The next morning, Kyouya arose like any other morning. He told himself he would adapt. He'd gotten used to her so quickly, why shouldn't he be able to get used to not having her again? He shut off his alarm clock with a heavy hand. Getting up without her... it was still hard.
Finally in some kind of deep sleep, Haruhi didn't stir, even for the alarm clock. It had been too hard of a night to awake for such a stupid reason, her unconscious mind guffawed.
She got ready in the mornings fast enough that she could afford a few extra minutes sleep. He imagined sleeping on the couch hadn't permitted a very restful night's sleep. He changed, his mind wandering as he did.
The formal ball. He still had to talk to Tamaki about it. He was usually a good-natured man. Maybe he would understand...
She hadn't thought to set an alarm, as she'd never needed one before. She'd half-thought Senpai would just get her up with him in the morning, but getting any sleep that night had been much more pressing. Besides, they hadn't been to school in a few days, making it harder for her body to adjust back to the correct timetable.
He eyed the clock. He supposed he was cutting it a little close. He leaned over the back of the couch, putting a soft hand on her shoulder. "Haruhi. It's time to get ready for school."
She moaned, snuggling deeper immediately. "Five more minutes," she begged groggily.
"I'm afraid you've already had your five extra minutes," he replied. He supposed he could ask the chauffeur to go just a bit over the speed limit, if need be.
She groaned, sleepily rubbing her eyes, which would probably look a bit bloodshot today. She opened them enough to see Senpai, flipping over to her back to enjoy the blanket for just one more second. "Morning," she croaked.
She looked worse off than he'd expected. Well, perhaps she would sleep better in a proper bed. Of her own, that is. Tonight. "To offset the expenses of our weekend trip, club activities will be much more tame for the next few days." He hoped they were tame enough to give her time to recover.
Nodding, but not completely keeping any information when she was still so close to going straight back to sleep, she husked, "Thank you." Wow, was she obvious or what? She felt as if they'd written something across her forehead to alert anyone who saw her today that she'd fought men and monsters all night.
His face remained neutral, but a part of him felt inexplicably guilty about all of this. Maybe she wasn't ready for her own room yet. He just didn't know. He was no psychologist. "Are you well enough for school today?"
She sat up, too quickly, making herself a bit dizzy. "I'm fine," she assured, holding her head for a second. "I'll be okay."
"Very well," Kyouya replied, although he didn't sound terribly convinced. "If you still have trouble sleeping, I could get you a prescription."
She paused, considering that. "...What kind of prescription?" Drugs made her nervous, after Arai-Sama.
"Probably Ambien or some such," Kyouya replied. "It would help you fall asleep. Waking up might be harder, but you'll feel better during the day."
She sighed. Figuring out this kind of stuff was extremely taxing, especially on one good hour of sleep. "If you think it would help," she said after a second. She was going to have to learn to sleep without him eventually though, and without a prescription.
"We'll see about getting something after school." He grabbed his book bag, hers as well. "Get dressed. We've got twenty minutes."
She crawled out of bed haltingly, rubbing her eyes desperately to wake up. She dressed quickly, a bit wobbly, and went out to find Senpai. "I'm ready," she said, her hair all but forgotten.
"Are you?" He reached out to smooth her hair down a bit. It didn't look so bad. He was sure the twins would fix it up for her as soon as they saw her. "Very well. Let's go."
Another quiet car ride. He almost wished the school was just a bit further away, if only to allow her some time to nap on the way there.
She'd nuzzled into his shoulder, wishing for his hand to go back to her hair. It was almost long enough of a ride to fall asleep in, but it seemed as soon as she began to doze, they'd arrived. She moaned quietly. "Senpai, I'm hungry."
He grimaced. He'd forgotten entirely about breakfast. He leaned forward to instruct his chauffeur. "Go back to the house and get something for Haruhi." He turned back to her. "I'll bring it for you between periods, alright?"
She colored, even as tired as she was. "No, that's alright. You don't have to. Isn't there something I can get here, before class?" No matter how romantic it sounded, having one member of the host club running errands for another just wouldn't do with the busy gossip mill.
He thought about it. They didn't normally open the kitchen before lunch period, however... "I may be able to pull a few strings," he replied.
Senpai could do anything. "Only if it's no trouble," she warned, yawning. She felt as if she could use some of that drink Senpai drank by the pots. "I don't want to-" she yawned again, "-make you late."
"It would certainly cause trouble for you to be falling asleep in class," he replied. He hoped a decent breakfast would wake her up. "I'll see about some coffee, as well."
She nodded, waiting for the door to open so she could shuffle to class.
As usual, the chauffeur opened the door for them. The sun shone just a little too brightly for Kyouya's tastes today. He was more than happy to get inside the school. "Take it easy today. I don't want you exhausting yourself."
She exited the car awkwardly, and straightened hesitantly. Her back was beginning to hurt like it'd been run over. "Alright. Can I come with you to get breakfast?" She didn't want to deal with the twins yet.
"I don't see why not," he replied. They were already a bit late, anyways. He led her to the cafeteria, and still further back to the kitchens, where the chefs were busily prepping for the day's meals.
"Excuse my intrusion." He bowed and smiled politely for the head chef. "But I'm afraid we've missed breakfast-"
"Say no more!" the man replied in a very stiff French accent. "Breakfast is, after all, the most important meal of the day!"
It seemed everyone at Ouran was annoying flamboyant.
Haruhi had instinctively taken a step behind Senpai at the sight of the overpowering man. Although everything smelled delicious. She ventured a sniff, holding his arm tightly.
It only took a few minutes for the chef to whip up something suitable for breakfast with what he had on hand (pretty much everything imaginable.) His sous chef even took the time to arrange everything nicely on a little platter with coffee and little cups of cream and sugar.
"Thank you very much." Kyouya accepted the tray, dipping his head in gratitude once more.
Bobbing herself, Haruhi followed Senpai back into the cafeteria. She held out her hands for the tray. "Thank you," she said, her smile a bit unfocused. "I'll just sit down here and eat it before I go to class." She used to curl up against walls all the time, and it was kind of nostalgic to imitate now. Besides, the tables were all set for lunch, so she didn't want to soil them.
He placed the tray on the table, taking a seat. "You're welcome," he replied, before sliding his own plate off of the tray. These people were paid to keep the place pristine, after all.
She sighed a bit, following his lead despite her apparent hesitation to mess anything up. She found the cup of coffee waiting for her, plucking the mug up by the handle and sniffing cautiously. The first sip was bitter, but the heat enticing, so she began to drink it a little at a time, commenting, "Senpai, you don't have to stay and babysit me. You'll be late for class." She looked over her cup innocently.
He took a long draught of his own coffee. "I'm already late," he replied. "I may as well enjoy my breakfast." He'd been turning up late quite often lately, he was beginning to notice. Just another side effect of his ridiculous emotional attachment.
Looking down, she realized she'd put away over half of the cup already. My, my, sleeping on her own was going to be a much bigger adjustment than she'd thought, wasn't it? She set it aside, thinking back to all the days lately she'd made him late. "Sorry," she apologized softly, tapping her fork on the plate pensively. "I can walk to school from now on, if you like." It would be good exercise, which she needed, right?
The idea of it still set him on edge. Arai was still out there somewhere. "That would be inadvisable," he replied, finishing up the rest of his cup in one quick toss. "I'll just see to it that you wake up earlier next time."
She forked through her food quickly, coming to the conclusion that she was much hungrier than she'd thought she was, eating more quickly than she usually did. "I think my phone is capable of an alarm," she mused between bites. "I'll just have to start waking myself up." Her foggy brain was starting to clear. Was that the coffee?
"As you wish," he replied. That made sense, of course. Why should he still feel he had to be the one to wake her every morning? .What would she ever do when they went their separate ways? He started considering what other things she would need to start learning for herself. "Do you feel up for a swimming lesson after school?"
With this magic liquid in her, yes. "Sure." She frowned, swallowing her bite. "I only have the one swimsuit though, is that okay?" The little bikini that had caused the twins so much agony at the resort.
Ah, Kyouya had heard tales of this swimsuit of hers. The thought made his face a little warm... "If it's what you have on hand, it will have to do."
She stuffed the last mouthful in, nodding to avoid her voice doing funny things. She finished quickly, holding the quickly-cooling cup to warm her hands while she waited for Senpai to finish, too.
He didn't take very long to finish up and return the trays to the kitchen with another saccharine admission of gratitude. "I suppose you can find your way to class, then?"
Eh? No more coffee, huh? She'd silently been hoping he'd just bring back another cup for her on his own. That stuff really worked. She looked up to his face, smiling and nodding. "Thank you for breakfast, Senpai. Have a good day?" It came out as a question, the nightmares last night floating in her head enough to bring her training to mind more than normal. It didn't feel right to tell, so she asked. Her fingers darted up to scratch her temple and tuck her hair behind her ear.
"You're welcome," he replied. "Do take care." He passed her by, hastening on his way to class.
Taking a deep breath, she straightened her shoulders and hurried to class. Even with the coffee, she didn't quite feel the gears of her critical thinking kicking in yet. Ugh, and trying to sneak in the back of class. Wonderful.
Of course, neither of them made it into class without repercussions. Not that Ouran was very strict on punishment beyond mild scolding. Even so, it was somewhat embarrassing.
Class seemed to drag on forever that day.
Despite Hikaru's best attempts to distract her, Haruhi left class with excellent notes that afternoon. While handwriting was still in 'practice mode,' she was beginning to get the hang of it, and got lots of practice with her note-taking in each subject. She hugged her notebooks, heading to club a bit lethargically.
When she arrived in the club room, Kyouya already had a little pot of coffee warming for her. "How are you holding up?"
Glancing at the others, she headed for the drink, pouring herself a cup immediately. "Nothing's conquered me yet, right?" She took a drink, her face heating a bit when she realized what she could have been referring to. "I mean, well, thank you for the coffee."
If he noticed her blunder, he was kind enough to ignore it. "You're welcome," he replied. He was beginning to think that swimming lessons would be better postponed until she could get her sleeping patterns under control.
She downed the coffee in a few good, long, drinks, setting down the cups and smiling tiredly at Senpai. "What are we cosplaying today?"
"I'm told it has something to do with music," Kyouya replied. He was getting a distinct 'boy band' type of feel, but wasn't sure he wanted to admit that he'd allowed such an idea to come to fruition. "Your costume is hanging in your dressing room."
She groaned, having a feeling it was another short skirt day. One look proved her right, sending her to her table in a thigh-length pink leather skirt, a midriff-baring shirt that an emblem from some old 80's group, and a bright blue jacket to top it off. And the wig! She vaguely thought how freaking much her guests loved drag as she put it on, feeling a bit like she was following in her father's footsteps. She finished and set her table up quickly.
Ah, another highly distracting display of skin. How many times did he have to tell them that such things were not conducive to hiding one's feminine traits? He sighed, deciding he would put off scolding him about it for now. He set his table up, as well, just in time for the guests to start arriving.
Club passed quickly, thankfully, and the faster the better because the leather was getting annoyingly uncomfortable. She stood to clean up her table, having to scoot the thing down her legs again. (Why did leather refuse to do anything but ride up?)
Kyouya kept his eyes focused on his own table, very intently. A sharp glance suggested that the rest of the club do the same. He wondered if the twins might have had something to do with the costume choices as of late.
Hikaru walked past Kyouya-Senpai with a smirk. "Senpai," he said, keeping his voice low, "You're a legs man, aren't you? I could guess from a mile away."
He shot Hikaru another stern look. "That's highly unprofessional of you."
He leaned against the back of a chair, flashing that trademark smile. "Senpai, you know the cosplays have been planned out for a while. Nobody can help who's wearing what, you know?" He glanced over his shoulder at Haruhi, almost finished with her table. "But I'm right, aren't I?"
"That's none of your concern," he replied, finally gathering the last of his reports. And that aside, it was a ridiculous excuse. He knew very well that cosplays could change at any moment. However, complaining to Hikaru about it would only stir up more drama.
Hikaru laughed, pushing himself off the chair. "I certainly wouldn't mind helping with that zipper though, eh Senpai?" He turned to saunter off.
Kyouya gritted his teeth. Maybe, one day, he would just give her a big, sloppy kiss, right in front of that brat. That would shut him up, wouldn't it? Show him that Haruhi was not, and never would be his.
Of course, that was just a silly fantasy. Haruhi wasn't his, either, in an emotional sense. For the time being, he simply had to ignore him. He was usually fairly good at ignoring annoyances.
Haruhi leaned down to grab the last bit of trash and yawned. She was happy that club was over, no matter how nice the girls were. And that she got to change. She was mostly happy about that. She turned, noticing Hikaru swaggering off from Senpai's table. Hmm. She hadn't realized they were friends.
Far from it, at this point.
He rose from his table. As much as he wanted to go home, he knew Haruhi wanted it even more. He hurried to the changing rooms, more than eager to get out of this ridiculously flashy outfit.
She smirked, Senpai's purple pants glittering as he strode by. She kind of liked them. She changed into her sweater quickly, turning to that darn skirt. She tugged at it, glad to be getting it off finally, except... She groaned, annoyed to her teeth. Freaking stupid leather and it's stupid crapping zippers. "Senpai?"
He'd only just gotten out of those stupid pants. He began pulling on his far more comfortable uniform. "Yes?" He asked as he buttoned up his undershirt.
"Um, when you're done, could you give me a hand?" Her voice got steadily less annoyed and more embarrassed. After all, anyone could be listening here at school.
Ah, just what they needed with all of the suspicion surrounding them. "Of course," he replied. He slid into his jacket before stepping out of his dressing room. He gave the whole room a cautious once over before proceeding. "What's the problem?"
She gave it one last pull, wishing it could just work with her for once. "My zipper. If you don't mind."
"Of course," he replied. He peeked over his shoulder once more, before stepping forward to take care of the thing. It was, unfortunately, quite stuck.
After several seconds of struggling, he finally managed to get it loose.
"I don't think I like pink leather," she murmured, grateful that she could move her hips normally again.
"It certainly wouldn't be my first choice," he replied as he slid the skirt down her legs. "Although, you do pull it off much better than most."
She shivered at the proximity. "Not as good as your purple pants, Senpai." She tried to think about anything other than where his hands were.
Kyouya let out an ugly chuckle. "I will see to it that both are burnt." He stepped away from her. Why did he do that just now? That was completely unnecessary. He stepped out of her dressing room, taking another self-conscious look around.
She snorted, pulling her pants on quickly. As she scooped up her bag, she realized she was excited about swimming. Just Senpai and her, no drama of the water park or the beach. She found him, sans those glittery pants, and touched his arm to get his attention. "I'm ready whenever you are, Senpai."
"Good," he replied. He was more than ready to get out of here. He stood, collecting the last of his papers and supplies. "How are you feeling?"
She grinned. "Fine! Thank you again for the coffee."
He nodded. "It's quite easy to become addicted to, isn't it?" He considered keeping a thermos of it with him at all times at some, more desperate moments. He walked with her out to the car.
"I certainly hope not," she said, sliding into the seat. She'd hate to get hooked on it, or on anything, really. She waited for him to join her, holding back from taking his hand, though she did stare at for an instant. She knew what holding Senpai's hand felt like now. It was a bit confusing to think of a time when she'd tried to imagine it. "Where are we going to swim, Senpai?"
"We have an indoor pool on the sub-level," he replied. "It's heated, as well."
He only hoped Akito didn't catch wind of what they were doing. He could only imagine how things would go from there.
"At your house?" Wait, this was Kyouya Ootori she was talking to. "Okay." She set her bag at their feet. "Senpai, do you like swimming?"
"It's a pleasant way to pass time," he replied. There was something very relaxing about it, which he very much appreciated.
Folding her fiddling hands in her lap, she relaxed into the seat. Even though she hadn't been nervous, it was nice to hear that it wasn't going to be a chore. "Alright." She fell quiet, the seat quite comfortable.
As always, the car pulled up to the house, and the chauffeur opened the door for them. Kyouya climbed out of the car. It was a nice day for swimming, anyways, even in an indoor pool.
She stifled a yawn, following him in. Dropping her bag off under the couch, she found the suit, marveling that both pieces could fit in one hand. "I'll just... go change, then," she said, motioning at the bathroom.
"Very well," he replied, remaining as straight-faced as he could at the thought of such an article. While she figured that out, he found his own swimsuit to change into.
Leaving her uniform folded on the counter, she looked herself over before going out. Did she look too skinny? Too under-exercised? She prodded her jutting hips. Ah, well. At least she had something to change into. "Do you need to use the restroom, Senpai?" she asked, exiting the bathroom shyly.
He'd gotten changed in his closet while he'd been waiting. "No," he replied, turning to face her. Oh, that was a bad idea. He subtly averted his gaze floor-ward. "I'm quite ready." He turned stiffly to the door.
She ducked her head, assuming she did look too skinny. She stepped over near him. "Lead the way," she said quietly, wishing for a towel or something. If Senpai couldn't even stand looking at her, she couldn't imagine what the rest of the house would think.
He led her down the hall, and down a curved flight of stairs. It was like a whole other house down here. Leading her through another handful of hallways, he eventually found the warm, humid pool room. The sound of water, disturbed by the machinations of the heater, lapping against the walls of the pool was very relaxing.
She breathed in, the room very calming. She stepped carefully up to the pool, peering in. It looked manageable. (Right?) She turned shyly to look to Senpai. "What's first?"
"I suppose we should start by getting you acclimated to the water." He led her to the shallow edge of the pool, a lovely staircase leading into the warmed water. He took a tentative step in, glancing over his shoulder to see how she was doing. And maybe to steal another look at that bikini.
She paused at the edge, dipping her foot tentatively. "It's warm," she said, smiling at him. She stepped in farther, reaching out to steady herself.
He reached out to take her hand. He didn't want a repeat of her last 'swimming' experience. He may have been just a little bit paranoid about the whole issue. "The simplest method is to simply kick your legs," he began, offering a quick demonstration once she'd made it in. "And paddle your arms to stabilize yourself."
She'd been standing on her tippy-toes, trying to stay standing while holding onto Senpai tightly. Slowly, she curled her toes up, kicking instantly to stabilize herself. Letting go of his arm after a moment, she began to become comfortable without it. "Is this right?" she asked quietly, looking for approval.
He nodded. "Very good," he replied. "This method will keep you from drowning, but it's far from the most efficient. Ideally, to swim quickly, you want to be parallel to the bottom of the pool, and reduce your surface area."
Parallel? "Like, floating?" Her pulse quickened. "How... I don't know how to do that."
"Just relax." He took her hand again. "Floating isn't your aim. You'll still need to keep yourself up. Use a stroking motion with your arms."
She held his hand and began to try stroking with the other. "Will you... hold me up while I try this?" She looked at him, not sure she could start all by herself. However degrading a request like that sounded.
"If you'd like." It dawned on him right away that this would mean his hands would be on her exposed flesh. It wasn't just her hand, or a pat on the head. Not that he was going to let it affect him. He slid his hands carefully around her thin waist.
She ignored her racing emotions, trying to get the hang of paddling with her arms and legs at the same time. It felt childish, needing Senpai's help to just propel herself from getting sucked under, but it was working; she was beginning to get the hang of it.
"You're doing very well," he said, though was still somewhat reluctant to let go. "Are you ready to try?"
She nodded, not wanting him to let go, either. He released her, and she successfully swam for a second. Popping her head up, she grinned at him. "Senpai! I did it?"
He offered her a grin. He expected the best from her, but he still felt a sudden flood of relief. "You did. You're swimming, Haruhi."
Holding her breath, she dunked under quickly, wetting her hair completely and came up gasping. "This is fun," she commented breathlessly. She moved closer to him, panting happily.
He never would have thought of the activity as 'fun.' Perhaps 'enjoyable,' 'recreational,' maybe. But never was it 'fun.' Never, that is, until now. Here with Haruhi, this was, actually, kind of fun.
She floated to him, wanting for all the world to tangle up around him, and kiss until their skin turned pruny. But the look on his face was too content to potentially disrupt such a nice moment. "Don't you think?"
He gave her a contented smile. "I do," he replied. He understood that water had something of a romantic element to it. Perhaps cultural perception was effecting him, as right now seemed like a wonderful time for a kiss... But he ignored that impulse.
"Senpai," she asked softly, her voice edging into a bit of huskiness, "How do you float? Arai-San-I mean, I've heard you can float on your back, and it feels like you're weightless." She glanced at his lips for just an instant.
He thought he had an idea of what she was talking about. "You do float, somewhat, when your lungs are full." He took a deep breath, kicking back.
She watched, transfixed. It looked incredible, freeing. "Is that hard?"
"Not with practice," he replied. "Once you get the hang of swimming." He held out a hand for her. "Give it a try."
Holding his hand, she kicked back, trying to imitate him. Her legs wouldn't cooperate though, and she didn't stay up for long. "I don't think I can do that yet." She sighed.
"You'll get there," he replied. He righted himself again. "You'll just have to keep practicing. You're free to use the pool whenever you wish, now that you know where it is."
Her hand was still in his. "Thank you." Reclining a bit on the water, she let her body float at it's will, not quite how she wanted, but better than her first try. Her stomach surfaced, this time. "Do I owe you anything?" she asked, anticipating his answer.
"Consider this a free lesson," he replied. 'Free' wasn't a word he used often. But, at this point, her debt was never going to get paid off.
She tugged at his hand, pulling them closer to each other simultaneously. Taking his other hand, she whispered, "Then consider this a tip," Haruhi brushed her mouth over his, the instant her lips met his as brief as she could make it.
He hoped his face wasn't flushing like he felt it was. She'd kissed him again. Just as he was just thinking about it... Why did she have to make things so hard? He cleared his throat and reached up to adjust his glasses, but found they weren't there.
She laughed softly, the small habits he'd formed over the years as natural for her to anticipate as for him to do. She kicked her feet up, wrapping her legs around his waist. She'd gone this far, she might as well just go all out, huh? Now attached to him like a koala, she let go of one of his hands, reaching up to run it down the length of his taut, commanding jaw. "I'm sorry, did I startle you?" She half wanted to take those soft lips again.
He was shuddering under her touch. "A bit, yes." He averted his eyes again, her body just making itself so easy to see. "I suppose you've had enough swimming, then?"
Pulling her legs tighter around him, solely for support's sake, she let go of his other hand and reached up to cup his face. "Swimming...?" Oh right, the world wasn't revolving around this one moment, was it? "Senpai, I know that my body is still repulsive but," She couldn't change her body now, "I wanted to say thank you." She kissed his cheek, lingering for a second. "So thank you."
"Haruhi." He sounded firm, but immediately decided to change his tone. He wrapped an arm around her, letting his fingertips brush against her ribs under the water. "Don't ever say that," he said, softer this time. "You're beautiful."
She balanced herself, hands on his strong shoulders. She knew he had to lying, a painful, beautiful, lie, but the words were delicious. "It's okay, Senpai," she whispered against his warm, wet, skin. "If I can still make you happy with the little I have..." She kissed his cheek again, quickly, "...then it's okay."
"You have more than just this." He ran his fingers back up her ribs. "You're wonderful."
She shivered at his words. She touched his hair, running her fingers along it. Looking into his eyes, she murmured, "Well, anything I have, I learned from you." He really did have gorgeous eyes. They shone, especially without the glasses hiding the pretty details.
"I don't think that's true," he replied, staring straight up into her eyes. True, he couldn't see them very well right now. But he could picture them. So full of strength and intelligence. She'd done so much, all on her own. Incredible. "No. I think it's just who you are."
She opened her mouth in a smile, his words warming her, no matter if she believed them completely or not. Her legs flexed against his back. "Senpai," she laughed quietly, her face inches from his, "You overestimate me," Her heart began racing, her mouth skipping ahead of her brain.
"I love you." Immediately she tensed, her weighty words slipping out before she could rethink them. "I-I'm so sorry," she added, anticipating the worst reaction.
He grip around her grew tight, tense. No, no, Haruhi, please. He couldn't. He couldn't love her. He shouldn't. He hated when he didn't have the right words. He couldn't just say he didn't feel the same... he did. But she was off limits. She didn't love him, she just thought every other man out there was horrible. Worse than him.
"I think that's enough for today," he said, with effort.
Her hands slipped down to twine around his neck. She laid her head on his shoulder, shaking slightly. "I didn't mean to-"
She stopped. Had she really said something she hadn't meant?
"I'm sorry," she said instead, her body tightening around his. This would be the perfect moment for his betrayal, if that was still to come. "Please don't-" She shook lightly, "Don't send me away." She would never forgive herself if she'd ruined everything with her stupid, overly sensitive emotions.
His shoulders sagged with exhaustion. How could he keep turning her away? Did he really love her if he could continue to break her heart like this? Obviously, they weren't meant to be. He only wished he could make her understand.
"You're young, Haruhi. We both are," he told her, letting his hands slide off of her. "One day, you'll see it. You'll fall in real love with someone. Someone good for you."
He'd let go, physically, and she felt as if he'd sent her adrift emotionally as well. She knew she should let go, and did so, untangling her legs slowly. She floated down to stand, hands on his shoulders for balance. Eyes down, she felt as if she'd completely ruined the whole moment. "Yes, Senpai," she agreed woodenly, wondering why he wouldn't believe her now, but would in the future? "Even if you're the best one for me," she added quietly, removing her hands.
He stared blankly at the ceiling, at the frantically dancing reflections of the the water. "I'm really not." He lifted himself out of the pool, letting his legs dangle in the water as he waited for her. Maybe this private lesson thing was a bad idea.
In her past, she would have assumed his position was an indication of a needed service. It would have been easy, just to swim over and pleasure him right there. But he didn't want her; worse, she loved him, and he didn't love her back. Plus, she actually didn't think he was asking. She waded out slowly, realizing all at once what she'd done. No matter what she'd said, she'd basically thrown herself at him and he'd rejected her. "If you need to punish me, will you do it yourself?" She bowed her head, respectfully, fearfully. "I-I-I can't take any more of Akito-Senpai."
"I'm not going to punish you, Haruhi," he replied. "You've done nothing wrong." He couldn't say any more than that. His stomach twisted. He was doing this for her, he reminded himself. It'll be so much better for her in the long run.
She'd spotted a towel waiting on the nearby chair, and she wrapped herself in it tightly. She felt as if she needed to be punished. She kept her head down, her brain spinning with how she'd just exposed Senpai to her disgusting body, how stupid she was, how she didn't deserve any of this. It was all she could do to just stay where she was, quiet.
He took a towel for himself, feeling an awful feeling that he couldn't exactly name.
He felt like a creep. Like he'd been playing her emotions and leading her on, simply because he lacked the self control to make her stop sooner. Maybe he should just tell her... Maybe he should just get his feelings out there. Maybe he should just let her have this...
At the party. He would tell her at the ball and that would be that.
She waited for him, determined not to do anything else wrong tonight. She was going to wait for him to give her specific instructions before she did anything. Her feet had gone pigeon toe'd, indicating her extreme nervousness, though she had trouble imagining Senpai doing anything too horrible to her. (Anyway, he didn't want her like that.)
He toweled off his hair, doing his best not to look at her. He was sure he couldn't handle it right now. "It's late," he said. "We've still got homework." He began making his way out of the pool room.
She followed him, gripping her towel desperately hard. When they'd gotten back to his room, she stopped near the couch, practically hugging herself. "T-thank you, Senpai. For, um, the swimming."
"You're welcome, Haruhi," he replied. He moved quickly through the room, gathering up his clothes to change into. He just didn't know what to do with himself anymore.
Once he was locked in the bathroom, she began to towel herself off. Her pajamas sounded heavenly right now. She slipped into her pajama shirt quickly, then began drying her hair. This damn bikini. Wait, no. It wasn't the bikini's fault for showing her off. It was her fault for not being good enough. She rubbed a piece of hair between her fingers in the towel, kind of wishing she still had her long hair. She missed it. As she went to remove the bikini bottom, her fingers brushed her old brand. She shivered, determined not to think about that day.
Kyouya's head felt fuzzy as he changed into some more casual clothes. All of these emotions... Really not his strong suit. If only she'd gone to some sensitive, loving millionaire instead of him. But, no, she was stuck with this cold, calculating, love-dumb Kyouya.
She'd just pulled on underwear when he reemerged, and she wondered if she should bring it up. After all, he was entitled to know about someone else's mark on her, right? Though, he had seen her naked before. She shivered. "...Senpai? Do you intend do anything about my brand?" she asked, her voice completely devoid of emotion.
He hadn't thought much of it, to be honest. But now that she brought it up, he realized she probably thought about it quite often. Just another stupid mistake on his part. "There are ways to have scars removed, if you'd like," he replied.
"I just-" Technically, he should replace it with a new one. But Senpai wasn't like that? Senpai wasn't like that. It should have been obvious by now, but his expectations versus hers were generally opposite of each other. "I was just saying... I mean, if you need to put the new one on, it's okay." She twisted at her fingers.
He sighed. He would explain as many times as needed. "Doing so would imply that you are my slave. As it is, you are simply an employee, working to pay off a debt."
On its own accord, her hand raced back to run fingertips over the slight bump, positioned right under the small of her back. It had been there for a long time; it was hard to imagine it not being there, really. "But..." You bought me; I haven't paid it back yet; You're my better.
"Yes, Senpai," she agreed instead, not sure how to make him understand that she wouldn't hate him for doing something so expected. She tugged on her pajama pants.
He hoped she was capable of understanding one day. A whole lifetime of learned behaviors was hard to undo. But then, she was strong. Surely adapting to a softer lifestyle couldn't be so bad. If only he could drill into her head just how much she could be...
She sat down on the couch, curling in on herself protectively. She had anticipated more sleep tonight, as she'd gotten almost none the night before, but now her heart was racing so quickly, she wasn't sure. Anyway, she had homework to do. Eyes averted from Senpai's busy form, she pulled her book bag close and buried her legs under the covers. At least her grades could be good. That was something he could be proud of, right? She found a paper returned today and brightened. "Senpai!" She said, looking up happily and half-forgetting she was still embarrassed, "Look at the grade I got!"
He turned from his homework, moving to accept the paper. She was doing far better than he would have expected, for someone who had been out of school as long as she had. He found it in him to work up a smile for her. "You seem to be doing very well."
'Very well' was a high compliment to be coming from Senpai's mouth, and Haruhi ducked her head a bit in happy-embarrassment. "Thank you. I had to write a paper about my childhood."
He could only imagine how hard that must have been for her. If he had known... "You're very bright, Haruhi," he said. "You'll get on very well, when you have a life of your own."
She smirked a bit. "Thanks. The life I described in that paper isn't exactly what my childhood was like, though. Though many people don't get to ride elephants in India for their seventh birthday."
"That would come off as rather fantastic, wouldn't it?"
He thought it interesting that she took that sort of initiative. He'd been beginning to think that she came to him for everything, but she'd gone and falsified information all by herself. What a stunning businesswoman she was growing up to be.
She snorted, knowing that in Ouran, nothing was very fantastic. She was quite proud of the paper though, and was glad Senpai approved. "Thanks," she said again, unsure of what or how to say anything else.
He handed the paper back to her. "You should hold on to that," he replied. It might be good for her self-confidence to remind herself of her accomplishments every now and then. Even the little ones.
She tucked it away in her folder, nodding and turning back to her work. Thankfully, there wasn't much of it and she finished in record time, stowing everything back under the couch. Wiggling down to cuddle up under the stack of blankets, she yawned, watching Senpai's hands moving as he worked on his paperwork.
He finished up shortly after she did. He wondered if she was asleep by now. Swimming could be rather exhausting, especially for a beginner. He let out a quite yawn as well. But it as far too early for sleep. Still, he couldn't resist laying his head down for a moment to think.
The party was tomorrow. He still didn't exactly know how to approach the situation. He hadn't even explained his situation to Tamaki yet. Of course, the man believed pretty much anything he said, even when he made it up on the spot. No real worry there.
It was Akito he was worried about. Sure, he couldn't do anything gauche to her at the party, but... Ootoris had a tendency to get inside your head. They knew how to break you with words before actions.
She was actually kind of tired now. She noticed Senpai's hands stop before the rest of him and yawned. "Are you going to bed now?"
Ah, so she was awake. "No, not yet," he replied, though he made no move to lift his head. "I've still got business to attend to." Like always.
She scoffed. Propping her head up, she mused, "Uh-huh. It looks pressing."
He let out a quiet snort. "This is much harder than it seems," he responded, his voice doing a very good job of conveying his uncharacteristic laziness.
Her eyes skimmed over his tired form quickly. "Can't it wait until morning?" They did have a big day coming up tomorrow; it wouldn't do for him to be dead on his feet.
"Maybe." Oh, did she bring out the worst in him. "How are you doing? Still tired?"
She shrugged a little, then realized he wasn't looking her way. "I'm fine. No big problem, really." She sat up, holding the blankets lightly in her hand. Strange night to ask her that. "I could massage your shoulders a bit, if that would help." Platonically.
"No, that's fine," he replied. He had to learn to say 'no' to her sometimes. No matter how wonderful one of her massages sounded right now. After all, that would only manage to put him to sleep faster. He sat up, mentally preparing himself to get back to work.
Still, she stood and crossed the room quietly, wrapping her arms around his neck softly. "Alright. Don't stay up too late?" she said against his ear, his soft hair tickling her face a bit.
"Of course not," he replied. Though, his definition of 'too late' might not exactly match up with hers. "Will I keep you up if-" Oh, wait, she wasn't sleeping with him anymore. "Ah, never mind."
She nuzzled him faintly, holding back the kiss she'd been wanting to give his cheek, and laughed a little. "Good night. Sleep well, Senpai."
He offered her a tired smile. She seemed to be feeling much better. That, in turn, made him feel less like a horrible person. "Good night. Haruhi."
Thankfully, her night was much more peaceful than the previous one, probably due to that lack of sleep. She woke to her newly-set alarm and blearily wondered why Senpai wasn't in bed still-
Oh, yeah. She wasn't in his bed.
But at the very least, he should have slept for a few hours on his own. She sat up tiredly, blinking and trying to make him out.
Kyouya rose to his alarm clock. Well, less 'rose' and more rolled over lazily to shut it off. He paused a moment to collect himself, before somehow struggling out of bed. He made his way across the room, ready to change his clothes.
She tried to make her mouth move, but the feeling of night gunk over-took her, eliciting a groan instead. She turned off the alarm, sitting up groggily.
"Good morning," he greeted automatically as he gathered his uniform.
She shrugged, not completely agreeing that it was good yet. "Sleep well?" she asked, voice heavy with morning mouth.
"Well enough," he mumbled. He would feel much better after some coffee. "And yourself?" He couldn't imagine she hadn't sleep, with all of that exercise yesterday.
She nodded. Actually, yeah. She hadn't even dreamed. Or if she had, they were unimportant enough that she didn't remember any of them. "I'll call for breakfast," she mumbled, standing and stretching over her head.
Ah, she was getting comfortable, wasn't she? That was good. Feeling less like a slave, with any luck. He left her to do that while he changed.
The food on its way, she went to dig out her uniform. She'd called for coffee for both of them, and she was beginning to get the lingering suspicion that she might be on the verge of becoming addicted. Half a cup. That's it. Half a cup, tops.
She unbuttoned her shirt, drowsily remembering they were going to a party tonight. Oh jeez.
Kyouya's thoughts wandered to the party as well, as he ran a comb through his hair. He was never a big fan of the things, but he was never exactly nervous about them. This one was different. He had a date. With Haruhi.
It was going to be an interesting night
Senpai's phone began ringing. She finished her last button, jogging over to grab it. "Senpai!" she called, bringing it to the door of the bathroom.
He set down his comb, pushing his anxious thoughts aside and opening the door. "Thank you." He accepted the phone, glancing at the caller ID before picking up.
"Kyouya! You didn't tell me you were going to the party tonight, too!"
Ah, he should have expected this. "It was relatively short notice," he replied. Which it was. He'd only heard about it two days ago, after all. "I had intended to tell you at some point today." He also had a few other things to tell him...
"Well, what are you wearing? I don't want to come dressed the same."
"Our differing taste in fashion ensures that there is no chance of that happening," Kyouya replied. Of course that was the first thing on his mind.
"Ah, well, if you say so. I'll be in my new red Gucci blazer. So don't wear anything red and Gucci, okay?"
"You won't have to worry about that," he replied. "Though there is something else important I have to discuss with you." He eyed Haruhi, motioning for her to take her turn in the bathroom.
"Oh? Is it about the cosplay list? I can put the pirate one sooner, if you want."
Haruhi stepped into the bathroom, slipping into her uniform quickly.
"No, it's about the party tonight," he replied. Why would he want that in the first place? "I thought you should know-" he paused. How to best go about this... "I'm taking Haruhi." Ah, the best approach.
"Taking Haruhi where? By the way, did you know tonight was a date party? I hate those ones."
Ah, early morning headache. He pressed his fingers against his forehead, praying that his coffee would arrive soon. "To the ball," he grunted.
The voice paused. "You're taking her? Like, as your date?"
A knock sounded on the door. Haruhi emerged, shirt undone, and went to get it.
He glanced over his shoulder. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't want her to hear them discussing her like this. "Yes. It is a requirement, after all," he said vaguely, keeping an eye on her through the corner of his eye.
"So does that mean... she's your girlfriend?"
Haruhi took the tray, going to set it on a table by the couch. She busied her hands with pouring coffee and her mouth with drinking all of it immediately. (So much for the half a cup)
"No," he replied. "This is simply a manner of convenience."
He wandered over for his own cup of coffee. He could tell he would need several.
"Ah. Is she excited?"
He looked to her once more. "I don't think so."
"Kyouya, you asked her to go, right? She agreed."
"Of course I did." He sounded just a touch more offended than he should have been.
He sighed loudly into the receiver. "Well, I'm sure she'll have fun, then. She wouldn't agree if she didn't want to go." His voice was a bit...disappointed. "Did you need me to do something?"
"No. I simply wanted to explain things ahead of time." He finished off his first cup, holding the phone between his ear and shoulder to pour another one. "I didn't want you to overreact."
He laughed, probably posing himself. "Overreact? And why would I do something like that?"
A number of reasons, none of which Kyouya wanted to admit to. "Well, so long as you understand the situation. Was there anything else?"
Tamaki laughed a little, sipping his tea on the other end. "Only if that's it on your end. I just called to see..." He paused, realizing his naive little invitation would just sound stupid now that Kyouya had a date. And that Haruhi would be there. "Never mind. I'll see you at school soon."
Odd. It was rare that he should second guess himself like that. Sigh, he supposed he'd upset him. He would get over it, he was sure. He hung up his phone, and finished his coffee. "Are you ready?"
Haruhi looked up from a guilty mug of joe. "If you are. I haven't eaten anything yet, though." She wouldn't mention it, but he made such a fuss.
"Ah. No, that's fine," he replied. He picked idly at his toast. "We don't have to leave right away." He was just feeling antsy all the sudden.
She took another sip, looking up at him. "Senpai, you look anxious." She was waking up, true, but the coffee had yet to inject itself in her bloodstream.
"It's nothing," he replied. No need to set her on edge, as well. "I suppose I'm just waking up, is all."
She set down her coffee, getting up to circle around him. "Alright. Well, if this starts to hurt, let me know." She rubbed sleep out of her eyes, pressing her hands into his shoulders and beginning to flex into them.
He tensed, his immediate reaction to pull away. He restrained himself. "Haruhi... You really should finish your breakfast." Ah, those hands of hers again...
She hiccuped, pressing her whole forearm into his right side. "Well, you have more responsibilities then I do, right? And you were up later than me, I know. Just relax." Her hands gripped and tugged at his skin through the jacket, feeling the tight knots just underneath clearly.
He opened his mouth to protest, but all that came out was a slow, soft sigh. Alright, he told himself, two minutes. Then she needed to eat, and they needed to go. "Just for a few minutes..."
She grinned, working down him slowly. The sigh had made it worth it already. "Relax, Senpai," she murmured, almost to the base of his back. She stayed at an appropriate level, but dug in there, letting her thumbs tense and tease the knots out of him. She worked at it for a moment, wishing, again, that she could lay him down for a proper massage, like he'd given her. When she finished there, she moved back up, fingertips dancing up and down the length of him before going to rest at his neck. "How does this feel, Senpai?" she asked, letting her hands work his neck slowly, deliberately.
He let out a gentle hum of approval. "Good." Too good. He shook his head, coming back to reality. "Thank you." He reached for another cup of coffee
His form left her before she could move her hands. "Uh huh," she said, not quite feeling satisfied. Well, nothing she could do about it now, right? She went to grab some toast. "I guess we're ready, then."
"It would seem so," he replied. Now that he'd had time to calm down, he almost didn't want to go to school. As soon as school was over, there was the party... He still wasn't sure how to feel, or how this would turn out.
No use trying to delay it, though. He was out the door.
She followed him, greeting Chaffing-San cheerfully at the car door. As she sat down, it hit her how tonight was the night. She had to be a proper lady tonight. Oh jeez. She'd barely made it through talking to Senpai's father. "Are you excited for the party, Senpai?"
"That's one way of looking at it," he replied. Nervously excited, perhaps. "What about you?"
Her heart rate had gone up, at least. "I think so. You think my manners will be up to par?" She wasn't so sure.
"I think you'll be the most impressive lady in the room," he replied. And he meant it.
Her heart skipped a beat. He was entirely too nice. Coloring, she shyly smiled. "Thank you. If that's true, we'll make the most striking coup- I mean, the most striking pair ever to attend."
He smiled. "I should think so."
He only hoped things went well.
When you're nervous about something, the general response is to draw back and hope your day drags by, making the time between you and the thing you don't want to do seem longer.
For Haruhi, who was getting quite nervous about the ball, the day seemed to FLY by, absolutely zipping past her with careless abandon. She blinked, watching her guests leave and wondered where her day had gone.
Kyouya had much the opposite experience. The day dragged on, giving him plenty of time to think over how the party could go wrong. Normally, when he was nervous over something like that, he tried to focus his energies toward thinking up counter-actions for each horrible scenario his brain threw at him. This worked well enough when he didn't have other things to focus on. When he tried to focus, it thoughts began to pile up and fester within his conscious.
Still, the day did eventually draw to a close.
Tamaki stared at her over the chair, his face unknowingly flushed. She was so pretty. He'd raised her well, hadn't he? The corner of his eye caught Kyouya, and he sighed, not sure why he felt such resentment over a nice boy like Kyouya taking his daughter on a date. Maybe it was just fatherly overprotection.
Haruhi hated her boots. They'd done pirates today, and her boots were the stupidest things she'd ever seen. And she was positive that the boob-squishing, cleavage-baring corset wasn't necessary in the least. She rolled her eyes, glad she could change in a minute.
Kyouya quietly cleaned up his table, with a sort of rushed, impatience to him. He wasn't particularly eager to get home, but he felt the need to keep pushing forward until this was all done with. It helped that he really wanted to change, as well. Eyepatches looked stupid with glasses.
Hikaru bounced over to Haruhi's table, only partially because she looked so freaking hot in that outfit. "Haruhi!" he sang. "You're coming to our house tonight, right? We need to do your hair and makeup!"
Well, they did know what they were doing, he had to admit. They'd done a fine job helping her pick a dress. And seeing Haruhi all done up, with makeup and all... It was a somewhat intriguing notion. Not that he would admit that particularly shallow thought.
Haruhi sighed, crossing her arms. She wanted to say no, but she had no idea how to use makeup, and she doubted Senpai did, either. (Unless there was something he wasn't telling her?) And this kind of party demanded it, as far as she could tell. "Alright," she said, giving in. "What time should I come over?"
Hikaru cheered. "How about now? We could take you home with us and have the dress and stuff delivered, and Kyouya-Senpai could pick you up on his way. Right, Senpai?" he called over his shoulder, smirking.
Ah, so they knew about the two of them. He felt a small pang of guilt for letting them find out before his friend. But, regretting things now wouldn't help anything. "Just how long do you expect this process to take?" he asked.
Hikaru shrugged dramatically. "Proper party face takes a while, Senpai. Don't you want her to look as good as she can?"
Of course he did, but... Well, the two hours they had before the party seemed an excessive amount of time. "I suppose I haven't much of a choice."
Hikaru cheered, taking Haruhi's arm suddenly. "Don't worry," he said to both her and Senpai, "It'll be the best transformation!" he smirked. "Yaknow, you don't have to change before we leave if you don't want to..."
Haruhi sighed, untangling her arm. "I'll be back in a few minutes."
Their overzealousness could be just a bit cloying sometimes. "I do hope that the two of you will be on your best behavior."
Kaoru chuckled. "We always are, Senpai."
"How disconcerting."
If it weren't for the promise of a whole party at his side, Haruhi would have wanted a better goodbye in the Music Room. As it was, she just went to change, struggling out of the tightly-fitted outfit as best as she could.
Tamaki ran to catch up with his friend. "Kyouya! While they're doing that, you and I could get ready together." He was unsure of himself all of a sudden, "You know, if you want to."
He supposed he owed him that much. He only hoped this wasn't a clever way of getting him alone to 'talk about things.' He wasn't sure he could handle that right now. "Why not."
Tamaki brightened. "Wonderful! And we can get ice cream!"
Ice cream seemed to be the thing as of late, didn't it? "As you wish," he replied. "I do hope you don't expect me to go out dressed like this, however."
Tamaki laughed. It had been too long since they'd just hung out, nothing else to distract them. "Of course not~ Although we could just get some from a drive-through!" He lit up. "Kyouya, have you ever been through one? They're fantastic!"
"I have heard that, yes." Sometimes, he worried his friend was on the verge of losing all manner of respectable taste entirely. He moved the conversation to the changing rooms. "I'm sure, if nothing else, it will expedite the process."
Tamaki laughed, already in his own uniform and leaning against the wall. "We can eat in the car! It'll be a like a picnic, don't you think?"
He slipped out of his heavy coat and loose boots. "I couldn't think of a better way to spend the day," he said without inflection. It didn't take him very long to change.
Tamaki had wilted a bit at his tone, the time away from his friend all but making him easier to understand. Why wasn't Kyouya excited to be with him? He shook it off, setting his face determinedly, and resolved to make Kyouya laugh today, at least once.
Kyouya left the dressing room, taking care to straighten his tie. "Alright. I suppose you've got everything together, then?" It had been some time since just the two of them had done anything. Maybe this would be nice.
Haruhi emerged after a few minutes. "Guys, I'm ready."
"Great!" Kaoru came to take her hands. "No time to lose, Haruhi! We gotta make a princess out of you in two hours!"
Haruhi felt like the filling of a sandwich the way they book ended her. She'd already called the house to ask for someone to deliver her party things, and didn't like riding in the Hitachiin's car. It was weird. She was used to Senpai's chic black leather. This car had brown suede. "Soo... do you really think it'll take that long just to put some mascara on?"
"'Just to put mascara on?'" Kaoru laughed. "Oh, Haruhi, there's a lot more to it than that!"
Haruhi sighed. Of course there was. It could never just be easy with them, could it?
Hikaru snaked his arm through hers. "Besides, you wanna look good tonight, don't you? 'Cause Senpai sees you everyday; you've gotta stand OUT tonight for him to notice you."
Tamaki led them to his car cheerfully, chattering happily about nothing. He let Kyouya get in first. "To the ice cream!" he declared, pointing grandly. "You'll love this," he assured his friend, giving him a confident look.
"I trust no one's judgment more than your own," he replied. He really did like this guy sometimes.
"Yeah, come on, Haruhi," Kaoru continued. "You don't get a lot of opportunities to be really girly, do ya?"
She'd never considered that. Did Senpai get bored of how she looked, day in and day out? Maybe it was a good thing they wanted to go all out, then. "Fine. I'll sit through anything you guys think works."
Hikaru grinned. "Leave it up to us!"
Kaoru echoed his twin. "Let's get started!" He whisked her out of the car, off to the powder room.
Haruhi barely opened her eyes for the better part of an hour. Every time she tried, Hikaru barked that something wasn't dry yet, or he was still working on that, or 'Stay STILL!' Because of that, she didn't see herself in the mirror the whole time.
The dress and shoes were delivered soon after they arrived, so she was led over to change while they waited for the eyelashes to dry. "Look up, Haruhi," Hikaru instructed for the hundredth time, unzipping the dress and holding it for her to step into.
Kaoru took a step back to look at the finished product, a little grin on his face. "You're lookin' good, Haruhi," he commented.
Hikaru twisted a few of the short curls to frame her face more thoroughly. He stepped back, whistling low. "No guy is safe tonight."
Haruhi frowned, heating the tiniest bit, and turned slowly to the mirror. She caught her reflection, and gasped softly. She didn't even look like herself anymore. The shoes were just peeking out from the long dress, but she liked it. The whole outfit. She turned to the twins, bowing slightly. "Thank you. I wouldn't have believed that was me." (At least not a few months ago...)
Kaoru chuckled. "Nah, we didn't make you look different. We just highlighted the best parts!"
Haruhi blushed harder, scowling just as hard and shrugged. "Well, thanks guys. I guess I just don't mess it up now, huh?"
"It should be pretty idiot-proof now that it's all dry," Kaoru replied. "But don't go rubbing at your face too much~"
Taking the cups back from his driver, Tamaki handed one ice cream to his friend and began scooping up his own. "I bet you're really excited for tonight, huh?"
That seemed to be the question of the day. "It's only a charity function," he replied. "We go to them every year."
Haruhi jerked her hand back from itching her eye. "Thanks guys," she said, looking at the clock. "And time to spare, too."
"Well, don't move around to much." Kaoru instructed. "You don't wanna wrinkle your dress before you even get on the dance floor."
Tamaki took a big bite of the chocolate. "Well, you've never taken a proper date before, have you?" He licked his lips of the stuff. "I don't even think I've ever taken a real date before." (At least not that hadn't been set up for him.)
"I don't see why that should make such a difference," he replied coolly. Of course, it made a huge difference, being that it was Haruhi. A thought struck him. "Who are you taking?"
The car pulled up to the Suoh's second mansion, and Tamaki stepped out, taking a big bite of his ice cream. "Oh," he replied, his voice flippant, "I don't know. Father said Grandmother had someone I'm to meet there." He waited for Kyouya to join him outside the car.
"I see," he replied. He knew it was only a matter of time before that madwoman tried to fix him up with someone. Make the family look a bit more 'respectable.'
Haruhi sat down carefully. "So, why don't you guys have to go to this party, too?"
"Meh, not really Mom's thing," Kaoru said, still fiddling a bit with her hair.
Hikaru fastened the necklace around her neck. "Besides, it's not really the kind of thing designers go to." Wow. She'd been right about that necklace.
Tamaki led him into the house, Kyouya's new outfit already delivered. "How's the ice cream?" he asked, not wanting to pursue the last subject any more. "I hope it's not too good, you don't want to get tummy bloat!"
"It's not bad," he replied. Not the best in the world, but he wasn't exactly a connoisseur. "How long do you think you'll take?"
Tamaki laughed, posing. "I won't be but a minute. I always look dashing, after all. You can change in the guest room, if you like."
"Thank you," he replied, draping his suit over his arm to take it with him. "Try not to dally."
Tamaki saluted. "We'll meet back here in oh-ten minutes, then."
"Agreed," he replied, making his way to the guest room.
"But hey!" Kaoru thought. "Maybe at the next event we're invited to, we could take you! You know, since you and Kyouya aren't involved."
Haruhi fiddled with her hands. "Eh, maybe." She ignored the 'involved' jab.
Hikaru slumped onto a chair. "Aw, come on, Kaoru. You know she'd never let her precious 'Senpai' go lonely."
"Pft. Who says we have to tell him?" Kaoru asked. They weren't really in the same social circles for stuff like this, after all.
She bristled at Hikaru's tone, but just rolled her eyes. "We'll see. Thanks for helping me with this, though. I really appreciate it."
Hikaru melted a bit.
"Aw, it's no trouble." Kaoru resisted the urge to ruffle her perfectly styled hair. "Guess we'd better call your car huh? You wanna make a dramatic entrance!"
She played with her cell phone. "Yeah, I guess so." Senpai was with Tamaki, anyway. She didn't want to make him come all the way here for her. She dialed Chaffing-San.
Gucci-clad and hair slicked back, Tamaki waited in the foyer for his friend. He straightened the red shirt absently, wondering again why he felt the twinges of jealousy. Ah, well.
Chaffing-San was more than happy to come pick her up. It was his job, after all. Ah, he wished he could be there to watch them dance. But, of course, the chauffeur is to wait in the car. He told her he would be around in a few minutes.
Kyouya soon returned, his back straight and his buttons perfectly aligned. "I suppose it's about time."
Tamaki grinned. Haruhi would melt at the sight of him. "No one will be able to look away from you and I," he said, flipping his head sassily. "Come on,"
Haruhi waved goodbye to the twins, her heart rate almost unbearably high. She knew she looked pretty good, but Hikaru had a point about Senpai seeing her every day. He'd probably not even notice, right? She twisted her fingers quickly, wishing they were there already. At least the awkward greeting would be over, then.
He followed Tamaki to his car, the nervousness crashing down on him anew. It was very uncommon for him, and all the more off-putting. But he could handle it.
Chaffing drove up to the entrance to the grand hotel building inside which the ball was being held. He opened the door for her and gave her a reassuring smile. He knew she would do well tonight.
She smiled faintly at him, wondering if Senpai was here yet. She looked around, unsure of where to go from here, especially if he wasn't. There were people coming from all sides, laughing and sparkling and entering the hotel confidently. She noticed a dark-haired man across the way, wondering if that might be Senpai's oldest brother. She tried not to duck her head, the volume of people overwhelming.
The ride there was filled with idle chatter, Tamaki trying to put his friend at ease. The hotel was close by, though, and they got there within a few minutes.
Tamaki patted him on the back. "You'll do fine, okay? I'll see you in a while."
He took a deep, quiet breath, and finally smiled at his friend. "I do hope you'll enjoy yourself, too," he said. Now that he was finally here, he felt a sense of hopeless calm come over him. Whatever happened, it started now. He entered the ballroom, eyes scanning intently, wondering if Haruhi had arrived yet.
Haruhi saw the bright blonde hair first, Senpai's dark locks nearby. Tamaki-Senpai slipped away, leaving Senpai with his back to her. She quietly made her way up to him, tapping him lightly on the shoulder. "Sen-" Wait, no. She was his date tonight; tonight was the exception. "Kyouya?" Her face heated madly.
He recognized her voice, though his name sounded foreign on her tongue. He turned to greet his date, and was left speechless.
Those twins really did know what they were doing.
"Haruhi... It's a pleasure."
A/N: Next chapter: all your wildest dreams come true. (Considering you've been dreaming about KyouHaru going to a fancy party, or meeting Kyouya's Mom, or gettingitoncoughcough)
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