Hi! I just wanted to write something nice and fun, after all the drama of the latest Ouran Chapters, I thought these characters needed a little R&R! (^_^) Besides, the majority of my TamaHaru fanfiction centres around just them. I wanted to write something that involves all the Host Club and their zany ways! As of this point, I don't know how long the story will be, but I know it'll be fun!
I hope you enjoy reading!
Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran! (^_^)
We're All Going on a Host Club Holiday.
'Haru-chan! Haru-chan! Look! We're here!'
The excited cry that came from Honey-Sempai's mouth alerted me to something I already knew, but I smiled and nodded nonetheless. His excitement was definitely contagious, not that I wasn't happy to be going on holiday- especially all together. After all the drama, and excitement of the past year, we all deserved a break.
Though when I'd suggested going on a summer holiday I really should have known better. I had been thinking of somewhere like Kyoto or, at the most, Hokkaido. Honestly, I had forgotten just how carried away these clowns could get. So somehow (I honestly have no idea how) I had gone from the passing fancy of visiting Hokkaido with my friends for a few days or maybe a long weekend...
...to going on summer-long tour of Europe! Using the twins' private jet!
Thank goodness I had managed to get a passport in time or I think Tamaki might have died. The amount of time he had spent dancing about school, his home, my home and, on one disastrous incident where he fell into a tower of tinned soup, my local convenience store. I admit I was anxiously excited at my first time abroad. But my enthusiasm was nothing compared to Tamaki's, rambling on about how romantic it would be watching the sunset over the London Eye (I had no idea what the London Eye was, I just hoped it didn't involve an ACTUAL eye) and how excited he was to ride the world-famous red buses of England. How he wanted to see the Sistine Chapel in Rome and go skiing in the French Alps and- well I lost track of all the things he wanted to see and do. He really was an idiot.
But an idiot I loved nonetheless.
I turned to him, noticing how ridiculous he looked as he slept. Mainly because his face was half covered with one of those eye masks a stewardess had handed each of us at the beginning of the flight and his mouth was hanging open. As silly as he looked, I couldn't help but smile at my over-zealous boyfriend. After all, it felt nice, to be able to relax and see him so content- after all that had happened.
'Pssst, Haruhi.'
I looked over my shoulder to find the twins looming over my chair; the looks on their faces alerted my twins-are-about-to-create-havoc alarm.
'What?' I asked with a suspicious groan.
'Let's leave him here.' They whispered in my ear, clearly referring to the blonde-haired sleeping beauty snoozing next to me.
'Why on earth would I want to do that?' I replied with a roll of my eyes and a shake of my head, and the plane began to roll closer and closer to the gate. Whether I liked it or not, it occurred to me that there would be no end to the twins' crazy pranks. The thought was both comforting and exhausting.
'Oh come on Haruhiiii!' Hikaru whined
'Yeah, just imagine, it'd be so funny!' Kaoru said- a whimsical tone to his voice.
'No it would not be funny.' Came the voice of Kyoya from somewhere at the front of the plane, proving once more that he was some kind of supernatural being. Or that he had bugged the plane so he could keep an eye on the two demons that were frozen above me in shock. 'Clearly you two have no idea of the amount of security in effect at these airports. They don't much care for tom-foolery. And neither do I for that matter. So I'd ask you both to, for once, be on your best behaviour. At least until we're out of the airport.'
But as we finally rolled into the gate and the fasten seatbelt sign came off Tamaki woke up with a start, his mask comically askew, effectively ending any prank the twins had decided to play on him anyway. And so I sighed with relief that I wouldn't have to put up with any kind of security-related incident. Turning to the sleepy leader of our gang, I smiled shyly, excitement bubbling in my chest as he grinned dozily back at me and the voice of the upper-class captain echoed about the plane.
'This is your captain speaking, welcome to London, the time is now six P.M and, though it's summer, there's still a bit of a chill- so jackets and cardigans are suggested! We hope you have a wonderful trip!'
After we had gone through passport control and baggage claim the twins, Tamaki and Huni-Sempai insisted on ordering black cabs to the hotel, and I must admit there was something quite interesting about those oddly shaped cars that looked far larger on the inside than they did on the outside. Though they weren't big enough to hold all of us, so there I was, sharing a taxi with Tamaki and Kyoya. This was quite interesting, considering every three seconds Tamaki would point out something 'fascinating' (this started with the rabbits that hung around the green areas of the airport) and Kyoya would point out facts about the area. Facts that I knew anyway, considering I read a studied a guide to England before I left.
'Haruhi, Haruhi! Look! Look at that! Look at all those lights! How amazing is that?' Tamaki yelled excitedly pulling me towards his window so hard that he almost dislocated my arm.
'Oh!' I gasped, as we drove around a large roundabout full of traffic that almost rivalled Tokyo. 'It's Piccadilly Circus, I read about it in the tour guide. Those lights never go off, even in the daytime.'
'Really?' He replied pressing his face against the glass. 'There's a circus here? Oh we have to go! I want to see the trapeze artists and fire eaters!'
'It's not an actual circus Tamaki; it's just what they call the area.' I replied trying not to laugh at the disappointed look on his face. 'It's the same with another place in London called Oxford Circus.'
'Well they shouldn't call it a circus, if it's not a circus. That could get confusing!' He argued, his eyes still not leaving the large lit-up moving signs even as we drove past them.
'Yes, as I'm to understand it, London is filled with angry confused performance artists.' Kyoya replied from the front seat. 'Anyway we're almost at the hotel, which is good because we have a table reserved in the dinner in a couple of hours. We need time to get dressed.'
'What's wrong with what we're wearing now?' I asked frowning. I knew the Ritz was a fancy hotel, of course it would have to be but did we need to dress like we were going to a ball?
According to Kyoya we did. 'Haruhi, The Ritz is one of the most prominent, highest rated hotels in the world. It is considered a London landmark and as such, has very high standards. And that includes a strict no-jeans dress code.'
'But I don't have anything formal to wear, even after my dad repacked.' I blinked, a little surprised and slightly worried.
'The twins had some of their mothers latest gowns shipped over for you to wear.'
Somehow this wasn't as comforting to me as Kyoya expected it to be.
'Oh we're here.' Kyoya continued as we stopped outside the pretty, soft lit hotel. The front of which was separated by three archways, each had signs saying either 'Ritz Hotel' 'Ritz Restaurant' or 'Ritz Club' over them in huge sparkling letters. The other four were waiting for us underneath the Hotel sign and, as we met up with them (after I managed to drag Tamaki away from the pretty lights) Kyoya spoke again. 'By the way, since it was such short notice, the signature suites were all taken, but I suppose that's all for the best, since now we each have our own rooms. We still managed to book a Piccadilly Suite each, which was a bit of a feat considering how sought after the rooms are.'
This was all starting to make me dizzy. Fancy hotels, expensive suites, dress codes and glittering lights-
All I wanted to do was go to Hokkaido.
But, I wasn't going to complain about the needless expense. They all seemed too happy and upbeat, so much so that it was hard to think about how I would have been happy with a simple cheap day trip. And I was pretty much used to them getting carried away by now-
I guess I'd come a long way, both literally and figuratively.
After we'd checked in, me with my one large suitcase paling in comparison to the million bags the rest of the club had come with (did they think we were moving here or something?), and I'd gotten my own key card, a suited man came over to me- smiling- and asked me, in fluent Japanese if I needed help with my bag. I gaped and nodded with thanks as he took my luggage off me and before I knew it, all the bags had disappeared and I could finally see the hotel lobby.
I walked around, staring at the grand staircase and the circular room we were all in, with insane amounts of white and pink flowers in large ornate vases, the plush red rugs and the white marble walls.
If this was just the lobby I wonder how fancy my room is?
'I'm being shown to my suite now, but I'll pick you up for dinner in an hour ok?' Tamaki came up to me with a warm smile which made my heart flutter in a way that I still wasn't used to.
I blushed and nodded 'okay.'
He looked down at me for a few moment, as if he were debating something, and quickly kissed my cheek before hurrying away, but not fast enough to notice how red his face had gotten. It probably matched my own. After all, though we had been officially dating for a few months now, and had confessed our love for each other, we still weren't used to public displays of affection.
I was interrupted from my musings when two pairs of arms wrapped around my shoulders, and a feeling of utter dread sunk in.
'Hey Haruhi.' Hikaru whispered in my ear.
'What now?' I asked, I was tired, I think the term was jet-lagged, and I just wanted to nap before dinner. I didn't want to have to listen to the twins' evil ideas.
'We have a surprise for you.' Kaoru explained whispering in my other year.
'Oh great.' I replied flatly. 'Do I even want to know what it is?'
'Hmm well someone's certainly ungrateful aren't the Hikaru?' Kaoru replied as they both continued their mirror act, this time stepping in front of me, looking saddened and shaking their heads.
'Yes, we're arranging a makeover for you at the Ritz Salon-'
'-Out of the goodness of our hearts-'
'-And you act so heartless towards us-'
'-All we did was care-'
Before they got the tissues and violins out, I sighed and shook my head 'ok guys, knock it off. Thank you for the makeover, and the whole outfit thing. I'm grateful, really, but I don't think I need it.'
'Haruhi, Haruhi, Haruhi' the twins said simultaneously, as they replaced their arms around my shoulders 'ah sweet, naive Haruhi, we've already booked the Salon privately for you to use for half an hour.'
'Eh?'
'They don't usually open in the evenings, but they opened specifically for you. In fact, here come your maids now.'
'EH?'
'Have fun!' They waved as I was ushered to the nearby elevators and I found myself thinking that, if I wasn't in such a fancy hotel, the twins would have been receiving death threats right now.
My suite was twice the size of my apartment. And a million times more expensively furnished.
I gazed in wonder at the soft carpets, the flowery extra-cushioned chairs and sofas, the cream marble fireplace with the gold embellishments along the walls, the tiny mahogany coffee tables, the thickly draped curtains. The bed was plush and softer than a cloud, I had my own bathroom, with a gold-embossed bath, and two sinks. Why on earth did I need two sinks?
I moved to the window, shuffling in the floor-length dress the twins had provided me. The triple-glazing blocked out any noise from the traffic below, I saw a red bus drive past and instantly thought of Tamaki. How would he react when he saw me like this? The beauticians had done all these bizarre treatments on my face, my hands, and my hair. Things called exfoliation, a Renew Rose hand treatment, deep hair conditioning and styling. By the time they had finished, I barely recognised myself. I certainly looked better than I had ever done before.
It was a weird feeling, wondering if I looked good enough to see my boyfriend. Only a year ago I wouldn't have thought twice about how I looked. I stared at myself in the mirror. The person reflected had her cropped hair elegantly tousled, a pink rose pinned into it. Her makeup was very lightly added, only a light sheen of lip gloss and a tiny dusting of shimmery eye shadow. Her dress was, of course, a light baby pink- the twins' favourite colour for her for some reason. It was held up by two thin spaghetti straps. Elegant, but strangely simple for the twins. The top hugged the mirror-girls body softly before fanning out slightly when it reached the hips. The dress came with a matching gossamer wrap which was currently draped over the mirror-girls shoulders.
Yup, I thought, shaking my head with disbelief I'm sure I won't be mistaken for a boy anytime soon...well I hope so I guess.
A knock at the door and my heart leapt into my throat. My nervousness surprised even myself and I ungracefully fumbled with the key card to my room with slightly trembling hands, trying to get it into the small clutch bag the twins had given me (which was also pink to match my already pinching heels- why couldn't they have just given me flats to wear?). I moved towards the door, reaching for the handle and noticed my hand was still trembling. At this I became a little angry with myself, what did it matter anyway- if he didn't like the way I looked tonight? There was another, more urgent sounding knock and, as I heard Tamaki's muffled worrying call of my name, I realised that I needed to get a hold of myself. I wasn't like one of our fan girl guests after all. Besides, even if I was dressed in a bin bag, I'm sure Tamaki wouldn't care.
Actually scratch that he'd probably start crying about how lonely and destitute I looked. Then make a reference to a soap opera or fairytale.
After another knock on the door- and a slightly more unsure sounding 'Haruhi- are you there?'- I grasped the door handle and threw back the door defiantly.
'Oh there you are Haruhi, I was starting to get wor...ried' I looked up at Tamaki, who still towered over me despite my heels. He was wearing a dark grey- almost black suit with a silvery-violet tie that brought out the colour of his eyes. I noticed that no matter what he did to his hair, some of those golden locks always fell into his eyes. I liked that.
'Um...hi' I said shyly when he didn't say anything else. He continued staring at me, his mouth open. I shuffled from foot to foot I knew it was too much pink.
When he finally came to his senses, he coughed awkwardly 'Hi.'
I fumbled with my wrap, looking down at myself. Did I really look so silly that he was rendered speechless? Was I going to embarrass him? I frowned. After all, he embarrassed me on a regular- almost constant- basis. So what did it matter, really?
Still, I couldn't help the fact that my heart had sunk a little, since his reaction. Even as he offered me his arm and led me downstairs with a light blush dusting his cheeks.
The dinner went by without a hitch, though I wasn't used to seeing everyone dressed in suits. Our school uniform was smart for sure, but there was something odd about seeing everyone looking so...professional. They all looked good of course; some of the club suited the smart style perfectly, like Mori and Kyoya and of course Tamaki. But on others the suits looked strange, like Huni and especially the twins.
What was even more surprising wasn't the fact that everyone was dressed to the nines- or whatever that expression was- it was that everyone was acting so well. Even Hikaru and Kaoru seemed to realise that this was a place to behave. So there we sat, making idle chatter about school and what everyone was excited to see and do in London, where we'd be for three days before heading to Scotland. Hikaru mentioned something about a place called the London Dungeons. I didn't know what the London Dungeons were (it hadn't come up in my travel guide) and I was pretty sure I never wanted to know.
The odd thing was that Tamaki barely spoke to me throughout the night, but I caught him staring in between my disputes with the twins. By the end of the night, I was pretty disheartened and fed up. So much so I almost felt tears riling up in my throat. I couldn't believe it, how could I be feeling so vulnerable, just because my boyfriend didn't like the way I was dressing? Could I have been more stupid? Everyone else had complimented me, after all. Their opinions mattered to me.
Just, apparently, not as much as Tamaki's.
How did this happen? I thought as Tamaki pretty much wordlessly escorted me back to my room- throwing asinine comments about the exquisite dinner service (his words not mine) and how he was looking forward to something or other. I nodded and agreed instinctively, not really listening. How did I go from not caring what I looked like, not caring what anyone thought of me, to being so affected by one person's opinion of me? Especially when that person's such a total and complete idiot!
At this point Renge's image popped into my head, dancing around and declaring with a high pitched squeal 'It's because he's your boooyfriend! It's because you fell in lo-ove!' and I buried my head in my hands with a groan just as we reached my door.
'Haruhi?' Tamaki asked gently 'is there something wrong?'
'No' I lied looking up at him. He blushed and looked away, and I found myself becoming more irrationally fed up. He couldn't even look at me? Was it really that bad? So before he could say anything else- though he probably wasn't going to anyway- I pulled out my card key from my purse and said a curt goodnight, before slamming the door shut behind me.
I rested my back against the door and sighed, trying to fight the tears that were threatening to well up and just wanting to get out of this stupid dress and go to bed. Maybe it was because I was tired from travelling that I felt so emotional.
Just before I went to move away from the door there was a knock. I answered it, perplexed, wondering if it was the twins- finally giving up their facade and inviting me to take part in some annoying prank. Or to prank me.
Instead I once more came face to face with Tamaki.
'Is something wro-' I started but was cut off.
'Haruhi! I'm so sorry! I'm sorry I didn't talk to you all evening! I didn't mean it! You must have thought I was ignoring you! I wasn't! It's just, seeing you...and you looked...and I didn't...'
'What are you saying?' I replied exasperatedly feeling a sudden headache coming on.
'Well, I was trying to tell you all night, I just didn't know how, I mean you just- you look really...well...you look so beautiful.'
I was pretty sure my jaw line hit the floor. 'Huh?'
'And I was trying to tell you, but every time I looked at you, you took my breath away and I couldn't say anything- and now you probably hate me and I'M SO SORRY!' He yelled the last part, gripping my shoulders with tears in his eyes.
'Shh! You idiot! Are you crazy? You'll wake everyone up!' I whispered grabbing his hands and taking them off my shoulders, but not letting go of them. 'Come on, let's go for a walk, if you want to scream your apologies, let's go somewhere you won't cause untold amounts of complaints.'
'So- um- you really think I look- you know- beautiful tonight?' I asked after we had spent a few moments in silence, walking down the streets back towards Piccadilly Circus. Because it was summer, although it was getting late, it was still only at that point of the evening where the sun was half-finished setting, and its light didn't meet certain places. The lights of Piccadilly glowed, the Cola sign at the top flashed and whizzed, making my tired eyes hurt. So I turned back to Tamaki with a tentative look.
He seemed to have gotten over his shyness after his initial outburst- and took my hand in his, looking at me in earnest. But that was Tamaki, his moods changed faster than an ice cream melts in the midday sun. It could be tiring at times but, as I'd become used to it, as I'd come to love him- I realised that his constant mood changing was almost...fun.
'I would never lie to you about something like that.' He said looking at me with warmth in his intriguing violet eyes. 'Haruhi, I think you're the most beautiful girl in the world. But tonight, you look even more beautiful than I've ever seen you.'
Heat rushed up to my face and the happiness I felt at what he said was more than I could express. So I squeezed his hand and replied 'really? Then- you're kind of weird.'
He chuckled 'Yeah but weird in an oddly enticing way right?' he grinned with his trademark Host Club wink. I laughed.
'No you're just weird.' We looked at each other for a few moments, smiling at each other, before Tamaki moved closer to me and I had to tilt my head back so that I could still see him. He leaned in and cupped a hand over my cheek, gently stroking it with his thumb. The warmth that spread through my body, tickling my toes and making my brain go hazy, caused me to close my eyes and lean more closely into his touch as he lightly pressed his lips to my own. It was amazing, how one moment I could be so annoyed with him, the next second he could amaze me, and the next how all I wanted was for him to kiss me.
And that's when I realised, not only did I watch Tamaki's mood changes but I reacted to them, and changed my reactions to them as quickly as his mood switched. It wasn't something I planned; it was something that occurred naturally when I was with him.
Maybe we weren't the typical opposites-that-attract couple. Maybe I was more like him than I thought.
When we stopped kissing he rested his forehead against my own.
'I like your eyes.' I thought aloud. Then blushed when I realised I had actually said that. He gave a light laugh and beamed at me.
'You know, I read that there's a park near here, it's called St James' Park and you can see Buckingham Palace from there.'
And just like that, he was alight with his childish glee once again. 'Really? Oh I want to see Buckingham Palace! Where is the park?'
'It's down there, the road past the statue.' I gestured knowing where this was going before he grabbed my hand and dragged we in the direction I had pointed.
'Well come on then let's go!'
'Ah Tamaki, my dress!' I cried stumbling over the hem. Tamaki turned, lifted me up and carried me piggy-back style. And off we went, down the road full of cafes, and nightclubs where tourists were gathered. As we went past, they began taking photographs of the strange Japanese couple, impeccably dressed- one of them torn between crying out in protest and laughing hysterically, as she was carried by the Host Club King- who at that moment in time wanted nothing more than to see the Queen of England's house with his favourite commoner.
And that's the first chapter! Please review, I'd love to hear feedback! I hope they were all in character! As you've probably guessed, Tamaki and Haruhi are a pretty new couple (I based this after recent events in the manga) so I thought they wouldn't be completely confident around each other in the romantic sense just yet, but they're getting there! I hope that came across, I want this to be believable XD so please review!