Summer Holidays

Title: Summer Holidays
Author: scottishfae
Theme: Christmas in July
Word Count: 1488

All Standard Disclaimers Apply

It had started out as such a normal day. She had gotten up early that morning to run some errands, hoping to avoid her father following her. She had made it to all the places she needed to go, including the grocery store, and was on the way home when the unusual began to happen.

Turning the corner onto the street that ran perpendicular with her apartment complex, she stopped suddenly and nearly dropped her bags at the scene before her. Hordes of her neighbors were standing on the sidewalk and street looking on as fake snow was being thrown into the air by a massive machine, blanketing her apartment, and the area directly in front of it. Several full-grown spruce trees, richly decorated in lights and expensive looking ornaments, were carefully placed in the yard. The apartment complex itself was fully alit with Christmas lights that, even in the midday sun, still shown brightly.

Standing in the midst of all the action was, of course, the Host Club.

Mori and Honey were entertaining the neighborhood children who had collected at the property edge. They were both dressed in summer versions of elf outfits. Green shorts, accompanied with a sleeveless green shirt, highlighted both teenagers’ very muscular bodies. On top of their heads were pointed hats with a bell at the end. Their shoes had little golden bells adorning the pointed ends as well. Honey had the addition of red and white-stripped socks that went up to his knees, completing his ever-constant childlike appearance.

Further back on the property, Kyouya stood, notebook in one hand and his cell phone in the other. He was talking to someone as he supervised the continual decorating of the apartments by some of his family’s employees. He wore simple khaki shorts and a festive short sleeve, red shirt that clung to his well-worked form.

To his right, Kaoru and Hikaru were having fun throwing snowballs at each other. They too were dressed for the hot summer day but in colors of the Christmas season. Both boys had on red shorts, just a few shades more vibrant than their hair. Kaoru wore a white short sleeve shirt with a green, sleeveless vest over it. Hikaru sported a green tank top, plain and simple, but around his neck, however, was a red string holding a single gold bell.

Tamaki was nowhere in site, and that very fact terrified Haruhi more than anything else.

As she slowly drifted towards her home, she caught Mori’s attention and he had looked up, catching her eye. He offered her a gentle smile and she blushed a bit. Honey, sensing Mori’s attention had been focused elsewhere, looked up to see Haruhi standing there.

“Haru~hi!” He squealed, waving his arms excitedly over his head.

She waved back, a bit stunned. Honey’s greeting brought all attention to her and now all the Host Club, minus Tamaki, walked over to the street to greet her.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked.

Kyouya smiled, pushing his glasses further up his nose. A wicked smile played across his face as he put his notebook between his body and left arm. “It was ‘father’s’ idea that we surprise you for an impromptu holiday. Since the heat this summer is particularly nasty, we decided to do something that would remind us of cooler times, and therefore make us cooler in the process.”

“We originally wanted to take you to the Alps,” Hikaru said.

“But ‘our lord’ decided that you would feel too out of place in such luxury,” Kaoru finished.

For a brief second, Haruhi saw red. However, an extraordinarily cute Honey kept her anger away as he paraded his costume out for her with a few practiced swirls. “Do I look like one of Santa’s helpers?”

Haruhi nodded, giving a brief smile. Honey glowed with excitement and bounced over to the children again to show off some more. Mori followed suit, but not before a brief, unspoken communication with the only female host member. Kyouya seemed to observe this and smiled. He excused himself from the group as well, to finish giving orders. “Don’t go inside yet. The last few arrangements are going up in your apartment, but I should get confirmation that we can enter soon.”

“Is that where Tamaki-sempai is?”

Kyouya nodded.

“Haruhi,” Hikaru drawled, dragging attention to him.

He draped himself over the girl from the back, his hands hanging dangerously close to her hips. “Let’s play in the snow. We went through all the trouble of renting this machine to make it, so at least we can enjoy the fun while we can.”

Kaoru, agreeing with his brother, reached out and grabbed Haruhi’s hand. He dragged her away towards a rather large pile they had been playing with earlier. Hikaru groaned at the lack of contact and quickly went and caught up with the other two. “Have you ever played in the snow before?” Hikaru asked.

“Of course I have,” Haruhi yelled, more than a little offended. “Who hasn’t played in the snow?”

“People who live in places too hot for snow, even in the winter.”

Haruhi simply stared the twins with a blank stare. “Snow or not, I need to get the groceries inside.”

“But you can’t go inside yet.”

“Doesn’t matter, I don’t want the food to spoil.”

Kyouya walked up behind them, waving off Kaoru’s attempt to dissuade her. “It’s okay, we’ve got the go ahead. We can enter.”

With that said, Haruhi, followed closely by the other members of the Host Club, swiftly made their way to the apartment. She couldn’t help but look in awe at all the details of the decorations, though she tried hard not to show it. Even her neighbors had been persuaded to join in.

She reached her door, the little voice in the back of her head telling her to be cautious, and she slowly opened the door.

The first thing that hit her was the smell. Pine, cookies, and a few other assorted scents overwhelmed her. She had to blink back tears from the heavy odor. Next to hit her was the colorful decorations that hung all over the walls. Garland, lights, and other familiar Christmas items were draped about. It seemed even her father had gotten into the festive action.

A hand on her back startled her. She looked over her shoulder to see Mori standing there, gently urging her inside. She allowed him to guide her indoors.

“Ho, Ho, Ho!” A loud, boisterous voice called. It was obvious the speaker was trying to make his voice lower than it naturally was. “Merry Christmas!”

Haruhi did drop her bags this time and if it hadn’t been for Mori’s warm hand holding onto her shoulder, she would have quickly left the apartment, city, and possibly the country.

Sitting in the main living space was Tamaki, dressed in a full Santa Claus outfit. Next to him, dressed in a seductive looking Mrs. Claus outfit was her father. They both greeted her, again, with a round of “Merry Christmases”.

“I don’t know you,” she spoke forlornly.

“What?!” Tamaki screeched, back in his normal tone.

He was panicking and trying to make his way over to where Haruhi stood. The fat suit he was wearing for his part made it difficult, however, and he seemed to waddle more than walk. “You don’t like it Haruhi? But we planned it out so well?”

“Come on Haruhi,” her father joined in. “Where is your Christmas spirit?”

“It’s July!”

“But--”

“It’s July.”

“Father!” Tamaki cried, turning to the cross dressing man. “Our daughter hates all of our efforts!”

“She’s such an ungrateful daughter!” The other man answered, embracing Tamaki in an overly dramatic hug.

Haruhi sighed, her shoulders slumping forward. Mori’s hand, still present on her shoulder, squeezed gently. She looked up at him, and then at the other members of the Host Club. They all seemed amused by the display the ‘Claus family’ was putting on.

“I’ll put us on some tea,” she mumbled, walking to kitchen.

The dramatics seemed to stop, way too abruptly to be real, and the Host Club went to settle down in the decorated room.

“Hey Tamaki-sempai,” Hikaru stage whispered. “You wouldn’t have wanted to be Santa so that you could ask Haruhi to sit in your lap, would you?”

“What?” Tamaki screamed, his face going red.

An angry growl came from the direction of ‘Mrs. Claus’, before an angry father brought a red stiletto shoe down on Tamaki’s face. The twins laughed at the high-pitched screams of protest coming from the Host Club president. The others just looked on with mild amusement.

In the kitchen, Haruhi finished putting away the groceries she had dropped earlier before setting out to make tea for the group. She was happily ignoring the commotion in the other room while she quietly hummed to herself one of her favorite Christmas songs.

* * *

This was done for a contest over on LJ's ouranhostclub. It didn't win anything, obviously. There is a problem w. the tenses that every time I try to correct ends up messing up the sentence in one way or another.

But I'd love to hear what you think. Thanks.