Ouran Highschool Host Club is not owned by me, although I do enjoy creating an intricate head canon out of it every now and then. Sometimes I even write it down...

It mattered not that she was engrossed in her reading. The particulars of his gait and footsteps were not lost on the studious girl in the near complete silence of the Boston College Library. A discreet smile and slight blush crossed her face, though she didn't bother to look up from her studying.

With a single stealthy motion, he pulled out the chair across from her while placing a small stack of textbooks on the table.

"Haruhi."

"Mori-senpai!" She offered an appreciative grin that to him was nearly as rewarding as the excited whisper of his name.

"They had a couple of law texts that I liked a lot from my first year. If you want, we can check these out, too."

"You're amazing, Mori-senpai. Thank you!"

"Hn."

With that, Mori pulled some work of his own from a backpack, and the two of them continued on in amiable silence. Looking for new ways to stay atop her academic game, she had asked Mori if he would help her by checking out better, more thorough reading materials for the projects she was involved in at her American high school. He had obliged her request, not expecting anything other than fulfilling the favor. What he got instead was Saturday afternoons in the college library with Haruhi, whose interests were delighted within the shelves and stacks of information.

At first, the notion of studying alongside Haruhi seemed a definite impossibility to the college Sophomore. He imagined a situation wherein he would be caught up in the opportunity to observe his friend under new pretenses. What Mori found instead was that Haruhi's presence seemed to bring out the best of his own habits. The fact that having her around exemplified his already sharpened work ethic had not escaped him. Being rather secure in his abilities, it was not about the need to impress her. No, it had more to do with the dichotomy that Haruhi unwittingly instilled within him. With her, Mori felt not only that he had so much more to offer, but also that he was in himself enough.

No person had ever made him feel such a way before.

And so it had been for the better half of a semester, that in addition to the responsibility of school, and the casual company they shared amongst their friends of the host club, Mori and Haruhi began to set aside time for one another.

Thanks for reading! This is going to end up a chaptered thing, although I don't know how long... I truly appreciate if you took the time to read this, and would be touched if you'd leave me a comment or review. Thanks again!