The following afternoon after Kyoya and Kaoru's meeting in the rose garden. The two met shortly before the host club opened and raided the drama club's make-up. Kyoya watched curiously as Kaoru carefully cleaned the brushes to use with the lip products and found a new bag of sponges to use for foundation. He scoured the room before Kyoya arrived and sat a multitude of products onto the lighted vanity. He spent too long trying to match Kyoya's lip to a nude lip tint which Kyoya gently but firmly told him to just pick a shade and go with it. Though, Kaoru did lift a swatch covered hand up to his face to check again and make a final decision. Kyoya could tell how frustrated Kaoru was with the selection. Indeed, the lipsticks and lip tints were bright colors and wouldn't look natural.

Kaoru spoke during the entire process. Often complaining that the colors were either too dark or too pink for Kyoya's lips. Kyoya didn't understand what Kaoru was grumbling about half the time, though he was amused by Kaoru adorable frustration. It was clear that Kyoya had very limited knowledge in this area. He knew of blush, eyeshadow, mascara, and lipstick. The other stuff he saw neatly labeled in drawers and baskets by color and brand were completely foreign. Primer, foundation, concealer, contour, lip liner, falsies, eyeliner, brow pencils . . . They were all unfamiliar except for highlighter. He learned what that was by seeing Kaoru's cheeks dusted in it and he quite liked it. It added etherealness to Kaoru's already soft, angelic cheeks as if he were glowing. However, let it be clear that despite that particular feature, he still had plenty of the trademark Hitachiin features which added mischievousness.

After finishing Kyoya, Kaoru went in again to look for something himself. He had a much easier time finding a shade since his lips were naturally more pink than Kyoya's. He fixed his bruised lips in a mere minute or so while it took him probably fifteen or twenty minutes on Kyoya. Kaoru sat back with a smug expression, looking at both of them in the mirror.

"I'm too good."

Kyoya rolled his eyes, "Is the maestro done with his piece?"

Kaoru nodded taking a step back from the chair. Kyoya reached for the illuminated mirror and switched it off. The bright lights gave him a headache and despite voicing those concerns, Kaoru insisted they use it. Kyoya stood and thanked Kaoru with a small kiss on the cheek.

Kaoru hissed at him, "You really need to control yourself."

Kyoya smirked anyways.

"I'll only allow it because your birthday is on Friday."

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Without incident, Kyoya and Kaoru made it to Music Room #3 with time to spare. They both entered the room to see Haruhi, Mori-senpai, and Hani-senpai doing last minute tidying up before the guests arrived. Tamaki was presumably in one of the side rooms and Hikaru was on his laptop at one of the tables. Unexpectedly, Reiko-san was sitting on one of the loveseats watching Hani-senpai work. She wore a warm, charming smile as she gazed at Hani. She greeted Kyoya and Kaoru shyly, "Good afternoon, Kaoru-san and Kyoya-senpai."

"Hey, Kanazuki-san." Kaoru smiled.

She smiled and tucked her chin. She was still very quiet around the host club, which was fine by Kyoya and everyone else. They still had mixed feelings about her since she did come off in the beginning as a possible threat to Hani-senpai. But, she had turned out to be pretty normal outside of her deep interest in black magic. Not to mention, she had become very devoted to Hani and the two seemed to be deeply in love. It would take some time for everyone to warm up.

"You're late." Hikaru grunted from the table.

Kyoya felt more than saw Kaoru drift from his side to Hikaru. He didn't like the distance, but pushed the feeling aside. He had things to do and he didn't want to be anywhere around Hikaru. Instead, he went to the side room to look for Tamaki. As expected, he was digging through the old club costumes and props. He knelt before a large trunk of neatly folded clothing and packaged accessories. Tamaki was careful to keep the clothing neat and organized as he took stuff out or put stuff in. Kyoya didn't announce his entrance right away. He watched Tamaki silently for a few minutes before Tamaki caught his form, arms crossed, in the doorway.

"Hey," He greeted, "are you just going to stand there without saying anything or ask me what I'm doing?"

"What if I do neither?"

Tamaki's lips quirked up to one side, "I'll tell you anyways. I'm looking for some inspiration for the cafe theme. We might be able to reuse old costumes."

"Reuse? That's a new word for you." Kyoya commented sarcastically. "I wouldn't worry about it when we can buy or rent uniforms."

"Well . . ."

Tamaki was quiet for longer than Kyoya expected. He uncrossed his arms and went to the host club king. He crouched down next to Tamaki and waited. Tamaki laid what looked like a wig from when the club (except for Mori) dressed as 'sisters' for Haruhi onto his lap. His eyes were fixated on the wall stubbornly.

"I thought we could save money," He replied.

Kyoya heaved a sigh. He switched into a kneeling position instead of a crouch. "Why do you think it's necessary?"

Tamaki flinched even with the gentle tone, "I . . . I know we talked about what happened at the fair last year."

"Yes?"

"I just don't want to sink this ship. I almost did and I don't want it to ruin it for everyone. Do you understand?"

Tamaki was gazing at Kyoya intently. Kyoya understood. After hearing the complaints from the hosts and from their family members during the Ouran Fair, Tamaki had thought he was somehow forcing them to be in the club. As if anyone couldn't see how much everyone in the club loved being in it, including Kyoya. He really didn't care about the outlandish ideas and the excessive spending. In a way, it's what made the host club fun and rewarding. Though, Tamaki didn't see that. He almost went with Eclair and left the club to finish off the Fair without their King. Fortunately, Haruhi was able to get him back.

What Tamaki was worried about was single-handedly taking down the beloved club via debt. How could Tamaki even think to be worried about something that Kyoya would never let happen? It was hilariously idiotic. Kyoya was dimly aware of the grin on his face. He knew Tamaki might interpret it wrong, but they were close enough to expect their eccentricities to show through.

"Did Haruhi suggest reusing the costumes?" Kyoya asked. Tamaki's blush was more than enough of an answer.

"She grinned just like you did when I spoke to her about it." Tamaki shut his eyes.

"Because she knows that I won't let you sink the ship, Tamaki." Kyoya cocked his head. "We've discussed this already, yes?"

Tamaki gave a curt nod, "I'm lucky to have you."

Kyoya fought the urge to be sarcastic and respond with an insult. As often as Tamaki could gush and be sappy about the ones he cared for, the moment didn't feel like any passing moment. Tamaki understood Kyoya's quips were in good humor, but Kyoya didn't want to break this moment.

He couldn't help himself, however, and said, "You are . . . ," then followed with, "thank you."

Tamaki's dark blue eyes landed on him and a slight smile came with it. "This is pointless anyhow."

Kyoya hummed in agreement. The side room was full of costumes outside of this one trunk. To try to go through it all would be time consuming. Kyoya didn't know how long Tamaki had been going at it before he walked in and Tamaki hadn't even scratched the surface. There were uniforms that looked very cafe-esque and would be appropriate. However, Tamaki's vision called for a more monochromatic uniform that was regal, distinguished, and classy while still being unassuming. The ones in club possession were more flashy and for show, such as the ones used at the Ouran Fair.

"I'm going to go open." Tamaki stood and brushed off his pants, then gave Kyoya a hand. Tamaki switched to the question that had been on his mind undoubtedly all afternoon. "Will I get to meet the lucky someone who you shared a kiss with today?"

Kyoya nodded, "Oh, you'll see them."

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The club finished a little earlier that afternoon as the sun began to set. Winter was fast approaching and the days were shortening rapidly. As much as Kyoya and enjoyed colder weather, he did not like the dark days. It always made him lethargic in the evenings. He might be a night owl, but his body never failed to desire sleep at seven o'clock in the evening.

The hosts hung around for a few minutes afterwards cleaning up or chatting. Hani-senpai waited for Reiko-san to return from the black magic club so they could leave together. The twins sat at their favorite window spot and watched the world outside. They continued to keep a perfectly mirrored pose of each other without meaning to, both seemingly lost in their thoughts. Tamaki wasn't much better, but it was normal for him to have his head in the clouds. Mori was quietly working on his university work. Everything was as it should be.

Kyoya was across the table from Mori working on his own projects as well. He was checking the International stocks for anything interesting, only finding the Ootori group had ended their business day on a high note. Otherwise it was dismal for large American companies and overall stagnant everywhere else. Pitiful , in Kyoya's opinion.

"My beloved!" Reiko-san had rushed into the room wearing a long black velvet cloak that whipped around as she descended on Hani-senpai. She had changed out of her school uniform after saying goodbye to Hani before club started. She now wore a teacup dress with plenty of black lace and skulls. Her knee-high socks were blood red and contrasted against her perfectly white Mary Jane shoes. It made Kyoya think of a scary doll.

"Did you miss me? I missed you." Hani-senpai blushed and accepted the hug Reiko offered wordlessly.

"Of course," She smiled. "Did you have fun in club? I'm sorry I couldn't stay today."

"Yeah, we were able to try a new matcha cake. But I wished you could have stayed."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself and the matcha cake despite my absence." She turned and approached Kyoya and Mori. "May I sit here?"

Mori nodded and Kyoya replied, "You may."

She took a seat and Hani did the same. They continued to talk with each other while Kyoya and Mori worked. Haruhi had also pulled her laptop out and invited Tamaki over to study with her. It seemed that it was one of those days when everyone stayed behind to finish homework instead of going straight home.

Nothing particularly notable happened for about forty-five minutes and at that point, Kyoya finished everything he needed to. His attention instantly went to Kaoru and noted the twins were whispering again. Kyoya couldn't help but notice how much it reminded him of the day Kaoru confessed. His chest warmed at the memory slowly diffusing and filling up his mind. It wasn't as coherent as most of Kyoya's memories as he was perhaps just as nervous as Kaoru was. Kyoya hadn't expected a confession from him. He thought his feelings were unrequited. There certainly wasn't any impression that Kaoru had an interest in guys. Afterall, Kyoya wasn't in the dark about Kaoru's feelings for Haruhi. He knew about the outing the two had and Kyoya was certain Kaoru confessed to her. It had Kyoya gauge Kaoru as mostly straight with only the slight possibility of being bisexual.

Yet, Kaoru was full of surprises. His memory of that moment, the conversation, was in small bits and pieces. Things like the way Kaoru's face reddened as his eyes filled with tears, his eyelashes sticking with teardrops. Kyoya had an extremely crystal-clear recollection of wanting to hold Kaoru, wanting to kiss the tears away. Yet, he held himself back because he was sure it would be overstepping. He hadn't even confirmed his own feelings, only soothing Kaoru and making sure he wasn't upset when he left. Kaoru returned to Kyoya later that week full of Hitachiin confidence and hellbent on teasing Kyoya. Kyoya nearly kissed him then, wanting to take the devilishly coy smirk off his lips. Seeing Kaoru back down with surprise when he crowded in closer and whispered his plan to him. It was an image fully cemented in his mind. With his forehead against Kaoru's, Kyoya could drown into his wide amber eyes and feel the warmth of his deep blush. Kyoya thought about it a lot. Maybe too much when his hand traveled down to relieve himself.

Kyoya's little daydream was ended when Hikaru slipped off the window sill and headed to him. Kyoya's mood soured considerably.

"Can we talk?" Hikaru asked. Kaoru had followed him, a frown pulling at his features. Hikaru held out an arm blindly pushing him back. "Alone."

"Hikaru." Kaoru spat. "What are you doing?"

"Something I should have done last night."

Kaoru was ready to fight, Kyoya could tell by the way his shoulders tensed and he took in a quick, deep breath. His face spoke volumes on its own with his brows drawn together and his lips pressed into an angry line. He was trying to protect Kyoya. As much as it hurt Kyoya's pride in his abilities to handle the situation, it was also endearing the way Kaoru wanted to defend him.

"Let's step into the hallway." Kyoya suggested cooly.

Kaoru sputtered, "K-Kyoya!"

Kyoya closed his laptop. He was deliberately slow with his movements. Kaoru shifted anxiously watching them both. Kyoya shook his head to tell Kaoru not to interfere. Kaoru anger left him and morphed to shock.

Kyoya and Hikaru walked towards the door. Kyoya heard Reiko-san whisper to Hani-senpai asking if something was wrong. Kyoya didn't hear or see what Hani's response was because at that point the door to Music Room #3 had shut.

Kyoya put a hand on his hip and planned to address Hikaru. However, Hikaru moved before Kyoya could utter a single word. He bowed to Kyoya. Kyoya recognized it as apologetic, deeply so with how low Hikaru went.

"I apologize for last night."

Kyoya was silent just long enough to take a breath and exhale. He took in the underclassmen warily. "You didn't have to do- . . ."

"No, I didn't have to. I wanted to." Hikaru cut him off. "What I did was unacceptable to you as a friend and to Kaoru as a brother. I was completely wrong to use your relationship with Kaoru as a joke. I deeply regret my actions."

"You don't need to apologize to me ." Kyoya clarified.

Hikaru straightened back up. "I tried to apologize to Kaoru. He was more worried about you."

Kyoya looked away, facing towards the door to the music room. He wanted to go back inside and shake Kaoru out of putting Kyoya before himself. In a way, it was terrifying how easily Kaoru put his needs aside for Kyoya. "Of course . . ."

"I'm trying," Hikaru said earnestly. "I hate hearing him gloss over what he's feeling. I've asked him to be honest with me about it, but he gives me half-answers- even before last night. And I . . . took it out on you."

Kyoya sighed, "He really hasn't been as forthcoming with me either, at least not as much as I had expected."

Hikaru was thoughtful. He had a similar guilty expression as he did the night before. It made him look younger than sixteen.

"I accept your apology," Kyoya said in the silence that fell between them. Honestly, it was on second thought. Kyoya's mind centered solely on Kaoru and nothing else.

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The week flew by and before long, Kyoya's birthday had arrived. Luckily for the hosts who arranged the celebration, it was on a Friday which meant a short weekend getaway. The hosts booked a large cabin to have a camping trip in. Haruhi pointed out that it wasn't really camping if they were going to be staying in a cabin. Regardless, Kaoru was excited to celebrate away from home and give his gifts to Kyoya. It would be the first time he was going to give something individually. Of course, he did get a nice pair of wireless headphones with Hikaru to give publically, but Kaoru knew his personal gifts were going to be better than the headphones.

The group piled into a van for the occasion. The camping grounds were about a couple hours away. The host club left right after school hoping to make it before dark. They all chatted excitedly with each other for a good thirty minutes before turning their attention to different things. The twins put matching headphones and blasted music for the remainder of the journey. Hani-senpai fell asleep against Mori-senpai who gazed out the window. Haruhi and Kyoya read. Tamaki was on his phone. It was peaceful until they arrived.

They had to gently wake Hani-senpai in fear of his wrath. Mori-senpai helped with his calming and deep-timbre voice. The twins helped unload everyone's baggage while Kyoya and Tamaki went to check-in at the front office. Haruhi had an unexpected call from her father and stepped away for a few moments.

They settled down as darkness fell. The twins went for setting up a bonfire which the hosts agreed to as it was freezing outside. They took some blankets from the cabin's linen closet and settled around the seating area with the firepit in the middle. They also brought a radio out which played softly in the background. They did nothing but talk over the fire before Hani suggested roasting marshmallows. Thankfully, Kyoya had thought to bring some and so they all sat around toasting marshmallows into gooey messes.

Kaoru watched over the fire as Kyoya let his marshmallow turn into a fireball.

"Kyoya!" Tamaki cried next to him. "Why'd you do that for?"

Kyoya shrugged, "I don't particularly like marshmallows."

"You might like them toasted," Tamaki countered.

It led to the two bickering while the rest of the hosts observed contentedly. Kaoru was only partially paying attention. He was too focused on how he would present his gifts to Kyoya later on that evening. He didn't want to wait until tomorrow like everyone had planned. He was planning on sneaking to Kyoya's room once Hikaru fell asleep to give Kyoya his gifts.

"Hey," Hikaru leaned against him to get Kaoru's attention, "let's get the sparklers."

Kaoru nodded and left the confines of his very warm blanket. He hugged himself bracing against the cold November air. They trekked back to the cabin and into the kitchen. The box they were looking for was sitting on the kitchen counter and was simply labeled 'FUN STUFF.' They went through the contents looking for the more tame items, knowing if they let off any of the bigger fireworks they might get kicked out.

They returned to the firepit with a couple arm-fulls of firecrackers and sparklers. The host club dived in. They made shapes in the air and captured the moments with long-exposure features on a camera. They even did some with slow-motion. Kaoru was sure that Kyoya would post them on the club's social media.

Once ten o'clock rolled around, the fire had died down considerably and the hosts were having trouble keeping their eyes open. Kaoru took the opportunity to get Hikaru into bed so he could set his plan in motion. Everyone else retired as expected. Kaoru came into the shared living space again under the rouse that he had forgotten (intentionally left) his bag so he could check on Kyoya who lingered in the kitchen. He then rushed back to his and Hikaru's room grab the bag where his gifts were hidden. He looked to Hikaru, snuggled under a mountain of blankets on the queen sized bed, to make sure he was sound asleep which he most certainly was. When he left the room, Kaoru stopped at each door to listen for any movement from the other hosts who seemed to be winding down or completely asleep. Perfect.

Kaoru soundlessly padded back to the kitchen. Kyoya stood at the sink with his back to Kaoru. He was refilling his reusable water bottle. Kaoru came around the kitchen island to stand beside Kyoya.

"Hey," Kaoru said meekly.

Kyoya was in the process of taking a swig of water. His eyes darted to Kaoru and after swallowing, he responded, "I didn't think you'd come back."

Kaoru shrugged and held up the bag. "I had to give the birthday boy his gifts."

"You're giving them to me now, so I'm guessing they are extra special?"

Oh, they are. Or at least, I hope they are to you, Kaoru thought.

"Well," Kaoru grinned, "You had to get something on your actual birthday and . . ." Kaoru lowered his voice as if there were someone in the room with them, "I didn't want to give my gift to you in front of everyone."

Kyoya took the bag from Kaoru and peered inside. He emptied the contents one by one onto the counter. There were five small boxes and an envelope inside. Kaoru bit his lip to keep himself from spoiling the surprise. It was a bit awkward to watch Kyoya so intently and Kaoru hoped it didn't make Kyoya uncomfortable. Though, Kaoru couldn't take his eyes off Kyoya. He wanted to see every little reaction Kyoya had to his gifts. He had to make sure Kyoya was satisfied with them.

Kyoya opened the envelope and pulled the two pages out. The first page was short and sweet note wishing Kyoya a happy eighteenth birthday. The second page, the one Kaoru wasn't sure how Kyoya would take, was a page torn out of Kaoru's sketching notebook. Kyoya's finger ran along the frayed edge where it had once been attached to the notebook rings unconsciously. The page featured a sketched and colored Kyoya in his signature arms crossed, feet together pose with his clipboard and notebook dangling loosely from his hand. He wore a playful grin and a Ouran uniform. It had taken Kaoru only a couple of afternoons to do. As much as he wanted to do a perfectly captured, realistic portrait, he had only thought of giving Kyoya a sketch at the last minute. His notebook had more than a few of Kyoya, but he was too self-conscious to reveal that fact or any of the actual drawings to Kyoya.

Kaoru waited as Kyoya's eyes roamed the page he held. Kyoya stared for a long time before looking up. His gaze was warm and blanketed Kaoru with a sense of achievement. Kyoya had liked the drawing.

"You've been watching closely," Kyoya deduced and allowed his eyes to look back to the page.

"I always do."

Kyoya's eyes flicked back to Kaoru. The gaze that time was more than warm. It was molten and predatory. Kaoru shivered despite the heat on his cheeks. He quickly cleared his throat because he feared that Kyoya might just stop there and not finish opening the rest of his presents. "There's more."

Kyoya pulled his gaze from Kaoru over to the five small boxes that sat on the counter. He picked one up at random and opened it. Inside there was a shiny, gleaming pair of cufflinks. The pair was silver and had a ruby as its main feature. Kyoya was still again taking in the fact that Kaoru had bought him more cufflinks. Kaoru couldn't help but smile so wide it hurt.

"There's more." He repeated with a giggle.

Kyoya moved as if he were in a daze. The next box held another pair of cufflinks. This time they were gold and emerald with a braided design around the edges. Kyoya reached for another box that held a pair of cufflinks that were all black and featured an extremely dark stone at the center. The fourth box's cufflinks were silver and had an art deco design on the face showing off Kyoya's initials 'KO.' The last box had cufflinks that were most like his favorite pair he had lost. They were black and gold with a very familiar rose-like pattern, but lacked the unique rose design around the edges and the Ootori name on the face.

"I tried to make that pair as much like the ones you described to me. I wasn't able to use your name, though. I had to get permission from your father since your family name is trademarked of all things, but you can understand why I didn't do that."

Kyoya sat the last box down with the other opened ones. "Kaoru," he choked.

"If you don't like any of them, I can take them back and have them redone."

Kyoya looked incredulous, "No. No . . . I like them."

"Good, I'm glad." Kaoru let the tension out from his shoulders.

Kyoya reached out to Kaoru. It was a silent request and Kaoru immediately accepted by wrapping his arms around Kyoya. They stood in the kitchen for a long time embracing. Kaoru buried his face into Kyoya's shoulder and sighed at the scent of Kyoya's clothing. His jacket that he wore outside had a lingering smell of smoke from the bonfire. Underneath the smokeyness, Kaoru could smell Kyoya's cologne, the smell of his room, and his natural scent. The combination was heavenly.

Before long, Kyoya had gently pulled away from Kaoru.

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Kyoya was enjoying his birthday night. He had at first been unsure about leaving town for the weekend since it was the first time he had ever done so. He thought that maybe his father wouldn't approve of it, but it turned out he was leaving town as well and would be gone for a couple of weeks or so. Kyoya's mother, who called from Canada, had given her blessings for the trip. She had been very receptive, only giving him one condition: be safe. The hosts had their usual amount of security with them so that wasn't too much of a problem. Kyoya's entourage was staying in the cabin next door. Hani and Mori-senpai's staff, which could probably protect all of the club with their insane martial arts training, stayed in the cabin on the other side.

Though, as the night wound down, he found that the normal amount of excitement was missing. The hosts were tired as it was probably past most of their bedtimes and the short amount of travel was weighing on their eyelids heavily. The twins packed up their (most likely illegally-bought) fireworks from overseas and the rest of the club went to their respective bedrooms, Tamaki included. However, he wanted to stay up and continue being good company to Kyoya. He insisted that his eighteenth birthday should be more spectacular than just a bonfire and then bed.

"We could stay up and swap scary stories?" Tamaki suggested. He was already tucked into bed like a toddler with his phone in hand and attached to the charger.

Kyoya sat across Tamaki on the other twin bed in the room. He put his phone on the charger and debated whether he should put on his pajamas. "I'm afraid the only scary stories I have are of you."

Tamaki groaned, "Kyoya, I'm not that bad . . . Am I?"

Kyoya grinned and put his phone on the table placed between his and Tamaki's bed. "No, but I know the embarrassment is scary enough for you."

Tamaki blushed and pulled the covers over his head. "Fine, I get it. You want me to go to bed."

"Only if you want to."

Tamaki huffed then fell quiet. Kyoya stood and drifted towards the door. He took one last look at his best friend and left.

In the living room, he had left a bag with his outdoor 'equipment,' if you could even call it that. It held his reusable water bottle, a waterproof case to hold his phone and other important things he carried on his person, sunscreen and insect repellant, and a map of the hiking trails in the area. He figured he might as well take it just in case the hosts thought a little hike in the woods suited their fancy. At the moment, he only wanted the water bottle so he pulled it out and went to the sink to fill it up. He heard someone walk into the room and then leave suddenly, but didn't look to see who it was.

He filled his water bottle up and then brought it to his mouth to take a drink. He felt a presence to the right of him, but didn't pay any mind to it until he heard a small, "Hey."

It startled him at first. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kaoru stand with a gift bag. Kyoya had thought he went to bed like the rest of the hosts, looking just as exhausted as everyone else. "I didn't think you'd come back."

Kaoru shrugged sheepishly. He brought the bag up to Kyoya's chest and smiled way too innocently for what he said, "I had to give the birthday boy his gifts."

Kyoya felt a small tendril of excitement curling in his gut. He was surprised by its presence. It had been some time since he had ever felt such a thing, maybe since he was a child. Yet, Kaoru seemed to stir up the very childish feelings with the same amount of newness as if he were experiencing them for the first time. "You're giving them to me now, so I'm guessing they are extra special?"

"Well, you had to get something on your actual birthday and . . ." Kaoru was sporting a rather large grin and Kyoya could help gush inwardly at how adorable Kaoru was when he was excited. Kaoru finished with a soft voice, "I didn't want to give my gift to you in front of everyone."

Kyoya's curiosity was piqued. He couldn't help but to take the bag from Kaoru and begin looking through it. He pulled out the envelope and five boxes and sat them on the stretch of counter between them. He went for the envelope first. Inside, Kyoya unfolded the two pages and read the note Kaoru placed first:

Happy Eighteenth! I'm glad I get to spend it with you this weekend. Hope you enjoy!

(PS My mom helped me with the gifts in the boxes and I was obligated to tell you. She says 'Happy Birthday.')

Love, Kaoru

Kyoya made a mental note to send Yuzuha-san a thank you card. He then shuffled to the second page and his mouth instantly dried. It was a drawing of him. Kaoru had actually drew him . It wasn't realistic, more cartoonish with the flair that a designer would have sketched. Kyoya took in all the details and knew that either Kaoru was studying him discreetly or he had already memorized every feature of his. Kyoya's mind was pulled back to the sketch notebook underneath his nightstand. The one he filled with his own sketches and designs. He pushed the drawings of Kaoru he had done out of his mind, knowing he would blush at the thought.

"You've been watching closely." He was unable to keep his eyes off the careful lines and colors.

"I always do." Kaoru responded honestly.

Kyoya's chest ached with the amount of heat that filled him. There was something about knowing the one you desired seemed to desire you in return. The idea of having Kaoru's eyes on him all the time was highly appealing. Kyoya felt a selfish desire to be the only one on whom Kaoru held his attention. The emotions burning within him were enough to tear his eyes of the drawing and onto Kaoru. Kaoru reddened at his gaze and Kyoya had to stop himself from pointing it out.

Kaoru coughed, "There's more."

Kyoya would have forgotten. The only gift Kyoya was most focused on was the person who stood in front of him. So he grabbed one of the boxes and opened it. At the sight of cufflinks nestled inside, he was swamped with emotion again. It was bittersweet in a way. Kyoya wasn't sure where the sadness was coming from, but nevertheless he was stunned and very much delighted by the gift. Kaoru urged him on to keep opening the boxes. Again and again, more beautifully designed cufflinks gleamed in front of Kyoya.

He knew he shouldn't be too surprised. Kaoru had known of Kyoya's shortage of cufflinks and really he should have expected it. However, Kyoya didn't expect a lot of Kaoru. At least, Kyoya would say he didn't expect much from his friends, including Kaoru, he only wanted their friendship. Even though they could afford to spend lavish amounts of money every year on their friends for their birthdays, Kyoya didn't need or require such to keep the friendship. With Kaoru, Kyoya only wanted unconditional companionship. To see that Kaoru had graced him with thoughtful gifts, no matter how obvious it was, it still made Kyoya extraordinarily happy.

"I tried to make that pair as much like the ones you described to me. I wasn't able to use your name, though. I had to get permission from your father since your family name is trademarked of all things, but you can understand why I didn't do that."

Kyoya wanted to laugh. He could have told Kaoru that himself, but it must have slipped his mind. Then again, he hadn't expected the cufflinks. The only thing that did come out of his mouth was, "Kaoru."

"If you don't like any of them, I can take them back and have them redone."

"No. No . . . I like them." How could I not? You helped make them.

"Good, I'm glad."

Kyoya held his arms out for Kaoru who readily took the opportunity to hug Kyoya. He buried his face into Kyoya's shoulder while Kyoya just held on tightly. Kyoya realized that he still had yet to thank Kaoru for the gifts. He gently pulled away. Kaoru had at first resisted but eventually got the hint that Kyoya wanted to step back. Kaoru looked up to him and Kyoya was met with large incredulous eyes.

"Thank you, Kaoru." Kyoya placed a hand on Kaoru's cheek. "They're amazing."

Kaoru smiled widely. "You know my mom has been pestering me about them for the past two weeks."

"Of course."

Kaoru mimicked Kyoya and placed a hand on Kyoya's cheek. "I want to kiss you."

Kyoya almost groaned in frustration. He bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself. "Why must you tease?"

"I'm not trying to. It's just something I really want."

Kyoya couldn't help but grin, "I will only go as far as you want me to go."

Kaoru groaned and let his head fall back onto Kyoya's shoulder. "I've totally overlooked a pretty big problem outside of your father knowing."

Kyoya made a little questioning noise.

"You'd be kissing a minor, Ootori."

Kyoya cringed hard. He had forgotten that little tidbit. It really hadn't settled in that he was an adult and now everyone but him, Mori and Hani-senpai were children in the eyes of the law.

Kaoru laughed, "Though, I think kissing is okay. But anything that's heavy petting and further might give you a sentence."

"Maybe we should ask Mori-senpai," Kyoya joked, but Kaoru scrunched his nose up. "I was only joking. Besides, I also forgot about age of consent . . . somehow."

"Damn, maybe I shouldn't have reminded you."

Kyoya hummed again, agreeing sarcastically.

"I suppose now wouldn't be a great time to make an 'I'm into older men' joke, would it?"

"Absolutely not."