kitchen duties

"Let's bake a cake."

Tenten paused in her reading, peering up from behind the novel to see her boyfriend of three months staring directly at her, his mouth set in a thin line. She pursed her lips, eyes squinting, trying to find a motive to cause such an outburst. "You hate sweets," the brunette retorted as her forefinger thumbed over a page.

The raven haired ANBU captain averted his stare to the cover of the book resting in his girlfriend's hand. Orlandia Scarlet, it read.

"Sasuke," she tried, "why do you want to bake a cake when you don't even like cake?"

She noticed the look in his eye, she could see the mischief hiding behind his cool façade, surprising her. What are you hiding, Uchiha.. she thought curiously. Instead of replying, he stood abruptly, the pillow in his lap falling to the floor of her apartment with a quiet thud. Taking a hold of one of her hands, Sasuke pulled the brunette up to her feet gently, retrieving the book and placing it down page first on the coffee table to the side of the love-seat she was sitting in. Tenten's eyes widened a fraction, the determination on her boyfriend's face amused her.

Tenten let herself be dragged into her small kitchen and led over to the counter. Sasuke spun on his heels so he was face to face with the weapon's mistress, and lowered her hand back to her side (still clutching it, she noted). "I just do," was his reply, "now what do we need?"

Letting go of her hand, Sasuke walked over to the fridge and opened it, examining the contents. "Uh, okay...grab the eggs, milk, and oil.." Tenten murmured, reaching up above her for a large bowl.

To her chagrin, the bowl she needed was on the highest shelf, a place she could never touch because of her cursed hight. She stood up on her tip-toes, noes scrunching up in frustration as her fingertips brushed the edge of the plastic container. "Damn you," she voiced, jumping, but only succeeded in pushing it farther back. A set of hands were suddenly at her waist, long fingers slipping through the belt loops of her day jeans. Tenten squeaked as she found herself being lifted up, a firm knee supporting her bum. She could feel Sasuke's breath on her exposed back, the warmth making her chilled skin shiver. Reaching for the bowl once more, she snatched it from the shelf with a victorious grin and in a second her feet landed on the cool tiles of the floor, soundly and unharmed.

"Thanks chibi!" Tenten pinched her boyfriend's cheek lightly, the nickname she gave slipping from her tongue automatically. He rolled his eyes at the pet name, but followed her back to the table where he had set the ingredients she told him to fetch down.

A box of butter cream cake mix sat in the center of the table, untouched, with a thin layer of dust collecting over the top. Tenten picked it up, wiping the dust off with her (actually, it was his) wife beater and tore it open, the package of mix plopping next to the carton of milk.

She turned to the Uchiha, "Pour the mix into the bowl, will ya," she gabbed, skipping back to the counter. He shrugged, grasping the package and ripping a decent sized hole in the corner. Letting the tan powder empty into the bowl, Sasuke waited as Tenten returned to his side with two measuring cups. Sasuke watched as she filled one of the cups with oil, and the other with milk. Once the mix was all in, Tenten handed him two eggs while she went to pour in the liquid.

"Uh, Ten, there aren't supposed to be shells in it, are there?" Sasuke mumbled, fingers coated in slim. Tenten glanced down to the bowl and indeed, small pieces of egg-shell were laying on top of the mountain of ingredients. The brunette let out a chuckle, shaking her head, her twin buns mimicking the movement. "Unless you want to eat them, no,"

Frowning at his mishap, Sasuke glared at the bowl, huffing. Tenten stared at the Uchiha expectantly, brown eyes brimming with mirth. "What?" he bit defensively, shifting under her gaze.

Tenten sneered playfully, "Aren't you going to pick them out? I really don't feel like choking tonight," a steady smile adorning her rosy lips.

"Fine, fine," he muttered, fingers searching for every white shell visible. When he finished, and the small pile of shell had been thrown away, Tenten handed him a wooden spoon.

He took it cautiously, already knowing what his next job was. "Stir!" his girlfriend demanded slyly.

So he stirred, and stirred, and stirred until the lumps had dissipated and his forearm became sore (surprisingly). Tenten had been greasing a pan lightly with the cooking spray she had found, but had finished before he had. And in that time she ran to get her book, flipping miraculously through ten pages before he put the spoon down, frowning. "Tenten," he prodded, but she ignored him.

Dipping a finger in the tan mix, he smirked and smeared it against her jaw, watching in satisfaction as her mouth dropped.

She glared, setting her book aside. "Sasuke!" pouting, she didn't notice him making his way around the table.

"That wasn't-" she went to finish, but a set of lips attacked the battered spot, licking up the mixture greedily. Involuntarily, Tenten breathed out a quiet moan, eyes drooping as his lips worked against her jaw. She could feel his smirk widen against her skin. Trailing lower, Sasuke pecked at her creamy skin, stopping just above her collarbone. Before he could get his mouth secured on the spot, the sound of the oven timer went off, signalling it was ready for use. Tenten pushed the obsidian eyed boy away, face flushed as she grabbed the bowl and poured the mixture into the greased pan.

"Why are you so flustered, koibito," Sasuke whispered, nipping at her ear. Spinning around, Tenten pushed the pan in the youngest Uchiha's arms, motioning for him to place it in the oven to bake. Koibito.. she smiled softly at the title. They haven't been together for that long, but he used it towards her as if they've been together forever. And that itself made her heart swell. "You know what to do with that.." Tenten exhaled, moving to clean up the mess they made while preparing the batter.

Sasuke growled lightly but obeyed his girlfriend's indirect demand and went to put the cake in the oven. The heat kissed his forearms as he opened the machine and inserted the clear pan. He could hear the running water of the sink faucet from his right, eyes landing on Tenten washing the used utensils. Leaning back against the oven he crossed his arms, waiting for the right moment to strike his unsuspecting (or maybe she knew, the way her honey eyes drifted every few moments to make sure he was still in his place near the oven) prey.

As soon as she finished drying the dishes, Sasuke's dark irises sparkled when she took a hold of the cleaned bowl and went to put it away. He took the moment to sneak up behind her and when she reached up to throw the plastic up on its shelf, he attacked.

A flash of déjà vu struck Tenten, before the scene changed as she found herself being lifted on to the counter, spun around, and the same pair of devilish lips from earlier latched on to her collarbone continuing it's mission. The bowl slipped from Tenten's grasp, crashing against the tile. Hands slinked up her thighs, squeezing lightly, and trailing their way back down. Sasuke gripped her calves, pulling her legs around his waist as his lips let the flesh he was working on go with a small pop, butterfly kissing his way to her parted mouth.

Their eyes met briefly, with a second to spare, before his lips descended on hers. Tenten pushed back against his hungry kiss gingerly, her own hands tangling themselves in his dark hair. "Sa...Sasuke stop," the brunette breathed airily, movements contradicting her statement. She tightened her hold around his waist, pulling him closer. They parted to catch a needed breath, with Sasuke pressing his feverish forehead against hers.

Tenten's eyes shut, her head bowed slightly. When she reopened them, Sasuke was staring at her intently. Red dusted over her tan cheeks, allowing his fingers to rub circles around her partly exposed waist. Her tank top had rode up, the breeze coming from the window tickling her skin. She went to lean in once more, all thoughts of stopping and keeping in eye on their cake long gone, when a heavy gasp interrupted them.

Standing in the doorway of the tiny kitchen was Hinata, arms full with a small stack of paper, flushed pink. She was frozen, Tenten noticed, her mouth making a small 'o' as her opalescent eyes grew steadily.

"I-I-I, uhm, I w-was-"

At the sight of her dear friend, Tenten unwrapped her legs from Sasuke's waist, shoving him far enough so she could jump down without anymore bodily contact. Sighting the Uchiha's satisfactory smirk, she hmpthed, making her way to the stricken Hyuuga. "I'm so sorry you, uh, had to see that Hinata...I forgot you were coming over today," Tenten said, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck.

Hinata nodded numbly, face slowly returning to its original color. "I-It's alright, maybe I should have knocked?" she waved the extra key Tenten had given her a few months after getting the apartment, question hanging in the air.

"Nah, we should have keep that in a more private room-"

Sasuke butted in, "it's called the bedroom, Ten," causing the tomato red to creep back up the Hyuuga heiress' neck. Tenten shot him a dirty look, leading Hinata away from the kitchen and slightly sexually frustrated Uchiha.

"Keep in eye on the cake, would ya chibi?" Tenten asked with a sickening sweet smile. Sasuke stiffened, glancing at the clock. It would be another fifteen minutes until the cake was ready. Inwardly groaning, he watched their retreating figures disappear down the hall to said bedroom.

Without anything else to do now that his partner was gone, he returned to the table and sat, waiting. The clock ticked on endlessly (tick, tock, tick, tock-), another breeze drifting inside the room. A flutter of paper caught his attention and he found the deserted book his girlfriend was reading earlier.

Picking up the purple covered novel, he bent the page the bun haired kunoichi was on and flipped to the first. Curiosity getting the better of him, he started to read, unknowingly becoming more and more engrossed in the tale. Twenty three pages in, he dismissed the smell of burning sweetness and flipped the page, eyes chasing after the line of words over and over. (He never knew Tenten was such a good novel chooser, he'd have to check out her other collections when he wasn't busy).

The sound of the smoke alarm blared, kicking Sasuke out of his book induced haze. He shot up from his seat right when the two kunoichi bolted into the kitchen, startled, searching for the beginning of the (nonexistent) fire.

Sasuke, making sure to bookmark his spot, dropped the book on the table, noes taking in the smell of burning embers.

"Sasuke! I told you to watch the cake!" Tenten scolded, reaching over the overused oven and switching the knob off. He didn't reply, instead handing his girlfriend the towel she used to dry the dishes with so she could open the oven. Hinata was fanning the smoke alarm with all her effort, trying to cease its noisy ringing. Taking her place in removing the cake (now layered with crisped edges), he apologized to her lowly so the Hyuuga wouldn't hear. He didn't need any witnesses in his signs of weakness. (She would always be his number one weakness, and he would admit to only a select few that yes, he was a tad whipped).

Tenten inhaled, exhaled (three times) before letting it go. "It's 'kay," she mumbled, poking at the ruined treat. "What were you doing, anyways?"

His mouth twitched, eyes unconsciously moving to the book. Tenten followed his gaze and chortled. "Reading my books now are we?" she teased, loving the way he became flustered under her scrutiny. By that time Hinata had succeeded in quieting the alarm, face crinkling up in distaste at the smell lingering in the air.

"Ano, Tenten-chan," she spoke, trying not to stare at the couple (images from before flashing in her mind dangerously) "I should go, I only came to look over the papers, a-and since we're done, (and you seem a bit busy, the voice in her head giggled) I'm leaving now."

Tenten pouted, but allowed her friend to collect her things and leave with a wave of her hand.

"I think that's the most I've heard her speak," Sasuke mused. Rolling her eyes, Tenten sighed. "It smells like a fire pit in here.." she muttered.

Sasuke shrugged, closing the distance between them. "Now that she's gone and the cake, ruined, how about we," cupping her cheek, "finish what we started?"

Tenten huffed, but allowed the space to vanish. "You mean what you started," she murmured against his lips.

The Uchiha let his signature smirk grace his lips, "Bedroom?"

"Take the lead," she pressed a feathered kiss to his mouth, letting him hoist her up so she was in a similar position as before, only with his hands replacing the counter top, "captain."

end

well that was a bit messy ahah (: review if you wish, and thanks for reading.
note I only read over this once. so if there are any mistakes, blame my eyesight. it's nearly 4:30 in the morning and my laptop light is killing my poor, poor eyes. heh. oh and the title, I suck with coming up with titles so just bare with me, yeah?