~Affectionate~

Kofuyu walked alongside Haruhi. The twins followed behind them, and they could clearly hear them whispering to each other. "So, girls, have you seen the news?" asked Hikaru and Kaoru. Kofuyu ignored them and stared straight ahead. She started to frown without even meaning to.

"Well, I think it's pretty interesting what the people are talking about nowadays," continued Hikaru.

"So scandalous," agreed Kaoru. Kofuyu's chest tightened with anxiety. She wanted to go home.

"Guys, not right now," scolded Haruhi. She turned around to glare at them. Kofuyu continued ignoring all of them even though Haruhi's scolding did work. When Kofuyu could see the club room doors, she began walking faster. She threw the doors open without waiting for any of the other first years. Kofuyu spotted Kyoya, and she started walking over there, but Tamaki stopped her.

"I'm so so sorry this is happening to you!" He pulled her into a hug and shook her side to side. "Not only is a picture of you in a bathing suit being mass distributed but their all talking about you! I know how much you value your privacy!"

"Please stop talking to me," Kofuyu spoke flatly. "You're making it worse." Stunned, Tamaki froze, and Kofuyu pushed him away. Tamaki slumped over. He was upset he made her more upset.

Kofuyu sat down on the couch right next to where Kyoya sat. She looked over at him expectantly. It didn't take long for Kyoya to start speaking. "I've contacted the newspaper club, but they refuse to stop printing. They're claiming that they are simply speculating, and they are presenting unbiased information."

"Either way, it's already out there. People will keep assuming you and I are a couple even if we deny it," mumbled Kofuyu. She looked down at where her knee touched his. She crossed one leg over the other.

"Mhmm," agreed Kyoya. Kofuyu noticed that he seemed a lot calmer than how she was feeling. It made her feel like she didn't need to worry as much, but it also freaked her out.

"And if your parents hear about this? You know how much host club guests like to gossip." Kyoya didn't say anything, so Kofuyu asked, "What? Have you not thought about that?"

"Although it is possible, I doubt my parents will hear about this. They hardly pay attention to what's going on in my schooling. Normally, they're too busy with work or my older brother being their successor."

"...That only makes me feel worse about your situation." Kyoya leaned closer to her, pushing his shoulder into hers.

"Hmm, does it?" Kyoya asked with a smirk. Since he's lived like that for a while, it doesn't matter to him, so he found her reaction amusing. He straightened his posture.

"Shut up," mumbled Kofuyu. She looked down at her crossed legs. Kyoya watched her for a second. He could tell she was still feeling anxious about the situation.

"Even if they do find out, they won't be happy. They might try and punish me, but nothing that they do is going to change my feelings for you," whispered Kyoya. He leaned closer to her again. She lifted her head, turned towards him, and made eye contact. Their faces were inches apart now.

"I still don't want you to be punished because of me," Kofuyu whispered. She glanced at his lips, she couldn't help it. When she remembered, they weren't alone in the room, she turned away. Kofuyu didn't want Kyoya to think she was rejecting his affection, so she reached over and grabbed his hand that was resting on his thigh.

~~~~~~

Kofuyu was sitting at a different table now that the host club had started. She could feel multiple guests staring at her, but she refused to look at them or at any of the other hosts. She knew they were waiting for any hint that she and Kyoya had a more intimate relationship than they let on.

Eventually, Kyoya approached her. The guests that watched them giggled.

He dropped a folder of plans for the parents' day event they are holding. Kofuyu didn't look up at him. She was too busy going through the club's finances to make sure everything added up. "When you're done with that, add that to the upcoming costs for next week." He walked away, and Kofuyu didn't even reply.

They were purposely being cold towards each other. They had an audience after all. The audience frowned and made noises of disappointment, but neither Kofuyu nor Kyoya showed any hint that they cared.

Kofuyu wanted to look at him. She really did, but she knew that would only encourage the girls to believe that their relationship was more than business. She knew she just had to be patient enough until the club closed for the day, then she could show the little affection she gave him normally. 

Kofuyu flipped open the folder Kyoya had left for her. Her eyes glanced over the numbers, and she found herself thinking about how it used to be before she and Kyoya were in a relationship. She used to pretend not to care about him the same way she was pretending right now. It made her appreciate the fact that she didn't always have to do that anymore. 

Kofuyu finished up the work, and the audience became an afterthought. They no longer hovered around her, probably because they got bored of watching her type numbers into spreadsheets. 

Kofuyu went into the kitchen and then came out minutes later with a cart with a fresh pot of instant coffee. She walked around, offering it to the guests and filling tea cups. When she approached the twins' table, the pair started to complain to her. 

"Kofuyuuu, the guest keeps asking about you and Kyoya-senpai," Hikaru and Kaoru told her. 

"My relationship with Ootori-senpai is nothing but professional. We are only club-mates," Kofuyu replied in a flat tone. 

"How many times did you rehearse that?" asked Hikaru sarcastically. She glared at him and then moved on even though the girls were still asking her questions. 

"But you're at least close friends, right?" 

"What if it's a one-sided thing!? Kyoya-senpai hugged her because she was upset, but Kofuyu doesn't feel the same way!" 

Kofuyu rolled her eyes and didn't respond to the girls as they all played into the idea. 

~~~~~~

"This is ridiculous. We can't even talk to each other without having someone talk about that newspaper," complained Kofuyu. She crossed her arms over her chest. Kyoya nodded softly and sat beside her. Kofuyu turned her head towards him. She thought for a moment then slowly uncrossed her arms. She held her hand out to Kyoya then turned away again. 

It took him a second, but Kyoya realized what she wanted. He grabbed onto her hand and held it in his lap. He assumed she wanted affection after having to act so cold to each other the whole day. 

In reality, Kofuyu just wanted to be more affectionate to him. He was always initiating their intimate moments, and she wanted to initiate something too, so he wouldn't think she didn't like those moments. 

Kyoya ran his thumb over the back of her hand. He hadn't even realized he was doing it. "Eventually," Kyoya began. "They'll forget about it. It'll be nothing but a rumor, and they'll stop caring." 

"I know," whispered Kofuyu. "But I want to be able to look at you without those girls squealing." She turned back to him, her eyes searching for his. 

"I know," answered Kyoya. He felt the same way after all. His eyes met hers. 

"Are you two going to kiss or something?" Hikaru and Kaoru appeared behind the couch they were sitting on. 

"Don't you two have anything better to do?" Kyoya glared at them, but they only laughed. Kofuyu slowly pulled her hand away from Kyoya's. She sighed and stood up. 

"I should get home soon. I told Aunt Tomiko I'd help her cook dinner," said Kofuyu. She went to the kitchen where everyone stored their bookbags during club hours. Kyoya followed her, and the twins joked about the two of them making out in the kitchen. 

"I was hoping you'd follow," whispered Kofuyu. She was nervous and unsure if she could do what she wanted to do right. She placed her bag over her shoulder and turned to face him. Kyoya watched her, a little surprised. 

She was going to kiss him all on her own. That had been the plan, but when the time came, she couldn't do it. She started getting into her own head. Instead of staring at him like an idiot, she settled on hugging him. 

Her arms wrapped around his waist, and she rested her cheek on his chest. Just as Kyoya was settling into her embrace, she pulled away and stepped around him. 

"Okay, I'll see you later," Kofuyu left the room quickly. Kyoya watched her leave, a little confused. He had assumed she was being affectionate because they were acting cold to each other earlier, but now, he wasn't sure. 

He left the kitchen with his bag only to see her and Haruhi already leaving the room. He watched as the door closed behind her and continued to stare at the closed door. 

"Kyoya? Is something wrong?" Tamaki asked innocently. Kyoya glanced at the club president and then shook his head. 

"Nothing, Tamaki." 

~~~

"Is your aunt coming to the open house event?" Haruhi asked Kofuyu as they walked away from the Host club room. 

"She wants to. I'm not sure if she actually is," answered Kofuyu. She thought about asking her aunt again, anything to take her mind off of what happened with Kyoya. 

Kofuyu knew she was overthinking it, but she still couldn't help it. Deep down, she knew it wasn't a big deal, but she really did want to be more affectionate toward Kyoya.  

"What about your dad? Is he going?" Kofuyu returned the question. 

"I don't know. I haven't told him about it yet. He might be working that day anyway," answered Haruhi. 

It didn't take long for either of the girls to go back home. When Kofuyu walked through the front door, her aunt was sitting on the couch. "Hey, you're home!" 

"Hey, auntie," greeted Kofuyu. She kicked off her shoes and asked, "Where are you planning on going to the open house thing?" 

"Yes! If you wouldn't mind me going, I would like to," answered Tomiko. 

"You can go if you want," shrugged Kofuyu. Her aunt grinned. 

"Great! I already asked my work friend to cover my shift," Aunt Tomiko told her. Kofuyu shook her head, a little amused. Tomiko glanced at the clock hanging on the wall then said, "We can start cooking in an hour, so it'd be ready by dinner time." 

"Okay. I'll be in my room." Kofuyu left and closed the door behind her. After changing out of her school clothes, she started doing her homework for that night. 

She became so focused, everything that had happened that day left her mind. She hadn't even realized how much time had passed until she could hear her aunt talking from the other room. Tomiko sounded happy, greeting whoever was on the phone with her. 

Kofuyu left her room to see her aunt leaning against the counter with her phone pressed against her ear. "Well, it was nice catching up with you!" Her eyes landed on Kofuyu. "Oh, Beanie, I was just about to go and get you." Aunt Tomiko approached with the phone in her outstretched hand. "It's for you." 

Kofuyu nodded at her aunt. She didn't have to ask who it was. There was only one person who'd call her. She pressed the phone to her ear and ignored the way her aunt was watching her. "Kyoya?" Kofuyu asked. 

"I've been meaning to ask you; why does your aunt call you 'Beanie'?" Kyoya asked immediately. 

"It's nothing, you shouldn't call me that," replied Kofuyu. She didn't like the idea of her current boyfriend calling her the nickname her dead ex-boyfriend gave her for obvious reasons. "Not that I'm unhappy that you called, but why did you?" 

"I wanted to check in on you," answered Kyoya. "You weren't acting like your regular self, so I wanted to make sure everything was okay." Kofuyu was silent. She was painfully aware of her aunt's nosy gaze, so she went back to her room with the phone in her hand. 

"Everything is fine." She started to feel nervous. "Is this because I hugged you?" She started to feel defensive, and Kyoya could tell because of the slight shift in her tone. 

"Don't misunderstand, Kofuyu. I do enjoy your affections, but you're regularly not this affectionate." She was silent again, so he continued talking. "I only wanted to make sure that there was nothing wrong... Is there something wrong?" 

She knew he was hinting at how they had to act cold and basically ignore each other during the host club. Kofuyu started to think, "He's worried about me? About us?" 

"No, nothing's wrong," Kofuyu spoke quietly. She wanted to explain why she was acting differently. Kyoya could tell, so he waited patiently. "I want to..." she paused again. "I want to show you more affection, so I can show you that I care." 

"I know you care, Kofuyu. If it makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to." 

"That's not it. I want to," whispered Kofuyu. 

"Alright then. I look forward to it." 

~~~~~~

Lol I've been putting off the parent's day/open house chapters because I wasn't sure how I wanted to have it play out, but next chapter, finally.