"What do you mean it's lame?!"

"Exactly that."

"Dressing up as Santa Claus?"

"L-A-M-E~"

The twins were teasing Tamaki as he brainstormed ideas for both the Christmas Ball the club would be hosting before the holidays and the Christmas party he decided that they should all have together a few days before the day itself at his house.

"But Santa is a Christmas essential! He's SANTA!"

"Yeah but what part about a fat man invading your house and tracking soot through your living room is attractive?" Hikaru countered.

"Assuming he doesn't get stuck in your chimney and suffocate." Kyoya chimed in. "That would be a nightmare to deal with, don't you think?"

"Santa's magical! He would never!" The king if the club looked like his childhood was being ripped in half.

"If you want to dress up that badly, we can do some sort of ugly holiday sweater thing," Kaoru said with a wave of his hand, not being serious.

A smaller voice piped in. "…That sounds sorta funny to me actually."

The sound of Haruhi liking something had all the boys in the club snap their heads in her direction.

"Hikaru, Kaoru!" Tamaki snapped his fingers.

"On it." The two had a sketch pad and pen immediately, drawing up sweater ideas.

"We can do it for our personal Christmas party since the outfits for the ball already came in," Kyoya confirmed.

"Mine will have Usa-chan on it~!"

"Mitsukuni, it's supposed to be an ugly sweater."

"Oh, I guess you're right, Takashi," the little blond drooped for just a second. "Maybe it can have a little Usa on it so it isn't too cute. Or maybe Usa can also have a sweater! Hika-chan, Kao-chan, can we get Usa-chan fitted~?"

Kaoru shrugged. "I don't see why not."

"Yeah, it shouldn't be hard at all."

In the midst of this, Tamaki had turned to the window, looking perplexed as if he had an internal struggle tearing at him.

"What's wrong, Tamaki?" the glasses-wearing member asked, brow raised, arms crossed. "You're the one that jumped up and told the twins to get on it."

"I know, but… How am I supposed to wear something ugly? Beauty should be shared, not covered." He took a deep breath. "I'll be strong for our little girl."

"You're being pathetic," the brunette responded in a deadpan voice after overhearing the conversation between the two. "Damn rich bastard."

"Wha-?! Haruhi, no, I'll do it for you! Aren't you happy that daddy is willing to look silly for you?!"

"Not my dad." She sidestepped out of a hug that she was sure would've felt more like a tackle.

"Momma!" Tamaki cried. "Why is she being so cold?!"

"Because you're an idiot."

…

The rest of the meeting went well, everyone planning the party while in a circle at one of the tables, Tamaki in the corner, sitting gloomily at the windowsill. By this point they'd already made decent headway, having decided on food and decor.

"So we're definitely doing the gingerbread house, right~?"

"Yes, Mitsukuni."

"What about the tree?" Kaoru asked.

Kyoya sighed, "A fake would be cleaner, but I suppose Tamaki will want the real deal."

"They're not that bad. They smell nice." The small brunette shrugged. "I think it'll be fine."

"Yeah, plus it'll be at milord's house-"

"-So it's not like we're the ones that have to deal with pine needles everywhere."

"Fair enough," Kyoya replied.

"We can decorate it together~!"

Hikaru nodded and waved in passive agreement. "That sounds good and all but how are we doing the presents?"

"Actually, I have an idea," Haruhi chimed in. "What about doing Secret Santa?"

The prince's ears perked at the word. "...Secret Santa?"

"Oh, I see our King has finally recovered." Kyoya had a small smile as he teased his friend.

"Tama-chan! While you were pouting we got lots done~!"

"What's Secret Santa?" he continued to push.

"Yeah, what is Secret Santa~?" Huni tilted his head curiously.

"Alright, alright," Haruhi began explaining. "Everyone puts their name into a box or a hat, then we each take turns pulling a name. Whoever you draw is the person you get a present for, but you have to keep it a secret. No one's supposed to know who anyone else has until it comes time to give the gift."

This had the frenchman excited once again. "Let's do it, let's do it right now!"

"Alright, alright, here." The girl pulled out a paper and tore it into pieces. "Everyone write down your name and fold the paper up so it can't be read. I'll grab a bowl or something to put them in."

"What happens if we pull our own name?" Hikaru asked.

"Just put it back in and mix it up before grabbing a new name. And no cheating."

The boys followed along, and one-by-one they popped their names into the drawing. Then came time to draw.

"I'll go first!" Tamaki jumped up. "I want Haruhi!"

"You don't get to pick, you have to pull a name out."

The boy was determined as he pulled out a name and unfolded it. Immediately, he deflated. It was like watching a popped balloon suddenly droop.

"Well, we know who he didn't get." Kaoru whispered towards his twin and Kyoya.

As the rest of them drew, they all did pretty well at keeping a poker face, trying not to show their reactions to the person they'd gotten. Haruhi pulled last, and she sighed as she read the name.

In an elegant handwriting, she read the name Tamaki. She wasn't upset that she got him at all, she just knew that she would have a hard time thinking of something that felt good enough for the beloved king. He was a pain in the butt, but he was their pain in the butt. He'd be so glad that she pulled him, and she didn't want to disappoint, but she also couldn't exactly spend a fortune. This would take some deliberating.

"Uh oh, I wonder who you got," Hikaru snickered.

She folded the paper back up and shoved it into her coat pocket before anyone saw, knowing that at any second a pair of redheads would be poking their heads over her shoulders for a peek. "Guess you'll have to find out in a few weeks."

"Boo. Boring~"

…

The next month or so was full of the twins trying to figure out who everyone had, Tamaki buzzing around in excitement with holiday spirit, Haruhi trying her best to keep up and deal with the tons of decorations he wanted up now that December had finally come, and everyone else was for the most part the same. They'd had two movie nights where they'd strictly watched a bunch of holiday classics that Tamaki claimed were "essential" to the Christmas experience. That ended with pillows and popcorn flying both times, thanks to the restless Hitachiin boys. Their charismatic leader had also proposed an ice-skating day, but Haruhi didn't feel like breaking a leg, so she shut that idea down pretty quick.

There was once though that Haruhi had gone over to the Ootori household, partly because she knew Kyoya was the best person to go to for help on Tamaki's gift, given his resources. Partly; it was also admittedly a nice break in her week from the chaos.

Standing before the familiar gates, she hit the buzzer.

"Miss Fujioka?" She hadn't needed to say anything, they already knew.

"Good afternoon, Hotta-san. I'm a bit earlier than I'd meant to be, I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

"Not at all, please come in," he assured as the gates opened. Hotta was one of the three guards set to watch over Kyoya alongside Tachibana and a man named Aijima. He was bald, very tall, and always had his sunglasses on. At first he seemed to only ever be serious, but on the occasion that Haruhi had helped Fuyumi cook, she'd insisted he help them by taste testing. He warmed up pretty quickly after that.

Upon making it to the front door, the guard was there to greet her, offering to take her coat and carry her things regardless of how many times she'd declined in the past.

Little had she known that while she'd been crossing the front of the manor, a young man had been informed of her early appearance by one of those three men, and was not at all ready, swiftly grabbing a pair of clothes to change into. "Tachibana, tell them I'll be down in a moment."

"I assume I shouldn't tell what it is you were up to?"

"Not a word," the young master warned, moving to his bathroom to wash his hands off.

Tachibana cleared his throat. "You may want to take care of that then, sir." The older man was pointing at his lower cheek.

Kyoya looked into the mirror and with wide eyes scrubbed the offending paint stain on his face. Inspecting himself further for any evidence, he straightened up. Tachibana left the young Ootori to get ready. It was always interesting, and even amusing at times, to see the change of behavior the Fujioka girl brought to his master, even if she wasn't aware.

By the time Kyoya was downstairs, Haruhi was in full conversation with Hotta and two of the maids. He couldn't tell what it was about specifically, but it sounded like she'd asked what they all planned to do with their families during the holiday that was coming up. She always got along so well with the staff, it was no wonder they always liked when she came around. It was like that as well when Tamaki visited during the week, but he was also full of energy and antics so he was a bit more to keep up with.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Haruhi," he politely interjected.

"Not at all, it's my fault for coming early," she waved it off. "I thought it would be more busy today so I left the house before I usually would, and it turned out that the crowds were actually pretty small."

"That might work out in our favor then." The staff excused themselves to give the two their privacy now that he'd arrived. "Considering the fact that you mentioned earlier this week that you wanted to do something a bit different today?"

"Well," she began, scratching the back of her head. "I was sort of hoping for a favor…"

"Oh?" This surprised the young man. Kyoya couldn't imagine what she needed from him, or what she would bring herself to ask anyone for in general considering her fiercely independent nature.

"I need pictures," she clarified. "Any pictures you can let me get my hands on of the club would be great."

He leaned against the banister at the base of the stairwell. "May I ask what for?"

The girl scrunched up her nose as she debated whether or not to tell. He'll probably figure it out anyway. Besides, he's the last person that would ever tell anyone else. She deemed it safe to explain. "Secret Santa… I'm making a photo album… thing… I guess."

"I assume it isn't for me since you're asking for my help," Kyoya deduced.

She nodded, "It's Tamaki. It's the only thing I could think of that seemed like an okay gift. Everything else is either too expensive or doesn't seem personal enough."

"No, a scrapbook is a good idea," he assured, looking pensive as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "…I suppose I can pull a few photos from the collection I have."

The girl let out a sigh of relief. "That would be awesome if you could, I'd only need a few. I plan on getting the rest of the stuff to work on it sometime tomorrow."

Kyoya shrugged, "We could just go out today, save you from having to go tomorrow after club hours." Not what I had in mind, but who knows, it could be interesting.

The brunette raised a brow. "You want to go the store?"

A small smile pulled at his lips. "You said you wanted to do something different today, didn't you?"

"I meant going through photos instead of only studying," she explained. "I didn't plan on dragging you out with me to do my shopping. Would you even want to?"

He'd already turned around to walk back up the stairs, speaking over his shoulder. "I'm grabbing my coat."

…

"This one, you think?" She held up a bright red book with a little leather tether you were meant to tie to keep it closed, along with identical brown and black ones that were in her other hand. "The black one sorta reminds me of your notebook."

"Red is good. He likes vibrant things anyway."

They were at a craft store they'd caught glimpse of while driving through the shopping district. Tachibana had taken them there and Kyoya instructed him to park further off somewhere in case they decided to walk anywhere else. Haruhi had a few stickers and labels in her hand, along with other miscellaneous items she'd thought might go well in the scrapbook. The vice president was carefully scanning shelves for things that might be useful. She was still surprised he was willing to come, but he justified it as a learning experience of the commoner ways. Damn rich people.

She continued to focus on the task at hand, not sure what most of the things she looked at were meant for. "I might ask my dad to help me put this thing together, to be honest. This kinda stuff isn't my forte so I'll probably need the second opinion."

"I'm sure Tamaki will love it no matter how it comes out," he replied honestly. "Just the fact that you took the time to make it will mean a lot to him."

"Well, I'm sort of cheating by asking for help, but yeah, you're right," she agreed. He was glad that he was one of the two she was asking, even if it was for a gift for someone else. Someone else that could potentially rival him.

He shook off the last thought. That part didn't matter; they both cared about Tamaki, everyone in the club did, and he knew how much the Christmas all together meant to him, so of course he wanted his best friend to be happy. "I'll try to sort through the photos tonight and bring them to you tomorrow, that way you have more time to work on it."

"I'd appreciate it," she thanked him. After grabbing a few other things she might need, she paid for her supplies and walked out with a little brown bag on her arm. By the time they'd walked out of the shop, the sun was still out but the sky was turning orange as it lowered. Christmas decorations lined the street, lights up in windows, wreaths were hung on doors, tinsel and bows were made part of the displays they walked by. It was nice, and Haruhi imagined it probably looked prettier after sunset, all the lights seeming brighter. They decided to enjoy it a little while more since it wasn't all that late yet, continuing down the strip of stores.

Kyoya took a deep breath and warmed his hands, rubbing them together. Glancing over at his companion, he noticed her arms were tucked as she held her sleeves tightly. She wore jeans and a nice sweater today underneath her jacket, but he could tell that hers probably wasn't as warm or high quality as his. "Cold?" he inquired.

"I'm fine, the chill just picked up a little since it's getting darker out." Her ears and the tip of her nose were pink, and she quivered a bit as the next breeze swept through.

Knowing the girl would decline it if he'd asked, he removed his scarf wordlessly and wrapped it around her comically, letting it cover most of her face as the remainder draped over the top of her head. "There, put that on."

"I don't need it," she insisted, muffled through the fabric that had been carelessly piled onto her.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets, trying to stifle a chuckle at the sight of a pouting, disheveled Haruhi, only her furrowed brows and narrowed eyes were visible, clearly showing her disapproval. "I'm not taking it back, so you'll just have to hold onto it then."

With a sigh, she adjusted the scarf so that it was around her neck properly. He liked the way it looked on her, though that might have mostly been because he knew she was wearing something of his. "But now you'll get cold."

"My coat is thicker than yours, you don't need to worry."

She fought the urge to mutter about his stubbornness and instead settled on letting it go, giving a simple, "Thank you." Truthfully, she felt much more snug with it on. It was softer than she'd expected, and it smelled strongly of him, his cologne lingering on the fabric, which she didn't mind either. Still, after having wandered around a bit longer she could tell that he was feeling the chill as well. Trying to think of a solution as she glanced around, something in another pedestrian's hand caught her eye and gave her an idea. Linking her arm in his so he wouldn't have to take his hand out of his pockets, she lightly tugged him along. "Follow me."

"To where, might I ask?" he questioned, his head tilted towards her curiously.

She smiled over her shoulder at him cheerfully. "To get something warm!"

How could he say no to that?

After agreeing to let her lead the way, he found that they were walking into a little coffee shop that had been little more than around the corner. The smell was welcoming and so was the chance to get out of the cool air for a bit. It was a cozy looking place with plenty of seating and tables that appeared fit for getting work done. The lights were dimmed a bit, small plants were scattered here and there, and the decor seemed quaint. "It's not gourmet but it's still nice." The girl beside him shrugged and made a face as if to say, "Why not?"" "Did you want to get something?"

"Definitely." The question didn't need to be asked, as long as it wasn't that instant stuff, he wanted some.

After ordering and the swipe of a card, (Kyoya had insisted on paying this time despite Haruhi's objections), he had his dark brew and she had her hot jasmine tea. Just holding the cup in his hand felt nice as it was. It was true, it wasn't the most fantastic cup he'd had, but it did the job and wasn't bad at all, so he didn't mind. He was about to ask how hers was, but he noticed something had her attention. She'd kept giving sidelong glances, but he wasn't sure what it was she'd seen. "What are you looking at?"

"Those girls. They keep staring at us for some reason." She slightly nodded towards three young women, possibly in college, apparently out for a shopping spree considering the bags all around them. She was right, they kept peeking over at the pair every so often, clearly trying to seem subtle.

Kyoya gave a crooked smile as he asked a bit playfully, "So used to the ladies fawning over you that you notice even outside of the club now, hm?"

She rolled her eyes and took a sip of her drink. "Very funny."

"If you were in your uniform I'd say they think you're cute."

"Ah, so that's what makes me cute," she trailed as she played along. "Guess I learned what you're into."

"I don't mind what you wear, Haruhi is Haruhi to me," he replied nonchalantly. That response earned him a shy little smile from the petite brunette that she tried to hide behind her cup. "Although for those girls over there on the other hand, who knows."

"They're probably checking you out, realistically."

He shrugged. "Maybe. Unlike Hikaru and Kaoru I don't exactly model for the family business so I don't expect them to know who I am by face."

"That doesn't mean you're not attractive. I mean, you definitely are, so I wouldn't be surprised if that's exactly it."

"My, my, Haruhi, I never thought flattery would become your strong suit."

"Alright, your ego is big enough as it is, I don't think we need to inflate it further," the girl scoffed. Gently, she set down her beverage at the table nearest them to excuse herself. "I'll be right back. My contacts are bothering me."

"I'll be here," her companion assured, leaning against the wall patiently.

Stupid cold wind drying out my eyes. In the midst of her rinsing out and adjusting the offending lens in the restroom, one of those girls that she'd seen eyeing them had walked in as well. Casually she went to the mirror beside Haruhi, apparently retouching her lipstick. Her hair was in a short bob, her dress making the natural host wonder how anyone would be comfortable in this weather with only that and socks, regardless how long their jacket was.

Se turned towards the host. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

You just did, the brunette replied sarcastically in her head. "Is there something I can help you with?" If the club had taught her anything, it was how to be polite in any circumstance.

"The guy you're with… Are you dating?"

"Huh?" Haruhi's face was blank.

The other girl seemed impatient. "The cute guy with glasses. Are you two a thing? My friend wants to ask him out."

"Oh." She blinked. "He's my friend."

"So she can?"

"Sure? I won't stop her," Haruhi replied unenthusiastically.

"Great! Thanks!" She hurried out in a tizzy, leaving a confused first year behind. I dunno why she'd need my permission. He's just gonna turn her down anyway; no merit. She thought further for a moment. Actually, has Kyoya-senpai ever shown interest like that in anyone?

A brief flashback to the time she'd "dozed off" and felt what was unmistakably him there, the awkward exchange in front of her door when he'd dropped her off that night, "sweet dreams" said through text once or twice, and even now, the comfortable closeness they'd developed… Looking in the mirror, a hand on the garment around her neck, she realized her face had warmed. What the heck am I going on about? As if. Besides, why would he? …No merit… That last part had a tinge of sting she hadn't expected. She dismissed the thoughts almost as soon as they were there.

Meanwhile, Kyoya calmly awaited his partner's return, idly admiring the shop and its basic theme.

"Excuse me?"

His eyes snapped forward. This wasn't the person he was waiting for. "Is there something you need, miss?"

She bit her lip nervously. "My friends and I are hanging out in the area and we were wondering if you wanted to join~?" The girl seemed shy, but the host had learned how to read the behaviors of their guests very well. This one wasn't as timid as she let on.

"No, thank you, I'll pass on the invitation." His attention was once again on his environment. He wasn't interested in the game she wanted to play.

"Oh, come on," she smiled, placing a hand on his arm. "It'll be fun~ We'll give you a way better time than that boring little plain Jane you're with."

"Is that so?" Now she had his attention. And not in the way she'd probably hoped.

"Don't you think three pretty girls would be better than one simple one? Older women know better~"

It was one thing to not take no for an answer, he could deal with that, but to insult Haruhi was an entirely different issue.

He looked down at the hand on his arm and its unwanted contact. "Funny, if that's what you'd call her, I guess that means "plain Jane" is exactly my type, because it certainly isn't you."

"E-Excuse me?"

He had that polite smile on his face that was often part of his façade when hiding ulterior motives, like selling merchandise to guests or lightly threatening the other members out of their crazy antics that would surely result in having to replace things in the club room. "Now if you don't mind going back to your friends, I'm waiting for my lovely girlfriend to come back." A small stretch of the truth doesn't hurt if it gets the job done. He turned away and continued to drink his warm coffee as if to show her that the conversation was over.

Right then, Haruhi left the bathroom, greeted after a few steps by the glare of the other young women the moment their eyes had accidentally met. Did I do something?

"I thought you said he was just your friend?" This one was shorter, her long hair flowing down her back aside from the little twin buns atop her head.

"He is?"

She sneered, "Tell that to him."

Confused, she made her way to Kyoya. "What the heck did you say to those girls that's making them shoot daggers at me with their eyes?" She questioned in a hushed whisper.

"Nothing much, I simply declined their advances and told them I was waiting for you." He seemed so unconcerned as he adjusted his glasses.

"But with the way she was mad makes me think you said more than just that," Haruhi countered, doubtful of his simple statement.

Kyoya handed her the cup she'd left on the table next to him, an air of innocence in his reminder, "Your tea will get cold if you don't drink it."

"Uh huh." She took it but continued to eye him warily, noting that he hadn't responded to what she said, opting to change the subject. She supposed she could let it go for the time being. "Let's head back out now."

Without a word of disagreement or another look at the ladies they left behind in the coffee shop, Kyoya made his way to the door and held it open for her. Once again outside, they easily slid back into the casual atmosphere they always had, shopping bag on her arm, hands warm as they talked and chuckled lightly together, otherwise enjoying the comfortable silence. It was dark out now, so the lights were shining brightly. There was even a Christmas tree up in the center of the little district they were in, twinkling, ornaments hanging on its branches. A bunch of people were taking pictures here: friends, families, couples all alike. A few kids had added decorations to the tree that they'd made, an elderly couple seemed to be out buying toys for what they assumed would be for their grandchildren.

"It's so nice here," Haruhi commented, watching everyone go by. Being around her friends, bustling about the last few weeks to prepare for the holidays, had made her a little more excited for them. I guess Tamaki-senpai's a little contagious.

"Did you want your picture taken too?" An older gentleman asked kindly. "I've taken a few for some of the other people here, I can for you as well if you'd like."

Haruhi returned his expression. "Ah, that's alright, I think we're-"

"Sure, thank you very much," Kyoya accepted, phone open to the camera.

The girl turned to him as the man backed away a few steps, trying to get more of the tree in the shot. "Huh?"

Kyoya shrugged, "I don't see why not. You want pictures don't you?"

"…I guess so?"

"Alright you two, get closer together," their new photographer instructed. Kyoya put his arm around her shoulders to bring her up against his side, so she placed an arm around his waist. "Very nice!" This man was getting really into it, knelt down in some odd fashion to get a good angle and everything. The teens had to laugh a little. "Perfect, just like that!"

When he was done, he handed over the phone and the two expressed their gratitude once more before the gentleman was approached by another young woman, asking that he also take her picture after she'd seen him moments ago.

Kyoya held his screen low so they could both see the photos. "They came out pretty well, I'd say." He tapped away at his screen for a moment before Haruhi felt a buzz in her pocket. "There, I sent it to you as well."

She checked her phone and sure enough, there they were. "I guess it's a good thing you accepted his offer. He was nice."

"Mm," he nodded in agreement, giving her a gentle smile that few got to see as he adjusted the scarf to cover more of her face when another breeze rolled through. "Now, it's getting late. Let's get you home, shall we?"

…

The youngest Ootori let out a sigh as he walked into the front doors of his home, shrugging off his coat, a hot shower sounding very promising.

"Back from your little date?"

Kyoya paused. Sitting there in the foyer was Akito, legs crossed as he read a book. He decided that being respectful should always the first choice. "Good evening, brother."

"Not as good as yours it seems," the second son remarked. "You know, helping her shop for that Suoh boy isn't going to help your case at all. You might as well just help him out and hand her off. It's not as if you can do anything with her in the first place."

"I don't see how any of this is your business, Akito," Kyoya rebutted, maintaining his even tone.

His brother snapped his book shut and stood, facing him, a cold look in his eyes. "You're wasting your time on the girl. You think father would approve? Name one thing she would contribute to this family."

Decency, for starters. Kyoya opened his mouth to reply, but another voice beat him to it. "Akito, have you made any headway analyzing the patient file I left on your desk this afternoon?" Yoshio had been passing by the two, heading for the stairs. He didn't bother looking at either of the boys as he spoke, expecting a response.

"Yes, of course, father," he answered, caught off guard.

"Good, if you have time to meddle in other affairs after having looked it over already, I expect a full report of your learnings and observations first thing in the morning." He was already halfway up the steps. Just like that, the head had put the older sibling in his place. Kyoya kept a calm expression, but his eyes probably gave away his amusement.

Akito peered over at his youngest sibling once their father was gone. "Oh, shut up."

Kyoya took the chance to go up to his room as well. "I didn't say a word."

…

The natural host was packing her bag after club activities when a manilla folder was plopped down before her. "As promised, I brought them in today."

She looked up to see the cool type had brought what must have been the photos. "Oh, great! Thanks a bunch for helping me out, senpai. I also brought something for you from before, but I'll give it to you later."

"Not a problem, I still have some work to do anyway, so I'll be here for a while longer."

"What the heck is going on over here? It looks so sketchy," Kaoru commented, popping up from behind the girl.

"Hey, you got the stuff?" Hikaru joined in, joking in some sort of mobster voice.

"Yeah, here's the goods right here," his brother continued with a weird scrunched up face.

"Knock it off, you two," Haruhi sighed, stuffing the folder into her bag quickly.

"Hey, wait a second, that's sorta familiar…" Kaoru noticed some fabric that was folded up in her bag. "Where have I seen that before?"

Quickly, she closed it. Of course they'd seen the owner wear it before, and if anyone would recognize any article of clothing, it would be those redheads. "Quit looking through my stuff! Don't you have anything better to do, like make sweaters, or I dunno, homework?"

"Homework? Ew. No thanks."

The two went off, the "h" word having deterred them it seemed. Haruhi let out a breath in relief. That was a close one.

After everyone else had finally left, the secret princess of the club pulled out the scarf Kyoya had lent her and placed it before him as he worked in the back corner of the room. "I'm sorry I forgot to give it back to you yesterday. I brought it today so I wouldn't forget again."

"As long as it served you well, I wouldn't have minded however long you held onto it," he assured. Closing his laptop and carefully sliding it into his school bag, he tossed the garment over his shoulder. "It looked better on you anyway."

"Sure, we'll go that," the girl smiled crookedly at the joke.

As she was picking up the last few things left in the room that the other hosts had been using, a chime was heard from a coffee table a few feet away. Kyoya noticed first. "Sounds like your phone. A text perhaps?"

"Oh, yeah, you can open it and tell me who it's from," she permitted. "It's probably just my dad wanting me to pick something up on the way home."

Seeing that the girl's hands were full, he did as allowed. "Yeah, it's him…" Kyoya cleared his throat before he read, "Don't forget to grab some eggs on your way home. Sweets would be nice too. xoxo"

"Note to self, eggs and ice cream," she repeated aloud, preoccupied.

When he backed out of the message to close the phone and give it to its rightful owner, Kyoya paused for a moment. The background of her home screen was the picture he'd sent of the two of them standing in front of the Christmas tree, side by side with an arm around one another, smiles on their faces.

It was pretty satisfying, he had to confess. Tamaki can get as many scrapbooks as he wants. I got my own present: a little Christmas date with Haruhi.

ALRIGHT.
I'm having a lot of fun with the dialogue between these two with this mini... flirtationship? I wouldn't even say it's at that point yet since they don't even realize they're doing it half the time, but yeah, we'll call it that? They're just the types of people to have witty playful banter, which I think is cute.

They're at that cusp, and the only thing keeping them back is Haruhi's obliviousness when it comes to matters of emotion and Kyoya's fear of overstepping too fast or too soon.

In other words, they're hopeless. But we love them anyway.

Next two chapters will be fun though. I've already made headway on them because I was really in the mood this week to bunker down and write . Idk, I just went with it.

We've had a lot stuff happen with the weather this month in the southern parts of the US, so I hope that you're safe if any of you or your loved ones were impacted by the hurricanes that came through. I live in Florida, but I'm fine, as well as the rest of my family, fortunately.

Thank you as always for sticking with me. I feel like it can never be said enough that I genuinely appreciate the support and seeing that you all enjoy the story. I hope you continue to have a lovely time alongside me and that you all stay well.

Talk to you again soon, okay? Okay. :)

-KC