"Alright Haruhi the doctor said you can go home after we receive the results okay?"
Haruhi nodded. She found it hard to speak without bursting into tears.
"How are you feeling?" Tamaki asked even though he already knew what she would say. Nothing.
"Did you finish your breakfast?" Tamaki walked around her bed to the tray besides her. The bowl of oatmeal was less than inch emptier than before. The juice was untouched. "You ate the fruit at least." Tamaki said. It was progress and that's all he wanted. It did worry him that she had left out the strawberries. He gently sat at the foot of the bed. "It's a good thing you're short huh? I can sit here without worrying about touching your feet." He forced a smile. Haruhi only turned around, facing the window.
Tamaki stopped smiling. He felt an aching throb in his chest that didn't go away for even a second. It only intensified at the thought of how much she was suffering. It burned when he realized he was doing Kyoya's job. Kyoya should've been the one with her during the ultrasound appointments, the parenting classes, the surgery, and especially during the recovery process. But he wasn't. How could Tamaki not be devastated? He couldn't help but care for the baby as if it was his own.
Before his thoughts could spiral once again, the doctor entered the room.
"Well, it seems that everything is good to go. Mrs. Ootori please make sure to take it easy for the next two months. ?" the doctor turned to Tamaki. Tamaki cringed at the name. He forgot that he was pretending to be Kyoya, the only person besides Ranka who was allowed to see Haruhi. "You have some paperwork to fill out," the doctor continued.
"Of course. I'm going to be right back okay Haruhi? Don't move until I'm here to help you." Tamaki exited the room, trailing the doctor. "Was there something missing in the packet I filled out yesterday, doctor?" He asked.
The doctor shook his head. "No, I didn't want to alarm your wife but you needed to hear this. It may seem self explanatory but you can't leave her alone for too long."
"Of course I've made sure that somebody will be with her at all times." Tamaki thought back to making sure her house was thoroughly emptied of any signs of a baby. It was completely remodeled, down to the last tile in the bathroom. No curtain was reused, each being thrown away and replaced by something completely different. Not even the cleaning supplies were the same. He remembered arguing with the twins who thought he was overplanning, even by their standards. He ended up taking care of everything by himself.
"That's fantastic. So where will she be staying?"
"At my house. Er, I mean our house." Tamaki quickly corrected himself. Haruhi was definitely going to stay at his house. Her house was too much for her even though it looked completely different on the inside.
"That is fine but usually women who have lost a child prefer to be away from the home they prepared for their child. It would be best if she was slowly reintroduced to everything."
"Yes of course. I have made accomodations for her to stay in our second house. I made sure to completely clear my schedule so that I can be with her every step of the way." His grandmother had been beyond angry but Tamaki blatantly ignored her protests. He was always going to be the son - illegitimate or not - of Yuzuru Suoh. There was no guarantee Haruhi would revert to the person she used to be.
Haruhi needed him more than Tamaki needed his grandmother's approval. It might have been stupid, ignorant or rash but something told Tamaki that if he wasn't there for her, she would not be able to move on. Besides, he could manage the company during his spare time if he absolutely had to.
"That is perfect. Make sure to accompany her to every session with her therapist. You don't have to be in the room with her during the counseling."
"Of course. If she says she doesn't want me to be there I should wait outside for her but I can never let her go to the office alone."
"Exactly. I see you have done your research . I am sure that your wife is extremely lucky to have you. You may escort your wife out at anytime now. If you need assistance make sure to call. I will see you in two weeks." The doctor walked away. Tamaki squared up his shoulders, preparing himself for another image of a devastated brunette. He was glad he had read that long but extremely informative book about dealing with the loss of a child. "Okay, you're going to enter the room in three, two…"
Tamaki gently closed the bedroom door behind him. The windows were locked, sharp and hard objects were definitely not within reach. He leaned against the door, trying to rub the exhaustion away from his eyes. He had to sleep. He could sleep but he didn't want to leave her unguarded for too long. After what happened at the hospital he was sure he would never sleep again while she was awake. He walked to his office. It was only two doors down. Next to his bedroom which was, of course, across from Haruhi's room. It required at least a dozen employees but there was no way he was going to let Haruhi sleep on the bedroom wing. It was on the second floor and that was too high up. He would have moved her into the underground level if he didn't know she liked sunshine.
" you have a visitor." One of his employees said, standing in front of his open door.
Tamaki nodded tiredly. "Let them in." Nobody knew Haruhi had been discharged. Tamaki hardly had the time to take a shower let alone keep anyone updated on Haruhi's progress. He continued to forget there were other people in his life.
Ranka quietly walked into his office, holding a tray. He set a mug in front of Tamaki. "I made you some tea." Ranka carefully set down some soup. "You need to eat too."
Tamaki stared at the food in front of him. The tantalizing smell filled the air.
"Go on," Ranka encouraged as he sat in the most comfortable looking chair. "I didn't poison it."
Tamaki raised the spoon to his mouth, savoring the food. When was the last time he ate? He realized it had been last night at the hospital. He had been so busy making last minute arrangements that morning that it was only until now that he realized how hungry he truly was."Thank you. It's delicious."
Ranka sighed. "This is just a small token of my gratitude. And...an apology."
Tamaki looked up in surprise. "An apology for what?"
"For calling you an idiot and a few other things. I am really grateful that Haruhi has you in her life. To be honest I always knew you weren't as stupid as you appeared and I did expect that you would be the one to win Haruhi over but…"
"Things are not always as we expect them to be..." Tamaki trailed off. "Anyway, Haruhi is sleeping in a room across the hall. I have to apologize to you too actually. I didn't ask for your opinion on where Haruhi should stay until she can safely go back to her own house."
"Don't worry about it. I don't think she would be very happy living with me. The memories of her mother might cause her to grieve more."
Tamaki drank what remained of his meal. "Thank you for the food Ranka-san. I prepared spare keys for you so that you can come and go as you please. Haruhi needs her father after all. I even set up a room in case you want to stay here."
"Yes, thank you Tamaki. I'm going to lookout for her today okay? You just get some sleep and don't worry about a thing."
"Are you sure? I'm not tired at all."
Ranka crossed his arms. "The dark bags under your eyes and that stench of yours says otherwise. Don't worry about a thing. You take a shower and get some rest."
"Progress report," Tamaki said hopefully. The hosts were standing around in the Tamaki's bedroom. There was not a person in the room that didn't hope the members had better news than their own.
Kaoru groaned, causing a cascade of falling faces. Hikaru threw his phone at the nearest wall. The group jumped but Kaoru only slumped forward, propping his face onto his hands. "That's his fourth phone today. Do I have to say more?"
Tamaki glanced at Honey nervously. If the twins failed that meant…
"Tama-chan and I had no luck." Honey lightly nibbled on his fruit tart, having lost nearly all appetite after yet another denial. The hosts looked at Mori.
"She's at work. Doesn't show signs of relapsing" Mori reported. "But I had to cut off access to the television in the lounge and I blocked access to all websites that are not related to her work. Don't know if it worked."
The group sighed with relief, except for Tamaki. "This won't work. She'll see it eventually."
"Look Tamaki we were able to prevent it last time, we can prevent it now."
"Last time we actually bribed the media outlets!" Tamaki raised his voice, causing the hosts to flinch. "Now we can't get rid of this problem through bribing! We can't do anything for her!"
"We can just trick her into going to one of our private islands until this quiets down." Hikaru began formulating a plan.
Honey shook his head solemnly. "Guys, I love Haru-chan and I know you do too. That's why I don't think we should keep hiding this from her."
"Honey senpai…"
"We all know she would want to know."
Kaoru reluctantly nodded. "C'mon guys you know he's right. She'll be angry enough when she finds out we hid it from her the first time around."
Tamaki shot up in bed when he heard the sharp ringing. He frantically looked around for his cellphone. "Hello?"
"Turn the television to channel four! NOW!" Hikaru's voice blared.
Tamaki grabbed his remote and turned the channel. His eyes widened. "Is this a joke?"
"How the hell could we have possible done something like that!" Hikaru screamed. "We can't let Haruhi see this! Kaoru is already calling some online networks to get them to take everything down."
"Okay," Tamaki inhaled, exhaled and repeated in an effort to calm his nerves. "Okay," he repeated. "You two continue to make calls. I'll call Honey and Mori-senpai to see what they can do."
'HURRY UP!" Hikaru said before hanging up.
Tamaki quickly dialed his older friends.
"Tama-chan did you see the news?"
"You've heard? Great. I think you and I have to be the ones to personally negotiate with the television companies."
"I thought the same thing. I'm headed to a news station right now." Honey responded. "And you have to head out soon."
"Yes, yes I know. I just want to make sure Haruhi will stay here. Ranka-san is with her but neither of them can find out about this."
There was shuffling on Honey's side. Finally Honey said, "Takashi and Hana-chan are on their way to your house right now. They'll make sure neither of them see or hear anything."
"Okay good. I'll head out as soon as they arrive." Tamaki clicked off his phone, preparing himself to convince some powerful people to let the matter go. As he looked around for some appropriate clothing the television continued to play.
"According to an anonymous source, Kyoya Ootori was seen going into a fancy restaurant with a woman who has been confirmed to be the heiress of a Japanese-American company in America."
Tamaki glanced at the television as a blurry video of a couple entering a restaurant played. His face became redder with each passing second. That was undeniably Kyoya. The hair, the glasses, the posture. Everything pointed to Kyoya. If anybody could recognize him it was Tamaki. The girl had light brown hair pulled into a fancy hairdo of some sort. She was most definitely holding onto his arm. If Tamaki didn't know who Kyoya was or that he was married he would have assumed they were a real couple.
Tamaki stood in shock, outrage and forced silence as the girl turned to Kyoya. He couldn't see their faces very well but Kyoya was definitely smiling. Tamaki quickly walked to his bathroom, splashing water on his face in an attempt to cool down. When he walked out the red coloring rose to his face faster than before. The television displayed a clearer image of the two. Unfortunately the image was also worse than before because standing in front of the camera was a couple kissing. The clip abruptly stopped as the television show hosts began to talk again. Tamaki clicked his television off before he could smash it with a nearby book.
He walked out of his room, now dressed to impress. Ranka stood outside with his fist prepared to knock.
"Ranka-san!" Tamaki jumped back.
"Did you forget I was here? I heard some crashing inside so I thought I would come check up on you." Ranka looked at Tamaki suspiciously. "What's going on here?"
"Um, nothing...Nothing! Yes sorry I just received a call from my father about an emergency at the company and I have to be present. All that stumbling around was me trying to get ready as quickly as possible."
"Well okay then," Ranka said with only a little less suspicion.
Mori and Hana approached.
"Hi Tamaki!" Hana said happily.
Tamaki's face brightened at the sight of them. Thank goodness! "Hey guys! I'm going to head out okay?" He lowered his voice to avoid being overheard by Ranka. "You know the drill right Mori senpai?"
Mori nodded.
"Okay. I'll see you two soon. Bye Ranka-san! I'll be back later." Tamaki hurried off to the nearest office.
"But what else could we do! She was sick and grieving!" Hikaru protested. "How could we just let the rumor add to her misery?"
"Fine but now she isn't sick or grieving." Kaoru insisted.
"She just got divorced Kaoru! This will devastate her."
"I agree with Hikaru." Mori said quietly. The group turned to him in surprise. He had actually disagreed with Honey? "Kyoya has done enough." Mori continued, offering nothing more.
"Takashi, I don't think Haru-chan will forgive us if we do it again. That's taking away her right to decide how to deal with it."
"She doesn't have to know at all!" Hikaru exclaimed.
"Yes she does." Kaoru affirmed. "Besides, maybe this will help her get over Kyoya. Isn't that we all want the most?" Kaoru looked around the room. Each host agreed, however reluctantly.
"Tamaki?" Mori asked the unusually silent host.
"I think I know how to fix this." Tamaki stood up straight. "Yeah...that'll do." He nodded to himself triumphantly and ran out of his room.
"What the hell?!" Hikaru shouted after him.
"What now?" Mori asked.
"Now we continue to do whatever we can to explain to Haruhi." Kaoru replied.
"You mean we do whatever we can to keep it from Haruhi." Hikaru corrected.
"Actually we mean prepare to comfort Haru-chan." Honey said.
"Or lock her in her office...like when we locked her in the room." Mori added.
Ranka grinned, turning to Hana pleasantly.
"Hello there! My name is Ryoji Fujioka. I'm Haruhi's father. Are you a friend of hers?" He asked.
Hana beamed. "My name is Hana Furukawa. I'm Takashi's fiancee. Is Haruhi up?"
"Unfortunately she's still fast asleep but please come in." He led them into the room, quietly opening and closing the door.
"So," Ranka whispered. "You're getting married?"
Mori nodded.
"That's so cute! Tell me all about you two." Ranka gushed.
"Well, it all started when some guys tried to mug me. Takashi was walking by and immediately decided to help me but was totally surprised when he saw me beating up the two guys!"
"How interesting! Tell me more," Ranka exclaimed as quietly as possible. Once he was captivated by a story there was no turning back.
Meanwhile the twins paced back and forth in their mansion.
"Oh c'mon, of course you're invited Mrs," Kaoru looked at the messy scribble on his hand "Ito. Yes! The invitations just haven't been sent out. You understand of course. After all you are one of the most influential…" He continue the flattery tirelessly while weaving in his purpose for calling.
Hikaru stopped to put his arm on his hip. "Oh no, no, no definitely not next month. Why not go all out and give you Christmas day? Exactly!"
The twins high fived each other as they walked past each other in their pacing trail. They were achieving success after success even though they had to do an incredible amount of bribing.
Honey was also in a triumphant mood.
Honey sat in front of the chairman of a very important company. He had two methods. The first was to be extremely adorable and become a full blown boy lollita. This method worked the most on females. The second method was to embrace his battle persona. He found this method worked the most on males.
"I wouldn't say your son will lose the next tournament because of course I don't manage that branch of my family's company. I'm also not a judge so don't use that as a bargaining chip." He smiled at the ex-newspaper club president. "However, I can give him some tips...unless you would rather have me release your high school record?" He smiled with faux innocence.
Akira Komatsuzawa leaned back into his chair, pretending to be completely unfazed by his ex schoolmate's hidden threat.
"You're going to have to do better than that Haninozuka."
Honey jumped off the seat he was on. "Alright then Akira-chan," he said, much to the subject's irritation. "You'll see what I can do within half an hour, okay?" Honey smile was as sweet as ever when he began to walk towards the door.
Honey was one footstep away from the door when Akira called out to him. "Wait! Let's...talk about those tips you offered."
Honey turned around, flowers dancing around him as he walked back to the man he had just "subtly" blackmailed. "I'm glad we can negotiate this Akira-chan." He sat back down in the chair.
The conversation had died down as Haruhi snoozed on.
Ranka drummed his hands on his armrest.
Hana was playing a game on her phone. Mori was blankly staring at who knows what.
"So, kids," Ranka began. "Why don't we go downstairs while Haruhi wakes up?"
"That's a great idea!" Hana immediately put her phone away and jumped out of her seat. "Let's go! Are you hungry Mr. Fujioka? I make a killer vegetable soup. And isn't that on the list of food we should make for Haruhi? I can make enough for all of us!"
"Thank you Hana dear. I forgot to mention this earlier but I absolutely adore your hair! I can tell you have naturally crispy curls but why did you cut your hair so short?"
Hana blushed, going into the entire story about how the curls just weren't cooperating when she wanted to tie them down before a tournament. She threw a quick glance at her fiance, confirming their emergency plan one last time. He nodded, falling behind Ranka and Hana.
Mori quietly moved to close the room door. His eyes narrowed when he noticed a small twitch under the blanket. He observed for a second more before he confirmed that she was feigning sleep.
"Haruhi," his deep voice boomed in the quiet room.
Another twitch. Yes, definitely awake.
"I will bring you a bowl of soup." He slowly closed the door, slow enough to see her nod.
Mori walked into the kitchen to see Hana and Ranka laughing as Hana quickly chopped up the necessary ingredients. "Oh, Takanashi! You took so long in the restroom I was beginning to think you fell asleep."
"Do you need help?" He asked.
"No, I'm good. You cooked last time anyway. It's my turn," she smiled, returning to her task.
Ranka sighed dreamily. "What a lovely couple. Reminds me of my dear wife Kotoko and I." He stirred the boiling pasta. The three chatted along (well Mori sort of chatted. He was either silent or checking up on Haruhi) until the soup was done.
Ranka breathed in the scent. "It even smells absolutely scrumptious! You cooked so let me serve. You two go sit down at the table."
Hana and Mori thanked him, moving to the small table in the kitchen.
"Is she still awake?' She whispered. Mori nodded.
"Okay, we'll have to eat fast and take some soup to her. It's easier to handle them in the same room. What if she turns on the television?"
Ranka approached them with a tray holding their bowls. "So kids," he said, not sitting down. "I thought long and hard about the proposal I'm about to make. Why don't we all go up to eat with Haruhi? We've left her alone for much too long haven't we?"
"That is the best idea I have ever heard," Hana said sincerely. She picked up the tray with their food on it, noticing that Ranka had already placed four bowls on it. "Mr. Fujioka please lead the way." Ranka happily complied and Hana trailed behind. Mori effortlessly picked up the small table. He contemplated taking the chairs too but decided against it since Haruhi's room had some inside.
When they entered the room, Haruhi was sitting up.
Ranka jumped and ran over to her. "Haruhi! You're awake! I'm so happy to see you my precious daughter. Listen, Tamaki offered me a room here so I can be with you whenever you need me. What do you think?"
Haruhi blankly nodded at him, causing Ranka's heart to sink even though his expression did nothing to hint at this.
"Hi Haruhi!" Hana waved cheerfully. "You're hungry right? We brought you some vegetable soup. I hope you like it." She set the tray down on the table Mori had managed to accommodate in the room. Wheeling the overbed table to Haruhi she chatted away about everything and anything. Ranka was grateful for the distraction. He didn't know if he could have continued pretending that everything was okay.
Ranka touched Hana's shoulder lightly, indicating that he was ready to take over. Hana moved aside, sitting next to Mori. The table was arranged so that it seemed to be attached to the bed. Ranka was able to sit next to the overbed table and help Haruhi with her food.
When it seemed apparent that Haruhi had no appetite whatsoever Ranka sat down and began to eat his own plate. Not even a couple seconds later, he spoke up, "I need a moment," he laughed blinking away tears. "It seems I forgot something really important downstairs. Mori and Hana, do you mind going downstairs to pick it up for me? I'm sure that thing is there somewhere."
The couple nodded in understanding, heading towards the door. Hana looked at Mori with wide eyes when their backs were turned to Ranka. Mori slightly grimaced back at her. It was too early for Ranka to find out, not to mention it was horrible for them to intrude on such a personal moment for Haruhi and her father. Hana closed her eyes, praying that the plan would work but not yet. To her dismay the plan worked perfectly, a moment too soon.
She turned to Ranka nervously. "Um, , I'm afraid…" She trailed off, letting the doorknob in her hand speak for itself.
"Hana dear, what is that?" Ranka asked.
"The doorknob," Mori answered for Hana who was for once at a loss for words.
"I see," Ranka said. He walked to the door, pulling it with all his might. He tried multiple techniques to get it open. He sniffed, his emotions becoming stronger by the fact that the entire world seemed to be working against him and his daughter.
"Oh no," Hana said. "Please don't worry about a thing. Takashi and I will give you some privacy. Um," her eyes darted around. "We'll be in the restroom. We'll also be calling the maintenance staff so that the problem gets fixed as soon as possible."
Mori coughed quietly. "I'm afraid," he flicked the lightswitch to on but nothing happened. "We have no electricity."
Hana's eyes widened with fear. That meant she and Mori would have to be in the dark restroom for who knows how long! Before she could voice her concern she heard another sniffle from Ranka.
Mori stared at her apologetically (blankly to anybody who didn't know him as well as she did). She smiled, "As I said, Takashi and I will be in the restroom. Take as long as you need, Mr. Fujioka."
Mori smiled.
At the same moment Tamaki had finally reached his final destination. He was in a jovial mood because each visit had been a quick success.
He was in such a good mood that he didn't mind playing with some children in the waiting room.
"Guess what?" A four year old brunette boy whispered to him.
"What?" Tamaki asked happily.
"You're my new dad." The boy said, his eyes gleaming with happiness.
Tamaki pulled back slightly. It was a blow he couldn't hide. The little boy looked at him with confusion and hurt prompting Tamaki to quickly recompose himself. "Are you sure your dad is okay with that little one?" He ruffled the boy's hair playfully.
The little boy gazed at him with wide eyes. Before he could say more, a woman ran up to him. "There you are! Don't bother the poor sir. He must be busy." She turned to Tamaki. "I'm so sorry about him. You know kids."
"It's not a problem at all," Tamak said smiling softly. He was about to tell the woman, the boys mother probably, about how polite the four year old was when an older woman approached him.
"You're here to see me?" She asked impatiently. Before he could respond or say goodbye to the boy and his mother, the older woman ushered him into her office. "Speak,"she said before the two had even had a chance to sit down.
"I would like you to stop reporting on the private life of Kyoya Ootori." He said firmly.
"Done," she responded.
"You don't under- what?" He was completely taken off guard now.
"I said done. Is that it ? I'm a busy woman."
"Yes, of course. Thank you so much," he exclaimed. He stood up and began to walk away. Before he could reach the door he turned around. "Just out of curiosity, why did you accept so quickly?"
She raised an eyebrow sternly. "Would you like me to reconsider?"
"Um, no! No, uh thank you again." He said, reaching out for the doorknob.
When the door was open he heard the woman sigh and say, "The child you were playing with is my grandson. It was a test."
Tamaki's eyes widened in confusion. A test for what?
"You passed...That's all you need to know." She finished.
He nodded, at a loss for words.
"Oh, and I'm sorry for your loss. I lost a child once too. I know that look."
All that was heard was a sharp intake of breath from Tamaki.
The lady grimaced. "Go on now. I've got another appointment in five minutes."
Tamaki swallowed the lump in his throat, thanked her and left the room.
As he walked back to his car he wiped away the tears racing down his cheeks. "Why am I crying?" He laughed as he turned his car on. Even as he tried to laugh the tears away and deny his right to cry so much over Haruhi's child, he knew exactly why it hurt so much and there was nothing anybody could do to change it.
Tamaki waited for Kyoya to answer his personal phone (knowing it was useless, of course). He thought about what he had witnessed the day of Haruhi's hospital discharge. He never told anybody because Haruhi had forced him to promise he never would. She had practically begged him. If she was desperate enough to put her pride aside and ask him for help then of course there was no way in hell Tamaki would say no to her.
"Hello?" Tamaki flinched when he heard Kyoya's voice. Had he actually deigned to answer?
"Tamaki, I'm extremely busy at the moment." Kyoya said, his patience already wearing thin.
"That's why I'm calling you." Tamaki quickly said. "Where are you?"
"I'm not in a position to-"
"Kyoya, just tell me where you are. I have an idea."
Kyoya stopped talking, hesitating for a couple of seconds. He had tried everything already. He offered amounts of money and favors that were exceedingly generous but nothing would move the media. He hadn't even been able to confirm the person powerful enough to have the videos leaked. Needless to say that Kyoya Ootori was desperate enough to listen to Tamaki's plan. 'On top of being incompetent I'm absolutely crazy for wanting to hear Tamaki's idea.'
Tamaki could practically hear the wheels turning in Kyoya's head. Finally he heard, "I'm in my office."
"I'll meet you at the cafe in twenty minutes."
"Tamaki-"
"Just go!" Tamaki hung up. He didn't know if he should weep or laugh off the overwhelming relief he felt in knowing that the pieces of his plan were falling into place for once.
On his way to the cafe he questioned himself. It was a spur of the moment plan which meant it could be a complete disaster. Then again, it could also be a total success. No, it would definitely be a success. There was absolutely no way the media could stay on the topic of Kyoya's affair when there would be better news soon.
"Okay Tamaki, you just have to go and…"
It was five minutes past the agreed meeting time but there was no sign of Tamaki. Kyoya cleaned his glasses thoroughly, sharply watching the crowd.
"Kyoya Ootori."
Kyoya's face morphed from regretting his decisions to forced politeness. He put his glasses on and looked up pleasantly. Standing in a matte black suit before him was none other than "Riku."
"Surprised to see me?" Riku casually pulled out the chair across from Kyoya.
"Not at all," Kyoya smiled. He hated that Riku was one of the only people who didn't react to his subtly intimidating smiles. "You must be extremely busy lately."
"I'm not actually," Riku thanked the waiter that handed him his coffee. "This cafe is amazing, isn't it?"
"It is indeed," Kyoya sipped his lemon water. There was a dense air of awkwardness. They didn't hate each other but they didn't like each other. It could be said they were merely acquaintances that tolerated each other.
"So what are you up to?"
"I'm waiting for a friend of mine. What about you?"
"Just grabbing my nightly coffee."
Kyoya nodded. He glanced at the door. Tamaki was just standing there looking from Kyoya to Riku. His expression plainly displayed confusion.
Suddenly Tamaki turned around, peering out the door. He looked to Kyoya as quickly as he had turned away and walked rapidly to him.
"Kyoya!" Tamaki shouted. Kyoya looked around with a bit of surprise. It wasn't Tamaki's usual welcoming shout of delight. There was no mistaking that his tone was menacing, angry and even furious.
Kyoya stood up calmly. "Tamaki," he spoke quietly in an attempt to encourage the curious bystanders to look away and carry on. "You can't just-"
Lights flashed.
Cameras snapped away.
People gasped.
Tamaki Suoh had just punched Kyoya Ootori in a public place.
To make matters worse it had been in front of a humongous crowd of paparazzi that had been tipped off about Kyoya Ootori's whereabouts.
Kyoya could see nothing but blinding red. As he picked up the glasses that had fallen off. "What the hell was that for?!" He almost resisted the urge to return the favor. Almost. It occurred to him, somewhere in his rapid train of thought that this was the idea that Tamaki had come up with but that didn't matter. The greater part of him, the one that was beyond outraged, disregarded this thought before it could be fully processed.
Before Tamaki knew it he felt a surge of pain along his jaw. Kyoya had hit him back!
Suddenly the fight was no longer a ploy to draw the media's attention away from the alleged affair. It was real and the two men realized it but neither cared how it began. They had grudges that were long overdue for a resolution. The crowd watched in dumbfoundment as the two lost whatever composure remained and began to physically attack each other.
When Riku and the cafe's employees finally managed to overcome the shock they sprung into action.
Riku forcefully restrained Kyoya, dodging a punch, as a waiter held Tamaki back.
"Kyoya, calm down!" He shouted.
Whatever trace Kyoya had been in was broken as he regained a sense of where he was.
He shakily adjusted his glasses and fixed his clothes.
Tamaki's eyes cleared, no longer clouded by rage as he counted down from ten.
Before he could say anything Tamaki walked out of the cafe. Even with that sudden outburst he knew that he couldn't risk jeapordizing the goal of the stunt because of some possibly petty words.
Kyoya merely sat back down at the table. He barely managed to stop his hands from shaking as he reached for some napkins to clean his bloody nose. "Check please," he said as cooly as he could. "And I'll take an ice pack if you have any."
Thank you for reading!
