Alleyway Pastries

Save me

Sasha and Niccolo sat at the breakfast bar Eren once sat at. Armin wandered around the kitchen on the other side mindlessly baking as he innocently answered questions shooting from mainly Sasha. Eren followed suit, wandering around taking pictures whenever he felt fit, maybe a couple too many, but he couldn't help but smile at Armin's every move.

"Oh, I forgot to ask in the beginning," Sasha began while laughing at her stupidity, "why did you learn to bake?"

Armin tensed slightly at the question. In truth he had learned because his grandfather was trying to make an attempt at helping him to regain his desire to enjoy food and eat. Armin had lost it when his parents died. He missed the homemade cakes his mom would make and the way his father cooked dinner every night, he missed the family behind the food. As he moved through middle school his disdain towards food shifted towards vanity. He couldn't quite explain it but he felt as though every time he ate the entire world looked down upon him. The sky peered over him in disgust and he hated that feeling. The fear of changing was overwhelming and he was determined to stay as thin as he was as a kid, in an attempt to hold onto who he was when his parents were alive. It was a combination of things. Baking unfortunately enhanced his previous ideals, it made it easier to pretend to eat. The excuse could always be "I spent all day baking; I ate as I went along". Truthfully, he did do this sometimes, it just always resulted in him sending himself over the toilet. In Armin's grandfather's head, his attempt at helping his grandson repair his relationship with food again worked, Armin planned to keep it this way. He was determined to keep everything to himself. He gripped the cake pan in his hand tightly. Before he realized the spatula in the other had fallen. Unknowing to Armin, Eren had been standing on the other side of the kitchen leaning against the black and white tiled counter, watching as this happened. He furrowed his brows in confusion but Armin shot him a weary smile clearly trying to cover up the anxiety quelling within.

"How could you forget the most important question," Armin laughed as he picked up the spatula, "I guess I didn't start for a particular reason. Like anyone I love sweets and wanted to learn to make them. My grandpa used to bake so I begged him to teach me and here we are!"

Eren watched as Armin composed himself going back to pouring batter into three pans. He believed none of what Armin just said but kept it to himself as he continued to snap pictures. Eren had become good at observing people having grown up the way he did. Levi had been his main guardian for the majority of his childhood, he learned to pick up on micro expressions because of this. Grateful for this now, he shot Armin a thumbs up before snapping a picture head on.

A couple hours had passed by the time Armin finished. Among the icing work sat atop the cake, Armin had delicately written "Food Now", dedicating this cake to them. Sasha peered over his shoulder in awe practically drooling. Armin let out an exhausted sigh,

"It's finally finished!" he exclaimed; his voice laced with pride. He took a step back smiling at his work before looking at the others. Eren took some final pictures before patting Armin on the back in congratulations.

"How could we ever eat such a pretty cake", Sasha was about a centimeter away from the cake, taking in all of his delicious chocolate aroma.

"You could devore anything Sasha, don't even" Niccolo joked as he lightly punched her shoulder. She laughed putting her hands up as to surrender while Armin pulled out three plates. Carefully he served three slices of cake, one for everyone except himself. The knife slid through the cake like butter, revealing beautifully deep chocolate layers.

"Are you not going to eat any?", Armin hardly understood Sasha as she spoke with her mouth overflowing with cake.

He shook his head before beginning, "I had a big breakfast, I'm just happy you guys like it so much!" His cheeks were tinged with pink as he excitedly put his hands together. Eren glanced at him before cutting his own piece in half picking up a bite on his fork.