For You

by A Small World (Datawolf39)

Summary:

Thunderstorms still frighten Haruhi

Notes:

Had this one half written for a while and a 'want to see more' blog made me remember and finish it.

Tamaki woke suddenly, and it only took a thunderous boom for the cause to become evident. For a moment he lay there, in bed, wondering why he was so keyed up by the storm. It wasn’t as though storms bothered him, he actually liked the sound of the rain, and the pretty spread of the lightning as it flashed in the darkened sky. Then he remembered someone that didn’t have such a fond association with storms.

Without a second thought, he dressed, and headed outside. Haruhi was all alone! She had let it slip, just a few days before vacation started, that her father was going to be away during the first few days of the school holiday for some sort of reunion. She’d seemed excited about it actually, but the storm had come suddenly, so there was no way she was prepared for it.

“Get in,” he heard a voice order, and with a shock he looked up to see Kyoya in the back of the car. Tamaki got in.

“Thanks, Kyoya.”

“I knew you were an idiot Tamaki, but to leave out without even an umbrella is truly dumb, even for you.”

Tamaki laughed. He knew he had a habit of acting before thinking things through, it was why he and Kyoya made such a good team after all. “A little water never hurt anyone,” he said, flashing a charming smile at his friend.

Kyoya sighed, he was just happy that he had talked himself into making the trip and that he had made it over before Tamaki could start to walk to Haruhi’s house in the rain. An idiot though the blond may be, Tamaki was still his best friend.

The trip was over quickly, despite the foul weather, and soon both boys were at the apartment door. Tamaki knocked. “Haruhi? Are you in there?” he called out.

She didn’t answer the door, but Tamaki knew she had to be home. When the twins had asked, she’d said that she would be home over the first days of break, so it seemed she had something planned, and it was unlikely that she had gone out in this storm or that she had managed to sleep through it given how afraid she was of them.

From somewhere, Kyoya produced a key, and normally Tamaki would ask, but for right now he was more concerned about making sure that Haruhi was okay.

 The boys turned on the light as they made their way inside.

“Haruhi?” Tamaki called again, and then he caught sight of a blanket in the corner. It was old, worn with age, and covered in faded yellow stars. “Haruhi, it’s okay, it’s just me, and Kyoya came to visit too.”

The shape under the blanket didn’t move, if anything the form stilled further, after exchanging a worried look with Kyoya, Tamaki walked over, sat on the floor, and gently tugged at the blanket.

Surprisingly, there was no resistance, and the blanket fell away to reveal Haruhi. Her hands were pressed firmly to her ears, and her eyes were squeezed shut, but even still tears had managed to escape, and Tamaki couldn’t stop himself from pulling her into a hug. Much to his surprise, she clung to him, pressing one side of her head to his body so that she could grab a handful of his shirt as she trembled. 

A large boom of thunder sounded, and she whimpered loudly, moving even closer to him.

“Shhh, it’s okay,” Tamaki said, holding her close, and rocking their bodies slightly.

Kyoya, ever prepared, slid a set of headphones over Haruhi’s head, and started a song.

Haruhi still didn’t move, but her whimpers quieted slightly as her newly freed hand also clutched at him. 

Kyoya handed the music player to Tamaki, and pointed towards the kitchen.

Tamaki nodded, grateful once again for Kyoya’s foresight.

Twenty minutes later, the worst of the storm seemed to have passed. It was still raining, but the thunder, and lightning had finally abated.

Tamaki removed the headphones. “Haruhi, it’s alright, it’s all over.”

Wet brown eyes blinked open, and Tamaki prepared to be yelled at or hit. Instead, Haruhi closed her eyes again, and settled her body in a more comfortable position against him.

“Haruhi?”

Haruhi whines.

Tamaki frowns in concern. Was this just the lingering fear or something else?

When Kyoya returns he has a sippy cup in his hand. The cup is blue with stars. 

Kyoya sits on Haruhi’s other side. “Haruhi, would you like some juice?” Kyoya’s voice is oddly soft, and Haruhi responds to that. She looks at him, and then reaches out with one hand, grabbing for the cup.

“Such a kind Mommy,” Tamaki laughs softly.

Kyoya hands the cup over to Haruhi, and glares at Tamaki.

She’s only halfway done when she starts to nod off.

Tamaki starts to untangle himself from her, wanting to get her laying down so she can get some sleep, but she clings to him, tossing the sippy cup away so she can restrain him with both hands. “Nu!” she cried. Tears pooled in her eyes again, and Tamaki stopped moving. 

“I’ll stay,” he promises gently, as he wraps her blanket around her.

Haruhi seems too exhausted to protest, and now that he’s not trying to move, falls asleep quickly.

~

“Sempai?”

Tamaki blinks. Sometime over the course of the night they had toppled over, and fallen asleep.

“Good morning.”

Haruhi laughs, and they sit up. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“You don’t remember?”

Haruhi frowns in concentration, and then blushes. “I’m sorry, Sempai. Just forget about what happened, okay?”

Now it was Tamaki’s turn to frown. “Haruhi-”

“I’ll make breakfast, and then you can head home, I’m sure you have plenty of things planned for break.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Kyoya says as he enters the apartment.

“Ootori-san?”

Kyoya doesn’t respond to her question, simply electing to set the table with the food. “First we eat, then we can discuss last night.”

“Do I get a choice in this?” Haruhi asks.

“Not unless you want me to add the price of the meal to your debt.”

Haruhi sighs. “Let me wash my hands.”

They start the meal in silence, and finally Haruhi breaks it. “I understand if you want me out of the Host Club. I promise I’ll find some other way of paying off the debt.”

Tamaki and Kyoya exchange a look. “I don’t want you to leave,” Tamaki tells her. 

“I second that,” Kyoya adds.

“But you know about that now. Surely you can’t be alright with it.”

“Age regression is a well documented coping mechanism,” Kyoya says.

“Should have known, you’d know right away,” Haruhi says, eyes down in embarrassment.

“Well I for one am in the dark, so can someone please explain?” Tamaki asks.

“Sometimes I just like to relax by letting myself be a kid again,” Haruhi says.

“And there is something wrong with that?” Tamaki asks.

“I’m practically an adult, Sempai.”

“So you’re not allowed to relax?”

“Most people would find this weird.”

“I should hope you would have seen that we are not ‘most people’.” Kyoya says.

Haruhi nods. “So we’re okay?”

Kyoya nods.

“Okay the- wait a second why do you have a key to my apartment?”

“For emergencies.”

Haruhi sighs. She should be mad, she really wants to be, but they had come here to help her, just because they knew she feared storms, and she was happy they didn’t have to bang on the door, and disturb the neighbors until she would have been able to open it. 

Honestly Kyoya might be the safest person to have a key, and knowing him, he’d probably set up additional security because despite his ‘Demon King’ exterior he really did care about the people he considered important to him.

“I don’t like that you didn’t ask first, but I won’t deny that it was a good thing that you had it last night. You can keep it, just make sure you don’t use it unless it really is an emergency.”

“Of course. I would never risk losing one of my debtors.”

“Rich people,” Haruhi says, but it carries a fondness now that she was certain wasn’t there before joining the Host Club.

“Haruhi…” 

“Yeah, Sempai?”

“When you feel this way, wouldn’t it be better if someone is with you?”

“I get by fine on my own, well when stupid storms don’t come out of nowhere that is.”

“Kyoya, convince Haruhi it’s better if someone looks after her when she feels that way.”

“Buffoon though he may be, he isn’t wrong.”

“I don’t have anyone like that, and like I said, outside of storms I’m fine.”

Kyoya sighs, takes out a small notebook from his pocket, jots something down, rips out the sheet, and passes over the table in a fluid motion. 

Haruhi picks it up and sees a number on there. 

“My personal cell phone.”

“Here, let me write mine too. What was it again…”

Kyoya sighs and writes it for Tamaki, and passes it over to Haruhi.

“Don’t worry, we'll be the best Mommy and Daddy you could ask for!” Tamaki says with a winning smile.

“I’m already regretting this,” Haruhi says, “but, thank you, both of you, for everything.”

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 10 of ASW's Regressuary 2024 + 2025