Title: It's What She Said
Summary: She knew at this point that the feelings she had for Tamaki-senpai were definitely love. They couldn't be anything else, and she couldn't deny it any longer. It had been hard to admit it to herself—she knew it be harder to admit it to anyone else, Tamaki-senpai especially. HaruxTama SongFic Spoilers ch. 55+
Song: She Said by Yoko Kanno (from Kamikaze Girls)
Author's Note: There isn't much to the ending. Leaves it open for the imagination. Or, perhaps, I might write a sequal. Depends on how popular this gets (because if no one's reading it, I probably won't bother). But anyway, I had a lot of fun writing this, so please let me know what you think!
Song lyrics are in italics.
Tamaki glanced out the window of Roi Grand Hotel; it was the first time that he couldn't wait to get out of his meeting
Tamaki glanced out the window of Roi Grand Hotel; it was the first time that he couldn't wait to get out of his meeting. It wasn't that he was bored with it, but the dark clouds that loomed overhead made him uneasy. He never used to feel like this, but ever since he discovered Haruhi's weakness to thunder, he hated the rain. It always worried him, no matter what the time or place. Although he always wanted to be with her, he knew that today her real father wouldn't be home until late that night. He wanted to be next to Haruhi; he wanted to protect his daughter.
In the morning light has she felt
a new day coming in
Opened her eyes
In her quiet favorite place
There was no one there to break her heart
There was no one there to make her laugh
And she…
"Well, that's the last of them."
Kaoru plopped himself onto the squishy sofa after the last of the customers had left the room through the large double doors. Hani was still busy eating cakes, with Mori sitting dutifully at his side; Hikaru was staring absentmindedly out the window, twirling a pencil around his fingers; Kyouya was doing the usual profit and expense calculations; Haruhi was sweeping.
"Do you want a ride home, Haruhi?" Kaoru asked her, watching her sweep.
"No, thanks," she replied, placing the broom back in the closet and dusting off her pants. "I have to stop by the supermarket and pick up some groceries, anyway."
"Oh." Kaoru didn't press her. Sure, it would be fun to fool around at the commoner supermarket with Haruhi, but Hikaru didn't really seem in the mood. "Okay then. See you tomorrow."
"See you." Haruhi grabbed her school bag and left the room, closing the door with a click. She sighed; club meetings just weren't the same without Tamaki-senpai.
--
There were exactly two thousand five hundred and twenty two steps from the Ouran front gates to the supermarket, and one thousand eight hundred and thirty steps from the supermarket to Haruhi's apartment (she had counted one day when she was absolutely bored). In total, it was only a little over a mile of walking—not so bad.
It only took her fifteen minutes to get to the supermarket, and in that time she had a lot to think about. She knew at this point that the feelings she had for Tamaki-senpai were definitely love. They couldn't be anything else, and she couldn't deny it any longer. It had been hard to admit it to herself—she knew it be harder to admit it to anyone else, Tamaki-senpai especially.
She looked up at the sky as she passed the children's playground. Dark clouds danced around the sky, covering the sun and casting the earth in shadow, taunting her with the hopes of rain. She shivered; perhaps she should skip the supermarket today and head home, where she would be safe. Her father wouldn't be home until late; if it was a thunderstorm, she'd have to resort to her old methods of getting over it.
She shook her head. They were absolutely out of groceries; unless she wanted to starve, a trip to the supermarket was necessary.
She hid the secrets in a closet
In her room
Every time she felt sad
Doesn't know since when
Sometimes laughing, crying felt the same
Lying, being honest felt the same
The supermarket wasn't very crowded; it was too late for people to be picking things up for the lunch rush, but too early for the after-work crowd. The only people there were the usual housewives who lived in the neighborhood.
Haruhi took about twenty minutes gathering all the groceries she needed, the thoughts of the thunderstorm having left her mind; she couldn't see the sky from inside the supermarket.
But the roof didn't stop her from hearing.
Just as she picked up a pack of seaweed sheets, the soft pitter-patter of rain became audible. At first, it was barely a tap, but steadily it grew louder and louder until it sounded like white noise. Hurriedly she bought her items and rushed out the door, getting soaked to the bone almost instantly.
--
As the rain began to hit the large glass windows of the Roi Grand Hotel, Tamaki could no longer wait. As the current speaker finished talking, he stood from his place at the large executive table.
"I'm sorry, but I must be excused for today." He picked up his Ouran coat from the back of his chair and his school briefcase and headed towards the door. "I'm really sorry; I'll see you all tomorrow for sure."
He had no patience for the elevator, but the stairs would be even slower. He stood in front of the elevator's double doors, waiting impatiently for them to open. Finally, after what had seemed like hours, they did.
When he finally reached the lobby floor, he dashed out of the elevator without even holding it for the other passengers (as was usual Tamaki behavior) and dashed out into the rain. His sleek charcoal colored Lamborghini and driver were waiting for him in front of the hotel doors, but instead of getting in the back seat as usual, he opened the door on the driver's side.
"I'm sorry," he said to the driver, shoving a few thousand yen into his hands. "Please take a taxi home. There will also be a bonus in your paycheck this month."
With that, he started the engine and sped down the highway, breaking nearly ten laws of traffic all at once, and leaving the driver in the rain, completely befuddled.
--
The first sight of lightning cracked in the sky as Haruhi rain up the steps to her apartment door. She tried to count the seconds, but quickly lost track as she fumbled with her keys. The thunder roared just as she shoved the key in the lock, and she dropped all that was in her hands as soon as the door was open and dashed under the coffee table. The wind sung the door shut, and in the brief moment the thunder didn't crash, she was able to stand and lock the door securely. She grabbed herself a blanket and dove back under the table just as a second series of thunder boomed from outside.
--
Tamaki slammed on his breaks the second he came in front of the apartment complex. Quickly pulling the key from the ignition, he jumped out of the car and got soaked all over again. As he dashed up the stairs lightning struck once again. He tried the knob, but the door was locked, and he could swear he heard a slight whimper coming from inside. Just as the thunder rumbled through the darkened sky, he began to pound on the door.
"Haruhi!" he shouted, his voice slightly drowned out by the beating rain and booming thunder. "Haruhi! Open the door! It's me! Haru—!"
The door swung open as lightning struck again, and Haruhi fell out the door into his arms.
But then, she said
Life is getting better now
Just said
Life is getting better now
Tell herself cause there's always
Someone to lose…
Someone to lose…
Kyouya was still in the Club room, although it was getting quite dark outside from all the rain. As thunder echoed throughout the empty halls of the school, he looked up from his accounting and gazed out the window. He, too, remembered Haruhi mention her father wasn't coming home until late that night. He knew exactly where Tamaki was.
"That idiot."
--
"Senpai…" Haruhi sobbed into Tamaki's already-wet shirt as he held her in his arms, helping her take small steps backwards so they could get out of the rain.
"Don't worry, I'm here," he said soothingly, embracing her still as he closed the door. They were both soaking wet, and so was the floor at this point. Thunder roared again.
"Senpai!" Haruhi screamed, holding him tighter.
"Shh, don't worry… don't worry…" he said, trying to comfort her. "Daddy's here, it's okay…"
Much to her own surprise, this isn't what she wanted to hear. She found herself wanting him to lover her as a woman, not as a daughter. She found herself wanting him to hold her, touch her, kiss her… but she wasn't about to voice those wants.
Suddenly a beam of light shone through the window. The rain was still hitting hard, but whatever cloud had been in front of the sun had moved out of the way, letting it shine through.
"Tamaki-senpai… why…?" Haruhi began to ask, beginning to calm down as if the sunlight was a ray of hope. She looked up into his eyes, her emotions too mixed and her skin too wet and cold for her to blush. He smiled down at her.
"I'd never leave you alone in a situation like this," he said, brushing a tear from her cheek with the back of his hand. If she didn't blush before, she definitely blushed now. She looked down at the floor as she spoke.
"I-It sounds like the rain is letting up…" she stuttered, and turned towards the bathroom. "Let's get dried off…"
"Are you sure you're okay?" Tamaki asked her, his voice filled with worry. She looked back at him and smiled.
"Of course," she said. "Now that you're here."
Tamaki felt his face heat up, and found that Haruhi looked inevitably cute at that moment.
"That's my daughter, so adorable!" he said, patting her on the head as tears of joy came to his eyes.
--
"This is the second set of clothes of Dad's I'm letting you borrow, so if you don't start bringing them back he might start to notice they're missing," Haruhi warned.
"Thank you," Tamaki said through the bathroom door, pulling on a pair of old sweatpants. He opened the door, shirtless and barefoot, only to find Haruhi already changed into a cute blouse and Capri pants.
Both of them blushed furiously at the sight of each other.
Tamaki pushed a wet clump of hair behind Haruhi's ear, causing her to blush even more.
"You're not sick, are you? Do you have a fever?" Tamaki asked worriedly, grabbing her by the shoulders.
"N-no…" Haruhi said, looking away and blushing even more. "I'm fine, really…"
"Haruhi!" Tamaki said, his voice a little louder as he shook her shoulders. "Stop lying to me!"
Haruhi looked up, shocked and confused, tears coming to her eyes. "I'm sorry, senpai…"
"What happened to my promise?" he asked. "I told you I wasn't going to lie to you anymore, Haruhi. Could you please… do the same?"
"I'm sorry, senpai!" Haruhi cried, the tears beginning to run as she embraced him once again. She felt his warm arms surround her, her face buried in his soft skin.
Tamaki hugged her, his nose inhaling the sweet scent of her hair. "Haruhi… tell me what's wrong…"
Haruhi pulled away from him and grabbed his hand, unconsciously weaving her fingers around his.
"Come on…" she said, and pulled him into the dining room, sitting him down at the table. "I'll make you something warm to eat."
Tamaki waited patiently as Haruhi worked hard in the kitchen. The whole time she worked slowly, not wanting to have to face him again. Should she tell him? Should she not? She was beginning to wish he hadn't come for her, but then regretted the thought immediately. She was glad he was here. She really did love him. She really did…
--
"Soup's ready!"
Haruhi stepped out of the kitchen with two bowls in her hands and a smile on her face. She had decided, then, on what she wanted to do.
She placed a bowl in front of Tamaki and sat down opposite him. He picked up his spoon and dipped it in the soup, taking a bite of the hot and soothing liquid.
"Mmm… this is delicious, Haruhi!" he said, a smile on his face, causing Haruhi to smile as well.
"Thank you, I'm glad you like it," she replied. "Um… Tamaki?"
Tamaki looked up at her, a spoonful of soup pausing halfway to his mouth. It didn't take him long to realize what she had said.
His name. Just his name. Not 'Tamaki-senpai.' Just Tamaki.
"You… said my name."
Haruhi covered her mouth in embarrassment, realizing what she had done, and looked down at her soup to hide her blushing cheeks.
"I-I'm sorry, senpai…" she said, unable to continue in what she was about to say before.
"No," Tamaki said quickly. "I like it better… when you just say my name."
Haruhi looked up at him, her cheeks redder than a tomato, and saw him smiling at her.
"O-okay…"
"So, what did you want to say?" he pressed, his eyes filled with curiosity.
"Oh, nothing, it's just…"
Suddenly, an unexpected boom of thunder echoed through the darkened sky.
"Haruhi!" Tamaki shouted, jumping around the table (and not over, as he had already learned that was a bad idea) to grab her.
"Senpa… I mean, Tamaki, I…" He was holding her as she spoke, both of them on their knees as she buried her face in his shoulder.
"…I love you."
She lied
Cause she loved, but
No one ever knew
Puzzles inside her heart
Was always incomplete
In spite of the things she had let go
For the first time she liked being herself