Chapter Text
Tamaki wasn't the easiest to console.
He was an expert at faking a smile, but those close to him were aware that he still hurt. Though not a single host blamed him. They knew the struggles he had with his family. Watching him give up everything to see his mother again, only to miss the opportunity, broke their hearts. The club's members all had their own issues at home, after all, and were able to relate to their king. They were there to fill in the roles of his make-believe family all he needed, because they too needed it in their own ways.
A few weeks passed and it brought light to a few things. One was that Tamaki was slowly getting better. Another was how much they all cared for him and needed him in their lives-no matter how annoying he sometimes was. And the last was that a particular cool type possessed more emotions than they were previously made aware of.
That last point was ignored for fear of what would happen if the subject was brought up. Surely he would give an excuse, right? 'A club can't be run without a president, do you know how bad that would be for our sales?' might be argued, or some other variation. Whatever excuse was made wouldn't matter; they all saw it.
It was relieving to see proof that Kyoya was human. The hosts were all aware there was more to Kyoya than what they saw at school, but they also knew that side was reserved for Tamaki. In fact, Kyoya's outburst only confirmed their suspicions.
It was Honey who first noticed it. The seemingly-innocent host had always been the most observant, and he quickly caught on to the way Tamaki and Kyoya acted around each other as soon as he joined the club. It wasn't until Haruhi joined, however, that Honey began to see a change. It was hard to detect at first: an outsider would think Tamaki had a crush on her, and Kyoya was relieved to be rid of Tamaki's constant presence. But that wasn't true. Honey knew quite a bit about Tamaki: he had a short attention span, and he loved new things. That's what Haruhi was. She wasn't a toy to him as she was to the twins. Just a hyper-fixation for a bored, only child. Someone to dote on and care for how he once was. That's how she fit into his family scheme.
And Kyoya wasn't as uninterested as he seemed. Mori was the one who pointed this fact out to Honey, who agreed. Kyoya was obedient, that much they'd always known, so it was no surprise his behaviour hardly changed when Haruhi joined. Still, it was his expressions, the little things he'd say under his breath while the rest of the club argued and no one could hear. It was the never-ending debt Haruhi built. The plans. The schemes. Everything happening behind the scenes, that no one thought twice about. Did he add to her debt because he liked her and wanted her to stay? Was it revenge for taking Tamaki's attention away from him? But what could explain everything else he had done? After all, it was Kyoya behind revealing Haruhi's gender to everyone. Why present her as a female to Tamaki, who was already obsessed with the new host, if he knew it would only bring them closer?
That was the unanswered question, until the day of the Ouran Fair.