Work Text:
READY TO USE PANCAKE MIX
These were the exact bold printed words that he had read on the box after pulling it from the back stashed corners of the pantry shelf. They’re the exact words he read behind the unusually semi mangled box in the instruction panel.
So why in the hell was there so much fucking smoke in the kitchen!??
Grabbing a rag from the counter, Khun started to whirl it around above his head in an effort to try to drive as much of the smoke out the small window as he could. He even had to pull Rak out of his reluctant nap to help fan out the smoke.
How in the hell did this even become to be, you may be asking?
How in the hell did the famous Khun Aguero Agnis, the known strategist of the infamous Jue Viole Grace burn and is currently at the verge of making small flames out of some easy to make pancake mix?
Well, let’s take it back to earlier today, shall we…
“Blue turtle, add these bananas to the list.” Coming to the cart with an arm load of unriped bananas, Rak dumped them all in without having Khun’s consent first.
Khun glared at him.
“Where the hell exactly do you think we’ll be putting all these damn unriped bananas at? We barely have room for the essentials as it is.”
“How the hell should I know? You’re the smart turtle, make it work.” Walking away back in the direction in which he had came from, Khun annoyingly narrowed his eyes as he went around the cart to fish out the invading bananas.
They had just recently managed to get a room rental for 3 short weeks before the next test and to many of the team members misfortune, the rooms that many happened to be sharing were so small that even a family of rats would find it uncomfortable to live in. And that’s not exaggerating.
Everything they had owned (which wasn’t much) was crammed in and if no thanks to Khuns’ lighthouse, they would have probably not had a proper place to sleep on. Rak for the most part, found it comfortable to sleep on the kitchen counter.
He claimed that being able to sleep where the door was, was more sound and secure for them. Whatever the hell he meant by that, who would know cause he was clearly not fooling anybody by the way he would salavate at the mere mention of the banana bowl. Khun on the other hand was just glad that the gator didn’t have a need to stay in the bed with them. If it even was considered a bed. Up until yesterday afternoon he thought twin bed sizes were a myth.
Because the area in which they were in didn’t have much options when it came to residing issues, everyone had to make do with what they could get their hands on and unfortunately, much to everyone else’s annoyance and surprise, Khun, Bam and Rak just happened to get one of the best rooms the hotel had to offer.
Best in what way, after a full day they were still trying to figure that out.
Having finished with the shopping, Khun groaned as he entered the room with arm loads of grocery bags. Rak had only been useful in minimizing his load by eating away at the bananas he had somehow managed to slip in slickly to the cashier when he hadn’t been looking.
“Hurry up blue turtle! I need to get on with my nap!”
“Shut the hell up you annoying gator! I would probably go much faster if you actually helped in carrying your own damn load of groceries!”
“Hmph, leaders don’t do work!”
Baring his teeth, Khun managed to pass through the door and place all the bags to the floor. Or what was considered a floor. The small patch was only big enough to set a couple sets of shoes. Khun wiped his brow as he leaned on to the counter.
Damn. Not being able to use lighthouses here was surely a curse.
Calming down some, Khun breathed in as he got himself mentally and physically ready for what it was that he had to do next.
Putting away the groceries.
Taking the little that he bought, he began to store them in their proper shelves. Khun sighed out in relief as he put away the last of the cans.
“Finally!”
“Shhhhhh!” Turning around, Khun glared at Rak as the gator laid in his shared bed. Or more like a plank of a bed. The once neatly placed pillows now thrown and piled everywhere on the floor.
“Make some food!”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m hungry!”
“And? Do I look like a chief to you? Go to the lobby and get something to eat yourself.”
“It’s too much work! Besides, we just bought food!”
“Yeah but this is all for Bam. He’s the only one who cooks here.”
“Oh yea, I forgot. Cause black turtle is the only one who can.”
“What?”
“Black turtle is the only one who can cook, so that’s why he’s the only one cooking.”
“Who ever said that? I can cook too you know!”
“No you can’t! I’ve never seen you cook.”
“Yea cause no ones ever asked.”
“Yea we have. We asked you—“
“No ones ever properly asked before alright! And besides, my immaculate cooking is only to be used for special occasions.”
“Special occasions? Like what?”
“Like my birthday or something else.”
“So…like an anniversary too?”
“Yea. Like an anniversary. There you go. Special occasions only.”
“So why not cook today blue turtle?”
“It’s not a special occasion you stupid gator.”
“Oh but it is.” Rak gave him a smug look and Khun narrowed his eyes. His hands fisting as he fought the urge to punch the look off his scaly face.
“Oh but it isn’t. I know all dates and today is certainly nothing of the sort.”
“Oh, so the anniversary of you and Bam dating doesn’t count as anything?”
Hearing that alone and seeing Khun’s stunned reaction was enough to make Rak ball out laughing.
Given that ordeal, it’s what was now having Khun frustrated and on the verge of crying in the kitchen. But of course, he shall not cry. It wasn’t the end of the world. At least not yet.
His first attempt was to make roasted chicken with some potatoes and carrots, but due to the lack of shinsoo for internet usage here in the rundown hotel, Khun had to solely rely on himself and his brain to figure the instructions out.
Well, to put it lightly, the chicken came out overcooked and extremely plain tasting.
Simply disgusting.
Second shot was in him making rice and some steamed vegetables.
Seemed simple right?
Wrong.
The rice was exceedingly overcooked and it was now permanently stuck to one of the favorite pans Bam loved to use. He would definitely need to buy him a new one as an apology gift.
Slowly giving up, Khun tried to make some noodles. He had seen Bam making them before. Adding ingredients and then the noodles. Frying a nice egg to sit on top. Thing about this was that Khun forgot completely about the essential ingredient.
Water.
Now giving up on trying to make anything remotely fancy, Khun dug into the cabinets in search for something plain and simple. Something that had potential in looking somewhat pretty and tasting delicious. AND WITH SOME KIND OF INSTRUCTIONS!
That’s when his eyes landed on a rather mangled pancake box in the corner of the shelf.
Reading the torn bold letters, READY TO USE PANCAKE MIX made Khun sigh in relief.
Pancakes are close to being cakes right?
He wouldn’t know how to make them as fancy or festive but something was clearly better than nothing as he was now running low on time. Bam was currently with Evankhell doing some added training and Bam had told him he’d be back before 7.
It was 6:10.
Carefully flipping the box over, Khun impatiently skimmed over it as to see if there weren’t any other ingredients to be added.
There was none.
Great!
Taking out a pot, the biggest they had cause he wanted this to come out looking like somewhat like a cake, Khun tore the rest of the box open. Turning the burner on to the middle setting, he then poured all of the powdery substance into the pot.
That’s weird. Isn’t it supposed to be liquidy?
Not thinking to much about it as this was the Tower and who was he to challenge to logic of powdery substances magically turning into cakes, he put the lid on the pot and set a timer.
“There. Hopefully it’ll be ready by the time Bam gets home.”
“Thank you master Evankhell. With that new skill I’ll be able to control my overheating problem better.”
“Of course. Now go get some rest. You’ll ne….say Bam? Is that hotel the one you’re staying at?”
Drawing his attention away from Evankhell, Bam’s eyes widened as he saw the countless angry flames and smoke rise to the sky. The hotel now sitting in a bed full of chaos.
Without saying goodbye, Bam made a dash straight to the scene. His speed slowing drastically as he neared the hotel.
Man, fuck this ‘no using shinsoo by the hotel’ rule.
“KHUN! RAK!”
Feeling his heart race as he saw some coughing people pour out the collapsing hotel, Bam was about to make a dash for the entrance when just in time, he was abruptly pulled back by a rough clawed hand.
“Black turtle, you’re back!”
“Rak!” Feeling somewhat relieved, Bam was looking around and as if reading his anxiousness, Rak pointed a clawed finger over to the mess of a man wrapped in a ashy colored blanket. Something that looked like the torn remains of a box in his arms.
“Khun!”
Hearing his name being called, Khun caved even more into his knees as Bam neared him. Bam furrowed his brows as he searched him for any wounds or injuries.
“Are you ok? What happened?”
Khun stiffened at that. His head lowering as he still held on to the empty mangled box.
“Khun?”
“Pfffttt…”
Hearing Rak burst out laughing from right next to them, Bam was even more confused as he didn’t know what was going on. Khun looked sad? Hurt? What was it? And why was Rak laughing? Isn’t this supposed to be a serious situation?
The fucking hotel is burning down behind them!
“Blue..Blue turtle was trying to…trying to make…pfffttt hahahaha!” Laughing uncontrollably, Rak fell back and laughed even harder on the ground. Bam was getting annoyed now.
“Trying to make what?”
“..akes..” He heard Khun murmur. Bam leaned in as he didn’t quite hear him right.
“What?”
“Pa…akes.” He said again. His knuckles turning white as he clenched the empty torn box.
“What Khun? I can’t hear you.”
“Pancakes ok! I was trying to make fucking pancakes!”
At this, Rak laughed even harder. Which was shocking since he was already laughing hard as it was. Khun sunk lower as he gave Bam the empty crushed box.
Bam took it, lifting the dangling pieces to see what it read.
READY TO MAKE PANCAKE MIX
As he kept looking at it, Bam could see that something wasn’t right. He’s seen this box far to many times before to not notice it. Squinting, he took notice of a crust lifting edge dried on to the box underneath the letters. It was small and it even blended in well with the box color.
Taking his nail, he lightly scraped it off. Bam couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped his lips when the hidden secret was revealed.
“Why are you laughing?”
Feeling bad for Khun, Bam just smiled as he turned the box to Khun. The small words of “just add water” written on the bottom.
“What? But how? I didn’t see them earlier!”
Confused too as to how the words were blocked out like that, Bam brought up his finger to sniff at the residue. Sniffing and sniffing again, Bam couldn’t believe it as his eyes widened.
This isn’t going to end well.
“What is it Bam? I can’t smell right as the smoke clogged my nose.”
Breathing in slowly, Bam looked at Khun. This is definitely not going to end well.
“Well?”
“It’s…it’s dried banana.”
Hearing this, Rak instantly stopped his laughing. His skin started to burn as he felt the stare of a particular blue haired man boring holes at him.
“Oh, I’m definitely cooking tonight.”
-Bonus-
~Yesterday afternoon~
“You had food in there?!”
“Yes but obviously not enough. We’ll need to do a quick stop at the store down the street tomorrow.”
“Yes, I need to get more bananas.”
Rolling his eyes, Khun left the little room to take a quick shower in what was considered their bathroom.
Feeling the sudden need to stuff his bananas in some chocolate. Rak got onto the counter and with his claws piled with banana residue, he began to dig into the small shelf for the jar he knew Khun had put there.
“You better have washed your hands before rummaging through the shelf!” Khun yelled out from the bathroom. As if he knew already what Rak was going to do.
“Ah quit your complaining and just shower!” Rak yelled back.
At this, his foot had slipped as he stood too close to the edge. This claws couldn’t really catch on to anything, so he grabbed the first thing he could and it just happened to be a small box of something from the back. Hopping off to avoid landing on his ass, Rak gritted his teeth as he got back onto the counter.
Shoving the box back in the shelf, he felt something sticky on his finger and to clean it, he just wiped it on the box.
“They won’t use that anyways.” Seeing the jar of what he was looking for next to it, he grabbed it and jumped off the counter.
“Aah chocolate and bananas!“ ♥︎