Chapter Text
Anticipation ate away at her. Misaki’s eyes glanced towards the massive clock on the other side of the room, occasionally straying towards the towering windows. And then to a certain spot on the marble floor, the one with a perfect view of the crowd. Was the pairing process usually this late? Or was the world simply spiting her?
“Okusawa-san, you’re looking a little…”
“Huh? …Ah.” Misaki hurriedly stilled the fidgeting she hadn’t quite realized she was doing, thoughts dissipating.
“Yes, that.” Arisa squinted at her over the glass of her drink.
Kanon reached over to place a feeble hand on her shoulder, concern furrowing her brow. “Was, was the trip really that bad?”
“Sort of. Just, uh, a little nervous.” She hesitated. “About the dance.”
Kanon’s face lit up. “The Ph-Phantom Thief!” she exclaimed as if she had made a great revelation. “You’re, you’re going to dance with her again, right?”
“Yeah, well, you know.” Misaki’s eyes cast downwards, fighting the faint faint red that threatened to spread across her cheeks at the thought.
“I still can’t wrap my head around this.” Arisa shook her head. “You’re telling me you know the Phantom Thief? As in, what she does on the weekends?” she asked incredulously, a hand on her hip.
The question gave her pause. “I…guess you could say that.”
Memories of their countless outings together came to mind. Outings in which the Phantom Thief still donned her disguise and her trademark Shakespearean tongue, and additionally in which, at the end of the day, they spoke about nothing but Misaki herself.
She felt as if she knew the Thief; a warmhearted, thoughtful, and surprisingly perceptive person--if only a bit melodramatic and, well, airheaded. And perhaps she did know her. But she didn’t want to face the fact that all of it might have been just that: the Phantom Thief.
“It’s like talking to a character in a play down at the theater though, isn’t it? I mean, I’m not sure how you do it. From your stories, she’s-“
“She’s alright,” Misaki said curtly. Arisa only raised an eyebrow in faint surprise. “We should get going.”
And, conversation effectively cut short, they did. Shuffling into position at a corner of the foyer while the center bustled with the pandemonium of newcomers and returning guests alike, the familiar trill of the host was heard directing patrons to find a partner.
There was a gentle thrumming of her heart that she couldn’t calm as she waited for the moment to arrive. She was briefly reminded of her previous condescension when she first met the woman dubbed “The Phantom Thief” all those dances ago.
Misaki wasn’t sure exactly when she was no longer mildly annoyed at the woman’s excessive advances and instead begrudgingly accepting, though it was a slow process indeed. All she knew was that she constantly looked forward to time spent in her presence, which was still exasperating and baffling just as it was before, but perhaps now also quite endearing, in its own exasperating and baffling way.
A certain thought popped into her mind as she reflected on their times together; one that was becoming more and more recurring as the nights passed. One she wasn’t sure she wanted to face at that moment, but that was glaringly obvious all the same. Though with a faint flush, it was pushed aside as patrons began to shift, the telltale cue that the night was officially beginning.
Couples began to get into position. Then, suddenly, the lights dimmed, and heads turned, gasps plaguing the crowd as they often did. All eyes were trained on the lean, masked figure that seemed to drop from nowhere, the sound her shoes made on the marble floor as she landed echoing about the hall. The mystery woman’s cape swelled in the air behind her as she rose, the stark outline of her top hat’s silhouette severely familiar.
Misaki watched as the Phantom Thief’s head seemed to purposefully search the sea of onlookers for a few moments, quickly turning this way and that with a sense of urgency before finally locking eyes with her.
There was a brief moment of a disgustingly sappy, elated look in her crimson eyes the moment they landed on her that made her weak in the knees. But it was swiftly replaced with the slight, confident smile she’d grown to know so well.
The Thief began to approach, her walk still calm, calculated, and utterly dramatic as always. Bystanders made way for her as she stepped, unfaltering, if with slightly more haste than usual. She reached her destination, stopping short in front of her and tossing off her cape in one quick, exaggerated movement.
“My dear Misaki, would you do me the honor of a dance this fleeting evening?” she asked, outstretching an arm that silently begged for her to take it.
“Yes,” she replied quickly.
And as the Phantom Thief gracefully pulled her close, one hand out to the side grasping hers and the other placed comfortably on her waist, Misaki felt a feeling she couldn’t place overwhelm her. The sensation of the tall girl’s fingers twining with her own and the overjoyed look she wore, as if taking in every bit of her, was familiar and comforting.
“My beautiful bloom,” she hummed, filled with affection. “How my heart has longed for you with such vigorousness in these long days and lengthy nights. To be reunited with you once more is a sweetness, the likes of which no words from any Bard could ever describe.”
“Sounds rough,” Misaki said with a faint smile, staring up at her. “Well, I’m here now. It’s, um, it’s good to see you, too.” She felt a heat blossom across her face.
“It was indeed, though of course, my natural resilience persists,” the Thief said, twirling a hand in the air matter-of-factly. “I would be amiss without asking, my dear. How was your trip?”
Time seemed to fall away in her presence. Conversing, she felt a sense of ease as she launched into an account of her time spent away for eager ears.
“…And, I guess, here I am. I mean, it wasn’t so bad. Kind of.”
In the arms of the princely woman spoken about in hushed tones, Misaki was effortlessly carried across the room, zigzagging between other couples this way and that with the grace of a seasoned professional.
She had been given many chances for her dancing to improve.
“Truly? The meeting with your detested aunt seems most infuriating, if I may. Ah, with no disrespect to your family’s name, Misaki.”
It was much akin to simply sitting across from one another at a restaurant of sorts, casually chatting away over cakes and teas and other things of the like. Only, they partook in the occasional waltz and donned disguises of varying calibers.
“…Yeah, you can see right through. It was God-awful.” This was met with a light laugh from her company.
“No matter!” the Phantom Thief declared. “What remains important is that you are returned now, and I am blessed to be able to look upon your fleeting face this night. How I have missed you so, my dear.” Her partner gazed down at her, eyes filled with warmth.
“Glad to be back,” she said, offering a subdued smile in return. “And how have you been?”
The Thief hesitated for a second before waving an arm dismissively. “Ah, my bloom, I fared terribly without you, of course. Though, my troubles pale in comparison to enjoying this moment with you!” She elegantly spun her around. “As the Great Bard has said, ‘All that glitters is not gold’! Ah-h-h, the words fill me with such passion!” she cried dramatically, clutching a hand to her heart as if she had just been stabbed.
Misaki frowned, the musings from the beginning of the night coming to mind. “…Yeah.”
The music began to slow, making the fade from an upbeat step to a calm waltz. The Phantom Thief took the opportunity to gently pull Misaki a little closer as she often did, gradually changing the shuffling of their feet to match the tune.
“Do you find yourself enjoying this song, Misaki?” she asked after they fell into a tranquil pattern, steadily gazing into her eyes.
She shrugged. “I mean, I guess? Why do you ask?”
“Ah, no reason in particular. I simply find myself anticipating the melodic steady waltzes as they appear. They allow me to hold you closer.”
“O-oh. Is that so?” she coughed, averting her eyes as a warmth rose to her cheeks.
“Indeed it is.” The Thief flourished a hand in the air, a passionate look on her features. “After all, ‘If music be the food of love, play on.’”
They swayed in silence for a few moments more. Misaki took in the other girl’s presence, noting the way her long, slender fingers gripped her own with a sort of tenderness, in a sense, and the way her head subtly nodded to the music while they danced. It felt reassuring to be with her again after a short time away--a short time away that felt like an eternity.
“Ahh…”
She looked up at the sound of her voice. “Something wrong?”
The Thief shook her head. “Ah, no, my dear. My mind simply wanders to our times spent together.”
“Oh?” Misaki prompted.
A look crossed the Phantom Thief’s face that she hadn’t seen before. She appeared caught off-guard; startled, perhaps, and she seemed to desperately search for words. She opened her mouth and closed it several times before they finally left her lips.
“I have enjoyed them is all.”
She stared back at her for a moment. “Me, too.” She had inched closer to her without particularly noticing, close enough to clearly hear the other’s soft inhales and exhales over the hum of the song.
And slowly, the Thief’s face leaned in, slightly to the side, causing Misaki’s muscles to tense and her pulse to hammer in her ears. Time seemed to stop.
And then she rested her chin on her shoulder.
The height difference caused the taller girl’s neck to awkwardly crane downwards to properly nestle against her, warm breath on the back of her neck. Hesitating for a beat only to properly process the gesture, Misaki wrapped her arms around the lanky figure to lay them squarely on the other girl’s back, leaning her head forward to rest against her chest. She could feel the Thief’s body heat, which was surprisingly nice in a way.
It wasn’t really something they’d done before.
Not necessarily referring to the physical contact, though that was breaching new levels of proximity, too. It was the vulnerability, almost neediness she felt radiating from the other girl.
She felt the Phantom Thief lean further into her with a deep inhale. “I missed you so,” she breathed softly, hands still hanging limply at her waist.
The sincerity sent a pang through her heart. “…Me, too.”
The music continued to play. Misaki was dimly aware of the couples twirling and moving around, some throwing prolonged stares their way as she and the Phantom Thief simply stood, no longer making an attempt to dance along with them.
But every single one was unimportant compared to the rise and fall of the other girl’s chest beneath her fingers, and the distinct, fitting floral scent that surrounded her when she breathed in.
“You know,” Misaki began to gently run a hand up and down the Thief’s back. “I, I thought about you a lot. While I was gone.”
She felt the taller woman shift slightly in her arms, face still buried deep in her hair. “Please. Tell me more.”
She cleared her throat. “Well, I, I just…” Her cheeks grew hot for what felt like the hundredth time that night. “…I really missed you too is all.”
“Truly?” The Phantom Thief paused, sounding as if she thought it was too good to be true.
“Truly, yeah.”
And the Thief pulled her closer still, slightly tilting her head to lay burrowed further in the crook of her neck with a quiet sigh. Misaki felt her heart throb.
She had known for a while how she felt about the Phantom Thief; she tried and tried to deny it for much longer than she’d care to admit. But the promise she made to herself that she would never fall for the charms of an idiot such as her had been broken long, long ago, and now, she was acutely aware of the fact.
But somehow she felt all of those feelings and more multiply tenfold. If she wasn’t sure before, she sure as hell was now. All she could do was continue to hold her and pray the moment wouldn’t have to end, the sensation of the other girl’s steady breathing against her profound, as if she held her heart in her hands.
“So, what did you do while I was away?” she whispered absentmindedly, slightly muffled by the fabric of her shirt.
“I only waited longingly for your return,” the Thief replied.
She paused. “…You know, you don’t have to keep that up. You can tell me,” Misaki said softly.
She felt the other girl freeze beneath her. “…Well, I…”
The tone set off something within. Misaki abruptly pulled away, causing the Phantom Thief to stumble forwards. “You can’t tell me?”
“I…”
Frustration welled up inside, sudden and intense. “You’re telling me you know the Phantom Thief?”
“After all…this?” She gestured to the Thief, mind thinking back to their closeness only seconds ago. “You know, I, I care about you.” Her throat began to burn. “Is it really so bad for me to want to know more about you?”
“Misaki…” The other woman’s face was panicked as she stood, unmoving.
“Am I really not important enough to you for you to just drop the act and let me get to know you? Just a little?” Months of deflected questions replayed in her mind. Heads began to turn as her voice raised. “I’m just like every other damned girl you’ve danced with, is that it? Phanto-“ She stopped.
“No, no, I…”
“I don’t even know your name!”
She wasn’t sure where she was going, but she ran. It would be easy to get lost in the aristocrat host’s sizable mansion, but she couldn’t find it in herself to worry. Instead, as she was desperate to get away and be anywhere else, all she could think of was the fact that the Phantom Thief, the very same stupid, gallant, and melodramatic Phantom Thief that she had begrudgingly grown to care about a great deal, was not somebody she knew.
Misaki found herself outside with no clear recollection of having left the building; the back of the estate was well-tended-to and tasteful, marble steps leading down to a platform before her reminiscent of the floor of the foyer, with various other flora and fauna dotting the area. After lingering for a few moments, she tore her disguise from her face, gripping it tightly at her side with a force as tears sprung to her eyes.
Quietly, she could still hear the music of the slow waltz coming from the floor above, muffled yet recognizable. As the chorus began to play once more, a memory of the tall, princely woman’s head rested gently on her shoulder only minutes before came to mind.
It made her feel as if she would crumple to the floor as what she’d done registered in her mind.
Oh, God.
But the familiar clatter of a pair of black dress shoes on the marble caused her to turn around with a start. And there stood before her was the out-of-breath, wide-eyed Phantom Thief.
At least, she was pretty sure.
It was a lean, lanky woman, her long purple hair tied half in a ponytail. She wore a white button-down shirt well-suited for ballroom dancing, with frills training down the front and lining the ends of the sleeves, and smart black pants that allowed for ease of movement while also being tastefully classy.
Gone was the disguise of her flashy cape and top hat. Most noticeable of all, though, her mask was nowhere to be seen, allowing, for the first time, her face to be seen in full. It was angled and sharp, and her deep, if slightly muted, crimson eyes were completely visible. But what happened to be most noticeable was the pained, frantic look on her bare features.
“Kaoru,” she panted, swallowing as she caught her breath. “My name is Seta Kaoru.”
Misaki could only stare, mouth slightly agape.
“I, I often partake in the local theater. And I enjoy philosophy books. I find Shakespeare’s work most illuminating as well.” She had to pause to inhale deeply before continuing. “Though while you were gone, I did nothing but think only of you.”
The Thief--or rather, Kaoru--dared to venture a step closer to her, holding one hand in the other over her heart. “My dear Misaki, you, you captivate me. Your heart shines like the…err, no, I- Your soul’s depth and beauty far exceeds the- I...I cannot seem to, ah, find the…to tell you exactly…” The Thief looked so small as she stood, desperately struggling to speak, many expressions playing across her features at once.
“I’m in love with you,” she said, staring at her with her heart in her eyes. Misaki felt something wash over her.
They’re the same.
She immediately closed the distance between them in one long stride to pull the Phantom Thief to her, pressing their lips together. The other girl paused for only a moment before eagerly reciprocating, kissing her deeply as she cupped her face with both hands.
“Kao…ru,” Misaki murmured in between breaths, noting the way it rolled off her tongue as she buried her fingers through violet locks over and over again. The name suited her. It felt like she’d known it for a while.
“Yes,” Kaoru sighed over her lips. “Yes, dear- dearest. Misaki...”
“I’m in love…with you, too.”
All the other did was lean in further, kisses resuming with increased vigor and only growing more passionate by the second. She was aware of the gentle, tender grazing of Kaoru’s thumb on her cheek, the cool night breeze that lightly nipped at her skin, and the muffled romantic slow waltz that still played from the foyer above.
Most prominent, though, was the sense that she hadn’t quite realized how much she wanted this until she didn’t want to stop. The way the other girl held her in her arms, slightly different to when they danced, the way she kissed her with such fervor, yet tender all the same. She was still the same person she had fallen in love with.
“I…had been waiting,” Kaoru mumbled before briefly going in again, as if reluctant to be apart from her. “To do this for a…” A deep kiss, and then she pulled away to look at her, pure endearment in her eyes. “…Long, long time.”
Misaki had known she loved her for much longer than she’d care to admit. She fell in love with every aspect of her; combined, they all made her who she was.
“You have no idea.”
She wrapped her arms around the Thief’s neck and pulled her close, enough to clearly see the rare red flush on her cheeks before she closed her eyes, lips pressing firmly to the other’s once more. Kaoru’s own hands began to stray to her back, hugging Misaki to her with a gentleness that made her heart feel as if it would burst.
Misaki already knew the Phantom Thief and Kaoru Seta were one and the same. Nonetheless, she still couldn’t help but feel excited at the prospect of seeing her outside the walls of the foyer for the first time, to be with her and see her without the black-and-white mask obscuring her face.
Though, Misaki was sure she would still receive many opportunities to improve her dancing skills in the future. Many, many more.