I do not own ouran Highschool Host club .
Ch.23
Haruhi watched as Mori peeled off his soaking wet shirt and pants. His skin glistened and beads of water dotted his shoulders when they dripped from his hair. Even his back had muscles. He put the shirt on and proceeded to button it up. Haruhi got a clear view of his abs for the first time. She could have traced every contour with the tips of her fingers. Once the shirt was buttoned, it strained against his chest, so he unbuttoned it and left it that way. He then slipped on the pants, his muscles rippling all the way down to the calves. The pants fit well, but were a little short and hovered at his ankles.
He finally met her eyes again,"Can I trouble you for a towel? My hair is still wet."
"Hang on I'll get you one."
She left the room. He hadn't said anything about the beer bottles or about her dad. When she returned with a towel, Mori was holding a few of the empty beer bottles. He set them on the dresser in little neat rows.
"What are you doing?"
"I was just picking these up off the floor. If someone were to step on them and they were to break, that person could be injured."
She gave him the towel," Let's go back to the kitchen."
He followed her and turned the lights off behind him. In the kitchen, the soup sat on the stove , now cold. Haruhi went to reheat it and Mori sat at the table drying his hair.
"Are you hungry? I made soup, but seeing as I'm the only one here I'd be happy to share."
"Haruhi?"
"I knew you were hungry. Do you want salt and pepper?"
"Haruhi?"
"What?"
"Where is your dad?"
"I don't know."
"Does this have anything to do with all the beer bottles I found in his room?"
Haruhi spun around and threw down the spoon," I know what you're thinking. Yes, my dad drinks, but he is not a drunk!"
"There were 15 beer bottles in his room. Most of them had been opened two days ago."
"What are you trying to say !?"
"I... I don't know. I'm just worries about you."
"You barely know me! Stop acting like I've revealed some huge secret to you . We only started dating yesterday!"
His voice was steady,"We only started dating yesterday, but I've known you since the beginning of the school year. That's when I fell in love with you."
Haruhi didn't know what to say. Every phrase that popped into her head sounded stupid . What was she supposed to say back to that? Instead of responding, she turned around and began stirring the soup. It was warm, just like her neck and cheeks. She began ladling it into a bowl. Some of the soup spilled over the rim of the spoon and onto her hand. Haruhi winced and practically dropped the bowl. Instantly, Mori was by her side inspecting her hands.
"You never answered my question. Why are you here Takashi?"
He went over to the sink and came back with a cold rag. Gently, he placed it on her hand," I'm here because I felt bad about what happened at the library. When I couldn't find you it worried me."
Why was he so good with words?
"Well don't be worried about me. I'm fine."
He stopped his coddling. He let her hold the rag herself and stepped back, putting his hands on her shoulders. She looked up at him and he looked down at her. It was as if his eyes could see into her very soul.
"You are not fine. I know you aren't ready to tell me now, but I will find out what is hurting you."
Before Haruhi could do anything, Mori enfolded her in a huge bear hug. She hugged him back. It felt good to just have someone there. The hug lasted just a little longer. Hesitantly, Haruhi broke away and finished getting Mori the soup. They sat down at the table and she watched him eat. He ended up having two bowls. Halfway through his third one, someone knocked on the door.
"Are you expecting anyone?"
"No, just my dad. I wasn't even expecting you," She glanced at the clock. It read 10:30," Plus if he lost his key, he knows where the spare is."
Mori got up and walked to the door. He had trouble unlocking it but finally got it open. Haruhi saw his eyes get wide and his shoulders tense. When he stepped back from the doorway, two police officers stepped forward.
One of them was a huge man with a barrel chest and bald head. His uniform looked like it was one flex away from ripping at the seams.
When he spoke, his voice was unsurprisingly deep," Is this the Fujioka residence?"
Haruhi stood up. She couldn't hide the waver in her voice," Yes. I'm Haruhi Fujioka. What can I do for you?"
Police officers always made her think the worst.
The other officer was tall and gangly. He was almost as tall as Mori, but lacked the muscle.
When he spoke his voice was just as deep," We're here about your dad."
"What did he do?"
"He didn't do anything wrong. It's just... Your dad...
The big officer stepped in front of his partner. His voice was softer this time," Your dad is dead. He was killed in a car accident this morning around 3 a.m."
Haruhi didn't know what to do. She didn't want to move because that meant that time was still moving forward and that the officer had seriously just uttered that statement. She looked at everyone's faces. The scrawny cop's eyes were glistening. The big cop's face was stony and hard. Mori didn't have any expression. It was as if he were waiting for something .
The air stood still. The clock stopped ticking. The ran stopped pouring. The faces faded away. The room started spinning. And her heart stopped beating. She would not accept this. This was not happening. She would just go to bed and when she woke up in the morning, her dad would be there when she got ready for school. She would get dressed and ride her bike to school, where she would see the Hosts again and spend lunch with Takashi.
Haruhi went to take a step, but her legs collapsed underneath her and she tumbled into darkness.
Thanks for reading. Please review, follow, and favorite. Sorry I haven't been able to update. My laptop stopped working completely and I can't afford a new one. Everything that does not use internet works though. I have many chapters typed up in Microsoft word but I have to retype everything on my phone because I can't send it through email.