Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket.


Haru

Chapter Five

Adventures in Heterosexuality


The dragon was irritated with Akito about this. But he didn't say anything and carefully took the cat from the other boy and sat about cleaning him up. It was pretty easy since on the way over Kyo had completely passed out, allowing Hatori to work without obstacle. The only problem was deciding whether to wake the red head back up... In the end he figured Kyo had been through enough and just let him sleep.

Haru watched worriedly from the wall he was leaning against, chewing absently on a finger nail, as he watched Hatori tend to Kyo's wounds.

"Is he going to be okay?" He wondered, once his older cousin was done.

"He will be." The doctor confirmed. "But he's stressed out right now. Just let him sleep." He would have put a comforting hand on the ox's shoulder but it was still kind of bloody from dealing with Kyo.

'Kind of bloody' was an understatement. He'd been putting most of his efforts into shielding Kyo's face, so one of his shoulders (that he'd actually been using for the shielding process) was bleeding freely in several places. The other one was just sort of smeared, but he wasn't really paying attention to either one, and just looked relieved that Kyo would be alright.

Once the dragon was satisfied that Kyo just needed to rest he drew the ox aside and told him to get cleaned up in his bathroom.

Haru blinked at him in a bit of confusion, and for the first time actually examined his injuries.

"Oh...sure." He nodded, before going to do that.

When he came back the doctor sighed tiredly.

"You both need to be more careful." He warned

"It wasn't an accident." Haru snorted darkly, shooting an odd look in the direction of the main house. "And you know it."

"I know that. But I tried to tell you about what would happen if you saw Kyo." Hatori pointed out.

"I can handle it." The ox rolled his eyes. "You said he'll be fine, and I don't intend on handing him over to Akito again."

"You don't have a choice and it he won't ask again if you stop seeing him, right now." Tori frowned.

"I. Can't." Haru hissed lowly, frowning moodily at him.

"You can! Or you risk seeing him like this AGAIN." The older pointed at Kyo for emphasis.

"Then I won't!" That actually came out a bit louder than it needed to. "I will NOT get scared and run away like you and Kana did." He stated quite firmly. "And I will not hurt him, and abandon him. Akito's going to do shit to him, whether I'm around or not. At least this way I might have half a fucking chance of doing something!"

Hatori frowned before shaking his head. "Fine, make your own mistakes."

"I can protect him, Tori-nii." Haru stated, trying to be calm, trying to keep his temper in check, but what appeared to be a large gust of wind flooded through the room anyway. "You can't honestly tell me he'll be happy if I just walk off--and don't lie by trying."

"Every man is and can be an island, Hatsuharu." The dragon murmured. "He doesn't need someone else to be happy."

"You're not happy!" He pointed out, flat out scowling now. "You haven't been happy since she left. I've watched you, Tori-nii. And, I WON'T put him through that!"

"Akito will have no problem with KILLING him and you CAN'T do anything about it!" Hatori tried to tell him. "I don't want you to have to figure this out the hard way."

"If he dies, then so do I." The ox informed him very plainly. "And, if that happens, then I completely intend on taking Akito with me."

He shot Hatori another defiant look, before turning on his heels and stalking over to where Kyo was sleeping, slipping down to the floor, and sitting there, as he waited for him to wake up.

Hatori sighed and shook his head. He had other things to do and Haru obviously wasn't going to listen to him.

As for Kyo sleeping he was in a kind of mini coma. Akito hadn't fed him well so his body was already low on energy. So the stress and bleeding hadn't helped him much. He slept for a few days, bordering on a week before he woke up.

Haru had absolutely refused to leave his side, while he was asleep, and he was currently dosing lightly when his cousin finally woke. Hatori had tried to get him to leave, to go to school, but he'd been rather steadfast in his refusal to do so. He wanted to be there the minute his kitten was awake again.

The feline groaned and stretched stiffly in the bed for a moment before he noticed the ox was next to him.

"Haru---" He blinked at the younger in mild confusion.

Haru startled awake, and looked up at him with interest.

"Hi..." He smiled softly. "Feeling better?"

"I'm... f---really hungry..." The cat sighed tragically.

Haru nodded, upon hearing that.

"I'll try and find Tori-nii," He promised, standing up. "And food."

And so...he left the room to go do that. He was pretty sure Hatori was back from seeing Akito...

Kyo watched after him oddly for a moment before getting down from the bed. What was he supposed to do? Wait here? Fuck that. He'd been in the bed for days. He was getting up. Thus, he snuck up behind the ox when he finally found Hatori. Who just happened to be in his living room.

"Kyo is up." The dragon blinked when he saw the red hair over Haru's shoulder, before the ox noted his boyfriend's presence.

Haru glanced over his shoulder, when Hatori said that, and smiled at him again, before turning back to Hatori.

"Yeah, he is." He nodded. "And, he said he's hungry."

"You have free rein over my kitchen as long as you don't burn it down." The doctor murmured and motioned vaguely in the direction.

"No promises." Haru shrugged, grabbing Kyo's hand and dragging him into the kitchen. "But, if I do it'll be with the stove."

"I can cook, Hatori." The red head called as he was dragged off as a way to soothe the poor man.

"But, you're still recovering." Haru protested, somewhat. "Let me baby you."

"I don't need to be babied." The feline stared at him.

"But, I love you." Haru insisted, tugging him close and into a hug. "You don't have to call it babying, you can call it spoiling too. Babying just seemed like a good phrase at the time."

"You'll burn the place down." Kyo tried nixing that idea.

Haru eyed him dryly, before trying to negotiate.

"Will you promise to let me baby you later, if I let you cook now?"

His older boyfriend rolled his eyes. "Fine."

"Good boy." Haru nuzzled his neck a bit, before releasing him, and sitting down to watch his boyfriend take care of that whole cooking thing.

There was a slightly alluring housewife air to the cat as he did that. He was slightly put out though. Hatori giving free rein to his kitchen? There was barely anything actually IN his kitchen! Stupid bachelor... The feline still managed to make himself some decent food to appease his grumbling stomach.

Tori-nii really doesn't eat much, does he?" Haru noted idly, once Kyo was sitting down at the table.

"I think that's just how guys without girlfriends live. Shishou's fridge used to be like that, before I learned to cook, and Shigure's was too before Tohru and I moved in." The cat mused absently.

"That's because Yuki can't cook either." Haru explained. leaning against the table. "I don't know why Tori-nii doesn't have anything--he can cook." He knew this from personal experience.

"But he's single. And even though he's a doctor, he doesn't have anyone around to nag him to eat something or restock the fridge." Kyo smiled wryly.

"Fair enough." Haru agreed with a small shrug, watching Kyo eat, as though it were the most wonderful thing in the world.

The older boy looked at him oddly when he got up eventually to wash the plate he'd been using. A thought had struck him while he was eating.

"What's today?"

"Er..." He paused to think about it. "Tuesday, I think..."

Kyo paused trying to calculate how long he'd been asleep. Eventually he just gave up, shaking his head as he finished washing the plate, then sat down limply in his chair at the table again.

"Why?" The ox wondered, scooting over closer to him, and wrapping his arms around Kyo's waist.

"I don't think it was Tuesday when you came and got me." The cat explained.

"It wasn't." Haru shook his head. "Wednesday."

"No wonder I was hungry..." Kyo grumbled to himself.

"No doubt." The younger agreed, smiling softly again. "Ah...I'm sorry about before...but I thought you'd like that more than staying in there for however many more weeks Akito wanted to keep you, and letting him pound on you whenever he wanted."

"Mmm, it's okay." The feline yawned, leaning comfortably against the ox.

"I really tried not to hurt you..." Haru promised. He still had partially open wounds on his shoulder and arm to attest to this fact.

"You could have hurt me." The red head stuck out his tongue idly. "I was too out of it to notice."

"I still tried..." He mumbled, resting his chin on Kyo's shoulder.

"You're worrying too much, and it's MY job to be the over reactive one."

"I don't want to ever hurt you." Haru informed him softly, nosing his neck. "Physically or otherwise." If he had, he would have just broken up with him before, like Hatori had wanted him to.

"You know, I think you're the baby in the relationship." Kyo snorted dryly.

"M'not a baby..." Haru mumbled into his neck. "I just want to protect you."

"I can protect myself. The only exception is Akito. I can't hit him." The cat protested indignantly.

"But...you don't need to. Not when I can keep you safe."

Kyo twisted in his chair until he could face Haru.

"I don't need babying or protection." He stated flatly.

"But, it's so much FUN!" Haru protested jokingly. "Come on, Kyo...I almost lost you twice in the past month or so. Let me do something for you?"

"Come on Haru, just what are you going to do?" The feline wondered, disbelieving. When it came to Akito, what could one really do? This protecting thing sounded like Haru being naive.

"Just...something..." The ox murmured thoughtfully. "Anything, really. I just don't want to loose you." He told him again.

"He knows we're together and he doesn't like it, Haru." Kyo decided that beating around the bush was a stupid thing right now.

"And rolling over and playing dead won't do anything." Haru reminded him, frowning a little, and holding him a bit closer.

"Stubborn bastard." The red head groaned.

"I will not give up on you." Haru informed him firmly. "If I were going to, I would have done it before, when Tori-nii told me to."

Kyo sighed despondently before manoeuvring them both into a kiss.

"Thank you." He mumbled right against the other's lips. "You're one of the only people who... really made me feel wanted. But he's not going to leave us alone."

"We'll figure it out..." Haru promised him quietly, this time initiating the kiss himself. "Somehow..."

"You know Kyo, you're free to leave and go do that at Hatsuharu's house." Hatori spoke up from the doorway dryly. He really didn't need this kind of scene in his kitchen.

"Chill, Tori-nii." Haru snorted. "We won't defile your kitchen table."

"Oh, thank you." The doctor murmured sarcastically. Before turning back for his living room, leaving Kyo blushing slightly.

Haru didn't kiss him again, right then, though he did whisper into Kyo's ear,

"Though...that was a good idea, if you want to."

"I think that was a subtle hint from Hatori to get the hell out of his house anyways." The cat mumbled.

"Probably." He snorted, getting to his feet, and holding a hand out for Kyo. "Shall we?"

The red head took his hand and they soon obeyed the dragon's subtle commands to leave by heading to the ox's house instead.

"Haru, what did you end up telling Tohru?" The feline wondered nervously.

"That you'd gone training with Shihan for a while, again." He quoted simply. "She seemed satisfied with it."

Kyo sweat dropped. "Right..." At least that one would probably explain any lingering injuries too.

"I didn't know what to tell Shihan, though." He admitted. "He wanted to know where you were, too. So, he thinks you've had the flu."

"Okay." Kyo sighed. "I'll just have to keep my stories straight.."

"Better than them knowing where you really were?" He offered with a small shrug.

The red head nodded feeling slightly embarrassed by this whole ordeal before he just hugged the ox.

"Thanks for not letting them worry."

"No problem." Haru frowned, feeling guilty. "I couldn't actually help you, it was the least I could do."

"Stop making yourself feel bad about it already." The older admonished.

"I threw a vase at you…" Haru pointed out. "I didn't want to, but I still did."

"You're already forgiven." The cat rolled his eyes before accosting the younger with several silencing kisses.

"I still---nnn—feel bad—mmm---about it." He managed to get out between kisses.

"Well… don't." Kyo breathed out commandingly even as he hugged his boyfriend closer to him.

Haru relished the hug, for a few moments, returning it, and resting his chin on Kyo's shoulder.

"So…do you want to come in, since we're here?" He invited, nodding back toward his front door. "Or, would you rather go home?"

"I don't want to go home." The feline shook his head a little.

"Alright." Haru nodded, and dug around for a minute under a mat on his front porch for his key, to unlock the door, and go in. It had been rather dusty, after his week in captivity, and he'd yet to get through all the rooms, to clean.

"It's actually fairly clean this time." Kyo teased him as he looked around in mock awe.

"It's dusty." Haru corrected, scowling as he ran a finger along the running board absently. It was more picked up than the last time Kyo had been there, though. He'd needed to, in order to access all the dust, in various rooms.

"None of your laundry on the floor though." His boyfriend stuck out his tongue.

"That was dusty too." Haru snorted, making a vague motion toward the washing machine and dryer, where he was pretty sure he still had a load in there, but he wasn't sure, and he wasn't going to look, at the moment.

"Too lazy to just dust?" Kyo laughed at him.

"I wasn't here to." The ox shrugged a bit, glancing around the foyer, before setting off into the kitchen, to see if he had any food Kyo would actually want to eat, later. Assuming he stayed, of course. He knew he had food, but he really couldn't cook all that well, so much of it might not be classified as 'real' food. Either way…

The red head followed him and managed to snatch something from the kitchen to eat. He was hungry again… Not surprising considering how little he'd had at Hatori's and how long he needed to make up for.

"I don't really have anything you need to cook." Haru told him, still sifting through his fridge. "Want some fruit?" He offered weakly.

"Fruits good." Kyo snorted. "And it's good you don't have to cook."

"I can microwave stuff." Haru informed him, a bit defensively, tossing an apple over his shoulder at his boyfriend, trusting him to catch it.

"Ah, so you're the best of the bad cookers in our family?"

"At least I don't burn my damn soup." He snorted a bit, pulling himself back out of his fridge again, and shutting the door.

Kyo had been steadily munching on his apple. Well not exactly steadily… It was more of a fast paced devouring considering it was gone shortly there after. After throwing away the core he hugged his boyfriend.

"And you don't have to worry about cooking. At least not for me, I'll go home later today."

Haru frowned poutily at him, and reached up to wrap his arms around Kyo's neck.

"Do you have to?"

"No." The red head raised an amused eyebrow at the pouting baby before him. "But I should. I need a shower, and my own clothes." He looked down at what Hatori had put on him. It was kind of too big.

"You can shower here." Haru pointed out, bringing Kyo's face down to kiss him tenderly. "We can figure out the clothes arrangement later."

"Oh… okay…" The feline mumbled, his brain was in meltdown mode right now after going from large amounts of pain to suddenly being treated nicely and affectionately.

"And," he kissed him again, pulling back before continuing. "Here you won't have to shower alone, if you don't want to." He hinted suggestively.

"Oh, aren't I special." Kyo blushed a shade to match his hair.

"Yes, you are." Haru nodded with a devious smirk. "I don't just shower with anyone."

"You're horrible." The red head decided, hiding his blush by leaning against Haru and burying his poor red face in his shirt.

"Eh, what can I tell you?" Haru shrugged a little, obviously teasing him. "You're cute."

"Don't be a jackass." The cat mumbled into the fabric of his shirt.

"Well, you are." Haru felt the need to point out, turning his head to kiss Kyo's neck.

Kyo shivered a little before he pressed up on his tiptoes to reach the other's ear.

"Enough teasing." He stated in a verifiably pouty tone, then grabbed the ox's hand and pulled him off in the direction of the shower.

Haru just grinned, and went along compliantly. He was looking forward to this. It would be the first time Kyo would actually let him do anything beyond kissing and light groping, on occasion and with protest.

Naked bodies in a shower together were most definitely beyond kissing and light groping. But then again, Kyo had missed him boyfriend his not so fun weeks confined in a room and being beaten.

Once they were finished with that, and had actually washed, Haru climbed out of the shower, and dug around under the sink for a towel, for a few moments, before removing two, and holding out one for Kyo.

The red head grabbed it from where he'd been set down at the bottom of the shower leaning against the tiles. He was blushing again and was attempting to give his legs the chance to stop being like little noodles. His introduction to sex had surprised him with that… the whole legs being all wobbly thing…

"Tired?" Haru grinned at him, panting a bit, as he dried himself. Even though the answer was fairly obvious.

Kyo just stuck his tongue out at the other boy and ran the towel over his hair before lifting himself up a little ways and situating it around his waist, for whenever he got up.

"Come on." Haru snorted, helping his boyfriend up enough to actually pick him up and carry him into his bedroom, where he could rest properly.

"I could have done it—" The feline grumbled as this went on.

"No," Haru shook his head, easing Kyo down into the futon, before flopping down next to him. "You couldn't have."

"Shut up." The red head retorted moodily.

"Don't be mad." Haru snorted. "Everyone's a virgin at some point." He reminded him, curling up against him.

The cat moulded comfortably against the other and just sighed in reluctant defeat.

"And, you never have to go through your first time again." The ox continued, running his fingers through Kyo's soppy hair. "The next one shouldn't be quite as exhausting."

"Oh, I'm very glad you know all about it, Haru." The older laughed dryly.

Haru just smirked a bit at him.

"Rin told me." He informed him smugly. "She played bottom."

The feline rolled his eyes. "To much information, Haru."

"Oh, come on." Haru snickered, kissing him, before continuing. "You know you want to know ALL the details of my ventures into heterosexuality."

"No, no, no." Kyo shook his head. "My Haru." He stated firmly. He didn't need to hear about his Rin exploits. She was married. She didn't matter anymore.

"I love you." Haru breathed in his ear, smiling softly, and running his tongue around the inside of his ear.

Kyo's blush returned with some kind of horrifying vengeance and he was at an impasse where he was unable to vocalize.

"Yeah… I…" his saying love was very quiet and you almost couldn't hear it. "… You too…"

Haru's eyes widened, and shone with some unreadable emotion, as he pushed himself up onto one of his elbows, to look at him properly.

"Really?"

The feline sunk down even as the ox sat up.

"Mmhmm." He managed to mumble out and not look at his lover at the same time.

The next thing either of them knew, Haru was full out kissing him…again. This one lasted longer than many before had, the ox really was just that happy.

Several objects rose into the air, and did some odd little flips, as this occurred, but they returned to their places without breaking.

Kyo puffed for breath when he was finally allowed to breath again.

"Oxygen is nice, Haru…"

"Breathe through your nose." Haru advised, though he was a bit out of breath himself. He blushed lightly, before ACTUALLY responding. "Sorry…I'm just…really happy…"

"You're easily pleased." The red head blinked at him in mild confusion.

"You said you love me." Haru stated, as though this were the biggest news on earth. "It's a big deal."

Kyo had heard it from Kagura so many times, that the words had lost a bit of their meaning. It wasn't that he really didn't love the ox, he was pretty sure about that. It just didn't seem like a big deal.

"Is… it?"

"Mmhmm." Haru nodded, leaning back down, and lapping at Kyo's lips excitedly. "Don't hear it every day."

"I… suppose." Kyo smiled softly against the other's affections. "You can get used to it. Cause… I do, love you…"

"You'd better mean that, Koneko-chan." Haru warned good-naturedly. Or, at least he seemed good-natured. Rin had been the only one to tell him she loved him, and he had this distinct feeling she hadn't meant it. He had his reasons for being cautious.

"Damn right I do." The cat replied flatly. "I'm not just gonna say it to spare your poor little feelings. If I was that stupid I would have been married to Kagura by now."

"Yeah, well…" He trailed off and just shrugged, laying down next to Kyo again, still smiling, pleased. There was no way in Hell he was going to let Akito do anything to screw this up—not now.


To be continued...