A/N: Hi, friends! Alright. You might need to get a snack for this one. Because it's going to be a long one. Well worth it, though! Promise. This one's a bit of a roller coaster, too. In the best of ways. And of course, there's a little of Rei being a little shit in this one, too. And definitely the twins. But the twins are always little shits. That's how they work. Love you! x
Mmm…There's something about waking up with a good cup of coffee in my face. It just put me in my instant happy place. Not a thought in my head. Just a strong roast in my veins and a lightness in my soul. And that warm sensation that went all the way to my belly. I had no idea what was going on around me. If someone wanted to kill me, now would be a damn good time to try. Granted, I'm sure muscle memory and survival instinct would kick in and I'd be fine, but I'd be in such a blissful state while I kicked ass.
But as I reached the bottom of my cup, caffeine kicked in and I finally had some mental clarity. I remembered my shower this morning. I remembered Ritsu leaving this morning. I remembered someone else in my closet this morning, picking out what I wore today. I even remembered today being my birthday. And that tonight was my birthday party (it wasn't often those two events coincided). And then, the whole world came into focus.
Did Hikaru and Kaoru breach my inner fucking sanctum, drag my ass out of bed, dress me, and take me shopping? Because I'm pretty sure that's what's happening. They just decided to take that upon themselves without my input? I don't fucking think so. I got a good look around at my surroundings. Some upscale boutique in SoHo. Where white and reflective gold covered everything and what wasn't white or reflective gold was covered in either fake fur or marble contact paper (unless it was legit marble. It's SoHo.).
I might be killing someone. I felt around my jacket pockets for my knife and I couldn't find anything. This might be a rare occasion where I leave the house and I'm not strapped. I checked my bag, hoping that past Rei thinks and looks out for future Rei that gets inexplicably kidnapped by the fucking Hitachiin twins that are going to be lucky if they get out of this without a beating. Sure enough, a shiny handle caught my eye at the bottom. There you are, sweetheart. You had me nervous for a second. Just when I think you're still at home.
"Hikaru! Kaoru!" I did my best to not come across pissed. I could definitely bring these two into the Narrows and beat the shit out of them, but despite my rage, I knew deep down that their intentions were pure. I just needed to keep my anger in check.
"Yes, Rei?" they chimed, sandwiching me between them. As they did.
And in one fell swoop, I knocked their heads together. That's quickly becoming one of my favorite things to do, "What the fuck have you two been up to?"
"Hey…Kaoru…" Hikaru did his best to blink the stars out of his eyes, "I think she woke up."
"What was your first clue?" Kaoru wasn't in much better shape.
"That didn't answer my question," I prepared myself for round two, "What. The fuck. Have you two been up to?"
"Nothing bad, Rei," Hikaru assured me, "We asked you this morning if you wanted some help getting ready for tonight."
"You said yes," Kaoru added, "And we've been here ever since."
"Really?" I didn't totally believe them, but given my coffee induced haze, I wouldn't be surprised.
"Really," they nodded.
"Alright then," I backed off, "Sorry about the kneejerk, boys. You know how I work."
"Of course, we do," Hikaru threw an arm around me.
"We've known you for a while now, Rei," Kaoru joined him.
"If we couldn't handle you by now…"
"…We'd be screwed."
"You still couldn't fully handle me," I giggled, "You know it. I know it. That's the way natural order works. So, can we get back to the important things?"
"Like…?"
"This party tonight," I thought, "What should I be expecting? Kyoya told me he'd keep me in the loop, but my phone's been radio silent."
"Your dad was your stand-in" Hikaru told me, "He made most of the decisions on your behalf."
"Alright," I let that one slide, "I trust Daddy's opinion. He gets me. So, standard host club fare then?"
"Not quite standard host club fare," Kaoru ran his hand through a rack of clothes that weren't really…I don't know if it's me being in Manhattan not sitting right in my stomach or what, but I'm not getting a vibe here. And I'm not feeling it. But why would I expect something different? When the spoiled little rich kids get me (also a spoiled little rich kid, but a much more grounded one) out of bed in order to go shopping, why would they want to go anywhere else?
"Kyoya-senpai always said a little twist never hurt anything," Hikaru pulled me onto my feet.
When in Rome? Because I'm thinking when in Rome, "Did you get me the Waldorf ballroom? Because that's where my twelfth birthday was. That was a fun night, too."
"Nope."
"It's a surprise."
Dammit, "So, you're saying if I hate it, I can take you both personally to the Narrows and beat the fuck out of you?"
"Deal!" they sang. Ok. That made me feel better. That almost made me want to actively not like this party. But then again, they also had Daddy's input, so it couldn't be all that bad. If it is, I have Daddy to be disappointed with.
"Here, Rei," Kaoru handed me a well crafted outfit.
"Go try these on," Hikaru handed me even more.
Oh…I didn't like that. I had the worst feeling wash over me. There's a reason why I hate shopping with a burning passion. Thank you, Victoria, for ruining this experience for me. And this was putting me into flashbacks like I couldn't believe. I didn't like this. My skin felt like it had caught fire and I wanted nothing more than for it to stop. All that happy, peaceful bliss my coffee gave me just moments ago? That was out the fucking window. And it's all that bitch's fault. But I knew who I was here with. That helped ground me a little better. And it's not like it wasn't shit I wouldn't have already picked out for myself anyway. They understood me. By some miracle, Hikaru and Kaoru got me.
Maybe a little too well. Strapless, leather, skintight, short, easy to wipe blood from it…They did understand me. I looked like a high-class escort that moonlights as an assassin that would likely make my father cry (maybe tears of joy, maybe tears of disappointment. Depends on the day.). But Daddy got that, too. He'd never stop me when it came to self-expression. Not that he was worried about me. If any man dared get too close, he knew I'd be more than happy to show them what happens when they cross me. I was trained well. I was trained very well. And I could probably kill a man if I so desired. But I digress. When I got one last good look of myself, I damn near gave myself a nosebleed.
"Jesus Christ, boys…" I gasped, someone else coming to mind, "Are you trying to put Ritsu in the fucking hospital?"
"No," Hikaru perked up.
"Why?" Kaoru wondered.
"Fucking look at me!" I walked out.
Snap!
I didn't like that. Nor did I like the mischievous glint in the twins' eyes, "You look great, Rei."
"What are you two doing?" I growled.
"Nothing," they both lied through their teeth.
"Don't you fucking dare…"
"And…
"Send…"
I may kill them yet today, "Who did you just send that to?"
"No one…" I see they're still lying.
A soft, subtle beep came from my bag. I held my face in my hands, "I'm going to kill you both before the day is over. I hope you know that."
"No, you won't…" Oh, they're so cute when they're totally oblivious. I'm telling the driver to take us to the Narrows the second we leave here. Hikaru and Kaoru are going to show up to my birthday party tonight on fucking crutches.
I grabbed my phone and noticed a new text from Ritsu. Either he has the world's best or worst timing. We'll find that out soon enough, won't we? I showed my favorite pair of idiots the screen, "Anything you two care to tell me about before I open this?"
"Nope." Yep. Definitely taking a trip to the Narrows. They didn't need to send that to Ritsu. They didn't need to throw him off balance like that. And God forbid if he was in public when he got that picture. Or even worse, if he was with Daddy. Daddy didn't need to see this either. However, when I opened Ritsu's message, I seem to realize that I might have overreacted just a little bit.
Just got back.
You doing ok?"
-RK
I let out a heavy sigh of relief. Thank God. No picture. No Ritsu volcanic nosebleed. No need to be worried. Still might kill Hikaru and Kaoru later, but that's here nor there.
Yeah, I'm fine.
The twins are fucking aggressive, though
-RM
The twins might have been aggressive today, but they weren't the only ones. Even though I looked hotter than hell in this little leather number (not to mention, I was a slut for leather), I wasn't feeling it. Something about it just seemed…I don't know. Off. Like it shouldn't come out of a boutique in SoHo. It just…It wasn't there.
Beep!
You want me beat the shit out of them?
-RK
I love this boy. If he's not careful, I might actually go through with that preproposal he gave me.
And take the fun out of it for me?
-RM
Beep!
That's my girl.
See you tonight.
Love you x
-RK
I needed that. Dammit, Ritsu. Sometimes, you just…Know. You get me better than any of our friends. That's for damn sure. And now, I knew exactly what it was. I knew what was getting to me so badly. Why I was getting Victoria flashbacks. Why my skin was crawling. Because this place was too…I don't know. Nice. It was an absolute sparkling palace and as much as this was definitely one part of me, that part was far too small and insignificant to make a difference. Because that little princess got raised by the streets. This wasn't me. I peeled the leather dress off and left it hanging in the dressing room.
"Alright, boys," I threw my bag over my shoulder, "Let's get going."
"What the hell, Rei?" Hikaru wondered.
"That dress looked fantastic on you," Kaoru shared his brother's sentiment.
"Yeah," I agreed, "But it wasn't right. We need to go somewhere else. Somewhere that's not in Manhattan."
"Or the Bronx," they rolled their eyes, "We know."
"No, no, no," I settled them, pushing the door open, "The Bronx is cool now. We got that all buttoned up. The Bronx isn't exactly in network, but it's not out of network either. We have a mutual understanding."
But then, I had something in my head click in the most beautiful way. I knew exactly where I wanted to go. Or more likely, where I needed to go. As much as I loved going to Santiago's place last year, I knew somewhere that had a little more of that down to earth feeling I was in such desperate need of. It was one of those places I had been to a couple times with Mama and Veronica back in the day that I could never really get into then, but right now, it's all I wanted.
The three of us got back into the town car and headed back toward Williamsburg. There it was. A bright blue neon sign that said Turnstiles on it. I remember Veronica gushing over this place when I was little. She said that she could always find the weirdest shit in here, but in the greatest of ways. Home sweet home. And what made it even better was watching Hikaru and Kaoru squirm for a change. Now, they'd understand what being in Manhattan did to me.
"Um, Rei…?" Hikaru looked at me strange, "Where are we?"
"Have you two really been getting that big of a silver enema?" I chuckled a bit, "It's a thrift store. And one of the best in the city, if you ask me."
"So," Kaoru figured, "Is it like a flea market?"
"It's kind of like a flea market." Honestly, I was impressed they knew that much. Then again, they had Haruhi. She might have been a commoner to them, but she's their commoner. And sometimes, that commoner's wisdom came in handy. Daddy taught me that commoner's wisdom all too well, "But instead of it being a handful of stores, it's just the one. And there's not too much here you can't find."
In the back corner toward the left, Turnstiles had an entire section of secondhand dresses no doubt worn for proms, homecomings, quinceañeras, parties like this. That was definitely Veronica coming out in me. She always wanted to know the history behind whatever vintage clothing she had intentions of bringing home with her. It was fun to think about, but I needed something regardless of its history. Because there were going to be some memories made in this. Although, I was torn.
I found a black beaded top I really liked, but the skirt was too weird. And I doubt it would fit my ass anyway. At the same time, though, I found a hot pink cupcake that I had no doubt was a quinceañera dress that I was becoming obsessed with the more I looked at it. Wowie, that was a lot of glitter. I could shake the skirt of this dress and it'd look like the streets outside our building after Pride. And I loved it. I loved a good hot pink with a dark, dark black. And with the sparkly beading on the top and the holy shit glitter bomb on the bottom, I think I might have found my dress.
Granted, I'm going to have to Frankenstein them together, but it's not like this would be my first project. Probably not my last either. A bitch could throw something together. A pair of knee high leather boots, some fishnets, and I'm good. Yep. It wasn't even up for negotiation anymore. There was no, let's put this on the back burner maybe list and see what else could be out there. This was it. I'm done. I knew Turnstiles could never let me down. Thanks, Mama.
"Hey, guys?" I melted inside, "I think I found something."
"You don't strike me as the type for pink, Rei," Hikaru pointed out.
"Other than your hair," Kaoru added, "He's right. Or the insane amount of glitter.
"It's like my dad always told me," I dragged them both to the front counter, "I'm totally my mother's daughter. Mama was a sucker for glitter. Although, her color choices leaned more toward the pastel spectrum. That was Victoria's influence on her. But then, she ended up adopting a lot of black in her later life."
"Why are you getting two?" Hikaru wondered.
"I'm going to cut these up," I explained. But then, something dawned on me. I don't have a sewing machine and there's no way in hell I'm hand stitching this. That's too much effort. I couldn't do that. However, I did know someone who would have one. Because she was just as much of a slut for this kind of shit as I was. And if I didn't know any better, I'd think she might have just moved into a cozy little apartment somewhere in this area, "I have an idea."
"What now?!" the twins freaked. And they thought they were going to be the ones to scare the shit out of me today. No, no, no, boys. Once the coffee hits, a bitch comes to play. Once we checked out, we walked a couple blocks down and one to the right to what looked like a Chinese restaurant. And it was. But there was a door just to the left of it. That led into the apartments above it. I pressed the buzzer outside for apartment 35D. That smelled right.
"Yeah?" a familiar voice barked from the box.
"The hooker you asked for is here, Ms. Scarlotti," I bit the inside of my cheek, doing all I could to keep myself from laughing. She's going to fucking kill me.
"Hell yeah! Come on up! The door's unlocked."
She's going to fucking kill me. I couldn't help it anymore. Once we were inside, I giggled like an idiot. And I'm almost a hundred percent sure I had Hikaru and Kaoru ten seconds away from pissing themselves. It's a good day to be me! We walked up four flights of stairs and halfway down the hall to Veronica's apartment. I don't know of too many hookers that would show up to their gigs with more clothes and two others with her. Although, twins weren't exactly uncommon.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I walked into Veronica's apartment, but this was like going into the Electric Daisy Carnival and I had already done all of the drugs. Blacklights replaced most of her overhead lights and her furniture was all white. At least what wasn't covered in fluorescent paint. Everything glowed in here. And I'm not surprised. Veronica's tastes hadn't changed since she was…Well…Since she was my age. And I wasn't hating it. Not in the least bit. She had the same obsession for neon that I did. Her apartment was a true artist's loft and I wouldn't have it any other way.
"Rei…" Hikaru and Kaoru clung to me, "We're scared."
"You should be," I giggled, "Veronica! Are you alive?"
"Yeah, Rei!" Veronica yelled back.
"Oh…" a lovely lady walked out from Veronica's bedroom, bringing along the smell of pot smoke. That's what I thought was going on in here. Until I realized the lady was mostly naked. Instinct told me to cover Hikaru and Kaoru's eyes, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize Veronica had someone else coming."
"I'll see you next week, Kandi!" Veronica sent her off.
"You sure will," Kandi started looking me over, "Hey, Veronica, who are your friends?"
"That's my niece. She's off limits and has a boyfriend!"
"So do I," she giggled, "That didn't stop us."
"She's not poly!"
"Oh," Kandi let me go, "What a shame."
"Bye, Kandi!" Veronica came out of her bedroom, her blunt still burning in her hand. She made sure to close the door behind her, "Sorry about that, Rei. I had company."
"I see that," I shook it off, "But hi, Veronica! Always a pleasure to see you!"
"Hi, sweetie," she kissed my cheek, "Happy birthday."
"Thanks," I giggled a bit, "Nothing says happy birthday like visiting my aunt when she's stoned and just got laid."
"I didn't just get laid," Veronica rolled her eyes, "We've been done for the last hour. Just thought we'd light one before she left. Hikaru, Kaoru, I didn't think I'd see you two here, too, but I'm not mad. Come on in. Sit down. Make yourselves at home."
"Um…" Hikaru looked around.
"Where are we supposed to sit?" Kaoru wondered.
"Anywhere your ass can fit," Veronica threw herself on her couch and grabbed the ashtray, "You don't mind if I keep smoking this, do you? This is some good shit and it was fucking expensive."
"I won't stop you," I assured her, "No worries."
"Alright," she let it go, "But if Frankie gets pissed because you came home smelling like weed, that's not my fault."
"Technically, it is," I pointed out, "I'm not the one smoking it."
"Anyway," Veronica brushed me off, "What's up? What's the occasion you're in my cozy corner of the world?"
"I need to borrow your sewing machine," I told her, tossing the garment bags on her coffee table, "I need the top of the black one to go on the skirt of the pink one."
"Oh, cute…" she took them out of their bags, "Tell you what, kid. I got you. Give me about twenty minutes and I'll have it done."
"Seriously?" the twins wondered, "That's all it'll take?"
"Veronica's a damn good seamstress when she wants to be," I gushed, "I don't doubt it."
"I mean," Veronica shrugged, "I'm a little stoned, but it's a good, mellow buzz. I think I can handle myself with a sewing machine."
"Thank you, Veronica," I threw my arms around her, "I really appreciate it. Because my sewing skills suck."
"I'm sure they're not that bad," she hushed me, "Can you get me some scissors?"
"Sure," I got up and went into the drawer in her kitchen. Chances are, she had a pair in there.
"Studio, Reila!" Veronica yelled to me, "Off the living room!"
"Ok!" I went into Veronica's studio and there wasn't an inch of this room not covered in some sort of art. Her photography? Her painting? It was all here. Along with a pair of scissors! I snapped them up and tossed them on the coffee table, "Here."
"Thank you!" It's safe to say that Veronica's my favorite aunt. Mostly because Violet's just like Victoria and I'd much rather hang out with Veronica than Violet. Although, I had some great aunts on Daddy's side that were pretty great, too. Still, Veronica was the older sister I never had. Even though we've been kind of estranged for the last few years.
Ring, ring!
"I think that's me," I dug in my bag and felt my phone buzzing.
"Thank God," Veronica let out a sigh of relief, "I thought that was in my head."
"Boys," I nodded, "Keep an eye on her. I need to take this."
"Got it!"
I stepped out into the hallway and answered my phone, "Hi, Daddy."
"Hey, baby girl," Daddy chimed on the other end, warming me inside, "Where are you?"
"I'm at Veronica's," I told him, "She's putting my dress for tonight together. What's up?"
"Just thought I'd check in," he brushed me off, "I can't do that anymore?"
"Of course, you can." Like I was going to tell him no.
"And I had a question…" There was the boom, "I was thinking about bringing a plus one for tonight."
"Let me guess," I knew where this was going. And honestly? I'm glad it's going this way, "Is it Clara?"
"It might be Clara…"
"You can bring a plus one," I stipulated, "But only if it's Clara."
"Yay!" It did my heart good to hear Daddy so happy. God, I hope this is a sign of good things to come. Things have been shit lately and we could use some not shit, "Be careful. Kiss Veronica for me."
"Only if you kiss Ritsu for me." Because I knew damn well that's where he was.
"Deal," Daddy giggled a little, "I love you, Rei. I'll see you tonight."
"Love you, too."
Click.
"Reila!" Veronica yelled from the other side of the door, "Get your ass back in here! I need to check some measurements!"
"I'm coming!" I walked back in, "And by the way…"
I gave Veronica a little kiss on her cheek and turned her into a puddle, "Aww, Rei…What was that all about?"
"That's from Daddy," I stood in front of her while she pulled the measuring tape out of her pocket, "He sends his love."
"Send it back to him," she awed, "You know, I've always had a soft spot for your dad, but if I told Vanessa that, she would've let me have him in a heartbeat."
"Was that before you came out to her?" I figured.
"No," Veronica shook her head, "I've loved one man in my life. And I'm happy as hell to have him back in my life. But it's not like we could ever go past what we got now. I wouldn't allow it and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't either. It'd be too weird. He's always treated me like the pain in the ass little sister he never had and I'm alright with that. But here nor there. I might take a little longer than previously quoted. Do you have anything else you need to do today?"
"Hey, boys," I wondered, "Do you know where Haruhi was going to be today?"
"As far as we know," Hikaru drawled, already half asleep, "She's…somewhere…"
"With the boss, maybe?" Kaoru was no better. Ok. I needed to get the lightweights home. If they don't fall asleep on the way back, I'll be amazed.
"Yeah!" Oh, Haruhi…I can only imagine. I bet you could use a little time off, too. I got my phone back out and scrolled through my contacts, making one last phone call.
"Rei, for the love of God, get me out of here…" I could already hear the exasperation in Haruhi's voice. Yeah. I think it's safe to say she's looking for an out. Not totally sure on that, but I have a hunch.
"Alright, Haruhi," I did my best to calm her down, "I know he can be a handful, but…"
"A handful?!" Haruhi squeaked, "No. No, no, no. A new puppy is a handful. Tamaki-senpai has gone full freakin' psychotic! I can't deal with him anymore right now. Kyoya-senpai hasn't been answering his calls and I figured you would've just told me to beat the crap out of him instead, so…"
"Haruhi," I hushed her, "I don't always solve problems with violence. Now, put Tamaki on the phone."
"I'm sorry, Rei," she sighed out, "I'm just…a little stressed."
"I got you," I felt for her, "Put Tamaki on."
"Hi, Rei!" Tamaki sang. Ok. Now, I understood where Haruhi was coming from. It's like Tamaki found speed, "It's good to hear from you! What's up?"
"Do you think I could steal Haruhi away from you for a little while?" I asked, softening my voice, "Please?"
"But…Why?" he pouted, "I like spending the time alone with Haruhi. It's been fun!"
"I'm sure it has." Your girlfriend might say otherwise, but go off, "But…Please? Hikaru and Kaoru have been fun, but I could really use a girlfriend."
"Well…" Tamaki thought it over, "Alright. I guess that's ok."
"Thank you," I awed, "Can you put Haruhi back on please?"
"Sure!"
"Rei…" Haruhi came back on, "I don't know what kind of voodoo you just pulled on him, but you need to teach me that."
"No voodoo," I giggled, "Haruhi, I can play Tamaki like a fucking fiddle. It's not difficult. Just play into whatever he wants and it makes it so easy to get what you want. Now, I'm going to send you an address. I want you to meet me there."
"Ok."
Click.
I tapped out the address and sent it off. When I tossed my phone back into my bag, I realized now what I needed to do, "Alright, boys. Let's leave Veronica to her…"
Dammit. I was hoping it wouldn't come to this. Veronica looked up from her work with a sewing needle in her teeth, "Uh…Rei…? I think your little friends passed out."
"How strong was the shit you were smoking?" I rolled my eyes.
"It gave me a mellow buzz," Veronica shrugged, "How was I supposed to know they couldn't handle it?"
"Can I leave them here?" I asked, "Because I got a date with a friend of mine."
"That's cool," she allowed, "I might need to open up a window and sober them up, but they can sleep this off here. That's not a problem."
"Thank you, Veronica," I kissed the top of her head and I took off. Haruhi wasn't the only one in need of destressing.
And who better to do that than Rosco?