There's a Story Behind Every Smile (Hitachiin Triplets, OHSHC)

Chapter Ten

"Teru-san! Akira-san!" a voice yelled out just after the bathroom door slammed shut.

"Are you in here?" a slightly more nasal voice called out.

"That's funny. Their motorcycle's still here."

"Yeah, and their books are still in class."

Akira stayed quiet. What was he to do? Yell out, and possibly wake Teru to her dark side, and have all of the hosts ask why they'd skipped class, or stay quiet, let her sleep, and just put it off, along with club, for another day?

Teru made that choice for him, coughing.

"Huh? Did you hear that, Hikaru?" one asked, and there was a knock on the stall door.

"Akira, Teru, you in there?"

Akira had to act quickly. "Uh, yeah. Sorry, but Teru was really tired from staying up with work, so I ended up in here with him, and he's been sleeping ever since," he whispered.

"Just co-" 

"Be quiet!" he whisper-yelled. "He'll wake up, and he really needs this sleep."

"Alright, alright. Just come on, the Host Club is gonna start soon. We've been searching the entire school for you."

Akira slowly got up, picking her up bridal-style because she would fall off if he gave her a piggy back ride. He couldn't help but notice how light she was, but he knew she would never get better. Not as long as they and the rest of her family were so clueless as to who she was, not as long as she played this game.

If only he'd known then that he could stop it.

He finally walked out of the stall, out of the bathroom, into the hall and host club, and was met by Sute and Annaisha at the door. "Ah, Akira-san, you made it," Annaisha said, bowing to him. Sute just smiled brightly (tell me you see where I'm going with this).

"Hey, Akira-san, there's a couch set up in the back. The twins told us that Teru was having sleepy-time. Come on, we'll show you." Sute smiled brightly, a host in the making as she showed their way to the door. Annaisha followed quietly at Sute's side.

Inside was another room only half the size-if that-of the main room-which wasn't really too small. It was probably intended to be a storage closet, but a canopied couch had been set up, and Akira set Teru down on it. Teru stayed as sprawled out as she'd been lain-an arm off the side, one over her chest, one foot propped up on the armrest and shirt riding up just slightly-but continued sleeping, although the purple, bruise-like bags under her eyes would still be there for a while to come, he knew. As it had been in their years of college, himself included, as he'd stay up with her, doing work along right at her side and keeping her from the scratching with jokes and laughs till the small hours. They were as close as close got, but only because of what she'd gone through and who he was.

He was a kind, awkward soul with no friends, really-no one to tell. She was a depressed fool that needed someone to vent to. And so now they slept in the same bed, he kept her from the scratches, and they acted as twins, yin and yang, exact opposites. She acted happy, he shy. But he missed that cold girl he'd known, just a little bit. The one that still held her heart, too scared to really accept she could survive any more love.

He sometimes wished he'd never known her, but that would be even worse. Who would give up their first and only love, give up even friendship with them, just because it was unrequited?

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Actually, this hits close to home. You see, my first love, and my second for that matter, have friend-zoned-family-zoned-me horribly. My first love, well, he never gave me a chance. He calls me his sister (not biological, that's weird), says he loves me that way, but  he could not even mean that. My second love, she (I'm bi, btw) broke my heart on purpose. Well, what I mean by that is that she didn't love me through the entire thing, but she really cared for me, she did. She's my best friend, as she was before then. But you know what? I'd give up just about everything to just stay by their side as their friend and friend only because love is special, especially for me, even if it means I'm alone forever. Which I've come to terms with myself to be, someday. Because my time is limited only to fate and my choices (and God's will, for those Christians out there), and I know that's how it's meant to be, sometimes. This is already long, so go listen to Heaven by Ito Kashitaro (probably spelled that wrong) for everything else. But let's just say I'm happy that someone else can be.