BP: I'm sorry for those who wanted to see this story update, but I lost interest after moving on to other fandoms. But I do not want people to keep waiting, so I revamped the story to one-shots for closure. This is one of them.
This is a real-life AU, where Easter is just a work company and Ikuto and Amu are married already.
Ikuto had finally gotten the promotion in Easter that he'd been working so hard for. He had been taking on extra work, staying late at the office and depended on Amu for a relaxation, not taking any real vacation breaks or any leave. His wife Amu knew this was important to him, so she did her best to help him.
Once he told her she got the promotion, she decided to surprise him with a nice home cooked meal to celebrate. After all, it was his first day after being promoted and Amu wanted to let him know that she would be supporting him all the way.
She decided to make it extra special by trying to cook by herself, as usually she either went to the cash machine to order takeout or had received large amounts of help from Su (read: Su cook everything). She wasn't very good at cooking. This was supposed to be her special treat for him since tonight was to celebrate.
"Ok, sauce is simmering, pasta boiling…I hope Ikuto likes this." Amu rubbed her hands nervously. She checked the clock, and knew Ikuto would be back soon. Hopefully it would be done by the time he comes home.
Amu decided to clean up while waiting for the pasta. She didn't really want Ikuto to see the mess that she had made trying to cook. Su had offered to help her earlier, but she declined as she wanted to try this herself. She couldn't exactly always rely on Su, and made a mental note to get some cooking tips and lessons some time.
'Everything should be ready by the time I'm done.' Amu thought to herself. She smiled as she got started cleaning up, making sure to keep an eye on the pasta. She wasn't like Su when it comes to cleaning skills either, but she's trying. Or so she told herself, anyway.
'Su makes this look easy.' Amu grimaced as she scrubbed at the sauce-covered spatula. When she heard the pasta boil, she clumsily dumped the utensils into the soap-covered basin, splashing water all over the floor in the process and wiped her hands on the apron. She strained the pasta noodles and then carried them to the simmering sauce.
As she rushed to combine the noodles with the sauce, she failed to notice she splashed some soapy water, and she slipped. Unfortunately, she was no Ran when it comes to reflexes and athletic abilities. Sadly, when she fell, the pot had flown out of her hands, and crashed to the floor, spilling boiled pasta all over the floor.
"Oww…" Amu got up and looked in dismay as she stared at the mess on the floor. 'Looks like I have to make more. Hopefully I can get it in time…' She went to lean her hand on the counter but her hand accidentally pressed downwards against the handle of the pan the sauce was in. The sauce was sent flying, drenching her, and wall, and the floor in the sauce.
She stared at the mess and she slumped onto the counter, not caring for the mess she was making on the counter. She definitely needed a minute to think about what to do.
Later, Ikuto stepped into his apartment and noticed the absence of Amu. Usually, she would have greeted him to the door. Secondly, there was the smell of tomatoes in the air. Just what was tonight's dinner?
"Amu? I'm home." He called out as he put his briefcase down and slipped his shoes and jacket off, hanging the jacket at the coat rack.
"Welcome home, Ikuto…" Amu sounded a little distraught. If he had to guess, she was somewhere in the kitchen. So he made his way over to the kitchen to see a tomato-drenched Amu, with pasta and sauce all over the floor. The tomato sauce even covered some parts of the wall. What's even more bizarre was the soap filled
"Uh…What happened in here?" He asked her, eyes wide at the sheer catastrophe.
"I…had some cooking issues." Amu said tiredly. "But I think I just ruined dinner."
"You made dinner? By yourself?" Ikuto questioned, not seeing Su anywhere.
Amy winced, but said, "Yeah, I wanted to surprise you with a dinner I made by myself to commemorate your latest promotion."
Ikuto had a soft smile at that. "I can't say I am not surprised."
Amu gave him a half-hearted glare. "Not in this way."
Ikuto wrapped an arm around Amu's shoulder, not caring for the sauce. "I think knowing you think of me is enough." He leaned down and kissed her, tasting the tomatoes. "Hmm, tasty."
At the look, Ikuto said, "You know how much I love you, right?"
Amu finally mustered a smile as she replied, "You tell me every day."
"You deserve it." Ikuto said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Hey, why don't you take a shower and clean up? I'll clean up the mess here and order in some Chinese food. You might get a reward if you're quick."
He gave Amu a wink, as she pouted, but stormed off to get a shower. Ikuto shook his head fondly at her as he turned to clean up the mess Amu left behind.
Amu finished her shower and changed just as the Chinese food arrived. Ikuto had ordered from a Chinese restaurant that had Amu's favourite Dim Sum. When it came to Chinese food, Ikuto preferred the buns while Amu liked the dumplings. But as it was a celebration of sorts, he ordered things like lion's head with crab meat to sample new things.
They sat down in front of the television and ate, having been tuned to a show that featured a Pokémon Champion's quest to prove his innocence of his mother's murder. It surprised Ikuto that she liked these kinds of shows, but hey, you learn something new every day. It was great to just be in each other's presence, to bask in the happiness of their love. They talked about the show itself, from their favourite characters to the plot of the show. Ikuto carefully steered the conversation away from the cooking incident, lest Amu got upset.
After all, tonight wasn't just about him, but for the both of them. Thankfully, she didn't seem worried about the incident anymore, and was just enjoying herself.
"How do they even know that she made food?" Amu commented at the show, when the main character's second-in-command made meals, but immediately the others were at the table despite the girl not telling them. The food she made was practically food porn.
"Telepathy, maybe?" Ikuto shrugged.
"This show is cute and all. I wish I can cook as well as her." Amu murmured longingly. "but my cooking ended up in a disaster…"
"Like I said, you're prefect the way you are." Ikuto replied simply, not looking away from the show, but bringing her closer to him. "She's a fictional character."
"Well, what have I done to marry someone like you?" Amu joked, giving him a quick kiss on his cheek.
Ikuto turned to her and replied, "You're you." and then promptly went back to the television show.
Amu moved to sit on his lap. Her taller lover wrapped his arms around her waist, and held her close.
"Do I get points for trying?" Amu grinned.
Ikuto hmm-ed in thought, and said, "Be patient, and you might get your reward."
Amu narrowed her eyes in suspicion and said, "Is this to get back at me for you cleaning?"
Ikuto chuckled and said, "Well who knows, darling. Who knows?"
His wife rolled her eyes and grumbled out, "Fine, I'll wait…I have this show." She then leaned her head on his shoulder and made herself more comfortable.
Ikuto smiled at he settled back against the couch to watch the episode, intertwining his hands with hers.
In this moment Ikuto knew there was no place he'd rather be than in the embrace of the woman that meant the world to him.
BP: As you can tell, I'm not good at writing long one-shots. So sorry, but that is all I have. Maybe one day I will return to Shugo Chara, but for now, I have moved on to other fandoms.