The second class of the day was relatively uneventful. Kris made a point of sitting next to Aaron again, as if solidifying the host club's claim on him. It only made the rumors worse; Aaron even heard a few whispers about what a cute couple they would make. Kris didn't help matters any, talking through the entire lecture until Aaron snapped at him loud enough for the teacher to glare at him. Aaron bitterly noticed his discomfort amused Kris, who fell into gales of laughter muffled only by his hand over his mouth. Aaron had to fight the urge to kick the boy.
Aaron's third class was the only one where he had any peace. The novelty of his change in appearance had quickly worn off, and he was ready to snap; after finding out there was a host boy in every one of his classes the day before, Aaron was afraid this one would push him over the edge. However, his third class was the one he shared with Marcus, who seemed perfectly content sitting in the corner, stonily silent, while the girls swooned over him. It was perfect for Aaron, who was delighted to be able to focus on calculus.
In the middle of class, Marcus abruptly stood up and left the room without a word. The teacher didn't pause in her lecture, but Aaron was shocked; at a public school, a student could have been suspended for something like that. At Sherwood, nobody seemed to care. At least, not until Aaron stood up as well, walking to the front of he room and handing over the dean's note.
The teacher's eyebrows rose, and she looked at Aaron with disbelief. "First a scholarship student, and now a host boy. If I ever meet somebody more set on over-achieving, I'll eat my shoes."
Murmuring filled the room in response to the teacher's statement. Aaron's startling makeover had been bad enough- now he was suddenly part of the host club, and it was only his second day of school. The other students weren't quite as dumb as they seemed, and quickly figured out Aaron's new looks were courtesy of the host club. The other boys fumed, having been passed over time and again only to have them take on the messy nerd and attempt to make him into a gentleman. The girls were breathless with excitement, wondering what host club president had seen in the boy; obviously he was good-looking, especially having swapped his glasses for contacts, but there had to be something more.
They all had one thought in common, despite their differences, they would all be keeping a close eye on Aaron; nobody was given a spot in the host club, home of the school's most popular and attractive boys, without a very good reason.
Aaron scampered out of the room as quickly as possible. He might have once enjoyed being the talk of the school, but now he couldn't stand being the center of attention. He much preferred the hallway, so empty his footsteps echoed off the walls.
The solitude was nice while it lasted, but it was too good to be true. "Are you going to stand there all day, puppy?" A familiar voice shattered Aaron's inner debate over running away while he still had the chance. Aaron looked sideways to see one of the twins leaning against the wall, his leg cocked up and his hands in his jacket pockets.
Aaron gave the boy his fiercest scowl. "I'm not a puppy."
"Whatever you say," said another voice- the same, really, with just the slightest hint of softness. Aaron wasn't surprised to see the second twin join his brother. When they smirked at him, there was no way to know which one of them was Benji, and which was Harry.
"How do people tell you two apart?" Aaron asked, honestly curious.
Apparently is the wrong thing to say. The first twin's expression turned stony, a fire dancing in his eyes and his mouth set in a thin line. The other twin just looked sad, like he'd watch somebody run over his dog. "They don't," he said softly.
The first twin pushed away from the wall and stormed through the door to the Lounge. Aaron stared after him, puzzled, wondering why the boy had reacted so badly to such a simple question.
"Don't worry about Benji. He's got a temper to match that red hair of his," the remaining twin breezed, though his eyes were tight with concern for his brother.
Aaron let his frown fade and turned to the twin. "If he's Benji, then you must be Harry," he said with as bright a smile as he could muster.
"And you must be Aaron, the beast I made into a prince and Kris's new pet project," Harry rolled his eyes as if to say 'well, duh'.
Aaron's face heated as he vividly remembered Harry's hands in his hair, and brushing against his chest. Frowning, he shoved the thought away, focusing instead on, "Pet project?"
"Of course. We're all his pet projects, even Roman. Kris thinks he can fix all our problems," Harry confided.
Aaron wrinkled his nose. "I don't have any problems," he said, a bald-faced lie. Aaron had plenty of problems, but he didn't have any inclination to share them, much less anybody else make a mess trying to solve them.
Harry gave the boy a knowing look. "There's no use lying; we all have problems, or we wouldn't be here."
Aaron made a face and looked away, but after a moment he looked up at Harry. The way unruly chunks of hair had fallen into his melted chocolate eyes made Harry's heart flutter, but Aaron's words quickly distracted him. "So what's your problem? Lack of a soul?"
"Oh, you brought the hair color into it. I'm wounded!" Harry pouted, pulling on his red-orange hair.
Aaron worked hard to keep his expression somber, but he cracked and laughed along with the other boy. It was the second time that day Aaron had been able to relax, the first when Harry worked his fingers through his hair, and it was almost enough to worry him. Almost. He eyed the other boy, playing with the stitches on his bag. "Are you going to tell me what your problem is, or keep distracting me?"
Harry grinned at the other boy. "I would tell you... but then I'd have to kill you."
Aaron rolled his eyes, but couldn't keep himself from laughing again. "Thanks, Harry, that's really helpful."
"Don't worry, you'll figure it out eventually," Harry leaned in close, a sly smile on his face, and whispered in the other boy's ear, "If you're clever enough."
Aaron swallowed hard, shutting his eyes tightly in an attempt to block out the sensations the other boy's breath washing across his skin caused. Harry pulled back slightly, grinning when he saw Aaron's eyes had closed. Then his eyes dipped down, and his breath faltered slightly as he began to lean in again. Aaron could smell something sweet on Harry's breath, and a shiver of anticipation ran through him.
"Hey you two, are you coming in or are you going to lounge in the hallway until Judgment Day rolls around?" Benji's voice shattered the fragile expectation in the air.
Aaron, startled, jumped away from Harry. He turned his head to see Benji peeking out the door, looking slightly suspicious as he took in Aaron's flushed face and guilty expression.
"Hold your horses, we're coming," Harry sighed. Aaron was just as disappointed, but quickly reminded himself there was no reason to be. In fact, it was better this way. Benji went back into the room, leaving the two boys alone again.
"After you," Harry said grandly, reaching over Aaron's head to push the door open. It put him far too close to Aaron, who quickly ducked under his arm, rushing into the East Lounge to begin his first day as a pet project.
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