Work Text:
“We should get a puppy,” Tamaki exclaimed, striking the table with his fist and causing the empty teacups and teakettles to rattle.
“Tamaki, we are not getting a puppy,” Kyoyua interrupted, pinching the bridge of his nose and clearly sounding annoyed and fed-up.
“But look at it. It’s so cute,” the blonde pouted, shoving the printed picture at his raven-haired friend.
Kyouya pulled in a deep breath of air, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples with his fingers. Tamaki had brought up the idea of getting a host club mascots of sorts before, but he’d always dropped the subject once Kyouya had made him aware of the costs associated with owning any given animal. Ever since Haruhi had come around though, he had brought it up more often, and he found it more and more difficult to steer his friend away from the idea. It was almost as though the blonde was trying to impress the brunette or something, which irked him, considering the status of their relationship. She, on the other hand, did not seem impressed, given the incredulous look on her face.
“Kyouya’s right, Tamaki,” she commented, “Dogs are expensive, especially that kind. From what I understand, those dogs have to be imported from the United States. And I think the advertisement says it’s a purebred, which means that it’s probably twice the cost of that vase I broke.”
“But Haruhi, look,” the Host Club president protested, grabbing the photo and shoving it toward her, “It’s got pretty blue eyes and a soft grey and white coat and it pulls sleds and-”
“Yeah, but it’s going to get boring really quick,” Hikaru interrupted, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in his chair.
“We had a dog once,” Karou added, glancing over at Hikaru, “But we got bored of it.”
Haruhi’s eyes widened slightly, “So, what did you do with it?”
“Gave it away?” they responded simultaneously, with matching raised eyebrows.
She clutched her chest, breathing a sigh of relief at their answer. She heard a soft, dark chuckle coming from her left side and glared over at Kyouya, who was clearly entertained by her reaction.
“Did you think they killed it or something?” the vice president asked in an amused tone.
“I wouldn’t put it past them,” the newest member mumbled, glancing over at the mischevious twins.
“We’re getting off-topic,” Tamaki commented, “I vote we get the dog. It could be our host club mascot and bring in some much-appreciated revenue. C’mon, Kyouya, I know you like money.”
“Tamaki, there are some other things I think you should consider,” Haruhi cut in, sounding a bit unsure of herself toward the end of her statement.
“Yes, there are,” Kyouya interrupted, placing his hands a bit too forcefully on the table, “First of all, where are we going to keep the dog? Haruhi lives in an apartment. The twins have already proved to be bad with animals. My family would probably kill and eat the dog before any caretaking action could be attempted. You can’t keep a plant alive for more than a week without it dying on you! And that doesn’t take into account the cost of keeping it fed and training it and everything else that goes along with having a pet! Do you ever think of the consequences of your actions or decisions, Tamaki?!”
“Kyouya, Kyouya, stop!” Haruhi exclaimed, waving her hands frantically, “You’re screaming!”
Kyouya tried to take a few deep breaths to reduce the amount of red he was seeing. He surveyed the expressions around the table, seeing fear reflected in some faces and sympathy in others. He sighed, rubbing his temple with one hand. There was no conversation currently being held, but the general mood of the room was that they should have the conversation at a different time. Haruhi politely excused herself, smiling half-heartedly at Kyouya, who was too busy staring at the picture of the husky in the middle of the table to notice. He felt someone pat him lightly on the shoulder, but he continued to study the picture with intense, brown eyes. The sound of the door shutting and another chair being pulled out caused him to look up.
“Tamaki,” Kyouya called out, trying to get his friend’s attention before muttering quietly, “I’m sorry for yelling at you.”
Tamaki smiled sympathetically at Kyouya, rounding the table and taking a seat next to him, “It’s okay; I know you didn’t mean it.” The blonde young man placed a hand over one of the raven-haired young man’s. He noticed the telltale crease between the other’s eyebrows and the small scowl on his face that indicated he was thinking about something. “What are you thinking about?” Tamaki asked, tilting his head a bit.
Kyouya let out a soft snort, picking up the abandoned picture of the husky, “A puppy. I always wanted a pet. My parents thought it was stupid. They still do.”
Tamaki rested his head lightly against Kyouya’s bicep and murmured, “ We can get a puppy.”
“Tamaki, we’ve already discussed the inappropriateness of-” Kyouya started before Tamaki cut him off.
“No, Kyouya, we can get a puppy,” Tamaki interrupted, craning his neck to look up at Kyoya, “You know when we get out of here and live our own lives.”
Kyouya sighed, shaking his head and reaching over to lightly run his fingers through Tamaki’s hair, “You’re naive as fuck. You know that, right?”
“I know,” the blonde young man replied simply, smiling up at the raven-haired young man, “And you’re cynical. Someone has to balance you out. You can’t have a yin without a yang. And vice versa.”
The raven-haired young man let out a quiet, close-lipped chuckle before saying, “Thank you.”
Tamaki grinned, straightening himself up, “Anything for you, Mama. Can I get a kiss?”
Kyouya let out an exaggerated huff and made a point to roll his eyes, but the light dusting of pink across his cheeks was undeniable as he leaned over to press his lips lightly to Tamaki’s cheekbone. Tamaki mimicked the action on Kyouya’s cheek before rubbing his back briefly and standing up, waving at him and muttering something along the lines of ‘see you tomorrow’ before darting out the double doors. Kyouya lingered at the table, picking up the piece of paper with the photo of the puppy printed on it. The dog’s eager, blue eyes were oddly familiar and, in spite of himself, he smiled at glanced back at the now-closed doors. He folded the piece of paper, tucking it away on the left inside pocket of his uniform jacket and patting it lightly once it settled there.
Kyouya was never one to believe in any kind of promises, but, as he turned off the lights and exited the host club room, he hoped that, if he and Tamaki could escape their situations, that maybe they would get a puppy someday.