Spreading The Love
Spreading The Love
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Rated:
Pairing:
Ino’s with; she’s just magically pregnant, okay?
Warnings:
that I love cooking. XD Oh, some OOCness, I believe.
Spreading
The Love
By: Istas
Written For: Durgy
Since learning of his childhood friend’s
pregnancy, Chouji had been trying to find something suitable for Ino’s baby
shower after receiving the invitation from Sakura. Having found an assortment
of his Mum’s old yarn and knitting needles packed away while looking through
his Dad’s attic, the young man set to work on a pair of baby socks, quickly
deciding to use a dark purple wool that was thick enough to keep the little
tyke warm after her birth. Shikamaru had, after watching him knit the beginning
of the garment, suggested that he should also create a matching pair of mittens
and a hat for Ino’s newborn since she was expected to be born in January.
Chouji had smiled, his Akimichi swirls scrunching
in the way Shikamaru found adorable, and said that doing so would be a smart
move and thanked his lover with a peck on his cheek. Mumbling a “Troublesome
Butterfly,” the Nara had gone back to his shogi board with a slight tint to his
cheeks.
-~-
The young Akimichi hummed as the music
floated around the living room, his Mother’s knitting needles clicking to the
tempo as he finished putting the baby’s winter hat together. It was a lesser
known fact that Chouji loved listening to stringed instruments, especially when
they were played in an orchestra; however, as soon as a piano was added, he
would quickly found himself getting irritated, something that his lover had
always found amusing.
The CD that was currently playing was a
mixtape that Shikamaru had made for their Third Anniversary, recognizing that it
would be appreciated and heard daily around the house. Chouji hadn’t been able
to stop showering his lover with kisses after he had taken the wrapping paper
off, already knowing that the other man had intentionally put all his favourites
on it. He had also shown his appreciation to the deer-herder later that day...
Drifting back to his work, Chouji pondered
on where his boyfriend was; the lazy genius had said that he owed Naruto a
favour and their friend had finally called in order for it to be repaid,
muttering about a “Stupid Bastard, wasting my time,” and “I could be eating
ramen, damnit!” every time there was a pause in their conversation. His lover
had a look of exasperated fondness on his face as he spoke to the blond, before
saying he’d be there in a few. Shikamaru had kissed Chouji good-bye, stating that
he should be back by dinner-time if not earlier.
Looking at the clock, the (pleasingly)
plump man blinked, noticing that it was five in the afternoon and, usually, he
would have already had dinner partially finished. Wrapping his yarn around his
needles and bonnet, Chouji set it down in a safe place and turned the volume of
his stereo up, quickly moving into their kitchen and tying an apron around his
waist. The young adult opened the fridge door with a small idea of what he
could cook, knowing that Shika expected to have food on the table when he got
home as was tradition for the two men.
Taking out a container of leftover pork
shoulder, Chouji went back in to grab an onion, a bottle of barbeque sauce,
some mushrooms, and a bag of pita bread. Placing the ingredients around his
cutting board, the Akimichi began preparing one of their favourite meals to the
beat of his CD. Cutting the ends of the onion, he skinned it and sliced it in
half, popping both pieces into a chopping container that he placed to the side.
Chouji continued by moving over to the
stove with a swing in his hips and put the burner on medium, setting a frying
pan over it, and thinly covering the bottom with Extra Virgin Olive Oil before situating
the bottle back into a nearby cupboard. Following this, he quickly cleaned the
cutting board, reaching for the Tupperware of leftover meat and dumping the
pork near his knife. Quickly mincing it, Chouji picked up the cutting board and
scraped the pieces into the heated pan, placing the lid over it to trap the
steam.
The food-lover went back to the area where
his ingredients were waiting and set down the cutting board, grabbing a handful
of mushrooms. Cutting them into halves, he crammed them into the glass chopping
container, being careful of the blade as he twisted on the lid. Repetitively
smashing his hand down on the lever that connected to the blade, Chouji was
able to mix and chop the mushrooms and onions together, sitting it down beside
the cooking meat as he turned back to the pita bread. Opening its bag, he took
out four pieces and closed it back up, lying what he had taken out on top of
the plastic holder.
Turning once more, the man tipped the lid
over his meat away from his body, allowing the steam to escape, and moved it to
the side. With a wooden spoon, Chouji stirred the re-cooked meat, picking up
the chopping container with his other hand and, leaning the spoon on the pan’s
side, screwed the lid back off and dropped the vegetables on top of the food. Picking
up the spoon once more, he slowly began to mix everything together, reaching
for the barbeque sauce that had been patiently waiting as he prepared the meal.
Before he could take its cap off and tip it
into the cooking food below, strong arms wrapped around his waist, tightening
into a hug as a head nuzzled his nape, tickling the long hair that was pulled
back there. “Hm, Cooking Butterfly, my favourite,” Shikamaru teased, nipping at
his lover’s ear.
Chouji laughed, continuing with his cooking
as his boyfriend’s hand ventured beneath his apron. Shikamaru, oddly, wasn’t
being funny when he said that a cooking Chouji was his favourite—any time the
Akimichi did ordinary chores around their house, he quickly found himself
leaning against a solid barrier of some sort as Shikamaru relearned his body.
Though fun, the swirl-cheeked man knew that if he wanted things done, he could
only finish it during Shikamaru’s afternoon naps or whenever he went out; it
was yet another tradition that both men loved and kept to wholeheartedly.
“Happy Anniversary, Shika; I’ll give you
your present after dinner, hm?” Chouji said, giggling as he batted Shika’s
hands away. Shikamaru mumbled something that sounded like “Elephant” and
loosened his arms, keeping the wannabe-chef in a hug.
End.