So when Kaoru and Hikaru finally caught on (not on their own), they just had to join in on the fun. But what was fun for them was the exact opposite for Tamaki and Kyoya.
"Tono," Hikaru whined with a blank expression on his face. "I'm bored."
At the same time Tamaki stood up to propose an idea, Kaoru said to Kyoya, "I have an idea."
Both Tamaki and Kaoru were immediately shot down by a blunt, "No." They then responded with, "But you haven't heard my idea yet!"
"I already know that whatever it is, it's a bad one," Hikaru replied while turning his eyes onto Kaoru and Kyoya.
"Well, what is it?" Kyoya asked impatiently.
Kaoru grinned and answered, "I thought that maybe we could explore your secret passion of cooking."
"I don't have a secret passion of cooking," Kyoya said quite obviously.
"Well, why not discover one?" Kaoru dug into his pocket and pulled out two tickets. "Mother gave us these but Hikaru doesn't want to go. He says it's too boring for him."
"Ask Tamaki."
Kaoru put on his mother pathetic looking face and blinked his suddenly teary eyes a few times while whispering, "But I had hoped Kyoya-senpai would come with me."
Kyoya sighed and stared scrutinizingly at Kaoru. Clearly, the boy was planning something and, judging from the fact that the other Hitachiin hadn't stopped staring at them since Kaoru's idea, his brother was involved. He ran over the pros and cons in his mind quickly before deciding that there were likely to be more pros than cons. He would definitely be able to form a good relationship with the chef in charge of the cooking show (who was bound to be someone important) and he could show his own chef a few recipes. Maybe he would even try to teach his sister to keep her busy and away from his room.
"When is it?"
Delighted with having swayed over the Shadow King, Kaoru smiled and cheerfully replied, "Saturday at one. I'll pick you up at noon."
"An hour earlier?" Kyoya asked, rather skeptical of the thought. Also, he had hoped to sleep until then.
"In case of traffic," Kaoru said promptly, almost as if he had rehearsed the answer.
"Fine." Kyoya penciled in the meeting in his little black notebook before narrowing his eyes at Kaoru. "But you had better not be late."
Kaoru ignored the threat and beamed blissfully. "It's a date then, Senpai." Kaoru winked at Hikaru and walked out the room before Kyoya could cancel on him.
Hikaru grinned back at Kaoru, just as happy as his twin that Kyoya agreed so easily. "We'll follow them," he decided, more to himself than to Tamaki, and left after Kaoru.
--
Kyoya sat in his living room wearing a crisp white suit with his hair gelled back nicely waiting for Kaoru to show up. It was eleven fifty-nine and thirty seconds when a black limo pulled up to the driveway. Kyoya grinned as a figure darted out of the car and up the stairs to the door. At exactly twelve o'clock the doorbell rang and Kyoya got up to answer it.
Admittedly, he was a little disappointed that he didn't have a chance to scold Kaoru for being late, but he was very disappointed when he opened the door to reveal a very casually dressed boy.
"Wha-" Kyoya began to ask before he was rudely interrupted by loud laughter.
"Kyoya-senpai," Kaoru said between his laughs, "why dressed so formally?"
"I thought-"
"Luckily, I planned ahead for this and brought some clothes for you," Kaoru interrupted. Kyoya was beginning to grow irritated that he hadn't been able to finish a sentence and tried to say that he had his own clothes before being cut off again by a shout of, "Hikaru!"
It seemed that the other twin popped out of nowhere, but Kyoya knew he must have been hiding in the bushes because there was another rustling sound that indicated someone else was there. However, before he could question it, he was being shoved into the nearest bathroom by the twins.
"This one," Hikaru said as he held out a pair of jeans and a simple t-shirt. Kyoya changed into it and wasn't quite sure what was so special about it. Apparently the other two thought the same because the outfit was being tugged off of him and he was forced into another one. After half an hour, they finally decided that the tall boy looked ravishing (in fact Kaoru even said, "You look ravishing, Kyoya-senpai" though Kyoya heard, "You have rashes, Kyoya-senpai") in black jeans, a light blue button up long-sleeved shirt, and a sleeveless hoodie that left his eyes in shadows. Kyoya thought he looked like he was ready to kill someone, especially since his glasses seemed to be floating on his face. Of course, he didn't mind. He was ready to kill someone if they didn't leave soon.
He said this to the other two who agreed (probably because Kyoya looked murderous). Then Kaoru dragged Kyoya into his limousine as Hikaru stood on the steps of Kyoya's home and waved them off. Kyoya swore he saw blond hair sticking out of his green bushes, but the automobile was long gone before he could turn back and check.
As soon as Hikaru was sure Kaoru and Kyoya could no longer see them, he pulled Tamaki out of the bushes and pushed him into his own limo.
"Alright, Tono. Plan Follow-Kaoru-and-Kyoya-on-their-Date is a go," Hikaru whispered in the safety of the car.
Tamaki cringed a little and asked, "Do we have to call it a 'date'?" He didn't like the idea of Kyoya going on a date with anyone except him, especially since he had told Kyoya he loved him first and so had dibs on the dark-haired boy.
Hikaru's voice was unusually harsh as he replied, "Of course we do. You heard Kaoru call it a date. So we have to call it a date. Now, shut up, Tono, or else we might lose them."
This command didn't make any sense since they were in a car and the driver knew exactly where to go, but Tamaki, being the idiot that he was, did as he was told and silently, but with huge violet eyes, watched as their car followed the other.
--
Kyoya was always a very perceptive person; anyone could tell you that. In fact, he was so alert that it took him only a minute to realize that someone was stalking them. Someone rich enough to be driving a limo was stalking them.
"Kaoru," he said, hoping that this one time he could get his sentence finished, "there's someone following us." His gray eyes didn't look at the brown ones across from him, instead they stayed concentrated on the mirror hanging above the driver. Kaoru's eyes too glanced over and he noticed the black automobile driving too closely to them and a very familiar driver.
Kaoru forced a fake laughter and shook his head. "I'm sure that they are just going to the cooking show just like we are. A lot of rich and important people go there." He smiled with his eyes squeezed shut and Kyoya knew that the boy was lying. "I-uh-have to call my mother to tell her how lovely you look." Then he turned away from Kyoya and huddled into a ball as far away as he could from the other boy.
Kyoya's eyes narrowed suspiciously as Kaoru made a phone call and talked in hushed tones while occasionally saying, "Too close. Hikaru. Hikaru. No." When he finished, Kyoya was still glaring at the Hitachiin who met his gaze cautiously and chanced a smile.
"Mother is so happy that you look so lovely that she wants you to keep the clothes."
Kaoru's lie was replied with a frigid, "Thank you."
--
They had reached the huge stadium where the cooking show was to be held and, despite the sudden distance that the two cars had created on the highway, Kyoya could still tell they were being followed. He supposed this was part of Kaoru and Hikaru's plan. He just wondered what it was they were trying to get from this.
As Kyoya and Kaoru were escorted from their vehicle and into the building, Hikaru was forcing a disguise onto Tamaki. It was a very poor disguise that consisted of a thick brown moustache, huge purple sunglasses, and a scarf for his head. Hikaru was trying desperately not to laugh as he convinced Tamaki that the disguise was a fantastic one. Of course, he had to put on his own disguise, just to stop Tamaki's questions, but it was nothing outrageous like that.
When they were properly dressed, they refused the kind escorts, who were terribly confused why a Souh and a Hitachiin were dressed so poorly, and crept into the stadium. They, too, had tickets, and handed them in silently, but they pretended like they had snuck in and sat down two rows behind Kyoya and Kaoru.
Nothing extremely interesting happened during the show and all four of them were terribly disappointed. Well actually, only three; Tamaki didn't quite have a reason for being disappointed because he still wasn't quite sure why he was there. The chef, though world-renowned, was not very good at presenting his meals, and all his recipes seemed to be lacking something exciting. Kyoya was sure that this was on purpose, but decided that he would figure out the secret ingredient. Kaoru had tried, and failed, to gain all of Kyoya's attention during the show and, in fact, had been almost completely ignored. Hikaru was rather upset that Kaoru hadn't managed to get Kyoya's attention and so was unable to see what sort of reaction Tamaki would give to such a thing.
Therefore, after Kyoya had successfully gotten contact information about the chef, all four of them climbed back into their respective limos. Of course, Kyoya was hoping to go back home, but Kaoru, after receiving a phone call from Hikaru to step up his game, had other plans and Hikaru and Tamaki were following them diligently.
"Where are we going now?" he asked with a frown.
Kaoru smiled a little nervously. "I thought we could try to make what we learned. The dishes looked rather tasty, didn't they?"
"Actually they seemed bland and unpleasant. I would rather go home and learn from my own chef."
Not to be deterred, Kaoru tried a different tactic. "Well, didn't it make you hungry? I know that watching all that food being cooked made me remember that I hadn't had lunch yet. Have you had lunch yet?"
Kyoya's frown turned into a scowl as he answered, "Then let's eat," just to shut Kaoru up. So far, nothing really strange had happened aside from the limousine that was still following them and Kaoru's odd behavior. Kyoya was growing more suspicious by the minute and he really did want nothing more than to go home and manage his affairs.
Kaoru nodded nervously. "Wherever you want, Senpai."
--
They were sitting at a table in one of the best Indian restaurants in the city wearing considerably less ridiculous disguises this time. Still, Kyoya could tell that Hikaru and Tamaki were sitting behind a potted tree that had been brought over just for them. He couldn't understand why they were doing that when they could have just joined him and Kaoru to eat. It definitely would have been less annoying that way.
He sighed with irritation as their waiter brought over his meal of curry and rice. Kaoru must have noticed the not-very-well-hidden pair as well, because his already anxious smile grew wider.
"Kyoya-senpai," he said.
"Yes, Kaoru?" Cold steel eyes glared at him.
"I-" he hesitated, not exactly sure what he wanted to say, but knowing that he had to distract the other man. Kaoru looked away quickly to avoid the stare from Kyoya and glanced upon a woman and man clearly going out on a date. That gave Kaoru a great idea, and, with a steady glint in his eyes, he stared back at Kyoya and spat out, "I love you." Then he leaned over the table and pulled Kyoya, by the strings of his hoodie, into a kiss.
Unfortunately, Kaoru was not very good at sudden kisses over the table and he managed to knock over the table with Kyoya's long-awaited meal. He also began to quiver as he felt Kyoya burning with anger at his overturned meal and Kaoru's obviously fake display of affection. In fact, Kyoya was about to push Kaoru away when Tamaki burst in and pulled Kyoya towards him.
"NO!" cried the blond as he tried to bury Kyoya safely in his arms. "You can't!"
Hikaru, who had been so shocked by the sudden kiss that he couldn't move for a bit, rushed over and stood in front of his brother to protect him from Kyoya's rage. He didn't much care if Tamaki was going to get hit by the now suffocating boy.
"I-I think I can," Kaoru muttered, failing to be brave and defiant. He was a little shaken by the embrace he had initiated and, truth be told, he hadn't expected to be good. Not that it was good. Kyoya hadn't kissed him back, but Kaoru had a feeling that if he did, it would have been an alright kiss.
"You can't!" Tamaki screamed again. He tried to pull Kyoya tighter, but it was hard especially since Kyoya was beginning to struggle. "You can't love him because-" Tamaki faltered and lowered his eyes. He hadn't admitted it to anyone else and he had never planned on it. He had actually hoped that when he and Kyoya walked into the Host Club one day holding hands and smiling blissfully, everyone would just know that they were in love.
"Because what?" Hikaru edged on. Kaoru tapped him lightly on the shoulder and they glanced at each other with matching grins. This was what they had been waiting for all afternoon.
"Because," his breathing quickened and he gripped Kyoya's arm tightly as if he were expecting support from him, "because I love him."
There were no gasps of surprises, because no one was actually surprised. Instead, there were loud cheers and shouts of, "We knew it!" Of course, the twins had known it, but to get Tamaki to admit it was something different.
But their little celebration was quickly cut short by Kyoya, who had been released by a surprised Tamaki, glaring at them murderously.
"You knew?" he hissed. "Was this all just a game?" His voice, though soft, was very frightening and the two boys were grateful when the owner of the restaurant came by and demanded politely that they leave. Kyoya's face immediately turned kind and pleasant as he offered to pay for the damage, but he was quickly denied and soon stormed out of the building dragging Tamaki and Kaoru with him. Hikaru followed at a brisk speed because he was afraid of what would happen to his brother.
He remained silent as he forced the three boys into one of the two limousines waiting outside. When he got in, he made a quick command to be driven home before sitting down across from the three with his eyes narrowed dangerously. Once or twice, Tamaki dared to ask what was wrong, but Kyoya never answered even though it seemed was about to explode.
It wasn't until they were safe inside his home that Kyoya let out his anger in a series of shouts. He was pacing back and forth as he yelled, "What is wrong with you? What on earth were you thinking? Were you even thinking? Pulling a stunt like that in the middle of a restaurant, Kaoru! I might have expected that from Hikaru, but from you? And why were you stalking us? What were you trying to get out of this? What sort of elaborate game is this?" He paused for a breath and was about to continue when a single chord stopped him.
Before he could shout at Tamaki for interrupting him, the chord developed into a complicated song that started off soft and soon turned loud. In the middle of it, Kyoya sat down, knowing that it wouldn't end soon, and shut his eyes to enjoy the calming effect of the music. As soon as he did, the twins quietly made their escape from Kyoya and Tamaki smiled gently as the music softened to a finish.
He let his fingers linger on the keys for a moment longer before he silently got off of the bench and sat down next to Kyoya who had fallen asleep. The same graceful fingers that had been playing beautiful music grazed gently against the pale face beside him and eased off the glasses that were blocking the sweetly closed eyes.
"Kyoya," Tamaki muttered as brushed aside a few dark strands of hair. "Look at what I do for you."
Slowly, Kyoya's eyelids fluttered before they opened completely, but before he could sit up and protest, Tamaki leaned forwards and kissed him fully on the mouth. It was soft and gentle, nothing like Kaoru's forced kiss, but it was also hesitant as if expecting to be pushed away. However, it was over before it could be rejected and Kyoya seemed incapable of showing any expression other than surprise.
"Do you believe me now, Kyoya? That I love you? Even Kaoru and Hikaru believe me," his voice was preciously tender as his dark purple eyes stared not at Kyoya's gray eyes, but at his red lips. "Do you?"
He wanted to. Kyoya realized that he wanted to believe Tamaki, but he knew he couldn't. It was no silly reason this time that Kyoya had to not believe. It wasn't because he thought Tamaki loved Haruhi. It was because he was afraid that if he did believe Tamaki, he would lose his empire. The Ootori kingdom that he was slowly beginning to take over through an alibi would fall apart from a distraction. He knew his father would find out if they were more than just friends and he would lose what little hope he had that his father loved him. And, if it were so that one day Tamaki realized he no longer loved Kyoya, he would lose his best friend as well.
Uncharacteristically fighting back tears, Kyoya turned away from Tamaki and whispered back, "No, I don't."
But even though Kyoya's cold, Tamaki smiled because he knew that if Kyoya really meant it, he would look Tamaki in the eye and tell him. So, he placed a steady hand on Kyoya's should and gripped it firmly. "You will," he said adamantly and left before Kyoya could get his bearings back and remember why Tamaki was there in the first place.
--
A/N: So, it's been nearly five months...and I'm very sorry for not updating. Truth be told, I got busy with school work, had no inspiration, and started a Remus/Sirius fic. However, I did finally figure out the right style for fanfics and made a very long chapter (compared to the rest) for you with something exciting happening! I can't say when the next update for this will be...but I'm sure it will be before a year has passed.
