Hani first kissed Haruhi because there was a dab of strawberry frosting on her upper lip and he couldn't help himself. Wide brown eyes already trained on the light red dollop on, admittedly, redder lips, he had crouched in his chair, having already deposited Usa-chan in Takashi's lap, and pounced like a wild cat attacking his prey.
Tama-chan's surprised yelp barely phased his tunnel-vision determination, nor did Hika-and-Kao-chan's intoned 'Eh?'s, but as his own pink tongue darted out to snatch at the treat on his friend's lip, he clearly heard Haru-chan's startled 'Huh?' and vividly saw the blooming blush that started to color her cheeks and nose pink when he drew back and exchanged a dazed stare with Haruhi.
Like she did when she had accidentally kissed Kanako-san, long fingers reached up and delicately touched her lips where Hani's own had been a second ago. Her similarly brown-shaded eyes had widened impossibly.
"Hani-senpai?" she pronounced slowly, questioningly.
He could also feel the various astounded stares of his Host Club at his back. Calmly, he skipped back into his seat and hugged Usa-chan where Takashi replaced him, in his lap.
He peered up with large brown eyes at the bemused girl from under his blond fringe and smiled sweetly.
"Eh," he said to her," That strawberry cake was very sweet! I like it!"
He watched as Haruhi's confused look subsided to be replaced by her usual stoicism, and followed her lead, looking unperturbed as he cut another piece of cake and stuffed it into his mouth, ignoring Tama-chan's dismayed, "My daughter's innocence! Gone!"
For some reason, the strawberry cheesecake tasted better at that moment than any other cake he had eaten before.
He kissed Haruhi the second time while they were waiting for Takashi on the bench near the Kendo gym. Swinging his feet from where they were suspended at least half a meter from the ground, he was cooing over the sweetness of his strawberry ice-cream. He glanced to the side and grinned delightedly at Haruhi who was sitting beside him, licking her own vanilla cone.
Seeing her return his wide grin with her own gentle smile made something in his chest flutter strangely, but he only fidgeted for a second, wondering over the sensation, before he perked up and attacked the brunette, ice-cream momentarily forgotten, as he clung to Haruhi's arm.
'So cute
!' He thought happily as he nuzzled his face against her arm. How could Haru-chan be so cute? He tilted his head up to peer at her adorably through his bangs before he felt himself pause. Embarrassed, he started to blush a bit in mortification when he found the stoic girl staring at him queerly with a glaring white streak on her cheek.
"Ah!" he said sheepishly, for once not feeling an urge to fake tears to exaggerate his emotion, as he scrambled to stand on his two feet and released Haruhi's arm in the process, "Sorry, Haru-chan!"
And, before Haruhi could say anything to pardon him, he leaned forward, and licked at the smudge of vanilla on her cheek, feeling the warmth of his face exacerbate when he felt the cool smoothness of Haruhi's cheek.
"Eh?" He felt a sense of disgruntlement bubble in his gut as he leaned back again, putting distance between Haruhi's face and his, and he squashed down a sudden urge for Usa-chan to hug as he fidgeted uncomfortably and looked at everywhere but Haru-chan.
"Hani-senpai...?" He heard her say, confused. But thankfully, he saw his savior before Haruhi could ask the dreaded question: 'Why?'
As he jumped into Takashi's waiting arms, greeting him enthusiastically, he also wondered why he didn't regret doing what he did just now.
"Haru~chan!" he called to her when he saw she hadn't gotten up from her seat yet, still riveted on her ruined ice-cream cone strangely. "It's time to go home!"
"O-okay Hani-senpai. Hello Mori-senpai."
"Aah."
("Mitsukuni."
"Yes, Takashi?"
"What do you like?"
"Hum! Cakes, chocolate and you! Why do you ask?"
"Are you sure?"
He cut off the confident, "Yes," as the thought of brown eyes, wide with surprise and red lips that were usually in a neutral line flashed momentarily in his mind. He faltered, and turned slightly away, eyes now introspective and shadowed.
"Y-" He bit his lip uncertainly," Yes."
"Aah.")
(Hani tried to ignore the urge to stare at Haruhi who sat opposite of him, on the other sofa, as the Host Club meeting for the day ended and he beat a weird feeling in his chest away stubbornly. A small furrow creased his eyebrows together as he glared at his feet instead. Takashi's voice, from yesterday, continued echoing in his mind, and for the life of him, he wondered why his question still bothered him until that day.
"What do you like?"
He picked at the stray string on the couch and replaced his glare onto the nothingness that was in his line of sight.
I like cakes, he thought confidently, feeling self-assured when the thought of the pastry sent a joyful thrum through his person. I like chocolate. I like Kendo, he continued listing. I like Takashi. I like...
He started when he felt his thought process derail like an ill-fated train at the sensation of a hand on his shoulder.
"Eh?" Without a second thought, he felt a smile blossom on his face cheerfully, like a knee-jerk reaction, when he followed the sight of the slender hand and met Haruhi's eyes.
He looked into those chocolate brown irises and pondered over that small smile before he thought, 'Huh,' and it hit him like a freight train.
I like.. Haruhi.)
The third time he kissed Haruhi, it wasn't accidental. Being conscious of his crush made him even more hyper-aware of Haruhi's presence when she was around and, he now took special notice of the way Haru-chan liked to pound her fist against her palm when she had a sudden realisation; tended to come to Host Club a few minutes too late because she usually stayed in class, studying; liked to hang around Hika-and-Kao-chan while waiting for new designations to arrive; liked to drink with her whole hand fisted around the cup (A fact Tama-chan lamented over and often critisized); liked to talk more about others than herself.
It was uncomfortable. But it was also a heedy feeling. He didn't know whether he hated the feeling or not.
So, the third time Hani kissed Haruhi, he approached her with Usa-chan not present, Takashi lurking in the shadows a distance away, hands stiffly by his side, head awkwardly set straight ahead and feet shuffling in an anxious way.
"Haruhi," he mumbled in a small voice, already feeling the tell-tale spark in his gut ignite into a roaring blaze when fanned with Haruhi's presence. He fidgeted. Haruhi paused in her task of arranging the teacups.
Feeling skittish, he cleared his throat once and scuffed the floor with the tip of his shoe uncertainly.
"Haruhi," he said again. He fixed his determinedly set brown eyes at her the next time he looked up from his shoes. I can do it, he told himself.
"Haruhi, can you... Give me a kiss?"
"Eh? Hani-senpai..."
He coughed awkwardly, face burning. Then, as he heard the silence of the Host Club all around him, he threw caution to the wind and screwed up his Loli-shota courage.
"Ne~ Haru-chan! You don't wanna kiss me?" he teased, face reddening impossibly more.
He waited with bated breath. Haruhi's expression had changed from indulgent to suspicious in a second but he wondered whether he imagined that flash of hope in between the two. He stood still underneath Haruhi's steely gaze. Then, Haruhi must have found what she was looking for as she released a small sigh and looked up at the ceiling of the Music Room, eyes not on him but voice indulgent again.
"Okay," she said to the ceiling," but-" Here, she finally looked down and met Hani's eyes. The hesitant trust he found there stoked his own hope. "This better not be a trick."
His third kiss with Haruhi was not an accident and it was the most awkward thing he had ever done in his life but, as he and Haruhi drew back from their third kiss simultaneously, cheeks pink and gazes shy, he beamed at the brunette and grabbed her hand excitedly, drawing her back to him again when she started to pull away.
"Ne~ Ne, Haruhi!" he told her, pleased, brown eyes sunny," I like you! A lot! Will you be my girlfriend?"
Haruhi's 'Okay,' was lost as Hani delightedly darted in for a fourth kiss and started tugging at her hand to lead her to Takashi, where he was waiting with Usa-chan in his hands.
"Takashi~!" He sang, grin playful yet genuinely happy," Haru-chan said yes!"