A/N: I haven't written fanfic in a really long time, but I just finished the OHSHC manga and I'm obsessed with Kyoya and KyoKao, so this came about. Rated M for later chapters (EHEHEHEHEH). This story takes place post-manga (after the club returns from Boston), with everything that happened in the manga as canon. I think technically (?) the study abroad might have been meant to take place part of their second and third years (for Haruhi and the twins), but for convenience, they returned to Ouran at the beginning of third year here.

Enjoy! (Hope I'm not too rusty!)

your hand
touching mine.
this is how
galaxies
collide.
― Sanober Khan

You could leave a guitar sitting in the corner of a room for a year and never touch it. The strings would stretch and become off-tune. It wouldn't serve to make its beautiful, harmonious music any longer.

But if you sat down with it for half an hour, if you twisted the turning pegs expertly and tuned it, it would sound just as lovely as it had before you left it.

So it was with the Host Club.

They had spent the remainder of last year in Boston, all of them rooming in that ridiculously small apartment building in Boston. Kyoya himself only had four rooms in his suite: a living room (which he tried to do as little living in as possible, due to its size), a kitchen that he never even stepped foot into, a bathroom with an abysmally small bathtub, and a bedroom that was as big as his walk-in closet back home.

They'd all survived it though, and even managed to have fun and get into almost no trouble in America. Kyoya had even taken it upon himself to meet and forge alliances with several American business tycoons who might prove valuable to the Ootori group, much to his father's barely-expressed approval.

And now, they were back in Music Room 3. Honey and Mori, and he and Tamaki were all pursuing various degrees at Ouran University, and the twins and Haruhi were third years at the high school (thus giving them a viable reason to continue entertaining as a group). What would happen next year was a mystery, but for now, the Host Club was back in action.

"Yes, we've resumed club activities permanently, for the time being," he answered smoothly, in response to a shiny-eyed first year who clutched her hands together and stared up at him with glistening eyes.

"That's so great!" she gushed. "My sister and cousin already went through high school, and they told me all about you! I'm so glad you're back this year." She smiled at him shyly, and Kyoya maintained the placid, easy grin that was his trademark. "They'd be so happy to know if you remembered them. They talked about you a lot, Kyoya-senpai."

Kyoya leaned toward the girl, hearing her breath catch. "I remember every princess who walks through those doors. But I'm sure your sister and cousin weren't half as beautiful as you are." He smiled at her, and lowered his eyelids the slightest bit. "But perhaps you should refrain from telling them that last bit."

The girl squeed and went back to her group of friends, who immediately began to twitter and repeatedly tap her shoulders for details. Kyoya made a note of her description in his ever-present black notebook, reminding himself to find out who the girl was, and who her relatives were as well.

Since it was the first day back, he made his way through the other members rather than talk to anyone himself, making sure that the instrument that was their club was as finely tuned as it was before their departure.

He inched his glasses up his nose as he saw the group of blushing girls around Haruhi. Finding out that Haruhi was female apparently hadn't dampened her popularity, much to Kyoya's pleasure. In fact, it made her even more popular. Instead of admiring forbidden love, the female customers who found themselves drawn to Haruhi were participating in forbidden love, which was infinitely more thrilling, if their actions were any indicator.

Kyoya made a note of how many guests she was entertaining, for future reference. He barely spared a glance for Tamaki, who never needed much supervision when he was on point. Since he'd had to behave himself for the past year, he was relishing in being back in his native environment.

The twins were also rather easy to predict. Their brotherly love act was the best kind of lie: a bit of a lie mixed with a bit of the truth, which made it all the more convincing. He paused and observed them for a moment, his head tilted down so that the glint of his glasses disguised the direction of his eyes. Kaoru's hand rested easily on Hikaru's leg, just above his knee. Kyoya's gray gaze fixed on it, and didn't leave for a long moment.

"Kyoya-senpai!" Kyoya's gaze detached from Kaoru's hand, and lifted toward a girl sitting opposite the twins waved at him.

Damn it. If he'd broken his distraction a moment before, he could have walked away, but now he had to join them.

"Afternoon, ladies," he said, adopting a professional tone as he sat on the couch next to Kaoru and opposite the customers. "I trust you're enjoying yourself here? These two aren't being too much trouble?"

The girls blustered over one another in their haste to reassure him, and Hikaru turned toward Kaoru. "What sort of trouble do you mean?" the far twin asked. "Kaoru gets in all sorts of trouble. Remember that special version of poker we learned about in America?"

"Hikaru," Kaoru whispered, looking downward. "They don't want to hear about what we do in private. Please, you're embarrassing me."

"KYAAAAAA," was the collective noise from the girls.

Kyoya pushed his glasses up his nose, the action more habitual than useful. How uncomfortable. He wondered when it would no longer be impolite to leave. He didn't usually believe in these sorts of things, but maybe if he channeled his thoughts over toward Mori, the man would pick up on them and call him over. The older man did seem particularly adept at perceiving things others didn't.

He was just about to turn his head slightly and try to catch Mori's gaze when he felt a hand on his own thigh.

Kyoya froze. If he'd been made into stone at that moment, he couldn't have been more still. "The rooms were so small, do you remember Kyoya-senpai?" asked Kaoru breathily, leaning in to him. The auburn-haired boy's chest pressed against Kyoya's upper arm, and through his shirt and jacket, Kyoya could feel the firmness of his pectoral muscles. "We were all so cramped in those tiny rooms, pressed together so closely. You do remember, Kyoya-senpai."

The black-haired boy had still not moved a muscle, nor had he looked either at Kaoru in warning, or at the girls across from them, several of who appeared to have stopped breathing. He felt Kaoru's fingers at the collar of his shirt. There was no doubt in Kyoya's mind that the collar had been straight to begin with, and likely as not, Kaoru was just messing it up.

But his heart gave an unsteady beat, feeling a lot more present in his chest than it usually did. He wondered, uncharacteristically uncertain, if Kaoru could feel it, pressed as close as he was. The boys had grown close two years prior, when Kaoru had been the only one he felt comfortable turning to and depending on during the ordeal with Tamaki's grandmother and parents. Close but distant, as was comfortable. This was close and close, which was distinctly uncomfortable.

"Perhaps your recollections are getting away with themselves, Kaoru. As I recall, we were very comfortable on our time abroad." He smiled at their customers, one of whom had her hand pressed against her chest, as if to contain her heart. "Ladies, we're planning a tropical getaway to Koh Chang, Thailand on our next school vacation. The Ootori group owns several secluded islands there. Can I put you down for attending?"

"What was that, Kaoru?" Hikaru said as soon as the last customer had left Music Room 3.

"Yes, what indeed," Kyoya parroted as his fingers clicked away on the keyboard of his laptop, calculating revenue and consumption totals for the day absently as he peered at his fellow Host Club members over the rim of his glasses.

"What?" Kaoru asked innocently, sitting opposite Honey, and taking a single cookie from a display. Kyoya noted the consumption under Kaoru's file.

"It's forbidden brotherly love, not Kyoya love," Hikaru complained as Kaoru calmly munched on his sweet.

Kyoya's gaze cut toward the side of the room. Tamaki was leaned up against the wall, still in Host mode and flirting mercilessly with Haruhi, whom he didn't seem to realize would be completely immune to his princely act. Both of them were thoroughly distracted. Honey seemed to be wrapped up in his cake, but Kyoya knew better than to assume he wasn't listening. Mori was silently propped up against a wall, seeing everything, as always.

"I thought it would be different, keep stuff interesting," Kaoru said, lower lip drawn out in a pout. Kyoya's gaze went to it, his heart still feeling strangely heavy and cumbersome in his chest.

"The brotherly love act relies on physical contact and barely contained sexual tension," Kyoya said coolly, snapping the lid of his laptop closed. "But it's a misconception to assume that all types are dependent on physicality. The allure of the cool type is his restraint and untouchable aura. Which you ruined," Kyoya added pointedly. He took a deep breath, valiantly managing not to make it shudder, and he looked away from Kaoru's lips. "I'll have to do some backtracking with those girls next time they grace us with their presence. And I'd kindly ask you to refrain from acting so familiarly with me again in front of customers, though I do approve of your entrepreneurial spirit in trying new tactics." Kyoya smiled pleasantly, pushing his glasses up his nose. The unsaid message was clear: leave the thinking to me.

Kaoru's cheeks puffed out, his bottom lip still pouting. "They seemed like they liked it to me," he muttered, looking downward.

"Only in front of customers?" Hikaru asked with a wicked smile.

Kyoya paused, realizing the incorrect assumption that could have arisen, regarding his phrasing. "With, or without customers present," he corrected himself easily.

Now, Kaoru's smile mimicked his brothers, and even Honey had turned away from his cake to watch the proceedings with a thoughtful smile on his face. Mori continued to be unreadable. Tamaki continued to be an idiot in the corner of the room.

"What's the matter, boss, afraid of a little physical contact?" Kaoru said wickedly. The twins slid toward one another as they approached him, seeming to become one troublesome and symmetrical entity.

"Come to think of it," Hikaru said contemplatively. "All those American parties we went to, all the pretty boys and girls, Kyoya-senpai didn't seem to get close to even one of them. Even Mori-senpai had at least one moment of weakness."

From where he leaned against the wall, Mori colored. Kyoya happened to know that the Taiwanese exchange-student Kanda Lao, whom they had met in Boston and Mori had fallen in with, still kept up regular contact with Mori. She was the reason Kyoya had organized the trip to Thailand that he'd mentioned to the customers earlier.

"There's no need to be cruel to make your point," Kyoya said to the twins, smiling slightly when Mori nodded at him in a silent show of thanks. He stood up, laptop clutched against his chest. He was ready to make a breakaway, since the twins were still approaching him demonically.

He turned around, and two heavy arms fell across his shoulders, one on each side, nestling him in tightly between the two Hitachiins. Kaoru was on his left. He wasn't sure how he knew that without looking at the two. He just knew. His left side was a little hotter, his skin there seeming to warm up a little faster.

He had flinched greatly (or rather, jolted slightly) at the touch, and immediately stepped forward, intending to leave behind the circle of their arms. Hikaru's arm fell away. Kaoru's stayed. (Possibly it was because Kyoya had turned just slightly in his direction as he stepped forward. Possibly.)

"Kyoya-senpai, don't be bashful. Let's cuddle!" Hikaru called after him, as he took several steps away.

Kyoya's shoulders were tense under Kaoru's arm, his arms held rigidly against his body and fists clenched tightly to his computer. A few steps away from Hikaru, Kyoya paused. His gaze was fixed stoically on the ground in front of him. His limbs were still. The twins weren't wrong. He didn't like affection, and he didn't like to be touched. He didn't like intimacy, and he didn't desire it. He wanted composure and distance. That was where he was comfortable.

He wasn't comfortable with the feeling of his heart beating out a jagged pace on his ribs, as it was doing now. He wasn't comfortable with the memory of Kaoru's fingers on his neck, making the small hairs on the back of his neck and his arms all stand at attention.

"Please, Kaoru," Kyoya said quietly, too quiet for anyone else to hear. Kaoru's arm fell away, and without looking in his direction, Kyoya briskly walked out of Music Room 3.

A/N: This is the first Ouran fic I've ever written, so I hoped it was semi-on point and y'all liked it! Please review! :D