I. Want. CUTE.
Quick, short, and sweet. I could've made this into a massive story or something, with each of these tiny parts taking up the better parts of long chapters, but I really didn't want to. Short and cute. Live with it.
Hug Me
Bzzzt. Bzzzt. Bzzzt.
It was… that sort of morning. With the promise of it being that sort of day. Reaching one hand up, she flicked the button on her alarm clock, slowly sitting up in bed. She didn't feel rested for all that she'd gone to be early the night before, if anything, she felt even more tired.
She had the tingling sensation all along her shoulders… felt the limpness of her arms, and the tight, knotted feelings all inside her chest… Looking sullenly across her small room, her boys uniform hung stiffly on it's hanger on her closet door. Only one thing came to mind, and she mumbled it in a miserable way…
"I need a hug…"
'It shouldn't… be that hard.' She thought sleepily, feeling melancholy as she finished her business in the washroom and dressed methodically in her room. 'Just ask tou-san…'
Stepping out of her room with her book bag held in one hand, she shuffled down the short hall towards her father's room. Ranka had worked late the night before, but he was always begging for Haruhi to act more like a girl, to confide in him a little more. Maybe this would make him happy…
"Tou-sa—" No good.
One nylon-wearing heel was visible from the doorway where Ranka had failed to drag himself to bed the night before. Haruhi couldn't even say what time her cross-dressing father had gotten home, the house had been empty when she'd turned in and left his dinner in the fridge. The smell of alcohol was heavy in the air as she set down her bag and stepped inside.
She had just enough time to drag him properly into bed and help take off his high heels before she had to book it to the academy.
On a normal day, it would be all but impossible for her to avoid the Host Club in the early morning- all excluding the two who had devil's eyes before noon at least. But the halls couldn't have been more silent as she shuffled drearily along the halls towards her first class. She didn't even come across any of her normal clients, the ones who would've been horrified to see the Natural Host looking so down-trodden.
She just couldn't pick her shoulders up today, her feet felt weighed down with cement…
The only person she knew along the way was Renge-san… and as reluctant as Haruhi was to approach the fangirl, if she was to be her salvation, then she was willing to go along with whatever cosplay she would ask for in return. She just wanted this feeling gone already…
"Reng—" Nope.
Faster than one could say Cross-dressing-Cosplay, the French-Japanese aristocrat was surrounded with a gaggle of sunny yellow dresses. Apparently the latest issue of the newest manga had come out, and there were so many squeals and giggles in the air –with Renge effectively blocked off and in the middle- that Haruhi could practically taste the estrogen in the air…
And then first bell rang. If she didn't hurry up she'd be late for class.
Ugh…
She had Hikaru and Kaoru in her second period class, as well as a practice exam to prepare for mid-terms. Haruhi could hardly piece together the Latin characters behind the grey cloud of depression settling over her shoulders. She just hugged her book bag to her chest sullenly and waited for the bell…
Or not.
"Fujioka-kun! You had better not be cheating!"
"Eh? Uuh… N-no, Sensei…"
Correction, Haruhi just rested her head on her desk and waited sullenly for the bell…
Lunch time brought only minor success.
"H-Honey-Senpai!" She almost didn't see the senior's blond head in between his taller peers as the mob made its way towards the expansive salon which doubled as the Academy's cafeteria.
"Haru-Chan! Haru-Chan!" It took the tiny Martial Artist a few moments to recognize who was calling him, but once he did his face lit up and he shrieked her name all giddy with excitement.
'Oh, finally, thank goodness…' It was still so hard to move quickly, she felt like she was in a dream. Out of everyone in the entire Host Club, if not all of Ouran, Honey-senpai would be the one to help her; she wouldn't have to be embarrassed at all by asking him for—
"Haru-chan! Haru-chan!" She ended up kneeling in front of him in the hallway, finally able to smile as she closed her eyes happily. It was so nice to see someone so full of gleeful energy, but he seemed like he had something to say, so she put off her request so he could-
"Haru-chan, you don't look so good. Are you feeling sick?" He piped up in his unbroken voice. Haruhi had never appreciated the Lolita Host's innocent charms so much before.
"Ne, but Honey-Senpai, could yo—" Nuh-uh.
"Here, Haru-chan! You can borrow Usa-chan! I have to hurry to the Karate Club to help Ototo-kun, give him back at Host Club, okay? Sayonara!!"
Even after the tiny senior had long-since scampered off, Haruhi remained on her knees. She would've started crying with that stupid grin still on her face, but at least she had Usa-chan. She just hugged the stuffed pink bunny and tried pretending it could hug back the way she wanted.
She went the entire afternoon clinging to Usa-chan, oblivious to the curious looks her classmates gave her. Even her teachers paused every now and then, wondering why their brightest student was so silent and depressed holding a senior's familiar pink rabbit.
The end of the day, the beginning of the Host Club. Haruhi didn't think there would ever come a time she'd ever be more thrilled to enter the Third Music Room.
'Salvation at last…' She'd been waiting all day for this…
"Haru-Chan! Haru-chan!" Honey-Senpai's soprano voice echoed through the music room as she trudged inside, Usa-chan still held against her with one arm as she tugged the doors shut behind her. He was running towards her and the world almost slowed down, surly he wouldn't pass up a prime opportunity to—
Fwip!
Nevermind…
"Usa-chan!!" In a flash, the Senior student braked and tugged the stuffed toy- Haruhi's one source of comfort throughout the whole day- out of her arms and clung to it adoringly. "Thanks, Haru-chan! Bai-bai!" And with that, the munchkin scampered off towards where three of his adoring fans were waiting, hopped up into the nearest one's lap, and began munching on the gifts of cake and cookies each had brought with them this afternoon.
"Mitsukuni…" Haruhi nearly jumped out of her own skin at the sudden appearance of Mori, his deep baritone voice and dark facial features an odd foil to the bubbly Honey. "Did not want to take Usa-chan to the Karate Club to meet his brother."
"E-eh?" She just blinked up at him, feeling the colour slowly soak out of the world around her, she felt so cold, and as Mori spoke she just felt like she'd been used. "So… that was why he gave Usa-chan to…"
"Eh." Cold and used indeed. If watching Mori-senpai trudge off at an even pace was her being given the cold-shoulder, the Natural certainly didn't like it… Was it that hard to tell she was in distress at the moment?
'So cold…' She mourned, trying to make herself wake up but unable to lift the grey cloud covering her vision. 'Maybe Tamaki might…' It was a chilling thought, and nearly curdled her stomach, but her mood had already been shot today, she was miserable. She just wanted a little bit of attention, and if Ranka hadn't been available this morning, then there was no way Tamaki wouldn't be free now.
"Ahh… Hime-sama, I would dive into the coldest waters of the ocean to fetch the most divine pearls; for nothing else could compare to the silk-like vibrancy of your luminescent skin…" Pfft. Right.
"Uh… Tamaki-senpai?" It was a lost cause before she even tried, her books tucked away in the backroom specifically used for the club members to study and keep their things during club hours. There was a line of young attractive ladies stretching all the way across the music room awaiting a few precious moments of the Host King's time. At first, she tried to wait for a transition between one patron and the next, only to be reminded a moment later that that wouldn't work.
Tamaki worked like a machine sometimes, always with three ladies around him, cycling through each one; bringing a new one whenever the oldest one's time ran out with him. And most of the ones sent off normally just scampered back to the end of the line all over again. No good…
"And now!" Two voices speaking in unison from across the room caught her attention as she rolled a trolley laden with cakes and tea sets along to the waiting tables. "Let's play the 'Which one's Hikaru?' Game!"
Docking her trolley against a wall next to a similar one carrying centre-pieces, the open windows had sunlight streaming down through them to light up the floor and better part of the salon. Maybe Latin class had just been a fluke. When it came down to things; the twins actually did cared about their marks. It just wasn't a fact they liked to make public.
"Eh… Kaoru, Hika—" No luck.
"Haruhi!" They both scolded, shooting down the faint glimmer of hope which had dared to shine in her heart. Instead, two pairs of lime-green eyes stared at her flatly under the blue rims of their matching base-ball caps. It was obvious to her which one was which, but she didn't mention it as they wagged their fingers at her, oblivious to her reason for calling on them as they lectured her instead.
"It's no fun if you point it out every time, hm?" Hikaru pointed out shrewdly, as Kaoru nodded.
"Please, allow our clients a chance for a bit of fun, ne?" Kaoru's tone mimicked his twin's almost exactly, and it was Hikaru who nodded instead. And then, together;
"Now, fetch us some Commoner Coffee!" Kaoru gave himself away, being the only one of the two too mouth 'please' under his breath before turning away from her.
By the end of the day, she had concluded her cause as being completely lost.
Tou-san had been unconscious come morning, and Renge too absorbed with her bishounen. Honey-Senpai had used her as a safe-deposit box; Mori-Senpai'd just sort of walked away from her. The twins had been too focused on getting their next hit of decaf, Tamaki couldn't have been bothered from his fans, and her own clients had just squealed about 'moe' and hadn't helped at all…
As she finished sweeping up the last of the rose petals on the floor- she was normally the last one to leave each evening, they just left too much of a mess to leave for the janitors alone- Haruhi had also reasoned that in the end Usa-chan had actually been the only one to offer her any comfort today. Somehow, the knowledge that Usa's closest competitor had been her book bag made that dark cloud a little darker, and the broom in her hands a bit heavier…
"Haruhi."
'Maybe Tou-san's feeling better…' That, or Ranka had gone and attended another shift at the bar he worked at, and would endure a repeat of what had happened last night. What a pleasant thought…
"Haruhi." Speaking of thoughts, the Natural was suddenly ousted out of her own and let the heavy handle of the broom slip from her hands. The sound of it clattering to the salon floor was almost offensive, making her suddenly feel guilty as she turned around to see Kyouya standing there watching her.
For once, the Shadow King's hands were unburdened, a strap over his shoulder and holding his bag against his hip, likely also containing his pineapple laptop. His hands were in his pockets, and there was a ray of light coming from somewhere which made his glasses shine white, hiding his eyes from her although she could feel them on her curiously.
"Gomen-ne, Kyouya-Senpai…" She didn't know whether she was apologizing for the noise or for having to make him repeat himself. "I just… haven't been feeling well today."
"No, you haven't." First to the right, then to the left, she watched curiously as he tilted his head this way and that, as though checking to make sure nobody was around. Seemingly content, he closed his eyes with a soft sigh, and she watched as he lifted the strap off his shoulder and set his bag down on a nearby chair.
"…Kyouya-Senpai?"
"You act a lot like my sister sometimes, Haruhi." He said simply, nudging his glasses up with one finger in a calculated motion, stepping towards her slowly as the cloud over her mind made it to hard to figure out what he was doing.
He had to bend down a little, she was a lot shorter than him after all, but the cloud started to go away. She was almost surprised at how warm he felt, since most of the academy was convinced that the Shadow King was a man carved from ice. His hands held her shoulders from behind, rubbing gently and forcing away that itchy tingle. It felt so good to rest her head on his shoulder, her arms waking up as she wrapped them around his neck as his were hooked under hers. She smiled and almost laughed for the first time that day as his breath tickled her ear for a moment. But then he shifted to stop doing that.
There was nothing improper about it at all, it was just a friendly embrace. There was no reason for them both to freeze after a moment when his cheek brushed against hers as he moved back. They were close to one another of course, enough so for her to be able to feel the dull drum of his heart against her, but the way his lips suddenly became foremost in her mind was uncalled for. She was almost to wound up in admonishing herself to notice her hand on the back of his head- how'd that gotten there? The warmth of his hand where it rested on her hip, it was surprising how she could feel it through the thick blazer of her uniform…
"Well then." And then the warmth was gone, but not in the same disappointing way it had been when everyone else had turned away or told her off or generally been unavailable all day. The heat of his hand and body were gone, but the cold surrounding her mind was well and gone.
So, clearly, she was just imagining things; there hadn't been an awkward pause. Kyouya simply nudged his glasses up a bit, the rosy light coming through the music room windows making him look a bit red, but she probably looked the same way.
"Kyouya-Senpai's sister is the same?" She asked innocently, her tongue feeling thick though, and she was suddenly aware that that tingling feeling hadn't gone away completely.
"Yes. When she feels she isn't being paid enough attention she begins to act sullen and depressed. I thought it might work on you." She was… silent for a moment.
"…Merit…?" Kyouya never… ever… did anything without thinking there was something in it for himself. The only time she'd ever seen him act without thinking for himself had still ended up with him gaining something, during an expo at the mall downtown. A 'Commoner's Convention' the others had called it.
"When you act so depressed, it reflects badly on the Host Club. Don't do it again." He spoke sharply again, acting his normal self as he picked his bag back up.
"I'll try, sorry, Senpai. Thank you." And everything was normal again. He just paused for a moment as she smiled; the light playing off his glasses again so she couldn't see where exactly his eyes were looking. If it weren't for that persistant tingle, the same sort of sensation that had been plaguing her shoulders all day, and now had moved on someplace else…
"Don't thank me just yet." He said simply, reaching into the pocket of his trousers and pulling out a folded piece of paper. It wasn't crinkled or lined in the slightest, folded sharply with even corners and straight edges; he handed it to her and then started walking.
"See you tomorrow, then." And with that, he was gone. And the room was entirely too silent.
"Don't thank him…" She mumbled curiously, absently fumbling with the paper before turning her attention to it. After her day of numbness, it was so surprising as she unfolded the page to have the words jump out at her in his even, tiny script.
'Haruhi,
You left delicate china out in the sun today. It is now tarnished and yellowed beyond repair.
+100,000 to your debt.
K.O.'
"Money… whoring… bastard…" Haruhi plain forgot all about the numb, aching tingle running all along her lips.
Ototo-kun is one way of saying 'Little Brother', I don't know if I spelt 'dad' right in Japanese.
I don't think Kyouya refers to Haruhi with any titles at the end of her name in the Anime, and I've yet to read the manga (sorry), but if I re-watch a few episodes and find out he does, I'll add them in. I like Canon, but not so much with pairings.
I would've put the Yen symbol in there right at the end, but neither my computer nor FF support those sorts of characters, sorry. P