Hey everyone. Since my brain refuses work on the chapter it's supposed to and following a plot and dialogue that's already been written is a lot faster to do, I decided to write this chapter out while I waited out the writer's block. Sorry for the long wait, but I hope you enjoy this chapter anyways!
And to the guest who was confused about Jacklyn's body proportions in the last chapter: She's not overweight but nor is she really skinny, and she also has more muscle than the other girls at Ouran from her years in Marching Band Color Guard. She's also very insecure, so she over exaggerates what she sees in the mirror and compares herself. It doesn't help that the guy she's crushing on is more than conventionally handsome. And I know I already mentioned this, but in Japan all the clothing sizes are one size too small for Americans. Dealing with that stuff over and over again can really wear you down. I know I've cried in changing rooms before. Little Jacklyn is just tired of being told she's too big to be conventionally pretty.
Thank you to Momochan77, M.v.j.M, Shadowing, Ariel2812, LMarie99, ktmyldy28, Cookies16, caelestiie, Manglelove, musiqueismyjam1041, Palapala, and the three guests for your reviews! I'm glad that you like my story already after only two chapters! I think you're gonna like this one, too! Lot's of Kyolyn to go around!
Disclaimer: Jacklyn is the only character I "own"
Beware the Physical Exam!
"Oh… it's all so beautiful…"
Akiko's eyes, which she had closed before taking a sip of her tea, opened in surprise at Jacklyn's awestruck voice. She lowered her tea cup and turned to her hostess, head tilting in curiosity.
"Jacklyn? Have you never seen the cherry blossoms in full bloom before? You transferred to Ouran after summer vacation, but when did you move to Japan?"
Jacklyn hummed, not taking her eyes off of the pink petals fluttering through the air. "I arrived in Japan only a few days before school resumed. I stayed in a hotel in Nagoya while I waited for my furniture to be moved into my new place. As much as I wanted to be here in time for the cherry blossoms… I had to finish my last school year in America." Her smile grew wistful as a falling blossom drifted past her cheek. "It's even more beautiful than I imagined."
Akiko and Ena gasped softly, watching Jacklyn as she appeared to soak in the beauty around her. Suddenly, her past hour of doing nothing but sitting and staring made more sense.
Ena gently touched her cheek right below her eyes. "I think I may be crying…"
"Excuse me. I'm terribly sorry to interrupt, but I'm afraid your hosting time is up."
"Aww, what?"
"Please, Ootori-san, let us stay! Jacklyn doesn't have any other guests! C'mon…"
Kyoya's smile faded, eyes softening in a silent apology. "Again, I must apologize, but I'm afraid our rules have little leeway. Despite Jacklyn's lack of other guests, it would be unfair to our other customers should any one receive extra time with their host during business hours. I am pleased to hear that you are enjoying your time here so much, and I assure you I take no pleasure in sending you away. So, to make up for it, I have compiled picture books of our hosts that capture the moments we can not share with you, our beloved guests. Would you ladies be interested?"
"Yes, please!"
"Can I buy more than one?"
Kyoya smiled as charmingly as possible as he sold two more full sets to the girls. And just like that, their new tea sets were paid for, three times over. Not bad for the first day of sales. Waving the girls off, he slipped the heavy coin purse back into his pocket before approaching Jacklyn. She was still sitting in the same chair she'd claimed at the beginning of hosting activities two hours ago, her green yakuta helping her blend in with the surrounding greenery.
"You haven't moved an inch since we set up."
"Mm hm."
Kyoya carefully pulled a second chair away from the table to join his classmate, the two of them facing the mass of cherry trees that filled the garden. Another gust of wind shook the branches, sending a flurry of petals through the air in an intricate dance. At his right, Kyoya faintly heard Jacklyn gasp, one of her hands reaching up in front of her as if hoping one of the petals would fall into her palm.
"It looks like magic." Her words were barely a whisper.
Kyoya gave Jacklyn a glance out of the corner of his eye. "And here I was worried you'd be bored without your piano for the day."
She didn't respond, her eyes lit up like an excited child's as she watched an entire blossom spinning around in the air.
"Although, I am surprised the ladies didn't ask you to sing instead. Their curiosity of your voice seems to have dissipated some months ago... I take it you don't plan to encourage it again?"
Jacklyn let out a small squeak of delight as a petal smacked right onto the tip of her nose, eyes squeezing shut just as her grin spread widely across her face. The blossom fluttered there for a moment before being carried off. Jacklyn immediately relaxed in her chair, leaning back a bit to stare at the sky.
"Yeah, Kyoya. Sounds good."
Kyoya raised an eyebrow, watching Jacklyn out of the corner of his eye. Casually crossing his legs, he broke the silence once again. "I've been thinking… perhaps we should host our next flower viewing at the Higashizawa Rose Park."
"Hmm?"
His eyes narrowed, now staring straight ahead at the patch of grass slowly being covered by the petals. "Of course, the park is all the way in the Yamagata Prefecture. In order to host there, we'd have to cover the expenses of transporting ourselves, our guests, and all of our equipment roughly 330 kilometers North and back again. It's also likely we'd need permission from both the Park to host the event and from the school to leave early enough for appropriate viewing and hosting times, not to mention the set up. We'll probably wipe out our entire savings and possibly throw ourselves into debt, but I'm sure Tamaki wouldn't care about that at all should we pitch the idea. What do you say?"
"Hm? Oh, sure. I trust you."
Kyoya immediately dropped the act, placing both of his feet back on the ground and turning towards Jacklyn. "You're not paying attention at all, are you?"
"Hmm? What?"
Just before Kyoya can say anything else, a third voice interrupted.
"Say… Mommy, dear?"
Kyoya let out a sigh, falling back against his chair. "What is it now… Daddy?" At this point, he didn't much care about what came out of his mouth. He just wanted Jacklyn to pay a little bit of attention to him.
Much to his displeasure, Tamaki seemed to be the only one listening.
"I have a new theory… it seems that by being in the same class as Haruhi, Hikaru and Kaoru are able to spend more time with her than I am. Which means they get a better chance to grow close with her…"
"Oh, Tamaki. You're just now realizing this?" Kyoya waited another second to see if Jacklyn had snapped out of it before giving up, walking over to the whiteboard they'd brought out with them. After erasing the list of Hosting sites that had been available for the day and replacing it with two hastily drawn pie charts, Kyoya took a step back and began to explain.
"As you can see, in a single day the twins get to spend approximately 9 hours of class time with Haruhi, while you're limited to only a few hours of club activities during which you have little contact with each other. As a result, your involvement in Haruhi's life only amounts to about 3% or less."
Kyoya watched with a smile as Tamaki screamed for him to shut up before running off. His explanation might've been a little cruel and could've done with some sugar-coating now that he thought about it… but Kyoya was feeling oddly spiteful at the moment. And even though it wasn't Tamaki's fault, it was somehow relaxing to take some of his pent up annoyance out on him. Besides, it wasn't like Tamaki to hold a grudge, so he didn't need to worry about any sort of revenge.
"Thank goodness the guests are gone, or Tamaki would've scared them off."
Kyoya spun around, shocked to find Jacklyn standing by his side. "Have you finished admiring the flowers? I could've sworn you'd be sitting there for days."
"I'm content for now. Tamaki's screaming kinda distracted me. What exactly did you tell him?"
"He asked me which of the hosts had a better chance of becoming close to Haruhi."
Jacklyn glanced around Kyoya's body at the whiteboard. "Pie charts, huh? I take it he didn't like what he heard?"
The two of them paused for a moment as Tamaki came rushing back, hauling Haruhi behind him and complaining about why she should "change back" into a girl. The rest of the hosts trailed behind the pair, Hikaru and Kaoru throwing little monkey wrenches into Tamaki's speech whenever they could.
"Not in the strictest sense."
"Hmm… well, you've always been rather blunt. Oh! I wanted to ask… since when did you start playing along with Tamaki's "Mommy-Daddy" routine?"
Kyoya blinks, a small smile appearing on his face even as Tamaki began shaking Haruhi back and forth in front of them.
"You were listening." He was given a brief sly smile before Jacklyn stepped forward to try and separate Tamaki and Haruhi. Of course, it wasn't easy. She ended up grabbing Haruhi around the chest and tugging backwards against her classmate's iron grip. Off to the side, Hikaru and Kaoru let out a pair of sighs.
"You don't have to rush things, Boss. She's going to be found out soon enough."
"Physical exams are the day after tomorrow."
Tamaki abruptly let go of Haruhi's arms, causing her to fall back against Jacklyn and almost knock the both of them into the dirt. They looked at each other for a moment before turning back towards the boys.
"Physical…"
"Exams…?"
Even Kyoya seems slightly thrown off by the twin's reminder, glancing down at the miniature calendar that lined the front of his journal. "That's right… I forgot all about it. And considering all the students take the exam in the same room…"
"Then there's no doubt. Everyone's going to find out… that I'm really a girl."
Jacklyn blinked, looking out at everyone's shocked faces.
Wait… what physical exams are they talking about?
*The Next Day*
"So Ouran Academy conducts physical exams for all of their students? That's nice of them."
Honey tugged at Jacklyn's dress skirt, head tilted like an adorable puppy. "What are physical exams like in America, Jac-chan? You mean they don't do it at school?"
"Not where I'm from. Most kids don't need to take a physical exam unless they're involved in a sport or something. And even then they need to go to their doctor and have them fill out a form for the student to give to their coach, who then gives it to the school. I guess this way gets rid off the middleman."
"Hey… what's Boss doing over there?"
"I dunno… but he's been in that chair all morning."
Before Jacklyn could make a move to follow the twins, a hand found it's way around her arm, keeping her still. Not to her surprise, it was Kyoya. He waited until the rest of the club members were far enough away to not overhear before dropping his hand. Jacklyn couldn't help but wish he had kept it there.
"I didn't get the chance to ask yesterday, but do you have your electives picked out for this year, Jacklyn?"
"Yeah. I thought about what you said and decided to take Japanese Cultural History with you and Tamaki instead of that advanced math course. I'm waiting for the first day of class to let Tamaki know. Kinda like a surprise."
"I'm glad to hear it, and I'm sure Tamaki will be pleased. What of your second course?"
"I didn't get to pick. The school administration is having me take Remedial Kanji just like last year. I'm still approximately two to three years behind everyone else in our grade. I think they want me all caught up by the time I... graduate." The word "leave" had been on the tip of her tongue. Not because she wanted to say it, but because that's what had been engraved into her mind for almost two years now. A high school experience... then done.
After a moment of awkward silence, Kyoya looked down at his journal and prompted, "Speaking of your own specific courses, being our exchange student, next year you'll be taking college level English and Math courses, correct? Is the school bringing college professors here, to Ouran Academy?"
"No, I think we decided that I'll be taking online courses during the usual class periods. I won't be given any extra free time if that's what you were curious about. Bit of a let down, really."
Kyoya shook his head as Jacklyn faintly laughed at her poor joke attempt. But he couldn't blame her. Anything that could push away the mental reminder that Jacklyn's time in Japan had an expiration date was worth an effort.
"I have a question for you, too." Jacklyn glanced across the room at the others before whispering, "You already have a plan for Haruhi's little problem tomorrow, don't you? I figure you were probably thinking about it as soon as we all went home, meaning you've probably come up with something by now."
Kyoya went to answer when Tamaki was pulled out of his daydream, standing up to address the whole room. "Envious, Hikaru? This is all a part of my strategy. While you were wasting your time being blinded by jealousy, I've forseen the outcome of our upcoming adventure!"
Jacklyn and Kyoya exchanged a look before joining the hosts in front of Tamaki. No doubt he was about to say something rather stupid. He was calling Hikaru out for being "envious" and "jealous", for crying out loud.
Self-projection, much?
"Ahh… you see, if this were an anime it would be a romantic school comedy! Haruhi and I, of course, are the main characters meaning we are love interests! And you boys are the homosexual supporting cast!"
Jacklyn was at a lost for words. Kaoru, on the other hand, was not so completely thrown off that he couldn't address the elephant in the room. "What about Jacklyn? Are you trying to suggest that she's also a part of the homosexual supporting cast?"
"Not at all! She's part of the secondary love arc! She and her love interest won't be given as much screen time as Haruhi or myself, of course, but they are still beloved by the viewers and appear together in the background, their relationship slow moving but equally heartwarming."
Hikaru was the next one to speak up, a hand coming up to rub at the bridge of his nose. "Listen, Boss… I'm starting to think you haven't actually looked at the whole picture, here."
"If people find out that Haru-chan is really a girl, then she won't be able to be in the Host Club anymore!"
"Yeah, and if I know the guys who go to our school-"
"-they'll be lining down the block to confess to her once she starts wearing dresses every day."
Jacklyn hummed, "Yeah… some of the boys at this school are pretty brave in that regard. Even I got a few confessions here and there last year." She noticed how a few of the boys were staring at her. "They usually cornered me during lunch time. I turned them all down since I didn't really know any of them, but the point is that Haruhi's cuteness is definitely going to earn herself some attention."
"Very true." Kyoya flipped through a few pages of his journal. "According to my research, I estimate that someone would declare their attraction for her at least once every two weeks."
"Aww… and I wouldn't get to see Haru-chan at all! I only get to see her during club hours, so if she's not here I wouldn't see her at all!"
"And that goes for the rest of us… except the twins. You're the only ones here who'd really see her after that. I doubt she'd come to the club as a guest, no matter how much you beg." Jacklyn considered continuing on, but stopped once she noticed the tears gathering in the corner of Tamaki's eyes. Immediately all the blood in her body rushed to her feet. Did she just make her friend cry?! Oh no no no... She reached her hands forward, unsure of how to backtrack.
Fortunately, she didn't need to.
Unfortunately, it was at Haruhi's expense. As was the usual, these days.
"Hey guys, sorry I'm so late-"
"Don't you worry, Haruhi! We're determined to help keep your secret! No one will find out you're really a girl during tomorrow's physical exam! So please, promise you'll stay our beloved secret princess!"
"... Sure?"
Jacklyn let out a sigh, hands falling to her hips. Seems as though Tamaki's view on Haruhi's "secret identity" had taken yet another 180 degree turn. How long it would last this time was a mystery… but at least now they wouldn't have to worry about him trying to fight whatever plan Kyoya had come up with. Because even though he hadn't had the chance to answer Jacklyn's question, she was positive that Kyoya had already come up with a solution. He wouldn't be acting so calm if he hadn't, considering Haruhi still owed the club a large sum of money.
"Y'know… even though we're the only one's who'd still see her in class, I for one would be pretty peeved watching a bunch of hormonal guys try to flirt with her all the time."
"Suppose that settles it, then."
Tamaki wasted no time in herding the Host Club boys around one of the whiteboards they'd borrowed for the flower viewing yesterday. He quickly began to scribble across it, directing the boys to their "formation A" during the 1st year's physical exams. Jacklyn and Haruhi watched from the sidelines. Haruhi because she was the target. Jacklyn because she was staring hard at the whiteboard, trying to understand the Kanji Tamaki had written on it.
Noticing the blank stare coming from her neighbor, Jacklyn gave up and leaned down instead, whispering, "You understand what's going on, right?"
Jacklyn didn't know how much Haruhi was absorbing, but knew it had personally taken her a long time to figure out just how the Host Club worked out their problems. Tamaki was always up front, leading the charge with Hikaru, Kaoru, Honey, and occasionally Mori right on his heels. But then there was Kyoya, who gave off the appearance on either not caring or simply allowing himself to be dragged along. Only that wasn't the case. In reality he was in the shadows, either crafting his own plan or at the very least making adjustments to Tamaki's original plan, in order for them all to accomplish their goals without making a bigger mess along the way.
He was so smart…
"Yeah… I get it. If I leave the Host Club it'll be harder for them to collect on my debt."
"Ah- no, that's not-"
"My current balance is 5,330,332 yen… and since I still don't have that kind of money, I guess I'll just have to come up with some other way to repay my debt!"
"Um… that's not at all-"
"Are you saying that you hate being a host?! That you hate this club?!"
"No! Tamaki don't go around accus-"
"To be honest, I'd have to say yes."
"Wha- No one is listening to me!"
"Annoying, isn't it?"
Jacklyn glared at Kyoya, but he was already back to staring at his journal, no doubt hiding a self-satisfied smirk. Sometimes, I don't know what I see in that boy.
"Well, it's not like I can do anything if it gets out that I'm a girl, y'know? Kinda out of our hands. At this point isn't it better to just accept it? And considering what happened to bring me into this club this does seem like my best chance at freedom-"
"Fancy Tuna."
And just like that, the room stilled. One of these days, Jacklyn was going to ask Mori just how he did that, but for now she could settle with simply having everyone on the same side of this physical exam issue.
"Oh… that's right… you didn't get a chance to try it at our last party, did you?"
The rest of the club quickly jumped on the bandwagon, laying the taunting on thick as Haruhi watched with wide eyes that were filled with panic.
"W-what are you talking about? Just because I've never had it before doesn't mean I'm such a glutton that'd I'd go on about lying about my biological gender just to eat it! What do you boys take me for? Ehehehe…"
"Haruhi?" Jacklyn nervously tugged on her fingers, shyly looking at Haruhi through her eyelashes. "I know I can't make you stay, but I do have a lot more fun in the club with you in it. I'd really like having a girl friend to hang out with while I'm still in Japan." She felt a little bad about manipulating her friend... but it was only a small amount of manipulation. Right?
Haruhi stared at Jacklyn for a long moment before ducking her head. "Maybe… we can share a dance at the next party?"
Jacklyn let loose a bright grin as the boys laughed along.
*Time Skip*
"Okay, so I wait for Hikaru and Kaoru to start their hosting technique-"
"No, Tamaki. For this to work you'll need to already be behind the curtain and changed. You know how difficult it is to properly put on a wig."
"Yes… I suppose you're right."
Jacklyn shook her head, doing her best to tune out the deception playing out right next to her. It was hard, though. Especially with the laughter that was constantly threatening to escape as she imagined how tomorrow morning was going to go down. Kyoya would never forgive… okay, no, he'd probably eventually forgive her, even if she spoiled his plan for revenge, but the point was that Jacklyn wanted to see Tamaki make a fool out of himself just as much as the others.
Sorry, but what else did Tamaki expect for calling all of his friends the "Supporting Cast"? Whether he liked it or not, they were a ride-together, die-together kind of friendship group, and he was about to learn that the hard way.
"Psst! Prout-san!"
Jacklyn jerked her head up, surprised to see a small group of girls waving to her from the other side of the room. Hesitating just long enough to see if Kyoya or Tamaki were paying attention, she eventually slid out of her seat and walked over. The girls were giggling, which only put Jacklyn on edge. The last time giggling girls waved her away from her friends, they were using her to make fun of their guy friend who was newly single.
Hopefully her new classmates were still nicer than the ones she'd left behind and weren't about to have a personality switch.
"What's up?"
The girls dissolved into a mess of giggling once again, two of them gently shoving each other. Jacklyn shifted her feet, anxiety growing the longer she stood there.
Finally, one of them blurted out, "Do you know if Suoh-san and Ootori-san are going to strip during physical exams like they did last year?"
"... EHH?"
The girl's giggling died down at the sight of Jacklyn's bright red face. She looked like her entire body had gone into lockdown, frozen in place as she tried to compute what had just been said to her.
"Um…" Another girl pulled out her phone and began scrolling through her photo album. "I guess you wouldn't really know… but last year the Host Club… well they kinda… h-here. It's embarrassing to say it!"
And that's how Jacklyn found herself staring at a photo of Kyoya and Tamaki standing side-by-side, shirtless, and sporting cheeky smiles. Not to mention how Kyoya was giving the camera what could only be described as smoldering bedroom eyes.
She nearly passed out.
Two of her classmates rushed to her sides, grabbing hold of her arms and quietly berating the girl who'd shown her the photo.
"Hana-chan! She wasn't prepared!"
"Yeah, you saw how she was with Ootori-san being shirtless at the club!"
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it!"
Jacklyn let herself stare at the ceiling, trying to regain control over her brain, but it was hard with the image of shirtless Kyoya reappearing every time she blinked. Part of her was embarrassingly happy and excited by the idea of seeing Kyoya shirtless again in real life. The other half…
She sighed, feeling starting to return back to her limbs as reality once again set in. Her classmates, once they were sure she wasn't about to collapse, began to apologize repeatedly for the sudden shock. Jacklyn waved them off, giving out her own apologies for not having an answer to their question. After perhaps more apologies than was necessary, Jacklyn made her way back to her desk. A group of boys had gathered around her desk while she was away, but they scattered once she approached.
Jacklyn didn't really care, though. She was too caught up in her own head. Sitting down at her desk, she dropped her chin into her palm and sighed heavily.
Just as I thought… I really am nothing special in Kyoya's eyes.
*The Next Morning*
"We will begin conducting physical examinations shortly. All 1st year and nursing committee students, please proceed to the clinic in your respective school building."
Jacklyn paused in the middle of writing out the chemical equations she was supposed to be balancing, eyes glancing to her right as Kyoya stood up from his seat. As he approached the front of the classroom, she slowly began to close her own notebook, hoping no one would notice. She and Tamaki were apparently supposed to sneak out of class while Kyoya was announcing his absence to the teacher. Her head was already growing light-
"Sensei? I apologize for not alerting you sooner, but I have a special notice from the Dean to allow Prout-san to accompany me."
Now the entire class was looking up from their desks, either watching Kyoya or Jacklyn and whispering among themselves. Both Jacklyn and Tamaki were part of the former group. This isn't the plan…
"She's shared with me that the way we conduct our physical examinations is vastly different from the way they are done in her country. The Dean and I both feel it is only common courtesy to show her the process before she is required to experience it first-hand. I hope this won't be a problem?"
"Of course not, Ootori-san. You and Prout-san are dismissed."
Not quite believing just how smart her crush was, Jacklyn quickly jumped out of her seat. Kyoya waited for her to join him at the front of the class before giving her a small smile, gesturing towards the door with a wave of his hand. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Tamaki making small gestures, apparently trying to capture their attention. He frantically mouthed 'And me! Bring me, too!' before Jacklyn and Kyoya walked out into the hallway, leaving him behind.
Once she was sure their classmates wouldn't be able to hear them, Jacklyn lightly smacked at Kyoya's arm, beaming up at him even as she admonished, "You're so mean!"
"But you love it."
Thwarted, and with a bright pink blush on her face, Jacklyn quickly brought her hands back to her side and stared at the ground. "Tamaki's going to chew you out for hours after this."
"If he remembers. Besides, it was rather funny."
"Geez, you're so cruel!"
"You thought it was funny too, don't forget."
"Shut up. What happens now?"
"Now…" Kyoya held open the door to the clinic and gestured for Jacklyn to enter. "Now, we follow the plan."
"The plan where Tamaki is humiliated or the plan you came up with that you now refuse to tell me about?"
Kyoya's glasses caught the light, but his smile betrayed his thoughts nonetheless. "Both. Come along now, I see Haruhi."
"I see her, too. And… is that Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai?"
They managed to slip through the crowds with ease, coming up behind Haruhi just as she noticed the disguised 3rd years. She jerked in surprise as Kyoya spoke up, "I've got those two for backup just in case anything goes wrong, though they likely would've shown up regardless even if they didn't have a role to play. With such a small club, we all prefer to be in the loop, as it were."
"But… doctor's robes?"
"Just setting the mood."
Jacklyn raised an eyebrow. Setting the mood? Sure… or tricking Tamaki into thinking that a disguise will work. Then again, Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai were recognised pretty easily. Though I doubt Tamaki would notice. How can someone who is so smart also be so outrageously dumb?
Knowing they'd have some time before Tamaki showed up, Jacklyn found herself looking around the large room. She'd never been in any of the infirmaries before. It was very spacious and grand, much like the rest of the school. If the curtains were removed and all the medical supplies cleared out, Jacklyn could easily see a fancy party being thrown here.
But there was one thing that was a little… irritating about the place.
"Say, Kyoya?"
"Hm?"
Jacklyn crossed her arms, looking down the row of curtains. "How come all the nurses are female and all the doctors are male?"
Kyoya wasn't the only one who looked around at Jacklyn's comments. Haruhi and even a few of the other 1st years nearby took a second look at the adults. They all seemed rather shocked that what Jacklyn had said was true.
"I didn't even notice that…" Kyoya hummed and tapped his pen against his journal. "That is odd. As far as I'm aware, we have a roughly equal number of female and male doctors at my family's main hospitals."
One of the first years cautiously reached out and tapped at Jacklyn's arm. "Um… Prout-san, is it? How come you noticed?"
"Back at home, both of my parents have or are currently working in hospitals, and I've met a number of nurses and doctors. The titles aren't determined by gender binary. Also, my last three doctors back home have been women, and when my mother had eye surgery she had solely male nurses. I dunno why I noticed… but once I did I couldn't stop."
"Yeah… I knew something else was bugging me about this. I thought it was just because everyone was acting super nice."
"Ah, now that part does have an explanation. All the doctors and nurses here were selected by the school's chairman and given orders to appease the students. Since Ouran Academy's students are the children of powerful and impactful people, the school tends to run as a business would. Since most of their families have private doctors at home, physical exams are more a formality than anything, and are used to keep the students happy."
Haruhi didn't say a word and she turned and walked off.
Jacklyn might've followed her, too, if it weren't for the doctor who roughly bumped into her shoulder. She yelped, stumbling into Kyoya's side as the man marched forward, seemingly unaffected. Kyoya quickly helped steady her before turning to glare at the man who finally stopped a few paces away.
"Ah- I'm terribly sorry!"
Kyoya frowned, but Jacklyn quickly waved him off. "No, don't worry. I'm fine."
The man nodded before hurrying away, not giving either one a backwards glance. Jacklyn sighed and regretfully pulled herself out of Kyoya's grip. She was still somewhat upset by her discovery in class yesterday. Offering him what she hoped was a casual smile, Jacklyn patted Kyoya's arm in thanks.
He didn't look at her, still staring off after the doctor.
"Kyoya? You okay?"
"...Huh."
"Kyoya, let it go. I'm fine. C'mon, Haruhi went this way."
Hoping she wasn't crossing any boundaries, Jacklyn pinched a bit of his sleeve between her thumb and forefinger and pulled, steering Kyoya in the direction Haruhi had gone.
*\/*
The loud chorus of screams lead the way. Jacklyn and Kyoya rounded a corner just in time to watch Hikaru and Kaoru strip their shirts in front of a large group of girls. And if Jacklyn wasn't imagining it, the girls had been waiting there long before the boys undressed. She frowned. She'd be seeing the same thing in less than an hour when her class came for physical exams... only it would be Tamaki and Kyoya posing shirtless for the girls instead.
"Quite an impressive turn-out this year."
Jacklyn's eyes fell to the floor. "Oh… right. I heard all about last year from the girls in our class. They were wondering if you and Tamaki would be doing it again this year… Guess they didn't have anything to worry about, then."
"Jacklyn? Are you-"
"Oh… looks like Haruhi just went behind the curtain. Guess it's time. I'm pretty sure I saw Tamaki sneak into the clinic a few minutes ago, too." Forcing a smile, Jacklyn began following after Honey and Mori. "Well, let's go watch the show-"
"Wait."
She gasped, thrown off balance by Kyoya's hand grabbing hold of her arm. Turning around, Jacklyn found herself pinned in place by both Kyoya's strength and his stare, the boy stepping closer until there was barely a breath of air between them.
"Kyoya?"
"What was that?"
"What?"
"You just interrupted my question, gave me a ridiculously fake smile, and are clearly trying to avoid whatever subject you think I'm about to start. Forgive me, but that raises more than a little concern." His grip on her arm had loosened ever so slightly, no longer meant to trap her it now served as a reminder that Kyoya wanted them this close. Jacklyn watched with wide eyes as Kyoya's other hand came up to brush at a strand of hair resting on her cheek. His fingertips left hot trails of fire on her skin.
"Why do you look so unhappy? You've been like this ever since you talked with those girls in class yesterday. What exactly did they tell you?"
"I… Kyoya, it was nothing…"
"Nothing? Really, Jacklyn? We're both smarter than that."
"I… I-I… they just showed me a picture…"
"A picture? Of what?"
Jacklyn flinched ever so slightly when Kyoya's hand came back up to her face, this time cupping her cheek. She didn't understand. She'd never seen Kyoya get this close to anyone before out of his own free will. Even his clients were usually kept at arms-length. But she knew... she knew... it wasn't real. It couldn't be real. She wasn't the only girl at the school who got to hear his sweet words and admire his good looks. And she definitely couldn't be the only girl he paid attention to.
"What are you playing at?"
"What?"
"Mister Fujioka? Are you ready to be measured now?"
"Yes… I'm Haruhi Fujioka."
The moment Kyoya's eyes moved from Jacklyn's face to where Tamaki was now standing, she jumped out from his arms and ran around the crowd. Her heart was pounding like mad in her chest, making up for the past minute where it had all but stopped dead. She reached the back of Haruhi's changing stall, glad that everyone else was so focused on laughing at Tamaki they didn't notice her red face.
Slipping inside, she found Haruhi laying face-down on the floor like she was trying to become one with the tiles. Managing a real smile this time, she crouched down and tapped her friend's head. "Hey. How're you holding up?"
"He's a moron."
"Yeah."
"Was that really the plan?"
"Not really. It was payback. Tamaki called the Host Club the Homosexual Supporting Cast, so they all wanted revenge."
"What? Why'd he call them that?"
Jacklyn didn't answer, prompting Haruhi to look up from the floor. For some reason, Jacklyn's head was down and her face was a dark red. Haruhi sat up and turned around, not surprised to see Kyoya standing at the same curtain opening Jacklyn had come through earlier.
"Haruhi, are you ready? I went ahead and set up a separate room for your physical exams, a special clinic. And I have a doctor standing by who is sworn to secrecy." Kyoya's eyes casually slid from Haruhi to the girl kneeling behind her before he continued, "And, for convenience sake, the doctor has agreed to see Jacklyn as well, considering she is unfamiliar with how our physical exams are conducted and would probably benefit from having someone walk her through it the first time around."
Jacklyn's head jerked upwards. Wait… what?
Before she could ask, the rest of the host club joined them, explaining how all the doctors and nurses present worked at one of the Ootori hospitals in Tokyo.
"I knew you had a plan."
But how come you added me to it?
*Flashback*
Kyoya watched out of the corner of his eye as Jacklyn was waved over to a small group of their classmates. The girls all seemed to be giggling with each other, but Jacklyn's shoulders were tense. Kyoya frowned. He wished he could magically or perhaps medically get rid of Jacklyn's anxiety for her, but knew it wasn't his decision to make. She seemed to be handling it well enough without medication.
Still… if she ever decided to try medical help Kyoya would be more than willing to assist with the medical expenses-
"Hey, Ootori-san? Suoh-san?"
Tamaki's head jerked up at the sound of his name, his arms slamming onto his desk to hide the "Operation: I swear Haruhi is a Boy" paper from their classmates. Of course, other than a few weird looks, none of the boys seemed to be paying the paper any attention.
"We were curious about something and figured you could help us out."
"So, we know you guys are gonna be doing your Host Club thing at tomorrow's physical exams, yeah?"
Tamaki smiled. "Of course! We can't let such a perfect opportunity to please our guests off-site pass by!"
"Right, but we were wondering… do all of your members participate?"
Kyoya raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
The boys were now roughly shoving each other's shoulders, a few of them sporting blushes as one of them mumbled, "We were wondering if Jacklyn was going to play along. Y'know… maybe a little shoulder slip or something? Showing off her bra, maybe?"
The group snickered and continued to lightly smack each other for a few more seconds… before they realized that Tamaki and Kyoya weren't doing the same. Tamaki's eyes were wide, and so was his mouth. He gaped at the boys in shock for a full ten seconds before slowly turning to Kyoya, face paling in fear.
And for good reason.
Kyoya's body was as stiff as a board, his right hand clenched into a fist around his pencil like he was about to stab someone with it. His glasses were at such an angle that the light wasn't glared over, but somehow that was even scarier because there was nothing hiding the pure unbridled rage boiling over in his eyes. Despite their dull grey color a mounting fire burned within them, ready to be unleashed at a moment's notice.
Kyoya's classmates took the safe route and ran to the other side of the room without another word or a backwards glance. A few seconds later and Jacklyn returned, slumping into her seat and dropping her head into her hand. She let out a heavy sigh and shut her eyes like she was ready for a nap, completely unaware of the short and somewhat disturbing conversation she had only barely missed by a few seconds.
Reigning his facial expressions in, Kyoya walked to his own seat and began to scribble a few extra steps into the real plan for the next day. There was no way he was going to risk Jacklyn dealing with Peeping Toms tomorrow in the school clinic.
But even as he added Jacklyn's name beside Haruhi's, he couldn't help but wonder…
Does Jacklyn feel like this whenever my clients fuss over my physical appearance?
*End Flashback*
"Jacklyn-senpai? Do you know where this special clinic is?"
"No… we probably have to look at the signs for it."
Haruhi nodded, not bothered about taking the lead. She knew Jacklyn still had a bit of a hard time with Kanji. Thankfully, just like Kyoya had said, it was only a few doors down the hallway from the main clinic, probably the only occupied room in the whole wing. Exchanging a glance, the girls reached forward and knocked.
"Come in."
Haruhi opened the door, Jacklyn peeking in over her shoulder. She just barely managed to tamp down a broad smile at the sight of a female doctor waiting for them on the other side. She felt oddly proud that Kyoya had been the one to bring a female doctor to the school.
"Hello Fujioka-san and Prout-san. Ootori-san has made me aware of your situations. If you wouldn't mind, could you both disrobe for me over there? I will begin with Fujioka-san seeing as how he will need to return to class first."
"Sure."
"Okay. Haruhi, do you want to go first or…"
"I don't mind. We can share the stall unless that makes you uncomfortable."
"Not at all."
*Main Clinic*
"Miss? Miss, please calm down. Can you tell us what happened?"
The Host Club paused in the process of dragging Tamaki's dead weight out of the clinic. By the windows a large group of students, nurses, and doctors had gathered around a girl. She looked like she was crying.
"One of t-the doctors… m-made a pass at me! He grabbed my shoulder! I was so scared!"
"I knew I should've filed a report…" Kyoya rubbed at his chin, eyes shut and expression tense.
Honey slowly eased Tamaki's left foot to the floor. "What do you mean?"
"Earlier today… a strange man ran into Jacklyn. He was wearing a white lab coat but clearly not one of my family's doctors, which I thought was a little odd. I would've asked for some identification if Jacklyn hadn't been so quick to brush him off and steer us away."
The twins dropped Tamaki's arms next, causing his head to smack against the ground. "Don't you think you should've said something to a passing doctor?"
"What if he had been targeting Jacklyn first but moved on because you were there?"
Kyoya dropped his hand, letting out a sigh. "Yes, I realize that now, but it shouldn't cause any future problems, regardless. I'm sure the security guards will catch him in no time."
"Tell me, Miss, which way did the man go?"
"I-I didn't really see… I think he just ran out the main doors."
"Hm, well he won't find many hiding places down that way. All the doors in that hallway are locked unless they are actively in use. I believe there's only one being used right now as a special clinic for a few select students."
The pen Kyoya had been carrying in his free hand snapped in half.
Tamaki jumped up from the floor, he and the rest of the club now facing the main doors.
Haruhi and Jacklyn!
*Special Clinic*
Jacklyn found herself humming a OneRepublic song that had been stuck in her head since that morning. She and Haruhi met eyes over each other's shoulders and snickered. They didn't understand it, but something about the two of them getting undressed in the same spot was a little amusing. Jacklyn felt like she was back at home, her and her old friend Emma changing out of their sweaty marching band clothes in Jacklyn's bedroom before their sleepover.
"Haruhi? Can you get my zipper? Usually I can get it myself, but since you're here?"
"Sure thing!" Haruhi quickly undid the clip at the back of Jacklyn's neckline before pulling the zipper down to her lower back. She tilted her head as Jacklyn shed the yellow dress.
"Hey… don't you usually wear sports bras?"
"Yeah, usually, but since today was physical exams I decided to wear a "real" bra instead. It's so uncomfortable!"
"I thought you boobs looked bigger than usual, but I figured you were just trying to get more of Kyoya-senpai's attention."
"Haruhi!" Jacklyn swatted one arm of her dress at her friend, red in the face but still smiling. "Shut up! Finish undressing!"
"Fine, fine!"
The girls turned away from each other again, Haruhi finally slipping off her shirt while Jacklyn stepped out of her dress fully. The room felt much chillier now that she was standing in only her underwear.
I wonder if there's a robe or something I can-
Jacklyn heard the curtains rustle as they were pulled to the side. She glanced over her shoulder, surprised that Haruhi had already finished disrobing.
But it wasn't Haruhi.
It was…
"You?"
The man who had run into her earlier spun around. Jacklyn hastily backed away, grabbing her dress from the floor to clutch at her chest, trying to hide her underwear. She called out Haruhi's name in warning and the other girl turned just in time for the man to lunge, grabbing Haruhi's arm with one hand while the other covered her mouth.
"No, it's not what you think! Please keep quiet!"
"Haruhi!"
"Jacklyn!"
"Tama-chan… kick!"
Jacklyn shut her eyes as the man went flying, slamming straight into the wall to her left. When she peeked out again, she saw that the rest of the Host Club had gathered at the opening in the curtains, sunlight shining through the windows behind them to give off a "Superhero" vibe.
"One: Good looks that attract the public eye."
"Two." Kyoya stepped forward, shedding his school jacket to wrap around Jacklyn's bare shoulders before easing her to her feet. "More wealth than you can imagine."
"Three: Chivalry that will never be able to overlook-"
"-the hideous wickedness in this world."
"That's what makes up the Ouran Host Club!"
"We are here! Watch out!"
Jacklyn found herself in Kyoya's arms, most of her body being shielded from the strange man staring up at them in obvious fear. A glance to her left showed Haruhi wearing Tamaki's white button down like a Halloween ghost costume. She looked just as confused as Jacklyn felt.
"Please don't hurt me! Spare my life! Please let me explain!"
Tamaki gave the man a curt nod and the terror faded from his face, shoulders slumping forward as he began to speak. Jacklyn remained in Kyoya's arms the whole duration of the story, straining to translate his fast words in her head. Most of the time when she was talking to her friends or her teachers, they slowed down or made sure to enunciate their words so Jacklyn had an easier time understanding them. But when it came to strangers like this guy, once he started to cry around his words Jacklyn was almost completely lost.
Thankfully, as the story went on, Kyoya ducked his head and began to whisper the key details to her. Jacklyn nodded and smiled in thanks as he did so and tried to ignore the fact that he was holding her while the only thing she was wearing was Kyoya's school jacket and her underwear. She had blushed so much in the past few days… which couldn't be healthy. Her red face must be making her feelings super obvious to anyone who gave her any attention. Even her classmates from yesterday seemed to know what was going on with her and Kyoya. The longer she was in Kyoya's hold, the more she just wanted to bury her face into his chest and dissolve on the spot.
What if he figured out what was going through her head? Kyoya had been quiet for the past minute, so she knew he must be thinking hard about something-
"Doctor Yabu? I believe you may have the wrong school. Are you perhaps looking for Ourin Public Highschool?"
"Um… yeah?"
"I thought so. See, this is Ouran Academy. A private institution. Your daughter doesn't go to school here."
Jacklyn blinked, pulling away ever so slightly to look at Kyoya's face. That… made a lot of sense now that she thought about it. "So, this whole fiasco is because he got the names mixed up?"
"Seems like it."
"Wow, Kyo-chan! How'd you figure out he had the wrong school?"
"The man is in debt with only a failing business to his name. He wouldn't be able to afford to send his daughter to Ouran Academy, let alone have the right amount of social standing."
Jacklyn rolled her eyes. "Cold, but accurate, I suppose."
"Kyoya?" Tamaki prompted. "Would you please print off a map with directions to Ourin Public Highschool? I'd let to help this man find his daughter."
Jacklyn's breath caught as Kyoya's arms tightened around her briefly before falling away.
"Whatever you say, Tamaki." He then looked Jacklyn right in the eye, giving her left bicep a squeeze. "I'll be right back."
*Time Skip*
True to Kyoya's word, they were waving the doctor off in less than ten minutes from the window of the Special Clinic. It would've been even sooner if Kyoya hadn't notified the security guards of the situation. The last thing Doctor Yabu needed was to be tackled to the ground and arrested before he even got off of Ouran's property.
"Boss? Are you sure about this?"
"Even if he does manage to find his daughter, there's no guarantee she'll want to talk to him."
"Suppose there isn't."
Jacklyn hummed, leaning against the edge of the open window to watch Doctor Yabu walk away between the cherry blossom trees. "But we at least gave him a chance. Right?"
Tamaki gave her a small smile… followed by a teasing one as Kyoya moved to stand beside her, a comforting hand on her back. Jacklyn tensed up for a moment, then relaxed and stuck her tongue out at her friend. She was growing tired of always being on edge around her friend. If Kyoya wanted to comfort her, then damn it all she was going to let him be and enjoy it. Crush or no crush.
Besides, this is something none of the other girls will have.
"I'm sorry about this you guys, but you could please leave?"
"Uwah?"
Jacklyn ducked her head, giggling as Tamaki immediately took Haruhi's words as the worst possible option. The boy may be dumb, but at least he had his sweet nature going for him.
"Don't be ridiculous, Tamaki." She and Haruhi both smiled at the boys. "We just need to finish our physical exams."
"As a male student, in my case. And not because you're bribing me with food, either."
Jacklyn beamed.
"I'm doing it to pay back my debt!"
Her smile stiffened… and fell. Rolling her eyes, Jacklyn fought the urge to punch Haruhi in the shoulder. One step forwards, two steps back. Of course, Tamaki didn't seem to mind. He wrapped Haruhi up in a big hug regardless, swaying them around the room even as Haruhi complained.
"As sweet as this all is, we do need you guys to get out of here. I'm tired of standing around in my underwear." Jacklyn worked up the courage to meet Kyoya's questioning gaze. "I'll return your jacket after our year's physical exams. It's not like you'll need it before then."
And, much to Jacklyn's surprise and happiness…
Kyoya blushed.
Wow, I like this chapter much more than the last one.
I really do enjoy using flashbacks to show Kyoya's feelings, don't I? Oh well… hopefully I won't need to use them in the upcoming chapters. :P I hope you're enjoying the rather overwhelming Kyolyn I'm shoving into every crack and crevice of this chapter. There's just so much cuteness I want to add into only 27 chapters...
I want to thank you all for your patience! I ended up writing most of this at my grandmother's house with my brother's friend's noise-cancelling headphones on while my cousins ran while around me, so hopefully it's coherent enough to be enjoyable and make up for the long wait! Hopefully everyone else is having a less stressful summer than I am!
See you next chapter!