HOME SWEET HOME

by Sofiana

(Sibyl, I really miss you, baby girl!)

Disclaimer. Uh uh. Don't own CCS.

Quick note: I wrote this for LJ Tsukimineshrine, Cuisine challenge. The challenge was over by the time I finished it, though :)

Fujitaka's car slid into the driveway of his house.

His house . He liked the sound of that.

He stayed a moment inside the car, enjoying the peace and quiet of the neighborhood after being away for a week. The house was a steal, he couldn't believe that nobody had snatched it up before he did. It was in a neighborhood that was away from the main thoroughfares, and was very conducive to raising a family.

His family.

He was getting to like that possessive pronoun very much – not having owned anything before. The orphanage wasn't really a bad place to grow up in. But he didn't have anything he could call his own. None of the orphans really owned anything other than the clothes they wore – they shared everything else.

The yellow house just seemed to fall into his lap just like that. It wasn't cheap, by assistant professor standards, but it was perfect, just perfect. Nadeshiko-san loved it as well. He had managed to scrimp and save enough money for it, and Nadeshiko's modeling income helped a lot. But he had the sneaking suspicion that Amamiya Sonomi – i no, Daidouji Sonomi /i now -- had a hand in it. Pride would have not have let him accept any help at all, but Nadeshiko-san was happy with the house that he had to let his pride go.

Shaking his head, Fujitaka slipped his key into the lock and opened the door.

"Tadaima – what the -- ?" Gray smoke filled the hallway, coming from the kitchen.

"Nadeshiko-san?Nadeshiko!" Fujitaka ran into the house and headed straight for the kitchen. He shouted into the smoke, dropping his briefcase. "Nadeshiko, where are you?"

"I'm here, Fujitaka-san." A wry voice came from just from below the countertop. Fujitaka leaned over and found his young and very pregnant wife kneeling on the floor in front of the oven.

"What happened?" He asked, relieved that she seemed to be alright.

"I tried to bake a cake." Her face was crestfallen as she gestured to the smoke-spewing oven. "I'm afraid I ruined it. Touya's coming home in a few hours and I wanted to make something for his birthday."

Fujitaka sighed. "Well, before that, come up from there and sit here for a while." Nadeshiko smiled and gingerly stood up, holding her stomach.

"Well, kneeling on the floor seemed like a good option. My feet hurt." She came over and gave him a sweet, lingering kiss that had him wanting more. "Welcome home, Fujitaka-san."

Once he got her settled on his lap, he tucked a strand of hair that had come loose from her hair tie. No matter that she was sweating and even if her face was smudged, Nadeshiko was so very lovely it made his heart ache. Eight years of marriage still hadn't made him get used to the idea that she belonged to him.

Fujitaka took hold of one leg and proceeded to massage her calves, and Nadeshiko closed her eyes in bliss. He glanced at the cookbook she was holding and said, "Strawberry shortcake?"

"I know it's a little ambitious of me, but I thought if I followed the instructions exactly I'd be okay." She gave an exasperated sigh. "I'm really bad at everything!"

Fujitaka only shook his head. "Iie, Nadeshiko-san. You're good at everything important."

"Well, it's definitely not cooking or sewing. What am I good at?" Nadeshiko gave a small pout that only amused Fujitaka.

"You're good at making people feel loved, dearest," he said softly. "And we all love you back."

Nadeshiko's eyes softened as she looked at him.

"Arigatou, Fujitaka-san."

After sharing another gentle kiss with his wife, Fujitaka glanced once more at the cookbook she held. "Well, we still have enough time. We can still try to make another one." At her look, he raised his hands.

"I know, I know -- you want to do it yourself. I'll just watch and help a bit."

The little boy's eyes widened. The cake stood at the center of the kitchen table in all its sweet glory, and the tousle haired boy wanted a piece of it.

"You baked a cake for me,Otousan?"He looked up at his father, who stood grinning down at him. His mother, nursing the back of her hand that got slightly burned, gave him a sweet welcoming smile.

"No, your mom did. I only helped a little."

Touya gave his father a quick look, before turning to hisOkaasanfor a little hug.

"Thank you, Okaasan . I'll eat everything, I promise!"

He looked at the cake once more and gulped. The prospect seemed daunting for a newly-turned seven year old who was used to his mother's kitchen experiments, but he courageously took a bite from a slice his mother gave to him. He chewed slowly, his forehead screwed in concentration, before swallowing. Incredulous, he looked at his mother.

"Neh, Okaasan, it's really good!"

Nadeshiko-san released the breath she's been holding, and wore a pleased smile on her face as she hugged her son.

"I'm glad you like it. Happy birthday, Touya-kun."

Touya gave a small shrug. "It isn't even a real birthday, Okaasan."

"Yes, it is – see I marked it on this calendar here. And soon I'll mark your little sister's birthday on it too."

Fujitaka only watched his wife and son share their special moment together. Soon there would be another special moment when his new daughter arrived.

Fujitaka spared a glance at the kitchen sink and gave a good-natured sigh. It was filled to the rafters with various pots and pans – he'd just have to take care of it later.

But for now, it was great to be back home.