For the pumpkin/apples prompt at GochiHolidays on Twitter
Goku was happily munching away on a red juicy apple that he had picked from the apple tree just outside their home. He'd had lunch and went out to do his afternoon training and was on his way back home.
He practically inhaled the delicious piece of fruit before pulling another one out from the inside of his Gi shirt, where he had several apples stashed. As he chomped on the next apple, he waltzled his way into the kitchen to find his wife.
"Hey, Chichi!" he greeted her, a mouth full of apple.
"Goku, don't talk with your mouth full" she chided him gently from the kitchen table.
"Sorry" he apologised after swallowing down what was left in his mouth. He noticed Chichi had several big, strange shaped orange balls on the kitchen table. He felt like he'd seen them before somewhere, but couldn't think what they were called.
"Whatcha doin', Chichi?" He wondered.
"I'm gutting these pumpkins" she told him, knife in hand, "do you remember daddy had a pumpkin patch? They were ready to be picked, just in time for Halloween" Goku could vaguely recall seeing some weird orange things in the ground at the Ox King's kingdom.
"Oh. What's a pumpkin?"
"It's a large fruit. You cut off the top and scoop out the insides and you can eat it"
"I can eat it? What's it taste like?" His interest spiked.
"It tastes pretty nice" he peeked inside the one pumpkin after watching Chichi cut off the top.
"That don't look very nice an' it smells weird" he scrunched up his nose in disgust.
"It might not look or smell nice right now, but once I make some pumpkin pie, you'll love it"
"Pie? Mmm, is that what ya gonna make?" He licked his lips. Chichi giggled.
"Yes, and then we can have fun carving scary faces into the pumpkins"
"Why would we do that?" Goku wondered.
"It's Halloween, Goku. You're supposed to get a pumpkin and carve a face into it once you've removed all the insides. Then you get a tea light and put it inside and use it to decorate the house and make it look spooky" she educated him.
"Spooky? It's just a piece of fruit, Chichi, it ain't scary" Chichi rolled her eyes.
"I know that, Goku, but it's just part of Halloween tradition" she educated him. Goku shrugged, he didn't really care for these holiday traditions, he just liked the food.
"When will the pies be done?" He asked.
"Not yet, I still have to get all the insides out of these pumpkins, then I can start making the pies" she told him, taking a large spoon and starting to scoop out the pumpkins inners. Goku watched curiously as his wife scooped out all the weird seeds and gunk and dumped them into a large bowl on the table.
Yuck. It still wasn't tickling his fancy.
He pulled another apple out from his shirt and he held it in front of his wife.
"Wan' an apple?" He asked her. Chichi stopped what she was doing, her eyes on the apple for a second before turning to look at her sweet husband.
"Oh, Goku. You got an apple for me?" She asked him, his gift making her swoon! It was only a simple gift, it was just an apple after all, but coming from Goku it meant a lot. This was a man who didn't like to share his food with anyone!
"Ye, I know ya really like these ones".
Chichi pouted. She had told him the apple tree just outside their garden had the most sweetest and juiciest apples she had ever tasted! And he remembered that!
"You are so sweet, thank you" she told him, standing from her chair and propping herself up on her tip toes to kiss him on the corner of his mouth. She giggled when he started to blush, his free hand scratching the back of his head, a cute little trait of his that she absolutely adored. She took the apple from his hand and took a bite out of it, humming in delight at how tasty it was.
"Mmm, they really are the best apples" she commented. Goku pulled his last apple from out of his shirt and pulled out one of the other chairs next to her and joined her at the table to eat his apple.
"Me an' Grandpa always use to pick apples from that tree" Goku told her before taking a big bite out of his apple.
"You did?" She gave him her full attention, knowing Goku would only talk about his grandpa when he wanted to. His grandpa was a sore subject and he didn't like it when she would bring him up in conversation and ask questions about him. She knew his grandpa passed away when Goku was very young, which must have been so traumatic for him. But she didn't know how he passed away and what exactly happened to Goku following that, before he met Bulma. Whatever happened, it obviously affected Goku and his way of dealing with it was by burying it.
"Grandpa said at night, when everyone are asleep, little apple fairies come out an' water the apple tree with their magic sweet water. That's what makes 'em the sweetest an' juiciest apples outa all the apple trees" Goku told her.
She stared at him for a moment, letting his little innocent story sink in, and her lack of response must have made him realise what he had just said and he nervously avoided her eyes, his usual positive attitude and confidence completely dissipating.
"It was just a stupid story grandpa told me. Ain't real" he quietly told her before eating the rest of his apple. Chichi placed her partially eaten apple down on the table and faced him fully, taking in his appearance. She'd never seen him look so small and so insecure. She reached over to him and rested her hand on his thigh and squeezed reassuringly.
"We have a cherry blossom tree in my daddy's kingdom that is known for being one of the biggest and most beautiful cherry blossom trees for miles around. Daddy told me that it was planted by an old giant hundreds of years ago, with his giant magic seeds, which is why it's so big. The old giant watered it every day and gave it lots of love and care, hence why it is the most beautiful" she told him. She caught his gaze for a moment, before his eyes dropped back to the table in front of him, his fingers fidgeting in his lap.
"I believe the story of the giant" Chichi told him, "And I believe the story of the apple fairies, too" she added. His eyes met hers instantly and he kept them there.
"Ya do?" He quietly asked her, an almost hopeful tone in his voice.
"Yep. I don't think it's stupid" she assured him. Goku's eyes dropped back to his lap, but he sported a small smile on his face. Chichi picked up her apple from the table, took a small bite and then handed it to Goku.
"Here, you can finish the apple" she suggested.
"Nah, it's okay, I wanted you to have it" he told her, his eyes reaching hers.
"And I want to share it. I had my bit, you can have the rest. I can carry on getting these pumpkin pies prepared for us" she told him with a playful wink. Goku smiled and took the apple from his wife and watched as she continued her pumpkin gutting. He took a bite of his apple, both of them in a comfortable silence for a few moments.
"Thank you" he told her after finishing the apple.
"That's ok, you were sweet enough to share with me, too" she told him.
"Not that" he said, "just ... y'always know what to say to make me feel better" he admitted, his voice a little quieter, a bashful expression on his face.
"I do?" she sweetly responded, pouting at his cuteness.
"Ye" he quietly spoke. Chichi's heart fluttered at his sweet honesty.
"I will always try my best to make you feel better, Goku. I promise you that" they exchanged warm smiles before Chichi dumped more pumpkin inners into the bowl.
"Can I help?" Goku asked her, referring to the pumpkins.
"Sure, you can help with this one if you like" she told him, before reaching for one of the untouched pumpkins and sliding it over towards him.
"Okay" Goku chirped, taking the knife and spoon from his wife's outstretched hand and pulling the pumpkin towards him on the table. Chichi put all the empty pumpkins to the one side of the table and pushed the bowl of pumpkin pulp closer to Goku. She left him at the table and made her way over to the kitchen counter, where she had all her equipment ready to bake Pumpkin pies, but she couldn't help but turn to check on her husband again. He had his brows knitted together in concentration, his tongue between his lips, as he carefully scooped out the pumpkin's insides. He was just too cute, she thought as she watched him.
Once Goku was finished, Chichi let the pumpkin mush simmer away in the large saucepan on the hob, Chichi prepared the pastry and popped it in the oven. Goku and Chichi then got to work carving the many pumpkins on the table. Chichi was giggling like a school girl as she watched her almost child-like husband gleefully carve funny faces into the pumpkins, really appearing to enjoy himself. He was also very good at creating the different faces, she was really impressed. Chichi stuck to the more traditional scary pumpkin eyes and teeth, but was very proud of her handy work by the end of it.
Once the pastry was ready, Chichi pushed the cooled pumpkin through a sieve and into a large bowl. She then mixed sugar, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon in another bowl. Goku tried tasting the cinnamon, and had many regrets when he started to cough and splutter the powder all over the place. It did not taste like it smelt. Chichi then mixed in beaten eggs, melted butter and milk into the bowl before adding the pumpkin puree. Goku was salivating as he watched Chichi pour the mixture into each pastry tin. He couldn't wait to try the pumpkin pies!
As the pies cooked away in the oven, Chichi prepared some hot teas for them, Goku loading freshly cut firewood into their log fire and lighting them, ready for the evening that was drawing in. The couple had fun lighting up their pumpkins, lining them up outside their front door and some in the windows. Chichi then took the pies out of the oven and Goku observed impatiently as Chichi finished off the pies with the leftover cinnamon and some icing sugar, dusting beautifully over the tops of the pies.
"Go and get the warm throws, Goku and i'll cut up the pies" she told her husband. Goku shot to their bedroom closet to retrieve the throws she wanted and set them up on the sofa, Chichi then bringing in some of the pies. Goku helped bring in the rest and their teas. The young couple sat and ate their pumpkin pie together, their hot teas cooling on the coffee table, the log fire crackling before them. Chichi sighed heavenly as she sat with her husband, wrapped in her winter blanket, this was so romantic.
"What do you think of the pies, Goku?" Chichi asked her husband. Goku eagerly swallowed down what he was eating and flashed a messy grin at her.
"These are so yummy, Chichi! You're the best!" he exclaimed, before ravaging the rest of his helpings. She wanted to scold him for his sloppy eating, but she couldn't help but smile warmly at his compliment.
"Thank you, Goku" she beamed, "I can make other pies, too, oooh, maybe I can make us some apple pies!" she cheeped in excitement.
"Wow, you can make ones with grandpa's apples, too?" Chichi's heart warmed as he called them his 'grandpa's apples'.
"Yes, honey, only your grandpa's apples will do the job, because they're the best!" she told him. He stopped mid-bite and flashed her a shy smile. She really did know how to make him feel good, he had a weird excited tingle in his belly, like he was on top of the World.
"I can't wait" he replied softly.