Chapter 2 Puppy Eyes

The next thing Aaron knew, the beach paradise was gone. He was lying on a comfortable couch in what looked to be a changing room. There was a pillow beneath his head, and one beneath his foot- the foot that had turned, the one he felt gentle hands on as an ice pack was slipped beneath it.

After the whirling and flirting, it was too much. Aaron jolted upright, pulling his foot roughly out of those gentle hands despite the pain it caused. He curled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. Surrounded by concerned, staring eyes, Aaron felt his face get hot again as he grew twitchier with every passing moment, until he snapped. "I'm not a zoo animal," he snarled.

Kris blinked his blue-black eyes, and then laughed. The other boys looked puzzled by what must have been an uncharacteristic outburst. "Of course not. If you were, we would have been forced to pay to stare at you."

The other boys made desperate gestures over the back of the couch that Aaron saw perfectly well. Despite their confidence that Kris would offend Aaron, the boy's mouth quirked up into a reluctant smile. "Right... so how about I let you go on that one, and we forget about the whole painting incident?" he offered hopefully.

Kris wasn't the only one to laugh that time. "I hardly think anybody pays thirty thousand dollars to go to the zoo," Roman scoffed, leaning against the back of the couch. It put him uncomfortably close to Aaron, who immediately tried to move away- only to have Kris push him back down.

"Sit still, you idiot," the raven-haired boy snapped. Aaron gaped at him, shocked by his boldness, and Kris rolled his eyes, "There's a reason we moved you from the Lounge to the side room. Since it's partially your fault, the least you could do is sit still for a few minutes!"

"My fault?" Aaron repeated, affronted. Whatever had happened between the twin's declaration and when he woke up on the couch couldn't possibly be his fault.

One of the twins, the one who hadn't suggested they adopt Aaron, frowned at him. "Yes, your fault. You're the one running around in August in a heavy sweatshirt without a water bottle. You were dehydrated."

"Of course, it couldn't have helped much when I spun you around the room," Roman ducked his head sheepishly, "But come on! If you were wearing the uniform like everybody else, this wouldn't be a problem!"

Aaron opened his mouth to protest, to ask how he could have possibly worn a uniform he couldn't afford to boy. He realized the danger of the statement, and snapped his mouth shut fast enough to make his teeth click together painfully. Aaron rested his chin on his knees and just glared at them all, wishing he was anywhere but there- especially with Kris's knowing eyes on him, seeing right through all of his secrets.

"You don't have a uniform, do you?" Marcus spoke up. It was obvious by the other boys' reactions that he didn't speak often, but apparently it was important when he did.

The host boys all stared at Aaron again, and he fidgeted under the weight of their combined gazes. "Of course I do. I just... decided not to wear it today," Aaron's excuse was weak and faltering- he had never been a very good spontaneous liar. Pity filtered into the other boys' eyes, and Aaron felt his face turning red again- this time because they made him angry. He hated pity, from the bottom of his heart, because he had been on the receiving end of more than enough in the last few months.

Aaron pushed himself to his feet, and that time nobody tried to stop him. He wobbled dizzily for a moment before regaining even footing. He fully planned on dramatically storming out in a huff and never seeing them again. It seemed, however, that it wasn't meant to be; when he tried to leave, he was yanked back like a dog on a chain. Aaron turned his head to find Kris's hand tangled in the back of his sweatshirt, holding him back.

"What the hell?" Aaron seethed.

Kris let go of the boy so he could turn around and met his glare with his cool, dark eyes. "You don't get to leave yet," he said, his calm smile a sharp contrast to Aaron's angry scowl. "We still haven't figured out how you're going to pay for that painting you fell through."

"It's your fault! You guys are the ones who left it lying around! Who in their right mind uses a painting to cover speakers?" Aaron protested, crossing his arms over his chest.

The twins looked in opposite directions, trying to seem innocent, while Roman opened his mouth to yell at them again. Kris spoke quickly, before another useless argument could start. "Nonetheless, it's your head that went through the painting, and you're the one that will have to pay for it."

"I'm not paying for your damn painting!" Aaron exploded. Even Kris looked startled.

Kris covered up his surprise with a sad sigh. "Alright, we'll have it your way. I'll go tell the dean what happened and he'll have to pay for it," Kris's expression morphed to calculated concern, "Of course, thirty thousand dollars is just over the cost for tuition. I imagine the dean will take the money to pay for the painting from your scholarship- which means it will go void. You'll have to pay for the tuition out of pocket... or you'll be expelled."

"No, please..." Aaron cut himself short, biting down on his bottom lip.

Kris knew how much that would affect the boy. Aaron had worked hard to get into Sherwood. His test scores had been higher even than Kris's, the highest in the school. And Kris knew that if the boy couldn't even afford a uniform, it was highly unlikely he would ever be able to afford the twenty five thousand dollar tuition bill. So threatening to pull his scholarship was the perfect ploy, made even more effective by the secret that had spurred Aaron into switching from the public school where he had spent the first three years of high school- a secret that Kris had already figured out.

Aaron looked to the other boys, hoping one of them would help him. Marcus and the twins were watching, the latter with avid interest, but showed no signs of interceding. Aaron flicked his eyes to Roman, who looked torn. Taking advantage of the boy's internal struggle, Aaron did something he hadn't in a very long time- he used his looks, pushing out his bottom lip in a pout and widening his eyes, refusing to blink so his eyes would shine while they watered.

Roman was strangely affected by the boy's puppy eyes. He shifted as his heart squeezed. Swallowing hard, he tried to look away, but his eyes were always pulled back to Aaron. Despite extensive experience ignoring the same expression from Kris's three adorable little sisters, there was something about that particular pair of eyes that pried at his heart. He didn't last more than a minute before he caved, pushing out an aggravated sigh. "Come on, Kris, there's got to be some other way this kid can pay off his debt."

Kris glanced at Roman, surprised. Despite Roman's need to make everybody happy, he hadn't expected him to be the first to break. He thought it would be Marcus, whose eyes were soft as he watched Aaron's bottom lip quiver, or the twins- despite their current enthrallment with Aaron's pleading eyes, they would have been eager for a new plaything. After all, it was Benji who had suggested the plan.

Kris brought his gaze back to Aaron, and even he found himself a bit entranced; unlike the other boys, he knew exactly why the boy affected him so much. "Fine," Kris said, doing his best to sound put out, "I won't tell the dean if he works for us until the end of the year. That means he does whatever we tell him to."

Aaron let his pleading expression drop, and Roman was finally free to look away. Aaron took his time to think it over, chewing on his bottom lip until the coppery taste of his blood tainted his mouth. "Nothing sexual, though."

The other boys looked appalled Aaron would think they'd demand something like that from a boy, but Kris laughed again. "I can't make any promises," he teased, and Roman made a choking sound that had both Aaron and Kris grinning. Kris offered his hand to Aaron, an expectant look in his eyes, "Do we have a deal, then?"

"We do," Aaron took Kris's hand and shook it firmly before quickly withdrawing- he wasn't going to risk being whirled between the boys again.

The twins cheered and high-fived, covering their confusion over how Aaron had affected them with matching, mischievous smiles that made them impossible to tell apart. "You'll have so much fun with us!" one of them said, winking at the host club's newest member.

Aaron responded with a hesitant smile, adjusting his glasses. "So what exactly does working for you entail?"

"I have no idea yet," Kris admitted, "But you'll find out tomorrow. Be here halfway through your third class. If you give this pass to the teacher, he'll let you out."

Kris handed Aaron a hand-written note he had retrieved from the low coffee table that sat in front of the sofa. It was signed by the dean, dated with the time. And the time was from right after the first class.

What it meant was that?Kris had been planning for exactly that moment from their first class together, and he'd gotten exactly what he wanted; Aaron had played into his hands without even realizing it. Aaron met Kris's eyes, and a mixture of dread and anticipation filled him when he saw the boy's sly, secretive smile.

This was going to be a very interesting year.