Tagline: It's "Okaasan" as you've never seen him before! Little slice of Kyouya/Haruhi romantic bliss.
Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran.
The Surprise
"Kyouya, please," begged Haruhi.
Kyouya chuckled softly. "Patience, Haruhi."
"But-!"
"All in good time."
Haruhi quivered with anticipation. She couldn't see anything with the blindfold around her eyes, but she knew what was coming next. She breathed in deeply. The smell was intoxicating.
"Kyouya!" she whimpered.
He laughed again, and she could hear that he had come closer to her.
"How about a little preview?" he said enticingly. He was now so close that she could feel his breath on her cheek.
"Say 'ah,' Haruhi," he said, as he brought his hand up to her mouth.
She obeyed.
"Mmm," she moaned.
"Do you like it?" he whispered against her neck, sending shivers down her spine.
"Yes," she breathed. "Please, Kyouya, I can't wait anymore."
Kyouya leaned in and kissed her soft lips. "Alright. Here's your surprise."
Haruhi gasped as the blindfold fluttered to the floor. Kyouya smiled at her reaction.
"This… this is amazing, Kyouya!" She beamed. "I can't believe you cooked all this for me!"
Every inch of her dining table was covered with food. Roast pork noodles, stir-fried vegetables, simmered sides, beef hot pot, and even a chocolate soufflé. Haruhi stared at all the delectable food, clearly drooling.
Kyouya, smirking at her obvious weakness for good food, crossed his arms and said, "I hope you realize how lucky you are, Haruhi. I rarely don the apron for anyone."
"Huh?" Haruhi snapped out of her trance and turned to him. He was indeed wearing an apron, and not just any apron, but the pink, frilly one her dad had bought for her. To complete this picture of domestic bliss, he wore a handkerchief around his black hair and carried a wooden spoon, which he had fed her with earlier.
Haruhi collapsed into a fit of giggles at the sight.
"Do you find something amusing?" Kyouya asked, arching an eyebrow.
She tried to control herself, but wondering how he could maintain his serious look when he wore pink lace just made her laugh even harder.
Kyouya's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Forget I asked," he said and left her. He took off the apron and handkerchief and sat at the table.
Haruhi finally quieted down enough to say, "Oh, no, Kyouya, I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"
He ignored her and simply picked up his chopsticks to begin eating without her. Haruhi sighed and shook her head, but she continued to smile. She knelt on the cushion beside him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She stared at his grim "go away" face, waiting for a response. When none came, she sighed again and said, "What I find amusing, Kyouya, is your sometimes childish behavior."
Kyouya looked at her sharply, but before he could give his retort, Haruhi leaned forward and kissed him. It wasn't a spectacularly passionate kiss, or a soft and tentative one. It was neither quick nor lingering. It was just a simple, loving kiss.
Haruhi looked into his widened eyes and said, "Thank you, Kyouya. This is the best surprise I've ever received." She smiled warmly at him, even though his face still held the disgruntled expression. It quickly softened, however, and with a smirk, he muttered, "You better eat your food before it gets cold."
Haruhi's smile widened, and she nodded. But as she settled herself on the other side of the table, he added, "Because I'm never doing this for you again."
"Eh?!" She looked at him in dismay. Kyouya just continued eating. But, Haruhi noted, at least his smirk was back. She shrugged and started on her dinner.
The rest of the meal was filled with the sound of Haruhi going "Mmm!" every time she tried a different dish. Kyouya watched her delight with every bite.
"Kyouya, this is delicious!" she exclaimed.
"Why, thank you," he replied, bowing his head a bit. "That is high praise indeed, especially coming from the master chef herself."
Haruhi blushed a bit at the compliment, but continued, "But where did you learn how to cook?"
"My governess taught me." Kyouya said, taking a sip of his green tea.
"Really?" Haruhi said, surprised.
"Ah."
"But," she smiled, "I didn't think culinary skills were vital to the training of a future CEO or even a Host."
Kyouya chuckled. "Oh, they're not. In fact, if my father had ever found out, I have no doubt Tetsuko-san would've been fired, and I would've been slapped." His voice had an amused tone, but Haruhi could sense the bitterness behind it. She knew the history between father and son and how Kyouya did not like to talk about it much, so she kept silent and allowed him to continue.
"When I was ten, I sprained my arm." he began but was quickly interrupted.
"Oh, what happened?"
"Tennis tournament. I pushed myself too hard." Or rather, Otoosan did. Kyouya thought.
"Oh, I see." Haruhi said quietly, and Kyouya was surprised that she sounded almost disappointed.
"What?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.
"No, nothing! It's just…" Haruhi's eyes had that far-looking gaze she had when she was deep in thought. "I was kind of hoping you fell out of a tree or something."
"Excuse me?" he blanched, or at least as close to blanching as was possible for Ootori Kyouya.
"I just meant," she continued, focusing her eyes back on him and smiling a little, "I liked to imagine you getting scrapes and boo-boos from having a carefree childhood. You know, like skinning your knees after tripping during a race, or hurting your wrist from falling out of the backyard tree you were climbing."
Kyouya stared at her for a moment then cleared his throat. "Ootori boys do not run or climb trees." He automatically took another bite of whatever was in his bowl, his mind elsewhere in time.
"Ah."
Haruhi, realizing that she had accidentally opened that particularly nasty can of emotional worms, couldn't think of anything else to say, so she quietly returned to her meal, too. She wished she could control her tendency to offend people when she had no ill intentions whatsoever.
After a couple of minutes of painful silence, Haruhi put her bowl down again. "Ano," she tentatively began.
Kyouya looked up. "Yes?"
"Well, you mentioned injuring your arm when you were ten?"
Kyouya blinked and then remembered that he had not finished explaining how he knew how to cook.
"Ah, yes, forgive me." He wiped his mouth delicately with a napkin and continued. "As I was saying, because of my arm, I could not go outside to practice that summer—"
Haruhi felt a twinge of sadness that he had said "practice" and not "play."
"—So sometimes—when I was done with my lessons, of course—I followed my governess to the kitchens and watched her cook. She would explain the procedure to me, even though I never asked for it, and I actually found myself interested in her instructions."
Haruhi could tell that the growing smile on Kyouya's face was genuine. She knew because she could see it in his eyes, not just on his lips. It was the smile that he reserved just for her when they were alone together and there was no one to please, no standards to live up to. What surprised her was the fact that this true smile had come from reminiscing about his boyhood. Usually, those memories only brought smiles of scorn. But now…
"After my arm healed," he said, "she even let me try some of the recipes myself. Of course, they never turned out anywhere near as good as when Tetsuko-san made them, but well, what could you expect from a ten-year-old?"
"Mm, I don't know. Considering the ten-year-old was you, Kyouya, I would expect him to naturally excel at everything." Haruhi teased.
He smirked in return. "I assure you, I was a novice, in the truest sense of the word. However, I feel I have much improved since that time. Even after I no longer required a governess, we made it a sort of tradition for me to visit her in the kitchens every few months, and she would teach me a new recipe."
Haruhi smiled at how fondly he spoke of his old nanny and was touched that he had revealed another side of himself to her, one that was obviously very special to him.
"I must confess that over the years, I have gotten quite proficient in the culinary arts." He gave her his cool and confident look, and she giggled.
"Yes, you are a fine chef! Everything was delicious." She motioned to the table laden with food. "I am most impressed. Maybe we could swap recipes and share tips and techniques." she joked.
Kyouya leaned forward, looked her straight in the eye, and said in all seriousness, "I'd like that. And perhaps we could even cook up something together."
For some reason, Haruhi felt her cheeks flush, and she looked away from his intense stare, as she muttered, "Sure." Damn him, she thought, he can say anything and make it sound sexy!
Kyouya noticed her cute blush and chuckled softly.
Haruhi quickly regained her composure and cheerfully said, "But what I'd really like to do, Kyouya, is cook with Tetsuko-san. She sounds like such a wonderful person. I'd love to meet her someday."
Kyouya's face molded itself into its usual mask of calm indifference. "I'm afraid that won't be possible, Haruhi." he said tonelessly, staring into his teacup. "She passed away last year."
He heard a soft gasp and then some shuffling. He looked up, wondering if Haruhi had gotten so upset that she had to leave the room, but instead found her sitting beside him again and enveloping him into a gentle hug.
He sat in shock for a few seconds. "Haruhi?"
"I'm sorry," she said softly, and he knew she meant she was sorry for his loss, not for her abruptness.
"Thank you," he said stiffly, placing a hand on her back. "But I'm fine."
She continued to hold him. "Even so," she said into his shoulder, "sometimes people still need comforting."
Kyouya's breath caught for a split-second as he realized that she of all people knew what it was like to lose someone you loved. He wrapped both his arms around her small body and held her in a tight embrace.
"Thank you," he said again, and he kissed the top of her head.
They held each other, comforting and being comforted, each thinking of the person dear to them that they had lost. After a few minutes, Haruhi lifted her head to look at him.
"Kyouya?"
"Hm?" He glanced back at her.
"Did you mean it when you said you would never don the apron for me again?" she pouted in an irresistibly cute way.
"Yes." he said coldly, pretending he could resist.
"But!" She started tracing circles on his chest with her finger and noted the slight upward twitch of Kyouya's lips.
"What if you didn't even have to cook?" she asked innocently. Now one of his eyebrows rose.
"What if… you just wore the apron… for me?" She gazed up at him, smirking playfully.
Kyouya's eyebrows shot up at the suggestion, but even through his shock, Kyouya felt some pride at her expert smirk. Apparently, he was an influence on her, whether good or bad was for someone else to decide.
He matched her evil grin. "I suppose I can make an exception."
She laughed and got up, holding out her hand. "Come on! Let's eat that gorgeous soufflé in my room."
Kyouya took her hand and got up himself. "What happened to 'no eating in bed?'" he said, amused.
Haruhi paused to think. "Mm…" She tapped her finger on her lips. "Well, if you can make an exception with the apron, I can make an exception for the rule." She smiled brightly, her eyes filled with mischief.
"Deal." Kyouya said, laughing softly.
He picked up the casserole dish, as she picked up the fluffy pink apron she never thought she'd use, much less like, until now. Then, she grabbed hold of his arm and dragged him to her bedroom.
"Come on, Kaasan!" she giggled.
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
"You know, Haruhi," Kyouya said, as they lied under the bed covers, "I think I might give you a surprise more often."
"Oh?" She fed him another fork of the chocolate dessert and then took one for herself.
"Indeed." He looked at her with his irresistibly sexy smile.
"And why is that?" she asked, pretending she could resist.
"The return benefits seem more than worth it." he said devilishly.
"Oh, you!" she cried in exasperation, even though she knew it was coming. She threw a small pillow at his face, laughing. He caught it, gave a low chuckle, and suddenly kissed her. It wasn't passionate or tentative, quick or lingering. It was just a simple, loving kiss.
As Kyouya pulled her closer to his warm body, Haruhi sighed in contentment, "I love surprises."
--The End--
A/N: The image of Kyouya in an apron cooking comes from a scene in the Ouran PS2 game. If you want to see it, go to YouTube and search for "kyouya cutscene 10/10". It is priceless!
So what did you think of the story? Please review! This is my very first fic, and I would love to hear what you have to say. Constructive criticism is always appreciated. Thank you for reading!