Same Problem, Different School

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran Host Club or Hana Kimi.


Nakatsu Shoichi, transfer student, ran down the mansion-esque halls of Ouran High School in a panic. Eyes flicked back to the growing crowd of young high school girls that trailed behind by a good twenty meters. They were apparently looking to claim the newest eligible bachelor at the school, something about all the other bishonen charging too much.

One minute, he’d been sitting quietly in the cafeteria, and the next he had a crowd around him, clamoring for attention. Even though the blonde boy was usually outgoing, being in a coed school after the all-male Ohsaka High was a bit startling. An attempt at a polite exit turned into a virtual stampede.

Ordinarily he’d have no problem outrunning the entire school, but the unfamiliar halls were slowing him down considerably.

Nakatsu skidded around a corner, spotting a stairwell on one side and an unassuming door on the other. Thinking quickly, he opened the door and ducked inside, closing it behind him. Books and boxes littered the long closet. A sheet-covered chair sat in the back.

He stood at the door, tense and panting. Giggles and squeals sounded close by and then gradually faded as many pairs of hard-soled shoes clattered away down the stairwell. A few moments later his shoulders slumped with a deep sigh.

Nakatsu walked the length of the room and flopped into the chair to catch his breath. He loosened his stylish tie and threw his suit coat onto a nearby box. Running two hands through damp hair, he leaned back with a groan. Resting his hands behind his head, he stared at beams in the high ceiling.

“Fuck. I left Ohsaka to get away from insanity,” he mumbled to himself.

‘Not to mention get away from Him.’

Nakatsu sighed. At least this place had a good soccer team.

The doorknob rattled slightly and Nakatsu shot up, panicked.

‘Shit!’


He shot out of his seat and jumped behind the chair, wishing he was just a bit shorter. The hinges of the door protested as it opened and slammed for the second time in a few minutes. He barely heard the click of a lock and mentally kicked himself for not doing that himself.

Soft panting sounded from the other side of the small room. After a tense moment, the person sighed. Shoes scraped against the floor.

Nakatsu tensed, keeping as still as possible. His eyes widened as he caught sight of his jacket still draped across the box.

‘Don’t notice, don’t notice, don’t notice,’ he chanted in his head. He cursed inwardly as he heard a sharp intake of breath.

“Is someone there?”

Fujioka Haruhi looked warily over the storage room that had become her only refuge from Tamaki and the rest of the host club boys. It was almost never used, tucked away by a stairwell that led out to the back of the school. Who would leave their coat here?

She pulled at her tie a little. Dressing as a boy had gotten her out of some of the unpleasantness of high school, especially at a place as status-conscious as Ouran. However, it did get her into her current predicament. She just wanted to pay of her debt quietly and get through school without incident. If someone found out about this little refuge, goodness only knows what hoops she’d have to jump through to pay off another item on her ‘tab.’ She needed a break from the jet-setting world of Tamaki and the others.

She was about to relax when the chair moved slightly. Her heart sped up.

“Come out, I know you’re there.”

Nakatsu heard footsteps come a bit closer and sighed, knowing he was caught.

‘Hopefully it isn’t one of those girls.’

He straightened slowly from his crouched position, and was somewhat relieved to find trousers, suit jacket, tie, and . . .

*ba-bump*

…lovely chestnut eyes framed by matching hair, falling gracefully around a fine-boned face.

*ba-bump*

‘Oh shit.’

*ba-bump*

‘Not again. . .’

*ba-bump*

‘That’s it. I’m gay.’

Haruhi was struck still by the tall, athletic boy in front of her. His slightly rumpled appearance and tousled hair added to his appeal.

‘But god, those eyes . . .’

*ba-bump*

‘. . . it’s like they stare right through me.’

‘I don’t know if I can do this again. But he’s so small, I just want to hold him.’

‘What is this feeling? I’m around beautiful boys all day, you’d think I couldn’t be surprised.’

A set of passing voices caused both of them to jump. Their eyes remained locked.

Nakatsu spoke up as the voices faded.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” Haruhi said quietly, blushing at the rich sound of his voice.

‘God, he’s even cuter when he blushes! I’m so screwed!’

“I’m Nakatsu, a new student.”

“Haruhi, pleased to meet you.”

“I’m, uh, sorry, is this your closet?” he said, attempting a joke.

‘Lame!’

Haruhi looked away a little.

“Sort of. It’s where I come to hide.”

‘Why did I say that? Now I sound like a weirdo.’

She was distracted from her inner musings by his warm chuckle.

“With the welcome I got from that mob of girls, I’m not surprised. Seems like this place can get kinda crazy.”

The corner of Haruhi’s mouth quirked a little in a tiny smile.

“You could say that.”

They both shifted a little.

“So, um, are you,” ‘seeing anyone’ “happy here?”

Haruhi shrugged, the quirky smile returning. “Dad is happy I’m going to a prestigious school, and it’s not costing him anything.”

“Scholarship?” Haruhi nodded. “Me too. Mine’s for soccer though.”

‘Thank god, he’s not in Tamaki’s circle. Please, don’t find me for just a bit longer.’

‘Wow, he must be really smart. Please let me stay here for just a little while.’

Haruhi saw the jacket lying on the box next to him, and walked the few steps closer to pick it up. She brushed it off a little and handed it to him.

“The uniform’s expensive. You probably don’t want to get it dirty.”

Nakatsu’s senses reeled at the closeness. This boy even smelled good.

‘Wow, he’s even better looking than I thought. Taller than Tamaki.’

A sudden rattling of the doorknob had both of them nearly jumping out of their skin. They looked at each other, panicked.

“It’s locked,” Haruhi whispered.

Muffled voices sounded outside the door. An unmistakable jingle of keys was heard.

“Quick, under here!” Nakatsu whispered, pulling Haruhi down behind the chair.

“It’s too small!” she whispered back frantically.

Nakatsu grabbed the sheet from the chair and pulled it over them. His actions caused him to sit back hard, inadvertently pulling her against his chest. Having no purchase, Haruhi slid forward and fell into a very close, very warm embrace.

The door creaked, and they both froze in the awkward pose, praying they looked enough like covered storage to pass inspection.

“Hikaru, do you see anything?” called a confident male voice.

‘He feels so good pressed against me. He fits in my arms.’

“No Kaoru, just a pile of garbage.” Nakatsu could have sworn it was the same voice, though it sounded much closer than the first.

‘He is so warm, and I feel so safe in his arms.’

“Hm. I thought I saw Haruhi come in here.”

‘Wait, does he have breasts?’

“We’ll just have to keep looking.”

The door swung closed, and the key turned in the lock again. Footsteps strolled away into nothing.

They sat like that for several minutes, warm underneath the sheet.

‘Oh my god, please tell me he’s a girl.’

Haruhi pulled back slightly, just enough to see his face. Their breath mingled as their hearts hammered in their chests.

‘I don’t want to screw this up, but I have to ask.’

“Are . . . you a girl?” he whispered.

Haruhi blushed bright red. After a moment, she barely nodded.

“Thank god.”

He leaned forward just slightly, enough to brush his lips on hers. She responded after a moment, swept up in the heady sensation of his closeness. They touched lips gently, each slowly testing the contours of the other.

After several heartbeats, Haruhi pulled away, resting back onto her knees. Nakatsu smiled and slowly stood, pulling the sheet off them both. He reached down his hand and pulled her up, drawing her into a loose embrace.

“So,” he said quietly, “can we both hide here?”

Haruhi gave a small gentle smile.

“Sounds fine to me.”