notes: these will be small one-shots that all take place during the series, between scenes and moments that aren't showed to us. this first one takes place in akt 6, between the point when fakir volunteers to be ahiru's parner in the pas de deux and the moment their hands first touch. hope you enjoy!
i own nothing.

Akt 6

…Everyone was looking at her funny.

Standing up on the vast stage alone, Ahiru wrapped her arms around her awkward figure and dropped her gaze to her feet, feeling quite unsuited for the pretty costume loaned to her. It was pretty and golden and had intricate pattering she could see up close, and all around didn't look like someone like her should be wearing it. Not to mention it was a little itchy right on the small of her back.

It was all so sudden—sure, the nice lady wanted to see her dance yesterday, but Ahiru wasn't expecting her to ask again after that! She was the worst in class—everyone knew that. And now she was standing up in the in front of people who saw her messing up every day, completely alone and wishing she could just crawl back into her school uniform and hide in her bed until the next morning.

But she couldn't. Ahiru had no idea why Mrs. Paulamoni wanted to see her dancing so much, but she asked nicely and Mr. Cat was giving her really scary looks from below the stage so it wasn't as if she could just run away….

And just to make everything worse, she was waiting there completely discomfited because a certain someone had volunteered to be her partner for the pas de deux.

Ahiru shifted uncomfortably, her frown growing more prominent as she thought of him taking his sweet time changing into the costume while leaving her there to be ogled and laughed at by the rest of their class. It was obvious they were expecting some sort of show from her—and the fact that her best friends were making the majority of those comments wasn't exactly helping, either.

…Ahiru really was not looking forward to this. Dancing a pas de deux with the horrible person she was fighting against. S-sure, she probably wouldn't have been able to dance very well with Mytho like Rue first suggested, but this was way worse than that! Fakir walked around acting as if Mytho didn't need a heart, and he even locked him up in the library. He may have been popular with her friends and everyone else, but Ahiru could see the truth. He was nothing but a mean upperclassman who didn't treat Mytho right, and now she was waiting on stage to dance with him. It was the worst.

…Just how long was he even going to have her stand there, anyway?

Her knees were already shaking. Really, this was probably the first time Ahiru was ever about to perform in front of a lot of people while being the main focus. It wasn't a problem when her other classmates were practicing with her, but this was different all around and she was already feeling embarrassed.

But then she heard a 'hmph' out from the corner of the stage, and Ahiru turned her gaze over just as Fakir quickly made his way across, stepping closer to her while looking much more suited in his costume than Ahiru did hers. His expression was clearly displeased—but her own face probably reflected the same distaste right back at him.

He probably just wanted to get all up in her face again for trying to talk to Mytho a lot and even knowing about his lack of a heart. Well, she wouldn't let him intimidate her! He was the one who volunteered to dance with her in the first place, so he better be prepared to get his feet stepped on!

"Come on," he said, interrupting her thoughts with a sigh. He drew to her side, immediately positioning his feet and straightening himself up, as if he really did plan to just perform a quick pas de deux with her and then just leave. He gave her a flat look out of the corner of his eye, before furrowing his brows. "…You've been standing here this long, and you're not even ready yet? Hmph. Hurry up and stop wasting my time." He then turned back to face the audience before Ahiru could form a response, clearly disinterested in the awed gazes and appreciative looks his peers gave him unconditionally, ignoring the awkward and duck-like girl performing as his partner. Partner. They even had matching outfits, and it was enough to just…!

Ahiru could have been steaming out of her ears. Balling her fists at her sides, she spun around to fully face the audience (overthrowing her weight and stumbling slightly with a squawk) before straightening her back and lifting as much of her weight as she could on her toes. Mrs. Paulamoni and Mr. Cat were talking—probably to them, giving them their thanks and to feel free to start whenever they were ready—but Ahiru just couldn't even decipher the words anymore. She was too busy clenching her teeth and seething. Fakir was a horrible and terrible person. She would never partner with him, even if she had to suffer through dancing by his side like this just once.

'Stop wasting his time.' As if she was any more eager to dance with him than he was!

Well, Ahiru was just going to have to show him. She didn't care about anything he had to say to her, because he said Mytho didn't need a heart, and Ahiru just knew that was wrong. Fakir thought he could scare her with mean looks and a loud voice, and she wouldn't let him.

Once Ahiru was properly positioned—or as best positioned as someone clumsy like her could be—she saw a hand reaching for her out of the corner of her eye. She didn't even try to mask her displeasure before hesitantly lifting up her own and placing the dainty palm within his.

End