Fruits Basket Prompts

32. Attempt At Being Romantic

31. "Nice moves."

After an exhausting day at the dojo, Kyo comes home around the time the orangish glow of the sky is morphing into a dark purple. He enters through the front door to find Shigure on the telephone in front of the stairs, talking in a serious voice.

Kyo eyes him suspiciously as Shigure motions his hand in a way that is saying 'don't be loud, this is an important call'.

Kyo rolls his eyes, kicking his shoes off at the genkan, then starts thumping on the wooden floor loudly intentionally, which makes Shigure hiss lowly at him. But Kyo is anything but nice towards the ex-dog. So what if he is on an important call? It's not any of Kyo's business. So he just hollers, "Tohru, I'm home!" so loudly that if they had neighbors, even they could hear it.

Shigure gives him a mock-smile, mouthing a 'thanks, Kyo' sarcastically. Kyo sticks his tongue out at Shigure, brushing past him towards Tohru who comes running out of the kitchen to greet Kyo.

"Welcome home, Kyo-kun," Tohru beams at him, loud and bright as always. Before Kyo can return her smile, Shigure clears his throat. "Oh, I'm sorry, Shigure-san! I didn't realize! I'll try to be quieter!" she rambles. Kyo wants to laugh at the look on Shigure's face, because he can't even be mad at someone so cute and oblivious like Tohru. Realizing her mistake, Tohru shuts her mouth and silently reaches forward her hands.

Kyo meets her at the kitchen entrance and leans forward to kiss her forehead as she wraps her arms around his middle with a homesick puppy-like expression. "Hey," he says, smiling at her.

"Hi, Kyo-kun, how was your day?"

"It was good. I'm tired though, so I'm going to take a shower first." He glances over her head at the vegetables spread out on the counter and the pot on the stove. "Then I can help you with the dinner preparation."

"Okay."

After that, Kyo goes to freshen up and change into his home clothes. When he starts to come downstairs again, he finds Shigure still on the phone. But this time, it didn't seem like a business call but important enough to be grinning like an idiot. He's probably talking to Akito right now. The thought makes Kyo twitch in discomfort. He still feels anxiety and nausea bubble up at the mention of his former god. Not to mention, he still can't help but think of Akito as a man—which was a known fact to him until a few months ago.

"Why don't you just get a cell phone, old man?" Kyo comments from mid stairs.

Shigure has a weird stubbornness to cling onto the house phone and not use a cell phone. He even hears Hatori begging Shigure to get a phone, because he keeps receiving calls for Shigure. Apparently, Shigure's emergency contact is Hatori. Kyo pities the former dragon for having such lunatic friends.

"Ah, it's just Kyo-kun. He isn't a romanticist, you see. He doesn't understand," Shigure says on the phone, grinning.

"What the hell do ya mean?" Kyo growls, and Shigure just shrugs as if it's pointless to talk to him, which irritates Kyo all the more. He frowns and stumps towards the kitchen.

Shigure always says that Kyo isn't a romanticist, or a romantic person, was it? Honestly, what's the difference? They sound so familiar. Eh, whatever, both must mean the same too, he assumes.

Generally, Kyo wouldn't mind being called a non-romanticist, because he admitted that he wasn't. But now, he has a girlfriend, who he wants to give every happiness in this world. So he tries to be romantic to be with her.

Whatever he is doing now, is it enough? Does Tohru ever feel like Kyo is unromantic? He knows she will never say if he isn't, which he now feels like is the truth. He has read in shoujo mangas (don't ask how he found it) that when the guy gives the girl flowers, gives her endearing nicknames, compliments her beauty, gives her presents and love letters, takes her out for dinner, and dances with her on slow songs is considered as romance. But Kyo doesn't do any of that.