Hey, readers! I have another oneshot for you, this one set in the more current season of Katie and Hikaru's relationship. It's set between Andrea arriving at Ouran and the twins' birthday, closer to when Andrea arrived as there are a couple of weeks or so between this and their birthday.

Enjoy!

Dinner With Friends

"Would you like to come over for dinner?"

Out of all the questions she had been expecting from Hikaru, that had been one that Katie definitely hadn't.

And, by the look on Kaoru's face, one that the younger twin hadn't exactly been expecting either.

Hikaru just blinked at the expressions on their face. "What?"

Katie's mouth opened and closed for a few seconds before she spoke. "You just invited me over for dinner," she pointed out.

Hikaru frowned. "Yeah, so?"

"Why?"

His frown deepened. "Isn't that what friends are meant to do?" he asked curiously.

Katie's eyes widened. "Well, yeah, of course! I just… I didn't expect that from you! Kaoru, maybe, but not you!"

Hikaru pouted and retreated to his 'Emo corner'. "Am I not good enough a friend, then?" he muttered childishly.

Katie's eyes widened. "It's not that, Hikaru! I love having you as a friend! It's just…" Katie sighed. She wasn't going to win this one. "Sure, I'll come over for dinner."

Hikaru grinned and stood. "Great! Dinner starts at six, so be there at around five, five-thirty, okay?" He grinned and headed over to his seat.

Katie blinked before blushing slightly. "Uh… okay…"

Kaoru smirked when he saw Katie blush. "You know, there's only one reason why Hikaru has invited you over," he pointed out to her.

Hikaru blushed deeply as he overheard this and glared at his brother, whereas Katie looked very curious.

"Really?" she asked. "What is it?"

Kaoru grinned. "Well, our mum is coming home for a week, after her latest fashion show. It really wore her out…"

Katie frowned slightly. Then it clicked.

"YOU WANT ME TO MEET YOUR MOTHER?!"

Andrea sat sniggering as she watched Katie pace around her bedroom, her bare feet making soft 'pad-pad' sounds as the redhead rambled on and on.

"—I mean, why me?! Why would he invite me over for dinner? With his mum, no less! Is he just being a friend, or is he trying to suggest something, or—"

"Or maybe he likes you," Andrea suggested, interrupting her rant. At the raised eyebrow she received, she shrugged. "What? It's possible."

Katie frowned at her best friend, folding her arms. "Why would he like me?" she asked Andrea incredulously.

Andrea thought about it. "Well… you're cute, funny, annoying, smart, friendly, and you have a smile that makes everyone else want to smile too."

The redhead's frown deepened. "I am not cute," she stated.

The dark skinned girl sighed. "Fine… but you have to admit that you're definitely all of the other ones."

Katie blinked. "My smile makes you laugh."

"Only your derpy ones do!" Andrea defended childishly.

The redhead raised an eyebrow at Andrea.

"What? It's true!"

"You know, you're really not helping me here…!"

"Well, what's there to help you with?" Andrea asked.

"My problem?! Hikaru has invited me over to dinner at his place!" she exclaimed. "I mean, if you think about it, it's almost exactly like him asking me—"

"On a date?" Andrea chuckled and shook her head slowly. "Look, Katie, I know he likes you, maybe even in that way, but don't start trying to read through the lines. All he's doing is inviting you over for dinner. Kaoru is going to be there, and so will their mum, so it's no big deal, okay?" Without waiting for an answer, the younger girl stood and headed over to Katie's wardrobe. "Now, let's choose you an outfit…"

Kaoru sighed as he watched Hikaru rush around, attempting to make everything look perfect; in fact, the older twin was just messing everything up.

It was so stupid.

He was so stupid.

"Hikaru, sit your arse down and shut the hell up," Kaoru commanded, thoroughly tired of his brother's antics. "Everything is going to be fine, you moron. You're just going to make it worse by trying to make it better. So sit down and shut up."

Hikaru shut his mouth quickly before sitting down on the couch opposite Kaoru, his hands moving restlessly in his lap as he thought. How will the evening go? Will they get along? Will it all screw up? Was this a bad idea?

Kaoru sighed as he watched Hikaru fidget on the chair. "Hikaru?"

Hikaru looked up sharply. "Hmmm?" he asked, still feeling tense, nervous and excited at the same time. His feet kept shuffling on the floor, showing his nervousness as they constantly moved around.

Kaoru sighed. "Mum is going to be home in an hour or so, maybe even less." He leaned forward so that his elbows were resting on his knees. "If you look all nervous and agitated, she's going to get suspicious as soon as she sees you."

Hikaru nodded, taking a deep breath. "Yeah, yeah, I know. It just… I don't even know why I asked her, Kao." He ran a hand over his face. "It just… came out. She's already met mum… I don't see why I invited her over to meet her again!" His face flamed bright red. "I am such an idiot."

"That you are." Kaoru grinned. "Oh, and did you hear? Dad is coming home in time for dinner too, so he'll see Katie as well."

Hikaru's face was murderous as he glared at Kaoru. "And you were going to tell me this when, Kaoru?" he growled, feeling extremely embarrassed now. He hadn't even been thinking when he'd invited Katie over for dinner, and now she was going to meet both of his parents. In one night.

Kaoru just stared at Hikaru, seemingly unaffected by his brother's outburst. "Probably when dad came home, so that it would be a nice little surprise for you. I pitied you though, so I thought I'd tell you now."

Hikaru huffed before getting up and running a hand through his hair, feeling agitated. He then glared at Kaoru again. "I hate you."

"No you don't. You love me really."

"Shut up."

It was about half an hour later, and the twins were waiting in the living room, when they heard the jingle of keys and the front door opening. The two grinned at each other, recognising the sound. Ever since they were younger, they had become accustomed to hearing that noise and thinking happy thoughts…

Their mother was home.

"Mum!" they boys cried as they jumped up and ran out of the living room to greet her.

Yuzuha smiled as she shut the door behind her before hugging both of her sons, dropping her bags onto the floor. "Ah, here are my two boys!" She hugged them tightly. "How are you both?"

The twins grinned as they pulled away from their mother. "We're doing great!"

Kaoru then grinned mischievously. "Guess what, mum?" he asked, glancing over at his brother with a huge smirk on his face. Mwahahaha…

Hikaru's face turned a deep red and he frantically shook his head as his eyes widened. No… no, no, no, no, no…

Yuzuha frowned in confusion as she watched her sons interact. Ever since they were younger, she felt as if she was kept out of the loop, with the boys always communicating silently – probably even telepathically. In a way, it annoyed her to no end. But in another way, it made her happy to see that they were so close to each other; it meant that they had each other all the time, that they weren't alone. This was why she loved her boys. "What?" she asked Kaoru, noticing the smirk on his face.

Hikaru was shaking his head frantically behind his mother now, begging Kaoru not to open his mouth. Please, Kaoru! Don't!

Kaoru's grin just widened. "Hikaru invited a girl over for dinner."

Hikaru's face was now beet red as he glared at Kaoru. I hate you.

Kaoru just continued to grin. Love you too!

Yuzuha looked between the two boys before smirking and turning to Hikaru. "A girl, Hikaru?" She put her fingers to her chin, smirking the whole time. "By any chance, is this… the Katie girl?" she inquired.

Hikaru tensed, his face unable to go any redder than it already was. "W-w-well…"

Yuzuha's grin grew and she clapped her hands in glee. "Oh, that's wonderful, Hikaru! Maybe I can get to know her better, considering she's my future daughter-in-law."

"Mum!"

Kaoru was sniggering the whole time, watching with amusement.

"What's so funny?"

All three redheaded Hitachiins turned to see the only dark haired Hitachiin standing at the door, fully dressed in his business suit as he carried his briefcase inside. The dark haired man smiled.

"I'm home."

Both boys grinned. "Hey, dad!"

Kaoru's grin soon became a smirk. "We were just discussing how Hikaru's invited a girl over for dinner."

Mr Hitachiin's eyebrows rose. "Is that so?"

Hikaru averted his eyes, but he nodded.

Mr Hitachiin smirked before heading towards the stairs. "I wonder how she puts up with you, Hikaru."

"Hey!" Hikaru cried.

Kaoru and Yuzuha laughed as they watched Hikaru storm upstairs after his father, complaining.

Katie took a deep breath. This is it…

The redheaded girl was standing at the front door to the Hitachiin mansion, all ready for her dinner with the twins and their mother, and there was something holding her back. Every time she brought up her fist, she stopped. What if I'm not up to their mother's expectations? What if she doesn't like me? What if I say something stupid? She sighed. She was having too many pessimistic thoughts…

Maybe if I just turned and left they wouldn't notice. Then I could call Hikaru and tell him I can't make it…

She shook her head. She wasn't backing down from this. She'd agreed to this, and she had actually been excited about it earlier. She had to do this.

When she finally got the courage, she lifted her fist and knocked on the door.

About a minute later, the door was answered by a maid. She was quite pretty, but by the frown on her face it seemed like she was one who never smiled enough for people to compliment her. She raised an eyebrow at Katie. "Hello, Miss Brigden. Please come in."

Katie nodded and stepped inside. "Thank you."

"The Hitachiins will be descending for dinner in a few minutes. Please wait in the living room until you are called." The maid led her to the living room. "Feel free to call if you need anything, Miss Brigden."

Katie nodded and sat down. "Thank you." She shyly pushed some hair back from her face and behind her ear. "Uh… may I ask… what's for dinner?" the redhead questioned shyly. She still wasn't used to being around the twins' maids, even though they had been friends for nearly a year.

The maid managed a small smile.

Huh, I guess she does smile, Katie thought.

"Unfortunately, I do not have that information with me, Miss Brigden. Would you like me to ask the chef for you?"

Katie shook her head. "No, I should be fine. Don't worry about it." She smiled back at the maid as she walked out of the room. The house seemed to be virtually silent for a few minutes before there was the sound of footsteps descending the stairs.

"Hey, Airi, has the chef finished with dinner yet?" Hikaru rushed down the stairs, still righting his shirt. He was doing his hair as he walked towards the living room. "Marie! Is our guest here yet?" he called out. He paused when he walked in, his eyes widening slightly.

Katie was sitting on the sofa, holding her purse on her lap. Her usually curly hair had been straightened and draped down over her shoulders, only being pushed back by a blue Alice-band in her hair. She was wearing a blue summer dress that he was sure he and Kaoru had picked out for her the other day, and had blue flats on. She wasn't really wearing much jewellery… apart from the locket he gave her for her birthday. He blushed lightly.

"Never mind, Marie!" he called out finally, righting his hair before walking into the room. "Hey."

Katie smiled at him and stood, pushing back some stray hair. "Hey…" She walked over to him. "I made it."

Hikaru smiled softly at her. "I can see that."

Katie blushed. Of course… how could I be so bloody obvious…? "Oh… yeah…" She laughed nervously.

Hikaru just smiled at her. "I… uh… I like your outfit," he complimented shyly, averting his eyes with a light blush.

She blushed as well, smiling at him. "Thank you… you were the one who picked it out for me."

"Oh yeah…"

The two both laughed nervously before smiling at each other. It was nice to be in each other's company, especially outside of school. It was comforting.

Hikaru had the strange urge to take Katie's hand in his own and kiss her softly, but as soon as he tried to take her hand he heard someone enter the room.

"Oh, Hika, I didn't know you were already ready!" Kaoru said as he walked into the room. He paused when he noticed that Katie was also in the room. "Oh, you're here!" He grinned. "Mum can't wait to meet you, and neither can dad!"

Katie frowned. "'Dad'?" She raised an eyebrow at them both. "Your dad is here?"

The twins nodded.

"When did you find out?"

"Today," they answered at the same time. When Katie raised a scrutinising eyebrow at them, they sighed and elaborated.

"Well, I found out that dad was coming over this morning, but I didn't think that Hikaru would invite you over… I was going to make it a surprise for him," Kaoru explained.

"I only found out when I got home, when Kaoru told me," Hikaru admitted, "when Kaoru told me. I wasn't very impressed when he only decided then to tell me, but I'm kind of glad my dad's here." He smiled. "Now you get to meet both of my parents!"

Katie blushed, but grinned. "Great!"

A maid walked into the room. "Master Hitachiins, Miss Brigden, your dinner is ready to be served."

Kaoru grinned. "That's our cue, guys." He turned and led them out of the living room to the dining room. Katie and Hikaru walked beside each other, not exactly realising how close they were to touching. Katie had definitely visited the mansion a few times before, but she nearly gaped when she saw the dining room.

It was large and fancy, like the main dining room at Ouran, with chandeliers and candles to illuminate the room and photos of members of the Hitachiin family along the walls. It had one long oak dining table running down the centre of the room, with oak chairs on either side for people to sit on. There were also chairs at the two heads of the table, at one of which Mr Hitachiin already sat.

Mr Hitachiin… Katie observed him from where she stood.

He seemed to be of average height, with dark hair and hazel eyes that were almost nothing like the twins'. He was dressed in a crisp white shirt with black trousers and had stubble around his chin and upper lip. It was strange to see that the twins looked nothing like him, despite the fact that he was their father and seemed to carry the dominant genes. He had a small smile on his face when he saw the group of three enter the room.

Mrs Hitachiin, however, looked exactly like the twins. Her fiery red hair was short, and her amber eyes glistened with mirth. Her outfit was fashionable, yet simple, and suited her perfectly; a pink shirt, with a black waistcoat and black trousers. She had a huge smile on her face as she stood to welcome them. "Hello!"

The twins led Katie over to the table, smiling at their parents. "Mum, dad, this is Katie," they introduced her.

Katie smiled at Mr and Mrs Hitachiin and walked over to them, holding out her hand for them each to shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr and Mrs Hitachiin."

Yuzuha took her hand and shook it. "Please, call me Yuzuha," she corrected with a smile. "And it's a pleasure to meet you too, Katie. Hikaru has spoken a lot about you."

"So has Kaoru!" Hikaru objected with a deep blush. He glared at his mother.

Yuzuha just smiled knowingly. "Of course, Hikaru." She rolled her eyes when he wasn't looking, and Katie stifled a giggle.

Mr Hitachiin stood, shaking Katie's hand once his wife had let go. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Katie. I haven't heard as much about you as Yuzuha has, of course, but it's nice to finally be able to put a face to the name."

Kaoru snorted. "Liar."

Mr Hitachiin raised an eyebrow at Kaoru. "What was that?"

"You've seen her pictures," Kaoru pointed out, making Hikaru splutter indignantly and glare at him.

"Shut up!" he snapped at his brother, who was smirking the whole time.

Katie watched what was going on with interest. Hmmm…

Mr Hitachiin frowned. "What pictures?" he asked Kaoru curiously, even though it was clear that he knew exactly what pictures he was talking about.

"You know… the ones that Hikaru sent you of when we went to England?" He smirked a little. "The ones that the maids sent you…?"

"The maids?!" Katie and Hikaru exclaimed at the same time.

Mr Hitachiin's eyes widened, and he smirked. "Ah, those pictures…"

Yuzuha frowned. "What pictures?"

Kaoru waved the question aside. "It's nothing. Just a couple of pictures of Hika and Katie-chan."

"Of course," Yuzuha answered, still suspicious. She had her eyebrow raised as she looked between the younger twin and his father.

Hikaru's face was a deep red now. "Can we please sit down?" he begged. "We came for dinner…"

Katie had a light blush on her cheeks. "That's true…"

Kaoru rolled his eyes. "Well, if you two insist…"

"We do," Hikaru snapped.

The Hitachiin family, plus Katie, all sat at the end of the table. Mr Hitachiin took his place at the head of the table, with Mrs Hitachiin on his left and Hikaru on his right. Kaoru sat in the seat beside his mother, whilst Katie sat opposite Kaoru and next to Hikaru. This brought some smirks out of Kaoru and Mr Hitachiin.

"Now, now," Mrs Hitachiin scolded, glaring at two of her boys, "we'll have none of that at the table, you two. We don't want to scare off our guest."

Katie blushed lightly, not used to having so much attention paid to her. "Uh… thanks?"

Yuzuha smiled. "It's no problem, sweetie." She smiled when she heard the door opening. "Ah, here comes dinner."

Some waiters walked into the room, all dressed in their professional outfits as they walked over to the dining table and served their dinner. It consisted of roast lamb, with roasted vegetables. A bowl of gravy was also set at the table, along with a large jug of water and some beautiful clear glasses.

Katie smiled. "This looks delicious."

Hikaru grinned and nodded. "Of course. Our chefs only make the best."

Kaoru grinned. "Of course, Hikaru's always boasting about your cooking too, what with all the bacon sandwiches and cupcakes you make for him at the Host Club."

Hikaru's face went bright red as he dropped his cutlery. "Kao!"

Katie blushed. "Really?"

Yuzuha's eyebrows rose. This is new… "Yes, really, Hikaru?"

"N-no!" Hikaru squeaked.

Mr Hitachiin smirked. "That's not what you wrote in that email you sent me."

"Dad!"

Kaoru sniggered quietly, hiding his mouth behind his hand.

Hikaru sent him a sharp glare. "You're the one who's gonna end up alone for the rest of your life!" he snapped irritably.

"Hikaru!" Yuzuha scolded. "You don't speak that way towards your brother!"

"He started it!" he argued.

"Oh yeah?" Kaoru challenged.

"Yeah!"

"Why you no good—"

"Hey!" Katie snapped, speaking for the first time in a while. She glared at the two boys. "Shut up and eat. We get it – Hikaru likes my cooking, and by the sounds of it, you're jealous of it Kaoru. So shut up and eat."

Both twins blushed darkly before turning back to their food, eating quietly.

Yuzuha and Mr Hitachiin stared at Katie in slight shock before smiling.

"I definitely wouldn't mind having you as a daughter-in-law," Mr Hitachiin said with a grin.

"Honey!" Yuzuha cried with wide eyes. "Don't say that in front of our guest!"

Katie's face was now a deep red, and she quickly went back to eating her own dinner. Okay… that was so awkward…

The rest of the dinner passed in silence, the only noise heard being the sound of cutlery scraping the plates lightly as they ate. Pretty soon, everyone had finished their meals and was waiting for dessert.

Mr Hitachiin took this as his chance to learn more about their guest. "So, Katie…"

Katie looked up from where she had been staring down at her hands, daydreaming. "Uh… yes, Mr Hitachiin?"

He leaned forward onto the table. "Tell us about yourself." He smiled. "How did you meet the twins?"

Katie smiled. "Well, actually, I was bored, and I got lost at school… and then I found them at the Host Club." She grinned. "That was a great day…"

Hikaru grinned in agreement. "Yeah… we pulled an awesome prank on Milord and the others…"

Kaoru chuckled. "Although, we did get in huge trouble…"

"It was worth it," Katie and Hikaru answered at the same time.

Yuzuha smiled. "Well, it's nice to see that you two are still making friends."

The twins grinned. "Well, we've made another friend too," they chimed. "Her name's Andrea, but we didn't invite her."

Yuzuha frowned. "Well, that's a shame…"

Katie smiled. "She would've loved to come…" She sighed softly. "I wish she had come. You would've loved her. She's so bubbly."

Hikaru huffed slightly. "And annoying."

Kaoru chuckled. "Actually, she only annoys you."

"Shut up."

The dessert arrived soon after the conversation about Andrea had started, and the twins grinned widely when they saw what was there.

Profiteroles and ice cream.

"Yum!" They clapped excitedly as their bowls were set down in front of them.

Katie smiled as her own bowl was set down in front of her. "This looks delicious!" she said, smiling hugely.

Hikaru nodded excitedly. "Uh-huh! This is one of my favourites!"

Mr and Mrs Hitachiin watched the interactions between the two with interest. There was something quite clear between the two. It was very obvious. The two adults shared a look, smiling.

I wonder when they'll get together…

Katie sighed as she stood, smiling at the family in front of her.

The dinner had gone wonderfully. After the dessert, the group had moved to the main living room with their preferred beverages and had begun to chat amiably, looking through old photo albums of the twins. Katie had enjoyed it immensely – it wasn't every day that you got to learn so much about the twins themselves.

In fact, she had enjoyed it so much that she hadn't noticed the time until it had reached around ten o'clock.

"Ah… I guess I have to get going then…" she said reluctantly.

Hikaru and Kaoru pouted, but nodded. They stood as she did. "We'll walk you to the door," they offered, smiling.

Katie smiled. "Thanks." She pushed her hair back behind her ear as she turned to the twins' parents. "Thank you for having me, Mr and Mrs Hitachiin."

Yuzuha and Mr Hitachiin smiled. "It was lovely to meet you, Katie," they replied.

"I do hope we meet you again soon," Yuzuha added with a smile.

Katie smiled. "So do I."

"Come on, Katie," Kaoru ushered her out of the door. "You need to get home before your mum does a backflip."

Katie nodded and turned to follow the twins out of the room, following them to the front door.

Once they reached the front door, Hikaru shoved his hands into his pockets, smiling at her a little. "Will you come over for dinner again?"

Katie smiled. "Of course." She grinned. "You never know, maybe next time I'll be your girlfriend and it'll be our parents meeting for dinner?"

Hikaru blushed deeply. "Uh…"

She just laughed, although she was blushing faintly. "I was kidding, you know!" She hugged him tightly.

Hikaru smiled and hugged her back before pulling away. She smells quite nice…

Kaoru then hugged her tightly and briefly before pulling away. "We'll see you tomorrow, okay?" he asked. He grinned at her.

Katie nodded. "Of course." She smirked. "Make sure you finish your maths homework. I don't think Andrea will be in the mood to tutor you last minute like last time."

Kaoru paled slightly. "Right… see ya!" He span and ran upstairs to do his homework.

Hikaru chuckled. Kaoru will never change…

Katie smiled at him. "You have to do your French as well," she pointed out.

He shrugged. "I'm never going to get on my teacher's good side anyway," he pointed out with a small smirk.

She giggled a little, before blushing and covering her mouth. "Anyway," she said finally, "I should get going."

Hikaru nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "So… I'll see you tomorrow?"

Katie nodded and turned to head down to one of the limos at the front of the mansion. "See you tomorrow, Hikaru!" she called back.

He grinned and waved at her, watching until she got into the limo and left for her place before going inside. He smiled as he walked back inside, shutting the door behind him.

"Dinner was lovely, wasn't it?"

He looked over to see his dad standing by the living room door, smiling knowingly at Hikaru.

Hikaru paused, blushing slightly, before smiling back at his dad.

"Yeah, it was absolutely amazing."

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