The Moments Between Us

Summary: A collection of one-shot/drabble moments shared between Natsume Hyūga and Ruka Nogi as strangers, enemies, best friends, and lovers. Based on a list of 100 personal challenge prompts on LJ.

Rating: K – M (but will be mostly classified as T)

Disclaimer: See chapter 1 :p

Memory 2 - Burning Kitchens

Pairing(s): Natsume x Ruka

Warning(s): Slight future AU'ish. More like, they live in a world where Alice Academy was nice and was like normal high school (0.o)

Rating: PG-15

Summary: Natsume could only try his best to make his Ruka happy. And apparently his best was good enough.

Based on: Prompt 056 - Breakfast

On the first night before their first anniversary they had done nothing different than what they usually would do before they went to bed on any other normal night. Ruka still kissed his husband softly on the lips, Natsume still tried groping his ass, and all was right in the world when they cuddled together for the night.

But in the morning, unknown to Ruka, Natsume awoke when the shrill beeping of his phone alarm had started next to his ear. It was their first anniversary and Natsume was determined to make it count as he slowly untangled himself from the cute mess that Ruka made in the morning. His slighter husband, though he would deny it, took up most the bed. He clutched pillows and blankets to himself the first month they had first shared a bed together, but as time went on he ended up clutching all over Natsume instead. Not that the raven was complaining or anything, Natsume was actually more than happy to have Ruka's warm body sprawled all over his. Mornings were also the best ever since Ruka's little habit started and Natsume—never being a morning person, found himself waking up a couple of minutes earlier just to watch as the man he loved stirred to life in his arms.

Today though, he wouldn't get the chance. His eyes lingered on his blonde before he shook off the disappointment of missing something he took pleasure in doing every morning. Even if Ruka's sleepy, loving smile was the cutest thing that kept Natsume going for the day; he would gladly miss it in exchange for the blonde's happiness. When he successfully got up without disturbing anything, Natsume softly gazed upon his blonde once more before pressing a light kiss to his temple and tiptoeing out of their room so that he could start on what he hoped would make the day special for the most beloved person in his life.

Two hours and ten minutes later, Ruka woke up to a loud crash and a muffled curse. Sky blue eyes opened blearily, starting to blink the tiredness out of them when he took in his surroundings enough to notice that he was cold and that Natsume was nowhere in their room.

Now Ruka wasn't the type of person to panic about the little things, he was the type to stay level headed and calm to the end. Being the yin to Natsume's yang, he had learned how to calm himself down in times where fear was evident—but those lessons were currently flying out the window.

Natsume was gone, and there was someone in the house.

Ruka figured that calm could screw itself over as he sat up, starting to hyperventilate in his panic. In fights, it would always be Natsume that would come to the rescue. No matter how pathetic it was, Natsume was the one with the Dangerous Ability Alice! What could Ruka really do? Summon his bunnies to attack? And even that was something he wasn't willing to do! He didn't want to hurt anyone, especially not the bunnies!

"Argh!" The shout came again, louder from the kitchen this time. "Damn it!" came the infuriated curse.

Okay, that sounded like Natsume. The blonde's fists tightened from where he was gripping the sheets. If Natsume was in trouble… Ruka boldly grabbed onto whatever portable was closest to him at the moment (which was the thick ass book of poems that they had bought for decoration instead of actual reading material) and stood shakily on his legs. With a determined look in his eyes, a frown on his face, and clad in a two sizes two big pajama top that was sliding sideways off of his shoulders, Ruka rushed through the door ready to save his love from the dangers he was facing.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Natsume was sitting on the barstool for the island counter in the middle of a mess. When he made his way down that morning everything was spotless and clean, another habit that Ruka had taken up when he had been officially dubbed as the 'wife' in the relationship. Now, Natsume sat with his elbows on the counter, face hidden in his hands and the shadows of the raven locks he was scrunching up angrily in an attempt to calm down.

Around him, black soot and the smell of burnt… everything, filled the air. In his effort to try and make breakfast for his love, Natsume had gotten excited with the prospect of making Ruka deliriously happy for at least one morning. Being the 'husband' in the relationship, Natsume never bothered to learn how to cook either—but he had taken lessons in secret with Mikan and he figured that everything would be fine if he just used his Alice to try and speed up the stove some more. Who knew that adding more fire would burn everything? Natsume sure didn't.

Personally, he blamed Mikan.

Now what was he going to do about their anniversary? It would be their first one as a married couple and Natsume just wanted everything to go along smoothly and perfectly. What would he do when Ruka woke up? What would he sa—

"…Nat…sume…?"

Shit freaking monkey babies.

"…What happened to my kitchen…?" was the next question that was uttered in the voice that Natsume loved so much.

The raven refused to look up though. He refused. There was no way that he can face Ruka now; there was just no freaking way possible. This was their anniversary morning and he wanted everything to be perfect, but he ended up just screwing everything over and destroying the one area that Natsume suspected Ruka loved out of the whole entire house. Oh no! A sudden thought flew through his mind. What if Ruka decided to get a divorce because of this? Oh please, don't let it come to that!

Natsume gripped tighter on his hair before his hands were suddenly sharply yanked away. An unmanly yelp escaped his mouth but Natsume didn't care as he stared into the furious blue of his beloved's eyes.

"What. Happened." Ruka's voice was sharp as a sword and as hard as steel, and try as Natsume might, he couldn't help the flinch that came with every emphasized word.

The anniversary breakfast was supposed to be a surprise, a way of Natsume to show Ruka that he loved him enough to overcome his disability when it came down to cooking. But, with nervously shifting scarlet eyes filled with shame, Natsume answered with a small "anniversary…" and watched as confusion was replaced with quick understanding in a matter of seconds.

"…I tried making you pancakes…" Natsume started, looking nothing like his fierce self but instead, like a petulant child that was caught doing something that his mother told him to not do. "…I tried to speed up the cooking part but it backfired…" crimson refused to look at now amused blue. "…and I might have gotten a little angry with everything… so…" he trailed off, pretty sure that his blonde would understand the implication.

When they had left the academy and gotten married, Natsume's powers hadn't diminished in the smallest of sense. Instead, it increased with power enough for him to be wary of his own emotions. He needed to keep any burst of emotion down, whether it was happiness or anger, unless he wanted to end up burning everything that could catch on fire around him.

After a long period of silence, Natsume looked up from where he was studying a fairly interesting look crumb. He did so hesitantly, but when he saw watery blue he ended up throwing all reluctance aside. Ruka, his beloved 'wife', was crying through eyes that looked to be overfilled with tears and the softness of love. The blond made his way to Natsume's side in a small jog then, throwing himself onto Natsume who looked totally confused out of his mind.

"You tried for me." Was heard through small sobs and Natsume's confusion lifted, turning into the smallest of affectionate smiles. His arms tightened around Ruka's smaller body and he leaned to press kiss after kiss into the crying blonde's sunlight colored hair. And when Ruka pulled away with one of the beautifulest smiles that he had ever given to Natsume, tears still rolling down and sky blue eyes the color of a sunny summer day… Natsume figured that it wasn't a really horrible first anniversary after all. He had tried to make it count and, with his blonde happy enough to be able to smile through his tears, Natsume knew that he had succeeded.

Ruka's happiness was all that mattered.

A/N: so yeah(: 2nd chapter haha whoo! i have a couple of M rated ones that I sorta kinda don't/want to post up. it's confusing but if you guys want them, i'll put them up :/ just tell me? why don't i want to put them up? well... haha idk... my lemons are... yeah... *hangs head*

on a happier note! :D i thought i would just post them like once every week :D when every week? :D muahahaha, that's for me to know and you to— *sigh* yeah, nevermind. it's going to be random haha :)

alright? we're good? kapiche? haha okay(: thanks for reading!

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