Sorry for the gap, college is killing me! Well, thank you readers, who have surprisingly given encouraging reviews for a story I wasn't even sure of getting any hits! Sorry if a little OOC-ness is observed here, the thing is, this is my first time writing using OHSHC characters and also my first fic featuring Len.
The fact is, I'm really bad with rudeness and sarcasm, so I've stayed away from Len all this while…but a couple of readers PM'd me requesting me to try…so here's the result. I hope you like it.
Oh, and I don't think the manga has given Len's dad a name…have they? So I've taken it upon myself to christen him in this chapter.
Enjoy!
"Yuzuru!"
"Kiyoshi!"
In absolute delight, the two men warmly embraced each other.
"It's been so long!"
"It has, but you haven't changed much!"
Len stood hesitantly at the foot of the staircase as his father continued to speak with his uncle. Well, not his uncle exactly. Yuzuru Suoh was actually his mother's fourth cousin, and a close friend of his father's, but Len had called him 'uncle' for as long as he could remember.
"Len, is that you?" Uncle Suoh now fixed his gaze on the blue-haired boy.
"Ohaya Uncle Suoh," Len said politely, bowing towards the light-haired man.
"There's no need for all those formalities you squirt!"
Before Len had managed to fully straighten, he found himself pulled into a bear hug that forced all the air out of his lungs.
"You've grown so much! You were just thirteen when I last saw you!"
When he finally let go, Len scurried a safe distance away from his uncle's suffocating grasp. Hugs were something he wasn't used to; the most familial type of affection he had ever received was the soft stroke of his mother's hand across the top of his head, or the occasional pat on the shoulder from his father.
"I swear Kiyoshi, that boy's become even less affectionate since the last time I saw him! Is he allergic to love or something?"
Kiyoshi laughed good-naturedly. "No, he's just very reserved." The blue-haired man went next to Len and softly clapped his shoulder. "By the way, where is Tamaki?"
"Still in Kobe with any luck," muttered Len under his breath, earning a slight nudge from his father.
"Well, I remember him getting into the car with me. Oye Tamaki!" Yuzuru stuck his head out the door, earning a look of shock from Len.
"He doesn't remember if Tamaki got into the car or not?" he hissed to his father.
"It's just a joke Len. Come on, don't be so serious."
"Coming dad!" called a voice from outside that had all the energy of a summer sun.
"Tamaki, watch out-!"
A dull crash resounded from outside, causing Len to wince. A few moments later, Tamaki came inside, a sheepish grin on his face, and some dirt caked on his white sneakers.
"Ah, I think those were your wife's begonias Kiyoshi", said Yuzuru looking slightly embarrassed.
"Sorry about that Uncle Tsukimori", said Tamaki in an apologetic tone. "I'll order you another pot."
"Another pot of what?" Misa Hamai entered the room.
"Tamaki!"
"Aunt Misa!" Tamaki quickly tore off his dirty sneakers and gave her a warm hug.
"I'm sorry about your begonias Aunt Misa", he said, with large liquid eyes. "I really didn't see them and I just…"
"It's okay Tamaki, just leave them be."
The guy hasn't been here for three seconds, and he already caused damages, Len thought in distaste.
"Len kun!" Tamaki detached himself from his aunt to hook onto Len.
"It's been so long since I've seen you!"
Len forcibly broke free from Tamaki's hug. "Don't do that."
"Aw Len, you haven't changed at all. Not even a smile!"
Tamaki placed the tips of his index fingers near the corners of Len's mouth and attempted to push his thin straight lips into a curve. This was met with an impatient huff and Len recoiling away from Tamaki in disgust.
"Keep your hands to yourself Tamaki, I don't like being touched."
"That's just 'cause you're not used to it. Here, it'll get better each time it happens," Tamaki said in a smooth voice which implied no innuendo but had Len taking a few precautionary steps backwards.
He's straight right?
"Don't make him uncomfortable Tamaki," his father called to him.
"But dad, all I'm trying to do is-"
His words were cut short as the sound of a car pulling up into the driveway reached his ears.
"That must be my daughter and sons! I hope their mommy came with them!" Without further ado, Tamaki ran outside again.
Len's eyes widened before he turned to look over his shoulder at Misa.
"Daughter and sons?" He asked her, wondering how on earth he managed to produce a family of multiple kin at the age of 18.
Even his mother looked puzzled now. "Daughter and sons?" She questioned to her cousin.
Yuzuru sighed and put a hand to his forehead. "I'm sorry for his obscure language; he has a tendency to forget that not everyone thinks like him. When he said daughter and sons, he was referring to the members of the club he has founded at Ouran. He uses it to imply the closeness that should exist between the members."
"And mommy would refer to…?" asked Len wondering if he even wanted to know.
Yuzuru chuckled now. "It's just a title the other members have kept for them. Since Tamaki founded the club, he's called daddy, and the vice president Kyouya, is referred to as mommy."
Len quirked an eyebrow at his uncle's explanation. Somehow, rather than making Tamaki seem less eccentric, it had solidified Len's long lasting impression of him; IDIOT.
Now multiple footsteps were heard outside on the porch.
"Here's my family!" announced the blond haired boy as he lively stepped back into the hall.
A group of 6 were now all politely removing their shoes near the doorway. One by one they stepped inside. Len took them in; a pair of twins, a tall strong looking senior, one was wearing glasses, another looked hardly fit to be in kindergarten, and the last to enter was a girl whose brown hair was cropped short into a stylish boy-cut.
"This is mommy," said Tamaki putting a hand on the bespectacled boy's shoulder. "But he's known to others as Ootori Kyouya."
"Thank you for having us," Kyouya said politely and stepping towards Mrs. Tsukimori while flourishing a large colorful bouquet towards her.
Misa accepted them with a smile. "Thank you Ootori kun, these are lovely."
"These two-" Tamaki gestured to the twins "are Kaoru and Hikaru Hitachiin."
"Ohaya Tsukimori dono," they said in unison bowing slightly towards Len's parents.
"This is Morinozuka Takashi. But we call him Mori senpai." Tamaki gestured towards the tall six foot silent senior who was glancing down at everyone in the room.
Takashi bowed silently before straightening.
"Mitsukuni kun," Tamaki pointed at the small child-like boy. "He's in the same grade as Morinozuka."
"Oh, they put you a few classes ahead is it?" questioned Misa politely.
"No ma'am, I'm the same age as Takashi!" Mitsukuni exclaimed.
He looks like a cookie elf, thought Len to himself, noting Mitsukuni's stature and high pitched voice.
Hunny walked up to Mrs. Tsukimori and deposited a large bag into her hands. "It's strawberry cake! The best one could ever taste!"
"Thank you Mitsukuni kun", Misa said with another smile as she placed the bag onto the coffee table.
"And this-" Tamaki said proudly with the air of a father about to declare that his son had disproved Newton's Laws, "Is Haruhi Fujioka, my only daughter!"
"Senpai!" Haruhi wriggled to free herself from Tamaki's death grip.
"She's shy." Tamaki announced to the room.
"So where will all of you be staying?" questioned Len's father looking at the crowd that had gathered in his sitting room.
"We have only three guest bedrooms, but if you all share then-"
"That's all right Tsukimori dono! My family owns the Sunrise hotel here, so all of us have already booked rooms there. You don't' gave to take any trouble," Hunny senpai explained to him.
"Then go already!" Len snapped at the posse of people who had turned up uninvited into his house.
"Len!" His father started in a slightly reprimanding tone, which was cut off by Yuzuru.
"Leave it be Kiyoshi, he's right after all; He had no idea that this lot was arriving."
"We'll see you tomorrow Tama-chan!" Chimed Hunny senpai.
"It was nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Tsukimori!"
"Same here." said Kiyoshi.
A few minutes later, the house had been cleared of the host club's members.
.x.X.x.
"Leeen, I'm bored! Please can't you let me practice my host skills on you?"
"What cumbersome practice does it take to become a host?" replied Len tartly as he sipped his evening tea.
"You could use the practice! You haven't exactly been treating me like a guest." Tamaki pouted, gripping onto Len's left forearm.
"I don't have the time or the patience for this frivolous and pointless activity. Besides, I have a friend arriving soon whom I have promised to help learn a violin piece."
"You? Having friends over! Well I guess it is possible for a tiger to change its stripes! You never used to have friends over."
Len was about to retort when the doorbell rang. Wordlessly, he went to open it.
"Sorry I'm late Tsukimori kun, I got held up at school and-"
"Forget it Hino. It will take you ten minutes to explain what happened, and in that time, we can finish one line of notes."
"Right."
Kahoko stepped over the threshold and waited for Len to give her permission to go upstairs. This was delayed by a sudden flash of golden hair and lilac orbs.
"What fair maiden is this Len?" Tamaki asked as he lightly held Kahoko's hand in his.
"Um…Tsukimori kun?" asked Kahoko unsurely as she took in the beautiful teenage boy who was kneeling down on one knee in front of her.
"Tamaki!" hissed Len in embarrassment as he took in the image of Kahoko's hand in his cousin's. "She's just my friend! She comes for violin lessons!"
"When you said friend, I was never expecting this vision of fair radiance to walk in! What a sight for the eyes you are my darling!" Tamaki used his host's charm to impress the cherry-haired girl in front of him.
Kahoko however, was too stunned to say anything else, not to mention shell-shocked by the way Tamaki had described her. When Tamaki refused to let go, Len walked forward to unglue his hand.
"Len, at least introduce us!" complained the blonde haired boy as his fingertips left their company with Kahoko's skin.
"I don't have any time for this interruption! Hino, upstairs, my room."
"H…hai, Tsukimori kun." Kahoko made a hasty exit by dashing up the stairs.
"Oh, keeping her to yourself eh, Len?" Tamaki asked slyly. "So is she really just a friend…or…perhaps something more?"
"She's my student. A mediocre violin player whom I've agreed to teach."
"Are you sure…?" Tamaki asked pryingly.
"I don't have to justify myself to you." With that, Len turned to climb up the stairs.
"Can I have her if she's not yours?"
Len paused in the act of placing his foot on the first stair.
"No." was all he said before continuing his way up.
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