Ouran High School Host Club Fan Fiction ❯ Rubbing The Lamp ❯ Ch 5 Tamaki's First Wish ( Chapter 7 )

Disclaimer: Ouran Host Club belongs to Bisco Hatori, not me. I make no profit off this story. If Bisco Hatori-san wishes, I will remove this from the web upon her personal request.

 

This chapter was written as a response to the week 70 Makin' Lemonaide challenge theme: “Write about what the color Green represents. Include the color prominently in your story, WHATEVER! Just write!” Wait for it. It comes pretty late in the chapter.

 

 

 

Chapter 5

 

 

If only she hadn't gotten distracted.

 

That was the half-thought that plagued her as she soaked in the gigantic bath by herself. At least she'd managed to shoo the maids out and lock the door behind them so that she could be by herself.

 

`Who needs a bathtub this gigantic?' she wondered. `It's insane! Hey, that could explain everything, if the rich are all crazy.' Reminding herself that only a crazy person tries to find reason for the actions of the insane, she resolved to just enjoy the bath, get clean, and then complete her task with Tamaki so that she could move on to her last two with the twins.

 

She'd made good progress, astounding even Tamaki with her abilities to soothe the savage beast. He'd claimed he could just tell that she was that kind of person, and set her to a task that he supposedly had been attempting for years without success. Of course, he really didn't have an ounce of disciplinarian in him - that was the problem. She did not suffer from that lack.

 

It HAD come as a bit of a surprise when he'd told her that his wish was for her to train his dog. He loved that dog so much. And that, basically, was the problem. No discipline is equivalent to no rules. Without rules, the dog was always free to do whatever she wished. It was amazing that the dog was as well-behaved as she was, considering.

 

So putting Haruhi on the task might have been a stroke of pure genius. She'd train the dog - and then, she'd need to train him or it would all be pointless. She'd do that last, though.

 

Within the first half hour, she'd already gotten Antoinette to repeatedly perform sit, stay, lay down and beg. And then…

 

She couldn't help but berate herself again. If only she hadn't gotten distracted, she would have been done and outta here. It truly was her own fault. She was at Suoh Tamaki's house, she should have expected chaos.

 

And thinking about her earlier task was a sure-fire recipe for disaster. But somehow, she couldn't keep what had happened as she left Mitsukuni's house from replaying in her mind as the quiet task became easier. Which is why she hadn't heard the Suoh heir come up behind her and hadn't had time to prepare for the insanity that was bound to ensue.

 

She'd been right in the middle of a “beg” when he saw how well they were doing and exclaimed, “GOOD DOG, Antionette!” loudly, enthusiastically. Excited, the dog had immediately launched herself toward her master. Although that title really didn't fit him. He was more like the dog's easy mark. She knocked Haruhi over in her haste to get to him - right into a huge mud puddle.

 

And then, to add insult to injury, Tamaki had rushed to her aid. Either sensing competition for his affection, or maybe just wanting to play, Antoinette had waited `til Tamaki was precariously balanced in his hovering over where she lay in the squishy mud - mud that was soaking through her thin pants and jersey-fabric shirt - waited until he'd offered her his hand and she had started to be pulled up. Maybe the dog was trying to shake both their hands at once?

 

But regardless of what had been the aim of the happy puppy, the end result was a Haruhi sandwich with Antoinette and Tamaki as the bread. Her legs were straddling her senior, and her breasts were pressed fully into his chest by the weight of the dog's front legs on her back.

 

In the moment before they both blushed and looked anywhere but into each others' eyes anymore, she could see something else in his orbs - something that seemed to be a common theme lately. As his gaze locked her in place, she'd felt a reaction in the beautiful young man beneath her. A startled sigh escaped her lips as a moan burst from his. Antoinette had barked a reply in return, bringing them back to their senses and a bright flush to both faces.

 

Bored at their inaction, the dog had jumped off her. She'd crawled off him, slipped in the mud, and ended up face down in it.

 

Chivalrously, he'd given her a hand up and for once in his life revealed his true genteel nature as he said not a word, merely walked her quietly into the mansion. The dog followed behind quietly, picking up - as dogs do - that somehow she'd done something wrong. Then, he turned to one of his maids and said, “There was a bit of a mishap. Please show Haruhi-san to our finest bath and lay out the green dress for her to wear. I shall clean up in the spare room. See to her every need.” His voice at the end made it clear that her needs were paramount - above anything else.

 

It was like the prince that he'd always claimed to be finally had shown himself and she gaped at him. Her heart beat a little faster as he bowed to her and then disappeared down the hall. And then, the maids had escorted her into the bath, preparing the water to the perfect temperature. They would have stayed and most likely scrubbed her clean if she hadn't insisted that she'd prefer to just soak alone for a bit, locking the door behind them after they'd gone.

 

And then she was alone and relaxed, with nothing to do but soak in incredibly nice smelling, perfectly hot water and think. Yet again, she scolded herself for her stupidity. And in turn, she found herself wondering about what exactly it was that had happened with Huni-senpai.

 

At the time, it hadn't really occurred to her that she was about to embrace a man two years older than her as she put her arms around him to show him how to stir. And in honesty, she hadn't even really noticed that he was taller than she was until he had mentioned how much he'd grown in the past year.

 

But then, he'd talked about being an adult with adult needs. And when he'd rubbed up against her, she'd felt funny. Her nipples had tightened - like she was cold, but what she really felt was a bit feverish. And she couldn't help think about her dream the night before. Was it weird to be thinking about that while her arms were around Huni?

 

She tried not to think about it as they continued with the baking, but it seemed the thought was as relentless as Tamaki when he set his mind on something. And then, they'd shared cake together, savoring the results of their efforts. It was extremely satisfying - and she'd never felt closer to the cutest member of the club. Especially when he'd told her that the results were exactly like the cake that Takashi loved. It was like they were conspiring to give a present to Takashi, and what could be better than that?

 

But then, before she left, he'd hugged her and thanked her again for granting his wish - and again, she felt like she was back in the dream. Her heart rate sped up as he continued to hold her tightly, his hands rubbing her back as he whispered in her ear, “If I could get you to be my teacher, I'd sign up to learn every type of cooking there is, Haruhi.” Then he'd placed a soft, slow kiss on her cheek and released her, smiling as she dazedly made her way out of his house and calling, “Maybe we can do this again sometime?” Absentmindedly, she'd nodded, too caught up in wondering how she'd failed to notice that Huni had grown up into a decidedly attractive man to realize what she'd just agreed to do.

 

It was difficult to not wonder how she'd feel with him as the lead in her dream. His comments… they meant he… Did he LIKE her?

 

And of course, following that thought was the inevitable question about what had happened with Tamaki. She'd never really considered it before, but his reaction when she'd been on top of him…

 

On top of him and covered in mud, pressed up against him. A part of him had most definitely pressed back. She wiggled under the water as she relived the memory of him underneath her. The event had not been unpleasant. But her body's reaction now… it seemed to be both pleasant and… not.

 

As was the thought that if he reacted like that, then he must… He must like her - find her attractive. When did this happen?

 

She started to review his reactions in the past. Was it possible that he'd… liked her… for a while? He always acted like such a spoiled child - or an actor from the 1920's, full of exaggerated melodrama. But in light of this new piece of information, things seemed to indicate that his actions spawned from frustration, not just idiocy.

 

She'd never noticed it before. Should she have? If she had, would it have made a difference? She honestly didn't know.

 

But it did make his requests to have her in a dress make more sense. While she didn't really understand why people made such a big deal over male/female - weren't they all just people? - she knew that others did. If Tamaki wore a dress, he'd still be Tamaki. It wouldn't change how she felt about him.

 

But how did she feel about him? Or Huni? Or any of them for that matter?

 

Standing up and exiting the bath, she began toweling off, taking extra time to dry her hair as much as possible.

 

She honestly didn't know.

 

The outfit they'd laid out for her was simple and elegant. And very feminine. It wasn't like it mattered to her what she wore really, so long as it was comfortable. But putting on this dress for Tamaki seemed…

 

The door clicked open, interrupting her thoughts. `I thought I'd locked that.'

 

“Fujioka-sama, Suoh-sama's dress looks wonderful on you,” the maid exclaimed as she rushed in to brush the girl's hair.

 

“Wait, this is Tamaki-senpai's dress?”

 

Chuckling, the maid replied, “In a way. It belonged to his mother.” Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, “He's kept it in the hopes that someday she'd be allowed to come back to Japan and live with him again.” Again, her voice took on its normal volume as she continued jovially, “Or maybe that he'd find some other lovely lady to adorn!”

 

She should have expected his staff would be almost as daffy as he himself. Standing, she turned to face the woman, pulling away from the brush and bowing. “Thank you for your assistance. Can you please show me the way back to Antoinette and then request Tamaki-senpai to join us? I'd like to finish my task here quickly so that I'll have time to have lunch before my next appointment.”

 

The maid gave her a quizzical look and then said, “I've been instructed to take you to Suoh-sama as soon as you're ready.” She looked her up and down and finished with, “You look ready to me. Follow me please, Fujioka-sama.”

 

For the second time that day, she found herself following someone through a gloriously expensive mansion. But as this one was the domain of Suoh Tamaki, it did not have the restrained elegance of the Haninozuka manor. It was better described as tasteful exuberance.

 

And then, she found herself on the patio, where Tamaki was waiting for her. Behind him was a small table set up for a meal. Behind that was an amazing vista - not a lawn, but nature itself.

 

He smiled shyly at her and bowed as he spoke, “My lady, while your own clothes are being laundered, I had hoped that you would do me the honor of joining me for lunch.” When he stood back up, he was blushing slightly.

 

The aroma wafted toward her on the breeze from the lunch placed there. It was something she didn't recognize. Apparently that thought was clearly read from her expression as he continued, “It's some of my favorite foods from when I was in France with my mom. Will you join me?”

 

Well, this did mean she wouldn't have to hurry and eat before seeing the twins. As she nodded in acquiescence, he gave her a brilliant smile. But this one wasn't his lady-charming smile, it was one of pure joy - like that which a child gives when truly happy. Then he held out her chair as she seated herself at the table.

 

When she'd appeared on the patio, he'd had a hard time not gasping. She was even lovelier than he'd imagined she'd be. And while the dress had once belonged to his mother, the image she'd evoked was definitely not one of matronliness. The soft green color suited her - capturing the beauty of spring, the fresh revitalization that it called forth, the end of the cold emptiness of winter and the promise of the fruits of summer. He couldn't think of anything that suited her more.

 

Taking his place to the right of her at the table, he began by breaking the long crusty loaf of bread and liberally spreading it with a black olive tapenade, then serving it to her. As she took a tentative bite, he poured them each a glass of Coteaux de Pierrevert Blanc.

 

Haruhi's eyes grew wide at the taste and then she took another bite, obviously savoring the flavor. She liked it. He wasn't surprised that this made him very happy. He was sharing something special from his childhood with her, and she liked it.

 

“I don't get to eat this type of meal if there's a chance that Grandmother might hear of it. But here in the house, the cook seems to like to make it for me. In honesty, I'm not sure if that's because she knows how much I like it or because she likes to test her skills in other types of cooking than just traditional Japanese.” He appeared to consider for a moment before continuing. “She DOES seem to come up with new menus all the time…” And then he joined her in eating.

 

She smiled as she saw him close his eyes as he took his first bite. “Tamaki-senpai, what is this that we're eating?”

 

“Black olive tapenade - it's a spread made of olive oil, olives, capers and herbs.”

 

“It's yummy.”

 

Smiling, he continued, “That's just the first course. We'll have some bouillabaisse next, followed by Salade Nicoise. Then for dessert, cheese and grapes.”

 

“Cheese for dessert?” She looked at him astounded.

 

“Yep! We had it every day when I lived in France.” He grinned his childlike grin and took a big bite. “Mmmmmm.”

 

Shaking her head, she took another bite. Tamaki always did keep things interesting.

 

 

 

 

Secondary Disclaimer: All characters in this story are at least 18 years of age. While that might seem unlikely - as three of the characters are only sophomores in high school, I figure it this way: if Bisco Hatori-san can ignore the students graduating for two years in a row and keep everyone in the same grade, I can then apply that logic to their ages. Therefore, Haruhi, Kaoru and Hikaru are just 18. Kyoya and Tamaki are about to turn 19. Mori is about to turn 20, and Huni already is 20. (Therefore, according to Japanese figuring, Huni is the only adult. :P )