Haruhi and I sent Tamaki out to the garden, so we could make a game plan, so to speak. We had already instructed the rest of the Hosts to meet us out there.
"Okay, am I crazy, or did he handle that too well?" Haruhi asked me, ruffling out her hair in a mirror. "I was fully expecting angsty corner Tamaki, personally.
"Maybe he genuinely is alright with it." I told her. She glared at me. "You're right, it is quite odd."
Haruhi glanced down at her phone. "Well, they're here." She groaned, before reading the message she'd received. "From Hikaru, about thirty seconds ago, 'Hey, where are you? Not like you to run late for a summons from Kyoya-Senpai… Maybe skip it, though. The boss was just sitting here sobbing when we got here. Maybe Kyoya's pissed at him or something. You might be doomed.'"
She sighed. "I told you he didn't take it well. Is it too late to back out of this?" She asked, the dread very obvious on her face.
"Do you really want to leave information like this with Tamaki and risk him telling everyone?"
She sat silently for a second. "No. No I don't."
I walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her. "It'll be alright, Love. I know this is very difficult for you, but I am very proud of you." I kissed the top of her head. "…And if any of them try to harass you in any way, I have no problem calling in my families police force." I grinned.
She smiled. "It's still a little terrifying knowing that you're being one hundred percent truthful." Damn right, I was.
I held her hand as we walked downstairs. "I'm already getting nervous-nauseous." she grumbled.
I let go of her hand as we got to the door to the backyard. "Would they notice if I just… didn't go out there?"
"They notice when you're a minute or two late for things."
She groaned. "I hate this."
"I'll be by your side the whole time, Love."
She took a deep breath and opened the door, walking outside a little bit ahead of me.
"Hey, Haru-Chan!" Hunny-Senpai yelled, standing up from his seat on a bench to wave at her. She nervously waved back.
"Hey, everyone." She said sheepishly as she waved.
"Yes, hello everyone. Thank you for coming on such short notice, for which I sincerely apologize." I said to everyone, hoping to get Haruhi a moment to breathe.
Tamaki didn't look like he had shed so much as a tear… Either Hikaru was exaggerating, or Tamaki really didn't want us to know he was upset.
The twins sat together, of course. Hikaru looking at me with a confused expression, while Kaoru looked at Hikaru, clearly looking a little concerned about how this meeting was going to go.
Hunny-Senpai and Mori-Senpai sat on a different bench across from the twins. Hunny-Senpai of course eating a small piece of what I could assume to be vanilla cake, while Mori-Senpai just looked at me very stoically. I knew he knew already, but I still felt like he could pin me down again at any moment. It was oddly unsettling.
Tamaki, however, was sitting quietly at the little table in the gazebo. It was very out of character for him, and I wasn't the only one who noticed.
"Come ON, Boss! What are you even doing over there!" Hikaru yelled jokingly.
"You haven't even mentioned how cute Haruhi looks today!" Kaoru followed.
Tamaki continued to sit politely. "I'm TRYING to be respectful of whatever Haruhi has to say to everyone."
"Haruhi?" The twins said in unison.
"I thought Kyoya was the one who wanted us here?" Hikaru said, in a questioning tone.
Haruhi sighed loudly. "No, it was me." She said, rolling her eyes.
"Then why are we at Kyo-Chan's house?" Hunny-Senpai asked genuinely, tilting his head a bit to the left.
"Because I also live here."
I wasn't expecting her to drop the figurative bomb so suddenly, but it was clear to me that she was already getting irritated.
Hunny-Senpai looked surprised, and Hikaru looked like he thought she was kidding. Kaoru and Tamaki very loudly pretended to be surprised, and Mori-Senpai didn't budge.
"What the hell do you mean you live here?" Hikaru asked, aggressively.
"It's… A really long story."
"Well, MY schedule is clear for the day!" Hikaru said.
"Okay… So…" She took a deep breath. "Remember a few months ago, when I broke my leg carrying in groceries?"
They all nodded.
"It wasn't because I'm clumsy. I wasn't even carrying in groceries. I apologize for lying to you all, but… It was just hard to talk about."
"You ARE clumsy, though." Hikaru snickered. Kaoru elbowed him pretty hard.
"So, I know Tamaki-Senpai has told you all about the apartment last night." They all nodded again. "Well… That was my dad."
The ones who didn't know looked confused. The ones who did looked like it was hard to hear again. It never stopped hurting my chest hearing her talk about it.
"As you all know, he's always been quite a fan of recreational drinking…" She paused. "And, well… It had gotten worse."
This was the moment one could see it click with Hunny-Senpai. He lowered his cake and held a hand to his mouth. Hikaru, however, still looked extremely confused. Kaoru and Tamaki both looked as though they were tearing up. Mori-Senpai looked off into the distance, away from Hunny-Senpai.
"He hit me." Hikaru's face dropped. "He broke my leg by throwing me down a flight of stone stairs." Hunny-Senpai started to cry. Hikaru went from emotionless to furious in less than a second.
Hunny-senpai sniffled. "Haru-Chan…"
"And I was too stubborn to tell anyone. And for that, I apologize."
Tamaki spoke up. "You don't need to apologize to us, Haruhi…"
"But. I got lucky. It could have been a lot worse if it hadn't been for…" She trailed off and pointed up at me. "He was taking me home one day after club, even though I told him I'd walk. And… He saw everything." Everyone looked away from Haruhi and over to me. Even though only two Hosts didn't know this, it still felt like I was being judged somehow.
"I decided to bring her to my home. She refused to allow me to call the authorities, so I brought her to the one place I felt like she would be even remotely comfortable." I added, giving her a break from being stared at.
"Believe it or not, he took care of me. Kept my secret. I've been here ever since. He had a room made for me. Went and got all of my stuff from the apartment. Replaced what he couldn't bring. And… uh…" She paused. "We've been dating pretty much ever since."
"WHAT?" Hikaru yelled. "You're dating HIM?!"
"Did you not hear ANYTHING she just said, Hikaru?!" Kaoru yelled at him.
As the two loudly argued, Hunny-Senpai quickly got up and ran over to Haruhi, hugging her tightly.
"I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that, Haru-Chan!" He yelled, sobbing. "But I'm really glad you had someone with you that loves you!"
Everyone else got quiet.
"So, for MONTHS, the only one who knew was Kyoya?" Hikaru asked rather aggressively.
"Hikaru, I do recommend you change your tone." I said through my teeth, glaring at him.
He quickly stood up, fists clenched and shaking. "Selfish…!" He hissed, quickly storming off back towards where everyone had parked.
"Hey, wait, Hikaru!" Haruhi yelled, running after him. To my surprise, Kaoru stayed seated.
"He's an idiot." He grumbled.
"Kyo-Chan, aren't you going to go after them?"
"I think I very well may be the last person Hikaru wants running after him, currently, Hunny-Senpai." I said, looking off towards where they'd run off too.
"He's right, Hunny-Senpai. Haruhi and I are about the only people he'll really listen too, and to be honest, even I kinda want to punch him in the face right now." Kaoru shrugged, slouching back into the bench.
They were both yelling so loud we could still hear them. We couldn't make out what they were saying, of course, but they were a decent way away.
After about two awkward minutes of yelling, we all heard a very loud, unidentifiable sound, followed by Hikaru clearly yelling Haruhi's name, with a bit of a panicked tone.
All five of us sprung up after them. Myself and Mori-Senpai in the front, followed by Kaoru, with Hunny and Tamaki in the back.
Turning a corner, I could see what was going on. Haruhi was leaned over a metal, outdoor trashcan with Hikaru standing behind her, having no idea how to help her.
She was sick again.
I knew she didn't have the strongest stomach in the world, but this was getting concerning.
"Haruhi!" I shouted as I approached them. Hikaru turned around, still looking very irritated with me. I ran up next to him, putting a hand on her upper back. I could hear the others talking behind us, but I was so focused on Haruhi, that I couldn't make out what anyone said.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Kaoru and Mori-Senpai quietly pull Hikaru away. I leaned in closer to Haruhi. "Are you alright, Love?" I asked her, in as hushed a tone as I could. She nodded, as she started to lean back upwards.
"I'm alright, sorry." She whispered, finger combing her hair backwards, out of her face. She looked extremely pale. "Can we have soup or something for lunch, though? I feel gross." She said, still speaking very softly.
"Of course, Haruhi. You're seeing a doctor later, too." I smiled at her.
She groaned. "I hate you."
"We both know that isn't true."
As she stood up and looked at everyone else, she immediately looked quite embarrassed.
"Ah! Sorry, guys! I guess I was still nervous about telling you all everything." She nervously laughed.
Everyone came to make sure Haruhi was okay, and one by one began to head home, wanting to let Haruhi rest. As the twins came up, Hikaru begrudgingly apologized to her, before they left. Not long after, I received a very long text message from Kaoru, apologizing for his brother to me.
Haruhi started to look better as everyone had left. I'd picked up the trash can lid that had been thrown a ways away, which is what I'd assumed made the loud noise I couldn't figure out.
"Now that they're all gone, how do you actually feel, Love?" I asked her, taking a seat next to her on a bench and wrapping my arm around her.
"I actually feel fine, now, believe it or not. I guess trauma gave me a really weak stomach." She laughed.
"You're still seeing a doctor, though."
She groaned and leaned into me. "Do I have too?"
"Well, no. You're your own person who can make her own decisions, Haruhi… But, it would give me peace of mind knowing that the love of my life was actually alright."
She looked up at me, making a very pouty, child-like face.
"Fine."