After such a long break, I apologize in advance for this filler chapter, but just know it's the springboard for more fluff and drama that's on the way!

Time Together

Kyoya had been staring at his computer monitor for some time now. There was a very official looking document pulled up on screen, and there were definitely words on said document, but if someone had asked Kyoya to repeat them out loud at that very moment the man would probably flounder miserably.

His lack of attention wasn't entirely his fault, however. It was uncomfortably, unforgivably hot in his office, and even the sharpest of minds had their limits. Kyoya had shed his suit jacket and loosened his tie within the first hour of his work day, grateful that such an unkempt appearance was acceptable with only two upcoming phone calls in his schedule for that afternoon.

With a sigh, Kyoya pulled himself back into the real world and grabbed the water bottle at his side. As he twisted off the cap and proceeded to drain half the bottle in one go, the man kept his eyes open and trained on his office door. Of course, when he realized what he was doing Kyoya was overcome with both embarrassment and an incomprehensible amount of fondness.

After almost a full three months of leaving his son in the daycare center on the first floor of the building, Kyoya knew he had a few habits he would need to unlearn now that Tamaki was back at school. Because as proud as Kyoya was of his son's praiseworthy intelligence, the sheer number of times he had been called by the daycare's supervisor in a panic only for Tamaki to cheerfully poke his head into Kyoya's personal office had given Kyoya a handful of anxious ticks. Ticks he now no longer needed with Tamaki back under (F/n)'s loving and watchful gaze.

Kyoya smiled to himself and drained the last of his water before dropping the plastic in the recycling bin beneath his desk. Glancing at the clock at the corner of his monitor, Kyoya's lips fell back into a frown. 11:53 am. The head of maintenance had told him to expect full repairs sometime before 1 pm and until then Kyoya was stuck in his stuffy office.

Daring to unbutton the very top two buttons of his shirt, Kyoya tried to focus back on the document before him. If he could finish with this document and the next before noon, perhaps he could take his lunch break at a hopefully air conditioned cafe nearby. Of course, he'd have to fix his appearance up a little, but it would be a small price to pay.

Not to mention, a thought tickled the back of Kyoya's already wandering attention, I'd be free to message (F/n) during her break as well.

A mental image of (F/n) sprang up at the forefront of Kyoya's mind, spawning a smile in its wake. This past summer had been the best of Kyoya's life so far with both his son and (F/n) by his side. Just two nights ago (F/n) had joined him and Tamaki on their "back to school" shopping trip that ended with the three of them playing crane games in a nearby arcade and stopping for matcha ice cream before calling it a day. Kyoya could hardly wait to do it again.

Therefore, it had been mildly disheartening when (F/n) had declined his invitation for dinner last night due to her preparing for classes, but Kyoya understood. With school back in session, (F/n)'s schedule was once again filled up with work much like Kyoya's was. They would just have to go back to finding times to meet around their schedules like they had in the spring.

Kyoya checked the clock once more, and seeing that it was finally past noon he went to stand up and clock out for an hour. Except, there was something that felt amiss-

"Mr. Ootori? Oh…"

Kyoya could not have sat down faster if his legs had been suddenly cut off. Quickly buttoning his shirt back up, he schooled his expression to look as unconcerned as possible.

"Yes, Nishi-san? Is there something I can help you with?"

Nishi-san had gone a little pink in the face, eyes still trained on Kyoya's unkempt appearance. "I, um… my roommate just invited me out to lunch so… I was wondering if you wanted the lunch I had packed for myself. I didn't see you bring one in earlier…"

To say Kyoya was surprised would be an understatement. But beyond that, he was grateful. Now that he thought about it, even though it might be uncomfortable for a while, eating in his office would work out better in the long run. This way he would be around to see off the maintenance workers as soon as they had finished their work and catch up on all the time he had spent unproductively staring at his computer. Then he could leave on time to pick up his son and see his girlfriend.

Quickly crafting a smile that conveyed his gratitude Kyoya stood up from his chair, shirt properly buttoned this time, and walked over to his still slightly flustered secretary. Taking the lunch and thanking her at least twice, Kyoya sent her on her way and returned to his own desk.

Kyoya pulled up another document before flipping the bento box open. To his surprise, it was a homemade bento rather than store bought. A quick taste of the curry sauce sent pleasant spicy rifts across his tongue and Kyoya quickly scribbled a note on some spare paper to get Nishi-san something in return in the coming week.

And so Kyoya's lunch hour continued. Twenty minutes in he was interrupted by the sudden whir of the air conditioning coming back to life, and the twenty fifth minute was taken up by the head contractor giving Kyoya a brief rundown of his diagnosis of the problem. Now Kyoya had just crossed the half-hour mark, Nishi-san's bento box neatly tucked to one side of his desk to wait to be returned to its owner, and Kyoya was easily running through his latest construction invoice when he was interrupted once again.

Pulling his buzzing phone out of his pocket, Kyoya's already good mood took a sharp upswing at seeing his and (F/n)'s faces appearing on screen, accompanied by the contact name "Darling". Answering without hesitation, Kyoya held the phone up to his ear, humming out a teasing, "Hello?"

"Hi, Kyoya. Sorry if I interrupted something important…"

"No, no! Nothing important."

"Oh…"

Kyoya straightened up in his seat, (F/n)'s upset tone setting off a red flag. "Darling, is everything alright?"

"I just thought we were planning on eating lunch together today. Maybe I got the dates wrong…"

Kyoya barely refrained from smacking his forehead. He knew he had been forgetting something! He winced at the time on the clock as he spoke, "No, no it wasn't your fault. I completely forgot we had a lunch date today. I'm so sorry, (F/n), truely."

"Kyoya, it's okay. We're still getting used to this scheduling thing. I understand."

The man sighed, leaning back in his chair. "It's not okay because it's unfair to you. I'm treating you to lunch another day this week, I pinky promise." That, at least, got a giggle coming through the phone and a faint "stupid" comment which eased the guilt off of Kyoya's chest, at least a little.

But there was still a wistful sigh that trailed after (F/n)'s laughter, and in that moment Kyoya decided to pull out the big guns.

"Well, I was going to ask you this later, but I suppose now is as good of a time as any."

"What?"

Kyoya sat up straight, smiling as he turned towards the windows in his office, voice picking the teasing lit back up as he explained, "Morinozuka, Hitachiin, and I have this… tradition of spending the first weekend after summer break at my beach house in Yokosuka. Since this tradition now includes our significant others and children, I've been meaning to extend the invitation to you for some time now."

"Oh Kyoya… I would absolutely love to… but I still have things to finish for school…"

"It won't be like our trip to the Canary Islands. You will have plenty of free time to work as you wish. It's likely the others will also need to take breaks every once in a while to attend to something or another. It would really mean a lot if you came, though, my Darling."

"Well, when you put it that way…" Another giggle drifted into his ear, and Kyoya's smile grew broader, glad that his mistake had been righted so quickly. Now, he simply had to not leave his girlfriend hanging again.

Easy.

*Last Week*

"Good morning, Nishi-san."

Kyoya's secretary immediately righted herself in her chair, setting her travel mug down and offering her boss a smile and greeting. Ignoring what is clearly a nail filer waiting next to her keyboard, Kyoya stops in front of her desk and offers a smile.

"What is on my agenda for today?"

The brunette glances at her computer screen for a moment before cheerfully reporting, "It looks like you have one meeting at 10, another at 2:30, and three phone calls this afternoon. I've already sent the details to your inbox."

"Thank you."

"How is your son doing?"

Kyoya shakes his head, a proud grin on his face that was entirely genuine. "Full of energy as always. He insisted he made breakfast by himself this morning. Thankfully he allowed me to help make the eggs while he oversaw the rice cooker."

Nishi immediately let out a laugh, a well manicured hand coming up to her lips. "How sweet! They grow up so fast, hm?"

"Indeed. Oh, Nishi-san, before I forget, could you please put an off-business-site lunch date into my calendar for next Tuesday?"

"Of course, Ootori-san."

"Thank you." Kyoya turned back towards his office, calling out over his shoulder, "And please keep an eye out for Tamaki trying to visit me again. I have a suspicion he's feeling oddly self-sufficient today."

"Of course, Ootori-san." Nishi was no longer smiling as she watched her boss walk away. "Always."

Uh oh… The first of many interferences...

First off, I have such a soft spot for Kyoya calling his significant other "Darling", how have I not noticed this before? Second, I'm sorry there's no Smol Tamaki in this chapter, but I will deliver next time! And third, I hope everyone is saying safe and sane in this crazy time and you're all staying healthy!

See you next chapter!