Title: Abstention
Author/Artist: Spirit Evolution
Theme(s): #21 Diet
Pairing/Characters: Hunny-Senpai/Mori-Senpai (Family-wise)
Rating: K
Disclaimer/claimer (if needed): I do not own Ouran High School Host Club or it's characters. I only own the story.
Summary (if needed): Mori had to put his foot down, even if it meant incurring the wrath of a certain temperamental blonde in doing so.
Abstention
It was another blissfully cool Spring afternoon at Ouran High; the mild temperatures outside differing dramatically to the temperatures inside the unused Third Music Room. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your view, the Host Club's headquarters had taken on a Tropical theme with various wild flora and fauna flown in from overseas scattered across the spacious room, enshrouding the many guests and their respective hosts.
It was in one of these little alcoves created by a subtly placed palm tree that the true events of this particular story takes place.
"Ne, doesn't Hunny-Senpai resemble a cute squirrel smuggling nuts for winter?" a feminine creature with large doe-like eyes remarked to the rest of her posse, reaching out to grasp one of the blonde's cheeks. "Ooh! Just like twin marshmallows!"
Unperturbed, Hunny-Senpai continued tunnelling voraciously through his mountain of chocolate gateaux sprinkled liberally with whipped cream and wild strawberries.
"Yes he does!" another piped up, leaning in close. "And he's got an adorable little paunch too!"
Upon feeling a digit digging into the soft flesh of his lightly rounded stomach, the Martial Arts master blinked and grunted uncomfortably, pausing for a second to eyeball the be-speckled brunette with a shy smile. This in turn caused both females to collapse in a shower of oestrogen induced sparkles of joy.
Puffing his cheeks out in a display of faux hurt, Hunny-Senpai turned on the waterworks.
"I do not look like a squirrel…" he whined, his chocolate covered mouth all a-tremble.
Before his guests could burst out into their trademark 'mother-mode' with loving cuddles and murmured endearments reserved for restless children, a slim hand settled on the youthful upper-classman's shoulder, giving the area a firm squeeze.
"Of course you don't resemble a squirrel, Hunny-Senpai," a husky voice soothed, the hand slipping from its perch to slide over a toned torso to rest atop the lightly protruding gut. "But you are gaining weight. Look, I can clearly feel a love handle here." And here, to prove a point, the hand pinched at the flesh, grasping at least an inch.
"Ne, Haruhi-kun!" a female protested, "You mustn't say such things!"
Haruhi sighed lightly and removed her hand, wide murky eyes unobtrusively catching the gaze of another hidden among the fronds of a fern, off to the left- Far enough to not disturb, but close enough to intervene. And intervene was what he did.
Dull footfalls that spoke of immeasurable control and expensive leather slowly approached the concealed seating area, stopping only when the owner stood directly in front of the blonde prodigy. The figure crouched, a lightly calloused hand shooting out to snag the smaller boy's chin in a solid grip, tilting that adorable face up for closer inspection. Dark eyes surveyed the 'damage' the sweeter foods had wrought on Hunny-Senpai's visage, narrowing the slightest amount.
"Takashi…" the molested one protested.
"Haruhi is right," he murmured tonelessly, his attention everywhere, making sure to take note of every imperfection…Every difference on his cousin's body. "You have put on weight."
Hunny-Senpai flushed minutely under the raven-haired boy's scrutiny, shifting in his seat restlessly as if that would somehow remove the minor discomfort he was feeling at that moment.
"You've been skipping out on your training regime, haven't you?" It was a statement, not a question. Upon receiving no answer, Mori-Senpai released his hold on the blonde and stood upright in one fluid movement.
Silence fell on the group, all of the participants keeping an eagle eye on the proceedings, each making an inner bet on the outcome of this particular episode. The quiet had of course drawn the attention of the rest of the Host Club- Tamaki had abandoned his 'princess' of the day to stand next to his beloved Haruhi; the twins had followed suit, each leaning over the back of the blonde's chair, with Kyoya bringing up the rear. Hunny-Senpai slumped forward a bit, staring at the hands he'd placed in his lap.
After shooting the slouched figure of his cousin a censuring frown, Mori-Senpai quickly made his decision, and with only a swift flicker of regret in his eyes, he swiped the half eaten cake from the small coffee table that separated the guests and this particular host, and marched off with a bold declaration floating over his shoulder.
"No more sweets for two weeks."
This of course had the desired affect; Tamaki fainted from the shock, the twins cackled evilly at their friend's expense, and Kyoya spun around with a calculator in hand, too busy figuring out how much money he'd be saving due to this turn of events to notice Haruhi's scowl.
"You do realise there'll be no living with him for the duration, right?" the female cross-dresser pointed out carefully, taking note of her upper-classman's mood. "This'll just be another 'Cavity Incident'."
Upon digesting that information, dread welling up in their throats, the Host Club watched on in fear as the Loli-Shota jumped up from his seat; eyes ablaze with fury and tears of pique and fists clenched at his sides.
"Takashi…I hate you!" he screamed, then turned on one elegantly shod foot and bolted out of the room.
Haruhi sighed, rubbing her temples.
"It's only going to get worse."
And oh how right she was.
It was already one week into the imposed 'No Sweet' ban that Mori-Senpai had started, and still the taller boy hadn't cracked despite the fact that his special person was ignoring him as well as avoiding him like the plague. All in all, Haruhi felt sorry for the taciturn male…The feeling nigh on overwhelming when she'd had the misfortune of walking in on a particularly tense moment earlier on that afternoon at lunch.
She had waltzed into the cafeteria with Bento in hand, accompanying the much sought after twins Kaoru and Hikaru, each having an arm slung over her shoulders and lunch trays palmed. Haruhi had been searching for a decent enough spot to sit, when she caught the thoroughly depressed eye of Mori-Senpai. He was seated two chairs down from his diminutive cousin, being well and truly ignored.
"Ano sa…" Hikaru murmured over the top of my head to his younger sibling; "Those two look like they're enjoying themselves. What say you, we join them and get some entertainment?"
Haruhi twitched- Not because they were talking over her, that couldn't be helped as she was a bit of a midget. No, it was their total insensitivity to the whole situation.
"I say…" Kaoru replied jauntily, "That great minds think alike. Onward, Haruhi! This particular distraction will aid your digestion."
And so, that is how the discontent duo became an uncomfortable quintet.
Haruhi ended up next to Hunny-Senpai by some cruel twist of fate, and when she was fixed with the killer puppy dog eyes of doom, she had to steel herself against what would inevitably follow.
"Ne…Haru-chan?" Hunny-Senpai cooed, a dimpled smile curling his lips.
Haruhi couldn't not respond, so she shot him a quick look from beneath her eyelashes- Fleeting…There and gone again, for she knew if she looked for too long, she'd be rendered into a feminine pile of mush, ready to hand over her liver if asked.
"Yes, Hunny-Senpai?" she responded politely, injected wary warmth into her voice. Didn't want to encourage him too much.
But he was encouraged, and thus practically threw himself into her available lap. He remained silent, and so did she…Haruhi pointedly stared at her home made lunch with avid interest, fingers fiddling with the disposable chopsticks.
"Ne, Haru-chan…Didja bring desert with you? Y'know lunch just isn't the same without something sweet to wash away the bland taste of regular food, don'tcha agree?"
Mori-Senpai glanced up at long last, his gaze boring holes into the back of the brunette's head. Upon feeling the intense stare, Haruhi sweatdropped and bit back a sigh, pasting a slight smile on her lips.
Great. Now she had to watch what she said.
"Ah, you may be right Hunny-Senpai;" she returned, still avoiding his eyes. "But you know I do not care much for sweet things, therefore I find it wasteful to fill my lunch with something I won't eat. It's a waste of money."
Mentally congratulating herself on such a quick, and truthful comeback, she dug into her rice and octopus hotdogs with gusto.
Hunny-Senpai fell silent again, contemplating his next move- Realising that despite her being a female (not so much in appearance, or by mannerisms unfortunately), she was probably the worst person to try to weasel treats out of.
So then, like a hunter picking out his prey, Hunny-Senpai set his sights on a couple of girls from his class who'd taken a seat opposite himself and Haruhi.
'Aah… Fair game…' he thought with an internal chuckle.
And off he toddled to ply his wiles to the unsuspecting couple, leaving Haruhi to breathe easy and enjoy her lunch in peace.
"Don't look now, Mori…" Hikaru whispered conspiratorially to his Senpai, earning a disgruntled look from Haruhi as he'd said it loud enough for her to hear, "But I think those girls are like to crumble when hit head on with Hunny-Senpai's charming demeanour, ne?"
This had Mori-Senpai's head snapping up sharply, and with something akin to nonchalance, he leant an elbow atop the table, and kept an eye on his cousin with a watchful eye. If anyone else other than the twins and the cross-dresser happened to look…They'd only see the teenager daydreaming or something of the sort- That was how subtle he was.
"…So I was wondering…As you wrongfully believe that you're putting on weight…" Hunny-Senpai's voice floated over. "I'd love to volunteer to eat the cake to save you the horror of indecision!"
Mori-Senpai was at his side in a flash, sombre and solid.
"No sweets," he intoned forcefully.
"Hmn…Didja hear anything, ladies?" Hunny-Senpai queried after a beat. "Bzz…Bzzz…Bzz…Is it an insignificant insect of some sort?"
Mori-Senpai flushed lightly, though it was there and gone again in an instant. He folded his arms across his chest. The girls glanced at each other nervously.
"No sweets," he repeated, pointedly looking at the females.
The girls stared at him for a moment, before murmuring their heartfelt apologies to Hunny-Senpai and scampering off to get some 'fresh air'. Haruhi personally believed that they were intimidated by his grave aura.
A pregnant pause stretched out for what seemed like an eternity before Hunny-Senpai finally turned around to look up at his taller cousin. The Kendo expert returned it levelly, despite the fact that he was being blasted a glare so icy, it had created a frozen wind around him accompanied by a flurry of lonely leaves.
"…Takashi, I hate you!" he howled in fury, and he too disappeared from the room, leaving a dejected Mori-Senpai.
The blonde sped past the King and unofficial 'Shadow King' of the Host Club leaving a trail of anger induced tears in his wake; causing the two to glance at each other, one with a grimace of fear and discomfort, the other with eyebrows raised before they turned their attention unanimously to the group at the lunch table.
"Tantrum?" Kyoya asked.
Haruhi nodded and rubbed her eyes wearily- This action did not go unnoticed by Tamaki, and so the poor brunette had to endure his touch and nonsensical babble.
"Darling! Did Hunny-Senpai upset daddy's little girl?" he crowed dramatically, kneading her shoulders comfortingly. "Mother! Hunny-Senpai needs to be punished!"
Kyoya adjusted his glasses with his forefinger and smirked.
"You're overreacting again, Tamaki-san."
Tamaki turned pale and floated away to a nearby corner after releasing his grip on Haruhi, his knees tucked up beneath his chin, and his eyes downcast.
"Mother is so cruel…" he whimpered, distraught.
Haruhi turned her attention to the slumped shoulders of Mori-Senpai, stretching up on tiptoe to give him a comforting pat on the shoulder.
"He'll forgive you as soon as the two weeks are up, Mori-Senpai. You'll see."
The dark eyes teenager nodded solemnly and trudged out of the cafeteria, bent on finding his wayward cousin, and shadowing his every move as per usual.
At that point, everyone felt bad for the poor guy.
The beginning of the last week of the 'Sweet Ban' arrived, and Hunny-Senpai whirled into the Third Music room in a shower of happy sparkles and flowers. He came to a stop right in front of Mori-Senpai, earning himself a few surprised looks, and a raised eyebrow from Kyoya.
"I wonder if Mori-Senpai will cave this time…" Hikaru whispered to Kaoru.
"Well, he does look a little worse for wear," Kaoru replied, leaning against his older brother.
This was quite true, actually- Mori-Senpai, despite remaining his stoic self with a face carved out of granite as per usual, his aura was one of depression, and he'd even gone so far as to leave his top shirt button undone as well as leaving his tie loosely tied at his neck. His hair was limp and his hair was lightly rumpled- Not the perfect picture of a well-dressed man.
"Takashi…" Hunny-Senpai drawled sweetly, his hands clasped behind his back.
Mori-Senpai looked up from his contemplation of the tiled floor, an eyebrow raising in question.
"I've been training extra hard over the past few days…And I've lost a lot of weight, wouldn't you agree?"
Cue the gigantic smile, and hair twirling. Add some extra happy sparkles.
Mori-Senpai seemed to remain unfazed, and he stared blankly at his shorter cousin. Hunny-Senpai's smile tightened minutely.
"Well? I think I deserve a treat now, don't y-…Hey!"
Whilst the blonde was busy trying to defend himself verbally, Mori-Senpai had whipped out a set of scales from seemingly nowhere and had removed Hunny-Senpai's shoes before tossing him onto the weighing machine.
"…You have a few pounds to go. You'll be at your proper weight by the end of the week."
Everyone waited with bated breath as Hunny-Senpai digested that bit of information.
The Martial Arts master scowled darkly, his cheeks flushed and puffed out, his eyes screwed up in an expression of rage.
Everyone took a joint step back.
Clenched fists shook unsteadily at his sides, and his mouth worked furiously, as if he wanted to say something, but all the words had been shocked out of his mind.
Tamaki cowered behind Haruhi and Kyoya, whilst the twins held onto each other for dear life.
Was there going to be violence, like the last time?
"Takashi…" the word was stretched out, his voice reaching a high note. "You idiot, I'm never talking to you again!"
And again, he was gone.
Mori-Senpai released a heavy sigh and fell back into his depression.
Everyone was free to breathe easy once again.
Friday- The day that signalled the end of the school week. The day where everyone was unfortunately saddled with reams of homework. But whatever it was to everyone else…Today was a special day for Haninozuka Mitsukuni for today was…
"Ne, Hunny-Senpai? Isn't today the day the 'Sweet Ban' is lifted?" Haruhi asked, as she slowed her stride to match his. They'd bumped into each other in the hall, and had decided to walk together to the Third Music Room.
All she received was a sharp grunt, and she looked down at Hunny-Senpai's gaunt expression and irritated eyes. It was obvious he hadn't been sleeping too well for he was rather sluggish, and he kept dropping his beloved Usagi-san on the floor.
"I'll…Never…Forgive…Him…" he muttered beneath his breath, his lips forming a sour pout.
They rounded the corner and ascended the flight of stairs that led to the Host Club's room, the two of them pausing just outside with Haruhi's hand resting lightly on the doorknob.
"Hunny-Senpai? Are you ready to go in?"
The blonde nodded dully, and without preamble, she slowly pushed the door open, spluttering softly as a wave of rose petals shot out at her in a flurry of hazy perfume and air conditioning as well as some emotional words…
"…I don't like making him suffer like this."
Upon recognising Mori-Senpai's voice, Haruhi placed a restraining hand on the shorter boy's arm, and when he looked up at her in mild confusion, she placed a finger to her lips to indicate that he should stay quiet. He nodded, and they continued to listen in.
"He knows that, Mori-Senpai;" Tamaki replied comfortingly. "He just doesn't like hearing the word 'No' and 'Sweets' in the same sentence."
"Though it has increased our funds. We do spend quite a bit on Hunny-Senpai's sweet things."
Haruhi's eye twitched, wondering why she wasn't surprised that Kyoya had mentioned it.
"He said he'll never forgive me." There was desperation in the tallest teen's voice.
"Hunny-Senpai said that last time," the twins chorused, bored. "And you made up easily enough."
There was a silence, which Haruhi was pretty sure was punctuated with agreeable nods.
"I want him to stay healthy. It's my job, my duty and my pleasure to keep him in a hale and hearty state- This way he won't be prone to sickness."
Haruhi felt Hunny-Senpai's shoulder quiver beneath her hand, and she shot him a sidelong look. The Loli-Shota's eyes were brimming with tears, and his lips trembled.
"See, Hunny-Senpai? Mori-Senpai only thinks about what is best for you. I think you owe him an apology, ne?" she whispered, giving him a gentle nudge.
That was all the encouragement he needed. The doors flung themselves open fully, and he dashed in there in a whirl of blonde and blue- Mori-Senpai had only a moments notice before he found himself halfway across the room, cradling a bawling Hunny-Senpai.
"Takashi, I'm sorry!" he wailed, nuzzling into his chest, his hands fisting in the taller boy's blazer. "I won't ever skip my training again, and I promise I won't eat so many sweets!"
The dark eyed 'Wild man' of the group smiled softly, and placed a hand atop the shorter boy's head, ruffling the feathery mess. He didn't need to say anything.
During the 'make-up' scene, the rest of the Host Club watched on in silence, taken in by the moment for a minute.
"Their 'break-ups' and 'make-ups' are always so dramatic," Kyoya murmured sourly, and added on a sigh; "I'm going to go bankrupt footing Hunny-Senpai's sweet rations."
Haruhi nudged him lightly in the side with an elbow, and he wandered off muttering various numbers beneath his breath.
"Another happy ending, daughter mine!" Tamaki chirped, pulling the brunette into a loving hug.
"…But not nearly as dramatic as Tamaki-san."
Those words had the desired affect, and Tamaki retreated to his corner of angst.
"Mother is so cold…"
Haruhi giggled, the twins ruffling her hair affectionately.
"Haruhi!" Kyoya called from the shadows. "You still have that eight million yen to pay off. Go open the club."
Haruhi sweatdropped, and toddled off to the front door.
"Yeah, yeah…"
She paused a moment, and glanced over her shoulder at the embracing cousins, and smiled gently, though frowned with exasperation as a sudden thought occurred to her.
"Familial love is wonderful…But I hope they don't coin in on that, like Hikaru and Kaoru," she murmured dryly, and flipped the sign before slipping back into the room.
"Host Club is Now Open."
Spirit: I went on Live Journal cause it seems to be the 'cool' thing to do, and found the whole 30Kisses, 30Hugs stuff and decided to coin in on it. This is from the 30Sweets community on LJ. Y'all know the drill; constructive criticism is appreciated, as are complimentary reviews.
