chapter seven

Tohru had been off ever since Shigure and Akito left.

She hadn't mentioned anything in particular to him, but Kyo knew something was bothering her. He leaned in the doorway, biting the inside of his cheek as he watched her silently rearrange the cushions on the sofa.

It was nothing out of the ordinary, Tohru loved keeping things organised after all, but the fact that she had been moving the same cushion from one place to another for the past few minutes was concerning to say the least.

He briefly considered stopping her, but she seemed so lost in her own thoughts that he couldn't help but wonder what it was that was demanding so much of her attention. She seemed upset, almost, and he replayed their earlier conversations to try and find out what might have caused her shift in mood.

He inwardly cringed at some of the topics that came up during dinner, but despite being embarrassing, nothing had been so bad that she'd spend so long dwelling on it like she was. But if that wasn't it, then what was she thinking about?

Giving up, he entered the room. Tohru glanced up as she noticed him, and her face broke into a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes as she finally let go of the cushion. Kyo's brows dipped down at the sight and he sat gingerly on the sofa.

"Tohru, come here," he said, reaching out for her hands. Tohru cocked her head in question as she took his hand, and Kyo tugged her towards him with a sharp movement. She giggled as she fell into his lap, instantly covering her face with her hands to hide the way her cheeks had turned pink.

Kyo bit back a laugh at how ridiculous it was that she still got embarrassed like this. It was almost as if the Tohru he slept next to every night, the one that couldn't fall asleep unless she was holding onto some part of him, was a completely different girl than the one before him.

"Hey," he called softly, knocking the hands covering her face with his forehead. "Anyone in there?"

Tohru nodded, blowing out a stream of warm air as she let her hands drift down to her lap. "Sorry," she murmured as she turned her head to look at him. Her dark eyes were filled with something he couldn't quite recognise, and after watching her for a long moment, he sighed and let his head fall against her shoulder.

It was clear that no matter how hard he tried, he wasn't going to figure out what was bothering her. At least, not without asking her directly.

"Is something wrong Kyo-kun?"

Kyo chuckled, lifting his head to meet her concerned gaze. "I'm fine, but I was just about to ask you the same thing," he admitted. "Is something the matter?"

Tohru glanced away from him quickly, her fingers knotting together. "No," she said quietly. "It's not important, really."

"What's not important?" Kyo reached for her hands and Tohru let out a soft sound of surprise as he began to untangle her fingers and entwine them with his own. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

She nodded.

"I know that. It's just …" Tohru started before shaking her head. "It's nothing."

"Tohru," he chided softly, shaking their linked hands. "It's not nothing if it's upsetting you."

Kyo knew his wife had a terrible habit of keeping her feelings hidden inside of her, and although she was getting much better at it, sometimes she still needed coaxing to remind her that sharing them didn't make her a burden.

Tohru didn't say anything in response, her eyes glued to her lap where she wove her fingers between his over and over.

"Are you mad at me?" Kyo asked, not because he thought she was but just so he could definitely rule it out.

"No, of course not!" she said adamantly, her brown eyes fierce with conviction.

The tight ball of worry in his chest loosened a little.

"Then … are you mad that we didn't get to have a proper wedding like Akito and Shigure are going to?" He'd considered it a possibility earlier that the Head of the family's upcoming nuptials had made her realise just what she'd lost out on, but …

"I'm not mad at all Kyo, especially not over something like that," she reassured him.

"Maybe you should be? I mean, you never got the chance to be a bride or have bridesmaids or any of that other stuff that people normally do at weddings."

"I don't mind that at all, and you missed out on just as much as I did. All I really wanted was to be with you, and I already have that."

"Is that right?" he teased, nuzzling his nose against her cheek. "Well, for what it's worth … you would have made the most beautiful bride, blushing or otherwise."

Tohru flashed him a shy smile and he couldn't help the way his chest stuttered in response. "So, if it's not about the wedding was it about … that other thing," Kyo prompted, hoping she'd catch onto his meaning without him having to spell it out.

Her eyes creased in confusion and he knew he'd have no such luck.

"About the kids thing," he clarified, willing his face to stay passive through sheer willpower.

"Oh," she replied with a startle, and Kyo knew he'd at least hit on part of what was bothering her. "No …"

"But?" Kyo continued, because he knew there was a 'but'.

"Would you want to have children Kyo-kun?" Tohru asked, and Kyo got the sense that she was deflecting the conversation away from her true thoughts again.

He mulled over his response for a moment, Tohru watching him expectantly as he did so. "Yeah? I mean, I think so. Someday."

"Oh," she replied, her tone and face not giving away anything.

"Only if you wanted them too, that is," he added quickly. "Do you want kids?"

Tohru nodded instantly. "I do," she said, her tone a little brighter than it had been before.

"That's great," Kyo said. "But I still think you're not fully telling me what's bothering you."

"I know, and I'm sorry Kyo-kun. It's just … I really don't know how to explain what-"

Tohru cut herself off with a frustrated sigh, her shoulders tensing as she struggled to put her thoughts to words.

"Hey, it's okay," he soothed, pulling her into a hug. He held onto her tightly, hoping she'd know that he cared for her so much and that she'd always be safe with him. "Give it your best shot. I might not understand, but I promise to try my best to figure out what you mean. So, what's bothering you?"

"It's … Shigure-san mentioned that-"

"Ugh, him," Kyo growled. "You know, you really shouldn't pay any attention to what Shigure says of all people." Tohru blinked at him and Kyo realised that he'd just rudely interrupted her. "Sorry, I should have let you finish talking first. Go ahead, I'm listening."

"I think Shigure was right."

"What?" Kyo spluttered, not sure he'd heard his wife correctly. As much as he didn't want to, he loosened his hold on he so her could face her with ease. "I think my ears are broken. Did you just say that you think Shigure was right?"

"Mhmm," she hummed, nodding her head.

"About what exactly?"

"About us."

Kyo shook his head and in confusion and Tohru groaned in embarrassment, but she followed through regardless.

"Back when we lived at Shigure's, we were basically staying in one room together and Yuki or someone was almost always home, so it made sense. But then you moved out and I missed you so much, and I thought that when were living alone we could maybe …"

She took a steadying breath and Kyo ran his thumb along the back of her hand. She let out a half-laugh as he pressed his nose to her cheek. "Keep going," he murmured, pressing his lips to the base of her jaw.

"I was too nervous to say anything, but then we got married and we … never," she squeaked nervously, her face glowing with a blush even brighter than the one she'd worn before. "Shigure-san said we have the whole place to ourselves, and we do so … I was thinking that maybe …"

Tohru looked away from him, leaving the rest of her sentence hanging tensely in the air between them. Kyo knew that if her hands weren't in his right then that she'd be covering her face from him again. He was glad that she wasn't looking at him though, since his own face went as red as a beetroot as her meaning slowly dawned on him.

Was she asking if they …?

Hesitantly, she turned back towards him and Kyo's mouth fell open, his heart threatening to tumble out as he took in Tohru's heated gaze. It wasn't as if the thought had never occurred to him, he was only human after all, but … god, he couldn't think straight right now.

He tried to stutter through some form of a reply, but his words came out as nothing but garbled nonsense. He gave up on them quickly as Tohru began to shake with a quiet giggle.

"It's okay, Kyo," she said softly, and he barely even registered that she'd dropped the honorific, something he'd been trying to get her to do for the longest time. "It's like Shigure-san said, there's really no pressure or anything."

Now it was Kyo's turn to chuckle. "No that's … that's not how Shigure meant that," he said, a smile spreading across his face. In that moment, he knew exactly how lost Tohru must have felt earlier when she struggled to explain herself.

He placed a single finger under her chin and lifted her gaze up to his. Kyo wanted to tell her that he wanted what she did and so much more for them, but then, words had never really been his forte. He'd always preferred action.

And so, he simply leaned into her and let his lips do the talking before he found some other way to make a ridiculous embarrassment of himself. His kiss was soft and firm, and when she kissed him back with a hunger he'd never felt from her before he gasped against her lips in surprise.

She tried to pull back, afraid she'd gone too far, but he pulled her back and kissed her more insistently, his hands framing her face. It was new and exhilarating, and it took all he had to mumble a simple 'yes' as he lost himself in her touch.

"Wait, really?" she asked when he finally pulled back for air, studying the way her eyes were suddenly glittering with what he could only call desire. Kyo could only laugh against her lips at the surprise in her voice.

When it came to Tohru, he was so far gone that he wouldn't have been able to deny her the world had she asked for it. Maybe one day she'd figure it out, but until then …

"God yes," he murmured, pressing light kisses against her neck and jaw.

"Kyo-kun, I don't want you to think that you have to-"

He cut her off, smiling widely as he kissed her hard enough to make her forget all of her doubts. The slightly stunned look on her face when he pulled back was almost enough to send his thoughts flying into the unknown.

"Sorry. I know I should let you finish but I don't like where that was heading. You're not forcing me into anything, I promise."

He let his head fall back against the sofa, hair flopping across his eyes. He pushed it out of his face with his free hand and nudged Tohru with the other. She got the hint and turned so that she was facing him, her knees pressing into the sofa on either side of his legs.

She leaned in towards him, her nose brushing against his with a small smile and the scent of wildflowers. He reached up and let his fingers trail down her cheeks before cupping her jaw.

"Tohru," he said quietly, his voice floating in the small space between them. "You don't know how hard it's been sleeping next to you and trying not to think of you … like that."

"Kyo-kun," she called softly, her own hand reaching for his cheek. Her touch was cold, but it felt nice against his hot skin.

"What I mean to say is, you're not making me do anything I haven't already wanted to do for months." He shifted one hand onto her back and lowered her down onto the sofa, so he was hovering above her and meeting her intense look with a matching one of his own. "I want you," he drawled, his voice low and husky.

"I want you too," she whispered, and before he knew it his lips were on hers again and his hands were sliding down her thighs. Their touch felt real and right, and when her fingers wound through his hair, tugging gently on the strands to bring him closer, it took all Kyo had to break off the kiss.

Tohru mewled in protest at the loss of his touch, but he stroked her cheeks to keep any doubts at bay. "I think …" he breathed against her lips, struggling to catch his breath, "… maybe we should take this upstairs."

Tohru looked flustered for a second, as if only just realising that they were still in the living room before seeming to remember that they were all alone. No one would walk in on them anymore, so it was fine. But a bed would definitely be more comfortable.

She nodded and Kyo rolled off of her. Tohru made to follow, but before she could, Kyo leaned over and scooped her into his arms, holding her bridal style. "Please," he said softly. "Let me carry you like I should have on our wedding night," he said, the blush he'd been fighting for so long finally breaking through and lighting up his cheeks.

Tohru looked at a loss for words, but her shy smile said everything he needed to know. She leaned her head against his chest and let her hands snake around his neck. The way her fingers wove through his hair, Kyo wasn't sure he had enough self-restraint to make it the short distance to the bed.

ack, apologies for taking so long with this chapter. i kept going back and forth about how far i wanted to take this and it was a whole dilemma lol. the next chapter will start *after* their night together and is more light-hearted (so this won't get too nsfw) but if i ever do post the spicier stuff, i'll likely upload it as a separate story. i'll let you guys know anyway.

thank you so much for reading and supporting my work, i appreciate it so so much and i'll see you in the next one. take care x