Sorry. I know this isn't what most people want from me... but it's moving along slowly.

Got this idea... randomly. I've been trying to get more in touch witht he pasts of the fruits basket characters (not that you can actually tell), and i think i'll be publishing a few more oneshots based some time in the distant past... how distant, i do not know. Not even for this one.

Please enjoy.

"Want to try it?"

Haru liked the sweet, innocent look that Yuki would give him. Guards down, eyes wide, the cold act he'd seen the boy carry at school discarded like his uniform's jacket. The two of them spent a lot more time together now that he was in Shigure's house and not under constant watch in Akito's 'special' room. Yuki had his own room now, free of black paint and high windows, complete with a door he could open or close at his discretion and a bookshelf full of books that hadn't been chosen for him. That was invariably where they spent their time together – either in Yuki's room or somewhere in the surrounding woods, free of houses full of distant family members. Haru's place was no option. Not so soon, anyway.

Personally, Haru liked the place. It was… well, he supposed anywhere outside of the main Sohma house felt open. Shigure's spacious house was like an exaggeration of that – way too big for just one person, right at the edge of nowhere, and a comfortable 20 minutes or so from the main house. Haru didn't mind – he'd just gotten a bike – and the affect it had on Yuki was immediately noticeable. He'd filled out more, no longer pale and weak-looking, that dogged expression that hid in his eyes like a scared animal fading slowly.

Back at the main house, Haru's visits had been limited to the time he could sneak in while Rin was on the lookout. Now, though, there was nothing stopping him from biking over (though he often got lost) and spending a few hours with the boy. Nor was there anything stopping him from bringing over a video game, a coloring book, a magazine…

They were on the grass in a quaint little clearing a small distance from the house, a magazine spread in front of the two boys as they lay on their stomachs. It was a gardening magazine, something Yuki had shown a tentative interest in now that he could actually have an interest outside of Akito's. He'd brought Haru here to show him the space he thought might be good for a garden, and Haru was having fun watching the pleased way Yuki would point out a few plants and smile thoughtfully when an ad had interrupted the pages between green beans and leeks.

"Wanna try it?" he asked, pointing to the picture of two people kissing. Or nearly kissing – they were a hair's breadth away, surrounded in a cloud of men's body spray.

Yuki blinked at him, looking surprised. "Uh…" He paused, looking back down at the ad with a flush on his cheeks. "No?"

Haru put his head down to try catching Yuki's eye from a lower angle. "Why not?" He asked with a straight face, blank expression looking up at him from under white hair.

"T-that's, well-" The boy stuttered, before swallowing and meeting his glance. "You mean – kiss?"

"Yeah," Haru said casually, shrugging. "You don't want to?"

No, Yuki almost said, but the deceptively innocent expression looking up at him made him pause. "You do?" Yuki wasn't so naive that he didn't know that kind of thing was only done between a boy and a girl. He'd been given the birds-and-the-bees speech. None of the talks had ever included kissing your best male friend.

"Yeah," Haru repeated. "Haven't you ever wanted to try?"

"Well," Yuki wavered, looking away again embarrassedly. Of course he'd thought about it before, but with always having to practically run away from the opposite sex, there hadn't exactly been a chance for that kind of thing. He didn't have a relationship with a girl like his cousin Kyo did with Kagura or Haru did with Rin. Speaking of; "… Have you tried it with Rin?"

Haru blinked at him blankly, though Yuki was familiar enough with him to catch the faint surprise. Yuki waited on his answer contemplatively. From his position, kissing a girl seemed very… distant.

"No," Haru finally said, surveying the magazine ad again. "I don't know if she'd want to."

"So you're asking me?" At Haru's nod, Yuki smiled nervously. "Haru, I don't think two boys are supposed to do that."

Again, Haru shrugged, sitting up. "I don't think it matters." He reasoned, plucking a dandelion and twirling it between his fingers. "I'd rather ask you than a girl."

Yuki worked himself up into a sitting position too, frowning. He considered Haru for a minute, watching as he started plucking the petals off the weed. He was comfortable with Haru, a lot more comfortable than he was with anyone else. When the other boy wasn't out playing with Rin, he'd come over and go on walks with Yuki, or sit with him in the house that was starting to become home. They could hang out with one another in silence, talk about nearly anything, and Yuki didn't mind when Haru would lean against him, or put an arm around his shoulders, so touching wasn't an issue.

Kissing was different from hugging or holding hands, though. Yuki glanced back down at the magazine; the intimacy stared back up at him dauntingly, truly a feat to accomplish when you were possessed by an animal of the zodiac. At the same time… Yuki glanced around. This place really was perfect for a garden, and it was secluded enough that it actually felt like it was his own secret place. A secret base of sorts. Shigure didn't venture out this far out on his walks, and it was in the opposite direction both of town and the main house, something Yuki took secret pleasure in having planned himself. No one was out here to see anything of what went on in this clearing.

"…you really want to?" Yuki asked hesitantly.

"I want to." Haru stated bluntly, not helping Yuki's nervousness as he dropped the dandelion stem and stared at him intently.

"Th-then… I, uh, I guess it's ok…" His face flushed, embarrassed, having second thoughts as soon as the words left his mouth. Was it really ok?

Haru at least seemed to think so, seeing as how he was already scooting closer and leaning. So, Yuki shut his eyes and held his breath because he wasn't brave enough to do anything else.

When Haru's lips touched Yuki's, he jumped, but didn't pull away. The two of them drew closer somewhat timidly, only carefully brushing their mouths together, which Yuki thought felt kind of nice – warm and soft, with none of the overwhelming electricity, fireworks, and blast of pheromones he'd somehow figured must happen. Instead, Haru shifted closer again into a more comfortable position, and Yuki relaxed a little as curiosity drove him to reciprocate.

They moved their mouths chastely, and Yuki was just wondering what all the hype was when Haru pushed just a little more, opening his mouth. Imitating him, Yuki felt his stomach flop as their breath mingled and Haru's tongue flicked out briefly. One of them leaned too far, probably both at the same time, and suddenly grass was tickling the back of Yuki's neck, and Haru was looking down at him.

Haru smiled, a very small one, and sat back away normally. After a second, when his face stopped being so red, Yuki sat up too.

After a long silence, in which Yuki was probably the only one uncomfortable, he slid the magazine back near them and flipped the page. "So… leeks."

"Leeks too?"

"I like leek soup."

Hm... probably could have ended better. Might have more chapters depending on reviews. I'm watching my hit counter, people.