Kaori wrinkled her brow uncertainly as she peered into the can. "What is it?"
"Peach chuhai," replied Hikaru.
"You'll like it," Kaoru added.
The twins sat across the kotatsu from her wearing matching cat-like grins. 'Why do I always feel like a mouse when I'm around them?' She brought it up to her nose and sniffed, it smelled sweet and syrupy and she really wanted to see if it tasted that way as well. "But, I'm not twenty yet," she protested weakly, not quite sure if anyone would stop her.
"Oh, Kaoru – how adorable, she thinks she needs to be twenty to drink! It's an end of the year party; you should try something other than soda." Hikaru said temptingly, eyes glittering with a dare.
Kaori toyed with the can in her hand, torn between a lifetime of restriction and a desire to try something new. She looked up at the man she was leaning against, but Mori just gave her a shrug and smile that let her know this one was entirely her decision. She wrinkled her nose in anticipation that the pair were playing a trick on her, steeled herself, and sipped. "Oh, it's yummy!" she blurted.
Hikaru put one arm around his brother's back and tilted Karou's chin towards him with the other. "Do you remember the first time we drank?" he said nostalgically.
Karou cast a sidelong glance at Kaori, making sure she was paying attention, then leaned in to Hikaru's embrace. "You mean, when we were thirteen and our parents were out of town on business?" he said breathlessly.
"We took a bottle up to our room and you some spilled on my shirt; remember what I had to do then?" Hikaru asked in a soft, seductive whisper.
Kaoru looked away from his brother's gaze, a faint blush on his cheek, "Hi-ka-ru, not in front of everyone," he whined shyly.
"God, you guys are out of practice," said Haruhi dryly as she returned from the kitchen having finished securing the remnants of the meal. She dropped new bottles on the table to replenish what had already been depleted and plopped down on Hikaru's left. "Look at her;" Haruhi gestured towards Kaori, "she's more confused than kyahhing. You're losing your touch." On the other side of the twins, Kyoya stifled a chuckle at her assessment of their performance and tossed back the last of his whisky. Without prompting, Honey grabbed the bottle from the center and poured him more.
"We know, turns out co-eds aren't as in to the 'brotherly love' act as high school girls," Kaoru said plaintively.
"Yeah, they're just into the idea of twins," drawled Hikaru with a wicked smile.
Haruhi rolled her eyes. "I did not need to know that," she muttered.
Tamaki returned from Haruhi's small kitchen area with even more bottles of liquor that he placed on the table. "I don't even remember when I started drinking" he contributed to the previous topic. "It was France," he elaborated with a Gallic shrug. He sat cross-legged at the head of the table in between Haruhi and Kaori and shot a look of inquiry down at the man on the other end.
"You don't really believe I'd confess to breaking the law, do you? answered Kyoya, intimidatingly pushing his glasses up his nose with his finger.
"I know that wasn't my bottle of Kentucky Bourbon in our apartment in Boston," replied Tamaki, "if it was then maybe I'd have gotten to drink some," he pouted.
"I wasn't about to let you guzzle 23-year old premium whiskey like it was French table wine. Idiot."
"One time! One time I used your personal stash to make some high balls and you've never…."
"Takashi and I were twelve" interrupted a high pitched tenor, forestalling the incipient argument.
"Training," grumbled his cousin in confirmation.
Kaori snuggled up against Mori's side as she watched the interplay between his friends; she had removed her brace at the start of the evening and Mori had positioned her where she could stretch out her right leg in comfort and use him as a support. Aside from Honey and Reiko, this was the first real chance she'd had to spend time with any of them. "I've drunk before," she finally protested. "But, only some sake at New Year," she admitted.
"Red wine is an important element in black magic," Reiko sonorously intoned, "It symbolizes blood and sacrifice."
There was an awkward pause as everyone absorbed her statement. "What about you, Haruhi? Kaoru asked.
"Yeah, when'd you start?" added Hikaru.
"None of your business."
"Awww… tell us!" they chorused.
"Quit it!"
"Tell us!"
"Quit it!"
Tamaki rose up on his knees and made a broad gesture that encompassed all the former host club members and affiliated attendees sitting around the kotatsu. The move halted Hikaru and Kaoru's game of 'poke Haruhi in the ribs until she confesses' and all eyes turned towards him.
He placed one hand on his chest and stretched out the other dramatically. "Mes amis, today we are engaged in the traditional Japanese practice of a 'forget the year' party. It's a time for us to forget any sorrows or woes of the previous year and drink to success and happiness in the year to come. Yet, even though we are supposed to 'forget' the old year, it was a good one for our little family." He picked up the glass in front of him and held it out as if giving a toast. "There have been so many changes – Kyoya graduating from Harvard, the lovely Reiko-himi joining our family, and of course my beloved Haruhi's and my engagement."
As each name was said he gestured towards them with the glass in his hands. Kaori looked around the table; Kyoya was rolling his eyes, Haruhi had dropped her head down and was shielding her face with a hand against her forehead, the twins had flopped backwards onto the tatami mats with arms outstretched above their heads, and everyone except for Reiko-chan looked uninterested. "And so many things to look forward to in the year to come," he continued and the glass moved in the direction of Mori.
"C'mon, tono, speeches are boring; these things are supposed to be about having fun," interrupted Hikaru.
"We could always put Haruhi in the sexy Santa suit we brought," suggested Kaoru slyly.
"No! You will not put my darling fiancée in something debauched," shouted the outraged prince and he launched himself over the corner of the table towards the twins while Mori and Honey prudently moved the bottles of alcohol out of the way.
"At least you've finally stopped calling her your daughter," observed Kyoya with amusement as he moved both himself and his whisky away from the action.
After a quick scuffle, Tamaki popped back up on his feet for another declaration. "As for fun, we should follow commoner customs for a Bonnekai and play a traditional Japanese game!"
"We could play the king game" chorused the twins.
"Oh HELL no!" shouted all but two of the room's occupants.
"That game has been permanently banned," said Kyoya icily, fixing the twins with his most formidable glare, "I'm sure you remember the reason why."
"There're all sorts of games we could do, like 'Pin Pon Pan' or Yamonote Sen "offered the man who had started it all.
"Those aren't any good, tono," Hikaru declared.
"Yeah, no one can ever remember the rules for Pin Pon Pan and Haruhi and Kyoya-sempai are the only two who know any of the subway stations," Kaoru elaborated.
"What about the no-laugh game?" asked a tentative voice.
"Oh that's a fun one Rei-chan!" said Honey and he moved from leaning against Mori's side to clasp his wife's hands. His face fell in realization, lower lip quivering just a bit "But Kyo-chan and Takashi never have to drink when we play it."
The two brothers looked at each other as an unholy idea lit up their faces. "We've decided. We're playing 'I never" said one.
"Yeah, that way everyone will be forced to drink" said the other.
Groans came from around the room. Kyoya's lips quirked and he shot a glance at Kaori. "I really don't think you two have thought this through" he warned.
Kaori looked around the table; Reiko was the only one who appeared as confused as she. "What's that? I've never heard of it."
"Drink" said half the room under their breath.
The twins took turns elaborating. "It's simple. Someone says something that they've never done, and if you have you take a drink" stated Hikaru.
"But we have special Host Club rules. One – if only one person drinks, it's their turn next. Like if I say 'I've never kissed Mori…." Kaoru looked at her expectantly and made a waving motion with his hand to indicate she should take a sip. Face blushing, she hesitantly tasted her drink.
"Then it's your turn." Hikaru continued and nodded at her to give it a try.
"Umm… 'I've never been to Europe?" she put forth uncertainly. The rest of the table obediently took a sip.
"Usually, if everyone else drinks, then you get to go again," said Kaoru as he began to realize why Kyoya thought this wasn't a good idea.
"Buuuuut… if whatever you say is too boring or obvious then you have to finish your drink," continued Hikaru, "Like if I said 'I've never graduated from college."
"Drink" said the rest of the room, which he obligingly did to demonstrate.
The twins declared Kaori should go last, and play began with Mori. He was a bit irritated at the twins for the suggestion, in his experience this game always ended up going too far. Resolving to stop it if the twins' devilishness got out of hand he still expressed his displeasure by targeting them with his first move. "I've never stripped off a girl's dress and thrown it out the window."
"In our defense, it was a truly hideous dress."
"It cost me 5000 Yen you morons!"
"But we gave you one of Mom's to replace it!"
"Not. The. Point."
Honey's "I've never thrown out an entire slice of cake without eating it," caught Kyoya, Reiko, and Mori. He turned a shocked expression on the two closest to him.
"Sorry Mitsukuni, I was too full."
"I offered a slice of our wedding cake to the Dark Gods as a curse against those who might wish us ill."
"Oh, well I guess that's okay then Rei-chan," Honey said, magnanimously forgiving one of the offenders.
Reiko displayed an unexpectedly sly side with "I've never kissed more than one person." Tamaki gave a wounded cry when Haruhi drank and he didn't.
"Oh, come on – that one was entirely your fault."
"It was a girl, it doesn't count," he grumbled.
"I've never confessed," interrupted Kyoya. When it failed to result in a second turn he looked at Mori and murmured, "Interesting."
Tamaki was still peevish when the opportunity came to him and he went with, "I never kissed someone the same sex as me," which resulted in everyone along the right side of the table from him down to Reiko taking a sip.
"Kyoya! Share!" demanded Kaoru.
"It was just a hazing incident, I've never slept with a guy," he replied. Hikaru and Kaoru both sipped, followed discretely by Haruhi and Reiko.
"Like I said, college students really like twins," Hikaru said smugly. "But I've never been a part of some Ivy League secret society."
"It wasn't a secret society, it was a final club," Kyoya said to explain his lack of imbibing, "and we've gotten off track of whose turn it is."
"Who cares," the twins decreed.
"Kyoya, if it was a private club full of elitist rich bastards then drink," said Haruhi, daring him to do otherwise. His lips twitched a bit as he complied and the game moved on.
Kaori's first attempt went too broad, so she learned a new Host Club rule about when you had to finish your drink. Mori silently took the can out of her hand, poured about a third of it into a cup and gave it to her. Nobody protested.
Soon, the game turned vicious as people began firing single-target shots back and forth, ping-ponging turns around the table like lightening.
"I never woke my best friend up at three in the morning because I'd just had a fight with my girlfriend."
"C'mon Kyoya, I needed your advice! How long are you going to hold a grudge for?"
"It was just last week!"
("What was the fight about Haruhi")
("None of your business.")
"Well, at least never kept my roommate up until four A.M. because I couldn't figure out where the 'beeping' noise was coming from"
("Tell us!")
("Quit it!")
"I never forgot to change the battery in the smoke detector and then went on a field trip to New York for the weekend."
("Tell us!")
("Quit it!")
"Jeez – it's been four years, give it a rest sempai." Haruhi gave the twin currently poking her a smack, "And I've never dressed up a two year old as a character from my favorite video game."
"Hey, she loves that costume! Reiko, we've skipped you too much - I never put a curse on the math teacher so his hair would fall out."
("Hikaru! You cosplayed with Agehna without me?")
("Sorry. But, I got pictures!")
"Um… I never ate so many sweets I got sick and couldn't join my wife for the solstice celebration."
"I'm sorry, Rei-chan, but I'll make it up to you later," Honey's childish voice took on a more adult tone with that promise. "I never named my favorite Kendo sword. And slept with it."
("What did he name it Mitsu-chan?")
("Thunder-lightning-spike!")
"I was four. And I've never liked this game," said Mori as the entire table collapsed into giggles at this revelation.
"DRINK"
Eventually the turns worked their way around the table back to Kaori. The game had started out fun, but the longer it went on the more she felt the gulf between her and the college-aged and older adults. Even when they weren't deliberately targeting each other, there were very few things that one of them had never done that she had. Trying to move play on from her quickly, she said, "I've never been on a subway," and was surprised that everyone in this group of privileged Ouran graduates had – even Reiko.
"There are many suicides in the subway; it's a wonderful place to gather malevolent energy," the dark woman explained.
After the third attempt resulted in yet another turn, Kaori's mood darkened. 'I'm only seventeen, of course I haven't done as much as them,' she thought bitterly. The twins were trying so hard to suppress their giggles they could barely sit upright and she could have sworn one of them whispered something about a 'Disney princess,' which just made her feel even more like a child. After her fourth attempt failed to move the game on Kyoya muttered, "This is why I said you didn't think it through."
'But even for seventeen I still haven't done much,' she despaired. 'I've never gone anywhere that wasn't home, school, or a date with Takashi; I've never done anything Papa wouldn't approve of or half the things my friends have; I've never been to a party; I've never snuck out—' "I've never even done more than kiss."
She hadn't even realized that the last thought had been muttered out loud until the twins choked on another fit of giggles as everyone drank again. Everyone.
She slowly turned and looked up into Mori's eyes and muttered a soft, "Oh."
A/N: I needed a break from drama so a short little host club being the host club chapter this time and next. If I get anyone too OOC blame the alcohol that either they or I drank.
Thanks to crazyangelgirl21 and Jessi DarkFox for the lovely reviews and to the new followers/favs since last chapter.
What does it say about OHSC that, when I googled 'kotatsu' to be sure I spelled it right, one of the first page pictures was a fan art of Tamaki and Kyoya cuddling under one?