Chapter Text
Kagami squinted at the clock under the room’s dim lighting. Ten minutes til two. Sighing, he ran a hand through his styled hair, a simple action that was enough to make the women surrounding him swoon.
Business had been increasing of late no doubt thanks to his arrival. However, it was beginning to tire the new employee out. There was nothing wrong with being showered with attention and praise. It just wasn't... from his preferred gender. Not that he would ever let any of his customers know that of course.
Just a few days ago he was confident that this personal detail would prove that he wasn't host material at all, but after working at the Vanishing Angel's Host Club, he quickly changed his mind.
After signing his contract, he was forced into a custom uniform and given a quick lecture about his new position. Kagami’s work attire consisted of a deep blue collared shirt worn underneath a buttoned dark gray suit (the staff insisted that he keep the top of his shirt unbuttoned for “extra points”). In addition to this, he had his keepsake he had received from one of his close friends in the form of a ring chained around his neck. He was already naturally good looking and possessed well sculpted muscles. The staff just needed to give him a little styling and voila! He could probably pass as a movie star.
This was where he had his revelation. Just because he wasn't attracted to them, didn't mean that they weren't attracted to him. Surprisingly, his physical appearance wasn’t the only appeal he had. His gruff yet caring personality along with the fact that he radiated an aura of innocence was successful in piercing hundreds of hearts resulting in a steady flow of new and returning customers. An angel in tiger clothing is what they would all refer to him as, which in turn lead to the creation of his stage name: Tora-chan. Of course, Kagami was more than unhappy with the rather cutesy unimaginative nickname, but, it became too popular for him to refuse. It’s better than using his real name and end up having throngs of crazed fans stalk his apartment.
Despite whatever complaints he had about the job, he couldn’t deny that it wasn’t too difficult and that the pay was pretty decent. All he had to do was chat, smile, maybe send a wink or two every once in awhile, and he was set.
"Excuse me."
Everyone who was within earshot, including Kagami, gave a startled shriek as they stared into emotionless light blue eyes.
"Dammit, Kuroko! Give us some warning if you've been standing there!" Kagami put a hand over his heart in an attempt to calm his pulse.
"I’m sorry." He gave a small apologetic bow. "But our establishment will be closing for the night, so I'm afraid that I must ask our guests to leave before the hour. Thank you for your patronage, and we earnestly hope to see you again." He bowed once more and held out their jackets.
After hearing a chorus of sighing and pouting, the crowd of females, along with the smell of perfume, eventually disappeared for the night. A good amount of the customers frequented the club regularly and knew better than to ask the hosts for “after hours service”. As the name suggests, the angels that accompany them during the night hours, vanish during the day. This was one of the many strict rules handed down to them by Aida Riko, the club’s owner. She was a clever, yet terrifying woman. No one ever dared to oppose her word lest they wished for a slow and painful death.
Kagami sighed once more and sank deeper into the sofa, appreciating the silence that now echoed throughout the room. Ironically, the club’s main colors consisted of deep shades of red and black in place of lighter hues. Riko simply thought that the color scheme fit the employee’s personalities better. When asked the reason why, she replied with an evil smile... and that was the end of that conversation.
He watched as the other workers began to shuffle about, clearing away empty wine glasses and dishes under Hyuuga’s supervision, who acted as the manager as well as a senior host. Thankfully, he hadn’t noticed that Kagami was slacking off at the moment. He’ll just have to deal with his fury later.
The redhead’s gaze shifted over to Kuroko as he changed the sign out front to indicate that they were closed. He had been hired not too long before Kagami, and yet, he carried a sense of professionalism with him. Almost as if he had been in this line of work for a long time.
Kuroko's job, on the surface anyway, was to be the club's doorman. His stomach jabs were otherworldly, which was useful in keeping the riff-raff out. What he truly excelled at, however, was being a talent scouter. In fact, it had been he who had discovered Kagami and convinced him to join them.
Through the glass doors, Kagami saw a man with his arms slung lazily around two busty, yet beautiful women approach Kuroko and strike up a conversation. Both of them seemed to be familiar with one another, judging by how the taller man was laughing and patting Kuroko’s shoulder.
Even from a distance, it was obvious that the stranger was unbelievably attractive. Dressed in an unbuttoned black suit, he had a crimson silk shirt peeking out from underneath with a few buttons undone, revealing his toned chest. Under a shock of dark blue hair, his perfectly angled features were accompanied with pearly white teeth that were further accented by the rich color of his dark skin. However, there no doubt that his best attributes were his fierce, sapphire jewels of eyes.
Kagami sat upright just in time to see the stranger lock eyes with him and smirk. He was immediately attracted to and yet loathed that arrogant expression. For something so simple to make his blood boil like this... It was a strange feeling indeed.
Never breaking eye-contact, the blue haired man exchanged a few quick words with Kuroko and the women. Whatever he said caused Kuroko to nod and the females to sulk away while muttering darkly to one another. The stranger then proceeded to saunter towards the club, or more specifically, towards Kagami. When he finally reached him, he simply stared down at Kagami, blue orbs traveling up and down the other’s body.
“Is there something that you want, or are you just going to stare at me all day?” Kagami barked as felt his cheeks heat up. He was literally being looked down on, and he didn’t even know the guy’s name.
“Hmph. So you’re the new hire, eh?” His eyes narrowed. “How disappointing. When Tetsu told me that he had found somebody amazing that might be able to rival me, I wasn’t expecting... this.” He waved his hand dismissively at the redhead. “What a joke.”
Tetsu...? Ah. He’s talking about Kuroko... What the hell, first name basis? And what the hell is he trying to say?! Kagami sprung up from the couch and directed the nastiest glare that he could to his assailant’s smug face. “Who the hell do you think you are?!”
Unfortunately, before he could receive a reply, his outburst attracted Hyuuga’s attention. The manager was about to rip Kagami a new one when he noticed the extra presence in the room. “Hah? Aomine? What the hell are you doing here?”
“I’m just here to see if your new employee was up to standards... And it seems he needs a lot more work before he can reach my level.” He laughed while Kagami gave him a death glare.
Hyuuga shot Aomine a wary look before ignoring him and turning his attention back to Kagami. “Hey, you’re the only one left. All of the others have already cleaned up and headed home through the back entrance. Hurry up, dumbass.” The manager was smiling pleasantly.
There’s the danger sign. “I-I understand!” Kagami dove to the nearby table and started collecting trash.
“And you! The club is closed, so get out unless you have real business here.” Hyuuga waved an impatient finger at Aomine before stomping off towards the locker room.
Aomine’s only response was to stick his pinkie in his ear in disinterest. Glancing back to the redhead who was now busily cleaning his workstation, he pulled a thick card from his pocket and flicked it in his direction. Sensing the object, Kagami caught it with ease and realized that it was the bastard’s business card. “... What the hell do you want me to do with this?”
“Get back to me when you actually become someone who could challenge me. You know where to find me now.” He gave one final smirk before he strolled off into the darkness.
I don’t have any idea what this guy expects from me. Challenge? Rival? How?! In what frickin’ way?! Irritated, Kagami flipped the card in his hands. On the back there was his contact information, while the front contained his full name. It read: Aomine Daiki. Ace of the Shining Devil’s Host Club.
... Ace? Wait, he’s a host too?! What kind of name is Shining Devil? ... Is this what he meant by challenge? Ugh. Of course, I finally find someone who looks like he would be my type... And he ends up having a personality like that. Of. Course. Kagami rolled his eyes. This was just too much information for him to take in at the moment. He neatly tucked the card away into his pants pocket before quickly finishing tidying up and finally heading home.