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Kunzite isn't really sure what he is expecting when he opens the door to the apartment he shares with Minako and is greeted by a cloud of smoke, but it definitely isn't this.
Their stove is on fire and Minako is frantically trying to put it out with a damp dish rag, of all things, mumbling to herself that she received the wrong sailor element.
Kunzite sets down his briefcase and wordlessly rolls up his sleeves before he gently pushes his fiancé aside to tend to the fire himself.
It's only after the fire is put out and there is some semblance of order to the apartment again that he notices that this time, at least, Minako had cleaned up the dishes as she'd cooked. It could have been worse, he supposes.
He sighs as he runs a hand through his silvery hair. "Minako..."
"I improved!" she shouts cheerfully, one fist pumped into the air. "I only set one thing on fire this time."
She has a point, he concedes, though what she hasn't burned doesn't exactly seem any more edible than what she has. "True enough," he says, deciding not to remind her that last time she hadn't actually set the stove on fire. "It does seem like you approached this with a great deal of, er, enthusiasm."
She opens her mouth and then eyes the charcoal brick that is so battered he can't even identify what she'd been intending on making. "Something like that," she says ruefully. "Well, we can always order in if it tastes bad, right?"
He tries not to blanch at the suggestion. He very much doubts that anything she's prepared tonight will taste well, though it is fortunate for them both that Kunzite enjoys cooking himself. Elsewise they'd likely starve.
But Kunzite is also nothing if not prepared after all these years at her side. Tactfully, he replies, "I hope you'll forgive me, but I already have reservations for us tonight, my dear. They're from my boss, so I'm afraid I couldn't refuse."
It's a way to salvage her ego and ensure they have something suitable to eat. He's been prepared from the moment she announced that moment that she wanted to make dinner for them tonight.
Minako has a way of keeping him on his toes, to say the least.
"Oh, well, if they're from your boss, I guess we have to." Minako smiles with her usual cheer, though he suspects she hasn't completely shaken off her earlier failure. He gently pulls her to him, giving her the hug he knows she needs but doesn't find easy to ask for. "I just wanted to do something nice for you," she says, her voice muffled by his suit. "You're always trying to look after me."
It's his pleasure to do so, especially given how much Minako already has on her shoulders. If he can relieve her burden, if only a little bit, he finds there is no greater joy.
"Then next time, we'll cook together," he promises her.
"Okay." She smiles up at him and this time, the lingering regret is gone. "But only if we get dessert tonight!"
He chuckles as he ushers her out he door to dinner. Without her ever realizing it, she has become the most precious being in his life and there is nothing he will deny her.
Even if occasionally she attempts to burn down their apartment.