Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket.

A/N: Eheheh… so um… about that update… (cough cough). Yeah sorry it's so late. But now—SUMMER TIME! Hopefully I'll update more.


The car ride was mostly spent in silence. Hatori almost laughed at how awkward it was getting. He was starting to almost regret inviting her. At a red light he stole a glance to see Mayuko looking out the window, her face smothered in an adorably awkward blush. As the light turned green he once again almost regretted inviting her.

But the keyword there was almost.

"Are you okay getting to work from my house or do you need me to drive you?" He said mostly to break the silence. The "awkward turtle" was having a party in that car.

"N-no it's fine, I can take the subway—it's walking distance!" Mayuko replied immediately. She was still doing the whole "refusing his help" drill. He was going to get tired of it if it kept up.

"Are you sure?" He asked, even though he knew it was useless.

"Positive!"

He continued looking calmly at the road, putting on a mask of tranquility to hide his awkwardness. He hoped she wouldn't notice that he was gripping the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles were turning white.

When they reached his apartment, he let Mayuko take a good look around, until they both realized they had a little issue centered on sleeping arrangements. His face turned a deathly pale when he realized it. They stood for a few minutes, both knowing the problem, neither wanting to address it. Finally, Hatori swallowed hard and cleared his throat.

"I guess I'll sleep on the couch then." He said, forcing his voice to sound perfectly calm and usual, as if he were commenting on the weather.

He felt her grab her hand and he stiffened significantly, looking at her in surprise as his heart raced. She quickly let go with a blush, realizing that it was the worst possible thing to do in such a situation. "Um… it's okay, I'll sleep on the couch. You keep your bed. Really, I insist!"

Oh no, she was doing the "refusing his help" number on him. He refused to fall for it this time. He took her bags and continued to his room as if he hadn't heard anything.

"Hey, didn't you hear me? I'll sleep on the couch!" He heard Mayuko's footsteps behind him and smiled with a bit of a sick satisfaction.

He placed her bags on the bed and turned around. "And I'm telling you that this is my house, and you have to follow my rules. You're taking the bed and that's final. Now, what do you want for dinner?"

"Well, anything's fine—HEY!"

That time he had almost laughed out loud. Teasing her was almost even more fun than teasing Shigure. Again, keyword: Almost.

The rest of the evening was a bit of a blur. They ordered takeout and chatted idly almost in denial of the situation. When it was bedtime, Hatori took his place in the couch, thanking god that it was nice and long. He lay still for a while, not being able to shake the fact that Mayuko was getting ready for bed just down the hallway from him.

In the silence of the night he could hear her footsteps walking around his room. He heard her unzip her suitcase and the soft noises of clothes being dropped the ground. She hummed a bit, and coughed once. Finally he saw the light under her door flip off and the creak of his bed as she got on.

Hatori was now blushing so hard he almost couldn't take it. She's sleeping in my bed. I didn't even change the sheets! What if it smells weird or something? He took a breath and calmed his rapidly beating heart. Get a hold of yourself, you're acting a like a teenager. He scolded himself and shut his eyes, focusing on the ticking of the clock. Before knew it, sleep had taken him.

When he woke up the next morning, for a moment he couldn't remember where he was. Then the events of the day before hit him and he shot up, wondering if she was already awake.

He was surprised to see Mayuko's figure leaning on the couch as she slept there, her head resting on the edge and her hands sprawled over his legs. She slept fairly peacefully, not snoring, or drooling or anything weird. Only, she was mumbling a bit in her sleep. As he leaned over to stroke her hair he caught tidbits of what she was saying.

"Mm… Hatori… Faster… Please… I need you…"

Hatori blushed instantly. WHAT THE HELL IS SHE DREAMING ABOUT??

"Hatori… save me! Shigure got drunk again… Ayame… MAID UNIFORMS!" Mayuko's eyes opened suddenly.

Hatori almost laughed. He really needed to get his mind out of the gutter. He shook it off and smiled at her. "Good morning, Mayu-chan."

"H-HATORI! Um… this… you see, last night, I was thirsty, and then the blanket—it had fallen! So I came and…" She was panicking and rambling off as to why she was sleeping here rather than in her—rather, his—bed. Frankly, he had no idea what she was talking about, but decided to cut her off before she fell too far into her rant.

"It's okay, I understand… I think..." He laughed airily, remembering why he loved her so much.

Oh yes. He said the "L" word.


Yay! Hm, I may just right the next chapter… RIGHT NOW.