Simple Sweetness

Chapter 21

Usagi was sitting on the floor wedged between the leather couch and Darien's beat up wooden coffee table. Dressed in a long white nighty with lace trim along the round collar and puffy short sleeves. The nighty had a cute frilly style, yet hung off her curvy frame in a very alluring manner. Not wanting to be totally bare in only her underwear out in the apartment with the boys. She had on a pair of hot pink spandex shorts underneath. Settled in for the night and relaxing. She had her hair down and falling down her shoulder's, to pool upon the hard wood. Her history text and binder on display before her. As she watched the stars twinkling in the darkening sky just outside the large bay window. The days were beginning to shorten, providing less light, which meant less warmth. The dull grey haze of dusk that came far to quickly for her liking. Dragged upon her mood in the evening hours. With a lingering sigh of brooding, she returned her gaze into the warmth of the apartment.

The apartment was peaceful, with the only noise coming from the kitchen just beyond her homework refuge. The sharp clinking of pots and boiling water whispering through the small archway that linked the dining room area to the living room.

"I can help?" She called absently in the relative direction of the kitchen, but there was little resolve behind it. To wrapped up in her homework, never truly intending to offer any real help. Just trying to be polite.

"That's ok, Sweetness." Darien called back crisply, assuring her that he could handle things. Standing before the stove in his dark sleep pants and white t-shirt, stirring a pot of boiling water. With Shingo chuckling beside him at the dark blue half counter between the fridge and stove. Dressed in his white and blue striped sleep pants and a white t-shirt with a huge sponge bob face on it. Unwrapping hotdogs, and tossing them into Darien's pot.

"Yeah, let the men handle supper tonight, sis. You can feed us your burnt offerings tomorrow..Yeeech." Shingo added smartly with a distasteful sound at the end.

"SHUT IT!" She hollered back, knowing her brother was bad mouthing her cooking even more to Darien behind her back.

She her outburst accent by badly restrained laughter from the kitchen. With a disheartened groan, she braced her chin in a palm suddenly feeling very inadequate in the homemaking department. Most things came harder to her, she had to really make a commitment to improve at anything. If she didn't enjoy it she rarely put in the effort. Dancing had been a struggle, but she loved it, so was able to put in the work easily. That sort of single minded determination needed for her to excel, had been lacking in every other area in her life. She had neither the time or the inclination to be good at everything. So she had let many other things slide in the effort department over the years. Her homemaking skills being one of them.

"I can learn to cook, Shingo-chan..." She called back in a sing-song. Using the female-child honorific to get his ire up.

"You'll always be an annoying little brat!" She finished sardonicly.

"And you'll always be a Baka! Who can't do anything right, a worthless elder born who is a shameful failure to her parents!" He roared, the devil now burning his eyes.

"Miserable, ungrateful, child!" She screamed back. "I demand you close your mean little mouth."

"Who is to lazy to learn to cook, to stupid to get good grades, or do anything useful for that matter!" Shingo called back, his voice strained with anger. He had been trying very hard lately to be more grown up and start leaving his childhood issues behind. "Selfish, irresponsible, ditz!" He spat, the mean names shooting like gunfire from his mouth.

Usagi was blinking back tears now, those last few remarks had really stung. She was debating getting up from the coffee table and forcing him to seal his lips. But this whole fight was making her look like a child, she needed to just ignore him. Be the adult and let him cool down, so she bite down hard on her lower lip. Drawing blood by the strength it took to hold back her vengeful retorts.