A.N.— First post ever! I'm nervous XD.. Sorry the action is slow at the beginning. I was trying to set it up for pacing purposes ^^;.. I wanted to make it a believable plot. Feel free to offer any criticism. I really want to improve, and I want to contribute to this community in the best way that I can! (plus, who doesn't love OHSHC? LOL)
I love the show, but I think I still need to study the characters a little more so I can get them to act believably. I really love this anime, and I want to do it justice.
Today made it about six months.
Six months since she had stumbled through that door.
Six months since she broke that vase, and made a promise to six boys that she would pay it back, whatever means necessary.
Six months since she met him. Her second father of sorts; her strange but loyal upperclassman. The Suoh boy, with the groomed blonde hair and the long legs. The nice smell, and the unnaturally cheery attitude. Even after all they had been through, Haruhi Fujioka still didn't know what she really thought of him.
He was just so-… extreme. Yes, extreme was a good word. Extreme in his ideas, his clothes, his actions and words, his feelings and even his friendships. Extreme was not always a bad thing, of course; Haruhi didn't mean it in a bad way. His Host Club was an outlet for boys and girls alike. It created relationships and good fellowship. With Kyouya and his clipboard, they even made incredible amounts of money.
She understood all this.
But it was him that she still couldn't understand. He was so simple, yet so complicated at the same time. She worried sometimes, because he would never admit to being unhappy or in danger, even if he was on the brink of death. Not if it would upset someone.
He cared too much. She couldn't decide whether this made him a good or bad person.
She watched him now, sitting at a dainty table in the music room, waiting to host for the next girl to come along. It was in the dead of winter, when the world was cold and sleeping, and while the heaters blazed and kept the room cozy and warm, most of the girls had already gone home for Christmas break. It was slow today.
Tamaki entertained one of the few still left behind, leaning close to her, one elbow against the wall, the other arm circling around to pull her close to him. She blushed red with giggling pleas of, "Oh, Prince Tamaki!" Haruhi couldn't help but smile at his work. He could drive just about any girl to the wall, couldn't he?
That's when she saw it.
It was the faintest of movements. So subtle she could hardly detect it, and she wouldn't have if she hadn't been staring directly at him. Tamaki's body went rigid, face clenching with a struggling slowness as he turned quickly to the side. There was no noise, but his body spasmed gently, before he turned back to face his client. The girl, eyes closed, lips slightly parted, head tilted up for a kiss from the prince, did not see it. He merely turned her head to the side, and pecked her cheek, murmuring something to her that made the poor thing go red and start giggling uncontrollably. Haruhi frowned, wondering at what he could have been doing in that one moment, before she was interrupted.
Kyouya's voice suddenly spoke up from behind her, the customary scratching of his pen to the paper pressed to his clipboard accompanying it. "Bored are we, Haruhi?"
Haruhi glanced up at him. Her cheek was propped up against her hand as she leaned on the table, posture slouched. The room was very warm, and nothing was really happening, so it was making her groggy. "I guess so. There's really nothing to do."
Kyouya's voice never changed cadence. "There is always something to do when it comes to serving the club."
Haruhi's eyes rolled to the ceiling. Typical Kyouya. She stirred from her seat reluctantly, expecting some sort of order from her upperclassman. He was always ready with another task. Such an organized man. Before he was able to speak, however, a sudden body weight crashed into her and hugged to her mercilessly.
"Oh, how's Daddy's little girl today?"
She had to clench her hands to keep from smacking him away, like she would a naughty dog. "Senpai, will you please get off of me? You're kind of heavy."
Kyouya glanced up at them, at her situation, and then looked back down and continued with his endless work. Nothing phased him, that one. Haruhi had to glare at him for a spare moment as Tamaki nuzzled his cheek against hers. Kyouya was a money-maker, and he was a level-head, but he was certainly no help to her half the time. Tamaki continued to smother her with his love, or whatever he liked to call it, until she elbowed him hard enough to loosen his hold so she could slip away. She saw he was on the verge of a pout, so she hurried into conversation.
"So, are we done after today? It's Christmas vacation, right?"
Tamaki hung his head, and then looked back up his usual grandeur and flare, extending a hand dramatically to the near distance. "Ah, yes! The brisk chill in the air, the muted atmosphere, and all the snow to come! Such a romantic time of year."
As he started flourishing, spinning around, Haruhi rolled her eyes and tried to disguise her waning tolerance, not that he would notice anyway. Here was his extreme behavior again. Being so close to the break, her patience had since worn thin. As Tamaki droned on, Haruhi watched the window, tracing the ice along the panes. It just kept getting colder and colder out there. Snow couldn't be far away. Pretty soon she would be shoveling snow off the walk, wearing her heaviest coat and curling up with a book on the sofa. Just her and Dad, which usually meant just her. Relaxing.
She blinked at the sudden weight on her shoulders, and glanced at each one to see identical elbows resting on them. A pair of voices spoke to her.
"Day-dreaming, Haruhi?"
Haruhi looked up at the both of them, the twins. They glanced down at her with their golden eyes, both looking a little mischievous; that was normal for them. Hikaru reached down and swept some hair from her eyes. The background noise of Tamaki's voice faded away as he watched them. Haruhi couldn't be sure, but it looked like he was caught between pouting and gritting his teeth.
"Not really," Haruhi said, sighing and looking out the window again.
"Certainly not about me, I hope," Hikaru said, grinning. There was a purr in his voice that tired her out. It was too close to break for this. Kaoru's elbow lifted from her shoulder, and she didn't even have to look behind to know they were at it again.
"Hikaru?" Kaoru asked. Hikaru grabbed his brother.
"Oh, Kaoru. I dream about you every night!"
They both clung to one another, faces close, and Haruhi was about to take it as an opportunity to slip away when they both turned their heads to face her, wearing identical smiles. She tried to dodge, she really did, but they were both about as fast as Tamaki when it came to molesting her with affection.
They grabbed her by the arms, crushed her between them, and embraced her even as she protested. "You guys! Stop it!" she said, trying to squirm free. "Let GO!"
"I'll save you, Haruhi!" Tamaki sailed in, always the knight in glimmering armor-at least in his eyes. "Daddy's coming!"
Due to the speed in which Tamaki was travelling, it was very difficult for him to stop. The twins knew this, and they both calmly extended one leg out to the side, pivoting their bodies to the side as they cuddled Haruhi tight. Tamaki tripped and went face down into the floor. Needless to say, the Hitachiin brothers burst into hysterics. Thanks to the Prince's ineptitude, Haruhi pushed her way out of their arms and into freedom. She didn't bother paying any mind to the pouting senpai on the floor.
"Kyouya-senpai, if there's nothing else I should be doing, can I just go home?" she asked, adjusted her rumpled shirt lapels. Kyouya said nothing for a moment, scribbling something in his notebook before snapping it closed. He pushed his glasses up with one finger.
"I suppose," he said, before putting his hand on his hip. "but I will expect you to keep in touch over winter break. Just because school is not in does not mean the club activities shut down."
Haruhi hung her head, groaning audibly. Did she really have to come out over break to be with these people? Sure, Honey and Mori-senpai weren't so bad, but they were both contending in international kendo competitions, far away from Japan. They wouldn't return until after winter break. That meant-… she turned to look at the scene. Evil overlord and slave-driver, conniving and mischievous twins and resident idiot-hero prince. Dealing with them… over break… alone… She felt a headache coming on.
"You shady twins! If you molest my Haruhi one more time, I'll-"
"Seriously, boss? You're calling us the perverts? Every time you look at her you overflow with pedo-drool."
"Yeah, boss. Compared to us, you're a sicko."
Tamaki, mouth agape in shock, resorted to his usual method of dealing with the twins. Mindless, comical rage. He pointed an accusing finger at them, face flushed pink. "Shut up! That's a lie! A father never looks at his daughter like that, and if he does, he should be committed to death!"
Haruhi just sighed as she gathered her things, rolling her eyes as the twins started a rousing chorus of "Boss is a perv!" Kyouya stood nearby making a few last minute additions to his hand-written document before he took long, curt strides towards his coat and bag. Haruhi had no idea how could stand all the noise those three made.
"Remember," he told her, lacing a scarf around his neck as Tamaki stamped one of his feet against the tile, shouting himself hoarse, "the club meets back here tomorrow, even if school does not. Understand?"
Haruhi nodded as she slung her bag over her shoulder. "Yeah, I guess so. If I have to."
Tamaki, by now on the verge of flying into a physical display of violence, had Hikaru by the collar and was shaking him vigorously. "FOR THE LAST TIME, I AM NOT- hehhh-!" He interrupted himself with a shuddering inhale, eyes growing heavy and fluttering shut. His grip slackened, and Hikaru took advantage of Tamaki's momentary lapse, easily slipping out of his range. Both the twins, arms crossed, mirror images of one another, observed as Tamaki struggled with a mightily-building sneeze. He was frozen, arm hovering near his face as one of his hands desperately groped his pants pockets to locate a handkerchief, when the sensation suddenly verged on him. He doubled over, burying his face into his arm with a wrenching, "Heh-esskchhhii!" A moment, a ripping gasp, and then another, more potent, "Heh-esskchiiIIII!" He stayed in that hunched position, face concealed completely into the crook of his arm before he sniffled and looked back up, bleary from the sudden exertion. Some of his blonde hair had fallen into his face, and he smoothed it back with one hand, twitching his nose once to the side. The twins seemed moderately impressed by the size and volume of the action.
"Sheesh, boss," Hikaru said, laughing a little as he leaned against his brother. "Never seen you do that before. You always sneeze when you're denying stalking-charges?"
Kaoru smirked and threw an arm around his twin's shoulder. "Nice rebuttal, boss. Really."
Haruhi, after watching the way Tamaki seized up as he sneezed, realized that he must have stifled one earlier when speaking with his client. Now that he was alone with his friends, he probably didn't worry so much about appearances. "Bless you, senpai."
Tamaki glanced over at her, trying to regain a princely composure whilst sniffling wetly behind his wrist. It was not going well, but that didn't stop him from lunging toward her to give her a hug.
"Oh, isn't she so cute! Blessing her Daddy like that!" he said it even as he punctuated the statement with a liquid sniff. Kyouya, with the faintest expression of distaste, extended one of his own handkerchiefs to the boy, keeping the Suoh stationary as Haruhi retreated from his general area. Getting hugged by Tamaki was annoying enough, and it would just be disgusting if he did it with a runny nose. Tamaki snatched the square of fabric gratefully and blew his nose; the sound he produced made all the other club members wrinkle their noses in disdain.
"Ewww, boss! Gross!" The twins spoke in chorus, and they both hooked Haruhi, who was collecting her things, by the arms and starting dragging her out. Hikaru watched Tamaki over his shoulder as he spoke. "We don't want to catch your creeper cooties!"
"Shut up, Hikaru!"
"He's not Hikaru, boss. I'M Hikaru," said Kaoru, grinning at Tamaki while Hikaru rested his elbow to his brother's shoulder.
"Both of you! SHUT UP!"
And so ended the last day of school, the first day of winter break, and the beginning of what Haruhi believed would be a personal nightmare.
It wasn't like she hated them all, exactly. No, hate was too strong a word. It was just that-…
This was HER break. HER time to be alone, to work, to eat and sleep and spend time doing things that SHE liked to do. But, that never seemed to work out for her. Last summer, when she attempted to get some extra money by working at a tranquil inn, ended with the entire club showing up to botch her plans. Now they were monopolizing her winter break. She should have expected it, she supposed. With those rich people, she could never cut a break.
