The first few keys danced beneath the Host King's fingertips, but it was the vibrating sound of the violin rising beside it that made the lovely young woman between them hold her breath. The hauntingly beautiful echo seemed to captivate her, and it was obvious that her attention was fixated on the way Kyoya's nimble fingers moved across the strings. Her fingers touching her lip lightly, a smile sprouting underneath, it seemed for a moment that she had become lost in the sound.
A subtle, sideways glance from the corner of his eye, the Ootori boy reflected the same longing look back the moment the raven haired beauty began to sing. The single glance seemed to bolster the girl's confidence, and she took a step toward him as if to share the sheet music he had set up for himself. The sound of the violin never faltered, never ceased, as she brushed aside the first sheet, allowing it to flutter between them with a simple swipe of her fingertips.
Haruhi lifted her hand to cover her mouth, watching as they quickly seemed to become lost in each other.
The girls surrounding the grand piano were surprisingly still, captivated by the soft, resonating enchantment that the second year trio created, and only a few faint, breathless sighs could be heard coming from them.
"Isn't it lovely, all alone? Heart made of glass, my mind of stone—"
Music sheets scattered across the floor, but it was the practiced flick of her wrist that sent one fluttering toward the audience and caused them to burst into sudden motion for the notes Kyoya had been using before the violin ceased during the performance. Haruhi felt her lip tug upward at the corner, noticing the way the older girl's eyes glittered humorously at the sight of the Host Club clients attempting to bump one another out of the way for the single sheet.
"—Tear me to pieces, skin to bone—"
The Ootori boy only had eyes for the raven haired beauty beside him, however, and it was a surprise that none of the guests had yet to notice. Haruhi half expected them to turn into a sea of raging beasts with the suddenly not so subtle glances, especially after the conversation she had happened upon outside the club not too long ago. Perhaps by some miracle, though, it seemed that the attention had shifted without the presence of the violin, as the Shadow King's molten eyes bore into the raven haired beauty that turned toward him.
"—Hello, welcome home." Kagome's voice gave way to the rise of the piano, and her face lit up like the sun beneath Kyoya's soft, lingering look as the song progressed. "...somethings on my mind—" both her hands lifted to settle gently over her heart as the boy watching her finally lifted the violin bow back to the instrument with her lingering voice, "—always in my head space."
Finally taking a glance at the equally enchanted hosts sitting beside her, Haruhi closed her eyes for a moment and simply breathed in the atmosphere. The hauntingly beautiful performance was damn near magical, and she felt like she better understood just how deeply ingrained the second year girl had become in the Host Club the year prior soaking it all in.
Another soft, tentative voice drew the Host Club's attention then, and Haruhi blinked open her eyes when she turned to find Ayano with her eyes closed, seemingly forgetting herself as she created a sudden, unexpected duet with the raven haired beauty. The older girl's eyes shifted to her fellow choir member, breaking the connection with the Ootori once more focused on the instrument in hand, and she turned absolutely radiant as their voices mingled and played off one another with practiced ease.
The song ended on a lingering note, the steady thrum of a violin chord vibrating alongside it, and when it ended there was a long moment of silence as the guests held their breath. Slowly, as one, the girls seemed to awaken from the trance they had been put under, as a thunderous applause and cries for an encore swept through the room.
The raven haired beauty only rubbed the back of her neck, as she was suddenly well met by a hoard of Host Club clients that rushed from their seats.
"Higurashi-san!"
"Higurashi-senpai!"
Higurashi, Higurashi, Higurashi!
Haruhi snorted humorously at the sight, briefly noting that the Shadow King seemed to have his eye trained on the few guests that had pointedly ignored the girl in favor of gushing over Tamaki's brilliant piano performance or his own violin accompaniment. Her own eye drifted toward them, recognizing the attempts at subtle, jealous filled glances boring into Kagome's back. Several heads whipped between the girl and the Ootori boy himself, lips pursing into thin lines, and it was immediately clear that not all of them were as oblivious as they had made themselves out to be while bewitched.
"Un," Mori's soft, throaty sound was enough to tell her he was watching them, too.
"Me-chan!" Honey bounced from his seat, rushing to the Higurashi girl's side to take her hand. His signature bunny tucked underneath his chin, he tugged insistently on Kagome's hand until she was forced to acknowledge him within the sea of feminine moe. "Me-chan, Me-chan, Meeeeeee-chan!"
Kagome laughed, saying, "Can I help you, Mitsu-senpai?"
"Aw, Me-chan, I've told you to call me Honey!" he pouted.
She poked him in the nose, shaking her head as she replied, "Noopppe."
Several girls whined at the lack of attention, while several others squealed at the sight of her interacting with the cute senior. Surrounded by an endless mantra of calls for recognition, it would have almost been easy to miss the few heads that snapped back, eyes slowly losing that worshipful shine at the sight.
Honey's eye trained on them, though he never lost his smile.
"Code Black!" the twins hissed.
"Code Black?" Haruhi blinked, but they were already on the move before she even had the chance to finish the question. Turning her large eyes toward the only other host still available, she silently asked Mori to answer.
"Remove Kagome from the situation," Mori quietly explained.
"Ah," Haruhi nodded. Slowly rising from her seat, nodding at the tall, silent senior who did the same, she followed as Hikaru and Kaoru made a beeline for the raven haired beauty slowly losing the favor she had gained in such a short amount of time.
"Kagooooomee-senppaiii!"
"Ack!" Kagome pushed on Hikaru's cheek when she suddenly found herself part of a Hitachiin sandwich she did not sign up for. A giggle blossomed forth when the boy only nuzzled into her hand, as she turned her attention to how Kaoru was resting his chin on her opposite shoulder. "Guys, really, can I help any of you?"
"Come make coffee with us, Kagome-senpai!" they both chirped.
"Coffee?" She blinked at the question, shifting her gaze down to where Honey was rapidly nodding toward her in agreement to the request. A light bulb seemed to go off over her head, as she turned her head toward the crowd of girls still gushing over her. "Oh! You mean for the guests?"
Hikaru nodded, "Of course."
"Who else?" Kaoru asked.
"I dunno," Kagome said slowly. Her eyes sought the Ootori boy engaging with several girls inquiring about how long he had been playing the violin. "Kyoya wasn't exactly happy the last time I tried to make coffee… I think I seeped it too long, or not enough, I don't remember really. Or was it that I didn't grind the beans enough…?"
Arriving at the situation, Haruhi snorted, "I don't think you'd have to worry about that anymore."
"Yeah!" Honey nodded, latching onto her free hand when she wiggled it out in an attempt to push Kaoru further away from her. "Haru-chan has been buying us commoners coffee!"
"Commoners coffee?"
Haruhi shrugged, saying, "It's just instant coffee. I don't see what the big deal is."
"Instant… coffee?" A slow, radiant smile slowly started to overtake Kagome's features, and Haruhi felt like she was being noticed for the first time by the second year girl when she turned toward her. The expression melted into a softer, more feminine look when her eyes once again sought the boy who clearly held her heart, as she breathed, "Thank you," and it did not take much for Haruhi to realize she was talking about something else entirely in that moment.
A touch of wonder entering Haruhi's normally impassive expression, she watched as Hikaru and Kaoru easily ushered the Higurashi girl toward where they had the supplies set up away from the clients slowly crowding around Tamaki at the piano from the lack of attention.
Had she really…?
Turning her attention to the Ootori boy flickering his eye in that direction, his usual Host Club smile plastered in place as he quickly excused himself to "oversee" the impromptu Hostess in her attempts to help serve their guests, she allowed herself a moment to consider it.
Maybe it really had been instant coffee that had given him the courage to seek more; to cross that divide that seemed to have separated them before.
Haruhi could only hope he really had.
Note: The song for this chapter is Lovely by Billie Eilish ft. Khalid.
I hope you all are doing well in these uncertain times!
Please review!