Author's note: Welcome to chapter 22, dear Reader! I'm so glad to see you again! Since I'm posting this the day after my birthday, I thought I'd give us all a little prezzie and end it on a happy fluffy note. Aren't I sweet?
Triggers: Nope! Reconciliation and fluffs abound!
I don't now, nor will I ever, own Ouran or anything Host-related. But a girl can dream, right? Reviews feed my muses. Feed them, feed the muses! Pretty please?
A little while later, Sky woke to a warm hand gently stroking her hair. She blinked and reached up to rub her eye, then bolted upright when it dawned on her. Her voice was hoarse from all the crying.
"Takashi?"
She looked closer, then issued a little shocked gasp. His eyes were red and full of sorrow. He knelt by her bed, watching her carefully. He cleared his throat and reached for her hand, relieved when she didn't pull away. When he spoke, his voice was low and rough.
"I'm so sorry, Sky. I never meant to hurt you. I had no right, I never should have...I... I'm so sorry..."
"What? What are you talking about?"
Her eyes widened in shock and she squeaked in confusion. He hung his head, shame evident in his posture. His free hand was clenched in a tight fist at his side.
"I stayed away because I didn't want you to be afraid. I don't have any excuse for my behavior that day. I... I can't apologize enough."
Sky's mouth hung open as his words sank in. She swore, softly but with feeling. After untangling herself from the twisted blankets, she slid to her knees on the floor and gripped Takashi's shoulders tightly. She gave him a firm shake and spoke sharply.
"Are you seriously apologizing for kissing me?"
"I attacked you. I don't know what came over me, I lost my mind."
"Attacked? Attacked? What the hell are you talking about? It was a kiss, not an attack. And it's not like I tried to get away."
"You fainted."
That last sentence was so quiet and full of pain. Sky dragged her fingers through her hair with a frustrated groan. She took a deep breath to calm down, then laid her hands on his cheeks and tilted his head up, making him look at her. The anguish was obvious in his eyes, and broke her heart to see it. She spoke gently.
"How can you think that I would be afraid of you? I didn't faint because you kissed me, I fainted because I was stupid and let my blood sugar drop too much. I have never been afraid of you, Takashi. Not for a single second."
She moved closer as he processed her words, her cobalt eyes locked on the storm-cloud gray of his. The pain in his was replaced by hope, and Sky sighed in relief. She bumped her forehead lightly against his, then just stayed that way for a moment. Takashi exhaled shakily, then spoke very quietly, almost a whisper.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure, mo mac tíre."
Sky's voice was nearly as quiet, but hers was utterly confident. She pulled back just long enough to offer a tiny smile. She pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead, then his eyelids, his cheeks, the tip of his nose, and finally, his lips, which had by that time curved into a tender smile. He pulled her closer, curling one hand lightly around the back of her neck as the other slid around her waist. She was shocked again by how soft his lips were, though there was no hesitation this time.
He held her gently, like she was delicate and fragile. She clung tightly to the front of his uniform jacket with one fist as she wrapped her other arm around him. His heart thundered against her hand, and she grinned broadly before capturing his lips again with a quiet whimper.
After a long, intense moment, they parted, and she laid her head against his shoulder. She was trembling, and he wrapped his arms a little tighter around her. She snuggled closer and nuzzled lightly against his neck, causing him to issue a content little sigh. Once she finally got her breathing under control, she spoke softly, without moving.
"Just in case you didn't know by now, I'm quite desperately in love with you."
Her casual, matter-of-fact tone startled a quiet laugh from him. He shifted to a sitting position and pulled her onto his lap, holding her close. He rested his head against hers, and when he spoke, there was nothing but sincerity in his quiet voice.
"I've been in love with you almost from the day we met."
Sky sniffled quietly, causing Takashi to pull back with a worried look. There were tears in her eyes, but her smile was radiant. She shook her head lightly and laid her hand on his cheek. He smiled back a second later, realizing these were tears of happiness. He brushed them away anyway and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek.
A moment later, there was a light knock, and the door opened. Honey peeked around the door, then bounced in with a broad grin. He rushed over and flung himself in Sky's lap, hugging his two favorite people tightly. Sky squeaked and ruffled his hair with a little giggle.
"Hey, hey, we need to breathe, you know."
Honey relaxed his grip with a laugh, ecstatic to hear the joyful tone in her voice. He had been so worried about them both, but it seemed like everything was fine now. More than fine, if the smiles and slight blushes on both their faces were any indication.
-Ouran's front entrance, Monday morning-
Sky sat on the top step, chewing her lower lip nervously and toying with the small silver wolf hanging from her ear. Her black leather boots tapped an anxious beat on the stone steps, chains jingling merrily. Footsteps could be heard, and she looked up in anticipation.
Sensual lips curved into a bright smile, even as a pretty blush crept up her cheeks. She stood and dusted off her trousers, then hitched her bag's strap over her shoulder as Takashi and Honey approached. An amused grin tugged at Takashi's lips as he reached out to lightly flick Sky's wolf earring. Sky gave a tiny shrug as her smile turned playful.
She leaned down to give Honey a quick hug, laughing out loud when he immediately searched her jacket pockets for candy. She grinned and stuck one of their shared favorites in his hand, eliciting a joyful giggle. She tousled his hair as she straightened.
With an almost shy smile, she turned back to Takashi. He stroked one hand down her hair, then gripped her chin lightly and tilted her head up. Her blush deepened and her heart sped up at the look in his eyes, but he simply pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. She slipped her hand in his, lacing their fingers together. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, and they walked inside.
-Lunchtime-
Most of the morning had been a blur, and Sky was shocked to realize it was already time for lunch. A tiny spasm of anxiety twisted through her, but it was quelled easily. She tucked the last of her things in her bag and stood, flexing the fingers of her right hand gingerly.
"Ready for lunch, Pixie-chan?"
"Yep."
She grinned at her precious friend. She patted his adorable blonde head as they walked out of the classroom, where Takashi waited patiently. He took Sky's hand gently while Honey skipped happily around the couple. A faint blush stained Sky's cheeks as Takashi's fingers curled around her own, and a sweet smile graced her lips. They were quiet, but Honey easily chattered enough for three as they made their way to the lunchroom.
They moved quickly through the line and went to sit with the others at their usual table. There were quiet mutterings from the general population, but she ignored them. The harpies were relatively harmless nowadays. As they approached their table, Sky gave Takashi's hand a little squeeze and nodded her head in Tamaki's direction. A quiet chuckle sounded as he noticed the blonde's jaw hanging open. She reached out with her free hand and tapped Tamaki on the head with a slight grin.
"Close your mouth, chardonneret, you look like you've got a busted hinge."
Tamaki's mouth closed with a snap, and he looked back and forth between the two with a confused expression. Sky couldn't help the little giggles that bubbled up as she sat between Takashi and Honey. Kyoya flashed a subtle grin at her from across the table.
"You look like you're feeling better today, Pixie. We were all a bit worried when Honey-senpai called and said you weren't well on Friday."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry anyone. I hadn't been sleeping very much, and my anxiety and paranoia were out of control and stuff..."
Takashi made a small, discontent sound, but Sky smiled reassuringly at him and lightly brushed her hand over his. Then she flashed a little smile at the rest of the lads and waved her hand dismissively.
"I'm fine now, so no more worrying, ok? Ok! So what's the theme for today, Tamaki?"
She didn't give anyone time to say anything else about her distressing state last week, and was content when Tamaki started to babble happily about the latest Host Club theme. She knew she could count on him to dominate the conversation, and she nibbled at her food, only half-listening.
She tuned back in when the conversation turned to the upcoming dance. Wait, Saturday? This Saturday? Had it really been so long since the announcement? A little involuntary sound escaped, causing several curious looks cast her way.
"Sorry, sorry. I'm fine, no worries. It just, uh...kind of snuck up on me, I guess."
"Which is exactly why we went shopping three weeks ago."
Kyoya's voice held the slightest hint of laughter, if you knew to listen for it. Sky was seriously tempted to stick her tongue out at him. Before she could, Tamaki interjected.
"What do you mean, 'we went shopping,' Kyoya?"
"I fail to see the difficulty in that sentence. Pixie and I went shopping. Exactly as I said."
"You mean you already know what she's wearing to the dance?"
"Very observant, Tamaki."
"Ma cherie, why did you go dress shopping with Kyoya?! I could have helped you pick out something!"
Sky let out a little snicker at the offended whine in Tamaki's voice. She shook her head lightly and grinned.
"Tamaki, chardonneret, you would have spent the whole time trying to convince me to buy something pastel and covered in ruffles or something."
"But you would look so cute!"
"And that's exactly why I didn't go with you."
"Well, what about us, Pixie?"
"Yeah, we could've shown you the best stuff from our mom's line."
She couldn't help the laughter that bubbled up at the identical looks on the twins' faces.
"You're kidding, right? You two are worse than Tamaki, you would've tried to badger me into something short and slinky. No way."
"What? How dare you shady twins try to corrupt my sweet little unicorn!"
Sky stuffed her knuckles in her mouth to muffle the high-pitched giggles that only got worse as her boys all stared. She coughed and cleared her throat, but couldn't keep the smirk from her face.
"Hang on now. I'm supposed to be the corrupting influence here, remember?"
Takashi made a quiet sound that might have been a laugh. Sky looked over at him and poked his shoulder.
"What? I'm totally corruptive!"
The whole table burst into laughter, and she huffed out an annoyed breath. She laid her head on Takashi's shoulder and covered her eyes with the back of one hand, sighing dramatically.
"You're all so mean! How could you not believe me?"
The laughter only increased at her outburst. She couldn't help joining in this time. She was so glad everything was back to their version of normal now. Last week had been far too rough. But she figured it was well worth it. She smiled to herself and left her head resting against her wolf's shoulder. His hand found hers under the table and laced their fingers together on her knee. Definitely worth it.
