"Excuse me, you what?" Kyoya gasped, still in shock over the good news. I still couldn't believe it myself. Only a week ago, I threw myself into a panic attack bad enough to land me in the hospital. And all because of NYU's rejection letter. Now? Columbia? An ivy league school I wasn't holding much stock in wants me?
"Columbia," I confirmed, my voice still a bit shaky, "I got accepted into Columbia on a full ride."
"Lana," he hugged me tight, "Congratulations."
"I'm so happy," I could feel my tears of pure joy bubbling back up, "Kyoya, do you realize what this means?"
"What, sweetheart?"
"The NYU campus is only thirty minutes away," I laid my head in my boyfriend's shoulder, "We can still live together. We can still have our New York life. Just the way it should be."
"And I look forward to it," Kyoya kissed the top of my head, "Do you know why they picked you, Lana?"
"They said my story was inspiring," I explained, "I don't see it, but yay. It got me my acceptance! And they said my grades were exceptional for someone in my position."
"You don't see how you're inspirational?" he scoffed with a little smirk on his face, "Lana, day in and day out, you wake up a victim of your own mind. It holds you prisoner and forces you into submission. However, with the help of your support system, you push back harder than it could ever push you. And now, it's landed you in one of the best schools in the world. I'm so proud of you. Once we move to New York, I have a feeling that things are going to get even better for you. For both of us."
The conversation Yuuichi was having with their father popped into his mind. Now, I see why he wants Kyoya watched closely. I'm not the only one pushing back on my demons. Between Kyoya's brief soliloquy and what his father said, things are making a little more sense. If something like this wasn't normal for Kyoya, it got me thinking...If his dad was freaking out about him taking spontaneous trips to London (obviously to see me) that were entirely out of the ordinary for him, was I his push?
"I guess I can see it," I curled into him, "Kyoya, I'm so happy..."
"I'm sorry you didn't get the fanfare of the host club like I did," Kyoya teased, "I'm sure they're going to be thrilled to hear about this, too."
There was something I was mildly dreading. Since day one, I knew the host club were a little...rough around the edges, so to speak. I'm honestly shocked they handled the news of me being in the hospital as well as they did. Then again, I didn't see how the host club went that day. Something tells me there was a bit of pandemonium. But they didn't handle delicate things very delicately. Bulls in a china shop. They did have built in stabilizers, though.
"You know," I thought it over, "Maybe we should keep this our little secret for now. Tell everyone at graduation."
"Alright," Kyoya agreed, "We can do that. Although, if you don't have the host club's fanfare, do you think we could still do a little bit of celebrating? I mean, you did get into an ivy league college today, koibito. And on scholarship, no less."
"Fine," I allowed, "Sounds like a good idea. Where do you want to go?"
"Hungry?"
"Definitely," I squeaked, "I don't think I've eaten much today, if at all."
"Lana," Kyoya scolded, "What have I told you about that?"
"I know, I know," I hated myself for even saying anything about it, "I just don't think about it."
"You need to think about it a little more," he grabbed my cardigan for me, "Come on. I know where we can go."
Kyoya and I locked my apartment up and the two of us rode off into the setting sun a few miles east. I didn't want anything too terribly big and I'm sure Kyoya knew that. Gorging myself when I hadn't eaten much wasn't pleasant. They tried doing that to me in the hospital once and I only threw it all back up. But I could handle a little at a time. Just something to prime my stomach for food again.
We pulled into a familiar circular driveway attached to a house bigger than my life goals. I know I've been here a million times already, but this time, it was different. After overhearing Kyoya's father's worries, I had a feeling I had something to do with that. Something tells me he'd see me as nothing but the little succubus that corrupted his son and gave him a little bit of hope. My skin turned to ice, yet burned at the same time.
"Uh, Kyoya," I quivered, "I thought you said we were celebrating. Moving a little fast, don't you think?"
"Relax, Lana," he settled me, "My parents are out of town on business again. It's only the house staff and me home. Unless my sister decides to stop by, but the likelihood of that right now is slim. I thought our celebration could include a sleepover."
"Yes, please," I relaxed almost instantly, "You know what I want for us right now? More than anything in the world?"
"For graduation to get here faster and for us to have our place in New York already?"
"Other than that," I giggled as Kyoya got the door for me.
"What's that, Lana?"
"It's just you and me tonight," I reminded him, "No worrying about your parents or my parents or the pains in the ass we call our friends. You think we could order some ramen? Turn on the Little Mermaid? Clock out in the theater again?"
"That sounds perfect," Kyoya approved, "I'll go make the call. You know where the theater room is. Go on."
I ran up the stairs and took the third hall on the right into a cool, dark room that was perfect for both naps and coming down all the same. Or when my sister decides to get us all drunk and she passes out. I still couldn't look at the chandelier in the entryway without thinking of Haruhi's underwear hanging from it. It didn't look right without them. The theater had some upgrades since the last time I was in here, though. The seats were bigger and a lot more comfortable. I told him he didn't have to get new chairs in here...
I got the tablet that controlled the screen from the projection booth and made myself comfortable. Let's see...The movie list was alphabetical. And it's a good thing, too. Half the movies in the system I had never heard of. Then again, I didn't usually familiarize myself with Japanese cinema. Maybe I should start. Just not now. I came into this a woman on a mission. I needed the L section. But even then, the list seemed even longer. After what felt like an eternity, I found exactly what I was looking for. And in the nick of time, too.
"Hi there," Kyoya stole a quick kiss from me, "Our ramen's on the way."
"Awesome," I pulled him into my seat.
And that was our night. Perfect ramen. Perfect movie. Perfect boyfriend that was occasionally feeding me. Everything was going my way for a change. I knew I shouldn't get used to it, but I really wanted to. Even when I'd catch myself singing along, I'd shut myself up immediately. But out of the corner of my eye, I'd see Kyoya smiling a bit. Life was good.
When I woke up the next morning, I ended up in Kyoya's bed. With no Kyoya. What the hell? I must have fallen asleep in the theater last night. It's not the first time Kyoya's ever carried me to bed and it probably won't be the last. But this is the first time I've fallen asleep with him and woken up by myself. Where the hell did he go? And his house was a labyrinth! Finding him would be a task in itself and it was too damn early for me to deal with this.
Ring, ring!
Seven o'clock on the dot. I didn't set my alarm. I had Kyoya's alarm and we were going to the same place. My hand hit the nightstand as I patted around for my phone. Huh. Speak of the devil, "Hey, baby."
"Good morning, gorgeous," Kyoya's voice melted me.
"Any particular reason you're calling me?" I wondered, "I'm assuming you're still here."
"I am," he confirmed, "I'm downstairs. I want you to hurry up and get ready. We're going to leave a little early today, if that's ok with you."
"That's fine," I pulled myself out of bed, noticing a new addition to the tattoo on my arm. Oh, Kyoya...How you outdo yourself, "By the way...Why is there a fairy sitting on my sakura blossoms?"
"I doodled this morning," Kyoya giggled a little, "Sue me."
"Seriously?" I rolled my eyes, "You could probably countersue so hard, my great grandchildren will be able to feel it."
"You make me sound so heartless," he jabbed, "Hurry up, though. I want to get there before we have to go to school."
"Ok," I kissed my phone speaker, "I love you."
"I love you, too."
Click.
"Good morning, Miss Smith!" Rose came in with a bright and cheerful disposition. Also with my uniform in her hand.
"Good morning, Rose," I rubbed my eyes, "Let me guess. Kyoya?"
"You know me all too well, Miss," she beamed, "Shall we then?"
"Ok," I had gotten used to Rose's antics when I had Megumi in the hospital. And Rhiannon since I sprang from the womb. In all honesty, I kind of liked it. Deep down, it wasn't nearly as anxiety triggering as what it used to be. I remembered the days when the thought of anyone touching my face made me want to bite them. Unless it was Rhiannon. Rhiannon, I trusted. I knew Rhiannon would never do anything stupid.
And when Rose and I were done together, I always came out looking like a china doll, so I couldn't really complain. I skipped down the stairs to find Kyoya already waiting in the car for me. I had yet to see him today, so it was nice to be able to throw myself into his arms, "Good morning to you, too."
"Sorry," I smiled, "Didn't mean to shoulder check you like that."
"Worth it," he cradled me, "Any idea where we're going this morning?"
"I'm assuming my house first," I hoped, "You didn't grab my medication, did you?"
"I don't think Rose did," Kyoya shrugged, "Did she give them to you this morning?"
"No," I shook my head, "We stop by my place first, then we go wherever."
"It's a good thing they're not far from each other."
As soon as I had breakfast down my throat, Kyoya took me to my surprise. The cute cafe I called my second home. If I didn't want to go home yet, this was always my favorite place to be. My red bean paste mochi with the little faces on it. My jasmine tea. Kyoya knew me better than I knew myself. And this was the best way I could think of to start my day. This was nice.
"I thought we could do breakfast here," Kyoya suggested, "I would've taken you to Harajuku for crepes, but that's too far and you don't need that kind of sensory overload right away in the morning."
"Actually," my feet swung under the table, "I like going to Harajuku. I haven't been there since Haruhi and I went last, but we need to go back."
"What are you doing tomorrow?" he asked.
"I'm not sure," I thought it over, "There's a good chance I'll be hanging out with my sister if she's not working at Yoshi's shop."
"Rhiannon should be coming in today, shouldn't she?" Kyoya figured.
"Yeah," I nodded as the growl of a motorcycle pulled up to the café. I know who that is! And the front door's bell chimed, "Ritsu!"
"Hey, Lana," Ritsu caught sight of Kyoya sitting in front of me and started to make a beeline for the counter to order his extra dark roast with three shots of espresso.
"Come sit with us," I insisted, "Please?"
"You sure?" he worried, "It's ok?"
"Yes," Kyoya approved, "You're more than welcome, Kasanoda. I'm not going to stop you."
"I thought we were past this," I groaned.
"We are!" Ritsu got defensive, "At least I know I am."
"As am I," Kyoya glared through him. Awesome. Square one.
"Kyoya," I rolled my eyes, clarifying things once and for all, "Ritsu wouldn't do anything to put me in harm's way and he's not trying to get in my pants. I love you both in entirely different ways. I see Ritsu the same way I do Tamaki. Can we wrap our heads around that?"
"But…"
"I get that you worry about me," I shut him up with a kiss, "I can occasionally take care of myself, though. You know that, right?"
And just like that, I got Kyoya to smile. It was genuine, "And you ask me why you're inspiring…"
"What?" Ritsu wondered, "Your girlfriend just chewed your ass out and you say something like that?"
"Yeah!" I squeaked, "I have some really good news! And you'll be the only one outside of Kyoya and me to know about this, so feel special."
"Already do," he listened intently, "What's up?"
"Remember when I told you about applying for NYU?" I began.
"And you didn't get in," Ritsu nodded, "That's what threw you in the hospital."
"Yeah," I went on, "But do you remember where else I applied?"
"Syracuse," he thought back, "Parsons School of Design, and Columbia just for laughs."
"Guess who got accepted just for laughs?" I grinned.
"That's great, Lana!" Ritsu threw his arms around me, "Congratulations. New York sounds pretty cool."
"That's why we're moving there," Kyoya put his two cents in.
"Kyoya," I scolded, "Play nice."
"Sorry…"
The three of us finished up at the café and headed straight to Ouran. School hardly seemed to take up any time anymore. Maybe because with every passing day, I'm closer to leaving Japan again. But I'll still feel like I'm home. Sure, I'm going to miss my favorite lovable band of morons and their secret princess, but I'll still have a piece of it. Something tells me Kyoya's not going anywhere for a while. I just hope he doesn't wise up when we're in New York and finds someone better suited for him.
Lana, no. You've been yelled at for that before. You know if Kyoya was in your head, you'd be getting a swat on the nose with a newspaper. He's not with anyone else. He's with you. He makes sure to remind you of that once in a while. If he didn't want to be with you, he wouldn't have been a little bundle of sass with Ritsu this morning. Now, go to the music room and go be with him and your friends that love you very much. Ok, inner monologue.
When I got to the music room, girls were already lined up outside. The host club didn't open for another thirty minutes. I'm surprised they didn't have tents pitched out there like it's Coachella. Or San Diego Comic Con. Regardless, it looked like someone threw up a lot of glitter in here…Like the Electric Daisy Carnival. But something about the music room held a very mystical quality. Like a fairy's garden.
"Lana!" a pair of voices chimed, sandwiching me in a hug, "We missed you!"
"I was in here yesterday," I reminded them. But then, I got a good look at my favorite pair of twins already in costume, "Fairies, boys?"
"Yep!"
"It was Tamaki-senpai's idea," Hikaru told me.
"The whole host club is going fantasy today," Kaoru added, sharing a mischievous glance with his brother. And the reciprocated glint always made me nervous, "You know, Lana…"
"Since you've been an honorary host before…"
"You should be one again!" the twins squealed.
"It's not like…"
"…You wouldn't fit in with the theme."
"That's a great idea!" I agreed, "I'll be a mermaid again. Do I still get my little pool? Is my costume still in the dressing room?"
"Yep!"
"Awesome!" I was still jazzed from my Columbia letter and from the day in general. Everything was going so nicely for me and I was cautiously waiting for my costume to rip while I was changing, but nothing. Everything was perfectly fine. I still had yet to see Kyoya, so this was all happening whether he wanted it to or not. Regardless, I happened to stumble upon the host club's wig collection and I grabbed one in a light pink. Hot damn, Lana. I think I might have found my next color. Rhiannon did say she'd introduce me to her colorist…Day one in New York? Maybe…
I finished getting dressed and reassumed my position in the little pool. It was enough to make Kyoya (who made a really beautiful elf, if I do say so myself) do a double take as he walked by, "Lana, when did you get here?"
"A few minutes ago," I splashed my tail idly in the water, "Why?"
"Who said you were hosting today?" he wondered.
"I did," I wasn't going to throw Hikaru and Kaoru under the bus like that. Kyoya could probably make them "disappear" for a little while and they'd come back black and blue, "I'm almost positive Tamaki wouldn't have a problem with it. And neither would you."
Kyoya thought for a minute. But then, he sat on the rock at the edge of my pool and kissed my cheek, "You're so lucky I love you."
"Especially when I'm a mermaid," I kissed him back, "I love you, too, baby."
"Lana!" Tamaki, rightfully dressed as an elven king, squealed, getting an eyeful, "You're so cute! I didn't know you were going to host today!"
"That's alright with you, isn't it?" I asked, batting my eyelashes.
"Of course!" he assured, "Anytime you want to host, our numbers go up!"
"Really?"
"He's right," Kyoya let out a sigh of defeat, "You do bring in a few more bodies."
"Wonderful!" I beamed, "We should probably open up for the day then, yeah?"
"Yeah," Tamaki nodded, "Hikaru, Kaoru, open the doors!"
"Yes, boss!"
The Ouran Host Club was open for business!
As was I. I didn't understand why I was so popular at the host club. The popular consensus was that I was easy to talk to. Also, a bit of a shock. They said it was like having a girl friend to talk to. Apparently, I had the same allure as Haruhi (she was a fairy, too). I'm surprised Tamaki never thought to pair us up like the twins or like Honey and Mori (who were respectively a gnome and a centaur today). Then again, that would take away from his time with her. Not to mention, the host club wasn't hurting at all for clients.
However, before too long, the host club was coming to a close as some of the last guests had finally left. And it was just the family again. This was home to me and I never wanted this feeling to go away. Although, I knew it'd be ending shortly. Once everything was broken down and the costumes were put away, the host club would be done. A part of me really wanted to steal this pink wig, though. When the last one walked out the door, one more walked in.
"What's up, sluts?" a familiar husky voice echoed through the music room, "Guess who just got off her flight? And needs to sit down because her back is killing her?"
A/N: Yay! Guess who? And if you caught the 50% Off reference in the end, you're awesome and I love you. I even had the word Thugisa written in my notes. Why? Because I'm sick, ok? Leave me alone. Now, we have some things to discuss with this chapter. First of all, Kyoya's little speech in the beginning made me weep writing it. I needed to hear something like that today. Anyone else feel like it's been one of those days for a good, solid month? Because…me. At least there's been some good here. So, we have that going for us. Anyway, I have a Yuri on Ice chapter to outline for tomorrow and that's kind of like what went down in the host club here. That's a fantasy-ish story, too. It's more like a fairy tale, though. Regardless, I'll see you next chapter. xx