Being an adult sucks, and so does working 40 hours a week. I can't believe it took me this long to get back into writing. But when I sat down and started working on this chapter, it was almost like I'd never left. I have missed this so much, and I hope my plan for this chapter makes up for the wait, even just a little bit.
Thank you to everyone who is still here and to all the newcomers who want to see how Jacklyn's story ends. I promise to get you all there one chapter at a time.
The Sun, the Beach, and the Host Club
Jacklyn took two steps into the club room and stopped. Her mouth fell open for a few seconds before she managed to shut it. But who could blame her? It wasn't every day you walked into a room filled with over a hundred mannequins wearing different swimsuits, especially when the room wasn't supposed to have over a hundred mannequins. At the very least, Jacklyn was grateful they weren't the creepy kind that had facial features or detailed hands.
Still, she carefully sidestepped the army of figures until she found Haruhi. Somehow, the younger girl was still managing to study at a small table. It was almost like she hadn't even noticed…
Wait.
Jacklyn nudged her friend and waited for Haruhi to look up. Sure enough, as soon as Haruhi got her head out of her notebook, her eyes went wide.
"What's all this?" She asked.
"You say that like I know. But seriously, boys, what's going on?"
From various spots around the room, Jacklyn saw the heads of the host club boys pop up from within the mass of mannequins. Like gophers. All except for Honey, but that was a given. The twins dodged their way out of the inanimate mob and stopped in front of Jacklyn.
"They're for you!" The twins chorused. "So you girls have something to wear to the beach!"
Jacklyn blinked, sure she had missed something. "We're going to the beach?" she asked.
"Of course! Don't you remember what Haruhi said last week?" Hikaru said.
"She said she wanted to go to a real beach," Kaoru reminded her.
Jacklyn blinked a few times and tried to think back. Now, her memory might be pretty bad in comparison to others, but she was pretty sure that Haruhi hadn't said that. Or at least not directly. Unless she wasn't translating it properly? She wasn't allowed to think about it for long before the twins pulled her and Haruhi closer to the swimsuit-clad mannequins. Releasing the girls, they spun around and grabbed one mannequin each and placed them directly in front of each girl. A pink two-piece for Haruhi, and a lavender bikini for Jacklyn.
"We carefully selected these swimsuits for you to wear," they chimed in unison. "We hope you like them!"
"Wait! Not those ones!" Honey called out. Jacklyn felt her shoulders sink in relief as she looked at the blue one-piece Honey had his hands on. "I think this would look much cuter on Haru-chan! And Jack-chan could wear-"
"Tsk, tsk! I don't think you get it, Honey-senpai."
The twins stepped on two little buttons at the base of their mannequins of choice, and with a low hum the models began to spin around. A neat marketing technique, but Jacklyn couldn't appreciate it with the knot of dread building up in her gut. Or was that her stomach already starting to suck itself in?
"Look, to cut to the chase, Haruhi is flat as a cutting board and that one-piece you've got would just emphasize her lack of feminine physique, Honey-senpai. That's why we carefully selected this two-piece! The ruffles help hide the fact that she's so flat chested!"
To Jacklyn's horror, they turned to her next.
Hikaru stuck up his left hand. "Now, Jacklyn-senpai has the opposite problem."
Kaoru raised his right hand. "But for as well-endowed as she is, her school uniform offers no definition and she wears a sports bra everyday, which only exacerbates the problem."
"So," they finalized together, "This bikini will not only show off her curves, but the diamond-shape cleavage cut will add an air of sexuality that her day to day outfits severely lack. Plus, the lavender color will match better with her cool skin tone than the yellow of her school uniform. Wouldn't you agree, Kyoya-sen-"
Smack!
Jacklyn managed to duck before Tamaki hit both twins out of the park, shouting at them to quit harassing his favorite girls. As she knelt on the floor, she stared up at the mannequin still displaying "her" swimsuit. It was like it was taunting her. She could already imagine having to constantly pull up the bottoms so they didn't slide down and off her hips. Not to mention her stomach...
But… maybe she should try to look sexy for Kyoya? Would he like how she looked in this swimsuit?
She bit her lip as Tamaki clarified that, despite his anger at the twins for their "input" on Haruhi and Jacklyn's bodies, they were still going to the beach. The next day, as a matter of fact.
Jacklyn stood and looked over the mannequin's shoulder. Through the swarm of swimsuits she could see Kyoya scribbling in his black journal, seeming to not care if they went one way or another. But then he glanced in her direction. And he smiled softly. Her heart clenched.
*Time Skip*
Kyoya arrived in front of Jacklyn and Haruhi's apartment building Saturday morning in a caravan of three limousines. Jacklyn managed to drag Haruhi inside the first one along with their luggage and, after a quick stop at the school to pick up the rest of their group, they were off to the airport.
The flight was three hours long, so by the time they arrived it was well past noon. Jacklyn stared down the steps that led out to the beach in wonderment. A crystal blue sky, softly rolling waves, and a warm breeze combined to make the perfect beach day weather. For a moment, she almost forgot what she was wearing. Then she started following Tamaki down the steps and the awkward twist of her bikini bottoms jarred her back to reality.
"So… why did we come to Okinawa?" Hikaru asked.
"Because Kyoya's family owns a private beach here, along with a small beach house for us to spend the night," Tamaki explained, bringing his sunglasses from the top of his head down over his eyes.
"Well, duh, we know that part. But why couldn't we have gone to the Caribbean?"
"Or Fiji?" Kaoru tagged on. "Our families have private beaches there too."
"Do you think a commoner like Haruhi has a passport?" Kyoya said.
"Ah."
Haruhi scowled. "You know I can hear what you're saying, right? And Jacklyn's technically a commoner, too, and she has a passport."
"But I'm already abroad. So they know I have a passport." Jacklyn waited for a few seconds, but when Haruhi didn't say anything she giggled. Even so, she might have to talk to Kyoya about finding a better tone to use when discussing 'commoner' stuff around Haruhi.
Her good mood lasted up until they all stepped foot on the sand. Within seconds, two dozen girls swarmed the club members and everyone split off in different directions. Jacklyn barely had a moment of eye contact with Kyoya before Tamaki had whisked him away to manage the one-on-one time between Tamaki and his guests. Soon it was just Jacklyn and Haruhi standing alone on the sand with an umbrella, two towels, and a beach blanket between them.
Haruhi looked over at her friend. "Are you comfortable in that?"
Jacklyn tugged at the neck strap, straightening it out so the knot wasn't pressing uncomfortably into the back of her neck. "Not really. But I don't have anything to change into, so… come on. Let's set up."
Haruhi didn't press the matter and followed Jacklyn further down the beach until they found a semi-secluded area just far enough from the water to not get caught by the waves. There, the pair settled down in the shade and began people-watching.
Jacklyn tugged at her swimsuit again. It really wasn't all that bad, she had to admit. The color was lovely against her skin, like the twins said, and despite the cleavage issue the top felt secure and offered enough coverage for her to not feel indecent. The bottoms didn't slip as much as she'd feared either, though Jacklyn wasn't sure if that was from their design or from her constant monitoring of the waistband. Regardless, the swimsuit in itself wasn't the problem.
The problem was Jacklyn's stomach was starting to cramp from how long she'd been sucking in her gut. She quickly unrolled her towel and bunched half of it over her arms, wrapping them over her bare stomach before releasing the tension. Letting out a breath, she considered the situation.
She was uncomfortable. Jacklyn stared out at the water and tried to stop thinking so much, but it was hard. She felt exposed and like people were staring at her. More than usual, even. What she wouldn't give for a cover-up. Or at least a one-piece suit so she didn't feel the need to suck in her stomach all the time.
Jacklyn looked around at all the girls having such a fun time in their two-pieces. Flat stomachs, or just a little bit of pooch that filled out their frame, and Jacklyn couldn't help but envy them. They walked around with such confidence because they knew they looked good and so did everyone else. She wondered if any of them also had their great-grandmother's voice in their heads, reminding them every so often to 'suck in that gut', or if that was just her problem to bear.
"Haruhi! Jacklyn!" A trio of girls had approached their umbrella from the back, including Jacklyn's personal guest, Ena. Jacklyn hastily, but subtly, checked to make sure her swimsuit bottoms hadn't slid down to offer an embarrassing look at her butt. "Do you wanna come swimming with us?"
Haruhi chuckled nervously. "No, uh, I like looking at the sea from a safe distance."
"And I'm not a big fan of swimming in salt water. I'm used to fresh water lakes," Jacklyn tagged on.
The girls looked put out for a second before Ena piped up, "Well, how about we join you guys and talk for a while?"
"But why? You girls should go swim," Haruhi encouraged. "You're all wearing such cute swimsuits, you should go show them off."
The girls let out slow sighs of endearment and Jacklyn could help but lightly punch Haruhi in the shoulder. What a lady's man.
"Oh yeah, before I forget! Jacklyn, your swimsuit is really cute!" Ena said. The other girls quickly agreed and Jacklyn felt her face flush just a little. With a tight smile and an even tighter grip on her beach towel, she thanked them for the compliments and waved them all off. Once the guests were out of earshot, she let loose a deep sigh. Haruhi shifted on the blanket beside her before tapping Jacklyn's shoulder.
Before she could turn her head, however, Kyoya appeared in front of them both. "Pardon my intrusion, Haruhi, but would you mind if I stole my girlfriend away for a moment?"
Haruhi pouted slightly but shrugged. "Sure, if she wants to go."
Jacklyn didn't hesitate. Taking Kyoya's hand, she pushed herself up and out from under the umbrella's shade, her beach towel was still clenched in her free hand. She almost tossed the fabric back to her friend, but an idea struck her before she let go. Letting go of Kyoya's hand, she wrapped the towel around the dip of her waist and tucked it as tightly as she could manage. To her delight, the towel was long enough that it wrapped around her waist completely, covering her stomach and swimsuit bottom and leaving only a narrow slit on the side for her right thigh to appear as she walked. At once she felt calmer and even a little cute. The blue design on the towel didn't clash with the lavender top, at least.
If Kyoya had anything to say about her outfit modification, he didn't say so. Instead, he offered his right arm for her to take before leading her further down the beach. They watched the other hosts as they entertained their guests and even shared a few slightly impolite snickers at the sight of Tamaki's guests watching him squirm around on a nearby beach chair.
By the time they reached a large rock formation that seemed to frame one end of the private beach, Jacklyn had almost forgotten how nervous she had been earlier. That is, until Kyoya stopped them at the base of the pile.
"Darling, why didn't you tell the twins the swimsuit they chose for you made you uncomfortable?"
"What?" Jacklyn turned away from the rocks. She had been thinking about whether they were safe to climb and almost didn't catch Kyoya's question. Once they were face-to-face, however, there was no hiding from it. Still, it didn't hurt to try. "What makes you think I'm uncomfortable?"
Kyoya raised an eyebrow and placed a hand on the hem of her towel-skirt. Jacklyn winced.
"Okay, fine," she sighed. "I don't hate it. Really, I don't. The top is cute and everything… I just have some insecurities when it comes to showing my bare stomach. It's not a big deal. And this towel is helping a lot."
Kyoya was quiet as she spoke and Jacklyn appreciated it. She liked being able to get all her thoughts out at once before someone added their own opinion. Once she finished, he nodded and smoothed his hand up off her towel and onto the bare skin above it. Jacklyn shivered despite the warm breeze.
"You, and your body, are beautiful. I can see it even if you can't just yet." Kyoya's fingertips slowly trailed up her side until he reached her shoulder where he then started moving down her arm. "There are many prestigious counselors in our local area who would be more than willing to work with you, if you ever want to talk. I'll help you research if you want to look more into it. But for now, take this."
Kyoya reached his left hand down behind the rock they'd stopped beside and pulled out a small orange and white beach bag. His right hand reached Jacklyn's hand and flipped it around to place the bag in her grip. With her boyfriend watching, she carefully reached into the bag and pulled out a carefully folded black… something. Kyoya took the empty bag back as Jacklyn grabbed the top of the fabric and let it unroll.
She gasped. "A cover-up?" Kyoya nodded and watched in amusement as Jacklyn looked it up and down. The cover-up had no sleeves and a zipper that cut straight down the middle. It was made of a thin black fabric decorated with dark and light green leaf patterns along the bottom hem. It was actually pretty darn cute. Without hesitation, Jacklyn threw it over her swimsuit and zipped it up halfway until only her top was visible. Reaching underneath, she pulled her towel away from her waist and draped it over her shoulder. Then she stepped forward and slotted herself into Kyoya's side, under his awaiting arm.
"I assume you like my little gift?"
Jacklyn grinned and tilted her chin back, pressing her lips to his cheek for a quick kiss. "Absolutely. That was the nicest thing you could've done for me. Thank you."
She wanted to ask how he'd managed to get the cover-up and hide the bag in order for his grand reveal to work, but then Kyoya turned his head to stare down at her and words escaped her. The sunlight was glittering on the silver frames of his glasses but his eyes were clearly on hers. It was then that Jacklyn realized her lips were still tingling from the cheek kiss she had just given her boyfriend.
"Master Kyoya!"
The pair spun around, shielding their eyes from the sun. A man dressed from head to toe in black body armor was gesturing to them from just behind the rock pile. Recognizing the suit as what Kyoya's family's private police wore, Jacklyn wrapped her hand around Kyoya's upper arm and they approached the man. He gave them both a firm salute before leading them around the rock pile. To her shock, a large black truck was waiting for them, carefully backing its way onto the sand.
They stopped walking just as the truck stopped moving. The back door flew up and two dozen more members of the Ootori police force jumped out and started emptying the luggage. Jacklyn stared at the red buckets they were moving along the line. They seemed to be filled with something, but she couldn't see what exactly it was.
"Tokuda-san, what a surprise. I didn't expect to see you here. What brings you and your men to Okinawa?" Kyoya turned slightly to Jacklyn and continued. "Tokuda-san is the captain of my family's private police force. He was unfortunately absent during our last run in with the force at the Aqua Garden."
Tokuda nodded along and offered Jacklyn a respectful bow of greeting before addressing Kyoya again. "That incident is the reason we're here, Master Kyoya. My men wanted to do something to make up for attacking your friend Haninozuka, so we brought shellfish for him and your other friends to discover."
Jacklyn nodded along just to feel included, glad that Tokuda was enunciating his words so she could follow along. When he finished explaining, she smiled at the man and said, "How kind of you all. I'm sure Honey-senpai will love it."
Tokuda turned to her. "Am I correct in assuming that you are Jacklyn Prout?"
"Yes."
He bowed. "I extend a sincere apology to you as well, Prout-san, for my men's serious blunder."
Jacklyn shook her head. "Oh, please don't worry about it. Your men caused me no harm, and this more than makes up for your confusion. Thank you for your kindness."
Despite having a mask covering his entire head, Jacklyn was surprised by how expressive Tokuda could be. For example, he seemed almost taken aback by her gentle forgiveness. He turned his head towards Kyoya ever so slightly and Jacklyn followed suit, worried that his silence meant she'd just committed some social faux pas without realizing it, but Kyoya didn't look embarrassed. He looked… she couldn't think of a word. Perhaps 'pleased' was the best definition?
Tokuda cleared his throat. "You're too kind, Prout-san. I'm sure I speak for the rest of my men when I say we appreciate your forgiveness." He gave her a little bow and turned to continue directing his men.
Jacklyn twisted her fingers together awkwardly. Tokuda hadn't moved away but the conversation had stalled. Should she dismiss herself and let Kyoya talk with his family's guards or would that be rude? She felt Kyoya shift at her side and his fingers brushed her arm when the sound of clattering rocks could be heard behind them. At the top of the rock formation Mori was poking his head into view, one eyebrow curiously raised up in a silent question. Jacklyn had never felt so relieved to see a disembodied head before in her life.
"Mori-senpai!" Kyoya called up to their friend. "My family's private police force has stopped by! They wanted to make it up to Honey-senpai for attacking him at the water park. So, they brought shellfish."
Mori looked over the proceedings for another few seconds before giving them all a nod of approval and dropping back down to his side of the beach. Thankfully for Jacklyn's anxiety, the air of uncertainty didn't return with his absence. Kyoya instead gave Tokuda some parting words before suggesting that he and Jacklyn return to their friends before anyone noticed them missing. It would ruin Honey-senpai's sense of accomplishment if he found out why his hunting had been so easy, after all.
Jacklyn couldn't agree more and, honestly, was more than happy to head back for some shade. She couldn't remember if she had applied any sunscreen to the top of her head and she didn't want to burn if she could help it.
The pair began heading back the way they came. As the guard's voices faded, Haruhi's voice started ringing more clearly through the air. Jacklyn smiled to herself. It would seem that Honey wasn't the only one excited about hunting for shellfish. She took a moment to translate the words she could hear and stumbled on one phrase. Haruhi was saying something about… dinner?
"Kyoya? Do people in Japan usually cook the shellfish they find on the beach?" She asked. The notion wasn't weird, but Jacklyn's experience around bodies of water included densely populated beach areas where only the occasional minnow could be spotted and a river so polluted with E. coli that swimming was strongly discouraged, let alone fishing for food.
Instead of answering her question, however, Kyoya's fingers gently wrapped around her wrist and pulled her to a stop. She turned to face her boyfriend, confused and anxious once again. Maybe she had said something embarrassing and he was just too polite to correct her in front of other people? It wouldn't be the first time. Her chest started to run cold as she waited for Kyoya to say something.
But again he stayed quiet. He didn't look upset or anything. Just the same look he'd had on before. He looked around the little clearing they had stopped in. The rock formation was on their right and a small grove of trees were on their left. The shade felt nice and the sand beneath their feet was pleasantly cool, though the sticks that had fallen from the trees above made walking a little unpredictable. Save for the general chatter they could still hear just around the corner, there was no one around but them two.
When Kyoya was satisfied, he looked Jacklyn dead in the eye. His fingers slowly released her wrist and slid down into her hand. He took a step closer, definitively into her space, and curled his fingers into the palm of her hand. Jacklyn's heart leapt into her throat, though it was a brand new thought that had triggered her anxiety this time. Kyoya was still staring at her. Why was that making her so nervous? Sure he was getting close but it wasn't like he was gonna…
He started to lean down and Jacklyn's knees were officially jelly. Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh-
Something big and wiggly landed in her hair from above.
Jacklyn shrieked. Jumping away, she brushed a hand through her hair on instinct. Something hard and with too many legs touched her finger and she screamed in English, "What is it?! What is it?! Ew! Ew! Ew! Get it off!"
"Stay still!" Kyoya commanded, once again taking her wrist in hand. With the other, he plucked a huge centipede from her hair and tossed it with disgust far away into the trees. Jacklyn gasped and shuddered, her free hand still swatting at her hair. The creepy crawly feeling refused to leave her.
"That was so gross," she whined. "That was awful. No, no, I hated that. I hated that so much. Ew. Ew. Oh god, why."
Kyoya gently pulled her into his arms for a hug. For once Jacklyn was too invested in another moment to feel anxious about the physical affection and continued to complain in English. Her scalp tingled and she ducked her head, rubbing the spot against Kyoya's bare shoulder. She shivered.
Footsteps rushing over sand had her looking up again. She wasn't surprised to see Tamaki running around the corner of the rocks with pretty much everyone else who came on this beach trip on his heels. Kyoya's body went tense and she eased out of his grip. She didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea either.
Tamaki skidded to a stop beside her and grabbed her shoulders, inspecting Jacklyn's limbs for damage. "What happened? We heard you scream!"
Face now more than a little red, Jacklyn brushed his hands off. "I'm sorry," she said in Japanese. "A bug landed in my hair and I panicked. I'm sorry if I scared anyone."
Hikaru tilted his head to the side a bit. "A bug… by any chance-"
"-was it a centipede?" Kaoru finished the question. The entire group seemed to hold its breath in anticipation of Jacklyn's answer.
"Yes?"
Haruhi gasped and rushed forward, taking Jacklyn's hand. "I'm so sorry! I had no idea you were back here and I just wanted to get the bug away from the others! I meant for the bug to land on the rocks, not go over it!"
Oh, now I get it, Jacklyn thought. Poor Haruhi. She probably felt really bad now. Jacklyn squeezed Haruhi's hand, her smile only slightly strained. "It's okay, Haruhi. I know you didn't mean it. Kyoya got it off of me. Let's head back to the beach now, hm?"
Haruhi still looked upset, but the guests gradually pulled her away, seemingly fawning over how brave Haruhi was for touching and throwing away the bug while everyone else fled in terror. The hosts followed along at a bit of a distance, Jacklyn still occasionally digging her fingers through her hair. Hopefully the tickling would stop soon and she could forget about the whole ordeal.
They stepped back out into the sun. Further down the beach they could see Haruhi still surrounded by the guests.
"Hey boss, listen up!"
The rest of the host club perked up as the twins slid around to face them.
"We just thought up a new game that'll be a lot of fun! It's called the 'Who-can-find-out-Haruhi's-weakness-game'! Think you're up for it?"
Tamaki grimaced. "What? That sounds like a terrible game! Where did this come from?"
"Well, girls are usually scared of bugs." Hikaru explained, nodding in Jacklyn's direction.
"Let's drop a centipede on your head and see how you react," she grumbled.
"But if Haruhi isn't scared of bugs, then what is she scared of?" Kaoru asked. "She'd probably only tell someone she was really close to anyways…"
"What are the rules?" Tamaki shouted. Jacklyn wrinkled her nose as the twins roped Mori and Honey into their "game" as well. Why did they care so much about scaring Haruhi anyways? The last time Hikaru and Kaoru heard someone was afraid of something, they aimed flashlights right in Nekozawa's face!
Kyoya opened his journal and pulled out three photos from the back pocket that Jacklyn had never seen before. He flipped them around for the boys to see. "And I have the perfect prize for the game's lucky winner."
Upon seeing Tamaki rush to stare directly at the photos, his nose barely an inch from the lamination, Jacklyn leaned forward to get a look herself. To her shock, they were pictures of Haruhi when she was younger! Where did Kyoya get those?
"Where'd you get those pictures of Haruhi? I have to have them! Hand them over!"
"Hey yeah, where did you get those pictures, Kyo-chan?"
Kyoya smiled sneakily as he pocketed the photos yet again. "I have my sources. How about we just leave it at that for the moment?"
Tamaki whined for a few seconds more before Hikaru and Kaoru ran off to plan and he gave chase. Honey bounded along after them with Mori not far behind. Soon it was just Jacklyn and Kyoya all alone again. Jacklyn waited until Kyoya had slid his journal with the photos back into the bag that once held her cover-up before nudging his arm.
"Where did you get those photos?"
She knew it was possible he would just skirt around the answer yet again, like he had with Tamaki and Honey, but to her pleasant surprise he answered immediately. "They came from Haruhi's father. I've been in contact with him ever since Haruhi joined our club. Mostly about what our club entails and how Haruhi has been integrating herself with the student body. I mentioned our cosplaying events once and her father asked if there was a chance we could dress Haruhi up similarly to how she looked when she was younger. These were the photos he sent me for reference. An odd request, but I did send him back photos of Haruhi in Ouran's middle school uniform regardless."
Jacklyn hummed, thinking it over. "I was wondering why you would encourage something like that. It does sound like something Fujioka-san would do, too."
With the bag securely in his left hand, Kyoya used his right to tug her closer. His voice dropped to a comforting murmur as he said, "I didn't ask for the photos for myself, nor would I have, if that's what you were worried about."
Had she been worried about that? Jacklyn wasn't sure. But it didn't hurt to hear Kyoya say it regardless. Allowing herself to be wrapped up against his side, she teased, "Are you going to ask my parents for old photos of me?"
"Why would I ask when your mother showed them to me last Christmas of her own volition?"
"...What?"
"We should be off, Jacklyn."
"Kyoya-"
"The boys will entertain themselves long enough for the two of us to enjoy the beach alone, I think."
"Kyoya, we are not done with this conversation."
"Yes, yes, Darling. But for now, how about we take our turn with that view of the horizon?"
Jacklyn huffed, but made no move to leave Kyoya's side.
*Time Skip*
The rest of the afternoon went by in a wonderful blur. In the midst of Jacklyn's many months enduring the steep learning curve of living in a foreign country, she had almost forgotten how much she'd missed spending her summers at Michigan beaches. It didn't take her long to remember, though.
The couple stared off at the horizon for half an hour in silent company, like Kyoya wanted, before Jacklyn managed to coerce him into hopping across the large rocks partially submerged by the edge of the water. Kyoya carved kanji into the wet sand to see if Jacklyn could correctly guess their meaning before the tide washed it away. Jacklyn repaid him for the study session by having Kyoya identify any crustaceans they came across in the shallows. The last time Jacklyn had seen Kyoya smile so much, they had just finished chasing each other with glitter around his living room.
Before Jacklyn knew it, she was sitting sideways across Kyoya's lap in his beach chair as the sun began to dip below the horizon. Draining the last of her ice water, she set her glass on the nearby table before returning her head to Kyoya's shoulder. Her boyfriend heaved a heavy sigh and she echoed the noise, eyes closing in both exhaustion and content.
"This was so nice," she whispered, not really needing a response. "Thank you for agreeing to this outing."
"You know very well that Tamaki makes all the official decisions for our club, Darling. I had nothing to do with this."
"Hmm. But we both know that if you didn't want this to happen, you would've headed it off long before Tamaki even got the idea in his head. And without you, today wouldn't have gone nearly as smoothly. But even without that, I had a fun day spending time with you, even though you have guests here you could've entertained instead." Jacklyn slid her left hand down until it found Kyoya's resting on the arm rest behind her back. The awkward position only allowed her to gently squeeze the tips of his fingers. "Thank you."
Kyoya's fingers curled to return the odd hold. Jacklyn's heartbeat picked up. She thought about all the moments they'd had that day where they could've kissed, but didn't. The interruptions, the fake-outs, the nervous diffusing of tension… Jacklyn couldn't help but feel grateful for it. Because despite everything, she could say for sure that Kyoya wanted to kiss her. And she'd had enough time to work the panic out of her system. Or, at least most of it.
Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she picked up her head from Kyoya's chest.
And Kyoya's phone rang.
Kyoya grabbed it and shut off the noise. "That was my alarm. We should start gathering everyone together if we want the girls to make it back to their hotel in time for dinner."
"Alright." Bravery temporarily depleted, Jacklyn climbed out of Kyoya's lap and stretched her back, earning a few satisfying pops. "I'll head to one end of the beach while you take the other?"
"If you'd like. You remember where my family's beach ends?"
"I should hope so. It's hard to miss such a large rock," Jacklyn teased.
"Cliff," Kyoya clarified. "Tell everyone you find to gather at the foot of the stairs that lead back up to the road. I'd like to make one final head count before we leave."
Jacklyn giggled and patted Kyoya's cheek. "Such a momma duck, Kyo-kun."
To her surprise, instead of pretending to be affronted by her words, Kyoya turned his head and placed a speedy kiss against her palm, gray eyes locked onto hers. Knees officially weak, Jacklyn pulled her hand back and clutched it to her chest. Her skin burned where his lips had touched her.
Kyoya watched with a stupid, yet deserved smug look as Jacklyn rushed off.
That look was all Jacklyn could think about as she rounded up the guests. Thankfully no one seemed to notice that her thoughts were elsewhere. Save for Mori, who chuckled softly and patted her head before following Honey back the way she'd come from. Jacklyn sighed and patted at her warm cheeks. She really needed to stop thinking in circles about this. If they kissed, they kissed. There was no use in obsessing over the what-ifs. Besides, if her time in the Host Club had taught her anything, it was that everything would work out in the end. Especially if Kyoya was involved.
Dragging herself out of her thoughts, Jacklyn noticed she had almost made it to the edge of the property. The "cliff" rose up in front of her with a lone figure wandering along its base, wading in the shallows with a pail and shovel in hand. Haruhi. Jacklyn jogged over to her friend, calling out her name. The brunette looked over with a smile, proudly holding up her bucket.
"I've found more side dishes!"
Jacklyn slowed to a stop and peered into the bucket. Sure enough, it was almost filled to the brim with crustaceans. Haruhi bent down to grab another shell when Jacklyn grabbed her by the elbow. "Hey, we've got a lot already. Let's let that little guy live another day."
Haruhi opened her mouth to reply when another voice called down to them. Confused, they looked up at the top of the cliff and found three faces staring back at them. Jacklyn smiled and waved up at Ena, who waved back.
"Check it out! The breeze up here feels great!"
"Come join us!"
"The view is beautiful!"
"Be careful," Haruhi yelled back. "It's dangerous!"
Jacklyn's smile faded. She had been about to join their guests as requested, but Haruhi's warning made her really take in the size of the rock. Kyoya did call it a cliff for a reason…
"Maybe you're right," she mused. "I like climbing rocks, but they are pretty high up with no railing. They have to come down anyway since we're all readying back for dinner."
"Do you want me to help you get them?" Haruhi asked.
"Nah. I can do it-"
"Leave us alone!"
The pair jumped at the scream. Their guests had disappeared from view but they could still hear shouting. Haruhi tore out of the shallow water and towards the rock, Jacklyn hot on her heels. They found a thin path that wound its way up the side of the rock face, the guest's screaming growing louder as they drew closer. Jacklyn touched her cover-up's pocket, the outline of her phone relaxing her just a bit. She stumbled to a stop at the top of the cliff and ducked behind a boulder, pulling Haruhi behind her, and stared at the sight now before them.
Two strange boys had cornered their guests, one of them wrapping his arms around two girls while the other had a hold of Ena's wrist. Jacklyn's shoe bumped a beer can and she gulped. But before she could even think about grabbing her phone, Haruhi ran out and flung her collection of shells and urchins at the guy holding Ena.
"Why don't you quit bothering them? Weren't you jerks listening?" Haruhi scolded. "You'd better just leave them alone."
"Haruhi!" Ena took a step forward before she noticed Jacklyn waving at her from behind the boulder. With one last fearful glance at the boy now angrily approaching Haruhi, Ena ran over to Jacklyn.
"Ja-"
"Go get the boys! Tell them to call the police or something!" Jacklyn nudged Ena back from where she and Haruhi had come from before turning back at the scene. Her stomach clenched. Haruhi was struggling to free her shirt from the boy who'd grabbed her. Jacklyn rocked on the spot. She could run and try to find more help, but how could she leave Haruhi alone? The girls outnumbered the boys 2-to-1, but their guests didn't look like they'd be willing to fight if it came down to it.
"What are you gonna do now, Loser?" The boy spun Haruhi around and marched her over towards the cliff edge. "I got an idea, Kid. How'd you like to take a dip?"
"No!" Jacklyn jumped out of hiding and was nearly knocked to the side for her troubles by Tamaki running past her without a second thought. Jacklyn watched in horror as Haruhi was shoved off the cliff, swiftly followed by Tamaki diving after her. For a moment, she felt a twinge of relief that Ena had found help just in time.
Then the boy who had tossed Haruhi into the sea looked over his shoulder and stared straight at Jacklyn. "Woah! Where'd the foreign chick come from?"
"What a cutie, too. Maybe we should invite her back to our place instead?"
"No! Leave her alone!" One of the girls shrieked, still squirming in the stranger's arms. "Jacklyn-senpai, run!"
"Not so fast!" The first boy was quicker, and before Jacklyn could take more than a few hasty steps back, he was in front of her. He grabbed her arm and squeezed, stopping her escape.
Panic choked her.
"Let me go!" Jacklyn flailed in his hold, clawing at the hand bruising her wrist. The boy sneered and yanked harder, forcing her to step closer to him. He reached forward with his free hand to grab her other arm. She didn't have time to think. Lunging forward, Jacklyn opened her mouth and bit down on the boy's arm. For a second, she just held the flesh between her teeth, a left-over safety measure from when she and her brother used to play-fight. But then the stranger tried to pull back and she clenched her jaw.
The taste of metal filled her mouth and the boy screamed. His hand dropped from her wrist and she let go, scrambling backwards. The boy was clutching his new bite wound and shouting. Jacklyn couldn't understand a word of it but his glare was enough of a translation anyways.
The boy took one menacing step in her direction before someone else rushed past Jacklyn and tackled the stranger to the ground. She barely recognized them as one of the twins before the other appeared and went straight for the other stranger. The girls ran as soon as the boy let them go, hurrying to Jacklyn's side.
"Jacklyn-senpai, are you okay?"
"Did he hurt you?"
"Jacklyn?"
She spun around, unable to control her trembling as she dove for Kyoya's chest, grateful for any sense of security. His arms came up around her shoulders without hesitation. Immediately the embrace felt too warm for the summer air, but she couldn't bear to pull away. Above her head, Kyoya directed their guests to head back and join the others. A car would be waiting for them to take them all back to their hotel for the night.
Jacklyn waited until she heard their footsteps moving down to the beach before pulling back. As soon as she did, however, Kyoya was cupping her cheeks and turning her head left and right. Kyoya's gaze was fixated on her mouth and, for a brief, hysterical second, Jacklyn thought he was going to kiss her then and there.
"What happened? Were you cut by something? Did he hit you?"
Kyoya's questioning and the sour metal taste on her tongue reminded Jacklyn of her vicious escape. She must have blood all over her mouth. A quick swipe of her arm over her lips confirmed that.
"I'm fine. It's not my blood." She turned and spit red behind a rock. Gross. "I bit the guy who grabbed me. I th-think I panicked." Oh no, not the stuttering.
Kyoya's shoulders dropped and a long breath escaped his lips. He kept his eyes on her a moment longer before glancing behind her. His mask of deadly displeasure took over and Jacklyn turned around to see why. Roughly five steps away from where she stood, Hikaru and Kaoru were beating on the strangers who had started this whole mess. Jacklyn had to turn away.
"Darling," Kyoya whispered. "Why don't you go join the others?"
"No." Jacklyn's refusal was the strongest her voice had been all day. She took two steps back and sat on the same boulder she'd hidden behind. From there she stared back at Kyoya to wait. The twinge of annoyance on her boyfriend's face almost had her take it back, but the look faded just as quickly as it appeared and he turned to address the twins.
"Kaoru. Hikaru. That's enough. My family's police force will be here in a moment to pick them up, and there will be too much paperwork to keep them from taking you as well if you hurt these boys in front of them."
With obvious restraint and unused rage, the twins ceased their shaking and stomping and stepped back. Kaoru dragged his brother over to Jacklyn's side as Kyoya stepped forward, taking the stranger's I.D.s with no incident. As promised, no sooner had Kyoya moved back that six armed policemen trooped up the other side of the cliff and whisked the locals away. Jacklyn's gaze dropped to her knees as they passed in front of her, but she felt much calmer when they were out of sight. Enough so that she even stopped shaking.
Kyoya pulled her back to her feet and directed the twins to lead the way back to the others. They did as ordered, fuming all the way down, while Kyoya and Jacklyn walked behind them. They didn't speak. Every so often Jacklyn turned to spit out more blood. Though she was sure Kyoya was at least mildly disgusted by it, he made no comment. He simply held her to his side with an arm around her waist, like he always did.
They reached the sand and saw Mori and Honey waiting for them, looking out at the water. Though it was hard to see with the setting sun in their eyes, Jacklyn noticed a familiar silhouette trudging towards them from the water. Tamaki's head was down as he carried a limp Haruhi back to shore. Breath caught in her throat and tears already stinging, Jacklyn made a move to run forward but found that she couldn't. She looked up at Kyoya, and touched the arm that was now holding her back. He didn't look back, staring resolutely at Tamaki. Something told Jacklyn not to mention it, but the sight of water still dripping from Haruhi's fingers had Jacklyn quickly stripping her cover-up from her shoulders. With minimal fumbling, she held the black fabric up and Tamaki changed course, carrying a slowly waking Haruhi over to her.
"Where'd they go?" he asked.
"We took their I.D. cards and respectfully asked them to leave," was Kyoya's response, his voice taking a dangerous dip at the word 'respectfully', though no one bothered to mention it. "The girls all went back to the hotel and I called a doctor. He should be arriving here any minute now."
"Thank you."
Haruhi shifted in Tamaki's hold. "I'm fine you guys. I don't need a doctor." She dropped her feet to the ground and pushed Tamaki's arms away, though she said nothing when Jacklyn draped the cover-up over her shoulders. It was a little hard with Kyoya still holding her tight against him, but Jacklyn continued to quietly fuss over Haruhi, adjusting how the cover-up sat on her until Tamaki spoke again.
"What were you thinking? You know, you're not like Honey-senpai. You're not a martial arts master."
Haruhi looked up at her rescuer. Jacklyn slowly pulled her hands back, a sense of shame starting to build in her chest even though she wasn't even the person Tamaki was talking to. She all but flinched when Tamaki gripped Haruhi by the shoulders.
"Why did you confront them? What made you think you could stand a chance? You? Against two boys?"
"But it doesn't matter that they're boys and I'm a girl," Haruhi protested. "I was there! I had to do something! There was no time to thi-"
"That's no excuse, you idiot! Don't forget, you're a girl!"
Didn't she just say that she's a girl and it didn't matter? Jacklyn bit her tongue despite her many thoughts. Yes, Haruhi didn't have fighting training, but what did her being a girl have to do with anything? Frankly, Tamaki sounded more than a little sexist with his reasoning.
Haruhi seemed to think so, too, because her voice dropped with her following sentence. "Look, I'm sorry you had to come and save me, Senpai, but I don't understand why you're so mad at me right now. I don't think I did anything wrong!"
Tamaki dropped his hands to his side. "You don't think so? Fine. Whatever you say." He walked past Haruhi and towards the stairs leading towards the beach house, but stopped a few steps away and looked back, a heavy glare in his eyes. "But I'm not speaking to you until you can admit that you were wrong."
Suddenly, Tamaki looked over at Jacklyn.
"Both of you."
Jacklyn felt her limbs go cold as Tamaki walked away with an air of finality. What did she do?
*Time Skip*
Staring at the mirror over the vanity, Jacklyn inspected her face. The skin around her mouth looked much too pink to be normal. The reasonable part of Jacklyn's brain said the hue was from her rough scrubbing with the room's provided washcloth, but, to herself, Jacklyn swore she could still faintly taste traces of iron through the mint of her toothpaste.
A knock at the door broke her concentration. Tugging at her blouse, she abandoned the vanity and opened the door. Kyoya stood on the other side, also dressed down for the evening. He appraised her outfit in silence and she waited for his verdict. To her surprise, upon returning to the beach house the twins had admitted to bringing another outfit with them for Jacklyn to wear that evening, courtesy of their mother. They played it off as fair trade since she couldn't keep either of the swimsuits she'd borrowed previously, but she had a feeling they'd been made aware of how uncomfortable she'd been with the bikini. The evening outfit they'd given her was much more her style, and a simple one at that. Just a pair of blue bootcut jeans, a dark green off-the-shoulder blouse, and black kitten heels that almost brought her up to Kyoya's height.
Kyoya offered a half-smile and his arm. "You look lovely."
"Thanks, Kyo-kun. You look good, too." And he did. Though his outfit lacked color, his bare arms did something for her. Not like she'd say so out loud. Or like she'd even have the chance. Much like when they had followed a fuming Tamaki up to the Ootori beach house, Kyoya remained silent as they walked to the dining room. Not that they always had to talk when they were alone together, but something about Kyoya's muteness tonight was making Jacklyn nervous.
So much so that, once they entered the dining room, she slid away from her boyfriend and beelined for the kitchen, avoiding Tamaki who was pouting over by the windows. Walking in, the smells of cooked seafood filled her nose and saliva pooled in her mouth. The last time she'd had crab was almost two years ago to celebrate her acceptance into Ouran's exchange program. Considering the cost of crab legs in America, her family could only afford it on such special occasions.
The pang of homesickness dispersed when she spotted Honey carefully draining one of the pots into the sink. Walking over, she looked over the many ceramic bowls full of cooked sea critters that lined the counter. "Anything I can do to help?" she asked.
"Oh, sorry Jack-chan, but we're done cooking. Do you wanna help us carry it out to the table?"
"Sure!"
Between herself, Honey and Mori, they were able to bring out the various dishes in one go, nearly covering half the table space with just the food. Jacklyn's momentary good mood was slightly dampened, however, when she spotted Kyoya straightening up from talking to Tamaki, who was still moping on the floor. What had he said to him?
Kyoya rounded the table, giving the steaming plates an impressed look. "I apologize that there aren't any maids around to help you cook, Senpai."
"It's no big deal," Honey said. "We appreciate you letting us stay here overnight. Hey, Jack-chan, will you go get Haru-"
"Excuse me, Senpai, but I was about to ask Jacklyn to help fetch some water glasses for dinner, if you don't mind."
Honey blinked. "Oh. Okay! Takeshi, will you go get Haru-chan, then?"
"Yeah."
Takeshi walked away and an odd tension settled over the room. Kyoya guided Jacklyn over to a nearby table where the water glasses and pitcher waited to be moved. As he'd done before, Kyoya fell silent once the initial conversation had concluded. Jacklyn followed suit, staying quiet as she set the glasses down in front of each plate, not knowing quite what to say to break the mood or if her words would somehow make it worse without her knowing.
Honey, on the other hand, couldn't seem to stop talking. "Y'know, I was real worried I was gonna get sunburned today. It seems like no matter what I do my shoulders always get burned at least a little whenever I go to the beach. One time I forgot about reapplying my sunscreen and got burned from the tops of my feet all the way up to my face. Oh, it's looking awfully gloomy outside. It looks like it's gonna rain."
"It's not just gloomy outside," Hikaru chimed in.
"It's pretty gloomy right here in the dining room as well," Kaoru said.
In response to the questioning looks they were getting from the others, the twins pointedly looked at Tamaki.
"Oh, quit moping, Boss."
"You shouldn't have picked a fight with Haruhi in the first place."
"Or snapped at Jacklyn-senpai like that. She's so anxious I haven't heard her say more than ten words in the last hour."
Jacklyn froze with the last water glass just barely hovering over the tablecloth, eyes flicking between the twins and Tamaki. She couldn't remember the last time someone had noticed her "going mute." She wasn't sure if she was more touched that the twins had noticed or embarrassed that they'd said something about it outright.
Before she could decide, the doors leading out to the hallway opened, revealing Mori and Haruhi.
"Woah!"
"Haruhi, where'd you get that dress?"
The boys, save for Tamaki, quickly abandoned their attempts at conversation and went to inspect Haruhi's new outfit. Jacklyn tagged along with a small smile. Yes, the pink frilly dress Haruhi was wearing was cute, but she still couldn't force herself to speak yet. She offered a thumbs-up and hoped it would be enough.
"You look so cute, Haru-chan!"
"Thank, I guess. Should we eat?"
"Yeah, we're starved," the twins chimed before herding everyone back to the table for dinner. Jacklyn drifted along, trying to maintain a smile on her face even as Tamaki joined them to select his spot at the table. Kyoya pulled out a chair for her, carefully pushing her in before sitting down on her right. On his other side, the twins took their seats. Across the table, Jacklyn was pleased to see Mori and Honey were directly in front of her.
Of course, that meant Haruhi and Tamaki were seated right next to each other.
The light chatter died as soon as everyone had settled. The second hand on the wall clock echoed through the room with each tick.
"Well this is uncomfortable," Hikaru muttered.
"Yeah," Kaoru agreed. "Kinda awkward."
"Let's dig in, Haru-chan! These are the crabs we caught! I bet they're delicious!"
Jacklyn bit her bottom lip at the clear strain in Honey's voice. Poor boy was just trying to help. Slowly, everyone reached for their plates and began to eat. Jacklyn included. To her delight, the crab legs were just as delicious as Honey assumed. For a moment she could almost imagine that she was back home, eating with her family. She remembered helping to arrange the picnic blanket over the living room floor and picking out a movie to watch. Her dad had even made homemade cheddar biscuits to go with their crab. It was like if Red Lobster had catered a movie theater.
Unfortunately, Jacklyn found she couldn't maintain her usual appetite, and for reasons other than homesickness. She wasn't even able to finish the first crab on her plate, let alone go for seconds and thirds like Haruhi was. Eventually, Jacklyn gave up and just nudged her half-empty crab shell around her plate. Did crab make for good leftovers? Jacklyn was kind of picky about her leftovers, so maybe not?
"Jacklyn? If you're not going to finish your crab-"
Haruhi didn't even finish her sentence before Jacklyn was passing her plate along. Mori and Honey both hesitated when they held her plate, but it did eventually end up in front of Haruhi who was quick to snap off another leg.
That seemed to be Tamaki's last straw. "Haven't you had enough? Give it a rest already."
"I'm sorry? I thought you weren't speaking to me."
Tamaki growled and slammed his napkin down. "Fine. I get it. It seems you refuse to admit that you were wrong. See if I care, then. I'm going to bed. Kyoya, would you show me to my room, please?"
"No problem." Kyoya patted his mouth and stood. "Excuse me, everyone. Jacklyn? If you've finished, I can show you to your room as well."
He held out his hand and Jacklyn took it, feeling sicker by the second. They walked out of the dining room in icy silence. Jacklyn wouldn't have been surprised if her breath started to fog up in front of her. Tamaki kept his eyes straight ahead as the three walked down the main hallway. They had almost reached the very end of the hall when she just couldn't take it any longer.
"I'm sorry. I don't know how I made you mad, but if you tell me I promise I won't do it ever again," the words tumbled out of Jacklyn's mouth. She just barely managed to keep from saying 'I'm sorry' three other times in that sentence.
To her horror, Tamaki whipped his head around and spat out, "You don't know?"
"Tamaki." Kyoya's voice was calm, but Jacklyn had felt his grip grow tight against her side. Or maybe that was from her flinch.
Either way, Tamaki's voice lost some of its venom as he said, "You went up and confronted those boys with Haruhi, did you not? Why would you put yourself in danger when we were so close?"
"We just heard shouting and went to see what happened," Jacklyn explained. "When I saw there were strangers up there I hid and got Ena away to go get help. I could've run, but I didn't want to leave Haruhi alone. I guess I thought there was more safety in numbers. The boys didn't even know I was there until Haruhi was pushed. I'm sorry… I didn't think."
The hallway fell silent once more. Jacklyn rubbed at her hands as she waited for Tamaki's verdict.
"I suppose… I'm glad you wanted to stay with Haruhi. And if you hid at first, that certainly makes you smarter than her. Thank you for your apology, though." He smiled, though it was fainter than his usual grins. "And I'm sorry I snapped. Have a good night, Jacklyn. I'll see you tomorrow." And with that, he entered his room.
Kyoya didn't so much as bat an eye at the exchange he'd just witnessed, instead turning himself and Jacklyn back the way they'd come from and leading her back down the hall. "Our rooms are this way, Darling. I hope I don't come across as presumptuous, but I took the liberty of putting your bedroom just across the hall from my own."
"Kyo-kun… are you-"
The dining room doors exploded open just a few feet from them, the rest of the host club running out with Haruhi at the front. The couple watched in shock as Haruhi bolted into the first door she reached, which just so happened to be Kyoya's bedroom, with a hand clamped tightly over her mouth. As she shut the door behind her, the other boys seemed to relax.
Hikaru mimed wiping sweat off his forehead. "Thank goodness. Whose room is that?"
"Mine," Kyoya answered. "What is going on?"
"Oh, Haru-chan was feeling sick and needed the bathroom. It's okay that she's using yours, right Kyo-chan?"
"I suppose it can't be helped."
Jacklyn pressed her lips together for a moment before she gave her friends a small bow. "I should apologize to you all. Everything happened so fast this afternoon that I didn't consider how you all would've worried about me and Haruhi. I'm sorry."
The twins and Honey ran over, arms spread wide.
"Aww… you and Haruhi on the same night?"
"What are you girls so cute for, anyway?"
"Jack-chan!"
Before they could hold her, however, Kyoya was already steering Jacklyn into his bedroom. "Jacklyn, someone should check on Haruhi, don't you think? Poor thing probably could use a friendly face right about now. Have a good night, gentlemen."
The door shut behind them, cutting off whatever response their friends might have made. Jacklyn frowned and side stepped out of Kyoya's arms. Why couldn't he have waited a few seconds? She would've liked a couple of hugs after today. To her frustration, Kyoya didn't seem bothered, and instead walked off like he hadn't a care in the world.
"Jerk," she muttered, the English feeling nice on her tongue.
"What was that, Darling?"
Jacklyn clenched her fists but was interrupted yet again by the bathroom door opening. Haruhi came out looking a little pale in the face, but otherwise okay.
"Are you feeling better, Haruhi?"
"Oh, Jacklyn? I'm sorry for intruding in… your room?"
Jacklyn shook her head. "It's Kyoya's room. I'm across the hall. I take it all the crab you ate came around to bite back?"
"Yeah… what a waste of a good meal." Haruhi then turned to Kyoya. To Jacklyn's surprise, her friend almost looked sheepish as she moved her hands behind her back. "Senpai, I'm really sorry for making you all worry about me today. I didn't mean to cause all this trouble. Or to bring Jacklyn into it."
Kyoya looked over, his head lolling a bit to the side. Deep beneath Jacklyn's anxiety, a small flicker of anger sparked to life. Why was he acting like he didn't care?
"Thanks," he said. "But I wasn't especially worried. Although, I did have a hard time separating Hikaru and Kaoru from those two punks. They almost beat them half to death. Not to mention the medical bill we'll have to cover to avoid legal action from Jacklyn's bite. Though it was in self-defense, I'd rather there be no mark on her record at all since, as a foreigner, she has harsher rules and punishments for her offenses. Paying for any treatment should be enough to keep the boy quiet."
Jacklyn winced for a second time that evening. That was true… This whole thing was a real mess.
"And, I had to send each girl a bouquet of flowers to apologize. They'd been looking forward to this trip, and for it to end on such a sour note…"
"I'm sorry. I'll pay you back for the flowers, Senpai," Haruhi tried to say, but Kyoya held up a hand.
"Each bouquet cost me 50,000 yen. We all know you don't have that type of money just lying around, Haruhi. No, Jacklyn and I will just have to go over the club's finances and figure out a plan to make up the lost money. I suppose if you really look at it, I would've had to send the flowers with or without your misplaced attempt at defending the girls. Now, if you could run along to your room? It should be next door to Jacklyn's."
Haruhi opened her mouth like she wanted to argue, but nothing came out of her mouth. She sighed and gave Kyoya a small nod before walking around Jacklyn and out of the room, the door clicking shut behind her.
Jacklyn crossed her arms. "Did you really have to tell her all that?"
"What? I merely shared the details of the aftermath she caused. It wasn't my goal to upset her with anything."
"Bullshit." Again with the English. Maybe her homesickness was hitting harder than Jacklyn thought. "And what was that whole excuse about not being worried? I'm not stupid, Kyoya. Don't think I haven't noticed you not letting anyone else touch me all night, or how you rarely let me leave your sight unless its with Honey and Mori."
Kyoya scoffed and turned his back, removing his shirt and rummaging through his suitcase. "Perhaps I was just trying to ensure you were staying out of trouble? That seems to be difficult for you as of late. If you'd rather not be in my presence, I'm hoping to change into my nightclothes. That's enough of a reason for you to leave, isn't it?"
"You're trying to make me angry."
"And if I am?"
"I'd say it's working. Maybe I will leave." She put her hand on the doorknob and Kyoya stopped shuffling through his suitcase, staring at her over his shoulder. Jacklyn froze. Oh… she'd called his bluff. Trying to think on the fly, she managed to stumble out, "You're upset. But you should know by now I don't do well with passive aggressiveness. If you don't want me to leave, then find another way to explain your anger to me."
Kyoya turned around. Jacklyn watched in silence as he walked across the carpet, eyes darting across her face. Why was he trying to appear relaxed? It wasn't working.
When he was right in front of her, Kyoya stopped. Without breaking eye contact, he reached out with his right hand and lowered the light switch until the room was dark. Jacklyn's fingers loosened from the doorknob.
"Alright. Let's see if you can understand this."
His hands grabbed her upper arms and swung her around in a surprising show of force. Jacklyn gasped as she was pushed back and back and back through the room until the mattress hit her knees and she fell. Toes just barely touching the floor, she didn't even have time to squirm before Kyoya was throwing her legs up as well, turning her until she was sprawled out on his bed. He crawled on top of her.
Everything stopped. Jacklyn. Kyoya. Even the air in her lungs.
"Kyo-"
"Surely you aren't so naïve that you agree with Haruhi, right? A person's sex does matter in these kinds of situations. You've left yourself vulnerable to me, Darling. Completely defenseless."
The final puzzle piece clicked into place.
Slowly, and with obvious care, Jacklyn raised her left hand and cupped Kyoya's cheek. His eyes narrowed.
"That's why you're so upset. Because those boys wanted to take advantage of me. You saw the blood on my mouth and… oh, Kyoya. I'm so sorry."
Within seconds, the anger in Kyoya's eyes broke. He dropped down onto his elbows and pressed his forehead to her shoulder, hands moving in to gently cradle her ribs. Jacklyn took the opportunity to hug him around his shoulders. He was trembling. Not crying, but obviously feeling a lot at that moment. She pet the back of his head.
"I was frightened," he admitted in a whisper. "I heard you screaming. When I got to you I saw blood all over your mouth and I… I've never felt that much panic before. I couldn't stop thinking about what could've happened if we were one minute too late. What if they dragged you off? What if they had a car waiting? What if…"
"Shhh…" Jacklyn eased Kyoya's face up off her shoulder. "Look at me, Kyo-kun. I'm okay. I'm here. And I'm sorry you had to go through that. I never wanted you to worry about me so much."
"It's a bit too late for that. I always worry about you."
Jacklyn couldn't help but laugh a little, framing Kyoya's face with both of her hands now. "Why must you always one-up me with romance?"
"It's a gift," he bantered, a smile slowly creeping its way back onto his face.
"It's a curse," she corrected.
"How so?"
"Because I'm stuck with you."
"I suppose you are."
Without hesitation, Jacklyn squished her boyfriend's face and pulled him down. When he was within range, she kissed the tip of his nose. It had been a spur of the moment reaction, really only meant to tease Kyoya further. But when she fell back and noticed the pink starting to spread across his cheeks, Jacklyn blushed in return. Right… they had been dancing around each other all day before those drunk locals showed up. And with that situation handled, all the tension had returned.
"Jacklyn?"
"Yeah?"
Kyoya's glasses slid further down his nose, so he stared at her over the top of his frames. "May I kiss you?"
For once, the answer felt easy.
"Yeah."
He did.
Jacklyn shut her eyes right before his lips brushed hers. Breath caught in her lungs, she held still. All she could think about was the feeling of Kyoya's soft mouth and how it felt against her lips. It was… an odd feeling. Certainly not a bad one.
Kyoya pulled back and their lips made a little smacking sound as they broke apart. Jacklyn giggled despite herself. Once she'd remembered how to breathe, that is. Kyoya was handling it better only by comparison. He cleared his throat, which encouraged Jacklyn enough to open her eyes again. The pink in her boyfriend's cheeks was now a definitive red. And he was still staring at her mouth.
He leaned in again, half-heartedly speaking, "That was…"
"Kyoya?" Someone knocked at the door before opening it immediately afterwards. "Do you have any lotion? This sunburn is worse than I-"
Jacklyn shoved hard at Kyoya's shoulders and he fell back, scrambling to stand up from the bed. They stared in horror as Tamaki stared back, face momentarily blank in confusion. Jacklyn saw him take in Kyoya's lack of a shirt. Her position on the bed. Their red faces.
His eyes widened and Jacklyn leapt off the bed.
"Kyoya! You bastard-"
Jacklyn all but tackled Tamaki in the doorway, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him back into the hallway. "Tamaki! Come with me! You said you want lotion? Haruhi's got some that'll work wonders! Come! Come! I think it's time you guys talked tonight, yes? Here, I'll show you to her room!"
Tamaki struggled in her grip all the way to Haruhi's door, finally breaking out of her grip when she let go to knock on Haruhi's door.
"What were you thinking?" He shouted. "You were alone in a dark room with him! He was half naked!"
"You boys were all half naked all day today! And he's my boyfriend! It's fine! Now, fix your own problems!" Jacklyn responded. Just at that moment, Haruhi opened her bedroom door. She barely got a word in before Jacklyn jumped behind Tamaki and shoved him forward into Haruhi's room. "Here, Haruhi! I've brought you a present! He needs sunburn lotion! Be kind!"
And she shut them in together.
For a second she stood in the hallway just breathing heavily. Her whole body was racked with embarrassment. Then, as the seconds ticked by, it grew steadily into mortification. What had she just done?
"Not exactly subtle, but I suppose that got the job done."
Jacklyn whirled around and saw Kyoya watching her from his bedroom door. Still sans shirt, of course. She pressed her hands to her face and walked in his direction, peeping through her fingers to keep from running into his chest.
Like the jerk he was, he just smirked down at her, obviously no longer flustered. "What is it? Are you hoping for a 'good night' before turning in?"
Well, yes. But now he was acting overconfident again. She glared at him, still through the cracks between her fingers. Maybe… she had enough manic confidence left over to one-up her boyfriend tonight?
Without warning, she dropped her hands and rolled up onto her toes, pressing a quick peck to the corner of Kyoya's mouth.
"Good night, Kyo-kun."
And with that, she spun around and marched to her door, slipping inside without a backwards glance. Though she did put an ear to the door and listened to the hallway. Twenty seconds later, she heard Kyoya's bedroom door click shut.
A squeal burst forth from Jacklyn's mouth as she ran to her bed. Leaping onto the covers, she grabbed the fluffy pillow and buried her face in it. Her legs flailed around wildly as she rolled over and over above the comforter. Abruptly, she shut her mouth and pressed her fingertips to her lips. They didn't feel different, but they felt different. Which didn't make any sense and served to only make Jacklyn giggle ridiculously once more.
Staring up at the ceiling, she grinned widely at nothing. Loud peels of thunder rattled the windows as a thunderstorm brewed ever closer. Next door an odd commotion was building, but Jacklyn couldn't find the energy to go investigate. It would appear the day's many activities and her emotional highs and lows had finally caught up to her.
Jacklyn barely managed to change into her night clothes before she collapsed face first into bed, still smiling like a fool as she fell asleep.
*The Next Morning*
Jacklyn woke up in a daze.
She wasn't tired. Far from it, actually, with how early she'd gone to sleep the night before. But it was almost like she was floating from space to space as she packed up for the return flight back to Tokyo. No one commented on her odd behavior as they were also busy packing. Not that she would've noticed if they did. She almost walked straight into the side of the limo as she carried her suitcase out of the beach house.
Mori stopped her with a hand on her shoulder, carefully taking her suitcase from her hand once she stopped teetering in place.
"Did you sleep well, Jack-chan?" Honey asked by her elbow.
"Uh-huh."
"You sure?"
"Yeah." She opened the door and carefully climbed into the limo, sliding all the way over to the opposing door. She rolled the window down, enjoying the gentle warm breeze on her face. Propping her cheek against her fist, she brushed her pinkie against her lips and giggled. She could feel the warmth of her blush against her knuckles.
The blush only got worse when Kyoya climbed in and settled into the seat beside her. Jacklyn barely managed a glance at her boyfriend before she turned away. Her heart pounded as their knees knocked together. Tamaki was shouting just outside but the pounding in her ears kept Jacklyn from understanding a word of it. The rest of the host club piled into the limo and took their own seats, none of them paying the couple any attention.
This was to Jacklyn's benefit, as she nearly jumped out of her skin when Kyoya grabbed her right hand and threaded their fingers together. Stealing her nerve, she turned away from the window and looked at Kyoya head on. He met her gaze with an unbelievably soft smile. It was only there for a second before he faced forward in his seat, but it was more than enough.
"Let's go," he commanded the driver. Jacklyn giggled again and leaned her head on his shoulder as the limo began driving off. He squeezed her hand in response.
Through the open window, she could faintly hear Tamaki screaming after them. She decided not to worry about it.
Serves him right for interrupting her second kiss.
There we go! About time, too!
Enjoy, and I'll see you next chapter!