While being repeatedly woken up was never Bunny's idea of a good time, she certainly regretted agreeing to let the Host Club do the honors. Kyoya and Mori were the most efficient ones, checking her vitals quickly and quietly, just the way she liked it. The night dragged on slowly though, and Bunny felt like she hadn't gotten any sleep the following morning. The cold water she washed her face with did little to perk her up. Coffee was an absolute necessity. Her sides ached as she took off her night shirt and changed clothes.

That was worse than I thought it'd be, she thought with a wince. She looked around for the prescription painkillers that had been sent home with her. Better only take one; Kyoya said this was some strong stuff. Not only were they strong, but quick too. In a few minutes she felt well enough to venture out for a bite to eat. She wasn't sure of when her last meal was, and her stomach was protesting loudly.

She made her way to the small breakfast nook she'd discovered earlier that week and was surprised to see Tamaki alone. He'd been reading a flimsy paperback book when he saw her.

"Bunny!" He rose quickly and moved as if to hug her but she held her hands up defensively.

"Careful, Tamaki! I just took one painkiller and I'd rather not need to take another before lunch."

"I'll be gentle," he promised, and kept his word. Bunny sat on the padded bench next to Tamaki, gratefully accepting the scone he offered to her. Her eyes closed as she sank her teeth into the pastry; it was still warm and the melting butter on top added a light sweetness.

"This is delicious. Thank you, Tamaki." She saw a second steaming cup next to the one he was drinking. The rich smell told her it was the black gold she'd gotten out of bed for. She usually didn't go for such a dark roast (she was a shameless fan of Starbucks' Blond Roast) but this morning required something stronger. Bunny still couldn't resist grimacing at the taste of the bitter coffee. "Where's everyone else?"

"Catching up on sleep. I don't think anyone felt right about sleeping through the night." Bunny avoided meeting his eyes as she took another sip. "Honey-senpai and I are the only early risers anyway, but even he needed to sleep in."

Bunny hummed in agreement, savoring what little was left of her scone. She was about to take the last bite when she noticed her friend's expression had become serious. "Tamaki? Is something—"

"Why didn't you tell us you couldn't swim?" Bunny paused, confused by his sudden mood change. The accusatory tone of his voice put her on the defensive right away.

"I'm sorry, Tamaki, I didn't realize my personal information was relevant. My blood type is A negative, in case you'd like to know that as well."

"That's not the same and you know it. I respect your privacy" —Bunny scoffed at this— "but that was relevant since we were going to a water park. You could have died!"

"How good of you to notice! Remind me again, what did you ask me before I was pushed in? But that was just a coincidence, right?"

"That's not fair—"

"What difference would it have made if I did say anything, hm? It's not like I've had much input anyway; everything is decided for me!"

"There had better be a damn good reason for this much noise this early in the morning." Kyoya's appearance halted their heated conversation for only a second before they began assailing him.

"She was being reckless, she should have told us—"

"I didn't have the chance; I can hardly speak before—"

One very sharp look was enough to silence them both.

"Tamaki, you know better than to upset Bunny so quickly after coming home from the hospital. She went through a lot yesterday, and she's right; you're not entirely blameless."

"But, Kyoya I—"

"And Bunny, you should have told us if you knew an activity we'd planned was potentially dangerous. We'd never knowingly put you in harm's way. Tamaki is right; that piece of information was relevant to the situation and could have saved us all from a great deal of frustration."

The two blondes felt thoroughly ashamed of themselves and it was difficult to tell whose face was more red. Bunny was the first to swallow her pride and apologize.

"Tamaki, I—"

"Bunny, I'm so sorry!" Tamaki nearly leapt on her, hugging her tighter than she cared for and rubbed his head on hers, tears flowing endlessly. "I'm so sorry for getting upset with you!"

"Tamaki!" He let go of her immediately. "Fractured ribs, Tamaki. Fractured. Ribs." Bunny clutched her side, glaring at him pointedly. "As I was trying to say, I'm sorry too. I'm sorry I lost my temper so quickly. Kyoya, I need to apologize to you too. I should have told you guys, it was really irresponsible of me."

"Thank you, Bunny." He turned to leave, but then she spoke again.

"But you really should loosen the reigns a bit."

Kyoya slowly turned back around and stared at her, incredulous.

"What did you say?" he said slowly.

"We're all on summer break! Isn't the point of a break to let loose a little, to not have a set schedule?"

"Some people" —Kyoya shot a pointed look at Tamaki— "don't know how to properly function in society without one. Planning is just good preparation."

"But if you make plans involving other people," Bunny countered, "wouldn't it be common decency to let them have a little input?"

"That introduces additional variables and complicates things unnecessarily. "

"Life is complicated, Kyoya." They stared each other down while Tamaki tried to hide behind his tiny paperback. Finally, Kyoya adjusted his glassed with a sigh.

"I suppose I could take your 'input' into consideration, seeing as you're slightly more responsible than certain people present."

"Hey!" Tamaki interjected. "I am very respons—"

"If the words 'I'm responsible' are about to come out of your mouth then I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to refrain from telling such lies so early in the morning."

Kyoya was just adding fuel to the fire at this point, intentional or not. Although let's be honest with each other, when doesn't Kyoya know what he's doing? Bunny didn't want another Tamaki meltdown so she asked about his book to distract him.

"It's a guidebook to all the TV dramas I've been missing! We've been so busy I haven't had the chance to keep up, but I saw this at the commoner's market and had to have it!"

Oh my God, he bought a freakin' TV Guide.

Tamaki began pointing out which shows were his favorites. They reminded Bunny of the soap operas that her grandmother used to watch, and had to tell Tamaki about them too. Occasionally she would try to read a bit of the book for herself, but it wasn't an easy task. Bunny was better at speaking foreign languages than she was at reading them.

It didn't take very long for Honey to wake up and join them, but he was silent while he ate the first half of his breakfast (three cupcakes, for anyone who was wondering). As he was starting on his fourth cupcake the twins were up as well and the group moved to the larger dining room table, just in time for Mori to join them.

Everyone was relatively quiet, by Host Club standards at least. Bunny was grateful for the peace; a little downtime was perfect. Breakfast went by much more quickly since there was no time wasted on bickering or fussing.

Well, there was no fussing at first.

"Why is everyone so quiet?" Hikaru complained. "Let's make some plans already; I'm bored."

"Most of us had later shifts than you did," Tamaki reminded him, "but if it's entertainment you're needing, I'm sure Mommy already has something planned for us to keep you out of trouble."

There was a certain amount of caffeine that Kyoya needed to consume before he could deal with the self-appointed King's antics, and he was about three espresso shots away from reaching it. He set his pen down and closed his notebook, smiling at his friend. A stranger might mistake it for a genuine one, but fool as Tamaki was, stranger he was not.

"Actually, Tamaki, I was thinking that I'd hand over the reigns to someone else today."

These were not the words anyone had expected to hear. Honey's cake fork clattered as it fell onto the plate. The twins' mouths hung open in shock. Mori furrowed his brow slightly more than usual.

Bunny sank into her seat, feeling like she was caught in the predatory gaze of a snake.

"S-surely you have something planned," she stammered.

"Why Bunny, I was about to say the same to you!" Kyoya replied with feigned surprise. "You were so passionate and confident earlier; I thought there had to be something on your mind."

Bunny wanted nothing more than to sink through the floor at that moment. She could feel each pair of eyes on her, waiting, demanding a decision.

It was too much.

Bunny stood up quickly, knocking over her thankfully empty coffee cup. Tamaki was the first to reach out to her.

"Bunny, what—"

"I'm going to my room. I just need to be alone for a while." She left quickly without giving anyone the chance to stop her. Honey tried to get up and follow her, but Mori stopped him with a shake of his head.

"What... the hell was that about?" Kaoru asked, almost afraid to break the silence. The boys all shared wide-eyed stares of confusion. Kyoya barely turned in his seat, eyes following the path Bunny had taken out.

oOo

Much later that night, when everyone should have been asleep, Kyoya was quietly making his way to Bunny's room. As much as he hated to admit it, especially to himself, he'd made an ass out of himself when he put Bunny on the spot, and was even being borderline cruel. "Borderline" was as far as he was willing to admit.

He hesitated outside her room, hand poised to knock on the locked door. What was he even doing here? He looked around the dark hallway, seemingly paranoid that someone was going to appear and ask him that very question. He shook his head as if trying to clear it of doubt. Whatever he was doing, which was no one's business but his own, he certainly wasn't apologizing. Apologies implied guilt, and Kyoya had no reason to feel guilty for his actions. He was aware, though, that his behavior had been... less than becoming of a welcoming host to a foreign guest. He simply wanted to clear up any misunderstandings, not apologize.

Oh, quit stalling already.

Kyoya knocked on the door firmly, but lightly enough to avoid waking the others. He could hear rustling on the other side, but the door didn't open. He knocked again, attempting to remain somewhat quiet.

"Bunny," he whispered. "It's Kyoya. I'd like to speak with you. Please." It was an afterthought, but still a thought nonetheless. He waited a few more moments, growing more agitated the longer the door remained closed. Exactly sixty seconds later he'd had enough.

"Fine then," he whispered rather loudly as his frustration got the better of him. "I'm going to bed, stay—"

The door opened a little more quickly and wider than he expected and promptly whacked him on the nose.

Kyoya bit back a swear and resisted the urge to massage his nose as he straightened his glasses. He began to admonish Bunny for opening the door a) so much later after he'd knocked, and b) so suddenly after seeming like she was ignoring him altogether, but her expression stopped him.

Or rather, it was her lack of expression.

All the tell-tale signs of crying were present—she was even still sniffling—but her red and swollen eyes were dull.

Kyoya had expected loud crying, or even yelling, as he'd grown accustomed to her passionate personality that she sometimes allowed to peek through. He had not expected this husk that stared blankly at him.

"Well?" she said flatly as he stood there.

"I... I wanted to say goodnight." He struggled to find his words and composure.

"You said it. Goodnight." She closed the door just as quickly as she'd opened it.

Kyoya stood alone in the dark, nonplussed. As he finally went back to his own room, one thought was on his mind.

Maybe it was time to call Haruhi.