Title: The Learned Profession
Pairing(s): Takashi/Haruhi
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Ouran High School Host Club belongs to Hatori Bisco and related companies.
Word count: 799
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THE LEARNED PROFESSION
Morinozuka Takashi stumbles home, half-entertaining the enticing idea of collapsing in the courtyard and sleeping till daylight.
Oh, wait. It is daylight.
The servants open the main door for him and he lugs himself into the house with herculean effort, relieved to hand over his briefcase and his suit jacket. Loosening his tie, he strides inside while trying to recall the last time he stepped foot into the dojo for kendo practice – three days ago? Four? Takashi is very upset at himself for his lack of discipline. Mitsukuni is able to practise diligently despite the significant workload of running a business; what excuse does Takashi have?
Again the front door swings on its hinges.
"No. If you attempt to train in this state, you'll injure yourself."
Haruhi is silhouetted against the (too bright) sunlight, visibly shaking from exhaustion. She sighs deeply and removes her heels, exchanging them for the house slippers set in front of her by the servants. If Takashi's memory serves, Haruhi had left for the court a day before Takashi himself had left for the law firm. Could it be that Haruhi has not been home in all that time? Not finding the time to spare for martial arts is one thing, but not having time for his wife?
Takashi had not thought he could be such a disappointment.
While he has selected the commercial route, practising law in a large firm to gain sufficient experience to practise as an in-house counsel for Mitsukuni one day, Haruhi has chosen to become an associate to one of the most esteemed judges in the country, directly working in chambers and doing court work. Once upon a time, Takashi and Haruhi had the neatest and most uncluttered household of their group of friends – clean and down-to-earth, filled with functional necessities and designed in the highly pleasing style of the Japanese aesthetic with a healthy respect for Ma space.
Now, there are days when their combined law books and legal documents take up the entirety of their enormous study room, leaving them to flounder in a sea of papers. It is thankfully contained within four walls, and that specific area is beginning to resemble the Hitachiin atelier – a disaster zone at odds with the rest of the sprawling mansion. Like the twins, Takashi and Haruhi are hesitant to permit the servants to enter the study to clean it because of the sheer amount of confidential and sensitive information lying around. For example, the two of them are currently collaborating with Kyouya in a venture that has the potential to clinch the position of heir for him. Although Takashi and Haruhi are professionals who are careful with their files and notes, the fact is that these papers need to be stored somewhere, and the most important ones may be locked in the safe but one can't ever be too cautious.
Haruhi walks to his side, takes hold of his hand and brings him to their bedroom. Wordlessly, they move through their ablutions with the sole end goal being to fall into bed and sleep.
Neither of them is unduly fussy about their appearances; they are crawling under the covers before Takashi knows it, his eyelids persistently threatening to shut. Too many things are buzzing through his mind still – too many things to do, too many clients to meet and too many cases to process. Since he became a lawyer, it's harder for his mind to settle down – meditation techniques take longer to take effect.
More than anything, though, he's afraid that he isn't giving his wife what she needs. To an extent, they share a mutual understanding of the demands of this profession, but when nobody has much to put into this relationship, what will happen to them in the long term? Thoughts like these plague Takashi, make him wonder if he should have kept silent about his attraction to Haruhi or how he can do better… the problem is that Takashi's methods of caring generally manifest themselves in the manner of a bodyguard or a servant. He is a born protector, born to give, and his wife isn't one to take.
Haruhi has never wanted to be served the way that Takashi serves Mitsukuni – dependence is not a trait that she easily accepts in herself and Takashi respects that. He thinks he is quite attentive, but his opinion isn't the one that counts in this situation.
Head on pillow and eyes already closed, Haruhi says, "Court vacation is coming up soon. Do you want to go somewhere, Takashi?"
He'd love to.
Heart filled to the brim, he leans over to press his lips to hers. "Yes. Dinner tomorrow?"
"Ah, are you free? So am I." She smiles at him. "We'll discuss it then."
And he can't help but smile back.