My academic life may be about to completely drown me in papers and assignments, but I finally have motivation to write! That's gotta count for something!
Thank you to SillySoul, Itsgoose2u, mayfire21, DaddysLiitleGirl, riahsparks, AusllyBeliever, ||Little S||, chompchomp123, ktmyldy28, and a guest for your reviews!
Maintaining Appearances
Of all the places (F/n) could be spending her last Saturday of the summer, sitting in a motel room hunched over her laptop ranked at the very bottom of her preferences. She was lying on her stomach, chin propped up on her left hand while her right slowly scrolled through a web page of cheap available single housing in the area. She blinked and her eyes watered.
(F/n) heaved a great sigh and collapsed onto her left side, shutting her eyes tightly and pretending like that her staring at the screen for too long was the reason she was crying. Mentally she tried to give herself a good shake. Now was not the time to fall apart. She had to fix this mess, despite how unfair it was.
/Flashback\
(F/n) gaped at the piece of paper in her hands. It was supposed to be her rent bill… but there was no way this was hers. Except it was. It was her name at the top. A million emotions flickering through her brain faster than she could process them. There was anger, yes, along with fear, nausea, hopelessness, spite, shock, disbelief, and so, so many others.
Swallowing it down as best as she could, she let the paper flutter from her fingers onto the coffee table and leaned back into her couch. Gazing around her apartment, she was hit with yet another strong emotion: Nostalgia. How had she never fully appreciated the artful designs pressed into the door frame to her bedroom? Or just how soft and comforting the golden paint on the walls was? When had her once brand new apartment changed into her home?
And now she couldn't afford it.
Shutting her eyes, (F/n) let herself stew in her emotions for a moment. She should've seen this coming. It was clear from the get-go that her landlord wasn't pleased with her ethnicity. Before she had moved to Japan, (F/n) had done some research and learned that most apartments in Japan preferred not to loan to foreigners. But she had dismissed it. She wouldn't be a terrible, rude tenant! She'd be kind to her neighbors, pay everything on time, and follow the rules like her life depended on it.
But apparently that hadn't been good enough.
Cracking one eyelid open to gaze down at her new bill, (F/n) felt another wave of nausea wash over her. As a school teacher in Japan, she was paid very well. Working at Ouran gave her a cushier bank account than most, too. But her new bill was still outrageous. Had she accidentally bought a second apartment without realizing it? Shutting her eyes again, she leaned forward and buried her face in her hands.
Now what was she going to do?
\End Flashback/
(F/n) let out another sigh and looked at her computer screen again. The new apartment building she was looking at was nice. Affordable, too… but she had no idea how long it would remain like that. Her last apartment had seemed like the perfect living space, too.
Bitter, she snapped her laptop shut. Curling into a more comfortable position on her side, she heavily contemplated going to bed mid-afternoon and just waiting for tomorrow to roll around, when life might not seem so sucky.
Not for the first time, (F/n)'s thoughts drifted down to the cell phone in her pants pocket. After helping her move her stuff out, the Fujioka's had made her promise to call them if something came up that they could help with. She had thanked them profusely, waving goodbye from the backseat of the cab until she couldn't see the family any more. But what would she say to them even if she called? They couldn't afford to help her, and she wasn't going to bring their landlord's wrath down upon them by moving in, even though Ranka and Kotoko had offered despite the cramped quarters.
(F/n) had already called her mother, letting her know of the situation despite the fact she couldn't help. Her mother had offered to wire her some money to help afford whatever motel she stayed at, but (F/n) had turned her down quickly. She wasn't asking for handouts, especially when she could afford the motel room just fine.
But… there was one other person she hadn't called yet. Someone who would definitely offer his help if he knew of her situation. But…
A heavy vibration shocked (F/n) out of her thoughts. Pawing at her pants pocket, she pulled out her phone and looked at the screen. Kyoya was calling her. A smile easily lit up (F/n)'s face at seeing her boyfriend's name. For three seconds. After that, she was struck with an overwhelming sense of panic, sitting bolt upright on the bed and making the entire frame shake.
Why is he calling me? Does he already know?
Trying to reason with herself about how that wouldn't be possible, (F/n) took a steady breath before answering the call. She took another breath before holding her phone up to her ear.
"Hello?"
"Hello, (F/n)."
Despite all her worries, another smile spread across (F/n)'s lips at Kyoya's voice. She could listen to him talk for hours… but not right now. Giving herself a good shake, she answered, "Hi, Kyoya! What's going on?"
"Well, I was getting ready to take Tamaki for a walk around the local park, and he had the rather genius idea of inviting you out with us."
The little knot of anxiety that had tied itself up in (F/n)'s chest loosened, allowing her to laugh easily as she responded, "A walk around the park? Yeah, that sounds like fun!"
"It does?"
"Oh, was that excitement I heard just now, Kyo-kun?"
"Absolutely not. I'm afraid you're hearing things, (F/n)."
"Am I? Such a shame. Maybe you don't really want me to come-"
"No, no. I was being sarcastic, my Dear. Would you like us to pick you up?"
(F/n) looked around the very sad and depressed looking motel room she was sitting in. "No, I'll meet you there. Which park were you thinking of?"
*Time Skip*
Just what the doctor ordered, (F/n) thought as she walked with Kyoya and Tamaki down the path. It was a beautiful summer day, and it seemed like everyone was taking advantage of it. As the trio walked along, (F/n) spotted teenagers working on homework in the grass, people walking their dogs, couples of every age strolling together, and little kids running around like their bodies couldn't handle all the energy they had stored inside.
(F/n) smiled down between her and Kyoya, where Tamaki was skipping merrily, holding their hands. Every so often he would tug on their hands, squealing with glee as he was then lifted off the pavement to dangle his feet for a moment. Every time he did so, (F/n) would laugh along while Kyoya pretended to scold Tamaki about tugging too hard. For which (F/n) would call Kyoya a kill-joy, and he'd respond with an overly fond look that made (F/n)'s stomach squeeze pleasantly until Tamaki tugged at their hands again, starting the cycle over.
But even though she was enjoying their little roundabout game, (F/n)'s right arm was more than grateful when they finally came around to the park's playground. It looked absolutely overrun with children, screams of delight echoing around the row of trees surrounding the structure, but Tamaki nearly tripped in his haste to join in on the fun.
"Play nice!" Kyoya called out after his son. Tamaki didn't turn around, but he waved a hand in the air to show he had heard. (F/n) smiled despite herself. Tamaki really was the exact opposite of his father. At her side, Kyoya watched his son run off, looking similarly amused.
"Where does he find the energy?" Kyoya shook his head before turning to offer his left arm to (F/n). The true picture of a gentleman. "Shall we sit?"
(F/n) accepted with a giggle.
Thankfully, despite how busy the playground was, there was an empty bench not too far from where they stood. Sitting down, (F/n) was not proud of the way she metaphorically collapsed. Letting out a long breath, she shifted to rest a little more comfortably by Kyoya's side. Why do I feel so old?
For a while, the two adults just sat in silence, watching Tamaki as he clambered up the structure to the biggest slide. He looked around for them and waved before tucking himself into the plastic tube. Even from a distance, (F/n) could faintly pick out his echoing laughter from the crowd. She swore her heart was going to explode when Tamaki immediately waved at them again once he popped out from the bottom end.
"He's so cute…"
"I know. We're so lucky to have him."
All at once, (F/n) felt a rush of anxiety, surprise, and… she would call it adoration for now. Peeking at Kyoya with a side-eye, she bit her bottom lip when she realized how relaxed Kyoya looked. She continued to look until her boyfriend noticed. Turning his head to face her fully, (F/n) caught the full force of his arched eyebrow and upturned lip.
"What?"
Oh god, he was so handsome, (F/n) was going to die.
"You… said we. You said that we're so lucky. To have Tamaki."
All at once Kyoya's expression changed. His eyes widened a fraction and his teasing smile vanished. Also, he blushed. When he turned away (F/n) was almost tempted to make him face her again, but she'd be way too tempted to kiss him if she did that, and they were in public. So instead she waited for him to calm down.
"I…" Kyoya cleared his throat and went back to watching Tamaki run around. "I suppose I did. Did that bother you?"
"No. It didn't." And that surprised (F/n) more than anything else.
She had been so worried about becoming dependant on Kyoya too early in their relationship, despite how strongly she felt about the man, that she had never considered Kyoya might feel the same. He had to look after his son and run a business, and now he had a relationship on top of it all. With (F/n), Kyoya had to make sure his son was happy with her and happy about Kyoya being with her. He had to manage and keep an eye on any PR surrounding them to protect them both. And then he had to be (F/n)'s boyfriend on top of that. It was so much work, and Kyoya clearly… adored her so much.
She wanted to kiss him again. Instead, she slowly grabbed his left hand with her right and interlocked their fingers together. Kyoya turned to her once more, grey eyes glinting in the early afternoon light.
"Kyoya, there's something I want to tell you."
"Oh?"
"I-"
"Ow!"
In an instant, (F/n)'s heart went from frantically racing in her chest to stopping dead in its tracks. She and Kyoya both spun their heads around, watching as Tamaki fell hard to his side in the sand, arms up around his head as the swinging kid he'd passed behind tried to stumble to a stop mid swing.
"Tamaki!"
Kyoya stood and ran over to his son, (F/n) right on his heels. She did her best to keep a neutral expression on her face, but a sigh of relief still escaped her when Tamaki sat up by himself, rubbing at his cheek but looking no worse for wear.
Even so, Kyoya's hands were cautious as he turned his son's face towards him. "Are you hurt, Tama-chan?"
Tamaki shook his head, eyebrows a little scrunched together, like he was trying to understand exactly what had happened to him. As (F/n) stood behind Kyoya and watched him fuss over his son, she decided, once again, that she wouldn't tell him about her housing problem. He really did have his hands full taking care of Tamaki and his business. It was truly in his nature to look out for others. If (F/n) were to tell him, she knew Kyoya would want to drop everything and help her out.
She couldn't do that. She was not with Kyoya for his money or his influence. She was a big girl. She could handle the big bad world. If Tamaki could take a kick to the head and not cry, (F/n) could find it in herself to be just as tough.
Tamaki slowly climbed to his feet, blinking and shaking his head as the kid who accidentally kicked him apologized over and over. Kyoya and the other child's mother exchanged a few words before the matter was settled with another quick apology. Kyoya and (F/n) took Tamaki back to the bench to sit and rest, but by the time they did Tamaki was back to being his usual happy-go-lucky self. They only managed to have him sit for about five minutes and take a few sips of water before he was back on his feet and tugging at their hands.
Apparently, Tamaki had been running over to tell Kyoya and (F/n) he was ready to keep walking around the park when he was accidentally kicked. He liked playing at the park, but he also knew dinner and game night waited at home, so he was more than willing to pull the adults along.
Thankfully for Tamaki's little arms, Kyoya only pretended to be difficult for a short while before he stood up from the bench. (F/n) was pulled to her feet easily by the two boys, after which Tamaki immediately spun on his heel and marched towards the pathway, tugging (F/n), and by extension Kyoya, along behind him.
Before long the three were back on the path, hand in hand as if nothing had happened. Only this time, (F/n) was in the middle and Tamaki wasn't hopping around as much. He was, however, happy enough with stepping on the first few leaves that had fallen onto the path. Summer was nearly over. (F/n) honestly couldn't wait to be back in the classroom, surrounded by her students and doing what she loved.
"So," Kyoya whispered in her ear, "What was it you wanted to tell me?"
(F/n) felt her heart lurch in her chest. Casting her eyes downwards, she said the first thing she could think of.
"I wanted to ask for your opinion… about a new lesson plan I had. But now that I think about it, Tamaki would probably enjoy it better if it was a surprise."
Kyoya let out a little scoff, squeezing (F/n)'s hand with his. "I wouldn't tell him."
"Not outright. But you'd hint and tease him, which is almost worse."
Another hand squeeze is his answer, followed by Kyoya entwining their fingers together. (F/n) smiled, but kept her eyes lowered onto the path. Despite how they'd only known each other for a few months, (F/n) couldn't help but feel like Kyoya would see right through her if she looked at him.
Even as the night progressed until (F/n) was curled up into Kyoya's side and she watched Tamaki take another victory lap around the living room, she did her best to bury her guilt as deep as it would go. She didn't like lying to Kyoya, but she didn't know what else to do. She could handle her problem by herself, she could. She was a perfectly capable adult, after all. She'd gotten an apartment once. She could do it again. She'd tell Kyoya about the issue once she'd solved it. After all, it probably wouldn't take her very long to find another place.
(F/n) gave herself a determined nod before she stretched, slowly pulling away from Kyoya's body heat and ignoring the way her boyfriend reached for her even as she moved. "I think it's time for me to head home. I still have a few things to set up for classes next week."
"I suppose it is getting to be a bit late." Kyoya stretched as well, staring up at his wristwatch as he did. "I'll drive you home."
"No need, I'll take the train. You should concern yourself with getting Tama-kun to bed on time."
Kyoya gave his son, who was now running around the dining room table, a tired look. He certainly had an uphill battle ahead of him. (F/n) found it funny, which is why she laughed when her boyfriend sent her a pleading expression.
Ducking down to press a quick kiss to his lips, (F/n) gave Kyoya a cheeky wink. "There. For good luck."
Her boyfriend's face immediately went pink, and it was so cute (F/n) couldn't help but give him a second kiss. And a third after she watched him playfully chase Tamaki into his bedroom to change into pajamas.
Their final kiss of the night didn't happen until (F/n) was about to walk out the door, Kyoya sneaking up behind her and stealing one last peck. (F/n) rolled her eyes as her boyfriend explained it was, "For the trip", before she slipped out into the night, blowing him a kiss over her shoulder as an afterthought.
Walking down the street towards the train station, (F/n) brought her right hand up and gently traced her lower lip. Heart pounding in her chest, she couldn't help but wonder… when did one tell when adoration ended and love began?
Awwwww…. How freaking cute! And oooh, what's (F/n) gonna do? What is Kyoya going to do when he finds out about (F/n)'s dilemma? I guess we're gonna have to wait and find out!
See you next chapter!