Title: Starting Over Again

Fandom: Ouran High School Host Club

Pairing: Tamaki/Haruhi

Rating: G

Warnings: Oh. My. God. So much sugary fluffy cheese. You may get a cavity by proxy. I was just in the mood to write pure and utter cheese.

Disclaimer: If I owned Ouran High School Host Club, Tamaki would have jumped Haruhi ages ago. He hasn't. Therefore it should make sense that I'm not claiming to own it.

"Haruhi!"

I was barely able to get the name out- and this was a big deal for me. I would go ahead and say that anyone who knew me would say that talking was the one thing I never had problems with. Of course neither was dealing with women. I was the host club's king, for God's sake. Yet somehow my throat managed to run dry when it matters right now.

"Tamaki-sempai?"

But I suppose this was different. Haruhi was not one of the lovely yet mindless fangirls that paid for our company. She was intelligent, independent, a companion, and above all, a friend.

And there was, of course, the fact that I had just realized an hour ago that I was completely in love with her.

I was partially aware that I was just standing there with a deer-in-headlights expression with my mouth hanging open. Mostly, however, I was aware of the cutest expression of confusion spread across her feminine features and trying to suppress either a fan boy squeal of joy or a blush that threatened to take over my entire face. I was not sure quite which.

"Y-you look tired. Come with me, I'll get you a glass of water." I wasn't completely oblivious. I saw her running around taking care of things that I should have been doing. I could have handled my invitation better though. God, Tamaki. Pull it together.

She nodded and we both silently proceeded to the kitchen away from the rest of the festival goers. I hoped to God that she couldn't see my hand shaking while I handed her a simple glass of cold water. If she noticed, she didn't say anything. She smiled gratefully, took the glass with a thank you, and wasted no time in downing the entire thing.

If it was possible for things to get more awkward, they did right then. I looked at her like an idiot completely incapable of speech, and she looked back at me almost like she wanted to say something too. The silence was absolutely deafening. I should tell her, I thought- or should I? Could she appreciate my feelings? I suppose the better question would be would I be able to handle it if she couldn't return them? And if I was honest with myself, I really did not have an answer for that one. How could she, after all? I spent all this time trying to be a father to her, instead of a man. She probably thinks I'm an idiot. She wouldn't be wrong. I am an idiot. But even still, I have to hope, right?

"Haruhi." "Tamaki-sempai." The voices came out simultaneously, and we settled right back into ridiculously awkward silence.

"Y-you first, Haruhi." She smiled at me in a manner that almost seemed…shy. How odd for her.

"Did you and Kanoya-san enjoy the festival?" What was it that I could see a glimpse of in her face? It was some sort of emotion that I have never seem much of from her, so I had a very hard time placing it. She was trying so hard to seem happy- perhaps too hard.

Had I done something to make Haruhi…sad?

"Actually, I think I may have ruined the festivities for Kanoya-san." I replied with a nervous laugh that portrayed little amusement. Sadness was replaced by concern in Haruhi's face.

"What happened, Sempai?"

"You could say I had a mid-festival epiphany, and I suppose it was disappointing to her. I am terribly sorry to have hurt her feelings."

"Oh."

She left it there with that unspoken question hanging in the air. Well, I supposed it was now or never that point.

"Haruhi…I'm….I'm not your father." At this she at once went from concerned and solemn to a very amused smile. Have I mentioned how beautiful she is when she laughs at me? I suppose that's a good thing- she laughs at me a lot. And when it comes down to it, I really don't mind.

"I knew that, Tamaki-sempai. But it's good to know you're up to speed with the rest of us now."

Now. It has to be now.

"That's not it! I…I…" She tilted her head in confusion- a lovely smile still plastered across her lips. This, of course, only served to make my heart beat faster and my palms sweat.

Oh for the love of God. Be a man!

"I love you." There. I had said it. I had laid it all out for her. Now all that was left was to wait for her rejection. It was time to wait to hear that I had messed everything else up by pretending to be what I wasn't and confusing familial love with what I was really feeling. I was ready to hear her say how she only thought of me as a father- as a friend.

I waited for those words that never came.

Instead she just brought a hand up to her pink lips thoughtfully and half focused on the floor. It wasn't until after a few moments that I looked through my panic and saw her expression.

She was…smiling.

"Haruhi?"

She looked at me, but the smile did not go away. "I think I'm okay with that." I couldn't keep the stupid grin off my own face. I knew that that meant in Haruhi's own little language, and nothing else she could have said would have made me happier.

"So can we start over then? I mean, without me pretending to be your father, and all. Just as Tamaki and Haruhi?"

"Yeah. I'd like that."

Gods above, she was adorable.

I straightened up into my signature princely pose and bowed to her. "Well then princess, my name is Suou Tamaki. May I have the pleasure of knowing yours?" Of course, she laughed again at me and my ridiculous display. There was something else laced with her laughter that was pure music to my ears. She was really and truly happy.

"I don't think we have to go quite that far, Semp-" She caught herself. "Tamaki."

Without even giving it much thought, I pulled her into an embrace- much like the one I had given her back when she faced her fear of storms on the beach. Only this time, I wasn't trying to comfort her as a father. This time I was blissfully ignorant of anything else in the world but the feeling of the woman I loved being in my arms. "No, I suppose not."

After a while, we moved apart only slightly- just enough to where we could actually look at each other.

"So what do we do now?" She asked me.

"Well, what would be something your father would Inot/I do in this situation?" She thought about it for a while, and then an odd expression surfaced. It was almost devious.

"Well, my father wouldn't kiss me."

"Is that a request?" She thought about it for a while before bring her lips to my ear and whispering something softly just for me to hear. Then she pulled back and nodded.

It was a request I was more than willing to oblige- and all the while I couldn't help but keep smiling at the little message that had been whispered in my ear.

I love you too.

Standard requests apply. I appreciate constructive criticism that will help me grow as a writer. If you feel like telling me how much Tama/Haru sucks, I acknowledge your right to an opinon and warn you that I really don't care. I hate sounding like a jerk that way, but it's a big petpeeve of mine.

If you enjoyed this or any of my other stories, you should definitely check out the joint fanfiction community two of my other friends and I run on Livejournal. .com/alas_poor_ . Spazzyfroggies would be me, and the other two are awesome writers. It's a general fanfiction community, so you might find some other stuff that you enjoy too.

Thank you for reading! =)