A Good Nose, Fruit Basket (Shigure/Tohru)
Title: A Good Nose Author/Artist: shiegra Rating: PG13
Prompt: Fruits Basket - Shigure/Tohru - Scent - Fresh scents around the house Word count: 389
And in the end, Tohru was simply too utterly comfortable with their natures; she loved the cats, and she liked the mice, and she stroked the dogs, lovingly and eagerly and sometimes for a generous stretch of time. She smelled good, all the animals who were willing to surrender to her delighted caresses would have told their spirits', had they been asked.
She accepted it almost too readily, was so casual about it most often that many of the younger Jyuunishi were utterly unnerved by it, as warmly and as tremblingly hopefully as they experienced most emotions concerning Tohru.
He was always the one that knew first; that found her anywhere, that asked her about cooking or changes to the house soonest. It was the keenness of his nose that she began to really associate their conversations with. So when he told her, one night, smile casual and delighted, "come closer so I can smell you better," she didn't even flinch and barely blinked before leaning forward cheerfully.
Then his fingers slid into her hair, idly tangling, and she made a little startled sound and had to support herself with one hand on the floor when he leaned forward, his nose so close it almost touched her skin, lips peeking canines, the sound in his throat nearly a purr.
"Sh-shigure-san?" She stammered, her voice small and startled.
"Change something?" He asked, almost a murmur, against her skin.
"Wh-what?" Tohru scrambled for thought as his breath ghosted over her skin, and finally found something coherent. "Ah--I'm using a different soap? I used--"
"Mine," he said, releasing her.
She blinked at him and then flushed furiously. "I--I'm sorry--it was under the sink--I didn't mean to--I'll shop--"
He caught a strand of her hair as she scrambled back, giving her a slow and discomfiting smile, all teeth and dark flickering--well, intensity, and this was Shigure-san but it still made her a little nervous until he let her go and said, cheer curling up under his smile and blooming bright and harmless over the darkness in his eyes, "it's fine, Tohru-kun. Go ahead."
She was left staring after him, one hand clapped over her neck, a blush prickling hotly under her skin. The door slid shut behind him as he went inside, the breeze cooled her cheeks, and eventually she didn't think about it anymore--but for the moments when he stepped a little too close and her heart leapt out of its sedate beat.