The Dance, Epilogue

-6 Months Later-

"Why are we watching this again?"

"Oh, come now. Don't you trust me?"

"You? Of course. I don't trust the Americans who created this eyesore." Kyoya just smiled and slipped the DVD into its player. Then, he joined his girlfriend on the unbelievably small couch he'd come to love.

When he'd discovered that a movie version of The Count of Monte Cristo had been produced in America, he ordered a copy immediately. There was no doubt that it would be far from a worthy tribute to Dumas's work. The Americans had a special knack for ruining books by turning them into movies.

However, it was an excuse to spend a little extra time with Haruhi. With the busy lives they both led, he'd take that opportunity whenever it came to him. They were probably going to spend the majority of the time discussing the inadequacies of the movie rather than actually watching it. Frankly, he was fine with that.

The menu came up and Haruhi reluctantly played the movie. Though she wasn't looking forward to the mess that was sure to follow, she loved that Kyoya put this much thought into spending time with her.

And, on the bright side, it was clear from the opening that the piece at least had good music. She leaned into him, and just as he predicted, called the first mistake she saw, albeit unintentionally:

"Wait, why isn't he going to see his father?" Kyoya just smiled. This was going to be fun.

Two hours, a bowl of popcorn, and 1,000 unforgivable infractions later, the movie ended with some rabble-rousing words from Edmond, though they were not the ones that had so eloquently closed the book. As the credits began to roll, all Haruhi could muster was,

"You've got to be kidding me." And, in reply, Kyoya began to laugh. Though Haruhi had never heard him truly laugh before, she was so wrapped up in the faults of the film that she continued:

"I mean, I knew it was going to be bad, but I didn't think it would be that bad. I didn't know a book-to-screen adaption could be so awful. Can you believe he-" she stopped abruptly.

"Are you laughing?" Kyoya began to quiet down, but the smile remained on his face as he stood and said simply,

"Dance with me." She looked shocked, and wanted to protest (he knew she had two left feet) but something about the way he looked in that moment silenced her. She just nodded and took his hand.

The final song was quite beautiful, but the music was lost on Haruhi as they swayed in circles around her living room. Instead, she found herself completely caught up in the pair of grey eyes in front of her. He looked so at peace, something that had only started showing up on his face in the past couple of months. She loved seeing it. More than that, she loved seeing him. She loved being around him and spending time with him and talking to him, even if it was a debate over something petty.

She loved him, and though she hadn't said it yet, Haruhi was certain Kyoya knew anyway. The music slowed and her bare feet continued to brush the floor as they slowed with it.

All too soon, he'd be graduating, and their lives were going to have to move with the change as they always did. Before Haruhi knew it, she and the twins were going to be graduating, and all the original members of the host club would be moving on to the bigger things they'd always dreamed of.

This life was a dance that she was only just learning the steps to; she was only just starting to understand how to move with grace.

But, she realized, if she was lucky enough to have Kyoya as her dance partner, there wasn't any music she couldn't face.

-End-

Okay, now it's over. Like, officially. That's it. No more Thursdays are to be spent with our favorite unlikely couple.

I'm not going to cry.

In all seriousness, guys, I honestly couldn't have asked for a better audience. You all have been so great, and I can't wait to put something new out for you. Until then, this has been fun, and even for all the stress and work that went into it, I wouldn't trade a minute of it for the world.

Thanks for staying at the Fluff Factory, and I'll see ya next time!

Much love,

The Fluff Machine