Warnings: Slash, book spoilers, manga spoilers, angst, clichés, brooding, chocolate abuse, reflected-upon child abuse, trauma, crude language, mentioned character death, Ron bashing, Ginny bashing, Dumbles bashing, mild sexual situations, AU for books 5, 6, and 7 of Harry Potter, disregards all Ouran chapters after 64. Ridiculously long omake (3.5k words), and the actual substantial part of this chapter is kind of short.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling and her affiliates. Ouran High School Host Club belongs to Bisco Hatori and her (it is her, right?) affiliates.
Features: Independent!Brooding!Isolationist!Harry, Clingy!Paternal!Sirius, and the host-bu guys being themselves
Chapter 29
It took another two days for Harry to discover that his idea for what Rita's article would do was completely and utterly wrong.
The day started easily enough. Harry arrived at school and went to classes. Some girls were giggling over Ouran photo albums – during lunch some sent speculative glances toward him and Takashi (Kyouya was pleased to note that he was almost completely out of those particular albums), but it was otherwise normal. Some particularly persistent yaoi fangirls – usually they were into the twincest act rather than Takashi, but apparently the "power of moe" was enough to sway them for a little while at least – had taken to asking Harry questions that he didn't deign to answer. Some girls were a bit politer and didn't try to insinuate anything in an obvious manner, and he would at least reply to them in some way.
Kyouya had also been pleased by the squeals that erupted during club on Friday when a Takashi fangirl had asked Harry why he was suddenly calling Takashi by his given name (though how the fangirls had noticed the change when he rarely left his "cave" during club hours...). Harry's reply of "when Takashi asked me to" had apparently caused sixteen more albums to be sold, disturbingly enough. The drastic increase in girls designating Takashi that day had already set the "Cool" type grinning, so the combined effect was almost... disturbing, perhaps?
He noted that there were some reporters "hiding" just off of school grounds but he didn't think anything of it. There had been reporters all the two weeks that school had been back in session after all; it was nothing new. In fact, he didn't even think of the article when he saw them. The reporters were at least being inconspicuous now (to an extent), which was an improvement.
Of course, Harry hadn't been anywhere but his estate, in the car, and at Ouran since Sunday when he had given the interview in the first place. Since his almost-date with Takashi for Tuesday had been ruined by Harry not having his bruises taken care of beforehand, they had rescheduled for Friday night (allowing Harry to cancel that evening's dueling lesson – Sirius hadn't even asked why he wanted a night off so soon – for some recuperation). When Harry's car stopped in front of the movie theater that Takashi had selected – Harry had never realized the cinema could be upscale, but it was possible apparently – he found out just what the article had wrought. Or he thought so anyway.
Within one minute of Harry getting out to wait for Takashi to arrive, he noticed the concentration of wizarding folk and reporters increasing, though they kept their distance. The quick response was nothing new, and the fact that he wasn't immediately swarmed by fans, "friends", admirers, grateful people, reporters, small children who were positive that he had nothing better to so with his time than sign something for them... it was kind of nice. Though the glares he received from a few of them... that was rather strange. A few photographers snapped off pictures of him standing in front of the theater, but fewer than usual.
Harry thought that everything that had happened was a welcome change. Until Takashi's limo pulled up and the tall senior stepped out, straightening imaginary wrinkles from his suit. Harry strode forward and they met halfway between the curb and the entrance to the theater.
That was when the first fangirl walked up –
And slapped Harry across the face. He honestly had no clue why, considering he had never even seen this witch before, let alone his complete ignorance as to who she was or what she was saying. When she started yelling things that he was sure were obscene in a thick language that sounded Germanic or Scandinavian in origin, The-Vanquisher-of-He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named just gave her a blank look.
Meanwhile, Takashi stepped forward a bit to put something – himself – between Harry and the crazy fangirl, a hard look on his face. The fangirl then reached out to slap him too. Takashi merely caught her wrist in a light grip for half a moment before dropping it and turning about to lead Harry (who was, at this point, rubbing at his stinging cheek) toward the theater –
Only to see a lot more fangirls blocking the way. And fanboys of course, but mostly fangirls. Harry slowly backed up a step so that he was just in front of Takashi, trying to signal the older boy to run somehow. Either his attempts worked, or Takashi had come to the same conclusion as Harry – that the fans were angry for Merlin only knew what reason and that it was best to get as far away as possible as soon as possible – and made a mad dash (or as mad as Takashi's stride ever could be) away. With Harry held securely in his arms of course. It wouldn't do to leave him to the wolves like that after all.
Harry managed to direct Takashi to the nearest apparition point – though the sight of two men in suits, one carrying the other in an all out sprint, while being chased by a small horde of men and women, mostly foreigners, whose ages ranged from 13 to 36 drew quite a bit of attention – and as soon as his feet touched the ground he turned on his heel, Takashi's arm in a firm grip, and apparated away.
Not an instant too soon, either, as the mob of witches and wizards were just turning the corner at the time.
Either way, the being-pulled-through-a-rubber-tube sensation of apparation left Takashi feeling a bit woozy and he promptly fell over when they landed. Harry had to levitate him to a couch in the sitting room adjacent to the apparition chambers. After making sure that neither of them had been splinched – not something he wanted a repeat of as, when Sirius was teaching him to apparate, he kept forgetting his toes or an elbow – Harry called on Dinky to make something that would settle Takashi's stomach.
Yet another date that had not gone as planned. (1)
"Sorry about that, Takashi," Harry sighed as he passed over the Intest-Ease (Guaranteed to Fix Any Digestive Problem and Queasiness with the Minor Side-Effect of Lost Mobility in the Left Pinky Finger for Three -3- Hours) to the slightly green-looking teen. "That's twice I've introduced you to magical transportation without the proper warnings. Though what the hell was up with those people..." He sighed and sat down in a chair next to the couch he had set Takashi on. "Rory! Could you pop by the Medical Offices and ask for any personal updates for me?"
After finding out about the whole Dumbledore-has-gone-missing thing a month late (he was surprised the ex-Headmaster hadn't popped up in Japan yet), Harry had set up a service with the Potter-Evans stand-in. Whenever anything important pertaining to Harry was published, it would be added to an inbox that Harry emptied at least once a week, and if it was important enough they would call in Rory to pick it up rather than wait. The rate of these publications had increased hardly a week after setting it up when Harry's presence was outed to the world, but there hadn't been anything "important" since the initial article about his being in Japan.
Not that he thought that whatever this was was particularly important, just that he wanted to know if there was any printed reason for the attack of the fangirls/boys.
In response to Harry's apology, Takashi only made a vague grunting noise, forced himself to sit up slightly, and threw back the Intest-Ease as quickly as possible. Takashi had only once ever had to ingest any potions, and had apparently taken the lesson to heart; Harry figured his own disgusted expressions after taking any were enough of an indicator, and Hani had complained a bit about the Concussion-Be-Gone that Harry had given him back in August, so combined with the sprain-healing potion, Takashi probably had good guidelines for taste. Besides, it was only some of the pain relievers and sleep potions that tasted like anything better than rotting lemons.
Rory arrived back with the usual stack of papers from various nations. Harry picked up the one on top, from Tuesday in one of the local gossip rags, and didn't think twice when he saw that it was headed "Vanished-Vanquisher Speaks Out! Potter's Fans Offended." Well, of course they were offended. That much was obvious.
Harry sighed and went to the appropriate page. He hardly even noticed as Takashi leaned over the arm of the couch to read beside him.
Vanished-Vanquisher Speaks Out!
Potter's Fans Offended
By Miura Yuki – 20 January, 2007
With the publishing this past Tuesday of an exclusive interview given by Potter Harry, the world is in shock. Fans everywhere – particularly those visiting Tokyo for the chance to see the elusive Potter – are up in arms over some statements the young Hero made in the interview.
"I don't want fans," Potter said in his interview with Rita Skeeter when asked why he went into hiding from the magical world. "Fans throw themselves at my feet. They all know who Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, is. None of them want to bother finding out who 'Just Harry' is, and I can't stand by that. Part of why I came to Tokyo is because here, especially in the muggle world, I'm practically a nobody, which is just the way I like it. The past few weeks have been hell, no thanks to my 'fans.'"
A harsh statement that has not been well received. American witch, Andrews Chelsea, had this to say: "I totally get that he doesn't want to be famous. I mean, he stayed out of the spotlight and hid from us and everything, but blaming everything on the fans is so not cool! We just want him to know we appreciate how awesome he is, and then he goes and stomps on our good will! I mean, what's up with that?"
Likewise, Creevey Colin, a friend of Potter's from Hogwarts, wrote to us with the following statement: "What about everyone in Britain, Harry? We weren't throwing ourselves at you! He never said no to me taking pictures and selling them in the Prophet." (2)
On the flip-side, local witches and wizards stand behind Potter whole-heartedly. A young squib and one of Potter's schoolmates by the name of Kanazuki Reiko was quick to respond to interviewers. "Potter-kun is right to not want fans. A fan is someone who sees an icon, and since he does not wish to be an icon it does not sit well with him. I don't like him, but Potter-kun is right."
In a poll of our readership here at Kappa's Captions, seventy-percent of witches and wizards support Potter's stance, ten percent are neutral, twelve percent are offended, and the remaining eight percent are undecided. A similar poll in foreign papers have claimed that sixty-four percent of magical people internationally have been incited, seventeen percent condone Potter's statements, and the rest are neutral or undecided.
Whatever the opinion, there are many angry fans out to get Potter, and even more his "friends", particularly one Morinozuka Takashi who Potter seems to be closest too. Many of the people who have been interviewed showed bitterness to Potter's friends, who are muggles. Whether this is an expression of anti-muggle sentiment or fan-vs-friend drama is up to you.
Harry could only gape at the article. That... it was...
"My fangirls are going to kill me," he stated, voice flat. Takashi could do little more than offer a reassuring hand on Harry's shoulder. (3)
And to think Harry had been worried about Death Eaters...
Harry did not leave his house that weekend, not that he had been planning to. Instead he absorbed himself in studying, pushing all thoughts of his wrathful fans from his mind. Sirius popped by Sunday evening for another dueling lesson, so Harry had no problems relaying what he had found out from the article, and the rest associated with it.
The article from the Caption was one of the more mild ones. There were apparently quite a few quotes that were being protested violently by Harry's fans, all concerning his personal views on fans-vs-friends, his privacy, and apparently his fans also strongly disagreed with the notion that they were swarming on him. Which they were, but when Jeremy Wagner of Germany was asked, he claimed that they were trying to "impress upon Harry how important to the world he is."
Because nothing says "you're important" like stuffing your underwear with your floo address on it in a guy's pocket, Harry thought with a derisive snort when he went over some of the articles with Sirius.
Of course, ten minutes later Sirius was hurling curses at Harry and the younger wizard was trying very hard to not get hit. It was considered an accomplishment when he managed to block and/or avoid the first three spells. He even managed to fire off an Impedimenta! Not that it hit Sirius, but it was close.
The stunning spell that hit Harry in the chest right after he saw the spell brush by Sirius' cloak didn't take him by too much of a surprise. At least he'd learned how to position himself when impact was inevitable to prevent bruising (a technique that Hani had taught him when he showed up to school on Friday with another bruise on his back that Takashi volunteered to take care of for him).
When next consciousness took him, Harry found Sirius' hand in his face in an offer of help up. That was already the sixth duel that Harry had lost in the space of ten minutes (by Harry's count; he hadn't actually looked at the clock), but it hardly mattered. After three lessons thus far, he was improving. Maybe he would be able to stand his ground when the Death Eaters did... whatever they were going to do.
Harry took the hand and allowed himself to be pulled up. He knew quite well that each time Sirius knocked him out was another time he "died" in combat; with luck the frequency of such instances would decrease as the lessons progressed. Placed properly on his feet, Harry was ready for the next round, but it seemed Sirius was not as the hand grasped – Harry's dominant hand – had not yet been released.
"Sirius? If we're going to duel I need to be able to draw my wand," he pointed out, sending his godfather a confused look. The animagus hadn't been normal all his life by what Remus claimed, but this behavior was still quite curious. By no means was Sirius sane. This strange fixation with Harry's hand, however, was more than a little disturbing. Then he noticed Sirius fiddling with the Claddagh on his finger. "I realize the ruby on the ring is pretty, but shouldn't we be dueling again?"
After a moment more of examination, Sirius did release the trapped appendage. "You're wearing your Claddagh wrong," Sirius stated when Harry had snatched his hand back. He furrowed his brow and looked at the ruby ring in question. Right hand, facing inward. "And it's a garnet, not a ruby." (4)
"Am I?" He asked curiously, completely dismissing the debate of what stone was in the ring. Right and in meant that he was taken, didn't it? While the fact that Takashi had known about Claddagh rings in the first place, let alone enough to swap it around properly, had been a bit strange, Harry was fairly certain that he was wearing it the way he was meant to be given his apparent relationship status. It was in the same position as Sirius' amethyst ring.
"Unless you picked up a boyfriend that I'm not aware of," Sirius continued in a jocular manner. And Harry felt like banging his own head open. Sirius knew that Harry and Takashi had made up over... whatever he thought Harry was depressed over for the first couple days of the New Year. In fact, he probably knew that they were closer than they had been before the year began given the fact that Harry was hanging about with the boy outside of school on school days and that he was calling Takashi "Takashi".
He did not know that Harry had confessed at the Hitachiin party, or that Takashi had left more than twenty messages on Harry's cell phone (apparently) in the space of a single day. He did not know that the dinner dates were just that or anything else of the sort. And that was something that, Harry realized, was probably not a great thing to keep from his godfather. Screw the man's nature as a gossip, he needed to know something like... well, like that.
Harry's silence as he thought – and, more precisely, berated himself – had been taken as a form of reply, a positive one at that. "You... wait, you did?" Sirius seemed genuinely confused. "But... I thought you liked Takashi? Not that it isn't great that you've got a boyfriend but I... mean..." He trailed off, attempting to string together some form of response to Harry's lack-there-of.
Meanwhile, Harry just sort of blinked at Sirius for about three seconds before a small snicker escaped him. Then something more akin to a proper laugh. Finally, Harry found himself doubled over in laughter – an entirely new experience for him, as the most hysterical he could ever recall being had only had him flop backwards in a chair.
When he came up for air, Harry's stomach actually ached from the spasms and his cheeks were stiff from the grin he had sported throughout that little outburst. What was so funny about the situation, he really didn't know, nor did he truly care to. Harry was a bit more caught up in the laughter that he could honestly find no reason for. It felt... good to laugh like that, even if it did hurt physically.
With Sirius' gaze trained on him, Harry sobered up and immediately felt like squirming under the look directed at him. So he decided to just spit it out.
"Sirius, Takashi is my – my boyfriend." His face was heating up, though the reaction could have been far worse – if he blushed often enough, would the vessels burst and give him a permanent blush like a lush with a red nose? – and Harry wondered how he was going to survive life as a businessman if he kept up the blushing rate. Oddly, he hadn't really thought of that aspect of his future in at least a couple of weeks. Was he relaxing too much?
It didn't matter.
"He's your... but..." Sirius seemed completely uncomprehending before his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed backward in a dead faint. What there was to faint over Harry could honestly not say... but this was Sirius after all, and Sirius did not have to make sense. It was his way. With a sigh, Harry sent an Ennervate at his godfather. That was one way to knock a man out, he supposed.
The absolute glee with which Sirius hugged Harry when he woke up was, as the teen soon discovered, yet another such way.
The following Monday was the full moon, and the night of the third Death Eater attack. Again, no casualties, the only injury was to a passerby, but the target was slightly different this time. Instead of a department store like the last attacks had all been, the Death Eaters had struck – of all places – the ramen shop (5). There was no reason that the aurors could come up with, or Harry and Sirius for that matter unless they had decided that they would be destroying places that Harry frequented.
That did explain why, on Tuesday after Black Magic Club, Harry found Satoshi moping around the High School's kendo facilities when he passed by on the way to his car. He knew that Takashi was doing his every-other-daily time with the kendo club after his Host duties that day, so didn't even bother to think of why Satoshi was sitting on the bench under a warm spring sun (while in the rest of the country it was winter and dark out).
Though the moping did throw Harry for a loop since, on the few occasions he had seen Satoshi, the boy seemed excitable and enthusiastic about, well, just about anything really.
"Hey Satoshi-kun," Harry stated as he walked over. Hanazaka wasn't due for another ten minutes anyway, so he could spare the time. It was certainly better to remain on the private property of Ouran than hanging about on the streets and being swarmed by stalker-fans or the press. "Is something wrong?"
"Huh? Oh, hi Harry-senpai. Terrorists blew up the ramen shop," Satoshi stated in a voice that was actually... calm. Not his usual emotional outburst in the least. "I was going to go there with Chika today, but it was blown up and then Chika got in a fight with Mitsukuni when I came over here to visit Taka-nii. Now Chika is at the hospital because Mitsukuni broke his nose, but they told Taka-nii and me to stay behind so he could finish his practice for today." He certainly seemed rather down.
"Well, so long as they went to an Ootori hospital, Yasuchika-san's nose should be fine by they time they get home," Harry reassured the middle school student. "Not sure about what can be done about the ramen shop though. My godfather already offered them a loan – which he will expect them to pay back in ramen most likely – to get the place rebuilt. I wouldn't be surprised if it's up and running again in a couple of months. Sirius' good word goes a long way."
"So does the word of anyone at Ouran though! And I won't have any of that delicious miso ramen for months." As it turned out, Satoshi was still excitable and highly emotive. He was just... sulking.
Harry shrugged. "Well, this will give you the opportunity to try other restaurants and stuff while you wait for it to be rebuilt," he put in. "And Sirius has very good connections to the construction industry. There's no way he'll let that place stay closed for more than two months; his mansion is pretty big and the building was completely finished in just six months. If he can get the same construction company on it, the ramen shop might even be completely rebuilt by the end of the school year."
Satoshi didn't seem too reassured. Well, why should he be? By muggle standards, that was impossible.
"Fine, don't believe me," Harry waved his hand airily. Seeing Satoshi being so contained was like seeing Takashi suddenly be highly emotive or Hani in a murderous mood (though that was more scary than disturbing), even though Harry really didn't see much of him. Perhaps making light of the situation would help a bit? "Do you think it's okay if I pop in there to say hi to Takashi? I wanted to ask him about something, but if he's practicing I don't want to disturb him."
"Eh?" Satoshi blinked at the sudden change in topic (from what little Harry knew of the younger boy he was normally switching topics halfway through a sentence – the loss of ramen must have really affected him!) before shrugging. "He's the only one left in there. I'm pretty sure he'll be finished soon anyway..." he trailed off, sending a look that Harry did not catch as he started walking toward the corner of the building to peek in through a window. "Harry-senpai, since when do you call Taka-nii by his name?"
Harry turned, having only gone about two steps. He shrugged, unsure of the look that was being sent his way. "He asked me to just after New Year." Technically he'd been asked to do so on New Year's Eve, but Harry hadn't made any sort of effort until the third when... now wasn't the time to think about that though. By the wide-eyed look on Satoshi's face, perhaps it meant something, but Harry didn't mind. "See you later. Try not to let the loss of the ramen shop get you too down, okay?"
Harry quickly fled the scene. That had been... odd. As a matter of fact, he wasn't meaning to come say hello to Takashi at all, but now that he thought of it, he could use some help in muggle geography. And telling Takashi to keep an eye out for his brother's mood wouldn't go amiss, surely. With that in mind, Harry peeked into the well-lit kendo dojo (though why on earth a school had so many dojo – for kendo, karate, judo... the list went on, and one for each level of school – was beyond him) and tried to see if he could spot Takashi in the room.
Not that it was hard to locate him or anything. As the sole being in the dojo, it was hard to miss him.
In the ten seconds that Harry was staring at Takashi, he was astonished. Takashi moved with a fluid grace as he ran through the kata, the "blade" of the bamboo sword he was wielding swinging down with a low war cry. Then Harry blinked, and it was over. The straw figure that had been set up in front of Takashi exploded and was strewn across the nearer parts of the floor. Never before had Harry thought of Takashi as being dangerous in the least bit. With the straw scattering across the dojo floor and Takashi simply standing there for a breath, Harry couldn't help the blush that crept up his neck.
As Takashi calmly walked to the back wall to put his sword with the others lined up there, Harry decided to make his entrance. As with all the doors of Ouran, it didn't so much as squeak when Harry opened it, the tatami mats allowing only the barest of sounds to emanate from his footsteps. Takashi seemed completely ignorant of his entrance, though Harry wouldn't put it past him to have simply ignored him for the moment.
Takashi only turned around again when the wooden sword was on the rack and Harry was about fifteen paces away. Even from that distance, Harry could see the thin sheen of sweat on Takashi's brow, the deep breaths he took made his shoulders seem even broader, and Harry did something that he had not done before then.
He walked straight up to Takashi, wrapped his arms around the older boy's neck, and yanked him down for a kiss. Harry had not instigated any of their snogging sessions over the past weeks. Just this once, he couldn't help himself. Not that Takashi seemed to mind much as he reciprocated whole-heartedly, foregoing whatever surprise he might have had to Harry deciding to molest his mouth.
When Takashi pulled away for air – having been short of breath already from running through his kata for a while – Harry bemoaned the loss of contact, though having Takashi rest his forehead against his own was nice.
"Satoshi is outside," Takashi murmured quietly after a moment. His head lifted for a breath as he planted a small kiss on the seemingly clear space where Harry's scar was hiding.
"I know, I talked to him on my way in," Harry shrugged slightly. He had enjoyed the sort of tingly feeling from Takashi kissing his forehead (which was still a good inch or two below the taller boy's chin), and the slight weight of Takashi's head on his own. "He's pretty moody about that ramen shop being targeted last night. Sirius already has the place being rebuilt and it will probably be back to normal before you graduate."
Considering they had only been "together" for just over three weeks, the subject of what would happen when Takashi graduated had not been broached. Neither of them seemed keen on the idea and so they did not go further on that topic.
It did, however, take Harry a moment to realize why Takashi had actually brought the matter up. Takashi's brother – who probably had ADHD or something similar – was outside waiting for Takashi, completely oblivious to what Harry and Takashi were to one another. Satoshi was also quite likely to come in and see if Takashi was on his way out yet if he got bored watching the cherry blossoms falling, which was also likely.
"Do you care if he knows?" Harry asked after a moment of contemplation. They weren't exactly keeping their relationship a secret, per se, but they hadn't actually told anyone (except Harry telling Sirius over the weekend when he realized it was a liability to their security if Sirius didn't know) or talked about telling anyone. Harry was embarrassed to admit that even Hani probably didn't know, and Hani knew pretty much everything about Takashi that there was to know.
There was a moment of silence before Takashi slowly shook his head.
A small smile flicked onto Harry's face. "Neither do I," he grinned internally at the nonplussed look on Takashi's face that stayed for all of three seconds before he mimicked Harry's small smile. Harry's reward for that comment left him breathless and blushing. Not that he minded.
They broke apart again and Takashi slipped away, saying he had to shower and change (the thought made Harry turn a bit brighter shade of red) and asked Harry to wait. The young wizard nodded and entertained himself by counting cherry blossoms as they fluttered by the window. According to the information Hani had given him, Autumn would be coming tomorrow until the last spring of the school year arrived for the week of Exams and the Year End Carnival.
Takashi returned within ten minutes – Hanazaka had called when Harry wasn't waiting outside for him to make sure he hadn't been kidnapped by rabid fangirls and was waiting patiently – and seemed to take great pride in grasping Harry's hand as they left the dojo. Anytime such a thing had been done previously, Takashi had taken care to grab Harry by the wrist to make it seem like he was just dragging him along as something far less intimate. He had even threaded their fingers together as they walked side by side around the building to where Satoshi was sitting. Unlike Harry, who could entertain himself with a bit of scenery and sky, Satoshi was playing something on his DS.
"Aa! Taka-nii, you're done? Let's get going; Mom wanted us home by the time it got dark here and it's only another half hour 'til then," Satoshi hadn't even looked up as he saved his game and got up from the bench, stowing the device in his bag. "Dad called and said the cooks were going to make ramen tonight because the place we always go to is gone now. It's really nice of them, but I don't think they've ever made ramen and I know Mom isn't going to be happy since she doesn't like ramen but they'll probably take that into account and make her some chilled soba or maybe some Okinawa stir-fry since she liked it so much the last time they made it. Then again, Mom's been more inclined to Italian lately, and –"
It was amazing how much Satoshi could say in one breath, much like Hermione that way. He only paused when he looked at Takashi and Harry, his eyes darting first to their clasped hands. His head tilted for a moment as he assessed the situation before grinning at them in a manner that could only be considered cheeky.
"Mitsukuni was right!" Was the first thing out of his mouth. Suddenly he started spouting out a litany of... something. It was flowery and romantic and Harry was certain he heard some phrases that Tamaki commonly used on his customers (6). It was, however, completely incomprehensible to Harry. Maybe going to school at Ouran, where the seasons changed at the drop of a hat, all his life had effected Satoshi's mind.
Harry didn't have to look at Takashi to know that he was mildly bewildered by Satoshi's theatrics, though he was probably used to the middle school student's... eccentricities by that point. As Satoshi wound down, Harry blinked owlishly.
"Erm... right..." he sent a side-long glance to Satoshi before turning to Takashi. "By the way, I was going to ask if you could help me with my geography sometime? I've been having some trouble since the focus is a lot different from England. Anytime is fine, just at some point before exams." They started walking to where their respective cars were waiting.
"Aa," Takashi nodded, pausing a moment in thought. He pulled out his cell phone and did a lot of typing – a text message that was promptly answered – before going on. "Dinner tomorrow?"
One day's notice was, so far, better than most of their other dinner dates. "Sure; when and where?" They were at the gates and Harry sent Takashi a small squeeze before their hands separated, leaving absolutely nothing for the press – or the fangirls – to talk about beyond Harry staying after with two of his fellow students while plenty of other students who were involved in clubs would have been departing in the past half hour as well.
"My place at seven?"
It was a surprise to be invited to Takashi's house – though it did explain the text message – and Harry nodded. Takashi and Satoshi went to the limo awaiting them and Harry went home without a hitch, ready to get the tar beaten out of him by Sirius again.
Before they started, Harry mentioned that the Wednesday practice would have to be canceled. When he stated why, Sirius nodded sagely.
"Oh, well good luck then," he said in an almost mournful tone. "The first time you meet the parents can be pretty nerve wracking."
Author's Note: First thing's first – there is now Takashi/Harry fanart! Thanks a million to CluelessRomantic for drawing some adorable Mori/Harry moments! Links are in my profile if you lot want to look (and you really should)! XD Thanks also to Araceil for drawing a picture of Harry and one of Harry being attacked by Fred and George! Links also on my profile :3
I have decided that, from now until the series' end, I will be writing a bunch of omake – my style of omake that is. They're really more like "missing scenes" or scenes from alternate perspectives, but whatever. Either way, each chapter from now to the end (and there shall be one) will end with an omake. After I'm done with the series, I will have a chapter (or two?) dedicated to missing scenes. And maybe an epilogue (I might even make a JKR style epilogue-of-fail just to screw with you all). Maybe. Either way, they're fun to write :3
In other news, over 300 reviews!! I feel intensely loved X3 Also, I am once again plugging my forum. Go check it out? Still not much happening, but it's fun... or it will be.
Sorry if this chapter seemed rushed, but I REALLY want to write chapter 30. It has me in squee mode just thinking about it (I've been planning chapter 30 for AGES!!). Hopefully you lot will like it as much as I will love writing it (insert evil laugh here)
(1) So far, all their dates have kind of... failed. The attempt from chapter 28 didn't even leave Harry's house because of the dueling lessons, the date from chapter 26 ended up being a double date (of sorts – Fleur and Krum are not together) in which Takashi was busy being jealous of Krum, and if you consider their ramen after the trip to the hospital in chapter 22 (feels like forever ago!) a date, that not only started with Takashi being weird, but it sort-of turned into another double date and had Harry upsetting Takashi without knowing why (see omake).
(2) Harry inserts a comment here: "That's because I didn't know he was selling them to the Prophet until after fourth year."
(3) In Ouran fangirls routinely turn into Medusa and go on rampages and such... so yeah. Takashi knows the fear that Harry is experiencing.
(4) The rings I gave each Marauder are actually birthstones. Sirius has Amethyst – February (I dunno when his birthday actually is, so I said February) – James had Garnet – January, he wanted Lily's birthstone and he shares birth month with Remus – Peter has Pink Tourmaline – October (again, I dunno when his birthday is so I made one up) – and Remus got Aquamarine – for March. Harry merely thought that his ring was Ruby – the birthstone for July – but he never actually asked and he isn't familiar with precious stones.
(5) Poor ramen... it shall be missed T-T
(6) It just occurred to me that Satoshi is very much like Rock Lee. How... disturbing.
Omake #3: Takes place December 29, 2006, during Harry's third dancing lesson with Takashi (Chapter 22)(Ridiculously long... and it has footnotes… wow)
Takashi tilted Harry's chin up for the seventeenth (a) time that day. The smaller boy was actually doing amazingly well for someone who, according to Kaoru (who reportedly got his information from Harry himself), had only danced once in his entire life and had ended up being led by the girl he was dancing with. When he had been told this, Takashi had known that it had to change, and soon, which made the offer by Kaoru to have him be the one teach Harry all the sweeter to his ears. Of course, he would have accepted even without the knowledge of how desperately needed the lessons were.
The idea of someone else being that close to Harry made Takashi agitated, and he was certainly man enough to know why. He had experienced jealousy a few times in his life, enough to know what it felt like, and Takashi knew that this agitation, the instant vitriol that he knew he would feel about anyone who was in the same situation with Harry. The feeling completely dwarfed the jealousy that he had felt the times that Harry had helped Mitsukuni when he could not.
And, of course, Harry called him "Takashi-sensei" during the lessons, which made it all the better. Even with the more formal suffix of "sensei" rather than "senpai", Takashi felt closer to Harry by having his given name uttered in place of his family name or the "cutesy" version that had been made up for the Host Club to fit him better with Mitsukuni (though how that actually affected anything...).
Back on track though, Harry was, after only a three lessons (although the second lesson was quite long and this third lesson was already going on three hours), quite decent at the waltz. He had the proper timing, he had the reflexes to fix anything he did mess up, and within the first half-hour of practice the first day he had figured out the spacing for his feet to keep from stepping on Takashi's own. That sporting-thing – Quidditch, Takashi thought it was called – had obviously helped Harry in ways that could be applied to more everyday things.
The music from the grand piano in the corner tapered off – it had been quite a shock to find that it was a self-playing piano – and Takashi took care to lift his hand up rather than let it fall and drift down – that would hardly be appropriate after all – as they released one another from the waltzing form. It was as the wizard rubbed at his neck and asked for Tipsy (b) to bring him something to ease the strained muscles that Takashi thought of something that, had he not just thought of it himself, he might have thought Mitsukuni thought it up. Which was impossible of course, considering Mitsukuni hadn't even come with him this time.
While Harry's back was to Takashi, thanking his elf for bringing them hot chocolate, the Wild Type Host quickly recalled what he knew of how sleepy people acted. He could never remember what he was like when he was sleepy – anytime after nine-thirty was a blur unless he was particularly stressed at the time, and he recalled waking up once in July at the Club, but he simply couldn't recall anything prior to sleep – so he drew on what he knew of other people. Particularly the way his brother would become a bit solitary, Mitsukuni became snappish, his own parents became a bit strange (not something he wanted to think about, thank you very much), and he recalled Harry just drifting off quietly.
Mimicking Mitsukuni was knocked off the list immediately as Takashi rubbed at his eye with the palm of his hand. That wouldn't do him any good.
Besides, what better way to find out if Harry liked him than by pretending to sleep in that same boy's presence? People often said things when they thought there was no one to hear them, or so Takashi had observed (being so often compared to furniture, he knew how to blend in, intentionally or not, and often heard things no one meant to be heard). Anyone would have to admit that some of the signs that Harry had given off were those more associated with a feeling of attraction than camaraderie. Feigned agitation would get him nowhere in discovering if the signs were something or mere coincidence.
So instead of copying his cousin, Takashi collapsed in a controlled manner on the couch that the tray with the hot chocolate had been placed in front of and grabbed a mug for himself. Harry sat with about a foot between them, seemingly lost on his own thoughts. So Takashi stepped it up a bit and allowed his head to bob in false weariness before seeming to come to a more full alertness and drinking some of the cocoa. Whatever potion had been placed in the beverages to help with Harry's neck certainly helped slacken Takashi's shoulders.
The seemingly uncontrolled motion had caught Harry's attention.
"You look tired," the young wizard observed, his own hot chocolate forgotten on the table. So Takashi's acting wasn't that bad. Good to know. "Maybe you should call your car? I'm sorry if I've kept you." Takashi quickly grasped the emotion behind those words. Guilt – though what Harry had to be guilty for, when Takashi was merely helping his friend learn to dance, was beyond him – and concern were both prominent.
"Hn," Takashi shook his head slightly, grateful for the potion that had loosened his muscles as it made his head flop a bit in a way that he was sure was normally impossible given how well he controlled himself. Though the fact that Tipsy had spiked both of their drinks was a bit annoying, Takashi could live with that. He took another sip.
"Fine," Harry sounded a bit resigned, "but you'll at least rest for a while. If you aren't lively in half an hour, I'm sending you home regardless, got that? You've got to take better care of yourself, Senpai." Takashi deflated slightly and nodded, his neck a bit more stiff than it had been. Back to "senpai", then... he faked a yawn and reclined on the couch, chin on his chest, to think.
Not paying attention to anything but his thoughts, and being as absorbed in them as he was (mostly reconsidering the "devious plot" he had hatched up and wondering just why he had gone ahead with it to begin with), Takashi wasn't terribly inclined to pay any attention to external stimuli. His breathing was even, and he contemplated the darkness behind his eyelids with little else going on.
He did, however, notice when Harry got off the couch and left the room. Takashi tried to see around the doorway to get a good look at what Harry was doing but had to return to his previous position – or as close as he could get – when Harry's footsteps sounded again. He returned hardly a minute later with... a pillow and blanket? Takashi closed his eyes again quickly. Surely... surely he was seeing things. That had to be it.
Both the blanket and the pillow were reality though. Harry thought that Takashi was asleep, obviously, and Takashi expected to be moved by some magic. Actually, now that he thought of it, he hadn't seen Harry cast any spells on any of the lesson days, having even asked Charlie – the man who had been teaching Mitsukuni about dragons – to summon something for him that Takashi knew he could summon on his own. But this was not the time to think of that, as Harry had sat down at just the right spot on the other end of the couch...
Takashi wasn't the best student of math and physics and the like - that was Mitsukuni's position - but he was good at them, and he could see that Harry really was in the best place for... well, to be a pillow. Which he happened to have in his lap. A small, involuntary twitch of Takashi's left calf gave him and idea and he created a slightly larger twitch that would be visible.
And he faked falling over.
It wasn't too hard, and even though his legs were in a bit of an uncomfortable position – it was livable anyway – Takashi found that he was generally quite comfortable. After about thirty additional seconds in which Harry shifted a bit, presumably to make himself more comfortable, Takashi found the blanket Harry had brought on tossed over his own torso. It was a very nice gesture.
That was about when Takashi started feeling a little tired and – the last sensation he recalled being his legs going a bit numb and something soft beneath his head – he blanked out, though for how long he wasn't sure.
Suddenly he was awake again, and a few somethings – fingers – were threaded through his short, spiky hair. Takashi couldn't feel his legs; they were essentially rubber, and he had no clue where he was. His usual routine of sitting straight up from bed didn't work out as planned when the top of his head connected with something hard and, despite seeing a few spots, he knew pretty quickly that he was not the worse off from the situation.
The spray of blood that was not his own made that quite apparent.
In came back to him even as Harry let out a strangled cry and curled his arms around his face, sleeve pressed firmly to his profusely bleeding tongue. Takashi's eyes widened in horror when he realized just what had happened. He had hurt Harry. He, Morinozuka Takashi, had hurt Harry. And all he could do was gape.
Harry had sprinted across the room to the fireplace, leaving a small trail of blood behind him, looking over a piece of paper that was tacked onto it. Takashi wasted no time in following, even though his legs wobbled beneath him and he had no idea how to help or even if he could. That was answered for him when Harry threw a handful of green powder in the merrily crackling flames and suddenly dragging Takashi into the fire behind him, the flames hissing warningly at the blood dripping on them at a steady rate.
Though why the paper was being pressed into his hands and one particular name being pointed at – a hospital it seemed – was beyond Takashi, when he stated the name of the hospital he found himself being essentially hugged onto by Harry. He was also spinning very quickly.
In less than a minute – though this was long enough for him to be able to feel the heat and wet of Harry's blood soaked through the chest-portion of his shirt and it stuck to him – Harry was suddenly dragging him out of the fire, and it was by sheer luck that he managed to not fall over with his legs only just getting into the pins-and-needle stage of sleep. But he could ignore that for Harry.
While he was glad to learn that all of the damage done was quite easily reparable – it only took the doctor (Healer?) about five minutes to fix – Takashi could not get past the fact that the entire incident was all his fault. If he hadn't had that stupid idea, if he hadn't made Harry think he was tired, if he hadn't feigned sleep, if he hadn't fallen over, if he hadn't actually fallen asleep, if he had taken the time to assess the situation before sitting up, if if IF!
No matter how it was put, it was all Takashi's fault that Harry had to get his tongue fixed (though he was quite glad that Harry's tongue was fine after a few spells from the healer (c)) and his blood replenished and that both of their shirts were now ruined by blood. Harry seemed to bear him no ill will, but he didn't know what Takashi had done.
The fact that he managed to pay for the medical treatment was a small bit of repentance, and Takashi was intent on making the incident right.
He deserved far more anger than Harry bore for him paying the bill (he didn't understand. If he knew what Takashi had done, he would be far quicker to disavow him, surely), and each comment about it not being his fault nearly made Takashi flinch. He really ought to tell, he ought to say that this entire thing was his fault, but he couldn't.
Takashi felt like such a coward.
Tipsy was called in the elevator and was horrified to see them both covered in blood. Takashi wilted further, though to anyone who saw him it would be more that he drew himself up and squared his shoulders, knowing that his idiocy had made someone else worried. Harry's offer to lend him a sweater – though what Harry had that could fit Takashi considering the differences in their sizes was completely unknown – made him feel even worse. Harry probably took it as lamenting the loss of the sweater he had worn that day or something.
He was surprised at the sweater Tipsy brought for him. It was just about the right size for him - a bit long and a little too small around the shoulders, but the right size none the less - and nearly the same shade of emerald as Harry's eyes. Takashi could tell that it was hand knit, not machine made, and with great care. A small white snitch was sewn on the left breast - he recalled Harry's explanation of Quidditch and the little winged ball that had been on Harry's "ride a seeker" shirt - and overall it was a very nice sweater, probably a gift from someone who hadn't seen Harry in a while if the size was anything to go on.
And Harry was letting him wear what was likely a rather precious gift. Takashi felt like an ass.
They were both cleaned up using some weird wash cloths that seemed to completely dispose of the blood (they both still had a few splatters on their pants, but there was nothing to be done about them) and got dressed properly. He tried to keep his eyes averted throughout the process, but didn't succeed. No matter how much he punished himself, Takashi couldn't not look. Sure, he'd seen Harry topless before (only twice), but that had been months ago. It was only further proof that Harry felt absolutely nothing towards Takashi for not allowing his own eyes to wander. His self-control was certainly not so great as Takashi's, so it was obvious that such things were quite far from Harry's mind.
Takashi didn't like the idea of going to dinner with Harry – well, he did, a lot actually, but he didn't like that Harry seemed to be taking the opportunity to pay him back for the medical bill (not only was it Takashi's duty to do so, but even if it did merit repayment, Tipsy was fixing his sweater which had easily cost twice as much as the medical bill to begin with).
Takashi knew precisely where they were as soon as they exited the building that housed the magical hospital. In fact, this was a place where he and Satoshi commonly requested to be dropped off when Satoshi wanted to go have "the best ramen in Tokyo" (which was true, a surprise given Satoshi's... lack of taste buds). Takashi wanted to decline – he certainly didn't deserve to spend any more time with Harry after such a betrayal! – and yet the adamant and almost hopeful glint to the younger's eyes made him reconsider. He just... Takashi couldn't hurt Harry to hurt himself. Something in him rebelled more strongly to the idea of Harry sad or in pain than even the same thoughts of Mitsukuni. It was the same reason he couldn't tell Harry about his... other feelings; of the Hosts, Takashi was Harry's closest friend, and Takashi wasn't going to ruin that.
The worst part was that Harry was completely oblivious. Takashi supposed it was a good thing that he didn't have Takashi's training in reading the body and body language, or else he would have noticed something long before. His own body language was how Takashi discovered his growing affection for the emerald eyed youth.
There had been plenty of instances later that Takashi could pinpoint, much as it pained him to admit it. Mitsukuni had noticed sometime in October, most likely during the summer festival (the fact that commoners went along with the Ouran seasonal changes was really quite amusing), and had been bothering Takashi about it ever since Harry's initial attempt to reinstate the distance between himself and the Hosts just before the sports festival, no matter how badly that had failed.
"Is ramen okay with you?" Takashi snapped out of his thoughts immediately. They were in front of the ramen shop that he and Satoshi frequented; it was no wonder he managed to not pay attention to his surroundings the entire walk given how familiar he was the path from there to the shop. "It was the first thing I thought of when the healer said 'not too solid', but if you want something else I'll be happy to oblige."
It was obvious that Harry wanted ramen – the scents wafting from inside were making Takashi want some as well, even though he hadn't been the least bit hungry a moment ago – and Takashi wouldn't stop him. So he nodded, making sure that none of his unease bled into his posture. It wouldn't do to make Harry think that he was going along for the his sake.
They were ushered in by the notoriously pesky waitress – a young woman by the name of Matsuoka Hikari if Takashi remembered correctly – who was not only a gossip, but a shameless flirt. Takashi paid her no mind, though he did note Harry's comment about the miracle cures. Harry's explanation about his love of anonymity, a luxury that he had apparently not had since entering the magical world, did make sense. Takashi already knew it, having noticed many times how Harry tried not to be the center of attention unless he was protecting someone else through it.
He didn't even bother dwelling on the fact that Harry's usual – the fact that he had a usual was strange since it was a small establishment that was not widely known – was the same as his own. He was too busy thinking of the all-too-visible bruising on Harry's chin. Conversation was pretty much nonexistent after that point, not that it was unusual. Still, Takashi suspected that Harry could tell that it was not the usual silence that pervaded any room that Takashi was in.
Only seconds after he had started on his ramen, Takashi caught sight of a head of bright-red hair that could belong to only one person: Kasanoda Ritsu, his "disciple". And beside him was Haruhi. Takashi was going to nudge Harry to let him know, but Haruhi noticed them and waved from the door.
"Harry-kun! Mori-senpai!" She called with a small smile. She had already grabbed Kasanoda's hand and was dragging him behind her to their table, which caused the yakuza heir to turn a shade of red that could rival some of Harry's brighter shades. Meanwhile, Harry choked slightly on his ramen and whirled about in his seat. Takashi nodded his acknowledgment as Harry greeted them and the pair took the empty seats at the table.
Takashi didn't pay them much mind as they talked with Harry. He was brooding. Though he nearly did a spit-take when Harry asked if Haruhi and Kasanoda were on a date and Haruhi claimed that they were no more on a date than Harry and Takashi. Normally he wouldn't have even been fazed by Haruhi's oblivious comment. However, considering her behavior Takashi had a feeling that they really were on a date, formal or no, and that she though that he and Harry...
Taking a deep drink of the broth from his bowl, Takashi managed to hide the small blush that tinged his cheeks a pale red. The blush was quick to fade as Kasanoda endeavored to change the topic and asked about Harry's bruise. Takashi's shoulder's stiffened involuntarily, but Harry simply gave the same "it was an accident, I was at fault, I'll deal with it when I get home" spiel that he had given before.
Each such comment was like a barb stabbing Takashi in the back of his head.
It wasn't until Harry asked something of Kasanoda during a lull in conversation that Takashi realized just how much words could hurt.
"Why did you become Mori-senpai's disciple, anyway?" Harry asked Kasanoda with that innocent tone of his. As if he were talking about the weather. That sounded like a much safer topic actually, but Harry continued along the same vein. "I've been wondering for a while, but honestly I just don't see it."
That was worse than the little guilt stabs. So Harry didn't see him as someone worthy of looking up to. Harry didn't see him as someone who could be considered a good role model to someone. Sure, Takashi hadn't liked Kasanoda's reasons back in September, but suddenly the idea of hearing just why he had been picked, and in front of Harry no less, made him feel a bit sick.
"Bathroom," he muttered under his breath, quickly fleeing the table.
Oh yes, if he had needed any further proof that Harry saw him as nothing but a friend, that was all the evidence he needed. Takashi sighed, leaning on the counter of the small bathroom in the back of the shop. Not that he'd had much hope to begin with, but it still hurt to have those small hopes dashed so ruthlessly by Harry's innocent and oblivious comment.
Was this what his fangirls felt when he turned them down? If so, he would have to find a better way to do it; the experience was more than a little painful.
Kyaa! Poor emo Takashi (cries) luckily he gets Harry-luvin' within the week, but still D':
Omake are usually stupid little things that make no sense... and yet here I am writing an entire scene – a long one at that – just as I normally would and calling it by the same name. Maybe I should rename these segments before I've written too many? But, uh... I don't think I'll write an "omake" this long ever again. It inflates the chapter-size way too much and it took FOREVER to write.
(a) In chapter 22 Harry thought it was fifteen. Trust Takashi to actually keep track though (lol).
(b) There will be a different omake at some point to encompass the "Takashi and Hani find out about house-elves and Takashi is afraid of bees" incident eventually. Probably.
(c) Another reference to Harry's thoughts in chapter 22. Sorry. :P
