Sailor Moon Monthly Fanfiction Challenge - Day 20
The kitchen was a mess. Actually, the kitchen was a disaster. The entire apartment smelled of spices. While that could be a pleasant smell, this was too much, too strong, and definitely the wrong combination of spices.
The smell was the first thing that he noticed when he entered their apartment. It was pretty hard not to notice it. In fact he wondered that he did not notice it before he entered the apartment.
The next thing he noticed was that Mina was sitting at the table, her elbows on the table and her face in her hands. It was only a fraction of a second before he realized that his goddesss was crying. As he moved to gather her into his arms, not even needing to know what was wrong before Kunz was in motion to comfort her, he noticed that there were pieces of food in her sun-golden hair and smears on her hands and clothes. He assumed that her face was similar though she had it well hidden in her hands.
“Sunbeam?” He pulled her up so that she was standing and her hands were no longer covering her face - which was as dirty as he expected it to be - and then pulled her against his chest. The last thing that Kunz was worried about was ruining his shirt, not when Minako needed him.
He blinked when she pushed away weakly. However, he knew her. He knew that if she was upset with him, the push would have been firmer, he would not still be holding her if she wanted away from him. He held her tighter and began to stroke her hair, not worrying about the debris which littered it, ignoring the gunk that he was spreading through her hair and onto his hand. “Mina, love, what’s wrong?”
Mina sniffled and stopped resisting, burying her face in his shirt and allowing herself to sob. There had been a time when she would not have allowed him to see her like this, not able to trust him with anything other than her bubbly self or her serious warrior self. He grinned a bit as she cried against him.
It was a few moments before she spoke, and Kunz had looked past the sobbing goddess in his arms to the kitchen beyond. He had an idea of what had happened - the overwhelming smell of the spices, his disheveled wife, and the kitchen it would require a cleaning crew to straighten all told the same story.
He gently pushed her away from him, just a bit then leaned down and kissed her soundly.
Minako stopped crying and after a moment, she was returning the kiss.
When they broke apart he smiled, “You made dinner.”
She sniffled, “I tried to make dinner. I failed miserably. I… I wanted to make you something special. But no one told me that garbanzo beans smell like dog food and a clove of garlic is just one little section not the whole thing. And I couldn’t get the falafel to form the right shape and then I burnt them. And I followed the directions that Makoto gave me, but the lamb is ruined…”
Kunz laid a finger of her lips. “Love, I appreciate that you did all this. It means a lot to me that you would try to cook for me.”
“I shouldn’t have to try to cook for you! A wife is supposed to make dinner for her husband when he comes home from work, and I want to be a good wife!”
Kunz laughed, “Minako! First, you work too, so there is no need for you to feel like you have to come home and cook and clean. I’m quite content with cooking or ordering out. Second, you are a good wife. For me, you are the perfect wife.” He gently stroked her cheek. “If I wanted a wife who could cook, I’d’ve gone after Makoto.” At her huff of indignation, he grinned as he looked down at her, “I wanted and still want you. I don’t care that you can’t cook.”
“But it was more than I wanted to cook for you! I wanted to make a Mediterranean meal for you, something special…”
“And I appreciate that.” His smile was sincere and caused her to smile a bit at him.
“I worked so hard. It was going to be perfect.”
“It is perfect, Mina.”
She snorted, “No, it’s not.”
“Yes, it is. Come on, let’s clean up and we’ll go out to eat.”
She sniffled and nodded, “All right… but um… one thing did come out right. Have that first. Please?”
Kunz wisely kept the skepticism he felt to himself and nodded, “Of course, Mina.”
She grinned and moved from him into the kitchen. He blinked as she presented him with a glass of an orange-ish colored thick liquid. “Go ahead! Drink it!”
He took it from her and took a drink. He smiled to her, his words sincere and honest, and he tried to keep the surprise from his voice, “This is really good, Sunbeam. What is it?”
At his words, she brightened, and he smiled to see that her shine, her glow was back. “It’s mango juice!”
The smell was the first thing that he noticed when he entered their apartment. It was pretty hard not to notice it. In fact he wondered that he did not notice it before he entered the apartment.
The next thing he noticed was that Mina was sitting at the table, her elbows on the table and her face in her hands. It was only a fraction of a second before he realized that his goddesss was crying. As he moved to gather her into his arms, not even needing to know what was wrong before Kunz was in motion to comfort her, he noticed that there were pieces of food in her sun-golden hair and smears on her hands and clothes. He assumed that her face was similar though she had it well hidden in her hands.
“Sunbeam?” He pulled her up so that she was standing and her hands were no longer covering her face - which was as dirty as he expected it to be - and then pulled her against his chest. The last thing that Kunz was worried about was ruining his shirt, not when Minako needed him.
He blinked when she pushed away weakly. However, he knew her. He knew that if she was upset with him, the push would have been firmer, he would not still be holding her if she wanted away from him. He held her tighter and began to stroke her hair, not worrying about the debris which littered it, ignoring the gunk that he was spreading through her hair and onto his hand. “Mina, love, what’s wrong?”
Mina sniffled and stopped resisting, burying her face in his shirt and allowing herself to sob. There had been a time when she would not have allowed him to see her like this, not able to trust him with anything other than her bubbly self or her serious warrior self. He grinned a bit as she cried against him.
It was a few moments before she spoke, and Kunz had looked past the sobbing goddess in his arms to the kitchen beyond. He had an idea of what had happened - the overwhelming smell of the spices, his disheveled wife, and the kitchen it would require a cleaning crew to straighten all told the same story.
He gently pushed her away from him, just a bit then leaned down and kissed her soundly.
Minako stopped crying and after a moment, she was returning the kiss.
When they broke apart he smiled, “You made dinner.”
She sniffled, “I tried to make dinner. I failed miserably. I… I wanted to make you something special. But no one told me that garbanzo beans smell like dog food and a clove of garlic is just one little section not the whole thing. And I couldn’t get the falafel to form the right shape and then I burnt them. And I followed the directions that Makoto gave me, but the lamb is ruined…”
Kunz laid a finger of her lips. “Love, I appreciate that you did all this. It means a lot to me that you would try to cook for me.”
“I shouldn’t have to try to cook for you! A wife is supposed to make dinner for her husband when he comes home from work, and I want to be a good wife!”
Kunz laughed, “Minako! First, you work too, so there is no need for you to feel like you have to come home and cook and clean. I’m quite content with cooking or ordering out. Second, you are a good wife. For me, you are the perfect wife.” He gently stroked her cheek. “If I wanted a wife who could cook, I’d’ve gone after Makoto.” At her huff of indignation, he grinned as he looked down at her, “I wanted and still want you. I don’t care that you can’t cook.”
“But it was more than I wanted to cook for you! I wanted to make a Mediterranean meal for you, something special…”
“And I appreciate that.” His smile was sincere and caused her to smile a bit at him.
“I worked so hard. It was going to be perfect.”
“It is perfect, Mina.”
She snorted, “No, it’s not.”
“Yes, it is. Come on, let’s clean up and we’ll go out to eat.”
She sniffled and nodded, “All right… but um… one thing did come out right. Have that first. Please?”
Kunz wisely kept the skepticism he felt to himself and nodded, “Of course, Mina.”
She grinned and moved from him into the kitchen. He blinked as she presented him with a glass of an orange-ish colored thick liquid. “Go ahead! Drink it!”
He took it from her and took a drink. He smiled to her, his words sincere and honest, and he tried to keep the surprise from his voice, “This is really good, Sunbeam. What is it?”
At his words, she brightened, and he smiled to see that her shine, her glow was back. “It’s mango juice!”