Title: Pride and Matching Doilies
Summary: You know you're whipped when she brings out the pancakes.
Pairing: Marie/Stein (I blame Toasty for this canon monstrosity)
Length: 759
Author: Pick up a Pippin.
A/N: I was supposed to continue on from the last one. And I didn't.

"I think we should buy a shrubbery."

"…a shrubbery?" Marie nodded. Stein looked blank.

"Not a big one, just something to add a bit of colour to the place." Judging from the unresponsive gawp she was getting from the scientist he wasn't quite switched on this morning.

"…a shrubbery?" He repeated incredulously, Marie wondered if he was going deaf.

"Yes," then as an afterthought, "with flowers in."

"No."

"…no?" Now he was giving her the 'that's what I just said idiot' kind of look.

"Flowers and mad scientists do not go together." Marie pursed her lips, Stein felt like a cornered rat.

"Oh. My mistake."

Something told him…this was far from over.

He smelt like strawberries.

Strawberries.

This was clearly a problem of great importance.

"Marie…" the blonde looked up from the book she was reading, "…did you swap my shampoo?"

"Of course." She stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "I don't want to smell of test tube."

"Test tube…"

"Yes. Test tube."

And that pretty much ended that conversation.

"…when did we get tea lights?"

It was only when Stein was putting on his clothes in the morning three days after the 'shrubbery incident' did he realize something.

He could actually see his reflection.

Mirror!Stein looked bewildered at this turn of events.

"Marie…" the weapon poked her head round the door, angel smile in place, "did you clean the bathroom?"

"How else was I supposed to pluck my eyebrows?"

Mirror!Stein just blinked. Marie smiled sweetly.

It was then he noticed the mountain of cosmetics, several of which looked illegal in most countries and felt a dawning sense of dread.

"What…what is it?!"

"I believe she called it potpourri." Spirit twitched in horror, Stein basked in his own strawberry scented glory.

"…get rid of it."

"What?"

"Don't you see? She's…changing things." Stein honestly wondered why on earth he hadn't killed his former weapon yet.

"I really don't think-"

"It's a gal pad. Stein, she's turning it into a gal pad."

"Oh please." Spirit sighed mournfully. Stein wondered if he was missing out on some international secret he'd missed in his dysfunctional childhood.

"When does the matching couch arrive?"

"Next Thursday." Spirit let out a dry sob.

"We need to talk." Marie glanced up from the smiley faced pancakes she'd just presented, a small frown on her pretty face.

"Ok."

Stein took a deep breath, then another one because he was going to need a lot of oxygen for this rant.

"It's about the…changes."

"Changes?"

"Yes, changes." He wondered if the whole world now found it necessary to repeat things at least 3 times.

"Oh?"

"Well…they have to stop."

"…Oh." Why did he get the bizarre feeling he'd just painted a target on himself.

"Yes, you see…I need my 'space' and you're taking it over." Marie said nothing, "and it's weird having so much…order and," he let out a frustrated sigh, "my test tubes are matching Marie, matching."

"So?"

"So?!" Clearly she did not get the horrifying truth behind this fact.

"I think it's nice to have a bit of colour round this place." He stood up, the chair clattering to the floor as he did so. His finger poised delicately in the standard 'oh no you didn't' position.

He was ready to tell Marie exactly how he felt about those silly changes she'd made.

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"What kind of shrubbery?" He choked out, Marie beamed.

"So when's the wedding?"

"Shut up Spirit."