Strings Attached [Tamaki x Reader]

Chapter 1 ~ The Music Room

I never really liked fairytales.

I think it was because of the prince.

     As I got older I realized the most popular tales had a formula. The poor maiden would end up in danger, so the heroic prince would come to her rescue and fall in love with her at first sight, and then, without any argument or input from the maiden, they would live happily ever after. Don't get me wrong, I can enjoy a good love story as much as the next person, but the key word is 'good'. Once you realize every story is the same they become a lot less appealing, especially if you yourself are a writer. The idea of a prince pursuing a poor village woman merely because of her appearance didn't seem realistic or romantic to me, and the concept of the maiden being completely on board to spend eternity with a man she barely knows made me think she was only in it for the money.

     My dislike for princes came to a head on my first day at Ouran Academy. My mom had lost her job as a maid for one of the wealthier families in Japan. Apparently they were having money troubles and were even looking to sell the medical equipment branch of their company. Although I tried my absolute hardest to feel bad for the rich family who had to become slightly less rich, I focussed on supporting my mom. For all of summer I balanced homework and friends with a job at the grocery store to try and keep her and I afloat while she searched for someone new to employ her. However, our problem was solved when it was revealed that the youngest son in the family she'd previously worked for had grown to like her, and by pulling some strings he managed to get her an interview at the most prestigious high school in Bunkyo; Ouran Academy. The day she found out she got the job she rushed home to tell me. I was about to leave the house to walk to my shift, but she got home just in time for her and I to jump around and celebrate on the driveway. Not only would we no longer have to live off of toasted bread, but the children of the staff members at Ouran were also guaranteed a spot at the academy, given they met the academic requirements.

     After passing the initial exam, I was rewarded with a light yellow collared dress and red ribbon. My mom hung the uniform on a hangar and displayed it in the living area for the remainder of the summer. We couldn't believe our luck. The day before the first day of second term her and I attended a festival at the academy. Most of the participants were first years accompanied by both of their parents, all wearing suits and pastel dresses, and some even carrying briefcases as if it were some sort of networking event. My mom didn't seem phased by the strange way these people lived, I guess she'd become accustomed to it during her time as a maid, but I felt extremely out of place. I played with the hair tie on my wrist as we walked through the festival, looking at all of the different displays showing off what the school had to offer. I was stood at a bulletin board displaying the festival itinerary when my mom grabbed my arm,

"Y/N, look! They have a literature club!" she excitedly pointed at four girls in yellow dresses taking turns reading poetry they'd written next to a table full of cupcakes decorated as little white cats.