ANDY’S A CHEF
Shay stood on her tiptoes in the kitchen, her small hands barely reaching the counter where Andy was trying to mix something in a bowl. “Whatcha doing, Andy Nugget? Is it pancakes? Is it waffles? OOOOH, is it cookies?” she asked, her words coming out in a single breath.
Andy glanced down at her with a smirk, carefully tipping the bowl so she could peek inside. “It’s none of those. It’s a super-secret recipe. Top-level classified stuff. If I tell you, I’d have to tickle it out of you later to keep it a secret.”
Shay gasped, pressing her hands to her cheeks. “Tickling?! Nooooo, you can’t do thatttttttt! I’m your favorite nugget, remember?”
“Exactly. And that’s why you’ll be the only person I trust with this classified information,” Andy teased, crouching to her level and tapping the side of his nose like they were sharing a spy mission.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement. “I promise not to tell anyone! Not even Mommy or Daddy or Zoe or Aidan!” She paused, her little brow furrowing. “Wait… is it nuggets?!”
Andy laughed, ruffling her hair. “Close, Nugget. It’s chocolate lava cake.”
Shay gasped even louder this time. “LAVA CAKE?!” she shrieked, practically vibrating with excitement. “Does it explode? Is it like a volcano? Does it go BOOOOOOMMMMMM?!”
“Exactly like a volcano,” Andy said with a grin. “Except the only thing exploding is your taste buds.”
Shay’s hands shot up in the air. “Tasteeeee bud volcanooooo!”
The two of them worked together in the kitchen, which, honestly, was a generous way of putting it. Andy did all the actual mixing and measuring while Shay dipped her finger into everything she could get her hands on.
“Shay, what are you doing?” Andy asked when he caught her with a glob of chocolate batter on her nose. Uh… nothing Andy. NOTHING.
“I’m quality testing,” she said matter-of-factly, licking the batter off her finger. “You can’t serve a volcano if it’s not tasty. That would be bad for the worldddddd.”
“Ah, of course, madam. How could I forget the your standards?” Andy said, rolling his eyes but laughing as he handed her a spoon to officially taste.
While the cakes were baking, Shay decided she needed to burn off some of her endless energy. She tugged on Andy’s hand and dragged him into the living room. “We have to do a lava dance!”
“A lava dance?” Andy asked, pretending to be confused as she pushed him onto the carpet.
“Yeah! The floor is lava, duh!” Shay explained, climbing onto the couch and motioning for him to follow. “You can’t touch the ground or you’ll burn your feet!”
Andy squinted at her, tilting his head. “Wait a second—how do you know what lava feels like? You been sneaking trips to volcanoes without me, Nugget?”
Shay giggled, jumping from the couch to the coffee table with wobbly legs. “Noooo, silly! I saw it on a show. Lava’s like… really, really hot! Like when Mommy says the stove is hot but times a thousand. No, a millioOOOON”
“Well, I don’t wanna get burneeeeeed,” Andy said, hopping onto the couch and balancing precariously as Shay pointed at the floor. “Don’t fall, Andy Nugget! The lava will eat you!”
“Oh, no! I’m slipping!” Andy called out dramatically, pretending to teeter on the edge. Shay screamed in mock panic.
“Grab my hand! I’ll save you nuggeeettt!” she shouted, extending her tiny arm toward him.
Andy made a big show of reaching for her hand and letting her “pull” him to safety. Once he was back on the couch, she threw her arms around his neck. “Phew! That was close. You’re lucky I’m here.”
“What would I do without you, Queen of Lava Land?” Andy said with a grin, booping her nose.
By the time the lava cakes were done, Shay was sprawled across Andy’s lap, the two of them sharing one plate and taking turns scooping out the gooey chocolate center.
“This is soooo good,” Shay mumbled, her mouth full of cake. “It’s like my taste buds are having a dance party.”
“Taste-bud volcanoes and dance parties? Sounds like the perfect night,” Andy said, chuckling as he wiped a smear of chocolate off her cheek.
Shay yawned, leaning her head against his chest as the sugar rush finally started to wear off. “Andy Nugget, you’re my favorite person in the whole wide world,” she mumbled sleepily.
Andy smiled, wrapping an arm around her and resting his chin on her head. “Right back at you, Nugget. Sweet dreams.”
@CerealKiller a stupid lil misc while i was in a baking misc mood after aria’s lol