Summary: After terrible days at work, you and Chipper have a midnight date with homemade pizza and soft music.
Word count: 2.4k
Warnings: none.
Pairings: Charles ‘Chipper’ Piper x fem!reader
When Chipper pulled into your driveway, he instantly noticed how dark the house was. Checking the clock on his dash, he saw that it read 10:27. At this time of night, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for you to be fast asleep. But usually, he would be home with you, snuggled up in bed together. Something that you had been doing since Chipper started coming over to stay at your house for the night to now when the pair of you lived together happily was wait up for him. He found it odd that you would choose not to tonight.
Hurriedly, he unbuckled his seatbelt and made his way inside. Another odd thing that he noticed was that the entryway light was on. Surely if you had gone to bed you would have left him with the porch light. He couldn't seem to shake the gut feeling that you were still awake. It seemed as if his suspicions were confirmed when he walked up the stairs and was greeted with the sound of soft music coming from the ensuite bathroom. Even though it was closed, he could still make out the soft glow of candlelight coming from under the door.
Now that he knew you were most likely just enjoying some much-needed me-time he relaxed slightly. Chipper tossed his jacket onto the bench at the end of the bed and approached the door cautiously. Knocking gently, he waited with bated breath for you to answer. “Come in,” You called softly, voice sounding tired and worn. The door creaked when he opened it, revealing you. You were laying in the tub, bubbles surrounding you and soft music coming from the record player on the windowsill. Chipper sighed softly. This was more than just you needing some time to relax. “Hey Chip.” You whispered, offering him a sad smile.
He returned it as he moved to sit down next to you. “Hi, baby,” His voice was equally as quiet. Moving his hand up to brush a stay hair off your cheek, you turned your face into his hand and kissed his palm softly. His lips settled on the crown of your head. Chipper moved his other hand to the back of your head, practically cradling it as he stroked your hair. He smiled when he noticed that it was tied up in a low bun, out of the reach of the bubbles. You always complained when you got it wet in the bath. “Bad day at work?” His voice was low and rough, somehow even more soothing than everything else you had done. You just hummed softly in response. Chipper knew that you would open up to him in your own time. You always would.
The pair of you sat in silence, listening to the record scratch as it spun. You could feel the water getting cooler. Debating putting more hot water in, you decided against it. It was probably time to get out anyways. With one final kiss pressed to your fiancé’s palm, you retracted from his soft hold and unplugged the tub. As the water slowly drained, taking the lavender-scented bubbles with it, Chipper moved to grab you a towel. He returned with a large, fuzzy bath towel, making you smile at how considerate he was. Helping you stand, he offered you a warm smile as he wrapped the towel around you. While he patted the towel to help dry you off, you decided now was as good a time as any to talk about your horrible day.
“First of all,” You started, noticing how he immediately perked up when you spoke. “You weren’t here when I woke up, and I woke up late because my alarm didn’t go off,” Pouting dramatically, you giggled at the sheepish apology Chipper let out. You were used to waking up next to him and having him not there at the start of your day sucked. “Then apparently no one at work is capable of doing their own jobs so I was left to pick up after them. And on top of that, somehow the coffee shop managed to run out of coffee on my way home from work.” Chipper couldn’t help the short laugh he gave at your last statement.
Before you could even comprehend what was happening, his arms darted out. One wrapped around your waist while the other went to the back of your knees. He picked you up bridal style, causing you to squeal. He laughed again as he brought you into the bedroom. Setting you on the bed, he moved towards your shared dresser and began rummaging through it until he found what he was looking for. He tossed you one of his academy sweatshirts and a pair of sweatpants. Chipper changed as well, stripping out of his service uniform and into a plain black T-shirt and sweatpants.
When he finished, he turned around to see you throwing your hair up into a messy bun, a few strands falling to frame your face. Once you were finally satisfied with your hair, you glanced up to see your pilot staring at you with a blissed-out look on his face. There was a warm smile on his face and a domestic look in his eye. One that you had come to love over the past few weeks. “Do I have something on my face?” You spoke in a whisper, not wanting to disturb the peace that had settled over the room. Chipper quickly snapped back into focus, shaking his head softly. With the same smile on his face he offered you his hand.
Hand in hand, the pair of you made your way downstairs. In the kitchen, Chipper hoisted you up onto one of the stools. His arms wound around your waist as he tucked his head into your neck. One of your hands came up to run through his hair. “Have you had dinner yet?” He questioned, voice slightly muffled. You shook your head. After you had gotten home from the office, you headed straight to the bath, completely skipping dinner. “Me either,” He confirmed quietly. Which made sense, given that he had just gotten off base a half-an-hour ago. “What would you like, baby?” The name made you smile softly.
You were silent for a moment, weighing the options of what you could make out of the ingredients in the fridge. “I think we have some stuff from pizza,” You murmured. Chipper hummed. Pulling back, he pressed a chaste kiss to your cheek as he moved over to the fridge. You were sure that there was a few things in there that would taste great on a pizza. “We could each make our own. Use the dough a bit early.” There was, in fact, pizza dough sitting in the fridge, something that was intended to be used tomorrow night when a few of your fiancé’s coworkers came over. Chipper just nodded wordlessly.
A few minutes later you were staring at a counter full of various pizza toppings while Chipper pulled a bag of flour from the cupboard. He had pulled out an array of fruits and vegetables, along with a small wheel of brie cheese and some pizza mozzarella. You helped him spread some of the flour on the counter before handing him the bowl full of dough. He split it in half before beginning to roll it out. Your arms wound around his waist and you pressed your cheek to his back. “What are you putting on yours?” You asked him.
He contemplated for a few minutes. “I think,” He started, forming the dough into a pizza before moving to the next. “I’ll try some of that mozzarella. I pulled out some basil and there should be some pepperoni in the fridge,” You hummed. His pizza sounded delicious. You knew that you would most likely end up trying each others anyways. “What about you?” He finished the other pizza, setting the rolling pin down before spinning to face you.
“I might make mine more like a flatbread,” Chipper chuckled quietly. When you said ‘flatbread’ you really meant pizza with no sauce. Which made perfect sense when he heard your bizarre toppings. “I think I’ll use some of the pair and brie. Maybe a few things of rosemary on top.” He just shook his head quietly. Of course you wouldn’t make a regular pizza. You detached your arms and moved to grab two pans from the shelf. Setting them in front of Chipper, you placed some parchment paper onto them before helping him set the dough on them.
You and Chipper moved around the kitchen in sync. Cooking with Chipper was one of your favorite things. The pair of you often had homecooked meals, only eating out when it was absolutely necessary. In the time that you had lived together, you both learned how to navigate around each other in a way that was best for everyone. The kitchen was one of the places where you became so in tune with each other that you knew what the other needed without having to be asked.
Halfway through, you felt a small tomato bounce off your cheek. When you turned you were me with Chipper staring at you wearing a proud smirk. Laughing, you grabbed one of the blueberries that he had pulled out, for what you weren’t sure, before tossing it at him. You watched with satisfaction as it bounced off the tip of his nose. That was the beginning of the most relaxed food fight of your life. Normally, food would be strewn around the kitchen in an unruly mess. But tonight, very few pieces of food actually ended up on the floor. You laughed quietly as the food fight died down, ending with Chipper’s arms around your waist. He pressed a chaste kiss to your forehead before you both moved back to your pizzas.
When you both finished you smiled at your work proudly. Chipper’s was something similar to what you would see at a five-star restaurant; elegant and classy. Yours was less so, specifically made for you to enjoy and not to be visually appealing. While it was still an interesting take on a pizza, it was safe to say that if this were a competition, your fiancé would be winning.
“Let’s get them in the oven,” Chipper hummed, lips pressing to the back of your head before he grabbed the pans from the counter. As Chipper placed the pizzas in the oven you set the timer. The two of you met in the middle of the kitchen, his arms winding around your waist. Next thing you knew he was kissing you softly. “Do we have that wine from the other night?” He whispered. His lips were just millimeters away from yours, meaning that regardless of his volume, you could hear him crystal clear.
You hummed. Giving him a quick kiss one last time, you headed upstairs to your bedroom. The pair of you had brought the wine up the other night, needing a peaceful moment just between the two of you after the days that you had. You grabbed the bottle and hurried back downstairs.
When you walked into the kitchen, you were met with music playing softly. Your fiancé was standing in front of you. There were two wine glasses sitting on the counter beside him. With a soft smile, he grabbed the bottle and began pouring it. There were a few tears in your eyes. Chipper had done all this for you after you had a bad day, even though you were sure his wasn't much better. There was a reason that he was this late. You checked the clock and found that it was just passing midnight.
By the time you had turned back to him, Chipper had pulled a few candles out of the drawer and had spaced them around the room. They were casting a soft glow over the room. It was refreshing to be out of the bright light. “M’lady,” He hummed. Your eyes slowly drew up to meet his. “May I have this dance?” You smiled brightly. Grabbing his outstretched hand, you allowed him to pull you into him. Your cheek rested against his chest as he swayed the two of you around the room.
Your free hand moved up to grasp his arm. “Thank you for tonight.” You whispered. The pair of you continued to sway around the room even as the song changed. You could feel his chest move as he hummed. His lips found their way to your hairline, pressing a soft kiss to it.
It almost felt as if his arms had tightened around you. “There’s no need to thank me, baby,” You could see the moonlight catch on your engagement ring as you turned in front of the window. “Thank you for letting me help you. Thank you for spending this time with me.” It didn’t matter if the pair of you had to be up early. Here, in this moment, you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Chipper continued to sway you, eventually going as far as to spin you in a small circle before drawing you back into his warm embrace.
His heartbeat was soothing under your ear. The steady pattern was something that you relied on and sought out for comfort. “I love you, Chip.” It was a barely-there whisper, but in the silence of the kitchen, you knew that he would hear it. You could almost hear his heart skip a beat at those words.
“I love you too, baby,” The song changed again. “And I’m sorry for being so late.” You could hear the sheepish expression in his words.
Glancing up at him, you were met with the exact look you had anticipated. Chipper was smiling nervously down at you, eyebrows drawn slightly together and eyes staring at you with a warm look. You hummed quietly. A large smile broke out on your face. Standing on your tippy toes, you kissed him softly, conveying every emotion had felt since he got home. Your lips were still pressed against his when you spoke. “I suppose I can make an exception this time.”
