Maho: This is a response to the HunnyHaru challenge issued by birningice. I really love HunnyHaru, and I personally think they're a good couple, though I can tell many people would beg to differ. I really think their contrasting personalities mix quite well. I'm sorry though, I really have to say HikaHaru is my favorite. HunnyHaru is no doubt really close, and it comes second. Please do enjoy though~ ^.^ I'm serious about the pastries though; they're all real! Weird names, huh...? O.O
Fun facts:
** Amai No Tenshi = Sweet Angel
Tomeru Mimyori, my OC who appears in my Yumeiro Patissiere fics, doesn't exactly fit in here, but her mother is the owner of the bakery. She's called Ms. Tomeru because she's divorced.
Kageshuu Nami and Sowari Masato are my OC's as well, and they appear here too. Mainly all of my stories have some kind of connection. :D
Haruhi stood outside of the Amai No Tenshi Bakery, clad in a plain t-shirt and shorts, bidding farewell to another group of satisfied customers. She picked up the remaining glasses carefully from the table and set them on her plastic tray, humming softly.
Balancing the platter on one hand, she eased open the shop doors with her other hand, smiling faintly as the familiar smell of home baked pastries engulfed her. "Ah, Haruhi-chan, could you bring this order to table 5?" Ms. Tomeru, her boss, a plump middle-aged lady, with a kind smile called as Haruhi walked in.
"Yeah, sure! One second," Haruhi replied, then walked into the kitchen and placed the tray onto the white counter. Quickly but cautiously, she placed the cups into the sink and opened the taps a bit, rinsing them briskly with luke-warm water.
Grabbing her tray again, she walked back into the serving room, and gathered the cakes and muffins that were on the window sill connecting the room to the kitchen. She plodded over to their table and smiled. They were none other than her regular customers, Kageshuu Nami and Sowari Masato.
"Hi, Haruhi-san." Masato said simply with a smile, as his silvery-blue eyes met hers. "Haruhi-kun~ It's been a while!" Nami exclaimed, giggling. "Yup, it has been pretty long." Haruhi answered as she lay the assortment of cakes and tartlets in front of them.
"Thanks~" was the last thing Haruhi heard from Nami, since she had already dove in and was nibbling away at a honey danish, chewing contentedly. Masato chuckled, then selected an cream puff for himself after he thanked her as well.
"No problem." Haruhi answered then headed off back into the kitchen, as they were getting low on madeleines. Once again, humming, she pulled on her favorite apron; a simple, frill-free, Haruhi approved white one.
She really enjoyed baking sweets, since it was fun thing to do to pass the time, but even so, she still wasn't very fond of sweets. She skimmed through one of the many cookbooks Ms. Tomeru had, skipping all the ones she'd never heard of, like profiterole, schnecken, sfogliatelle and frangipane.
"Ah, there it is." Haruhi mumbled as her fingers stopped at the page with the recipe for madeleines. Her eyes scanned the page briefly, then she grabbed a few ingredients and began.
As she was putting a baking platter into the oven Ms. Tomeru called to her. "Haruhi-chan, would you mind coming out here for a minute, dear? Someone is here to see you!"
"Okay! I'll be out in a sec..." Haruhi responded, and hastily stuffed the rest of the platter into the stove, strolled back into the now emptier lounge.
There, sitting at table was none other than Hunny, holding Usa-chan, with a small smile on his face. "Senpai? What are you doing here?" Haruhi asked him quizzically. "Aren't you supposed to be working? It's only five thirty."
The staff of education in Ouran had decided that, to help raise management and cooperation abilities with the students, students would have to participate in a part-time job at least 3 days a week, starting at 4 o'clock. A one hour and a half shift?
"Yeah, Haru-chan, but I already finished my job~" Hunny replied, giggling in a way that reminded her of Nami. "What is your job anyways, Hunny-senpai?" she questioned, her eyes filled with curiosity. She couldn't really see Hunny doing anything other than cake eating and being adorable when he wasn't in his dark mode.
"Cake testing! They only had 3 tables for me, so I got to leave early~" Hunny answered joyfully, as he, without a second thought, accepted the eclair that was being offered to him by Ms. Tomeru.
Typical, Haruhi thought as she mentally face palmed herself. Of course, it had to be something like that.
In a blink of an eye, the eclair had been devoured and washed down with a cup of lemonade. Ms. Tomeru blinked twice as she stared at the 17 year old who looked like he was an elementary school student. Haruhi hardly even cocked an eyebrow. It was expected of a loli-shota of course.
Ding! Haruhi gasped as she remembered the madeleines she had been baking earlier. "Excuse me for a second," she told him and her boss hurriedly, then rushed back into the kitchen, the sharp sounds of her comfy flats hitting the tiles hanging in the air.
Flinging on a random pair of oven-mittens, she pulled the baking tray out of the oven and set it down gingerly on the countertop. Its plain, sweet lemony smell wafted towards her, and she couldn't help but leaning closer to the pastries, inhaling more of its candied, saccharine fragrance and enjoying the warm steam that immersed her face.
"Hunny-senpai, would you like to try a madeleine?" she called out through the small window connecting the two rooms. "Sure Haru-chan~" Hunny replied excitedly. She smiled, at least he was being supportive. "I just need to let them cool off," Haruhi said as she walked back into the lounge, holding a tray with three cups filled with pink lemonade.
"Ms. Tomeru, I've brought one for you as well." she told her, sitting down with them. "Oh, no need for that," Ms. Tomeru said, as she began to get up from her chair, "I'll be leaving for a while, I need to go pick up some more strawberries and others at the market. Haruhi-chan, since there aren't many customers at the moment, could be a dear and watch the bakery for me?"
"Okay. How long will you take?" Haruhi replied, glancing at the plain clock that hung on the white and yellow walls of the lounge. "Not very long, now I'll be off." Ms. Tomeru said, as she seized her purse from the front counter and ambled out the glass doors.
"Can I have her lemonade, Haru-chan?" Hunny inquired cutely. Seeing as Haruhi didn't respond, Hunny resorted to being teary eyed. "Haru-chan, I really want it, I'll share with Usa-chan... Please...?" he cried, and even though Haruhi had seen this about a billion times, she still felt a tiny jab of guilt hit her heart.
"Why do you want it so much?" Haruhi raised an eyebrow at him, dumbfounded at the fact that he'd beg for a simple glass of pink lemonade. "Because Haru-chan made it, I want it..." Hunny mumbled, using the back of his slender hand to wipe a few tears for extra effect. Her eyes widened slightly, and her heart throbbed in a way that felt foreign to her.
Her cheeks dusted a pale red, reluctantly and wordlessly, she slid the glass across the table towards him. Her senpai looked up, then glanced from the glass of lemonade, to her. The air was tense and the room was silent.
Slowly, he reached towards the demitasse and touched it, feeling the refreshing cold glass against his fingers. Haruhi observed his movements, they weren't stiff, just careful and hesitant.
"Thank you." Hunny said, his sugary voice vaguely shaky, as he tried to conceal the turbulent emotions bursting into euphoria in his chest. "... Yeah..." Haruhi breathed, her heart felt like it was on fire, enveloping her upper body with an unfamiliar burning sensation.
The room was still, and the only sound there was, came from Hunny, sipping quite noisily on his straw, his cheeks tinted pink. "Uh... the madeleines should be done now." Haruhi spoke, using that as an excuse to leave; it was plainly just.. too awkward for her to stay any longer. Hunny, to show he didn't mind, nodded, a plastic white straw hanging from his mouth.
She dawdled into the pristine white kitchen, and chose two small pink saucers from the cabinet, then proceeded to placing a few of the supple madeleines on them. Gulping inaudibly, she strolled back into the serving room; attempting the lighten the mood.
"Senpai, here are the madeleines." she spoke casually as she rejoined him a the table, setting down the plates gently. "Waaiii~ Madeleines made by Haru-chan!" Hunny had returned to his usual self, and the uneasiness from before had completely faded away.
Hunny grabbed one of his madeleines hungrily, and shoved half of it into his, now wide open, mouth. A full smile coming to her face, she let out a short laugh, and took one of hers, seeing as her senpai was savoring them so much.
"Done!" Hunny declared happily to Usa-chan, who was sitting on his right. Haruhi glanced at him, and noticed a few crumbs on his cheek. Not realizing the intimacy of her actions, she reached forward and brushed them off. At that exact moment, Hunny had been turning to look back at her, so for a fleeting moment, her fingers brushed against his lips.
The tension in the room had risen drastically at the second, and Haruhi jumped, surprised, jerking back her hand. A new, light blush found its way to both of their faces.
There was a long-lasting silence in the room. "H-Haru-chan, uh... Your madeleines were delicious." Hunny said, not wanted to make the room uncomfortable again. "Oh.. Umm... Thanks." she answered.
"Well, I think I should go now," Hunny paused, then his face lit up, "I'll visit you again tomorrow, Haru-chan!~" Haruhi stared at him, eyes wide, as he got up from his seat.
Breaking out of her trance, she smiled, "I'll be waiting."
Maybe it was the way he had just walked into the bakery, changing the monotone course of her days. Or maybe the way he had touched her heart so easily, making her feel a turmoil of butterflies. Or the way he smiled, making her look forward to his daily visits?
She wasn't sure.
All she knew, was that she enjoyed making madeleines now. Why is that, you may ask?
Simply, because it makes her think of him.