Oblivious Love (Hikaru x Haruhi)

Taking a Step

Class was a quiet affair, Haruhi had gotten there on time and the twins had arrived late This was unusual since the three seemed to never be parted as of late. The twin's late arrival did however allow for some of the girls to pester Haruhi with questions either about the twins, or Haruhi herself. Worry made it difficult to maintain a sociable and happy exterior, but the natural rookie worked her magic regardless. Light seeped in through the large ornate windows and warmed her cold hands. The class dragged on, the time crawling on by but never seeming to come to a close. Perhaps it was because Hikaru did not bother Haruhi a lot, other than that he slipped a folded piece of paper into her notebook. It was almost lonely, and curiosity was killing her about the paper. She wanted to open it; she also felt dread at what it could contain.

Kaoru on the other hand seemed somewhat relaxed during the whole class, as he took notes quietly. It was almost nice if it wasn't so eerie. Not one to let this chance get by despite the circumstances, she took advantage of it, settling to do her schoolwork and take studious notes as always. Her neat handwriting filled the page, but she wasn't able to focus on the lesson completely and mostly went by writing down whatever she was hearing. It was hard to admit, not that she ever would, but she did miss the little quirks and irritation of being continually pestered by the two. Class just felt bland with how things were.

The hours went on as such until lunch came by. Most students left immediately, although some stayed behind only for a moment to ask each other or Haruhi about the notes and what was important to remember. Hikaru meanwhile shuffled papers around nervously. He hadn't made a movement to leave yet or attempted to pack up as he waited for the room to clear. Kaoru made his not-so-subtle exit and then it was down to two.

Haruhi laid her now packed bag carefully on her desk before looking expectantly at Hikaru. It was unusual for him to be so silent. What she saw surprised her though. He wasn't watching her or acting impatient like he might normally, but rather he was pushing papers around his desk with an air of futility. A quiet sigh escaped her lips as she slid her chair over to his desk to help pack. "It's time for lunch, we don't have too much time to just keep fiddling around uselessly."

Her small hand paused as she was about to carelessly pile the papers into his bag. She stared at them for a minute before looking up to Hikaru. There were words and drawings scribbled out on them and they didn't look like notes for school but rather drawings from a sketch book. She could see a cartoon-looking version of herself with her nose in a book and a bored-looking cartoon-Hikaru hovering near by. It was, frankly, kind of cute. A warmth spread through her body and she couldn't hide her soft smile. There were more, too, so many pages just covered with doodles upon doodles. She could feel Hikaru had frozen next to her. Ever so slightly though, he leaned toward her and kissed the side of her face so gently she could barely feel his lips brush her skin. He whispered something as he did it sounded like he'd said, I love you, but she couldn't be quite sure.

"Haruhi... I'm... uhm..." he began, louder this time.

"I know..." Haruhi's previous stubbornness melted away at his awkward attempt for an apology. She remember the incident with Arai. That had been a problem for them at one point too. Hikaru had gotten so angry and so jealous for seemingly -to oblivious Haruhi- no reason, but the truth was that he had felt like she was leaving him. He'd felt like the only other person he began to want in his life was choosing others over him. Hikaru was still only beginning to be able to feel properly and he had no idea how to express his feelings at the time. He'd only ever had Kaoru, so when he began to see Haruhi as a person and not a toy there was possessiveness there that went unchecked. he's changed a lot since that moment, but there was still more to learn, and not just Hikaru needed to learn. Understanding was key, and as Haruhi thought more about the situation she could understand more as well. Neither of them needed to apologize, Hikaru was still learning to be open to others, and Haruhi was still learning to be in love and to be cared for.