Snacks with Cha

Kai sat munching on this newfound thing called a “snack.” She had been surprised at how good it tasted because every time she combined food together, it wasn’t an easy thing to put down. Finishing her “snack,” she dusted the crumbs off of her hands and scooted down the counter so she was at a better angle to watch Chachamaru create these strange and tasty things.

“So this is where you guys are.”

Cha and Kai turned to smile at Saito, who sauntered into the kitchen, yawning and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“How was your nap?”

“Very nice, thank you.”

Turning to lean against the counter top, Cha sucked the peanut butter from his fingers before spinning the lid shut on the jar. “I tried to get this one to sleep,” he stated, nodding towards the little girl who was swinging her legs as he put the jar away, “But she said she wasn’t tired.” Kai shook her head. “So, we colored and then decided to make some snacks for when you woke up.”

“And we were hungry.”

“And we were hungry.”

“Oh? What are you making?”

“Crackers, peanut butter, jam…”

“Mm…staple foods of a rock star.”

“Of course: you get your carbs, your protein, your saturated fats…”

“Does that mean…snacks…are good for you?” Kai stumbled on the new word.

“Sorta. They’re better than chocolate.”

“Oooo…”

“Can I have one?”

“Sure.”

“But you have to pay the toll,” Kai said, nodding.

“Toll? What toll?” Saito asked in mock-indigence. Grinning, she puckered her lips and made kissing noises. Saito smirked and leaned forward to kiss her upturned forehead. “How’s that?”

Kai grinned but then pointed to Cha and said, “You missed one!”

“Oh, of course! How could I forget?” Moving to Cha, he wrapped his arms loosely around his waist and pressed his lips against his lover’s. A chaste kiss, a sweet kiss. He felt Cha sigh against him as they pulled apart.

Kai giggled and Cha blushed. “He should get TWO snacks for that kiss!”

“Yes, he should,” Cha grinned. “What kind should we give him?”

“I like the red ones best.”

“Red?” Saito was momentarily confused.

“Which red ones?”

“Um…” she craned her neck to look at the plate. “Those ones,” she said, pointing, “with the dots.”

“The strawberry ones?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, we’ll save those ones for you.” To Saito, he asked, “Grape or cherry?”

“One of each will be good.”

“Ooo…daring.”

“Can I have another…um…what are they?”

“Snack?”

“No…the red ones I like…”

“Oh, strawberry.”

“Can I have another strawberry one?”

“Of course, Chibi. Why don’t we all go watch some TV and have our snacks?”

“Yeah!” Kai stretched out her arms to Saito who lifted her up and off of the counter. Once her feet were firmly planted on the ground, she bolted to the doorway, but skidded to a halt and asked, “Can you bring my cup?”

“The sparkly one?”

“Yeah.”

“Milk or water?”

“What goes good with snacks?”

“I like milk with mine.”

“Can I have milk?”

“No problem.”

“Okay.” As soon as that was decided upon, Kai bounded off and the two men still in the kitchen heard the TV switch on. Cha opened the cupboard over the sink and pulled out her beloved “sparkly” cup.

“Hey,” Saito asked softly. “When’s Gackt getting back?”

“You ready to get rid of her so soon?” the hurt in Cha’s voice was subtle, but no less unmistakable.

“Oh, no, no, no. I was just wondering if we should make dinner. ‘Cause I don’t want to thaw the salmon and try to force that down her throat, because I KNOW she won’t eat it.”

“Hmmm…” Cha thought for a bit, as he poured the glasses of milk. “We’ll wait till five. And if Gaku’s not back yet, we’ll make some kid-friendly dinner. I think we have some macaroni and cheese in the pantry.”

“Because you can’t go wrong with macaroni and cheese.”

“And cookies, and cereal.”

“And crackers with peanut butter and jelly, apparently.”