Masks
"Chief, I'll be off now!" Misaki called out as she took her bag from her locker. It was a Friday and her shift had just ended.
"Take care on your way home, Misa-chan!" Satsuki replied with her usual bright smile. Misaki waved goodbye, heading for the back door.
"Misa-chan!" Another voice called. Misaki turned and saw Erika running to her.
"Hmm?" Misaki asked. "What is it?"
"I'm celebrating my twentieth birthday tomorrow." The brunette said, mindlessly playing with her hair as she did so. "I know it's a little bit late notice, but I wasn't able to inform you yesterday, since you were off duty. Could you come?" She smiled.
Misaki thought about the offer for a while. She didn't really have anything to do tomorrow since it's a Saturday.
"Why not?" Misaki replied.
Erika giggled. "Alright. It's a masquerade though."
"Oh." Misaki said. "I mightn't be able to go, then. I don't have anything to wear for those kinds of events..."
Erika suddenly grasped Misaki's wrists and pulled her. "Let's shop then!"
"I don't have-" Misaki tried to say, but the other girl cut her off.
"Ssh, my treat. I need you to be there tomorrow." Erika said sternly as she dragged the dark-haired girl into the night.
The two girls entered a small dress shop a couple of blocks away from Maid Latte. It was closing time already, but fortunately (or to Misaki's dismay,) Erika was a friend of the shop lady. She gave the two girls thirty minutes to browse the dresses on display.
"Do you have any color in mind, Misa-chan?" Erika asked as she explored the shop items.
"Not... really..." Misaki said, scoping the room. "You don't really need to buy for me. I can try to borrow from someone."
"How about this?" Erika raised a blue halter dress embedded with gems at the hem, ignoring what Misaki previously said.
"It doesn't really matter. I can go in something casual." Misaki said, eliciting a sigh of exasperation from the other girl.
"Please help me decide?" Erika begged. "I really want you to join the masquerade. But not in some dress that doesn't complement you." She paused, examining the dress. "You're right, blue's not your color."
That was odd, Misaki thought to herself. Not my color?
Erika then raised another dress. This time it was a red balloon dress.
"This is pretty." Erika commented. "But it doesn't really suit your personality, ne? I'm sure we'll find something though..."
For ten minutes, Erika has been suggesting various dresses that she herself would reject. It was an odd process to Misaki. She couldn't understand how it worked. Misaki awkwardly stood at one corner, caressing a velvet dress. She didn't really want to go, since it was a masquerade. She had no idea what to do there. But she felt obliged to attend because Erika was her friend.
"How about this?" The shop lady suddenly asked, raising a dress that caught both Erika and Misaki's fancy.
"That's perfect!" Erika squealed. "We'll take it! With a matching mask, please."
The next day, Misaki went over to Erika's house. The birthday girl gave her the address last night and told her to go early so that they can prepare together. Misaki agreed, since she'll probably just ruin the dress if she prepared on her own. Her cluelessness in these kinds of things irks her sometimes.
Misaki arrived at a large, modern house. There were some hints of Japanese architecture, but overall, it looked very contemporary. Misaki was quite surprised. She didn't know that Erika's social standing was a high one. Maybe even a very high one.
She pressed on the doorbell and the sound of chimes echoed inside. After a few clicks, the wooden door opened and Misaki was greeted by Erika's smiling face. Her hair was still wet, and she was clad in only a robe.
"Hi, Misaki. Come in!" She said, opening the door wide.
"Happy birthday, Erika-san!" Misaki greeted, hugging the girl. She then entered the house, leaving her shoes outside.
"Thank you." Erika said. "Oh, there's no need for that." She referred to Misaki's removal of footwear.
Odd, Misaki thought as she slipped her feet into her shoes again.
The living room- or what Misaki assumed to be the living room- was cleared of all furniture except for a long table on one side. Misaki was in awe of what she saw. The house was very spacious and was furnished very nicely. The walls were inviting, and the tiles were very clean. It was an unusual dwelling- one that didn't suit the neighbourhood they were in. But come to think of it, she might be in a different neighbourhood already.
"Wow..." Misaki whispered to herself as she took in the beauty of her friend's home.
"Come on. Subaru's here too." Erika said, leading Misaki upstairs to a room on the east side of the house.
Erika's room had a wide glass window that faced the streets. On the windowsill sat Subaru who was drying her hair with a hair dryer. When the two girls entered, Subaru turned and flashed them a smile.
"Hi Misaki!" Subaru greeted. Misaki waved back, setting down her bag on the floor. Erika quickly rushed to the bathroom to probably resume what she was doing earlier.
"What do we, uh do?" Misaki asked, sitting on the edge of Erika's bed. The room's scent was a battle of various aromas. It hurt Misaki's nose.
"Well," Subaru said as she unplugged the dryer. "What do you want to do with your hair?"
"Uh..." Misaki stuttered. "Fix it?"
Subaru laughed. "Let's try curling it." She led Misaki to the chair in front of the vanity mirror. Numerous beauty products were scattered on the table, leaving traces on the surface. Misaki did not know what any of those were used for.
Subaru plugged in a curler and waited for it to heat up. For the meanwhile, she combed through Misaki's dark hair.
"You'll be stunning, I promise."
The light of the setting sun entered the room through the glass window, painting everything under it in warm shades. The guests have begun to arrive, all dressed for the occasion. Through the window, Misaki saw that there were a lot of people that arrived.
"How many people are coming?" She asked.
"Around 30 people, maybe." Erika answered as she applied some eyeliner. "But maybe more if some of the invitees bring dates."
Misaki's eyes widened. Great, she thought. I have a lot of people to embarrass myself to.
"Let's go, then." Erika said after ten minutes. They rechecked their outfits in the mirror for the final time. Misaki thought she looked rather pretty today, which is a rare thought.
"Oh!" Erika exclaimed. "Before I forget..." She rummaged through her drawer and pulled out a red flower accessory. She put it in Misaki's hair.
"There. You look gorgeous." Erika commented as she and Subaru admired Misaki. The raven-haired girl blushed.
"Thank you, Erika." Misaki said. "I have something for you too." She took out a small box from the bag she brought. Seeing this, Subaru also decided to give her present as well. Misaki gave Erika a simple flower pendant necklace; Subaru gave Erika an album of her favourite band. Erika thanked them, leaving the presents on her table, and the three finally made their debut downstairs.
The living room- now ballroom- was crawling with people in masks. It looked sort of like a Victorian gathering. All heads turned as three girls descended the stairs like princesses from a fairy tale. The guests recognized Erika immediately. Her brown hair was let down in curls. She was wearing a vermillion dress that resembled a fire, a scarlet mask on her face.
Behind her was a green-haired girl who was walking elegantly. She wore a silver dress that clung to her figure, emphasizing her beautiful curves. She wore an emerald mask that matched the colour of the jewellery she had on. On her face was a beautiful smile.
At the back was a raven-haired girl who was walking down clumsily, trembling slightly as she did so. But she was breathtaking. She wore a simple gold, strapless dress that was enough to catch most of the eyes of the people below. She had a golden mask on her face and a red flower on her hair that stood out. Instead of a smile, the girl was nervously biting her lip, ruining the lipstick smeared on it.
Subaru and Misaki joined the crowd as Erika stayed on the steps to make an announcement. Misaki mentally congratulated herself for not rolling down the stairs and bringing the other two down with her. She's never worn anything this heavy and uncomfortable or heels this high. She stood by the corner and leaned on the wall as the birthday girl made a speech.
"Why does Erika work for Maid Latte when she has all this?" Misaki asked Subaru.
"No idea. It's probably just fun for her." The girl answered.
"Alright. Let's waltz, shall we? Grab a partner." Erika then announced before either could say anything further.
Misaki's eyes widened. She frantically looked around for anyone as music started playing. Subaru had already been asked. After a minute though, someone tapped her on the shoulder.
"May I?" The man asked. He had a deep, smooth voice. It was unfamiliar- he was unfamiliar. But she had no other option, did she?
"S-sure..." Misaki stuttered, taking the outstretched hand of the man as he led them to the middle of the ballroom.
Misaki had never been in an atmosphere similar to this. It was very formal and sophisticated and, well, for the wealthy. The man who asked to dance with her had jet black hair and blue eyes. He was very gentlemanly, and he danced well. Unfortunately, Misaki couldn't dance the waltz.
"Sorry." She repeatedly said as she kept on stepping on his foot. The man found her clumsiness adorable, laughing as she blushed at her steps.
"Tell me your name." He said with a charming smile.
"Misaki." She said. She didn't bother asking his because, frankly, she didn't care.
"Well, Misaki," He said, wincing as she stepped on him again. "You look beautiful."
Misaki blushed even more. "T-Thank you." She stuttered.
"This is lovely music." The man commented, trying to start up a conversation. "This was one of the compositions I listened to as a child."
Good for you, Misaki thought. I was abandoned when I was a child.
"May I steal this beautiful girl from you for a moment?" Another man said.
Misaki's partner nodded. "It was a pleasure meeting you." He kissed her hand modestly before going away.
The new man, whose blonde hair gave his identity away, took her hand. "You are cruel, Ayuzawa. Being so adorable like that."
Usui.
"What are you doing here?" Misaki hissed.
"I was invited too." He replied with a smirk. "And for good reason. I wouldn't miss this for the world. You are absolutely amazing right now." He danced her, lithely avoiding her missteps. "I'm hurt that you didn't give me your first dance, though."
Misaki rolled her eyes. "How was I supposed to know you were here, idiot?"
"So you would've if you knew?"
"Probably!" She said loudly.
"That's my girl." He said, pulling her close to him, pressing her head to his chest.
"I'm not yours..." Misaki said against him. Usui smiled, but she didn't see it. "Ayuzawa..." He whispered in her ear. His breath sent shivers down her spine. But she didn't move away. She moved along with the beautiful music and the consistent beating of his heart.
The two were quietly dancing for seemingly endless minutes when Usui suddenly said, "Follow me."
Usui led her to the garden at the back of the house. It was spacious, with hedges around it. The grass was cleanly kept, with numerous plants arranged neatly on it.
There were some tables arranged there to accommodate the other guests. Usui pulled Misaki to a clear spot on the grass right under the light of the moon, draping them in silver.
"What are we doing here?" Misaki asked. "My heels are poking holes in the earth."
Usui chuckled then bent down. "Take them off then." He raised her dress a little, just enough so he could undo Misaki's uncomfortable stilettos.
"I'll do it myself!" Misaki said, trying to bend down but Usui had already skilfully removed them. He set them aside and stood back up, dusting off his suit.
"I just want to be alone with you. So no one could steal you from me." He said, making Misaki turn scarlet.
He took her hand in his, and placed his other hand on her waist. He pulled her close, their faces almost touching. Misaki's heart was racing as Usui took the risk of touching her forehead with his. Misaki's face was absolutely red. She was speechless.
They danced again, much slower this time, and somehow, much more intense as they maintained their closeness. The grass snaked around Misaki's toes as the soil was cool and soft beneath her bare feet. The wind was quiet, but it sang a sweet melody that rendered both tranquil. The atmosphere outside was much different from the formal one inside. Outside, it felt fragile. It felt saccharine. It felt like the world was theirs, and that there was nothing to fear. Misaki felt safe. She closed her eyes, succumbing to the sweet feeling of his skin on hers. She could feel his warmth. Their pulses were synchronized, and so were their breathing. Slowly and carefully, Usui tilted his head forward, to unite his lips with hers. Misaki's eyes remained closed as she relished in the feeling of the kiss. His lips were warm and soft, as they always are. His kisses were ever so sweet and sincere. From her waist, Usui's hand moved to her cheek, his thumb caressing it, gently pulling her closer to her.
Their lips parted, and now their eyes locked. Misaki didn't say it- she never does- but she loved Usui. She didn't need to tell him that though, for he's always known. She's always known too. Words didn't convey what they needed to say as much as their actions do.
"Why does it feel like it's my birthday?" Misaki whispered, looking down at the grass. Her hand was still entwined with his. Usui then took something out of his breast pocket. In his hand, he revealed to her a beautiful ruby necklace.
"It matches the flower." He smiled. Misaki held her hair to the side, allowing Usui to place it around her neck.
"Thank you." Misaki said, almost breathlessly. Somehow, she was at a loss for words. She couldn't even bring herself to call him a perverted alien like she usually does.
Usui then reached for her mask. He undid it, removing it from her face.
"I'll always know you, with or without the mask." Usui said with a soft smile.
"You're the only one who'll ever know me that way." Misaki replied before boldly standing on her tip toes to kiss him.
A/N: I wanted to write a Misaki x Usui story that actually doesn't end badly. I hope this isn't too terrible.