Disclaimer… I do not own Ouran High School Host Club or its characters. I just like to use them for my own nefarious purposes… uh I mean my fanfictions.

A/N: Ok, here is the Mori/Haruhi New Year's story. Since Hunny only beat him by one vote, I decided he deserved a holiday story as well. Happy New Year's minna! Enjoy!

Chapter 1 – Eavesdropping

It was just another day with the hosts from the Ouran High School Host Club. Everyone, well Haruhi hadn't arrived yet, had gathered at Mori's house to relax and have some fun together since they were currently on winter break from school and it was New Year's Eve. They wanted to ring in the New Year together, as Tamaki says, like a family.

Christmas had been fun and they had broken into Haruhi's house to make sure she had a nice Christmas because as Tamaki declared, "They are commoners and thus poor and Haruhi's father probably can't afford to get her anything. They are probably eating scraps for dinner." He had been more than wrong… and everyone had tried to tell him that, but he wouldn't listen and wound up pulling them all into his scheme. Ranka almost called the police because he thought someone was breaking in, and when the father saw Tamaki, well he still almost called the cops because there was a "rodent in the apartment". Needless to say, it was a memorable Christmas to be sure.

Now as everyone waited for Haruhi to join them at Mori's home, it was the standard operating procedures with these privileged teens. The twins were working Tamaki into a frenzied mess and planting ideas into his head to see how far they could push him using Haruhi's absence as fodder for their mischievousness; it wasn't far. Hunny was sitting at a table eating yet another cake; it was his second and the gathering had just begun. Kyoya was writing something in his black book; everyone was convinced that and his phone were surgically connected to him. Finally, Mori was standing close to his cousin to make sure all was right with the world… to a degree; he could only do so much around these people he chose as friends.

"KYOYA! We need to send out a search party to find our daughter! Mommy, she should be here by now. She is missing or maybe kidnapped. She could be lying on the side of the road somewhere injured!" Tamaki cried to his best friend grabbing Kyoya's sweater and shaking him. Yes, the blond could be a lunatic sometimes and the twins weren't helping the situation.

Pulling his soon to be dead best friend off of him, the Shadow King growled, "I'm sure she is fine. She told us not to pick her up today. Trains and buses sometimes run behind and she is no more than 15 minutes late at the moment. Hikaru, Kaoru, stop teasing him."

"But it's fun," the twins proclaimed with a snicker.

"Tama-Chan, I'm sure if Haru-Chan was really in trouble, she would call one of us. Right Takashi?" Hunny looked up at his cousin and smiled, knowing full well the taller man's feelings for the secret princess of the Host Club. Over the last month, the two had become closer since Mori was secretly helping her with her history studies and showing her a little bit of kendo; and if he wasn't mistaken, and he rarely ever was, Haruhi had feelings for Mori as well.

Mori nodded and slipped his hand into his pocket grasping his phone, "Right." When eyes were no longer on him, he pulled out his phone and glanced down at it. No missed calls and no messages from the brunette first year. He was sure it was just the bus and train schedule; and it wasn't like Haruhi was never late. When it came to the Host Club and its little events, she was late more than she was on time, which was probably why Kyoya wasn't worried either.

"I agree with Mori-senpai and Hunny-senpai," Kyoya announced with a smile. He could also tell that the wild host and the natural host had started to develop feelings for each other, and he could only hope they found a way to be together without the others going ballistic. The twins might be alright, but Tamaki… well he rather not think about that because it might give him a headache. He could just picture it now, Mori and Haruhi get together and Tamaki explodes and tries to say that Mori can't have her because daughter isn't allowed to date. Cringing inwardly, the bespectacled teen silently cursed his best friend for inner mind theatres. They were all the blonde's fault.

"Hey boss, you know it is tradition that you kiss the person you like at midnight," Hikaru grinned. He had noticed how Haruhi's eyes would wander over to the tallest host, and although it hurt at first, he would attempt to be mature about the situation… as much as he could.

"That's right. I wonder who Haruhi will pick to kiss at midnight," Kaoru snickered. There were many nights he and his brother stayed up late and discussed the issue at hand. He was proud of Hikaru for allowing their toy to have a choice.

Sputtering, Tamaki turned bright red and a small amount of smoke could be seen coming out of his ears, "Well, it will be me of course!" If Haruhi was going to kiss anyone at midnight, he was determined that it was going to be him.

"We don't know about that. We bet she kisses one of us at midnight," the twins said together with an evil smile alighting their face. They were definitely up to something.

The Shadow King picked up on where Hikaru and Kaoru were going with this and decided to add to the fun, "I have some pictures and a lock of her hair here for the person that she kisses first. I assume she will kiss everyone on the cheek, but it is the person that she chooses to kiss first that is the winner. In fact, let's say the person she chooses to kiss first while we are here is the winner and will get the reward."

"I will win!" Tamaki yelled believing he was the only person who could win fair Haruhi's first kiss… and not the one he forced on her with another girl at the ball. This would be her real first kiss and it would be his.

"Wait, we want to play too!" Hunny demanded from his seat. Really, he was doing this for his cousin's sake because he wasn't sure when Mori was actually going to make a move.

As soon as they even muttered the words "Haruhi" and "kiss" Mori wanted in. There had been plenty of contests and bets in the few short months they had known Haruhi, but this was the one he really wanted to be a part of. This was the one that mattered and he didn't want anyone else to have the opportunity to kiss Haruhi except him, "Yah, we want in as well."

Three heads whipped around and gasped, "EH?"

Yes, the twins knew the stoic man had feelings for Haruhi, but they didn't think he would demand to be part of the contest. Usually Hunny would say he wanted in and Mori would silently go along with it all, but today, he declared himself to be part of the contest. Hikaru and Kaoru gave each other a knowing smirk before turning to Tamaki, "Well, this just got interesting."

Kyoya pushed his glasses up and simpered, "Yes, I would have to agree." He had been a little shocked by the declaration, but not enough that he would lose his composure like Tamaki and the twins. Then again, when faced with watching the person you care about kiss someone else or participating… it was always better to participate.

With the rules and such hammered out, they just needed the arrival of a certain female host to begin. There would be no forcing the kiss, no tripping, or anything awkward. It would only count if Haruhi chose the person and then kissed said person. No one was allowed to choose for her.

Unbeknownst to the six men inside the room, a certain brunette had arrived and had been listening to the whole conversation just outside the door. Just as the maid had been about to announce her arrival, Haruhi heard the beginnings of the teasing and something told her to delay her entry. So instead of allowing the maid to announce her, she sent the other woman away so that she could eavesdrop without the others knowing; and the more she listened, the more she wanted to commit first degree murder. She would claim temporary insanity and she had a feeling the judge would be lenient on her because of her association with the group of men who were currently plotting and betting on who she would kiss at midnight… no, who she would kiss first over the course of the evening. This was too much! Even Mori was getting involved and that one surprised her the most. She thought they had a connection, so why was he participating in something so atrocious. Well, she would show them and have her own agenda for tonight and that may or may not involve a kiss, she just wasn't sure yet.

Opening the doors, Haruhi made her presence known. It was time for her own plot and scheme to be enacted and it might lead to a lot of torture and a blood bath in the end. It was just New Year's with the Host Club.