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A/n: wrote this 4 years ago as an experiment on the darker sides of the host club members. here's dark!hani. enjoy :)
Little Monsters
"As long as what you are afraid of is something evil, you may still hope that the good may come to your rescue. But suppose you struggle through to the good and find that it also is dreadful? How if food itself turns out to be the very thing you can't eat, and home the very place you can't live, and your very comforter the person who makes you uncomfortable? Then, indeed, there is no rescue possible: the last card has been played."
C.S. LEWIS, Perelandra
Morinozuka Takashi always finds it amusing that people fear the unknown. To him, what is unknown may not imply that it is unsafe; rather at least one secures and safeguards oneself by doubting and fearing said unknown, and in so doing has already partially prepared oneself.
But what happens when something that is trusted and believed to be safe, even harmless, turns out to be deadlier than any nightmare? How can anyone be prepared for such a complete tragedy? And perhaps Mori acknowledges there is no answer to that question.
When that happens, nothing can cover, smother, bury, hide, and obliterate the only fact and truth that matters. That indeed one's trust has been betrayed, and that is the worst betrayal of all the betrayal of the heart. It is cruel, Mori knows and recognizes; but what he fears is that it is human.
"Oishiiii! Takashi, have a piece?" Haninozuka Mitsukuni pouts, a beatific grin adorning his childlike features. His hazel eye flickers upwards and captures Mori's attention before shoving a piece dark chocolate mousse on a plate of delicate baby blue china into his hands.
Mori does not refuse.
"Ne, ne, Usa-chan, just a cup of Devonshire tea would be great to wash it down, ne?" Hani's eyes sparkles, and his mouth curls upwards in a satisfied manner as his tiny hands reached out to cup Usa-chan's face, bobbing its head enthusiastically up and down in mock agreement.
"Kawaii~!" Another batch of lemon-gold clad princesses clasp their hands in fervent adoration, their eyes drifting away to a whimsical fairy-tale of their own, where little children smile with absolute sweetness and sucked lollipops all day doing nothing but spin pretty girls in lemon clad dresses around in circles and of course have afternoon tea.
Mori pities those girls not yet women. To have their hearts stolen and never returned at such a young age, is truly quite sad.
It is tough to entertain them, yes; but the fatigue of a facade is never more painful from the ignorance that arises from stupidity, and later discovering that their fairy-tale is fractured.
Granted, it is difficult to perceive the flaws in a masterpiece. Most proficient actors are able to fit into the most compromising and unaccommodating roles like identical puzzle fits, but therein lies the difference. A veteran can most easily spot and pick out the camouflaged but nonetheless present outlines. Hani, on the other hand casually blends maturity with immaturity, such that these lines are blurred into perfection, with precision. This is why even psychoanalyst Ootori Kyouya, with four eyes, cannot sieve the truth from the ugly.
More than ever, Mori knows that Hani is more than a child because he thinks more than he lets on.
"Ne, Takashi..."Hani curls his fingers, ever so soft and fragile, subconsciously (or consciously) rubbing away traces of tiredness from a sleepy eye. A yawn follows soon after, not too flagrantly obvious, but exaggerated in its slowness to viciously throw its point over at Mori and the girls like a dart straight into the bull's eye.
Mori does not hesitate; he never does, from a cue. "It is naptime." He deadpans, with little emotion save for an underlying concern that only Hani spots. Sometimes he knows Hani has already cottoned on to the fact that he is concerned about other (more deadlier, more dangerous) things, but he does not raise it, and Mori does not address it.
"Aww...come on, let's not intrude upon Hani-senpai's and Mori-senpai's kindness anymore." The girls titter among themselves before bowing and taking their leaves from the Third Music Room.
"Come again tomorrow, ne!" Hani's adorable smile resurfaces, eyes begging the girls with an almost possessive insistence, before allowing Mori to carry him away to slumberland.
It is as usual; in a momentary bout of fecklessness and generally boredom that led the twins decide to kidnap Usa-chan from its sleeping master. In hindsight, that is all it takes for a recipe of disaster.
"Mori-senpai! Mori-senpai!" The urgency in the twins' tones caused Mori to lift his attention from his book.
"-Oh the horrors, Mother! If only you had seen what the doppelgangers had done! A blemish! A spot of bother! A taint to the immaculately silent Usa-chan! What insult! An af-"
"Tamaki-senpai, you spilled the tea." As usual, Haruhi's comments are brutally honest.
Tamaki starts to wail tears of frustration and tugs a little too insistently upon Kyouya's lapels. Mori narrows his eyes.
"Hani-chan will murder me! How now, mother?! The blood of a soldier who hasn't even unsheathed his sword! The blood of righteousness and purity is spilled! And-"
"Tamaki. Shut up." Tamaki immediately retreats to his Wall of Gloom, huddling himself.
Now, here was a crisis on Kyouya's hands, and from what Mori sees, the little frown as his eyebrows pull together in a grimace, his lips tugged into a firm line, Kyouya has absolutely no idea how to get rid of the stain on Usa-chan. Throwing it away and replacing Usa-chan with a new bun-bun was impossible considering Hani would immediately spot the difference in its scent...
And as Murphy's Law would have it, the Host Club stilled as Hani, mumbles in half-waken sleep. "Usa-chan, they are so noisy, ne? Noisy..." Tiny fists reaches over to a now empty Usa-chan indent and grappled wildly, to no avail. Almost immediately, Hani sat up, blond-swept bangs covering his eyes as his face darkened immensely, like the thunderclouds before a storm. The fists now balled in almost uncontrollable fury.
"Where. Is. Usa-chan?" he bites out each word unflinchingly, and the entire room stills at the tone of hani's voice. Much too forceful and strong, like silk dragged across a naked blade, the threat in simply those three words plainly apparent.
The floppy-eared bunny, now in the cautious hands of Mori (whom everyone felt had the highest chance of approaching hani and actually survive) was delivered, lying horizontally across Mori's palms, it's sad fate apparent for all to see, as Mori stepped up to Hani. As though going through a funeral procession, each host club member lowered their heads in guilt, and fear as they anxiously awaited Hani's response.
Large honey orbs widened. The entire host club froze not daring to break this tenacious moment of peace before all hell broke loose when Hani-senpai realized what had befallen his precious Usa-chan.
"Mitsukuni. Usa-chan," He paused, faltering a little, "wanted a sip of Devonshire tea."
A steely flicker of anger flashed across the blonde's cherubic face. The contrast was so overwhelming that Mori was stunned and his usual placid stoned expression slipped.
But it disappeared as soon as it appeared, allowing curiosity and idle wonderment to take residence upon his angelic countenance.
"Really? Usa-chan! Would you like some strawberry cake too?" At the sound of cheerful bubbly voice, a collective sigh of relief was emitted, a huge burden lay down, as the Host club continued to function in its crazy normalcy.
Somehow Mori finds the behaviour a little queer, and almost, almost wished Hani would express some form of childish anger, maybe cry or punch Tamaki a little, or at least scold him for not protecting Usa-chan. The strange acceptance of events only made things easier, made things harder.
It is only the next day that Mori discovers the full extent of Hani's wrath. It was Hani's naptime as usual, and the Host Club gave the little blond a wide berth, and enough silence for a nap while they continued entertaining the ladies.
Loud bawling warranted their attention, as to their horror; Hani awoke in the midst of his beloved nap, fat droplets of saline pouring furiously out of huge pitiful orbs, his bed hair sticking out all over the place, a sight that tugged at the heartstrings.
"Takashi!" Hani runs over to Mori and gives him a one-armed hug, the other gripping Usa-chan's ear.
Mori flashes him a worried look, embracing the poor child.
"Hani, Hani dreamt that Usa-chan wanted to drink so much Devonshire tea that he became stinky and brown! It was so scary, Usa-chan was all dark and gross and it forced Hani to drink Devonshire tea too!"
More tears erupted.
"Why would Usa-chan do that? Hani is so scared..."
The ladies flocked to Hani-senpai's side immediately and began consoling the poor child.
"It was just a nightmare, Hani-senpai! You can have my bun-bun!"
"Usa-chan made a mistake, Hani-chan! He won't drink Devonshire anymore. Just water, okay?!"
"Looking at Hani-senpai so upset, I can't enjoy myself any longer..."
This queer behaviour rinses and repeats for the next two days, and Mori notes that Kyouya realises the fall in profits. It was only after Hikaru and Kaoru had apologised sincerely and assured Hani that Usa-chan disliked both tea and coffee and thus would not drink anymore, while Tamaki inflicts a similar fate on Kuma-chan, and the three given a talk (read: heavy dose of lecture, blackmail and threatening) by Kyouya that the matter was given a rest.
It was a cruel punishment, Mori thinks, which only cruel minds can think of. After all, Hani is a very indulgent child, and when his possessions are spoilt without his permission, there was hell to pay for.
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