Oooh we're really getting into it now! Despite everything, I'm happy I finally have the free time and mental capacity to jump back into writing! I've missed this!

Thank you to everyone who left reviews on the last chapter! I hope this makes up for the break!

The Grade School Host is the Naughty Type!

"Jacklyn! Come on!"

"Huh-aaaah!"

The students of class 2-A looked around at the shouting, starving for entertainment after a long day of classes. They watched as Tamaki Suoh, with both hands wrapped around Jacklyn Prout's wrists, yanked the exchange student out from behind her desk and out the door, leaving the girl's school bag and her boyfriend in the dust. Out in the hallway, Jacklyn was too busy stumbling along behind her friend and nearly tripping over her own two feet every ten steps to be embarrassed by the scene she inadvertently caused.

"Tamaki! What are you doing?"

The blonde didn't stop, cheerfully calling over his shoulder, "We have to get to the club room early to set up before our special guest arrives! I'm so excited to start training-"

"Watch out!"

The pair barely managed to side-step the students rounding the corner in front of them, Jacklyn only able to shout her apology in their wake as Tamaki continued to pull her along. At that point, Jacklyn had mentally succumbed to her fate and resigned to doing her best to keep up with her friend. Of course, as soon as they reached the club doors and Tamaki released her to walk inside, Jacklyn collapsed against the nearest wall and slid down to the floor. Her legs were burning and her lungs ached, an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion she hadn't felt since her last band camp back in America.

Is this what it would feel like to be in a shoujo manga? If it is, I don't like it.

"Well, it would seem our afternoon is to be an exciting one today."

Nodding her head, Jacklyn gave Kyoya a smile before noticing both of their school bags thrown over his left shoulder. Smiling wider, Jacklyn reached out a hand. Kyoya took it without hesitation and helped his girlfriend to her feet. He watched on in amused silence as Jacklyn dusted her dress off, grimacing whenever her hand brushed against grime she had picked up from the floor. Once she had deemed herself presentable, she took her school bag from her boyfriend and grabbed his hand before he could pull back.

"Thank you for grabbing my things, Kyo-kun."

"It really wasn't-"

"Kyo-kun~"

A mop of red hair popped over Kyoya's right shoulder, quickly followed by another over his left.

"You're such a knight in shining armor, Kyo-kun~"

"Such a good boyfriend for Jacklyn-senpai, Kyo-kun~"

"Hikaru! Kaoru!" Jacklyn whined as the red heads flounced away, still laughing as they disappeared through the club room doors. Realizing her cheeks were probably bright red, she dropped Kyoya's hand and tried to cover her face to hide it. According to Kyoya's responding chuckle, however, she was doing a poor job. Feeling an arm sneak around her waist, Jacklyn peeked up through her fingers at her boyfriend.

"Don't mind them too much," he hummed. "They'll grow tired of teasing us soon. After all, they'll probably have more than enough new material against Tamaki before the day is done."

"That's… probably true. But shouldn't we be hoping today goes smoothly for Tamaki?"

"If it stops them from asking to join us on our next date, I will allow for any and all forms of embarrassing situations involving that idiot."

Jacklyn giggled, recalling their first date as the two of them walked into the club room.

*Two Days Ago*

A pleasant chime rang above the door as Kyoya walked outside, the crisp spring air a welcome refreshment after the typical stuffiness of a crowded restaurant waiting area. Moving out of the way of another couple trying to enter the restaurant, he made his way over to where Jacklyn was leaning against the wall. Around them, the street buzzed with chatter and shop owners welcoming customers into their stores. Every so often, Kyoya caught a bypasser glancing at his clearly foreign girlfriend with curious eyes. He was thankful that Jacklyn was currently preoccupied with her phone, or at the very least didn't appear bothered by the attention.

"They said they'd have a table for two ready in about ten minutes. The crowd is one big party waiting together."

"Oh good." Jacklyn slid her phone into her pants pocket. "Ten minutes is not a bad wait time at all."

"For pork ramen?"

"For pork ramen," she agreed, taking a small side step to effectively tuck herself into Kyoya's right side. "Besides, I get to hang out with you for those ten minutes, so it's hardly an issue… unless you tried to name drop us to the top of their list?"

"No, I- Of course I didn't."

To Jacklyn's surprise (and delight), when she looked up at her boyfriend he was staring across the street at nothing in particular, the tips of his ears glowing pink. Given that Kyoya was a full-fledged host, and a good one at that, Jacklyn knew from the start that getting the romantic upper hand was definitely a big deal. She couldn't believe she had done it on the first date! A shy giggle escaped as she gently nudged his side. "Kyoya… are you embarrassed?"

"No."

More giggling followed and Kyoya knew his blush was going to get worse if he didn't do something… so he shifted his right arm to properly wrap it around Jacklyn's waist and pull his girlfriend that much closer. The giggling cut off with a soft gasp. On the other side of the street, a group of middle school girls sitting inside a Starbucks began gossiping with stronger vigor, cooing and taking sneaky glances at the obviously flustered couple waiting outside the restaurant across from them. Said couple, after almost a full minute of silence, finally made brief eye contact before looking away again, but not stepping apart. Kyoya cleared his throat.

"Is this alright? I know you said so earlier, but is it too much to hold you in public?"

Jacklyn scuffed her shoe against the ground and shook her head. "No, it's not. I mean… it is a little embarrassing but I still like it, I guess? Why? Do you not like it in public?"

"No. I mean yes. It's…" Kyoya thought about it for a moment. "I like it. I didn't think I would be one for public displays of affection, but this is fine. I like being close to you like this." Another wave of embarrassed silence followed Kyoya's confession, but this time the two felt like it belonged there. A sudden uncomfortable pressure in her lower abdomen had Jacklyn sadly wiggling out of Kyoya's grip, interrupting the moment.

"I need to run inside and use the restroom."

"Tease."

Letting out a shocked laugh and making a face, Jacklyn walked away from her boyfriend feeling accomplished. Their first official date had only just begun but it already felt like a success. And they were talking and working through their relationship boundaries! Hopefully by the time Kyoya dropped her off at her apartment, they would both feel more comfortable around each other...

"No!"

The sharp tone gave Jacklyn a bit of a jump scare, startled by both the noise and the sight of an older Japanese woman marching up to her making an 'x' with her pointer fingers.

"No English menus! ... You must eat elsewhere!"

"I, wha-" Jacklyn was tripping on her words, caught off guard by the woman's insistent 'x'-ing and pointing out the door. She was speaking fast, too. For every sentence she spoke, Jacklyn ended up missing the next one because she was trying to translate it in her head. She hadn't even taken a full step into the restaurant!

"We have no English speaking workers! ... You must go!"

"I-"

"Jacklyn, are you alright?"

Kyoya, my hero, Jacklyn mentally praised in gratitude as her boyfriend swooped in, the increasingly familiar feeling of his arm hooking around her waist successfully uncoupling Jacklyn's tongue from the roof of her mouth. Or perhaps that was because the woman standing in front of them had been shocked silent. Sucking in a deep breath in an effort to shake off the last of the spike of anxiety, Jacklyn gave Kyoya's arm a gentle touch.

"I'm alright, Kyo-kun. It was just an honest mistake." Jacklyn then turned back to the waitress who now looked both shocked and horrified, and bowed. "I apologize for the confusion, but I can speak Japanese. Please allow us to eat in this establishment."

Five minutes later and the couple was seated. Jacklyn graciously accepted the third apology she'd been given and declined the offered meal discount once again. When their waiter finally walked away, she turned her head to find Kyoya watching her intently.

"What?"

"You handled that situation remarkably well."

Shrugging, Jacklyn picked up her menu and gave it a once over. "It's not the first time I've been mistaken as a tourist. The first few times I went out to eat with Haruhi I was given English menus or forks and spoons instead of chopsticks. It's not that big of a deal… and besides, I have lots of friends back in America who work in restaurants, so I understand how frustrating it can be to work during a rush of customers."

"Amazing…"

Jacklyn looked up with a hum and was immediately caught off guard by the utterly soft look Kyoya was giving her. Something nudged her foot under the table and she nearly dropped her menu.

"You always astonish me with your kindness and understanding of other people. I wish more people I knew were like you."

Well, if Jacklyn thought she was going to get through the rest of their date without blushing, she had been dead wrong. Shoving her face back behind the menu, she bit at her lower lip while Kyoya chuckled across from her. Another gentle tap against her shoe had Jacklyn glaring over the top of her menu.

"Stop playing footsie with me. I feel like my heart is going to explode."

"In the good way or the bad way?"

Silence.

"Are you pouting?"

"No!"

*Present Day*

When Jacklyn finished bowing to her audience and went to sit back down at the piano, she was not surprised to find half of her bench already occupied. Even though this time, someone else had taken over Kyoya's usual spot.

"Oh my, how nice to have a visitor today."

"Don't start." Haruhi nudged Jacklyn's shoulder as soon as the other girl sat down. "I actually wanted to ask you about your last song."

"This one?"

"Mhm." Haruhi read the top of the music sheets now in Jacklyn's hands, eyes narrowing at the English lettering. "River… Flows… In You? Even the name sounds pretty."

"I take it you liked it? This is a newer piece for me… I wasn't even going to play it here for another week but Tamaki insisted we have a "calm and romantic" ambiance today, so I pulled it out a little early."

"Gee, I wonder why he asked that."

Jacklyn snickered as she rotated to her last piece, gently smoothing out what few wrinkles there were on the sheet music. As Haruhi waited for her to finish, she tilted her head at the empty couch seated behind the piano. "Speaking of visitors, how come Akiko-senpai and Ena-senpai haven't come to see you all week? Did they tell you why?"

"Yeah, they've been really busy with the French club lately. Something about a field trip this summer they're trying to plan, I think? They told me about it last week because they didn't want me thinking they were bored of me or anything. It was really sweet of them to care, actually."

Haruhi hummed, "That sounds like something guests of yours would do."

"Uh, why my guests specifically?"

Haruhi leaned back a little in thought, making sure she didn't accidentally lean on the piano keys like last time. "Well, it's obvious that you would worry if someone didn't show up unexpectedly. You sort of act like a worried mother whenever one of us is missing. Besides, you seem like the kind of person who needs to have all their ducks in a row."

"I thought Kyo-kun was the club mom?"

Haruhi waved her off. "He's more like the underappreciated nanny."

"Hm, fair."

The girls managed to hold their laughter back for three seconds before turning away from each other abruptly, trying to muffle themselves. Jacklyn slid the piano cover over the keys before nudging Haruhi with her elbow. "Don't… don't tell Kyo-kun I said that."

Haruhi snorted a little, but nodded. "I wasn't planning on it. Knowing him, he'd find a way to count it against my debt. But out of curiosity, does that mean you also think Tamaki-senpai calling himself our father is weird?"

"Heh. Well, this might surprise you, but no. We had a similar, more complicated "family tree" in my marching band back in America. Then again, marching bands are pretty weird, too, so I could just be used to weirdness. But it's not uncommon for friend groups in America to appoint a "mom friend" who tends to look after the others..."

Haruhi listened carefully, absorbing the new information like a sponge. She once told Jacklyn that she felt she learned more about American culture by talking to her than from asking her world studies teacher any assortment of questions. Jacklyn felt the same way when she asked Haruhi or the other hosts about growing up in Japan.

"...Anyways, giving us a family structure is nowhere near some of Tamaki's crazier plans."

"Huh, I guess that's true." As if proving their point, Haruhi and Jacklyn peered over the top of the piano to watch Tamaki host, sitting alongside his unusual "guest". Haruhi wrinkled her nose and couldn't help but wish she had found a more normal club to walk in on that first day of school. "That is by far one of his weirder plans. And don't you think it's odd he's making the kid watch him host up close like that?"

*Yesterday*

When the Host Club's newest chaotic adventure first rolled around Jacklyn had been minding her own business, quietly humming along to an Ed Sheeran song that she had heard playing overhead on her and Kyoya's date. The song had derailed their conversation for nearly 20 minutes when Jacklyn heard it. She was almost tempted to look for a piano rendition, if not because she enjoyed the melody then to see if it would get a rise out of her boyfriend.

At least, more of a rise than her current outfit.

The cosplay theme was "Arabian Nights", and Jacklyn felt a little… uncomfortable. Ethically sourced clothing or not, this was one outfit she was not going to be sending photos of back to her friends in America. Same went for the boy's tunics and turbans. They were all currently waiting amid an array of pillows, gold vases, and platters of fake fruit for the first guests of the day to show up. Obviously, they were selling today's cosplay hard, which did nothing to quell the stirring of guilt in Jacklyn's stomach.

Thankfully, she had managed to excuse herself from the first set up, convincing Tamaki that their guests would feel more like royalty if they didn't immediately see her "Princess Dress". Grumbling and tugging at her tight skirt, Jacklyn placed her selection of music on the piano. Don't get her wrong, though; in terms of aesthetics Jacklyn liked her outfit. Well enough, at least. It was entirely black and made with two different fabrics, a thick bottom layer that was more of a crop top and skirt, and a top layer of sparkling dark mesh that covered her stomach and her legs down to the ankle. Her arms and upper back were left bare save for the occasional gem that had been glued to her skin. She had turned down the head dress, but Hikaru and Kaoru had somehow sat her down long enough to braid her hair into a crown with even more gems.

The whole setup was gorgeous, but it hugged Jacklyn's curves so tightly she constantly felt like she was one wrong move away from ripping a seam or two. The whole situation felt like it was on the cusp of what she considered to be "okay". How was she supposed to play the piano when she was this tense?

Apparently she was about to find out, because just then the doors creaked open and the hosts gave their usual welcome. Jacklyn turned around to offer a smile, but was caught off guard by the person standing on the other side of the door.

"Oh, it's just a kid."

"Not only that, it's just a boy."

A kid? Jacklyn walked over to the others carefully, still tugging at her dress skirt. What's a kid doing here?

"Hmm… come closer, lost one. Did you come to my palace in search of something?"

Now standing beside her boyfriend, Jacklyn finally got a good look at the kid as he walked further into the music room. It took her a few seconds to recognize the dark green uniform he was wearing was the Ouran Elementary boy's uniform. The information intrigued her. For an elementary kid, he had on a really serious expression.

The kid stopped halfway between the doors and the hosts, keeping his eyes firmly on Tamaki, his tone almost accusatory when he suddenly asked, "Are you… the King?"

Ooooh… he is going to be impossible to reason with for the next two hours.

Even though she couldn't see his face, Jacklyn had an idea as to the expression Tamaki was currently wearing. Her classmate suddenly sucked in a dramatically long inhale before leaping up from his pillow lounge and throwing his arms wide. "YES! I am the King of the Ouran Host Club! Long live the Host King!"

The kid before him gave a curt nod, looking surprisingly unconcerned by Tamaki's odd cheerfulness. "My name is Shiro Takaoji, I'm an elementary fifth year. I'm here to ask the King of the Host Club to take me on as an apprentice!"

"...Oh!"

*Present Day*

"And don't you think it's odd he's making the kid watch him host up close like that?"

Jacklyn gave a hum of agreement, turning away from her view of Tamaki's table. The lack of personal space between Tamaki and his guest's faces had always given her secondhand embarrassment before, but now with Shiro watching them up close and personal she felt downright uncomfortable. "There is a theory that people are more beautiful the closer they are viewed… maybe Tamaki is trying to pass on that sentiment," she offered.

"You and I both know there is no way Tamaki has anything resembling an actual lesson plan for how to train this kid." Haruhi brushed a loose lock of hair back into her bangs before standing up with a scoff. "I didn't get any real teaching when I joined. He's probably just making it up as he goes."

"That is possible." Haruhi let out a yelp as Kyoya walked around from the other side of the piano. He was also watching Tamaki's table with something akin to interest, only for him to turn back around and say, "But since Shiro has specifically become Tamaki's apprentice, it's hardly any of our business. Let's just leave them alone for now."

Haruhi gave a little huff, but walked off with a wave and no further comment. After waving back, Jacklyn gestured for her boyfriend to take the seat Haruhi had just vacated beside her. Kyoya took it, setting his journal aside without prompting.

"Hi."

"Hello. Might I ask what that look is for?"

Jacklyn's smirk instantly morphed into a smile. "There's no need to be coy with me, Kyo-kun. I know you're interested in how this business with Shiro is going to play out. You're almost worse than Hikaru and Kaoru with these things."

"I feel as though I should be taking offense to that statement."

Jacklyn rolled her eyes and leaned over to rest her head on Kyoya's shoulder. "Don't. I'm curious, too. But I'm also a little worried about the guests. I have quite a few younger cousins, and little kids can be selfishly-"

"That's not fair! A little kid like you isn't supposed to have a cool older friend like that!"

At the shouting, the couple immediately stood up and turned towards the noise. Over at Tamaki's table, the charming yet unsettling scene had been replaced by one of gradually increasing chaos. The entire club, excluding Kyoya and Jacklyn for obvious reasons, had apparently gathered over there and for some reason Shiro was freaking out. Even Haruhi was there, her attempt to skirt around the craziness thwarted by the kid running right into her.

"-honest." Jacklyn finished her sentence with a groan, following her boyfriend towards the scene. As they grew closer, she broke away to slip unnoticed around the nearby columns until she could come up behind the 3rd year students, Honey still cowering by his cousin's shoulders.

"Hey, are you alright Honey-senpai-"

"Jac-chan!" Honey promptly jumped into Jacklyn's arms, tears still welling up in his eyes. "Shiro-chan was being so mean! Why did he yell at me for wearing my uniform? And… and then he yelled at me again because Takeshi is older… but I'm older!"

"Uh, it's okay Honey-senpai. Calm down. It's okay. I'm sure Shiro was just a little confused-" A sudden crash and the sound of breaking glass set off another wail from the boy in Jacklyn's arms. "-and I'm sure he didn't mean to sound so angry! Oh shhh, it's okay. It's okay..."

"You're… a foreigner."

Honey buried his face in Jacklyn's neck and her shushing was cut short. Turning so she wasn't trying to look over Honey's head, Jacklyn was surprised to find Shiro watching her. He seemed rather curious and not at all concerned about the mess of broken glass and spilled tea he had left on the floor behind him. The rest of the club was also watching Shiro in a loose semi-circle around the mess, most of them looking to be on the cusp of absolute fury.

"Uh, yes, I am." Hastily setting Honey down and shooing him towards the kitchen, Jacklyn faced Shiro with a proper smile. "I'm a study abroad student from America. My name is-"

"You talk funny. And slow. How did you even get into Ouran Academy?"

Ouch.

There was clear disappointment and exasperation in the kid's voice that hit deep on some of Jacklyn's biggest insecurities. Any desire to speak aloud in Japanese within the next decade shriveled up in her chest and was replaced by the familiar swooping feeling of anxiety and embarrassment.

Shiro, for his part, didn't seem to notice or perhaps didn't care about the damage of his words. Instead he shrugged off the lack of a response and turned around, only to find the only club member he hadn't spoken to yet looming over him. Screaming in horror, the boy fell backwards in his attempt to skitter away.

"Ah! D… d… demon!"

"For your information," Kyoya hissed, "Jacklyn is one of the top students at Ouran Academy, and her skills in speaking Japanese are both impressive and constantly improving. As I doubt you can even properly introduce yourself in English, it would be wise for you to avoid insulting second-language speakers in the future."

"And on the subject of improving skills…"

Shiro's backpedaling finally came to a stop when he smacked into someone's legs. Looking up, another shiver of fear danced down his spine at the angry look in Tamaki's eyes. For having such a fair complexion, the blonde's expression was very dark. Tamaki lifted a finger and pointed it squarely at Shiro's forehead. "You are no closer to making women happy than when you first arrived. And since you are so comfortable insulting women as you please…" He lifted his hand higher and snapped his fingers, the clear sound cutting through the air. "Hikaru! Kaoru! Put this brat in isolation!"

"You got it, Boss!"

Five seconds later and Shiro was confined under a large metal cage that had descended from the ceiling. A part of Jacklyn wanted to question how she had failed to notice such an obvious object earlier, or perhaps mention how quickly the situation had spiraled out of control, but she still sort of wanted to keep her mouth shut for the foreseeable future. Maybe even sew it up.

"Jacklyn? Are you alright?"

She nodded, offering Kyoya a smile and hoped it was enough to convey her gratitude without words. Her boyfriend didn't look convinced, but he didn't press her to speak either. Instead, he led her to a nearby table and started pouring some tea for the two of them and Haruhi, who was quick to join them. She also didn't try talking with Jacklyn immediately, even though Shiro had made his comments loud enough for everyone around to hear. Jacklyn would have to remember to thank both of them later for their understanding.

As the three sipped their tea in silence and listened to Tamaki's back and forth with Shiro, Jacklyn slowly felt the weight in her chest fade away. She reasoned with herself that Shiro was clearly a bigger brat than most children she had known, and it wasn't like she didn't already know her speaking patterns were a little odd. She knew she spoke slower and more carefully than her native speaking friends, but that didn't make her unintelligible or too dumb to attend a prestigious high school. Until Shiro had spoken up, Jacklyn hadn't once heard a complaint about her speaking patterns the entire time she had been a student here. Not even from the cattier crowds.

She smiled down into her tea cup, suddenly feeling warm from the inside out.

Across the way, Tamaki was still scolding Shiro, whose expression was becoming more and more like that of a cat someone was trying to bathe. "I took you on as my apprentice because I thought you were serious about becoming a host!"

Jacklyn gave a scoff, "You let him in because he called you 'The King'. You're not fooling anyone."

"Oh! You're back already!"

"That was faster than we expected!"

Hikaru and Kaoru popped up at Jacklyn's elbow, almost literally appearing out of nowhere. One of these days, Jacklyn was going to have to ask how they did that. For now she settled with fixing them with a halfway amused look while Haruhi tried to wave them off. To no avail, of course.

"Now is not the time for jokes, you two."

"Haruhi, it's alright." Jacklyn set her tea cup down before reaching up to rub the tops of Hikaru and Kaoru's heads. "A few jokes are exactly what I need, but after that I'd rather forget about what Shiro said entirely. He's not right, and I know I speak Japanese just fine. I'm okay."

Hikaru and Kaoru gave her matching thumbs-up, keeping their heads ducked to allow for more head rubs which Jacklyn found to be absolutely adorable. Across the table both Haruhi and Kyoya relaxed back into their chairs, one a little more obvious about it than the other. All four of them were thinking along the same lines: If Jacklyn wasn't going to focus on the comment, then they wouldn't either.

Instead, Kaoru asked, "So, what's the bet that the kid's gonna call the Boss "King" again and get him to immediately bend to his will?"

"I'm not taking that bet. You know that's exactly what's going to happen." Jacklyn finally withdrew her hands, turning back to Tamaki even as the twins whined over the sudden lack of attention.

Their complaints didn't last long, because not even four seconds passed before Shiro was calling out, "Please won't you teach me? You're a genius at it! You're the king!"

Hikaru held up three fingers and began counting down. The moment he curled his last finger back into his fist-

"Hmph. Well, you may be a brat, but I admire your desire to become a host. You remind me of myself when I was younger, so I suppose I can still teach you! But if this is something you really want, you're going to have to learn how to use the tools you already have at your disposal."

Jacklyn could see the figurative question marks appearing in Shiro's eyes as Tamaki spoke. She couldn't exactly blame the kid. She didn't really know what Tamaki was talking about either… which probably explained why Kyoya was standing up with his usual air of "time to take over". Taking her boyfriend's offered hand, Jacklyn let Kyoya lead her and the rest of the host club over to Shiro's cage, the young elementary boy shying away from the bars as they approached.

"You see, Shiro, here at the Ouran Host Club our policy is to use our individual personality traits to meet the needs of our guests. For example, there's Tamaki: The Princely Type. There's the Strong, Silent Type. The Boy-Lolita Type. The Little-Devil Type. The Natural Type. And the Cool Type. It's all about variety."

The look on Shiro's face seemed to indicate that the boy was no less lost than he had been before Kyoya started talking, but then his eyes found the one member Kyoya had failed to label. "Well, what about her? Why is she here?"

Kyoya's shoulders went tense, so Jacklyn pulled her right hand out of his grip and placed it on his back, rubbing what she hoped were soothing circles with her thumb. Her boyfriend wasn't one to lose his temper often, but clearly Shiro had some unspoken gift to rile up even the calmest individuals. To his credit though, Kyoya's voice remained calm as he explained, "Jacklyn is not technically a host. She serves as our musician and occasionally acts as our waitress. However, she does have a small handful of guests who sit with her… if I were to give her a type label she would have to be the Sweet and Shy Type. So it would seem that right now we have a perfect blend of characteristics. It'll be hard to find a new type for you, Shiro."

The twins stepped forward next, musing about what type Shiro's personality could fit into. They suggested another Boy-Lolita only for Honey to fire back that he fit a Little-Devil type as well. Jacklyn didn't really register the conversation in her mind, still blushing from Kyoya's title for her hosting style. Sweet and Shy… that does sound a lot like me.

So wrapped up in her thoughts, Jacklyn didn't even realize she had dropped her hand from Kyoya's back until he looped his own arm around her waist. Bashful, she kept her gaze on the floor, hands tugging gently at the bottom hem of her shirt. After a moment, she felt a squeeze on her hip.

"Jacklyn? Is something wrong?"

"No!" Jacklyn whipped her head up and nearly swallowed her tongue. She and Kyoya were… standing very close together. If she could tear her gaze away from his eyes, she would've noticed the blush on Kyoya's face that matched her own. It took a lot just for her to continue saying, "No, i-it's just I thought what you said was… really cute. Guess you kinda… have me figured out?"

She gulped as she broke the stare only to find Kyoya smirking at her. In the past year that she had known Kyoya, Jacklyn had learned to read a lot of his facial expressions. This one in particular was spelling out for her in big red letters: "WARNING! Endearing statement approaching! May induce flustering!"

Instead, she heard a halfway formed word right before the ground lurched beneath their feet and a sharp pain bloomed on her forehead. She brought a hand up to rub at the spot with a yelp. Her boyfriend echoed the sound as well and when Jacklyn looked up she saw a red mark on his forehead, too.

Man, it would've been so easy for us to have accidentally kissed just now.

With a jolt and a blooming blush on her face, Jacklyn spun around towards the source of the noise. Internally, she was screaming at her mind for thinking of something so embarrassing. Externally, she watched in disappointment as the last person she wanted to see rose up from the floor.

"Is that the best character development you've got? I have to say I'm quite disappointed in you boys, I thought I taught you better."

"Alright then, Miss Manager-" Tamaki pouted up at Renge on her rather superfluous and excessive platform, "-how would you work Shiro into our collection of characters?"

Jacklyn inched herself towards the side of the group as Renge jumped on the question, hopefully out of the other girl's line of sight. Clearly Renge was as pretentious as ever, and even if she had played the slightest role in getting Jacklyn together with Kyoya, that didn't mean she was entirely comfortable with Renge's presence. It didn't matter that she had left Jacklyn and Kyoya alone, it was hard to forget just how cruel Renge had been to her only a few weeks ago.

"I'm not entirely thrilled to see her either," Kyoya admitted, leaning in to whisper in Jacklyn's ear. "Perhaps it's rude of me, but I don't know if I'll ever entirely forgive her for how she treated you. Her apology was lackluster, too."

Jacklyn hums noncommittally, feeling happy but also guilty about her boyfriend's confession. Perhaps they would relax around Renge as the year went on? All the same, hearing Renge talk about "character building" was starting to bring up some awfully unpleasant memories. Jacklyn didn't protest in the slightest when Kyoya suggested they wait in the kitchen until Renge left.

She might have preferred not hearing Hikaru whisper "Have fun you two~" after them, but beggars and choosers and all that.

"Do you think Shiro will be alright with Renge?" Jacklyn asked as Kyoya pulled the door shut behind them. Right before he did, however, she saw Renge forcing Shiro to "run recklessly" around the club room. She bit her lip. "Maybe we shouldn't…"

"Jacklyn, this might sound hypocritical, but I do think that Renge has learned her lesson about trying to completely change a person's character. Remember, this is about Shiro using the looks he already has. She should be just teaching Shiro specific actions and responses."

"She should but what if she doesn't is my point," Jacklyn counters. "We can't depend on Haruhi to step in if things go wrong, even if Renge has a weird crush on her."

To his credit, Kyoya did appear somewhat troubled by the notion, but he didn't make a move to open the door again. "You have a valid point… but in the end it's not our responsibility to monitor Renge or Shiro. Shiro asked for help and Renge offered her services."

"I guess you're right." Jacklyn sighed and leaned back against the kitchen counter. "Well, do you want to do homework while we're back here?"

Kyoya raised an eyebrow at the suggestion before offering his girlfriend a little smile. For some reason, an echo of Hikaru's request to 'have fun' bounced around Jacklyn's mind as she suddenly realized the two of them were very much alone.

She shuffled her feet. "Kyo-kun?"

"KYOYA! JACKLYN!"

The door burst open and ricocheted off the wall, just barely missing Kyoya's face. Tamaki was standing in the doorway, looking panicked.

"You'd better come quick! Shiro's run off!"

*Time Skip*

Jacklyn wished she could say she was surprised by the turn of events. But as Haruhi filled her in before the rest of the host club dragged her off to "change", Jacklyn just shook her head. Serves her right for trusting Renge to change so soon. And on top of that, Shiro paid for their oversight this time. Brat though he may be, he didn't deserve to be treated like a joke.

A gentle nudge forward broke Jacklyn out of her haze of guilt. Mori was beckoning her to follow the host club boys into another dark hallway. A quick glance ahead showed why. As Haruhi and Honey snuck forward in their "disguises", the pair was attracting a steadily growing following of elementary students. Which made sense, since they were in an elementary school building.

Jacklyn slid into the dark hall and almost pulled the door shut behind her. "Almost" because she managed to stop herself before she severed Tamaki's fingers from his hand. The blond and his two redhead shadows shuffled around until all three of them could watch the hallway through the crack.

"And here I was about to ask whose bright idea was it to dress those two up," she hissed at them. "They aren't blending in very well! But now I know!"

"Wahhh… why won't those brats leave Haruhi alone?" Tamaki whined, completely ignoring his friend.

"They're not brats," Jacklyn scoffed and walked off to stand beside her boyfriend and her only other sensible friend. Although, considering how neither Mori or Kyoya had protested the other's plans, perhaps she was giving them too much credit. All the same, Jacklyn stuck by the two of them as they moved from one hallway to the next, following Honey and Haruhi on their hunt for Shiro's classroom. They found it quickly since (according to Kyoya) they had all been in the same class when they were Shiro's age. That made sense. What didn't make sense was that as soon as they found it everyone else seemed to forget they were supposed to try to stay hidden.

Jacklyn watched slack jawed in horror as the boys she had been sneaking around with suddenly straightened up and walked, nonchalantly, into Shiro's classroom like they had every right to be there. She would've stayed behind were it not for Kyoya guiding her along with the rest of them. Not that she went quietly.

"What are you all doing?"

"Oh wow, this brings back memories," Kaoru remarked, once again making Jacklyn feel completely ignored.

"I wonder if our desk drawings are still here," Hikaru asked.

"They won't be," Kyoya answered. "The school replaces the desks every year. Otherwise, this one would've been mine."

Jacklyn looked down at the desk Kyoya was resting his hand on. It was second furthest from the door in the very front row. In her mind's eye, Jacklyn could see a little Kyoya excitedly raising his hand to answer the teacher's question or gazing up at the blackboard with wide, curious eyes. She had to bite back an 'aww', and a quick glance up at her boyfriend's face showed that he knew it, too. At once, Jacklyn realized why Kyoya had pulled her along. He wanted to share some of his memories with her. Maybe he'll break out the baby pictures one day, she wondered, not at all opposed to the idea.

"Hey! If you're just gonna barge in here like this then what was the point of these stupid disguises!"

"Finally someone else said it!"

Jacklyn and Haruhi exchanged solemn nods, both agreeing and apologizing to the other that they had to deal with the same six idiots on a daily basis. The solidarity between them almost made up for how the boy's idiocy was proven not a moment later by the sounds of footsteps echoing in from the hallway. Together, all eight students ducked down below the desks, most of them not daring to breathe.

Most… not all.

"If the teacher finds us here-"

"-we'll have a hard time explaining why we snuck in."

"Shut up!"

Everyone turned to look at Jacklyn. The girl was glaring at the boys with one finger pressed to her lips. The look in her eyes positively daring them to make a sound. She would've looked more frightening if they didn't notice the way her hand was shaking in front of her face. But the startled and worried look on Kyoya's face more than made up for it.

The following twenty seconds had them sitting on pins and needles as they mentally begged for the teacher to just pass them by. And to their great relief, that's exactly what he did. As Haruhi crawled over to the doorway to give them the 'all-clear', Jacklyn sighed heavily and fell sideways against Kyoya's shoulder.

"That was too scary."

"How come?" Kaoru asked first, standing up with the rest of them.

"Well… I'm an exchange student. Getting in trouble might not be a big deal to you, but who knows what it would do to me? It was basically drilled into my head that I'm representing my whole country while I'm here. And on that note, I'm from the U.S. That alone makes the teachers watch me closer than the rest of you, you know?"

From the outright horrified expressions on her friend's faces, they did not know. It didn't surprise her. Jacklyn was well aware that when her problems existed outside of the realm of rich and privileged lives, her friends at Ouran had a mental blind spot reaction to them. At the very least, once they realized there was a problem, they seemed to care a great deal about it. Which is a big reason as to why Jacklyn had bothered to stick around after clearing her debt.

"All the more reason we need to find Shiro quickly," Haruhi reminded them. "But if he's not in here, where do we go next?"

"Hey! Come over here, you guys! It's Shiro-chan!"

Honey waved them over to the back wall. There were a few calligraphy papers, some art projects, and even a few photographs decorating the wall, giving the classroom a softer feeling in comparison to the bare emptiness in the high school. Once all eight club members were crowded around, Honey jumped to smack his finger against the photo he was talking about. In it, Shiro was sitting next to a girl on what was unmistakably a piano bench. It was hard to tell if they were actually playing the instrument because the two kids were too busy smiling at each other.

"Looks like Shiro's in the classical music club."

"They have a club like that? In elementary school?"

Kyoya gave his girlfriend a side-eye. "Ouran is a prestigious school. If we didn't have a classical music club, there would be outrage."

"Right, right."

"I had no idea he could look so sweet," Haruhi commented. "Do you think that's a reflection on us or him?"

That question sparked a quiet enough topic to carry their group all the way to the elementary's music room. They hung close to the classrooms this time around, avoiding the little kids still wandering the main halls, and within five minutes they were crouched along the windows looking in on the classical music club. Shiro was easy to spot through the windows. He was sitting off to the side, looking sullen and mopey and not at all like the smiling boy from the picture they found earlier.

What changed? Jacklyn wondered. He seemed to be having fun with that girl...

"Look, look! It's that girl from the picture!" Honey bounced in place before Mori pulled him back out of sight. "She's talking to Shiro-chan!"

Like he said, the girl who had been in the photo with Shiro had walked up to him and appeared to offer him some papers in her hand before she pointed towards the piano waiting in the middle of the room. The Host Club watched in silence as Shiro shook his head and gestured for the girl to go alone. The mystery girl smiled and did just that, setting the papers up before beginning to play.

The music drifted out into the hallway, muffled by the closed door, but Jacklyn couldn't help but smile. Obviously it was a classical piece, very bouncy and joyful. Mozart's Sonata in D if she remembered her own lessons from elementary school… though she couldn't shake the feeling something was missing from the piece. She couldn't place it, but all the same she liked it.

And from the looks of it, Shiro liked it too.

"Excuse me, miss."

Jacklyn spun around and almost had a heart attack when she saw what Tamaki was getting up to. The idiot had approached a little girl coming out of the music room and was offering her a rose. Jacklyn watched with bated breath as her friend asked about the girl playing the piano. Maybe things were different in Japan and maybe the girl really was too young to know any better, but if Jacklyn had been approached by a strange older man asking about information on another girl...

"That's Hina Kamishiro!"

"Her name is Hina?"

"That's right."

The little girl continued talking to Tamaki in a high, chirping voice that Jacklyn struggled a bit to make sense of. Out of every demographic in Japan, children were by far the hardest for her to understand if they weren't purposefully talking slow and clearly. She caught a few words here and there, including the phrase 'new job in Germany' and 'end of the week'.

It was just enough context for Jacklyn's heart to go out to poor Shiro right before the boy burst out into the hallway.

"What do you idiots think you're doing here? Get out of here! I want you to leave immediately!"

"Immediately? Gladly." Tamaki straightened up, took two steps forward, and scooped Shiro up and over his shoulder. At once Shiro started squirming and screaming. Tamaki ignored his demands to be put down and started carrying Shiro down the hallway, gesturing for the rest of the club to follow. Jacklyn winced as Shiro's voice got higher and higher until it started to crack. Drifting off to the far side of the group, she did her best not to cover her ears. Damn this kid is annoying. How long is the walk back to the high school?

*\/*

"What is your problem you big idio- woah!"

Jacklyn could have cried in relief when Tamaki tossed Shiro onto the couch. She caught Hikaru and Kaoru pulling small ear plugs out and shot them a glare. Little traitors… why didn't they offer me some?

"Why-"

"The only idiot in this room is you, Shiro!" Tamaki called out, staring down his nose at his "student". "You came here begging to learn how to make all women happy, but that's not what you really wanted, was it? You're not concerned with the happiness of just any woman, you only care about one: Hina Kamishiro!"

Shiro's responding gasp was enough of a response for Tamaki to continue. "But I can't help you in the way you've been asking me. Being a host is not the same as conveying your true feelings to a woman. Becoming a host is not the answer to your problem. If you want to make Hina happy, you must do it yourself. Do you understand?"

Shiro's lower lip wobbled and he dropped his head. "Yes, but means it doesn't matter any more. Hina's moving away in three days. I can't just…" He choked on his own words and pressed his hands to his face.

"That piece she was playing... it was Mozart's Sonata in D major for two pianos, was it not?"

Shiro looked up in surprise. Tamaki's expression was level, not betraying anything before he turned his head towards the rest of the host club. At a very particular person.

"Jacklyn? Would you mind?"

Every eye in the room turned to her, but instead of crumbling under the pressure Jacklyn straightened her back. She might not speak the most fluent Japanese or know everything about private academies, but she and her friends had confidence in her abilities as their club's musician. Without a word, she walked over to her piano and lifted the key lid. She didn't play much classical music… but there was one she knew pretty darn well if she thought so herself.

A quick flex of her fingers and she was off, spinning out Vivaldi's Summer for piano. With no sheet music in front of her, Jacklyn drew all of her focus onto her memory of the many times she had played the song before. She had been playing it for years, learning it to surprise her mother with her favorite song on mother's day when Jacklyn was still in middle school.

By the time she finished, Shiro had drifted over to stand at her side with awe in his eyes. She waited for him to speak up.

"That was awesome. How did you do that?"

"Well, she is our musician," Tamaki reminded the boy.

"She is our musician-"

"-though I've never heard her play that one before."

"Did you think she would be any less talented? She is our musician."

"She is our musician."

"We first met Jac-chan because we heard her playing the piano really good, so we asked her to stay."

Jacklyn blushed at the praise before fixing her eye on the boy standing in front of her. "The piece Hina was playing was for two pianos. Tamaki and I can spend the next two days teaching you the second part during your lunch, recesses, and free periods after school."

"Really?"

"Of course. You wanted to be my apprentice, right?" Tamaki clapped his hands on Shiro's shoulders. "Besides, that young lady looked like she wanted nothing more than to play the piano with you."

*\/*

Shiro stuck to their training until the very end. A small part of Jacklyn had been prepared for the boy to have another tantrum at some point in the middle, but the kid was a trooper when he wanted to be. By the time Friday afternoon came around and the host club was waiting for their guest to knock on their door, Jacklyn had no lingering anxiety about Shiro's performance. He was ready.

Hina's entrance was as grand as they could make the private event. In two rows of four, the eight host club members framed the two sides of the open door, the boys in cream color suits with red and gold ties and Jacklyn in a knee-length cream dress with a golden belt and her hair tied up in red ribbons. Red rose petals fluttered through the air from a contraption above their door Jacklyn hadn't quite figured out yet.

"Welcome, Princess. We've been waiting for you."

"I present with pride, Shiro Takaoji's… piano recital." Tamaki stepped to the side, revealing Shiro seated at Jacklyn's piano with a second grand piano placed beside it. Holding her breath, Jacklyn reached up to grab hold of Kyoya's jacket. Forgetting how she wasn't supposed to be anxious, she mentally begged for Shiro to not lose his nerve at the last moment. Jacklyn wasn't sure if she'd be able to take it.

"Let's play together, Hina."

"Okay!"

The recital went off without a hitch. Standing off to the side to give the kids both an audience but also a sense of privacy, the hosts watched on. Jacklyn wasn't surprised when Kyoya pulled her to his side. Off to the side, she could faintly hear Haruhi talking with Tamaki about how Shiro loved with all his heart.

"So I guess that's another way he takes after you, Senpai."

"And like you, Kyo-kun," Jacklyn murmured under her breath. She didn't know if Kyoya heard her, but when she rested her head on his shoulder she felt him press his cheek against the top of her head in return. If Jacklyn were to guess what Hina was feeling when Shiro invited her to play, she'd have to imagine it felt something like this.

*Time Skip*

The next time Shiro visited the Host Club, Jacklyn was too busy playing to give the boy a proper greeting. He did say hello to her, however, and was admiring the song she was playing until Tamaki's guests called him away. Flipping to the final page, Jacklyn gently nudged Kyoya's shoulder with her own. Her boyfriend nudged back, his thumb tapping softly in time against his journal spread across his lap. His eyes were shut as he enjoyed the sounds of his own up-close and personal concert. One more reason he had quietly and assuredly claimed the space beside Jacklyn as his own.

Dancing her fingers up the final scale, Jacklyn didn't even bother bowing to the guests. She could hear the chatter and cooing of Tamaki's guests from all the way across the room. Giving her boyfriend a smile, Jacklyn asked the first question that came to mind.

"Has Tamaki exploded yet?"

"If by exploded you mean threaten to throw Shiro out of the club with a permanent ban, then no, not yet. But I have a feeling he's reaching his limit."

"No kidding?"

There was the sound of something heavy falling over followed by more screaming from Tamaki. Jacklyn turned to watch the spectacle go down with only a hint of concern on her face. Kyoya, on the other hand, was content to watch Jacklyn instead. Even after the insanity that was Shiro's involvement with the Host Club, he and Jacklyn hadn't had much time to themselves. He wanted to take her on another date. Preferably one that didn't include curious onlookers or rude waitstaff.

And perhaps while on said date, they could talk a bit about what might happen after high school. From the sounds of it, Shiro had the beginnings of a healthy long-distance relationship with Ms. Kamishiro and so did a few other couples at the academy that Kyoya was aware of.

All that was left was to tell Jacklyn how he really felt.

Oof! It's completed! I feel like the ending is shit, but that's fine!

I hope everyone's staying safe and smart!

See you next chapter!