Day 3, Fruits Basket, Shigure, Ayame, Hatori (G)

[ciircee]

With thanks to chelle_sama for playing with the idea for me. Sorry I didn't use your title.



Three Best Friends

"Hey!" Ayame's concerned voice startled Shigure into nearly upsetting the teapot all over his very best black-and-whites. "Hey! 'Gure!"

Hefting the tray, Shirgure hurried back to his living room to where Ayame was sitting on a weakly struggling Hatori. He let the tray rattle as he dropped it on the table. "Aya," he said in a hurt voice, "how could you start without me?"

Ayame tossed his hair (beautifully) over his shoulder. "I couldn't wait for you," he said very tragically. "But," his voice shifted, concern washing back in. "Look. Something's wrong with 'Tori."

Hatori, as far as Shigure could tell, was half out of his clothes and less than half into the black-and-whites that Ayame had brought for him. "That's why I said not to start without me."

"No," Ayame said, twisting Hatori into a half nelson. "With 'Tori's eye. And his clothes," said as an after thought.

Shigure crouched down in front of Hatori and smoothed his hair back. Hatori's eyes were clear and glaring but he could see the tell-tale tear track down one cheek. "Ahh," he said. "It's probably because he's half-naked on my floor. Ha-san, you should let Aya help you get dressed."

"I'm not wearing that," Hatori said implacably.

"How cruel!" Ayame cried dramatically.

"Well you weren't dressed for the wedding," Shigure said.

"I worked my creative muscles to the point of breaking a horrible, sexy sweat! And then I sewed and sewed until my poor fingers bled!" Ayame held out one hand with a flourish. His fingers were completely unscathed. "Just to dress you in something carefree and joyful on this day full of happiness and light and personal tragedy!"

Shigure kissed his fingers sweetly anyhow. "See, Ha-san, you've made Aya upset. You should put on the clothes just to make him feel better."

"No," said Hatori. "He didn't even make them."

Ayame brightened horribly. "I didn't! I hired somebody to do the sewing at the shop! She's quick and nimble—her stitching fingers like an extension of my beauteous thoughts! And she—"

"She's not Sohma," Hatori said.

There was something sharp in his voice that made Ayame stop. Shigure patted him absently. "It doesn't always matter if they aren't," he said quietly.

Hatori blinked and tried to turn his face away. Ayame leaned down and kissed his scarred eye. "Poor 'Tori," he said softly. Hatori's eyes fluttered shut at the gentle words.

Shigure took the opportunity to haul the (rapidly wrinkling) clothes up Hatori's still body, catching Hatori's kicking legs between his own as he began to struggle anew.

"You low-down dirty dog," Hatori seethed.

"Aya?" Shigure grunted as Hatori nearly wriggled free of his hold.

Ayame dropped down on their struggling prey in a full body tackle. Shigure had to reach under his body to get at Hatori's shiny black buttons.

"Get off, you snake-bastard!"

Hatori might have been a slippery fish, but there was no force on earth to counter Ayame's constricting powers.

"Done!" Shigure announced, rolling so that Hatori was sandwiched between himself and Ayame. "Fetch the C-Machine, Aya!"

Ayame, on the floor under Hatori, pouted. "Do I have to?"

"You get to wriggle," Shigure pointed out.

"I'll kill you," said Hatori as Ayame took his time slithering out from under him.

Ayame kissed him on the forehead. "But I love you!" he said, with crocodile tears.

"Not you," Hatori said, stonily, "Shigure. There's no way you'd have come up with this plan on your own."

"Okay!" Ayame kissed Shigure on the forehead too. "Bite him if you have to, 'Gure," he said, flouncing out of the room.

"Ha-san," Shigure said once Ayame had left, "Ha-san, you know it's all we can do, right?"

In his arms, Hatori relaxed. "Shigure," he said, but that was all he said.

Shigure shifted, no longer holding Hatori, but holding him. "One day, Hatori," he said softly, kissing his temple as Hatori turned his face into him. "One day, we won't have to do this anymore and we'll still be the Mabudachi Trio. You and me and Aya with flowers in our hands."

"Okay," Hatori sighed.

"No fair!" Ayame skidded back into the room. "Next time 'Gure gets to get the camera and I get to snuggle 'Tori!"

"Sure," Shigure said.

"Camera?" said Hatori.

"We called it the C-Machine because 'Gure figured you'd murder us before we could get the camera," explained Ayame, setting the tripod in place and sighting through the viewfinder. "Ready!"

"Everybody say 'French Maid!" Shigure said. He was gladder than words could say when Ayame threw himself into Hatori's lap just before the flash went off. It gave him ample time to scramble out from the bottom of the pile and snatch the camera off the stand. He needed all the time he could get, not being as good in a skirt as Ayame was.

Ayame, who was grappling with Hatori on the floor again. "'Tori!" he was crying, "why must you forever leave me for 'Gure? I can love you just as much as he can! Better! Let me love you!"

He managed to throw the camera out to the startled courier just before Hatori, with Ayame hanging companionably off his back, crashed through the door and tackled him into the mud.


There was only ever three copies of that picture ever produced.

The one prominently displayed in Ayame's shop, which burned up mysteriously one night.

The one Shigure kept on his desk, which unexpectedly drowned.

And the one tucked away in the back of a rarely opened copy of 'The Human Bone Manual'.

**********************************************************************************************

The title that inspired this--which I did not use in the end--was 'Three French Maids'. Also, this is my first Fruits Basket anything and I'm mostly only familiar with the anime. I always wanted to write something with the trio, so if it sucks then I am very sorry.