Eren P.O.V
The kitchen was eerily silent when we walked inside, but I quickly turned the dials on all the oil lamps and it was soon engulfed in light.
I smiled at the sight in front of me. Very rarely do I ever get the entire kitchen all to myself- er- to me and Levi, but now there is no one in here to be annoying!
Well, unless Levi is still in a really bad mood.
I walked over to the main pantry and asked Levi to grab the eggs and the milk. With ingredients practically spilling out of my arms, I shut the pantry door with the back of my heel and set them all down on the counter.
Levi was still standing there, his arms empty. "Where are the eggs and the milk?" I asked, and he scratched the back of his head. "I don't know where they are..." he muttered, and I laughed before giving him a reassuring smile and walking over to the storage cabinets.
A basket of eggs was sitting on the shelf and a glass carton of milk sat next to it, thankfully, fresh since the cow was milked only a day ago. I walked over and set them down on the table before grabbing a large bowl, metal pan, metal ladle, metal cup for measurements, measurement spoons, and started the fire.
"Okay! We're making cupcakes!" I exclaimed, and he titled his head in confusion. "A cake in a cup?" He asked, and I chuckled. "No. Cupcakes are like mini cakes, but they're really good!" I corrected and he nodded before I turned my attention to the table. I then grabbed the bowl and slid it over to him and looked at the ingredients.
Flour, salt, baking powder, butter, sugar, eggs, milk, and...
I looked around before going back to the pantry and finding vanilla extract, sighing in relief. "What's that?" Levi asked from behind me, and I held it out to him. "Open it and smell it," I said with a smile, and he looked hesitant to do so. "How do I know it doesn't smell like horse crap?" He asked, and I laughed before unscrewing the cap and taking a huge whiff. Then I sighed in content and handed him the bottle. "Trust me," I said, and he finally took it and held it up to his nose.
He was still for a moment before taking a small sniff, and his eyes widened."What is this?!" He exclaimed as he continued to smell it. "It smells amazing, but do not drink it!" I exclaimed, and he only continued to smell it."Okay, you're not a bloodhound." I said as I plucked it from his grasp and screwed the lid back on. He followed me back to the counter as I set the bottle down and I grabbed a measuring cup. I softened some butter and started to pour it in the metal cup until it reaches 1/2 cup, talking Levi through it as I went along.
Then I softly poured it into the bowl, Levi watching my every move. When I finished that, I walked over to the sink. "Now, you don't need water for this recipe, but you want to rinse out the cup before you move onto another ingredient so they don't mix together and mess up the measurements," I said as I rinsed out the butter-filled cup.
When it was free of the creamy substance, I grabbed the pouch of sugar and turned to Levi."Here." I said and handed it to him. He took it and stared at the bag."What do I do with this?" He asked, and I grabbed the measuring cup. "Pour sugar in the cup until it reaches the line that says '3/4'," I said and held it out for him to pour the sugar into. He stared at it for a moment before hesitantly tipping the bag the slightest bit.
A few pieces of sugar spewed over the top and into the cup, and then he tilted it some more. Sugar poured everywhere and the cup was filled a little over 3/4, and by that, I mean it was spilling over the top of the cup.
He grunted as he pushed the bag up, and he grit his teeth. I laughed a little and smiled at him before walking over to the counter and using a spoon to dig out some of the sugar. Then I stopped, and he looked confused. "I thought you said to stop it at 3/4?" He said as he pointed to the cup, which had sugar going a little over 3/4."Yeah, but I like sweet things, so I'm adding some more than needed." I said as I poured it in the big bowl along with the butter."Okay! Now..." I grabbed the ladle "we have to cream them!" I exclaimed and handed him the spoon."Try it. Stop when it becomes light and fluffy." I said, and he hesitantly took it out of my hands and set it in the bowl.
He was slow, trying to be careful not to ruin it, and I chuckled. "Here," I placed my hand around the one holding the spoon and started to move it around in circular motions at a fast pace while I gripped the side of the bowl with my free hand. I was completely unaware of his red-tinted face as I swirled around the ingredients, and then I let go and he started to do it himself. He was still a little rusty, but he got the hang of it and kept going until it was a weird yellow looking paste."Is that it?" He asked, and I laughed. "No, that would be gross!" I exclaimed and grabbed the measuring cup before rinsing it again."Okay, now we need two cups of flour." I said and grabbed the bag of flour before handing it to Levi.
"But last time I-" I cut him off. "You've matured since last time, so do it right," I said, and he faltered. "How much could I have possibly "matured" in two minutes?!" He exclaimed, and I shrugged. "Enough to do it right," I concluded and held the cup out to him again.
He sighed and grumbled, "If this gets everywhere it's your fault." Then he gently poured it in the cup, careful not to tip it over too much this time. I smiled at his shocked face as only a few bits of flour hit the floor, and the amount he poured barely went over the '2' line."I did it! Erm- I mean yeah whatever." He exclaimed like a little kid, and I laughed. "Yeah, you did," I said as I poured it into a second bowl.
Then I grabbed the baking powder and poured it into a teaspoon before dumping it into the bowl with the flour as well. Then with a spoon labelled '1/2 teaspoon', I poured salt in it until it reached the top and mixed it in with the flour and the baking powder. "Now we need to mix these before they go in with the butter and the sugar. So, try it!" I said as I handed him the bowl. He looked at it confused before grabbing the ladle. "Wait!" I exclaimed as I grabbed it from his grip, sugar and butter pasted to the sides of the spoon.
"You have to wash it off first." I said as I walked over to the sink and held it under the running water."Why didn't you do that earlier?!" Levi exclaimed as I dried the spoon. I walked over to him and lightly hit the top of his head with it."Who's the teacher?" I asked him as I crossed my arms over my chest while he held the to of his head."Stop abusing me and just teach me how to bake!" He exclaimed, and I couldn't help the laugh that tickled my throat."Come on, let's finish this." I said, and he nodded.
When I handed him the ladle, he knew exactly what to do, and he mixed the ingredients pretty well this time. Then he handed the bowl to me and I set it aside. "Now, my personal favourite part," I grabbed the eggs "we get to crack these and put the yolk in the bowl." He stared at me confused."Why is that your favourite?" He asked, and I gave him a mischievous smile."Egg puns." I replied, and he sighed in defeat."Oh, Maria please no." He said, and I laughed."Oh, come on Levi! You know how eggs are absolutely eggcellent!" I exclaimed, and he groaned. "Make it stop." He said to no one, making me laugh some more.
"Oh, Levi! It's just a yolk! Come on!" I said, and he gave me a glare. "Stop." He said, and I just smiled. "Come on Levi~! Don't these just crack you up a little bit?" I kept going, and he suddenly shot up and placed a hand on my mouth, his face nearing mine."Keep that up and it'll be your skull that's cracking." He said and released his hand. "That's the spirit!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air, and he sighed. "Alrighty then! Back to business! This is how you do it. We only need two eggs for this recipe, so it's okay if you mess up the first time." I said, and he scoffed.
"Please. Doubt that'll happen." He said."Like how you eggspected not to drop that much sugar-" he cut me off by slapping his hand on my mouth again, grabbing the ladle from the counter."I will gouge out your eyes, brat." He said, and I held up my hands in surrender as he sent me a bone-chilling glare."Jeez. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." I said as I grabbed an egg. "Okay, place it on the side of the bowl like this," I set it on the mouth of the bowl and held it up a bit. "and then hit it against the top, hard," I said as I did just that. My fingers were suddenly engulfed in a droopy substance as the egg cracked open, and I grabbed it by the crack before opening it up and dropping it in the bowl with the sugar and the butter."Now, you try." I said as I handed him a fresh egg.
He carefully took it from my grip and stared at it for a moment before doing as I did, but he smashed it too hard and it completely exploded onto his hands and his robe."Dammit!" He exclaimed, and I laughed. "What was that about 'doubt that'll happen'?" I asked, and he glared at me before getting another egg. He set it on the side one more time before lighting cracking it. When it barely opened, he did it again. Then he did it a third time, a little too hard might I add, and again, the egg practically blew up."Why is this so hard?!" He exclaimed as he threw the egg onto the counter, and I started laughing again as he picked up another egg."Here, let me help you." I said as I wrapped my hand around his and used my "strength" to move his hand around.
I made his hand gently tap the rim of the bowl twice before hitting the egg against it one final time. Both of our fingers were covered in yolk substance and I let go of his hand as he pulled away from the shell and dumped the yolk in the bowl. Then I noticed his face, which was tainted a red colour, but I quickly shook it off as I watched him start to look in my direction.
We locked eyes and I smiled before grabbing the glass carton of milk and pouring a cup of milk. Then I poured it inside the bowl and added half a teaspoon of vanilla extract as I poured in the contents of the second bowl. I let them settle a little before grabbing the ladle and handing it to Levi. "Mix, mixing boy!" I exclaimed, and he growled before ripping the ladle out of my grip and got to mixing. I chuckled as he stirred, surprised at how good he was at this, and waited until he finished.
He stopped when it was creamy enough to be considered a thick liquid and he looked at me."Now what?" He asked and I grabbed the metal pan. He stared at it with bewilderment. "Why does it have holes?" He asked, and I laughed. "It's for the cupcakes," I said, and he nodded as I walked over to a cupboard and pulled it open. I grabbed a spoon with the bowl part shaped like a hemisphere and he again stared at it in question. "What's that for?" He asked, and I rolled my eyes."The cupcakes." I said, and he rolled his eyes.
"Try it," I said and handed him the spoon. He carefully plucked it from my grasp and dumped it inside the thick substance before pulling it out.
Upside down.
I slapped my forehead and chuckled before taking it from him. "Hey-" he started, but then he stopped as he saw me scoop out a spoonful and dump it into one of the pan's twelve holes."Now, you try." I said and handed it to him. He grabbed it and did the same thing as me, just with a slightly bigger plop and more of a mess, but he got the general idea.
After a minute or so, every hole was about three-quarters full and ready to be set inside the furnace. I grabbed a pair of plaid oven mitts and turning to look at Levi. "Safety is a top priority in this kitchen! So listen closely. Remember, I have a ladle and I'm not afraid to use it!" I exclaimed in a joking manner as I held up the metal ladle. He chuckled and shook his head as he leaned back against the counter and listened.
"First! If dealing with putting something in an oven and taking something out, always wear oven mitts. I don't care if they're not your colour, they will save you from third-degree burns. Second! Always wash your hands before you start baking or cooking! I know we didn't today, but that's not important!" I exclaimed, and Levi chuckled as I continued. "Third! You have to always watch how long you put something in the furnace, or you'll start a fire and burn everything down and possibly kill some people, or worse! Ruin the food!" I got shivers just thinking about such a horrible outcome, and Levi only smiled softly shook his head in false disappointment.
"Fourth! Don't trust me with a ladle, because I will become a dictator!" I finished and smiled at him. "Got it?" I asked, and he nodded with a smile."Alright, then let's put this in the furnace." I said and grabbed the sides of the pan before setting it in the furnace and shutting the door."We have to check on it every few minutes so we don't burn the food," I smirked as an idea formed in my head "and it can be a little eggscruciating to wait that long-" I stopped speaking as something hit the side of my face and splattered my uniform.
A droopy substance fell from the side of my face and onto my shoulder, and I wiped a bit of it in my finger and stared at it.
Egg yolk and an eggshell.
I guess you can say I'm shell-shocked.
I turned to the side and Levi's arm was still in a throwing position."You will feel the wrath of the pun master!" I exclaimed as I grabbed the butter and chucked it at his chest, staining his robe and the shirt underneath, not to mention getting it all over his face.
He growled and grabbed a nearby bottle of vinegar before unscrewing the cap. "You're on."I ran for the flour, but he quickly started swinging the open vinegar bottle around in the air, splattering me with its contents. I growled and grabbed the bag of flour before flinging it around, covering his face and his torso in white powder. He growled and grabbed the vanilla extract before throwing the contents at me, splattering me with vanilla extract, and a little too much might I add.
I smell like a vanilla cake's butthole. I grabbed three eggs and cradled two in my arms as he made a mad dash for the nearby tomatoes. I pelted the side of his face with one egg and his arm and chest with the other two. He finally reached the tomatoes and grabbed one before chucking it at me, hitting me right in the chest.
Then I was pelted by a hoard of red spheres, each hitting home. When he finally ran out, I had run across the kitchen and grabbed the glass of syrup, but had tomatoes sticking to me from head to toe. Without thinking, I ran up to him and screwed off the lid before dumping the syrup on his head.
He groaned in disgust as he realized how sticky he was, and then I could tell he smirked, and I suddenly felt scared.
"Hey Eren..." he trailed off and gave me a wicked grin. "wanna hug?" He asked as he held his arms out, syrup dripping from his arms. I yelped and rapidly shook my head before running around the counter, him following close behind.
We ran around in circles until I started laughing and then we both stopped on opposite sides of the counter."Come on! It's just a hug!" He exclaimed, and I continued to shake my head with a smile on my face.
Then I remembered something.
The cupcakes.
I ran behind me and looked in the furnace. A few were bubbling, and I sighed in relief before shutting the door and standing up. Then a pair of arms wrapped themselves around my waist, sticky syrup and all."Gotcha." A voice whispered from behind me before I yelped and was lifted off the ground, my torso and back covered in syrup.
Then Levi twirled me around, and I just laughed the whole time before he set me down and I bolted away from him, my face aflame."I will have my revenge!" I yelled as I grabbed the salt. I waved it in the air, and he was covered in it, mostly because it stuck to him thanks to the syrup."Hah!" I yelled, and he grits his teeth before grabbing the ladle and an egg.
"What are-" I stopped speaking as he placed the egg in the bowl of the spoon and pulled it back. I didn't move in time because he let go and I was smacked in the forehead with an egg. I quickly grabbed a towel to stop it from getting in my eyes and saw something in my peripheral vision.
I scrambled for it before grabbing it and chucking it across the room, watching it as it hit Levi in the face.
Pie splattered everywhere and he had a look of pure anger as the pie slid off his face. He quickly drug his hand down his face and got most of the pie off before grabbing the sugar and flinging it at me. I was covered from head to toe in white powder, and I growled before grabbing the ladle and Levi grabbed an egg before we charged at each other.
We were a few feet apart when we used our 'weapons', and then we paused. He had the egg right next to my forehead, and I held the ladle to his throat. We stood there heavily breathing for a moment in silence, and then I broke it.
With a laugh.
I had to use the counter for balance from laughing so much as I looked at him. He had eggshells in his hair as well as a pound of flour, and syrup covering him from head to toe, not to mention the butter and salt covering his chest, and he stared at me for a moment before laughing as well. When I finally calmed down, we kind of just stared at each other for a minute.
Then, thanks to gravity and my clumsiness, without even moving an inch, I slipped on a puddle of melted butter and started careening backwards towards the floor. I suddenly felt an arm hook around my waist and legs intertwine with mine to keep me from falling further back. My messy fringe was suddenly pushed back out my face by his fingers and Levi's face came into focus.
And he was close.
I felt heat rush up to my face and for a moment I thought I would turn into I pile of ashes, but he seemed to be in the same boat as me.
I clutched his arms for balance, and my heart was about to pound out of my chest. "Uh... you look good w-with white hair..." I muttered trying to shake off the awkward tension, but I couldn't help but think he was off in another world as he looked into my eyes.
Almost against my will, my eyes trailed down to where his lips were, and I could barely feel him pull me closer to him until we were less than an inch apart. I watched his lips, and the heat of the moment was almost too much.
My legs started to wobble as I felt incredibly weak in my flustered state. The silence seemed to speak for itself as we stared at each other, seemingly lost in each other's eyes. We stood there like that for a moment before he spoke."I should..." he trailed off, and I rapidly nodded. "Yeah, and I should um..." I trailed off as well as we slowly pulled apart, almost as if we didn't really want too.
Probably wishful thinking.
I then just stared at him for a moment before whipping around and opening the furnace, trying to hide my cherry red face.
The cupcakes were done, and a few looked as if they were about to start burning. I quickly grabbed a pair of oven mitts and grabbed the tray before twirling and setting it down on the counter."Now we just need to frost them." I said, and he stared at me like I was an idiot. "We just spent thirty minutes cooking them and now you want to freeze them?!" He said and sighed. "Cooking sucks." He mumbled. I laughed at the misunderstanding and shook my head. "No you idiot, we need to put frosting on them so that they don't taste super dry." I corrected, and he nodded in realization.
I then walked over to the pantry and grabbed the jars of frosting we had stored. I grabbed the red, blue, green, purple, black, and white frosting before setting them down on the table and grabbing a set of spoons.
"Here," I said as I put a spoon in the black frosting and slid it over to Levi. He stared at it, and grumbled, "That's not even my favourite colour..." he muttered, and I sighed before chuckling. "Then pick your favourite colour!" I exclaimed as I walked back to the pantry to grab a fresh jar of green frosting.
When I came back, a cupcake was missing from the pan and Levi was frosting it.
With white frosting.
That makes sense with his cleanliness.
I made a small chortle before turning away, a goofy smile on my face as I pretended not to notice what he was doing and unscrewed the lid. The green frosting was creamy and slid along the surface of the cupcake with ease as if it was an ice skater gliding across a fresh patch of ice.
When it was covered, I grabbed a frosting bag and scooped a few scoops of green frosting into the bag. I placed the opening where I wanted to start on the cupcake, and like I had done a million times before, I swirled it around until it was about an inch high of a flawless swirl of frosting. I smiled in satisfaction and grabbed a new frosting bag and looked over at Levi.
He grit his teeth in frustration as he struggled to be satisfied with his frosting design. I chuckled and walked over to him before plucking the spoon from his grasp.
I ignored his protests and took a few spoonfuls from the white frosting and placed it in the bag. I set the bag on the cupcake like before and moved my arms in circles as a swirl appeared and eventually was an inch high just like mine. Then I handed him the bag and a fresh cupcake. "You try," I said, and he gripped the bag as he stared at the cupcake.
Then he slowly moved his arms in position and started to try and mirror my movements. He was trying to go slow so he wouldn't mess up, but he squeezed too hard, and the frosting ended up being a big blob. I smiled at his frustration as I handed him a new cupcake. "Try again," I said softly, and he ripped it from my grasp in frustration.
This time, he got the timing and the squeeze right, but the shape...
I could tell he was trying to do what I did, but it looked like it was done by a four-year-old. I only smiled as he growled and grabbed another cupcake on his own. This time, he took a deep breath and got started.
When he finished, it looked pretty good. Not as good as mine, but it was well done for someone who had just learned five seconds ago."It looks great!" I exclaimed and gave him a thumbs up. "Of course it does..." he muttered, a little embarrassed by how long it took him to get the hang of it. I smiled and grabbed two cupcakes before frosting them myself. When we finished frosting all the cupcakes, I smiled.
"Okay! Now we get to taste them!" I exclaimed, and he looked relieved. I picked one with green frosting first, and he did the same with a white frosted cupcake. "If this tastes like crap I will kill you." He said, and I chuckled."Well, let's go!" I exclaimed as I took a bite, and watched him hide his face as he pulled down his mask and took a bite himself.
Thank Freckled Jesus the cupcake was still warm, and the frosting was the perfect mix of sugary sweet and not too much like a freaking sugar cube, and the cupcake wasn't too flaky or dry, and it also wasn't too moist.
Everything evened itself out, and I smiled a cheeky smile at how good it was.
Mmmmmmmm...
I smiled in satisfaction as I shoved the rest of the cupcake in my mouth and grabbed another. I looked over at Levi, and he only had three cupcakes out of six left.
He sounds like a pig...
I smiled and started to eat like a pig as well.
This is definitely my best batch yet.
When there was nothing left of the cupcakes other than a huge catastrophic mess, I sighed in resentment."This is gonna take me forever to clean up..." I mumbled as I grabbed a nearby broom and started sweeping up eggshells and glass shards. I thought Levi had left so I continued to sweep until I heard someone grunting. I whipped around and saw Levi attempting to put all the jars of frosting away in one go, to which he surprisingly succeeded in."Your highness, I don't think-" he cut me off with the wave of his hand. "I made this mess too. It's only fair that I clean it up as well, besides it will annoy me." He said as he continued to put ingredients back in the right places.
Knowing his stubborn attitude towards cleaning, I probably wasn't gonna change his mind, but I wasn't complaining in the slightest.
-+~•~+-
When we finished, the only mess that still remained was the food covering our bodies from head to toe. I smiled at him and opened my mouth to thank him when his head whipped around.
I paused and spoke, "What's wrong-" he cut me off as he ran behind me and wrapped an arm around my waist and covered my mouth with the other. I struggled to yelp as he pulled me down to the floor with him and we hid behind a counter when the kitchen door opened. "Mark, I swear I heard something." A male voice said, and a sigh was heard."Felix, what was in your beer?" 'Mark', apparently asked, and Felix growled."I'm telling you, I heard something!" 'Felix' retorted, and Mark chuckled.
"Your wife was right about your alcoholic problems." And with that, they were walking down the hall, Felix arguing about how he swore he heard something.
I released the breath I hadn't known I was holding and suddenly realized something. I was pressed against Levi's chest and his arm was around my waist.
My face heats up once more, and I swore I could feel the blood leave my nose. But Levi said nothing as he looked at me and we stood up."Thank you for teaching me this." Levi said as he motioned towards the kitchen, and I smiled. "No problem." I said with a smile, and he returned the gesture."Can we... do it again?" He asked, and I nodded. "Of course!" I replied, and I could tell he smiled.
With our final 'goodbye's, we were walking down opposite ends of the hallway, leaving for the shower because we looked and smelled like hobos.
That was really fun though...
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