Ja'far x Innocent!Reader Collection

Cooking Catastrophe

Based on an idea by: Unsure (please let me know if this was your idea!)

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"Okay, let's see... Milk, eggs, flour and butter," currently standing at the counter in the kitchen, I checked off all the things I thought I would need for my cooking from my mental checklist as I placed them down. "And of course some bowls, wooden spoons, whisks, measuring cups and a sifter thing!" I lined the cooking items up beside the ingredients so that they were ready for use and took a step back to make sure I had everything I needed. "Now, uh... How do you make pancakes again?"

I scratched my head and tapped my foot, trying to remember the basic recipe that I had somehow forgotten. Seriously, it's one of the simplest recipes to exist and it's completely vanished from my mind. I sighed and crossed my arms. "Well, it doesn't matter if I can't remember. Ja'far said he would join me and he's supposed to be a great cook, so he should definitely know what he's doing!"

~earlier that day~

"Ja'far! Ja'far!" I burst into Ja'far's office, calling his name with an eager tone and an excited grin on my face.

Ja'far had his head resting in the palm of his left hand and a quill pen scribbling away in his right, his gaze focused on the work in front of him. At first I wasn't sure if he had even heard me because he didn't show the slightest sign of acknowledging my presence. I was about to call out his name again to try and grab his attention before he suddenly spoke up with a simple, "yes?" Talk about a delayed reaction.

I brushed it off and continued on with what I was going to say. "I had an idea! A really fun one! Do you want to hear it?" Again, there was a bit of a delay, but eventually Ja'far hummed, telling me to continue. "Okay! So, I was thinking we should have some fun in the kitchen today and cook something for everyone in the palace! More specifically, I want to make pancakes for everybody! I know you're a good cook, so will you help me?" It was a simple idea, but I could barely keep myself still while thinking about it.

"... Yeah, sure," Ja'far replied after yet another short delay.

My eyes lit up upon hearing his response. "Really? You promise?"

"I promise," throughout the entirety of the conversation, Ja'far kept his gaze glued to his work. Considering he was still replying to me though, I assumed he was still listening to what I was saying.

"Great! I'll come get you when it's time to start!" I happily turned on my heel and left Ja'far to continue working in peace.

~end flashback~

"... Now that I think about it, Ja'far did seem pretty distant during that conversation..." I mumbled to myself. I shrugged at the thought. "Oh well. The important thing is that he promised to help me. Speaking of which, I should go get him before the eggs and milk spoil."

With some pep in my step, I skipped out of the kitchen, ready to retrieve Ja'far for our little cooking session. I breezed down the hallway at a rather speedy pace, smiling and waving at the few people I passed by.

In no time at all I was back at Ja'far's office. I knocked on the door and let myself in, knowing very well that I would've been given permission anyway. "Ja'far, I'm ready to start cooking now!" I said cheerily.

Ja'far was still hyper-focused on his work from earlier as he replied with, "alright."

He continued on with his writing, so I assumed he wanted to finish the last bit of whatever it was he was doing before coming with me. I waited patiently, but after about a minute there was still no sign of him stopping anytime soon. "Uh... Ja'far? Are you coming?" I questioned.