Key to a Caged Heart

Goodnight Moon

Song: Go Radio

Armin stood in the kitchen of Eren's apartment with his arms crossed, tapping his foot impatiently. "Well, aren't you going to help?"

Eren rubbed his neck. "Ah, well, I figured I would be moral support?"

"Seriously, Eren? It won't mean anything if I cook the dinner. You were the one who came crying to me for advice on how to show Levi you care about him."

"I know, I know," Eren huffed. He lifted himself from the couch and joined Armin in the kitchen.

"What if it's awful? Levi's been teaching me to cook and he says I've improved, but there are so many things that could go wrong. Maybe I should have chosen a simple pasta recipe."

"No, pasta is boring. This will impress Levi, and it's easy enough that you should be able to cook it all on your own."

"But—"

"Don't worry, I'll oversee that the meat is cooked correctly and I'll taste test your seasoning."

Eren tied Levi's apron around his waist and washed his hands before retrieving the ingredients he would need. The recipe was pulled up on his phone, and Armin read the directions aloud, observing Eren's careful measurements as he poured soy sauce, orange juice, rice wine vinegar, sugar, ginger, and other ingredients into a bowl to whisk together and set aside. Now was the important part that he couldn't mess up. He had to be careful that he didn't make the pork dry by overcooking it, but if he undercooked it they might die.

"Okay, now cut the meat to check that it isn't too pink." Eren followed Armin's instructions and was relieved to see the pork a pale pink shade.

"It looks great, Eren. Turn off the heat and toss the meat into the sauce."

A warm, bubbly feeling filled Eren's core. Everything was going perfectly. Finally, he could return a minuscule amount of the care that Levi always gave him. Even after a long day of work, Levi rarely ordered in food or told Eren to heat up a frozen dinner. The man would spend up to an hour in the kitchen cooking a delicious dish. Now was Eren's chance to cook dinner for Levi so his lover could relax when he got home.

"Alright, it's done. Plate it and serve it."

Eren dished the meat onto two plates and Armin added slices of orange for aesthetic appeal. After Eren put the food in the oven's warming drawer, he untied the apron and laid it on the kitchen counter.

"Thanks for the help, Armin. I'll tell you how it was at school tomorrow." The two boys walked to the front door, pausing when they heard footsteps approaching from the other side and stopping right at their apartment door.

"Quick, Armin. Hide!"

"Wha?!" Armin was forcefully shoved into the hall closet. Eren couldn't let Levi see Armin. He'd think that Armin made the dinner. Everything had been going perfectly so far, Eren didn't want Levi doubting who made the meal. He would wait until Levi was asleep and then sneak Armin out. His friend could play on his phone to pass the time, just as long as he was quiet. He would only be sitting in the closet for a few hours tops, nothing major.

The key entered the lock and Eren darted to the living room couch, sitting in an unnaturally upright position with one leg crossed over the other.

"Welcome home, Levi."

Levi kicked off his shoes in the entryway and looked up at Eren, sending him a questioning glance.

"...Hey." Levi entered the kitchen and froze.