Micah's POV

"Annnnd.... that's a wrap!"

Exhausted, I plopped down on the stage, not bothering to return to a comfier resting place. Too tired, I reasoned, too lazy.

This had been our third run-through of the play, in full dress, of the day. Renge had decided we were as perfect as we'd ever be and dismissed us for the day, reminding us all to get a good night's sleep so that we were rest for the big event tomorrow.

Sweat beaded my brow, resilient to my fitful attempts at scrubbing it away with an equally sweaty wrist. The air felt uncomfortably warm with all the sticky-with-moisture bodies crowding the space, puffing out steamy breaths as they reclined in the theater seats, summing up the day's events and vocalizing their excitement for the upcoming debut.

Tomorrow. Everything would finally come together. Tomorrow.

At prompting from Izuki, I let out a quiet sigh, slid to the edge of the stage and lightly dropped down to the ground. He wished me a good night's rest before the show, then scampered off to change out of his costume. Kamiko waved at me from where she sat in the front row, patiently waiting for Izuki to finish. I smiled. Their relationship, though just beginning, already tugged at my heartstrings.

I couldn't find Honey at first, though he usually sought me out when rehearsal had finished. Shrugging, I dismissed the tiny prick of concern in my heart and shuffled off to the dressing rooms to retire to my casual clothing. This dress (nightgown) would have to be dry-cleaned before opening night, a stagehand reminded me as I passed by. I nodded to show I understood and slipped inside the room.

The entire cast wished me well when I returned to the stage, to which I flushed and stuttered out a quick farewell and similar wish as I stumbled down the steps and through the aisles towards the double-doors at the back of the theater.

The halls were empty as I passed through, completely devoid of life. It wasn't surprising in the least; play practice had gone much longer than expected. Considering I'd been pulled from classes early and then pushed to my absolute limits for the next several hours, it wasn't any surprise that I was all tuckered out.

Kyouya had not-so-subtly informed that the play had better be more than satisfactory to make up for all my missed club days. I'd snapped at him for being a greedy politician (my only insult for him, apparently) and stormed away, more frustrated than I should have been at his usual antics. My nerves were frayed; the slightest accusation set me off. Everyone picked up on my unease but wisely chose not to speak of it while in my presence. They wouldn't have been doing me any good, reminding me of my reason for being so on edge in the first place.

I admired their ability to restrain themselves, though.

Just as I pushed open the school doors, a rogue wind whistled past me, throwing my short hair into a frenzy and momentarily blinding me. This allowed the seemingly disembodied voice that greeted me to spill a wave of chills down my spine.

"You're finally done. Geeze, you drama types sure like to take your sweet time, huh?"

"...Kaoru?"

His impish grin widened a fraction. I couldn't quite comprehend the fact that he was there, leaning up against a sleek black limo, his arms crossed, hair mussed by the delightful breeze. Worry gnawed at me. Something informed me this next journey would only be considered pleasant to the instigator: In this case, Kaoru. And possibly the Host Club, depending on whether they were involved in this or not. But with the club's track record, one had to assume they were the masterminds of whatever torture Kaoru had concocted for me this fine day.

He popped up the handle, pulling the door open with exaggerated grace as I drifted down the steps. "Your carriage awaits, m'lady!"

I didn't so much as place one toe inside the "carriage". My fingers tightened around the strap of my messenger bag, a sturdy thing to cling to in uncertain times. My narrowed gaze connected with mischievous amber orbs. "Why should I believe this thing isn't going to drive me off a cliff?"

He ran a deft hand through his ruffled hair, teasing out the wind-blown knots. This unruffled air of his could only mean trouble. I spoke from past experience, but even a stumbling newborn could see he had tricks up his designer sleeves. "You're such a worry wart, Micah. Just get in and enjoy the ride!"

And with that, he lightly kicked my butt and sent me tumbling across the supple leather seats that elicited an unwelcome moan of ecstasy from me. No matter how many times I traveled with Honey and Mori and experienced these divine seats I would never be used to them. God himself must have had his throne lined with the buttery leather.

Righting myself inside the limo, I observed Kaoru as he climbed in after me, making sure to firmly close the door behind him, and settle down across from me, legs crossed, hands linked lightly behind his head. He smirked after realizing I was watching him and I ducked my head bashfully, painfully aware how rosy my cheeks had turned. It wasn't my fault, really, if you gave it proper fault. He knew what he was doing, and took pleasure from my awkwardness. Just like his damned brother.

Speaking of... "Where's Hikaru?" I didn't even notice as the limo un-parked itself from its resting spot in front of the school and rolled down the streets; that's how efficient and soundless the engine was. I envied this smoothness; my parents' old car had been what one might call a clunker, noisy and one of the man causes of the dense smog that hovered like a fallen cloud above Philly's streets.

Kaoru shrugged, but though he tried to hide it, I noticed the unease creeping through his eyes. Just as always, when not in sight, he fretted over his sibling's well-being. 

I chalked up another good point for the incessently harrassing Hitachiin brothers.

In their case, though, the good rarely ever outweighed the bad.

I was wondering if now would be one of those miraculous times when he said, "He's with the other hosts. Same with Honey-sempai and Mori-sempai, if you were wondering." Here he managed to bring back his nerve-rattling smirk that had first warned me not to engage with him. Perhaps I should have listened after all, seeing as how he was now kidnapping me. That was against the law in Japan, right? I was beginning to doubt that, what with all my past endeavors with the felony. "You were wondering, right? Cause you know, you're always with our sempai..."

He propped his elbows up on his knees, resting his chin on his knuckles. "Are you and Honey-sempai a thing?"

"....." There was an awkward moment where I couldn't quite piece together what he'd asked. The words jumbled together, no more understandable than Greek to me (and I assure you, I'd given my fair share of effort into learning the language; it just happened not to particularly like me). Then a few synapses fired in my now-mushy brain and I gasped, dramatic enough that Tamaki would have squealed in delight just like Honey. "What?" I breathed, incredulous. "What on earth would give you that impression?! Honey's like a brother to me, for God's sake! And no, I'm not into incest like you and Hikaru!"

He seemed pleased, if his twitching smirk was anything to go by. "What about Mori-sempai, then?"

I felt my tongue twist into a knot at the question. Here it was again. A question I'd yet to figure out an answer to. I made a gesture with my hands, something along the lines of "No way!" but the action felt insincere, lacking in any sort of heartfelt certainty. And Kaoru knew that as well as I did.

"Huh." That was it. Just a simple word - no, not even a word. A breathed syllable he couldn't quite fathom into a coherent thought. Why this interested Kaoru so much, I wasn't sure (his interests always managed to dumbfound me) - but it was obvious my inconclusive answer wasn't what he'd hoped to hear. 

The rest of our ride (to a still-unknown location) was seized by silence, caught in its crushing grip and held for ransom. Some price we could have payed - together, if need be - but chose to ignore. I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants, averting my gaze from Kaoru's as much as possible. He did the same to me.

"Ah." My gasp brought sound flooding back to the ironically cramped backseat as I remembered something. A slow smile filled my face, not the least bit forced, much to my honest surprise. "You and the other hosts are coming to the play, right? Kyouya told me."

Kaoru peered at me with one inconstant eye; the majority of his attention was focused on the rolling scenery just beyond the thin window. "I guess," he sighed after another awkward pause. I was a magnet for those, wasn't I? Was it just another cruel joke the universe enjoyed inflicting on me? "Boss is pretty adamant about us going, something about how proud we should be of you and Honey-sempai. Honestly, I'm not sure why. It's just a play, isn't it? Nothing special, really."

I was lucky the arrows he shot were only visible to my wide eyes. If they'd been tangible, I would have bled out in the twins' full-of-grandure limosuine, and Kyouya would have sent a bill as long as the Philadelphia skyline to my grieving parents. Kaoru possessed no tact or compassion, not a hint of understanding. My hands fisted, catching the folds of my pants between stiff fingers.

I felt the limo skid to a stop and took the opportunity to unlock my door and exit the relatively destructive atmosphere Kaoru had been so hell-bent on creating. "You're an ass," I mumbled as I passed him.

Realization dawned on him, transforming his face with an odd look of wonder, and he hurried out after me. He caught my hand and spun me back around to face, a hand pressed against my back to halt any attempts at escape.

"You're so troublesome," he sighed.

Heat licked at my pallid cheeks and my constricted throat exploded with a bitter desire to verball trounce him like no other had done before me. I'd actually opened my mouth, fully prepared for any undesired consequences, but he pulled two fingers across my lips, pantomiming a zipper.

"Shh. I'm gonna apologize. It won't happen again, probably, so just listen, ok?"

I nodded mutely; the warmth of his fingers lingered tantalizingly on my numb lips.

Kaoru let loose another chilling smirk as he removed his hand from my back, instead choosing to slip his fingers around my own and pull me forward at a pace akin to skipping. "You're too cute~!" he cooed, pinching one crimson cheek. Seeing my rapidly reappearing scowl, he quickly switched tactics and turned on his host charm. Though, for once, it felt completely... genuine. "Like I said, I"ll apologize. I didn't mean to bash the play like that. I was just... a little pissed, I guess."

A few words slipped past my unresponsive lips: "Pissed? Why...? Did I do something?"

He made a tsking noise I absolutely loathed, waggling a slim finger just out of my reach of my perfectly responsive teeth. "So naive~! You know, Mori-sempai was right when he said it made you even cuter, even if he was basically high on sleep depravation when he said it."

Another round of heat invaded my cheeks as the memory of Mori's "transformation" came to mind. That day, for better or for worse, would haunt me for the rest of my days.

"Anyway, I was pissed cause..." He placed a hand on my cheek and drew my face closer to his. You've stuck with me this long, yes? Let your imagination run wild with all the possibilites of how I reacted to this brilliant little stunt of the sneaky Hitachiin. "...you're my plaything, Micah~!"

I held no remorse for my actions as I mercilessly chased Kaoru down the cobblestoned street, giving no regard to either passersby or my current surroundings. This was another of those fabulous where the thought of murder crossed my mind and how wonderful it would have been if such things were truly legal.

Kaoru stopped before I did (my stamina had drastically increased after weeks spent under Mori and Honey's tutelage and winded I was not), barring my way with an arm outstretched. I was only saved from catapulting myself over said arm and giving myself a lovely shiner by Kaoru whirling around and dropping both hands on my shoulders. Regaining my balance became infinitely more difficult when he released only my one shoulder, using his now free hand to gesture gracefully to the building looming ahead of us. 

"Welcome to my playground!" he sang.

Well... it looked marginally more sane than I would have expected. That was something.

_____________________________________

"Nah, this one's too showy.... Too risque.... Too Honey-sempai...."

A monstrous pile of dresses was steadily building around us. I felt a bit entrapped, if being honest, but held my tongue. Kaoru had provived no explanation as to why I so desperately needed such extravagant, ostentatious dresses, and I refrained from making any obscene comments. The adoring gazes given to us by the owners of this shop made me feel guilty even having ungrateful thoughts.

They loved Kaoru, and by extention, me.

They thought we were a couple.

I'd learned not to question elderly people, so I left it be.

As Kaoru held yet another silken dress up to my frame, I sighed moodily. He quirked a brow but remained silent, except for the occasional, "Not this one either..."

I'd begun to nod off, the tremendous fatigue of rehearsal finally settling on my slim shoulders, when he exclaimed, "Alright! This one! Hikaru'll love it!'

"And what about me?" I gave in to my slack-jawed yawn, rubbing my tired eyes with a balled-up hand. 

"You'd be a bigger idiot than Boss not to love this dress."

That was encouragement enough, reluctant as I might be to admit it. I fluttered open both eyes, expecting some flimsy thing not even a mother could love. 

But... it was breathtaking.

The gown was floor-length, the train endless. Softer than silk fabric, a modest neckline, only the thinnest of sleeves to wind around my arms. The bodice was fitted and snug but comfortable enough at a glance. And what truly, truly took my breath away were the pinpricks of glittering silver that dotted the sea of midnight black silk.

An unbroken expanse of stars weaved into mortal clothing.

"You like?" Kaoru teased.

"I... love it," I whispered. Some spell had overtaken me, stolen my voice and captured my heart along with it. 

"Good." Kaoru nodded decisively, snapping his fingers for the owner's attention. She scurried over like a proper puppy, awaiting master's orders. If her tongue had been lolling from her mouth, I would have broken my trance and fallen to the floor in an uproarous fit of laughter. "We'll be taking this one. Wrap it up. Oh, and include a matching mask."

As the dress was snatched away from my tentative fingers, I straightened, my spin snapping into place, chin stiff. "You're... buying it for me?" I blink away the incredulity of it all. "Kaoru, I've been pleasant and kept myself from asking, but what the hell is going on here? And why are you spending unholy amount of money on a dress I'll never wear?!"

"Oh, you'll be wearing it." He brought my face a hairsbreadth from his own, firm fingers trailing along my jawline. "After all, Boss would never forgive me if our Princess didn't look like royaly on her birthday."

"....Birthday?"