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It began with Kyoya’s father urging him to make friends with Suoh Tamaki.
That is where it all began, but that is a story that has already been told. What you may not have been told is what happened after. After the sweet dream of high school ended and life in the “real world” began.
For Kyoya, the real world was not as different from high school as one might have thought. While he did move out of his family’s house, he did so in order to move in with his best friend, which meant that his day to day life didn’t alter as much as it could have.
He saw a bit more of Tamaki and a bit less of the other hosts, though the twins usually dragged Haruhi out to see them at least once a month, and they had a standing arrangement to meet up with Mori and Honey every Thursday night they all were in town.
Ultimately, the largest change Kyoya experienced after high school was a drop in the amount of time he had to spend being polite or courteous. To go from being a host for on average ten hours a week to greeting only those he cared to (which was also a diminished number since most of their peers from Ouran either didn’t go to university or elected to study abroad) was frankly a relief. He would never tell Tamaki (especially after the whole school fair debacle during their second year) that he found being charming for that long, especially after a full day of school, was exhausting.
All told, Kyoya found his university years even more idyllic than his high school years had been.
His affair with Fujioka Ranka came as something of a surprise, albeit a pleasant one. It began on his 20th birthday.
Honey and Mori (mostly Honey) insisted on taking him out for a celebratory drink after the “surprise” party Tamaki had thrown in their apartment. (He had suspected that Tamaki was planning something, and Haruhi had confirmed two weeks before the event) He was admittedly a little surprised by where they chose to take him, though not at all displeased. The bar Ranka worked at was far classier than other establishments of its type, and Honey had apparently called ahead to ensure that Ranka would provide a special performance, just for him.
Afterwards, when he sat and flirted with them, Kyoya suddenly realized why so many girls had been so enamoured with Tamaki during their host club days. To have the attention of someone so charismatic focused on only you in such a way... Kyoya found that it wasn’t just the sake he was intoxicated by.
Later, after Honey and Mori had left (clearly to have sex, that particular gleam in Honey’s eye gave it all away) Kyoya found himself bolder than usual, and said with a casual confidence he didn’t truly feel, “Ranka-san, perhaps there is a thing or two you would be kind enough to teach me?”
Only a fool would misunderstand his meaning as his hand caressed Ranka’s so intimately, and Fujioka Ranka was no fool.
“My, my, Kyoya-kun, so forward. But are you sure it’s me you want to learn such things from? I may be dressed as a woman currently, but under these clothes...” Ranka moved Kyoya’s hand to rest scandalously high on Ranka’s thigh. “I’m all man.”
Kyoya’s throat was dry. “I’m sure.” He said hoarsely. He cleared his throat. “I have never felt this kind of attraction to women.”
“Not even for Haruhi?” Ranka asked teasingly.
Kyoya smiled softly. “What I have with Haruhi is largely intellectual. We understand each other in a way that the others simply can’t.”
“I see.” Ranka said warmly. “But what about Tamaki-kun? Surely you want to discover these sorts of things with him?”
Kyoya’s smile turned rueful. “He is still under the delusion that his happiness lies with the female form. And perhaps it does.”
Ranka hummed as he ran a hand teasingly along Kyoya’s neck. “So you come to me to teach you what it means to be physically intimate. I must say, Kyoya-kun, I am both flattered and excited. The thought of touching your virgin skin, of breaking you apart, piece by piece... I should warn you, I might not let you go until I’ve sampled every single inch of skin.” Ranka was now whispering these things directly into Kyoya’s ear, prompting all manner of pleasant shivers.
“Please.” Kyoya breathed.
Kyoya learned what it felt like to be fucked, and to fuck, and many things in between over the course of the following year or so. Honestly, Kyoya can’t say he could have found a better teacher. Ranka knew that it was only physical, could only ever be physical. There was fondness between them, but they both knew from the beginning that it wasn’t meant to last. Not when Ranka was still in love with his late wife and Kyoya still pined for his clueless best friend.
Miraculously, Haruhi only caught them once, and it was toward the end of their affair.
With Kyoya’s graduation looming on the horizon, his father had been dropping increasingly heavy hints that Kyoya should take on some of the responsibility for the company he mostly owned. Kyoya wasn’t feeling particularly inclined to do so, but knew it was a matter of time. He had gone to Ranka to forget about it for a while. Haruhi had said she would be out late studying, so Ranka had figured they could take the opportunity to ‘stay in’ for once. (Not that Kyoya really minded renting hotel rooms, especially when they had jacuzzi tubs to spoil his lover with) Kyoya did have to admit that there was something comforting about the Fujioka residence, and the sex they had that night was more fun than anything else, which was just what Kyoya had needed.
Kyoya honestly considered it sheer dumb luck that Haruhi got home after they had already finished, since she got home well before the midnight deadline they had been working with.
Kyoya was rummaging through the fridge for a snack, still damp from the bath, when a key turned in the lock and the door opened, Haruhi offering a vague, “I’m home.” as she entered.
She didn’t notice Kyoya at first, preoccupied as she was with putting down her things. She started when Kyoya shut the fridge door. He was admittedly unsure about what he was going to say, but figured it wouldn’t do to just stand there.
“Kyoya-kun!” She said in surprise. “What are you doing here so late? And is your hair wet? Did you take a bath?”
Before Kyoya could find his voice to answer, Ranka came out drying his hair.
“Oi, Kyoya-kun, are you sure you don’t want to stay the night? Haruhi usually leaves early, so if you stay quiet she won’t even know...”
“I won’t even know what, dad?” Haruhi asked flatly.
Ranka looked up in surprise. “Ah, well...” Ranka scrambled for an explanation.
“Your father and I have been sleeping together.” Kyoya said simply, eager to avoid the kind of dramatic subterfuge both Ranka and Tamaki were inclined to indulge in. (Kyoya could admit, he had a type)
Haruhi’s head turned to where Kyoya stood awkwardly in front of the refrigerator.
“I see.” She said blandly.
She walked farther into the apartment, and took a seat at the table. Kyoya joined her wordlessly.
Before Ranka could do the same, Haruhi shot him a look.
“I’ve spent the past five hours studying for a test for a class I hate. I do not need your dramatics right now. Kyoya will answer my questions. Go make us some tea, and then go to bed.”
“But...” Ranka began weepily.
“No.”
Ranka retreated mournfully. Once the tea was in front of them and Ranka had unwillingly gone off to bed, Haruhi met Kyoya’s eyes.
“By sleeping together, do you mean that what is happening between you and my father is entirely physical?”
Kyoya, despite how complicated this situation suddenly was, relaxed. This was Haruhi. Blissfully frank Haruhi, who never lied, never hid her feelings, and had proven time after time that she could be relied on.
“Yes.” Kyoya replied. “It began when I asked him to educate me in... intimacy, shall we say, on my birthday, and has simply continued because there hasn’t been a reason to end it.”
“I see.” Haruhi said, looking down at her tea. “You are both consenting adults, but it still feels... uncomfortable somehow.”
“I understand. If we spent more time together, apart from the others, I mean, I might have told you, as a courtesy. But it never seemed like the right time when we were all gathered in a group.”
“You’re right, I think. It probably means that we should be getting more one-on-one time, ne, Kyoya-kun? We haven’t had a good conversation in a while.”
Kyoya couldn’t help but smile. “Yes, it has been a while.”
There was a comfortable moment of silence.
“So what, you’re just learning about sex from my father because Tamaki doesn’t realize that no woman can love him as well as you can?”
Kyoya choked on his tea. There was the blunt Haruhi everyone knew and loved. “Well, yes.” Kyoya coughed out. “Though I wouldn’t have phrased it in quite such a way. Is he still campaigning to get you to want to have sex?”
Haruhi sighed. “Occasionally. Usually his efforts include some new move he’s discovered with one of his girlfriends, and tries it on me after they’ve broken up. It never works.”
“I told him at the beginning of our third year that he would never get you in bed.” Kyoya said with a sigh. “I think the difficulty is that to him romantic and sexual feelings are so wrapped up, so to have one without the other is a foreign concept. You’ve said you love him, so that must mean that you want him sexually.”
Haruhi let out a sigh of her own. “I know. And what’s worse is that I even don’t know if I can love him in the way he wants me to. He loves the thought of a grand romance with overwhelming feelings and passion. But what I feel for him is more like fondness and a general desire for him to be happy. I’m not swept away by him, and while he will always be important to me, I’m not nearly as devoted to him as you are.”
Kyoya smiled softly. “Just as I knew he would never get you in bed, I knew I was proving myself to be a fool. He made those jokes about us being mom and dad, but in the end, he never really acted like we were married. He would be lost without me, and I will never leave his side, but he will never know the depths of my feelings. Even if I told him he would probably misunderstand.”
Haruhi laid a hand on his. “I’m sorry you’re in love with such a fool. But I know as well as any that he’s worthy of it, so I can’t fault you.”
They shared a soft smile, and Haruhi rose and began to clear away the tea things. “This thing with my dad... how much longer is it going to last?” She asked, almost casually.
“Probably just until I graduate. Father wishes for me to take on more responsibility within the company, and once I do, I’ll barely have time to spend with friends, let alone carry on any affairs.”
Haruhi hummed. “In that case, go join him. Get your comfort while you can.”
“Are you sure? The last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable.”
“Nah. I’m over it. If you can put up with the love of your life pursuing pretty girls while ignoring you, I can put up with you having sex with my dad for a little bit longer.”
“Haruhi.” Kyoya said just as she was about to leave the room. “I do love you as well, in my own way. My father still wants you as a daughter-in-law, and if I had to marry a woman, if I had to marry someone other than Tamaki, well,” He looked up, then away. “I don’t think I could bear it to be anyone else.”
He didn’t hear or see her approach, but he felt it when she stood before him. She tilted his head so that they were eye to eye.
“I love you too, in my own way.” Ever so lightly, she pressed her lips to his. He could have wept for how tender it was. “Goodnight, Kyoya-sempai.” she said softly, teasingly.
“Goodnight, Haruhi-kun.” He replied, just as softly. He watched as she padded off to her bedroom, before turning to the other.
He was unsurprised to find Ranka still awake.
“Maa, Kyoya-kun.” he said as Kyoya joined him beneath the covers. “You confess your love to my daughter, but crawl into bed with me? Not classy, not classy at all.”
Kyoya huffed a laugh against Ranka’s collar bone. “The only reason I’d be in your daughter’s bed would be for cuddling and you know it.”
“I do know.” Ranka replied tenderly. “You’re a good man, Ootori Kyoya-kun. I’ll miss you when you go, but cherish the memories we created.”
“Thank you, Ranka-san.”
Kyoya graduated, and he did assume a moderate amount of responsibility at the company. It was not terribly difficult, but the first few months were tedious. Greeting after greeting, report after report, and through it all his father was there to “guide” him through the transition. As if he wasn’t shoving all of this on to Kyoya’s shoulders so that he could retire.
Four months after he started working, Haruhi, brilliant Haruhi, after listening to him complain a few too many times about how tiresome it was, came up with a brilliant idea.
He was in the middle of reviewing one of the quarterly reports when his secretary told him through the intercom that “A Fujioka Haruhi-san is here to see you.”
“Send her in.” Kyoya said simply.
He was surprised when she came in. Instead of the gender neutral attire he had grown used to seeing her in, she was in a cute, feminine outfit that had Kaoru’s signature all over it (which only really meant that it was more subdued and featured more jewel tones, Hikaru had settled into a style that usually included far too many neons and pastels).
“Haruhi. This is a surprise.”
“Oh Kyoya-san! I just wanted to see you!” She said brightly. She wandered further into his office, carefully not saying anything more until the door had clicked shut. “Okay, we’re going out to lunch.” She said in her normal tone. “If your father really does want me as a daughter-in-law, he can’t object to us going on dates.”
Kyoya smirked. “Indeed. I’m seeing what I will be getting out of this little excursion, but what benefit is it to you?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” She asked with a grin. “You’re paying.”
“I see.” He said as he rose. He shuffled the papers on his desk into some semblance of order before joining her near the door. Galently he offered her the crook of his arm, which she tucked her hand into delicately. They left the office with slightly plastic smiles.
“I’m taking my lunch, Tanaka-san. Have a car meet us out front. I will be back well before my two o’clock meeting.”
“Yes, Kyoya-sama.”
Haruhi began to chatter vaguely as they made their way down the hall to the elevators. She didn’t say anything of particular meaning, just vague references to the classes she was taking and friends she had made at university, just enough for Kyoya to nod along to. She went silent once they were alone in the elevator.
“How are you, really?” She asked softly. “I’ll admit, I’m a bit worried about you. Tamaki says you haven’t been home before midnight for a week.”
Kyoya sighed. “He’s not wrong. But I’ll tell you more when we’re out of the building.”
The elevators opened to the modern yet exquisite lobby. They made their way to the front door, and just as Kyoya expected, they not-so-casually ran into his father and his entourage.
“Ah, Haruhi-san. It is a pleasure to see you.” Kyoya’s father said gruffly.
“It’s good to see you, Ootori-sama.”
“How are your classes going?”
“Very well, thank you. My professors are very helpful, and I am learning quite a bit.”
“That is good. Are you and Kyoya heading to lunch?”
“Yep! He promised me that he would treat me to some French food the last time that we saw each other, but he’s been so busy it’s been hard to find the time.”
“I see. Well, it is important to find time for things other than work.”
“I think so too! Well, I hope you have a good rest of your day, Ootori-sama.”
“Thank you, Haruhi-san, you as well.”
Kyoya and Haruhi made their way out of the building and into the waiting car. Once they were on their way, Haruhi let out a sigh.
“Dealing with these businessmen is always such a pain. At least when I was a host I could just be myself.”
Kyoya hummed. “I would like to see you and my father debate at some point. I think it would be nice to see the look of shock on his face when he realizes that you’re better at it than him.”
“You’re so mean, Kyoya-kun. Anyway.” She turned a concerned look on him. “Why are you working so much? I know you said you wouldn’t have much time, but this seems unreasonable, even for you.”
Kyoya sighed. “Unfortunately, there’s a bit more to be done than even I had thought there would be. It seems my father has gotten rather lax in the past couple years, and there has been an increasing number of malpractice suits brought against the company. I’ve been trying to determine the cause, and how to best handle the situation. If we simply start firing doctors, we’ll gain a bad reputation and hiring new ones will be that much harder. But on the other hand, the malpractice suits also give us a bad reputation, and if they are not addressed, we’ll lose business.”
“Maa... no wonder you’re working so much. But surely there’s some aspect you can pass on to someone else?”
“Well, reading legal jargon has never been my favorite task.” Kyoya said blithely. “Perhaps if I had someone to read the claims and summarize for me.... Someone I could trust... someone who is due to have a break from school next month...”
“I get it, I get it, I’ll come help you when the break begins. Besides,” she said brightly. “Working with you will provide me with opportunities to tease your father.”
Kyoya sighed goodnaturedly. “Your campaign to terrorize my father is somewhat nonsensical. Why do you want him to think we’re dating?”
“So that you have an excuse to take breaks.” She said simply. “I get the desire to be your very best, but there’s no need for you to be driven to a burn-out before you’re even thirty.”
“I suppose.”
After that, Haruhi came to his office at least once a week to drag him on “dates”. During her winter break, she worked in a small office on his floor, going through each suit he sent her, and made a point of visiting his office to make her comments to him personally. After the break was over and she resumed her studies, she visited even more frequently than she had before, sometimes to drag him out of his office, sometimes just to “stop by”. They didn’t run into his father every time, but he knew his father had to be at least somewhat aware, if only because he wasn’t scolded for being out of the office so much.
Before long, it was a given within the company that Kyoya-sama was dating Fujioka-san. He would occasionally hear the whispers of gossip within the halls, exclaiming about how she was pretty, but Kyoya-sama should be with someone much more beautiful. When he shared that tidbit with her, she gave something of a smirk.
“Someone beautiful like Tamaki?”
“Perhaps.” He responded mildly.
Honestly it was something of a surprise that it took so long for Tamaki to notice that Kyoya and Haruhi were “dating”. While he didn’t spend as much time at Kyoya’s office as Haruhi did, he still visited fairly frequently, usually to lament over his latest breakup or gush about his latest infatuation. Sometimes, when Kyoya was at the office particularly late, he would come and make a big deal about how lonely he was without Kyoya, and won’t you please come home, mon ami?
It was a bit of a surprise that Tamaki and Haruhi had never been at the office at the same time. Kyoya chalked it up to an odd bit of good luck. He wasn’t quite ready for the dramatics that were due to occur.
But whether he was ready for the dramatics or not was a moot point. Tamaki was involved, so the dramatics would occur eventually.
It was a sunny day in late February. Haruhi was there for a “just because” visit, and had been there for long enough that Kyoya figured she’d be there for only a few minutes more. Her “just because” visits rarely lasted more than a half hour. Just as she was getting up to leave, Tamaki barged through the door.
“Kyoya! I simply must tell you... Haruhi? Why are you here?”
“Just visiting.” Haruhi said. “I’ll be on my way now. I’ll see you on Thursday for lunch, Kyoya-kun.”
“I’ll see you then.” He said blithely.
Tamaki seemed in mild shock, and so didn’t say anything as Haruhi left. Once the door shut behind her, his eyes swiveled to Kyoya.
“Has Haruhi been visiting you much, Kyoya?”
“A few times a week.” Kyoya responded mildly.
Tamaki’s eyes seemed to well up with tears. “Why is she visiting you? I have so much more free time, if she’s bored she could just visit me!”
“She is on a crusade to make sure I’m not working too hard.” Kyoya said, turning most of his attention back to the reports in front of him. Fortunately Kyoya’s statement seemed to break Tamaki out of his building lament about how Haruhi didn’t like him anymore.
“Oh.” He said. “Well, in that case, she should visit more. You do work too hard, Kyoya.”
Kyoya hummed vaguely, and before long was listening with half an ear as Tamaki went on about the lastest shop he had discovered.
Kyoya had thought that would be the last of it, but apparently there were secretaries that loved gossip more than they respected him, so the next time Tamaki came for a visit, he burst into Kyoya’s office with even more energy than usual.
“You’re dating Haruhi?!” He exclaimed.
Kyoya sighed, then smiled apologetically to the two managers that were sitting in the chairs in front of his desk.
“I’m sorry we have to cut this short, but I’m afraid that I need to talk to this gentleman. You are both doing very well, and I look forward to the reports on this project.”
They rose and left with respectful bows and curious glances at Tamaki. Once the door shut behind them, Tamaki rushed across the room to slam both hands on Kyoya’s desk.
“Since when have you and Haruhi been dating?” He demanded to know.
Kyoya considered. It would be easy enough to explain that they weren’t actually dating, but was there a point to it? Strictly speaking, even with the understanding that neither of them had any particular romantic feelings for one another, Kyoya and Haruhi had been going through the motions of dating for months now.
“Approximately four months.”
“And you didn’t tell me? We live together Kyoya, surely I would have known if you started dating someone, let alone my precious daughter!”
“We are both rather busy, and she lives far enough away that it doesn’t make sense for her to come over to our apartment.”
“But...” Tamaki seemed to deflate into one of the chairs in front of Kyoya’s desk. “Why wouldn't you tell me?”
Kyoya was surprised to note that Tamaki was less bothered by the fact that they were “dating” and more hurt by the notion that he wasn’t made aware of it.
“It’s nothing terribly serious.” Kyoya said finally. “We have simply been enjoying each other’s company.”
Tamaki seemed dissatisfied with this explanation, but left soon afterwards anyway.
Kyoya sent a quick text off to Haruhi.
‘Tamaki demanded to know why we hadn’t told him that we’re dating. I didn’t tell him that we’re not.’
He got a reply back a half hour later, presumably after she had gotten out of class.
‘Well, we have been going on dates. Thanks for the heads up, I’ll be ready for the inquisition.’
Two hours after that, he got a text from Mori.
‘Expect us to be there when you get home.’
Kyoya sighed. It was going to be a long night.
The “intervention” that Tamaki staged that night was full of that Tamaki-brand of absurdity that had been mostly absent for the past few years. He spent half of the time trying to convince Haruhi that Kyoya was the devil, and the other half trying to convince Kyoya that it was too soon to settle down.
In the midst of all this, Kyoya found himself quietly drinking in a corner with Honey and Mori while Tamaki was on one of his ‘Kyoya is the devil and you shouldn’t trust him, Haruhi!’ rants.
“Are you really dating Haru-chan, Kyo-chan?” Honey asked.
“We have been going on dates, but there are no romantic feelings between us. Haruhi is using the fact that my father would like to have her as a daughter-in-law as an excuse to make sure I get a decent lunch break at least once a week.”
Honey hummed thoughtfully. “Makes sense. And it’s good that the two of you get to spend more time together! The rest of us all get lots of Haruhi time, but you’ve been so buried in work lately.”
Mori hummed in agreement.
Kyoya was quite grateful that the twins were out of the country at the moment, otherwise the ‘intervention’ would have probably dragged on for even longer. As it was, three hours after Kyoya got home, Tamaki was crying in a corner over something Haruhi had said, and Kyoya was sending the other three off into the night.
“We’ll make sure she gets home safe!” Honey called back to him. Kyoya simply smiled, and waved until they were out of sight. Once they were gone, he shut the door, made sure the locks and alarms were in place, then strode over to the corner where Tamaki was still sitting, though it seems the tears had dried up.
“Am I a bad friend, Kyoya? Is that why you didn’t tell me?”
Kyoya sighed. “I didn’t tell you because there’s really nothing to tell, as Haruhi said approximately six times. Yes, we have been going on dates, but only as friends. She keeps dragging me out to lunch to make sure that I’m not working too hard.”
“Oh.” Tamaki said softly. “I see. Then I guess I was throwing a fit over nothing.”
“I brought it on myself. I could have told you what was going on when you were at my office this afternoon, but I didn’t, and I’m sorry for that.”
“No, no, you don’t need to apologize, Kyoya, I’m the one who always blows things out of proportion. It wouldn’t matter if you and Haruhi were dating for real. She has the right to choose who she wants to be with. But here’s the confusing thing, Kyoya.” Tamaki said, raising his head so that their eyes met. “It wasn’t Haruhi I was jealous over. It was you. I started to think about what it would be like if you got serious about someone, how much our lives would change if you wanted to get married and move out, and I just couldn’t bear it.”
Kyoya was surprised. He had thought for certain that Tamaki’s issues would revolve around Haruhi. Apparently Tamaki had gotten over his crush, if only a little bit.
Kyoya placed a gentle hand on Tamaki’s head. “Idiot. I’m a long way off from marriage. The status quo will remain the same for a while yet.”
Tamaki leaned into Kyoya’s touch, much like a cat would. “You promise?”
“I promise.”
After that, it all became a non-issue. Tamaki might have invaded his office a bit more often, and was a bit clingier in general, but he said nothing more about the dates that Kyoya and Haruhi continued to go on.
After flitting around between a variety of different interests and hobbies, Tamaki had eventually settled into a career as an event planner, much to his father’s dismay. At this point it was assumed that Tamaki would never take the reins of the Suou Group, and Kyoya had long been in negotiations with Suou-sama over which parts would be going to the Ootori group upon his retirement.
For all that he was a bit of a disappointment to his father, Tamaki was a brilliant event planner, mostly thanks to his miniature army of assistants that did the bulk of the actual work. (Kyoya found it hilarious that Tamaki required at least ten people to do the job that he had once done single handedly) He was such a brilliant event planner that there wasn’t even a question of who Kyoya would hire to plan the annual Ootori Employee’s Banquet. The months leading up to the event found Tamaki in his office even more frequently, but usually with a legitimate question (if questions like ‘do you think the bouquets should include carnations?’ could be counted as legitimate, considering that was the sort of detail Kyoya had hired Tamaki to figure out).
A week before the event, two suits were delivered to their apartment. It was readily apparent whose was whose.
“Aren’t they great? The twins really outdid themselves this time.” Tamaki said as he all but paraded around their living room in his new lavender pinstripe suit. (Because of course he put it on immediately) On anyone else it would have looked ridiculous. On Tamaki, it looked divine. It was as if Hikaru had gone on a quest to find the only cloth in existence that matched Tamaki’s eyes exactly.
The suit Kaoru had designed for Kyoya was a sumptuous dark purple that looked black except for when it was in the right light. He was rather pleased with it.
“Oh, and I had them design a matching dress for Haruhi.” Tamaki said as he was coming back from changing back into his usual clothing.
“You did? Why?”
“Aren’t you taking her to the event? She has worked for the Ootori group, so she warrants an invitation in that right, but more to the point, as far as the employees are concerned, the two of you are dating, so it would be odd for her not to be there as your plus one.”
Kyoya sat mute for a moment, marveling at how logical Tamaki could be when he felt like it.
“Yes, of course you’re right. Thank you for your forethought.” Kyoya said with a cough, reaching for his phone. Before he could even bring up his contacts, his phone rang.
“Haruhi. I was just about to call.”
“Why is there a fancy dress in my house?” She asked bluntly.
“Ah, well, there is a banquet next week, and it seems the assumption is that you will be my plus one.”
“Ah, I see. That’s much more logical than what my father was suggesting. He was claiming the dress was for him.”
Kyoya let out a soft huff of laughter. “No, it’s for you. Will you be able to come to the banquet?”
“Sure. What time?”
“I’ll have a car pick you up around seven. The festivities begin at eight, but there will be some mingling beforehand.”
“Alright. Are we still on for Tuesday?”
“Of course. I’ll see you then, Haruhi.”
“See you then, Kyoya-kun.”
The rest of the week seemed to fly by. Before Kyoya knew it, he was donning his suit while Tamaki paced back and forth in their living room, giving last minute instructions to someone over the phone.
“The car’s here!” He called as Kyoya came out of his room.
“Good. We’re on schedule.” Kyoya commented mildly.
Tamaki looked up from his phone as Kyoya joined him in the small space that acted as a foyer. Despite how well Kyoya knew Tamaki, he couldn’t quite parse out the expression that crossed Tamaki’s face, ever so briefly.
“Ah, yes. On schedule. Shall we go?”
Kyoya followed him as they entered the elevator that went down to the parking garage where the car was waiting. The drive to the hall where the event was being held was oddly silent. Tamaki sent off the odd text, but there wasn’t any of the usual babbling.
“The twins did very well on the suits.” Kyoya commented when they were nearly there.
“Ah, yes. They really outdid themselves this time.”
“I’m particularly impressed with how closely Hikaru matched your eyes.”
“Yes, well, he said it was a lot of trial and error. He said he’s spent more time staring into my eyes than he really cares to admit, but the results are worth it, wouldn’t you say?”
“Indeed.” Kyoya said mildly.
They arrived at the hall a scant second later, and the two of them made their way into the grand room that had been so exquisitely decorated by Tamaki’s crew.
“Very good.” Kyoya said as he surveyed it all. The Ootori employees weren’t due to arrive for another fifteen minutes, so Kyoya allowed himself the time to take in every aspect, from the graceful drapery to the glittering lanterns. (If he also spent some time making sure he was aware of all entrances, exits and blind spots, well, that was his business, wasn’t it?)
“Kyoya.” His father said as he approached from his left side. “Everything is in order?”
Kyoya took a second to find Tamaki, and noting his relaxed shoulders, he turned and smiled blandly at his father.
“Yes, I do believe so.”
“Good. You will mingle with the rest of the employees. At eight o’clock precisely I will be on the stage to express our gratitude and make the announcement. Be prepared to join me.”
“Yes, father.” Kyoya said, a bland smile still in place.
Precisely on time, the employees began to arrive, and a little bit after that, Haruhi stood at his side, looking unfamiliar in her satin gown and elaborate hair style.
“So, how do I look?” She asked flatly.
“Like a vision of pure brilliance, or some other flashy comparison that Tamaki would make.” Kyoya replied, just as flatly.
In truth, she blended in with the crowd in the best way possible. She didn’t stand out because of an overabundance of finery, and yet she looked as elegant as any of the high-class doctor’s wives that were in attendance. The turquoise color of the dress suited her complexion well, and the purple accents were just enough to make them look like a matched set. Kyoya noted absently that she was wearing the diamond necklace that Tamaki had given her as a graduation present, which added an elegance that was refined, rather than overbearing.
“You do look very nice, Haruhi.” Kyoya commented sincerely after a handful of people had come up to greet them.
“Thank you, Kyoya-san. You too. Though I believe Tamaki-kun is the belle of the ball tonight.”
They glanced over to where Tamaki was holding court amidst a flock of nurses. His suit was even more striking in the sparkling grandeur around them.
“Hikaru’s style is usually too flashy for me, but I have to admit, it looks good on him.”
“Agreed.”
A man appeared on the stage to announce, “Ootori Yoshio-sama.”
There was a smattering of polite applause as Kyoya’s father stepped on to the stage. Kyoya made his way toward the steps leading up to the stage as unobtrusively as possible.
“Good evening. You have all served this company well. I hope that the entertainment we have prepared for you this evening will convey the depths of my gratitude for the work each and every one of you do. Of course, there is another purpose to this evening. I am certain the announcement I am going to make will come as a surprise to few. With the blessing of the rest of my family, I am pleased to announce that within the next five years I will retire, and when that event occurs, my youngest son, Kyoya, will assume the leadership of this company.”
Kyoya stepped up onto the stage, taking a spot beside his father to a pleasingly loud round of applause.
“He has proven time and time again that he has the best interests of the Ootori group at heart, and I am certain that he will lead this company into an era of great prosperity.” More applause. “Kyoya, would you care to say a few words?”
He really wouldn’t, but this was the way things went. He moved to stand in front of the microphone.
“It has been a pleasure working with you this past year, and I am looking forward to the work we will do in the future. Thank you for all of the hard work you put into this company.”
His father clapped him on the shoulder as the crowd once more broke into applause, and led him down off the stage.
“You did very well, Kyoya.” He said mildly. Kyoya directed a plastic smile at his father. There was a time where he would have been scolded for either saying too little, or too much. He supposed he should be grateful that his father had loosened the reins, but at the moment it rankled as much as his scolding had.
“I should get back to Haruhi.” Kyoya said.
“Ah, yes. I do hope that the announcement at next year’s banquet will be that there is to be a wedding.”
His hope was futile. “We shall see.” Kyoya replied mildly.
The end of the night couldn’t come soon enough. He watched, detached, as his employees gradually became more drunk. It was not a particularly pretty sight. Haruhi became something of a comfort, her quiet presence beside him grounding him in the midst of the chaos. Finally, after at least three-fourths of the employees had left, he was allowed to leave.
It had been agreed beforehand that he would leave with Haruhi, both to keep up appearances and to make sure she got home safe (not that he doubted the drivers he employed, it was just the principle of the matter).
“If you come up,” she said softly when they were in the car. “I have a surprise waiting for you.”
Kyoya was intrigued. Knowing Haruhi, there were only so many things that that surprise could be.
When they arrived, he sent the car away with a wave, and followed Haruhi up to the apartment with anticipation. She unlocked the door, and they entered the somewhat humble dwelling in silence. Haruhi flicked the light on to reveal Ranka at the table, decked out in some of his most extravagant clothing.
“Oh, Kyoya-kun.” Ranka crooned. “You look so handsome.”
“Let me get changed before you begin in earnest.” Haruhi said flatly. “Kyoya-kun, I’ll be heading over to Ayami’s once I’m changed, so the two of you will have the apartment to yourselves.”
She said all this with a smile, and Kyoya was overwhelmed with gratitude for her.
He joined Ranka at the table, caring little for how his suit would crease as a result.
“You look exquisite, Ranka-san.” He said lowly, running a finger along the back of the other man’s hand.
“Would you like some sake, Kyoya-kun?” Before Kyoya could even hum the affirmative, Ranka was moving to pour some. It was from a bottle of Kyoya’s favorite, probably the same bottle Kyoya had sent over for Ranka’s birthday not too long ago.
They exchanged long gazes over the sake, saying nothing verbally, but expressing a great deal nonetheless.
“I’m leaving.” Haruhi called eventually, moving quickly from her bedroom to the door.
“Be safe.” Ranka called vaguely behind her. Once she was gone, Ranka leaned forward to slide a caressing hand along Kyoya’s cheek.
“My, my, Kyoya-kun. You’ve only grown more attractive in the time we’ve been apart. Perhaps it’s the lure of power that draws people to you. Soon, you’ll be one of the most powerful businessmen in the world... and yet I know exactly how to make you beg.”
Ranka did make him beg that night, if only for the fun of it. The next morning dawned far too early for how late they stayed up, but as much as he would have preferred to laze about with Ranka all day, he had a slew of tasks he wanted to get done while the office was largely empty. He arranged for the car to pick him up at nine, and found himself all but stumbling into his apartment at nine-thirty.
“Did you lie to me, Kyoya?” Tamaki asked from the couch as Kyoya passed through the living room. Kyoya stopped, startled to see Tamaki there. It was a Sunday, which usually meant brunch with the friends he had made during his ever so brief stint at university. More than that, he was still in his lavender suit, and looked like he hadn’t slept at all.
“What do you mean?” Kyoya asked. He had a suspicion, but he had long learned that it was best to have a full explanation before implicating yourself with half-baked excuses.
“Did you lie to me when you said you weren’t in a romantic relationship with Haruhi?”
“No, I did not.” Kyoya said levelly, and allowed himself to flop heavily into the chair across from Tamaki. He had the feeling that this was going to be a long conversation.
“Then why didn’t you come home last night? And why are you doing the walk of shame?”
“It’s only a walk of shame if you’re ashamed of the acts you partook in the night before, and I feel no such emotion.”
“Kyoya!”
“I was not with Haruhi last night.” Kyoya said shortly.
“Then who? The driver said he left the two of you at the Fujioka residence, so I’m confused how you can say you didn’t spend the night with her.”
“She spent the night at a friend’s house, I spent the night with Ranka-san.” Kyoya said, mentally bracing himself for the explosion.
He watched with vague amusement as the exclamation slowly built within Tamaki, until it finally spewed out like magma out of a volcano. “Ranka-san?! You spent the night with Ranka-san?!”
“Yes.” Kyoya said simply. “We had an affair during my last year at university, and I suppose Haruhi thought I needed some stress relief, so she arranged for a meeting between the two of us. One for old time’s sake, you might say.”
Kyoya watched as Tamaki stuttered through a series of half-formed words, before landing on, “Haruhi?!”
“Yes, Haruhi knows that her father and I had an affair, and arranged for us to have time together last night.” Kyoya said patiently, as if he were explaining it to a small child. Not that he would ever dream of saying such a thing to a child.
Kyoya watched Tamaki continue to stutter, and when it became obvious that he wouldn’t be saying anything of use, Kyoya rose from his seat.
“While you digest all that you have learned, I’m going to go take a shower.”
The heat felt good, revitalizing, almost. Kyoya allowed himself to stand under the stream for a bit longer than normal, luxuriating in the unusual ache in his body.
When he walked back into the living room with the towel still over his head, he found Tamaki in the same place he’d left him, though he seemed calmer now.
“Why Ranka-san?” Tamaki asked, quietly yet with an edge of desperation.
“Because it made sense at the time. We both went into the relationship knowing that it wouldn’t last, and found satisfaction in each other’s arms for the brief time together.”
“I didn’t... I di... How did I not know you were gay, Kyoya?”
Kyoya considered Tamaki for a long moment. “You didn’t know I was gay, because I saw no use in exposing that side of myself to other people.”
“But you exposed it to Ranka-san!”
“Because we were in a sexual relationship.”
“But I’m your best friend, Kyoya. Why wouldn’t you confide such a thing to me?”
“Because in the end, it doesn’t matter.” Kyoya said with an exasperated sigh. “I’m not getting married, there’s no one I can see getting into a serious relationship with, so the status quo you’re so concerned about is going to stay the same indefinitely.”
Tamaki stared over at him tearfully. “That sounds so lonely, Kyoya.”
Kyoya shrugged. “I have my work. I have my friends. And I have you, don’t I?”
“Always, mon ami. It’s settled then.” He said as he stood up, suddenly determined. “I will not get married until you have found someone to spend forever with.”
Kyoya smiled softly at him. He’d already found someone to spend forever with, but he’d take Tamaki’s promise, as unrealistic and likely to be broken as it was.
After that, life continued on, largely as normal. If Tamaki was less inclined to point out attractive women to Kyoya, it was no skin off his nose. Every once in a while Kyoya would feel a long, considering gaze on him, but every time he looked over to meet Tamaki’s eyes, he’d find Tamaki looking the other way.
A month or so after their conversation, Tamaki was inviting more and more male friends over, most of them of a clearly homosexual inclination. Without fail, these gatherings were in full swing as Kyoya was getting home, and Tamaki always greeted him with such cheer that it would have been rude to simply stay in his room until the guests left.
On one such occasion, after the last man had left, Kyoya turned to Tamaki and asked blandly, “When will you be done with this mad matchmaking scheme of yours?”
“There’s no scheme.” Tamaki spluttered out.
“I see. Well, if there’s no scheme, would you be kind enough to stop inviting strange men into our home when I would like to be relaxing after a long day of work?”
Tamaki sighed. “I just don’t want you to be lonely, Kyoya.”
“Idiot.” Kyoya said, delivering a light chop to the top of Tamaki’s head. “I’m not lonely so long as you’re around.”
The next several months were peaceful for Kyoya. No more random gatherings at his apartment, no insane plans on Tamaki’s part (none that he was pulled into, at any rate) and his dates with Haruhi continued, even if they started to occur less frequently. Kyoya had managed to delegate enough tasks, and the issue with the lawsuits was over and done with, so he had less of a workload. Plus they would be ‘breaking up’ soon enough.
What he was unaware of during those few months, what he wouldn’t know about for years, was the subtle inquiries Tamaki made to the other hosts. (“Did you know Kyoya was gay?!” shouted into the phone was not subtle, Tama-chan.)
After a while, the gaze that Kyoya felt every once in a while became more considering, more thoughtful. Slowly, so slowly that Kyoya didn’t notice on a conscious level, a courting began.
One day Tamaki arrived at Kyoya’s office, and after a few moments of chatter about his latest event, he sat and listened attentively as Kyoya told him about the latest project at the main hospital. It was only after Tamaki had left that Kyoya realized how earnest Tamaki had been in his inquiries, and how intently he had listened to Kyoya’s answers.
A week or so later, Tamaki made sure that a favored meal was waiting for Kyoya when he got home.
The next week, another visit. Less chatter, more listening.
The following week, two different dinners.
The next week, two visits. No chatter at all during the second.
The following week, three dinners.
The next week, three visits, one of them with lunch. A bit of chatter, but the kind that Kyoya found comforting in its familiarity.
The following week found Kyoya looking even more forward to going home, if only because there would be food, whether it was an actual meal or the leftovers from a previous one.
The next week found Kyoya a little disconcerted on the days that Tamaki didn’t visit.
Kyoya eventually realized that he had grown to depend on Tamaki more than ever, but it was in such a way that he couldn’t even figure out why he should be upset. Tamaki wasn’t doing that much more than Haruhi had.
Then the gifts started.
The first one was a cell phone charm of a lavender rose that Tamaki “picked up because it reminded me of you.” Kyoya didn’t actually put it on his phone, but he did hang it from his bedside lamp. Honestly, it mostly just reminded him of Tamaki.
The second one, which was given a few weeks later, was an ergonomic stylus pen. “It was just so multi-purpose!” Kyoya did, in fact, use it almost constantly.
A few weeks after that, he had the twins send over a few new shirts “since I was getting some for myself.” Kyoya vaguely noticed that his new shirts and Tamaki’s new shirts were in corresponding or complimentary colors.
Through all these gifts, the visits and the dinners continued, and after a few months, Kyoya noticed that Tamaki hadn’t said anything about having a new girlfriend for a while. Checking up on the matter, he confirmed that Tamaki hadn’t been seen with any one woman other than Haruhi since before the banquet. Odd, but when Kyoya asked him about it during dinner one night, Tamaki shrugged it off, saying he had been busy.
It was true, even. Since the banquet, Tamaki had been in higher and higher demand. On the nights where dinner wasn’t waiting, Kyoya usually found Tamaki in the middle of some mad scheme for the birthday party of some businessman’s daughter, or planning the retirement party for some doctor. With how busy Tamaki was, it was a surprise that he spent so much time with Kyoya.
A few weeks after the shirts, Kyoya realized that something was up when he came home to an exquisite new sake set on their dining room table.
He took a long moment just to stare at it. It looked absolutely divine. The clarity of the color was breathtaking, and the ever so subtle gold accents caught the light in just the right way. It was clearly the work of a very accomplished master.
“Oh, you’re home, Kyoya.” Tamaki said brightly as he entered the room. “Isn’t it a nice set? I saw it today while I was out with Morita-san looking at place settings for the reception. The salesperson said it’s the only one of it’s kind, so I thought it would be a mistake to not pick it up while I had the chance. I even got a bottle of your favorite so that we can break it in!”
Through Tamaki’s bright chattering, a number of points stood out in Kyoya’s mind.
Point the first: Tamaki didn’t like sake. If he had a choice, he would pick wine any day, and had a particular affinity for sweet white wines, spoiled brat that he was.
Point the second: Tamaki may be prone to wasteful purchases, but rarely indulged in buying things that he didn’t like.
Point the third: Tamaki had made a point of not purchasing a sake set when they were first furnishing their apartment, because he “didn’t want that foul-tasting stuff in our house”.
Point the fourth: Kyoya was quite fond of sake.
Point the fifth: Tamaki had been making several earnest efforts to be a better friend to Kyoya.
Point the sixth: Many of those efforts were opposite from his usual self-centered nature.
Point the seventh: Tamaki hadn’t dated anyone in the past eight months.
All of these points coalesced together into one conclusion for Kyoya.
“You’re trying to court me.” He said bluntly.
It was a good thing Tamaki wasn’t holding any of the new sake cups, because he surely would have dropped it. “What?” He sputtered out. “What makes you say that?”
“You can’t deny it, Tamaki. I know you too well. No one else would recognize it for what it is, but this is a grand gesture on your part, and you only make these sort of gestures when you’re courting someone.”
“Well, I,”
Kyoya tilted his head thoughtfully. “Are you trying to date me, Tamaki?”
“I don’t know if I would say date... maybe I just think you deserve more attention. You work so hard, Kyoya, and even if you don’t have a special someone in your life, you should still be treated like the king you are, and...”
As Tamaki had rambled on, Kyoya began to approach him slowly, steadily, eventually backing him into the wall.
“Do you want to treat me like a king, Tamaki? Do you want to spoil me? Become even closer than we are now? Become my everything?” Kyoya placed his arm above Tamaki’s head and watched as he went red, starting with his ears, and then spreading over his cheeks.
“Well, maybe, yes...”
Kyoya hadn’t seen Tamaki this red in a while. His breath was short and his eyes were dilated. Kyoya smirked down at him.
“Are you sure you understand what that means? Have you thought about what a relationship would be like between us?”
“Ah, per... perhaps.”
“You’ve thought about what it would be like to kiss me, Tamaki? You’ve thought about how it would feel to have someone who knows you so well touch you? To caress you in the most intimate ways possible?”
Tamaki positively whimpered. “Ah... ye... yes.”
“Did you like what you imagined? Did it bring you pleasure? Did you feel... aroused?”
“Ah! Yes, yes Kyoya!”
Tamaki was so reactive. Kyoya hadn’t even touched him yet.
“Would you like me to kiss you, Tamaki?” He asked sweetly.
“Yes! Yes, please.” Tamaki hadn’t properly looked him in the eye once after Kyoya had backed him into the wall, but his eyes seemed drawn to Kyoya’s lips.
“So polite. But are you sure that’s what you want? What if the reality doesn’t live up to what you’ve imagined? It’s different, kissing a man. You won’t feel any of the sweet softness of a woman when I kiss you, Tamaki. It’s late in the day. You’ll probably feel my stubble scratch against you. My lips are a bit chapped, and I don’t wear any of the sticky-sweet lip products your girlfriends wear. And I’ll want to be in control, Tamaki. I’ll be the leader, and you’ll have no choice but to follow.”
Tamaki’s breathing had grown heavy and stuttered. “I... I still want it, Kyoya. I want you to kiss me.”
“Are you sure? Are you sure it’s me you want to kiss? Are you sure you don’t want one of those sweet girls you used to date?”
“Please, Kyoya.”
Finally, Kyoya leaned down to press their lips together. He wasn’t as gentle as he could have been, and he probably moved to deepen the kiss far sooner than he should have, but Tamaki’s grip on Kyoya’s clothing was desperate, and he made the sweetest little whimpering sounds as the kiss continued.
After a long, forever kind of moment, Kyoya broke the kiss to stare into Tamaki’s eyes.
“What are you trying to do, Tamaki? Why the visits, and the gifts? What purpose is there in seducing me?”
Tamaki huffed out a quiet, quivering laugh. “Seducing you? I’m the one that’s feeling thoroughly seduced, Kyoya.” He looked down. “I started thinking, after that morning after the banquet. I started thinking about what our forevers would look like, if you found somebody, and I found somebody. I started thinking that I didn’t like the way that future looked, us going our two seperate ways with our two special people. No matter how forgiving a woman I found, I don’t think she would appreciate not being my priority. Because Kyoya,” Tamaki looked up from underneath his lashes to meet Kyoya’s eyes once more. “You’re my priority. No matter how many pretty girls I date, you’re my constant, you’re the one I look forward to coming home to, and I don’t know if that’s love or something else, but I don’t want us to have seperate forevers.”
Kyoya ever so gently pulled Tamaki into his arms, and laid a kiss on his temple.
“Idiot. You are my forever.”