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ellssbellss · 1 year

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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!

Happy 1 year to Lavender Roses and this entire, wonderful blog. Without you, this story wouldn't have reached as many people as it has. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much.

-> summary: "But not anymore. You haven’t been alone for a long time, (Y/n), not since you joined the club. Not since you met me."

-> word count: 8.3k

tw! the scene on the cliff gets a little intense, mentions of blood, demeaning language against women, slight PTSD, weaponry (knives), verbal assault, physical assault, sexual misconduct. kyoya is dumb and so are you.

legend:

(M/n) - mother's name

(n/l) - native language

(s/c) - skin 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

The Sun, The Sea, and The Host Club! pt. 2

Kyoya lounges as he writes, a foreign feeling of contentment wrapped around his frame.

Soft bursts of images sift through his mind, you over his lap, your arm on his side while his gravitates towards your hip. How close your mouth was to his and how badly he wanted to taste it. How he had basically lunged at the chance, not that you were complaining.

That had caught him off guard.

As he was writing, the megane realized he had never been a fan of romance. Above multiple reasons, he never saw the point. His father and mother had married for business instead of love, creating an environment where affection was not celebrated or practiced. He would see couples in the hallway and roll his eyes, thinking that they were wasting their time.

When he voiced these opinions one evening to his sister Fuyumi, she gasped.

“Kyoya! You really think love is a waste of time?”

“It’s a chemical reaction, Fuyumi, that’s all.” He had explained in a monotone voice, barely giving her any attention as he was typing away at his computer. “Your brain releases a certain neurotransmitter when you find someone attractive and compatible, and it tricks you into thinking you’re in love. Companies leech off this, creating Valentine’s Day, cards, encouraging weddings and all this nonsense.”

He pushes his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. “I am not one to be fooled, and I will certainly not allow myself to be tricked by my own mind.”

Kyoya ended his bored rant with an amused chuckle, feeling sorry for the suckers out there who lost precious time and money on something that could never really last, at least not forever.

But Fuyumi just stood there, leaning against the doorway with a small smile on her face as she looked at her oblivious brother, too young to take the world as seriously as he did.

“You can tell me that when you meet a wonderful man or woman, and we will see how you feel about how you want to spend your time.”

Kyoya scoffed. “Please, how I feel is irrelevant. My work is what deserves my time, end of story.”

Then his phone rang, and he paused his typing to see a contact picture flashing on the screen. Leaving his chair, he had walked to the door of his bedroom as he answered the call.

“Hello, give me one second, please.” Then he turned to her, a little brother shoving his sister out of his room.

“Goodnight, Fuyumi.” The door closed behind him with a clack, and Fuyumi heard her brother pick up his conversation as he disappeared into his room. “Hello, (Y/n), thank you for calling me back…”

Kyoya smirked as he came back to the sounds of the beach, waves and laughing people filling his ears as his thoughts ran away with him.

He had met a wonderful girl. And he could barely fathom how he was lucky enough to understand the feeling his sister was talking about. The pull he had to you was intense, and it was something he had never experienced with anyone before.

The sun had reflected off of your (e/c) irises so perfectly in that moment, and the short distance had enticed him heavily, that the pull tugged and tugged.

He hadn’t even confessed yet, and you had somehow convinced him to give in to his own temptations.

“Kyoya! What should I do?!”

The ravenet broke out of his thoughts as his best friend ran towards him, arms holding a bucket of snakes in their grasp.

Kyoya simply arched his brow.

“I wanted to scare Haruhi and (Y/n) with these rat snakes, but the twins said that anyone would find them creepy, so it wasn’t a true weakness! And now I don’t know what to do!” Tamaki whined, his voice rising as he shuffled on his feet, anxious about the snakes in his grasp.

The club director’s spectacled gaze fell onto the snakes, twisting inside the plastic bucket without a care in the world. Taking a closer look, he let out a deep sigh.

“Those aren’t rat snakes, Tamaki. They are poisonous Habu snakes.” Kyoya turns back to his book. “Rat snakes aren’t even native to Okinawa.”

“What?!” Suddenly, the prince of the host club is running around in circles, whining while juggling the bucket in his hands. “What do I do with them?! C’mon, Kyo, you gotta help me out!”

“Tamaki, Kyoya!”

Both boys freeze as they watch Haruhi race towards them, her feet kicking up sand as she meets them at the chair.

She’s breathing heavily, her eyes wide with fright and worry as she heaves. “Help, please, you’ve gotta help me.”

Forgetting about the bucket completely, Tamaki rushed over to Haruhi, pulling her close to him to try to ease some of her worries. “What is it, Haruhi? Are you hurt? What do you need?”

“It’s (Y/n). I thought we could handle it, but things got out of control. She told me to come get you.”

“What?” Kyoya sits up on his chair, quelling the anxiety in his chest. He admired Haruhi for being a girl who is very put together, so for her to fight the fear in her voice so adamantly is concerning. “Is she okay?”

“What’s wrong with (Y/n)?” Tamaki says calmly and firmly, trying to get some answers out of his panicking honor student.

“These boys! They were- they-, god just follow me!” Flustered she turns around, sprinting away from the two hosts.

Kyoya and Tamaki rush in pursuit, agony filling into their chests.

As the cliff comes into view, Kyoya catches Haruhi’s concerned gaze rise to the top of it, his own eyes following. Three shadowy figures struggle in the sunset, and his heart plummets as one of them is pushed to the high edge.

In the distance, a piece of fabric lies stagnant in the sand, and Kyoya curses as he passes by it. A Hawiian shirt, ripped and torn as it lies helplessly in the sand.

“No, no wait. Stop!” You struggle as Ren pushes you back, your heels leaving the ground as he holds you over the cliff's edge.

“Yeah, yeah, you know what?” The alcohol on his breath is rancid as he sneers, Aoi grinning behind him. “I ain’t got time for difficult chicks like you. Might as well leave you out to sea.” He jostled you, and relished in the way you flinched.

“Don’t! Don’t, please, don’t. It’s too much. Please, don’t let me go.”

“Oh, now you’re begging for me to hold you? Where was this a few seconds ago, sweetheart?”

“(Y/n)!” Hearing Tamaki’s voice was sweeter than any cake that Honey could’ve given you, making you want to cry out in relief as you looked behind the two thugs.

Ren and Aoi freeze as you see Haruhi, Kyoya and Tamaki round the corner of the bottom of the cliff, concern and determination shining in their visages.

Meeting Kyoya’s gaze, you wriggle around some more, trying your best to shove Ren off of you without any friction below you. “Tamaki! Kyoya! They’re going to-”

You're quieted with a hand covering your mouth, Ren shouting in your face. “Be quiet! We aren’t doing anything!”

Kyoya’s jaw clenched at your plea, and he pumps his legs into a faster run, trying to get to you as you are, dear god, dangled off a cliff. “Let go of her!”

Aoi turns to Ren, and you see panic in his eyes as your three heroes charge up the rocks. “Ren, we gotta go. Like now, they don’t look happy.”

“Shut up, I know that.” Ren snarls before he forces a grin and turns to the boys, holding you up by one hand now.

“You want me to let go? Well, whatever you say.”

“No!” Kyoya called, but it was too late.

Ren’s fingers go limp, any tension that was holding you up above the waters below disappearing as the fabric of your bathing suit slips from his grasp.

The air whipped around you as you watch the cliff get smaller and smaller, plummeting towards your greatest fear. You feel a scream bubble up to the opening of your throat, but no noise dares to release, shock taking over your entire body.

Cold, sharp pains spider through your back as you hit the water, knocking all the wind out of your lungs in one single splash. The feeling of watery nothingness surrounds your skin as it pricks you. At the waterpark, the lazy river had tried to pull you into its flow, desperately and immaturely trying to take its next victim.

But the ocean was experienced, eerily calm as it let you sink. And sink. Wrapping its deep silence around your form, you don’t think you’ll ever stop sinking.

And as you begin to cry at the thought, water fills your lungs.

“(Y/n)!” Haruhi tried to call, but you were already out of sight, plunging into the water below. Panic clouded Kyoya’s mind as he ran, all of his thoughts zeroed in on the conversation that he had just had with you minutes before.

I just don’t like the idea of being deprived of oxygen. Then I’d just sink, and be lost.

And now you were lost to him, falling into something you so desperately had tried to avoid.

In his pursuit, a hooded man, much shorter than Kyoya, tried to step in his way. The kid grabbed at him, and any anger Kyoya had in his body went into a singular push, sending the man tumbling to the side. “Get out of my way.”

Reaching the edge, Kyoya didn’t think twice. Discarding his precious glasses to the side, Kyoya shoved the problem of the disgusting man in the red shirt out of the way, and took the dive.

Long and lanky, he arched into the dive, his nearsightedness making it so your figure was just a blur from this distance, but he targeted it. His palm reached out and willed you to be closer, willed you to be okay.

“(Y/n)!” He called as your fuzzy figure disappeared into the ocean with a harsh slap, the sound echoing in his ears. Kyoya’s own fall ended as he dipped into the water soon after, cursing his terrible vision as he looked around.

A relieved exhale presented itself in bubbles when he finally saw you, drifting limply as the current pulled you along. Kicking hard, Kyoya stretched his muscles and his lungs as he held his breath, fighting against the density of the water. As he got closer, his stomach turned when he saw a small vein of red seeping from a cut in your leg, which only made him swim faster towards you.

Finally, his hand grasped your floating one, and in one quick movement, pulled you against his chest. With your weight against him, his logical mind rebooted, and he tucked your head under his chin as he swam up to the surface.

“(N/n)-chan!”

“Kyoya-senpai!”

The voices seemed so distant, your skin clammy and gooseing against the beach air. Something was moving you, you could feel a familiar pressure against the small of your back and behind your knees, but it didn’t distract from the wave.

Your blood waved, splashing and swaying against the walls of your veins. It felt like your muscles had melted into liquid, and you were still in the pool, being bobbed and pulled into the black of the ocean.

But then there was a shade of orange behind your lids, and blinking made it brighter. Something dragged over them still, tugging your eyes open as the sky moved above you.

Tufts of black hair and a very sharp jawline were the next visions to come into your view, and the waving stopped, replaced by the firm steps of Kyoya carrying you to safety.

“Kyo…” Your voice was hoarse, raw from unconsciously coughing up water as soon as you had reached the surface.

He didn’t respond, his gray eyes covered by his wet hair, but his grip on you tightened ever so slightly.

Instead, he looked forward towards what you would assume to be your friends, but you were too focused on the deep orange the sunset casted across the clouds.

“Where’d they go?”

“We took their ID cards and asked them to leave, not before showing them what’s for.” A voice said. Hikaru..yeah, Hikaru.

“The girls went back to the hotel and Mori called a doctor. He should be here any minute.” Kaoru follows like he always does, and the comfort of their routine brought you back to reality, especially when they mentioned the doctor.

“I’m fine, guys. I really don’t want to see a doctor.” You say, sighing as you leave Kyoya’s grasp. When your feet hit the solid ground of packed sand, you wobbled a bit, and Tamaki came into your line of sight.

His arms helped steady you, but he didn’t let go as you straightened out. “What were you thinking?”

Still a little dazed, your brow furrows. “What do you mean?”

“Tamaki, stop.” Haruhi says as she stands next to you, giving you one of her jackets to wrap around yourself.

“No, no.” Tamaki’s voice is low, collected. It shook you. “What were either of you thinking? You know, you aren’t martial arts masters like Honey and Mori-senpai.”

“Duh, don’t you think I know that?” You chuckle a bit, trying to lighten the mood, but you’re getting more and more frustrated by your best friend’s accusatory tone.

“You think this is funny?” Your prince is in disbelief as he raises his hands from your shoulders to the base of your neck. “Why did you confront them? What made you think you could stand a chance? You against two boys?”

“It doesn’t matter if they were boys and I’m a girl. They were harassing our guests, they needed to be stopped!” The emotional toll that today’s events have taken wore down your patience, and now you’re raising your tone, lacing it with betrayal and disbelief.

“We were there, Tamaki, we had to do something!” Haruhi takes a stand, trying to talk some sense into your best friend.

“That’s no excuse, you idiots! Don’t forget that you are girls!”

“Kyoya.” Turning, you look back at your director for some support. “Tell him we did the right thing.”

But there is no answer. Kyoya just stands there with his arms folded, his mouth formed into a straight, formidable line, securing all of his thoughts behind a single wall. Water drips off the ends of his hair onto his toned torso as his jaw clenches, not breaking eye contact with you.

“Kyoya?”

“You ran into a situation unprepared, unyielding, and irresponsibly. You put yourself in danger, self-sacrificing your safety for the needs of three girls you barely know.”

If Tamaki’s serious tone was shaking, Kyoya’s was chilling. It was cold, unrelenting as it jabbed into your heart with every syllable. “Are you mad at me right now? After you jumped off a cliff to save me?”

“I wouldn’t have had too, if you had been as smart as I thought you were.”

Defensiveness burns inside you. “I did what had to be done! Yes, it wasn’t safe, but it was me or those girls, and I couldn’t let them get hurt.”

“But you could put yourself at risk?”

“It’s different!”

“How?” With haunting grace, Kyoya outstretched his hand in order for Hikaru to place his lenses into his palms. Using the fabric from his shorts, he cleans them off the best he can, and slips them onto his nose. “The worry you felt for those girls when they were grabbed, and the worry that not only I, but everyone here felt for you when they saw you dangled at the edge of a cliff, you tell me how those are different.”

Heaving a heavy sigh, you run your hands over your face, not being able to put your feelings into words. “It just is. And I’m sorry you had to come save me, but I can’t understand why you’re so mad at me right now.”

“You can’t, or you won’t?”

“I don’t think I did anything wrong!”

At that, Kyoya’s piercing gaze sharpens, and you see his adam's apple bob, a signal that he is calling upon his immeasurable self-control. “You don’t think so? Fine.”

He steps forward, walking towards you and then brushing your shoulder as he passes your form.

“Kyoya, where-?”

“I don’t think we can speak again until you can admit that you were wrong.”

And with that, his form becomes a spot in the distance as he leaves you in the dusk.

Soon, you left the others to wander around Kyoya’s guest house aimlessly. You frowned at every framed picture of his family, even ones where he was young and round, not sharpened by what his world had to offer.

You climbed to the second floor, only to come to a line of doors.

“Bedrooms…” you confirmed under your breath, running your hands along the wall as you passed them. “But…which one..?”

On the door handle on the second room from the end of the hall, a yellow rose was tied around it, welcoming and ironic all at once.

A sad smile came to your face as you plucked it off the knob, then turned it, still holding it in your grasp as you entered the room.

The room was generic, but you noticed a bouquet of yellow roses sat on the bed, tied with a lavender ribbon. There was a note in the gorgeous arrangement, and you plucked it out from it’s stand.

Dear (Y/n),

My room is the one at the end of the hall, next door to this one. Should you need anything, you may let me know, and it will be done.

Have a restful night.

Sincerely,

Kyoya Ootori

Swallowing, you set the note down and fiddle with the petals of the roses, Haruhi’s jacket softly brushing against your wet form. That note must’ve been written before everything had gone down, and your heart turned a little at the thought of him coming in here and placing these here with care, knowing how touched you would be when you saw it.

Putting them on the nightstand, you drag yourself to your shower. While the hot water runs down your body, you rest your head against the tiles, trying to think your way through this.

Tamaki was frustrated, Kyoya was pissed, and Haruhi was almost hurt. Everything today had been overshadowed by a single action by two terrible people, and you hated it. The drama that had been going on lately, and the stress of the dinner with your family and Arai, had left you tired, emotionally and mentally. To make it worse, the person you wanted to talk to the most about everything that was going on in your head currently was not talking to you.

Lifting your head, you let the water splash onto your face before getting out and dressing into something that was finally more your speed. The week had been full of dressing you to the nines for the perception of others, but as you prepared to have dinner with your friends (or who you hoped were still your friends), you could wear something that expressed who you were, not who someone wanted you to be.

As you fixed your face and hair, a knock sounded at your door, methodic as it rang against the wood.

You almost wanted to ignore it, but the possibility of Kyoya being on the other side was too intriguing, and you rushed to the door, calming down before coolly opening it.

“So, now you decide to-oh. Hey.” Hiding your slight disappointment, you look up to see Mori standing in your doorway. “What’s up, Mori-senpai?”

“Dinner’s ready.” His mouth is curved a little at one side, and you can tell he’s trying to be a little more joyful for you, considering everything that happened.

He then raises his hand from his side, and presents an Ootori Hospital First Aid Kit. “Kyoya wanted me to give this to you. For your leg.”

Eyebrows raising, you take the kit. Throughout the drama, you forgot about the cut Ren had made on your calf. Seeing it now, the salt water helped stop the bleeding, and it was scabbed over, now just serving as a reminder of what you had gotten yourself into.

“Thank you, Mori.” Your gratitude came out as a sigh as you set the med kit down, and Mori watched as your form slouched ever so slightly.

“(Y/n).”

“Hm?” Looking up at him, he swallowed at the tiredness in your eyes. Doing what he thought was right, you felt the stoic place a comforting hand on your head.

“I can teach you. So can Mistukuni.”

“Teach me? Teach me what?”

“How to protect yourself.”

Two times you had been subjected to the whims of a confused, angered man. And both times, no matter how you had tried to fight against them, you were still untrained, still ignorant of the ways to use your power to its fullest potential. This time, when you looked back at your friend, your eyes glimmered.

“Really?”

A firm nod came from the tall man, and you couldn’t help the sigh of relief that expelled out of you. Arms opening, you reach out and hug Mori around his waist, nuzzling into his long frame.

“Thank you, Mori.”

The hand on your head tightened for a moment before he stepped back. “I’m gonna go get Haruhi, and we’ll walk down together, yeah?”

Nodding, you step out of your room, closing the door behind you. “Yeah, sounds good.”

The minute Haruhi had stepped out of her room, your eyes lit up.

A pretty pink nightgown draped over her shoulders, ruffles shooting out the side of her collarbone. She looked beautiful and elegant, and it was refreshing to see her out of the clothes that reminded you of the fight on the cliff.

And if you thought she was beautiful, the rest of the hosts clearly didn’t disagree.

As the three of you stepped out into the dining hall, the twins immediately shot up, mouths agape as Haruhi glided into the room.

Even Honey smiled as he stood on the chair of his seat, milk chocolate eyes glittering with the sight of her.

“Woah!” The boy-lolita said, and you stepped aside as he and the twins surrounded the honor student, complimenting her as she smiled gratefully.

Turning towards the long dining table, you see two figures. Tamaki fights the blush on his face as he stares at Haruhi, but still chooses to sulk at his place at the table. His purple eyes meet yours, and then they slide down, and your stomach coils as he turns himself off to you.

Daring to glance at the person sitting across from your prince, Kyoya leans into his chair, his black journal perfectly perched on his lap as he writes, and you swallow.

Knowing that Tamaki was a ticking time-bomb, you take your chances, walking up to the Shadow King.

“Is this seat taken?”

No response. Looking around, you see name cards propped against the plates, your name clearly written in a very familiar cursive. Must’ve been the preparations he had made before.

“Looks like it is now.” You say awkwardly, shuffling the chair out and sitting down next to the ravenet. “I, uh, I got your note. And the roses. They were really beautiful.”

His pen pauses, and his dark eyes lift over his pages to stare into space. Then Kyoya’s eyes shift down, and his writing continues.

Folding your fingers over, you wait silently as the other hosts fawn over Haruhi, literally twirling your thumbs. Tamaki is sitting across from you, avoiding your eyes. Rolling your eyes, you twist your mouth as you try to catch his gaze, and being the pushover he is, he holds it after a moment.

You tilt your head, sitting aggressively back in your chair. You’re mad at me too, now?

Violet eyes roll. He’s not mad at you, just hurt. Talk to him, mon ami.

You think I haven’t tried?

Clearly, you didn’t try hard enough. Flipping his blonde hair away from his eyes, your best friend gives you an incredulous look. The man jumped off of a cliff for you.

I didn’t ask him to do that.

You wouldn’t have done the same for us?

Your lips part a little, but you look away for a second before meeting his eyes again. A blonde eyebrow raises and Tamaki rests his chin in his hand.

I would’ve jumped off that cliff too if Kyoya hadn’t beaten me to it. We’ve all been through a lot today. Violet eyes are drawn back to the host in pink, and you sigh as they become distant.

Reaching across the table, you tap it lightly, hearing the writing beside you pause for a moment as Tamaki looks back at you.

You’re not going to tell her she looks nice? I figured you would’ve been all over that dress.

We aren’t speaking right now.

Your expression morphs into one of disbelief and slight annoyance. What? Why?

She acted childish, running up there with absolutely no regard for herself.

So did I, and you’re talking to me.

Deadpanning, he smacks his lips together. This isn’t talking! We probably look like crazy people right now.

A small smile takes up the corner of your lips, and he simpers back. Plus, I can’t stay mad at you.

Your eyebrows raise, an equivocal gaze clouding your eyes as you glance over to Haruhi and the twins. I doubt you can stay mad at her.

He straightens his back as a blush rises to his cheeks as Haruhi’s skirt swishes with her movements as the rest of the hosts make their way to the dinner table. She sits down next to him, a challenging look on her face as she spies on him from the corner of her eye.

Tamaki narrows his gaze and turns back to face you, a sigh rolling through his lungs. We’ll see.

The twins pull out a chair and sit, Kaoru to your right and Hikaru to his. After everyone gets situated, plates are filled with delicious looking crab legs and side dishes, creating an array of a colorful feast.

Cracking shells filled the air as no one bothered to speak, the tension of the room encasing your group into a box of crushing glass. Haruhi began to make a pile of empty shells on her plate, sending the prince that sat next to her in a state of disbelief.

Digging into your own dinner, you look over to your left to see Kyoya still writing, his portion of the catch of the day remaining untouched.

“You’re not eating?” Your voice raises barely above a whisper, afraid that if you broke the silence, the tenuous glass of tension would come crashing down on you.

Not even a glance from the megane. You send a pleading glance to your friend across from you, but Tamaki shrugs. Third times the charm?

Putting your cheek in your teeth, you try to get closer, pulling a strategy that has worked before. “What’re you writing about? Can I see?”

You sulk as Kyoya turns away from you, bending the spine of his book so that the pages are fully covered from your view.

Kaoru, having seen the whole thing, gave a wide eyed look to his brother. “Well this is uncomfortable.”

“Yeah, kind of awkward.” Says his twin.

Defeated, you sit back, smiling weakly as Kaoru puts a few extra crab legs from his plate onto yours.

Pleasured grumbles interrupt your self-pity as you and the twins look across the table to see Haruhi demolishing crab legs. Everytime she opened her mouth, she made an ‘ah’ sound, a blush coming onto her cheeks as she relished in the seafood taste.

“Oh my god,” bits of crab fall onto the corner of her mouth as she groans. “These crabs…taste in-crab-ible.” A cute, muffled chuckle escapes out of her full mouth as her stack of crab shells continues to grow. “Get it?”

Tamaki is caught in the splash zone, shells and crab crumbs being tossed into his space as he sits next to her. “Don’t you think you’ve had enough? Geez, Haruhi, give it a rest.”

“Hm?” Her sarcastic tone goes up in pitch as she fills her stomach with more crustaceans. “I thought you weren’t speaking to me.”

A tick appears inside the veins of Tamaki’s forehead as he grumbles. “You trying to be cute?”

Haruhi just shoots him a victorious side eye, taking another huge bite of her food.

Something broke inside the prince and he sighed harshly, slamming his napkin on the table as he rose. “Okay, fine. I get it. It seems you refuse to admit that you were wrong.”

He pushes out his chair, putting his hands in his pockets. “See if I care then, I’m going to bed. Kyoya?”

A voice that must’ve been foreign to you by now sounds a hum as Kyoya stops his writing immediately, giving all of his attention to Tamaki.

“Will you show me to my room, please?”

“With pleasure.” Kyoya then stands, an aura of nonchalance cascading into your space as he slides by you. “Excuse me, everyone.”

An air of ice surrounds you as Kyoya doesn’t give you a sparing glance, his cold shoulder sending a shiver down your spine while he and Tamaki walk out of the dining room, the large doors closing behind them.

Haruhi’s confidence dissipates as she watches her prince leave the room. Swallowing her food, she sadly cracks a new crab leg, the overconfident display now being replaced by a sincere realization.

“Maybe he’s right. Maybe I should learn to protect myself.”

Looking towards Mori, you share her sentiment. “Yeah, it might be a good idea.” You say, relaxing into your seat.

Hikaru and Kaoru reflect each other as they put their heads in their hands, giving the both of you empathetic glances. “So that’s it, they got to you, huh?”

Nodding, you look down. “Kyoya can be cold, sure, but he’s never just ignored my existence. Maybe I could take a class or something, I don’t know.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to learn martial arts…” Haruhi thinks out loud, now only picking at the food she had been devouring moments ago.

“But that’s not the real issue here.” The twins say, folding their arms onto the table.

“To be honest, we were all a little worried about how recklessly you two acted.”

Looking up from your plate, you and Haruhi both shoot Hikaru a confused glance.

“What do you mean?” You ask, bending around Kaoru to mee Hikaru’s gaze. “We didn’t cause you guys any trouble or anything.”

“Are you serious right now?” Kaoru asks, giving you a disbelieving look.

“Yeah, I mean you guys didn’t have to sprint up a cliff to help (Y/n) and fix my mistakes,” Haruhi reasons. “So you guys were fine, right?”

“That’s not true, Haru-chan.” Honey kneels on to the seat of his chair, his palms resting on the table as leans forward. “I think you guys should apologize, kay?”

“We were all worried, of course, but Kyoya-senpai and the Boss almost had a heart attack.” Kaoru says, speaking with his hands as he waves his fork around.

“We think you need to apologize to them the most. Both of you.” Hikaru states, the hand under his chin moving to support his cheek.

“But you were worried about us?” The twins looked to their side to see your eyes switching between the both of them. “But why?”

That earns you a deadpanned look from the brothers before Hikaru drops his head on the back of his chair, and Kaoru rests his head on your shoulder with a whine. “You’re both hopeless.”

A small chuckle rises out of you as you rest your head on top of the sneaky twin’s, your mind flashing through the previous events.

Stubbornly, you knew that you had done the right thing, and that you would’ve made the same choice if you were given a second chance.

But then you imagined the boy on your shoulder being grabbed by his shirt, hung over the edge of a cliff reaching higher than you thought it could reach, and your gut twisted. Then the image flashed to where Honey was held and Mori was running after him, or Hikaru, then Tamaki.

Then Kyoya. And you immediately understood their worry.

Swallowing wetly, you took a shuddering breath. “I’m sorry you guys.”

The twins raise their brow in surprise, and when Haruhi voices her apology too, it melts into a content simper.

“Awe, come here you little runt.” Somehow pulling you and Haruhi out of your chairs and into their arms, the hosts embrace you in a tight group hug.

“Don’t get all soft on us now, (Y/n).” The twins say as Honey rubs his cheek against a smiling Haruhi. You laugh and push them off, just in time to see the natural type’s face fall as her color disappears.

Hikaru notices immediately, holding her side. “Is something wrong?”

Haruhi’s stomach makes a concerning gurgle. “I don’t feel so good.”

And that was how Haruhi ended up in your bathroom, heaving her guts out in your toilet.

You’re sat on your bed as you hear the toilet flush, looking out one of the massive windows in the room as the moonlight lets itself in.

The light from your bathroom seeps into the space as Haruhi walks out, weakly falling onto your bed with a light thud. There’s a beat of silence as she flips over, both of you lost in your own thoughts.

“We kind of fucked up, huh?” You joke, still looking out at the ocean as it calmly waved against the shoreline.

“Yeah. We did.”

“Who do you think we should apologize to first?” You ask, meeting her eye line as she continues to focus on the popcorn ceiling.

She just shrugs, at a loss for the next step. “Should we go together? Or one at a time?”

“Probably one at a time. I’ll go to one, and you go to the other, and then we can just switch.” Sheepishly, you sigh. “Besides, I think that I have a little more to apologize for.”

“It could’ve been either of us, (Y/n).” Her low voice echoes off the walls. “If you had run in front of me, it would’ve been me who would’ve gotten thrown over.”

Another small silence blankets over you before you nodded your head sharply. “If we’re gonna do this, we gotta do it now.”

Haruhi props herself up on her elbows as she watches you push off the bed, an air of confidence surrounding you. “Now?”

“Now.” You stop in the mirror, checking yourself over to make sure you are presentable. “We will get the hard ones out of the way. You apologize to Tamaki, and I’ll apologize to Kyoya.”

“You sure you’re not rushing into things?”

“Nope! Just gotta get it over with.” Head held high, you walk out the door with Haruhi on your heels, picking up the first aid kit so you could return it to its owner.

You and Haruhi walk from your door to the end of the hallway, a lavender rose on one and a red rose on the other. Stopping in front of your respective hosts doors, you each raise a fist, preparing to knock.

“Ready?” You ask.

“Ready.” She sounds confident, affirming.

Then each of you turn around and switch places, losing gusto as you walk into Tamaki’s room.

Knocking softly as Haruhi enter’s Kyoya’s room, you step into the prince’s chambers, searching for the signature strands of blonde hair.

He jumps from his corner, the phone to his ear tumbling out of his grasp as you spook him with your entrance. Blowing out a breath, Tamaki runs a hand through his hair, tuning back into his conversation.

“Yes, Grandmother.” Your heart sinks as his tone loses the flamboyant flair you had come to enjoy. “I understand. Goodnight.”

Hanging up the phone, he turns back to you as he hangs up the phone. With a hand on his hip, your regular scheduled Tamaki is up and running, an exaggerated frown on his face. “You can’t just barge into a man’s room like that, mon ami! Think of your manners!”

Looking down, your fingers tighten on the med kit in your hands. You chuckle at his words, but it quickly quiets when you remember what you came in here to do.

Since you chickened out of one apology, the least you could do was try to get through this one.

Raising your eyes to meet his, blonde eyebrows rise as he senses utter sincerity in your gaze

“Tamaki, I’m so sorry for making you worry.” Earnest honesty blends into your words as you pour your apologies out to him. “Everything happened so fast, and I wasn’t thinking straight when I saw those men try to take advantage of those girls. I just got so mad, ya know? No one deserves to be treated like that.”

Tamaki parts his mouth, but sees that you have more to say, and closes it.

“Haruhi and I tried to run, but they caught the back of my shirt – well, it was Kyoya’s shirt because he let me borrow it earlier today – and I was forced into a fight or flight mode.”

“And you chose to fight.” The prince’s hands pocketed themselves into his jeans.

Nodding, your actions became a little frenzied. “I wasn’t going to be helpless again, not like that time in the dressing rooms during the physical exam. I can take care of myself, and I wanted him to know it. I wanted him to know I am strong and independent and I wasn’t going to let them do whatever they wanted to me.”

An annoyed sigh shot out of you as the moments on that cliff replayed in your mind. “But one of the guy’s had a knife!” You gesture to your leg. “And it all got out of hand so quickly that it seemed like I blinked and all of a sudden I was being held over an endless sea. I was stupid, and reckless, but I just wanted to help and save them, save myself that I completely–”

Your face collided with a shirt, soft and lavender-scented as your best friend embraced you. Your rapid heartbeat echoed against the close proximity of his chest before it slowed, and you breathed as you wrapped your arms around him. It was a tight embrace as one of your palms grabbed onto the cloth of his button down like a lifeline while the other pressed the med kit into his back.

“I’m sorry.” The apology is muffled as you nuzzle against him.

Pulling back, Tamaki looks down at you with a gentleness only he could provide. He grabs your hand and pulls you to an empty chair. “Here. Sit down.”

Brow furrowing, you sit as the large, red loveseat molds to your tired body, and you fight against your instinct to melt into the cushions.

Your confusion takes precedence, though, as Tamaki sits on the floor below you, crossing his legs before holding out his hand. “The med kit?”

Once you hand it to him, he pops it open and scans over the supplies. He stretches his hands and cracks some knuckles before shaking them around, as if they had been asleep for hours and he was trying to wake them up.

“I might not be good at all the medical stuff like Kyoya, but I can clean up a scratch or two.”

A light giggle rolls out of you as an intense look of concentration sculpts into his features. Setting everything he thinks he needs to the side, he opens his palm again. “May I?”

Rolling your eyes, your heart blooms at your friend's gentle touch as he begins to try and fix what you broke, even if that was what you had come here to do in the first place.

Eventually, Tamaki breaks the silence that had lulled over the two of you as he applies a cleaner to your cut. “That was my grandmother on the phone.”

Wincing at the medicine bubbling out of the cut, you nod. “I heard. I didn’t know if you wanted to talk about it.”

“There’s not much to say.” In comes another rare instance like the one at the Tiki Bar. An aura of calm maturity takes the prince’s form as he sits in front of you, completely concentrated at the task at hand. “She was angry, like usual.”

“Did she yell at you again?”

His nod twists your heart on its chambers, but his eyes flick up at you to stop you from giving him any pity before going back to the task at hand. “She is an angry woman. She was widowed when she was young and since then has had a pessimistic perspective on life.” A sad sigh escapes him, but he still manages to keep a serene smile on his face. “She is not a woman I will ever completely understand, but I think, for the rest of her life, I will always strive too. While I may never be on her good side, I want to always put my best foot forward and keep my mind open, so that I might see the world through her eyes. Understand what she is dealing with even if I don’t agree with her actions.” His chest shakes with a low laugh. “It seems I’m stuck doing that for all the women in my life.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m telling you I understand.” Tamaki rifles through the bandaids and picks one that must’ve come from some sort of Valentine’s Day collection: shiny, red hearts with a white background.

He places it gently over the scratch Ren had left you with, running his thumb across it in a loving gesture. “You were put in a terrible situation, and you did the only thing you, (Y/n), are programmed to do. Survive.”

His fingers swim through his hair again, and his violet eyes are swimming with genuine kindness with a hint of concern that you don’t think will ever fade away. “You're always by yourself. Your parents leave you alone in your home enough times, and you learn to depend on only yourself, because no one else has ever stepped up to the plate. You never call any of us for help, even when we are so close, until it’s too late. Until you realize that you pushed yourself too far.”

Leaning up, Tamaki puts his hands on the arms of the chair as he becomes eye-level with you. “I get it now.” A soft smile curls onto his handsome features. “I’m sorry I yelled at you on the beach. You grew up without relying on anyone else.”

Your eyes had gone wide and began to shine as Tamaki stood to his full height and held a hand out to you. “But not anymore. You haven’t been alone for a long time, (Y/n), not since you joined the club. Not since you met me.

Emotion wells up in your throat, making it hard to swallow as you quickly take his palm, jumping into his arms again with vigor. You feel him chuckle against you as he lifts you up in the air for a moment before setting you on the ground, your new band aid twinkling in the moonlight.

“So, you forgive me?” You say, wiping the small, joyful tears away before he could see.

“If you can forgive me for comparing you to my grandmother.”

“I was just going to ignore that. It seemed like you were on a roll there.”

You both laugh as Tamaki hands you back the med kit. He taps the top of it with his finger. “I think you need to return this.”

A different kind of feeling stuffed your airflow now as you looked out of Tamaki’s open door to the one across the hall, a lavender rose lacing the doorknob.

“Yeah, yeah I do.”

Feeling your feet begin to drag across Tamaki’s carpet, you force yourself to feel lighter, invigorated by your friend’s words. “Thank you, Tamaki.” You smile up at him as you pass through his doorway.

At your grin, Tamaki squeals in his place. “Awe, you’re so cute, mon ami! No need to thank me, no need at all!”

You simper as you flick him on the nose and close the door behind you, taking the treacherous steps towards the Shadow King’s door.

The feeling of your thumping heart began to ring through your frame, but you willed it to calm down. Looking around, you tried to spot Haruhi in her door frame, waiting for you to be done talking with Tamaki so that she could tag in, but it was so late that she might’ve just fallen asleep. You would understand, especially if her conversation with Kyoya was as emotionally taxing as yours was with Tamaki.

Every nerve stood on end as you raised your hand to knock, but hesitated. Would he be mad if you made so much noise in the middle of the night? Plus, if he had fallen asleep, he wouldn’t just wake up with a simple knock. The man slept like the dead who had turned to stone.

Your hand hovered over the doorknob, careful of the thorns guarding the purple rose. Did he even want to see you?

The image of his softened gaze as it dropped to your lips and then back to your eyes, shrouded in sunset as Kyoya’s hand gently lifted to your waist filled your mind, and it motivated you to turn the knob.

You had to salvage this. All he had asked was for you to admit that you had done something wrong, and now you were prepared to do that. It had taken some convincing, but you were ready to set aside your pride. Besides, to endure another moment of his gaze without the touch of softness he saved just for you would be hell compared to a little bruise on your ego. Maybe he will forgive you for waking him up.

You cringe, knowing you’re being way too optimistic.

The door doesn’t creak, the well-oiled hinges of an Ootori household silently as you sneak into Kyoya’s bedroom, barely opening the door a smidge before you see a shadowy blob on Kyoya’s bed.

Squinting your eyes, you struggle to peer into the darkness, and you open the door another centimeter, letting the light of the hallway bring some illumination to the shadows.

The med kit drops onto the carpet, not a sound adding to the empty soundtrack of this moment.

Shadows merge and billow before defining into bodies. Haruhi’s pink dress comes into view as the small amount of light grasps onto her form, revealing her as she lays wide-eyed on the bed. Her back sinks into Kyoya’s comforter as she looks up, blinking mildly at the form hovering over her.

Long tingles of darkness form into a body you admire, the man you adored caging your best friend under him like a predator. His muscles tense as his arms work to hold his body just above her, his naked torso defined in the contrast of the night.

Haruhi says something you couldn’t possibly hear over the blood pumping through your ears, and you see a smirk curl onto his face as if she said something clever, and Kyoya drags a thumb over his lip.

The image is burned into your skull as you race back to your bedroom, only a wall separating you and the betrayal next door.

Haruhi and Kyoya?

Tears now welled in your eyes as you rushed to the comfort of the bed that wasn’t your bed, in a room that wasn’t your room.

Fuck! Your mind screams as you shove your face into your pillow, rocking back and forth as the picture of them together keeps flashing behind your eyelids, a persistent roll of film filling in all the areas you didn’t see in the dark. How their bodies must be closer now, closer than you and Kyoya ever were.

A hiccup escaped as the pressure in your chest tightened. Kyoya’s aversion to physical touch made it so he constantly kept an arms distance from you. Yet here he was, chest to chest with your best friend who you had grown to love like a sister you never had.

Your fingers dug into the pillow as before you threw it across the room. Yanking the covers over your head, you begged and begged anybody that was listening to turn back time.

Turn it back to the moment on the beach chair, under the umbrella in the glow of the sunset. Rewind to Kyoya serving you your favorite food with his sleeves rolled up, or the two of you linking fingers on a piano bench, the moonlight cascading down his soft smile effortlessly.

A hand claps over your mouth to keep any sob from passing through and sounding through the wall, and you realize that even though the ocean was outside your window, you still couldn’t find your breath.

It seems that Kyoya didn’t deserve to win those pictures after all, because the image that still pulses into your vision causes you to sink into darkness. You find a new worst fear as Kyoya’s name echoes into your mind as you become lost.

Next Time on Lavender Roses!

“I never noticed. Haruhi is perfectly suited to be accepted into an elite all-girl’s school.. And that’s exactly why I can’t let her transfer!”

“But (Y/n)’s been here for years, why does she want to transfer too?!”

A Challenge From Lobelia Girls Academy!

hey there, just wanted to apologize for ruining your day and leaving you in suspense :)

thank you for being so patient, there is always more to come :) comment if you can! i'd love to hear your thoughts.

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hashtagboykisser · 1 year

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HARUHI X READER !!

CRUSHING/DATING HCS !!

crushing:

haruhi isn’t very obvious in her feelings towards you, but there are some signs

we all know haruhi speaks her mind - no matter how blunt she’s being

so per say u were wrong about smth, especially if ur sensitive, she’ll word it in the nicest way possible

she also cooks for you a lot, or in other words she’ll “give you left overs” becuz we ALL know how tamaki is😒

she’ll also try to get to know u, so she can find out ur likes and dislikes and use em later

dating:

haruhi is hesitant about being open about your relationship at first, the host club, both it’s members and clients can be a lot to take in

so y’all take it slow at first

kyoyas a fucking smart ass so he figured out first. after him it was kaoru. then honey and mori. then hikaru and tamaki.

kyoya, mori, and kaoru are pretty chill bout it.

but tamaki and hikaru are just sad that haruhi didn’t like them (but they’re obv happy for u, even if a little ginger bitch gets too jealous smtimes)

as for kyoya and mori, they don’t say much about it, their happy for u, but they chill

kaoru and honey are big time shippers, honey will always talk about ur wedding in the future, and kaoru wants to give all the help he can

kaoru is like ur damn couples therapist lmfao

haruhi is very physically affectionate, and y’all will cuddle up after club hours

and everyone just goes batshit crazy lmfao

but it’s cuz they love u

and haruhi

they just love u two together🫶🫶

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kyosdeath · 2 years

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Hey! I’m back after almost a year lol

Since I don’t have any ideas on what to write, I’ll be opening requests! So if you would like to request something, feel free to! :)

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h8ani · 10 months

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Updated Rules List

With my new updated list I’m going to be listing all the requests I’ll be accepting, what fandoms I write for and how you should go about requesting them :)

But also if you are an ageless/blank blog or a minor please do not request me, follow me or interact with me as you will be blocked. thank you.

I also write both nsfw & sfw content, I also label it on my writings I post. I don’t shy away from anything really so if you’re unsure just send me a message and I’ll clarify if I do!

Things I’ll write for: yandere, noncon/dubcon, fluff, angst, smut, age gap, stepcest, professor/student, sensei/student, spanking, choking, slapping, torture, abuse, female x male, drug use, use of sex toys, abusive relationships, issues with eating, etc type shit

Things I won’t write for: anal, piss/shit play, boy x boy, girl x girl (I’m not super comfortable in my writing yet to write for same sex couples yet I hope you guys understand!)

Fandoms I write for:

Attack on Titan - Levi Ackerman, Eren Yeager, Zeke Yeager, Armin Arlert, Reiner Braun, Bertholdt Hoover, Erwin Smith, Jean Kirstein, Connie Springer, Porco Galliard

Hunter x Hunter - Chrollo, Feitan, Shalnark, Kurapika, Leorio, Hisoka, Ging, Illumi, Wing, Kite, Pokkle

Naruto - Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, Obito Uchiha, Shisui Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake, Minato Namikaze, Shikamaru Nara, Gaara, Neji Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Deidara, Sasori, Pain/Yahiko, Iruka Umino, Shino Aburame, Hidan, Kankuro, Sai, Genma Shiranui, Izumo Kamizuki, Kotetsu Hagane, Hayate Gekko

Tokyo Revengers - Takemichi Hanagaki, Manjiro Sano, Chifuyu Matsuno, Shuji Hanma, Takashi Mitsuya, Kazutora Hanemiya, Tetta Kisaki, Atsushi Sendo, Nahoya Kawata, Souya Kawata, Ken Ryuguji, Shinichiro Sano, Ran Haitani, Rindou Haitani, Naoto Tachibana, Izana Kurokawa, Inui Seishu

Tokyo Ghoul - Ken Kaneki, Hideyoshi Nagachika, Uta, Ayato Kirishima, Nishio Nishiki, Koutarou Amon

Ouran Highschool Host Club - Kyoya Ootori, Tamaki Suoh, Takashi Morinozuka, Hitachiin Hikaru, Hitachiin Kaoru,

Wind Breaker - to be determined

Prompt Requests/Writing Requests in general:

I will usually have a link of the prompts to request from, from the original post.

If you’d like to request something I wrote just state what content you’d like and who the character is/member he is

I default by writing in fem! reader pov so please state if you’d like gn! reader

Reaction Requests:

State the type of reaction you’d like (example: reaction of them kissing you mid argument)

For any anime reactions just state the anime, boys you’d like the reaction for but please try to keep the number of characters under 10 unless it’s like konoha 11

#rules #updated list #credit for border goes to benkeibear #navigation

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bunnybabecantwrite · 2 years

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Welcome to Bunny's Story Time! (these are really just some request rules)

Request Status: closed What I am willing to write: - AFAB reader - yanderes/stalkers/kidnapping ect - non/dubcon - angst/fluff (if you dont want smut go to my other blog @therealteddybear-sry) - smut for characters aged above 15 (the country i'm from has age of consent at 13 but I'll only write 15+) - most kinks - poly relationships (some characters I might not be comfortable with) - one shots - series - head canons What I will not write: (I will make exceptions) - spit, piss, shit kinks - AMAB reader - character x character - anything romantic with people under 13

Animes and Characters: My Hero Academia - Bakugo Katsuki - Denki Kaminari - Kirishima Ejiro - Todoroki Shoto - Mina Ashido - Tsuyu Asui - Ochako Uraraka - Sero Hanta - Jiro Kyoka - Mineta Minoru - Tokoyami Fumikage - Shoji Mezou - Tamaki Amajiki - Hitoshi Shinsou - Dabi - Shigaraki - Toga Himiko - Neito Monoma - Yo Shindo (Theres probably more just request and I'll let you know if I'm comfortable with them!) Demon Slayer - Tanjiro Kamado - Inosuke Hashibira - Zenitsu Agatsuma - All Hashiras except Gyomei - Rui - Enmu - Akaza - Yushiro - Douma - Uzui's Wives - Sabito - Gyutaro Hunter x Hunter - Killua Zoldyck - Alluka Zoldyck - Gon Freecs - Leorio Paradinght - Kurapika - you might be able to convince me to do Hisoka - Milluki Zoldyck Black Butler - Ciel Phantomhive - Alois Trancy - Sebastian Micheals - Mey-Rin - Finnian - Grell Sutcliff - Lau - Doll/Freckle Face - Dagger - Joker - Snake - Beast - Undertaker - Ronald (Theres probably more just request and I'll let you know if I'm comfortable with them!) Sk8 the infinity - Miya Chinen - Reki Kyan - Langa Hasegawa - Cherry - Joe Haikyuu - Kenma Kozume - Shoyo Hinata - Tobio Kageyama - Toru Oikawa - Yu Nishinoya - Kei Tsukishima - Tetsuro Kuroo - Ryunosuke Tanaka Ouran High School Host Club - Kyoya Ootori - Tamaki Souh - Mitsukuni Haninozuka (Honey) - Takashi Morinozuka (Mori) - Kaoru Hitachiin - Hikaru Hitachiin The Disastrous Life of Saiki K - Kusuo Saiki - Aiura Mikoto - Shun Kaido - Reita Toritsuka - Metori Saiko - Hairo Kineshi - Saiki Kusuke

#this took sooooo long #my hand hurtsssss

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ransprang · 3 years

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Hi!! Could I get some headcanons of kaoru having a crush on a female reader? Thanks a lot <3

Headcanons: Kaoru having a crush on a fem!reader

SFW

It takes a lot to catch his eye since majority of women who meet Kaoru and his brother are shallow. Most of them don't go beyond their looks to see the uniqueness within them. If you're able to do that he'll have his eyes on you.

He'll ask Hikaru to trick you into thinking he is Kaoru and vice versa. If you pass these tests Kaoru's feelings towards you will grow immensely.

He puts in a lot of effort so that you pay attention to him and get to know him further. He'd also wanna know small details about you.

Definitely flirts with you to get your attention by teasing you. Some things he'll do are bullying you, tuck your hair behind your ears with chewing gum and tons of compliments. Be careful he may get too excited and spit in your ear.

He will confess after a long time as he is scared you may not like him and might instead like Hikaru or the other host club members. He would give up on you possibly, since him and Hikaru usually like the same girls.

Hikaru is smart and realises the two of you are idiots and into each other. So, he would lock the two of you into a closet and make you both regret thinking about him.

N/SFW

He feels so disgusting about this but he wanks to the thought of you. It makes him feel even worse since he respects and admires you so much.

One of those guys who's like "I'm on page 72386 of p*rnhub but none of these girls look like her :("

Kaoru would get a wig that looks like your hair and do the nasty.

Yours truly,

admins sar & san

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illegal-spiegel · 3 years

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Firsts w/ Kaoru

Pairing: Kaoru Hitachiin x gn!reader Genre: fluff Warnings: none

first meeting:

y’all met through, you guessed it, The Host Club

it wasn’t your idea to go

but Haruhi, poor, sweet, innocent Haruhi, was about to lose her marbles

she practically got onto her knees to beg you to keep her company

and what kind of friend would you be if you declined?

(you mainly just went because she bribed you with free tea and desserts)

when you showed up to Music Room #3, it was all that you were expecting and not at all what you were expecting at the same time

you eventually spotted Haruhi through all the people and eventually made your way over to her

the look on her face was almost comical

she bid her guests she was entertaining farewell and they left with watery eyes

you covered your mouth to hide your giggles as you took a seat on the soft couch across from her

“Thank god you showed up,” she groaned as she slumped back into her seat

you let your giggles out freely, studying her tired form

“Awe, is Haruhi tired of flirting?” you teased

she only grunted in response, closing her eyes and letting out a content sigh

you hummed in return, picking up a cookie that was on the table and started to munch on it

you two had a few minutes of silent peace before it was rudely interrupted

“Oh, Haruhi!” you hear two voices shout from behind you in unison

you swear you saw an irk mark appear on her forehead

you raise your brow and go to turn around to see who was causing her so much trouble just by saying two words when two people were suddenly leaning over the back of the couch you were sitting on

you looked to your left and saw a boy your and Haruhi’s age

you turned to the right and had to do a double-take when you saw the same face

‘these must be the infamous twins,’ you thought as you studied them

“What?” Haruhi groaned with dead eyes

you could see the smirks come onto the two boys’ faces

“What are you doing slacking off-” the one on the right started off

“-when you have a guest?” the left one finished you raised a brow at them as you pursed your lips

“She could ask you two the same thing? Why aren’t you tending to your guests?” you defended

the twins’ eyes widened as they turned to look at you, both silently studying you for a moment

“We got bored-”

“-so we came to see what Haruhi was doing.”

your brows furrowed as you look to the one on your left

“You just left your guests?”

Haruhi was the one to respond

“Kaoru probably ran out of fake tears,” she said with a smirk

the twins’ attention went back to her, the one on the right’s eyes widening

“Fake tears? My tears are real!” he defended

you took a mental note that the one on your right was Kaoru. Haruhi may have told you about them before but you were terrible with names

Haruhi only grunted in response before closing her eyes again

you saw their mouths open, ready to bother her some more

so, being the good friend you are, you quickly said something before they could

“Just leave her alone, okay? How about you entertain me?” you offered

from what Haruhi has told you, the twins liked to mess around with people. Whether it is playing pranks and tricks or just annoying them

so, you figured they’d happily take you up on the offer to ‘entertain’ you

as soon as you finished your sentence, a smirk was curling up on their lips

“Entertain you?”

“Why, we’d be honored!”

they ended up trying to actually do so at first, using their little brotherly love act

you quickly shut that down

once they realized you knew all their secrets, including Haruhi being a girl, there was a sudden shift in the way they acted towards you

they were more open suddenly

hanging out:

after meeting, he instantly took a liking to you

he and his brother wanted to become friends with you, mainly to annoy Haruhi

they hung out with you as much as you allowed them to, which was often so you could give Haruhi a break

it took a couple weeks for Kaoru to work up the nerve to ask you to hangout with him without his brother there as well

you were surprised when he asked you, to say the least

“Hey, would you wanna go to this museum with me? I somehow won free tickets in class and Hikaru doesn’t want to go. I, uh, know it sounds boring but—”

“I’d love to go with you, Kaoru,” you reassure with a big, warm smile

it was the first time he felt his heart do something weird in his chest

that weekend, you two went to the museum and honestly had a really good time

you two pretty much just wandered around and talked the entire time, which was several hours

he found it surprising and like a fresh breath of air at how easy it was to talk to you

he liked studying you when you would stare at something before you, your figure glowing under the big lights

he knew by the time you two left that he had feelings for you

first hug:

you two hugged for the first when he took you home from the museum, actually

his palms were sweating just from thinking of doing it

he tried to tell himself that it wasn’t a big deal but he was just so nervous

he opened the car door for you when you reached your house and even walked you to the door

“Thanks for today, Kaoru,” you say softly, giving him that radiant smile that he loves so much

“It was nothing. I’m just glad you agreed to go,” he admits with a small chuckle

you giggle in return and then you both go into silence

“Well, I’ll see you at school on Monday,” you say to break the silence

without another word, he quickly pulls you into the hug then

he hears and feels you gasp, your arms staying by your side for a moment before slowly wrapping back around him

“Yeah, see you on Monday,” he whispers, still holding onto you

you two hug each other a little longer than necessary but neither of you cared

when you finally did let go of each other, both of your faces were warm

“Goodnight, Kaoru,” you whisper a little breathlessly

“Goodnight, (Y/n),” he whispers back, finally stepping back to let you go inside

he walks back to his car and watches you unlock your door to make sure you get inside okay

he then finally leaves with a racing heart and a red face

first time holding hands:

after going to the museum together, you two slowly started to get closer

you texted more often, always called, hung out without Hikaru more, and so on

it didn’t take long for you to fall for him but you were unsure if he liked you back

well, that is until October came around

the boys decided they wanted to do a haunted house type thing for their monthly event

after Kyoya talked it over with the principal, the club got permission to do it and to have it held inside the entire school

Kyoya went all out too. He hired professional actors and businesses to scare in the school

the club held it during Halloween weekend, that way they could clean up all the props before Monday

the club made a killer with the amount of people that wanted to participate and walk through the ‘haunted’ school

on Sunday, after the ‘maze’ closed, the host club decided that they should be able to walk through it as well

that’s how you ended up partnered up with Kaoru to walk through together

you two went last out of all of the groups, both of your hearts racing as you two walked into your dark school

after the first jump scare, you two clung together before relaxing until the next scare

after a few scares, you two just ended up holding hands the whole way through

you honestly didn’t even really notice since you were too focused on what’s around the corner, what’s in that room, or what that sound was

but Kaoru’s entire focused was on your hand in his, the way your skin looked, the way it felt

when you came out the back main exit of the school though, you instantly noticed

you both shyly smiled as you let go, trying to ignore everyone’s teasing as you all started cleaning up

first date:

it wasn’t until mid-November that Kaoru asked you out on a date

you both were blushing like crazy as he stuttered out his date proposal and it was the most enduring thing you’ve ever seen

he asked you out, to which you instantly said yes to, but when you asked where you two would be going, he refused to tell you

he ended up taking you to a festival that was in town after you said that you didn’t want him wasting a lot of money on you

plus, he’s really competitive, so it’s fun to play games with him

you two tease each other back and forth the whole night, both of you winning a lot of games

he even won you a stuffed animal to which you playfully named it Hikaru

he ended up getting too much cotton candy and begged you to help him finish it

you two spent the entire day there and when the sun started to set, he dragged you onto the ferris wheel

it was very cliché but he kisses you at the top and you loved every second of it

when he drove you home, neither of you were ready for the night to end

so, you just ended up sitting in the car for hours just talking up a storm

when your first yawn is released, he does his best to ignore it but after the second time, he sighs and gives you a soft smile

“You should head inside. I’ll text you when I get home, okay?” he says quietly, secretly wishing he didn’t say anything when you start to pout

you rub at your eye though as you yawn again, slowly nodding your head

“Okay. Goodnight, Kaoru,” you whisper sweetly before hugging him

just before you get out of the car, you quickly peck his cheek before practically flying out of the vehicle

he chuckles at how flustered you are as you walk to the door of your home

he makes sure you get inside okay before driving back home

he sticks to his word and texts you when he arrives at home to which you both stayed up late texting each other because you didn’t want the mystical night to come to an end

first time giving a gift:

(we ain’t counting the stuffed animal (Hikaru) he gave you on your first date)

you two had been together for 3 months when Kaoru decided to get you something to celebrate

he asked all your friends along with all the people in the Host Club what they think you’d like

he got many ideas ranging from clothes to food

he wasn’t quite sure what he wanted to get you but he’d figure it should be something nice but ‘simple’

on the day of your 3 months together, he picks you up from your house and takes you on a date

you tried telling him that you two didn’t have to celebrate the 3 month mark, but he wasn’t having it

“You’re special to me and being together this long means a lot to me,” he said softly to you before kissing the back of your hand

he ends up taking you to a hill that looks over most of the town, a smile coming to your face when you see the view

“It’s beautiful,” you reply when he asks what you think

“Not as beautiful as you,” he teases, shooting you a wink before hauling the picnic basket over to the blanket he set down for you both

after setting everything up and getting comfy, you two dig into the food that he made

once you two have had your fill, you curl up together and watch the sunset

just before the sun completely sinks below the horizon, he pulls away from you a bit to reach into the basket

“Here,” is all he says as he offers you a rectangular box covered in velvet

you raise your brow up at him but gently take it from him and open it up

you jaw drops open a bit when you see what rests inside, your heart skipping a beat as your tummy fills with butterflies

“Oh, Kaoru...” you whisper breathlessly, staring down at the intricate necklace

“Do you like it?” he whispers, worriedly staring at your shocked face

“I, um, got it to represent our first date at the festival...” he continues when you don’t reply. “Sorry, I know it’s ugl—”

“No! No, I love it, Kaoru,” you quickly interrupt when he starts to backpedal. “Sorry, I just was thinking that it looks kind of expensive...”

“Well, ha, you see—”

“Kaoru, how much did you spend on this?”

he stays quiet for a moment, knowing how you’d react when he tells you

he finally pipes up when you give him the look™️

“It was, um, ¥43,687...”

“Kaoru Hitachiin!” you screech, fully turning to face him with a horrified expression

“What? It’s not that bad!” he shouts, his cheeks starting to warm for some reason

“Not that bad? Not that bad? You’re right. ¥43,687 is way worse than bad!”

he groans and rolls his eyes, taking the box from you and taking the necklace out

“Turn around.”

“No way! What if I break it? What if I lose it? What if—”

“What if zombies raised from the ground right now and killed me? Bam! Dead! Wouldn’t you want something to remember me by?” he teases with a smirk

it’s your turn to huff and roll your eyes now

“That would never happen.”

“Well, yours would never happen either,” he argues

“Yes it could!”

“We can go back and forth all day, sweetheart. We can never know the future and it’s best to just live in the present.”

When you don’t reply, he smiles at you and holds up the necklace

“You like it, right?”

“Well yes, but—“

“And you like me, right?”

“Kaoru—”

“Do you?”

“Yes! But, Kaoru—”

“Then put it on!”

you two have a stare off before you give in, letting out a hefty sigh and turning to put your back to him

he slips the necklace onto you and your hand instantly goes to the ferris wheel pendant resting between your collar bones

“There. Ya see? That wasn’t so bad and you look even more beautiful than usual.”

your cheeks warm with the compliment as you spin around to face him again

“Shut up and kiss me,” you snap with a pout

he chuckles and leans forward to do just that

first “I love you”:

you both actually wanted to say this on your picnic date but both ended up chickening out since you both thought it was too soon

ever since then, you both have tried and failed to say it

when is the right time to say it? How long do you have to be dating for it to be okay? What if the other person wasn’t ready to say it back yet?

yeah, a lot of unnecessary worries and insecurities

it isn’t until it’s almost your sixth month anniversary that Kaoru finally works up the nerve to say it

he was planning a little get away vacation for you two during the summer

when you came over to his house one day to hangout, he first plays it cool

you two do the normal stuff whenever you two hangout, watch your show, makeout a little, make food, the works

after you two are done eating and go to continue watching your show, he stops you

“Hey, there’s something I want to show you.”

you raise your brow at this, wondering what he could want to show you

maybe a new show he wants to watch?

“Yeah?” you ask, watching him pull something out from between the couch cushions

he hands over an envelope to you with a smirk, making your brows furrow

a letter?

“Go on. Open it,” he says with a chuckle

you let out a short hum in reply and begin to open it up

you pull out two tickets to something, turning them around to look at the front

“Are these first class tickets to Italy?” you ask, your voice trembling a bit

“Yeah! I figured it was about time we went somewhere together!”

you shake your head and offer the tickets back to him, feeling as if you’re going to be sick

“Kaoru, no. This is too much. I don’t need to go somewhere far or fancy or expensive to have fun with you,” you force out with wide eyes

he frowns at your words, refusing to take the tickets out of your shaky hands

“What? (Y/n), this is an amazing opportunity! Besides, these tickets were for me and Hikaru to go with our mom to one of her fashion shows in Italy. Hikaru is grounded now though for that stunt he pulled in class and she asked if I’d like to take you instead,” he explains with a soft smile, bringing his hand to your free one to give it a squeeze

you relax a bit at this news, now knowing he didn’t waste thousands of yen on you

“Your mom offered?” He nods his head. “You’re sure she doesn’t mind me coming?”

“Of course not, baby. You haven’t been around her much since she works so often, but she really does like you. She wouldn’t have asked you to come if she didn’t want you there. Plus, she has to punish Hikaru somehow.”

you chuckle at that last part with a nod of your head

“Okay, fine. I’ll ask my parents about it and see if they’ll be okay with me going,” you agree

he lets out an excited squeal and surges towards you for a hug

“Yes! You’re the best! I love you!”

at the three words, you both freeze and stare at each other, both of your faces heating up to a dangerous degree

“Sorry, I, um, I d—”

“I love you too, Kaoru,” you rush out before he can take it back

his grin comes right back to his face before he kisses you passionately

first trip together:

turns out your parents were okay with you going since Kaoru’s mom will be there

when you three were on the plane, you and Kaoru leaned against each other the entire time

to keep you busy, you two watched your show and movies, played card games, played games with each other on your phones, and so on

when you all finally reach your destination, you’re exhausted but you instantly perk up when you reach your ride to your hotel

you climb into the limo and both you and your boyfriend ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ at the beautiful scenery

when you get to the hotel, his mother announces that Hikaru will share a bed with her while you get the other one. You don’t really mind since she’s paying for all this and you’re in Italy for crying out loud, but Kaoru whines and pouts for at least fifteen minutes

once you’re all in your jammies, you all practically pass out as soon as your heads hit the pillows

you three were there for two weeks and you and Kaoru had so many cute dates

you went hiking, rode on gondolas, went on tours, took cooking classes, saw a musical, visited ancient buildings, went to the beach and did lots of swimming (where Kaoru got burned), and lots more!

his mom even let you participate in her fashion show

she dressed you up in expensive clothing and pushed you to walk on the runway

you were nervous at first but eventually got into it the more claps and cheers (from Kaoru) you got

it was honestly some of the best days of your entire life

when it was the last day of being in Italy, Kaoru took you on your last date in the beautiful country

you both shared lots of ‘I love you’s followed by several kisses

⊱ ────── {⋅. ♪ .⋅} ────── ⊰

MASTERLIST

More with Kaoru

Tag List: @pointlesslygay, @katsuhera ✦ if you would like to be added or removed, comment or send an ask. Also, remember to tell me if you ever change your username so I can continue to tag you :)

⊱ ────── {⋅. ♪ .⋅} ────── ⊰

577 notes · View notes

host-club-hq · 2 years

Text

Jasmine

➼ pairing: kyoya ootori x reader

➼ summary: you and kyoya are subjected to an unfavorable fate via your parents, but when the both of you become vulnerable, you close back up just as quickly. (i don't know if i wanna end it here, but idk if i can write more. you guys lemme know if you wanna see more of this drabble)

➼ word count: 7.4k, got a little carried away

➼ what to expect: "It'll be mine soon enough, might as well use it."

➼ warnings: slight angst, mutual pining, slow burn, steamy, language

➼ im actually supposed to be writing an essay right now but i have kyoya on the brain, so here's this :) also tumblr ate half this draft as i was almost done, so you can thank them for this taking so long

➼ chapter navigation

You wouldn't call your parents... neglectful, per say.

More of just... inattentive.

Although they support your lavish lifestyle and provide you with many of your wants and all of your needs, they never seem to know you personally.

It's always been like this. It's not your father who drives you to school, it's your driver. Although that isn't unusual for a kid of your financial status, there are some things that your parents don't do that they should.

There's a syllabus or permission slip you need signed for school? Your head butler, Ren, signs it for you. Your parents have appointed him your caretaker, never mind the fact that they were actually present in your life. On the school emergency contact list, Ren's name is the only one present.

Well, not the only one. Your aunt volunteered. Although she's usually very busy, she felt sympathy for the way her sister and brother-in-law have raised you.

You have a personal shopper. Although your parents never believed in needing someone to dress you and do most basic human functions for you, you need someone like a motherly figure to shop with you.

She helps you pick out your clothes, try things on, encourages you when she sees something she likes, advises you on what to pair together and how to style accessories.

Her name is Lindsay, you enjoy her presence often, which is why you shop often, even if you don't purchase anything.

Only once did your parents hire a professional to teach you how to do your own hair and makeup. But, that was a one time thing. One lesson was all your parents believed you needed, if even that. The next day you were expected to remember everything she'd breezed through.

Not surprisingly, you did.

You parents were not your mom and dad, rather your mother and father. To you, there is a very clear difference between the terms.

A mother and father biologically have a child together, a mom and dad parent a child together.

You didn't even know your parents' real names until you were 11 years old.

And it was Ren who'd told you when you asked.

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

"Miss y/n?"

You're busying yourself with homework when Ren calls your name from the doorway to your bedroom, already open.

"Hm?" When you acknowledge that it's him, you return to your writing and vaguely listen to what he has to say.

"Your... parents would like to have a word with you."

Your pen stills in your hand mid-word. You crane your neck over your shoulder and stare blankly at Ren, in disbelief. He nods in reassurance.

You shoot up from your chair and dart into your closet, picking a modest pair of earrings and a necklace. You stand straight in front of your mirror and dust yourself off, spinning around to face Ren.

"How do I look?" you breathe out slowly.

Ren steps forward and gently takes two strands of your hair on either side, adjusting them softly.

"Wonderful. Now, they're waiting." Ren pats you gently on your shoulder. You squeal to yourself and hurry into the living room with a skip in your step.

You arrive into the living room and compose yourself, watching as you parents stand professionally in the center of the room.

You inhale deeply and straighten your posture, folding your hands in front of your body and waiting to be spoken to.

"y/n, we have a matter to discuss with you." Your father speaks first, your mother on his arm.

"Yes?" You reply timidly.

"As you may know, we have recently entered a business relationship with the Ootori family." your father informs, but unbeknownst to you, quite grimly.

"You may know their son, Kyoya Ootori." your mother adds quickly.

"Yes, ma'am, he's in my class." you nod curtly, taking another deep breath.

"That's good, because you will be married to him in less than a year."

Your face pales and you stop fidgeting with your fingers, "What?" your voice is no more than a mere whisper.

"In order to secure the deal, Yoshio Ootori would like to marry off his third son in order to merge our companies, seeing as his older sons are already engaged and/or married."

"And, seeing as you are our only daughter, we offered your hand in marriage."

"You don't have the right to offer my hand!"

Your sudden outburst is seemingly unwelcome, judging by your parents' expressions. Your voice echoes off the living room walls from the mere size. There is a painful moment of silence.

"What's done is done, you will be married to Kyoya Ootori by December of this year." Your father extracts his phone and beings to distract himself.

"It's April." you inform like it wasn't a well known fact. April seems so close to December for you, especially if you will be married by then.

"And?" Your father lifts his cell phone to his ear, giving you once last emotionless glance, then strides from the room with a greeting to the individual over the phone.

Your mother's eyes display the smallest amount of sympathy before following your father wordlessly.

This year, you and Kyoya will be finishing your last year of high school. You will turn 19 by the end of the summer, and Kyoya already is. He'll be turning 20 in November. A month before you're married.

You always knew you would marry a wealthy man, especially because of your parents' bizarre expectations, but you always thought it would be because you loved him.

You should have seen this coming. Marrying you off is exactly something your parents would do.

Your world is falling apart.

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

School the next day is excruciating, to say the least.

You're constantly steering clear of the Host Club, especially Kyoya in particular. He, of course, would know of his father's decision. You can't think to face him like this.

You and Kyoya are friends, alright. Not obscenely close, but not strangers either. He knows of you, talks with you, and invites you to the Host Club on different occasions, sometimes to their private events.

How could you face him now? Your fiancé? The word makes you shiver, especially when you think about spending the rest of your life with him.

The bell rings abruptly in your ears- you've zoned out. You shake yourself from your thoughts and gently push your notebook into your book bag. Most students have already packed their belongings and strode out of class.

"y/n."

You freeze mid-shove. You turn slowly at the voice, acknowledging the tall male with jet black hair. You immediately know who it is, reluctantly glancing at your reflection in his thin, shining glasses.

"Hm?" You reply shortly.

"The Host Club is hosting an event to celebrate the end of our last year in high school. Seeing as you're in our class, I thought you might like to attend."

Ah, so he's asking you as a student. Not a friend. While you're slightly disappointed, you're also relieved.

"How should I dress?" You ask, slinging your bag over one shoulder and standing timidly to face him, refusing to let your eyes rest comfortably on his face, rather the wall behind him.

"Formally, as most events directed by the Host Club tend to be."

That seems like a backhanded statement. You frown. "Fine." you huff definitively, spinning on your heel with your head help high, nose stuck up into the air.

"What time should I pick you up?" Kyoya asks like it's the most casual question in the world. Really, it should be, but it isn't.

"You're picking me up?" You halt in your tracks to face him in confusion.

"Of course, how else would you be getting to the function? I thought since we're to be married, we might as well make our parents happy and spend more time together."

A beat of painful, agonizing silence. Kyoya knows. He knows to a degree that this isn't what you want, and on some level, he doesn't want it either. He's lived his whole life pleasing his father, and nothing's going to stop him now.

You grip the strap of your bag tightly, tears pricking your eyes when reminded of your inevitable fate. Neither of you move to leave, or to speak. Just a very uncomfortable silence.

"Might as well." Your voice is squeaky from lack of use, you clear your throat.

"Any time past 5:00 is fine." you breathe out as quickly as possible, whirling around to make your exit, bringing a single finger up to your face and dabbing gently under your eyes as you scurry away.

Kyoya remains silent and emotionless, his expression unchanging. Although he feels a twist deep in his stomach when he noticed you drying your tears. He never meant to put you in this position, but it wasn't his fault, was it? No. He hadn't had a choice either.

But you both will do anything to please your parents, won't you?

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

You slide your hands over your hips, the sleek, black dress with a plunging neckline accenting your body wonderfully. The material clings to your body, all the way down to the slit that travels as far as your upper left thigh. Very classy, yet sensual- just what you're going for.

You adjust your earrings, your necklace matching perfectly. A knock comes to the frame of your doorway and you acknowledge it by swiveling, your hands occupied with your earring.

Ren stands fondly at the entrance to your room. "I believe I caught word of Mr. Ootori arriving here soon." he smiles knowingly.

You give a weak smile in return, clasping the back of your earring in place and dusting yourself off.

"Your evening clutch, Ma'am." Ren presents you with a stunning silver bedazzled, strapless hand bag. Your grin widens.

"Is this Aunt Elise's?" You recall her wearing it to a fair few events and occasions. Ren nods. Your heart swells with appreciation.

"She thought you might like to use it tonight." Ren informs you. You nod, turning the precious accessory over in your hands, marveling.

"Now, he will be arriving soon." Ren pats your back as you shove a few last minute things into your clutch. You carefully stride to the door in your heels.

When you open the door, Kyoya's just now arriving. It would be traditional for the gentleman to come to the door to pick up his lady, but you've had enough of doing things the traditional way for now. You will make your own decision, this time.

You watch the sleek, black limousine come to a clean halt near the steps leading to the entrance of your home. The windows are tinted, but you can still make out a silhouette in the back, neck craned down, a slight glow. He's on his phone. On cue, your phone vibrates.

Kyoya: Are you ready?

You scoff mockingly to yourself, replying.

You: If you bothered to look up, you would know

The silhouette moves, facing you. You make a show of descending the steps, your hips swaying, heel to toe, heel to toe.

The limousine door opens and you're met with Kyoya in a clean, crisply straight black suit, black undershirt, and black tie to match. If it weren't for you new-found confidence, your jaw would have hit the ground by now.

"You look stunning." Are the first words he greets you with. Your cheeks flush a red hue under your makeup.

"Thank you. I like this suit." You adjust his collar with your fingers and gleam up at him. He offers a small smile in return.

"I had a feeling you'd want to wear black. Shall we?" He offers you his arm politely. You nod, slipping your hand and wrist through the gap between his arm and his body.

Being this close to him, you can smell the cologne he wears. The scent is inexplicably addictive, unmistakably him, like a warm cup of coffee, but like spicy cinnamon at the same time. You inhale deeply, savoring the fragrance.

It seems like a thousand steps from your front door to the limousine in the heels you've chosen, but you find relief in the plush leather seats as Kyoya escorts you inside.

"Comfortable?" He shuts the door and settles in next to you.

"Mm, wouldn't you like to know." you cross your ankles delicately and fold your hands in your lap, back straight.

"Alright, I see how it'll be tonight." Kyoya suppresses a smirk and straightens next to you.

The entire ride consists of a surprisingly comfortable silence. It's not often that silence with Kyoya is pleasurable, but neither of you feel the need to say anything amidst the quiet nature of the car.

When you arrive, anxiety fills the cavern of your chest and you feel as though it's constricting. The limousine comes to a perfect stop at the entrance to Ouran Academy's ball room. You know the room very well. Although now, it seems unfamiliar, like you've never stepped foot inside all your life.

The open doorway is decorated with lights and silk banners as students file in with their partners, some individually.

You haven't noticed that Kyoya has opened the door and is offering you his arm to pull yourself up and out. He allows you to hesitate a moment longer, then clears his throat gently.

"Is something wrong?" His voice is soft and concerned.

"No." You reply immediately, gripping onto his arm and pulling yourself out.

You're half expecting paparazzi's cameras to flash the moment you exit the automobile from the way you're dressed and the stunningly handsome man who's arm you're attached to, but you're thankful that it doesn't happen. You're not sure you want this night documented just yet.

As the name of your purse suggests, you clutch it tight as you stride with Kyoya up the stairs. Naturally, the pair of you have arrived a bit early, seeing as he is part of the club that is hosting the event. Nevertheless, the early birds are starting to arrive as well.

Kyoya is starting to think this might be the event he's been the most nervous for in a long time. Having someone as astonishing, stunning, and captivating as you on his arm? He might be the luckiest man alive. Despite this fact, he remains poised and elegantly emotionless.

He manages to sneak a glance of your side profile, your features remaining unfazed and stoic. He adjusts his glasses with his free hand, the lenses giving a sharp glint from the light of the chandeliers looming above him in the ballroom.

You and Kyoya are greeted with the remaining hosts as they've all seemed to have arrived quite some time ago. Unusually, the rest of them are without dates. Although, you assume Tamaki would have a date if Haruhi wasn't expected to be a male host for this occasion.

"y/n! So glad you could make it! It's so nice to see you!"

You should expect what Tamaki does next- embracing you unabashedly and gripping you tight. You grunt and stumble, reciprocating as a reflex.

"Nice to see you too, Tamaki." Your voice strains as he releases you and you take a deep breath.

"Senpai, if you want to see her again, you'll have to stop suffocating her." Haruhi deadpans behind him. You giggle at her comment. She beams.

"Can we steal her? Please, Kyoya?!" Tamaki begs pitifully with his infamous puppy eyes. Kyoya does all but give in, sighing.

"You can. I'll just be going over some last minute preparations if you need me." Kyoya directs his last statement your way. You nod.

"Okay."

Tamaki tugs on your arm and you allow him to drag you behind him, vaguely listening as he goes on and on about how much he's missed you. Haruhi trudges behind the two of you, grumbling.

As Tamaki steals you away to mingle with the rest of the hosts as Kyoya tends to his responsibilities, the party begins to fill out, guests arriving left and right.

The party is now in full swing. Kyoya is still tending to guests and budget related issues. You've gone to procure yourself a drink, leaning as lady-like as you can against the beverage table and sipping quietly.

Out of thin air, two arms perch themselves on either of your shoulders. You choke on your drink and pat your own chest, coughing.

"Whoa there, y/n." Two voices harmonize in either of your ears.

"Hello, boys." you sigh, letting your shoulders slouch under the weight of their arms.

The twins snicker deviously on your right and left, dressed identically.

“So what’s this rumor about you and Kyoya-Senpai?” you can only guess which twin is speaking to you, although you determine that that’s not what’s important right now.

“Depends, what did you hear?” You glance up at who you can only assume is Hikaru.

“Oh, so it’s not the only rumor?” the second twin infers, and you turn your head to him.

“That’s not what I said.” You shake your head, cup balanced in your hand.

“But it’s what you implied.” Both of them together, this time.

“What do you want to know?” You take a long sip from your drink, eyeing them in your peripheral vision. They both turn and gaze at your side profile with mischievous smirks.

“We heard that you might be engaged-”

“-so we’re wondering where the ring is.”

You snort at their question. They tilt their heads, confused. “I don’t have a ring.” you flourish your left hand, which has three rings, but none of them are on your ring finger.

“That seems a little untraditional, doesn’t it Kaoru?” Hikaru hums.

“It does, Hikaru.” Kaoru nods. You laugh humorlessly, “You’re telling me.” your shoulders almost shake with your laughter.

"We wouldn't peg Kyoya-Senpai to skimp on an engagement ring for his fiancé." The twins shrug in unison. You grimace.

"Please don't call me that, it makes me feel old." your body shudders involuntarily, the twins' brows furrow further, now more confused than ever.

"Huh?"

"You should be glad that you'll probably never have to subject yourself to something like that." You sigh wistfully.

Before Hikaru or Kaoru have a chance to reply, your eyes find Kyoya approaching the three of you. You breathe a sigh of relief and set your drink on the table behind you.

"Hikaru, Kaoru, would you mind if I stole y/n away a moment?" He asks politely, offering you his hand.

"Not at all." The twins shove you forward and you lurch, your reflexes causing your hand to find its place firmly gripped in Kyoya's.

You're gently pulled to the center dance floor, your arm instinctively placing itself on Kyoya's shoulder and the other in his hand. His own hand secures around your waist and holds you reasonably close, but not close enough to cause suspicion among guests. He is still a host, after all. He can't be showing any favoritism.

"Just wanted to dance with me, Ootori?" You question in the silence save for the orchestra playing beautifully in the background.

"Only using my last name now? y/n, I thought we were friendlier than that." Kyoya dodges the question expertly.

"It'll be mine soon enough, might as well use it." using humor to avoid pain, often a tactic of yours. Kyoya smiles nonetheless.

"Touché, well played." Kyoya smirks as you sway together.

Meanwhile, Haruhi approaches the twins, arms crossed.

"It's awful, isn't it?" she jumps into conversation without context.

"Awful?" the twins follow her eyes to the pair of you, moving rhythmically to the music.

"Yeah, I can't even imagine." Haruhi's reply is vague, confusing the twins further.

"Hikaru, Kaoru, Haruhi! What are you doing over here, we have guests waiting." Tamaki all but storms over to the trio and points to the meandering patrons.

"Just watching Kyoya and y/n-Senpai." Haruhi shrugs. She prays she won't be pushed onto the dance floor by her boss at this moment.

Tamaki follows her line of sight and finds the two of you as well, eyes softening. He settles for watching the pair of you along with the other hosts.

"I still can't believe I wasn't the first person Kyoya told." Tamaki pouts with his arms crossed against his chest, slouching.

"What are we missing here?" Hikaru demands, having had enough of being oblivious, Kaoru voices his agreement.

"You didn't know?" Tamaki cranes his neck to catch a glance of the infuriated twins.

"Kyoya-Senpai and y/n-Senpai's parents are becoming partners and they're expecting them to get married." Haruhi informs grimly.

Hikaru and Kaoru glance at each other with shock, then back at the pair of you. Although you're talking to Kyoya casually, with the new information, they see you in a different light.

"Oh." Is all they have to say.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Haruhi blinks owlishly up at Tamaki in question. He casts his eyes down to her own, then back to you.

"I think it'll take a while. I don't even think they know." it's one of the rare occurrences when Tamaki's wisdom shows through his facade.

"Know what?" Haruhi inquires again, following his sight.

"Look at them." Tamaki gestures with his arms to the both of you.

On cue, you shove Kyoya playfully and he only smiles down at you, his eyes shimmering with something undetectable.

"There's something there. But, as stubborn as Kyoya is, there's no use in trying to tell him. They'll have to figure it out on their own." Haruhi watches Tamaki's soft eyes follow your form, darting back and forth as you dance.

And slowly, the world feels as if it's falling away. Piece by piece, the party in the background, the guests and other hosts fall into nothingness, and you're dancing among the stars, weightless and effortlessly. The orchestra continues it's smooth rhythm, echoing through the universe. All that's left is you and Kyoya, and you don't even seem to notice.

That is, until you do notice.

You realize the proximity, the way he delicately grips your hand and your waist. Your breath gets caught in your throat and you have the sudden urge to pry yourself away.

"I'm- um, I need to powder my nose." You lean back, removing your hand from his shoulder.

Kyoya raises a single brow. It's the middle of a song, but he can sense the sudden panic swimming in your irises. He releases you gently.

"Alright-" but you're already gone, weaving through guests and other hosts and slipping from his vision.

And so Kyoya stands in the midst of gyrating bodies and blinding lights, watching you disappear in the crowd. But, it isn't long before a few guests approach him.

"Kyoya~ Would you mind if I stole this dance?" another girl peers at him from behind the first one, anticipating his reply.

He gives them the most polite smile he can, as genuinely as he can, but inside he feels the opposite. "Of course, my dears. That's what I'm here for." he takes her into his arms and begins to sway to the rhythm.

But it's not the same. Although he's doing his job and he's never had a problem with it before, it doesn't feel right. She doesn't fit into his arms like you do, like a long lost puzzle piece finally slotted into the right position. She feels... wrong, for lack of better words.

Nevertheless, he is a host, and a host exudes chivalry.

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

Never have you struggled like this over an assignment. Naturally, most of your classes come easily to you, and that's why you guess that you and Kyoya get along easily.

But this is different. Your college essay. Academically, you can write sophisticated essays about most topics. But, when it comes to yourself, you have little to say.

You stare at a blank page, your cursor flashing without a purpose. You lay comfortably on your bed, blinking owlishly at the white screen. Not a single idea has popped into your head. What are you even supposed to write about? Why can't you just pick an academic topic and write about that?

Of course, for middle school or even early high school, you've written ice-breaker papers about things the teacher wanted to know so that they could teach the class with prior knowledge- but this is requiring to delve deep into your inner soul, you don't think you've ever even done that yourself.

You reluctantly pick up your cell phone and select a contact that you assume won't answer at this time. It's late.

Meanwhile, Kyoya's cell phone rings suddenly. He shamefully admits to himself that he's startled by the bright light and sudden noise. Once it registers in his mind, he puts down his book and picks up the phone instead, reading off the contact name.

y/n l/n

He thinks for a moment that maybe he should add something more to your contact name, but the thought vanishes as quickly as it had come to him. Kyoya answers.

"Hello?"

There's a silence on your end. You hadn't been expecting him to pick up.

"Hi." is all you can manage.

Kyoya firmly resists the urge to chuckle fondly, but replies semi-mockingly instead, "Hi, y/n."

"I, um... I need help," you sigh in reluctance.

"May I ask with what?" he hums in reply, saving his place in his novel and setting it to the side, focusing on his gentle conversation with you.

"College essay..." you almost whine, almost ashamed.

Kyoya furrows his eyebrows on his side, "Isn't it a little late for college essays?" He has already submitted and been accepted into to a college- Chiba University.

"I know... I just, I think I'm going to take a break next year. I need some time off." You sound exhausted. Kyoya almost cringes in sympathy.

"That's understandable. Besides, it's not like you'll need to support yourself once we graduate."

A stinging reminder of your future after high school. You do suppose you can consider yourself lucky, he's right. You don't have to support yourself, and you don't even need a college education if you really think about it. But, you want one. For you, not for him.

"I guess you're right." you lay back on your bed loudly, sighing.

"I'll come over and help you, yeah?" Kyoya hoists himself off his bed and slips into his coat, his slippers sliding onto his feet and he makes his way out of his room.

"What? I thought we could just talk over the phone." you sit up in panic. You're in your pajamas and not prepared for company.

"I know, but it'll be easier." you can hear that on his side, he's already out the door and walking to his car.

"You're driving yourself?" you question incredulously.

"I don't want to bother the drivers right now. I got my license about a year ago, thought it would be useful to have." You hear the car door shut on his side and the engine starts.

"Okay..." you can't think of anything else to say.

"Be there soon."

You nod, "Yeah, see you." you hang up, anticipating his arrival as you sit uncomfortably on the edge of your bed.

After a moment of thoughtful silence on your part, you straighten and smooth out your pajama set, which is a pair of shorts and a skimpy tank-top, but you're sure that won't be a problem.

The sound of your bare footsteps pad into the kitchen and on into the entry hall, passing Ren on your way.

"Miss y/n. Do you need something? It's very late." Ren checks his watch and straightens his posture as you pass him.

"Oh um... Kyoya is coming over a minute. Just wanted to meet him at the door." You rub the back of your neck awkwardly, averting your eyes to the chandelier above you instead of Ren's questioning gaze.

"Mr. Ootori?" Then, Ren seems to have it figured out.

"Oh... would... would you like me to...?" Ren jabs his thumb to the exit of the room, suggesting he turn in for the night.

"What? No! Oh, God, no!" You wave at him in urgency, denying his implied claim.

"I understand. Just let me know if you need anything." He bows and turns on his heel to leave you be, standing in the middle of the kitchen in your pajama shorts and tank-top.

It isn't long before there's a soft knock on your front door. You briefly acknowledge the fact that he's neglected to ring the doorbell because of the hour. Your heart pulses at the consideration.

You turn the knob gently and swing it open to reveal Kyoya, dressed oddly domestically, laptop, notebook, and writing utensils brought along with him.

The odd silence between you feels tensed. Finally, he speaks up and cuts through the tension with a dull butter knife.

"Hello." It's a simple greeting, almost awkward, before you stand aside to let him inside.

"Hi. Thanks for coming." he strides past you and nods gently.

"Bedroom is... this way." You gesture vaguely down the hall from the kitchen and lead the way. You can hear his soft footfalls on the floor in the slippers you've provided him with and you heart picks up the pace.

"I don't think I've ever been to your house before." Kyoya takes in his surroundings, the hallway leading to your bedroom is pristine and lengthy.

"You've been to my parents' parties here, right?" You glance at him over your shoulder and suppress a smile at his expression.

"Well, yes. But those parties were held in the ballroom and it isn't too dissimilar from my own." Kyoya reminds. You hum in acknowledgement and turn the corner to the door to your room.

"Just in here. It's a bit of a mess, when I get stressed, I get disorganized, and when I'm disorganized, I'm stressed. It's a relentless cycle." You grumble before pushing open the heavy wooden door.

Kyoya expects much more of a mess than he's greeted with. Despite a few papers strewn about your bed covering and your laptop open near the edge, nothing else seems out of place. He doesn't know what he expected of your room, but it fits you more than he can describe.

You fold your legs beneath your body and pick up your laptop to place it in your lap, ready to begin work. Your eyes dart up from the screen to gaze at Kyoya, standing in the middle of your room as his eyes bound across the room.

"Aren't you going to sit?" You gesture to a number of comfortable surfaces in your room. There's plenty of room on your bed, given the size, but a chair would also suffice. Anything but watching him stand in the center of the room awkwardly would be acceptable.

"Right." you seem to have ripped him from a dizzy daydream and he settles for a chair near your bed. You don't pay his decision much attention and open your empty document.

"I just... can't come up with a single thing to put in this essay." you toss your hands up indignantly, creasing your brow in irritation as your blinking cursor continues to mock you.

"Typically these essays are supposed to reflect your inner workings, tell your university of choice who you are." Kyoya opens his own laptop and begins a new document.

"That's the problem, I've got nothing." you huff, tossing your laptop gently to the side and lying back on your sheets.

"What do you mean you've got nothing?" Kyoya all but chuckles at your antics. You sit halfway up to glare at him.

"I mean I've got nothing! Absolutely nothing comes to mind when thinking about myself. I feel like I can evaluate others just fine, but when it comes to myself... I'm just-"

"Oblivious?" Kyoya's eyes cautiously find yours over his laptop screen. He took the words right out of your mouth.

"I-... yeah, exactly." You're at a loss for words. How did he know?

"I can relate to that to a certain extent." Kyoya resonates with you on a deep level.

You cross your legs casually, "What did you write about?"

Instinctively, Kyoya's eyes fly to your legs where your shorts ride up as your leg folds over your other leg. He physically shakes the thought from his head and meets your eyes again. Or, at least your face.

"Me?" it's a stupid question. He can't say he's ever asked a stupid question before. But there it was, coming right from between his lips.

"Yes, you." You giggle at his question. He curses himself and his hormones for his behavior.

"I just..." What did he write about? Why is it suddenly so hard to remember? When did it get so hot in your room?

"I remembered what my sister told me... when I was struggling with my essay. She said just to tell them that 'Kyoya Ootori is blank', and that seemed to be a good outline for what I wanted to say."

"I think plenty of stories from your adventures in the Host Club helped with that, a little." you tease as you crawl up onto your bed, feeling more comfortable in his presence.

"Indeed it did. Aside from that, you want to be sure not to reiterate anything in your resume. As much as the Host Club is a large part of mine, I tried to avoid restating it too much." Kyoya advises as he pulls a copy of his essay from the depths of his many documents.

"Right. That's smart." it seems like a silly thing to say. Most of what comes from Kyoya's brain and out of his mouth is smart. You dig into your files and find your resume, opening it up and scrolling through it.

"Hm. See, I've already got my family history on here... let's see..." you squint at the bright screen in your dimly lit room.

"And your family doesn't define you." Kyoya's statement is bold and garish. You glance at him.

"How do you mean?" You tilt your head.

"I didn't put my family in my essay at all. It didn't seem like something I wanted them to define me as." Kyoya finds the words to say easily.

"I see what you mean. As much as they don't know about you, your family should be one of the unknowns." You try to comprehend his advice in your own way.

As you begin typing away, you glance at him one last time. "Why're you still all the way over there? Come up here." you pat the bed next to you firmly, a clear gesture to join you on the mattress.

Kyoya hesitates a moment. Finally, he complies and sits cross-legged next to you on the bed, laptop in a similar position to yours. He tries his best to keep his posture straight, God only knows how that will feel in the morning if he doesn't.

The clacking of your fingers on the keys and the clicking of his mousepad ring in the silence. Occasionally, your typing stops and Kyoya glances up to find that you're stuck- eyebrows furrowed and tongue poking the inside of your cheek as your eyes read and reread over your draft.

Eventually, you let out a frustrated hum and scoot closer to him, much to his surprise. "Alright, here's what I have so far."

It seems you really only need someone to bounce ideas off of. Kyoya hasn't provided much help, although a few pieces of advice, but most of what you're writing you've come up with on your own. He finds himself not focused on what you're saying at all, but the way your lips form around words as you speak, the way your fingers slightly tremble as they grasp behind your laptop as if you're nervous, the way your eyes flit to and fro across the screen as you read.

And suddenly you're finished. You glance up at him, gauging his reaction. Once he notices that your lips have stopped moving, he glances up to meet your eyes as well. Nothing of what you said made it to his ears. Not one bit. A faint blush spreads across his face at the thought of being caught staring.

"Well?" you ask in the silence.

Kyoya's eyes linger on you before casting down to his own laptop. "I-um... good- it's good, yeah." he scratches the back of his neck and chews anxiously on the inside of his cheek.

What kind of spell have you put on him? What kind of creature are you to render the Kyoya Ootori unable to concentrate or form a coherent sentence? What kind of sorcery is this?

"Kyoya." You call him out of his thoughts in a stern voice. His gray irises move up to you in a hurry.

"You didn't hear a word of what I just said."

And there it is. You pointed it out. Kyoya feels his heart twang. Damn his sudden emotions, they aren't supposed to come to him in a rush like this.

"I'm sorry, I was... distracted." he decides on after a moment of thinking.

"What could you possibly be distracted by?" Kyoya can hear the irritation dripping from your voice but he can't help when his eyes glance at your lips at your inquiry.

You, you seductive wench.

You follow his gaze and know exactly what he's looking at. You feel a sudden confidence bloom in your chest at his incapability to speak.

Kyoya only looks back into your eyes when your lips tug up on one side, simpering up at him.

"Would it help to... take a break?" you gently shut the lid of your laptop and set it aside. Kyoya's heart picks up the pace.

"Potentially... yes. We should do something else. We should-"

You yank him by the collar and firmly press your lips to Kyoya's. His lips are pressed into a thin line, eyes wide and unsure of how to react.

You're kissing him. You're kissing him. Oh, God. He should do something, he should-

"You talk too much." you whisper against his lips and close your mouth again against his.

Kyoya can't help his eyes that flutter shut, can't help but inhale deeply, your scent overriding his senses. His mind screams your name because that's all he can think of. y/n, y/n, y/n.

He would stop himself, but... he remembers...

First of all, you're his fiancé. This is what fiancés should do. It's almost expected.

And second of all, it's you. You're clouding his senses.

Self-control? Who's she?

Kyoya has no idea what he's doing. Not only has he never kissed anyone before, his mind is also melting, falling apart, how ever you want to describe it. It's useless, and he can't even comprehend how to reciprocate. And, oh, your lips are so soft. You taste like jasmine, lavender? No, jasmine. Jasmine is much more rich and seductive.

Luckily, you know what to do. Your lips are moving, almost mouthing at his own. Kyoya remembers what he's always heard; just mimic your partner.

He tries to do what you're doing, and it seems to work.

Speaking of you, your mind is screaming at you; what the hell are you doing?!

But when Kyoya starts to kiss you back, his lips moving in sync with yours, your nerves settle. You can't help your mouth stretching into a thin line, smiling as you acknowledge that his arms are stationary at his sides.

"Your arms go here." you grasp his wrists and place them on your waist. His hands feel tense, stiff.

Kyoya emits a noise and gently pushes against you, detaching his mouth from yours and taking a deep, open-mouthed breath in, like a man drowning and finally surfacing for a breath of air.

"I can't breathe." He exhales deeply, then. Now that you can get a better look at him, you can see his flushed cheeks and glazed-over eyes. His lungs were burning, otherwise he wouldn't have pulled away.

You giggle at him and Kyoya swears he hears angels from on high. Is this heaven? Has he ascended to the great beyond?

But when the neurons in his brain start firing again, all he can see is your and your cheeks painted a pretty pink, eyes hooded as you gaze at him with a look he's never seen before.

You? Heaven? Same word, different letters.

Suddenly, as much as Kyoya needs air, he needs you again. But, he's not sure if he wants to move toward you. He's conflicted. He should have much more self control, but when you intrude on his thoughts (a very much welcomed intrusion), he can't find himself caring enough to stop.

"Who would've thought? Kyoya Ootori, you are a very talented kisser." You chuckle seductively as you release your grip on his collar.

"Had some experience?" there's a certain type of humor in your tone. You've always resorted to using jokes to cover up negative emotions; like jealousy, in this case. Kyoya really is a good kisser... you can only wonder where or with who he learned how.

"No." Kyoya answers immediately, shaking his head defiantly. You raise an eyebrow, relief flooding your senses.

"Oh?" is all you can say. You can feel the dread of a sudden lull in the conversation.

"No, I just... mimicked you." he admits, thoroughly winded.

You bite your lip to suppress a much too large smile, reaching for your laptop and pacing to your desk to set it there.

"I think we've done enough for tonight. Thank you... for your help. And, everything else." you tease, clasping your hands behind your back and swaying on your feet. You leap back onto your bed and tuck your legs beneath you.

Kyoya exhales, then fumbles with himself and then his things. "Right. Right, I'll just..." He's almost to your door, but you tug on his shirt to keep him from going too far.

"Won't you stay the night?" Your voice is soft and pleading, quite contrasting to your earlier confidence.

Kyoya takes a glimpse of your hand grasping the fabric of his clothing.

"With me?" you clarify after a moment.

"But, your parents..." Kyoya reminds you that the two of you are not alone in this house.

You laugh humorlessly, "You've met my parents, haven't you? I'm not so convinced they'll care if you stay or go."

"Do... you care if I stay or go?" Kyoya tries cautiously. Because that's all that really matters. It's your opinion he cares about. For once, he finds himself putting someone else's opinion above his own.

"Do you want me to care?" that's not really the response he's looking for. He wants you to be vulnerable first.

The silence in your room is deafening. Neither of you speak but you can practically feel the nerves radiating off of one another.

"I should probably go."

Kyoya regrets it. Oh, he can't even begin to describe how much he regrets what he's said, but he can't let his guard down for longer than he has.

You feel your heart wrench at his words, "Yeah, yeah. It's probably best." You wrest yourself from your bed and swiftly move on to your nightly routine so as to distract yourself.

"Right." Kyoya gathers his things and waits at your doorway, silently begging for you to call him back to you. Back into your arms, back into the warm safety of your embrace.

But you don't. You don't even spare him a glance as you make your way to your bathroom.

"I'll see you soon." he calls. The end of school means he doesn't get to see you everyday. Not without initiating.

"See you. Goodnight." Kyoya can almost hear the pain in your voice, the trembling. He winces at himself.

"Goodnight." he walks himself to your front door, slipping out without another glance behind him.

When he leaves, the pain sets in. You grip the edges of your sink with fervor and your eyes squeeze shut tightly. You shouldn't have taken a chance, how could you think something like that would work out for the better?

Soon after your routine, you wrap yourself in your blankets and swaddle yourself in sorrow, your heart pounding with a dull aching pain. You find it hard to breathe, hard to catch your breath. You groan and bury your body beneath the blankets, settling in for a dreamless sleep.

Whatever troubles tomorrow brings can't compare to the agonizing pain of the present.

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~ 🌹🌹🌹

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nanawritesit · 1 year

Text

Being the Unofficial Gardener of the Ouran High School Host Club Headcanons

anonymous said: “Hi! I've read your rules and i really like the ohshc thing you did so I'm going to request if that's ok? this is like an Oc without a name, Reader is the quote and unquote gardener of the host club. ( i cannot believe they just don't have a supplier when they use that many flowers i mean c'mon) Their grandpa owns a successful business selling flowers. Reader's grandpa raised them, Thats because readers mom died giving birth to them and readers dad died of cancer. (Reader used to get bullied for this since all the other kids at school thought their grandpa was going to sell them). Reader kind of has this standoffish personality. but just doesn't know how to communicate properly when you get to know them, they're actually really goofy.”

It’s true, the host club could never function without a reliable flower supplier. And lucky you, your grandfather happened to own the most successful flower business in the country. That’s how you were able to afford going to Ouran Academy.

The partnership began during your first year there. You shared a few classes with Kyoya, but you were never very close with him because of his intimidating family background.

He was also a bit intimidated to talk to you because of your closed off personality, and the rumors that had been going around about you being bought from your parents by a strange old man for garden labor didn’t help.

However one day, he decided to listen in on a conversation you were having with one of your friends. You were talking about a great sale your grandfather had made to supply flowers for a government ceremony.

He immediately felt guilty for falling victim to vicious gossip, but connected the dots about your family quickly. And of course, that got the gears in his head turning.

He was still in the early planning stages of founding the Host Club with Tamaki, and securing a trustworthy flower supplier was something they had been worried about

So, being the strategic communicator he is, he smoothly approached you and invited you over to the Ootori residence for a cup of tea

You were shocked that someone with such high status as him was interested in associating with you, but as soon as you realized it was a business proposition, you opened up a bit more

You were happy to get your grandfather another customer, especially one as wealthy as Kyoya, and soon you were making plans on what flowers and what arrangements he wanted

Fast forward to now, you’re both second years and the Host Club is thriving, you almost can’t keep up with the amount of flowers they go through

Most of the work you do is behind the scenes, so you didn’t really get to interact with any of the other club members

That was, until one day when your grandfather asked you to make a delivery to the club with a huge batch of flowers so he could attend a business meeting

You were nervous, but agreed anyway. Luckily there weren’t any guests in the music room yet, just the club members

Immediately a gush of rose petals blew in front of your face, and the sight of six handsome guys greeted you

You just stood there like a deer in the headlights

Tamaki was the first to approach you, taking your hand in his and kissing the back of it

“Ah, what a beautiful blossom that’s bloomed before us as our first guest today. Would you do me the honor of telling me your name, my princess/prince/ noble?”

“Y/N?” a voice suddenly asked. You both looked over to see Kyoya entering the room, surprised to see you but not at all displeased.

“You know each other?” Tamaki gasped.

“Yes, this is Y/N Y/L/N. They’re the grandchild of our flower supplier. It’s all thanks to them that we have enough flowers for all our events.”

All the guys immediately started crowding you, asking you a million questions at once.

You were a little overwhelmed, but just smiled politely and answered all their questions.

“You’re so lovely, it’s a wonder I haven’t seen you around the academy before.” Tamaki smirked, flirtatious as always.

“Well, I tend to hang out in the shadows. Back in middle school everyone made up rumors about me and it made me a bit of a loner.” you explained with a shy chuckle.

“Yeah, I heard your parents went bankrupt and sold you to their old loan shark to get out of debt.” Hikaru commented nonchalantly.

“Yeah, and I heard you’re an indentured servant who has to do hard physical labor everyday after school.” Kaoru added.

Tamaki immediately turned around and scolded them, waving his arms and yelling at them to be more polite in the presence of a lady/ gentleman/ noble.

“It’s okay Tamaki, I’m used to them all by now.” you chuckled. “My parents actually passed away when I was younger and left me in the care of my grandfather.”

“Y/N-chan, do you help grow the flowers too?” Honey asked excitedly, gazing up at you with huge eyes.

“Yes, I do actually! My grandfather taught me everything he knows about gardening, and it’s something I really enjoy doing!” you responded.

“Wow. That’s cool.” Mori said flatly. Although you could tell it was sincere.

“Why haven’t you introduced us to them before, Kyoya-senpai?” Haruhi asked, turning to the vice-president.

“I didn’t mean to keep them from you, there was just never an avid opportunity. But I suppose now is a good a time as any to make the introduction.” Kyoya answered, adjusting his glasses and turning towards you. “Y/N, meet the Ouran High School Host Club.”

They each went down the line telling you their names and types, which was quite entertaining. You had heard of the club’s popularity but never gotten around to visiting them.

“I’m sorry we go through so many flowers. It must be difficult to grow so many.” Haruhi said sympathetically.

“Oh it’s no strain on the business, I actually tend to most of your club’s stock personally so that my grandfather can focus on his other sales.” you reassured her. “However, I do sometimes wish I could grow more plants. I could probably run an entire garden just for the Host Club!”

Tamaki’s eyes immediately lit up. “Y/N, that’s a marvelous idea!”

“Hm? Oh no, I was only joking…” you laughed nervously.

“Actually, that might be a useful investment.” Kyoya began, placing his fist under his chin in thought. “It would be nice to have our own garden and not have to worry about business transactions.”

“Senpai, Y/N can’t grow us an entire garden for free!” Haruhi exclaimed. You were touched that she was immediately on your side.

“Don’t be silly, we’ll pay them an adequate salary.” Kyoya told you. “And of course a small share will be given to their grandfathers business as a courtesy.”

“I want to grow lots of pink flowers!” Honey cheered, jumping up and down in excitement.

“Think of all the schemes we could pull with a whole garden of flowers at our disposal!” the twins beamed in unison, joining hands and twirling around.

“I can see it now… lush bushes of roses and hydrangeas, hanging branches of cherry blossoms and orchids, cobblestone paths lined with lillies and tulips!” Tamaki declared, striking a grand pose at the center of the room. “Get ready men, because soon the Ouran Host Club will have a brand new garden!”

You looked around at all the chaos unfolding before you. Kyoya was already typing up a budget on his computer, Mori was chasing Honey around the room as he threw handfuls of rose petals in the air, and Haruhi just stood there with her head in her hands.

“I had to make a joke, didn’t I…” you sighed to yourself.

While you were initially overwhelmed at the daunting prospect of creating an entire garden, it turned out to not be so bad. Kyoya handled most of the property scouting and landscaping with his endless business connections. You were pretty much just in charge of picking what flowers to grow and taking care of them.

And so, everyday after school, you would go to the new garden behind the building and tend to your flowers :) Your grandfather was very happy that you were making friends and spending less time at the business

Haruhi would usually come by to help you water the plants when she needed to sneak away from the chaos of the club

She loved your chill personality, and you always made her laugh and forget her stress in a second :)

You had your suspicions about her gender from the beginning, but you never really cared. You didn’t really see people as labels, just who they where on the inside. It was this mindset that actually made her comfortable enough to confide her secret in you!

Honey would sometimes come by and bring you some cakes that were leftover from the club activities, and you’d sit on a swing and eat them together <3

Sometimes he would bring Mori along, and while you were a little shy around him, you were happy to see that he was also interested in your gardening. He would often ask you what different flowers symbolized, and what kind of care certain flowers needed

The twins would come by to gather flowers for their various schemes, and would often encourage you to take a break and have some fun with them!

The three of you would run around the gardens, playing tag and hide and seek until you were all so tired you were sprawled out in the grass, panting and laughing wildly

Kaoru was happy to see Hikaru finally opening up to someone, and would sometimes try to give the two of you space to talk by yourselves

Hikaru could listen to you talk about flowers for hours and never get bored. He also liked to tuck them behind your ear, smiling at how pretty you looked <3

Tamaki always seemed to be busy tending to his numerous princesses, but every once in a while he would come by to thank you for making this all possible

And of course, he couldn’t help but flirt with you a bit :)

“All these gorgeous blossoms… and yet none of them compares to your beauty, my dear.”

You would’ve fallen for him had you not been so smart

Kyoya was probably the one you saw most often, as he was the one you knew the longest and the one who planned out most of the garden

He was always making sure you had enough equipment and starts, and discussing new arrangement ideas with you

“Are you sure it’s not too much work for you, Y/N?” he asked sincerely.

“Oh it’s not too bad, it’s not like I’m working myself to the bone.” you reassured him. “I mean yeah, it would be nice to have some help, but it would have to be from someone who understands gardening.”

“Why don’t you start a gardening club?” he proposed.

You jaw unhinged in shock. “Oh Kyoya, that’s a wonderful idea, but I don’t know the first thing about starting a club.”

“I do, and I can help you. I founded this club after all.” he smiled, adjusting his glasses.

After a few weeks of paperwork and meeting with the school board, you became the president of the Ouran High School Gardening Club :)

The guys were all so proud of you, they decided to host a ball in your honor!

You were hesitant at the idea, still a bit self conscious of all the rumors that had been spread about you in the past

But after much convincing, you agreed. The twins even got you a custom ball outfit from their mother’s fashion line!

Tamaki took his place at the foot of the staircase to greet all the guests, making your heart beat out of your chest from behind the double doors.

“Welcome princesses, princes, and nobles of Ouran Academy! Thank you so much for attending this ball in celebration of the founding of the Ouran Gardening Club! The president of this club is someone that the Host Club is very close with. In fact, if it weren’t of them, there wouldn’t be a single rose petal at any of our events. Please join me in welcoming Y/N Y/L/N!”

You then made your entrance, a light downpour of rose petals floating around you as you descended the staircase <3

You looked around to see everyone cheering for you and smiling at you admiringly. You started wondering why you ever retreated into the shadows in the first place. It was almost enough to bring a tear to your eye.

Halfway through your decent, you looked down to see all seven members of the Host Club holding a bouquet of your favorite flowers! They must have asked your grandfather what they were ;)

As you reached the bottom of the staircase, the applause ended. Then, all the guys held out their bouquets to you with warm smiles.

“Thank you for being our gardener Y/N!”

292 notes · View notes

ellssbellss · 1 year

Text

Lavender Roses ~ Kyoya Ootori x Reader

pairing ~ Kyoya Ootori x reader

Happy 1 year to Lavender Roses and this entire, wonderful blog. Without you, this story wouldn't have reached as many people as it has. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much.

-> summary: "But not anymore. You haven’t been alone for a long time, (Y/n), not since you joined the club. Not since you met me."

-> word count: 25.6k (she extra, extra long just for you)

tw! the scene on the cliff gets a little intense, mentions of blood, demeaning language against women, slight PTSD, weaponry (knives), verbal assault, physical assault, sexual misconduct.

legend:

(M/n) - mother's name

(n/l) - native language

(s/c) - skin 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

The Sun, The Sea, and The Host Club

Silence was so underrated.

Before the host club, you thought of yourself as a sole extrovert. At the wish of your mother, you did everything you could to make solid connections with the kids in your year, flapping your wings from friend group to friend group, thinking that social fulfillment was a simple blueprint of friends, tons of conversation, and no alone time.

But then you would come home, and the minute you stepped in your room, your energy would deflate like the school bag next to your desk, setting it down with a thud!.

The comforter on your bed would dip, giving way invitingly as you sprawled across the duvet. It would hug your figure, caressing every tired muscle and massaging every sense that might’ve been overstimulated. Familiar air would flow through your nose and into your lungs, and you could finally just sit in the silence.

Your stomach would dip in guilt, even as you selfishly indulged in the absence of sound; of people. The people in your school were nice, polite, and didn’t necessarily do anything for you to not want to be around them. It’s just that there was no connection. No undeniable force that pulled you to them, no little ball of light in your stomach after spending time with them. Maybe a business connection was made, but no connection of personality, of soul.

There was a connection, however, with the silence. With your parent’s interesting habit of constant travel, you learned to respect your own thoughts and instincts, and they became a reliable companion in your never-ending search for genuine companionship. Maybe a few had made their way past your standards, like the boy you kissed under the tree, or maybe a student who sometimes traded her lunch for yours.

But the silence was really your friend.

You didn’t realize how much you could fully enjoy it until you met the Host Club. Until you met Kyoya.

Because now, you had someone to enjoy it with.

On the same duvet, you laid on your stomach, casual lounge wear draping over your body like a soft breeze, comforting and refreshing compared to the uniform you were forced to adorn. Knees bent, your ankles crossed in the air above you as you flipped a page in your textbook, highlighting the most important sentence in the paragraph with a bright yellow highlighter before switching to a new color for secondary information. Your head rested in your hand as the other threaded the blue highlighter through your fingers, the sound of plastic clicking against the rings on your finger adding to the sound of typing and the occasional sigh.

Next to you, Haruhi reclined. Instead of her stomach, she rested on her back, your pillows supporting her weight as her arms braced a book. She was nearly at the end, her eyes focused as they zigzagged down the page before shifting to the next one, engrossed in the storyline of her historical fiction.

Reading the passage you were on until your eyes had gone crossed, you turned to Haruhi to ask how her book was going before a sharp twang hit the back of your head.

A pen fell onto the bed, and Haruhi met your eyes in surprise before you both heard snickering behind you.

Rolling your eyes, you turned to see Hikaru and Kaoru fight to stop their shaking shoulders as they went back to their Nintendo games. Their thumbs turned the joysticks with no real purpose; they just wanted to look innocent.

It didn’t take much thought for you to chuck the highlighter in your hands back at them, smacking Hikaru in the forehead.

The two armchairs your mom had picked out to accent your bedroom made it hard to escape your impeccable aim as you sacrificed another writing utensil, a pencil thumping against Kaoru’s chest. The twins gasped a little, before they smirked and shrugged, placing the study tools on the small table between them, making it clear you were not getting them back.

A frustrated growl lovingly rumbled in the back of your throat as you turned to rifle through your bag, intending to pull out your entire pencil case for more ranged weapon options, before your eyes met with a deep brown.

Mori arched an eyebrow at you as he sat on a bean bag that decorated your floor, encouraging a silent conversation between the two of you. His eyes squinted slightly, as if to say Don’t do it.

Scoffing, you gestured lightly to the gingered haired brothers as they continued to ignore you, mischievous smiles playing on their faces as they watched the interactions between you.

The stoic just shook his head, his earphones dangling lightly on his ears as he turned his attention back to his phone which was probably playing a youtube video on martial arts. Mori always thought he could learn more about his practice.

Your shoulders dropped as you huffed, but in your heart you knew he was right, lest you wanted to litter your floor with anything and everything you and the twins found to throw at each other. This time, you shuffled through the case trying to find a new highlighter, or anything to underline what you needed to in your book.

You came up empty, the bag only consisting of lead containers, cool erasers, and a few expo markers. And who would ever use dry-erase markers on paper?

Next to Mori, Honey kneeled on the floor as he watched you rummage through your bag that leaned on your bed frame, once, twice, and then a third time as your luck didn’t improve. Curiously, he looked down at his coloring book, the rolling meadows already colored in a deep green with a bright yellow sun in the corner. The boy-lolita’s plump cheeks rose as he thought of an idea, grabbing the green and yellow colored pencil before pressing the tops of his feet down on the soft carpet.

Standing up, he toddled over to your side of the bed, passed the bedroom couch that Tamaki slept on, and laid the two colors out in front of you.

Seeing that his height only allowed him to barely see over your mattress, when you saw the things he offered you, you had to shift to the edge of your bed to hug him tightly, cooing a gentle thank you in his ear before letting go.

His light brown eyes were bright as he just nodded, Honey’s blonde hair bobbing with the movement as he started to walk away, but you caught his shoulder.

Beckoning him back to you, you leaned down and whispered in his ear, your stomach almost hanging off your sheets.

“Could you also grab a red pen from my desk drawer?”

Always willing to help, Honey eagerly nods, padding across the carpet to the far side of your bedroom. As he gets closer, he realizes that he has no idea where you keep your pens, or really anything about how your desk is organized. How was he to find it without messing everything up?

Once his small figure makes it to your desk, he figures to ask the host sitting in your comfortable desk chair, a pair of glasses reflecting the light of a screen.

A space on your forever cluttered desk was cleared for Kyoya’s computer. Blue and white light shines on the megane’s face as he types, switching between windows to reference his resources for a large research paper he is working on.

When he feels a tug on his sleeve, the Ootori son utilizes his skill to be able to type without looking as he slips his gaze onto the martial arts master. Kyoya only pauses his menstruations when Honey looks pointedly behind him, and he turns his lean frame to see you watching the pair of hosts expectantly, spinning the remaining blue highlighter between your forefinger and your thumb.

Rolling his eyes, he opens the drawer to his left, plucking a red ballpoint pen out from the stash you kept for moments like these and handed to his senpai before the clacking of his keyboard fills the air once more.

And when Honey hands you your pen, a small smile is penciled on your face as you casually glance around your room.

Your friends enhanced every corner in your bedroom, their presence secure and safe. Spreading your smile even wider, you go back to scanning the pages of your textbook, a contentedness warming your chest. Your definition of silence had changed into something that didn’t need to be hidden, but something that wanted to be shared.

And you were willing to soak in that feeling forever, but you had no such luck.

Sharp heels clicked against the polished tile of your home, but before you had time to think about the fact that someone had broken in, your mother’s voice managed to carry through the mansion with ease.

“(Y/n)! We’re home!” (N/l) reached the entrance to your bedroom.

Neck straining with the movement, you quickly broke your attention from your book and swung your legs over the side of your mattress.

Passing the awakening Tamaki, your bare feet padded to the door of your bedroom and you peaked around the corner.

Household maids, butlers, and anyone else employed by your family rushed past the mouth at the end of the hallway, finding the foyer that was right outside the opening. You follow their blurred movements as white uniforms come back the way they came, luggage piled in their arms and around their shoulders.

You sweat dropped, your heart picking up speed as you turn to the host club behind you.

Next to you, you saw a paused menu from the twin’s switches as they stretched their necks around you, trying to see who was calling for you. Tamaki was rubbing his vibrant purple eyes as he leaned on the back of the couch at the end of the bed, looking to a curious Haruhi to ask her what was going on?

Honey watched you from his coloring book as he chewed on the end of a pencil before turning to Mori, who was still engrossed in his video, minding his own business.

Kyoya still typed, and he too was ignoring the arrival of your parents, although you caught a not-so-subtle side eye behind the frame of his glasses.

Uncertainty waved through your vocal chords as you held up your pointer finger to the group. “Uh, give me one second.” You stepped out before swinging half of your body back into your room, sending a pointed look at the twins. “Stay here.”

And then you were gone.

Your feet touched cool tiles as you made your way to the main entrance of your home, that chandelier still sparkling, even if no sunlight was pouring in. You hadn’t even realized how long you had been studying, considering the club had arrived early this afternoon.

“Mom?” Your native language was confused on your tongue. At your call, she came around the corner that led to the kitchen, strikingly well put together considering having just come home from a two-week business trip in Belgium. Or what was supposed to be two weeks.

“Darling!” Your mother’s mouth twisted into a closed, but genuine, smile as she opened her arms out, hugging you deeply before parting from your touch. Your hold on her was loving, but still weary as you remembered what – or who was in your bedroom.

“Not that I’m not happy to see you, because I am, but what are you doing back so early?” You put on a small smile as you watched her fly between one maid to another, directing them on where to put her bags.

“The meetings ran long, but that meant that we got to finish up a couple days earlier than we planned. Marney helped keep our schedule tight so that I could surprise you!”

A hesitant chuckle seeped out of you as you walked behind your mother, even if your heart skipped at the thought that she had wanted to come home early for you.

“Well, you got me! I’m surprised!” Your tone felt too bright in your throat, but you released a breath as your mom walked straight past the hallway leading to your bedroom. “Where’s Dad?”

“Still in the car,” she replied, releasing her (h/c) hair from her ponytail as she made her way to the master suite, shaking the tension out of her roots. “You know how he gets about bringing germs from our travels into the house.”

You hummed as you nodded. When you were born, your father had been so worried for his first and only child’s health that he had adopted the habits of a germaphobe. And being the incredibly consistent man he was, he never broke out of it.

“But how was your day, dear?”

Your teeth scraped against the inside of your cheek before forming a reply. “It was good, just studied with some friends.” Not a total lie.

“That’s it?”

A small sigh left you. “Yeah, mom, that’s it.”

She hummed thoughtfully, but changed the subject, and you felt the silent judgment drip down your back, wetting your spine with its sludge.

“You’ll never guess who I saw at the Belgium Conference.” You stopped in the door of her room as she pranced around her bed, lugging one of the suitcases into her arms and onto the expensive sheets in front of her.

“Who?”

The bedroom light glowed a warm yellow against the darkness of the windows as she popped open the case by its latches. “Tomoya Arai.”

Your eyebrows raise. A sense of awareness washed over you, but you couldn’t quite place it. “Why does that same sound familiar?”

“You went to middle school with his son for a year or two before their family moved. Turns out they moved back to Japan a few years before we did!”

“Arai…Arai…” Your finger came up to scratch the wrinkle that had folded between your eyebrows. It felt salty on your tongue, the syllables releasing something recognizable, but the image was still a blur. You just shrugged. “I don’t really remember him.”

“That’s not surprising,” The woman ticked her tongue against her teeth. “His son was pretty quiet.” Rummaging through her luggage, her hands pulled out something wrapped in a thin, brown paper, too large to be another novelty pin.

The package crimped from her featherlight grasp as your mother shifted it into one hand before walking away from her bed towards you. Behind the parchment, you could see a sparkly fabric, and surprise etched onto your features as she took the steps to place the gift in your palms.

“Here, baby.” Her voice, one that would be yours in a few years, smoothed over your shock as you felt the weight of the clothing in your hands. You met her eyes again, still processing what she had given you.

“This…this isn’t a pin.”

“Or a postcard.” She said with a knowing smile as you stared down at the tiny diamonds dotting the dark fabric, still hidden behind the transparent paper.

Having contained her excitement for the entire trip back from Belgium, your mother clapped her hands in front of her. “Open it!”

It took you a minute to hear what she said, but soon you were gracefully peeling back the tan sheets, gasping as a deep, royal blue was presented from behind its curtain.

“Mom…” Once freed, the floor length dress billowed down to your feet as you unfolded it, the soft velvet fabric tracing against your arms and then your legs. You held it up as it winked back at you, the small, twinkling stars catching the light against the dark night of the gown.

“Isn’t it gorgeous?” The thin straps of the dress were transferred from your fingers to your mothers as she turned it around to place it against your front, finding that it was the perfect length for your height. “Oh my god, I just knew it would look amazing on you.”

You tilted your head down as you watched the navy dress being held against your body. It was expensive and extremely formal. The straight neckline was held up by delicate straps, while the length of the gown was an uninterrupted starry night, save for a slit up your mid-right thigh.

Could you even pull something like this off?

“Really?”

“Really,” Her eyes meet your own. “You’re becoming a woman, (Y/n), and this is the perfect dress to celebrate that.” Draping it over her arm, she handed the dress back to you as she busied herself with the rest of the luggage. You didn’t miss the extra spark in her step.

“I want you to wear that to dinner tonight.” A manicured finger pointed back at you as she started to pull clothes from her suitcase once more. Fancy blouses and modest pencil skirts lined the contents, but their colors blurred together at the mention of dinner.

“What?” Eyeing the lower neckline and the higher slit of the dress, the image of your usual Sunday night dinners came into your mind. Your dad in his t-shirt and expensive sweatpants, your mom with her hair undone and a casual dress swimming over her. And there you sat, glittering like a spotlight, trying to pull the slit of this dress closed before you could take a simple sip of water.

“The dinner. You need to wear that gorgeous thing tonight, baby, to make a good impression.”

“A good impression?” You followed your mom into her bathroom as she rounded the corner, slipping her jewelry off to place them in the dish that had a little symbol of the (L/n) Tech gracing the porcelain. “For who?”

“Arai and his family. They are coming over for dinner tonight.”

Again, the style of the dress came to the forefront of your mind, and you imagined tugging at the neckline uncomfortably in front of people you didn’t even know.

Stuttering, an awkward smile came to your face as you glanced down at the dress before lifting your head up to your mother once more. “Mom, I have plenty of business casual attire to wear for something like that. Why do I need to…to wear this?”

In the mirror, you saw a small pout form on the CEO’s lips. “You don’t like it?”

“No! No, I do!” Like a switch, the people-pleaser in you shined as you gestured to the sparkle of the gown. “It’s beautiful, really. It’s just…it might be a little inappropriate, don’t you think?”

A simper reflected back at you as your mom made a sweet coo before turning around and placing her ringless fingers on your cheeks. “You are a woman, (Y/n). A gorgeous, capable woman. Let the world see that.”

“I don’t see how a dress shows that I’m a capable woman.” Your squished cheeks deadpanned in her hold.

“It doesn’t. It just amplifies it.”

Now her hands were on your shoulders, and you’re being pushed out of the room. Her painted nails grab your forearm as she swiftly exits her bedroom and turns back into the entryway, with you in tow.

Worry starts back into your bloodstream as she turns on her heel, intending to take you back into her bedroom. You tried to dig your feet into the expensive tile, but her tug was too strong, and you needed to distract her before she opened the door to find seven random people in your goddamn bedroom.

“Wait, Mom! I, uh-”

“Don’t fight me on this, (Y/n).” The tone of a successful businesswoman laces into her speech, and you knew better than to struggle any further. With her back turned to your room, she flings open the door and grasps your shoulder. “Get changed, and meet us in the foyer in an hour. I’ll handle everything else.”

With that, she shoves you inside, turning towards the entrance of your room. You hold your breath as she meets the curious, and slightly worried stare of each of the hosts, Tamaki and the twin’s eyes wide with uncertainty.

Only a second of surprise wipes across her face before it settles into a confused, but welcoming grin. “Hi, boys.” Glancing at the brunette frozen on your bed, she adds, “And Haruhi.”

Your jaw was so agape, it nearly got caught in the door as your mother effectively shut it behind her.

And suddenly you were frozen in your own bedroom, bare feet frozen to the ground as a dress that cost as much as a small country hung loosely from your forearms.

Your friends stare back at you as an awkward silence fills the room as they try to piece together the events that had taken place outside of your bedroom. Tamaki and Haruhi note the state of your open jaw, while Mori and Kyoya see the confusion in your eyes. Honey-senpai worries over his coloring mostly, but he takes a peak at your stiff, shocked stance.

The golden hued gaze from the children of a fashion designer sweep past that, however, and spot the sparkling magnum opus that was being clutched close to your chest.

Shooting up from their seat, Hikaru and Kaoru crowd around you, pulling the piece of clothing out from your firm grasp.

“(Y/n)...” For once, Hikaru is at a loss for words, his eyelashes sifting through each tiny diamond.”

Kaoru is just as breathless, his already light-voice becoming airy in his astonishment. “What is this?”

Blinking, the twin’s orange hair finally comes into focus as you process your mother’s unpredicted reaction to a group of boys in your room, but you decide to ask her about it later. “Uh…it’s…what did you say?”

Holding it up by its straps, Kaoru raises the dress up to your body, similar to how your mother had presented it, while Hikaru lays out the skirt, the velvet material flowing over your figure.

“That’s beautiful…” You hear Tamaki’s voice in front of you now, and as he swoops into your view, you watch as the idiotic trio basically commit the dress to their memory. Their minds work with a great effort, picturing you in the dress, how the dark blue of the material would compliment the undertone of your skin. How the shape would accent your silhouette.

Tamaki’s mental theater shimmered, pink and gold lights bordering the image of one of his best friends dressed to the nines, looking glorious and worthy of the most valuable jewels.

The twin’s imagination took a different approach, thinking of the dark-haired director that sat just inches away.

But all three came to the same conclusion.

��You need to put this on immediately.” As if the twin’s had temporarily transferred their telepathy to Tamaki, the trio looked you dead in the eye, dramatic determination swirling in yellow and purple irises.

Finally shaking off the fact that your mother had zero reaction to seven random people in your room, you rolled your eyes, taking back the dress with a huff before draping it back over your arm. “I will, but you guys need to go.”

You looked at the rest of the host club, an apologetic tone glazing over your tongue. “My mom invited some old family friends over for dinner tonight. So, in addition to this,” you gestured to the dark blue fabric, “I need to get everything else ready in less than an hour.”

Shrugging, the host club watches as a sheepish posture curls into your spine. “I guess this is the end of our study session.”

Haruhi, Mori and Kyoya give you a gentle nod as they each begin to pack up their things. The more vocal of the three smiles her pretty simper at you from the place on your bed. “Don’t worry about it, (Y/n), there’s always next wee-”

“You have to try on this dress! Right! Now!”

“Tamaki!” You exclaim as your blonde best friend parks himself into your personal space, interrupting Haruhi’s calm response.

“Don’t ‘Tamaki’ me!” The prince suddenly spins you around, toward the doors leading to your en-suite bathroom. “You will march right in there and put that dress on for us so that we can see how beautiful you are!”

“Excuse me?!”

“We’ll help!” Two arms loop through your elbow as the twins support your weight and begin to drag you into the bathroom. You thrash slightly in their hold, digging your bare heels into the ground below you.

“Hey! Wait just a second-!”

“Nope! Just like you said! We only have an hour!” Hikaru says, grunting slightly as he struggles to push you from your resistant position.

“Yeah, we wouldn't want to waste any time!” Kaoru reasons, and with one final push, the twins fall into the bathroom with you. The club watches as the force of your bodies swings the door on its hinges, shutting you and the twins out of their sight.

Tamaki stands outside of the door triumphantly before a deep sigh emits behind him, one that he knows all too well.

“Was that necessary? She just sprained her ankle a few weeks ago.”

The blonde spins to his best friend behind him as Kyoya fidgeted with his glasses. “Anything is necessary to bask in the light of beauty.” Tamaki declares in a lush tone, posing with a princely demeanor. “She is going to thank me when she steps out of there looking like a goddess!”

Kyoya was about to argue, but a noise behind the bathroom doors proved the point he was going to make. The ravenet quirked an eyebrow, his gaze going past his best friend and beyond, settling on the bathroom door as it shook slightly.

Tamaki turned back around as muffled shouting and banging seeped through the cracks, and Haruhi and Honey tried their best to conceal their laughter at what they could make out through the ruckus.

“Hikaru! Stop, I can do this myself!”

“Let us help you!”

“Kaoru if you don’t-, oh my god!”

“You just need to put this on, and then-what the hell?!” A gasp breathed from his lips.

“(Y/n), I swear to God.”

“Put it down-!”

The hosts wince and freeze as a crash rumbles from inside the bathroom wall. There was a baited pause as the club listened for any sound of life from the twins, just in case you killed them.

The silence didn’t last long, to their near relief, before Hikaru’s voice rushed back into the scene. “Did you just throw a hairdryer at me?!”

“Wanna see me do it again?” There’s more rustling, and more shocked breaths.

Suddenly, Kaoru’s voice crept closer to the doorframe. “Shit, why does she have so many heating tools?”

The wood of the door creaked, and then burst open as the twins sprinted out. The host saw a blur of ginger and gold as the brothers ducked one last time, a lone curling flying through the air. It would’ve hit the wall if Mori didn’t catch it with one hand, barely looking up from his phone.

“Get out!” A final warning from you, and the door slammed closed again, locking the twins out of your sight, which was probably the best position for their survival at the moment.

Falling onto their stomachs, cat-like eyes fall onto dress shoes and then trousers as the twins land at Kyoya’s feet.

Sheepish smiles appear on their faces as an annoyed grimace displays on Kyoya’s. They laugh awkwardly before both brothers stand, brushing themselves off and then straightening out each other’s clothes.

An awkward laugh bubbled out of them as they re-tied their ties. “She’ll be out in just a minute.”

“You guys are the worst.” Haruhi mumbles as she hangs her bag from her shoulder, having packed up the last of her studying materials.

Tamaki waved a flippant palm her way, a passive lilt in his voice. “She will be thanking us soon enough, Haruhi. How many opportunities does she have to get dressed up like this?”

“Speaking of…what is she really getting dressed up for anyways?” Kaoru asks, drawing the attention of every host to the twin brothers.

“Yeah, a dress like that isn’t for a casual business meeting, that’s for sure.” Hikaru confirms.

“You think (N/n)-chan has a date?” Honey says, no longer distracted by the coloring book he put away.

“What? A date?!” Tamaki whipped his head to the boy-lolita, his dramatics inflecting his tone. “(Y/n) said nothing about a date!”

“I can assure you…” The hosts’ attention is sharply drawn back to the door of your bathroom as it opens, the clicking of heels echoing behind you as you make your way back into your bedroom. “It is not a date.”

An amazed silence glazes over the room, expressed in wide glances and parted lips as your friends take you in. The last time they saw you dressed up like this was during the Ball of the Cherry Blossoms, or how you so endearingly called it when you thought back to the night everyone at Ouran danced under pink petals. And sure, they’ve seen you in the constant costumes and get-ups that really never seem to fit you just right.

But this dress?

God, this dress was made for you.

As you step into their view, the long, dark blue fabric hugs and caresses your figure with a divine purpose, enhancing every tasteful dip and curve that your body holds. A sharp neckline frames your collarbone with elegance as your hosts notice that you stand a little taller, more proud to look this good than you are letting on. The heels picked the front of your dress a little off the floor, but weren’t so high that the small train in the back was snuffed from its glory. The extra height made your refined hairstyle just that more pristine as you exited, putting it atop a higher mantle. The neutral, deep blue complimented every color of your eyes and skin, as if it’s one job was to enchant the very soul that was dressed within it.

The twins and Haruhi shake the stars from your dress out of their eyes and glance at Kyoya, hoping for any sort of reaction. They could see that the ravenet’s gray eyes had softened, his stoic expression melting into something of…amazement? Surprise? Neither the little devils or the natural really ever got better at reading the club’s director, but they could tell that he was definitely trying to process the art piece in front of him.

But if Kyoya had heard their thoughts, he wouldn’t agree. Not entirely.

You could never merely depict something as material and fragile as an art piece.

He thought you looked beautiful, of course. And the small diamonds that freckled the fabric that wrapped you so graciously clearly resembled something that should be placed into a museum.

But to him, you were not only the person his heart had begun to yearn for just months ago, but his best friend. The person he put his trust in and someone he knew would be at his side for better or for worse if he allowed. His best friend, who was anxious and ambitious, creative and kind, had just stepped into a light that was nearly otherworldly.

You were elevated, and his heart grew for the person he saw in front of him.

“Wow (Y/n),” The twins gasped slightly as their hands reached up to their chests., “Be still our heart.”

You rolled your eyes as you fidgeted slightly, waving your hands at your friends who were staring at you. “Shut up.”

“Wow, (N/n)-chan! You look so nice!” Honey bounds up to you gleefully, rainbow-tipped fingers from his creative escapades reaching out to grab the skirt of your dress. Gasps from the twins and Haruhi blow past him as he rushes up towards your form with a gleeful smile on his face.

Suddenly, a hand shoots out, gently yanking him back by the collar of his shirt. Mori keeps a firm grasp on him as his cousin runs in mid-air for a minute before setting him down. The boy lolita’s blonde hair bounces as he glances up towards the older host.

“It’s like a sculpture in a museum, Mitsukuni.” Mori’s deep voice carries over your bedroom. “Look, but don’t touch.”

But, as Honey sulks slightly in Mori’s grasp, the stoic can’t stop a second unbeatable force.

You feel weightless as you are lifted off the ground – long, delicate arms encasing your whole body in a firm embrace. Tamaki spins you around as he cheers and coos, his eyes almost morphing into a heart shape as he fangirls over you.

“Mon ami! You look so cute! Why don’t you ever dress up for us like this?” His usual buttery voice becomes strained with excitement as he twirls you around. He drones on and continues to spin to the point where you think you might throw up all over your new dress if he doesn’t stop.

“Tamaki.” Your muffled voice vibrates against the cotton of his shirt.

“...you need to wear this 24/7, every day of every week of every year!”

Vocal chords are constricted, and his name barely squeaks out of your throat. “Tamaki-”

“...and then, we can match! I know this color would bring out my eyes, oh we would be so cute (Y/n)!”

“Tamaki! Put me down!” Your sudden volume startles him for a moment, allowing you to twist out of his grasp. Your room spins a little, the floor becoming uneven as you are sat back down, the thin, strappy heels on your feet not helping the situation.

Tamaki’s hands shoot out to your shoulders, helping you find your balance. “Sorry, amour. I just get excited when my best friend is so beautiful!”

Your smile still finds its way to your lips as those violet eyes stare down at you with a bright adoration.

A small laugh bubbles past your lungs. “You’re good, Tamaki. Thank you.” Looking towards the rest of the club, you give them a nod. “Thank you guys, too. It means a lot.”

You had to admit, the dress did feel nice. The fabric was expensive, but stretchy, as it wrapped comfortably around your figure. It lifted and tucked nicely, while accentuating those parts you loved. Your mom really had you in mind when picking this out.

“Alright,” You clapped your hands a little and gestured toward the door. “I think I have to kick you guys out now.”

“Awe, what?” Honey whined as Mori stood off of the bean bag chair, lugging the lolita’s bag onto his shoulder along with his own.

“I’m sorry,” You say, clearly not wanting them to go. “You heard what my mom said, we have company coming over.”

“What kind of company?” A deep voice resonates.

You look over to Kyoya as he lightly places his laptop into his messenger bag, his trusty dry erase board following suit.

“My mom has a new aspiring business partner that she wants my dad and I to meet. I’m not really sure what they do, but apparently they are important.” You say as you pick up Tamaki’s bag, handing it to the blonde before folding up the blanket he was using to nap with.

“Wow, a new business venture…” Hikaru says, already halfway out the door.

“Hopefully your mom isn’t spreading herself too thin!” Kaoru finishes, following his brother out as they both slip past you as they exit your bedroom.

“Of course not! (Y/n)’s mother is a wonderful business woman. Don’t underestimate her greatness.” Tamaki exclaims as he and Haruhi walk into the hallway as well.

Soon, your bedroom is devoid of the liveliness of your host club as everyone leaves. All except one.

You wait by the doorway, fidgeting with the ankle strap of your heel as it twisted unnaturally while Kyoya packed up the last of his things.

“A new business partner. Interesting.” He says, slowly buckling his bag closed.

Your eyes squint at his slow movements. “Yeah, I’m not sure what’s really going to happen with this family, but I guess it couldn’t hurt to reach out a bit more.”

“And I assume that this won’t affect the relationship your mother has with the Ootori family?”

A (h/c) eyebrow picks up while your shoulder hits the door frame as you lean against it. “Of course not. I wouldn’t let that happen.”

A final click is heard as the megane closes his bag and wraps it over his shoulder. “I would hope not. It would be a significant loss for either of us.”

Humming, you nod as his dark shoes clack against your floor, the director making his way towards you. “Significant indeed.”

Kyoya stops in front of you, a gentle smirk on his face as his gaze peers at you from behind his frames.

“You look stunning, in case you haven’t heard.”

You laugh, the sound billowing out of your throat. “I think I’ve heard it too much.”

Your eyes divert from his own, and you catch your reflection in a mirror propped against your wall. Scanning yourself, it’s too easy to point out the flaws, to pick out the things that you’ve had to grow up with. The things you’ve forced yourself to accept, but you knew that if a genie magically appeared in your grasp, your first wish would be to wish them away.

Seeing a darker spiral in the distance of your train of thought, the path is interrupted by a softer, colder touch. Kyoya’s finger directs your stare from the reflection back to him as he puts a slight pressure under your chin.

There is a more sincere visage on his sharp features as he draws a little closer. “This dress fits you well. Insecurity, however, does not.”

Lips parting slightly, you swallow. The weight of his assurance for your potential is a shocking one, and through all the time that you’ve known him, you didn’t think that you could ever get over his constant belief in you.

“Thank you, Kyo.”

Another tap from his finger before his touch is gone. “Of course.”

You smile up at him, appreciating the softness of the moment, before a familiar call bonus through the outside hallway.

“(Y/n), dear! Your friends need to leave! Our guests will be here any minute!” Your mother’s voice rattles in (n/l), breaking you from the bubble you and Kyoya had created.

You let go of Kyoya’s fingers just as he lets go of yours, and you peek your head out of the door. “Coming!” You reply back in (n/l) before switching over to Japanese. “You ready?”

He nods, and the two of you begin to slip out into the hallway before you wince slightly.

“Shit.” You curse, gasping as a shot of dull pain pitches up your ankle.

Cotton blurs into your line of sight as Kyoya appears in front of you, his hand coming to rest on your elbow in support. “Is your ankle still bothering you?”

“A little, yeah.”

Air rushes over your arm as his touch leaves you, but he offers you his arm instead. “I can be of assistance.”

Gratefully, you sew your arm through his, pressing a little more of your weight into his side as you both begin down the hallway of your home.

“Do you know the name of the family you're meeting with tonight?” Kyoya asks as you begin to walk to the foyer.

“Arai. Apparently I knew his son back in elementary school. Him and his parents are coming over for some kind of special dinner.” You look towards Kyoya as you both keep a calm pace with one another. “Do you know them?”

A contemplative hand adjusts his glasses as Kyoya thinks. “Hm, not personally, but I have heard of them. Arai Produce is one of the main sellers for most of the products Japan’s supermarkets hold. They focus on selling very natural and holistic goods.”

“Oh, so not really down your alley then.”

The ravenet shrugs slightly as the main foyer comes into view. “As the saying goes, to each their own. I can understand the desire to use more natural products in our day to day life, as the earth could benefit more towards it.”

A small sigh blows over his lips. “But when it comes to the field of medicine, holistic followers tend to want to erase chemical medication completely. The research I’ve done shows that it should really become more of a balance rather than a battle to erase one or the other.”

“And the Arai's work to replace medications?”

“Not mainly, but they have advertised that most any common ailment can be cured with elderberry syrup and rest.”

You cringed a little. “Oh.”

“It’s not favorable, especially since they are such a large company with powerful influence.” Kyoya says, but when he sees the slight worry on your face he begins to look on a brighter side.

“They are reasonable people, I’m sure. They would have to be in order to receive the professional following that they hold.”

You hum thoughtfully, “Good to know.”

He nods as you guys join the rest of the club waiting at the front door.

“What took you guys so long?” Hikaru asks, arms folded while golden eyes catch where yours and Kyoya’s bodies meet.

“Too busy making out?” Kaoru teases, an evil smirk coming onto his face to match his brothers.

A cough blocks Kyoya’s air pipe as your jaw drops and a deep blush forms onto your face. You wack both of them on the shoulder with a decent amount of force, playful betrayal coming out of each slap. “If you two don’t shut up, I’m going to go grab more of my heat tools.”

The boys laugh and the wince as the memory of flying hair dryers and curling irons flips back into their memory. “Okay! Okay! We get it, stop!”

“(Y/n).” The laughing stops, and the host club watches as you immediately straighten at your mother’s voice. Her heels click sharply as her face gives a warm, professional smile. “Stop messing around and say goodbye.”

“Of course, Mom.” You turn back to your friends. “Thanks for coming, you guys, I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

Mori nods at you as Honey gives you a big hug. The twins push your shoulders gently as they look from you to your mom. “Thanks for having us, (L/n)-senpai.”

“Nice to see you too, boys.”

The gingers wave back to you as they walk out the door.

“Thanks, (L/n)-senpai, your home is lovely.” Haruhi says brightly, bowing to your mother before giving you a hug goodbye.

“Always lovely to see you, Miss (L/n).” Tamaki says, bowing deeply as he takes your mother’s hand, kissing the back of it.

“Alright, Tamaki, out we go.” You say, pulling your blonde boy away from your mother before she melted completely, the sweet blush coming to her face already starting to deepen.

“And Ootori, you know you're always welcome here.”

You turn over your shoulder as you push Tamaki out the door to see Kyoya match your mother’s professionalism. If you squinted, you would see the stretch to their smile, and the stiffness of their stance, but the whining of the prince in front of you distracted you until you got him through the door.

“Thank you, (L/n)-senpai, for having us. I hope to see you at the next Ootori company meeting.” The ravenet bows with his hand over his heart, a perfect practiced position.

“As do I.” Your mother replies and watches Kyoya walk out through her front door, towards her daughter.

Her teeth clench.

Outside, the setting sun displays blends of purples and oranges descending into a dusk blue. Stairs descend into a large front yard, a home for rose bushes and lovely flowers your father picked out to keep the bugs away.

Each host has a limo parked out front, shining and crisp against the evening night. Tamaki insisted that he could take Haruhi home, but you asked one of your drivers to take her instead, knowing she would like the alone time after being around all of you for most of the day.

“Bye, you guys, see you later.” You say while watching your friends pile into their respective vehicles and begin to leave. You all wave as they vanish into the streetlamps on your avenue.

Picking up the skirt of your dress, you begin to turn towards your home before a quiet rumble interrupts your movements.

Just as elegant as those of the Ootori’s or the Suoh’s, the stretched automobile was pristine and well-established as it slowed to a stop at your doorstep. A man with salt and pepper tossed on his scalp stepped out of the driver’s seat. Suited with a dark jacket sporting an embroidered Arai on the vest pocket, he gives a respectful nod towards you as his fingers wrap around the car door handle. He pulls, and polished, dark brown shoes gracefully step onto the pavement.

Another man emerges, taller than his driver. Wearing a suit to match his shoes, who you can only assume to be Tomoya Arai rises out of his limo, pulling a finely dressed woman by the hand as he helps her out as well.

His gaze is full of melted chocolate as it meets yours, and his lips quirk up with an immediate smile.

“Miss (L/n).” The older Arai’s voice is warm and even if he is speaking at a normal volume, it’s deep note booms in the open space around you. Something familiar itches in the back of your mind, as if you’ve heard it before. “My, how you’ve grown!”

Coming out of a slight shock to his family arriving so soon, you fix a welcoming, practiced smile onto your face. “Arai-senpai. Wonderful to meet you again.” Your arm delicately stretches in his direction, and he takes it, his smile growing.

“Ah, well, it’s always wonderful to meet a young woman with a strong handshake. Please, just call me Tomoya.”

Nodding, you bow slightly. “Thank you, Tomoya-san.”

His smile grows a little wider. “It might be better than my own son’s.”

“I’m not sure if I should take offense or not.”

Turning your head to the sudden voice, that sudden familiar itch grows. Brown hair, brownish-grayish eyes come into your vision as a lithe boy rounds the back corner of the limousine.

Suddenly, you’re back in middle school. Plenty of tables are lined up in your favorite classroom, but each one is taken as you’re running late. When you reach the doorway, you scan the room, hoping for an open spot. Your eyes pass a girl who you noticed had forgotten her lunch the other day, or you pass the boy who was the star of your school’s baseball team over the weekend. Both ignore you, as they are too busy talking with the people they’ve bonded with, the people in their own inner circle.

Since this was the intermediate school that everyone in your area was assigned to go to, you had known these kids all your life, but had never really made any real, lasting connections, save for a few.

But, through the blur of your growing social anxiety, a hand shoots up.

One, pale, lithe hand waves in the back of the classroom, gently and hesitantly as if whoever owns it is already regretting their decision of putting it up in the first place.

Your eyebrows go up in surprise, but then you smile lightly when you see a boy with a tussle of brown hair and big eyes looking at you with a sweet reluctance. And when you start walking over to him, you see that reluctance change into surprise, then fear, then slowly emerge into a hint of excitement as this mystery boy tries to make his desk as organized as possible.

“Hi.” His voice was so young, so light.

“Hey. Thanks for letting me sit here.” You say as you promptly put your hand out to offer it to his own. “I’m (L/n). It’s nice to meet you.”

The boy starts at your sudden gesture, but relaxes into an awkward smile as he shakes your hand lightly, putting the other hand behind his neck.

“I’m Arai, and it’s no problem. I know what it’s like to be running a little late at times.”

You click your tongue as you begin to pull out your school stuff, arranging them nicely onto the desk in front of you. “Unfortunately, it can be a little more often than just ‘at times’. I really need to get a new alarm system.”

“I live on a farm,” Arai begins as he taps a pencil onto the wood of his desk, “so my alarm system is just a rooster crowing a million times.”

Your smile morphs into a little laugh, and you shake your head. “Okay, not that kind of alarm.”

He laughs too. “It’s an acquired taste.”

Then, the bell rings, and you're forced to turn your attention away from a potential new friend.

That all seemed so long ago now as you clasped hands with that same boy, the same awkward smile playing behind his lips, but with some additional confidence.

“Arai, it’s good to see you again.”

The man before you brightens. “You remember me?”

“A little.” Breaking the handshake, you cross one arm over your chest and grab your elbow, a sweet expression on your features. “To be honest, it took a minute. Since you moved away after we first met, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”

“That’s okay, it makes sense.”

“But it’s still nice to see you!” You say, hoping to put yourself into a better light. “There’s probably a lot that we need to catch up on.”

“Oh, there sure is! My boy here has grown in many ways, we are proud.” Arai’s dad slaps him on the shoulder, and the two of you are brought back into reality. As the setting sun comes back into focus, you realize that you have just been casually chatting with your mother’s esteemed guests on the sidewalk outside of your house for more than 15 minutes.

Shit.

“Oh my, where are my manners?” A manicured hand flies up to your glossed lips as you angle your body to point towards the large double doors of your parents mansion. “Would you please come inside? My mother has prepared quite the night for us, I’m sure.”

Arai’s dad just laughs it off while his mother gives you a reassuring nod. Arai is pulled along by his father as they pass you and soon they are climbing the large stairs up to the main entrance. As you fall behind them, your professional facade drops slightly, and you pick up your skirt to take each step at a time.

Watching Arai’s back, more memories begin to seep into your mind. Arai encouraged you on a test that you were scared for, both of you hunched over your notes to make sure that everything was in order. Or when he asked you if you wanted to see pictures of his new dog his uncle had bought him, and how you cooed over it for hours on end.

He was a sweet guy. Quiet, like your mom said, but also kind and supportive. You remember getting a little closer as time moved on, but he moved away pretty quickly after you two met.

A sense of peace settles over you. After your mom sprang this dress and this meeting on you, you had been a little anxious about the whole thing. But re-meeting Arai and his family puts you a little more at ease, especially with how gracious they’ve been.

This night might go better than you had pictured.

“And thank god we left, because I’m not sure how I would have gotten out of that.”

The entire dinner table erupts into a fit of refined chuckles and polite laughter as Arai finishes his story. Your napkin is pressed to your lips as you look to your side where he sits, and when your eyes meet, it causes even more laughter to bubble out of your throat at his complete shame of what he had done to prank one of his teachers in middle school.

“Oh, god, Arai, what a tale, truly.” Your father says, his cufflinks glinting in the light of the chandelier. “Who knew you were so rebellious?”

“You know what they say. Boys will be boys.” Arai’s mother, Yuko, replies, as she has opened up more throughout the dinner that you were close to finishing. The two parents have another additional giggle at that comment before the table settles down into a more mellow energy.

Your plates have nearly been cleared, the dinner that the chefs made too well-prepared to be left on the white porcelain. Conversation flowed easily when talking about business arrangements, but it took a little more encouragement for anecdotes of personal lives to be shared.

A few wine glasses for the adults fixed that, however, and your father even let you have a sip or two when your mother wasn’t looking. By now, at the end of the night, most of the awkwardness had faded, and it had become an easy night with old friends.

Your mother’s gold ring tapped against her crystal glass as she drank the last of her wine, her eyes meeting yours over the rim.

“Now that we got all of the details out of the way, and had some time to relax.” Your mother drawls. “What do you think of this partnership, (Y/n)?” She asks, folding her hands below her chin.

Straightening your spine, the attention of the table turns towards you as you answer. “I think it’s a wonderful investment. If Arai Produce is looking to build their own grocery stores, (L/n) Tech is more than capable of developing easy to use technology for their shoppers. I think we could do each other a lot of good.”

The CEO tilts her head to the boy sitting next to you. “And you, Arai? What do you think?”

“It’s smart, Miss.” Arai stumbles, also not expecting the question. “Since I’ve been working as a delivery boy, I haven’t really been involved with a lot of the networking that has led up to this point, but I’m excited to delve more into this partnership.”

Arai gives you a questionable side glance while your mother breaks her eye contact and shrugs, and you nod approvingly, giving him a small thumbs up.

“And what do you think of each other?” Arai’s father asks as he cuts the last piece of meat on his plate and forks it into his mouth. “You two get along okay?”

Lip falling between your teeth, you look to Arai again, some of the awkwardness filing back into your systems.

“Yeah, of course.” You reply, folding the napkin back into your lap before looking up to the head of Arai Produce. “It’s been nice getting to know the man Arai grew into. You raised a good son.”

Pride flourishes within the man’s chest, and he nods while keeping a smile on his mouth. “It’s good to hear you say that. It will be important that you two work well together.”

Smacking her lips as she swallows, your mother nods as well. “Yes, this deal will definitely bring our families closer together.”

“I look forward to it.” Arai says, and you two share another kind smile.

Your mom clasps her hands together and squeals slightly. “You guys are two cute! Dressed up to the nines and looking at each other like that! Arai, did you see (Y/n)’s dress? I picked it out just for her in Belgium.” She asks, using her fork to gesture to the midnight fabric gracing your features.

“I did! I did.” His manner becomes a little sweeter and more reserved as he compliments you. “You look lovely.”

You roll your eyes playfully, a small smile on your face to play off the embarrassment rising through your sternum. “Yes, I know, thank you.” Another round of laughs chime through the dining room.

Arai’s father pats his stomach before stretching, his meal settling comfortingly into his gut. “This was great, (M/n), thank you.” He praises as he pushes out his chair, his napkin falling gently next to his empty plate.

Your father promptly leaves his seat, rushing over to pull out your mother’s before following some of your butlers to the coat rack where the Arai family’s jackets hang in wait. Your mom rises as well, much calmer as the heads of newly partnered companies. You and Arai follow behind as they chatter towards the front door.

Out of the corner of your eye, Arai leans over slightly and speaks quietly next to you, out of earshot of your parents.. “It was good to see you again.”

Genuine smiles came to you more naturally throughout the night, so this one wasn’t difficult as you turned to him. “Yeah, it was nice to catch up a little.”

“Looks like we will be seeing each other more often,” The delivery boy says, his signature awkward smile creasing his cheekbones. “It might be good to get to know each other a little more? I could give you my number and we could talk over a cup of coffee. Or, actually, you might not love coffee, but I’m totally fine with whatever you would want, if you chose the place!”

Puffs of laughter ripple from your lips at his backtracking, and you put your hand on his shoulder to stop his rambling. “Coffee is fine. Even if I didn’t like the drink, I still like the atmosphere. It’s a good place to get to know anybody, even new coworkers.” Light teasing breathes from your words, and you can see Arai visibility relax from your assurance.

And as you arrive at the front doors, Arai sticks his hand out again, and you shake it, good nature winding around the both of you.

“I meant what I said earlier. You look lovely.” His dark eyes turn to crescent moons as he smiles at you.

“Thank you, thank you.” Looking down, your fingers play with the fabric of your dress. “I have a feeling my mother picked it out just to impress you all, so I’m glad it fulfilled its purpose.”

Arai chuckles along with you as he pulls his coat on. “You were very impressive. Very elegant.”

He looks at you then with a sense of admiration that you hadn’t seen before, and the feeling whiffs down your spine. Blush rises to his cheeks accompanied by a glint in his brown eyes, and you inhale a little more sharply before smiling and thanking him. Your family leads his family out to the top of the stairs that lead to the edge of the road.

‘Goodnight’s and ‘safe travels’ are shared as you all say your goodbyes, and you stand with your mom and dad as the industrial farmers begin their drive home, catching Arai’s wave in the tinted windows.

Your mother is still waving to them when she speaks behind you, a professional grin still etched into her features. “Arai is a nice boy. Driven, kind.”

“He’s cool, seems like a good person.” You say back, still waiting for their car to disappear into the night.

The tail lights glow red as the limo breaks before taking a left out of your neighborhood and into the night.

Your mothers breath matches the cool spring breeze that winds into the dress she bought for you. “That’s good to hear. Seems like you two will get along nicely.”

With yours and Kyoya’s big presentation coming up on the horizon, your brain was in full work mode. Dedication shined through you as you briskly walked the halls towards the club room, flashcards grasped tightly in your fingertips as you worked on drafts for your opening statement. Books jostled in your bag with each step, and your mouth moved with the words on the index cards as you mumbled to yourself while gliding past groups of students.

Weaving through students, the skirt of your uniform ruffles as you take the stairs two at a time, eager to meet up with Haruhi for a little study session she proposed. An extra packet of instant coffee, brand new pieces of mechanical pencil lead, and your favorite red and blue pens jumped in the side pocket of your backpack, preparing you for the long night of studying ahead.

Blindly, your shoulder juts into the wood of the door to Music Room 3, pushing it open. The sound of the twin’s voices dull in your ear as your concentration sticks to your cards, and you barely register pieces of their conversation with Haruhi as it flows into one ear and out the other.

“..the beach?”

“Of course!”

“But why?...”

“Don’t you remember what you said?”

“You said you’d like to go to a real beach!”

Still, you let muscle memory take you to your favorite studying table. Across the pink tiles, cut across the-

Boof!

Plush, foam mannequins stand in your path as you run straight into them, knocking your index cards out of your hands. It wobbles on its stand on the impact and you panic, reaching out to steady it before it falls into the two around it.

Why were there three mannequins just sitting in the middle of the club room?

Wait, not three.

“What the…” Looking around you, at least a hundred fashion statues scatter the tiled floor, each wearing a unique swimsuit over its fake form. “Where the hell did these come from?”

“The twins.” A deep voice says next to you, making you jump a little before realizing that Mori had come to help you pick up your presentation cards.

You bend a knee, thanking him before processing the sheer mass of swimsuits in the clubroom. “Why would they bring all these swimsuits all the way over here? Did Kyoya order them for another themed hosting session?”

“No. We are going to the beach.”

“Well, yeah,” You sigh as Mori places half of your precious notecards into your hands, stacked neatly but completely out of order. “Not until the end of the week though. Not like I’m looking forward to it.”

“You’re not?” Mori gives you a raised eyebrow. “Why?”

Before you can answer, you hear questions come from seemingly nowhere as they fall through the maze of mannequins.

“Is that who we think it is?”

“Do we hear (Y/n)?”

Disembodied voices branch out from the sea of mannequins, causing you and Mori to stand completely still.

You clear your throat. “Uh, yes?”

Rustling is heard as some of the fashion forms are disturbed, rattling on their stands form an unseen force.

“We’ve been waiting for you.” This time the voice was synonymous.

“Why are you guys being so creepy?” You scoot a little closer to the martial arts master, but even the stoic couldn’t locate the figures of ginger and gold. Dark eyes scanned the bikinis and one-pieces, but he was looking in the wrong direction.

Somehow, you feel twin tugs on the creases of both your elbows, and you're surprised when two annoyingly familiar voices appear on either side of you.

“(Y/n)!” Hikaru exclaims, and your body whips as they yank you back.

“We have a surprise for you, too!” Kaoru states, and suddenly your being dragged through the array of swimsuits, not having time to admire any of them as your index cards float out of your hands and onto the ground.

“You little-, let go of me!” Wiggling in their hold, you can’t seem to break it as you’re dragged through the music room. Mori tries to chase after you, but your chance at being rescued deflates when he gets distracted by a maroon, seashell themed two piece. Hikaru and Kaoru throw you into a chair on the other side of the music room, ironically right next to the table Haruhi was studying at.

As the twins step back, they pose in front of you, and even if they look smug, your temper simmers when you see genuine excitement in their stance.

Leaning over, you whisper to Haruhi through the corner of your mouth.“How long have you been sitting here listening to their nonsense?”

“Only a few seconds, but it feels like years.”

“Okay!” Kaoru points a finger out, ceasing any side conversations and directing all of your attention to them. “You know how we are going to the beach because Haruhi said she wanted to?”

“Did I really say that?” Haruhi challenges, and the twins deadpan at the natural host.

“Yes, Haruhi. But here’s the fun part!” And suddenly, their aura becomes that of a talk show host, splaying their arms to display the many arrangements of swimsuits that held a myriad of designs and lacings. “We brought some swimsuits for you to choose from!”

“Some?” You say, quirking your eyebrow at, again, at least a hundred swim pieces.

With the boys out of the way, you notice a particular swimsuit had been placed front and center, a baby pink one, with a modest cut set of bottoms and halter top, ruffles cascading down the front.

Hikaru pushes it closer to the two of you, a persuasive smile on his lips. “Pretty cute, don’t you think?”

“Not that one!” A sweet voice sprouts in the crowd, and Honey makes his way to the front, using his supernatural strength to lug a tasteful blue-shaded one piece, a mock collar and a little ruffled skirt adorning the silhouette. “I think that this swimsuit would look much cuter on Haru-Chan!”

Putting a finger to your chin, you nod in agreement. “Yeah, actually, Haru would look nice in that shade of blue-”

“I don’t think you get it, Honey-Senpai.” After clearly being ignored, you reach over and take a sip of Haruhi’s lukewarm coffee.

The boy lolita tilts his head as the twins lug Haruhi out of her chair, her already-exhausted-with-this-conversation state causing all of her deadweight to be putty in their palms.

“Just look.” Hikaru says, gesturing to Haruhi’s chest. “This uniform barely hides the fact that Haruhi is as flat as a cutting board.”

Coffee jumps to the front of your mouth as Hikaru makes his observation, and you have to cup your hand under your chin to catch any of the liquid that dripped over.

Swallowing, you gently set the cup back down. “I’m sorry, what?”

Kaoru raises a hand towards Honey’s suit of choice while the blonde hugs it protectively. “A one piece suit like that would only upset her because it draws attention to her lacking feminine physique.”

Together, the twins shove Haruhi into the direction of the pink bikini, imagining the honor student galavanting on the beaches of Fiji in the cherry blossom fabric. “That’s why we carefully selected this two piece suit, see? The ruffles help hide the fact that she’s so flat chested!”

A vein in your forehead pulses at their proud smiles, their teeth sparkling under the light of the clubroom’s chandelier. Gritting your teeth, you spring out of your chair to grab each brother by the ear, ignoring their whines as you drag them to the floor.

“I don’t know where you get off defining femininity, but before you go around calling people flat chested, how about you take a look in the mirror?” You cross your arms over your chest, nodding your head towards a full length mirror on the wall. “Go to the gym, and then we will see who the flat chested ones are.”

If you could have a large, red arrow point to their lithe, toned frames, you would.

Rubbing their heads, they pick themselves off the tile. “Hey! What the-”

Your smile spreads into something cocky and sinister. “Not so great when someone comments on your body, now is it?”

“We were just stating the obvious.” Whines Kaoru, lending his brother a hand.

Hikaru scoffs at you as he straightens. “Yeah, we can’t apologize for being right.”

“Oh yeah? Alright then, you asked for it.” Cupping a hand around your mouth, you call out into the crowded clubroom. “Tamaki!”

The Hitachiians blanch, and they lunge to cover your mouth, but you’re too fast for them. “Wait, (Y/n), don’t-!”

“The twins are sexualizing Haruhi!”

A rumble is felt from behind the swimsuits before Tamaki leaps out, majestically arching over the mannequins with a battle cry, a bat in his hands as he lands and whacks at the two perverts. “You punks had better quit sexually harassing my little girl! I’ve had enough of you!”

The twins rush behind the table Haruhi was studying at as she sits there, trying to block out the events going on around her.

They pop their heads up onto the dark wood, watching as Tamaki cools down, but shudder at the way both he and you look at them, geared and ready for any other wrongly worded sentences.

“So…” The brothers tread lightly. “We’re not going to the beach then?” Something in you feels a little relieved.

The bat falls onto Tamaki’s shoulder as he adjusts, the other hand coming to sit on his hip. “Who said we’re not going?”

“Really?” You turn to the prince, a hesitant tone in your voice. “These two are just going to goggle over Haruhi all day.”

“Gross.” Haru pipes in.

“Agreed.” You confirm.

Tamaki boops you on the nose before giving you a wink. “Not to worry, mon ami, I have the perfect solution so these perverts will never get a chance to look at my little girl again.”

“Gross.” The honor student winces again.

“Agreed. And okay Tamaki, if you’re sure.” You draw out your reply, not really believing anything could keep the twins from being their lovable, disgusting selves, but you’re always hopeful for Tamaki.

A tug on your sleeve causes you to look down and see big milk chocolate eyes peering back up at you with a pleading glance. “Can Usa-chan come too?”

“I have no problem with that.” Out of the mannequin woods walks Kyoya, poised and precise as he prims the edges of your index cards that you had forgotten in the midst of this fashion drama.

Long legs stride over to you as Honey celebrates with the twins, all three excited to be going to the beach. “You seemed to have dropped these.”

“Oh yeah, thank you.” Taking them from his grasp, you look them over, noting how they seem to have at least a sense of order compared to when Mori was putting them together. “Did you read them?”

Pale fingers reach up to adjust expensive frames as he nods. “I assessed them. There are plenty of introductions in that deck that would fit perfectly into our presentation.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I trust that you will be able to pick the right one.”

Shrugging, you move to shove them back into your backpack as you shine from the validation. “I’ll think about that later. It, uh, it seems the beach is coming up faster than I thought.”

“Huh?” That catches Honey’s attention as he breaks away from the happy gingers. “We’re really gonna go?”

“Why not?” Tamaki sighs, a content simper resting on his handsome face. “Let’s go to the beach.”

“So, why’d we come to Okinawa?” Slight distaste forms the twins' words as your group of hosts walk down the sandy beaches of Okinawa Island. The sunlight beams down onto you in glimmers, casting over your skin as the sand sinks in between your toes with each step.

It’s a calming feeling, with Mori to your right and Kyoya to your left, the less talkative of the group keeping a serene atmosphere as the other four partake in light conversation ahead of you. Now and then, while soaking in each beam of sunshine and gust of wind, you’ll make eye contact with the club’s director.

Sweet smiles were exchanged, but the silence wasn’t broken until you decided to reply, the comforting stillness making it easier to enjoy the scenery around you.

“Because Kyoya’s family has a private beach here.” You explain, your voice carrying with the sea breeze.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Honey asks, and it's hard not to agree as you spot some large cliffs bending over the shoreline, and you can’t help but imagine the view from that high up, the things you might be able to see.

And then your stomach forms little knots at what might be at the bottom of that view, making you focus on something else almost immediately.

Mori nods next to you, the sun reflecting admiration in his eyes for his cousin. “Yeah.”

Hikaru's shoulders slump. “But why couldn’t we have gone…”

“...to the Caribbean?” Kaoru suggests.

“Or even Fiji?” Hikarue finishes, and you scoff quietly, shaking your head at their ignorance to the beauty in front of them. The people you grew up with always wanted more, never being satisfied with what they had.

But with fresh air whipping through your eyelashes and the black hair of a certain man beside you, it seemed like you had all you needed.

“Do you think a commoner like Haruhi has a passport?” Kyoya barely finishes his sentence before an elbow jabs him in the side, and stumbles a little before catching your disapproving glare.

Haruhi gives him a side glance, her deadpan expression clear in the sunrise. “You do realize I can hear you, right?” She tries to hide it in the pocket of her cargo shorts, but you can clearly see her attempt to flip Kyoya off.

You can’t help but laugh a little, and your heart grows warm with the people around you. It’s nice to have your family here.

As your group rounds a corner of a large cliff, the peace is broken by what sounds like whimsical sighs and high pitched laughs breaking up the rush of the ocean. Looking to Mori with a furrowed brow, you pick your speed up, catching up to the twins before passing them completely, leaning around the edge to catch a peek of the other side.

Your visage turns from confused to jaded as you see crowds of girls from your school, grouped up in cliques adorned with expensive swimsuits and cover-ups. They talk and smile, hands going up to cover faces as they talk about the latest gossip, hair-dos too intricate to be beach appropriate swaying too and fro with their laughter.

Sighing, your head hits the rocks as you lean into them, connecting the dots in your head as the rest of the club meets you.

“What the-” Hikaru cuts off his speech as he takes in the scene before him, and both he and Kaoru whip their heads around to glare at the person who was most definitely responsible for this.

But all they find is a smirk, as Kyoya pulls his black book out from under his arm, and strides past you all like nothing is wrong.

“What?” Smooth, deep tones fall over the six of you as Kyoya walks towards the mass of women, and men, you notice. “Surely you didn’t expect to have another day off, did you? So soon?”

“Yeah, actually.” Kaoru slouches as your group begins to follow the megane.

“I think we all did, Kyoya.” You say, waving weakly at some of your regulars as you all get closer, trying to hide your displeasure.

“Don’t look so glum.” Pale fingers gesture towards a rock with a blonde form on top of it as Kyoya stops to justify himself. “At least you all got to sleep in. Tamaki has been getting requests for meetings since before the sun rose.”

Sure enough, Tamaki practically glistened in the distance as a long line of guests ended with the prince of the host club perched on a boulder surrounded by shallow water with a dazed girl at his side. The whites of his smile shine in the sunrise, you watch as his finger comes to rest under the girl’s chin, saying something to make a blush crawl up her cheeks.

Kyoya hums in satisfaction, a business owner relishing the success in front of him. Clicking his pen, he hooks it into his shirt pocket before continuing down the beach. “Breaks over. Get to work.”

Mockingly, you salute him before you make your way towards a few guests you recognize, digging up the energy to host and dazzle that you weren’t prepared to utilize.

But two hands shoot out and stop you, boring into the pit of your elbow and pulling you back.

“(Y/n), did you really think you could host in that?” Kaoru’s voice plays in your ear as the twins, once again, drag you to an unknown place.

Getting used to it, you hang limply in their grip. Your eyes travel down your figure at a simple sundress, something comfy and light to where in the heat of the sun. “Yeah? What’s wrong with it?”

“It’s basic. Too simple.” Hikaru states as your heels stop dragging in sand and start bumping over hardwood as you enter a hut of some kind, probably a beach-themed bathroom. “All those girls and boys out there need to be enchanted by you.” A judgemental eye sweeps over your frame before looking ahead again. “They can’t do that when you’re wearing something off the rack.”

An offended gasp flutters over your tongue, and your obedience is erased as you start wiggling in their grasp. “Alright, you know what? You both can let me go and suck my-

“Hello there!”

Interrupting your classy words, the twins open a door that reads Unisex across the front, and two incredibly similar women greet you, a sinister sparkle in their eye.

Stumbling as the twins set you on your feet, your brow twitches in confusion. “What is happening right now?”

“Bye, (Y/n), have fun!” Before you can react, the twins shoot out the door, getting out of range in case you decide to hurt them physically. “Make sure to pick something nice!”

The door slams shut, and you turn back to face the maids.

“Hello, Miss (Y/n).” Says the lady to the right as they both bow, a shadow casting over their faces. “We’ve been instructed to make you over.”

Looking past them, you see rows and rows of bikinis and one-pieces, professionally displayed onto the same mannequins you saw in the club room. In fact, all of these pieces look painstakingly familiar.

You grumble, another sigh pushing past your teeth as you complain under your breath. “Let’s just get this over with.

“It’s so beautiful.” Tamaki watches as his guest’s eyes glaze over, the stretch of the horizon gleaming in her blue eyes. Her eyelids are hooded when she looks back at him again, and she gives him a look he’s seen a million times before. Something foggy and blissful takes over her face as she daringly inches her hand closer to his.

“Tamaki,” her voice is like white chocolate, pouring over him with a sweet delicacy, “being alone here with you, and looking out into the sea, it feels like a dream.”

Tamaki hums, the white chocolate mixing with butter as he reaches to touch her cheek, his fingertips dipping into her hair and she leans into it.

“It’s no dream,” He says, gazing at her with admiration in his eyes, “It’s real. And if I could have it my way, princess, I’d be in your dreams every night.” Gently, he pulls her in, resting his forehead against hers as she absolutely melts.

As planned.

“Oh, Tamaki.” Her voice says it all, and Tamaki’s heart feels a lighter, pride filling into his breath. Another woman was satisfied, feels cared for. A smile is carved into his lips.

The smile falters, however, when scratchy laughter interrupts his moment. Tamaki grimaces as the twins run by, Hikaru and Kaoru performing their brotherly love act as they run after a volleyball, kicking sand up on their heels.

“Hey, wait for me, Kaoru!” One brother calls, a romantic light being shed over the two of them.

“It’s not my fault! The ball is rolling away!” The other sings back, and their laughter pierces the air again, annoyance twitching at Tamaki’s brow.

A tap on his shoulder breaks the prince out of his annoyance, and brings him back into the moment. He turns slightly to see Kyoya holding out his hand to his guest on the rock, who thankfully didn’t notice his loss of focus.

“Her alone time with Tamaki is up.” The Ootori son declares, his voice loud enough for the infinite line of guests to hear as he helps the girl stand in the shallow water. “The next guest may proceed.”

In between the space it took to transfer guests, Tamaki took a moment to survey the beach behind him, watching his friends entertain their guests.

His violet gaze freezes on Haruhi, who is sitting on a picnic blanket under an umbrella, her antisocialism making an appearance as she separates herself from the large groups. A blue t-shirt sits comfortably on her torso, and he swears he watches her sink into it a little more as a breeze rushes by. She runs a finger through the sand, her knees tucked into her chest as she mindlessly draws before a hermit crab runs by her.

Instead of scrambling away from the thing, Tamaki smiles as she simply curls an eyebrow at the crustacean before going back to doodling, her shoulders relaxing as they exist together.

His heart sighs.

Moving along, Tamaki finds Mori and Honey with their guests, a red bucket in the smaller boys’ hand as he collects seashells and other things while Mori supervises.

The beach stretches as he continues to watch, making it clear that someone was missing.

“Hey, Kyo?”

“Hm?” Kyoya’s focus remains on his checklist before beckoning the next guest over.

“Where’s (Y/n)?”

This draws Kyoya’s attention, a confused manner coming over him as he follows Tamaki’s gaze out onto the busy beach that was missing a certain (h/c) host.

“I’m…not sure, actually.” The club’s director pointedly stares at the group of men and women making small conversation in the shade of one of the umbrellas, clearly waiting for you to show up.

Tamaki watches as his friend's visage changes slightly, watching as Kyoya’s cheek dents. It took a couple of months for the prince to notice the director’s nervous habit, but one night Kyoya had only a few more minutes to turn in a complicated project the teacher had unexpectedly assigned that day, and Tamaki saw Kyoya bite the inside of cheek subtly as the minutes ticked by.

Suoh was sure that while Kyoya was nervous for you, of course, he was always trying to think of what to do with all the guests that were currently not being attended too.

This time though, he didn’t have to chew for long, as the blonde caught a glimpse of (s/c) skin wrapped in (f/c), and he breathed a little sigh of relief as he pointed you out to Kyoya. “There she is!”

Pointed toes glided quickly on the sand as you weaved through guests, dodging and waving to the crowds as you drew closer and closer to your own set of responsibilities. Your sore ankle was clearly not bothering you as you leaped out of the way of a rogue volleyball. You were a recognizable blur as the two men followed you with their eyes, seeing you stop only when you were in front of your guests.

And when you did, both men swallowed.

“Wh-what is she wearing?” Tamaki’s voice wobbled, stunned by your fashion sense for the second time that week.

The (f/c) that tied around your skin was in the shape of a swimsuit, one that differed from the bikini you wore to the waterpark. It was clearly new, being absent of any wrinkles or tarnishes as it bent with your frame, and neither Tamaki or Kyoya had seen it before now.

It also showed a lot more skin.

It was to a level with which you were comfortable, but this piece was clearly meant to impress. Ties knotted at the back of the neck and at your hips, giving an illusion that the fabric might just fall off if you give it a good tug. The adjustability also made it easier for you to accentuate some areas, making it tighter and looser in the places you chose.

Enticing energy channeled into the suit, and it was clear your guests thought the same.

Tamaki began to panic a little, his overprotective nature kicking into full gear. “Where did she get that from Kyo, huh?” Wildness swirled in his eyes as he saw the men in your group inched a little closer to you. “They shouldn’t be looking at her like that! Why is mon ami dressed like that~?”

His whine hitched as both hosts saw two tussles of ginger run around you, throw you a quick thumbs up, and ditch the scene. And when the boys looked closer, they saw a golden H reflect the hot morning sun against the swimsuit’s fabric.

Kyoya and Tamaki frown. “Goddamn twins.”

But Tamaki continues to come undone. “I don’t care if she’s a host, it’s too much!” He thought you looked beautiful, of course, and although he would never feel that romantic pull when he was around you, he was still a man who appreciated a woman’s figure.

He just would rather not with yours.

But before the blonde could leap off the rock and cover you with a towel, Kyoya broke out of his paused amazement and continued to wave the next guest over, who had frozen awkwardly, not knowing if he should advance or stay put in Tamaki’s outburst.

“(Y/n) is a good host.” The megane’s voice sounded strained, so he cleared his throat to rectify it. “She’ll be fine. Let’s get back to work.”

But the image of you running on the beach, a pretty smile on your face as you welcomed greedy eyes roaming around your figure, never really left his mind. He didn’t take his eyes off of you.

Not that he wanted too.

Around midday, the sun hung brightly in the sky, painting the beach with serotonin and heat as activities exploded into full swing.

Somehow, you and Haruhi had managed to sneak a little ways away from the hosts, finding favor under a pink umbrella, a soft towel creating a barrier between sand and skin. Haruhi respired, still drawing shapes into the dirt.

“This sucks.” Her chin rests on her knees as she talks, causing her head to bob. “I thought going to the beach meant a day off.”

You nod, breaking your attention from Mori and Honey, who were practicing Tai Chi with their guests in the distance. “I think everyone did.”

“I guess it makes sense, though.” She draws a flower in the sand. “It’s a good business venture.”

“Sure it is. At the expense of our ability to have a relaxing time.” You both chuckle as you take a sip of your cold drink, some carbonation fizzling on the side of the cup. “It sucks that you can’t swim though.”

Haruhi just shrugs, her next art piece already in the making. “It’s part of the job, I guess.” She looks at you. “What about you? Are you going to get in anytime soon? You have a cute suit on.”

Another slurping sound comes from your straw as you look out across the endless amount of blue, and the knot re-ties itself in your stomach. “Maybe later.”

Three reflections appear in the glass, and a shadow casts over your figures as some girls appear behind you. Recognizing them as some of Haruhi’s regulars, you wave to them and excuse yourself, their voices fading away as you duck out of the umbrella.

Pulling at the straps of your swimsuit, you try to dull the anxiety sharpening in your stomach. You have no problem showing skin, but the maids had forced you into something a little more adventurous than you were used to. It was the right choice apparently, as Kyoya will be pleased to hear that you nearly doubled your guest list today, but it took you a minute to get used to the seabreeze brushing against your exposed hips.

For some reason, multiple people had taken an interest in pushing you out of your comfort zone this week, from your mother to the stylists. You were excited to change back into something more your style when the day ended.

But you had to admit, every time you came across your reflection in the water, or your image in a phone camera, you couldn’t help but stand a little taller.

This dress fits you well. Insecurity, however, does not.

The same could be said for your swimsuit.

Soft thumps interrupt your thoughts as a volleyball rolls to your feet. Looking around, you see the twins running at you, waving their hands and gesturing for you to pick up the ball. Doing so, you meet them in the middle, handing it back to them as they simper apologetically, Hikaru scratching the back of his neck.

“Hey, (Y/n). You wanna play?”

“We could use a fourth.”

“Who else is playing?”

“Mori said he would try once he was done with his Tai Chi.”

Kaoru shrugged. “He didn’t really say it, he just nodded and told us to hold on a minute.”

Shrugging, you turn back to Haruhi, who was surrounded by three blushing girls as she unknowingly glittered at them like an expensive treasure.

Giggling, you turn back to the brothers. “Sure, Haruhi looks like she’s doing okay anyway.”

As you walk, damp sand tumbles around your toes, dusting the soles of your feet.

“I can’t believe he fooled us.” Hikaru complains, tossing the ball up in the air.

Kaoru catches it before his brother can, twirling it on his finger. “Who’d have thought he’d bring the guests with us?”

“Yeah, well.” You scoff. “We certainly didn’t expect it.”

“You were invited on this all expenses paid trip for a reason.”

In the midst of your conversation, you didn’t notice that the three of you had passed by Kyoya, who was lounging in a beach chair, one of his favorite drinks at his side. “And that reason is to keep our clients entertained.”

“We know,” whines the mischievous twin, his shoulders slouching as his brother mirrors him. “But with the ladies here…”

“...Haruhi can’t change into her swimsuit.”

“That pink thing?” You say, picking up Kyoya’s drink and taking a sip. The megane rolls his eyes. “I’m pretty sure she didn’t want to wear that anyway.”

A satisfied murmur rises to the right, and you see Tamaki also relaxing, palms creating a pillow behind his head. “Don’t worry. I got it all under control.”

You all share a knowing, tired glance as a shimmering varnish washes over Tamaki’s purple eyes, a sure sign that the prince was flying to his own fairytale. “My little angel shouldn’t be prancing around in a swimsuit, at least not in front of two perverts like you.”

You almost gasped, offended, before the twins beside you groaned and rolled their eyes, and you realized your best friend wasn’t talking to you.

In fact, he was talking to anyone at this point, his cheeks becoming redder as he spoke under his breath, his voice wispy and dream-like, fully engulfed in his own world.

Folding your arms, you lean over to Kyoya as you watch a blissful smile spread across the blonde’s face. “Do you think, one day, Tamaki is going to go into his mind-theater and never come out?”

Kyoya was watching as well, his pen spinning in his fingers. “It’s possible. And what a silent, peaceful day that will be.”

But, alas, Tamaki suddenly squeals, curling in on himself as he rocks side to side in the plastic lounge-chair. “It’ll happen just like that! The greatest day of my life, I don’t know if I can handle it!”

“Is he going to have a seizure?” You ask, studying your prince as he squirms.

“Don’t get your hopes up.” Hikaru smirks, his hands coming behind his head.

Kaoru follows his movements. “We don’t wanna jinx it.”

You and your friends wait for Tamaki to come out of his excited state, but when it’s clear that he isn’t any closer to being normal again, you turn back to the Hitachiians.

“So. Volleyball?”

The twins nod their heads, ginger hair bobbing as they continue to give their boss a weary glance. As they walk ahead, you do too, then picture yourself playing volleyball in a suit of flimsy strings, and then pace back a few steps.

“Kyo?” But his attention had been snatched by his book once again.

“Hm?”

“Can I borrow your shirt?”

That gave you his attention as his lashes flicked up at you from behind his book. “Why?”

“I want to play volleyball and not worry about everything falling out.” You vaguely gesture to your figure before putting a teasingly contemplative finger to your chin. “Although, I’m sure the guests would love that.”

Kyoya’s inquisitive look flattened, and he held that deadstare as he shucked off his Hawaiian shirt, perching it off of his finger tip as he lifted it towards you from his beach chair. You fought yourself not to ogle at his toned chest, but your eyes still slipped in a few glances.

As you pulled the short-sleeved cotton fabric around your shoulders, you sighed a little bit as his expensive cologne surrounded you, and you felt a little more protected as you buttoned it up.

“You want to come with us?” You ask, slipping another button through its notch. “You could keep score.”

His gaze hadn’t left you, calmly taking in the image of you in his clothes. “Not really, but thank you.”

“Oh, come on. We both know how much you like numbers.”

A raven eyebrow quirked up, as well as the corner of his mouth. “Are you calling me a nerd?”

You smiled, deceivingly innocent. “Of course. What else would you be?”

“I believe the applicable phrase here is ‘it takes one to know one’.”

“Ah, so you admit it.” Walking around and bending over his shoulder, you look at his budgeting for the next round of inventory shipments. Tracing your finger over the left side, you simply flip the page, receiving a scoff from the director. “See? You love numbers so much, this book is full of them.”

In the close proximity, you could feel the wisp of his half-assed sigh passing through his lips as you kept flipping back pages. “Obviously this book is full of numbers, it’s my budgeting journal. It’s called math, if you need to look it up later.” Light sarcasm, the kind you loved, seeped into his voice.

Laughing, you mock amazement. “Woah, hold on, math? Let me see.” With a quicker pull than he could’ve been ready for, you yank the book out of his lap, running to the front of his chair and hold it upside down, still flipping through it.

“I can’t read this.”

“I don’t think anyone could read it like that.” Kyoya said, a closed lip smile in full light on his pale face. “Now give it back.”

“Oh wow, do these spirals mean something?” You gasp exaggeratingly, pointing to one of the doodles Kyoya made in the margins of the page. “And this smiley face is one of majestic art.” Flipping the journal around, you flashed him the drawing you made the one late night that he still didn’t erase.

“(Y/n).” Was that a chuckle in his tone? It was deep, and slight, but it still rang in your chest. “Give it back.” Upturning his palm, he waited.

But he didn’t get it.

Instead, you quickly wandered off, turning the book upright this time to trace the little circles and connecting doodles in the margins as you followed the twins' footsteps. “Come on! You can use it to keep score.”

Kyoya was frozen for a second, his outstretched hand basking in the sun as he watched you leave, waited for you to turn back, and then accepted that he would have to follow you if he ever wanted his most prized possession back in his grasp.

Sighing, he fixed the glasses that sat on the bridge of his nose as he rose out his seat, his newly bare chest and back feeling the warmth of the sun when he stepped out from under the umbrella.

Slipping a hand into his swim trunk pocket, he followed you in the sand, watching how his shirt rippled in the seabreeze on your body.

His smile cemented onto his face when he decided that he liked it on you.

“Dive, (Y/n)! Dive!”

One of your guests shouted from the borders of the court as a ball volleyed into the air, arcing over the net, and was set to go long and to the side, farther out of reach than either you or your teammate were prepared for.

And while it was nice for the boy to say something, he didn’t need to. You were already in motion.

Sand crushed and whipped under your heels as you propelled yourself forward. Running in sand was hard, and you felt the burn in your quads as you rushed forward, your breath coming to you in quick pants.

Since Mori was tall, you both had agreed that he should be in the front, to block any spikes or short balls that the twins decided to throw your way. That left you in the back, passing over serves or any balls that Hikaru accidentally put too much power into.

Which was most of the time.

This one had gone off the rails. The passes before this had been crooked and unplanned, the two identical boys just working to get it over the net at that point without dropping the ball. So when Hikaru finally hit a good set, Kaoru spiked it, victory shining in his pointy grin before he realized he basically hit it out of bounds.

Which would’ve been fine, if Mori hadn’t tried to hit it back.

You knew your fate was sealed when the stoic type’s fingertips gave the volleyball the barest of touches, sending it askew and off to the edge of the court.

Legs pulsing, knees bending, you leaped off of the uneven beach, fingers weaving together as you clasped your hands too tightly in front of you. Your shoulders whined as your muscles stretched, but you ignored the discomfort. Clenching your teeth, you put your hand under the meteor made of leather and rubber as it’s shadow began to be casted onto the dusty floor below. Arms burning, you made a move, forcefully smacking it back towards the net.

A cheer burst through the crowd as your side banged into the hard ground below. Your breath was squished out of your lungs, but you ignored it. Helplessly flopping onto your back, you turn your head to follow the ball and see the twins scrambling, surprised that you had made it over.

They fumbled again, but this time the ball flopped just out of Karou’s reach, sealing your win.

Exhaustion coursed through you, but you still opted to pump your limp arms in victory, a breathless smile coming to your face as the small audience that gathered shouted their congratulations.

Mori came into your view, his handsome face blocking out the sun.

“You okay?”

You nodded with a smile.

“Do you need help getting up?”

Another nod. And maybe a grunt.

Strong hand against strong hand, Mori pulled you onto your feet. Studying your frame a little and finding no real injuries, he put his long arm around your neck, patting you on the shoulder with a small grin.

“Good game.”

Taking a deep breath in, your oxygen finally came back to you. “Ha…good game.”

Mori smiled at you and shot you a thumbs up, then left to gloat to the twins, who were kicking sand and comforting each other. The Brotherly Love package was in full force, and the twin’s own fans awed and cooed at their performance.

You rolled your eyes as a voice swept over the crowd.

“Match point for Team Stoic and Sweet. And that is game, everyone.”

You turn to see Kyoya smiling kindly at his own admirers that were mixed into the on-lookers as he made his way towards you from his perch as the score keeper. His book was tucked neatly back into his underarm, since he needed it to keep score.

“That was quite a dive.”

“Yeah…” Still trying to catch your breath, you roll your shoulders. “I guess I’m pretty great, aren’t I?”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

“(Y/n)! That was awesome!” Haruhi came jogging towards you both, carrying a red flag in her hand.

“You were awesome! You did a good job keeping track of what went in and out, Haru. Thanks for doing that.”

She just shrugged, a content look on her face. “It was fun, actually. I never knew volleyball could get that intense. I was pretty into it.”

Mori met you three at the base of the net with a certain golden-eyed duo, tongue in their cheeks.

“Good game, (Y/n).” Kaoru said, his tone showing he meant the opposite.

“Yeah it was, wasn’t it?” You say, putting your hands on your hips through Kyoya’s shirt. “You guys are pretty easy to beat.”

“What did you say?” Hikaru stepped forward, a mischievous grin on his face.

You met his step, your own smile locked in place. “I said it was pretty easy. Looks like you boys need to get in shape.”

“Hm.” Hikaru looked you up and down, nodding. “You seem confident in your athleticism. Doesn’t she seem confident Kaoru?”

A pale arm came to rest on Hikaru’s shoulder, Kaoru wearing a matching grin. “Yeah. Why don’t we put that to the test?”

Your confidence decreasing exponentially at the evil look in their eyes. “Hey, wait a minute.”

“Let’s see how fast you can run.” Kaoru builds your coffin.

“Until we catch you.” Hikaru nails it together.

Putting your hands in front of you, you backup a little. “Come on guys, we can talk this out.”

“Nah. You got a three second head start, (Y/n).”

“Starting….now!”

“So unfair!” You scream, but your voice grows distant as you sprint down the beach, careful to avoid the incoming waves as you laugh the whole way. The twins are giggling too, as they barely count to three before racing to catch you, and the trio of mostly stoics watches as you disappear around an edge of a large rock.

“Was that your shirt, Kyoya-senpai?” Haruhi asks, remembering splotches of damp sand on the Hawaiian pattern.

An exasperated sigh comes from the Ootori son. “Unfortunately.”

“Hey Haru-chan!” The dark-haired hosts follow the high-pitched voice a little to the left of where you and the twins had run off. Honey stood closer to the ocean, waving at Haruhi with a large red bucket in his hands. If Kyoya squinted, he might be able to see a pink bunny printed on the side. “Wanna go hellfish shunting?”

Haruhi and Mori chuckle a bit before the honor student cups her hands over her mouth. “I think you’re trying to say shellfish hunting.”

The trio begins to walk towards the boy-lolita, getting closer to the large rock.

“But this doesn’t seem to be that kind of beach, Honey-senpai,” Haruhi continues, distractedly looking around the sand. “You’re not gonna find any shell…fish?”

Suddenly, Honey steps aside to reveal large piles of all types of shellfish stuffed into pink, bunny-themed beach buckets. Haruhi’s brown eyes go wide with amazement as she whips her head around, only to find that the three of them have stepped into, what Tamaki might call, a crustacean station.

“What the hell? No way!”

“Ow! What the hell?” An exclamation is heard from behind the rock, followed by two more.

“Where the hell did this truck come from?”

“Who are these guys?”

“Hm.” On the other side of the rock, Mori and Kyoya move to investigate the source of the noises.

As they peek around the base of the large obstruction, they see a large 18-wheeler, one that Tamaki’s driver might yell at to drive faster on the highway. Many costumed soldiers stood on each side of the giant, garage-door-like opening at the back of this truck, creating an assembly line for transporting a multitude of shell-fish and other, surely invasive, shelled creatures.

They also saw you and Kaoru gingerly pulling a crab from the end of Hikaru’s finger.

Kyoya made a knowledgeable hum, whipping out his book as he recognized the situation. “Mori-senpai,” He said to his friend, “my family’s private police force has stopped by. They wanted to make it up to Honey-Senpai for attacking him at the water park. So they brought shellfish.”

“Amazing!” Honey cheers again, practically swimming in his treasure. “Look how many we got.”

Kyoya could see that Haruhi was practically drooling when she nodded her head. “We’re gonna have some fancy side dishes tonight.”

“Well, they are certainly enjoying themselves.” You shrug as you and the twins rejoin the group. “And they forgot about the other person they tried to flush down a wave pool, but whatever. I guess all's right with the world.”

“What makes you think we forgot about you?” Kyoya asks, casually recording the attendance of his guards.

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing. I was just asking a question.”

It took you a moment, but your hands came up to cover your mouth a little as your eyes gleamed. “Oh my god, did you get me something? A present?”

“Yeah, Kyoya-senpai. You get her a gift for all her troubles?” Snickered the twins.

Ignoring the ginger pains in his side, he fixed his glasses. “I can’t confirm or deny anything. I wouldn’t want to ruin any potential surprises.”

“Oh my god, you totally did!”

Rolling his eyes, the megane flipped to a new page, hiding his smirk.

“Hey, Senpai!”

Haruhi’s call brings all of your attention to her, as she perched herself on the side of the rock and started waving. “Dinner is gonna be awesome, it’s a major haul!”

In the distance, many guests look over to see the root of the commotion, but a tuft of blonde rises quickly. Too quickly.

“It’s a major haul!”

Tamaki is halfway across the beach at this point, practically reaching Mach 7 as he bolts down the sand. His legs looked like those cartoon animations, where the character runs so fast, his bottom half is just a blurry wheel.

“It’s a major haul!” Her excitement for dinner punctuates Tamaki’s arrival, as he stops abruptly at her side. She smiles at him, gesturing to the shellfish around her, and he gives her a thumbs up, a puppy-dog look in his eye.

“Dinner’s gonna be awesome! It’s a real treat!” And, even as her best friends, no one can remember when you saw her this excited. It brings a smile to everyone’s faces.

But when the natural-type wanders off with Honey to collect more shellfish, you all watch as Tamaki deflates, catching his breath as he meets your group. Pushing past some girls who had followed the sound of Haruhi’s call, he smiled at the honor student.

“Oh, I’m just so proud. Look at my little girl!” You don’t know if it was the running or if his fountain of emotion was overflowing, but it left him breathless.

“Alright, alright, have some water, Boss.” Kaoru says, handing Tamaki a bottle.

The blonde begins to drink it before a crab catches his violet eye as it struggles to climb a piece of the steep rocky structure.

“Hey, Haruhi, (Y/n)!” Tamaki picks up the crab easily, to Hikaru’s jealousy, and holds it out, putting on a charming face. “Do you think this crab is…crab-tivating?”

You couldn’t help it when a chuckle burst from your lips at your best friend’s joke. Kyoya watched you laugh, and scribbled something in the corner of his page.

Two twins appeared at his side. “You’re writing that down, huh? Who are you trying to impress?”

But he just gave them the cold shoulder, shielding the contents of his book from golden, wandering eyes. “Shut up.”

Even Haruhi giggled, too deep into her good mood to be pulled out by Tamaki’s antics. “Oh yea!”

And Tamaki practically melted before you, taking his time to capture her slight blush and what the sound of her laugh did to his heart. “You’re so cute.”

But the lovey-dovey look was sucked out of his eyes soon after as a long, twirling centipede arose from the crab’s shell. It twisted around the crustacean, and the girls who had gathered around Tamaki jumped back, horror in their features at the bug.

“Cen-!”

“Ti-!”

“Pede-!”

Even the strong prince’s arm trembled as he froze in place, shock and terror shaking through his body.

But Haruhi simply blew a piece of her hair out of her face, walked up to the president of the host club, and plucked the bug off the crab, chucking it behind her.

The bug arched over her shoulder before landing on your face with a gentle smack. You jumped a little in surprise, but your shoulders shook with a giggle as you picked it off your forehead and watched it squirm.

“Aw, cute.” You cooed, then promptly flicked it over the rock, dusting your hands off afterward.

“Oh, shoot. Sorry (Y/n).” Haruhi says as she turns to walk towards you, but she’s laughing with you, the glow on her face still present.

It’s dimmed, however, by a set of twin shadows.

“Hey, Haruhi…” Hikaru says, placing an elbow on her small shoulder.

“(Y/n)...” Kaoru reflects Hikaru’s pose, his sharp joint digging into your collarbone.

“Now, I know most girls aren’t exactly the bug-loving type, and I certainly didn’t think you were, but-”

“-Don’t you think you both could’ve been easier on that little guy?” They whine, and you roll your eyes.

“Please, it’s not dead. It takes more than that to kill a bug.”

Then more shadows join, and the four of you turn to see guests looking at the two of you with hearts in their eyes, pushing the twins off of you and surrounding you in an astonished hue.

“Haruhi is so brave, so manly!”

“(Y/n) barely even flinched. She’s the perfect woman!”

You both thanked them while looking at each other like what is going on?. This left a few very quizzical hosts looking at you through your groupies as if you both had grown another head.

“Well, isn’t that just great.” Hikaru pouts, watching as the guests swarm you.

“Yeah, those two aren’t normal.” Kaoru adds. “I thought girls were supposed to be afraid of bugs.”

Tamaki’s yellow eyebrow twitched, watching as the guests fawned over you both so easily. “I’m sure they’re afraid of something.”

That got the wheels in the twins’ heads turning. As rusty as they were in other areas, these gears were always up for the planning of a good scheme. They turned and turned until the metal scraped together and produced a spark, zipping up their brain stem to power a collective lightbulb.

“Hey Boss, listen up!”

Tamaki barely diverts his attention to the twins, the crab still waiting patiently in his grasp. “Hm?”

“We just thought of a new game to play!” Business men in the making, the twins pose pointedly, driving their offer through with enthusiasm. “It’s called the ‘Who Can Find Out Haruhi’s and (Y/n)’s Weakness Game!’ You think you’re up to it?”

But the flamboyant man blanched, a sweat dropping on his forehead. “But…that game sounds terrible.” Finding out what made both of his girls vulnerable and scared? Or sad, or unbelievably happy, without their knowledge. He couldn’t do that to you.

His purple eyes divert to where Kyoya, Mori, and Honey are walking closer to him, and follows that flash of sun against Kyoya’s rims.

Plus, he thinks, I don’t think we would have to search that far for (Y/n)’s weakness.

The twins just sigh, blowing him off as they slowly begin to walk away. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Besides, they would only really share their weaknesses with someone who they were close too so…”

All of his caution is tossed aside as his immense desire to form a stronger bond with you takes over. “What are the rules?”

Hikaru and Kaoru whip their heads over their shoulders, a dangerous look in their eye. “Now that’s more like it!”

Hikaru pops up first. “The deadline is sunset tomorrow.”

“Whoever finds their weaknesses wins.” Kaoru finishes.

“And it seems I have the perfect prize for the lucky winner.” Kyoya and the others had caught up, and with the sunlight still flashing in his lenses, the ravenet fans out four pictures in his palm.

Two of them depicted Haruhi when she was in middle school, long hair and a female uniform. The other two, unfortunately, were pictures of you.

While Haruhi’s pictures were sweet and flattering, yours were just embarrassing. One showed a time where you thought you were in a safe place to nap, drool coming out of your mouth and seeping into one of the club’s couches. But the other one was much older, where a failed ice-bucket challenge had taken place, and you stood there soaked in your middle school uniform, a brown haired boy trying to cover his laughter in the background.

An intense look formed on the faces of the Idiot Trio, and Tamaki began to reach for them, causing Kyoya to move them around the prince so he couldn’t grab them.

“We wanna play too!” Honey declares, a look that said he was just happy to be included.

“I guess that means we are all competing.” Kyoya states, lifting the pictures to the far right, trying to shake his best friend who was grumbling about where he was able to get those never-before-seen pictures of Haruhi.

“Hey, wait a minute, where did you get those pictures, Kyo-chan?”

“Yeah, where’d you get them, Kyo-chan?”

Along with the excitement for the game, Kyoya had been too immersed in his pride of finding the perfect use for these pictures to notice that you had separated from the crowd. Once again, he wasn’t fast enough as you plucked the photos out of his hand and looked through them, grimacing at the ones that defiled you.

The hosts turn, looking like boys who just got caught with their hands in the cookie jar, as you rifle through all four of them before looking up at them quizzically.

“What’s, uh…what’s goin on here?”

“Nothing!” Tamaki and the twins say immediately, but Honey bounds up to you happily.

“We’re gonna play a game, (N/n)-chan, we’re gonna find out you’re weakness! And Haru-chan’s!”

“Honey-senpai!” The Idiot Trio whines.

You give him a confused look before looking at the rest of your friends. “My weakness? Like, what I’m scared of?” Scoffing, you shake your head. “That’s stupid.”

“It’s not stupid.” Kaoru huffs.

“Yeah, it’s fun.” Hikaru counters.

Shrugging, you pull out the picture of the failed ice-bucket challenge, examining it a little closer. “Not when you already know what I’m scared of.”

There’s a small silence, and you look away from the photo to see them blinking up at you owlishly.

“We do?” Tamaki asks, his head tipping to the side.

But Kyoya flipped through a couple pages in his book and wanted to slap himself in the face. “Oh, that’s right.” A few flashbacks came to the forefront of the hosts' minds.

You and the supernatural didn’t mix very well. You weren’t weak, obviously, and would fight anything head on. But when there was a ghost that you couldn’t punch, that’s where you ran into a problem.

“What’s up with her?” The honor student asks, directing her question to the club director while still keeping an eye on you. As you pass Shiro, you give him a wide girth, your posture slouching slightly.

An amused chuckle resounds through Kyoya. “(Y/n) is scared of children.”

A long, drawn out “Oh, yeah” exhales from the hosts as the dots connect, and the twins get a bored look on their face.

Hikaru and Kaoru begin to list them. “Sooo…ghosts?”

You nod. “Scary.”

“And children?”

“Gross.” You say shivering, save for a certain boy who had grown on you.

“Right, right.” Tamaki sighs. ‘Anything else we should know about?”

You shoot an eyebrow up. “You mean you don’t know the other one?”

This gains their attention. Kyoya continues to flip through his book to see if he wrote down anything else, but he comes up empty. “There are more?”

At this, you smile, a small chuckle bubbling over your tongue. “Of course there are more. I’m not made of steel, you know. I’m scared of all kinds of shit.”

“What is it?” Mori says, his arms folded across his chest.

“I don’t know if I want to tell you..” A coy smirk perches onto your features. “I guess I'll get to play after all.”

~ Let the Games Begin!~

A singular voice echoed off dark walls.

“This is the place…it’s the most haunted spot in all of Okinawa. The locals don’t even come out here.”

Taking a stuttering breath, the humid air of a cave rushes through your lungs. You hold it there for a second, scared to make the barest of noises in case it might disturb something. Or someone.

Another voice, similar, bounces off the rocks of the cave as they take you and the crowd they’ve brought further and further into the horror. “They say that the only time you can even find this cave is at low tide. Evidently, many people have died here from drowning, and their souls still linger. Taking revenge on anyone who dares to come inside!”

That causes a sharper stab in your side as you fear peaks. You jump as Kaoru raises his voice in the darkness, and you try to squint, but from the back of the crowd you realize that you can’t see them anymore.

“Alright, I can do this…I can do this.” Your nerves are skedaddling, fluttering in your stomach and sternum as you swallow, wincing when an unexpected drop of moisture plummets from a stalactite and onto your shoulder.

“It’s okay, (Y/n). Look over there.” Haruhi, somehow unfazed next to you, points to where the light from the beach reached the depths of this dark cave, reflecting in the condensation and creating a small little rainbow.

She smiles at you then, and you feel your nerves firm up a bit. “See? How can things be scary when there’s a nice rainbow, right there?”

The pounding from your heartbeat slows a little before Hikaru shouts from the front. “Look! A ghost!”

Whipping your head around, Haruhi becomes exasperated knowing all hope is lost when you feast your eyes on a shadowy figure, moving erratically in the shadows.

“Nope! Fuck, no!” Turning on your heel and driving it into the rocks below you, you are about to sprint to the entrance when a tall, toned torso blocks your path.

“I would watch your language, (Y/n). We are around guests.” Kyoya stands calmly in front of you as he gestures to Hikaru and Kaoru’s guests, an amused smile on his face.

“Kyoya, we have to get out of here. That thing is going to possess us, and then what?!” You whine, a hand crazily motioning to the gloom you had witnessed.

Gray eyes scan behind you, then meet yours, that smile growing. “What ‘thing’?”

Screwing your eyebrows, you turn spin to find the nightmare gone. “Oh shit, where did it go?”

“Language, again.” Kyoya’s tired, but entertained voice comes to rest beside you as he falls into step with you and Haruhi, and you feel a hand on the small of your back. “Come now, (Y/n), surely you can’t be afraid of what isn’t there?”

You scowl at him, rolling your eyes before becoming attentive to the cave around you. “Don’t patronize me. I know what I saw.” But the weight his hand provided was nice, it pulled you back to earth.

But then you jumped out of your bones when literal bones grasped your shoulder, cold and clackity as it touched the fabric of Kyoya’s shirt.

“Ah!” Going into a complete fight or flight mode, your elbow ran back, jamming into whatever had decided to take your soul at that moment in time.

“Oof, ah…” The figure’s wind got knocked out as it bent over, and you reeled to see Hikaru, clutching his stomach and bending over, two fake skeleton hands in his grasp. “I…probably should’ve seen that coming.”

Haruhi stood there, brushing off where Hiakru had placed the hand on her shoulder, and looked confused. “What’s going on? Are you guys trying to freak me out?”

Pushing past his guests, Kaoru emerges with a puppet with the same silhouette as the ghost you had seen in the darkness. An angry tick appeared on your forehead.

“What’s wrong with you?” Kaoru whines. “I thought everyone was afraid of ghosts. (Y/n) definitely is.”

“I swear to god, when I get my hands on you…” You mumble, and try to walk towards the twin before Kyoya holds you back by the collar of his shirt.

“This stuff doesn’t really freak me out.” Haruhi says, wrapping the cloth the puppet-ghost-demon thing was dressed in around her finger. “I’ve never seen a real one, so why would I be scared of it?”

You slouch, dragging your feet as your lead out of the cave. “If only it were that easy.”

~ Paranormal Fear Strategy Failed ~

“Haru-chan! Would you come over here? (Y/n), you too!”

The shirt now unbuttoned, it blew in the breeze of the sea as you and Haruhi got up from your sunbathing to meet Honey-senpai’s request. Walking past the deep, vast water of the ocean next to you lights your nerves again, but you keep a calming distance.

Rounding the corner of the large rock where the boy-lolita had found the shellfish, you see him standing and waving at the base of the large 18-wheeler that had carried the crustaceans.

“What’s up, Honey?” You say, shielding your eyes as the rest of the hosts join you.

Haruhi gasps, not having processed that a giant truck was parked on the sand until now. “Are you sure it’s okay to drive a truck like this on sand?”

“It’s A-OK!” The martial arts expert says, beaming. “Just get up here!”

After some struggling – neither of you being the most athletic type – both honor students now stand a little away from the edge of the truck, more confused than you were on the beach floor.

Your voice fills the space. “Honey, why did you want us to-”

But he interrupts you with a thumbs up in the air. “We’re ready when you are, private police people! Please,” his blonde hair flops as he bows, “lower the door.”

A hearty Yes Sir! rings through the sunlight as brown eyes meet yours. Haruhi looks at you in confusion, and when you start to shrug, you're shrouded in darkness again, the door of the truck falling shut with a heavy slam.

“Oh, mhm.” Nodding, you look around the small, dark space. “I see what he’s doing.”

“What who is doing?” Instinctively, Haruhi’s voice falls to a whisper in the quiet trunk.

Before you can reply, a cry resonates against the steel walls, and you feel around helplessly for a boy, his shoulders shaking.

“Wahh! It’s dark and scary in here, I feel like I can’t breathe!”

“Honey-senpai, what’s wrong?” Haruhi’s whisper is replaced with alarm as she tries to find Honey in the darkness.

“Somebody let me out! I can’t take it anymore!”

And with that, the door is promptly lifted, a very alert Mori holding it up.

~ Claustrophobia Attack Strategy Failed! ~

“You haven’t gotten in the water, yet.”

“Hm?” Your hum ended in a chuckle as you watched Mori point a very sharp thing at a very confused Haruhi. She reaches out and touches the end, testing it’s blade, then gives a deadpanned look to her Senpai. As defeated as Mori can look, you supposed, he dragged the harpoon in the ground and walked off.

~ Fear of Sharp Objects Strategy Failed ~

Where was he going to put that?

“I haven’t seen you swim today. I thought you’d be jumping at the chance.” Kyoya says next to you, the day having stretched and flew by as the group had focused on the recent game proposal. It had quieted down a little as nothing was working against your fearless Haruhi, but they were determined to find something.

You had been slightly forgotten, which was okay with you.

Now you lounged deeply. Your body thanked you, seeping into the beach chair without a care in the world, Kyoya’s shirt dangling off the chair’s arm. Surprisingly, he hadn’t pestered you about getting it back, not that you were complaining. Seeing him shirtless was like seeing an eclipse across a night sky. Rare, but beautiful.

“Yeah, not really my thing.”

“Oh really?” His voice picked up in an inquisitive manner, and you felt him rustle beside you as he got off his chair.

Standing in front of you, Kyoya held out his hand, the sunset creating a brilliant stream of oranges and purples behind him. “Why don’t we go together, then?”

A blush that matched the pink in the sky painted onto your cheeks, as he looked very handsome at that moment, but a certain apprehension resisted his offer.

“You want to swim? With me?”

His eyes squint slightly. “If you’d like.”

If only you could say yes.

“But, uh, what about your glasses?” It was reaching, you both knew that. “Won’t they get wet?”

“I can take them off. You do realize they aren’t attached to me, don’t you?” Proving his point, he slid his glasses down his nose, leaning over and setting them on the small, side table that had been between you.

Now he was shirtless, and wasn’t wearing his glasses.

While the sharpness of the glasses complemented the angles of his face, the complete vulnerability of Kyoya’s gaze left you a little bit speechless. His sharp cheekbones and jawline softened slightly and he looked at you, so inviting and collected. Even the air around him seemed to stop whipping around, blowing a gentle wind through his raven locks.

Your jaw muscles clenched as you swallowed. Not just from the thought of getting into the ocean, but from the sight of this man in front of you.

Needing to look away, you darted your eyes out of his sight, pulling at your swimsuit and laughing his offer off. “You go ahead, really. I don’t really want to get my hair wet.”

“Says the woman who cannonballed into a lazy river.”

Shrugging, you grab your drink, still avoiding eye contact. “I’m full of surprises.”

But the glass doesn’t reach your lips. The tips of Kyoya’s fingers bring it down, and as he leans over you, you can’t avoid the questioning eyebrow he gives you. “Why are you avoiding the water?”

“I’m not.” Bringing the straw to your lips successfully this time, you bite it between your teeth. “I just had better things to do.”

A bored sigh blows through the Ootori son’s nostrils as his sweet, gentlemanly persona is gone, arms calmly crossing over his chest. “Don’t insult my intellect, (Y/n).”

You look at him for a moment, debating whether to keep pushing it off, but you decide against it. Expelling a breath, you set your drink down and bring your knees to your chest, shielding yourself from judgment.

“The last thing I’m not the most keen about is the ocean.” Resting your chin on one of your kneecaps, your gaze focuses on the sea behind the club’s director. “Or really any large body of water.”

“Any particular reason?”

Another shrug waves through your shoulders as you stare out into the horizon. “Not really. Just don’t like the idea of being deprived of oxygen. Then I’d just sink, and be lost.”

Your voice had gone monotone for a minute before you exhaled, finally meeting your crush’s eyes. The naked, gray irises had turned thoughtful, intent.

“Sorry,” You say, a small laugh offering to lighten up the mood. “Didn’t mean to be so morbid.”

“No, no.” Kyoya says, and he wears his glasses once more. “I can understand that.”

But he has no anger in his face, no judgment. Because you’ve known him for so long, getting to know the little shifts in his features, the signals between happy and frustrated had become second-nature to you.

So, of course you saw the dimples of sincerity, of his attempt to be open to what you had to say. But did you also see a little hint of victory?

Settling back into his chair, Kyoya heaves a deep sigh, a rumble shooting through his chest before rifling through the pocket of the shirt you had stolen.

“Well, I guess these belong to me, then.” And you were right to sense victory in his voice as the air about him turns triumphant when he pulls out two of the four photos he had presented as prizes for the ongoing competition.

“You-!” You gasped as a boastful smirk appeared on his sharp features. Suspicion coloring your voice, it’s your turn to squint. “Did you even want to go swimming? What would you have done if I had said yes?”

A deliciously pompous shrug ripples across his torso as his smirk grows wider. “Who knows? I’m full of surprises.”

“Give me those!” Drink ignored, you reach over your chair, smiling as you move into his space to steal the pictures.

But his arms are longer as he moves the pictures out of your reach. “Absolutely not, I won these.”

“You tricked me!” Your voice strains as you stretch, your fingers wiggling out their efforts.

“I would argue that you let yourself be tricked.” Despite himself, Kyoya couldn’t help the chuckle that tumbled across his upturned lips as you put a knee onto his chair, reaching and reaching.

You’re giggling, still trying to make yourself as long as possible. “I would argue that you’re a dick.”

This time when he laughs, it’s much closer, his breath trickling down the nape of your neck, and you realize just how close you are.

His arm is stretched out, the pictures well out of your grasp, while the other rests on the arm of the chair. One of your palms supports your weight on one side of his hip, while the other one is extended towards what could become some embarrassingly good black mail. Your knee perched on the edge of the chair as your other leg fell straight behind it.

It wasn’t the most comfortable position, and now that you were thinking about it, you weren’t completely sure how you got there. But you damn well didn’t want to move.

The goofy smile on your face softened as your torso bent over his knees, and his simper melted into something effortless.

Your eyes followed the movement as Kyoya’s cheekbones relaxed, his dimples shallowing as you met his eyes once more.

“You’ve been smiling more lately.” You say, your voice barely above a whisper.

Sparkling gray irises flash with questions, but who were you kidding? They were always full of questions. “Have I?”

Nodding, you tug the inside of your cheek between your teeth. “Yeah. It’s nice.”

The effort in his arms dissipates slightly, and as it sinks back onto the arm of the chair, a meaningful gleam shines in his pupils. “Maybe I have more of a reason too, lately.”

Letting your hips drop, you end up kneeling on one side of the chair while partly caging him in, getting lost in the moment. “Oh, yeah? What’s that?”

“I couldn’t say.” His deep voice dipped and rolled as Kyoya leaned his chin up, keeping his lips a breath or two away from yours as you leaned over him, lost in the moment.

Winds blow the two of you ever so closer, the smell of sea salt and cologne accompanying the warm feeling of sun on your skin. That feeling paired with the one in your heart when you were asking yourself if…finally…

“I still need more time. I want to tell you, I just-”

“It’s okay. I need more time too.”

…time had run out?

As your torso began to brush his, you gently held your place. If he wanted this, he would have to make it as clear as the water behind you. You couldn’t risk making him feel pressured or uncomfortable.

Your heartbeat pitched as he still stretched forward.

“(Y/n)! Haruhi!”

The glass that was creating the kaleidoscope of romantic, rainbowy emotions around you shattered, making you jump back as it plunged into the sand.

Dazed, you look towards the shout, just now registering that Kyoya’s hand had found purchase on your waist before it completely disappeared. Your view is obstructed for a moment by another large boulder before the source comes into view.

The sun illuminated three feminine figures, waving atop a large cliff. You see one, taller with long, brown hair, cupping her hands over her mouth, seemingly trying to locate you. “Haruhi! (Y/n)!”

Blinking, your mind catches up with you as you realize what they are standing on. The tallest cliff on the island sits under their feet, thick and hulking as it stretches over the waters below.

“Those girls shouldn’t be up there.” You say, your voice wavering as they step closer to the ledge.

Turning back to the man underneath you, his usual sharpness has returned. No longer lost in the effects of the moment’s suncatcher, Kyoya nods his head before turning to you. “Go see what they need. Our guests come first.”

“Okay.” But your voice trails off while your brain overthinks everything that just happened, or what was about to happen, in what felt like hours, but really only took a few seconds.

The lightest of touches appear on the edges of your cheekbones as your director’s knuckles graze them, a reassuring gesture. “I’ll-,” he takes a second to clear his throat. “I’ll stay here. If you’re wondering.”

You can’t bite back the smile that stretches over your deprived lips as you sit back, plucking his shirt back on as you get up. “Flustered, are we?”

Scoffing at your surely ridiculous notion, the megane rolls his eyes. “I could say the same for you.” Kyoya’s gaze drops down your figure before opening his black book, filing those treacherous pictures into the side of it, and noting down whatever thoughts are running through his mind.

If only you could read what he was writing.

Heart skipping as you walk, you turn to make your way towards your guests, your footsteps printing themselves on the beach behind you.

Whatever happened, or was going to happen, with your best friend left you fluttery and nervous.

That was a close call. But it certainly felt like the right one.

“Oh, (Y/n)! Look up here!” Another girl, around your age with bobbed blonde hair started waving more frantically as you got closer to the base of the cliff.

“Woah, you guys are pretty high up there.” You call, shading your eyes as you look up towards them. “Be careful!”

“The breeze up here feels great!” The third student calls, their shoulder length hair stretched into a shaggy ponytail. “C’mon, (Y/n), join us!”

You were about to say no before Haruhi joined you at your side, her left hand shielding her eyes from the sun while her right carried a sand pail full of squirming shellfish. “What’s going on?”

“They want us to go up there,” you say wearily. “But I’m just trying to get them to come down.”

“It’s dangerous!” She calls out, but the girls just shake their heads and disappear from your view.

Haruhi’s mouth flattens into a thin line as she squints in the sunlight, and then sighs. “They probably can’t even hear us.”

But your attention isn’t on them anymore.

Silhouetted by the sun, three masculine forms stop at the bottom of the cliff, which laid a good distance from you. Your eyes narrowed as one of the figures pointed up the landmark, and they all eagerly, too eagerly, staggering their way up the path. Have they been drinking?

“If they can’t hear us, then we need to go to them. Right now.” Urgency pulses in your tone as you hastily grab Haruhi’s hand, pulling her along as you briskly walk across the sand.

“Woah, (Y/n)-”

“There are boys climbing up the cliff.”

Haruhi finds a way to keep up your pace. “Boys? Like our guests?”

Shaking your head, you keep an eye as the trio of shadows get higher and higher. “I couldn’t get a good look at them. But they were drunk, and we don’t serve alcohol to guests.”

But suddenly one comes into the light, a mess of a low bun and sharp eyes, his mouth twisting into a grueling smirk.

Swallowing, you break out into a full on jog. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Hm.” Chiyo says, her shorty, bouncy blond hair falling over her face as she looks over the cliff again before turning towards her friends. “I think (Y/n)-Senpai and Haruhi went somewhere else. I don’t see them anywhere.”

Her best friend since middle school, Hinata, pouts, braiding her long brown hair down her back. “Awe, I was really hoping to look at the sunset with Haruhi.”

“Yeah, and (Y/n) would’ve really loved this view.” The new girl in their class, Emi, folded her arms, her layered bangs blowing in the breeze. She had been eating lunch at Chiyo and Hinata’s usual table when the duo appeared, and they’ve hit it off ever since. Especially when they all started going to the host club together after school.

Chiyo, the bright personality of the now-turned trio, smiled a comforting smile. “It’s okay! Maybe we can get the twins’ attention, or Honey-senpai’s! I’m sure they’d love to spend some time with us.”

Hinata just shrugs, her angsty aura showing through, but Emi gives her an encouraging thumbs up. “You’re right! I’ll stay here while you two head down, so that no one steals-”

“Hey! They’re chicks up there man!”

All three girls freeze. A deep voice rang through the air, but it seemed a little far away.

“Did you guys hear that?” Emi swallows.

“I think it came from down here.” Hinata says, calculating eyes fixating on the slight slope of the cliff.

Their breaths catch when two heads appear over the slope, revealing two men, clearly older than they were by at least a couple years. Hinata’s long legs step in front of her two friends as they appear, wincing at their appearance.

One had his hood up, dark brown eyes raking over Hinata’s form before foggily swinging to her friends behind her.

The other had his hair pulled back into a low bun, his red shirt swaying with his wobbly movements as he threw an empty beer can onto the rocks.

“Oh, well aren’t we lucky..” Red shirt slowly walks up to her, his neck craning to meet her height when she steps protectively in front of her girls. “You girls want to hang out with a couple of locals?

Her face set in determination, Hinata pushes him on his shoulder, forcing him to stumble back a few inches as she gains her ground. “No thanks. Leave us alone.”

Too quickly, the man finds his footing and reaches out, pinning her outstretched wrist in his biting grip.

His voice drives onto gravel as his lips curl. “Awe, c’mon you fighter, we just want to show you girls a good time.” His hazel eyes flick behind her as she clenched her jaw.

Chiyo and Emi hug each other, protecting themselves from the stare of the man while losing sight of the other one.

“This is a private beach!” Chiyo shouts after watching Hinata stand up for her for years and finally gaining some courage. “You guys are not allowed to be here!”

The color in her face drains as arms encircle her and Emi, pulling them into a muscled torso.

“Private?” The other guy’s breath reeks of beer as it blows through Chiyo’s blonde hair. “Does that mean we’re alone?”

Suddenly, the man holding Hinata hostage by her wrist shouts out in pain, his back arching as he lets her go.

Hinata’s eyes light up when she sees Haruhi standing behind him, an empty bucket pointed right at her attacker.

She was never the one to fangirl, but damn did she want too.

“Ah!” Red shirt yells, turning around to face the person who just chucked spikey and pinchy shellfish at him. “What the hell?”

“Why don’t you quit bothering them!” Haruhi yells, her voice sounding confident but her heart beating a million miles a minute.

You and the honor student had gotten there just as the hooded boy wrapped his arms around your guests, and it left the two of you fuming.

Coming around behind Haruhi, you lifted your chin, shouting above the loud waves of the sea below you. “Weren’t you jerks listening? You better leave them alone!”

“Haruhi, (Y/n)!” Emi draws your attention as she shouts. You were so used to her smiling at your table when you hosted her. Now, her brow was stitched in fear, making your heart swell and your anger grow.

“You little runt!” The man with the low bun slurs, his words blurring together as he races forward, palms outstretched to restrain Haruhi. But you step in front and push your hands onto his chest, sending him backwards again.

“Don’t touch her or anyone else.” Your voice is stone cold as you straighten your back.

“Oh, we got a brave one, huh?” And the drunkard laughs.

Then he lunges.

Haruhi gasps as you’re pulled off your feet. The joint between your shoulder and your arm protests as Red Shirt harshly grabs your wrist and sweeps his leg under you, sending you to the floor.

“(Y/n)!” You hear Haruhi’s voice, but it’s distorted as your chin slams onto the hard ground. Your teeth crack together, and you instinctively roll yourself onto one side, wincing as you move your jaw.

“I’m fine, I’m good.” Grunting, Haruhi runs over to you to help you up. When your vision is less tilted, you see the drunkard stalking closer to the three girls.

“Hey! Douchebag!” Haruhi yells, pulling you up to your feet. “Leave them alone!”

“I can do what I want!” His words are connected by his drink, and he carelessly waves a dismissive hand to you.

Fuming, and apparently unable to learn a lesson, you rush towards him, grabbing the back of his collar and tugging him away from them. He lands on his backside, unable to catch his balance.“I said, don’t touch anyone!”

He sits there, shoulders heaving. There’s a moment of quiet where you think you won. Where he and his friend might finally leave you all alone.

“Aoi. Let them go.” Red Shirt says to his friend, apparently named Aoi, and the hooded guy hesitantly unwraps his arms from Chiyo and Emi.

The two girls immediately run to Hinata, who hugs them all gratefully, and you smile as the group is reunited.

“Girls, let’s get you out of here.” You hear Haruhi behind you as she ushers them away from the two men as they stay frozen with their heads down.

Keeping an eye on the intruders, you see the girls run around and behind you, and listen as Haruhi sends them down the cliff, out of harm's way.

You hear Aoi whimper pathetically as he slouches. “C’mon Ren, I wanted to hang out with some ladies, if you know what I mean.”

Red Shirt’s, or Ren’s, shoulders shake a little, a deep chuckle rolling out of him. “We will, man, we will.”

His back still facing you, he stands. His low bun coming loose with the action, Ren turns to face the two honor students over his shoulder.

“Let’s hang out with a chick who has some bite to her.”

Both their eyes land on you as they start to walk, their uneven steps making them seem like zombies hunting their next meal.

Heart beat pitching for the second time, you spin towards your favorite brunette. “Run, Haruhi, we gotta run!”

Trusting you, she spins and begins hiking it down the cliff. You start to follow before the collar of Kyoya’s shirt is pulled against your throat.

“Thought I’d take a page out of your book, pretty lady.” The smell of alcohol blends in with the breeze as he breathes into your ear, holding you by the back of the collar.

Hearing your struggle, Haruhi whips around, already halfway down the mountain to see the two boys surrounding you.

Shaking your head, your voice is harsh as you try to kick him off of you. “Go get help!”

Worry seeps into her eyes, her chest heaving as she bites her lip. Turning her head to the bottom of the cliff, then to the top where you were. You managed to kick Ren off of you, but Aoi was there. She knew she wasn’t going to be much use.

Brown eyes glistening, she exhales roughly as she sprints down the rest of the cliff, hoping that a certain host was where she had seen him last.

Back atop the cliff that overlooks the water, you elbow Aoi in the side before grabbing Ren’s arm and twisting it behind his back.

“You think you can just take what you want from girls? Is that it? That you can do whatever you want?” Your voice was strained, stress and emotion stretching your vocal chords to new levels.

Flashes of a dressing room come to the forefront of your mind, a doctor’s coat wrapped around a fake doctor who slipped into your dressing room and pushed you against a wall. His hand pushed into your mouth to silence you, and you couldn’t scream, couldn’t do anything.

With as much force as you could muster, you push Ren to the ground, tears of frustration coming to your eyes. “Women aren’t your toys, you asshole. Have some fucking respect.”

You were helpless in that dressing room. But not anymore.

When Aoi tried to reach for you again, you kicked him in the groin and watched him double over. Before you could celebrate, Ren scrambled back to his feet on the small rocks that littered the cliff and dove towards you. He grabbed your shoulder, spun you around to face him and slapped you. Hard.

That dizzy feeling came back, your cheek pulsing as this man yelled in your face. “Don’t talk to me like that, you bitch! Just shut up!”

Blinking, you came back to reality and jerked out of his grasp, jabbing him in the stomach before putting your head in your hands. You were okay. It was a hard hit, but you could take it. Until help came, you could take a few punches.

Once your vision was restored, you put another step forward before Ren pulled something shiny from his shirt pocket.

“I know somethin’ that’ll make you like me.” That terrible smile that will give you nightmares for weeks curled at his lips once more as he flashed open a small blade, turning it so that it glinted in the sunlight.

Your heartbeat had jumped to your head, thumping in your eardrums as all of your senses zoned into the knife he held in his large grasp.

Your throat went dry and your breaths turned shallow, the anxiety you had worked so hard to keep under control boiling to the surface.

“W-wait, hold on, man.” You say as you back up. How could you not check if he was armed?

As if he caught the scent of your fear, the back of his throat makes a satisfied growl. “Yeah? You scared? You gonna calm down for me?”

When he begins to take a step forward, you take a step back. “Please. I have people waiting for me. Let me go, and I won’t tell anyone you’re here.”

“Bullshit.” Hazel eyes flash with anger as he takes another step towards you, and you realize throughout the entire commotion, somehow he had ended up blocking the exit to the cliff. “Like I’d believe that a girl as fiery as you would let this shit go.”

“I will! I will.” You try to take a steadying breath, but it’s shaky and broken. “I swear.”

Taking another step back, your foot drags in the dirt as you hit a hard chest and feel arms wrap around your torso. A laugh rings out behind you and you recognize the cruel chuckle of Aoi as he traps you. “Don’t move, lady, or you might not like what happens.”

Arms pinned to your side, there’s nothing you can do but watch as Ren smiles, sharp canines reflecting as the sun sets behind the horizon.

“Please.” Your words breathless, fear and worry stealing your voice from your throat. “Just let me go.”

“Heh.” With a concerning amount of serenity, Ren brings the point of the knife to your chin. “I don’t think I will. I like my girls with a little fire.”

Your body was finally at his mercy as Aoi shifts his grip on you, now holding the sides of your arms instead of wrapping them around his waist.

“Whose shirt is this, sweetheart, hm? A boyfriend’s?” The hand that wasn’t holding the knife felt the fabric of the Hawaiian shirt, seeing how wrongly it fit you. “It’s definitely a men’s cut, that's for sure.”

Aoi hummed behind you, cold and disquieting. “Wanna see if she has anything under it, Ren?”

Ren’s eyes seem to flash with pride as he looks at his friend. “Absolutely.”

Shaking your head, you dig your heels in the ground as you try to push and fight when Ren brings the knife to the top button of your shirt, but Aoi holds you in place.

“Stop, stop!” Kicking your feet, you manage to make an impact with Ren’s stomach. He grunts before catching your foot in his hand.

Anger wells up in his form as he brings the knife to your calf, slashing a shallow cut across your skin.

You bite your lip to stop yourself from crying out, trying not to give them any satisfaction as a stinging, real pain burns through your skin.

“Stay still, bitch, or the next one will be deeper.”

He walks into your space again, and you turn your head, a single tear rolling down your cheek as he cuts open the buttons of Kyoya’s shirt.

Your swimsuit is revealed one button after the other, and soon the entire shirt is now hanging over your shoulders, a curtain to what was beneath.

“Oh wow, we caught a rich one, didn’t we?” Ren laughs, tracing the small H on the swimsuit with the blade he just cut you with. “What is this brand, Hitachiian? This must’ve been like a million dollars.”

“Can you pay for our drinks later, rich girl? Or maybe the rest of my tuition?” Aoi teases, and you wish something could strike him down and shut him up.

“Get the shirt off her, Aoi. Let’s see what we’re working with.”

The guy behind you’s grip loosens for a split second, and you take your chance. You push him off of you and Ren’s arm shoots out, only being able to grab the fabric of your shirt as it’s pulled off of you. Stumbling, you find a little bit of your footing and run to the edge of the cliff, stopping as you look down at the crashing waves.

“Nowhere to run, sweetheart.”

The ocean laughs at you as the water runs up the wall of the cliff, its deceptively calm waves taunting you. You wouldn’t dare.

Looking over your shoulder, Ren flips the knife in his hand. He throws Kyoya’s shirt to the wind, and you watch as it blows away, freer than you were as it succumbed to the breeze.

Your toes curled on the edge of the rocks, the heartbeat in your ears picking up its pace. You took a few breaths in, then out. In, out, in, out.

Just do it, (Y/n), jump!

But the endless blue swirled and swayed, hiding its secrets to anyone who dares to consider it at such a surface level. You imagined the blue on top turned darker as you’d sink down, lower and lower until there was nothing left.

Anxiety lurched in your stomach, but you took a step back.

But Ren’s hand spun you around by your sore shoulder, grabbing you by the straps of your bathing suit as he laughed.

“What? Too scared to take a dive?”

Part 2 is up! Go check it out in the masterlist! <- (click there)

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