This great oneshot was actually written by my friend who has been helping me out this month. If you like this then make sure to check out her other stories on her fanfic Ostara-san
As soon as Bertholdt's key turns in the lock he smells it. Annie's cooking. He breathes in deeply, enjoying the smell. He's always loved Annie's cooking. It was one of the first things that caused him to fall in love with her.
"I'm home!" He calls out, putting his bags down and walking into the kitchen.
"I wasn't expecting you back so soon," Annie says without turning around. She's standing over the oven, stirring a pot of soup she's just made. Bertholdt smiles as he watches her. Her hair is falling out of its bun again and she's got an orange stain on the back of her apron where she wiped her hands on it. "Got let off an hour early and the traffic was pretty clear," Bertholdt says, pouring himself a glass of juice from the fridge. "How was your day?" "Well, other than this soup which has been pissing me off, it's been okay, I guess." Bertholdt puts his glass in the dishwasher and walks over to Annie, wrapping his arms around her from behind and resting his head on her shoulder. "What's wrong with it?" He asks. "It smells good to me." "No, it's shit. It just doesn't taste right."
"Got let off an hour early and the traffic was pretty clear," Bertholdt says, pouring himself a glass of juice from the fridge. "How was your day?" "Well, other than this soup which has been pissing me off, it's been okay, I guess." Bertholdt puts his glass in the dishwasher and walks over to Annie, wrapping his arms around her from behind and resting his head on her shoulder. "What's wrong with it?" He asks. "It smells good to me." "No, it's shit. It just doesn't taste right."
"Well, other than this soup which has been pissing me off, it's been okay, I guess." Bertholdt puts his glass in the dishwasher and walks over to Annie, wrapping his arms around her from behind and resting his head on her shoulder. "What's wrong with it?" He asks. "It smells good to me." "No, it's shit. It just doesn't taste right."
Bertholdt puts his glass in the dishwasher and walks over to Annie, wrapping his arms around her from behind and resting his head on her shoulder. "What's wrong with it?" He asks. "It smells good to me." "No, it's shit. It just doesn't taste right."
"What's wrong with it?" He asks. "It smells good to me." "No, it's shit. It just doesn't taste right."
"No, it's shit. It just doesn't taste right."
Betholdt looks at her and kisses her on the cheek. "You want a hand?" "No," Annie says stubbornly. "Then maybe some music might help," he grins and switches on his speaker. The playlist that he made for Annie starts to play. He had made it long before he thought he would ever have the guts to play it to her, and it's full of songs that
"No," Annie says stubbornly. "Then maybe some music might help," he grins and switches on his speaker. The playlist that he made for Annie starts to play. He had made it long before he thought he would ever have the guts to play it to her, and it's full of songs that
"Then maybe some music might help," he grins and switches on his speaker. The playlist that he made for Annie starts to play. He had made it long before he thought he would ever have the guts to play it to her, and it's full of songs that
The playlist that he made for Annie starts to play. He had made it long before he thought he would ever have the guts to play it to her, and it's full of songs that reminds him of her. "Wise men say," Bertholdt sings, with a voice that Annie has always loved to hear, "only fools rush in/ but I can't help falling in love with you." Annie takes the heat off the soup, abandoning it and resolving to order
"Wise men say," Bertholdt sings, with a voice that Annie has always loved to hear, "only fools rush in/ but I can't help falling in love with you." Annie takes the heat off the soup, abandoning it and resolving to order
Annie takes the heat off the soup, abandoning it and resolving to order takeaway instead. Turning around she takes Bertholdt's and lets him pull her close. His hand sits gently on her waist and her head is nestled on his shoulder. She breathes in deeply and smiles, swaying gently with him to the music and allowing herself to enjoy the moment.
"You know, after the first day of freshman year after I saw you for the first time, I went home and listened to this song on repeat and that's when I decided I was in love with you," Bertholdt says, holding Annie a little tighter.
"Don't be stupid," Annie says, "you can't just decide you're in love with someone."
"Was I wrong?" Betholdt laughs and leans back a little. He lifts her head and kisses her quickly on the lips before she can reply. He can feel her smile against his lips.
"You could have been. Though I'm glad you weren't." Annie stands up on her tiptoes and wraps her arms around his neck.
"Me too. Now dance with me." The soup, abandoned, slowly goes cold as Bertholdt and Annie dance their way through the entire playlist. For the first time, Bertholdt explains the reason for every song on the playlist. The early songs date back to the time before they knew each other; when Bert harbored a giant crush on Annie but she barely knew he was. The songs which some after (pretty accurately, Annie thinks) depict Bertholdt's struggle with hiding his feelings while they were friends. After that comes Annie's favorite. It's a pretty run of the mill dance track, the track that played on the night of a house party during college where Bertholdt had too much to drink and confessed to an equally drunk Annie that he had been in love with her for five years. As they dance to it, laughing, it feels to Bertholdt as if they are nineteen again, drunk and madly in love. Instead he is twenty-seven, sober, but still madly in love - as much so as on the first day of freshman year.