The entire Host Club was in the room.
The twins were sitting on the bed with Haruhi, playing patty cake and chatting. Honey was eating an obviously portable supply of cake, while sitting in Mori's lap (who was sitting on the floor), Tamaki was poking through my clothes, and Kyoya sat in a chair, typing away on his laptop. When I opened the door, they all paused and looked up at me. I grit my teeth (it was becoming a habit with them) and stepped back outside, slamming the door behind me.
Did I not have a life of my own?
It was like the Host Club stalked me wherever I went!
I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to think rationally through my irritation, which had inclined quickly and went off the scale the moment I stepped through the door. I wasn't pushy enough to make them all leave; I guess I would just try to make them not bother me and Haruhi as we spent our day together. Then I rationalized that, too; I had been with them long enough to know that they would all wither and die if they weren't annoying for more than five minutes. I ran my fingers through my hair, which escalated my frustration at the fact that it was still short. I growled.
Stupid hair! Why can't you grow back over night!
Regardless, I had to be the adult in a group of kids. I packed away my anger and worries and breathed, crushing my eyes shut and trying to think happy thoughts, which didn't work. I did not have very many happy thoughts, so instead I just stared into the distance and thought, They need direction. Don't get mad at them. Most of them grew up spoiled and you can deal with it. Will of steel!
I turned back around and opened the door once again, looking the group straight in the eyes. They stopped (again) and looked at me, some of them nervous (twins), afraid I would beat them up (Tamaki), were absolutely silent and listening for my words intently (Mori), raising eyebrows but typing regardless (Kyoya, of course), looking like he would cry and hastily offering me cake (Honey), or fidgeting, which was Haruhi, of course. I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes (another cluster of habits stemming from my frequent irritation as of late), sighed, and looked at them, putting my hands on my hips. "Everybody, get off of the floor. This motel is gross. Have you no sense of sanitation?" It seemed as if the whole room had been holding its breath, and life was again heard as those who were on the floor shuffled to their feet. I'll be honest: I pulled a really cruel-looking death glare at this point. A couple of them winced, and I started.
"So."
Collective flinch.
"What the hell are you all doing here?"
A collection of mumbles, grumbles, and distinct "he said's".
I snapped. "Kyoya! Why are we all here?"
Greedy Bastard, calm, collected, pushed up his glasses and templed his fingers. "As we are now an entirety, we, as a group, decided we would find you and Haruhi and spend the weekend together. Think of it as... an initiation celebration."
Pinch. "I don't need to be celebrated."
"Like I said... we decided as a whole."
Breath. "Stop deciding."
"Not possible. WE ARE A FAMILY!" This time it was Tamaki.
Grit. "I couldn't think of anything worse than putting up with you lot. As it is, I might as well make breakfast."
I went into the small kitchen that came with my room (and of which I had not used yet) and dug around in the fridge. I cooked and scrambled a few dozen eggs, toasted huge piles of waffles and pulled a gallon of maple syrup from the cupboard. Honey watched occasionally, his sweet tooth getting the better of him, but I would usher him out. The twins hovered over either of my shoulders. "Oooh... smells good!" they would say in their usual way, snitching hash browns that just came out of the pan. I would snap at them and they would scramble off. Tamaki was around my ankle, screaming for forgiveness. I couldn't get him off without punching him and I wouldn't do something like that, so I ignored him and his cries for mercy. I didn't mind Mori; he was quiet and the only one (aside from Haruhi) who didn't bother me to the point of explosion. He would watch from the side, a small smile on his face, and I wondered why this was.
"Takashi... why are you smiling?" I said, not taking my eyes away from the pan.
"Food smells good. Like breakfasts mom made."
I raised an eyebrow. "She doesn't make breakfast for you anymore?"
He shook his head. "Passed away."
"Oh." I said, rather stupidly. "I'm sorry."
He grunted. I had no idea what to say; I was absolutely devastated when my parents died in the crash. I was always used to being alone, but I had to realize at some point that I wasn't the only one hurting. Maybe if I could smile for someone else, just once.
And like the absolute idiot I was, I turned my head away from him and spent a couple seconds to practice smiling.
When I turned back to him, I flashed him the best smile I could muster. I guess my mom had been right when she used to tell me, "Reese, if you keep your face like that, it will get stuck that way." But maybe I could break through the 'stuck' part and make someone else happy.
Surprisingly, Mori covered his mouth with his right hand and chuckled. I blinked. "Did it look that bad?" I asked, bewildered. He shook his head, shaking with what he attempted to keep silent laughter. "Unusual, yes. Bad, no." I scoffed in amusement (an oxymoron?) and smirked, looking back down at the scrambled eggs that I dumped in a bowl. I laughed a bit to myself, too, and picked up some of the things to carry them to the table in the bedroom. I was going to ask Mori to get the rest, but I didn't have to; he was following me with full arms. I set my half of the food on the table. "Ok, dummies. Since there is obviously not enough table space for all of you, some of you will have to eat in other chairs or on the bed."
They nodded in agreement, obviously not going to argue at this point. Hell, they had food in their mouths and they had already pissed me off plenty; the least they could do was comply to my obvious irritation.
I sat on the window sill, my head resting on one knee and the other leg propped up against the oppposing side of the window. I was not hungry and the last thing I was thinking about was food, regardless of the fact that I had just cooked. I pinched the bridge of my nose so head I made my head ache, so I went into the bathroom and downed a couple of aspirin. I locked the door and leaned against it, my reprieve from the mayhem... if just for a little while...
The next thing I knew, someone was pounding on the door and my eyes snapped open. "Reese! Are you ok?"
I rubbed my groggy eyes with my fists, trying to dissolve the sleep. "Um, yeah. I'm fine." I said, opening the door and looking Haruhi in the face. "So when do we leave?"
She smiled. "As soon as you like."
Despite the fact that we lost at least an extra two hours of shopping time, there was plenty of time and I didn't put a curfew on Haruhi. I wasn't a time Nazi, just a "Don't-bother-me" Nazi. However, I dare say I was a burden; on a Saturday, malls were very crowded. I felt crammed and my usually serene bubble was broken, resulting in heavy breathing and a rather frazzled state of mind. I asked Haruhi if I could be excused, and handed her half of what I had taken out of the bank, telling her not to lose it. Then I ran breakneck speed for the restrooms, but the massive crowds were blocking me, bumping into me, invading... I could feel my throat clench up, vision tunneling. Blood rushed into my face and I grasped a banner that blocked off the drop-off to the bottom floor, staggering, my thoughts scattering into the air. I pressed my other hand to the glass, falling to the floor, my labored breathing echoing in my head.
No one noticed; they went about their silly, frivolous lives, encased in their own little world. I tried to control my fear, telling myself that human contact was normal and there wasn't any big deal about it, but my world was closing in faster and faster with each moment I remained in front of the glass. Oddly enough, I could vaguely feel someone lift me up under the arms and haul me to the nearest empty bench. I couldn't see who my savior was; blackness still covered my eyes and I worked to fight through the feeling of false terror. The black started to fade, and my breaths were still shallow, but I was regaining my sight and no one was touching me.
I could vaguely hear someone say, "Hey. Just breathe, mmk?" through the dull ringing in my ears.
The heat faded and I ran my fingers through my hair, rubbing my eyes, and wiping the sweat on my palms off onto my sweats. I looked at the floor, momentarily gathering my wits, and looked to my right.
Now, I'm no rabid, crazed fangirl, but this guy was GORGEOUS.
He sat in a slightly sloppy style, leaning back against the arm of the bench with one arm propping up his head and the other laid across the back of the seat. He wore a suit, with clean, pressed trousers and a sports jacket, but it looked somewhat relaxed and the satin, charcoal grey button up was untucked. He had dark forest green locks that softly fell in his eyes, and bright grey eyes to match the suit. He smiled, revealing even, white teeth. A mischievious twinkle in his eyes gave life and personality to what otherwise could only be a greek god carved from marble. A strong jaw gave him a somewhat arrogant look, paired with high cheekbones and winged eyebrows that showed a devilish, fun side. Regardless of looks, though, I was not one to be daunted or dazed by a handsome man, such as those ditzy women you read about in romance novels. I nodded to him. "Thank you very much."