A/N: Hello lovelies! Goodness it feels like such a long time since I've said that hehe, but anyway I've got another little ear worm for any MorixHaru shippers out there! I was going through my old account and found my story 'Lean on me' and it was so cute and sweet that I wanted to give it a little more love and involve Mori because seriously there aren't enough fics for these two. Unfortunately I'm having trouble deciding on a name for this one, so if you have any ideas please feel free to let me know!

Also, just a quick update on Unmei, I've been having a bit of writer's block as of late but I appreciate your patience and support. Chapter 9 is currently in the works and will be put up as soon as I am able!

Haruhi made her way down the hall that led to the third music room as quickly as her legs would take her. It was their free period and she wanted to get there before everyone started to show up for their weekly club meeting. It had been a habit of hers since she was inducted into the host club, preparing tea and setting out the cakes and snacks for them to tuck into. But Haruhi wanted to be there long before her usual time, to have enough time to relieve the pressure in her chest and the stinging in her eyes. She took a shuddering breath when she reached the door, blinking away her tears as she turned the handle, just in case someone had beaten her there, though she knew it was highly unlikely. She'd been in the host club for nearly two years now and she noticed that most of the other hosts rarely diverted from their routines, with Mori-Senpai and Hunny-Senpai being the only exceptions, so she swept through the club room, making sure that she was alone before she let herself relax. Haruhi let out a shaky breath and sat in her designated area, her tears spilling over just as she made contact with the plush velvet. She made no attempt to stop them as the frustrations of the day slowly left her.

Having the privilege to attend one of the most prestigious schools in the country was a dream come true for Haruhi most days, but even the best schools still have their fair share of bullies. She'd won over most of the students she came into contact with, save for a few, but those were just the elitist snobs that deemed themselves too important to bother with the 'common folk'. Most relied on snide comments, pointing out her lack of wealth and lineage, but Haruhi being who she was, paid no mind to their petty insults. There was a student though, one Isao Nishimura to be exact, who really knew how to get under her skin. He'd transferred into her class almost a month ago and had become absolutely livid that he had to share a classroom with a commoner and demanded that she be moved to class D with the rest of the trash. He had been genuinely shocked when the entire class rallied against him in her defense, with her having to physically hold the twins back to keep them from throttling the pretentious teen into the ground.

Then after word got out that she was a girl (Renge had accidentally walked in on her while she was changing and the news spread like wildfire), he'd asked her out, his selling point being that she should be honored that someone of his status would even bother with a commoner like her, which was exactly why she turned him down. Her rejection had him spewing profanities at her, even going as far as accusing her of being the host club's resident whore, which had resulted in him getting two black eyes and a three day suspension for the twins. From that day he'd taken a personal vendetta against her and took every opportunity to make her feel lower than dirt.

She found that he was just as cowardly as he was malicious, so he would leave her alone as long as she was with someone. So today when the teacher had sent Hikaru and Kaoru out of the classroom on an errand and with her other classmates occupied, he swooped in and made a remark that had nearly driven her to violence, but she remembered Hunny-Senpai's warning to never strike in anger during her first martial arts class. Instead she just stood there for a moment, shocked that he'd have the audacity to say something so hateful with such a gleeful smile before she turned abruptly, gathered her things, apologized to her teacher and left; which was how she ended up there in the first place. She wasn't sure just how long she'd been sitting there, she still wanted enough time to calm down and get ready. She reached into her bag to check the time on her phone when the club doors flew open suddenly, effectively making her jump.

Mitsukuni came bounding into the club room, excitedly rattling off what kinds of cakes he hoped would be available with Takashi following closely behind when they noticed Haruhi already sitting in her section of the room. He was about to run over for a hug to greet her, but stopped in his tracks when he saw her cheeks streaked from her tears and her hurried attempts to dry them before plastering on a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Hey guys, sorry I didn't realize what time it was, I'll go make some tea." She said with a fake cheerfulness that made them uneasy and the two cousins glanced at each other with fury and concern in equal measure. Mitsukuni gave Takashi a nod in understanding and the two of them entered the kitchenette that the natural host had scurried into.

They found her rushing around, putting the kettle on, measuring out the right amount of tea leaves, pulling out cakes from the fridge, all while furiously trying to keep her tears away, Mitsukuni noticed that she seemed more embarrassed at being caught in such a state more than anything, though it did nothing to ease his concern. Takashi reached out and gently grabbed her by the wrist as she passed by them, making her pause, glancing at the both of them questioningly.

"It's okay Haru-Chan, we're early, right Takashi?" Hunny's voice was light and reassuring and Haruhi found herself looking up at the quiet man, waiting for his answer.

"Yeah," he told her with a soft smile that never failed give her butterflies in her belly. She smiled back and felt her shoulders relax. He seemed content with her reaction and let go of her only to have Hunny pull her into a tight hug, his hand rubbing soothing patterns over her back.

"Is that Nishimura kid bothering you again?" He asked when he pulled away, all childishness gone from his voice and Haruhi shivered involuntarily before nodding.

"What did he say?" His voice was lower now, more dangerous and Haruhi looked away from him with uncertainty and nibbled at her bottom lip nervously. Her nerves were frazzled and just the thought of having to repeat what he said made her eyes burn and her jaws clench.

"Haruhi," Mori called her attention back to them and she felt a few tears slide down her cheek. "Tell us, please."

Haruhi nodded, wiping away her tears and took a deep breath.

"He said um, - he said that my mom must've *sniffle*, must've died from shame over having such a pitiful excuse of a daughter," she told them, her voice just barely above a whisper, her head bowed low, missing the way Takashi stiffened in response to the dangerous look in Mitsukuni's eyes.

"I think I should have a talk with him about his manners, after all that's no way to treat a lady. Takashi, you and Usa-Chan stay here with Haru-Chan and help her feel better 'kay?" Haruhi looked up with surprise at her senpai when he suddenly switched back to his usual child like voice, smiling sweetly at her, but she wouldn't be fooled.

"Hunny-Senpai," she began nervously, but he stopped her with a disarming smile that really did reach his eyes this time and he raised his hand as if he were going to swear an oath.

"Don't worry Haru-Chan, I'm just going to give him a warning," Hunny reassured her and she nodded, taking the stuffed bunny he held out to her.

With Usa-Chan safely in Haruhi's grasp, Mitsukuni headed for the door, cheerfully reminding them that he'd be back soon. As soon as he was out of earshot, he took out his phone and dialed Kyoya's number, who picked up after the second ring. Mitsukuni told him what had happened and there was a brief pause before Kyoya replied. He gave his thanks and hung up, slipping the phone back into his pocket before setting out to find the boy who had the nerve to hurt the girl who'd become a sister to him.

O0O

Back in the clubroom, Haruhi placed the stuffed bunny on the counter far enough away so he wouldn't get dirty and turned to Mori.

"Would you mind helping me Mori-Senpai? The meeting's going to start soon and I still have some stuff to do," she asked quietly, her voice still a bit hoarse. He rested a hand on her head and ruffled her hair gently, coaxing a shy smile from her and calming his turbulent emotions considerably.

"Sure."

Over the next twenty minutes, the two teens worked in companionable silence, leaving them with their own thoughts. For Haruhi, she took the time to properly calm down and figure out what to do about Nishimura. Wealth and lineage were just as important as grades at Ouran and for him to be in the same class as her, he would have to have at least one of those things, but he hadn't been there long enough for her to know what kind of dealings his family had. Maybe she could ask Kyoya to look into it, knowing him he probably already had loads of information on him, especially since he began messing with her. He'd already been barred from entering the host club when he tried following her in after the rejection only to find that Hikaru and Kaoru had already informed Tamaki and Kyoya about the incident.

"Hey," Mori's voice brought her out of her thoughts and she looked up at him, relieved to see that his eyes were much calmer now.

"Hey,"

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah, thanks Mori-Senpai, and thanks for staying with me, I was a mess back there." She thanked him with a grateful smile that finally reached her eyes. They were still a bit puffy from earlier Takashi noted, but he was glad to see that her color had returned.

"No problem," his hand rested on her head again, this time sweeping her bangs back into their usual spot with his fingertips, earning him a blush and a shy smile, making him give a smile of his own.

"So, how's university?" Haruhi asked, trying to keep the conversation going. She didn't mind that he was quiet or anything, but when he looked at her like that or showed her the gentle affection that seemed to be reserved just for her, her heart began to thrum and her stomach flopped, while her mind tried to convince her of things that she shouldn't be hoping for.

"About the same, the library's huge," he answered honestly and watched her for her reaction, feeling pleased when she reacted just as he'd hoped. Her eyes lit up and she turned towards him, sliding the snack tray she'd just finished setting up next to the tea and cakes to be brought out.

"Really? How huge?" Takashi flashed her with one of his rare grins and she could feel her cheeks growing warm. They both shared a love of reading and more than once she found herself having deep discussions with him over any given title that they had a mutual interest in.

"The entire top floor," he said simply, not bothering to smother the light chuckle when her jaw dropped in disbelief, as he'd had a similar reaction when he'd first come across it during his first week, with his first thought being that Haruhi would love a place like this.

Haruhi was about to reply when they heard the familiar voices of the other hosts floating through the space as they settled in. She grabbed her tray with the tea set she'd picked out, the Jinori set, if she remembered correctly and Mori grabbed the tray with the cake and snacks.

"Ready?" Haruhi looked up at him before taking a deep breath and squared her shoulders, no doubt they all knew what happened by now and hopefully there would be a solution to her problem.

"Yeah, let's go and get this over with," she told him with more confidence than she felt and he nodded, following her out into the clubroom, ready to help her brave the storm to come.