Summary: Bella is getting stressed with the housework so Edward offers to help his fiancee out. But what does a vampire know about cleaning? Fluffy One-shot. Pre Breaking Dawn.
Authors Note: For some reason, a lot of my one-shots are pretty random. I was doing my own washing when I thought of this and decided to write it. It's very fluffy and quite funny in places. One-shots are becoming my speciality as writing a multi-chaptered story requires commitment, and because of schooling and exams thats not possible at the moment. I hope you enjoyed reading it :)
Thanks to Alex (Thats-So-Alex) for her beta-ing. She's a great beta and always edits everything I send her!
Of course I do not own Twilight; Stephenie Meyer does.
Edwards Point of View:
The darkness of the night had cracked as light broke through the seemingly strong, impenetrable sky. Sitting, bored, on the floor of my bedroom, I let the notes of the music fill the silence of the air, and the words of the book in my hand put my eyes to use. With the vampire skills, I could fully concentrate on both the melody and continue to read with ease; anything to distract my mind from the loneliness of not being beside Bella tonight.
It was not necessarily either of our choice; there was a mutual kind of agreement that I should stay at home tonight, what with Charlie sleeping lightly due to anxiety about the upcoming wedding of his only daughter, and the temptation of her body so close to mine with sexual thoughts running through my mind as she lay, breathing, muttering my name as she dreamt – it was safe to stay away.
When morning fully came, and the dreary town of Forks came to the most light it would ever really experience, I quickly showered to pass some more time and dressed in fresh clothes.
Before leaving the house, I paused in the living area much to Rosalie's distaste as I supposedly interrupted her television programme that was currently showing a badly acted sit-com. I took the cell phone out of my pocket, rarely used but the best money could buy, and dialled Bella's mobile number that I, of course, knew off by heart. The phone dial continuously rang for several seconds before it clicked and Bella's beautiful voice washed down the speaker.
"Hi Edward." The adoration that reflected even over the unflattering speakers of the phone was obvious, and her voice, even thought it not face to face, made me smile.
"Bella." I smiled. "Is it okay if I come over now?"
Only rarely did I invite myself over, usually just turning up at either the front door, normally, or through Bella's bedroom window. I know she never got tired of spending time with me, it was something she was vowing to do until the end of eternity in a couple of weeks time, but I still liked to act the gentleman, and give her the chance to turn me away, even if just for a day.
"Sure, Edward, but I've got to finish washing the breakfast dishes, and I gotta do some laundry too." Her voice had lost its sweet and patience tone and now seemed some-what stressed.
"Okay." I agreed. I'd happily help with anything she needed my help doing.
"See you in a minute." She said, and I could tell she was smiling, knowing it would take me as near to a minute as possible to get there, and then she hung up, but not before letting a small giggle sound cut short with the dial tone again.
"I'll see you later." I informed Rosalie who nodded her head shortly, and I climbed into my Volvo, driving to Bella's with a clouded head, the replay of her giggle echoing in my mind with the same perfected sound she'd made not ten seconds ago.
Precisely two minutes after leaving my house did I pull up outside of Bella's house, my Volvo replacing Charlie's police cruiser car on the driveway and hurrying towards the door with a desperate haste to see my beloved.
I tapped the door lightly before letting myself in with a cheery smile to see Bella standing at the sink, yellow rubber gloves up to her elbows and the radio talking about the weather. She hadn't noticed my entrance, so I flicked the power switch that sourced the radio, causing silence to sound.
Bella sighed deeply, before going to take her gloves off, obviously assuming the radio had broken in its silence. I let her continue, taking the gloves completely off, placing them on the worktop and turning around.
Seeing me, she jumped backwards, her heart beat increasing and she rolled her eyes.
"Edward!" She scolded, playfully, "You made me jump!" I smiled apologetically, but pulled her in for a hug, squeezing her gently between my powerful clamp-like arms.
Despite my original reluctances, and my head that still tells me she would be better without me, my heart burst when I realised that soon Bella would be as strong as I am, where I could hold her as tightly as I could, and never let go, without worrying about crushing every precious bone in her body.
"Sorry." I grinned into her hair before, grudgingly, letting go of her. But before she could reach the rubber gloves that lay sprawled across the worktop, I'd rushed over to them and slid the strange texture onto my pale hands.
Bella's eyes turned to me at human pace, and her glare bore into mine. Her hands moved forward and she made a motion as if she was going to take the gloves from me.
"Allow me." I turned towards the sink, but her warm palm on my shoulder was enough to make me turn back around to face her. Again, her hand moved towards the rubber gloves.
"My breakfast, my dishes, my chore." She argued, but I lifted my hands above my head, out of her reach, moving them whenever she made quick movements to grab them.
"I assure you, Bella, that you will tire before me." I smiled smugly at her smouldering expression.
"You shouldn't have to clean up after me, especially when you don't help make the mess." Her hands moved to her hips, and the position was truly Bella. She was as stubborn as I.
With my hands still placed inside the strange confines of the gloves, I could feel every stray thread of cotton, every worn patch of material, and the rubbery texture against my skin. A giant grin spread across my face as I reached towards the refrigerator and pulled out the orange juice carton and poured myself a glass.
Bella's stare was curious and unsure as to what I was about to do; her hands were still on her hips, defining her flat stomach as her grip brought her baggy t-shirt to mould to her skin.
Dramatically I lifted the glass of orange juice to my lips and drank, ignoring the strange liquid that tickled my throat uncomfortably and the weird feeling as it settled in my stomach, waiting for it to be regurgitated later.
I plopped the used glass into the sink, causing several ripples and a splash of bubbles to dampen the sideboard.
"My glass, my dishes, my turn." I smiled mimicking her tone that she'd used previously. Bella's eyes narrowed.
"Now you're annoying me." She said with her lips pursed, but I could see from the glow of her eyes that she'd found my charade amusing and she was fighting the urge of a smile.
"You're my fiancée; it's my duty to do the chores once in a while." I offered, taking her hand off her hip and twirling her; the brunette waves of her hair spinning and tickling my chest.
"I'll help you then." Bella's lips curved as she took several steps over to the sink, putting her hands into the sink without the gloves, something I should have really overlooked.
I grabbed her hips from behind, extremely cautious of my strength, and pulled her backwards into me as she squealed out of shock.
"Edward!"
"Bella!" I switched our spaces so my back was pressed against the sink, and Bella standing to face me. "When we marry, I promised you that you'd be changed. There won't be any dishes to wash then, so let me do it now. It's something I want to do."
Sighing, Bella walked away before quickly doubling back on herself. She lifted herself up by the forearms and sat on the worktop next to the sink with her arms folded across her chest.
"You're going to watch me?" I questioned.
"Yes. You might do it wrong." She grinned, very amused and I knew what Bella was thinking; her face was too easy to read. She was thinking it would be the one and only thing I would ever do incorrectly. "I need to check you do it right."
Shrugging, I began washing, listening to the steady breathing of Bella beside me, concentrating hard on washing the dishes before I found that my lips were uncontrollably kissing hers, doing things to her that I had to restrain myself from doing.
"Add some more bubbles." She instructed, handing me to washing up liquid that was green and bubbly in a transparent bottle which I squirted into the sink with a squelching sound. I lifted the plate and began rubbing with the cloth in circular motions.
"You have to do the back too." She hinted, and I smiled internally at her obvious trying-to-help tips on how to wash up. I was fully capable of washing dishes, but I was not going to silence her just yet. I placed the plate on the drying rack that was to the left of the sink.
"You have to put it vertical." She smiled. I ignored her.
Instead, my hand moved back into the water and my fingers gently tapped against the liquid, but because of its rock-like hardness, the water spurted off of them, splashing Bella. She gasped when the water hit her, and I refrained myself from smiling. I did it again.
"Edward!"
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Her own hand moved to the water, as she splashed me also, bubbles flying towards me and dampening my shirt immediately.
"Bella!"
"Oh, I'm sorry!" She mocked, jumping off the side and onto me, straddling my hips, clinging to my arms desperately, and our chests pressing against each other. Her eyes glistened with delight as they stared into mine, and this was the only window in which I saw her true emotions. Her eyes never lied.
"Any reason you're holding onto me like a koala bear?" I smirked and she shook her head but did not loosen her grip, only tightening it. I could feel them tremble as she supported herself. Moving my hands to cup her onto me, she kissed me. Only slightly, our lips parting for a second before she pulled away.
"I really am sorry, Edward, but I've got to do this." She apologised both verbally and with her beautiful brown eyes, and I lowered her to the floor gently.
"I can do it, you know." I assured but she shook her head, and I allowed her to take the rubber gloves off my hands. I hadn't realised how irritating they had been until my hands were free from the itching fabric and the tickling stitching of the inside material.
"You don't have to." Bella's smile melted my heart, so I nodded my head and retreated so she could wash the dishes. She wasn't as easily distracted by me; I could sense everything about her: her captivating scent, every enriching breath, and her sweet pulse, not to mention the sight of her flushing cheeks and long lashes in my peripheral vision.
As soon as her back was turned, I smiled to myself and made my way upstairs. My steps were light, but Bella soon noticed my absence.
"Edward?" She called from kitchen, but I quickened my pace as I entered the bathroom. Between the toilet and the sink was the wash basket where I knew that dirty clothing was placed as a by-pass between the floor of Charlie and Bella's bedroom and the washing machine.
Her first footstep on the stairs made me smile, and I heard her curse under her breath, murmuring something about me being like a child. I was acting quickly, but Bella's paces were slow and steady, human.
I lifted the lid as Bella trod on the fourth step and I stared at the mound of clothes in the wicker basket. Charlie's shirt was on top with a gravy stain on the chest, so I picked it up and put it on the floor, ready to create a pile. I knew you had to separate the clothing into things such as colour or material it had been made with. But, in all honesty, I was oblivious to this chore. Alice never allowed us to wear something twice, let alone wash anything. She frowned upon it.
The seventh step creaked as Bella's foot pressed on it, a step I knew to avoid when navigating my way around the house when going unsuspected to Charlie. I knew Bella would enter in about five seconds.
But then I came to a colourful striped bra, perfectly rounded with tiny shoulder straps perched on top of another one of Charlie's shirts. With a smile that truly reflected the man in me, I picked up the garment of underwear carefully.
Bella pushed open the bathroom door. Her eyes widened as she saw my holding one of her bras by my index finger and thumb. Her cheeks flushed instantly and her mouth opened, stuttering.
"W-what are you doing?" She gushed, fully embarrassed.
"You said on the phone you had laundry to do. You wouldn't let me do the dishes, so I thought I'd do the laundry." I answered innocently, and Bella smiled nervously, her cheeks a burning red.
"Okay?" She answered unsure.
"Do you mind?" I asked, taking the bra in my hands instead of using my fingers, and felt the soft fabric. Bella shook her head.
"Is it okay?" Bella asked quietly, almost a mummer, and her blush, if possible, intensified as she asked. But I didn't fully understand what she was asking.
"Is what okay?" My eyebrows rose in confusion, and Bella bit her lip as if regretting what she'd asked. I saw her eyes quickly dart to the bra in my hand and then return to my face where her gaze burned. She inclined her head in the direction of it.
"This?" I asked, lifting my hand up, not quite believing she was asking the question as to whether her bra was okay. It was… ridiculous? Silly? Oh, it was definitely typically Bella.
"You're asking me whether your bra is okay?" I asked disbelievingly. I hoped that if I repeated it over and over it would make more sense… then again, Bella never really made sense with her paranoia and self-image. She truly was the most wonderful and beautiful girl in the world.
She nodded her head shyly, and I moved my head, requesting her to come closer to me. Her steps were small and made me impatient, but I waited for her to make her way over to me.
Once she was in front of me, I pulled her into me.
"Well, erm," She began, "just wondering, if, erm, well, you know what it covers." She mumbled quietly into my chest where my shirt was still damp from our splashing downstairs. My ears picked up every sound she made, including the embarrassed sigh when she'd finished.
"Yes…?"
"Well, is it okay?"
I did not know whether Bella was referring to the pattern of her bra, the size of her breasts or something else, but any of those queries was unnecessary.
"I don't know what you're asking Bella; but it's fine, you're perfect." I sighed into her hair as I kissed the top of her head, trying to make her finally see that she was exactly that. There really was no way to describe how perfect Bella was – what words were worthy of describing Bella? Which words would ever capture her true beauty that radiated from her every cell?
"Bella, do you trust me?" I asked quietly. Instantly, Bella pulled out of my grasp and stared at me with firm brown eyes before answering.
"Of course I do!" She exclaimed heavily as I rolled my eyes.
"I meant, with your body?"
Bella's eyes glazed over as her thoughts became completely opaque to me once more, now blocking that one window that sometimes allowed me to glimpse into the complex mind that was Bella. Her lips twisted as she thought, and I regretted asking. In all honesty, I'd expected her to answer yes. If she could trust me not to drink her blood, not to hurt her and to love her, then surely she could trust me to respect her body and admire it to its full potential? Bella's answer wasn't the one I wanted, but it was honest and honesty from Bella was something I would always prefer.
"That's going to take time, I think, Edward." She said quietly, not quite looking me in the eye. "Not that I don't trust you!" She quickly corrected, "Just that… I'm not very confident." Her voice had been reduced to nothing more than a whisper.
"We have time." I promised, pulling her back in for a hug, lifting her delicate chin to bring her soft lips to mine. They were nervous at first, but slowly relaxed as we settled into something that was comfortable and familiar to us.
As always, I pulled away first, allowing Bella to breath and for me to remember myself. It was too easy to get lost in my love for Bella.
"I'm gonna carry on with the laundry now, okay?" I winked at her. She nodded, smiling widely, as she walked down the stairs with the rubber gloves still wrapped around her arms.
I finished loading the washing into piles; I did this by colour - a pile of darks, and then of whites, and then the other colours. I'd found another bra of Bella's and some of her panties too, but that wasn't embarrassing. It was when I found Charlie's boxers in there too that I felt like I was violating someone's privacy, but luckily, he'd never know.
When I'd carried down the load to the washing machine, Bella was just finishing putting the dishes in the correct drawers and cupboards. I shoved the clothes through the door, but stood for several minutes.
"Edward?" Bella asked, and I turned to see her standing with a smug smile on her face.
"What button do I press?" I asked, slightly embarrassed that I didn't know. But they were actually rather confusing. They weren't simple with colours for labels, but things such as temperatures and how heavy the load was.
"I'll do it." She said, pushing my aside lightly, which had no affect on me at all, but I moved aside nonetheless.
"Is there anything else I can do?" I asked politely when she'd pressed whatever button that was needed to start the whirring and spinning. She shook her head.
"I've got to wait until this has finished putting some more in, and then I got to clean the bathroom, but that can wait." She smiled, taking my hand and playing with my fingers. I let her warm fingertips guide mine, twisting them and bending them. It was comforting.
"You sure?"
"Yeah. I need to enjoy my time of being Miss Swan, don't I?" She grinned. "Besides, you didn't come over to watch me clean." I could have disagreed, saying that I'd come over no matter what she was doing, simply to be with her and bask in her company, but I remained silent as she suggested how we could spend the day.
I lifted her up, holding her in my arms, and took her upstairs. Bella quit fighting about half way up the stairs, falling limply in my arms with a pout on her face. But her room was messy, with many books on the floor, CD cases on her un-made bed, and the actual CD's stacked beside the stereo carelessly. There were two empty packets of crisps on the bedside table.
"What happened in here?" I asked, surprised by the untidiness. Usually it was quite clean. Bella suddenly blushed and stuttered a little before answering properly.
"I got bored."
"So you made a mess?" I laughed. Bella was still in my arms; if I put her on the bed, she'd crack the cases, and I didn't want to disrespect music that way. Bella bit her lip awkwardly, and I placed her on the floor carefully.
"I got bored last night without you, and I had to distract myself but nothing would work!" She said turning her back to me and piling up the cases.
"Really?"
She turned around and nodded shyly, walking over to the stereo and trying to sort through them.
"I know you don't want me to help you clean, but seriously Bella, we can't hang out here. We'll break something." I couldn't help but smile at her face as she realised how messy it is. Maybe it was just the contrast…
"Your house?"
"Or I help you clean?"
Bella's arrows narrowed as she took a glance at the room. My heart soared when she'd gone to such drastic measures to try and busy herself without me. The amount of CD's was evidence that music had not allowed her an outlet, or even Wuthering Heights which lay amongst the other books.
She rolled her eyes before nodding slightly, picking up a bra and hiding it behind her back quickly. But then she looked at me with narrowed eyes.
"You saw that, didn't you?" She muttered bitterly.
I rolled my eyes that time; it always made me smile when she forgot about my nature, even if only momentarily.
"Bella, I like your bras. You don't have to be embarrassed." I smiled but she shrugged off my comment, putting it quickly in her draw.
Moving to the bed, I picked up the spare cases and began to collect all other books and place them on the shelf. When I'd cleared the bed, I saw Bella putting the CD's in the correct case, sorting through them angrily.
I walked over to her carefully, taking the case out of her hand and instantly finding the correct one. But I ignored the stack of discs waiting for attention, instead selecting one that I knew would be perfect for what I had planned.
I slipped the disc I'd made Bella for her birthday into the stereo and let Bella's lullaby flood out and took her hands in mine.
"What are you doing?" She asked curiously.
"I managed to do your room rather quickly. Now we're going to dance." I smiled and Bella groaned my name in protest. "It's not a pointless exercise. Maybe practice will help you for when we come to dance at our wedding."
Bella simply stepped onto my feet, knowing the routine by now. This way of dancing would not help Bella improve at all, but as her body pressed close to mine, I couldn't tell her to get off; I couldn't do anything as she breathed warmly into my chest except dance.
I'm pretty confident about this. I really loved writing it.
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