Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara!

Chapter Summary: Amu refuses to allow Ikuto to sleep in her bed after his fight with Tadase, but Ikuto knows how to weasel his way back in.

A/N: I would like to announce officially the CrimzonRozeAlchemist is my beta for this story. She helped with last chapter, but I totally forgot to mention her. Sorry, Roze! :(

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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.

"Amu, I didn't mean to, I just—"

"I don't want to hear it! Go sleep on the couch!" The only part of her now visible was the lone arm that pointed blindly towards the door of her bedroom. "I don't want you coming near me tonight!"

Raising an eyebrow, Ikuto finally sighed, making his way towards the living room. He couldn't believe she wouldn't even listen to him! The fact that they were friends didn't stop her from jumping to her "first" love's defense! So what if he'd been about to kick the twerp's ass; he had it coming! Tadase just started coming around because Rima must have told him that Ikuto had been spending the night there!

He sank down onto the couch, working himself into even more of a temper when she slammed the door shut. As if that would stop him! If he wanted to sleep in her—it's ours, he thought vengefully—than she had better make room there for him!

It seems, even in his own mind, that he was more talk than actual action.

He slept that night on the couch, nearly too long for the stupid thing. It was uncomfortable and lumpy and might actually smell worse than mildew. And there were few scents he hated more than the mildew stench.

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He didn't even try to sneak in last night! What if he isn't even here this morning?! Oh, God, what if he never speaks to me again?! I was just angry! He's never stayed out of bed before!

Amu had been awake most the night, worrying that she had truly pushed away one of her closest friends. She'd been angry the night before—furious, really. But he had started a battle in the middle of her crowded kitchen, and she couldn't afford to be kicked out of her apartment. But that didn't mean that she had the right to not even listen to his side of the story.

He was right; she should have asked him what had happened instead of jumping to conclusions. It hadn't been fair of her.

But she couldn't believe he'd actually stayed out of the bed!

Standing, she slowly shook her limbs out, feeling the weightiness of them. Moving silently to her closet, she pulled on her favorite purple sweater and comfiest pair of jeans. She threw them on the bed, crossing the room to her dresser to get a fresh pair of panties and a bra. After her shower, she would try to find him and apologize.

Without wondering why the bathroom door was closed, Amu burst in. Already hastily unbuttoning her pajama top, she nearly imploded with delight when she saw Ikuto standing at her mirror, brushing his teeth in nothing but a towel wrapped loosely around his slim waist.

His hair was still slightly damp, implying that he had recently gotten out of the shower, as did the towel. He had obviously shaved, as well, though he didn't seem to be completely awake. His eyes caught hers in the mirror as the motions of his toothbrush slowed. Narrowing, the blue orbs didn't leave her as he spat into the sink.

"Unless you're planning to continue undressing, you owe me big," he said in annoyance, lazily turning towards her. "That couch is nasty smelling and uncomfortable as hell. And definitely too cold when you insist on leaving the window open all night!"

She blushed furiously, realizing that as she'd been overcome with happiness to find him still hanging around, she had in fact continued unbuttoning her shirt. Quelling the flush, she said in her rarely used "Cool 'n' Spicy" tone, "Hmm, then it seems I owe you big." He raised an eyebrow, moving closer to her slowly. The tone vanished as she backed right out of the door, gaping at him as he followed. "Wh-what are you doing, Ikuto?" Nothing. "Ikuto?!"

"Let's see how you're going to make up for my night of hell."

For every step she took back, he took one forward, herding her into her bedroom and trapping her between her bed and his barely-clad body.

A lump rose in her throat. Oh, God, what had she gotten herself into? She shouldn't have wished for him to be there; she should have just left well enough alone. "I-Ikuto…now don't do anything rash!" Her voice rose to near screech levels as his face lowered towards hers, her cheeks flaming brightly. In her nervousness, she overbalanced, falling onto the bed.

They both froze before Ikuto started chuckling in earnest. She stared up at him in horror as he genuinely lost control of himself. Sinking to the floor, he held his stomach, oblivious to the fact that his towel was riding dangerously low on his hips.

"Con-consider yourself…paid in full!" Barely able to get that out, he tried to calm down, only to find it nearly impossible for him. He didn't stop laughing until Amu stood over him, a dark air surrounding her. His chuckles diminished as he explained half-heartedly, "Your face was so red; you looked like you were going to pee your pants!"

When she didn't seem to see the humor in the situation that he did, he rose, one hand holding the towel securely at his waist, the other reaching out for her. "Aw, come on, Amu-koi; don't be mad. I didn't mean to embarrass you."

Just as his arm would have wrapped around her to draw her closer, anger flared in her eyes and she shouted, "Don't touch me, you jerk!" and flailed wildly to push him away. Her hand caught part of the towel, pulling the material from his shocked hold.

Her face flamed again as the barrier between her and his nakedness hit the ground with a soft, wet sound and she took it all in. With a cry, she fled the room. "P-put some clo-clothes on!" The door slammed behind her.

He laughed quietly to himself as he got the towel and went to the closet, grabbing his clothing.

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"Y-you can't just wander around my house in a towel, pervert!" Amu cried later that night as they got ready for bed. She'd tried avoiding him most of the day, but hadn't succeeded. He'd been determined to follow her around constantly, sneaking up on her whenever possible.

"Aw, don't be such a prude, Amu," Ikuto replied jokingly, yawning with a long stretch. "Besides, that makes us even, doesn't it? I saw yours, you saw mine."

She groaned, flinging herself under the covers and jerking them over her head. "Go away, perv!" Her shout was muffled by the thick comforter between them. "I thought that maybe today was going to be the one day that you wouldn't be perverted! But apparently you can't handle twenty-four hours without doing something sexual to me!"

Sliding into the bed beside her, he somehow managed to wrestle away some of the covers, moving silently beneath them as well. He shrugged and squirmed until he was lying across her back. "It's because I always think about sex with you."

He couldn't believe how surprised she was by his crude statement. Turning her head so she could gawk at him, she finally sputtered, "That's it! Get out!" and shoved him forcefully onto the floor. Leaning over the side of the bed, she growled, "Perverted old men sleep on the couch!"

Rising slowly, he gently pushed her over, moving back under the covers. "Nice try. I'm sleeping here tonight. I don't think my back can take another beating like that." He gently pulled her into his chest, yawning once more like a contented cat. "Now shut up and go to sleep."

"Get out."

"Amu, I'm trying to sleep. Be a sweetheart and shut up."

"Get your own bed!"

"This is my bed."

"It is not! Get out, pervert!"

A brief tussle ensued as Amu tried to wriggle enough out of his hold that she could escape and push him away without having to worry about falling with him. Ikuto, of course, won, ending with her back to his front while his body naturally curled around her in a protective—and possessive—position. "Mmm, I'm glad you're still warm," he murmured into her hair.

"Shut up," she snarled before squirming once more. "Let go; I'm going to sleep on the couch." She broke free of his hold, standing with a humph of indignation before striding into the living room.

How did I end up sleeping on the couch?! This is going to be the night from hell!

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Amu woke the next morning, expecting a hard pain in her back and scared to move. At least it's warm, she concluded, trying to remain optimistic so as not to start an argument with Suu or Ran that early in the morning. Just as she would have attempted to shift, she heard a low groan from beneath her and felt the couch shift underneath her body.

Eyes flying open, Amu found herself staring at a sleeping Ikuto, whose face was contorted in obvious pain. I…I don't remember falling asleep on top of him…. She slowly started to move away from him, hoping to wake him gently. He did that, she knew, so that I wouldn't hurt my own back. Because I would have known if he'd copped a feel in my sleep. I'll run him a hot bath to help with his back.

When she stood, her wrist was instantly held in his hand, stopping her from moving. "What're you doing?" he asked groggily, glaring up at her with drowsy eyes as if she'd committed a crime.

"Would you like breakfast or a hot bath first?" she asked quietly, much like her mother had to her father whenever he was sick or in one of his emotional blackholes.

He blinked a few times, before moaning. "Goddamnit, I'm dreaming." He dropped her arm and flipped onto his side, turning his face into the back of the couch. "If this were actually real, I'd want breakfast first. I'm starving."

She smiled then quickly wiped it off her face. "What do you want for breakfast, though? Do you expect me to read your mind?" She tried to keep her voice harsh, even put her hands on her hips for visual enhancement. "Ikuto, you need to stop expecting me to be superwoman!"

Realization was slow to dawn on him as he turned over, wincing when he sat up. He looked up at her suspiciously. "Am I really awake?" She nodded. "Shit. Sorry." He stood, hand going to the small of his back. He gave a low groan and Amu's pretense of anger was quickly forgotten.

Guiding him back to the couch, she worried, "Just sit back! I'll make you some breakfast and run a hot bath for you. It's my fault, anyways." Once assured he would stay on the couch, she twisted on her heel, ready to run into the kitchen when he grabbed her arm and tugged her into his lap.

"Thanks, Amu-koi," he murmured as he buried his nose where her neck met her shoulder.

She blushed furiously. "No, i-it was my f-fault. Don't th-thank me." She started scooting off his lap, but his arm swung around her hips, holding her to him. "St-stop it, Ikuto! I mean it! Let go!" He didn't. "Please, Ikuto! I need to go make breakfast!" She tried to think of any excuse for him to let her go.

"On one condition, Amu-koi," he said, looking up to smirk at her.

Her face flamed higher. "I will not call you Ikuto-koi!"

"Then you will not get up. I can sit here all day, if you like." When she began fighting his hold, however, he flinched, leaning back against the couch. "Maybe not," he muttered to himself.

Pouting, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Ikuto-koi," she grumbled, barely audible.

"Excuse me?" he asked teasingly. "I don't believe I heard you."

"Ikuto-koi."

"Louder, please. I can't hear you over the wind."

"There is no wind, you asshole!"

"Temper, temper!"

"You know that I called you Ikuto-koi!"

He smirked. "Now I know for sure and you can't deny it." He let her go, even went so far as to guide her to standing. He swatted her ass playfully, walking towards the bedroom while throwing over his shoulder, "I'd really like some bacon and eggs, if you don't mind."

"I hate you, Ikuto-ko—I mean, Ikuto!"

He poked his head out of the bedroom, already having taken off his shirt. "This whole thing could have been avoided if you'd just listen to my side of the Tadase thing!" he mocked.

"Shut up!"

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Well, kind of a short chapter. Lol. Sorry everyone. :P
But don't worry! I'm officially on summer break, so I should be able to write a lot more often. Hell, I might—might being the operative word—be able to update more than once every two weeks! Who knows?!
Niixx

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Preview:
Already Wifely

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"Aw, Amu, don't get so upset. What're you going to do when I tease you while we're married? You can't just ignore me then," Ikuto said, trying not to laugh at the pinkette. She laid in their bed facing away from him, arms crossed as she pouted about him making her call him "Ikuto-koi". She hadn't spoken to him since yelling at him to shut up, dropping his breakfast haphazardly in front of him at the table and skipping the bath all together.

He knew that saying they were getting married would get her to talk, but he hadn't expected it to make her freak out.

"I will not marry you, you…you…. I can't even come up with an insult rude enough for what you are!" She flipped onto her other side, facing him in the bed. Poking one finger into his chest, she hissed, "And for another thing—"

The phone rang, cutting into her onslaught. Ignoring her protest, Ikuto rose, moving fluidly to go answer it, a definite hop in his step. She followed after a moment, remembering that the people that usually called her—namely her father—wouldn't like the idea of Ikuto being there so late at night. "Ikuto, don't answer—"

Of course, he ignored her. "Hello?" he asked, picking up the phone. "Oh, hi, Hinamori-sama. Yes, she's right here. What am I doing here? Hasn't Amu told you yet? We're engaged. Well, it was kind of sudden. No, no, you don't have to worry about that; I've got it covered. No, really, it's fine." Ikuto looked down at the horrified Amu and mouthed, "What's wrong with you?" as if it were perfectly normal for him to talk on the phone well past the appropriate time with her parents.

"Don't lie to my parents!" she snarled, keeping her voice low.

He shrugged, covering the phone with one hand while tilting it away from his face. "It isn't lying if it's gonna happen." He returned to his phone call. "Sorry about that, what did you say? Oh, yeah!" He chuckled. "I'll be sure to tell her that the next time I see him. Uh-huh. All right, I'll let you go then. Amu will call you back in the morning; I'll make sure of it. Yup. You, too. Bye." He hung up.

And she attacked.

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This was completely out of the blue. Lol. I was with my "fiancé" (a joke between my whole grade and I) and had this conversation on his cellphone with his mother. She thinks we're dating now. Haha. :D