CHAPTER 8
Haruhi is dangerous.
In a manner different to Kyouya-san, she has captured the twins' attention as well as – Kaoru is fairly certain – his twin's heart.
The start of the new semester sees Kyouya-san granting flexible hours to Haruhi and Hikaru picking her up from school religiously.
Every day, they collaborate on some project when Kaoru and Kyouya are occupied with bookkeeping and logistics. Two heads pressed together intimately, their creations have begun to sing to each other – harmony and melody twined together to perform a single composition.
Proximity is the biggest predictor of love, Kaoru knows, and the twins and Haruhi have been spending all their free time at the other's house, they may as well be living together. Haruhi is uniformly excellent at different forms of cuisine, and they have managed to pressure her into making their meals for them. In particular, she is a poissonnier without peer. Her way with seafood is magical, so much so that even the usually conscience-deprived twins cannot help but blurt out that she is in the wrong track of the right career.
Blithely, Haruhi had actually agreed.
It is exactly because desserts and cakes are her weakest subject, she says, that is why she is seeking to improve on it.
Hikaru had gaped at her incredulously and told her not to be greedy, for how many people succeed at being a jack-of-all-trades and master of all?
"My mother was one," Haruhi had said quietly, humbly, shutting the twins up with lethal efficiency.
In terms of potential, Kaoru acknowledges that Haruhi has what it takes to achieve her dreams. Her drive appears to be motivating Hikaru, who is making leaps and bounds of progress.
Nervously, like an amateur before a judging panel, Hikaru sets the pain au chocolat down in front of Kaoru. They never mince their words when it comes to the professional aspect of their relationship.
Kaoru picks it up and takes a bite.
Oh. The symphony of crackle when the crust breaks, the texture of the oozing chocolate – it bowls him over.
From long exposure, Hikaru reads his reactions faster than anyone else; before Kaoru opens his mouth to compliment his twin, Hikaru has already run off to grab Haruhi and twirl her around in an exuberant hug.
"Hikaru, he hasn't said anything." Haruhi unenthusiastically attempts to wriggle herself free.
"He doesn't need to! Thank you! You're a genius!" He folds Haruhi into his arms again. "Thank you."
Kaoru verbalizes it for Haruhi's convenience. "It's terrific. The best he's ever made."
Haruhi breaks into a smile.
"I told you you'd be able to do it," she says to Hikaru entirely unassumingly. "Ageha-chan will love it too."
Hikaru takes hold of her wrist and pulls her to the pantry with an affection and seriousness that has heretofore only been directed at Kaoru. "Let's keep going! I wanna try that idea I had!"
Fondly, Kaoru gazes at them until they disappear from view. Across from him, Kyouya-san is similarly watching the couple over the rim of his spectacles.
Their eyes meet.
Kaoru flashes a grin and resumes his work.
.
.
The next day, there is a printed poster on the staff notice board listing the three rules of Antique.
The font is large and the typeface is unadorned and straightforward, legible to a toddler and designed in such a way as to convey a condescending reminder of its contents.
The third rule is underlined as though the author does not believe the audience will comprehend it in a manner required by him unless he emphasizes it.
Both Hikaru and Haruhi laugh when they catch sight of it – hers sympathetic, his derisive.
"What did you do, Kaoru?" Hikaru asks impishly, waggling his eyebrows unpleasantly.
Kaoru bangs his head into the nearest hard surface.
How can two such oblivious people create something with so much finesse and lightness?
… Mind-boggling.
.
11/04/2012
Again, thank you to all who have put on alerts/favourites, and a shout-out again to Sammy because I can't PM you. Actually I think the pace is moving so fast now because I am trying to get all the main characters in (Tamaki dear Tamaki, how eager am I for your grand entrance!). The reason there is such a large number of chapters for a fun and frivolous AU fic is because I was attempting this thing called "short, manageable chapters" - which, if you have a look at my other fics, well... I suspect that the chapter lengths are growing as I am writing 'small price'. Anyhow, enjoy!
