Work Text:
Haruhi hummed to herself as she organized the papers she had haphazardly tossed across her desk over the course of her day. Her law practice had really increased in popularity since her latest victory. She had been in and out of meetings for most of the day and was glad to be done. Haruhi loved her work and wouldn’t change it for the world, but it was quite exhausting, especially in her current condition.
A soft knock on Haruhi’s open door caused her to look up. Her assistant stood waiting with a bright smile. “Your husband is here, Fujioka-sama!” the young man chimed.
Haruhi returned his smile with significantly less vigor. “I told you, you don’t need to call me that, Osamu-kun. Haruhi is just fine.” She stuffed her slightly neater stack of papers into her filing cabinet and locked it before gathering her things.
“Thank you for working hard today. I’ll see you on Monday, alright?” Haruhi offered her assistant a slight wave before heading out. A few colleagues peeked out of their office to say goodbye as she moved through the building. The office had once belonged to her mentor who had left it to Haruhi upon retiring. Normally Haruhi would be one of the last ones out of the building at the end of the day, but everything was changing.
A fancy car was parked out front, the driver waiting to open her door. Though it was starting to get cold outside, the interior of the car was toasty warm. The driver took Haruhi’s bag as she settled into the heated seat, letting out a contented sigh.
“Long day?” Haruhi turned a bit to look at Hikaru.
“Not too bad,” she replied, resting her head against the seat.
Hikaru gave her a skeptical look. “You look pretty tired. You sure?” His skepticism changed quickly to concern. “I hope you’re taking it easy like you promised. I know you want to keep working, but-”
Haruhi chuckled, shaking her head. “Everything is fine, Hikaru. You sound like Tamaki-senpai. I’m pregnant, not dying.” She placed a hand on her stomach that had rounded considerably as she approached the end of her second trimester.
Hikaru pouted, crossing his arms. “I’m nothing like that big idiot. Take it back!”
Haruhi rolled her eyes, changing the topic. “Is Kaoru still coming for dinner?” she asked, adjusting a bit. The seat was comfortable, being a luxury car and all, but her feet and back still hurt.
When they arrived at their house, Hikaru hopped out to open her door. Haruhi didn’t care for all of the extra attention but it made Hikaru so happy to help her so she tolerated it.
“It looks like he’s already here,” Hikaru commented, gesturing toward a parked car as they made their way into the house.
One of their staff members was waiting just inside the door. “Welcome home Hitachiin-sama, Fujioka-sama. Your brother is waiting in the lounge.”
“Thank you,” Haruhi replied as the young woman helped Haruhi with her coat. Haruhi then led the way to the lounge, Hikaru close behind. She glanced at her husband and smiled. “I remember a time you would have pushed me out of the way to get to Kaoru.”
Hikaru frowned, acting offended. “I don’t know what you’re talking about-”
“The haunted house?” Haruhi offered as a perfect example. “Back in highschool when we got caught in that net? The moment I got us free you raced off without a second thought!”
A bit of pink colored Hikaru’s cheeks. “I-I didn’t push you..” he grumbled, looking abashed.
“I’m just teasing,” Haruhi laughed as they arrived at their destination.
Kaoru was splayed out on one of the sofas, immersed in a video game on the large television.
“Oh, man! You got the new one?” Hikaru raced over to his brother, shoving him to make room on the couch, and picked up the second controller.
“Hi, Haruhi!” Kaoru greeted his sister-in-law, offering her a grin and a wave before returning his attention to his brother.
While the two began to excitedly talk about the game, Haruhi checked her phone. She wasn’t overly fond of using technology for everything but Kaoru had set up a website for the upcoming babyshower and Haruhi was curious as to who had RSVP’d. The event was still two months away but Haruhi liked knowing what was going on. Kaoru had done all the planning so the guest list was the only part Haruhi was responsible for, at her request.
The guest list was quite long, much to Haruhi’s chagrin. Aside from family and friends, certain business associates had been given invitations, totalling at nearly 120 people. Even more annoyingly, most of the people invited had already responded ‘yes’. All of the people who were important to Haruhi had replied so she was satisfied and closed the app.
The twins continued to be consumed by their game while Haruhi watched. No matter how many years passed, Hikaru and Kaoru were still the silly highschool boys that Haruhi had grown to love. Watching them play and bicker always brought a smile to her face. Haruhi relaxed into the chair, reclining it back to prop up her sore feet.
When Haruhi’s eyes opened next, it was already dark outside. The twins were bickering about some aspect of their game and it seemed that Hikaru had quit. Haruhi sat up, stretching her arms above her head and yawning wide. The movement caught the brothers’ attention.
“Oh, hey, goodmorning!” Kaoru teased, setting down his controller.
“Do you want something to eat?” Hikaru asked, moving to sit at her feet. He lifted one gently and began to rub it.
Haruhi sighed contentedly, leaning her head back again. “Sure. Do we have pizza?”
“We can order one from that one place you like!” Kaoru suggested, retrieving his phone. “I’ll order!”
When the food had been finished and the movie had concluded, Kaoru said his goodbyes. Hikaru offered, like always, to have a guest room made up for his twin but, like always, Kaoru declined. Haruhi couldn’t be sure but it seemed that Kaoru had been trying to distance himself a bit from Hikaru. They were both adults now, and moving in different directions. They were still as close as ever, but things had changed a lot since high school.
Haruhi was glad to finally crawl into bed. Hikaru curled up behind her. He placed his hand gently on her stomach and kissed her cheek. “Goodnight. I love you.”
“I love you too,” Haruhi mumbled, already drifting off to sleep.
Over the course of the next two weeks, Haruhi had a lot of work to do, both at work and at home. She had originally wanted to work right up to her due date but both Hikaru and her doctor had advised against that, and Haruhi didn’t argue. They had agreed that she could go into the office until she was around six months into the pregnancy, but then she would work from home. Haruhi had to make sure everything was all set to run smoothly while she was away, especially because she would be completely gone, not even working from home, for a few weeks once the baby was born.
On the last work day of that second week, Haruhi’s staff surprised her with a little party at the end of the day. She was given gifts and cards, and someone ordered a cake. While it was nice, Haruhi wasn’t overly interested in being the center of attention, so she was thankful when Hikaru arrived to pick her up. Her assistant helped bring everything she was given out to the car.
“Thank you, Osamu-kun,” Haruhi said as her driver opened her door. “Please continue to do good work for me, okay?”
Osamu’s eyes watered up as he nodded. “I-I promise! Please take care of yourself!”
Haruhi laughed softly, waving goodbye to her soft hearted assistant as the car rolled away. “He’s a good kid,” she sighed to herself, smiling.
“A little too clingy if you ask me.” Haruhi glanced at her husband who was pouting, arms crossed.
Haruhi grinned at him, shaking her head. “Are you really still acting jealous? After all this time?” she teased him.
Hikaru huffed, looking away. Haruhi placed her hand on arm and he relaxed a bit at her touch.
“Do you remember our first date, Hikaru?” she asked, trying to distract him. Hikaru was difficult to deal with as he usually was, but he was much worse when he was in a mood. “Our first real date, not the time in Karuizawa.”
“You didn’t like Karuizawa?” Hikaru asked, glancing at her, his arms uncrossing. “I thought it was nice.”
“You abandoned me in a thunderstorm because you were jealous,” Haruhi deadpanned, glaring at him. The day had started nice, sure, but the end had been memorable in a not so good way.
Hikaru cringed under her gaze. “Ah, yeah, well, I didn’t mean that part…” he mumbled. “But yes. I remember our first date like it was yesterday. You thought it was a joke at first, remember?”
“Can you blame me?” Haruhi shot back. “You and Kaoru did nothing but tease me in highschool.”
“Ah, but you’re so fun to tease,” Hikaru purred, leaning toward her, mischief gleaming in his eyes.
Haruhi swatted him away, unable to hide her smile. “I knew it wasn’t a joke the moment you showed up alone. I really had expected Kaoru to show up too.”
“Well, that wouldn’t really be a date,” Hikaru laughed, leaning back. “It was a very nice day, though. Kaoru helped me plan it.”
“I know,” Haruhi interjected. “He told me that the next day. He didn’t want you to get all the credit.”
Hikaru blushed a bit. “I can plan dates just fine on my own,” he grumbled. “And he didn’t plan the whole thing. I picked the restaurant.”
“And it was a very nice restaurant,” Haruhi confirmed, holding his hand. “You always pick such nice places to take me.”
“Though, if I remember right, that date didn’t have a wonderful ending either,” Hikaru noted. “I was dropping you off, and I kissed you, right as your dad opened the door.”
Haruhi laughed. “He probably would have strangled you if you hadn’t run away so fast.”
“Well of course I ran! Ranka is terrifying! But at least he liked me before that, so it wasn’t too hard to get back into his good grace.”
“Yeah, unlike Tamaki,” Haruhi agreed. “I think my dad still doesn’t like him. Oh, did you hear? Tamaki is finally becoming the owner of his family’s business. It’s taken long enough.”
The two gossiped as they headed home, happy and relaxed. Those feelings were short lived, though. When they got home, it was time to get back to work. The baby shower was four weeks away, so a lot of details needed to be decided or confirmed. And a month or so after that, they would officially be parents. Haruhi had experienced a bit of the whole “nesting” thing, but the nursery was far from finished, and they still hadn’t decided on a name.
“I really don’t see a difference between these, Hikaru,” Haruhi groaned, dropping the magazine onto her lap. She was seated on the floor, legs stretched out, surrounded by images and catalogs. “Why can’t gray just mean gray? Why do there have to be so many shades?”
Hikaru snatched the magazine away. “There are clear differences. See? Look at these two. Nothing alike!” he argued, trying to show her. Of course, Hikaru was a designer, so seeing these differences was second nature. “But either way, this one is the best for what we’re doing.”
“Why don’t you just pick everything?” she complained. “I’m hungry.”
“I did all the planning for the wedding, Kaoru took care of the baby shower, so the least you can do is help with the nursery.” It was clear that Hikaru was trying not to get irritated. “I’ll just give you some options and you can pick, okay? I’ll narrow it down?” he offered. “And we’ll get you something to eat too. What is it this time?”
“Cake,” Haruhi answered without missing a beat. “And fried chicken.”
Hikaru couldn’t help but smile. “Of course, my love.”
Once Haruhi had food in front of her, she was far more willing to cooperate. “That one for sure,” she decided confidently, pointing at one of the three crib options Hikaru had selected.
“Great. I’ll put that into the yes piles then… Okay! We actually got some stuff accomplished. Want to be done for tonight?”
Haruhi shook her head. “We should go over the checklist Kaoru made for the babyshower. It’s getting close to being done, right?”
Hikaru pulled the list up on his phone. “Ah, well, more or less…” he chuckled. “Here’s something easy. What kind of desserts do you want? When we decide that, all of the food will be taken care of, so that would be good.”
“Dessert, huh?” Haruhi mused, thinking. She had eaten more desserts in the past few months than she had in her entire life. Haruhi wasn’t really a fan of sweets, which everyone knew, but her entire diet had been in disarray with her changing body. “What about a variety, like at the wedding? And a lot of chocolate. Oh, and strawberry flavor.”
“Of course, anything for you,” Hikaru replied, making a note on his phone. “You know, the babyshower will be here before you know it.”
And so it was. Despite being stuck at home, with occasional outings that mostly had to do with planning for the baby, the time really flew by. Haruhi found working from home to be possibly more productive than having to go into the office. There was no commute time, no gross office coffee, and no distractions. Aside from work, Haruhi busied herself not only with baby preparations but also with the Hitachiin family business. While the twins certainly followed in their mother’s footsteps, their father’s technology company still needed attention. All of that filled her days along with doctor appointments and getting required amounts of rest.
Haruhi could hardly believe how quickly time was moving. The arrival of the baby shower meant she was just about six weeks from her due date. The morning of the party, Haruhi could hardly get out of bed. She was not looking forward to hosting such a big event. Her wedding to Hikaru had been much larger, with nearly 500 guests, so she wasn’t that overwhelmed, but it was stressful regardless. A few staff members helped Haruhi get ready, brushing a bit of makeup onto her face and doing a little something with her hair. When she was ready, it was 10:00AM which was exactly on schedule. Hikaru was ready and waiting by the door. They arrived on time, too, which helped Haruhi to relax a bit more.
“Hey guys!” Kaoru greeted them as they entered the venue. The large room had been decorated wonderfully. Kaoru had chosen an English tea garden theme so everything was very elegant, but not over done, with lots of flowers and floral patterns. He had also been careful not to use too much pink or blue, as requested by Haruhi. She was firmly against the idea of gendered colors and activities. She and Hikaru had also chosen not to reveal too much information other than that Haruhi was pregnant and that Hikaru was responsible.
Haruhi followed Kaoru as he showed her around. Everything looked really nice; it was clear that Kaoru had put a lot of work into planning.
“And this is where you and Hikaru will sit!” Kaoru finished, stopping at a smaller table that still seemed way too big for two people.
“Just the two of us?” she clarified, staring at the two chairs and two plates.
Kaoru nodded. “Yep! With enough room for you to put smaller presents or extra plates or whatever. I wanted to make sure you could spread out if you wanted.”
Haruhi smiled warmly and hugged him. “Thank you, Kaoru. I can’t express how much this all means to me. Thank you for always being there to help.” Through every step, Kaoru was always there, ready to lend a hand. It felt good to have so much support.
Kaoru wrapped his arms around her, giving her a squeeze. “You better not start crying on me,” he teased, kissing her hair. “I’m so happy for you two.”
As Kaoru helped her take her seat, Hikaru joined them. “I think guests are starting to arrive,” he noted. The brothers were in matching attire, as per usual.
Kaoru frowned, checking the time on his phone. “They’re letting people in ten minutes early? I need to go deal with this,” he sighed, heading toward the doors, probably to yell at someone. Kaoru didn’t have much of a temper, especially compared to Hikaru, but he was protective of his brother and sister-in-law.
“Are you happy?”
Haruhi glanced at her husband, a bit confused. “Huh? Why wouldn’t I be?”
Hikaru shrugged, smiling awkwardly. “I just wanted to make sure. I know today probably isn’t exactly what you would have planned…”
“It’s perfect,” Haruhi reassured him, taking his hand. While he was correct that she would have done a few things differently, especially when considering the size of the event, that wasn’t something Haruhi was bothered by. Though she wouldn’t tell Hikaru or Kaoru, Haruhi wouldn’t have minded not having a shower at all.
The first guests began to pour in through the entrance and Hikaru gave Haruhi a quick kiss before going to join Kaoru. The majority of the guests were there to see them, after all. Twenty or so of the over a hundred guests were there because of Haruhi. Haruhi watched as the twins darted around, greeting each guest, reverting back to their hosting skills. Of course, unlike when they had been members of the host club, there was no reference to ‘brotherly love’.
“Haru-chan!” Haruhi looked in the direction of the familiar voice to see Hunny-senpai racing toward her. “Haru-chan! You look so pretty!”
“Thanks, senpai,” Haruhi greeted him with a smile. “I’m glad you were able to make it. How have you been?”
“Oh, not too bad. Chika-chan has finally taken over the family business so I’ve been able to focus on what I want to do!” Despite years having passed since they were clubmates, Hunny hadn’t changed much. He was taller, nearly six feet tall, but his personality was very much the same.
Before Haruhi had a chance to reply, more guests began to swarm her. Haruhi tried her best to greet and welcome each one, hoping she got everyone’s names correct. Among both her own and Hikaru’s business connections, and a variety of family friends, Haruhi was pleased to see other former Host Club members, and of course her father.
When Ryoji made his way through the crowd around the head table, his eyes were already full of tears. “Oh my sweet daughter!” He wrapped his arms tightly around Haruhi, holding her close.
Haruhi smiled, returning her father’s affection. “Jeeze, dad, why are you crying again?” she teased.
Ranka took half a step back, rubbing at his eyes. “I’m sorry, Haruhi. You just look so beautiful! I can’t believe my little girl is about to have a little one of her own!”
“It’s great to see you, Ranka,” Hikaru greeted his father-in-law, stepping up beside his wife, with a charming host smile.
“Yes, yes, you too, Hikaru,” Ryoji responded dismissively, still concentrating on his daughter. “How are you feeling, Haruhi? Is he taking care of you? Do you need anything? You know, you can always come home.”
Hikaru looked a bit embarrassed, quietly excusing himself to interact with other guests.
Haruhi frowned at her father. “Why do you always have to mess with him?”
Ranka held his hands up, shrinking a bit. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It’s just so easy!” he laughed. “I’ll be nice, I promise.”
After Ryoji moved to speak with Hikaru again, Tamaki quickly took his place. “Haruhi! Congratulations!” As usual, he was way too loud and far too energetic.
“You’ve known for months. Stop being so dramatic,” Kyouya deadpanned as he stepped up beside Tamaki. “Hello, Haruhi. It’s good to see you.”
Haruhi grinned. She always loved how the two of them interacted. “You too, senpai. Thank you both for coming.” She continued to smile to herself as Kyouya dragged Tamaki to their seats.
“Hello everyone! Thank you all for coming!” Kaoru’s voice sounded over the noise of the crowd as he spoke into a microphone. Haruhi and Hikaru took their seats again, as did their guests as Kaoru continued to welcome everyone. Moments later, staff began to appear, bringing plates and drinks around to the tables.
Everything looked good, but Haruhi didn’t have much of an appetite. Her nerves were settling a bit, but she was still experiencing quite a bit of stress. This was a big event, after all. So far everything was going well, but there was still a lot of time remaining.
“You okay?” Hikaru asked softly, noticing she hadn’t eaten anything.
Haruhi nodded, not wanting him to worry. “I’m just not hungry.”
Hikaru looked far from convinced but didn’t press her.
A while later, Kaoru joined them. His smile dropped when he saw Haruhi’s untouched food. “What’s wrong?”
“She said she’s not hungry,” Hikaru interjected. The twins shared a look before turning their gazes on Haruhi again.
“Well anyway, are you guys ready to open presents? While you’re doing that, dessert will be served, so by the time you’re done, everything should be wrapping up!” Kaoru looked quite pleased with himself and his planning skills.
“Sure, we can get started,” Haruhi replied, adjusting in her uncomfortable dining chair. “Where are the gifts? We should bring them over before we get started.”
“Uh, Haruhi…” Hikaru said cautiously, gesturing to a large table off to one side of the room. There were easily more gifts than there were guests.
Seeing Haruhi’s apprehensive look, the twins grinned reassuringly. “It’ll be fine!”
As Haruhi opened each gift, a staff member would bring over the next one. She and Hikaru were quick to get into a routine. Haruhi would begin opening the gift in front of her after passing the card to Hikaru. Hikaru in turn would check the name and thank the guest over the sound system.
At the end, Haruhi was entirely overwhelmed. All of the items she and Hikaru had registered for had been given to them, along with a lot of things they hadn’t registered for, some of which Haruhi did not care for. She didn’t have a chance to linger on that for long, or even to convey her thoughts to her husband, because they now had to say goodbye as each guest departed. When the last guest was gone, the door shut behind them, Haruhi dropped back into her chair, which didn’t provide much relief. The chair was killing her back, but standing was killing her feet.
Hikaru and Kaoru were both busy talking to staff. Haruhi probably could have guessed what they were doing, but her exhausted mind wasn’t interested in trying that hard. Haruhi closed her eyes, just for a moment, while she waited for them.
“Haruhi? Haruhi?” Haruhi’s eyes fluttered open as her name was called. She quickly identified the voice.
“Yes, Hikaru?” Her vision was blurry for a moment as her eyes watered while she yawned. She blinked a few times.
“Would you like to go home?” His voice was soft, but laughter danced in his eyes.
“Yes, please.”