This story is the joint work of Stella Malodi and CatrinaSL. The excellent cover art was commissioned from SF (pm CatrinaSL for the link to his DeviantArt page). Special thanks to fringeperson and My Ashland for their beta work.

Disclaimer: We do not own Ouran High School Host Club, but we do cut a mean slice of cake.

It seemed odd to the twins that Kyōya-sempai and Mori-sempai would take an interest in the scholarship student from their class. They'd been surprised when he'd stumbled into the club that day, since they hadn't known he was gay. That was kind of interesting, but ultimately irrelevant; he'd been hosted by Mori-sempai, and that was that- or so they'd thought. Apparently that hadn't been that for the silent senior, as evidenced by his decision to walk Fujioka-kun to class a little over a week after he'd hosted the commoner. This had confused the twins nearly as much as their classmates, but not quite for the same reason. All wondered if Mori-sempai was interested in Fujioka-kun, but only the masses were also wondering if this meant that the tall senior was gay; the twins knew better. Because of their amazing hair and makeup skills, they'd been recruited to help with Kyōya-sempai's most recent secret project and been able to discover that the scholarship student's shabby appearance concealed not only an unforeseen attractiveness, but also the fact that Fujioka Haruhi was actually a girl.

This was more interesting than Ouran's only commoner being gay- but while it was possible that this explained Mori-sempai's behavior, they still couldn't figure out why Kyōya-sempai would find it interesting enough to provide a uniform, a makeover, and a place in the Host Club for their classmate. They exchanged a glance and decided that the satisfaction of knowing wouldn't be worth the required effort. They might try to puzzle it out on their own, but they'd leave the Shadow King alone. Getting information out of Kyōya-sempai was almost impossible, and they just didn't feel like hiring a professional interrogator that day.

Haruhi, on the other hand, would be questioning Kyōya-sempai on a number of subjects that concerned her, the first of which would be her boy's uniform. She wasn't sure how much the prices of the two uniforms differed, but such a difference might account for Kyōya-sempai's decision to put her in the blue suit with its matching tie rather than the puffy yellow dress. It didn't really matter to her which one she wore, and she supposed that she had mentioned that to him, so maybe he was just trying to save her some money... Or cost her some money. One or the other. He had also mentioned something about her "playing host," and he'd seemed interested in the fact that she hadn't corrected people's misconceptions about her gender. Perhaps that's why he had maneuvered her into this situation... and this uniform. Hadn't he also said something about people "loving a mystery?"

Well, it didn't really matter, and she'd probably find out soon enough. In any case, Suō-sempai would probably have been a lot more annoying if he'd known she was a girl. Even thinking she was a boy, he couldn't seem to shut up; going on, and on, praising her for her "efficient tea making technique" or the way she cut "such beautifully symmetrical pieces of cake" for him and his guests. It was only her first day, but she was already becoming quite skilled at tuning him out.

Haruhi glanced around. She saw Kyōya-sempai pushing up his glasses as he surveyed the room and took notes on everyone's activities; she saw the twins entwined in an embrace and their eager fangirls fainting and squealing in equal measures; and she saw Hani-sempai leading a platoon of his own guests over to get some cake. Mori-sempai followed along behind, and when she glanced at him, he smiled at her.

It wouldn't have looked like a smile on anyone else's face, and it barely looked like one on his. Just a slight softening of the tension around his eyes, the slightest upward curve of his lips. She gave her own little smile as she picked up the next tray of tea she was to be delivering to one of the hosts' tables.

It was another one for Suō-sempai. His table went through the most tea, because he was, by far, the most popular host. She didn't understand it. He just seemed so phony to her, so ridiculous, so idiotic and... and annoying, but the girls ate it up. Well, maybe that was the real reason they were so easily convinced she wasn't a girl: she just didn't think the way that other girls thought. Too quiet, too practical, and too blunt.

She emerged from her thoughts for long enough to be pleasant to the guests and polite to Suō-sempai. He poured bothersome compliments on her and she resisted the urge to pour expensive tea on him. Apparently he'd been observing her, and decided that she was "cute." He was now pointing this out to his guests, declaring that he would "tutor him in the ways of the Host," and wouldn't stop until he was satisfied that his new protegé was as great a host as Suō Tamaki himself. "I know it will be a long and difficult journey," he proclaimed, "but I will persevere!" He continued on in this vein for some time, and she did her best to ignore both him and the guests who were praising his kindness for taking an interest in Ouran's only commoner.

"Excuse me, Sempai, but it looks like Hani-sempai and Mori-sempai need more tea at their table," she interrupted him. She gave a small bow, mostly for show. That was her role in this club of actors; she played the lowly commoner, thrown in amongst the rich, graciously given the chance to mingle as a servant. The difference between Suō-sempai and the others was that she thought he truly believed that she was the part she played. Perhaps that was because the Princely Type was the only one who, for the most part, wasn't acting. He truly was the idiot he portrayed himself to be.

Well, he wasn't a total idiot. Or, in other words, there were some subjects and settings in which he was not an idiot; the Host Club might even be one of those places. These girls might want things she had no interest in, and he was a genius when it came to delivering the romantic prince the girls desired. Well, these girls had all grown up being told they were princesses, so perhaps it wasn't terribly surprising that they'd pick Suō-sempai as their romantic ideal.

"Please, take this rose, Princess," he said, a fervent gleam in his eye. "It pales in comparison to your beauty, but let it remind you of the beauty we have shared in this moment!"

She sighed as she gathered another round of tea onto a tray. There he goes again.

From her spot behind the refreshments table, Haruhi had a pretty good view of the room, and of the hosts themselves. They were interesting creatures. No matter how many times Suō-sempai said that same, corny line, he always meant it. Kyōya-sempai was always watching something, and he made a note of everything he saw. She was pretty sure that he was keeping a tally of the girls who swooned onto the couch after speaking to Suō-sempai. In spite of his age, and more importantly, his maturity, Hani-sempai truly enjoyed being fed cake (and pretending to feed it to Usa-chan). The twins from her class were, in some ways, the Hosts who were the least like the characters they played. Still, she got the feeling that they didn't mind playing the part. It relieved their boredom, and that seemed to be one of the few things they cared about. Occasionally, when she glanced at Mori-sempai, she could see that while he enjoyed being with his cousin (and didn't mind the company of the ladies), he really would rather be somewhere else. He was often looking out the window, and sometimes when she looked his way, she would find that he was looking at her.

Haruhi continued in her duties, and before too long (though it was still longer than she would have liked) it was time for the ladies to leave. They made their way out of the room, though Suō-sempai lingered over several adieus. While he was finishing, Haruhi began cleaning up after the Host Club. She'd kept up with the dishes, so there wasn't really much to do, but she still appreciated it when Mori-sempai grabbed one of the trays of half empty tea cups and carried it to the sink for her. Hani-sempai bounced up, declaring that he wanted "to help Haru-chan, too," but he tended to be more of a hindrance than a help; he was soon relegated to the role of supervisor, which he did from his perch on his cousin's shoulders. Once her tasks were complete, she grabbed her bag, planning to study in the corner or one of the adjoining rooms until Mori-sempai could take her to the tree.

"Not so fast, Fujioka-kun," came the voice of the Shadow King.

""What do you think you're doing?"" asked two identical voices, and she found her arms linked with those of the twins as they dragged her backward toward a table where the rest of the Club was already sitting.

"We always have a meeting before we dismiss for the day," Kyōya warned her, "I expect you to participate."

"Since I'm just doing menial tasks, I don't see the point in attending the meeting," she told him bluntly. "It's not like I have a vote or anything, and I'm not really interested in planning events, so I would rather be excused."

"That's not the deal," he replied, with a voice of steel. Haruhi glanced at him but his eyes were obscured by a glare from his glasses. "Of course, if you feel so strongly about attending these meetings, I would alternatively accept immediate compensation for the eye exam, contacts, uniform, and any other services provided to get you up to club standards." He held out his hand, palm up, ready to receive what she owed. She glared at him, feeling that she should have expected this sort of behavior from him, and he adjusted his glasses so that she could see his eyes, which showed only indifference.

There were several moments of silence as she was tugged between not wanting to attend the meeting and not having that kind of money. If there was a difference holding a debt over someone's head and what Kyōya-sempai was doing, Haruhi couldn't see it.

"I'm not holding anything over your head, if that's what you're thinking," he said, and she glared at him and his ability to read her mind. "I'm simply reminding you of our bargain, and ensuring that you hold up your end of it." She was silent for a moment as she processed this information. She still didn't want to attend the meeting, but she had agreed to the bargain, and she didn't want him saying that she was going back on her word.

She was shaken out of her reverie by Hani-sempai, who bounded up to her and started pulling on her hand. "Haru-chan, Haru-chan! Come sit by me and Takashi! Please?" She made the mistake of looking towards the empty seat. She met Mori-sempai's eyes, and suddenly staying for the meeting didn't seem like such a burden.

She allowed herself to be enthusiastically dragged over to the empty chair between the oldest of the club members, and sat. She jumped when Mori-sempai put his hand on her head, and she looked up to meet his comforting gaze. He was smiling a little.

"It's just..." she glanced at her book bag. He nodded his understanding. She relaxed a little more. "These things don't usually last long?" He shook his head and continued smiling that little smile of his.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, relaxing as she did so. His hand was still on her head; she sat up a bit and gave him a small smile. When he saw it, he slowly lowered his hand, giving one last little smile as he did so. Haruhi's answering smile turned into a glare when she found the twins snickering on the other side of the table.

"What?" she challenged her fellow first years, who were vainly trying to hide their giggles behind their hands. "I need to study! It's not like my parents have tons of money to send me here, I have to work hard for it on my own!" This made them laugh aloud, and Haruhi grumbled, "rich bastards," under her breath while Kyōya-sempai cleared his throat for silence.

"As most of you know, the Host Club's annual dance is coming up, and we have booked the Great Hall for the evening. The catering has been taken care of, the decorations have been designed, all we have left to do is teach Fujioka-kun to dance."

"What? Why do I have to know how to dance?" Haruhi asked, startled.

"You may not have noticed, but there are only six of us- seven, including you- and there will be more than six or seven girls. An extra host will make a big difference in how often the girls will get to dance." He looked at her speculatively. "You should probably act as a Host a few times between now and then, to build up a clientele. That way, there will be girls there who actually want to dance with you. Even if you don't have time for that, you'll still be useful as an extra dance partner, to make sure that the maximum number of ladies are dancing."

"But..." Haruhi began, objecting on principle; she couldn't think of any good excuses. Well, she could think of several good excuses, but none that Kyōya-sempai would accept.

"We will teach you. All of us are skilled dancers who know all the steps, so you can learn both to lead and to follow. Unfortunately, I will be unavailable today, as I already have plans."

""We do, too,"" echoed the twins.

"Usa-chan and I are expected at home," Hani-sempai reported, pouting.

"I will be your tutor today, Fujio-" Suō-sempai began, but was cut off by his friend.

"Mori-sempai, Kendo Club was cancelled this week, isn't that correct?" Kyōya-sempai asked. The stoic third year nodded. "Good, then I'll leave our new member in your capable hands. I will see you all tomorrow; good afternoon." And with that, he snapped his notebook shut and exited the room. The rest of the club left shortly thereafter, and the last to leave, Suō-sempai, lingered for at least ten minutes, assuring Haruhi that she was "missing out on a wonderful tutor" and that if she were to submit to Suō-sempai's teachings, she "would master the waltz in no time at all!"

When they were alone in the room, Haruhi peeked at Mori-sempai. They both blushed, and she wondered what they were supposed to do, now that they had the room to themselves.

"Lead or follow?" she heard him ask. She'd been staring at her shoes, but now her eyes shot up to meet his.

"Hm?" was her witty and intelligent response.

"Lead," he said, walking towards a previously unnoticed stereo, "or follow?"

Classical music began to drift through the room, and he turned his attention, and his eyes, back to her.

She should say "lead". She knew she should say "lead." She didn't really need to know how to follow, not for the purposes of the Host Club. His eyes met hers.

"Follow."

He smiled, approached her, and they began to dance.

They didn't notice that they were being observed from the door by two pairs of eyes, so they missed the significant look that was shared by their audience before the red haired voyeurs vanished.

"Ah, young love," Kaoru said dramatically to Hikaru as they walked down the hall. Hikaru snickered.

"Do you think Kyōya-sempai knows?"

"Of course! That's probably why he brought her into the club, and it's definitely why he maneuvered Mori-sempai into being her dance teacher."

"Do you think they know?"

The twins glanced at each other and laughed. ""Nope!""

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