When Tohru first woke up the next morning, she was initially disoriented. She was warm and cozy enough, but something felt...off. Something was missing.
She could feel body heat beside her, but it was just beside her, and her first instinct was to snuggle back into it. Kyo normally got up and left the bed long before she did, but if he was still there, then he was always snuggling her, or she him. They didn't just lie there, separate from one another. So why was he-
Tohru's attempts to snuggle were greeted with a distinctly feminine grumble, and Tohru's eyes flew open as she lurched upwards just in time to see still-sleeping Arisa turn and roll away. At once Tohru's hand flew to cover her mouth, and even in the darkness she could feel her face going up in flames.
That's right...she wasn't at home, and she wasn't sharing a bed with Kyo.
"Is everything alright, dear Tohru?" Saki asked softly, sitting up on Tohru's other side and rubbing at her eyes. "You seem very agitated."
"I'm fine, it's fine," Tohru half-whispered, half-squeaked. "I just woke up and...couldn't remember where I was, at first."
Not a lie.
Saki looked at her for a moment, and even in the dark Tohru squirmed under her thoughtful gaze. Then Saki glanced at the clock before looking back at her friend.
"Do you feel you can sleep any more, or have you reached a state of permanent wakefulness?"
Tohru thought for a moment, then gave her friend a sheepish smile. "The second one."
"I see," Saki said, then reached out to find and squeeze Tohru's hand. "Come. Let's get dressed, then we can go make ourselves some tea."
"But Hana-chan-" Tohru began, then froze, looking back over her shoulder at the still-sleeping Arisa before speaking again in a more hushed tone. "I'm so sorry, you don't have to get up just because of me!"
"It's alright, dear Tohru. Truthfully, I am grateful for your early rising," Saki said, already sliding out of bed. "I'm happy, you see, to have a little more time to spend with you."
It would have taken a much harder heart than Tohru's not to be touched, and any further protests died on her lips as she followed her friend out of the bed. "Oh Hana-chan..."
Smiling, Saki shook her head. "Let's let Arisa sleep. We can talk, once we get downstairs."
Just like every morning, Kyo woke before the dawn, yawning and stretching as he transitioned rapidly from asleep to awake. That morning, though, the whole process felt...weird.
Really weird.
As he sat up, he looked at the empty space beside him with an expression half-fond, half-disappointed. Even though he knew that Tohru was sleeping at Saki's house and hoped that she was having a great time, he still didn't like it; as new as the two of them were to consistently sharing a bed, he missed waking up beside her.
He'd debated, when preparing to sleep the night before, what he actually ought to do since Tohru wasn't there. In the past, the answer would have been obvious: sleep on his futon. But his futon was clean and washed; sleeping on it would mean making more work for Tohru, right before they had to move. On the other hand, sleeping in her room without her there felt...weird.
He knew he could just ask her; as of that very week, the two of them had finally caught up with the rest of the world and gotten cellphones. But he didn't want to interrupt her time with her friends; she'd been looking forward to it, and knowing those three, they were probably deeply invested in their 'girl talk' by then. At this point in time, the last thing he wanted was to bring himself to either Arisa or Saki's attention if he could possibly help it.
Besides...he had a pretty good guess what Tohru would say, if he asked.
In the end, the answer was just as obvious as it had always been. And as Kyo had settled into the bed, holding Tohru's pillow close, he'd reminded himself of a single happy thought: that night should be the last time he'd be sleeping alone, for a very, very long time.
Even without Tohru there, Kyo's initial morning routine didn't change much. He still put on his running gear, still had his pre-run swig of milk. As he laced on his sneakers in the front entry, he took note of the one other pair of shoes sitting there; that had been a semi-regular thing, lately, seeing just one other pair of shoes. They were usually Tohru's shoes, not Yuki's...but it was still a common enough sight.
How many pairs would there be, the next few mornings?
How long would it be, before there were none?
He'd woken up slightly earlier than usual, so he ended up taking a slightly longer run. By the time he got back to the house, Kyo was drenched in sweat, but feeling pretty damn good. He would miss this run when they moved; as much as he planned to keep up running in Hibe, he'd be in a new place, and his peaceful forest path would be lost to him.
Hopefully there'd be a new path there, and he'd come to love it even more.
Yuki was yawning as he staggered into the kitchen a bit later that morning, and Kyo was admittedly surprised when he saw him. Not because of the yawning, or the staggering; those parts actually made sense.
What surprised him was the time.
"What gives, Ratboy? Since when do you get up any earlier than you gotta?" Kyo asked, giving the pan he was watching a practiced toss.
"Since whenever I know Miss Honda isn't here," Yuki said, trying and failing to suppress another mighty yawn. "I thought I should try to find...something," he said, yawning again and rubbing his eyes, "to eat."
Kyo eyed the other boy, taking in Yuki's bleary, half-closed eyes and the way he was standing with a pronounced lean to one side. "Yeah, well, don't worry about, ok? I made enough for two," he said, gesturing with his head towards the simple meal he'd prepared. "It's nothing as nice as Tohru'd have made, but it's food."
Yuki blinked a couple times, then straightened up and looked at the counter in obvious surprise. He hadn't noticed when he'd first walked in, but Kyo was right; there were even two sets of dishes already laid out on the counter, ready and waiting to be filled.
"Thank you," he said after a moment, looking back at Kyo, who shrugged.
"It's no big deal, I was already cooking and it's about as hard to make enough for two as one. Better'n having to watch you eat whatever fucked-up mess you'd come up with, that's for sure," Kyo said, lifting the pan off the stove and dividing the food he'd been cooking between two dishes. "With how hard Tohru's been trying to help you learn, you really oughtta be better by now."
Yuki took two of the bowls over to the rice cooker and scooped them each some rice. "Yes, well, some of us are better at these things than others," he said, trying not to think too hard about his latest practice sessions with Tohru. It had been Tohru's idea, bless her; since Yuki would be living on his own for university, she wanted him to have some simple meals under his belt before she moved out so that he wouldn't be forced to live on takeout or cafeteria food.
The good news: he technically wouldn't be forced to do either of those things.
The bad news: a diet of rice and raw vegetables was bound to disagree with him eventually, and those were the only things he'd been able to consistently prepare well.
"Whatever, it's gonna be your problem either way," Kyo said, pulling the fish out of the broiler and dumping a piece onto each of their plates. "Guess you'll figure something out, once you gotta."
The two of them each carried their dishes to the table, then sat down, each of them trying not to feel too awkward. Neither of them could remember the last time they'd eaten together without anyone else around; normally Tohru was there, and on the rare occasions she wasn't, one or both of them was typically gone, too. Yuki had been spending more and more time with both Machi and his former student council friends as the school year had progressed; Kyo had been more surprised to see Yuki's shoes that morning than he would have been if they were gone.
They sat in silence at first, each of them digging into their breakfast with almost single-minded focus. But after a little while, Yuki looked up.
"This is good," he said, looking over at Kyo.
"Really?" Kyo asked, looking back at him, then smiling in a somewhat awkward fashion. "Thanks, I guess. Like I said, it's nothing fancy, but it oughtta hold us over well enough 'til lunch."
"Well, it's better than anything I would have made," Yuki said, and Kyo chuckled.
"Do you have any guess what you'd've made?" he asked, and Yuki thought for a moment.
"Rice. Possibly with pickles, if there are any in the refrigerator."
"There's some, yeah."
"Rice and pickles, then. I think there's still some cabbage, too, so I could have used some of that..."
Kyo was shaking his head. "Seriously, you're either gonna be a takeaway's 'customer of the month' or you're gonna end up with the worst gut pains by the time your first uni term is over. How the hell're you gonna function on your own when you can't even manage a basic miso soup?"
"Shigure can't cook either, and he managed just fine here on his own before Miss Honda came along," Yuki pointed out, and Kyo snorted.
"Yeah, by spending a fucking fortune on takeout. And last I checked, Shigure's not exactly someone anyone oughtta be using as an example of being a 'proper adult,' no matter what he's ever said on the subject," Kyo said, taking another bite of food. "Even you've gotta have higher standards than that."
"I didn't say I want to be like him, I simply pointed out that he had a system that worked," Yuki said. "And I'm sure I'll figure out a system of my own...eventually," he said, looking down a little sadly at the basic but well-cooked and tasty breakfast so far beyond his own capabilities it wasn't even funny.
Yuki looked so resigned that Kyo couldn't help himself. "Well, just keep practicing. Even if it feels dumb, or pointless, just keep at it, and you'll probably figure it out eventually. It's not like cooking's all that hard, or you're an idiot or anything."
Yuki stared at him for a moment, then cracked a smile. "Is that you trying to be motivational?"
Kyo promptly flushed. "Yeah, well, it's not like ever said I was good, did I? I just hate people giving up on stuff for shitty reasons, that's all, and Tohru'd be bummed if she thought you weren't eating right."
Yuki was smirking at him now, and Kyo flushed even darker. "What's that look for?"
"Kyo Sohma, are you actually worrying about me?" Yuki asked, and Kyo immediately shook his head.
"No, I'm not fucking worried about you. Whatever else, you're a grown-ass man who'll figure out how to eat without starving to death. Yeah, I hate the idea of wasting food by making inedible garbage or wasting money ordering too damn much takeout, but all that's your problem to figure out, not mine. I just don't wanna have to listen to Tohru worry about you, that's all," Kyo said, aggressively turning his attention back to his food.
Once again the two of them were silent, other than the sound of chewing. And they continued to eat in silence for the next few minutes, until Yuki's quiet voice once again cut through.
"Make sure you take care of her, Kyo. It's good that you don't want her to worry about things...but there's a lot more to it, than that."
Kyo tensed, and he didn't look up from his food. "You don't gotta tell me that, Ratboy; pretty sure I've got a better idea about any of that than you do."
Yuki looked thoughtfully at Kyo as the other boy sat at the table, his shoulders hunched and his narrowed gaze focused on the last dregs of his breakfast. In so many ways, it was the same Kyo he'd always seen, sitting here at this table; tense, defensive, and dismissive. But at the same time...
Yuki looked down at the last of his own breakfast, the breakfast Kyo had made, and shared with him, intentionally. A gesture that Tohru would have absolutely adored, had she been there to see it...and Kyo had done it all on his own.
He might still be an idiot, but he definitely wasn't a clueless one any more, and Yuki supposed he had a point.
"Yes, I guess you do," Yuki said, rising to his feet and reaching out for Kyo's empty dishes. "Now, since you made breakfast, I'll wash up."
Kyo looked up at him in surprise as Yuki neatly stacked them up. "You sure? I'm pretty much set for school, so if you've still got stuff you gotta do-"
"-No, I'm fine," Yuki said, walking to the kitchen with the dishes. "Like I said, I thought I'd have to figure out my own breakfast today. You saved me some time there, so I can manage the dishes."
"Well, ok then, I guess," Kyo said, looking after him for a moment before standing up. "If you're sure, I'm gonna just head out, then."
"I'm sure," Yuki said, already at the sink. "See you at school."
"Yeah...see you at school."
It felt strange, going to school by himself. It had definitely happened more than once over the past several months; pretty much any time Tohru had a sleepover, she'd just head straight to school the next morning. But it had been over a month since the last time she'd been away overnight, and perhaps there was something to the argument that he was getting spoiled.
It was on the early side when Kyo got to school, and as he stood at his shoe locker, balancing neatly on one leg as he swapped out his sneakers for his school slippers, he hoped he hadn't made a mistake. As much as he was looking forward to saying good morning to Tohru, Saki was usually one of the last students to get to class every day, and he wasn't holding his breath today would be an exception. Hopefully there was at least one person already here he could talk to...
"Sohma, good morning!"
Make that at least one person he wanted to talk to.
Still, he managed to keep his expression frostily neutral as he finished with his shoes and turned to the speaker, a girl from class 3-B that he'd spent way too much time dealing with over the course of the past year.
"Morning," he said, his tone polite but disinterested. It would have been nice if she took the hint, but she didn't, and Kyo clenched his jaw as she instead stepped closer.
"No Honda this morning?" she asked, looking around, and Kyo shook his head in response.
"Not yet, nope, but she oughtta be here any time now. I'm a little early today," he said, his tone the same steady neutral as he turned and started off to the third-year classrooms.
She fell in step beside him.
"Well, I'm glad you are, Sohma," she said, earning her a side eye from Kyo. "Because I've been wanting to ask you something, and seeing you here this morning by yourself...it really almost seems like fate!"
He was wary now. "Hey, before you get-"
"Sohma, are you keeping all of your buttons?"
He wasn't expecting that. "Huh?"
"Your buttons," she said firmly, looking over at him. "On your uniform, are they all spoken for yet?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Kyo asked, glancing reflexively down at his uniform, his face red, before looking back at her.
"So that means they're not?" she asked, her eyes lighting up with hope that Kyo was immediately determined to squelch, whatever she actually meant.
"It means I dunno what you're talking about, and no, you're not getting any of my damned uniform," he barked, his face bright red. "Not you, not anyone else, either."
She was quick to pounce on that. "Not anyone else?"
Fortunately they'd reached 3-D, and Kyo was quick to duck inside, ignoring the eager "Have a great day, Kyo!" from behind him.
And much as Kyo had initially wanted someone to talk to in home room, he could have done without that someone just then.
"Well, good morning, Kyon," Hiroshi greeted Kyo as he walked over to his desk. "Trouble in paradise, so very near to graduation?"
"What the hell're you going on about now, Hiroshi?" Kyo asked, flopping down into his seat with an annoyed expression. Ever since their class trip the previous year, he'd been dealing with that girl hovering around him; for all that he'd had no idea who she was when she confessed to him in Kyoto, he was pretty familiar with her by now...and pretty damn annoyed.
And it was hard not to be irritated by Hiroshi's teasing tone and expression, not when he was already feeling this grumpy.
But Hiroshi wasn't deterred by either Kyo's scowl or his tone. "Well let's see; for starters, you're early; secondly, the beautiful and nubile Tohru-"
"-Watch it, Hiroshi-"
"-Who I, as ever, admire in a fully platonic and deeply respectful manner as befits the admiration of a man towards the beloved of his friend-"
Kyo didn't trust that line for a second, but he didn't say anything else, so Hiroshi took it as a win.
"-is not with you, but you were instead escorted to the very door of the classroom by the ever-attentive Shimada-"
"-is that her name? I never remember."
Hiroshi gave Kyo a look that was a mixture of scorn and pity, and Kyo immediately bristled.
"What? Why the hell would I even wanna remember her name, it's not like I ever have any reason to actually talk to her."
"She seems to find reasons to talk to you," Hiroshi teased, and Kyo's scowl got darker.
"Yeah, and I've already told her I'm not fucking interested. I've got Tohru, and whatever-her-name-is damn well knows that," he growled.
Hiroshi was still grinning. "And yet she still gave you such a cheerful goodbye when she left you at the classroom door; you must have been especially gentle in your rejection this morning."
"That's 'cause I didn't have to reject her, she was just blabbering about buttons, that's all."
"Buttons?" Hiroshi asked, straightening up, and Kyo nodded.
"Yeah, that's right. She asked if 'all of my buttons were spoken for,' whatever the hell that means, and I told her no, she's not getting any of my goddamn uniform, and that was the end of it."
"Well, I should certainly hope she wouldn't be," Hiroshi said, now grinning from ear to ear. "I think even the supremely demure Tohru Honda would have a problem if you did."
Hiroshi looked so amused that Kyo didn't want to give him the satisfaction of asking, but he couldn't help himself. "Ok, Hiroshi, what's the thing with the buttons? Is this another stupid fortune-telling thing?"
"Not exactly, but in a similar vein of tradition and superstition," Hiroshi said, still grinning. "As a graduating third-year, it's traditional for a man to give the second button on his uniform to the fair maiden closest to that button," Hiroshi said, taping it on his own chest before shifting his hand slightly to the side. "Or rather, the closest to his heart."
Kyo was blushing, but also glowering now. Seriously? She'd actually asked about his buttons, knowing that?
He wished he could be surprised.
"I suppose she thought for sure your second button was claimed, but her affection for you burns so brightly that she'd be content with the button closest to your stomach, or perhaps she had an even lower button-"
"Finish that thought and I will punch you, Hiroshi."
Hiroshi sighed, leaning back in his chair. "You know, for all that we're graduating tomorrow and you're about to move away with the love of your life to live together in glorious sin, you're surprisingly grumpy this morning."
"What, Kyon's grumpy? And you're surprised about it?"
Kyo and Hiroshi both looked up as Yusuke came over and dropped into his desk, smiling at the both of them. "Aren't we supposed to be smart, now that we're graduating?"
Kyo was still scowling, but Hiroshi gave Yusuke a sigh.
"Well, you and I did our best, Yusuke. We took the raw, unmolded material of this fine young lad and did our best to shape him into a functional man...and it almost worked. I'm not sure if we can call it a true success, though."
Kyo gave him a dirty look, then looked past Hiroshi as his expression suddenly brightened. Without giving Hiroshi or his words any further acknowledgement he stood up, striding past the two of them and over towards the doorway.
Hiroshi and Yusuke both turned to see him greeting Tohru, an affectionate smile on his face and a bright beaming one on hers. Then Yusuke grinned, propping his head on his hand as he looked at Hiroshi.
"No?"
Hiroshi was still looking at Kyo and Tohru. "Well...maybe not a total success, anyway. He didn't know about his second button, after all."
Yusuke blinked, then looked over at Kyo. "Did you tell him?"
"Oh yeah."
"You think he's gonna give it to her?"
Hiroshi gave Yusuke a pitying look. "They have a house, Yusuke, that they're moving across Japan to live in together. What do you think?"
Yusuke looked back at Tohru and Kyo, then grinned.
"I think I'd call it a success."
