Author's note: Well, here we are at chapter 18, dear Reader. We've come such a long way together already. Thank you for sticking with me!
Triggers: Nope! Nothing dreadful happens in this chapter! I wouldn't exactly call it a fluffy chapter, because there are serious moments. But nothing bad or scary, yay!
I still don't own Ouran or the Hosts, and never ever will. Reviews and PMs are always welcome. Enjoy the ride!
-After school, Monday, one week later-
Sky stretched out and set her booted feet on the low table in front of the sofa. All of the lads' guests had finally left, and she made herself at home in the once-stifling Music Room #3. It really was a pretty room, once all the yellow harpies had fled. She stifled a yawn and rolled her neck.
Tamaki sat at the piano in the corner, and a light, tender melody drifted through the room. As long as he could stay calm, he played beautifully, and Sky loved to listen. She closed her eyes and laid her head on the back of the sofa, perfectly content. At least, until Kaoru flopped down beside her. She cracked one eye open to look at him, and groaned at the mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Whatever you want, the answer is no. Not with that devil look you've got going on. Nope."
"Aw, but Pixie, I don't want anything. I was just going to ask what you think about the dance."
Sky pulled a disgusted face and made a vague retching sound. Kaoru snickered, then tried for an innocent face.
"What, you mean you don't want to put on a pretty pink dress and prance around the ballroom?"
"Oh God, eww. Can you imagine me wearing anything pink? Let alone a frilly damn dress? Ugh."
She shuddered at the thought. The upcoming dance had been announced that morning, and she'd been doing her best not to think about it. The whole school was obsessing already. Crowds, frilly dresses, ballroom dancing... She cringed again. It's like prom on steroids. No thank you.
"Oh, I don't know...Ok, maybe not pink. But seriously, I bet you'd look really good in a dress, Pixie. Besides, you'd have more fun at the dance than you think."
Sky blushed faintly, but shook her head. She was about to argue, but Honey chose that moment to chime in, his bell-like voice echoing through the room.
"You should come, Pixie-chan! You would look so cute in a pretty dress!"
"Honey-chan, I'm really not a 'pretty dress' kind of girl. Could you honestly imagine me in something all frilly and pastel and whatever?"
Before Honey could reply, a discordant note rang out. Sky whipped her head around at the noise. Tamaki had gone still, face red and eyes bright. Uh oh... After a second or two, he leapt up and rushed over. He tugged her to her feet and twirled her around, causing her to squeal in a completely girly manner.
"What the hell, man?!"
"Ma cherie, you would be completely and utterly adorable! Please say you'll come to the dance, please please!"
Sky pulled out of his grasp and stood her ground. She shook her head emphatically.
"So not happening, dude. I do not do frilly dresses. Even if a miracle happened, and you talked me into going, there's no way. I'd rather show up in a tuxedo."
Tamaki tilted his head, contemplating. A faraway look came into his eyes, and a tiny smile graced his lips. Sky took several hurried steps back, keeping a wary eye on him. The back of her legs hit the sofa, and she scooted around behind it, hoping to use it as a shield in case the blonde got any crazy ideas.
He never got the chance. Kyoya walked up behind him and thumped him on the head with the ever-present notebook, causing him to yelp and jump back. Kyoya shot him a small glare, then held out a hand out to Sky.
"It's alright, Pixie, dear."
She took the offered hand and came back around the front of the sofa, still keeping an eye on Tamaki, just in case. He didn't seem likely to do anything, so after a moment, she flung herself back onto the sofa with a little huff. Kyoya sat primly beside her, clasping his hands over his knee.
"Kaoru's right though, you know. You would enjoy the dance much more than you think you would."
"I'm sure I would. Especially considering I think it would be about as much fun as surgery without anesthesia."
Kyoya laughed quietly and patted her knee. She grinned and gave his hand a little squeeze. He smiled back and leaned closer, lowering his voice to a whisper.
"And I happen to think you would look rather fetching in the right dress, my dear. You would definitely catch the eye of a certain someone you're pining after."
Sky's eyes grew wide as she stared at her friend, her cheeks burning. She stammered for a moment, completely frazzled. She wanted to deny, make a joke, anything, but her stupid brain wouldn't cooperate. She found it difficult to breathe all of a sudden.
"Breathe, Pixie, you're alright."
"Kyo-chan, what did you do?!"
"I didn't do anything, Honey-senpai. I simply told her that she would look quite fetching in the right dress."
Sky covered her face with her hands, closing her eyes and focusing on getting her breathing under control. So Kyoya knew. He wouldn't say anything, she was sure of that. She wondered if she was that obvious, or if this was just Kyoya being overly-observant as usual. After a minute, she regained control and looked up. Kyoya patted her shoulder gently and gave her a very subtle head shake. It was like he could read her mind sometimes. She breathed a tiny sigh of relief.
Honey hopped up onto the sofa to sit beside Sky, and patted her knee gently. His big bright eyes held a serious look when she glanced at him. She knew her own face held confusion.
"He's right, Pixie-chan. You'd look really pretty in a dress, if it's the right dress. It doesn't have to be pink or have ruffles or sparkles or ribbons."
"I appreciate the thought, little bunny. You guys are so sweet. But still."
"You don't have to decide right now, there's still a month until the dance."
Sky just knew they were going to end up talking her into going, she could feel it in her bones. She ran her fingers through her hair and huffed out a little sigh. Rolling her eyes, she reached out and tousled Honey's hair.
"We'll see, Honey-chan."
The little blonde let out an excited whoop and hugged her tight. He knew as well as she did that "we'll see" meant she would eventually say yes. He jumped off the sofa and twirled around the room in happy circles, and Sky shook her head at the silly little blonde.
"Well, damn. Kaoru, this is all your fault for bringing up the bloody dance in the first place. I was perfectly happy ignoring the whole bloody thing."
"Sure, sure. You'd really skip it and miss out on getting to dance with the best looking guys in school?"
Sky let out a very unladylike snort of laughter and rolled her eyes. She clasped her hands behind her head and leaned against the back of the sofa.
"As fun as dancing with my boys would be, you seem to be forgetting one very simple thing, Kaoru, dear. Everyone else in the bloody school will be there, too."
Kaoru sauntered over and flung himself down next to Sky, then laid his head on her shoulder.
"Aww. You know we'll protect you from the crowds, Pixie."
"Uh huh, sure. You'll all be dragged off by the harpies and I'll be left all alone and defenseless. No, thanks."
"Silly Pixie, we would never let that happen."
"Yeah, you're our girl, you really think we're going to let any of those other guys get a chance with you?"
Sky rolled her eyes at Hikaru's comment, even as a tiny blush crept up her cheeks at 'our girl.'
"Oh, please. Like anyone but you psychos would want anything to do with me."
The lads really seemed determined to make her go to the silly dance. She huffed out a little sigh and stretched her arms over her head, then stood with a quiet groan.
"That's it, dudes. I'm out of here before you get the chance to talk me into anything."
There was a chorus of dissent, but she shook her head firmly. Hitching her bag up on her shoulder, she strode toward the door.
"Nope. I mean it, I don't want to hear another word about that bloody dance."
-Friday, lunchtime-
Sky walked down the hall toward the lunchroom, Honey and Takashi at her side. The lads had been completely serious the day she'd broken her hand, and hadn't let her walk a single corridor by herself since then. The only time they allowed her to be by herself at school was when they had Host Club duties, and Sky was safe inside her so-called Breakdown Room.
After picking out a few little things, she settled into a seat at their usual table. In the month or so since she started eating with them, the death glares and hateful mutterings had become almost non-existent. Lunch had actually become one of her favorite times, because she got to spend time with all of her boys. Today she picked a seat between Kyoya and Hikaru, as she switched places each day.
She started to pick at her food after greeting the lads, choosing not to join the current discussion. Before she had managed more than two bites, Hikaru grabbed her hand, causing a startled little squeak to fall from her lips. He had noticed the bandage on her palm, and his voice was low, concerned.
"Pixie, what did you do?"
"Aw, nothing. I was working on some wood-burning yesterday, and my hand slipped. No big deal."
"Burning your hand is a big deal, Pixie. Burns are serious."
"It's not that bad, Hikaru. It only blistered a little, and it barely hurts at all. It only sucks because it's an awkward place. I'm fine, honest."
The others had turned to listen, and Tamaki reached across the table to snatch her hand away from Hikaru. Sky rolled her eyes and swore quietly. She pulled her hand away and stuck it under the table.
"Don't even start. I'm fine. It's not like it's the first burn I've gotten. I'm sure it won't be the last, either. So nobody freak out on me, alright?"
"If you're sure you're alright, then we'll let it go. Won't we?"
Kyoya patted her arm and shot the others a small glare. Sky gave him a grateful little smile before turning back to her food. She didn't have much of an appetite, but she tried to eat a little more so her boys wouldn't worry. She tried, but after a few more bites, she gave up and pushed the tray away.
She noticed Kyoya and Honey both watching her, and flashed them a little grin. She knew they worried, no matter how often she tried to reassure them. Before anything could be said, a new person approached the group. A fairly tall young man with shaggy black hair stepped up to the table with a cautious look in his eyes.
"Hey, Prentiss?"
Sky looked up with mild surprise. She raised an eyebrow in confusion at the newcomer. Then she remembered that she was expected to answer.
"Yes?"
"Um. Could I talk to you for a minute? Like, alone?"
"No way, man. Pixie doesn't go anywhere without at least one of us."
Sky laughed quietly at the indignant tone in Kaoru's voice, and she reached across Hikaru to pat his twin on the arm.
"It's ok, Kaoru. Sorry, dude, but he's right. Last time I was alone with a guy, I ended up breaking my hand. I'm not looking for a repeat performance."
The newcomer's eyes widened, and he gulped audibly. He knew what she was talking about. The whole school had heard about the incident in question. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, looking more nervous by the second.
"Yeah, well, from what I heard, Hinata had it coming. I'm not anything like him."
"Good to know. But still, anything you want to say to me can be said in front of my friends."
"Well, I just... I was wondering if, um..."
His eyes were darting between Sky and the Hosts, a pink tint crawling up his cheeks. Sky was thoroughly confused. She looked at her friends for help, but they had no answers for her, even though several wore amused smirks. The new one continued to stammer, and finally, Honey had pity on the poor boy. He addressed Sky with a little giggle.
"Pixie-chan, I think he's trying ask you to go to the dance with him, but we're making him too nervous to actually say it out loud."
Oh. Oh, hell. She looked up at the newcomer, who had gone bright red by this point. He was nodding fervently. Sky was silent for a moment, wondering how to phrase her response. She ran her fingers through her rainbow locks with a tiny sigh. Before she could utter a word, however, Kyoya spoke in a quiet, overly-polite voice.
"I'm afraid you're already too late. Pixie has already agreed to attend the dance as part of our group."
-The next afternoon-
Sky whimpered quietly and wondered if it was too late to just call off the whole thing. Why, why had she let them talk her into going to that stupid bloody dance? She groaned and ran her fingers through her hair, tugging the bright locks in frustration.
"It's alright, Pixie. You're fine, it's just one little shop. And I called ahead, they've cleared the entire afternoon for us."
"It's not the shop that's the problem, it's the whole bloody situation."
Kyoya laughed quietly and patted her shoulder. She shot him an aggravated look, then sighed and shook her head.
"It's just... This is going to backfire somehow, I just know it."
"It's just dress shopping, my dear."
"This isn't funny, Kyoya. How the hell did you guys manage to talk me into going to this bloody dance? Why did I agree to this?"
Kyoya shook his head, grinning at her dramatic outburst. He took her hand and pulled her into the shop, ignoring the little whimper that came from his friend. After a moment, she huffed out a breath and straightened her shoulders.
"Ok, that's it. No more whining. I said I'd go, I'm not going to back out. But damn. I haven't worn a dress since I was ten!"
"All the more reason to pick out something truly spectacular, my dear."
Sky let out a quiet laugh, giving his hand a little squeeze. She had definitely made the right choice here.
"Which is exactly why I asked you to help me, little owl. You're the only one I'd trust with this."
"Naturally."
The shop owner herself greeted the pair, and proceeded to show them several lovely one-of-a-kind dresses. Sky tried on a few, but nothing felt right. Everything seemed far too extravagant, or too revealing, or just plain wrong, for one reason or another. Finally, Kyoya suggested they look for themselves, and he guided her through the shop, pointing out various dresses.
Suddenly, Sky's gaze landed on something that made her stop cold. She reached out to touch the fabric, drawn in by the color. It was an almost-somber gray that held a hint of shimmering silver, and reminded her of storm clouds and moon beams. And something else, something she didn't dare say aloud, though it made her heart yearn desperately.
She didn't need Kyoya to talk her into trying it on. She clutched it to her chest and rushed off to the dressing room, her friend's quiet laugh trailing behind her. A few minutes later, she took a deep breath, held her head high, and walked out as calmly as she could.
Kyoya couldn't help the small gasp as she came into view. The dress was a strapless, structured corset, accentuating her ample bust and emphasizing her slender waist. The skirt was long and flowing, the light fabric almost fluid in its movement as she walked closer. The moonlight shade of gray made her fair skin almost glow.
Sky glanced at her friend as she drew closer, and the look on his face caused a blush to stain her cheeks. His eyes were wide, and his jaw hung open almost comically. He seemed at a total loss for words. She cleared her throat quietly and twisted her fingers together, painfully aware that so many of her scars were showing. Kyoya blinked and shook his head, then spoke softly.
"You look...absolutely radiant, my dear."
She shook her head in denial, even as her blush deepened.
"It's a beautiful dress, but... I don't... Too many of my scars are showing... I'm not, I don't...I..."
Kyoya stood and crossed to her. He pried her hands apart and slipped something into her grasp. She looked down at the items in her hands, confused. With a little grin, Kyoya slid the black lace gloves onto her slender hands. They were fingerless, covering her skin from her palms almost to her elbows. Her scars vanished beneath the soft lace. Kyoya took her hand and led her to a platform surrounded by three full-length mirrors, and turned her to face them.
She gasped as she took in the sight. For the first time in almost seven years, she didn't see the broken, scarred little girl in the mirror. This person wasn't her, couldn't be her. The woman in the mirror was...beautiful. She stood tall, her shoulders straight and proud despite the scars that were suddenly barely noticeable. The moonlight colored dress was low-cut, showing off the fair skin and just enough cleavage to make her blush again. The corset made her waist look even more slender than it was, making her curves more prominent. Sky reached out to touch the woman before her, gasping in shock at the realization that it was, indeed, her own reflection that reached out to her as well.
"You are truly beautiful, Pixie."
His voice was soft, and he pressed a light kiss to her cheek to emphasize the sincerity of his words. Her blush deepened further, the heat crawling up her cheeks. She tried to swallow past the sudden lump in her throat as her eyes met his in the mirror. After a small moment, she shook her head with a little laugh.
"Ok, little owl, I'll take it. But I've got to go change, or you'll make me start crying."
A/N again: Sky's dress is an amalgamation of several different beautiful dresses I've seen, but doesn't actually exist, as far as I know. The importance of the dress's color should be fairly obvious by this point. But just in case, don't worry, all will be revealed soon! I hope you've enjoyed the ride so far, dear Reader. Stick around to find out what happens next!
