Title: April First, Part 2
Author: Jelsemium
Characters: Amita/Charlie
Word Count: 731
Dedication: To the Ones I Love. (That would be you.)
Rating: K
Charlie might have been on his guard, if he'd been awake enough to realize what the date was.
As it was, he wandered into the kitchen at the crack of dawn... 8 AM classes being Millie's way of torturing him, no doubt... seeking caffeine and other sustenance. He was relieved to see that the coffee was already made and that there was a pan of some form of carbohydrates keeping warm in the oven.
He was doubly pleased to find Amita waiting for him. This marriage idea had a lot of merit, if it meant that Amita would be the first person he saw every morning. He was glad that he'd taken the time to put on clean and neatly pressed clothes. (Both items were easier to find since Amita had taken to spending the night. For some reason, he was remembering things like laundry more.)
"Good morning, Charlie," Amita smiled, handing him a mug. The early morning sun gilded the edges of her soft curls. She was dressed casually in blue sweatpants and a pink sweatshirt with cartoon ponies on it.
"Thanks," Charlie muttered. He planted a light kiss on her proffered cheek, poured himself a full cup and took a deep swig. It took most of his will power to not spray it back in Amita's face. Instead, he took two steps to the counter and spat the disgusting liquid into the sink.
"WHAT is THAT?" he managed.
"What's the matter, Charlie?" Amita smirked. "Don't you like chai tea?"
Charlie glared at her. "What was that for?" he demanded, managing a coherent sentence this time.
"April Fool!" Amita giggled.
That woke him up almost as well as caffeine would have. Charlie gave her a dirty look, but that only provoked more giggles.
He sighed tragically, and then moved to dump the carafe of tea down the sink.
"Wait!" Amita said. "I have plans for that, especially after the trick Larry pulled on me this morning."
Charlie was somewhat mollified when he realized that the prank could be attributed to Larry's machinations. The Fleinhardt had clearly put the idea into Amita's sweet, innocent head.
Amita pulled a thermos flask from the cupboard - not one of those tiny things that you could fit into a lunch box, but a big ol' gray and silver thing that Charlie remembered from his childhood. His mother used to carry coffee in that to picnics, Don's baseball games and his chess matches.
Amita poured the contents, steaming hot water, down the sink, Charlie noted absently. The scientist in him appreciated the practical application of the law of thermodynamics. Hot water warmed up the interior of the thermos, so it would keep Amita's chai stuff warm longer.
He remembered his mother doing the same thing for her coffee before those picnics and ball games and chess matches.
The hot water in the thermos proved that Amita had premeditated this stunt.
Charlie decided to decide that it was Larry's fault anyway, as Amita was still too sweet and innocent (in his eyes) to Plot Against Him.
Amita handed him the thermos with instructions to put the chai in it. "And help yourself to some scones," she added. "They're safe." Then she scurried off.
As Charlie poured the tea into the thermos, he found himself staring at the contents of the still open cupboard. He contemplated pranking Larry, but suspected the older man would be on his guard. He actually spent a few minutes contemplating revenge on Amita by spiking her chai. Which led him to contemplate the concept of sleeping alone for a month or two... or three...
He elected to be magnanimous, especially when everything was clearly Larry's fault.
He applauded the wisdom of his decision when Amita returned wearing blue jeans and that purple top with the lacy edge. The one that made her look good enough to... well, he'd have to save that thought for later.
He capped the thermos and handed it to her with a genuine smile. She kissed him and accepted the thermos. "I'll meet you at the office," she said. She made her exit and Charlie pulled his thoughts back to April Fool's Day.
He surveyed the contents of the cupboard and and repeated his mantra that Amita was too sweet and innocent to be pranked. Besides, his father would make a MUCH better target.