Chapter 58: Photo Shoot!

"Koda-chan! Wait up!"

At the sound of her name, a short girl with chin-length black hair stopped in her tracks, turning around to spot her two friends running up behind her. She smiled widely as they approached, "Tsukuda-senpai! Sakane-senpai! What are you two doing here? Don't you have tennis practice in a few minutes?"

The taller of the two 3rd year students waved her hands in front of her, "That doesn't matter right now! Renge Hoshakuji just announced that the Host Club is doing a collaborative photo book! And all the photos will be based off of requests from their guests!"

Any thought on her next art project quickly dissipated from Koda's mind, "Wait, what? "

Sakane answered next, her classmate too busy squealing and jumping around to speak, "One of Tamaki's guests showed him a sketch she made of the twins and confessed that she would love to have an actual picture of them recreating her drawing. So now there's a notice on the club's doors saying that if we want to offer suggestions for their photo book, we just have to write out which hosts we want in the photo, and then either a description or a drawing or another photo for them to create and deliver them to Hoshakuji-san."

"It's going to be so amazing!" Tsukuda looked to be on the verge of hyperventilating, "I have so many shots I want to see! Mori-san putting Honey-kun down for a nap… Haruhi and Tamaki together… more Jin photos! She doesn't even have her own photo book out yet!" The blond pouted, ignoring the way her friends were snickering behind their hands. "What about you two?"

Koda shrugged, "I'd like to see more KyoJin content, to be honest."

"I know…"

The girls giggled a little before their third friend cleared her throat, "Actually… I wouldn't mind seeing more of Kyoya being jealous of the other Hosts."

When Koda and Tsukuda went silent, Sakane found herself blushing, "Look, I ship KyoJin with all my heart, just like you two, but… watching their movie and the blooper reel I couldn't help but think that Kyoya was just so adorable being all huffy and protective around Jin and the various crushes she had. I'd like to see some more... Tumblr gifs can only sustain me for so long."

"You know…" Koda nodded, "You're right. I want to see more of that, too. Kyoya used to be very closed off and emotionless in class before he and Jin became a thing. And the jealousy towards Beni-san was priceless."

"Do you think they'll take requests for Kyoya acting jealous?"

"Probably. But I kinda want it to be authentic… I have a feeling that if Kyoya was asked to pretend to be jealous he'd tone down his usual reaction."

Tsukuda stopped bouncing around and turned to her friends with a sneaky grin on her face, "You're absolutely right, Koda-chan. But since we're giving the suggestions to Hoshakuji-san… I have an idea on how to get those photos.

* The Next Day *

"Alright everyone, circle up!" Renge sharply blew into a whistle hanging around her neck before glaring at the host club as they slowly approached her.

Jin slid up next to her boyfriend and gently nudged his arm, " Do you think she's still mad about when we made the movie? "

" Undoubtedly. "

The two stopped at the edge of a lopsided circle just as Renge lifted her clipboard, "Alright, we have a full day of shooting today, and if for some reason you all can't behave like normal people , we might have to wrap it up on Sunday. But I would very much appreciate if we didn't have to do that. Clear?"

"Crystal~"

The girl glared heatedly at the Hitachiins before returning to her clipboard, "I selected the top fifty photos requested from the guests to put into the photobook. Jin-senpai-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, help out the lighting crew-"

"-you're in more than half of them so I need you to be on top of your game, today."

Jin paused for a moment, staring at the other girl in incomprehension, "...I'm what now?" She was the only one in their little group of nine who seemed surprised by the manager's statement. Kyoya smirked slightly at the girl's confusion, slipping an arm around her waist to give her a brief squeeze of encouragement.

"Seems that your popularity has skyrocketed, Darling."

"Or maybe it's because Kyoya-senpai never put together a photobook for you."

The ravenet glared at the twins as Jin groaned, her head falling back, "Because I asked him not too. I don't need a photobook. I'm not a host!"

"Well, in all technicalities-"

"Don't you start on that again." Jin sighed but moved her head to lean it against the boy's shoulder, raising an eyebrow at the French girl, "Fine. I'm assuming I'm with Kyoya for most of them?"

Renge pretended to consult her clipboard once again, the perfect front for hiding her smirk, "Actually… not at all. KyoJin only has five photos. You have a lot of requests just as yourself and with the other hosts."

"Come again?"

"Report to makeup, gentlemen and ladies. Big day ahead of us!" And with that, she turned around and marched towards the other side of the room, trying to not make it too obvious how she was enjoying knowing something that Kyoya Ootori did not.

Because while the host club didn't know it, one of them was already being photographed.

Kyoya didn't speak out loud again until forty minutes after the first photograph was taken. He was staring at the set in front of him, a kitchen countertop along with a fake stove top and one of the club room's windows just in the shot. Across the counters were various splotches of flour and chocolate powder, as well as a chocolate-batter-covered whisk. Jin was standing on set, listening politely as she was handed a bowl of fake chocolate cake batter and a wooden spoon.

"...I am still not sure what to make of this development."

He had intended for his statement to go unnoticed, hoping that speaking his thoughts out loud might help work out the possibilities in his head. Unfortunately, the twins had crept up behind him, just finished with their costume change for their next photo.

The brothers glanced at each other before inching closer to their senpai. Both of them looked a little too pleased considering the topic.

"Which part of this is so confusing to you, Kyoya-senpai?"

"We thought it was obvious that Jin-nēchan's fan base had grown since the video release-"

"-or were you talking about how her fanbase ships her with people other than you?"

Kyoya's dark eyes narrowed a little bit as he pondered whether to respond to the twin's jabs at all. As he weighed the options in his head, he watched as his girlfriend was told to swipe a chocolate-covered thumb across her cheek, despite how her nose scrunched in discomfort. The effect of the mess was cute, of course, as was the slightly messy apron and bowl of cake mix in her hands, but Kyoya was a bit to preoccupied with the twin's statements to truly appreciate it.

Because those happened to be his exact thoughts.

" He hasn't responded… "

" Does that mean we're right? "

The ravenet rolled his eyes, "Not at all. And don't you two have your own photos to take?"

Before the twins could answer, the camera in front of them went off once again, "I think that's all we need for that one! Hitachiin's!"

The redheads grinned at their senpai before bounding on stage. A flurry of make-up artists rushed all three teenagers, Jin audibly sighing in relief as the drying gunk was scrubbed off her face. Kyoya watched with his jaw clenched tightly as she was presented with a tube of bright red lipstick and told to apply it liberally. He turned away just as she was instructed to kiss the twin's cheeks, in order to leave very prominent lip marks.

I'm taking her out for a lunch date today.

Little did he know, that just off to his left Renge was quietly directing another photographer who had their own camera going off again and again in the same direction as the moping boy. Both with playful smirks on their faces as the plan played out perfectly.

* Time Skip *

"Last photo! Fujioka-san and Ootori-san, front and center, please!"

Jin let out a deep sigh as she once again stood on a fake grassy field. For a moment she remained still, then quickly bent down to yank off her shoes. It wasn't like they would make or break the photo anyways, and her feet were killing her.

Another sigh escaped as her heels were removed and thrown off set, toes curling into the grass beneath her feet. She hadn't remembered it being this soft earlier during the other photos, and especially not when she'd been forced to lie on her back for the "couple's yoga" photo with Honey.

The pose had been fun, considering that's what she and the small blond had done when they were younger as well, but the back of her neck hadn't been happy with the incessant tickling. At least the clothes she'd been given had been comfortable. Better than the stupid neko cosplay she'd been given. That had been uncomfortable in many senses of the word. She hadn't thought any of her outfits could be worse.

Of course, she had been wrong.

Jin unhappily pulled at her blue sundress, which clung uncomfortably at her skin. The heavy and wet material pulled at her skin, making it very awkward to walk and move around. Groaning as she pulled the dress upwards again to cover the tops of her breasts, the brunette simultaneously tucked a lock of her wet hair behind her ear, forcing herself not to shiver from the cold..

Her only consolation was that this time she did not have to suffer alone. Just then, an equally wet Kyoya approached her on set and the photographer began gesturing at them, prompting them to move closer.

"Ootori-san, if you could wrap your arms around Fujioka-san's waist… just like that! Okay, and Fujioka-san, hands on his chest- perfect! Hold that position."

She began to position the cameras to angle towards the couple, ignoring the soft giggles coming from the two. In the middle of the fake grass, Kyoya ducked his head slightly, "So, which was your favorite photo today?"

Jin smirked, "Are you going to pout if I say it wasn't one with you?"

"I would do no such thing."

"Mm-hm. Well, lucky for you, it was 'The Kiss'."

"Which one?"

Jin lightly smacked his chest, "Smartass. You know damn well what I meant. The black and white photo."

"Hm," Kyoya gently squeezed his arms around her, pulling her completely flush against his chest, "And why was that your favorite?"

"Because I'm positive you kept messing up to just to keep kissing me." The brunette pushed herself onto her toes for a split second, planting a small kiss on the boy's nose before pulling back, "And you looked so cute with that lil' sailor's cap."

"I'll get you for that."

"Alright! Focus! Cue the rain!"

From high above the couple, a young man pressed a button on his impromptu catwalk and a sheet of raindrops fell in a straight line between the camera and the two teenagers. Without needing to be prompted, Jin rose to her toes again, gently pressing her forehead against the ravenet's.

The camera lights blinked rapidly for a few seconds before Kyoya winked and tilted his head a little, connecting their lips. There was a brief coo from the photographer before she went back to work, trying to capture as many angles as she could. By the time she called for the rain to stop, Jin's right foot had popped off the ground, Kyoya all but lifting her off her feet.

Renge let out a sigh of relief, "That's a wrap! Everybody pack up!"

Multiple conversations simultaneously broke out around the music room as the photographer's employees began taking down the different sets and equipment in earnest, no longer needing to keep it down. Back on the grass, Jin was reluctantly eased back onto her own two feet, the couple pulling apart ever so slightly.

" I think I just got a new favorite. "

Kyoya smiled slightly, pecking Jin's lips once again, " I'd be tempted to say the same… but my favorite still remains to be the one you took with Haruhi. " He was, of course, referring to a cute little picture where Jin hugged Haruhi from behind, the sisters beaming at the camera like they couldn't think of anywhere else they'd rather be than with each other. The girls had already decided that they'd get a copy of that particular picture for their dad to put in his wallet.

The answer was so sweet, Jin couldn't help but kiss him once again.

" SOOOO CUUUUUUTE!!! "

Music Room #3 was in chaos.

Jin yelped and jumped up onto a nearby chair just to avoid being trampled on by a fresh wave of guests running towards Renge's booth. She climbed down once they passed and ran across the room, placing the slice of cake in front of Honey before collapsing on the couch beside him.

"I am not doing that again. You'd think the girls would know that we have to be alive if they want more photobooks."

"I dunno, Jin-nēchan…"

"These ones look like our best ones yet."

"They might not ever need new ones."

Hikaru and Kaoru were perched on the armrests on either side of the couch, flipping through two photobooks they had "borrowed" from Renge's stand while the girl wasn't looking. Every so often Hikaru would shift the page to let Mori view it over his shoulder, then again so Honey could see it. Haruhi and Tamaki were peering over Kaoru's shoulders.

Jin straightened up in her seat a little, spotting Kyoya across the room attempting to rally the new guests into a straight line least Renge lose her cool and just throw the books at the crowd for free. The professional photographer they'd hired hadn't been cheap!

She smiled before glancing at the photos in Kaoru's book. He was near the middle of the collection, Mori's featured photograph in the top right corner. To add a little more value to the photobooks, each of the hosts had chosen a 'favorite' to feature on every other page, with a short explanation as to why. The photo Mori had chosen was one of him and Jin cosplaying as Sherlock and Watson, the BBC version. Apparently after the game where Jin made the boys figure out her fandoms he had checked out the show 'Sherlock' and became addicted.

Jin had most definitely cackled like a madman when she discovered this. In her opinion, there was nothing more satisfying than passing on your obsession to your friends.

"I still can't believe you favorited the 'Mob Boss' photo, Boss."

"Hey! It's not about a Mob Boss!"

Hikaru raised an eyebrow and lifted his page, which showed Tamaki's favorited photograph, "Are you sure? Because you're in a pinstripe suit and Jin-nēchan is in a dark dress and it's in black and white. Looks pretty 'American Mob Boss from the early 20's' to me."

"That's… oddly specific…" Jin commented before turning back to the chaos on the other side of the room. All of the guests who had already purchased their photobooks were riffling through them like they might hold the secrets of the universe, clutching and squealing and a few using the walls and pillars for support.

I'll never understand the girls at this school.

Just as she was about to turn her attention back to the pictures in the redhead's hands… her eyes caught onto something. Jin stared at one of the girls who was hurrying to join her screaming friends, unsure as to what had captured her attention… when she saw it again.

The girl was holding two different photobooks.

Pushing herself to the edge of her couch cushion, the brunette's eyes zipped around the room, spotting the different photobooks all around.

"Guys… why is Renge selling two different photobooks to the guests?"

A brief silence met her question before the twins were bolting across the room towards Renge's stand. Through the crowds the remaining hosts watched as the twins and the manager seemed to argue about something before Hikaru dove over the stand to grab at something just beneath the desk. Renge shouted something at the boy, but it was too late.

He and Kaoru raced back to their friends on the couch, and Renge was too busy dealing with fangirls to chase after them.

The twins collapsed on either side of Jin, Kaoru once again reclaiming his armrest. Allowing them to catch their breath, the brunette glanced at the photobook in Hikaru's hand. Yep, it was definitely different from the one they were already familiar with, because this one… had Kyoya on the front, only. And he was glaring at something to his left that you couldn't see in the picture.

Jin's eyebrows rose in surprise when she read the title.

"Green with envy for a green rose"

What?

Shifting into a more comfortable position, Hikaru flipped open the book, the host club gathering around to peek inside. Tamaki took once glance before he started laughing. The others soon joined in.

"No wonder Jin took so many photos without Kyoya! It was to get content for this photobook!"

"Do you think this was another request and he just gave too much content?"

Jin was giggling, even though her cheeks were bright red with a blush, "Have you read some of these captions? ' Being told Jin was going to be in couple's photos without him. ' ' Watching Tamaki present Jin with a red rose. ' ' Dragging Jin off to a 'private' lunch date, complete with bodyguards to keep the others away. ' ' Off camera canoodling '? Who came up with these?"

"With what?"

All seven of the hosts jumped, but not even Kyoya's curious stare could keep them from giggling still. Haruhi was the one who snatched the photobook out of her classmate's hand and hand it to the ravenet, her brown eyes gleaming with just a little too much amusement than was probably necessary.

Said amusement only heightened among the group as the Vice President started flipping through the photobook, his eyes narrowing and page flips increasing in speed the more he saw. Finally, her snapped the thing shut and spun around.

"Renge? I believe you have some explaining to do."

"I won't be explaining anything . You're the one with the jealousy issues, Kyoya-senpai!"

The rest of the hosts burst out laughing once more, Kaoru falling off the couch as he did so. Kyoya turned around to glare at them, the words 'shut up' already on his tongue when he was interrupted with a pair of lips against his. It was only a quick peck, but it calmed the boy down quicker than he would've liked to admit.

His girlfriend met his gaze, lips curled in an amused yet soft smile, "Did it really bother you that much to see me kissing the other's cheeks? Do you not trust us?"

Her tone was teasing, and yet Kyoya could still detect the seriousness behind the questions, and he sighed, looping his arms around her waist, "I do trust you, of course, but that doesn't mean I like sharing your romantic affection. Your sibling affections and friend affections are fine…" Jin squeaked softly as he suddenly pulled her close, replicating their last photograph from the weekend, "... but your romantic affections are for me. As are your kisses. "

Not even caring that the guests were probably watching, or how Haruhi was probably pretending to be sick behind her back, Jin slipped her arms around her boyfriend's neck, her fingers toying with a few of the hairs on the back of his neck, " Hmm… I suppose you do have a point. Does that mean I owe you something for each of those kisses and 'romantic'-like photos from Saturday? "

" It does, though I'm sure a simple payment plan could be arranged… "

"Hey, Nēchan? Could you maybe wait until after club activities before making out with your boyfriend? Preferably somewhere where I don't have to watch? "

Jin rolled her eyes and went to pull away, but before she could, Kyoya maneuvered her into a slight dip, forcing her to tighten her grip on his shoulders.

"If you don't wish to watch, Haruhi, you could always shut your eyes."

The older Fujioka would've laughed if it weren't for the following kiss.