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This is another odd little one-off, unconnected to my other C/Z stories. I wrote this while I was feeling sad and despairing, though it is neither of those.



Rain
by Serai


Zeke's mouth left Casey's hot when he pulled away, and his face warm through the runnels of cold rain where his hands framed it as he looked down and laughed. The sudden downpour was nearly loud enough to wash away the sound of his delight, but Casey didn't move even though he froze and drowned in the goddamn rain, because this was all that mattered. This, my fucking lover and his fucking heart, and nothing else. Just that smile and that laugh and that kiss, and these hands clasping, and the sudden surety that there'd be sex very soon, and the feeling of it cementing and becoming life, just plain old ordinary life. And the torrent of rain, and the growing weight of his coat, and the silver running through Zeke's hair and beard, and the cobbles of the street leading to their house by the platz, it was all part of just life.

And if the wound was still there, the scar of having torn away from everything, that was life, too. This is worth it, Zeke had said. He'd taken Casey's hand and squeezed it at the sound of the engines growing louder and that feeling of pushing rush as the plane rose, and they ran. Ran like dogs. No, Casey had told himself, as he still tells himself, you're not running. You're being chased. It still hurt, it always would, but now things were good and hot and Zeke had lost the bitterness and anger he'd carried with him all his life, and what did that mean but that this was worth it, all of it? Maybe it means you never belonged at all, he thinks. Maybe so, but maybe in not belonging there, he'd been led to the place where he did.

The rain came down even harder, and with a barely heard yell, Zeke grabbed his hand and then they were scurrying through the cold and the wet, laughing. A doorway, shelter, arms under jackets, another kiss. Fuck the U.S., Casey thought, as Zeke's breath moved hot over his cheek. Maybe someday they'd be welcome there again, but for now, this was all the home they'd ever need.

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Damn, it is RAINING out here. Windy, too. Just what we need, yay! I'm glad my BiL wanted to go to the dispensary earlier, as now I'm all cozy with my little stashbox refilled. I'll be going next door to watch 2001 with my nephew in about an hour. He likes space movies so I thought he should see a movie that takes place in real space for once. I have a new batch of cookies I baked last night, and doubtless we will do popcorn as well. Then I have a pile of mending to do, which will be nice to get to work on while I'm wrapped up on the couch watching something fun.

Now this is more like it!

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Cinnamon Cookies

12½ tbsps (just over 1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup plus 2 tbsps granulated sugar, divided
1/3 cup light brown sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsps plus 1 tsp cinnamon, divided
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp (4 tsps) vegetable oil
1 tsp water


In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of the sugar, brown sugar and lemon zest together on medium speed until the mixture becomes pale and fluffy. Add the flour, baking powder and 1 tablespoon of the cinnamon and mix until combined. Then add the oil and water and mix until fully combined.

Place the dough on plastic wrap and roll it into logs that are 2" in diameter. (Smaller logs are easier to work with than one long one, so it may be helpful to use about a baseball-sized portion of dough to form each log.) Twist the ends of the plastic wrap as you would to wrap a candy to help you achieve an evenly round log. Freeze for about two hours or until the logs are chilled all the way through. (You can freeze the logs, well wrapped in plastic and stored in an airtight container, for up to a month. Defrost frozen logs before using, but be sure they are still chilled all the way through.)

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar and the remaining 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cinnamon until well combined.

With a sharp knife, slice the logs into slices and arrange them on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture, then bake for about 10 minutes or until the cookies begin to pick up a little color along the bottom edges. Remove cookies from the oven and let them cool completely on the baking sheet or a cooling rack, then store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to a week.

Makes 30-60 cookies, depending on thickness


This is another of those bitchy dryish doughs. I'm thinking that instead of rolling into logs, it'd easier to just press the dough into the bottoms of a couple of muffin tin, to about 1/3" thick. (I'd line them with pieces of plastic wrap to makes sure they're easy to extract.) In the fridge for about a half hour, then pop the dough rounds out and proceed. I suspect that will be MUCH less of a headache then wrestling with rolling logs and cutting them, ARGH.

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