Author's note: Welcome to chapter 13, dear Reader! Lovely to see you again!
Trigger warning: None! Fluffy fluff is fluffy! Unless dear Sky's potty mouth upsets you, this chapter is totally harmless. Yay!
As always, I STILL don't own Ouran or the Hosts. Reviews are welcome!
-The Next Day-
Sky finished dressing and shuffled back to the bathroom to brush her hair. Being a weekend, she didn't bother to dry it after her shower, and simply brushed the tangles out of her rainbow locks. She paused, studying her face in the mirror. God, raccoon eyes. Wonderful. She considered taking a few minutes to actually put some makeup on, then shrugged and left without bothering. She knew the dark circles under her eyes wouldn't surprise the boys, not after all that crying yesterday.
She wandered down the hall, wondering if anyone else was up yet. When she reached the top of the main stairs, she considered sliding down the banister again, but only for a second. She wasn't awake enough, and would probably break her neck. She walked down them instead, and then shuffled into the kitchen, stifling a little yawn. Everything else could wait, she needed caffeine.
"Good morning, Pixie-chan!"
She yelped in surprise and whirled around. Honey, Takashi, and Tamaki were all gathered in the kitchen already. Honey giggled at the shocked look on her face, and she wondered how he could be so upbeat already. She blinked repeatedly and made a shushing gesture before grabbing a much-needed soda from the fridge. She quickly gulped down half, then hopped up on the counter near where her boys were sitting.
"Honey, darling, precious, most adorable little bunny rabbit. How the bloody hell can you be so bloody upbeat so bloody early in the bloody morning?"
"Sugar. Lots and lots and lots of sugar."
Tamaki's comment was tinged with humor. Sky nodded and continued to sip the life-giving soda, glancing around. Honey's giggles stopped as he hopped up beside her. He adopted a serious look and patted her hand gently.
"Takashi said you had a nightmare, Pixie-chan. Are you ok?"
"You had a nightmare? Oh, my poor little princess!"
Sky rolled her eyes at Tamaki's dramatics, then nodded at Honey. She finished off her soda and set the empty bottle beside her. She reached over and patted Honey's cute little blonde head.
"I'm fine, no worries. I guess talking about the whole thing yesterday just kept it in the back of my mind all night. But I'm really ok, honest."
She hopped off the counter and sat in Honey's vacated seat next to Takashi, turning to him with a shy little smile.
"Actually, I wanted to thank you, Takashi. And apologize. I guess I must have fallen asleep while we were talking, because I don't remember when you left. I'm sorry for that. But I slept better after that than I have in a long time. So truly, thank you."
He shrugged like it was no big deal, and patted her shoulder lightly. She leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, causing the faintest blush to stain his cheeks. She grinned and stood abruptly.
"So, who wants breakfast?"
"Are you really going to cook, ma cherie?"
"Well, yeah. I don't figure anyone wants cold cereal or protein bars, right?"
"But…but… Ma cherie, don't you have servants to do things like cook?"
Sky let out a very unladylike snort of laughter and shook her head lightly. She reached over and tousled Tamaki's hair.
"You forget, chardonneret, I wasn't raised with servants. And honestly, I like to cook."
She wandered around, opening cabinets and perusing the contents of shelves, muttering to herself in a mix of Japanese, English, and French. At one point, she reached up and tugged her hair in a bout of indecisiveness. After another moment, she checked the fridge thoroughly, then nodded, finally reaching a conclusion. She turned back to the boys, noticing that the twins had joined the group while she was contemplating ingredients. Only Kyoya remained to be seen this morning.
"Ok, so it looks like I have everything here for a few different things. I can do scones, or omelets, or cinnamon rolls. There's plenty of fresh fruit and veggies and juice and stuff. I don't know. What do you guys usually eat for breakfast, anyway?"
"We'd be happy to eat anything you fix, Pixie-chan!"
"While I'm sure that's true, little bunny, it doesn't answer my question."
They chatted about breakfast choices for a while, until Sky finally threw her hands up in mock frustration and jokingly threatened them with a "full Irish" if they didn't make up their minds. It was at this moment that Kyoya finally deigned to grace them with his presence.
"And just what, pray tell, is a 'full Irish', Pixie my dear?"
"Oh! Good morning, little owl. And a full Irish is something Mommy used to make for special occasions, birthdays and such. It's enormous. Bacon and sausages and eggs and potatoes and biscuits with honey and…and…I don't even remember what all. Oh, and something she called 'tatty scones,' which are just fancy potato biscuits. But so tasty, oh my God."
"Wow, that's…a lot of food. Could you even really eat all that, Pixie? You're tall, but you're pretty thin."
Sky grinned at Kaoru's comment. She gave a little shrug and hopped back up on the counter, opening another soda.
"Well, sure. Once in a while, anyway. It is a lot of food, true enough. But like I said, Mommy only made it for birthdays and stuff. If I ate like that every day, I'd be a whale instead of the unicorn Tamaki says I am."
She laughed quietly, and even got a giggle from Honey. She flashed him a little smile before continuing.
"Honestly, most days I barely manage some juice and half a protein bar. School days just start too damn early for me. But I learned the hard way that I can't skip breakfast completely, heh."
"What does that mean, ma cherie?"
"Aw, nothing too serious. If I don't at least have some juice or something, my blood sugar gets too low before lunch time. I uh… Kind of passed out a few times at my old school before I figured it out. Busted my lip pretty good one time, there's still a little scar there."
"How is that not serious?! Poor Pixie-chan!"
"Aww, it's alright, little bunny. I'm fine, honest. Besides, I always keep an extra protein bar and some candy in my bag, just in case."
Honey had clambered up next to her, and she gave her sweet friend a big hug, ruffling his hair. The little blonde held on tight for a long moment.
"Well, as long as you're sure you're ok, Pixie-chan. I'm going to keep my eye on you though!"
"You're too sweet, Honey-chan. But really, I'll be ok. I haven't let my blood sugar get that low in months, honest. Now come on boys, seriously, someone make a damned decision already!"
The room echoed with their laughter, and Sky smiled brightly at her boys. They drove her batty sometimes, but she loved them. They finally came to a consensus, and she set to fixing breakfast for her new family. It was different, cooking for a group like this, but she found that she enjoyed it so much more than just cooking for herself.
After a couple of minutes, the lads became more interested, and she ended up not only cooking, but giving a cooking lesson as well! She set each boy to a different task, making sure to keep Tamaki and the twins well away from knives and other sharp objects. She didn't really want to deal with any medical emergencies so very early in the day.
With everyone's help, breakfast was done in no time. Honey finished setting the table while Sky and Takashi carried over platters of food. Kyoya brought juice and coffee to the table. Once everything was in place, she shooed the boys to their seats, opting to take her place last. She couldn't help giggling as several of the boys argued over who got to sit next to her. Before she could make up her mind, Kyoya unceremoniously shoved her into the nearest empty seat, which happened to be between himself and Kaoru.
"Ok boys, family rules. Help yourselves, share, mind your manners, and play nice."
There was more than enough food, and Sky started passing the platters. The boys struck up a cheerful conversation, and the whole atmosphere felt very comforting. She wasn't particularly hungry, and mostly just picked at her food while listening to her boys. She smiled fondly as she glanced around. She had never had a breakfast like this, and yet it felt so familiar and comfortable. After a few more bites, she nudged her plate away and put her elbow on the table, resting her chin on her fist.
"Are you alright, Pixie dear? You've barely touched your food."
Kyoya's voice was soft, and had gone unnoticed by the others. Sky smiled lightly and bumped his elbow with hers.
"I'm fine, little owl. I'm just not hungry. I told the others, I guess you weren't in here just yet. I don't eat much in the mornings."
He smiled back and patted her hand gently. He would keep an eye on her, just in case. It wouldn't do to have her fall ill. He noticed Honey-senpai watching the girl as well, and they shared a small glance, nodding very slightly at each other. Kyoya felt better, knowing that others were looking out for the girl as well.
Sky stood and stretched her arms over her head, then wandered over to get another soda from the fridge. She would definitely need extra caffeine to deal with her boys today. She sat back in her spot and nudged Kaoru lightly.
"How's your hand this morning?"
"It's fine. A little sore, but nothing I can't handle. I'm really sorry, by the way. I'll uh, I'll replace that cabinet."
Sky made a dismissive noise and rolled her eyes. She waved her hand before patting his shoulder.
"It's no big deal. It's literally a pane of glass, it'll take like five minutes to replace, tops. I don't care about the cabinet, you goof. I'll change your bandages after breakfast, make sure everything's fine, ok?"
"You're not going to let me say no, are you?"
"Well duh, of course not. You got hurt because of me, I'm going to make sure you're alright."
She said it with a little smile, so Kaoru grinned back and shrugged. She reached up and ruffled his hair, then let out a little startled squeak when he grabbed her wrist.
"Hey. You're wearing short sleeves today. You've never worn short sleeves before."
The others had picked up on their conversation, and several glances were cast her way. It was true, the t-shirt Sky had chosen had short sleeves. It also had the logo for one of her favorite bands on it, which was why she'd chosen it. She hitched her good shoulder up in a little shrug and took a sip of her soda before replying with as casual a tone as she could.
"Yeah, well… I don't have to hide my arms anymore, and I like this shirt."
Kaoru grinned and slipped his arm around her shoulders to give her a gentle hug. She bumped her head affectionately against his. No one mentioned her scars, and after a few seconds, the conversation picked up again and the lads continued eating. Sky slowly drank her soda as she watched her boys, perfectly content with the morning so far.
Additional author's note: Yeah, I'm aware that Sky's had three sodas. She's a caffeine addict. Wouldn't you be, if you had to deal with the Host Club every day? =P
