compliments.
a/n: set sometime in the early chapters of the manga. i know that Tohru's eyes are blue in the anime, but they're brown in the manga, which is the source i here use. constructive criticism much appreciated.
She comes skipping in, humming some disgustingly sweet song, and for a second he comprehends her perfection.
The blinding understanding fades, and he glares at her out of habit. He halfway hopes she'll pick up on the hint, but she's Tohru. Hints mean nothing to her, or maybe she's just learned to ignore his tempers.
She smiles like a thousand pearls. Kyou grumpily asks her why she's smiling, without taking care with his words. The hurt in her eyes only lasts for a second, before it heals like it's never been.
"I was just thinking that Kyou-kun's eyes are v-very pr-pretty." Tohru stumbles with good reason. He knows that a few weeks—heck, a few days ago, he would have let his constant anger out.
He can't bear to do that now, though, when she's looking at him like that. He's seen too much of her perfection, but not enough to thank her. Instead, he grunts, and wishes he was better.
She starts humming again, and maybe her smile is even brighter somehow. He wonders how any word from him could make her happier. She's so dazzling on her own, and it seems like he only exists to dampen her joy. Kyou thinks about how he should get up and train, but he feels like leaving now would be...rude.
Tohru has him worried about manners, now. He swears under his breath (so that she won't hear), but she hears anyway and comes closer. "Is there something wrong, Kyou-kun?"
He wishes she wouldn't use his name so much—it's bad for his concentration. Her big brown eyes are gazing at him and he wants to say something, anything, to end the moment.
"Nothing's wrong," he says, in a voice that barely sounds like his own. He clears his throat. "I...I was just thinking..."
She nearly falls over herself. A wave of guilt washes over him again, that she should be so happy just for a simple reply from him. Kyou suddenly finds himself determined to make it a little better for her.
"I was just thinking that your eyes are pretty, too."
A blush spreads over her cheeks, and he can't help but notice how good it looks on her. She stutters out a reply, nearly squeaking. He lets her finish her cleaning in silence, but when Tohru gets ready to leave she meets his eyes again.
He smiles, and it's half-genuine. She smiles back, more and more flustered, and leaves. Something feline in him purrs. Could the rat do this to her?
Kyou will definitely have to make a habit of complimenting her, if only to see that red on her cheeks again.