Gabriel looked at her sharply, vaguely surprised by her levity, but then laughed--a genuine laugh. "I earned that. Here, just for that crack you get some more free icing."

He picked up the bowl and shoved it at her, taking back his icing-laden spoon. Okay, so things currently sucked. There were bright sides to look on. Sort of. Maybe. Despite all his pranks Gabriel wasn't actually much more accomplished at looking on the bright side than anyone else--he was just really, really good at looking for distractions.

He leaned back against the counter, eyeing the cake thoughtfully, and finally announced, "Next time I'll even make it a triangle."