Chaos in The Kitchen

((Setting: An apartment building))

Tino walked down the hall of the apartment building that he, as well as some of his friends, lived in. In his hands he held a heavy grocery bag, it's contents purchased only the day before, and kept fresh in the freezer overnight. He wasn't completely sure if everything had needed to be stored in the freezer, but he stuck them all in regardless, just in case. He hummed to himself happily as he rounded a corner and stopped in front of a simple wooden door, the paint slightly chipping off the number that marked the apartment as room 136. Tino felt a rush of excitement. He and his friend Emil had been planning to cook together for ages, and they finally had the chance to do it. Earlier on the phone, Emil had informed him that his brother had gone out and wouldn't be coming back until much later, giving them access to the kitchen without Lukas around to supervise them. Although Tino was just as close with Lukas as he was with Emil, he sometimes felt unnerved by his seemingly neutral gaze, and it was always nice to get some alone time with a friend every now and then, right?

Not wanting to waste another second standing in the doorway, Tino lifted up his free hand to knock, gently but still loud enough to be heard. When the door opened to reveal his friend, Tino smiled and held out the bag happily. "I brought everything we had on our list!" he said, stepping inside as he passed the still-cold bag over to his friend so he could take off his shoes. He didn't even know why he bothered to put them on, since he was only travelling a short distance across the hallway. Old habits steal your life, or however the saying goes.

Emil clamped his hand over his mouth when he saw the groceries. He was thankful for his reflexes otherwise Tino might have been subjected to the most high pitched squeal he would ever hear. He knew that Tino would never tell anyone, but he wasn't sure if he was the kind of guy who'd never let him live it down. Well, that's the way his brother worked he felt. Emil was far from the text book definition of a rebel, but doing things behind your room mates back, while sounding bad on paper, was actually kind of exciting.

"Good... Good...." Emil said in a whisper far more menacing then he had intended. "We'll set up immediately. I don't know how big bro- er- Lukas' schedule works. I don't care to find out," he placed the groceries on the counter. "But if we're going to cook, Tino, we've got to start immediately. God knows what he'll do if he finds us in his kitchen." He raised an eyebrow at Tino's shoes in the corner. "Did you put on your shoes to come here? I could've sworn we were neighbours."

Tino nodded, trying to put on the most serious face he could muster. "Right!" he said, making his way into the kitchen area. Although he visited frequently, he still didn't quite know his way around the kitchen, and didn't even know where to start. He stood there, staring at the cabinets blankly. "Uh... So how should we start?" he asked, feeling slightly awkward for not being more prepared. He tried to cover up the feeling of awkwardness with a small laugh, but quickly realized that only made him sound more awkward.

Thankfully, his feelings of awkwardness were quickly forgotten when his shoes were brought up. Feeling silly for bringing them, he decided to use that saying that had popped into his mind when he had realized the pointlessness of bringing the shoes. "Well you know what they say, old habits steal your life!" he chuckled to himself, once again questioning whether or not the saying really went like that.

For the many years he had roomed with Lukas, Emil had barely set foot on the kitchen's tiled flooring. This wasn't his choice though. Lukas personally banned him from attempting any cooking and baking while under his watch. He really did grind Emil's gears but he couldn't help but find a certain brutal honesty that came with the guy. What you see is what you get. Emil only dreamed that he could be as confident about himself as his brother.

Emil snapped out of this thought instantly upon hearing Tino's response. He looked to him with a ghost of a smile. If he had a sense of humor, he would have surely been laughing along with him. Now was the time for cooking though. "I'm new to this so please bare with me." He tried not to pull something thinking to hard. "We need a pot, a ladle, and whatever sauce we have with you. Once those are altogether, we blend all the food you brought together." Emil was proud with his problem solving skills, even if they were... questionable.

Tino smiled confidently, spotting the pots and pans in the corner of his vision, laying neatly on the counter, just begging to be used. "Don't worry! I'm a pro chef, so just follow my lead!" he said as he moved a little closer to the pots, searching for the right one. After a silent moment of contemplation, he made a little 'ah ha!' sound and picked out a big, somewhat old looking, pot. As he turned around to show Emil the pot they'd be using, the handle caught on one of the pans, and all the cooking ware that had been organized oh-so-neatly came tumbling to the floor. Tino let out a very manly squeak and jumped back, startled by the sudden ruckus. For a moment, he stood there, clutching the pot tightly as he stared at the mess like a deer caught in the headlights. It didn't take long for him to calm down, and he quickly glanced over to Emil with a forced smile. "Er... We can clean this up later." he said, casually nudging one of the stray pans away from the centre of the kitchen with his foot.

Things went a little more smoothly after that little mishap, and Tino was back to happily rummaging through the kitchen, pulling out utensils and some random food items he found in the fridge that looked like they might taste good. He arranged all the ingredients on the now clear counter, and looked at them thoughtfully. "I think we need one more thing..." he said, almost to himself. He turned back to the fridge and looked at the things lined up at the back. "Ohh, what's this?" he said as he pulled out an old looking jar he'd spied at the very back. He pried the lid off and leaned in to sniff, making a face. It was some sort of fish, and either it was rotten, or it just naturally smelled bad. Giving the jar a contemplating look, he shrugged and put it with the rest of the things they'd be using. He sure hoped it tasted better than it smelled. Giving everything one last look, he clapped his hands together and turned to his friend. "Alright! Looks like we have everything." he said, feeling excitement bubbling through him.

"Oh." he said quietly, casting a glance at the jar of Hakarl. He looked back to Emil with a smile, "I bet such a delicacy will be delicious!" he said in a cheerful voice. If Emil considered it to be good, then who was Tino to judge it just because it smelled bad? It was hypocritical in a way, since the food Tino ate from his native land smelled just as gross. Surely it'd taste just as good!

Tino didn't even try to hold in his giggling as he nodded in agreement. "You're right! Let's get started, shall we? You can start boiling the water and making the sauce."he said as he sifted through the ingredients set out. He picked up one of the things he had brought over in his bag, the uncooked pasta noodles. He frowned slightly when he noticed that they were still frozen. Frozen noodles certainly wouldn't do. He went around the kitchen, opening up random cupboards and drawers until he found what we was looking for: Tin foil. "Ah ha!" he said as he retrieved it from the cupboard. He grabbed a plate and set a piece of tin foil on it, then ripped open the bag containing the uncooked noodles. He placed them on the tin foil and wrapped them up like a burrito, realizing that he maybe used a bit too much of the tin foil. Oh well, good enough he thought as he placed the plate into the microwave. He stared at the buttons, puzzled. Should he heat it up for five minutes, or ten? Making his decision, he pushed a few buttons and clicked 'start'. Surely, the noodles would need at least ten minutes to defrost. He turned around to go see what he could help Emil with.

Tino nodded, setting the timer before coming to stand by his friend. "I think this is coming along pretty well for our first time." he said, oblivious to the fizzing sparks coming from the microwave. He looked over the remaining ingredients; Salmiakki, sardines, and a few other fishy products. He hummed to himself, picking up a can or..er... something, and turned to Emil. "What should we do with all this leftover stuff?" he asked, looking the can over. "Hey, what if we-" before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a loud BANG. Startled, he turned to see what had happened. He gaped, not expecting to see the microwave flashing and smoking. Knowing what was coming, he turned to Emil and grabbed his arm, pulling him away from the kitchen area just as the microwave exploded. The explosion was fairly small, but it was still big enough to knock over the boiling pot, it's contents spilling out onto the kitchen floor.

Now at a safe distance away, Tino clutched onto Emil's arm, staring at the destroyed kitchen in shock. He felt his heart hammering in his chest, and slowly turned to look at his friend as if he somehow knew what to do in this situation.

Berwald had been sprawled out on his bed after an exhausted day of just trying to find a job, he was startled out of his thoughts when a big explosion coursed through the building. Jumping up he ran out of the apartment, of course it was his neighbors a few doors down.

The swede fixed his glasses and knocked on the door. He hoped that whoever lived here was ok, he would just check on them to make sure.

Tino tensed up when he heard the knock, wondering if Lukas had come home early. He glanced down at Emil and shook his head as he got up. "We're both to blame here." he said, feeling guilty as he watched his friend retreat into the disaster area. He could only imagine the talk Emil would get from Lukas. He shuddered at the thought. "I'll help you clean after I get the door, alright?" he said as he headed towards the door, dread swirling around in his stomach.

For a moment he just stared at the door, not wanting to open it just yet. Maybe if he waited just a few more seconds, the kitchen would magically set itself back to the way it was, and Tino could open the door and greet Lukas as if nothing had happened. If only he thought as he sighed and opened the door, the bundle of nerves fluttering around inside him only growing worse. "Lukas before you come in I want to expla-" he stopped, gaping up at a man that was certainly not the cold Norwegian he'd been expecting. No, this man seemed even more intimidating, if that was possible. "Um, c-can I help you?" he asked, his voice almost a squeak.

The swede scanned the area with light blue eyes, they then frosted over then small blonde infront of him and he put on a slight smile. "Ja, h'llo I heard an explosion.. I j'st live a few doors d'wn" he started pointing to his place then returning his gaze to the other. "I w'nted to make s're everyone is alr'ght" he explained his lips forming a serious hard line.

He hadn't ever talked with his neighbors so this was all new for him. He waited for an answer trying to see passed the smaller man that stood before him so he could examine the situation.

Tino sighed in relief, glad the guy hadn't come to kill him or anything like that, although he still looked pretty scary. He tried to smile, but the expression that normally came to him so naturally felt awkward. "O-Oh, I see! That's very nice of you! We're alright, but we've made a little bit of a mess with all this weird fish sauce everywhere, and the stuff that came from the microwave when it exploded." he said, beginning to go into a nervous ramble. "You really should have seen it! One minute everything was fine, then BAM, explosion! It was pretty crazy, and to make matters worse, the sauce spilled and now it's all over the place. I think Emil is trying to clean it up right now, oh! I should really go help him with that, shouldn't I?" he said, glancing over to where Emil fumbled around with some gross looking towels. He looked back to the stranger and held out his hand for him to shake. "Oh, I'm Tino by the way! I live just on the other side of the hallway."

Tino turned when he heard Emil clear his throat, and did his best to smile, but once again it felt strained. "No issue, don't worry. One of the neighbours heard the explosion and came to check up on us." he said, feeling relieved that it wasn't Lukas instead.

The Swede watched as the other approached, quietly listening to the others rambling on and on. He sighed a bit but it was silent. "M'name is Berwald...so no one is h'rt?" He asked trying to get reassurance before leaving these two alone again. He wasn't sure what to think of them but they were young obviously a bit younger then him.

Tino bit his lip and looked to Emil, feeling awkward just standing at the door with Berwald. He excused himself from the two to go clean up while Emil talked to the tall guy.

He looked around the room for a mop, but he had no luck. He walked back to the front and cleared his throat. "Um, Emil do you have a mop? I can't find it." he asked quietly.

(Sorry! Short. ^^; I'm on vacation right now, so I don't have much time to post)

"Berwald m'name is berwald" he repeated to the other, walking into the apartment. "I c'n help clean if ya l'ke" he suggested with a small smile. He thought since he was here he could at least help the two males. "I m'ght be of some use" he shrugged slightly.

His blue gaze followed the blonde when he walked away and then locked back on emil. All the time he had been their neighbor he had never talked to them or even waved to them in that matter.

It had been a long day. Too long for Lukas. With his boss asking him for over time his feet felt heavier and heavier with each step home. In hi right hand with his brief case was a bag full of chinese take out. He knew he had been strict on his little brother recently so to make up for it and due to not really wanting to cook after the long shift he brought dinner.

His jacket was draped on his shoulder as he dug for his keys placing it in the lock and to his surprise and concern found the door unlocked. Strange...He always told Emil to lock himself in... Opening the door he stepped in placing his jacket on the hook and his brief case on the side. He slid off his shoes and locked the door behind him. "Emil....I'm home." He called his tone void of emotion as always.

When he received no answer he walked further in. When the whisper of voices could be heard from the kitchen. He froze. First off why was Emil in the kitchen. Due to the boys lack of cunerally talent he had told the other to never cook without him. That and there was always a mess to clean up. Sure he would go in for snacks and refreshment but why was there more then one voice. He almost sprinted across the hall. Throwing open the door he almost growled when he saw two strange men in the same room as his little brother.

Then he reconigsed the taller one. His neighbour Berwald. What was he doing here? Then he spotted it. Just no words could describe the horror. Clearly the shock had broken the mask he wore as his brow twitched violently his mouth parting in some twisted mix of a frown and shock. his eyes wide as he stared at the once marvelous kitchen. "What.... by the name of Eurovision is going on here?"

The swede nodded and got to cleaning as soon at the small male had let him, he had a rag and was just scrubbing counters and any thing that needed to be scrubbed free of mess. Berwald zoned out of their conversation, not wanting to but in or be rude by ease dropping.

By this time he was a bit uneasy, just insisting that he helped was probably not the best way to make friends but it wasn't like he was good at this? He had been bored and he was off of work so why not! Cleaning and chatting with neighbors seemed like an okay day to him. Ber decided to just stay quiet until addressed in anyway.

Tino gave up on his quest for a mop, and instead began picking up the pots and pans from the floor. He didn't say anything as Berwald helped with the cleaning. He wanted to be friendly, but at the same time he felt nervous around the guy, and when Tino was nervous, he tended to ramble. The last thing he wanted to do was to start rambling to some stranger. He was almost finished, and only had a few more pots left on the floor. He bent down to pick one up, but slipped on a patch of sauce that hadn't been cleaned yet and landed butt-first in one of the larger pots with a startled yelp. He tried to get up, but to his horror, he realized his butt was stuck in the pot. After a few unsuccessful attempts to pull himself out, he concluded that it wouldn't be so easy to free himself from the evil clutches of the cooking pot. He glanced at Berwald, wondering if he should ask the taller man for some assistance, but he quickly looked down, feeling too embarrassed to ask.

Tino froze and stared up at Lukas, dread flooding his chest. He looked over at Emil, feeling bad for his friend and feeling responsible for this whole problem. Tino was the one that wanted to go through with this so badly. It was all his fault. He was about to speak up and take the blame, but one thing stopped him: There was no way anyone would take him seriously while he had a pot stuck to his butt. He felt himself begin to sulk a little as he attempted to pull himself out again, unsuccessfully.

(sorry for the wait sadly my laptop decided to die)

Lukas rushed over to Emil. Though it didn't show on his face worry grasped at him in a choking hold as his hands still cold from outside gently placed themselves on the younger's cheeks. Checking him over for injuries.

After much inspection he let out a small breath of relief as he deemed his younger brother was fit and well unharmed by the chaos that had destroyed a portion of his kitchen...lucky he had house insurance...

Looking over at two men h didn't know standing in his house he pulled the younger behind him. "mil...Who are these men?" HE asked calmly while giving a cold glare at the subjects of the question. If these men were trying to hurt his younger sibling he would personally see them to jail.