"Jun." You greeted cordially, smiling even though all Jun had on was another fake smile—one that you longed to punch out of his face.

"[Name]." He sighed. "Why are you back so late?"

"Why don't you ask your council members?" You shot back, turning off the lights, leaving you two drenched in darkness—before you felt a slight rustle and the lights were turned on again. "They are bickering about some stuff now."

Jun frowned. "Who are you even talking about?"

"At the basketball court," you said simply, "Kaen. Inei—anyways, it's utterly irrelevant. You don't need to know about any of those, so..."

Jun rolled his eyes, before he settled back at his desk. You were deeply surprised to see him still up at such an ungodly hour—he was extremely studious, just like how he looked. He was poring over several textbooks, flipping through them with impressive concentration. You glanced over, seeing how one of his papers was still empty.

"Why are you ogling me like that?" Jun scowled, "tell me what it says, then." He jabbed at the blank piece of paper—it was clearly intended to be a mockery. Because a blank piece of paper was obviously not able to be read aloud.

Instead, you squinted at it. Your mother taught you the intricacies of secret messages, and you learned there was the kettle method where you ironed out a piece of paper and words would appear, and the orange method. There was no scent indicating any of those, so you assumed it really was a blank piece of paper.

But you didn't let it deter you and picked up the paper with exaggerated detail.

"Hey, I think I know what this says," you grinned.

"What?"

"It says...oh!" You snapped your fingers. "For you to stop being a jerk and to actually be cordial to me. You know, since you barely know me and your smiles have been nothing but fake?"

Jun glared at you and snatched the paper out of your hands. He really longed for the day he would see you miserable...

"Seriously though, what the fuck did I even so wrong?" You muttered under your breath, "low blow. It's not like I even blew up any of your mansions..."

Last time you really did blow up someone's house (that person was running away from life imprisonment) and up to now the whole family still hated you. You supposed it was justified though.

"Beat me in the exams," Jun said, which surprised you, "then you will earn my respect."

Isn't that kind of easy, though? You wondered. Oh, maybe Jun was being nice! He was trying to offer you a chance...

"Sure," you nodded your head, yawning. "Challenge accepted."

Surprise flickered briefly in Jun's eyes as he registered this. You had accepted. You. The foolish, easy going person who...

"No. Let's make it a bet," Jun snarled, "I can't be the only one incurring losses. If I beat you, you will do whatever I want. You will listen to whatever I say." His tone was sharp, challenging, and genuine.

You could feel his hate simmering and boiling—targeted towards you.

"Fine." You sighed. "Happy now? Gosh, if a simple bet was all that you needed to at least talk to me, then I would have done it way sooner..."

"You haven't even started revision yet, and you're behind on classes because you kept getting hurt."

"Yup," you popped the 'p', glancing at him. "And who's fault do you think it is? Your fellow council members."

Your eyes could discern the split second that Jun hesitated—the way his hands hovered over the piece of paper, pen posed and lingering in the air—before that was the telling rustling of paper that told you that he was pretending not to be fazed. But unluckily for him, you had been trained to capture people's expressions in the briefest of moments. So despite what he was trying to do, it was a confirmation.

Everything thus far...had been because of the council members who seemed to have some sort of...vendetta against you? Some seemed personal, some just seemed off. Like they were simply carrying out a plan, going through the motions.

"Just shut up."

"Aw, you're so affectionate." You said, your time infuriatingly polite—to the point it was bland and controlled—"what colorful language. Do you have feelings for me?"

Now this triggered a reaction. Jun turned back towards you, looking incredibly annoyed. He was the kind of person that only seemed more handsome when agitated—from the way his eyebrows furrowed, the muscles in his arm rippled, his gaze. His gaze was smoldering. Did he work out? His body was well-defined...

"Feelings for you? Yes. Feelings of pure contempt and disgust."

"Wow," you hummed, "you could really be a poet. I hate you so much I want to kiss your full, sweet lips, stain them with the honeyed essence of my own, feel your breaths mingle with mine...need I continue?"

Jun had a tortured expression on his face. He didn't need to know that you had just lifted it from a joonghyuk/dokja fic that you had written online at a03 a few years ago.

"Please don't," he made a strangled sound.

"Don't worry, I'll be on my best behavior," you shrugged. "Don't worry."

Jun didn't look convinced, and you merely yawned, diving into your covers.

Tiredness lulled you to sleep, as did the soft tune of Stuck with You playing in your ears when you plugged in your earplugs.

So go ahead and drive me insane

Baby, run your mouth

I still wouldn't change being stuck with you

.

.

—

.

.

"I...was not expecting you here." You blinked your eyes.

The council members just kept appearing one after another. You had yet to meet one last member, and you hadn't seen Saito or Daichi in a pretty long time. You still had a massive bone to pick with Saito—he had framed you, hadn't he? Now, if Arata was here, perhaps he would have brainstormed some ideas with you...

"You ran away last time." Inei looked at you through his unfairly long lashes, "why?"

"Should we really have this conversation while I'm still dressed in my pajamas? And I haven't had my breakfast." You grabbed the closest excuse you had, even though you knew it was flimsy.

Inei held up a bag of...bagels? Dammit. He knew your weakness. There was a vaguely amused expression on his face.

"Get in," you sighed, opening the door. "Jun's out, but make it quick."

"Don't you think we have a lot to catch up on?"

You paused, letting your hair fall in front of your eyes, making your vision slightly obscured. But still, you saw the flash of disappointment in his eyes. You never knew he was one to talk a lot.

"You were quiet as a kid. You minced sentences."

"Of course I was. I was too lazy to do anything," Inei stepped inside the room, lounging on the floor in a similar fashion compared with the past—"well, i'm still lazy, but you get my point."

You sprawled next to him, chewing absentmindedly on the food he had brought you. It had cheese and ham inside; and you realized Inei still remembered every bit, very inch of you. Every contour. And it made you even more guilty that you only now remembered his name. The memories were coming in dribs and drabs. Your favorite snack, your peeves, your...

So Inei was the first council member to know your past. You wondered if he would tell the others.

You glanced at him.

There was so much to uncover really—you wondered if he still hated carrots with his flawed logic that it tasted like the earth, you wondered how he had been after his mother's death; he had loved her, had he not? You wondered a million things about him; his little habits; his small quirks.

"You look like you are disconnecting from reality." Was what you said instead.

Inei looked lazily at you. He didn't move a single bit and instead stared at the ceiling. Like he always did when you two were young. Things between the two of you were still flaky, to be honest.

"Well, can't spell disconnecting without disco...let's dance." You said loftily. When you didn't get an answer but instead got a friendly jab to the side, you laughed.

The ice was broken. A teeny bit.

"You haven't changed a bit." Inei murmured softly.

"Is that a good thing or bad thing?"

Inei didn't answer, instead raising his eyebrow at you.

"Okay, okay." You shook your head, "I'm sorry. It is a pretty douchebag move for me to just...forget. Life got in the way, and...oh, wait, have you met Terry yet?"

The snake pulled its head out of the pocket.

"No, but I've heard of it." Inei looked warily at Terry, though it wasn't a look of disgust. It was merely curiosity, mixed with understandable skepticism. "The one responsible for the infamous snake bite of Tanaka, right? How much trouble have you cost, really? Getting a snake, getting bit by a snake, getting a student to be bit by a snake, burning the lab down, pouring acetone into someone's drink..."

"Damn that Tanaka," you cursed. "Should have sown his mouth shut."

"I'll pretend I never heard that."

"Good." You smiled at him. "You didn't change either. You're as...I don't know—as easy-going, I suppose. Do you still want to be a civil worker when you grow up?"

"If I make it to such an old age." Inei said lazily, "living is tiring."

"So you are the same."

"Just eat your bagel."

"Shutting me up with food—reminds me a lot of the last time." You took another bite of the bagel. Still warm, thank goodness. You didn't know the brand, but you did know from the expensive labeling and crest that it was probably some premium hard to get ones. The dough was soft, fluffy, light, everything was balanced to perfection and delighted your tastebuds.

You felt warm towards Inei for that very gesture.

"Hmm." Inei hummed.

There were no direct words that needed to be spoken, truthfully. Nothing. There was plenty of time to catch up—plenty of time to be together again like the previous time instead of remembering longer than the two of you knew each other.

"Just saying, I was kidding about the whole marriage thing." You added.

Inei didn't reply.

.

.

—

.

.

"[Name]. We got a returning student coming back here." Daichi sighed, "and he claims he knows you."

"What? I don't know anyone."

Returning, not transferring. Which meant if your theory was correct, which you were hundred percent sure it was, it would mean that the student council wouldn't be out for this student. Lucky him, you guessed. You wanted Daisei to be relaxing—kind of a break for you, but instead you found it mildly stressful. And coupled with that bet you made with Jun to up your results...

Nah. A simple all nighters would be able to accomplish it. Or you could always stoop low and ask your parents to help infiltrate  the school to get answers.

But that wouldn't be fair, you frowned.

You never really played fair and square before. But Jun... he had been earnest and honest about it...

"I don't quite recall his name. Started with an A," Daichi muttered. "Whatever. He's waiting outside."

"I've been dragged around everywhere!" You protested, "first, last night Jun made a bet with me, second Inei came to me, and now you? This would have been a really cute Ouran High School Club school experience if not for the fact everyone is out to get me."

Daichi ignored you and pulled you to the front.

"I have no idea who this person is and why he's claiming to know me, but—"

Then you stared.

Then you stared harder.

"Fuck," was all that left your lips. For someone with an extremely high amount of hits and kudos on your a03 fics, your vocabulary has been reduced to one of a swearing babbling toddler.

Arata smiled back at you.

"Surprise."

.

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unedited. sorry for the shorter chapter, im glad i managed to find time to write because today was (thankfully) a free day (ish) and when i tagged this fic as partial text fic, this is what i meant! hope it was funny though my humour has been very dry and unfunny lately ;; new character too! and one who is as unhinged as MC and knows MC in and out... (check the character sheet for his appearance and info,  character sheet found on quotev) also no more update schedule I cannot do schedules 🙏😂😂😂