This one-shot is dedicated to the release of the new OHSHC DVD's in the states last week!!
Haruhi Fujioka never liked spicy food.
Mexican cuisine, curry, even taco salad didn't appeal to her broad palette…until him.
Though, to be fair, she had been introduced to quite a few things during her time with Kyouya Ohtori. Flying, for one, had been an adventure. How he had laughed when he discovered she had never flown on a plane before. Or horse-back riding. Scuba diving, limousines, masque balls, silk ball gowns, hair stylists, make-up, fine-quality pens, art museums, French, the list goes on and on.
And somehow, through all those new experiences, she had managed to enjoy herself. She put aside her constant "There's no way that this costs so much" or "is this really necessary?" thoughts and had fun basking in the life of royalty or, at least, a millionaire boyfriend.
But she never liked spicy food.
Kyouya just couldn't understand this. How could his favorite foods and flavors repulse her so? He'd asked her this condescendingly, which inevitably led to one of their fights and resulted in him apologizing (however much he loathed to do so) and quite a few "Daddy told you Mommy wouldn't be a good boyfriend!!" from Tamaki. He tried to persuade her; after all, his powers of manipulation had been a success this far in the relationship, but she just wouldn't budge. She didn't like spicy food.
Kyouya was determined to put an end to this.
"Haruhi?" Kyouya asked innocently one lazy afternoon in the Third Music Room. Though his back was turned, Kyouya could just hear his girlfriend's eyes roll.
"Yes, Kyouya?" she answered, looking up from her homework. She had dropped the senpai suffix at his insistence, just another example of his persuasion techniques.
"Would you like to go out to dinner this evening?" He knew she wouldn't refuse, how could she? He knew her schedule better than she did and spoke with her father on a regular basis. However, at his inquiry, she let out a little sigh. He knew why, of course: she hated it when he asked her personal questions while the other club members were in the room. As far as he was concerned, this was unnecessary. Tamaki and Hikaru would have to get used to their relationship eventually and the others were completely supportive, but it was a subject Haruhi had always been vehement about.
"Of course," she answered his question, giving him one of her smiles that made his knees go weak and heart beat faster.
He ignored his body's response. The Shadow King couldn't reveal weaknesses, after all. "Wonderful. Shall we leave, then? It's time to close up the club for the afternoon." She nodded and followed him out, giving a small wave to the remaining club members who had grown used to their interactions but didn't quite understand them.
"Where are we going to dinner?" Haruhi asked once they were in the car, stretching out her legs in the limo's roomy interior.
"Oh, just a little place I know," Kyouya smirked at her from behind the file he was scribbling on.
"Do I need to dress up?" she frowned at him and he looked up to meet her expressive eyes.
"Well…" he began, just to see her frown increase. He loved that little frown of hers. It was too cute for him to restrain himself. "No," he answered her finally and she gave an audible sign of relief. He smirked again. "No, casual clothing is suitable. Shall I pick you up at seven?" She nodded at him and opened the door: they had reached her apartment complex.
"I'll see you later, Kyouya," she said, smiling at him. He felt his heart speed up again and, cursing his hormones, reached forward to grasp her thin wrist. Pulling her back into the limo, he moved forward to catch her body to his, closing his eyes and pressing his lips firmly against hers, reveling in the softness and warmth. He heard her gasp and felt her immediately respond, their bodies meshed together. He was the first to break the kiss, however much he hated to do so. They pulled apart and he saw, to his delight, that her eyes were sparkling and breath coming in pants from the heated kiss.
"Until then," he said in a low voice while trying to control his body.
"Hehh," was all Haruhi responded, still breathless, as she exited the luxurious car. He closed the door and watched her go into her apartment, a tingling feeling still playing across his lips.
At seven o'clock on the dot, Kyouya rolled to a stop in front of Haruhi's place and switched off the ignition of his Aston Martin and walked up the wooden stairs to knock on his beloved's door, waiting impatiently until he heard the lock click and the door opened to reveal his girlfriend, smiling at him.
"Always prompt," she grinned at him and he offered a small smile in return as he looked her up and down. She was dressed in plain commoner clothing: jeans, a frilly shirt that her father had most certainly picked out for her and a light sweater that she seemed to have been pulling on as he arrived. Shimming her little arms into the thin clothing, he was tempted to tell her that it was chilly out tonight and she would need something heavier, but he stopped himself. After all, he inwardly smirked, she would need to use himself for warmth, no?
"Shall we?" and he took her arm and led her down to his car, where he noticed she had a surprised look on her face. "I decided to drive myself today," he explained and her surprised look turned into a concerned one.
"But your father…" she murmured, sliding into the passenger seat once he opened the door for her.
"What my father doesn't know won't hurt him," he replied before shutting the door and jogging to the driver's seat. "He's out of town until Monday and none of the servants tell him anything." She nodded with a small hmm as they sped away.
"So, where are we going?" Haruhi inquired, leaning back into the elegant leather seat.
"I thought it was time for you to fully appreciate the art of perfectly cooked, piquant food," Kyouya informed her. He cut her off once he saw her look of indignation and her mouth open to undoubtedly shout at him. "You can feel free to order some bland, boring, inferior dish, of course. I would never force you to eat food you disliked." He saw her try and suppress a smile at his mocking words and slid his hand from the steering wheel to clasp one of hers tightly, lacing their fingers.
They arrived at the restaurant and were seated by a flighty hostess who was beside herself (and, Haruhi inwardly grumbled, flirty beyond reason) when she saw the famous Ohtori son walk in. The pair ordered quickly, Kyouya opting for the spiciest thing on the menu and Haruhi ordering some fruity salad that would be too sweet for Kyouya. Once their food arrived, Haruhi could smell the spices wafting off of her boyfriend's dish. She had to admit, it smelled delicious, but she knew that, were she to try it, her tongue would explode. She wanted to avoid that feeling and dug into her strawberry laced salad and tried to ignore the mouth-watering scents radiating through her nostrils.
The food was scrumptious and the conversation light and fun: all in all, a successful meal. They departed rather early, only eight o'clock, and decided to take a walk in a park close to Haruhi's building. Standing hand in hand just off the winding path, a cool breeze swooped upon them and sent shivers through Haruhi's body as she realized her thin sweater wasn't doing much to prevent the cold from sweeping through her. Kyouya indubitably noticed this and he released her hand to shrug off his jacket and drape it over her shoulders and slid his arm around her waist. She looked up into his usually impassive face to see a smirk and a hint of a smile gracing his handsome features and snuggled closer to his body for warmth.
"I love you," his low voice whispered in her ear. Another shiver raked her body, this time having nothing to do with the cold. She turned in his embrace, his other hand having wrapped around her, and tilted her face towards his.
"I love you, too," she breathed, lifting herself onto her tiptoes and pressing her lips against his.
The kiss started out innocent, just two pairs of lips pressed against one another tenderly. It quickly turned heated as Haruhi breathed in his irresistible scent and parted her lips as she wound her hands around his neck and pulled herself closer. He responded enthusiastically by slipping his tongue through her lips and she responded in the same way, both teenagers exploring one another's mouths with fiery passion.
Kyouya tasted spicy, Haruhi noticed immediately, but it didn't bother her as much as she thought it would. In fact, it tasted sensual, sexy, addicting. She found herself leaning into his kiss, yearning for more; a desperate, fervent need coursed through her body and she eagerly savored his peppery taste.
How long the two of them stayed like that, she didn't know, but however long it was wasn't long enough. They broke apart, breathing heavily, and Kyouya pressed his lips against hers once, twice, three times before pulling back to look at her flushed face. He graced her with one of his rare warm, genuine smiles and she responded in kind, leaning her head on his shoulder and heard his heart racing feverishly. Inhaling deeply, trying to catch her breath, Haruhi noticed that his clothing smelled the way he tasted and, almost without noticing it, realized she loved the scent.
As the lovers walked back down the cement path, Haruhi clutched possessively in Kyouya's arms, she had a thought.
Maybe spicy food wasn't so bad after all.