I don't usually make one-shots dedicated to specific holidays, but let's be honest here- if I try to keep myself from posting this until February, the hard copy will get lost, and the typed up version will more than likely get accidentally deleted from my computer in some way. So here's my new philosophy: If the inspiration for a Valentine's Day fic comes to you in June… just go with it.
Actually, the inspiration isn't that random. I'm watching a new anime, ('new' in the sense that I'm watching it for the first time) and they did a Valentine's Day episode. Unfortunately, the show is… less than impressive. So let's just hope this doesn't suck.
Valentine's Day
There were many perks to being a host, though not to the extent that their peers often imagined. To be honest, Valentine's Day could be a little tedious. Their lockers and desks were the envy of the other boys, filled to the brim and piled high with chocolates.
"What a pain," Hikaru grumbled, shoveling one expensive package after another out of his locker and into a garbage back, attempting to reach his books. "I hate Valentine's Day…"
Kaoru hummed in agreement. He was leaning up against the locker beside his brother's, on the lookout for any fangirls come to see their reactions. Their gifts may have been unwanted, but it would be bad for business should they be caught disposing of them so rudely.
"That's the last of it," said Hikaru with a sigh. He slammed the door to his locker shut in irritation. "I wish the holidays weren't so long."
Kaoru's gaze had drifted to the pile of candy, his eyes focusing in on the colorful, unsigned package sitting on top. "Maybe they don't have to be."
Hikaru's eyes followed his brother's. They, too, landed on the present on top. Immediately, he knew what Kaoru was thinking. He smirked and looked up to find an identical smirk staring back at him.
…
The study hall had emptied quickly, even the teacher in charge of overseeing it having hurried out to attend a meeting. Just two people were left in the room.
"Is something wrong, Mitsukuni?"
Honey had been staring almost forlornly at the chocolates on his desk. (Though the boy loved sweets, there was still a considerable pile left.) Now he looked up at his tall companion.
"There are so many beautiful girls in our school," he said thoughtfully. "So many nice girls… But we don't notice their good traits because we're so busy trying to please them all as a whole. I think one of the reasons Haru-chan is so appealing to everyone is because she's broken through that barrier. But for all we know, there could be someone- or many someones- just as wonderful as she is. It's… sad."
"You're right. But I'm sure, someday, someone else will break that barrier and rise above the rest, too. Maybe you just have to be patient."
"You think so?" Honey smiled up at his friend. Mori rarely said so much, but it was always worth listening to when he did speak.
The small boy turned back to his pile, gently plucking one off the top. This present was very different from the rest. It was the only black box among the multitudes of brightly colored packages. The ribbon was patterned with orange spiders and bats, as if it were Halloween and not Valentine's Day. Inside were four bunny-shaped chocolates.
Honey read the signature and smiled…
…
Predictably, Valentine's Day was one of the busiest days of the year for the host club. They'd learned early on not to even try to plan any themes. For one, the mutual energy between the guests and the hosts tended to carry them through to the end of hosting hours. And besides, there was very little time to prepare- the girls tended to be waiting for them, already chattering amongst themselves, when the hosts arrived.
Today was no exception. The hosts were at the top of their game, and the guests left on a cloud of euphoria, helped along by the general excitement of the day. It wasn't until the guests' departure that things began to stray from the usual.
Like a real business, each host had their own office in the back. However, these were rarely used apart from the dressing room attached to each one. The actual office was used as little more than a place to store their bags.
Today, when the hosts all journeyed to the back at the end of the day, there was something unexpected waiting for Kyoya. He paused in the doorway. The guests weren't allowed behind the scenes, and as far as he knew, no one had breached this rule. Yet, sitting atop his desk sat a Valentine's Day gift.
Slowly, he walked up to his desk, pushing his glasses up with one hand and picking up the present with the other. It was a simple box- brightly colored and unsigned. The only distinctive feature was the enormous purple bow adorning the top.
When he turned, still examining the gift, he noticed Renge, standing frozen in the doorway. The bow was conspicuously missing from her hair. Renge took one look at what he was holding and turned and fled from the room. Kyoya paused only long enough to grab his bag before following after her, unaware of the pair of dopplegangers following at a slower pace after him.
Kyoya tailed their manager to an empty classroom. He stayed at the doorway while she stood inside, her back to him, staring at the chalkboard.
"Renge," he prompted gently.
She turned to face him, her cheeks already flushed. Before he could address her again, she demanded, "What do you think that is?" She gestured to the present with the purple bow, still in his hand. "Some desperate plea for your attention? Because I'm not just another one of those girls that you entertain day after day. That one's not mine!"
"I know." His response was calm and immediate. "I think this one was left by the twins as some sort of game to see what my reaction would be."
…
Outside, the twins exchanged a look.
"Damn," said Kaoru. "I guess we should've known Kyoya-senpai wouldn't react."
"Yeah… But I bet the boss will." New mission already being formulated in their minds, the twins slunk off.
…
Kyoya hadn't finished. "But this one…"
He held up his other hand. In it sat another box, alarmingly similar to the first except that the bow on top was pink. The very bow currently missing from its place atop Renge's head.
"This one… I think you left this one in my dressing room earlier today where you knew I would find it apart from the others." He set the box down on the desk nearest the door and fluidly lifted a bouquet of roses out of his bag. "I would like to present you with these as a show of my gratitude."
For a moment, Renge could only stare. Then tears welled up in her eyes and she smacked his hand. The roses fell to the floor as she screamed, "Didn't you hear a word I just said?! Don't talk to me as a host! I know how stupid I was when I first came here, and maybe it was a crazy idea to send you those chocolates… But I'm not a silly little girl anymore. I've come to know you for you, and I love you for you. If you can't say that back and mean it, then I don't want to hear it at all!"
"I mean every word I say," he answered. "Maybe I live behind my hosting façade too often, but I would never lower you to that." Leaving the flowers where they lay, Kyoya unwound the bow from his gift and placed it on the desk beside her. "One day, we'll meet under different circumstances and I'll be able to accept your heart with all of mine, but right now, you know that's not a possibility. I'm sorry."
He kissed her on the cheek, gathered his things, and walked out.
But Kyoya stopped as soon as he was out of sight from where she stood inside. Now, it felt as if he had been laying it on a bit thick, but he had meant every single word that he had said to her.
He envied Renge. She felt everything so deeply, she rarely gave up on anything, and she was so passionate about everything she did. On top of which, no one had to twist his arm to get him to admit that she was cute- even out of her beloved cosplays.
Inside, Renge was hugging the bouquet of roses to her chest. He was unaware of how tightly he was clutching his own gift in his hand.
Sometimes, he hated being a host.
…
It was rare for Honey and Mori to be apart. And had Mori known where Honey was going, it is very unlikely that he would have allowed to smaller boy to go alone.
The Black Magic Club's dwelling had rarely been graced with the presence of one so cute, bright, and cheerful. But today, Honey-senpai walked right in.
There was no sign of fear on his face as he made his way to a table in the back, the darkly-decorated Valentine's Day box in his hand. Sitting at this table was a younger girl. She wasn't wearing the standard black cloak that could be spotted on the rest of the club members, but a book on curses was open before her.
"Good afternoon, Reiko-chan," he greeted her. "Thank you so much for the chocolates!"
Though her surroundings carried an air of suspicion with them, her smile was genuine. "Honey-senpai. Did you like the special poison I had baked into them?"
"Yes! Strawberry filling- my favorite!"
"Do you think it is working to capture your soul, as you have stolen mine?"
Honey's smile showed a deeper emotion than just his typical excitement. "It just might be. Would you like to share some cake with me, Reiko-chan?"
"I would like that very much."
…
Hikaru and Kaoru clutched their sides as they fell to the ground in a fit of laughter. Tamaki had just run from the room, determined to find some way to reciprocate his 'daugther's' love.
Today had proved to be a very interesting day indeed.
Review please!
(I own no part of Ouran)
Perhaps my real motivation for writing this was because I haven't done anything sappy in a long time… On a completely unrelated tangent… It feels weird to keep referring to it as Valentine's Day. XD My friends and I call it Single's Awareness Day.
This was originally going to focus more on Kyoya and Renge, but then I wanted to expand it to incorporate the other hosts. Reiko Kanazuki is only in the manga, so if you haven't read up through volume ten, the part with Honey may not make sense/mean anything to you.
Last but not least, I apologize for any OOCness. I feel like I came closer to the danger of that than I have in a while. Then again, I haven't updated anything in a while…