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“Only things that benefit you are worth doing.” Kyoya lived by this notion for his entire life, that’s why when meeting Tamaki Suoh, he had no intent on doing any more than he had to do to be successful.
Tamaki wasn’t anything like Kyoya had anticipated; as the sole heir of his family's billion-dollar company, the blonde was more- stupid- than he had previously imagined.
During their first encounter, Tamaki’s attention wasn’t on Kyoya at all; rather, it was on a group of girls fawning over him. Two of the girl's fathers worked for the Ootori family hospital, and the third girl’s mother worked at the Hitachin family's design headquarters. They were all decently wealthy, yes, but none of them were important enough to make note of.
“Sorry ladies, my friend is here to meet with me, and we don’t want to keep him waiting!” He began to stride towards Kyoya before turning around, “be the happiest you can, okay?” he called back to the girls with a wink. “Sorry about that..” Tamaki rubbed the back of his head and extended his hand, “I'm Tamaki Suoh!” Kyoya responded more professionally, “Kyoya Ootori, it’s a pleasure.”
—-------------------------------------
“Japan is so lovely!” The airhead had been talking Kyoya’s ear off for half an hour now. Somehow, he got the impression that they were “best friends," skipping over any of the formalities being best friends might have required.
“I'd love to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom.” The Suoh boy smiled warmly at Kyoya who paused for a minute, taken aback by the grin. “It truly is beautiful when they bloom; I'll have to show them to you personally," he plastered on a smile in retort to his counterparts.
In all honesty, Kyoya hated cherry blossom season. The streets were littered with rotten blooms by the end, and he found it pointless to go out of his way to view childish things such as flowers. However, if an important member of the Suoh family liked the cherry blossoms, so did he.
On his way back home, Kyoya reminisced, or rather, he tried his best to understand the oddball he met that day. "What is his plan?" He thought about Tamaki, and what he would have to gain from acting this way. The smile the bright-eyed boy flashed at him earlier played again in his mind, the genuine nature of it being more than puzzling to Kyoya.
“There's no way someone with his status can be that carefree, especially around a possible business investment." Kyoya racked his brain, trying to figure out Tamiki Suoh. Tamaki was a ladies' man, that much was clear. He had the charisma and the looks; that wasn't the confusing part. What confused Kyoya was how when that clueless airhead told those girls that he wanted them to be the happiest version of themselves, he genuinely meant it. These girls are nowhere near his status; they can’t help his family grow at all, and he wastes his time trying to make them happy. "Why?” Tamaki confused Kyoya, but moreover, he pissed him off. Being angry, however, won't benefit him, so about a month later, the boys were getting dressed to see the cherry blossoms together.
……………………
Upon arriving at the festival, Kyoya heard his name almost immediately. He turned to the voice and saw Tamaki, dressed in a poorly tied kimono, waving at him. "I'm 10 minutes early - how long has that idiot been here?" The Ootori boy mumbled curses to himself, emotionally preparing for spending the day in this wretched place with his overly cheery ‘friend’.
“KYOYA!!” His preparations were soon halted by the blonde running up and jumping on him. Surprised at the sudden action, Kyoya pushed Tamaki away. “Nice to see you too.” Tamaki pouted, but his eyes weren’t sad. Kyoya laughed dryly at the boy, finding the disheveled look of his knotted kimono and the childlike reaction somewhat fitting. “Care to walk around?” he extended a hand to his new friend, who was crouched in a corner for whatever reason.
Tamaki’s eyes lit up as he grabbed Kyoya's hand tightly, “Yes!!” There it was again; that genuine smile. Kyoya's breath caught in his throat for a moment before he began to lead the way through the festival.
Tamaki stopped by most of the stands set up throughout the streets. He bought souvenirs nobody would need, (or want) and always gave the shopkeepers more than he owed.
The two had been walking for about an hour and a half before deciding to sit down under a large sakura tree. They sat in silence before Tamaki spoke up, “Thank you,” he said, not looking at much of anything, “it really is beautiful.” Kyoya didn’t respond; instead, he watched the blonde quietly and listened to his words. “You’re the only person here who was genuinely nice to me.” Tamaki had a strange glow about him when he said that. Pale yellow hair covered his forehead and moonlight shone down on him, illuminating his features.
His comment made Kyoya’s gut churn. The gentle calmness that this childish buffoon was suddenly projecting made him angry and confused. Why did he spend all day with this rich idiot? Why did he let him drag him around without complaint? They hadn't done anything pertaining to business at all, so why did Kyoya have a good time? The thoughts pounded in his brain and he rubbed the bridge of his nose; “Are you stupid?” His blood warmed up and his internal voice was telling him to stop talking.
For the first time in his life, he didn’t listen.
“Don’t you realize I'm only doing this because of your status?” he couldn’t stop talking, “I hate cherry blossoms, I hate these commoner festivals, and above all else, I hate you.” Tamaki watched Kyoya run a hand through his hair with wide eyes, “Oh,” was all he could say.
The latter finally realized what he had just done. His face turned pale, "oh" was all he could think.
“I'm so sorry Tamaki-san.” He choked out an apology, unsure of what to do next. “I had a great time, I don’t know what ca-" he was interrupted in his desperate attempt to save himself; “It's okay.”
Kyoya looked up at Tamaki through the top of his glasses. His bright eyes dulled a bit and were brimming with tears, but then he smiled; a beautiful, genuine smile.
It was a sad smile, strained almost like he was in pain, but it was real. “I understand, Kyoya. Deep down, I probably knew.” he looked down at the ground, the tears previously brimming in his big purple eyes rolling down his cheeks and landing on fallen petals; Kyoya didn't want to look at him anymore. “Would you like me to call a car for you?” He asked in an act of pity. “It's alright, I want to walk around a bit more.” He stood up and locked eyes with the guilt ridden Kyoya, “Thanks for this.” With that, Kyoya called a car for himself and watched Tamaki walk off alone.
—--------------------------------------------------
"What the fuck did I just do?"
The question repeated over and over again in Kyoya’s mind. He thought back to the festival, to Tamaki’s bright smile and seemingly childlike innocence. Why was he so angry? He laid his head back on his pillow and rubbed his temples, his brain still trying to grasp the consequences of his words.
If that blonde idiot told his father, Kyoya wouldn't be able to go to Ouran Academy; and if he didn't make it into Ouran, there would be hell to pay within his own home. He pulled out his phone and opened Tamaki’s contact, the selfie he took the first day they met silently judging him. “I'm just going to have to do some damage control.”
He began typing out a message, then deleted it. Why was this so hard? It's not like this was the first time he’s fixed screw-ups (granted those were other people's mistakes but still). Every time he would type out a text, that smile would pop back into his mind. “This is so stupid,” he muttered, closing the messaging app and putting his phone down. "Might as well sleep peacefully before father knows everything.”
—-------------------------------------------
Kyoya woke up the next morning with a feeling of indescribable dread.
He put on his glasses and changed clothes somewhat begrudgingly, not ready to be scolded by his father about last night's events. After sluggishly walking down the large staircase that led to the kitchen, he took a deep breath and entered the dining room. Taking his usual spot, beside Mr.Ootori on the left, Kyoya nervously pushed his food around and awaited his father's arrival.
After about 5 minutes had passed when he heard the door of the dining room open. His father took his place at the head of the table and Kyoya greeted him, “Goodmorning Father.”
He grunted in response and took a bite of his food, once he finished chewing, he addressed his son. “Kyoya,.” he said without a readable tone. "Yes father?” he responded, taking a bite of his own food. “Mr.Yuzuru Suoh has requested to meet with you and I for dinner tonight.”
Kyoya froze in the middle of chewing, suddenly unable to swallow due to the lump in his throat. “Shit. Shit shit shit,” he forced his food down and responded; “Oh he did?” That was all he could manage to say at the moment.
“Yes, you and the Suoh boy must have hit it off. He specifically requested to meet with you.” Kyoya tried to hide his terror and confusion, but it’s difficult to deceive an Ootori. “Is something wrong?” His father asked skeptically. “No, not at all,” he paused for a moment, “Tamaki will be there?”
He didn’t know why he asked that. Whether Tamaki came or not didn't concern him, but at least he would know what to prepare for.“I assume you mean Mr.Suoh’s son. Yes, he will be present.” Kyoya felt somewhat excited. “Maybe I'm just a masochist,” he thought as they ate silently.
When they had all finished their breakfast, Mr.Ootori excused them from the table. “Oh, and Kyoya,” he turned to his youngest son, “Dinner is at 7:00 tonight; we will be hosting. Do not embarrass me.”
…………………………
Kyoya had been practicing his lines in the mirror like a schoolgirl confessing to her crush. It was 6:45 now and he was dreading the arrival of the Suohs’. Why did they have to come so soon? If Tamaki said anything to his father about last night's events, everything Kyoya had been working towards would come crumbling down.
Before meeting Tamaki, keeping his emotions hidden was easy. There was just something about that boy that brought the worst out of him. He saw a car pull into his driveway through the large window in his room, “looks like it’s time.” Kyoya straightened his suit out and took a deep breath before descending the stairs to greet the guests.
Just as he got to the bottom of the stairs, he heard a knock on the door. “Why knock when we have a bell?” he questioned as he walked to the door. Yuzuru Suoh was an attractive man, he was tall with light brown hair and wore a bright smile. Despite being attractive, he was quite strange. He had the same charming charisma as his son but he was more sneaky, like something was brewing under the surface.
“Thank you for having us Mr.Ootori,” the sly man smiled and shook Kyoya’s hand. The smile was strange, yes, but not full of malice. “It doesn’t seem like he’s aware.” Letting out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding, Kyoya opened the door wider, inviting his guest in. “Thank you for joining us,” he plastered on a fake smile as a maid led Mr.Suoh to the dining room.
When the older man walked by, he finally got a good look at Tamaki. His hair was combed through, slightly more well-kept than the last times they met. The blonde must have felt Kyoya’s stare because he turned around and flashed him a smile. It wasn't a fake smile; there was no trace of any impure intention behind his eyes. Kyoya felt his heart beat a little faster, maybe it was the shock, maybe it was some other reason, but either way this was good news; Tamaki didn’t hate him.
Of course, he didn’t care if he was hated or not, but Tamaki Suoh’s friendship could benefit him. That’s why the weight on his chest lifted. His lips tilted upwards in a slight smile; once he noticed, he composed himself and led Tamaki to the dining room where their fathers were sitting.
“Oh boys, you’re here,” Kyoya’s father greeted the two, “Mr.Suoh was just telling me how you showed Tamaki around the city when he first arrived. Who knew you two would’ve become such close friends.” Kyoya glanced over to Tamaki, who was taking the seat across from his own. He raised one eyebrow at the blonde, questioning the lie that both of their fathers now believed and the dumbass just winked at him.
It was such an idiotic gesture, so childish and obvious to everyone around them. Kyoya rubbed his forehead and snorted. Tamaki’s eyes went wide and he began laughing himself, (much louder than Kyoya did). Mr.Suoh soon joined in on his son’s laughter while Mr.Ootori was glaring daggers at Kyoya, who was still wearing a half-smile. "You're gonna get hell for this later," said the degrading voice in the back of his head.
For the second time, Kyoya ignored it and continued smiling.
Ten minutes after the laughing fit, dinner was served. The conversation topics were more formal now, mostly about the shift to Ouran Academy. At one point during dinner, Mr.Ootori directed his attention to Tamaki. “How have you been adjusting to Japan? It must be a big change for you.” Tamaki swallowed the piece of lobster he had been chewing on; “it's very different from France, but your son has been a big help.” He looked at Mr.Ootori and smiled, except this time, it wasn’t real at all. Kyoya was taken aback. He stared at Tamaki for a bit too long, only realizing when his father coughed and gave him a threatening look. “Second screw-up of the night,” he smiled slightly, “father’s going to have my head.”
Dinner went smoothly past that, and at about 8:30 the Suohs' prepared to leave. The rain was pouring down outside when they started to get their things ready, “Are you sure you don’t want to wait it out?” The old man was more interested in the business opportunity than their safety. “It’s alright Mr.Ootori, we don’t live too far from here no need to worry about us.” He smiled and walked out the door, Tamaki followed closely behind.
“Go walk with them to their car and I might forget about your little outburst earlier.”
Kyoya knew it was no use arguing with his father, so he grabbed an umbrella and walked beside Tamaki to their car. “Father,” Tamaki called out of nowhere, “go ahead without me, I'll call a car for myself in a bit.” Mr.Suoh looked confused, “Are you sure?" Tamaki nodded his head, "I'll be home soon, don't worry!" He paused for a moment and hooked an arm around a startled Kyoya’s neck, "If it gets too bad I'll just stay with my friend Kyoya here!"
His father seemed happy with that response as he got in the car and drove away shortly after. Tamaki had to shout a bit due to the rain. "I wanted to talk to you," he took down his umbrella and smiled, "plus, commoners walk in the rain all the time." Kyoya resisted the urge to facepalm, "Put up the umbrella, you'll get a cold." Tamaki put a finger on his chin, pretending to consider the demand. "Hmmm no;" he grabbed Kyoya's hand and jerked him from underneath his umbrella. "YOU-" He began to yell but stopped himself. Kyoya was already wet now and he did owe a lot to Tamaki, so with a reluctant sigh, he spoke. "It's raining too hard, but I will sit with you under the canopy. Will that suffice?" The blonde grinned brightly and nodded his head, "Sounds perfect!"
—---------------------------------
Tamaki and Kyoya talked casually for a good half hour. The cool night air, sounds of the rain, and cozy swing the two sat in made the atmosphere very calm. The two boys both had their eyes closed enjoying the sound of the rain. Kyoya was still mulling over the previous night, he figured this would be as good a time as any to ask. "Tamaki?" The blonde opened his eyes and turned to look at his friend, "Yes?"
Kyoya found himself getting lost in the gorgeous purple-blue of Tamaki Suoh's eyes. Still maintaining eye contact, he spoke again; "I'm sorry." Kyoya had never apologized and meant it before, of course, this was no exception. The pleading look in his eyes and loud thumping of his heart while awaiting a response was nothing to make note of. Tamaki’s eyes flashed with a bit of sadness, or hope, or some other expression Kyoya couldn't get a grasp on.
"Did you mean what you said yesterday?" His eyes matched Kyoya's pleading expression and the raven haired boy felt his throat dry up. "Yes; I did." He could've lied. He could've just told him it was a test of faith or an outburst of grief or something, but he just couldn't bring himself to be dishonest this time. Tamaki’s heart broke and it reflected in his eyes. Kyoya looked away before continuing; "...I thought I did. I did only speak to you because of your status, and I do hate cherry blossom season, but I don't hate you Tamaki." Kyoya inhaled, trying to phrase his words correctly, "It's been years since I laughed or smiled genuinely. I'm sorry for how I treated you. " Kyoya paused for a moment, "i'm.. more greatful for you than you know." Both of the boys were blushing brightly, they sat in silence for a good minute and were finally able to reign themselves in. Tamaki yawned and hung his legs over the the armrest of the bench, laying his head on Kyoya’s lap in the process. Before he could protest, the blonde hummed in content; "Me too."
------------------
Kyoya found himself lazily running his hands through a sleeping Tamaki’s hair. He examined each of the blonde strands intently before getting snapped out of his thoughts by a phone call. He answered reluctantly, "Hello father."
"Where are you? It's been an hour and a half."
"Mr.Suoh's son wanted to stay and talk, he told his father he would be staying over without consulting me first and insisted we speak outside."
It wasn't a lie, Tamaki did say he would stay if he needed to. He was asleep right now though, and waking him would be improper, so Kyoya made the executive decision.
Mr.Ootori seemed more pleased than he expected, "Be inside in no more than 20 minutes, I'll tell the help to prepare a guest room."
The man hung up without a farewell and Kyoya slipped his cellphone back into his pocket. He didn't want to wake up Tamaki, he continued to stroke his head and examine his face.
Tamaki's jaw was well defined and his lashes long, his skin almost glowed and a light dusting of freckles covered his cheeks. Blonde hair framed his face and often when it tickled his forehead he would furrow his brow until Kyoya wiped it away. He stared at the blonde for what felt like an eternity, once he realized what he was doing he kicked himself mentally. Kyoya was always aware of his emotions, he just chose to ignore them till he physically couldn't anymore. "I should just tell him to go home, Its only a 10 minute drive."
Kyoya shook Tamaki awake, prepared to make him leave, but when the boy wiped his eyes and smiled sweetly at him, there was nothing in the world that would've made Kyoya let him go. "Father said we need to be inside in about 5 minutes. We've got the guest room prepared for you and you can wear something of mine to sleep in." Tamaki’s eye's held a blank expression for a few seconds as he processed the information. "Wait.. so like a sleepover?" Kyoya smirked slightly at the overjoyed expression on his friend's face, "Yes, like a sleepover." He checked his watch and his smile dropped, "we need to hurry though, or father will have both of our heads." They laughed and began to walk inside. Kyoya didn't notice till now, but the usually sickly looking Sakura tree that hung over the canopy looked especially beautiful tonight; Maybe the rain is what helped it.
----------------
Kyoya led Tamaki to his guest room and gave him a set of pajamas. "The bathroom is right through that door, the help should've set you up with everything but if you need anything just shout. I'll be in my own shower so a maid will come assist you."
Tamaki took the clothes and went into the bathroom, "no peeking!" He winked at Kyoya, who's face was twisted in disdain and a bit of embarrassment, through the crack of the door. "Yes, yes, ill be going now"
-------
Kyoya was drying his hair with a towel when Tamaki barged in.
His bright yellow hair was damp and sticking to his ears, and beads of water rolled off the ends of it and landed on his abnormally long eyelashes.
"KYOYAAA!" After one last ruffle of his hair, Kyoya threw the towel he was using onto the blonde.
"And what pray tell do you think you're doing here?" He asked with a smirk as Tamaki tried to get the towel off his head.
"It's a sleepover," he stated matter-of-factly, "you couldn't have possibly expected me to sleep in the guest room!" Kyoya opened his mouth to object, (for obvious reasons) but when he saw how happy it make his counterpart, he couldn't do anything but sigh. "Fine. I'm going to go brush my teeth, don't touch anything." Tamaki slowly inched away from the statue that he'd been dragging his fingers across while Kyoya was talking. The latter already began to regret his decision of the sleepover, but he just rubbed his temples and walked to the bathroom.
-----------------
"Hey, Kyoya?" a quiet but very recognizable voice rose from the spot beside Kyoya in bed. "What Suoh?" He responded groggily, ready to go to sleep already.
"Have you ever thought about wearing contacts?"
"No"
"You should," Tamaki's eyes were still closed, "you have nice eyes."
Kyoya blushed harder than he ever had before, if they weren't in the dark he would've been much more embarrassed.
Tamaki flipped over on his back and kept speaking. "Actually, you have a nice everything-" He paused, "you're handsome and funny and smart, I'm sure the girls love you."
Kyoya's throat was dry, "..Where are you going with this?" Deep down he might've been hoping for something more. Hoping that maybe these compliments held some deeper meaning in the blondes eyes.
Tamaki rolled over and his hand brushed a piece of skin that wasn't covered by Kyoya's shirt. "We should start a host club."
-------------
"No"
"Mm just think about it," Tamaki rolled over and snuggled into a pillow.
Kyoya sat in silence for a while after that, the blonde had rolled over in his sleep and wrapped an arm around his waist. Something deep inside Kyoya was hurting, a deep stabbing pain with no real point of origin. The warmth of the boy next to him sent that feeling all over. Kyoya knew what he was feeling, denying it would be foolish; but accepting it would be a death sentence.
Kyoya's hands found their way back to Tamaki’s hair, a single strand on a single one of his fingers. The blonde had shifted so much in his sleep that his mop of hair was now strewn all over his chest. Kyoya shifted a bit and propped himself up on his elbow, careful not to wake his.. friend. He couldn't see much of Tamaki other than a sleeping silhouette, but still he bent down to look at him closer. He buried his face in the mop of hair and closed his eyes, promising that for his and Tamaki's sake he would never act on these feelings.
-------------------
The morning had been a hectic one, the host club was at it's best with the new inclusion of the twins and their "brotherly love" package. Everything was going according to plan, until a new 1st year knocked over the vase they had intended on showing off at the auction that night. The student was dressed in boys clothes and thick glasses, but Kyoya could quickly deduce that this clumsy person was in fact a girl.
Haruhi was apparently a transfer student here on scholarship, so the 8 million yen cost of the vase was too much for her to afford. Tamaki, still under the impression she was a man, insisted she run errands for the host club. Later on, Tamaki who thought she was "pretty cute for a guy," insisted she join the host club to pay off her debt. Once everyone inevitably found out that she was really a girl, they were committed to keeping her secret and making sure she could stay in the club. Especially Tamaki.
Something about Tamaki's eyes when he was talking to her hurt Kyoya. That same stabbing pain he felt those years ago came back faintly, so he excused himself. He was on his way to a bench under a bare sakura tree when he realized his favorite of the twins was following him.
"Are you ever gonna tell him you like him?" Kaoru threw a rock in an attempt to skip it across the pond; it sank.
Kyoya pushed his glasses up against the bridge of his nose, "I have no idea what you mean."
"Don't play dumb, you do a good job of hiding it but I know you like boss." Kaoru spoke proudly, like he was happy to figure Kyoya out.
Kyoya sighed, "I'm happy Kaoru, for the first time in my life in happy and I have no intention on ruining it."
"Fair enough." Kaoru threw another rock at the water, it sank. "Ughh damnit."
"So," Kyoya began, "where's your other half?"
Kaoru laughed, "Same place as yours, but after seeing your expression earlier I was more interested in you than the newbie!"
"Abandoned an opportunity to torment someone new just for me, im charmed." Kyoya smirked at his clubmate and picked a smooth rock off the ground beside him. "Throw it like this, Kaoru." The rock kyoya threw skipped 5 times before sinking into the mossy water. Kyoya turned around and walked back to the clubroom with his typical swagger, Kaoru followed behind shooting daggers at the back of his head.
"We're back," Kyoya announced when he and the auburn haired boy got back inside the clubroom. "MOMMY~" Tamaki cried as he hugged Kyoya's legs, "HONEY-SENPAI IS HOGGING HARUHI!!" Brushing his raven colored hair out of his face, kyoya sighed, not with contempt but relief, maybe everything would turn out fine in the end.
------------
Everything did not turn out fine. Tamaki’s crush on Haruhi became more apparent to everyone as the days progressed. The only comforting notion was the fact that Tamaki himself didn't seem to know about his crush on the new member.
"This is so stupid" Kyoya layed in bed with a warm towel on his forehead. He had felt sick to his stomach since Haruhi came to the club, but after enough restless nights he got finally got a fever.
He knew exactly what this illness was about, ever since he was a child he would get sick from overworking himself. The stress always got to him in the end, that's why he was so embarrassed to be like this. Work had been a fleeting thought during the months with Haruhi in the club, therefore this stress was very personal. "Maybe kaoru was right.." he thought before closing his eyes. Sleep was always an escape for Kyoya the problems of the real world disappeared and he could be at peace, at least for a few hours. When he was on the edge of sleep, there was a knock on his bedroom door. Kyoya grunted in response and rolled over. "Kyoya?" A familiar voice from outside said; he was awake now.
"..come in"
Tamaki entered with his typical bright smile, he was followed by a small girl with a plastic bag in her hands. Kyoya's chest tightened. "KYOYAA~" the blonde jumped into his friends bed and hugged him tightly. "Get off of me you oaf-" Kyoya pushed Tamaki off of him, "you might get sick." Haruhi stood in the corner fidgeting with the bag she'd brought. "Oh yeah," Tamaki began, "on the way here I saw Haruhi walking to the store and told her how you were sick!" He walked over to Haruhi and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "I told her she should come with me to see you!"
Kyoya wasn't sure how to react, he wore the fake smile he practiced for so many years but rarely used around Tamaki. "Tha-" he began to respond when Tamaki’s phone rang. "Oh- it's father, let me take this." The blonde exited the room leaving Haruhi and Kyoya alone. The girl reached into her bad and handed kyoya a bag of cough drops and some cold medicine. "That was the fakest smile I've ever seen" she said, "do you want us to leave?" Kyoya's eye's opened widely with shock, he paused for a few seconds and let out a chuckle, because what else could he do? "Not exactly, but i'm sure you know that already don't you?" She smiled sadly and sat on the edge of the bed, "I'm sorry-" she began
"don't be"
"This might be horribly rude but can I call you a car? I need to discuss something with Tamaki in private."
"Of course, you don't need to call anyone though, I can walk." she began to stand up but kyoya grabbed at her arm; "You're too nice for your own good, I'm calling you a car."
"Bu-" Haruhi began to protest, "I'M BACK!"
Tamaki busted into the room and saw Kyoya grabbing onto his precious Haruhi's arm. "KYOYAHOWCOULDYOUMYBESTFRIENDANDMYSWEETBABYGIRLWHYWOULDYOUDOTHISKYOYA" Tamaki went to the corner and started growing mushrooms, a strange habit he had whenever he got sad. Haruhi signed and began to scold him for overreacting, Kyoya felt another pang in his chest watching this. Once the scolding had stopped he called Haruhi a car.
--------------
"I wonder why Haruhi had to leave so soon," Tamaki sighed and paced around Kyoya's room. "Tamaki, can I ask you a question?" Kyoya's voice was the weakest it had ever been, he knew the answer to his question, and for him to be okay he needed Tamaki to know too. "Of course!" The blonde that had caused him so much emotional distress sat at the edge of Kyoya's mattress, looking as bright as the first day they met. He took a deep breath before asking, "Do you like Haruhi?" Tamaki's eyes got large, "What?" Kyoya rubbed his temples; "Let me rephrase, You like Haruhi." Tamaki rolled back almost comically and fell off the bed, "n-n-no it's not like that!!" Kyoya smiled to himself, "this is absolutely pathetic" he thought, but he continued anyway. "So if I asked Haruhi to date me, you'd be okay with that?"
"NO"
"And what if me and Haruhi kissed, or-"
"ENOUGH- YOU STAY AWAY FROM MY HARUHI-"
"So you do like her." The realization in Tamaki's eyes hurt Kyoya deeply. Worse than the stabbing pain he felt in his chest, worse than the cold, worse than any stomach ache he had ever felt before.
"..what do I do?" Tamaki asked meekly
"Tell her how you feel." Kyoya regretted his words as soon as they came out but he kept talking, "if you don't someone else will."
"I think I need to go home and think about some things Kyoya.." Tamaki felt Kyoya’s forehead with the back of his hand, "take that medicine Haruhi got you and call me if anything happens."
The blonde left the room silently and Kyoya watched out the window as a car picked him up and took him away.
The pain in his chest stung so deeply he could cry; and he did. For the first time in 3 years tears fell and wouldn't stop. He cried loudly and painfully, wheezing in-between sobs. He kept a hand over his chest to make sure his heart was still beating and secretly prayed he would discover it wasn't. His cold sent him into a coughing fit, his throat burned and his body ached, and for the first time Kyoya Ootori felt truly pathetic.
-------------------
After crying all he could cry Kyoya rolled over and closed his eyes, trying to escape the reality he would soon face with sleep. Images of Tamaki flashed through his mind. He thought about the warm smile that made him feel this way in the first place. That smile didn't belong to him to begin with, and now any piece of it that did was being ripped from his grasp. And somehow he was okay with that.
It hurt, worse than anything had ever hurt before. Worse than his fathers cruel words, worse than the mark left on his face when Kyoya dared disobey him, worse than the first time he and Tamaki met. However, deep down Kyoya knew, if Tamaki didn’t do it then someone else would, and now that Tamaki knew Haruhi he would never smile the same without her. Living without Tamaki's smile would be living in a world of darkness, and so, although it hurt, Kyoya was at peace.
"Tamaki Suoh you asshole, making all these people love you;" Kyoya murmured to himself before drifting to sleep
-------------
"I didn't know you were a fan of cherry blossoms," Kaoru walked up to Kyoya who had been at the festival half an hour early to reminisce. "I'm here to account for the businesses that are selling, I just thought you might like to join me." Kyoya pushed his glasses up on his face and kaoru smirked, "yeah, yeah" taking note of the far off look in his eye, kaoru pulled Kyoya along by the arm, "Lets look around, or did you drag me here for nothing?" Kyoya rolled his eyes but didn't protest, "lets look at this stall first."
The boys went around to all the stalls and truthfully Kyoya didn't have a bad time. Kaoru played along with the obvious lie he had told earlier. They examined the products of each stall and "sampled" food when food was served. One stall in particular stuck out to Kyoya, an old man with bright eyes who sold wood carvings. There was a variety of animals, symbols, shapes, among other things, but a small group of statues stood out to him; 7 similar looking figures under the name "family."
"Id like to buy these," Kyoya pulled out his wallet and handed the man the price that was asked for on the bottom of the figure. Kaoru was there the whole time and laughed at the childish purchase, "what?" Kyoya asked sharply, his ears slightly red with embarrassment. "Nothing at all" Kaoru smirked and walked to a familiar bench under a familiar tree. Kyoya paused for a minute in shock before sitting down, once he sat Kaoru started speaking. "So.. you hear about Haruhi and boss?" He asked with concern in his voice. "I've been trying to avoid Tamaki as of late." He paused, almost scared to ask, "what happened?" Kaoru sighed and picked blossoms off the trees, "Tamaki confessed his feelings, she's making him work for it but it's clear she likes him too." The twin smiled sadly, "Did you ever tell him Kyoya?"
"No, and I plan on keeping it that way."
Kaoru let out a dramatic blubber, "So you're just gonna let him go? Just like that? After 2 years?"
Kyoya's jaw clenched, tears pricked at his eyes, "He's happy Kaoru; I have no intention of ruining that."
Kaoru's own eyes filled with tears that wouldn't fall. "You're better than me," he laughed quietly and sniffled.
"Hikaru has been inconsolable since boss confessed," he laid on the ground and motioned for Kyoya to join him. "Sometimes I wish Haruhi wasn't here," Kaoru spoke softly, like he was scared someone would hear. "I wish she wasn't here so that I could be Hikaru's only priority again. He's so heartbroken it hurts me, its like the twin telepathy thing." Kyoya smirked at his feeble attempt at a joke and decided to lay on the ground with him. "We're more similar than I'd like to admit."
The two sat in silence for a while before Kaoru chuckled. Kyoya cocked an eyebrow at him, " and what pray-tell is so funny?"
it's nothing really just- we're both 2nd place now huh?" Kaoru laughed and threw a handful of cherry blossoms laying on the ground at Kyoya, "so what if we just become each others first place?" Kyoya stood up and was brushing cherry blossoms off his shirt with annoyance, "You know very well that's not how it works."
"I know," kaoru sighed and looked at the tree above them, "but I wish that it did."
Kyoya blew air out of his nose and smirked, "You and me both." He looked down to find Kaoru lost in thought, so he kicked him.
"OW- what was that for??" He exclaimed, rubbing his side.
"The fireworks are about to start, get up."
The two stood beside the lake the festival was built around. Kaoru attempted to skip rocks and failed while Kyoya observed the surroundings. The festival was truly beautiful, the fact he used to hate it was almost astounding. As the fireworks started the twin kept trying his luck with the lake. Kyoya laughed at his failure and turned his attention to the fireworks. It was amazing, the first time the millionaire had ever seen fireworks in person, however each firework lit up a familiar silhouette. Kyoya gripped the loose fabric of his pants and felt a thousand sharp pangs at once. Kaoru recognized his distress, "Kyoya what's wro- oh." In the darkness it could have been anyone, but the light of the fireworks showed the obnoxiously yellow hair and slender frame Kyoya Ootori had fallen in love with 2 years ago. He stood on a bridge with a brown haired girl on his arm, and even from yards away you could tell how brightly he was smiling down at her.
"Come on Kyoya we can go-" Kaoru began to grab his coat and leave before Kyoya stopped him.
"No, I want to stay." Kyoya didn't speak loudly, he didn't even make eye contact with his counterpart. He simply continued watching the fireworks, or rather, Tamaki's smile which mimicked their brightness.
Kaoru smirked, "Alright then."
Seeing how brightly Tamaki smiled made the world stop for a second, and it reminded Kyoya why he did what he did. Without Haruhi he never would experience that bright light again and even if it doesn't shine for him, it shines brighter than it ever has before. So for as long as that light keeps shining; Kyoya will be happy.