birthday special
for @Fashion_Block
genderneutral!independent!reader
Ever since the Host Club was created, I've done everything in my power to make sure that the club doesn't go broke and that our money doesn't go to waste as the treasurer. Additionally, I'm the one who orders all the costumes and props for the club's cosplay days, and if we can't buy them, I just make them instead — spite of my kouhais' requests for them to get the props and costumes themselves. What more, I also just handle any other problems that the Host Club has.
And yet, my kouhais never seem to be happy about that.
"(Y/n)-senpai, it wasn't necessary for you to do that; I could've bought the costumes myself," Kyoya reprimanded. He was scolding me for manually making that whole set of Greek Gods costumes without his permission.
Sliding my reading glasses onto my head, I sighed. "Ootori-san, it was completely necessary for me to do so. After Haninozuka-san's episode of a 'sweet frenzy,' our bank slightly plummeted, which we cannot afford to make worse if we were to buy the costumes for the 'Greek Gods Week Special.' As the treasurer, I put it upon myself to make the costumes instead." I looked at the glasses-wearing male sharply when he was about to speak. "And I know that all of you, except for Fujioka-san, have family semestresses that could've done the job, but then again, that is just using your own money to make the costumes, and the Host Club cannot do that as it is said on our club contract. The costumes are already done, and that is final, Ootori-san."
Kyoya pressed his lips tightly and glared at me. I have won our argument already. Meanwhile, the idiot of a club president must've heard our conversation because he suddenly has his arms wrapped around my neck from behind and crying like a baby.
"(F/N)-SENPAI, WHY MUST YOU CARRY ALL OF OUR BURDEN ON YOUR SHOULDERS!!" Tamaki started to whine. "YOU ARE ALWAYS SO HARD ON YOURSELF, LET LITTLE BROTHER HELP YOU!!"
"'Little Brother?'" Haruhi offhandedly questioned from the side.
I huffed and gathered all my stuff into my messenger bag; club hours are almost over, finally. "Suoh-san, we have been through this for two years: I'm not bothered by the amount of work I must do in order for the Host Club to keep running successfully. I've promised you that I will do my best to 'not let the club plummet to being broke,' as you said before." When I finished packing up, I heaved the messenger bag on my shoulder. "Now, I'll be off now."
Kyoya nor Tamaki said anything after as I took my leave, though the latter did go to sulk in his corner. The first years, Haruhi and the twins, said their good byes to me while Mitsukuni (who goes by the nickname Honey) gave me his usual hug. Finally in my routine of leaving the Host Club:
"Let me take you home," Takashi gruffly offered. He held out his hand to take my bag from me, but I refused, like always.
I turned my nose away from him and walked around him. "No, Morinozuka-San, I'm 18 and perfectly capable of going home myself." With my hand now on the door knob of Music Room #3, I waited for Takashi to talk back like he usually does.
He didn't, and I felt slightly disappointed, but pushed through as I made my escape from here to my home. I didn't bother to look back to see that Takashi was too busy looking at something that accidentally dropped out of my bag with a deep frown as he gestured the Host Club for another devious plan.
~•~•~•~•~
The next day, it was Takashi's birthday. To be honest, I have grown fond of him ever since he decided to pester me about taking me home the first year the Host Club was born. He and I never bothered to talk to each before, but when he decided to blurt out to me "Let me take you home" for the first time right after club hours are over, we formed this kind of. . .friendship, I guess I can describe it as. We don't have the same class — him being in always the elite Class A while I in second place Class B — but he somehow made the time to come to me and make "small talk." (By small talk, I mean me telling him to go back to Mitsukuni while he just grunts and gives short replies.)
Two years of that and yeah, I was more fond with him than the rest of the Host Club. It seemed to be obvious to the rest since Mitsukuni would occasionally tell me random facts about Takashi (which is how I found out about his birthday) while the twins tease me about me and Takashi being a "thing" (to which I have no comment about).
Anyway, I was closing up my fairly large apartment with Takashi's present tucked under my arm. I was about to go to Takashi's home to deliver his present when my neighbors started shouting.
"Two limousines!"
"Rich people are here!"
"Rich people, rich people!"
This scene seems familiar. . . I trailed as I looked over the railing to see that, indeed, there were two sleek limousines pulling up in front of my apartment complex, my neighbors surrounding them in awe. My brows immediately knitted together in annoyance. Dammit, how did they find me?
My expression never went away as the Host Club came out of the limousines one by one. Kill me now. Even Haruhi was here, and she looked as annoyed as I am. The stupid blonde was the first to see me.
"(F/n)-senpai! We finally found where you live!" he exclaimed in excitement.
I didn't respond and turned back to my apartment to come back in. They probably know which apartment is mine, too, so I don't bother to wait for them to even come up the stairs.
~•~•~•~•~
"Go on with your questions," was the first thing I said to them once my club was settled around my dining table.
Unlike most apartments, mine was furnished to be similar to an American apartment so we were all seated in wooden chairs with a basket of fruit as the centerpiece on the table. And even if Tamaki greeted me with joviality, they all stared at me seriously.
"Why do you live in a commoner's home when your family is well off?" the twins asked right off the bat.
I heaved a long sigh. "I hate my new stepfather, so I demanded my mother to have me live in a apartment because I did not want to be under same roof as that man." My heart skipped a beat when I heard Takashi click his tongue in disappointment.
"Convincing lie, (F/n)-senpai," Kyoya smirked, "but I've already talked to your mother and she said that she has been married to your stepfather for five years now, and that you and him have a decent relationship with each other."
I felt my temper flare. That Ootori had the decency to talk to my mother, that nosy weasel. "Well, you should know already why I live here if you talked to my mother already," I growled, much to the surprise of Haruhi. She is the only one who hasn't seen this side of me yet.
"Actually, we don't," Tamaki softly said. "She told Kyoya to ask you yourself. Even she doesn't know why you moved out all of a sudden."
A small hand placed itself over mine. I looked over to see Mitsukuni, who sat to my left, giving me a small smile. Then, he patted my hand a little before taking his hand away. That gesture honestly calmed me down as I sighed again.
"I didn't like how I was living off my parents' wealthy when I could be making my own living, so I moved out to have a sense of independence," I answered truthfully.
The first years and Tamaki seemed to be shocked about this while the cousin duo and Kyoya was unfazed.
"How long have been living this way?" Haruhi then asked.
"Ever since I turned 14."
"So you have a job to work off for the expanses of this apartment?"
"Of course." I held my hand up before Kyoya could speak. "And yes, I do know that as a student at Ouran that I can't have a job, but I already talked to the chairman about it."
The air suddenly turned sad.
"(F/n)-senpai, why do you do this to yourself?" Tamaki asked.
My temper flared again and I drummed my fingers against the table. "And what exactly am I doing to myself, Suoh-San?" I hissed, which made the blond flinch at my tone.
Mitsukuni took my hand again. This time, it wasn't calming me down like I did before. "(N/n)-chan, you don't always have to do everything yourself; you have us around to always help you."
"Aren't we your friends?" the twins added.
Haruhi started, "(F/n)-senpai, we all care-"
That's when my temper finally snapped.
"GET OUT!" I yelled at them. "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND AT ALL SO JUST GET OUT! ALL I AM TO YOU IS A CLUB MATE, AND THAT'S ALL I'LL EVER BE TO YOU!" Almost everyone's widened when tears started to come down my face. "I DON'T BELONG IN YOUR SO-CALLED 'FAMILY' SO GET OUT!"
~•~•~•~•~
I kicked them all out of my apartment before they could blink. After my outburst, they decided they had to leave anyway so they immediately drove away. All except one.
I was still crying pathetically, but here he stood, standing against my front door with his stolid stare. My hands were gripping his shirt, shaking him to just leave, but he remained still.
"J-Just go already, Morinozuka-san," I pleaded.
"No," Takashi answered. He then took my head and pressed it against his chest.
That made me cry so more. "W-Why are you s-so stubborn? W-Why are you so insistent on being with me f-f-for a little longer?"
His other hand rubbed my back. "You're the stubborn one, (F/n), and also lonely," he said.
I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion and pushed myself away from him as I wiped my tears away. "W-What?"
He uncharacteristically sighed and moved his hands to my shoulders. (Well, he's been already uncharacteristic with all this touching and talking.) "Your 'independency' is your mask to hide your loneliness. You may help us a lot, but you actually help yourself more by pushing us away so that you don't get hurt." Takashi gaze kept me captivated as I slowly processed his words. "(F/n), I don't know what happened to you that made you like this, but trust me when I say that the Host Club and I care for you and are very worried about you."
I shivered and realized just now how much his voice affects me so — but now wasn't the best time to dwell on it. My heart clenched at his words. They were all true, the words, but they wound me emotionally and mentally so I buried it to the ground a long time ago. I've been used as a doormat to my old friends, and when they kicked me to the curb, I wanted to save what's left of my pride and tried to stop depending on people to shape me into who I am.
And I know it was very rash of me to latch out at the Host Club for trying to confront me about my "independence." They just want to help. Takashi, Mitsukuni, Tamaki. . . They're all. . .my friends. After being with them for years already, they've proven that they were way different from my former "friends" and genuinely respect me and care for me. . . I feel really bad — terrible — for trying to push them away from me. . .
If only I could say that all to him, but for now, I rested my forehead against Takashi's chest and said:
"I'm sorry for ruining your birthday. . . Takashi. . ."
Thu-thump.
Did his heart just. . .flutter?
Takashi pulled me into another hug to hide the growing smile on his face. He knew that I'm only changing the subject for the sake of his special day; we're going to definitely talk about my dilemmas next time.
"Hearing you say my first name is a good enough birthday to me," he mumbled in my ear.
And we stayed like that, hugging, for a while.
— 🎂 —
"The people who stick by you no matter how difficult and messed-up you are are your true friends. They are with you for the long run."