And sometimes I get nervous
When I see an open door
Close your eyes, clear your heart
Cut the cord.
It had been a full week.
A full week since she had uprooted her life, once again. A full week since she had set foot in the Hitachiin estate.
Six days since she had been admitted into Ouran Academy.
Five days since she had been assigned to sit in the same row as the Hitachiin twins and Haruhi Fujioka in Class 1-A.
Four days since Missy had stumbled upon Haruhi in the dressing room after one of the club's cosplays, consequently realizing that the honor student was a female. She had faced the wrath of a distraught Tamaki defending his daughter's innocence, and a calculating Kyoya who threatened unspeakable wrath should she spill her classmate's secret.
Three days since Kaoru had asked her to help him with his math homework because he was 'terrible at calculus.' Missy couldn't understand why his brother couldn't help him. After all, Hikaru was surprisingly good with numbers, something the model appreciated about the older twin.
Two days since Missy had requested a hosting session that was with someone other than the down-to-Earth Haruhi, or the sweet loving (although she did not eat any herself) lolita, Hani-senpai. Honestly, Tamaki's antics would have made a great drinking game.
Take a shot whenever Tamaki compares someone's beauty to an inanimate object.
Take a shot whenever Tamaki calls someone princess.
Take a shot whenever Tamaki touches someone's face without any real reason to.
Take a shot whenever Tamaki blatantly lies about someone's appearance or heart.
And if you wanted to get really smashed, take a shot whenever Tamaki smothers Haruhi with unsolicited affection.
It was a good thing Missy wasn't a drinking person.
One day since Myles had left in a hurry, declaring that his baby sister was getting married in a week and he would never forgive himself if he missed the nuptials. He cried before he left, declaring that Missy would be alone for awhile, but he would be sure to check on her frequently, and that he would be back within a few weeks.
The man had a flair for the dramatics.
And so, it was Sunday morning that Missy found herself in Yuzuha's design studio.
The walls were covered in various sketches, designs, and projects in different stages of completion. The finished ones were easy to find because they were framed with ornate silver filigree. Easels were placed sporadically around the room, sketch pads on them with drawing utensils on the eaves or nearby tables. The law of entropy seemed heavily at play in this particular studio. Large windows and skylights let in natural light for the room, allowing for the chaos of the space to feel almost planned. "Hitachiin-san?" Missy called from the entrance.
"Over here, Missy!" came the voice of the fashion guru. She was standing in front of a large sheet of paper, a pair of denim outlined and several swatches next to her easel. There was pencil tucked behind her ear, and she smiled as she turned to the model that was crossing the room to greet her. "What do you need? Did the boys do something?"
Missy couldn't help but smirk a little at the assumption. After only a week there, Missy was still only beginning to understand how mischievous and and troublesome Yuzuha's sons could be. Just going off of what the brunette had witnessed at club activities, she had seen Hikaru and Kaoru trip Tamaki at least twelve times, cover the senior's costumes in itching powder, and sneak temporary hair dye into his shampoo (they had done that at his house, she just didn't see the effects until club hours when Tamaki had stumbled in with green hair, shrieking at the 'shady doppelgangers').
"No, it's nothing like that. I was just curious about my living situation here. My contract states that my housing will be taken care of by an allowance set by the industry." The teen held a copy of her contract in her hand, pointing at the highlighted section as she passed it to Yuzuha. "Right here."
Yuzuha gave her a funny look as she glanced over the contract. "Well, I suppose it would be little questionable to have you stay here for the rest of high school," she admitted reluctantly. "Let me have one of my secretaries find a real estate agent so that we can find something suitable for you and close to the school."
"Thank you, Hitachiin-sa-"
"Please! Call me Yuzuha!" she said brightly.
Missy was taken aback. She had assumed that a woman older than herself would want to be addressed more formally, or at least include honorifics.
Yuzuha put her hand on the teen's shoulders. "Listen, we're going to be spending a lot of time together, and we're probably going to be very close." She leaned in closer, wrapping her arm around both shoulders, making the the model recognize just where the twins learned their lack of personal boundaries. "In a family business, between me and my boys, it's better to just call us by our names. It makes things less confusing, got it?"
With a quick quirk of her lips, Missy nodded an agreement.
"So, is there any reason you don't want to stay with us?" Yuzuha asked, extricating herself from the model's shoulders and turning her attention back to her work.
"It's nothing against anyone in this family, I just think it would be easier on everyone if I were to live on my own, and it would certainly make my life a little less chaotic," she muttered dryly.
Yuzuha pouted at the comment. "Well, I'm sure I'll still be seeing lot's of you around here."
The model sincerely doubted that she would be returning to the estate frequently once she found a residence of her own. After all, there would be no real need for her to be there for any reasons other than professional ones.
As she was exiting the room, leaving behind a slightly pouty Yuzuha, Missy ran into someone as she turned around the corner. Said person reached out to steady her, hands on both of her forearms to keep them from fully colliding.
Blinking rapidly in surprise, Missy looked up through blue eyes into the face of one of the twins. She didn't really know how to tell them apart at a glance yet, usually having to wait for one of them to speak or do something. However, if she had to guess, she would have guessed Kaoru. Hikaru would have already said something along the lines of 'watch where you're going, commoner!' and she would have had to bite back a retort informing him that she was not actually a commoner, but that commoners had better behavior than he did.
Even a week of interactions had kept the two from getting along.
"Sorry, Missy-chan, I didn't see you there."
And there was another reason that Missy knew it was Kaoru she was talking to. Kaoru had recently changed the honorific he used for her, insisting that 'san' was too boring and 'chan' really suited her.
For a self-proclaimed gentleman, he lacked even the most basic sense of propriety.
"Good timing though, I was looking for you," he stated, his hands still gripping her arms.
Shimmying out of his grasp gently, the brunette continued on her path towards her room. "Why were you looking for me?" she asked over her shoulder.
Kaoru followed, walking beside her, a mischievous glint in his cat-like eyes. He reached out and touched her shoulder to stop her from walking. "I have a favor to ask."
"Can I do your makeup?"
Missy shot him a glare as she continued to brush her hair, parting it on the side.
"Seriously, can I?" he asked again. He was practically pleading as he leaned against the white marble countertop of the vanity in her bathroom.
"Why do you want to do my makeup?" she huffed in reply after dealing with a particularly difficult knot. "Besides, I don't wear a lot of make-up outside of my shoots," the brunette added quickly.
In reply, Kaoru held up an egg shaped sponge with a pointed tip.
"Put the beautyblender down, Kaoru-kun."
He pouted in reply, but refused to put the sponge down. "You're so mean."
Missy sighed as she put the hairbrush down, reaching for a headband to pull her hair back. "Fine. But keep it simple," she warned as she sank into the plush seat next to her. She still had a full view of the mirror and all her cosmetics on the counter.
Kaoru's eyes lit up and he immediately reached for primer. "Hydrating primer? Is your face dry today?" he asked. She shrugged in reply, already regretting her decision.
Pouring a drop of the bottle's contents into his hands, he rubbed it on the tips of his fingers and took a step closer to her, inspecting her face.
Missy closed her eyes, expecting him run his hands roughly over her face, leaving the primer in streaks. Instead, she felt him gently applying pressure to her skin, starting with her nose and working outward in gentle circles. His touch was surprisingly calming, almost soothing.
When he removed his hands from her face, she opened her eyes. A buzz sounded to her right and she reached for her phone on the counter.
Josh: How's school going, scamp? Acing your classes?
She couldn't help but roll her eyes as she typed out her reply.
Missy: I've been here a week. That's hardly ample time to fail a class.
Josh: I did it once.
Missy: Yeah, well, you're special.
Flipping to her music app, she looked up to see Kaoru going through bottles of liquid foundation and holding them up and looking at her.
"Kaoru-kun?"
"Hm?"
". . . Are you trying to mentally swatch my foundation?"
". . . yeah."
She laughed at this. A real laugh, not a gentle chuckle or an exhale that indicated amusement. No, a real laugh.
He had never heard her laugh like that before, the kind of laugh where her whole face lit up and she looked like if it went for too long, she wouldn't be able to breathe.
"It's not funny," he whined at her, because she was still laughing at him, after all.
Missy grinned widely. "Yes it is. And I recommend the one on the right," she stated, pointing to a bottle that he hadn't opened Kaoru began rummaging for a Color Correcting palette, his classmate turned on music. Western pop music, to be exact.
Kaoru wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Who is this?"
"Taylor Swift."
Reaching for the palette that he had finally discovered, he dipped a brush into a peach color to cover the slight purple discoloration under her eyes. "Close your eyes," he asked, stepping towards her again.
She obeyed wordlessly, used to the demands of make-up artists.
To describe the process in one word; gentle. His movements, as they were with the primer, were precise and smooth. When he stepped away from her, Missy opened her eyes. "How many people have you put makeup on?" she asked.
He grinned at her as he set the brush down. "Why? Worried I'll mess up your pretty face?" he cooed.
"Please, there's nothing you could do that would mess up my face," she replied smugly.
"Wanna bet?"
"Not really, no," she laughed. "No, I was just curious because you seem to know what you're doing. I don't know a lot of men that can apply makeup correctly."
Kaoru smirked in reply, pouring liquid foundation on his hand. "I hate to break it to you, but I'm not really 'normal'. But to answer your question, I've helped my mom out at a few shoots. Plus, Hikaru and Tamaki like to dress up Haruhi all the time, which usually requires wigs and makeup."
"She hates makeup, doesn't she?"
"Almost as much as she hates wasting time," he said woefully. He spread the foundation on her cheeks and jawline, moving from her nose outward. "Cream or powder contour?" he asked.
"Powder. Don't forget to set with translucent powder," the model warned.
Picking up a large powder brush, he grinned impishly. "Wouldn't dream of it." Spreading the powder along her face, the brush tickled the top of her neck and she resisted a giggle at his ministrations. Finally, he put the brush down, moving on to the next step.
"I hate cream contour. It takes forever to blend out," he grumbled as he searched for the nearest contour palette.
As he blended the contour on her cheekbone and jawline, taking time to shape her nose, Missy looked down at her phone to read an incoming text message.
Josh: Any security issues I should know about?
Missy: No. My phone is still secure and I haven't hooked up to wifi since I got here to keep it that way.
Josh: You better appreciate that unlimited data plan.
"Missy-chan, can you look up? I need to finish blending."
"Oh, sorry," she said as she looked away from her phone.
Kaoru looked through the products on the counter. "How do you feel about a glow? Just a light one," he added. She wrinkled her nose in reply. "Okay, I get it. A little too much for a Disney movie," he grinned. "What are you wearing?"
"This."
His gaze raked over her outfit and his eyes went wide. "Leggings? Again? Do you even own a dress?"
She rolled her eyes, though she admitted he had a point. Between her uniform and all the dresses she had to wear for formal events and shoots, she preferred to wear more casual attire during her time off. Missy folded her arms over her chest. "I happen to like my leggings," she challenged. "They're comfortable and they make my ass look good."
"Well, I can't disagree with you," he said cheekily.
The model bit her lip to stifle the laughter that was bubbling up. She could tell that he didn't mean it in a derogatory sense, he was just teasing her and acknowledging the truth of her statement.
"Okay, how about a compromise?" he offered.
She raised an eyebrow.
"Belted tunic with leggings and boots."
"Boots, no belt, keep the leggings, hoodie instead of a tunic."
"Boots, tunic and leggings, no belt."
"Keep the boots and leggings, oversized sweater instead?"
He looked at her thoughtfully. "Fine, but I get to pick the sweater," he conceded. "And, you have to accessorize."
"Deal," she replied, sticking out her hand for him to shake. He gave her a confused look for a moment, but then he seemed to understand because he took her hand in his and shook it firmly.
"Deal."
Having found a solution to her dress dilemma, she turned her attention back to her phone.
Josh: How's it going with the terrible twins?
Missy: Lol, they're not that bad. One on one, they're fine.
Josh: Red alert! My big brother sense are tingling! Def Com Five!
Josh: Hey, remember that you're coming home for Christmas, right? I better start looking at concert tickets.
Missy: Your big brother senses need maintenance. And yes, six hour radius drive?
"Hey, who sings this song?"
Kaoru's sudden question pulled Missy from the conversation with her brother. She didn't even have to think before answering. "Taylor Swift."
"Didn't she sing the last song?" he asked, his attention on her new ABH eye shadow palette, a birthday present from her agent, Chloe Laurent.
"Yeah," she replied. "So?"
"Two Taylor Swift songs in a row?"
"I'm a fan, okay?"
Kaoru leaned in close, a cheshire like grin on his face as he expertly held an eyeshadow brush in his right hand. "Wanna know a secret?"
He was close. Like, really close. She could practically smell him, and her immediate thought was not a bad smell.
Missy was not going to let this boy ruffle her feathers. She hadn't let it bother her when he and his brother stole her clothes, so the fact that he happened to smell really good meant absolutely nothing. Lot's of boys smell good. Yeah, she needed to remember that.
He put his hand over the side of his mouth, as if telling a very special secret. "Hikaru likes Taylor Swift, too."
Well that wasn't what she was expecting. "Really?" she asked.
"Oh yeah," he grinned. "He sings 'All Too Well' in the shower sometimes."
"You're lying," she laughed at him. He had to be lying. There was no way that analytical Hikaru enjoyed the overly emotional stylings of . . .
Damn, he could totally be a Taylor Swift fan, now that she thought about it. Emotional with just a dash of jealousy and spite, yet somehow still lovable? He practically was Taylor Swift.
"Damn," she said with a low whistle. "I see it now."
Missy closed her eyes, allowing for Kaoru to brush pigmented colors over her lids, blending in the corners. "He doesn't always understand the words, but he sings along."
"I feel like you've been doing my makeup forever," she whined. "You haven't even done eyeliner!"
Grabbing a liquid eyeliner pen from the counter, he smirked. "I'm thinking a wing."
"Subtle wing. Only on the top."
"Deal."
"Pinky promise?" she asked, sticking out her pinky.
Gingerly, he wrapped his finger around hers. "Pinky promise."
"That's a legally binding contract, I hope you know what you've just done."
"You don't trust me?" he pouted.
"Not as far as I can throw you," she teased back.
True to his impish nature, he continued to pout as he held the eyeliner deftly in his hand.
She closed her eyes in response, ignoring that smirk that still adorned his face. He pressed his thumb against her nose, placing pressure on the bridge as he moved the felt tip above her last line. They both held their breath as he placed the wing tip near the corner, praying that it came out evenly on both eyes.
Missy opened her eyes, surprised to find the wings were to her taste. Small, but still sharp enough to kill a fu*kboi. "Nice," she complimented. "Where'd you learn to do this?"
He scratched his neck nervously, a sheepish look on his face. "Lucky first try, I guess. . ."
"What?! I thought you said you had done Haruhi's before?" the model shouted at him.
The younger twin snorted. "Like Haruhi would let me put such a dramatic statement on her face," he chided before picking out a mascara. "Better than sex?" he read from the label, a suggestive tone in his voice. "How can you even judge that?"
"Give me that!" she scolded, grabbing the mascara from his hands. "You don't deserve to touch this holy grail of a product, you fiendish pretender."
"Hey! That's rude!"
"You could have messed up my face!"
"I thought you said 'there was nothing I could do' to mess up your face," he retorted shrewdly.
The brunette practically growled at his smug expression. "Whatever, I'll handle the mascara. Find my setting spray," she demanded. She leaned in closely to the mirror, applying the product evenly along the top and bottom lashes for dramatic effect.
"Lipstick?" he asked, pulling a liquid bottle from her bag.
"No, I hate the stuff, especially when I might be eating," she replied absentmindedly. "Speaking of stuff I hate . . ." Missy trailed off as she reached for her phone, happy to find a message waiting for her.
Josh: Six hour radius works, that's an easy drive. I'll tell Marisol to start singing 'I'll be home for Christmas' in preparation.
She giggled in reply. Her brother was such a dork. Before she could reply, he sent another text.
Josh: Good luck with whatever you're dealing with that is keeping you from replying. Make good choices!
Missy: Always :)
"You done?" Kaoru asked, pulling her attention from her phone. He held an oversized orange cashmere sweater in his hands. "I pick this one." He then tossed it to her, which she barely managed to catch because, hey, models weren't really known for their athletic ability, and she was no exception. "Hurry up and change," he called over his shoulder as he left the room.
Pulling her t-shirt over her head, she quickly found herself dressed in the outfit Kaoru had picked for her. Soft, comfortable, but relatively fashionable.
And per the favor that Kaoru had asked of her, she found herself outside a movie theater twenty minutes later, accepting his hand as he held the door open for her, waving off the chauffeur. As she stepped out, she noticed that he gestured for Hikaru to do the same for Haruhi as he followed behind her. Unfortunately, as Hikaru held the door open for Haruhi, the honor student seemed completely unaware of host's outstretched hand. As soon as she passed him, Hikaru looked around indignantly, shooting his younger brother an annoyed look.
It was obvious to Missy that someone had forced Haruhi into the spring green dress that she wore, because it seemed unlikely that the no-nonsense host would ever wear something with that much lace. But the model had to admit, she looked adorable. The twins had, of course, sent one of their maids to Haruhi's apartment that morning to help her dress. They had even put some gloss on her lips to complete the effect.
And what an affect it seemed to have on Hikaru.
After handing their tickets over to the teen manning the counter, the students walked inside. Kaoru, ever the pleasant host, turned to Missy. "Do you want anything?" he asked pleasantly, gesturing to the concessions.
Glancing at the list of items, she nodded. "I'm going to go get some kettle corn."
Grabbing, Haruhi's elbow, Hikaru led her over to the snack counter. "Want something?" he asked. Anyone who didn't know him would have heard only annoyance, but Haruhi could tell that he almost sounded . . . nervous.
"We could split some popcorn," the honor student offered. "I don't think I could eat a whole one by myself."
"Oh, um, okay," Hikaru answered, the tiniest bit flustered at the thought of sharing popcorn with Haruhi. After all, that was like indirectly holding hands.
Kaoru stifled an amused grin at his twin's expression. It was sweet how lost he was in expressing his feelings, the feelings that he barely understood, to their naive and unassuming friend. Looking to his left, he followed Missy as she waited in line for the concessions.
"What are you getting?" she asked him, taking another step forward while eyeing a box of raisinettes.
The younger Hitachiin shoved his hands into his pockets before looking at the menu. "Probably just some popcorn. Oh, and some raisinettes," he added quickly, noticing the look she gave the candy.
"Are you a coke of pepsi kind of person?" she asked suddenly.
"Does it matter?"
"I think it does."
"Coke."
She grinned at him, a full grin that looked just the tiniest bit dorky. "Good choice."
As she stepped forward and greeted the cashier, she started ordering, surprising Kaoru in the process. "One small kettle corn, a large popcorn, small diet coke, medium coke, and a box of raisinettes," she rattled off, giving the bored teenager just enough time to enter each item before listing the next one.
"Is that it?" the boy asked her.
"Yep!"
"Three thousand, two hundred yen," he said evenly, reaching to grab the cups to fill with drinks. As she pulled her credit card from her wallet, Kaoru reached over her, trying to hand his card to the cashier.
"What are you trying to do?" Missy asked with raised eyebrows.
"Pay," he said evenly.
An annoyed look crossed her face and she shoved his arm out of the way. "I can pay for myself," she said indignantly.
Kaoru moved his arm back. "I know, but I asked you to do me a favor in coming here. The least I can do is pay for the snacks."
"You bought the tickets," she pointed out.
"I did," he agreed.
The poor cashier looked between the two teens with an annoyed look, both credit cards equidistant from his face. Sighing, he finally vocalize his opinion. "Can you two take this spat somewhere else? I have people to help," he complained as he pushed the popcorn towards them.
"Then take my credit card," she growled at him. The clerk sighed again before taking the model's card and swiping it, and handing it back to her.
Kaoru pouted in reply, picking up the popcorn and drinks before she could grab them. "Hikaru," he said, turning to his brother, "I'm going to go find our seats. Just meet us inside." Hikaru gave his acknowledgement before ordering.
Kaoru only took a few steps before turning back and looking at Missy. "Are you coming?" he asked, trying to bite back his annoyance at her refusal to let him pay.
"Oh, sorry," she replied as she grabbed some straws for their drinks. "I was getting straws." Missy reached forward and grabbed the drinks from him. "Let me carry these."
As she snatched the drinks from his arm, he shot her an appraising look. "I get it now."
"What?" she asked as they continued to walk towards their designated theater.
After pulling the door open for her, she uttered a quiet thank you in reply.
The slightest smirk adorned his face. "You're independent," he said slowly as he scanned the rows for the numbers on their tickets. "It's that one," he pointed to the row just behind the railing.
"I am," Missy stated unapologetically as she made her way towards their seats. Upon arrival, she frowned slightly before a knowing look crossed her face. "I see why you wanted me to come here with you."
"Is it that obvious?" Kaoru asked with a grin.
The seats were, as many new or refurbished theaters were, made to accommodate two people on a sort of couch with cup holders. There was an armrest in the middle to allow for separation of space, but the two seats were linked together.
"It is now," she laughed slightly as she sat down in the seat farthest to the right. "If I hadn't come, either Hikaru would have sat with you, effectively ruining your plan to have him sit with Haruhi, or," she added mischievously as she placed her diet coke in its designated holder, "you would have had to sit alone, and neither of those things are very fun."
Kaoru ran a hand through his hair and laughed, setting his popcorn down and immediately reclining in his seat, spreading out his long legs. "Nothing gets past you, does it?"
Missy only winked in reply as she tossed a piece of kettle corn in her mouth.
"I bet you can't catch in your mouth if you throw it in the air," he challenged her.
She raised an eyebrow in response. "What are the stakes?"
"If you miss on the first try, you have to request Hikaru and I every day this week at club."
"You're just going to annoy the hell out of me, aren't you?" she said warily. His smile only broadened in response.
Missy smirked. "Fine, but if I win, you owe me a dog, of my choosing."
"Pinky promise?" he asked, sticking out his hand.
"Pinky promise."
The model looked down at her kettle corn confidently. "Okay, I'm gonna make this popcorn my bitch." Gingerly, she threw a piece in the air. It sailed maybe two feet above her head, straight up. She opened her mouth wide, just in time to see Kaoru grab the piece of kettle corn in his hand and pop it straight into his mouth.
"Hey, that's cheating!" she huffed indignantly.
"Ugh, this is disgusting. How can you eat this?" he coughed out before gulping coke from his cup. "And we never said I couldn't intercept it."
"It was implied."
"Implications are kind of risky, don't you think?"
Settling back into her seat, she resigned herself to her fate. "Fine, but I'm going to be the most annoying customer you've ever had," she warned.
"Good luck. Renge-chan requested us once. Never again," he said with a shiver.
Missy smiled, remembering the cheerful yet bossy girl in their class. After meeting her a few times at the club, and sharing a class with her, Missy could confidently say she understood why the twins didn't go along with her demands. "I get the feeling the Host Club was much wilder last year," she observed.
Leaning further back into his seat, Kaoru's voice dropped to a whisper as the previews started, as well as a warning to silence their cell phones. "You could say that. It was only the second year the club was around, and when Haruhi joined, it caused quite a stir. Even now, we're still adjusting because things never seem to stop changing."
"Yeah, but that's life, isn't it?" the model asked. "Oh, I see Hikaru and Haruhi!" she whispered back to him. She waved her hand up high to get their attention from the entrance to the theater.
After walking up the stairs, Hikaru and Haruhi greeted the two before taking the seats next to them. Hikaru, naturally, sat next to his brother.
After sitting down, Haruhi pulled a water bottle out from her purse. Both twins shot her a look. "You know you're not supposed to have outside stuff, right?"
Haruhi rolled her eyes in response. "Like I'm going to waste six hundred yen on a water bottle," she said before taking a sip from the bottle.
As Haruhi was speaking, a thought struck Missy and she immediately voiced it, leaning over Kaoru to be a little closer to the honor student. "Haruhi-chan, you live in an apartment, right?"
"Yeah, with my dad."
"And it's pretty close to Ouran, right?"
"It's not a very long walk, so I guess so."
Missy grinned widely, reaching over to silence her cell phone as another reminder projected on the large screen. "Any vacancies?"
"Missy-chan, no offense or anything, but wouldn't you rather live somewhere really nice?"
"Yeah, what's wrong with our house?" both twins protested, offended that she would rather live in a commoner dwelling than their elegant estate.
The two girls shushed both their friends, effectively silencing them with intent glares. "Not really. I'd rather live on my own than in someone else's house."
Haruhi looked thoughtfully at the girl sitting by Kaoru. She seemed determined to live on her own, and she was independent enough that she could probably do it. "I'll check with my landlord tomorrow, but I think one of my neighbors said she was moving out at the end of the month," she offered.
"Awww thanks, Haruhi-chan!" Missy said with a smile, quickly leaning back in her own seat as the lights began to dim, announcing the final trailers and the start of the movie.
Everyone settled in, popcorn/kettlecorn, within reach and plenty of room for them to sprawl in. After the first song, Kaoru leaned over to whisper to Missy, pulling the raisinettes from his pocket. "Raisinette?" he asked, moving the box towards her.
Missy glared at the box in reply. "I hate those things. Nasty little fruits masquerading as candy? Little deceiving bastards," she giggled before returning her attention to the movie.
Kaoru looked sheepishly at the box in his hand. He had seen her eyeing them, so he thought she wanted them. "Why'd you buy them, then?" he whispered.
"You said you wanted them," she whispered back.
"I saw you looking at them! I thought you wanted them!"
She rolled her eyes. "I look at them in disdain. If I'm going to have chocolate, it's going to be good chocolate. Or chocolate covered almonds," she added.
And with that, they both turned their attention back to the film. To their left, Hikaru was having an internal battle, debating whether or not to grab Haruhi's hand, as it was sitting right next to the popcorn, and did she want him to grab it, or was she just resting it there? No, he reasoned with himself. Haruhi was blunt and direct. She would have grabbed his hand if she wanted to hold it.
Partway through, Kaoru looked over to see Missy at the edge of her seat, mouthing along the words to the songs.
"How do you know the words? This movie just came out," he whispered at her.
"I've been listening to it since the soundtrack was released. Lin-manuel Miranda wrote this song!"
"Who?"
"Oh never mind. Americans love him, though," she said before taking a sip of her diet coke and going back to mouthing the words. By the next song, she had graduated from barely mouthing to softly singing along.
Kaoru had to stifle a laugh. It was too precious. She was like a little kid, sitting at the edge of her seat with her legs pulled up in her chair, kettle corn in her lap. Her eyes were wide in wonder as the animation colored the screen brightly and the music shifted to a language that neither of them knew. She wiggled along to the music, completely transfixed by the sound.
Yes, technically Kaoru had invited Missy to the movies so that Hikaru wouldn't feel obligated to sit with him. He wanted his brother to grow, and Haruhi was the best way to facilitate that.
But he was certainly glad that he chose to bring Missy along over anyone else.
A/N: Okay, this is the longest chapter by far. Y'all said you wanted fluff, so there's some friendship type, possibly future romantic, fluff in here. You're welcome.
Also glad to see the bitchy whining is the way to get you guys to review. Sorry about being so needy, but I appreciate the feedback immensely. I also usually wait at least two days between updates so that everyone has a chance to read the previous chapter. This one is a little early, so consider it a thank you for all the lovely reviews!
Replies:
Featherheart4248: Thanks! OC stories are so hit and miss, but I'm glad you think mine is a hit!
Lucifer Dragonlordh: I melted after reading your review. Seriously. So wonderful to hear what you're thinking and that you don't hate me for how slow this story feels sometimes.
Dawn725: Hey! Keep up the great reviews! They inspire me to get my lazy ass in gear.
Bell Cooper:Your wish is my command, dear one.
Guest: You know my pain! Lately I've been trying to review on every chapter update because I'm beginning to understand how much it sucks to not get any responses. I need validation. Sue me! Hahaha, glad you like the story!
Nameless-dono:Ugh the mushy feels. You gotta earn the mushy goodness that make you feel all soft and gooey inside! It's so much sweeter having waited for it.
Wendy imouto chan: Bless you for reviewing my dumb story again. Blessings upon your entire household. I saw that you said you were reading the Sound of Resonance and I cringed. I haven't updated that in forever, and I've almost deleted it twice, but I just don't have the heart to. What if I ever circle back to it? I don't even know, friend.
Kankananime123: I love Hikaru. Seriously, what a great character. He's fun to write because he gets to be emotional all the time, but he's so dorky. I'm working on a later chapter right now that's just Hikaru and Kaoru being such nerds and omg I love it.
Guest: Yeah, I was trying to slip in the fact that they're getting used to her. Like, they're so accustomed to her now that they don't even have to say her name to know who they're talking about. Also, they're basically on the same wavelength so . . .
I thought it was cute, too! Like, subtle influence that she already is. What a treasure, that Missy!
Reflectioncat: Oh man, faster updates? I'm doing the best I can right now. A lot of the chapters I have completed are later chapters that wouldn't make sense. They're key moments that I'm having the story build to, does that make sense? It forces me to think ahead when I write like that. So I have a scene written that probably won't happen for at least three chapters, but I know that I have to build to that because I reaaallllyy want to post that chapter. Also, look at my older stories. I was an absolute garbage writer, and my update time is frequently shit. And yet, here we are. You're reading my story and you seem to enjoy it. I recommend getting a few chapters ahead before you post anything. That way, if something comes up, you're not scrambling to post on time. And, Kyoya is actually a softie. He'll be a key player later and he's helping Missy more than she knows.
SlytherinPerfect2014:Awww thanks, dear. I'm trying, I'm really trying to write scenes with characters besides Kaoru and Missy (but Kaoru is my fav so I'm reluctant to).