Epilogue
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Kaoru!centric (KyoKao pre-slash? That’s where I’m headed at least)
Fandom: Ouran High School Host Club
Word count: 2000 aprox.
Rated: G
Summary: “Kyoya-senpai said you asked him to help us out so we wanted to talk to you personally.” “I’m not sure that’s how things happened but very well. I’m here now, so?” - or the one where Kaoru talks to the OFCs~ [Epilogue to Gay.]
*
Hikaru is telling the customers gathered around him how Haruhi was teaching them to cook rice and Tamaki couldn’t even measure it right, his laughter rings contagiously and the girls laugh softly with him. Kaoru laughs too but it’s not as merrily as Hikaru’s.
No one notices either way so he doesn’t force it.
He’s grateful that at least the rabid fangirls have calmed down.
“May I interrupt?” Kyoya shows up out of the blue, smiling politely at the girls and piercing both boys with calculating eyes.
“No.” Hikaru replies immediately.
“Sure. What is it senpai?” It’s Kaoru’s answer.
Hikaru frowns and looks away, not standing Kyoya’s triumphal smile. The girls watch intently and a few of them whisper to each other fervently; it’s pretty obvious that even when most prefer the brotherly love act, there are a few who are really into the idea of Kaoru and Kyoya together.
“Kaoru, you’ve been requested.”
Hikaru turns to Kyoya in an instant, ready to protest. Kaoru looks confused and Kyoya points at a small table near Hani and Mori’s usual spot where Chisuzu and Makoto are having tea together. Both Hitachiin follow with their eyes until the girls come into view.
“Those girls.” Hikaru says condescendingly, standing up.
“Just Kaoru.” Kyoya indicates gaining a powerful glare from the older Hitachiin, who sits down again with an exaggerated and disdainful snort.
Kaoru opens his mouth in a silent ‘o’ that mutates pretty quickly into a nice smile. Kyoya did it, he talked to them and fixed the problem - or help them fix it, whatever.
“I thought Kaoru didn’t host alone!” One of the girls objects high-picthed, staring at Hikaru and then at Kyoya like he’s the doer of all evil.
Well, he kind of is.
“Easy ladies. He doesn’t. This is just a special occasion.” The Shadow King appeases, sweet talking girls is his specialty. The girl seems unconvinced but decides to stay silent and accepts Kyoya’s explanation and praises.
Suddenly Kaoru feels all the weight of his fears constricting his lungs. What if Kyoya told them he’s gay to make a point? What if they tell everyone? What if they try to blackmail him? What. If.
“Kaoru.” The Shadow King calls, a worried tone in voice.
“Yes.” And he’s standing rigidly, trying to smile courteously.
“I don’t like it.” His brother disagrees but Kaoru’s already going to sit with them.
Chisuzu has the prettiest smile, tender and caring and he can see mischief in Makoto’s shining eyes that remind him of himself.
He bows slowly and gives a host-like smile, still nervous. The relaxed atmosphere around them eases his worries and yet he wonders if they actually fixed their problems thanks to Kyoya’s intervention or if they made up on their own yesterday after Host Club hours. Chisuzu extends an already served cup to him and he nods his thanks like someone has taken his voice away from him.
“I hope this isn’t awkward for you.” Chisuzu starts, tender and motherly.
Oh, it is awkward, he just can’t say it.
“It’s okay.” He replies accepting the cup and sipping from it.
“I know you don’t host on your own, but we really wanted to talk to you!” Makoto says excitedly and claps her hands a few times until Chisuzu sends her a look that’s an order to stop it. “Sorry. But Kyoya-senpai said you asked him to help us out so we wanted to talk to you personally.”
“I’m not sure that’s how things happened but very well. I’m here now, so?”
Chisuzu laughs melodically and Makoto tilts her head to the side as if she doesn’t get what he means.
“I guess we just wanted to thank you.” Chisuzu’s warm voice sweeps away his last worries and he allows himself to truly smile.
“Exaclty!” Makoto jumps in. “Thanks!”
“There’s nothing for you to thank me, really.”
“There is. You see, we have to put a mask on who we truly are to please others and sometimes it’s hard to remember who we really are and what we really want.” Kaoru’s eyes widen but Chisuzu’s soften and Makoto’s hand grabs hers smoothly under the table, obscured to the view. Randomly, Kaoru thinks that Hani and Mori are probably able to see the hand holding; however, they’re so discreet he doesn’t feel the need to point it out.
“That I get it.” And it’s not Kaoru’s plan to be so sincere, it just kind of happens.
“Sorry we brought our problems to the Host Club.”
He dismisses the thought with a hand gesture. “It didn’t really mess up with anything so it’s fine. In any case, Hikaru and Milord were the ones affected but knowing them as I do, they won’t mind.”
“We will apologize to them too.”
“That’s fine then.” He grins and finishes his tea.
Makoto grins at him too and puts both hands on the table just in case, Chisuzu takes the opportunity to have a few bites of her forgotten dessert.
They enjoy the momentarily silence, only broken by the quiet conversations taking place all around in the Third Music Room. Makoto hums a popular song and keeps smiling, obviously happy with everything. Chisuzu smiles too, a bit more reservedly but beautifully cheerful.
“We own you.” Makoto drops casually and then breaks into a mischievous smile.
“Kyoya-senpai and you… We’re really grateful.” Chisuzu nods. “The discretion.” She clarifies a second later.
Ah.
Kaoru puts his host-like smile again. “It’s nothing. I know the Hitachiins are deemed noisy but we do know how to keep secrets.” A worried glance is shared by the girls and he abruptly feels like he’s on thin ice, a step in the wrong direction and things could go awfully wrong.
“We?” The word leaves Makoto’s mouth in a rush, sounding accusing.
“Have you told Hikaru-kun about…” Chisuzu looks around to make sure no one is paying attention. “us?”
He blinks. He said we implying Hikaru would keep the secret too. Well, Kaoru can be such an idiot. Then again, he doesn’t blame the girls, their worry is legitimate, is well known that the twins don’t keep secrets from one another. A flash of contradicting emotions hides behind his polite mask and it’s gone in an instant.
No, he can’t tell Hikaru about them. It’s not worth the trouble - and it could backfire on him.
“I haven’t.” Kaoru answers at last. The girls release their breath simultaneously, their postures go back to being relaxed and open. “I don’t lie to him but I won’t actively tell him anything. And if he comes to know, I’ll make sure that he’ll be inconspicuous about it.”
“Thank you.”
“You know? We will definitely support you and Kyoya-senpai!” Kaoru arches an eyebrow at Makoto but pretends he still has tea on his cup so he focuses his attention there. She seems honestly excited about it and he doesn’t know what to make of it. “I liked the two of you together since that day he gave you cake in front of everyone! And now this? Leaving school together and arriving together? You even had time to discuss about us! You’re good together for real!” She talks in rapid bursts and indulges in the gossip.
Kaoru laughs weakly, nodding nonetheless. Chisuzu hushes her and brings her arm above the table, resting her face in her hand, inspecting him. He feels like a specimen under scrutiny and it reverses him into a nervous wreck. If he can see through their façade, there’s no guarantee that they won’t see trough his.
For a moment, Chisuzu reminds him of Kyoya’s detached and perfect calculating supervision, eyes that not only see but also watch and observe. Analyze, study. That’s the scary part.
“We’re not together like that. We’re friends, like everyone in the Host Club.” And he wills his response to be well-mannered.
“That’s a pity.” Calm voice washes over him. “You make a nice couple.”
Yes, Chisuzu completely reminds him of the proper and host-like Kyoya. It is scary. Mostly because he has been thinking about the Shadow King a lot lately.
“What should I reply to that?” He laughs it off and plays it cool, mask on place, Kaoru doesn’t need to shatter his world by letting other people in. He doesn’t need to dissect his feelings in front of others.
“Nothing. It was simply an opinion by one of Tamaki-senpai’s regulars.” She says. And it sounds as if she’s actually saying that they will end up together and will be an amazing couple just like she predicted given the necessary time to make it happen.
He winces inwardly, hiding a shiver. He thinks of Hikaru and what future has in store for them. And for the rest of the Host Club, really. And that’s when panic arises and anxiety takes the best of him - however, he will fight until the last minute, until his last breath. Fight what exactly, he still doesn’t know.
“Such a pity!” Makoto chimes in, whining her opinion as well. Where Chisuzu is all diplomacy, Makoto is all energy he notes.
They’re the ones who make a good couple.
“You think?” Kaoru asks, acting the part - submissive and a secret flirt. He doesn’t stop to ponder why his heart beats too fast at the idea or why he wants to run and hide in Hikaru’s arms and let him be his shield and protector.
Chisuzu’s laugh is kind of fake but it’s meant to make him feel better so he accepts it all the same. Where has Ouran been hiding all these brilliant and impressive people? Has he always been this blind at people’s talents and skills?
Were the twins really that deep into their own private world?
“We do. Either way, we will be supporting you.” And near the door, Kyoya is calling all the princesses because it’s time to close the club. “If you make anything special together or separately, we will be supporting you two above the others.”
“Like you support us!” Makoto adds before standing and offering a hand to Chisuzu. “Oh, one last thing. Is it okay for me to look for you if I need to talk…?” She trails off without specifying what she’d like to talk about. Kaoru fills in the blank for her without voicing it.
He blinks slowly and manages to hide his shock just in time, false amiability making itself presence.
“Sure.” He says shrugging like it’s not a big deal.
It is a big deal.
Kaoru reprimands himself silently while waving his goodbye at these two girls and others that are passing by him. He’s pretty sure he can’t do this but he can’t say to Makoto that he doesn’t want any involvement with her - diplomacy, ugh. In the end, he convinces himself that if she requests anything extravagant out of him, he will politely decline.
Hikaru runs straight to him after every customer is out, he takes his hand and fusses over him as if spending the club hours alone with two ladies would wound him somehow. Kaoru twistedly enjoys the attention and basks in the warmth of those identical hands palming his arms and shoulders, he basks in Haruhi’s cute smile and the reassuring murmur of the Host King and Shadow King talking somewhere to the side.
“What did they even want?” The older twin inquires, looking him right in the eye.
And that’s when Kaoru knows that he needs to keep working hard, being more severe on himself. Separation is never easy; the longer he procrastinates, the more it will hurt. And as it is, it’s hurting so. He’s just starting to note that the worst part is not letting Hikaru go but to get Hikaru to let him go.
“We were just talking.”
“This is the first time Kao-chan hosts alone, you did good.” Hani interrupts and Kaoru thanks him with the shine in his eyes. “Let’s celebrate with cake!”
Mori shows up out of nowhere with a big cake, pieces of fruit decorate and compliment the white cream - Hani’s mouth watering at the mere sight. Tamaki appears with tea for everyone and a huge grin, like a proud parent seeing his child succeed in the cruel world. Kaoru shakes his head, smiling with Haruhi indulgently and drags Hikaru to join their senpais.
Kyoya directs him a look, amused at the turn of events. Kaoru widens his smile just for him.
Yes, he may not be sure of his feelings but he and Hikaru are in the right direction while surrounded by these amazing people.