Author's note: All right, so…another Maleval week entry. The prompt today was Cooking for the Other + Sick Day. I went with the first one, and I tried to be at least a tad original with it, though I couldn't think of a really good title. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy! Only a couple more to go now!

Looking Toward the Future

She came home to find her husband rummaging about in the pantry.

Maleficent took a moment to kick off her heels, and then, curiosity overwhelming her, she ventured to his side.

"What are you doing?" she asked, watching as Diaval grabbed a box of pasta and began to fill a large pot with water.

"Cooking dinner, of course."

She crossed her arms over her chest and arched a skeptical eyebrow. "Since when do you cook?"

He froze for a moment. Maleficent was typically the one who reigned over the kitchen, and he usually made no arguments in that regard.

"I saw a recipe on the Food Network I wanted to try out," he shrugged, hoping that it would suffice as an answer.

She narrowed her eyes. Her beloved was really bad at lying, and it was obvious that there was something else up his sleeve.

At the same time, it was really sweet that he was putting an effort in for once.

After a long beat, which was spent mainly with Diaval looking at her expectantly, Maleficent smiled. "Need any help?"

He shook his head rapidly. "Nope. No, you just relax and I'll take care of all this."

She couldn't help the odd glance she sent his way, but she backed respectfully out of the kitchen and gave him his space.

She only hoped he wouldn't burn down their apartment in the process.

Luckily: Diaval proved that he was quite capable when it came to cooking a simple meal. He was well aware that she was allergic to tomatoes, so he prepared the pasta with a butter sauce accented with Marsala wine, and added some diced chicken for a dash of protein.

The dish was accompanied by salad and garlic bread, which, admittedly, had been the type from the freezer section, but it quite tasty.

He even went through the trouble of finding a white wine to pair with the food, which only made Maleficent more curious about why he was making such a huge effort.

As far as she knew: there were no anniversaries to celebrate and her birthday wasn't for another few months.

It didn't help that he was so fidgety, as if he were bursting at the seams to tell her something important.

"All right," she set her wine glass down and leaned forward to peer closely at him. "What is going on?"

He paled and stammered: "Nothing's going on! Why would you think something's going on?"

"Because you're acting so unnaturally!" she glared in his direction. "Diaval…you know how good I am at pulling information from people. Don't make me interrogate you. I'd prefer not to use my office tactics." She was the best detective in her precinct and she never had trouble reminding him.

The school teacher slumped in his chair. "You wouldn't."

"Try me," she hissed, frustration lacing her tone.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair: a nervous habit he had never quite managed to shake. "Well…you know how we're always talking about moving in to a bigger place? Especially if we want to have kids one day?"

Her eyes went wide. "Yes…but what does that have to do with you cooking dinner for me?"

He chuckled and moved out of his chair to stand at her side. "There's something I never told you."

"Which is?"

"Since I was 15, I've been setting money aside, and as you might imagine: I've got plenty saved up. You remember that neighborhood we were driving through and talking about being a nice place to settle down?"

She nodded.

"A place just went up for sale, and…I talked to the realtor."

Her breath caught in her throat. "I hope you didn't do anything rash, my love."

He shook his head. "No, I wanted to have you look at it before I make a down payment."

"So what you're really saying: is that you want to go house shopping?"

Diaval nodded. "What do you think? Are you ready for that?"

She deliberately pretended to think before grinning widely, standing up, and launching herself into his arms. "Absolutely!"

He laughed softly as he caught her, scooping her into his arms and spinning her around in a circle before claiming her mouth with his.

She cradled the back of his head as the kiss deepened, her fingers carding through the soft strands of his hair as they celebrated taking the next step in their lives together.

Finally, she pulled away and nuzzled him affectionately. "So when were you thinking of doing this?"

"Mmm. This weekend."

"So the cooking was, what: a way to soften me up?"

"Well I know you're more agreeable when you have food in your system after a long day…"

She playfully slapped at his chest, and then pulled him in for another kiss that told him just how much she truly approved of his plans.

The End