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Despite the way Haruhi played into the twins' teasing of Tamaki as the king of S&M after the whole beach and thunderstorm incident, she couldn’t forget what a comfort the blonde had been to her. She had to find a way to convey her appreciation to him, especially since he didn’t reveal her fear to the rest of the host club.
She cursed herself every time a thunderstorm came about for the simple fact that she still hasn’t managed to combat her fear of them. Haruhi tried to remind herself that they were always temporary, just like the fear she felt during them, but that didn’t take away from how debilitating it made things feel for her.
This time though, things were different. Because unlike all times in the past, there was someone there to comfort her through the storm. Someone who didn’t laugh at her, but instead tried finding a way to make her feel better
None other than the infamous Tamaki Suoh.
He welcomed her with open arms, which really shouldn’t have surprised her that much, but she still couldn’t process the way it warmed her up inside.
Haruhi didn’t receive hugs frequently or from many different people, but hugs from her own father never felt like this before.
She wanted to attribute it to the situation they were in, but she felt it might’ve been something more.
She always found it idiotic when he referred to himself as daddy, but in that moment and for the very first time since meeting him, it seemed like a fitting title.
The hushed yet warm tone that he used to reassure her that everything would be alright brought her more relief than she’d ever felt in maybe a decade, since her mom passed.
In a way, she had felt like a little girl all over again and not just because of the way she cried and clung to him in such an uncharacteristic manner. But Haruhi didn’t want to fret over it. How she felt internally that night, nor the way Tamaki made her feel.
She wouldn’t bring it up again unless he did. She’d just have to find a way to show her thanks in a much more subtle way.
The next time it rained, Haruhi was home alone doing some chores. She wanted to get house work out of the way before she went grocery shopping for the week. Thankfully the rain stayed just that, rain. No thunder or lightning to accompany it.
She waited until it cleared up before getting ready with some shopping bags and a grocery list. As soon as she left her apartment building, she was confronted by a swarm of her neighbors crowding around rather luxurious looking vehicles.
It didn’t take long for her to put two and two together, especially with how the host club seemed to have no awareness of their surroundings or volume.
She attempted to shuffle behind the crowd in an effort to evade their notice, but it was just her luck for one of the neighbors to call out to her in greeting.
She didn’t even have time to respond before the club was all in her personal space.
“Haruhi! You’re here!”
“You really live here?”
“Small but cute!”
“What are you guys doing here?” she seethed, glaring angrily at them.
“Daddy just wanted to check up on his little girl! Isn’t that right mommy?” Tamaki rushed out in a panic, hoping he wasn’t making her angry.
“Yes, though I’m not sure why he was in such a frenzy to get here. Or bring the rest of us,” he affirmed nonchalantly.
“We wanted to see where Haru-chan lives!” Honey-senpai supplied.
“Well you’ve seen it,” she deadpanned, “Now you guys can leave.”
She made a move to walk away but they blocked the way.
“We want to see inside,” Hikaru pleaded, “We’ve never seen the inside of a commoner's apartment.”
“Please Haruhi? Just for a little while,” Kaoru joined, giving his best puppy eyes.
But she wouldn’t budge. She had plans for the day and she wasn’t keen on abandoning them for these idiots.
“Nope. I’ve got some grocery shopping to do. So if you don’t mind me, I’ll be going now.” She shimmied her way around the group and continued on her path.
“Oh! I wanna see a commoner grocery store!” Honey announced and the rest of the group agreed instantly.
“Is that where they sell instant coffee?”
“And cheap ramen?”
“They have those things called coupons right? You use them there?”
“What about the free stuff you sometimes get, will we find some?”
Haruhi got more and more annoyed by the second and the moment she was about to berate them all and hurry off without them, the rain suddenly started up again, startling them all.
Just my luck she thought, rolling her eyes, not only is it raining again, but it’s harder than before. I can’t just let them go home in this weather.
It was in times like this that she wished she could be a little more harsh on them.
She rushed back up the stairs while they scrambled like chickens with their heads cut off, looking for some sort of cover from the rain. She sighed and rolled her eyes again.
“Are you idiots coming in or what?” she called out impatiently.
Their eyes lit up simultaneously as they all realized that Haruhi was actually inviting them inside.
“You guys are only allowed in until the rain lets up, okay?” she said seriously, hoping they understood she meant it.
They nodded in agreement and rushed off to explore the small common area and Haruhi sighed again, sensing that they probably wouldn’t be abiding by those terms anyway.
“I didn’t realize the ceilings would be so low. Good thing Haruhi is short,” the twins surmised.
“It’s plain in a way that fits Haruhi perfectly,” Kyoya complimented.
“It looks a little cramped for Takashi, but it’s the perfect size for me!” Honey cheered.
“You guys! Stop being so rude!” Tamaki commanded and for once, Haruhi found herself agreeing with him, “It’s not Haruhi’s fault that her father couldn’t afford anything better. She appreciates it and so should we.”
Nevermind she thought, once again peeved by their presence, just until the rain lets up she reminded herself.
Despite her annoyance, Haruhi wasn’t in the habit of being a bad host. The least she could do was offer them refreshments.
“Do you guys want some tea while you wait?” she offered politely.
She was a little taken aback by the twins' response, “What kind do you have? Father insists that we only have the be-”
Haruhi knew they had no reservations about their status, but they’ve never gone out of their way to flaunt it like that. Jeez, how pretentious.
Thankfully, Kyoya cut them off. He sensed that Haruhi was reaching her breaking point with the group and wanted to remedy the issue before it actually became one.
“Any tea would be greatly appreciated, Haruhi, thank you.”
She nodded reluctantly and turned to begin preparing enough for the entire group, but not before Tamaki decided to butt in.
“Here, let daddy help! I can’t expect my little girl to make tea for all of us on her own,” he cried out, before sobering up, “Especially not for those ingrates.” he glared at Hikaru and Kaoru with fire in his eyes.
Haruhi saw no point in arguing it, so all she said was, “Sure, just make sure to stay out of the way, senpai.”
And she meant that. Sure it was a kind gesture for him to want to help. In theory. Haruhi was certain that Tamaki never once had to step foot in a kitchen, let alone use an appliance. It would be more of a hindrance than a help.
“I just want to help Haruhi, is that so wrong?” Tamaki pled, sounding teary-eyed.
Her eyes would be permanently damaged if she continued rolling her eyes like this, but she couldn't help it when she was around him on a day when she wasn’t required to be.
“I know you do Tamaki, but do you even know how to boil water?” She posed an honest question. She wasn’t shocked by his silence and she just turned away to get it started.
“Wait!” he hurried to catch up with her, “I haven’t tried it before, but I’m sure I can learn,” he said enthusiastically and quite genuinely.
Sure he hasn’t needed to boil water or make tea before due to all the maids and housekeepers his family hired, but it doesn’t mean he’s opposed to trying it. Tamaki can’t deny his curiosity regarding it and that curiosity was heightened since it came to Haruhi and how she does things.
He wanted to learn everything he could about her. Even the things that the others might find boring or trivial, it meant a lot to Tamaki. He just wasn’t sure why or how exactly to convey that to Haruhi.
He could only equate it to the feeling a father might have for his daughter, hence the referring to himself as daddy. Plus, the host club was a family. His family. He was daddy, Kyoya was Mommy, Hikaru and Kaoru the annoying little brothers, Mori the aloof, yet protective older brother and Honey his adorable counterpart.
It was only natural that he adopted Haruhi into the family as his little girl, right?
He didn’t fret on it for long, instead opting to pay close attention to Haruhi and the steps she was taking to make the tea. He was about to say something when the rain started coming down harder.
“Man, it sure is coming down.” He pointed out, quite glum. He really wanted to see a commoner grocery store.
Haruhi felt the same glumness but for different reasons, “I’m hoping it’ll let up soon.” So you guys can get out of here. Went unsaid.
Tamaki was about to respond when out of nowhere, lightning and thunder struck simultaneously. Haruhi froze in place, nearly spilling the tea kettle filled with water.
The thunder was so intense that it rattled the apartment and it had Tamaki on high alert.
“Wow, I didn’t realize commoner apartments were so fragile to shake from a thunderstorm,” they heard Kaoru speak from the living room.
“It certainly makes it a bit more interesting, wouldn’t you agree?” Kyoya questioned.
Tamaki wanted nothing more than to scold them for their ignorance, but he was more worried with the girl in front of him.
“Haruhi are you o-” he was cut off by a hurried, “I’m okay senpai! I swear!”
And that caused him to furrow his brows. He wasn’t so sure he believed her with how hasty she was in replying.
“Are you sure? I thought you were sc-” again she interrupted.
“What are you talking about?” she panicked internally, not sure if she was more scared of her fear being revealed to the rest of the club, or the thunder itself.
“You don’t have to lie to daddy, Haruhi. It’s okay to be scared,” he comforted gently, approaching her cautiously.
He didn’t understand why she was suddenly so guarded about the whole thing, especially considering he already knew of her fear of thunderstorms.
His confusion wasn’t going to stop him from trying to make her feel a little better.
“I’m not scared,” she declared shakily, but was soon proven otherwise when another loud boom cracked over the apartment, shaking it even more intensely than before.
“Da-Senpai!” she cried out, quickly correcting herself, hoping the blonde would be oblivious to her slip up. Especially since she had no idea why the slip up even happened.
His eyes softened as he opened up his arms. Haruhi took it as a sign that she was being welcomed into them and she wasted no time scurrying towards him and clinging tightly.
She so deeply wished she could act with more dignity in these moments, but it’s a fear she still, very clearly hadn’t conquered.
And despite her past insistence that she was truly okay and she could bear it alone, she hadn’t forgotten how nice it felt last time having someone there with her through the storm.
She was still afraid that time, but much less than usual. It was why she was less reluctant than usual to take Tamaki up on his offer of comfort.
“It’s okay Haruhi, I’ve got you. You don’t have to pretend with me,” he whispered sweetly in her ear while running his slim fingers through her hair, “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
She wanted to bark back something witty to his last sentence, but before she could, another trill of thunder rang loudly and she could only whimper in response as tears began to pool her eyes.
She hated how easily he saw through her, but even more than that, she hated that deep down, she wanted Tamaki’s comfort more than anyone else’s right now.
It was nice having Tamaki here to hold her through the storm, but it didn’t help that this one just seemed so much louder than usual. Haruhi felt absolutely frozen with fear.
“I’ve got you Haruhi, Daddy’s going to make it all better for you, okay?” he reassured while holding her close. Her fingers curled in the fabric of his shirt, breaths coming out unevenly as she tried to hold back whimpers of fear.
He looked around the kitchen for anything that would be helpful, but didn’t see anything.
“Haruhi,” he gently spoke again, “Do you have any headphones here?”
He felt her nod into his chest, but she didn’t make a move for them or say anything.
“Can you tell me where they are? I can go get them for you really quick,” he offered but was surprised when, instead of providing an answer, she clung to him tighter and mumbled something into his shirt.
He unfortunately couldn’t make out what she said.
“Could you repeat that? I couldn’t quite catch what you said Haruhi.”
She reluctantly moved back to look up at him and spoke softer than he’s ever heard her speak before, “Don’t wanna be alone…” she trailed off, blushing at her own voice and verbiage.
Tamaki could sense her embarrassment and had to do everything in his power to be able to prevent himself from squealing. His little girl was just so adorable like this! Though he really did hate to see her so afraid.
His mind got to work, thinking of alternatives to solve the problem without having to leave her alone.
“What if you go sit with the others while I go get the headphones?” he suggested, but she quickly shook her head in disagreement.
“Wanna stay with you da-Tamaki,” she blushed even deeper red at yet another slip of the tongue. She was too anxiety ridden to ponder the cause or the way he was making her feel, but it was like some wall in her was coming down.
The way he made her feel so safe, despite being so scared of the thunder, in a way she had never felt before was something she hadn’t experienced in such a long time. She felt a strange sense of warmth, butterflies, and fuzziness all inside of her at once.
Her mind was screaming at her to let go and as Tamaki began to rub slow, reassuring circles into her back, she nearly gave in to the feeling,
“Should we go into your room together then?” he suggested kindly and for a bit of tension left Haruhi’s body as she nodded in agreement with the idea.
She hid against his shoulder a little while gripping onto his sleeve with both hands as they began the trek to her room when the next thunderclap shook. Less intense than the others, but still louder than Haruhi liked.
She couldn’t hold back the whimper this time and Tamaki quickly pulled her back into the now familiar protective hold. He didn’t say anything- didn’t need to. It came to him naturally.
They stayed like that for a moment until he felt the tension ebb from her once more and he knew they needed to pick up the pace if they wanted to reach Haruhi’s room before the next thunderclap arrived.
With that in mind, he started walking towards her room once more. Or at least he tried to. He didn’t get at all far due to Haruhi’s unmoving figure. She stayed rooted in her spot, but now grasping the back of his shirt and refusing to let him go any further without him.
At first, Tamaki was confused. Did she not want the headphones? They seemed to help her so much last time, it just didn’t make sense to him that she wouldn’t want him to get them anymore.
He turned back to take a closer look at her and it was then that he took notice of how she seemed to curl into herself, as though she was trying to make herself smaller. Her usually sharp edges and stubborn independence was long gone, replaced by something much more raw and vulnerable.
His heart clenched at the sight before him. Deciding to abandon the earlier idea for now, he gently brought them both down to the floor in the hallway, keeping her close.
She didn’t protest. If anything, she shifted even closer to him, as though trying to burrow herself into him. He never saw or expected Haruhi to be so clingy, even if she was afraid of storms. He didn’t hate it though. No, Tamaki actually enjoyed it much more than he’d like to admit.
They stayed in place on the floor for a while. The thunder continued and Haruhi flinched with each trill, but it became less and less severe as time passed. He was certain the others were probably curious about what might be taking them so long, but Tamaki couldn’t make himself care.
Not with the state Haruhi was now in. She was fully curled up against him, tucked into his lap and chest like she belonged there. Her small hands were still clutching his shirt, but with a more relaxed grip as her breathing became slow and steady.
She looked so damn small like this. Not physically, despite how curled up she was. But the way she clung to him, nestled into his warmth and let out tiny noises as he rubbed his back. It was different from the typical Haruhi they all saw. It was something softer.
Tamaki had never been witness to this side of Haruhi before, yet it felt so natural to see and hold her like this. To keep her safe, like a daddy should.
That fatherly side of him ached at the realization that she’d been carrying such an intense fear for so long and he was ever so grateful for that stormy night at the beach when he first found out about her fear.
But another part of him knew that what mattered most in this moment was making sure she stayed comfortable. Because at this point, somehow, someway and without the help of music, her flinching stopped despite the continuous thunder.
So he stayed quiet, continuing to alternate between running his fingers through her hair and rubbing her back.
Unfortunately, their peace was short lived as everyone’s curiosity and impatience got to them.
“Tama-chan? Haru-chan? Where’d you two go?” Honey called out curiously.
Tamaki’s body tensed, eyes widening in alarm. He turned his head and saw the short 3rd year approaching the pair, with the rest of the club following closely behind.
For a long moment, there was nothing but silence.
Tamaki stayed seated on the floor, holding what seemed to be a very sleepy and vulnerable looking Haruhi.
She looks so small. the others thought to themselves. No one knew any better aside from Kyoya.
Seems like Haruhi is some state of regression. he thought to himself, feeling no need to share with the group. They’d catch on soon enough.
Haruhi barely stirred at the intrusion, still curled up against him, her fingers moving away from the grip she had on his sleeve to a few of Tamaki’s fingers.
The twins blinked. Honey’s eyes went round. Mori tilted his head ever so slightly. Kyoya only adjusted his glasses.
“Uhhh,” Hikaru started, grinning as he crossed his arms, “Did we interrupt something?”
Kaoru smirked, “Looks pretty cozy in here, doesn’t it boss? You sly dog.”
Tamaki’s face instantly burned a tomato red.
“It’s not what it looks li-!”
“No need to be so defensive Tamaki,” Kyoya sighed, “We can all see what’s happening here.”
The twins snickered at that and Tamaki opened his mouth, ready to rush into a panicked explanation, but before he could, Haruhi stirred.
She let out a sleepy sound, burrowing further into his chest and Tamaki immediately stopped.
As did everyone else.
Haruhi never acted like this. She never sought out comfort so freely. She was always much more composed than this, much more independent and self sufficient, reluctant to accept anything remotely sentimental being aimed her direction.
But right now, she was all soft looking.Vulnerable. Small.
And when another thunderclap rolled through, she gripped onto Tamaki even tighter and all the teasing stopped.
Even the twins-who never passed up an opportunity to poke fun, shared a glance, their amused expressions shifting to something more understanding.
“...Haruhi?” Honey asked quietly, stepping closer, “Are you okay?”
She lifted her head slowly, but didn’t respond or turn to look at Honey. Tamaki felt her fingers twitch slightly against his, as though aware of the attention, but too lost in her own little world to acknowledge it.
That’s when it clicked for him.
His little girl was truly feeling like a little girl. The way her body fully relaxed, her words exchanged into little hums and whimpers, the way she was clinging to him the way a child would for comfort.
Slowly and carefully, he turned back to the others and shot his most menacing glare.
“Don’t.” His voice was firm but quiet and absent of his usual dramatics, “Don’t tease her.”
The twins immediately put their hands up, knowing the order was directed towards them.
“We weren’t going to,” Hikaru said, his voice unusually gentle.
“Not when she’s like this,” Kaoru confirmed.
For once, the ever so chaotic and dramatic host club was silent, none of their usual antics playing out.
Haruhi was now a little less sluggish, opting to poke and play around with Tamaki’s bigger hands. Tamaki wanted nothing more than to coo at the girl and dote like any father would, but he didn’t want to make a big deal of the state she was in and possibly bring her out of it.
Honey took another step closer, finally understanding. “She’s all little, isn’t she Takashi?”
“Looks like it,” he affirmed quietly.
“You two probably didn’t even notice it happening,” Honey continued, “It just happens sometimes. But when it does, you just wanna be close to someone safe,” he smiled brightly at Tamaki, “And it looks like Haru-chan picked you, Tama-chan!”
Tamaki felt his heart clench at that.
Haruhi picked him of all people. He was the one that made her feel safe. And from that moment on, he swore to never do anything to ruin that for her.
Slowly and carefully, he adjusted his grip on her, cradling her closer. “I don’t think she’s ever let herself do this before,” he voiced in a whisper, “she always acts so strong.”
He glanced down at her for a reaction, but she seemed to positively be tuning them all out in favor of continuing her exploration of her senpai’s hands.
Kyoya replied with a sigh, “Perhaps because she’s had to.”
Tamaki’s brows furrowed.
“She grew up without a mother for the past ten years,” Kyoya continued, “And with Ranka working as much as he does, I suspect Haruhi’s spent a great deal of her childhood learning how to take care of herself. Independence became her way of surviving.”
The weight of that realization settled over all of them.
Of course.
Haruhi didn’t have their same luxury of always being taken care of. She barely had the space to let herself simply be a child.
And yet, here she was, seeking comfort in the form of one Tamaki Suoh.
She must be exhausted. Tamaki thought to himself sadly. He didn’t realize how long she must’ve been burdened with such a task of taking care of herself.
Another lapse of silence enveloped the group and then, suddenly, a tiny and muffled voice broke the silence.
“‘M sleepy..”
Tamaki’s breath hitched as the others all went still.
Haruhi’s voice was just so damn small, so much softer than they’d ever heard before.
Tamaki didn’t allow himself to be paralyzed by his shock. He instead quickly assured her.
“It’s okay little one, that’s alright. Daddy will take care of everything. Let's get you to bed first.”
He moved to stand from his spot on the ground, but Haruhi whined, unmoving from her own spot.
The whine quickly turned into a whimper as thunder struck.
She peered up at him with her big, brown and now teary eyes and spoke softly.
“Daddy?”
The room went dead silent.
Tamaki’s breath hitched as the twins froze, Kyoya’s eyebrows lifted only a fraction, Honey let out a little awwwww! while More gave a small nod, as though this were to be expected.
And honestly, it should’ve been expected by Tamaki. He’d been referring to himself as daddy for so long around Haruhi, it was only a matter of time until she said it, whether seriously or as a joke. And in the regressed state she was, it only seemed that much more likely.
Haruhi already was unsure of the fuzzy warmth that had overtaken her brain and body but she had stopped fighting it a while ago. In that same way, she didn’t fight the urge to lift her arms up to Tamaki, like a small child who wished to be carried.
And she didn’t stop from repeating herself, though she sounded a bit quieter and unsure, “Daddy?”
Tamaki swallowed thickly. He wanted to tease her and bask in the joy of finally being acknowledged as a beloved father figure, but he knew now wasn’t the time or place.
“I’m here, sweetheart,” he murmured, shifting back down to grab hold of her, “I’ve got you.”
Haruhi let out a sleepy hum, her grip tightening around him as he hoisted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist.
The others remained silent, watching with a quiet fascination.
“Well. That’s new.” Kyoya said, adjusting his glasses once more.
“Is it really though?” Kaoru asked.
“He’s always referred to himself as daddy. It’s only right.” Hikaru said.
They all followed Tamaki to a room that they could safely assume was hers, simply because the decor was so minimal and so Haruhi.
He gently settled her into the bed and was getting ready to tuck her in when she spoke again, voice heavy with sleep.
“Daddy stay?” she requested meekly
Tamaki simply couldn’t handle just how damn cute his little girl was being! Being a father wasn’t for the weak!
“Of course,” he whispered, trying to contain himself.
He slipped into the bed and under the blankets next to her. She gave a satisfied sigh in response and nestled up closer to Tamaki as she burrowed deeper into the blanket.
It was only mere minutes before her breathing evened out and everyone was positive she had fallen asleep.
“I literally can’t handle this,” Hikaru whispered.
“She’s so tiny,” Kaoru muttered.
Tamaki shot them a look, “Will you two be quiet?! She’s trying to sleep!”
Haruhi let out a displeased whimper at the noise, shifting a bit.
Tamaki panicked and quickly comforted her, “Shh, shh, baby it’s alright. Daddy’s still right here.”
Her face mellowed out quickly and the twins promptly lost it.
Kyoya sighed, “We’ll need to have a discussion about this later, you know.”
Honey was vibrating with happiness as he whispered, “She trusts you Tama-chan! Like-a lot, a lot!”
Tamaki had no words, so he instead looked at the girl in his arms, who decidedly trusted him enough to regress in his presence.
He knew without a doubt, no matter how she felt about all of this when she woke up, he would always be there to keep her safe.