Tiramisu For Two

Slap! Slap! Gabriel slapped the cans of cocoa onto the counter, rubbing his floury hands on his dark-wash jeans. He surveyed the kitchen around him, licking his lips as he cast his eyes down to the counter before him. He leaned against it with his hands. The cakes laid out before him seemed to call to him; he felt a small grin cross his lips. Gabriel was already anticipating what Lana's reaction would be when she took a bite of the finished tiramisu. More than that, he was already anticipating Theodore's reaction...
Running his finger through his hair, Gabriel reached forward for the bowl of coffee, letting out a dreamy sigh as the aroma filled the kitchen. It reminded him of home; the warmth of the kitchen and smell of coffee comforted him. He glanced down at his watch, tapping his foot as he waited for Lana to walk through the heavy metal doors of the kitchen.

Lana practically skipped away from her dorm. Jax had cheered her up from her sadness, and she hasn't wanted to leave. But she had to go learn to make this tiramisu, how else was she supposed to kick ass at this bake-off? She had to win. She had to beat Jax. The brunette tied her hair up into a ponytail as she used her hip to push open the doors of the kitchen. "Hey, Gabriel!" She said, smiling brightly and looking around at the counter. She quickly washed her hands on the sink, drying them off and turning back to face him. "Alright. Where do we start?"

Gabriel smiled as the petite brunette entered the kitchen, pushing away from the counter. He moved to the other side of the kitchen, grabbing the large mixing bowl of custard on the table behind him. He placed the 8, round cakes he'd made on the table between he and Lana; he smiled, clapping his hands together.
"Alright, The first step is to make the cakes, which I've already done. Then, you take the cakes," Gabriel paused, lifting up one of the cakes carefully. it was small; it fit perfectly in both his hands. He lowered it into the coffee slowly, glancing back up at Lana, "you lower it into the coffee and count to 15. if you want it to taste more like coffee, soak it for 50."

She watched as Gabriel moved 8 cakes over to their counter, wanting to eat one there and then. She hadnt eaten lunch that day, she'd been talking and forgotten. Granted, she made up for it after by eating a whole bowl of grapes, she was still starved. Lana crossed her arms and watched him carefully, nodding at each of the instructions to show that she was listening. It didnt look horribly difficult. "What about 45? Can I count to 45?" She asked, a gentle smirk on her face.

Gabriel's laughter was soft; he shook his head, peering up at her through his lashes, "You can count to whatever number you'd like. Just don't oversoak it and don't undersoak it. It has to be... just... perfect." Gabriel said as he pulled the cake out of the coffee. He placed the soaked spongecake onto the plate beside the large bowl of custard. Smiling, he pulled out a long spatula and stuck it in the pan. Before he continued, Gabriel stuck a spoon into the sweet mixture and offered it out to Lana, "taste."

Lana laughed softly and smiled, nodding. "So 45 it is, then." She said with a grin, watching as he moved the cake over by the custard. He took a spoonful of the dessert and held it out to her. Lana took the spaon and tasted it. God, it was a foodgasm. "This is amazing." Lana said, wanting to eat the whole pan but refraining because she actually did have manners.

Smiling, Gabriel handed her the spoon and dipped some into a bowl for her, "just don't tell your mother that I'm spoiling you." Then, he took the spatula and spread some custard over the soaked cake, spreading it evenly and precisely.
"Now, the key is the cocoa," Gabriel explained, pulling the lid off of the small brown container. Loose brown cocoa spilled onto the counter as Gabriel took a spoon and sprinkled it over the custard. He smiled, turning back to Lana, "and then, you just repeat that. over and over."

Lana took the spoon almost instantly, licking it off with a smile. "I wouldn't dare." She smirked as he spread the custard over the cake. It was perfect, and she knew here would never look that good. "Alright," Lana said, watching as he sprinkled the cocoa over the tiramisu. It looked a lot simpler than she'd originally thought, although it was probably much more difficult when she would have to do it.

Gabriel stepped back handed the spatula to Lana, casting his eyes to the ingredients laid out before her. He glanced back up to her and gave her a reassuring smile, "Go ahead. Yours will be amazing. Just remember: 45." Gabriel laughed and stepped away from the counter, turning to the sink to wash his hands off.