Courtship - Chapter Five: "Under the Trees"
An Ouran High School Host Club fan-fiction
By: Saadia Mirage
Pairing: Tamaki/Haruhi
Rating: PG-13
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Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club or any of it's characters. They belong to the original mangaka Bisco Hatori and Studio Bones. This is a fan story, for amusement purposes only.
Author's note: Oh man, this chapter took a while to write and edit. I had to change things around a bit last minute and added in two new scenes and took out one to put in the next chapter. I'm pretty happy with it though, even if it is a bit of a drama bomb. Things aren't interesting without a little conflict, you know? Please let me know if you like it! Three (?) more chapters to go after this!
Enjoy!
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Renge was sitting quietly in the window seat of Music Room Three pondering the subject of her next project and the lack of good gossip when she heard the door open and someone else enter. She turned to greet whoever it was, but then she stopped when she heard the tone of their voices. On a whim, she ducked behind the curtain to listen.
"Urrgh. All this lovey-dovey crap is making me sick to my stomach. It's too sappy!" Hikaru grumbled.
"Aww, but it's so cute! Tama-chan is so happy!" Honey countered, giggling.
"Yeah." Mori said simply.
"Oh man, I think I'm going to barf!" Hikaru said loudly.
"Mou… You're no fun, Hika-chan!" Honey chided.
"Honey-sempai, do you really think it will work out?" Kaoru asked seriously, "I mean, this is Haruhi and TAMAKI we're talking about."
Honey blinked at him innocently. "Eh? Why wouldn't that work??"
"Nevermind…" Kaoru sighed.
"A couple like that is just a ticking time bomb if you ask me!" Hikaru said acidly.
"Oh, come on Hikaru… They've only been dating for like two weeks…!"
Their voices faded away as they crossed the room and went out to the garden where the club was meeting that day.
Renge, wide-eyed and totally awestruck by her completely accidental revelation, stumbled out from behind the curtain and started towards the exit only to run into the next person who entered.
"Ah, Renge-chan! Are you all right?" Haruhi said, reaching out a hand to help her up.
"Ah.. Ah, Haruhi-kun! I'm fine, thank you!" She stuttered, face turning red.
"Uh… Are you sure?" Haruhi asked, raising an eyebrow at the girl's sudden flustered appearance.
Renge's eyes were still wide. "It's just that…" She said softly, then jumped forward and clasped Haruhi's hands in her own. "Oh Haruhi-kun, you are so brave!!"
Haruhi stared at her, dumbfounded. "Uh… What?"
"Your secret is safe with me, Haruhi-kun! Never did I even imagine someone like you—"
"Wait, wait… My secret?" Haruhi asked, frowning and thinking of her hidden gender. "How did you find out about that?"
"I'm sorry, I overheard some of the others talking and—"
"Those guys," Haruhi grumbled. "They're the ones so worried about keeping it a secret! Look Renge-chan, I never meant to deceive anyone. The thing is, the others think if people found out the host club could get in trouble. Kyouya-sempai thinks that some girls might even get upset. I really don't want to upset anyone…"
"Upset?" Renge laughed, "Some of the girls are going to be delighted!!"
"Y-you think so?"
"Oh, certainly!"
Haruhi smiled at her sweetly. "…But I thought my secret was safe with you, Renge-chan."
Renge looked taken a back. She fumbled for words. "I… I ah… I was just going to converse with some of my closest friends… Surely they would understand…"
Haruhi frowned again. "I'm sorry, Renge-chan. I don't think that's a good idea." She said, "I personally don't mind if people know about me, but I don't want to hurt the reputation of the club. I don't want to face Kyouya-sempai's wrath, at least."
"Oh…"
"So could you keep it a secret, please? Just between you and me?"
Renge shook Haruhi's hands in hers. "I will, Haruhi-kun!" She declared, eyes watering. "I promise I will take your secret to my grave! I'll lock it in my heart and I won't speak a word of it to anyone! And I'll be rooting for you! I'll be your biggest fan!"
"Uh, thanks?" Haruhi mumbled, watching her bound out into the garden.
--
The sun was shining and Kyouya had an impressive migraine.
He was sitting in the school garden surrounded by beautiful young women all eager to chat with him and yet his attention kept being drawn to his fellow host who was currently laughing like an idiot on the other side of the yard.
Kyouya was angry, moreso at himself than anyone else.
He was not really upset with Haruhi, for one. She was just as oblivious as Tamaki sometimes. He had tried to be angry at him, of course, but it was met with such complete innocence he couldn't keep it up for long. Hikaru was spitting enough vitriol in Tamaki's direction these days, anyway.
Kyouya's own feelings had been more of a shock than anything else. He had never thought of himself as a particularly emotional person, much less one to be heartsick over anyone -- especially someone like Tamaki Suoh.
Thinking about it made his head spin. Not only could this ridiculous attraction have come at a worse time, but it was completely illogical and just … plain uncomfortable.
It wasn't the fact that Kyoua now was up in arms over his sexuality. No, in fact that didn't surprise him as much as the fact that these feelings were for someone like that blonde idiot. He wondered how similar his thoughts on the subject were to Haruhi's? The idea made his head throb.
The fact was that over these last few years Tamaki had become his friend, best friend, and perhaps the only one besides his older sister who really looked past his prim glasses and saw the boy behind them. Tamaki didn't care what his grades were, what sort of business his father owned, or what sort of future loomed over them both.
No. Tamaki just laughed and waved it all away like it was nothing and threw an arm around his neck and pulled him along into another one of his schemes. He had become a permanent figure in Kyouya's life, whether he liked it or not. There wasn't a day that passed without him and his smile and his contagious zest for life. Somewhere along the way Kyouya had grown attached.
The truth was that Kyouya had never been happier than when they had sat together and brainstormed the beginnings of Ouran High School's first and only host club.
The idea had been ridiculous, of course, and completely frivolous… but Tamaki had been so adamant he refused to give up on the idea. They had created something amazing together -- something that had grown so far out and above what Kyouya had ever imagined. It had become larger than life, but not bigger than Tamaki himself, who was now the heart and soul of the club and perhaps all of Ouran High.
Maybe even the heart and soul of Kyouya himself.
Of course, Kyouya held no illusions that his strange feelings could ever be returned. He wasn't even sure if that is what he wanted, even if it was possible. It was obvious that Tamaki was head over heels for Haruhi, and had been for a long time. Yet, he felt sorry for the girl and envied at the same time.
Weeks and then then a month had passed since their first outing and so far things seemed to be going swimmingly, if the timbre and frequency of Tamaki's laughter could be taken as an indicator. Even Haruhi seemed especially cheerful for an otherwise normal Monday afternoon.
He looked at her and wondered what sort of things she and Tamaki would create together, and felt a little sad.
--
Somehow, Sundays had become "have lunch with Tamaki" days. He had asked her several weeks in a row, and this last time... He hadn't even asked. She had simply found herself walking to the station around a quarter to one. When she got off the train, she wasn't at all surprised to see him there, slim sunglasses shining in the Spring sun, white teeth flashing her a perfect smile.
Haruhi wondered at first if perhaps he wanted to go somewhere more... his style. But he continued to surprise her with his enthusiasm for "common" things. He flipped out at the idea of eating ramen out of the back of a truck, and nearly physically dragged her over to it in his eagerness to give it a try the first time. He was constantly staring wide-eyed at the prices of things advertised in shop windows and laughing out loud in a carefree, thoughtless sort of way. At first it had annoyed her... It was a little embarrassing, after all – the things he found amusing were just normal to most people.
But after a while... That laugh... It grew on her.
This particular Sunday, they walked side by side to the oden stand and sat on the stools with knees almost touching. The man greeted them jovially as if they were regulars. Tamaki liked to try something different each time they came. This time it was konnyaku with boiled egg. She watched with amusement as his egg slipped from his chopsticks and back into the soup with a splash.
After that, they picked out a new shirt for him at the thrift store – a cheerful green t-shirt with a black stripe diagonal across the chest and the word "AWESOME" on it in large, fading English lettering. Tamaki had nearly had a laughing fit in the store about it – and then again when he learned the price (about 400 yen – he exclaimed, rather loudly, that he didn't realize clothes came under 5,000 yen).
After she had managed to stifle him, and the confused cashier was able to make change of his large bill, they headed to the park. The cherry trees had nearly lost their bloom, and the petals covered the sidewalk like snow.
They sat on a bench sipping sodas from the vending machine (another new Tamaki favorite - he was working his way through the selections. Today it was C.C. Lemon) - and watched children play some game in the grass. The sun was getting high and hot, so she took off her jacket and tied it around her waist.
"Want to go in the shade?" He asked, pointing to a shady area in a small grove of trees.
"Sure." She said. They tossed their empty cans in the nearby trash bin and made their way into the middle of the grove.
She sighed at the coolness. The thick branches hung low, and she had to duck to get deeper inside. Tamaki had some trouble with his height, but eventually he made it, albeit a small twig stuck in his hair.
Not really thinking about it, she reached up and pulled it out and smoothed his hair back, casually running her hand through it.
"... Th-thanks." He mumbled, a little red.
She blinked at him and leaned up against a tree. "No problem."
Now that she looked around, she saw that it was almost as if they were enveloped in trees. She could barely see back into the courtyard through the leafy branches. She could still hear the children laughing, but it seemed so far away. They were in a tiny private world of green.
"Haruhi." He said softly, snapping her back to attention.
He was staring at her with those puppy eyes again. He put a hand against the tree beside her head, thumb brushing her ear slightly. He reached up with his other hand and carefully brushed her hair out of her eyes.
Then, suddenly, he was very close.
"What are you doing?"
It was his turn to blink. "Uh..."
She smiled a little, in realization. "Were you going to kiss me?"
"... Maybe?" He supplied cautiously.
"Isn't going in for a kiss without a warning a little ungentlemanly?" She asked, trying to seem serious but allowing one corner of her mouth to quirk a bit in amusement.
He was frowning though, in disappointment. "You're not supposed to warn for a kiss," He said, "You're just supposed to... Build up to it. Maybe I was trying to do that."
She raised an eyebrow. "Were you?"
"I was!" He said, exasperated.
"Maybe I'm too used to the way you act at the club."
"B-but... It's not like that!"
"It isn't?"
"It's completely different."
"How is it different? You're trying to seduce me, right?"
"We-well... Th-thats... At the club, it's..."
"It's what?"
"At the club... It's because I want to make those girls happy."
She stared at him blankly.
"Not that I don't want you to be happy! I mean... At the club, when I'm like that... It's for the girls. It's an act of compassion, a good service for the happiness of women. But with you... It's different. Because... I want to be... a little selfish."
"... Selfish?"
"I want to kiss you. Not just because it might make you happy, like those girls... But because I want to kiss you. For myself. And I want you to like it, too."
She sighed. "You really are spoiled."
"B-but..."
She leaned up and kissed him – quickly, but softly on the mouth.
"That... makes me happy, somehow." She laughed. 'He's human, after all.'
He was red-faced, mouth hanging open. "Eh?"
"Sorry. I didn't build it up." She laughed.
"That... That's okay."
"Ha... I hope so."
"Thanks..."
"I just did it because I wanted to." She said, simply.
He was able to laugh, finally. "Yeah?"
"Yeah. It's okay to be like that, sometimes. Isn't it?"
He put his hands on her hips, rather timidly. He leaned forward, brushing his forehead against hers. "Is it really?" He said softly.
She blinked. His eyes seemed to lock her in place all of a sudden. They were so blue and so... sincere. His hands shook a little on her sides. His nose brushed hers. She found, suddenly and much to her shock, that her throat felt tight.
"Y-yeah."
"Really?" He asked.
She could feel his breath on her lips and it made her shiver.
It was just Tamaki, the same one she had known all this time, the same one who could turn those rich girls to goo with a wink... But she knew his acts. She wasn't fazed by a single one of them. She was immune, even. But those times had been just that – acts. He did honestly care for those girls and their happiness... But in the end, all it was just play-acting and fantasy. He would switch girls and act out the same scene, substituting names and fine details, and the girls would go away happy, ears filled with sweet nothings, and he got the satisfaction of their temporary love, a bit of popularity, and nothing more. But this... It was different. He wanted something from her in return, something rare and precious and very real.
Haruhi was suddenly very aware of her breathing, how dry her lips were, and how strange it was to look at someone else's face so close up. It was difficult to focus and she couldn't stop staring at his nose. No wonder people closed their eyes when they kissed.
But... This was not her first kiss, and now not even the second. The first one, at the club dance party all that time ago, had been rather sudden and practically accidental. She hadn't really had a chance to prepare herself for it and it had been over almost before she even realized it was happening. After that, she hadn't been able to figure out what the big deal was about kissing. It was a little weird, but she couldn't see what every one was so excited about it for.
Currently, she was becoming aware of how different it was to know a kiss was coming and from someone (she now might begrudgingly admit) that she was attracted to. It was considerably more embarassing... But it was a little exciting, too.
He kissed her. It was gentle, almost tremulous at first. His lips were warm, and a little dry. His hair tickled her face. She couldn't breathe.
It felt good.
She closed her eyes and leaned into it.
His grip tightened carefully, and he held her. His lips became firmer, wetter, and more confident. Something inside her bubbled alarmingly – a soft, pleasant ache.
She broke the kiss abruptly, almost with a gasp.
They stared at each other for a moment.
Suddenly, she had to cough and look anywhere but his face.
"Ah... S-sorry." He mumbled, looking dejected.
"N-no! It's okay!" She answered, in a strangely shrill voice. She laughed nervously. "It's fine..."
"Are you okay?"
"I just had to... take a deep breath. That's all."
"Haruhi... I..."
In her search to look everywhere but at him, her eyes landed on her watch. "OHMYGOD!"
He jumped back, shocked at the sudden outburst. "Eh?!"
She waved her arms. "Look at what time it is! I have to get home and get dinner ready!" She picked up her purse from the ground (when had she dropped it?) and started walking towards the park exit.
"B-but...!"
"Don't worry, I'm fine. I just have to rush..." She said as she turned to leave but stopped at the look on his face. He looked crest fallen and maybe even a little angry.
She fidgeted with her purse strap. "You... You can call me if you want. After my dad goes to work."
His hands went into his pockets and he shrugged. "I will if you want me to." His voice was even, but the set of his mouth and his eyes...
She blinked at him, feeling awkward. "I... yeah. I do."
His expression broke, and he smiled a little. "Okay."
She felt relieved, but still strangely jumpy. "Okay, talk to you later then."
"Later."
He stepped towards her, innocently enough, and she ran.
—-
To be continued...