Fruits Basket Oneshots

Just Breathe (Yuki x Machi)

Parent teacher conferences had unfortunately come around, so naturally Machi Kuragi was a little on edge during the week leading up to them.

Her mother was to come in and discuss Machi's future with her homeroom teacher. No matter what, Machi knew her mother would be unsupportive, but that didn't stop it from disappointing her every time.

When Thursday finally arrived much to the young girl's dismay, Machi was called during student government to head to the office.

Seeing the look on her face, Kakeru tried to reassure her.

"You'll be fine. Just ignore anything and everything that old hag says!" He gave his signature smile that lights up a room.

"It'll be over soon enough." Yuki added, smiling at his beautiful girlfriend, their words instantly calming her nerves a little bit.

Machi gave a small smile, and mumbles something along the lines of "see you in a bit".

Too soon she arrived at the office. Taking a deep breath, she tentatively opened the door and entered into the hellish next thirty minutes of her life.

"My lord, Machi. You look like a wreck! So scrawny and pasty! People will think you're homeless!" Machi's mother talked down to her, making the atmosphere somewhat awkward in the room as Machi's teacher cleared her throat.

"Please sit down, Miss Kuragi." The teacher smiles, gesturing to the seat in front of her desk next to her mother's.

For about ten minutes, Machi remained silent in her seat as the teacher spoke borishly of the curriculum and Machi's grades and future. Her mother would sometimes interject with a meaningless question about the  academics or extracurriculars the school has to offer.

"-so what do you think, Miss Kuragi?"

"Huh?" Machi was caught off guard as she was pulled from her thoughts of how she would much rather be anywhere but in that room.

Machi's mother sighed and shook her head.

"I apologize for my daughter. Machi has yet to get her act together. She's simply a mess, from her appearance to behavior. I truly don't know what went wrong with her. On the contrary our son is just a delight. So happy and great social skills! I'm sure Machi doesn't even have a plan for her future! Again, I apologize for her behavior." Machi's mother gave a sympathetic look to the teacher, as if pitying her for having to deal with her failure of a daughter.

The teacher shook her head and smiled. "It's no trouble at all. Miss Kuragi, although being somewhat reserved and introverted, is a very good student. And that leads me to what I was asking you, Miss Kuragi. What are you thinking about for your future career?"

"Um..." Machi began, trying to brush off the somewhat humiliating things her mother had said about her. "I think I would like to pursue something in the English or science field." She said quietly.

"Those seem like great options for y-" Machi's teacher began, only to be interrupted by her mother.

"Glory, Machi. Do speak up! It is so annoying listening to constantly mumble incoherent things! Are you ashamed of yourself that you can't even stand to listen to your own voice? Or are you just to dumb to speak your language properly? Ugly and stupid, now that's a combination." She scoffed, looking down on her daughter.

This touched a nerve in Machi. She had straight A's and had continued to put effort into her work just to hopefully win back her mother's approval. Maybe they weren't all 100's, but they were still A's. Was she just not good enough?

As for the ugly part, Machi couldn't even argue with that. She knew she was very plain looking, even after putting effort into her appearance. She knew she was scrawny and pathetic looking. Machi couldn't even fathom how she ended up with the Yuki Sohma as her boyfriend.

As these thoughts started to flood Machi's mind, tears welled in her eyes. She needed to get out. She felt as though she was suffocating.

She would never be good enough.

She would never be pretty enough.

She would always be too weak.

And Machi was just proving her and her mother's own point. A few words managed to break her.

Fucking pathetic.

That's what she was.

She felt like she was a small nail being smashed by an oversized hammer.

Too small and pitiful to handle the pressure.

Before anyone could say anything else, Machi stood up and left the room, her mom shaking her head and sighing.

Machi ran into the nearest empty classroom, immediately steadying herself by leaning against the wall and sinking to her knees.

Machi couldn't do anything but sob, gasping for breath as she felt like she was drowning in an ocean of pressure, anxiety, neglect, insecurity, and despair.

How could she calm herself by breathing slowly if she couldnt breath in the first place?

A minute or two later, Machi heard a small knock on the door before in slowly opened, revealing Yuki Sohma.

"Machi? You in here?" Yuki nearly gasped when he looked to his left to see his beautiful lover sitting on the floor, arms wrapped around herself as she gasped for breath, tears streaming down her gorgeous face.

Yuki quickly dropped to his knees in front of her, and pulled Machi into his arms.

He ran his long, delicate fingers through her hair, telling her to breathe and focus on his heartbeat.

Soon Machi's breathing became somewhat normal and her cries reduced to occasional sniffles.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Machi found comfort in hearing Yuki's soft voice and feeling the buzz of it from his chest where her head now rested.

"It's humiliating the way she talks to me in front of other people." Machi began. "She openly compares me to the brother whom she forced me away from and is constantly apologizing on my behalf before I even say or do anything. God, I just can't please the woman. And don't tell me to just ignore the things she says because we both know everything she says is right." Machi quietly rants into Yuki's chest, his arms tightening around her as he listens to what she has to say.

"Nothing that woman says is true, Machi. You are charming, brave, intelligent, and beautiful. And if anyone says anything otherwise, they're kidding themselves. Your mother is just jealous that her daughter is far more radiant and smart than she'll ever be, and that you have a strong and successful future ahead of you where she isn't needed. And don't tell me I'm lying to make you feel better. If you don't believe me, you can ask your brother who has had to listen to me obsess over you for the past two years." Yuki's soft voice brought a smile to his lover's face. A real genuine smile.

"I love you." She didn't even realize what she said for a few seconds, slowly letting the words sink in.

Machi wasn't very good at expressing her emotions and mostly kept them to herself. Of course she did get better about sharing with her brother and boyfriend, but she was always tentative to say anything about how she was feeling, so hearing herself say what she's been trying to convey to him through her actions for so long, surprised her a little.

Not nearly as much as it surprised Yuki, though.

He knew how his girlfriend struggled to express how she was feeling, so hearing Machi tell him she loved him without any hesitation or mumbling, truly shocked him.

Without wasting another second, Yuki captured Machi's soft lips in a deep kiss.

After a few seconds they broke apart, but the butterflies that never failed to show up when the two were around each other lingered.

"I love you too."

A/N: 1305 words. I love this ship so much, and I wish there was more fanfiction about these two, but I suppose I have to make it if I want it. On a more serious note, I've always needed someone to tell me things that Yuki told Machi in this, and I understand how it is to feel inadequate and somewhat worthless, so if anyone needs anyone to talk to, you can always message me <3 I can't guarantee I give the best advice, but I'm a good listener and can try my best to understand your situations whether I can relate or not. I also apologize for using the word "somewhat" so much in this lol :)