The Confession
"I'm writing a paper about you for my creative writing class." Haru drew out slowly, carefully, as he smeared the ash from his cigarette onto the concrete beneath his sneakers.
Kyo scoffed, nose in his textbook as he went over the appropriate arithmetic in his head, not quite comprehending his cousin's words.
"Oh yeah, you are in that useless class, aren't you?"
There was a certain bite to his words that was so natural for Kyo that Haru barely registered it, instead amusing himself with fantasies of what the older boy's tangerine hair might feel like between his fingers (a past-time that he wasn't afraid to admit had become quite common for him), before flicking his used cigarette into the shrubbery behind him and scooting just a little closer to Kyo.
"It's not useless," He muttered, barely even convincing himself, but maybe if he feigned hurt, the cat might give him a pity-glance and unintentionally cause his heart to skip a beat, "A lot of my classmates take it very seriously."
They sat in silence for a moment or two, the sound of distant laughter ringing through the crisp, autumn air. Leaves lay across campus like a canvas of reds and oranges, like the eyes and hair of the temperamental man that sat only centimeters away—close enough to touch but guarded by some invisible border—and Haru wondered what Kyo's hair smelled like.
"So what is this paper about anyway?" The older man drew out carefully, nibbling on the tooth-dented eraser of his pencil. A gentle gust of wind rustled their clothing, Kyo's red and black flannel already wrinkled and unruly. Haru thought he pulled off the rough look quite well, however, albeit how unintentional the look may have been.
Haru, for one, admittedly couldn't find nearly as much to wear in the thrift stores where Kyo shopped, preferring to spend his family funds on expensive clothes and small accessories.
"It's about the effects of latent homosexuality." He answered finally, bracing himself for the aggressive cat's reaction.
Kyo, however, was silent, tapping his pencil against the surface of his notebook, long-since finished with his Trig homework and just waiting out the rest of his free period. After a moment or two, he finally spoke.
"Are you serious?" he muttered, long and low, almost sarcastically, as his scarlet eyes stared out into the distance.
"Why would I joke about something like that?" Haru answered blithely, his own eyes hard.
The cat rose to his feet in a heartbeat, obviously frazzled.
"Fuck you, Haru." He spat, gathering his things and backing away before Haru caught him by the arm.
Kyo's clothed wrist against his heated palm was enough to send his heart into a frazzled and rapid frenzy, but his poker face stayed firmly in place. The only thing keeping him from letting his nervousness take control, from giving into the pulsing darkness that tickled the back of his thoughts, was the slight hurt in Kyo's eyes.
"Wait," Haru deadpanned, and to his surprise, and maybe Kyo's as well, the cat did.
The older male simply stood there in the forest of oranges and reds, somehow the only thing Haru could see, as if the glow of his eyes was saturated against the dull grays of their college campus. Haru chuckled, heart trembling as he loosened his grip and let Kyo's hand slip away.
Maybe he was just crazy. Maybe he was in love.
"It's more about me, really," he explained slowly, carefully, his voice on the edge of cracking but somehow staying strong, "and how I've been falling for you since Rin broke up with me and Tohru ran off with Yuki."
Kyo remained still, eerily quiet as Haru tried to smile but failed miserably. Instead, he avoided the cat's fiery stare and concentrated on the heat that was left behind when Kyo pulled away.
"And it's about how I can say that and neither of us feels hurt about it anymore because it's been years and I think you might be falling in love with me too, but you just haven't realized it yet, and—"
He paused as Kyo cleared his throat awkwardly, glaring down at him with furrowed brows. He knew that if he were to rise to his feet, he would tower over the feline, but chose to stay seated for fear of intimidating the beautiful boy before him.
"You're rambling." Kyo stated dryly, taking a step back and flexing his fingers at his side.
Haru bit back a laugh, making a sort of muffled, miserable sound instead, before the cat fixed him with a serious look and began speaking again.
"You think I'm in love with you." It was more of a statement than a question, really, as the cat ground it out indignantly. Haru rubbed his palms together, feeling suddenly cold without Kyo's heat.
"Uh, well, maybe not love. Not yet, at least, but I think you're interested." He murmured, suddenly feeling foolish.
Kyo laughed then—actually laughed—bending down to collect the rest of his belongings before sending the younger man a smirk and turning to leave.
"You're an idiot." He called over his shoulder, strangely calm and pristine as the falling leaves around them.
Haru wanted to tell him to stop. "Wait!" he wanted to call, "I'll come with you!" but his voice was stubbornly lodged in the depths of his throat, caught somewhere between his heart and his Adam's apple, and inevitably he ended up alone, contemplating the smoothness of Kyo's skin beneath his red and black flannel.
The week carried out as expected: Haru finished his paper and Kyo still met him at their break-area each afternoon. The cat's trig homework dictated the majority of their time together, but it wasn't like the redhead would have been willing to speak with him anyway.
Kyo had become decidedly silent, although, Haru mused, he hadn't ever really been the chatty type. It bothered him, however, that sometimes he could just feel the cat's sharp eyes burning small holes into the side of his face, or the back of his head, or even his arms and lower back, but each time he turned around, the sensations went unexplained, as Kyo would simply return to his homework, completely unabashed and unapologetic—true to his feline nature.
Haru wondered if he too was as irritatingly dishonest as his older cousin, if maybe the steamy night fantasies that had been taking over his sleep made him a pervert or a liar. Maybe it was none of the cat's business what he dreamed of in the depths of his dark bedroom as his fingers did the work of his fantasy version of Kyo's lips and hot, moist throat. Maybe, however, the dreams were the very reason why the cat laughed in his face when he spoke of love.
Or maybe the cat was just allergic.
"Do you think it's possible to be allergic to love?" He brought up one chilly afternoon near the end of November.
Kyo eyed him warily, as if he knew exactly where the conversation was headed.
"You mean like being asexual?" He countered, snapping his trig book closed.
Haru shook the fallen leaves out of his hair, running numb fingers through the ivory locks.
"No," he drew out, "like someone who tries to fall in love, but ends up with all these horrible side-effects."
Kyo snorted, setting his book down to his side and resting his hands in his lap.
"Love always has horrible side-effects."
For a brief moment, Haru wondered if their miniature version of the silent treatment had resumed, until Kyo zipped his book bag up and turned to face him for the first time in nearly a week, eyes suddenly vulnerable.
"How did your paper turn out?" He questioned.
Haru sighed, smiling pleasantly as he ran the pads of his fingers through the dewy grass beneath him.
"I got a C-."
Kyo barely contained his laughter, tearing at the edges of a stray leaf and suddenly avoiding eye contact.
"I forgot that you suck at that stupid class." He chuckled.
There was an energy that hung in the air between them, like a heat that seemed to emit from their flesh that would spark if they were to draw any closer and create some type of flame. A raging fire, maybe, like the passion that never seemed to leave Kyo's eyes.
Haru was tempted to test it. However, the shadows in Kyo's downcast glare stopped him. The cat had always been unpredictable, it was something that he'd come to love about him, but it was better to let the older male make the first move, especially when he appeared to be so uncomfortable.
"Do you still think I'm in love with you?" he asked quietly, eying the wet grass.
Haru smiled slightly, dying to reach out and touch him, to feel that silky tangerine hair and sun kissed skin.
"Yeah, maybe." He answered, equally as quiet.
Kyo's eyes finally lifted to meet his, cautious and full as they roved the entire expanse of his face.
"You're still an idiot." He whispered, leaning in, laughter in his grin, and Haru finally got it—as if on cue— he sensed the need radiating off of Kyo's skin, and kissed him.
And then, when it was all over and the cat's face was flushed with the most gorgeous shade of scarlet, Haru's head spinning and his entire universe thrown out of perspective, Kyo rose, nodding briefly.
The cat then scooped up his bag, heading off in the direction his next class, leaving Haru once again, completely alone, with nothing more than the rhythmic pounding of his heart, his slowly receding warmth, and the thousands of questions that Kyo had decidedly left unanswered.
Fin.
So yeah, there you have it: what just may be the very last Fruits Basket fiction I write. I'd like to take a moment to first thank the people who have voted on my poll (which is still active, by the way!), darling Mandy who said that she'd read anything I wrote, even if it's for a paring she doesn't ship (God, every time I think of how sweet you are I just want to hug you to death~), and the plenty of readers who have pestered me about contributing to this fandom at least once more.
Then I'd like to thank flyingdaggers, who I haven't spoken to in forever, who probably won't even read this but has stuck by me for so many years and has reviewed every one of my stories for this fandom from the very first one. And keir, who will forever be the epitome of everything I want to be as a writer, and has always been so amazing and hilarious, no matter which bizarre places our imaginations have taken us.
Then, finally, I really want to thank all of you: whether you're reading this right now thinking, 'Now who the Hell is this?' or you've stuck with me through my nearly seven long years and now ninety-three stories. If you've only read and never reviewed, or even taken the time to leave feedback, I really appreciate you.
So I thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for an amazing, unforgettable six and a half years, with a strange crack-pairing that has taught me never to be afraid to like something that might seem crazy at first, and to those of you who I might never run into again in another fandom, I wish you the very best of luck, and to those who I might hear from in the future, I really look forward to seeing you!
Sorry for the long author's notes! I just have so much love~
Anywho, thank you so much for taking the time to read this and please feel free to leave a review and let me know what you thought!
See you around!
-kc