Chapter Text
On a cool summer day, packed unusually close in the roomy limousine sat the famous Host Club of Ouran High. Everyone had gathered together, even Mori and Honey who had graduated since their last hoorah at the Ouran Faire. On the way to one of the many Suoh estates, the group made attempts to pass the time in the two-hour ride. Haruhi sat sandwiched between the twins, obviously not of her own volition. Tamaki could only watch from across from them, watching carefully with anger bubbling inside of him. Beside him, was his self-proclaimed best friend Kyoya, who looked as though he didn’t have a care in the world, scribbling away in his notebook. Behind him was Mori and Honey, who had already fallen asleep 20 minutes into the trip.
This trip was Tamaki’s idea. He wasn’t ready for the semester to be over. That meant he wouldn’t be seeing the group on a regular basis for over a month. It was already hard enough with two of their members moving on with their lives. At the very beginning of semester break, usually, the Host Club would take some time before doing something extravagant together, but this time was different. After everything at the Ouran Faire last term, each member of the club had a changed attitude and wasn’t ready to separate yet.
Even Haruhi, the girl who would usually need convincing, was completely willing. Their typical crazy nonsense that the boys created around her, seemed like more of a privilege these days.. As they drove, she found herself reflecting about her friendships with each of the guys. No matter how obnoxious, and different her friends were, she couldn’t imagine her life without them now. Her closeness to them meant more to her now, than ever before.
“Haruhi, are you getting sleepy? Daddy can cradle you until you fall asleep!” he exclaimed.
Kyoya rolled his eyes, not anything the rest of the gang would notice. Always this “daddy” business. When will he realize how ridiculous he sounds?
“No thanks, senpai. I’m not tired,” Haruhi said, but it was a lie. She was tired, car rides made her especially so, but she wouldn’t be caught dead asleep between the twins.
Tamaki only nodded, slightly disappointed at her answer. At the same time, Kyoya took note that she was lying. Haruhi always had trouble keeping her eyes open on the way back from trips they took with her. She only let herself fall asleep though when she was sitting by herself.
The twins were seemingly too busy on their phones to notice the silly interaction. Yet on their screens, were text messages between the brothers.
Kaoru <3 - Do you ever think Tamaki-senpai will ever give up on his whole daddy-daughter schtick?
Hikaru :) - Fat chance. He’d have to realize his feelings to do that.
Kaoru <3 - Maybe we could help him
Hikaru :) - What good would that do?
Hmph. Kaoru shrugged to himself. It was obvious that his brother was afraid of Haruhi reciprocating feelings for anybody other than himself.
But as Kaoru gave it some thought, he was suddenly determined that Tamaki had to tell Haruhi how he felt. Since the incident at the Ouran Faire, where everything was almost taken away from them, he was worried about it all being threatened once again. And to Kaoru, Tamaki’s misunderstanding of his feelings could be a threat.
It was clear in his mind that Haruhi wasn’t interested in Tamaki the way he was to her. She wasn’t the type of girl to get swept up in high school puppy love. She was different. Tamaki was oblivious to that. He would be completely blindsided when she did find somebody else. Years from now, when he imagined it would happen, Tamaki would be so hurt and ashamed that he would vow never to talk to her again. Breaking their family apart. If only Tamaki could be convinced of his feelings now. He could admit them, be freed of them, and move on NOW before years of pressure builds up inside his heart.
“How much longer?” murmured Honey, just waking up from his nap.
“Fifteen minutes, Honey-senpai,” Kyoya answered, not looking up from his notebook.
And they couldn’t come fast enough.
Tamaki was itching to show Haruhi around the place. He imagined the joy in her face as he showed her to the beautiful rooms, much bigger than anything she was used to as a commoner! Her bedroom would be the most beautiful. Only the best for his little girl. He daydreamed about the wonderful memories they would create together. He imagined them sharing such beautiful moments for years to come. Side-by-side forever.
The Vice President of the Host Club meanwhile had a cloudy mind on the ride to the villa. Kyoya was used to monitoring the every move of the people around him, yet at this moment, he was having trouble. He was feeling stressed? Stress was not something Kyoya would ever admit to feeling. And if he did, it would be for something important. It certainly wouldn’t be about making this trip easier for Haruhi.
Why in the world would an Ootori worry himself about a commoner? Simply because a lot of things have changed since the last time the crew went on a trip like this.
Their previous vacation was an ultimate failure after so much drama at the very end. Haruhi went through so much that night. He had everything listed in his mind in which she had endured. From building up the courage to help those girls, being thrown off the cliff, being saved by Tamaki, only to receive a lecture and start fighting with him. Then there was what Kyoya himself did. That was something he still had trouble forgiving himself for, even though Haruhi wasn’t seemingly affected. (At least not in the way he assumed she would be). But of course, Haruhi’s trouble didn’t end there because of the thunderstorm that scared her half to death. Yet, he knew Tamaki was there for her. As he always would be.
And as if that wasn’t enough reason to want to help, Kyoya had garnered a lot of respect for the club's favorite honor student. Since that day, the pair was able to spend time together, and it was obvious that Haruhi saw through him. She somehow managed to chip away at that wall of ice between them, merely because of her innate brilliance. He was always aware that she was incredibly intelligent, but she outdid herself constantly. More than anything, Kyoya wanted to help Haruhi because she was the biggest reason why the Host Club and the family Tamaki had built were still together. The night Tamaki left with Eclair, everything could have been stripped away from him, but it wasn’t because of Haruhi’s heroism and strength. Though he would never willingly admit it to her, Kyoya was forever in her debt. He hoped to make this trip better for her.
Tamaki then interrupted his thoughts. “I see it, I see it!”
The estate was just down the road.
~*oOo*~
While this home was fabulous in its own right, this property was cozier and a bit smaller than what the club (aside from Haruhi) was used to. This home only had 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms. This was no issue though as the twins automatically wanted to share a room, and Honey and Mori would never protest such things either.
As soon as the group entered the home, luggage in toe, Tamaki proclaimed. “You can choose any bedroom you like men, as LONG as it is not the second bedroom on the second floor. That is Haruhi’s.” the twins shrugged. “That’s the finest master we have,” he whispered over to Haruhi, who was closely behind him.
The group then broke off from each other, each person going on their own exploring the estate. The twins were quick to run up the stairs (likely to sneak into Haruhi’s special room), Honey and Mori had to work together to find a bathroom quickly - running past Kyoya - who quickly took a seat on the sofa, and Tamaki stayed close behind Haruhi, who was slowly wandering.
Upon walking in, Haruhi took notice of the grand rooms before her. Next to the roomy lounge room - equipped with a large L-shaped couch and fireplace, was an impressive kitchen. All new state-of-the-art appliances, black shiny countertops, and a sizable kitchen island. Her eyes widened and went to it immediately.
“This kitchen is fantastic, senpai!” Haruhi suddenly gushed. “This has everything you could possibly need! With the right ingredients, you could make just about anything in here!”
Tamaki’s face lit up with joy at Haruhi’s excitement. He ran and lifted her into his arms before Haruhi could blink.
“HARUHI YOU CAN MAKE WHATEVER YOU LIKE IN OUR KITCHEN!”
The young girl felt her organs push against each other as Tamaki’s iron grip rendered her helpless.
“Maybe - maybe I could cook a thing or too,” she managed.
“Tamaki, let her go,” Kyoya quietly advised from the side.
The blonde obeyed his closest friend, slowly letting her free.
“Yes, Haruhi. You can take cooking responsibilities in the home! Lunch and dinner can be your duty while we stay here!”
“I-”
“I will have the finest ingredients shipped here just for you. Make whatever your heart desires my dear!”
Haruhi’s face fell. She didn’t expect to be put to work during her vacation. Having to satisfy this group of rich bastards would be a challenge no doubt. Yet, taking care of meals for the home wouldn’t be unfamiliar. She was sure cooking with quality ingredients in this beautiful kitchen would sharpen her skills as well. Not only that, but she wasn’t exactly sure how the group would eat otherwise. Seemed she had no choice.
“Is that really what Haruhi should be doing while we’re on vacation here?” Kyoya questioned.
“No, that’s alright Kyoya-senpai. We have to eat somehow, right? Plus this could make me a better cook,”
The Shadow King smirked to himself. Haruhi always took everything in stride. Another admirable trait of hers.
“I can make a casserole tonight, as long as I can get the stuff for it. I have the ingredients memorized since I make it all the time for my dad. I'll text them to you while I’m upstairs. I just really want to take a nap before I get to cooking,”
“That’s perfect! I’ll put in the order as soon as I get your text. Sleep well! If you need to cuddle, holler for me!” Tamaki continued to call out to Haruhi while she was already walking up the stairs to find her room.
Tamaki took a seat next to Kyoya on the couch. His raven friend was writing away, not flinching as his friend leaned his head on his shoulder.
“Oh, won’t it be nice, mommy dear? To have little Haruhi in the kitchen cooking away for us?”
“I’m not so sure, Tamaki. Wouldn’t you hate to put any pressure on her while we’re here? We didn’t come here to put her to work,” he responded, deadpan.
“I would never put pressure on my little angel! She practically volunteered, Kyoya!” he said. “...You’re not worried about her, are you?” Tamaki's tone dramatically changed.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I should unpack my things,”
Kyoya rose from his seat and went straight to the 1st-floor bedrooms.
~*oOo*~
Haruhi found her designated bedroom shortly after climbing the large staircase. Locating the second bedroom out of two was a simple task, but thankfully if she was having trouble, there was a handwritten sign on the door reading, “HARUHI’S ROOM. TWINS STAY OUT”. She rolled her eyes as she turned the doorknob. This must be Tamaki’s work.
But as she walked in, she realized how useless the sign was. The twins lay beside each other in Haruhi’s queen-size, freshly dressed bed.
“What the hell are you guys doing in here? You need to leave. I want to take a nap before I start making dinner!” she shouted.
“Making dinner?” The twins asked in unison.
“Yeah Tamaki thought it would be a good idea, I guess,”
“What, so you’re cooking for Tamaki like you’re his little wife?” Hikaru scoffed.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Hikaru. Just because I’m cooking, doesn’t make me a housewife” she remarked. “And I’m not interested in being anyone’s little wife,” she added.
“Well, we know that, but does Tamaki?” Kaoru asked.
“He’ll get it through his head sooner or later,” she chuckled. “Now please get out,”
A defeated “FINEEEE” left their mouths as they finally left Haruhi to herself. The girl sighed audibly to herself before taking a step back and taking a good look at her assigned bedroom. The bed was done up nicely with blue velvet bedding and large matching pillows. Looking around, she noticed her walls were decorated with framed photos. Individual photos of the host club boys, photos of the group together, photos of her father, her father, and his work friends, and a photo of her mother. How sweet, but…creepy. Who broke into my house to get these photos? Did my dad give these out? I bet it was Kyoya. Dad would do anything for Kyoya. Still. It was a nice gesture. Definitely Tamaki’s idea.
Before she became consumed with her spiraling thoughts, she quickly texted Tamaki the ingredients for dinner, and finally climbed into her bed and took the nap she had been searching for.
Meanwhile, the twins stayed in their bedroom and texted Honey-senpai.
Hika-chan - Hey senpai, would you and Mori-senpai like to hang out with us upstairs?
Honey - Sure!!
Hikaru looked over at his brother, whose tense posture indicated he was stressed for some reason.
“What’s wrong?” he quietly asked.
“Nothing. I just want to get something taken care of,”
~*oOo*~
As Mori and Honey made their way up the stairs, Kyoya had found a reading nook to hide out in. All he wanted now was to be by himself. Tamaki’s question was ringing in his ear. You’re not worried about her, are you? Hmph. If Tamaki of all people took notice, Kyoya thought it was high time he STOP worrying about Haruhi. At the end of the day, her happiness was not his responsibility. He can be thankful for her from a distance. No need to change things - including the way he feels. That’s final. If only his blonde friend could do the same.
Kyoya sat in his peace for several minutes. He couldn’t exactly tell how long, but based on how much time he usually gets to himself without chaos, he guessed 15 minutes or so.
“The truck is here!” He heard Tamaki yell.
There goes the peace.
Loud, obnoxious beeps began to fill the estate as the truck seemingly backed up into the garage.
Haruhi heard the commotion and couldn’t find a reason to continue her nap once she was awoken. She groggily walked down the stairs and found that strangers were carrying large buckets of food into their kitchen. Tamaki was instructing them where to place everything when he caught her confused gaze.
“Oh, Haruhi! I hope they haven’t woken you! I decided to order a few more things than what was on your list. We’ll have plenty of food for you to make our meals,”
“Thanks Tamaki-senpai,” Haruhi sighed. She looked over at the small clock on the oven, reading 5:37 pm. “Well, I suppose I’ll start cooking as soon as they leave,”
Tamaki smiled widely at her statement. He then instructed the workers to move quicker as “a master chef had to begin prepping a meal immediately”. They followed his order and made it out quickly. Haruhi shooed away the Host Club boys that immediately flocked to her in the kitchen and looked at the mess before her. The counters and island were covered in boxes and bags of groceries. ‘Only Tamaki would overdo it like this’ she thought. It took her a while to simply locate all the ingredients, but once she was busy with prep work, the cooking seemed to flow. Other than the periodic check-ins and short conversations she would have with the guys, she was fairly uninterrupted. Since this recipe was so familiar, she had no difficulty focusing in and getting the work done. The world around her went away. Within an hour, Haruhi was finally able to put her dinner in the oven.
~*oOo*~
With her casserole taken care of , Haruhi let out a sigh of relief, finally finished with the bulk of dinner responsibilities. She looked around the kitchen, which was mostly tidy because of her good habit of cleaning as she went. She looked at the clock. A lot of time had passed and yet she didn’t hear anything from the guys. Her strange sense of responsibility kicked in as she went over what they were all doing. She heard the twins with Mori and Honey upstairs earlier. They were still together. Tamaki was close by, watching cartoons in the living room. But where was Kyoya? She realized she hadn’t seen him in a while. In fact, she hadn’t spoken to him since Tamaki convinced her to cook earlier. The fact that she hadn’t even realized he wasn’t around until now, made her feel guilty. What kind of friend was she?
She immediately went to find him. After lots of walking, she thought she had explored every corner when she came upon a little nook at the end of a long hallway. She decided to approach him carefully. Once she was close enough, she called out, “Hey senpai,”
He took a beat before answering her. “Yes, Haruhi?”
“Have you been here a long time? I feel like I haven’t seen you around for a while,”
“I’ve been very busy,”
Haruhi nodded in response. She considered then to walk away, leave this guy alone, now that she knew he was okay. But something made her continue.
“When was the last time you got away from your work, Kyoya-senpai?” she asked.
“Haruhi-”
“Humor me, Kyoya. You should get away for a bit. I’ve got a while since dinner is in the oven. Let’s go…do something,” she suggested. This sort of casual speech felt so foreign in a conversation with Kyoya. It didn’t even sound right to her.
He shut his eyes in response, truly contemplating his options. ‘There must be something worthwhile in this.’ he thought. Then, he suddenly stood.
“Fine. What do you suggest we do?” he said.
Haruhi had to admit, she was a tad surprised she somehow convinced him. She wasn’t sure where to go from here. In a split second, she thought to herself. What do a boy and girl typically do for fun? She then shook her head slightly before devolving into the obvious answer to that question. Digging deeper, the young girl realized she didn’t have a good answer for her mysterious friend. Studying and the occasional reading (usually school-related) was really the only thing she did in her free time.
Maybe this little break was good for both of them.
“We should go on a walk. There’s a little walking path right outside this property. I saw it as we were driving in,” she said.
Kyoya’s shoulders dropped a bit in acceptance. He simply moved his notebook to the side and stood.
“Lead the way then,”