"So, that's what they call football? How weird," Hikaru said, slightly disbelieving. "I mean, I'd heard it was different in America, but...weird." Carrie grinned.

"You want to hear weird, honey? Weird is being raised on a cattle ranch in the middle of Texas and ending up in Japan. That's weird. It took me so long to learn to speak Japanese, I thought I should just go around wearing a shirt that said 'ignore the stupid American' every time I left the house." They all chuckled.

"Well, you speak it very well now," Honey said, taking another cookie from the rapidly diminishing pile on the coffee table. The others nodded their agreement.

"Thank you, Honey," she said, munching her own cookie. "But enough about me – tell me about yourselves. I want to know what kinds of young men my Haruhi has courting her." Her grin was wicked and the boys grinned back while the girl in question tried to sink into the couch cushions.

"Carrie..." she moaned, covering her face with her hands to hide the red flush she could feel blossoming.

"What? You're blushing, girlie, so I can't be far off the mark." The snickers from the twins as they turned their gazed to the mortified girl were pure wickedness.

"Well, we've been asking her to share our room for a while now..." Hikaru said with a smirk.

"Hikaru! Stop it!" Haruhi said from behind her hands.

"What's wrong, tanuki? You know you're our favorite toy," Kaoru chimed in, all innocence and smiles. From her chair the older woman laughed delightedly.

"Well, girlie, you've got yourself a couple of spitfires, no doubt." Haruhi finally sat up, embarrassed but indignant.

"I haven't got myself anything – I can assure you they are not my spitfires. They belong entirely to themselves."

"Not true," Kaoru said, leaning over to rest his head on her shoulder. "See, if you are our toy, then it only stands to reason -"

"- that we belong to you as well," Hikaru finished, leaning himself across both his brother's lap and Haruhi's.

"Hika-chan, Kao-chan, don't you think you've tormented Haru-chan enough for one day?" Honey asked calmly, his voice utterly cute. Their hostess, however, saw the boy's gaze darken slightly and filed that reaction away for future consideration.

"Never!" came the unified cry from the red-headed devils. Haruhi squirmed slightly, trying to extricate herself fro m their grasp and failing miserably. A low sound from Mori, however, had the twins sitting up again and Carrie stored that away for later as well.

"Seriously, guys, behave," Haruhi admonished before turning to the older woman. "I have to apologize for these two. They're not quite housebroken yet." At the indignant look on the Hitachiin's faces everyone burst out laughing and after a moment they joined in as well. Haruhi, once she'd gotten her breath back, spoke again.

"At any rate, thank you so much for lunch, Carrie, it was wonderful. But I'm afraid I've got to get home. My chores won't do themselves."

"They would if you'd let us loan you a servant or two," Hikaru chimed in. The girl shook her head.

"No way. I enjoy doing things for myself. I'm not a rich bastard like you all." She stood up and her friends followed suit, walking with the American woman to the door.

"Don't be strangers now," Carrie said, giving them each a hug – something that had Haruhi chuckling to herself as she watched the reactions of her boys. "And tell your father I said hi – and that I want my damn skirt back!"

"Which one?" Haruhi asked, puzzled.

"Oh, he'll know. Just tell him to give me a call when he gets a chance."

"I will. Thanks again, Carrie! I'll talk to you soon, I promise." The woman swept her up in a huge hug.

"Anytime, girlie!" She turned her sharp gaze to the guys. "And you – make sure she gets home safe. She's special, this one." She ruffled Haruhi's hair as she regarded them all with a knowing smile. "But then, I'm betting you didn't need me to tell you that, eh?" Four pairs of eyes met hers in mutual understanding. With a final wave the group was on their way, the older woman watching after them. She smiled softly.

"Haruhi, those boys love you. Be careful with them – they're fragile when it comes to you." As the hosts turned the corner and disappeared from sight, Carrie stepped back inside her house and closed the door.

"Haruhi?" Tamaki repeated. Kyoya nodded. "But I already knew that," the blond said, puzzled.

"Yes, but it causes problems, as I'm sure you can see."

"No...not really," Tamaki said thoughtfully. "What problems?" Kyoya's eyes widened as he stared at his friend incredulously.

"What do you mean, what problems? I just told you I'm in love with both of you!"

"Yes you did. And?" Tamaki looked genuinely confused. Kyoya was confused himself, but he got the feeling they were befuddled by two different things. He decided to find out what page the violet-eyed King was on.

"Tamaki, are you telling me you seriously do not see a problem with one person being in love with two different people?" His friend shook his head.

"Not at all. After all, I love my dau-I love Haruhi, too." The dark-haired boy goggled, not just from the admission of feelings for the commoner, but because of what Tamaki had almost said – and chosen to change. The Host King, staring off at his beloved roses, missed the uncommon shock plastered across his friend's face as he continued talking.

"The only problem I can see is that she will never feel the same for me that I do for her."

"I...wait, go back a second. You see nothing wrong with a person being in love with two separate people?" Tamaki sighed in exasperation.

"Kyoya, you seem very hung up on this."

"Because it's not normal!" the Shadow King exclaimed.

"Why not? Is your heart supposed to shut down completely just because you care for someone? That doesn't make any sense at all. Emotions don't work like that." He smiled, reassuring and warm. "People have an infinite capacity for love. So why should being in love with one mean that you can't feel the same for another?" Kyoya blinked, trying to find a way to explain to his friend what was wrong with that idea – and unable to come up with a valid argument.

"As I said, the only problem I see is that Haruhi could never love me in return," the blond added sadly. Resolving to tackle the theory of love at a later date when he could sort out his own thoughts, the brunette decided instead to go with the flow of Tamaki's conversation.

"Why do you think she couldn't love you?" he asked, settling back in his seat. The blond sighed softly.

"Because she's Haruhi. She's so warm, so wonderful. So amazingly independent. She doesn't need anyone's help – especially not mine. All I seem to do is annoy her and make her angry. And I don't even know what I''m doing wrong. I mean, she puts up with those demon twins, but even at their worst she never gets as mad at them as she gets at me. I don't dare hope for her love – I'll be happy with her friendship. So if you get a chance with her...you should take it. I'll understand."

Kyoya was floored by the direction the discussion had taken as well as by the princely host's lack of confidence.

"So since you feel you've no chance to win Haruhi's heart, you think that I should? Tamaki, it must be a very strange world inside your brain." He allowed a small smile to grace his lips. "Haruhi doesn't hate you. I don't know if she knows how to hate anyone. But yes, you do annoy and aggravate her. If you're serious about the way you feel for her...you shouldn't give up.

"You're right, though. Haruhi doesn't need anyone – not even the Host Club. But that's not to say she doesn't want us all in her life. If she didn't she'd have walked out on us long ago."

"She can't – she hasn't paid her debt yet," Tamaki reminded him. A wry expression crossed the Shadow King's face.

"Do you really think that if she didn't want to be a part of the Club, something as paltry and unimportant to her as money would hold her there? How often has she mentioned finding another way to pay us back?" He watched as the concept began to make sense to the other boy.

"So you think she's staying because she likes us?''

"I know she is."

"Well, even if you're right that doesn't explain why she seems to hate me lately."

"I think that could be explained away by your actions. You treat her like a child. Your child, specifically. It doesn't make it easy for her to see you in any other light." Tamaki signed and nodded his understanding.

"I just...I want her to be safe. I'd give anything, do or be anything, to make her happy."

"You and every other host, Tamaki. But whereas the others all treat her as a friend and equal in their own way, you cling to fatherly behavior. She's too independent for that not to chafe."

"So what am I supposed to do, Kyoya?" the distraught blond begged.

"That's up to you. But if I may make a suggestion?"

"Please."

"Drop the father/daughter act. Haruhi is brilliant, hard working, and kind. If she got to know the Suoh Tamaki that I – and to a lesser extent the others – know, I've no doubt she'd be more than happy to be the friend you want her to be." He could see his lover thinking and decided to let him ruminate for a while. Pulling out his phone he checked up on a few of his 'projects' and then saw that he had a text message from Honey. Curious, he opened it.

"Kyo-chan – you need to keep Tama-chan occupied today while we take Haru-chan shopping, 'kay? I'll let you know when we're done." The time stamp was six hours previous, and Kyoya thought it odd that he was just noticing the message. Usually he checked his texts immediately. At that moment it dawned on him where he'd been six hours previously – namely, nude and snuggled in bed wrapped like an octopus around an equally naked Tamaki. He smiled. That could be counted as an acceptable reason to miss a text message. He put the phone away and turned his attention back to his new love who was still sitting quietly, obviously lost in thought. Suddenly the blond looked up at Kyoya.

"I should go see Haruhi and apologize." Shit. Kyoya thought quickly.

"Why don't you let her have the rest of the day to herself? She doesn't get a weekend to herself very often since one or more of us always seem to drop in on her."

"But I want to apologize."

"Don't you think she'd be more receptive if you gave her some space? Why not wait until this evening? Or better yet, since Ranka gets off early tonight, why don't you let her spend the evening with her father? Their schedules don't permit that very much. Call her tomorrow." He made certain that his voice held just the right blend of cool logic and mild rebuke and was relieved to see how effective his words were in the way his friend nodded, wilting slightly.

"That makes sense. Thank you."

"Anytime." They fell silent once more, only this wasn't a contemplative quiet but rather a contented peace. The garden seemed to hold them in their own world, a world lightly seasoned with birdsong and the gentle scent of roses.

"Kyoya?" Tamaki asked, and the brunette looked up to see a pair of beautiful violet eyes gazing lovingly at him. His heart stuttered, still unused to the feeling of being loved and returning such a sensation in equal measure.

"Yes?" he murmured.

"Would you permit me to kiss you?" No shyness, no coy behavior this time – just an honest request from the one who'd become so very important to him. He knew if he said no, Tamaki would understand. He wouldn't push or cajole. He would simply nod his head and change the subject. Knowing his lover as he did, Kyoya only had one answer he could give.

"Absolutely."