Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.
The new year passed with little change. Haruhi continued to work hard for Suoh Corp, making time to see her children whenever possible. She also continued to meet with Suzume, but less and less often as time progressed. She had her moments of despair on occasion, but they were less debilitating. She started taking time to make visits to her friends. Kazuki especially appreciated being able to play with Fumiko when they visited Hunny and Reiko.
Kyoya and Suzume spent more time together. There were times when she could even convince him to set aside his laptop to spend time with her. Haruhi noticed he smiled more often now, though he was a little distracted. Haruhi knew from years of experience that even though he was engaged in other activities, his brain was still working in the medical/business world, itching to get back to his laptop. But he made an effort, and she saw a change in Suzume as well. She wondered if Suzume knew she had interfered. It didn't matter. Haruhi knew both of them deserved to find some amount of happiness in their marriage.
Kaoru was always working on some design or another when she stopped in. He often asked her opinion, and then ignored her suggestions. He completely trusted his own instincts.
Hikaru was harder to track down. Since he was a photographer, he was always booked and travelling to one exotic locale or another, usually returning home only to edit his images before sending them off and heading to another shoot. He had pictures of famous people in his home. Most were pictures he took himself, but others were of him with the celebrity he'd obtained after the fact. He enjoyed Haruhi's visits. He typically dropped everything to have a conversation with her. Since he didn't have children, she didn't bring hers. One time she did, and Risa was extremely vocal about how boring Hika-sama's house was.
Mori lived on a farm outside the city, but the children loved the animals. In turn, he loved showing Kazuki and Risa the animals, letting them feed and ride some of them. His little Hiroki was starting to walk, and he followed the older children as fast as his little legs would take him.
At the end of May, Haruhi received an announcement from Kyoya and Suzume. They were expecting a child. The bundle of joy was expected to arrive in January. Haruhi called and wished them congratulations, but couldn't help feeling a twinge of unpleasantness rising as she ended the call. Will this feeling ever go away? What can I do to make this stop?
She felt like her life had stalled. She pushed the feeling down, choosing to move on. How could she confide in Suzume that a part of her wasn't happy for her because a tiny part of her wanted someone else to be as miserable as she was?
Kyoya dressed himself in a dark blue designer suit and styled his hair. He wanted to look his best. They were going out tonight, and he wanted it to be special. Suzume glided into their bedroom wearing a fitted periwinkle dress with a modest scoop neckline. Her hair was pulled up and decorated with little jewels. Her ears were adorned with long silver earrings.
"Happy anniversary, Kyoya," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck.
He planted a chaste kiss on her lips, "One year down. Happy anniversary, Suzume. We need to go."
She pouted at him, but still released him and started walking toward the doorway. From behind, you wouldn't even know she was six months pregnant. She turned to look at him, beckoning him to follow. How did he get this lucky? It only took a year, but maybe he was finally in love with his wife. It was all thanks to Haruhi. He made a mental note to thank her in some way for convincing him to give Suzume more of himself.
The young Ootori couple left their house and were driven to an Italian restaurant. Suzume had been craving pasta dishes lately, so this would be perfect. They dined in style, enjoying every bit of the food and drinking up each other's company. Kyoya left a generous tip, then escorted his wife back to the car. It was on to the theater where they would see a popular play. It had taken Kyoya some effort to get the tickets for tonight – requiring multiple phone calls and calling in a favor or two – but watching her watch the play, he knew the effort had been worth it. How could life get any better than this?
She glanced at him while he was staring at her. Suzume grinned, kissed him, and turned back to the play while snuggling closer to him. Is this what it feels like to be happy? To be in love? I could conquer the world with this woman.
A/N: This is a bit more fluff while still moving the story forward. Time is progressing and Kyoya is looking forward to being a father.
