Disclaimer: I own nothing. Copyright goes to Bisco Hatori & Viz Media

Author's notes: This is my first story I've published since 2005, and a good portion of this story was actually written in May 2015. I decided to finish it and start intermittently start writing again as a form of creative outlet (and because I have a deep love for this fandom).

Warnings: contains kissing, removal of clothes, and sexual topics.

May was only a few days away and it was finally nice enough to crack a few windows open. The winter had been much harsher than Haruhi expected and it admittedly had made her a bit miserable. To combat the nasty weather and low morale in the group, Tamaki insisted they visited somewhere tropical, magnificent, and where romantic dreams could run wild for spring break. Haruhi said somewhere without all the snow was good enough to Tamaki's disappointment and everyone's relief. In the end, they decided on Florida (Orlando for the theme parks, and Miami for the beaches). While the trip had been really fun, it was equally as exhausting for Haruhi and she was very thankful to crawl into her own bed after arriving back in Boston. She loved the boys, but after being forced on almost every ride, she had reached her limit.

The first couple of weeks back in school had kept everyone busy, but Haruhi and Tamaki still made time for their Wednesday date nights. In the beginning, she had a number of mixed feelings about living next door to Tamaki. She was happy to have him so close, but anxious as to what would become of it, she had come to study after all. And while having the host club around meant they took care of some of Tamaki's neediness, she had to dish out more attention than she was used to. Over time, they made a routine that Tamaki (mostly) respected when she needed her space to study.

Today had been a half day of classes and Haruhi was excited to get some extra study time in before their scheduled date night. Tamaki had gone ahead back to his apartment, while Haruhi stuck around at the library.

"Okay, that puts me at least a couple days ahead for English, science, and calculus. I'll ask Kyoya-senpai later about this chemistry question." She said aloud as she flagged a couple of questions in her notebook. She leaned back and closed her eyes momentarily as her thoughts wandered. Tonight, they were going to watch a horror film to her dismay, but Tamaki didn't want to watch it alone. She would prepare dinner in his apartment as usual and they'd take their place cuddled up on the couch. Haruhi had very little interest in horror films and she sometimes suspected Tamaki picked them so she'd cuddle up a bit closer, not that she really minded that. At first their relationship had been filled with nervous hand holding, hugging, and awkward attempts at cuddling on the couch. Both of them had been too nervous to be very direct with their actions. Kissing had even been a big task (and a source of anxiety for Haruhi). Her shoujo manga had made it all seem effortless and she turned red as a tomato the first time their teeth clashed (and the second time, and third time).

Slowly, she improved her technique, learned where her hands could go, and how to regulate her breathing when they made out. While she considered herself much more experienced, she still knew they hadn't done much (Tamaki had once put his hand up her shirt to touch her bra, but that was about as heated as it had gotten). A part of her wanted to explore more, but a larger part was still not ready for that. Fortunately, neither of them felt a big rush to leap to the next level. They had been pretty good about keeping their focus on the movies during their Wednesday night dates, but there were a couple of films Haruhi had no idea of how they ended. The twins had teased her when they asked about how she liked the end of Pacific Rim and she was unable to produce an answer. They were constantly prodding her as to how far they have gotten but always received a death glare from her.

Because of the early day, Haruhi opted for a more laborious dish for dinner. Boston had provided her with numerous opportunities to try different cuisines. Each week the entire host club went out for dinner at a new restaurant, which as first Haruhi protested due to the price, but later on grew to love. Their restaurant adventures had inspired Haruhi to try her hand at different dishes. Tonight she planned to make lasagna which in theory didn't seem difficult but required a lot of assembly. Since coming to Boston, Haruhi had developed a serious love affair with cheese and had to exercise some control otherwise it led to stomachaches and weight gain (much to her despair). Fortunately, Tamaki enjoyed all of her dishes even if the cheese was a bit heavy.

She packed up and headed home to collect the dinner ingredients from her place. It was only about 2:30 pm and she figured Tamaki was probably still at the gym with Kyoya Senpai. Tamaki had insisted she kept a key to his apartment via their shared door in case she 'had a horrific nightmare and needed instant comfort and affection'. Unsurprisingly, this has yet to happen and therefore she seldom used his key. She arrived at her apartment and took off her shoes while stretching her arms a bit.

"Alright, everything should be packed up in the fridge and ready to go. Tamaki has the spices, and drinks. All I need to do is change, and text him I'll be early." She thought. She pulled out her phone (courtesy of the twins) and sent him a quick message:

From: Haruhi Fujioka

To: Tamaki Suoh

2:42 pm

Hello! I'm back early. Can I come over in about 10 minutes?

Haruhi left her phone on the table and went to put on her sweatpants. She returned to her phone to find no response. She frowned and opted to knock on their shared door. Again, no response. She wagered with herself for a moment, she could prepare the lasagna in her kitchen but Tamaki had most of the utensils she needed.

"He's probably not home but he'll get so excited to see me cooking dinner in his kitchen and go on about what a wonderful wife I'll be." She thought grumpily. "But I need to get this started if it's to be ready in time." She grabbed the key from the hook and cautiously let herself into his apartment. His bag was near the entrance and clothes were gathered at the bathroom door. After a second she heard it, his terrible off key singing. She took a deep breath to keep herself from laughing. Tamaki had an awful tendency to take long showers where he performed almost a concerts worth of songs. She was thankful her place was next door otherwise she'd be out of luck when she needed to use the bathroom mid-shower concert. Haruhi gently walked into the kitchen to begin dinner. She carefully set out all the ingredients and began cooking the meat. His singing was muffled but she could tell it was in French. He sometimes spoke to her in French when he was trying to seduce into staying the night. In the past several weeks, Haruhi had started sleeping over. Their actions were innocent and it was nicer than she anticipated. He made her feel protected while he got to cuddle her for even longer (which was great for extra warmth in the winter). She had been strict that this arrangement was only for weekends, otherwise they'd stay up too late talking. While prepping her lasagna assembly line, she hadn't noticed the shower turn off. She nearly dropped the pan of meat when Tamaki bursted from the bathroom, still singing.

"COMPLỀTEMENT FO- WAH" Tamaki singing turned into a screech and a swift movement to secure his towel. "Haruhi what I didn't expect you I'm not decent I'm sorry!" He stammered out. Haruhi whipped around to give him some privacy and to spare herself the embarrassment of showing her bright red face.

"I'm sorry! I texted you and you didn't answer! I just figured I'd get started on dinner early!" She responded in a pathetic voice. She probably should have waited until he was done in the shower, thankfully he was at least wearing a towel. She slowly turned back around still staring at the floor.

"Sorry I startled you dear. I really didn't expect you there… Why are you staring at the floor?" Tamaki asked.

"You're not dressed. Sorry, I really should have waited for you to respond to my message." Haruhi knew her face was still tinged pink. She heard Tamaki give a light chuckle.

"Haruhi you've seen me shirtless a number of times. I have a towel, it's okay." He said with amusement in his voice as he padded towards her. She looked at his face making sure her sight didn't betray her into glancing at the rest of him. It wasn't that she was prude, she just got really nervous because all the book smarts in the world couldn't save her from making an embarrassing move (flashback to the teeth clashing). She met his gaze and instantly frowned at his small amused smile.

"What if you had been naked? I couldn't unsee that. I won't come over unannounced again." She huffed crossing her arms causing to Tamaki to chuckle again. How could he turn into a stuttering mess about some things and be completely composed about this?

"Well you might see me naked someday. And you are lucky, I usually don't bother to carry the towel with me into my bedroom, but this apartment is so drafty." He said thoughtfully. Haruhi stiffened as he moved closer to hug her.

"Tamaki, no you're all wet." She whined. He ignored her and wrapped his arms around her causing her face to go straight into his wet chest.

"Shhhhh, now I'm all warm and dry. See this isn't so bad." He said cheerfully. Tamaki had amazingly soft skin but Haruhi would never admit to him she was enjoying this.

"Yes, yes, now let me go so I can finish making the lasagna." Haruhi said as she wiggled away. Tamaki groaned in response and mumbled about being cold as he waddled to his room to change. Haruhi did steal the chance to look at his butt, the man had a nice butt and hips after all. Tamaki returned about five minutes later in sweatpants, and a t-shirt.

"So, what's cookin' good lookin'?" He asked as sat at bar separating the kitchen and dining room.

"And where did you hear that one?" She said not looking up from her baking dish. She only had three more layers to go.

"I heard it on a T.V. show! I'm want to master as many idioms as I can! Today at the gym when Kyoya and I went to the weight room, I told him the bench press was a piece of cake." Tamaki said proudly. The entire host club had been his guinea pigs for idiom testing. Most times they just guessed he was close enough to the correct usage but some of their American friends had gotten a few laughs from his misuse.

"I'm sure Kyoya-senpai was quick to agree with that." She responded sarcastically. Kyoya-Senpai had agreed to go to the gym with Tamaki so they could fend off any weight gain from their diet changes, plus it was a way for him to spend time with Tamaki without having to give him constant attention.

"How long will it need to bake?" Tamaki asked.

"About two hours according to the recipe." Haruhi said. Tamaki groaned.

"That's soooooo long! I'm hungry now!" Tamaki pouted and laid his head on the counter. Tamaki had the patience of a toddler when he was hungry.

"Quit whining, you can have some fruit." Haruhi went to the fridge and grabbed him an orange.

"I'll only eat it if you share it with me." Tamaki was still pouting and Haruhi rolled her eyes. She finished her last layer and placed the dish in the oven. She took the orange and a bowl to the couch while Tamaki followed closely behind. It had started to rain at some point and they sat in silence eating the orange. Haruhi adored peaceful moments like this. The past year had been a whirlwind and while she was having the time of her life, these were the moments that really grounded her. Tamaki had matured quite a bit and she had learned to be more open. The changes weren't extravagant but enough to make her feel a great deal happiness (and less grumpy). Once the orange was gone they wiped their hands on the towel Haruhi brought with her. Tamaki wrapped his arm around her shoulders and leaned his head against hers.

"I'll miss this apartment." He spoke softly. Haruhi hummed in agreement. They were moving home in about a month and a half.

"I'll miss living next to you too. " He continued. "I'm so happy we all came out here and while it will be nice to be home, after this everyone is going to go their own way."

Haruhi looked up at Tamaki. His face was solemn and she could see a couple of tears at the corners of his eyes. She placed a tender kiss on his cheek and he smiled lightly.

"Tamaki…, that's just the nature of life and moving forward. Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai will continue their studies. Kyoya-senpai will probably return to America for university. At least the twins and I will still be at Ouran for a bit longer. And our relationship isn't going to end just because you're starting university. Our lives are going to take us in all different directions but that doesn't mean our friendships will disappear with it." Haruhi had felt similar twinges of sadness when she thought about it. She knew after this they would never be this close again. She relished the memories though, like the time they all crashed Kyoya's apartment to decorate for his birthday (and in the process found his interesting collection of brightly colored patterned boxer briefs thanks to the twins, she was pretty sure Kyoya still hadn't forgiven them), or the time they tried to make a dish the twins found on the internet that involved fifteen McDonald's Big Macs (everyone spent a sad amount of time in the bathroom after that event). These things were what made her experience abroad that much richer. She had made a number of American friends and she loved their experiences together, but the host club had become even more like a family to her.

"Does Kyoya-senpai still wear those bright patterned boxer briefs?" Haruhi asked, trying to change the subject and get a laugh from Tamaki. Tamaki let out a snort.

"He does! I think that's just his way of self expression. I was surprised he kept the pair of snoopy underwear I got him as joke." Tamaki smiled. The pair had definitely gotten closer during their time here.

"I guess what ever floats his boat." Haruhi laughed.

"Good idiom use, Haruhi! You sound like a native!" Tamaki's somber mood was gone in a flash. "I guess that's something that makes Kyoya and I bit different, I prefer solid colored underwear. Maybe he's secretly more lively than me." Tamaki pondered.

"I doubt that, maybe such bright colors wake him up better in the morning. I certainly couldn't stand to see that bright of orange before 7 am." Haruhi said.

"Yeah, and just what color are your underwear hmm?" Tamaki asked playfully.

"White." Haruhi dead-panned. She still wouldn't give into his antics.

"I could get you cute underwear to-"

"No." She cut him off. He would buy her crazy impractical underwear. Nothing was wrong with her current selection.

"But think of all the cute styles!" Tamaki pleaded.

"And think of all the impractical ones you would pick." Haruhi countered.

"They're not impractical, they're cute..." Tamaki mumbled still pouting. This was Tamaki's way of hinting her that he wanted to get a bit more intimate. It was a vast improvement from the beginning when he usually just blushed, stammered, and tried playing with her hands. He leaned in to give her a peck on the cheek and wrapped his arms fully around her.

"Mm, how much longer for the lasagna?" He murmured into her neck.

"About an hour and a half."

"That's quite a while, dear."

"So it is." She responded quietly and with that he lifted her onto his lap so she straddled his hips. She gave a small smile as their lips met. Haruhi would never feed Tamaki's ego but he had become a great kisser. His movements were refined and tender became more passionate as they progressed. Soon enough they were in their typical position, Tamaki propped on top of her while she was pressed into the couch. She had lost count of how many times they had waited for dinner to finished in this position. Usually Tamaki would gently prop his elbows in between her arms and torso, allowing his hands to be touching her back, but today he allowed more of his weight to press against her as he kept one hand on her hip. It was new and exhilarating to Haruhi's slight embarrassment. As long as he kept his eyes shut, he wouldn't see her blush.

"...mm-ruhi" He said in between kisses.

"...yes?" As she broke the kiss to look at him. His cheeks were flushed and lips tinted pink. He looked so incredibly handsome, which did not help Haruhi's already present blush.

"Can….can I...put my hand...further up?" Haruhi raised an eyebrow.

"Up my shirt?" She asked, her voice clear.

"...yes." Tamaki moved his gaze away from hers. His confidence only got him so far when it came to this and his shyness was setting in.

"I suppose so." Haruhi said. Tamaki's head shot up.

"Really?!" His hand began to climb towards her bra before Haruhi grabbed it.

"On the condition you take off your shirt." Her voice was matter-of-fact but Tamaki did not miss the hint of playfulness. He slowly sat up and straddled her hips.

"Are you sure? With a body this magnificent you might not be able to contain yourself!" Tamaki boasted while fiddling with the hem of his t-shirt. Haruhi glared at him, she wasn't in the mood for narcissism.

"Just take off the shirt, Tamaki." She spoke with no amusement in her voice.

"Hmph. Fine. But I did warn you!" He slipped the shirt over his head in a single graceful movement. He sat there for a moment as she took in the sight of his chest, up to his collarbones, all the way down to his navel and hips. She cautiously looked up to meet his eyes and locked him into a stare for a few seconds. He slowly slipped both his hands under the bottom of her shirt. She sensed his hesitancy but he continued up to her bra. For a split moment she wished she had put on something a little nicer than her usual plain white cotton bra. Her chest had grown very marginally but it wasn't noticeable with clothes on. Her breath hitched as he lightly gripped her chest.

"...is this okay?" Tamaki asked quietly.

"Ye..yeah." She lamely stuttered out. "It's just new. They...aren't very...big." Her face grew pink.

"Haruhi…. you're beautiful exactly the way you are." She could hear the smile in his voice. His hands stayed on her chest and he moved to kiss her neck. He lifted his head look at her and their gaze met. In a flash of confidence, Haruhi firmly planted her lips on his and reached for his hips. This was a new level of intensity for the both of them. Tamaki moved his hands to her back and lifted her into straddling him once again. When she was stable, he went back to feeling her chest and sides. Haruhi busied her hands feeling every part of her chest she could reach, his skin was so soft yet firm. She gasped when her bare stomach made contact with his.

"..mm-orry" Tamaki muffled through her lips. He broke away and looked down her shirt and glanced back to her face.

"Can I take this off?" He asked gesturing to her shirt. She froze.

"I.. I'm not sure." She wanted to experience that jolt again, but this was the furthest they had ever gone.

"I don't want to do something you're not comfortable with, dear." Tamaki said reassuringly. He had removed his hands from under her shirt and was lightly stroking her back. Haruhi wanted to continue but she was getting self conscious. Tamaki never gazed at the other girls when they were out and she doubted he did even when she wasn't there, but that didn't stop her from feeling slight twinges of inadequacy when she looked at her classmates. She didn't want a huge chest, but she wouldn't protest a little extra growth and curvature.

"Tamaki, I want to, I just….. don't want you to be disappointed." She finished flatly.

"Disappointed, mon cheri? I could never be disappointed with you! You are an exquisite goddess of bea- "

"Stop." She cut him off. She wasn't about to be hosted by him. "I just don't have much to offer under my clothes."

"Haruhi, you are everything I desire. You're intelligent, strong-willed, caring, and gorgeous. Nothing will ever change that to me. And…..my desire….does include your physical appearance. I am very attracted to you." Tamaki spoke calmly and finished with a light blush. Haruhi let out a sigh.

"You're not going to laugh?" She asked.

"Of course not! I could never laugh at such a breath-tak- "

"Tamaki, no hosting!" And with that she timidly lifted her shirt over her head.

"..wow" He breathed out. They sat there for what was probably a minute even though it felt like an eternity.

"That's all there is." She finally said.

"Haruhi, you're so beautiful." Tamaki said quietly. He touched her as if she was glass and would shattered under his touch. It was too much. She wrapped her arms around him and pushed their lips together. They both gasped through their kisses at the contact. Her hands quickly tangled in Tamaki's hair while he wrapped his arms around her as to push her chest further into his. This contact wasn't like anything she had ever experienced before and truthfully she felt a bit overwhelmed. Her head was swimming as they kissed and she tried to figure out if this is how she imagined it would feel. Tamaki lightly pulled away, panting.

"Is this okay Haruhi? I don't want to push you." Tamaki asked quietly. Harui lightly leaned back as she was still straddling his hips and looked for a moment into his eyes. They had always been striking but were filled with concern.

"I promise I am okay. If I want you to stop, I will tell you and I expect you to do the same to me." She responded gently and Tamaki's face softened. Haruhi wasn't daft at the natural progression of where their actions would end up, eventually. She found herself becoming more curious about that side of him over time. She had had several embarrassing conversations with Mei about sex since she started dating Tamaki, including Mei surprising her with a vibrator. Haruhi spent a panicked evening trying to figure out what to do with it (she ended up finding a good hiding spot for it). However, she really hadn't discussed in any depth Tamaki's thoughts around it. She knew having somewhat of a perspective from him would help ease her nerves but bringing it up felt more difficult than she had imagined. Noticing her pause, Tamaki kissed her on the cheek.

"Tamaki,...can I ask you something ...fairly personal?" Haruhi swallowed thickly.

"Certainly, mon cheri. Anything you want know." He responded with a slight smile.

"Do you masturbate?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Haruhi wanted to run. It felt like time had stopped and she was holding her breath. Tamaki looked shocked beyond belief and redness was creeping up to his face from his neck. He opened and closed his mouth a few times but no sound came out. Haruhi chastised herself, not knowing why on earth she had asked that to start, of all things! Moments passed and Haruhi felt the urge to fill the silence.

"I-I'm sorry, that was too personal, I just thought that if-if we're going to, you know, be intimate, then we should maybe talk about it? I should have started with something not like that, I'm-I should go check dinn-" Haruhi was stammering but abruptly cut off by Tamaki kissing her, most likely to shut her up.

"Haruhi, don't apologize. I understand where you are coming from. I was just surprised. I think I was a little surprised you...you had that in your mind?" Tamaki said reassuringly. He wasn't upset, or at least he wasn't showing it. Haruhi looked down as she spoke as eye contact felt overwhelming.

"I guess, I just want to know…that side of you a little better. I think...it's smarter for us to talk about our expectations or likes, dislikes, or maybe experience before we start...going further." She finished lamely. Tamaki was thinking but eventually nodded.

"...I agree. I apologize for my response. It's natural to be curious after all. To answer your question,...I do." Now it was Tamaki's turn to avert his gaze. As embarrassed as Haruhi was, she was flooded with questions she tried to organize and push back into her mind.

"How often do you?"

"About every night."

"Do you think about me?"

Tamaki's face shot up and his blush returned. He gently lifted Haruhi back onto his thighs, away from his pelvis.

"...of course I do. Every time."

Haruhi blushed hard but would be lying if she said she wasn't feeling a little bit flattered.

"How about we switch off questions, you ask one and I ask one?" Tamaki suggested. "I guess that would make it my turn since you're already ahead." He finished, quietly chuckling. Haruhi frowned and nodded in agreement.

"Have you ever touched yourself?" Tamaki was now gently rubbing his hands along her thighs in reassurance.

"I have, yes." She said quietly.

"Are you able to make yourself cum?" Now it was Haruhi's turn to turn red. She was not expecting that question, let alone that she would hear Tamaki use that word. The twins jokes were vulgar at times so it wasn't like she hadn't heard it before. Haruhi took a deep breath before responding.

"Yes, I can." Tamaki let out a shaky breath at her response and gently lifted her off his lap so that she was sitting next to him.

"Are you okay? Why did want me off?..Wait! We said we'd go back and forth on questions!" She suddenly remembered.

"To be fair, you got a three question head start on me and the..topic of discussion and contact...is making me a bit warm." Tamaki was gently pulling the couch blanket over his lap. Haruhi realized what was happening.

"Huh, so knowing that I can make myself cum makes you hard?" Hauhi pushed through her insecurity to be brazen as it had always been a little fun to tease him.

"Y-you don't know that! Haruhi those twins are such a bad influence on you!" Tamaki was incredibly flustered and waving his arms to exaggerate his point.

"Tamaki, take a breath. Talking about this, means talking about THIS stuff. I want us to know what we each like so that it's a better experience whenever that happens. I'm not upset with you. I…..think about you too when I..do that." Haruhi half hoped he wouldn't hear the last part but she didn't want him to feel perverted for having thoughts about her. However, Haruhi was not prepared for the noise that came out of Tamaki's mouth and judging by his face, neither was he. It was a cross between a groan and moan.

"I-I'm so sorry. I am being lewd to a young lady and that is unbecoming of me."

"I just told you I think about you when I touch myself and you do the same. We are both being a little lewd." She laughed. She knew Tamaki would struggle with this a bit but she hoped in time he'd feel more comfortable expressing sounds like those since honestly it was better than she had imagined. Tamaki put his hands to his face and rubbed it gently before looking back at her. He studied her a bit further before lightly smirking.

"So what am I doing to you?" Tamaki asked pulling her across him so that her legs on his lap but her bottom was still on the couch. She gave him a skeptical look. He was trying to be playful like she was. They could be productive and flirtatious, right?

"I guess just the things I seen in pornography." She said as nonchalantly as she could.

"Oh, a lady such as yourself is watching adult videos?" Tamaki said slyly.

"Oh please, like you don't." She rolled her eyes.

"I don't watch them every time! Besides, I much prefer thinking of you to watching anyone!"

"Tamaki, shh. It's fine. I guess I..imagine you on top of me. Or that's at least what I default to. And it's your turn now! What am I doing?"

"...You're riding me." He said with a blush and the image flashed through Haruhi's mind. She was briefly relieved her arousal was easier to hide than his.

"Well, maybe one day we can try that." She leaned up for a kiss and in the process brushed her leg against his crotch. Tamaki jerked back and let out a hiss.

"I'm sorry! Did I hurt you?"

"No, no you didn't. I just wasn't expecting that." Tamaki smiled apologetically.

Before either could say another word, the oven timer broke the silence and Haruhi sprang up off the couch.

"Dinner's ready! I completely forgot it was in the oven. Hopefully it's okay." She said as she briskly walked into the kitchen. Her mind was all over the place with what had just happened and where the conversation went.

"I'll go wash up and help you set the table." Tamaki called out as she managed to catch a glimpse of him walking into the bathroom somewhat gingerly. A part of her wanted to continue their conversation but she also felt the desire to break her own rules and stay the night with him. She wasn't ready for sex, this she knew, but she was curious about exploring just a little bit. But was Tamaki ready to? What would he say? It was safe to say at this point, she had seen more of him than he had of her. Tamaki returned and Haruhi had forgotten to start cutting up the lasagna.

"It looks delicious! Thank you for making this." Tamaki smiled at her as he grabbed the plates. At the table, neither of them spoke for a few minutes.

"Tamaki, can I stay the night tonight? I know it's not the weekend, but I'd like to." Haruhi asked shyly.

"Are you wanting to continue our conversation?" He said playfully.

"I mean, yes, but I was thinking more so …..we could maybe… get a little beyond making out."

Tamaki paused with his forked mid-air and stared, before setting it down.

"We could do that."

Thanks for reading! I appreciate constructive feedback. I'll try to upload another chapter soon as this will most likely be only two parts.