#you know kyoyas right behind him

[thejoeyestjojo]

I BELIEVE IN VIOLENCE

[ellssbellss]

I may or may not have been awake for about 48 house, so I wanted to ask a request before I fall asleep.

The hosts when their SO was up for 2 days straight doing work and starts to slip when get to the host club and acting a little bit too much like the Kyoya.

been thinking about this more than my actual story lately, and i have terrible writer's block, so hopefully this will help! {thank you, anon for the idea!}

The Host Club and their Sleepy, Cranky S.O. {Ohshc X Gender Neutral!Reader}

.oOo.

"mon amour? you need to wake up, darling." tamaki's voice whispers gently in your ear.

the darkness that had surrounded you minutes ago suddenly vanishes as you open your eyes, your head swiftly lifting off of the hard surface that you had rested your eyes upon just a few minutes ago.

it had been just a few minutes, right?

coming out of your tired daze, you feel a warm hand under your chin, and your eyes are turned to meet the concerned, violet gaze of your boyfriend. he is positioned above you, one soft hand resting the club's table in front of you and the other on your face, trailing gently from the point of your chin to the roundness of your cheekbones as his thumb runs gently over the skin there.

"my love, do you know what time it is?" his voice was like butter as dips his head a little deeper, worry creasing his perfect face as he watches you lean into his touch almost automatically.

"mmph..." through his stress about your exhausted state, he giggles slightly as you sigh and shrug, your eyelids dropping more with each second. "i don't know, love."

"it's nine, (y/n)."

"what?" any haze that had chained your brain was broken as you shot out of his gentle hold.

straightening your back, you peer towards the large windows that created a barrier between the club room and the outside world, seeing an endless night erasing any of the natural light you had experienced when you walked in here after class.

"it's nine o'clock?" panicked, the chair screeches across pristine tile as you grab at the things scattered across the table. laptop, charging cords, notebooks and pencils all make their way into your grasp as you hurriedly shove them into your bag. "why didn't you wake me up sooner?"

tamaki had watched the stress bunch up in your shoulders the minute you broke away from his grasp. he watches it wind into your muscles and face as you close up your pack and swing it around one arm, hastily pushing the chair in.

"you look like you needed your rest." he says softly, taken aback by your harsh tone. "i talked to my father to let us stay here a little while longer, since i know you have been working really hard on that project you have, and i thought-"

"exactly!" without raising your voice, he feels the sharp frustration rolling off the tip of your tongue, and it pierces something tender as you whip around to face him. "i have been working so hard not to get behind on my schedule, and now that's all out window. why didn't you wake me up like I asked?"

yellow eyebrows raise as you bite back at him, and he is getting whiplash from the sudden venom in your voice. "i tried, (y/n), but you didn't wake up!" his hands move in an pleading gesture. "you shoved my hand off when i tried to shake you and faced the other way when i kissed your cheek. the end of the world couldn't wake you."

your lips purse as your eyes squint and roll, and you stomp towards the door. stuttering, your golden retriever boyfriend follows behind as you nearly rip the door off it's hinges in your haste.

his words are rushed as he rushes to follow you out of the club room as you make your way down the long, empty staircase. "truly, you're not as behind as you might think, angel, not with all the work you've been doing?"

"you would think, huh?" another frustrated sigh escapes you, but it's more tuned towards yourself than anything. you push through the grand entrance of the school.

tamaki chases you out into the moonlight. his tall form stops in the doorframe though, when he sees the way the pale light drapes over your figure.

your usual bright stance sags in the night, and the hand he loves to hold rakes harshly through your perfect locks before it disappears to run down your face.

"(y/n), mon amour, what's wrong?" you hear his dress shoes click against the pavement. long arms wrap around your waist from behind, and a soft cheek nuzzles against the side of your face. tamaki tightens his hold, encouraging you to melt into his form. "talk to me."

after nothing more than a second, you do, because how could you not?

your head falls back as your spine molds into the bends and divots of tamaki's long torso, and a deep, shuddering sigh ripples out of you.

"i'm sorry, my love." tamaki feels your apology vibrate against his chest. "i just-, i've been extra stressed lately."

"about your project?"

"yes."

"why, angel?"

your neck twists, and you meet your prince's gaze in the complexity of his embrace, and tamaki sees the deep circles under your eyes. he notes how they had darkened since the last time he noticed them.

"i just have a lot riding on my grade for this course. my mother is counting on me for the future of her company, and if this project doesn't go well, then..."

"stop it." the comforting hug he had wrapped you in briefly vanishes as his touch pulls against your uniform. his fingers travel up your waist and forearms, gently grasping your shoulders as he spins you around to face him. "stop thinking like that."

when you're looking at him, his hands run up the rest of your body to your face, holding your jawline in his touch. "you've been working and worrying for two days, mon amour. you haven't been taking care of yourself, and there is nothing more important than your wellbeing."

his tone is different from his gallivanting, and incredibly endearing, dramatics. it's gracefully intense, like when he helped a struggling doctor find his way to his estranged daughter. the way he looks at you is also fierce, love and determination swimming in his purple irises.

"tamaki..."

"why haven't you been taking care of yourself?"

"i haven't had the time!" your voice tries weakly to defend yourself, but tamaki raises another eyebrow, clearly not convinced. "there isn't enough time in the day for me to work as hard as i have been and get a full night's rest."

"then why haven't you come to me about it?"

"i...i don't know." defeated, there is a drop in your gaze as you give up trying to defend yourself. "i thought i could do it on my own."

"you don't have to do anything on your own. not when you're with me." tamaki bends slightly to get into your line of sight. "you know you can talk to me, (y/n); that i'm here to give you anything and everything you need."

your (e/c) eyes whip back up to him. "i know that, love, but i-"

"no buts. you come to me if you need me. that's how it has always been for us."

the moonlight reflects off the small amount of wetness in your eyes, and tamaki's serious expression crumples. all of your stress and exhaustion breathes out of your body at his words. he smiles softly as you bury your face in his chest, placing his hand on your hair and another at your back, kissing the side of your head.

"i need you." your voice sings through the night, into the air as it's carried into the rose garden, red petals fully in bloom.

.oOo.

kyoya has seen this look before.

the tension of your lips as they writhe over your teeth. the slam of your footsteps as you make your way over to your usual seat across from him. especially the small smile you give to whomever greets you.

the smile that doesn't reach your eyes. the smile that falls immediately after you give some random excuse to dismiss yourself from the conversation, and you let it fall because you think no one is looking.

but kyoya was watching.

"good morning, (y/n)." he greets over his laptop as you click open your own, and you meet his gaze briefly before turning your attention back to your computer, giving him the same dismissive smile.

being that he was your boyfriend, that hurt a little.

"good morning, kyo."

he lets his eyes linger on the bored, dull look that you attach to your screen, accompanied by your sluggish movements and purple smudges under your eyes. a dark eyebrow quirks from behind his glasses as your chest rises with a sigh, and your face crinkles despairingly at whatever you are working on.

"what are you doing?"

your lashes flick up to him once more before returning back to your task at hand. "i'm working on the budget."

he blinks a little at your reply. "still?"

the tension from your mouth seeps into your form at his question, and you shift in your seat. "yes, love, thank you so much for pointing that out."

lips parting slightly at the sarcasm in your voice, the club's director raises his fingers off of his keyboard, favoring to clasp them under his chin instead as a more calculating gaze sweeps the figure of his beloved.

he catches an eyebrow twitch, a flare of your nostrils, the way your head bobs slightly before you shake it, as if that could erase the pure exhaustion radiating from you.

yes, kyoya has seen this look before.

in the mirror.

"how much sleep did you get last night, my dear?"

this time, you don't even look at him when you answer. you just shrug at him, too focused on your typing to really concentrate on a reply. "i don't know. maybe an hour or so-."

a sharp flare of concern rises in his chest before you spin your computer on it's base, shoving the screen in his direction with a wary look in your eye. "does this look right to you? i feel like something's missing."

his hands are still at his mouth when he glances at the spreadsheet you two created together, the perfect, color coded numbers arranged into straight columns.

but his brow furrows even more the longer he looks at it. lowering his hands to the device, kyoya pulls it closer to him as he scrolls through, skimming the text for any sign of error or miscalculation.

he finds none.

"(y/n), this is perfect." his pupils dart across the page behind his frames. "i have no idea what you're stressing over."

the laptop is pulled away from him once more as you run a hand through your hair. "no, no." you hit the backspace button on your keyboard, tired eyes squinting over the excel sheet. "something isn't right."

your aggressive typing fills the air once more, a little more frenzied and anxious than a minute before.

kyoya leans back in his chair, still observing. "(y/n), have you been working out this budget since the time i sent it to you?"

"of course."

"that was two days ago."

"i know."

he stands, pushing out his chair, but you don't notice. "have you slept at all?"

"not really. i've been going through the math, the incoming inventory. sure, it looks perfect now, and we are within this month's spending range, but i know there's a way to save more money. if i could just-"

"that," the lid of your computer is suddenly pushed down, closing the screen in front of you. a pale hand with pianist-like fingers attached to it splays across your protective case. "is more than enough, then."

"kyoya!" you sit in front of him, shock emanating from your face as his name is gasped from your lips. "what the hell?"

kyoya leans in front of you, one hand bracing your laptop closed while the other slips into the pocket of his trousers. his raven hair falls into his eyes a little bit, but the gray color is still piercing and raw.

"my dear," he pulls away slightly, adding pressure onto your computer so that it drags to his side of the table. "you need to take a break."

"a break?" you rise as well, trying to keep a cool demeanor. but your director could tell that your patience was thinning. "i'm on the brink of figuring this out, and you want me to take a break?"

"you already have figured it out, (y/n). i looked it over. you found the solution."

"but it could be better."

quickly, kyoya rounds the table, walking into your space to grab one of your hands.

he places both of his palms around one of your own, trying to get through to you through his touch instead of his words, even if the connection was small.

"how much sleep have you had in the past forty-eight hours?"

abandoned by the distraction your work gave you, you now face your boyfriend head on as he studies your movements.

since the moment you met him, kyoya has always watched you intently. as a man who didn't involve himself with anything that he didn't care greatly for, the process of dating him has and will always include him taking the time to observe and study you; to commit your mannerisms to memory. gray irises will forever notice how you bounce your leg underneath your desk when you have something to say but won't say it out right. or how you take your (f/h/d) in the morning, and the exact brand that you use.

or how your face lights up when he comes into view from down the hallway, and you excuse yourself to meet him halfway.

or how you always seem to kiss him with soothing, deep movements, which always encourages him to respond in kind.

but, very rarely is that intent stare coupled with concern.

yet, here it was, bathing his beloved gaze as he waits for your reply, leaving you with an aching heart. you think back to they way you've been acting, cranky and stand-offish, and a pang of regret sparks in your stomach.

your hand adjusts slightly in his as you hold onto his grasp, albeit a little nervously.

"you want the truth?" your beautiful eyes break his gaze as you stubbornly shift in place.

"always."

"not very much. maybe three hours." he swallows as that sharp flare of concern burns into an engulfing flame in his torso. "in total."

A disappointed frown etches onto his handsome features, but it's not angry. it's sad.

sad that he didn't see your exhaustion before, not in it's totality. he saw your frequent yawns and the way you tended to drift off mid-conversation, but he was busy with work as well, and couldn't connect the dots until now.

"(y/n)-"

"i know, i know. it's not the best." you take a deep breath and look at him with more confidence, ready to admit to your actions. "the perfectionist in me kind of let loose. i'm sorry, i just wanted it to be the best that it could be. for the club, ya know? for you."

tugging on your clasped hands, a deep hum resonates from the ootori son as he draws you closer. soon, your hands naturally loop around his neck while he settles his hold at your waist.

his forehead rests on yours as he sighs deeply, and you close your eyes as his low voice reaches your ears. "i think the best thing for me and the club is for you to get some rest."

he smirks a little as he feels you giggle tiredly against him. "yeah, i think you're right."

kyoya chuckles softly as he raises his forehead off of yours to place a kiss in the same spot. "i'm always right, my dear."

.oOo.

"hikaru! stop it!"

arms caged yours as you writhed against his chest. your legs were wild as they kicked up into the air, barely missing your boyfriend as he picked you up from where you had sat on your desk.

"put me down right now! what are you even doing?"

he grunts a little as your swinging legs hit his calves before throwing you down on your bed. unceremoniously, the bed frame creaks with your weight as you land face first into your duvet.

a loud huff escapes you as you turn around from your position, seeing hikaru standing at the foot of your bed with his arms crossed, a victorious smile plastered onto his sharp mouth.

"well, i asked you to take a break from your studying. and you said 'make me.'" his fingers come to either side of his head to create quotation marks. "so i made ya."

"i didn't mean literally, jackass." you grumble as you shift. your palms push your body up off the bed and spin you so that you are seated properly on your comforter. scooting roughly to the edge of your mattress, you barely stand up before your pushed onto the bed again.

"hikaru!"

"nope. not gonna happen."

"i need to study!"

"that's what you've been saying for the past two days!" his rough voice sounds exasperated as he gestures wildly to you. "in the clubroom, in the cafeteria, on our facetime calls. shit, (y/n), i don't think there has been a single second where i haven't seen that textbook open in front of you."

he points to the hefty calculus book open on your desk, three quarters of the pages turned to one side.

"that's what studying is!" you move to get up again with another frustrated sigh. "my test is tomorrow, my love, i can't afford any breaks right now."

this time, instead of simply pushing your back onto the bed, hikaru pins you down. in a flash, golden eyes fill your vision as his fingers clamp around your wrist. when you fall back, his weight takes you down as he flops heavily on your chest.

"you're not going anywhere, baby. not until you tell me what's going on."

"nothing is going on." you huff, blowing a few of his ginger strands out of his face. "now get off me."

"i don't believe you." ever the stubborn twin, hikaru makes a point to wiggle his body on top of yours to amplify the fact that you have no hope of pushing him off. "and i'm not moving until i believe you."

"what?" you bite back.

a more serious tone laces his voice as he scans you. "today, during club hours, you looked like a zombie."

you shoot him a blank look. "thanks."

"a gorgeous zombie, but still."

"not helping."

a crease forms between his eyebrows at your usually soft, bright tone crackling into dry one. "you were dragging your feet, and talking to yourself more than usual. it was creepy."

you rolled your eyes, and hikaru watches as the bags under your eyes moved with the motion, his jaw setting into a firm line.

"so i'm not getting off of you until you tell me what's been up your ass lately."

offended, you gasp and writhe once more, trying to break free of the surprisingly strong grasp the hitachiin twin has on your wrists. "i don't have time for this!"

he chuckles a little at your flustered expression and sinks more of his weight onto your figure. "well, if you're not going to take a break, than i will. i think i'll take a little nap on this comfortable bed."

realizing he doesn't need to pin your arms down anymore with all of his weight on you, he lets go and nuzzles into the crook of your neck, his arms and legs sprawling out over your uniform.

"don't you dare, hikaru!" you say as you try to bring your arms underneath him to push him off, but he's just a block of dead weight.

his breath hits your ear, and you can feel the mischievous smile on his lips. "oh, wow, this is a bumpy mattress." wriggling, he adjusts so that he locks perfectly into your body, and a deep sigh emits from his lungs. "that's better."

another weak push strains your muscles before you give up completely. flopping back onto the mattress, you let out a frustrated groan.

"hikaru, please."

"oh, the mattress speaks?"

"my love."

laughing, he presses a kiss onto the column of your throat. "what's up, baby?"

like a weighted blanket, hikaru's body flush against yours has calmed your heart rate slightly, and all the exhaustion and stress that you have been feeling suddenly comes to a head.

your arms lift from your sides to wrap around his toned back, and you turn your face into the divot connecting his shoulder and his collarbone, inhaling the comforting scent of his cologne and laundry detergent.

"i've been awake for the past forty-eight hours."

his chest rumbles with a sympathetic hum. "i know."

"i'm tired."

his head pops up from the embrace, and sincerity shines in the liquid gold of his irises. "let's take a nap, and then we can figure something out afterwards, yeah?"

you can already feel your eyelids dragging over your pupils. "yeah, that sounds nice."

as you succumb to your fatigue, you barely register the way hikaru rolls off of you. his warmth returns when you feel an arm wedge itself under your waist and pull you to him so that you can lay on his chest with ease. the other wraps around your shoulders, and you feel his breath tickling the top of your head as he settles in beside you.

"thanks for telling me, baby."

.oOo.

"so, i think because i found the magnitude of this vector, than i should be able to find the acceleration, right?" kaoru asks, back hunched over his desk, spinning a pencil in his left hand as he concentrates on the paperwork in front of him.

when he doesn't get a response, he stops fidgeting and looks over to you: his incredibly intelligent, and usually helpful, partner.

you're sat next to him, slaving away at your laptop while he watches the blue light practically burn your retinas.

well, sat is a strong word.

you slouched, your neck barely able to keep your head on your shoulders as you worked at his desk, fingers robotically clicking at your mouse and dragging images to their predetermined place, your graphic design coming to fruition with each release of a button.

"(y/n)?"

at the sound of your name, your spine flinches slightly as it straightens. you whip your head towards him with such a quick motion, that he winces at the twist of the muscle, hoping you didn't get whiplash.

his hopes are dashed when you immediately face the front, bringing one of your hands up to massage the nape of your neck.

"are you okay?"

"i'm fine," you breathe, exhaustion sprinkled in your sigh. "what did you need?"

cautiously, kaoru slides his paper over to you while you shift closer to him, pulling your chair over until your legs touch underneath his desk.

"i don't know if i got this problem right."

through a yawn, your eyes scan his homework, everything coming together in a blurry font due to your lack of sleep. you can barely make out his handwriting on your best day, so the fact that you hardly think straight doesn't really help.

but you couldn't let kaoru know that.

"it looks good, babe."

he quirks a ginger eyebrow, glancing between the paper and then back up to where you sat.

"yeah?" he asks, studying you carefully.

"for sure."

"okay, well then," your boyfriend flips the paper over, where another disarray of words meet you. he scribbles something out before circling an answer choice from his options, then looks back at you. "that must be right, too, yeah?"

you nod, blinking slowly. "mhmm." you turn to look at him, a small smile on your lips. "you're so smart, love."

his lips curve up into a half-smirk as he tilts his head, but the smile doesn't reach his eyes. golden irises squint as he glances over your face once more. "it's a smiley face."

your smile fades. "huh?"

the sneaky twin gestures towards the paper again, and after rubbing your palms over your eye-sockets, a happy face penciled in lead comes into accusing focus.

"i drew a smiley face, and you said i was smart." kaoru summarizes, a deadpan tone only being interrupted slightly as he laughs through his sentence. "what is going on with you?"

a frustrated whine ripples past your throat as you rest your head in your hands. your voice breaks into a quiet groan, and while your volume doesn't rise, your disappointment does. "god, this essay is making me lose my mind! i can't even think clearly, let alone write three more pages of this shit."

"hey, woah." kaoru rests his hand against your spine and rubs it, moving his hand back and forth in calming motions. "talk to me."

another deep sigh rushed out of you as you talk behind your hands, and your poor boyfriend can't hear a single thing.

the hand on your back glides to the side of your face, bringing your chin up and out of your grasp. he locks his gaze with yours as he leans back in his chair. "try again, babe."

"this essay makes me want to jump off a cliff."

"and you were gonna do that without me? i thought we had an agreement."

"shut up." despite yourself, you laugh.

the fingers on your chin shift to your scalp while he laughs with you, pushing only a few of the stray hairs away from your face. "have you slept?"

"not well."

kaoru notes a redness in your eyes he didn't see before. "not well, or not at all?"

you roll your eyes a little, but he knows it's not directed at him. you're disappointed in yourself. "a mix of both." hastily you look back at him, widening your eyelids a little at a poor attempt to look more awake.

"but it's no big deal!" your voice is a little too bright. "i can catch up on sleep once i submit this paper."

the gingered twin squints his eyes, but to your surprise, he shrugs, spinning in his office chair as he refocuses on his work. "yeah, i guess you're right. i get it."

your mouth was slightly agape at the fact that that actually worked. "you get it?"

"yeah. sometimes, people just can't sleep enough with everything going, ya know? i only got two hours of sleep last night, so i understand what you're going through."

there's a pause. kaoru fights a smirk as he scratches an equation into the top right of his paper.

"what?" a concerned voice reaches his ears, and he almost feels bad for lying. "only two hours?"

"mhmm." he hums, not even giving you a second glance.

"kaoru," the sweetest whine escapes your lips as he feels a hand on his shoulder. he steels his expression into one of confused nonchalance as he faces you again, only to be met with the spot you get between your crinkled eyebrow when you're worried. "why didn't you tell me?"

"what do you mean? it's not a big deal."

"yes it is!" your other hand reaches his opposite shoulder, and he turns to face you fully, reveling in your touch as you move to cradle his face. "sleep is important, babe, you can't just-"

his grin widens as a flash of realization flutters across your face. The worry in your features melts into a blank expression, and he laughs as you push his face away from yours, muttering a "jackass" under your breath.

the sneaky twin closes the distance though, pulling your chair ever closer to his to where nothing was standing in his way to pull you to his lap. you resist slightly, pouting as your sat into the space between his legs, but a natural, familiar gravity pulls you towards him anyway, and your face rests gently in the crook of his neck.

"rest for a couple minutes, okay? your paper will be here when you wake up."

a contended sigh seeps out of you as your exhaustion bubbles up to the surface. your eyelids begin to drop when you speak into his neck. "and what about you?"

kaoru's arms come to wrap around your folded form, burying you closer into his chest. "i'll always be here."

.oOo.

mori had gotten used to your talkative nature. being a man of little words, you complimented him well with your bright, energetic commentary about anything that excited you.

he supposed that he hadn't just gotten used to your bubbly personality shining through your lovely voice, he had come to love it; to rely on it.

so, when you entered your usual sparring session with your heels dragging on the wooden floor of the dojo, not only did the air feel off, he felt off.

your white gi hung off your rounded shoulders, the karate belt around your waist haphazardly tied in a knot at the front. and while you still looked as stunning as ever, mori could feel the confusion and worry well up in his chest.

he stood up from stretching out his hamstrings, his long body gracefully walking over to you to greet you with his usual hug. your smile was tired, and when you wrapped your arms around his thin waist, he felt you snuggle more into his hold and release a breath.

still gripping his waist, you looked up at him, your grin still exhausted but content when you propped your chin on his chest to meet his eyes.

"hey." you said, and your voice was airy and cracked.

"hi."

"how was your day?"

"good." his palms tightened on your back. "yours?"

you could barely keep your eyes open as you shrugged. "meh. it was interesting."

"yeah?"

"yeah." still, even in your tired state, you inched your face closer to his, a dazed look in your eye. "but we can talk about it later."

a disbelieving, good-natured scoff left him as a sharp exhale, your boyfriend knowing full-well that would not want to talk about it later. but he met you halfway, and your lips met in a lazy, soft kiss as he lowered his head to yours.

you had nearly put all of your weight onto him at this point, and as you sunk into his grip, he arched his back to counteract the force. his hands glided from your waist to your cheeks as he tilted his head, smirking slightly at the warm hum that left your throat.

pulling away, he kept his forehead on yours as he held you. a breathy left glazed over his face when you separated from him, and he opened his eyes to see a light curve on your plump lips.

"thanks, takashi. i needed that."

that brought all of his worries rushing back.

"(y/n)..." and you opened your eyes at the way he said your name. since mori wasn't the most vocal man you've been with, you learned to pick up on his tonal cues.

your name could be spoken in many ways. a gentle breeze as he tells you that he loves you, a deep inhale as you, yet again, prove your the clumsiest human alive, or maybe a groan in the late, late hours of the night.

this one was a mild warning, forming at the front of his mouth as he stares at you, deep brown eyes boring into yours with earnest.

"what?" you didn't want him to ask. but, he was kind and loving and really fucking stubborn. so, of course he was.

"what's wrong?"

a whine bubbled to the surface of your soft pallet as you dropped your face into the crook of his neck, even if you had to stand on your tip-toes to do so. abandoning your hold on his waist, you preferred to bring your arms up and around his shoulders, locking them around the back of his neck.

"i don't want to talk about it."

"what happened?"

"nothing, really. i promise."

"doesn't feel like nothing. here," gently, you felt a pressure on your hips as mori pushes you out of his hold, instead moving to grab your hand as he leads you to a traditionally decorated wall of the dojo.

letting go, the stoic leans his back against the wall before sliding down, tucking his lanky form into a sitting position before inviting you to do the same. "sit with me."

and he looked so sweet, his gaze hardened on the surface but filled with emotion and weight within it's depths. so how could you say no?

plus, he really wouldn't stop until you told him.

taking a spot next to him, you let your head roll onto the back of the wall before resting it on his shoulder. and the spot was so comfortable, so familiar, you wanted to fall asleep right there.

mori was stubborn, yes, but he was also patient. he waited like a boulder against the tide as you gathered your thoughts, loyal and permanent and determined to help you through whatever was plaguing you.

in your thoughtful silence, he imagined the stress you had been baring when you were assigned that presentation in class. even if you were energetic and outspoken, he knew public speaking terrified you. the pure panic that had erupted in your irises when you told him about the ten-minute powerpoint you had to put together in three days told him everything he needed to know about how your weekend was going to go.

that was two days ago, and he had suggested this impromptu sparring match to give you a little bit of a break. physical activity always cleared his head when he was stretched, and he figured if he could remind you how strong you were, then you could convince yourself that this would be a piece of cake.

but the bags under your eyes and the unanswered calls from him on your cell-phone made him think that this had been harder on you than he had originally expected.

a small snore broke him out of his thoughts, and he looked down at the source.

your eyes were peacefully closed, and your lips were parted as deep, calm breaths washed in and out of your chest. he relaxed slightly into the wall, and smiled as you cuddled closer to him in his small movement.

kissing the top of your head, he rested his cheekbone upon your hair as he rested his eyes as well.

you two would talk later. it wasn't physical activity you needed, or even a helping hand if you had let him.

all you needed, really, was a little bit of rest.

.oOo.

"(n/n)-chan! (n/n)-chan!"

honey bounced up to your desk as you typed away, usa-chan banging against the side of his calves as he stopped at the end of your chair. "wanna play with me, (n/n)-chan?"

you barely spared him a glance, but your eyes met his with a quick shake of your head as you returned your urgent glance to your laptop. "not right now, honey. sorry."

the blonde's bouncing stopped, a little to awe-struck at your rejection to feel sad about it. he was more confused than anything. you never said no to him.

a deep, apparent wrinkle appeared between his brows as the boy-lolita tugged on your sleeve, causing your fingers to slip off the keyboard slightly as you typed. "please?"

"what the-?" your hand having slipped, it gently brushes the cup of tea near your working space, and you gasp before rolling your eyes. "no, honey. i told you, i can't. go play with usa-chan, okay?" you quickly pulled your sleeve out of his grasp and got back to your work, leaving him deflated at your side.

this time he was pouting, and the wrinkle on his forehead turned from confused to determined as he walked around to the opposite side of the table to crawl into the chair across from you.

"what are you workin' on?"

this time your eyes flicked up to him for a longer moment. you wondered why he couldn't leave you alone, but you guessed it was better that he was sitting over there rather than pulling at your uniform and keeping you from your work. "the club's website."

he gasped as he swung his legs on the chair, too short to reach the ground from this height. "ooh, are you making it pretty?"

a sigh came from deep within you as your eyes squinted, zooming in on something on the other side of your screen. "you could say that."

"what are you doing to it?"

you shrugged, still focused on your work. "formatting, graphic designing, boring tech stuff."

"cool!" honey excitedly places his palms on the table, seeing if he sat up straighter, he could get a better view. "how do you know how to do all that?"

you suspiciously scanned him over as he edged closer, pulling your computer forward on the table. "lots of practice."

a high-pitched hum exudes from the third-year as he tilts his head, almost fully on the table now, but something has caught your eye, and your back to your furious typing, not noticing how close he's gotten.

his voice sounds distant in your focus. "couldn't you take a break? for cake? a cake break?" he giggles, but his smile falters when you don't hear his joke.

"haven't taken a break in two days, honey. not gonna start now." your voice is low and inattentive, trailing off as you scroll through the columns and columns of pictures and texts.

still crawling towards you, his brown eyes widen slightly. "two days?" he gasps, and begins to count on his fingers. "that's uhhh..." honey counts his fingers under his breath for a moment before he brightens with an answer. "forty eight hours worth of work! did you even sleep?"

"nope. no sleep. kyoya needs this done by tonight."

"what?!" at that, honey stands to his full height, his small but strudy weight easily supported by the desk underneath him. you jerk back as he points a finger in your face, his voice still young but firm as he speaks down to you. "you need to take a nap right now!"

"honey!" the blonde has your full attention now. "get down!"

"nope!" his pink lips pop the 'p' noise as he shakes his head defiantly. "not until you agree to sleep! kyo-chan can wait."

your hands come up in an exasperated motion and you stand up, pushing your chair out from under you. "honey, this table is not stable. you're gonna fall if you don't get down!"

"will you take a break?"

"i can't!"

"well, then i'm not coming down." folding his arms across his chest, he puffs it out, a proud look on his face.

his confident aura melts, however, when the table shifts with his dramatic movement.

you suck in a breath as honey throws his arms out to balance himself, barely keeping the table at bay as he wiggles side to side.

"okay! okay, i'll take a ten-minute nap! just, please sweetheart, get down from there."

even in the midst of chaos of his own making, honey still finds the. motivation to negotiate. "twenty minutes!"

"fine!" you round the table and extend your arms, and he leaps into them as you pick him up. your heart rate slows as you hold him while the table falls with the loss of his added weight, your tea and computer skidding to opposite sides of the tile.

blankly, you look at honey as he winces at the impact, and then at the dark aura that slowly begins to crowd around your frame.

"i can pay for that." he promises.

.oOo.

your knee bounces under your desk as you watch haruhi's eyes flick over your screen, the words you spent two days writing reflecting back in her dark brown eyes as she reads your work.

your hands are clasped in front of your lips, keeping you from saying anything like 'i changed my mind!' or 'okay, you can stop now', because you're pretty sure haruhi would ignore you anyway.

she had insisted on reading your short story. it was something you did in your free time, and it was something she knew you took pride in.

sometimes, if you felt courageous enough, you would submit them into newspapers, or maybe magazines and blogs if you were really going all out, this past weekend being one of those times. day in and day out, you sat at your writing desk, typing away for what felt like mere seconds as the story in your mind began to unfold onto the pages in front of you. barely any food and close to no sleep rendered a masterpiece of literature, or at least that was what haruhi had assured you she would call it if you let her proof-read it.

your natural host promised that it would take her only a few minutes to read the whole thing, and then you could be on your way to submit it to the magazine's editor. plus, it was the least you could do since you basically ignored her calls and used up all of your study-date time to edit and revise your concluding paragraph.

but finally, finally, after many torturous seconds, your girlfriend leans back. her hands wrap around the edge of your macbook to only shut the laptop halfway and push it aside, turning her full attention back to you.

very briefly, you pulls your hands away from your mouth to ask the question you've been dreading. "what do you think?"

the gentle look that haruhi always wears stays frozen for a moment, but slowly starts to melt into a soft smile as she meets your nervous gaze. "it's good, love. it's really good."

straightening, your eyes widen as you bite your lip. "really?"

her smile gets brighter as amazement floods your cheekbones. "really."

"oh my god." releasing a breath you didn't know you were holding, you throw yourself into the back of your chair. pulling your palms up and around, they rake over your face before scratching through your hair, a groan morphing into a laugh as relief sputters out of you. you feel like you need to say it again, probably louder for good measure. "oh my god! you really liked it?"

the honor student's deep laugh joins yours as watches you bask in a job well done. "why would i lie about that?"

touching down to earth, you shrug, your hands falling into your lap. "because you love me, and you would do anything to make me happy?"

she snorts, leaning forward as she is drawn into your space. "you're right. i do love you. probably just enough to never lie to you again."

a teasing smile curves your lips as you fake offended disbelief, scooting closer so that your knees slip between her own. "again?"

brunette eyebrows work upwards as haruhi mirrors your smirk, nodding as she gets even closer. "mhmm."

"and what have you lied about, haruhi dear?" her breath is mixing in with yours now, and she keeps her kiss barely out of reach, her lips grazing yours as she responds.

"about letting you leave tonight."

"wha-?" your eyebrows knit as haruhi shoots out of her chair, and before you can protest, she is straddling your hips, one of her legs on either side of you as you blush at her sudden proximity.

"haruhi!" but even if your voice sounds surprised, you hold her closer, your palms coming to rest on her thighs.

"when was the last time you slept?" she asks, suddenly serious as she cups your face in her hands.

"last night." you say, but she squints at your response.

"for how long?"

"enough." you whine, bringing your hands around her waist, encouraging her to be flush against you. "don't worry about it."

"(y/n), you look exhausted. i'm going to be worried about it."

you look at her for a moment before realizing that she isn't going to back down. shoulders slumping, you drop your head onto her shoulder, hugging her close to your body. "two hours. maybe."

a displeased noise expels from her throat, but suddenly you feel slender fingers rubbing your back, toying with the hairs on the back of your neck. "you need to sleep."

making a grunt of blind agreement, you melt into her hold, the excitement and anxiousness you felt about your story being blown away by a gust of drowsiness. the scratches on your scalp weren't helping.

"like right now." she emphasizes, and tries to wiggle out of your hold, but you were stronger. tightening your grip around her slim waist.

her shoulders shake with another endearingly low laugh as she hugs you back. "let's get to the bed, love."

you don't think you've ever slept deeper in your life.

.oOo.

starting to write again, and i used this as a little exersise to get back into it. hopefully it can tide you over! i'll see you soon :)

[brinniesea]

Ouran Host Club Imagines- Cuddles

Characters: Tamaki, Kyoya, Kaoru, Hikaru, Mori, Honey, & Haruhi Summary: How I think each host would cuddle with their s/o Note: I wrote this one on a blog where I posted a lot of edits but I wanted to move it over to my official writing Tumblr. Tamaki: Tamaki would be a cuddle monster, man does this boy love to cuddle. Most of the time he will be the one to start the cuddling, which would include many kisses and sweet nothings for his s/o. His cuddles would make his s/o feel like they were the most important person in the world. Kyoya: Although the shadow king would never admit it out loud, He loves cuddles with his s/o when they have their alone time. His s/o would almost always start the cuddling, which most of the time would turn into a make-out session. But every once in a while he gives his s/o a passionate kiss, with ‘You know how much you mean to be, right?’ Kaoru: Just like Tamaki, Kaoru would be the one to start the cuddles. He loves cuddles on the couch while watching a movie, hugging his s/o from behind. He would have a mix of whispering sweet nothings to slightly teasing his s/o. Hikaru: Both Hikaru and his s/o would evenly start cuddles. He loves to tease his s/o when they cuddle until they are almost at breaking point. His cuddles would definitely turn into a heavy make-out session that he would use for more teasing. His s/o couldn’t stay mad at him for long after his apology kisses. Mori: Mori wouldn’t be like the other hosts, he would let his body speak for him. He holds his s/o tightly against his body, not wanting them to disappear from his life. He loves to fall asleep next to his s/o; just knowing that they are beside him, makes him rest easily. Honey: Honey’s cuddles would be like hugging a puppy. He just loves it when his s/o cuddles with him, they talk about their days during cuddles. Honey would always be touching his s/o in any way just loving the feeling of them in his arms. Haruhi: Haruhi is always the one pulled into cuddles, but she enjoys it when they are alone. she would run her fingers through her s/o’s hair, just talking about random things. Cuddles would require a couple kisses here and there.

[rubbish-taste1234]

Maid to the Shadow King

The marble floors of Ouran High School glistened under the morning sun, casting a polished reflection of the opulent chandeliers above. The grand hallways echoed with the rhythmic tapping of designer shoes and the melodious hum of idle conversation. Amidst this sea of calm, a sudden burst of frenetic energy broke the tranquility.

A girl, her cheeks flushed with urgency and her breath coming in desperate gasps, sprinted down the hallway. Her maid uniform was slightly askew, the ribbon at her collar barely hanging on. She dodged past students with an agility born of pure panic, her eyes scanning every corner, every nook, searching frantically.

"Where is he? Oh no, oh no, oh no!" she muttered under her breath, her mind racing even faster than her legs. She had one job, one simple task: look after the boy. But in the labyrinthine corridors of the elite academy, he had vanished as if into thin air.

Her thoughts spiraled into worst-case scenarios. What if he got lost? What if he was in trouble? The boy was the familys next patriarch after all. And she, entrusted with his care, had let him slip away.

She turned another corner, almost colliding with a group of giggling girls, and skidded to a halt. Ahead of her was the music room. Desperation guiding her actions, she decided to check inside. If there was one place in this grandiose school where she might find him, it was here.

With a quick prayer, she pushed open the ornate double doors and was immediately greeted by a flurry of rose petals. They fluttered around her like a dream, the sweet fragrance momentarily distracting her from her mission. As the petals settled, she blinked, taking in the scene before her.

Standing in a dramatic triangle formation were seven boys, each dressed in elaborate knight costumes, complete with capes and faux armor that glinted in the light.To the right of this formation, adjusting his glasses, stood the raven-haired boy she had been desperately searching for.

"Welcome to the Ouran Host Club," they chorused in unison, their voices harmonizing perfectly.

She stared, wide-eyed and breathless, at the theatrical spectacle before her. 

Her heart was still racing, but now it was from a mix of relief and something else entirely. She took a deep breath, gathering her composure. "Master Kyoya," she began, her tone respectful yet firm, "you can't just disappear like that. You know I have my duties to attend to."

Kyoya adjusted his glasses, his expression remaining steady. "My apologies. I didn't mean to cause you any distress."

She straightened her maid uniform, trying to maintain her professionalism despite the surreal setting. "Please, inform me next time you decide to... participate in such activities. It's my responsibility to ensure your well-being."

The other hosts watched the exchange with amused interest, their expressions ranging from curiosity to admiration for her steadfast demeanour. Kyoya nodded, his expression calm and respectful. "I'll keep you informed."

With a final nod, she allowed herself a small sigh of relief. "Thank you, Master Kyoya."

As she turned to leave, she gently pulled the ornate double doors closed behind her. The soft click of the latch echoed through the room, marking her exit.

The moment the doors were shut, the remaining hosts turned their heads in unison, their expressions a comical mix of curiosity and mischief. All eyes were now on Kyoya, waiting for an explanation.

Tamaki, with his pale-blond hair shimmering in the light, was the first to speak, his violet eyes wide with excitement. "Kyoya, who was that girl? She seemed so serious!"

Honey, the smallest and most cheerful of the group, perched on Mori's shoulders, clasped his hands together, flowers practically blooming around his head. "Yeah, Kyoya! She was cute! Does she like cake?"

Mori, stoic as ever, simply nodded in agreement, his dark eyes observing Kyoya with a hint of curiosity.

The Hitachiin twins, Hikaru and Kaoru, shared a conspiratorial grin. Hikaru leaned forward, his amber eyes glinting with mischief. "Is she a new club member?"

Kaoru, standing next to his twin with his hair parted to the left, added with a smirk, "Or maybe she's your secret girlfriend, Kyoya-senpai?"

Haruhi, ever practical and straightforward, crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Who is she, really? She seemed very concerned about you."

Kyoya adjusted his glasses, his expression calm and collected as always. "She's simply someone who takes her responsibilities seriously. There's no need for unnecessary speculation."

Tamaki, never one to be easily dissuaded, leaned in closer, his enthusiasm undiminished. "But Kyoya, she called you 'Master.' There's got to be more to this story!"

Kyoya sighed softly, a hint of exasperation in his voice. "As I said, she is someone responsible for my well-being. Nothing more, nothing less."

The hosts exchanged glances, clearly unconvinced but willing to let the matter rest, for now. The room fell silent for a moment, each of them pondering the unexpected encounter.

Finally, Kyoya spoke again, his tone signaling the end of the discussion. "Now, if we're done with this interrogation, we have guests to attend to."

With that, the hosts resumed their preparations, the curiosity lingering in the air but the immediate focus shifting back to their duties. SHOULD I CONTINUE THIS?? this is a reader x ohshc with the reader being a maid I just wanted to do something while I had free time and I kind of remembered fanfics exist 🤗

[reallyromealone]

DAY 🎃FOURTEEN🎃 COCKWARMING - Kyoya ootori

I would like to remind people I'm following Manga canon, SPOILER the host club goes to Boston for university and by then Kyoya is already in university and transferred

Warnings

Cock warning, dirty talk, male reader, bottom Kyoya, calling during explicit sctivities, reader is a bastard

University classes were hard, annoyingly so sometimes and what didn't help was having a cock up your ass while one studied.

But Kyoya lost the bet so here he was on his boyfriends lap, (name) scrolling his phone as Kyoya tried not to move.

It was the rule after all, he moves and (name) leaves him with the worst blue balls known to man.

So here he was, doing his homework as (name) occasionally shifted to rub against kyoyas prostate but Kyoya wasn't going to let (name) have the power as he stretched and cracked his back, this action causing his muscles to contract around (name)s cock, causing him to glare "behave"

"I haven't the slightest idea of what you're talking about, in just trying to figure out this question" Kyoya said calmly as he returned to his work.

(Name) glared as his phone rang and despite Kyoyas glare he answered it and being the bastard he was began toying with Kyoyas cock "oh hey Tamaki, oh nothing much just helping Kyoya work on a project-- yeah we can get food tonight with you and Haruhi! See you then!"

Kyoya was hunched over as (name) hung up, close to climaxing as (name) played with him perfectly, knowing just how to destroy him.

"Oi, focus on your homework" (name) grinned and Kyoya turned and glared "really?"

"What? You wanted me to leave it ringing? Have Tamaki come here to ask, you know he would and he would see you like this... perched on my cock losing your mind"

Kyoya bit his lip, knowing he was right.

"Now, finish your homework And I'll give you a reward like no other"

It was hard, not just (name)s cock as the other leaned over to look at Kyoyas work "my boyfriend's so smart" he whispered in Kyoyas ear and the black haired man tried focusing on his work "he acts so cold but we both know he would do anything for those he cares for"

"He's so wonderful..." Kyoya was trying not to cum from the praise and the cock against his prostate "fuck..."

"My my the prestigious Ootori swearing? How unbecoming" (name) teased before whispering "why don't you cum? You wanna do it right? So do it"

This was a trick.

Kyoya knew it.

He knew (name).

He held on as much as he could as he finished his business essay and sighed.

Then he was pushed on the table and slammed from behind, forcing a climax out of him.

"Come on Kyoya, good boys deserve a reward no?"

[nanawritesit]

Being The Ouran High School Host Club’s Personal Assistant

After Haruhi became a host and was no longer the “errand-boy” of the group, Kyoya decided to hire a club assistant

You were a commoner from a local school who found the application online. Kyoya ended up hiring you because all the girls who applied from Ouran and other rich schools were only interested in getting close to the boys.

You didn’t even know who they were, and you had the perfect “commoner’s work ethic” that he was looking for

So, everyday after school, you’d walk up to the enormous gates of Ouran Academy to start your new part time job

Your job isn’t too difficult. You prepare tea and instant coffee, bake cakes, clean up at the end of the day, make runs to the grocery store, sell merchandise, and help Kyoya prepare for special events

The twins had some cute clothes from their mom’s fashion line brought in for you to wear as uniform

Speaking of the twins, they IMMEDIATELY take a liking to you (little devils)

They’re practically attached to your hip everytime they’re not with guests, asking you what you’re doing, what your school is like, how your grades are…

But that doesn’t stop them from accidentally giving you too many orders…

Tamaki tried to make you swoon right away, kissing your hand and offering you a rose

Kyoya had to shoo him away

“Tamaki that’s not a customer, please don’t make them fall in love with you”

But after that, Tamaki develops a fatherly persona around you, much like he did with Haruhi at first

He’s always applauding you when you do something difficult, worrying about your feelings, apologizing profusely when something bad happens…

But that also doesn’t stop HIM from accidentally giving you too many orders

Kyoya might be a little strict, but he would be lying if he said he didn’t feel a bit protective over you

One time when you were walking up to the music room a group of guys from Ouran started hitting on you, and Kyoya came up behind you and put his arm around your waist, immediately scaring them off

You’re wonderful at managing his stress. Often times after everyone goes home, you’ll find him buried in paperwork at his laptop, and you’ll just set a cup of tea down next to him and ask him what you can do to help

He really appreciates your hard work, even if he doesn’t really like saying it out loud. You’ll notice that he sometimes leaves you little gifts in the kitchen, like fancy tea cups or flowers 😊

Honey LOVES you. He jumped right into your arms as soon as you walked through the door.

Mori just scooped him up and apologized, telling you this was just how Mitskuni was

Honey is constantly jumping in your lap and snuggling up to you (partially bc you make his favorite cakes for him) and it makes all the other guys jealous

He says you make the best cake in the world, and even asks you to teach him how you make it!

And you’re the only one he lets hold usu-chan 🥰

Mori has a special relationship with you. You’ll often initiate conversations with him, and the other members are so shocked to see him actually opening up to you

He always compliments you on what a good job you’re doing, thanking you for taking care of them all so well ❤️

He also has a habit of just picking you up and carrying you away from the kitchen whenever he thinks you’re working too hard 😳

Haruhi literally becomes your best friend

She won’t hesitate to yell at Tamaki and the twins for ordering you around too much

She always offers to help you with your chores! She also had that “commoners work ethic” so she really doesn’t mind accompanying you to the grocery store or boiling some water while you frost the cakes

Tamaki gets SO jealous when he sees you and Haruhi hanging out at the mall on your own over the weekend

He actually ends up shyly approaching you to ask how he can get Haruhi to like him 🥹

Renge was a little jealous of you at first, thinking you were taking her job as manager, but when she found out you were a commoner, and an assistant, she felt more comfortable around you

She has you pull the lever for her rising platform, install new “powerful motors” in different locations for her to pop up out of, and bring her microphones

One time the generator died and you just stacked two tables on top of each other and held a fog machine in front of her 💀

She somehow gets you into some of her otaku interests, making you laugh over the character that resembled Kyoya

After a while you met Nekozawa

He crept his head out of the door and invited you over to visit the dark magic club, and your curiosity got the best of you

Kyoya noticed you were missing and burst through the doors to see you sprawled out on the floor over a pentagram, Nekozawa chanting overtop of you 💀

Kyoya immediately scooped you up and went OFF on Nekozawa 😳

“If you EVER try to use my valued assistant as a human sacrifice again I SWEAR the Ootori family will END you!”

God help you if you ever have any problems with bullies at your school

The host club will suddenly appear behind you and intimidate the heck out of them

You’re a part of the Host Club family now! They’re not going to let anyone push you around!

They also start lovingly intruding on your personal life (Haruhi will help you cope with this)

They’ll invite you on outings with them as well, like to the water park or on vacations with them

Overall, being the personal assistant to the Ouran High School Host Club is a lot of fun. It’s certainly an experience you’ll never forget :)

[pumpkinmetaphor]

im pretty sure its a running joke in the kyokao fandom that they actively make each other worse which i think is absolutely hilarious (because like, yeah annoying capitalist x annoying capitalist) but what are some of the ways you think they improve each other? :D /gen

Great question!

I think Kyoya makes Kaoru more ambitious. Kaoru is smart enough to skirt by most of the time without much effort or forethought. I would not hesistate to believe that he and Hikaru are only doing like half their subjects and then taking tests for each other. I also think Kaoru is immature and nebulous about the future and what he wants from it.

Someone like Kyoya, who is very goal oriented and future focused would be somewhat of a motivating factor. Hikaru and Kaoru's decision to go to Tokyo University is more triggered by Haruhi and Nanako than Kyoya's still pending decision to stay in Boston, but I think Kyoya seeing what he wants and going for it is impressive. I think Kaoru would take his work more seriously, maybe take more of an interest in the business side of things if Kyoya made it more fun.

Meanwhile, I think Kaoru would motivate Kyoya to reevaluate what he thinks freedom means. Freedom is Kaoru's family motto and something Kyoya strives for and thinks he has- but has he? I think in the same way Tamaki makes him reevaluate the box his father has put him in, Kaoru would help recontextualise that a bit more. Yes, you don't have to be trapped in the expectations of your birthright, but maybe you don't need to be beholden to anyone's expectations of you- Kyoya himself said it doesn't matter as long as the people he cares about knows who he is, so maybe he should live by that instead.

The host club in general convinces Kyoya to have a bit more fun, but I think even Kaoru's specific situation- overshadowed by his elder brother, possibly disinherited due to reasons unrelated to merit- and the fact that Kaoru would be entirely unbothered by it would allow Kyoya to maybe reevaluate his options and pick ones that allow him that freedom. After all, those who live freely are the winners, right? And Kyoya wants to win.

I think this "Kaoru makes Kyoya a freer spirit" stops slightly short of Kaoru getting him on a motorbike at any point.

Basically, I think they mellow each other out. Kaoru works harder, Kyoya becomes less of a workaholic. Kaoru becomes a little more self-possessed, Kyoya becomes a little bit freer.

I also think, as me and @pilindiel were only discussing earlier, they mesh pretty well with each other's anxieties. They're two people who believe that they can only be love for the mask they put on, and two people who quite easily see through each other's masks. As long as the people you care about know who you are, nothing else matters- is as much about Kaoru as it is about Kyoya. It's an inadvertant, egotistical admission by Kyoya that he does know who Kaoru is and Kaoru does care about him, and vice a versa. Platonically, and bewildering to Kaoru at this point, but important nonetheless. Kyoya proves his point by even saying it and articulating it as a viewpoint that Kaoru would share- because he does know who Kaoru is, and nothing else about it matters.

But yeah, Kyoya believes that it is more important for the people he cares about to know him than it is for them to love him. And Kaoru is kind of into the whole evil scheming ambition thing so that negates that concern. And Kaoru meanwhile is terrified of being made obsolete and being left behind. Which is negated somewhat by Kyoya being the kind of guy with the dedication to stick to his convictions, one of which he has decided is the perpetuity of the host club. And one would be Kaoru too, of course.

Also just tacking on at the end because I'm rambling too much. I think Kyoya would make Kaoru more independent-- something Kaoru already strives for a bit more of, but there's nothing like giving someone a reason not to share a bedroom with their sibling anymore as that final push. And I think Kaoru would encourage Kyoya to be less self-isolating, less of a lone wolf. Mainly because he likes getting into other people's business. Kaoru loves teamwork <- freak.

[tinythiefalex]

Ouran's Giant Host Club Chapter 2

Chapter 1 Next

Yeah, I can't think of a good title RIP.

I just got a reblog that mentioned the instant coffee bit. I have tragic news: I forgor. The instant coffee bit is not here :( I am so sorry, if I come across an opportunity to include it in the future I absolutely will. Anyway, enjoy, part 3 will be here on Friday.

-------------------------------------------------

 “Well, first things first,” the twins said with unnatural synchronization, “we need to get rid of this grubby outfit.” Hikaru nudged Haruhi with a finger that was nearly as tall as she was. 

“What? What’s wrong with my clothes?” Haruhi may not be able to afford the fancy uniforms the other students had, especially with the extra fees that came with getting it custom sized, but her button-up and sweater worked fine for her, at least it was comfortable. 

Tamaki shook his head. “The very first rule of being a host is that you must look presentable.” He pointed at Haruhi.  “We simply cannot let you walk around in those unflattering clothes.” 

“We don’t currently have any uniforms that would fit you.” Kyoya added, typing away on his computer. “We could put in a custom order but it would likely take a few days to arrive.”  

“Oh! Oh!” Honey raised his hand, waving it in excitement. “We could dress you up in doll clothes! That would be super cute! Right, Takashi?” 

Once again, Mori didn’t respond past a slight nod. 

Tamaki squealed, “That would be adorable!” 

“Yeah, then you really would be like our little doll!” The twins laughed. Without warning, they grabbed Haruhi, holding her right up to their faces. “Believe it or not, there are plenty of people here that collect dolls, I’m sure we can score something for you, little guy!” 

“Now, now, you two, hold on a minute.” Tamaki rushed towards them. “Our goal here is to teach this young man how to be a gentleman. We must lead by example!” He declared, holding out his hand. The twins reluctantly handed Haruhi over to Tamaki, who promptly held her cupped to his chest. Despite what Tamaki had said, she didn't find this any more respectful than how the twins were holding her. “Sorry about them, I'm sure we can find somewhere to get you some decent clothes as soon as our club hours end.” 

“On the contrary,” Kyoya turned his computer screen towards the others, though Haruhi couldn’t see it from where she was. “It seems the school was more prepared for an arrival like yours than I thought. It says here we can order him a uniform and pick it up as soon as tomorrow morning, so there’s no need to waste our money on other clothes.” 

Tamaki pouted a little on not being able to dress up this cute little guy, but quickly got over it. “Well, that settles that. Now, as the king of this host club I order you to go home and get some rest, we’ve got a big day of training tomorrow, so be ready.” 

Haruhi felt faint. Is this really happening? I don’t know if I can handle this.

The next morning, Haruhi arrived at the school, and once again, Tamaki met her at the gated entrance, this time holding a little box. 

“Haruhi! Your uniforms arrived!” he cheered, setting the box on the ground next to him, and although the box was small to him, it was huge to Haruhi. Easily a few times bigger than she was. She walked over to the box and tried to open it, but its sheer size made it very difficult for her to open. She found herself getting frustrated as she pushed with all her might, only for the lid to stubbornly stay in place. She was simply too outsized. 

Tamaki, on the other hand, hid a grin behind his hand at the adorable sight of Haruhi struggling to open the box. Taking pity, he reached down and opened it for her, making her stumble. 

Straightening herself back out and clearing her throat, Haruhi peers into the box, revealing a few tiny uniforms. 

After Tamaki took her to a changing room, Haruhi put on the academy’s blue uniform, surprised by how perfectly it fit her. How did that weird guy with the glasses get my measurements? She thought to herself, running a hand over her uniform to feel the fabric. Wait, isn’t this the male uniform? I guess they really do think I’m a boy. Oh well. She couldn’t care less honestly, she had much bigger problems to deal with. 

As soon as her classes ended, Tamaki once again brought Haruhi to the club room. Instead of staying with Haruhi, this time Tamaki dropped her off with Honey at his table. “Today, I’m thinking it would be good to pair you up with Honey-Senpai, and he can show you the ropes on how to entertain guests with your cuteness.” 

Haruhi looked up at Honey, who smiled wide back at her. “Tamaki-Senpai,” she looked back to the taller man, “I don’t think-”

Tamaki cut her off. “Of course, it won’t be the same playing field for you. While you are both appealing, Honey more so fits into the ‘boy-lolita’ category, and you are utterly adorable in a completely different way!” Haruhi groaned quietly, but Tamaki kept going, “Despite that, I still think Honey-Senpai has plenty to show you about how to captivate young ladies! Have fun!”

Tamaki’s appointments went by quickly. He was busy entertaining a few girls, spinning colorful compliments and poetry-like responses meant to woo any young lady. One in particular, Seika Ayanokoji, interrupted another girl’s swooning to start a conversation. 

“So, Tamaki, I heard that the host club is keeping a little kitten without a pedigree.” 

Tamaki laughs, “I don’t know that I’d call him that, but speaking of, our newest member is actually here right now with Honey-Senpai. I thought pairing them up together would be good for our guests looking for something to coo over. I can introduce you if you’d like.” 

Ayanokoji smiled. “That would be lovely.”

The two headed over to Honey and Mori’s table, where three girls were currently busy fawning over the tiny human. 

“This is Haru-chan, isn’t he cute, ladies?” Honey asks while squishing Haruhi right up against the side of his face. As a chorus of “awww”s came from the girls, Haruhi wanted nothing more than to get out of this kid's grip and back on solid ground. 

Mori, seeing her discomfort, gently took Haruhi from Honey and placed her back on the table. Honey was a bit surprised, but ended up just shrugging it off and going back to talking with the girls.

Thank goodness Haruhi thought. 

Just then, Tamaki arrived at the table, waving at Haruhi. “Hey there little piglet, I wanted to introduce you to someone.”

What? Piglet? Haruhi was getting a bit sick of these weird nicknames. 

Tamaki gestured to the woman standing beside him. “Haruhi, this is my regular guest, Princess Seika Ayanokoji.” 

“Charmed, I’m sure.” the woman said with a strange smile. Haruhi tried to hide her scowl from the lady’s odd tone. Is this girl really a princess? Haruhi kept a neutral look on her face as she greeted the giant, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”

“I’ve taken the little one under my wing,” Tamaki announced with a smile, “with my gracious guidance, I will make sure this young man becomes the finest gentleman he can be!” 

Ayano giggles to herself, “Oh, Tamaki, now you’re taking the joke too far.” Haruhi couldn’t help but feel like the laugh was condescending. “He might be cute, but someone of your importance doesn’t need to associate themselves with little commoners like this. It’s not a good look.” She then looked back down at Haruhi, her expression making it seem like she had forgotten the human was there, though Haruhi was smart enough to know it was fake. “Oh I’m sorry,” Ayanokoji continued, “I’m sure you understand.” 

Hardly, thought Haruhi, why do all these damn rich people insist on talking about me like that? 

Tamaki hardly takes note of the interaction, going right back to conversing with his guests. Haruhi can feel her eye twitch a little from annoyance. These damn rich people…

Suddenly, Haruhi is snatched from behind and carried across the room “Wha- hey! Put me down!” She is set down on an empty counter. “Hey! You can’t just grab people like that! It’s really-!” She turns around and jumps, it’s Kyoya.

The scary one.

 “Apologies, but I needed to speak with you in private.” He said. As intimidating as he was, Haruhi still felt like she had to say something. “Yeah well, next time you can just ask!”

His expression is unreadable. “Alright. I wanted to give you a word of advice. You are paying for Tamaki’s time by working for us but, as you’ve likely noticed, Tamaki is a very big draw for the club. His request rate is 70%.” Haruhi furrowed her eyebrows, not sure where this was going.

Kyoya suddenly leaned over Haruhi, his hands on either side of her. Seen from this angle, he became a huge, shadowy figure to Haruhi. She can’t stop a shiver of intimidation from running up her spine. 

“That means,” he continued, far too close for comfort, “you will have to work very hard to get your request rating high enough to be worth his time. And you may think that just because you’re small, we won’t be able to keep tabs on you. But know this-” he leaned even closer, his face mere inches away from Haruhi. This close, his eyes take up her entire vision. She clenched her fists tight to her side to slow her quaking. “-my family alone employs a private police force of 100 officers. There is nowhere you can go where we won’t find you. So you’d better make your involvement here worth it to us, and especially to me.” 

“W-what are you implying?” Haruhi shakingly asked, taking a few hesitant steps back. 

Kyoya whispered, “If I were you, I would put in a lot more effort than you are right now.” He then straightened back up, and walked away as if nothing had happened. Haruhi’s legs felt like jelly, but she managed to stay standing anyway. What is that guy’s problem? 

“There you are, my little nerd!” Tamaki greeted her, using a fingertip to ruffle up her short hair. 

Not noticing his approach, Haruhi jumped back with a gasp as his finger touched her head. Trying to steady her breathing, she ran her hand through her hair to straighten it back out. “Please don’t do that again.”

Tamaki took a moment to look her up and down. “Hmm…That uniform is a good start but we really need to get you a makeover, otherwise people will eventually get bored of your itty-bittyness, and then no girl is going to look twice at you.” 

Haruhi can’t stop herself from rolling her eyes, which, thanks to her glasses, Tamaki doesn’t notice. “Yeah, well, I’m not trying to get girls to look at me.” Honestly, the thought of being constantly stared at and prodded by a bunch of giants didn’t seem appealing to Haruhi at all, no matter what gender the giants were. 

“Are you kidding me?” Tamaki replied, shocked. “It’s the most important thing! You have to learn to be a gentleman and please the ladies, like me.” He said, striking a princely pose. “That is, of course,” He stared back down at Haruhi, “if you want a chance of paying us back for my services.” He winked at her. 

Haruhi almost rolled her eyes again, before she remembered Kyoya’s barely concealed threat. Clenching her fists behind her back, she sighed. “Fine. What do I need to do?” 

“Well,” Haruhi jumped at 2 voices coming from right behind her. How do these massive guys keep sneaking up on me like that? “We can start by getting rid of these awful glasses.” One of the twins (Hikaru) said, and attempted to pinch her glasses with 2 massive fingers. The glasses were far too tiny for him to grip, but he did manage to make them fall off of her face, nearly knocking Haruhi over as well. 

“Hey! Stop! You’ll break those!” She tried to pick the glasses back up, but the twin swept them off the table and into his hand before she could. “Give those back! I lost my contacts before school, I need those glasses!” 

Hikaru stared at the glasses in his palm nearly in awe. He poked at the pair with his finger, noting with fascination how much his fingertip alone outsized them. Pushing that out of his mind, he looks back at Tamaki, surprised to see a shocked expression on his boss's face. That look was matched by the other club members as well. Hikaru looked back to Haruhi, his eyes going wide. 

As tiny as Haruhi was, and as difficult as it was to see her eyes from more than a foot away, her eyes were beautiful. 

Tamaki suddenly snapped his fingers, taking everyone out of the trance. Their attention on him, he commanded, “Kyoya, look up the nearest human eye doctor, and get this man some contacts.” Kyoya immediately started typing on his computer. 

“Mori, find some human hair supplies.” Mori obediently rushes off. 

Tamaki pointed at the twins, “You two, take this man and do whatever you need to do to make him look the part.”  

The twins’ faces brightened, “You’ve got it, boss!” They grabbed Haruhi and ran over to the changing room for supplies.

Finally, Tamaki turned to the last remaining member. “Honey-Senpai,” Honey’s eyes lit up. “…go have some cake.” Honey’s face fell, and he defeatedly walked back to his table.

After a non-specific amount of time, Haruhi was back on the table, all done up. Tamaki’s eyes were sparkling as he looked at her. “Cute! You’re as pretty as a girl!” he squealed, hands on his face as he was nearly overcome with awe, “Adorable!” Haruhi looked down at herself. Oh right, they think I’m a boy….Whatever.

Honey-Senpai smiled wide, “Wow Haru-chan! You look great!” 

The twins held two thumbs up. “If we’d known that’s how you really look”-”we would have helped you sooner!”

“Who knows,” Kyoya added, adjusting his glasses, “looking like that he might actually draw in some customers.”

Tamaki jumped in. “Speaking of which, I’d say now is a good time to make our deal official,” he pointed at Haruhi, “if you can get 1,000 customers to request your service, we’ll consider ourselves even.” 

So this is really happening…

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

Yandere V + H: Kyoya Ootori

He’s used to playing second fiddle 

Letting his smarts be used to satisfy the dreams of ‘a larger than life villain’

"Watch them run! They don't even know about the side-effect that comes with it!"

"Well dear they do now. I suggest we begin our escape."

"Right...how are we exiting today...again?"

"By boat, dear."

But that’s what makes you special 

You’re well aware that the true villain is he

You’re nothing more than the presenter to his genius

And he couldn’t be happier

Granted you can’t exactly disconnect from him 

But tomahto, tohmato you get to to be a villain don’t you

Than there’s no reason for you to try and separate: 

“W-wait is this the rumored invention that’ll give those big wigs even more money?!” 

Kyoya looked up from his workstation, stopping his holographic modeling. He spotted the scuffed up nature of your costume, focusing back on his invention when he saw no injuries. 

“Apparently so.”

Your fists clenched at your side as you fought the building frustration. But you stood your ground stomping up the hovering steps to his glowing work space. Hands on your hips you tried to garner his attention from behind his spread of monitors. 

“You know that’s completely off brand, right!? Equilizor has always been about helping the little guy!” 

He didn’t look at you, continuing to press at the screen.

“And?”

“And? And what? They’re the enemies here, why should we help them? Unless this is a ploy to wipe them all out I say we terminate the project!”

He smiled to himself still keeping his gaze glued to the bright blue screens running a tentative tongue over his lip. 

“Right…and how would you go about doing that?”

“Who knows, i might just stop being the Equilizor.”

His hands stopped at that. Letting the hum of the monitors fill the silence of the room. He was looking at you, the reflections of his spectacles showing a protesting you. He let the hologram fizzle out, putting his hands on the steel surface of his desk.

“Oh, will you?”

“Yeah.”

He tapped his fingers against the table returning your stare with one of his own. Before leaning back in his chair, carding his hands together barely hiding his irritated smirk.

“Than try it. Go ahead.”

His tone was mocking as he shrugged at you. You pouted at the lack of response, staring into his eyes to test his resolve. Seeing that he wasn’t showing any reaction at all you would do just that. You immediately began flinging off your gloves, your utility belt, and you would have done the same with your mask only stopping when you looked at Kyoya again. Menacing and maniacal the smile wasn’t one of happiness.

“Sure sure go ahead (Y/n). Quit being the equilizor because then you’ll be an average citizen.”

You went to pull off your mask.

“An average. Worthless citizen that has nothing on the Equilizor’s henchman now villain doing whatever he pleases.” 

“A-are you threatening me!?” 

You stepped forward barely backing up in time to avoid Kyoya snapping up to stand over you. Smiling with closed eyes, using the leverage of the steps to force you to stumble downwards. 

“I’m not threatening you (Y/n). I’m informing you of what may happen if my favorite partner decides to skip out on me, things will get really confusing.”

[thatanimewriter]

𝐃𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐃 𝐔𝐏 - 𝘣𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘴!

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❝ 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞. ❞ ──   𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘻𝘶𝘬𝘢  𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪 𝘹 𝘨𝘯. 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳

you are the heir to a well-known doll company. ironically, you’re just as small as one. at ouran academy, you help out at the host club as a host yourself, creating dolls of your clients upon their request. though it seems it's not just the guests who admire your work...

── 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯, 𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘧𝘧, 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵! 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵

𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 + 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

"welcome, ladies," the host club said in unison, standing out in the garden in varying types of clothing. while haruhi, mori, honey and yourself were in more traditional japanese yukatas, tamaki, the twins and kyoya went for a more... butler-y approach for the flower-viewing reception.

as the girls scattered to mingle with the other hosts, haruhi sat in front of honey - vigorously mixing matcha in a stone bowl - as well as mori. she wondered if she should tell honey if he over-mixed the matcha or not, and she was sure the other guests sitting with them were wondering the same thing.

"mitsukuni," mori began, leaning in closer to the boy. "you over did it."

and from there, the surrounding guests and hosts saw the light die in honey's eyes before they started to water.

"honey, i'll take it! it looks so yummy!" one of the girls exclaimed, taking the bowl from him and drinking some of it.

"it's just the right amount for both of us, any more would be too much," the other reassured. "how did you know? you never cease to amaze me."

at her comment, honey seemed to immediately perk up, "really?" he asked, mori turning to face the girls properly with a tray of sushi in his hands. as you walked past, you leaned down to pluck one off the tray, catching mori's attention as you smiled and put it in your mouth, winking at him, to which he smiled back.

────── 〔✿〕──────

"so, haruhi," the twins began, kaoru holding haruhi's hand while hikaru had an arm lovingly wrapped around her shoulders, though it concerned you that he might accidentally choke her. "have you decided your elective courses for this term?" they asked.

"how about conversational french?" karou suggested.

"i don't know..." haruhi admitted defeatedly.

"i think the 3 of us should take it together. it makes perfect sense," hikaru added before he and his brother turned to face tamaki, who stood behind them in dumbfounded silence.

"we are in the same class," they said, shooting tamaki a shit-eating grin that sent him right to a tree to mope.

"say... mommy, dear?" tamaki called, blankly staring at the tree trunk.

"what is it now... daddy?" kyoya responded, making you scrunch your face in disgust. you didn't know they had that kind of relationship, considering tamaki definitely already had a crush on haruhi since day one.

"i have a new theory," tamaki said, now glaring at the tree. "i mean, it's just my hypothesis, but it seems that by being in the same class, hikaru and kaoru are able to spend more time with haruhi than i get to here at the club! this gives them a chance to get close to her, and if that happens-"

"tamaki, you just now realised that?" kyoya asked, a smug smile crossing his face before pulling a couple whiteboards out of god knows where, pie charts stuck to them. "according to my research, in a single day the twins spend roughly 9 hours of class time with haruhi, meanwhile your contact with her is limited to a couple of hours of club activities," he explained. "in other words, your involvement in haruhi's life each day amounts to no more than a mere 3%, i'm so very sorry."

tamaki shot up from his place on the floor, tears bursting from his eyes as he covered his ears, "i don't wanna hear it! i don't wanna hear it!" he cried, but quickly recovered from his devastation by grabbing haruhi by the collar and getting up in her face. "listen, haruhi, i want you to stop hanging out with those shady twins from now on!" he exclaimed.

"who are you calling shady?!" hikaru protested.

"yeah! take a good look at yourself, boss!" kaoru retorted.

tamaki staggered backwards, mumbling to himself god knows what before clenching his fist in determination. "alright, then. we can't go on hiding the fact that you're a girl from everyone in the school any longer!" his determined look was replaced with tears once more. "all daddy wants is for you to go back to being the girl you used to be! for you to surround yourself with girl friends and start leading a wholesome life!" he whined.

"who are you calling 'daddy'?" haruhi wondered before getting grabbed again by tamaki and being shook backwards and forwards gently.

"so do it! change back, now! change right now!" he continued, tears still streaming down his face.

"we don't have to rush things, she's going to be found out soon enough," hikaru interjected.

"physical exams are the day after tomorrow," kaoru informed.

"physical... exams?" haruhi inquired.

you hummed to yourself as you placed a hand to your chin. "that's right, i forgot all about it." as you spoke, the entirety of the host club stared blankly at haruhi.

"then that means there's no doubt. they're gonna know... i'm really a girl," haruhi concluded, striking disbelief and possibly some fear into the hearts of the club.

────── 〔✿〕──────

"he must be having a great daydream," honey commented as he and the twins watched tamaki sit in a chair, eyes closed in wondrous bliss.

"he's kind of creeping me out," hikaru admitted, earning a glare from tamaki, who soon shot out of his seat.

"envious, hikaru? this is all part of my strategy. while you wasted time blinded by your jealousy, i've foreseen the outcome of this charade," he claimed, turning around with unnecessary bravado. "this anime is obviously a romantic school comedy! haruhi and i are the main characters, so that means we are love interests."

"yeah, then what are we?" the twins asked blankly.

"you boys... are the homosexual supporting cast," tamaki explained, turning around again to point at them before materialising a stick to draw a line between him and the rest of the club. "so please make sure that you don't step across this line."

"you've gotta be kidding..." the twins mumbled.

kyoya turned to the side, writing in his little notebook. technically, this is actually a fanfiction, so the main characters are mori-senpai and [name]-senpai, not yourself and haruhi, he thought to himself.

"hey, listen, boss," hikaru said.

"i don't think you get it," kaoru added.

"if word gets out, then haru-chan is really a girl, then she won't be able to be in the host club anymore," honey explained. "but, if haru-chan started wearing girl's clothes, i bet she'd be even cuter than she is now!"

"she dressed like a regular girl when she was in middle school, right?" you asked, deciding to feed into honey's idea that you swore made tamaki turn white. "she must've been pretty popular with all the boys."

"yeah," kyoya confirmed, "according to all my investigative reports, someone would declare their undying love to her at least once a month."

you smirked, "oh, i see."

"so the boss wouldn't even be able to get close to her," kaoru mused.

"but we'd be able to because we're in class with her all day long," hikaru stated.

"no way..." tamaki whimpered, tears welling in his eyes at the idea, but his thoughts were abruptly stopped by the door opening.

"hey guys, sorry i'm so late," haruhi said.

"don't you worry, haruhi," tamaki began, grabbing her by the shoulders and pushing his face near hers, tears still gathered in his eyes. "we're determined to keep your secret. no one will find out that you're really a girl during tomorrow's physical exams! so please, promise you'll stay our beloved secret princess!"

haruhi blinked at his panic. "sure."

hikaru turned to his twin. "you know, i think we'd both be a little peeved if we had to watch all the guys flirt with her."

"than that settles it," kaoru said. suddenly, tamaki stood in front of the host club, minus yourself and haruhi, going over the plan he had made to protect haruhi's identity and had so kindly drawn on a whiteboard.

as you and haruhi stared at them, she finally put the pieces together. "i've got it, you guys are worried 'cause if they find out i'm a girl i can't be a host and therefore can't repay my debt." as she mumbled to herself, the twins and haruhi sweat dropped at her lack of care. "well, guess i'll have to come up with another way to pay you back," she concluded with a laugh.

"do something!" the twins exclaimed, turning to face tamaki. "the subject doesn't appear to have any motivation!"

"ugh, why'd we have to get stuck with such a difficult heroine," tamaki muttered, perking up and pointing at haruhi daringly. "are you saying that you hate being a host?! that you hate this club?!"

"to be honest, i'd have to say yes," haruhi admitted, sending tamaki right to the corner to create a dark cloud of hurt feelings.

"i mean, you guys aren't bad, but if it gets out that she's a girl, there's nothing she can do, you know?" you pitched in, "she doesn't seem to care one way or the other."

"well, before we do anything else, we have to find a way to motivate her," kaoru suggested.

mori put his hand to his chin as a thought struck him. "fancy tuna," he said, causing the club members to gasp.

"oh, that's right. you didn't get the chance to eat any during last chapter's party, did you~?" tamaki commented, slowly raising his head to face the group.

"did you hear that? she's never eaten fancy tuna before, isn't that awful?" hikaru whispered to his brother, shit eating grins plastered to their faces.

"wow, talk about a difficult childhood," kaoru added.

"if only haru-chan could stay in the host club, she'd have the chance to eat all kinda of yummy things whenever she wants," honey whined to usa-chan.

"what are you talking about? don't be silly, just 'cause i'm poor and i've never had it doesn't mean that i'm so much of a glutton i could go on fooling everyone about my gender just to try some fancy tuna," haruhi explained, though it seems it was only herself that she was trying to convince. in the span of her explanation, tamaki had rejoined the group, which all had small smiles plastered to their faces. well... except for honey. he had quite a wide grin. as her pathetic laughter died down, haruhi gave in. "am i really gonna get to try it?"

────── 〔✿〕──────

"welcome, students!"

you gave the absurd lineup of doctors and nurses a tight lipped smile. you'll never get used to how many medical professionals attended ouran physical exams, and certainly not the red carpet that they lined up on either side on. however, you couldn't be mad for too long, since you quickly spied honey and mori dressed as doctors in the middle of the room.

"why are honey and mori dressed as doctors?" a female student wondered.

"honey-senpai? mori-senpai?" haruhi called out, taken aback. they both raised a finger to their lips and shushed her, to which she gave a deadpan look. "they're so obvious."

"i've got those 2 for backup just in case something happens," kyoya explained.

"but why are they in doctor disguises?" haruhi asked.

you shrugged, moving to stand next to her. "they're just helping to set the mood. their disguises make our operation feel like a real espionage mission," you answered, pretending to sound like kyoya. the group of you watched as a female student got her weight checked by the doctors, and you took the time to wedge yourself in between honey and mori, smiling gently at them as mori put a hand on your shoulder comfortingly.

"don't you think it's weird that these doctors are all so jovial and nice?" haruhi questioned.

"they're chosen by the school's chairman," you said.

"this may be a school, but it's also a business, therefore, he wants to keep the students happy. after all, most of the students that attend ouran academy come from prominent families that have their own private doctors at home. so this... is just a formality," kyoya explained. as haruhi began to walk away, a man bumped into him.

"i'm... terribly sorry," the man said.

"no problem..." kyoya responded, watching the man dressed as a doctor run away. "huh..."

you turned to face mori, who still wore his doctor's outfit alongside honey. he glanced down at you with a curious look, to which you stepped back a bit to fully take in the costume. patiently, he waited for your verdict as you put a finger to your lips.

"hm?" he prompted.

you smiled lightly at him. "i think i prefer the kendo outfit," you said, following after haruhi, who had to watch the pain that was hikaru and kaoru's chest measurements. not long after the squealing from the fangirls began, honey and mori ran over, pushing haruhi away while the crowd was distracted.

"come on, haru-chan! this way!" honey exclaimed. when they reached the makeshift changing room, they pushed her inside without another word. making their way to where you were standing, they awaited the absolute joke that would ensue.

"mr. fujioka?" the nurse called. "it's time for us to take your chest measurements. once you've finished disrobing, would you please come with me?"

"oh no..." you mumbled, trying to suppress a smile that dared to cross your face. girls muttered in excitement around you as they waited for haruhi to come out.

"mr. fujioka? are you ready to be measured now?"

"yes," tamaki said, pulling back the curtain to reveal him with an unbuttoned dress shirt and a wig that was supposed to replicate haruhi's hair. "i'm haruhi... fujioka."

you sighed. "he didn't have to say who he was..."

"wait... that's tamaki," a girl noted.

"there's no denying it, that's definitely tamaki," another one said.

"is he cosplaying as haruhi?"

"what's going on? is he trying to be funny?"

the girls' comments were cut off by the booming laughter coming from the twins, much to tamaki's dismay.

"i can't believe he actually did it!" hikaru said through his laughter.

"they recognised him! i told you they'd see through it!" kaoru replied.

tamaki grit his teeth in frustration and embarrassment as he ripped the wig off, tears brimming in his eyes once again before grabbing hikaru by the neck. "you jerks! you said there's no way the girls would be able to tell it was me!"

"it's payback for calling us the homosexual supporting cast," hikaru wheezed, still grinning.

you tugged on mori's sleeve with a wide grin, looking up at him and noticing his own smile. "can you change back into uniform now?" you requested.

"yeah," he said, pulling honey along as you followed them to the changing rooms to take their costumes.

"that was a pretty funny prank, wasn't it [name]?" honey asked, skipping down the room.

"yeah, it was. i'm not surprised that tamaki fell for it, though. he's never been extremely bright in that sense," you commented. "but i wouldn't have him without that naivety."

"hm."

"hey, [name]! you should come stay the night this weekend! you haven't been over in so long..." honey suggested, pouting at your lack of absence at his house. "takashi will come too! it'll be just like old times!"

your eyes trailed up to mori, who smiled and nodded at you. "ok!" you answered, coming to a stop as you waited for your childhood friends to finish changing. as they threw their doctor's coats over the railing of the curtain, you took them and folded them neatly. of course, you didn't have to do so, some cleaner would've found them and taken them away at the end of the day, but you enjoyed caring for the 2 of them regardless.

"we're done!" honey called out. the curtains were drawn back and indeed, they had returned to the ouran uniform. "let's go back to the others."

"i'm telling the truth!" a girl exclaimed, causing the 3 of you to turn around. "one of the doctors grabbed me by my shoulder. he was trying to make a pass at me! i've never been so terrified!"

"i had a feeling this might happen..." kyoya said, walking to meet up with you, honey and mori. the twins were close behind, but their usual mischievous smirks were gone this time.

"what do you mean?" you asked.

"a bit earlier today... i saw a strange man, wearing a white lab coat but clearly not one of our hospitals doctors and i thought he was a little odd," he explained.

"shouldn't you have said something sooner?" the twins accused.

"well, it's no big deal, i'm sure the security guard will catch him."

"tell me, miss, did you happen to notice where the pervert doctor was headed?" one of the other doctors asked.

"yes, sir. he ran off towards the special boys clinic."

oh... oh no...

"haruhi!" the host club exclaimed, tamaki appearing out of nowhere.

────── 〔✿〕──────

haruhi turned at the sound of curtains moving, shirt clutched to her chest as she stood in her camisole and uniform pants. "excuse me?" she said meekly. the doctor turned in shock, walking towards her and covering her mouth with his hand, while the other held her bicep.

"no, it's not what you think! please just keep quiet," he said.

"haruhi!" tamaki yelled. "tama-chan kick!" as he came barging into the curtained off changing room, his shoe met the doctor's face, launching him into the wall and creating a significant hole in it.

"one. good looks that attract the public eye," hikaru and kaoru began.

"two. more wealth than you can imagine." kyoya stood in the shadows, creating an eerie cast over his figure.

"three," you added.

"chivalry that will never be able to overlook..." mori continued.

"the hideous wickedness of this world," honey finished.

tamaki walked up behind haruhi, draping his shirt over her head. "that's what makes up the ouran host club!"

"we're here! watch out!" the group of you called, striking fear into the doctor that created the hole in the wall because of tamaki.

"please don't hurt me! spare me my life!" he cried, kneeling on the floor and bowing at your feet. "i'm a doctor. i have a small emergency medical clinic that i run in the next town over. my name is yabu."

"did he say his name is yabu?" you mumbled.

"that's crazy, what a terrible name for a doctor," kaoru commented.

"unless you're a quack," he and his twin said in unison.

"i know... i'm here because i was hoping to see my daughter," doctor yabu explained, and thus, he told his life story. by the end, most of you were not impressed, but both yabu and tamaki were sobbing on the floor.

"doctor yabu," kyoya said, "i think you may have the wrong place. are you looking for ouran public high school?"

suddenly, the crying fest stopped. "yeah, that's right."

"i figure that might be the case. this is ouran academy. a private institution. your daughter doesn't go to school here."

"man, that's pretty sad. you don't even know what school your daughter goes to?" hikaru criticised.

"i bet you relationship is messed up because you don't pay attention to her," kaoru pitched in. "not because of some stupid debt."

yabu sat on the floor in shock, and he'd gone so pale he may as well have been in black and white.

"wow, kyo-chan! i'm impressed you figured out he had the wrong school," honey praised.

"well, there's no way the daughter of such a small time doctor would ever be able to get into ouran academy," kyoya explained, earning a glare from haruhi.

"kyoya, would you please find a map of all the public schools in this area?" tamaki requested. "i'd like to help this man find his daughter." haruhi and kyoya looked at him in surprise, but kyoya smiled regardless.

"whatever you say."

────── 〔✿〕──────

as the host club stood by the open window of haruhi's dressing room, you watched as yabu left the school to find his daughter.

"are you sure about this?" hikaru questioned.

"after all, even if he does manage to find his daughter, there's no guarantee she'll wanna speak to him," kaoru reasoned.

tamaki paused. "well then, that's something he'll have to find out for himself." your eyes widened slightly as you turned to face him, who kept his gaze on yabu, and gently, you wrapped your arms around him. he loosely reciprocated the hug, draping an arm around you before you released him.

"i'm sorry about this you guys," haruhi interrupted, "but, could you please leave?" everyone cautiously leaned away from her.

"haruhi...? are you still angry with me? you're not thinking of quitting the host club, are you?" tamaki fretted.

haruhi laughed at his worry, "don't be stupid, senpai, i've just go to finish my physical exam. as a male student, of course." as she turned to face him and saw everyone's smiles - and tamaki's whimpering - she continued. "uh, but let me explain. i'm not doing this 'cause you're bribing me with food. i'm doing it to pay back my debt."

tamaki blushed as he took in her words before launching at her. "you're so cute, haruhi!" he squealed, wrapping her in a bear hug. "i can see right through you! i know you're just after that fancy tuna!"

as haruhi and tamaki bickered back and forth, you turned to mori again and lightly took his hand in yours. he looked down at you and smiled, adjusting your hand in his and squeezing it gently.

────── 〔✿〕──────

as mori came out of his ensuite bathroom, he spied a doll sat atop one of his shelves. picking it up with all the care in the world, he inspected it closely, turning it over in his hands. humming to himself, he placed it on his desk and opened a drawer, reaching for a toolkit he kept in his desk. taking a seat at his desk - and ignoring the fact he was half naked, only wearing boxers and a fluffy white bathrobe - he began to clean the doll.

brushing through the hair and restyling it, he wondered what it would feel like if your hands were running through his hair. polishing the eyes, he was reminded of the sparkle he often saw in your own. as he oiled the joints, he thought about how you sat and watched his kendo practices without complaints. and finally, as he put the doll back on the shelf, he straightened the clothes, thinking about how you would always straighten his blazers or fix his tie.

taking a step back, he stared into his own eyes. yet staring at a doll version of himself, he could only think about you.

[rustycopper4use]

Its Always Been You pt18

Kyoya’s Reluctant Day Out! Pt 18

(Kyoya x male reader)

 

 A soft hum of a fan fills the room, weakly blowing out air.  

   And here lies Y/n, despite his many efforts he couldn’t sleep. He’d blame the weather, he never really did well in the heat.

  He rubbed his eyes and groaned.

 His hand moved around before finding his phone. Turning it on as the white burned into his eyes.

   ‘2:00 am’

He scrolled through his contacts before sending a message.

 ‘Kyoya’

The message was left on read, he rolled his eyes.

 ‘Kyoya I know you’re still up’

Once again left on read.

 ‘I’m coming over’

‘The back door is unlocked.’

Y/n grinned before jumping out of bed.

   He hastily thrown on a hoodie and ran out the door. 

  The cool of the night greeted Y/n as he walked down the street. The slow glow of streetlights accompanying him.

  He turns the corner, looking up at the oh so familiar house. Quietly he walks to the back of the house, going towards the back door he turned the handle and walked in. 

  Heading towards Kyoya’s room a faint sound of typing was heard just beyond the door.

   He swings open the door.

 “So what are you working on, this time?”

Kyoya stared blankly, the computer light illuminating his face.

   “That bad huh?” 

   “ working yourself half to death cannot be good for your health.” Y/n notes, sitting on Kyoya’s bed.

   “It’s not ideal, however, it’s just a sacrifice I have to make to uphold the Ootori name.” He blankly states, pushing up his glasses.

  He continues typing away.

“If you say so.” Y/n lays on his bed, as a comforting wave of silence fills the room.

 As the two enjoyed each other’s company, after a brief amount of time, Kyoya closes his laptop, finally finished. 

  He gets up from his desk and hears towards his bed.

  He looks at Y/n, now passed out.

He takes off his glasses with a sigh and places them infront of the clock on his bedside.

  ‘5:03’

He lays next to him and gets the long needed sleep.

  The warmth of another person brought an odd sense of relief, as he drifts off.

——-

“-This might be one of my best ideas men!” A tall blonde bursts through the door, accompanied by the other hosts.

   “Kyoya time to get up-!” Tamaki stopped right in his tracks. And stared at Kyoya’s bed.

  Kyoya was still asleep, However that wasn’t the issue, on top of him was Y/n. Like his own personal weighted blanket.

“What’s the problem boss?” Karou looks over to the bed also, a devilish grin formed on his face.

  Hikaru pulled out his phone and took some photos. 

  “How scandalous! Didn’t know Kyoya had it in him.” The twins said with a smile.

 “You don’t think they-… that they….” Tamaki mumbled, mouth agape.

  “How cute!” Honey-senpai stood behind Tamaki.

  This was the straw that broke Tamaki.

 “MAMA!” He cried, awaking Kyoya.

 “How could you! After everything we’ve been through!” Tamaki cried. To a now very annoyed Kyoya.

  “Why are you in my room Tamaki..” kyoya grumbled feeling an oncoming headache.

   “Never mind that! Why is Y/n in your bed!” He shirked.

   “Why are you in my room.” He asked, trying to keep his voice down.

   “Tamaki-senpai wanted us to go to a commoners market, to better understand Haru-chan!” Honey-senpai chirped.

  “Don’t ignore me!” Tamaki butts in.

“Keep it down, Y/n is still alseep.” Kyoya harshly whispered, glaring at the blonde.

  He covers his eyes with his arm, wishing for the club to be just a bad dream.

   “Oh cmon! You can’t be in bed all morning! Today is the last day of summer vacation!” Tamaki whined.

  “Wake up..” Honey-senpai gently pulled on Kyoya’s arm.

   “Come on Kyoya.” The twins began to shake him.

   Y/n drowsily moved his head, having all the hosts freeze.

   He just cuddled closer to Kyoya’s chest.

A sigh of relief left the clubs chests.

 Kyoya moved his arm away from his eyes, and slowly sat up careful not to wake Y/n.

  “For your information we were up till 5AM  you morons. Which if you hadn’t noticed makes me less than happy about being woken up.” 

   A shiver ran up the clubs spine.

 “Kyo-chan isn’t much of a morning person huh?” Honey-senpai notes.

  “You have no room to talk.” Mori remarks.

  “Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” Honey looks up at Mori.

“Okay, enough with the commoner shtick. If you formulaic halfwits feel like wasting all afternoon on worn-out old cliches, go right ahead and suit yourselves.” Kyoya grumble lying back down.

   “Well if that’s what you want…” 

 “Well you heard the man! Now let’s dress him to the nines and head to the expo!” Tamaki throws his hands in the hair.

   “What about Y/n?” Honey-senpai tilts his head.

   “Right, twins!”

The two stood up straight.

  “You can take care of Y/n.”

  “Yes sir!” 

The twins eagerly pry Y/n off of kyoya, dragging him to get ‘dolled‘ up.

   Karou pulls out an outfit and puts it on Y/n with a grin.

  “Doesn’t he look great!” The twins cooed.

  “Wait, where did you even get that outfit? We didn’t see in Kyoya’s closet.” Tamaki examined Y/n.

  “We’ve been waiting for the perfect opportunity to dress up Y/n! Instead of his poor excuse of fashion he usually wears.”  Karou grimace holding up Y/n’s hoodie, before throwing it out the window.

  After all that fuss the hosts carry the two towards Tamaki’s limo out front.

   As they throw the two, less than gracefully, into the car.

  Finally awaking Y/n.

 He rubbed his eyes.

“What’s going on?” 

 “You’re finally awake!” Honey smiled.

  “We’re taking you and kyoya to a commoners market!” Tamaki declared.

——-

“-and then they left you with me to babysit essentially.” Y/n sighed, as a less then please Kyoya sat on a bench.

He stood up, and rubbed his temple.

“I’m assuming you don’t have your phone on you either.” Kyoya sighed.

  “No. I’m pretty sure the twins took it.” Y/n looks around.

   “What should we do now-“

A small little boy ran into Kyoya’s legs, he lets out a whimper rubbing his head. Looking up at Kyoya he was greeted by a glared. He bursts into tears before running off to his mom.

  “Mama!”

 “Tamaki’s a deadman when I get my hands on him.” Kyoya huffed.

  Y/n let out a chuckle.

 “Kyoya-senpai?” A familiar voice called out.

  “Oh perfect, Haruhi!” Y/n smiled.

Haruhi walked closer to the two.

 “I didn’t expect to see you two here today.” Haruhi politely said.

  “How much money do you have on you Haruhi?” Kyoya bluntly spoke.

   “What?” Haruhi stared at Kyoya.

—— 

Later at a fast food joint….

“Kyoya-senpai, are you sure this is where you wanna eat? There are much nicer restaurants to choose from upstairs.” Haruhi nervously spoke.

  “Well you don’t have much on you, so our choices are limited. Just be sure to get a receipt. Tamaki will reimburse you tenfold.” Kyoya glared.

    Haruhi nervously nodded.

 “Haruhi its our turn.” Y/n brought Haruhi back to reality.

   “Oh! Uh, here, why don’t I just order for us. Do you two know what you want?”

  “You pick. Just get us lots of it.”

   Y/n nodded in agreement.

 “Oh uh okay..” Haruhi’s began to talk to the cashier.

   However the cashier seemed to entranced by the mysterious kyoya. Acting more friendly to them than the other customers.

   “Okay, coming right up. Would you be interested in adding one of our delicious desserts?” The cashier cheerily asked.

 “Thank you, no, I don’t care for sweets.” Kyoya flatly replied.

   “Before you decide, we have a new shake that’s absolutely-“ cashier began, starry eyed.

  “I have given you my answer.” Kyoya coldly glared at the girl.

  The cashier stiffened, a sense of dread fueled her senses.

  “Please be sure to include our receipt.” Haruhi squeaked out. Grabbing the food tray and going off to a table.

 “Kyoya-senpai, just because you’re in a bad mood today doesn’t give you the right go around talking to people like that. The poor girl was just doing her job.” Haruhi scolded.

   “She was being pushy, even after being told no.” Y/n grabs a burger.

   “Yeah but there’s no reason for acting like that. She’s supposed to do that.” Haruhi sighed.

   “Her job is to serve us food, not irradiate me with some weak sales pitch.” Kyoya adds, taking a bite of his food.

  Haruhi just stared at Kyoya eating.

“Now what?” Kyoya looked back.

  “Nothing. I just don’t think I’ve ever actually seen you eat before. Somehow I thought the experience would be more refined. I’m surprised stuff like this even appeals to you.” 

  “It doesn’t appeal to me in the slightest. No doubt, you’ll say I’m callous for admitting it, since you brought me this tripe.” Kyoya stoped to take a drink.

   “Of course I won’t.” She looked off to the side.

 “There’s an understanding between makers of food like this and those that eat it. Quality takes a backseat to convenience. Refinement isn’t part of the equation. It’s meant to be eaten quickly, besides no one of consequence is here to witness my momentary lapse of manners.” Kyoya explain.

  “Hey for the record, I’m saying it benefits me nothing to keep up appearances in a place like this. And that includes any special treatment I may give you here.” 

 “Oh really I would have never guessed that in a million years…” haruhi mumbled.

“Oh my gosh girls, that guy in the glasses is a total hottie.” A girl swooned to her friends.

  “You’re right he’s gorgeous!” Her friends agreed.

Y/n sighed, looking off to the side, the grip on his drink tightened.

   “Um, excuse me, I’m so sorry to interrupt. I was wondering if you’re not using that chair, can my friends and I borrow it?” She sweetly smiled.

   “Why not..” Kyoya sighed.

 “Thanks you so much that’s awesome!” Her friends blissfully giggled.

   “You’re quite welcome.” He flatly said.

 Y/n glared at the girls as they walked off.

 “You’re probably wondering how Tamaki and I compliment each other so well.” Kyoya spoke, catching Haruhi off guard.

  “The answer is simple-“ he smiled.

 “I have something to gain. There is no better motivator than self interest. I have to look out for number one, y’know.”

  “Tamaki-senpai would be heartbroken if he heard you say that.” Haruhi frowned.

   “Such a tragedy that Tamaki’s feelings are one sided.” Y/n joked.

  “On the contrary-“ he pushes up his glasses.

  “He’s understood our arrangement from the very beginning. The same goes for all of them. Hikaru, Karou, honey-senpai, Mori-senpai, and even Y/n. The glue that holds the club together is our mutual egocentricity. It’s the principle that drives the alliance between our families and ensures each of our futures.” He looks at Haruhi.

  “Though, well let’s just say there’s still quite a bit you don’t understand about that. Although Tamaki is a fool, and self sacrifice does come naturally to him. So I guess the point of this is, we are very different creatures.” Kyoya finished his monologue.

The three now wonder the mall.

 “Senpai? I thought you were going to take a taxi home.” Haruhi looked up at Kyoya.

  “I am, but while we’re still here Y/n wants to look around.”

  “Black pearls from ishigaki island. Odd to find them here, considering how much they go for.” 

   “You’re kidding, really? That’s incredible. How can you tell?” Haruhi looks to kyoya.

  “I am a product of excellent breeding.”

  “You make it sound like you’re some pure bred dog, give yourself a little more credit.” Y/n smiled, walking off with the others.

“So kyoya-senpai, why is it after all this time I still know nothing about your family?” Haruhi notes.

  “Because there’s really nothing for you to know about my family. At least nothing that should interest you.”

   “Well that seems to be a little unfair, don’t you think?” 

  “Just what do you mean unfair?”

“I mean that when it comes to my personal life you even keep tabs on who’s my father’s friends from work are while I barely have a clue about yours. So I call that unfair.”

  “That’s a very intriguing notion in its own way.”

 “Well you’ve got two older brothers, right? For starters, you could tell me something about them. What kind of people are they?”

  “They are rather exceptional. Enough so, that my father puts a lot of stock in them. Though as the third son, things work a little differently for me.”

  “I didn’t realize there was so much pressure on you to succeed.”

  “Pressure? Oh no, Haruhi, I cannot think of nothing more fun than this.”

Haruhi let’s out a sigh.

  “Dear me! Pieces from the Komatsu Shoin collection? I never thought that I would fine them here!”

  The voice grabs the attention of the three.

  “Why madam, you have astonishing eye!”

Kyoya glared at the interaction.

  “Kyoya-senpai?” Haruhi was ignored, as Kyoya walked up to the stand.

  “Just watch and see what happens.” Y/n grinned.

“Will all due respect, these are fake.” Kyoya bluntly spoke, interrupting the conversation.

  “Huh?” The lady looked at Kyoya.

 “Hey, get out of here kid, what do you think you’re doing?” The man snarled.

Kyoya picked up the bowl, analyzing it.

  “The shade of blue is strongly reminiscent of Shoin’s work, but looking closely around the base you’ll notice the colour graduation isn’t quite dark enough to be authentic. that and the laquer is too clear.”

  “That’s enough out of you, Mr. Expert! I will report you for obstructing my business!” The man spoked irked at kyoya.

  Kyoya flipped the bowl over looking at the bottom.

  “Just as I thought. The brush strokes on this seal are uncharacteristically broad as well.”

  “U-uh..” the man stammered.

  “For your sake, I hope you have a certificate-“ he looks at the man.

  “That is, if you still keep insisting it’s real.”

  “O-of course it’s real! I have the certificate at home.” He stuttered.

 Kyoya grins at this.

  “Ah, then surely you won’t mind if I call the Komatsu family right now to verify your claim. My own family has dealings with them for generations. It would be a matter of a minute.”

  “Wait you can’t do this!” The man gets dragged out by security.

“Young man, I can’t thank you enough.” The lady bows.

  “After everything you’ve told me senpai, stepping in on a complete stranger’s behalf seems a little out of character for you.” Haruhi spoke.

  “Hm? Oh, that? Well now, she’s hardly a stranger. You mean you don’t know? Her husband is the ceo of a major electronics company.” 

   “Huh?” Haruhi gasped.

“This is my first time meeting her personally, but that ring on her left hand is unmistakable. My family has dealings with her husband’s company.”

  Haruhi is just puzzled.

“Ah, one of the Ootori boys. Imagine running into you here incognito-“ she smiles.

  “The next opportunity I have, I’ll be sure to take advantage of your family’s beautiful health resorts.”

   “We’d be honoured.” Kyoya bows slightly.

Haruhi glared at Kyoya.

  “Hey haruhi.” Y/n whispered.

  “Hm?”

“Look at the stall she was just at, notice the flags?” He points .

  “The flags…- wait, he couldn’t have-“ 

“Hm hm!” Y/n smiled, walking over to kyoya now looking at a food stall.

“Hey Haruhi, did you know this?” Kyoya called out.

  “Did I know what?”

“Is melon the preferred flavour among snack makers?”

  “Huh?”

“It doesn’t make sense, the primary ingredient is corn, why go to the trouble of artificially making it taste like fruit? Seems counterintuitive.”

  “That’s an intriguing notion in its own way.” Haruhi spoke with a laugh.

  “Oh was I being funny?”

 “Earlier you were going on and on about how you and Tamaki-senpai are nothing alike. What you just said about the candy? It sounds just like him!” She laughs.

 “You think so? This does seem like something he and the twins would fawn over. Very well I’ll buy them. Haruhi your wallet.” Kyoya holds out his hand.

  “Oh yeah I forgot.” She goes through her purse.

  “Just be sure to get the receipt.”

——

“Hey senpai?” Haruhi sat down on a bench.

  “Why do you think that Tamaki-senpai is always so eager to help people when they’re in need?”

   “You mean when theres nothing to gain? Who knows.”

  “Maybe he gains the pleasure of just helping someone, just because.” Y/n sighed looking ahead.

  “So when you help someone, how exactly do you benefit from it? Money? Or reputation? Or is it more abstract? Because the way I see it, Tamaki-senpai gets something out of helping others, that doesn’t necessarily mean involving them paying him back. So maybe when you get right down to it, the two of you aren’t so different after all.”

  “Attention shoppers, this is an announcement for a lost child. Attention shoppers, this is an announcement for a lost child. A little boy named Kyoya Ootori is lost inside the store. Repeat Kyoya Ootori is lost. His guardian Suoh is waiting for him at the 2nd floor information counter.”

   “-Kyoya is 5’11”, tall with black hair and wearing prescription glasses.”

Kyoya pushes up his glasses.

 As y/n chokes out a laugh.

 “Kyoya’s guardian mentions he may or may not be travelling with Y/n L/n. Whose whereabouts are also unknown.”

“Oh you got to be kidding me.”

 “That damn idiot. I’ll kill him!” Kyoya glares.

  The three walk up to the second floor, finding the rest of the club.

“Kyoya! Y/n! There you are! We were so worried about you. Why is Haruhi with you?” Tamaki look at the group.

   “Better question is what’s with the dog?” Y/n stared at the blonde dog.

  “Isn’t she beautiful? I got her at this amazing place they call a pet shop!” The dog licks Tamaki’s face.

  “Hey, cut it out Antoinette!”

“How am I exactly like this moron?” Kyoya asked.

  “Maybe it’s the fact that you helped a stranger.” Y/n stands beside kyoya

   “She wasn’t-“

“You and I both know you didn’t see that ring through the stall. You’re not some terrible person, you still have a heart, why hide it.” Y/n grinned.

   Kyoya smiled lightly.

Haruhi stood back and watched the two.

  Then something clicked.

  ‘Oh she gets it now’

[akehoshimystar]

Kiho's Personal Story

Roka: To this wonderful night... Cheers!!

Kiho: Cheers.

Roka: Mika!

Takeru: Sure, sure.

Roka: Fufu... Fufufu.

………

Flap

Kiho: Oh.

Roka: Zzzzz…..

Takeru & Kiho: ……..

After saying a toast for countless times, Roka slumped against the counter with a smile on his face. I looked at him for a few seconds. I caught sight of Mika behind the counter, and we both laughed and said, “Good work”.

Takeru: As always, the way he fell asleep is just like a baby. He was noisy until the very end.

Kiho: I thought he’d ask for another round of fortune telling. He ran out of energy now.

Takeru: Seems like he played putter golf with Shinobu and others on the rooftop during the day. He must have been pretty tired from the start.

Kiho: The rooftop here?

Takeru: Yeah. He bought a toy set from somewhere, and was playing in the office at first, but Ai-chan kicked him out.

Kiho: Must have been tough for Ai.

I took the glass, which is now filled with nothing but ice, from Roka’s hand and handed it to Mika.

Takeru: Thanks. What about you, Kiho?

Kiho: I don’t mind if we call it a day now…... But let’s see…. Can I have just one more drink?

Takeru: Of course. I’m about to start cleaning up now, but don't worry about me. Just take your time and drink.

Mika gracefully poured me some Ginjo and began closing up the bar as previously declared. As I watched him while enjoying my last drink of the day… I heard a muffled voice next to me.

Roka: ...I’ve come up with a great idea...

Kiho: What is it?

Roka: Nagashi somen for Christmas.

Kiho: We already did that last year. Water got all over the floor and Urara scolded us like we have just killed someone. We learned it hard way, didn’t we?

Roka: Fufu... Nghnnnn...

Takeru: Seriously, you’re way too sociable. Why bother replying when he’s already in his dreamworld?

Kiho: To my surprise, he can remember things when I ask him later. Maybe his brain is still up and awake.

Takeru: Even if that's the case, when I see you two together, I still feel strange.

Kiho: What’s strange about it?

Takeru: Who would have thought that you two would become such good friends for this long?

I gulped down the chilled sake in my mouth. And laughed lightly at what Mika said while he was polishing the sink.

Kiho: Mika, didn’t you say the same thing in the past?

Takeru: Oh, really? Well, I've been thinking about it for quite some time now.

I do understand why Roka is attached to Kiho, but Kiho also accepted him and that's why we’re where we are now.

I can’t guess at all what would lead you guys to this point.

Kiho: Accept him? I don't mean to act like I was playing hard-to-get.

Takeru: I think it's difficult for you not to act that way when that’s what you are. Well, not that I care.

Back then… Kyoya, Sei, Shizuka, Mao... Not sure if I should say this, but didn’t Kiho like hanging out with that kind of people?

Kiho: Interesting conclusion you’ve reached there. Well, if I were to sit next to someone on a long trip, I'd prefer someone among that list.

Takeru: I know right. In fact, I've never seen Kiho close the distance with someone crazy like Roka. That's why I find it very strange.

Even if he was one-sidedly attached to you and you found him annoying, you could have dealt with him however you wanted, but you didn't.

Kiho: Dealing with him?

Takeru: Smiling while giving him a cold shoulder. You're good at that, aren’t you?

Kiho: Oh. Now you’re slandering me.

Takeru: Who said I did? I don't think you have to worry about it, though.

Kiho: Haha.

I see... So that's how Mika sees us.

Then, I could say the same. The fact that Roka got attached to me is certainly strange.

Takeru: Maybe it’s not rocket science at all. Perhaps, it’s simply admiration.

Because Kiho has a lot of things that Roka doesn't have and wants.

Kiho: ...I'd be honored if that's the case.

Takeru: It's like crying for the moon. I think it's more or less a feeling that arises when people interact with each other.

Well, it's not every day that you find someone as dynamic as Roka. “A calm, intelligent leader who is respected by everyone”

Kiho: Haha. I feel bad for Roka, but I can't imagine that at all.

Takeru: I kind of agree. However, if I have such a dynamic idiot close by….

I might be able to think it's silly to worry about such trivial things like having high expectations or wishing for things that will never come true.

Kiho: …….

He makes me think that everyone can want what they want, step forward, reach out and grab it. I think anyone with self-strict personality would feel comfortable around Roka. There's a level of force and carefree attitude that allows you to surrender yourself to him.

Takeru: Unexpectedly, he can save the day.

Looking at Mika, who suddenly stopped and looked at Roka with gentle eyes, I thought to myself he is also one of the people Roka has "forgiven".

Kiho: (Crying for the moon, huh?)

Kiho: ......It hurts.

Takeru: Huh?

Kiho: Ah... Sorry. I’m just talking nonsense. My head just hurt for a moment.

Takeru: Oh no, are you okay? You still have that migraine after all.

Kiho: No, I probably just drank too much and got a little carried away today.

Thanks for the drink. I'll take Roka home.

Takeru: Just sit down for a bit. I'll call Shinobu now.

Today he went to the dormitory to clean Shizuka's house. After that, he would be drinking with Soyogu and others, but I think they should start talking about leaving now.

If he comes over here and I tell him he can take a taxi home with Roka, he’ll be happy to come and pick him up for sure.

Kiho: He’s drunk as a skunk and a bit of a pain right now, are you sure?

Takeru: That kid is probably drunk too. Here! Drink this and wait.

Kiho: Thank you.

After quickly handing me a glass of water, Mika went down to the staff room.

Kiho: (.…I ended up making him worried. I should have made a different excuse.)

(I can't think straight at all. I'm really a little drunk tonight.)

Roka: …….

Kiho: ……

I stared at the back of Roka’s head, motionless and as quiet as a dead body. I vaguely thought that it's been a long time seeing that his hair has gotten this long. I couldn’t really remember how short his hair was when we first met.

Roka: Hey, Misumi. I'm thinking of growing my hair out too, is that okay?

Why? There's only one reason. I want to be cool like you!

Not just as a host. As a human being, too.

Kiho: (.….Idiot.)

He has had something special from the beginning, but only he himself doesn’t know its value. Without realizing it, he chased after someone else, harboring unnecessary admiration. He's stupidly pure, he tries his best, and he loves people. There’s just no way anyone can hate him. He's the kind of person who is destined to be loved.

Kiho: It's not that I didn't reject him. I just couldn't, Mika.

I murmured the words I hadn't said earlier to the empty counter. I could see it from the moment we first met. If I had negative feelings about “this”, it would be the end. So I accepted him, and I won't reject him even in the future. If no one can see your true feelings, it's the same as not being there.

Kiho: (That's why….. You'll probably never know for the rest of your life.)

I reached out for the card I'd put aside in the corner. And flipped it over and saw what’s on it. I couldn't help but let out a dry laugh, which made Roka flinched. I find a tip of his hair swaying like a tail annoying for some reason, so I chuckled.

Kiho: Get up. Time to head home, Roka.

…….If I hate you, I’ll be swept away for sure.

[ellssbellss]

(NEW!) Lavender Roses ~ (Kyoya Ootori x F!Reader)

pairing ~ Kyoya Ootori x Reader

In which a rational head hides a generous heart, but you have always known how to see past his walls and help him bloom into the gorgeous rose he is. Enjoy a slow burn between an honor student and our beloved glasses character!

-> summary: Frowning, Kyoya flipped onto his stomach, burying his face into his pillow and draping the covers over his head. He can take anger from anyone else, even his parents. Even Tamaki, who always found that Kyoya had been right, in the end.  But you. You were mad at him.

-> word count: 20.7k

legend:

(n/l) - native language

(j/c) - jewelry color

if you would like to be added to the taglist -> comment here! or else you won't be added :(

see masterlist! masterlist

A Day In The Life Of The Fujioka Family!

The sound of your breath entering your lungs has never been more deafening. But you force yourself to focus on it, ignoring the frantic rhythm of your heart or the sweat on your brow. The rush of a deep breath in, deep breath out is all you need to hear as you surge forward, your fist echoing as it impacts with leather. 

“Again.” 

(E/c) eyes flicking up to brown ones, you plead. “But–”

“Again.” 

Jaw clenching, you force yourself to refocus. A grunt pushes against your throat as you jab again, but the bag barely moves. 

“You’re hesitating.” Black hair peaks from behind the hanging punching bag, and Mori’s mouth shifts into a serious line. “Follow through with your shoulder.”

“I am.” You huff, throwing your hands up in an exasperated movement. “I’m just not strong enough to push it back.” 

Mori levels you with his glance and you roll your eyes. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Don’t say dumb shit.” He retorts, and you twist your mouth. You’ve never heard Morinosuka cuss before until you started training with him. It seems that he likes to let loose a little when he is working out.

“I thought you had to be respectful in a dojo.” Squaring your shoulders, you bring your fists back to your sides, falling into a natural stance. You direct your attention back to the bag that hangs from the serene, wooden ceilings. “Isn’t there a rule where you can’t cuss?”

“I own the dojo, (Y/n).” Mori readjusts behind the bag, bracing it. “Go again.”

Sucking air through your teeth, you hold it as you jab again, this time leaning your entire body into the punch. You let the breath out as you connect with the bag, but instead of backing away instantly, you let your fist sink into the leather. It makes a smacking sound, and the bag is pushed slightly backward on its chain. 

Throwing up your bruised fists, you cheer, the sound echoing off the Hinoki walls. Your chest huffs, your shoulders are pulsating, but you feel so powerful. It was freeing. 

An appreciative hum resonates from the leather bag, and Mori shifts away from it again. “That’s better.”

“That was so good, (N/n)-chan!” 

You bring your gaze to the mat on your right, Honey-senpai sparring a man that looked to be thrice his size. Muscles bulged from under his gi, veins rising from under his pale skin. Both fighters were huffing, but Honey managed to throw you a thumbs up before facing his opponent once more. 

Honey crouched down slightly, dirty-blonde bangs covering his milk chocolate eyes, but his smile only grew. The man in front of the third-year winced, and you scoffed at his expression.

“You know,” You whisper to Mori as tension fills the space. “I’ve never seen a man with that kind of physique be so close to shitting his pants.” 

The stoic nodded his head, chuckling like he knew exactly what you meant. He passed over your water bottle, and you both took a break to watch the battle of strength. 

The match was over before you could even undo the cap. 

Honey surged forward, pushing off the balls of his feet to get behind the man who had barely taken his first step. The boy-lolita swung a kick into the man’s lower back, making the Hulk arch his spine. With that arch, Honey grabbed the man’s hand that had come around to support the area that was injured and flipped him over his shoulder, taking the shape of curved brush of paint on a canvas. 

The Hulk landed flat onto his back with a gasp, lungs being forced to lose his breath as he wheezes. 

Previously a menacing silhouette, Honey raises his head, unceremoniously shaking his bangs from his face. A bright smile contradicts his opponent's grimace, and he thrusts his hand out for the man to grasp. The Hulk is brought to his feet, huffing and wincing, and Honey looks at him with gleaming eyes. 

“Thank you so much.” He says with a bow, cute and short. “You were a worthy opponent, Botan-senpai.” 

The Hulk-, you mean Botan, just nods. There isn’t remorse on his face when he shakes hands with the young martial arts master, however. Just respect and wonder dancing in his irises. He steps off the mat, limping from the power of being thrown around like a rag doll. You give him a sympathetic look before your gaze is being caught by Honey’s and he reaches his hand out. 

“You ready, (N/n)-chan?”

Oh. Shit.

“I don’t think–” Before you can find an excuse to keep yourself off of that mat of death, Mori is pushing you forward by the small of your back. 

“You won’t get better if you don’t practice.” The stoic reminds you, and you just scoff. 

“Yeah, but I can’t get better if I die right here.”

Honey-senpai just smiles, bright and ignorant, as if he doesn’t know the amount of fear he can instill into those who oppose him. “Don’t worry, (N/n)-chan, I’ll go easy on you.”

A worried chuckle bursts from your lips. “See, what do you mean by easy? Because my understanding of ‘easy’ could be very different from yours.”

“Ready?” You hear Mori’s voice begin to countdown the match, and Honey hunches forward again, giving you a proud smirk. Okay, maybe he does realize how menacing he can be. 

Your feet sink into the padding of the mat. “Wait, wait, can I at least get a head start? Give me a minute to get comfortable with the moves.”

“No time. Set…” Mori says, and you can hear him trying to keep the laughter out of his voice. 

The world around you begins to blur. “Oh god. If I die, tell Tama that he can have my hoodies. And tell those twins to stay out of my wardrobe! I don’t want them pulling off my outfits better than I can.” You scramble yourself into a fighting stance, as if that would give you a chance. 

“Go!” Mori’s voice rings throughout the dojo, and you tense as a blur of white gold and honey sweeps you off your feet. Grunting, your back hits the mat with a smack, your face frozen in amazement and shock.

But you’re still breathing, and your heart continues to beat with the adrenaline of facing Honey-senpai. 

“I’m alive.” It comes out as a surprised whisper, but then you shoot your fists in the air. “Ha, I’m alive!”

Honey and Mori come to stand over you, a smile full of teeth from the boy-lolita while Mori just shakes his head. 

“Of course you’re alive, silly!” Honey cheers as Mori helps you back onto your feet. “I don’t hurt my friends.”

“Awe, I know, Senpai.” You smile, reaching out to ruffle his hair. “You’re still terrifying when you want to be.”

He hugs you around your waist, his chin resting on your hip as he looks up at you. “But not too scary, right?”

You just laugh, returning the hug. “Not at all.” 

Feeling a large hand clap the back of your shoulder, you turn in your hug to see the tall host with the corners of his mouth lifted. “You did well.”

Biting your lip, you shake your head. “Um, no. I’m pretty sure I just got knocked onto my ass.”

“But you tried to protect yourself, (N/n)-chan!” Honey compliments from closer to the ground. “Before we started, you brought your fists up to protect your face, like this!” With a determined smile, he demonstrates a defensive stance, eyes wide and glowing. “You’re learning!”

“But I didn’t even mean to do that.”

“Good.” Mori says, and the three of you walk to the cubbies lined along one of the intricate walls. “That means it’s instinct.”

“A really good instinct! The first thing about learning how to fight, (N/n)-chan, is learning how to protect yourself first.” The martial arts master put his hands on his hips, looking up at you with all the pride and love in the world. 

“Protecting myself first, huh?” Moving to your own cubby, you reached into your workout bag, pulling out a towel to dry the sweat off your face. 

It’s been a while since you’ve felt this good. Wrapping the cloth around the back of your neck, you realize that you’re smiling even as you huff out breaths. Your heart is drumming in your chest not because of anxiety, not because of a boy, but because of your own progress and work. It felt rewarding. 

Of course, you missed the different kind of way your heart would skip a beat at the smallest of touches from your director, or the warmth you felt when he gave you praise. The comfort of working so well with someone, or being okay and understanding with anything you do. 

Except, Kyoya wasn’t okay with anything you did. Or understanding. Not at the end. 

Sighing, you brought the towel around the back of your neck. It was…interesting now, between the two of you. Since you both agreed to be civil, you were back to working together smoothly. Late night study sessions weren’t as frequent, but at least they were constant. And that was okay.

It was okay because you realized that you shouldn’t have to push someone to be that warmth for you, that comfort. Kyoya wanted to be that for someone else, and while it hurt, it was just something you were going to have to accept. Your families were still important to each other, and you both were still incredibly devoted to the host club, so you didn’t have to worry about not being in each other’s lives. But you were grateful, in the end. 

Why did he have to be that source for you, of all people? Why couldn’t you find that somewhere else? Or maybe even be that for yourself? That’s why you were doing this. Training with Mori and Honey, going to coffee with Arai, focusing on your school work. If the people around you didn’t want to support you in those certain aspects, then you would do it yourself. Like you always have. 

Even if he was a dick about it, he gave you a chance to recapture your independence with fervor. And it gave you a new mission. 

Picking up your phone, you ignore a text from Arai telling you about a club he was going to tonight and reply to an unread message from Haruhi. 

Loml <3: Hey, is there anything specific you want for tonight? My dad wants to know which tea you like so he can make it before he leaves for work. 

Smiling, you type away, picturing Haruhi’s dad, Ranka, flailing around with worry over the many bags of tea in his cabinet. 

You: hey! just got finished at the dojo. i’m pretty easy, whatever you choose! Tell Ranka anything is fine!

Loml <3: Cool, no rush. Just let me know when you’re on your way. I’ll meet you outside. 

You: will do. :)

“Alright, boys.” Clicking your phone off, you lug your bag onto your shoulder. “I have to go. Thanks for kicking me into shape.”

“Where are you going, (N/n)-chan?” Honey looks up, frowning slightly. “You don’t want to stay for cake?”

Chuckling, you ruffle his hair again. “Not this time. I’ll share one with you after this weekend is over.” 

Immediately, his frown flipped into a smile. “Okay! Thanks for training with us today!”

You hum, appreciative and warm. “Thank you for finally getting me out of bed.”

“It was hard.” Mori grumbles, which morphs your hum into another laugh. Mori barely moves when you playfully punch him in the shoulder, only lifting his lips in a smirk.

“That’s going to hurt one day, I promise you.”

“Not if you don’t follow through.”

“Yeah, yeah, so wise.” Taking a deep breath, they walk you to the door way. “Seriously, though. It was nice to get rid of some pent up energy. Thanks.”

Mori just nods while Honey clasps his hands together, beaming up at you. “Of course, (N/n)-chan. You know you’re always welcome here.”

A warm beam of emotion rushes from his smile into your bloodstream, and you sigh. “I do know that.” Waving a hand, you turn and make your way to your driver parked outside. “I’ll see you both here next week!”

After a salute from Mori and an excited motion from Honey, you step into your car. The Lexus drives away from the warmth of your family and to the emptiness of that house. But that was fine. This weekend, at least, you wouldn’t have to deal with it. 

Day turned into night, the sky creating a canvas above your vast house. Packing your overnight bag reignited your nerves about tonight, but taking a shower calmed them. Sitting in your car once more, you sunk into the leather seats as you watched the scenery blur into a series of blues and greens. 

When Haruhi suggested a sleepover, you had to swallow the anxiety in your stomach. You knew that she was trying to make up for lost time, and she – ever the instigator – came up with the idea that the two of you should have a good, old fashioned slumber party. It was a bit extroverted for Haruhi, which surprised you, but it sounded like she had spent plenty of time trying to build up her confidence to ask you, so there was no way you could say no. 

Placing your head into your hand and leaning up against the railing, you realize that you didn’t want to say no. Haruhi has become your closest friend in the past couple of months, and you kick yourself for shutting her out at your time of need. Of course she sensed you were distressed, this is Haruhi. The most observant, blunt, humble woman you knew. Not only is she a thoughtful friend, but her maternal instincts for the people close to her are unparalleled and will not be defeated by a little bit of drama. 

But with that maternal instinct came questions. Questions you knew were going to be asked tonight. Questions you weren’t sure how to answer. 

“No, no.” You shook your head, sighing and leaning farther into your seat. “This is the perfect time to tell her. Tell her I saw them together, and then tell her it’s fine. She can have him.”

With every syllable, your gut twisted, but your mind stayed vigilant. “They want each other, and Haruhi deserves that, right?” You whispered to yourself. “She deserves to get what she wants, after everything she does for us.”

Your heart still pounded at any image of Kyoya and Haruhi together, but your mind intervened once more, bolting hard steel walls on the inside of your chest to deafen the sound. 

“He doesn’t want you, he wants her. She can have him.” Another shuttering breath. “Not like I’m letting her have him, of course, she is her own woman and can get what she needs without anyone's help. It’s fine.”

Biting your lip, you suck on the skin for a moment before letting it go, trying to push away the bad habit. “So, when she asks, it’ll be fine. Because they’re good for each other, and they’ll be happy. That’s what you want, right?” Clenching your jaw, your throat tightens before releasing. “I want them to be happy.”

“Miss (L/n)?”

Shocking out of your trance, you meet the eyes of your driver in the rearview mirror. Stuttering, you put yourself back into a normal person state of mind, adjusting your posture. “Yes?”

“Are you alright?” Your driver’s eyes are inviting, green sinking into (e/c).

Clearing your throat, you give her a smile. “I am. I’m fine. Thank you.”

“Are you sure? Because your phone has been ringing for the past minute.” She says, and her eyes dart to your right. 

Eyebrows creasing, you manage to finally process the sound of your phone ringing and vibrating on the seat next to you. Laughing meekly, you apologize to your driver before rolling up the divider, taking a note that if you ever want to talk to yourself like a crazy person again, maybe do it in private.

“Hello?” In your hurry to pick it up, you fail to check the caller ID. 

But even if it was easy to ignore the contact picture and the name in your state of embarrassment, you couldn’t dismiss the club music banging against the speaker. 

“(L/n)! You finally picked up!”

Wincing at the volume of the electronic music, you pull the phone away from your ear to see who the hell is calling you from a club this early in the evening. Your confusion only grows when you see a crooked smile beaming back at you.

“Arai?” Why the hell was Arai calling you from a club at 20:00.

“(L/n)? Can you hear me?” The bass suddenly picked up tempo, and you could hear Arai trying to raise his voice over the noise.

“Barely.” You let out a breathy chuckle. “Where are you?”

“I’m at The Black Rose! The new nightclub that just opened up!” He laughs on the other end at something his friend said. “It’s definitely…more active than we had anticipated. What are you doing?”

“I’m just in the car.”

“Really? Great! Then you’re already a step ahead of me!”

Meeting the confused look of your driver again, you give her a thumbs up as the car zooms by on the open road. “What do you mean?”

“Get over here!” He pauses, and you hear a clunk and a gulp from his end. “I’m only down two shots, and my friends really want to meet you!”

“Arai.” Your tone is gentle, a soft giggle coming from your lips. “I can’t. I have plans tonight.”

“Oh, no, really?” He nearly whines, his crackly voice like peppermint bark. “Is it with that jackass of a partner? You never told me his name, so I’m just gonna call him jackass.”

This earns Arai a full on laugh. “No, no. It’s a sleepover with my best friend.” It felt nice to call her that again. 

“Are you sure I can’t convince you?” Arai nearly pleads, and it seems the music dimmed, now a thundering echo in the background. 

“You can’t.” You smile when he halfheartedly curses. “She really deserves time with me right now.”

“Okay, well tell me what to do to get in line for your time, because I need to make an arrangement for us to come to this awesome club together.” There’s a stuttering breath, then a gasp. “Oh, wait, unless you don’t like clubs? Do you not like the club scene? That would make total sense, of course, I know you prefer calmer atmospheres– or unless you don’t and I read it all wrong?”

“No, no, Arai. You’re fine.” Honestly, you had been waiting for him to stutter or something. It seemed like alcohol boosted his confidence a bit. “You can totally jump to the front of the line, of course.”

“Woo!” His voice lessened as he pulled the speaker away from his mouth to shout across the club. “Did you guys hear that? I got a fast pass!”

You hear some muffled, dismissive hums from his friends before Arai focuses back into the call. 

“They’re not as excited as they should be. You’re a busy woman who is hard to get a hold of. Who may or may not like clubs? I never got an answer to that.” You could almost picture him scratching the back of his head. 

“I enjoy them when I can prepare myself for them.” You agree, crossing a leg over the other. “Plus, I’m sure my mother would be glad to hear us hanging out again outside of business meetings.”

Arai makes an agreeable hum. “Right, yeah, your mother. I mean, my dad would also be happy to hear it, so….is that a yes?”

“Sure.” You can’t help the smile on your teeth at his eagerness. “Sounds fun. Some other time, though.” 

“I’ll be waiting!” His friends began calling his name, and his attention was completely snatched once again. 

“Be safe, though, Arai! Make sure to–”

“Yeah, bye (L/n)!”

The line goes dead. Shaking your head, your driver pulls your gaze to her questioning one and you just shrug, looking out the window with a smirk on your face. It was fun, creating a comfort of your own. 

Dark, silk sheets wrap over Kyoya’s bare torso, a deep sleep blanketing his form. His breaths are long and heavy as his face stays relaxed. A rare look for the fourth child, but third in line.  

Something warm slinks across his chest, something that made him hum in gratitude. Ever the deep sleeper, Kyoya barely feels a sort of pressure come from that something, pressing him against another warmth. In his sleep, the Ootori son relaxes, peacefulness cocooning him as a feeling of contentedness washes over his body like the satin against his skin. 

That is until, in the darkness, Kyoya feels that same warm touch on his neck, his creamy skin becoming alight with each press. 

Lips. Lips kiss up the column of his throat, and he bends his head slightly to allow those lips more room. Slowly, they make a trail to the shell of his ear, as if time did not exist within the confine of his bedroom walls, and this pair of lips had all the seconds in the world. A needy breath crawls up his throat then, and in his sleepy daze, the megane slowly rolls over, seeking more of that warmth. 

His stormy eyes can only open a crack, the fuzz of night and sleep blurring his reality. But he sees a shoulder, and a soft visage in the corner of his eye, those lips still pressing achingly slow into his pulse. And his body just knows.

Kyoya thinks his lips part, a rumbly, graveled voice sounding from his chest. “Mm…(Y/n)?”

(H/c) strands fall onto the sheets around him, but he still can’t get a full image of you, your form always tied to his peripheral. But your voice, your voice is clear as crystal against his ear. 

“Catch me, Kyo.”

He blinks, the lips are gone. No more warmth around his chest and stomach where your arm had pulled him into you, and no shadows calling to him in the night. Kyoya takes a stuttering breath and shoots up in his bed, dark sheets billowing to his waist as low foggy clouds become thunderstorms in his eyes. 

His pupils dilate and he immediately winces at the sunlight bathing into his room, and he shields his eyes. Groaning, Kyoya fists his sheets within his grasp, swallowing a yell at the loss of his sleep-like peace. The dream he had wanted to sink into. 

The ravenette gingerly lays back into his bed, heaving a breath to stave away a budding headache from being woken up so early, so suddenly. His arm drapes over his naked eyes, a swallow melting down his throat that was still tingling.

This wasn’t the first dream he’d had where the ghost of his want had haunted him. But it was the first time you had spoke. 

Catch me, he thought. What the hell does that mean?

Kyoya was never one to look into the meaning of dreams. That would be illogical. Absurd. No, the only reason your teasing line replayed in his head so many times was because it had sounded so…enticing. Like an invitation he would never refuse. 

But you were mad at him, so he would never get the chance. 

You were mad at him. The thought had almost made him laugh when you had admitted that to him because of course. Of course you found some way to flip it all on him so that you wouldn’t have to take accountability for your actions, even though you had already apologized to the rest of the host club. Everyone except for him got a proper apology, and you left him alone in the dark. 

But you were mad at him.

You were mad at him?

Kyoya didn’t care what anybody thought. Ever. Especially if they felt he had wronged them in some way with his blunt honesty and piercing ambition. Most of the time, those people were rich, greedy, annoying little pests in the world of business and management, already begging to be knocked down a few pegs by his intelligence and sharp observation. Or, let’s be honest, they weren’t going to get that far in life anyway, who was he to sugarcoat things?

But you had never been any of those people. No, even through his anger and betrayal, Kyoya could accept that you were smart. That you were creative, strong-willed and strong-minded, and full of potential. He knew you were going to do great things. But you did it with kindness. With a grace that he, dare he admit, admired. 

Frowning, Kyoya flipped onto his stomach, burying his face into his pillow and draping the covers over his head. He can take anger from anyone else, even his parents. Even Tamaki, who always found that Kyoya had been right, in the end. 

But you. You were mad at him. 

Why? What had he done? You had seen him throw business after business underground and cut expenses and salaries like they were butter but you had never bat an eye. You both had stopped speaking for that uncomfortable week under Renge’s influence, but you had come at him with your typical fire and spark, and all was well. Unfortunately, he realizes you have gotten used to him using the silent treatment as a way to get what he wants. To let people stew in their own anxiety that they end up apologizing to him in the end. 

Now, though, you have taken a backseat. He reaches out to you more than you return the favor, embarrassingly, and there seemed to be no motivation to fix whatever awkward space you two were in now. Why were you becoming so distant instead of confronting him head on? Why were you running away?

Catch me, Kyo.

Turning his head, he squints both at the onslaught of sunlight from his window and the determination blossoming within. 

Kyoya would do whatever he could to unearth the truth, to learn. He deserved to know, and the third Ootori son always worked hard for the things he deserved. 

But, even ambitious shadow lords need their beauty rest. His eyelids slipped shut, a part of him still wishing to return to that dream space. Instead, though, his dark eyelashes flutter open again to the sound of his phone ringing on his nightstand. 

“Absolutely not.” He grumbles to himself, digging himself deeper into the top of his mattress. If he hadn’t already been awake, he would’ve slept through that ringtone that he knew too goddamn well. Anyone who knows him realizes that on weekends, Kyoya Ootori does not wake up before noon. 

There’s one person, however, that just doesn’t care. 

His phone stops jumping on the bedside table and Kyoya braces for the next few calls. It’s a pattern that has been repeated over and over. Three calls, three voicemails, six text messages. Then he can fall back into the silence of his bedroom without interruption.

But after the third call, it rings again. And again. And again until Kyoya is harshly sitting up, gripping his expensive cell phone with a tight grip while answering it with a vengeance. 

“Kyoya!” Tamaki’s voice flows through the speaker, but before he can say anything else, the Ootori son is spitting venom through his microphone. 

“What in God’s name makes you think you can ring my phone incessantly without any disregard for the time? Any disregard for my sleep?” He growled, teeth baring over his receiver. “I’ll have you know, you idiot, that I was awake until four in the morning working on your club’s finances, and if I don’t get the rest I need, I will be more than in favor of completely destroying the entire Host Club and running that business into the ground.”

There’s a small pause, and Kyoya imagines Tamaki blinking owlishly on the other end. The ravenet sighs, a headache already starting to form from how low his blood sugar had dropped from rising out of his bed so suddenly. 

“Come on, Kyoya! The day is new. Plus, I just had the most terrible dream.” His best friend gasps, and Kyoya doesn’t restrict his eye roll. 

“And I’d like to get back to mine.” His words are short and sharp. “Goodnight.”

“Wait, please. I need your help! Haruhi is living in poverty!”

Even though the Ootori son had brought his phone away from his ear, he still heard the whine that Tamaki voiced over the speaker, and Kyoya’s infamous curiosity overpowered his will for sleep. 

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I woke up in such a frenzy this morning, it was a disaster! I was so rattled that I forgot it was even a weekend. My lovely maid, Shima–”

“I know who Shima is, Tamaki.” 

“Right, well she had to stop me from running outside of the house in my pajamas. My pajamas! I had never been so unpresentable in my life.”

That headache was getting worse. “Can you get to the point?”

“Oh, Kyoya, I had a dream where Haruhi was…” Tamaki’s voice lowered significantly, whispering the forbidden word into the phone. “...poor. And that she was dirty, and so sad. We need to help her! What if she is living with a disease? Or famine?” Another gasp burst from the prince’s lips. “What if she is living without a skin care routine?!”

“Haruhi’s conditions are perfectly suitable for her desired life-style, I can assure you.” 

“How do you know for sure? We’ve never seen where she lives, or how she is living. She could need me, and I would never know!” Another whine pierces the phone line, and Kyoya really, actually considers hanging up on him. 

Gritting his teeth, Kyoya takes his finger away from the ‘end call’ button. “If you would like to visit her so dreadfully, then go. No one is stopping you.”

There’s another pause, and the Ootori son hopes that Tamaki has finally come to his senses. But, of course, that was wishful thinking. 

“Please don’t make me go alone! Please, Kyoya, you’ve read about commoner living, right? It would be so nice to have you there with me.” 

“Tamaki, I cannot just abandon all of my plans today because you-”

“Please. I’ll do anything you want.” Tamaki was practically on his hands and knees at this point, but Kyoya still let out a huff. 

“I am a very busy man, Tamaki. My sleep is the only time where I might find some solace within the disarray you call a host club. If you insist on company, I suggest calling (Y/n)-”

“You know just as well as I do that (Y/n) will not be awake at this time.”

Shadows bleed from the bags under Kyoya’s eyes. “How fortunate for her.”

“Please, Kyo? For me?” And in his tired mind, the megane imagines Tamaki’s purple eyes batting at him, big and wide and hopeful. 

A low sigh releases from Kyoya’s lips at the nickname, one he has heard less of recently. Letting his face fall into his unoccupied palm, the Ootori has to force his tongue to form his next sentence. “When do we leave?”

Haruhi prances down the sidewalk of her neighborhood, grocery bags swinging left and right on her arms. Her lips are quirked into a calm grin, the peace of the spring air weaving through her brunette locks. 

That was some sale! There’s no better time to hit the supermarket like a Sunday morning. She thinks, tucking into one of the pockets of her pink dress to grab a notepad and flip it open. Smart eyes glaze over the to-do list written there as her tennis shoes clack against the sidewalk. Now, all I have to do when I get home is wake up (Y/n) and see what she wants to do!.

At the thought of you, Haruhi shakes her head fondly. You two had such a great night. Even if you had seemed too chipper, it was better than the distance you had put between them the past few days. Because it was Haruhi’s first sleepover, the honor student studied up on how to throw the best one she could. Ingredients for your favorite cookies were bought, plenty of movies were stacked up on a shelf, and the brunette had found nail polish on sale. Buy one, get two free! How serendipitous was that?

Everything was put to use, and then some. While the cookies baked, you sensed what Haruhi was up to. 

“Haru, did you study up on sleepovers?” You had asked, chuckling a little bit while leaning against her kitchen counter. 

A small blush had come across her cheeks while she scratched the back of her head. “Yeah. Is that weird?”

“No, not at all!” You were quick to make her feel less awkward. “It’s just sweet. This is my first sleepover too, so you’re probably wasting all your efforts. The bar is set very low for me.” 

Haruhi laughed then, rolling her eyes. “Right, that makes me feel so much better.” 

“Oh, stop.” You say. Picking up a glass, you walk over to fill it with lemonade that Haruhi had prepared. “You know, I think I might know another classic sleepover activity.”

Always eager to learn, Haruhi perks her ears. “Really? What is it?”

You quirk an eyebrow over your glass. “Talking about boys.”

The honor student hums, her eyes rolling playfully. “You just want an excuse to talk about Kyoya-Senpai.”

You forced a laugh out of your throat. “No, no. I want to talk about the boys you like. If Kyoya just happens to come up, that will be your doing.”

This time, Haruhi’s eye find you with a serious tone. “Me? I don’t like any boys.”

A scoff blows past your lips. “Haru, you’re an attractive girl surrounded by the most attractive men in our school who would do almost anything for you. You haven’t fallen for one of them by now?”

Her dark eyebrows furrow, and the timer on the oven dings, signaling the cookies were fully baked. Slipping on hot pads, Haruhi bends to grab the cookie pan from the oven, letting the heat and the smell of sweets wash over her. 

“No, no. Honestly, I haven’t thought about any of that. My studies are the most important thing right now, and I have so much to do at home. I…don’t have time for things like that.”

But you watch as a thoughtful look glazes over her features, setting the tray of cookies down in deep thought. 

“But…there might be someone, yeah?” You ask softly. 

You imagine a flash of black hair coming into her vision, when in reality, blonde locks are what come to the front of her mind before she shakes it away. 

A sympathetic look comes to your face. Placing your hand hers that rests on the counter, you get her attention. 

“I guess I just want you to know that if you did like someone, you can talk to me about it. I think I’d be so excited, I’d try to, like, push you two together at any possible second.” 

“Yeah, thanks.” Her lips quirk up as she laughs. “I’ll let you know.” Then her eyebrows wriggle a little bit as she waves the steam from the desserts, encouraging them to cool. “But we can still talk about Kyoya-senpai.”

Teasingly, she looks up, expecting you to be rolling your eyes and blushing. But when your shoulders deflate and your eyes shine with something she can’t place, she realizes that maybe that wasn’t the best thing to bring up. 

“I know you guys are still rocky, but you and him-”

“Things between us are over.”

“What?” Haruhi clears her throat. “Over one little fight?”

“It wasn’t very little.” You reply sheepishly, shrugging and playing with your lemonade. 

“Well, what did he say when you apologized to him?” 

Your eyes shot to hers then, your head in your hand. (E/c) eyes darkened a little before you pulled your lip between your teeth. “I, uh, didn’t get the chance too.”

“What? Why not?”

Your gaze became unfocused, distant words pressing past your teeth. “I guess I realized that he wanted something different. Something that wasn’t me.”

“That’s not true. He-”

“No, it is.” Just like that, the faraway look snaps back into reality, and you pull your lips into an assuring grin. “But it’s fine.”

“It is? You’re fine?”

“More than fine.” You take another sip from your drink. “It’ll be better this way. For all of us.”

After the cookies were done, you both sat down on your mats, which were laid in her T.V. room. Her room was too small to fit both of you, so Ranka said you two could sleep out there, near the windows that overlooked the city. 

“Sorry my place is a little cramped.” Haruhi said, folding her feet underneath her. 

Shaking your head, you lay a blanket across your lap. “It’s really not. It’s so homey and warm. I would’ve offered my place, but it’s kind of the opposite.”

“I still think it would’ve been better than here. Are you sure you’re not bored?” Haruhi realizes. 

“Of course I’m not bored.” You assure her. “But, when we do this again, you can come over to mine, if you really want to. My parents won’t be home, so we can do whatever we want.”

“Whatever we want?”

“Mhmm.” You start to list areas of your house on your fingers. “We have the movie theater, the pool, the tennis courts, the gardens. Oh, and there are secret doors next to the library that I could show you.”

Haruhi’s eyes glisten a little in the light of her home. “You have a library?”

Laughter rang out from you, then, and you had both gone to sleep that night, crashing on the sweetness of sugar and friendship. 

When morning came, though, you were dead to the world. You had mentioned that you needed a very competent, persistent alarm of some kind to wake up in the mornings, otherwise you’d sleep past noon on the weekends. Even though you had asked Haruhi not to let you sleep in and waste the day away, the natural-type couldn’t bring herself to interrupt that relaxed look on your face. 

So, she had gotten up, and the early riser left to get a head start on her morning chores, making sure her schedule was cleared to spend some time with you. 

Too bad her efforts were in vain. 

As Haruhi approached her apartment complex, a glint of sunlight caught her eye. Shielding her eyes, Haruhi found the source to be a sparkling surface of polish and pristine. Something she didn’t see much of around here. Squinting, she noticed it was a car. A fancy car. 

No, like, it was a really fancy car. 

She was even more perplexed when she saw another one right beside it, and a limo stretched next to her sidewalk. No one in her building was this well off. 

Oh no, was the Yakuza here? Had they heard about the amazing prices at the supermarket and wanted to take advantage of the great sale like she did? 

Calming herself down, she took a breath. That’s ridiculous, she thought, the Yakuza wouldn’t be out shopping for themselves. 

No, they’d get someone to do it for them.

With a courage that should be awarded, Haruhi continued her path to her home, waiting to see minions of the Japanese Mafia as one of the doors to the limo swung open. 

But when blonde locks bounced off the morning’s sunlight, Haruhi paused for an entirely different reason. A very strong urge to sprint in the other direction. 

Tamaki rose out of his limo, a casual outfit wrapped around his frame. A set of sunglasses is perched on his nose before he pushes them up into his hair, little wisps sticking out the sides. Each car then opens to reveal the rest of the host club, their own everyday street wear warming in the sun. 

Haruhi groans, leaning onto a pole and dropping her groceries in offense. 

Kyoya bends out of his seat, a dark vest wrapped over a red tank top, his hair free of any gel or product. His mouth sits in a calm line, quietly scanning the apartment complex in front of him. Folding his arms, they feel slightly naked without his black book in his grasp. 

“So this is where Haruhi lives?” Kaoru asks, pulling on his white shirt and red vest. 

“It’s pretty big, huh? Bigger than I thought it would be.” Hikaru adds, rolling up the sleeves of his red hoodie. Necklaces and jewelry adorned both of the twins. They wouldn’t be caught dead without the appropriate accessorizing. 

A gasp sounds on their right as Honey and Mori saddle up next to them, a gleam in the former’s eye. “Yeah, wow! Look at all the rooms!” 

“Actually,” Kyoya reminds, “This is what you might call an aggregate commoner dwelling. Haruhi’s home is just one of the many units in this building.”

As Kyoya fixes the glasses onto his face, he feels hands clamp onto his shoulders, Tamaki trembling with nerves. “Kyoya, why? Why did you bring these idiots with us?! Especially those two doppelgangers?!”

But the megane just levels his tired gaze to his best friend, and he tilts his head just so, the sun creating a barrier between his eyes and Tamaki’s. “Well, I knew you didn’t have the courage to come here on your own. So, I thought it would be best if everyone came along.”

Casually brushing off Tamaki’s grip, Kyoya just shrugs, sighing as he leads the twins back into their cars. “Alright, let’s go home. I guess I underestimated our great leader.”

Hikaru knocks him off, pulling Kaoru into his side. “What? We aren’t going home!”

“Wait, wait!” Tamaki rushes to Kyoya, clinging to his long back. “I’m sorry! Don’t leave.” His voice drops into a whine, and the Ootori son rolls his eyes internally. “I don’t want to be alone.” 

“That’s what I suspected.” Kyoya sighs, and turns in Tamaki’s grip. Many years ago, that touch on his shoulder would’ve lit a fire in his spirit, but it dulled into more of a prismatic ray as Kyoya realized that Tamaki’s passions were elsewhere. 

As were his own. He just hadn’t gotten that far yet. Not like it mattered anymore. 

But, with this blonde, an annoyingly deep bond was formed anyway, so Kyoya let it stay. 

“Alright men, gather round.” The touch on Kyoya’s shoulder grew firm, and he was launched into a huddle with the rest of his friends. 

“Don’t forget!” Tamaki was a born leader, his commanding voice drawing even more attention from the citizens of this commoner dwelling. “We must be polite, this is simply a casual ‘we-just-happened-to-be-in-the-neighborhood’ kind of visit. We are absolutely not here to judge the Fujioka family’s lifestyle. The words ‘shabby’, ‘cramped’, and ‘rundown’ are absolutely forbidden!” 

Out of the corner of his eye, Kyoya perceived a pink dress in a diagonal line, leaning against a telephone pole. “Tamaki, if I may-” He starts, trying to point out the figure. 

“Don’t say anything that might offend Haruhi or her father.” The pink line shuddered and straightened before moving closer to their group huddle. “We can’t have them asking us to leave!” 

That pink dress solidified into a younger honor student, and Kyoya felt his help in drawing attention to her was no longer needed when she growled in the host’s direction. 

“Well, it’s too late for that!”

Jumping out of his skin, Tamaki spun around, purple eyes growing into saucers. 

 “Haruhi-”

“Go away!” Again, Haruhi’s forehead irked, a wild look in her eye. But Tamaki didn’t register her anger as those lilac plates rolled down her dress, a small blush coming to the apples of his cheeks. 

“Wow, Haruhi…” Tamaki breathed, and he and the twins suddenly gave a thumbs up. Together, they were a love-sick pack of pups. “That pink dress is pretty cute!”

But Haruhi bared her teeth. “Shut up! Get the hell out of here!”

Kyoya’s eyelids grew half a centimeter. He had never heard Haruhi cuss before. 

Tamaki stumbled back, a horrified gasp sucking through his mouth. “Haruhi’s so mad, she actually cursed at us!” Tears formed in his eyes as he whirled on the twins, beginning to accuse them of being a bad influence on the honor student, which Kyoya couldn’t disagree with. 

A lady cautiously walks over to Haruhi, and Kyoya can see the small stains on the hems of her dress. Someone who might live in this building, he supposed. 

“Excuse me, Haruhi, but is everything alright?”

Irritated beyond belief, Haruhi sighs, looking over to the woman with a blank expression. “Hi, Ms. Landlady.”

Oh, so this is the woman the Fujioka’s pay rent to. Her eyes shift from Haruhi to the boys, then back. “Those boys are driving such fancy, foreign cars. They aren’t Yakuza, are they?”

“No, they’re not.” But by the tone of her voice, Kyoya thinks that Haruhi may have preferred the Japanese mafia to their chaos. 

“I mean, do you want me to call the police for you…?” Her question trails off as Tamaki reaches around Haruhi, practically pushing the shorter host to the side as he grabs the older woman's hand. 

Sparkles come to his eyes, spilling into his lashes and sprinkling around his entire face, completely enchanting the woman in front of him in seconds. That’s what practice can do for a professional. 

“Pleased to meet you, Madam. My name’s Suoh, I’m one of Haruhi’s friends.” The landlady is already gushing as Haruhi watches with amazement. 

“Really?” The landlady’s hand tightens in his grip. “Well, aren’t you just adorable?”

“And, he’s got her.” Kyoya hears Haruhi mumble. 

A pale hand runs through golden straw as Tamaki flicks those sparkles into the air, captivating the woman further. “We were just stopping by, we didn’t mean to cause a scene. I’m sorry.” Utter sincerity rushes through Tamaki’s tone, and the pure talent the french boy possess nearly raises envy into Kyoya’s blood. 

But of course, it doesn’t. 

The tinkling of the old woman’s laughter filled the space. “Oh, it’s no problem!” She pulls Haruhi back to her side, the honor student having no choice but to follow. “I’ll be back with some snacks later for your friends. See ya later!”

As the Host Club watches the woman leave, Haruhi grumbles, coming back to Tamaki’s side. “Alright, well, thank you for coming.” Kyoya didn’t believe she was actually grateful. “But, I have a lot of work today, and even some company-”

“Boys, to the Fujioka Residence!” 

Long legs dressed in over priced cloth begin to climb the staircase of her apartment complex, bustling energies rising with every step. 

“I can’t wait to see where Haru-chan lives! I bet it’s cute, right Takashi?” Honey pipes, his blue and white, sailor inspired outfit swishing in his rush. 

His cousin just strides, taking the stairs two at a time while nodding. “Yeah.”

“Wait!” Haruhi’s call falls on deaf ears as she rushes to follow the host club. “You guys don’t even know where I-”

“Kyoya?” Tamaki looks around in a rush, seemingly millions of doors stretching into his view. 

“Second door on the left.” 

“Thank you.” 

An irk appears on Haruhi’s forehead. “How do you know where I live? That’s stalking, Kyoya-senpai!”

But the Host Club appears in front of a door. A door that was already emanating warmth and comfort, which made Tamaki a little calmer. Surely a home with this kind of energy wouldn’t be too bad, right?

“Haruhi! Let us in.” The prince boldly states. 

“Tamaki, you can’t just barge into my house.”

He turns over his shoulder, a smirk on his face. “Which is why I am asking you to let us in, okay?”

Haruhi sighs, shifting her feet. “You aren’t going to leave unless I let you see it, huh.” It wasn’t really a question, but more of an acceptance of fate. 

“Nope.” Kaoru states, canines shining. 

“Not even close.” Hikaru confirms. 

“Right.” Another sigh, and Haruhi is making her way through the crowd of her Host Club. She wanted to call you, but she knew you wouldn’t pick up. The time hadn’t even hit the double digits. She could bang on the door, tell you to get up before your friends could interrupt your sleep, but there was already a crowd outside and she didn’t want to draw more attention. 

“What’s taking so long?” Tamaki asks, a wild look in his eye.

“It’s just, there’s-” But Tamaki grabbed her by the shoulders. His eyes were desperate, purple churning into a royal violet. 

“Haruhi, I promise, whatever is behind that door, we won’t judge you. We could never judge you. Just open the door, okay?”

The twins laughed. “Speak for yourself.”

The honor student’s lips parted. “But-” 

“Open the door!” Kyoya quirks an eyebrow as Tamaki collects himself. Gently, he pushes a stunned Haruhi to the door, who grumbles under her breath, shoving the key into the hole. 

“Here’s the deal.” She states, her keys jangling. “I’m only giving you guys a quick peek, I have a day planned. Three seconds, and then you all go home, got it?”

“Plans? You have plans?” Hikaru asks, crossing his arms in front of him. 

“Yes.” Haruhi sighs out her answer. “I have a friend over.”

The door swings open, and before the Hosts can process that Haruhi lives in a very stable, normal apartment, the mattress in the center of the floor rustles. 

All of their gazes drop as a strip of sunlight from the doorway stretches over your sleeping form. A mint green, lovingly woven blanket comforts you as you shift, softly waking up from your deep sleep, and Haruhi sighs. 

“We had a sleepover. She stayed the night.” She whispers. 

Kyoya swallows. He hadn’t expected to see you here. You hadn’t answered Tamaki’s calls, Hikaru’s texts, or his own voicemails, so everyone just assumed you were still asleep and would join them later. Which was partly true. 

But here you were. Vulnerable, peaceful, and here. 

Then, your eyes fluttered open, that sun drifting over one of your eyelids. Squinting, you hummed a displeased tone, rising from the mat. Your hair was matted to your head, lips chapped and eyes swollen from your sleep, and your voice was gravelly as you spoke.

(N/l) flew over your lips in a grumble, and Tamaki and the twins gave you blank stares. The other, more linguistic hosts, held their breath.

“What did she say?” Hikaru whispered in his brother’s ear. Kaoru just shrugged, sneaking a picture of your decrepit form. 

Honey looked at Hikaru with big eyes. “She said-”

A hand covered his mouth. “Don’t repeat it, Mitsukuni.” 

“Hey, (Y/n).” Haruhi said weakly. “I’m sorry, they just barged in here.”

Everyone could tell you were still trying to find your bearings, your gaze loose as it flitted over every club member. Kyoya saw the moment when you realized the situation you were in. (E/c) met his gray, and in your drowsy state, he saw your gaze soften like it used to. 

The world melted, golden hues playing in your irises. You seemed warm, comfortable, and the megane straightened his spine. You were the only one that could look at him like that. Like he was perfect, no matter where he was in his life. 

It was jarring. 

Kyoya broke eye contact when the defenses finished their change of guard. Walls were built, cages were raised, and any affection was sealed away. The warmth disappeared, the atmosphere solidifying around you when you dropped out of your dreamy state into reality. 

The reality that all of your friends were standing in the doorway while you hadn’t even taken a shower yet. 

Groaning, you held your head in your hands, careful of the crusting face mask you had slept with. “Oh my god.”

Hikaru and Kaoru also let out a displeased noise, rolling their shoulders. “We really didn’t think we’d have to do this today.”

“What’re you talking about?” Haruhi asked. The twins moved through the crowd of their host club, coming up to either side of the honor student. 

“We’ve had too many late nights with (Y/n), so we know…”

“...Waking her up takes a certain process.”

With more grace than they’ve ever had, the twins sneak across the mats of Haruhi’s floor, taking their shoes off at the door. Kaoru kneeled down in front of you while Hikaru moved behind you, massaging your shoulders. 

“Alright, (Y/n), you with us?” Kaoru asks, bringing your face into his hands. His touch was gentle, hands thoroughly moisturized with expensive lotions and soaps.

“Yeah, you back with the living?” Hikaru teases, his thumbs breaking up the knots at the base of your neck. 

Haruhi watches their gentleness with confusion. “Who are these people? What have they done with my classmates?”

But you melted into the brothers’ touch slightly, confirming that you were not, in fact, responsive yet. Humming appreciatively, you arched your back as Hikaru’s hands worked your spines. Kaoru saw the grin on your face and rolled his eyes. The brothers just shook their heads before meeting eyes over your form, their gentle smiles sharpening a little. 

Kyoya hummed apprehensively. “It seems we are about to see their true intentions.”

Your eyes shot open as the muscles on your cheeks stretched. Kaoru pulled at your face before smashing it back the other way, distorting your features. Then Hikrau’s grip turned rigid, and the whine that was let out of your mouth turned broken as he shook your torso. Their voices weren’t soft anymore, and their teeth glinted as they smirked. 

“Wakey wakey, (Y/n)!”

“Time to get up!”

“Stop it! Mon ami is just tired!” Tamaki cried, flying into the apartment to rip you from their grasp. Suddenly, he’s twirling you, your tired form limply flailing in his arms. “You’re so cute when you’re tired (Y/n)! Come here, let me cuddle you! So, so cute!”

“Tamaki-senpai, stop!” Haruhi says, worried at the shade of green your face was turning. The prince pulls you away and when he sees the stars in your eyes, sets you on the ground. 

“I’m sorry, mon ami, are you okay?”

Nodding, you sway on your feet, but Haruhi steadies you. “You okay, (Y/n)?”

Closing your eyes, you take a deep breath. After the world stops spinning, your eyes open sharply in a glare, (e/c) eyes sliding to your ginger-haired nightmares. 

An aura surrounds you, and Tamaki and Haruhi take a small step back. Slowly, your feet pad over to the twins, but they just fold their arms.

“You wouldn’t wake up…” Kaoru says, shrugging his left shoulder.

“...So we had to take appropriate measures.” Hikaru finishes, casually lifting his right.

You walk too calmly, and from behind his glasses, Kyoya peers at the way your jaw clenches, or how your fists ball at your sides. The twins, despite their efforts to look unbothered, huddle a little closer together. 

“Is this where we die?” They ask together, seeing the rage in your eyes.

Pointing a finger at them, Kaoru’s handprint still burns your cheek as you get in their faces. The words you speak are foreign to them, but it’s growling and sinister as venom rushes past your teeth. (N/l) has never sounded so sharp, and they are bewildered as you shove them out of your way to enter Haruhi’s bathroom, sliding the door behind you. 

The hosts hear a shower running before the twins turn back to their friends. Kaoru’s eyes are wide as he looks at his brother. “I feel like a curse was just put on me.”

Honey beamed, taking a deep breath. “She said-!”

“No, Mitsukuni.” 

Haruhi just sighs, turning towards her prince as she pinches the bridge of her nose. “Alright, you guys saw my place. Can you leave now?”

The boy-lolita pouts, and Honey raises a box of desserts that Haruhi hadn’t noticed he was carrying. “Oh, but look! I brought you a gift, Haru-chan! I know how much you love cake, so I brought chocolate and strawberry! Isn’t that great?”

The martial arts master just looked so excited, and there was nothing Haruhi could do against his puppy dog eyes. Relenting, she gripes. “Fine. I’ll clean this stuff up and make us some tea.”

Both futons were easy to pack up and put away, and as Haruhi rolled up the blankets and sheets, the boys were able to take in her living space. 

Tamaki runs his hands along the modest counter tops in the kitchen. “At least it’s better than my dream.” He mumbles. 

“What a hovel.” 

“Shut up!” The prince squeals, covering Hikaru’s mouth with his palms while double checking that Haruhi didn’t hear him. 

Kyoya roamed the space, scanning the architecture on the sliding doors. “A wood-built two bedroom unit. That is pretty normal for a commoner family of two.”

Kaoru nodded next to him, looking at the humble lighting hanging from the ceiling. Very different from his massive chandeliers back home. “And Haruhi’s such a pipsqueak, at least we know she won’t hit her head on the low ceilings.”

“Well, I think it’s a cute little room!” Honey says, spreading his arms out and twirling, nearly hitting Mori in the gut. 

“You don’t have to struggle to compliment it.” Haruhi drones, stuffing the rest of the bedding into the linen closet. 

The boys soon migrate to Haruhi’s T.V. room, jostling around in the tight space. 

“Oh, wow, talk about small.” Hikaru says as he squeezes by Kyoya, barely missing the T.V. set up in the corner of the room. Mori walks straight through the doors, and before the megane can stop him, accidentally knocks his head on the lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. 

“Ow.”

“Be careful!” Karou says, pointing at the light feature. “I should’ve said something earlier.”

Tamaki just huffs, setting himself down on the far right side of the room and curling in on himself. “This place is quite unpleasant, but I think we may have underestimated commoner housing!” His voice is strained as he compacts himself into a ball, and the other hosts follow suit. 

“I know it’s a tight fit in here, men, but just pull your knees in and sit gym style.” The blonde’s voice mimics intelligence as he educates his friends. “Commoners have specially developed this position to conserve space.”

Kyoya fought the urge to roll his eyes. 

Hands on her hips, their favorite brunette appears in the doorway. By the way her mouth quirked over her teeth, she was probably motivating herself to just get through this visit. “I’ll go make us some tea.” Her pink dress swishes as she turns, but Hikaru stops her. 

“Hey, why don’t you make this?” A pale, manicured hand offers her an orange bag of loose leaf tea. “It’s black tea that our father brought us as a souvenir from Africa. Try it.”

A thoughtful look replaces the annoyed one as Haruhi grasps the bag, turning it in her hand. “Sure, no problem.”

“It’s best served as milk tea.” Kaoru offers. “Do you have any milk?”

Still reading the directions, Haruhi nods. “I think so.” Then a finger comes to her chin. “When was the last time I bought some milk?”

A blur of blonde hair rushes to the tufts of orange as Tamaki pulls them into an urgent huddle. “Stop trying to embarrass her by asking for that tea!” The president of the Host Club tries to whisper quietly, but Kyoya can hear him clearly as he gives them hushed warnings. “She has no idea how to prepare it!”

Pale skin tones turn sickly as the twins fall into worry, Tamaki’s panic becoming contagious. “She doesn’t even have a tea pot!”

“She’s too embarrassed to tell us that she doesn’t!” Too ashamed to stand, Kaoru crawls forward towards Haruhi as she stands in the kitchen. He reaches out a trembling hand. “I’m sorry, Haruhi, you don’t have to go through all that trouble. We’d be fine with a glass of water.”

“What are you doing?”

The host club turns to find you leaning against the doorway, hair damp and face cleaned. You still weren’t wearing any make-up and you weren’t in your fanciest attire, but you seemed casual and fresh. Definitely happier than how you welcomed them a few minutes ago. 

On the floor, Kyoya is slightly thrown off for the second time today. Seeing you out of uniform wasn’t rare, as he saw you in costumes all the time, or dressed up for parties that your parents might throw as a business gathering. But these were clothes that were utterly you, clothes that you felt free in. A natural glow surrounded you as you leaned against the doorway, still getting used to being awake, and this natural look became another aspect of your life that Kyoya was introduced to. 

He couldn’t say that he minded. 

Feeling his gaze on you, you give him a small, closed-lip smile before turning back to the twins in front of you. 

“These idiots asked Haruhi to make expensive tea!” Tamaki wailed. “How is she going to–”

You raised a tired eyebrow at Tamaki before looking over Haruhi’s shoulder from your position. “What are you talking about? She’s fine.”

“And it’s no trouble.” Haruhi insists, giving the hosts a quizzical look of her own. She turns, holding a tray of eight tea cups, filled with steam. “Besides, I’ve already made it.”

As people begin to settle into Haruhi’s home, the minions and the Boss settle back into their huddle. 

“Man, that was a close one.” Hikaru breathes. 

Tamaki solemnly nods. “We’ve been rescued by commoner’s wisdom.”

“What do you mean, sir?” Kaoru asks.

The prince’s voice gets low, serious as he watches Haruhi distribute the cups. “Nothing we know to be true in our world holds here! We have to be careful how we react. One little off-handed comment could break Haruhi’s heart!” 

The Idiotic Trio gasps, already horrified at the thought. “That means, in this fight, the first person to embarrass Haruhi loses!” 

Kyoya just sighs at their behavior, perusing the bookshelf flush against one of the apartment walls. He’s focused on the titles until he feels a presence at his side. 

“Hi.”

“Hello.”

Kyoya watches as you clear your throat, shifting your feet before reaching out. “Do you mind if I reach past you? I left my jewelry on this shelf last night.”

Quirking an eyebrow and looking towards the dark wood of the bookshelf, Kyoya finds a couple of simple bracelets and a necklace draped across the surface. He goes to move out of the way. “Oh, of course-”

You had shifted your body the same way, and chuckled at the mistake. “Sorry, let me just-” 

He goes to move to the other side, but you follow him. “(Y/n), you need to–”

“No, I know, but you need to move that–”

With a few more dance moves, Kyoya huffs. His pale hand reaches out, stopping your movements with a touch on your shoulder and clears his throat. “I will get them for you.” Finally, Kyoya drops the jewelry into your awaiting hand. 

“Thank you.” You mumble, working the (j/c) chain onto your neck. There’s a moment of silence before you are noticing the determined look in the Idiotic Trio’s eyes. 

“I don’t know why they feel the need to turn everything into a contest.” You groan, rolling your stare over the different titles in Haruhi’s library. 

“Their antics can be amusing, however.” The megane counteracts, pulling a book out with his index finger. “Especially when things get competitive.”

A small laugh rolls past your lips, and Kyoya’s smirk grows. “Yeah, you’re right. I just hope they don’t ruin Haruhi’s day.”

“I’m sure they will.” And then a silence falls in between the bustling of hosts as your friends chat, and the Ootori son hates it. What happened to the comfortable silence you two used to share? Could it be saved, or was that too dropped off a cliff’s edge?

He was surprised when he found himself breaking the awkwardness. “I was surprised to see you here this morning.”

Leaning your head against the bookshelf, a hum sounds at the back of your throat. “Yeah, I slept over last night.”

“And how was that?”

Kyoya watches as a smile forms on your tired lips. “Great, actually. It was nice to reconnect.”

“Reconnect?” Lazily, the Ootori son flipped through a couple pages of a law book. “I wasn’t aware you two were estranged.”

Shrugging, you turn away from him. “Not estranged, just…things were tense, for a while. It was my fault.”

“I see.” 

Humming, you nod. “But Haruhi is such a forgiving person, so she welcomed me back with open arms.”

“Are you hinting that I should forgive you whole-heartedly for risking your life?” Kyoya suggests with a blank tone, gray eyes sliding over to you. 

Shaking your head, some of the sleepiness is dislodged from your psyche. “Not at all. I’m over all that.” Your eyes lock with his, and there’s a hint of something there that he hasn’t seen before. “I’m just amazed at how good of a person she is sometimes. Don’t you think so?”

Dark lashes flick to the honor student that is sweat-dropping at a pair of twins who are studying their tea with suspicious glares, wondering if it was made correctly, and if it wasn’t, whether they should drink it anyway. 

“I think she excels where most people of her category do not.” Kyoya nods.

“That’s basically a stellar compliment coming from you.” You laugh, your voice lower in the mornings than during school hours. “But I’m saying that not only is she smart and kind, but she is also ambitious and gorgeous, right?”

Kyoya closes the book in his hand, giving you a searching stare. “I suppose.”

“She’s kind of like the perfect woman, then.” He watches your throat tighten slightly. 

“(Y/n), you’re rambling like a love-sick imbecile. If you’re in love with Haruhi, you can just say it out loud–”

Scoffing, you flip your wet hair over your shoulder. “What? No. I mean, I do love her, but not like that– not that it would be wrong to– I think everyone might be a little in love with Haru– no, but I don’t, personally, but if someone else did, then that would be cool, that would be fine, I’d be okay with that, so. Yeah.” A redness comes to your cheeks, your eyes landing in all directions but his. 

This causes even more confusion to reach Kyoya’s chest. Why was everyone babbling utter nonsense today? “I’m not following.”

Taking a deep breath, you wave him off, moving towards the others. “Whatever, forget about it.”

The Ootori son’s eyelids narrowed. You’re mad at him, then come over to him in a private corner to talk about Haruhi? What was going on with you?

Haruhi looks up to greet you both, her wavering patience clear in her features. “Good for you two to join us.” She gestures to the tea cups set around the table, an empty spot next to her and another by Honey. “Sorry not all the cups match, but it’s all that was clean.”

You smile at her. “Thanks, Haru.” You fold one leg behind the other, getting ready to sit on the honor student’s right side, before you apparently think better of it. Quickly, you straighten and sit yourself next to the boy-lolita. 

Stiffly, Kyoya reverently sits next to Haruhi, watching you across the table with a careful eye. Something was going on, and you wouldn’t be able to hide it for forever. 

On your right, Honey-senpai excitedly sets the cake box down onto the table, opening it to reveal chocolate and strawberry cakes with fluffy sponges. Whipped cream and sprinkle dazzle the tops, and Honey’s eyes just shine with anticipation. But he shakes the stars out of his eyes and looks at Haruhi.

“C’mon Haru-chan! You can choose your cake first!”

“Are you sure, Honey-senpai?” But the martial arts master just nods, bouncing a little in his seat.

Hikaru nods encouragingly. “Yeah, go ahead! We’re rich so we eat this stuff all the time.” A too wide grin stretches his face before it’s knocked off by Tamaki and Kaoru elbowing his sides. 

“What?” He whines, bringing his voice down. “I was trying to be considerate!”

The honor student thinks a little more before choosing one of the strawberry cakes, to Honey’s delight. The trio to Kyoya’s right basks in her cuteness, the small blush on her cheeks as she revels in the rich dessert. Sighing, the megane’s shoulders drop as they begin to tremble slightly, Haruhi’s apparent ‘cuteness’ excelling at new heights. Excited yet sad whispers bounced around the three, and he wished for his black book. 

“Awe, I wish I could tell her how cute she is. But there is no telling what might offend her!” Tamaki pouts. 

In his worry, Honey turns to you, a questioning look in his iris. “(N/n)-chan? Which one do you want?”

Smiling, you pat his head. “Yeah, I’ll get the strawberry one too.” 

The twins practically melt at your kind simper, and the giggly smile that Haruhi produces. Their minds begin to freak, each nerve focused on not embarrassing the honor student. They're in a whole other environment, getting used to the rules of the commoner’s biome. 

A determined nod shakes Honey-senpai’s shoulders, and the boy-lolita scoops two cakes and plops them in front of you and your friend. “Okay! You, me, Takashi and Haru-chan can all have the strawberry ones!”

After the cakes are distributed, a small smile rests on your face as you dig in. Soon after, a plump strawberry is set onto your plate. 

Looking up, you see Mori giving you a kind, gentle smile. “You like strawberries, right? Here, you can have mine.” He pushed the fruit with his fork so that it’s resting near the body of your cake. 

“Thank you, Mori-senpai.” You grin. 

Mori then bends slightly, whispering something between you that has you laughing and rolling your eyes playfully. Kyoya’s mouth twists. 

The director’s own chocolate cake looks rich and dense, and it makes his stomach turn. His family used to try to get him to eat sweets so that he could balance out his blood pressure, but they forced it so much that he became adverse to the fake sugar taste. And somehow, it looks even more repulsing with the glazed strawberry sitting on top of it. 

Looking to his right, Kyoya finds that Haruhi has already begun to devour her plate, the cake quickly disappearing. Her brown eyes shift subtly towards his whole dessert, then back. Swiftly, she steals another wanting look, and Kyoya extends some peace to her suffering want. 

“If you want this dessert, Haruhi, you simply have to ask.” Long fingers push his plate across the table, into the honor student’s space. “I’m certainly not going to eat it.”

Her brown eyes quickly shoot to his cool ones. “Oh, no, Senpai, that’s yours. I don’t want to-”

“Take it.” He insists. “You’d be doing me a favor.” 

Cautiously, Haruhi raises her chopsticks, stabbing the strawberry with a gentle force. A delighted facade plays onto her features as she eats it whole, and Kyoya shakes his head. Oh, the simplest pleasures in life. 

Looking across from him, he accidentally meets your eye, which had been already watching him and Haruhi, he realizes. Quickly, your gaze darts away, but he continues to watch as you push your cake around, your mouth morphin into something of distaste. 

Which was peculiar, considering how much you loved Honey-senpai’s desserts. 

Were you watching him? And then he did something that made you feel worse, and you looked away. His gray eyes darted back to Haruhi. 

Was it that he shared his dessert with her?

“Haruhi…” Kyoya said, testing a hypothesis. The brown-haired student met his eyes once more, her mouth still full with strawberry. “Let me cut that for you.”

Pale fingers work the cake into equal parts with the utensils, despite Haruhi’s protests. Eventually, she lets him do what he wants. “Uh…thank you, Senpai. That’s nice of you, I guess.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees your eyes flicking up and watching him. More specifically, watching him and Haruhi, and the act of service he performs for her. 

Interesting. 

“Ah, why didn’t I think of that?” Hikaru whines as Kyoya pushes Haruhi’s plate back to her, the red head seeing the suspicious but grateful look on the honor student’s face. 

Kyoya sighs when he sees Tamaki bend over and start slamming the ground with his fist. “I should’ve been sharing my cake with her!”

Kaoru holds his own cheeks in his hands. “Why’d we let him trick us?!”

While that side of the table freaked out over virtually nothing, the other side sat back, satisfied looks on their faces as their desserts settled in their stomachs. 

Honey-senpai patted his belly, his cheeks scattered with crumbs. “Ah, eating all the cake really wet my appetite.” He takes a second to burp, the high pitched sound echoing through Haruhi’s small living area. 

That gives Hikaru an idea. “Yeah, isn’t it lunchtime right about now?”

Kyoya does note the empty feeling in his stomach, and he watches as the Idiotic Trio put on sickening smiling faces, facing Haruhi with a weird kindness. 

They speak in unison. “Yeah, what’s for lunch, Haruhi?”

You roll your eyes, your dessert still only half eaten. “Aren’t you trying not to put pressure on her? How does that help?”

“And would you quit being so happy-go-lucky all the time?” Haruhi asks, her brow twitching. 

But Kyoya couldn’t look away from your plate, the cake like a half moon in the sky. On any other day, that dessert would’ve been gone, but not today. 

“Hmm.” The ravenet hums aloud before standing, a routine smirk gracing his lips. “We’ll take care of it, Haruhi. We did drop by unexpectedly.” He fixes the frames on his nose. “Why don’t you order from your favorite sushi place?” 

At the edge of his glasses, you set your fork down, the unfinished cake abandoned on your plate. 

Haruhi shakes her head, sending him an unimpressed glance. “Thanks, but no thanks.” She holds her hands up in a surrendering manner. “I know that I let you guys pay, I’ll only regret it later.”

At that, Kyoya’s smirk grows, and his hands reach into one of his vest pockets. “Oh, don’t worry Haruhi.” Whipping out a credit card, his pale fingers present it to the Natural Type, watching the gold color glisten in the sun. “We’ll just pay for it using the profits from the photos of you we auctioned off.”

A sarcastic laugh wheezed out of the honor student. “So I’m really paying for it after all.”

Getting up from the table, she dusts off the skirt of her dress. “Well, if that is what you want, I do have a friend who runs a nice little sushi shop nearby so I can give him a call. Their stuff is pretty high quality.”

Haruhi takes the card from Kyoya as the rest of the Ouran students rise from the table, getting ready to head to the sushi place. Suddenly, you step to Kyoya, and he feels your elbow jostle into his side. Usually, the gesture was gentle, but he felt it dig into his ribs a little harder than the times before. 

“Do you really trust her to choose the place where we order lunch?” You ask lowly around the bustle of your friends. “I love the girl, but she doesn’t have the most refined taste.”

“Another instance in which you admit your love for Haruhi. As I’ve said, if you’re falling head over heels for our newest host, just say so.”

He catches the roll of your eyes. “I’m not.” You respond, and a meaningful beat passes as Kyoya catches Tamaki beginning to furiously write something on a piece of paper. The blonde then army crawls across the mats, and not-so-secretly hands it to Haruhi, who reads it over with a confused glance. Tamaki has once again underestimated her because she is a commoner, suggesting that she doesn’t know the difference between cheap and fancy tuna. 

She chews him out for it, bringing a humored grin to both of your lips. 

“But she would be an easy girl to fall in love with.” Voicing your thoughts, you fold your arms across your chest. 

“Has anyone ever told you that you tend to send mixed signals?”

A small laugh poured out of your mouth. “I’m just saying.” A lone hair is tucked away. “I wonder how she has stayed single for this long.”

Kyoya shrugs, and without the comfortable distraction of his black book, indulges in your gossip. “Haruhi seems like the girl to have a specific set of standards for who she might be involved with romantically.”

“You think you might have an idea of who she wants to be with?” He feels you turn your head to look at him, the warmth of your gaze caressing his features, but he doesn’t look back. 

He decides to keep his answer vague. “I’m sure I could make an educated guess.” His own spectacled eye falls to the blonde man who is currently being disciplined with his own note, rolled up in Haruhi’s hand. But he lets you make your own assumption on what he means. 

His face turns colder. You’ve looked away. “I’m sure you could.” You try to keep your tone light. 

Being the Cool-Type, he shoves a hand into the pocket of his pants. “Why the sudden interest in Haruhi’s love life?”

Kyoya sees the stutter before it manifests on your tongue, the sound tensing your shoulders and wringing your hands. “What? I’m not suddenly interested.” You protest. “She’s my best friend, I’m always looking out for stuff like that.”

“Then why not discuss it with her? Or someone else more versed in that sort of thing?” Finally, he glides his gray eyes over to you. “Why ask me?”

You scoff. “It’s not like I’ve been seeking you out personally.” 

“Twice now, you’ve commented on Haruhi’s love life to me.” Kyoya is careful to keep his tone casual, unaccusing. “And you know I’m not one for gossip.”

“We both know that’s a lie.” Your mouth quirks up a bit. “You love the information you can get from mere rumors.”

Smirking, he pushes his frames up and turns to face you fully. “I’m not in favor of gossip about romantic relationships. Or secrecy in general. If one was to develop, especially in our nosy Host Club, I’m sure they’d be found out eventually. People might as well be open about them.”

Slowly, you turn to him, giving him a careful once over. “Really? You don’t think there should be an effort to hide it?” 

“Why try? When it comes to any of us, Tamaki is already over-protective. The twins have their ear open for any information that could pose as blackmail. Mori and Honey-senpai are already more observant than we give them any credit for.” 

He shrugs, turning to the group that is currently trying to pull an angry Haruhi off a crying prince. “There wouldn’t be any point in trying to keep it a secret.”

You take a sharp intake of breath. “But that doesn’t make any sense.”

He gives you a questioning glance. “Why not?”

His eyes drop to the way you bite your lip, a tell-tale sign your tongue has turned to knots. Your eyes dart to the chaos, and you decide to step in the fray. “Nevermind.” A nervous laugh resonates against Haruhi’s living room. “I should probably help them before they actually hurt anyone. Or themselves.”

Kyoya just nods, observing how you throw yourself into the mayhem and finally pry the note away from Haruhi’s hand, holding her in a gentle headlock. 

It didn’t make sense for him to support the openness of romantic relationships in the Host Club.

What was confusing about it? 

Was it the fact that any information about the Hosts being in a relationship would deteriorate revenue for the club, or initiate jealous outbursts within their clientele? Or was it because it didn’t make sense for him, Kyoya Ootori, demon robot lord disconnected from all emotion. 

He felt like he was getting closer to why you were angry with him but also asking these intrusive questions, honing the variables in an equation that was beyond his skill level. But things were still convoluted, and he needed more information. He needed more time. 

“Actually,” Honey speaks above all the noise. “I’d really love it if you made us something for lunch, Haru-chan.” 

Perfect. 

The twins gasp. “No Honey-senpai! How could you ask that of her?!”

Tamaki hisses, icing a bump on his forehead. “Don’t upset her, Senpai! Try to restrain yourself!”

There’s a pause in the bustle as plans change, Haruhi nodding as an idea pops into her mind. “I guess I could whip up something for lunch.”

“We can wait!” Honey says with a bright grin.

The Idiotic Trio develops stars in their eyes, gasping as they relish in a world where they get to try Haruhi’s cooking. 

You give them a questioning stare. “I think something might be wrong with you three.”

Another pondering hum comes from Haruhi. “I would have to go back to the supermarket.”

The twins shoot up, on their feet in seconds. “We’re coming with you!” Hikaru announces, while Karou exclaims, “We want to see a commoner’s supermarket!”

“Me too!” Honey agrees, pulling Mori along with him.

Kyoya steps to Haurhi’s side, genuinely intrigued when he says, “This could be a learning experience.” 

Suddenly, you’re stepping between them, shrugging as they move farther away from each other. “Well, if everyone is going…” You say, giving Haruhi a thumbs up. The honor student seems nervous to have all of her upper class friends following her to a general store. 

But you’re pulled off by your armpits as the twins drag you out of the apartment, throwing your shoes at you while they chant, “Commoner’s supermarket, commoner’s supermarket!” 

Honey skips out, still holding Mori’s hand, singing along with them. 

But Kyoya stays behind for a moment, turning to catch the honor student as she grabs her purse. “(Y/n) mentioned that she had fun at your slumber party.”

Haruhi’s eyebrows shot straight up for a second before registering that Kyoya was actually talking to her about a sleepover, before shoving the rest of her stuff into her bag. “Yeah? Well, it’s good to hear you guys are talking to each other again.”

“Mm. We are.” The Ootori son clears his throat. “But, lately, she has been bringing up some, might I say, interesting points of conversation.”

Haruhi was still giving him that look. The look that told him to get to the point. “Okay?”

“Excuse me if I’m overstepping, but has (Y/n) brought up your love life at all?” He asks, and he fights the uncomfortable feeling he gets about intruding on Haruhi’s romantic life. He would not be interested at all if he wasn’t trying to solve his own problem. 

“Mine?” Haruhi laughs. “Like, who I have a crush on?”

“Exactly.” Kyoya skirts around the awkwardness. “Unfortunately, she has been talking quite a bit about who you are interested in, and I’d like to find out why.” 

“I guess it is weird that she’s suddenly focused on that.” She says, still chuckling. But the humor dies down, and to Kyoya’s satisfaction, she nods her head in confirmation. “Actually, she did bring it up last night. We were just making cookies, and she was asking if I liked anyone.”

“Really?” The megane leans against her kitchen counter. 

“Yeah, now that you mention it, it was a little sudden. Like she had been waiting to ask me the whole day.” She packs away a chapstick. 

“What did she say?”

Her mouth twists distastefully. “That’s private, Senpai.”

Gray eyes squint behind his glasses. Reaching into his vest pocket, he reveals a glinting blue credit card, contrasting from the gold one he presented earlier. “What if I pay for your groceries, and anything else you may need from this commoner’s supermarket?”

She gapes a little at the sheer elegance the credit card exhibits before sighing. “I’m only telling you because you two are close, or at least you used to be. And, I’m a little curious too, if I’m honest.”

Kyoya nodded, even though she hadn’t denied his offer. 

Haruhi throws her bag onto her shoulder. “She was just saying things like, ‘oh, if you did like anybody, I’d be excited and try to push you two together’! But she did not look excited at all.”

“Huh.” He hums, his fingers framing his chin. 

“She told me you guys got in a fight, though.”

Those fingers move up his face to rub his forehead. “We did. It’s been resolved.”

“Has it?” There’s a glint in her irises, and Kyoya adds her to the list of over-observant people in the Host Club. 

Before he can reply, she’s pushing him out the door. “Let me know what’s going on with her, and I’ll let you know what she tells me. We can tag team it.”

“As much as I despise that term, I agree with your partnership.” He says, holding down the railing as he walks into the cool spring air. “I have a plan.”

“Of course you do.” Haruhi then turns back into the apartment, noticing something inside and leaves the door open to investigate. Kyoya looks at the small group of impatient hosts who are still avoiding the obvious gawks from other common people, and sees Tamaki is missing. Must be who Haruhi saw inside. 

When he finally makes it to the bottom of the stairs, he sees you and the twins huddled together, talking in hushed voices. He strains his ears, but he can barely make out any of the words that you’re saying. But it seems secretive and suspicious. Terms that have been describing you as of late. 

The twins’ faces were blanched, shaking their heads as it looks like you are trying to convince them of something, your stature smart and confident. The Ootori son inches closer. 

“But why would he want that?” Hikaru whispers, grimacing. “I can’t see it.”

“No, no. It’s true. I can’t tell you how I know, but I know.” You say, pulling them in closer. “And it’s up to us to make it happen.”

“And you’re okay with this?” Kaoru asks, ginger eyebrows tying together. 

“Do you guys want in or not?” You ask, exasperated. 

The twins look at each other and shrug. “Guess it couldn’t hurt. We’re bored, anyways.”

Suddenly, a thud is heard back at Haruhi’s apartment, and Kyoya realizes that the pair of president and honor-student never returned down the steps. 

You meet his eyes, breaking from your huddle and walking towards him. “Did Haruhi come down with you?”

“No.” He shakes his head, and the rest of the Host Club briskly walks up the rest of the stairs. “But she did idiotically leave her door open. Anyone could’ve walked in.”

The twins are hurrying up the steps, and even Kyoya feels his confusion fuel into his thighs, pressing urgency into each stair as they rush to the top. 

But when Hikaru and Kaoru make it to the doorway of Haruhi’s apartment, their worried faces morph into confused expressions. 

“Hey boss, what in the world is taking you so long?”

And when Kyoya finally rounds the edge of the entrance into the honor student’s living space, he sees a red-haired individual picking up Haruhi off the floor, their president smashed face first into the mats on the floor. 

The Hitachiian brothers snicker, and Kaoru’s smile grows a little bigger. “Woah, check it out. This person is Haruhi’s father.”

Tamaki growls at the boys while Kyoya tries to put together how he had gotten beat up in the first place. By Haruhi’s father, no less. 

“Hikaru, Kaoru!” Tamaki whines. “Help me out here!”

The gingered devils ignore him, most likely remembering their mission to not embarrass Haruhi. They walk over Tamaki, holding out their hands like perfect gentlemen. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Haruhi's dad. We’re good friends of your daughter’s, the Hitachiian brothers!”

“So you cross dress, do you?” Hikaru asks.

“You’re the first man we’ve seen to wear women’s clothes and actually pull it off!” Kaoru compliments, ignoring the fact that they just dressed up like women a week prior. 

And just when Kyoya connects the dots on the Tamaki-shaped hole in the wall, a blushing Haruhi, and an angry father, both brother’s turn to the prince under their feet. “You finally put the moves on Haruhi, didn’t you boss?”

Annoyed, they turn their bright smiles back to Haruhi’s dad. “Sorry about him, he’s a ladies man, if you know what I mean.”

“He’s a pheromone machine. In fact, he’s fooled around with more ladies than you can count!” 

Kyoya hears you chuckle next to him, putting your face in your hands to hide your smile. 

“He likes to fool around, huh?” Haruhi’s dad stands to his full height. His body type was lean, and his red wig looks real as it flows around his shoulders. His simple outfit of a skirt, shirt, and a shall wraps around his body as he frowns at the boy still getting stomped by the twins. 

But the blonde pushes them off, desperate to clear his name. “No! I’m not a ladies man! I’m a nice guy! I care about her!”

You and the ravenet meet eyes when he sees Haruhi’s shoulders tense. You lean over, and he sees you watching him carefully. “Is he confessing his love for her?”

Tamaki drops to his knees, bowing respectfully to his elder. “I’m being completely honest here. I care about Haruhi like she is my own daughter.”

The Host Club deflates, rolling their eyes and grumbling under their breaths. Kyoya shrugged, giving you a side glance. “I suppose we aren’t at that part in the storyline.” 

But the older man just hums, meeting the eyes of each host club member. “I get it. You must be the host club I’ve heard so much about.” Then a twinkle shines in his eye. “You certainly are a fine group of men.” He winks at you. “And women.”

A smile comes to your lips, and you shake your head.

“Why don’t we all sit down and get to know each other, hm?” Haruhi’s dad suggests, a sickly sweet smile presenting on his face. He gestures back to the table, cake crumbs still scattered across it. “My home is your home.”

Kyoya bows slightly, putting on his ‘perfect son’ routine. “Thank you. That’s very kind.” 

You walk over to the man, giving his make-up a once over. “See? I told you the purple eyeshadow would work, Ranka.”

“Ranka?” Honey-senpai questions as the hosts make their way to the table. 

“Oh, yes.” As everyone settles into their spots, Kyoya sits straight on Ranka’s left, while you take a seat to his right. “That is the professional name that I use at the bar that I work at.”

“Like a stage name?” Honey-senpai asks, big brown eyes looking at him from across the table’s surface. 

“Exactly like that, Mitsukuni.”

Kyoya simpers proudly while the martial arts master cocks his head. “Hold on. How do you know my name, sir?”

Ranka simply smiles. “You two are third years Mitsukuni Haninosuka and Takashi Morinozuka.” He states, gesturing to the kendo legends. 

Then he begins to move down the line. “And the two of you are first-years in the same class as Haruhi, you’re the Hitachiian twins! But, I’m not sure which one is which.” He admits. “I’ve heard so much about you!”

Hikaru and Kaoru light up. “Wait, so Haruhi told you about us?”

Ranka holds his hands up in surrender. “No, no. Kyoya told me all about all of you over the phone!” 

The ravenet smiles, and he presses his palms against Ranka’s. “You really are a beautiful person, Ranka.”

Haruhi’s dad blushes. “You’re too kind. And too handsome!” To Kyoya’s only slight surprise, Ranka then turns to you. 

“And your updates, (Y/n), are also incredibly helpful.” Then the red-haired man leans towards you. “Although, you did fail to tell me how much of an idiot your president was.”

The Idiotic Trio blanches blanches, and you knowingly pat Ranka on the shoulder. “He is an acquired taste.” 

Then, you lean around Ranka to get a better look at the club’s director. “You know Ranka?” You ask.

Kyoya picks up his tea, pristinely placing the porcelain in his palm. “We’ve been entrusted with the care of his precious daughter. It is only natural that we introduce ourselves and give him periodic reports.”

“Say what?!” The club exclaims. 

“Kyoya!” His best friend whines, and a hand grips his shoulder. 

But he just sips his tea, sighing into the steam. “Ordinarily, that would be your job, wouldn’t it?” The pale hand recoils as Tamaki sinks back into his sob corner. Mushrooms begin to sprout on Haruhi’s walls. 

Speaking of the honor student. “Why didn’t you tell me you were getting calls from Kyoya-senpai, Dad? You never mentioned this to me.” She shouts. 

“Awe, what am I supposed to do, Haruhi? You rarely tell me anything about school! I have to get it from these two, or else I get nothing at all!”

“So that makes it okay to talk behind my back?” Irritated, the honor student turns to Tamaki, plucking fungus out of the walls. “C’mon, Senpai, would you please stop growing mushrooms in other people’s closets?”

But she is swept up by her adoring father, who coos at her irked mood. “But Haruhi, you’re cute even when you’re angry!”

With Ranka up and away from the group, he meets your eye. 

“You know, Haruhi’s dad has always reminded me of someone.” You say, watching as Haruhi tries to pry her dad off of her. 

Kyoya nods in agreement, and he could nearly laugh at the longing look on Tamaki’s face. “It explains why she handles our prince so well.”

Finally, Haruhi is able to push her dad off. She huffs, adjusting the strap on her bag and putting her short brown hair back into alignment. With an angry grunt, she spins towards the door, to her father’s dismay. 

“Wait, Haruhi!” He calls. “Where are you going?”

“To the supermarket, alright?” Haruhi’s voice is short. “I have to go shopping so that I can make lunch for you all.”

The host club stands, and you part from the boys. “Do you want someone to go with you?”

Haruhi’s brown eyes scan meaningfully along the line up of her friends, and she rolls her eyes. “Fine. Only (Y/n) can come.”

You stutter. “Are you sure you want me? I was thinking maybe Tamaki, or even Kyoya could–”

“(Y/n), either you come with me, or I go alone.” Haruhi had already made up her mind. 

“No, no. I’m going, I’m going.” You say, and skip past the host club. 

“What?!” Kaoru shrieks as you make your way across the living room, giving them a smug smile, and Kyoya folds his arms. 

“Wait!” Hikaru calls. “We want to go see the commoner’s supermarket.” But you and Haruhi were already out the door. 

Ranka deflates next to him. “I wouldn’t push it. Once she’s made up her mind, she’ll never change it. When she decided she wanted to go to Ouran Academy, she did all the enrollment paperwork herself.”

He sighs, and Kyoya watches as he rakes red hair back behind his ear. “‘While I respect her independent spirit, I wish she’d be a little more dependent on me sometimes.”

Around Kyoya, the hosts look up to Ranka with stars in their eyes, the ravenet with a more respectful stare. The man pulling off a women’s jacket begins to tell a story of Haruhi’s independence that leaves a proud shine within the Host Club, one where she neglected to tell her dad about Career Day at her school, just so he could have a day off. 

He sighs again, his voice a little higher pitched than most men. “I just hope you boys know how grateful I am. Since she has found you all and (Y/n), she seems to be happier. She is enjoying herself, wouldn’t you agree, Tamaki Suoh?”

Tamaki plucks his head out of the mushroom closet. “You know who I am?”

Ranka rolls his eyes. “Of course I do. Haruhi has told me a thing or two about you. You’re the host club’s bumbling president, aren’t you?”

Kyoya’s best friend sobs happily, and the ravenet takes another sip of tea. Ranka follows his example. 

“Come to think of it,” Haruhi’s dad continues. “You’re the one who didn’t realize that Haruhi was a girl until the very last moment. You’re clueless, aren’t you? Pretty pathetic.”

Kyoya resists from sputtering a laugh into his tea when Tamaki slinks back into his depression, you being out of range to comfort him in his state of despair.  

Ranka’s tea cup clinks back onto the table. “Now that we’ve gotten all the introductions out of the way, how would you boys like to have a little fun?”

By fun, the last thing Kyoya expected from a man who works in a bar so flamboyant was to be following his daughter and her best friend to the supermarket. 

But here he was, barely even trying to be secretive as they ducked behind a streetlight, a bored sigh blowing out of his lips. The sun reflected off his glasses and his black locks, the muscles in his jaw working to hide his disinterest. People around them were still gawking at them, and while Kyoya was used to being in the spotlight, it wasn’t the most ideal situation.

He was trying to concentrate, after all. 

He cursed himself for not being able to read lips as well as his brothers, another aspect in which he was inferior to them. If he hadn’t focused so much on his academics when he was younger, he would know what you and Haruhi were talking about, and he could put this all to rest. 

It was obvious you were talking about Haruhi’s love life again. The slight blush on her cheeks and the way she grimaced as you playfully prodded her side with your elbow gave that away. And he supposed it wasn’t too out of the ordinary. You two were very close, even more so after what had happened on the beach. Naturally, he was sure romantic relationships would come up eventually. 

But clearly, it was making Haruhi more than a little uncomfortable. Haruhi was a patient person, due to the extravagant person she was raised by, but you were starting to get to the edge of her patience, it seemed. Kyoya regarded the honor student putting her hand on your shoulder, stopping you mid-sentence, and most likely telling you, in the calmest way possible, to change the topic. 

Your shoulders dropped as you realized you had pushed a boundary, and a sheepish smile quirked your lips. He could make out your apology, at least, and then he lost his intrigue as you both probably moved on to something that wouldn’t benefit him. 

“Who’re you looking at? Hm?” Kyoya heard two voices on either side of his shoulders, and he suppressed a groan. 

“What’re you two talking about?” The ravenet grumbled. 

Hikaru snickered. “You seem pretty absorbed in our two girls over there.”

“But which one were you spying on?” Kaoru teased.

Rolling his eyes, Kyoya kept a neutral demeanor. “Are we not supposed to be spying on these two? I am only following Ranka’s direction.”

“I don’t know…” Kaoru’s voice carries a sing-song-like mockery.

Hikaru laughed, grabbing onto his shoulder. “There’s definitely something different about the way you’re doin’ it. Like you’re looking for something.”

Kyoya shrugs him off. “I’m not looking for anything. Don’t act like idiots in front of our elders.” Luckily, the rest of the group was far enough ahead to where Kyoya didn’t have to worry about accidentally embarrassing himself. 

“It’s Haruhi, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, you like her, right?”

As they walked, Kyoya narrowly avoided stumbling over the uneven concrete. “I’m sorry?”

The twins sigh. “We wouldn’t blame you. Just know that we would kill you if you did anything to hurt her.”

“And the Boss might just completely eradicate you from existence for touching his little girl. But, you know, nothing to worry about.” 

“My god.” Kyoya’s throat is dry from the surprise, his mouth contorting in distaste. “You two truly need to find another game to play. This one is just distasteful.”

Their confident smirks begin to falter. “Oh, come on, Shadow King, you can tell us.”

“Yeah, we won’t say a word.”

The megane keeps his voice level, sighing himself back to a point of equilibrium. “I am not an instrument for your entertainment.”

Before they can say anything else, you and Haruhi turn a corner, motivating their group of spies to change positions. Ranka waves everyone over as they cross the street, crowding the boys behind a separate street light. Kyoya makes sure to plant himself near Tamaki and Haruhi’s father, pushing the twins to the back. 

They still manage to make themselves heard, to his aggravation. 

“So,” Hikaru calls. “We’re just going to follow her to the supermarket?” 

Kyoya hums, leaning against the wall framing the sidewalk. “This is what you meant by fun?”

Ranka nods happily. “I call it the stalking game.” 

A few more people pass them on the other side of the street, their eyes basically turning into stars as they bask in the beauty of the host club. One woman turns to her friend, her voice hushed and giddy. 

“What an attractive group of young men!”

Her friend is just as amazed. “Do you think they’re T.V. stars?”

Hearing their conversation, Ranka basks in the attention. “In all honesty,” He starts, a wistful breath blowing into the spring air. “I have a completely selfish reason for bringing you all out with me.”

Ranka pries his sunglasses off in a dramatic fashion. Very Tamaki-esque. “I want to be seen with a bunch of cute boys!”

Haurhi’s dad has the same gleam in his eye that Tamaki equips nearly every morning when the Host Club door opens, and Kyoya can’t help but think that these two are definitely cut from the same cloth. 

You and Haruhi then make another turn, causing the group to shift their places again. Huffing, Kyoya crosses with them, but he is surprised when Ranka falls back to walk with him. 

“Ranka.” Kyoya greets, placing a polite smile on his lips. There is a glint in the man’s eyes that Kyoya doesn’t appreciate, but he doesn’t comment on it. 

“I just wanted to thank you, again, for keeping me in the loop with my daughter.” Ranka says. “It has really kept me from going crazy with worry.” 

The club’s director hums. “It’s no problem at all. Anything the Host Club can do to keep your peace of mind.” Kyoya chuckles. “If only I’d known (Y/n) was doing something similar, I wouldn’t have bothered you as often.” 

But Ranka shoos his worries away. “Don’t apologize. It’s good to see that Haruhi has two people looking out for her. That (Y/n) is truly great for my little girl. I can see why you speak about her so highly.”

The sun’s ray catches Kyoya lenses a little too sharply for a moment. “Well, I’m sure anyone you speak to about (Y/n) would discuss her with similar praise.” 

Ranka’s lips fold between his teeth as he shakes his head, rubbing his lipstick as he thinks. “Mm, I don’t know. She tends to pop up into our conversations quite often.” 

Kyoya’s attention draws back to you, your form trailing toward the entrance into the supermarket. “I don’t think–”

“Awe, and the way she goes on and on about you.” Ranka gasps, cupping one of his cheeks as he practically dances while he walks. “I would absolutely melt if someone spoke about me that way.”

The megane’s gaze snaps to the man. “Really? Well, I’m afraid to ask what she says. I didn’t realize she spoke about me.” His heart hammers in his chest. 

Ranka lets out a sad tune. “Well, she used to, anyway. Used to just ramble about that big project you and her are working on, and how grateful she was to be your partner through it.” Shaking his head, his red hair glints in the sunbeams. “But she hasn’t really said anything as of late.”

“I see.” He swallows the lump in his throat. Clearly, the fight you two had, or are currently in, is still affecting both of your lives. Guilt sticks to the bottom of his stomach, but he erases it. He was still in the right. “That might’ve been partly my doing.”

Of course he was right. 

“So I’ve heard.” Ranka gives him a long look then, his voice dropping up and down in those dramatic octaves. “Curse that cliff, and curse men who don’t know how to treat good, beautiful women.” 

“Agreed.” 

“But also, curse grudges, dishonesty, and pride, hm? Curse anything that keeps us from being honest with the people we hold dear. And with ourselves.”

Kyoya's lips feel cracked in the gentle spring breeze as they part, and his glasses fall a little further down his nose. Ranka’s eyes aren’t as dark as Haruhi’s, but they melt into a toffee with the day’s warmth. A father, who has lost the woman he loves, regarding a student, but never just a student, who pushes people away for his own self-assurance. A look of deep understanding, and it almost knocks the director off of his feet. 

But of course it doesn’t. Nothing could ever knock the Shadow King off balance. 

Kyoya rights himself, rights the impossible war of pride versus insecurity, and smiles, pretending not to notice the sincerity in Ranka’s irises. 

“Of course,” he says, stepping through the automatic doors of the supermarket and making a sharp turn. Away from the group, the pack of attractive men. He reads the back of product after product, busying himself with knowledge of a new thing. A new way of life that he could never, would never be a part of. 

It’s truly an interesting, gratifying distraction. 

“What aisle are they in?” 

“Fourteen. In the back and to the right.” 

You and Haruhi snicker slightly, keeping your gaze on the vegetables in front of you, mist lightly dripping off leaves of cabbage. The coolness from the refrigerator washes over the both of you as you secretly track the Host Club and Ranka, having spotted them the moment they stepped out of the Fujioka residence. 

Haruhi sighs after her laughter dies down. “Geez, I don’t know why he feels like he has to follow me.” There’s love in her voice, but it isn’t without annoyance. “I can go shopping on my own.” 

You nudge her shoulder with yours, reaching forward to examine a head of cabbage. “I think he’s just protective of you.” 

“Right, because that’s what I need.” She snarks. “More protective men in my life.”

You both laugh again, and you feel the boys inch closer behind you. You can pretty much see them in the reflection of the glass behind the veggie display, Tamaki and Ranka more attentive than anyone else. 

Kyoya leans his back against one of the aisle ends, his glasses hiding his eyes as he works to conceal that he is listening to Tamaki and Ranka’s conversation. But you can tell. The way his head leans down, but his torso slightly aims towards the over-the-top duo. It’s obvious. 

Your eyes slide to the previously mentioned princes, the two looking soft and serious as they speak about Haruhi, most likely. “It’s nice that your dad is always looking out for you.”

The honor student sighs. “Sometimes it is, I guess. I just wish he gave himself a break.” Haruhi twiddles the leaf of a radish. “He just gets so worried, like he doesn’t think I can protect myself.”

A fond smile breaks out on her face. “One time, he did not hide himself very well. It was to the point where I couldn’t not catch him.” You chuckle. “He acted all embarrassed, saying that he just wanted to carry my shopping basket because of how much he loved accessories.” 

Her eyes flick to her father’s reflection. “He’s so weird.”

“He sure is.” You agree, but you’re both grinning, watching Ranka argue with your president. “But he loves you. That’s clear, at least.”

Her smile softens. “I know.” 

As you’re watching the pair, your eyes drift back to the club’s director. His lenses have cleared up, and you see his gaze meet yours in the mirror. Your eyes widen and you quickly look away. 

“Shit.” You confess, chuckling. “I think Kyoya knows we see them.” 

Haruhi just shrugs. “He probably doesn’t care about any of this.” 

Your eyebrows crinkle. This whole day had been filled of pushing them together, getting at least one of your best friends to confess their feelings about each other to you but to no avail. It was a little hurtful, them being so secret about it even when Kyoya insisted that any official romantic relationship within the host club should be open and honest. 

Maybe they were still figuring it out between them? Was the night at the beach the first time they had been that close? 

Too be ruefully honest, you hoped so. To think that there were other intimate moments previous to that one, overlapping with the soft, flirty memories that you held so dearly with your megane, it pinched your heartstrings. 

“He cares more than you think he does.” You say sincerely, giving her the best comforitng smile you could muster. “He just likes to pretend he doesn’t.”

“Probably because he truly couldn’t care less.” And Haruhi’s laughing, shaking her head as she completely disreagrds his care for her. Care that he has made clear on his own bedsheets. “Kyoya was most likely dragged along with Tamaki’s antics.”

Huffing, you angle your body towards her. “I don’t think so. His motivations aren’t always so…superficial.” 

Haruhi gives you a confused glance. “I know that. But, in this case?” Her tone is humorful. “He’s definitely marking the nearest exits. Did you see how early it was when he showed up with the other’s at my door? Poor guy looked like he was dragged out of his bed.”

“Or,” You start, folding your arms across your chest. “He woke up early to come see you.”

“Are we talking about the same Kyoya-senpai?” She says, but her smile isn’t as easy as she senses your irritation. 

“Yes. I’m just wondering, there couldn’t be any other reason he was suddenly at your door with all his friends this morning?”

Haruhi’s brown eyes are suddenly exhausted, and she rolls them so hard, she could’ve pulled a muscle. “Again, (Y/n)? It hasn’t even been half an hour. You said you would drop it.”

“No, I know.” You take a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I just…I’m trying to understand.”

“Understand what?”

Your attention darts back to the reflection in the glass, seeing that the hosts have distracted themselves with something else. The twins are ogling over the stacks of instant coffee, Mori is pushing Honey-senpai in a shopping cart, and Tamaki and Ranka are still at each other’s throats. 

Well, Ranka is the one baring his teeth. Tamaki is just crying, clearly upset about the lack of acceptance from Haruhi’s dad. 

Most importantly, Kyoya is elsewhere, scanning his gray eyes over two for one coupons, and probably internally gawking at how a company would voluntarily lose money in favor of their customers. 

“Haruhi,” You say, exhaling. “You’re my best friend.”

The honor student faces you fully. She wraps her arms around her torso, her empty shopping basket hanging off her elbow. “I know that. You’re mine, too.”

“Well, I thought that meant that you’d be completely honest with me.” Your voice is gentle, forgiving as you reach out to her. “And you would know that I couldn’t be angry with you even if I tried.”

“Honest with you? And why would you be angry with me?” You could tell this took her aback. Haruhi had been called many things in her youth, but she had never been accused of being dishonest. 

“I’m not. I could never be. So, when you keep secrets from me, it makes me wonder if I’m a bad friend. Or if I’ve done something that would make you feel uncomfortable opening up to me.”

“What do you mean when I keep secrets?” Haruhi asks, and she uncrosses her arms, putting one hand on her hip. 

You give her a blank stare, giving up your facade. “C’mon, Haru. I know.”

Haruhi doesn’t say anything for a moment, waiting for you to explain yourself. When you just stand there, looking at her expectantly, she gives in. “Know what?”

You groan, putting a hand over your eyes. “Haruhi.”

“I’m serious! I truly have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“See? This is what I’m talking about!” You say, keeping your voice at a reasonable level. You weren’t angry, just being upfront and truthful, like how Haruhi usually is with you. “You don’t have to save my feelings, Haru. I’m fine with it, I promise.”

“Fine with what?” Haruhi emphasizes that last word, annoyance lacing her tone. “I’m serious, I have no idea what you’re talking about. If I’m keeping something from you, I’m clearly doing a very good job. So good, in fact, that I, I don’t know, purged it from my own memory.”

“You’re really going to make me say it?”

“(Y/n), you have too.” The brunette pleads. “I’m so confused.”

Your jaw ticks, and you heave out a sigh. “I know you like him.”

Haruhi just shakes her head. “Like who?”

You take another peak at the reflection, making sure no one is paying attention. “Kyoya.”

The supermarket has never felt so silent. Even has customers move around the two of you, even as Ranka begins pulling Tamakis cheeks apart, the way Haruhi stays perfectly still brings all bustle around you to a pseudo pause. Whether it was her shock, or your anticipation, even the air managed to stay perfectly still. 

Then the misters for the vegetables turn on. And Haruhi bursts out laughing. 

The hand on her hip holds her side, as if every muscles in her body is physically rejecting any romantic thought about the club’s director. The sound rings throughout the aisles, and the men behind you pause at the sound, basking in it before resuming their one-sided argument. 

Really, Ranka was just enjoying torturing Tamaki at this point. 

Collecting the tears in her eyes, Haruhi has a hard time speaking through her laughter. “Oh my god, (Y/n), you really had me going there.”

“I don’t get the joke.” Your voice is monotone, a single note on a piece of sheet music. 

“You looked so serious, I thought something was wrong!’” Another bout of giggles. “But god, me and Kyoya. Me and Kyoya?” 

“But why do you think it’s funny?” You say over her humor. “I think you two…you know…” Waving your hand, you fill the empty space awkwardly. “...would be good together.’

“No, no we wouldn’t.” She still can’t get over it. “Hell could freeze over, (Y/n), and somehow, it would be my responsibility to pay for it when it comes to Kyoya-senpai.” 

You point to her shaking form, punctuating each syllable, trying to pierce her laughter. “You like him.”

“Not in a million years.”

“And he likes you.” You say, slightly less confident. 

Her brown eyes meets yours, and they’re full of mirth. “How could you think that? With the way he dove off a cliff for you? Kyoya is a very one track minded individual. When he wants something, it’s very hard for him to desire something else.” 

Hope bubbles into the chambers of your heart before you pop them, shaking your head. “No, no, but I…” You drop your voice, encouraging Haruhi to come closer. “I saw you.”

“You’re still not making sense.” She says, looking at you the way she does with her father, or Tamaki. Like someone she loves is being very dramatic and strange. “And I passed honors calculus.”

“Haru.” Your voice is suddenly very serious, and you realize that as blunt and intelligent as Haruhi is, she is also incredibly oblivious. “I saw you two. On the bed.”

Her smile drops. 

“What?” There is a dumbfounded look in her eyes, and you take her shoulder in comfort. 

“It’s okay! That night, at the beach, I saw you both on his bed when I came to return his medkit.” You push the dread, sadness and horror deeper into yourself, keeping a reassuring visage. “Really, it’s okay. I just wished you had told me that you liked him. I wouldn’t have been so open about my own crush.”

Her irises flick between both of yours, a different kind of surprise taking root in the air around you. She watches as you shrug sheepishly, embarrassment and forced joy resonating in your posture.

“God,” Haruhi starts, and she wants to shake you so hard that your head nearly falls off your shoulders. Lovingly, of course. “(Y/n), no, that’s–”

A blur of blonde interrupts her sentence as Tamaki stumbles between the two of you. Both of you watch as his body splays out onto the supermarket floor, his chin hitting the tile with a smack. 

“What the–?” Haruhi asks, feeling whiplash. But Tamaki very suddenly rights himself, his hand coming to rub the back of his hair, which has mushrooms growing in it again. He turns to face Haruhi fully, completely shadowing you. 

“Oops!” He exclaims, the prince’s voice rising to a level of higpitched performance. “Oh, it looks like you caught me Haruhi!” Tamaki brings his hands together, clapping. “I followed you here so that I could carry your shopping basket.”

But Haruhi is trying to move around the president, a very urgent matter needing her attention. “Sorry, Tamaki-senpai, but I need you to move–”

The very, very tall man – seriously, Haruhi forgot how much taller Tamaki was –, blocks her path, still trying to make amends. “Now, now, Haruhi, hand it over.” Suoh reaches his hand out for her basket. “You know how Daddy likes accessories!” 

Finally, Haruhi pushes around him, but she sighs. 

You were gone. And she guessed you didn’t want to be found. 

Hanging her head, she looks to Tamaki, who is blushing from both ends of his ears, and the sight takes the edge off her mood. Gracefully, she hands him the basket, a small smile coming to her lips. “You’re so weird.”

Tamaki’s blush fades, and a more sincere grin paints his face. Then, he eyes the basket. 

“Haruhi, did you know that this was empty?”

Scoffing, she turns back to the vegetables, still looking over her shoulder to find a glance of your fleeting shadow. “Yeah, I just got preoccupied.”

She turns to him. “Plus, I haven’t figured out what to make everybody. We’ve never had this many people over before.”

Tamaki puts a long finger to his lips. “How about…a stew pot? One with lots of meat in it.” Then he has a thought. “And no chrysanthemum.” 

Her full attention is on Tamaki now, the way the mushrooms bob in his hair. “Yeah, that could work. It is kind of warm for it, though.”

She made it anyway. 

Soon the entire host club sits around her table. The boys feast, growing students needing at least enough fuel for a large animal. Or two. 

And as Ranka sets plenty of chrysanthemum onto Tamaki’s stew, Haruhi keeps catching awkward, soft glances between the two of you. She was so caught up in making lunch, or dinner at this point, that she hadn’t been able to clear anything up between you two. 

And her heart broke. 

You had saw that moment. That stupid, insignificant moment between her and the spectacled director and had assumed the complete wrong idea. But you were trying to be strong for her. 

She knew immediately that’s why you had been acting so intense and weird lately. Why you had ignored her the week prior. There was probably a storm of conflicting emotions in your mind, and in your heart, hot anger and cold disassociating swirling together to make a tornado of anxiety and hurt. 

She would fix it. She had too. 

But the real problem was whether or not you would give her the chance. 

Sharply, you stood up from the table, your portion of the stew still halfway filing your makeshift bowl. “My driver is here.” You explain sheepishly, feeling bad for having to leave early. “My parents come home tonight, and my mom wants me to be there to greet her.”

The Host Club bid you farewell, and Haruhi catches the sharp once over Kyoya gives you as you walk out the door. 

Then everyone else is leaving, to Haruhi’s gratitude. Her personal life had a maximum capacity, just like her living quarters, and her friends had unknowingly exceeded it. 

But as the boys begin to leave, with Ranka ushering them out the door and outside to bask in the attention they gave him, Haruhi pulls on Kyoya’s sleeve.

The lanky man turns, his dark eyebrow quirking up. “Ah, my teammate.” His cool voice brushes over the walls, and Haruhi has a second urge to shake someone. Specifically him, for being so stupid and impulsive. “Did you find something out?”

She doesn’t waste time. “(Y/n) knows.”

That quirked eyebrow sews together with the one adjacent. “I’m afraid I don’t follow.”

“Kyoya-senpai, (Y/n) saw us that night on the beach. When you threw me on your bed like a lunatic.”

Kyoya’s jaw muscles spark. “That’s impossible, no one could’ve seen that.”

“(Y/n) did.” Haruhi insisted, swallowing the dread. “I guess she was trying to return your medkit, or whatever, and she saw us. And she thought–”

“She thought we were together.” Kyoya finishes, every dot connecting like a constellation in his mind. “That’s why she was asking about your love life, why she was complimenting you, putting you on a pedestal. She thinks that we are together, but that we are hiding it.”

The megane is frigid, still, but nothing about his energy is peaceful. He is calculating, putting together the entire equation. It’s like it’s finally all written out for him, the chalkboard littered with his work as his hands are dusty and cracked.

You were mad at him. Because you felt he lead you on. Because he nearly kissed you on the beach, and then was seen hovering over another, covered in satin. 

“Thank you, Haruhi.” His usually deep voice was rough as he stepped out the door. “You were very helpful.” 

With that, the Shadow King exits the Fujioka residence. 

Next Time on Lavender Roses!

“We didn’t know you had a little sister, Boss!”

“As of today, I will be your big brother!”

“So, how’re you gonna fix this?”

Big Brother is a Prince!

taglist: @sweetandsourwrites @laurelhellfire @sunukissed @idonia-dovahkiin @kisskissshutmydoor @vervainnnn @delviasworld @luca-nightshade @wrzloyd @localgaytrainwreck @kawaii-onikuma113 @httpswilloww @vera-deville @aboveasphodel @pest-ill-ence @akumakitsune21 @britty-yk @daniels2003 @woahthere-hi @canrdsf @bandshirts-andbooks @direbatattack @fairyv-ice @coleeesworld @veras-fanfic-reblogs @wantluv @name1nonexistent2 @greensnakegoblep @eleventhdoctorsangel

[pilindiel]

Hoping fic writing goes smoothly!! I'm going through major writer's block myself, so praying you don't deal with the same struggle 😅

If possible, could we have a sneak peek of what you're working on? 👀👀

Thank you!! And fam it's totally okay - I had severe writer's block for TWO YEARS until I starting reading some of the amazing KyoKao fics being put out right now (shout-out @rocioandthatsall @pumpkinmetaphor and jamieisntgay)

As for a sneak preview...

Seemingly done with words, Kaoru sweeps Kyoya into a series of languid kisses, humming contentedly against him.  Kaoru is pliant and warm from sleep, his arms wrapping lazily around Kyoya’s shoulders to pull him that much closer.  Kyoya’s hands slide down to their places at Kaoru’s hips, pinching him playfully. Kaoru gasps against Kyoya’s lips and he wastes no time in indulging them both by pressing his tongue inside.  It’s a slow, sweet slide of give and take, remapping the inside of each other’s mouths after such a painful separation.   Knowing Kaoru, however, sweet and slow is replaced by hot and insistent in the blink of an eye.  There’s an underlying desperation and need to be closer, to be connected, that runs through them, and Kyoya refuses to deny either of them the need.  Two weeks is far too long, and Kaoru mewls softly when Kyoya takes advantage of the nearby shelving and presses Kaoru up against it.  One of Kyoya’s knees lands between Kaoru’s legs, and Kaoru immediately begins to grind himself down. Kaoru moans, tilting his head back as his cock rubs against Kyoya’s thigh, the thin fabric of Kaoru’s shorts doing little to hide the wetness of his precum as it rubs up against him.  It is agonizing to watch.  Kyoya is so hard behind the tight line of his slacks it’s nearly painful, but he is well versed in staving off his own needs to feed his insatiable partner. Kaoru deserves only the best, after all. Kyoya’s hands glide lower, slipping beneath the fabric of Kaoru’s far too short and far too soft lounge shorts to squeeze his ass, the muscle tight and twitching against his palms.  He starts kneading until Kaoru whimpers, his head falling back as he greedily drags his clothed erection against Kyoya’s thigh.   Eager fingers delve further, seeking that precious entrance Kyoya knows so well, but Kyoya is stunned to find something blocking his path.  His index finger brushes against hard, tapered metal nestled perfectly in the cleft of Kaoru’s ass, and he lets out a slow, steadying breath.  He rolls it between his fingers experimentally and it’s like Kaoru’s body is a livewire, arching and shuddering against him.  He moans embarrassingly loud.   They both still and Kyoya swears he can hear the flush that crawls up Kaoru’s neck, tinting  his ears red before Kaoru hides his face in the crook of Kyoya’s neck. Not that such a coquettish act will stop Kyoya from knowing exactly what he is currently circling with his thumb and forefinger. A mixture between a growl and a question rumbles through Kyoya’s chest, his voice low and raspy like gravel.  “Kaoru - " Kaoru grinds back down on Kyoya’s knee, rolling his hips into Kyoya’s warm palms.  “You - ” Kaoru hisses, breathless, “You were supposed to be home hours ago.”

I'm still working on some of the scenes and I've got a lot of stress with work these next couple months, but hopefully should be posted soon. :) Gonna give a little guarded (but a lot of fun) it's time in the sun in the meantime!

[aciesvirtus]

Don't Say No to a Man in Love? (Chapter 2 & 3)

A Legally blonde au for ohshc! One unfaithful day, just when Tamaki thinks Kyoya is going to get serious with him and take things to the next step, he breaks up with him! In order to win his love back, Tamaki follows Kyoya to Harvard, chaos ensues. (for plot purposes haruhi was never a part of the host club. im sorry :c)

Chapter 1!

Ao3 link for the full work!

Word Count : 3,427

Author's note: i am moving this fic to my main blog, and this is up on ao3 also! the links will up here somewhere :3

“WHAT???” Tamaki suddenly rose to his feet, again somehow, as he screamed in all caps; tears formed on his newly narrowed eyes.  

“I’m sorry, Tamaki..” Kyoya barely mumbled, looking down at the dish they were eating.  

With Tamaki’s yell, everyone also halted their dining. All the eyes were on them now. Tamaki swiftly looked around, trying to find a way to flee while not wanting to cause more big of a scene.  

“Don’t bother, Kyoya.” A final courage fueled his words as he started walking away.  

Kyoya watched his lover -now ex- walk away, he didn’t want to do this but he had to. He stuffed a bunch of cash below the napkin holder without thinking and got on his feet to try to catch up to Tamaki, however he was on the wind by that time.  

Tamaki had already called his driver while storming off and was waiting at a further point, away from the hotel. It was a rather long wait and even a sadder drive back home. He was torn to pieces, how could Kyoya do this? Tamaki loved Kyoya ever since he came to Japan. It was almost like he was his new home and shelter. They were destined for each other. It was so right to love Kyoya, Kyoya was almost like the perfect melody on the piano he’d play for his mother.  

He threw himself on his bed, ignoring everyone else in the house. Days passed, weeks passed making up an entire month.  

“He can’t possibly spend his entire life like this” Hikaru said, peeking through the door which wasn’t entirely closed since Tamaki couldn’t even bother to open a window and he needed air to exist.  

“Should we do something about it?” Kaoru crossed his arms and leaned on a kitchen counter right in front of the door that led to Tamaki’s room.  

Honey was sitting on the counter right next to Kaoru, with a cookie jar on his lap, he grabbed another cookie from the jar and calmly recommended “Maybe we can get him to go outside, to a party or something. It would be a nice change of pace for him!”   

Kaoru shrugged, Hikaru was still sneakily stealing glances at Tamaki who was rewatching the same taped Japanese shows that his dad brang him when he was a child and continuously weeping at the same scenes.  

Then Mori bursted inside the kitchen in a hurry, holding a newspaper. Everybody’s attention immediately turned to him as he showed an article.  

“No way..” Hikaru said as he read.   

“Oh, he can’t know this.” Kaoru added  

Honey gasped.  

Mori showed them a part of the gossip column, it was a some sort of announcement of an engagement. It was Kyoya and Renge Houshakuji. The former hosts recognized her in an instant. They’d never forget the day she sat on one of the couches as she declared herself as the fianceé of Kyoya, despite him never meeting her.  

“Can’t believe she finally got her way.” Hikaru giggled “You gotta admit, it is kinda funny. Me and Kaoru figured she gave up when she started that otaku club”  

The former hosts were stunned to say the least, seeing another former host leave them like this AND get engaged without telling them. Not to mention the obvious heartbreak he made Tamaki go through. They stared at each other for a while until Tamaki appeared behind them like a jumpscare.  

“Guys, I have a brilliant plan!” Tamaki was up and all smiley like he wasn’t the one that was dumped.  

The twins quickly hid the newspaper as Honey flew out of the counter, Mori rushing in front of Tamaki in full speed to cover up the twins.   Tamaki, of course being the most intelligent and observant of all, didn’t notice what was happening and started mumbling on and on about his ‘brilliant plan’.  

“So, if Kyoya wants someone serious, I’ll show him I’m serious!” Tamaki put his hand on chest in a way rich people annoyingly do to show off their superiority. “Gentleman..” His voice got more relaxed, a dark cloud surrounded him as his friends anxiously anticipated the rest of his plan.  

“I’m going to Harvard!” He announced, his brows furrowed as he posed like a knight, holding his imaginary sword up in the air.  

The former hosts looked at each other and back at Tamaki as one of the twins spoke “Tono, how the hell are you going to manage that?”   

Mori shut his eyes and crossed his arms in deep thought.   “You need a very high LSAT score, a good GPA and a banger essay!” The twins spoke in unison, numbering the requirements with their fingers.  

“That’s no easy job.” Honey chimed in, as he unwrapped a strawberry lollipop he magically happened to find.  

“I mean, does your dad even do business with Americans?” Kaoru put a finger on his chin in deep thought.  

“You could just bribe them or something, no?” Hikaru hit the same exact pose in front of his brother.  

“The essay shouldn’t be a huge problem for an author like moi.” Tamaki flipped his greasy blonde hair since he was too busy bedrotting for a month, it didn’t really sweep like he wanted it to.  

“Suure..” Hikaru and Kaoru narrowed their eyes as the slowly spoke.  

“Oh! Oh!” Honey raised his hand excitedly “Me and Taka-chan can tutor you!” He smiled even though it was one of his usual sweet smiles, a dark thunder suddenly appeared behind him. Tamaki gulped, these next months wouldn’t be easy with such disciplined friends as Honey and Mori at his neck but he had to do it! He was going to prove himself to Kyoya, he was going to show him that he is serious, seriously in love with him.   

Months passed with never ending determination and toughness. Though Tamaki gave up like a million times, Mori and Honey picked him right back up like a million times. Twins were excellent at annoying Tamaki to get back on track too.  

After a billion practice tests and scraped essays, Tamaki finally applied. Instead of clicking of the timer, it was pure emptiness and anxiety, anticipation, then it was checking the mail every day until one day that big letter arrived.   It didn’t take long for Tamaki to pack and fly right away, though the others couldn’t exactly follow suit but promised to come when they could arrange it.  

And there was, in a campus he imagined that would never cross his path. Not that it was impossible or hard, he just had no reason when the university his family literally owned existed.  

One thing was sure however, it was a new adventure and a new opportunity, and possibly a brand new life.  

----

It was a beautiful autumn morning, Tamaki had finished moving into his new dorm. He was all excited, as he was yapping to himself or humming melodies, trying to get ready. Now that he got into Harvard, all he had to do was show himself off to get Kyoya’s attention back. 

He wore a suit for some reason, with a sparkly blazer. Though thank god it was all soft lavender, so he didn’t hurt anyone's eyes. As a bonus, it was a cute throwback to highschool.

He was finally done with doing his hair a million times instead of rolling out normally because “his perfect hair places itself perfectly” as he used to say

Tamaki was now insecure. Everything he had before no longer felt enough, he had to be the best and his natural flamboyant personality wasn’t just cutting it anymore.

It took him a few hours and a half to leave the dorm room. Tamaki could feel all the stares on him as he walked the halls and through the campus. Of course, that was to be expected, he was drenched in sparkles. For once, he didn't enjoy being himself. He always had this profound confidence, and love for himself despite everything he endured. It was kinda stupid how he felt like this over a man, considering the time when he went through hell as a teenager with his family issues.

He, then, decided to fake it.He walked, his steps more confident, his usual stupidly charming smile on his face. As he continued to roam the halls, trying to get to class, he spotted Kyoya. He was walking from the opposite direction.

As they got closer, Tamaki immediately smiled wider, casually raising a hand to greet Kyoya ''Hi, Kyoya'' his voice got cheerful as the words left his lips.''I forgot you go here.'' he said in a cocky tone.

''Tamaki.'' Kyoya responded. ''I thought you were attending Ouran, last time we talked you said Harvard was too bothersome for you.''

''Well, turns out it wasn't. It was pretty easy too.'' Tamaki puffed his chest slightly,then put his hands in his pockets.

''Oh? Is that so?'' Kyoya said, Tamaki hated how he sounded, so uncaring, so distant, so cold... It was like Kyoya was a frozen statue.

''Yeah, catch up with you tonight? Very important club meeting, wouldn't want you to miss it.'' Tamaki tried to sound casual however the sparkles in his eyes begging for approval betrayed him.

Kyoya didn't reply, he simply parted his lips as if he was going to say something.It was then Tamaki started rambling, trying to catch Kyoya on what he missed out on. After a good 10 minutes, Tamaki remembered that he had to go to class. With a genuine smile, he excused himself. 

It felt as if they never broke up in the first place, he just rambled on and Kyoya listened. No matter how Kyoya seemed distant, there was something in his gaze, Tamaki thought. He still loved him, right?

Things didn't really go well for Tamaki for the rest of the day, he even got kicked out from his first class ever. All thanks to Renge, of all people. He didn't even know she was attending Harvard too? She had that wretched smile on her face when she showed him no mercy, all because he was distracted? None of this made sense to Tamaki, sure he knew Renge never actually liked him. She always thought he was a 'phony prince' and that he was a shame to the host club, and that he lacked the depth for it.Though, last time he checked when Renge opened her own club, the otaku club, this was all behind them. They were on good terms, he remembered so. 

Eventually, the evening arrived. He wandered around aimlessly again. Though he noticed something during his stroll, Kyoya and Renge? Renge was latched onto Kyoya's arm, and Kyoya didn't appear to mind it. He just stood there, nodding and smiling. All Tamaki could do was sit on a bench and stare, with tears forming in his eyes.

''Hey, are you okay?'' The girl next to her spoke, he hadn't noted her presence earlier.

Tamaki turned his head to the direction she was seated to get a good look of her, she had short brown hair that barely made it to her neck and big beautiful brown eyes and she was eerily similar. Tamaki had seen her before, but couldn't make out from where.

''Oh, I'm alright.'' Tamaki regained his composure as he voiced, with his usual charming smile painted back on his face. After a minute of awkward silence, he finally asked the question that circled in his mind ''Do I know you from somewhere?''

The girl tilted her head and put a finger on her chin, thinking. ''No, but you do appear similar.'' Then, she smiled and raised her hand for a handshake ''I'm Haruhi, Haruhi Fujioka.''

Tamaki swiftly returned her handshake, then softly put his other hand on the hand he shaked a second ago. ''I'm Tamaki, Tamaki Suoh.'' he introduced himself back freshly.

''Suoh?'' Haruhi tilted her head again. ''Oh, you were the Chairman's son?''

Tamaki froze momentarily ''You attended Ouran Academy?'' he asked, his tone of voice louder than intended.

''Yeah, I was the scholarship student'' Haruhi explained, with a grin. She looked so pretty when she smiled, Tamaki noticed.

The scholarship student wasn't a boy? Tamaki pondered for a second, confused. ''I thought you were a guy.''

Haruhi laughed ''No, I am a girl. But does it really matter?''

Tamaki seemed to take a slight offense to that ''I.. care..'' he mumbled.

''I'm sorry, what was that?'' Haruhi raised a brow, but her smile was still on her face.

''Nothing!'' Tamaki blushed, his cheeks a very soft pink as he shook both of his hands dismissively.

''You're funny.'' Haruhi commented. ''It's unfair how that girl treated you back there, but you have to watch your back. It's kind of brutal out here.''

A light bulb shined on Tamaki's head, Haruhi was a law major too?

As Tamaki was still thinking to himself, Haruhi continued to talk ''Y'know, she is very familiar too. I think I've seen her around in Ouran, do you know her?''

Tamaki snapped out of his thoughts ''Oh, yes I do. She kinda tried to become my club's manager at one point?'' He said sheepishly ''Though, after some unfortunate events we decided that she was on her own.''

''Oh, I see.'' Haruhi hummed.

Tamaki suddenly decided that he wanted to dump his entire highschool lore here and now. He suddenly started to talk about Kyoya and him, Renge and her whole deal,how he ended up in Harvard and how much of a failure he felt like he was.

Haruhi listened, and she appeared to be somewhat annoyed by the fact that the weird stranger she met a second ago suddenly dropped his entire life story; however Tamaki didn't quite pick up on it.

''That's rough...'' was all she could add to this. She really couldn't relate to his rich and stupid struggles. ''Well, if you need help with classes and stuff, you can find me around.'' She remarked and got up, the wind brushed on her hair.

Tamaki stared at her for a while as she got up. ''O-okay..'' He stuttered, so many emotions were shaking up inside his brain. He watched as Haruhi walked away, his eye went for Kyoya and Renge who were still standing in the same exact spot. Unfortunately, they were standing near the path to his dorm so he had to walk past them. He also got up, accepting his faith.

He took slow and steady steps, his head low, his hands in his pockets. As he was relatively past them when Renge called out for Tamaki. He turned to his back to notice that Kyoya wasn't with her and the group that was talking to her.

''Hey, Tamaki!'' She said in a fake cheery voice.

''Hello.'' Tamaki greeted her back.

''I'm throwing a party tonight, it's a costume party.'' There was that wicked smile again but the idiot, Tamaki, didn't see through it. ''You should come!'' Renge invited, later telling him when and where it was.

''I'll try to swing by.'' Tamaki said to the offer, and grinned. He swiftly turned to his back and back to the direction he was walking in.

He walked in the emotions whirlwinding inside, however he was to some extent happy about the offer. He had a lot of questions, and a man to win back. This surely was an opportunity.

[eurydicees]

TamaKyo 8

heyyyyyyyy so i had a bad dream last night and i woke up and decided to inflict my pain onto tamaki. you know. as you do. also, like, it's not my fault for this being my #8 song of 2022. i plead the fifth to allegations of listening to this song so fucking many times.

anyways.

summary: tamaki has a bad dream. kyoya gets him through the night. they’ll go down together, or not at all. prompt: spotify wrapped prompts #8, no children (the mountain goats) pairings: tamaki suoh/kyoya ootori words: 1990 warnings: slutshaming (very very brief)

dirt

In his dream, Kyoya is sitting at the piano bench and staring down at the keys. He’s not playing; he’s just staring down at the keys. He presses one, a lone discordant noise in an empty music room. Tamaki walks towards him, but with every step, Kyoya just seems to get farther away. He’s an oasis in the desert, never getting closer. He’s just a mirror image, no matter how many steps Tamaki takes. 

Tamaki starts to speed up, taking faster and faster steps, panting as he begins to run. “Kyoya! Kyoya! Kyoya—” 

He stops, breathing heavily. Kyoya is sitting right in front of him now. The music room is dark, melting away into an empty void. All that’s left is a piano and Kyoya and Tamaki, putting a hand out on his shoulder and squeezing. 

“I was looking for you,” Tamaki says, breathless. 

Kyoya brushes his hand off of his shoulder, the movement a snap of his wrist: violent and harsh. His voice is hard, dead and quiet, when he says, “Don’t.” 

“What?” 

Kyoya stands up, turning around. His eyes are dark, his gaze narrowed in on Tamaki. “Don’t touch me. You’re filthy.” 

Tamaki flinches, stepping back. Kyoya would never say that to him. Kyoya wouldn’t, he wouldn’t. Kyoya has always been better than that kind of bigotry and hatred. He’s always been caring, no matter how much he protests otherwise. He’s always been more accepting than anyone else, whether or not he’ll admit it. Kyoya wouldn’t say that. Wouldn’t call him that. Not when he knows how much it hurts. 

Tamaki does everything he can not to be offended by these things, by words like filth and bastard and harlot and disgusting. He’s stronger than that, most days. The words barely register as the insults they are when people like his grandmother spit them in his face, like when some of the other students whisper them behind his back. 

His mother told him to go to Japan with a smile. She had taught him to be stronger than the racism he was subjected to in France and the hatred his grandmother pushed on him, even as a child too young to understand any of what was being put on his shoulders. His mother had told him to ignore it, to be bigger than it, to be lighter than it. 

But Kyoya says, “You’re the bastard son of a slut. You think I want you to even come near me?” 

Tamaki thinks he stops breathing. “Kyoya.” 

“My name doesn’t belong in your mouth.” Kyoya takes a step forward, Tamaki takes a step back. The tension between them is a string tied taut around Tamaki’s throat, choking him tighter and tighter as he moves; Kyoya takes that string and pulls. Kyoya sighs. He closes his eyes like he does when he’s tired of Tamaki’s bullshit and trying to keep himself calm. The expression has never seemed so sinister before now. “You don’t have the right to say it. You’re disgusting.” 

Tamaki opens his mouth, ready to say his name again, beg him to tell him what’s going on, why he’s being like this, why he’s saying these awful things, but he’s suddenly choking on it. It won’t leave his tongue, as if Kyoya has taken hold of him and choked the sound out of his throat. 

“What are you talking about?” Tamaki manages to say. He can feel tears pricking his eyes like little pins and needles. 

Kyoya’s face is blank, careful not to betray anything. He’s always been guarded but—Tamaki was allowed on the other side of those walls so long ago that he’s forgotten what it felt like to not be able to read his expression. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. I’m only here because my father told me to get close to you, Suoh. But you make it harder and harder to be around you every day. You’re loud. Demanding. Stupid. Spoiled. Nothing more than an unwanted son. You’re nothing at all.” 

Tamaki swallows. Opens his mouth to say something, but nothing comes out but air. 

In his dream, Kyoya finally smiles, sick and twisted and warped, nothing like his usual half-smirk. It’s threatening. Tamaki is going to be sick. 

He wakes up with a start: breaths heaving, a weight on his chest that he can’t push away. He’s sweating, the sheets tangled around his ankles, and it takes a moment to realize it, but he’s weeping. The tears are slipping down his cheeks, drop by drop by drop, slipping down his cheeks and staining the pillow he had been lying on. The tears are running off and onto his neck now, wet and cold. Breath is coming in bursts, in gasps rather than inhales and exhales. 

“Kyoya,” he whispers, trying to make sure he can say it. Trying to make sure he can make the name fit in his mouth. Trying to make sure he still has the ability, the right. “Kyoya.” 

He rolls over in bed and presses his face into the pillow. It was just a dream. It was just a dream. It was just a dream. 

But everything that dream-Kyoya said to him is a thing someone has said to him in real life. Every word that had come out of his mouth in that dream is a word that Tamaki has heard while awake. Kyoya might have never said them to his face, but that doesn’t mean they don’t get traded like secrets everybody knows when he turns around. 

The problem, really, is that those names, those insults, they aren’t wrong. He is filthy, his blood is stained ink in his veins. He is, by all technical definitions, a bastard son, the regrettable result of an affair. He is loud and demanding and—

Tamaki lets out another sob. He can’t do this. He wants, on one hand, to wallow in this feeling forever; he wants to let himself sink into the dark void of that room in his dream, listening to the echo of Kyoya’s words on repeat. He wants to—

He rolls out of bed, and though the clock reads 3:19am, he stumbles towards the phone. Kyoya will be awake; he’s never asleep before 4am. Tamaki has called him at worse hours, and Kyoya has almost always answered. Tamaki dials his number, his hands shaking. 

Kyoya answers within two rings. He always does. I’m only here because my father told me to get close to you, Suoh.

“It’s three in the morning,” is the first thing that Kyoya says. “What’s wrong?” 

“Why does something have to be wrong?” Tamaki chokes out. “I could just be…I don’t know.” 

Kyoya sighs, barely audible over the phone. Demanding. Stupid. Spoiled. “You’re always in bed by 10pm. The only reason you’re ever awake at this hour is if something is wrong.” 

“Oh,” Tamaki murmurs. He sits, practically collapsing on the floor, the cord of the phone tangled in between his fingers. “You know my sleep schedule.” 

“I know you.” 

Tamaki swallows, squeezing his eyes shut. “Do you…like me? Like, as a person? A human being?” 

Kyoya is quiet. “What’s going on, Tamaki?” 

“Just…answer the question. Please, Kyoya.” 

“Yes,” Kyoya says. He exhales the word more than says it; breathes it as if it comes so naturally that there’s no need to think about it. “Yes, I like you as a person.” 

Tamaki lets out a breath. Just the tiniest bit of the weight has slipped off of his chest. His breathing is even again, or getting closer to it. “You can leave at any time, you know. If you have to. I know I’m—I’m dragging you down with me.” 

“What are you talking about?” Kyoya’s voice is sharp, cutting down Tamaki’s anxiety like an X-Acto knife put to cardboard. “Tamaki, what are you saying?” 

“I know you’re only here because of your father.” 

Kyoya sucks in a breath. There’s silence for a moment, like all of the words have been sucked from Kyoya’s lungs. Then, finally, “Tamaki…my father might have been why I came, but I—but he’s not why I stay.” 

Tamaki is quiet. He doesn’t have the words for this conversation. How can he say all of the things in his head? What words are there for it? I’m nothing. I never meant anything to anyone other than my mother, and my mother might as well have sold me. I’m covered in the filth of my parents’ mistakes. I have bad dreams and they stick with me and burn like leeches on my heart; I have bad dreams and one day they will come true. I love you and it’s going to take down both of us. 

“What did you mean you’re dragging me down with you?” Kyoya asks, something hoarse in his voice. 

“There’s nothing—” Tamaki takes a breath, opens his eyes to the dark of his bedroom. His words are bitter, but they shake. He gets louder as he speaks, and he doesn’t care if he wakes up the ghosts in the empty house, he just wants to fall apart within himself. 

“You know my reputation, Kyoya,” he continues. “You know who my mother is. You know why I’m even here, in Japan, in the first place. You know that I’m—I’m not good like everyone else you know! It’s not possible for someone like me to be good, I’m just—unlovable. I can’t stand up with the rest of the rich and beautiful and—” 

“Stop,” Kyoya cuts in. “Tamaki, you’re one of the most good people I know. You deserve—Tamaki. Tamaki.” 

Tamaki takes another breath. The tears are wet on his face, but they’re drying. “What is it?” 

“You’re not dragging me down. Don’t be fucking stupid, Tamaki, you’re not dragging anyone down. And I don’t give a fuck about your family history. I give a fuck about you.” 

You make it harder and harder to be around you every day.

“Tamaki,” Kyoya says again. He says his name desperately, like a prayer on his bitten lips, like a dream torn from his hands. “You already—I know—I know you know.” 

He sounds like he’s choking on the words and Tamaki wonders why they’re so hard to hear, because he does know. He knows how Kyoya feels. He also knows that nothing can ever be done about it, because Tamaki is dirty and he’ll never be beneficial to the Ootori family. 

Kyoya takes an audible breath. Over the phone, it sounds like static. “I know you know how I—feel. You’re not dragging me down, and even if you were dragging me down, you know that I’d let you. You know that I—if you’re dirty, so am I, okay? And I don’t care.” 

“Oh,” Tamaki chokes out. “Kyoya—” 

“I know you don’t feel the same,” Kyoya interrupts. “So don’t bother saying it. It’s fine. The point here is that you’re so, so lovable. You’re so loved, Tamaki, no matter your blood family or your history or how you sometimes do stupid things or any of that. You’re loved.” 

Tamaki takes a shuddering breath. The shadows of his bedroom no longer feel so dark. “So are you.” 

There’s silence on the other end of the phone call for a moment, and Tamaki wants, desperately, for Kyoya to read between the lines of his words.

Read: you’re everything to me. Read: I’m never going to be good enough for your family, but I hope the part of me that’s me before a Suoh is good enough for the part of you that’s you before an Ootori. Read: thank you for always picking up the phone when I call.

Read: I am going to ruin us, but thank you for letting me. 

“Okay,” Kyoya says quietly. “I’m here, no matter what. Blood or history or unlovable.” 

Tamaki closes his eyes. He wants to say so much, he wants to make so many promises, but all he can say at that moment is a whisper: “Okay.”