Ouran Academy scholarship student Haruhi Fujioka regretted staying up with the astronomy club to watch the meteor shower from the observatory. Even though it had been absolutely amazing, and awe inspiring, to watch the meteors streak across the sky last night, she felt exhausted. She was really interested in joining the astronomy club, but she didn't think she had what it took to participate in more than one club during after school hours.
She snorted as she thought of that – after school hours. Most of the time it felt like after school minutes, by the time the students got the school cleaned to the teacher's satisfaction and got their homework done. She'd heard students in America just went home right after school, and to be honest she really didn't believe it.
Between being a responsible A student and being a productive and beloved member of the Ouran Academy Host Club, she barely had time to think. At least the ride to the academy every day gave her almost an hour to study. If it wasn't for that, she didn't think she'd make it.
Ah, well, she sighed, finally opening the door to Music Room 3 where the Host Club met, and heading for the changing room. At least the Host Club felt more like a refuge than an extension of the classroom with its ever-present demands. Already she could feel the tension ease out of her shoulders as she heard her friends acknowledge her arrival.
'Hey, it's Haru-chan! Look Takashi, Haru-chan's here!' exclaimed Mitsukuni 'Honey' Haninozuka, wiping a mouthful of cake crumbs off his cherubic face. Honey-Sempai was the only one of the group who referred to his cousin, Takashi 'Mori' Morinozuka, as Takashi. Everyone else seemed content to call him Mori. Mori-sempai looked up in her general direction and grunted, more to acknowledge Honey-sempai's comment than anything else.
She found herself wondering what went on in Mori's head sometimes. He was so utterly quiet, and it was more than just his lack of conversation. Mori could sneak up on a nervous hen in a fox-den and scare the eggs out of it. She chuckled to herself at the thought of Mori sneaking up on a hen and startling it into laying eggs.
'Finally decided to show up, did we Haruhi?' Kyoya Otori teased in his quiet voice, favoring her with a rare look over the infamous black notebook, and an even rarer – what was that – almost-smile? Kyoya Otori was the quietly calculating third son of powerful medical business magnate Yoshio Otori. She couldn't help but smile at Kyoya in return.
'Hey, Kya-chan, it's good to see you too.' She replied, pushing open the door to the changing room. Thankfully Tamaki Suoh hadn't figured out she was here yet. Tamaki had been the one to start up the Host Club, and was the Club's rather dramatic president. She felt tired just thinking about Tamaki's overly emotional tendencies, and felt a new wash of gratitude for Kyoya's ever-steady demeanor. Sometimes Kyoya's calm, unflappable ways were a real oasis in what sometimes felt like a sea of emotional turmoil.
For a bunch of guys, they can be really dramatic, she thought to herself, as she grabbed her kimono off the wall hook and sank gratefully into the plush chair situated in the middle of the room. She leaned back in the chair and let her tired muscles unknot themselves for a moment. Who knew waxing the floor could work so many muscle groups she thought ruefully. The wrestling team didn't really need a gym she decided to herself, they just needed to wax the school floors more often. Without realizing it, she fell asleep dreaming that she was getting dressed in her kimono.
While Haruhi was peacefully sleeping in the changing room, Tamaki was on the verge of blind panic because he had not noticed her arrival. He insisted on referring to Haruhi as his and Kyoya's darling daughter.
'Kyoya, where is our darling Haruhi? She should have been here a while ago! What if she slipped and fell down the stairs?' he wailed as he grabbed Kyoya by the shoulders from behind and wept openly into the back of his kimono.
'Tamaki, calm down; there's no reason to worry. I saw Haruhi come in a little bit ago and head into the changing room. She should be done changing by now, although she did look pretty tired.' Kyoya muttered this last to himself as he gently disengaged himself from Tamaki's weepy dramatics. Looking up from his beloved black notebook, he noted the Hitachiin twins stirring restlessly near their station and felt another almost-smile tug at his mouth. Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin were the scheming, twisted, hyperactive sons of famous fashion designer Yuzuha Hitachiin.
'Hikaru, Kaoru, why don't you go check on Haruhi, make sure she hasn't fallen asleep again. We really do need to finish getting things set up; it's almost time for the clients to arrive.' Kyoya said. The twins ambled over in the direction of the changing rooms, their mannerisms deceptively slow and languid. Hmmm Kyoya thought, knowing the apparently lazy nature of the Hitachiin twins' movements to be a complete fabrication.
Kyoya thought to himself that Haruhi better be up to dealing with the twins today, because it looked like they were bored again. He shook his head at the ever-scheming twins and ducked back into his black notebook. He began calculating the ways a bored set of twins could set the club back financially, if they didn't have Haruhi to play tricks on.
Kyoya considered Haruhi for a moment. I wonder why Haruhi insisted I buy back her debt from Tamaki Suoh's one-time fiancé, Éclair Tonnerre? She could be receiving substantial earnings if she weren't still paying off her debt, Kyoya thought. He frowned and focused on what else had to be done to get ready for their guests.
The twins misinterpreted Kyoya's frown and grinned at each other. "Yeah, Kya-chan knows Haruhi's in trouble now – imagine, sending a couple of bored and lecherous twins in to check on a half-dressed Haruhi. Kya-chan must be feeling particularly mischievous himself today to arrange that." Kaoru said. Their grins broadened slyly as they approached to door to the changing room. Without apparent warning, Hikaru pounded on the door and shouted for Haruhi.
'Hey, Haruhi, you still in there?' Hikaru shouted as he pounded on the door again. Just thinking of Haruhi asleep made an unfamiliar longing sensation coil up in his gut. He unconsciously pounded harder on the door. Leaning his forehead on the door, listening intently, he inadvertently imagined Haruhi lolled back in the chair, body completely relaxed, pulse beating softly in her throat. The longing sensation in his gut began to uncoil and burn through his veins as he imagined kissing that pulse softly while she slept.
'Hey, Hikaru, you still here?' Kaoru gently chided him, rousing him from his reverie. 'Don't tell me you have the hots for our dear, sweet Haruhi?' Kaoru teased, trying to prod him back into being himself.
Just as Hikaru was about to turn his head and offer his twin a smart retort, the door opened and now off balance, Hikaru tumbled into Haruhi as she stood sleepily in the doorway. They both went over, a now wide awake Haruhi trapped on the floor of the dressing room underneath Hikaru. With his face inches from Haruhi's and his body pressed against hers, Hikaru became trapped in her gaze. Hikaru couldn't breathe; to have her so close after imagining her was more than he could resist.
Hikaru closed his eyes for just a moment and put his face in her hair, breathing deeply.
'Hmmmm….' Hikaru rumbled, trying to make sense of his disturbingly lustful thoughts for Haruhi. He lowered his face into her hair again and rumbled deep in his throat. Haruhi couldn't help the involuntary shivers that ran down her spine as he rumbled in her ear. Feeling her reaction, Hikaru smiled, and soon he was kissing Haruhi, his hands running gently through her hair as he kissed along the side of her face and neck.
'I was just thinking about this….it's a lot better in real life.' Hikaru smiled into her neck. Propping himself up on his elbows over Haruhi, he looked down into her large, liquid brown eyes. Overcome with emotion, Haruhi shivered unconsciously. Hikaru leaned over to kiss her again.
'Hitachiin….' Mori's deep voice rumbled unexpectedly through Hikaru's mind, and addled by desire, he didn't recognize it as real. After all, Mori never actually talked, right?
'Hikaru Hitachiin…' Mori repeated firmly, this time grabbing a shocked Hikaru by the back of the kimono and dragging him off a flushed and barely dressed Haruhi.
'I think you need a moment, Hitachiin.' Mori suggested, frowning as he tightened his grip on the neck of Hikaru's kimono and turned away from Haruhi. The threat was clear, and coming from a prominent member of the Morinozuka clan, known for their skill in the martial arts, it wasn't an idle threat. Hikaru sighed heavily as fear for his immediate health quickly reduced his amorous feelings to a memory.
'Thank you, Morinozuka,' he mumbled quietly. Mori let go of Hikaru, turned around, and leaned over to offer his hand to help Haruhi up.
'Are you okay, Haru-chan?' he asked, concern for her womanly virtue evident in his eyes as he assessed her state of rumpled undress.
Haruhi smiled at his rare but calculated use of her nickname. 'Yes, Mori-sempai, I'm fine. As usual, your timing is impeccable.' Haruhi grinned up at Mori as she gratefully accepted his hand up, swaying a little as she stood.
Just then, Tamaki's dramatic wail could be heard from the doorway of the changing room.
'Ooooohhhh, my precious Haruhi, what has that dreadful Hikaru done to you? ' Tamaki wailed as he sailed dramatically into the changing room and wrenched Haruhi from Mori's protective arms, looking her over critically. 'I see your clothing is still somewhat intact, thankfully.' Tamaki muttered sotto voce. Turning, he set Haruhi aside and addressed Mori.
'Morinozuka, I must formally thank you for saving the virtue of my lovely daughter from the lecherous advances of that horrible Hikaru.' Saying this, Tamaki bowed to Mori. Bemused, Mori merely nodded his head and smiled.
'It's okay, Suoh, Hikaru hadn't really done anything besides kiss her…' he began.
'What!' Tamaki swirled dramatically to face Hikaru. 'What did you do to my lovely Haruhi?!' he demanded dramatically. Hikaru let a wicked, sly smile slide over his face as he leaned into Tamaki and ogled Haruhi suggestively.
'I just….kissed her….' he whispered suggestively in Tamaki's ear. Swooning, Tamaki fell in a heap at Hikaru's feet, overcome with emotion.
'Hika-chan, did you really have to do that?' Kaoru sighed, exasperated at his twin's endless antics.
'Of course not, Kao; you should know that.' Hikaru responded, stepping around Tamaki and exiting the dressing room. After an exasperated sigh, Kaoru followed him.
When Haruhi stepped around Mori-sempai to take her station, she almost stepped on a still dazed Tamaki. Sighing, she reached out her hand to him.
'Come on, Sempai, it's not the end of the world. So I kissed Hikaru; life goes on. Let's get up and take care of our clients.' Reluctantly, Tamaki took her hand and pulled himself up.
'Of course you're right, Haruhi. We must take care of our clients.' He spoke solemnly, and thankfully made no references to being her daddy, or to how upset he must have been. She thought he must be pretty shocked indeed, if he wasn't even pulling his usual histrionic fits about it. So that's what it takes to shock Tamaki; I wonder if I should've let Hikaru kiss me a long time ago, she mused. I can't imagine what might have happened if they'd all come in when he was on top of me. As she thought this last, she felt herself blush and turned away from Tamaki before he could notice.
When she turned away, she caught Kyoya watching her carefully, and frowned. He must have known how Hikaru felt about her, and he knew how incorrigible the twins could be when they were bored, yet he'd sent the twins in after her anyway. She wondered why he was trying to throw them together. She approached Kyoya as Tamaki moved to another part of the room to check on the décor.
'You took a real chance sending the twins in there, knowing how Hikaru feels about me.' she stated boldly, looking Kyoya in the eye and daring him to lie to her. She felt that he was too cool-headed for her to fluster easily, but she wanted to give him something to think about for the next time he decided to try manipulating people.
'You know how hot-headed Hikaru is, and even I have heard the stories about his…escapades on and off campus.' Kyoya blinked at her mention of Hikaru's infamous..history. 'You deliberately put me in a bad situation, Kyoya. It could have gone a lot differently in that dressing room. And for all you know, it did.' Haruhi was bluffing, but she hoped Kyoya didn't know that.
'I'm lucky that Mori-sempai stepped in to keep Hikaru in line, otherwise I might be worried about being alone with him. You know how Hikaru is when he really wants something. He never stops until he gets it.' There she was bluffing again, but she hoped it gave Kyoya pause to consider. She looked him in the eye again and was gratified to see him look down at his notebook before she took her station.
Kyoya swallowed convulsively as Haruhi stepped away from him. Haruhi had been bluffing big time, but she still made good points. He really should not have sent the twins in there to check on Haruhi; he should have sent Honey and Mori. It had never occurred to him that Hikaru could get so carried away even with Haruhi. He'd thought that the twins' natural regard for Haruhi would prevent Hikaru from going too far. He shuddered to think what might have happened if Kaoru had not been there to keep his twin straight.
Kyoya may not have been in the room with them, but he knew Hikaru's history well enough to know that Kaoru was the only reason Hikaru hadn't actually taken advantage of some young girl yet. At least that's what Kyoya told himself. He realized he had been very foolish, and lucky that Mori had stepped in when he did. As usual, Mori's timing was stunning.
Kyoya glanced over at the open dressing room, and noticed that the twins were busy talking, heads together. 'They're probably trying to figure out how to twist this into an act,' Kyoya thought. He watched them make their way over to their station and caught Kaoru's eye.
'Planning a new act, Kaoru?' he inquired. Kaoru nodded and grinned at Hikaru.
'Yeah. We're doing the whole 'jealous brother' thing. Of course, we can't use Haruhi, but we should still be able to find a willing participant, huh Hika?' Kaoru replied, playfully punching his twin's arm.
'Aaahh- I see that you are actively involving the clients in the performance; what an interesting and possibly profitable development. Good idea! I bet this will greatly increase your client list!' Kyoya muttered approvingly, and walked off to calculate the possible new profits from the twins' new act.
'Great going, Kao!' Hikaru muttered, aggravated.
'What?! More clients mean more money! Of course, we probably won't have as much free time….' Kaoru responded to his twin, and sat down as he realized what was frustrating Hikaru. More clients meant more time at the Host Club and less time to potentially spend with Haruhi.
'Aaaahhh, I get it, Hika. More time here means less time with Haru-chan, eh?' Kaoru said sympathetically.
'Yeah, Kao, like you didn't know that when you proposed the idea to Kya-chan! Now that he thinks he'll make a profit with it, we're stuck doing it till the end of time!' Hikaru replied, gruffly crossing his arms and turning away from his twin.
