The first time Kise raised the topic, Daiki scoffed and shot him down immediately.
"No," was his curt, non-negotiable answer.
He also made to proceed with his activities before Kise's interruption to drive his point home.
His point, of course, being that he had absolutely no interest in Kise's blather.
"Oh, come on, please, Aominecchi?" the blonde whined—that's right, outright whined—as he grabbed hold of Daiki's sleeve before the Touou ace could brush past him. "It would really, really help me out if you agreed to this for me. Please?"
The model then gave him one of his most convincing puppy dog eyed looks, obviously believing that pleading in this way with the navy-haired male was going to change his opinion.
Daiki opened his mouth to tell Kise exactly how well his grimace was working out for his cause when he noticed something. Rather, it was brought to his notice from the muted giggle that flitted to his sensitive ears.
What Daiki noticed was that throughout this whole charade, Satsuki had stayed quiet. Her sudden giggle attack made him roll his eyes to fix on her face.
He saw her pressing her fingers daintily to her lips, trying—in vain—to suppress her laughter.
"What?" he snapped at her then, bringing her out of her reverie.
His outburst directed Kise's attention to her, too, and he gave the two childhood friends an inquisitive look, feeling very much out of the loop.
"Nothing," she said but neither of her male companions bought it. "It's just—" A snort of a laugh punctured her words and then she couldn't hold it in anymore.
She burst out laughing, trying her best to be as dignified about it, but failing miserably. Especially when she ended up smacking a hand to her knee in an 'I give up' kind of fashion. She continued laughing under the intense scrutiny of the two basketball aces, the gaze of one growing increasingly puzzled with every passing second, and the expression of the other growing increasingly sourer over the span of her outburst.
Once she calmed down, there were tears springing from the corner of her eyes.
"I'm sorry," she apologized and thought she sounded sincere. She was convincing nobody as she barely suppressed a new wave of giggles. "It's just that—" To her credit, this time she did a better job at containing her laughing fit than the last time she attempted it. "Imagining Dai-chan as a host—Oh damn, I'm going to start laughing again."
Truthfully, when Kise first mentioned it, Daiki already made up his mind on the spot to turn him down. After all, what business of Aomine's was it that Kise needed a couple of months training as a host in order to be convincing in his first movie role?
Better yet, what did Daiki care that Kise felt insecure and lost and felt the need to cling to another familiar person while he started out a new temporary job?
Not to mention, Aomine wasn't generally a person who accommodated others' whimsies. He only went along with other people's nonsense only if it suited his own desires.
Becoming a host was definitely not on Daiki's agenda, thank you very much.
He already had his hands full with basketball practice and willing himself to go to school every day. Apparently, being a third-year at Touou supposed that he should set a better example for the underclassmen. Also, his mother seemed to think that it was about time she made sure that he thought of compulsory education as strictly compulsory as well.
But the biggest and most important argument of all, was that Daiki didn't care about this host bullshit to even consider giving it a try.
Satsuki's reaction, however, pushed his buttons in a way that no amount of begging and puppy dog eyes on Kise's part would ever be able to achieve.
"And just what is so funny about that?" he demanded in a taut voice and a tight-lipped quip.
The pink-haired manager threw him an almost incredulous look over her (needlessly fancy and huge) non-alcoholic cocktail.
"Are you kidding?" she queried, laughter bubbling in her voice. The deadpan look on Daiki face and the glare in his eyes told her he wasn't. "Hosts are supposed to be kind, polite, charming and gentlemanly. They flatter girls, and pay them compliments, serving them with a smile and making intelligent conversation about things their companions care about, and need to look sharp."
Daiki's eyes narrowed at that, and Satsuki quirked a finely shaped eyebrow at him.
"Dai-chan, you can do none of those." After a critical once-over of his frame—which, by the way, served to only infuriate him further—she added, "Well, I guess you could probably look sharp if you put some effort in it, but the rest is impossible for you."
She proceeded to take a large sip of her drink through her long straw, ignoring the seething glare she was receiving from her childhood friend.
"Really now?" Daiki began, his hand clenching into a tight fist on the table. "And thinking of me trying to do something so out of character as being a host in a club makes you laugh so hard that you end up crying?"
The reminder made her giggle again, which in turn made her childhood friend bristle with indignation.
"Yeah," she agreed with a small nod, taking another sip of her drink. She eyed him curiously through her thick eyelashes, noticing for the first time the firmly set line his lips were in. "What?" she asked this time, oblivious to the damage she had caused.
"Kise," Daiki began, making the other boy start.
"Yes!" the model all but squeaked out, his voice strained.
Throughout their entire exchange he had chosen to remain silent for fear of making matters even worse. He wasn't entirely sure what had been going on, but he did have a sneaking suspicion that it was not good to interfere with it—whatever it was.
"Sign me up for it." At the nonplussed looks from both his companions at the table, Daiki gave Kise a snarl. "I'll do the host thing with you, like you wanted me to. I'm in."
It took Ryouta a few seconds to wrap his mind around his friend's words. When he did, Daiki found a hard time fending the blonde off of himself as the model tried to hug him and, judging by the way his head was reclined, possibly even kiss him in gratitude.
"Thank you, Aominecchi!" he wailed out as he kept trying to hug his once-teammate.
Satsuki made a thoughtful hum as she surveyed the boys engaged in an improvised tug of war with each other. Dai-chan as a host, huh? Now this was something she'd have to see first-hand.
After all, if the notion of it was so funny, the real thing—she was convinced—would be hilarious.
That same evening, upon arriving home, Daiki slammed the front door shut rather forcefully behind him. He still felt ill-tempered about Satsuki's ridiculing him in the café, and the condescending little giggle she had hidden behind her hand when they separated to go into their respective houses had definitely not helped her case.
"Welcome home, Daiki," his mother called to him from the kitchen.
"Yeah, I'm back," he muttered, still somewhat displeased, but his anger simmering down now that he was back to the comfort of his home.
You know, where his loving and supporting family was, no inconsiderate friends around.
"Are you okay? You seem miffed," his mom surmised, stirring the dish being cooked on the stove with a metal ladle. "Did you have a fight with Sacchan again?" she ventured an educated guess, understanding dawning in her eyes at the look her son gave her.
"I'm fine, just tired from practice," he assured the woman as he made his way up the stairs towards his room. Once at the stairs, he stopped mid-step, turning to look over his shoulder at his mother in their small kitchen. "I'm going to start coming home a bit later these days, mom. Going to start a part time job. So you won't need to make me any supper."
He seemed to believe that was enough explanation as he proceeded to climb the stairs only to be stopped by his mother calling out to him.
"This is the first time I hear you wanting to work," she reasoned as she continued watching the pot. "And, besides, what kind of work keeps you out so late?"
"I'm going to spend a couple of months as a host," he told her matter-of-factly with a noncommittal shrug and turned to climb the stairs towards his room.
He hardly even noticed the metallic clank of the ladle hitting the floor after having slipped through his mother's stiff fingers.
After a brief verbal scuffle with his mother—focused solely on the topic of hosts and his eligibility or otherwise to be one as long as he was living under the woman's roof—Daiki retreated to his room to his room to do a quick once-over of his wardrobe.
Upon a thorough search, he was once again reminded that he owned barely anything other than sports pants and jerseys. That would most certainly not do. He was sure that if he showed up at whatever club Kise was going to be working at, dressed like that, the people there would throw him out faster than he would able to make any kind of excuse for himself.
That thought reminded him of Satsuki's reaction and he felt that jab of annoyance boil up inside him again.
His father's wardrobe it was then.
After a quick search of his father's clothes, Daiki managed to find only a navy shirt that was to his taste. The rest of his father's garments either didn't fit him or didn't suit him at all.
The Touou ace heaved a sigh. He guessed he'd have to go shopping tomorrow for some clothes fitting of his new work place.
His eyes widened in surprise when he saw Kise waiting by the school gates of Touou High the next day. When he approached, the blonde saluted him merrily, the joy coming off of him in waves.
"Hey, Aominecchi!" the model greeted and Daiki did his best to ignore the myriad female gazes fixed upon the two of them.
He'd always found it quite fascinating how Kise could stand to be the centre of attention of so many stares without breaking out in cold sweat. The blonde still had leagues to go before he could be Daiki's equal on the court (and he maintained this was not denial on his part), but the navy-haired boy had to give it to his counterpart that he was definitely something when it came to his modelling work.
"Yo, Kise," he greeted noncommittally, trying his best to be nonchalant. "What are you doing here?"
Ryouta grinned, showing rows of pearly white teeth. He threw an arm around Daiki's shoulders before he could say anything else.
"I'm here to cover your image-change expenses!"
Daiki's puzzled expression and an undignified "Haa?" was all the response the dark haired teen could manage before getting hauled off by his arm by a very eager Kise.
Image-change expenses, as it turned out, was code for 'We're going shopping'.
Even though his initial—instinctive—reaction had been to resist, Daiki soon relented and just went along with Ryouta's pace. After all, he had never bought this kind of stuff and he didn't even know what he'd need, so the presence of someone a bit more into this business was probably going to prove helpful, right?
Wrong.
Daiki expected to go home with a new pair of pants, maybe a suit coat and another shirt at most.
He ended up dragging about half a store's worth of bags.
No matter how much he insisted against it, Kise had maintained that he needed appropriate shoes to go with his new pants. The blonde had also assured him that having just one single shirt was unacceptable and had gone ahead to choose another three more for him.
The third tie, Daiki believed, was a bit of a stretch, even if he did agree to the first two when Ryouta stressed how important they were for a smart image.
He hadn't even considered it before Kise pointed it out, but he owned only anti-perspiration deodorants, so the boys ended up talking to the lady in the perfumery for a length of time too great for Daiki's comfort before they finally emerged from the store with two new bottles of cologne for the Touou ace.
Just as he thought the nightmare was finally over, and he was free to go home, Kise dragged him into a beauty parlour of some sort and asked if they had any hair gel of this brand or another.
Aomine stared at Kise with a muscle twitching right under his eye.
"I am not going to use that on my hair, Kise," he insisted, trying his best to get away from the blonde before he could touch his fingers smeared with that thing to Daiki's tresses.
Ryouta pouted theatrically, giving his friend the most withering glare he could manage.
"Come on, Aominecchi, stop being difficult. I'll just show you how to do it now, so you'll know how to do it yourself next time." When the dark-skinned boy continued his resistance, Ryouta decided to bring out the proverbial big guns. "Okay, fine—then I'll come earlier to your house tomorrow and help you get ready properly before we drop by the club."
At this, Aomine stopped trying to push the blonde away and figuratively threw in the towel as he dropped his hands to his sides. Kise grinned and took that as an invitation to work some magic in Daiki's hair.
Once he was done, he steered his friend around until he could take a look at himself in one of the store's strategically positioned mirrors.
"Well, what do you think?"
Daiki gave a melodramatic sigh, before shaking his head.
"Abominable. I doubt it gets better though, so let's just take this and go."
It was all he could do to keep the whine from his voice. Being made to try clothes out and buying stuff like this made him feel emasculated.
All he wanted to do was go home and work up a sweat playing street ball with some of the guys from the neighbourhood before he crashed.
Kise sighed in defeat as well, but just shrugged his shoulders before telling the clerk that they were taking this particular gel.
Before he turned around and marched out of the store, Daiki threw a lingering glare at his reflection in the mirror.
Even though it was true that this kind of hairstyle didn't suit his current clothes at all, he did suppose it wasn't all that bad…
On his way back home, he bumped into Satsuki. He was just around the corner, making his way towards the house, when he noticed her coming out the front door of hers.
"Ah, Dai-chan! You missed practice today!" she didn't miss the chance to chastise him, but her displeasure quickly melted into curiosity when she saw the load of bags in his hands. "Oh, were you shopping?"
"Can't you tell by looking?" he sighed while trudging towards the door of his home.
"Must've cost you a fortune," Satsuki observed, drawing his attention to the matter as well.
He smirked as he shrugged his shoulders.
"Not sure—Kise was paying," he told her with a grin. "After all, I'm the one doing him a favour here."
At this, Satsuki's lips curled into that infuriating little smile she pissed him off with so much when she donned on.
"A favour, huh…" she trailed off and the challenging look in her eyes made Daiki scowl.
"I'll show you," he muttered under his breath while he made his way inside the house, ignoring her 'Later, Dai-chan!' call from behind. "Just you wait…"
The day after is The Big Night. The first night when he meets with his supposed future employers to see if they approve of him joining their host club as one of their temporary employees.
Even though Kise assured him he's talked to them, Daiki couldn't help feeling a bit nervous. He'd never worked a day in his life and suddenly, the prospect of being evaluated by others for his suitability for a job position seemed somewhat daunting.
He smacked his cheeks a couple of times with his palms while he stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. Get it together, idiot, he chided himself as he stood upright in front of the sink. All he needed to do was stop fretting over this and he was sure he'd be fine.
Nodding decidedly to himself, he walked out of the bathroom and went to dress and prepare himself properly for his first clash with the world of host clubs.
When he arrived at the address Kise has given him, he found that the blonde was already there and talking to the men in suits around him. It made Daiki briefly nervous before he reminded himself that there was nothing to feel worried about. So, steeling his nerves, he called out to his Teikou teammate to alert him of his presence.
Daiki decided he had earned himself a mental pat on the back for the way Kise's jaw went slack when his eyes settled on him.
The nods of approval and the words of praise his future bosses and co-workers gave Daiki were strongly reassuring. He kept relying on those memories for mental strength while one of the senior hosts walked him and Kise through the main tasks of a person in the profession at hand.
Every time he got scolded for his speech being too rough, his comments too standoffish, his movements being too abrupt or his gaze being too intimidating, Daiki couldn't help but remember Satsuki's laughter and her reasons for telling him he wasn't suited for this business.
The memory of that trumped the annoyance he felt with being reprimanded by people no older than a couple of years his senior. It helped him focus on learning everything they tell him how and when to do, aiding his focus on the matter at hand.
It took Daiki three days to learn how to properly act as a good host.
It took him another two to keep himself from looking like someone was forcing him to act nice in front of colleagues and customers.
And, despite his sometimes brusque tongue and somewhat domineering, cold aura, he quickly got popular among the regular customers at the club he works at—a result that neither his employers, nor Kise, had expected when he first walked through that door.
The toughest aspect of the job for Daiki was, by far, the part where he had to talk to the customers.
Those customers being usually exclusively women.
It wasn't like he had some sort of social anxiety or fear from them, or anything idiotic like that. However, Aomine wasn't exactly the kind of guy girls usually associated with, or spent much time conversing with. That is, unless they had something they needed from him and vice versa. He had no idea what topics to talk to with a girl, what interested her and what suited her fancy.
The only girl he had practice talking to was Satsuki. And she wasn't exactly reference material. (Not with how long they've known each other and how much she usually enabled him in any and every mischief he comes up with.)
So he worried about that, when his mentor in the club finally allowed him to meet customers.
His first client was a woman in her late twenties—not much older than him—with a kind smile and pleasant presence. There was just something about her smile that told him this was not her first time in this kind of establishment, and that fact he found both reassuring and intimidating.
"There's no need to feel so tense, Mr Young Host," she told him in a placating voice. "If you don't know what to talk to women about, just let them lead the conversation instead."
The surprised look he gave her made her giggle into her hand while she stirred the drink in her hands.
"Besides, you have such a lovely and distracting voice and face that I'm sure your customers won't mind whatever topic of conversation you pick."
Even though it took Daiki only about a week to learn the ropes of the job, it took him about half a month to get into the groove of things.
Only after he got used to the premise of the club did he start feeling comfortable in it. Only then did the tension leave his shoulders and strain vacate his voice.
Two weeks after they first start working at the club, Kise was accompanying his latest customer out the door of the club when he saw the senior host staring stoically at something beyond the large doors of the establishment.
"Good work today, senpai!" the blonde greeted merrily, earning himself a thoughtful nod from the other host.
Kise then proceeded to follow the other man's gaze to pinpoint what it was that had his attention. He found his senior to be looking at Daiki who was smirking and leisurely making some offhand gestures while explaining something to his customer, who was near hysterics, laughing in her booth, as she sat across from him.
"Aominecchi sure got the hang of this pretty quick, huh?" the model noted jovially. The truth was that he was really happy that Daiki was finally starting to enjoy this.
Even though it was true that the club was paying both of them for their hard work, it was only because of Kise's insistence that the Touou ace had even agreed to do this. The blonde supposed he was lucky games season didn't start for another couple of months, otherwise he was sure there would've been no way he would've convinced Daiki to help him out with this.
"Yeah, he's a quick learner," the older host agreed with an enigmatic smile. "It also seems that you two youngsters are oddly suited for this kind of job."
He ruffled Kise's hair in an affectionate gesture despite the younger man's protest that he was 'ruining his hairdo'.
While he returned to his place in the club, the senior host couldn't help thinking that he better up his game a little if he didn't want such youngsters to outdo him in his own trade.
Three weeks since he first became a host, Aomine was on his way home with his childhood friend. A large yawn escaped him while he trudged unenergetically towards the convenience store.
"So, how's the host business going?" Satsuki asked with a smile in her voice, making Daiki throw her an evil glare before opening his popsicle.
"Fine," he told her succinctly, biting into the ice cream.
Just as she was about to make a comment, the pink-haired manager was interrupted by an energetic call behind them.
"Oi, Aominecchi!" the blonde called, waving his arms towards them from across the street.
Daiki shook his head in dejection while acting as though he didn't see the obnoxious eyesore from the other side of the street waving and yelling at them.
Only after Kise joined them did he deign the idiot with his attention.
"The owner called to tell us to come in earlier tonight. We're staying a bit later, too, because it's the club's anniversary of some sorts," the blond boy explained while nibbling on his popsicle.
Satsuki gave a thoughtful hum as she listened to the guys talk amongst themselves about things she knew nothing about.
"You two sure work hard, huh?" she noted offhandedly, making Kise's expression blossom into a bright grin as he took her hands in his.
"That reminds me, Momocchi!" he enthused, staring into her eyes with an intense look that made the pink-haired girl shrink back a bit. "You haven't dropped by the club till now, have you?"
Kise's question made Daiki square his shoulders and look away from the two idiots.
Satsuki smiled sheepishly.
"Well, no, I don't think it's—"
She never got to finish her sentence, though, because Ryouta cut across her excuse.
"That won't do! You should definitely drop by tonight! It's going to be a special evening and you can be our personal guest!" he insisted, his amber eyes practically sparkling with enthusiasm. "You won't regret it, I promise! You're gonna love our club!"
Satsuki laughed nervously, putting a hand behind her head.
"What should I do, I wonder…" she trailed off while weighing her options in her mind. She was thinking of a way to serve in front of her parents the news she wanted to go visit a friend at a host club that would not end up with her grounded for a week.
Meanwhile, Daiki's lips curled into a secretive smirk while he threw away the popsicle stick into the trashcan. Even if the only response he gave her was a noncommittal shrug when she asked him what he thought of this, inside he was thrilled at the notion of having her around while they were on the clock.
Revenge was a dish best served cold, Daiki believed.
When Satsuki first set foot into the club, she wasn't entirely sure what to expect. It was her first venture into this kind of shop, after all.
She was greeted by a chorus of very warm welcomes, offered to her by the several rather tall, very handsome young men inside.
Once she was properly beyond the threshold, Kise quickly swooped in to lead her around, showing her the "awesomeness of the place", as he put it himself. She giggled at the brimming enthusiasm of her once-schoolmate, a kind smile twisting her lips as she looked around.
"Are you going to be my host for tonight?" she asked with a small mock-curtsy, which made Kise laugh good-naturedly.
"Well, usually, you are free to choose out of all the available hosts, but since you're my guest for today, and," he leaned in to whisper conspiratorially in her ear, "you're in here for free because I begged the owner, you'll have to put up with my company for the evening."
The pink-haired girl laughed at his explanation and accepted his wordless offer of his arm, looping hers in it.
While they make their way over to a free booth, she couldn't help but wonder: where was Dai-chan?
Her question soon found its answer as, while she was waiting for Kise to come with the drink she ordered, Daiki returned from the back of the store, fastening the knot of his tie around his neck as he moved to sit in the booth across from hers next to a very attractive young lady.
But Satsuki didn't have half a mind to pay attention to the girl with him because, the moment her eyes settled on him, she was unable to see anything else.
Sure, she'd poked fun at him when the notion of hosts was first brought up, but she never expected him to look so dashing when he tried.
He was wearing a dark blue shirt that flatters his build nicely, the width of his torso emphasized by the stylish black vest he had over it. The tie he was wearing flattered him nicely and when he passed by her she noticed with surprise that he was wearing a very alluring cologne. His hair is tamed from its usual untidiness, the tips of it slickened with hair gel.
And his expression—oh, gosh, that same matter-of-fact nonchalance he usually has on looks so much different when he was dressed so formally. The smirk he gave her as he passed by her and the small nod he directed at her caused something funny to happen to her stomach.
He sat down with an air of dignity that she had never seen him carry himself with. His voice was low in volume but she could hear him perfectly from across the room, and the vision of his soft expression as he conversed with whomever had her mesmerized.
"Sorry for the wait!" Kise called out as he re-joined her at their table.
Satsuki was grateful for her seating choice because, the way she has sat down, she didn't need to move in order to see both her companion and Daiki behind him.
"Here's your order, miss," the blonde said with an exaggerated bow that she laughed heartily at.
"Thanks, Ki-chan," she told him with a smile as she took the non-alcoholic cocktail he handed her.
And, even as she talked to her friend, she couldn't help her eyes straying to the table behind the model every now and then, her gaze drawn to the navy haired host.
She wondered how she never noticed it before.
She ventured it was probably hidden behind all that laziness and complete lack of motivation to do just about anything.
Still, she found absolutely fascinating how just straightening his act up a bit could make her painfully aware of just how handsome her childhood friend was.
Make no mistake – it wasn't like Satsuki was blind or stupid. She'd always known that Daiki had an okay face, and a very good body build. As far as looks and outer appearances went, she could say he was pretty boy material.
His usual demeanour and his rotten personality, though, served to diminish a lot of his charm points. To pretty much anyone who knew him, she believed.
Now, however, as she looked at him from across the premise she couldn't help but wonder—where had he hidden all this devilish charm before?
It was like the clothes, the pose and the room made him seem like a totally different person.
If she had to summarize in a word, she would say that he looked absolutely breath-taking.
His tone of voice and the impish smile on his face made her squirm slightly in her seat, and whenever a chuckle bubbled on his lips, she felt something warm coil in her gut.
She couldn't tear her eyes away from him.
And she blamed him for it entirely.
Throughout her whole evening visiting, Satsuki couldn't help but notice how many customers Dai-chan had.
Girl after girl, each more attractive than the other, came and went. They all seemed to enjoy themselves immensely in his company, laughing it up and flirting with him.
She noticed and didn't think it mattered. It shouldn't matter to her, at least. She didn't think it bothered her at all, despite the fact her gaze was glued to him that night. It meant nothing and it was perfectly fine for him to be doing so well at his job.
Then she saw a girl being particularly frisky, touching a hand to his arm when she laughed, leaning against him while she said something in a tone low enough only for him to hear, and that even if he bended forward to offer her his ear in the slight din of the club.
She saw the girl's lips brush just barely perceptibly against his lobe, but she could tell by the slight widening of his sapphire eyes that he noticed, too. He gave the girl a kind smile and leaned back after he heard her out, but didn't otherwise distance himself from her. Instead, he said something that made them both laugh, making the girl place her hand on top of his that was resting on his knee.
"Momocchi," she heard from across the table. She came out of her reverie to blink confusedly at Kise.
The blonde threw her a knowing smile as he motioned to her with his head.
"You shouldn't do that to your dress. It's gonna give it wrinkles."
Only after he said that did she take a look at her hands in her lap. They were clenching fistfuls of her evening dress with such force that her knuckles were turning white with effort.
She flustered and let go of the fabric quickly, smoothing it out as best as she could while making some nonsensical comments to her companion.
When she looked up, abashed by her lack of control over her own limbs, she lifted her gaze just in time to see Daiki run a hand through his navy tresses, smothering them back into the hairstyle they belong in.
In doing so, he exposed the long column of his neck, bringing her attention to the perfection of his jawline and the alluring upward curve of his full lips.
It was in that very moment that Satsuki knew she had been enchanted by the incubus he became when he worked in this place.
And there was nothing she could do to stop it, because the only things she could give any sort of consideration at the time was how much she craved to be the one running her fingers through those thick navy locks, or how much she yearned to rake her nails down his chest.
Or how much she was dying to erase that devilish smirk on his lips by smothering him with kisses.
If she thought she was being covert about staring at Aominecchi, or that he was some kind of moron who couldn't see the way she practically drank in his fellow host with her eyes, Kise begged to differ.
Instead of calling her out on her behaviour, though, the blonde decided to enjoy the show while it lasted, snickering to himself when he saw how often her attention drifted away from their conversation and the model's face to venture to his companion on the booth behind them.
He found this development most curious, and he reminded himself to give Aominecchi a pat on the back once Momocchi was gone.
After all, during all these years that Kise has known Satsuki, he has discovered that she isn't a girl easily infatuated with men. She spent too much time in their company to be easily impressionable by their antics or anything else.
To make this kind of girl practically drool and stare incessantly—it definitely deserved at least a pat on the back in recognition.
In the course of the following four weeks, the club Ryouta and Daiki worked at found a certain pink-haired manager to be one of their most loyal customers.
She visited dutifully every night and made conversation with all the hosts. She made herself useful by offering them the data she had collected from her stays, showing them ways in which they could improve their strategies of communicating with their clients.
It wasn't like she went there to keep an eye on Daiki or anything. He was a grown man, capable of taking care of himself.
And it wasn't like she felt the urge to stab to death with her straw every girl that gazed upon him with glazed over, lustful eyes or anything. No such thing. He wasn't hers so he was free to flirt with whoever he wanted—it was none of her business.
Still, this was a host club. If he was going to flirt, he was supposed to wait until after working hours, because club policy strictly prohibited him from really hitting on any of his customers.
She was just the childhood friend, so it wasn't like she was feeling excessively possessive over him or anything. That would be just silly.
Yet, somehow, every evening, before she went home, the straw she had been drinking her refreshment with was left in a state so bent and mutilated that Kise was becoming increasingly more amused by the day.
Daiki heaved a great sigh as he plopped down on the cushions of the booth. He leant back against the back rest, placing his head against the wall before letting his eyes slide shut briefly.
Satsuki peered up at him curiously from her seat across the table from him.
"Long day?" she asked as a conversation-starter.
She instantly regretted her choice of words when he chuckled in response and loosened the tie from around his throat. She regretted it mostly because of the reaction his chuckle begot from her body, the butterflies fluttering in her tummy making her fidget in her seat uncomfortably.
"You can say that," he said smoothly, his voice low from his lack of energy.
How was it that when he seemed so worn, instead of looking pitiful, he only managed to come off as even sexier?
Who took Satsuki's childhood friend away from her and replaced him with an incubus? Come on, there was just no way this was normal…
"You've been coming here pretty often lately, even though you were so reluctant at first," he pointed out in that smug tone he sometimes used with that smirk that ought to be banned by law. "Did you have a change of heart about this place once you saw it for yourself?"
He leaned into his palm of the hand he propped up on the table, giving her his most charming look.
Satsuki looked away before she could be sucked into his magic.
"It's a nice place. You're lucky to be working with such nice people," she deduced, taking a sip from her drink.
Her gaze slowly drifted up to fix upon Daiki's face while he put his arms on top of the cushioned couch, lying back into his seat again.
"You seem pretty popular with the customers, too," she said then, making him throw her the most complacent smile she had ever seen in her life.
"You think so too, right?" He gave her a feral grin then, letting his head rest back against the wall once more.
"I guess being showered with attention from girls makes you feel more diligent than usual," Satsuki said and she hoped that it didn't come out as bitter and biting as it had been in her mind.
"I don't particularly care what they think—I'm trying to make a point by working here."
His confession caught her off-guard. She didn't expect him to say something like this.
It makes her look up at him from her seat across the table curiously.
"What are you talking about?"
The look he threw her when his eyes opened slowly was so intense and piercing that she swallowed dryly on reflex and pressed her knees tighter together.
"You laughed," he told her coolly, and his tone made her skin erupt in gooseflesh.
She regretted not wearing something with longer sleeves. Her summer dress made her feel exposed under his scrutiny.
"E-excuse me?" she mumbled, genuinely confused as to what he was talking about.
Daiki ran a hand through his hair and huffed, turning his head away from her. She was grateful he did, because otherwise he would've noticed her biting her lip at the motion of his hand.
"When Kise suggested I work here with him. You laughed and said I wouldn't be able to pull it off," he reminded her in a testy tone. "You said I don't have what it takes to make this work."
Her eyes widened slightly as the memory came to her.
Daiki opened his arms from their place on top of the cushioned couch, gesturing to his surroundings with it.
"Seems I did somehow manage to make it work, huh?" There was something bitter about his smirk then, yet she couldn't help the way it made her heart leap in her chest. "I don't see you laughing now, even though you said you would."
She took a moment to wrap her mind around what exactly he was saying, and what he wasn't.
"So…" she began, struggling to form the thoughts properly. "The reason you've been working so hard in here isn't because you're feeding off of the attention you're getting from the girls … but because I laughed at you when you first started out?"
He turned his head away from her, his lips set into a scowl.
"When you put it that way, it sounds wrong."
She almost gaped as he huffed, facing away from her.
His main driving force wasn't his desire to have the reverence of the opposite sex that he was showered with at this place. It was his desire to prove her wrong, to show her she had misjudged him severely.
The thought made Satsuki's lips twist into the brightest smile she'd worn in a while. Daiki noticed this and gave her his most scathing glare he could manage without having to turn his head to look at her directly.
"What are you grinning at, idiot?" he quipped tersely.
"Dai-chan," she told him merrily, taking a long sip of her drink.
Daiki's brows narrowed dangerously over his eyes.
"Are you mocking me again?"
She shook her head.
"Not like that," she informed him, her tone still happy. "I was just thinking that Dai-chan is the cutest."
His expression faltered comically at that explanation.
"Cute?" he spat out, as though the word was venomous on his tongue. He eyed her evilly while she moved across the couch to sit next to him, swinging her legs merrily under the table. "Cute is not the image I am going for here."
"I know," she reassured him, turning to stare at him from up close.
He grimaced when she spent a long time just peering into his face and saying nothing.
"What?" he demanded at length with an angry scoff, running his fingers through his hair again, unaware of the effect that had on her.
"I'm sorry for laughing at you, Dai-chan," she said sincerely, the brilliance of her smile almost blinding. "The host look suits you so well it's not the least bit funny."
He gave her an evaluating look, searching her eyes for any ridicule. When he found none, he allowed a smile to stretch his lips, making Satsuki's stomach tie into a knot in response.
"Thanks," he told her with that grin and chuckled lightly as he allowed the tension from their earlier exchange to leave his shoulders.
And, honestly, it was his own fault.
It was Dai-chan's fault for looking so fetching in that outfit. It was his own fault for being so charming with that smile on his face. It was his own fault for choosing a cologne so addictive she was almost literally dying to bury her nose into his neck to breathe it in deeper.
It was his own fault for enchanting her. She just reacted on impulse when she leaned into him, pressing her lips against his in a chaste kiss.
When she pulled away, her face was so crimson it could probably rival the colour of Kagami's hair.
She quickly shifted her gaze to her lap, making sure to look anywhere but at his face.
Her thoughts were racing and she was so busy blaming herself for being so rash, so stupid, so out of control, she didn't notice that Daiki's shocked expression morphed into a mischievous one.
"You really shouldn't do that. I'm still working, and it's against club policy to touch the hosts," he informed her matter-of-factly, but she could hear the mirth seeping into his voice.
"If anyone should be held responsible, it should be you and that ridiculous hairstyle, and that even more ridiculous outfit. I'm not to blame at all in this situation," she reasoned as though her arguments were completely sound.
Her petulance made Daiki chuckle next to her, and she tried to ignore how the sound of his voice caused heat to pool between her legs—especially at their proximity.
"If the owner saw you doing that, he'd throw you out," he told her with a Cheshire cat-like grin.
"S-so? Even if he does, it would've been well worth it!" she all but squeaked out, turning her head away from him.
Her host deliberated her answer for a moment.
He thought of the quickness and complete lack of satisfaction her kiss—could it even be called that, he wondered idly—had left him with. He shook his head disapprovingly.
Instead of correcting her, he put a hand on her shoulder, pulling her upper half towards himself. He used his other hand to take hold of her chin, gently forcing her face to turn so that he could place his mouth over hers.
When their lips connected, Satsuki's eyes widened in surprise. This was most certainly not a development she had foreseen when she'd reacted in consonance with her urges.
She was not about to complain, though, so instead of overthinking things like she usually did, she sighed through her nose and closed her eyes, melting against his frame in bliss.
Before she could relax too much into the contact, though, she felt his tongue licking at her lower lip, silently asking for access.
She gasped at the feeling his action incited in her and he used her surprise to slip his tongue into the warm cavern of her mouth, exploring freely inside. She finally got her bearings well enough to slide her own tongue against his, mimicking his movements. While they battled vehemently for dominance she couldn't help a needy moan in the back of her throat.
The sound she makes causes him to change the angle of his head, granting him better access to her lips. His fingers bury in her beautiful pink tresses, while his other hand holds onto her shoulder, keeping her steady. She's clinging onto him by the front of his shirt as though her life depends on it. His lips curl upwards into their kiss before he lets his eyes slide shut as well.
His tongue was warm and moist and thoroughly inquisitive as he continued engaging hers in a tantalizing fight. Every feather-light touch made her feel like her body was on fire.
Her head was spinning, her thoughts were racing and she couldn't breathe but when he pulled away, she felt the delicious warmth gone and she almost gave him a whine of protest as he detached his lips from hers.
He didn't move very far from her, though, and when she slowly let her eyes flutter open to look at him, she found her breath hitching in her throat again at the ravenous look he was giving her in that very moment.
"No," he told her suavely, leaning in to whisper against her earlobe. "This would make it well worth being thrown out of here."
With the way her heart was hammering against her ribcage, her face bright red and her breathing coming out in short, little puffs, the only response Satsuki could manage was a tiny nod.
She could only process how maddening his warm breath fanning against the sensitive flesh of her lobe felt, how intoxicating the strong aroma of his cologne was in her oversensitive nostrils, and how desperately she wanted to lean in and kiss him again.
He relieved her of her discomfort with the dilemma of whether or not it was improper to react on impulse again when he closed the gap between their lips for the third time.
When Daiki's temporary contract with the host club ends, he has done so well and his popularity among the ladies is so large that the producers of Kise's movie end up offering him the role they had been preparing the blonde for with this endeavour.
He disappoints the crew and makes Kise cry tears of joy and gratitude when he turns the offer down right away without leaving any room for debate.
He does it because, frankly, Daiki has no time to waste on such nonsense.
Between basketball matches, practice and third year of high school with all its tests, career surveys, extensive homework and whatnot, he doesn't have time for anything else.
And, what little time he does manage to spare, he plans to spend with his new pink-haired girlfriend whom he can't get enough of and who, somewhat miraculously, can't seem to get enough of him either.
A/N: I had tremendous fun with writing this. I hope you guys enjoyed it, too! I do believe this is one of my better works so far. xD I admit to shamelessly copying Pidgeon's "Right? Wrong" little writing device after re-reading her last AoMomo story.
Also, this story was called several things before it arrived at this title. I went from "Hosting", through this title, to "Incubus". But when I noticed that the focus of the term was a bit too sexual for the situation, I decided to go back to "Club Policy" after all.
Frankly, I just had an idea about host!Daiki and I acted upon it. xD
100 Situations, Table One; 038: Touch.
20th March, 2013.