“Up and at 'em guys, dish clearing duty. Kales no clearing for you,” Jimmy barked as he stood and started grabbing dishes.

“But,” you started to protest.

“Chill. You can present the dessert, none of us will take the surprise out of that dish, but we’re clearing,” Jimmy said sternly, yet lovingly.

All of the guys present stood and took piles of dishes off the table as you stood where you were. It made you happy, it was like growing up. Back when all the guys use to come over for meals and would help clear the table afterwards, making sure you and your mom didn’t do any work. You could almost hear the old conversation rolling through the current din of dishes clanking around you. It’s not that your parents ever paid you much mind, for they never did, you had been ignored thoroughly growing up. It’s why you had loved having the guys around, they had always included you and made you feel loved when the people who had given you life had chosen not to.

You were brought out of your memories as you felt someone take the small stack of dishes out of your hands. You looked down and recognized the tattooed hands taking them from you. You looked up. And were met with Zacky’s eyes. He wasn’t glaring at you. But he wasn’t smiling either. He just simply nodded as you recognized him and took the plates from you and walked into the kitchen.

About a half an hour later the guys had the table cleared, AND the dishes scraped and put into the dishwasher, the kitchen tidied. The food was stored and put away in your fridge and even the dishes that didn’t fit into the dishwasher had been cleaned and placed to dry on the rack next to the sink. The entire time you had sat at your spot at one head of the table, the other end had been where your brother had sat just like always. You sipped your wine, finishing it as the guys finally poured into the dining area again.

“Now I’m ready for dessert. My hands are wrinkly,” Johnny said as he sat down back in his seat as he stared at his hands.

You simply chuckled as you stood up and made your way into the kitchen, carrying your now empty wine glass with you.

In the kitchen you got out the rum soaked cake you had made, along with the rum tinged home made whipped cream ingredients. You had saved it’s making till the end so as to make sure it was fresh. You got out the tiny little dessert plates and placed them next to the cake and went about whipping the dessert topping. As you started up the beater it’s loud noise carried into the dining area where the guys were talking.

“What the hell are you doing in there Kales?” Jimmy yelled in from the table.

“I’m readying the torture device,” you called back as you continued to whip the topping.

You went back to concentrating on it but were interrupted by the sound of heavy foot falls. You turned to be faced with what you would have called a hysterical sight if you didn’t deep down, and not so deep down, despise the person creating the sight. It was Zacky. And he was standing in the kitchen. With his eyes closed tight.

“What do you want Zacky?” you asked, trying to keep your voice civil.

“I was told to come in and give you a hand, but to keep my eyes closed so as not to ruin the surprise. So just give me something to do so I do not have to continue making an ass out of myself like this,” Zacky said, eyes still closed tightly.

You tried to stifle the grin that wanted to break it’s way out onto your face. Regardless of how much he made you want to kill, he still had been mostly pleasant for the evening. And had dressed up. And looked absolutely ridiculous standing there like that.

“Fine, carry these out and I’ll be out in a second,” you said as you placed the tiny plates in his outstretched hands.

As you placed them in his grasp he accidentally curled his fingers around yours, thinking them gone from the plates. At the contact your eyes widened and his eyes shot open, focusing directly into yours. It lasted only a second before he turned abruptly and walked out of the kitchen with the plates.

You went back to finishing up the last of the whipping and unceremoniously dumped it into a silver mixing bowl from it’s ugly tupperware one and went out, cake in your other hand.

“Ta da!” you exclaimed as you got to the table, dessert in hands.

“Holy mother of all, what is that?” Bert asked as you placed the items down.

“It’s a German rum soaked cake and rum whip cream, home made. Hence the torture device sounds coming from the kitchen,” you said happily as you displayed your cake.

“I think Kales is trying to get us drunk,” Syn said as he leaned forward to dip his finger in the bowl of whipped cream.

“Hey buddy, hold a second. Not everyone likes the taste of Syn in their food,” you said as you cracked his knuckles with a silver spoon.

Syn shook his hand a bit and then rubbed his knuckles as you went about cutting the cake and placing the liquor drenched pieces onto separate plates.

“You all can glop on as much topping as you want. I kinda went over board on that end, so enjoy,” you said once you had passed around the cake pieces.
-xXx-
“Damn can you make me a cake like this all the time?” Dan asked from over his second piece.

“Hahaha when I sprout a clone to do work for me so I can cook as well as everything else,” you said as you scooped more whipped cream onto your plate.

It was just that good. You could have eaten the entire bowl after your first taste, hence you were now eating nothing but it instead of another piece of cake. And everyone had seemed to agree with your taste buds as they weren’t being frugal with it either. Then your brothers phone rang loudly.

You shot him a look.

“Hey give me a break, gotta take this,” he said as he stood up.

“Who is it that you would take it and disrupt this dinner?” you asked as you poked a finger into the mound of cream on your plate.

“It’s Katie,” he replied.

“Why is Katie calling you, hmmm?” you asked as you raised your whip cream finger.

“Cuz I kinda called her earlier today and left her a message?” Shads replied sheepishly as he backed up from the table.

“Oi, he’s making himself pussy whipped and he’s not even dating the girl. Talks to her on the phone constantly,” Syn said from his spot as your brother made his way out onto your porch.

“This coming from the guy who goes through boughts of being glued to the phone with Alex. I don’t even know how you’re going to be able to play shows with her on tour, you follow her like a lost dog,” you teased.

“I beg your pardon, I do not,” he said back defensively.

“Do too,” you said, finger of whipped cream still in the air.

“Do not,” he protested.

“Do, oh fine do you want me to call her right now and ask her opinion?” you asked evilly.

“No. You win. For now,” Syn said much to the delight of a giggling Bert and smirking Quinn.

This wasn’t very Syn like, well at least not like what people on the outside perceived him as. But then again Alex brought out a side of him that no one besides the Avenged guys and you ever saw. It had to be her quirky personality mixed with her complete and total utter devotion to him plus her total no bullshit taking from him that did it.

“Awww, Syn’s not a tough guy. Following a girl around like a lost puppy. Would suck if that got out to the public, your image would be destroyed for good,” Bert teased.

That’s when your whip cream came in handy. You flung your finger full at him, hitting him square on the forehead.

“Hey,” Bert shouted as he turned to look at you.

You simply grinned at him evilly. That is until he grinned back his infamous impish grin and leaned towards the bowl of whipped cream and stuck his finger in and swiped. Then, then your eyes widened in horror.

And then you gasped as the glob hit your nose and cheek. It was moderately cold. You just sat there, shocked as the whipped cream started to run down your face. Jeph burst out laughing at you, and you slowly turned to face him. You smiled sweetly as he continued to laugh hysterically at you. Slowly so he wouldn’t notice you scooped the entire remainder off your plate and then smushed it on his face since he was sitting directly next to you. That stopped his laughter mid laugh.

When he looked at you shocked you simply put on your most innocent face, which sort of failed as there was still whipped cream on your face.

“Oh it’s so on,” Jeph mocked growled at you through his facial mask of cream, you had really done a number on him.

“Whipped cream fight!” Johnny shouted loudly.

Somewhere deep inside you had known it was going to come down to this when you had decided to make this dessert.

Notes

Bring it bitches!
Whipped cream for the WIN!
I have many fond memories of just such ocassions with my friends.
XD