Prompt: Eren wakes up in a bed after being injured and sees Armin cooking in a cute apron. Armin doesn't think much of it but Eren finds it really cute.
It was a familiar situation. After all, it wasn't uncommon for Eren to get severely wounded. In fact, it seemed to happen on a relatively regular basis. Armin used to get scared, used to cry and beg the gods that he didn't believe in for Eren's safety. But as it became more and more apparent that it was going to take a lot to keep Eren down for more than a couple days, Armin decided to channel his efforts into more productive things.
While Eren slept, he'd use the opportunity to clean up the other's room, as it was usually in an abhorrent state of messiness. Armin never said anything about it though, as he knew that the mess was just proof that Eren was comfortable here. They'd only recently let him out of the cell to occupy a small cabin of his own. Some of the others were jealous of his accommodations, but he was considered too dangerous to sleep in the barracks with everyone else. Armin didn't bother with jealousy though; Eren let him visit often enough, and sometimes he could even sneak out and spend a night with his childhood friend, like they used to do before the fall of Shiganshina. And the superiors tended to be a bit more lenient when Eren was incapacitated.
When he finished with picking up, he might do the laundry for Eren, or patch up a pair of pants, as the boy was negligent with his clothing. Other times he'd simply pick up a book and read next to his friend until he woke. But his favorite thing to do was to cook. Armin never had the chance to follow his mother around in the kitchen, but he had always had a fascination with the idea of putting ingredients together to make something worth eating. It was kind of like alchemy, a subject he'd managed to find a book on.
The other boys would groan when they were assigned kitchen duty, but Armin looked forward to it, loved getting the chance to not only participate in something he found interest in, but to be useful while doing it. Of course, he didn't always follow the recipe handed to him by the cook, and some of his dinners got better marks than others. But, through his little experiments, he'd gotten decent enough at cooking that he could do a bit of it on his own.
Eren didn't keep much in stock; He didn't share the blonde's fondness of cooking. It was mostly things he could eat raw, a few fruits and vegetables, some bread, cheese. He usually walked to the cafeteria, like all the others, and ate the dinner provided. But he had a fully functioning kitchen, something none of the other boys had. It was the one thing Armin envied his friend for. Well, that, and his personal shower. But Armin could use that whenever he pleased, so he didn't bother with getting too angry about it.
He didn't need to ask permission for anything in Eren's cabin. Armin was always welcome to anything that Eren owned, he'd been told so countless times over their years of friendship. So he didn't hesitate to raid the taller's cabinets, frowning at the scant amount of materials. After a short mental argument with himself, he decided he'd have to settle for some simple noodles with a bit of the beef that Eren had somehow acquired, and a loaf of bread. Maybe the superiors though that, because of the Titan shifting, he'd need more protein? Meat was a rarity in those days.
The bread would have to be first, to accommodate to the time it would take it to rise. So, after shuffling his way to the kitchens and borrowing an apron, Armin set to work. He'd never made bread by himself before, but he'd helped in its preparation several times, so he assumed he could figure it out. It quickly became obvious that the apron had been a good idea; five minutes in and he was already covered in a thin layer of flour, several white hand prints covering the dark blue fabric. A sigh fell from his lips as he tried to knead his dough, realising too little too late that he'd used too much water, resulting in extra sticky dough. He wiped a hand on his apron after trying to shake it off in vain, then reached for the flour, adding a bit more. That improved the texture greatly, and he was able to shaped the dough properly and put it in a dish, placing that on the sill to rise.
It would be about two hours before he could bake the bread, and there was no sense in cooking anything else just to let it get cold. Armin therefore elected to pick up a book for a while, turning pages as he eagerly took in the new information. The bread was actually a little past due by the time he put it down, and he rushed to get things moving again. By the way Eren was shifting and murmuring in his sleep, it was likely that he'd be waking in the next hour or so. Armin had gotten good at estimating that, having stayed with his injured friend more times than he could count.
First he filled a pot with water and set it on the stove, fetching a small stack of wood from the pile just outside the door. It was promptly thrown into the oven and lit with a flint. He brushed his hands against the apron, deciding a washing was in order before he dove in to the actual cooking. Once satisfied with his cleanliness, he reached for the bread, which had risen brilliantly, actually threatening to spill over the edges if left to rise anymore. He allowed himself a small smile as he opened the oven, checking the fire and deeming it ready to begin baking. With a little searching, he found a metal pan that would hold the bread, and stuck it in, leaving it to its devices.
The bread in the oven, he began the process of making the noodles. The water hadn't yet boiled, so he turned to the meat instead, taking out a knife and chopping it into more manageable pieces. By the time he finished that, the water was bubbling and steaming, and he dumped in the meat he'd just finished chopping. The only spice Eren had possession of was minced garlic and a waning supply of salt, so Armin had to chop a few onions himself. It made his eyes water, but he knew the stew would be that much better because of it.
The meat was done in a few minutes, and he fished it out, pouring in the bag of noodles and letting those soften for a few minutes. Then it was time to check the bread. He grabbed a cloth, opening the oven and peering inside after letting most of the hot air escape. He gasped when he saw his bread, looking quite done. Blackened even. Scrambling to get it out, he dropped it on the floor, a loud thud resounding through the room. Armin could only stare as the shape faltered, sinking in on itself as the dough took the shape of the floor. It hadn't even browned.
All he could do was clean it up, sighing as he threw what could have been a delicious loaf out, only of use to scavenging birds outside. It was hard for him to admit, but maybe he wasn't quite ready to bake bread by himself. But he could handle a stew. And that reminded him, his noodles were still cooking. He snapped his eyes in the direction of the pot, yelping as he saw the broth spilling over the sides. He fumbled with the pot, taking it off the heat and stirring it in a bid to bring the bubbles down. Sizzling could be heard as the spilled stew was cooked to evaporation.
Again, Armin sighed, tossing the meat back in and stirring, then he replaced the pot on the stove, letting the whole thing get warm once more before taking it off for the final time and setting it aside to cool. He closed the chimney, and checked the door, making sure all oxygen was removed from the fire. Deciding that it was safe to assume the fire would be out soon, he turned, planning on trying to wake Eren for a meal. He nearly tripped over his own feet when he backtracked, startled by the figure in the doorway.
"E-Eren?" He gasped, his hand snapping up to press at his heart which had taken up a faster pace. Why he'd asked was unknown even to him. Who else would be in the doorway? Eren answered nonetheless, walking further into the room and revealing himself completely. Armin frowned, trying to detect any indicator that Eren's injuries hadn't healed enough for him to be up an about. But he seemed to be fine, not a surprise, considering his circumstances. "How long have you been awake?" He demanded, thinking back to all of the embarrassing things he'd done in the past few minutes.
"Long enough to see you let that pot boil over. And I think you threw something out?" He offered. Armin sighed, not bothering with blushing. It wasn't as if Eren really cared.
"I messed up the bread, sorry. But I made stew, so you should have some." Armin said, more of a command than a request. Eren grinned, sitting down at the table.
"Only if you bring it to me. I'm too groggy to be trusted with something that hot." He said warily, yawning to prove his point. Armin rolled his eyes, taking down two bowls from the cabinet and filling each. After retrieving spoons, he brought the food to Eren, setting the bowl down before taking a seat himself. They ate in companionable silence, only speaking again when Armin stood to take the bowls to the sink for washing.
He was wrist deep in soapy water when he noticed the staring, the hair at the back of his neck rising. There was only one other person in the cabin, but he didn't know why Eren would be staring. But a quick glance backwards from the corner of his eyes confirmed his suspicion. It took everything he had to pretend he didn't notice, his body moving stiffly despite his best attempt. When he'd finished the dishes, he turned to Eren, finding the other boy still staring at him openly.
"Um, is there something on my face or something?" He asked, his brows furrowed.
"Nah. I was just thinking, the apron suits you." Eren said with a smile that revealed his teeth. Armin tried to detect the teasing of the statement, but found none, a blush rising to his cheeks.
"What does that mean?" He questioned, looking down at his now filthy apron. Did being messy suit him? He couldn't fathom.
"Just that it's cute. You look kind of normal like that. You should wear them more often." He replied, shrugging as he let his head fall into his arms, snuggling into the small comfort the position offered. Armin quirked a brow, looking down again at the apron, trying to locate the cute part of it, failing. He too shrugged, shaking his head as he removed the article and tossed it into the basket he'd designated as Eren's dirty clothing basket. He'd return it after he did the laundry.
Eren was asleep before Armin could ask for his assistance, but the blonde didn't really mind. Eren was pretty bad at laundry anyway, usually tearing a hole in the fabric by grinding it against the washboard too hard. So Armin loaded it up and sat it by the door, planning on doing it while Eren slept. But he stopped to pull a blanket over Eren, letting the fabric drape over his shoulders. He watched the brunette sleep for a bit, then stooped down and pressed a kiss to his temple.
"Well, if you like it, maybe I won't return it after all. I don't think the kitchen will miss just one." He whispered, smiling to himself and returning to the basket, hefting it up and heading to the nearby river.
A/N: I know, I know. There are other things I'm supposed to be working on. I don't keep three stories open at a time EVER. But this isn't a multichaptered fic, never fear. As the summary told you, this is a collection of prompts I filled on tumblr for eremin week. I just wanted to share them everywhere. Bugger audiences make for more fun. The prompt will always be at the top of the chapter, to let you know what you're about to read. Some of the prompts were a little... Well, you'll find out. But I won't sugar coat it, ever, so you should know what to expect. If there is going to be sexual content, I'll mention it at the beginning, in case you'd rather avoid that. Without further ado, please feel free to check out the rest of the prompts, or review. Or both. Both is good.
KuroRiya
九六りや