Author's Note: Hello again. Seems like people want the extra chapters (like I said, both are currently on A3 if anyone's impatient or interested) so I'm gonna put them here. Note that I went over them again, added some things, touched it up, that kinda thing. The original chapter itself was sort of bad =_= Anyway, here you go, for those who wanted the extra chapters.
Also, just saying, but these take place before the events of Chapter 1. There's a reminder right below these words for those with somehow really short-term memory. Anyhow; enjoy! ^^
(A few days before the events of Chapter 1)
It was around 10AM, nearing noon. Morning daylight shone through the glass windows of the pretty white house. Outside, the sun was bright and the sky was blue, making it another day of perfect spring weather. The light breezes of wind could be heard pushing against the wind chimes hung on the porch outside, the metallic objects dancing about as they made a collection of pretty notes with every clang.
In what took several moments, Shun awoke silently, his eyes slowly opening, adjusting to the brightness coming from the outdoors. By some horrible miracle, the light from the window had somehow landed directly on to his face, blinding his eyesight and bugging him in his sleep. He calmly sat up, covering his mouth as he yawned big, stretching his shoulders and leaning back on his arms. It was then that he suddenly remembered that he had been sleeping on Alice's couch.
He had practically forgot; perhaps the couch itself was just so comfortable that it made him forget everything and everything as he fell into his deep slumber. It wasn't just the plushy cushions or soft reupholstered fabric, but as a neat addition, a thick woolly blanket had been tucked over him carefully, with a fluffy pillow cradling his head. His jacket was off, hanging off of a tall wooden coat hanger by the door to the hallway, which led to the entrance way, and his shoes were sitting in a short little shelf among Alice's sandals and boots.
Shun then smelled an aroma going to his nose; a delicious aroma that instantly made his mouth water. His head turned abruptly to the door to the dining room, where he could hear someone setting plates down on the table. He pulled his legs out from under the blanket, sitting on the couch, and then stood up, heading over towards the door.
When he opened it and looked inside, he saw that the dinner table had been set for breakfast. There was one large plate on one side of the table, and one large plate diagonal from it; chopsticks had been set beside them, but there were also some napkins rolled around forks, knives, and spoons. A short tea cup accompanied each plate, and a thick white napkin had been decoratively folded and placed on top. A vase with a bouquet of vibrantly-colored roses was sitting in the middle of the table, next to a large white teapot with floral designs and painted on it, all of this on top of a white tablecloth with a red one on top.
Alice was there, wiping one of the plates with a clean dishcloth. Her thick orange-red locks were pulled back into what looked like a ponytail, bound with a black claw hair clip, the cascading curls falling over her back. She wasn't completely dressed, wearing a frilly white short-sleeved nightgown, the hem of the skirt twirling around her knees, but she had put on a yellow and orange apron over it and the strings were tied around her waist in a bow. She wore a pair of green slippers on her feet, and a thin silver necklace around her neck, a heart pendant hanging off of it. She was humming quietly, her voice sounding lovely and clear as a bell.
She looked up from the plate and greeted Shun with a warm smile. "Good morning, Shun," she said kindly.
"Good morning," Shun responded, realizing he had been staring at her rather rudely, admiring her nearly flawless appearance despite the early, busy morning, but it seemed she hadn't noticed.
"How did you sleep?" she asked, setting the plate down.
"It was great." He scratched behind his head nervously, realizing his hair was still in a ponytail, and to his worry, it felt greasier than it had yesterday. "Uh, sorry for sleeping in late."
"It's fine," Alice told him assuredly. "I was able to make some breakfast while you were resting."
Shun watched as Alice headed out another door to the kitchen. "I'll be right back, but feel free to come and see what's going on," she added.
He realized that the stove was still on and there was something frying on a pan. The scent from the kitchen smelled familiar; very familiar. It practically smelled like Japanese food. He followed her into the kitchen.
Sure enough, Alice was standing beside the stove, an iron pan on the burner, cooking a piece of salmon on it. It smelled salty, and from the looks of it, it was being broiled. Beside her on the counter tops were different bowls with other familiar foods; a large bowl of miso soup, a bowl of natto mixed with soy sauce, a bowl of nori, a big plate of tamagoyaki rolled omelets, and an enormous rice cooker filled to the top with steamed rice.
Alice picked up the broiled salted salmon with a spatula and put it on a large plate beside her. "You made Japanese food?" he asked, once Alice turned off the stove.
"Well, since it would be easiest for you, I thought it'd be best to make a traditional Japanese breakfast," she explained. "Do you usually eat this stuff at home?" She turned to him, her hand going nervously to her mouth. "Or did I choose the wrong things to make..."
"Hey, it's fine," Shun said quickly. "This is basically what I usually eat anyway. And it smells amazing."
Surprised, Alice's cheeks turned pink and she laughed a little. "Oh thank you! I just practice a lot."
Alice then picked up the plate of broiled salmon. "Why don't you go sit down?" she suggested. "I'll bring all the food to the table."
"I'll help," Shun told her, about to pick up the rice cooker.
He then felt Alice jab him sharply in his side, her nimble fingers pressing into the loose fabric of his shirt to his skin, and turned around to see her worryingly furrow her brow. "No, of course not! You are my guest, there will be no busy work for you!" She pointed her finger off to the dining room. "Please, go sit yourself down."
Shun was taken aback by her assertive gesture. "You sure...?" he asked slowly.
Alice shifted her weight to the side, looking almost slightly exasperated as an eyebrow raised. "Of course I am."
He hesitated, but then he just smiled. She looked oddly cute when she was being firm. "Whatever you say." He walked off to the dining room, unaware to Alice blushing slightly.
Shun sat down on the wider side of the table and saw Alice bring in the salmon and the tamagoyaki. "You can start whenever you like," she told him.
She returned back to the kitchen, and Shun decided he would wait for her. He took the chopsticks from the small chopstick rest, positioning them into his hand as he usually did, and waited as she brought in two bowls of miso, two bowls of natto placed on top of rice, and two bowls of nori strips dipped in soy sauce and mixed with rice.
"You didn't have to wait for me," she said when bringing out a plate of daikon radish to go with the tamagoyaki, closing the kitchen door behind her and setting the plate on the table beside the omelets.
Shun just shrugged. "Well, it would be rude to eat without you," he replied quietly, personally hoping she wouldn't completely hear him, but somehow, she did.
"It's not rude to me at all." Alice sat down, her apron taken off. Shun was suddenly thankful that the nightgown wasn't sheer, because he had been a little apprehensive thinking about how thin the fabric looked, and he would have definitely seen things he would have regretted otherwise. She unfolded her napkin and placed it delicately over her lap. Shun copied and did the same.
"Well, itadakimasu," Shun said as part of Japanese tradition, putting his palms together, with the chopsticks still intertwined with his fingers. At this point he had to keep swallowing over and over again because the food smelled so good. Alice put her hands together and repeated. "Itadakimasu."
Shun then took a piece of the cut salmon, along with some tamagoyaki and a bit of daikon radish, and took a bite.
...Incredible; the food tasted irresistible...
Alice had only eaten a little bit herself, but she instead found herself stopping and watched Shun scarf down what remained on his plate. He himself usually never ate that fast, but he couldn't control himself as he picked up food quickly, stuck it in his mouth, and then diving for another piece while chewing and swallowing. The taste was so succulent, so rich, so divine; hell, she was a one-hundred times better cook than his grandfather by far. Or even himself. Or anyone he even knew.
"Well, what do you think?" Alice asked, taking another bite of tamagoyaki when he had almost cleared the dish. "Does it taste like normal Japanese food...?"
Shun wolfed down what remained in his mouth and looked her in the eye seriously. While his 'serious face' tended to be his normal face, as he was naturally always stoic and expressionless, there was a noticeable glint in his eye when he was about to speak the truth. "I've never tasted anything better."
Alice blushed and ate another piece. "I'm sure it's not that good-"
"No, Alice, it's amazing," he blurted out. "The texture, the flavor, the scent. It's the best breakfast I've ever eaten in my entire life and I'm not lying."
Alice was surprised, but she smiled. "I'm just happy you like it."
"I love it." Shun took the miso soup bowl and picked the tofu pieces out, eating each and every one, going for the wakame seaweed, before then drinking the broth down, finding little pieces of green onion inside.
Alice continued to eat, finishing off her piece of salmon and her tamagoyaki, moving on to the bowls.
Only in a mere matter of minutes had Shun finished off his meal, and was eying the rest of the salmon and tamagoyaki, even though he was practically full. "Help yourself to seconds if you'd like," Alice told him, "that is, if you aren't too full. You ate really quickly..."
Shun wanted to have more, but she did have a point. As much as he regretted doing so, he waved his hand away and shook his head. "You're right, I shouldn't eat any more."
Alice finished off her miso and looked up to see Shun running a hand over his greasy hair, grimacing as he felt the oily consistency left on his fingers. Sure, he hadn't washed his hair in a while; or even had a decent bath in a while (the most he had had was a dip in a nearby lake which had been filled with dirty fish four days ago); but he had never expected it to get so slippery to the touch. It didn't help the current state of his odor, either.
"Do you want to use the shower?" she asked.
Shun quickly shook his head at her answer. "No, it's fine, I won't use it."
"Are you sure? I can wash your clothes if you'd like while you're in it," she added helpfully. "And besides, it's always good to take one if you haven't had one in a while. Have you washed yourself since coming here?"
Shun thought for a moment. "W-Well, no, but it's not like I need one. I'd just be causing you trouble."
"But you haven't been causing me any trouble at all!" Alice sighed. "Please, as my guest, I must be able to give you the best of care during your stay here. Once I wash the dishes, you can hop into the shower and enjoy yourself. There's some clean soap and towels ready for you there. I'll take your clothes and wash and dry them, and if you finish early, I can get you an extra change of clothes too."
He sat in stunned silence. Alice went to great lengths for many people; but he hadn't expected her to go to such great lengths for him. He knew he probably wasn't the worth house guest in the world, and no one had ever complained about his stays, but he had always worried himself about being a bother to people like, well, Alice. "You'd be willing to do all that for me?"
"Of course!" Alice smiled. It really was a breathtaking smile, her smooth lips parting for merely a moment as her face warmed benevolently.
"You don't even mind me staying here?"
"Why would I mind? You can stay here as long as you like."
Shun looked down for a moment. As long as he liked? "R-Really?"
"Yeah." Hesitantly, Alice put her hand on top of his. Her skin was warm and gentle, the gesture so pure and affectionate. Shun felt his face grow a bit red. He had always wondered what it would feel like to have their hands clasped together. Even though their fingers were laced together, the contact was enough. "I'll take care of you, no matter what."
Shun then smiled, trying hard not to stutter. "Thank you, Alice. I really do mean it."
"It's no problem at all." Alice took her hand off and stood up, starting to gather the empty dishes together. "I'm going to start washing the dishes in the sink. You can do whatever you like for the time being, just don't use the shower yet, 'cause I'll be using the hot water."
Shun nodded. "Okay." He picked up some more dishes when she came back to get more and handed them to her. "Thank you," she said sweetly to his kind motion.
Shun walked back to the living room and sat down on the couch, the comfiness of it easing him from his formerly racing heart. He touched his hand, feeling the spot where her hand had gone. It didn't feel so warm as it had without it, and he wanted it back. He then tried his best to wipe what sweat was on him with his jacket instead of the clean blanket, even rubbing his hair on it to see if it would get any of the grease off. Of course, this was a dumb idea, and now his jacket smelled just about as good as he did; like shit. He sighed.
"The struggle is real," he muttered.
He then looked over to the door leading to the dining room/kitchen. He could hear Alice's pretty voice humming again, filling the air with a music he could listen to every moment of his life if he had the choice. She looked so beautiful this morning...
Somehow, his feet brought him to the door and he stepped from the dining room into the kitchen, seeing Alice scrubbing the dishes with a sponge. She smiled when she saw him. "Is there anything you need?" she asked.
Shun shook his head. "No, I don't need anything right now." He took one of the wet clean dishes sitting on the side and dried it with a nearby dishcloth, putting it away in one of the cupboards behind her.
"Thank you," she said warmly. "I appreciate it."
Shun watched her from behind, her back turned to his. He was only a few inches from her. She smelled really good; like cinnamon sugar.
Without thinking, his hands reached out to her sides, and they settled themselves on her hips. Alice stiffened ever so slightly. Shun's arms then began wrapping around her waist, his skin touching the fabric of her apron, pulling her in slowly. Alice stopped what she was doing for a moment, surprised at what was happening.
"Sh-Shun...?"
Shun leaned forward, his chest against her back, and rested his chin on her right shoulder. He was so close to her now, and he felt so good with her...
"Thank you for this," he murmured in her ear. He could feel a little bit of her soft hair against the back of his neck.
Heat was emanating from Alice's face, and he squeezed his arms tightly around her in an embracing hug, pressing up against her gently.
Reluctantly, Shun let go, slipping his arms off of her, realizing what he had done. Not sure what to say, he quickly walked out of the kitchen, heading back off to the living room, leaving a confused Alice blushing furiously as she touched where his hands had gone around her.
Author's Note: That's the second chapter ~.~ What does everyone think? I'm also not too sure if this is intended to be an AU or not, this is taking place at Alice's house, which is an actual canon location (as seen from New Vestroia, if memories from childhood serve me right), so I dunno, probably isn't. But I hope people are enjoying this at least. It might be a bit cliche of the typical fluffy boy/girl fics out there, but I dunno, maybe you like cliche...
As always, reviews and favorites are welcome and greatly appreciated! Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows so far, guys, makes my day. Look forward to the third chapter, if you feel so inclined XD
