Chapter Text
Ouran Academy, an elite private school for the richest of family's children to attend. And in Music Room 3 can be found the Ouran High School Host Club - a club where handsome boys with too much time on their hands entertains beautiful ladies who also have too much time on their hands.
Months ago, the host club added their newest member: Haruhi Fujioka. She was the only girl in the club, disguised as a boy to pay off her debt. She was a hit with the ladies, and she really didn't mind it.
~
The Host Club was buzzing with activity today. Tamaki was entertaining a group of ladies, the twins were going on with their normal act, Honey was eating cake with Mori silently next to him, and Kyoya was busy handling finances. It was just as it usually was. Even the sun was shining brightly.
However, for Haruhi, things had been different lately. For the past couple of weeks, she had suffered from fatigue. She brushed it off as losing too much sleep or maybe an oncoming cold, but it felt unnatural.
She didn't even know why she showed up to school today. Her cheeks were a splotchy, bright red color, and her temperature was running higher than usual. This morning, she didn't think skipping school was worth risking her scholarship, but now? She could barely stay upright.
"Haruhi? Haruhi, are you okay?"
She didn't even realize she had spaced out. The three ladies in front of her were watching her with concern. The one on the left had put her hand on Haruhi's forehead and then mumbled something to the girl in the middle, who ran to Tamaki.
"I'm fine, just a little tired," She mumbled, trying to brush away the girls' concern, but it was too late. Tamaki ran straight to her, along with the rest of the boys.
"My dearest Haruhi! That young lady said you were running a fever!" He immediately, but gently, placed his hand on her forehead. She was too tired to roll her eyes at him, which was out of character for her.
"I'm fine, senpai, I promise." She couldn't get anyone to listen to her. The twins were whispering to each other about how terrible she looked. Kyouya was writing something down, as usual.
"Actually, I wouldn't say you're fine. You've looked exhausted for at least two weeks, and now you're coming with a fever. You should be getting rest." He adjusted his glasses on his nose, which glared in the light.
Tamaki immediately nodded in agreement, taking her hand. "We should end the Host Club for today. It seems our Haruhi is sick. He should return in no time with proper rest!" he reassured the group of ladies, who all had at least a hint of concern for Haruhi in their eyes as they left the room. Tamaki guided Haruhi to lay down on the sofa, and she followed because she was too lethargic to protest.
Once everyone filed out of the room, the members of the Host Club surrounded the sofa she laid on. They were all visibly worried, except for Kyouya, who seemed more calculating.
"How do you get home from school?" Tamaki kneeled down beside her, brushing her hair out of her forehead. Tamaki had dropped all dramatics and was only focused on her and the state she was in. Haruhi closed her eyes slowly, curling up.
"I.. take the train, and then walk the rest of the way," She responded tiredly. She opened her eyes to see Tamaki frowning. He shook his head; his blonde hair covered his eyes.
"Let me take you home, please. You can't walk or even take public transport in this state."
It was the last thing she heard before she fell asleep.
~
When she had woken up again, she was lying down in the backseat of a vehicle. Her head rested in Tamaki's lap, and he was gently caressing her hair. He looked down at her when she stirred.
"I didn't want to wake you up. Don't worry, we're almost to your apartment."
She only had enough strength to nod, and then closed her eyes again.
Sure, Haruhi had her bad days, but Tamaki had never seen her like this before. If these past few weeks were a preview for what it's like when she gets a cold or fever, he wanted to protect her with every fiber in his body. His worry for her was eating at him; he knew the others felt the same.
Once his chauffeur pulled up to her apartment complex, he carried Haruhi out of the car and fished her keys out of her bag to let them in. He didn't want to wake her up. Despite how feverish she was, she looked peaceful while she was sleeping. And seeing how tired she's been the past couple of weeks, he figured she needed this. She felt light as a feather, and her skin was warm.
Tamaki laid her gently in her bed and brushed the hair out of her forehead to place an ice pack on it to help bring her temperature down, and after rummaging through her kitchen, he made a warm tea for when she wakes up. In his experience, tea always helped him get over illnesses. He glanced over his shoulder once before reluctantly leaving her alone.
~
When Haruhi woke up once again, the sun had set, and she could hear her dad's voice. She couldn't even remember how she got home, but she assumed her dad had something to do with the cup of tea on her nightstand and the melted ice pack that fell from her forehead when she sat up.
Her door was ajar and light from the hallway was filtering into her dark room. She heard her dad pacing, his voice hushed but speaking nonetheless, probably on the phone with someone.
She forced herself out of bed despite her achy and sore body just to see what was happening. When her dad saw her, he dropped the phone and held her in his arms, concerned.
"Hey, baby. Your friends called me and said you had a fever. How do you feel?" He asked, examining every bit of her. He looked scared. He was always scared for Haruhi after Kotoko passed away.
She groaned and laid her forehead on his shoulder. "Sucky. My body aches, I have a headache, and I feel lightheaded." She murmured tiredly. She didn't feel any better from earlier. Ryouji rubbed her back, but that's all he could offer her; She never liked to eat when she was sick.
He spent the rest of the night with her and tried everything he learned as a father to try to alleviate her symptoms as much as he could. He also took the following day off of work when her symptoms proved to be getting worse.
Haruhi missed a week of school.