Title: It takes 3 to Tango
Fandom: Ouran High School Host Club
Rating: PG
Pairing/Characters: Hikaru/Haruhi/Kaoru
Warnings/Notes: None
Summary: Hikaru and Kaoru are bored, and want to teach Haruhi the tango.
Disclaimer: Bisco Hatori owns all rights to the original story.

SPOILER WARNING: If you haven't read past chapter 47 of the Ouran manga, you may be spoiled of some feelings and or events.

"Haruhi!" Identical voices sounded from behind the brunette, who had immersed herself into a chemistry book. Haruhi shifted in her seat before a set of arms snaked around her neck in a loose hug. Without even turning around, she could tell who the arms belonged to.

"Kaoru, get off. I'm studying." She scoffed, highlighting a sentence in her workbook. Club activities had ended early that day, leaving the ginger twins extremely bored and full of annoying energy. Neither of them wanted to go home yet and had been hanging around the music room, annoying the left over members. Ignoring their antics, which seem to grow difficult as their laughter and whining grew even more obnoxious than normal, Haruhi busily studied for the upcoming chemistry final. Getting the top grade in the class was her top priority, and the music room seemed a better place to study, than at home with her clingy father. However, she didn't have time to deal with the Hitachiin's fun and games either.

Kaoru gave a small pout, releasing his prey. "Why are you studying so early anyway? The exam isn't until next week." He took the empty spot next to Haruhi and balanced his chin in his hands. Haruhi arched an eyebrow and sighed.

"It's never too early to start. Besides, I have to ace it, remember?" She reminded him, her chocolate eyes never leaving the chemistry book. Another body slid next to her and a chin landed firmly on her shoulder.

"Haruhi, do you know how to dance?" Hikaru asked, a hint of trouble ringing in his voice. Haruhi still did not remove her eyes from her book, but the tone of her voice changed in annoyance.

"I can waltz, remember?" She sighed, as if they should. Hikaru blinked, his face scrunched up in confusion. Apparently, he could not remember any kind of event that would require Haruhi to perform the waltz. Kaoru noticed this and shook his head in shame.

"Don't hurt yourself, Hikaru. She had to waltz at the ball…" He pointed out, recalling the ball where Haruhi had received her first kiss, from a girl. Hikaru blinked, still not fully remembering that particular event. So much has happened with the club over the years, that everything was either a blur or blank memories. Turning a page in her workbook, Haruhi nodded and marked something down in her notebook. She barely even reacted when Hikaru leaned on her further, moaning with boredom.

"Sure you can waltz… But-"

"Can you Tango?" Kaoru joined in, seeing where this was going. They both knew Haruhi was poorly educated in the arts and they desperately wanted to teach her. Wide, mischievous, grins spread onto their lips as they awaited her answer. Haruhi groaned lightly, knowing they weren't going to leave her alone. She would have to study later. She closed her workbook and placed it on the table with the rest of her study materials. The twins took this as an opportunity to prod.

"Well?"

"Can you?"

They both were now leaning on each shoulder, dangerously close to her face. She frowned, looking straight ahead, refusing to put her face any closer to either of them.

"No. I can only waltz. But don't think you-"

"Great!" The boys sounded in unison, grabbing her by the arms. Soon, Haruhi found herself in the back changing room, an expensive clothing store bag in hand.

"Change into that." Hikaru stated, pointing at the bag. Kaoru grinned and thrust his thumb back towards the music room.

"And meet us back out here."

Haruhi sighed, watching them shuffle out the room. After some though and realization that there was no way of getting out of this now, she pulled a dress out of the bag. Her eyes widened at the sight. The fabric was very light and felt incredible against her skin. Delicate pink flowers and green ivy spiraled around the white linen, decorating it beautifully. She slipped the dress on and smiled. No doubt this was one of their mother's 'Creations', because it was obviously made especially for her. The dress fit her perfectly, falling just above the knees. The neck line was low, but not enough to bother her. Carefully examining herself in the mirror, she grinned. Haruhi actually liked the dress. Glancing around, she realized that the boys had failed to leave her some shoes. Thinking for a moment, she decided to leave her feet bare.

"Haruhi!" Hikaru's impatient whine came from behind the curtain and Haruhi slid it open. As she suspected, the twins were waiting for her at the door, dressed in identical suits, saved from a previous club event. Hikaru's was black with a purple tie, while Kaoru's was white with a blue tie. The boy's attention was drawn to her, eyes widening happily. The girl before them seemed to glow and they were happy she agreed to the dress, even if she had no choice in the matter. She was gorgeous. They simultaneously held out their arms for her.

"May we have this dance?" Haruhi blushed a bit at their forwardness as she pressed her hands to each of their arms. The atmosphere of the music room had changed significantly in the time it took her to change clothes. A beautiful, faint melody drifted into the air and the lights had been dimmed, creating an almost romantic feeling. Tables and chairs had been pushed to the far side, leaving an open area of dancing.

In the background, Tamaki mumbled and whined quietly to himself, complaining quiet furiously that he wanted to dance with his "precious Haruhi" and that it was unfair that the twins got to. Just minutes before he had been yelling and throwing quite a fit about it, but Kyouya silenced him almost immediately with hints of selling Haruhi's pictures online. The shadow king, of course, awaited the arrival of the trio. He had planned to record this "dance," in order to catch something decent on film for once. A table over, Mori and Huni sat, Mori patiently sipping some water, while Huni busily cut slices of leftover cake from earlier in the day. Each member was excited to see what the twins had planned for Haruhi, and even hoped things went smoothly.

Everyone understood that things between the twins and Tamaki were on edge; after Kaoru's confession, and the constant battle of wits between Tamaki and Hikaru, in order to win Haruhi's heart. The twins had come to the conclusion that Kaoru would back off and let Hikaru try to win her himself, but that did not mean those feelings weren't there. They all loved her and the jealousy was obvious in every moment the boys interacted with Haruhi. Haruhi, herself, had no idea as to what she or her heart wanted; so, as Haruhi does, she placed recent events in the back of mind. She would rather ignore them for now, instead of dwelling on them at inappropriate times.

A slightly more up-tempo song came flowing through the music room and Kaoru took the girl into his arms. Feeling her tense up with worry, he laughed lightly and drew her closer.

"Relax… I'll teach you. Just follow my lead." He whispered, grasping her hands gently. Haruhi nodded; surprised at how gentle he was being, compared to all the other times he and Hikaru had forced her to do something. That's when she finally noticed it. She thought back to all those times she had been captured, kidnapped, and whisked away. There were always two different grips, a strong, possessive one and a gentle one. Kaoru's was the gentle one. Just like she thought, the twins were different in every which way.

Her eyes constantly fell, glancing at the floor, making sure she didn't step on Kaoru's feet. Though, with the way they were moving, it was nearly impossible. She counted silently, following the rhythm of the music.

"1 2 3… 4 5-"

Kaoru had moved a bit differently, causing Haruhi to look up in shock. He grinned at her and moved his arm up.

"Now… Spin out." He ordered, nudging her forward a bit. Haruhi cocked her head. She had definitely seen the tango performed before, but never a tango with "spinning."

"But… This is the tango. There's no-"

Kaoru placed his free hand on her lips to silence her.

"Shh… Just do it."

And she did. She was even more surprised when Kaoru let go of her and she bumped, gently, into another body. Looking up into the eyes of her new partner, Haruhi smiled bashfully. Hikaru had caught her mid-spin and took the lead. Suddenly, they weren't tangoing anymore. Haruhi noticed right away that Hikaru's movements were stiffer and awkward, compared to his brother, who moved more gracefully. Only, she didn't notice the bright blush rising in his cheeks. Looking down yet again, Haruhi was afraid to step on Hikaru's feet, since he seemed to be more sensitive than Kaoru. Hikaru grunted in response to her fallen eyes.

"Look up. Focus this way, not our feet." He muttered, embarrassment etching his voice. Haruhi obeyed, her eyes latching onto his. She suddenly found herself moving freer, and more gracefully. Hikaru noticed this and grinned, happy she was more comfortable. Not looking down at their feet made it easier for them to connect and to move freely around the music room. The threesome continued to dance, completely forgetting they were supposed to be doing the tango. They made up steps and twirls as Haruhi was passed back forth from Hikaru to Kaoru and back again. She was obviously enjoying herself, for she was laughing and smiling widely.

Their audience, hidden in the shadows of the music room, watched in awe. They were amazed at how graceful the three of them were being, even if the dance didn't make sense. The other thing that amazed them was how happy Haruhi looked. Never before had she shown a face like that. The way the twins passed her between each other, without one taking more possession than the other; surprised Kyouya. His tablet was propped up on the table, the red light indicating he was recording every move. He was so sure that the twins would lose interest in the actual dance, and turn it into a competition to see who could have Haruhi to themselves more. He grinned, placing his chin into his hand, resting on the table. Not a single hint of jealousy or competition hung in the air, only the leftover jealousy from Tamaki's earlier tantrum. For once, the music room was a peaceful place.

Tamaki, who had finally settled down, was watching with a faraway look in his eyes. His overwhelming desire to make her happy diluted the want for her to be his, and even with the twins being the ones with her at the moment, he was happy to see that beautiful smile.

Huni smiled, a slice of cake sitting, forgotten, on the plate in front of him. The senior was too engrossed with Haruhi and the boy's performance that he had forgotten completely about the sweet that was waiting. "Haru-Chan looks so happy! Doesn't she, Takashi?" He marveled, looking across at his protector. Mori smiled a bit, his eyes following the twirling trio.

"Yeah…" His gruff, usually silent, voice spoke. The cousins followed the threesome as they came by again, gracefully dipping and spinning Haruhi. Once more, Haruhi was passed from Hikaru to Kaoru.

Their eyes never left each other's, now that Haruhi had the confidence to dance without worry. She was grinning wildly, seemingly having the time of her life. The younger twin felt joy spread throughout his body, knowing that Haruhi was happy. That was all he wanted. She was light in his arms, he noticed, as they made their way around the room. Her hands fit with his, perfectly, like a puzzle. When it was time to give her up to Hikaru, he let go gently. As much as he wanted to spend holding onto the brunette, he knew he had to leave her in his brother's care.

Hikaru took the girl into his arms for the final part of the dance. He locked eyes with his twin, who was slowly making his way to the rest of the club members. Kaoru pursed his lips in response and nodded toward him, indicating to keep dancing. Just for a little longer. Hikaru swallowed the nervous lump in his throat and looked back at Haruhi, who was beaming up at him with an amazing smile. She had been quite surprised at how easy it was to dance with Hikaru and Kaoru teaching her. She never would have thought they would be this gentle and easy with her. Usually, they forced her unwillingly, but now they were teaching her. Stepping in time with Hikaru, she didn't notice the fond look growing in his eyes. She was completely oblivious to the feelings they were trying to convey using this dance, completely oblivious to the fact that they both loved her, deeply. Hikaru squeezed her hand, his hands noticeably sweaty. As with Kaoru, Haruhi was light in his arms. He was still nervous, touching her like this. He stared at his partner, blush creeping back to his cheeks, and suddenly he hoped the dance was over soon. He didn't want to say something to make this beautiful moment uncomfortable.

Time seemed to stand still during their dance, but unlike the fairytale the three of them wished they were in, the school was going to close soon. Their dance came to an end. Haruhi panted slightly; out of breath from holding it nervously half the time. She looked from Hikaru to Kaoru, a sheepish look painting her face. They both were looking at her with huge grins and they couldn't get enough of how cute she looked. With a wink and a smile, simultaneous kisses land on the girl's cheeks. The boys whispered into her ear.

"Thank you, Haruhi."

Suddenly, they were gone. Haruhi stood in shock, completely lost to why they had kissed and left. Her train of thought wrecked when Tamaki's shrill cry erupted from the far corner.

"HARUHI! Come dance with me!" He cried, running over to her and grabbing her hands. Tears were streaming down his face, mainly out of anger, since the boys had left just like that. Haruhi's face flushed and she quickly wrenched herself out of the king's grip.

"No, Senpai. I have to go home. Now. I have to study tonight, to make up for today's lost session." She sent him a glare that said "I mean it," before gathering up her books and uniform. She didn't bother staying to change. Her father would have a wonderful fit, if he got home before she did and saw her, but getting home and studying was more important than her father's insane reactions to her fashion sense.

She had to admit though, while scampering do the hall, ignoring Tamaki's shrill whines. Dancing with Hikaru and Kaoru was so much better than studying.

-Owari-

Author's Note:

This is a very old fic. I wrote this years ago and posted it on on an older account that I can no longer access. After reading and re-reading it, I realized how bad I was with tenses and spelling. Years later, I have finally fixed the whole thing, and even added some parts to it. Please, if the tenses still sound off, or if there is a part that doesn't make sense or is unneeded, feel free to critique me! I would rather you tell me what sucks instead of just reading it and running away because it was awful!

Older version: s/4287522/1/It-takes-3-to-Tango (Copy and paste into url area after fanfiction's url)