Sorry this took so long! I meant for it to be quicker but I've been busy lately. The next chapter will be up faster because it's prewritten XD I've had it done for six months now. At this point, we have 11 chapters to go, I think! But don't quote me on that.

Sorry, but this isn't the chapter you guys are waiting for XD don't get to excited, kids.


When Haruhi exited her last period classroom on Tuesday afternoon, Momoka cornered her in the hallway. Haruhi shouldered her book bag and smiled a bit at the nervous-looking girl who was standing before her.

"What is it, Kurokano-chan? Do you want to walk to the music room together?"

"Yes," Momoka replied. "But I need to talk to you about something, too."

"Go ahead," Haruhi was rather used to her customers needing to have discussions with her about various subjects, so this was nothing new. Part of being a host was acting as a part-time therapist for some of the regular customers, and it was a light burden that she accepted rather happily, knowing it was an honor to have them want to speak to her about personal matters. The two of them headed off through the hallways in the direction of music room three, and Momoka cleared her throat several times before she actually spoke.

"Haruhi?"

"Yeah?"

"I just want to let you know that… um… your secret is safe with me," Momoka replied, smiling earnestly at Haruhi, who stopped in her tracks and simply stared at the other girl. For a moment she had to stop and wonder what Momoka could be talking about, and then it clicked. "It couldn't be… that… could it?"

"Huh?" she asked rather inelegantly, swaying slightly on her feet. "Um… what secret?"

"That you're a girl," Momoka said softly. "Suoh-sama told me, and I wanted to let you know that I'm not going to tell anybody. Your secret is safe."

"Thanks," Haruhi said with a sigh of relief. In a way, though it was embarrassing, it was nice to have someone know, someone who wouldn't reveal it, besides. The two girls began walking again, and for a while Momoka was silent. Haruhi knew, however, that there would be few people who could resist curiosity in the situation, and she wholeheartedly expected what came.

"If it's not too rude to ask, I was just wondering… why exactly have you been pretending to be a boy, Haruhi?"

Haruhi laughed slightly. "At first it was because I broke a vase and owed the club money, so they said I could be a host to pay it off. But now I guess… I've just gotten used to it. I never really go out of my way to pretend… people just assume, and so it's easy."

"I see," Momoka replied. For a moment, she was silent again, and then spoke carefully. "Um… if you don't mind, I'd still like to be your customer. Is that okay, Haruhi?"

"Of course it is," Haruhi assured her, smiling. "I like talking to you."

"Even after I almost took Tamaki from you?" Momoka asked softly, and Haruhi was taken aback.

"It wasn't like that, Kurokano-chan," Haruhi reminded her. "It wasn't your choice, and it didn't turn out that way, anyway. Stop thinking about it."

"Okay," Momoka agreed. She was smiling now, and Haruhi was relieved to find that she did indeed seem to be forgetting about it. The two of them continued toward music room three, basking in the sun that warmed their cheeks. As they reached the double doors, Momoka turned to Haruhi and grinned before she opened them.

"I think we can be good friends," she said happily, and Haruhi nodded as she followed her into the music room.

XXX

After a particularly long day, Haruhi always enjoyed getting into bed and relaxing, letting some of the stress from the day drain away as soon as her head hit the pillow. It was rather nice not to have to worry about anything and to let sleep take her for the night, and she always looked forward to it. This, of course, accounted for why she was so disgruntled when she felt the bed shift only moments after her head hit the pillow on Tuesday night. With a jolt, she opened her eyes. Maybe she had just been imagining it. The truth, however, became apparent when she caught sight of Tamaki sitting on the edge of her bed, smiling at her.

"Senpai, what are you doing?" she asked in a rather loud whisper as she crawled over to the top of the bed and lifted the blanket. "Go back to your futon!"

"Hi, Haruhi," Tamaki gave her a tender smile. "I came to see you."

And with that, he made a move that was far too bold for Haruhi to put up with at the moment; he crawled under the covers with her. Haruhi lay still, petrified with surprise, as he snuggled up to her, resting his chin on top of her head. Haruhi wasn't entirely sure at that moment whether to shout at him, say nothing, or enjoy the whole thing.

"I told you to go back to your futon," she hissed as Tamaki kissed her temple. She put as much venom into her voice as she could, but he apparently didn't notice. "What in the world are you doing?"

"Well, the logical next step in our relationship is cuddling until we fall asleep, right?" Tamaki asked matter-of-factly. She could tell he was smiling by his tone of voice. At his close proximity to her, Haruhi could feel her cheeks heating up, though she was determined to ignore it. He could make her increasingly flustered lately, and it was embarrassing. No doubt if Tamaki found out, his ego would swell to astronomical proportions. Haruhi wanted to avoid that at all costs.

"No, the next logical step is you going to your futon where you belong and staying there!" Haruhi told him, a little harsher than she meant to. "Get out of my bed!"

Within three seconds of her snapping at him, Tamaki began quaking against her and Haruhi anticipated the tears even before she felt them falling onto her hair. Tamaki was a fit of melodrama then, wailing and squeezing her a bit too tight as he attempted to comfort himself.

"Haruhi hates me!" he sobbed with quite a bit more despair than the situation warranted. Almost immediately Haruhi felt guilty, though she didn't know exactly how much empathy to show. If she showed too much, Tamaki would become impossibly optimistic and convinced that she had never been angry in the first place. If she showed too little, he would keep crying and it would all be in vain. Haruhi settled for shifting her body a bit away from his and patting him on the head.

"Hey, calm down, senpai. I don't hate you. I promise."

Tamaki sniffled and looked up at her. "Really?"

"Really. But it's not okay just to get into bed with me without asking first. It's really inappropriate and honestly I just want to get some sleep, which is going to be hard with you here."

"Can't I just stay for a few minutes?" Tamaki asked. The hopeful expression on his face that she could see in the light of the distant street lamp made him impossible to resist. His cheeks reddened slightly as he smiled at her. "I… I want to kiss you."

Haruhi blushed just as deep as he was and stared at him. They watched each other in the dark, both embarrassed and neither really wanting to be the first to break the silence. Finally, Haruh wavered, closing her eyes and sighing.

"Fine. You can stay here for a few minutes," she acquiesced, at which Tamaki whooped and slid closer, crushing her against his chest. "I guess kissing you wouldn't be so bad…"

"I'm glad you think so," Tamaki said, flashing her a winning smile, and Haruhi glared at him.

"Just don't try anything funny," she warned, at which Tamaki's eyes widened.

"I would never!" he gasped, his cheeks aflame. "You're starting to sound like your father, Haruhi! I respect you too much to try anything funny unless you wanted-"

"Enough!" Haruhi interrupted him. This conversation was getting far to embarrassing to continue, and she just wanted it to be over. "Let's not talk about it anymore, okay? If you're going to kiss me just… just do it."

"Someone's in a rush," Tamaki said in a low, playful voice, placing several kisses on her temple. It was hard not to feel comfortable with him as she did now, nestled against him in the darkness with his arms sliding ever so gently around her. It was even harder to deny how much she enjoyed when he kissed her, soft and gentle, with those warm lips of his. His kisses were impossibly tender and perfect and innocent, and Haruhi got lost in them immediately. Tamaki was the only person in the world who could make her lose her grip on reality completely, and she both resented and loved him for it.

"You're very good at this, you know," he whispered softly between kisses. Haruhi's cheeks burned so hot she wondered if they would catch on fire.

"Th-thanks," she said softly, hoping he couldn't tell how red she was. If he could, he kept it to himself and simply went back to kissing her softly. Haruhi was grateful, given the circumstances at the moment (namely, the fact that they were in bed together), that he wasn't kissing her quite as deeply as he had at the park. That might be just a little too embarrassing to handle on this particular night. He did, however, pass the boundaries of decency just a bit before going back to those innocent kisses. Haruhi couldn't help shaking a little and thinking for a split second about what it would be like to do more with him. The thought was too embarrassing to entertain for long, and she quickly pushed it out of her mind and concentrated on his lips. They were warmer and softer than she could have possibly imagined before their first kiss, and they felt so impossibly good on hers that Haruhi had to wonder if there was something wrong with him.

"This is so nice," Tamaki purred against her lips. "I could just kiss you forever."

"Well, you can't," Haruhi reminded him. "We have school in the morning."

Tamaki laughed. "You're so practical," he said between chuckles, reaching up a hand to pet her face. "I guess you're right. There's always tomorrow for kissing," Tamaki pulled back and made a move to get out of bed, and Haruhi, not entirely in control of her own actions, grabbed him by the front of his t-shirt and pulled him back to her, giving him a too-hard kiss that he responded to immediately, pulling her into his lap and stroking her hair. When he finally put her down and stood up, smiling at her, Haruhi was not nearly as embarrassed about her actions and he actually looked a little impressed.

"Goodnight, Haruhi," he said, patting her hair a bit. He headed for the door, and as he opened it, he turned back to smile at her so gently she swore her entire body was turning to mush. It was an odd sensation. "I love you very much."

"I love you too," Haruhi whispered, feeling a little dizzy. Tamaki gave her a wink and closed the door behind him, leaving Haruhi to herself.

Though she had been entirely set on going to sleep before Tamaki had arrived, Haruhi found herself wishing he was still here. It was rather awkward, but she missed his kisses and the warmth of his body against hers.

It took her much longer than she had expected for sleep to finally find her.