Good Morning my dearies!
Holy crap it is 1:32 am here... I am tired but I wasn't going to stop writing until I finished this, even my boyfriend passed out waiting for me to finish this, lol poor darling. Well my lovlies here is my latest chapter! I know its late and and it took a week to update but I went through a series of writers block, sleep depravity and I've been asked to cover for another. BUT ENOUGH COMPLAINING ON WITH THE STORY! There are links on my profile if you are curious. You'll understand after reading!
WARNING: NO KIDDIES ALLOWED! Sorry my little dears but this is rated M for a reason! Read at your own peril!
Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host club characters or any of works done by Bisco Hatori! If I did we all know I would have made it much more of a love fest...maybe
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Chapter 5: I'm No Cinderella
It was the day before the Host clubs opening ball and there was so much to do, but first Haruhi would have to go meet up with the group not in the new club room, but in the ballroom that they would be using the next day. Tamaki had decided that since she and the twins were now attending the University as well, that their use of the high school music room number three was no longer necessary. Now they would be occupying one of the private lounges. She had no idea which private lounge though or where the ballroom was for that matter, it was definitely a good thing she had the twins with her. Having her last class in the building right next to theirs, they made it a point to come get her.
"So why are we having this meeting?" she asked out loud to the twins.
"Du-know" Hikaru replied.
"Boss only said we're getting more involved" Kaoru chipped in.
"With what?"
"Du-know, supposed to meet in the main ballroom" they said in unison.
Completely clueless to what they were about to do, they headed towards the main building where most of the important events were held. The halls were long and winding but they knew where they were taking her, so she had some faith that they would get to their destination soon, she hoped. Reaching the double doors that she assumed was the entrance to grand chamber where Tamaki and the rest would be.
"Haruhi!" the three heard her name called as soon as they opened the doors.
"Get away from my daughter you corruptive evil twins!" Tamaki all but yelled from across the ball room.
"Chill boss she asked us to walk her here" Hikaru fibbed.
That was such a lie! If anything they waited for her class to end to drag her along with them. They really needed to stop using her as an excuse to get out of trouble, it never even worked it the first place .
"So what's up boss, why are we here?" questioned Kaoru looking from where they stood, they saw men in uniforms who looked like they were setting up the ballroom for tomorrows festivities. Several men on ladders where hanging flowers above the windows, wait was that Mori on one of the ladders with Honey on his shoulders? They too were helping to decorate, and there Kyoya stood in with several of the men, assuming he was giving then instructions from his black book. While others were setting up candle floor stands all over, or were setting up other equipment on the second floor balconies.
Tamaki hurried excitedly over to the trio "Isn't it great! I decided we needed to get more involved in our soirees so that we can appreciate what we do more! So when our lovely customers feel as though they have entered their dreams, we can take pride in knowing we made their fantasies come to life!"
She was amazed at his dedication "wow sempai that was deep"
"Lame" the twins blurted out.
"You just wanted a chance to spend time with Haruhi and take her from us" they declared in unison.
His smile faded in a furious outraged expression "That's not it at all, and you shouldn't be stalking my daughter in the first place!"
They went back and forth for a bit quarreling with each other until she started to get a headache from it. No, nothing changed from how they were in high school, but it was where she wanted to be, whether they acted like complete idiots or not.
"Cut it out guys lets get to work" she said taking off her school jacket and rolling up her sleeves. Tamaki gave her a look of pure adoration till he was trample over by the twins who began cradling her head between them, mumbling praises. They wouldn't get anywhere with this going on, that is till she felt their arms being pulled away from her.
"Haruhi your so understanding of daddies feelings!" she was picked up and swung around said daddy. Starting to feel motion sickness hit her she prayed that he would put her down.. Her prayer was answered by the twins who grabbed him by his collar and started dragging him away.
"Haruhi!" Tamaki cried stretching his arms out to her.
"I'm going to see what needs done upstairs you guys... help out when your done I guess" basically talking to herself as she left them behind to bicker amongst themselves, completely oblivious to her departure.
A couple hours after helping out the groups upstairs with the decorations, the tables, the light she was irritated. she could call it helping out but that wasn't true, the professionals would barely let her even touch any of the equipment. How was this suppose to count as getting more involved? In the end she was giving them directions on where to place everything, it was so dull. Anything that was left to do up there would be prepared tomorrow, seeing as there was nothing more to do up there she decided it was time to take a breather away from the stuffy aristocracy lackies.
Standing on the balcony she took in the beautiful sight from above, they really spared no expense when they created the garden that covered most of the landscape in her view., it was extravagant but set the mind at ease. She was so entranced by the garden she didn't hear the footsteps behind her.
"It's beautiful isn't it" she recognized the voice as Tamaki's.
"Yeah I've never seen anything like it"
"My father had it commissioned right after I was born, it's modeled after the Chateau Versailles in France."
"For your mother?" she immediately regretted asking ever so bluntly.
He nodded solemnly "For my mother."
She knew very little about his mother except that she raised him and that they were not allowed to see each other. His father must have really loved her to build such a lavish garden, always able to keep a little remembrance of her near.
"I'm sorry Tamaki-sempai, I shouldn't have said anything"
"Don't be Haruhi" Gazing out at the garden as if reminiscing days his childhood. He reached out for her hand, holding it gently to which she did not pull away but just looked up at him.
"Honestly when I'm here with you all I don't worry about what my family expects of me, sure I still grin and bear it at the end of the day but here I can be myself. Especially with you."
"Why me?"
"You put my mind at ease most the times and don't look at me like a status or an heir, you just see me" She smiled. After their high school years together they had grown close. She thought of him like a protective older brother, sure he had some insane antics… okay a lot. But he would always put the needs of others above his own and help in whatever way he could. She admired him a great deal, but she'd never let him know that, less risking his head filling up with even more hot air.
"What are you talking about, we all see you as our idiot leader, Sempai" she laughed.
"Don't be mean to your daddy like that!" he cried.
They stayed like that for a while just staring out over the garden till the twins yelled at them from inside to stop being lazy and help out, to which they returned inside to help prepare for tomorrows event.
She had arrived at the mansion with a few minutes to spare, and this time without Aedan's deadly driving maneuvers.
"How was your first day working for the masters?" he asked from the driver's seat.
She was trying so hard to block out the events of the previous night. She really needed to be more careful from now on since Kyoya wouldn't be as forgiving as he had shown to be.
"Well I survived" she said nervously.
"Which one do you work for anyway?"
"Master Kyoya" he laughed at her answer.
"You poor thing! You'll regret it by the end of the month"
"What do you mean?"
"Well look at it this way; like him his brothers are natural geniuses, but him being the youngest has always had to prove himself and tries to get ahead of them. So he's more of a hard-ass then the rest of them."
She was ready to protest but she couldn't help but feel that there was some truth to that, being around him all these years showed that he had countlessly tried and succeeded in proving his fidelity and proficiency in any and all tasks set for himself. Also saying that they were friends wasn't such a good idea either, it might prove troublesome if other staff knew he had hired his friend as a favor.
Her door opened snapping her back to reality, Aedan held his hand out to her.
"I hope you survive again today Haruhi, I like having someone my age around here" he flashed his usual grin at her, without saying a word she returned the smile before starting up the stairs to the mansion.
Per usual she knocked on the study door and waited for his invitation inside, once inside she greeted him and then immediately took her seat on the floor, continuing from where she left off last time. She found herself occasionally glancing over at Kyoya. Did he think about last night? She did. She never thought that she would see a naked man, especially a naked Kyoya, before she was married. Yea she had gone to the beach with the hosts and seen them shirtless but this was entirely different. He had only been covered by a towel that could have, no, it did drop! When she arrived home she went to her room and beat up her brain, trying to make it forget what had happened. He probably didn't give it much thought, its not like he could easily get embarrassed.
Hours had flown by and she was beginning to work at a more natural fast pace. She knew where to look for what numbers, what names, and which binder they would be placed in. She was still in the process of getting used to keeping her legs tightly locked together on one side of her and sitting in an upright position. Todays dress was just as comfortable but longer then yesterdays, she wore a midnight blue, chiffon and lace dress today. She just made sure that every once in a while to shift, relieving some of the pressure and discomfort but she wouldn't let it affect her work.
"Time for some Tea Haruhi"
Interrupting her focus on the current document in her hand, she knew fighting him on this would be as futile as it had proved to be yesterday.
"Should I bring a whole bag of sugar this time or will the bowl hold enough?" She asked jokingly.
"That all depends how much of an effort you actually put in this time" he replied
'Jerk!' she mentally screamed
Oh she would put effort into it alright, she would effort the pants off that tea!
When she returned this time she made sure the tray looked perfect, this time she had found a creamy white porcelain with pink petals, indigo blues and sage greens- accented heavily with gold, with additional gilt accents throughout. Added on the side for 'Bonus points' she found some Yōkan in the fridge and set it on one of the small plates, to top it all off she made some jasmine tea. This should exceed all his expectations, no way would she fail this time.
"Master Kyoya the tea is ready."
He tore his face away from the screen long enough to give her an amused look as he examined the fine porcelain she had chosen.
"We'll see" he said smugly
She showed no facial change but grinned in her mind, he was about to drink those words. Sitting the tray on the desk she poured both cups full with tea and sat back on the couch watching him intensely waiting for the satisfactory shock on his face; that she did a damn good job.
He knew what she was waiting for and he was all too happy to oblige.
Taking a sip of the tea poured he let the flavor sit for a moment before swallowing. After a moment he poured only half the sugar bowl in the tea this time.
"Sixty-eight points" he announced.
"No way I tried really hard this time!" She voiced with agitation.
"The tea set was chosen exquisitely, but green tea served with Yōkan is much more savory then when served with Jasmine in my personal opinion. So the bonus points were deducted instead of added and the tea quality is average" he concluded.
Without saying a word she guzzled down her tea in a very unladylike manor, then sat the cup down and crossed her arms, unsatisfied with his answer.
"You will give me a perfect score one day and when you do you will be in complete awe" she declared.
"If you manage above a ninety I will be in awe, but that requires going the extra mile. Don't hurt yourself." He challenged with a taunting grin on his face.
She vowed to wipe that smart ass grin off his face and when that day came she would knock him off his high horse, oh it would be so rewarding.
"That reminds me through that door is a dress, try it on to make sure it fits" he said as if it had just dawned on him.
"But I already have a lot of work outfits I don't need anymore."
"It's for the ball tomorrow night."
For the ball? But she was a host so she was supposed to dress in as a boy in that case. There's no way it was like the situation as Kanako's, or anything of that similar nature.
"I'll explain when you show me the dress"
she had to give him a preview of her in the dress as well? Maybe if she was lucky it would be a simple dress and wouldn't prove too much of a challenge to walk in. Going through the door he had pointed to she found herself in what seemed like a small but decent size fitting room with a a powder table against the right wall and on the opposite wall in the corner was a full size body mirror. She was so wrong in hoping that the dress would be simple. Hanging on the mirror was a sparkling light blue Evening gown, that dipped a little low in the back, with a sheer bodice adorned with beaded sequins.
Giving herself a confidence boost she began to undressed, never had she tried something this elegant on, or this girlie. it was so feminine and she... she wasn't. pushing aside her disarrayed thoughts went over to the dress and ran her hand over the material of the skirt portion, it was so soft. Taking the dress down she undid the buttons on the back on the dress and carefully stepped in, after she adjusted the sleeves so they were high up on her shoulder, almost to her neck. but as she reached back to button herself up, and after a couple of minutes with several attempts, no what direction she stretched her arms she could reach the last few buttons. Then she heard a knock on the door.
"Are you alright in there? You've been in there awhile"
"Yeah I'm just having some trouble buttoning up I'll be out in a minute" she would have to spin it backwards and button it up from the front.
"I'm coming in" he announced.
"Don't! its okay I'll get it!"
But it was too late, he had already opened the door making his entrance. She spun around so that he couldn't see her back.
"I can get it I just need a minute"
He walked over to her "you had several minutes and failed, I doubt one more will make a difference, turn around"
She slowly turned her back towards him, but now she facing the mirror and as clear as day could see the rosiness of her cheeks. Attempting to hide her embarrassment she lowered her head. Waiting for him to button her up she heard him sigh then he started undoing them one by one.
"Master Kyoya I need them done up not down!" she tried looking over her shoulder to him in a panic.
"I will, as soon as I fixed the mesh you have created. Most the alignments are off, honestly Haruhi." He informed her.
With her face aflame, she lowered her head once more. Why was she getting so embarrassed? He was just helping her out. He seemed to be moving at a glacial pace with his fingers just barely grazing down her skin. It felt weird giving her goosebumps all over, would she ever get used to this work lifestyle? Probably not. Suddenly his touch disappeared as he finished unbuttoning her she felt the dress lay loosely upon her shoulders. The she felt his hands rest on top on the dresses sleeves and start to drag them off her shoulders. Panic once again hit her.
"What are you doing!" she gripped the front of her dress for dear life.
"You are wearing this wrong, it's supposed to curve slightly off the shoulders, otherwise it will not fit properly" he retorted.
Hesitantly she loosened her grip and allowed him continue his ministrations. He released the sleeves on the curve of her shoulders, if not for her grip the gown surely would have fallen off until she could feel his hands back at work on the buttons with his fingers casually trailing up her spine giving her goosebumps once again.
With the last button fastened, he moved one hand to rest on her forearm while the other slid under her chin raising her head up so that she could see herself. The image before her was unfamiliar to her. Inside the mirror she could see a young women she looked…beautiful. The top accentuated whatever curves she had, she even had slight cleavage. When had that happened? the dress man her look not teenage girlie but like an actual graceful women. All she did was change clothes but the sight before her astounded her. And behind the fair lady was the boy, no, the man Kyoya. Through his eyes shown appraisal to the women before him. That women in the mirror was her, leaving her speechless, so Kyoya spoke for her.
"Lovely" he raised her hand to his lips "Like a princess from a fairytale" he laid a kiss upon her hand before returning it to her side.
Pulled from her train of thought she looked at him through the mirror "Why am I wearing a dress tomorrow, I'm a host I need a suit" she stated bluntly.
"You will wear one, but everyone agreed for a short period during the night you would dress as a girl, they wanted a chance to dance with you."
"That's such crap Tamaki-sempai and the twins probably just wanted to see me look like this, I'm surprised it's not frillier." she sounded miffed.
"Oh their original choice was" he grinned "but I protested, seeing you in a pink, poofy, frill covered dress would have made anyone's eyes sore"
"Oh god… people will recognize me if they look close enough." she frowned.
"That thought has already been considered, that is why it is now a Masquerade"
Of course, anything to see her in a dress. They could just ask, but she would just turn them down with a glare and a fist to the head if they were so persistent on it. Maybe after she changed into the dress she could sneak away without anyone noticing, well maybe.
"I took the liberty of choosing this for you, though it is a bit less modest then what you've worn beforehand. I doubt anyone will complain" he spoke as his eyes traveled about her figure. She had a figure. She thought her body wouldn't develop past the point of curve-less body of a child, but she had developed without much notice.
"I'm sure tomorrows events will prove most invigorating" his hands taking leave of her body.
"For you guys, i'll be too focused on trying not to trip and fall flat on my face in heels" predicting the inevitable doom that awaited her.
"You may be surprised, until then go home and brush up on your gracefulness, goodnight princess Haruhi" with that he exited the room leaving her alone staring at herself.
Graceful? When had she ever been graceful? Not to bash herself but she was anything but the image of a princess more or less a women! Tomorrow would prove to be a challenge, but not as challenging as it would be to figure out how to get out of that dress now.
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Yōkan:a thick, jellied dessert made of red bean paste, agar, and sugar. It is usually sold in a block form.
HAHAHAHA!
Not sure what to think of this chapter? But I hope you enjoy!
The links for both her dresses on my profile if you are curious go look for yourselves! I'm sorry for the late update please forgive me! Please leave me reviews with ideas or criticism, it's your call! Well I'm going to bed, GOOD NIGHT!
Tatty bye now dearies!