#mitsukuni | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

host-club-hq · 11 months

Text

Indeed: ~y/n's Promotion!~

➼ pairing: kyoya ootori x reader

➼ summary: A long awaited promotion, indeed...

➼ word count: 7.4k

➼ what to expect: "Compose yourself, y/n, smile y/n."

➼ warnings: teensy bit of angst if you squint

➼ chapter navigation

➼ welcome to season 2 of Indeed! i thought we would start it off with a bang :)

"Oh... dear God." You gawk at the dress placed in your arms by Hikaru, glancing up at him for reassurance. "You're joking." It's more of a plea than a statement.

"C'mon, surely you knew our theme for today was service staff by now." Hikaru scoffs, shaking his head.

"Honestly, Senpai, you're our manager dating our director... how are you out of the loop?" Kaoru tsks with a sigh.

You crane your neck to glance at your aforementioned boyfriend behind you, your glare worth daggers, "This was your idea?"

Kyoya's eyes merely flit to you for a moment, returning to his laptop quickly, "You know me better than that, y/n. Whose idea do you think it was?"

Another quick turn of your head to Tamaki, the same glare present. He sweats nervously, "Those idiots told me you'd look good in a maid costume! It wasn't my idea!" He defends himself adamantly.

You grumble, "Too bad we can't stick Haruhi in this dress."

"We can after club hours." The twins smirk devilishly.

"Senpai." Haruhi whines.

"Sometimes I forget why I didn't just go to London." You drape your costume over the back of a chair, threading your fingers through your hair with a sigh.

"Because Kyoya-Senpai begged you to stay, remember?" Hikaru and Kaoru deadpan, appearing by your side once more.

You snort, "Oh, yeah. It was just Kyoya. Mhm." You cross your arms with a cocked brow.

"And I didn't beg. I asked." Kyoya pipes up, not bothering to meet your gazes when the three of you turn to him.

"You're delusional." You snicker, throwing him a knowing glance. He rolls his eyes, returning diligently to his work.

"Enough of your bickering. y/n, our guests are arriving soon- hurry up and put the dress on!" Tamaki whines, pushing you by your shoulders to the backroom.

"I don't understand why I have to wear everything that you wear! Can't I just wear black and white? I'm not even a host." You pout as Tamaki shuts the door behind you. You tear the dress from its packaging and begin stripping down.

"You wouldn't be-"

"-as cute that way, Senpai."

"I beg to differ." You grumble, stumbling as you slide the bodice of the dress up your torso. You, personally, think you'd look just as cute in black and white clothing, but you digress.

"Don't forget the headband!" You hear the door handle jiggle at Hikaru's voice.

"Ah! Don't you dare! Give me ten more seconds." You exclaim in a scolding tone.

"Back away from the door, Hikaru." Kyoya pipes up. Hikaru does as he's told, gulping. You nearly laugh.

"How do I look, Haru-chan?!" Honey tugs insistently at Haruhi's arm, forcing her eyes to fall upon himself and Mori dressed in their servant uniforms.

"You look great, Senpai." She nods with innocent eyes, straightening her own bow tie around her neck at the collar of her crisply white button-up shirt.

"Oh! Daddy's little girl looks so cute!" The telltale sound of Tamaki's fawning reaches your ear as you straighten the straps to your apron.

"Look at you in your tailcoat!" By the sound of Haruhi's groans, it sounds like he's smothering her.

You crack the door open and thrust your hand into open air, wriggling your fingers expectantly, "Where's the headband I must wear?" You groan.

"Come all the way out and get it." Kaoru teases.

"I don't have to wear it, you know-" Suddenly, the headband is placed in your palm and you snicker triumphantly.

"Thank you, boys." You chuckle, shutting the door promptly.

You slide the headband over the crown of your head and allow it to sit just behind your ears, straightening it the best you can and dusting off your apron before stepping out hesitantly.

You grumble, "This feels really demeaning." You pull at the ends of your dress, turning in a circle to get a look at yourself.

"Am I going to carry around a tray and do little poses?" You demonstrate your meaning by popping a leg up and holding a peace sign to your eye.

Your ears catch a light chuckle, twisting your neck to find Kyoya dressed in a black tailcoat tuxedo, straightening his clean, white gloves, shaking his head at you.

"Well, don't you look fancy." You snicker as he moves a gloved hands to his glasses to adjust them on his nose.

"That is the intention, yes." With a somewhat knowing smile, Kyoya peers down at you in your own costume.

"Alright, men!" Tamaki claps his hands to gain each host's attention, and he does so effectively.

"And women." He adds secondly, continuing on with a coy smile, "Our guests will be arriving soon. Now, it is important that we all play well into our roles as servants for our ladies today. Today, we not only charm our guests, but we will wait upon them as well!"

"Now you get to experience what I do everyday." You nudge Kyoya in the ribs, earning a scoff from him. "I doubt it'll be difficult," he replies with a coy expression.

"I never said it was difficult. But remember, I never said you'd like it, either." You tease mischievously, offering him a soft pat to his shoulder as you waltz off to take your position for opening.

And as the first guest of many arrives, the club is there to welcome them warmly in perfect poise, hands folded diligently with deep bows.

"Welcome." The usual chorus of voices reaches the ears of the first guest as they enter, earning a second chorus comprised of gasps and soft exclamations of awe.

You bow traditionally, "Welcome, ladies. May I ask who you would prefer to serve you this afternoon?" In your one hand, a notepad, and in the other, a pen, as you await their reply.

The guests snicker to themselves, flattered by your sudden attention. One of them speaks up. "Hikaru and Kaoru, please."

You smile and gesture with an open hand for the girls to follow you, "Very good, right this way, please." You bring them to their seats as if you were a hostess. That very word causes your heart to flutter excitedly, but it quickly dies down as you focus on your duties that are simply those of a maid.

You continue to seat guests at the respective tables for each host.

The more and more guests you escort to Kyoya's area, the more you become confused. Your romantic relationship is more than common knowledge ever since the twins couldn't keep their mouths shut about the whole stunt Kyoya pulled on the last day of the Ouran fair. You assumed more guests would be devastated by this knowledge, avoiding Kyoya as a host, but it seems his numbers are skyrocketing.

"Kyoya, tell us how you saved y/n again! It's so romantic!"

Kyoya nearly loses his composure at the sudden inquiries flying his way, slotting a hand behind his neck awkwardly, "Well, I hardly think you'd want to hear about that. I'd much rather talk about you."

"But Hikaru says you fell off the bridge! And you confessed your love to y/n all at the same time!"

You can't help the own rosy tint that falls over the apples of your cheeks at the notion that the guests know all about your private affairs. Well, not so private...

"That is true, yes..." At Kyoya's confession, the guests crowding him squeal, faint, and shake each other incessantly.

Both you and Kyoya had discussed the possible repercussions of being together publicly, and he mentioned that he wouldn't particularly mind if his guests seemed to dwindle off into smaller numbers. But currently, you're looking at an insane influx of patrons surrounding him.

"Did you really dance in the water? Did you kiss her?"

"Oh, I wish someone would do that for me!"

"I can't believe she was going to leave!"

You make a mental note to bash Hikaru's head in when you get the chance, a more cherry tint spreading across your cheeks and inching toward your ears.

"Welcome, ladies! Can I get you some tea?" Honey approaches his table with a tray full of steaming teacups, one for each customer. "Oh! You know what would go great with this tea? Some cake!" he says, brimming with excitement. Mori appears at his side with one arm folded behind his back, the other gracefully carrying a tray of cake slices at Honey's suggestion.

"Thanks, Honey!" A guest says, graciously accepting his offering. "Won't you stay and enjoy it with us?" she requests curiously.

"Well... okay! But only for a little bit, because then I have to go back to waiting on you pretty ladies!" Honey leaps onto the sofa beside his guests and promptly munches on a slice of cake offered to him by the guest adjacent to him.

Tamaki glances over his shoulder, excusing himself from his guests for a moment, throwing in an excuse — something along the lines of bringing them more refreshments.

"Hikaru, Kaoru!" He hisses in a whisper, snapping his fingers briefly. The twins slide into view at his beck and call, saluting their leader and mimicking his tone, "Yes, sir!"

"Gather the others and meet me in the back room! Make sure y/n doesn't see any of you." Tamaki implores, shooing them away.

"On it!" they eagerly reply, bolting off to grab the first host in sight. Hikaru and Kaoru sweep up Honey first, who hums in question as they scoop him up effortlessly. Mori follows soundlessly after that, head barely tilted curiously.

"Thank you, ladies, I- hey! What are you doing?!" Haruhi stammers, suddenly feeling Hikaru and Kaoru's arms looped under her own, dragging her on her heels away from her guests. The girls seated in Haruhi's area blink disorientedly as she's whisked away.

Just as the twins are even thinking about taking Kyoya with them by force, he raises a definitive gloved hand, "No need, I'm coming."

They comply immediately, nodding shortly and making their way to Tamaki's designated meeting place.

And suddenly, when you glance around aimlessly for a host... there are none in sight. In fact... they're all gone. Guests slowly get up from their seats across the room, making their way over to you with curious expressions.

"y/n? Where did Tamaki go?"

"Yeah, and Hikaru and Kaoru are missing!"

Your eyes grow wide as you stand speechless in the middle of a sea of guests, all tilting their heads in your direction with questioning eyes.

"Uh..." You murmur, unsure yourself as to where you boys have wandered off to... all... at the same time...

Odd.

Meanwhile, in another room, Tamaki throws his arms around Hikaru and Kaoru's shoulders on either side of him, forming a makeshift huddle as Mori and Kyoya remain standing upright, all the while participating in the discussion.

"Alright men, we need to think about this carefully," Tamaki begins.

"What exactly are we doing?" Haruhi glances to each host for an explanation, completely and hopelessly lost.

"Discussing the operation, of course." Kyoya vaguely mumbles.

"What operation? What's going on?" Haruhi looks to someone else for a clearer explanation.

"When we go back out there, we give y/n a run for her money! This operation is improv style- come up with whatever ridiculous request you can, and make sure she does it!" Tamaki whispers harshly, earning nods from his fellow hosts, who seem to be following along diligently.

Haruhi tilts her head, "Huh?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Alright, 'Operation: y/n's Host Trial' is a go!"

~y/n's Promotion!~

"Wait, what? We're making y/n-Senpai a host?" Haruhi asks with wide, incredulous eyes. Glancing to Kyoya's side profile, he gives nothing in return but a small, slowly forming smirk tugging at his lips.

"Hikaru, Kaoru: You know your jobs?" Tamaki inquires, pointing to the twins with a determined finger.

Kaoru shrugs, "Make y/n-Senpai-"

"-as busy as possible. We got it." Hikaru finishes, mirroring his brother's shrug.

Haruhi nearly pales, grimacing. When the twins are making someone busy, they're usually not doing it in a way that's particularly... tolerable.

"Are we sure that's a good idea?" Haruhi tries carefully, but no one seems to be listening. And if they are, they're intentionally ignoring her... which is definitely the case — Kyoya sees, hears, and knows all.

"Honey-Senpai?" Tamaki turns to Honey next, who salutes him immediately.

"Make y/n-chan take care of all of my problems!" He beams, contradicting his words.

"Kyoya, you are to-"

"Make sure y/n stays on task and doesn't get distracted." Kyoya adjusts his glasses, interjecting.

"By any means possible! Make y/n work!" Tamaki declares to the general group.

"By any means possible!" The hosts chorus back to him, save for Mori and Haruhi. They glance to each other apprehensively, exchanging concerned expressions.

"Mori-Senpai, I want you to keep a lookout for anything going wrong. Bring it to my attention immediately." Tamaki orders authoritatively.

Mori hums, but he doesn't necessarily agree... something seems off about this whole operation, and only he and Haruhi seem to be the ones who are not completely agreeing with everything Tamaki is saying.

"And Haruhi-" Tamaki begins optimistically.

"Look, Senpai, I don't know if I'm okay with working y/n-Senpai to the bone... she already does enough. Besides, hasn't she proved herself worthy to be a host already?" Haruhi implores, her expression quizzical.

"Nonsense! y/n has never actually hosted before. We need to see if she's up to the task!" Tamaki exclaims with an aura of dedication.

"... and to do that is to give her even more menial tasks than she already has?" Haruhi's shoulders slouch over in defeat when she realizes that Tamaki has absolutely no logic behind these trials... and the other hosts seem to be going along blindly. Which is... worrying.

"Senpai, I thought you were smarter than this." Haruhi grumbles, glancing up at Kyoya with an disgusted expression.

"I don't know what you mean by that. Besides, I don't see the harm in testing her a bit." Kyoya shrugs, not sparing her a glance.

"You realize that giving her hostly duties would be the way to do this? Not more errand girl duties? I don't even know why she still does those in the first place... she's our manager." Haruhi rubs her chin between her fingers in thought.

"She used to have a debt, remember? I just assume it's second nature to her by now to do all of those things." Kyoya proposes.

Haruhi hums thoughtfully, barely paying Kyoya any mind now.

As the two think out loud, chaos has been orchestrating among the trio of idiots with the addition of Honey.

"You all have your jobs, now get out there! We've been gone for way too long!" Tamaki ushers the twins out the door, followed by the rest of the hosts, and only two of them are starting to already rethink this horrible operation.

"There you guys are. What on earth were you thinking, all disappearing at once like that?" You huff, hands angrily on your hips as you approach them.

"Just discussing host things!" Tamaki assures, which doesn't make you feel any better in the slightest.

You raise a brow, irked. Rolling your eyes, you wave them off, "Whatever." You grumble.

Tamaki and Honey make discreet eye contact, and Tamaki nods subtly.

"Wah~! y/n-chan!" Honey wails, immediately gaining your attention.

"Senpai, what's wrong?" You appear to his table in the blink of an eye, brows furrowed in concern as his tearful eyes look up at you.

"I'm out of chocolate cake! Can you please get some more?" He hiccups, his hands drawn to his chest as he sniffles.

Your eyes fall on a perfectly full tier of strawberry and white cake, glancing back at Honey with an unsure expression, "But Honey-Senpai, you have plenty of cake right here-"

"But I want chocolate cake!!" He insists with a whine you rarely hear from him, especially in such an insignificant situation.

His guests chuckle nervously, offering you confused glances, and you return them with an apologetic smile.

"Alright, alright... I'll be right back."

You turn to head to the storage room, stealing a slight glance back at Honey as you go. It's common for Honey to act childish, that's his whole gimmick... but you rarely see him throw a tantrum like a true toddler. Maybe you shouldn't have given in, like a responsible mother wouldn't have. Well, a responsible mother wouldn't allow her child to eat as much cake as Honey does anyway, so that idea is long out the window by now.

Upon reaching the cabinets that store treats and sweets, you find that the host club is completely out of chocolate cake — not one slice to be seen.

You tilt your head. "Odd..." you say to yourself, quietly. You swear you'd seen an abundance of it just days before... Honey couldn't have possibly gone through that much chocolate cake in a few days... could he? Maybe you just need to stay more on top of things. No matter: you mark acquiring more chocolate cake on your mental to-do list and suppose that the academy's refectory will have to do.

You return to Honey, who looks hopeful at your arrival. You sigh, "I've got to run down to the refectory, our cupboards are barren of chocolate cake... I'll be right back."

Honey's eyes water, his prominent pout returning.

"I'm going now! I promise, I'll be right back." You swear.

And before Honey can burst into tears, which he looks like he's about to, you dash off, determined to reach the refectionary in record time... hoping that they either have chocolate cake on hand or that they can whip some up at lightning speed.

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

With two armfuls of chocolate cake slices packaged in plastic, you push open the club doors and are immediately bombarded by a host.

"Where did you go? You were gone for quite a while." The not so melodic tone of your partner's voice reaches your ears, arms crossed.

"We ran out of chocolate cake and Honey-Senpai wants chocolate or nothing." You groan, adjusting your stature to better cradle the inconveniently shaped packaged cake slices.

"You still shouldn't leave us without warning, guests have been waiting for their refreshments." Kyoya follows close behind as you start your journey to the storage room.

You blink, surprised at his lack of understanding, "Kyoya, I was only gone for fifteen minutes, you can't pour tea yourself?" You try your hardest to laugh off the comment.

"It's not our job to pour tea."

You haven't heard him belittle your duties like that since he disregarded your debt... since before you were dating. But, before you can react, you're promptly whisked away.

"y/n, where have you been?" Tamaki circles behind you, pushing you by your shoulders to the back room, "Put those away and come out immediately, and bring the tea!"

You blink as Tamaki leaves you to the storage room, putting the cake slices in their rightful place in a sort of daze. The boys have scarcely ever been quite this urgent with you. Even if they are, they try their best to be as forgiving as possible if you're running a bit behind.

You arrange the pot of tea and matching cups on your familiar tray, hoisting it off the table and into your hands as you scurry out to meet Tamaki, who apparently so urgently needs you.

It seems as though every time you pass through a doorway, you're needed by a different host. This time, the twins are at your side in an instant the moment you enter the main room.

"Hey, Senpai, we need your opinion." Hikaru begins, both twins effectively blocking your path.

"Yeah, it's urgent." Kaoru nods with a seemingly forced intense expression.

"Um..." You grimace, fingers tightening around your tea tray, but you don't see the harm in humoring them only for a moment.

"What was it that we wanted to ask her again, Hikaru?" Kaoru inquires, fingers stroking his chin in thought. Hikaru mirrors his twin, humming.

"I can't remember, Kaoru... hm..."

"Guys, I really need to-"

"No, no! We'll only be a second, just give us some time to remember it." Hikaru interrupts you.

You sigh with exasperation, shoulders slouching as you semi-patiently wait for Hikaru and Kaoru to remember what they spontaneously needed your opinion for.

"y/n, what on earth are you doing? We needed that tea tray two minutes ago." Kyoya materializes at your side, checking his watch and beckoning you to follow him.

"Sorry, guys." You hastily apologize to the twins, following Kyoya at his heels.

"Here, Kyoya, can you bring this over? I really need to make sure Honey-Senpai has his-" You offer the tray up to Kyoya as you follow him, but he turns sharply and holds his hand out.

"Nonsense, I have my guests to attend to. I simply don't have the time." He informs you.

Your brows furrow, "Well, neither do I, Kyoya, that's why I'm asking you to do it. If I had the time, I'd-"

"I don't want to hear excuses. Deliver the tea, then attend to Honey-Senpai." Kyoya leaves you with that.

You're left bewildered at his choice of tone toward you, gawking in the direction he disappears in.

You inhale sharply and exhale just as quickly, shaking your head to yourself as you arrive at Tamaki's table, setting down the tea tray and adorning a bright smile, "Here's your tea ladies. Now, if you'll excuse me." You direct your glower in Tamaki's direction, putting a particular annoyed inflection on your words as you find him simply lounging on the sofa, surrounded by swooning guests. Tamaki grins sheepishly.

You turn on your heel to find Honey-Senpai, who seems to be having the time of his life entertaining his guests... until he catches your eye. Suddenly, he blinks in rapid procession and tears are streaming down his cheeks.

"y/n-chan, I need my chocolate cake!" He whimpers, arms flailing in a tantrum-like manner.

"Okay, just a second!" You call over your shoulder, rushing back to the storage room and throwing open the cabinets. You all but snatch a slice of chocolate cake... grabbing another for good measure, and dash out to tend to Honey's blubbering cries. Placing the slices in front of him, you anxiously await his reaction.

His sobbing subsides all too quickly, and he's left beaming up at you, "Thanks, y/n-chan!" And with that, he's devouring his sweets.

You exhale with an aura of relief, folding your hands before you, "Not a problem. Can I get anyone else anything? More sandwiches?"

Honey's guests shake their heads, smiling, "We're okay, y/n, thank you!" They beam politely. You nod and slip away.

But you don't get a moment to yourself for long before the sound of shattering glass catches your ears, silence falling over the room after a round of surprised gasps.

You turn to find Hikaru and Kaoru at the scene of the crime, both standing over a mess of what looks like two broken teacups... that seem to have fallen straight from their hands and onto the floor... at the same time...

"Whoops! Clumsy us!" They chorus, a certain undertone of mischief present in their voices.

"y/n, could you get that for us-?"

"- yeah, we've got other stuff to do." They link arms, sauntering away to attend to their guests who are just as confused as you are.

You groan all too loudly for Kyoya's liking, apparently, as you make your way over to the mess and start to gather the bigger pieces.

"Remember, y/n, compose yourself. You'll have to learn to be compliant with anything if you want to get anywhere." Kyoya reminds, carelessly scribbling in his notebook as you slave away on the floor over a pile of broken china.

"Compose yourself, y/n, smile y/n." You mock in a high pitched tone under your breath.

"I heard that." Kyoya lifts his eyes briefly from his half-written sentence to meet your sheepish eyes, your lips drawing into a thin line. Kyoya's unamused eyes bore into your soul.

"Heard what?" You don't give him a moment to answer as you're off to discard of the larger pieces of china, acquiring a broom and a dustpan for the smaller shards.

Watching from afar, Haruhi crosses her arms, "They can afford to break fine china. If I broke a saucer, I'd be paying it off for two weeks."

As you pass her slouching figure, you giggle, "Yeah, double standards, am I right?" You snicker, dumping the shards of china into the nearest waste bin. Haruhi beams.

After making sure your palms are clean of glass, you swipe a tired hand across your forehead, sighing in relief at the momentary break you receive.

The key word is momentary, and you're not even sure you can call it that, as you're leaping to attention when Honey wails deafeningly once more. You grimace at his volume, cautiously peering over your shoulder to see what could possibly be the matter now.

"y/n-chan, I spilled tea all over my pants! I need new ones!"

Surely enough, just as you arrive at his side, your eyes immediately fall on the dark stain covering his pant legs, still slowly growing. Luckily, you know Honey's tea has been sitting out long enough to have grown cold. Still, you cannot fathom how he would be comfortable in a pair of damp slacks.

"Did you pack an extra uniform, Senpai?" You question, tilting your head.

Meekly, Honey shakes his head no. You suppress the strong, strong urge to groan loudly, as that would only upset him further.

"And I suppose you want me to find you one?"

At your offer, Honey beams, "Yes please!"

You feel your eye twitch involuntarily, forcing a strained smile, "Sure thing..." You say through clenched teeth.

As you turn around and lose Honey's attention, you snatch a throw pillow from a nearby sofa and shove it over your mouth, muffling a loud, frustrated groan, stomping your foot.

You inhale deeply through your nose, quickly regaining your composure and putting the throw pillow back in its place. You clear your throat and dust yourself off before setting off on your new mission.

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

The only solution you found for Honey's problem was nothing short of embarrassing... to say the least. You've managed to venture all the way to the primary school building, thoroughly out of breath and practically begging for one of the sensei's to lend you their spare pair of boy's uniform shorts that they keep around in case of the elementary students having accidents.

You return to the club with the fresh shorts slung over your arm, receiving immediate attention from Kyoya.

"Where did you run off to this time? You were gone for-"

"Give me one second, please, Kyoya, I'll never hear the end of this if I don't give these to Honey-Senpai now." You forcibly shove past him, leaving him to watch you approach the elder, feeling anxious at the new frustrated attitude you've adopted.

Cautiously, you gain Honey's attention by tapping on his shoulder. "Senpai, these are the only pants I could find you," you say, presenting him with the elementary school uniform shorts. Although they're small, you expect them to fit. And, well, they're dry.

You barely notice the way, Honey glances to Tamaki for approval, as he would be fine accepting the pair of shorts you are offering him, but his boss shakes his head discreetly, indicating that Honey must give you a reason to do something else.

He sniffles on que, "I'm not gonna wear little boy's shorts! I want my uniform pants!" He hiccups.

Truthfully, by now, the wet spot on Honey's pants is mostly dry, and you can't even see the liquid given that his slacks are black to begin with.

You sigh in exasperation, "There's really nothing else I can do. These are the only-"

"No!" Against his better judgement, Honey smacks the shorts out of your hands and to the floor. The room grows silent at his outburst and everyone is patiently awaiting the next choice of words from either of you.

"That's embarrassing, y/n-chan! I don't wanna wear elementary shorts!" He insists, brows furrowed.

Your teeth grind in a heavy effort to reel in your outrage, afraid you'll explode and say something you regret to the poor boy.

"Senpai," Your tone is wavering, eyes shut as you do your best to regain a steady composure. "Unless you want me to drive all the way to your house and personally select another pair of trousers from your closet and come back here, there is nothing else I can do for you."

Honey can sense the sheer frustration in your voice, so he doesn't say anything further. He's decided he's played too much of a part in this little game, and he doesn't think it's very fun anymore... someone else is going to have to step in.

And someone else does. Just as Tamaki is starting to realize that this little "trial" has gone too far, Hikaru opens his mouth.

"Come on, Senpai, isn't this your job?"

Even his brother's eyes grow wide, tugging on Hikaru's sleeve to tell him not to push you anymore, but Kaoru freezes while doing so as you turn around menacingly, your gaze tearing daggers through Hikaru as you fume.

"No, Hikaru, it is not my job to be your personal servant-"

"Don't you serve your dad all the time at home? Get to it, y/n, we don't have all day."

Your fury is replaced by absolute astonishment at Hikaru's choice of words paired with the insult of lacking an honorific.

"Hikaru!" Kaoru scolds with a gasp, seemingly pushing HIkaru's consciousness back into reality as he realizes what he's just said to you.

And that's when Tamaki realized this entire operation was a mistake, uncrossing his arms in a state of shock.

Haruhi's attention turns to Mori as he stands adjacent to her. His eyes are closed in disappointment, as if he knew something like this would happen.

With an indignant huff, your voice slightly breaking, you throw the elementary boy's shorts to the ground, as a loud smack! echoes through the silent room. You manage to suppress your tears as you storm past the onlookers and to the grand double doors, slamming them behind you and bolting down the hall.

Tamaki does his best to disperse the crowd, directing intrigued guests back to their tea and snacks with a polite smile. As the crowd dissipates, Tamaki throws a panicked expression in Hikaru's direction.

"When I said make y/n as busy as possible, I didn't mean make her busy crying!" Tamaki stomps his foot, fuming.

"I didn't mean to! I just wanted to make her mad!" Hikaru whines, feeling the immense weight of guilt pulling at his heart strings.

"She was already mad, you pushed her over into hurt." Haruhi pipes up, arms crossed. She could have guessed that this was exactly what would happen if you were pushed to your breaking point.

Hikaru hangs his head, ashamed of his words toward you as his heart pulses painfully. Kaoru clings comfortingly to his side. "Don't worry, I bet Senpai knows you didn't mean it," He assures. Hikaru only nods slightly.

"I didn't think she was gonna cry!" Honey cries, now bursting into genuine tears. Honey seeks Mori for comfort, lip trembling as his mind runs rampant with his intolerable behavior toward you. Mori places a still hand atop his head without a word.

"I think we'll have to move ahead with the plan a little early." Kyoya adjusts his glasses, taking hold of the reins of this operation.

"Tamaki, could you have the room ready by the time I get back? I'll go make sure she's alright." Kyoya tucks his notebook and pen away.

Tamaki nods, "Good idea, Kyoya. You heard the man, get to work." He orders, clapping his hands twice. The remaining hosts scurry away at his command.

As Kyoya withdraws from the clubroom, he has the slightest inclination as to where you might have run off to. Trusting his intuition, he sets off to the place he has in mind.

It's a bit of a longer walk, and Kyoya can't imagine that you ran all the way here, but his intuition was, indeed, correct. He nearly smiles fondly to himself when he finds you perched on the edge of a familiar fountain in your maid's uniform, knees drawn to your chest. Kyoya's chest aches painfully when you brush a stray tear from your cheek, sniffling quietly. He can barely hear you over the calming sound of trickling water flowing in the fountain.

Kyoya steps out from underneath the covered walkway and you notice him immediately.

"Oh." You straighten up, quickly wiping your damp cheeks and hoping your nose isn't too red. Luckily, your cheeks darken to the same rosy hue to match the tip of your nose.

"Want some company?" Kyoya offers gently. You nod wordlessly.

At your given consent, Kyoya sits on the ledge of the fountain beside you, craning his neck only slightly to peer over your shoulder as your back is turned to him.

"Are you alright?" He tilts his head.

You sigh, closing your eyes for a moment, "I know he didn't mean it, it's all part of some stupid charade you're all doing, but it still hurts."

If it wasn't for your last statement, Kyoya would have laughed. Of course you were aware of something going on, you're incredibly observant.

"I know. I'm not entirely sure where that came from, but it was unnecessary." Kyoya reaches out tentatively. His fingers gently caress your arm with an aura of hesitancy. He can't quite tell if you want him by your side or anywhere else.

Soon his uncertainty is settled, however, when you swivel your body and lean into him, still hugging your knees to your chest. Kyoya slithers a casual arm around your shoulders, holding you secure to his side.

"I don't want to go back in there," you say. Kyoya can practically hear the pout on your lips. He smiles softly.

"I think you'll be surprised." His optimistic tone brings your head up toward him to meet his eyes, looking hopeful.

"Promise?"

Kyoya knows without a doubt that what they have planned for you will raise your spirits in the most wonderful of ways. He angles his head to face you, eyes landing upon your expectant irises. The warmth in his heart spreads across his whole chest.

"Promise."

And when Kyoya promises something, you don't have a doubt in the world. A faint tint of red spreads across the apples of your cheeks, reaching the bridge of your nose when Kyoya places a gentle kiss just below your hairline.

You sigh quietly to yourself, hoisting yourself from the side of the fountain, "I better go and give Hikaru a chance to apologize anyway, I bet he's worrying himself sick." You tease, walking closely to Kyoya's side and nudging his shoulder.

Kyoya chuckles, "You know him all too well." He puts a simple, guiding hand to the small of your back.

"Well who do I have to thank for that, huh? Back in the day when you used to boss me around..." You quirk a brow, grumbling.

"Something good came out of it, right? I know they're a pain, but they certainly hold you in high regards." Kyoya says, moving to shove his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah, I sort of figured that after they staged an entire fight to get the chance to visit my house." You scoff, a small smile tugging at the corners of your lips.

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

You reach for the handle to the clubroom, but you're quickly stopped as Kyoya grabs it before you. You glance up at him with questioning eyes, hand poised mid air.

"Allow me." And with that, Kyoya pushes open the door. It creaks all too familiarly, and unexpectedly, you're flooded with a surge of rose petals.

You swat stray petals away from your line of sight, thoroughly confused: "We already opened for the day, what's with the theatrics?" You blink, realizing the room is shrouded in darkness.

"... are you guys just sitting here in the dark?" You squint. You turn to find Kyoya for an explanation, but he is nowhere to be seen.

The echoing thud of a spotlight switching on turns you around, and Tamaki is standing illuminated under a beam of light.

Lining a pathway toward him is an additional, less spectacular row of lights that flash from above. Hikaru, Kaoru, and Haruhi stand on one side in a row, and Kyoya, Mori, and Honey stand parallel from them. They all stand as if they're uniformed soldiers in their butler costumes, arms folded behind their back and eyes glued to you.

You blink, brows furrowed at their unusual formation. You haven't got anything planned... no special event or party that requires a dramatic entrance.

"y/n, would you please step forward?" Tamaki bows like a true prince would, one arm pressed to his chest and the other outstretched, head slightly angling up to glance at you.

Stunned to silence, your legs carry you to move closer to him, barely sparing each host an apprehensive glance on your way to the King.

You cannot even begin to fathom what is going on, a million ideas running through your head at a hundred miles an hour. Are you in trouble? Are they going to ask you to join a cult? Have they joined forces with the Black Magic Club and this is your initiation?

"You've proven yourself worthy against our trials, my dear." Tamaki announces in a royal tone.

"Trials?" You tilt your head to the side, looking curiously at the hosts around you.

"And so, I present you... with this." Tamaki looks to Kyoya a moment. Kyoya hands him a luxurious pillow, meant for ceremonies. Something is sitting a top it. It doesn't look too big, and it looks quite delicate.

When Tamaki is handed the pillow, he moves it into the light, lowering it to your level to reveal...

... a yellow rose?

"A rose?" You have to admit, it's quite beautiful, in perfect condition. However, you can't help but wonder what on earth he's giving it to you for... and in such a formal fashion.

"Your rose." Tamaki corrects in a gentle tone as if he were speaking to only you.

"My rose?" You parrot.

And then, it clicks.

Your rose.

The rose meant to represent you. To represent you as a host.

Your eyes tear from the beautiful flower to meet Tamaki's lilac irises, your lips parted in disbelief.

"Are you serious?" You absentmindedly take the rose with gentle fingers. The gorgeous pale yellow of its petals glisten under the sharp light above Tamaki's head.

"It's long overdue." Tamaki nods. He can't help but smile at your complete bewilderment.

With a cheek splitting grin, you let out a purely delighted laugh, surging forward and throwing your arms around Tamaki's neck, arms constricting tightly around him.

As surprised as Tamaki is at your reaction, his arms are quick to reciprocate, the warmth in his chest spreading to his lips as they smile fondly.

"Thank you." He hears you sniffle. He chuckles.

"It's wasn't my idea." As Tamaki gently lets you go, you know immediately who to look to.

Your gaze falls upon Kyoya's, already fixed on you with a soft simper.

He truly is a vision in his butler's tailcoat, arms tucked behind his back and eyes focused entirely on you with such an aura of adoration that it makes your heart pulse in the best of ways.

As you approach him, you can't wipe the smile from your lips, "You're really okay with this?"

Your consideration for his anxieties sets Kyoya even more at ease with his decision than he was before.

"Absolutely."

It's not necessarily the fact that you're becoming a host that excites you. Sure, it's a role you've longed for these past few years and you think you'd be an excellent candidate... but that's not the reason you're over the moon.

It would take only a bystander to realize how uncomfortable the notion of you becoming a host made Kyoya in the past. The idea of you catering romantically to anyone didn't exactly sit right with him, but that was when your combined futures were uncertain. That was before he knew the extent of your affection for him. It used to make him nervous to see you interact in such a way with others, but now...

Of course you're excited to become a host and explore the possibilities, but you're ten times more moved by the fact that you have gained such trust from Kyoya. A trust that exceeds his boundaries, a trust that allows him to put your ambitions above his anxieties.

And that is more important to you than anything he could have ever given you.

Such a notion brings a few tears to your eyes and your lip trembles in the slightest, a sound of appreciation caught in your throat as you reach toward him, hands cradling his jaw as you pull him down for a searing kiss. Although he hadn't expected it, Kyoya's hands quickly find their place caressing your waist, eyes slipping shut as he basks in the feeling of your lips pressed together.

Kyoya pulls back only just, gaining your attention and flicking his eyes behind you briefly, jerking his head in the same direction with a faint smile.

You turn to glance over your shoulder, making eye contact with the twins: particularly with Hikaru. He looks as though he might chew his lip off, eyes darting away from yours the moment he sees you looking at him. Kaoru nudges his shoulder a bit.

Kyoya turns you around by the waist and you take the initiative to make your way over to Hikaru.

Hikaru fidgets with his sleeve, "Senpai, I'm really sorry about-"

But as you lean up on the tips of your toes and peck his cheek, Hikaru's words catch in his throat, eyes growing wide as a flush spreads across his cheeks. He gulps as you flash him a charming smile.

"I know. Thank you." You nod, seemingly convincing Hikaru that you don't notice the profuse blush spreading to his ears.

"I'm sorry too, y/n-chan!" Honey exclaims, leaping into your arms. Although you have less than a few seconds to react, you quickly support his weight with ease, playfully grimacing as his hair tickles your cheek.

As you set Honey down, patting the top of his head, you glance around at the hosts surrounding you, "Who's going to do all of my chores now?" You inquire curiously.

"All of us." Mori declares, allowing the corner of his lips to twitch slightly upward when you turn to him with an appreciative smile.

"Yeah, we're all gonna chip in a little." Kaoru digs his fist into Hikaru's arm playfully, who rolls his eyes and rubs over the spot that Kaoru punched.

"It's the least we can do." Haruhi grins widely.

Tamaki sweeps in, taking you by the hand, "Without further ado, allow me to introduce our newest host type!"

Ever a lover of theatrical presentations, Tamaki turns you to face the rest of the hosts, bowing.

"The gentle type."

As your heart swells, gripping your yellow rose tightly between your fingers, the hosts erupt into applause.

"Does this mean Senpai has to flirt with our customers too?" Hikaru raises a brow.

"Guess we're gonna have more male patrons." Kaoru grumbles.

"Guys, your jealousy is showing." Haruhi deadpans, flashing you a knowing look. You return it with a smirk.

"Indeed." Kyoya teases, unable to suppress the smile spread across his lips.

"Now, y/n! Allow me to teach you everything I know about the art of hosting!" Tamaki takes you by the shoulder, casting his hand to the sky and starting on a monologue that you couldn't be paid to listen to in a million years.

Turning over your shoulders with a desperate call for help in your eyes, Kyoya merely shrugs. You roll your eyes.

"When talking to a customer, ask them questions about themselves! Everyone loves to talk about themselves-"

"Do they now?" You quirk an unamused brow. Tamaki completely overlooks your interjection.

You groan. It's going to be a long, long day...

🎵I run and run a thousand miles, and I am barely breathing. Only the fuel of a passionate heart keeps this body strong and moving forward.

Could it be I found a place to rest? How far until I’m OK?

Trees of the town reveal the time has come once again to shift our shade and colors. 🎵

🎵The world always changes around us but weakness will always remain;

Through all the pain, believe in who we are right here and now! 🎵

🎵Raise one hand to the sky; raise them both lift them high!!

And you’ll cut through the darkness make it go!

The time to start is now! And I can show you how.

Start with me, and the world will be even bigger than ever before. 🎵

♡Next time, on Indeed...♡

It's a certain someone's birthday who doesn't seem to share the same desire to celebrate it as much as everyone else...

♡We'll see you then!! ♡

want to read more? here's my ouran masterlist 🌹

and here's my bts blog💜

want me to write something you want to see? request something💌

have any questions? talk to my characters!🙏🏻

Adieu~ 🌹🌹🌹

455 notes · View notes

host-club-hq · 7 months

Text

Indeed: Kyoya's Celebration!

➼ pairing: kyoya ootori x reader

➼ summary: It’s a certain someone’s birthday who doesn’t seem to share the same desire to celebrate it as much as everyone else…

➼ word count: 6.6k

➼ what to expect: "What? Who doesn't celebrate their birthday?"

➼ warnings: alcohol, depictions of being sick, slight angst

➼ chapter navigation

➼ japan lowered the legal age of adulthood to 18 in 2022 so... i win? but let's pretend that the year in this fic DOESN'T MATTER IT'S TOTALLY NOT 2006 STILL-

Kyoya groans, swatting at the offending sensation tickling his nose as he rolls over for what must be the sixth time now. His brain is fuzzy with sleep and he can hardly comprehend the weight straddling his lap as he turns over and buries his face into his pillow.

"Come on, you lump." You mutter from your position above him, poised over his lap as you continue to gently run your fingers over his face, in order to rouse him from sleep as pleasantly as possible. Though, that task proves to be insanely difficult. Your boyfriend's sleep-ridden body seems to be reluctant in giving into your shenanigans.

You cradle his cheeks in both of your hands and turn his head to face you from his position on his side, squishing his cheeks and pouting at his sleepy face.

"Did you stay up all night again or something? Come on." You whisper to yourself, resorting to shaking his shoulders slightly instead of gentle caresses, as those seem to produce little to no result.

Kyoya has a valid reason for sleeping so deeply all the time- his hypotension renders him incredibly fatigued. That seems to be the most prevalent symptom, at least. He's usually on top of his eating habits to prevent feeling faint.

You are, of course, no stranger to dealing with the repercussions of waking him by force, despite being warned by the entirety of the host club. The only difference is that you're not afraid. Kyoya is all bark and no bite when it comes to his snarky attitude upon awakening. And you've dealt with enough of his remarks to steel yourself against nearly everything he has to say to you.

"You. Have to. Get up. Anyway. So. Get. Up. Now." You punctuate each word with a shake of his shoulders. It is, indeed, a weekday. And that means Kyoya has to get up for school. His alarm should be going off at 7:30 AM so that he'll be ready to leave his house by 8:00 and arrive at school at about 8:15 before classes start at 8:30.

But it's currently 7:00 AM. And you didn't spend the night, though Kyoya offered to spend the night at your house if you wanted to be in your own home to prepare for school in the morning. He found it strange that you insisted you each spend the night in your respective homes, since you haven't spent a night together for perhaps two weeks.

But you had a reason for that. Today is very special, and you wanted to surprise Kyoya this morning. So you showed up at his estate unannounced. Of course, he's dead asleep every morning before his blaring alarm clock wakes him (he often snoozes once or twice before scrambling to get ready). Therefore, you're not surprised to find him dead to the world.

"Wake up!" You exclaim slightly louder than the gentle tone you'd previously been using.

Kyoya groans once more, cracking a single eye open to glance at his bedside alarm clock. His vision is blurred with sleep and by the fact that his glasses sit on his nightstand rather than the bridge of his nose, but he can faintly ready the time. It is... definitely not time for him to get out of bed yet... so why are you even trying to wake him in the first place?

Also, why are you here?

"God, what do you want? Can't a man have a moment's peace?" Kyoya grumbles irritably, reaching up slowly to cover his face with exasperation and a heavy sigh.

"You know what you signed up for." You pull his hands from his face, forcing him to look at you.

"Besides. I came to tell you..." You trail off with a giddy squeal, reaching to his nightstand for your prepared treat. You present it to him with a beaming grin.

"Happy birthday!" You cheer, thrusting the plate of neatly arranged fruit in his direction.

Kyoya's brain slowly catches up with your exclamation, sluggishly sitting up so he can peer down at your intricate presentation. A variation of fruits surround frosted writing on a plate: Happy 18th inside of a heart.

"I know it's traditional to bring a cake but you don't like cake, and you don't have to eat the frosting. I just needed something edible to write with." You're still grinning widely from ear to ear.

Kyoya blinks, "y/n, we've talked about this..." He sighs, rubbing sleep from one of his tired eyes.

Kyoya tries to ignore the way your smile falters slightly, "Well- I know you've expressed distaste for your birthday in the past, but this is the first time it's come around since we've been dating... so I thought I would do something small." You lower the plate of fruit slightly, shoulders sagging.

Kyoya reaches blindly for his glasses on the nightstand and slides them onto his face. He can't deny the gesture has his heart racing and his cheeks flushing, but...

He manages a small smile, leaning forward to peck your forehead. Your nose scrunches. Cute.

"Well, thank you." He munches on an apple slice cut into a star shape. Again; cute.

"And, I thought we could have a private little celebration after school today." You climb off of his lap so that he can sit at the edge of his bed.

"Really, y/n, today is just another day." Kyoya musters the most polite tone he can, dreading celebrating anything at all today.

"Just so I can give you your present." You pout when he throws you a pointed look (mostly about celebrating his birthday, but also about buying him something), "Please, Kyoya? You're 18. That's a big one." You plead.

Kyoya sighs once more, his pajama-clad chest heaving dramatically.

"Can you at least celebrate it because I want to? I want to celebrate you. You're an adult!" You jest, leaning to wrap your arms around his shoulders from behind as he cranes his neck to press his nose against your temple. Kyoya hums.

"How does it feel to be an adult, huh?" You untangle yourself from him so that he can stand. You're already dressed and ready to go in your uniform, but Kyoya still has a lot of preparing to do.

"Same as yesterday." Kyoya shrugs. He doesn't understand why you think he'd feel differently than he did when he was a day younger. But he supposes everyone is asked that on their birthday.

"Yeah? Well how does it feel to be an adult dating a minor?" You quirk a mischievous brow.

"... you know, maybe we don't have to celebrate after school-"

"No, I'm sorry! I take it back!"

~Kyoya's Celebration!~

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

"It's ridiculous. I mean, the nerve of some people."

"Well, you can't really expect much better from them, y/n."

You roll your eyes as Kyoya reaches for the door handle to the club room.

"What exactly does that mean?" You huff.

"I mean, they're teenagers. They're going to gossip." Kyoya clarifies.

"Oh, just because you're so grown now doesn't mean you're far off." You tease, nudging his shoulder playfully.

"You know that's not what I meant-" Kyoya's sentence is interrupted as a burst of confetti surrounds both of you upon entering Music Room #3.

"What in the-"

"Happy birthday!"

Your heart drops as the hosts chorus together excitedly, throwing their arms in the air and blowing party horns noisily.

You make a hasty slicing motion near your neck, shaking your head subtly as Kyoya rolls his eyes at the banner displayed above the hosts' heads. Tamaki's party horn deflates slightly at your panicked gesture.

You'd forgotten to inform the club that celebrating Kyoya's birthday was canceled. That's an important detail you conveniently forgot about during your school day. You rest your forehead in your palm, disappointed in yourself.

You laugh nervously, drawing Kyoya's attention to you, "... surprise?" You shrug weakly. He returns your meek display with an unamused glance, blinking twice.

"Guys, I'm sorry. I forgot to tell you, we're not doing this anymore." You stride over to yank a set of balloons from the air and hide them behind your back.

"Oh, right." The twins deflate, shoulders slumping.

"What? What do you mean?" Haruhi inquires curiously, a party hat strapped to her head.

"I thought this year would be different but I was sadly mistaken." You tease.

"Kyo-chan doesn't really like to celebrate his birthday." Honey informs, munching on a slice of cake despite the lack of cause.

"What? Who doesn't celebrate their birthday?" Haruhi quirks a brow in confusion.

"Me." Kyoya takes a seat at a nearby table, pulling out his laptop promptly.

"Just this once, Kyoya? Please?" Tamaki peers over Kyoya's table with a pouty lip and wide eyes.

"No." Kyoya is unamused, not missing a beat on his keyboard.

You roll your eyes, "What would you rather do, Kyoya? Watch Tamaki throw an extravagant party with the guest list a mile long and watch the club's budget go up in flames? Or we could come over to my place and we'll have a small, free celebration?"

You do have a point. If Kyoya refuses, Tamaki will go through with his party plans whether he wants it or not. He sends a glower your way.

"Fine. But it better be small."

You and the rest of the club beam, "Don't worry it! It will be!" You assure.

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

Though Kyoya would have prefered a much smaller ordeal that only includes you and him, he allows the rest of the club to join you. They all seem much too eager to celebrate his birthday, anyway. And once Tamaki sets his mind to something, it's difficult to stop his endeavors.

It's not long after you arrive home with Kyoya that more vehicles park themselves in your driveway and the Host Club files out of them. You've dismissed your small gathering of help for the day, so that you won't be bothered.

"Do you guys want music?" You fiddle with your speaker, hooking it up to your phone and scrolling through music choices while you await a response.

"Let the birthday boy pick!" Tamaki claps Kyoya on shoulder, who shrugs indifferently.

"I don't mind. You can pick." He says.

"Oh, please don't let y/n-Senpai pick the music." Hikaru huffs.

"Yeah, it's always weird." Kaoru agrees with a slight giggle.

You roll your eyes, "Rude. Fine. I'll put it on a generic station." At that, music starts to flow through the speakers in a lo-fi fashion. Not too loud, but perfect background music.

You almost snicker at their stiff postures, "Here, I know what will loosen everyone up."

The hosts follow you with their eyes as you disappear down the hallway toward your kitchen. A few minutes and sounds of glass clinking later, you bring back a tray full of glasses, liquor, beer, and drink garnishes.

You're oblivious to the hosts' bewildered looks as you set the tray down on the coffee table near the sofa, sighing.

"... what?" You glance around.

"Japan's drinking age is 20, y/n." Kyoya informs at your confusion.

You blink, "Oh, that's right." You laugh at yourself.

"I've been drinking since I was 16 in Europe... well, truthfully, like... 14. I don't mind if we drink here." You jest, reaching for a shallow glass and a bottle.

"You drink?" Kaoru tilts his head, absently reaching for a bottle of soju on the tray, inspecting it curiously.

"Not excessively by any means. I've been to a few parties, my father has liquor around the house." You shrug, pouring yourself a shallow glass of wine.

"I can mix a few things if anyone wants to try something. I'd rather you drink in the house." You giggle as Kaoru takes a tentative sip from his bottle. He shrugs.

"There's no pressure, of course. I do have sodas and other things to drink." You propose.

The hosts murmur amongst themselves. Hikaru and Kaoru seem to be a bit familiar with soju, sipping from identical bottles.

"Want a recommendation?" You peer over Kyoya's shoulder as he twists the wine bottles to peek at their labels.

"Sure, if you have one." Kyoya turns to you with full confidence.

"Here. I think you'll like this one." You pluck a bottle from the wine selection and pour him a sip or so in a new glass, swirling it gently before handing it to him. Kyoya sips thoughtfully, raising his brows.

"It's good." At his confirmation, you pour him a shallow amount to start.

That reminds you, "Oh, before we get started, I'll bring out some snacks so we're not starving." The music fills up the silence as you move back into the kitchen to bring out and prepared snacks you can find.

As you rummage through the fridge, you feel a tug to your skirt. You yelp and turn to face Honey.

"y/n-chan, do you have anything sweet I can drink? I don't like the wine..." He pouts, a frown etched upon his lips.

"Oh, um... I should..." You hum, pushing through bottles in your refrigerator and pulling out a bottle with fruit on the label.

"I think this is sweet... I've never actually had it before..." You briefly catch the title before handing it off to Honey: Strawberry Soju.

"Thanks!" Honey chirps, twisting off the cap and skipping back into the living room.

You didn't get the chance to check the alcohol content... but you're sure it's fine.

Reentering the living room with snacks and leftovers, you find the hosts experimenting with the tray on the coffee table. Honey insists with Mori that his soju isn't going to affect him too much. Mori has barely taken a sip of his beer, nursing it slowly. Hikaru and Kaoru take turns seeing who can chug the most sake in one round (neither of them get very far).

Tamaki approaches you with a wistful sigh, "y/n, these drinks just aren't classy enough for a gentleman like me! I need something sophisticated, mature, something that would look good in my hand!" Tamaki demonstrates, perching on the sofa with an empty glass.

"Maybe something like whiskey!" He suggests.

You scoff, "Oh, no. No whiskey for you. I can... make you a mimosa." You offer, cracking open a bottle of champagne and a serving of orange juice.

"Oh, that sounds delightful!" Tamaki exclaims as you hand him a full glass (mostly orange juice). You're slightly eager to see how he handles his alcohol.

Haruhi has settled for a grape ramune soda, observing as her friends start to process the alcohol in their systems. You pour yourself a shallow glass of wine, approaching her.

"Not drinking, hm?" You slump down onto the sofa beside her, sipping quietly and awaiting her reply.

She smiles, "No, it's not for me. I've seen what it does to your brain." She quickly retracts, "Oh, not that you guys are gonna have brain damage... I'd just rather not." She chuckles nervously.

You smile fondly, "No, I get what you mean. I drink in moderation, but I agree, it's not the best thing in the world for you." You chuckle. Haruhi all but blushes.

"I can already tell someone isn't handling the alcohol well." You direct Haruhi's attention to Tamaki, who's bragging to Hikaru and Kaoru that he's a much more sophisticated drinker than they are (even though his drink contains a far smaller amount of alcohol than their sojus).

"Who's surprised?" Haruhi laughs, sipping on her soda.

"You and I are going to be the sober ones in the morning with no hangover and plenty of funny stories to tell." You jest, clinking your glass with her bottle.

"You got that right." Haruhi nods.

"And who knows... maybe Tamaki will get wasted and you'll have to see to it that he gets home." You tease, nudging her.

"As if I want that job..." Haruhi groans, but you don't miss the red that prickles the apples of her cheeks.

"Ah, come on. Look at him." Your statement draws both of your attention back to the blundering blonde, who's now in a full-blown argument with two uninterested gingers.

"You have to admit, when he's not being a complete idiot, he's very sweet." You lower your voice slightly, as Tamaki is constantly listening for his name.

"I guess you have a point." Haruhi murmurs, more to herself as she watches Tamaki make a fool of himself. You decide to leave Haruhi to her thoughts, bidding her a brief farewell before moving to pick a host to bless with your company.

Sighing, you plop yourself down next to Mori as he lounges with one arm thrown over the back of the sofa, the other with the very same beer you keep seeing from him.

"How're you over here?" You ask breathily. Mori firsts notices the faint flush upon your cheeks as you glance up at him questioningly. He blinks before moving his eyes to Honey, who perches himself in Haruhi arms with a bubbly, dazed smile. Haruhi nods along to whatever he's blabbering on about.

"Just keeping an eye on Mitsukuni." Mori replies shortly.

"I meant to tell him that strawberry soju could have an adverse affect to someone who's never had it... but I guess I never got that far." You purse your lips. You watch as Honey throws his arms into the air to embellish what he's saying, nearly flinging himself backward as Haruhi rushes to catch him.

"You feeling okay?" Mori inquires, turning his attention to you fully. He even leans forward a bit to get a better look at you.

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine. I should really not drink so quickly." You grimace, setting your glass of wine down on the coffee table.

Your breath hitches in your throat as Mori reaches over and places the back of his hand against your forehead. He hums.

"You're a little warm. Take it easy. Eat something." He reaches for a snack on the tray upon the coffee table, offering it to you.

You take it gratefully, watching as Mori resumes his casual position with his arm thrown over the sofa behind you, comfortably.

"Thanks..." You munch quietly, "You gonna make sure Honey-Senpai gets home okay?"

"Yeah." He nods.

"Good. Can I get you anything?" You rise from the sofa slowly.

"I'm okay. Thanks." Mori replies, rewarding you with a small smile.

You nod, departing to find your boyfriend.

After taste testing a few bottles, Kyoya seems to have settled on a favorable wine, sipping it slowly as he observes the idiotic trio as well.

"Are you enjoying yourself yet?" You settle close to him, thigh pressed to his as you lean toward him. He shrugs.

"I wouldn't say I'm having fun, but I don't want to go home yet."

You blink, rolling your eyes, "Want to play a game or something? We could liven things up a little." You suggest.

"What did you have in mind?" Kyoya's interest is slightly piqued.

You rummage through a drawer in the coffee table, pulling out a colorful pack of game cards, "We could play Uno. My friends in Europe would get insanely worked up over this game. I bet we could get some favorable reactions out of Tamaki and the twins. Maybe even Honey." You suggest with a mischievous glint in your eye.

This is how Kyoya knows you are the one for him. Stirring the pot indirectly- yeah, you're his girl.

"I've heard of this game. Never actually played it." He leans forward to read the tiny instructions on the back, one hand holding his glass and the other settling on your knee to steady himself. You don't think twice about it.

But it catches someone's eye, and they think far too many times about it. Tamaki has sought refuge in Haruhi's reluctant arms, already a little tipsy and easy to bring to tears. Hikaru doesn't like the way Kyoya lingers on your leg, it sits low in his stomach and simmers. He doesn't shy away from glaring daggers at Kyoya's hand, and it doesn't go unnoticed by his second half.

"What's wrong?" Kaoru nudges him, eyes swimming in slight concern.

It breaks Hikaru out of his glowering daze, and he tears his gaze from their pair of you with a haughty huff, "Nothing." He grumbles. Kaoru blinks.

"The rules are very unclear." Kyoya nearly grimaces, leaning back onto the sofa, but his hand remains where it is.

"The rules are whatever you can convince the group the rules are." You put a playful finger to your lips and stand up, waving the box of cards over your head.

"Anyone up for a game of Uno?" You settle in the middle of the floor on your lush carpet, opening the box and dumping out the cards into your hand. Kyoya soon joins you, crossing his legs. You deal him seven cards.

"How do you play?" Honey plops down, nearly toppling over as he sits Usa-chan on his lap. Mori settles calmly next to him, and you notice he's still nursing the same beer, but it's half empty now.

"It's kind of easy. Here." You deal them each seven cards.

"I'll flip over a card from this stack." You begin, halving the deck and placing it in the center of your makeshift circle, gaining Haruhi and Tamaki.

Hikaru and Kaoru hang back a bit; you ignore the way Hikaru's gaze is boring into you with slight distain. Kaoru nudges him, saying something to him, but it falls on deaf ears.

"And I'll flip over the top card. Whatever number is on that top card, the person who's turn it is needs to play a card with the same number, color, or a 'pick a color' card." You deal Haruhi and Tamaki their cards. You finally meet Hikaru's gaze.

"Care to join us?" You gesture to the circle with your cards. Honey snatches his up excitedly, smiling at his hand (though it doesn't matter).

Kaoru scoffs at his brother's behavior, departing from his side to join the circle giddily. You hand him seven cards, which he shuffles through curiously. Hikaru rolls his eyes, sitting beside him cautiously. As you hand him his share of cards, he says nothing to you; doesn't acknowledge you.

"The first person with only one card left has to say 'Uno!' If you don't say Uno and you have one card, someone else can say it for you, and that means you have to draw two cards."

"That's not a rule." Hikaru spits.

"I'm making it a rule. Like it or not, that's how we're playing. I've always played like this." You smirk.

"How do you win?" Mori interjects, drawing attention from Hikaru, who fumes in his spot.

"First person to rid themselves of all of their cards wins." You clarify, finally dealing yourself a hand of cards, smiling as you have nearly all of the colors. Everyone continues to absently sip their beverages or munch on their snacks.

"I'll start, and we'll go to my left." You flip over the first card on the deck in the middle, it's a yellow six. You have a green six, so you put it down.

"Wait, y/n-chan. I have a green plus two. Can I use that?" Honey is next, peering at you over his cards with wide, innocent eyes.

"Absolutely. That means Mori-Senpai has to draw two and we skip his turn." You snicker, watching as Mori compliantly draws two cards and organizes them in his hand.

"Sorry, Takashi!" Honey giggles. Mori smiles fondly.

Kaoru is next, slapping down a green eight. Hikaru grumbles to himself, wordlessly placing a red eight over Kaoru's.

Tamaki pouts, "What if I don't have the same color or number?" He whines. That earns a proud smirk from Hikaru.

"Well, you just draw a card, skip your turn, and hope you have a card to play next time." You shrug. Tamaki whines, drawing a card. Haruhi gently stacks a red four onto the desk in the middle. Kyoya follows with a red six.

"Now, you can stack cards that make the person to your left draw two, or four, but only if it's the same amount and the same color. It has to meet both rules." You demonstrate by places two red plus twos on the deck.

"That means Honey-Senpai has to draw four in total." You smirk.

"y/n-chan!" He whines, despite drawing four cards from the deck. You snicker to yourself, shrugging.

Over a few rounds, the card game has got the twins and Tamaki into heated arguments, Mori's ended up with nearly an entire deck of cards in his hands, and Kyoya has won... three times in a row.

"Uno." Kyoya says a fourth time.

"How the hell do you have Uno again?" You slam down your cards in frustration.

"Just luck, I guess." He suppresses a proud smirk.

You grumble, picking a card from the deck because you seem to only be drawing yellow cards this round.

Not to mention, Honey is nearly wasted beside you, on his third strawberry soju. He seems to have a fit of the giggles. Mori tries helplessly to get him to sit still and pay attention. He's not really playing anymore, just throwing random cards onto the deck that don't match. You've all ruled him out already.

Tamaki bursts into tears as Hikaru stacks four plus four cards onto the deck, which means Tamaki has to draw 16 cards. He wails his sorrows on Haruhi's shoulder, sniffling pathetically. Another player unofficially out of the game. You remind yourself not to make Tamaki any more mimosas.

Kyoya throws down his last card smugly. You huff, throwing your own cards on the ground, "Okay, let's play a different game." You start to gather the Uno cards to put away.

"Oh! Oh! I know! Truth or dare!" Honey exclaims, raising his hand like he would in a classroom setting.

Kaoru snickers, "More like truth or drink." He sips his soju.

"Not a bad idea. Truth, dare, or drink. ALthough, I don't think Tamaki or Honey-Senpai should play." In the last few seconds of your statement, Honey has slumped against Mori as if he were a sturdy tree, already in a deep sleep. Mori looks to you and nods in agreement.

Although Tamaki is wide awake, he looks as though a shot or two might take him out for the count. He doesn't protest.

You arrange a few shot glasses and fill them to the brim from the bottle of sake. The participants consist of you, Kyoya, Hikaru, Kaoru, Haruhi, and Mori. You isolate a shot glass and pour strawberry ramune into it, earning a grateful smile from Haruhi.

"Alright! Who's going first?" You prompt.

"I'll go. Kyoya-Senpai." Kyoya perks up at Haruhi's call.

"What do you write in your black notebook?"

Kyoya blinks; the group eagerly, anxiously awaits his response.

But it never comes. Kyoya reaches for a shot glass in the middle and slams it down, grimacing.

"Concerning." You grumble.

"Me next!" Kaoru exclaims. He turns to Mori.

"Mori-Senpai, I dare you to kiss y/n-Senpai." He giggles boyishly. Hikaru scowls at him.

"Kaoru." You sigh in a scolding tone.

Your irritation quickly morphs to shock when Mori tentatively leans over and pecks your cheek. It's brief, but your cheeks turn a deep shade of red and you touch your cheek in slight awe. Everyone looks from you to Mori.

Mori shrugs, "You never specified." He almost smirks.

Kyoya nearly smiles at your reaction. Your flustered eyes are trained on the floor.

More thought provoking questions are asked and ridiculous dares are given. And since everyone has caught on that Kyoya will not do anything they dare him to do, he's downed at least four shots by now. His cheeks are flushed and you notice his hooded eyes.

You've run out of interesting questions, but your turn comes around again, "Okay, um... Hikaru, do you... I don't know, have a crush on anyone?" You ask nonchalantly. You feel no shame in pulling a stereotypical question out of your ass for lack of a better one.

"What are you? 10?" Hikaru scoffs.

"Well? Are you gonna answer?" Haruhi prods, quirking a brow.

Hikaru says nothing. He rolls his eyes and reaches for a shot, swallowing it thickly with a frown. It even surprises Kaoru.

Suddenly, Tamaki leaps into the conversation, bright-eyed and eager, "Really?! You have to tell us!" He insists.

Hikaru crosses his arms, "No, I don't. I drank." He argues defiantly.

"Come on! You can't just drink and expect us not to ask!" Tamaki pries pleadingly.

They continue to bicker uselessly, resulting in you turning your attention elsewhere. It lands on Kyoya's less than amused expression, despite his pink cheeks and hazy expression. But you've noticed he sits a little less stiffly against the foot of the sofa, ankles crossed casually and sleeves rolled to his elbows. He must be getting hot.

You scoot back toward him, joining him in a separate conversation as this game seems nearly over. He welcomes your proximity easily, adjusting himself on the floor to accommodate you. Once again, his hand finds a spot on your leg to rest as you sit beside him.

"Are you having any fun?" You inquire hopefully, leaning into his side. You plan on taking full advantage of what seems to be 'loose Kyoya,' who rests his hand somewhere on your body when you're close to him, and loses a bit of control of his tongue. In other words: he'll tell you a lot more than you ask for.

"I suppose. Feeling the effects of the shots a bit. Should have just done the dares, they weren't all that bad." He continues to observe the idiotic trio as they bicker.

You can't quite tell how drunk he is, but you know it's a little more than tipsy. You stopped drinking long ago, feeling a bit too dizzy for your taste. Then again, you never liked being dizzy at all.

"I know it wasn't your idea of a birthday, but I hope it was alright. I can't believe you don't celebrate your birthday." You sigh, fidgeting with your sleeve absently.

"Not like it was any choice of mine. We didn't celebrate birthdays in my family. In fact, we still don't. They're not an accomplishment, so what is there to celebrate?" Kyoya shrugs, taking a sip of his wine despite earlier expressing his distaste for how the shots of liquor were affecting him.

You blink, lips parted in mute shock at his little confession. And he said it so casually too, you might have mistaken it for small talk.

"Of course your birthday is something to celebrate, Kyoya. It's a celebration of life, a milestone for being alive!" You turn your full attention to him, looping your arm with his and resting your hand on his upper arm.

Kyoya slightly turns down toward you, tilting his head.

"I honestly think more people should just celebrate getting through the week, which is hard enough. And you don't need to make it harder by putting all of these pressures on yourself to live up to something you already deserve." You know that his aloofness to certain aspects of life stems deeper than not celebrating his birthday.

Kyoya can't distinguish the buzz of alcohol in his system from the pulsing of his heart at your words. He feels overstimulated, but not necessarily in a horrible way.

"If your family won't celebrate you, I will. We will. And who could be a better family than..." You trail off, watching as Mori tucks Honey under a blanket in one of your armchairs, and as Tamaki throttles Hikaru while Haruhi tries her best to calm him down.

"... a bunch of morons." You finish sheepishly. Kyoya laughs at that, and it's the brightest smile you've seen from him in far too long.

"Just know that I love you and I'm happy you've made it to 18." You peck Kyoya gently on the cheek.

As you pull back, Kyoya doesn't let you get very far. He uses his free hand to cup your cheek and pull you back in for a tender kiss, his lips locking with yours and stealing your breath.

He draws back and pecks your forehead, murmuring into your hairline, "I love you, too. Thank you."

You smile giddily, resting your head on his shoulder with a beaming grin.

As your mind slowly catches up with your surroundings, you notice the twins are missing. You blink, "Where are Hikaru and Kaoru?" You ask aloud to no one in particular.

"Dunno. Oh, there's one of them." Kyoya points to Kaoru wandering into the room from a hallway leading to your closest bathroom.

"Kaoru? Are you alright? Where's Hikaru?" You sit up a bit straighter.

"That's actually what I was coming back for. I think he's had too much to drink, he's currently sick in your bathroom." Kaoru smiles sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck.

"Oh, no." You frown sympathetically.

"Yeah, I got this funny picture, though." Kaoru flashes you his cellphone. In the selfie, he's standing over Hikaru with a smile and a peace sign, while Hikaru is glaring at him over his shoulder, slumped over the toilet, looking disgruntled.

"Boys." You groan, getting up.

"Do you have anything like Tylenol?" Kaoru asks, shoving his cellphone back into his pocket.

"I should. Let me head to my bathroom and I'll meet you in there."

"Thanks. I also wanted to... apologize for him." Kaoru sighs.

"Oh? What for?" You have an idea, but you figure you'll ask anyway.

Kaoru shoves his hands in his pockets, "Well, he's been pretty short with you all night. I don't know what's up with him, but something seems to have set him off."

"You don't know?" You find it surprising that Kaoru has no idea what's going on with his other half.

"Okay, I have ideas, but I'm not completely sure. I'll ask him another time. When he's sober." Kaoru grins.

"Good idea. I'll be back in a bit."

You approach the bathroom the twins occupy with a cold pack, tylenol, and a glass of water to wash it down with.

"Doing alright in there?" You call out before entering.

"Yeah, Senpai-"

"I'm fine. You don't need to come in." Hikaru grumbles. But you can hear him dry heaving after his statement.

"I'm just here to help." You gently push open the door. Hikaru is sat limply near the toilet and Kaoru's soothing his hand over his back.

You set the Tylenol and the water on the counter.

"If you're feeling hot, use this." You hand Hikaru the cold pack. He begrudgingly takes it from you, slapping over the back of his neck. You can nearly see the relief his body exudes.

"Thanks, y/n-Senpai." Kaoru smiles sweetly. Hikaru grumbles something similar.

"If you two need anything, I'll be nearby." You wave slightly, shutting the door behind you as you leave.

Kaoru turns to his brother, "What's gotten into you?"

"Soju." Hikaru groans.

"You know that's not what I meant." Kaoru pouts.

"Yeah. I know." Hikaru sighs.

"You know you can tell me about anything." Kaoru assures.

Hikaru huffs, "Look, I don't really know either, okay? Can we wait until the drinks wear off?" He pleads.

"Fine." Kaoru acquieces, patting his back as Hikaru dry heaves into the toilet again.

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

"You two get home safely, alright?"

Mori has placed Honey over his shoulder, whose cheeks is squished against Mori's strong shoulder, Usa-chan tucked under his arm.

"We will. Thanks for having us." Mori pats your head. He turns to Kyoya at your side.

"Happy birthday." And with that, he's parting from your front door, down the steps and to his driver parked and waiting for them.

"Thank you, Senpai." Kyoya calls after him.

"Come on, Senpai..."

You turn to find Haruhi dragging Tamaki along. You want to laugh, but you manage to control yourself.

"He offered me a ride home anyway..." Haruhi groans as Tamaki clings to her once again. You can't help but notice the way her cheeks prickle with a slight red.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. He's got his driver. Be careful, Haruhi." You snicker, helping her move along with Tamaki's useless weight hanging off her.

"Thanks, Senpai. See you next week."

Surprisingly enough, she does manage to get Tamaki off her long enough to shove him into his car, climbing in carefully after him. You smile fondly.

"Maybe that'll be the start of something new." Kyoya suggests.

"Doubt it, knowing them." You sigh. Kyoya shrugs.

"We're heading out, guys." The last two left are the twins. Kaoru wraps an arm around Hikaru's waist to steady him slightly. Though the bout of sickness has given him a bit more clarity.

"You sure you're okay?" Your voice drips with concern.

"He's fine. For now at least. Thanks for your help, and we had a great time." Kaoru assures.

"Alright. Feel better, Hikaru." You smile hopefully. Hikaru does manage to spare you a glance, but with an expression you can't read. He groans.

At last it's just you can Kyoya left in your eerily quiet home. The door shuts gently after you've made sure to watch the twins get into their car. You worry about Hikaru, not only for his condition but for his behavior. You're sure he and Kaoru will work through whatever's going on.

"You feel like going home? I don't mind hosting you." You glance up at Kyoya, watching him fight his heavy eyelids to stay focused on the conversation.

"It's Friday. I don't mind staying." Kyoya blinks tiredly.

"Poor baby. Before you pass out, I have something for you." You promptly take him by the hand, leading him along to your room.

"Oh?" He hums, curiously following you along.

Upon arrival, Kyoya spots it immediately. A neatly arranged basket sitting atop your vanity, filled to the brim and wrapped in a bow.

"I couldn't decide between... several things... so I didn't." You take the basket into your arms, shuffling through the items briefly.

"Just some things I thought you might need or enjoy..."

Inside are things like a new bottle of his favorite cologne, packets of spicy noodles, as anything spicy appeals to him, a new wristwatch, a packet of fountain pens, a few assorted cat toys for Noel, and a few graph notepads for budgeting.

All at once, Kyoya is enlightened as to why most people celebrate birthdays. It's not a matter of accomplishment or achievements that are worth celebrating, but rather showing the people in your life that you care about them. That you love them and that their existence matters. That you love them enough to set aside a whole day to shower them in affection and gifts.

Kyoya's heart swells at the gesture, his breath catching in his throat as your wide eyes perceive his reaction carefully.

"Do you like it?" Your timid voice pierces his thoughts and brings him back to reality, back to you.

Kyoya wordlessly takes the basket into his own hands, setting it back down on the vanity where it was before. Just as your heart starts to drop, it flutters back to life as Kyoya swoops down and places a firm kiss to your lips, his arms encircling your waist tightly.

"Mm! I'll take that as a yes, then." You giggle, your nose scrunching as he pecks your cheek.

"Yes, indeed."

🎵I run and run a thousand miles, and I am barely breathing. Only the fuel of a passionate heart keeps this body strong and moving forward.

Could it be I found a place to rest? How far until I’m OK?

Trees of the town reveal the time has come once again to shift our shade and colors. 🎵

🎵The world always changes around us but weakness will always remain;

Through all the pain, believe in who we are right here and now! 🎵

🎵Raise one hand to the sky; raise them both lift them high!!

And you’ll cut through the darkness make it go!

The time to start is now! And I can show you how.

Start with me, and the world will be even bigger than ever before. 🎵

♡Next time, on Indeed...♡