Author's note: Welcome to chapter 9! Jeez, 9 already? Are you binge-reading again, dear Reader? How fun!

Trigger warning: Nothing but warm fuzzies in this chapter! There's a fleeting moment of worried Kyoya, and dirty-minded twins, but that's all. Enjoy the fluffs while they last!

I STILL don't own the Hosts, stop reminding me! Reviews/PMs are welcome as always!


-Several hours later-

After the second movie, Sky desperately needed to get up and stretch. While the twins and Tamaki were arguing over what to watch next, she got up and walked into the little kitchen attached to the home theater. Rubbing her eyes with a little groan at the sudden light, she shuffled across the room.

She noticed Takashi watching her and gave him a little grin before rotating her sore shoulder. He smiled lightly in return and fished a soda out of the fridge for her. She took it with a little nod of thanks and hopped up to sit on the counter as she drank. He leaned against the counter next to her, sipping from a bottle of water.

With another little groan, she rotated her shoulder again. It was really aggravating today, and Sky wondered if the weather was changing, or if it was just from lounging around all day. Takashi noticed the pain on her face and set his water down before turning to her. He raised an eyebrow and gave her a questioning stare. She shrugged, then bit back an oath when the action caused even more pain.

"It's no big deal. My shoulder got wrecked pretty good in the car accident, so it gives me trouble sometimes. Like if we're going to have a storm, or if I overwork it or sleep wrong. Nothing serious, just annoying."

He frowned slightly at the girl. It was obvious that she was trying to downplay just how much pain she was really in. Without a word, he set his hands on her sore shoulder and rubbed carefully. She gasped quietly at first, but the warmth of his hands and the gentle pressure felt so good that she relaxed immediately. She closed her eyes as he continued his ministrations, a soft sigh escaping her lips.

With her eyes closed, she didn't notice the faint blush that stained his cheeks, or the way his lips curved up in a gentle smile as she sighed and leaned into his touch. She didn't notice anything except how wonderful his touch felt, and how the pain had almost immediately fled. After a long moment, she sat up and turned to wrap her arms around her friend. She hugged him tightly and bumped her forehead against his in an affectionate manner.

"You're so sweet, Takashi. Thank you."

He gave a little shrug and patted her back gently. She grinned, but didn't get a chance to say anything else, because Honey bounced into the room at that moment. They watched him dash around the little kitchen with fond smiles. Sky wondered if he would just keel over when the sugar ran out, or if he had built up a near-endless supply in his blood stream.

"Come on, guys! The next movie is starting, let's go!"

He grabbed Sky's hand and tugged her off the counter. She grinned and grabbed Takashi's hand before the little blonde could pull her out of the room.

"Hey, slow down Honey, we're coming. God, switch to decaf, dude."

Honey giggled and stuck his tongue out at Sky, but slowed to a walk. He swung her hand back and forth a few times.

"You should sit with us this time, Pixie-chan! You should, you should!"

"Ok, little bunny, ok. I'll sit with you, don't pull my arm off, jeez."

She was just glad that he had picked her good arm to swing. The other was feeling much better, but that wouldn't last long with Honey-chan hanging on her. The little blonde ran over to gather some snacks while Sky and Takashi settled onto one of the plush, comfortable sofas in the darkened theater.

Honey dumped a load of sweets on the low table in front of the sofa, then climbed up to sit between his friend and cousin. He rested his head on Sky's shoulder for just a moment, and she patted his head with a little smile. She glanced around at the rest of the lads.

She noticed that Tamaki had taken her vacated seat next to Kyoya, and grinned to herself as the blonde laid his head on his friend's shoulder, talking excitedly about something or other and gesturing wildly with his long, slender hands. The twins were curled up together on another of the plush sofas, and it looked to Sky as if Kaoru was almost asleep. She thought they were adorable, cuddled up together like little kittens or puppies. She hated to say anything, but called out quietly anyway.

"Unless you guys are planning on staying the night, I think this should probably be the last movie. A couple of you look ready to fall asleep."

Honey gasped beside her and started bouncing in his seat. Uh oh. The hell did I say this time?

"Could we really spend the night, Pixie-chan?!"

Oh. Oh shit. Now what, genius? She blinked a couple of times, then gave a slight shrug with her good shoulder.

"I don't see why not. I mean, it's not like there's not enough space. There are several guest rooms."

"I think a sleepover sounds like a marvelous idea, ma cherie!"

Tamaki grinned at her from his spot beside Kyoya, and she could see his eyes shining even in the dim light. She couldn't bear the thought of disappointing her boys. She thought that she really needed to start thinking things through before opening her stupid mouth. She shook her head very slightly before speaking with as much sarcasm as she could muster.

"Sure, why not let a bunch of psycho teenage boys spend the night? What's the worst that could happen?"

There was laughter from all sides, and Honey wrapped his arms around her waist, squeezing her tight. She tousled his hair and grinned wryly. Well, this is going to be interesting. The adorable little blonde curled up on her lap to finish watching the movie, his head resting against her good shoulder. She wrapped one arm lightly around him, smiling fondly as he cuddled closer. A few minutes later, she was shocked, but secretly delighted, as Takashi curled his arm around her shoulders. She was glad for the darkness in the theater, because she was blushing, and not quite sure why.

Once the movie was over, it took several minutes for everyone to get up and moving. There were yawns and groans all around. Sky stood and stretched her arms above her head, then rolled her neck with a little groan.

"Ok boys, before we do anything else, I have got to go put something else on. These jeans were so not made for movie marathons. The damned zippers made my ass go numb."

The twins hooted with laughter, and both offered in overly-innocent voices to "help" by rubbing it for her. Sky just rolled her eyes, but Tamaki instantly ran over to slap them both upside the head, screeching about indecency and perversion.

"Chill, Tamaki, it's ok. My own fault for not thinking before I speak. Don't murder the twins. Alright guys, somebody figure out what comes next, and I'll be back in a few minutes."

With that, she took her leave. She shuffled off down the hall, rubbing her eye with a slight yawn. Despite the annoying zippers, she had gotten too comfortable during that last movie, and had almost fallen asleep. She definitely needed more caffeine if she hoped to stay awake now.

"Pixie, wait just a moment."

She turned back at the voice, caught off-guard. Kyoya had followed her into the hall. She wondered what that could be about. He had a concerned look on his face. Before she could say anything, he spoke in a quiet voice.

"Are you sure you're alright with this, Pixie?"

"Aw, sure. I was just being sarcastic earlier. You guys are totally welcome to stay."

"That's not exactly what I meant."

Oh. OH. She offered him a little smile and nodded, touched at his concern.

"I'm fine, Kyoya. I'm not concerned that way at all. I trust all my boys completely. But it's so kind of you to worry. Thank you, my sweet little owl."

She kissed his cheek lightly and gave him a quick hug before shooing him back to the theater. She dashed up to her bedroom with a little grin, thinking about how sweet her boys were. Once again, she found herself grateful for their friendship. After making sure her bedroom door was locked securely, she indulged herself in a girly little twirl around her room, humming to herself.

She laughed and shook her head, then dashed to the closet to pick out something more comfortable. She debated for a few minutes, then finally decided on a soft pair of black cargo pants with bright green contrast stitching. They were so much more comfortable, and had no extra zippers. She paused in front of her dresser and smiled at the picture of her parents.

"Well, Mommy, Daddy, aren't my boys precious? I couldn't have picked a sweeter group, don't you think? They're all so warm and loving. I wish you could actually meet them, I'm sure they'd love you just as much as I do."

She picked up the picture and hugged it close to her heart for a moment, then placed a gentle kiss on the frame before setting it carefully back on the dresser. With a little grin, she made her way back down to the theater. She sauntered into the now well-lit room and flung herself onto an empty sofa.

"So boys, what have we decided on next?"

"We should play a game, ma cherie! What sorts of games do Americans play at sleepovers?"

"Oh God, how would I know? I haven't had any friends in six years, let alone a damned sleepover."

Tamaki sat beside her and gave her his best, most charming smile. And when that didn't work, he added the puppy dog eyes. Damnit. How does he DO that? She sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes.

"Ok, ok, quit with the eyes, you know I'm powerless against them! Let me think a minute."

He grinned radiantly at her, and she stuck her tongue out at him. She dragged her fingers through her hair as she racked her brain.

"Ok, so the last time I was at a sleepover, I was ten. As far as I can remember, they're all pretty much the same. You wear comfortable pajamas, eat junk food while watching lame horror movies, and stay up way late playing silly games like 'Truth or Dare'. But that was at all-girl sleepovers, this whole co-ed thing doesn't usually happen."

"Oh oh, tell us about this 'Truth or Dare' game, ma cherie! That sounds like fun!"

"Oh damn. Me and my big mouth. Ok, ok. It's really easy to play, but it usually gets either totally silly, or way too serious. You just take turns asking each other random stuff. Like, I would ask you to pick truth or dare, Tamaki. If you pick truth, I'd ask you some totally random, possibly way too personal question, and you must answer honestly. If you pick dare, I'd give you some silly or embarrassing task that you have to do. And after you answer or do the dare, you pick the next person and ask them, and so on. Fairly simple, right?"

"Sounds pretty easy, Pixie. What's the catch?"

She turned to the twins with a wry little smile.

"Oh, that's easy. If you refuse to answer or do the task, you have to pay the consequences. Which is usually something so much worse than the original. It all depends on just how twisted the minds of the players are. Let's say you refused to answer an embarrassing question when you picked truth. Now you'll have to complete some insane task that's likely to be ten times as embarrassing."

The twins looked panicked for one moment, then turned to Tamaki with decidedly evil grins. He gulped and tried to hide behind Sky. She snickered and shoved him back.

"No no no, chardonneret, you brought this on yourself."

"We definitely have to play now!"

Sky shook her head, laughing at the malice in the twins' voices. She was sure Tamaki would quickly regret wanting to play. Honey was excited about the game, and even Kyoya seemed a little intrigued. Takashi was silent as usual, but Sky thought she might have seen a hint of interest on his face, as well.

"Ok, fine. But I need another soda first. There's no way I'm dealing with you crazies without a sugar rush and some caffeine."

She jumped up and dashed for the kitchen with their laughter echoing in her ears. This is going to be insane. What have I gotten myself into this time? Co-ed sleepovers, Truth or freaking Dare? Might as well have suggested Spin the Bottle! God!

She grabbed a soda from the fridge and just leaned against the counter for a minute. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. Everything would be fine. No one was going to do anything unsavory or harmful. Everything was going to be fine.

"Sky? Are you alright?"

She opened her eyes and flashed a small smile at Takashi. She nodded and shrugged a little before opening her soda.

"I'm fine. Just questioning my life choices. No big deal."

She took a small drink and then grinned at her friend. She waved her free hand in a dismissive manner and then dragged her fingers through her hair.

"Really, I'm alright. Just a tiny little momentary panic. Just a second or two, and I'm fine now."

He wasn't convinced, and studied her face for a moment longer before nodding. She walked over and slipped her arm around his waist, bumping her head against his shoulder. He curled his arm lightly around her tall frame, and she leaned against him, drawing comfort from his gentle embrace. They stayed like that for a moment before heading back to the other room.

"Ok boys, let's get this freak show started, hrm?"


Additional author's note: Brace yourself, dear Reader. Go grab some tissues and your teddy bear, for now we are heading to very dark territory.