My writer's block was particularly bad when I wrote this, but I didn't want to keep anyone waiting any longer, so I apologize!

Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. I only own my OC.

Stew, Flowers, And A Protective Father!

"Are you sure they'll be okay by themselves?"

Shun smirked at Haruhi's question as they walked down the street together. "What, are you worried about Tamaki?"

Haruhi huffed and pushed Shun's shoulder lightly, who snickered in response. "I just can't help but think of what trouble those guys will get into."

"Kyouya will keep 'em in line," Shun joked.

The mention of the Shadow King's name brought a sigh from Haruhi's lips. "I still can't believe he's been calling my dad and giving him updates..."

"You know your dad's just worried about you, Haruhi. You're too independent for your own good!"

Haruhi's face lit up in remembrance. "By the way, are you going back to Shinjuku to visit your parents? Y'know, since your game is coming up soon?"

Shun scratched the back of her head. "Well, since we have a day off, I was thinking of going tomorrow. Do you wanna come with?"

Haruhi smiled. "Sure! It'll be nice to see them again."

"Yeah," Shun agreed, her eyes soft as she and Haruhi walked next to each other peacefully. Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched from behind an electric pole by a strange group of seven.

"So, we're going to follow them to the supermarket?" the twins whispered.

"This is what you meant by 'fun'?" Kyouya asked dryly, not the least bit amused by the entire situation.

Nodding, Ranka tugged his scarf up over his mouth. "Yes, I call it 'The Stalking Game'!"

Despite Ranka's attempts at being discreet (i.e. the scarf, sunglasses, and trench coat), the ragtag group managed to garner the attention of nearly every person who passed by. Then again, what could one expect when hanging around a group of exceptionally handsome young men?

"In all honesty," Ranka said as he pulled down his sunglasses, "I have a completely selfish reason for bringing you all out with me. I want to be seen with a bunch of cute boys!"

The twins sighed. "Sure enough, those two are definitely cut from the same cloth," they quipped.

A few minutes later...

The hosts sneaked into the supermarket silently, somehow managing to avoid their two targets' gazes completely. Hiding behind one of the many shelves that lined the store, they all watched as Shun and Haruhi milled around the fresh produce aisle. Honey, in all his excitement, nearly ran in front of Haruhi, but he was pulled away by Mori at the last second.

Tamaki observed Haruhi as she picked up a package of green onion and showed it to Shun, who nodded approvingly and placed it into the basket that was balanced on her hip. "Do you really think we need to follow them around like this?" he asked, turning to Ranka.

"I can't help but worry about them all of the time. Even though Haruhi and Shun have each other to rely on, there's no telling when they'll need my help." Sighing, Ranka placed his hands on his cheeks. "Maybe I'm just being overprotective."

The twins suddenly appeared behind Ranka, who had moved to hide behind a large mountain of instant ramen packets. "By the way, we've been meaning to ask," Kaoru said.

"What's the relation between you and Shun, anyway?" Hikaru finished.

Ranka tapped his chin in thought. "It's a little difficult to explain," he said. "Her father and I have been best friends since high school. Shun and Haruhi were practically raised together, so they're about as close as sisters." Ranka smiled fondly at the memory. "Even though they have no blood relation, those girls still insist that they are family. I think that their bond is even stronger than the one between Shun's father and I."

All of the hosts were quiet, their eyes wide as they listened intently to Ranka's speech. After a minute or so of silence due to processing everything Ranka had said, they finally began to react.

"Wow, we never knew that!" the twins remarked.

"Shu-chan and Haru-chan are about as close as you and me, Takashi!"

"Yeah."

Tamaki held his chin in thought. "I'm still curious, though. Who is Shun's father?" he wondered aloud.

"Didn't I already tell you?" Ranka asked with a slightly surprised expression. After receiving several shakes of the head, he sighed, flipping his scarf with an air of superiority. "Why, Akio, of course."

As Shun wandered away from the meat counter after purchasing a package of raw pork belly, she could faintly hear the signature incoherent ramblings of Tamaki. (She had noticed the host club attempting to inconspicuously sneak past her, but she ultimately decided to keep it to herself, believing it would be funny when Haruhi caught them.) Chuckling quietly to herself, she made her way over to the front of the store where a display of flower bouquets stood. The plastic wrapping around a posy of daffodils crinkled as she picked it up and inspected it, turning it around in her hands. Maybe mom would like these. She does love the color yellow, but she likes blue more, and the bouquet with hydrangeas is expensive—

Suddenly, she felt a light pressure on her head. Turning slightly, she saw Hikaru smirking at her as he ruffled her hair. He then pointed at the bouquet in her hands with an inquisitive look.

"What's with the flowers?" he asked.

"They're for my mom," Shun replied as she placed the daffodils back on the table where they were before. "I'm planning to visit home tomorrow, and I wanted to get her something." Quickly, she snapped her head up and glared at Hikaru. "Don't even think about following me. I'm already tired enough from today!"

Hikaru pouted childishly. "Fine." Then, out of nowhere, a sudden flurry of colors was thrust in front of his face. He could vaguely identify splashes of blue and yellow in his field of vision. Pushing them down so he could see, he peered at Shun with a slightly annoyed expression.

"What was that for?"

He could have sworn that a dust of pink ran across Shun's cheeks—it was gone in an instant. "Pick one," she ordered.

"Huh?"

Shun scowled and held the bundles of flowers up to Hikaru's face again. "Which one is better?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Hikaru pointed at the bouquet of periwinkle hydrangeas. "Those, I guess."

Shun narrowed her eyes at him briefly, before turning away and marching over to the cashier. As she pulled a few crumpled paper bills from her wallet, Hikaru stood behind her and placed his elbow on her shoulder, watching the cashier hand Shun her change with a bored expression. Just as the pair turned away, the cashier smiled brightly.

"You two make such a cute couple!" she chirped, placing her hands on her cheeks as she sighed adoringly.

Hikaru stiffened immediately, using practically all of his willpower to not blush like a fool. Shun, seeing his obvious embarrassment, decided to make it worse by plucking a hydrangea flower out of the bouquet and placing it behind his ear. Before he could even react, she whipped her phone out of her back pocket, snapped a photo, and sprinted away, snickering to herself all the while. For some reason, Hikaru couldn't find it in himself to be angry—not when Shun was laughing and having a good time. I can't figure out why, he wondered.

One hour later...

Ranka sat at the end of the living room table, the soup in his bowl growing cold as he stared up at the ceiling.

He thought back to when he and the hosts had been at the supermarket, where he watched with a melancholic gaze as Haruhi giggled at something Tamaki had said. When he turned away, he was only met with the sight of Shun and Hikaru laughing together. I know it's going to happen eventually. One day, those precious girls will be all grown up, and they'll want to have that special someone by their side.

Lowering his gaze, Ranka observed the dinner scene with a content smile. Next to him, Tamaki was weeping at the enormous heap of chrysanthemum leaves in his bowl while Haruhi sighed, and next to them, Shun was discreetly piling meat into Hikaru's bowl as per his request. Chuckling quietly to himself, Ranka finally began eating. Although I've already given them enough hassle, I can't imagine what Akio will think of these boys. Well, as long as Shun approves of them, perhaps there's nothing to worry about.

Another hour later...

After an eternity of cleaning dishes and forcing the host club out of her house, Shun collapsed on the living room floor with an exhausted sigh, spreading her limbs out like a starfish. Haruhi sat adjacent to her, sipping on a cup of tea quietly.

"It took forever to get those guys to leave," Shun complained, rolling over so that she laid on her stomach.

Haruhi set down her teacup on the coffee table. "I can't believe that Tamaki-senpai managed to spill almost all of his stew. The table still smells like pork broth!"

Shun laughed. "You can't blame him for getting so flustered—you're the one who's always acting so cute around him! Plus, it was hilarious!" Suddenly remembering something, Shun dug into her back pocket and yanked out her phone. "That reminds me, I got this amazing picture of Hikaru at the supermarket!" Pulling up the photo, Shun proudly showed it off to Haruhi, who covered her mouth as she snorted. Shun then swiped to the left, revealing a picture of Kaoru lying on the floor as he guffawed at Hikaru's dumbfounded expression. "I took this one, too!"

Haruhi's chuckles turned into full-blown laughter as Shun searched through the other photos in her phone. After her giggles had died down, Haruhi yawned and straightened up, stretching her arms as she made her way to the bedroom. "I'm gonna turn in early. Having the host club around was way more tiring than I thought it'd be."

"'Kay," Shun said, her gaze still glued to the phone screen. After a few minutes, her eyelids began to grow heavy with fatigue. As she stood up, her foot bumped against something. Bending down to look at it, her eyes narrowed as she recognized the object. Hikaru's phone. He must have left it here accidentally. Shrugging her shoulders, Shun pocketed it and continued on her way. I'll just give it back to him on Tuesday.

What Shun didn't know is that it may not have been an innocent accident at all...

Sorry for how short this chapter is, but it's mainly acting as a preamble to what will happen in the next chapter. I tried to sweeten the deal a little with a cute moment, but that can only do so much, right?