Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club or any of the characters.
A little one shot I came up with.
So sorry that this didn't come up! I have no clue what happened. Let's hope it works now ^^;
Rain pitter pattered on the large windows of Ouran High School as fifth period started. The forecast had been horrible all week, ranging from on and off showers to full on storm warnings, resulting in a rather gloomy atmosphere and an even gloomier Tamaki.
"Of all the possible things that could happen, this is the worst possible thing!" the blonde complained enthusiastically to his spectacled friend. "Why must it rain on the day the Host Club had planned to hold a picnic in the court yard for our guests!? It's like mother nature has it out for us and we are helpless to her whim!" the king pouted, his eyes glimmering as he clenched his fists dramatically, as if verbalizing his frustrations was not enough to convey that the turn of events had royally pissed him off.
Kyouya pushed his glasses back and retorted, "It is best to listen to others when they advise you to check the weather forecast before booking the courtyard for a week and renting the antique baskets." Tamaki flinched slightly at the resentment in his best friend's statement. Kyouya was obviously much more aggravated about the canceled plans, and Tamaki knew better than to poke at his calm facade.
Sighing, Tamaki slumped into his seat. Being second in his class didn't come from his popularity. Class was already half way through with and both of the Hosts in 2-A had finished their work, along with a few other classmates, and were now relaxing, chatting with their friends about after school activities. With a glance toward the window, Tamaki slipped his cellphone out of his school bag and tried to look at it under his desk. However, before he could even pick the app he was wanting to check, the teacher had already made his way next to him, his hand out and a stern look on his face.
"Tamaki, no phones in class please." the teacher scowled in a monotone voice.
The blonde frowned and sat up straight. "Sir, I was just going to check the weather radar..." Tamaki explained earnestly.
The teacher sighed. "It is not your job to worry about the weather, which is the job of the school board and the principal. If anything comes up, they will inform you." he explained. "The mere presence of the overcast is not an excuse to break the classroom rules. Your phone, please?"
Tamaki looked between the teacher and the man's open palm before reluctantly turning his phone off and turning it over, shooting Kyouya a glare as the dark haired boy smirked at the scene. He knew why Kyouya looked so amused; the weather man had called for overcast and heavy rain, but nothing more. Still, Tamaki couldn't shake the tension in his chest. The rain was coming down harder than it had before lunch, and didn't seem to be letting up. The wind was picking up as well. One more step and it would be a full out storm, and it was that one step that Tamaki was praying would remain absent.
Minutes went by and Tamaki found that, despite his best efforts, he could not calm down. The teen switched back and forth between fiddling with his pencil and looking out the window, which only served to make him more nervous. Kyouya watched his friend silently, knowing that nothing he could say could possibly console the fidgety blonde.
The bell finally rang to signal the end of fifth hour, and as Tamaki clumsily gathered his stuff, he could have sworn he had heard a faint rumbling. Kyouya called his name as he stared out the window, snapping him out of his small panic. "It's nothing" Tamaki told himself as he left for sixth hour, which was study hall. As the two traversed the halls, a low rumble rang through the school, causing Tamaki to stop in his tracks.
Kyouya turned to Tamaki and was a bit taken back by how utterly panic stricken the blonde looked. Ever since the incident in Karuizawa, they had all found out that Haruhi was afraid of thunder and that Tamaki had known for a period of time before hand. Kyouya knew Tamaki probably better than the Souh knew himself, which meant he knew how much the blonde worried about each and every host. That also meant he knew just how much Tamaki cared about Haruhi above the rest.
He put a hand on his shoulder, which caused Tamaki to jump slightly. "Don't worry. Haruhi is with Hikaru and Kaoru, so she'll be fine." Kyouya consoled. "Since we have study hall, how about we check up on them just to ease your mind."
Tamaki visibly relaxed at the offer and the two second years headed toward 1A's class. As they entered the doorway, there was a huge crack of thunder and a rumble. Tamaki saw the twins standing by their desks, looking out of the windows with worried expressions.
"Hikaru, Kaoru!" Tamaki called across the room, causing the two to turn to look at the host king. "Where's Haruhi?"
The twins looked at each other, then Hikaru answered, "We don't know..." "She left to get a book but never came back." Kaoru finished.
There was another crack of thunder and Tamaki swore to himself, running back out into the halls. He could hear Kyouya call out his name but he wouldn't stop. He couldn't. Haruhi was all alone and the storm had taken a turn for the worst very quickly. The thought of her curled up by herself, trembling as she tried to get by on her own made his stomach turn. Nobody should have to be alone when they're afraid. Especially not Haruhi.
Haruhi hadn't been in the first or second library, which were his first stops. He checked the men's restrooms and refrained from checking the girl's restroom. On his way to the third library, a thought came to him and he almost kicked himself for not going there first. Turning around, Tamaki took off at top speed toward the club room.
Tamaki burst into Music Room 3 and spotted her immediately, her purple uniform standing out against the white and yellow wall of the room as it was illuminated by a flash of lightning. The sight filled the blonde with such intense sadness that he cursed the being who created the god awful bolts of electricity to begin with. Anyone who would create something that could put Haruhi though this much terror deserved to be punished tenfold. She didn't deserve this fear.
Grabbing one of the picnic blankets that were stacked by the door, Tamaki walked over to Haruhi and draped the cloth around her shoulders, and sat down next to her. The brunette looked up at Tamaki with tear filled eyes and was about to say something when a crash of thunder interrupted her causing her to whimper and cling to the boy next to her, her face instinctively burrow into the crook of his next. Tamaki protectively put an arm around her, not wanting her to pull way.
"T-Tamaki...?" Haruhi asked her voice bumpy from crying.
Tamaki just smiled and gave her a gentle squeeze. "It's ok. I did say I would always watch over you, didn't I?" His thoughts went back to the time at Nekozawa's, when he had first found out about Haruhi's fear and his promise he had made to her. Haruhi probably hadn't taken his words much to heart, but he had meant every word of it.
It was selfish to admit, but despite how much he hated the thunder for what it did to Haruhi, somewhere deep inside he was thankful for it. Haruhi normally brushed Tamaki's affections away or even gave him the cold shoulder, putting up a wall between the two that he had worked so hard to knock down over the past few months. Though he hated these moments when he felt so helpless to comfort the girl, it was moments like these that Tamaki secretly loved. When Haruhi let down her walls, he felt that she really did trust him as a friend; that he did make a change in her life for the better.
As the small frame in his arms began to relax, Tamaki smiled and pet her hair. The short brown locks were so soft and light as he ran his finges though them. He wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb and the utter joy that came from how she unintentionally leaned into his palm made his stomach ache. He should hate these tears and yet he loved them.
"I'm sorry." he muttered to her as she drifted off. It was selfish, but Tamaki wouldn't give up a second of the moment that Haruhi fell asleep in his arms, a small smile forming on her lips.
Sometime after Haruhi fell asleep, the rest of the host club entered the club room. Tamaki concluded that school must be over now when he tried to stand up, but the tingling in his legs prevented him from lifting himself and Haruhi at once, so he reluctently let Mori pick up Haruhi and lay her down on a couch. Tamaki knew that the moment was over, and that once Haruhi woke up, the two of them would revert back to their old ways. Tamaki would be energetic and Haruhi would be reluctent and blunt in her own special way, and they would never mention the storm again.
That didn't matter though, Tamaki decided. Even if Haruhi wasn't as open to Tamaki's help as she was during storms, he still knew that Haruhi was Haruhi, and that any time spent with her and the others was priceless and that he wouldn't trade it for the world.
