I Have Always Loved You (Kyo x Tohru)

Chapter-2: Count On Me

"Kyo?" Tohru calls out in a meek voice, glancing at him reluctantly.

Kyo has been silent for a while.

She told him everything from the start and apologized a zillion times along with the way for hiding such an important thing from him. Now, she's scared that she has made him mad at her. She's probably right. Because if his expression let on anything... he was pissed.

Kyo squats down and runs his fingers through his orange locks, sighing with exasperation. "I..." he starts to speak after what felt like forever. "I just don't get one thing. Why didn't you tell any of us?"

"Because—" He cuts her short harshly.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Uotani lives in a tiny apartment and Hanajimas are a family of five, so they wouldn't have been able to accommodate you," he repeats her own words in a mock tone. Tears sting her eyes as a few drops slip by. "But..." his voice lowers, dipping with disappointment, "Why didn't you tell... me?"

She can feel his gaze on her, but she doesn't dare raise her head. "I am sorry, Kyo. I-I didn't know... what to do. I a-am so so sorry," her voice cracks, and more tears gush down.

She always screws things up. She's so worthless. Now, Kyo's going to hate her. She's going to lose her most precious friend. She's never seen him this upset at her before. But she really doesn't want him to abandon her. She won't be able to take it.

"Pl-please don't be mad at me. I will d-do anything you ask me to," she chokes out.

Through her glassy vision fixed on the ground, she sees his feet stop in front of her. And the next moment, she is pulled into a hug.

Warmth envelopes her as her head falls onto his chest and his strong arms wrap around her.

"Dummy, I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at myself," he says, just above a whisper.

"W-why?" More tears well up and start to soak his hoodie as she clings onto his shoulder blades.

"Because I didn't realize sooner. I should have known somethin' was wrong. I should have pressed harder to know why you insisted on goin' home alone these days. I just... I'm so fucking sorry. I wasn't there for you." He squeezes her tighter in his arms. "It... it was hard, right? Livin' in that tent?"

Tohru shakes her head.

"You're still gonna lie after all this?" he taunts.

She chuckles through her tears and nuzzles into his chest. He smells woodsy and... so much like home. "It was hard, but I fought bravely. The slugs and cold were no match for me."

"Slugs?"

She can picture the disgusted look on his face and chuckles more. "It's alright. I can stay here. It's only for a short ti—"

Kyo pulls apart from the hug and exclaims, "Oh, hell, no!"

"But where else am I going to stay?" She raises an eyebrow.

"With me."

Tohru chokes on air. "What?"

Living with Kyo?

She can see Kyo's cheeks go red even in the dark. "I meant, with us. Me, Yuki, Shigure. We have a spare room beside Yuki's."

"Oh. I see..." When his words finally sink, she gasps. "Oh, no! I can't do that! I don't want to be a burden on—" she stops midway as Kyo glares at her, daring her to complete that sentence He absolutely hates it when she says things like that. He always tells her that they don't feel inconvenienced by her like the way she thinks they do. "I just... Won't it be weird?"