Imperfection at Its Finest - Ouran High School Host Club, Mori x Haruhi

[thecrazyalaskan]

Haruhi preferred to think of herself as intelligent. It was her intelligence, after all, that earned her the scholarship that allowed her to attend Ouran Academy. Then again, it was thanks to her lack of intelligence, in a way, that she owed eight million yen to the school's host club, which got her in the position she was in, working alongside aforementioned hosts. Oh, and did she mention that they were all male, and she was working her naturally androgynous look for all it was worth?

She looked the part, and certainly acted the part, but couldn't tie a necktie like the part. So she was stupidly clumsy, and didn't know jack about menswear. Lovely.

Haruhi stood in front of a mirror off to the side, trying to coax her tie into looking like… well, a tie. The twins had offered to help, but one scathing look from the club's "natural type" sent them running for cover.

A second uniform jacket appeared in the mirror, and Haruhi looked over her shoulder. "Hello, Mori-senpai," she greeted distractedly, looking back at her reflection and fussing with the untied necktie. She gave it a valiant effort, but gave up after a brief struggle. "Stupid—"

Mori placed his hands on her shoulders and spun her around to face him. Before Haruhi could ask (or even speak at all), he took up the tie and started to tie it for her. Weaving end over end, in mere moments, he'd done what Haruhi had been unable to do, a perfect half Windsor. He adjusted the length, and even worked his fingers up to the second knuckle between her shirt collar and skin, checking to be certain it wasn't tied too tightly.

"How's that?" he asked, turning her back to the mirror.

"Fine," Haruhi answered, hoping the color touching her cheeks wasn't painfully obvious to the other hosts, regardless of the fact that they were on the other side of the room. "Thank you, Mori-senpai."

Mori smiled at her—a genuine smile, as opposed to the half-genuine smile he offered the club's female guests—and took her hand in his own. Still smiling warmly, he brushed his lips against the backs of her fingers. "You're welcome, Haruhi." He released her hand and broke away, leaving her to finish preparing to receive that afternoon's clientele.

She was beautiful, intelligent, straightforward and charming, Mori mused. She was also easily flustered by her fellow hosts' extravagances and quirks, awkward and reserved to a fault. She wasn't perfect, by any stretch of the imagination. But truthfully? She was the most amazing example of imperfection he ever had the pleasure of knowing, and of quietly courting.

-.-.-.-

Title: Imperfection at Its Finest
Author: TheCrazyAlaskan
Fandom / Setting: Ouran High School Host Club (anime)
Characters / Pairings: Mori x Haruhi
Rating: K+
Genre: General, light romance
Warnings / Notes: Prompt from locoexclaimer : Title prompt: "Imperfection at its Finest". Any series, any characters, any rating."
Summary: Haruhi needs help with her uniform’s necktie.

I was WAITING for an excuse to write some Mori x Haruhi! Thanks, O wise prompt giver. I had this written in like… half an hour. Ninja fills ftw.

Oh God, I adore this pairing so much. I prefer it to the canon Tamaki x Haruhi and the fan preferred Hikaru x Haruhi or Kaoru x Haruhi (or some combination thereof)—Tamaki would eventually drive Haruhi crazy, and both of the twins can really only commit to each other in some manner (which one is canon to have commitment issues?). Mori is mature and stable, much like Haruhi herself, and she would be drawn to that. (And somehow, Mori and Haruhi manage to be my favorite hosts. xD)

For some reason, I adore scenes like these. Neckties are frigging sexy.

Haruhi, Mori, Ouran High School Host Club © Bisco Hatori