"I am too busy to have friends
A lover would just complicate my plans…."
-First Orgasm by The Dresden Dolls
Haruhi really didn't know how she managed to do it all. Even before she became part of the Host Club, she had very little time to herself. Every day was packed; she had school, her chores, homework and studying, and then if there was a spare moment, she would relax by reading.
But now, with the Host Club, her schedule was packed. On top of the schoolwork and chores, she had to participate in the Host Club, and take part in any of the silly activities that were planned by said club. And then, on top of that, Tamaki and the rest of the club would kidnap her for a day or a weekend, keeping her from doing everything she had to.
Luckily, her father was rather understanding about that, and didn't get angry when her chores weren't done.
But her grades were slipping, very gradually. She'd tried talking to Tamaki about it, but every time she refused to do something, he'd revert to his moping self. She wouldn't have minded, so much (because, for once, he wasn't bothering her), but Kyouya would (repeatedly) suggest she to apologize to the club's president, as his moping would not bring in profit. When she spoke to Kyouya about only going to the club four days a week instead of five, he reminded her of her large debt, and that by taking days off, it would take even longer for her to pay it back, not to mention if she didn't work on a certain day, there would be a significant decline in the club's profit, which could be added to her debt.
There was no point in talking to the twins; they wouldn't listen, and, even if they did, it wasn't like they could do a thing about it. Mori and Honey also could do very little to help her situation.
And so, Haruhi did the only thing she could think of; outside of school, she avoided everyone as best as she could. She didn't want to, she liked spending time with them. But, she needed to keep her grades up, and so she had to make some sacrifices.
She'd do her chores early in the morning on weekends. She'd study outside of her apartment, where she hoped they wouldn't find her; the Laundromat as her clothes were being cleaned and dried; the local library; the food court of the local mall.
Unfortunately, her plan began to backfire. Because they didn't see her all weekend, the club members (mainly Tamaki and the twins) would force her to stay after school longer. It didn't matter how much she argued or how angry she got; the twins would merely ignore her attitude, and Tamaki would take it seriously and mope until she forgave him (under Kyouya's insistence).
Because of this, Haruhi had to stay up later every night to finish her homework. She'd try to work on it as soon as she got home from school, but then she'd be late starting dinner. Her father had taken up the job of cleaning up after dinner, to give her more time to do her homework, but it wasn't enough.
Like any normal person in a situation like this one, Haruhi became stressed. Usually she thrived on stress; it pushed her to work harder. But this was more than she could handle.
And, like any normal person under stress, she needed some sort of release.
She considered demanding more time away from the club, but didn't want to deal with Tamaki's annoying moping, nor did she want another reminder of her (somehow constantly increasing) debt. And so, she did her best to cope.
Unfortunately, it's hard to remain chipper and pleasant when running on a few hours of sleep while struggling with the pressures of school and life. She never outright snapped at the customers, but she was quieter and a little colder towards them. She didn't mean to be, but it just seemed to happen. Because of this, her usually large supply of customers began to dwindle down, and it wasn't long before Kyouya approached her.
She had been sitting alone, taking a short break to drink some coffee (some, meaning several cups) to regain her energy. Kyouya had come up from behind and said softly in her ear, "I would try to be a little nicer to the customers if you want to ever pay off your debt."
Haruhi sat very still for a moment, gripping her cup tightly, her throat tight, tears of frustration starting to well up.
And then, Kyouya continued "I suggest you get back to work."
It was the last straw; she couldn't take anymore, not today, not right now. She set her tea cup down, and all but ran from the room, to a spare room where they would change into their costumes.
The tears came just as she entered, with loud sobs to match. There was a small table in the room, which she used to lean against as she cried. She wasn't used to feeling like this; there was just too much pressure to handle. Slowly, she gained control over herself, and over her tears, and pushed them back. She would not cry, not here.
She didn't hear the door softly open and close, nor did she hear the footsteps approaching her from behind.
Haruhi wiped her eyes, a little ashamed. Now she'd have to go to Kyouya and apologize for her rude behavior. Maybe she'd be able to blame it on hormones; boys would just silently accept that a girl's period was the cause for any strange behavior.
She turned around, feeling composed enough to go back out there (or to at least find a bathroom to splash cool water on her face; she could almost feel how red her eyes were) and found herself looking at Mori. For a moment, there was silence between them. How long had he been there? Had he seen her crying?
Finally, Haruhi broke the silence, her voice croaking ever so slightly. "Is Kyouya looking for m-"
She was cut off as, quite suddenly, Mori pulled her into a tight, and extremely comforting, hug. The lump returned to her throat; why was she about to cry again? She'd just finished!
"Mori-sempai-"
But he cut her off. "Let it out."
She couldn't control herself; the tears came, just as he commanded. And she didn't try to stop them this time. Instead, she buried her head in his chest and let herself sob loudly. Mori just stood there and held her, let her take her time. Every now and then, he'd stroke her hair, but that didn't happen often. His arms mostly stayed where they were; wrapped tightly around her.
Eventually, the tears stopped on their own, but Mori still didn't move. Haruhi didn't try to step back, either; she needed this comfort right now. His arms loosened ever so slightly, and he bent low, and kissed her forehead.
Haruhi froze. No, he couldn't want this…she didn't have time, she couldn't…. The tears were threatening to spill again, thinking about this, but she refused to cry for a third time. Trying to keep her voice smooth and normal (but failing), she said softly, "Mori-sempai…. I can't…."
For half a moment, he didn't move or say anything. But then, he took a step back and ruffled her hair a little. "I know," he said, and there was just a hint of a smile.
Haruhi nodded, grateful that he understood. Maybe one day…but not today. Not for a while.
She wiped her eyes again and said, "I guess we should go back in."
Mori nodded and offered her a hand. She took it, and together they went to join the Host Club once more.
I don't think I've ever written a story so quickly; I hope it turned out well.
Please leave constructive criticisms.