what would you say?

[likesboys]

So far, 2013 is looking to be a far better year than 2012 ever was. With Henry IV, Part 1 on the horizon and a shiny ring on his finger, Kurt can't help the extra spring in his step as he goes about his day, trying his best to manage it all— a healthy relationship with his fiancé, advancement in his art, and balancing the many friendships that he enjoys on the island. Today, his ventures include trying to perfect the art of no-bake cheesecake on an island where many of the ingredients are fairly scarce.

Fortunately, the bookshelf decided to cut him some slack, offering up recipes for vegan cheesecakes. But when his finished product sits on his kitchen counter, Kurt can't help but think that he'd prefer to have someone to share it with, good or bad.

Biting down on his lips, he glances through the empty cottage, knowing that Blaine isn't due back for hours yet. Instead, Kurt bounces on over to Billy and Teddy's place, hoping that one of them is home.

(It's really nice having them so close by.)

"Anyone willing to brave some questionable pastries with me?" he asks, knocking sharply on their door.

Comments

[halfscarlet]

The cottage is pretty quiet for once, with Teddy having taken Diana off for a walk to give Billy some time to get his homework done. He's entirely grateful for the distraction when he hears Kurt through the open windows and gives up on his Biology homework without guilt.

"You are a lifesaver," Billy enthuses when he opens the door.

[likesboys]

"You heard me when I said questionable pastries, right?" Kurt laughs as he tilts his head in greeting, slipping into the house with his cheesecake in hand, glad that Billy's around and hankering for company. "This would be so much easier if milk just poured forth in this place, but we have to make do with limited supplies."

With a pleased sigh, Kurt relaxes his shoulders once inside. "But I guess lifesaver could also be referring to my skills as a conversationalist. Teddy's not around?"

[halfscarlet]

"Questionable or not, it has to be better than Biology," Billy insists. Yes, the whole reason he's alone is so he can get his work done, but still. Biology.

"He took Diana for a walk to give me some quiet time," he says as he leads Kurt through to their little kitchen. "I got a good half hour before I started going crazy."

[likesboys]

"Oooh, the hard sciences. I guess they call them hard for a reason," Kurt muses as he ventures over to peek at Billy's work, grinning up a storm. "I have to admit, biology is one of those subjects that I always thought was cooler in theory than it was to study. There's only so granular I can go with life before I start feeling like I'm going dizzy."

He glances up with a wrinkle of his nose. "But, wait. Does this mean that Teddy's just going to blame me for ruining your concentration? Is this just going to bite us in the butt in an hour or two?"

[halfscarlet]

"I'm kinda sick of learning about cells," Billy agrees. He knows Biology is one of those subjects he needs to learn, but that doesn't mean he has to like it.

Billy shakes his head at Kurt's question. "He won't mind. I mean, he'll probably make faces at me, but you won't get in trouble. Promise."

[likesboys]

"If you say so," Kurt replies, his tone more protesting than he feels. Truth be told, it's hard to feel accountable for too much on the island when all of the necessities are provided for in some way. With a slight sigh, he picks up his cake once more with a winning grin.

"Okay, so this... is my attempt at vegan cheesecake. Which, I know, might not sound like the most appetizing dish ever, but I'm pretty sure it'll at least be passable. I just wanted to know what to do in case we run out of certain key ingredients for regular cheesecake, but uh, turns out that gathering all that's needed for vegan cheesecake is just as hard. If not harder."

[halfscarlet]

Vegan automatically makes Billy think of hipsters and hippies and hippie hipsters, but he's going to give Kurt the benefit of the doubt, because none of the above really apply to him.

"Vegan cheesecake," Billy repeats, sounding both interested and wary. He peers at the cake as though it will get up and start singing at any moment, and only just resists poking it. "What did you use if you didn't use milk and stuff?"

[likesboys]

"Um. Well... tofu," Kurt says with a raise of his brow, rubbing against the back of his neck. "Which, I know we're all made to feel like tofu's this weirdly springy block of tasteless mass, but I still have hopes for this being halfway decent. Though if you decide that you want to wait and see how I feel half an hour after taking my first bite, that's fine. Completely understandable."

Kurt feels his cheeks tingle slightly with nerves.

"Though it could make for a good adventure, the two of us trying this out. I mean, if nothing else, everything that I used was fresh and fairly gentle on the stomach, as far as food goes."

[halfscarlet]

"I like adventures," Billy says, after giving it another moment of thought. It's not like he thinks Kurt's cooking will cause him pain, despite how wary he is about vegan anything. Kurt's about as detailed a person as Billy's ever met. "And you know what, I've eaten hot dogs from New York street vendors, this should totally be fine."

[likesboys]

"It's funny that I'm actually jealous of that, isn't it?" Kurt asks, chest tightening slightly with a yearning for New York as he gestures in the direction of Billy's kitchen, tilting his head in question. "I left my china back at my hut, by the way, since I didn't want to risk dropping something on the way over. Can we use your plates? I promise I'll help clean up afterward, obviously, since I wouldn't want to just sweep in and make a mess."

[halfscarlet]

"Not that funny," Billy says. He misses New York just about every day, and it's been a little worse since the winter and living in a home that should have been filled with his family and familiarity, but wasn't.

"Of course you can, and if you want to clean up, you can totally be my guest," Billy adds with a quick smile. "We don't actually eat much in here, since we always head to the Winchester or something. Cooking isn't exactly something either of us is really good at."

Billy sets two plates and some cutlery on the table between them, and leans forward on his elbows, eyeing the cheesecake. "Chef gets the first slice."

[likesboys]

"Uh-huh, that's never how it actually happens," Kurt laughs, though he obliges by cutting into the cheesecake, two small slices that he lays atop the plates. If nothing else, the cake cuts easily and smoothly. "The chef isn't the one who gets the first taste... except maybe in the preliminary rounds. Which this is the first of, I guess. Maybe someday I'll figure this out enough to worm my way into the bakery, but."

Pausing, Kurt shakes his head before cutting off a small bite with his fork, breathing in deep as he pulls the cake into his mouth and slowly chews.

"So," he says with a pause. "The flavor isn't quite evenly distributed, but the texture's not bad."

[halfscarlet]

Billy watches Kurt's face as he tastes the cheesecake. He barely let's Kurt finish his sentence before taking a larger piece for himself to taste.

It's...not exactly the kind of cheesecake he'd become accustomed to (though nothing tops New York cheesecake. Nothing tops New York anything), but it's still good. He nods as he swallows down the bite, and takes another. "For vegan cheesecake, this is actually pretty good."

[likesboys]

It's all the praise that Kurt needs, considering how limited the resources he had to use were, no YouTube videos around to help him make sure that he managed everything with the right technique. Cutting himself a larger piece, Kurt nods as he chews — the taste doesn't have the same tang as regular cheesecake, not that sweet sour that makes it feel authentic, but it's sweet and smooth nonetheless.

"I guess I'm now a little hesitant to call this cheesecake... since it doesn't even come close to tasting like cheese. It's just strawberries and a relatively creamy texture. But it could be a lot worse," Kurt considers. "Maybe next time I'll try actual cheesecake. God, I miss good cheesecake. I used to have it every time I went out to eat with the family."

[halfscarlet]

"Cheesecake," Billy hums in agreement. This is smooth and delicious in a different way, but it still isn't genuine New York cheesecake. Maybe he can convince Teddy to go try to find that fridge in the caves people have been talking about. "You're just making me even hungrier now."

[likesboys]

"I can't help it; I'm a sucker for a good dessert. Especially now that trekking all over the island on a daily basis leaves me fit enough that I can eat at least five times the amount of sweets and not pay for it in my figure," Kurt replies with a pleased flutter of his lashes. Ever since he joined the Cheerios back in sophomore year, he's realized the vast benefit that the addition of aerobics in his life results in. "I also desperately miss chocolate fondue."

[halfscarlet]

"I know. One of the nice things about walking and biking everywhere," Billy agrees. He's always been skinny, but it's nice to know he doesn't actually have to work to stay that way.

He groans at the mention of more food. "Talking about food we can't have is just cruel."

[likesboys]

"Well, we can have it twice a year, provided we're careful enough to list out all the things we want and walk around searching for it all," points out Kurt with a slight tilt of his head. "Although the fact that we have to revisit everything over a twenty-four hour period is just criminal. There's no way I can manage to thoroughly enjoy everything I love over so short a period of time. Now, if we were allowed to stockpile things in the island kitchen to keep... that'd be loads more fun. Figures that it'd be impossible."

[halfscarlet]

"Of course," Billy says. "Why would we be allowed to have fun here?"

That's kind of a lie; Billy does enjoy himself more than he should, but it's the principle of the thing. The island giveth and taketh way, way more than anyone should have to deal with.