Comments and Disclaimer at (1/10)

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Some Princes Become Kings (2/10)

011. Memory

During his ride home, Kyouya jotted "Mother complex" besides "Histrionic personality disorder(2)" in his notes on Suoh, both punctuated with a question mark. Every family had skeletons, but Suoh's coping mechanisms - no, entire persona - vexed Kyouya.

Suoh seemed far too approachable to be believed. Ecstatically insisting Kyouya was his bestest friend in the whole wide world, after knowing each other for one day, Suoh hugged him!

"And call me Tamaki, Kyouya! Tamaki!"

Kyouya quickly caved; he would have called Suoh "Daddy" if it meant escaping the guy's arms.

In the car, he allowed himself to remember the feeling, and grimace.

012. Insanity

Kyouya wasn't just cool... princely... Kyouya was - God, such a thoughtful, resourceful, wonderful friend! He always seemed to know what was on Tamaki's mind, the right words to say, and...

Kyouya had woman's intuition, Tamaki was sure of it.

He told his mother so in a long letter, the first of many he'd keep in a fireproof safe. One day, she'd read them, when they'd be allowed to see each other, and contact each other again.

For now, Tamaki had Kyouya.

He really liked Kyouya, and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to help Kyouya really like him back.

013. Misfortune

Never before had Kyouya wanted to hit someone. The chairman's son made him feel... so angry. With himself. At the idiot. Everyone else!

What right did that guy have to be so blasé about everything, so shameless flirtatious, and utterly distracting?

Kyouya couldn't stop thinking about him - even at home!

Family was no help.

Father asked how things went at the dinner table, and sounded entirely too shocked by the progress.

"First-names already? ... Good. Keep it up."

His sister Fuyumi, bless her soul, wanted to know if Suoh was as cute as Kyouya suggested.

Both brothers gave him queer looks.

014. Smile

As much as Tamaki enjoyed being around Kyouya, he knew something was bothering his friend. The guarded look in Kyouya's eyes, which Tamaki thought he'd moved past since they day they met, was back. Kyouya still let him monopolize their time, and still gave Tamaki attention whenever he sought for some. He always smiled, and never complained.

Tamaki couldn't stand it.

One day, when Kyouya didn't show up at the music room after school, Tamaki phoned the Ohtori's main mansion.

"Can I come over?"

Somehow, he would make Kyouya look at him, and make sure Kyouya's smiles reached his eyes.

015. Silence

When he first came over, Suoh became Tamaki. Kyouya knew exactly when he started thinking differently, because it happened during this deafening moment of revelation when the smell of tea was thick in the air, and its bitter taste burned his tongue.

Kyouya had snapped.

Because the chairman's son had waltzed in, charmed his sister, his two brothers, and his father, and made some off-hand observations about his family, and about him, which...

Hurt.

Tamaki hadn't a clue what buttons to press, until he smashed them. Kyouya realized when he found himself kneeling over him, hands almost at Tamaki's neck.

016. Questioning

He remembered Kyouya's angriest moment in snippets. He remembered Kyouya screaming at him, shaking him, blaming him.

Because he asked some innocent - or perhaps loaded - questions.

"So what if you have two older brothers? Who says you can't do better than them?"

He remembered being amazed at how naked Kyouya's eyes were, intensely alive with black fire.

"And I don't care whether I inherit the Suoh Empire," Tamaki confided. "I came here so my sick mother could receive financial and medical support."

He knew who was keeping Kyouya from his own happy ending.

"Kyouya... You care. Do what you want."

017. Blood

Kyouya did care, mainly for his family. He wanted to make them proud. He wanted father impressed with him, both brothers to recognize his worth, and Fuyumi to stop looking after him in place of their late mother, and start making her own family. She would if she wasn't concerned with her baby brother first.

He tried so hard to become an independent adult.

It took Tamaki to remind him to care for himself, but Tamaki was so childish it felt like a personal offense. Kyouya's urge to hurt him now... also came with the urge to help him, too.

018. Rainbow

After weathering the storm, despite gleaning first-hand knowledge that his friend was indeed a Dark Prince, Tamaki felt immense relief. It pained him whenever Kyouya gave into his previously suppressed desires to smack him over the back of his head, or call him out for being an idiot, but Kyouya really smiled at him now.

His smiles were pure evil, of course.

Fortunately, Tamaki knew Kyouya wouldn't kill him.

A dark prince may focus on self-advancement before acting in the best interest of his people, but inflicting genuine damage on friendly alliances was like suicide - any prince would know that.

019. Gray

In spite of their differences, Kyouya and Tamaki eventually settled into a comfortable relationship. They shared most classes, studied together, ate lunch together, and for all intents and purposes, Tamaki practically owned the third floor music room, so it was unofficially Kyouya's as well.

Ouran came to know them as Prince Charming and his Shadow. Although Tamaki expressed concerned with the latter part of the equation, Kyouya made no objections. In fact, he rather liked being misjudged now.

What he didn't like was how other students looked at them - speculatively - the way his brothers had.

"Damnit," he thought. "We're friends."

020. Fortitude

"Kyouya," Tamaki drawled with palpable pleasure, and seemed to glow when his friend made a nonchalant sound, which he translated as definite acknowledgement. A moment later, dark eyes focused on delighted purple. Tamaki grinned boyishly, and waited for a reply.

When Kyouya answered, he used a similar, but more patronizing tone, and smirked. "Yes, Tamaki?"

"Come here." Tamaki waved Kyouya over, patting the piano bench. "Come sit with me."

Kyouya gave an exaggerated sigh. "I can't play piano." He was serious, but he stood, and walked over anyway, because it didn't really matter.

Tamaki always seemed to get his way.

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NOTES:

(2) To read more about Histrionic personality disorder (HPD), mentioned in 011. Memory, visit ( http ://www .toad .net/ arcturus/ dd/ hpdtable.htm ).