notes: this was a prompt fill over on my tumblr (which is also towine if you'd like to say hi!), which requested an oblivious megumi who doesn't realize souma is interested in her. this takes place near the end of their second year and largely disregards the current lineup of the elite ten if you keep up with the manga. thanks for reading!
In her mind, Megumi refers to it as simply the dress.
A gift from a recent shopping trip with Erina, the ever present Hisako, and Alice in an upscale shopping district that Megumi has never set foot in before in her life. According to Alice the situation was "dire" and required immediate action, as the Annual Tootsuki Spring Gala was quickly approaching and the current Elite Ten were required to attend—and Megumi had nothing to wear.
She's grateful, truly, to her friends for buying her such an extravagant gift. She was content with the simpler dresses available, though the price tags still nearly gave her a heart attack. She would never be able to afford clothes like these on her own, and it was only through so much insistence on their part that she chose this one.
Wearing it now, Megumi is glad she listened to their advice. She would have been terribly underdressed if she went with any of the other dresses hanging in her closet. Her pale blue, borderline seafoam green tulle skirt swishes in a manner reminiscent of the dresses she dreamed of wearing as a child, flipping through stories of love and princesses. The bodice is ornately decorated with beads and lace into intricate flower patterns that curl over her chest and shoulders, while the back plunges well below her shoulder blades. Megumi did more than a few twirls in the mirror after putting it on. She couldn't help it.
"Megumi-san," Hisako says, looking over her with emotion welling in her eyes. "Looking at you, for some reason I feel like a parent giving away the bride at a wedding."
"Please, Hisako-san," Megumi giggles, blushing. "You look beautiful yourself, you know."
"But Megumi-chan, you are truly the star of tonight." Alice's own golden dress shimmers beneath the chandelier lights as she speaks, a mischievous hand over her mouth. "And in such a scandalous dress, too, oh my."
"S-Scandalous? Is it because of the back?" It's hardly the most revealing dress Megumi has seen tonight, though it is definitely something new for her. She's not used to her back and neck feeling so open, especially since she's pinned her hair up.
"Stop making her nervous," Erina says. "Alice is exaggerating, of course."
"She means it's different," Hisako clarifies with a smile. "You should be confident, Megumi-san."
Alice nods. "You'll definitely be catching a lot of eyes tonight."
"Oh, I'm sure that isn't true." Standing next to these three, certainly Megumi pales in comparison.
Besides, the last thing she wants is to draw a lot of attention to herself. Fancy gatherings like this always make her nervous about accidentally committing some kind of social faux pas, or tripping over her feet. All she wants is to get through tonight in one piece.
Though it is kind of nice dressing up. Erina even let her borrow some of her jewelry, pearls glittering at Megumi's ears and neck. This must be what it feels like to be a princess.
"Tadokoro?" a voice behind her says.
She blinks, turning around.
A smile blooms across her face when she realizes who it is. "Souma-kun, you're here."
"You've finally made your appearance." Erina raises an eyebrow.
Souma admits sheepishly, "Ah, I had something before this that dragged on a little long."
He wears a fitted, burgundy tuxedo and a cream-colored dress shirt, a black bow tie at his neck. Megumi's never seen him in such formal clothing before, and she can tell by the way he shuffles his feet and tugs at his collar that he must be as unused to this as she is.
He keeps glancing at her as he makes small talk with the others. Megumi tilts her head in confusion. Did she spill something on herself? Surely one of the other girls would have told her if she did, and a quick look at her front shows her that no, there isn't anything there.
Alice seems to notice something in the crowd, and she says loudly, "Oh, I think I spot my parents. Come say hello, Erina." She tugs at Erina's arm, then Hisako's. "You too, Hishoko."
"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" Hisako protests. "And I don't think my presence is required—"
Alice is already tugging them along, and for a brief second Megumi thinks she sees a scheming glint in her eye. When it comes to Alice, it's usually better not to ask.
Now it's just her and Souma.
She turns to him with a smile. "Do you want to get some air?" she asks, gesturing towards the balcony. "I think I could use some."
Smiling back, Souma says, "Sure."
Standing out on the balcony like this takes her back to their conversation from long ago, back at Polar Star. It feels like a lifetime ago, and it awes her to think of how different their circumstances are now. This balcony is considerably larger and more ornate than the one in their dorm, with a handful of other gala guests mingling around as Megumi and Souma lean against the marble balustrade.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to these things," she says, resting her cheek against her hand. "I never really anticipated these types of responsibilities as an Elite Ten."
"Me neither." Souma laughs. "I kind of feel like a kid playing dress up."
"But you wear it really well!"
"Aw, no way—"
"It's true! I like the color. Much more interesting than the usual black and white."
"You think so?" Souma tugs the edge of the jacket to smooth it out.
Megumi nods firmly. "You made a good choice."
He grins. "Thanks. You look really nice, too, Tadokoro."
She can't help the blush that rushes up her face. "Really?" Looking down at herself, she watches the way the fabric of her dress sways a little with the evening breeze. "I didn't think I'd ever get to wear something like this. It's kind of nice." She does a little spin, giggling at the way the skirt twirls, beads sparkling.
When she looks at Souma, his eyes are a little wide, staring at her. She feels concern when she sees the sudden flush on his cheeks. "Souma-kun? You okay?"
"Uh, yes," he stammers, coughing into his hand. "I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" She steps closer, tilting her head as she examines his face. He seems to be turning redder, which can't be a good sign.
"I'm just a little tired from a long day."
"Maybe you should head home early, then." It's a habit of his to overwork himself without realizing it. It really makes her worry, sometimes. "Rest is important, Souma-kun. You're allowed to skip events if you're not feeling well.
"I promise I'm fine," Souma reassures her. "And anyway, if I skipped out on this, I would have missed seeing you all dressed up."
Megumi really blushes then, waving her hands in front of her. "O-Oh no, there's far better dressed people here tonight than m-me—"
"But I mean it."
Souma catches his eye on something and reaches a hand out. Megumi's breath stalls in her chest. She watches as he touches the silk ribbon dangling from her hair, letting it slide through his fingers.
He says, "You really do look beautiful."
Her heart thumps, loud enough that surely Souma can hear it. Staring up at him, she can't find the words to say, and he is still looking at her with the faintest blush on his cheeks.
"Yukihira-san?"
Their gaze breaks. A staff member stands at the entrance of the balcony.
"One of the alumni requests to speak with you," he says. "Something about an exhibition next month."
"Ah, that's kind of important," Souma says regretfully. He turns to Megumi. "I'll be back, okay? But feel free to walk around, I'll find you."
"O-Okay," she says, still a little dizzy from what just happened.
Once Souma leaves, the strength suddenly disappears from her legs, and she holds onto the balustrade as she tries to will her heartbeat back to a normal rate. What on earth was that about? Maybe Souma really has overworked himself, and it has him acting strangely.
Yes, that's probably it. Megumi gazes out into the night sky and absently touches the ribbon again, her fingers tracing over where Souma's just did.
Peeking through the heavy curtains that cover the windows looking into the balcony, Alice and Erina watch the events transpire with rapturous interest, Erina flushed and wide-eyed like she gets when reading shoujo manga, while Alice all but squeals with each infatuated look on Souma's face. When he walks away, they audibly voice their disappointment.
Beside them, Hisako only sighs.