out the present you had wedged in the back of your closet. 

Rushing back into the lounge, as you hold the present behind your back, as you hear Dennis call out, “Hey, I’m back” 

Smiling as you meet him by the door, you lean up and press a kiss to his lips, feeling him smile against yours. 

As you mumble softly, “Happy birthday, love” 

Stepping back slightly you present him with a gift bag. 

Tilting his head as he looks at it, “You didn’t have to get me anything”

“But I wanted to,” you insist. Grinning, “Ok, open it”

Taking it gently from your hands, he lifts the tissue wrapped object from the bag, raising a brow, “Is this?-is this a Littmann?”

Eyes widening as they dart between you and the stethoscope in his hand.

“You really didn’t have to, this must’ve cost a fortune”

“Every good doctor needs the perfect stethoscope” 

He pulls you into his arms, peppering kisses against the apple of your cheeks, before gliding his lips against yours. Mumbling sweet soft thank yous in between. 

Pulling away you grasp his hand in excitement. Tugging him along, “There’s one more thing I think you’ll love”

He looks at you puzzled as you continue to pull him into your kitchen, the sweet smell of maple syrup enters his nose, the aroma of something familiar. 

Of home.

“Ok, close your eyes for me” 

He furrows his brows at you, while you only add, “Just trust me”

Relenting he softly murmurs, “Always”

Eyes now shut. 

Plucking a cookie from the tray, still warm as the icing begins to set atop it. You turn, holding it up to his mouth. 

“Ok, now open your mouth”

“If this is something weird–”

“I would never– now just take a bite of this,” you laugh softly, simply placing part of the cookie in his mouth as he opens it slightly. 

He hums in delight, mind flooded by the warmth of fond memories. 

Eyes opening to look at you, a wide smile forming on his face. 

“Is this what I think it is?” 

Biting your lip nervously, worried at what he thought of it. 

Maybe you overstepped? Maybe it was taking it a little too far? You had only been together for a few months now? Maybe–

“They’re your mom’s maple brown sugar cookies, I thought it might be nice–I know you've been a little homesick lately – and you’ve mentioned them before, saying how you used to enjoy them on special occasions. So I called and spoke with her–” You started to ramble. 

“Thank you” he says sweetly. Looking at you as though you were his world entirely. 

Wrapping his arms around your waist, he pulls you into him. Just holding you. Hugging you closely. 

Tucking his head into the crook of your neck. 

Breathing your company in. 

The smell of toasted pecan and a sugary sweetness coats your hair. 

“This really–It really means a lot to me,” he adds. “Did I mention how in love I am with you?”

Smiling in his arms, you let your own curl up around him. 

“I love you too”

A few moments pass. 

Just you two holding each other. Relishing in the comfort of each other’s arms. 

“I can’t believe you called my mom,” a light laugh of disbelief bubbles out of him. Thinking over your words. 

“She mentioned we’ll have to visit sometime soon,” you said. 

“She also mentioned I would make a great daughter in law”

He freezes at your words, panicking from what his mom had said, “I am so so sorry, oh. She sometimes just says things–”

“Dennis, it's ok. I thought it was sweet of her” 

Pulling back you place a hand against his chest to console him. 

“Sorry I didn’t mean anything by it– I just. I don’t want my family to scare you off”

“Like anything could scare me away from you,” you reply, placing a delicate kiss to his nose. 

“Now. Let’s take some of these cookies and have that movie marathon you were talking about” 

“You’re the best”

“I am pretty great aren’t I,” you quip. 

Squealing as he presses his fingers into your side, lightly tickling you. A bubbling laughter spills out of you. “Ok, ok, you’re pretty great too…Denny”

He groans at the nickname. 

While you smile in amusement. 

“Your mom also had the time to tell me all about you as a kid”

He rests his head onto your shoulder, groaning from your words. “Tell me it wasn’t something embarrassing”

“She might’ve mentioned something about a cow and a clumsy young farmboy”

Laughing at his dismay. You press a kiss to the top of his head. 

This was something you could get used to. 

Just you and Dennis. 

Together. 

In the comfort of each other’s arms. 

Made sweetened by a little home made dessert.

A dessert you may have delicately written and tucked between the pages of your little recipe book, marked beneath Family Recipes.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed my mini chapter for Tread Lightly. Just a little sweet exploration of you and Dennis on his birthday, cosy and calm. Made sweeter by his mom's influence and maple pecan sugar cookies 💖. Let me know what you think about this chapter and/or the series in general, and if you'd like to be tagged. Also if you want to make Maple Brown Sugar Cookies the recipe I love is here! Comments, Reblogs and Likes are welcomed and appreciated 💕 Find Part 1 of Tread Lightly here! Feel free to find my Dr Robby x Wayne!Reader Rinse & Repeat Series Masterlist here 🩺 Or check out my overall Masterlist here

He had no love for the benders on the Council or the preferential treatment this republic gave benders, but these Equalists weren’t all that much better. The number of ex-benders he had encountered over the past few days was surprising. He knew there were many benders who weren’t fighters, would never be ‘masters’ of their elements. Mothers who could light stovetops. Dads who could make a little ice in the summer. Kids all across the city who made extra money in the springtime helping turn the earth in gardens.

And everywhere, he saw people he knew to be benders who all had a certain vacant stare, as if they were listening for the footsteps of someone who would never come back.

With a shake of his head, he tried to focus on the here and now.

He might not be a bender, but the patrols didn’t ask questions after curfew. You were either in your home, your job, or your cell at police headquarters.

Beifong was only barely competent at her job, but she at least kept the jails in working order. The non-benders he had interviewed after being harrassed and released said things were bad. Not much food, too many bodies in each space. Benders and non-benders crowded into wings without regard for their bending type. The firebenders kept having to be removed from the waterbender cells for trying to burn the cages.

Raiko had been talking to people throughout the occupation, and he could tell two things: one, that no benders were being released, with or without their bending; and two, that conditions in those cells were getting worse by the day.

The Equalists were behaving like the eel-hound that caught its own tail.

He grimmaced, remembering the professor who once said the worst thing to happen to an insurgency was to win. They were never prepared, and once they had to settle into the mundane business of governing. Once their leader died, there was an aimless period where infighting began to ruin everything, mostly harming the common people their movement once had tried to help.

Squealing tires shattered his thoughts. He ducked behind a pile of crates.

A car screeched to a halt and one of its door opened long enough for a person to fall (get pushed?) out and crash to the road.

The door closed and the car sped off into the night.

The person didn’t seem to be moving, but was far away that he wouldn’t be able to see them breathe.

Before he could come to a decision about what to do (if anything), the person propped themself up, got their knees under their torso, and slowly stood.

When she straightened, she just happened to be facing right at him, the streetlight showing him Beifong’s unmistakable face.

A face with that vacant stare.

Beifong had lost her bending.

Raiko staggered into the crates, which scraped against each other.

He didn’t like her. Never had, couldn’t imagine he ever would.

But for Lin Beifong, daughter of the war hero Toph, to lose control of her earthbending?

She took a step, and he froze, worried the noise had gotten her attention.

But she turned to her left and took another step.

But she stopped again.

He watched her for several minutes as she would take one or two steps, stop, change direction, take a step, and stop again.

Until her legs gave out, and she crashed to her knees before slumping back to the ground.

He didn’t like her. Never had, couldn’t imagine he ever would.