Tamaki saw the pair arrive in the restaurant from where he was stationed up in the mezzanine. Lounging behind him, twin expressions of boredom painted on their faces were Kaoru and Hikaru. He turned to face the twins, his mouth set in resolution.
"I've already briefed Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai," Tamaki began, "This is the 'Make Sure Kyoya Doesn't Hurt My Precious Daughter' - plan."
"Could probably use a catchier moniker," Hikaru grumbled and Kaoru turned his answering giggle into a cough when Tamaki threw a glare at him.
"Currently we have Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai monitoring the situation. They are cleverly disguised so that Haruhi and Kyoya won't even realise their presence," Tamaki explained to the incredulous twins as they looked down to where Honey and Mori were.
Three tables back from the couple, desperately attempting to remain unremarkable, two moustachioed men sat holding their menu's at an angle that would have made it near impossible to read but hid their faces from anyone who cared to look their way.
And look they did. Their conspicuous behaviour was garnering more than their share of attention from the patrons of the restaurant.
From their vantage point from the mezzanine the Hitachiin brothers watched the scene unfolding, their arms folded and leaning on the railing.
"They're being completely obvious," observed Hikaru, his attention on the poorly disguised cousins who were in the process of ordering from the waitress while still trying to mask their faces in case Haruhi or Kyoya were to notice them.
"I'm sure Kyoya-senpai knows that Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai are there," Kaoru agreed. "You'd have to be a complete idiot not to realise."
Tamaki continued on as though he hadn't been interrupted. In fact, he gave no indication that he had heard the twins at all. "So effective is their disguise, I'm actually not sure if they've arrived yet." Seemingly from nowhere he pulled a white-board out, a detailed game plan drawn across it. "Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai are the affirmative action squad and they will neutralise the situation if Kyoya tries to pull anything funny. They are under strict instruction to remove Haruhi in that event. Hikaru, Kaoru," the two snapped to attention, their hands coming to a salute. "You are the eyes in the sky. You will keep watch of the broader picture. Kyoya will naturally have staff on hand around the restaurant, and we just need to make sure they don't interfere if Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai step in."
"What will you be doing, Tono?" one of the twins asked - Tamaki was too far gone to even pretend to try and figure out which.
"I had Honey-senpai slip a microphone into her bag on his way past so I will be listening in from up here," he stated proudly, tapping his finger to where the receiver sat nestled discretely in his ear.
"Don't you think this is all taking it a bit too far?" Hikaru asked, one eyebrow raised in slight disbelief.
Kaoru was quick to agree. "It does come across just a little bit..."
"Like stalking," they finished together.
Tamaki turned away with a look of resolution setting his features. "It is no more or less than a father would do for his daughter," he crooned, hands clasped together, his expression dramatic enough to rival even the Zuka club. "I just want to keep her safe."
"From your best friend?" Kaoru asked.
Tamaki looked back at them both, his eyes unexpectedly steely. "One can never be sure what exactly Kyoya may be thinking."
They stared wordlessly as the gravity of the situation as Tamaki saw it finally hit them. They had spent so much time wishing themselves in Kyoya's highly polished, Italian leather shoes, they hadn't put any thought into exactly what Kyoya had planned for his relationship with Haruhi. And if they knew nothing else about Kyoya - and honestly, they weren't sure they did - he was always scheming. The twins stared at Tamaki with a new respect for the self-proclaimed leader of their group. No one else knew Kyoya the way that he did and quite honestly, no one else saw the world in quite the way his Majesty did. Looking at each other, communicating in the silent way only they could, they both came to the realisation that neither of them quite gave Tamaki his dues.
The moment was shattered however when they looked back and the blonde was jumping angrily on the spot, a tangle of wires and plastic beneath his feet.
"Stupid, worthless, useless thing!"
"Never mind," they quipped in unison, not even bothering to hide their amused grins. They let Tamaki believe the ear-piece was broken - Honey-senpai had obviously never put the microphone in Haruhi's bag - and turned their attention to the date.
It seemed to be progressing quite well, both Kyoya and Haruhi looked as though they were enjoying each other's company. As they watched, Kyoya offered a forkful of his own entree to Haruhi, the food coming to brush at her lips before she opened her mouth to accept the morsel, a pretty blush colouring her cheeks. Both the twins ignored the envy curling in their stomachs at the display.
They turned away and looked at where Tamaki sat crouched in the corner, tears streaming down his face. In between his incessant babbling a few words made their way to them. "So nice... make her happy... do anything..."
The twins sighed in unison and turned back to watch the date unfold below.
"His majesty is taking this about as well as can be expected," Hikaru commented as the boy in question crawled on all fours, his eyes overflowing as he came to clutch at the bars of the railings and looked down mournfully.
"Why do you care so much, Tono?" Kaoru asked, his expression sly. "Surely, if she's just like a daughter to you..."
"... all you would want is for her to be happy?" Hikaru finished, his expression a mirror of his brother's.
Tamaki's tears dried up and he looked quizzically up at the twins.
"Well, yes," he agreed, bringing a finger to rest on his chin as he considered their question. "I suppose," he mused, "as her daddy, I would want to spend time with my daughter and for us to enjoy ourselves. It's only natural for a father to not want his daughter flying the nest, to keep her as close as possible," Tamaki stood, a finger raised dramatically in the air while the other hand bracketed his chin. The twins had the impression of red rose petals twirling around him as he posed. "It is only logical that I, as her father, would feel this way!"
Hikaru and Kaoru looked at each other exasperated.
"He's still clinging to that."
"What a moron."
An angry shout from the table had all the three of them whipping around to stare, mouths agape, at a seemingly furious Haruhi who stood, hands splayed on the table and glaring at a dripping wet Kyoya. It looked as though she had thrown her drink over him. She turned, bowing apologetically to the serving staff before storming out of the restaurant, Honey and Mori hurriedly following moments after. While the twins watched, Kyoya sat immobilised, his expression unreadable. The date had been going perfectly well, as far as either of them could tell - a little too well considering they both wished they could have been in Kyoya's place. Neither one of them noticed the expressions crossing Tamaki's face, at first startled, then perplexed before a dawning yet cautious realisation lit his violet eyes.
A little more dialogue this chapter, I hope you enjoyed the POV. I will be going back to the date, so this isn't the last you'll see of it. The next chapter will either be Haruhi's or Kyoya's perspective, I haven't decided which way round yet. Both are nearly finished though and I will publish the next chapter this time next week. Thank you for sticking with me!
