Category: Mild Romantic Fluff
Characters: Tohru Honda, Kyo Sohma
The subtle hint of hibiscus hung in the air as Tohru scrubbed the dishware with the magenta floral-scented dish soap. Bubbles wafted in the air, their effervescent membranes sheening with curvy rainbows before bursting spontaneously. Tohru hummed a poppy tune under her breath as she finished the last of the dishes; she'd heard it on the radio at work yesterday, and it'd been stuck in her head ever since. As she placed the clean white plate in the drying rack, she swung her hips exaggeratedly and flapped her arms a little, splattering water droplets over the counter.
"There we go! All finished!" she chirped as she swept a dish towel over the counter to clean up the spilled water. She dried her damp hands before folding the cloth neatly and setting it beside the sink. Smiling proudly, she flicked her bangs from her face with one hand while gripping her hip with the other. "Dishes are all done, so now it's off to work!" she proclaimed in a sing-song tune. Just as she was about to head off to her bedroom to get ready, a splattering, splashing sound drifted into her ears. Blinking, she instinctively glanced at the window above the sink to find raindrops pounding against the glass.
"Oh? The rain started early," she frowned. The weather report had predicted that the storm wouldn't roll in until an hour after Tohru got to work, but meteorology wasn't exactly a perfect science. It wasn't like the atmosphere was exchanging memos with the meteorologists! It's not raining hard, so I should be able to suffice with just an umbrella! Tohru reasoned as she skipped out of the kitchen. Yuki and Shigure were watching the developing weather report with keen interest, while Kyo was slumped over the kotatsu table, barely awake and groaning petulantly. Tohru couldn't help but snicker; Kyo's cat-like habit of snoozing on rainy days was just too endearing.
"Miss Honda," Yuki quipped as she passed into the hallway joining the kitchen and living room, "are you sure you should go to work today? They're predicting that the storm will get quite bad." Tohru smiled sweetly in response to his concern.
"Oh, it's all right. I'm sure it'll blow over by the time I get off! Besides, it's too late to call out. I'll be all right!" she reassured him. Without pulling his gaze from the television screen, Shigure clicked his tongue.
"Our dear sweet Tohru, so hard-working and full of integrity," the older man sighed dramatically. Kyo whined under his breath at the wheedling in Shigure's voice and cracked an eye open to glare at him.
"Shaddup. God, why are you so irritating this early in the morning?"
"Stupid cat, it's already nine."
"I didn't ask you!" Kyo hissed at the silver-haired boy, invisible hackles bristling at Yuki's detested huff. Squinting angrily, Kyo slid off the table to flop onto his side and curl up on the floor. His eyes peered at Tohru through the bright orange hair that fell into his face. "Anyway, just don't come home cryin' that your rain boots are all full of water, ya hear?" Tohru giggled again and shook her head. His tone was as gruff as always, but she knew that behind the harsh words existed genuine worry.
"I'll be just fine!" she insisted before dashing off to her room. She grabbed her umbrella and her purse before running back down the hall, heading for the front door. "I'll see you all this evening! I'm making beef stew for dinner tonight!" Shigure cried out at her announcement, melodramatically holding the back of his hand to his forehead.
"Oh! Tohru, what would we do without you? Don't forget your raincoat!" Tohru paused at the front door to shuffle through her shoulder bag until she spied the edge of a rubber cloth in the depths. In the gloom of her purse, it looked like the pink-and-white fabric of her raincoat.
"I've got it! Bye now!" she called back before scampering out of the door. She unfolded her umbrella as she jumped off the porch, and the rubber sang as the cascading raindrops pounded against it. Tohru smiled pleasantly as she inhaled deep to drink in the aroma of disturbed earth and the slightly salty rain. I love rainy days! she thought. As she set a brisk pace down the path, she jumped through the puddles, splashing her boots with the muddy water. Her giggles joined in with the symphony of the raindrops, completing the aura of contentment.
The storm continued throughout Tohru's workday, though she didn't notice. Humming the same poppy tune, she proceeded through her list of tasks for the day- cleaning all the windows, sweeping and mopping, and taking out the trash. Time always flies when one is busy, so five p.m. came very quickly. Tohru stored her work cart and uniform and headed towards the front of the building after bidding her coworkers farewell. She swung her umbrella around her wrist contentedly as she strolled towards the front doors, a bounce in her step as visions of beef stew danced in her head. She screeched to a halt as soon as she walked into the lobby.
"Oh, dear," Tohru blinked with a faltering smile. "It didn't blow over…" In contrast, the rainstorm had worsened considerably. Rain slapped in sheets against the glass doors and windows, coating the pains in thick streams that blurred the image of the street into a watery mosaic. Thunder rolled endlessly in the gray heavens, and lightning streaked in jagged white snakes through the thick angry clouds. Their flashes illuminated the street like massive strobe lights to flood the streets and buildings with bright whiteness. Pouting, Tohru tapped her cheek with the pad of her index finger.
"I have to get home somehow," she fretted as she pulled up the weather forecast on her cell phone. The thunderstorms were predicted to continue until well into the wee hours of the morning, so there was, unfortunately, no option for Tohru to simply ride it out. Sighing, she slipped her phone back into her bag and sulked at the dismal weather raging outside.
"O-kay!" she huffed after a few seconds of mental preparation, clenching her fists determinedly. "It's just a little storm! I can walk home just fine! Come on, Tohru, time to put on your raincoat!" Trilling triumphantly, she fished into her back to pull out the waterproof garment. However, when she grabbed the rubbery material and yanked it out, she was dismayed to find that it was not her raincoat, but rather a little plastic coin purse she'd used her extra funds to purchase for Kisa. Right, she thought as she deflated with disappointment, I was going to surprise Kisa this weekend when she comes over…
"Well, there goes that idea," she groaned and slipped the floral-patterned child's purse back into her bag. Tohru critically inspected her umbrella. It would likely protect her from most of the rain, but with the gusting wind, she'd much rather have a raincoat to keep her clothes from becoming drenched. There's nothing for it… she lamented with a small sigh. She'd wasted enough time already mulling around; she really ought to hurry home so she could get dinner started. As the automatic doors slid open to allow her exit, she opened up the umbrella, protecting herself as the gale blasted water towards her. A few stray raindrops splattered into her hair, threading the brown strands like dewdrops.
Tohru held the umbrella at an angle to protect herself from most of the slanted rainfall, but the calves of her skinny jeans were soon darkened to a deep indigo blue. Water began to slide down into her rainboots and dampen her socks, making her wriggle uncomfortably. She thought back to Kyo's comment. Maybe I should have taken more effort to make sure I had my coat, she sighed forlornly.
Because she held the umbrella out in front of her, Tohru's field of vision was limited; therefore, she didn't realize that someone was in front of her until she bumped right into them.
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" she squeaked and threw her umbrella up instinctively. She yelped when the wind exploded in her face, spraying her front with water. She blinked rapidly as the water dripped down her cheeks and chin. "Oh my."
"Yeesh…" came the sarcastic groan from in front of her. Tohru recognized the voice immediately and glanced up to see Kyo's scowling face. He had a white umbrella propped over his shoulder and was wearing a brown-and-white raincoat that made the orange hair peeking out from underneath the hood blaze all the brighter. "You're hopeless. I came all this way to bring your raincoat to you, and you've already made it pointless."
"I'm sorry," she whined on reflex and looked morosely at her soaked clothes. Her cotton blouse clung to her body, crimping up in damp folds around her hips and beneath her bust. Kyo, a bit flustered at how openly the curved of her body were showing, blushed and pushed the raincoat into her chest.
"H-here! Just put it on already before it gets worse!" he grunted and grabbed her umbrella so he could hold it over her while she slipped into the protective gear. Tohru smiled sweetly at his kind gesture, beaming as she unfolded the coat and wiggled her arms through one of the sleeves.
"Thank you for bringing it all this way, Kyo! I know how much you hate rainy days." Kyo responded with a small "tch" and looked off into the sodden distance as she slid her other arm through the coat.
"Yeah, yeah… I just happened to walk by your room and see it hanging on the bedpost. Jeez, you're such an airhead. I thought you said it was in your purse?" Tohru laughed bashfully as she buttoned up the garment.
"I was mistaken…" After she took the umbrella back from him, he knocked on her forehead with the back of his hand. "Oh!" she squeaked and rubbed the small mark that bloomed on her skin as a result of his gesture. Kyo smiled softly down at her, making a warm and bubbly feeling blossom in her chest.
"Well, I guess it's a good thing you have me to keep an eye out for you, huh?" he chuckled endearingly. Tohru blinked, pink-cheeked, and then nodded with a big beaming smile.
"Uh-huh!" Her cheeriness, as always, flustered the emotionally constipated boy; his smile fell from his face, replaced by a bashful frown. Whining aloud, he whirled on his heel and rubbed the back of his neck underneath his hood.
"Gah… A-anyway, let's stop standin' around in the rain! I feel like I'm gonna pass out here," he complained lousy. Giggling, Tohru grabbed the sleeve of his raincoat and tugged him forward as she took off down the sidewalk in a playful sprint. "H-hey!" he cried in alarm, not expecting her to jerk him forward. The water splashed up around her rainboots as she scampered on, calling for Kyo to hurry as she released his sleeve and wrapping both her hands around the handle of the umbrella. She could hear Kyo splashing behind her as he sprinted to catch up. Tohru turned the umbrella back as she glanced heavenward, not minding the raindrops that splashed down over her face and slicked her hair to her forehead.
I really do love rainy days! She glanced over her shoulder as Kyo caught up, panting and nudging her with his elbow in her sigh. She squirmed away from him with a giggle. Because rainy days just bring people together!