A/N: For whatever reason, I had a really hard time writing this chapter. I love writing Kyoya/Haruhi together and this time I couldn't figure out what I wanted to write and writer's block was my nemesis, but then I was watching White Christmas and inspiration struck. Enjoy! Merry Christmas!
Chapter 6 – Kyoya/Haruhi
"Haru-Chan! Are you okay?" Hunny bounded up to his friend in the hall, his loud voice echoing off of the marble, Mori following closely behind.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Hunny-senpai. Why?" Haruhi told him.
"You just seem really quiet."
"Oh. I just have a lot going on right now between semester finals and my duties with the Host Club. I'll be fine."
"Are you sure Haru-Chan?"
"Yeah. Don't worry about it." She grinned at him.
He smiled back and shouted, "Okay!" Turning around, he ran towards Mori and jumped on his back…just like normal.
Normal. In truth, Haruhi was exhausted and it wasn't even the studying that was getting to her. She could handle that part with ease. She'd always been studious and if anything, that kept her out of her own head. But when she closed the books and she no longer had something to occupy her thoughts, her mind would constantly drift to Kyoya. It was odd really. She wasn't sure when it happened or how it had happened, but slowly, she'd started to notice him more and more, and when it dawned on her that she constantly thought about him, she became self-conscious and realized she might actually like him.
UGH! This isn't what she wanted. Hunny asking her a simple question had her thinking about the Shadow King again. She needed to forget him because she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt what he really thought of her. To him, she was nothing more than a lowly commoner that disrupted all of their lives and wouldn't leave them alone. She'd heard him talking on the phone to someone. And it had to be about her. What other "lowly commoner" did he know? No one. Only her. She was the only one he associated with.
Sighing, she fell back against the wall and threw her head back. Maybe if she hit her head enough, it would knock some sense into her. It hadn't worked yet. The night she realized what she truly felt for him, she'd slammed her forehead against her coffee table at home multiple times…until she had a red bump in the middle of her forehead. The twins asked her about it the next day, which made Tamaki freak out. The blond would probably wrap her in bubble wrap if he thought it could get away with it. Not only would people not be able to touch her, she would be protected in case anything untoward happened.
And Kyoya, hadn't even bothered to look up from his computer when he said, "Haruhi, you should take greater care of your appearance. While you are no longer in debt to the Host Club, you are still a member and must service our customers."
Her response? "Yes, Kyoya-senpai." On the inside though, she was fuming and inwardly thought, 'If you have something to say to me, then at least give me some respect and look at me, asshole!' Of course, she would never say that to his face. When it came to the Shadow King, smile and nod was a better policy. One never knew what would happen if they didn't. She'd heard rumors of various students and adults going missing when they crossed Kyoya Ootori…not that she believed the rumors, but it was probably better to err on the side of caution.
And now here it was just a couple of days before Christmas and she was dragging herself to the Host Club for one final day of operation before they closed until after the new year. Once they came back, it would only be a few months before Kyoya and Tamaki graduated. Would they be like Mori and Hunny and still show up at least once a week to see everyone? Or would high school be where her time with Kyoya ended? As bad as some of the rumors were, as heartbroken as she was hearing his conversation, as horribly as he sometimes treated her, looking down on her for being a mere commoner, she didn't want him to disappear from her life completely.
"Why did it have to be him?" She mumbled as she forced herself to move away from the wall and towards the third music room.
Kyoya waited, watching the door. He'd mastered the fine art of surveying his surroundings without anyone realizing what he was doing. The glare on his glasses not only served to put the fear of kami into anyone who would oppose him, but it also let him look around without anyone realizing what he was doing…and it let him stare at a certain female host without her knowing what he was doing. He couldn't say it was love at first sight. It wasn't. But somewhere between the time she joined the club and paid off her debt, he realized that he had fallen for her. Maybe he knew before that and that's why he constantly added to her debt, forcing her to stay close to him as long as possible.
He'd hid it well, but when she'd agreed to stay on with the Host Club, he'd been elated. The knot in his stomach released and he felt calm for the first time in months. Of course, then they'd had to deal with the whole Eclaire thing and Tamaki going off half-cocked thinking he knew what was best for the club. It was then that Kyoya realized Haruhi loved Tamaki, not him. Not the Shadow King of Ouran. And it made sense. Tamaki was the romantic that didn't hide his feelings. He wasn't closed off…not like Kyoya. After everything Tamaki had done for him, Kyoya wanted to be sure the blond got his fairy tale ending.
But nothing ever happened and Kyoya believed it would only be a matter of time. Only, the Host Club Princess and the Host Club King never got any closer. Why? Kyoya tried to push them together, and yet, they remained as they were. It didn't make sense. According to his research and data, it should have brought about a deeper relationship for both Tamaki and Haruhi.
The odd thing about everything was, Haruhi had been trying to help him and stayed after club a lot…until she didn't. Something had changed about two months ago. Suddenly, she avoided Kyoya if she could and no longer stayed after unless she had been ordered to do so. It was almost like she was pulling away from the club. Did something happen between her and Tamaki? Had it been something Kyoya had done himself? Was she tired of dressing like a guy and wanted to continue as a normal student? What? Kyoya didn't know, and neither did Ranka. Even Haruhi's father had noticed something felt off about his daughter, but he couldn't tell the Shadow King was exactly it was…or he wouldn't. But why would Ranka keep that a secret? It wouldn't make sense. So Kyoya was left at square one without knowing which way to move.
And he hated not knowing. Completely despised it.
Hunny and Mori walked in together and the door shut behind them. Kyoya continued to wait, and soon she arrived. Something was wrong. Dark circles and bags were under her eyes. Maybe she was studying too much, but he couldn't stop thinking that it was more than that. He shook his head to clear it. This wasn't normal. He wasn't the person who focused solely on someone else, who fell in love with the Natural Host. He was the one that should have been immune…and he hadn't been.
"Ho, ho, ho," Tamaki came out of the back room dressed in a red velvet suit and tons of padding and a fake white beard. The twins had dressed him and followed him out into the room, laughing at their handy work. What their Host Club president didn't realize yet, Hikaru and Kaoru had used a super strong glue they had invented for the beard, eyebrows, and wig. Tamaki would still look like Santa come Christmas and today was only the 22nd.
"Tamaki, I see that you are ready to receive the ladies." Kyoya smirked as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"Kyoya! Yes, I am. They will all sit on Santa's lap and tell me what they want!" the blond exclaimed.
Haruhi rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Why will they be sitting on your lap?"
"Haruhi! Are you jealous of all the girls sitting on daddy's lap? Don't worry, you are my favorite little girl and I'll make sure all your wishes come true. You can be the first person to sit on my lap."
"No thank you, Tamaki-senpai. Why would I want to do that? And I'm not your daughter," Haruhi deadpanned.
"B-B-But Haruhi! You know you want to." The blond ran up to her and tried to grab her, but the twins wrapped their arms around her first.
Shaking their fingers at him, they said, "Nu-uh, boss."
"No touching…" Hikaru started.
Kaoru finished, "Our toy."
Together they said, "You perv."
Tamaki gasped and turned white. "I-I-I'm not a perv!" He turned to Kyoya. "Mommy! Do you hear what these hoodlums are saying about me?"
Standing up, Kyoya closed his computer and placed both hands on his table, leaning forward. "Tamaki, while I normally can tolerate your idiotic antics, our guests are set to arrive in less than two minutes. If you do not straighten up, you will be locked in the back room and not allowed access to anyone." He leaned further forward. "And I do mean anyone." His lenses glinted in the light and his smirk grew when Tamaki ran to the other side of the room to where the Santa thrown stood near the windows.
As he ran, he yelled, "I'll be good!" Tamaki sat down with a plop and announced in a deep voice, "Santa is ready."
"That's what I thought."
The twins stepped away from Haruhi to saunter over to "Santa". "Hey, boss…"
"Hikaru, Kaoru, if you insist on causing trouble, I'll give you something more to do to keep you…occupied."
Grabbing each other, the twins started to cry, "We'll be good!"
Kyoya glanced at the time on the wall. "Places! It's time to receive our guests." His eyes drifted to Haruhi and he watched as she straightened her shoulders and plastered her host smile on her face. Something was definitely off about her.
"You know, Kyo-Chan, if you only watch, you will never truly find what you are looking for." Hunny had approached the Shadow King, sneaking up to him without his friend knowing.
"I don't know what you mean, Hunny-senpai?" Kyoya dropped his eyes, his fingers finding the button on his table that would open the doors to the music room.
Before he could press it down, Mori said, "He's right, Kyoya. She has her own wish this Christmas."
"I know she does. Everyone does."
"And you know what it is, don't you, Kyo-Chan?" Hunny asked giggling.
"Of course, I do. I know everything," Kyoya stated plainly. He was the Shadow King, he knew everything.
"Of course you do, Kyo-Chan," Hunny smiled widely and ran off to take his place.
Kyoya pushed the button and then the doors opened wide. It was show time.
He couldn't take his eyes off of Haruhi. Even when he was hosting guests, his eyes constantly drifted over to her. Her smile stayed in place, she made eye contact with her guests, said all the appropriate things, and yet, there was a hint of sadness in her brown eyes. Why?
After the last guest had left and the doors had closed, Tamaki went to the back to change and Haruhi snuck out the door. Kyoya took a step forward, unconsciously following her…until a scream rent the air.
A young man with white hair, a white beard, and white eyebrows ran out of the back room. Hikaru and Kaoru grabbed each other, laughing, tears streaming down their faces as they fell to the floor. "Look at him!" They both guffawed.
"What did you do? Why won't these come off? MOMMY!" Tamaki cried out, pulling on the beard.
Hunny ran up to his younger friend and pulled on the beard. It held tightly. "Want me to take it off for you, Tama-Chan?"
There was something in Hunny's eyes, in his tone that made Tamaki shiver. He backed away quickly. "No!" He was afraid that if Hunny pulled everything off, he wouldn't have any skin left on his face, and he was completely confident that with Hunny's strength, he would succeed in removing the fake hair. His head moved side to side. "Uh, mommy, where's Haruhi?" He swung his head back and forth some more. "Mommy, our daughter has been kidnapped!" He pointed an accusing finger at Hikaru and Kaoru, "Where did you take my daughter?"
"We didn't do anything with her," Hikaru snapped.
"Yeah, boss. If anything, it was you that did something to her. It was probably because you were too much of a perv," Kaoru grinned mischievously. He eyed his brother and together they started chanting, "Tamaki is a pervy Santa."
"You know, Kyo-chan, she probably went to the store before going home. And she's probably walking home in this cold weather. I think it's about to snow," Hunny told his friend.
Mori nodded. "You should go after her while the others are distracted."
"Don't worry about your computer, we'll get your stuff packed up and make sure it gets back to your house!" Hunny volunteered.
Kyoya glanced around the room, at the mayhem in the music room and made a quick decision. He slipped out the door unnoticed and called for his ride.
His car was waiting for him at the front of the school, but something caught his eye. Whipping his head to the right, he saw the girl that had occupied his thoughts strolling slowly toward the front gate. "Haruhi," he called out to her, making his way over to her.
Haruhi called her name and stopped. The last person she wanted to talk to right now had followed her…no, not followed. Kyoya didn't follow anyone anywhere. He probably just saw her walking as he was leaving and thought it would be rude if he didn't say something. Plastering on her best host smile, she turned around and asked, "Yes, Kyoya-senpai? Is there something you need?"
In that moment, he didn't know what to say. The smile was fake and she wasn't really looking at him in the eye. More like his nose or chin. "It's cold today. Would you like a ride home?"
"Uh, no, senpai. I have to go to the store first."
"I could give you a ride to the store if you would like."
"No, that's all right."
He took a step forward, moving closer to her. "It's cold."
"So? I've walked in colder, and the bus will have a heater."
"Haruhi."
"What?"
Another step closer.
"Is something wrong?"
"Why would you think that?"
So he had hit the nail on the head. Something was definitely wrong with her. "Did I do something?"
"No, never," she snapped and immediately regretted it. Taking in a deep breath, she let it out slowly. "Nothing, senpai. I've got to go." She spun around to leave him standing there, but she had been standing on a small patch of ice and slipped right into someone's arms.
"Haruhi! Are you all right?"
"Thank you, Kyoya…senpai." Her words ended on a whisper. She finally stared into his eyes and gasped. They weren't looking down on her with disdain or annoyance. It was something else.
"Haruhi…" He didn't know what else to say…except something came to him. "Would you like to have dinner with me?"
"I…I don't think we should."
"Pardon me?"
She stepped away from him and said, "Thank you for the rescue. I'm going to the store."
He was losing her before he even had her, and for some reason, he felt he had to at least try now. If he fell flat on his face, then he would move back into the shadows. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her back to him. "I believe rescuing you deserves a reward. Nothing in life is free." It was probably the wrong thing to say because he saw the anger in her eyes flare.
"Yes, that would be your answer. Fine then. You can come over for dinner on Sunday. I have things to do between now and then," she snapped. Pushing him away, she stormed off.
Smirking, Kyoya muttered, "Yes, I do believe I will." He returned to his car, feeling lighter than he just had.
Sunday rolled around and Kyoya knocked on Haruhi's door. Maybe he didn't know everything like he claimed. Maybe he didn't actually know how Haruhi's mind worked, but he did know something. He loved her and he needed to at least try and tell her, and what better time was there to confess than Christmas Eve.
Hearing the knock at the door, Haruhi knew that Kyoya had come alone. If he hadn't, the banging would sound as if bombs were going off and the door was about to fall off its hinges. She pulled it open and found only him. He stood there in a purple button up shirt and black slacks and jacket. So handsome. She shook her head. "Come on in, Kyoya-senpai."
"Thank you, Haruhi. These are for you." He handed her a bouquet of purple roses. She was wearing an apron over a red t-shirt and jeans…and she still looked beautiful to him.
"Thank you, senpai. Come on in." She opened the door wider for him to enter and then took in a deep breath as he passed by in order to steady her nerves. Big mistake. She smelled him and he smelled amazing. She swallowed hard.
"Where's your father?"
"The bar. He'll be home later tonight at some point."
Kyoya's heart lurched. They were alone and it would be just them for dinner. Unable to stop himself, the words flew out of his mouth, "I love you."
Haruhi had started to turn toward the stove and stopped, spinning around to face her guest. "Excuse me?" Was he toying with her? Was he lying? What the hell was that?
"I apologize. I seem to have taken you off guard." He smiled. She looked adorable standing there with her big eyes and her mouth hanging open.
"Wha-" She didn't know what to say, and simply stood there in shock.
He presented her with a small white box. "This is for you."
Slowly, she reached out and took the present. "I…uh…"
"Open it."
She frowned and tilted her head. "Why? Is this a game to you?"
"I don't know what you mean."
"You love me? Presents? Is this some sort of joke? I heard you. I heard you talking on the phone and saying that I was nothing more than a lowly commoner that interrupted your perfect lives."
Pushing his glasses up, he chuckled. "I see. How much of the conversation did you hear? All of it?" He knew exactly what conversation she was talking about.
"No, but come on, senpai. How many commoners do you know and associate with?"
"Several in fact," he stated quickly. "But that is beside the point. If you would have been listening to both sides and the entire conversation, after you heard that, you would have heard me tell my brother that you were more than a lowly commoner…that you are extraordinary, beautiful, and everything I could ever want in a partner. That you would make the perfect partner for any man. That you were strong and smart and deserved everything in life."
"Wait. What?"
"Since you use it so often, I thought you were fluent in sarcasm. It was my brother. I'm certainly not going to have a complete heart to heart with him."
"So…" her brown scrunched up in confusion. What did this mean?
"Open it." Kyoya pointed to the small box still in her hand.
She did and gasped. Inside was a beautiful necklace with a crystal pendant in the shape of a heart…at least she hoped it was a simple crystal. "Kyoya-senpai-"
"You can just call me Kyoya." He lifted the necklace out of the box and stepped behind the frozen girl in front of him. "I do love you and I simply want you to be happy. If this is being too forward, I do apologize."
"No…no, you're not. I feel the same," she whispered.
His hands paused for a moment before clasping the necklace closed. "You do?"
"Do you know what my Christmas wish is?"
He could barely hear her soft voice, but he did. "What?"
She spun around to face him. "You."
Lifting his hands, he brushed his fingers against her cheeks and leaned in to kiss her. It was pure magic.
Kyoya didn't know everything, even though he pretended that he did, but he knew a few things. He loved Haruhi, she loved him in return, and this Christmas would be perfect.