Title: Baths and Showers

Summary: 1. A stressed Tohru is soaking in the tub. 2. A barely conscious Yuki decides to take a shower to wake himself up. 3. Tohru forgot to lock the door.

Rating: T (Just in case but nothing ecchi)

Genre: Romance/Humor

Word Count: 1,370

It was barely five in the morning. The sun had just started to creep past the horizon, and its first faint rays snuck through the windows, casting a dim glow to the otherwise dark Sohma house. The only sound came from the bathroom on the second floor: a faint hum, scattered splashes, and the quiet whisper of the girl in the tub talking to herself.

"I wonder what I should make for breakfast today? I didn't get a chance to go shopping this weekend with the big test yesterday, so we don't have too much to cook with. There's some leeks, and rice, and half a fish… That'll be enough for this morning. But I should go shopping after school. Maybe Yuki would like to come with- Wait! What am I saying? He has a student council meeting this morning… Hmm… But I have to go. There's just enough for a small breakfast. I hope Shigure-san doesn't mind ordering takeout for lunch. I really should have been more responsible though. I know! I'll cook his favorite meal for dinner tonight!"

Amidst her talking, she didn't hear the loud crash of another occupant of the Sohma house falling out of his bed or the thud when he ran into the wall, but she did hear his footsteps as he reached the bathroom door and the click from the doorknob as it gave way to his gentle twist and shove. Alarmed, she tensed as she backed herself against the tub and the ceramic tiles behind her, wrapping her arms tightly around herself as she scanned the room frantically for her clothes or at least a towel, but her uniform lay neatly folded on the edge of the countertop by the door, and her pajamas were already in the hamper on the other end of the bathroom. Her towel hung on the rod attached to the shower, just within reach, though. Smiling, she got up hurriedly and reached for the cream-colored towel, but before her fingers could grasp it, the door swung open, and she immediately dropped back into the tub, trying to hide behind the bubbles in the water.

"Shigure-san! This isn't funny!" she shrieked with her eyes squeezed shut and her trembling arms across her chest as she huddled in the corner of the tub.

Hearing no response, she cautiously opened one eye, then another. The pale tiles before her eyes calmed her a tiny bit, so she dared to glance over her shoulder. First she noticed the door was once again closed- locked this time though, she noted. Then she saw a second outfit, though sloppily folded, set half on top of hers, as if the person hadn't even noticed her uniform there. Her eyes moved along before she could recognize it as the boy's uniform, complementary to hers. Then she came across a crumpled, loose white pajama shirt strewn on top of the bathroom rug. Finally, she lifted her face and saw Yuki Sohma pulling off his pajama bottoms.

"Y-Yuki-kun! Wait! Don't- Hold on! I can get out in a second!" she screamed, once again whirling back to face the corner and squeezing her eyes shut.

Again, no reply, except for the sound of water sputtering out of the showerhead and the glass door sliding open and shut. Completely baffled and at a loss for what to do, Tohru hesitantly turned around once more. Matching wrinkled pajama pants had joined the top on the floor, and she could recognize the silver hair of her housemate through the foggy glass of the shower. Flushing the deepest red, Tohru nearly fainted, sinking lower and lower into the bath water. She steadied herself before her chin submerged, but she couldn't help wishing that she would sink down into the drain and disappear. She had never felt this mortified in her entire life! Her high school prince was showering a mere three steps from where she lay in the tub, bathing. Any other girl at school would die for such an opportunity, but it only tainted Tohru Honda's whole body scarlet.

"What do I do? What do I do? WhatdoIdo?" Tohru muttered to herself.

She snuck a glance back at her towel. She started to slide over to grab it, but then she realized he was facing her towel. If she moved any closer to it, he'd see her! He didn't quite look awake yet, so maybe he wouldn't know she had been here at all if she grabbed the towel and bolted out fast enough, but what could she tell with the glass fogged over so? Her clothes, however, still were close to the door, but she doubted she could dress quickly enough and leave before he became cognizant of her presence, and she didn't dare leave half naked- already she could hear Kyo shuffling around in his room and Shigure calling for her.

It was only five! Why were they all awake? Especially Yuki! Why did the day she forget to lock the door also happen to be the first day he managed to get up on time?

Whimpering to herself, she tried to rattle her brain for a solution, knowing she was seconds away from being totally scandalized. He had started to rinse the suds out of his hair already. Then the shower stopped. Tohru gasped. She had just wasted all her time panicking, and now she still was in the tub while he slid the shower door open and stepped out, reaching for his towel. She could feel her blush return, more fervent than before, as she tired to conceal behind the now dying bubbles and he slowly started to turn towards her.

"YUKI-KUN! DON'T!"

Unfortunately, her cry only seemed to make him whirl around faster. He didn't seem able to recognize her at first, simply staring blankly at her for a full minute, but then a blush overtook his face and his eyes shot open, wider than she had ever seen them before. He even jumped back and hit his head against the shower, though he didn't seem to feel anything.

"H-Honda-san! How-How did you get in here?!"

She had started to cry without fully understanding why, but she managed to weakly explain, "I-I was here first. I forgot to lock the door! And you didn't realize I was here! I didn't know how to leave without disturbing you, and now I've ruined everything!"

"I'm so sorry, Honda-san! I'll leave right now. Don't worry! I didn't see anything!" he told her hastily as he directed his gaze to the other side of the room and tried to rush out.

"Wait! Yuki-kun! Watch out for the-"

She couldn't finish her warning before his foot slipped on the leg of his own pajama bottom. He dropped his towel as he fell towards the tub, and Tohru cried out once again. She jumped up, either to get out of the way or to catch him. He couldn't figure out which, and she couldn't do much else before he crashed into her. A cloud of gray smoke exploded as she and a red-faced mouse fell back into the water.

The bang and the scream made the last two occupants of the house race to the bathroom. One decided to kick down the door, and the two found Tohru, seated ungracefully in the tub, wincing and rubbing the back of her head. The two did admittedly gawk for a moment. Then a fiery blush consumed the face of the orange-haired teenager, and he stepped out, muttering apologies, but the other, the dark-haired man, actually stepped over to her.

"Shi-Shigure-san?"

"Don't worry, Tohru-kun. I'm just getting a little rodent out of your way."

He grinned wryly at her and reached into the tub, pulling out the unconscious rat that had just floated to the surface. Carrying the rat out by his tail, Shigure shot her a wink before grabbing the top set of clothes and prancing out of the room.

Humiliated, Tohru slid down into the tub, wishing once more to get sucked down the drain, but a yell from downstairs soon prompted her to hurriedly get dressed to go rescue Yuki.

"YOU FOUND HIM WHERE?! WITH HER?! I AM GOING TO KILL HIM!"

Because of Yuki's sleeping issues, I am sure something like this must have happened! Teehee c: