-1A/N: And now, I'm proud to present… a pile of Ouran cliché! (No, really XD). It's just fluff, pure and simple. Enjoy! :D

Disclaimer: See reverse of tin. :P (Aka, as standard)

Storm

At three in the morning the thunder crashed, and the timing could not have been worse. Haruhi pulled the covers up over her head and pushed her way down into the middle of the bed. She wished she felt a little safer. She wished the blankets would block out the sounds, the flashes of light, and the memories.

Her mom had died on a rainy day.

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Haruhi had not always been afraid of thunder. It had begun on a rainy Saturday afternoon when she was five years old. Her mother was doing overtime at work. Her father had the day off. They had gone to the park.

The rain had started barely half an hour after they had got there, and they had run home through the falling water. Ryoji had carried his daughter in his arms, even though she was really getting a little old for that kind of thing. He had always spoilt her. He put her down only to unlock the front door, and they dashed inside just as the first crashes of thunder were to be heard outside.

"Ahhhh, Haruhi!" He laughed. "We were silly not to take coats, ne…?" He fetched a towel from the bathroom, wrapped it around her, rubbing it over her hair. "Don't tell your mommy!"

There was rumble crash of thunder outside. Haruhi jumped slightly, then looked up at her dad. "What is thunder?" She asked.

Ryoji was stumped. The truth was, he had no idea. So, until Kotoko could come home and explain it, he had to resort to his usual measures.

"It's the sound of a monster coming to gobble you up!" He growled, tickling her.

"Daddy, don't be silly."

"…I'm not daddy!" Ryoji continued bravely. "I'm a big nasty monster! Roar!"

"Daddy…" Haruhi was not impressed, but thankfully, the phone rang. Haruhi could tell from his tone when he spoke into it that it was not good news. Her heart sank. She knew something bad had happened. Finally, he returned, running around, pushing sodden shoes back on.

"Daddy has to go out for a while, Haruhi." He explained, hurriedly. "Mommy's not very well… Ah, but don't worry, it'll be just fine!" He wrapped her up in a quick hug. "Now you be careful, Haruhi, and if you need anything, you run next door, okay?"

The thunder rumbled. Haruhi nodded, and her father left hastily.

Alone inside the flat, the thunder seemed very loud. It seemed to reverberate through the whole flat, booming like a gunshot. She wondered if her parents would come back. The thunder rang again, startling her. She grabbed the phone, dragged it across the room, and hid with it under the table. She tried to be brave, tried to imagine that every time the thunder boomed it was someone knocking on the door to come get her. That just made the loneliness worse. So she stayed and listened to the thunder, even though she didn't want to.

It was late when the phone began to ring. She snatched it up, hopeful.

"Hello?"

"Haruhi? Are you okay?" Ryoji didn't wait for an answer, half panicked. "Listen sweetie, daddy has to stay at the hospital with mommy tonight. I need you to go and stay over with the neighbours, okay? They can take care of you."

"…Okay." Haruhi said. "Is mommy okay?"

"She'll be fine, sweetie, the doctors just need a little time, that's all. I have to go, Haruhi, be a good girl, okay? I'll be home in the morning."

"Okay." Haruhi said again. "Bye."

"Bye, Haruhi! Love you!" He hung up, anxious to get back to his wife who had been taken to hospital that afternoon after collapsing at work.

His daughter his under the table, storing up all the courage she had. She could make the journey to next door. It would only take a minute. She poked her head out from under the table, and the lightning flashed again. The thunder roared, a darkness ready to devour her.

She shrank back, and couldn't move.

It was a little over a year later when her mother died, when the rainy season came again. They were at the hospital at the time.

"You can go to sleep, Ryouji." Kotoko was saying quietly. She couldn't talk any louder nowadays. "I'll still be here."

"But…"

"Ryouji. This is just a little… blip. I'll live to see our grandkids, I promise."

"You won't." Ryouji said, stubbornly. "I refuse to believe there's anyone good enough for Haruhi!"

She laughed lightly, weakly. "Get some sleep…"

"…Wake me up if you need me." He murmed, settling back in his seat. He hadn't slept since Kotoko had been taken into hospital that last time. She turned her attention to their daughter, sitting quietly by the window. There was a sudden flash of light, a sudden rumble. The storm had raged all afternoon, but now she saw Haruhi flinch.

Was she frightened of thunder? She had never said so. But then, it was Haruhi.

"Haruhi, come here." Kotoko said, gently. "Come on, get up on the bed."

Haruhi obediently climbed up, silently. Kotoko shifted herself with some difficulty, wrapped her arms around Haruhi.

"It's okay…" She soothed. " It's okay, I'm here. The thunder can't hurt you…"

Haruhi believed her wholeheartedly. Her mother held her until the thunder stopped. Haruhi held on until she was asleep. And she didn't wake up until she was wrenched rudely away by a nurse. People were shouting instructions, Ryouji was panicked. She was shunted into his arms, and he held her close, her head pressed to his chest, while on the bed her mother bucked under the electricity they tried so hard to restore her with.

And outside, the lightning came in sheets.

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Haruhi pushed her way further down under the covers, curling into a ball, determined.

"I'm not scared." She chanted. She may have been woken up by the thunder. She might hate it. But she was a logical, rational adult and she wasn't frightened. "I'm not scared. I'm not scared. I'm-"

She was interrupted by another shout of thunder and her own yelp. This was no good. She had to distract herself.

"I know." She muttered, to fill up the silence that would only leave her anticipating the next attack. "If I go and make breakfast now, I'll have more time to catch up on sleep in the morning!"

She let another rumble of thunder go by, pretending she didn't notice her own flinching, and then made a dash for the kitchen. She turned on the lights, the radio, drew the curtains, but it was no use. She could still hear it. And see it. And feel it, she was shaking. It was a bad storm tonight.

There was another bang and she flinched again, shutting her eyes tightly. Then she forced herself to open them, pull herself together, and stand up straight. She was determined. She wasn't a little kid any more. This fear was irrational and irrelevant and she would beat it. So she would make breakfast. She reached into the cupboard, barely shaking at all, removing a glass dish to get to the plates underneath it.

Then the lightning flashed and the thunder crashed so hard the window rattled. She jumped, and the dish fell, smashing. She slumped down to the floor, drawing her knees up to her chest, her feet away from the shards. She had been wrong after all. She couldn't do this. Especially not now, when the timing was so poignant. It would have been her mother's birthday later that month. Her father wasn't home, either, spending a night away for a friend's wedding. She was sure that would be hard on him. Yes, he had it much worse. So she shouldn't-

Thunder. She jumped. She couldn't do this. Not on her own. But there was nobody here.

She knew that her father would come running, had he known of her fear. But she had always been careful not to show it in front of him. She hid in her room if he was home. But now he was nowhere near.

It was three thirty am, there was a storm outside, and she was all alone.

And then, there was a knock at the door.

Haruhi froze, sure she must have imagined it. Something of that first time still sticking with her. But no, there it was, an urgent pounding. Had someone been hurt? She knew she should answer it. People didn't knock on your door at half three in the morning without a good reason, especially not hammer at it so desperately. She clung onto the counter and dragged herself up determinedly.

Then came the thunder, very close, and the lightning, and the lights flickered and went out. She was unable to suppress another small shudder. She sank back down again. The front door seemed impossibly far away. Even the prospect of company would not move her.

So the company came to her, so to speak. First, he had to kick the door down. For a moment she was frightened, with someone intruding. Of course, she should have known who it was.

"Haruhi!!" Tamaki bellowed, urgently. "Haruhi, where are you?! I… I… I think I broke your door!"

Haruhi didn't bother to wonder why he was there. She was glad to see him. And this was exactly like him. But…

"Senpai!" She called through, voice shaking a little. "Don't come in!"

This was followed by a huge thunder clap. Tamaki heard her gasp. He couldn't stay away, and ran for the kitchen. "Haruhi?" He said, gently. "Are you in here…?"

The lightning came, and he saw her illuminated, shuddering in the corner. "Haruhi…" He moved to kneel in front of her, but she protested again.

"Senpai, be careful! There's broken glass… I dropped a dish… I'm fine, really…" She drew her knees closer to her. "It's late. You should go home."

"No." He replied, moving closer. He found what he hoped was a glass free piece of floor and came and sat down beside her. "You're scared aren't you, Haruhi…? I'm sorry I took so long."

"I…" She risked seeing lightning to lift her head from her knees and looked at him. "You know, senpai, you haven't really explained what you're doing here."

"Oh!" He said, rather sheepishly, and added nothing more.

"Or why you're soaking wet." Haruhi continued, with a frown.

"Well, um, when I heard the thunder, I thought…" He pressed his hands together awkwardly. "That I should come and check you were alright."

"Did the storm wake you up as well?"

"Um… I was awake… because the weather forecast said there might be storms and I was worried I wouldn't wake up in time."

"You stayed up?" Haruhi repeated, frowning in confusion.

"Um…"

"Why are you so wet? How hard is it raining?" She demanded.

"Pretty hard… but, um, the drivers had all already left for the night so I had to… walk."

"…Weren't you cold?"

"Ah, no!" He grinned wildly. "I just ran really fast so it kept me warm!"

Haruhi processed all this very slowly. He had stayed up, and ran all the way here in the rain, just in case she got frightened.

"You're an idiot." She informed him.

"…Oh." Tamaki replied, disappointed.

Then came the sound Haruhi hated the most, and suddenly, he found her wrapping her arms round him. He could feel her trembling, and his heart broke. He pulled her nearer.

"It's okay…" He whispered. "It's okay, Haruhi, I promise. I'm here… it can't hurt you… it's okay…"

Her grip around him tightened, though he wasn't sure why. The storm was passing, the bursts coming less often. He didn't push her away.

"Don't go, senpai." She said, very quietly.

"I won't." He reassured her. "Now, come on, it's not safe here! You might get cut! Come on… We'll hide somewhere, okay…?"

"Ah, no, wait-" She protested, but he had already dragged her up and into the dark hallway.

"Which one's your bedroom, Haruhi?!"

"Ehhhh?!"

Tamaki did not wait for a response, pushing open the door to her room on a lucky guess. He hauled her over to the bed, and promptly dived underneath it, dragging Haruhi with him.

"Haha, I used to hide like this when I was a kid!" He said, cheerfully. "Only I was scared of the postman. He had a very large nose!"

Haruhi made no reply, not sure quite what she was supposed to say in this situation, lying uncomfortably under the bed. More precisely, only her lower body was under the bed as they were lying horizontally on their sides and her head came out on the far side of the bed. Tamaki's feet were sticking out on the other side, and she realised again how much taller he was than her. Then the lightning came again, and she flinched slightly. Slowly, so she could push him away if she wanted, he hugged her again. She didn't, and she said nothing. So Tamaki didn't either, and they stayed there for some time.

Haruhi might have been embarrassed, but every time she began to think about the situation the thunder would sound again and she'd go back to being scared. She was glad he was there, even as they stayed in silence. She might not have realised he was asleep, had she not felt his chest start rising more slowly, settling into the deep breathing of sleep.

"Eh… senpai…" She started. He didn't stir. Then again, he had been up all night. Just in case she got scared. He truly was a prize idiot.

"Senpai!" She said again, wondering even as she did so if she should wake him so he could go home and rest. This was a strange situation.

Then the thunder rumbled again and made her decision for her. It didn't matter that he was asleep, as long as he was here.

"I'll wake you up when the storm's over, senpai…" She promised.

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Kyouya drummed his fingers on the window sill, waiting for an answer. It was morning break, he was standing in the corridor at school, and Tamaki wasn't picking up. Finally, however, his voice came down the line.

"…H…Hello?"

"Tamaki." Kyouya replied. "Where are you?"

"Huh? Oh… um, I'm…"

"…Are you sick?" Kyouya asked, taking pity. "You sound terrible."

"Um, no, I just… I just woke up." He heard Tamaki shift slightly. Apparently he was still in bed.

"If you're not sick," Kyouya said in exasperation, "Why is your voice so hoarse?"

"Um… just… hang on a second!" Kyouya rolled his eyes, but waited. He was almost concerned. It wasn't like Tamaki to get sick. And if he wasn't even being his usual dramatic self about it… he must be ill.

On the other end of the line, Tamaki had woken up to his ring tone and found himself underneath Haruhi's bed. He also found he was still hugging her and that it was almost eleven thirty in the morning. He had been blushing, but the phone in his pocket had still been going and he didn't want to wake her. He had answered with some difficulty, understandably flustered, and whispering so as not to wake her. Eventually he had decided he had to leave the room and so was currently trying to struggle away from Haruhi without disturbing her.

Meanwhile, Kyouya waited, and was joined by the twins.

"Kyouya-senpai, are you calling Haruhi?" Hikaru asked.

"No, Tamaki- why?"

"Haruhi isn't in school today." Kaoru explained. "Why, isn't Tono?"

Kyouya frowned and didn't answer. Tamaki, having relocated himself on the other side of the small room, came back on the line.

"Kyouya?"

"Tamaki." He said, impatient now. "Why aren't you at school?"

"Oh, ah, I…" He said, still whispering. "I just overslept! The storm last night kept me up and, you know, maybe I am a little ill! I feel-"

"You know," Kyouya said, calmly. "The twins just told me Haruhi is absent today too."

There was a long pause. "Oh." Tamaki said. "Really? Well, um, Haruhi doesn't like thunder at all, so maybe-!"

Of course, Haruhi picked exactly the wrong moment to wake up, and her voice could be heard in the background at the other end of the line.

"Urrgh… ah… senpai?"

"…I see." Kyouya said, quietly. An evil aura seemed to pulsate from the phone.

He hung up.

Tamaki had the distinct feeling he was in trouble.

"Senpai…" Haruhi said, scratching her head sleepily as she came to join him. "Did you stay all night?"

"Ah! I! Um! It wasn't like that!!" He protested, getting typically flustered.

"Like what?" She asked, slightly confused and oblivious as ever. "Listen, senpai, it's probably my fault… I meant to wake you, but then I fell asleep too. So don't worry about it. Besides…" She smiled slightly. "You did stay up for me so I guess it's only fair."

"Oh… I…" Tamaki flustered again, blushing.

"…Thanks, senpai." She said, hastily. "Okay, so I guess we won't really have time for breakfast before school… you need to go home and get your uniform first, too…"

"Ah, Haruhi, about that…" Tamaki began, carefully. "It's actually… um… eleven forty-five, so by the time we got there we'll have missed most of the day anyway…"

She turned around, slowly. "What?"

"Don't be mad!"

It was useless. She was mad. Even if it wasn't really his fault, he made a helpful scapegoat.

And so goes the story of how Tamaki went very quickly into, and out of, Haruhi's good books.

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A/N: Apologies for the slightly weak ending… meh. Yes, Tamaki can kick down doors now. It's the force of his panic! XD Thanks for reading, folks.