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host-club-hq · 11 months

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Indeed: ~y/n's Promotion!~

➼ pairing: kyoya ootori x reader

➼ summary: A long awaited promotion, indeed...

➼ word count: 7.4k

➼ what to expect: "Compose yourself, y/n, smile y/n."

➼ warnings: teensy bit of angst if you squint

➼ chapter navigation

➼ welcome to season 2 of Indeed! i thought we would start it off with a bang :)

"Oh... dear God." You gawk at the dress placed in your arms by Hikaru, glancing up at him for reassurance. "You're joking." It's more of a plea than a statement.

"C'mon, surely you knew our theme for today was service staff by now." Hikaru scoffs, shaking his head.

"Honestly, Senpai, you're our manager dating our director... how are you out of the loop?" Kaoru tsks with a sigh.

You crane your neck to glance at your aforementioned boyfriend behind you, your glare worth daggers, "This was your idea?"

Kyoya's eyes merely flit to you for a moment, returning to his laptop quickly, "You know me better than that, y/n. Whose idea do you think it was?"

Another quick turn of your head to Tamaki, the same glare present. He sweats nervously, "Those idiots told me you'd look good in a maid costume! It wasn't my idea!" He defends himself adamantly.

You grumble, "Too bad we can't stick Haruhi in this dress."

"We can after club hours." The twins smirk devilishly.

"Senpai." Haruhi whines.

"Sometimes I forget why I didn't just go to London." You drape your costume over the back of a chair, threading your fingers through your hair with a sigh.

"Because Kyoya-Senpai begged you to stay, remember?" Hikaru and Kaoru deadpan, appearing by your side once more.

You snort, "Oh, yeah. It was just Kyoya. Mhm." You cross your arms with a cocked brow.

"And I didn't beg. I asked." Kyoya pipes up, not bothering to meet your gazes when the three of you turn to him.

"You're delusional." You snicker, throwing him a knowing glance. He rolls his eyes, returning diligently to his work.

"Enough of your bickering. y/n, our guests are arriving soon- hurry up and put the dress on!" Tamaki whines, pushing you by your shoulders to the backroom.

"I don't understand why I have to wear everything that you wear! Can't I just wear black and white? I'm not even a host." You pout as Tamaki shuts the door behind you. You tear the dress from its packaging and begin stripping down.

"You wouldn't be-"

"-as cute that way, Senpai."

"I beg to differ." You grumble, stumbling as you slide the bodice of the dress up your torso. You, personally, think you'd look just as cute in black and white clothing, but you digress.

"Don't forget the headband!" You hear the door handle jiggle at Hikaru's voice.

"Ah! Don't you dare! Give me ten more seconds." You exclaim in a scolding tone.

"Back away from the door, Hikaru." Kyoya pipes up. Hikaru does as he's told, gulping. You nearly laugh.

"How do I look, Haru-chan?!" Honey tugs insistently at Haruhi's arm, forcing her eyes to fall upon himself and Mori dressed in their servant uniforms.

"You look great, Senpai." She nods with innocent eyes, straightening her own bow tie around her neck at the collar of her crisply white button-up shirt.

"Oh! Daddy's little girl looks so cute!" The telltale sound of Tamaki's fawning reaches your ear as you straighten the straps to your apron.

"Look at you in your tailcoat!" By the sound of Haruhi's groans, it sounds like he's smothering her.

You crack the door open and thrust your hand into open air, wriggling your fingers expectantly, "Where's the headband I must wear?" You groan.

"Come all the way out and get it." Kaoru teases.

"I don't have to wear it, you know-" Suddenly, the headband is placed in your palm and you snicker triumphantly.

"Thank you, boys." You chuckle, shutting the door promptly.

You slide the headband over the crown of your head and allow it to sit just behind your ears, straightening it the best you can and dusting off your apron before stepping out hesitantly.

You grumble, "This feels really demeaning." You pull at the ends of your dress, turning in a circle to get a look at yourself.

"Am I going to carry around a tray and do little poses?" You demonstrate your meaning by popping a leg up and holding a peace sign to your eye.

Your ears catch a light chuckle, twisting your neck to find Kyoya dressed in a black tailcoat tuxedo, straightening his clean, white gloves, shaking his head at you.

"Well, don't you look fancy." You snicker as he moves a gloved hands to his glasses to adjust them on his nose.

"That is the intention, yes." With a somewhat knowing smile, Kyoya peers down at you in your own costume.

"Alright, men!" Tamaki claps his hands to gain each host's attention, and he does so effectively.

"And women." He adds secondly, continuing on with a coy smile, "Our guests will be arriving soon. Now, it is important that we all play well into our roles as servants for our ladies today. Today, we not only charm our guests, but we will wait upon them as well!"

"Now you get to experience what I do everyday." You nudge Kyoya in the ribs, earning a scoff from him. "I doubt it'll be difficult," he replies with a coy expression.

"I never said it was difficult. But remember, I never said you'd like it, either." You tease mischievously, offering him a soft pat to his shoulder as you waltz off to take your position for opening.

And as the first guest of many arrives, the club is there to welcome them warmly in perfect poise, hands folded diligently with deep bows.

"Welcome." The usual chorus of voices reaches the ears of the first guest as they enter, earning a second chorus comprised of gasps and soft exclamations of awe.

You bow traditionally, "Welcome, ladies. May I ask who you would prefer to serve you this afternoon?" In your one hand, a notepad, and in the other, a pen, as you await their reply.

The guests snicker to themselves, flattered by your sudden attention. One of them speaks up. "Hikaru and Kaoru, please."

You smile and gesture with an open hand for the girls to follow you, "Very good, right this way, please." You bring them to their seats as if you were a hostess. That very word causes your heart to flutter excitedly, but it quickly dies down as you focus on your duties that are simply those of a maid.

You continue to seat guests at the respective tables for each host.

The more and more guests you escort to Kyoya's area, the more you become confused. Your romantic relationship is more than common knowledge ever since the twins couldn't keep their mouths shut about the whole stunt Kyoya pulled on the last day of the Ouran fair. You assumed more guests would be devastated by this knowledge, avoiding Kyoya as a host, but it seems his numbers are skyrocketing.

"Kyoya, tell us how you saved y/n again! It's so romantic!"

Kyoya nearly loses his composure at the sudden inquiries flying his way, slotting a hand behind his neck awkwardly, "Well, I hardly think you'd want to hear about that. I'd much rather talk about you."

"But Hikaru says you fell off the bridge! And you confessed your love to y/n all at the same time!"

You can't help the own rosy tint that falls over the apples of your cheeks at the notion that the guests know all about your private affairs. Well, not so private...

"That is true, yes..." At Kyoya's confession, the guests crowding him squeal, faint, and shake each other incessantly.

Both you and Kyoya had discussed the possible repercussions of being together publicly, and he mentioned that he wouldn't particularly mind if his guests seemed to dwindle off into smaller numbers. But currently, you're looking at an insane influx of patrons surrounding him.

"Did you really dance in the water? Did you kiss her?"

"Oh, I wish someone would do that for me!"

"I can't believe she was going to leave!"

You make a mental note to bash Hikaru's head in when you get the chance, a more cherry tint spreading across your cheeks and inching toward your ears.

"Welcome, ladies! Can I get you some tea?" Honey approaches his table with a tray full of steaming teacups, one for each customer. "Oh! You know what would go great with this tea? Some cake!" he says, brimming with excitement. Mori appears at his side with one arm folded behind his back, the other gracefully carrying a tray of cake slices at Honey's suggestion.

"Thanks, Honey!" A guest says, graciously accepting his offering. "Won't you stay and enjoy it with us?" she requests curiously.

"Well... okay! But only for a little bit, because then I have to go back to waiting on you pretty ladies!" Honey leaps onto the sofa beside his guests and promptly munches on a slice of cake offered to him by the guest adjacent to him.

Tamaki glances over his shoulder, excusing himself from his guests for a moment, throwing in an excuse — something along the lines of bringing them more refreshments.

"Hikaru, Kaoru!" He hisses in a whisper, snapping his fingers briefly. The twins slide into view at his beck and call, saluting their leader and mimicking his tone, "Yes, sir!"

"Gather the others and meet me in the back room! Make sure y/n doesn't see any of you." Tamaki implores, shooing them away.

"On it!" they eagerly reply, bolting off to grab the first host in sight. Hikaru and Kaoru sweep up Honey first, who hums in question as they scoop him up effortlessly. Mori follows soundlessly after that, head barely tilted curiously.

"Thank you, ladies, I- hey! What are you doing?!" Haruhi stammers, suddenly feeling Hikaru and Kaoru's arms looped under her own, dragging her on her heels away from her guests. The girls seated in Haruhi's area blink disorientedly as she's whisked away.

Just as the twins are even thinking about taking Kyoya with them by force, he raises a definitive gloved hand, "No need, I'm coming."

They comply immediately, nodding shortly and making their way to Tamaki's designated meeting place.

And suddenly, when you glance around aimlessly for a host... there are none in sight. In fact... they're all gone. Guests slowly get up from their seats across the room, making their way over to you with curious expressions.

"y/n? Where did Tamaki go?"

"Yeah, and Hikaru and Kaoru are missing!"

Your eyes grow wide as you stand speechless in the middle of a sea of guests, all tilting their heads in your direction with questioning eyes.

"Uh..." You murmur, unsure yourself as to where you boys have wandered off to... all... at the same time...

Odd.

Meanwhile, in another room, Tamaki throws his arms around Hikaru and Kaoru's shoulders on either side of him, forming a makeshift huddle as Mori and Kyoya remain standing upright, all the while participating in the discussion.

"Alright men, we need to think about this carefully," Tamaki begins.

"What exactly are we doing?" Haruhi glances to each host for an explanation, completely and hopelessly lost.

"Discussing the operation, of course." Kyoya vaguely mumbles.

"What operation? What's going on?" Haruhi looks to someone else for a clearer explanation.

"When we go back out there, we give y/n a run for her money! This operation is improv style- come up with whatever ridiculous request you can, and make sure she does it!" Tamaki whispers harshly, earning nods from his fellow hosts, who seem to be following along diligently.

Haruhi tilts her head, "Huh?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Alright, 'Operation: y/n's Host Trial' is a go!"

~y/n's Promotion!~

"Wait, what? We're making y/n-Senpai a host?" Haruhi asks with wide, incredulous eyes. Glancing to Kyoya's side profile, he gives nothing in return but a small, slowly forming smirk tugging at his lips.

"Hikaru, Kaoru: You know your jobs?" Tamaki inquires, pointing to the twins with a determined finger.

Kaoru shrugs, "Make y/n-Senpai-"

"-as busy as possible. We got it." Hikaru finishes, mirroring his brother's shrug.

Haruhi nearly pales, grimacing. When the twins are making someone busy, they're usually not doing it in a way that's particularly... tolerable.

"Are we sure that's a good idea?" Haruhi tries carefully, but no one seems to be listening. And if they are, they're intentionally ignoring her... which is definitely the case — Kyoya sees, hears, and knows all.

"Honey-Senpai?" Tamaki turns to Honey next, who salutes him immediately.

"Make y/n-chan take care of all of my problems!" He beams, contradicting his words.

"Kyoya, you are to-"

"Make sure y/n stays on task and doesn't get distracted." Kyoya adjusts his glasses, interjecting.

"By any means possible! Make y/n work!" Tamaki declares to the general group.

"By any means possible!" The hosts chorus back to him, save for Mori and Haruhi. They glance to each other apprehensively, exchanging concerned expressions.

"Mori-Senpai, I want you to keep a lookout for anything going wrong. Bring it to my attention immediately." Tamaki orders authoritatively.

Mori hums, but he doesn't necessarily agree... something seems off about this whole operation, and only he and Haruhi seem to be the ones who are not completely agreeing with everything Tamaki is saying.

"And Haruhi-" Tamaki begins optimistically.

"Look, Senpai, I don't know if I'm okay with working y/n-Senpai to the bone... she already does enough. Besides, hasn't she proved herself worthy to be a host already?" Haruhi implores, her expression quizzical.

"Nonsense! y/n has never actually hosted before. We need to see if she's up to the task!" Tamaki exclaims with an aura of dedication.

"... and to do that is to give her even more menial tasks than she already has?" Haruhi's shoulders slouch over in defeat when she realizes that Tamaki has absolutely no logic behind these trials... and the other hosts seem to be going along blindly. Which is... worrying.

"Senpai, I thought you were smarter than this." Haruhi grumbles, glancing up at Kyoya with an disgusted expression.

"I don't know what you mean by that. Besides, I don't see the harm in testing her a bit." Kyoya shrugs, not sparing her a glance.

"You realize that giving her hostly duties would be the way to do this? Not more errand girl duties? I don't even know why she still does those in the first place... she's our manager." Haruhi rubs her chin between her fingers in thought.

"She used to have a debt, remember? I just assume it's second nature to her by now to do all of those things." Kyoya proposes.

Haruhi hums thoughtfully, barely paying Kyoya any mind now.

As the two think out loud, chaos has been orchestrating among the trio of idiots with the addition of Honey.

"You all have your jobs, now get out there! We've been gone for way too long!" Tamaki ushers the twins out the door, followed by the rest of the hosts, and only two of them are starting to already rethink this horrible operation.

"There you guys are. What on earth were you thinking, all disappearing at once like that?" You huff, hands angrily on your hips as you approach them.

"Just discussing host things!" Tamaki assures, which doesn't make you feel any better in the slightest.

You raise a brow, irked. Rolling your eyes, you wave them off, "Whatever." You grumble.

Tamaki and Honey make discreet eye contact, and Tamaki nods subtly.

"Wah~! y/n-chan!" Honey wails, immediately gaining your attention.

"Senpai, what's wrong?" You appear to his table in the blink of an eye, brows furrowed in concern as his tearful eyes look up at you.

"I'm out of chocolate cake! Can you please get some more?" He hiccups, his hands drawn to his chest as he sniffles.

Your eyes fall on a perfectly full tier of strawberry and white cake, glancing back at Honey with an unsure expression, "But Honey-Senpai, you have plenty of cake right here-"

"But I want chocolate cake!!" He insists with a whine you rarely hear from him, especially in such an insignificant situation.

His guests chuckle nervously, offering you confused glances, and you return them with an apologetic smile.

"Alright, alright... I'll be right back."

You turn to head to the storage room, stealing a slight glance back at Honey as you go. It's common for Honey to act childish, that's his whole gimmick... but you rarely see him throw a tantrum like a true toddler. Maybe you shouldn't have given in, like a responsible mother wouldn't have. Well, a responsible mother wouldn't allow her child to eat as much cake as Honey does anyway, so that idea is long out the window by now.

Upon reaching the cabinets that store treats and sweets, you find that the host club is completely out of chocolate cake — not one slice to be seen.

You tilt your head. "Odd..." you say to yourself, quietly. You swear you'd seen an abundance of it just days before... Honey couldn't have possibly gone through that much chocolate cake in a few days... could he? Maybe you just need to stay more on top of things. No matter: you mark acquiring more chocolate cake on your mental to-do list and suppose that the academy's refectory will have to do.

You return to Honey, who looks hopeful at your arrival. You sigh, "I've got to run down to the refectory, our cupboards are barren of chocolate cake... I'll be right back."

Honey's eyes water, his prominent pout returning.

"I'm going now! I promise, I'll be right back." You swear.

And before Honey can burst into tears, which he looks like he's about to, you dash off, determined to reach the refectionary in record time... hoping that they either have chocolate cake on hand or that they can whip some up at lightning speed.

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

With two armfuls of chocolate cake slices packaged in plastic, you push open the club doors and are immediately bombarded by a host.

"Where did you go? You were gone for quite a while." The not so melodic tone of your partner's voice reaches your ears, arms crossed.

"We ran out of chocolate cake and Honey-Senpai wants chocolate or nothing." You groan, adjusting your stature to better cradle the inconveniently shaped packaged cake slices.

"You still shouldn't leave us without warning, guests have been waiting for their refreshments." Kyoya follows close behind as you start your journey to the storage room.

You blink, surprised at his lack of understanding, "Kyoya, I was only gone for fifteen minutes, you can't pour tea yourself?" You try your hardest to laugh off the comment.

"It's not our job to pour tea."

You haven't heard him belittle your duties like that since he disregarded your debt... since before you were dating. But, before you can react, you're promptly whisked away.

"y/n, where have you been?" Tamaki circles behind you, pushing you by your shoulders to the back room, "Put those away and come out immediately, and bring the tea!"

You blink as Tamaki leaves you to the storage room, putting the cake slices in their rightful place in a sort of daze. The boys have scarcely ever been quite this urgent with you. Even if they are, they try their best to be as forgiving as possible if you're running a bit behind.

You arrange the pot of tea and matching cups on your familiar tray, hoisting it off the table and into your hands as you scurry out to meet Tamaki, who apparently so urgently needs you.

It seems as though every time you pass through a doorway, you're needed by a different host. This time, the twins are at your side in an instant the moment you enter the main room.

"Hey, Senpai, we need your opinion." Hikaru begins, both twins effectively blocking your path.

"Yeah, it's urgent." Kaoru nods with a seemingly forced intense expression.

"Um..." You grimace, fingers tightening around your tea tray, but you don't see the harm in humoring them only for a moment.

"What was it that we wanted to ask her again, Hikaru?" Kaoru inquires, fingers stroking his chin in thought. Hikaru mirrors his twin, humming.

"I can't remember, Kaoru... hm..."

"Guys, I really need to-"

"No, no! We'll only be a second, just give us some time to remember it." Hikaru interrupts you.

You sigh with exasperation, shoulders slouching as you semi-patiently wait for Hikaru and Kaoru to remember what they spontaneously needed your opinion for.

"y/n, what on earth are you doing? We needed that tea tray two minutes ago." Kyoya materializes at your side, checking his watch and beckoning you to follow him.

"Sorry, guys." You hastily apologize to the twins, following Kyoya at his heels.

"Here, Kyoya, can you bring this over? I really need to make sure Honey-Senpai has his-" You offer the tray up to Kyoya as you follow him, but he turns sharply and holds his hand out.

"Nonsense, I have my guests to attend to. I simply don't have the time." He informs you.

Your brows furrow, "Well, neither do I, Kyoya, that's why I'm asking you to do it. If I had the time, I'd-"

"I don't want to hear excuses. Deliver the tea, then attend to Honey-Senpai." Kyoya leaves you with that.

You're left bewildered at his choice of tone toward you, gawking in the direction he disappears in.

You inhale sharply and exhale just as quickly, shaking your head to yourself as you arrive at Tamaki's table, setting down the tea tray and adorning a bright smile, "Here's your tea ladies. Now, if you'll excuse me." You direct your glower in Tamaki's direction, putting a particular annoyed inflection on your words as you find him simply lounging on the sofa, surrounded by swooning guests. Tamaki grins sheepishly.

You turn on your heel to find Honey-Senpai, who seems to be having the time of his life entertaining his guests... until he catches your eye. Suddenly, he blinks in rapid procession and tears are streaming down his cheeks.

"y/n-chan, I need my chocolate cake!" He whimpers, arms flailing in a tantrum-like manner.

"Okay, just a second!" You call over your shoulder, rushing back to the storage room and throwing open the cabinets. You all but snatch a slice of chocolate cake... grabbing another for good measure, and dash out to tend to Honey's blubbering cries. Placing the slices in front of him, you anxiously await his reaction.

His sobbing subsides all too quickly, and he's left beaming up at you, "Thanks, y/n-chan!" And with that, he's devouring his sweets.

You exhale with an aura of relief, folding your hands before you, "Not a problem. Can I get anyone else anything? More sandwiches?"

Honey's guests shake their heads, smiling, "We're okay, y/n, thank you!" They beam politely. You nod and slip away.

But you don't get a moment to yourself for long before the sound of shattering glass catches your ears, silence falling over the room after a round of surprised gasps.

You turn to find Hikaru and Kaoru at the scene of the crime, both standing over a mess of what looks like two broken teacups... that seem to have fallen straight from their hands and onto the floor... at the same time...

"Whoops! Clumsy us!" They chorus, a certain undertone of mischief present in their voices.

"y/n, could you get that for us-?"

"- yeah, we've got other stuff to do." They link arms, sauntering away to attend to their guests who are just as confused as you are.

You groan all too loudly for Kyoya's liking, apparently, as you make your way over to the mess and start to gather the bigger pieces.

"Remember, y/n, compose yourself. You'll have to learn to be compliant with anything if you want to get anywhere." Kyoya reminds, carelessly scribbling in his notebook as you slave away on the floor over a pile of broken china.

"Compose yourself, y/n, smile y/n." You mock in a high pitched tone under your breath.

"I heard that." Kyoya lifts his eyes briefly from his half-written sentence to meet your sheepish eyes, your lips drawing into a thin line. Kyoya's unamused eyes bore into your soul.

"Heard what?" You don't give him a moment to answer as you're off to discard of the larger pieces of china, acquiring a broom and a dustpan for the smaller shards.

Watching from afar, Haruhi crosses her arms, "They can afford to break fine china. If I broke a saucer, I'd be paying it off for two weeks."

As you pass her slouching figure, you giggle, "Yeah, double standards, am I right?" You snicker, dumping the shards of china into the nearest waste bin. Haruhi beams.

After making sure your palms are clean of glass, you swipe a tired hand across your forehead, sighing in relief at the momentary break you receive.

The key word is momentary, and you're not even sure you can call it that, as you're leaping to attention when Honey wails deafeningly once more. You grimace at his volume, cautiously peering over your shoulder to see what could possibly be the matter now.

"y/n-chan, I spilled tea all over my pants! I need new ones!"

Surely enough, just as you arrive at his side, your eyes immediately fall on the dark stain covering his pant legs, still slowly growing. Luckily, you know Honey's tea has been sitting out long enough to have grown cold. Still, you cannot fathom how he would be comfortable in a pair of damp slacks.

"Did you pack an extra uniform, Senpai?" You question, tilting your head.

Meekly, Honey shakes his head no. You suppress the strong, strong urge to groan loudly, as that would only upset him further.

"And I suppose you want me to find you one?"

At your offer, Honey beams, "Yes please!"

You feel your eye twitch involuntarily, forcing a strained smile, "Sure thing..." You say through clenched teeth.

As you turn around and lose Honey's attention, you snatch a throw pillow from a nearby sofa and shove it over your mouth, muffling a loud, frustrated groan, stomping your foot.

You inhale deeply through your nose, quickly regaining your composure and putting the throw pillow back in its place. You clear your throat and dust yourself off before setting off on your new mission.

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

The only solution you found for Honey's problem was nothing short of embarrassing... to say the least. You've managed to venture all the way to the primary school building, thoroughly out of breath and practically begging for one of the sensei's to lend you their spare pair of boy's uniform shorts that they keep around in case of the elementary students having accidents.

You return to the club with the fresh shorts slung over your arm, receiving immediate attention from Kyoya.

"Where did you run off to this time? You were gone for-"

"Give me one second, please, Kyoya, I'll never hear the end of this if I don't give these to Honey-Senpai now." You forcibly shove past him, leaving him to watch you approach the elder, feeling anxious at the new frustrated attitude you've adopted.

Cautiously, you gain Honey's attention by tapping on his shoulder. "Senpai, these are the only pants I could find you," you say, presenting him with the elementary school uniform shorts. Although they're small, you expect them to fit. And, well, they're dry.

You barely notice the way, Honey glances to Tamaki for approval, as he would be fine accepting the pair of shorts you are offering him, but his boss shakes his head discreetly, indicating that Honey must give you a reason to do something else.

He sniffles on que, "I'm not gonna wear little boy's shorts! I want my uniform pants!" He hiccups.

Truthfully, by now, the wet spot on Honey's pants is mostly dry, and you can't even see the liquid given that his slacks are black to begin with.

You sigh in exasperation, "There's really nothing else I can do. These are the only-"

"No!" Against his better judgement, Honey smacks the shorts out of your hands and to the floor. The room grows silent at his outburst and everyone is patiently awaiting the next choice of words from either of you.

"That's embarrassing, y/n-chan! I don't wanna wear elementary shorts!" He insists, brows furrowed.

Your teeth grind in a heavy effort to reel in your outrage, afraid you'll explode and say something you regret to the poor boy.

"Senpai," Your tone is wavering, eyes shut as you do your best to regain a steady composure. "Unless you want me to drive all the way to your house and personally select another pair of trousers from your closet and come back here, there is nothing else I can do for you."

Honey can sense the sheer frustration in your voice, so he doesn't say anything further. He's decided he's played too much of a part in this little game, and he doesn't think it's very fun anymore... someone else is going to have to step in.

And someone else does. Just as Tamaki is starting to realize that this little "trial" has gone too far, Hikaru opens his mouth.

"Come on, Senpai, isn't this your job?"

Even his brother's eyes grow wide, tugging on Hikaru's sleeve to tell him not to push you anymore, but Kaoru freezes while doing so as you turn around menacingly, your gaze tearing daggers through Hikaru as you fume.

"No, Hikaru, it is not my job to be your personal servant-"

"Don't you serve your dad all the time at home? Get to it, y/n, we don't have all day."

Your fury is replaced by absolute astonishment at Hikaru's choice of words paired with the insult of lacking an honorific.

"Hikaru!" Kaoru scolds with a gasp, seemingly pushing HIkaru's consciousness back into reality as he realizes what he's just said to you.

And that's when Tamaki realized this entire operation was a mistake, uncrossing his arms in a state of shock.

Haruhi's attention turns to Mori as he stands adjacent to her. His eyes are closed in disappointment, as if he knew something like this would happen.

With an indignant huff, your voice slightly breaking, you throw the elementary boy's shorts to the ground, as a loud smack! echoes through the silent room. You manage to suppress your tears as you storm past the onlookers and to the grand double doors, slamming them behind you and bolting down the hall.

Tamaki does his best to disperse the crowd, directing intrigued guests back to their tea and snacks with a polite smile. As the crowd dissipates, Tamaki throws a panicked expression in Hikaru's direction.

"When I said make y/n as busy as possible, I didn't mean make her busy crying!" Tamaki stomps his foot, fuming.

"I didn't mean to! I just wanted to make her mad!" Hikaru whines, feeling the immense weight of guilt pulling at his heart strings.

"She was already mad, you pushed her over into hurt." Haruhi pipes up, arms crossed. She could have guessed that this was exactly what would happen if you were pushed to your breaking point.

Hikaru hangs his head, ashamed of his words toward you as his heart pulses painfully. Kaoru clings comfortingly to his side. "Don't worry, I bet Senpai knows you didn't mean it," He assures. Hikaru only nods slightly.

"I didn't think she was gonna cry!" Honey cries, now bursting into genuine tears. Honey seeks Mori for comfort, lip trembling as his mind runs rampant with his intolerable behavior toward you. Mori places a still hand atop his head without a word.

"I think we'll have to move ahead with the plan a little early." Kyoya adjusts his glasses, taking hold of the reins of this operation.

"Tamaki, could you have the room ready by the time I get back? I'll go make sure she's alright." Kyoya tucks his notebook and pen away.

Tamaki nods, "Good idea, Kyoya. You heard the man, get to work." He orders, clapping his hands twice. The remaining hosts scurry away at his command.

As Kyoya withdraws from the clubroom, he has the slightest inclination as to where you might have run off to. Trusting his intuition, he sets off to the place he has in mind.

It's a bit of a longer walk, and Kyoya can't imagine that you ran all the way here, but his intuition was, indeed, correct. He nearly smiles fondly to himself when he finds you perched on the edge of a familiar fountain in your maid's uniform, knees drawn to your chest. Kyoya's chest aches painfully when you brush a stray tear from your cheek, sniffling quietly. He can barely hear you over the calming sound of trickling water flowing in the fountain.

Kyoya steps out from underneath the covered walkway and you notice him immediately.

"Oh." You straighten up, quickly wiping your damp cheeks and hoping your nose isn't too red. Luckily, your cheeks darken to the same rosy hue to match the tip of your nose.

"Want some company?" Kyoya offers gently. You nod wordlessly.

At your given consent, Kyoya sits on the ledge of the fountain beside you, craning his neck only slightly to peer over your shoulder as your back is turned to him.

"Are you alright?" He tilts his head.

You sigh, closing your eyes for a moment, "I know he didn't mean it, it's all part of some stupid charade you're all doing, but it still hurts."

If it wasn't for your last statement, Kyoya would have laughed. Of course you were aware of something going on, you're incredibly observant.

"I know. I'm not entirely sure where that came from, but it was unnecessary." Kyoya reaches out tentatively. His fingers gently caress your arm with an aura of hesitancy. He can't quite tell if you want him by your side or anywhere else.

Soon his uncertainty is settled, however, when you swivel your body and lean into him, still hugging your knees to your chest. Kyoya slithers a casual arm around your shoulders, holding you secure to his side.

"I don't want to go back in there," you say. Kyoya can practically hear the pout on your lips. He smiles softly.

"I think you'll be surprised." His optimistic tone brings your head up toward him to meet his eyes, looking hopeful.

"Promise?"

Kyoya knows without a doubt that what they have planned for you will raise your spirits in the most wonderful of ways. He angles his head to face you, eyes landing upon your expectant irises. The warmth in his heart spreads across his whole chest.

"Promise."

And when Kyoya promises something, you don't have a doubt in the world. A faint tint of red spreads across the apples of your cheeks, reaching the bridge of your nose when Kyoya places a gentle kiss just below your hairline.

You sigh quietly to yourself, hoisting yourself from the side of the fountain, "I better go and give Hikaru a chance to apologize anyway, I bet he's worrying himself sick." You tease, walking closely to Kyoya's side and nudging his shoulder.

Kyoya chuckles, "You know him all too well." He puts a simple, guiding hand to the small of your back.

"Well who do I have to thank for that, huh? Back in the day when you used to boss me around..." You quirk a brow, grumbling.

"Something good came out of it, right? I know they're a pain, but they certainly hold you in high regards." Kyoya says, moving to shove his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah, I sort of figured that after they staged an entire fight to get the chance to visit my house." You scoff, a small smile tugging at the corners of your lips.

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

You reach for the handle to the clubroom, but you're quickly stopped as Kyoya grabs it before you. You glance up at him with questioning eyes, hand poised mid air.

"Allow me." And with that, Kyoya pushes open the door. It creaks all too familiarly, and unexpectedly, you're flooded with a surge of rose petals.

You swat stray petals away from your line of sight, thoroughly confused: "We already opened for the day, what's with the theatrics?" You blink, realizing the room is shrouded in darkness.

"... are you guys just sitting here in the dark?" You squint. You turn to find Kyoya for an explanation, but he is nowhere to be seen.

The echoing thud of a spotlight switching on turns you around, and Tamaki is standing illuminated under a beam of light.

Lining a pathway toward him is an additional, less spectacular row of lights that flash from above. Hikaru, Kaoru, and Haruhi stand on one side in a row, and Kyoya, Mori, and Honey stand parallel from them. They all stand as if they're uniformed soldiers in their butler costumes, arms folded behind their back and eyes glued to you.

You blink, brows furrowed at their unusual formation. You haven't got anything planned... no special event or party that requires a dramatic entrance.

"y/n, would you please step forward?" Tamaki bows like a true prince would, one arm pressed to his chest and the other outstretched, head slightly angling up to glance at you.

Stunned to silence, your legs carry you to move closer to him, barely sparing each host an apprehensive glance on your way to the King.

You cannot even begin to fathom what is going on, a million ideas running through your head at a hundred miles an hour. Are you in trouble? Are they going to ask you to join a cult? Have they joined forces with the Black Magic Club and this is your initiation?

"You've proven yourself worthy against our trials, my dear." Tamaki announces in a royal tone.

"Trials?" You tilt your head to the side, looking curiously at the hosts around you.

"And so, I present you... with this." Tamaki looks to Kyoya a moment. Kyoya hands him a luxurious pillow, meant for ceremonies. Something is sitting a top it. It doesn't look too big, and it looks quite delicate.

When Tamaki is handed the pillow, he moves it into the light, lowering it to your level to reveal...

... a yellow rose?

"A rose?" You have to admit, it's quite beautiful, in perfect condition. However, you can't help but wonder what on earth he's giving it to you for... and in such a formal fashion.

"Your rose." Tamaki corrects in a gentle tone as if he were speaking to only you.

"My rose?" You parrot.

And then, it clicks.

Your rose.

The rose meant to represent you. To represent you as a host.

Your eyes tear from the beautiful flower to meet Tamaki's lilac irises, your lips parted in disbelief.

"Are you serious?" You absentmindedly take the rose with gentle fingers. The gorgeous pale yellow of its petals glisten under the sharp light above Tamaki's head.

"It's long overdue." Tamaki nods. He can't help but smile at your complete bewilderment.

With a cheek splitting grin, you let out a purely delighted laugh, surging forward and throwing your arms around Tamaki's neck, arms constricting tightly around him.

As surprised as Tamaki is at your reaction, his arms are quick to reciprocate, the warmth in his chest spreading to his lips as they smile fondly.

"Thank you." He hears you sniffle. He chuckles.

"It's wasn't my idea." As Tamaki gently lets you go, you know immediately who to look to.

Your gaze falls upon Kyoya's, already fixed on you with a soft simper.

He truly is a vision in his butler's tailcoat, arms tucked behind his back and eyes focused entirely on you with such an aura of adoration that it makes your heart pulse in the best of ways.

As you approach him, you can't wipe the smile from your lips, "You're really okay with this?"

Your consideration for his anxieties sets Kyoya even more at ease with his decision than he was before.

"Absolutely."

It's not necessarily the fact that you're becoming a host that excites you. Sure, it's a role you've longed for these past few years and you think you'd be an excellent candidate... but that's not the reason you're over the moon.

It would take only a bystander to realize how uncomfortable the notion of you becoming a host made Kyoya in the past. The idea of you catering romantically to anyone didn't exactly sit right with him, but that was when your combined futures were uncertain. That was before he knew the extent of your affection for him. It used to make him nervous to see you interact in such a way with others, but now...

Of course you're excited to become a host and explore the possibilities, but you're ten times more moved by the fact that you have gained such trust from Kyoya. A trust that exceeds his boundaries, a trust that allows him to put your ambitions above his anxieties.

And that is more important to you than anything he could have ever given you.

Such a notion brings a few tears to your eyes and your lip trembles in the slightest, a sound of appreciation caught in your throat as you reach toward him, hands cradling his jaw as you pull him down for a searing kiss. Although he hadn't expected it, Kyoya's hands quickly find their place caressing your waist, eyes slipping shut as he basks in the feeling of your lips pressed together.

Kyoya pulls back only just, gaining your attention and flicking his eyes behind you briefly, jerking his head in the same direction with a faint smile.

You turn to glance over your shoulder, making eye contact with the twins: particularly with Hikaru. He looks as though he might chew his lip off, eyes darting away from yours the moment he sees you looking at him. Kaoru nudges his shoulder a bit.

Kyoya turns you around by the waist and you take the initiative to make your way over to Hikaru.

Hikaru fidgets with his sleeve, "Senpai, I'm really sorry about-"

But as you lean up on the tips of your toes and peck his cheek, Hikaru's words catch in his throat, eyes growing wide as a flush spreads across his cheeks. He gulps as you flash him a charming smile.

"I know. Thank you." You nod, seemingly convincing Hikaru that you don't notice the profuse blush spreading to his ears.

"I'm sorry too, y/n-chan!" Honey exclaims, leaping into your arms. Although you have less than a few seconds to react, you quickly support his weight with ease, playfully grimacing as his hair tickles your cheek.

As you set Honey down, patting the top of his head, you glance around at the hosts surrounding you, "Who's going to do all of my chores now?" You inquire curiously.

"All of us." Mori declares, allowing the corner of his lips to twitch slightly upward when you turn to him with an appreciative smile.

"Yeah, we're all gonna chip in a little." Kaoru digs his fist into Hikaru's arm playfully, who rolls his eyes and rubs over the spot that Kaoru punched.

"It's the least we can do." Haruhi grins widely.

Tamaki sweeps in, taking you by the hand, "Without further ado, allow me to introduce our newest host type!"

Ever a lover of theatrical presentations, Tamaki turns you to face the rest of the hosts, bowing.

"The gentle type."

As your heart swells, gripping your yellow rose tightly between your fingers, the hosts erupt into applause.

"Does this mean Senpai has to flirt with our customers too?" Hikaru raises a brow.

"Guess we're gonna have more male patrons." Kaoru grumbles.

"Guys, your jealousy is showing." Haruhi deadpans, flashing you a knowing look. You return it with a smirk.

"Indeed." Kyoya teases, unable to suppress the smile spread across his lips.

"Now, y/n! Allow me to teach you everything I know about the art of hosting!" Tamaki takes you by the shoulder, casting his hand to the sky and starting on a monologue that you couldn't be paid to listen to in a million years.

Turning over your shoulders with a desperate call for help in your eyes, Kyoya merely shrugs. You roll your eyes.

"When talking to a customer, ask them questions about themselves! Everyone loves to talk about themselves-"

"Do they now?" You quirk an unamused brow. Tamaki completely overlooks your interjection.

You groan. It's going to be a long, long day...

🎵I run and run a thousand miles, and I am barely breathing. Only the fuel of a passionate heart keeps this body strong and moving forward.

Could it be I found a place to rest? How far until I’m OK?

Trees of the town reveal the time has come once again to shift our shade and colors. 🎵

🎵The world always changes around us but weakness will always remain;

Through all the pain, believe in who we are right here and now! 🎵

🎵Raise one hand to the sky; raise them both lift them high!!

And you’ll cut through the darkness make it go!

The time to start is now! And I can show you how.

Start with me, and the world will be even bigger than ever before. 🎵

♡Next time, on Indeed...♡

It's a certain someone's birthday who doesn't seem to share the same desire to celebrate it as much as everyone else...

♡We'll see you then!! ♡

want to read more? here's my ouran masterlist 🌹

and here's my bts blog💜

want me to write something you want to see? request something💌

have any questions? talk to my characters!🙏🏻

Adieu~ 🌹🌹🌹

456 notes · View notes

ellssbellss · 26 days

Text

(NEW!) Lavender Roses - Kyoya Ootori x 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!

here it is! so sorry it took so long, but unfortunately updates will be slow. but i will not abandon this story! i have too many plans :)

-> summary: Nodding, you pull your purse onto your shoulder, and Kyoya barely has time to react before you’re furiously brushing past him.

“Let me make it less complicated for you, then. Since everything else is.” Your voice is cold as you push open the exit, still avoiding eye-contact. “You won’t have to save me anymore.”

-> tw! descriptions of drowning.

-> word count: (whole episode): 20k

-> legend:

(f/h/d) - favorite hot drink

(s/c) - suit color

see masterlist! masterlist

taglist! @abbysblogsstuff @sunukissed @kisskissshutmydoor @idonia-dovahkiin @greensnakegoblep @vervainnnn @desert-fern @delievia @obeythemasters @luca-nightshade @sweetandsourwrites @wrzloyd @1234567890nono @inactivecrofters @katiebwalczak03 @reader3 @radical-bunny @stevexbucky404 @localgaytrainwreck @jade-digital @eleventhdoctorsangel @ozdramaqueen @httpzace @wrzloyd @localgaytrainwreck @kawaii-onikuma113 @httpswilloww @pest-ill-ence @akumakitsune21 @britty-yk @daniels2003 @jade-digital @eleventhdoctorsangel @ozdramaqueen @sadpotatoondrugs @name1nonexistent2 @jstanaxx @yikesarooni

A Challenge for Lobelia Girl's Academy!

Your lungs have flattened as you float, and your heart rate has ceased its erratic beating, but somehow your brain is still conscious. The comfort of breathing has been robbed from you, and yet you're still awake, still suffering as the freezing water breaks into your skin and rips through your muscles, chilling your bones with a pursuit that had to be admired.

Your eyes are open, (e/c) irises staring blankly up through ripples of water, your eyelids only being held open by the force of the current. Cold water rushes past your skin and pushes you deeper into a black abyss, away from the sunbeams that pierce through the watery veil.

It’s as if they're laughing at you, teasing your skin with their bright warmth.

A crash comes from above you, and a body falls from the horizon that you so desperately longed for. The form is small and muscled, rounded into a ball as they plummet towards your limp form.

Your eyelids widen, only from the force of the splash, as you see Honey’s body tumble towards you, his eyes wide with fear and confusion.

Your consciousness cries as you will your body to catch him, to move, to do anything. Honey whizzes past you, locking eyes with you as you outwardly stare into space. His mouth opens to make sound, but nothing comes out but bubbles of his precious oxygen. A sudden rush of a concentrated current pushes him down out of your view, out of your peripheral vision, and out of any hope you had of saving him. A sense of feeling comes back to you as you scream, unable to move as you feel his presence disappear, the red light of a tiki statue flashing behind you.

And when your mouth opens, more water files in, hungry and selfish as it not only surrounds your body, but suffocates your insides. Your lungs inflate with the chilling liquid, making your body weightless in the pools of terror, and you start to rise.

The surface tension of the water breaks as you lift out of the ocean. Water spills out of your mouth and nose as you are pulled up and up. Over the vast sea, over the jarring cliff that wasn’t in clear view before.

But now it taunts you, its sharp edges barely missing you as you rise.

As you ascend into the lighter blue of the sky, it begins to morph around you. The cerulean begins to darken into black, the crisp air becoming muddy and warped as the scene changes around you. For a moment, everything seems to pause and you are suspended in black. Then, gravity reminds you of your fragility, and you are sent slamming a firm surface.

The landing makes the wind rush out of your lungs, and white sheets billow around you. A comforter sculpts your back, and a large window shines into the room. You choke.

This is Kyoya’s bedroom at the beach home.

Panic floods into your system. Why were you in his room? Where was he? You couldn’t see him, not now, not after everything that happened today. Cursing in your mind, you move to leave this godforsaken mattress, get out of here and curl in on yourself till your broken heart heals, but your arms feel heavy.

Looking at your wrists, you see that they are pinned on either side of your head by an invisible force. Fighting against it, the force lifts for a second before your wrists are pushed down again, deeper into the mattress as it squeaks and wrinkles. And a red shirt appears in your vision.

Gnarly, curled fingers grip your skin, and you bury yourself into the bed. Ren’s eyes flare back at you, closer than he ever was. His sneer is prominent as his long hair is in shambles over his shoulders, and it only grows wider as you thrash below him.

His voice echoes in the shadowed chamber, wrapping around your throat and squeezing. “Nowhere to jump now, sweetheart.”

Your words are lost on you as fear strikes your heart, making it beat to a wilder rhythm as your body writhes. But he continues.

“You could’ve died on that cliff, you know that, girl? Thrown into raging waters? Very dangerous.”

“You could’ve gotten yourself killed.” Ren’s voice mixes with one that breaks through the shock, through the terror, and sends more panic into your veins.

In slow motion, gracefully long fingers dissolve into view. Your eyes follow as particles of pale skin form an arm that locks your wrist to the bed, and then a lithe torso comes into view as you look towards the ceiling.

The smug face of your crush, your director, your best friend appears before you, smirking with a calculating glint in his eyes that used to feel warm.

But as Kyoya pins you to the sheets, its like ice as he meets your gaze.

The floor below the bed frame isn’t stable, the mattress below you rippling like evil water as you stare up at him. Shock and dizziness make everything around you hazy except for his distasteful gaze on yours.

“Do you know that? Please tell me you’re smart enough to see it, you idiot.” There’s somehow a sense of desperate anger as Kyoya keeps you underneath him. “You were wrong. You could’ve died, and you were wrong, and now look at what you did, (Y/n).”

Your nerves say your legs are kicking, but his own pin your knees, rendering them useless. Your arms feel like they’re thrashing, but you still feel the sting of cotton surrounding your skin. Apology after apology rushes through your mind, and you open your mouth to plead with him, to cry for him, to say anything.

But you’re choking again, and a floral scent fills your lungs, causing you to freeze.

Kyoya’s cold eyes flick to your lips, and his raven brows furrow as he releases one of your wrists letting it fall heavily against the mattress. You willed it to move, but like you are drifting in the current of the ocean, you are not in control.

Coughing, something works up your throat and lands on your tongue. Kyoya’s fingers reach past your parted lips and pluck it out, bringing it into your line of sight.

A rose petal. A single, purple rose petal.

Kyoya looks at it confused, his teeth barring. “What is this? What are you doing?” Distrust engulfs his tone.

But his eyes widen as your coughing turns into wheezing, and your body is jolting as he holds you to his mattress, more petals coming up and filling your mouth, your lungs.

You're drowning, and Kyoya lets you go fully as he sits back in horror.

“Stop it. Stop it, (Y/n). Don’t do this to me.” He yells, the moonlight cascading over his sharp features that have twisted in betrayal and anger. “Don’t do this to me!”

Sitting up, you heave, the flower petals triggering an onslaught of spasming lungs as they bloom out of your mouth. Your eyes tear up, apologetic and sincere as you move to look at Kyoya again, only to scramble away in horror.

The back of your skull hits the headboard as Kyoya’s face rapidly changes. Images of his gray eyes morph into the intimidating brown of Ren’s, then the lighter ones of Haruhi’s. Tamaki, the twins, Arai, your mother, all flash on Kyoya’s neck and torso at a destabilizing pace, screaming at you to stop, to think about what you did. Looking away, you force your body to convulse, reaching a hand up to your neck to soothe the burning of thorns and petals poking into your esophagus so that you could just say sorry.

And that’s how you wake up.

Your hand around your throat, lungs burning, and Kyoya’s anger resonating through your chest.

The doors of Ouran Academy burst open, your shoes squeaking against the polished tiles and scuffing them much to the cleaning crew’s dismay.

Sending an apologetic smile their way, you stuff paper upon paper into your backpack as you dodge students left and right, weaving through the crowd of the rich and the beautiful. However, with the addition of your hurried figure, you’ve created an ink spot on a white page.

You would not describe yourself as the spitting image of beauty as you raced up the tall stairs and long, carpeted hallways of your school. You could see your peers’ eyes linger on the small shadows of purple underneath your eyes, and the untucked fabric of your uniform. Some of them bent down to pick up a few sheets of your assignments as they flew from your grasp, noting your heaving breath and panicked eyes.

Unusually, you were late.

You gave them a quick nod of gratitude before practically sprinting down the last hallway that led to Music Room #3. Your footsteps sank into the soft red carpet as you rounded a corner, but when you actually saw the sign hanging above the club room, you slowed. Stopping to rest on a pillar, you caught your breath, staring at the double doors as you heard bustling activity inside.

Every day for a week, you’ve been stopping outside the room, tracing the painted wood grain and the pink designs with your eyes for what felt like forever. For a week, your heart has constricted into knots while your fingers dug into the stone of the pillar, debating in your mind if you should even walk in.

And every day, for a week, you stepped in time with your anxious heart as a pair of purple eyes flashed behind your eyelids, begging you to just come in. And who could blame you when an image of devastating gray accompanied them.

Swallowing, you pressed your palm against the door, opening it as unceremoniously as you can, before a petite body slams into you.

“Oh, god, sorry, I just-,” Haruhi fumbles over her words as she meets your gaze before trailing off, the worry in her gaze followed by a little bit of awkwardness.

You sucked your cheek into your teeth as you made an effort to look anywhere but her, and settled on a vase of flowers poised near the entrance.

“It’s okay.” You mumble, scratching the back of your head before moving to push past her. “No worries.”

You hear a small, sharp sigh behind you, and a hand wraps around your wrist, much gentler than your nightmares. “(Y/n), wait.”

Haruhi’s calm voice makes your tingling anxiety bloom to your throat as you come to a halt. Turning over your shoulder, your smile is practiced and pristine, the muscles stretching over your lips. “Yeah?”

Her brows furrow at your soft, bright tone, your voice contrasting with your rounded shoulders. “I just…I don’t understand what’s going on.”

Your eyes freeze on hers, and your heart cracks even more.

Since you saw Haruhi lying underneath Kyoya, emotions rattled inside you like a tennis ball ricocheting off the walls of your ribs. Your anger was a bright, fleeting blip. You laid in your bed and frankly abused your pillows. You punched them, screamed into them, or threw them across the room as you tried to process Haruhi’s betrayal. You two had grown so close in such a short amount of time, and she knew you were falling for Kyoya, only to keep it a secret that she had been secretly crushing on him.

In the middle of another swing at your pillow, that thought in your mind, you froze.

She kept it a secret.

Why did she keep it a secret?

Shoulders shuddering with sandpaper breath, you sat back on your knees and faced the window looking out into the ocean.

Haruhi must’ve been harboring her own feelings, keeping them locked away while you flirted and made eyes at the boy she wanted, and she did it so easily. You watch through her eyes as you play off of Kyoya’s banter, work with him late into the night, keep him for yourself as Haruhi is pushed onto the sidelines.

A soft gust of air leaves your lips with a quiet whine, and your face curls into your palms as your spine bows. You're crying again, but for a different reason.

You cry for the friendship you two had. You cry for what it must’ve felt like for her to see you steal all of Kyoya’s time and attention and say nothing. To keep it locked away. Tears rolled for what must’ve felt like the most one-sided sisterhood of the century, and all because of a stupid boy.

Speaking of the boy.

Your anger had then reignited, and your cries turned frustrated. Digging your fingers into your next feathered victim, your punches resumed.

Now, guilt dripped into your chest, mixing with the anxiety and hurt as you stared back at her, but your smile remained true. “What do you mean?”

“Are you avoiding me?” Her voice is blunt, and you cringe internally. You loved Haruhi for being straightforward, it was refreshing from the usual antics of rich people to passively aggressively beat around a bush. But to be on the other end of it was jarring.

Clearing your throat, you look to that same vase again, a lie locked and loaded behind your teeth. “No, no, I just saw that you were leaving, and wanted to get out of your way.”

Haruhi’s eyes deadpan. “If that’s the case, you’ve been getting out of my way all week.” She put air quotes around the words. “Did I do something, Senpai? I know you might be a little…shaken by what happened on the beach, but I feel like you’ve practically tripped over yourself to get away from me lately.”

When you look back at her, you can see the concern whirling through her irises, and the faucet of guilt breaks into a steady stream.

You’ve kept her in the dark, you’ve had too. There was no way you were going to out her relationship with Kyoya without her being ready, and you couldn’t bear the embarrassment of telling her that you saw them together. Empathy floats up in your sternum at her clear confusion, and you fight to make your smile a little more real.

Sighing, you relax your arm, signaling that you weren’t going anywhere, and she releases you. “I’m not ignoring you.” You say gently. “And don’t call me Senpai, it’s weird.”

Her confusion fades into relief as you turn to her, fixing your overflowing backpack onto your shoulders. “Sorry, it’s just when you look at me like you don’t even know me, it’s hard to resist formalities.”

A lump forms in your throat when you realize that it was true. Since she has been hiding so much from you, you didn’t know her. Not as well as you thought you did.

“I’m just tired, no big deal.” Desperate to change the topic, you gesture to her outerwear, the light spring breeze forcing students to wear their light jackets. “Where are you off too?”

“Hikaru and Kaoru asked me to get more instant coffee from the store.” She grumbled, and you almost laughed at the disdain that passed over her face. “I still don’t understand why they can’t go get it themselves.”

“Well, it’s nice of you to help them out.” Turning over your shoulder, you see the two red-haired boys talking jovially with some other guests, chests shaking with gentle laughter. “They seem to be having a good time, thanks to you.”

Haruhi curls an eyebrow. “Thanks to me?”

Sighing, you turn back to her, trying to force yourself through the conversation so that it doesn’t look like you’re avoiding her even though you are, and it’s very complicated and annoying and you hate it.

But a softness comes to your face as you speak. “I haven’t known the twins for as long as some of the others, but I know that they weren’t always this warm and friendly.” A flashback of the boys in a corner reading the same book comes to your mind before you push it away.

“They were quiet, withdrawn, and didn’t have many friends. I worked for a long time to build the trust that we have together, but it was instant between the three of you. It really pulled them out of their shell, little by little.”

You watch Haruhi’s eyes pass behind you as she watches the twins, a thoughtful look on her face. A shot of adoration for her spikes through you instinctually at the fact that she truly didn’t know how much she has impacted the host club in the time she has been here. It makes you want to hug her with all your strength. Tamaki must be rubbing off on you.

But then the image of her looking up at Kyoya as he straddles her replaces that warmth with chilling dread.

“I never really noticed.” She said plainly, shrugging her shoulders.

A reluctant smile formed on your features. “They can sneak up on you.”

Silence falls between you as the rumble of host club chatter fills the space, and the awkwardness rears its ugly head.

“Are you sure we’re okay?” Sincerity spills through her, and it’s all you can do not to cry again.

“We’re fine. And if it seems like we’re not, it’s not you, it’s me.” Partly true, in a way. You jab a thumb over your shoulder, needing to leave the tense air. “I’ll see you in there.”

Turning over your shoulder, your eyes immediately fall onto a lithe waist dressed in a lavender jacket. Arms fold protectively around his blackbook as Kyoya’s attention floods into his calculations, but it’s as if you can feel your eyes on you as he meets your gaze out of the corner of his glasses.

A whole switchboard of emotions alights in your body at the indifference in his eyes as he quickly retreats into his writing again. Blowing out a breath, you spin and walk right past Haruhi. “You know what? I’ll grab the coffee. Be right back.”

This time when you walk across your campus, it’s a slow, deliberate stroll. A paper grocery bag is pressed against your chest as you get lost in your thoughts.

You and Kyoya hadn’t spoken since that day on the beach. Anytime you were around each other, it was terrible and tense. You used to fidget, pacing back and forth in your mind on whether you should say something, anything to him to tell him how you feel, but eventually you didn’t have the energy to be anxious.

The betrayal you felt from Haruhi immediately changed into guilt when you realized what it must’ve been like to keep her true feelings from you. With him, your anger and heartbreak slightly dulled into a constant pressure, always reminding you that at the first sign of trouble between the two of you, Kyoya turned to someone else.

Kyoya had once called you a child for ignoring him after the whole incident with Renge, and yet he has justified himself enough to do the same thing. He’s been quiet, cold, turned off from anything that you had to say that wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

But he never made himself scarce. Kyoya wasn’t avoiding you by any means. In fact, he seemed to be anywhere you turned, always giving you ample opportunity to get on your knees and grovel for his forgiveness, as if he was above all this.

As if he hadn’t done anything to rip your heart in two.

Now fuming internally, you decided to wait it out. The two of you were exceptionally stubborn people who were skilled at compacting your emotions into a tight star, ready to burst at any moment.

You decided to see which one of you would be the first to set off a supernova.

The whole situation felt off, and you had no idea why. You never pegged Kyoya as the kind of guy to be so physical with someone he had relatively just met. The glancing touches and the near-kiss instances that you two shared felt special to you, as if you had gained his trust enough to reach a level with him that almost no one else has.

You sighed, blinking back the image of him straddling her waist. Guess it was just another testament to how hard they had fallen for one another.

In your pity party, you didn’t see a rogue banana peel being thrown into your path, and soon the ground is yanked out from under you as you fall backwards.

Limber, strong arms wrap around your shoulders as you tip backwards, and after closing your eyes expecting an impact, you open them to see green eyes staring back at you.

Chest heaving in surprise, you freeze in the strangers arms. Their presence is familiar in a way.

The stranger gets closer, and you realize that despite her more masculine facial structure, it’s a girl that has saved you from falling on your ass.

She poses, dipping you more into her embrace as her smooth, timber voice rolls over your ears. “It’d be a shame for any harm to come to that cute face of yours young lady.”

The startled look in your eye plateaus as you bite your cheek, and you groan internally. This new student steadies you and offers gallantly to walk you back to your glass, and you realize why her energy was so recognizable.

She’s exactly like Tamaki.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Benibara says, keeping her arm firm around your shoulders as she escorts you through the halls of your school.

Wiggling in her hold, your jaw ticked as you tried to force a polite smile. “Really, I am. You don’t have to walk me to class, I’m sure your school is dying to get set up for the cultural exposition.”

Benibara, who confidently introduced herself as the president of the Zuka Club as Lobelia Girls’ Academy, tsks and looks at you with a sultry gleam. “Don’t be silly, (Y/n). Let me make sure you get there safely.”

You fight the urge to roll your eyes, but follow her anyway. If Kyoya didn’t already want to kill you, he certainly would if you were rude to a student from another school. Not to mention you were in uniform, so they would know exactly where the rude girl belonged.

Her red skirt and white blouse flowed gently around the corner, and you unintentionally froze again as Music Room #3 came into view. Tall, gorgeous Benio turned over her shoulder, her gaze becoming sharp.

“You know, (Y/n), when I asked if you were alright, I wasn’t necessarily talking about your fall.”

You suck in a sharp breath and flick your gaze right back to hers, her eyes looking at you with a deep understanding that almost knocks you off your feet.

And then it annoys you. “I’m fine.” The words are practiced. This is what you’ve been telling yourself on repeat, after all.

“Are you, now? Think you’re above a hard day here and there?” Benio chuckles deeply in her chest before reaching a hand out to graze your cheekbones. “Come now, little sakura, tell me.”

But you pull your face away from her touch, rolling your eyes again as your irritation motivates you to push past her. You almost make it to the club’s door, hearing voices from inside.

“...a little harsh? Fine then, what do you think women want to hear?” Tamaki’s muffled voice floats out into the hallway. Another sigh rolls through you as the topic of their current conversation already feels too intense for your emotional state.

But you don’t have time to open the door yourself as Benibara pulls you back against her from your waist. You feel a bony chest at your back as she seems to levitate towards the club door, her arm firmly wrapped around you as she bursts through it.

Her feminine baritone fills the air of the Music Room. “Maybe something like…” You squeak as you feel her breath on your ear. “I would never leave my lover alone.”

“What the f–?” Your confusion is cut off but also flamed when the arm around your waist pulls, spinning your 360 degrees before you're caught in a dip by her toned arms.

Benio’s lips curl into a smirk as her voice holds a fantastical tone that causes your mind to fog a little. “If we fight, it will be together. If we fail, we fail together.”

Again, you’re whisked to another position. This time your arm is stretched out and Benio is on one knee before you, your palm in hers as she brings it to touch her lips. “Even if I were to die, I promise you that I will never leave your side, my love.”

Your eyebrow twitches for a moment, a blush deepening on your cheeks. Looking to the side, you see your host club dressed as knights, armor shining dramatically in the natural light from the windows, and you sigh, eyeing their protective costumes.

You could’ve been wearing armor against this girl too if you hadn’t left to go run errands.

The idiotic trio’s mouths fall open as you are spun and held against another student, and Tamaki’s eyes seem to bloom to twice their size. You see two other girls in uniforms similar to Benibara’s run up to her with large, adoring smiles on their faces.

“Benibara! We thought you’d never show!” One of them says, her short hair bouncing with her movements.

Another taller girl with a deeper voice and longer hair strides to Benio’s otherside, giving you a long look. “What’re we going to do with you? So, tell us where you found this lovely lady.”

All three women are looking at you with an interest that you’ve only seen from your guests, and you feel a headache coming on. Not just because they were staring at you with a protective interest that you’ve only seen from your guests, but also because they were so goddamn beautiful.

What kind of blood oath did you have to make to get their bone structure?

Benio’s chuckle rang close to your ears as she stood, still holding your hand. “I just met her outside of the school. She may look plain, but I knew the truth to her beauty. She has such gorgeous eyes.” The taller woman leans in, her lithe finger gracing your cheekbones as she stares deeply into your irises.

Wincing, you turn your face away from her as you back up, only to run into the shorter, peppier one.

Her high voice exclaims an excited gasp as her fingers dip under your sleeve, forcing the fabric of your lavender coat up to feel the soft skin underneath.

Your jaw clenches as she forcefully takes your hand, your annoyance building. “Wow, her skin is incredibly soft!”

“Could you not?” You ask softly yet firmly, but it’s overshadowed as the third student kneels in front of you, running her hand over your bare thigh and calf with amazement.

Her hand runs over your healing cut, the band aid with hearts still attached to your skin. “Isn’t it though?” She marvels as her fingers prod over your leg. “I think we found a diamond in the rough!”

Seeing her hand pass over your cut ignites a sharp reaction from you, and you push all three women off, ripping your limbs away from their grasp. “Would you all stop? God, ever heard of personal space?”

Your shoulders heave in the middle of the club room as the women stare you down, their eyes wide in amazement. Looking past them, you see the boys watching you tentatively, knowing where your outburst is coming from.

But then Benio’s mouth curves down, not from disappointment, but in sympathy. Her long legs make their way over to you slowly, and her hand reaches towards you, an olive branch.

“You’ve been hurt, yes?”

Her words spill over you like ice water, and a shot of embarrassment pierces through your chest. Was it that obvious?

“What?”

“Someone hasn’t treated you well. Someone hurt you.” That same understanding from before shades into her pupils, and it takes everything in you not to retreat from her form. She studies the way that you roll your shoulders with a conjured formidability that had to have been practiced and reconsiders her words. “Or maybe, people hurt you.”

Her bluntness is laced with caramel-like kindness that completely blows the wind out of you. You just stare at her for a long minute, not knowing what to say as she comes closer and closer, cautiously stepping towards the deer in the headlights.

This time when her hand finds your face, you don’t pull away. She hums in pity, tapping her finger under your chin. “Ladies, this princess is suffering. Trapped in a place where she is underappreciated and lost.”

Their eyes swim with tears with the grace of a celebrity on screen, gorgeous eyes glistening with the moisture. They whine to you as they immediately embrace you again, two pairs of arms coming around your waist.

“It’s such a shame!” Leaning their heads into your shoulder, their cries dampen the intensity of the moment, and your annoyance rises again to a dull buzz.

Your face falls flat as they fret over you, but you let them. If it’ll get them to leave faster, so be it.

But Tamaki couldn’t stand it for another second.

The host club has stood back long enough and watched you run yourself into the ground. Most of them have done all they could think of. Hikaru and Kaoru try to make you laugh, and sometimes it works. Sometimes you’re doubled over, clutching your sides while trying to catch your breath and the twins think that the storm has finally passed. But the next day, you’ll kindly shake your head and walk away, leaving them lost on what to do next.

Mori and Honey have been feeding you, making sure that you’ve eaten lunch when you are scheduled too, and sending you with plenty of sweet treats and things they know you enjoy before you leave school for the day. Even after Mori had offered their dojo to you, you still had yet to show up, and that was worrying. The cousins thought it was because it was hard to bring yourself out of bed in the morning.

Tamaki and Haruhi showered you with attention when you allowed it. You did sometimes, but mostly from Tamaki. His heart sputtered in confusion when you would turn your gaze away from his brunette honor student, but he figured it was just because she reminded you of that day on the cliff. The blonde was constantly at your side. During class, club hours, any time you didn’t completely shove him off gave him an opportunity to show him that he was there for you.

As his purple eyes watched your blank expression while foreign hands touched you, his eyes shot to Kyoya, a dramatic glare in his gaze. Kyoya felt his best friend’s eyes on him and met his stare before rolling his eyes behind his glasses.

The blonde saw Kyoya’s Adam's apple bob for a second, and he knew that the Ootori son was holding himself back. Tamaki groaned internally as Kyoya kept up the same facade he’s been portraying for the past week. The facade of disinterest.

And frankly, Tamaki had had enough.

Another flare of irritation fired into the prince’s chest as Kyoya simply shook his head slightly, stubbornly folding his arms across his waist. But when Tamaki studied him closely, he caught the sharp way Kyoya’s eyes narrowed at the way this tall woman was cradling your face.

Tamaki huffed when he realized Kyoya still wasn’t going to do anything and immediately rushed forward, wanting to save you like he always does.

“Don’t you go touching mon ami without asking my permission!” He yelled, reaching towards your form with a protective urge.

But you watched as a fist connected to Tamaki’s pristine features, and your jaw dropped as Benio sent him flying, the other two women wrapping their arms tighter around you. Your prince’s blonde hair whips with the force as he is sent flying back towards the other hosts.

He lands on his butt with a whine, and his hand comes up to his cheek. “She punched me! So violent!”

Honey-senpai scolds him as Tamaki sprawls on the ground, holding Usa-chan in his grasp. “Pull yourself together!”

Finally, the female trio lets go of you as they put themselves between you and the host club. A sigh rolled out of your lungs, and you watched two dramatic forces clash together like swords. Beni stands, her long form towering over Tamaki after knocking him to his feet.

“Guess the rumors we heard are true.” She speaks, utter confidence lacing her tone. “You guys are just a bunch of weak little punks with no sense between you.”

A distinct sigh passes over the host club, one that topples another rock onto the stone pile in your stomach.

“These uniforms.” Kyoya’s voice is cold, precise as he pushes his glasses onto his nose. “I assume you ladies are from Lobelia Girls’ Academy?”

Benibara’s hair swishes as she twirls, her attention completely lost to you. Another smug grin traces her lips as she strikes another pose, her hand poised just so. “That’s correct.”

Flashes of color and cloth pass by your vision as the three girls rip off their uniforms, revealing extravagant costumes underneath. Bouncy skirts fall to the pink tiles from the waist of the taller girl, the shorter one sporting something pink that went to mid-thigh. Beni rises in a tux, perfectly tailored to her slim figure. It seems like spotlights shine down on them as they pop up from their poses one by one, glitter in their irises.

“Lobelia~” Benibara stands, a baritone note rising from her lips.

“Lobelia~” An alto sound follows as the middle-height blonde rises, her toes pointed and chin lifted in the air.

“Lobelia~” Soprano fills your ears as the last one sings, her arms stretched out as she picks one leg up.

You stared at them incredulously, confusion and a little bit of admiration in your thoughts as they harmonized. How many times had they rehearsed this? When did they rehearse this?

…Did the host club need a theme song too?

Your thoughts were interrupted when Benibara pulled out a flower and you realized, Oh…it wasn’t over.

“St. Lobelia Academy, high school 2nd year, Benio Amakuska.” She said as she passed in front of you, placing a lily in your hands before posing again. “Lady of the Crimson Rose, A.K.A Benibara.”

You stopped the rude scoff bubbling into your throat. God, they even had nicknames? The blonde steered toward you, her walk graceful as the blue dress flowed at her ankles. “2nd year student, Chizuru Maihara.” Chizuru’s right hand unfurls a small fan as her left places another lily in your hands.

Lastly, the shortest one twirls, placing the last lilly into your hand before posing next to her friends. “1st year student, Hinako Tsuwabuki!”

“We are the members of the St. Lobelia Academy’s White Lilly League.” Beni said, posing her top hat in front of her face with a flirtatious grace. “Also known as…!” Sending her hat into the air with pizazz, the three girls twirl, the arms opening so wide that you have to make your way over next to Hikaru and Kaoru to give them more room.

They spin with so much force that the petals on their lilies fall off the flower and are sent around the room, twisting in a flurry as they cover the girls. When the flowers dissipate, the Lobelia students have somehow changed outfits again, poofy dresses and intricate fanned headdresses adorning their heads. Their hands are outstretched, large smiles on their faces as they fall into a final pose.

“The Zuka Club!”

Blinking slowly, you close your agape mouth. The silence in the club room lengthens, before you and your twins could no longer hold it in anymore.

Deep chuckles expel from your chest as you wheeze, tears quickly filling your eyes as you drop to the floor. Hikaru and Kaoru are quick behind you, their backs arching as Hikaru slaps the floor with each bellow of his laughter, trying to catch his breath.

“The Zuka Club?! Oh man, what a stupid name! My stomach hurts!”

Kaoru can barely agree with his brother, his voice cracking with an effort to breathe. “The Zuka Club?! That’s priceless!”

“They-They had those get ups under their uniforms!” You shout, clutching your side as you lean on Kaoru’s shoulder.

You three continue to bellow, and it feels like old times for a moment. The ease of being around the host club returns into your bones like muscle memory, and it felt like nothing had changed for you.

But then the ground begins to tremble, machine’s whirring in a dark, unknown place. Your laughter halts, and as your gaze follows the tiered platform as it rises from the polished tiles of Music Room #3, you sigh, your mood rotting the peacefulness you felt.

“You shouldn’t underestimate the Zuka Club!”

A certain brunette sits atop this tier, a tea cup perfectly placed in her hand, her fingers bringing it to her lips. She seemed almost serene atop a patio chair and table, an umbrella shading her from the artificial ceiling light.

And then she spoke.

“I may not know much about instant coffee, but I am fascinated with girls’ schools.” Renge’s voice fills the club room, and you pinch the bridge of your nose. You wonder who else will come into this room and play with the frayed edges of your patience?

She takes a sip out of her cup before spitting it out immediately, instant coffee splattering down onto the second tier of her platform. “St. Lobelia Academy! It is truly a woman’s world there!” Renge stands, and she gets that distant, dreamy look in her eye you’ve seen too many times before. Despite the perfectly good table in front of her, Renge discards her tea cup and saucer to the floor, the porcelain crashing with an annoying clang.

“The Zuka Club is a group of young maidens who consider women to be superior in every way! The club prides itself on it’s 30 year history. It’s a society of maidens, by maidens, for maidens! Their activities include maiden tea parties, debate forums, and the musical reviews performed by their top members.”

Glancing over to Benibara, you see a satisfied smile on her face, pride gleaming in her green irises as she watches Renge recount her successes. You can see how people follow her so easily. She makes you want to be apart of that feeling of comfort, of accomplishment.

“Well.” A clang of armor sounds against a desk, and you tense your shoulders. Slowly following the gaze of the crowd, you watch as Kyoya fixes his tie onto his button down. During Renge’s speech, the men had switched out of the knight costumes with a speed that is only achieved through years of practice. Or in this case, weeks.

You let your eyes catch a glimpse of his sharp jawline before you direct them to the floor again. It was too hard.

Kyoya cleared his throat, his voice resonating. “You sure have a vast world of knowledge, Renge.”

The brunette laughs, flicking a hand at the director. “Well, I’ve always admired Lobelia Academy. I just couldn’t go to school there, though.” She put her hands on her cheeks as if she was facing her worst nightmare. “Just what would I do without any boys?”

With that, she descended into the floor, waiting like a jack in the box under the tile; to spring up when least expected.

Chizuru places her hands together, the tips of her delicate fingers tracing her lips. “A maiden’s beauty.” Her voice was soft but determined, as if passing on a valuable piece of information. “It means possessing a spirit pure enough to not give in to power or to lust.”

Hinako’s bobbed hair bounces up to the side of her friend as they face the host club together. “As a girl, you…for a girl, you…! We’ve had quite enough of all your oppressive male contempt for womenkind.

“And our pride,” Beni’s baritone floats through the room, vibrating lightly against the host’s club’s windows. “It comes from having meaningful relationships based on equality.” Beni holds her hands out to the two other girls, and they cuddle into her side. It would’ve been sweet if there wasn’t a migraine blossoming it’s way to the front of your skull.

“Because we are the same sex, and yes, that means relationships of love.” A mischievous sparkle floats in her eye that confuses you. Does this woman think she invented lesbianism?

Shrugging, you sigh, turning your back and stepping away from the chaos, mumbling a small ‘whatever floats your boat’ as you cross the ever spacious club room.

You catch a glimpse of blonde hair and a hunched lavender form at one of the windowsills, and you make your appearance at Tamaki’s side.

“Tamaki?” You ask, reaching your hand out to touch his shoulder, only to find it shaking. “What’s going on with you?”

He looks to you, eyes wide, his purple pupils shrunken to violet dots. “Th-these girls! They’re talking nonsense!”

You laugh slightly, putting both of your hands on his shoulders and massaging them. “I think they are just trying to scare you.”

“Well, it’s working!” His voice carries, but you turn to find that the host club is too preoccupied with the Zuka Club to notice. “Who does this girl think she is anyway, huh? Touching you like that? Saying these…these…words that I can’t bear to hear!”

“Tamaki, Tamaki…” You say softly, a fond amusement warming your smile. “Just chill for a second, okay? I think you might be having a bit of a culture shock.”

“Culture shock?!” His wide-eyed attention locks on you, and he brings his voice down to a hiss. “What’s that?”

“How about we just lay down, yeah?” You suggest through a giggle. Putting his arm through yours, you lead him to the bed that Honey-senpai uses for his naps. Pulling back the baby blue comforter, you sit him on the edge of the bed. You flip the pillow over onto it’s cool side, and Tamaki immediately realizes how much his outburst took out of him. Sleepy, violet gems become hooded as he looks up at you from his restful cloud.

“This is not how it’s supposed to go.”

Still humored, you tilt your head, playing along. “And how is it supposed to go, exactly?”

“I’m supposed to be taking care of you, not the other way around.”

Your heart drops, your chest heaving with a sigh. Flashes of Tamaki greeting you at the door of the music room, a little bit too eager and standing a little too close play in your mind.

Swallowing the lump in your throat, you pat him on the head, turning on your heel to leave him to rest. “We can take care of each other.”

Rejoining the rest of the club, you sink into the red couch as the Zuka Club continues to brag about their progressive ways, making you swallow another scoff.

The host club wasn’t listening to them either. Honey and Usa-chan watched Mori practice his sword skills, while Kaoru fiddles with the groceries you had brought back. Your eyes travel over Hikaru’s shoulder as he plays on his DS, Mario bouncing across the screen.

A shadow casts on the other side of the couch, Kyoya’s spine curled around his book. Your curiosity catches a page that was filled with writing, but blank in the edges. No spirals.

Hikaru interrupts the Zuka Club’s ramblings, his bored tone piercing their flirty air. “Whatever. Honestly, we are so over it.” He leans back, his shoulder brushing with yours as he props his feet up on the table, his gaze never leaving the game.

Kaoru examines another thing of instant coffee from the brown paper bag, his tone, like most of his mannerisms, mirroring his brother’s. “What don’t you gals just scram?”

The Zuka Club stands there stuttering at their rudeness, and your gaze flicks to Benibara’s, her eyes suspiciously watching the six of you.

But Hinako huffs, a haughty tone lacing her words. “I find it hard to believe that you silly boys have nothing to say about our sublime female love.”

But Hikaru just leaned towards you, speaking out of the side of his mouth without breaking his attention from his game. “What the hell is she even talking about?”

A giggle caught behind your lips, and Kaoru continued to show disinterest, facing towards you and showing you the label. “I’ve never seen this brand before, it’s clear (Y/n) bought the groceries this time around.”

This time, a scoff left your lips, and you picked up a throw pillow and chucked it at his head.

The blonde Zuka member rolled her eyes, pitifully sighing as she caressed Beni’s cheek. “You should feel sorry for them, Benio. Now they are all flustered, and they don’t know what to do with themselves!”

Benibara just nodded gravely before another smirk lit up her lips. “True, though I must say that I’m glad we decided to perform here. It was fun to sneak a peek at the notorious host club.”

Honey perked up at that, swinging his legs off the edge of the couch as he looked at his cousin. “Hey, are we really notorious?”

Mori swings his sword before gracefully setting it onto his shoulder. “Yeah.”

Someone yawned.

Benibara huffed, the lack of attention drawing irritation from her gut as she quickly scooped forward, grabbing your wrist and pulling you towards her again. She holds your arm up around her shoulders, her other hand lightly cradling her chin. Your jaw sets.

“And to think, they’re dragging this sweet, young girl down with them.”

“I told you, I’m fine.” You argued, your voice steely and taut.

But she ignores you, pushing you away. As you stumble out of her grasp, you straighten your uniform, watching as she basks at the hosts’ attention once again now that she had grabbed you. You were only a means to an end.

“Well, the host club’s president may be a pretty little halfer, but he shouldn’t be using his looks to create a fictitious romance!”

Another flare of annoyance sparks at her words, and you take a step toward her. “Don’t call him that.”

But she ignores you, relishing in the rising of emotion. Much better than the clear, piercing boredom. “Oh, attempting to fool the heart of a poor maiden is demeaning! Your so-called club activities are nothing more than debasing macho fantasies! I promise you, we will bring you guys down, the Ouran Host club will be abolished!”

You stopped in your tracks, the tiles on the floor almost seeming like glue traps, your black dress shoes wanting to sink and never budge.

Abolish the host club? For what, creating fun little scenes?

You had never thought that your club was playing with the hearts of the boys and girls at this school. You thought they relished in the attention, the fantasy. But your mind rushed to the sweet girl who had kissed your cheek, hope in her eyes.

And now you were one of the maidens, your foolish heart in the hands of a raven-haired puppeteer.

Is this what you made your guests feel like?

“I see.” As if someone had whispered your thoughts in his ear, Kyoya closed his book, the leather-bound pages snapping closed as he pushed his glasses to the bridge of his nose. His voice fell into a practiced politeness, but his eyes flared. “I understand your concern. But do you think that maybe we could finish this later?”

Beni’s chest puffed, her voice challenging the words of the megane, twisting them. “Are you saying that you’re not going to face us?”

The edge of Kyoya’s lips twitched, and he met her gaze. “Not at all.”

His pale hand gestures to where Tamaki still slept, his face exhausted and weary as he mumbles in his dreams.

“It’s just that our president is still bed-ridden from his initial culture-shock.”

You wanted to ask him how he knew that, but you knew the answer. Kyoya was always observing.

Honey giggles, having no problem with his nap spot being used. “You see, Tama-chan is having his nappy right now.”

Benibara clenches her fist at her sides. “Then wake him up!” She yells, and you fume. No matter how much she has shaken your day today, no one needed to interfere with Tamaki.

Your feet unstuck themselves, but before you could give her a piece of your mind, Haruhi appeared in front of you, a full tray in her hands. The honor student shot a glance back at you, a look telling you she could handle this, and placed a sweet smile on her lips.

“‘Scuse me, I just made some coffee.” She offers, her face calming and nurturing. “Would you ladies like to have some?”

The tall, handsome girl looked like she was about to faint with gratitude, and her sour mood lightened immediately. “Why yes, aren’t you the sweetest thing?”

The three of them smile at Haruhi as they take their respective tea cups, complimenting her whole-heartedly.

“You know, coffee made by a maiden always has a more fragrant aroma.”

Haruhi’s hands tighten on the tray, her surprise mirroring the rest of the host club’s when Benibara confirms Haruhi’s sex.

“What? Wait a minute…” You begin to stutter, the other hosts frozen instantly without knowing what to say.

The flirty Lobelia student just scoffs, soaking in the scent of the coffee as she dismisses you immediately. “Oh please, don’t try to hide it. She may be dressed as one of these boys, but I knew the truth. What kind of lover would I be if I didn’t appreciate and recognize the beauty of my own sex? And the way they make their coffee.” She serenades, winking at Haruhi over the edge of her tea cup.

“But, uh…” Haruhi starts, her brain reconnecting its wires. “This stuff’s just instant.”

Hinako just coos, walking towards Haruhi and twirling her hair. “How about we all have a tea party?” She asks, smiling your way.

“You’ve got it all wrong!” The entire room jolts when Tamaki bursts out of his bed, his teeth baring as his eyes zero in on Hinako’s finger tangled in Haruhi’s locks. “Don’t you see that our host club isn’t what you think it is? We give them hope! Love! Fantasy from their daily routine!” He stomped over, almost running as he crossed the pink floor.

“If we really were stooping as low as you believe, then why do people keep coming back?!” He cries, his arm jutting out to rip Hinako away from his precious honor student, but his momentum didn’t carry him that far. Instead, somehow, with impressive accuracy, his bare finger lands smack dab in the center of Hinako’s tea cup, dipping into the boiling coffee.

“Hot! Hot, hot, hot!” Tamaki staggers backwards, wagging his finger before he trips over himself and falls, ungracefully, to the floor.

Haruhi’s eyes widen, and she quickly hands the tray over to you before crossing the room. Before you can blink, Haruhi is kneeling in front of Tamaki, rummaging through her school jacket before she is taking a thing of bandages from her coat.

“You have to be more careful, Senpai.” She sighs, her eyebrow creasing slightly as she holds out her hand for his.

Tamaki blinks slightly, a slight blush rising to his cheeks. Slowly, he places his hands in hers. Her fingers work gently, spiraling the bandage around his finger, her brown eyes concentrated on healing the burn.

So she may not notice, but you do when Tamaki’s gaze trails over her soft features for a millisecond longer than you might expect him too.

You swallow, focusing on the shining porcelain on your tray, your reflection warped against the tea kettle. There was a time when you looked at someone like that, and had thought they had seen you similarly.

“Thanks, Haruhi.” Tamaki says, his voice soft. You look up to see him staring at his finger, the pair kneeling next to each other. “Do you always carry bandages around with you?”

Haruhi just shakes her head, simpering at him with a smile that makes his eyes drop to her lips before flicking back to her gaze. “Nah, the supermarket gives them out for free with the purchase of instant coffee. I got them when I went yesterday.” She tilts her head just so, and you watch the blush darken on Tamaki’s cheeks. “You always get free stuff at the supermarket.”

“Free stuff?” His voice is drifting, clearly lost in some other thought that didn’t include any bandages.

A deeper voice ruins their moment, and your hands grasp tightly on the tray. “Well, this conversation isn’t going anywhere.”

With gusto, Beni raises Haruhi to her feet, making Tamaki gasp and almost reach out for her.

Almost.

Two arms encircle your waist as another pair relieves the tray from your grasp, and you are tugged into a group hug with the Lobelia girls and Haruhi. Their arms drape over your shoulders as you're pressed into the blonde’s chest, Hinako leaning against your arm.

“Now that we know what is going on,” Beni announces, her hand wrapped neatly over Haruhi’s waist as she presses the honor student to her chest, “We can’t allow these maidens to stay here! We will prepare their paperwork and have them transferred to Lobelia at once! And, we’ll welcome them to the Zuka Club!”

You gasp against Chizuru’s chest, before breaking away from the group. Stumbling, you shake your head.

Keeping your composure was trying, your voice shaking as you reminded yourself to keep up appearances. Your wits were already worn, your headache growing exponentially at these girls’ antics. But you swallowed, shaking your head and willing the social training you had experienced your entire life.

“Listen, I understand that you are trying to help here, I do. But the way you are going about it is abrasive, assuming, and quite frankly, ignorant.” The three girls tensed at your tone, Beni folding her arms. Your anger from the past few days simmers into an urge to put yourself on a pedestal, to stand as if you’re better than them in every way.

Your posture straightens, but right before you are about to give them a piece of your mind, Haruhi interrupts, standing in front of you.

“Just, everyone wait a second, okay?” Haruhi reconciles, her hands waving in a peaceful gesture. “I think there may be some misunderstandings here. I mean, first of all, you called Senpai a halfer!” She says, giggling.

You step forward, peeking out from behind her shoulder. “Cause he is. Even though the term is outdated,” You spit, sharply looking at Benibara, “Tamaki is half-french and half-japanese.”

Haruhi stutters, trying to correct herself. “Well, uh, I don’t think it’s fair to pick on the host club just because they might not have the same history as you!” She claims innocently, and you deadpan.

“Actually,” You wince. “We barely have any history, we were just founded two years ago when Tamaki started the club when he started high school.”

The honor student’s shoulder’s slump, and her head lolls to the side. “Be that as it may, saying their club activities are just held to satisfy their appetites is wrong. I mean, we don’t even charge them.”

You plant your face in your hands. “Oh no, Haruhi…”

“While I wouldn’t call it a charge, we do have a point system.” You all turn to see Kyoya leaning casually against one of the tables of the Music Room, his laptop sat on top as he pulls up a website.

Haruhi’s eyebrow creases, and you lead her to the laptop. “We offer a kind of priority service,” you explain, moving to the other side of the laptop and presenting it. “They are based on the winning bids of auctions held on our website.”

Kyoya hums. “Check this out, Haruhi. Your mechanical pencil just sold for a winning bid of 30,000 yen.” He smiles back at her, the fake one that stretches his thin lips. “Good for you.”

You nod curtly, trying to read Haruhi’s shocked expression as you move to close out of the window on the laptop, but Kyoya had the same plan. Your fingers brush his on the same button, and both of your gazes sharply meet, snapping like a rubber band.

And suddenly, you’re back.

Back to when you were Kyoya’s right-hand man, back to the study sessions in your room, the moments on moonlit piano benches. The dances, the cherry blossom trees, late-night phone calls, and the sunset-colored glances and grazes. It takes everything in you to swallow the ball of sunshine that engulfs your sternum, and remind yourself of the darkness you had seen. And the shapes in that darkness.

He’s the one that breaks eye contact first, and that’s when that darkness turns to ice, settling deep into your stomach.

Before you could take your own hand off the keyboard, Haruhi rushed forward, rattling off complaints.

“I thought I had lost that pencil!” She whines as she scrolls through the items up for sale. She looks up at you. “Why didn’t you tell me this before? I didn’t know you were collecting money.”

“To be fair”, You shrug, putting on your best ‘I-swear-I’m-more-innocent-than-you-think-I-am’ face, “I don’t choose what goes on the site. That is the director’s job.”

Kyoya scoffs, fixing his glasses with a sharper shove than normal when Haruhi’s accusing gaze lands on him. “What, you expect us all to work as volunteers?”

More gently, you try to explain. “While it’s not much, our club makes a small profit off of these auctions.”

“Oh, really? You’re okay with this?” Haruhi asks, huffing as she continues scrolling.

“Okay with it is a stretch, but it isn’t the worst thing-”

“Then look at this.” Her finger freezes on the mouse pad and flips it around, shoving the computer in your direction before folding her arms across her chest.

Leaning in, you gasp, the pixelated image forming the last thing you thought you would see on that site.

Four pictures were being sold as a bundle, two you had unfortunately seen before, and two others that shoved your heart into your throat.

Two of them were the pictures that had been offered as the prize for the Scare Challenge on the beach, your drool and your middle-school Ice Bucket fail had been put up for the world to see.

But the other two were more intimate. A sparkling blue dress dressed your figure as the twins hurried around you, sparkles in their eyes. And another where you had lifted the camera with a cheesy smile, catching Kyoya off guard after being enlisted as the club’s private photographer.

Only one person had access to these photos anymore, since you had wiped them from all other accounts.

“Kyoya…” Your voice was chilled and rough, this was the first time you had said his name in days. “What…why are these on here?”

There was silence on his end, causing you to flick your eyelids up to see him completely ignoring you and writing something in his notebook.

“Kyoya.” You try again, more firmly. Spinning the computer his way, you enhance the image. “What the hell are these doing here?”

Still no response. He instead flips a page and begins walking around the table the computer is perched on and out of your path.

But you stop him.

Your frustration flames and you’re in front of him in minutes, ripping his book from his fingers. That gets his attention.

His eyes meet yours for the first time in what feels like centuries, and apparently that time had erased any warmth those eyes once held for you. Now, his gaze is piercing, the gray that used to represent a calm fog sculpted into a thunderstorm.

“Give it back, (Y/n).” Even the way he said your name was strained, every syllable stretched and unnatural.

“Not until I get an answer.” With his journal tucked neatly to your side, you harshly point to the computer screen. “Why are those pictures on there? You know those are not meant to be public. They were just for you.”

“They’re optimal items to sell. Anything that can humanize our hosts is extremely valuable to our guests, which I shouldn’t have to explain to you.” The muscles in jaw pulses, and you heave a breath at the superiority in his voice.

“You were the only person with those copies, and I asked you to never share those with anyone. You knew how embarrassing, how personal my life can be, and you said you would keep them to yourself. You promised-”

“I never promised anything.”

“Please.” You rolled your eyes. “You were so proud to have those pictures, and you just gave them away like that? What were you thinking?”

“I no longer have a reason to keep those pictures in my possession. They were taking up space in my books, and I needed to make room.”

You scoffed, emotion blocking your larynx. “For what?”

“For more important matters.”

The room was so quiet, you were sure everyone heard your heart break.

Your grip on the leather material of his black booklet tightened, and your chest stuttered. But you held your ground. Once again, you knew that if you let your emotions take over, they would never stop, and you just had to get yourself together. Yanking the booklet from under your arm, you slammed it so hard into his chest as you walked past him, you heard him grunt as he caught his balance.

“Hope it was worth it.” You breathed, willing your voice not to crack.

You stormed towards the entrance, only to be blocked by glowing blonde hair.

“Oh, you poor thing. I can’t believe they’ve been deceiving you.” Chizuru whines, sympathy potent in her voice as she wraps her form around you.

Before you can snap at her, Beniobara comes around and pulls her off of you, her strong hands on the younger one’s shoulders. “Give her a moment, Chizuru, both of these young maidens have had quite a day.”

Benio leads the three of her girls towards the doors, which blow open dramatically on their own somehow. “We will give you both some time to think about it, and will be back tomorrow for your answer. Adieu, Host Club.” Waving with the grace of a queen, the Zuka Club disappears around the corner, leaving the aftermath of their intrusion unattended.

The safety of the hallway is too tempting this time, and your feet make their way towards your exit before you can even think twice.

“Wait, (N/n)-chan-” Honey’s voice calls for you, but you just call over your shoulder.

“I have to go. I have some thinking to do.” You say, voice low but reinforced as it echoes across the pink walls of the host club.

The host's watch with concerned gazes as your figure disappears, Haruhi’s lips settling into a line.

“Yeah, I better head out too.” She says, but Tamaki’s hand shoots out to grab her shoulder.

“Wait, Haruhi, we’re sorry! It’s not like we were hiding it from you, you can have my pencil!” He whines, and he holds out his own mechanical pencil, a small teddy bear taking the place of the eraser.

“I don’t want your pencil, Senpai. You boys can’t just go doing whatever you want, whenever you feel like it.” She says, turning around and taking a turn out of the Music Room.

Suddenly, Tamaki’s sad whimper turned into a growl as he whipped around, his gaze targeting a certain megane.

“What have you done, you stupid man! You just added fuel to the fire!”

“Facts are the facts, Tamaki.” Kyoya breathes, boredom flowing into his tone as he perches his glasses on his nose. “If they can’t handle a few inconveniences, then they’ll have to deal with it themselves. They’re smart.”

“But they’re not made of steel.” Hikaru said, folding his arms as he went to Tamaki’s side. “How could you do that to (Y/n)?”

“Please, she’s fine. She just needs to blow off some steam-”

“She is not fine.” Kaoru explains, less aggressive than his brother but still fiery. “She hasn’t been for days.”

“And Haruhi is already indifferent, but we know she tends to favor men’s clothing, and she said that getting fussed over by a bunch of girls might not be that bad.” Honey said, worry etching into his features.

“And we know (Y/n) loves us, but how long is she supposed to deal with Kyoya icing her out?” Tamaki expresses, jabbing a finger into his best friend’s chest.

“I am not icing her out. We are simply not speaking until she apologizes for what happened on the beach. She knows this.”

“She already apologized, you dimwit! She came crying to me with a cut on her leg about how bad she was feeling!”

“Yeah!” The twins agreed. “At dinner, she said she felt bad…”

“I haven’t heard any of this from her.” Kyoya stated, feeling a pit grow in his chest. You had apologized to everyone but him? That thought shouldn’t have stung as much as it did.

“No, no, I pushed her out of the room and she was definitely on her way to you.” Tamaki insisted, his anger diffusing into hot confusion. “She didn’t talk to you?”

“No, she didn’t.” His words were a lot shorter than he had meant them to be, but Kyoya was done hearing about how little you thought of your relationship with him. How you had put him so low on your list of priorities, pushed him aside like everyone else in his life.

“You should talk to her.” Mori’s voice added a base to the confused mumbles that rumbled through the club room.

“I will not.” Kyoya almost scoffed. “She is the one who needs to apologize, as she is the one in the wrong.”

“You both are!” Hikaru emphasized, getting into Kyoya’s face. “You’re both so fucking stubborn, neither of you see how much you’re affecting the other.”

“Her behavior has not affected me in the slightest-”

“Oh, give us a break!” Hikaru was about to give Kyoya a piece of his mind before Kaoru took over, pulling his brother back to his side and shushing him.

“Give it up, Hikaru, he won’t listen to us.”

Tamaki leveled his gaze with the Ootori son. “Do you want Haruhi to leave the club, Kyoya?”

“She can’t. Her debt is too substantial to pay back within such a small time frame-”

“Lobelia academy could easily pay her debt off, Kyoya-senpai.” Kaoru said, both brothers seething at him.

“Well, it would be…unfortunate, if she was to go, but if that was what she wanted-”

“What about (Y/n), then?” Tamaki interrupted him. “Do you want her to leave this club? This school?”

Kyoya paused, his gaze snapping to Tamaki. “She isn’t going to leave over something as little as this. She loves the Host Club.”

“She loves this club because of us. Because of you.” Hikaru says, his voice grumbly.

“What happens if that goes away?” Kaoru adds. “Does (Y/n) think so little of herself that she would just take the rude comments and invasions of privacy?”

“That is not what I-”

“Stop being mean, Kyo-chan.” Honey warns, his face crumpled into a scary pout. “It’s hurting her feelings.”

“She’s thinking of leaving the club, Kyoya. I can tell.” Tamaki’s mouth twists, as if he is so uncomfortable with that fact, that it makes him squirm inside his own skin.

The megane stops talking, and the boys can tell that he is registering their words. Slowly, he takes off his glasses and wipes them with the tail of his shirt, taking a deep breath.

“I won’t be apologizing. This kind of thing needs to be worked out between the two of us, without any interference from any of you. It will be resolved within its own time.” The hosts deflate as Kyoya works on a stubborn smudge within his lens, and Hikaru is about to step forward and give him another piece of his mind before Kyoya speaks up again.

“However, you’re right. (Y/n)’s services have brought in a great number of guests, and therefore income, to this club, and it would be a loss to let her leave without some effort.”

Kyoya picks up his glasses and gently places them back on the ridge of his nose, the light catching onto the frames. “What can I do to help?”

Tamaki just sighs, rolling his violet eyes. “It’s not enough, but I’ll take it.” Clapping his palms, he brings his friends into a huddle, his leadership skills beginning to shine.

“Listen up gentlemen, we will keep our ladies no matter what! It will be alright. If you listen to me, I have come up with a plan!”

Bunkyo’s city streets bustled with noise. Footsteps falling on the sidewalk, voices calling over car horns and barking dogs. But nothing was louder than your thoughts. You had long dried your tears, and after sitting in the rose maze for a little while, you were able to collect your thoughts.

You picked yourself from that gazebo, feeling lonely in the absence of someone beside you, and decided to treat yourself to a pastry from a favorite cafe. You need support from yourself now more than ever.

Everything had become clear at that moment. You didn’t mean anything to Kyoya anymore. You were simply one of his acquaintances that he kept arm’s length, offering them fake smiles and short words. And how were you supposed to work in the club like that? Without the warm glances and small touches? Without the words of encouragement, the quiet nights of working in each other’s space?

How could you sit back and watch as Haruhi took your place?

You cursed your lip as it trembled, and you looked up at the sky to keep your tears at bay. You didn’t want to cry anymore, you just wanted it to be over.

But just as you were about to walk into the cafe, you collided with a torso longer than your entire body, and you gasped as hot, hot coffee drenched your school uniform. Flinging back, you peeled the wet fabric off your torso, cringing at how the brown color stained the pristine, white cotton. Dropping your shoulders, you were about to confront this long torso, or at least whine at them while you suppress your second breakdown of the day, before you see the head attached to it.

“Oh my god, oh no, (L/n)? God, I am so sorry!” Brown eyes scan over your form in worry, and before you can protest, Arai is shoving his long brown jacket off his shoulders and shoving it into your arms. “Clean it with this! They’re the same color anyway. Dab the stain, don’t rub it in, it will just make it worse.”

He tries to do it himself as he scrambles out more apologies, but then he realizes that he is dabbing too close to your chest and immediately throws the jacket at you. “Oh god, sorry! I didn’t mean-I mean, I was just trying to help, because I didn’t see you! So I thought-”

“Dear god, Arai, calm down.” You clutch the jacket with one hand, the other extending to rest on his shoulder. And then you’re seeing his wild expression, worry and horror clear as day on his freckled face, and you’re laughing.

The noise lifts into the air, above the commotion of the city, and it feels good. You try to remember the last time you laughed like this, but it’s been too long, so you just decide to relish in the moment. And it feels even better when you hear a lower, quirky laugh join yours, and you see Arai’s shoulder’s bouncing in your peripheral vision.

“You’re okay.” You say, giggles still shuffling out of you as you grab the coat to wrap around your torso. “Although I don’t think the shirt can say the same.”

“I’m sorry, those shirts are so expensive.” Arai says, another wince rolling through his body. “You can keep the jacket until you get home. I know how bad your father can get with stains.”

“Oh my god, remember that time you came over when we were little? You tracked mud all over our floor and-”

“-and your dad nearly cussed out an eleven year-old? Yes, I remember. Unfortunately.” He smiles, and it’s big and wide and a little crooked, and his image solidifies a little more into the friend you had made way back when.

You both chuckle again before a silence falls over the two of you. Arai raises his eyes to yours, and suddenly you’re reminded that you’ve been crying all afternoon when his brown irises flood with concern.

You try to stop him from asking. “Oh no, I’m fi-”

“Are you alright? You look like you’ve been…” His arm reaches out for you, but you meet his hand half way and put it back by his side.

“I’m okay. I’ve had some time to think, so I’m alright now.” You reassure him, and he nods, thankfully dropping it.

“Okay, I’m glad.” There’s that smile again. “Were you heading inside?” The farmer asks, pointing a thumb at the door to the cafe.

“Yeah, actually. This place is my favorite.”

“Mine, too.” His whole face almost lights up, and he opens the door, waving you inside. “Wanna grab that cup of coffee you promised me earlier?” He raises his empty coffee cup. “Mine is empty for some reason.”

Another laugh bubbles out of you, and even if you are drenched, Arai’s energy is refreshing, and you don’t want to leave it just yet. “Sure. My treat.”

He shakes his head. “No can do. Not only will I pay for your dry-cleaning, but also your coffee- I mean, tea. Or something else. Whatever you want, because you just like the atmosphere.” He playfully mocks, and you roll your eyes, surprised he remembered that part of your conversation from a week ago.

Brushing past him, you walk into the cafe, Arai close on your heels. The door closes, muffling the chaotic rumblings of the outside world as whiffs of coffee grounds meet you. Warm, sparkling fairy lights swathed the ceilings, reflecting the natural sunlight streaming through the windows.

Soon, you both have ordered, your (f/h/d) in front of you as Arai’s lavender latte steams in front of him.

“Thank you for paying, you really didn’t have too.” You say, relishing the hot liquid that warms your throat.

“I really did, though. Your poor shirt.” Arai whines, his fingers running through his brown hair anxiously.

You laugh again, shaking your head to calm his nerves.

“It’s fine, god knows we have the money to replace it.”

“Especially if this deal goes through.” Arai says. “How have you been adjusting to the whole idea?”

You shrug, tracing the rim of your mug with your finger. “Fine. My parents have roped me into business deals before, but this is the first time they want me to be so…involved. No offense, but I think they might be using our friendship to get a better deal.”

The delivery boy just laughs. “I absolutely agree. But I’m not surprised. It seems to be my father’s tactic to get into business with my rich friend’s parents.”

“Really?” You scoff. “He’s done this before?”

“Mhmm. Twice actually. Your mom hasn’t pulled this act before?”

“Never forcefully. But I was always encouraged.”

“You know, that’s what I always liked about our friendship, way back when.” Arai noted, a sincere look in his eye. “Nothing forced us together, we just were.”

“Yeah.” Your breath catches in your throat when you think of the contrasting relationship you had with a certain Ootori. How it had all started with the proposal that merged Ootori Hospitals and (L/n) Tech. Would he even have talked to you if the proposal hadn’t been accepted? Would he have noticed you at all?

Something must’ve shown on your face, because you felt a slight pressure on your palm as Arai grasped your hand from across the table, that sweet look of worry creasing his brow.

“I, uh…” He pauses, the farmer sifting through his mind to find the right words. “I know you said that you were okay, but you don’t seem okay. Do you want to talk about it?”

“No, no.” You squeeze his hand before pulling it away, choosing to warm your fingers with your drink. “I’m okay, really.”

“Sure.” He says, but you can tell that he isn’t going to give up because his brown eyes are still piercing through yours. “But, hypothetically, if there was something bothering you, you could talk to me. If you want to.”

You simper at him, sighing deeply. “Yeah, I appreciate that. I will if something comes up.”

But he wasn’t satisfied. “Because I know, hypothetically, if there was something bothering me-, I would definitely feel better talkin–”

“Arai.” You say, cutting him off a little harshly. Taking a breath, you lean forward a little, placing your cheek in your hand. “I’m good, I swear.”

“Right. Sorry, I just–” His hands wave around before they settle back onto his coffee cup. “I want to make sure you’re actually good.”

And that warms your heart to levels that your (f/h/d) couldn’t reach, and you tilt your head, studying the sincerity of his gaze. Maybe you could open up a little bit, just so he wouldn’t have that wounded puppy dog look on his face.

“Well, I guess there is one thing.” You say, picking at your fingernails. “I have a big presentation tomorrow that I’ve been working towards for a while.”

“Yeah? For what class?”

“Foundations of Marketing.” A nervous sigh escapes you as you realize just how close your deadline is. “We have to present an original product to a panel of mock-investors, and it’s an idea that I’ve had from the start of my highschool career.”

“If all goes well,” You continue, swallowing the butterflies in your throat. “These fake investors could take it to real investors. Which could mean the start of my own product launch.”

“Which would be…good, right?” Arai asks. “Why does it not sound good?”

“I’ve…been working on it with a partner.” You say, looking out the window to catch a couple holding hands strolling by. “We were on good terms at first, and we even worked well together. But, now, it’s not working out so well.”

“We’ve been in a fight recently, and, I don’t know. It’s making me question things.”

“What kind of things?”

You shrug, playing with the end of a sugar packet. You want to tell him, but you’re just not ready to be that open with someone you’ve just met. Instead, you skirt around it a little.

“Was it hard? Moving schools?”

Arai quirks an eyebrow up, but takes your change of subject in stride. He just leans back in his chair and blows out a breath.

“Yeah, I’d say it was rough at first. But it worked out in the end. Things always do.”

Taking a sip of his coffee, he met your gaze again. “Why? You want to change schools?”

“I don’t know what I want.” You groan, exasperated at the war going on in your head. “I’m just conflicted, I guess. So conflicted that…” A sigh breezes past your lips. “I talked to my mother earlier today, about finding a transfer application to Lobelia.”

An image runs across your mind of you in a Lobelia uniform, performing for the Zuka Club.

“Maybe I just need a fresh start.”

“(L/n).” You don’t look at him, but you show him your listening. “You’re happy at Ouran, aren’t you?”

“Well, yeah, but things feel…different now. Ouran is the best high school in the area, but this project has just shown me that people who I thought cared about me might not anymore.”

You hear Arai tap his fingers on the table before he draws a breath. “You’re not going to let that stop you, though. Right?”

Your gaze whips back to him as he looks at you with so much apparent trust in your abilities, that it almost makes you double over.

“What do you mean?”

“(L/n), you have to be one of the most capable people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I mean, even when we were kids, you still had more raw, immeasurable talent in your eyelashes than most people do in their whole body.”

You shake your head. “That’s sweet, but–”

“But nothing. Anyone who is worth their salt will see that you are the true passion behind your project, no matter what this dimwit of a partner does.”

“Thank you, Arai. But you’ve only known me for a short amount of time, so-“

“Then it makes it even more obvious when I can already see that you deserve to feel happy in the high school you fought to be in.”

Shaking your head, you do your best to fight your smile, but you can’t. Instead, you’re almost glowing at him, and you bite the inside of your lip, trying to shove your blush down from your cheeks. Looking out the window, you try to think of something to say that could possibly match that, but Arai interrupts your thoughts again.

“You’re still doing that?”

Blinking, you turn back to look at him. “Doing what?”

“You used to bite your lip when you were anxious in school.” He says, taking a sip of his latte. “Looks like you didn’t grow out of it.”

Your lip falls from your teeth on instinct, a small blush running to your cheeks at being caught. “I’m surprised you noticed that, I barely even notice it myself half the time.” You chuckle sheepishly, looking into your mug. “I should probably break it, but-”

“No, don’t.” He says, shaking his head with that crooked smile of his. “It’s cute.”

Your lashes flick up to meet his, surprise evident on your features, and Arai blubbers when he realizes what he said.

“No, not like cute cute, you know? I mean, you-you are-wait, I meant, it’s not like you’re not–god! What I meant was that it’s sweet, and nothing’s wrong with it, and I should shut up before I say shit I regret.”

Arai groaned, letting his forehead fall onto the table. But your giggles made him pick his head back up.

“You think it’s funny?”

“I do.” You say, silencing your laughter with a sip of your drink. “I really do.”

“I’m glad my embarrassment is funny to you.”

“I promise, I have my fair share of embarrassing stories to share, if you stick around long enough.”

He gave you a long look then, his smirk growing wider. “I think I will.”

go on ahead to part 2 :)

this isn't proof read btw, haha

73 notes · View notes

babyouran · 1 month

Text

The Twins Fight! - what started as a tricky game soon turns into a dramatic argument where the twins cause chaos in their fight against one another

pairing - fem!reader x host club

apart of - ouran add-in

"Let's all play the ‘Which one is Hikaru’ game!" The twins exclaimed, standing up while the ladies clapped at their announcement. "So, can you tell which one of us is Hikaru?"

"Well, it's hard to say," One lady began, tapping her finger against her chin.

"You're identical!" The other added.

"Many ladies have tried to tell us apart, but so far none have succeeded."

"Oh, they're playing that game again?" Y/n turned to Haruhi, the girls didn't have any customers at the moment. They were just enjoying the less busy crowd and chatting about a book Y/n read recently.

"It's kind of stupid," Haruhi expressed.

"What? Have you got a problem with it, Haruhi?" They overheard her comment, turning to look at the two girls.

"No, it's just odd," She simply spoke, turning her attention back to Y/n.

"Hikaru! Kaoru!" Tamaki spoke, running in with a computer. "When I gave you control of the club's website, I did so on one condition. That you take it seriously!" Tamaki scolded them.

"We take our job very seriously boss," Hikaru responded.

"In fact, last night we worked on it till dawn," Kaoru added.

"Is this what you worked so hard to create?" He pulled up the screen, showing Y/n without her mask on and a shorter dress going up to her knees.

"Oh no," She stood up, grabbing onto the device to look at it. In response to seeing the less-than-accurate image, and realizing what lecture she would receive if her father saw such an image, she slumped to the ground.

"You look great N/n-chan," Honey smiled.

"Pretty," Mori commented, and soon enough the girls were all surrounding the screen trying to catch a glance.

"There, there," Haruhi patted her back.

"My teeth don't look like that," Y/n pouted. "Also my lips are not- never mind. You have to take that down," She walked over to the twins flicking their foreheads. "Kyoya-senpai!" She yelled, wandering off from the mischievous duo.

"When did you take those photos of her?" Tamaki walked up to the twins.

"Didn't you hear her? We didn't," Hikaru explained.

"There is something called Photoshop, boss," Kaoru added.

"Can you do it with her wearing this?" Tamaki lifted a magazine where the main model was wearing a fancy green dress.

"No," They deadpanned, walking away to leave a disappointed Tamaki. Instead, they decided to focus their attention back on Y/n who was arguing with Kyoya.

"I don't care if it got you more views on the website, if you don't want to be sued by my father take it down!" She stated, clearly frustrated and flustered trying to reason with Kyoya. In the presence of the twins, she switched her yelling onto them, taking the computer from Kyoya’s hands and motioning it to the boys. "Take it down," She pushed it in their hands.

"Why? It's fun. When we get bored we make fun."

"No," Y/n rolled her eyes, “This is not fun, this is bad!”

"You're our pet," Hikaru spoke, while Kaoru started working on getting rid of the photo.

"Be a good girl now," Kaoru looked up from over the screen.

"I'm not a dog. I can’t be both of your entertainment like this, you should go on and find a toy."

"You want a toy?" A dark figure appeared from behind a door, candlestick in hand. "Toys, toys. If you like toys then you should come and visit my Black Magic Club," The boy offered. This piqued Haruhi’s interest as she walked over to the mysterious figure to hear more about his offer.

"We've recently opened a marketplace that hosts black magic items from across the globe. We're also holding mass around the clock. If you visit right now, I'll even throw in a free curse doll. You can have Belzenef as your gift."

"Why is he talking to us through a crack in the door?" Haruhi wondered, looking back at the fellow club members.

"Wait a second, has that door always been there?" The twins pondered.

"Nekozawa-senpai likes to hide. He doesn't care for brightly lit places," Kyoya informed the group.

"Don't get involved with that guy Y/n," Tamaki snuck up on her, scaring her. She jumped and flinched where she was standing. "If you do you'll end up being cursed, don't you do it either Haruhi!"

"How do you know?" Y/n asked, moving closer to the door, her arm was about to reach for the doorknob but Tamaki stepped forward to pull her arm back so that she was standing next to her.

"It happened during final exams, at the end of the last school year," Tamaki let go of her wrist since she was trying to shake her hand out of it. He then went on to explain a story where he stepped on a 'cursed' doll, leading to him taking a test in different lettering and he also didn't know any of the students in that class. "I was in a different dimension."

"Scary!" Honey cowered.

"Did that really happen to you?" Haruhi questioned, unsure, trying to hide behind the shorter boy. Y/n walked over to the nervous Honey, bending down a bit and patting his head in a comforting way.

"Don't you worry Honey-senpai, or you either Haruhi-chan. I think Tamaki-senpai just went to the wrong class," Y/n explained while Honey was hugging her.

"It was a curse! I know because I woke up three days later and my legs were as heavy as lead!" Tamaki fired back.

"Your legs were heavy because you ran a marathon the day before, remember?" Kyoya told him, still working on his normal tasks despite the new presence of the man.

"You shouldn't underestimate the dark powers of Belzenef the cursed doll. All you have to do is write the name of someone you hate on his back and then that someone will come into misfortune," Nekozawa popped up, holding the cat doll.

"Wow this guy is dark in more ways than one," Kaoru spoke, and soon he and Hikaru exchanged a glance.

"I wonder what he will think of this," Hikaru showed the flashlight from behind his back before shining it on Tamaki and Nekozawa. Both of them ran away scared, Nekozawa choosing to retreat to his club room.

"How on earth could you two do such a thing? Obviously, the two of you don't know the true terror of the black mirror!" Tamaki shook, but this wasn’t anything the twins paid much attention to, instead just wandering off with complaints that they were bored.

"My dignity as the club's leader is being ignored," Tamaki sulked in his spot.

"Hey, Y/n! We have a favor to ask you," The twins spoke.

"What’s that?" Y/n responded, going over to her bag to search for a new book.

"Can we go to your house?"

"No."

"That could be fun," Tamaki looked up.

"No, it wouldn't. My house is almost the same as yours, it would be different if we were going to Haruhi's, that could be fun," Y/n shrugged, finding her book and taking a seat. Soon enough the twins were standing around Haruhi, hopeful eyes looking upon her.

"No, you're just going to make fun of it," She shook her head, crossing her arms in distaste.

"I think it's about time we all pay our respects to our beloved Haruhi's family!" Tamaki beamed.

"No way in hell, only Y/n can," Haruhi mumbled the last part, looking over at the girl reading intently.

"We can settle this with a game! If you can't pick out which one of us is Hikaru, then your penalty will be the two of us coming over to your house later tonight!"

"It's kind of simple," Y/n commented. "That's Hikaru and that's Kaoru," She pointed to the boys.

"You're wrong."

"No she's right," Haruhi agreed.

"Sure you guys look alike, but that doesn't mean your personalities are the same," Y/n mentioned.

"How did you tell?" One of the girls asked.

"With that hat, it's so hard," Another wondered, Y/n ignored the words of the girls since the book once again captured her interest which made Haruhi have to answer the question.

"Well, how do I put it? It's kinda difficult to explain. But Hiakru's speech and actions make him come across a little more mischievous than Kaoru," Haruhi explained honestly, not truly thinking about her words before speaking them.

"I'm sorry Hikaru, I don't mean to laugh," Kaoru spoke, trying to hold back a laugh but soon ended up breaking into a loud one.

"I don't see what's so funny. I'm honest, I speak my mind, and I don't hold back. It's sneaky people like Kaoru who are the troublemakers," Hikaru argued.

"Don't turn this on me, Hikaru. After all, I'm the one who's always going along with all of your selfish games.”

"I may suggest them but you're the one that gets into them Kaoru. If you hate it so much then why don't you just stop?"

"Because I'd hate to see you make an ass out of yourself, in front of everyone. It was your idea to call Y/n a pet, but I noticed you were quick to make a pass at her. Admit it, Hikaru, you're actually in love with Y/n, aren't you?" Karou smugly spoke, Hikaru getting all flustered.

"You've got it all wrong, Kaoru! Man, you're such a freaking idiot," Hikaru told him annoyed.

"Yeah! There are some things in this world that must never be said," Tamaki buzzed.

"Why would I fall for her? I mean she can't even show her face, she probably looks like a tanuki," Hikaru claimed.

"How dare you call her a raccoon dog?" Tamaki fumed. "You're going to pay for that!"

"Can you guys be quiet-" Y/n tried to speak before a large rumbling cut her off.

Soon enough Renge made another surprise appearance and started to emerge from the ground. "Our beloved Y/n is in the middle of a beautiful yet poignant seven-sided romantic relationship! And to make it even better, two of her admirers are twins, torn apart by love! Just the thought of it could make me eat three bowls of rice!”

"Wait, what did you-"

"Oh butt out, otaku," The twins spoke causing a total flip in Renge’s confidence as she now stepped down from the platform all sad.

"You guys are meanies! You shouldn't say something like that to your manager!"

"But Renge, I thought you had feelings for Y/n as well.”

"I do and it's platonic, but I have no problem with her having relationships on the side. Also after speaking with Haruhi, I'm developing feelings for him as well," Renge announced back to her confident self.

"I'm confused, I thought you had decided to go back to France, Renge," Haruhi walked over.

"Well, I was going to start up a host club of my own… but, I don't think France is ready for a host club, just yet," She told Haruhi, a light blush on her cheeks.

"I don't think anywhere is ever ready for a host club," Y/n commented, Renge was about to mention something else but was cut off by the twins' voices raging at one another.

"Cut it out already! You're the one always crawling into my bed! Talk about annoying," Kaoru yelled.

"I only do that because you look lonely. I wouldn't choose to sleep in your bed, you idiot!"

"Who are you calling an idiot? You're the one who sucks at math."

"Oh yeah, well you're failing your foreign language class you dummy," Hikaru argued, just continuing to go back and forth like little children.

"That's it we're over!" They fumed, walking in opposite directions of one another, stomping off into the distance.

Later the next day Haruhi and Y/n were sitting beside each other in class chatting before it began.

"What did you think of the fourth chapter?" Y/n asked her friend who was taking out her book.

"I didn't expect Tobio to show up especially him claiming he wanted his daughter back," Haruhi spoke excitedly.

"Hey Y/n, Haruhi!" One twin walked in, flamingo pink hair. "Good morning.”

"Um, Hikaru," Y/n spoke, squinting her eyes in disbelief at what she was seeing. "What did you do to your hair?"

"Why is it dyed pink?" Haruhi wondered.

"Because pink suits me. Don't you think it's cute? From now on I'm the pink-haired twin. I didn't want to be mistaken for that Kaoru for the rest of my life, you know?" Hikaru mentioned, his now blue-haired brother, coming up next to him.

"Good morning Y/n, Haruhi," Kaoru voiced, Hikaru, walked over to an empty seat near Y/n and sat beside her. "I was finally able to sleep all by myself last night, but I ended up having a nightmare. I dreamt my stylist had dyed my hair pink. It was so garish and ridiculous looking, I woke up screaming.”

Hikaru stood up and walked over kicking Kaoru's chair so that he fell. Kaoru then returned the favor, knocking Hikaru down the same way. Once back to their seats, the twins stared at each other and soon enough an all-out war erupted with a multitude of items being flung over Haruhi and Y/n’s heads.

"This is going to be a long day," Y/n grumbled as Haruhi nodded in agreement.

When class was over and it was noontime Haruhi and Y/n decided to chat about the lesson they had just finished learning while walking into the cafeteria.

"I was wondering what all the fuss was about, I can't believe the two of you are still fighting," Tamaki spoke, watching the twins in line arguing about food. "You're a disgrace to the Host Club!"

"Why is the rest of the club here?" Y/n questioned, turning to Haruhi. Haruhi just shrugged and let Y/n wander over to the group. "Hey guys!"

"N/n-chan!" Honey exclaimed.

"Hey, look who it is!" A short-haired girl spoke, joining hands with another.

"I've never seen them all together like that," Another one commented.

"We've had enough of this, you're both to blame for this fight," Honey said, then pulling out a cake. "Hika-chan and Kao-chan I want you to make up and then go halfsies on this cake, 'kay? But I want to have a piece too, and N/n-chan should get some, so I guess we're gonna have to have fourthsies," Honey went on babbling in an attempt to try and figure out how to cut the cake.

Y/n just walked over to the nox distressed and anxious boy, lifting him, and taking him over to Mori.

"You're just making it worse, leave them alone," Mori told Honey, moving him far away from the irritated twins.

"Oh, Y/n! I didn't expect to run into you in the dining hall," Tamaki fangirled, rushing over to the girl who was watching Honey now munching on the cake he was once going to share.

"Haruhi and I decided to follow the twins here, they have been acting odd all day," Y/n looked over to her senpai.

"I brought a boxed lunch and I just wanted to eat it in the classroom," Haruhi mumbled, walking over to where the host club now decided to eat lunch.

"A boxed lunch?" Tamaki repeated.

In Tamaki's head

"Tamaki, darling, I hope you will accept this food I made. I'm not amazing at cooking, but I made it with love!"

"I will eat anything you make Y/n, it's always beautiful and tastes delicious," Tamaki declared

"I will eat it!" Tamaki spoke out loud.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Kyoya mumbled.

"Ah," Y/n ordered beside Kyoya, pointing out the dish of her choice

"Our chef makes amazing crab, it truly is so delicious the way he seasons it. Maybe once you can come visit and try the dish," Kyoya mentioned, the two walking towards the lunch table that the Host Club members were currently occupying.

"Damn rich people," Haruhi grumbled.

"Haruhi, come sit over here!" Y/n waved her over, but instead of just Haruhi another friend had joined alongside them, Hikaru.

"What's that, what do you have for lunch?" He questioned, watching Haruhi take her seat.

"Yesterday's leftovers, and a rolled omelet,"

"Haruhi you want to switch?" Y/n looked over at the mouthwatering expression on Haruhi’s face as she stared at Y/n’s food. With a happy nod, the two exchanged their meals.

"This is amazing!" Haruhi exclaimed, tasting the food.

"Great! I usually like to eat more in private, so I can just save yours for later!"

"Y/n, I got a meal that you’ll enjoy. Want to try it, all you have to do is take your mask off," Kaoru softly grabbed her chin, tugging it closer towards him with one hand while his other held a fork with a piece of his meal on it.

Hikaru chomped the food off of the fork instead of the intended recipient, "Quit butting in Kaoru." At the possibility of another fight, Y/n moved out of her seat and grabbed Haruhi's hand to take her with her. Just as they were out of the line of fire Kaoru threw his soup at his twin but missed the wanted target and instead, it got splashed all over Tamaki.

"I'm going to go eat alone now," Y/n quietly muttered over the yelling of the twins, choosing to take her leave from the noisy group.

After the whole cafeteria incident, the group (excluding the twins) met up again in the club room, hoping to relax with some tea and discuss the problematic antics of the twins.

"Looking at the numbers, if this situation isn't resolved, I'm afraid we're going to have to stop offering our brotherly love package. We're down one pair of loving brothers," Kyoya announced, typing in some digits into his calculator. "Oh, Haruhi, I just want you to know there's no reason for you to feel responsible, even though it was your tactless comment that started this whole feud between the twins."

"It's weird for Hika-chan and Kao-chan to be fighting like this," Honey spoke, playing with Usa-chan. "It's never happened before."

"They have never fought before?" Haruhi pondered, looking over at Honey.

"I've known Hika-chan and Kao-chan since we were in preschool. We weren't in the same year so I never really got to talk to them, but I remember that the two of them always played together," He told the group.

"Yeah that's true, I mean I've only known the twins since middle school but they have always stood out," Tamaki added, he went on about how the twins had been together for a while, saying it might not be such a bad thing they are fighting.

Yet quickly his former opinion changed when the twins finally arrived and they were still fighting, Tamaki quickly getting annoyed at the twins’ reckless behavior.

"Don't you guys think it's maybe time to give up all this fighting?" Tamaki wondered. "It's driving me insane."

"What'd you say? It is driving you insane? You've got to be kidding me, how do you think I feel? Every time I look in the mirror I see his face. I'm sick and tired of being mistaken for you Kaoru! The truth is I hate your guts!" Hikaru snapped.

"You took the words right out of my mouth. In fact, I hate you so much, I bought this. Belzenef curse doll!" He pulled out the cat doll and a marker. "I'm going to complete the curse, Hikaru, I'm going to write your name on his back. From this day forward you are going to experience nothing, except misfortune and sorrow."

"Okay, this is getting to be enough," Y/n interrupted. "All because of some comment, that didn't even mean to offend you guys."

"Yes!" They both screamed. Mori rushed over to take Y/n’s hand in an attempt to bring her back into safety if they decided to start one of their throwing tantrums again. He did not want to see the girl getting injured once again.

Haruhi finally had it, truly annoyed at the way they were treating her friend and how stupid they were being about an argument that didn’t make much sense. They were acting like toddlers.

"Will you guys knock it off?" She smacked the sides of their heads. "What do you think you're doing? You don't bring something like this into a petty fight,” she motioned to Belzenef, “Both of you are at fault here, but what is truly sad is that you're bringing everyone else into your big mess! Now apologize to each other, if you don't make up right now I'm never going to let you come over to my house!" Haruhi threatened.

"So, then what you're saying Haruhi is that if we make up, we can come to your place?" The twins questioned at the same time.

"Oh, no," Y/n whispered, slapping her forehead, she figured out the mischievous plan they were trying to hatch all along. Haruhi slowly turned the doll around just for it to be blank, her face dropping in fear.

"I'm so sorry Kaoru, even though I was just following our script I said such awful things to you. I'm not fit to be your brother," Hikaru apologized.

"Don't say that Hikaru! I was so worried, I couldn't live with myself if I ever thought I had hurt you," They embraced each other, repeating apologies.

"You've got to be kidding! You mean you guys were faking it this whole time?" Honey shouted, arms flaring above his head.

"We didn't have anything else to do, we were bored!" They told him, laughing with each other. Haruhi was now sulking to the ground where Y/n moved in attempts to try and comfort her.

"Twins with too much time on their hands, are the devil," Tamaki concluded.

Later on the next day, the club was back to running like normal, with no obnoxious feuds between the twins but instead back to their game.

"Okay, it's time to play the ‘Which one is Hikaru’ game!" The boys announced.

"I know," A girl with short hair raised her hand. "The twin with the pink hair is Hikaru!"

"We have a winner!"

"So, are you two going to keep your wild hair color even though you made up? It's much easier to tell the two of you apart now," A girl with longer hair spoke.

"Not really," Y/n sighed, sitting up in her seat where she was eating cake with Honey. "The blue is Hikaru and the pink is Kaoru, they switched for the day," She then continued back with munching on the sweet treat while the twins stared in astonishment.

"Do you realize what happened Hikaru? Until now, there were only two groups of people, 'us' and 'everyone else'. But for the first time, someone's crossed into our world."

next chapter - The Grade School Host is the Naughty Type!

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reallyromealone · 2 years

Note

Could we get a ohshc fix with babe reader where like reader is kyoya little brother and the little brother is at the host club with like a baby version of kyoyas black notebook and he like won’t let the other host members touch it but when you look at it it’s just little doodles of each member

Yesyesyeyseysyeyzyezyeyzudkfkslzlkcvk

Kyoya glanced down at his little brother, their father unable to take him for take your kid to school day (read: didn't want to) so the little four year old hung out at the host clubs afterschool hours and the host club and the guests swooned at the tiny Kyoya.

The toddler wore a mini uniform and little glasses.

The kicker was the child sized notebook he kept writing in, closing it when anyone tried peering to see.

"'yoya, how do I do this?" (Name) asked softly as the teenager helped his little brother with his school work, basically he had to write about his day at his parents work with illustrations and Kyoya was more than happy to help the toddler "this is where you draw your day and down here you write what happened"

"Oh..." (Name) said as he did a page before Kyoya let him go explore the club so he could get more to put in.

The twins watched curiously as the little boy wrote in his little book when he saw them entertaining guests.

"Oh hello" one of the guests said as little (name) waddled up to Tamakis area and tried not to eye the cookies and treats laid out "hello..." (Name) mumbled suddenly shy, everyone's eyes on him as he clutched his little book "would you like a treat?"

"...yes please" (name) said shyly taking the macaron from one of the guests and shyly nibbling on it "oh my darling boy, you're the most precious thing!" Tamaki exclaimed to the mini Kyoya who just looked used to Tamakis antics and set his little cookie on the coffee table before doing something in his little black book, bowing slightly to the guests and grabbing his cookie and running back to Kyoya who had already prepared some tea for the little boy.

(Name) was still too young for a real tea cup, hands too small and cup just to heavy for him so Kyoya brought his little dinosaur cups, a glass looking plastic that had fun little dinosaurs on them.

(Name) really likes dinosaurs.

Kyoya even got him a little dinosaur themed pen for today.

By the end of the clubs day (name) was out like a light, almost his bedtime and exhausted from interacting with guests and absolutely thrilled to hang out with his big brother.

Kyoya carried him into the limo with both of their belongings, the tiny boy asleep in his car seat as Kyoya spotted the mini version of his own book and decided a peak wouldn't hurt.

Inside were honestly pretty shitty drawings but Kyoya felt his heart melt at the drawings his brother made of him and his friends, a lot of drawings of Kyoya with the worst coolest brother and such.

Kyoya knew (name) would one day deal with the strife of being the youngest as he once did and vowed to shield the little one from that suffering like he did.

He would love him the way his brothers before did.

#ohshc x male reader #ohshc x reader #kyoya x male reader #kyoya x reader #fluff

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spooky-bunnys · 11 months

Note

Hikaru x male reader x Kaoru

Where the reader is apart of the host club and the trio are known to prank each other.

Maybe the girls at the club all ship the three together so they do a “three-for-one special” as a prank on the girls but end up getting a little too into it.

Three-For-One

Everyone knew the trouble making trio of Ouran High School. The Hitachiin twin and their "best-friend" (Name). Hikaru. Kaoru. (Name). They're childhood bestfriends and in the same club. Ouran's own Host Club. It's never a boring day in there with the trouble trio.

Another long day for the Hitachiin twin. They were making their way down the hall towards the club room. They were looking for (Name). They hadn't seen him since lunch and final period finally ended. "Where is he?" Kaoru shrugged and looked at his twin. "Not sure. Some girls surrounded him at lunch. Something about how they love the "Trouble Trio" and can't wait to see more of it."

Hikaru chuckled and shook his head. "The Trouble Trio? Is that what they're calling us now? Okay we may play pranks from time to time but we don't cause too much trouble." Kaoru stared at Hikaru. Hikaru nodded and looked away. "Okay maybe we do cause trouble. But it always makes people laugh!" Kaoru shook his head and looked up. "Club time I guess."

They walk in and see (Name) with a huge grin. When he noticed them he grabbed their wrists and ran to a couch and sat between them laughing softly. The twins looked at each other then (Name). Hikaru smiled softly and raised an eyebrow. "Anything interesting happen (N/n)?" (Name) giggled and nodded. "I did something Kyoya is gonna kill me for later."

The twins shared a look of curiosity then turned to excited. "New prank?" They asked in union. (Name) nodded quickly. "Wait till club starts! I got in his little black book and might have made a Three-for-one. Instead of us going back and forth I figured we'd save them the "trouble" teehee." (Name) giggled with a mysterious look in his eye.

The twins laughed and shook their head and each wrapped an arm around (Name). "Oh~ this is gonna be a good club day."

When club started Kyoya didn't notice anything different until he realized something. "It's too quiet." He looked at the table around (Name) was usually at. He wasn't there. So he looked at where the twins were at. They weren't there either. Then he heard it. The giggles or their very own trouble trio. When Kyoya looked at where Tamaki usually sat he found them. Hikaru, Kaoru, and (Name).

With multiple customers around them. All the girls fangirling over the "ship" that apparently became real. When Kyoya went to demand an explanation he realized. That's more customers then they usually had. He looked through his notebook and there in (Name) handwriting was "Trouble Trio. 3 for 1". Kyoya chuckled and shook his head.

Maybe this will cause less trouble with them all together. Usually the 3 would yell/flirt across the club room. But with the trio getting more and more customers. The club was getting more and more money. Maybe he'll just let this pass. For old time sake. Since he did owe (Name) a favor.

#ouran host club #ouran host club x male reader #hikaru hitachiin #kaoru hitachiin #hitachiin twins #hitachiin brothers #male reader #x male reader #hikaru x male reader x kaoru #poly!hitachiin twins

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cat3ch1sm · 2 years

Text

╔══ஓ๑💚๑ஓ══╗

𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭!

╚══ஓ๑💚๑ஓ══╝

🌿 𝔠𝔞𝔱3𝔠𝔥1𝔰𝔪 🌿

*:･ﾟ｡ hello, everyone! i am cat3ch1sm, formerly simplysober, a black writer on tumblr! you may also call me eve. 💚

i hope you all enjoy my content and consider following me if you do <3 *ੈ✩‧₊˚

🕸💚 request status: openn 🤍🤎

🤎🤍 masterlist below! 💚🕸

part one of masterlist

part two of masterlist

part three of masterlist

part four of masterlist

part five of masterlist

🧺 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 🧺

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ i write sfw and nsfw works! i have no posting schedule, and time taken on requests varies. below are the fandoms i write for :D

writings can be drabbles, headcanons, text msgs, one-shots, incorrect quotes, and rarely multi-chapter stories. for x reader writings, the reader will mostly be female for sfw and nsfw works, but for sfw works the reader may also be gender neutral.

some fandoms are rarely written for unless requested, so some fandoms have less works than others. however, it doesn’t mean that i won’t write for them freely, and feel free to request for them whenever reqs r open <3

✧༺💚༻∞

death note- light, l, misa, near, matt, mello, mikami (sfw+ nsfw)

hunter x hunter- gon, killua, leorio, kurapika, chrollo, hisoka, illumi, uvogin, machi, pakunoda, shizuku, feitan, phinks, shalnark (sfw+ no nsfw for gon and killua)

ohshc- haruhi, kyoya, tamaki, honey, mori, hikaru, kaoru (sfw+ no nsfw for haruhi, honey, and the twins)

black butler- sebastian, ciel, claude, agni, soma, mey-rin, finnian, bardroy (sfw+ no nsfw for ciel, finnian, or mey-rin)

sk8 the infinity- langa, reki, miya, joe, cherry (sfw+ no nsfw for miya)

jujutsu kaisen- yuuji, nobara, maki, megumi, gojo, nanami, geto, toji, sukuna, yuuta (sfw+ nsfw)

chainsaw man- denji, power, aki, kobeni, makima, himeno (sfw+nsfw)

across the spiderverse- miles, gwen, pavitr, miguel, margo, hobie, lyla, jess, peter b, miles!42 (sfw+ no nsfw for gwen, pav, miles, miles!42, margo)

hazbin hotel-charlie, vaggie, angel dust (platonic only), husk, alastor, sir pentious, lute, adam, sera, emily, lucifer, vox, velvette, carmilla carmine

notice- some fandoms/characters are rarely written for unless requested!

☘️ 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐟𝐟 ☘️

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ here are just some things i want readers to keep in mind when on my account!

✧༺💚༻∞

~ be patient when requesting, my schedule/health is inconsistent and sometimes interferes with my uploading :( for this same reason, sometimes i don’t post for a while, bear with me please)

~ please be specific with your request!! like genre, plot, gender if needed, body type if needed, personality, setting, sfw or nsfw- i can write much better if i have more details :) just specify whatever you can<3

~ all of my writings are either fem!reader or gender neutral reader. idk how to write for males :// all nsfw works, though, are fem!reader

~ i don’t write nsfw for children or non-con. if you have questions for other things i won’t write for message me :)

~ i will happily write x black!reader, if that’s what you would like specify in your request! also, if a writing randomly has a black reader, don’t question it lmao. my black followers mean the world to me tbh 🤎💚

~ people who have requested several times will not be top priority over first-time requesters.

~ must be following me to request!! sometimes i cannot see if you are following me or not, so if i accidentally write a request for a non-follower, that requester will be blocked. if i take the time and energy to write a story for you, the least you can do is follow me. (because of this rule, anonymous requests are not accepted because i cant see if you follow me or not!)

~ i have the right to ignore or deny any request

~ discrimination or bigotry will be immediately blocked!

that is all, everyone! i hope you enjoy reading on my account, i love you all very much <33 your support is valued greatly :)

#master list #headcanons #anime #fanfic #smau #masterlist #my account

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thatanimewriter · 1 year

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ISOLATED.

➳ request: hi! can i request ootori kyoya x reader where reader is upset because their friends don't respond to their texts anymore and kyoya notices the difference from their loud personality and asks if anything's wrong? (also, if you can, could reader use he/him pronouns?) thank you in advance!!

➳ character/s: ootori kyoya

➳ warnings: swearing, implied that reader is significantly shorter than kyoya, reader is picked up

➳ word count: 1.7k

➳ notes: heya, thanks for the request! FINALLY WROTE SOMETHING OVER 1.2K WORDSSSS i’m so proud of myself ;v;

𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 / 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 / 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 / 𝐰𝐢𝐩 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

this is pathetic, you thought, heaving a sigh and rolling onto your side. refreshing the page - even though you knew no one would have texted you within 10 seconds - you stared at your phone with a blank gaze. what did i expect?

for weeks you’d been void of any real contact with friends, not that you hadn’t tried to reach out. you needed more hands to be able to count how many times you’d texted first or tried to call them, but you figured that with being the outsider to the group you fondly called the host club, it was only natural that you eventually got shut out. turning off your phone, you pulled the covers over your head.

maybe if i just don’t show up, they won’t notice i’m even gone...

right as you went to close your eyes, hoping to catch up on some sleep, a light ding from your phone drew your attention back. checking the notification, your eyes widened a fraction as you saw a message from kyoya.

book boi 8:47 am good morning, forgive the short notice, but i would like some help with organising some stock for the host club. could you please come in after school to music room #3?

your fingers hovered over the keyboard as you debated whether you should bother replying or not, but eventually decided to accept the invitation. at this point, you might as well go spend time with the one person who asked you to hang out, even if it was for work.

you 8:49 am ok.

kyoya arched an eye at your short response. normally you’d be much more enthusiastic about coming to spend time with the host club, but lately, it seemed that your energy had fallen quite dramatically. closing his messages and turning off his phone, he pulled out his black notebook to make a note to himself: ask [name] about his wellbeing.

looking over the stock that came through, he noted that it was you who had organised the club’s pantry and cupboards, prompting him to invite you to continue this format you had created (and also possibly learn from you what the system is). meanwhile, he refocused his attention to the floor of the host club, gently pushing his glasses further up his nose bridge and beginning a new spreadsheet on his laptop for the club’s next round of deliveries and events.

it was natural for kyoya to arrive at school on time, arguably much too early than necessary, to make sure everything at the host club was ready for open, and usually you would grace him with your presence, but as the clock chimed to signal the beginning of class, he noticed you hadn’t this morning. normally he’d brush it off as you being late - maybe you’d slept through your first alarm? it wouldn’t be the first time - but when he didn’t see you in class at all that day, suspicions grew.

and so he sat in music room #3 awaiting your arrival, albeit impatiently. leafing through his notebook, he paused on the page that he’d written his note to self that morning, running through his program of a brain as to what could have possibly happened to cause such a decrease in energy from you.

“good afternoon,” you said, closing the door behind you and sluggishly making your way to the sofa that kyoya sat on. “what stock has come in?”

straight to the point, not even a simple ‘how are you?’ either... how peculiar, kyoya thought as a gentle smile fell upon his lips. “good afternoon, [name].” your eyes seemed to brighten at the sound of your name. it wasn’t often that anyone chose to call you by your first name, but oddly enough, kyoya had decided to skip the formalities once you’d become an honorary member of the host club. maybe he’d realised that we’d be working together much more frequently and he just couldn’t be bothered, you thought to yourself, almost instantaneously removing any ounce of happiness you had just shown. “it’s the usual monthly order, but as you know, it is no easy task to unpack everything.”

“of course.” you should have known this was all he wanted you for. “i’ll get started right away.”

you were halted on your path to the store room by a hand that lightly held your shoulder. turning to face kyoya with a curious gaze, you failed to notice the concern that pooled in his eyes as he observed your tired state. “if you wouldn’t mind, could you please educate me as to how you organise our supplies? it would be a much more efficient job if the both of us knew the system, yes?”

with a curt nod, you turned your back to him, picking at your nails as you walked to the store room. “sure, i can show you, i guess.” switching on the light, the both of you opened the various crates of supplies, scanning over them to ensure that everything was in perfect condition, particularly the new tea set for an upcoming ball.

“where should we start?”

“i usually unpack any refreshments, but you need to empty what’s left over into a separate container, restock and put the old stuff back so they don’t go off. that is, assuming it isn’t already...” as you continued to explain to kyoya the system that you had put in place for optimal use, he scribbled your instructions into his notebook, but his focus kept returning to the note in the corner of the page.

ask [name] about his wellbeing.

“and that’s about it,” you finished, cautiously looking to kyoya for the approval you knew you already had, but explaining it to him made you fear that there was something he didn’t like and would promptly ‘fire’ you for it, cutting you off for good and blocking you on every form of messaging app you had him on before telling the whole club that-

“thank you for your thorough explanation, let’s begin, shall we?”

“ah, yes... you take the drink supplies like coffee beans, tea leaves and sugar, i take the other ingredients?” you offered.

“perfect.”

kyoya couldn’t lie, the work dynamic that you guys fell into was perfect. words didn’t need to be exchanged, yet you each knew what to do without disturbing the other. however, though no words needed to be spoken, he didn’t write himself a note for no reason.

“[name], if i may... i’ve noticed your demeanor has dramatically shifted from your usual bubbly self to a much more reserved and, how shall i say? quiet personality. is something the matter?” putting the tea leaves aside, he turned to face you fully, waiting for your answer. your hand faltered as you reached for the next container before you, too, did the same, although your eyes couldn’t meet his and your stance was quite the contrast to his tall posture.

“it’s nothing much, don’t worry about it.”

“if it’s nothing much, then surely you could tell me?” you shook your head gently, returning to your work and tipping the rest of the sugar out into a bowl and swiftly opening the new pack, pouring it neatly into the container, followed by the contents in the bowl and making sure the lid was on properly.

“no, i don’t want to dump my shit onto you, that’s not fair,” you reasoned, sliding the large bin that held large amounts of flour in for cakes and pastries. lifting the heavy bag of flour, you dumped the ingredient into the bin in what you had hoped to be a careful manner until the bag ripped and your grip loosened, causing the whole bag to fall into the bin and puff a large cloud of floury dust into your face.

a quiet chuckle left kyoya’s body as he walked over to you, gently grabbing your chin as he used the back of his hand to wipe away the powdery substance that stuck to your face. his gaze softened as he noticed the tears building in your eyes over the miniscule mistake. “i asked, you’re not dumping anything onto me,” he assured.

“it’s stupid, but i just feel like no one wants me around anymore cause i’ve been trying to reach out to people, but i don’t ever get responses from anyone. you texted me to come help you, and i thought that at least i’d get to spend time with someone, but it turns out you only needed my help and i can’t even do that, cause i’ve made a mess of this,” you gestured vaguely to the flour bin. as you watched kyoya’s reaction, you groaned and turned your face away from him. “i know! it’s dumb and i shouldn’t be so upset over this-”

“hey,” he began, kneeling on the floor to close some of the height difference. “i could have had you come in and do all this by yourself, you know? but i wanted to give you a hand since i recognise how hard you work, despite not being an official member of the host club.” as you turned back to face him, he lifted a hand to rub the top of your head affectionately. “and perhaps that i’ve found your company much more tolerable than those hooligans.”

you blinked at him for a moment, but a small smile tugged at your lips. “is this your way of saying you like me?” you asked weakly.

“don’t push it, you.” as he stood again, he huffed to himself, deciding that if he pretended that he wasn’t slightly flustered, you would never notice.

“you’re red.”

he gave you a blank stare before bending down and wrapping his arms around your waist, lifting you off the ground. “am i?”

“yes,” you answered, face slightly smushed into his shoulder.

“if you can’t see it, you don’t know,” he retorted, gripping you tighter to make sure you couldn’t lean back to check.

“you’re gonna get flour all over your blazer.”

“i have others.”

a loud scream caught both of your attention and you awkwardly turned your head to see tamaki in the doorway, followed by the rest of the hosts. in your ear, you could hear kyoya’s grumble of annoyance.

“KYOYA AND [NAME] ARE FINALLY DATING!” tamaki announced, turning to run laps around the music room, bringing shit-eating grins to the twins.

“YEEEEEESSSSSS!”

#ouran high school host club #ohshc #ootori kyoya #ouran high school host club x reader #ohshc x reader #ootori kyoya x reader #ouran high school host club imagines #ohshc imagines #ootori kyoya imagines

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bellathechildbitch · 11 months

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👾Masterlist👾

My Hero Academia:

💪Yagi Toshinori💪:

Spending Quarantine with him

Asking him out on a date

Toshinori x daughter reader

Toshinori as your father

💤Aizawa💤:

Husband Material

Spending Quarantine with him

Him having a child with autism

Him having a child that has his lazy personality

Aizawa being your father would include

💥Hizashi💥

Spending Quarantine with him

Him as your father would include

⛓️Midnight⛓️

Her as your mother would include

Midnight with a short s/o

Other Characters:

Mt Lady with a short s/o

Black Butler

🐈‍⬛Sebastian🐈‍⬛

Quarantine with Sebastian

Modern Sebastian

Having a crush on him would include

Having an s/o that loves musicals

Having an s/o die during birth

Having an s/o who likes rock/heavy metal

Cuddling with Sebastian would include

💋Grell💋

Crushing on Grell

Having an s/o who likes musicals

Grell doing her s/o's nails

Movie Date with Grell

Grell dating a trainee reaper

🪦Undertaker🪦

Having an s/o how likes musicals

Ouran High School Host Club

🪞Tamaki🪞

Tamaki having a sister who is dating Kyoya would include

Being Tamaki's sister would include

Being in a poly relationship with him and Kyoya

👓Kyoya👓

Him dating a commoner

First Kiss

Being in a poly relationship with him and Tamaki

Cuddling with him