Author's Note:

Guess who's back, back again, Bri is back, tell a friend! That's right, guys; I'm back with a whole new story in honor of the 1 year anniversary of my 1st brainchild, Let It Snow! I'm so very proud of both of my stories and their success. Anyway, I'd like to thank my friend, Hug-Faerie, for helping me come up with an idea and pulling my sorry butt out of that evil, dark, abyss, known as writer's block. Let's give her a round of applause, peeps! To my veteran readers who have stuck by me. you know how hard it is for me to write Tohru without making her seem OOC. Tohru is an adult in this story, so I portray her as such, not like our favorite, teenaged, bubble-head that we are all so fond of in the manga/anime. I try to keep in mind some of her traits when I write her, but remember, in here she is a WOMAN. And remember, this is fanfiction, darlings, a world full of endless possibilities.

Warnings! This is a Hatori/Tohru…nuff' said, maybe slight OOC-ness, can't be helped, sorry.

Usual disclaimers apply, please no flames.

Enjoy!

Secrets in the Sockdrawer

"Tohru-chan, let's go in there!"

Brown eyes widened, "Kagura-kun, you can't really expect me to go in there." The girl stuttered in hesitation.

"Nonsense, Tohru, what's there to be afraid of; it's just a lingerie store." Kagura reached out and tried to grasp her friend's hand.

Tohru took a step back and Kagura sighed in exasperation. She grabbed a fistful of Tohru's shirt and all but dragged her toward the store entrance, "Kagura-kun," Tohru moaned, pitifully. "I can't go in there, it's just so…embarrassing!" She managed to squeak.

Kagura laugh, "Oh Tohru-chan, you are twenty-three years old and still so innocent." Though she doubted the girl was anything but. She hadmarried Hatori, after all.

The two women strolled into the store. A pleasant aroma permeated the air. Tohru felt her resolve melt at the smell alone. It was lovely. The walls were covered in displays of satin and lace in a spectrum of colors ranging from delicate pastels to dark, seductive, tones. Kagura squealed in delight and skipped over to the nearest clothing rack. Tohru followed shortly behind. She cautiously peered at some of the selections through her bangs. Everything was so...pretty. She'd never been in a lingerie store. It always made her feel so selfconscious, she'd never considered herself as...sexy.

Kagura noticed her friends obvious distress and hope initiating a conversation would help the girl loosen up, "So, Tohru-chan...if I'm not mistaken, your one-year anniversary is coming up, eh?" She smiled, "December 2nd, right?"

"Yes." Tohru replied softly.

Kagura continued on casually, "Do you..." she fiddled with a pair of pink panties, "...have any plans in particular to celebrate?" When her friend didn't immediately reply, Kagura took that as a 'no', "Don't tell me you haven't even thought about it!"

Tohru smiled sheepishly and shrugged, "We've both been busy lately. It just...slipped our minds?" They had been busy...there wasn't a day when the clinic wasn't packed. Hatori had been coming home later and later. Meanwhile, she was formulating lesson plans. By the end of the night, they were both exhausted and practically collapsed into bed.

Kagura was horrified, "Oh dear, pardon my asking, but when was the last time you two were...intimate?" Tohru stuttered and turned an even darker shade of red, "That long, huh?" The raven-haired female huffed. She took one look at her friend, appraising her in a business-like manner. Then without a word, she strutted off into the recesses of the lingerie store.

Tohru was left alone to fend for herself. She began to browse haphazardly, admiring a rather elaborate corset hanging off the wall. She even went as far as to lift up a pair of cute boyshorts. She couldn't help but feel incredibly awkward. She hastily set them down again. It had been a few weeks...she mused, since she and Hatori had done anything remotely romantic. She frowned; what if he'd forgotten? She shook her head. This was Hatori...the man had a photographic memory. There was no way he wouldn't remember?

"Tohru, can you come here?" Kagura beckoned her toward the back of the store.

"Coming," She shouted back, walking over, "Did you need something, Kagura-chan?" She asked after locating the woman near the dressing rooms.

Kagura shoved a pile of clothing into her arms, "Here, try these on."

"Are you serious?"

"Honey, you have no idea." Kagura said, straightfaced. She pushed Tohru into the nearest fitting room and slammed the door.

Tohru eyed Kagura's risque choice of lingerie. Seeing no way out but to comply with her friend's wishes, she picked up a satin nightgown from the top of the pile. She peeled off her clothes. It was far from modest. It was solid black and dropped into a v-neck at the front. The hem was trimmed in black lace. It screamed seduction. She slipped it on. It fell no higher than a few inches short of covering her bottom. She tugged it down in vain and finally peered at her reflection. Kagura suddenly yanked the door open. Tohru scrambled to cover herself up.

Her friend shrieked in delight, "Haa-san would die if he saw you in this!"

"I bet he would; of a heart attack that is." Tohru retorted.

Kagura frowned at her, "Oh Tohru, you look great, you could drive even the most sane man crazy."

She toyed with the hem of the nightgown a bit more before turning to Kagura, "You really think so?" She asked curiously.

Kagura smirked mischieviously, "I know so."

With the knowledge that her husband wasn't expected home for at least another hour, Tohru didn't bother trying to conceal her purchase. She laid it out across the bed. The thought of Hatori seeing her in this was humiliating...however, she'd bought it nonetheless. Kagura really was a bad influence on her. There was just something about wearing it that made her feel...bold. It went against everything in her nature. She was submissive, not domineering. Perhaps that was part of the appeal. She caressed the soft fabric, remembering how comfortable it felt against the curves of her body.

"Tohru…?" Hatori...home...early? Her eyes widened in panic. She shoved the plastic bag underneath the bed before frantically searching for a spot to stash the nightgown. She pulled open the drawer nearest her and stuffed the gown inside. She'd managed to close the drawer just in time to see Hatori's haggard form looming in the doorway to their bedroom.

He arched an eyebrow, his eyes sweeping over her flustered form, "Do you have a fever; you looked a bit flushed." He strode over and placed a hand against her forehead.

Her heart continued to beat erratically beneath her breast and she had trouble finding her voice, "N-no, I'm fine, you just frightened me. What are you doing home so early?" She stammered.

Hatori wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her towards him, "I decided to take some time off in honor of our anniversary." He yawned, "I've been home since noon. I fell asleep on the sofa."

"Oh, sorry. Did I wake you?" She frowned. He shook his head, dipping down to trail kisses along her jawline. She still went weak at the knees whenever his lips came into contact with her skin.

He nipped at the sensitive flesh on her neck and she whimpered. She could feel him smirk against her as a hand reached behind to tug her ponytail loose. He ran his fingers through the silky strands. She moved to kiss him and he met her, their lips colliding deliciously. His other hand slipped beneath her shirt to rest against the smooth expanse of her stomach and she arched into his touch, giggling. She broke away first and Hatori groaned in protest, resting his head in the crook of her neck tiredly.

Tohru rubbed his back in small circles, "Want me to make you some coffee?" She offered.

He burrowed his face into her shoulder and she laughed, "Please, and thank you..." was his muffled reply. He released his hold on her and she stared up at him, caressing the side of his face lovingly. She smiled and moved the strands of ebony that shielded his left eye from view, placing a chaste kiss over his eyelid before sauntering out of the room.

Tohru stood in the kitchen alone with a silly grin on her face while waiting for the water to boil. It really was unfair how he could turn her to mush in such a short amount of time. It was decided; she would wear the skimpy little thing...if only to just see her husband's genuinely astonished expression. If she could manage to crack his calm and collected demeanor, even for just a fraction of a second, well...that was worth wearing next to nothing to achieve. She would prove to herself that she was capable of being something other than merely 'cute'.

She leaned against the counter, drumming her nails idly against the tiled surface when Hatori drifted in, "Have you seen my thermal socks?"

"I washed last night, so they should be in your sockdrawer." She responded nonchalantly.

It took her a full second to realize that the very same drawer she'd shoved her nightgown into was, indeed, Hatori's sockdrawer. In her haste to stop him she nearly knocked over his favorite coffee mug. She sprinted down the hall, almost tripping over her own two feet. She caught him with the drawer half open, "Anata, you're coffee is ready!" Tohru blurted in an attempt to distract him.

He stared at her quizzically. "Alright, just let me-"

"No!" She all but screamed.

"Okay...I'm listening." He crossed his arms over his chest, waiting expectantly for his wife to explain her suddenly strange behavior.

"Um, what I mean to say is that it will get cold." She threw in a pout for good measure; a pout she knew full well that was not in Hatori's power to resist. He seemed to think about it for a minute before edging away from his bureau, eyeing her suspiciously as he passed by. Disregarding that there was, in fact, no coffee waiting for him in the kitchen, it did give her enough time to retrieve the item. Tohru extracted it quickly before her husband came back demanding to examine her mental state of mind. She supposed that's what she got for marrying a doctor...

The next day her husband was successfully kidnapped by his two best friends after she subtlytipped Shigure off that he was free. Meanwhile, Tohru rummaged through her closet finally locating a box towards the back full of old clothing. She dug through to the bottom and pulled out a pair of black lace panties. They'd been a gag gift from Kagura, coincidentally, at her bridal shower. Mortified, she'd purposefully hidden them, never thinking an occasion would arise for their use.

While the pattern wasn't the same as the lace trimming on her nightgown it would be hard to discern the difference. May as well go all out on this one...

Hatori made it in long after nightfall looking utterly drained. He changed into some comfortable clothing and settled in to read a book in the living room. Tohru brought him a glass of water and pressed a kiss against his temple, "I'm going to take a shower."

"I made reservations for dinner tomorrow." He called after her retreating form. She smiled warmly at him before turning around and continuing down the hall.

She scrutinized herself in the mirror, pulling at the hem again in another failed attempt. She ran a comb through her damp strands of hair. Taking a deep breath, she whispered aloud, "I can't believe I'm actually doing this." Her reflection stared back at her with pink-tinted cheeks. She was a big girl, she could do this. It wasn't as if this was her first time...now that had been another venture entirely. She giggled at the memory. He'd been so gentle with her, as if she might break.

Well, it was about time he realized that she wasn't made of glass. Feeling emboldened, she switched off the bathroom light and headed down the hall. She found her husband in the same spot she'd left him; nose in a book. Tohru forced out an exaggerated yawn hoping to catch his attention. It worked and he glanced up at her over the pages; his eyes widened. She felt the blush on her face deepen and she bit her bottom lip nervously.

She could've sworn that his breathing ceased for a moment there. She grinned playfully and stretched languidly. The gown hitched up her leg revealing the edges of black lace beneath, "I just thought I'd come say goodnight before I went to bed, don't stay up too late." Tohru's eyes darted around the room in order to avoid his heated gaze.

The digital clock on the bookshelf caught her attention, midnight on the dot...how appropriate, "Well, would you look at that; Happy Anniversary."

FIN

I really hoped you guys liked it.

Happy 17th Anniversary, Mum & Dad.

Review, please! Constructive Criticism, NO FLAMES!

Edited: 8/10/2010