The twins' mother didn't have a problem with her sons going out on a Monday night. She had caught them on the way down the stairs, questioning why they were coming back down again after saying they were going to bed. Kaoru didn't see why they would lie about where he and Hikaru were going. If she had said to march themselves back up to bed and forget the karaoke lounge, they would just sneak out again. Surprisingly, she only smiled and told them to be safe and have fun. Their father said the same thing after they recovered from the mini heart attack they had at his sudden and unexpected appearance. On the bright side, they didn't have to call for a cab to pick them up. The family driver drove them to the lounge and said they wouldn't need to call a cab for their return, he would wait on them.

Kaoru and Hikaru thanked him gratefully.

The two skipped into the large, multistory building taking the elevator to the fourth floor where the lounge was. Most of the host club was already there waiting on them. Tamaki ordered drinks and food beforehand. Apparently, Haruhi hadn't eaten yet and the King of the host club couldn't let that go. It was fine by Kaoru, he didn't mind snacking. The impressive spread on the short coffee table in between the padded benches gave a lot of options. He went for the spicy snacks. Though, the next thing he noticed was that Kyoya wasn't there. Hikaru had said he'd be? His unneeded worry sat very uncomfortably in his stomach, but he shook his head. He'd be there soon enough.

The group started off with some newly released songs. Hani-senpai took the mic first singing along to a love song, which he had dedicated to Reiko-san, his girlfriend. Reiko-san was a relatively new person in their group and while Hani-senpai was pretty serious about their relationship, the info still hadn't settled. When Hani first told everyone about him and Reiko, it was a shock. She was cute, and very doll-like, yet she was also apart of Nekozawa's black magic club. That was the biggest shock. How could Hani-senpai like someone from the black magic club ? Tamaki was still trying to wrap his head around it and Haruhi, someone who is patient and pretty accepting, was still unsure how she felt about them. She was supportive, but unsure of how to predict their relationship.

Hikaru and Kaoru couldn't help the laughter bubbling out of them. Of course, he would dedicate a love song to her. What made them start laughing was the fact that she wasn't even there to hear. It was awkward for lack of a better description and the other hosts' faces were priceless.

The fun started once the twins and Tamaki started taking their turns. Haruhi had her one and only turn while the rest of the boys tried to grit through it with a smile. It wasn't until about thirty minutes in when Kyoya finally showed. He slid the door open and looked quite troubled. He was pale, gritting his teeth as if he were steeling himself into opening the door. Kaoru couldn't help to do a once over of his form. He was wearing all black and Kaoru liked the way it contrasted against his skin.

Kyoya being as stoic as he was didn't let a lot show, but by the way he looked, Kaoru was questioning whether or not he was okay. Kyoya looked around the room, almost in a deadpan. His sweep stopped once at Kaoru. Kaoru felt the flames of embarrassment licking at his skin. Kyoya took in the makeup and hairstyle with hungry eyes. Kaoru could feel the delight of realizing that Kyoya really liked the look. He was worried that it might be too much makeup done in a too feminine way, but the heavy gaze and lingering look Kyoya had was enough of a reassurance.

The next time Kyoya's look around the room stopped was immediately after he tore his eyes off of Kaoru. He looked to Hikaru and his look of awe from Kaoru was replaced with one of the deadliest masks of fury Kaoru had ever seen in his life. Kyoya went from the doorway to Hikaru in the blink of an eye. Kyoya picked Hikaru up from his sitting position had him up against the wall, his fists were wrapped in Hikaru's collar, and in face was mere inches from Hikaru's face. Hikaru wasn't fighting in any way, his arms hung limply at his sides and he was laughing. Kyoya didn't say or do anything more than give him that cold look.

Tamaki, Mori and Hani all stood ready to rush to Hikaru's aid if Kyoya were to have gone further. Haruhi dropped one of the appetizer plates she had been moving and stood as well. A hush fell across the host club members other than Hikaru at the scene before them. Kaoru was still trying to catch up with it himself. He vaguely wondered what the other hosts were thinking, or if they too were in a state of shock.

Tamaki was brave enough to put a hand on Kyoya's shoulder. Kyoya didn't react to him, keeping his eyes on the still laughing Hikaru.

"Kyoya?" Tamaki kept his voice low and soft. He was prodding Kyoya to see what the reaction would be.

Everyone held their breath waiting for what would happen next. The room was completely silent once Hikaru's wheezy laughs died down, though he was still intermittently chuckling.

Kaoru, who had stood during the commotion as everyone else did, took a tentative step towards Hikaru. "What did you do, Hikaru?"

Hikaru's head snapped around to Kaoru and growled accusingly, "Me?"

Kyoya immediately dropped Hikaru onto the bench. He had calmed down a bit, but his hands were shaky as he put them in his coat pockets. He stole a quick look from Kaoru and left the room. Everyone stood completely still. No one rushed to Kyoya right away. Afterall, they were all trying to process what had just happened. Kaoru was trying to wrap his brain around why Kyoya had came, only to pause questioningly, rough up Hikaru, then leave all without a word.

Hikaru texted everyone separately . Kaoru began to put the pieces together. He quickly snatched Hikaru's phone from the table in front of them. He knew his twin's password and layout like it was his own. It was then he found out why Hikaru had texted everyone separately and not in the group chat like they would have normally done. He saw Hikaru's messages and picture he had sent Kyoya. His chest ached for a lot of different reasons. First, it ached for Kyoya, who must have felt played and, on a certain level, betrayed by Hikaru. Secondly, it ached from the knowledge that Hikaru would do such a thing. He understood his brother was perfectly capable of pulling a move like this. However, he was hoping Hikaru had grown up some more and wasn't acting like a child. Of course, what had occured said otherwise. Thirdly, Kaoru ached for his own selfish reasons. Why did this happen to him at that time? He hated feeling so sorry for himself. He chalked it up to having been so close to Kyoya and Hikaru, it was like he was in the crossfire of whatever little battle they were doing. He didn't want to be there and didn't want to be used like some sort of pawn for an advantage.

Hikaru saw Kaoru had his phone and pulled it ashamedly from his hands. He stuffed it into his pocket despite the fact that Kaoru had seen everything.

Kaoru wanted to punch him. He wanted to pull his hair and kick him. It was a familiar feeling, granted that they had fought physically before. Kaoru, however, had better self-control than Hikaru. So, he did the next best thing: go after Kyoya.

Kaoru bolted before anyone could make a move. He ran to the nearest stairwell just outside of the Karaoke's suite ad down the hallway. Bursting through the heavy door and onto the landing, he leaned over the railing looking down. Kyoya's head hung over the landing about a couple stories below. The inky black of his hair stuck out against the blue-gray metal railings. Once Kaoru reached that particular floor, he saw Kyoya bent over the railing, his hands curled into fists around the bar, knuckles white. His head bowed down low. Kaoru wasn't sure if he was so focused on whatever was bothering him that he hadn't heard Kaoru coming down the stairs.

Kaoru reached out a had to his shoulder like Tamaki had done earlier. However, he decided that Kyoya might not want to be touched. His hand faltered and eventually fell to his side. "Kyoya?"

"Kaoru, I'm sorry."

Kaoru didn't expect nor want an apology, actually something far from it. The only person he wanted to apologize was Hikaru.

"What? No . . . no, what Hikaru did wasn't your fault."

"I think the way I reacted says more about me than it does him." Kyoya looked around to Kaoru before turning away. "Kaoru, I made a promise to you that you were completely within your own discretion to be with anyone romantically or sexually if you so pleased. What I did . . . I almost broke that promise."

Kaoru didn't think of it like that. He only felt frustration with Kyoya for being so hard on himself. Kaoru had secretly been harboring a hatred for the promise. He wouldn't say it to Kyoya, but Kaoru just didn't see it the same as he did when they first started this relationship. It sounded like a good compromise, despite Kaoru being unsure of what they were compromising on exactly. He didn't want to bring it up to Kyoya for fear of upsetting him. Kaoru had been under the impression that Kyoya was placing that distance between them out of respect for each other's families. As late, though, Kaoru felt more confident in himself and wanted to take the next steps in their relationship. Maybe not something physical, definitely not coming out as that had way too much emotional baggage. Dating sounded nice. Being able to hang out romantically with Kyoya was what Kaoru fantasized about the most.

"I don't think of it that way," Kaoru responded honestly.

Kyoya shook his head, "Kaoru, I believed your brother, for starters. Then, went to where you were expecting to find you with someone else. Then, what? I can't answer that question myself. What would I have done if you were on a date with someone else?"

Kaoru was at a loss for words.

"Not to mention, it's possessive. I act like I'm already your significant other when I'm not."

Kyoya's words pierced Kaoru's heart and burned so cold like icicles. He was right, yet Kaoru didn't want him to be right. Kaoru wanted Kyoya to be his significant other regardless. Kyoya wasn't perfect and this was new to both of them, being jealous was expected somewhat. Couldn't Kyoya see that he wasn't in the wrong there?

"It's normal to feel that way. Especially after what Hikaru did. It's his fault and he should be the one apologizing."

Kyoya shook his head again, "It's not normal. Besides, I should amend what I said before. Even if I was your significant other, it would be wrong to act as I did."

Kaoru sighed, "You know, understanding this means that your already on the road to fixing it, right? Self-awareness doesn't happen to everyone when they make a mistake, even people as smart as you."

Kyoya turned his head enough to where Kaoru could see his small, tired smile on his lips. Kyoya didn't say anything to argue against Kaoru, but Kaoru had the feeling Kyoya wasn't being swayed by his words.

Possessiveness wasn't expected of Kyoya, Kaoru would admit. It made Kaoru bristle at the thought. Worryingly, he was caught between being happy for his dark knight and feeling sick at the consequences.

Kaoru wasn't going to argue with Kyoya. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Kyoya. Kyoya tensed for a fraction of a second with surprise before relaxing in Kaoru's hold. Kaoru's forehead was at the nape of Kyoya's neck. Sneakily, he pulled Kyoya's coat down enough with a hooked finger so he could brush his lips against it as he rose to the tips of his toes. The reaction was immediate; a full body shiver that Kaoru felt against him, a sigh, and the slow backwards tipping of Kyoya's head. The atmosphere shifted dramatically, becoming something charged.

"Don't." Kyoya pleaded. "I might do something rash."

Rash . Kyoya was always using formal language, pulling out dated words that really sounded out of place in the present moment. Kaoru smiled into Kyoya's back, pleased at how easily it was to pull at the threads of Kyoya's self control. It shouldn't have been so easy, honestly. Kyoya was unwaveringly aloof. He only expressed himself more freely around friends. However, this was amazing in Kaoru's eyes. He and Kyoya hadn't tread these waters since they had made their promise to each other. Being able to see and feel Kyoya in this way, well . . . Kaoru had a new appetite for him.

"Maybe you should do something rash?"

Kyoya's hands tightened on the railing. A slow steadying breath left Kyoya and Kaoru in tandem. Kyoya seemed to have gathered his courage and turned to Kaoru. Once facing him, Kaoru looked up to Kyoya's eyes and leaned into his slender form. Kaoru was wrapped in Kyoya's arms and brought in closer.

"Tempting as it may be . . ." Kyoya trailed off, however something had caught his eye.

A slow, cautious hand was brought to Kaoru face, gently touching the very top of his cheekbone. Kyoya's fingertips drifted around the area below the corner of his eye. Kaoru enjoyed the feather-light touches against his skin. He probably would have hummed his appreciation if Kyoya hadn't stop abruptly. He stopped as if he realized something after the fact. He pulled his hand away turning his palm to face him and inspecting his fingertips.

"Don't worry. I had a heavy coating of setting spray."

Kyoya hummed, "What is this?" He brought his finger back to the same spot on Kaoru's face following a streak of ethereal shine that graced the area.

"Highlighter." Kaoru breathed in English, then repeated in the borrowed Japanese even when he didn't need to, "Highlighter."

"It's beautiful."

Kaoru flushed. Kyoya's words always seemed to matter more at times like this. They always settled heavily on Kaoru's mind and burrowed deep to keep from forgetting them. He reached up to the hand that lingered on his face. Allowing his fingers to encircle Kyoya's wrist, Kaoru held himself steady with the contact.

"You prefer the shiny things."

Kyoya chuckled jokingly, "Only the shiny, nothing else."

Kaoru had a lopsided grin on his face. His heart was doing weird things inside him. It was like he was dazed, completely unaware of the raucous steps descending to where he and Kyoya were. Kyoya gently pushed him away, yet kept his hands on Kaoru's arms communicating that he still wanted to maintain contact but couldn't. Kaoru finally snapped out of his spell and swallowed the annoyance at whoever was coming down the stairwell. He desperately wanted to know what would have happened if he and Kyoya had just a little bit more time.

Kyoya let his hands fall slowly from Kaoru once they heard Hani-senpai's sing-song voice. They were at a friendly distance then, so that when Hani made the last turn and came into view they were standing as if they were having an ordinary conversation.

"Kyo-chan, Kao-chan? I came to see if everything was alright."

Kaoru faced Hani-senpai and nodded, "Yeah. We're both okay."

"Hika-chan won't tell us what happened and won't tell us why he won't tell us." Hani put both his hands to his face and gave the cutest frown.

Kaoru let out a silent breath of relief. At least Hikaru didn't tell everyone about him and Kyoya. "Hikaru said something to Kyoya that made him worry about us."

Kaoru didn't specify 'us' on purpose hoping Hani-senpai would assume he was talking about the club incorrectly. "Oh . . . Why would he do something so mean?"

"He thought it would be funny to see Kyoya-senpai's reaction."

Hani wore a very odd expression. It looked much too mature for his overly cute persona he usually wore. It was angry, disappointed, and sad.

"I overreacted," Kyoya suddenly spoke up, "I apologize."

Hani didn't look convinced. Kaoru knew that he could be perceptive, the thought made his stomach churn.

"Okay!" Hani-senpai finally chirped. "I think we should go back. Tama-chan wanted to finish the time left on the room to relax and talk."

Kyoya nodded and looked to Kaoru. "I'll return shortly."

Kaoru left begrudgingly with Hani. He knew if he had stayed with Kyoya it would have raised more suspicion than when he had ran after him. Though, he wanted to stay despite what his logical mind was telling him. His heart was compelled to remain at Kyoya's side and didn't much care for what others had to say about it. It was such a strong force as well, one that he could physically feel with each step he took up the stairs. It was so odd to experience so strongly. The only other times had experienced anything similar were when he was away from Hikaru. It was expected for him to feel that way, of course. Though, it was different from what he was feeling then. When Kaoru was apart from Hikaru, it was more of a panic and a feeling of loss. With Kyoya, it was a slow, heavy, and burning ache. It was quiet and discreet, but just as distracting.

He moped all the way up the stairs having that burning ache in his gut.

Is this what love was? Like true love?

The thought scared him more than he had realized. He knew love enough, or at least he thought he knew. Having all the emotional burdens that came with it was something entirely different. He swallowed back the anxiety rushing through him. He shouldn't feel anxious about this. There was nothing wrong with being a little wary with love, especially then with how new everything was to him. They were firsts for him and probably Kyoya. However, the terror that he had just felt was unnecessary. He cursed his stupid brain for not knowing what was truly a threat and what was benign.

Kaoru tried to settle whatever was shifting uncomfortably around in his stomach and took a few deep breaths. Hani-senpai turned upon hearing his sigh and smiled lightly. Kaoru reminded himself that he would have to play cheerful for tonight. The whole purpose of going out was to get some relief and not have to pretend in front of his friends. He wanted to forget for a few hours what was happening with school, the club, even him and Kyoya. It seems that Hikaru had ruined all of that.

.

.

.

.

Kyoya watched as Kaoru left with Hani-senpai. He waited until the door to the fourth floor has shut before he let out a growl of frustration. His hands found the railing again, curling tightly. His anger often came out as physical outbursts. It was one of his worst traits out of many terrible ones he thought he had. He believed he had learned or somehow inherited it from Yoshio Ootori himself. It was quite a grim thought to be had. In fact, Kyoya was probably the only Ootori to have it. Yuuichi was extremely patient even when angry, Akito only harbored cold fury and never used physicality to release his frustrations, and Fuyumi was much like Yuuichi though she was known to have wicked temper tantrums as a child. Kyoya's mother really didn't count on the list as Kyoya had never seen her angry. Granted, he didn't spend enough time with her to know. She traveled too often, especially after Kyoya was old enough to be taken care of by the Ootori staff and hired nannies.

He was the odd one out, ironically being the one with the most in common with their father out of all the Ootori children. The anger was just one of many. And oh, how did he want to let his anger control him and beat Hikaru to a pulp. Tamaki was once on the receiving end of Kyoya's anger. He was lucky too. Kyoya was ready to land the first punch, however Tamaki wasn't afraid and somehow was still able to see through Kyoya's anger. Kyoya believed Kaoru could do the same. When Kaoru had found him (miraculously pinpointing his location in a large building), Kyoya was able to calm down. He was almost back to normal until Hani-senpai came down. After Kaoru left, his sense of calm was lifted and he returned to his grumpy state.

Maybe I should see a therapist.

Kyoya doubted a therapist could ever help him. It wasn't a problem of emotional intelligence. He knew when he was upset, he knew how to calm down and think, and he knew how to react. Though, whenever people he cared about were involved, it got under his skin. He didn't see himself as some sort of protector, yet he was being overprotective. It simply wasn't his place to step into Kaoru's life as he did. He couldn't stop worrying himself over what might have happened if Kaoru was with someone else? He had entered the karaoke lounge asking for Hitachiin and the receptionist who looked a bit concerned for him only smiled and pointed him to the room. He had no idea what he could have been walking into. What would he have done?

He recalled a slight moment of clarity- in comparison to the blur of the car ride to the lounge and entering the building- when he opened the door to the room. Suddenly, everything became too surreal. As if standing there and seeing a normal and unassuming scene unfold before him was overwhelming. Kyoya knew that was where his control began to buckle. It was when the different compartments of his mind all began to put the pieces together to what had happened. However, they were all doing it at different paces and all came to the conclusion at different times. It was one blow after another. He was relieved to find Kaoru with friends. Kyoya didn't even want to think about Kaoru on a date with someone else besides him. It was quickly followed by confusion when Kyoya realized something was adding up. It wasn't until his eyes fell onto Hikaru that it all snapped into place. Hikaru sent those things to be purposely misleading. He tricked Kyoya.

Kyoya was hurt, surprisingly enough for him. He had been careful enough to keep some distance from people to avoid it. When it came to the host club, the amount of distance he kept was a dangerously undefined (and much smaller) amount. The club never did anything to hurt each other and so Kyoya hadn't needed to deal with the reality of his friendships. Even so, Hikaru had crossed a line. That much was certain and Kyoya wouldn't argue. However, Kyoya was probably never going to forgive his reaction. He was better than that and he was going to do better, he wouldn't accept anything less.

Kyoya let his head fall. He needed to go back upstairs, even he didn't want to. It wouldn't be the first or last time he would be doing something he didn't want to do all while putting a face on. He had to do it for Kaoru.

For Kaoru . Those two words were enough of a motivator to get Kyoya moving back up the stairs.

Before he knew it, Kyoya was at the sliding door to the room. He opened it to see the tension in the room had diffused. Tamaki was rambling on about something, the rest of the club was engaged, and everything seemed as it should. Kyoya was tempted to close the door and leave since his reappearance was bound to be awkward. It didn't seem like they needed him there anyways and certainly, no one needed the tension to come back. He thought he was only going to ruin the atmosphere. There wasn't enough time for him to close the door back when Kaoru's head whipped to Kyoya. Of course he had been waiting.

Kyoya would admit that seeing Kaoru's eyes light out every time he saw Kyoya was extremely gratifying. It was enough for Kyoya to take a step through the doorway.

"Glad you could make it," Tamaki grinned. "I thought we could make this impromptu meeting productive. We were talking about our next event."

Kyoya was relieved at the change in subject. Perhaps it wouldn't be so awkward when everyone was focused on club activities and not on what happened earlier. The room's atmosphere was significantly lighter, something closer to what it would in one of their meetings in Music Room #3. Seeing Kaoru, as well as everyone else, pleased to see him (well, except Hikaru who looked guilty) had already lifted so much off his shoulders. Kyoya felt they might be angry with him at how he responded, even vindictive for Hikaru and judgmental. He knew his friends would never be so fickle, yet there was always that fear. Kyoya had known them for about three and a half to four years now. They were all closer to each other than their own respective families. And despite that time period being relatively short, they had gone through so much and have bonded so much more strongly because of it. How could he have ever thought they would push him away because of a stupid scuffle?

"Oh, really?" Kyoya shed his coat and sat down next to Tamaki. He crossed his legs and laid the coat neatly over his lap.

The twins groaned in unison, "Yeah, we thought we had this time off but apparently not."

"Oh c'mon, it's fun talking about the club." Tamaki pouted.

"I find it annoying," Hikaru started and Kaoru added, " I find it stressful."

"It doesn't have to be! I mean think about how fun a trip would be!"

Hikaru and Kaoru leaned into one another, arms crossed, and unamused expressions in place. Kyoya would have to agree with the twins on that particular point. Trips on the surface may appear fun and refreshing (cue a sudden and slightly off-putting flashback to Karuizawa and Misuzu-san), however they take a toll in more ways than one. Kyoya often tried to reign the King back on his wild ideas of travel since there were plenty and came at the most unexpected or inopportune times. Trying to handle Tamaki in the middle of one of his rants was the annoying part. The stressful part came in with all the red tape around traveling. There were plenty of forms Ouran required on their end. Of course, if the club did fly internationally, it would mean more paperwork. Thankfully Haurhi was never in the mood to obtain a passport in the time she had been in the club. It cut down on the work, but there were reservations and dining to worry about. Not to mention any sort of itinerary that Kyoya might have to make up or rely on a tour for.

If Tamaki could have it his way, the club might be indefinitely traveling, barring exams when he would actually want to sit somewhere quietly and study. Kyoya could only imagine the hell he would be experiencing if that were the case. He entertained the idea that if hell were real, that would be his personal one. He laughed to himself at the thought.

"I don't think we have the funds to do another trip." Kyoya sighed. "If anything we should probably try a fundraiser-donation event."

"Do we really need to?" Haruhi asked sipping her drink through a bright orange straw.

"It would be best to. The school's budget is being cut because a lot of parents are not very happy with the school's frivolous spending."

Haruhi looked irritated muttering, "Frivolous spending is an understatement."

Kyoya continued on ignoring Haruhi's comment, "A lot of the parents who sponsor school events, or are patrons to the school in general, are looking for Ouran to spend their money in better ways. Unfortunately for us, it meant that the school cut a lot of the funding for social clubs and activities."

"Why? Aren't they the most popular?" Haruhi asked.

Kyoya nodded, "They are. However, they don't bring a lot of money in. In fact, they cost money. The host club is one of the most expensive clubs, outside of the student newspaper. And they aren't even in the social category technically and soon enough they will be switching to being completely online with no physical prints. It will surely cut the amount they spend."

"We've been really lucky." Tamaki pinched the bridge of his nose. "My father has a lot of sway and has helped the club out a lot. But, he can only push so far."

"Exactly. We have enough in our account currently to take a trip, but it will completely empty our pockets. I'd rather have some cushioning for projects later on." Kyoya tapped the corner of his glasses. "However, I have a plan."

The entire club, who appeared gloomy with news of cut funding, instantly perked up at Kyoya's words.

Tamaki grabbed Kyoya's shoulder and shook him playfully, "Of course you have a plan, genius."

"I got the idea when Hikaru made the cup of coffee for me today." The corner of Kyoya's mouth quirked upwards.

Mori-senpai's eyebrows raised, "Coffee?"

"If Hikaru was proficient enough at steeping it manually, we could capitalize on it."

Hikaru munched on a potato chip from the spread before them aggressively, "Hell no."

"Why not?" Kaoru turned to his twin. "Don't you want to participate?"

"I do but- . . ." Hikaru rubbed his neck. His eyebrows were drawn together in thought and his silence stretched on for a long time.

"Don't tell me your embarrassed by it?"

"No-no, it's not that!" Hikaru stammered. "I just don't know if I can do it in front of everybody."

Kaoru was gobsmacked. "You're kidding me?"

Hikaru's face reddened substantially. He picked up another chip and took a small bite out of it.

Kyoya couldn't lie, he had a sick enjoyment watching Hikaru get embarrassed. It was something he looked forward to when anyone had been rude to him, or outright disrespectful. Even with the desire to physically lash out, Kyoya was still aristocracy and what the aristocracy did best was delight on the petty. It was endlessly pleasing to him. Absolutely sadistic in the simplest ways.

"Hikaru, we perform as a part of being a host!" Kaoru cried. "How is this any different?"

"I don't know. I think I might just spill boiling hot water everywhere."

Kaoru rolled his eyes and turned to Kyoya, "How about I do it with him?"

Kyoya thought about it. He didn't see why not, he was about to say so when Mori-senpai unexpectedly spoke up. "I'll do it."

Certainly, the night was full of surprises.

Hani-senpai gasped in delight. He hunched his shoulders and shook his hands in the air excitedly. "You should, Takeshi!"

Mori seemed quite pleased with the affirmation and Hani didn't sit still, continuing his little happy dance after the club continued continued on.

"Well, I guess I could do it with Mori-senpai." Hikaru removed his hand from his neck and crossed his arms.

"That settles that," Tamaki waved a finger, "So what's the theme exactly? A cafe theme?"

"Indeed." Kyoya reached into his coat pocket for his phone to look at his notes. "I've been looking looking into uniforms to rent for the occasion. I think something mixed between a Victorian butler and a high-end waiter would suffice."

Tamaki did his signature raised brow, his hand forming an 'L' where is chin sat. "Excellent taste, my friend. I say such wear would look great set in a casual fine dining atmosphere."

Kyoya understood what Tamaki was visualizing. Tamaki went on rattling ideas out while Kyoya made a mental note of them. The problem was timing. Exams were coming up and club traffic would be down significantly. There was only about a week-long window where they could manage, though it would be pushing it since it was the week after next.

"I think you may want to downsize your vision."

Tamaki screeched, "Why?"

Kyoya pushed his glasses as they slipped down his nose. He turned to Tamaki once more and gave him a tired smile, "Exams are coming up soon and we don't have so much time to plan as we normally do."

Tamaki puffed out his cheeks and hugged himself tightly. In Kyoya's opinion, what Tamaki had in mind would be wonderfully decadent as well as comforting. A roleplay of a warm and inviting cafe during this time of year was sure to bring in great revenue. Additionally, the host club's ability to create high quality experience with costumes and props to match, it was sure to be so well received that the club might have to schedule another cafe event.

"It will be a test run," Kyoya offered, "and we'll be able to do a full event after term resumes in January."

Tamaki glanced at Kyoya from the corner of his eye before looking back to Haruhi, Hikaru, and Kaoru across the table. "Alright."

Kyoya let the small smile slip from his lips. Though, from across the table, Kaoru's eyes lingered on his mouth. Kyoya felt the same warmth flood him as when Kaoru kissed the nape of his neck. Kyoya could still feel them there, barely brushing and as soft as a whisper. Reliving the moment was almost enough to make him slip back into his thoughts, or more accurately his fantasies. He was able to pull himself out before he was in too deep. At that point, Kaoru eyes flicked back up to Kyoya's. Kaoru must have thought Kyoya wasn't looking or paying attention when he started staring. He quickly flustered and turned away. Kyoya thought he couldn't be more precious.