Like a Switch [Fruits Basket]

Chapter 11

Like a Switch

Chapter Eleven

Trying to explain what had happened to Shigure had been more difficult than you had expected. You didn't know if he honestly couldn't remember his actions or if he was just pretending that he couldn't. If it was the later you didn't want to make a fool of yourself or overtly offend him. Even if he was trying to appear innocent of the transaction out of shame or guilt it didn't mean that he wouldn't be offended if you described what had happened in too poor of a light. If he was telling the truth about believing that he had gone to sleep...that brought up a lot more issues. More than you knew how to handle. You didn't know if that was part of the curse or if that was a quirk of his.

"I don't know what to say," Shigure admitted, having the common decency to look embarrassed.

His eyes kept drifting towards the reddened bite marks he had made on your neck. You could practically see the gears turning in his head as he kept still in his seat. There wasn't anything devious in his gaze. Maybe a little mischievous but not malicious.

"Shigure?" You questioned.

He rose his gaze back towards your eyes. "Yes?"

"What are you thinking about?"

He smiled. The action only seemed to reinforce the mischievous air. It was amazing how quickly that replaced the embarrassment from you explanation. It seemed like you didn't have to do anything at all to keep him in a good mood. That sort of state just came naturally to him.

"It's silly," his words were something like a prelude. "There are just so many works of fiction that ascribe a...well let's say nonhuman biting someone on the neck as a way to stake a claim."

"Let me guess, it's not a claim of friendship," you gently teased.

"No, not usually. So it's amusing that it was emulated by me. Maybe there's some truth to the action after all."

You rolled the idea around in your head. As you contemplated it you couldn't help but wonder if he was referring to any specific work of public fiction or if he had read too many fan fictions. You weren't sure if you wanted to know either way. He was a writer by profession and apparently good enough to make a living out of it. You had even heard him joke about how he enjoyed his side works more than his main ones. There was a vague suggestion that his side ones ran towards the lewd works of fiction so maybe he was referencing his own works.

"Maybe," you agreed. "After all humans do make things like hickeys that sort of serve that purpose. Yours just has a more distinct shape right now. It might turn into the biggest one I've had yet. We'll see."

At your words you saw him still in his seat. It was as though he had never contemplated that. Color rose to his cheeks as he silently stared at you. For a man who seemed so confident it was a wonder that he could even flush at all.

"How do you hide them for work?" Shigure asked.

"I don't get them too often working here," you admitted to him with a smile. "But when I do, wide chokers work. Or if it's lower on the neck then I can use high shirt collars held together with a decorate brooch instead of doing up the buttons. Sometimes I use makeup if it's really dark but don't like doing that. Somehow it always ends up on my clothes even if it was completely set."

"I imagine that must be frustrating."

The color on his face finally seemed to go back to normal as the conversation continued on. You noticed that his eyes kept looking back towards the mark that he made. Along with that you noticed that he didn't order any more drinks. Shigure stayed a little farther away than before. You didn't comment on any of that as you guided the conversation towards relatively safe topics. It didn't take you very long to realize that anything too personal made him redirect. That or put him into danger of visualizing lewd situations which you wanted to avoid with him due to what happened earlier.

So you were careful with the conversation and the topics all night. It didn't seem like Shigure noticed that. He seemed genuinely pleased to just sit near you and talk. Especially when it was something that happened at his home between the two boys and a girl named Tohru, all of which he fostered. You weren't sure if he received a stipend for their living expenses but even if he did it was a kind gesture on his part to open his home to the teenagers.

Even as the subtle music in the background shifted to let you know that it was quickly becoming closing time, you couldn't help but laugh and smile as Shigure finished his latest story about the comings and goings of his house. You knew that he was telling them out of chronological order simply because he was finally explaining how Tohru had found out about the family's unique situation which really cemented her living with them.

"I'd like to meet her someday. She sounds amazing if she can juggle three big personalities like you, Yuki, and Kyo," you told him with a smile.

You hadn't met Kyo yet. At least not as far as you could remember. So if you had it didn't count. Your assumption of his personality was based on Shigure's stories of him.

"You can. Come home with me tonight and you can meet them in the morning."

"Shigure," you spoke in a soft, compassionate tone as you realized that this was probably going to need more than one 'no' to sink in. "I told you that the only men who I will see that late will be my father or my future husband."

He sat quietly for a moment. It looked like he wanted to cross his arms but then stopped. Shigure lowered his arms as he looked at you through thick dark lashes.

"What if I was?"

"Was what?"

He raised his head and smiled ever so slightly. He looked like a Japanese version of Prince Charming like that somehow. Or at least that's what you were instantly struck with.

"What if I was your future husband?"

Oddly this wasn't the first time that you had this sort of conversation with someone. In your line of work, girls were often proposed to. You were no exception despite the fact that you hadn't been working for very long, well not long by your standards at least. Every time you had to find a way to gently turn them down without hurting their pride. Usually it was pretty easy. The men were often drunk at night time or at the very least tipsy when they proposed. Not to mention it wasn't often you got a regular patron aside from Shigure. Regulars were like the unicorns of this sort of host club. Not that you didn't have one or two it was just that they weren't as regular as the man before you.

"I would make a horrible wife," you told him with a smile. "You're a good man Shigure. You deserve someone who compliments you."

"That doesn't answer my question."

You smiled nervously as you searched his face. You could hear footsteps coming in closer and you tried to stall until they got there. It was easier said than done as his hand found one of yours.

"I can't just be a housewife...that's not who I am. I would keep working. And you already don't want me going on the date with the client tomorrow," you reminded him, specifically changing up the words to highlight the issue. "Could you imagine how bad it would be if you married me? If I came home with things like this?"

You motioned towards the bite mark he left on your neck not too long ago.

"I—"

He didn't get a chance to finish whatever he was preparing to say as one of the other staff, the guy employed for security. Shigure looked at him with surprise. He had obviously lost track of time. You saw him try to completely understand and accept the situation. You felt bad for him but at the same time you couldn't help but feel relieved. You liked him but you didn't know him that well. What you did know was that marriage was a huge step. Especially considering the fact that outside of work you hadn't been on a date with him or anyone else. That wasn't even factoring in the whole zodiac curse.