My Stalker
On a brilliant spring afternoon full of (fake, since it's not the season anymore - to help create the mood) cherry blossoms and the chirping of (real? imported from somewhere? who even knows with these people) birds, scholarship student Haruhi Fujioka is sitting by the window in Music Room Number 3, immersed in a history textbook, seeming troubled - more so than usual, I dare say.
Around her, the preparations for today's spectacle are in full swing. Tamaki moves in circles in his knight attire, proclaiming something about love and beauty and whatnot while a maid is throwing rose petals (probably real, Haruhi's already getting a headache from the smell) all around him, as usual. That maid, hiding in the shadows, always managing to stay invisible. Haruhi wishes she could be like her.
"Haru-chan," it's Honey approaching her, his huge eyes glimmering with concern. "Is something wrong?"
"Oh," she looks up from her book. "It's nothing, senpai."
"Are you sure? You don't look so well - right, Takashi?"
"Ah."
"It's no big-"
"You know," Honey continues, an aura of pink and flowers and small animals surrounding him. "You can tell us anything, and we'll help you, because we're all friends, you know, right? Won't you tell us?"
Well, how can she say no to that face?
"Um, well..." she sighs. "Well, I mean, it's probably nothing, really - it's just - um. I guess I just feel a bit like I'm being watched..? I feel like I'm being followed lately." More so than usual.
"What?" That's Tamaki, who has never heard of manners and not eavesdropping on people's conversations. "What did you say?! Did you hear that, everyone, she says she's being followed! A stalker?! A pervert?! My dear daughter!"
Several shocked gasps and Tamaki almost fainting ensues, followed by screaming, phone calls, whiteboards coming out of nowhere. Haruhi regrets saying anything, like she always does.
"Right, so 24/7 surveillance it is... We'll drive her to school every morning... Make sure there's always a bodyguard around... When did it start, Haruhi?"
"Look," she covers her eyes with her hand, exasperated. "I'm sure it's just my imagination. There's nothing to worry about." She closes her book and gets up.
"Where are you going?! I'm coming with you!"
"Please don't, senpai. I'm just going to the bathroom."
"I can still come, right?"
"There's no way you can! Just let me go!"
She shuts the door, leaving her fellow hosts to discuss various important issues such as why should you take her to school there's no way I can trust you two I can take her just fine and But we live closer to her we're practically neighbors, you know, on top of being classmates-
"Hikaru, what's wrong?" Kaoru asks his brother who is staring into the distance instead of joining the merry argument.
"It's nothing, I was just thinking - have we always had this human-shaped lamp?"
"Human-shaped lamp?"
"Yeah. It totally looks like a real person too."
In the corner, partially hidden by heaps of discarded clothing and accessories, stands a lone lamp in the form of a person crouched on the ground with a lampshade on their head. Kyouya walks over to it, takes the lampshade off, and to everyone's utter shock, the lamp turns out to be an actual person.
It is a student - a boy, looking quite ruffled and out-of-place even if you forget he was a lamp just a moment ago. Blue pants - the hue just a bit off, different from the uniform ones; a shirt that might be just a size too big; no jacket, terrible shoes, terrible blocky glasses; an attire obviously costing many thousands cheaper than something an Ouran student ought to wear.
A commoner.
An incredible mess of white hair - just a bit too long for a guy - which he struggles to get out of his face. Albino features, quite attractive - if unkempt and giving off a hostile vibe.
He gets up quickly, his bangs still getting in his eyes, and sneezes several times. The entirety of the host club is silent, staring at him before Honey tries to offer a handkerchief, which he doesn't accept.
There is another pause. Tamaki and the twins exchange glances and think before coming to a shocking conclusion and turning their attention back to the intruder.
"So," Tamaki starts, giving him his worst glare along with the twins. "It's you who has been following our Haruhi around..?"
"Oh, yes, that would be me," he replies, voice very calm and even. "Um... Your Haruhi? Why- Oh, whatever. But she sure is taking her time there, isn't she? Ah, should I go see if anything's wrong-"
"You're not going anywhere," Hikaru (or Kaoru?) is almost baring his teeth at him. "What the hell is your problem? Why were you following Haruhi? Why were you hiding here?"
"Oh, that-" He's tugging on a strand of his long hair and all of a sudden looks bashful. "I wanted to ask her- for advice, kind of- but I'm a bit shy, you see."
"Hey, what's going on?" It's Haruhi, back at last. "Who is the- wait."
"Fujioka-san!" he brightens immediately, straightens himself and tries to fix his tie, then waves at her. "It's been so long! How have you been?"
"Wait- Is that you, Akira-chan? What are you-"
"Of course, who else would it be?" Akira pushes Tamaki out of the way - almost punching him in the face, completely by accident, of course - to run up to Haruhi, clasp her hand in his and shake it vigorously. "It's been so long! How have you been! I've wanted to see you for so long- I couldn't believe you entered a school like this, it's such a coincidence, really, that I actually just transferred here not so long ago the second I heard I was so happy I guess it's fate? Don't you think so too, Fujioka-san, oh and I was surprised to hear you were in a club like this I mean you've never been in a club before - right? - I didn't believe at first and of course I thought you were definitely roped into it, and it looks like I was right - right? - and I-"
"Wait, wait, wait!" Tamaki grabs his shoulder and pulls him away. "What are you doing, touching my Haruhi, and what's your problem-"
"Please calm down, senpai. Akira-chan is a friend of mine from middle school," Haruhi manages to get out with much effort for she is already being smothered by the over-protective twins.
"Yep!" chirps Akira. "Oh, please allow me to introduce myself. Izunome Akira, first year, class A. Um, I'm actually your classmate, Fujioka-san, but I only enrolled a week ago."
"You are? I've... never seen you in class."
"Oh!" he brightens more. "You really didn't? I was hiding! You totally couldn't tell I was there, right?"
"Why'd you do that, Akira-chan?"
"You see-"
"Now wait just a moment," the impolite Tamaki interrupts once again. "Akira-chan? What kind of relationship do you two have? Well whatever it is, your father will not approve of it!"
"Oh, if you're talking about Ranka-san, he totally approves of me," Akira gives an impossibly wide grin. "So don't even worry about it!"
The other hosts exchange glances - this guy has known Haruhi before and knows her secret, which poses a problem, they think. But what did he come here for?
"So how did you end up here, Fujioka-san?" he says excitedly, sitting down at one of the tables and pouring himself some tea into a teacup more expensive than some of his internal organs. "Please tell me all about it!"
"It's because... I broke this vase," she replies gloomily, joining him at the table once she manages to free herself out of the twins' clutches. "And it was really expensive and obviously I have no way of paying for it, so I started working here and it's been terrible."
"What kind of club even is this, Fujioka-san?"
"It's a host club. Basically the point of it is to... entertain ladies. It's nothing sexual though, I swear."
"Oooh," Akira is impressed. "And you've been doing this - entertaining ladies, and crossdressing - that's so cool."
"I... guess... not really, no."
"Haruhi, what are you doing telling all your secrets to some stranger?" Tamaki is on the verge of tears at this point.
"Akira-chan isn't a stranger, senpai, I'm telling you-"
She is interrupted by an absolutely terrifying sound - unmistakably, the sound of tableware breaking into millions of pieces. All eyes turn to the floor, where the remains of several teacups and a teapot lie in a puddle of their own blood (tea).
"Oh would you look at this," says Akira. "It all broke. Or rather, I broke it. Spilled the tea, too. That must've costed so much! Oh goodness, I'm so clumsy!" He does the totally cute gesture of winking while sticking his tongue out a bit. "Ehehe..."
The hosts are unimpressed.
"What... what did you do that for, Akira-chan?" Haruhi asks, quite worried.
"I guess I have no choice," he sighs sadly. "but to work here to repay my debt, right? I cannot believe this."
"No you don't," Kaoru (or Hikaru?) growls. "There's no way we can let a creep like you work here."
"Why not? I have no money to pay for this, and I'm very cute and good with girls. Also, I have albinism, so I'm already way more interesting than most of you," he grins. "Just try me, it'll be a blast - and Fujioka-san can confirm I'm totally reliable and a good worker - right, Fujioka-san?" He stares at her with eyes that say "I have no money. Do this for me".
Haruhi sighs for the hundred and eleventh time. "Yeah, Akira-chan will probably be good at this. I mean, I have no idea why you would want to, but-"
"Yes!" Akira jumps from his seat and clutches Haruhi's hand again. "Thanks so much!"
The twins drag him away from the girl by his collar, then turn their eyes to Tamaki. He's leaning on a wall, not showing any signs of life before finally saying: "I... guess it's fine... If Haruhi says so... and that tea set was pretty expensive..." He frowns at Akira and strides up to him. "But the second you do something suspicious, we're throwing you out. And we can't let you work looking like this. I admit you have potential but you need a decent haircut at least!"
"Sure! I'm up for anything as long as I'm not the one paying for it!"
And so the hosts commence the operation "Turn this weirdo into a decent host instead of our club activities which got mysteriously postponed like they always do when we need them to".
A new uniform is brought over just as the twins finish giving Akira a stylish haircut - they cut the hair shorter, give him bangs of a normal length, and leave one strand in the front longer than the rest.
"Thank you so much! I love it!" he smiles, admiring his new look in the mirror. "Okay, I'm going to try this on now, so you guys have to leave the room for a bit."
"Why? We're all guys here."
"Not really. I'm a girl, you see. You know, with boobs and all."
There's a pause with Hikaru and Kaoru staring at Akira (probably trying to find any boobs on her person) and her smiling and waiting patiently.
"Tono? Can you come over here for a second?"
A/N: Hi! This is my first Ouran fic, and the first fic I'd written in a really long while, so I'm a bit rusty, but hopefully I can get into this whole fanfiction business again soon. Also, English isn't my first language so there's that too! But I really hope you liked this chapter. I enjoy writing this OC a lot and I'd love to hear what you think of her! So please review. Critique is much appreciated. I'm really excited to be working on this story and I hope reading it will be just as fun. I hope you have a good day and thanks for reading! :)