COMMENTS: This was written in response to lj user lee-bella's 1character challenge, Fantasy of a different variety, or, Kill the messenger ( http ://lee-bella .livejournal .com/ 102532.html ), which is focused on Ohtori Kyouya. I liked that fic and the challenge so much that I asked lee-bella to pick a character she wanted to read 50 sentences about, joined lj community "1character", and came up with this (theme set: alpha). As with my 100 drabbles fic, Princes Become Kings, I wrote these 50 sentences in thematic and chronological order so that they can be read together in context. They predominantly deal with Tamaki, but tend to tilt towards his perspective of his relationship with Kyouya more often than not. All in all, I really had fun writing this.

DISCLAIMER: Ouran High School Host Club is by Bisco Hatori, but these 50 sentences belong to me.

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#01 - Speak

While Kyouya says he doesn't care what Tamaki wants, Tamaki understands that, "I don't give a damn what you do, scum," is Kyouya-speak for, "just go ahead and do whatever the hell you want."

#02 - Touch

Tamaki knows he doesn't really need words to make Kyouya do whatever the hell he wants, but friendship dictates he should at least explain the plan of the day before he starts changing Kyouya's clothes for him, and lugging him out of bed.

#03 - Memory

"Daddy didn't forget that he promised to take Mommy out to eat some gourmet commoner's food after all," Tamaki quips as he slings the still-unconscious Kyouya over his shoulders, and makes his precarious way down the stairs.

#04 - Vanilla

In the car, Kyouya only remains fast asleep because Tamaki's pulled such stunts often enough that the slope of his shoulder, and the scent of his shampoo has become something soothingly familiar.

#05 - Chocolate

It's been five years since the day they first met - five years exactly - and Tamaki is ecstatic, because the commoner's restaurant they're heading for boasts the best homemade spicy chocolate confections in its entire district.

#06 - Ways and Means

Beyond the fact that he chose the place because he knows his best friend likes spicy food, Tamaki also knows without a doubt that Kyouya will be pleased, because Tamaki is paying for everything, and not spending a fortune on him in the process... this time.

#07 - Belief

With his best friend beside him, Tamaki honestly believes that his every hope, wish, or dream can, and will eventually bear fruit.

#08 - Linger

However, without Kyouya, he subconsciously knows that he would simply be content to drift about, and settle down into whatever soils the winds of change plant him.

#09 - Illuminance

When the car pulls up outside the restaurant, Tamaki's excited expression rivals sunlight with its exuberant warmth and glow.

#10 - Ornament

Instead of waking the Demon King, and yet again braving his morning wrath, Tamaki gamely pulls Kyouya close, drapes the guy's limp arms about his shoulders, and hauls him onto the sidewalk.

#11 - Coup de foudre

There's no need to tempt fate - Tamaki knows he loves easily, and every time he falls he feels as though he's been struck by lightning; Kyouya strikes most and hardest.

#12 - Archway

As he steps through the entrance, people stop to stare, and some whisper, but since they aren't disturbing Kyouya, and Tamaki - as a foreign-looking blonde in Japan - is far too used to being at the center of attention, he just flags down a waiter like it's perfectly normal to have an unconscious guy slumped over his shoulders, and requests a table for two in perfect Japanese.

#13 - Fate

As luck would have it, several young waitresses quickly run over, all eager to help the exotically beautiful young man find a seat.

#14 - Pulse

Without skipping a beat, Tamaki blithely lowers Kyouya onto one of the chairs, props him against the table, and takes the seat opposite with much thanks to the ladies rolling off his silver tongue, and "May we see the menu, please?"

#15 - Envelope

His charm swathes them like a warm blanket on a cool winter day.

#16 - Cold

It seemed however, only he could remain oblivious to the sudden drop in temperature when his companion's eyes crack opened.

#17 - Need

When Tamaki finally notices Kyouya awake, he gives his friend a vibrant "Good morning," hands over his own opened menu, and, "Whatever you wish or require, mon ami - my treat!"

#18 - Drunk

As Kyouya takes in their surroundings and recovers his bearings, Tamaki drinks in those fleeting moments before the Demon King within Kyouya makes a silent retreat.

#19 - Mask

That enchanting expression, when Kyouya's eyes focus sharply, and the corners of his lips slowly curl up, sends an odd shiver up Tamaki's spine that is far from an unpleasant sensation.

#20 - Rose

Although he knows that Kyouya's smile is fake, it soothes Tamaki with its dark promise, and the blonde can only struggle to suppress a rising blush.

#21 - Two

He is delighted, yet at the same time disturbed by the fact that he is one of only two people ever allowed to see and recognize Kyouya's true face.

#22 - Fresh

While he understands that his best friend is more inclined to keep things to himself, it just makes Tamaki all the more determined to drag Kyouya out of the box every so often, and air him out.

#23 - Bribe

Incentive is necessary, Tamaki realizes, especially when Kyouya does not deign to look down at the menu, forcing him to read the list of options out loud for him instead.

#24 - Error

Unfortunately, Tamaki once again discovers that he has miscalculated Kyouya's ire.

#25 - Appetite

When Kyouya frostily orders the waitresses to bring them everything on the menu, Tamaki freezes initially, and then remembers his secret weapon.

#26 - Refrain

"Kyouya..." Tamaki makes his eyes wet, and wide, and shoots his friend a look of heartrending, despairing betrayal.

#27 - Family

"Daddy knows Mommy's upset, but... but... take it out on Daddy, Mommy - not on Daddy's bank account!"

#28 - Grieve

Sometimes, for all his eloquence, Tamaki just... doesn't know when he should shut up.

#29 - Vapor

For a moment, it looks like Kyouya's glasses are fogging, but that's impossible, given their setting, so Tamaki just writes it off as some strange result of his incredibly overactive imagination.

#30 - Tea

He snivels pitifully in a dark corner while Kyouya takes over: doubling his order, reassuring the waitresses, and their manager that the price - no matter how high - would be paid by the Suoh heir, because this prank between 'best friends' was done in horrendously bad taste, and, "no, don't mind him; this tea is commendable."

#31 - Medicine

Tamaki recovers immediately when Kyouya gives that small indication of approval.

#32 - Moth

With a bright fire in his eyes, he shots up and drags everyone's attention towards him as he exclaims that he'd been so impressed with this restaurant the last time he came here he just had to share his findings with his best friend.

#33 - Perfect

"But, Kyouya, I just had the most wonderful idea: Rather than be selfish, keeping this banquet all to ourselves, what better way to celebrate the fifth anniversary of our friendship than to share this feast freely with everyone else?"

#34 - Rope

To Tamaki, it's beautiful, the way Kyouya's astonished stare gradually softens, the anger and annoyance in his best friend's eyes dissolving into quiet pride as Kyouya indicates with a nod, a small smile, and, "All right," that he is once again willing to follow along.

#35 - Wind

In response, Tamaki winds his arms around Kyouya's shoulders, pulls him out of his seat, and crushes him to his chest - all for being his best friend, among other things, but first and foremost.

#36 - Crossroads

There is a front-page newspaper article of them the next day, and Tamaki allows the words go in and out of his head before cutting out all the relevant pictures to be enlarged later, and framed.

#37 - Summer

When Kyouya subsequently refuses to talk, much less even be seen with him, Tamaki makes their summer plans anyway, because while his best friend is slow, Tamaki has faith that Kyouya will see the light again eventually.

#38 - Candy

And eventually, it's the spicy chocolate truffles that win Kyouya back to him, along with the promise to, "Stop sending those bloody things so openly!"

#39 - Photograph

With twenty-year-old Suoh Tamaki, the paparazzi did not have field days - they were field weeks... or months.

#40 - Spoon

When the Hitachiin twins turned eighteen, for instance, the Suoh heir spent the better half of that year repeatedly caught on camera in various scandalous positions with that darling pair of impressionable, but talented budding fashion designers.

#41 - Forest

To the reporters, Hitachiin Hikaru and Kaoru were of one mind, absolutely thrilled, because Tamaki was their dummy, and, "Oh, we always figured our lord for a pervert when he hustled us into the his Host Club... but how can we fault him for being such an inspiration to our creative process!"

#42 - Mirror

In truth, the twins were using Tamaki to launch themselves into the limelight, and he knew it, but he could never seem to stay upset at them for long, so happy that they were taking more initiative to step outside of their own small world without stepping away from each other.

#43 - Smoke

When Tamaki thinks of the twins, he sometimes feels as though he is looking through a foggy glass at himself after he met Kyouya, and then, invariably, of himself alone.

#44 - Shine

Each night, he prays and thanks God for blessing him with perfection, inside and out, especially within and without all of his loved ones.

#45 - Balloon

When dear Haruhi, his first crush, actually apologized for not being able to love him since she was already confused with her feelings for the twins, Tamaki's heart swelled so much - she was so open minded - he thought his heart burst out of awe, or something like it.

#46 - Vine

Nonetheless, because Haruhi couldn't seem to find a positive solution at the time, Tamaki did his best to keep those clingy Hitachiins occupied so the poor girl could have room to breathe, and time to sort things out herself.

#47 - Butterfly

Meanwhile, as Kyouya continued to flit in and out of Tamaki's life, it took a long while for Tamaki to realize that he was trying, let alone spectacularly failing, to protect Haruhi in the way Kyouya skillfully and unobtrusively watched over him.

#48 - Gloves

Now, Tamaki knows that he somehow owns Kyouya, fits Kyouya strangely enough, similar to the way Kyouya owns and fits him.

#49 - Venom

To those who don't agree with the way Tamaki lives, Tamaki says, "My life is my own, and no one can force me into doing something that I honestly don't want to do."

#50 - Remain

Likewise, no one can stop Tamaki from doing whatever the hell he wants, and Kyouya has long since come to the conclusion that he can only make Tamaki do what Tamaki wants to do... which is a wonder then, when Kyouya actually manages to keep up.