Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Author's Note: Hi there everyone! How are you all doing? Hope you're doing well and enjoying your summer it may almost be over but it's not over yet so keep having that summer fun! :D Today I have for you another installment of 'Hidden Stash Box' I'm so very thrilled that you all are enjoying it so much! Thank you all for all of you extremely sweet and kind reviews! They really mean so much to me! I hope you all enjoy this new mini oneshot, it's shorter than the last but this is my first story with just Eric and Donna and so I'm a bit nervous. Hoping I did a good job though please lemme know what you think in a review if you can! If you're interested in guessing the word your clue for this minioneshot is the word appears five times. Also quick thing before I end this, a big thank you to Marla's Lost for letting me borrow 'Pasta Pinciotii' Thank you Marla! Okie dokie, I think that's about it, you're in luck you get a short AN this time lol Thanks again for all your support it means so very much, please review if you have the chance! Thanks once more, hope you like, please review if you can, and please, Enjoy!
Eric Forman stepped into the apartment that he shared with his longtime girlfriend, his book bag slung over his shoulder and a grin on his face.
"Oh honey, I'm home!" he announced sounding just as happy as he did when he made that same announcement during their first week there.
A whole year had passed but they were still both getting a kick out of the little things that came with living on their own and with each other. Things like announcing when they were home, being able to be the last person that the other saw in the morning and the first person they saw in the morning, and—what Eric also did their first week in their apartment—be able to have ice cream for breakfast.
"In the kitchen." A female voice called out.
Dropping his bag onto the couch Eric made his way through the small living room and headed over to even smaller kitchen. Overall the apartment was a tiny place but it was their place—and didn't have wheels attached to it.
"I'm working on dinner." her voice trailed through the wall and caused Eric to freeze in his tracks.
"Oh?" he said, hoping his fear wasn't leaking into his voice, "Well even though your names not Dinah, I'm hoping there's someone in the kitchen with you."
Donna's soft smile was the image that welcomed Eric into the kitchen; it was normally a scene that would have made Eric smile back at her, but the sight of her standing in front of the stove with several pots filled with simmering liquids on top kept his smile from appearing.
"Nope, it's just me." she answered, her smile still in place.
"Yes, it is.' Eric answered trying his hardest to keep his smile intact, "And you're not just working on dinner, you're cooking it. Like actually cooking it with the pots and pans."
"Yeah."
Eric stepped further into the room, his pace much slower and more timid than he realized.
"Great." he said but his tone didn't exactly show that he was happy about the idea but then again it didn't sound like he was against it either. It was more of a very awkward mix of the two. He cleared his throat as if that would help change his tone of voice, "This is…um…it's ah…you're not making Chicken Pinciotii again are you?"
"No."Donna answered not liking the way Eric sounded so frightened and even seemed to have gulped after asking the question, "I'm making Pasta Pinciotii."
"Another original recipe?"question Eric, wishing the answer he knew would be 'yes' would somehow magically turn out to be 'no.'
The redhead nodded, "Yes."
A false smile stretched onto Eric's face and from the look on Donna's face Eric could tell that she knew his grin was fake.
"Great." he repeated, hoping to make things better, however he just couldn't seem to be able to say the word 'Great' the way it was supposed to sound today.
Frustrated with her boyfriend, Donna rolled her eyes, "Look Eric, just because you got sick that time that I made Chicken Pinciotii doesn't mean you're gonna get sick this time. It's Pasta Pinciotii, no chicken." She firmly pointed out him "Besides it's not like I've never cooked anything else before. I've made you other meals and you didn't get sick. They were delicious."
"Well not exactly delicious."
Donna scowled, "What?"
"No, no, I mean they were good. They've been edible and you're right they didn't make me sick. I just don't think I would use the word 'delicious.'"
"Why not?" Donna asked crossing her arms over her chest.
"It's just well…you put the milk in before the cereal and it just throws everything off!" came Eric's reply as he raised his hands in the air, as if to justify his point.
"Well this isn't cereal and isn't Chicken Pinciotii either. And it would mean a lot to me if you at least tried it." she shared aloud with him.
Eric could sense that he had upset her and so he tried to fix things the best way he knew how.
"Okay, okay. Yeah, I'll try it." he nodded his head and she started to smile as he shrugged his shoulders, "I've lived a good life."
Donna's smile quickly dropped and she looked about ready to whack Eric over the head with the wooden spoon she'd left in one of the cooking pots. Seeing Donna's fiery—and not the good fiery—look, Eric swiftly tired to save himself.
"I'm joking. It was a joke, a joke!" he declared, hands up in front of him to shield himself, "Donna, of course I'm gonna try your Pasta Pinciotii. I'm excited to try it. You know, I might even eat the whole thing."
Donna's laughter caused Eric to smirk, "But could you do me one favor?"
She eyed him suspiciously, "What?"
"Tell my mother I love her!" he said over dramatically.
"Set the table, you dillhole." She ordered with a smile while playfully shoving Eric towards their small collection of plastic dishes.
"Yes, ma'am." He replied and then began to gather up the needed bowls and silverware.
There was a peaceful silence in the little kitchen where the couple stood. Eric was placing the dishes in their spots on the little round dining table and Donna was checking on the bubbling pot of sauce.
"How were your classes today?" Donna asked breaking the quietness.
Eric shrugged and placed the last piece of silverware on the table top, "Same old same. How about you?"
"They went pretty good." she nodded, "I got that psychology paper turned in. Oh and in Professor Wilson's class there was a guy who had a total Kelso moment…"
Grinning, Eric listened to Donna's tale, eager to hear about this 'Kelso Moment.' It was always nice when they witnessed moments that reminded them of their old friends; it was like a little 'hello' from Point Place. Suddenly Eric's attention that had been on Donna's story was pulled away as he noticed Donna taking the boiling pot of noodles off the stove and brining it over to the colander in the sink. He soon became very interested in her actions and could have cared less if the 'Kelso Moment' had been done by the real Kelso.
While Eric was intensely watching her, Donna continued on with her story while draining out the water from the noodles, "And then there was a picture of a baby deer and the guy goes 'Look it's a kangaroo!'" she laughed and shook her head, "I don't know how some people make it into college." She laughed again however when she saw that Eric wasn't laughing and didn't appear to be paying her any attention she scowled, "What?"
"Nothing, nothing." He started to say, "It's just, are you sure those are cooked? I didn't hear a ringing."
"A ringing?" she asked confused.
"A ringing sound from…the thing that makes the ringing noise."
Donna frowned, "There wasn't any ringing because we don't have 'the thing that makes the ringing noise.'"
"No ring making ringing thing?" Eric asked sounding almost hurt.
Wanting to bring the whole ringing conversation to an end, Donna spoke again, "They looked done okay? So I figured they were."
"Oh Donna, Donna, Donna. Looking done and being done are not the same thing." he explained.
"Okay Chef Boyardee, you show me how to check if they're done." The redheaded woman challenged.
At first Eric thought it was a test and he was very hesitant to make any kind of move. But the look in Donna's eyes were urging him on and so he stuck his hand into the pile of noodles. He pulled out a noodle and then threw it over at the door of the cabinet next to the fridge.
"Eric, what the Hell?" Donna asked outraged, "I know you didn't wanna eat it but did you have to really throw it across the room?"
"No, no! Donna, that's how you check if they're cooked right." Eric jumped in before her rampage grew, "You throw a noodle at the wall and if they stick they're ready, if not then you wait a little longer."
She wasn't exactly convinced, "Really?"
Eric nodded his head before the pair turned their attention to the kitchen cabinet with one lone noodle stuck on it.
"It stuck." Donna stated with a large grin,
Eric returned the smile, "They're done."
"I think I should check for myself." Donna firmly said before reaching for a noodle.
She then threw the piece of pasta at the same cabinet door that Eric had thrown the first noodle. And Donna's noodle not only stuck to the cabinet but it landed higher than where Eric's noodle currently was.
"Look at that. My noodle went higher than yours." she pointed out teasingly.
"Oh yeah? Oh yeah?" Eric asked in his most challenging tone, "Let's see you beat this."
Eric reached for another noodle and wasted no time in tossing it towards the cabinet. Unfortunately, Eric's throw was very good and his second noodle fell to the floor, a foot away from the cabinet door. Eric's face dropped as Donna laughed beside him.
"That was a freebie." He declared, "Everyone gets one freebie."
He then stretched his hand back into the colander that Donna already had her own hands in.
Nearly an hour later both Eric and Donna were seated at their kitchen table with a green cereal bowl in front of each of them.
"You want some more?" Donna asked.
"Sure." Eric nodded, "But don't get up, I'll get it."
Standing up from his seat, Eric walked over to the cabinet that was almost completely covered in spaghetti noodles. He grabbed a spatula and began scraping it off the door and into his bowl.
"You know, Pasta Pinciotii is a lot more fun to make than Chicken Pinciotii." Donna shared once Eric was back in his chair. "I think this is my new favorite Pinciotii dish."
Eric grinned, "You know what my favorite Pinciotii is? Donna Pinciotii."
Not being able to help her smile at his corny but sweet words, Donna lightheartedly shoved her smiling boyfriend as the continued to finish their dinner.
Author's Note: So what did you think? Did I do a good job on my first DE (mini)story or should I stick with my JH, JE, and RK? Lemme know in a review!
The word that inspired this mini-oneshot was the word…'pasta.' Who guessed correctly this time? Anyone? Are you liking the guessing? Want better clues? Just say the word!
Until next time, thanks for reading, hope you liked, please review and lemme know what you think, stay tuned, take care, and have a nice day!