When Hikaru opened his eyes it was to the gleam of sunrise on the ocean and the scent of something truly delicious in the air. Yawning and stretching, he reached to the side only to find an empty blanket. A bit puzzled, he relaxed when the mystery of his missing brother was solved in the next moment by a burst of genuine laughter, causing the redhead to roll over and look around. A few yards up from the blankets, Kaoru's head was thrown back in mirth as a result of something their blond leader had said. The scene made him smile and he settled down on his stomach to watch the two interact.
It seemed to him that his twin was a bit more relaxed than he had been, and Hikaru was pleased to see it. He knew Kaoru had been upset with the situation with Kyoya and the way Honey had manipulated the Shadow King, and that it was still weighing on his twin's mind. Kaoru was always the quicker to forgive, but he never ever forgot. So to see him so carefree, so happy, made Hikaru happy too. As though hearing someone thinking about him, Kaoru's head turned and he grinned at his brother, motioning him to come join them around the propane stove.
"Well, Boss, you were right," the younger twin said as he wrapped his arms around his other half and pressed a quick kiss to his neck.
"What's he right about?" Hikaru asked curiously.
"I bet that you'd be the first to wake up when we started cooking," Tamaki said cheerfully. Blinking, Hikaru turned to look back at the blankets – and nearly choked when he saw the remaining hosts. By this point Honey – still dead asleep – had migrated over until he was curled up snugly against his cousin, Usa-chan held tightly in one hand. Kyoya, Mori, and Haruhi had barely moved an inch.
"Have...what are..?" He didn't even know what it was that he wanted to ask. It was just amazing seeing how peaceful and content not just Haruhi but all four of them looked.
"They've been sleeping like that since before I got up," Kaoru explained, deftly stirring a pan of fluffy egg mixture as he slowly sprinkled in a handful of fresh mozzarella. "Well, not Honey. He was originally cuddling with Tama until our Boss decided to get up and help me with breakfast." Hikaru goggled at the faint hint of pink that crossed the blond's cheeks, but there was no trace of embarrassment in the Host King's voice when he spoke.
"Excuse me, but I believe breakfast was my idea, Kaoru," Tamaki teased, carefully flipping the fish filets with an obviously rehearsed maneuver that garnered a proud nod from the younger redhead.
"So it was, but I was the one that decided what to make." As the two bickered playfully, Hikaru turned his attention back to the four-person jumble still asleep on the blankets. With a quick kiss for his brother he wandered over slowly until he was crouched down beside them.
Seeing the Shadow King so relaxed was a shock, true, but at the moment Hikaru only had eyes for Haruhi. The Host Club's very own princess was curled snugly against the soundly sleeping Kyoya, a tiny smile on her lips. One of her arms was resting on top of the arm Mori had flung over them both, and in their slumber the kendo master and the girl had laced their fingers together. He wasn't surprised at the envy he felt – after all, what wouldn't he have given to have her in his arms upon waking? But the negativity faded in the presence of a warmth so strong that it honestly startled him a bit, especially considering that it wasn't solely focused on the girl he loved. As soon as he realized that, he dropped to a cross-legged position on the blankets, thinking seriously on the unusual composition of his current thoughts.
He was fond of all the club members, it was true. From those first apprehensive – yet curious – steps he and Kaoru had taken into Music Room 3, he'd begun to learn about the other boys they'd tentatively agreed to join in this harebrained venture. It was an obstacle course trying to navigate the minefield of excitement, randomness, and wonder that was Tamaki. It had been much easier to get to know and befriend Mori and Honey, not the least because the cousins were able to understand the way a close familial bond could color one's perception of the outside world. It was a concept that their new King – being an only child – and the Shadow King – effectively in the same boat though he actually did have siblings, and how sad was that? - weren't able to comprehend.
The hard part had been, and sometimes still was, knowing where they stood or how to deal with Kyoya. The third son of the Ootori family had never been an open book. In fact, there were many times Hikaru had wondered if he wasn't more like a safety deposit box. He'd been unwillingly fascinated by the cool and aloof teen. Kaoru had noticed, of course, and spent a week or so gently teasing him about his 'crush' on the brunette. That is, until Hikaru was able to pry his brother's own interest in Mori out of him. Hikaru smiled, remembering how flustered his brother had been when the truth had finally been (tickled unmercifully) talked out of him.
Sitting a short distance from the still-sleeping group, Hikaru couldn't resist the urge to trace a finger through Kyoya's hair. It was almost sinfully soft, but the gentle touch made the Shadow King's eyes flutter. Quickly the redhead yanked his hand back; not a second too soon, either, as without warning Kyoya's eyes snapped open to fix unerringly on the somewhat embarrassed redhead.
"Hikaru," Kyoya said quietly, voice rough with sleep. Feigning nonchalance, Hikaru's reply was calm.
"Morning, Kyoya."
The two stared at each other for a brief moment before dark eyes fluttered closed again.
"What time is it?" the brunette asked.
"Breakfast time, according to my brother and your lo-the Boss." Hikaru's quick censorship of what he'd been about to say was prompted by the slight stretch Haruhi gave as she stirred.
"Wow, Dad, that smells really good," she murmured, causing Hikaru to grin. To his continued amusement, it was then that Kyoya realized rather abruptly that he was being used as a pillow. With a wide-eyed expression of utter and complete surprise he glanced down at the girl that was currently laying half on top of him. His reaction was priceless – Hikaru had heard the term 'frozen in shock' before, but until this moment he had never actually seen it. The fact that the one so startled was Mr. Unflappable himself just made it all the more enjoyable. Deciding to just sit and watch, Hikaru swallowed the smartass comment he'd been about to make and settled in to observe the never-before-seen species that was a totally flabbergasted Ootori Kyoya.
He knew he was dreaming. It was obviously a dream because never in his life had he known such perfect happiness. Never in his life would he ever have contemplated finding happiness in such an unusual situation. But here in his dream world Kyoya allowed himself to enjoy the warm feel of Haruhi leaning against him, both of them cheering and applauding as the giant russet-colored walrus in the bowler hat and vest handed the large, gleaming trophy to Mori. Beside them, Hikaru and Kaoru were holding the two youngest children on their shoulders so they could see above the crowds to where their Papa Taka was standing on the dais. On the other side of the redheaded devils stood Tamaki and Honey and the group's eldest child, the nine year old girl standing on a chair and yelling her congratulations happily while the taller blond kept one arm around her waist so she wouldn't fall. The tiny snowflakes that were drifting down began to gleam with colorful shimmers, blue and green and purple sparkling in the indoor arena. Suddenly the air was full of the smell of eggs and cheese and his stomach grumbled appreciatively.
"Hungry, love?" Haruhi asked with a grin, laughing when nuzzled her neck.
"A bit. By the way, I hope you don't object – your father wanted to know if we'd mind if he borrowed the kids for the weekend. Carrie won tickets for the movies and she has enough for all five of them. I said I saw no problem with it." The part of him that knew he was dreaming was impressed at how natural it all felt; the kids, the connection...the joy. Watching Haruhi's face, he saw a sly smile creep over her lips.
"Oh, no. That means I'll be alone with all of you...for the whole weekend." She paused, skillfully hiding a smile behind a facade of innocent consideration. "What on earth will I do with all of that free time?"
"We'd be happy to come up with something," quipped Hikaru with a gleam in his amber eyes. To his right, Kaoru reached over and punched his brother in the arm with light force.
"If anything, Mori should be the one to call the shots this weekend. He was just named World Kendo Champion for the fifth year in a row, after all."
"True," Hikaru agreed amiably.
"Besides," Haruhi interjected with an impish grin, "the last time you guys planned our weekend we ended up with these two monkeys." She gestured to the boy and girl still giggling and clapping on the redheads' shoulders. Kaoru laughed at the mock sheepish look on his brother's face.
"Yeah, but who says that was a bad thing?" asked Tamaki, leaning around the twins to wink and grin at Haruhi. She just leveled a look of fond exasperation at him.
"You spend forty weeks with two little kung-fu masters pulverizing your internal organs and then we'll talk," she said, sarcasm in her voice. Tamaki just laughed, and it didn't take long before they were all joining in.
In the way of dreams, Kyoya blinked and they were all relaxing on the grass by the side of a large lake. He knew this was their estate, their lake...their home. Sitting comfortably on the grass, Tamaki's head in his lap, he tousled his lover's hair idly, both of them chuckling at the sight of Haruhi standing in the water while all three children, under the gleeful instruction of Papa Hika and Papa Kao, splashed her relentlessly. From the sidelines Honey was shouting his encouragement while Mori manned the grill.
Another blink and he was sitting in the house library, a book in one hand and a glass of wine by his side, talking about early philosophers with Honey. The shorter host was stretched out on a comfortable loveseat, explaining an obscure footnote in the life of Protagorus and how it applied to the learned man's interest in the legal system of the times, such as it had been.
Blink.
Blink.
Blink.
Each new scene showed a different image of contentment, of success – of happiness. Kyoya watched them all, a bystander in his own life, and it warmed him to see that even in his subconscious he longed for companionship, for love, for joy. And then he blinked one more time and found himself staring into the mildly sheepish eyes of the older redhead.
"Hikaru," he said through sleep-fuzzies, unsure how he knew which twin he was addressing but completely certain he was correct.
"Morning, Kyoya."
"What time is it?" That seemed a safe question to ask while his brain scrambled to find some semblance of alertness. He missed most of what Hikaru said – something about breakfast – while he tried to figure out what it was about this morning that felt so unusual.
"Wow, Dad, that smells really good."
Everything stopped. Kyoya felt his eyes attempt to leap out of his skull as he stared down at the top of Haruhi's head where it was currently resting on his chest. The gentle movements she made in her sleep, sighing softly and shifting more closely against him, combined with the lingering traces of his recent dream to send the Shadow King into a mental and emotional tailspin. He found himself unable to move – hell, he was barely aware of whether or not he was actually breathing. After a moment she shifted again, waking slowly, and he watched in stunned silence as she raised her head. She seemed to look around in confusion and then those chocolate eyes looked up at him and the shock, the wonder in them said everything.
"Haruhi," he murmured, knowing his cheeks were as red as hers and sparing a brief thought of thanks that the only one around to see him so discomfited, so off of his game, was Hikaru.
"Kyoya?" she whispered.
"Did you sleep well?" As soon as the words left his mouth he felt like an utter and complete idiot. About to retract the question, he was halted pre-speech by her hesitant nod.
"Yeah...yes, I did." There was a bit of an awkward moment, broken when Haruhi tried to sit up. That was when Kyoya got the second large shock of his morning – in the form of the realization that the weight across his midsection wasn't solely Haruhi but rather the combined pressure of her arm draped over...Mori's? Glancing from the two arms, from the entwined fingers, to Haruhi's similarly startled expression, Kyoya gave up.
"Coffee. Gods, I need some coffee," he muttered, dropping his head back down to the blanket with a thud and closing his eyes. Beside him he heard the rustle of sand and fabric as Hikaru climbed to his feet.
"That was kind of my internal reaction to seeing you all like that this morning, too," he said with amused commiseration as he walked away. Kyoya didn't bother to respond. He was too disjointed to make much sense even if he had tried.
Meanwhile, Haruhi had succeeded in waking Mori, who seemed easily as flustered as she was. By the time Hikaru returned, Mori had gotten up with a quiet apology and leaned over to wake Honey. As soon as he had moved Haruhi leaped to her feet, declaring that she had to head back to her camp but that she would return shortly and disappearing into the trees with the speed and skill of a jungle cat with its tail on fire. Kyoya was sure that if he'd been able to see her face he would have seen her still blushing.
"Here ya go," Hikaru said from beside him. Slowly sitting up, Kyoya looked to the side to see the twin holding a steaming cup of black coffee. To the Shadow King it smelled like ambrosia. He murmured his sincere gratitude and sipped carefully. The redhead seemed to understand that the dark-eyed one needed a few solitary moments to pull himself together. With a nod, he walked away and left Kyoya alone. Drinking his liquid caffeine, he sat quietly and began to sort and order his thoughts, trying to bring some sort of even partial rationality to what was hands-down the strangest morning he had ever experienced.
Face buried in her pillow, Haruhi was mumbling words that – had any of her boys been around to hear – would have likely shocked them bald. Eventually, though, her random embarrassed cursing became actual sentences as she berated herself.
Stupid! What the hell were you thinking?
She rolled over onto her back and covered her face with both hands. All that served to do, however, was cause the image of Kyoya's completely startled expression to dance behind her closed eyelids.
Of course he was startled, you moron! she muttered. He woke up with you clinging to him like a barnacle! A sudden thought hit her and she groaned. I wonder how much he's going to raise my debt because of this? Probably call it a penalty fine for invading his personal space or something.
Still, she had to admit that it had been...quite a pleasant thing, waking up in a warm embrace two mornings in a row. Her thoughts drifted from Kyoya to the third member of the strange little cuddle group she'd woken in the middle of. Somehow she knew that she and Mori were okay again after the dinner fiasco that had so unsettled them both. With a blush she realized that she finally got Honey's cryptic reassurances after she'd expressed her worry that his cousin was mad.
She wasn't egotistical enough to believe that he'd been affected by her specifically. But even she had to admit that her actions had been extremely provocative. And firmly disciplined or not, Mori was still just a man. She chuckled at the thought of how quickly any of her other boys might have broken in a similar situation. Put in that light, Mori's restraint was nothing short of spectacular, and she wasn't concerned anymore with the speed with which he'd bolted. Nor did she worry that he was angry. No, his warm gaze, his hand in hers...she understood.
After a moment she sat up. As tempting as it was to hide for the rest of the day, she really didn't want to – even knowing that she'd likely be teased and hassled when she returned to the beach. Besides, she thought as she reached for her duffel bag, I'll bet money that someone will come looking for me any minute now.
Digging into her bag, she'd just decided on a pair of black jean shorts and a sleeveless grey shirt that could only be called feminine if you tilted your head and squinted really hard when her hand felt something solid underneath her pile of socks. Puzzled, she reached in to pull it out.
"Dad..." she growled, staring in frustration at the box of condoms in her hand, knowing now what he'd been doing with her bag the day she left.
Thank god none of the guys saw this! she thought briefly.
"Haruhi – breakfast is ready!"
With a sick sense of the inevitable she turned towards her now-open tent flap and the happy violet eyes of the host that had poked his head inside. Eyes that caught sight of the box she was holding. Eyes that widened in pure shock as he realized exactly what the object was. His face turned a vibrant shade of purple-red as he pointed a shaking finger at her hand.
"Haruhi...what...why..?" In the next instant she was spared the task of answering as the blond simply passed out.
With a frustrated sigh and a mental promise to have a long chat with her father when she got home, she tucked the offending box back into the very depths of her bag and climbed over Tamaki, leaving her tent for the beach. No way was she going to be able to drag him herself. This called for help.
"So he just...fainted?" Hikaru asked as the six remaining hosts stood over the prone Tamaki. As soon as she told the boys about him passing out – leaving out the reason; there was only so much humiliation she could reasonably be expected to endure, after all – Mori disappeared into the trees only to return a few moments later carrying the still-unconscious Tamaki. He'd laid the blond on the blankets no one had picked up yet.
"Yeah...pretty much..." she muttered, keeping her eyes averted from her friends. Beside her Kyoya made a noise that sounded a bit like a snort of laughter quickly choked.
"Haruhi," he said calmly, and despite her intentions of keeping quiet, to her chagrin she found herself speaking.
"Well, I was going through my bag to pick out clothes for today and I found..." she hesitated for a moment before deciding to keep the real item quiet, "...um, something my dad packed for me. Tamaki poked his head in and saw and I guess he was shocked because he, well..." She gestured to the blond.
""What did your dad pack that would cause Tama-chan to faint?" Honey asked, bending down to poke the King in the shoulder.
"I'd rather not say," Haruhi grumbled. Before anyone could badger her, a moan came from the boy on the ground. He sat up slowly, shaking his head and blinking, and she hoped he'd keep his mouth shut. In retrospect, she should have known better. She watched as his eyes traveled up her body until they locked with her own.
"Haruhi," he said, his voice quavery, "why do you have an economy-sized box of condoms in your duffel bag?"
Silence. And six sets of eyes fixed on her with enough focus to make a laser seem sloppy. Under those gazes she was speechless.
Oh. Shit.