I can't come up with a decent title for this so take it. Also this is my first fanfic
Ludwig heard the quiet ringing of the bell above his head as he stepped right into the bakery. It was only four am but he could already feel the stress of the day press down on to him. He took a deep breath in as he smelled the faint scent of brown sugar and chocolate as he relaxed his tense shoulders. "Good morning Miss Cohen. How did you sleep last night?" He called out quietly to an older woman who was preparing the daily recipes for the day at one of the booths as he headed into the back of the kitchen. His eyes drifted to his brown teddy apron hanging up neatly on his personal hook. The German couldn't help but smile at the fact that his name above the hook had seemed to be bedazzled with pastel blue gems. He tied the apron around his waist tightly before he finally heard her reply.
"I slept well sugar. Should we make the usual today or should we spice it up and make honey cakes?" Her voice was soft and gentle as she closed her faded book. She gave him a kind smile as she stood up to help "You don't have to be so formal with me Ludwig. You can call me Jane or you can call me Momma. I don't care if you choose one over the other!" Jane's voice was sweet as she made her way into the kitchen before staring up at the younger man in front of her. "Did you sleep well last night? Did you eat breakfast? Don't make me sit you down and make you an omelette!" Even though he towered over her she still couldn't help but fuss over him.
"Yes I did eat today Jane and I slept last night." He felt like he couldn't call her momma just yet so he called her by her first name. The blonde smiled down at the graying brunette before she smiled up at him with a chuckle. "I think we should make honey cakes today since they usually sell out fast." His voice was lacking his usual brass and loudness as he began helping her with her apron, leaning down since she only stood at around four foot five compared to his six foot six.
Jane turned around quickly once her apron was secured around her waist before she pulled out a headband from her pocket that had bear ears attached to it. She gently pushed back his blonde hair from his forehead before pinning the stray hairs with the head band. "You look so handsome bärchen." She spoke to him teasingly while pinching one of his flushing cheeks. "Let's get started with making chick buns before the cakes so they can have some time to rise while the cakes cook!" Her hands were clasped together as she thought about all the people who would enjoy their hard work. She walked over to the sink before using her stepping stool to wash her hands before gloving them.
Ludwig waited patiently behind her before watching her kick her stool along to the pantry door. He began washing his hands carefully while whistling a soft love song which filled the quiet room. He dried off his hands as he gloved them before helping her grab the things off the shelves that she was too short to reach. His gloved hands were already becoming stained with yellow dye from the box of food coloring before the older woman quickly put it back on the shelf.
"I'm thinking we change up the recipe a little, Luddy. I think we should use lemons instead of the normal food dye in the buns. It will give it a nice sweet flavor instead of the savory one that they are use to! I can just change the label for it in the food case before it goes out!" Jane spoke to him with a smile as she dug through the gigantic fridge for the bag of lemons she had just bought a few days ago. "Also someone mentioned in the store a few days ago that they can't have food dye so it will be a great alternative even though we can't get the normal bright yellow." Her voice never wavered from her kind tone as she kicked her stool back over to the sink to wash the lemons.
Ludwig's smile grew at her enthusiasm before grabbing the juicer from one of the many pink cabinets that lined the back wall. "Are you sure we should change it?" His voice was calm as he already began grabbing the cutting board along with one of the knives from the drawer. He grabbed one of the already washed lemons before carefully slicing it in half. He focused on the task in front of him as he placed the halved lemons next to each other on the granite countertop as he moved on to the next one. His thoughts began drifting with each lemon he sliced in half before he yelped out in pain as he felt the sharp blade cut into his gloved finger. It wasn't deep but it still hurt all the same. "Ah fuck..." When he swore he felt his injured hand carefully grabbed and placed into Jane's much softer and small hands.
"Are you alright sugar?" Jane began carefully looking at the cut as soft hiss of sympathy left her lips. "We have to wash that quickly. Lemon juice in cuts ain't fun." She led him over to the sink before running the stinging cut underneath the cool water as she removed his gloves. "I'll get you a bandage and you just wash it!" Her voice was firm as he watched her leave the room to grab the first aid kit in the small break room above them in the second floor.
Ludwig weakly nodded his head before scrubbing soap into the cut before letting out a quiet sound of pain. With gritted teeth she watched the soapy water mixed drip down his fingers before he patted it dry. He could hear her footsteps from before he leaned against one of the countertops to make it easier for her to patch him up.
"You really need to be more careful with yourself. You might think you're invulnerable but you aren't." Jane's voice was firm but still gentle as she wiped disinfectant over his finger before placing a childish Hello Kitty bandaid over the small cute before gently kissing it better like he was a small child. "Now I'll start making the chick buns and you start on the honey cakes." Her voice was still firm before she gently patted his cheeks. "And don't forget to put on a fresh pair of gloves sweetheart." She quickly removed her gloves before washing her hands to remove any chemicals from taking care of his small injury.
Ludwig nodded before rewashing his hands, placing a fresh pair of gloves carefully over his bandaid. He walked over to the large mixer as he took a deep breath in through his nose. His eyes drifted over to the lamented book next to the mixer before flipping to the page that read honey cake in large font. His fingers slowly drifted down the page as he began quietly muttering the ingredients to himself before heading over to the pantry. He began grabbing everything he needed along with the honey before walking over to the bowl. "How many are we making today?" He asked her quietly while turning towards her.
"I think we can make thirty four for today." Jane called back over to him as she began squeezing the lemons for their juice. Her hands were skilled with each squeeze before she began grating peel for the zest. "Remember to go easy on the honey. It's pretty strong! We actually want to make sure people can eat our food." Her teasing was different from the way his brother would normally tease him which made the young German smile. She ordered him to as she waited for the yeast to feed on the sugar in her bowl before she could begin adding in the flour and lemon juice.
"I will." After Ludiwg spoke the pair soon fell into an easy silence with only the occasional sound of the mixer filling the air. His eyes slowly began to close as he rested against the countertop before he quickly snapped himself awake before slowly mixing the key ingredient into the batter. He watched the beater slowly mix it in before he sighed quietly while taking a steadying breath in.
"Luddy are you alright? You're not as talkative today. Did you brother make fun of you again?" Even though it sounded like a childish question coming from the older woman but she still spoke it out loud to the German. "Or is something else on your mind? You can talk while we make buns." She patted the empty spot on the countertop next to her before she watched the blonde walk over to her.
"Jane you're good with feelings right? There is someone I'm friends with and I feel weird when I'm with them." Ludwig began speaking as he grabbed a fresh pair of gloves to prevent any contamination from happening between the two different recipes. "He makes me feel different and I don't know how to describe it to anyone else...It's not a bad feeling though!" He stared down at the near pastel yellow dough in front of him before slowly working it into a small ball.
"Well maybe I can help you with your problem. I might not be the best but I'll try and help you." The older of the two kind spoke to him as she began working her own ball of dough. She began quietly humming as she waited for him to describe the feeling that had been distracting him.
"He makes me feel like I have really bad indigestion all the time when I'm with them. He makes me feel shaky but not in a bad way just like being next to he makes me feel like I could collapse. Sometimes when I stand next to him I just want to hold his hand and smile with him." Ludwig stared down at the bun before picking up the small detailing knife as he carefully carved the wing shape into the dough. "I also feel sad too like something stopping me and won't let me actually touch him." His voice was barely audible as she gave him a kind smile.
"Well I think you're in love with him. It's normal for some people to feel that way in love. You could feel sad because you know that you can't love him or because you're scared of being loved by him. He can also be taken and you know he like the other person better." Jane's voice was carefully choosing each word as she placed the finished bun on to the baking sheet. She gently squeezed his hand before gently placing his finished bun next to hers. "You weren't taught about emotions when you were young. Am I right?" She didn't want to be right but she had a sinking feeling she was.
"Oh..." That was the only thing that could leave his throat at the relationvation before thinking about her question. Ludwig nodded weakly before she gave him a kind but weak smile. "Gilbert was always busy so I was mostly left alone since he was the only one raising me." He bit the inside of his cheek before making another bun as she gave him a look of pity and sadness. "But I grew up happy even though I had to learn about a lot of things from my friends later in life."
The duo fell into another quiet silence as she gently squeezed his hand in her own smaller one every few seconds. After a few minutes the buns were ready to rise for the second time as he walked over to the cake batter to pour it into the pan. He poured the batter in carefully into the four deep pans in front of him before scraping the bowl clean from any of the remaining dough. He placed it into the already preheated oven before setting the timer for it. He yawned quietly as he stretched his back.
"Did you lie about sleeping last night young man?" Jane turned to him with a knowing smile before patting his back. "You really don't need to act tough all the time. I know you wanted to cry when you cut your hand but you didn't. Your body needs different things and right now you need sleep."
The German's pale cheeks began heating up as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well I did sleep an hour so I didn't actually lie. My new blood pressure medication kind of messed up my sleeping schedule." He could feel her brown eyes drill into him before she tsked quietly while leading him to the stairs.
"Go take a nap now. I'll watch the store and you can take a two hour nap. I'll wake you up before we're supposed to open. The blanket is on the break room couch and there are snacks for you in the fridge if you wake up hungry." The older woman spoke to him firmly before gently shoving him up the first step. "No go. Get some sleep and then you can come back down to help me."
The young man didn't move from the first step before he turned around to face her. He gave her a quick but kind hug while taking a deep breath in as he smelled the faint scent of lavender and soap in her curly hair before he felt her hug him back with a soft chuckle. He quickly let her go before turning his back to her. "Thank you momma." Those were his last words as he walked up the wooden stairs.
