Chapter 3.

You walk back to your classroom after having spent lunch having a long conversation with Kyouya about horticulture. (Well you'd spoken about other things too, but that had been the main topic. Odd, isn't it? You hadn't expected someone like Kyouya to be interested in that.) When it came right down to it, Kyouya was a pretty decent person. When he wasn't busy plotting, or manipulating his club members, or cooking up evil money-making schemes, or setting his private army on people, or attempting to kill you for getting him out of bed early, that is.

You're well and ready to see Hikaru again. Knowing that he'll take you in his arms, and fuss you, and you'll smile and feel loved and all would be right with the world.

No, wait. That isn't what's supposed to happen. What's supposed to happen is that Hikaru would waltz up with Haruhi, and the two of them would be the best of friends and tell him about what a pleasant lunch they'd had together. (And then Hikaru would hug you.) Yeah. In any case, you're interested to see how your brother will react.

---

Well, so much for that. Not only had you not been able to say anything to Hikaru before class started (because you'd come in late), but after class ended you'd been whisked off to the Host Club, barely getting a word in edgewise. It's almost a relief to throw yourself into your brother's put-on embrace while you entertain three squealing customers with your 'brotherly love' act.

You go at it with an energy you didn't know you had. Within the first hour, you've already leant (practically draped yourself) on your brother's shoulders, pretending to be exhausted; 'accidentally' fallen into his lap after 'tripping over'; and (taking a page out of Haruhi's book) pretended to wipe coffee from your brother's full lips, faces so close that you could almost kiss.

(You're torturing yourself.)

Hikaru gives you funny looks, probably because you've blown some of your best scripts and the day's not even half gone; and he blushes at that last one, because that definitely wasn't planned.

But he doesn't say anything. Besides the carefully scripted, flowery words designed to make fangirls explode in mushroom clouds of "MOE!", he doesn't talk to you, just converses with the girls. (And it's unbelievable how much this saddens you. Maybe Hikaru doesn't need you as much as you thought he did.)

In between designateurs, he's deep in thought. He gazes off into the distance, an angsty look on his face. And no matter what your feelings are, you're worried about him. You can't wait until you get home so you can ask him. Now and again he glances at you when he thinks you aren't looking, and then he stares away again. (You don't want to follow that gaze because you're afraid of who it'd be pointed at.) You slide your eyes shut and pretend to be tired.

---

For you, the afternoon hasn't ended soon enough. You bid farewell to the last female, bowing gracefully, and ignore the childish urge to jump up and down with joy. As soon as the last flutter of skirt disappears around the doorframe, you spin around, eyeballs flicking rapidly from one point of the room to the next, searching for your brother. (All you want to do, after this long day, is drag him home and be alone with him. That's when you can relax; that's when all the careful and constraining masks can fall away.) You think there'ss been enough separation for one day.

"Haruhi! Matte yo!"

You look over your shoulder towards the exit, and you watch your brother run. He runs after the eager-to-go-home Haruhi like a (dare you say it) lovesick puppy. Not even sparing a glance back. You feel your face start to tense up in anger and hurt, and you walk towards the huge double-doors, opening them a crack and peeking around the edge of it.

You had nothing to worry about, really, you think with a touch of bitter (like instant coffee). Because your twin is talking quietly, matter-of-factly, with Haruhi on the landing, and he looks like you're the last thing on his mind.

But this is what you wanted, wasn't it?

You watch in disbelief as they share a casual hug and, then, you disappear – quietly but quickly – down the corridor in the opposite direction.

---

You're not quite sure how it came this far. You thought you knew your brother. Maybe you were wrong about Hikaru being too much of an idiot to fall in love. Because that sure looks like what's happening.

You're not ready for this much, yet, and it's incredible how much it hurts. (Maybe he's not the needy one. Maybe it's you.)

From your First Date Battle Plan, up till now, something had changed. You hadn't realized it, but everything had changed. Your little plan had gone from being simply about helping Hikaru, to some twisted little game you were playing for your own satisfaction.

And as you look out of the car window at the grey clouds and fog (suits your mood, so you aren't complaining), you can't help but think that this isn't the outcome you expected. This isn't how you expected him to react.

(How he'd react. Because that's important to you, isn't it? Perhaps you secretly wanted to spend time away from your brother, just because you thought he'd pay even more attention to you when you saw each other after. Perhaps it's just because you're curious about how much he cares about you. How much he loves you. How far you can push the limit. It's not all about him, about expanding your world, not really.)

It starts to patter with rain. You push the button to put up the tinted windows, and look at blackness.

(You don't really want to think about what will happen, now that it looks like he might be ready to open the doors wide open, once and for all.)