Chapter Two
Haruhi had been pulled into one of the twins' schemes yet again. They had gotten the whole class to agree upon a Test of Courage Tournament to celebrate in the spirit of Halloween. They were split into teams and, of course, Haruhi was on a team with them and the class president. The brunette had to constantly reassure Soga, the class president, that everything would be alright as the twins teased him endlessly. In the middle of one of their pranks, a deep clunking coming from the stairs grabbed their attention. They all looked to see a skull rolling toward them.
Immediately, Soga took off in the opposite direction, causing the other three to follow. Hikaru and Haruhi fell way behind Soga and Kaoru, gasping for breath.
"Geez, are those guys even human?" Hikaru huffed. Looking behind him, Haruhi was still struggling to keep up. "Hey, are you okay, Haruhi?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," she panted. "Let's keep going."
With the next step they each took, they felt the ground pulled out from under them, suddenly suspended in the air by a net. They were pressed together as close as could be. Hikaru was underneath of Haruhi, his face a deep scarlet and his hands gripping the netting beneath him tightly. When Haruhi had finally processed what had happened, she sat up nearly unfazed and seemingly unaware of just what she was sitting on, and pulled her emergency sewing kit from her pocket. Extracting a pair of scissors, she leaned over Hikaru, her chest directly in his face.
"H-Haruhi, wh-at are you do-ing?" Hikaru stuttered out.
"Oh, grow up, Hikaru. This is the only way I can get to where I need to cut." She snipped at the thinnest part of the net she could find. "Don't worry, it won't take long."
"Oh, take your time," Hikaru said breathlessly. He was quite enjoying this proximity, more than he cared to admit.
Haruhi nearly lost her balance at one point, wobbling until Hikaru grabbed her hips to steady her, receiving a slight blush from the girl. "T-Thanks."
Tamaki sat watching all of this from behind the nearest corner, biting his nails with growing anxiety. Nekozawa comforted him with the promise of a great Halloween prank in the end, though it didn't do much to calm him with the sight before his eyes. The blonde groaned, his nails clicking between his teeth. The idea of any other guy being so close to Haruhi, let alone having his hands on her, was killing him.
Finally, the net gave way to their weight after much cutting on Haruhi's part. As soon as the duo hit the ground, Hikaru ran off in search of his twin, and in need of some space so that he could cool off. Haruhi called after him but to no avail.
"Haruhi!" The girl in question turned to see Tamaki coming toward her.
"Tamaki?" she questioned. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, actually," Tamaki lightly reddened, hand on the back of his neck. "I thought I'd participate in this Test of Courage Tournament too!"
"But, Tamaki, it's only for our class, isn't it? Won't you be in trouble?"
"Not if nobody knows!" Tamaki winked with a finger to his lips.
"Only a member of the Host Club could pull something like this and get away with it..." Haruhi murmured.
"So, Haruhi, why are you alone? Where'd your team go?" Tamaki feigned ignorance.
"Well, we got separated. I'm not really sure where they are at the moment."
"Would you like me to escort you?" Tamaki's eyes lit up with hope.
"No, thanks, Tamaki." Haruhi deadpanned, a hand held up in denial.
"W-What? Come on, please? What if the other team tries to prank you and you're all alone and you panic and get scared and start crying and I'm not there to comfort you and-"
"Okay, Tamaki." Haruhi sighed, cutting off his rant. "Okay."
"R-Really?" The blonde stuttered happily. "Thank you, Haruhi! You won't regret it!"
"I think I already do." she muttered, but glanced at him with a smile.
"This way, madam." Tamaki gestured down a hallway with a deep bow. As she began walking, he fell into step with her. "So, Haruhi, I need to ask you; how do you feel about Hikaru?"
"Huh? Hikaru?" Haruhi gave him a confused look. "Well, we're friends."
"And how close are you to him?" The boy pulled at his collar, avoiding Haruhi's eyes.
"I wouldn't say that we're especially close. What is this about, Tamaki?"
"W-Well, j-j-just..."
Before Tamaki could get his answer out, the two of them were pushed into a nearby classroom, the door slamming shut behind them. They were in a very similar position to the one Haruhi and Hikaru had been in earlier. The brunette straddled the blonde, hands braced on his chest as she shook off the shock. Tamaki went to sit up, propped on his elbows when he noticed the weight on top of him and who it belonged to. His heart raced, sending heat to his face. Their legs were tangled together, making it difficult to separate. When Haruhi tried to get up, he grasped her arms gently, coaxing her to stay still.
"Tamaki? What is it?"
"To be completely honest, Haruhi, I saw what happened with you and Hikaru earlier."
"W-what? You saw that?" The brunette flushed slightly.
"Yes. But that's besides the point." Tamaki swallowed the nervous lump in his throat, gazing intensely into her amber eyes. "I was actually very... jealous of Hikaru when that happened. Seeing how close you two were in that net..."
"Jealous of Hikaru? You wanted to get trapped?"
"Haruhi, if it were with you, yes. I'm trying to say that... just the idea of any other guy being so close to you drives me crazy. I want to be the only one you touch, the only one you talk to." Tamaki paused to chuckle. "Though, I know that can't happen realistically."
Haruhi stared in utter shock at the words that he was speaking, the fact that he was opening admitting all of this. The girl had had some sense that he felt more than friendly affection for her, but never thought that it was this strong or that he would ever actually say anything. It made her a little uneasy, but also a little excited at the butterfly sensation in her stomach. Snapping out her trance, she found that Tamaki was still staring at her with a warm grin and those welcoming blue eyes.
"U-Umm, what are you doing?"
"I'm just looking at you."
"But why?" Haruhi blushed fiercely.
"Because you are beautiful, Haruhi." Tamaki brushed her hair behind her ear, his hand settling just behind her ear. "You have no idea how much power you have over me."
Haruhi could feel her heart melt. The heat radiating between their bodies was uncomfortably comfortable, if that made any sense. Obviously, it was embarrassing to be flush against the opposite sex this way, but Tamaki was comforting. He was her safe haven without her ever realizing it. When the eye contact became too much for her to bear, Haruhi dropped her head to the boy's chest, listening to his heart beating frantically and feeling his arms enclose her in an embrace filled with vertigo. She breathed in his scent, keeping it in her lungs for as long as possible before expelling it. Repeating this process until she became unaware of everything but the boy beneath her, she whispered his name softly and snuggled tighter to him.
Tamaki kissed the top of her head gently, feeling a single happy tear roll down his face and into her chocolate locks.
