Author's Notes: I wrote this little story for a friend's birthday. Anyway, I do hope that everyone can enjoy it. All Standard disclaimers apply here. Obviously I don't own any of the characters. I just borrow them. I have no intention of making any money off of them, please don't sue me ^___^.
Mamoru growled irritably as he stared at what once was his nice immaculate kitchen. He couldn't understand how in one hour, his kitchen could become a disaster zone ... especially since he had been the only one in it. If it had been Usagi or Minako in the confines of his kitchen, well he could understand why it might look as if some sort of food war had gone on, but this ... this was him.
He couldn't understand how one tiny little good deed could turn into such a disaster. All he had wanted to do was bake some of Usagi's favorite chocolate chocolate chip cookies for her as a surprise. He knew that she had been having a tough week and had seemed somewhat down to him. Which was why he had come up with the idea of cheering her up with cookies when she came over to visit him.
Mamoru supposed he should have just asked Makoto to bake the stupid cookies, as it had been her recipe that he was using. He had thought about that and she had even offered, but it was something that he had wanted to do. It wouldn't have really been a gift from him if Makoto was making them now would it?
He had listened very carefully to every instruction that Makoto had given him. He had even taken careful notes as if the recipe were as important as one of the lectures his professors gave him. After taking his notes, Mamoru had gone out and immediately bought all of the ingredients he would need.
Imagining the look on Usagi's face when she arrived later that evening to find the plate full of cookies, Mamoru had gone home directly and started his labor of love. He had preheated the oven to exactly the right temperature according to Makoto's directions. He had begun meticulously measuring all of his ingredients and setting them out so that they would be within easy reach. He had even made certain not to snitch any of the chocolate wanting it to all go into the cookies, even though he tended to love chocolate himself ... possibly more then even his lovely Usako did.
Things had started out so very well as he began to put the ingredients together. He had beaten the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla together until they were light and fluffy as instructed. He had combined the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together and was just going to begin stirring it into the butter mixture when something horrible happened. Somehow, and Mamoru wasn't entirely certain how it happened, but somehow he had managed to have one of Usagi's infamous klutz attacks right when he has begun stirring. He didn't even know what he had slipped on because there had been nothing whatsoever on his floor that he could have tripped on, but somehow he did.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Mamoru decided that Usagi must be rubbing off on him, after all this was the sort of thing that would have happened to her. Not to Mamoru, never to him ... he didn't have klutz attacks. Yet he had and unfortunately when he did, not only did he manage to hit his head on the counter before slipping miserably to the floor, the bowl and spoon had flown out of his hands to go skidding across the counter where Mamoru could only sit and stare in horror as it crashed into the carefully measured chocolate chips and the walnuts that he had yet to use. He could only watch helplessly as all that delicious chocolate scattered across his floor uneaten and wasted, along with the nuts of course.
Unfortunately that wasn't the end of it. Somehow that stupid bowl, and he still couldn't understand why the thing hadn't come to a stop like any normal bowl would upon crashing into other items, but somehow that bowl had kept going right into the various jars and bottles of stuff that also happened to be kept on the counter including the bag of left over flour. These items were sent flying, the flour bag opening and scattering it's contents all over the kitchen and Mamoru himself. The more breakable jars of course broke when the hit the floor also scattering their contents everywhere, including the jar of newly bought honey. The bowl containing the cookie mixture finally came to a stop precariously on the very edge of the counter teetering for a moment before finally tipping over and crashing to the floor.
Mamoru continued to sit there; covered in flour, chocolate chips, walnuts, and who knows what else as he stared at his once perfect kitchen. So much in shock was he that Mamoru never heard the knock at the door, or the inevitable key unlocking that same door so that it could be opened. He never noticed when a cheerful voice called out upon entry into his apartment. Mamoru was so deep in shock and irritable grumpiness as he tried to figure out how he of all people had klutzed out so grandly that he never noticed Usagi had arrived earlier then he had expected.
The moment Usagi had entered into the apartment and not found her Mamo-chan waiting for her she had gone searching. She wanted him to hug her and tell her things would be alright even if she didn't get the best scores on her exams. She wanted him to comfort her because she had just had Luna and Rei both scold her because she was irresponsible and didn't do things exactly how they wanted them to be done. Usagi knew that they both loved her, but sometimes their words hurt just a little. She had done the very best she could just as she always did. They didn't have to be quite so mean when they were scolding her did they?
Couldn't they understand just a little bit that she was only a teenager with the fate of the world thrust on her young shoulders? That sometimes it felt too hard and so maybe she might be more irresponsible then they thought she should be just to try and alleviate the stress a bit. That try as she might, she couldn't always be as strong and brave and responsible as her fellow sister senshi were.
Usagi needed Mamoru, but where was he? He wasn't in the living room or his bedroom. The bathroom door was wide open so he couldn't have been in there. He wasn't on his balcony and he wasn't answering to her calls. She knew he was home, or at least she thought he was suppose to be home. Usagi was just about to give up when she remembered that she hadn't checked the kitchen yet.
She didn't really figure that Mamoru would be in the kitchen, after all what would he need to be in a kitchen for. Sure he needed to cook every now and then, but she didn't think he would be cooking dinner at that time or anything. Besides, if he was in the kitchen wouldn't he have heard her calling? It wasn't as if the kitchen was on the other side of the city or anything, it was just through a door right here in the apartment. She had called out loud enough for him to have heard her anywhere in his apartment. Technically some of the neighbors might have heard her calling as well since she had still had the door open when she had done so. So why hadn't he heard her calling? Simple, he must not be here in the apart ...
Usagi's train of thought ground to a halt as she got her first look at the kitchen. Her beloved Mamoru's kitchen, the one that was always so immaculate just like the rest of his house, looked as if a battle had been fought there.
Usagi's eyes took in the broken jars and dishes on the floor. She wrinkled her nose a little in distaste as she noticed in the smell of vinegar from one of the broken bottles, the puddle of the stuff spreading across the floor and mixing with a sticky mass of spilt honey and other things she couldn't name. Usagi's eyes misted a little as she took in the wasted chocolate chips scattered across the floor, not to mention the nuts. Everywhere she looked there was flour, some of it turning into a gluttonous mass as it soaked up the liquids. Even the counters weren't spared the mess apparently, as they had been generously spattered with various things including the flour that just seemed to be in every place her eyes traveled over.
When Usagi finally spotted Mamoru, her first thought was that he was hurt somehow. He was just sitting there on the ground where he had obviously fallen, staring blankly at the mess without moving a muscle. There must have been something wrong with him, after all he hadn't heard her calling out to him and well her Mamoru wouldn't just be sitting there on the floor covered in flour if there wasn't something terribly wrong.
Her troubled gaze looked him over from head to toe, but she couldn't see anything terribly wrong. Of course Usagi knew very well that she was hardly an expert on medical care. There could be something wrong on the inside, maybe he had a concussion or something. Maybe he was bleeding internally, or maybe he had gone into some sort of terrible shock, or ... or something. She didn't know, but her mind could come up with all sorts of horrible things that could have befallen her beloved Mamoru.
Usagi was all set to call Ami and get her there on the double when she heard Mamoru mutter something under his breath. Something that sounded suspiciously like 'If anyone had seen that, I would never have heard the end of it.' Usagi tilted her head slightly to the side as she made out the mumbled words. What had he meant? What had she missed? Better yet, what did he mean by he would never have heard the end of it? She glanced once more at the mess in curiosity as she wondered just what had gone on here. Well, only one way to find out. The blonde turned back to Mamoru and reached out to touch his shoulder. "Mamo-chan?"
Mamoru hadn't even heard the light steps of the blonde as she stepped into the kitchen. He never noticed as she stood there staring at the mess before turning her gaze over to him. He certainly never noticed that she had heard his muttered words. Therefore he couldn't help giving a startled jerk when he felt the gentle touch on his shoulder.
He glanced up in surprise at her utterance of his name and couldn't help his delighted smile upon seeing her. After all Mamoru always loved seeing Usagi no matter what was going on. She was the light in his otherwise lonely life and he never tired of her smile. However it wasn't long before he remembered why he was sitting on the floor in a messy kitchen and he was unable to prevent the sudden flush of embarrassment. This was just not his day, not only did he klutz out and make a disaster zone of his kitchen ... but Usagi managed to walk in and see it all. How could one little good deed turn out so horribly wrong?
He quickly forced his embarrassment away and asked as steadily as he could, "Usako? I ... I hadn't expected you here so early. Weren't you suppose to be hanging out with the girls until later this evening?"
A flash of irritation and sadness crossed Usagi's eyes before she hid it behind another smile. "I missed you so I decided to come by earlier then I had intended." She turned away from Mamoru, looking back to his kitchen as she asked, "Mamo-chan? What happened in here? You ... you aren't hurt are you? No concussions or injuries or anything?"
Mamoru wasn't fooled by the smile, having seen the irritation and sadness before she hid them away. He quickly rose to his feet, his embarrassment at his own predicament forgotten replaced by concern for Usagi's well being. Mamoru reached over and turned her to face him, watching her worriedly. "I'm fine, but more importantly what is wrong? Why are you upset?"
Usagi tried to pull away from Mamoru, preferring to concentrate on the mysterious of his kitchen instead of her own bad day. Unfortunately for her, Mamoru refused to let go. Reaching up with his other hand, Mamoru gently took hold of her chin and forced Usagi to look up at him noting the slight sheen of tears in her eyes as he did so. "Usako?"
The blonde sighed softly before shrugging her shoulders and saying, "It was nothing Mamo-chan. Rei and Luna, they were just upset because my test scores weren't ... well they weren't exactly what they wanted them to be. It was nothing. You know Rei and Luna ... don't worry about it."
Mamoru frowned, knowing that there was more behind Usagi's words then she was letting on. This was nothing. Whatever it was, it was really bothering her. He knew that Rei and Luna badgered her about her grades all the time, but it didn't usually bother her like this. At least he didn't think it did. Technically speaking he had pestered her about her grades a time or two, though he sincerely hoped that it hadn't bothered her as much as this seemed to be getting to her.
"I know Rei and Luna. They can be harsh, but you know they love you right? They only want what's best for you ..."
Usagi did pull away from Mamoru then. Turning away from him and hugging herself as she muttered, "They want me to be like them Mamo-chan and I can't be. I'm not the perfect warrior and I'm not the perfect student. I'm just me, just Usagi. I try to do the best I can, but no matter how hard I try it's rarely ever good enough."
Mamoru was starting to see where this was going and it made him sad. Usagi shouldn't feel this way, no one should feel this way but especially Usagi. Perhaps he would have to speak with Luna and Rei sometime soon to make certain they understood how they were coming across to Usagi. As he had said a moment before, he was well aware that they loved Usagi and would never want to be hurting her.
He reached forward once more and tugged her back against him, wrapping her into his embrace never mind the fact that he was covered in flour. "Usako, you are perfect just the way you are. Everybody loves you, but more importantly I love you and I don't want you to change. No one expects you to be perfect, not even Luna and Rei. They just ... they get carried away sometimes, but only because they love you. No one is perfect ..."
Usagi tensed in his arms, but she did seem to be listening. She turned around to look up at him, not caring in the slightest that she was now getting flour on her clothes. "I know they care about me. I know that they don't mean half of what they say, but they do say them and sometimes ... sometimes it hurts. They don't understand, no one understands. It's hard Mamo-chan. I try Mamo-chan, but I'm not like Ami, Rei, Minako, or Mako-chan. Things don't come easily to me like they do for them. I'm not smart like Ami-chan, or strong like Mako-chan. I'm not a great leader like Minako-chan and I ..."
Mamoru silenced Usagi with a gentle kiss before pulling back a little so that he could look at her. "Usako, you are those things and more. There may be some things that you don't excel at, but you do just fine. Besides, you're still growing up ... you are allowed to make mistakes in life. That's what growing up is all about. You aren't suppose to be Ami, Rei, Minako, or Mako-chan, as you said before you are Usagi and no one else. Don't compare yourself to everyone like that. You all are a team that works well because you all have your own talents. It wouldn't work half so well if you were all the same."
Usagi shook her head and once more tried to pull away murmuring, "I don't have a talent Mamo-chan."
Once again Mamoru prevented her from escaping and simply said, "You have a lot of talents Usagi, but more then that you are the heart of your team. You keep them all together and give them a purpose. You are a great friend, a great person, and a great senshi. The senshi wouldn't have even come together if it hadn't have been for you Usagi and don't forget all of the times that all of us would have failed if you hadn't have been there."
Usagi glanced back up at him and started to say something, but Mamoru wasn't finished yet and so she fell silent again. Mamoru grinned at her before continuing what he had been about to say. "You light up any room you walk into Usagi, simply because you make people feel ... part of something I guess. You have a habit of giving of yourself without asking for anything in return, especially to those that need it most even when they don't know they need someone. Besides, as I said earlier I wouldn't want you to change Usa, not even a little bit. I love you just the way you are. Just remember, no one is perfect ..."
Mamoru gave her a amused smirk as he continued, "I mean if even I Chiba Mamoru, can have a klutz attack as bad as one of yours then there isn't any hope for anyone."
Usagi tilted her head a bit and murmured, "klutz attack ..." somewhat confusedly before suddenly realization dawned in her eyes and she looked back at the kitchen. "You caused this because of a klutz attack?"
Mamoru nodded releasing her and pointing toward the upended bowl of cookie dough on the floor. "I was trying to make you some cookies to cheer you up and somehow I tripped over the air and chaos reigned supreme. Literally, I still can't figure out how that bowl caused so much damage ... unfortunately I'm afraid the cookies are ruined."
Usagi stared once again at the mess, a slight frown marring her features for the briefest of moments as she thought of the ruined cookies and the wasted chocolate. However, she soon couldn't help giggling just a little at the thought of Mamoru causing such a huge mess just because he tripped. Mamoru never tripped, not that she was aware of anyway. He certainly wasn't as clumsy as she was, but obviously whenever he did have a klutz attack as he put it he had major ones. "I guess this means you can't tease me whenever I trip Mamo-chan ... right? Too bad we can't have those cookies though, they would have been good. Maybe Mako-chan will make us some tomorrow!"
Mamoru's grin broadened as Usagi started giggling, confident that she felt at least a little better at least for the moment. He would still have to have that little chat with Luna and Rei, but not today. Today he would spend with Usagi and make certain she continued to remain cheerful ... not to mention he now had a kitchen to clean. "Makoto offered to make these for you, so I'm sure she would be happy to do so ... especially once she finds out I ruined her perfect recipe. Come on now, help me clean up the kitchen and I'll ..."
He had been about to suggest taking her out for dinner or something when he realized that it wasn't only the kitchen that needed cleaning. He had been covered in the flour of course, which now meant that Usagi was as well. Perhaps they would stay in for the evening after all ...
Usagi glanced up at him curiously waiting for him to finish, but he just grinned at her and said, "We'll both have to get cleaned up ourselves before either of us are even allowed into my living room. I can't have flour getting on my couches you know ..."
She stared at him in confusion for the briefest of seconds before glancing at both of their clothes and beginning to giggle again. "I'll just borrow one of your shirts Mamo-chan and we can throw these in the wash so I can wear them home later tonight. I want to watch a movie, you can't keep me out of the living room. Let's get cleaning and then we can order in, make popcorn, watch a movie ... can't we?"
Mamoru nodded his agreement before the both of them beginning cleaning up the kitchen and returning it back to its normally immaculate state. It wasn't long before Usagi started up her normal cheerful chatter about everything that had happened to her that day. Mamoru simply listened, adding his comments from time to time, grateful that she really did seem to be more cheerful then she had all week long.