A/N: Hello, internet. How are you? Fine? Dandy? Like me and wake up to a flooded basement and not to a good morning, but an 'oh, good. You're awake.' And then, think bringing me caffeine will lessen the blow? Because it's not like I've been in rolling depressive episodes for the last week due to horrible burnout and you've had no clue? Yeeeeeeah. That's how my day started. Great times. A regular barrel of fucking monkeys. But what do we do? Persevere. Why? Because we have to. Anyway, aside from my venting, I promise this chapter isn't nearly as depressing. It's actually quite sweet and fluffy and lovely. So, my bitching is aside for now and…Let's get into it, yeah? Ok. x
Relief…Sweet relief. I had my bed. I had my man. I had my daddy down the hall. Everything was going to be ok. However, when I woke up from the slight nap Ritsu and I decided to take to kill our jetlag, I felt him move. Even worse, I felt him get out of bed. I let out a little whine, hoping that would be enough to get him to come back. Unfortunately, it didn't work like I hoped it would. Why? Because Reila's not allowed nice things.
"I'll be back in a little while, Rei," Ritsu kissed my forehead, "Promise. I just have some things to take care of, ok? I won't go far and if I end up in New Jersey, I'll find my own way home, so you don't have to cross the river."
"I love you…" He understood me. He knew I wanted to go into New Jersey as much as I wanted to grind in Ryoichi's lap every night. But I digress.
"I love you, too," he took my hand, "I'll be back before you know I'm gone."
"But…" I begged, "Please? Just for a while longer?"
"You go back to sleep," Ritsu insisted, "Or, hell, find someone to play with while I'm out. Tell you what. How about you and me go out tonight like it's our first date all over again?"
"That does sound like fun," I thought it over, "I bet we could sneak in the back alley of CBGBs and get nostalgic for a time long before either one of us were a thought."
"Whatever makes you happy, sweetheart," he gave me one last kiss and left me in my bed. Because, again, Rei's not allowed nice things. Like hell, she's not. I trusted Ritsu with my life. That didn't mean I trusted him with his own. Especially after the shit we've been through in the last week. Whatever makes me happy, right? Once I knew Ritsu was gone, I grabbed my phone off my nightstand.
"Rei?" a rumbly voice answered on the other end, "Is everything ok?"
"Everything's fine," I assured him, "Do you think I could ask you a favor?"
"Yeah."
"Do you think you could keep an eye on Ritsu for me?" I asked, "He just left my place. He said he had something to take care of, but I don't fucking know what that is. And I don't want him getting himself into trouble without backup."
"I'll watch yours if you watch mine."
"Deal," I had zero problem with that. In fact, I greatly looked forward to it, "Thank you, Mori. I appreciate it."
"No problem."
Click.
Knock, knock.
Holy shit, Mori, that was quick. I pushed myself out of bed and got the door. Although, I wasn't expecting the attack hug from the little one, "Rei-chan!"
"Hi, Honey." That didn't mean it'd go unappreciated. I hugged him as tight as I could without breaking him. But then, I realized we had more than just Honey here, "And…The whole host club…"
"Takashi sent me," Honey explained, "And everyone else just happened to follow me!"
"Of course, Honey-senpai," Tamaki assured him, "We weren't going to let you walk terra incognita by yourself. That'd be silly."
"Thanks, Tama-chan!"
"Besides…" Tamaki shuddered, "I'd hate to think what Mori-senpai would do if we were to lose you. In any way, shape, or form."
"It'd be dismemberment," Kyoya figured, "No questions asked."
"I don't know why I'm surprised," I rubbed the rest of the sleep out of my eyes, "I guess you guys can come in."
"I really do try, Rei," Haruhi swore, "I try to stop him, but once they're on one…"
"Haruhi," I hushed her, "I get it. You act like I've never been around these guys. I know how they operate. It's cool."
"So, Rei…?" Hikaru flanked my left.
"What did you have planned for the afternoon?" And Kaoru flanked my right.
And if they both didn't get the fuck out of my face, they'd be tasting my manicure, "I was going to go play with Ritsu, but I think our asses are both still sufficiently kicked from this morning. And he's not even here, so…"
"And you're not worried?" the twins asked.
"Nope," I shook my head. Daddy's words really stuck with me. I needed to stop being so hard on Ritsu. And I couldn't agree more. After the last week (and the thorough beating he's had since he's been here), I did need to let up on him. I'm pretty sure he's learned his lesson, "Not in the least bit. Although, I'm more worried about his wellbeing than him straying, so that's why I got custody of Honey for the rest of the day. Or until Ritsu comes back. Whichever comes first."
"In that case," Hikaru thought.
"How should we kill the rest of the afternoon?" Kaoru asked.
"It's just Honey and me," I decided, "I don't know what you guys are doing, but that's what I got planned."
"And Haruhi," Haruhi invited herself into our day.
"And Haruhi." What? It's not like I was going to tell her no. I felt for the girl. She had to deal with these guys a hell of a lot more than I did. And I prayed for her.
"Hey, Rei?" Daddy chimed in, "Are you busy?"
"I'm trying to deal with a minor pest problem," I told him, "But other than that, I got time. Did you need something?"
"I got venue people on the phone," Daddy reported, "Should I just say fuck it and hire a planner again?"
"A planner for what?" the twins sat down. Shit…Daddy, I love you and I understand you don't know the dynamic of the host club yet, but some things are better left unsaid around them.
"It's Rei's birthday in a few days," Daddy pointed out, "Aren't you guys her friends? I thought you'd know that."
"It's what…?" If those two didn't look like the cat that ate the fucking canary…
"Daddy, no…" I held my face in my hands, catching Tamaki's lightbulb turning on out of the corner of my eye.
"Daddy, yes!" Tamaki took the empty spot on the couch across from my dad. I know I gave Tamaki a lot of shit about being kind of…Well…Tamaki. He's had the integrity of a wet noodle since the day I met him. But sitting across from Daddy while calling himself daddy (ESPECIALLY in relation to me) took some serious balls. What can I say? I'm impressed. Hell, I might even go as far to say I'm proud of him.
"Excuse me?" That didn't mean Daddy was going to have the same reaction, "Look, kid. We may need to have a talk."
"Is it going to be like the talk you and Kasanoda had?" Tamaki cowered slightly. And there's the Tamaki we all know and love, "Because I'd rather not go through that."
"What?" Daddy thought for a minute or two, "No. It's not that. I'm just not your dad. Only one person in this world is allowed to call me Daddy and that'd be my daughter."
"Sorry," Tamaki shut his mouth. Probably for the best. That's usually where his trouble starts.
"So?" Hikaru and Kaoru took Tamaki's spot, "You said you were looking for party planners, right?"
"How the hell do you two speak in unison like that?" Daddy wondered.
"We're twins," Hikaru pointed out.
"We have mental telepathy," Kaoru agreed.
"Not to mention, you both share a single brain cell," Kyoya stepped in. And roasted Hikaru and Kaoru out of existence. Damn, Kyoya.
"Hey, Haruhi," I gave her a nudge, well aware that if any of these morons get out of hand, Daddy's more than capable of putting them back in line. Maybe not in the most gentle of ways, but they'd learn quickly.
"Yeah?" Haruhi leaned against the wall. By the looks of this poor thing, she could use some liquid hospitality. Maybe not the fermented kind, but the whole roasted kind.
"They're exhausting…"
"They really are," she agreed without hesitation, "But you have to admit, they know how to plan a party in their sleep."
"You're not wrong." While Tamaki and the twins were rattling off ideas at Daddy, I tapped Kyoya's leg with the toe of my boot, "Hey, Kyoya?"
"Yes, Rei?" Kyoya perked up, "Is there something on your mind? Because at the very least, there would be no decision set in stone without your say so."
"That's comforting." Because I sure as fuck didn't need a host club party on steroids, "But I'm going to take Honey and Haruhi for a while. Just…I don't ever ask much of you because I know better."
"Thank you."
"But can you make sure they don't go overboard?" I asked, "Because Daddy's going to let it slip that the money doesn't matter and you know damn well those three are going to run with it. Just…Don't let the hard work sit on Daddy's shoulders."
"I won't," Kyoya promised, "If all else fails, I can always use a little brute force."
"But not too much," I insisted, "Daddy's still on painkillers, so he shouldn't be brute forced."
"I wouldn't dare with your father," Kyoya assured me, "Because if I could be honest here, he somewhat terrifies me."
"And all is right with the world." Something about hearing Kyoya being afraid of Daddy made me feel so good inside. I don't know why, but it did. Not even Kyoya would go toe to toe with Daddy. To think, if I didn't have Ritsu and he wasn't such a dick, I would've given Kyoya a shot. That is, if Mori was busy. But if I've said it once, I've said it a million times. Mori and I had a different relationship than that. It couldn't amount to romantic if we wanted it to, "But thank you, Kyoya. I really do appreciate it."
"If I didn't know how to keep them under control…" a little smirk stretched across Kyoya's face, "Well…We all know how that goes, don't we? Go on. You three go have fun."
"I'm so glad we have your permission," I scoffed, doubling over and kissing Daddy's cheek, "We'll be back in a little while. Love you."
"Love you, too, princess," Daddy sent me off and the three of us began our trek through the city I loved. And the city that loved me, too.
"So," Honey took my hand, "Where are we going, Rei-chan?"
"You'll see." I had Honey for the day (relatively). I could only think of one place to take him.
The three of us piled into the back of the town car and headed all the way up to Midtown. Normally, I wouldn't be willing to sit through New York City traffic, let alone Manhattan. The shit I do for you, Honey. However, when we pulled up to the curb, I was back to being five years old with Mama again. I swear, half the reason why Mama wanted to have kids was to come in here without judgment. Granted, Violet squeezed out a couple, but they're younger than me. I doubt they even knew Mama.
"Rei-chan…" Honey's eyes sparkled in a way I've never seen before, "What is this place?"
"This, my dear little Honey," I helped him out of the car, "This is FAO Schwarz. It's one of the biggest and best toy stores in town. Not to mention, it's cool as shit on the inside. You wouldn't want to…I don't know…go on a casual browse, would you?"
"Yes, please!" Honey squeaked, "Usa-chan, you get a new friend!"
And he bolted. If I didn't keep Honey on a backpack leash in here, we'd never get him out. I had to be honest. I missed coming in here. It wasn't too often I came up to Manhattan anymore. Mostly because I had Williamsburg. If I came up to Manhattan a few times a year, I was lucky. Haruhi pulled me off to the side, "Rei, this was brilliant."
"I love this place," I gushed, "Besides, I had Honey for the afternoon and I needed to kill time. And my ass is not in the mood to deal with our boys. Not when they're all jacked on party planning energy."
"That's understandable," Haruhi agreed, "But you figured letting Honey-senpai loose in a giant toy store around the holidays is a better idea?"
"I get where you're coming from," I nodded, "But trust me. This is the lesser of two evils. Besides, I needed to talk to you."
"Me?" she wondered, looking at me strange, "Sure, Rei. What's up?"
I needed to tell someone the good news that wouldn't totally overreact to it. And I knew if I said it in front of Honey, he'd get too excited and tell everyone else. That's not happening. But he was still within my field of vision, so it's not like I'm too far away from him. Mori would fucking kill me if I let anything bad happen to Honey. And I'd rather not be on the receiving end of that ass kicking. Granted, I've fought Mori before. That's not a problem. But that's casual sparring. When it comes to Honey, he's a different monster.
"We're good again," I smiled, "Ritsu and me. We're ok. I mean, I got to thinking about it and he's not cheating on me."
"Hold on," Haruhi slowed me down, "Kasanoda was cheating on you? Or there was a possibility of it?"
"Oh, yeah…" I chuckled nervously, "I haven't told you about the debacle that's ensuing. Why Ritsu had me so pissed off. Why I kicked the shit out of him."
"So, that's where the bruises came from…" she figured, "I asked him about them the other day and he said they were nothing to worry about. Start at the beginning. What happened?"
"Ritsu got himself tangled up in an arranged marriage," I kept my voice down, "By technicality, he's currently engaged. And to some bitch he doesn't even want to marry. But like I said…It was arranged. He didn't have much of a say in it. His dad doesn't even know I exist…In that capacity. I've met his dad. He's a piece of shit. I wouldn't recommend it."
"I wouldn't think a yakuza boss would be anything else."
"Um…" I got the worst kindergarten flashbacks, "Haruhi…"
"I thought you said yakuza and mafia were different," she pointed out, "I don't have a problem with your dad, Rei. He's a nice guy."
"Damn right," I confirmed, "But yeah. Ryoichi? Wouldn't wish him on my worst enemies. Sure as fuck wouldn't wish him on Ritsu."
"But that's something out of your control," Haruhi shrugged, "I mean…Unless…You know…You…Do something about it."
"Oh, Haruhi," I threw an arm around her shoulders, "You're so cute. No, no, no. We're not going to take him out. Not like that. It's like Daddy always said. We don't kill in cold blood. But we will kill a mother fucker, if he's got it coming. And oh, Ryoichi would definitely have it coming. I'm not going to go into too much detail of some of the shit he's done, but know he's got it coming. If we were going to go down that route anyway."
"But anyway…" I think I made Haruhi a little nervous. I had no intentions of killing Ryoichi. Let's just get that out into the ether now. I don't plan on killing Ryoichi. But I can promise I will make that mother fucker suffer, "So, things with you and Kasanoda are good again?"
"Yeah," I sighed out, "Everything's good again. It sucks that he had other shit to do today, but there's always my birthday party. I know he's not missing that. He wouldn't miss it for the world. As long as we're not dancing again, he's down."
"And you know we'll be there," Haruhi promised, "It's half the reason why we came to New York in the first place."
"Just for my birthday?" I awed, "Haruhi, you shouldn't have."
"Is that what's keeping you and Kasanoda from your dance?" she asked.
"Partially," I nodded, "But that's the thing. Even when Ritsu did it last year, it was totally out of obligation and formality, yet he did fine. It was kind of nice. Granted, it's not like when it's Daddy and me, but for the most part, it was nice. He can do it. It's just that we don't need that getting back to the host club. This party would be dripping with host club fodder. We don't need that. Ritsu's skittish enough around the host club. He only comes around because of me. Other than that, you guys would never see him."
"So," Haruhi teased, "You're saying Kasanoda has a favorite host?"
"Duh," I rolled my eyes, "It's me. It's always been me. I just wish I would've figured that out before I beat the shit out of him."
"It's not like you knew, Rei," she did her best to offer what little comfort she could. And dammit, I loved Haruhi for it, but I still didn't think I deserved her pity or her sympathy, "You'd be amazed at how important context can be. I know I don't know much about what went down between you and Kasanoda, but you probably didn't know the whole story at one point either."
"You're right…" But that didn't mean the guilt wasn't still there, "But you know what, Haruhi? I'm worried."
"About what?"
"Those boys have an unlimited budget," I winced, "And Daddy has a hell of an imagination. I'm thinking I've made a grave mistake by leaving them all alone for the afternoon. Outside of the other family business, my family is notorious for throwing some massive parties. Who else do we know that shares that same notoriety?"
"There's no party quite like a host club party," Haruhi cringed, sharing my sentiment.
"If we really wanted to make it a powder keg," I thought, "They'd throw Veronica in the mix, too."
"Your aunt, Veronica?"
"Yeah," I shuddered, "And if Abuelita were here…Dios ayudanos…"
"What?" I keep forgetting my friends don't have the same grasp of the Spanish language I do.
"My grandma on my dad's side," I explained, "She's a sucker for a good party, too. And hell hath no fury like Abuelita when she's pissed. That's when bitches die. Other than that, she's a sweetheart. And more often than not, you'll catch her in a good mood. Just don't catch her in a bad one."
"Noted."
"Rei-chan…" Honey came toodling back toward me, one fist around Usa-chan and the other in his eye.
"What is it, Honey?" I worried, "You ok?"
"Yeah…"
"Are we leaving empty handed?" I wondered, "I would've thought you'd at least come out here with a friend for Usa-chan."
"I'm tired…" Oh, shit…Looks like someone's jetlag is kicking his ass.
Beep!
Me? What the hell…?
Where are you?
-RK
Shopping with Honey and Haruhi
Why?
-RM
At your place.
I'm waiting…
-RK
"Ok, Honey," I shoved my phone back in my bag, "Come on. Let's get you back to my house. You can take a nap there."
"Ok…" He's so sweet…But I had a feeling he wasn't going to be very sweet soon.
The three of us started heading back to Williamsburg. I needed to get Honey down for a nap before he levels half the town. When we pulled up to our building, I threw sleeping Honey onto my back and carried him into the elevator. I didn't have the heart to wake the poor little thing up. He's been through it. Jetlag, sensory overload, and a sugar crash like none the world has ever seen before. If Ritsu's back at home, I wonder if he brought Mori with, too. Probably.
"Daddy…" I called from the door, "I'm home!"
"He's not," Ritsu greeted me at the door instead. The way things should be. Although, Mori stood in his shadow.
"How long?" Mori asked.
"Probably for the last half hour," I knew what he was getting at. He took Honey off my shoulders and put him on his own, "He's had a day, Mori. Go put him down."
"Ok."
"Hey," Ritsu regained my attention, pulling me closer to him and managing to land a quick kiss, "I missed you."
"You knew where I was," I giggled, "But I missed you, too. All I asked was that you stayed in bed just a little longer. Was that so terrible?"
"Well, excuse me," he argued, "I have a girlfriend with a birthday in a couple days and I kind of fucked up recently, so I needed to get her a present to make up for it."
"Ritsu, you flew halfway across the world for me," I countered, "I think that's plenty to make up for it."
"But…" Ritsu pulled a box out of his pocket, "This is for you…Later, though. There are too many bodies in this room."
"So," I thought, "Ballroom later tonight?"
"It's a date," he kissed my forehead, "By the way, I hope it's alright with you. I might have brought a friend with me. I would've thought Frankie would've been home, but alas…"
"Do you know where Daddy went?" I wondered, "Or if he's by himself?"
"He did leave by himself," Ritsu nodded, "But I think he said something about scoring."
Daddy's running low on pain meds. He's either going to the pharmacy or he's going to see Clara. Either way, he can't get into too much trouble. But then, I got to thinking, "Who the fuck would you know in New York other than me? Did you go and make a new friend while you were out?"
"Me!" an excitable, bubbly ball of sunshine popped up from behind the couch and threw her arms around me, "You were worth coming home for, Reila."
My heart stopped. This is a hallucination. I'm dreaming. My mind is playing tricks on me. The sensory overload got to me, too. Someone's screwing with me. There's no way she's so cool with coming back here, "Veronica?"