Something of an Epilogue
"Boss~"
"Hey boss~"
"Boooooooss~"
"Wake up, sleepy head~"
Tamaki's eyelids fluttered. With a groan, he rolled over on his side, trying to ignore the voices echoing through his brain and trying to rouse him from his beauty sleep.
Those shady twins... couldn't they see he was trying to sleep? Surely whatever it was could wait until-...
… wait a minute...
He bolted upright, eyes now wide open, only to nearly fall backwards again when he caught sight of the two people looming a scant few inches from his face. This caused them to grin from ear to ear and let out a fiendish giggle.
Baffled, he was about to demand to know what on earth the identical boys were doing in his house... When he realized, they weren't in his house. He had been sleeping on the grass, in the middle of the forest...
The sun was shining, the birds were singing...
Oh no, what was going on...?!
"Rise and shine!" Kaoru cooed.
"We've got something big planned for today!" Hikaru chimed.
"Wha-what are are you two up to?!" He shouted. "Where are we? What have you done? You answer this instant! I'm in no mood for your silly games!"
"Tsk tsk."
"We're not playing silly games today, boss."
"This matter happens to be of the utmost importance."
"Ya see..."
The redheads proceeded to take a step back and a deep breath, preparing for the big announcement they were about to make.
"... WE'RE GOING TO CANDY MOUNTAIN!"
Tamaki could only stare at them blankly for a few moments. Then, his brow furrowed.
"C-Candy Mountain?!" He stammered. "There's no such thing!" Beat. "... Is there?"
"But of course there is!"
"And we're all going!"
Something was wrong. This was some kind of elaborate trick. These were the Hiitachin twins he was talking to. This pair couldn't be trusted!
"... No way." He said, finally standing up from the ground and dusting himself off. "I'm not going anywhere with the two of you, you're just trying to fool me into falling into some trap! Well, it's not going to work!" He spun around, fully prepared to walk away and look for some indication as to where on earth he was.
"Tama-chan?"
He was not, however, prepared for the sight that stood before him.
"Mitsukuni?" He gaped. "What are you doing here? Where are we? What-..."
The blonde stopped short abruptly as he got a closer look at his senpai. The small boy, Usa-chan clutched to his chest, was on the verge of tears.
"Tama-chan... you... you don't wanna go to Candy Mountain with me?"
Hurk-!
"Ah-... ah, what? Wait, so, it's not a trick?"
Fat, salty tears began to pour out of the smaller boy's eyes.
"I can't believe it, Tamaki... I can't believe it!"
The next thing he knew, the other boy had turned away and was running in the opposite direction, sobbing hysterically.
"Wait! Mitsukuni-!"
Dark clouds suddenly began to fill the sky. Out of nowhere, with no warning whatsoever, a huge, swirling portal of darkness opened up just ahead of the fleeing older boy.
"Oh no!"
"You broke Honey-senpai's heart!"
"Now he will be sucked into the vortex!"
"What? No!"
There was no time to think. He didn't know what was going on, but he had to stop Mitsukuni before...
"Stop! I'll go to Candy Mountain with you! I want to stay on Candy Mountain with you forever! Don't leave me! Come back! Come baaaaaaaaaack-!"
"It's too late now."
"Nice going, boss."
"Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!"
"-... ooooooooooooooooooo!"
Tamaki sat bolt upright in bed, gasping for breath as his senses started to come back to him.
… A dream. It was only a dream. Thank goodness, it was only a dream...
Once his rapid heartbeat began to slow down, he slumped over with a heavy sigh.
Nice try, dreams. Nice try. But he knew now how things really were. He had faced his fears, and they would rule his life no longer!
… But that was still a scary dream, though.
A few stray rays of sun shone through his bedroom curtains. His eyes were drawn to them as he wiggled out of the mess of sheets he found himself tangled in.
He'd put that dream completely out of his mind, he decided. Now was not the time. After all, he needed to get ready for school, and even earlier than usual, at that. It had been a long time since he'd walked to school rather than taking a car, but today was different.
Today, he would be joined on his journey by a certain small, adorable senpai of his. His senpai... his dear friend...
… his boyfriend...
A warm, fuzzy feeling, not unlike the feeling of happy butterflies chatting and cleaning up after the mess that had been caused during their victory celebration, flooded his heart, and all felt right with the world.
Today, for the first time in a long time, everything would be just fine.
After all, he was sure, if the situation should ever arise, he would find a way to convince Kyoya to simply help him build a Candy Mountain.
Kyoya's pen went scritch-scratch against the pages of his little black book, jotting down a few quick and highly secretive notes before the club opened it's doors.
He'd arrived early in the hopes of being able to enjoy some peace and quiet after the chaos that had occurred yesterday and before the chaos that would surely follow today, as was the norm for the Host Club. Best to be mentally prepared for whatever insane scenario was to play out.
When he had entered the club room, however, he'd found that he was not alone.
Mori sat at a table near the window, gazing out at the blue, cloudless sky. It wasn't his usual stare, however. He looked downright pensive. Stranger yet, a certain small boy was mysteriously absent from his side...
Not that it was any of Kyoya's business. His senpai was quiet, regardless, so it didn't matter whether he was there or not and it was nothing for the Ohtori boy to concern himself with.
Still, he had his own theory about why the other had been brooding all alone in the club room and where the small blonde senior might be...
"So then we were all running down the street trying to find wherever the park was-..."
"It took us at least twenty minutes to finally escape from that mob, some lady pinched me on the butt-..."
"And then we finally managed to escape out the backdoor, but Mori-senpai had left his bakery uniform laying on the ground outside. Mine and Kyoya-senpai's feet got tangled up in it and we tripped, then he said he was totally going to kill me for tripping him twice even though it wasn't my fault-..."
"But anyways, we get to the park and jump in the bush, and we see Tamaki-senpai and Honey-senpai and they are totally making out-..."
"Seriously, guys? I already told you, I don't wanna hear it! If I'd wanted to know I would've stayed and if they want me to know they can tell me themselves. And even then, I still don't really wanna hear it."
"Aw come on! You're just no fun."
"Whatever." Haruhi pointedly ignored the twins as she moved to collect her school supplies, and stood up from her desk. "Let's just get to the clubroom already. Maybe then you can gawk at them some more."
The redheads simultaneously stuck out their tongues. Still, they trotted after her as she left the classroom.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"... But you totally thought it sounded dirty when Honey-senpai asked if the boss wanted to have a lick of his ice cream, right? 'Cause we wanted to laugh-..."
"Ughhhhhh..."
Kyoya snapped his book shut quietly. That would do for now. It was just about time for the guests to start showing up. Everyone else would surely be there any minute...
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Mori-senpai, who seemingly hadn't moved a muscle since Kyoya had come in. He briefly considered saying something- and then discarded the notion just as quickly. It wasn't his place to get involved.
The door swung open, and he swiftly turned his head. An irritated looking Haruhi strode in, flanked by Hikaru and Kaoru, who were babbling about something he didn't care to pay a great deal of attention to.
"Hey Kyoya-senpai." She muttered. Her expression changed when she spotted the silent boy by the window.
Blink.
Slowly, she took a step closer to the bespectacled boy. The twins appeared to have finally realized she was ignoring them, as they lost interest and drifted off to set up some tables and chairs. All the better that they weren't looming around within earshot, really...
"Kyoya-senpai? Is Mori-senpai alright? He looks kind of upset."
"I wouldn't know." He stated simply as he adjusted his glasses. "It would most likely be best to ask him yourself."
"Fair enough..."
The soft footsteps failed to register in Mori's ears. It wasn't until the owner of the feet spoke that he bothered to turn his eyes away from the sky outside.
"Hey Mori-senpai. Everything alright?"
He turned to look at her fully. The small girl stood before him, a clearly curious expression on her face.
"..." He seemed to hesitate. "... Yeah."
Haruhi eyed him uncertainly. "If you say so..." She had occasionally had trouble reading people, that was true. In fact, even the most blatantly obvious of clues a person could drop often failed to tip her off that something was amiss. Everyone knew this. Even then, she still suspected that something was not quite well with her senpai. His acting was just that bad.
"... Does this have anything to do with Tamaki-senpai and Honey-senpai-...?"
As if on cue, from across the room, the doors opened once more. All heads turned to the pair who walked inside, fingers intertwined. None other than the Host Club's resident princely character and boy lolita, of course. And both were all smiles.
"Hi everybody!"
"Good afternoon, my lovely family~"
"Right on time." Kyoya said, inclining his head towards the two of them and reopening his little black book, which he proceeded to examine closely in front of his face. In truth, it was to hide a smile.
Her previous worries temporarily forgotten, Haruhi smiled at them. The two of them really looked incredibly cheerful...
"Hey you guys. I'm guessing things went good yesterday." She said playfully.
"You bet!" Honey beamed, breaking free from his boyfriend's grasp to rush over and give her a big hug.
"Whoa! Hey now..."
"What's up lovebirds?" The twins grinned mischievously. Tamaki shot them the nastiest glare he had and refused to dignify them with any further response. They would not ruin his good mood today, no sir.
"I'm happy for you guys." Haruhi said, once she had finally managed to get the small boy to release his hold on her. And she was. Even if she didn't want to know all the finer details of their relationship, they seemed happy. And that was all that mattered, right?
"If we're all done chatting, I believe we'd ought to get our cosplay together before the ladies arrive..."
"Of course, of course!" The prince declared excitedly. "But... I'm still a little bit confused. I'm supposed to look like a fireman or something, right? What are chippendale dancers again, Kyoya?"
"Something that's going to make me a lot of money..." He muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" He asked, before shrugging and dropping the subject. Eh, he'd understand once he put the costume on, right?
"Right then. Everyone, let's start getting ready for-..."
"Tamaki."
The rest of the sentence died on the tip of his tongue- a rather unfortunate place to die, as rather than ever being given a proper burial, it would most likely be swallowed and subsequently digested, after which it would itself in a very unpleasant final resting place indeed. Puzzled, the prince looked to where the voice had sounded from...
The table by the window.
"Mitsukuni."
The two boys in question stared, before exchanging glances with each other. With a shrug from Honey and growing apprehension from Tamaki, both blondes slowly approached the table.
"Yeeeees Mori-senpai?"
"What is it, Takashi?"
At first, he said nothing. The other members watched from across the room. Quietly, the twins began making bets with each other on whether Mori was going to inflict some bodily injury on Tamaki. Tamaki, who could still hear them, felt it very unfair that he could not, at the moment, get in on this betting.
"...Mitsukuni, I'm sorry about yesterday."
He glanced at his best friend for only a second, before his eyes darted away.
"... And Tamaki."
"Awwww. It's okay, Takashi." He smiled gently. Tamaki, in turn, nodded nervously.
"... I wasn't sure if Tamaki would treat you correctly." He continued, in a barely audible voice. "I didn't know whether he would be able to take care of you. Or how often he brushed his teeth."
Finally, he turned towards the two of them, eyes downcast.
"... But most of all, I was afraid that Tamaki was trying to take you away from me. That was very silly of me, and I was being selfish. I'm sorry."
Without hesitation, Honey just leaned forward and patted him on the head. "I forgive you, Takashi."
"..."
Tamaki, on the other hand, said nothing.
… And continued to say nothing.
The older blonde finally turned to him with a small, expectant smile. It turned to a frown however, when still, the other said nothing.
Then everyone went silent. Even the twins. Everyone held their breath, wondering what would happen next.
Was Tamaki... angry?
Mori frowned to himself. Surely he was angry. Surely he was going to yell. After all, he had overstepped his boundaries. Moreso with Mitsukuni than with Tamaki, he felt, but Mitsukuni cared about Tamaki, so truly, it was just as bad.
…
"... Awwwwwwww! It's okay, Mori-senpai~!"
Now, Takashi Morinozuka was not an easily flustered person. Sure, he had been surprised when Honey had defeated his brother Yasuchika in battle. Sure, he had been surprised when he'd begun to notice that Tamaki seemed to have feelings for his cousin. And he had been DANG surprised, almost to the point of his jaw hitting the floor, when Mitsukuni had gone and asked the younger boy on a date in front of the entire club. But nothing could compare to how incredibly startled he was when Tamaki jumped into his lap, thrust his arms around his neck in a suffocating hug, and started to roughly nuzzle his cheek. The expression on his face as this happened could only be interpreted as: OHSWEETLORD.
"I forgive you too Mori-senpai! After all, you were only looking after Mitsukuni! It was truly a selfless act of kindness done out of concern for your cousin and close friend! I'll never forget this love and devotion you've consistently shown towards the boy we both hold so dear! NEVER!"
"Get... him off me..."
Amusement very poorly hidden, Honey pried Tamaki from the taller boy's person. Thankfully, he seemed just as content to then direct his affections towards the smaller boy and wrapped around him instead.
"... Well then..." Kyoya said slowly. "Shall we...?"
"Right!" The prince chirped, reluctantly untangling himself from the older boy, who gave him a peck on the cheek as he did so.
"One last thing..."
The spotlight was back on the tall, dark-haired boy. He let out a small cough as he struggled to regain the rest of his composure. He was going to file away this incident to the vault, and never think about it again.
"... Kyoya had a hidden camera crew disguised as regular people on the street following the both of you yesterday. I overheard two of them talking while I was feeding the pigeons."
"KYOYA-!"
"KYO-CHAN-!"
"What? The DVD is selling very well with the ladies."
Students began to pour out of Ouran High School and make their way to their fancy cars as the sun began it's lazy descent from the sky. After a fairly average day, save for a mishap with a can of commoner whipped cream, the hosts had said their farewells, and adjourned for the day. An extremely adorable goodbye hug and kiss had been shared by two certain blondes, which the twins wasted no time making fun of, before they too had parted ways.
One of them had remained on school grounds, though. Seated across from him on one of the larger tree branches, was his cousin.
"No one could take me away from you, Takashi, and I would never, EVER replace you. You know better than that."
The boy in question simply nodded.
"I love you just the same as I always have. I just love Tama-chan now, too."
Another nod.
"I'm sure we'll all be best friends forever. And someday, you'll find someone you love the way I love Tama-chan."
Again, he said nothing. However, a tiny smile managed to creep it's way onto his face.
"I know, Mitsukuni."
Honey smiled back at him sweetly.
"I promise that I'll never forget. I don't know what came over me..."
Slowly, he turned to gaze at the lovely colors all mixed together in the sky, his smile growing just a fraction wider.
"... It was probably just cabin fever."
And that is the very definitely last chapter. I felt that how Mori was feeling about the goings-on really wasn't explored well at all, and Haruhi's part in the story ended awkwardly, but the last chapter was already running long, so I left it out. Now hopefully we have sufficient closure. Yay!
Thus ends the ramblings. See you next time!
- YummyYaoiSandwiches