The group was sitting in their designated places when Tamaki got back a short time later.

"Mommy, I think I got it all. But why – whoa – wait – AAAAH!" His strangled cry was abruptly cut off as the towering pile of boxes and bags he was carrying slipped out of their precarious state of balance and toppled over haphazardly, burying one golden-haired King in a pile of cloth and cardboard. The twins couldn't contain their laughter, falling all over each other as they took in the pile of what looked to be random items with a delicate hand waving feebly where it was poking up through the center of the jumble. Haruhi, however, had jumped up at Tamaki's startled squawk and darted across the room with Honey hot on her heels, both of them skidding to a stop just before the chaotic mess. With a sigh of resignation Haruhi began to pull things from the top of the pile, trying to keep it from collapsing any further. Honey followed her lead and a few minutes later she was able to grasp Tamaki's hand and pull, slowly but surely extracting her current chief annoyance from the magnificent mess he was in.

"Are you okay, Tama-chan?" Honey asked, his eager voice and wide eyes full of worry.

"I...I think I'm fine..." Tamaki said shakily, trying to pull his feet from the massive collection of doodads they were buried in. He didn't realize how unstable his balance was, however, and with a frightened cry he fell forward. He waited for the searing pain that would mark the moment when his nose met the floor, scrunching his eyes shut only to be confused when he heard a pained yelp. It took him a moment longer to realize that the floor wasn't hard at all, but rather soft, and warm, and curvy, and oh-my-god-I-landed-on-Haruhi-and-my-face-is-between-her-breasts-and-oh-GOD... He didn't have long to panic, though, as it only took seconds for Hikaru to vault over the back of the couch and yank him upright, dragging him away from the girl who was still laying, winded and gasping, on the tile.

"What the hell, Tamaki?" the furious redhead snarled. "You just HAD to go and maul Haruhi, didn't you?" He shook the Host King by the collar of his shirt.

"I didn't – it wasn't – I never -"

"Hikaru, it's okay, it was an accident," a soothing voice said from behind him. With Mori's help Haruhi was back on her feet and steady again. She placed a hand on Hikaru's arm, feeling the young man trembling, and squeezed gently in the hopes that he would calm down before their guests arrived.

"It's not okay! He could have hurt you!" the teen bit out through clenched teeth. Haruhi noticed the other boys stepping closer to break up the twin and the King but she stopped them with an absent gesture. Her attention was on the ball of fury she currently had her hand on and the shuddering blond he was choking, whose face was slowly beginning to match his eyes.

"Hikaru...put him down. Please." She kept her voice softer and quieter than any of them had ever heard. "I'm okay. Not even bruised. Please – our clients will be here any minute. Do you want them to see you like this? Us, like this? Just let go, Hikaru."

The ginger-haired host seemed almost to deflate at her words and his hand released the now-purple Tamaki, letting him fall to the floor in a less than graceful heap. Hikaru's eyes were closed, his breathing harsh as though he'd run a mile uphill. Haruhi didn't move, staying close to him with his hand on her arm. On his other side Kaoru slowly walked to him. Reaching out to his twin he wrapped his arms around Hikaru's waist. That was all it took. With a great gasping breath Hikaru dropped to his knees, Kaoru going with him, still curled into his brother's shuddering form, and Haruhi crouched as well. While the rest of the hosts attended Tamaki the three huddled on the floor, one of them struggling with a fierce anger he'd never felt before while the remaining two supported him in silence.

"Hika," Kaoru whispered, placing a finger under his twin's jaw and exerting gentle pressure until they were facing one another. When he saw the look in his twins eyes, he understood everything. It wasn't that the elder twin was upset about Tamaki accidentally groping Haruhi – no, he was scared to death that their leader's carelessness may have hurt or severely injured the one person besides his brother that Hikaru loved with all of his heart. That expression of worry, of love and fear and anger in his brother's eyes made Kaoru hum softly.

"Hika, it's okay. Haruhi is safe, she's right here." He motioned with his free hand for the girl to join them and she did, though not in the way Kaoru anticipated. Instead of coming around to face Hikaru she simply leaned forward, draping herself over the older Hitachiin's back and resting her cheek against his. Kaoru watched as his brother's face went from being a mask of anger and fear to one of confusion, contentment, and calm. He heard soft murmurs as Haruhi spoke to Hikaru but even as close as he was he couldn't make out actual words. Whatever she said must have really been something, though, because the still-shuddering teen turned to look at her, seeming to search her expression for something. Kaoru took a moment to glance around only to find that everyone (including a still-shaky Tamaki) was watching the three of them.

He looked back in time to see Hikaru grasp the back of Haruhi's slender neck with one hand and meld his lips to hers in a passionate kiss.

Of course it would be then that the clients arrived. He sighed. His brother really did have lousy timing sometimes.

"Are you and Hikaru together?"

"That wasn't Hikaru, that was Kaoru, I think."

"It was? I can't tell."

"Hey, are you three going to host together now?"

"Oh, a brotherly love triangle would be so amazing!"

"How do you feel about them, Haruhi?"

"Are you in love with either of them?"

Haruhi wanted to rip off her own ears. Damn Hikaru! He just HAD to kiss her as their customers for the day were due to show up. Damn him. Now she had to listen to the inane babble of a pile of squealing fangirls. The twins had their own pile, granted, but they were used to using innuendo and flirting to make their clients happy. She, on the other hand, was coming dangerously close to losing her temper. Damn him.

Glancing up she saw the twins curled up in each others' arms, whispering to one another. Suddenly they looked up, pinning her under the weight of their combined gazes. Without a word they rose and walked over to her, slow enough that their movement looked purely sensual but swiftly enough that hey were upon her before she could have bolted. In short order she had one Hitachiin on either side of her and to her chagrin their entourage of clients had flocked to join her own not-inconsiderable pack of groupies, the avid girls practically salivating at the sight of the three attractive hosts on the couch.

"What are you guys doing?" Haruhi hissed. Their only reply was a grin that she noticed didn't quite reach their eyes. But she didn't have time to contemplate that strange expression before Kaoru leaned close to her, close enough that the scent of the coffee he'd been sipping tickled her nostrils.

"Since Hikaru got to taste you we thought it only fair that I got a chance as well."

"Wait, wha-" He shut her up in a very tried-and-true way – by sliding his lips against hers and kissing her soundly enough to make her toes curl. She heard a desperate whimper, but it was a while before she realized it had come from her own throat. A distant part of her registered the insanely loud shrieking and gasping from the girls in the room – an even more distant part heard Kyoya and the other hosts trying to hush Tamaki, but for all intents and purposes her world narrowed to the sensation of Kaoru's lips caressing hers with a heady mixture of lust and romance, and the feel of Hikaru pressed close to her back, his own lips lacing pretty trails down her neck. With a startled yelp Haruhi came to her senses and bolted up, knocking the wide-eyed fangirls backwards and shoving the twin hellions into the couch. Eyes blazing, she glared at them.

"What. The. HELL?" Her snarl was vicious, angry, and she began to back away from the couch, the girls...she just had to escape before she exploded. The small hand finding hers gently was a shock as Honey came to her rescue.

"We thank you all for visiting with us today, Princesses. But I'm afraid we're going to have to ask you to excuse us, as we're closing early today. Our final meeting before break will be in four days – please say you'll all be here? It just wouldn't be any fun without you!" By this point Haruhi had caught her breath and some semblance of control and was impressed by how easily the small host toggled between a commanding male presence and the adorable host persona. Maybe she shouldn't have been shocked, she thought disjointedly, but it had been a...difficult day. Everyone waited until the roomful of girls had emptied, leaving only the hosts.

"Haruhi -"

"- we're sorry," the auburn-haired devils began, but Honey cut them off mid-apology with a voice like ice.

"Stop it, you two. Can't you see Haru-chan is having a hard time dealing with this right now? Geez. It's no wonder she's upset." He shook his head reproachfully, blond hair fluttering with every movement, before looking up at the other hosts. Kyoya was looking a bit piqued – though that could have been due to the loss of profit from yet another disruption to the Host Club meeting. Tamaki just looked shell-shocked. Honey knew that wouldn't last long, though, so he tugged at Haruhi's hand, prompting her to meet his gaze.

"Come on, Haru-chan. You look like you want to go home. You can ride with me and Takashi. You'll be safe with us." Waiting for her nod of agreement, he motioned to his cousin to bring their things before turning and walking with Haruhi out the door, still clasping her hand tightly.