"Fascinating, you say. Sounds um... Bad,"

Haruhi was running through her mind all the possible things Tamaki could know about her that she wouldn't want anyone to know, but she couldn't think of anything horrible she had done lately. She felt anxious.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. You did notice that Tamaki was acting a bit off this week correct?"

Wait...What does that have to do with anything?

"If you mean more off than normal, than yeah."

Haruhi moved her legs underneath her, and rested her head on the arm of her chair. The action gave her enough time to collect her thoughts. She recalled all that had happened in the past few days.

"He started acting different on Wednesday. Renge told us how he wasn't paying attention to what he was doing half the time, and when he was paying attention he was writing poetry or something. Then he was looking at books about Parent-Child relationships whenever he didn't think the guests were looking. Then he yanked you out of the room, and when he came out he looked like he just escaped from Hell," Haruhi glanced at Kyoya, but seeing no response, she continued. "On Thursday he was sick. He even sent you that text message saying that he was dying and listed off his symptoms to you. We went to his house after school, but he just had a cold, even though he kept wobbling around the house and calling himself a pervert over and over again. He got better, and on Friday he didn't remember a thing, because he was so feverish the day before. He was in a great mood though. It was almost too much, come to think of it. He was all over the place,"

Kyoya waited for her to continue, and when she didn't he seemed unsatisfied.

"That's all?"

"Uh, yeah that's about it I think. But I don't see how Tamaki being sick has anything to do with me,"

"And what's your take on all this?"

Haruhi thought for a moment.

"Not much. Er, I mean, I don't think much about it. He was acting weird on Wednesday because he was getting sick, weird on Thursday because he was sick, and weird on Friday because... Well, because Tamaki,"

"Interesting. Now what if I were to tell you that what happened was almost entirely your fault?"

"...Come again?"

"Well, when I say almost, I mean that, while you are at fault initially, I'm the reason he became so ill,"

Haruhi gaped at him.

He has the power to make people sick now too? What else do I not know about this guy?

"When Tamaki pulled me aside on Wednesday, he looked desperate and scared. Panicked, almost. He clung to me by my shirt, and asked me if I ever thought about kissing you,"

Kyoya didn't look at Haruhi when he spoke.

"I said no,"

Kyoya raised his hands, palms facing Haruhi, "I thought I was being accused, that he was angry at me. But he looked so devastated at my answer, it wasn't something I had anticipated. That's when you saw him,"

Haruhi nodded slowly, and motioned for him to continue. They both kept their eyes averted from the other.

"On Thursday, I got that text from Tamaki, and I showed it to all of you. What I didn't tell you was that the night before, he called me at about three in the morning. He sounded terrible. Tamaki told me that his chest was hurting and he felt sick to his stomach. He tried to think of you to make him happy, to make the pain go away. But every time you came to his mind, he only felt worse. He was pleading with me to tell him why, but... Well it was the middle of the night... I told him he was an idiot and a pervert and that he was thinking too much into something so insignificant as a cold, and I hung up,"

Haruhi remained expressionless still.

"That...doesn't sound like attraction to me, Kyoya,"

"Quite contrary," Kyoya said, then he finished quietly, "it even explains to me a thing or two, in fact..."

"What was that last bit?"

"Nothing important. Anyway, I know that you went into his room alone after the rest of us went out. Did anything strange happen then?"

"No. I mean-well, he was really feverish and he wasn't thinking clearly... And his Dad was in the room too!"

Haruhi seemed embarrassed, but Kyoya urged her to continue.

"But he... He kissed me on the forehead and said, 'It's OK, because I'm your father,' and passed out. I tried asking him about it on Friday right before he left, but like I said, he didn't remember a thing. I was kind of avoiding him all day because I was worried he would do it again,"

"Hmm. That affirms my theory... Do you know why he asked me if I had ever thought about kissing you?"

Have you? Haruhi pushed the thought back and shook her head.

"It's because, at some point, Tamaki, our dear 'Daddy,' almost kissed you,"

Haruhi rolled over so she was again draped over the armchair lazily. She seemed unaffected.

"So Tamaki was worried that he was a pervert because he views himself as my Father, and he didn't think that he should want to kiss me. He became sick because of his conflicted feelings. It's like the illusion he puts up almost fell away, and he was feeling withdrawal-like symptoms because of it. And that means that he asked you if you ever wanted to kiss me to have reassurance that it's OK for parents to kiss their children..."

"My theory exactly. You catch on fast,"

"And because you said no, he was forced to conclude that he was a bad person. But why...?"

Why does it sound like you were making excuses for your answer, Kyoya?

"Why what?"

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"I think it's only fair you're aware of your situation. You put yourself here, knowingly or not, and now you have to deal with it. So what are you going to do now?"

"Er, do? I don't know I haven't exactly planned that far. This makes things kinda complicated. I don't know what to feel, and I can only assume what other people are feeling. And the fact that it's a lot of people to think of at one time. And even if I did know, I'm still trapped here."

"I could make it easier for you, you know..."

Kyoya gave her a little smile in an attempt to seem sincere.

"Uh uh. Whatever your plans may be, I don't need more debt."

"Haruhi, really, after all we've been through?" He flashed her a beaming smile, voice full of cheer.

Ah great. he's doing the host thing again.

Haruhi sighed and brushed her hand through her hair.

"Besides, you said so yourself, I need to figure this out on my own." She chuckled slightly, "Jeez, it's a weird feeling you know? Knowing people like you as more than a friend?"

"No, I'm quite used to it. Getting asked out is a normal thing for me. You of all people should know that,"

Haruhis face fell.

"Gee, thanks for making me feel special,"

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh shut it, you know exactly what I mean," she rolled over again, this time facing the back of the chair. "Right when I was starting to like you too..."

"I didn't quite catch that Haruhi. Care to repeat that?"

She made a raspberry with her mouth.

"Hmm I'm happy to see you have a mature take on things. It's very endearing you know?"

Kyoyas voice sounded closer with each word. Haruhi curled up into a little ball.

"And just in case you were wondering," he was kneeling right next to her, his lips inches away from her exposed ear. He whispered into it, "I have thought about kissing you before," he stood up and started walking away towards the kitchen. Haruhi rolled around, slightly red.

"I guess... I guess we're both in the wrong,"

Kyoya stopped only for a moment. He adjusted his glasses and kept walking.

Intermission:
A million miles away at the Suoh mansion, Tamaki had a series of chills running down his spine. He was getting more and more anxious with every chill.

"Someone's talking about me..."
/Intermission

Kyoya came back some time later with a couple of sandwiches. Haruhi had moved to the floor and on to the bed. She was laying on her stomach, looking out the window and feeling groggy. Kyoya couldn't help but notice how cute she looked when she was tired.

"You know Haruhi, those glasses don't really suit you,"

"It's not like I'm aiming to impress anybody right now,"

"Aw, I'm not worth the effort?"

"Too tired, can't bring self to argue," Haruhi grumbled and pulled the blanket over her head.

Kyoya started to tear into a sandwich, and looked out the window. It was still daytime, but the sun was starting to set. He felt a small pit in his stomach when he looked at the lump in the blankets that was Haruhi. He had told Haruhi the truth about how others felt about her, and revealed a bit more than he was truly comfortable with about his own feelings. He was starting to regret ever opening his mouth. Haruhi seemed to barely even care. After tomorrow, they would go back to their lives, and Haruhi would go about her day, but when the other hosts started to crowd around her, she would look at them differently. She would be completely aware, if not paranoid, about all the little flirts thrown her way. And Kyoya? He would sit in his corner, and observe, quietly. Inevitably, she would either realize or develop her own feelings for someone more romantic, more charming, kinder than Kyoya, and he would just watch. It wasn't like him to jeopardize something that brought him merit, like the Host Club, but it was even more unlike him to put his friendship with Tamaki at stake.

After all, it's just good business...

But that would come later. For now, Kyoya had Haruhi all to himself. A tired Haruhi at that. A Haruhi that won't fight back...

"Are you still alive in there? I can't have you suffocating yourself on my watch,"

Haruhi pulled the blanket down a bit and looked over to her right. Kyoya was sitting cross-legged next to her, giving her a particularly analytical look, as if determining whether she was dead or not.

"Sorry, I don't know why I'm so tired,"

"You've barely moved at all since yesterday, so lack of movement. Your body likes rest, if you get too much, your body will only want more,"

"How come you're not like this?"

"Because I didn't wake up early for no good reason. I don't mind if you sleep, we don't have anywhere to be,"

Haruhi rolled over on her side to better talk to Kyoya.

"I'm fine. Thanks for being nice to me I guess,"

They were silent for a moment. Kyoya tapped on his knee with needle like fingers.

"It's raining..."

"Mmm,"

Haruhi looked at Kyoya, and noticed how really very handsome his profile looked. An insane urge hit her, and without thinking twice, she tried to discretely inch her way closer to Kyoya while he wasn't looking.

"No wonder it's so cold in here then," Haruhi spoke quietly.

"I think it's quite pleasant in here. Are you getting ill? Your face is red," Kyoya had put his hand on Haruhis forehead. Her lapse of judgment passed and she rolled over again, embarrassed.

"Nope, I'm fine,"

Kyoya looked at the back of her neck, and noticed the large black spot on it. It looked like she had been beaten. Kyoya was becoming very familiar with feeling guilty about hurting her.

Someone will certainly see that...

As if in a dream, he reached out to touch it and ended up stroking her neck. She shivered violently, pulling the blanket back over her head.

"See, chills. You can't lie to me, Haruhi."

Haruhi felt the covers move as he situated himself underneath them, and shivered again when she felt him press himself against her back and wrap an arm around her. She struggled a bit, but relaxed when he spoke.

"If you get sick and die, I'll never forgive you,"

"Sounds reasonable..."

Haruhi was still feeling very tired, despite her protests, and the sudden comfort was making her feel lethargic.

"Keep this up and I'll never feel energized again," Haruhi mumbled, feeling her eyelids dropping.

"Sounds reasonable," Kyoya moved his head a little closer to hers, trying hard not to breath on her neck as he smelled the faint sweet odor coming from her hair.

Haruhi tried to force her body to move, to escape from his embrace. She silently screamed at her body, but it wouldn't listen. She was just too tired. It wasn't right that she should be OK with this amount of closeness, in the middle of the day no less. When Tamaki had so much as kissed her on the forehead, she spent all of Friday consciously staying as far away from him as possible. Tamaki, having not remembered his actions from earlier, thought she was going through a "rebellious" phase, and bothered Kyoya about it all day. Then it hit Haruhi.

Kyoya knew about Tamakis feelings towards me all this time, but he didn't do anything about it. Who knows how long he's known about the twins, on top of that. If we weren't put in this situation, he probably would have continued to do nothing. But now we're here...

Her body finally followed through with her demands, and she sat up and scooted away from Kyoya. He looked up at her, and blinked in surprise. He cleared his throat before sitting up and speaking.

"Was I out of line?"

"I'm just thinking..."

"Too much thinking is bad for your health,"

"Kyoya, I... Hm,"

"What is it?"

"I don't know, I forget," She put a hand on the back of her head and laughed. "Maybe I am getting sick, now I'm talking all crazy. Hand me a sandwich?"

Kyoya raised an eyebrow at her, but complied.

"Well if you remember, I'm all ears,"

Haruhi ate with unnecessary vigor to avoid answering. Kyoya watched her, eyebrow still raised.

I swear if you just showed just a tiny bit of that passion towards me...

"If you need more food, there's more than enough in the kitchen,"

Haruhi nodded, cheeks bulging. She went to take other bite, but stopped. Her eyes sprung open, and looked to Kyoya, down, back to Kyoya, and then around the room. She looked extremely lost.

"...Haruhi?"

"Kyoya. We're in bed together,"

You haven't noticed this until now?

"...Your point?"

"Don't tell me this doesn't strike you as odd that we've been OK with this,"

Kyoya shrugged.

"I see no drawbacks to this. We already slept together, we're not exactly crossing any lines into uncharted territory here,"

Haruhi blushed. She almost forgot about that. She took another bite out of her sandwich. Kyoya continued quietly, unaffected.

"Seems almost surreal doesn't it? Like all of this is a dream and we'll just wake up at home and none of this will have happened..."

Haruhi wiped her lips with the back of her hand, having finished eating, and smirked. She reached over and pinched Kyoya on the shoulder, causing him to jump.

"That was weird, Kyoya. You're weird,"

"And that was uncalled for. I'm glad to see a little food can revitalize you so much,"

"Just trying to be helpful," Haruhi playfully reached over to pinch him again, but Kyoya gently grabbed her wrist to stop her. Without missing a beat, he quickly placed a kiss on her fingers and let go.

"...Also weird," Haruhi blushed slightly, unsure of what to do. Kyoya smiled, savoring the little tickles that were now on his lips.

How silly, first we have sex, THEN we do these little games with each other. I wonder...?

Kyoya was looking at his hands in thought, the ghost of a smile still remained. It came as a surprise to both parties when Haruhi planted a quick kiss on his cheek. His smile vanished and he looked at her in stunned silence. She had a sheepish smile plastered on her face, as if to say, "Oops, was that me that did that?"

"It's a little different when it's not in the heat of the moment isn't it?" Haruhi shook out a laugh as she quickly scooted closer to Kyoya.

"Indeed. In fact, I was just thinking about how we seem to be going about this backwards,"

"Yeah...Yeah you could say that. But what's done is done. And it's not so bad right?" Haruhi put a little paw on his shoulder. Kyoya had to cover his mouth with his hand to hide his rather wide grin. Without warning, Kyoya grabbed on to Haruhi and they fell back, Haruhi splayed across Kyoyas chest. She yelped at the sudden movement, but she felt oddly giddy when she landed. Before they both had a chance to think, she dug her elbows into his chest to position herself above him, pecked him on the mouth, and fell down again, burrowing her head into his neck.

Kyoya wasn't entirely sure what just happened. First he had the wind knocked out of him, then there was a brown blur in front of him, then he felt something brush his lips, and now Haruhi had buried herself in the crook of his neck. He touched his lips, and wondered what exactly had been meant by that. He didn't dare think that it was an action of affection. Haruhi kissed his neck, and he decided to just enjoy the pressure of her on top of him. He could worry about meanings and hosts and fantasies later, when things started to come into play. For now, Kyoya wrapped his arms around her, and relaxed completely.

For now, he was content.