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Coffee Shops and Cameras

Chapter 9

"Remind me why we're doing this again?" Hikaru grumbled from the passenger seat beside me. He adjusted his wig and his clear lensed glasses - our version of a disguise. Somehow he still managed to look perfect, even when he wasn't trying to look like a playboy bachelor.

"We're going to get you to talk to people" I flashed him an amused and disbelieving smile, "Normal people, and you're going to be nice"

"Couldn't we have done that without leaving the house?"

"Of course not" I scoffed, "We need to work on your first impressions. If people know you're a dick, they won't act natural"

"You're having way too much fun with this" he sighed irritably.

"Well admittedly, seeing you panicking over the fear of the unknown brings me a sick sense of joy"

"Sadist" he replied, usually that would have been said with a smirk. But today I didn't think Hikaru was particularly feeling the banter.

It was the morning of the third day in my new job as design artist and life coach to the stars. And unlike the days prior, I'd made an actual plan to get Hikaru out of the damn house and talking to people. I didn't know the first thing about taming shitty attitudes or curing spoiled brats of their arrogant entitlement, but throwing him in the deep end seemed like a good start. At least then I could see how he acted with people in general, and maybe see what particularly triggered his dark side. The problem I had however was that he was Hikaru Hitachiin. Hikaru Hitachiin the celebrity. For this to work, he couldn't receive star treatment, people had to believe he was a regular prick, not a famous prick. But with the help of Yuzuha and my father, we managed to wrestle on a short blonde wig and thick black framed glasses. I'd also thrown one of my old knitted beanies on him to make the wig look less obvious, and we found him a pair of old jeans and a Bon Jovi 1988 tour t shirt. One of my personal favourites that I usually wore to bed. Seeing him wear it made me realise how big he was, the shirt looked like a dress on me, but on him...it looked like it had been tailored to his frame.

He looked more like a rockstar now than a model. I did of course have an ulterior motive to choosing this specific look for him. He'd spent the last 3 days doing nothing but poke fun at the way I dressed, telling me I looked like "a grunge reject stuck in a vortex of never ending 90's trash". So obviously I had to include him in that style trend for my amusement.

"Your Mom was happy with the plan" I commented, hoping the mention of Yuzuha would brighten his spirits a little.

"I guess" he sulked.

I rolled my eyes, he was so like a little boy.

I pulled up into the parking lot, finding one of the few remaining spaces left. Hikaru stared out the window like he'd never seen such a pedestrian setting before in his life, I could only wonder what he was thinking as he studied the teenagers on break and soccer moms carrying shopping bags across the street.

I didn't have to wonder for long, as after a few moments he grumbled, "I'm in hell"

"No" I sighed, "You're in Ouran Retail Park"

Inside the mall our senses were overwhelmed. There were people everywhere, their voices carried on waves upon waves of crowds going in and out of stores and restaurants. I bit my lip, regretting the choice to come to the mall at lunchtime.

"Kill me...kill me...kill me" I heard Hikaru chanting in a whispering voice beside me.

"Don't be so dramatic" I nudged him with my elbow, "This will be good for you"

"Yeah...as good as injecting cyanide into my eyeballs maybe..."

"The disguise seems to be working..." I cleared my throat, trying to distract him from his whining. And it was, no one batted an eyelid at him, to everyone else in the mall he was just another shopper, not one of the most famous millionaires in the country.

"I've never felt less attractive in my life" he huffed.

"But you've also never looked so approachable" I replied, "And that's the idea. We want people to feel comfortable to talk to you without feeling like you're going to fly off the handle"

"I don't fly off the handle"

"You shouted at Kaoru this morning for using the last of the milk"

"I was looking forward to my cereal..." he grumbled, "It was a justified outburst"

"It was childish"

"Childishly justified"

I rolled my eyes and tucked my hands into my jean pockets. From the corner of my eye I could see Hikaru scratching the wig that covered his burnt red hair and wrinkling his nose against the dome of the black framed glasses.

"We need a plan" he muttered, "I can't just wander around a commoner's mall, I need a distraction"

I shrugged, "We could get lunch"

"And eat the world renouned commoner delicacy known as 'McDonalds'? I'll pass"

I rolled my eyes at him, just as we came to pass a 10 foot tall billboard with a very familiar male model plastered on it from floor to ceiling. I sighed in annoyance, "Seriously?"

Hikaru didn't seem phased at all, "There must be a store here that stocks Mom's designs"

I glanced at him, then back at the billboard, then back to Hikaru again. If you looked close enough at him, past the wig and glasses, it was obvious who he was. No average person had his defined jaw line, furrowed strong brow, and dark dangerous eyes. If someone took enough time to study him, the jig would be up "If you take off that beanie I will kill you" I hissed. This whole thing was so ridiculous it was almost funny. Here I was, stood in a crowded mall with a multi millionaire model, beside a empire state sized poster of him looming above hundreds of people.

"No problem, I'd die if anyone saw me here" he replied.

"Because you'd be swamped?"

"No" he shook his head, "Because it's fucking embarrassing"

"Wait? Where are you taking me?" I frowned, trying to work out if I'd heard him right.

"We may as well, since we're here and the only clothes you seem to own are...those..." he gestured to my entire form, from the top of my head down to my sneakers, "I know clothes. And the less I have to think about this wig the better"

"You want to...dress me up?"

"I just want to see you wearing something that isn't stained with salsa. Honestly, how much dip does one person consume on a regular basis?"

I shifted from one foot to the other. I supposed that much like cigarettes, chips and dip were another temptation that had me locked in an iron vice.

"But...I hate clothes shopping"

"And I hate that I can fit into all the second hand shirts you own. I think that proves beyond all doubt that you need to sort your shit out. Do you even own an outfit that didn't come from the back of your father's closet?"

"He was throwing them out...it seemed a waste"

Hikaru rolled his eyes with a sigh, as if he didn't feel like a reply was worth the effort.

Even though the last thing I wanted to do was stare at rails of clothing I could never see myself wearing or purchasing, I was at least glad that Hikaru had found something to distract himself with. And on top of his change in mood and enthusiasm over leaving the house; thus far, no one had recognised him. And he hadn't had any meltdowns or explosions of 'Hikaru' proportion. Well, aside from the fiasco when the barista at starbucks didn't click the lid on his cup properly and a splosh of coffee dripped onto Hikaru's hand. He wasn't best pleased with the 'unprofessionalism'. As an ex-barista myself, I apologised on Hikaru's behalf and made sure to tip the poor girl who looked as if she were about to cry after he shouted at her. Perhaps a little shopping trip would allow him to talk to some people, and maybe even take him out of his usual 'spoiled rich boy' routine. I could only hope.

Happy thoughts, happy thoughts...

"Okay, fine" I sighed reluctantly, "I suppose it's only fair since I used you like a Ken doll this morning"

"Your turn to play dolly" and for the first time that day, Hikaru actually smiled. It was small, and tugged on the corner of his lips in a subtle smirk. But it was there.

We wandered the complex, from floor to floor, all the while Hikaru turned his nose up at some of the smaller clothes stores and headed towards some of the bigger boutiques. One in particular he dragged me into was probably the most high end store in the entire mall. Everything was presented like paintings in an art gallery, the open space glowed white, letting the clothes and accessories shine out on the blank canvas of a shop. The employees wore what I expected were the outfits they sold, which at first glance told me that I'd be leaving the mall that day dressed as either a middle school art teacher or an ironic tribute to Adam Ant.

"Are you just magnetised to black?" Hikaru grumbled, following my gaze to the black shirt hanging on the rail I was studying as we made our way further into the store, ignoring the curious looks we got from the staff. We must have looked so out of place with Hikaru dressed like a hipster reject and me in my old tattered flannel and Mom jeans. It seemed almost hilarious that the employees looked at us like they assumed we couldn't afford the things they were selling, but little did they know that I was standing beside the man who dominated almost half of their posters, and could probably buy the entire mall with just the loose change in his wallet. I was worried that one of them would recognise him, but the wig and glasses seemed to be doing their job perfectly, and although there were more than a couple of women who stared at him for an extended amount of time, the reason for it seemed to be because even with the disguise – he was still incredibly handsome man.

I shrugged at his question, "It doesn't show dirt"

"Neither does any other colour if you put it through the washer"

"I always wash my clothes"

"Then why don't you wear colour?"

I rolled my eyes, not wanting to play into his petty bickering, "Fine, just...choose something"

"Well what are your sizes?"

"Excuse me?" I scowled.

"How am I meant to pick out clothes if I don't know your sizes?"

"I'll find my own sizes" I crossed my arms feeling somewhat self-conscious, "You know it's rude to ask a woman her size?"

"Yeah well, dressed like that I wouldn't say you were a woman"

"Hey!"

"I'm only being honest, there's no way that shirt was designed for a woman. And those jeans are...wow like...3 sizes too big for you..." his eyes trailed down my body, as if it were the first time he'd noticed what I was wearing, "Do you even have a waist?"

"Are you done insulting me?"

"It's hardly an insult if it's true"

I rolled my eyes for what felt like the 30th time that day. I'd chosen a bad week to quit smoking.

Hikaru turned away and began looking through the clothes on display, I could see from the expression on his face that he wasn't a fan of most of them, but still took some off the rack and held them to his side, all the while looking at me then back at the size tag.

"So how does it feel?" I asked.

"How does what feel?" He replied, looking like he was only half listening.

"Being out in public like this"

"You mean dressed like the dumpster outside of Hot Topic?"

"No" I gave a frustrated look, "I mean out in public without being recognised"

"Oh"

"Is it weird? Different?"

Hikaru shrugged and moved onto the next display of clothes, "Can't say I care"

But something about his voice told me he was lying, "I can't imagine it's easy to get anything done with people recognising you all the time" I continued.

"I don't need to get things done, I have people who do that for me"

I made a face, "That's no way to live. How do you experience anything? How do you meet people?"

"The kind of people I like to meet don't hang out in a Mall food court"

"Do you have a one-liner for everything?"

"Do you have a question for everything?"

I placed my hand on my hip and scowled, but Hikaru was already loading up his arms with clothes. A mixture of pastels, reds, blues and silvers met my eyes and I felt myself quaking in my black sneakers.

"Right" he cleared his throat after 10 minutes of wandering in silence, "Go try these on"

I stared at the stack of garments in his outstretched arms, "Are you serious?"

"Did I stutter?"

"These clothes are going to make me look like an exotic bird"

"Will make a difference from looking like a-"

I put up my hand in front of his face, "No more comebacks please, I can feel a stroke coming on" I looked at the pile of clothes he held and sighed, "Fine, I'll try them on, apart from..." I reached out and removed the hot pink lace thong from the top of the stack, "This"

Hikaru shrugged, "Worth a shot"

HIKARU

Hikaru adjusted the knitted beanie on his head and scratched the itchy wig once more. He'd never felt more hideous in his entire life, and wondered how his mother was able to send him out in public looking the way he did. For his entire life his Mother had been choosing and designing every outfit he owned and wore, even as a child it would take a while of getting ready before Yuzuha felt comfortable to let them leave for school. Today felt wickedly wrong.

"Are you ready yet?" he grumbled impatiently at the closed dressing room curtain.

"Give me a second" Haruhi snapped in reply, followed by the sound of hangers clanging and a sudden thud accompanied by a loud "Shit!"

"You're getting changed, not wrestling a bear"

"Well if you hadn't chosen such complicated outfits I wouldn't be having such a problem!"

"You want me to come in and help?" Hikaru smirked to himself, imagining the struggle she must have been having behind the thin partition. He had the mental image of her hopping on one leg in her underwear, trying to slip those long legs into the strappy material. The thought both entertained and aroused him.

"In your dreams" Haruhi answered exasperatedly. The smooth sound of a zip being pulled up followed, along with the sigh of relief, "Right, I'm done"

"What outfit did you choose?"

"Jeans. If you think I'm fighting my way into that mankini you call a dress you must be high"

Hikaru chuckled to himself, "Let's see then"

"One second"

"Why?"

"Cause I'm waiting for you to leave"

"Not happening" If she thought he was going to miss out on the chance to see her dressed like a normal woman, she was sadly mistaken, "Hurry up, you're annoying me"

"Okay fine" Haruhi uttered.

The curtain rattled a little, then slid away, revealing Hikaru's shopping buddy stood there with a look of distaste on her stubborn face. Hikaru's eyes trailed down her body, taking in every curve and detail. She wore shapely jeans, a far cry from the misshapen tattered monstrosities she had walked in wearing, and a wrap around grey top that hugged her breasts and revealed her creamy cleavage and collarbone, shaping down her waist and showcasing the feminine figure she'd been hiding under those old band shirts and men's clothes.

"Do women have something against movement and breathing?" Haruhi questioned, attempting to bend her legs in a way people just...typically never moved their legs.

"Beauty is pain" Hikaru said in a dreamy voice, repeating the words his Mom always told him, "You look...uh..."

"Ridiculous? Yeah I know" Haruhi laughed to herself, "And did you see the price of these jeans? I wouldn't spend that much yen on anything I couldn't drive"

Hikaru wasn't listening, he was too distracted by the way Haruhi turned as she looked in the mirror. He groaned to himself as he caught a glimpse of her tight backside, hugged by the blue jeans as she ran her hands across the firm contours of her waist in the grey top.

"Hikaru?"

"Huh?"

"Can I get changed back now?"

Hikaru cleared his throat and tore his eyes away from the curve of her hips, "Yeah, bag it up, we'll take them"

"Nuh uh" Haruhi shook her head, "You may have money to spare for pieces of fabric, but I sure as hell don't"

"Yeah but...I really don't think you understand how much you need those"

"I'm good" she stepped back into the changing room and pulled back the curtain, giving Hikaru a moment to recompose himself.

They burned about an hour of time, as Haruhi tried on a couple more things. Amongst those, a black dress, a pair of grey yoga pants, a sheer blouse, and a fitted pastel blue sweater. Haruhi found herself won over by the yoga pants and nothing else, she liked how stretchy and comfortable they were, she said they reminded her of pyjamas. She choked at the price but purchased them anyway, Hikaru had hoped she'd wear them out of the store, however he wasn't quite so lucky; and she donned her usual baggy ill-fitted jeans as she walked beside him through the mall.

Around 2.30 Haruhi found a small food stand in the court and ordered them both a hot dog, something Hikaru never typically ate due to...well...the calories. They ate in silence, Haruhi finishing hers in record time and Hikaru taking one bite before putting it back in the paper wrap to go cold.

"Today went well" Haruhi offered an encouraging smile, "Really, I mean...you weren't...that mean to anyone. You only shouted at one person, you weren't recognised and you only insulted me 23 times"

Hikaru raised an eyebrow, "That doesn't sound too promising"

"It's early days" Haruhi shrugged, "You're being nice to me now"

"That's because you're my ride home"

Haruhi smiled a little and looked down at her hot dog to take another large bite, "So" she said, muffled by the mouthful of bread. She swallowed and cringed, "Tell me about this interview. Who's it with? What's it about?"

"I told you already"

"No, you told me it was important and that you were doing it solo for the first time. You never told me if it was televised, in a magazine, online...carved into stone, painted on a cave wall-"

"Magazine" Hikaru replied, cutting her off, "It's going to be in Haute"

"Wow, that sounds impressive"

"You have no idea what Haute is do you?"

"Not a clue"

Hikaru sighed, "It's a highend fashion magazine, only designers and models who have made it into the big time around the world are published in it's pages. Benio Amakusa is the editor in chief, she refused to interview Kaoru or Mom, but requested me"

"Surely that's a good thing right?" Haruhi questioned.

"She only asked for me because the only times I've been in the media apart from modelling shoots is when I've fucked up or looked like a jackass. I'm sure she thinks it'll be a fun story if I do that during an interview. And she'll be the first one"

"Then why agree to it? If you're going to look like a dick then why bother?"

Hikaru raised an eyebrow at her.

"Sorry" Haruhi retorted, "You know what I mean though"

Hikaru sighed, his fingers toying with the red and white checkered paper wrapped around his hot dog, "Landing this interview is big. I mean if we can get Mom's name in that magazine then she'll be broadcasted across the world. This is my chance to...do something right for her..."

Haruhi gave him a genuine grin, one that made Hikaru a little uncomfortable, a good kind of uncomfortable, "You know, you can be kinda nice when you don't try so hard" she said.

Hikaru made a face and looked at her, "Don't think I'm trying to be your friend here. I don't have friends. We're doing a job, nothing more. You understand?"

Once again, Haruhi smiled, "My mistake" and took another bite of her hot dog.

HARUHI

I flipped over the page and thumbed the small printed words of the chapter, as I snuggled down in the small sofa chair in the corner of my new room. The bedroom had a small fireplace that was lit and blazing, sending a comforting warmth throughout the small space. I hummed contently, listening to the faint muffled sound of the music coming from the room next door.

"Knock knock" a familiar voice called from the door way.

"Come in" I replied.

Without hesitation, Kaoru strolled inside, dressed in flannel pyjama pants and a black t-shirt with 'zzz' printed on the front in white letters. He smiled widely, and sat down on the carpet in front of me.

"Soooo, how was it?" he asked.

I shrugged, "Actually...it was good"

"Yeah?" he grinned, "I think Hikaru felt that way too"

"Is that what he said?"

"Well, the words he used were 'I almost ended my life' but he said almost so it couldn't have been all that bad"

I chuckled to myself and closed the book in my hands, "I just don't get him. Overall he was...I don't know, relaxed? He didn't seem so wound up"

"That's just the way he is. He's like that with me mostly"

"He can't be happy this way" I pondered.

"Maybe he is, maybe he isn't" Kaoru shrugged, "But he's been this way since we were kids"

"Really? All this time?"

"Well, I mean, since we were teenagers I guess, when we finished school something...changed"

"What changed?"

Kaoru hesitated, "I don't think that's my place to say"

"So there is a reason why?"

"Not a reason per say, just...a turning point"

"Tell me" I sat upright in my chair and studied him, giving him my undivided attention.

Kaoru chewed his lip and crossed his legs, "You have to understand, Hikaru isn't a bad person"

"He seems to want people to think he is"

"Of course he does. When you don't want people getting close to you, what else would you do besides push them all away?"

"What happened to make him feel like that?" I asked, genuine interest evident in my voice, "Kaoru you need to tell me"

"Tell you what?"

The youngest twin and I turned our heads towards the door, and there stood Hikaru, shirtless, wearing a pair of black jogging pants. My breath hitched in my throat at the sight.

"I was just telling Haruhi about...the beach house" Kaoru blurted.

"The beach house?" Hikaru questioned.

"We were talking about what we used to do for fun with the guys"

"Oh" Hikaru murmured, shrugging slightly then looking over towards me, "Hey uh...Mom wanted me to give you these" he held out his hand, a folded garment in his palm.

"What is it?" I asked.

"A litre of milk" he gave me a frustrated look.

"Funny" I replied. He threw the pile to me, and I unfolded the silken material, revealing a beautiful long lilac night gown with lace trim, "Wow" I breathed, "It's beautiful..."

"Yeah well, all your pyjamas are old shirts, it was driving Mom crazy"

"Oh" I replied, "I need to go thank her then" I made a move to stand up, but Hikaru put his palm out to stop me.

"I'll do it" he said grumpily, "Kao, it's late"

Kaoru gave a questioning look.

"Out" Hikaru said, his voice louder this time. I stared at the twins in confusion.

His brother threw his hands up in surrender, "Okay okay, I'm going"

Hikaru's jaw tensed as he watched his brother say goodnight to me, then passed him in the doorway to head to his room, leaving Hikaru and I alone.

"Are you okay?" I questioned.

"Peachy" he grumbled, "Get some sleep, Mom wants to put you to work tomorrow"

"Okay" I nodded, "Goodnight"

"Yeah, night"

And with that, he left the room and shut the door behind him, leaving me in an eerie silence. I changed into the nightdress Hikaru had handed me, smoothing down the silken material that fell to just above my knees, then climbed into bed, leaving my book on the nightstand beside me.

It wasn't until my eyes grew heavy I realised how tired I was, I was slipping into darkness within minutes.

I listened to the quiet comforting hum of music next door, letting it pull me further and further into sleep.