I don't own Ouran High School Host Club.

Steam drifted, dissipating toward an endless expanse of stars. The dulcet trickle of the infinity tub blended nicely alongside winter's secluded nighttime silence; an environmental luxury for which Kyoya was markedly thankful. He exhaled quietly, resting the back of his head against the bamboo interior whilst ghosting one hand over the surface of the calm water. The heat beneath his palm contrasted sharply to the awakening bite of February air.

Hand floating free, relaxed knees breaking water, the tired teenager deemed the physical deception of disconnect appropriate for the evening that had just transpired.

By no means unpleasant, the beginning of his night had left not enough said—emotions wafting aimlessly while intentions remained unknown. Amid all the confusion, a jolt of internal electricity promised to eventually end this feeling of incongruity, or stack onto it frustratingly and exponentially.

Earlier in the Evening…

Burnt orange rays of sunset filtered through the windows of Music Room Three, where its sole occupant gave a thankful sigh, as the more arduous portion of his day was over. Taking a seat in front of his laptop, Kyoya tried to remember where he'd heard that being introverted did not mean disliking the company of others, but that the introvert simply needed his time alone in order to recharge.

It's getting late, though. Not sure whether I prefer taking care of things in the comfort of silence… Or the possibility of abrupt walk-ins aside, from the comfort of bed?

Leaning into the desk, head resting against his hand, Kyoya skimmed through the cache of photographs in front of him. Pausing only to consider those that caught his eye or elicited an unexpected smile, a new collection of event images slowly came into existence. Coming across a recently snapped photo, a grin crossed his face whilst removing his finger from the cursor.

Frozen on the screen was the end moment of Ouran High School's inaugural sports festival. Hands on his knees, Tamaki wore a dual expression of exhaustion and shock. Feeling incredulous and undeserving, the picture allowed a rare, candid moment as the shadow king looked on in bewilderment, wiping sweat from the lens of his glasses.

Add a proper sense of humility to the things Tamaki has managed to instill in me within the past couple of years…

Hearing the soft click of the door jamb, Kyoya's attention shot toward the front of the dusk-saturated room. Artificial light invaded alongside the opening of the double doors, revealing the identity of the person standing on the other side.

"Kaoru."

Giving a wave, the boy made his way toward the desk without so much as a word.

As time wore on, the social makeup of the host club had seen various members of the club becoming closer to one another. While initial friendships remained intact, untried intimacies of varying degrees were being woven anew every day.

It had been as much a surprise to Kaoru as to anyone when Kyoya had taken him on as his second-in-command during the sports festival. Caught up amid his frustration and wont for success, it had been an immediate, but by no means impulsive decision to place Kaoru where he had.

Infamous for being one half of a brotherhood that thrived upon high-energy pranks and mischief, Kyoya's interpretation of matters determined that Kaoru was in possession of an unchallenged, yet brilliant mind. Insightful, considerate, with the ability to be ruthlessly calculating; there seemed little that Kaoru was not capable of. Coupled with the interesting sense of calm that Kaoru could hold over him, it would have been foolish for Kyoya to not keep him by his side.

Having reached his destination, Kaoru hovered over Kyoya's shoulder while glancing at the picture on the screen, and gave a short laugh.

"Ah, the day that Tono experienced the bitter taste of defeat…"

Working to suppress the bit of pride he felt, Kyoya nodded. "I might be somewhat slight in constitution, but rest assured I can give the average guy a run for his money."

"I'm sure." Pausing, Kaoru looked his senior over. "You know, Tamaki-Senpai may have been surprised to have lost, but I'm certain that it also felt even better to him than if he had won it, himself."

"Indeed. He's good like that." Pivoting in his chair, Kyoya turned to face his company, who now leaned against the side of the desk, arms crossed and shielding his chest.

"Kaoru."

"Hm?"

"What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?"

Quietly smiling, Kyoya raised an eyebrow at Kaoru's half-hearted attempt to deflect the question. Defensive and cute. Just how many people is he ever transparent with?

"I never left. Everyone else has been gone for over an hour, now."

The first-year answered with a casual shrug. "Then I guess I came back."

"Right. So, what's bothering you?"

"Why do you assume something is bothering me?"

Nodding slowly, it was a fair assessment that maybe Kyoya should not be expected to pick up on his personal undertones with such ease.

"Don't insult me. I'm the shadow king. Now, what is it?"

Twisting his mouth in contemplation, Kaoru made his way toward the middle of the room before dropping himself across an overstuffed sofa. Not entirely sure of what he was doing there, it seemed clear to both parties that his finding Kyoya in what was supposed to be the long-since empty club room was no accident. His afterschool wardrobe of jeans and a pullover served as blatant recognition that he had indeed returned to the club room after spending time elsewhere.

Listening to the pad of Kyoya's footsteps drawing near, Kaoru was appreciative for the shadowy pull that the darkness draped across most of the music room. Waiting while Kyoya settled himself into a partial sitting position on the arm of the sofa, he lazily dropped one leg off the side—his body at once both comfortable and apprehensive with the present situation.

Chill out, Kaoru. Save for Haruhi and Hikaru, you pretty much spend most of your free time with Kyoya, anyway. Showing up here is not a big deal.

Inhaling, he decided that at some point it would become necessary to speak. "Lately I'm just frustrated with club, is all."

"Oh?"

"It's the girls, mostly."

"That's interesting, since the girls are essentially the purpose behind the club."

"Right. I guess I'm just feeling frustrated that they come in here, and think that they know us, when it's nothing more than an image we put in front of them. Seriously, what is that worth?"

"You're upset that your clients don't see you, for you? Or that they don't notice that as a host, what they get is a specific version of you. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't crafting facades something that you and Hikaru have been doing long before we even had this club?"

Expelling a defeated laugh, Kaoru sat up to face Kyoya. "I suppose. Faking my way through relationships lost its appeal a long time ago, though."

Feeling more than sympathetic, Kyoya nodded. "Fair enough. But as hosts, we'd do well to remember that the girls live in similar circumstances as us. Coming to the host club promises them their choice of host, the attention and mild affections that come with him, and the company of others without having to put on airs. That's what the girls get."

"And what do we get?"

"Shouldn't that be obvious? At the end of the day, clients go home. Transaction over. We, however, built this club. We get that, as well as each other."

"Now you sound like Tono."

"It's true, though, isn't it? Tamaki set out to build himself a family of sorts, and to make people smile."

Nodding, Kaoru realized that there really was no other way about it. "Then mission accomplished."

"Indeed."

While he had no trouble seeing Kyoya's point, and even knew him to be right, for the moment, Kaoru deemed it too big a pill to swallow.

"You don't find it at all bothersome? Not everyone is selfish or oblivious, but hardly anyone sees the stuff that's right in front of them, either."

"Pray tell, Kaoru."

"For one, you'd think Hikaru's and my regular customers would take a hint from the octave of our voices, or from his penchant for moodiness which one really is Hikaru! Seriously, it's not that hard!"

Holding back his amusement, Kyoya put forth only solemnity, bidding this slightly riled version of Kaoru to go on.

"Don't anyone tell me that on cosplay days no one notices that Haruhi's picked up a few curves. Or that you're diabetic. Maybe the sharper girls notice, but don't care to say anything. They might find it polite or something, but that's annoying, too. How about Mori's obsession with—"

"Who told you I'm diabetic?" Sliding off the arm of the couch, the dissemination of this private fact piqued Kyoya's attention further, rendering him simultaneously curious and defensive.

Voice caught in his throat, Kaoru silently cursed himself for running off on a tangent. "You've said it yourself that you don't care for sweets. And you never finish them on the rare occasion that you accept them."

"Jumping from a distaste for dessert into a medical diagnosis is quite a transition, don't you think?"

What the hell, Kaoru?! Just figure out how to tell him what you want him to know. "I guess so. That by itself doesn't mean anything. But…"

Leaving the sofa, he came to stand toe-to-toe with Kyoya. Left with even less light in the room than when he'd first arrived, Kaoru carefully grabbed the older boy by the hand, positioning his palm in the moonlight.

Watching carefully and remaining still, Kyoya internalized his feelings of surprise and sensation, lest his reaction interrupt whatever point Kaoru wanted to make.

"The tips of your fingers." Placing his own fingertips just beneath Kyoya's, he brought emphasis to the discoloration on his skin. "There. That bit of blood rarely goes away, from always having to prick yourself. Am I right?"

Quietly staring at his own hand with a mild sense of disbelief, Kyoya was unsure of what shook him more—that Kaoru would notice such a thing at all, or the electric presence sparking within him at Kaoru's touch.

Clearing his throat, Kyoya kept a straight face, while offering a whisper. "Well, you're not wrong."

"You also have a callous on the side of your middle finger. You shouldn't press so hard while writing."

What? Kyoya lilted to the side with silent, disbelieving laughter before reclaiming the arm of the sofa. Curling his fingers inward, he permitted himself a quick glance at their entwined hands before causing his own to fall away. Not entirely certain of what now transpired before him, Kyoya scanned his mind for recent memories that might bring some explanation to the evening's meeting.

How am I supposed to process this? There's no use gauging him by his interactions with others. The twins closed themselves off for so long, that essentially a person is either in or they're out…

Forget about that. How about whatever it is you just felt? What do you call that, Ootori?

"I think I'd be remiss to think that you showed up tonight merely to rant about rich and spoiled school girls."

Taking advantage of their increasingly dim surroundings, Kaoru ignored the flush in his cheeks, the quaver in his knees, and decided instead to throw some gumption behind his voice.

"Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"See, lately I've spent a lot of my time watching my brother run himself in circles over Milord and Haruhi." Pausing for emphasis, he wet his lips before going on."And it's occurred to me just how annoying that can be."

"What is?"

"Seeing Hikaru take one step forward, move two back, then get angry with himself for letting things end up that way."

"I see. "

"But despite all that, he's trying to figure out how to tell Haruhi the way he feels. Not only is that admirable, but until recently that resolve put him a step ahead of me."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning I don't feel like hesitating to fess up when I feel certain feelings toward someone, anymore. Especially when the only one standing in my way is me."

Having reached the crux of his worries, there seemed little else Kaoru might say in order to keep traipsing around the point he wished to make. Knowing as much brought him to a standstill.

"So, what then?" Kyoya inquired, "Do you plan on telling this person how you feel?"

"That's what I'm trying to decide now, Senpai."

"Alright." Shoving hands into his pockets with a deep breath, Kyoya started back toward the desk, intent on gathering his belongings. Walking past Kaoru, he gave a shake of his head. "Then let me know when you're ready to have that conversation. I'm not much for cryptic messages, and you testing me out in this way is not only confusing; it's tiring."

With the closing of the laptop went the last of the light. Eyes still adjusting to the dark, Kaoru made a quick stride toward the silhouette at the center of the room. Pinning the backpack to the desk, he stared past moon-flooded lenses and into Kyoya's eyes.

"I wasn't done, yet."

"Interesting. It sure seemed that way."

The lack of guise to his tone gave Kyoya's growing impatience away, filling Kaoru with a new sense of immediacy. It was time to act or be counted a coward. Bringing his free hand to the small of Kyoya's back, he forced the older boy nearer before engaging him in what was by no means a delicate kiss.

Inexperience parlayed to desire, with Kyoya forgoing initiative, if only to see what his instigator might do next. Breathing in his scent, Kyoya noted the blending of copper and obsidian before slipping his eyes closed. Enjoying himself thoroughly, he let escape a quiet, guttural sound of approval; his way of soothing his friend now experiencing this sumptuousness for the first time.

Taking a bottom lip between his teeth, Kaoru inhaled with surprise upon being met with mutual affection, as Kyoya began to gently lap at his mouth. Eager hands wandered to the front of the second-year's blazer before fingers came to rest around belt loops.

I don't think so. One thing at a time, friend. Removing Kaoru's hands from their sensitive resting place, Kyoya laid claim to one hand while bringing the other to rest upon his ass. Trusting Kaoru to handle the rest, he raked his free hand through thick, copper tresses.

Digging his fingers into Kyoya's flesh, Kaoru imagined the two of them to be sharing a mutual sensation as he felt the subtle tug to his hair. Grazing along Kyoya's jawline, Kaoru's mouth came to rest at the soft crook behind his ear. Tasting the delicate skin, his own scent came to mingle alongside that of the friend he had begun to consider in entirely different ways.

What had started out as a sense of admiration of character and enjoyment of company, had developed beyond friendship, into romantic feelings for the Ootori's magnificent third son. It was a private, yet clear, recognition of his attraction toward men; and until recently it had been something he knew not what to do with.

"As long as the people we care about understand us, the other stuff doesn't matter. Don't you agree?"

It amazed him how in order for the most common sense of things to hit home, they needed to arrive through epiphany.

"Why are you making that face?"

"…I just realized for the first time that you are really cute."

Loosening the back of Kyoya's dress shirt, he moved his hand upward, discovering the warmth and flex of his back, savoring and massaging at the muscle. Intent to explore further, Kaoru's thoughts were interrupted by the loud chirp of his phone—Hikaru's ringtone. Untangling one hand from Kyoya's he silenced the device before rewrapping his hand around the same belt loops he'd been attracted to, earlier. Kaoru smiled at being met without resistence, only to have the inconvenient machine ring again.

Lightning reflexes landed Kyoya's hand in Kaoru's jeans, where he seized the phone before tossing it onto a nearby piece of furniture. Fresh heat surged through each of their bodies as the unintended foray into Kaoru's front pocket recharged the high stakes atmosphere.

Aware that the phone calls were certain not to stop, Kyoya took advantage in knowing their venture would soon be over. Placing one foot behind Kaoru's, he grabbed the younger teen by the collar before kicking his feet out from beneath. Managing to land them with a crass sense of delicacy, Kyoya crushed his hips against Kaoru's whilst kissing him deeper and longer than they had before.

Knowing that tonight there would be no full realization of satisfaction, he rolled off Kaoru, offering him a hand with which to stand up. An unwelcome cell phone rang in the distance.

Red-faced and out of breath, the two boys stared in amazement at one another. Hands on his hips, Kyoya nodded before mentioning that someone should answer his phone.

"Nope. I'm pretty sure I've never hated anything as much as I hate that phone, right now."

Agreeing on the incessant ringing as an absurdity, their voices blended with shared laughter while Kyoya retrieved the phone from across the room. Handing it back to Kaoru, he offered an honest, non-host smile.

"What subjects are you having trouble with?"

"What?"

"This term. Are any of your classes giving you trouble?"

"Oh." Despite the carefree appearance the twins upheld, the truth was that academics had never been a problem for either of them. "German, I guess."

"Deutsch?" Kyoya raised a knowing eyebrow, "I thought Spanish was your third language."

"It is. But at this point, I'm as good as native in it, so I picked up a fourth."

"I see. Then until you better figure things out, consider me your new German tutor."

He waited to receive Kaoru's understanding nod before picking up his belongings one last time. The phone calls had ceased, and had now been replaced by the dinging notification of incoming text messages. Kaoru let escape a sigh, while Kyoya waved goodnight before slipping out the double doors.

Later in the Evening…

Digging one heel into the ground, Kaoru exaggerated the crunch of pebble near the opening of the property's expansive driveway. In the right shoes, the gradient transition from pebble to flagstone created a distinct sound that since a child, Kaoru had never been able to get enough of. Regardless of having disappeared from the house over an hour ago, he neither regretted his visit to the third music room, nor his decision for the driver to drop him off at the start of the Hitachiin estate.

He'd waited long enough to make certain that Kyoya had left the building before closing up the salon and heading home. What had started out as a mission to declare himself had ended up as something else, entirely.

Having only ever made slight inquiries into Kyoya's own sexuality, Kaoru had simply been taking steps in order to come to terms with his own. Part of that being a personal requirement of admission of his feelings toward his friend, Kyoya's reception and encouragement had left Kaoru feeling somewhat empowered, if not also blindsided.

I don't even know what happens next…

Shoving bare hands into the depths of his coat pockets, the cell phone that he'd long since turned off reminded Kaoru of his brother, still waiting for him and as of yet, uninformed.. Powering up the device, the screen glowed green whilst informing him of several missed calls and text messages, all but one sent by Hikaru.

From Kyoya, sent 6:53 p.m. – Have a good night.

The message pleased him, and proving curiosity and courage in its own way. Kind and direct, it was a pleasantry that had been unnecessary to say. And yet, Kyoya had sent it.

Okay, then. This will have to be good enough for now.

Taking a deep breath, he dialed the number to his last missed call. Barely two rings had transpired before a voice spoke, rife urgency.

"Kaoru! Where are you?!"

"Settle down, Hikaru. I'm in the driveway."

"The driveway? Where were you all night? I called you like three times!"

"Yeah. You called three times. Then twice more, plus a barrage of text messages." Not wanting to mince words over the phone, Kaoru temporarily settled for a misdirection of truth. "I was with Kyoya-Senpai at school, so I just turned it off."

"Why were you with Kyoya-Senpai?"

"Um, he's fluent in German and I'm not. Sorry I didn't say anything before leaving."

"It's fine. And I still don't know why you're taking German when you could be taking art history with me and Haruhi."

Well, I guess you'll know soon enough. "Ich weist nicht."

"What?"

"I don't know."

"Why not?"

Laughing, Kaoru inhaled deeply, taking a hit off the clean evening air. "Don't worry about it. Listen, I'm hanging up now. I'll be inside in a little while, and need to talk to you when I get there."

"Alright… Everything okay?"

Smiling, it felt refreshing to answer Hikaru without the feeling of a chip on his shoulder. "Yeah. Everything is good. See ya."

Disconnecting their call, he sent off a quick text before shutting the phone off completely. Taking his time reaching the house, the winter chill tickled his lungs while a puff of breath dissipated in front of him. It was all he could do to keep the overwhelming onslaught of questions from sapping the remainder of his energy.

Grinding his heels back into the gravel, for the moment he let all else slip from his mind.

.

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Hello! I had fun writing this, and I hope you enjoyed reading it. :) This story was basically a culmination of various head canon details, placed somewhere in the midst of Volume 11 of the manga. The bolded quotes toward the middle of the story are actually from Episode 47, Volume 11. :)

I don't know when, but I'd like there to be a bit more to this, but am also happy that it can stand alone. Thanks for reading!