Jean gritted his teeth. "I bet I could cook better than you!" Sasha and Connie gasped. "You, beat me?" Sasha then laughed maniacally. "Yeah right! I happen to be the best chef in the 104th cadet corps." Sasha stood proud as Connie cheered in agreement. Reiner stood with a blank face, indicating he didn't care. Annie wore a similar expression. Armin chuckled lightly. "Come on guys. Now isn't the time, we have a test to complete." The two 'chefs' glared at Armin before turning back to each other.
"Oh, it's that kind of argument? Well then, how about we see which is true?" The group turned and saluted as Pixis made his way over. "A cooking competition will be held this Friday. Bring any food you want and make any dish. I will be the judge." Jean went wide eyed. "A contest sir? But why?" Pixis smiled. "Because some things need to be proven to be believed. I hope for your best~!" With a courteous wave, Pixis walked away.
Jean stood dumbfounded a moment as Sasha's eyes began to shine behind him. "A contest?! Yes! I can win this!" Connie nodded. "Yeah!" Jean gritted his teeth once more and span on the spot. "Yeah right! I'm going to win this!" Sasha laughed. "We'll just see, shall we?" Jean nodded. "Yeah." Armin sighed in relief as the two groups separated. Eren and Mikasa looked on from their current job of loading a wagon. "What do you think that was about?" Mikasa just shrugged her shoulders and went back to work.
The next day, Jean, Armin and Annie went on a hunt. "Hurry guys, we have to get to that boar before-" "before they do!" Team Jean turned their heads to see Team Sasha heading in the same direction. The two leaders scowled at each other before turning in different directions. Armin looked skeptical. "Are you sure you know what you're doing Jean?" Jean looked at Armin with determination and a hint of hurt. "Of course! We will find that boar first!"
It was about 6 o'clock now and it was starting to get dark outside. Jean sat at one of the cafeteria tables with his head in his hands. Armin had a hand on his shoulder and was smiling at him. "Don't worry Jean. We can help you make something else. Right Annie?" He looked to Annie for help, and she sighed. "Giving up like this is a cowardly thing to do." Armin's face dropped as Jean shot up from his seat. "Who said I was giving up?!" He caught the attention of the whole room but, they were used to it and quickly went back to eating. Armin chuckled at the simplicity of cheering Jean up. He should have known.
The cafeteria door opened and a superior officer walked in. "Kirstein? You have a visitor." Jean tilted his head in both thought and confusion. "Yes sir!" He walked to the bottom of the stairs and waited. Through the door walked a middle aged woman carrying a basket. She looked around the room before her eyes landed on Jean. "Jean-boy! Oh I missed you! Why didn't you come visit?" Jean's face was slightly tinted pink. "Mum, why did you come here?" Eren walked up to the two with a wide smile. "She's here to see you, obviously. Hello Mrs Kirstein, my name is Eren, it's nice to meet you." He bowed a little and Jean's mother smiled. "Oh, what a nice boy. Hello Eren, are you Jean-boy's friend?" Jean scowled. "No way! And stop calling me that and answer me already!" His mother looked saddened by his words. "I came to give you these." She held up the basket. "Apples! This is great! You should thank her Jean." Jean looked away from the pair, earning a sigh from his mother. "They're for the whole group. I hope you all like them. They are our best pick." Eren smiled warmly at her. "Thanks Mrs Kirstein. This is really great." He bowed again and she waved her hand. "Oh, please stop bowing Eren. It's just a caring mother doing her part for her son and his friends."
Jean growled before spinning and taking an apple from the basket. His mother smiled for a brief moment before Jean threw the apple on the ground. "Would you just leave?!" Eren's eyes popped from his head as Jean's mother lowered her head in sadness. Noticing the look on the woman's face, Eren bent down and picked the apple up. He smiled to her before taking the basket and leaning close to her. She looked shocked as Eren whispered to her but a wide smile took over as Eren finished speaking. Jean scowled at Eren once he pulled away but got a mischievous grin in return.
Jean's mother began walking up the stairs. "Please visit soon Jean-b-" She stopped herself shy of saying her nickname for him and continued walking away. Once she was out of sight, Eren felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Sasha and Connie drooling at the apples. He sighed and shook his head. "Not yet." The two looked sad as they waddled back to their chairs. Eren turned to look at Jean but, he wasn't there. He had gone back to his table and was planning his next strategy. With a final sigh, Eren went to the kitchen and locked away the apples.
Jean's next attempt to attain meat hadn't gone so well. He was stealthily making his way to the superior soldiers food stock when someone spotted him from behind. The man obviously wanted to know what a trainee was doing there and Jean, skillfully, said he was lost. He thought to himself that he wouldn't have been caught if Armin and Annie came along. However, neither wanted to get in trouble for doing something so reckless. And, to be fair to them, it was reckless. He had only been there for about five minutes before he was caught.
He rubbed his temples in thought. "How am I supposed to beat that lump of meat?" Jean sighed as footsteps drew closer. Eren walked over and placed a plate in front of him. Jean looked skeptical. "What is this?" Eren smiled. "It's called a pie. You eat it." Jean gritted his teeth. "No thanks!" He turned his head away in protest. "What if I said Mikasa made it?" Jean immediately spun back around and began eating, earning a triumphant chuckle from Eren. With his mouth still full, Jean spoke. "What?" Eren began walking away. "I was the one who made it... I never actually said Mikasa had made it." Jean's jaw dropped, putting on display the remnants of his pie. He looked around the room and realised everyone had a piece of the pie for themselves. He thought for a moment before something clicked. Something in the pie tasted familiar. He took another bite and tried savouring the flavour. "Apples? How did he-" His mind did a rerun of what happened last night and everything made sense.
Jean finished his pie and smiled. "Who knew Eren could cook! And he's a damn good one at that!" Jean shook the thought from his mind. "And I need to make something better." With a new resolve, Jean looked around the room again for inspiration.
His eyes landed on Reiner's plate. He didn't have a pie. It looked more like an omelette. He pushed himself away from his table and walked over. He sat down in an empty seat and grabbed the man's attention. "Hey Reiner. Why aren't you eating pie like the rest of us?" Reiner sighed. "Somehow, Eren remembered that I'm allergic to apples and made me this instead. He said one was left for you and he copied the recipe. It's amazingly good too." Reiner looked like he was about to drool as Jean walked away. He made his way to the kitchen to find Eren in an apron. "Wow, what a sight." Eren span on the spot, eyes wide a little from the sudden appearance. "What does that mean horse-face?" Jean clenched his fists but released them again with a smile. "Nice apron." Eren looked at himself then back up with a sheepish smile. "I found it in storage and thought, 'why not'? So, why are you here?" Eren began washing the dishes as Jean watched in slight bewilderment. "Definitely not a sight I thought I would ever see." "I came for that omelette I was left." "Oh, that omelette. Yeah, good thing that arrived too, I would have felt bad leaving Reiner out." Eren dried his hands and walked over to the fridge. "Yeah, how did you remember that?" Eren grinned. "I remember from when Marco made that salad and Reiner almost had a panic attack at the sight of them. Here you go." He handed Jean the omelette and went back to washing. "Thanks Cinderelly~!" He heard a clank and smirked.
The omelette was left by his mother. It was a childhood favourite of his and the best dish he could make. So that's what he would make. He spent the day before the contest buying the ingredients he needed before practicing a little. He hadn't made it in a while so, he needed to practice. With the assistance of Armin and Annie, he created an almost exact replica of his mothers omelette. And he thought, who better to test it than the unknown helper on his team? He walked up to Eren and Mikasa and set the omelette in front of the brunette. At first, Eren was confused. But then he smiled warmly at the meal before him and began to eat.
It wasn't long after when Eren finished. He sighed in satisfaction and looked at Team Jean. He smiled widely and Armin smiled back. If you looked closely and at the right time, you could see Annie blush for an entire millisecond. But she was quick to turn away and reform her blank face. Jean grinned. "It was absolutely amazing Snow! You should feed this to the dwarves sometime." Eren grinned as Armin chuckled. Jean gritted his teeth at the name but settled when he realised he had been complimented. "Thanks Cinderelly! Maybe I will." The two laughed as the rest of the cadets flooded in. The night went smoothly after that and Jean managed to sleep the whole night through.
The day of the contest finally arrived and the two teams worked hard through the day to have their best meals ready for Pixis. The kitchens became warzones that everyone stayed away from. Pots and pans littered the units and floors as the day drew to a close. Now, it was time to be judged on culinary skills.
Jean stood to Pixis's left, and Sasha to his right. "Now we will see who the best chef is!" The crowd cheered as Sasha stood smugly with her cut of meat. Pixis motioned for her to come over and she did. Once the tray was placed in front of the commanding officer, she took off the hood. The crowd awed as the freshly cooked meat smell mixed with the air. Pixis nodded in approval before beginning his meal.
Once he finished, he set down his fork with a pleased smile. Sasha fist pumped the air as she walked back to Connie and Reiner. Pixis then signalled for Eren to come over and pour him some more wine. After he took a sip, he called Jean over. With a determined gaze, Jean removed the hood. Everyone's eyes went wide as Sasha laughed. "An omelette? Seriously?" No one answered as Pixis nodded in approval again and began his second meal of the night. Eren smiling to himself from his spot in the corner of the stage.
He finished the omelette with a pleased smile and satisfied sigh. The crowd grew tense as Pixis stood from his chair and raised his hand to gesture the winner. He smiled to himself before clearing his throat. "The winner of this contest is..." Sasha held a clenched fist to her chest. Meanwhile, Jean narrowed his eyes with anticipation. "Eren Jeager!" Pixis smiled as the crowd yelled in shock. "EH?!" Sasha fell to her knees. "What?" Jean looked shocked and angry. Both teams members however looked quite pleased with the result.
Pixis waved his hand, beckoning Eren over. Eren reluctantly stepped up and stood next to Pixis. "Why me sir? I wasn't even in the contest." Pixis smiled at the brunette. "Because you know what it means to not waste food, and not to brag about your skills. You also make a mean pie, and not to mention the wine." Eren looked dumbfounded a moment before smiling sheepishly and bowing. "Thank you sir!" The crowd cheered as the two teams headed to Eren's side, offering their congratulations.
After the celebrations, Jean found himself walking back to the sleeping quarters before everyone else. He stopped in his tracks when he noticed a certain man watching him. "An impressive omelette Kirstein. If Jeager wasn't a good cook, you would have won." Jean smiled. "Thank you sir." Pixis nodded. "Indeed. Sure meat is nice but, it's just meat after all. Besides, childhood favourites hit more than one sweet spot." Pixis walked past Jean and patted him on his shoulder as he went. Jean smiled to himself. "Maybe I'll go home tomorrow."