Fridays were a good day for Haruhi, and the reasons were quite obvious. Friday meant the end of the school week, and the start of the weekend. Now she didn't rest or take time off from it, that's not who she was, but she would enjoy her peace with the craziness of rich people. No school meant the hosts wouldn't bother her, and she still had a headache from the twin's fake fight earlier in the week. Only they would fake a fight for days just to be invited to her house.
It also gave her time to think ahead, and usually it was the same spiel. Do good in school, get into a law school, become a lawyer and follow her role model; her mother. However the only thing on her mind was their new roommate, and apparently a cousin to her.
Danny.
When he arrived yesterday, he was a mystery to her, and remains one. He clearly was hurting, but something else was in his eyes, which was odd. Hurt, but also a resolve, and that put her on edge. Creating a resolve based off grief and hurt was a dangerous, and often life threatening decision. She almost did it, but her father was there to stop her, but who did Danny have?
He has you, a part of her brain said, and it was right. He might help anyone, but it was his turn to be helped.
Stepping out of her room, she made sure to be quiet as to not wake in, being on a couch would drain the life out of anyone, and his was barely there. Although she was expecting a quiet apartment, a soft noise was actually heard. Confused, she looked to her father's door, only to see it close and hear a soft snore behind it. Quietly, she crept down the short hall to the main room, and held a soft gasp at what she saw.
Against her predictions, Danny was very much awake. Currently, he was doing pushups on the floor, and he was doing them quite fast for someone only 16. Though that wasn't what shocked her, being used to incredible feats from Honey, who was shorter than her and did exercise feats. No, what surprised her was that Danny did them effortlessly and...without a shirt. His hair shook with each movement, but he hadn't noticed her yet since his eyes were closed.
But the lack of shirt point out two things. One was that Danny was a fairly muscular teen, and looked to have worked out greatly before today. Two...was the amount of scars on his body. Most were small, but a couple were long and went up his sides. So entrapped by the sight of Danny having all these scars, she hadn't seen his eyes open, but she noticed him stop mid-push.
"Did I wake you?" Danny asked casually, not even out of breath, rising to his feet. Sweat rolled down his skin, emphasizing both his muscles and scars. Haruhi looked up and actually blushed, realizing she was caught watching him work out and looked away. Some shuffling happened, and a hand raised her head gently. Danny, now with a shirt, stood in front of her with a gentle smile on his face.
"S-Sorry…" Meekly, Haruhi bowed a little trying to avert her eyes.
Danny only gave a quiet laugh. "It's alright. I should've remembered you had school early in the morning." He gave a shrug and walked to his bag, pulling out a small towel and wiping his face. Sitting on the couch, which had all the sheets folded and put to one side, Danny crossed one leg and picked up a book.
Now without a blush, but still a little embarrassed, she fixed her uniform and looked at Danny. "What book are you reading?"
He paused and looked to Haruhi. "Oliver Twist. Seems fitting in a way ..." A long sigh came from Danny, sagging once again into the couch as a memory seemed to flash in his eyes.
Haruhi, not liking the sudden change, decided to change the subject. "Would you like breakfast?"
As on que, both stomachs growled, making both teens laugh. "I don't think we're given a choice." Danny patted his stomach, getting another laugh from Haruhi.
"I guess not." Haruhi went to the kitchen and started to get some simple bowls of cereal for breakfast while Danny changed into cleaner clothing. He came out a minute later, looking a little cleaner but would still need a shower later, but was presentable now.
Breakfast was a subdued event, the teens silently eating around the table, not knowing how to start a conversation. Being the more awkward, yet daring one, Danny attempt a conversation. "So what's your school like?"
Haruhi paused, thinking of the right words to describe her school. It took a minute before she could speak nicely about it. "It's...a bit hectic. All the other students are rich kids, and paid to get into the school while I got in on a scholarship."
"Sounds a bit rough." Danny replied, thinking back to his school. "I remember the rich snobs of my school...didn't like the way I did anything and reminded me constantly."
"In a way, I see that as well. However, there is a good group amongst them, and I was...fortunate enough to find them." Haruhi suddenly heard a crash in her head and a bank number growing. She shuddered, but persisted. "A group of 6 guys, who actually run the club I'm apart of."
"What club?" Danny's brow raised when he saw Haruhi blush, and thought it would be good.
"A...Host Club." Danny choked on his food when he heard that, coughing and clearing his throat before looking at her.
"I-I beg your pardon? Did you just say 'Host Club'?"
"It's not like that…" Haruhi argued, taking a sip of water to calm herself down. "After school, the girls pay the guys to just entertain and keep them company…"
Danny frowned before he picked up something. " 'Pay the guys'? What about you?" Haruhi blushed and looked at her uniform. Now that Danny looked closer, he realized that it was a suit with the school's crest on it and, with Haruhi's figure and short hair, anyone could mistake her for a -. Danny instantly began to laugh, trying to keep it down for Ranka, but barely could hide the mirth in his eyes. Haruhi would've complained and argued with him, but she remembered what he just went through and let it slide. It was the first time she saw him laugh with such joy, and she'd be damned if she ruined it. "Are the rich that stupid?"
"You have know idea…" Haruhi grumbled, but a smile went to her lips as well. A small clock chimed in the main room, and she looked up. Sighing, she cleaned up her bowl and grabbed her bag. "I've got to go…" She looked at Danny, a little unsure of herself. "Will...will you be alright? Alone, that is?"
Danny's mood dropped, and he put thought into her question, before he nodded. "I'll be fine," He smiled at her, but it lacked the joy from before, "Thank you. Goodluck in school."
"Thanks." And she left, thought she felt a little nervous about leaving Danny alone. They may have only talked once, but he already made an impression around her. She felt safe around him, and it brought a smile to her face. With that in mind, she walked off to school, prepared to face the day.
Meanwhile back in the apartment
After Haruhi left, Danny sighed before looking down at himself. Mentally he kicked himself for getting caught with his shirt off. He never got caught like that, only at home when Jazz would…
Jazz
Instantly, Danny felt his heart quicken and his hands shake. His breathing became shallow and labored as he felt his mind flashed through images.
Jazz helping him with a school project, last minute.
Being reprimanded by Jazz, who hugged him afterwards.
Jazz smiling at him, making some dinner because Mom and Dad were in the lab.
Fighting with her against some ghost food Mom and Dad did make.
Smoke and fire across pavement, and red hair sprawled against it, a blue headband snapped in two and covered in dust.
An explosion.
"Danny!"
A new voice caught Danny, who now realized that he was on the floor and panting like he ran a marathon. Focusing on the room, he looked up and saw Ranka kneeling beside him, looking worriedly at him. For a minute they just sat there, Danny collecting his breath while Ranka just held his shoulder and stayed silent. Finding his strength, Danny stood up, slowly, before facing Ranka. He went to apologise for it, but was cut off by Ranka raising a hand.
"Don't." He said, making eye contact with him. "It was not your fault, and you have no reason to apologise."
Although he wanted to argue, saying that it was his fault (maybe not meaning just the panic attack), Danny saw the man's eyes and just meekly nodded. Reluctantly, Danny sat on the couch and just composed himself, wanting to just get out of the apartment instead. A big part of his ghost half wanted to go out and fly, and forget everything, but Danny pushed it down.
"Thanks."
"No problem," Ranka smiled before getting his own bowl of cereal and sitting down. Not knowing what to do, Danny took his glass from earlier, and sat down at the table, just drinking with Ranka. "Did you see Haruhi before she left?"
"Yea. We had breakfast together, then she left for school."
"That's great!" Now Ranka's personality was coming out, making Danny chuckle. "And did my precious daughter tell you about her school?"
"Well…" Danny trailed off, remembering the few stories she told about it. "She mentioned that rich people aren't smart, and are quite blind."
"I just like to think that Haruhi is too smart." Both of them laughed, forgetting the situation that just happened. It was good for both of them, especially Danny. "Even so, I still worry for her."
Danny smiled at Ranka, seeing the worried parent he used to have. It made his heart a little sore, but he knew what he was going through. "You worry about everything." The joke made Ranka smile a little brighter. "From what I've seen already, she is strong herself. She can protect herself."
"I know," Ranka sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just worry about her, especially with that club. Who knows what those guys will do to her."
Danny, being a little out of his depth, thought about it for a moment. He thought back to all the moments he worried for others, and thought of the feeling it came with, besides his obsession. For a moment it was silent, before Ranka spoke up.
"Well, I can't sit here and worry or else I'll-" He looked at the clock, and his eyes turned to saucers. "BE LATE FOR WORK!" He turned into a blur, rushing through the apartment and changing clothing while Danny chuckled, watching with a fond look. Looking at the man rush through everything, doing twenty things at once, Danny found himself having a realization. For a moment, he saw Ranka change into himself, and realized that this is what Jazz saw nearly everyday with him. Seeing himself rush homework, dressing and brushing his teeth made Danny a little tense, but calmed down when he heard Ranka close the door.
Alone in the apartment, Danny sat at the table, quietly finishing his drink before heading back to the couch. Picking up his book from earlier, he went back to reading of the orphan who traveled through hell to get a family.
'Seems fitting in a way'. Danny sighed, 'This is going to take some time'.
Hours later
Another customer left, leaving behind a tired Haruhi who sank a little deeper into her chair. Naturally, she perked up for a customer but today had been longer than usual. The girls were a bit more demanding than they usually were, but she pushed through as any other day, and now sagged a little in her seat.
However, the entire day she constantly thought about Danny, and hoped that he was alright. It distracted her enough that many of the girls caught on, and she would reply that she was just thinking about someone. Of course the girls took it as she was thinking of a crush, and squealed hoping for answers. They never got any, but Haruhi's cheerfulness kept them from growing disappointed, and more than a few nosebleeds occurred.
Now, sitting in peace as the last guest was shown out, she let her thoughts drift back to Danny. He had only been there one night, but she liked him and the talk they had this morning. She might've trusted people quite a lot, but Haruhi could tell good from bad.
"Another good day! Right Haru-chan!" Honey's childish voice made Haruhi lose focus, turning to the bubbly third-year.
"A little more tiring than often," She replied, a tired smile gracing her lips.
"You seemed distracted today." Kyoya, the ever observant one, pointed out from his notebook. 'Reserved, but he knows more about the club than Tamaki did' Haruhi thought, nodding. "What appears to be on your mind?"
"Yea Haruhi," The Twins said, sitting on either side of her. "What's going through your head?" Both began to point both sides of her head, making Haruhi swat them away.
"It's nothing important."
"Everything with you is important!" Tamaki yelled, grabbing and spinning her in his arms. "You're my daughter! Nothing with you involved is unimportant!"
Thoroughly shaken, Haruhi pushed out of his arms and fixed her uniform. After a moment, and a silent prayer for Danny, she sighed. "It's just that...my cousin-"
"COUSIN!" Four of the teens screamed. The two silent ones, Kyoya and Mori, winced at the squeal.
"You never mentioned a cousin, Haruhi."
"Yay! Haruhi has a family member she worries about!"
"WHO IS THIS FAMILY FOR MY DAUGHTER THAT i NEVER HEARD ABOUT!"
"QUIET!" Haruhi screamed, then taking a breath to calm down. "To be honest, I didn't even know he existed till four days ago...and he arrived yesterday."
"Who would this young man be?" Kyoya, with his notebook open and pen in hand, questioned.
"A MAN!" Tamaki screamed, fainting dead in his spot.
"He's my Aunt's, who I had never heard about, Nephew. He's from America, and is...staying with us indefinitely." Haruhi felt bad for talking about Danny but knowing Kyoya, he would research him anyway.
"Indefinitely?" Kyoya clarified, getting a nod from Haruhi.
Now Haruhi was pensieve, not wanting to explain what happened to Danny, but she knew they wouldn't let her leave her alone. "His mother, father, and sister...died...in his hometown."
Silence met her explanation. All the hosts (minus Kyoya and Mori) held varying degrees of shock on their face. Tamaki, who woke up from his faint, had eyes with some pain in them, as did the twins. Honey held usa-chan closer, lips quivering.
"For the time being, he's staying with us." Haruhi gathered her stuff, making for the door before they could question it.
"What is his name?" Kyoya asked.
"Danny," Haruhi replied, pulling the door open. Before he could ask, the door closed, and Haruhi was making her way home.
In the club, all the hosts looked at one another, but it was Honey who spoke first. "Danny is a nice name, isn't it Takashi?'
"...Yea…"
"I wonder what's he like." Honey held Usa closer, but that was the wrong sentence to say. In a second, Tamaki stood up and held his arm straight up.
"As do I, men! I have an idea," Kyoya sighed, already hating this plan. "Tomorrow begins the weekend, and so we shall go meet him! He must be hurting, just coming from tragedy, and so we shall pick up his spirits!"
"Right ho!" Three of the teens replied, saluting their king as they said it.
Arriving at the apartment, Haruhi slowly withdrew her key and unlocked the door. Hearing the lock click, she pushed the door open into her apartment, feeling the A/C hit her as she entered. Taking a deep breath, she let her tired body sag, putting the bag on the counter and closed the door behind her.
"Long day?"
Haruhi jumped, not expecting a voice and looked up. Before her stood Danny, who had a smile on his face before he saw her sudden fear. "S-Sorry for scaring you." Instantly, the proud teen shrunk in on himself, looking unsure of himself.
Now Haruhi had to remedy this. "No, it's alright. Just, not used to anyone being here when I'm home."
Seeing her ease off, Danny relaxed a little. "I know the feeling. Back at my town…" His smile disappeared as he looked down. Haruhi, not liking the look on his face, walked up and put a hand on his shoulder. Although he was taller than her (not by much), she still held him, not saying a word. Taking a couple deep breaths, Danny looked at Haruhi, eyes meeting. "Thank you."
She smiled. "My pleasure."
Danny, feeling better, stood up a bit straighter. "So, how was school today?"
Instantly, Haruhi sagged and felt her tiredness take over. "I swear they get worse everyday." Danny laughed at that, sitting her down and waiting for the story. "Well...those twins are evil in class…"
