DISCE, OHSHC.

⁺ ♡ ridiculous but not impossible

None of the hosts minded you going to volleyball practice, but you did everything you could to make sure none of the volleyball team found out you were a host. It would just raise too many questions, and your team teased you enough without them knowing you batted your eyelashes at guests in your spare time.

Besides, you weren't technically a host. It was only temporary, until the Host Club deemed your heart fully mended. Even though your broken heart had probably been healed ten times over by now, you were content not to bring it up if the Host Club didn't. Even if you would never admit it, the Host Club had grown on you. Sometimes you actually enjoyed the ridiculous things they concocted for their guests.

And so, to keep your dignity intact, you were still going to the Host Club with the excuse of a broken heart.

Your popularity had shot through the roof after your volleyball practice. Suddenly your request rate was over 60 percent, which Kyoya informed you was quite impressive considering your short tenure at the club and Tamaki sullenly told you wasn't fair. By now, you could pull off the tragic persona without batting an eye, even summoning tears on command a few times. The guests never failed to coo with sympathy when you brought up your unfortunate past, always eager to offer you a comforting smile and affirmations of how wonderful you were. You would be lying if you said you didn't enjoy being pampered by your guests. However authentic it was, it never hurt to have people fawn over you.

So long as "people" didn't include Iwaizumi Mayako.

You weren't avoiding Mayako, per se. You weren't doing anything, really. Your interactions with her were the same as always: still entertaining, still charming. But you couldn't help feeling uncomfortable around her. You could feel her expectation like a weighted blanket. The way she looked at you, that patient, prodding expression, you almost couldn't handle it.

You liked Mayako, but you didn't like her the way she liked you. And despite everything, that made you feel guilty.

During a lull in host activities, you drifted over to Honey and Mori's table. The two hosts were sitting on opposite ends of a settee, Honey slurping down a milkshake one of his guests had gotten him and Mori flipping deliberately through a book. You figured you could rely on the two of them to give you some solid advice about how to deal with an unrequited crush. Honey was unfailingly sweet, and Mori was unfailingly courteous. They couldn't go wrong.

"Hi!" Honey chirped. He looked up from his milkshake, the beginnings of a milk moustache forming on his upper lip. "What's up?"

"Nothing big. I just wanted to talk to you and Mori about something." You made to sit in the armchair beside the boys' settee, but Mori wordlessly slid further down the settee to make space for you. You plopped down between him and Honey and drew up your legs beneath you.

You lowered your voice, not keen on having any of the other hosts overhearing you. "What would you do if one of your guests had a crush on you?"

"Wah, you have an admirer?" Honey gasped and you shushed him.

Mori shifted in his seat. His knee brushed against yours and for a second, it was all you could think about.

"You're talking about Mayako-san, aren't you?"

"Uh, yeah. How did you know?"

"She spends quite a bit of time with you." There was a slight hesitance to Mori's words that you'd never heard before.

"Oh, Taka-chan is right! Mayako-san is very fond of you! Haruhi used to be her favourite host but now she spends all of her time with you!" Honey's gaze turned thoughtful. "Do you ... like her back?"