They'd been dating for six months, and they still hadn't talked about it. Whenever she hung out with Hikaru or Kaoru, they were careful not to mention each other, and they avoided the subject of Tamaki altogether, like it was giving off toxic fumes. Haruhi was used to a snail's pace, sure, but wasn't that a little slow for someone like Hikaru? She was starting to wonder if Kaoru was the same way, or if either of them wanted to do it with her at all.

A relationship with two people was complicated, but what she had with the former Host Club members was something out of a scandalous nightmare. They were all adults now, and if everyone wasn't clear about their feelings, someone could get seriously hurt. That's why thanks to Tamaki, she'd commenced a plan to force the twins to acknowledge their relationship properly.

Meeting in a hotel was the only reasonable choice. The twins still lived with their mother, and even though Tamaki wasn't going to be home, he'd be all over the apartment, in every framed photograph and countertop coffee stain. She arrived a few minutes late on purpose and ran into Hikaru in the hallway, wearing flashy designer clothes and struggling with the card key.

"Hey," she said softly, brushing his hand with her own. "It's not like the expensive places you're used to. It doesn't always work the first try."

He prickled like a spooked cat but took a step back to give her a turn. When the door finally popped open to reveal Kaoru, his anger redoubled. Even unplanned, they dressed a little alike, layered under scarves and accessories. Hikaru puffed up like an inflated red balloon while his brother stared helplessly at the floor.

"What is he doing here?"

"You know Kaoru," Haruhi said, stepping into the room and casually shrugging off her jacket to reveal the simple white dress underneath. "He probably got here early to get ready." Hikaru didn't respond while Haruhi hung her coat in the closet. "I thought we all agreed a hotel was the best choice?"

"No - I mean - why did you bring Kaoru?"

"You're kidding, right?" Haruhi laughed. "Who was I supposed to bring, Tamaki?"

"Don't tell me…" Hikaru frowned when his brother effortlessly picked up the unfinished sentence. "You've been dating both of us?"

Haruhi smiled, unfazed. "Wasn't that clear from the beginning?"

It wasn't, but that was the point. According to Kyouya, the twins had crossed every line but the final frontier, and it was starting to show. Their unaddressed business was trickling down on the rest of them and affecting the atmosphere. She placed her bag next to the only bed in the room, where Kaoru was hovering nervously, too afraid to sit.

"Don't forget to close the door," she said simply, before turning to the younger twin. "You're okay with it, right?" He didn't meet her gaze. "All three of us together?"

The Hitachiin brothers could have booked any luxury suite from here to Tokyo, but Haruhi wanted to stay local, in a room she could afford herself. It offered nothing but the bare essentials - one chair, the bed, and a small coffee maker by the sink. It didn't matter. She had bought everything they really needed at the pharmacy last week.

When Hikaru spoke, it was definitive. "I said it before, and I'll say it again. I don't want to share you." He cleared his throat. "Especially not with Kaoru."

Haruhi turned sharply. "And what about Tamaki?"

"That's different - Tamaki isn't my brother." Haruhi waited for him to continue, resting her head against Kaoru's trembling hip, but he didn't.

Haruhi raised an eyebrow. "But it's not like this is the first time, right?"

The twins liked to think they were slick, but they were easily cowed by reverse psychology. Kaoru responded next, automatic, like clockwork.

"Of course it's the first time!" he insisted, voice cracking. "Don't tell me you really believed our act..." Kaoru's was far too falsetto. "I know we're good, but I didn't think we were that good!" They laughed together, showing off their oldest defense mechanism. "Wow, we even fooled Haruhi."

Haruhi matched their pace, unflinched. "But you've definitely kissed."

"Of course not!" Hikaru turned red and his brother eyed him sideways before finishing the thought. "At least, not like that…"

This was another taboo they'd never crossed, a real boundary hidden under bad jokes and playacting. Kyouya's intel was almost never wrong, and it had become glaringly obvious they were hiding something. There was no way they were going to make any progress if they couldn't be honest with one another.

"Why? The two of you have shared everything up until now." She leaned back on the mattress while the twins watched each other from across the room. "If you're worried about what I think - it's not like I haven't already imagined it," Haruhi said, utterly nonchalant. "What do you think the real reason is Kaoru?"

Hikaru slammed his fist against the wall, startling them both. He braced his weight on his forearm, trying to keep his emotions in check. Haruhi watched his adam's apple bob, bangs nearly disguising the glossy sheen to his eyes.

"I don't want to lose you."

The words hung in the air, anchored and drowned in the silence that followed. Haruhi waited for the dust to settle, for the knotted twister of feelings to spin counterclockwise.

"So…" Haruhi glanced between them before settling on Hikaru. "In the end, you're scared."

"Shut up!" Hikaru snapped. "What do you know about it anyway?"

Maybe that was true, but Haruhi was familiar with fear, and she knew what it was like to shoulder it alone in the darkness while a storm was brewing just outside.

"She's right. You are afraid." Kaoru's stance changed as he closed the space between them. "I let you convince me everything is okay, that this is how it has to be just because you're 'older,' but in the end, you're just as inexperienced as I am." Kaoru flexed his fingers, inflection steady. "I could lose everything, but not you."

Their hands brushed and Hikaru backpedaled, shoulders to the wall. Kaoru took one step closer, and his brother's resolve finally crumbled. They kissed like perfect reflections, mirroring each other's movements, mouths in sync. The whole thing was seamless, so graceful it could have been orchestrated. So intuitive she almost thought it was.

Their bodies pulled apart like adhesive - lingering - effervescent. Kaoru tried to smooth over the tell of emotion; Hikaru wanted to wipe the vulnerability clean. They turned in unison, readjusting their weight so they were leaning on each other, arms entwined.

"We were just kidding about earlier!" Kaoru said, pitch uneven. The smile was a poorly drawn imitation of the real thing. Hikaru nodded his head with complete confidence. "This definitely wasn't our first time."

Haruhi bent down to rifle through her bag, just in time to catch another non-verbal exchange between them. Kaoru squeezed his brother's palm, and Hikaru blushed, unguarded. It was cute, the way they looked at each other when they thought no one else was watching.

"Could have fooled me."

What was one more secret to keep from the world?