The rice cooker beeped cheerfully as Tohru turned it on. She had been the first one to arrive home, since Yuki and Kyo had both been held up at school, and Shigure had left a note that he was running an errand of some sort (although she suspected this was code for avoiding the hapless Mitsuru). She had decided to use that time to make dinner so it would be ready for everyone when they got back. After surveying the ingredients available in the kitchen, curry had been decided upon for the meal, and she had gotten to work.
The only problem was that Tohru was feeling decidedly worn-out. She was aware that she had been pushing herself a bit too much lately, between school with an upcoming exam, work, and of course the household chores. That had also been a deciding factor in the evening meal. Curry was fairly easy, with the hardest labor being chopping all the ingredients. Now that the rice was cooking and the sauce was simmering, she was able to take a rest.
Gratefully, she sat down sideways in a chair near the stove. Her feet instantly ached, as if complaining to her about all the pain they had been accumulating. She rested her arm on the back of the chair, letting out a soft sigh. She just needed a good night's sleep, was all. Her head slowly dipped, and everything around her seemed to get quieter…
The next thing she knew, her body was tilting forward. She opened her eyes blearily, and heard a frantic voice shout, "Tohru!" Before she could even figure out what was happening, she felt herself caught securely, and her motion halted. She peered upwards, and saw blazing eyes that she knew very well.
"Kyo?" she asked in confusion. "What happened?"
She could practically see his hackles raise as he spat back, "What happened? You almost fell face-first into a lit fire, that's what happened! How could you be so careless? Falling asleep near a stove! This is because you've been overexerting yourself again, isn't it? Dammit, Tohru, why can't you take care of yourself for once?" Despite his harsh tone, his hands were very gentle as they set her back upright in her chair. Kyo's face loomed over her as he continued to glare. "Well? Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
She smiled weakly. "You may be right. I have been doing a lot lately–"
A snort interrupted her. "Not just lately." Kyo paused, and the angry line of his eyebrows softened just a fraction. "But whatever. Just promise to try to slow down a bit, yeah?" He turned his back on her, reaching for the ladle on the stovetop.
Tohru stretched her hand out in protest, "Oh, Kyo, that's okay, I can take care of–"
"Didn't I just tell you to slow down? I'm not so incompetent that I'll ruin curry that's practically already made. So just sit there and be quiet. Dinner will be ready soon."
Tohru stared at his back in shock, then smiled as she allowed herself to accept Kyo's kindness and simply enjoy being with him. She supposed it wasn't bad every once in a while if she allowed herself to be taken care of a little bit.