A.N. I do not own Ouran Highschool Host club. I wrote this a good year ago when I was watching the anime and found it again recently.
Kyouya straightened his tie in the mirror, a feeling of content settling within him. "You are unusually quiet, Tamaki. I hope you aren't still harboring feelings for her."
"No, nothing like that! What kind of best man would I be if I was trying to steal the bride?! Even if she was my little girl first…" The blond male frowned a beat and then shook his head. "I just... Of all of us, it's weird to me that it's you. I always thought it would be me, or one of the twins, maybe even Mori or Hunni. You never seemed interested and she never seemed interested in you. No offense."
"None taken. I am, afterall, the one marrying her." Kyouya smiled knowingly, meeting his friends eyes in the mirror. "So long as we're being frank here, I believe I should tell you that you never had a chance. Haruhi cares for you, certainly, but you were never someone she took seriously. Too dramatic, overbearing even. An excellent friend, but not a compatible lover."
"Did… did she say that?" Tamaki whispered, looking away with his hands clenching into fists. His entire being radiated hurt.
"She didn't need to, Tamaki. Haruhi doesn't like dramatics, and though she can be dense about observing the way people feel about her, she prefers some degree of subtlety. Otherwise, it would be like dating her actual father, something that, contrary to popular belief, holds little to no appeal for most women." Kyouya smiled with a touch of spite mixed with pity.
"What about the twins then? Mori-senpai, Hunni-senpai?" Tamaki looked at his best friend with confusion. 'Why you?' he seemed to ask again.
"The twins cancelled each other out. Kaoru would never get in Hikaru's way and Hikaru would have to realize his brother's affections for her in order to understand his own. The solution would be for them to be a trio, but Haruhi isn't the sort.
"Hunni-senpai is actually strong competition in his own way. He doesn't demand nearly as much as one might expect, and he still adores Haruhi. However, Haruhi can't help but see him as a younger sibling even though he is older and much more independent now." Kyouya smiled and pushed his glasses up. "Of course, I had the advantage because Haruhi never expected entanglement with me."
"What do you mean by that?" Tamaki asked, brow furrowed in confusion.
"Well, Haruhi has never acted the part of a silly girl. She's pragmatic and when she wanted to sate her curiosity, I was a safe bet." The dark haired man shrugged nonchalantly.
"You mean-?!" the blond male gasped in horror.
"Haruhi and I began a physical arrangement before I left Ouran High."
x~x~x
Amusement settled in Kyouya's eyes when his successor slumped onto the table, mumbling a rather colorful commentary about 'goddamn rich people'. "Problem, Haruhi?" he intoned, a false smile on his lips.
Shaking her head, Haruhi sat up and met his eyes again. "It's just staggering… Managing the finances of this club is going to be a full time job. How do we even pull in this much revenue? Never mind, don't answer that, I have the paperwork in front of me."
Smile becoming more sincere, Kyouya leaned in to glance over her shoulder when she began making notes along the margins. "I trust that you will do well as the shadow queen. I daresay it might even help prepare you for the fiscal side of the law. Your greatest challenge will likely be reigning in your creative kings. The twins will almost certainly try and outdo Tamaki."
"Yeah, thanks so much," the brunette retorted dryly, looking up at the older boy. "Do you have time for anything other than scheming to run the world through manipulating the hormones of teenage girls?"
"I am the top of my class," the shadow king of the host club pointed out.
"Other than that?" Haruhi deadpanned, blinking at him.
"Is it really appropriate for you to pry into the business of one you are so indebted to?" Kyouya replied, arching an eyebrow.
"I've more than made up for my debt, so that's really not going to work, Senpai." Haruhi huffed, a frown tugging at her lips.
"True enough, I suppose," Kyouya conceded, tilting his head slightly as he considered her. "Your lack of interest in social engagements is part of why I picked you. Are you feeling this will be too much?"
"Not exactly." Haruhi rested her chin on her hand as she looked on in thought. "It just occurs to me that these next few months will be my only real window to having any sort of private life for years. Running the Host Club and preparing for college will take up all of my time, especially considering I'll need to be doing some active recruiting and training. After high school, college and work will dominate, then law school and managing my money and time for that…. If I don't use this time, I might very well be delaying an experience I'd like to have. Yet I can't really expect anyone to sign up for something so short term without running the risk of hurting feelings."
Entertained at her pragmatic line of thought, Kyouya rested a hand on her forearm lightly and met her eyes. "I see. So, you wonder if perhaps I might have time to indulge in such an experience with you?"
Cheeks tinting just a little at his proximity, Haruhi's gaze became resolved as she reached out and gripped his tie, tugging him into a kiss that was surprisingly confident, her lips soft and just a little teasing. "Well, do you?" she asked after they broke for air.
Brushing her hand off of his tie, Kyouya straightened and smiled at her in a way that was almost predatory. "If you're certain about this being a temporary arrangement without any sort of emotional baggage. I don't believe either of us need confusion on that front."
"I could have asked someone else if I wanted romance, Senpai." The brunette looked up at him without any doubt in her eyes.
"Then I believe I can make time."
x~x~x
"You… you and…. I can't believe my innocent little Haruhi would be so forward! What sort of seduction were you attempting?" Tamaki accused, slipping into a familiar childish tirade.
"I believe we have already established that she was never yours," Kyouya pointed out lightly. "Nor does she actually belong to anyone. She is her own person and I admire her greatly for that."
"So after graduation, you just set her aside, like some callous playboy?" Folding his arms over his chest, Tamaki stared him down with disapproval in his eyes.
"These are in fact the dramatics I referred to previously." Letting out a long suffering sigh, Kyouya regarded his best friend with a touch of irritation. "Haruhi and I had,an agreement that satisfied both of us. When I graduated, we agreed to end it. We still took meals together every other month or so to keep me informed on Host Club budgets and profits and it was never awkward. We had an amicable business relationship and we remained friends."
Pensive, the former princely host looked at his best friend with a slight frown. "Well, if the two of you agreed to be done, how did you get together?"
"It was quite some time before we did. Haruhi was the top of her class and running the host club her senior year and when she left, her last summer before college was spent working and taking prep courses non-stop. Then college was incredibly busy for her. The idea of anything romantic with Haruhi didn't occur to me until she had passed the bar exam and was already interning at a top law firm. We ran into each other in a setting I wasn't prepared for."
x~x~x
Bored out of his mind, but ever polite, the youngest son of the Ootori family smiled charmingly at the daughter of one of his father's best clients. "Yes, I truly do believe in taking time as well as money to make certain the less fortunate have what they need. It's a philosophy that the Ootori group has stood by, and the reason for our gala tonight. Don't you agree?"
"That's so noble!" the black haired beauty complimented, smile wide. "I had no idea you were such a philanthropist, Ootori-san."
"He does try and come off as an egotist most of the time, after all," a familiar feminine voice cut in, colored with friendly teasing.
Turning slightly surprised eyes on Haruhi and the ever quiet Mori, Kyouya smiled slightly. "I think you'll ruin Mizuno-san's image of me, Haruhi."
The brunette smiled at him and then the black haired woman. "My apologies for interrupting. Kyouya-senpai is a nice person. He just usually doesn't show it." Bowing formally, she smiled. "I'm Fujioka Haruhi."
Returning the bow, the gray eyed lady appraised her thoughtfully. "Mizuno Aiko. And of course I recognize you, Morinozuka-san."
"A pleasure," Mori responded simply, resting a hand lightly on Haruhi's back.
Nodding, Haruhi straightened a bit. "Mori and I just wanted to say hello. Nice seeing you, Kyouya-senpai."
"Likewise, Haruhi," Kyouya agreed, watching them go. His eyes lingered on her back where Mori touched, the black material of her dress tastefully snug on her form.
x~x~x
"Wait, she and Mori were there together?! How did I miss that?" Tamaki demanded, eyes wide.
"If memory serves, you were out of the country," Kyouya remarked thoughtfully. "And yes, Mori had been invited and brought Haruhi as his date. Interestingly enough, that was the first time I realized Haruhi had become a part of our world. Yes, she was there because of Mori, but with her internship and record, she was set to work at a prestigious law firm. She would likely be a part of the social circle I was within a few years. It was an intriguing notion."
"So, you stole her from Mori?" Tamaki prompted, eyes wide.
"No, because Haruhi was not to be stolen. But I will say I stole Mori-senpai's opportunity."
x~x~x
Watching Mori twirl Haruhi on the dance floor so naturally, Kyouya felt a stirring of something he did not often feel; envy. He envied Mori's position in her life, an obvious closeness between them. He strode over suddenly, manner casual as he tapped the taller man's shoulder. "Mind if I cut in?"
Studying him a beat, Mori released his hold on Haruhi's waist and stepped back. "Ah. Go ahead. I'll wait at our table, Haruhi."
"Alright." Smiling, the brunette took Kyouya's offered hand and let him take the lead. "I'm surprised you're not chatting up Mizuno-san. Doesn't her father have a huge contract with the Ootori group?"
"He does. I'm surprised you know that, actually. But then I suppose I taught you well." Kyouya smirked a little. "I remember a time when you had to be dragged to events like this."
"Well, I have to be able to interact with my clients. Suzugawa and Oshiro is a pretty elite law firm after all." Haruhi let him dip her, trusting him not to let her fall. "And the way things are looking, they might keep me on. The best part is they do the most pro bono work of any of the other big law firms, so I'll get to help out people who need it too."
Kyouya's eyes softened slightly. "And here I was thinking you were becoming as cut throat as me. Still Haruhi after all."
"And you still try and pretend to be an egoist," the brunette retorted, releasing her hold on him when the song ended.
Taking her hand again, Kyouya smiled. "When you have some free time, we should have dinner. It's been a long time and we could definitely use some time to catch up. What do you say?"
Haruhi looked down at his hand on hers and arched an eyebrow at him. "Senpai, I've outgrown the experimental stage. I'm not looking for a no strings attached arrangement at the moment."
"Who said that's what I'm looking for? We're both successful professionals. We could enjoy each other's company as friends or even something more." Kyouya pressed a kiss to her knuckles and released her hand.
Looking thoughtful, Haruhi cocked her head slightly to the side and appraised him. "Hm. Maybe. I need a date to Oshiro-sama's annual founding celebration. I was going to ask Mori, but if you are serious about wanting companionship… I wouldn't want there to be any confusion." She smiled, perhaps parodying his words from so long ago.
Smirking, Kyouya nodded. "I will contact you."
x~x~x
Tamaki's eyes were wide. "So she just dropped Mori and went for you?" He looked as if he was truly at a loss.
"Mori had asked her without making it clear it was romantic. Haruhi does need to have things spoken clearly. She was there as a friend as far as she was concerned and I presented my case without a lot of question as to intent." Kyouya shrugged nonchalantly. "We dated for some time. We had a lot of time to figure things out and we did."
The blond male still looked to have reservations and opened his mouth to speak.
Kyouya's eyes narrowed on him and he held up a hand. "Tamaki, you are my best friend, and I have been patient so far. Haruhi and I are getting married in five minutes. She isn't your little girl, your love interest or anything but your friend. She is a strong woman, who I love and loves me in turn. If you have anything else to say, it better be 'congratulations'."
Looking guilty, the former host was quiet for a long moment before he finally offered a smile. "Congratulations, Kyouya. Now, let's get the Shadow King married!"