A Box of Fluff Puffs

Plot: Mikan was expecting a huge box of fluff puffs from her boyfriend but instead received a tiny box of... whatever could it be inside?
"Mikan. I'm fucking proposing to you right now."
"Oh. Uhm. Huh. But you said you were getting me fluff puffs. Will I be getting my fluff puffs if I agree to marry you?"
A oneshot of how Natsume "bribed" Mikan into marriage via fluff puffs.

Disclaimer: Nope. I don't own Gakuen Alice. And if I did, I wouldn't have spent a huge chunk of my teen years writing fanfiction about it.

WARNING: This oneshot includes a sprinkle of suggestive sexual themes. They're not intense but heads up. I'm still debating whether I should change the rating to M.

Wait, I think we're onto something,
We can't run from fate, but we can let it take us down,
Down this road where all our colors run together,
Let's take the worst and make it better,
Let's take this mess and make a home.
-All Time Low

Natsume popped the question in the most Natsume-isque manner that I wasn't even sure if I should simply accept the fact that this was how my future husband proposed to me. We've discussed this for quite some time now. Marriage, I mean. But neither of us talked about how he was going to ask. The hopeless romantic in me told him he had to ask me when he argued why he even had to when he was certain I was going to say yes.

Cocky bastard.

I'd left the planning of the proposal to his imagination. Forgive me, but once in a long while, I wanted to be wooed by this man. I've forgotten Natsume wasn't the most creative person on the planet. Granted he did try to include fluff puffs into the mix. Which I have to admit is cute. The execution was just very… Natsume. He needed a take two.

We never talked about when he'd propose, again, the hopeless romantic in me wanted to be surprised, or when we'll get married. We only decided once we had stable jobs and had a steady income, then it was only a matter of time.

I didn't suspect a thing when he texted me he'd just came back from another mission. You'd think ever since we graduated from the Academy that all those missions would've stopped. It didn't. Although he no longer worked for the school; it was with the Japanese government this time. He was recruited the moment he finished university. We had a huge argument about it, but that's a whole other story.

And you'd think I'd get used to him leaving because he always came back. A part of me dreaded maybe one of these days, he wouldn't. I was aware of the risk, he was too. He's just too much of a good person. Even though he tries his best to act like he isn't.

Just got back. All in one piece, his text read. I let out a sigh of relief earlier that afternoon. He said his mission would probably only last three days. It's been almost three weeks.

Three. Weeks.

I would've wanted for him to call but I knew the protocol. It's been etched on my brain for the past four years. He'd most likely really did had just gotten hold of his mobile phone in the headquarters. They had to leave their personal mobile devices in their lockers when they were sent on those blasted missions, another protocol. It was too risky to bring.

He's probably about to go through debriefing the moment I was typing in my reply, asking how the mission went when I received another text from him.

I'll pass by the academy later. Do you want fluff puffs?

I typed in a new reply:

There's only one answer to that question. I can't believe you even asked.

Pizza, fluff puffs, and Netflix. You and me. Tonight.

I smiled, trying my best not to get emotional. It was nice to think sometimes we were just like any other normal couple. No Alices, no life threatening secret missions, just us.

Natsume would've debated that we wouldn't have met if it we didn't have Alices in the first place and I would've countered that if we were meant to be together, the universe would find a way. Then he'd probably burn my hair because I was being cheesy.

It's a date ;)

Now, a couple of hours after and two empty pizza boxes with the movie in the background on mute later, I stared at the beautiful ring in front of me. Natsume caught me off guard, I was honestly not expecting he'd ask me to marry him right then and there. Well, at least he got the surprise part done right. He'd gotten up to go get our dessert and when he returned, he placed the box of fluff puffs on my lap. The box was questionably light.

And lo and behold when I opened it, there was a smaller box right in the middle.

He then popped the question.

"Nastume…" I managed to say, my voice shaking, as I held the tiny box, my hands also shaking. I meant to ask, 'Yes!' But like I said, my priorities were a bit fucked up at the moment.

Instead I said, "So there aren't any fluff puffs?"

If it were possible for time to stop, it did. For at least a couple of seconds. I would have to say, I rarely get a bunch of reactions like this from Natsume all at once, so I've accomplished another feat yet again. Confusion, mild annoyance, then utter defeat.

Ten points for Mikan Sakura!

Sort of.

He rested his forehead on my shoulder since we were seated on the sofa facing each other at close proximity and murmured, "Mikan. I'm fucking proposing to you right now."

I blinked. The proposal, correct. Main concern. Got it. "Oh. Uhm. Right. Huh," I blurted, not really knowing how to respond. "But you said you were getting me fluff puffs. Will I be getting my fluff puffs if I agree to marry you?" The moment the question left my lips, I knew I urgently needed to straighten out my priorities.

Natsume groaned, pushed himself off me lightly and ran a hand across his face, but I knew he was trying his best not to smile. "Are you being serious right now?" And when I didn't respond he added, "You're making it sound like I'm bribing you."

A smile slowly crept on my face. "It's not my fault. You were the one who promised. I've been expecting fluff puffs!" A pause. "Please don't break up with me."

"I don't want to break up with you. I'm doing the exact opposite, I want to marry you!" He was standing now, pacing across the living room.

I was trying my hardest not to end up in fits of laughter and I bet my lucky stars he was too.

"Would you rather get fluff puffs than an engagement ring?"

I titled my head to the side. "Well, uhm..."

"Oh for fuck's sake," I heard him mumble before he took the tiny box from my hands and (cue the fireworks!) finally went down on one knee. "You're actually debating on it? Seriously?" He let out a shaky breath as if to prepare himself. "Look. Mikan. I adore every fiber of your existence in this shitty world. I am asking you to marry me, have little dark haired and brown eyed little humans with me, be a family, grow old together, the whole shabang. I've never pictured myself to be with anyone until I met you. You saved me. Do you understand? I was in this dark place and then you came along and you were just you. With those stupid pigtails and childish polka dotted underwear-"

I tugged his hair since it was all I could reach as I was still seated on the sofa and he was on the floor, still on his knee. "Hey. No bullying."

He chuckled. "And that smile of yours. God, your smile." He continued, "You made it look so easy. You made life look so easy. A walk in the park." He opened the box and inside was the most beautiful ring I've ever laid my eyes on. I gasped. "Now can we just get this over with and will you please please please marry me?"

A hundred fucking points for Natsume Hyuuga.

I was listening so intently I hardly noticed I was crying. I wiped the tears carelessly with the back of my hand. Before answering and still wanting to tug his strings, I asked ever so innocently, "But there are fluff puffs right?"

You could hear a needle drop at how silent the room was.

He sighed dejectedly. "They're in the car."

I squealed. "Then I do!" I bent down and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I mean, yes! I will marry you!"

He was shaking his head as I held out my left hand. He slid the ring on my finger and kissed my hand.

"Perfect fit," we both said at the same time.

"I'm getting the fluff puffs." I stood and ran out the front door.

"You're killing me. This was not how planned it to go," I heard him call out.

I came back four seconds later. He was probably betting on five.

"My car keys are on the counter." Natsume went back to his place on the sofa, head held back, eyes closed. No longer being the subject of his gaze, I finally allowed myself to take it all in, the beautiful ring on my finger, how this ridiculous evening panned out and… him.

When I'm alone with my thoughts, I've had moments where I told myself I deserved this. I deserved him. Because sometimes, when my insecurities got the better of me, I get little reminders that I don't. How the hell did I get so lucky to have found him at the right place and time? I still found it hard to believe he'd had feelings for me first when we were still kids. It was and still is insane. I had no idea what love even was but there he was.

Who would've thought that at twenty seven, I'd still question why he chose to stay, why he chose me.

Something must have happened in my previous life to have earned the life I have now.

I sat right next to Natsume, not keeping my eyes off him. I leaned my head next to his.

I deserve this. I deserve this. I deserve this.

"You do know I was just fooling around, right?" I whispered.

"I know." He smirked, eyes still closed.

"Just so you could say all those corny things."

"I know."

"Because admit it, you're not the most romantic person ever."

I started tracing circles on his arm, waiting for a reaction. When I received none, the cocky bastard was playing hard to get, I placed one hand on his shoulder and lifted myself up. On my knees, I placed one knee to his other side so that I was straddling him.

Finally, Natsume slowly opened his eyes. He raised an eyebrow. I could count with one hand the number of times I've made the first move. And each time I did, Natsume made sure to let me know how much he approved and that I should do it more often.

His expression wanted to know what I was up to but instead he said, "Tell me about it."

"A simple 'will you marry me' will not do am I right?"

Natsume caved and placed one hand on my hips, the other at the back of my knee, pulling me down. "Absolutely correct."

"And Natsume?" I asked, surprised when I felt his hardness underneath me as I started to move my hips back and forth at a slow pace. It didn't take long for me to earn a groan in return.

His breaths were getting heavier when he answered. "Yeah?"

I leaned until his forehead was touching mine and momentarily stopped the movement of my hips. "Don't forget that you saved me too."

He tasted like the pepperoni pizza we just had when he kissed me. It was demanding and passionate, all the pent up emotion and stress from worrying about him for the past three weeks was in this kiss and for a second I had to remember to breathe out of my nostrils. I'd forgotten how much I missed him. His hand was at the back of my neck, the other on my waist. I curled my fingers around his shirt and pulled him closer to me. My mind was numb but my insides were burning and all I could think of at the moment was more more more.

"I'd marry you even without the fluff puffs." I managed to say as breathless as I was.

There was a chuckle and his lips were on my neck now as he tugged my leggings down and threw them somewhere in the room once they were off. "No you won't," he said, his voice raspy.

"I was trying to be sweet!"

His signature smirk was back. "Too bad I was only joking about it. There isn't actually a box of-"

Too many things happened right after. I managed to untangle myself off of Natsume, my head still a bit foggy but I heard what he just said.

"Did you just throw your engagement ring at me?"

I was still trying to catch my breath from that kiss. "Do not lie about not having fluff puffs."

He gave me a once over, his gaze lingering a tad bit longer at my legs. Satisfaction was in his eyes when he found me standing there with just my top and panties. "Who said I was lying?"

"Keep the ring!" I stormed off into the kitchen.

Natsume was right at my tail so I quickened my pace. Seconds later we were running around like kids in my cramped kitchen inside my tiny one bedroom apartment. He caught me just as easily, his arms caging me, my back against the refrigerator. I yelped when he hoisted me up and sat me down on the edge of the kitchen island with him in between my legs.

In one swift movement, he took my hand and slipped the ring back into my finger. "This stays there, you understand?"

I pretended to think it over which annoyed him even more. "I must admit, I kind of like it being there than when it hit your face."

Relief washed over his face as he buried his forehead into the curve of my neck. "You… are one of a kind." I could feel his breath on my skin. "Mikan," he whispered.

I giggled, ticklish "Hmmm?"

I thought he hadn't heard me for it took him quite some time to respond.

"We've never had sex on the kitchen counter before."

I froze, he must have felt it too.

Damn this man. He knew how to rile me up.

"There's always a first in everything," I ended up saying with a lot more confidence than I intended to. "Take your shirt off."

After he discarded the useless piece of clothing, our lips found each other once more, hungrier than before. I hooked my fingers in his belt loops, pulled him closer and pressed myself against him. I tilted my head to the side as he bit my lower lip and I opened my mouth to his tongue which I knew I'd earn a groan from Natsume in response. He did not disappoint. I've been with this man for more than a decade and he still gives me the freaking stampede in my stomach. Every reaction sends my nerves on overdrive and I loved it.

His hand was underneath my shirt now exploring every bit of skin it possibly could. Nastume halted for a second. "Please tell me you're not wearing a sports bra," he muttered, realizing there was no clasp at the back of my bra. He hated taking those off. They were too tedious.

"Front clasp," I managed to breathe out in between kisses.

"Fuck." He loved front clasps, he could undo them with one hand. "Even better."

I wrapped my legs around his waist, securing him in place, my lips never leaving his. His fingers were now at the waistband of my panties while mine were unzipping his jeans when my brain had only started registering a few bits of information.

Wait a second.

I kissed him deeper.

Pepperoni pizza and…?

Something sweet.

Then, as hard as I possibly could, I pushed him away.

"Oh my God," I gasped, panting. I pointed an accusing finger at him. "You traitor!"

He was so confused he had to blink twice. "What?"

I didn't beat around the bush this time. "You taste like fluff puffs!"

I kid you not, Natsume's laughter has always been music to my ears but right now it sounded like the Grinch's. "I may have had one or two on the way here. Or three or four. How the hell could you have even tasted those?"

I hopped off the counter, wiggled back into my leggings as fast as possible and snatched his car keys. "Traitor!"

"They're on the passenger's seat! And button up your shirt!" Natsume rolled his eyes. I was running out the door for the second time when he whispered to himself, "Cockblocked by fluff puffs. Terrific."

THE EN-

"I heard that!"

THE END

A/N: Thank you for reading! I haven't written a oneshot in the past four freaking years like what the heck I've actually finished writing something lol. I wasn't sure if I'd make it out alive whilst writing those uhm sort of sexy time scenes. I was laughing the entire time. Lol. I've never written such descriptive kissing scenes ever because I had no idea how to put such an act into words fearing I'll write something awkward af.

I am also very much thankful to Miharu Endou for helping me polish up this fic. Guys, have a friend who reads your work and gives his or her most honest opinion before you post 'em. Nissa, you are a writer's lifesaver.

Feel free to leave a review!

All the love,
Vanilla Coated Love

PS: If you're wondering, the word count for fluff puffs up until this point is 21.