Emi POV

I didn't see much of the host club over the next few days, presumably because they were busy with Renge's cosplay bootcamp. I was also busy, but with school and work.

The work that both Kyoya and Renge had referred to was my job as a performer and waitress at a modern cabaret bar. It wasn't a secret, and it wasn't something I was ashamed of, but I hadn't told the others about it yet for fear that they might assume I was some sort of stripper. Now I didn't have anything against strippers, but I definitely didn't want my new friends to try to picture me naked.

Though after seeing what they do at the host club I'm not so worried about being judged by them.

I hummed along to one of my many playlists as I got ready for work. I pulled on a pair of black tights, spandex shorts, and a tank top. Then, since I had to walk to work, I covered that all up with a pair of loose sweatpants and a crop hoodie.

I shoved the black mini-skirt that we were expected to wear when waitressing into my bag with a slight scowl. It was a cute skirt, but it was particularly short for someone like me who had a pretty big butt.

Japanese clothes just aren't designed for someone with Caribbean genes, I sighed as I pulled on my Vans to leave.

As I walked, I thought about the job that I had only had for a couple of weeks. It was a job I actually really liked. It gave me the opportunity to keep dancing and performing, though the hip hop/heels style dancing we did was certainly different from the ballet and contemporary styles I had mostly grown up doing. It was also nice to be surrounded by coworkers who were also interested in the artistic/creative scene. Most of my coworkers were dancers and theatre nerds, and the routine of getting ready to go on stage was familiar to all of us.

My least favourite part of the job was definitely the waitressing. Not because of the slightly skimpy outfit, or the waitressing itself, but because some of the customers could be real creeps. Thankfully, the cabaret's boss was super supportive of all the staff and the security was usually pretty good at taking care of any disrespectful customers.

I walked up to the flashing hot pink sign that proudly claimed the building as 'The Rusty Dove Cabaret'. Apparently the place used to be a plain old greasy spoon before it became the cabaret it is today, and the owner had too much history with the name to give it up.

I greeted the bartender as I continued on to the backstage changing room to change into my skirt and apply my nightclub makeup. I would be waiting tables for the first half of my shift and dancing for the second half.

My shift passed like any other shift: I took orders, danced, pretended to be flattered by overly bold comments, and dodged overly handsy customers. By the end I was exhausted and ready to just collapse into bed.

"Good job today everyone!" the choreographer called out, as all us dancers filed out of the building.

We all split into groups, either walking to our cars or the nearest bus stop. We always made sure to walk together since it was 2am. We chatted and yawned as we waited for our buses, our numbers slowly dwindling as buses came and left.

Finally, my bus arrived, just as I was beginning to worry that it had broken down or something. I quickly boarded the bus and settled in for the next twenty minutes, pulling out my headphones to listen to some relaxing music. As I listened, I started swiping through the queer dating app I had downloaded. The time passed quickly and soon I had reached my stop.

Just as I exited the bus, thanking the driver, I received a notification from the dating app indicating that someone had messaged me. I grinned as I opened the app to see a somewhat 'masc' presenting woman with long dark hair, named Aiki, had messaged me. Damn, she's really fucking attractive. And she messaged first! So far so good.

I started typing out a response but suddenly felt ill-at-ease, almost as if someone was watching me. Heart pounding, I quickly looked around and automatically started walking more quickly, keeping my phone open just in case. Call it paranoia but my mother had always taught me to be cautious.

Even though I didn't see anyone, I made a few detours until I felt comfortable enough that I wouldn't be alerting any weirdo-strangers to my place of residence.

Once inside my apartment I locked the door and released the breath I hadn't realized I had been holding.

That was weird… But better safe than sorry! I shrugged.

Probably just a fucking raccoon knowing me and my nervous self, I snorted.

I was out like a light the second my head hit the pillow, and that night I dreamt of seven lurking raccoons who kept trying to seduce me.


Emi POV

It was finally the weekend and I was ready for the much needed break. Thankfully, I didn't have any work shifts scheduled and I had already finished all my school assignments so I truly had the weekend free.

I had thought about going on a date with Aiki, with whom I'd been texting and calling since we matched on the app, but she was busy this weekend so we had postponed it for another day.

As I thought about what I could do this weekend, I suddenly flashed back to Avery insisting I invite the hosts to a night out. I winced realizing she would expect an update soon.

Well, I don't feel like going to a bar this weekend, but I could invite them to do something else, I thought.

Hmm maybe a games night could be fun…

Decided, I pulled out my phone to text Haruhi since I didn't have anyone else's numbers yet. A few minutes later she sent me Tamaki's number so he could rally the troops.

After saving his number in my phone as Golden Retriever I texted 'Hey Tamaki, this is Emi! I was wondering if you and the hosts would want to come over for supper and a games night tonight?'

Mere seconds later my phone beeped with Tamaki's response, 'YES! A THOUSAND TIMES YES!'

I chuckled, 'Great! I can make supper and maybe you all can bring any drinks you'd want?'

'Yes! I can't wait to try my sweet daughter's cooking!,' he responded. I could practically see his tail wagging.

'Great! See you all tonight!'

Well that was easy!

I immediately got to cleaning my apartment and sprucing it up. I spent the next hour and a half deep cleaning, fluffing pillows, folding blankets, and doing laundry.

Finally, it came time for the last step: finding a way to snoop-proof my bedroom. Tamaki and the twins seemed highly likely to go snooping through my things and there were some things that I'd rather keep private.

I eyed the specific drawer I was thinking about as I contemplated how I could keep its contents private, wishing it had a lock on it or something. For the first time I regretted the fact that I used a Diva cup instead of tampons or pads. If I used tampons I could just put my stuff in that box… Anything related to a period usually keeps guys away, right?

Maybe in a regular box under the bed?... Better not, I wouldn't be surprised if that were the first place they looked.

I sighed as I failed to come up with a snoop-proof idea. I'd just have to hope that hiding things in plain sight really was the best way to go.

Honey POV

I paused in my training, walking off the mats in my family's dojo, having heard the ringtone that told me Tamaki was calling.

I wonder what emergency he has now, I giggled fondly as I picked up the group call.

"Men! We have been summoned to attend an event of the utmost honor!" I heard him exclaim excitedly.

"Huh? What sort of event Tono?" Kaoru asked, sounding bored.

"Is there going to be cake?" I asked. After all, any event that was that important should have cake.

"THAT'S BESIDE THE POINT ENTIRELY! This event may be the most important event of our lives! It could change the course of history! We must prepare immediately! We absolutely cannot offend our host by being anything less than perfect!" Tamaki wailed, not answering either question.

I heard Kyoya sigh exasperatedly, "I believe what our king is trying to say is that Miss Shima has invited us all to her apartment for a games night and supper. I believe she had said she would prepare the food and that we should bring our own drinks."

"My poor daughter can't even afford enough water for guests!" Tamaki sobbed, "But we musn't draw attention to that!"

"Tamaki, she was referring to alcoholic beverages," Kyoya deadpanned, probably pinching the bridge of his nose.

"… Ah! Of course! This is a grand occasion after all!," Tamaki said, quickly switching gears.

"So when is this thing?" asked Hikaru.

"We should meet there around 5pm," Kyoya answered before promptly hanging up.

Everyone else took that as their cue and hung up as well, probably leaving poor Tama-chan to bemoan our insensitivity.

I checked the time on my phone, smiling at the pink bunny lock screen, and saw that I had two hours before it would be time to go to Emi-chan's home.

I bounced into the main house and into the kitchen for a quick post-training cake. After inhaling my strawberry cake I went to my suite to start getting ready. I loosened my Gi as I made my way into the bathroom and started the shower.

I washed up, wrapped a towel around my waist, and walked into my closet. I went to quickly grab an outfit, but found myself hesitating for some reason. I tilted my head, considering my options, before pulling out black jeans and a short-sleeved black printed button up shirt, and my pink bunny Vans. As an added touch, I put a silver chain around my neck.

Satisfied, I nodded to myself and grabbed Usa-chan.

You wanna see Emi-chan's house too right, Usa-chan? I can't wait to see what it's like!

I found myself feeling antsy to get going, so even though there was still an hour left before we really had to be at Emi-chan's house, I texted Takashi and asked him if he'd like to go early.

'Hi Takashi! I think we should go to Emi-chan's place early in case she needs help making supper! Are you ready yet?'

'I'm ready. Let's go.' he responded with an added thumbs up.

"Yay! Let's go Usa-chan!" I cheered, pumping my fist.

I vaulted myself down the stairs and called the limo to the front of the house. Once it pulled up I jumped in and directed the driver to stop at the Morinozuka estate before going to Emi-chan's apartment.

Moments later Takashi climbed into the limo and we settled into a comfortable silence, on our way to our new friend's house for the first time.

Takashi cleared his throat, his eyes amused as he looked pointedly at my tapping foot.

"What? I can't help it, I'm excited!" I pouted.

"Why is that?" he asked.

"Huh? Well… this is our first time going to her place… and she's interesting… different I guess," I concluded, nodding to solidify my answer.

"Hmm," he hummed, still seeming amused.

I narrowed my eyes but let it go and played with Usa-chan for the rest of the ride. I cheered as the limo pulled up to Emi-chan's apartment complex.

I quickly exited the limo and bounced up the steps to Emi-chan's door, Takashi following right behind me, towing the beers he had brought.

I knocked on the door, before quickly straightening my shirt and running my hand through my hair, ignoring Takashi's small smirk.

I stilled as the door opened and revealed Emi-chan, wearing black skinny jeans that accentuated her curves, and a cropped Rolling Stones t-shirt over a long-sleeved shirt. She was wearing her hair down for once, tight coils springing around her head and reaching her shoulders in a wild mane.

So cute~! I thought admiring the edgier look on her.

"Oh, hey Honey, Mori! Come on in!" she greeted, hands gripping her sleeves somewhat nervously.

"Sorry we're early," Takashi apologized, as we slipped through the doorway and took off our shoes.

"Hi Emi-chan~! We were just so excited we couldn't wait! Plus we wanted to see if you needed any help making supper!" I explained, looking around curiously.

Her apartment was light and airy, filled with light-coloured furniture and pops of colour. There was one lilac-coloured accent wall in front of which stood a keyboard and a guitar, with bookshelves on either side. Oh yeah, I forgot that Kyo-chan said she was a piano major in her first year of university.

The air smelled sweet, and I brightened as I suspected there may be a dessert around

"Oh, no need to apologize! Thanks for coming! I was just about to ice the cake but maybe after that you could help me start supper?" she asked rather than stated, confirming my suspicions.

"No problem," Mori nodded, while I was looking at her in awe, stars in my eyes.

"There's cake?!" I asked excitedly, "What kind? Can I try a piece?"

"Um… sorry Honey, but that would kind of ruin the look of the cake," she answered hesitantly, looking away. I drooped in defeat before she continued, "But I do have some cookie dough in the fridge that's safe to eat raw, if you'd like some of that."

"Yay!" I cheered, "You're the best Emi-chan~!" Then I hugged her for good measure, thankful that I wasn't quite as short as I had been in high school so that my face was nestled in her neck rather than her chest. Not that I would mind that, the thought came unbidden.

"Hey, us sweet-freaks have to stick together," she reasoned, somewhat awkwardly patting my back.

I pulled away, bouncing to the fridge to retrieve the cookie dough, hoping my face wasn't giving away my thoughts. While I was there I placed my cousin's beer in the fridge to cool.

Takashi quickly came over to make sure I wouldn't eat the whole roll of cookie dough, much to my chagrin. But my mood quickly lifted as I saw Emi uncover the cake, which appeared to be vanilla, and begin covering it in chocolate icing. She had pulled her hair away from her face in a messy ponytail and I could see now that she had several ear piercings. I wouldn't have expected her to have this edgier style when I first met her, but I kind of like it… it makes her even cuter. Or, maybe cute isn't the right word… What is it?

"Hey, do one of you want to put some music on?" she asked, still concentrating on the cake, and shaking me from my thoughts, "There's a Bluetooth speaker, or you can feel free to use my laptop to play one of my playlists."

"Sure, Emi-chan! I wanna see your music tastes!" I exclaimed, walking over and sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the coffee table to open her laptop. I opened the music app and started scrolling through her playlists as Takashi looked over my shoulder. Some of her playlists were simply named after the genre of music, and others were clearly named after the feeling they gave her, like 'Twirling in a Field' or 'pumpkin spice' or 'angsty'. I grinned, trying to imagine Emi as angsty.

"You have a broad music taste," Takashi stated, leaning back into the sofa.

Emi laughed, "Yeah, I like to have different music to suit different moods or situations. Besides, I think most music styles have something to offer," she explained, wiping her hands on a tea towel before walking over to join us, having apparently finished icing the cake.

She pulled her hair out of its ponytail, fluffing it back up with her hands and placing the elastic around her wrist.

"Hmm," I hummed before choosing the playlist simply named 'Jams'.

Emi suddenly jumped up, looking abashed. "I'm so sorry, I'm a terrible host! I haven't even offered you anything to drink!"

"That's okay. I'll have one of my beers," Takashi responded simply. I smiled at him, glad he seemed to be comfortable enough with Emi-chan to talk more freely.

"Okay, I'll go grab one for you. Honey, do you want anything? I noticed you didn't bring any drinks, but I have juice, water, and some extra alcoholic drinks."

"Yeah, I don't usually drink alcohol 'cause I find it too bitter," I explained, making a face just imagining the taste.

She giggled, "I actually used to never drink for the same reason! As a kid, I swore I'd never drink alcohol, just like I swore I'd never have a boyfriend, though only one of those stood up to the test of time."

"What changed your mind?" I asked curiously.

"Hm? About the alcohol? Well, I started university and I found out there are alcoholic drinks that taste practically like juice or pop!" she shrugged. "I'm actually going to have one now, so you can try a sip of mine if you want and if you like it you can have more. No pressure though!"

"Well… if you promise it tastes like juice, then I'll try it!" I exclaimed. If she liked it, I wanted to try it. I found myself wanting to know and understand her as much as possible.

Besides, she has a sweet tooth too, so if she likes it, it must be okay.

"I promise!" she laughed, "But I'll still bring you some juice."

"Do you need help?" Takashi asked.

"Nah, I'm okay, thanks Mori!" she called out over her shoulder as she turned towards the kitchen, causing me to quickly avert my eyes from her figure. "I actually work as a waitress, so I'm pretty used to carrying multiple drinks."

She then demonstrated her skills, carrying a tray laden with our drinks back to the living room, twirling midway and finishing with a "Ta-da!"

Takashi and I clapped, impressed that she hadn't spilled anything, as we each gathered our drinks from the tray she had placed on the table.

She took a blue can covered in pink palm trees and opened it, before offering it to me.

"Here, this is one of the first alcoholic drinks I actually liked."

"Hmm, you first! I have to make sure you're not tricking me after all," I teased, winking.

"Now would I do that?," she asked innocently in a way that suddenly made me think that maybe she would prank somebody like that. She shook her head then took a sip. "There, see?"

"Hmm, alright, you didn't look disgusted so I'll trust you!" I said, reaching for the can. I took a cautious sip, and was surprised to find that it tasted sweet and fruity, like strawberries and pineapples.

"Wow, Emi-chan! You were right, it really does taste like juice!" I said in amazement.

"I told you," she shrugged, "But don't drink it too fast. Even though it tastes like juice it does still have alcohol in it." She pulled out another can of the same drink and started sipping from it as we lapsed into a momentary silence, all enjoying our refreshments.

"Emi," my cousin started, pulling her attention towards him, "You said you're a waitress. Where do you work?"

I perked up, having been curious about that as well. I looked towards her to see her blushing a bit.

"Uh… well, I work at a cabaret as a waitress, but also as a dancer," she explained hesitantly, eyes darting between her drink and various points in the room.

"Oh, like an escort dancer?" I asked teasingly, echoing the question she had asked all us hosts when we first met.

She choked, eyes wide as she glanced at me. "No, no! Not at all! I-," she trailed off as she saw me laughing, "Oh ha-ha, very funny. I guess I deserved that."

"But no, it's a cabaret but it's a modern cabaret. So the performances I'm a part of are more along the lines of hip hop, though sometimes I do heels choreography too…," she explained, having somewhat overcome her embarrassment.

"Cool," my cousin approved simply.

Just as I was about to ask her more about her dancing, she once again jumped up as if she'd been stung. "Oh my gosh, here we are chatting away and I haven't even started cooking supper yet!" she exclaimed, hurriedly walking into the kitchen.

I pouted, Just when we were getting to know more about her.

With one look Takashi reminded we still had the rest of the evening to look forward to, and I perked up, thinking about the cake that was to come.

Well, maybe it's not just the cake I'm looking forward to.