Cutting it to the wire yet again, I apologize for any grammatical/spelling errors, I didn't have time to check!:( This chapter ended up being quite a bit of fluff, so if you're not into that I sowwy:( (Honestly, I was shocked that this story ended up having a plot in the first place.) This is mostly Kyoya, not much Ella. Oh! And if any of my fellow choir geeks get the refrence I make in here, lemme know! I think that's all...heeeeere we go again!
Kyoya, clipboard in hand, walked down the hall towards the old Music Room 3 after school, actually relieved to be going to the host club after the day he'd had. All day, he'd had trouble focusing, trying to get Ella out of his head. What was it about her?
He shook his head in frustration as he rounded the corner and saw the slightly ajar door he was headed for. He was doing it again.
"No matter." He thought to himself. "I'm sure whatever's going on in here will be sufficient distraction…"
He was quite right. The sight that greeted him when he pushed back the door was one of mild chaos. Honey was running around giggling, flying Usa-chan high in the air, with Mori chasing him calling: "Wait, Mitskuni. I haven't finished tying your shoe yet." The twins seemed to be tormenting Tamaki in the corner, and judging by the shade of red his face was turning, it had something to do with Haruhi. Once again, the two were impossible to tell apart, as Hikaru's arm was no longer in a sling.
"I WON'T HAVE YOU SPEAKING THAT WAY ABOUT MY HARUHI!" Tamaki suddenly screamed. Kyoya chuckled to himself at his friend's antics and listened in to the conversation.
"YOUR Haruhi?" asked one of them cooly.
"Since when is she your property?" asked the other.
"Wouldn't she have to be your girlfriend for you to even come close to calling her YOUR Haruhi?" they asked together.
Tamaki sputtered for a moment, pink faced, obviously not knowing how to reply. Only Kyoya knew what he really wanted to say. The twins simply assumed they had won.
"That's what we thought." They said. They then noticed Kyoya. "Oh hey Kyoya," one began, picking up a folder and handing it to the other, who continued: "Our mom just came out with these designs, and we thought they'd make some really good cosplay. Take a look."
Kyoya accepted the folder as the first twin picked up talking. "Kinda reminds me of the time Renege had us shoot that video that put you as the top." He snickered derisively
The other twin (whom Kyoya now understood to be Kaouru) scoffed indignantly as Kyoya opened the folder. "I could play top…" Kyoya stopped listening upon viewing the contents of the folder. Sketches of sports uniforms: Soccer, basketball, hockey, a referee, baseball, and American football…
Suddenly he heard the background noise cease, and looked up to find the twins staring at him. He raised an eyebrow at them quizzically.
"Uhh…Kyoya…" Hikaru began.
"Are you alright?" finished Kaouru.
"He kind of looks constipated…" said the other.
A very dark and annoyed look crossed Kyoya's face. "No." he replied shortly.
The twins intelligently took this as their cue to scurry off, and as soon as they did Kyoya mentally smacked himself in the head. Now just the thought of the country she came from set him off? He needed to get whatever this was under control. He pulled out his clipboard and ran through the possible effects of the cost of another cosplay day on the budget, simply to give him something to do. He was trying to remember how many they'd already had this month when Haruhi entered.
"Sorry I'm late, guys." She said, adjusting her tie. "I was studying in the library for a test, I guess I lost track of time."
Immediately the twins rushed over and put their arms around her. "Aww, that's okay Haruhi!" chirped Hikaru.
"We forgive you!" followed Kaoru!
Tamaki rushed over to the group. "Well aren't you the cutest?!" he threw his arms out in what Kyoya could tell would be a hug that knocked away "those shady twins," but at the last moment a pained look crossed his face and he patted her on the head instead. This confused all others present.
"Uhh, Senpai," Haruhi said. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Just fine, just fine!" he laughed nervously and retreated to a corner.
Their confused expressions remained for a moment, but then the twins shrugged and walked away, and Haruhi simply rolled her eyes. A few seconds later Honey ran up to her.
"Haru-chan, Haru-chan!" he cried, his eyes appearing to tear up. "I tripped over my shoelace and Usa-chan flew out of my hand…and I don't know where he went!" he threw himself in to the girl's arms, sniffling.
"Why were you running around with your shoes untied anyway?" she asked patiently.
He sat up and wiped his eyes. "I guess I never let Takashi finish tying them…"
"Mitskuni." The tall, mostly silent man's voice made him turn around. There Mori stood, holding out the beloved stuffed bunny. "He landed in the fruit basket."
"Yaaaay!" cried the little boy of a third-year, jumping from Haruhi's lap to throw his arms around his cousin's neck and grab the doll. "Thank you Takashi!"
He set the boy down. "You're welcome. Now let me finish tying your shoe." And with that he knelt and began tying it.
Kyoya balked a bit at the fact that the guests had not been present for that, they would have enjoyed it. This prompted him to check his watch. Seeing the time, he clapped his hands for attention. "Alright everyone, the guests should be arriving soon. Get into position."
And with no further ado, the hosts all took their formation around Tamaki's chair. As the doors open, right on cue, they all uttered their famailiar "Welcome!"
Meanwhile…
Ella had stayed behind in her music room after the final bell rang, talking with two other girls she had taken a liking to in that class. They were discussing the works of Eric Whitacre and his use of dissonance when suddenly one of them, a girl named Terri, the daughter of a British ambassador, looked at her watch.
"Oh, Mizu!" she exclaimed, grabbing her friend (a rather talented violinist) by the arm. "We're late, we were going to go to the Host Club today, remember?"
Mizune gasped. "Oh no, you're right! What time is it?"
"Already ten minutes past opening!"
"Oh no, I hope they haven't all been crowded already…"
Ella was definitely curious. She flashed back to one of the things Kyoya had said earlier… "Just some finance records for a club I'm in. It's called the Host Club…"
"What's the Host Club?" she asked.
Mizune looked at her quizzically. "You mean you don't know what a host club is?"
Ella shook her head, feeling sheepish.
Terri grinned. "Oh, you'll love it, come with us!"
She hesitated a moment. After talking to him for all of English, Ella was pretty sure she was developing a crush on Kyoya Ootori. On one hand, she wanted another chance to talk to him, but on the other, she didn't really know if letting herself fall so fast was a good idea.
"It's one of the biggest things here at Ouran." Mizune said, trying to convince her. "You should at the very least go once for the experience."
Ella smiled and shrugged. "Well, when you put it that way. Alright."
"Great!" Terri said happily. "Now let's get going, before all the good seats are gone."
Back in Music Room 3
Kyoya had finished seating all of the guests with their requested hosts, and was looking over the projected budget for next month, sipping tea, when a shadow crossed over his paper. He looked up to see Haruhi with a peculiar expression on her face. "Is there a problem, Haruhi?" he asked. "I hope you're not neglecting your customers, your quota is still quite high…"
Haruhi rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right, whatever, Kyoya-senpai. I'll probably end up staying past my quota anyway. Don't worry, I told them I'd be right back. I just was wondering if you knew why Tamaki is acting so strangely today."
"I believe it has something to do with your date tonight." He said, pushing back his glasses.
Haruhi turned a little pink. "Oh…he…told you about that?" she scratched the back of her neck.
He chuckled a bit darkly. "Of course he did. After all, I am his best friend."
"Right…" she replied, a bit uneasily. "But…why would he be acting DISTANT if we have a date?"
"He mentioned something about not wanting "those shady twins" to find out. It would seem that he is trying to show as little affection towards you as possible so not to pique their suspicions.
She looked mildly annoyed. "Oh. Great."
"Out of idle curiosity, Haruhi, do you plan to make things official with Tamaki? I'd like to warn you that if you do you'll have to keep it private, so that the guests don't get wind of anything."
She blushed a bit. "I don't think you'd have to worry about that…from me anyway…uhh, I don't know, Senpai. I do really like him…if he were to ask, I guess I'd really like to be his girlfriend." She smiled at the end as she came to that conclusion, then her expression darkened a bit. "Even if it does have to be a secret…"
"Very well." Kyoya said with a smile. "Go ahead and get back to your guests, now Haruhi. We wouldn't want them getting anxious."
"Alright. Thanks, Senpai." She said with a smile as she turned and left.
Kyoya turned back to his work and smiled. He was, despite his cool shell, happy for his friends on the inside. It was about time they got together already…
He tried opening up that cosplay folder the twins had given him, hoping to figure out who would wear what so he could figure what sizes to order. Obviously, Tamaki would play the football player, as it was his understanding that the American cliché was that the football star was the classic heartthrob…he wondered with a small smile if Ella could validate that cliché…he wondered if she would know from experience…or perhaps from a friend, from what he'd learned from her today she was usually the middle man or the one to smooth things over among her friends back home, always giving advice…why did she leave?
He snapped back to himself with frustration, realizing he was doing it yet again. His brow furrowed, and he ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
"Kyoya." He looked up again to see a slightly worried Tamaki.
Kyoya regarded his friend tiredly. "You know," he said. "The guests tend to pay less when their hosts aren't sitting with them…"
Tamaki ignored him. "Why was Haruhi over here just now?"
"She was wondering why you were acting even more strangely than usual. I told her you were paranoid."
"Kyoya!" Tamaki looked positively panicked. "How could you-"
"Calm down, idiot." He laughed, cutting off his overdramatic friend. "I put it more delicately than that. I told her you didn't want the twins to find out."
"Oh." Tamaki sighed his relief, then sat down across from him. "I'm really nervous about tonight…I just don't know what she wants!"
"Well, if you don't want to run the risk of those "shady" twins stealing her away, I'd ask her to be your girlfriend." He said absentmindedly, making some markings on his papers.
Tamaki's eyes widened. "You really think so? I don't know…maybe it's too soon…I don't think she'd want me to, so soon."
Kyoya looked up at him, annoyed. "You really are an idiot. She's ready, trust me. Just ask her."
Tamaki grinned. "Oh, thank you Kyoya! You're a great friend!"
"Just make sure you don't make it obvious in public. It would be quite a scandal if you two were seen canoodling by other students."
"Oh, right…" he looked slightly disappointed, but quickly shrugged it off. He then seemed to have another thought cross his mind, and looked up to address Kyoya again. "Why did you look like you were going to tear your hair out before? I hope we didn't go THAT far over budget."
Kyoya gave a halfhearted chuckle and shook his head. "No, it's not that. It's this Ella girl. I can't stop thinking about her, wondering where she came from. I've realized I've been acting slightly incongruent since I first met her. I explain myself where it's not necessary, I laugh more, I notice strange things about her, little things that don't really matter. I find myself unclear about my motivations around her, which is, needless to say, out of character for me. She keeps popping up in my head no matter what I do. If I don't figure her out soon, I may actually resort to pulling my hair out."
Tamaki's eyes were wide for a second, then he laughed outright. "I don't think figuring her out is your problem, Kyoya!"
"What do you mean?"
"You really don't see it?"
Kyoya was getting annoyed. "See what, Tamaki? I don't feel like playing twenty questions."
Tamaki was still laughing to himself. "Forget it. You'll have to figure this out on your own."
He was about to protest when he caught sight of some latecoming guests entering. "Get back to your customers." He said, rolling his eyes. "We don't have time for games, we have customers."
Tamaki giggled as he got up to leave. "Whatever you say, mommy dear."
Kyoya rolled his eyes one last time, then put on his most charming face as he approached the newcomers. "Welcome." He said with a smile. He then fell into his usual routine of regarding guests one at a time. He'd figured out within the first month of the club that this made the girls more happy, as it made them feel more personally handled. The first guest was Teresa Baker, whose most usual host choice was Tamaki, but who also occasionally chose the twins. "Miss Baker, what can we do for you today?" he clicked his pen and poised it above his paper.
She smiled at him genially. "I'll have Tamaki today, if you please."
Kyoya smiled and nodded, adding a tally mark next to her name. "Very well, if you'll step over there. I believe you're in luck, it appears Mr. Suoh has one seat left at his tea table today.
"Thank you." She said, nodding and stepping on, revealing the next guest.
Mizune Saitoh frequented Tamaki as well, but usually only when he was playing or on the couch. She also occasionally visited with Honey and Mori. "Miss Saitoh, who would you prefer to sit with today?" he once again poised his pen above his clipboard.
"I'd like to request Honey today, please." She replied a bit quietly.
"Of course, He and Mori are right over on the couch." He made a tally next to her name as she walked away. He then turned to face his next customer.
"And what may we do for you today, Miss…" his eyes widened and he stopped cold when he saw who he was speaking to. He felt like he was choking on his own heart, like it had jumped into his throat. "Ella!" he said in surprise. His voice was half an octave higher than usual. "What…" he stopped himself before he was mildly rude, but she knew what he was going to ask, apparently.
"My new friends from music class pulled me along. Mizune said it was a big thing here, so I figured I'd see what it was about. They explained it to me on the way, sort of." She looked a little confused.
"Well, what you do is request a club member to sit with. Who would you like?" he didn't know how he managed to get the sentence out, because he was busy choking the question himself. For some reason he balked at picturing her sitting with any of the other hosts. Why did he feel…nervous? Was this what nervous felt like?
"Ummmm…" she seemed a little nervous herself. "Are…you an option, Kyoya? I mean…you're a member, right?"
He felt his face turn hot, and simultaneously he realized that he never received requests. Most of the girls, he supposed, had always found him intimidating. Which usually suited him just fine. But he was glad she didn't think so. He looked at her and realized he did have to give her an answer. "Um, yes. I suppose I am. Would you like to…sit with me?"
She smiled sweetly. "I would." Then she giggled. "Funny, that's the second time you've asked me that today."
He laughed as well. "So it is." He offered her his arm, feeling a little shaky on the inside, but thankfully able to keep her his outward cool. "Shall we?" he asked in English.
She giggled and took it. "Let's."
When she hooked her arm with his he felt a tingly sensation rush through him, and he felt his face redden and his heartbeat speed up. What was it about her? What had Tamaki meant earlier?
He rolled his eyes inwardly. "Oh great. Another mystery." He thought. "Thanks, Tamaki."
I love you all please keep reviewing and favoriting and following it makes me so happy! I'd like to say more but it's bedtime! I don't know the next time I can post, it's winter concert season, but I'll try my bestest to make it soon!
~FeatherSong