When they returned to Haruhi's apartment Ranka had left for work, but it was already clear how cramped the home would be, especially with Antoinette.

Of course, Tamaki's first solution would be for them to move out of Haruhi's apartment, but without the security of his family's money there was no way of that happening anytime soon.

With all the changes soon to come their way, he supposed it was a small blessing he'd already enrolled and paid for a business degree and university.

The couple hadn't said a word to each other since they returned, Haruhi instead busying herself by making up some instant coffee to comfort Tamaki, and he simply sat on the couch and watched Kotoko sleep in his arms.

He was still in wonder at how he could love anyone so much, but at the same time was scared of what he had just thrown away for her. Being a Suoh was all he had ever known. Even when he'd lived in France, they'd had his father's financial security and certainly weren't commoners by any means. Now he was in the dark, independent from the Suoh's and starting his adult life as a commoner with nothing. Hell, if Ranka decided not to let him stay he would be homeless in less than a few hours.

"Tamaki" the blonde looked up and gave Haruhi a weak smile as he accepted the cup of coffee. She sat beside him, leaning her head against his shoulder and looking down at Kotoko with him. "She's so peaceful today. I wonder what changed from this morning."

A stupid sentence, Tamaki couldn't help but think, and Haruhi seemed to realise it as well.

"Sorry" she retracted quickly. Tamaki didn't answer, instead taking another swig of coffee.

Haruhi couldn't help but feel a little awkward as she sat alongside her now disowned boyfriend with no idea of how to comfort him. While she too had been snubbed by the Suoh's, she couldn't begin to imagine the feels of rejection from your own family. She remembered the dread from back when she told Ranka she was pregnant, but deep down had always known her father would never abandon her, especially not in such a time of need – and she was sure he wouldn't do that to Tamaki either.

"Tamaki… do you want to talk-" as Haruhi leaned over to face Tamaki, she felt the cup slip out of her hands and crash to the floor, causing Kotoko to cry out in distress as she was awoken from her nap.

While Tamaki immediately pulled the little girl up to his chest and started assuring her that there was no danger, Haruhi mentally cursed herself and began picking up the broken pieces of the cup off the floor.

"I'm sorry, Kotoko" she cooed as she walked past to discard of the broken pieces. As Kotoko was still wailing when she returned, Haruhi held out her arms to take her from Tamaki, who, to her surprise, refused.

"It's fine, I've got her."

"I know, but I haven't-"

"Just let me do this, okay" Tamaki said sharply, causing Haruhi to step back in surprise. He'd never spoken to her in that tone before. The blonde boy sighed. "If I can't even comfort her… what can I do for her? Certainly not provide, not anymore" he added bitterly.

Haruhi frowned and settled back onto the sofa silently, opting to watch Tamaki rock their baby. She was surprised to find that it was oddly difficult not to interfere, as the two often worked together to deal with Kotoko. Still, she understood Tamaki's need to prove he could be a good father to himself.

She was pleased to see that Kotoko settled within a few minutes and was surprised to feel a weight being lifted off her chest. Maybe those were the 'motherly instincts' people talked about.

Haruhi would have preferred the 'immediately knowing what to do' motherly instincts over the extreme worry.

"See? You're an amazing dad" Haruhi couldn't help but lean over and give Tamaki a peck on the cheek. She was sure he needed it.

Tamaki bit his lip. "I hope so. I want to do better than… than my dad did."

To his horror, he felt the tears he had been trying to suppress all day bubble up and finally release.

"Oh, Tamaki" Haruhi said softly before he could deny anything. She quickly wrapped him up in a hug, which he happily accepted.

"I didn't think that would be so hard" he admitted through tears, only causing Haruhi to hold him tighter.

"No, no, I know. It's going to be okay though, right? We have our own family, we can work on that for now."

Tamaki nodded in agreement and the two simply held each other on the sofa.

Haruhi wasn't sure how long they had been there, and couldn't be sure if she had fallen asleep or not, but the next thing she remembered, her father was unlocking the front door.

"I'm home!" Ranka announced happily.

"Shh, the baby's asleep" Haruhi warned as Tamaki began to stir, Kotoko laying atop his chest.

Ranka chuckled. "That's a phrase I haven't heard in a while… sorry Haruhi. Hello, Tamaki."

"Ranka-san" Tamaki replied, sitting up, one hand on Kotoko's back to ensure she didn't fall off and the other on Haruhi's waist where it had remained for their nap. Ranka's eyes followed and narrowed, but he didn't say anything.

"How did-" Ranka's musings were cut off with a yelp, as the crossdresser found himself pinned against the door by the enthusiastic golden retriever. "What is this!?"

"Antoinette, down!" Tamaki demanded. "I'm so sorry Ranka-san! She's my dog, her name is Antoinette."

Ranka pushed the animal off of him and glared at the blonde. "How did the 'meeting' go?" he asked with no indication of what had just occurred.

Tamaki and Haruhi exchanged an uneasy glance.

"I… think I was just disowned" Tamaki replied dazedly.

Ranka blinked. "What?"

Haruhi stood up, decided to take initiative. "Dad, can Tamaki stay with us?"

"Stay?"

Haruhi gulped and glanced back at Tamaki for a second. "Live."

Ranka's eyebrows narrowed and he opened his mouth to protest, but Haruhi continued, "Dad, please. He's been banned from his own home and he'd have been staying here a lot because of Kotoko anyway."

"That's not the same, Haruhi. There's a difference between staying a few nights and living here, that means more money for, well, everything. Put a growing baby on top of all those costs and it's a real struggle."

"Sir, please," Tamaki interjected, "I'll do my best to provide for myself and Kotoko, I would never put such a burden on you."

"How? If you've been disowned that means you have no money, and you certainly don't have a job."

Tamaki frowned. "I know… I know it's bad. But I really have nowhere else to go. I'll get a job" he promised.

Ranka sighed. "Well… unlike your own father, I can't kick you out on the street in good conscience. You can live here, and I'll help you get a job. The dog can't stay here though. Our landlord doesn't allow it, and there's no room for the poor thing anyway."

Tamaki nodded. "Thank you so much! And of course, I understand. I'm sure Mori-senpai won't mind taking her until I can afford to move out."

"Thank you, dad!" Ranka almost leapt back in surprise when his once apathetic daughter hugged him tightly.

"Yes, well. It's not going to be an easy ride for you, boy. You're out of high school, which means you better be helping with the bills. I should be able to pull a few strings and get you a job at one of my old bars…"

"I'm not going to have to cross-dress, am I?" Tamaki asked a little apprehensively, earning himself a glare from both father and daughter.

"No, that's not all there is to do at a bar."

"He plays the piano, maybe he could do some kind of instrumental entertainment like he did at Misuzu's" Haruhi mused.

"Aha! Misuzu! Yes, he owes me for that whole ordeal with Mei. I'll ask him about getting you a job there when I see him."

"Thank you" Tamaki repeated, not sure how else to express his gratitude.

"You're welcome," Ranka sighed. "Now get that animal out of my home before someone finds out she's here."

The final week of the holidays had been one of the more eventful ones in Haruhi's life (though not comparable to recent experiences), as they had rushed around with moving in Tamaki, shopping for the basic necessities he had been denied access to (his clothes, electronics, and all other personal items had been deemed possessions of the Suoh estate and he therefore had no right to them), and preparing for school, all while taking care of a newborn.

For Haruhi, returning to Ouran felt like a dream, almost nostalgic. So much had changed since the last time she stepped foot in Ouran, and she couldn't help but feel like she didn't quite belong there anymore. Nevertheless, she was determined to finish her schooling as a full-time student, rather than part time as her father suggested.

Haruhi knew that logically, attending school part time would be healthier for her, with reduced stress and a chance to settle in as a mother better, but she thought practically, and taking longer to complete school meant delaying her dream career even more.

Despite all of her reasoning, Haruhi didn't find it at all easy to leave Kotoko alone for the first time while she was at school all day. Not only was she nervous to leave Kotoko, Haruhi couldn't help but feel uncomfortable, as returning to school meant weaning Kotoko off of breastmilk and giving her formula instead. The process was not going well, especially with barely a week to prepare, and Haruhi felt immensely guilty about leaving her baby to potentially starve all day (as she had been refusing to even try formula), not to mention the soreness she felt herself from the process.

Tamaki on the other hand thought it was a fantastic opportunity to wean Kotoko and spend time bonding with her. He actually found it a little insulting that Haruhi was so nervous about leaving him alone with Kotoko, even though he knew it had nothing to do with him. In total, it took about half an hour to convince Haruhi that they were fine and she had to leave before she was late.

Even with all of the craziness now surrounding her life, Haruhi was determined to finish the school year as normally as possible, with top grades and a clear mind.

Right. Because that should be easy.

"Haruhiii!" immediately upon entering Ouran, she was practically assaulted by two familiar redheads and let herself be dragged along to their new classroom.

"Thank god we're still in the same class!" Kaoru chatted happily.

"Yeah, it would be much harder for you to keep your secret if we weren't around!" Hikaru said.

Haruhi stared at the two blankly. "Everyone already knows I'm a girl, remember? They found out just before we left."

"Not that secret! We meant Kotoko" Hikaru hissed quietly.

"Oh." Haruhi hadn't even considered what to tell people at Ouran. She never planned on telling anyone about Kotoko, but that was simply due to the fact she wasn't close to anyone outside the host club. She didn't think it had to be a secret.

As if he had read her mind, Kaoru elaborated "it sucks, but there are students here who hold grudges against the Suoh's. If they found out about Koko, their families may have the power to ruin Tamaki and your reputation. Goodbye lawyer career."

Haruhi's heart dropped.

Of course, she had completely forgotten that she attended school with some of the most spoilt, rich, powerful and vengeful teenagers in the world.

Perfect.

"Haruhi!" her thoughts were interrupted as the trio reached the classroom and found themselves surrounded by their fangirling classmates.

"Oh, hi Renge" Haruhi said weakly, feeling a little odd under the French girls stare.

"Wow!" Renge exclaimed. "You really are a girl! I can't believe no one noticed it before, you're so pretty!"

"Uh… thank you…"

"Your hairs grown so much!" one of Haruhi's old clients gushed.

Haruhi shuffled uncomfortably, realising how much her physical appearance must have changed over the past year. Her hair had grown way past the masculine cut she had started school with, and now hung around her shoulders; her breasts had certainly increased in size, though she blamed Kotoko for that rather than nature; and while she had been pleased to find out she was able to fit into her uniform, she was a little insecure about the remaining baby weight.

"Thanks… you look great too" the natural type commented somewhat awkwardly.

The girls squealed, even while knowing Haruhi was a girl. Haruhi supposed they just liked the attention. Thankfully, before they could start fishing for compliments again the teacher walked in and as the students returned to their seats the class started.

Once lunch rolled around, the twins insisted on dragging Haruhi down to the cafeteria despite the fact she had bought her own lunch. She soon regretted not fighting more as they quickly found themselves surrounded by girls from the host club.

"Hikaru, Kaoru, we miss you so much!"

"We feel so bad for you beautiful ladies… I don't know how I could go so long without Kaoru" Hikaru said mournfully, causing the girls to squeal again. It was already giving Haruhi a headache. She already had to put up with the screaming enough at night.

"So, when is the host club starting up again?"

It took Haruhi a moment before she realised she was being spoken to. "Oh, haven't you been told? I'm so sorry, but the host club won't be reopening this year -" the girls let out a collective gasp of horror "- I'm sorry. We realised that it was going to be a big challenge to have to train up new hosts with most of our members having graduated and us in our third year."

Haruhi tuned out as the girls started wailing, leaving the twins to deal with their breakdowns. Once they were calmed down and assured that they would still be thoroughly 'hosted' during breaks, the group decided to turn their attention back to Haruhi.

"Do you know how Tamaki-senpai is?"

"Oh, that's right, you two are dating right?"

Haruhi frowned. "Uh yeah, Tamaki's fine."

The girls squealed again when they realised that Haruhi had dropped the honorifics and starting badgering her with question upon question about her and Tamaki's relationship.

"When did you stop calling him senpai?"

"Did you two live together in America?"

"Have you kissed him yet?"

"Have you done other stuff yet?" one brave girl asked slyly, causing the others to break out into scandalised giggles.

The twins and Haruhi exchanged a look before the two redheads burst into laughter alongside the host club clients who had no idea the extent of that question.

Haruhi refused to answer, but her red face left plenty to the girls' imaginations.

The school day passed relatively quickly, and even with the ridiculous amount of homework she was given, Haruhi headed straight home, eager to get back to her daughter and boyfriend.

It was odd, she mused, that she would spend all night with Kotoko and end up exhausted and frustrated in the mornings, but still hated to spend time away from her.

"I'm home!" she announced as she entered the apartment, which, to her surprise, didn't look like a bomb had gone off.

"Hey" Tamaki said, coming out of her bedroom empty-handed. "Kotoko's asleep."

Haruhi groaned. "That's why she won't sleep through the night…"

"Haruhi, she's not even a month old yet. She doesn't have a sleep schedule, newborns are always asleep."

"Except when I am" Haruhi grumbled. "Oh well. How was she? Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine – and if something was wrong, don't you think I would've told you one of the sixty times you texted me making sure nothing was wrong?"

Haruhi glared at him. "It was my first time leaving her alone, I was just worried."

Tamaki chuckled. "I know, it's perfectly normal." He wrapped his arms around the small girl's waist and she let herself fall into his chest. Haruhi allowed herself to enjoy the intimacy for a few moments, before they were interrupted by a loud cry.

Tamaki groaned as he pulled away from her, but Haruhi grinned and rushed into her bedroom.

"Hey Kotoko!" Haruhi cooed as she raised the infant out of the crib. "I missed you … did you have fun with daddy today?"

"Oh yes, we had lots of fun. I especially enjoyed being spit up on" Tamaki joked from the doorway.

"I told you, you need to be gentler with her after she eats."

"I know, but she's just so cute! Just like her mummy."

Haruhi couldn't help but blush, even as she reached up on her tiptoes and initiated a kiss. Unfortunately, Tamaki barely had time to respond before Kotoko made her presence known again.

"Okay, sorry baby. What do you need?"

There were fleeting moments in and out of normalcy, and while Haruhi couldn't help but feel like she was living two separate lives, living a lie, she also couldn't choose between them.

As she and Tamaki worked with Kotoko, Haruhi realised that this was the life she wouldn't give up. Being a lawyer was her dream, but Kotoko meant everything to her.

Not that that meant it wasn't tiring, as within just a few hours, all three of them were passed out on Haruhi's bed, tired and homework incomplete.

I'm sorry this chapter came out late, I haven't edited it so I hope it's okay. It's been a stressful couple of days and I lost a family member today so I'm really off my game, but need a distraction so I'm posting this and feeling guilty for focusing on other things and yeah, idk. Thank you guys for always being wonderful and I'm sorry if this chapter was shit.

Midway through writing this I realised that the drinking age in Japan is 21 and Tamaki probably wouldn't be allowed to work at a bar, so I would appreciate it if you would suspend your disbelief for the sake of the story aha. The drinking age in Australia is 18 (yay!) so naturally I thought that would be the perfect solution for Tamaki since he just turned 18.

Some of you may have noticed that I changed my username (again), but this time it's for a legitimate reason, and that is to match my tumblr username! I've been meaning to say for a while that I remembered I still have a tumblr account lol and revamped that completely so I could use it connect with you guys, so I'd love it if you guys would follow me there! I don't post a lot so far, but I do check it regularly so if you want to contact me or hear about my progress with the story, you should go ahead and follow me at sevendeadlyseas!

I read every single one of your reviews and I'm so glad you guys all thought they weren't OOC for the situation! Thank you so much for all your support! Please follow, favourite, review and hit me up on tumblr!