A/N: Hello, internet lovelies. How are we doing today? I hope you're doing well. My tum just did a heckin rumble, so I'm sensing foodstuffs in my near future. Just thought I'd keep you in the loop. Also, because I keep forgetting to talk about it, I'm giving serious consideration to doing something new. For those of you who don't know, I livestream every Friday night on Instagram. Yeah. That thing I was incredibly annoying about for a while? I still do that! I've been doing it for a while now and I'm kind of getting in the swing of things in our little crack house. But not everyone can make it to my Friday night streams, whether it's for personal reasons or because they're in a different time zone (because, yes. I have an international reputation). It's an unfortunate thing, so I thought I'd maybe give Saturday streaming a try. It wouldn't be like my regular 9PM USC streams. This would be a much more chill stream (but still a special brand of chaotic like my regular livestreams). Likely of me putting together a bullet journal layout for the week and hanging out with you. I'd be doing them around 12PM USC. If you'd be down for something like that, I think I'll start doing that this Saturday. Hopefully, I will. If I can't, then keep an eye on my Twitter feed. So, if you think to yourself, "Dammit, Lumi, I wish I could come to your livestreams, but I can't for x reasons.", fear not, my friend. Because if they do well, Saturday streams will become a thing. And those are going to be much earlier in the day. Now, I'm going to shut up and let you indulge yourself in this week's chapter. Especially since I left you hanging last week. Love you x
I couldn't help myself. It had felt like an eternity since I had seen two of my favorites and I couldn't be happier. Normally, surprises kind of pissed me off, but I think I can let this one slide. I held my dear little Mitsukuni in my arms as tight as I could. With the shit that's been going down lately, I needed this. Oh, fuck, was this needed.
"Hi, Honey," I melted inside, "I missed you so much!"
"We missed you, too, Rei-chan," Honey curled into my shoulder, "But it's only been a week."
"When I used to see you on a daily basis," I reminded him, "A week is a fucking eternity. And now, I understand why you guys had to fly under the radar."
"Could you imagine if the rest of the host club knew these two were here?" Ritsu gave me a nudge, "This? This wouldn't happen."
"You're right," I let Honey go in order to throw myself in Mori's chest. I miss my brothers. I really do, "I'll take this, though. This is fine. What are you guys even doing here? Did you just happen to know the overnight trip was this weekend and figured it'd be a good time for you to go to Osaka?"
"Kasa-chan asked us here," Honey told me, "And…Well…Here we are!"
"He said you could use the familiarity," Mori always scared the shit out of me when he spoke in mixed company. I don't understand why, but I wasn't complaining.
"Hey, Ritsu?" I let Mori go.
"Yeah, Rei?" Ritsu sat back with a fucking shit eating grin on his face. He knew damn well what he did. And he knew he did good, "Something on your mind?"
"Have I told you lately that you're my favorite?"
"Not lately," he shrugged, "But I'm pretty sure that's implied. Especially last night."
"What does last night have to do with anything?" Honey wondered. Oh, Honey. So young. So innocent. Even though he's technically older than us.
"Mitsukuni, no," Mori preserved that innocence. He knew. He had to.
Regardless, I couldn't be happier. I didn't have to deal with the host club today. I didn't have to wake up with Luka in the room. I got to cuddle with my man a little longer this morning. Everything's coming up me! Yay! I shook off the quick moment of internal squealing and pulled myself together, "So, what else do you have planned for today, Ritsu? Is this my last surprise or is there more waiting for me?"
"No," Ritsu promised, "The rest of the day is merely goofy, contrived fate. I have nothing else planned."
"In that case," I wondered, "What should we do?"
"Lunch first."
"That's a given. I'm starving, too."
"You should take better care of yourself, Rei," Mori scolded me. Someone's awfully chatty today, "One would think Kasanoda would know better, too."
"Trying to," I admitted, "But shit's been hectic lately."
"If that's the case…" a little smirk graced Mori's face, "You're slipping, aren't you?"
"Excuse me?" I took that as a personal insult. Not just on me, but on everything I stand for, "I'm not slipping. Trust me. I'm not slipping."
"It's been a while since we've been in near proximity, Reila," Mori was digging himself a cozy grave today. But I knew what this was. He knew how I vented. These empty taunts were just to get me to come out to play, "I think we should go to the Shinto shrines."
"Yay!" Honey squealed, his excitement taking over for Mori's fire, "The Shinto shrines are so pretty!"
"Morinozuka-senpai," Ritsu worried, "Are you asking what I think you're asking?"
"Oh, I don't think he's asking," I mirrored Mori, just as hyped as he was, "I think he's demanding. Someone's wanting to pick a fight."
"No," Ritsu stepped in, "No, no, no. That's not what this trip's for."
"I think it's exactly what I need, though," my flame burned a little brighter. Until it turned into a beautiful, blazing wildfire that would never be snuffed out, "Ritsu, I love you and I love that you're trying to make sure I'm in one piece here, but I could stand a good fight."
"Your eye's still bruised, Reila…"
Shit…I thought I had that covered up well enough to where questions wouldn't be asked. Mori already knew about me getting into a minor scrap the day (or a couple. Who's keeping track?) after it happened. Besides, it's not like I couldn't cover shit up if I had to, "I know, but what's another bruise? Badges of honor. If you're challenging me, Mori, I'd be more than happy to. It's been a while since I've had a good fight. The last ones I fought in were dirty street fights with low blows and sucker punches. Just one fight. One fight to get the energy out."
"That's fine with me," Mori agreed.
"But lunch first?"
"Lunch first."
Honestly, I didn't care about eating anymore. I loved that every time Mori and I were in each other's proximity, we couldn't help ourselves. I have yet to have a better opponent than Mori. He's fun to fight. Other than Daddy, but that was a long time ago. Back when I found out what the family business was truly all about. But I digress. Once we were all fed, the four of us headed straight to the nearest Shinto shrine tucked away in a cozy section of forest. I liked it. The atmosphere was peaceful. The lush greenery put me in a good place. Hard to believe Mori and I were about to beat the ever living shit out of each other shortly.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Rei?" Ritsu still wanted to talk me out of it. Don't get me wrong. I love him for wanting to protect me, but he needs to understand I had this. It's not like I've never fought Mori before and I'm biting off more than I can chew. But I was already dressed. And so was Mori. We were both ready for bloodshed…But not actual bloodshed, of course. Mori wouldn't be able to live with himself and I don't like getting my hands dirty unless I have to.
"Yes, please," I nodded vigorously, getting one last kiss before the slaughter, "I love you, but I'll be fine. Just stay on the sidelines and coach me if you catch me slipping."
"Always, baby," he gave me a quick swat to the ass, "Get in there, tiger."
"My pleasure."
"Actually…" Honey chimed in, "Takashi…"
"What is it, Mitsukuni?" Mori went into instant panic, too.
"I don't think you should fight Rei-chan," Honey told him, "But…If it's alright with you…Maybe…I could fight her instead."
"No," Mori put his foot down.
That one even caught me off guard, "Honey, no. I couldn't fight you."
"Why not?" Honey wondered.
"Because," I felt my heart break, "That would mean bringing harm to you and I couldn't do that. Besides, if I were to even hurt you in the slightest, that would mean having Mori on my ass for the rest of my life and I really couldn't do that."
"But Haninozuka-senpai can fight," Ritsu pointed out.
"Yes, he can," Mori confirmed.
"I can't be held responsible for what happened with those Navy SEALs," Honey turned shy and quiet, "But I did say I was sorry!"
"I'm sure you did, Honey," I pulled him to my hip, "But I still don't think I should fight you."
"Please?" he begged, batting his eyelashes at me. Oh, come on. That's dirty. Honey's cuteness is a weapon in itself. How the hell am I supposed to say no to that?
"I'd pay money to see you fight him, Rei," Ritsu admitted, chuckling under his breath, "That'd be a beautiful, messy street fight."
"Seriously?" I giggled, "You'd pay to see Honey and me fight? I love you, Ritsu, but that's kind of fucked up, Ritsu."
"Hello, Kasanoda," Kyoya showed up out of absolute fucking nowhere. Did he just appear when none of us were paying attention? How did he even know where we were? I'm starting to think he's got us all chipped somehow. Or he's tracking my phone. I really would love to find out how Kyoya knows everything. I'm genuinely curious.
"Ootori?" Ritsu was just as lost as I was.
"Kyo-chan!" Honey sang out, "What are you doing here? I thought no one knew we were coming."
"You really should know better, Honey-senpai," Kyoya reminded him, "I have my sources. And I heard there was a lucrative business opportunity in the works here, so here I am. Now, what seems to be going on here?"
Yeah. A lucrative business opportunity that Ritsu mentioned off the cuff. I swear, Kyoya Ootori operates on an entirely different level than the rest of us. Fortunately, Ritsu was a sweetheart and spoke on my behalf, "Rei and Haninozuka-senpai are about to fight."
"Why?" Kyoya wondered, "What happened?"
"Casual sparring," I shrugged, "Nothing happened. We're still good."
"And after our fight," Honey hoped, "We're still friends, right, Rei-chan?"
"Of course we are, Honey," I threw my arms around him, "No matter the outcome. If you win, if I win, we're still walking out of here friends. I like having you around and I'd hate to not have you in my life."
"Yay!" he latched himself around my waist, "Because I love you, too. And I'd be so sad if I didn't have you anymore."
"Ditto," I kissed the top of his head.
"Mori-senpai?" Kyoya looked over to him, confused and concerned, "Are you alright with this? I know how protective you are of Honey-senpai."
"Yeah," Mori nodded, still worried. I wouldn't rough Honey up too much. I wouldn't hold back. Hell no. My pride is on the line. But I'm also not going to completely destroy him. I knew better than that.
"Hold on," Kyoya pulled his phone out of his pocket with dollar signs in his eyes, "I need to go make a few phone calls."
"Ok," I wasn't going to tell him no. This may make the fight a little more interesting. And Kyoya's nothing if not the world's greatest one man advertising team.
"What is he doing exactly?" Ritsu asked.
"He's playing Don King," I took a seat on the floor.
"Who's Don King?" Honey plopped down in my lap. Not that I was complaining. I couldn't.
"He's a fight promoter with sweet hair back home," I explained, "He was anyway. I don't know if he's still a fight promoter. He's got to be older than hell these days. But the guy kind of looked like a Troll doll. I loved him."
"Alright then," Kyoya came back with a smile on his face. That could only mean two things. Either he's about to choke Tamaki out or he's about to come into a shit ton of money. My guess is on the latter, "Fight is on."
"Fantast…" The second I turned around, a very excitable puppy was horrendously over the line and in my bubble, "Hi, Tamaki…"
"Hello, Reila…" Tamaki didn't quite have the same smile on his face Kyoya did. But he was still about an inch too close to me.
"What are you doing here…?" I asked. As if I didn't already know.
"Kyoya called," he explained, "And he said you were suicidal."
"No," I settled him, "No, no, no. I'm pretty good in my head. I'm alright. Why the fuck would he say something like that?"
"He said you were about to fight Honey-senpai."
"Yeah."
"So," Tamaki assumed, "You're suicidal?"
"I'm not suicidal, Tamaki," I promised, "I'm good."
"BUT YOU'RE ABOUT TO FIGHT HONEY-SENPAI!" Tamaki squeaked, holding me tight against his chest, "THAT'S PRACTICALLY SIGNING YOUR OWN DEATH WARRANT!"
"I'm not suicidal," I swore, "I'm not signing any death warrant. It's just some casual sparring with Honey and me. Nothing more. Nothing less. I used to do this with Mori all the time last year and you didn't seem to have a problem with it then."
"That's because you proved you could take him out if need be," he argued, "As your father, I strictly forbid this."
I pulled Ritsu to my side, "Clearly someone who doesn't know my father."
"Very true," Ritsu agreed, "I could see your dad cheering you on here."
"He'd probably think Honey was too easy a target."
"That sounds like him."
"And you're condoning this, Kasanoda?" Tamaki gasped, "What happened to chivalry?"
"Chivalry is making sure she's safe and well taken care of," Ritsu explained, "Common sense is knowing when to stay the fuck out of Reila's way, unless you want to be caught in the crossfire."
"Thanks, baby," I kissed his cheek, "I knew I could count on you."
"Always."
"And Tamaki," I held my face in my hands, "I don't know how many times I've told you. You're. Not. My. Dad. You and my dad are two totally different creatures. My dad could kill a man with his bare hands with no problem. You cry like a fucking baby when a bird hits a window."
"That's understandable," Ritsu chimed in, "That's some sad shit."
"It is," I agreed, "Alright then. You cry when a bug hits the windshield."
"They had their whole life ahead of them, Rei!" Tamaki awed, "You can't tell me they don't have their own hopes and dreams, too."
"They're bugs, Tamaki." Oh, yeah. He couldn't be Daddy if he wanted to. They couldn't even be on the same level.
"Reila," Kyoya stepped in, "Speaking of things dying, do you have an estate lawyer you'd like to contact about your last will and testament?"
"Yeah, I do," I nodded, "I can think of an estate lawyer I'd love to talk to."
"I need a name," Kyoya pulled out the black book. Someone's getting serious.
"Vanessa Mendoza," I didn't even hesitate. He asked if I had an estate lawyer. Little does he know, I had the best fucking estate lawyer in the state of New York. I'd say in the world, but considering that without her, there'd be no me, I think I might be a little biased, "But we might need a Ouija board in order to talk to her."
"Your mom was an estate lawyer?" Tamaki perked up.
"Yep," I nodded, "And a damn good one at that. I'd trust no one else handling my postmortem affairs more than her. Wait a second…Kyoya…?"
"Yes, Reila?" Kyoya didn't break eye contact with his phone.
"When did this become an event?!"
"Rei," Mori pulled me aside, "Please…Go easy on him."
"I'm not throwing the match," I assured him, "But I'm not going to completely destroy him. Don't worry, Mori. He'll be fine."
"Thank you," he gave me a little smile. You really do worry about him, don't you, Mori? I can't blame you. I'd want to keep him safe, too.
"Alright," Ritsu took my hand, "You ready, champ?"
"I…guess?" I still don't know when the hell this turned into an event, but I'll take it. Besides, it's just some friendly sparring. Nothing more, nothing less. I think. I hope.
