AN: I realize that a lot of my formatting has been lost with copying and pasting so there are no italics where there should be. I'm too lazy to fix it now, sorry :/ I'd assume that most of the meaning is still in tact . . . anyways I apologize again! Also this story does have a few possible triggers and there will be some warning in the future when that does happen, nothing too crazy though. Also this chapter is where things get *slightly* heated. Have fun!
Kyoya left the karaoke lounge early because he knew leaving so suddenly on a weeknight would stir up trouble. He had to somehow explain it to his father. As much as he wanted to head straight for his room, he knew he would have to go to his father's study. And as he expected, the family chauffeur told Kyoya his father wanted a word with him. Kyoya's stomach knotted uncomfortably with nerves. He had sat through plenty of lectures in his lifetime, one more was a drop in a very full bucket.
The study was probably the room where Yoshio spent most of his time outside his work and home offices. He had made it a place to do work in a more relaxed environment, technically he was 'off the clock' but he continued to pour over documents, studies, and textbooks. Yoshio took it to heart that one never stopped learning and thus, he never did. Truly, there wasn't a professional field that was done expanding its boundaries. It was usually in his study where he continued to learn, but more often than not he was finishing what he hadn't accomplished in a normal day's worth of work.
The room was smaller than his home office yet contained most of Yoshio's library. On the bookshelves that lined two of the walls, there were plenty of academic journals, novels, and of course textbooks. In fact, Yoshio had kept Yuuichi's books from when he was in medical school. In the corner behind the door, there were a few filing cabinets for old documents and on top, a small frame which held a photo of Kyoya's parents on their wedding day. The room was fairly tidy and organized, however since it was more private room Yoshio didn't care to keep his papers in neat stacks or all of his pens in a holder.
When Kyoya walked in through the already open door, he found his father at the desk that sat against the wall. He was in his casual clothing, something Kyoya rarely ever saw, and reading something online. Kyoya was still taking in the sweater vest and the slacks when his father noticed his entrance.
"Come, sit."
Kyoya took to the wingback armchair sitting next to Yoshio's desk.
"I heard you went to the Karaoke lounge." Kyoya's father said placidly. "You left rather suddenly?"
Kyoya swallowed discomfort and embarrassment. He couldn't imagine what he looked like flying out the door, one hand holding his coat and the other with his phone calling for the car. "I had thought something more . . . concerning had happened."
"At a karaoke lounge?"
Kyoya knew he shouldn't turn away. His father's gaze was intense and he needed to endure it for just a little longer. The problem was he didn't have a response, so he ended up folding.
He heard a sigh from his father before he heard the desk chair moving. Kyoya turned his head back to his father and found that he was now directly in front of Kyoya. Yoshio had his hands folded in his lap and was leaning back into his chair. There was an air of encouragement that put Kyoya's nerves on edge. His father never encouraged any sort of open conversation before. Kyoya had a feeling his father was trying to connect to him in some manner.
"I've been talking to Hitachiin Yuzuha-san," Yoshio commented, "and she agreed to design me a custom suit for the next banquet at the hospital."
Kyoya nodded and pretended to care about the words. What he was worried about was the meaning behind them, the context. He knew Yuzuha-san wouldn't say anything about her and Kyoya's previous conversations. However, he also knew she wouldn't lie to Yoshio if he asked a direct question about Kaoru.
"I asked her if she had known our sons were spending a great amount of time with each other. She told me she was aware."
Kyoya kept his mind intentionally blank. If anything, he thought about Kaoru's flustered expression when Kyoya caught him staring at his lips.
"I wouldn't want to make any assumptions about your relationship with the Hitachiin boy," Yoshio didn't meet Kyoya's eye which was interesting, "but I would like you to explain it to me honestly."
This was what Kyoya worried about. This exact situation he had been putting off in his head, sitting it far back in the recesses of his mind so he didn't have to think about it. He was being foolish to think his father wouldn't ask eventually. However, he was stuck in this situation and had to say something. He knew lying wouldn't go over well and telling the truth would mean giving his father an advantage; an advantage to how the conversation would end, how Kyoya would proceed in the future. Kyoya didn't want to give anything up to Yoshio. Certainly, he wouldn't give up Kaoru.
"We're close friends. We share plenty of interests including the host club and a large friend group." Kyoya listed off carefully, dancing around the heart of the matter. "He's helped me tremendously with projects for the club and I returned the favor in terms of helping him with coursework. Kaoru-kun has been a confidant in personal matters . . ."
Yoshio had closed his eyes while he listened to Kyoya. With Kyoya trailing off, a wistful smile appeared. "'Friends.'" Yoshio echoed.
Kyoya kept his mouth shut. He wasn't going to lie and respond, ' friends, just friends .' However, Kyoya also wasn't going to give Yoshio a direct answer even if it would annoy him.
"Kyoya, if I'm going to assume you and Kaoru are friends. From what I've gathered-" Yoshio reached to his desk and pulled out photos. "I would find this odd for a strictly platonic partnership."
Kyoya took the photos, mindful to keep his hands from shaking. Kyoya recognized the top shots of the stack were directly off the club website or social media accounts. Kyoya gazed at the group photo taken in their renaissance outfits. There were multiple shots uploaded of this particular grouping. Some were silly and others serious. Of the five total taken, there was just one shot that showed the club breaking up and walking off. The main subject of the photo was to capture Tamaki slipping, his body mid-fall. Kyoya was sure almost everyone would have focused on Tamaki. Even the other hosts in the photo were doing other entertaining things candidly. From Mori in the process of sneezing, Hani's face morphing into shock watching the King take a plunge, and Haruhi scowling, it was simply a memorable photo.
There was just one thing that was out of place. Kaoru was at the edge of the photo looking back to Kyoya. Under any other circumstances, it would have been seen as just a coincidence that Kaoru was looking to Kyoya. Most of the viewers if the photos hadn't even noticed Kaoru, if the comments were anything to go by as Kyoya monitored them. Yet, between Kaoru's reddened cheeks and Kyoya's responding smirk obviously meant for Kaoru, it was hard to explain what about that small exchange caught on camera was platonic.
Kyoya shuffled to the next photo. This one was a screenshot pulled directly from the Ootori's home security footage. It was dated from when Kaoru had visited a while back, the night Kyoya went to the gala. It showed them standing for just a moment in the fourier together, a stupid smile plastered on both their faces and Kaoru's hand on Kyoya's arm. The next was a similar scene, but a different date. It was after Kaoru had visited so Kyoya could give him the broken tablet. Kyoya had accompanied him to the door and had stepped closer than what would have been considered friendly. Kyoya remembered he had whispered 'be careful' to Kaoru. The words were harmless, but the distance between the two and the soft gaze Kaoru had with his simpering upturned lips were even more damning.
The last bit of the stack were text receipts, quite a few of them. Kyoya read just the first line of the first page and felt his stomach lurch:
Oh, really? How about deep, passionate, intimate compliments? Does it suit your Shadow King better?
He knew better. There was no explanation for his sloppy work. This could have been avoided if Kyoya had actually took precautions to prevent it. However, he also didn't really want to hide his relationship with Kaoru. Even with the consequences and the promise Kyoya and Kaoru agreed on, he still wanted to be in a normal relationship. Maybe this was the work of self-sabotage. Regardless, he couldn't read the rest of the text messages, not with how they made his stomach turn.
He sat the stack on his lap and peered at his father wearily. "What do you want me to say?"
"The truth, as I've asked before."
Kyoya mulled over his thoughts once more. He decided that not giving Yoshio a direct answer might make things worse in the long-run, even if his spiteful attitude said to do otherwise. "Kaoru and I aren't in a defined relationship." Kyoya grimaced. "What you've seen has been the extent of our relationship. Not platonic, but not fully romantic and not . . . sexual."
His father was quiet for a long time. Kyoya hoped Yoshio believed him. There was an underlying tendency in Yoshio to simply disregard what a person was saying if they were completely honest.
"Interesting."
Kyoya hated that response. He want to vault off the chair and find something to do less humiliating than this conversation. There was a small desire to spit that word at his father and ask him what was so interesting about his relationship with Kaoru anyhow? He knew insolence wouldn't be tolerated so he kept his lips clamped shut.
"I'll have to admit I'm surprised," Yoshio leaned to the side against the armrest. He placed a bent arm there and rested his head on his hand, "I had predicted you would have found a partner sooner than this."
Kyoya was experiencing the same clusterfuck he felt when Yuuichi spoke with him. However, this time he was in better control of his outward appearance. He chalked it up to practice.
"I don't mind your relationship with Kaoru-kun or any of the aspects of it." His smile was cordial, something akin to Kyoya's when he was hosting. "Just as I would advise you if you were dating anyone else, be sensible in public. I wouldn't enjoy seeing pictures of you two in a tabloid."
Kyoya wasn't sure how to respond. It was a miracle if Yoshio was being completely serious. Kyoya half-wondered if this was a trick meant to lure Kyoya out of his comfort zone. Though, Kyoya asked anyways, "You're not upset?"
"No, I'm not upset." Yoshio rubbed his chin thoughtfully before adding, "In this context, I don't care much for knowing others' desires and who they find attractive. I've felt never disgusted by it nor did I feel as though I should be. To me, there really isn't much difference between a heterosexual and a homosexual relationship. The only problem I see with homosexual relationships is not being able to have biological children."
"Of course," Kyoya said flatly.
This made Yoshio chuckle. "I only wish to see the Ootori family prosper. As it stands, I have two married children with the capability to have children when they're ready. Akito, once he's found someone suitable, will be with Yuuichi and Fuyumi."
Kyoya heard the unspoken alternative: if you were my only child, I wouldn't have been so accepting. It is only admissible now as it doesn't interfere with my plans for the family.
"I know Kaoru-kun is a talented young man." Yoshio stood from his chair. "Yuzuha-san has high hopes for him."
Kyoya wanted scoff. He knew his father didn't particularly care about whether or not Yuzuha-san had high hopes for Kaoru. His father rarely believed others' words, preferring to see for himself. As always, Kyoya stayed quiet and didn't argue. He stood allowing his father to see him out. Thank God, because he didn't know if he could withstand that anymore.
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Haruhi, Hikaru, and Kaoru left their classroom for lunch. The trio chatted about the previous class, going over some of the topics as they walked. They exchanged questions and answers casually as they descended to the lunch room. They didn't get very far before Hikaru started cracking inappropriate jokes to distract, both Kaoru and Haruhi told him to shut it. Hikaru smirked and crossed his arms behind his head.
They were planning on studying together sometime between then and examination week. Haruhi had been less than thrilled at the aspect of studying with the twins. To be fair, Kaoru knew that it would be hard to stay focused on their notes. It was very rare to spend time with Haruhi outside of school including club and he feared it would just end up with the three talking off-topic. As if they had met up to hang out casually instead of studying. Secretly, he hoped Haruhi would keep them on track, even if it would be a burden on her and take away from her time studying. He frowned at the thought.
"What's wrong?" Hikaru fell into step with Kaoru, letting Haruhi walk further ahead on her own.
"Do you think we should study with Haruhi?" Kaoru it his lip. "I don't want to waste her time."
"I'm planning on just studying. I don't want to waste her time either."
"Still . . ."
The halls started to fill up quickly with the sudden influx of students all heading to the cafeteria. The twins merged into the crowd and walked through the doorway into the large room. A lot of people had already grabbed a tray or something quick to eat and headed off to a study room or the library. Kaoru briefly noted how empty and quiet the cafeteria was than usual.
Hikaru smirked evilly, "Would you rather study with Kyoya?"
"Actually, I wouldn't mind it," Kaoru rolled his eyes, "but if you hadn't noticed, he isn't in our class. It would totally be a waste of time for him."
"He's helped you before with German? I don't see why you can't? Besides, I know that Kyoya would probably ace all of his exams without studying."
The twins stepped in line, a few people behind Haruhi. Kaoru angrily took a tray out of the stack and turned to his brother. "Let Kyoya be the judge of that."
"What am I judging?"
Both Hikaru and Kaoru jumped at Kyoya's unexpected appearance. He stood out of line beside the twins, arms crossed, and looking tired. Kaoru saw sleepless night written in his expression.
"Nothing." Kaoru responded quickly, annoyance coating his words. "What brings you to the cafeteria?"
Kyoya rarely ate lunch at Ouran. When Kaoru first started highschool, he noticed the rest of the host club but Kyoya ate together. Tamaki had explained that Kyoya was too busy reading or studying to sit and have lunch, much to the blond's displeasure. It had always been that way since middle school, as far Tamaki could say. To see Kyoya there was already drawing attention from some of the host club's clients. The girls spoke in hushed tones and giggled, stealing glances at the Shadow King. Kyoya completely ignored it.
"You." Kyoya answered. "I need to speak with you."
Kaoru's mind spiralled into a million different scenarios, though Hikaru's voice paused his internal panicking for a moment.
"Well, what is it?"
Kyoya growled, "It's none of your business. Kaoru?"
Kaoru stepped out of line and joined Kyoya. Hikaru's mouth opened as if to say something, but Kaoru cut him off. "Stay out of it, for me. Please ."
Hikaru ran a hand through his dark hair. He wanted to protect, Kaoru knew. However, Kaoru had drawn the line. Where Kyoya was concerned, a lot of things were kept from Hikaru. It still bothered Kaoru to a certain extent, especially when he was involved but there were things Hikaru didn't need to know.
Without a response, Kaoru touched Kyoya's elbow and nodded. They left the cafeteria.
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Kyoya and Kaoru grabbed their coats and ventured outside for whatever talk Kyoya needed to have. Kaoru tried to withhold any feelings of panic until after he had heard what Kyoya had to say. It was easier to calm himself when the cold winter air hit his face. He took deep breaths savoring the icy burn he felt in his chest.
Ouran's campus was as neatly kept as always. However, the weather had done its damage on the flora. Technically it wasn't winter yet, but it surely was cold enough. The once green trees were leafless, nothing but dull brown twigs pointing towards a gray sky. The perfectly manicured bushes mirrored the trees. The grass was also an ugly brown having died sometime between the end of September and the middle of October. The flowers had all but wilted and been pulled by the groundskeepers.
It used to make Kaoru sad seeing the bleak, cold landscape. He didn't mind the cold, but the lack of color and the short days were terrible.
Kaoru tore his eyes off the spanning gardens in front of him to Kyoya. Kaoru admired his pale skin and dark hair, a combination he was sure to never grow tired of. Kyoya looked great against the washed-out background. The black of his hair against the cloud-filled sky was like inky satin against steel-colored wool. Kaoru imagined the textures under his hands and sighed. Kyoya stole a glance from the side.
"That was a pretty heavy sigh?"
Kaoru didn't lie. "I was admiring your hair."
Kyoya was happily baffled. His lips quirked up with amusement.
"It's so dark," Kaoru's voice dropped with a flush, "against your skin and the sky."
Kyoya hummed contentedly. Kaoru suspected Kyoya was pleased at his words and perhaps his reaction to admitting them. Kaoru couldn't help but blush harder. If anyone asked about his red face, he'd blame it on the chilly air.
They continued to walk until they reached the rose garden. The bushes were still somewhat green like they were trying to hang on and continue blooming. Though, the vast majority were turning a dark brown. The two of them ventured deeper into the maze-like garden until they found the stone gazebo nestled into the hedges. They sat down at the small table inside.
"Kaoru . . . I don't know exactly how to start this." Kyoya began. "I don't want you to be worried, truly. Though, I know you will be."
It was rocky, but Kyoya was careful with his words. Kaoru took them to heart. He stood by his earlier resolve to stay calm until after Kyoya spilled the beans.
"After I left the lounge last night, my father sat me down and . . ." Kyoya's mouth twisted. "He had photos of us, text messages we've sent to each other, and I-I should've known that he'd look."
Kaoru was suddenly numb. All he could feel was a much greater chill rushing down his spine. He supposed he should have seen this coming as well. They weren't careful when they were around each other. They didn't try to hide their messages. Kaoru let his head fall.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize, Kaoru." Kyoya reached for Kaoru's hand under the table and squeezed gently. "I should have been the one to be more proactive."
Kaoru looked up to Kyoya from under his eyelashes, "What did he say?"
"Nothing. He didn't seem all too concerned."
Kaoru's head snapped up, "No fucking way."
"Yes, fucking way." Kyoya said fully intending the sarcasm in mimicking Kaoru's tone.
At first, Kaoru snorted as Kyoya surprised a burst of laughter out of him. He tried to reign in the bubbling giggles that were fighting to be released. It was like a pot boiling over. Eventually, he lost the battle to his giggles. His hand clapped over his mouth, eyes wide as he fully started to heave with laughter. He hoped Kyoya didn't think he had lost it. Though, as he watched Kyoya, Kaoru realized the same thing started to happen to Kyoya. Amazingly, Kyoya started to break into laughter as well. They were both lunatics, Kaoru decided. It was the first time Kaoru had heard Kyoya laugh like this. Of course, he had heard him chuckle before. There were a few times when he was with Tamaki that he might have had a proper laugh. What Kyoya was doing then was loud and bright . It filled Kaoru with warmth.
They ended up pressed against one another. Kaoru put his head on Kyoya's shoulder and Kyoya, in turn, laid his head on top of Kaoru's. Kaoru didn't know how long they stayed like that. Whenever they were together time seemed to simultaneously speed up and slow down, so Kaoru was ever really sure. There were moments that could stretch a lifetime, like when they made the promise. Kyoya bent over him, mouth at his ear, and Kaoru wasn't able to do anything. Kyoya waited for a beat, just a small amount of time in reality, Kaoru felt it stretch to last a lifetime before Kyoya spoke to him. Other times, often when he was at the Ootori estate, it seemed as if he really wasn't there for very long despite the clock telling he had been there for hours. Time with Kyoya was different than time with anyone else.
"What are we going to do?" Kaoru asked. He didn't want to break the moment, but it had to come to an end eventually.
"The same as we've been doing. At least, we don't have to worry about my family." Kyoya still had his hand on Kaoru's. Kaoru felt two quick pulses from Kyoya. "For now."
"Do you think your father will change his mind?"
"He might if it suits him better."
Kaoru heaved a heavy sigh, "I thought we could . . . start dating?"
"Officially?" Kyoya looked down at Kaoru.
"Yeah, but-" Kaoru sat up and pulled away from Kyoya so he could face him, "I'm not so sure now."
Kyoya nodded and looked away. He decided something his head after a few seconds of thought. "Would you like to continue as we were or go back to being strictly friends?"
"Keep the promise?" Kaoru felt childish. His words were rushed and whiny as if he were crying about losing his stuffed animal.
"If you want to." Kyoya proposed, "I would like to keep the promise even if you want to replace some of the distance between us."
Kaoru nodded vigorously. He then returned to Kyoya's side and pressed harder against him. This wasn't replacing distance, he knew. He wanted to experience the close physical contact while he could, because soon enough it'd be gone. It was taking the last sip of water in a drought and Kaoru was sure as hell not going to let it go to waste.
"Can we- Could we . . . ?" Kaoru fought for the correct wording, "seal the promise? We never did ' make it official , ' " Kaoru did air-quotations, "and maybe this is the perfect time. Now that we actually have to stick to it."
Kaoru felt Kyoya's chuckle through his and Kyoya's coat. He set out to memorize how it felt and sounded through the layers. It was very soft against Kaoru's cheek, barely noticeable. Yet, it sounded deep and muffled to the ear pressed against Kyoya's shoulder.
Kyoya shifted a little and brought a hand to Kaoru's face, gently drawing circles with his thumb on Kaoru's cheek. "What did you have in mind?"
Kaoru knew what he wanted and flushed all the more for his incredible decisiveness. "A k-kiss."
He stumbled over the consonant. It was for his own ears to hear and he cringed at how much he sounded like a stupid lovestruck highschooler. It was also pretty lame asking Kyoya for a kiss when most things came naturally with Kyoya. At least, Kaoru never had to worry about how to approach emotional conversations, physical contact, or anything else in their relationship. They communicated well verbally and non-verbally which made a huge difference. Any of Kaoru's previous encounters with partners were often too tense to have open communication. Kaoru knew Kyoya and therefore, he was much more comfortable speaking to Kyoya about his thoughts and letting them show. Afterall, their relationship started when Kaoru asked Kyoya to be someone he could talk to and Kyoya accepted. Though, it was still hard to try for something new. Kaoru hated asking then since after they left that rose garden, they had to act more closely to what they used to be: only friends. It was a tease, a little taste of something they couldn't have again for a while.
But damn, if Kaoru wasn't already frustrated with the teasing between them. The times when they were so close to brushing lips had made it even worse. He only wanted to know how it felt to kiss the Shadow King.
At the request, Kyoya's thumb stopped moving. It pulled a groan deep from his throat, "Kaoru."
"I'm sorry. If you don't want to, we don't have to."
"I never said that."
Kaoru pressed his lips together anxiously, but also giddily. "I don't want to wait."
"Impatient Hitachiin, you're predictable." It had no bite, spoken reverently like he was paying Kaoru a compliment.
Kaoru buried his grin into Kyoya's shoulder. He missed the banter. They've both been so busy most of their conversations revolved around school and club. The sharp decline in poorly veiled flirting had Kaoru achingly missing it.
"Kyoya," He didn't know what else to say. The name was spoken comfortably in his mouth and fit the pleading he was trying to convey. Please, please, please .
Kyoya lifted Kaoru's head using a bent finger under his chin, their faces brought closer together. Kaoru smiled coyly at the faint blush dusted across Kyoya's cheeks. He was proud that he was the one who put it there.
"Troublesome and impatient."
"I know you like it," Kaoru said cheekily.
Kyoya growled. Kaoru shivered as he felt it through his side as Kyoya ensured the entire length of their bodies touched. His hand slipped from Kaoru's and latched itself firmly on the inside of Kaoru's thigh. Kaoru eyes shut without his permission as his body processed the different sensations. He didn't think he could handle seeing whatever expression Kyoya wore. Not when Kyoya's grip tightened slightly and Kaoru felt the warmth radiating from Kyoya's palm while the ends of his fingers were chilled. It was too close to a certain area . . .
"Kaoru."
Kaoru opened his eyes at his name. Kyoya's gaze was intense, if not terrifyingly adoring. Kaoru skin burned, his face felt numb, and he forgot what he had asked for. How could he focus when Kyoya looked like he was about to devour him?
Then, Kyoya leaned in slowly. Kaoru's heart stuttered and his head swam. Again, he wondered how Kyoya had such control over his body's reactions. The thought was swiftly cut off by Kyoya's lips. His eyes slipped shut once more and a sigh escaped him. The kiss was light, sweet, and short. Nothing but a simple brush of their lips. Kaoru's chest hurt over how delicate it was and how soft Kyoya's lips were.
Kyoya pulled back a little to see Kaoru's beet red complexion. "Our promise is sealed."
Kaoru hummed in agreement. His mouth didn't want to cooperate to actually answer Kyoya. There were a few seconds filled with silence.
"Maybe one more to be certain?" Kyoya was already leaning in and this time, Kaoru met him half-way.
Their second kiss was a lot longer and both put more pressure into it. Kaoru angled his head to get a little bit closer to Kyoya. The hand Kyoya had used to tilt Kaoru's face earlier slid back to Kaoru's cheek then to his hair. Kaoru groaned as long fingers threaded through and pulled gently. Kaoru's hands roamed as if they had a mind of their own. They reached for Kyoya's trunk and went inside Kyoya' unbutton coat. They slid past his uniform's blazer. Unfortunately, as much as his hands wanted skin-to-skin contact, Kyoya's button up shirt was tucked tightly into his slacks. Kaoru made do running his hands up and down Kyoya's sides over the thin cotton barrier.
They parted again to catch their breaths before they crashed together another time.
The third kiss was uncontrolled, messy, and hot. Kaoru couldn't get enough. His lips numbed with the amount of pressure. Surely, they would bruise. He felt hotter at the thought of walking back into class with messy hair and dark lips, knowing Kyoya would look the same.
Kyoya switched arms. Using the one that had brought his hand to Kaoru's face, he pulled the thigh his other hand was holding into his lap. The hand that had held Kaoru's thigh went to guide Kyoya's arm around Kaoru's body pulling them even closer. Kaoru ended up with his leg bent and propped up on the curved bench they were sitting on. He was almost sitting in Kyoya's lap with both of their trunks twisted so that their chests met. Kyoya absentmindedly ran his hand up and down Kaoru's thigh that crossed over his body.
Kyoya growled again. This time, Kaoru's mouth caught it and Kaoru couldn't be more pleased with how it felt. He smiled into their many subsequent kisses.
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Kyoya and Kaoru barely made it back to class in time. Kaoru had to make a shortcut through Ouran's large auditorium, pass through the upstairs prop and costume room, and down the hallway to his classroom. On his way, a few students noticed his appearance gave questioning looks as he rushed past.
When Hikaru saw him, slightly disheveled and lips swollen, he glowered. He had been sitting on top of Kaoru's desk waiting for him. Haruhi, sitting in the desk in between Hikaru and Kaoru's, had her nose in a book and couldn't be bothered to look up.
"So you skipped an hour-long lunch to make-out with him?" Hikaru whispered harshly as Kaoru slid by him.
"And?" Kaoru mirrored Hikaru's tone. "We didn't just make-out."
Hikaru contemplated saying anything more as Kaoru took a seat. He dropped whatever he was thinking about, sighed and left to sit at his own desk. Haruhi, curious about the quiet and tense interaction between the twins, looked up. Her eyes fell on Kaoru's face and her eyes widened. Kaoru caught her stare and she quickly went back to her book. Did he really look that bad?
Kaoru pulled out his phone and opened the camera. He inwardly groaned at his appearance. Back when he had his lips locked with Kyoya's, being seen like this was a huge turn on. Now that he was experiencing it, he only was embarrassed. Kyoya wasn't any better. Kaoru saw the matching bruised lips when they stood in the garden just a few minutes longer trying to hang on to the moment for as long as possible. Though, Kyoya's lips didn't darken nearly as bad as Kaoru's.
His phone buzzed with a text message.
Kyoya: You know we have club today
Kaoru almost screamed in frustration. Instead, he hit his head against his desk. He had forgotten that they would have to spend almost three more hours entertaining girls.
"Kaoru?" Haruhi leaned over. "I don't mean to be nosy, but are you okay?"
Kaoru wanted to tell Haruhi. More than ever, he wanted to tell her everything. She would probably listen better and be more mature than Hikaru. She would also keep whatever they spoke about between them. She could be trusted. Though, he still needed to speak to Kyoya about it. Kaoru needed to know if Kyoya was okay with Haruhi knowing.
"I'm fine," Kaoru said weakly. "Don't worry about me."
Kaoru quickly typed a message to Kyoya.
Kaoru: end me
Kyoya: Tamaki didn't notice
Kaoru: holy shit how?
Kyoya: He's absorbed in trying to figure out how to ask Haruhi on a date*
Kaoru: haha of course
"Are you sure?" Haruhi said leaning back into her seat. "It looks like someone tried to suck your lips off."
Haruhi looked as uncomfortable saying that as Kaoru was having to hear it. He sighed, "I know I think we got carried away."
"So, you were . . . you know?" Haruhi was trying to be sensitive and it was adorable. "I didn't know you were seeing someone."
"It's complicated."
"Oh," Haruhi propped her head on her hand.
"If," Kaoru paused trying to find the best descriptor, "who I'm seeing is okay with it, I'll tell you more. But for now, you don't have to worry about me."
He gave her a reassuring smile when she didn't look convinced. She didn't pry any further.
His phone buzzed in his hands.
Kyoya: He'll notice soon.
Kaoru: that sounds ominous
Kyoya: He's not stupid. He'll ask questions . . .
Kaoru stared at the ellipses and wondered what to do. If he told Haruhi and Kyoya told Tamaki, that would be everyone but Mori and Hani-senpai. Kyoya and Kaoru would probably have to tell them so they didn't feel left out. What was more problematic was that he and Kyoya did just promise to be friends from then until further notice. It would raise a lot more questions than Kaoru was willing to give answers for. Especially since Kyoya had a lot on his plate after Ootori-san had entered the mix.
Kaoru: i think it would be best to wait and find another way to explain it. what's the point in telling everyone when we said we be just friends?
Kyoya: You're right. However, we can't explain our appearances.
God damn it.
Kaoru: any suggestions?
Kyoya: Do you happen to carry make-up with you?
Kaoru: no, but i can see if there is any i can borrow from the drama club
Kyoya: Borrow?
Kaoru: i was going to put it back, i swear!
Kyoya: Wily devil. If I catch something from shared make-up, I'm going to have to punish you
Kaoru: you forget punishment games are the twins' forte and i thought we were supposed to be acting as FRIENDS
Kyoya: I apologize. I hadn't meant for it to sound so flirtatious
Kaoru sent an emoji with a raised eyebrow showing his doubt.
Kyoya: I can't help myself sometimes.
Kaoru: i'm rolling my eyes. they might roll out of my skull.
Kyoya: Regardless, I am serious about catching something.
Kaoru: dont worry. ive watched them get ready before. they had professionals come in to do their hair and make up. they're careful about cleaning and making sure not to double dip lol
Kyoya: Disgusting. Well, I suppose it's better than having to think up responses for the ladies today.
Kaoru: exactly
"Good afternoon, class." Kaoru's teacher came in and everyone began to stand to greet him.
Kaoru: i've got to go. see you at club