Don't know how I got this done so soon, to be honest. Just glanced at the end of the last chapter and wrote all night (I was staying up anyway for an overnight shift tomorrow, so no worries).

Hope you all like this though! Hope Honey's not too... off, but I feel a more serious version of him was needed for this part. And sorry for the cursing ahead of time. Kosuke's lost a little restraint~ Let me know what you think though! I know it's been a while.

Hayato eyed Kosuke, who'd been in a sort of a daze all day. He hadn't even noticed when they'd switched classes, still having his English book out on his desk even though they were finishing Math now and looking at it intently. Or, well, as intently as he could when it was painfully obvious that he was more interested in touching his cheek with his other hand. Hayato had heard from the twins how the previous few days had gone for him, now that Kosuke was working as their new pastry chef. They had informed him about his first little hiccup, but the group had learned from it and only allowed demonstrations from him in smaller groups once a week. Hayato had assumed that they knew about Kosuke's anxiety issues but supposed that they hadn't known him that long and probably misconstrued the signs after what had happened. What they didn't tell him though, was why his friend was currently trapped in some dreamland during classes.

The bell rang for the end of school and Hayato was quick to bound over to him, plopping backward in the abandoned seat in front of him and waiting to see if he'd noticed. He didn't, still staring at his English book until Hayato couldn't help himself.

"New lover?"

Kosuke jerked so quickly and so violently, that the English book smacked Hayato in the face and Kosuke tumbled from the chair. "H-H-Hayato! F-Fuck, man. Don't do that!"

Hayato peeled the book from his face, grinning away despite the slight ache now in his nose. "I take that as a yes?"

A fiery pink tint quickly swam up Kosuke's face to the tips of his ears, making Hayato raise his eyebrows.

"I was joking, though your reaction says I hit the nail on the head."

"N-No! No." Kosuke pressed, pulling himself up off the ground and looking around uneasily at the class still filing out of the room. "S-Shut up. What if someone hears you?"

He rolled his eyes. "Like they care. So? Spill the beans. Who is it?"

"No one," Kosuke hissed, gathering his things, though his face was still tinged pink.

"Doesn't look like no one." Hayato leaned closer, smirk widening. "It's that little blonde kid, huh?"

Hayato watched in pure, unadulterated joy as Kosuke somehow managed to blush harder.

"S-S-Shut up. We're not—W-We're not a thing."

Hayato's grin faltered as Kosuke seemed to shrink into himself slightly upon admitting that out loud. "But… you want to be, don't you? And he likes you too, from what I saw."

Kosuke sagged slightly, making Hayato worry. He knew he was gay and that the way he'd been treated by others for that made him far less willing to go and put himself out there, but he had seen the fire between him and Honey. It was so painfully obvious how they liked one another, but it appeared that Honey wouldn't make a move until Kosuke was ready and Kosuke was one who wouldn't be ready for a long, long while. Not with the numerous doubts and what if's that constantly plagued him.

"Come on," Hayato nudged him, helping him with his things. "We'll talk as we head to your place. No work today, right?"

Kosuke nodded, having gotten the day off from Kyoya as their exam period was quickly approaching and his grades faltering after what had happened. They walked and picked up something to snack on—Kosuke sipping from a can of black coffee as Hayato bit down on some dango.

"So? Talk to me," Hayato pressed, giving Kosuke a look.

"Look, it's nothing, okay."

"It's not nothing if it's had you distracted all day and now you're all upset about it." Hayato draped an arm over his shoulders. "How long have I known you?"

"Too long," Kosuke grumbled.

"And I'm not about to start judging you for who you are now." Hayato squeezed his shoulders. "I mean it. Not now, not ever. And if you're that against it, I'll stop."

He dropped his arm and stepped back to Kosuke's side as the young man let out a heavy sigh.

"I kissed him."

Hayato nearly dropped what was left of his treat. "You did what?"

Kosuke flushed, turning his head away. "K-Kissed him."

"Not to sound rude, but why? It's not like you to just jump into something like that."

Kosuke pulled a hand through his hair with a grumble. "I don't know. I-I was really nervous because the hosts wanted me to show the guests how I make cake decorations. I thought I'd be fine—I'd done it before, after all—but then I-I had all the guests and panicked."

"The twins told me," Hayato admitted, not minding the glare Kosuke sent him for that. "Sorry. I wanted to keep tabs on you and make sure everything was going good and I wouldn't need to jump in and bail you out," he chirped, smiling as he finished his snack. "So? How'd you go from nervous wreck to kissing him?"

Kosuke's glare faded and he tugged at his ear lobe. "He snuck into the kitchen to talk with me. I-I told him I didn't feel cut out for the job. I wasn't doing good at home anyway a-and I might have mentioned wanting to just go back to my parents."

"Oh, I would've smacked you for that."

"He did."

Hayato blinked, the stick from his treat almost falling from his mouth where he'd been chewing on it idly. "Seriously? Didn't think the kid had it in him."

"Then… Well, h-he started saying all these nice things about me. He thought I was amazing. I'm not amazing, but he thought so, and he said that I wasn't alone. That he'd help me no matter what because we were friends and he didn't want to see me upset. He said he'd do anything to make me happy. A-And I just… leaned in."

"And?" Hayato leaned forward himself, curiously. "How'd he take it?"

Kosuke blushed again, hand brushing over his cheek like he'd been doing all afternoon. "H-He, um… called me cute a-and kissed my cheek."

Hayato didn't think he could smile wider as he smacked Kosuke on the back, making him stumble. "See! He does like you! Why aren't the two of you dating yet?"

Kosuke groaned. "I-It's not that easy, Hayato! He's like… famous! That club of there is insane! You only saw it that one time, but everyone talks about it. They have their own website and the girls are never-ending. Do you know what would happen if they found out we were dating?"

Hayato eyed him before pointing the stick at his face. "You know, something tells me that's not the reason the two of you aren't going at it in some alleyway."

Kosuke flushed darker than before. "O-Oi."

"No, I mean it though. Like some rich girls would really stop you two," Hayato scoffed, tossing his trash away in a bin as Kosuke did the same and begrudgingly sighed once more.

"It's… It's really not that easy. W-We're… We're too different. We're at different levels a-a-and I'm not… I'm a mess, Hayato. I-I'm not good enough for him. I was a mistake. It must be. After Ken—"

"Don't," Hayato said with such ferocity that Kosuke flinched and went quiet. "Don't you compare anyone to that bastard. Don't compare yourself to him. Honey is a million times better than that, and you know it."

"T-That's why!" Kosuke said bitterly, gripping his hair tightly and tugging at it. "Honey is so much better than that! I don't deserve him! I don't deserve someone better than that! After everything that's happened with my parents a-and school and everything else—"

"You deserve to be happy, Kosuke!" Hayato argued as well, grabbing his wrists and trying to get his friend to see. "You've had such a shitty life, and this is it! This is your chance to move up from that! To be better than what you have been because some sick bastard tore you down into this, this sniveling, unconfident mess! Look how much he's helped you already! Sure, you might have lost the bakery, but you have friends! You, you've got a job and you've finally stood up to your parents who have pushed you around for God knows how long! He's helped you do that! I've never seen you so damn happy before a-and you want to just throw that away because of what? Some insecurity? Some damn words from that Kenichi bastard that are still flying about that head of yours? Kenichi was an absolute dick who didn't deserve to even get to know you, let alone date you! You need to move on, Kosuke! Give Honey a chance. Don't let that ex get in the way of this, of something good. You can't. You just can't."

His hands were shaking now, fearing that his best friend was going to ruin his life by not even taking that first step out the door.

"I-I... I don't know if I can," Kosuke breathed.

"Just try," Hayato urged. "Please. Just try."

Slowly, hesitantly, Kosuke nodded and Hayato let out a sigh of relief, dropping his head against Kosuke's shoulder.

"God, man. Don't worry me like that."

"S-Sorry."

Hayato lifted his head and lightly smacked his shoulder. "And enough apologizing." He cracked a smile then, hoping to ease the atmosphere a bit. "We good?"

Kosuke managed a small smile as well. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess so."

"Good." Hayato let him go and sighed softly.

They'd reached the street where they split up to go separate ways.

"I'll see you Monday?"

Kosuke nodded. "I'll have to give you my new address too. I've got to get my stuff packed tonight. New apartment's nearby, though it's not much."

"Hey. It's not owned by your parents, so it must be better, right?"

Kosuke's lip twitched up and with a final wave, they split off. Kosuke trailed up to his apartment, pulling out his key with a soft sigh and making to step into his apartment, only to ram his nose into the door that hadn't budged. He frowned, trying the key again, but still, the lock remained latched.

"The hell…" He muttered under his breath, turning and heading a few doors down to the landlord's place and knocking. "E-Excuse me, Satou? I can't get into my apartment."

The door opened, and the young man stared down at Kosuke with a scowl, pulling his cigarette from his lips as he furrowed his brows. He never quite remembered who his own tenants were and Kosuke tried to remind him.

"I'm two doors down? I-I'm moving out tomorrow morning? I can't get in. I think the lock's broken."

"Nope," Satou hummed, confusing him. "Place was sold today."

Kosuke felt his heart sink in his chest. "W-What? B-B-But my stuff—"

"Was all taken away by a moving van this morning. Everything was closed up and finished about noon."

"B-But I didn't—Who could have—"

He shrugged. "Dunno, but the locks have been replaced and your shit is already out of there. Oh! Hold up." He stepped back and pulled a letter out, handing it over. "Here. I was told to give this to you."

"U-Um, t-thanks?" Kosuke said, taking the letter and going to question him further, but the door slammed shut in his face, so he turned to the letter.

Immediately, his face paled and his throat went tight at the familiar writing of his name on the cover. He clambered down the stairs and found the nearest bench to sit on—one just by a children's playset in a park down the block—to open it. Once settled, he willed his hands to stop shaking as a chilled December breeze cut through his school uniform, sliding his finger under the flap and opening it. As his eyes scanned the page, his jaw tightened, and hot tears began to well up in his eyes. It was them. His parents had taken everything from his apartment and sold it or donated it or just plain threw it out. They'd sold his apartment early, while he was at school and paid movers extra to get it situated as quickly as they could. He had nothing but his school uniform and bag, and not enough money in his wallet to do anything.

He brought a hand up and pawed at his face as the tears slid quickly down to his chin, crumpling the letter and hissing curses through his teeth as he slammed a heavy fist into the wood of the bench repeatedly.

"D-Damn it. Damn it. F-Fucking d-d-damn it!"

He doubled over, burying his face in his hands as he choked out sobs and gripped his hair to the point of almost tearing it from his skull. The pain helped minutely, giving him something to distract himself long enough to know he needed to figure out what he was going to do. Slowly, he tried to pull himself together and got up from the seat. With a loud sniff, he used the sleeve of his uniform to wipe some tears from his face, hoping he looked a little put together, though knowing he probably looked like shit anyway. He began to walk though, having a plan running through his head. M-Maybe I can check with my new place. M-Maybe they'll let me in early? He rounded the corner though and again, his heart dropped into the soles of his feet.

Smoke billowed overhead in the direction of his new apartment and he took off running. Sure enough, the building was on fire and he almost fell to his knees right there as firefighters battled the blaze—a concerned neighbor muttering about a possible arson. H-He didn't. H-He didn't! Kosuke felt sick to his stomach at the thought that his father had used his connections to get someone to set fire to the very building he was supposed to move into. He moved away from the scene, stepping into an alleyway and doubling over with a hand over his mouth. He choked on bile, still smelling the smoke and ash in his nose and feeling the heavy weight in his stomach threatening to upturn what was left of his lunch from school and the coffee he'd just finished.

He couldn't think. It was hard to breathe through the tears and choking gasps that left him, finally making him sink to the ground and drop his head between his knees. His arms covered his head, trapping him in the smallest ball he could make in a vain attempt to try and disappear. He had nothing left.

Hours passed before the tears dried up and he finally lifted his head as a chill swept through him, making him shiver. I could ask Hayato, he thought for a second, before quickly brushing it aside. No. I can't. They don't have room. There's no way I could—His throat went tight, but he pushed past it and soon pushed himself back up onto his feet to find somewhere better to maybe sleep for the night. As he walked back to the park, something landed on his nose and he looked up, suddenly feeling like crying again as snow lightly began to drift down. His grip on his school jacket tightened as he bit down hard on his bottom lip, turning his gaze away from the dark sky and to the ground. He had nothing left.

I woke up shivering. Or, well, not really waking up as I hadn't been able to sleep through the bitter, chilly night. Snow covering my body shifted and fell to join the rest on the ground as I quivered and nudged my soggy school jacket off me. I stared at the dripping fabric and let out a loud sneeze. Then, another and another. I was feverish already, I could tell, and yet I didn't feel up to doing anything other than maybe lying back in the snow and never waking up again. The suicidal thought made me wince and I pushed myself up onto my feet, almost falling back onto the bench with the ache that ran through them after sleeping curled up all night. I pushed through it though, coughing into my elbow as I made for the main street in the hopes of using some of what money I had in my wallet for something warm to eat. Everything in the shops was too expensive for what little change I had on me, so I turned to the vending machines and got a hot can of miso soup.

I relished in the feeling of it on my dry throat but couldn't taste the flavor of it at all as I stared at the ground, not knowing what to do next. I can't stay out here. I won't last in December. I… I have work tomorrow and school. Maybe I should…

"If you need something, you just have to ask us, and we'll help you because we're your friends!"

"You're not alone anymore, Ko-kun!"

"I will do anything to make you happy."

Honey's words came back to mind and I hesitated. I don't want to be a nuisance.

"You have all of us to help you and we never once thought you were a nuisance or a burden or anything!"

I grimaced, begrudgingly pulling out my phone and looking up the host club. I couldn't find any addresses, but they were rich, and I had assumed their families might be well known. Sure, I could have called them, but I didn't feel I had enough courage to do that. As it was, I wasn't sure I'd be able to ask once I did find their homes. I winced at the first one I found though. It would be his. I bit my lip and hesitantly checked if I had enough money for a bus. I did, thankfully and caught the next one out to where I needed.

Once the bus dropped me off, it was a decent walk to where I was going and upon reaching the gate, I hesitated. I-It's bigger than I thought. I chewed on my bottom lip nervously, eyeing the call button and hesitating. Just push it. You'll freeze out here if you don't. I reach out, finger hovering over the button and quivering. What if he says no? W-What if I-I choke a-a-and can't explain? God, I don't want to be a burden. W-Why can't things just go right for once? I clenched my eyes shut and leaned forward just enough to press the button. A buzz went off before someone responded, except it wasn't who I thought it would be.

"Haninozuka residence. Do you have an appointment?"

"I-I-I, um…" Don't choke. Don't choke, dammit! "N-No."

"I'm sorry then, sir. Without an appointment—"

"I-I'm here to see Honey!" I blurted out, feeling bad for cutting them off and wincing. "P-Please. I'm, um… I-I'm a friend from school."

"… Name?"

"K-Kosuke Saito."

"One moment."

I waited, crossing my arms over my chest and sneezing again as I shivered—my school jacket soaking the rest of my clothes through by now and snow beginning to fall down again, resting on my shoulders and sneaking under my scarf to drip down my neck.

The buzzer went off again, making me jump as the gates started to open and a security officer gestured me through. I gave him a short bow of my head and hurried in after him, walking up the long drive to a traditional Japanese-style house that made me even more nervous than before. God, it looks strict. S-Should I be worried? I stumbled slightly as realization dawned on me. His parents. O-Oh, god. I forgot about his parents! W-What are they going to think? S-Some nobody like me stepping in here a-and meeting with him. W-What if they know? What if they find out? I barely noticed when I was shown into the entryway and the guard left. Didn't realize how badly I was shivering as the heat of the building tried to sink into my sopping wet clothes. I only realized how big of a mess I was when an eager, short blonde bounded into sight and his smile slid right off his face.

"Ko-kun?"

His voice of concern made all of the courage in me flood out, like the water dripping onto the wood floor. I suddenly felt small and ashamed, and so very, very scared as I realized the position I was in. I was standing in the house of someone with billions of yen, sopping wet and looking like a drowned cat, with no home, no money, and nothing left for me, but my drenched clothes and the school bag slung over my shoulder. My bottom lip trembled, and my face crinkled in a grimace as I tried oh-so-desperately not to burst into tears, but it wasn't working. My legs finally gave out, making me sink to the floor onto my knees as I brought a hand to my mouth in a vain attempt to hold back a sob.

"S-S-Sorry. I-I'm so s-sorry," I cried as he hurried over and hovered his hands over my shoulder uncertainly.

"Ko? Ko, what happened? You're soaking wet. Why… Why are you crying?"

"T-T-They took it," I sobbed, curling closer and closer to the ground until my forehead was pressed to the step leading into the home. "T-They took everything. I-I can't… I-I didn't know what t-to do."

His hands tugged at my clothes, forcing me to sit upright slightly until he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pressed me close. He probably had no idea what I meant or what I was talking about, but the comfort was enough. I held him in return, apologizing repeatedly for things I couldn't speak of: getting his clothes wet, dripping on his floor, running to him of all people and hoping he could help. He didn't question me anymore though, just letting me cry until I couldn't and then slowly taking my hand and tugging me forward.

"N-No. No. I-I should go."

He shook his head, tightening his grip on my hand sternly. "No. You're staying. I won't let you leave like this."

Unused to his more serious side, I let him pull me through his home, past dojo's where people were shouting and sparring and into a room further back. It was four times the size of the apartment I'd had, and it had joined rooms to it that made it look more like a house all on its own. It wasn't until he began digging through a closet that I realized it was his room and my face heated.

"H-Honey, I—"

He turned to me with such a stern frown that I stiffened and dropped what I was going to say before he picked up a phone. "I need Katsuki to come to my room please."

There was a knock on the frame of the sliding door then, startling me as a man in a uniform slid it open and pressed his forehead to the ground in respect.

"Mitsukuni-sama, you called?"

A servant, my mind supplied in awe and slight uneasiness as Honey nodded.

"Can you bring something in my friend's size? I'm going to show him to the baths and you can take his uniform and clean it there."

"Yes, sir."

The man closed the door and disappeared as Honey's words registered in my mind and I whipped back around to him.

"W-What? Honey, I don't think—"

Again, he settled that stern frown on me and I shrank back slightly, closing my mouth to stop the argument that was trying to form.

"How long were you outside?" He asked, making me curl into myself a bit more in unease, not wanting to think of his reaction if I answered truthfully. "Kosuke."

I winced, turning my gaze away as I muttered an answer. "S-Since yesterday… after school."

His expression tightened, fist clenching at his sides and I closed my eyes, waiting for the anger and shouting, but it never came. Instead, his hand took mine and squeezed it lightly.

"Come on. I'll show you the baths."

I followed mutely, eyeing his back and seeing how stiff his shoulders were under his yukata-like outfit. He's mad… I noted, seeing how he refused to look at me and making my head tilt down in shame. I've upset him. I shouldn't have come. We stepped into an area and my jaw nearly dropped open in shock. It was like an osen. There were snow-covered rocks stacked up with water trickling down into a large pool of water that had steam coming up from it, and no one was around. Honey didn't seem bothered and began to pull off his own clothes, much to my shock.

"You need to get warmed up," he pressed, not looking my direction and therefore missing my bright red face as he grabbed a towel to wrap around his waist and stepped over to get himself clean before he went into the steaming pool of water.

I forced myself to look away and began stripping myself of the freezing, wet clothes I had been stuck in the last evening, taking a towel that had been left for me and getting clean myself before sliding into the hot water. My tense muscles were quick to relax, and an unbidden sigh of relief escaped me. I closed my eyes and sank deeper, allowing the water to hover just under my nose and wash away everything that had been dropped on me yesterday. Honey probably knew that this was what would happen but didn't say anything as we both enjoyed the bath.

When it came time to step out, I let Honey go first and waited with pink cheeks to avoid looking at anything I shouldn't be, not that I'd missed much of his toned body the first time. Once I was out, I wasn't surprised to find a similar yukata to his in a basket waiting for me and changed into that, seeing as my school uniform and scarf were gone. He led me back to his room then, moving to sit at a table that had been set up with hot tea and miso soup, that nearly had my stomach grumbling. I sat across from him, feeling infinitely better than when I'd first stepped into his home, and nearly forgetting that we had yet to discuss anything.

"What happened?"

I nearly choked on my soup, swallowing it down with a small wince before setting the spoon back into the bowl and suddenly feeling far less hungry.

"Ko-kun."

I slowly looked at him, only to turn my eyes quickly back to my soup. "M-My… My parents… They sold my apartment while I was at school a-and… all my things."

A creak told me that Honey's grip on the table had tightened, making me wince.

"What about your new one?" He asked, voice surprisingly even and without bite to it, even though I could feel his anger from across the table.

"Fire."

I flinched violently when his fist slammed into the table, cracking it and making me cover my head in fear. "I-I'm sorry! I-I-I'm sorry! I-I shouldn't have come here. I s-shouldn't have—"

"No!" Honey blurted out, grabbing my arm as I'd started to get up. "No. I'm sorry. I didn't mean…" He looked down briefly, before looking back to me. "Please stay."

I hesitated, eyes flickering over his in concern, but all the anger was gone, and I slowly sank back onto the cushion. He let me go once he was certain I wasn't going to try and leave, letting out a long sigh.

"I'm sorry, Ko-kun," he muttered softly. "I'm just…" A hint of the anger returned. "I can't believe them. How could they?"

I fidgeted, wringing my hands nervously. "Sorry."

He frowned at me, making me cringe. "Why are you apologizing, Ko-kun?"

"I-I… I'm bothering you," I muttered, shrinking slightly. "I upset you."

"You didn't upset me, Ko-kun," he murmured, grabbing my hand and stopping the anxious twisting of my fingers as he smiled a little. "I'm happy you came to me."

Red crept up my neck and into my cheeks, only making his smile grow.

"Neh, neh, I have an idea! You can stay with me!"

I quickly shook my head. "I-I couldn't do that! W-What about your parents? A-And school?"

"They won't mind, and I can drop you off! We've got lots of rooms too!" His smile fell then, eyes getting serious once more in an uncharacteristic way that sent a chill down my spine. "'Cause you don't have anywhere to go, right?"

That was true.

"B-But I don't feel right j-just staying like this. I should p-pay rent o-or something."

Honey blinked, his large doe-like eyes stirring something in my gut as I remembered his strong arms and shoulders and abs from earlier. Could I really argue with him? I swallowed thickly the longer I looked at him. Nope. Nuh-uh. Not at all. N-Not with that face and not while knowing what he has under that yukat—Again, heat traveled up to my ears and I turned my eyes away from the slight gap in his robe revealing a hint of his strong chest. Oh, this isn't good for my heart.

"Then, let me watch you make cakes."

"W-What?" I blinked, confused as to where the conversation went while I was distracted by the being known as Honey.

"You need the kitchen, right?" He asked head tipped just enough to make me swallow another lump that caught in my throat. "To come up with ideas for the Host Club? Let me help! I can watch you bake and try what you come up with." He beamed in excitement. "You can pay me in cake!"

I hesitated, the offer sounding just a bit too good to be true. "Y-Your parents really w-won't mind?"

"Nope!"

I begrudgingly gave in, knowing I didn't really have a choice since I had nowhere else to go and I doubted Honey would just let me walk out of here the way I was now. "O-Okay. B-But only until I-I can find a place."

Honey pouted but nodded in consent. "Okay."

I let out a soft sigh, before my nose wrinkled and I sneezed again, grimacing at the ache behind my eyes that I had forgotten about in my nervousness from before. Honey was quick to notice and hastily stood up, grabbing my hand.

"Come on. You can use the room next door, and I'll get some medicine."

"B-But I need to study a-and come up with ideas for tomorrow at the club," I argued, and Honey shook his head.

"Nope! I'll help you study tomorrow, and I'll tell Kyo-kun you're sick. He won't want you baking while sick. It's not good for the guests."

I hadn't thought of that, I realized, begrudgingly letting Honey tug me to the bedroom that happened to be conjoined to his. The bed looked very inviting after the hard bench I'd slept on the night before, but I still chewed my lip as Honey dug through the bathroom for medicine for my cold.

"U-Um, Honey?"

"Hm?" He hummed, setting some pills on the nightstand with a glass of water.

"Thank you," I murmured quietly, earning another bright grin from him.

"Uh-huh!" He gave my hand a squeeze. "Neh, I'm glad you came, Ko-kun."

Even I managed a small smile, feeling like everything had finally gone right for once.

"Yeah… So am I."