Don't own PT! Love this fic!

"You are not going anywhere in that."

Of course I am Fakir! We're going to Rue's party, and she sent this to wear! She said it was our invite, so we better!" Ahiru smiled cheerfully, then went back to walking across the path.

It wasn't like Ahiru was doing this on purpose. Fakir was sure. She was too damn stupid to see what an outfit that was, how it affected him in the most...Uncomfortable of ways. The only thing similar was probably when he had accidentally saw her naked...Not that he meant too, she had turned from a duck and that was before he knew her for real and he couldn't exactly place why he LIKED seeing that...

Oops.

He didn't think that he didn't think that he didn't think that he didn't think anything like that NO WAY

Fakir took in a deep breath sighed. Look at what that stupid MORON was causing. And what she was wearing, a green vest that cut off at her...Er...Chest line, and a white frilly shirt underneath it that barely covered what it needed too. Light green gloves that went past her wrist just slightly, tied with a ribbon, frills coming out the top and the bottom. A vaguely electric green skirt, a green ribbon on her neck the same color as the gloves. It didn't contrast at all with her pink hair either, somehow, it had worked.

Trust it to Rue to find something like this for her to wear.

Fakir griped, she wouldn't be in this get-up if it weren't for the fact Rue had sent it through the mail, inviting the both of them to a St. Patrick's Party. His suit was in fact sent too, a green to match his freakish hair. It was obvious what Rue was trying to accomplish by sending such a...Wild outfit to Ahiru. Her note had been subtle, mentioning that he would probably love Ahiru's outfit.

Rue would pay for his uptake in hormones, oh would she pay; he wasn't one for ruining things, but he was tempted to write a little short about how the food Rue ate gave her food poisoning...

Ahiru glanced behind her, and seeing Fakir's frown, quickly continued walking. She didn't quite understand, well alright, she did to a certain extent...The clothes were a bit much, but Rue sent them so she had to wear them. She was confused by what Rue had wrote though. Fakir didn't like the outfit, in fact, Ahiru was sure he disliked it. He almost hadn't let her out of the house when he saw it. When she had managed to convince him, he had sulked. Ahiru was sure it wasn't something he wanted to see...She felt a tinge of sadness hit her. Well, it's not like Fakir had meant he liked her when he say he'd stay by her side...Why was she even thinking of this?! She rubbed her hands all over her head in confusion. It wasn't like that! Not at all!

Fakir looked at Ahiru's small figure, her random swinging of her hands, and her sudden stop and flailing motion. The feelings of nostalgia and slightly overwhelmed patience washed over him, and he walked closer, lightly knocking her head with the back of his hand.

"What are you doing, idiot. You're blocking the road."

"Fakir! I was just- I- Oh geez. " Ahiru turned away and promptly tripped, Fakir rolled his eyes. How had this clumsy nut managed to be the graceful Princess Tutu? The more he watched her the less he believed it. Which was fine, since Princess Tutu just continued to remind him of traits he didn't have; the ability to care for others, not to fight. Shaking his head, he helped her up, his hand holding her's in a firm but not painful grip. Normally he'd just tell her to get up, but considering what she was wearing...He felt this strange, compelling urge to be, well, kind.

"Huh? Thanks Fakir!" Ahiru felt her hand warm at his touch, his hands used to be so cold. When did they start being so...Nice? Warm, big, her whole hand felt safe in his...WAIT WHA- QUACK! He's holding my HAND?! Why this was so important Ahiru didn't comprehend, but she felt the sudden warmth all over her.

Fakir held onto her hand for a moment before realizing what he was doing, what the hell was he doing? He dropped her hand, turning redder by the second. Striding on his long legs, he went in front, muttering, "Come on idiot. Weren't you the one who said that we'd be late..."

"Ah...Yeah..." Rushing to catch up, her long braid behind her, they walked side by side, arguing, talking, like what happened before never had.

Rue and Mythos's house, as expected, was gigantic. It wasn't like Ahiru and Fakir had doubted this fact, considering Mythos was a prince. But it was indeed, a building that could house a thousand and more. Which was exactly what it was doing tonight; Rue and Mythos had invited neighboring kingdoms along with people from Goldcrown, and even more. Both of them, Ahiru and Fakir, were in awe.

"Wow...THIS IS SO COOL!" Ahiru squealed. Fakir just smirked and rolled his eyes. While he agreed, she was still a childish person.

Rue came out, in a green silk dress similar to her tutu when she went to the dancing school, but a bit longer and more feminine.

"Ahiru! I'm glad to see you." Rue smiled genuinely, glad to see her back as a human. Although as a price, she would never know how long and hard Fakir wrote that story...But that's for a different time.

She turned towards Fakir, her attitude less warm but still kind. Ever since he had brought Ahiru back, she and him had been on better terms. But she also liked to mess with him about Ahiru, and this was no exception.

"So, Fakir, what do you think of Ahiru's clothes?" Rue smirked, draping an arm around Ahiru. "It's lovely, isn't it? It suits her so well."

Fakir glared at Rue, his eye twitching. If he said no, Ahiru would be crushed, which would make him feel that he was a total ass. If he said yes...No, saying yes wasn't an option. It was way to offline for him to say. However...

"...It's alright. I guess." He strode past them, meeting Mythos, who did not hesitate to ask, "Fakir, why is your face so red? Are you embarrassed or something? What happened?" Fakir turned even redder, than stomped through the doors, shoulders hunched.

Rue laughed. It felt good too, after all that time. Ahiru simply smiled, she knew how Rue was about Fakir. She was glad they had somehow had gotten on better terms. His response had brightened her too, even if it wasn't the most positive of them.

The party was elegant, but also fun. Soft music floated in the background, and everyone was talking and laughing, snacking on food, meeting potential friends. Ahiru stood back, not sure what to do. Should she introduce herself...? To who? What would she say? Despite her happiness at being here and seeing so many people happy, she herself felt out of place with all these beautiful people. They all had suits, dresses, costumes that were so amazing on them...While Ahiru felt like a fish out of water, or should I say a duck out of a pond? She shook it off, but leaned back against the pillar.

I wonder where Fakir went...

She looked around, and saw Fakir talking to a pretty, petite, polite-looking girl. She was flirting with him so much that little hearts and sparkles were flying around her. He seemed as he always was, but Ahiru turned away before she could see his blatant refusal. What did anyone SEE in him?! Ahiru fumed silently. Sure, he was good-looking and everything, but he was so mean! Every time she did something wrong he'd always knock her on the head, saying that she was a moron!

But then he'd always explain it afterwords...

He was merciless when she asked him about dancing, and criticized her every move!

But he'd always show me how, and help me reach the exact position...

He wasn't that good-looking, with his frown on his face and that shadow!

But when he smiles, he's so gentle...

Ahiru didn't understand her head. She insulted him, then complimented him, thinking about the moments they had. It confused her immensely. She made her way over to the buffet table, deciding to eat. Maybe food would make her feel better. Then there was a sudden silence, and everyone turned to the middle of the grand room. Ahiru turned too, to see what was going on. Rue and Mythos were beginning a splendid dance, a pas de deux; the crowd was amazed and entranced at the beauty that radiated from the two as they danced. This had feeling, motions that gave off emotions, this was passion. Watching this dance, Ahiru felt her heart skip a beat. The graceful movements, the way they seemed to be completely in sync...It was a compelling dance. Her pas de deux with Fakir came into her head suddenly, only to flit by, away from her. That...That wasn't the same thing at all.

Ahiru sighed, watching until Mythos and Rue had finished their dance before going back to the table, sincerely dejected. It felt like she was out of place again, an uncomfortable atmosphere. A young man came up to her, smiling.

"So, miss, who may you be?" He was an average guy, handsome but not quite as much as Fakir....Ahiru found herself thinking. Shaking her head, she smiled and said, "Ahiru, from Goldcrown." The guy smiled. "Really? That's a lovely area, isn't it?" Ahiru, glad for company, exchanged small talk with the boy.

Fakir had kept trying to get to Ahiru, to save himself from the people who continually tried to speak to him. Plus, she had seemed a bit unhappy...Not that he cared of course. It was just that she was so good at guilt tripping him when she was sad. But mainly, it was his own uncomfortableness. While he may have been stoic on the inside, he hated meeting people inside...And all these people, especially GIRLS, kept coming up to him. He found this as bad as when he went to school. Except these girls weren't as timid, they weren't as used to rejection, and continued to go after him like a raven after it's prey. He scanned the room, almost desperate to find Ahiru. And lo and behold, he found her...

...TALKING TO A GUY OTHER THAN HIMSELF AND MYTHOS.

It wasn't like this was a criminal offense or anything, she had the right to talk to other people, didn't she, but still, Fakir felt like ripping her from that guy's view and just keeping her at his side, where he could watch her, keep her...What the hell was wrong with him today? It was just one person. Any random person could have spoken to her, the guy wasn't hitting on her or anything, not that it was Fakir's concern who hit on her, oh no quite the opposite, he should be concerned for the son of a gun who did hit on her, what was that guy thinking and when had his feet taken him so close to them? He couldn't even recall walking all the way over there; his head was in a whirl. Ahiru was smiling, laughing, being her cheerful self. Shouldn't this be good enough for him, why did he continually feel the urge to take her away from the guy who was making her smile.

I should be the only guy to make her smile dammit.

Only he should be allowed to see that face, to make her smile like that. Wait, that's ridiculous, she smiles at everyone and everything. Well...Well...Still! His hand met his face in a wonderful face-palm. Running his hands through his hair, he looked up at the ceiling and sighed. What was it that made this moron's life so important to him? She was just...Her, no one special to him at all, and yet when he thought that his heart felt like it was betraying itself. She was someone special to him, something important...

…..And that's why you shouldn't hold her too close. Everything that you hold falls straight out of your hands.

Fakir smiled a sardonic smile. It was a false-and-true statement, something he could prove and have contradictions.

"Excuse me, our wonderful guests, you all know that we also had one more reason for this event." Rue walked out, smiling on the top of the staircase. "Many of you, in fact, all of you, know enough ballet to dance a bit. I would like to see everyone dance, with the partner they brought or a different person, a pas de duex. It'd be lovely to dance with all of you, and plus, who knows! Romance could bloom." Rue smirked lightly, well enough to convince the crowd that it was just a smile. Mythos stood by, smiling along with her; he was the one who had thought up the idea in the first place. He wanted to see how badly Fakir and Ahiru had fallen in...Well, love. He could see it in Fakir's eyes, and after all Fakir had done for him and how much he had suffered, it was only fair to speed up their dang relationship.

Oh and:

Rue approved.

Mythos nodded towards the crowd, sure that Fakir and Ahiru were nearby each other.

"So, choose your partner and in a few minutes we'll begin the music." Mythos smiled, sending a few into a swoon, before taking Rue's hand and walking off.

The young man, whose name was Elde, was about to ask Ahiru to dance. She was cute, and she was funny. A sweet girl; he couldn't imagine her coming with anyone, she was just to innocent.

"So, Ahiru, would you-" Fakir suddenly stood behind her, giving poor Elde a run for his money. Fleetingly, he felt that if he did ask Ahiru to dance, his life would suddenly end very very slowly and painfully of something he ate.

Oh was Fakir good at getting his thoughts across in a face.

"-Like to go look for your partner? I see mine over there..." Completely missing Fakir behind her, Ahiru sighed. "Sure, but I would think he'd already have a partner, with all the people around him..." She looked over to where Elde was looking, and saw that his partner was in fact the girl that was flirting with Fakir earlier.

Wait, if Fakir isn't over there, then where-

"Oi, moron, I'm right behind you."

"F-F-Fakir!? When did you get there?!" Ahiru turned quickly around and backed up, accidentally bumping into Elde, who held her steady. Fakir felt a steady stream of irritation; he grabbed her wrist and pulling her into him without a second thought.

"Excuse me, I thought you said your partner was over there." Elde, being a smart guy and slightly intimidated by Fakir, thought it would be best to go.

"Ah well, yes. Bye Ahiru. I hope we can speak again sometime." He nodded, then walked quickly over to the girl, Fakir's eyes on him the whole way.

Ahiru couldn't get over how similar this felt to the safeness she felt around Fakir, especially when she was a duck. The warmth and the largeness of it was all inviting; it whispered safety and reassurance. His hand was around her waist, his other hand holding her wrist in an iron grip. Unconsciously she curled into him.

He couldn't believe what he had just done.

He had just, irrationally, pulled Ahiru away from someone like a child pulling his favorite toy away from other children. He had acted so immature, so childish. And here he was, holding onto her like a precious source of freaking LIFE; he didn't want to let her go, not at all. But the pas de duex music was starting, and the only way to redeem himself in his eyes was to simply dance so that Ahiru couldn't tell how much he wanted to stay like that, forever.

.:::.:::.

.:Forever is a strong word bound by constant restrictions, yet some can hold onto it with a firm grip.:.

.

Grabbing her hand in a clasp, and trying to control his raging red face at the same time, he whispered, "Ahiru, the pas de duex. Do you recall it any?" Startled by his sudden movement, then remembering the whole reason there was a partner, she nodded. "I remember it perfectly." And she did. Every little detail that had to do with Fakir, she remembered.

"Good. I don't want to look too bad." His face grew a little smug. Ahiru pouted. "If you didn't, why didn't you just go dance with one of those pretty girls? I'm sure they wouldn't mind." Fakir inhaled sharply, covering his laugh with a cough. How she got him to laugh was a mystery, but she did.

"Because I only know how to dance it with you." He smiled before he could stop himself, just like how the words had came out before he could intercept them, and Ahiru felt her heart skip. They danced, all the while Fakir pulled her into the right positions, like a long time ago at a theater trope...The lights were dimmed and danced around the dancers, the floor was filled with experts and dabblers, some which were dancing together. People were close, some that you knew, just from the way they danced, were lovers.

Fakir and Ahiru were in their own world, the world where they understood each others thoughts and held them, a world where true feelings were exposed but hidden. A dance that conveyed so much to the other person, their dance was no different. Fakir guided her, cradling her, supported her, and Ahiru tried to find herself, tried to keep herself, and tried not to be too much of a burden.

Love.

Both of them, meeting eyes, could feel their own, not knowing that it was really the others.

When the music ended, the lapse into their world stopped, and both of them stepped back, not sure what to say. His hand still lightly held hers, entwined, and he didn't let it go. Taking a deep breath, he decided.

"Well, Ahiru, would you mind if you went out to the front...With me?" He was turning redder by the second, he couldn't believe what he was doing, this was too awkward for him, he wasn't normally the one suggesting any of this, but still...Ahiru just smiled, still having a bit of an afterglow of the dance.

"Ne, alright, Fakir."

Fakir wasn't one to show any nervousness, nor relief. But he felt his body relax suddenly, like his nerves had been released from a tight hold. Keeping his hand in hers, he walked out with her, to the top of the stairway that went down to the outside.

Elde decided to work up some nerve and speak to Ahiru again. He just...Couldn't comprehend the idea of that...That...That rough looking guy and her. Maybe he was just a person who watched over her, a brother figure.

He obviously hadn't seen their pas de deux, now had he? Silly silly Elde.

His eyes followed them, watching as they walked out of the room, and he followed. Sure, a little stalker status, but he just wanted to talk to her some. A sweet girl should not, no, did not, go with a dark looking guy.

He found them, and nonchalantly said hello. "Ahiru! I'm surprised. I didn't think I'd see you out here!"

She turned, looking at Elde. Realizing that she was still holding hands with Fakir, when she should have let go a while ago, she dropped his hand like it was scalding. She was turning scarlet, wondering what had possessed her for so long to hold onto his hand.

Fakir was irritated. More then irritated. He was pissed. He's actually getting ALONG with Ahiru, and then this guy has to come and ruin it. Who the hell did this guy think he was? And flirting around with Ahiru...God, if that guy did one more thing Fakir wasn't sure what he'd do, but it wouldn't be pretty.

This was Elde decided that it'd be nice if he held Ahiru's hand for a moment, offering to dance with her inside.

Fakir was blown off the edge of his logical world. No one, not anyone, NO ONE AT ALL, was allowed to dance with Ahiru but him, Mythos, and Rue. And maybe the ballet students. But NOT some random guy who had the nerve to mess with Ahiru, my Ahiru.

My Ahiru.

He grabbed her wrist away from Elde, her body turning to face him. He ran a finger under her chin, slowly, smoothly, and then kissed her without a second thought. Elde backed up, knowing the look in Fakir's eye. Ahiru stood there, shell-shocked, confused, and for some reason, extremely happy.

Fakir never knew kissing a girl was so blissful...He wouldn't mind doing this with Ahiru anytime, ever.

A moment went by, and Fakir let go. It was so fast, yet so slow. This was insane. It was probably how Drosselmeyer felt after writing a story. He licked his lips, savoring the feeling. Elde had long ago ran away, and it was just him and Ahiru now.

In a whir, that's all. Ahiru was in a whir, a feeling whir, she didn't know what to say what to do, how to act. All she knew was that she loved it.

Both of them blushed as the awkward silence settled in. After a full five minutes of just silence, Fakir grabbed Ahiru's hand.

"Look, idiot, I was making a point. You don't dance with anyone other than me, and you don't do that with anyone but me either, got it?" He was looking up at the sky, an odd sort of frown on his face.

Ahiru smiled. She was still a little red, but hearing Fakir say that had made it alright to be. Going on her tiptoes, she kissed him on the cheek.

"Okay, Fakir. I promise." She smiled wide, and Fakir gave and embarrassed sort of pout back. They weren't the most logical pair, but they were one nevertheless.

Mythos smiled, seeing the whole thing from his window.

It all went just as planned.

Hahaha, I love Elde. He's cool. And I love Mythos personality. As it is, we never know how he'd be. And messing with Fakir: WIN. It's so awesome to make Fakir embarrassed.