Author's note: So Kyoya's father is meddling now. That could make things a little...interesting...for Haruhi, and for the rest of her boys as well.
"Have you noticed anything different between Honey-senpai and Haruhi lately?" Kaoru asked his brother as they reclined together in the car on the way home. Hikaru blinked.
"Not really. I mean, a little. She calls him Mitsukuni sometimes now." The elder twin's eyes were thoughtful, contemplative.
"It's not just that, though," said Kaoru softly. "Ever since the day we kissed her, it seems like the two of them have been...closer, somehow."
"Do you think he's planning to court her?" Hikaru questioned with alarm. The younger twin shook his head, then shrugged.
"I don't know. When you and Mori-senpai were playing chess I walked into the kitchen to see if there was anything I could help with. They were standing really close together and Haru was blushing like crazy. And I could swear that he'd been caressing her hand with his thumb. Honey-senpai acted normal but Haru was really flustered." There was no sound for a while but the quiet rumble of the car.
"If Honey-senpai changed his mind and decided to actively pursue her, we've got to step up. She's ours." Hikaru's tone was matter-of-fact, leaving no room for opposing opinion, but his brother wasn't so certain.
"Actually, didn't we decide to...not treat Haruhi like a possession anymore?" he interjected softly.
"Yes, but...Kaoru, I don't want to lose her to anyone else." Hikaru's voice was solid but it held an undercurrent of insecurity that made his twin wrap him up in a comforting embrace.
"Let's just wait and see what happens at the beach. We'll be able to talk to her then." The car had come to a stop and they hopped out, an unspoken agreement in place to not bring the subject up at all again until after the vacation.
"It's about time, you two!" their mother's voice greeted them as they came in. "Haven't you been checking your phones?" In perfect synchronicity they reached into their pockets and pulled out the devices in question, flinching at the number of missed calls and messages.
"Sorry, Mom – we turned our phones down while we were having lunch with Haruhi and forgot to turn them back up." Yuzuha regarded her devilish sons with fond frustration.
"The photo shoot had to be moved up due to scheduling conflicts. The crew has already begun setting up in the small ballroom. I have your clothes laid out in the lower third guestroom. Get going!" She ruffled their hair before darting away in her graceful fashion. The twins shared a look and took off down the hallway. It was never a good idea to make their mother wait where her designs were concerned.
Skidding into the room they saw various outfits on hooks and hangers. By the order they were in the redheads knew they'd be modeling the casual wear first. With familiar movements they shed their current attire and dressed in the lighter clothing, the flawlessly tailored shirts and slacks coordinating wonderfully with the twins' hair and eyes. In less time than most would manage they were dressed, settled, and sauntering into the smaller of the estate's two ballrooms with unshakeable poise and confidence. Regardless of the turmoil and confusion of the day, Hikaru and Kaoru always took some measure of comfort in slipping into their roles as heirs to the Hitachiin fashion empire. This, they knew. This, they were damn good at.
The shoot went perfectly; the photographers were so thrilled that they'd gotten to take pictures of the famous twins (a rare occurrence since the brothers started high school and hosting) that they were effusive in their praise and almost annoying in their repeated thanks. Hikaru and Kaoru took it all in stride, switching from outfit to outfit and pose to pose with the ease of long practice. It was a mindless way to take up time that they both enjoyed – not only because they loved their mother, or because she was an absolute genius at ensemble creation, but because they could forget about the day's aggravation and worries and just be models for a moment. It was a welcome break.
Across the room Yuzuha was deep in conversation with the lead photographer. When Kaoru went to get two bottles of water from the mini fridge, he overheard a snippet of conversation and rushed as casually as he could to his brother's side.
"Mom is looking to find a female model to do some shots with us," he blurted quietly.
"So? She's been wanting to do that for years." Hikaru seemed blatantly unconcerned. Kaoru shook his head.
"You know mom's aiming for a more androgynous look for her next line." Hikaru stared blankly at his younger twin and Kaoru huffed in exasperation. "Hikaru, think. Who do we know that can pull off clothing of both genders and still look amazing?" The elder twin's eyes went wide with the implications of his brother's suggestion.
"Do you think she'd do it?" he asked. Kaoru was thoughtful.
"I think she might, if we asked her the right way. Let's talk it over later. We can find a way to bring it up at the beach."
"Good idea."
"Hika, Kao – we're setting up for the evening wear shots!" their mother's voice rang out. Smiling, they turned and headed to the other room, falling back into their roles with ease and wondering just what kind of hoops they would have to jump through to get Haruhi to join them willingly in their own world.
The last few hours of the weekend had flown by for Haruhi. She'd managed to recompile most of her notes and felt fairly confident that she would pass the upcoming tests without much difficulty. Since there was no Host Club that week, she was surprised when the twins drug her up to Music Room 3 after their last class. She was even more surprised at the "Studying – do not disturb" sign hanging on the closed door. Thoroughly baffled, the sight that met her eyes when the three of them walked into the room had her stopping to stare.
All of the smaller tables and couches had been shifted aside to make room for one long table with enough room to seat about eight people. On one side of the table sat Tamaki and Mori, books open, conversing quietly. It seemed that the tall host was explaining something to the blond, pointing to different things in the book while the Host King nodded his understanding, scribbling in a notebook and asking questions. Meanwhile, Hikaru and Kaoru had walked away and left her standing in the doorway. The elder twin was making a beeline to the other side of the table where Kyoya was sitting, taking a seat directly across from the Shadow King. Kaoru sat down beside his brother but whereas Hikaru was already opening his physics book, Haruhi noticed the younger Hitachiin had settled down with his literature textbook and some paper. She didn't realize she was staring until she felt the now-familiar sensation of Honey's fingers in hers.
"Haru-chan, is everything okay? You look lost." His words drew the attention of every host and she found herself under the collective gazes of all of her friends.
"You're...studying?" she blurted out, astonished confusion in her voice. Honey laughed merrily.
"Of course we are. You're not the only one with schoolwork to do, you know." He nudged the shell-shocked girl gently. "Or did you think they just handed out high grades here to anyone with a pedigree? Silly Haru-chan."
"But...I've never seen you study. Any of you."
"That's because when test time comes you always run off by yourself and hide. You've always been welcome to prepare with us." There was kind reproach in his voice and Haruhi felt sheepish as she wondered what else she might have missed when it came to her friends' habits. Honey tugged gently on her hand.
"Come on, Haru-chan. You can sit beside me!" His earnest expression made her giggle.
"Actually, your English exam is Wednesday, correct?" Kyoya asked. She and Kaoru both nodded – they shared the same class while Hikaru took physics that period. "Then perhaps you and Kaoru should join Tamaki and myself."
"Of course!" the golden haired King said happily as he made a few last notes on his paper. "Thank you, Mori-senpai," he murmured, getting a nod in return and turning back to Haruhi. "Kyoya and I are both a year ahead of you in English. It only makes sense for us all to work together." There was a bit of seat shuffling that looked like a perfectly choreographed and well-known dance and soon the seating was rearranged. Tamaki and Kyoya were now sitting side-by side and Kaoru was sitting across from the brunette. There were two empty seats beside the redhead and Honey ushered the still baffled girl into the one across from Tamaki, sitting down in the empty chair beside her – and across from his cousin - and turning to Hikaru who was now to the short host's right.
"Hika-chan, how are you doing with those math problems? Are you still stuck on that one chapter?" Haruhi goggled. It was all so...normal...that it seemed utterly and completely abnormal. A pair of strong fingers on her cheek drew her attention and she found herself speechless for an entirely different reason...namely, the teasing pair of amethyst eyes before her.
"Haruhi," Tamaki crooned with a smirk, "if you want to study with us you'll have to pay attention."
"Yeah, Haru," joked Kaoru from her left. "We thought you were a pro at schoolwork and studying, Miss Honor Student." Ripping her eyes from the prince before her she stammered something that might possibly somehow have been considered an apology and the entire group began to laugh. Just like that, her tension faded and for the first time ever Haruhi enjoyed the opportunity to share knowledge and ideas with the people she loved the most.