shiningboxofjustice | Valentine's Day CMO

[In the meantime, work was the same as always for Athrun. It was a rather uninteresting day in the office, with the most interesting thing he had on his itinerary being a debriefing of the shakedown of a brand-new, space-faring battleship. Well, that plus the candy that came with lunch in the base's mess hall due to it being Valentine's Day. He was more social during lunch than usual, though, speaking with the other officers dining with him in the officers' lounge as they ate.

Things only start getting different as Athrun leaves work for the day. First, rather than go directly home, he stops by at a florist in the city. When he's there he picks up a beautiful bouquet of roses. He puts them in the passenger seat of his car and then drives home. Then, when he does get home, rather than change into casual clothing, he instead freshens up a bit and changes into a neatly-pressed black suit with a red tie.

Once he's fully dressed, he gets back in his car and leaves. This time, he makes his way over to Sheryl's place. He parks, walks up to her door, and rings the doorbell -- holding the bouquet behind his back as he does so.]

[ Once inside, Athrun will notice that the kitchen wasn't just in a disarray --- it looked like someone decided to make the kitchen a battlefield and lost. A small stack of failed/burnt cookies can be found beside the sink. Failed batches of batter carelessly strewn on the floor and the smoke was coming out of the oven as Sheryl had just pulled another failed batch.

Sheryl had lost track on the time and had forgotten that she needed to get ready for her date with Athrun. That is why she was still unmade-up and dressed in her clothes from rehearsal.

She sighed with disappointment after seeing another failed batch. ]

I failed again?

[Oh, that's right -- Sheryl had given Athrun a key. He picks it out on his key ring and unlocks the door, then steps in.]

Sheryl?

[The first thing Athrun notices is the smell. It smells like burnt dough; so naturally, the first place he heads is into the kitchen.

The sight in there leaves him dumbstruck. What in the world? How did things get this bad? And how has a fire not broken out yet, going by what the oven looks like when it's opened?]

...Sheryl? What...what in the world is going on here?

[ She almost panicked when she heard Athrun's voice. Was he early?! After quickly glancing at the clock, in typical Athrun fashion, Athrun was right on time. However, she was Sheryl Nome, and she never breaks under pressure. ]

Athrun! You are here!

[ She drops the failed batch with the others near the kitchen sink. She ignores the question and the chaos around her and instead wraps her arms around her boyfriend and kissed him. While it was a pretty weak distraction, she hoped at least it would be enough until she could think of a less embarrassing escape plan. ]

Edited 2019-03-17 03:16 (UTC)

[Sheryl's reaction to Athrun's arrival catches him by surprise. He's unable to react to anything she does, other than leave his eyes wide open as Sheryl kisses him. He gets his mind to catch up, though, and he relaxes a little bit and lets Sheryl do as she wants for a few more seconds, before breaking the kiss.]

Sheryl...what happened here? Please tell me.

[Athrun speaks quietly. The only emotion visible in his eyes is worry. He's concerned about what might have happened in here while she was home by herself.]

[ That worried look always gets her.

If there was one thing Sheryl hates admitting, it was failure and defeat. So, at the moment she was doing her best to avoid it. There was certainly no denying it, since the evidence was there stacked beside the sink. She just wanted to go upstairs and take a shower to remove the flour and batter from her hands.

She would probably have to get something else for Athrun later ... ]

Nothing is wrong ... at least nothing a shower can't fix.

I should probably go and get ready.

[ She was about to leave when she noticed that some of the flour on her hands got on his face and hands.

She noticed how good he smelled already when she kissed him earlier, so he probably freshened up before coming over.

However, if ammo for teasing was presented to her as a gift, how could she not take it? ]

Do you want to join me?

Edited 2019-03-18 02:23 (UTC)

[Sure enough, the comment leaves Athrun blushing. To his credit, he tries to keep a cool head, because he knows what Sheryl is up to by saying that.]

Y-You're just trying to tease me!

Teasing? Am I really?

[ Well, he did make it too easy. ]

How do you know? I could be completely serious ...

[ She teasingly unbuttons the top button of his jacket. ]

... it is Valentines.

Y-yes, but our date...!

[It is taking every fiber of Athrun's being to stay cool.It's very, very difficult on him.]

[ Oh right. Restaurant reservations. ]

That shouldn't be anything Athrun Zala can't fix with a phone call.

[ She unbuttons another. ]

Be honest. How would you really want to spend Valentines?

Um...

[This is just making him more nervous. And how is he supposed to answer that question?]

By, um, by showing you a good time. And being affectionate.

[He pauses again. He's not sure what else to say.]

[ Despite being together for such a long time, it was incredible for her how Athrun still remains so shy. At the same time, it was why she liked him so much. Teasing him never got old and when he romances her --- he made her feel special.

She laughed and throws a dirty table napkin on his face before she runs to get ready. ]

Wait for me a bit. I will go get ready.

Edited 2019-03-24 02:26 (UTC)

[Athrun immediately reaches up to snap the napkin away from his face. At least he's in a kitchen and can just rinse his face off at the sink. He then takes a deep breath.]

I'll wait for as long as you'll have me.

[He doesn't mind waiting on Sheryl most of the time. She has the tendency to make it worth his while.]

[ As clunky as her plan was, it somehow worked. She breathed a sigh of relief once she was in her room. As childish as it was, Sheryl felt embarrassed admitting her failure. However, she did feel bad not having a present for Athrun ready at all since she had confidence everything would work out.

While most girls her age were learning to cook and be wives, she had traveled to different galaxies, making music and performing. Sometimes, she did feel insecure of herself.

Would Athrun still love here in a few more years? His ex was the perfect hostess and wife material. Would he regret being with her in a few more years?

She pushed that thought away as she began to get ready.

Sorry, Athrun, but prepare for a long wait. ]

[In the meantime, Athrun figures that he might as well make himself useful. He finds an apron and puts it on, then he begins to clean up the kitchen. He starts by rinsing off all of the used cooking equipment and putting it into the dishwasher if it fits. For the things that don't, he applies some soap and lets them dry in the dish drainer. He starts putting things away and wiping down the counter top, as well. There's no way he'll be done before Sheryl is done given the state of the kitchen, but he can at least take some of her workload off of her.]

[ Sheryl probably took an hour getting ready. Perfection takes time after all. She especially took her time choosing something to wear. Since Athrun hadn't really been specific about where they were going, it took her a while to decide. However, she finally decided to choose the safest option with a black dress and matching clutch.

She was still putting on her earrings when she went back downstairs to meet Athrun.

She didn't say anything and watched him clean the kitchen for a moment. A part of her was guilty about the mess she made and making him do this during Valentines.

As stealthily as she could, she wraps her arms around him. ]

I will have a cleaning crew here tomorrow. You don't have to do this.

[Athrun pauses when Sheryl reaches out to him from behind. He had thought he sensed something, but wasn't sure what it was, and figured he'd just go on about his business. So he tenses up for a second, but relaxes when he hears Sheryl's voice.]

Well, I guess we could consider what I've done so far work they don't have to do.

[With that, he sets down the wet paper towel he had been using.]

I take it you're ready to go now?

[ How was he so good at these things? It was not fair. Then again, Sheryl knew that she was never suited to be the typical housewife. Not when her ambitions were so are literally out of this world. Despite all this, she was glad this man loved her anyway.

At his question, she gives him a quick peck on the lips and grinned. ]

I am ready. So, where are you taking me?

[Now that Sheryl is actually within his line of sight, Athrun grins. Seeing her now made the wait totally worth it.]

I see. And you look amazing.

We're heading to the Overlook tonight.

[The Overlook is a very prestigious, members-only club that overlooks the sea from one of the cliffs on the edge of the city, hence the name. It has both a bar and a dining room; Athrun has booked a reservation at the latter.]

But before we head out, I have something for you.

[Athrun ducks back out into the hall he entered from. He had laid the bouquet in a nearby wall unit where it would remain mostly out of sight until he was ready to offer it -- in other words, now. He picks up the bouquet and offers it to her.]

Happy Valentine's Day.

[ Athrun just made it from difficult ... to impossible to top this. As ridiculous as it was, she felt a little upset by how perfect this all was. She had wanted so much to give him a great Valentines too, which quite literally burnt up in smoke.

However, she did still manage to smile. What kind of girlfriend would she be to not be happy with all this? Most girls would probably kill to have a boyfriend that put so much care and thought in their dates like Athrun always had. ]

This is beautiful ...

[ She goes over to hug him again. ] I'm sorry ... I do not have anything for you.

That's all right.

[Athrun speaks softly as he returns the hug. Throughout this, he continues to smile warmly. Even though Sheryl failed in her efforts to do something special for him, he doesn't mind. It's the thought that counts.]

Just being able to spend time with you is more than I could ask for.

[She already makes him feel like a lucky man by being with him. As long as she stays herself, he will be perfectly happy.]

Valentine's Day CMO

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