Blackberries and Butterflies
Ouran High School Host Club
Kyouya x Haruhi
Shine; The Fruits Challenge; Blackberry
"I don't know!" A small child shrieked from behind the fruit stand.
Haruhi sucked the last of her soda down, catching the bottom of the paper cup with her straw. Before the sound even had time to reach his ears, the irritated, dark-haired man's hand was already pressed against his temple. Haruhi gently tossed the cup into a nearby trashcan, finding amusement in the deformed kitty face an upside-down yellow "M" makes.
"Kyouya-senpai… you're scaring him," Haruhi turned her attention to the little boy as Kyouya disregarded her and twirled a smooth, brown vine between his ivory fingers. The simple action was captivating a few middle-aged women nearby.
"I'm sorry. Are you alright?" Her gentle smile quickly had the boy's face flushing. He nodded quickly and ran off behind the stand, only to come back gripping an older man's hand.
"Is everything alright? May I help you, miss?" The gentleman asked her kindly as his eyes flickered only once to Kyouya's looming presence.
"My friend just wanted to know if these blackberries here were imported. Your son didn't seem to know."
The man let out a boisterous bellow of laughter and sighed in relief at the simple problem at hand. The tense lines ready for business had faded from his face.
"Well this friend of yours must be a very smart young man," he looked around and smiled at the potential customers, "Smart and handsome, you're a very lucky lady."
By this point, a crowd of women had gathered around Kyouya. They were finding too much joy in watching his fingers play through the wisps of barren, spiraling stems. Haruhi quickly threw her hands up protesting the man's statement. A stammered laugh passed through her lips as she glanced to Kyouya.
"But back to your question… Yes, they are imported straight from the Americas. Oregon, I believe. They've developed vines to have no thorns," he grinned brightly at his audience, "They're easier on the ladies delicate fingers, y'know?"
Kyouya abruptly set the loose vines down and nudged his glasses back up onto the bridge of his nose. The glint of light seemed to disintegrate the dark aura around him as he slowly appeared to look less hostile.
"Hey, do you think we should bring some of these berries back for everyone? They look delicious."
Kyouya looked down at the box of ripe blackberries. He appeared to silently analyze them for a moment before holding his hand out to Haruhi.
"Hmm?" Haruhi smiled, not fully understanding what he was expecting.
"You have money on you, right?" He asked, still looking sharply at the fruit.
"Yes, but-"
"Did you forget how we got here?"
Haruhi visually began to try and recall how they came to be at a fruit stand in the middle of a crowded city market. Images of Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru dressed up as ridiculous looking mermen assaulted her brain. She looked down at her watch and realized with a quick gasp that it was only nine o' clock in the morning. Her body nearly twisted in horror as she hesitantly handed money to Kyouya.
"We'll take this box of blackberries." Kyouya stated in a monotone voice.
"The whole box?! The day just started and we're already selling two dozen cartons! Maybe I should try the lottery…"
"Dad…"
"Ah, yes. Best not press my luck," The man's hearty laughter followed them as they waved goodbye and tried to find their way out of the chaos.
"That Tamaki…," Kyouya's inner rage was clearing a path as they headed for a giant billboard plastered in gaudy oceanic designs.
"At least we know where to find him," Haruhi laughed uncomfortably. The movement caused her to adjust the bag in her arms. Kyouya glanced down, suddenly aware that she was carrying quite a bit. He took the bag from her and nonchalantly cast it over his shoulder. She looked up at his face, a bit surprised, and quickly looked away. Haruhi touched her fingers to her cheek and realized she was blushing.
"Haru-chan!" Haruhi turned around to be met in the face by a fluffy pink object.
"We were worried you got lost!" Mitsukuni pulled the bunny away and cutely held it behind his back as he smiled at Haruhi. Takashi came up from behind and lifted him up onto his shoulders.
"Honey-senpai. M-Mori-senpai," Haruhi stuttered a bit as she rubbed her eye. Takashi perked up with realization.
"Mitsukuni…," he held Honey out in front of Haruhi.
"Hmm..? Oh! Haru-chan, I'm sorry… Usa-chan's sorry too. Don't cry."
"Oh, really, it's fi-"
Mitsukuni gently pushed his stuffed rabbit into Haruhi's chest and smiled, suggestively. Haruhi's face flushed a pale pink as she hugged the doll. Kyouya's eyes softened for a moment as he watched her light up with a childish joy.
Mitsukuni, looking satisfied with himself, interrupted the moment. He seemed to mush Takashi forward towards the marine attraction. Kyouya and Haruhi followed along, eventually wishing they had not.
"Haruhi! Daddy missed you so much!" Tamaki flung himself at Haruhi only to be embraced by Kyouya's foot.
"Okasan? W-What did I do, wrong?" Tamaki started to cry waterfalls as he continued to pose dramatically for an array of squealing girls with cameras.
Kyouya began to pulse with irritation as he punched the side of the exhibit. It tumbled down to reveal Hikaru caressing Kaoru's merman of a chest. A group of girls had lust dripping out of their eyes as the boys saluted the group and pulled a nonexistent curtain around them and their fans.
In the process, Haruhi had lunged to catch the bag of falling blackberries and was receiving a well-deserved applause from Tamaki and Mitsukuni.
"What's in there anyway, Haru-chan?" Mitsukuni jumped down and ran over to the bag.
"Awe, no cake?"
"Nope. Just some blackberries Kyouya-senpai and I thought would be good to share with you guys."
Tamaki immediately shed his fins and appeared before them in a stunning black suit.
"I have it now! We shall throw a berry ball! Raspberries, Blueberries, Strawberries, Blackberries… Kyouya! Get this set up!"
Tamaki was overexcited with his newfound passion. The twins appeared to either side of him and tossed their elbows on top of his shoulders.
"It's not even noon yet and our lord's already bored of his 'Underwater Mermen Romance Theatre' idea."
"Ah, and we wasted all of that energy trying to get Kyouya out of bed so early."
The twins sighed in sync as an Ootori family car pulled in to pick them up. A symphony of whines and complaints echoed from the mob of girls. Tamaki blew a few kisses and charmed them as he waved a grandiose goodbye.
"How did we manage to get this all set up so fast?" Haruhi looked around in amazement. The room was lined in shades of red and blue. Long, draping curtains hung from the ceiling. They were black, and they made the lively room seem more elegant. A strawberry fountain had somehow manifested in the center of the room. Mitsukuni was floating around on his colorful inner tube. An image of Takashi with a snorkel on could be seen every few minutes, a foot or so away from him. Everything in the room was flavored like a type of berry. Haruhi was amusing herself in thinking Willy Wonka must have been hired as the interior decorator.
"I don't know why you bother asking anymore," Kyouya was standing beside her, looking over his mysterious clipboard of information. Haruhi giggled slightly, "I really don't know."
Kyouya's eyes widened a bit as he watched her. After a moment, he looked back to his clipboard only to see Kaoru staring up at him with a mischievious smirk. He knew. Hikaru wrapped his arm around Haruhi as he dropped a berry in her mouth.
"You haven't even tried one of the blackberries yet, have you?" Hikaru asked, shaking his head.
Haruhi swallowed the berry and glistened with the kind of glee she only felt when she got to eat something delicious.
"So good."
"Oh?" The twins came together and cast a curious look down on Haruhi.
"Did you know that in some parts of the world blackberries are supposedly the chosen fruit of the devil?"
"You're not supposed to pick or eat them after a certain time of year."
"Do you think it's bad luck?"
"Who knows?"
The twins continued to talk until they watched Kyouya pick one out of Haruhi's hand.
"The myth is true! It is the chosen fruit of the devil!" Hikaru exclaimed.
"The dreaded demon lord."
A blood vessel bulged out of Kyouya's head, and they quickly disappeared. Haruhi continued to eat the blackberries with a content look on her face.
"Haruhi, what's your favorite kind of berry? Mine's strawberry."
"Mine's Blueberry! Blueberries taste so good in jam!"
"I always thought raspberries were really soft and sweet…"
A group of girls had gathered around Haruhi, forcing Kyouya to step aside and leave her be.
"Everyone, may I have your attention? Will the winners of the berry berry bagatelle please come forward and claim your host for the couples dance," Tamaki announced, excitedly.
"Bagatelle? Couples dance? Why don't I remember any of this?" Haruhi asked Hikaru and Kaoru as they flung her out of the dressing room door and into the arms of an awaiting girl.
"P-Pleasure. M-May I have this dance?" The girl asked, almost too startled to make out the words.
Haruhi simply smiled kindly and went along with Tamaki's crazy scheme. She looked around to see all of the hosts grandly attired and dancing. Kyouya glanced at Haruhi, finding he was disappointed to see her in a suit rather than a luxurious dress. Her movements were simple and cautious, but he was engrossed in her steps. They weren't studied or measured. They weren't practiced or perfected. They were innocent, ignorant of the proper form that seemed to be expected. He stopped.
"Kyouya…?" The girl he had been dancing with looked after him sadly as he left the room.
The music soon slowed. The dance was over. The room was plagued by a sigh of disappointment that the night was done.
"I hope everyone had a good evening! Thank you for coming!" Hikaru said as he waved to the remaining individuals. Tamaki was too busy soothing the wounded hearts of maidens soon to be suffering separation (as he would put it). Takashi walked by carrying a Mitsukuni lost in dreamland.
"Goodnight, Mori-senpai," Haruhi waved. Takashi nodded to her and vanished behind the door.
"Has anyone seen Kyouya?" Haruhi asked aloud as she looked from corner to corner.
"He left earlier. Before the end of the dance," Kaoru said, "Maybe you should go find him? I wonder if he's allergic to berries…"
Haruhi looked to the door and soon found herself running down the hallway. Every room she passed was locked or dark. Frustration began to sit in.
"Kyou-," she stopped short and looked through an open door. A silhouette was leaning up against the window on the opposite side of the room. He looked inhumanly beautiful in the iridescent lighting.
"Kyouya-senpai? Are you okay?" She walked in slowly, confused as to why she felt so unsure.
"Fujioka?" Kyouya tipped his glasses up and turned to face her, "What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you… Kaoru seems to think you might be allergic to berries."
Kyouya twitched in disbelief at that cunning little twin.
"I'm fine. It's getting late though, shouldn't you be getting home to Ranka-san?"
"Oh! You're right… but are you sure you're okay?"
Kyouya walked up to her. He went to take her hand and stopped short, forcibly closing his fingers into a fist. He sighed as his frustrated eyes pierced through hers for just a brief moment. Haruhi would have sworn her heart stopped. She slid down to her knees.
"Haruhi?!" He dropped down and grabbed her by the shoulders. He placed the back of his hand to her forehead, checking for a temperature.
"I'll take you home," he flipped his cell open and called a car to pick them up.
"Do you need help to stand?" Kyouya lifted her up. She fell forward into his chest a bit before catching herself.
"No… I'm alright."
Kyouya pulled her back into his chest and held her there.
"Don't… scare me like that."
Haruhi smiled gently and closed her eyes as his heartbeat soothed her own.
"Sorry."
They walked quietly down the corridor until they came to the front of the building. The car was waiting.
"Thank you for the ride."
"It's not a problem," Kyouya opened the door and timidly helped her inside.
Her knee touched his. Haruhi kept her attention out the window, oblivious. It was beginning to
rain. Kyouya was getting restless. His face was in his hand.
"Those imported blackberries…"
"What about them?" Haruhi asked, confused by how random that seemed to be.
"What do you think about them altering the vines to have no thorns?"
Haruhi thought about it for a second. She had forgotten what the shopkeeper said about them. Blackberry vines with no thorns. She thought it seemed unnatural.
"Shouldn't their vines have thorns? For protection? I feel like they shouldn't try to change that. It was natural the way that it was."
Kyouya smirked and let out a quick, suppressed chuckle.
"So even if the thorns hurt you… and even if the blackberries are grown in an environment where they supposedly wouldn't need thorns… you'd still be against it?"
"Yeah. Why would you change something that tastes so good?"
Kyouya held back the laughter once more and simply shot a smile her way. She smiled back, not quite understanding what they were so relieved about.
"We're here, sir," his driver announced.
"Ah, thank you."
"I'll walk you to the door. Don't want you collapsing again."
"Uh… yeah," Haruhi turned red recalling the moment.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Kyouya opened the door and helped her out of the car. The rain had picked up. They walked up to her apartment only to see a flash of neon pink fluttering in front of the door. Kyouya stopped short.
"Hmm, what's that?"
"Oh, it's a note from my dad. What could he-," Haruhi plucked the note off the door and began reading. By the end, she was starting to shiver. Kyouya silently questioned the letter.
"Oh. He'll be out all night… turns out."
"That's fine, though. You're fine on your own."
Haruhi clenched the note tightly in her hand and forced a smile.
"Yep."
"I'll see you then," Kyouya waved slightly and turned to leave as quickly as he could. He wasn't used to having temptations. He heard the door click shut behind her and sighed in relief. He leaned back against the side of the building and looked up at the sky. A silent flash of lightening flickered in his eyes.
Haruhi heard a knock. Did Kyouya forget something? She wondered. As she was about to open the door, the handled turned.
"Haruhi?"
Kyouya was already drenched. It was down pouring.
"Kyouya-senpai? What's wrong?"
"Why don't you come back to my place? There's no sense in letting a girl stay alone all night."
Haruhi watched the sky flash behind Kyouya.
"Are you sure it's alright?"
"No one should even be home… It's fine. Come on."
Haruhi needed little convincing. Although she wasn't entirely comfortable with it, it was better than being alone. She scribbled a note out to her father and followed Kyouya back into his car.
"Due to certain circumstances, Fujioka is spending the night at our residence. Just take us back, please. We're drenched."
"Yes, sir."
"Are you finished?"
"Yeah… but…"
"But?"
"Where did your maids get this…?"
Haruhi opened the bathroom door and looked shyly at Kyouya.
"I thought there were no girls in your household?"
Kyouya stared at the girl in front of him. She was wearing a light pink, silk nightgown cut above the knees. A white bow accented the side and drifted down the length of her body. It was simple, cute, and somehow elegant. He couldn't take his eyes off her. Haruhi shifted her hands slightly over her body, not used to wearing anything close to that in nature.
There was a knock on the door. Haruhi retreated back to the washroom.
"Master Kyouya? Did your guest change into that nightgown yet?"
Kyouya opened the door and peered curiously at his maid.
"Yes she has, why?"
"A maid from the Hitachiin house dropped it off earlier and said we might need it. I just thought it was so strange until you showed up here with your guest. I bet she looks adorable. We have her room ready whenever she's prepared for bed."
Kyouya flinched. That twin…
"Adorable isn't quite the term I'd use, but thank you for letting me know where it came from. I'll be getting back to her now."
"Of course. Good night."
Kyouya closed the door. He sighed, walked over to desk, and started picking blackberries out of a porcelain bowl. The two created a beautiful contrast.
"Who was that?"
"Just the maid. Are you alright?"
"I'm not sure if I can even sleep in this thing…"
Haruhi walked out of the bathroom, clenching her side as if she were nervous.
"You don't have much choice, seeing as how we had to throw your clothes into the laundry… unless you'd prefer wearing my clothes…?"
"No, this is fine. I'll get used to it… You're eating blackberries again?"
"Seems they weren't a favorite of our clientele."
"Oh, but they were so good…"
Kyouya stood up and slowly walked over to her.
"Why're you still wearing this?" He reached up and slowly pulled her wig off. Her hair had grown long again, and to keep both of her fathers happy she agreed to keep it untouched for a while.
"Oh, that. I always forget it's there."
Kyouya ran his fingers through her hair, twirling it slowly like he did with the vine.
"Kyouya-senp-"
"Just Kyouya is fine."
"What're you-"
In one movement he had her pinned to the wall. One hand was just beside her head, the other on her hip.
"If I said that I'm going to take advantage of you… would you scream?"
"You wouldn't do that, senpai."
"How do you know?"
"You're just trying to scare me… like you've done before. What's the lesson this time?" She looked innocently interested.
"There is no lesson… I'm going to take advantage of you."
"But… why? How could you benefit from that?"
Kyouya pulled away and turned his back to her.
"You still think it's all about merits?" He smirked, "You might be right after all… Do you know what I value most in this moment?"
"Ky-"
"Gaining your acknowledgement."
"What would you like me to acknowledge?"
"...," Kyouya shifted back around and pushed his body into hers. He tucked her hair behind her ear, and pressed his lips softly against her neck.
"I love you."
He grabbed her by the wrist and pinned it against her.
"Don't misunderstand me, Haruhi. I love you. If you don't want that just say so, and I'll be your senpai the instant you shake your head."
He waited for her response, his own body shaking. He'd never been so sure of a feeling so abstract. Something he couldn't just obtain by his own means. Something only he demanded of himself. Haruhi was quiet, unmoving. It seemed like hours before she finally made a sound.
"And what… is the benefit of loving me?"
Kyouya smirked, slightly relieved at the honest question. She was still Fujioka Haruhi.
"I'd say the benefit of loving you… is being able to be a part of someone's existence… who smiles so genuinely just from eating something as simple as a blackberry."
"Is that it?"
"No, but that's all I'm going to give you before you give me a proper answer, milady," he whispered in her ear. She still gave no response.
"Fine, if the answer is no… then stop me."
Kyouya ran his hand up her leg to her thigh. He let his fingers flit across her skin. Her nightgown folded up around his wrist as his fingers glided further up to the edge of the satin waiting underneath. He looked at her, blushing yet unafraid. Her lips quivered slightly as he made the most subtle of movements. He slipped his finger around one of hers and pulled her gently towards his desk. He lifted her up and set her on top, knocking papers and small objects onto the floor.
"Oh-," Haruhi went to reach for something she knocked over and was stopped abruptly when she met his hand. He pulled her arms around his neck and held her still for a moment.
"You don't mind?" Kyouya asked, his voice was sensual, yet lined with doubt.
"In that case..," Kyouya put his hand to the side of Haruhi's face and tilted his head slightly as he moved his face closer to hers. She could feel his breath on her lips before he knelt in and kissed her. Haruhi blushed as she felt her lips part for him. They moved on their own as she felt something soft slide delicately into her mouth. She pulled away, mildly embarrassed. She touched her fingers to her lip as she realized he had slipped a blackberry into her mouth. Kyouya smirked, pinning his glasses back up onto his face. Haruhi swallowed the berry, beaming in delight. She still had a pink cloud above her cheeks and couldn't quite look at Kyouya.
"Are you alright?"
"U-Uhm. Yeah, I'm o-," Haruhi stopped short as a roar of thunder shook her bones. She leapt off the desk and into Kyouya's arms. He held her close, chuckling softly under his breath.
"Did you forget there was a storm outside?" He asked, mildly amused.
"What? But it just…"
"It's been thundering since you walked out of the bathroom, Haruhi."
Haruhi slowly unburied her face from Kyouya's chest. She leaned back and looked him in the eyes, taking his glasses off and setting them on the desk behind her. His eyes were silken as they accessed her expression. Her legs were wrapped around his waist. Her nightgown was disheveled and slipping down her shoulder. Kyouya skimmed his finger up her arm, pulling the strap of her gown back up. He kissed her chin and slowly moved up her jaw-line, pulling her hair gently as he did. The taste of blackberries was dew-like on her lips. He softly kissed the flavor from them and smiled coyly at her response.
"Haru." Kyouya pulled her closer.
"You know…," Haruhi leaned away to pick up another blackberry. It was delicate in her hand, leaving small ruby stains on her pale skin. She popped it in her mouth and smiled vividly at Kyouya.
"I always thought that blackberries were the sweetest on the inside."
Kyouya met her smile and kissed her forcefully, surprising her. Her hair slipped into her face and acted as a curtain… closing her inside his world as he continued to make her skin writhe with butterflies.