Taka blushed. She hadn't meant to blush, and it wasn't a deep blush, just a slight warming of the cheeks, but it was a blush all the same.
"So you are gay?" Kaoru asked. "You came to the Host Club yesterday and seemed interested before you left."
For some reason, Taka was suddenly terrified of the answer that Fujioka-kun would give. It was probably the same reason she hadn't had much luck in being able to stop thinking about him since he'd looked at her so strangely yesterday morning. But it was still frustrating that she didn't know what that reason was.
"I'm not gay," Fujioka-kun answered with a shrug. "Men, women, looks... it makes no difference really," he explained. "Not for romantic relationships. All that you need is compatibility between two people. The rest is superficial."
Taka felt like her chest was being squeezed from the inside while at the same time a knot that had been tightly tied around her heart (that she hadn't known was there until that moment) was finally undone. It was a good feeling, if new and strange.
Tamaki frowned. "I could understand having to console yourself with such words if you were not attractive, but... that is not the case here," he said, clearly confused. "Why, you are as cute as a girl!"
Fujioka-kun raised an eyebrow at the club's president. "Yes," he said with a vague, wry curl at one corner of his mouth. "I am aware of that."
"Think about this carefully," Tamaki continued, making grand gestures and not really listening at all. "Why are there art pieces in museums? Yes, beautiful things show themselves off because it is their duty! And so, for people who crave beauty, I stood up and established this club, working day and night in pursuit of beauty!"
"Obnoxious," Fujioka-san said flatly.
"Urk!" Tamaki croaked. He paled and folded, curling himself up into a little ball of depression.
"You really are a hero, Fujioka!" the twins cheered happily, each laying one of their hands on Fujioka-kun's head as they grinned.
"To comfort yourself in such a way," Fujioka-kun parroted, "suggests that you have no depth of character," he continued blandly. "A person is not a work of art, static, unchanging and unresponsive. A person has motivations, thoughts, and inclinations, all of which can be influenced and can change, however fast or slowly, over time, as the person grows and physically changes as well."
"If you object so much, then why did you agree to join the Host Club?" Kyouya asked.
Fujioka-kun smiled. "Because a host club is the sort of club that is dedicated to chit-chat," he answered. "Just because Suou-sempai is shallow and obnoxious does not mean that the conversations I will get to have as a member of this club need to be."
"Deep! Deep!" the twins exclaimed, hands raised to their foreheads as they stumbled about a little as they backed away. "It's so deep!"
"Aa," Kyouya agreed. "But I am not certain that we can market you as a 'deep type'," he pointed out, though his tone was speculative. "We will see how your first day goes."
The doors were opened for the customers shortly thereafter. Taka kept watch on Fujioka-kun out of the corner of one eye, and silently compared what he did to what every other Host did.
Tamaki pandered, praised and complimented the girls who flocked to him, basking in their attention as they all blushed at his. The twins did their forbidden love act as the girls who designated them watched with bated breath for the moment it became the most intense. Mitsukuni hammed it up, being as cute and adorable and childish as he could be – and without his family there to give censure, he could be very childish. Kyouya spoke smoothly of small details that could be seen around the Club (including the other Hosts) or else discussed upcoming Club events that the girls might like to attend.
Fujioka-kun... actually shared conversation with his designates. He gave each one of the girls his full attention. He asked them questions about themselves, he answered their questions about him... and without being romantic at all Fujioka Haruhi-kun captured their hearts and became woven into their fantasies.
But he didn't look at any of them the way he'd looked at her.
"Fujioka-kun is a 'natural'," Kyouya stated when the last of the customers had left, and it was just them gathered together at the end of the day. "And very popular."
Fujioka-kun shrugged, sighed, and shook his head a little. "I can't really help that," he said.
"In any case, it seems that it is good for this club that you are," Kyouya countered with a smile.
The next day, one of the customers – Ayanokoji-san – took offence to Fujioka-kun's presence in the club and Tamaki's fascination with him as a novel creature (a commoner). She threw his bag into one of the ponds and spoke harshly to him. Tamaki (apologetically) informed her that, despite being beautiful, she wasn't suited to being a customer of the Host Club – and would not be welcomed back.
Taka couldn't find it in herself to do more than pity the girl. If she was going to be the irrationally jealous type, then falling for Tamaki – King of the Host Club – just wasn't smart, and taking that jealousy out on Fujioka-kun was beyond foolishness.
~oOo~
When Haruhi arrived at the club room to see a crew of men setting up a tropical scene, he raised an eyebrow. It was just the beginning of spring, after all. Ouran was the only school in Japan to start its academic year in the spring, with the beginning of the calendar year, rather than after the summer break as every other school did. Then again, this particular detail wasn't so bad. It had actually given Haruhi an extra semester to study, so that he'd begin with the other students, rather than joining a class half-way through their academic year. Haruhi was still closer in age to the first-year students than the second-year students. It was alright.
Haruhi was pulled from his thoughts on seasonality when he saw the costumes.
"I'm not wearing that," Haruhi said flatly.
"Eh?!" Tamaki wailed. "Why not?!"
"I wouldn't be comfortable," Haruhi answered with a shrug. "If I'm uncomfortable, I won't be able to make conversation as easily. If I fail to make conversation..."
"It would upset your guests," Kyouya agreed with a nod. "You do not have to wear it. As the 'natural type', you can get away with that."
"If we were having a photo shoot, I'd wear it," Haruhi allowed.
A sunbeam caught on Kyouya's glasses, and a glint in his eye sparked.
"I don't have to be comfortable in clothes to pose in them, after all," Haruhi continued, unaware of or deliberately ignoring the way Kyouya was listening so very intently. "Though, when it's Jun-chan and Misa-chan dressing me up to take pictures in for their portfolio, I never feel uncomfortable. They're just a lot of fun," he said with a fond smile.
"Jun-chan and Misa-chan?" Kyouya asked.
Haruhi nodded. "Un," he agreed. "They're photography students at university that work part-time at the same bar that my father does." Meaning, the okama bar. Jun was actually Jun-chan's real name, but since it worked for boys and girls, he didn't bother to change more than the suffix. Misa-chan's real name was Masashi. "They're very good too."
"How much would they charge, do you think, if I were to call them to take pictures for us?" Kyouya asked, his tone neutral.
Haruhi smirked slightly. "If you let them have a copy of every photo they take for their own portfolios, and let them name who their models were, they won't charge at all. It would be mutually beneficial. You'll get several roles of film of professional quality pictures to sell at your leisure, they'll have pictures of rich and someday influential people in their portfolios," Haruhi explained.
Kyouya smirked back. "Very clever, Fujioka-kun," he complimented.
"I want to be a lawyer some day," Haruhi answered with a shrug. "Making negotiations that everyone comes out happy from will be a big part of that," he explained. "Shall I call them to come by after club is over to take pictures then?"
Kyouya nodded and handed over his phone.
"Ah, Misa-chan," Haruhi greeted with a smile after dialling and getting an answer. "How are you? … Good, and Jun-chan? … I see, well, I may have something that will help with that. You've heard from my father that I've joined a club? … Yes, well, we have a theme today. … Tropical, there are palm trees, coconuts, there's even a toucan flying around in here, and there's a costume for everyone. … Hehe, I thought you'd say that. How would you and Jun-chan like to come over and take pictures? … No, Misa-chan, I'm not teasing. … Yes, of course you can. I can't see anybody here objecting all that much. … Mm, after you've developed the photos for your own portfolios, we'd like to have copies of all of them to reproduce for club sales. … Two hours, you ask for directions to the third music room. … Yes, the third music room, there's more than one. … Alright Misa-chan. I'll see you and Jun-chan in two hours," Haruhi said with a smile, then pressed the button to end the call and returned the phone to Kyouya.
"What won't we object to?" Kyouya asked as he took back his phone.
Haruhi smiled. "That would spoil the surprise," he answered, and moved off to start setting out the crockery for when the guests arrived. There was going to be a bar full of fruity drinks today, but there still needed to be plates for the snacks.
"Oh, and Fujioka-kun, be sure to tell your guests today that the Host Club will be having a dance party in a week's time," Kyouya said as he set his note pad down and picked up his costume to get changed.
"Dance party?" Haruhi echoed.
"Aah!" Tamaki sighed happily. "We shall have the entire central hall of the Central Building, and it will be just the most fantastic thing ever!" he proclaimed, already dancing about a bit.
"I think it will be difficult," Haruhi countered, shaking his head.
"Oh?" the twins asked, appearing behind him suddenly.
"With every young lady who visits the club in attendance, and just a few Hosts to entertain them all, we Hosts will have sore feet from so much dancing, and the guests will have spent most of the evening standing around, watching us dance with others," Haruhi explained.
"A good point," Kyouya stated from behind the changing curtain. "Perhaps we should invite the fiancés of those guests who have them. We should give them a chance to foster romance in their arranged matches, should we not?"
"Yes!" Tamaki answered with fierce joy. "An excellent idea Kyouya!"
When he emerged, Kyouya wore a long green wrap around his waist with gold accessories lightly decorating his naked torso. The twins were in short, matching checked blue wraps over orange baggy trousers, and odd carved necklaces. Hani-sempai's wrap over yellow trousers had flowers printed on it, and he wore a garland of flowers around his neck. Apart from Tamaki in his one-sleeved thing with all the extra gold jewellery, and Haruhi still in uniform, Morinozuka-sempai was the only person wearing any kind of shirt – not that it looked like he was wearing a shirt. Actually, it was a skin-toned and skin-tight top with a pattern on it to make it look like Morinozuka-sempai had a large, exotic tattoo... that disappeared tantalisingly into his baggy purple trousers.
Haruhi shook his head to himself. Now was not a good time to try and puzzle out any part of the mysteries of his tall sempai. The customers would be arriving soon, after all.
And arrive they did.
One girl, in a later shift, decided that Haruhi would be her 'new favourite' – which sent Tamaki-sempai into a pouting fit until Kyouya reminded him that he still had customers to attend to – as soon as she sat down and before they'd even really done more than introduce themselves.
"Kasugasaki-san," Haruhi greeted as she took one of the chairs vacated by the... previous shift... of girls. "Have you heard yet of the dance party?"
She nodded. "I have," she answered. "I hope you will dance with me there?"
Haruhi chuckled a little sheepishly. "I'll need dance lessons before that can happen," he admitted freely. "But... wouldn't you rather dance with your fiancé?"
She blushed brightly. "H-h-how did you know about that?" she asked.
Haruhi smiled gently. "Kyouya-sempai is very thorough in the information of the guests of the Host Club. When I am meeting a guest for the first time, I ask him for a copy of his files so that I have some idea what we might talk about," he answered.
Kasugasaki-san blushed and looked down. "He wouldn't want to dance with me," she said softly, sadly.
Haruhi reached out and lay a hand over her wrist, since both of her hands were already wrapped around a cup. "How do you know that, if you're so busy here that you never talk with him?" he asked kindly, and smiled for her. "Maybe he thinks that it is you who would not want to dance with him."
Kasugasaki-san's eyes went wide as she looked up sharply, a blush on her face.
"Boys aren't mind-readers, any more than girls are," Haruhi pointed out, as he withdrew his hand from her wrist and offered a supportive sort of smile. "And when you are so afraid of being rejected that neither of you can talk to each other, that is when you need to talk to each other the most."
Kasugasaki-san smiled a little, tears brimming in her eyes. "Arigato, Haruhi-kun," she said softly.
~oOo~
"Haruhi-kuuuuuuun!" two voices called in ringing cheers from the door, catching nearly all of the members of the Host Club by surprise. They had just farewelled the last of their guests for the day, after all, and now here were two people bursting in on them. One had long, curly, dusky-pink hair, and the other hand straight blonde hair done up in pigtails. Both were wearing skinny jeans with skirts over the top, black shirts, and lots of bangles and necklaces.
"Jun-chan, Misa-chan, I hope you didn't get lost?" Haruhi asked them as he moved quickly to welcome them. "Do you want help with anything?"
"You're such a gentleman, Haruhi-kun," said the pink-haired one, and nuzzled Haruhi's cheek – leaving a slight mark from lip-gloss from accidental contact. "But we're quite alright, and I can see you still need to change for this photo shoot you arranged."
Haruhi chuckled. "Hai, Jun-chan, I'll do that as soon as I've introduced you to everybody. You can start setting up while I change, I'm sure," he said, and beckoned the two further into the room where the rest of the Host Club were staring. "Minna, this is Jun-chan -" Haruhi gestured to the pink-haired person, "- and Misa-chan." The blonde. "They're photography students at university, and friends of mine. They're going to take pictures of you in your costumes before the tropical paradise gets taken away again."
"Eh?" the twins asked.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Kyouya said, stepping forward with a hand extended and a smile on his face. "We are blessed, that Fujioka-kun has such friends that may be called upon for mutually beneficial endeavours. I am Ootori Kyouya, I asked him to call you earlier."
"An absolute pleasure," Jun-chan said as accepting Kyouya's hand.
"And such lovely friends as well," Tamaki said as he stepped up, smiling seductively as he bent over Misa-chan's hand. "Though I am disappointed that Kyouya didn't tell me that you were coming."
"Ah, an oversight," Kyouya admitted with a serene smile.
"Oh, I like you," Misa-chan said with a smile at Tamaki. "Haruhi-kun, who is this handsome young man?"
"Suou Tamaki-sempai, the president of the Host Club," Haruhi answered. "Also are the twins, Hitachiin Hikaru-san and Hitachiin Kaoru-san, and the seniors, Morinozuka Takashi-sempai, and Haninozuka Mitsukuni-sempai. If you will excuse me, I will change now."
Kyouya nodded. He could handle it from here, he was sure.
"Call me Hani!" Hani-sempai said happily as he bounced up to them. "You're friends of Haru-kun's?"
"Oh, you're adorable," Jun-chan cooed. "And yes, we have a part-time job at the same place as Haruhi-kun's father, and met that way, but since then Haruhi-kun has been kind enough to model for us when we needed him to."
"And today, they're going to take pictures of us," Kyouya said happily. "Jun-chan and Misa-chan will get new pictures for their portfolios, and we will have pictures worthy of selling as Host Club merchandise. I hope we can do this again?" he requested politely.
"You let us know," Misa-chan said, "any time you want pictures for your club. We'll be happy to, on the basis of the same arrangement that Haruhi-kun worked out for us, of course."
"Of course," Kyouya agreed with a nod.
"Before we begin," Misa-chan said firmly. "If Jun-chan or I ask you to do something that makes you uncomfortable for any reason, you have to tell us so. You don't have to tell us why, but you do have to speak up."
"Also," Jun-chan continued with a smile, "we are okama, so you don't have to be bashful around us for anything. If we make you uncomfortable though, again, you need to tell us."
"Blushes can be good for the camera though," Misa-chan protested with a slight pout.
Jun-chan stuck out his tongue, then set down his bags to pull out his photography equipment.
"Spoil-sport," Misa-chan grumbled, even as he, too, set his bags down and started to get things out, ready for the photo shoot.
Changed into the baggy cream trousers and deep red wrap around his hips that had been his assigned costume – the one he'd refused to wear for the guests – Haruhi emerged from the changing rooms to find that the first Hosts to be subjected to the flash of the cameras were the twins. Jun-chan and Misa-chan were operating their cameras from different angles, and calling out requests for a hand to be raised or lowered, for the brothers to move this way or that way, further apart or closer together, and so on. When the two were satisfied that they'd taken enough pictures of the twins, they immediately pounced on Haruhi.
"Haruhi-kun, we need to take pictures of you in your costume quickly!" Misa-chan said. "We brought another for you as well, and we want pictures of you in it with the other Hosts after all the individual shots."
"Oh?" Haruhi asked as he moved into the designated area for posing. "You took individual pictures of Hikaru-san and Karou-san? Not just the two of them together?"
"Of course we did!" Jun-chan exclaimed, even as he brought up his camera. "Now, raise you hand, no, fingers splayed, yes, that's the way," he schooled.
"And look dreamy," Misa-chan ordered. "Off into the distance, now to Jun-chan's camera, now to mine, now ..." and so it continued until they were satisfied and Haruhi was sent off to change clothes again.
This time, when Haruhi emerged from the change room, he looked like a she. He was wearing a long, straight black wig (rather than an extension piece that matched his natural brown hair colour, as the Host Club might have chosen), mascara to make his eyelashes longer, and eye-liner to make his already large eyes pop out even more. The outfit was a deep, royal purple sari – and the little top underneath the sash over his shoulder had been artfully padded to make it look like he genuinely filled a set of B-cups.
"Perfect timing!" Jun-chan cheered. "Come along Haruhi-kun! Oh, the purple of your sari and the purple of Mori-kun's outfit don't quite match..." he pouted.
"That's what photo-shop is for," Misa-chan stated with a grin as he replaced his role of film. "Now, the set up..."
~oOo~
Taka stared, shocked, at Fujioka-kun when he emerged from the changing room in a sari. It was beyond anything she was used to. Even after having been introduced to Jun-chan and Misa-chan, and been told that they were okama, it hadn't prepared her at all for the dramatic change of the boy who had looked at her in a strange way (that she had still yet to decipher)... now looking so much like a girl. And swaying his hips as he walked towards her through the foliage of the tropical island setting.
Slowly, Fujioka-kun's arms came up and wound around her neck – and she still had no idea what to do. The flashes of the cameras didn't register, she couldn't hear what Jun-chan and Misa-chan were saying, if they were saying anything at all, and... she could feel herself blushing as Fujioka-kun's face came closer to hers. So close that their noses touched and their lips almost did as well.
The arms fell from around her neck, and suddenly she felt cold... but then they were coming up to cling to her back and shoulders while Fujioka-kun rested his head on her chest. Taka didn't even think as she brought a hand up to rest on Fujioka-kun's head. It was a hug, just like with Mitsukuni, and occasionally Satoshi – those she knew how to deal with, and she responded to such automatically. Even if she really had no idea why she was still blushing about Fujioka-kun having his arms around her and his head against her chest so innocently.
After all, he didn't know she wasn't a guy, so it had to be innocent.
"My turn!" Mitsukuni cheered, and his voice snapped Taka out of whatever trance seeing Fujioka-kun in a sari had caused.
"Aa," Taka answered, and carefully stepped back.
Fujioka-kun's arms fell away from her, and he straightened up. Just in time too – Mitsukuni had decided to jump into the younger boy's arms, rather than simply walk up.
Taka retreated to a seat and watched as Fujioka-kun was, by turns, 'maternal' with Mitsukuni, gave a massage to Kyouya (which, judging from the blissful expression that lingered even after he was away from the camera, had been good), laughed and played with the two Hitachiins, and finally perched on one arm of Tamaki's 'throne' and fed him fruit. She was the only one who Fujioka-kun had come close to kissing for Jun-chan and Misa-chan. Taka couldn't remember hearing either of the university students giving directions at that time, so she wasn't sure if Fujioka-kun had only done it because he'd been told to... or if he'd done it because, for whatever reason, he'd wanted to.
Worse, Taka wasn't sure which answer she dreaded more.
"Alright!" Jun-chan declared. "Now it's Haruhi-kun's choice!"
"Yes, we haven't done any really intimate shots, and Haruhi-kun is our 'girl' for this, so he gets to pick," Misa-chan said with a nod. "Unless..." he added, turning to the Hosts, "any of you will be uncomfortable with the concept?"
"It's posing for photos," the twins said together with a shrug. "Not real."
"How 'intimate' are we talking?" Kyouya asked seriously.
"I'll be on my back, with my sari in disarray, and one of you looming over me," Fujioka-kun answered seriously, his tone a little bit detached as he described the scene. "We may do it the other way around as well," he added, and he was walking up to her.
Her!
"Morinozuka-sempai, will you do this with me?" Fujioka-kun asked softly.
"... Aa," she answered softly, nodded, and stood from her chair.
"Ooh! And the python has come over! This is perfect! It's almost Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden!" Jun-chan nearly squealed with happiness.
Fujioka-kun looked around for the snake, and moved to sit on the floor near it, then started to arrange his sari before lying down.
"Now, Mori-kun, kneel so that you have one leg on either side of Haruhi-kun's hips," Misa-chan directed.
Taka blushed, but did as she was told.
"Caress his face," Jun-chan instructed. "Bend over him more, good, good. Cradle his head... that's right..."
Taka nearly ran for her life when the photo session was over, and Jun-chan and Misa-chan were packing up their things and talking to Fujioka-kun about coming by their studio. A Morinozuka didn't run from something as harmless as a photo shoot though, and so she walked, calmly, to the changing room and put on her school uniform again. Her school uniform that safely covered everything, with no chance of anybody finding out the secrets she was hiding beneath it.
Her school uniform that suddenly was performing extra duties as armour and security blanket in addition to its usual function as clothing.
The way Fujioka-kun looked at her... she didn't understand! He'd said he was curious to learn more about her, but... but she was just Morinozuka Taka! She liked history, geography, and kendo, she'd been raised as a boy even though she was a girl and it seemed like she was getting attention from a boy at last, but one who was at least a casual okama and... she was just so confused!
She frowned to herself and hurried (in as un-hurried-looking a way as she could) to her limousine and resolved that she would not think about Fujioka-kun again outside of Host Club activities.
She didn't hear Kyouya arrange for the two talented okama to be present at the dance party they'd be holding in a week – to take surreptitious shots of them dancing with their customers, and behind-the-scenes pictures of them after the party was over.