Akari's discovering the side effects of love, one of them being, jealousy, but does he realize this? Of course not! He just chooses to deny these feelings, but how long can this last before it's obvious?
Chapter Five: Newfound Jealousy
Ever since going to the beach Akari couldn't think straight. He was forced to realize he did like Honey, but now he had no idea what to do. Even Fuji got worried over his friend.
"I'm glad you finally accepted your feelings, A-chan, but you need to calm down." Fuji tried to comfort his friend.
"How can I calm down!? I can't stop thinking about him." Akari replied facepalming the table blushing fiercely. He was more worried about messing up with Honey now more than ever. Now he had feelings to add to the mix.
"That's what happens when you like someone, your heart beats faster when they're around you. You can't help but want to be with them all the time. It feels better when you realize they want the same thing with you." Fuji told him softly. "Sometimes you just have to listen to your heart instead of always relying on your brain." He told him and hugged his friend.
"You're going to be fine, Akari. I promise." Fuji smiled at him.
Akari looked back and sighed. "It'll be your fault if it doesn't turn out fine, got it." He told him, but Fuji just grinned and gave him a thumbs up.
He got better throughout the day. Well that was because he wasn't around Honey during school time. Though Honey did like to show up unexpectantly and hang around him before classes.
"Kari! Let's have lunch together." Honey told him as Akari stepped out of class. He could hear and see others watching him and just finding him and Honey cute together... Or more like just Honey.
Akari nodded, but he did feel a bit weird with the looks towards Honey. Especially when Honey interacted back. He wasn't used to this feeling and he really didn't like it.
Honey held his hand smiling up at him making him blush slightly and look away but squeezed his hand back.
While they ate lunch together it wasn't just them, Mori was there along with guests and host club members. He was informed that this just something they were trying out today and he couldn't be feel off about not just eating with Honey.
He watched Honey talk with girls smiling and laughing and he just felt weird, that they had too much of Honey's attention, especially when the compliments came in. Honey would call them pretty and other stuff and he felt his chest tighten up hearing this stuff and it was confusing to him.
He was just thankful lunch didn't last long but he didn't have much of an appetite than he thought as the bell rang and he hardly touched his food.
"I thought you ate lunch with Honey Senpai." Fuji asked him while eating a bento.
"I don't do that all the time, he didn't ask me this time." Akari replied as he had this feeling in his chest that he had when he had lunch with Honey when the Hosts were doing their job.
Just thinking about it made it worse as he spaced out while eating until there was nothing left before he knew it.
"Uh, You okay?" Fuji asked him as he watched Akari looking down at his empty tray.
"I'm fine." Akari snapped and stood up and headed off with his tray, Fuji watched after him knowing something was up and he was going to find out.
And find out he did by stalking his friend through school. Fuji saw the way Akari looked when others talked about Honey, or if his name was said.
It wasn't long before Fuji realized Akari was jealous, when the next day he watched Honey talk to others with Mori by his side and Akari had a subtle frown while watching from the same room.
"That explains a lot." Fuji muttered to himself as he knew Akari most likely didn't know what he was feeling. He'd have to confront him when they were alone. He knew Akari would just ignore his feelings until they just exploded.
"Jealous? Why would I be jealous?" Akari asked closing his locker as Fuji was next to him.
"Well, your boyfriend is constantly complimenting people and you get this hurt look on your face and would just stare." Fuji told him.
Akari blushed at Fuji calling Honey his boyfriend, which was true but he was still processing it.
"I'm not jealous, why would I be when he smiles at girls it makes my chest hurt and wants me to be the girl he's smiling at. Or being complimented when he does it. It doesn't mean I'm jealous."
"Uh huh, sure." Fuji told him. "You're definitely not jealous." Fuji replied sarcastically making Akari narrow his eyes at him.
"I'm. Not. Jealous." Akari said glaring at Fuji.
"It's okay to be jealous, A-chan, everyone gets jealous. I just know you need help recognizing these things." Fuji told him smiling.
"I don't need help with this stuff."
"Hey, when have I ever been wrong about this stuff?" Fuji huffed following after Akari, "Let's have a second opinion then." Fuji suggested and looked around and spotted Haruhi. "Fujioka!" Fuji called after her heading in her direction.
"Fuji, wait- Damn you." Akari growled following after him getting next to Fuji as the male finished telling Haruhi the situation.
"-He doesn't want to admit it though." Fuji said and looked at Akari.
"It's obvious, though. At least to me, I have noticed how dejected you look when Honey Senpai's attention is not on you." Haruhi told Akari bluntly. Akari felt like an arrow shot through him.
"You should tell him, talking things out will be able to help your relationship." She added.
Akari looked away. "It's fine, I don't need suggestions about this, now excuse me." He replied storming off leaving Fuji with Haruhi.
Fuji sighed watching him go. "I wish he would just open up to people more instead of closing himself off."
Haruhi looked up at Fuji before looking after Akari.
"Senpai, you have noticed how Akari Senpai has been acting right? Why don't you confront him about it?" Haruhi asked during club hours while Honey was eating with Mori.
"I've noticed, I'm just giving Kari time to come to me about it." Honey smiled. "I don't want to add more pressure on him, if it gets too much I'll interfere." Honey replied smiling softly.
"But you know he has problems expressing himself, or even going to people about his problems. I'm worried he'll just bottle it up and hurt himself."
"I won't let that happen." Honey told her seriously, surprising the girl about how quickly Honey's attitude changed when Akari's well being was involved. Though with what happened at the beach she could see why Honey would take it seriously.
She nodded. "Okay, I trust you can handle it, Honey Senpai." She told him.
Akari sighed as he sat by himself. He watched girls talk to Honey and Honey smiling and interacting back to them. He wasn't jealous. He wasn't...
"Are you jealous of the guests, Senpai?"
"I'm sure Honey-Senpai you get his attention enough." The twins told him.
"I'm not jealous." Akari replied with a huff trying to ignore them.
"It sure seems like it, who knows maybe something could happen." They replied, both of them trying to get a reaction from him and it was working as they grinned.
"You should've expected this since Honey's a host an all. He talks with girls every day."
Akari clenched his fists on his lap. "I know, you don't need to state the obvious." He replied.
"If this bothers you, you don't have to be here, you can ju-" They started before Akari snapped.
"I just want everyone to leave me alone and stop telling me how I feel!" Akari shouted standing up. He looked up seeing everyone looking at him making him look down and storm off.
"What did you guys do!?" Tamaki exclaimed after Akari's outburst which caused him to leave.
"We were just talking, we didn-" The two were cut off.
"You were doing it on purpose to get a reaction from him, he's not like us in the Host Club, he doesn't know you two like we do, so go and apologize!" Haruhi shouted at the two, feeling angry whenever they did stuff like this.
Honey had excused himself during this and headed off after Akari.
Akari was out in the garden sitting on a bench as he glared at the ground, trying to calm down. He heard footsteps and he grit his teeth. "Fuji, fuck off, I don't want to talk to anyone right now." He told whoever was there.
"It's not Fuji, Akari." Honey's voice replied making Akari tense and look up seeing Honey standing in front of him.
Akari looked away as Honey sat next to him. "I'm sorry." Honey told him making Akari frown and look at him in confusion.
"Why are you sorry?" He asked him.
"I should've been a better boyfriend to prevent this. I didn't want you feeling pressured into telling me your feelings or anything like that, but that didn't mean others would do the same." Honey looked down.
Akari looked at him before sighing slightly. "You shouldn't be sorry about that. I know I'm not good at this stuff. I don't know what to do and people keep telling me what I should do saying what I'm feeling and I just... It's overwhelming." Akari put his hands over his face.
"I'm used to Fuji doing it, because he's my best friend, but now more people talk to me and they have their own thing to say to try and help, but it doesn't. I probably am jealous, I never dated anyone before."
Honey looked at him and reached over and held his hand. "It's okay. You'll be surprised, but I never dated anyone before either." He smiled. "You just need to stop getting into your head so much, and I know it takes time and I'll be with you along the way. I want you to feel comfortable to talk to me. I love you." He told him, Akari blushing lightly.
He squeezed Honey's hand lightly. "Thanks." Akari smiled softly. "I lo... like you too." He replied blushing and looked down. Honey giggled and hugged him.
"I'll make sure to show you how much I love you every day so you won't feel bad anymore." The small blonde told Akari nuzzling him. "I just didn't want to make you uncomfortable though."
Akari huffed and hesitantly hugged back. "It's fine if it's only you." He muttered, but Honey was able to hear him making the blonde smile more.
"We're sorry for making you upset, Akari-Senpai." The twins told him, standing in front of his desk, Haruhi at the door of his classroom the next day.
He blinked and looked at them as they continued. "We just felt like you were taking our friend away." They said quietly so only he could hear.
"I accept your apology, and I can reassure you, I'm not going to take Honey away from you guys to not be friends anymore." Akari told them.
"Alright, you guys can go to class now." Haruhi told the twins as they stood up straight. "See you at the club maybe, senpai." Haruhi told Akari as she left with the twins.
Akari nodded and looked to his books before a paper was placed on his desk. He blinked and glanced at Fuji who was writing, or pretending to. He took the note from him and opened it up.
'Sorry' was all it read but it made Akari smile and look at Fuji who perked up and smiled back before he was hit with the paper he gave to Akari.