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Tohru’s shoes slapped hard on the wet concrete steps, the sudden rain a startling reminder that there was laundry left out on the line, laundry that she figured was now soaked through and she would have to redo. The weather stated it would be cloudy, but nothing about a rainstorm of this caliber was mentioned. She was drenched herself, feet squelching with every step and wind sending shivers down her back and up her skirt. Tohru was glad she hadn’t bought any groceries yet. Added weight would’ve made this ten times more difficult.
She reached the top of the steps to Shigure’s and bent over with her hands on her knees, forcing air into her lungs. It’s not like another 60 seconds would matter, shuffling into Shigure’s house for her own sake at this point, shivering hard as her clothes clung to her skin.
Tohru slipped off her jacket, shoes, and socks, sliding into her house slippers and making a light jog up the stairs. Her internal panic mode had calmed down once she realized the laundry was already a lost cause, but bemoaned having to spend the time on doing the sheets all over again.
With a grievous sigh she opened the door to the back balcony only to come to a complete stop. There were no sheets on the line, everything was bare. Clips were put in the small basket and brought closer to the door to stay dry. Between being cold and the unexpectedly tidied balcony, her brain worked to process what could’ve happened and who would’ve done this.
“Ahh Tohru. You’re all wet!” Kyo’s concerned voice broke through her thoughts and she turned around to see him standing there with a basket in his hands.
“Kyo-kun! You got the laundry?”
“Well, yeah. Otherwise it would’ve gotten wet. That would mean you’d have to do it all over again. That’s a waste of time.” Kyo asserted. Tohru’s chest bloomed with warmth. She knew she paid for her room by doing the chores, but seeing Kyo assist her, despite the circumstances, drew her towards him. Both emotionally and physically.
Tohru had her hands clasped at her chest, smile wide. “Thank you for doing that. I was so worried about the sheets getting wet, but you just helped me so much. Thank you!”
“It’s nothing. I have no problem helping you out.” Kyo blushed but returned a bashful smile. That smile didn’t stay long though. “We need to get you out of those clothes. You’re freezing!”
She was. She didn’t realize how hard she was shivering until it was brought to her attention. Kyo set the basket he’d been holding down and wrapped her in a hug, transferring some of his body heat to hers, forcing a contented sigh from her mouth.
Kyo moved them from their spot in the hall towards Tohru’s room, Tohru giggling as Kyo didn’t let go and held her close. She loved being in his arms like this, the feeling making her want to either sleep in his embrace or invite him into her room to help her undress. She didn’t choose either in that moment, instead parting with a chaste kiss and shutting the door to keep her thoughts at bay.
The heater in her room was small but it did it’s job in pulling the seeping chill from her skin. Once she rid of her wet clothes and put dry, new ones on she was ready to brave the elements again, this time with an umbrella and less panic over neglected sheets.
“Kyo-kun!” Tohru called out.
“In here!” Kyo responded from what she figured was the living room.
Walking in her jaw dropped at the sight: all the sheets were folded and placed neatly in the basket Kyo had been carrying earlier, Kyo sitting next to them with the TV on.
“Ohh you did all this?” Tohru marveled.
“Like I said: I don’t mind helping you out. Besides, laundry’s annoying. I can’t believe you’ve been doing this for us for this long now.” The pout on his lips was adorable, but she wasn’t going to tell him that.
“And like I said, I like doing this kind of stuff. But I definitely appreciate you’re help.” Tohru kneeled down to give him an appreciative kiss, Kyo’s hands familiar as they ran up her arms and rested at the juncture of her neck and shoulder.
“Are you going somewhere?” Kyo asked, fiddling with the collar of her jacket.
“I was on my to go grocery shopping earlier when it started raining. I came back for the laundry. But since you took care of that I’m going to actually get groceries this time.” She laughed to herself.
“It’s still raining though.”
“I have an umbrella.” She held it up.
“I think you should stay. I’ll go shopping with you tomorrow. How does that sound?” Kyo’s voice was low in a way that went straight to her pelvic region. She knew the implication there, and with Yuki and Shigure being seemingly absent, she couldn’t deny she’d rather stay with Kyo than go back out into the rain.
“Mm. I’ll stay.”