A Drizzle of Honey Chapter 10
Author's Note:
Wow guy's, I can't believe how blessed I am that you all are reading my geek explosions. Seriously, you guys are the best. Your reviews make me laugh and squee so please keep them coming. I read every single one and love them! If you guys have any tips or critiques I'd love to hear them too.
Somewhere in a lush bedroom overlooking the Eiffel Tower, a young heiress was falling in love with a television screen. Or rather, she was falling in love with the video game character on the screen. Despite the fact she was still only fifteen years old and had never touched her dream boy, she was certain no love ran deeper or stronger.
"Wow, you are so kind. I love that about you," her suitor said.
His phrasing was normal enough, but the measure of his speech was clipped. His voice was deep and resonant, yet it had a metallic edge to it. The heiress ignored all that to sigh and try her best to get lost in animated, unseeing eyes. She pressed "a" on her video game controller and her suitor invited her to have a picnic.
This was her kind of love. The game allowed her to pick and choose from a bevy of handsome partners. God did those Japanese animators know how to design an attractive man. She always chose the withdrawn bookish character, complete with the glasses. Those boys always had the best plot lines. At first he'd be stand offish to everyone, but she would see the warmth held within. He'd take care of a forgotten garden or nurse a sick bird back to health. She liked being able to be the only one who truly understood him, but above all, she loved the control. Every happy ending was decided by her.
The boy in her game was obviously a fiction, a placeholder until she found her real tenderhearted bookworm. But soon, she wouldn't require the data-driven facsimile any longer. Her father had found the real thing and soon he would be hers. She supposed she would have to be his as well, but being possessed by someone as kind and gentle as Kyoya Ootori couldn't be all bad.
Tossing aside the controller in favor of a small photo, she stared deep into the bespectacled eyes of her real, definitely real beloved. "Soon Kyoya-sama. We'll be together soon," Renge Houshakuji thought to the unmoving boy in the picture.
She laid down then rolled on her side to regard her Parisian view. Every day of her youth had been spent waiting for Kyoya Ootori. Surely he was waiting for her too.
Three days later and 9,706 kilometers away, Kyoya was definitely too busy to be waiting for anyone. He was currently entertaining ten guests at once, trying to figure out how to afford seven full suits of armor, and suffering Edie trying to pull his cheeks into a pinched smile. She was tugging either side of his face and stretching the skin taut. Kyoya imagined this is what salt-water taffy felt like before it was wrapped for consumption. He finally faked a smile convincing enough to make her release. "See girls? Doesn't he look handsome with a smile?" Edie said triumphantly.
"He's always handsome," said Mai Watanabe, second year and youngest daughter of a wealthy car-manufacturing magnate.
He couldn't help it. Statistics like that were always coursing though his head. It was his business to know everyone's business, but he followed his guests with extra scrutiny. Recent events had added a lot off new faces to keep track of.
Since the birth of the Host Club, Kyoya's face made him popular, but his icy nature kept too many of his fans from requesting his time. But after their joint self-defense seminar, Edie became his "lovely item" to use Tamaki's crude wording. Similar to how Honey softened Mori's burly persona, Edie warmed up Kyoya's atmosphere. The consequence of this was more people requesting his time, leaving lest time for him to manage, well, everything.
Whenever Edie had a break from her male guests, Tamaki ushered her over to Kyoya's table. Her constant teasing and infantile behavior made him more… approachable. Kyoya was beginning to hate the descriptor.
The club's finances were getting a little out of hand. He no longer had the time to put new items on the online auctions or to organize new merchandise. Luckily the twins' mother donated today's uniforms. All the club members were outfitted in kimonos that she designed. In exchange for free advertising, they were able to use the garments for the day. However, their other costumes, food, and décor was all paid for directly out of the Host Club's pockets. Tamaki was a genius at many things, but especially visualizing impossibly expensive new directions for the club. Kyoya refused to use school funding to ease the weight of the expenses. It was a matter of pride.
He angled his head towards Miss Watanabe in appreciation. "Your compliment does me great honor," he said.
She tittered delicately behind her hand, flattered at his regard. Edie was performing like a circus clown, so he took the opportunity to survey the room. The twins were doing their usual routine, talking about undressing one another. They ran the gambit enough that it should be stale, but judging by the squealing that wasn't the case. Tamaki was working the room with his usual aptitude, but there was Haruhi, standing wide-eyed in a corner. For being coined the "natural type" she sure couldn't take initiative. She was booked for another appointment and yet she stood, doe-eyed and receiving compliments on her kimono from some eager guests. At moments like this, Kyoya liked to remind the reluctant host of the debt she still owed. He surreptitiously slipped to her side and did just that. He was rewarded with her look of dread and watched her trot off to her next appointment with renewed vigor.
The look Edie gave him when he returned told him she disapproved of his tricks. Though, they were in front of guest so he was spared one of her lectures. They got along a little better now they spent more time together. Even so, they still managed to butt heads on some issues. His treatment of Haruhi was high on their list of contentions.
One of his aforementioned guests claimed his attention. "Kyoya-sempai, have you made any new photo collections?" asked Sadashi Moto, first year and eldest daughter of a well-to-due restaurateur.
The familiar throbbing in the back of his neck returned. He felt it when he was reminded of his shortcomings. "I'm afraid not quite yet Miss Moto," he replied.
His face revealed none of his tension, but Edie considered herself a master at reading body language. Kyoya was tenser than the drawstring of a catapult and ready to snap. She subtly massaged his neck, somehow soothing the exact place the pulsations plagued him. She eased him up out of his chair.
"Sorry ladies. I have to steal Kyoya for a bit," her voice dropped from its usual lyrical chirp to a conspiratorial whisper. "I'm gonna try to get him to buy us cookies. I may have to get tough, real tough."
She pounded her fist into her hand menacingly, but her face was so goofy that the girls had to laugh. Kyoya found himself being pushed towards a window under the cover of their laugher.
"That was incredibly unprofessional. Thank you, but do not do it again," he said once they were out of earshot.
"Alright Mr. Shadow King, what is going on?" Edie sassed.
He wasn't accustomed to complaining to others, not even to Tamaki. It was against his survivalist instinct to reveal weakness. He quirked his eyebrows to warn her not to get too cute, but remained silent.
She wanted to roll her eyes, but knew it wouldn't help. Men and their pride. At times like this, it was easier to forget her own hubris rather than dwell on the hypocrisy. She sat into one hip. "Something is obviously bugging up your bonnet," she gave him a chance to explain, but his infuriating silence continued. "Fine! Do want me to guess or should we play charades?"
"You're such a child," Kyoya scoffed.
"Really? I'm the child. Seems to me that you're the one whose language skills regressed to that of a baby. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine, but don't just turn into a mime," she grumped.
She turned on her heel and mumbled to herself as she walked away. Kyoya could only catch bits and pieces. "Stubborn, no good… silent treatment using… I try to help…every time…why did I rhyme!..."
Kyoya started to laugh at her inner monologue becoming outer. She may not have a high opinion of him. But she did entertain him. She was always teetering on the edge of chaos. An American Jekyll and Hyde, she was either sunny and fluff or lethal and monstrous. For some reason he always seemed to push her towards the latter.
He called her back to make amends. "Edie, come," she petulantly returned to his side. "I could use a sounding board."
The thunderclouds swirling her hair abated immediately. The sun had returned. He decided to begin talking quick before another mood swing. "The new photo books, I have nothing. Just a bunch of amateur hidden camera shots," he confessed.
"Isn't that all the older books had?" she asked
"Oh so you've read them," Kyoya teased her.
She had to admit snuck a peek at one of Ayako's copies of Honey and Mori's November issue. It was morbid curiosity that drove her to snoop, but she had to admit that one of the pictures did strike a chord with her. Honey was caught mid-bite of his favorite strawberry cake. The photographer did a horrible job, so a solar flare eclipsed most of the photo. Still the way the light danced in Honey's corn yellow highlights mesmerized her.
She would never admit that to anyone though. He was her cute buddy, her best friend. Still recently she had grown fascinated with the wiry muscles in his forearms and the warmth that penetrated her core when they talked. She wasn't about to start drooling after him like she had Mori. Looking back at her previous boy-crazy behavior made her ashamed. She was determined to never act that way again.
"That is neither here nor there," she got prissy when she was embarrassed. "Anyway, the sale of merchandize is what keeps us afloat. What is your plan? How are we making money?"
She was smart. Kyoya had to give her that. "We're not, or at least not enough. Tamaki is cooking up crazy ideas every week and I don't have time to figure our next big move."
"You could say no," Edie thought for a minute and saw how ridiculous her statement was. No one could say no to Tamaki; he was persistent. "Okay no you can't. Still, I know for a fact that you have sold all my hairpins, pencils, and lip-glosses for the auction. I'm sure you get plenty from that," she pointed out.
"You under estimate Tamaki's ability to spend."
She thought back to the very first day she saw the club, the tropical rain forest complete with Balinese flowers. He was right. The club was probably bleeding money over the copious amounts of gourmet food and beverage, not including the costumes and décor. If it weren't for Kyoya, the club would be bankrupt in a day.
"Looks like I need to buy more hairpins," she said more to herself than to him.
Kyoya almost laughed. It was more like an extra powerful exhalation, but Edie took it. She was about to offer he delegate some responsibilities to her and the other hosts wen she spied a new face peeking in the entrance of the music room.
The girl's long, light-brown hair was tied half up half down. The two sides of her center-parted bangs framed sizeable brown eyes. She was a foreigner like Edie, but she didn't look American.
Apparently the twins spotted her too because they walked in close to the girl and pushed crimson roses below her nose.
"Come on in," Kaoru leered.
"It's no fun to just watch," Hikaru urged.
It appeared the seductive Hitachiin twins intimidated the new girl. Tamaki, who was never one to leave a distressed damsel, took control of the situation.
"Enough! I thought I told you to be more courteous to our first-time guests," he reprimanded. His voice softened before regarding the stranger. "Are you alright, my princess?" he let the question linger seductively.
"Ph…" she began.
"Ph…" Tamaki prompted.
"Phony!" she shrieked and pushed Tamaki away from her.
Her declaration drove through his heart like and arrow. He actually writhed in pain. One thing was certain, the new girl was no longer meek. While Tamaki reeled backwards she advanced. "I can't believe someone like you is the prince figure in this host club. You shouldn't be spreading your love around so easily. You must be a dim-witted narcissist. You're incompetent and common, the worst!" she ranted shrilly.
By this time, the whole Host Club was gathered to watch the spectacle. None were particularly enthused with the stranger berating their president, but Edie was especially seething. Despite being over-the-top about everything, Tamaki was a good person and a good host. He didn't deserve being bullied.
She took a menacing step forward only to feel Honey's restraining grip on her shoulder. Her eyes screamed at him, but his body language told her to simmer. His face never changed from childish awe. Edie trusted him so she somehow managed to extinguish her anger.
Tamaki ultimately collapsed onto the floor under the weight of the criticisms. Kyoya pondered the foreigner. She bore a strong resemblance to one of his father's clients. He had just met the man two weeks prior. He attempted to test his theory. "I don't suppose you're-," he began.
Tears burst out of the stranger's eyes when she caught sight of Kyoya. She ran to him passionately and collapsed against his side. "It's you! Kyoya-sama! Oh how I've longed to meet you, my prince charming," she cried as she embraced him.
Kyoya kept his face passive throughout that exchange, but inwardly the cogs in his brain were whirring. "Perhaps we better have tea," he said evenly.
The host club gathered together directly across from the couch where the stranger sat. She introduced herself, "My name is Renge Houshakuji, and I'm transferring into first year class A tomorrow. I flew here from France to be closer to my fiancé, Kyoya-sama."
"Fiancé," Hikaru and Kaoru repeated.
Despair clung to Tamaki. His best friend didn't even tell him he was engaged. Honey and Edie took turns patting Tamaki's back in a vain attempt to comfort him. "Don't worry. Mommy didn't mean to keep a secret from Daddy," Edie soothed, knowing the nicknames both raised Tamaki's spirits and frustrated Kyoya.
"Whatever. Why does everyone insist on calling me Mommy?" Kyoya huffed.
Renge didn't understand what was happening and despised feeling left out so she took control of the conversation. "Ours is a story of love at first sight. I couldn't resist the way you admired those flowers in the courtyard or how you nursed that ill kitty."
Flowers? Ill kitty? The Kyoya the Host Club knew would never waste time on any of those things. If there was no benefit for him, he did nothing. Everyone was baffled, but Haruhi spoke first, "Could you have the wrong person?"
Renge rounded on her ferociously. "No way! I would recognize my love anywhere," she spat, then faced Kyoya with a dreamy gaze. "He's a gentleman who's kind to all, but asks nothing of others. He's solitary, but get's lonely sometimes. He looks like the star of the popular dating sim, Uki-Doki Memorial! You're my real life Ichijo Miyabe!"
The twins were still thrown trying to reconcile the Kyoya they knew and the man Renge was describing, but something clicked for Tamaki. He revived enough to accuse, "Otaku!"
Hikaru and Kaoru drew back in shock. Kyoya finally broke his silence. "Now I understand. You fell in love with that character and now you're projecting that love onto me. You deluded yourself into thinking we're engaged. I assume I resemble that character. He probably wears glasses too," he pushed his own spectacles further up his nose.
"So you're not engaged?" Tamaki asked hopefully.
"Well no, I don't remember asking for her hand. I've never seen her before today," Kyoya said.
Renge was still busy fantasizing her future marital bliss in store for her and Kyoya. The rest of the club wanted to ram their heads against the wall. Renge returned to the present and plopped herself down on the seat next to Kyoya. "As I understand you administrate everything in this club," she said.
"Yep. Kyo-chan is our director," Honey chimed in.
"A director? Perfect. I've decided. From now on I'm going to be the Host Club manager!"
"No," Edie protested under her breath.
Even Honey looked nervous. Renge was loud, bossy, and brash. She might even be too much for the Host Club.
Tamaki crept behind Kyoya to implore him to do something. Kyoya cut him off before he could even get three words out.
"Miss Houshakuji is the daughter of a valued Ootori client, so please be polite and try not of offend her during her stay."
He gave Edie a pointed look, so she gave him her most innocent "who me?" pose. Honey laughed at her. Renge calmed down enough to tilt her head and regard her new underlings. "I'm so excited to work with you all," she chirped.
The host club did their best to agree, but decided to end the club period early so they wouldn't have to watch Renge bat her eyes at Kyoya any more. Honey and Edie were relieved to go home at last.
The next day the club held a meeting before Renge arrived. In all truth, Kyoya didn't care for the French girl. She was unpredictable and delusional. But, her father was as wealthy as she was batty. Kyoya could smell a financial opportunity from a mile away. He was sure he could get the Daddy's girl to use her father's resources for the club. Even if she was a dud as a manager, he could not turn down the extra income. Miss Houshakuji could be the solution to all his problems.
Much to Kyoya's surprise, Tamaki began the meeting by voicing his support for Renge. "If you think about it. Having a female in the club could trigger Haruhi's femininity to bloom," Tamaki explained.
Luckily, Haruhi was compiling her grocery list in her head, so she wasn't paying attention. Edie, however, was. "What am I a man? You said the same thing when you wanted me to join." She griped.
"I'll admit I had hopes, but I see now you don't spend enough time with her. Renge will be in the same class as Haruhi. So far my beloved daughter has had no one but these shady twins to keep her company during class."
The shady twins did not appreciate the censure and were about to retort when Renge entered through the door. "Hey everyone! Guess what? Your new manager baked some cookies for her first day," she sang.
Tamaki took advantage of the opportunity and sprung to Renge's side. "My what feminine kindness. You are most generous."
"They're not for you, phony prince," Renge's voice almost dropped an octave when she spoke to Tamaki. The venom in her tone changed to sugar when she approached Kyoya. "I'm sorry I burnt some, but I already know what you'll say. 'Anything you make is going to be delicious, of course.'"
Honey and Edie took advantage of Renge's daydream to snatch the cookies from her hands. They were cookie bandits! Honey nibbled some first, but Mori swatted the burnt confection out of his hand. "Don't eat that Mitskuni, it's bad for you!" Mori warned.
This incurred Renge's wrath and she chased the cousins around the room. During the commotion Edie snuck a bite from her cookie. They were awfully burnt. If Kyoya ate any there was no way he would compliment Renge. She started to cough around the charred crumbs in her mouth and Hikaru and Kaoru fought to decide who would do the Heimlich maneuver on her while Haruhi tried desperately to keep them from squeezing Edie to death.
Tamaki was once again huddled in his corner of despair. When Haruhi finally convinced the twins to put Edie down, she selected one of the less burnt cookies to sample. She did so as a show of good faith to the new manager. Edie mimed for Haruhi to stop, but the commoner was foolhardy and stuck the cookie between her lips. It was disgusting, but considering her track record with Kyoya she needed someone in management to like her. "They're not so bad, the flavors are good," Haruhi managed.
She couldn't seem to swallow the cookie so she let it hang from her lips. Hikaru spotted the boss in the corner and decided a little prank could rouse his spirits. "Let me try Haruhi," he said and bit the end of the cookie that was in her mouth.
Thanks to twin telepathy, Kaoru saw the game. "Here Haruhi let me get that for you," he said while licking crumbs from her cheek.
Tamaki went from zero to sixty in no time flat. He rushed to Haruhi's side outraged. She was already telling the twins more appropriate ways to clean friends and eat cookies, but he wasn't satisfied. "Haruhi, your reaction is all wrong!" he grabbed her face between his hands. "You have to stay strong and reject them."
"This is sexual harassment sempai," Haruhi pointed out.
"Sexual harassment!" Tamaki cried.
The twins and Tamaki nearly brawled over who was sexually harassing Haruhi while Edie fought to separate them. Her small frame was squashed between the towering combatants. Kyoya and Haruhi merely watched with disdain. Meanwhile, Renge had lost enough steam that she stopped chasing Mori and Honey. Honey approached her tentatively with a mug of milk. It was a peace offering and a fine one at that. He even was letting her use the Usa-chan mug.
"You want some Renge-chan? It's milk," he sparkled up at her.
"Luke warm," she replied softly.
Honey was confused. Did she want him to warm the milk. He was about to ask when Renge yelled, "LUKE WARM! Every single one of you. Except for Kyoya-sama, all of you are too plain. You need a dark side! People will get bored and leave. Are you trying to ruin my fiancé's club?"
She went down the line attacking characters. To Honey she recommended, "You're the baby-faced thug!"
Honey yelped at the thought. She turned to Mori, "You're his child-hood friend flunky!"
Mori didn't care about most people, but he actively detested Renge. Next were the twins, "You two are basketball players shut in your own world."
Hikaru and Kaoru hated the sport. Haruhi was named an honor student who struggled with bullying. This was close enough to the truth so even though she was puzzled, Haruhi thought she could play the role. Then Tamaki was picked apart, "You're the school idol who is beloved for his looks, but you actually have an inferiority complex, the Lonely Prince."
Tamaki actually enjoyed the thought of a new challenge. The chance for a new role. He already began to immerse himself in his character. Renge rounded to the last person, Edie. In all honesty, Edie was so small that Renge hadn't even noticed her. "What the hell are you?" Renge sniffed.
"I just work here," Edie replied.
"A girl in an all male host club, I don't think so!"
The irony wasn't lost on Edie that the female manager of the host club took issue with having a female host. Tamaki sensed Edie's self control slipping so he stepped in. "Actually Edie has a very important role here. She entertains male guests, but she also acts as a foil for Kyoya's character, a lovely item if you will."
Renge wouldn't. The idea that her perfect betrothed need a fluffy pipsqueak like Edie was foreign to her. It also meant that the little harlot would be spending a lot of time with Kyoya. Renge wasn't one for competition. She had declared herself manager and she was going to manage. "You idiot. Kyoya-sama doesn't need a lovely item, he is the lovely item," Kyoya wanted to cringe at the thought of being lovely, but allowed Renge to continue. "From now on you will no longer team up with Kyoya-sama. Stick with your male guests. Boys are easy. Just flash your panties and everything will be fine."
Everyone in the room, but was offended by that except Tamaki, but Tamaki hadn't heard because he was practicing lonely poses. Renge was on a roll and didn't notice she was losing her audience. They turned to Kyoya and begged him to put a stop to this nonsense. "It seems the boss is up for it. Let's just wait and see how things turn out. I bet it will be interesting. But Edie, you are forbidden to panty flash any of the guests," Kyoya remarked.
"You don't have to tell me that!" Edie practically shouted.
A wave of inspiration washed over Renge. "I know what you need to advertise your new characters. A movie!" she cried.
"I'm afraid we don't have room in the budget for a film Miss Houshakuji," Kyoya gently pointed out.
Renge dismissed it with the wave of her hand. "Oh Kyoya-sama, I'll get my daddy to pay for it all. I would do anything for someone as thoughtful as you."
"I'm honored," the cha-ching of a cash register clanged in his head.
Oh how Kyoya loved exploiting others for profit.