I did it! I was stumped for a little bit there as I focused on my Meet My OCs series and my blog post (which I still haven’t written for this week), but I managed to write up my monthly completed piece of fiction! Whoot!
I jumped fandoms a touch here, but you have to follow inspiration, right?
So, I’d like to present to you my first Fruits Basket fanfic.
You can also read Love Taps at any of these three sites: on AO3, on FFN, or on DA
This story is dedicated to @chibisunnie for inspiring the plot bunny in the first place. It’s always gold when we get to chat! :D
**Disclaimer: I haven't had the chance to start up Fruits Basket Another or the Three Musketeers Arc, so I'm sorry if I have some inconsistencies. I tried my best via the wiki pages...
***UPDATE: I have now read FBA and there ARE inconsistencies, mostly with Hajime and Sawa’s personalities, and I don’t really ship them now that I’ve read the story buuuuut I’m leaving this unedited. Oh well....
Also, this story is about Adult Tohru, so there will be spoilers if you don’t know who Hajime is.
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Love Taps
Kyo's little head bonks carry more meaning and more love than anyone could ever truly know. Anyone besides maybe Tohru, who reflects on an entire lifetime of receiving the loving raps on the noggin.
One-shot
Word Count: 2952
Rating: General Audiences
**Warning: Contains lots of fluff, you might want your dentist on stand-by
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I think I've always known, at some level, that his little bonks on my head were a sign of his affection. It's very fitting for him; to show love with his fists, but in a gentle manner. Those head bonks have always been so dear to me, because they proved that he saw my faults, but wanted a connection to me anyway.
"Kyo? Kyo! I- I think my water just broke! Oh no! What do I do? I know we studied this, but it's really happening!" I paced in a tight little circle, liquid dripping down my leg. "Should I clean this up so it won't stain? Should I go change? I probably need to soak my clothes so they won't stain. Do I have time to do so? Do we have the overnight bag packed? Is my mother's picture in the bag?" I held my pregnant belly as I leaked further onto the floor, unsure which direction to go. That's when I got that delicate bonk on the crown of my head. It startled me still, made me blink a few times as I re-focused, and arched my head back.
"You need to just focus on you and the kid. I've got everything else, you hear me? You always find a way to worry about the wrong things." Kyo already had our overnight bag slung over his shoulder, and was moving to grab my mother's picture to place inside the bag. "Now, if you feel gross, go wash off your legs, otherwise, we should get going."
"Um, I- I don't want to get the seats messy."
"I already have towels so you won't, but we do have a minute for you to wash if you stop dawdling."
I shook my head. "No. I'll be fine. We should get going."
He then smiled at me. "You're going to do amazing." He walked over, wrapped his free arm around my waist, and rested his forehead on mine. "Remember how insanely strong you are the whole time, okay?"
As I nodded, he ushered me out the door so we could meet our son.
That was the beauty of those head bumps. He wanted me to focus. He wanted to help reset me as my world was spinning around me; when I wasn't focusing on the right things, or when I wasn't focusing at all. They were never rough, and they weren't judgmental. Instead, they were always filled with love. In fact, I think I blushed the first time he bonked the side of my head because I knew the love he shared with that action. Part of me must have known that those bonks carried words Kyo couldn't quite say.
Words like 'you worry too much' or 'you need to focus so you'll be safe' or 'I like having you around' or 'please, don't leave me' or even 'you know I love you, right?' Sometimes, they carried the question that weighed the most on Kyo's mind: 'How could you possibly love someone so much?'
"Tohru, we have to go." Kyo sighed as he leaned against the classroom door. He gave an apologetic shrug and head shake towards the teacher.
"It's my baby's first day!" I squeezed our son close to me, and his little arms wrapped around me just as tight. "It's going to be a full day without seeing his adorable face, or hearing his sweet voice, or running around the yard with him."
"I want you to stay, Mama!" Hajime nuzzled his head into my shoulder. "Can't you go to school with me?"
"Okay, enough of this." Kyo softly grumbled. He then took strong and pointed steps towards us before – bonk, bonk – both Hajime and I got little knuckle raps on the sides of our head.
We both blinked, and pulled away from each other as we tried to register what just happened. We turned to Kyo, who blew out a calming breath before resting his hands on our son's shoulders, centering him to face his father.
"You know how a lot of people come to visit us, just to hang out? Just because they miss us?"
Hajime nodded as he wiped a couple of tears away.
"Those are all of your mother's friends-"
"Kyo-" They weren't just my friends. They were his as well, and more importantly, they were his family; I was just the one lucky enough to join that loving clan.
Kyo held up his hand to still my protest. "Those are your mother's friends, and she helped them become mine as well. Do you want lots and lots of friends like her?"
Hajime nodded vigorously, borderline comically.
"Well, then you need to be kind like she is. And you need to be welcoming. Most importantly, you need to talk to them, and show them your big heart. It may not work at first. You may be teased, but you'll then find others just as kind as you, and they'll be your friends for life. Then you won't need anyone else. You got that?"
"Uh-huh."
"It won't work if you are only with your mother, though. Now, turn around." Kyo physically pivoted Hajime so they were both looking into the classroom, Kyo kneeling behind our son and whispering into his ear. "Look at how many friends could be waiting for you in this room. Don't you want to meet them?"
"I do!" Hajime bounced on his toes, a grin stretching almost impossibly far across his face.
"Then go meet them, and we'll see you once school is done. Okay?"
"Okay, Daddy." Hajime squeezed both of us tight before turning and sprinting off to meet his classmates.
"As for you." Kyo stood, and held out his hands to lift me to my feet as well. "He'll be fine, and you need to trust that he'll be fine." He discretely tapped my chest just above my heart. "Just as your mother is always with you, know that you're always with him; watching over him, even when you can't physically be there. Besides, he's in good hands, isn't he?" He addressed the teacher, who looked slightly less exasperated now that my overly-affectionate display had ended. The teacher nodded and gave us a small smile.
"Okay, we can go." I hugged Kyo's forearm to prevent me from shooting forward and scooping up our beautiful child again. Resting his head on the top of mine, Kyo escorted me out of the classroom.
That was probably the greatest thing about those head bonks. They were an anchor. They helped ground me, and even Hajime on occasion. When I was being tossed about in a sea of emotions, Kyo's raps on the side of my head kept me from floating off. Kept me from floating away from reason; floating away from public decency; floating away from alertness; floating away from reality, even.
As I grew older and more mature, the less I needed that anchor; Kyo simply existing in my life was enough. He taught me how to be more alert; how to stay more focused on what truly was important. Having Hajime also helped greatly with that. Soon, Kyo only bonked me on the head once a month. Once a season. Eventually, I realized he had only rapped me on the head once that whole year. Part of me wondered if I should purposely start to let myself drift again; daydream again. Something to call out for Kyo to tap the side of my head. Because I missed it.
I think he missed that connection as well. We hugged. We kissed. We held hands. We snuggled next to each other. None of it was quite the same though, as much as I loved all of it. I think he felt the same way, because the meaning of the tap changed. It now became more of a way to silently tell me 'I know' or 'I feel the same way' or 'it hurts me too, but we'll manage.'
"Uh, I guess he forgot about me?" Sawa-chan shook her head and hid an exasperated chuckle behind her bridal bouquet. Kyo stood beside her, sighing as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I can't believe how grown up you are!" I nuzzled Hajime's cheek with my own and held him close. My make-up was probably ruined from sobbing all day, but I didn't care. "You found yourself a wonderful girl, and I'm so proud of you!"
"Tohru," Kyo growled. "Must you?"
"But he's married now! Our baby's all grown up, and I couldn't be prouder of him. And look at how handsome he is! He reminds me of you when we got married."
"Do you really think so, Mom?" Hajime's voice squeaked and he pulled me in closer. "I'm only this amazing, and know how to include such fantastic people in my life, because of you and Dad. You truly are the best, Mom. I couldn't do any of this without you."
We started crying into each other's arms, and I only just barely heard Sawa-chan squeaking an "um" before I felt that head bonk. I pulled away from my son, and saw his blank expression as he also tried to comprehend what just happened.
"You two are pathetic, you know that, right?" Kyo shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks. "It's not like we're never seeing him again, and it's not like we don't have other kids for you to dote on. Let the boy grow up, will ya?" He then grabbed Hajime's left bicep, and yanked him from my arms. In a swift motion he shoved our son on the back; just enough to push him into his wife. "That's the woman you should be smothering with hugs!"
"No, I get it," Sawa-chan joked, "I'll always be second-fiddle to Haa-chan's mother."
"Pfft, don't call me by that nickname." Hajime scoffed, but there was the same twinkle in his eye Kyo used to have whenever he tried to pretend he didn't appreciate my affection.
Sawa-chan didn't seem deterred, and she pulled him into a chaste kiss to lure him into a hug and quick dance.
"And as for you," Kyo came back over and placed his hand on the top of my head, palming it like a basketball. "Let the kids have their day, will ya? Come on, let's enjoy the party." He then started walking away, pulling me along by the head. It kept me a couple of hops to catch my balance, and after a few paces he shifted his hand from my scalp to my back. He gently directed me to a corner, where he kissed me, whispered to me how much the day reminded him of our wedding, and we danced to the slow song playing.
He had felt the same pain I did. That same longing for our little boy again. He couldn't handle Hajime being old enough to marry either. Yet he was strong, and he helped me stay strong that day as well. He let me know with that head tap that it wasn't the time to be sad. It was the time to look ahead at the wonderful life our son was about to start. A wonderful life that somehow lead to me getting frequent head bonks again.
"We're not going to have this battle every time, are we?" Sawa-chan arched her eyebrows as she looked over at Hajime.
"Sorry, dear, but I don't think it can really be helped. I mean, look at her?" Hajime gestured towards me cradling my granddaughter, my eyes overflowing with tears. "Would you want to give her up?"
"Kyo!" I whined, "Don't make me give her back! She's just too precious. Aren't you just in love? How could you not see her every day?"
"Tohru-san," Sawa-chan again reached for her daughter. "We really must be getting home to put her to bed. We'll visit more often, I promise."
I pulled her closer to me and smelled her hair. "I just need a few more minutes. Or you three could spend the night. We can make space for them, can't we, Kyo?" As I looked up at him I saw a small sneer as he swung to bonk me on the top of the head. It was the first one that hurt in decades.
"Don't be an idiot. She's their child and they can take her whenever they want. And our son is grown now, with his own house and own family. They don't need to stick around here if they prefer to be in their own beds tonight."
I sniffled and slowly gave my granddaughter back to Sawa-chan, who was cautiously watching Kyo. Hajime rested a hand on his wife's shoulder to re-focus her, and she accepted her baby girl. Then the kids gave me kind smiles, which helped ease the mild throbbing of where Kyo had hit me.
"Sorry. Kyo's right. I shouldn't have imposed on you."
"No problem, Mom. We appreciate that you love her so much." Hajime scooped his wife and daughter into his arms, and my heart swelled.
Kyo mimicked our son, pulling me into an embrace as he kissed where he hit my head. "It's alright to be selfish sometimes, but you can't be selfish about spending time with people, especially if it means kidnapping our grandkid."
In truth, I nearly 'kidnapped' – as Kyo put it – our granddaughter loads of times. It was just so hard to let her go. She was such a sweet dear. All of our grandchildren were, and I was getting quite a lumpy head from the amount of times Kyo had to knock me to remind me to give them back to their parents. I didn't mind it, though. I truly did miss that special connection that only came from Kyo's playful bops on the head. It wasn't terribly too long before our youngest grandchild was in junior high, and 'kidnappings' weren't as much of an issue. They were all old enough to leave of their own accord.
Still, Kyo discovered plenty of emotional moments to reprimand me: When our children each graduated from high school, and then college; when they each got married, and when they each had their first child; for every additional child they had; nearly every visit with our grandchildren; and the realizations of how old each grandchild was getting. One of the last, however, was when we had to move.
I sat out on our front porch, overlooking the hilltop scenery we've enjoyed for about fifty-years. It reminded me so much of Shigure-san's home, and all the happy memories I had there. Now, in this home Kyo and I had shared for our entire marriage, there were almost too many happy memories to recall them all. I let my mind wander as I watched the sunset, knowing I didn't have many more to enjoy from this vantage.
BONK!
Although the tap on my head didn't hurt, I still rubbed the spot with both hands. I looked over my shoulder and saw Kyo lowering himself to the porch, these days he took much greater care whenever he had to shift from standing to sitting and back again. A little grunt escaped his throat.
"You were daydreaming."
"S-sorry." I continued to rub where he tapped me.
"Daydreaming's fine, but you looked sad while doing so." He dusted his hands off on his pants, then rubbed his left knee.
"I'm sorry we have to move because of me." I straightened the blanket on my lap and watched as Kyo moved to massage his left ankle.
"Tohru, we're old, it happens. I'd much rather we move in with one of the kids instead of you straining to get up that hill every day. It doesn't matter to me that we're moving, as long as you're comfortable and we're together."
"You don't seem to have much difficulty with the hill."
"I also work out far more routinely and with more intensity than you. It kept my muscles strong. You're seventy-three; it's not a shame that you can't climb up a hundred steps each day."
"I just hate the idea of leaving our memories behind; abandoning our castle like this."
I heard another grunt as Kyo shifted so he was kneeling beside me instead of sitting. With a swift swing and a pull-back last second, he once more rapped my head gently with the back of his hand. He then pulled my head to his shoulder so he could run his fingers through my hair.
"My sweet idiot. You think we can't pack up the memories with us? Did you forget your mom once you had to leave your apartment? Did you forget your months living out of a tent? Are you having difficulties recalling life with your grandfather, or any of the time you spent getting to know me and the other Zodiacs?"
"N-no."
"The memories don't live here." He gestured to the house behind us. "Memories live here-" He rested his index finger on my chest, right where my heart would sit. "-and here." He again tapped on my head. "And don't think for an instant that I'll allow you to forget."
I rested my head on his shoulder and re-focused on the sunset. "Thank you, Kyo. Hey, Kyo?"
"Hmm?"
"You think it's alright if I daydream some more? It's such a lovely evening for it."
"Yeah, you idiot. You can zone out all you want. I'm here." He pulled me in for a kiss on my temple, and he grunted once more as he settled back into a lounge beside me. As we snuggled and enjoyed the orange glow of the sunset, my mind wandered to pleasant thoughts. Such as needing Kyo to bonk me on the head.
