Duet chapter 35
Title: Duet
Rating: PG for now, may go up ^^;
Warnings: spoilers for the end of the anime
Progress: 35/47
Summary: In need of a performing arts credit for her transcript, Haruhi seeks piano lessons from Tamaki. The result is a bit more bonding than either of them ever expected. How can you focus on school when you're falling in love... and what complications will arise when a member of the Suoh family is willing to give up everything for a commoner?
So, the rating has gone up to PG for this chapter, and will probably go back down to G again before it spikes up to PG-13. It won't go higher than that, though.
With the way gossip spread at Ouran, it surprised Haruhi that she didn’t get any questions about she and Tamaki’s relationship until the Saturday afternoon before their date. She was seated with her customers when Momoka piped up about it and sent her for a loop.
“I heard that… you and Tamaki have a date tomorrow,” she said with what was obviously an attempt at nonchalance, and the girls surrounding Haruhi leaned forward, variably shaking with excitement for the answer that was to come.
“Oh, yeah, we do,” Haruhi said with a smile, passing the tea tray to one of the girls. “Who told you?” she didn’t have any worries about keeping things under wraps, what with how obnoxiously loud Tamaki could be at times. It was actually rather nice to be able to be open about their relationship. If they weren’t there would definitely be a problem, since Tamaki didn’t seem to be able to stop himself from kissing her in the halls.
“Tamaki was talking about it this morning,” Momoka explained sheepishly. “he seemed really excited.”
“Does this mean that you two are… a couple?” Sakurazuka asked, leaning forward a bit more.
“Yeah, it does,” Haruhi told her. “For about two weeks now.”
The collective scream that rang out from every girl within earshot then nearly made Haruhi deaf. It was so noisy that she didn’t even hear the powerful motor and had no idea Renge was coming until she was right in her face.
“This is wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!” Renge shrieked, nearly knocking Haruhi back with her shout. “We’ve all been waiting for this for so long! I can’t believe I didn’t notice before this moment! So tell me for the next issue of Moe Moe Ouran Diaries, Haruhi… how does it feel to be in love with Tamaki?”
“It… feels okay…” she said, overwhelmed and trying to back up a bit, though she was trapped on the sofa.
“Just okay?” Renge gasped.
“Pretty good, I guess,” Haruhi elaborated, blinking at her. She had never really been able to understand the girl’s obsession with couples within the host club, and this moment was certainly no exception. “I mean… I’m pretty new to it so I don’t really know what to expect but… why do you want to know, anyway?”
“Because you and Tamaki as an item is the object of nearly every girl in the school’s moe, Haruhi! I’m surprised you hadn’t noticed!”
“Um…” Haruhi wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that, and so she simply gave a nervous smile at Renge. She was saved from being in Renge’s radar completely alone by the unmistakable feeling of Tamaki’s hand on her head.
“Good afternoon, ladies,” he said, leaning down to embrace Haruhi from behind, which only intensified the squealing around them. He pecked her on the cheek as Haruhi grumbled just a bit.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Kyouya noticed what good reception the ‘Tamaki and Haruhi’ package was getting lately, so he said we should try playing it up. I’m just following his advice, Haruhi,” he whispered, sounding hurt but she knew he really wasn’t. All she could do was sigh and scoot over a bit so he could sit beside her on the sofa.
“Alright then, senpai. Come and sit down.” Tamaki rushed into the place she had made for him with grace but impatience, and almost immediately he had an arm around her and was nuzzling her. “Should we really be encouraging them like this?” Haruhi muttered in his ear.
“Nonsense, of course we should,” he whispered firmly. “There’s never anything wrong with doing things to please the customers, especially when it means I get to spend more time with you.”
Haruhi couldn’t really argue with that, and so she simply sighed and smiled just a bit at him. “I do like spending time with you,” she admitted, and used every bit of self-control she had to keep from plugging her ears against the squealing.
“And I love spending time with you, my darling,” Tamaki told her, kissing her temple. There was something both irritating and reassuring about the fact that she knew he would also be doing all this if they were alone at the moment.
XXX
Despite Haruhi’s not-so-secret wish to have a simple date without spending a lot of money, Tamaki insisted on taking her out to dinner. When she heard ‘going out to dinner’ from Tamaki, she expected something horribly extravagant and rather uncomfortable, so she was surprised when the event actually took place. He picked her up at her apartment late on Sunday afternoon with the wind in his hair and a smile on his face. “Good afternoon, Haruhi!”
“Senpai, you don’t have to pick me up, you know?” she reminded him. He had gone and waited outside the apartment for ten minutes beforehand so it felt more official. She had seen him outside the window. “We live together.”
“I know, my dear!” he chirped, grinning. “Isn’t it wonderful?”
“Yeah…” Haruhi muttered. She was a little worried about the event, given the fact that Tamaki, in his current financial situation, should not be spending a lot of money, as well as the fact that he had disappeared for several hours before coming to ’pick her up’. It all seemed like a recipe for disaster, and knowing Tamaki, it probably was. “Where are we going, exactly?”
“It’s a surprise!” Tamaki said, putting a finger to his lips. “I can’t tell you that!”
Ryouji had the day off from work, and he stood in the doorway to the kitchen wringing his hands. “I hope you two have fun,” he said, sounding a bit emotional. “My daughter, going on her first date… just imagine.”
Haruhi didn’t bother to correct him and mention the disastrous date with Hikaru, choosing instead to smile at her father. “You don’t have to worry so much, Dad,” she reminded him. “Tamaki-senpai treats me really well.”
“That is true, Ranka-san!” Tamaki chimed in. “She’s as dear to me as if she was my own!”
“I’m not worried,” Ryouji said with a fond sigh. “I trust you, Tamaki-kun. I’ve lived with you long enough to know you’re a good boy.” he said it a little grudgingly, as though he didn’t want to admit it to the boy who was taking his daughter away from him.
“Oh, Ranka-san!” Tamaki said happily, tears streaming and he leaped forward to embrace him. Ryouji looked slightly disturbed as he was captured in the crushing arms of his daughter’s lover, and when Tamaki let go and started dancing around he simply blinked.
“We should probably get going, senpai,” Haruhi reminded him, and he snapped out of it quickly and turned to her.
“Right you are, my darling!” he said, sweeping an arm around her shoulders. “Come, your carriage awaits!”
They took the train to Ouran Academy, much to Haruhi’s surprise. The day was sunny and the breeze felt good on her face as Tamaki led her with him into the school, stopping in music room three to grab a picnic basket out of the refrigerator. Then, out on the grounds, he guided her gently through the maze of rosebushes in the courtyard.
“I memorized the maze,” he explained. “So I would be able to find our way out and so I could take you to the very center.”
“You didn’t have to…” Haruhi reminded him.
“Don’t be so modest!” Tamaki squeezed her hand a little. They veered left and then right, and Haruhi was surprised to find that they were in a rather large clearing with oddly curved edges. A fountain stood in the center and near it there was a picnic blanket laid out on the grass. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
“Yeah…” Haruhi admitted, taking a moment to take in her surroundings.
“The clearing is shaped like a heart. I know you can’t really tell from inside it, but I thought it might be appropriate.”
“Why is there a heartshaped clearing made of rosebushes at a school?” Haruhi asked him, and Tamaki giggled.
“The gardening club designed it,” he explained, leading her toward the blanket. He smoothed it out a bit and then sat down, taking the basket with him and patting the spot of blanket beside him. “Come on Haruhi, sit down.” In the bright afternoon sunshine, Haruhi made herself comfortable on the blanket and watched as he opened the picnic basket and pulled out some plates and a small container. “I made hamburgers, just like you taught me!” he said proudly, putting them on plates. “I also made some instant coffee. I don’t really know how to cook very many things, or I would have made more. I’m sorry…” he said sheepishly.
“No, don’t be,” Haruhi said, patting his arm lightly. “This is nice.”
Tamaki perked up. “Really?”
“Really. I was expecting something overwhelming and extravagant, and I think this kind of date is much better, don’t you?”
“Yes!” Tamaki said happily. “I think it’s wonderful that you like the idea. You’re such a down-to-earth person, Haruhi. I think that’s one of the things I like best about you. I’m not used to people like you.”
“And I’m not used to people like you, either, so I guess we’re even,” Haruhi grinned at him. The sunshine felt bright and warm on her face and she was aware of the buzzing of bees and the heavy perfume of roses that hung in the air around them. Tamaki handed her a plate and poured some coffee for her from a thermos into a thick coffee cup. She set it on a firm part in the grass.
“You look very cute today, Haruhi,” Tamaki told her with an enormous grin. She had actually made a concession for him today by wearing a dress with no pants under it, though it was a rather simple one. Haruhi wasn’t entirely sure how to respond, so she smiled awkwardly and took a sip of her coffee instead. “I hope you like it…” Tamaki said, sounding almost shy, which was completely alien to her. It seemed he was extremely nervous about whether their date would go well. “I cooked the burgers at the school about an hour ago and I’m sure they’re cold by now…”
“Cold burgers are fine,” Haruhi assured him, taking a bite. She was surprised to find that it actually tasted delicious. She wouldn’t have marked him as one with culinary skills “And it’s really good, senpai.”
“You… you think so?” he asked, his eyes large and shining. Sitting there on that blanket in the bright sunshine, all Haruhi could do was smile at this boy who had changed her life in so many more ways than she could count.
“I do,” she told him, and it was as though a bomb went off inside of Tamaki. His face broke into a sunny, almost manic smile and his burger flew from his hands as he threw them into the air with joy.
“I’m so glad!” he whooped, leaping forward to hug her. Haruhi wasn’t really expecting it, and so she lost support and toppled backwards, taking him with her. Her burger fell onto the blanket beside her with a flop. For a moment they simply blinked at each other, stunned, and then Tamaki surprised her by lunging forward and kissing her, full on and passionate. Haruhi’s eyes widened and she took a moment to be surprised before she forgot herself completely and kissed him back. He had never kissed her quite like this before, with no abandon and with seemingly no thought of their surroundings. But they were enclosed in a wall of rosebushes, and it made them bolder. He was threading his fingers through her hair and the hamburgers lay forgotten.
“Senpai… is this really okay?” she paused to ask him. His body felt impossibly hot against her.
“Is it?” he asked. “Because if it isn’t I’ll stop right now. If you’re not ready to be kissed like this, then just tell me. You don’t need to be embarrassed.”
“It’s okay,” Haruhi breathed, surprised to find that no part of her really minded. She was slightly afraid of this seemingly explosive passion that she could feel coming from Tamaki, but only because she had no experience with this kind of sentiment being directed toward her. She wasn‘t quite sure how to react to it. “Don’t worry.”
He fell back to her then and she thought for a moment that they were both losing their minds. Tamaki’s lips parted slightly and when she followed suit his tongue ran along her lips. Though it was shocking, it made Haruhi feel warm everywhere and clumsily she tried desperately to mimic his actions the best she could until they were kissing fiercely, their breath shallow and their bodies pressed close. For once Haruhi enjoyed simply getting lost in the moment and forgetting about everything else. It wasn’t something she often allowed herself to do, but for Tamaki she could make an exception. His hands stayed in her hair, stroking gently and encouragingly until finally he pulled back a bit and simply looked at her. They took a moment to catch their breath and Haruhi felt incredibly vulnerable as Tamaki stared at her earnestly and refused to look away. She stared up at him with a mixture of surprise and satisfaction, squirming just a bit under his penetrating gaze.
“You’ve never… kissed me like that before,” she said needlessly, finding that speaking got rid of some of the heavy feeling in the air. She was filled with want for him and had to look away until it subsided a bit.
“I figured it was about time,” Tamaki replied, sounding a bit embarrassed. “And… it was alright?”
“It was nice,” Haruhi told him. “Really nice.”
Tamaki seemed to be instilled with a kind of extreme confidence at this reaction, and he beamed, his magnificent eyes sparkling. His skin seemed to shine in the light of the sun and for a moment Haruhi simply sat and stared at him until he embraced her
“I love you so much!” he told her sincerely, kissing both her cheeks and then her hair. “I’m so happy to be here with you right now, and I’m grateful for this moment.”
It was very like him to get so sappy, and so Haruhi only smiled fondly at him. “Me too,” she told him.
“Does this mean I can kiss you like that whenever I want?” Tamaki asked, and Haruhi simply blinked at him for a moment, unsure of what she was supposed to think.
“Sure,” she said finally, and Tamaki giggled. “What?” she asked.
“You’re just so cute!” Tamaki explained, tackling her to the blanket with a bear hug and nestling his head under her chin. Haruhi’s temptation to ask him to remove himself was surprisingly small, and with a smile she ignored it.
Rating: PG for now, may go up ^^;
Warnings: spoilers for the end of the anime
Progress: 35/47
Summary: In need of a performing arts credit for her transcript, Haruhi seeks piano lessons from Tamaki. The result is a bit more bonding than either of them ever expected. How can you focus on school when you're falling in love... and what complications will arise when a member of the Suoh family is willing to give up everything for a commoner?
So, the rating has gone up to PG for this chapter, and will probably go back down to G again before it spikes up to PG-13. It won't go higher than that, though.
With the way gossip spread at Ouran, it surprised Haruhi that she didn’t get any questions about she and Tamaki’s relationship until the Saturday afternoon before their date. She was seated with her customers when Momoka piped up about it and sent her for a loop.
“I heard that… you and Tamaki have a date tomorrow,” she said with what was obviously an attempt at nonchalance, and the girls surrounding Haruhi leaned forward, variably shaking with excitement for the answer that was to come.
“Oh, yeah, we do,” Haruhi said with a smile, passing the tea tray to one of the girls. “Who told you?” she didn’t have any worries about keeping things under wraps, what with how obnoxiously loud Tamaki could be at times. It was actually rather nice to be able to be open about their relationship. If they weren’t there would definitely be a problem, since Tamaki didn’t seem to be able to stop himself from kissing her in the halls.
“Tamaki was talking about it this morning,” Momoka explained sheepishly. “he seemed really excited.”
“Does this mean that you two are… a couple?” Sakurazuka asked, leaning forward a bit more.
“Yeah, it does,” Haruhi told her. “For about two weeks now.”
The collective scream that rang out from every girl within earshot then nearly made Haruhi deaf. It was so noisy that she didn’t even hear the powerful motor and had no idea Renge was coming until she was right in her face.
“This is wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!” Renge shrieked, nearly knocking Haruhi back with her shout. “We’ve all been waiting for this for so long! I can’t believe I didn’t notice before this moment! So tell me for the next issue of Moe Moe Ouran Diaries, Haruhi… how does it feel to be in love with Tamaki?”
“It… feels okay…” she said, overwhelmed and trying to back up a bit, though she was trapped on the sofa.
“Just okay?” Renge gasped.
“Pretty good, I guess,” Haruhi elaborated, blinking at her. She had never really been able to understand the girl’s obsession with couples within the host club, and this moment was certainly no exception. “I mean… I’m pretty new to it so I don’t really know what to expect but… why do you want to know, anyway?”
“Because you and Tamaki as an item is the object of nearly every girl in the school’s moe, Haruhi! I’m surprised you hadn’t noticed!”
“Um…” Haruhi wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that, and so she simply gave a nervous smile at Renge. She was saved from being in Renge’s radar completely alone by the unmistakable feeling of Tamaki’s hand on her head.
“Good afternoon, ladies,” he said, leaning down to embrace Haruhi from behind, which only intensified the squealing around them. He pecked her on the cheek as Haruhi grumbled just a bit.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Kyouya noticed what good reception the ‘Tamaki and Haruhi’ package was getting lately, so he said we should try playing it up. I’m just following his advice, Haruhi,” he whispered, sounding hurt but she knew he really wasn’t. All she could do was sigh and scoot over a bit so he could sit beside her on the sofa.
“Alright then, senpai. Come and sit down.” Tamaki rushed into the place she had made for him with grace but impatience, and almost immediately he had an arm around her and was nuzzling her. “Should we really be encouraging them like this?” Haruhi muttered in his ear.
“Nonsense, of course we should,” he whispered firmly. “There’s never anything wrong with doing things to please the customers, especially when it means I get to spend more time with you.”
Haruhi couldn’t really argue with that, and so she simply sighed and smiled just a bit at him. “I do like spending time with you,” she admitted, and used every bit of self-control she had to keep from plugging her ears against the squealing.
“And I love spending time with you, my darling,” Tamaki told her, kissing her temple. There was something both irritating and reassuring about the fact that she knew he would also be doing all this if they were alone at the moment.
XXX
Despite Haruhi’s not-so-secret wish to have a simple date without spending a lot of money, Tamaki insisted on taking her out to dinner. When she heard ‘going out to dinner’ from Tamaki, she expected something horribly extravagant and rather uncomfortable, so she was surprised when the event actually took place. He picked her up at her apartment late on Sunday afternoon with the wind in his hair and a smile on his face. “Good afternoon, Haruhi!”
“Senpai, you don’t have to pick me up, you know?” she reminded him. He had gone and waited outside the apartment for ten minutes beforehand so it felt more official. She had seen him outside the window. “We live together.”
“I know, my dear!” he chirped, grinning. “Isn’t it wonderful?”
“Yeah…” Haruhi muttered. She was a little worried about the event, given the fact that Tamaki, in his current financial situation, should not be spending a lot of money, as well as the fact that he had disappeared for several hours before coming to ’pick her up’. It all seemed like a recipe for disaster, and knowing Tamaki, it probably was. “Where are we going, exactly?”
“It’s a surprise!” Tamaki said, putting a finger to his lips. “I can’t tell you that!”
Ryouji had the day off from work, and he stood in the doorway to the kitchen wringing his hands. “I hope you two have fun,” he said, sounding a bit emotional. “My daughter, going on her first date… just imagine.”
Haruhi didn’t bother to correct him and mention the disastrous date with Hikaru, choosing instead to smile at her father. “You don’t have to worry so much, Dad,” she reminded him. “Tamaki-senpai treats me really well.”
“That is true, Ranka-san!” Tamaki chimed in. “She’s as dear to me as if she was my own!”
“I’m not worried,” Ryouji said with a fond sigh. “I trust you, Tamaki-kun. I’ve lived with you long enough to know you’re a good boy.” he said it a little grudgingly, as though he didn’t want to admit it to the boy who was taking his daughter away from him.
“Oh, Ranka-san!” Tamaki said happily, tears streaming and he leaped forward to embrace him. Ryouji looked slightly disturbed as he was captured in the crushing arms of his daughter’s lover, and when Tamaki let go and started dancing around he simply blinked.
“We should probably get going, senpai,” Haruhi reminded him, and he snapped out of it quickly and turned to her.
“Right you are, my darling!” he said, sweeping an arm around her shoulders. “Come, your carriage awaits!”
They took the train to Ouran Academy, much to Haruhi’s surprise. The day was sunny and the breeze felt good on her face as Tamaki led her with him into the school, stopping in music room three to grab a picnic basket out of the refrigerator. Then, out on the grounds, he guided her gently through the maze of rosebushes in the courtyard.
“I memorized the maze,” he explained. “So I would be able to find our way out and so I could take you to the very center.”
“You didn’t have to…” Haruhi reminded him.
“Don’t be so modest!” Tamaki squeezed her hand a little. They veered left and then right, and Haruhi was surprised to find that they were in a rather large clearing with oddly curved edges. A fountain stood in the center and near it there was a picnic blanket laid out on the grass. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
“Yeah…” Haruhi admitted, taking a moment to take in her surroundings.
“The clearing is shaped like a heart. I know you can’t really tell from inside it, but I thought it might be appropriate.”
“Why is there a heartshaped clearing made of rosebushes at a school?” Haruhi asked him, and Tamaki giggled.
“The gardening club designed it,” he explained, leading her toward the blanket. He smoothed it out a bit and then sat down, taking the basket with him and patting the spot of blanket beside him. “Come on Haruhi, sit down.” In the bright afternoon sunshine, Haruhi made herself comfortable on the blanket and watched as he opened the picnic basket and pulled out some plates and a small container. “I made hamburgers, just like you taught me!” he said proudly, putting them on plates. “I also made some instant coffee. I don’t really know how to cook very many things, or I would have made more. I’m sorry…” he said sheepishly.
“No, don’t be,” Haruhi said, patting his arm lightly. “This is nice.”
Tamaki perked up. “Really?”
“Really. I was expecting something overwhelming and extravagant, and I think this kind of date is much better, don’t you?”
“Yes!” Tamaki said happily. “I think it’s wonderful that you like the idea. You’re such a down-to-earth person, Haruhi. I think that’s one of the things I like best about you. I’m not used to people like you.”
“And I’m not used to people like you, either, so I guess we’re even,” Haruhi grinned at him. The sunshine felt bright and warm on her face and she was aware of the buzzing of bees and the heavy perfume of roses that hung in the air around them. Tamaki handed her a plate and poured some coffee for her from a thermos into a thick coffee cup. She set it on a firm part in the grass.
“You look very cute today, Haruhi,” Tamaki told her with an enormous grin. She had actually made a concession for him today by wearing a dress with no pants under it, though it was a rather simple one. Haruhi wasn’t entirely sure how to respond, so she smiled awkwardly and took a sip of her coffee instead. “I hope you like it…” Tamaki said, sounding almost shy, which was completely alien to her. It seemed he was extremely nervous about whether their date would go well. “I cooked the burgers at the school about an hour ago and I’m sure they’re cold by now…”
“Cold burgers are fine,” Haruhi assured him, taking a bite. She was surprised to find that it actually tasted delicious. She wouldn’t have marked him as one with culinary skills “And it’s really good, senpai.”
“You… you think so?” he asked, his eyes large and shining. Sitting there on that blanket in the bright sunshine, all Haruhi could do was smile at this boy who had changed her life in so many more ways than she could count.
“I do,” she told him, and it was as though a bomb went off inside of Tamaki. His face broke into a sunny, almost manic smile and his burger flew from his hands as he threw them into the air with joy.
“I’m so glad!” he whooped, leaping forward to hug her. Haruhi wasn’t really expecting it, and so she lost support and toppled backwards, taking him with her. Her burger fell onto the blanket beside her with a flop. For a moment they simply blinked at each other, stunned, and then Tamaki surprised her by lunging forward and kissing her, full on and passionate. Haruhi’s eyes widened and she took a moment to be surprised before she forgot herself completely and kissed him back. He had never kissed her quite like this before, with no abandon and with seemingly no thought of their surroundings. But they were enclosed in a wall of rosebushes, and it made them bolder. He was threading his fingers through her hair and the hamburgers lay forgotten.
“Senpai… is this really okay?” she paused to ask him. His body felt impossibly hot against her.
“Is it?” he asked. “Because if it isn’t I’ll stop right now. If you’re not ready to be kissed like this, then just tell me. You don’t need to be embarrassed.”
“It’s okay,” Haruhi breathed, surprised to find that no part of her really minded. She was slightly afraid of this seemingly explosive passion that she could feel coming from Tamaki, but only because she had no experience with this kind of sentiment being directed toward her. She wasn‘t quite sure how to react to it. “Don’t worry.”
He fell back to her then and she thought for a moment that they were both losing their minds. Tamaki’s lips parted slightly and when she followed suit his tongue ran along her lips. Though it was shocking, it made Haruhi feel warm everywhere and clumsily she tried desperately to mimic his actions the best she could until they were kissing fiercely, their breath shallow and their bodies pressed close. For once Haruhi enjoyed simply getting lost in the moment and forgetting about everything else. It wasn’t something she often allowed herself to do, but for Tamaki she could make an exception. His hands stayed in her hair, stroking gently and encouragingly until finally he pulled back a bit and simply looked at her. They took a moment to catch their breath and Haruhi felt incredibly vulnerable as Tamaki stared at her earnestly and refused to look away. She stared up at him with a mixture of surprise and satisfaction, squirming just a bit under his penetrating gaze.
“You’ve never… kissed me like that before,” she said needlessly, finding that speaking got rid of some of the heavy feeling in the air. She was filled with want for him and had to look away until it subsided a bit.
“I figured it was about time,” Tamaki replied, sounding a bit embarrassed. “And… it was alright?”
“It was nice,” Haruhi told him. “Really nice.”
Tamaki seemed to be instilled with a kind of extreme confidence at this reaction, and he beamed, his magnificent eyes sparkling. His skin seemed to shine in the light of the sun and for a moment Haruhi simply sat and stared at him until he embraced her
“I love you so much!” he told her sincerely, kissing both her cheeks and then her hair. “I’m so happy to be here with you right now, and I’m grateful for this moment.”
It was very like him to get so sappy, and so Haruhi only smiled fondly at him. “Me too,” she told him.
“Does this mean I can kiss you like that whenever I want?” Tamaki asked, and Haruhi simply blinked at him for a moment, unsure of what she was supposed to think.
“Sure,” she said finally, and Tamaki giggled. “What?” she asked.
“You’re just so cute!” Tamaki explained, tackling her to the blanket with a bear hug and nestling his head under her chin. Haruhi’s temptation to ask him to remove himself was surprisingly small, and with a smile she ignored it.