Two weeks after her doctor's appointment with Kyoya, Haruhi realised that she was already a little over three months pregnant and had broken her promise with herself to tell Tamaki about the baby after she reached the three-month mark.
She knew it had to be done, but Haruhi was terrified to tell him.
The problem wasn't that she was afraid of losing him, she was more afraid that he would throw away everything for her and the baby. She didn't want him to give up his whole future for her, not when it involved potentially giving up everything he'd worked so hard for. Even if what Kyoya said was true, Haruhi knew there would still be countless obstacles for them to overcome.
Raising a child was expensive, and extremely time consuming. Haruhi's dream of becoming a lawyer would have to be put on hold, and if Tamaki's father refused to support them financially, there was no way Ranka could account for a growing child and a teenage daughter with one job.
Oh god, Ranka. She would have to tell her father as well.
Haruhi felt like crying again. Ranka would be so disappointed in her. He'd always been so proud of having such a smart and independent daughter, but now all those points of pride were for null.
Taking a shaky breath in, Haruhi closed her eyes. Tamaki deserved to know they were going to have a baby. She would have to tell him, though she had no idea how.
Thankfully she had some help with that.
Haruhi picked up her phone from the side table and quickly dialled Tamaki's mothers number. Since the trip to France, Haruhi had gotten really close to Anne-Sophie who had been extremely supportive of her and her decision to keep her and Tamaki's love child.
"Haruhi? How are you?" Anne-Sophie responded almost instantly. She had become incredibly protective over the woman carrying her grandchild, and was always quick to pick up the phone, god forbid it be an emergency.
"Uh, yeah I'm good. How are you?"
"I'm well." Anne-Sophie said smartly.
"Great. Look, I… I just hit the three-month mark and I told myself when I got to that point I would tell Tamaki, only I'm not… not too sure how to."
"That's wonderful!" Anne-Sophie exclaimed. "Oh Haruhi, I'm so proud of you!"
Haruhi smiled and imagined that the blonde woman would likely be hugging her if she could.
"So do you have any ideas on how I should tell him?"
There was a pause as Anne-Sophie took the time to think.
"I'm not sure. It would probably be beneficial to just come out and say it. You've waited long enough, and I doubt it would make any difference by doing anything elaborate – although I'm sure Tamaki would love that next time." Haruhi blushed. She was having a hard enough time dealing with this pregnancy, let alone conceiving the possibility of another child in the future.
"I suppose so" Haruhi agreed. She'd done enough avoiding and dodging, and Tamaki deserved the truth. At this point he probably wouldn't appreciate any grand reveal.
Haruhi sighed. She knew Tamaki would need just as much adjustment time as she had, perhaps more to catch up on the time he'd been ignorant for. This would be a major shock for the teenager.
Haruhi had no doubt that Tamaki would be a good dad, it was more the question of if he was ready. Haruhi had seen him interact with children a number of times, with Kirimi Nekozawa and Shiro Takaoji and had been very caring towards the two of them, so she knew he liked kids and wanted them someday.
However Tamaki's 'someday' likely did not mean August.
It had been earlier that month, on Valentines Day when she and Tamaki had been watching cheesy romantic comedies (at his request), and in the final scene of the movie the happy couple had been shown cuddling their children in a flashforward. Tamaki had pulled Haruhi in tight and kissed her temple while telling her that would be them one day.
While reassured by the knowledge Tamaki wanted children with her, Haruhi knew he was probably imagining their family starting in a different way.
Nevertheless, Haruhi had snuggled up to her boyfriend and quietly told him he'd be a brilliant father. It had certainly cheered the blonde up and he'd returned the sentiment happily before going off on a tangent about their future family which made Haruhi a little sick, knowing it would all happen far sooner than he thought.
Haruhi bit her lip. He deserved to know.
"Thank you, Anne-Sophie. I'll tell him as soon as possible."
"T-Tamaki? Can I speak to you?"
It was only a few hours later, after Tamaki had gotten home from his afternoon class (again Haruhi had chosen to stay home from schools after spending the majority of the night and early morning sick) and Haruhi had let herself into his apartment.
"Oh, Haruhi, hello!"
Haruhi stopped in confusion as she saw that there were other people in the apartment.
"Oh… um hi" she said to the strangers.
There were three people Haruhi had never seen before lounging around in the kitchen, two men who looked around Tamaki or even Mori's and Honey's age based on their height, and surprisingly irritatingly, a short blonde-haired girl wearing girly clothes with visible cleavage. For some reason this angered Haruhi.
"Hi!" the blonde replied chirpily, smiling widely.
"Haruhi, this is Brittney, Luke and Jason. Guys, this is Haruhi."
Why didn't he introduce me as his girlfriend, her brain went, intrusively.
"Hey" the other guys replied non-committedly.
"Nice to meet you" Haruhi said as politely as possible, being unreasonably irritated for some reason… it seemed as though the pregnancy hormones were kicking in…
"So what did you want to talk about?" Tamaki asked casually. Haruhi frowned, knowing there was no way they could have this discussion with other people around. Even if she asked to speak privately in another room, it would be a long talk and not appropriate to have while other people, strangers no less, were in the apartment.
"Oh um, its not important" she said coldly. "What are you guys doing?"
Before Tamaki could answer, the blonde girl interrupted. "We're doing a group project for school. Us seniors have to complete a major project across the school year and we just got the assignment today."
"Tamaki offered for us to study at his place since there's less distractions" the first guy, Luke said.
"Yeah, no parents! How awesome! You could have some awesome parties in here, man!" Jason added eagerly, scanning the apartment.
Tamaki chuckled, a little uncomfortably.
Haruhi shook her head. "No parties" she told her boyfriend firmly. She came here to study, Tamaki being with her was a bonus, but if he became a distraction, he'd ruin the whole experience… well, not that he hasn't already with his sperm, Haruhi thought miserably.
"Jeez, what a buzzkill. Who even is this chick?" Haruhi blushed at the rude comment but brushed it off as a mere culture difference. From what she had seen, westerners acted far more casual with each other than the Japanese did. Also, she noted that he had recognised her as a girl. She was surprised given that her hair hadn't grown out much, but… Haruhi only blushed even more furiously as she realised what it was that had tipped him off about her femininity. Damn pregnancy symptoms.
"Don't talk to her like that" Tamaki snapped, good naturedly enough not to anger the other boy who simply shrugged.
"Sorry" he said. Haruhi simply nodded in acknowledgement.
"It was a stupid idea Jason" the pretty blonde said. "Tamaki is such a sweetheart, he'd never do anything like that!" she gushed.
Haruhi found herself even more irritated by this girl. She was usually terrible at reading other peoples emotions, but it was obvious even to her that Brittney was shamelessly flirting with her boyfriend.
"Tamaki, can I speak to you for a moment?" Haruhi requested, a slight edge to her tone. Tamaki agreed and led her towards the kitchen for privacy. "Why are these people in your apartment again?"
"I told you, we're doing a group project together. We wanted to get a head start so I suggested my place."
"What about that girl?"
"Brittney?" Tamaki looked back at the other students to see Brittney look up and grin at him at the same time. "What about her?"
Haruhi groaned. "Tamaki you really are dense. She's flirting with you! Even I noticed!"
Tamaki frowned. "What? No, Brittney's just nice. You're wrong."
At this point, Haruhi was practically seething. The pregnancy hormones were acting up and Tamaki wasn't helping by acting like he didn't care about her at all.
"Oh, I'm wrong am I? Fine then, enjoy your little project!" Haruhi spat before turning and walking back to her apartment through the 'love door'.
"Kyoyaaa! I need your heeelp!"
Kyoya had no idea why he had let the blonde idiot into his apartment again, but here they were. Perhaps he had started to take pity on the young man who had the idea of the bombshell that was about to go off on his life in the form of a baby.
"What is it?" the black-haired boy snapped. He knew Haruhi hadn't told him about the pregnancy yet. If she had, Tamaki would be acting far more seriously than this, and probably wouldn't have come to Kyoya at all. When Tamaki was truly bereaved he preferred to be alone. It was a testament to their how close their friendship really was that they knew this.
"So yesterday I had some friends from school at my apartment and when Haruhi came over she got really angry at me and I don't understand why!"
Kyoya sighed. That idiot girl. She couldn't be acting on her hormones before she even told Tamaki, he'd just think she was crazy.
"I'm sure there's more to the story than that. What exactly did she say to you?"
"Haruhi doesn't like Brittney. She said she was flirting with me and basically called me a fool. So I told her she was wrong about Brittney and she got mad and left."
Kyoya felt like smashing his head on the desk. Tamaki truly was the biggest idiot he'd ever encountered.
Brittney Tucker was the truest stereotype Kyoya had ever met. While doing background checks on all of his new classmates, he had found out that Brittney was born and raised in Boston, was a child of divorce with her rich and absent father living in New York and her mother in Boston with her. An only child, the girl was as spoilt as they came and used to getting what she wanted. According to his research, this really did mean anything. It was clear around the school that Brittney Tucker had a reputation for being a bit of a player, rarely being without a boyfriend or some kind of man candy.
"Tamaki, Haruhi was jealous" Kyoya explained "Brittney is pretty and popular girl who probably was flirting with you in your own apartment. If anything, you owe her an apology."
Tamaki frowned. "I didn't do anything wrong!" he protested.
"Tamaki, you're being a child. Despite acting indifferent to most physical attributes to the point where she disregards all gender conformities, she is still an insecure teenage girl" Kyoya said, a little condescendingly. "She probably saw her boyfriend spending time with an attractive girl and got worried."
Tamaki's face fell.
"Haruhi felt… threatened? There's no reason for her to feel that way! No one could ever replace her, I love her-" the blonde boy realised a second too late what he had said, his face quickly turning beetroot.
Kyoya smirked. "I think you should be telling her that, not me."
Tamaki nodded slowly, a little embarrassed. "Yeah… you're right. Um, I should go apologise to her now, huh?"
"Yes, go!" Kyoya half groaned, just wanting him out of the house.
"Haruhiiii!"
The girl in question groaned as she heard her name being called. Of course Tamaki had to come now.
Haruhi had just been about ready to leave for her doctors appointment when the incessant banging at the door started, and now she'd never be able to get away from Tamaki without him nagging her about where she was going.
Just as she was considering sneaking out of the window, Tamaki called out again, saying "I know you're in there! Come on, I know you're mad at me, but please just let me in!" he sounded so pathetic right then that Haruhi was guilted into opening the door. Groaning and angry at herself, Haruhi strode across the room to open the front door.
"Tamaki" she greeted tonelessly.
The teenager stood in the doorway awkwardly thrusting forward a bouquet of white roses. "These are for you."
Haruhi tilted her head slightly, confused. "Er, thank you" she said, taking them. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, I wanted to apologise. I never meant to make you uncomfortable. If you don't like me having Brittney and the others alone in my apartment, then we'll find somewhere else to study."
Haruhi blinked for a second before throwing her arms around her boyfriend in an unusual display of affection.
"Thank you, Tamaki. Don't worry about finding someplace else to study, I overreacted" she said, nuzzling into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her back.
"No, it's okay" he said, stroking her hair as he held her. "Do you want to watch a movie or something?" he suggested kindly.
Haruhi went to say yes, she'd love to, but quickly remembered her appointment.
"Sorry, I can't" she said regretfully. "I um, I have an appointment to go to. But you're welcome to stay here and find something for us to do later. I won't be long" she leant up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek before passing him through the door.
"Okay, I'll get some stuff organised for you when you get back" Tamaki replied happily.
Haruhi shot him a grateful smile before going on her way.
Tamaki scanned the apartment and decided that he would do some cleaning for her. While the place wasn't dirty, it was looking a little messy, as Haruhi had become a little neglectful of the small things throughout her sickness.
Tamaki supposed that since he still felt guilty, doing a little reorganising would help him redeem himself a little.
He started by moving towards the dining room and putting away the salt and pepper shakers in the pantry and moving some of the kitchenware around so that they were in the way of anything.
Moving some of the things around revealed a cluster of dust, so Tamaki set out to find his girlfriends cleaning supplies. He headed towards the bathroom, figuring that they would most likely be there. He searched through a couple of drawers, finding nothing but toiletries, until he checked in the small medicine cabinet where he found a mess of rags and cleaning supplies on top of some kind of surface.
Digging out the things he needed, Tamaki also grabbed the strangely hidden objects out of curiosity.
Setting down the cleaning supplies, he raised what he now recognised were books to eye level, choking when he saw the titles.
Why was his girlfriend hiding maternity books?
Tamaki wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer, but he wasn't stupid enough to not interpret these signs.
Oh god…
I don't celebrate Easter but I have the day off anyways, so I'll celebrate by posting a few hours early! I really wanted to do an April Fools chapter on Sunday but I realised that I left this on a cliffhanger so I couldn't do that.
I now know the pain of having to wait so long for something, the second season of Miraculous Ladybug is coming out tomorrow but only on US Netflix so my Aussie arse is begging people online for their Netflix passwords for the day. I'm not expecting anything but if someone is willing to give me access to their Netflix for the weekend I'll give you an early chapter. Fair deal? Lol
Just a note on the OC's – I usually HATE OC's, not that there's anything wrong with OC fanfiction, its just not my cup of tea. I read fanfiction to read about the characters. However, I don't see anything wrong with background OC's, but a huge pet peeve of mine is when authors give the anime characters western names. But since this is set in America, I thought it was okay to give them western names and yeah, a stereotypical look, sorry!
Obviously, being set in Haruhi's POV things are a little exaggerated as she sees Brittney as a threat and overeacts, hence the 'Tamaki doesn't care about me at all' bit. Let me know if you think she's out of character, I'm trying to balance her personality with stress and pregnancy hormones so just consider that whenever she acts a little crazy!
As usual, I hope you liked it and please review (and maybe give me your Netflix password )
~ responding to reviews ~
MommaDiamond (chapter 9) – ahhh I'm so glad! I worry a lot about keeping them in character, especially since they're going through such a life changing event, and I'm not sure how much I'm allowed to blame on pregnancy hormones lol.
Mamabug (chapter 9) – love the speculation but unfortunately, I can't really say anything, you'll just have to wait! I hope Kyoya's reaction was realistic, I always figured that his medical knowledge would lead him to figure it out first.
Lemon Fanfabric (chapter 6) – glad you're enjoying!
krys2007 (chapter 9) – I wish I could update every day too, but unfortunately I couldn't keep up with all the writing aha. And me too, Ranka finding out was actually one of the first things I wrote for this story and I can't wait for you all to read it! I promise it'll be worth it!