Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara!
Chapter Summary: Tadase starts coming around a lot more, driving Ikuto to do something drastic: take Yoru's advice.
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Yoru's Advice
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'Ikuto, don't be so quick to forget my advice, nya!' Yoru encouraged, floating just above where Ikuto could swat at him. 'Show her that you got better genes than that loser, nya.' He made a face as he looked at the pair joking across the table. 'You guys would have much better looking kittens, you know.'
Would you stop calling them kittens?! To humans, they're babies. Babies! Ikuto couldn't help the snap in his voice but regretted it. Sorry. I've been on edge since they started this whole thing.
'Tell her how strong your kittens would be.'
I am not telling Amu that we're going to have kittens!
Amu had called Tadase back that morning while she was at work to tell him that she would love to go on a date with him and that he could pick her up at her place around seven. That meant that the moment she got home at four, she was dashing about, trying to pretty herself up.
And it had made Ikuto sick to his stomach.
Now Tadase sat in Ikuto's kitchen—it's more mine than his, damnit!—and flirted with Ikuto's woman, casually coming up with excuses to touch her, which was Ikuto's job! He tapped his fingers restlessly on the table, barely able to control the growls threatening to escape his throat.
'I'm telling you, Ikuto, nya. Just show her that you're the strongest male here. It works, believe me, nya.'
Eye twitching, Ikuto rubbed his temple, trying to stop himself from taking his anger out on Yoru, who really was only trying to help. If only he had advice on human women, then it would actually be useful. Yoru, I can't act like a cat because she's a human. She would probably react in a very…bad way. Ikuto flinched as he thought of the wrath Amu would set loose on his head should he try any of Yoru's tactics.
'Don't be so sure, nya.'
With that, Yoru dissipated from sight with a smirk on his face, leaving Ikuto alone to deal with the anger coursing through him at the sight of Tadase and Amu.
"Amu-chan, do you think we should get going?" Tadase asked, glancing at his watch with a slight furrowing of his brow at the time. "It's already eight o'clock; I'm sure if we wanna catch that movie, we'll have to leave now." He stood, briefly catching Ikuto's eye to nod in a way of acknowledging him. "It was good seeing you, Tsukiyomi." He held out Amu's jacket for her to slip her arms into it.
But Ikuto had had enough. No, Amu would not be going with Tadase, not if he had anything to say about it.
"Actually," Ikuto said, standing up and nearly tipping over his chair in his haste. "I don't think Amu's going to be able to go tonight, Kiddy King. Sorry." He moved to where the two stood, placing himself between them and gently nudging Amu farther away from Tadase. "Maybe some other time."
He took Amu by the shoulders, forcing her to move into her bedroom. When she didn't fight him any of the way, he became suspicious of her silence and cringed. She was going to skin him alive.
"Ikuto," she hissed when they got into her room. She turned towards him and he flinched slightly, but didn't allow her to leave the room. "We—I!—have a guest and you shouldn't be so quick to try to take over my affairs!" She tried to shove past him, but he just stood there in a bouncer-like position. "Move!"
"Amu-chan, is everything alright?" Tadase asked as he made his way to the doorway that Ikuto was blocking. He glared at Ikuto, who could feel the look digging into the back of his head. "Do you need me to call someone to get him out of here?"
The years had not changed much about Tadase. He still had his blonde hair, though he didn't grow it out nearly as long, and ruby-colored eyes. He had grown a little, as well, much taller than Amu now, but still not as tall as Ikuto. He had filled out a little more, as well; his shoulders were broader from working out with Kuukai and his sense of style much more casual. But he still felt the need to be controller of the situation.
"Shut up, Kiddy King; we were having a private conversation about our engagement and what that entitles." He sent Amu a challenging stare, daring her to deny that that was the game they were playing.
"She told me all about this over the phone, Tsukiyomi. So, whatever you're playing at, leave it alone."
"Ikuto, we are not dating, nor are we engaged, so don't think that you can boss me around and tell me who I can and cannot spend time with!"
That was the straw that broke the cat's back. Suddenly, Yoru's advice was the only thing he could think of and the first thing that came out of his mouth was, "Do you honestly think he would make a better fiancé?!" When Amu made no sound, he continued. "Well at least our kittens—our kids—" He cut off as the words left his mouth. Damnit, Yoru. Now I did end up telling her that we're going to have kittens!
'I don't see the problem, nya.'
Snarling in his mind, Ikuto glanced down at Amu, trying to gauge her reaction.
"Did…did you just say kittens?" she questioned, trying to stifle her giggles behind her hand as her other arm wrapped around her stomach for support. Finally a snort came free and she began laughing uncontrollably, nearly falling to the ground.
"No, I said kids, damnit!" When Tadase's own chuckle escaped from behind him, Ikuto growled, "Shut the hell up, Kiddy King; no one asked you!" Knowing his cheeks were flushing and not liking the feeling, Ikuto tried to think of something—anything—to turn this situation around so Amu wouldn't think he was a complete basket case stuck on fantasies of his youth.
"Is that why you call him 'Kiddy King'?" Amu giggled. "Because you can't tell the difference between kids and kittens? Maybe you have a speech impediment that makes you say 'kiddy' instead of 'kitty'."
Ikuto was about to back away and let Amu just go off with Tadase when he saw the happiness in her face. There was no sign of mocking or disgust, just glee. Did she really just think it was funny? He raised an eyebrow as Amu leaned around him, watching her as she spoke to Tadase.
"Let's reschedule for tomorrow night, if that's all right. I think I need to teach Ikuto the difference between cats and people."
After a moment of silence, Tadase smiled in return. "All right. Teach him well, Amu-chan. Tomorrow, we'll actually go to the movie." He walked away, shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.
Trying not to show how uncomfortable he was, Ikuto crossed to the bed and plopped down on it. "Don't say a word," he muttered as he toed off his shoes. He flung himself back against the mattress, putting one arm over his eyes to block out the light—and Amu's taunting face.
"Oh, Ikuto, don't be such a baby," she replied, laughter in her voice. "It really wasn't that bad. In fact, it was kind of expected, considering that your internal voice is a cat." He felt her weight sink into the bed beside his chest. "Besides, you used to tease me all the time when I didn't say something right." She lifted his arm off his face. "Payback's a bitch, isn't it?"
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The next day, Ikuto thought he had everything under control. He would just make sure that he didn't listen to a word Yoru said. And what was the harm in letting Amu go to some stupid movie with Tadase? She probably wouldn't let him get very far, anyways.
'She used to be in love with him, nya.'
Damnit, how had Yoru gotten into his conscious mind? Things could definitely turn ugly here.
So, Ikuto locked himself in the bathroom, disappearing into the shower when Tadase showed up. There was no way that he was going to let himself get flustered all over again, especially not in front of the Kiddy King.
When he heard the door of the apartment open and close, he turned off the shower and slipped a towel around his waist. As he made his way back into the bedroom, he simply laid back on the bed, not bothering to get dressed yet. Maybe he would think better without pants on.
How do I show Amu that I'm more right for her than that stupid Kiddy King? Why does she always go back to him instead of coming to me? I thought we'd made progress over the years!
He sat there for what seemed like an hour but turned out to be only fifteen minutes, trying to figure out what he could do to get her to acknowledge that she loved him. Unlike what Yoru had suggested, he couldn't just fight the kid; Amu would only get angry and probably stubbornly refuse to be anything to him. And he couldn't just come out and ask her to marry him because he loved her. She would think he was just a jealous fool that wanted exclusive rights.
This was semi-true. He did want exclusive rights to her; he wouldn't share her with anyone once they were married. And he clung persistently to the knowledge that he would get her to the altar, even if he had to pull out the big guns. But he was hoping that he wouldn't have to resort to that kind of desperate act. Cause if that backfires, she'll never fall for me.
Sighing, he rose, crossing to the closet and taking out the neatly arranged clothing she had folded after doing the laundry that day. Inside the T-shirt he chose was a small package, and, after inspecting it closely, he couldn't believe what he saw. Is that…is that catnip in my shirt?! Did she give me catnip?!
As he shook out the shirt, a note fell out of it. Picking it up, he read the note to himself.
Dear Ikuto,
Try to keep this away from the kittens; I won't raise druggies. However, living with one that I'm not responsible for is okay. It's my gift to you.
With love,
Amu
He smirked to himself. With love, huh? She didn't know it, but she had just given him the boost he would need to plan his next big attack on her defenses. Oh, and how he couldn't wait to see those walls crumble….
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Around three hours after the pair had left—Ikuto refused to think of them as any sort of couple—they returned, laughing as they entered the apartment. Ikuto, who had been in the bedroom, strode out with his hands in the pocket of his jeans. He kept a mocking smile plastered to his face as he got closer to the cause of all his distress, Tadase.
"How was the movie?" Ikuto asked conversationally, pulling out one of the kitchen chairs and sitting across from Tadase. "I didn't quite catch what you guys were going to see."
"Well," Amu said, grinning back at him with a flush to her face that could only come from excitement. "We were going to see that romantic comedy that came out, but since it has only been open for a few days, it was sold out when we got there. So instead we went to see"—she paused, coughing to make her voice as manly as possible, though it still came out girly—"X-Men Origins: Wolverine." She and Tadase laughed, as if in on some personal joke.
"Hmm, sounds interesting," was all Ikuto could muster without jumping up and choking the life out of the other man. Jealousy was eating at his stomach, but he didn't want to show them that.
"Oh, you have no idea, Ikuto!" Amu went on to race through a complete description of the whole movie, throwing in details on the amazing graphics and how it was the best X-Men movie yet. She couldn't wait for them to do another one. "You would have loved it, Ikuto." She smiled brightly, the imaginary lightbulb going on over her head. "I know! We can go see it tomorrow night, if you want."
He raised an eyebrow for a moment before giving her a cautious grin. "Sure, no problem. But are you sure that you want to see it again? We could go see something else, you know."
"Oh, no, we have to go see this one! It was amazing!" She leapt out of her seat. "Well, I'll be right back, guys. That movie theatre pop goes right through me." She dashed for the bathroom, calling out, "And no fighting, do you understand?" When she slammed the door, the two men were left in dark silence as they glared at each other.
"You can leave now, Kiddy King. As you can see, she's home and doesn't need you around anymore," Ikuto sneered.
"I don't think so, Tsukiyomi Ikuto." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and folding his hands together. "I don't like that you're…staying here. Amu-chan seems to think that there's no reason for her not to trust you, but I can see every reason. You plan out everything just so and you're always in for personal gain. So what is it this time, Black Cat?"
Ikuto was rigid for a moment, seething with anger. He forced his voice to remain light, however, as he threw his arm over the back of his chair, slouching in his seat. "You caught me, you great detective you," he mocked. "I've decided to steal Amu's precious rare gems and sell them to some evil mastermind who will use them to power his world destruction ray. Oh, and I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for a meddling little king and his overactive imagination." He glared across the table. "Stop watching Scooby Doo, Tadase."
The fury was evident on Tadase's face, but he controlled it just like anyone of royalty would. "You either move out, Ikuto, or I'll bring the police into this. I'm sure they'd love to know who nearly destroyed the Easter headquarters."
Ikuto snapped. He was out of his chair in an instant, standing menacingly over Tadase. "Don't mess with something you know nothing about, little boy. Because the consequences are not something you will want to deal with."
"Leave Amu-chan out of whatever scheme you're planning," Tadase ordered, standing as well.
With a growl, Ikuto pulled back his fist, ready to hit the younger man in the face for his impudence. How could he know that Ikuto was planning anything? How could he think for a moment that he would allow anything to so much as touch Amu?
A soft yet strong hand grabbed his, stopping it from flying forward and burying itself in Tadase's face. "Don't you dare, Ikuto! I told you two not to fight while I was in the bathroom."
Turning his head, Ikuto saw that Amu was furious and ready to take it out on him. Shit, that was just his luck, wasn't it? She had to come out when he was being the bad guy, not when Tadase was dictating what Ikuto do with his time.
"Tadase-kun, I want you to leave right now. I have to talk to Ikuto privately. I might call you tomorrow."
That's right, bastard, I get to keep her.
'You proved that you're alpha, Ikuto! Of course she'll stay with you. Women dig power, nya.'
Shut up.
Tadase left with a backward glare at Ikuto, saying, "If you need me, Amu-chan, I'm only a phone call away." He shut the door behind him with dignified ease, somehow making the soft click echo in the apartment.
Ikuto turned to Amu, ready to apologize, to tell her what had happened, when she dropped his arm and stalked towards their bedroom. "Where are you going, Amu?" he asked, following after her. She didn't reply, simply grabbed one of the blankets from her bed and tossed it at him, along with a pillow. "Wh-what the hell?"
"You get the couch tonight."
Shit.
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Ouch. Poor Ikuto getting thrown in the doghouse. I didn't mean for Tadase to come out quite so vindictive, but oh, well, what can you do? Besides, this Tadase fits into the story, so he might be a little OOC, though not much, in my opinion.
Niixx
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Preview:
Get Your Own Bed!
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"C'mon, Amu; don't you want to hear my side of the story?" Ikuto asked as he failed—once again—to crawl into the bed beside her. She seemed adamant in kicking him out onto the couch.
"No. Now go away, you big jerk."
She was so angry with him, it wasn't even right. So what if he'd been about to rearrange Tadase's face? That little asshole had deserved it! Ikuto couldn't be expected to just sit by and let the wanna-be king dictate what he did and did not do with Amu, and if she would just let him tell her the story, she might actually laugh at it. Or be even angrier with him. But either way was fine.
He decided to turn on the charm. Maybe this time it would work on her. "You don't really want to kick me out of your bed, do you?" he asked quietly, smiling so that the action would be heard in his voice. Please let her suddenly be un-immune to me, he prayed.
"Yes, I really do." She flipped over to glare at him from beneath her covers. "I can't believe you started a fight with Tadase for no good reason! How could he have done anything to deserve that? He was our—my!—guest and you treated him horribly." She pouted, arms crossed beneath her breasts, pushing her cleavage up and distracting him from his goal of not having to spend the night on the lumpy couch that would only serve to hurt his back.
"Uhm…well…what were we talking about?" he asked, mesmerized by her cleavage.
"You pig!" Amu threw her pillow at him.
Damn.
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Does Amu ever do well trying to kick Ikuto out of bed?
No. No she doesn't. Lol.