Comes up Roses

Epilogue 7/7: Mori [Romantic]

[Viennese Waltz]

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When Masae stepped out of the dressing room, she wasn't surprised to find Mori there. Honestly, she would have been more surprised if he hadn't been waiting to escort her.

The new dress she'd chosen was midnight blue and vaguely utilitarian in its silhouette; Masae would have been lying if she said she hadn't thought of Mori while picking it out. The glitter and the matching slits up each side were for her, though. If he appreciated them as his dark eyes bored holes into her, then that was his own good taste.

Masae smiled and looped her arm through his. In a wordless agreement, they headed back down the hall towards the party.

"Interesting night," Masae remarked. She thought back to every injury the club had suffered: from Mr. Ootori's denouncement of them, to Tamaki's engagement, to the incident with the carriage. For some reason, she couldn't stop smiling.

She caught Mori's eye and he averted his gaze quickly.

"Though, I don't think I saw you enough tonight," Masae continued, voice coy.

Mori grunted. "No."

Masae smiled. "It's a real shame. You looked very dashing beating up those policemen."

Had she really just said that? Masae was painfully aware of where their arms touched as she averted her gaze, cheeks burning. She scowled— what was she doing saying things like that to him?

Mori didn't say anything. Not that that meant anything, but Masae felt the silence more than she usually did when she was with him. It was awkward. She had made it awkward— she never made things awkward.

"But of course you and Honey–senpai won against them," she continued, smiling and trying to pretend like she wasn't eating her own foot. "I never had any doubt."

He stopped abruptly, wrenching Masae back with him. She turned to complain about how suddenly he had stopped— while she was wearing heels, no less— but the words died on her tongue when she saw the intensity of his gaze. It was hardly the first time Mori had brought her to silence with nothing but his expression, but this time drew a warmth to her cheeks.

His dark eyes bored holes into her face. "Dance?" He asked.

"With you?" Masae asked, rather taken aback. He nodded. "Right here in the middle of the hall?" He nodded again.

It was so unlike him to be so forward. But, at the same time, she wasn't surprised at all.

A smile grew on Masae's face as she held out her other hand for him to take. "Alright, then. Show me what you've got."

He huffed a soundless laugh, wrapping his free arm around her waist. Mori pulled her to his left side, then spun her around to his right, dipping her so low that she couldn't stand on her own. His arm was the only thing between Masae and the ground, and Masae put her trust in his strength wholeheartedly. She let her eyes slot shut as he leaned over her, his face hovering near her exposed neck.

"Are you ready?" Mori asked, his voice hardly more than a whisper.

And, as it turned out, Masae was not ready. He whipped her out of the dip with shocking speed, spinning her out one more time before pulling her back flush against him. His body was warm, and Masae's was downright feverish as he started the steps of the waltz.

Masae was dimly aware that he was taking her through the steps of the Viennese Waltz. But she had barely taken classes on it growing up, and so she was almost entirely at Mori's mercy.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're very unique?" Not that Masae was worried to be in his care. He had proven himself time and time against, and even if Masae thought he was quite possibly the strangest man she had ever met, it didn't detract from what made him great. His kindness, his caring nature.

"Not to my face." His good humor, apparently. Though Masae hadn't heard him make many jokes since they'd met, she was almost sure that he was joking now. Even if his countenance didn't betray much.

He danced quick. And with a strange sort of grace that wasn't very traditional, but was graceful nonetheless. It was Morinozuka to its core, the way he danced. And Masae couldn't help but be enamored with it, even if she couldn't exactly keep up.

She let him pull and spin her like a ragdoll, just enjoying being held. It wasn't until he dipped her again, after one full turn of the hall, that she intervened.

Masae moved her hands from the waltz position so they were cradling the back of his neck, fingers lacing through his hair. And Mori responded in kind, large hands coming to wrap around her back, so they were no longer dancing, but partaking in a very dependent hug. If he chose to let go, Masae would fall. Not that he would choose to.

"What madman taught you to dance?" She asked breathlessly, looking up at him with what had to be stars in his eyes. Masae couldn't pretend not to like it, though, not when her heart was racing in her chest. No other had managed to make her feel so exhilarated.

Mori seemed to pick up on this. "You don't like it?" He asked, somehow coming across as coy, even though his countenance didn't budge even an inch.

"Did I say that?" Masae shot back. He shook his head. "You're very unique. Would it be overstepping to say I want to understand you better than most?"

In lieu of a response, Mori pulled her out of their hold. Masae missed his warmth as he drew away from her, until he began tugging at one of the buttons on his lapel. It came loose rather easily.

"What are you—" Masae began to ask, stopping when he placed the button in her hand.

Mori's deep brown eyes looked at her intently as she turned it over in her palm. It was gold, matching well with the rest of his costume. A simple design was embossed on its face and, in its entirety, it was a very well–made button.

"A button," Masae said. "Your button." She smiled as the realization of his actions took over her. "You gave me your button. Though it's not your graduation day, and this isn't from your school uniform shirt. And this wasn't even the second button from your costume."

Masae smiled up at him as he continued to look at her imploringly. "I accept, though. Of course I accept." She laughed to herself, pressing the button neatly into her palm. "So untraditional. You are very unique, do you know that?"