He didn't answer at first. Mostly because he was fixing himself a drink. After taking a sip of the water he poured, and setting it in the silvery cup holder he turned to Kyouya. His puppy like demeanour gone, he crossed his long, slender legs. His head cocking to one side as he rested his crooked, nimble fingers on his temple. One cascading blue eye closing as the other playfully looked over his friend.
"Kyouya. Were friends. Aren't we? it'll be fun. Besides...maybe if you treat me nice enough...I might just play the piano for you..Hm?""
A soft glimpse of pink slipped through his lips as he teased the other boy. As they began to move his gracefully picked up the water again, sipping on the icy water. Fixing his tie, he set it down with just a soft, barely heard "tink". The long legged boy stretched out again, looking out the dark tinted window. His eyes staring as if looking into an abyss. When in reality he was looking at his reflection. Until..
"Stop the car."
He said smoothly, and the driver pulled over to the side. He slid down the seat, then climbed out, not bothering to shut the door behind him. Across the street, two younger boys, children no older than eight or nine were picking on another.
Tamaki seemed to float towards them, and his elegant fingers grasped the backs of their shirts, pulling them away. Stepping in front of the bruised boy, he glared down at the other two, speaking smoothly.
"Younger Princes should not pick on others. It will ruin your reputation as men when you're older. Now go."
The two stared at him, then each other. Then left. Tamaki turned to the other boy, picking him off the ground and swiping gently at his dirt covered shirt.
"Go home then. And make yourself look handsome. You're a prince, after all."
A soft, reassuring smile and the boy was gone, running down the side walk towards home. Only this time, he walked with his head up. Tamaki returned to the limo, and clambered back inside. A quick sip of his water, and he let the driver go on. Almost suddenly he was talking again.
"Kyouya. Do you have good parents. Did they teach you to be a prince? Oh..God they didn't! No wonder! Oh! my poor Kyouya! Dad!!"
A sudden change in attitude, and Tamaki was annoying again. He leapt on Kyouya, entwining their legs as he held him fast.
"IT'LL BE OKAY! WE'LL MAKE PAPA PROUD!"
*******
Kyouya was left without anything to say back to the blonde boy in front of him. It had been awhile since Tamaki had played the piano, and the boy had never done it for an audience of one. The offer was tempting enough. Glaring, he snapped open his clipboard to record the date and time of Tamaki's offer, then shut it abruptly as the car lurched to a sudden stop.
He watched the boy race out of the car, performing another ego induced random act of kindness. Kyouya sighed to himself. It was probably going to be a long night. They were already getting behind schedule. When Tamaki had returned, almost too gracefully, in the limo, Kyouya shot him another staggering glare.
"You've put us behind schedule," he muttered out loud. But Tamaki hadn't heard a single word.
"Kyouya. Do you have good parents?"
Unexpectedly, Kyouya was reminded of his father. So cold and cruel, much like himself. He wondered idly about his mother, killed from an illness almost immediately after his birth. Perhaps she would have been a good parent. Kyouya would even go so far to say that he would have turned out much differently. He would never get the chance to see her though, so how exactly was he supposed to answer Tamaki's question?
His emotions betrayed his face... or Kyouya believed the must have. He was never too sure about what his face looked like at any given time. But when he looked back at Tamaki through his pondering, the blonde was now horrified, doting on Kyouya as if he were an orphan.
"T-Tamaki stop," he growled as the blonde flung himself at Kyouya, apparently on a mission to make up for seventeen years of no love. This was absolutely absurd. Kyouya understood that Tamaki was a very gentle person, but there was no need to act such a way. He ticked again with anger, but something in his mind echoed. "I might just play the piano for you."
'Ridiculous,' Kyouya thought furiously. The closeness of Tamaki confused him, but how was it any different from the other times that the blonde had flung himself at him? Why now was he being bribed into this? "Get off of me. Now. I assure you that I have been raised to be a... leader." He had hesitated. Definitely not a prince, but you could have called the training that his father had forced upon him his whole life something.
The car suddenly stopped in front of the second Ootori mansion.
******
Leader? Tamaki stopped, and looked up at his friend. It seemed weird. Tamaki knew about his mother. Sad really, but his fa..oh. He remembered then. Frowning, the blonde scooted upwards, and did something completely unexpected. Or maybe it was, in Kyouya's ever thinking mind. Cogs and wheels turning around and around. The thought made Tamaki dizzy. In any case, he lifted himself, looked his friend in the eyes and said softly. His voice choked by emotion.
"I will never allow your father to do that again."
Kyouya should know exactly what he was talking about. And as the car rolled to a stop, the boy lifted himself off the other. He slipped out of the car, and looked up at the rather large mansion. Smiling softly, the wind tousled his hair. The driver received his bag from the car, but Tamaki stopped him.
"No no. I'll carry it."
Something he had learned from Haruhi, no doubt. Ever since the girl came alone, Tamaki had a bit of a new look on life. He now carried most of his things. Looking back at Kyouya, he said with a smile.
"Show me the piano."
************
Kyouya was left confused, his heart beating wildly against his chest. The blue eyes of his friends felt like they had penetrated through a wall. As if Tamaki had x-ray vision. Of course, Kyouya knew exactly what he was talking about. A thin blush crept to his face and he looked away quickly, remembering for an instant of the embarrassment at the school festival. His father had hit him, hard. A display of superiority and power. That had not lasted long, Kyouya thought while he clenched his fists together.
And what exactly was Tamaki doing? Taking pity on him? Kyouya did not need anybody's help, nor did he want their pity. He had stood himself up, grabbed his glasses, and had walked away from his father. All by himself. So why now did Tamaki feel the need to protect him? Kyouya definitely did not need protecting. Once again that week, the anger slipped through him. As Tamaki escaped the confines of the vehicle, Kyouya sat pressed against the leather seat, willing himself to calm down.
He wanted desperately to throw the words back into the blonde's face. That he didn't need help, and that he didn't need him. But the word "piano" triggered something in Kyouya and momentarily, he forgot all about the scene.
Warily, he stepped out of the limo as well, carrying just his briefcase. He followed Tamaki through the front doors of the house. Tamaki already knew where the piano was. Kyouya thought back to the comment by his friend. Why would he ask where it was? Did his friend know how angry he had been? Had he known that those would be the words to calm him down? He glanced over at Tamaki who had a childish grin on his face.
'No way that idiot's that smart,' Kyouya thought, smirking to himself. 'He just have been kidding.'
The piano sat in the corner of the grand hall. Kyouya reminisced about the last time Tamaki had used it. He had arrived at his house, greeted by his sister.
'Your friend is here,' she had called, smiling warmly to her younger brother.
'Friend?' Kyouya had asked confused.
When he had reached the grand hall, his brothers were seated on the couch stretched out, watching the gold haired boy's fingers dance musically across the instrument. There were tears along their faces, and they were silent. Kyouya had been at first shocked. His brothers were crying? That was impossible. But then Kyouya felt a warm feeling fill his entire body, and he couldn't help but stare at Tamaki. The music had filled him with a feeling he had never felt before, and he didn't know he had been crying either until his sister had handed him a tissue.
It had been embarrassing, thinking back on it. Kyouya still had dreams that haunted him. Showing weakness to his family in such a way. The only thing he clung to was that his brothers had felt the same way. Perhaps it had been a fluke? Maybe that was why Kyouya had been so eager at the thought of Tamaki playing the piano again. Or maybe it was something deeper than that. Maybe it was because Kyouya especially wanted to feel that same way again.
Kyouya shook the thoughts from his head. A maid had come up to the two boys and had bowed her head graciously. "Kyouya-san," she greeted. Kyouya looked at her. It wasn't a maid at all, it was his sister. She was always milling about.
"Kyoko-san," Kyouya returned calmly. "You remember Tamaki?" He indicated the boy to his right. "I was just going to take his things to my room. He's spending the night."
************
He smiled as he entered the house. It felt different then his own. His own was filled with the scent of perfume and other beauty products. This one smelled of..perfection. A rich, wild perfection every father wanted, but only Kyouya's father strived so horribly for. Tamaki knew where the piano was, but he wanted Kyo to show him. To show him he wanted it. But ah well. As his sister came in, Tamaki put on his sweet smile. And bowed softly to the girl.
"A pleasure seeing such a sweet princess again."
He charmed many woman, hell, he charmed many men. With a sigh, it seemed as if he'd have to be a bit more forceful. Locking arms with the taller boy he smiled, beginning to lead him towards the piano.
"No no silly. You were going to let me play for you! Remember?"
He smiled slyly as he reached the grand piano. Sitting himself in the seat he looked to Kyo. He knew what was going to happen. And he loved it. He winked playfully, then smiled with a warm look. It meant that he cared for Kyo, and wasn't teasing him. Then he began to play.
The soft, tinkering of keys falling into a louder love. Long, nimble fingers dancing over the ivory keys, letting go of its music it kept held inside it for so long. He closed his eyes, a smile dancing across his lips as he played on. Soft, savoury music filling the air, tickling the listeners ears. He leaned forward and rocked back, humming along with his music.
***********
"Oh my," Kyoko said, a large blush spreading across her face. "As forward as ever I see, Tamaki-san," she chided affectionately. Her eyes were thankful that he had come, but she continued. "The house seems to be yours all weekend, Kyouya. We're heading to the first mansion. I waited until you were home to tell you. It would have been awful if you had come home to an empty house." She patted her face, still embarrassed about something Kyouya had no idea about. "But then you brought Tamaki here, how wonderful. You won't be lonely! I don't have to feel guilty."
Kyouya looked at his sister with a raised eyebrow. She was always so emotional. "That's really fine, Kyoko..." he started, but she hushed him dramatically. Then she reached up and kissed him on his forehead warmly, then swept from the room, excusing herself almost at once.
Kyouya looked pleadingly after Tamaki. "Really, Tamaki. That can wait while I-" but he was cut off as the boy led him abruptly to the grand piano. The blonde had let go only when he was sure that Kyouya wasn't going to run off. He stationed the boy right beside the piano and then sat himself down.
'Did he seriously just wink at me?' Kyouya thought impatiently. The warm look that followed confused Kyouya and he put it in the back of his mind as soon as the soft music began to fill the room. It felt awkward, standing there watching such a beautiful scene. Kyouya felt that his knees were probably going to buckle. The last time Tamaki had played, he had been farther away, but this time, so up close, it was extremely different.
His heart began to beat extremely fast. Had he been concentrating, he would have wondered if it was in time to the music, but he could not even think a single coherent thought. All he could do was stare at the blonde. The music grew from a soft tinkering, to a louder melody. Tamaki brought in some sharper notes that conveyed some type of melancholy and happiness all at once, and Kyouya felt like he was the one that Tamaki was playing.
He realized, almost too late, that this was a happier song than what he had heard the previous time. Perhaps that was why there was no tears on his face. A hand reached up to make sure, but his eyes did not leave the blonde's face. He really wished that Tamaki would open his eyes, so that he could stare into them while he played.
In fact, he wanted to get closer. He wanted to see everything. Why was he standing here and wasting everything? Slowly, he took a seat on the bench next to the boy, staring down at the fingers gliding across the instrument perfectly. Turning slowly, Kyouya looked back at the boy who still had his eyes closed. Then, as the music led up to a particularly bittersweet section, Kyouya found himself leaning closer. He could smell the musk of Tamaki that he never really noticed before. He could see the sun glinting across his face from the window above, illuminating his skin and brightening his hair. He could see that Tamaki's lips were parted just a little, even though he was humming in tune. His heart was beating extremely fast now, and a distant subconscious was curious as to why.
Suddenly the music had stopped.
'No!' Kyouya's thought cried. He did not want it to end that quickly. Suddenly all his inhibitions and calculating thoughts came back in a rush. His eyes were closed, and as he opened them, he understood why Tamaki had stopped.
Their lips were attached, quite roughly, Kyouya noted. In fact, they were still kissing the boy, as if they had a mind of their own.
****************
He blinked. His eyes widening as his head was turned. Lips meeting lips. Slowly his fingers stopped playing, numbly hitting the keys a few times. His hair blocked his view, until he dipped backwards, the other boy seeming to follow him. A shaky hand held onto the bench for a few moments. He closed his eyes for a few moments. He felt the others dominance over him, and it somewhat scared him. He always knew Kyouya to be dominant, set in his boundaries, always clean, neat, and fixed on a goal. But now..
He yanked away, and stood up. His eyes wide, his body shaking as he seemed to pant. His blonde hair fell away from his face, and his voice raised. First in Japanese, spewing out a few "Why's?" and "What the hell's" until he finally switched to French. Yelling in French came naturally when emotions were high. It even..seemed like he was about to cry. Like he had wanted this kiss for so long. But not this way. Not in the heat of the moment. He yelled loudly, and for a long time. Until his voice became harsh with emotion and an unknown anger.
"WHY KYO!? WHY NOW?! JESUS I PLAY THE PIANO AND YOU LOVE ME BUT I DO NOTHING AND YOU HATE ME?! I SAVE A FEW KIDS AND ALL YOU DO IS SCOLD! THAT ISN'T RIGHT! I MEAN WHAT THE HELL KYO! WHAT THE HELL!"
He didn't curse. Even in his anger, he knew princes didn't curse. Finally he stopped yelling, glaring down at Kyouya with fury in his eyes. Something rarely seen. And rarely heard so loudly. His arms crossed over his slender chest, his foot tapped. He shook his head, swiping his hand through his hair as he leaned on the piano.
"Well? Why Beautiful Boy? Why now?"
He asked in a huff. He only ever called Kyo "Beautiful Boy" when they were in private, but usually it was in admiration and sweet talk. But using it as a scorn, as a scolding word was worse than a kiss from nowhere. He was glad no one was home. He had never yelled before. Not even at his mother. Not even when people hurt Haruhi. He was always calm, cool, collected and graceful. But now he looked dishevelled, almost pale as he stared at the boy. Stared at the man who kissed him. Who showed his affection. But in entirely the wrong place.
***********
Kyouya stared, horrified, back into the eyes of the blonde. Of course, he didn't know why even himself. As the boy started yelling in French, Kyouya leaned away from him, his hands balled into tight fists. He heard his name a few times, and he could make out the gist of what Tamaki had been saying, even if he did not know any French. It was completely uncalled for. Why hadn't Kyouya been in control of himself? Why had his body acted on its own? And why, god why, did he kiss Tamaki? The most annoying thing on the entire planet.
He let the anger absorb him as he thought of the answerless questions continuing to surface. Kyouya hated when he did not know the right answer. Shaking he glanced back up into the blue eyes of his friend.
"Well? Why Beautiful Boy? Why now?"
A shiver went down Kyouya's spine as he tried to control himself desperately. But after Tamaki had said that, he lost control. He didn't know why.
"It's your fucking fault you idiot!" Kyouya shouted, desperately seeking some kind of reason in his brain. It had been Tamaki's fault. Always calling him names, teasing him, embracing him. Yea, it was all his fault that he had acted so horrifically just now. Several emotions took a hold of him. Shame, anger, regret, confusion. He was spluttering words before he even knew the meaning of them. He wanted to make him cower, to make him feel all the feelings that he was feeling. His mind dug for the worst of it all. "You're a freak, Rene. A pathetic waste of life."
Kyouya did it. He used the name that Tamaki's mother used when she was angry with him. The boy's first name. If Tamaki was going to whip out scornful nicknames, then he would do the same. Taking the loving memory of his mother's words and twisting it around would definitely hurt him. "Even your mother didn't want you around. Just like me. But you had to push yourself in didn't you?
Then Kyouya pushed Tamaki off the bench and jumped up, shaking.
***************
He stopped then. Froze. Never before had Kyo cursed, lost control so horribly. The words hit his heart with the heat of a million scorched needles. His eyes welled up with tears. He shivered and shook. But at the same time, anger welled up inside. it wasn't his fault. Even his mother wanted him. Everyone did! He was beautiful! He was perfect! Kyouya lied! His mother did want him! She just...just..
"SHUT UP!"
Tamaki..Rene..Screamed. His body jolted as he was shoved, tumbling over the bench and falling to the ground. He glared up at the other, his muscles shaking, his words spewed from his mouth like venom from a snake. His eyes , usually soft and loving, now were cold and hard. He stood, not speaking a word. His hair mussed, falling over his eyes as he did what he had never done before.
He struck someone. His hand raising, fingers that once played beautiful, perfected music now flying down through the air, whistling through the air. As they met skin, they gnarled to create some sort of half punch. It was a hard slap, the sound ringing throughout the room that was once filled with loving, tender music. Tears stained his face, and he spoke slowly. A low growl coming after every word.
"Don't...talk...about...my...mother...OR..use my birth name. At least I can make MY father proud..you..you.."
He stopped. No. Never cuss. Never. He couldn't bring himself to do it. Even if he had dug such a deep hole for himself already. He knew he would be hurt for this. But for some reason, he didn't care. Some sort of primal anger had built up inside of him, and he didn't care for his consequences right now. He spoke again, this time his voice trembling with both fear and anger.
"I did not kiss you! You kissed me! Why Kyouya! Why did you kiss me if you think I'm so horrible?! Why did you kiss me if you think my mother..my mother dislikes me!? Hm!? Why!?"
He took a step forward, getting closer and closer to the boy. Soon his face was a few mere inches from the others. And Kyouya could feel Tamaki's hot breath on his cheek as he wheezed angrily. Throat hoarse from his yelled. Eyes wild and body stiff as tears lined and streaked his cheeks. His fists shook at his sides. In fact his entire body began to tremble almost violently.