Chapter Seven

A/N: Lemon continued in the next chapter, which is loaded at the same time as this one! So no worries! It is there and it is delicious!

Hikaru burst open the church doors, escaping the pouring rain. Shaking the water from his shaggy hair, Hikaru looked around. The church was very small; just a few pews, an alter, and a table covered to the floor by a tablecloth pushed against the wall. There was very little light, and other than the storm, the church was silent.

A scuffling sound from underneath the table broke that silence. Apparently I'm not the only one who thought to hide here. Hikaru thought. Walking towards it, Hikaru expected to find some sort of small animal, maybe a lost dog. Instead, he found Haruhi curled into a tight ball, shivering in fear. Hikaru felt his heart break at the sight.

"Haruhi…" He whispered sadly, but she was too immersed in her fear to hear. Only when he crawled underneath the table and hugged her did she realize he was there.

"I-I just," Haruhi started to justify why she was here.

"Shh…" Hikaru cut her off before she could explain anything, rubbing her cold shoulders. "It's ok Haruhi, I know you're afraid of the storm, but it's alright now. I'm here for you." Moving behind her, so that she sat between his legs, he pulled down the tablecloth and wrapped it around them like a blanket. Once he was certain she would be warm enough, he put his headphones over her ears and played the most upbeat music he could. "Just listen to this, not to the storm."

Haruhi was amazed at how comforted she felt, when Hikaru had hardly done anything. It was as if his presence alone was enough to calm her. When the next rumble of thunder came, she focused on the music and on the warmth of both the blanket around her, and Hikaru behind her. He was like a furnace, warming her all the way through. Soon, she leaned back against his shoulder and dozen.

After a while though, the storm worsened, and the music was drowned out by thunder. Even though she was warm now, Haruhi began to shiver again. "H-H-Hikaru," Haruhi tried to hide the tremble in her voice, "It's not working anymore…"

Hikaru heard the panic in her voice, and hugged her tighter. "Whatever you need Haruhi, just let me know and I swear I'll do it. I hate seeing you hurt this way, I wish I could take your pain." Bravely, Hikaru planted a soft kiss on the top of her head.

Haruhi froze, making Hikaru freeze as he thought that he had gone too far.

"Then, will you do what you offered the other day?" Haruhi whispered, keeping her face turned away so Hikaru couldn't see. "Will you do what you said Tamaki-senpai was going to try to help me relax?"

"What do you mean?" Hikaru's hands clenched around Haruhi's waist. He couldn't be thinking right. Haruhi couldn't mean what he thought she meant.

Haruhi smiled, but it was strained. "Orgasm of course." Thunder roared again, and Hikaru decided not to ask again. Unclenching his hands, he let them lie flat over the clothes covering her stomach. He rubbed circles there, listening closely as Haruhi's breath calmed. Once it had, Hikaru moved his hands to touch her skin in the same spot, underneath the shirt. He heard her breath catch as his warm touch, so he kept rubbing soothing circles.

Hikaru gulped, and shifted so that Haruhi wouldn't feel his growing erection. The thought of what he was about to do made his excited, but he didn't want his excitement to scare Haruhi. Slowly, giving Haruhi plenty of time to change her mind and say no, Hikaru slid his hands upwards, pulling up her shirt, until he cupped her breasts. Haruhi shivered, but this time it was from pleasure.

"Is it working now?" Hikaru asked huskily.

Haruhi opened her mouth, unsure of what answer would come out, but at that moment Hikaru slipped his hands into her bra and softly pinched her nipples. What came out of her mouth as a result was a low moan. Hikaru chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes." Leaning down, Hikaru licked along Haruhi's neck, stopping to plant a kiss over her fluttering pulse. Small moans continued to emanate from Haruhi as Hikaru teased her.

Thunder boomed, shaking the tiny church, and Haruhi's moans turned into a whimper. "Need more?" Hikaru asked playfully. Haruhi nodded frantically. Hikaru removed his hands (much to Haruhi's dismay) and turned her so that they could see each other's faces. "So you want more?" He asked seriously.

Haruhi started to nod, but stopped when she saw the serious look in Hikaru's eyes. He was taking the time to make sure that she wanted this, that she would not regret it later. The least she could do was consider seriously.

After considering for a moment, Haruhi nodded. "I do." She said, with no trembling or fear. "I do want this. And not just because of the storm." A thought occurred to Haruhi. "Do you want this Hikaru? Are you doing this because you want this with me, or is it simply because you want to help me?" Suddenly, Haruhi found herself turned to face away, and Hikaru buried his face into the crook of her neck. "Hikaru?"

"Yes." Hikaru answered raggedly. "I want you Haruhi. I didn't realize it until recently, but I've always wanted you." Leaning back, he allowed Haruhi to see his face again, which was bright red. But there was determination in his eyes. "I love you Haruhi."

Shocked, Haruhi sat frozen. When she was able to move again, she opened her mouth to respond, but found Hikaru's finger keeping her mouth shut. "You don't need to respond Haruhi. If you love me back, take the time I know you need to think this through. You want this, and that's what I needed to know." Hikaru took a breath, and seemed to sink into himself a little. "And if you don't love me back… I don't want to know yet. What we're about to do will remain 100% happy for me if I don't know, and that will be enough. I want us both to enjoy this, without any worries about afterwards."

There. He said it. It was out there now, and they could address it later. "You're an idiot." Or not. Haruhi shook her head. "I've loved all of you in the host club for a long time now. Hell, I've even been attracted to a few of you. But I wouldn't want this with any of them, no matter how rough the storm was, or how sneaky they're trying to be so I wouldn't know (that damn Tamaki-senpai). I want this with you Hikaru, not the others. You all try to protect me, but only you respect me and my decisions even when I won't let you protect me. How could I not be in love with you the way you are with me?"