"A Night in the Life: Ami/Makoto" by Desslok
----------------------------------------------
[Author's Note] This is the first of what will hopefully be a
series of vignettes showing various pairings of the senshi going
about their normal lives. Minimal back story on how they got
together, no angst-filled realizations or rejections, not much
plot at all actually, just scenes showing them interacting in a
normal, natural way. I suppose that qualifies as 'fluff', but,
if so, so be it. I plan to start with my favorite pairings and
eventually move into more obscure, absolutely non-canonical ones,
just for fun. :)
-----------------------------------------------
Makoto set the laundry basket down on the bed and headed over
toward her dresser. After looking through the stack of CDs
stacked haphazardly to the side of her boombox, she found
something suitably bouncy and popped it in. 'Good folding
music,' she congratulated herself as she opened the window to let
in the late afternoon breeze. With sunlight sliding in at a low
angle and a gentle wind behind her, she moved back around the bed
and started folding. The warmth of the clothing, fresh from the
dryer, nicely balanced the slight chill from the open window as
she allowed herself to fall into the happy trance that typically
accompanied such chores.
After spending a year or so bustling about in the kitchen of a
high-class restaurant, Makoto had grown tired of the stress and
long hours that came with being a top-notch chef. She loved to
cook, but had less patience for the other things that came along
with the job. With Ami's encouragement, she'd quit her job and
moved on to her second love: gardening. Though they'd lived in
the city all of their lives, neither Ami nor Makoto regretted
moving out into the countryside just outside of Tokyo. They
found a house not too distant from Haruka, Michiru, and
Setsuna's, though in a less chic neighborhood. Unlike the condos
she and her partner had grown up in, it had a small plot of land,
more than enough room for Makoto's rather extensive garden.
True, the mortgage payments were high, but doctors earned good
money and Makoto supplemented that by selling flowers to various
florists in the city.
Makoto sighed happily, carefully smoothing the wrinkles out of
one of Ami's blouses. Though their friends teased her sometimes,
she was perfectly content to stay home, clean, cook, and work in
her garden. Ami worked very hard and Makoto took great pride in
giving her a warm, cozy sanctuary to come home to each evening.
As if summoned by her thought, Makoto heard the garage door
moving outside. Glancing at the clock, she realized that almost
half an hour had flown past. She patiently went about finishing
off the last few items in her basket, listening raptly for the
sound of keys in the door and then footsteps down the hall.
Makoto shivered as she felt Ami's arms slide around her waist and
her head nuzzle at her shoulder.
"I'm home, love," Ami said quietly, inhaling deeply, letting the
fresh scent of Makoto's skin and hair infuse her.
Makoto spun deftly in Ami's grasp, making sure not to disturb
their embrace. She kissed her love on the forehead. "How was
your day?" When Ami sighed heavily, Makoto added, "That good,
huh? Here, does this help?" With practiced ease, she picked Ami
up and sat her on the edge of the bed, pushing the laundry basket
aside and pulling Ami's head to rest against her chest. She
gingerly rubbed Ami's shoulders, feeling the knots there and
trying to loosen them as best she could. "Busy day I take it?"
Ami murmured something indistinct from the vicinity of Makoto's
bellybutton, allowing herself to relax completely. She knew, if
she let herself, that she could easily fall asleep just like
this. Instead, she looked up with a weary smile. "Very busy.
Looks like another flu outbreak at the preschool and all the
older kids need their physicals for the new school year. I
started running late, so I had to work through lunch, and even
then barely got out the door on time." She steeled herself for
what she knew was to come.
"You skipped lunch? Again?" Makoto lectured. "Ami, I've told
you that you can't keep working through lunch. Not only do you
need a break during the day, but it's not healthy. You're a
doctor, you should know that!"
"I grabbed a sandwich.." Ami began.
"...from that vending machine in the lobby," Makoto finished.
"That's it. From now on, I'm packing you a lunch. I promise it
will be things that you can eat standing up or between
appointments."
"I'm not a child, Makoto. I don't need you to prepare my lunch,"
Ami insisted, though she knew it was a losing cause. Seeing the
look in Makoto's eyes confirmed her suspicion. "Ok, you can make
my lunch, but you have to let me make it up to you somehow."
"Oh, I can think of something," Makoto replied with a devilish
gleam in her eye. She glanced knowingly at the bed and moved
forward slightly, forcing Ami to lean back on the comforter.
Ami's eyes darted toward the open window even as her heart began
to race. "Oh Mako," she breathed.
"There's definitely something you can do for me, Mizuno Ami,"
Makoto whispered in a tone heavy with innuendo. She brought her
lips within an inch of Ami's ear, her breath moist and warm on
Ami's skin.
Ami's eyes closed in anticipation.
"You can put all these clothes away while I check on dinner!"
Makoto announced, shoving Ami playfully back onto the bed. With
a bright smile, she turned and headed back to the kitchen while
Ami tried to collect herself.
Dinner that evening was nothing extravagant, just a random
concoction of vegetables, noodles, and chicken that Makoto had
whipped up. As they sat together in the dining room, looking out
onto the flowers growing in the backyard, Ami told Makoto some of
the details about her day, sharing gossip from her practice and
describing some of the thornier patients she'd seen. Even though
Makoto felt like she had little to tell, as always Ami drew out a
thorough review of her day with interested questions.
Eventually, Ami rose and began to carry dirty dishes back to the
kitchen. Makoto brought her own plate and set it beside the
sink. As Ami pulled on her dishwashing gloves, Makoto poured
herself some tea. "Are you sure you don't need help with that?"
she asked.
Ami scolded her lightly, "You cook, I do the dishes. Fair is
fair. Now get out of my kitchen."
"Your kitchen?" Makoto asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.
"Yours when you cook, mine when it's time to clean up," Ami
clarified. "Now go!"
Before leaving the kitchen as ordered, Makoto snuck a quick peck
on Ami's cheek. "You know it gets me hot watching you getting all
domestic," she teased. Ami replied by directing the spray of
water at her face, so Makoto beat a hasty retreat.
After finishing up her chores, Ami came out of the kitchen to
find Makoto sipping her tea and watching the news on television.
"Anything interesting going on today?" she asked.
"Not really," Makoto replied, "I just wanted to see the weather.
I was thinking we could invite the girls out for a picnic this
weekend."
"That's a nice idea. It's been so nice out lately and it seems
like forever since we've all gotten together."
Makoto sighed, "Yeah, that's the main thing I miss about living
downtown. It was nice to be able to hop a bus over to the shrine
and hang out."
"Well, a picnic is a good way to get Usagi out here," Ami
laughed. "I think she'd walk the whole way on her hands to get
some of your cooking." Makoto's blush inspired Ami to give her
partner a big hug. "Do you want to go for a little walk before
bed?" she suggested.
Makoto stretched carefully, testing her muscles. "I guess I'm
not too sore. Haruka really gave me a workout today." Seeing
Ami's smirk, Makoto quickly added, "Not like that, you ecchi
girl! We were doing kickboxing."
"As long as I don't find any unexplained scarves or handkerchiefs
lying around," Ami teased.
Makoto grinned. "You're so cute when you're jealous. How long
did you want to walk? Isn't it a couple hours till bedtime?"
Ami lifted one eyebrow knowingly, a warm smile teasing the edge
of her lips. "Like I said, it was a long day at work and I owe
you for making my lunches. I had hoped we could turn in a little
early tonight." Her light blush betrayed her confident tone.
"We could just skip the walk!" Makoto proposed eagerly.
With a laugh, Ami grabbed Makoto's hands and helped her to her
feet. "We can do both, my love. It's a beautiful evening, the
sun will be setting soon, and I believe it's going to be a full
moon. Come on."
Feigning a pout, Makoto grabbed her shoes and joined Ami. Hand
in hand, they strolled along the sidewalks and pathways in and
around their neighborhood until the sky was dark and the stars
could be seen shining clearly above, obscured only by the bright
light of the moon. There was nowhere they needed to be and
nothing that needed to be done other than to enjoy the evening
and each other's company. They didn't speak much, as words were
unnecessary, but they did stop frequently to partake of
particularly beautiful scenes.
After an hour or so, they found themselves back in front of their
home. As Ami retrieved her keys to open the door, Makoto grasped
her hand lightly. Ami looked up and was immediately entranced.
The moon and starlight sparkled in Makoto's eyes. She felt a
quiver go down her spine as Makoto lifted her fingers and ran
them through her hair, black in the dim light.
"Aishiteru, Mizuno Ami," Makoto whispered.
"Aishiteru," Ami answered even as her lips found Makoto's.
----------------------------------------------
[Author's Note] This is the first of what will hopefully be a
series of vignettes showing various pairings of the senshi going
about their normal lives. Minimal back story on how they got
together, no angst-filled realizations or rejections, not much
plot at all actually, just scenes showing them interacting in a
normal, natural way. I suppose that qualifies as 'fluff', but,
if so, so be it. I plan to start with my favorite pairings and
eventually move into more obscure, absolutely non-canonical ones,
just for fun. :)
-----------------------------------------------
Makoto set the laundry basket down on the bed and headed over
toward her dresser. After looking through the stack of CDs
stacked haphazardly to the side of her boombox, she found
something suitably bouncy and popped it in. 'Good folding
music,' she congratulated herself as she opened the window to let
in the late afternoon breeze. With sunlight sliding in at a low
angle and a gentle wind behind her, she moved back around the bed
and started folding. The warmth of the clothing, fresh from the
dryer, nicely balanced the slight chill from the open window as
she allowed herself to fall into the happy trance that typically
accompanied such chores.
After spending a year or so bustling about in the kitchen of a
high-class restaurant, Makoto had grown tired of the stress and
long hours that came with being a top-notch chef. She loved to
cook, but had less patience for the other things that came along
with the job. With Ami's encouragement, she'd quit her job and
moved on to her second love: gardening. Though they'd lived in
the city all of their lives, neither Ami nor Makoto regretted
moving out into the countryside just outside of Tokyo. They
found a house not too distant from Haruka, Michiru, and
Setsuna's, though in a less chic neighborhood. Unlike the condos
she and her partner had grown up in, it had a small plot of land,
more than enough room for Makoto's rather extensive garden.
True, the mortgage payments were high, but doctors earned good
money and Makoto supplemented that by selling flowers to various
florists in the city.
Makoto sighed happily, carefully smoothing the wrinkles out of
one of Ami's blouses. Though their friends teased her sometimes,
she was perfectly content to stay home, clean, cook, and work in
her garden. Ami worked very hard and Makoto took great pride in
giving her a warm, cozy sanctuary to come home to each evening.
As if summoned by her thought, Makoto heard the garage door
moving outside. Glancing at the clock, she realized that almost
half an hour had flown past. She patiently went about finishing
off the last few items in her basket, listening raptly for the
sound of keys in the door and then footsteps down the hall.
Makoto shivered as she felt Ami's arms slide around her waist and
her head nuzzle at her shoulder.
"I'm home, love," Ami said quietly, inhaling deeply, letting the
fresh scent of Makoto's skin and hair infuse her.
Makoto spun deftly in Ami's grasp, making sure not to disturb
their embrace. She kissed her love on the forehead. "How was
your day?" When Ami sighed heavily, Makoto added, "That good,
huh? Here, does this help?" With practiced ease, she picked Ami
up and sat her on the edge of the bed, pushing the laundry basket
aside and pulling Ami's head to rest against her chest. She
gingerly rubbed Ami's shoulders, feeling the knots there and
trying to loosen them as best she could. "Busy day I take it?"
Ami murmured something indistinct from the vicinity of Makoto's
bellybutton, allowing herself to relax completely. She knew, if
she let herself, that she could easily fall asleep just like
this. Instead, she looked up with a weary smile. "Very busy.
Looks like another flu outbreak at the preschool and all the
older kids need their physicals for the new school year. I
started running late, so I had to work through lunch, and even
then barely got out the door on time." She steeled herself for
what she knew was to come.
"You skipped lunch? Again?" Makoto lectured. "Ami, I've told
you that you can't keep working through lunch. Not only do you
need a break during the day, but it's not healthy. You're a
doctor, you should know that!"
"I grabbed a sandwich.." Ami began.
"...from that vending machine in the lobby," Makoto finished.
"That's it. From now on, I'm packing you a lunch. I promise it
will be things that you can eat standing up or between
appointments."
"I'm not a child, Makoto. I don't need you to prepare my lunch,"
Ami insisted, though she knew it was a losing cause. Seeing the
look in Makoto's eyes confirmed her suspicion. "Ok, you can make
my lunch, but you have to let me make it up to you somehow."
"Oh, I can think of something," Makoto replied with a devilish
gleam in her eye. She glanced knowingly at the bed and moved
forward slightly, forcing Ami to lean back on the comforter.
Ami's eyes darted toward the open window even as her heart began
to race. "Oh Mako," she breathed.
"There's definitely something you can do for me, Mizuno Ami,"
Makoto whispered in a tone heavy with innuendo. She brought her
lips within an inch of Ami's ear, her breath moist and warm on
Ami's skin.
Ami's eyes closed in anticipation.
"You can put all these clothes away while I check on dinner!"
Makoto announced, shoving Ami playfully back onto the bed. With
a bright smile, she turned and headed back to the kitchen while
Ami tried to collect herself.
Dinner that evening was nothing extravagant, just a random
concoction of vegetables, noodles, and chicken that Makoto had
whipped up. As they sat together in the dining room, looking out
onto the flowers growing in the backyard, Ami told Makoto some of
the details about her day, sharing gossip from her practice and
describing some of the thornier patients she'd seen. Even though
Makoto felt like she had little to tell, as always Ami drew out a
thorough review of her day with interested questions.
Eventually, Ami rose and began to carry dirty dishes back to the
kitchen. Makoto brought her own plate and set it beside the
sink. As Ami pulled on her dishwashing gloves, Makoto poured
herself some tea. "Are you sure you don't need help with that?"
she asked.
Ami scolded her lightly, "You cook, I do the dishes. Fair is
fair. Now get out of my kitchen."
"Your kitchen?" Makoto asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.
"Yours when you cook, mine when it's time to clean up," Ami
clarified. "Now go!"
Before leaving the kitchen as ordered, Makoto snuck a quick peck
on Ami's cheek. "You know it gets me hot watching you getting all
domestic," she teased. Ami replied by directing the spray of
water at her face, so Makoto beat a hasty retreat.
After finishing up her chores, Ami came out of the kitchen to
find Makoto sipping her tea and watching the news on television.
"Anything interesting going on today?" she asked.
"Not really," Makoto replied, "I just wanted to see the weather.
I was thinking we could invite the girls out for a picnic this
weekend."
"That's a nice idea. It's been so nice out lately and it seems
like forever since we've all gotten together."
Makoto sighed, "Yeah, that's the main thing I miss about living
downtown. It was nice to be able to hop a bus over to the shrine
and hang out."
"Well, a picnic is a good way to get Usagi out here," Ami
laughed. "I think she'd walk the whole way on her hands to get
some of your cooking." Makoto's blush inspired Ami to give her
partner a big hug. "Do you want to go for a little walk before
bed?" she suggested.
Makoto stretched carefully, testing her muscles. "I guess I'm
not too sore. Haruka really gave me a workout today." Seeing
Ami's smirk, Makoto quickly added, "Not like that, you ecchi
girl! We were doing kickboxing."
"As long as I don't find any unexplained scarves or handkerchiefs
lying around," Ami teased.
Makoto grinned. "You're so cute when you're jealous. How long
did you want to walk? Isn't it a couple hours till bedtime?"
Ami lifted one eyebrow knowingly, a warm smile teasing the edge
of her lips. "Like I said, it was a long day at work and I owe
you for making my lunches. I had hoped we could turn in a little
early tonight." Her light blush betrayed her confident tone.
"We could just skip the walk!" Makoto proposed eagerly.
With a laugh, Ami grabbed Makoto's hands and helped her to her
feet. "We can do both, my love. It's a beautiful evening, the
sun will be setting soon, and I believe it's going to be a full
moon. Come on."
Feigning a pout, Makoto grabbed her shoes and joined Ami. Hand
in hand, they strolled along the sidewalks and pathways in and
around their neighborhood until the sky was dark and the stars
could be seen shining clearly above, obscured only by the bright
light of the moon. There was nowhere they needed to be and
nothing that needed to be done other than to enjoy the evening
and each other's company. They didn't speak much, as words were
unnecessary, but they did stop frequently to partake of
particularly beautiful scenes.
After an hour or so, they found themselves back in front of their
home. As Ami retrieved her keys to open the door, Makoto grasped
her hand lightly. Ami looked up and was immediately entranced.
The moon and starlight sparkled in Makoto's eyes. She felt a
quiver go down her spine as Makoto lifted her fingers and ran
them through her hair, black in the dim light.
"Aishiteru, Mizuno Ami," Makoto whispered.
"Aishiteru," Ami answered even as her lips found Makoto's.