Disclaimer: I do not own Attack on Titan. This is also a Co-Op between me and The Professional Otaku.
The Hells of Winter
Ikiya's Pov
Letting myself into the Isayama private residence with the helpful assistance of the spare key that I secretly stole – err, I mean – that my best friend lent to me a few weeks ago when I needed a place to crash. I was greeted by Mrs. Isayama, who peered at me from around the corner in the kitchen. She didn't seem at all surprised to see me. In fact she was beaming at me quite brightly as she welcomed me into their home. I hadn't expected her to be so hospitable towards me, on the contrary I anticipated her to throw a hissy fit and kick me out of their house, demanding to know how I got in all the while; nonetheless she was a clever woman and since she hadn't kicked me out yet, I could safely assume that she'd already by now figured out that Natsumi had been sneaking me into their house since at least the very beginnings of our childhood.
"Ah, Iki-chan! Are you here to see Natsumi?" Mrs. Isayama asked me as I tried not to cringe at the mention of the nickname Natsumi had so kindly gifted to me when we were just children. Normally I would reprimand almost anyone who used that god forsaken pet name, but since this was the mother of my best friend since infancy, I would make an exception – no matter how much it pained me to do so. Since Mrs. Isayama picked it up from Natsumi, I supposed that now I would have to chastise Natsumi for rubbing her infuriating quirks off onto her mother. Despite my apparent annoyance I did what I could and offered her a small – if not – imitation of a sincere smile of my own before replying awkwardly "Um, yeah, actually I need Natsu-chan's help with something." I tried my best to hide my smirk as I mentioned the nickname Natsumi likewise hated herself. Mrs. Isayama wiped her hands off on the obnoxiously neon pink apron she was wearing. God, that thing was infuriatingly bright. "Oh, what is it that you need help with?" she politely inquired. It was a direct question, so I answered with all the decency and honesty I could manage. Well – what I assumed I had left of them. "To study. After all these snow days are over, we have midterms that need to be taken." To this she nodded her head in understanding before answering back "That is in all honesty quite understandable. All this snow has been a bit – how should I put it – maddening." An oven timer dinged in the kitchen.
Mrs. Isayama gestured for me to follow her into the kitchen, to which I agreed and quickly followed suit. "Lately, all Natsumi seems to do is complain incessantly about being stuck in the house with nowhere to go." She leaned across the warm oven top and retrieved a similar pair of neon pink oven mitts and slipped them on. "I mean, it's almost as if she hates being at home with us at the same time." Mrs. Isayama turned and gave me a meaningful look, waiting for my conformation of her obscure concerns. I shook my head before dismissing her worries, least Natsumi have to endure a long family meeting with the entire Isayama tribe. Trust me, family meetings are not enjoyable in the least bit if you're either of us. "It's not really that. What I mean is that, anyone would become cranky if they were stuck in the house for more than five consecutive days with nothing to do. You're worrying over nothing, Natsumi loves you'll a lot, and she loves spending most – if not all of her time with you."