He Was Just Like That, an ouran high school host club fanfic

Author's Note: This is my first time delving into the wonderful world of Ouran, but I couldn't resist writing a little something about Tamaki and Haruhi. I'm writing this from the manga rather than the anime, so there are also some spoilers for later chapters. Hopefully everyone is in character and whatnot. Comments and criticisms welcome!

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.

He Was Just Like That

Haruhi's first impression of Tamaki had been something akin to wonder at the fact such a beautiful person could exist—truthfully, the whole Host Club had made her wonder about that; it just didn't seem natural—mixed with bewilderment at his apparent stupidity and arrogance. The self-proclaimed King of the Host Club, Tamaki exuded a natural grace and air of seduction that few could ever hope to match. His blonde hair and blue eyes were distinctly un-Japanese, and perhaps that exotic appearance helped add to his appeal among the female student body.

However, the more Haruhi watched Tamaki work his magic, the more it became obvious that his looks weren't the only thing that made him the host most designated in the club. He had a charm that he worked flawlessly, no matter what girl he was with; no matter her looks or wealth. The girls twittered whenever he made a particularly romantic comment, and his eyes sparkled with warmth that seemed impossible to resist.

Haruhi initially thought that Tamaki put on a brilliant show for the sake of his customers, and though the show often disgusted her, she had to admit he was good at what he did. When the customers left for the day, Tamaki kept that brilliant smile on his face as he excitedly planned for the next event. He seemed to be a ball of energy that never ran out, though Haruhi often wondered how much of that was a performance for the benefit of not only the customers, but the other club members as well.

Kyouya had known Tamaki the longest and, as the Shadow King, would know the blonde better than anyone else, so at the end of her first week in the Host Club, Haruhi had screwed up her courage to ask him about it.

"Kyouya-senpai," she began, while the two watched Tamaki put on his romantic act, and the older boy looked down at her over his ever-present notebook, "how does Tamaki-senpai do it? He always seems to be smiling and excited, but no person should have that much energy all the time." It wore her out to just watch him many days.

Kyouya gave her a curious look before looking back at Tamaki. Haruhi followed his gaze to watch the King profess his love to his latest client. "That's Tamaki. He's just like that."

And the longer Haruhi watched Tamaki's seemingly endless streak of energy and charisma, she started to realize that Tamaki really was just like that.

Haruhi had initially wondered how the Host Club members could bear to spend so much time performing such superficial duties for their female (and occasionally male) customers. But the more she fell into her own role as the natural rookie, the more she enjoyed the whole thing, though she could never pinpoint when she first started liking her position with the Host Club.

Though, as she fell into the routine of hosting, she often found herself watching Tamaki out of the corner of her eye. As much as he drove her nuts with his narcissistic attitude, she found him endlessly fascinating. The girls he spent time with were absolutely enthralled with his romantic nature, and Haruhi wondered on more than one occasion how Tamaki could continue putting on such an act for every girl he met every day.

But the more she got to know him and watched him work his charm, she came to find that Tamaki was the most genuine person she had ever met. When he said that he wanted to bring happiness to girls, he meant it. And when he told every client that they were beautiful, he meant that too. He thought all the girls were beautiful and wanted nothing more than to please them. At first Haruhi couldn't believe it, but she soon came to realize that Tamaki was just like that.

When Haruhi had confronted the guys who were harassing some of the girls the Host Club had brought to the beach, she hadn't thought about anything besides doing the right thing. They were bothering the girls, and Haruhi did not stand idly by when there was an injustice going on in front of her eyes. She had learned that lesson from her mother, and that was why she wanted to become a lawyer, after all. Without thinking, she had told them to leave and gotten herself in over her head.

But Tamaki had jumped into the water after her without any regard for his own safety, and had brought her to shore. She had remembered falling from the cliff and hearing Tamaki call her name. She must have blacked out because the next thing she remembered was being in Tamaki's arms. His normally vibrant blue eyes were clouded with worry, but they had brightened in visible relief when he had noticed she was awake.

Haruhi wasn't sure why, but her stomach had fluttered slightly when Tamaki's expression had brightened a bit. She told herself it was because she had almost drowned, but somehow that didn't seem quite right. But that feeling had fled when Tamaki had scolded her on the beach for trying to take the guys on alone. She couldn't understand why he was so angry; she had done the right thing, so what was the problem? Truthfully, though, she had never seen her senpai actually angry and it startled her to see it directed at her.

But when Honey, Mori, and the twins had told her that they had all been worried about her, and that was why Tamaki was so upset, Haruhi had finally understood. She felt guilty for making everyone worry, and Tamaki's outburst had shown a different side to him that she had never seen. It surprised her but it also made him seem a bit more normal; he seemed a bit more human to Haruhi when she realized there were many layers behind Tamaki's cheerfulness.

And when she had shown him her vulnerability when the thunderstorm struck, Haruhi gained an even greater appreciation for Tamaki. His gentle coaxing to get her out of the wardrobe and his promise to make sure she would never be alone had shown a softer side that Haruhi hadn't expected from him. Though she told herself that she had jumped into his arms because the thunder had scared her, deep down, she knew that Tamaki was a comforting presence, as strange as that may seem. After all, Tamaki was just like that.

Haruhi had initially been annoyed by the way Tamaki had declared himself to be her father and had showered her with what he considered to be fatherly affection. For him, who was a year older than her, to seriously—because she knew him too well by this point to think he was faking—call himself her father and act protectively as such was beyond ridiculous.

But as she watched the interactions among the Host Club, she came to understand that it really was a family that Tamaki had constructed. Kyouya passively accepted the role of mother to Tamaki's father, while the twins' unconditional loyalty to "Tono" led them to take the role as sons. Honey and Mori as the oldest members of the Club, Haruhi came to recognize, were more like the neighbors that might as well have been related. Together, the seven had a close-knit bond that seemed strong as any family.

The day Tamaki had wanted to help out the Newspaper Club because they were on the verge of collapsing, Haruhi had seen the extent to which Tamaki was adamant in his belief that clubs were like families. Something about that had touched Haruhi, and she had resisted less from then on whenever Tamaki had declared himself to be her father. Somehow she couldn't bring herself to be bothered by it so much because Tamaki was just like that.

The appearance of Tamaki's grandmother at the cultural festival had surprised Haruhi. She had watched with a smile as his face had lit up at her appearance, but Honey's declaration of hating the woman had been shocking. The tenseness in the other hosts had been evident as Tamaki had run up to greet her, but it wasn't until the woman had snarled words of rejection at the blonde that she understood what Honey was talking about. But Tamaki had merely taken the whole exchange in stride, his outward calm never faltering.

When the other Host Club members told her about Tamaki's heritage, Haruhi had been surprised, and her heart had gone out to her senpai. He was always a cheerful bundle of energy that wanted those around him to be happy. She never would have guessed he was concealing such a tragic backstory behind that warm and infectious smile. That revelation had made Haruhi reassess her opinion of Tamaki's attitude.

And when she had offered him food during the festival much to the dismay of the guests, he had eaten it, and told her that he was himself before being a Suou. And he had smiled. But Haruhi thought she might have caught a glimpse of sadness in those blue eyes before it disappeared. However, though Haruhi knew that sadness was there, Tamaki continued to smile. His strength to go on like that despite his circumstances gave Haruhi some strength of her own. Though he didn't know he had done that for her, he seemed like a beacon of warmth in a sea of cold. The thought made Haruhi smile before she could catch herself. After all, Tamaki was just like that.

When Tamaki had suggested the sports competition between the various clubs, it had seemed like a bad idea to Haruhi. And when the Host Club had ended up split up between the two teams, it had seemed like an even worse idea as Kyouya seemed furious with his best friend. After all, there was no merit in Kyouya participating in such an activity, so he would have to put forth effort when it didn't mean anything to his machinations. With Kyouya heading one team and Tamaki heading the other, the two parental figures of the Host Club were facing off in front of everyone. However, while Kyouya silently seethed and plotted, Tamaki seemed calm (which was odd for him); even happy.

Tamaki had revealed that he had wanted Kyouya to have something to work toward for his own sake rather than the merits involved for once. And when Kyouya and Tamaki had ended up facing off in the final leg of the relay race, Haruhi had seen what Tamaki had wanted from it come to fruition. Kyouya had beat out Tamaki for the sake of his pride and though Tamaki had lost, he seemed like he had been the real winner. Kyouya might have been the master of plans, but Tamaki had gotten the better of him this time.

Haruhi didn't know how he did it, but she had come to understand that Tamaki was just like that.

When Haruhi heard that the second year's class trip would be to France this year, she, along with the rest of the Host Club, had worried about Tamaki. However, he hadn't seemed shaken by it, so they had kept their concerns to themselves. But Haruhi couldn't help but worry about her senpai, and at the oddest times, too. There were times when she would be lying awake in bed or cooking and would suddenly wonder how Tamaki was doing. And then she'd wonder why she was thinking about him more and more lately.

And when the second years left, Haruhi had worried even more. Though Tamaki had seemed cheerful the last time she had seen him, she knew he always kept his pain and worries to himself. His ever-present smile belied his sadness, and sometimes Haruhi wanted nothing more than to find him and comfort him, knowing he was sad. Those thoughts made her wonder how the blonde had affected her so much. Tamaki was just like that, she told herself. He affected everyone around him, whether meaning to or not.

And when she found him waiting outside her apartment when he was supposed to be in France, she hadn't known what to do. Realizing that Tamaki hadn't gone on the trip because of his family situation, Haruhi had invited him inside. Her thoughts were spinning as her senpai waited for her. She was angry he hadn't told anyone but Kyouya he was staying behind. She was sad that he couldn't make the trip because of his family. She was worried about what he was feeling about it all. Not really knowing why, she had confessed that she didn't know how to react and Tamaki had seemed surprised. The genuine look of concern on his face when she had admitted her own shortcomings when it came to helping her friends (right before he stepped into his hot food) had caused her stomach to flutter.

And when he had come up behind her and told her that he didn't want people to worry, she thought her heart might explode out from her chest because it was beating so hard. She tried to keep it to herself, but her reaction confused her to no end. Tamaki had the tendency to bring out the strangest reactions in her, but she had always thought that it was just because Tamaki was like that.

He had promised to answer any questions she had about his situation. When she asked about his mother, Tamaki's expression lightened and he seemed as if he could float when he talked about her. It was obvious he loved her very much, and she recalled him telling her that he hadn't had many friends his age because he was always with his mother. And now, he always smiled and wanted the people around him to smile because his mother said that his smile made her smile. That sounded like him. Haruhi had grinned at the thought. Tamaki was just like that.

When he had kissed her on the head, Haruhi hadn't known how to react. He had kissed her while he was feverish some time earlier, but had said that it was because he was her father, then had promptly fallen asleep and forgotten the matter entirely. It didn't seem fair that he could forget such a thing, but since he had, Haruhi had tried—and failed miserably—to forget as well.

But this time, he had bent over and kissed her before leaving her for the night. There was no excuse for Haruhi to use to justify it this time. She didn't know what prompted him to do it, and she didn't know why she couldn't take her hand from the spot he had kissed. She also didn't know why her face was suddenly hot and she felt ill. She had never felt anything like it before. Tamaki had a tendency to make her feel things she had never experienced before, and it wasn't entirely unwelcome, she realized. Tamaki was just like that.

Mei-chan had given her a magazine that, no matter how many times she took the quiz, told her that she was in love with Tamaki. She couldn't believe it; wouldn't believe it. After all, this was Tamaki. He was the father of the Host Club family and, for some reason she couldn't pinpoint, seemed off-limits to someone like her. He was a fleeting glimpse into a world that would fade away once she left Ouran. Or at least, he was supposed to be.

But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that wasn't true. If he—if the entire Host Club for that matter—was supposedly to be merely a glimpse into a lifestyle that she didn't belong to, then why couldn't she bear the thought of being without him? Why was he so warm and wanting to understand her way of life—something he had never been exposed to and shouldn't have to be? And why couldn't she shake the idea of wanting to see more of his life as well?

When Mei-chan told her that love didn't come on suddenly, Haruhi initially rejected the idea out of hand. How could she have fallen in love with Tamaki without realizing it? But the more she thought about it, the more she understood. He probably hadn't meant to do it, but he had found a way into her normally apathetic heart without her noticing it. Every time she smiled at his antics or teased him to send him into his Corner of Woe, she had fallen for him just a little more.

No, Haruhi decided, Tamaki wasn't the type of person you could fall for—really fall for, like head over heels fall for, not like the crushes the clients of the Host Club had on him—in an instant. He was the kind of person that you came to understand over time and, as you peeled back more of his layers, the more you loved him.

Haruhi smiled. Yes, Tamaki was just like that.