Chapter 9
Kyouya never really liked being in Boston. Winters were too brutal. Summers were hardly spent here. He never fit in with the culture and never quite understood the loud obnoxious ways of most Americans.
And then there was her.
Her American accent had gotten better over the years. She blended in with the crowds like a chameleon, saying hello to people she ran into on campus every other hour. The way she navigated every conversation with ease, her smile and her energy always brought a warmth to the room.
And there he was.
Lurking around her, sinking into the background. He was invisible next to her.
Mari Takuya's name was attached to publications, awards as a teaching assistant, graduate student associations, and school articles or newsletters that surrounded her research with her principal investigator. Kyouya sat in the graduate lounge and read through every single article – obviously impressed by her achievements. It was obvious she was well-loved by all her peers and the faculty just by how she walked around campus with him.
"Is she single?"
"No idea. But I hope she is. Class just got ten times better with her teaching it."
"Dude, there's a rule against dating TAs, you know?"
"Whatever man, we can wait until this class is over."
Kyouya glanced out the doorway to find a pair of students walking down the hall.
"Oh, Mari? Yeah, I had her before in an organic chemistry lab. You're pretty much set to do well if you ask her the right questions."
"Oh good. She seems nice."
More students trickled out of the staircase. A whole swarm of undergraduates seemed to have gotten out of a class, one that Mari had been teaching. Another graduate student entered the lounge and glared at the Ootori who had been sitting on the sofa, scrolling through some articles on his laptop.
"This is for pharmacology students only," they informed.
"I'm here for Mari," Kyouya responded in the same factual tone.
"Mari? Ha, as if. Get in line, buddy." The grad student rolled his eyes and popped his dinner into the microwave.
The Ootori narrowed his eyes.
"Are you here to drop off a sample for her? Or like, sneak a peek at the hotshot of the pharmacology department?" the guy winked. "Both?"
"None of the above," Kyouya grumbled.
"Yo listen, we've all tried to make moves on her and she—"
Mari poked her head through the graduate lounge and caught the men in the midst of a conversation about her.
"Chill, Marcus," Mari rolled her eyes. "He's a high school classmate."
"Huh," Marcus nodded with sympathy for the stranger. "Friend-zoned since the beginning of time… tough luck buddy."
The Ootori's lips pursed into a thin line. Mari could feel the rage emanating from the Shadow King and stepped in between them. She crossed her arms and faced her classmate. Marcus had only recently started in the same lab as she did.
"Okay, but for real Mari, what would it take for any of us to date you?" Marcus was blunt. Mari knew he was joking, especially when he had his own fair share of girls that pined over him. He wasn't lacking any attention. He was the definition of being tall, dark, and handsome.
"A doctorate degree," Mari rolled her eyes. "Which neither of you have."
"But what about that post-doc who asked you out?"
Mari shrugged. "He was alright."
"Alright?"
"Well, he left for California," she pointed out. "No point in starting anything there."
Kyouya was unsure how to feel about Mari's dating history being aired out. Evidently Mari didn't care. Marcus sure as hell didn't seem to mind digging deeper.
"Heard there was a doctor somewhere in the mix."
"Resident," she corrected. "Yeah, he was nice."
"Nice?"
"Well, he's a surgeon so – no time," Mari shrugged. "And I didn't have time either. Thank god that paper got published last year. Otherwise, everything would have gone to waste."
Another grad student walked into the lounge. She was blonde and only a little taller than Mari. She must have also only been a little older than Mari.
"Are we talking about Kevin? The neuro resident?"
"Yeah," Marcus piped up. "Hey, Liann."
"Ooooh," Liann gushed. "He was hot. Can't believe you didn't lock him down, Mari."
Mari smiled. "I wasn't looking for anything serious."
"Was he?" Marcus asked with widened eyes.
"Nope," Liann answered for him. "He saw her at a conference. Then asked to collaborate on a project with her PI and literally used it as an excuse to see her again so he could hook up with her."
Mari face palmed. "It was a valiant effort, guys…"
Marcus smirked. "Oh trust me, a lot of people would go through a lot of effort for you, Mari. But you just refuse to settle. You've got doctorates, actual doctors, and who knows – maybe a CEO coming after you next. Your life is a rom-com."
She sighed and turned to the Ootori.
"There you go: an abridged version of my dating history," Mari explained to Kyouya.
"Since Bryan!" Liann piped up.
Liann was a PhD candidate who had overseen Mari since her undergraduate years. They were close, or at the very least, close enough to casually talk about their romantic lives. They had known one another for almost 6 years now.
"So, who's this?" the blonde cocked her head towards the stranger in the graduate lounge. He was well-dressed with his hair swept to the side. He was like a cut out from a magazine for glasses, Liann thought.
"A high school classmate who's been friend-zoned," Marcus answered devilishly.
Liann winced at the title. "Yikes. Sorry to hear that."
Kyouya huffed and closed his eyes in an attempt to stay calm.
Mari shook her head with a smile. "Guys, be nice. His name is Kyouya. We went to high school together. He started his Master's in Public Health in the beginning of the year," Mari introduced.
"Kyouya Ootori," the guest clarified.
"Ootori," Liann repeated. "Where have I heard that before?"
Mari shook her head, feigning ignorance. "No clue. Doesn't matter. We're going to go catch up." She swiftly began to make her exit and told Kyouya to do the same. The two high school classmates shuffled out of the graduate lounge and left behind the nosy grad students.
Kyouya was obviously irritated and Mari couldn't help but to smile as they walked home.
"They don't mean any harm," she tried. "They're nosy but they won't bother you if you tell them you're uncomfortable."
"Do they know everything about your romantic life?" Kyouya narrowed his eyes.
Mari shrugged. "I would like to think that my reputation in academia overshadows my personal life. Those who bring up my personal life know that I'm much more than just who I'm dating. Besides, it isn't like I don't know who Marcus has been hooking up with lately. Or the entire saga of Liann and her fiancé."
It still didn't make him feel better and he couldn't quite pinpoint why.
"Oh come on, as if you haven't dated people?" Mari rolled her eyes.
The Ootori stayed silent and continued walking.
Mari stopped in her tracks. "Oh," she blinked. "You really haven't."
It wasn't like he had the time to date. Or any interest in dating anyone, to be quite honest. But Mari didn't know that. She had been far too removed from the upper class to remember that any sign of him being in a relationship would lead directly to marriage. Either that, or a scandal. Mari had been living in bliss with as much freedom as needed to start any kind of relationship she chose to.
"This is a good opportunity, you know," she urged. "Get out there. Date people. See what else is there besides the bimbos that you're someday destined to marry," Mari chuckled.
"I don't have time," he grumbled.
"Oh, but you had time to sit at the graduate lounge for about an hour before I finished with my class?" the woman teased.
"What would be the point?" the Ootori rolled his eyes. "As you said, I'm destined to marry some bimbo anyway."
"Fight the system, of course. Break the rules. Come on, be rebellious," Mari reminded. Of course she would be the one to encourage this. She was always someone who liked to bend rules and expectations. She had always defied what was expected of her, after all. "You shouldn't have to be what everyone expects you to be if you don't want it."
Kyouya rolled his eyes. "This is terrible advice."
"I'm just saying," Mari shrugged. "No one knows who you really are here. Maybe you'll find someone who you really connect with. Actually marry for the right reasons."
"I'll still get a pre-nup," the Ootori muttered.
Mari playfully shoved him off the pavement.
"That wasn't the point. You're such an idiot."
An abridged version of my dating history.
As if you haven't dated people…
Her soft hair would spill over to his pillow. He'd keep her close by the waist with one arm as he nuzzled her neck. He'd fall asleep within minutes. These nights came occasionally, always taking him by surprise.
And every time, she would be gone by morning. She started her days early. In between teaching classes, being in the lab, and writing nowadays – Mari had little time to lose. He on the other hand, had classes to attend and assignments to fulfill. He was here to study, after all.
Kyouya woke to an empty bed. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. It was well past noon at this point.
He reached for his glasses by the night stand. A sheet of paper fell.
Good luck on your presentation!
He mentioned it once. Mari had always been attentive to the details. It was no surprise that she became a researcher, paying attention to the minute details of whatever she studied. Kyouya appreciated the sentiment even if he wouldn't admit it out loud.
He reluctantly got up and brushed his teeth.
"You know this is just… physical, right?" Mari was clear in her intent. "I'm not the kind of person to play games with people's emotions."
"Of course," he scoffed. A part of him wondered if he answered too quickly.
"As long as we're clear," she looked into his eyes for any form hesitation before closing the gap between them. Her hands were quick to run through his hair as he naturally found her lips again. It became like clockwork after a while. She knew every groove of his body, and he knew every single crevice of her body that had her shivering under his touch.
He groaned just thinking about her. He splashed cold water onto his face in an attempt to clear his mind. Mari clouded his thoughts whenever his mind wasn't on school or the corporation.
"Hey, what do you think about Penelope?" Mari showed him a picture. They were sitting on his couch eating takeout. "Law student."
Kyouya glanced at her phone. "What about her?"
"Would you go on a date with her?"
The Ootori rolled his eyes. "I told you, I don't have time to date."
"Okay," Mari nodded, thinking about it some more. "Hook up with her then?"
"No," he firmly answered. "Why are you obsessed with finding me a partner?"
"I'm just trying to remind you that I'm not the only fish in the sea! I'm not even an option. You deserve options.
"I don't need any," Kyouya reassured. "You're already a handful."
"That's definitely not what you thought last night," Mari smirked.
Mari was not the kind of young woman to bring home, and she knew that. Kyouya knew that. She was the middle child of a real estate tycoon who was nowhere to be seen in their circles since she had left overseas. No one remembered who she really was to begin with. She was nothing special. A former musician.
But god, she was so much more than what the upper class remembered her to be.
My reputation in academia overshadows my personal life.
She was confident. She was accomplished and so intelligent. She was exciting, daring, and adventurous. But most of all, Mari was so much more than some other heiress who would spend over a million dollars in an afternoon buying luxurious goods. The world didn't know that. The world didn't care for that.
He was lucky to get to know her. The real Mari – the one who had blossomed from the explosive emotional wreck that he once thought of her as. She was a dear friend, someone he was relieved to have kept close after all these years.
But she wasn't looking to marry, ever. And quite frankly, Kyouya wasn't in the market to marry.
What they had was fine. More than enough.
Or so he thought.
"So, that guy."
Mari sat at her lab bench across from Liann. It was a day of experiments for the both of them. Mari was reaching the end of her degree and she was wrapping up the last set of her experiments. The two were dressed in their stained lab coats with only the sound of the fumehood in the background.
"Which guy?" Mari narrowed her eyes.
"Ootori," Liann clarified. "I looked him up. How do you know one of the sons of the Japan's biggest private healthcare companies?"
The grad student sighed. "We went to high school together, remember?"
"So," Liann tried to put the pieces together. "You went to a high school with…"
"Basically the richest, most snobby kids in all of Japan," Mari explained.
Liann blinked. "Okay, so what about you?"
"My family is rich. I'm just… here," Mari mindlessly refilled pipette boxes. She waited around for her samples to incubate and decided to do menial housekeeping tasks around the lab. "I don't like being associated with that crowd."
"But you hang around that dude," Liann pointed out.
Mari looked up from the bench and shrugged. "You know, we were lab partners in high school right?"
"Oooh," Liann smirked. "That's cute. Budding high school romance."
"No," Mari shook her head. "There was none of that. We were mortal enemies."
"And now?"
Mari thought about it. "I think we're good friends now. We've both grown since our high school days."
"That's it?" the PhD student groaned. "You're not going to lock down one of the richest guys in Japan?"
"He's really kind of a prick," Mari explained. "But he's bearable after a decade. I don't know, I mean we hook up from time to time out of convenience. He's my neighbour too."
Liann's jaw dropped.
"Oh my god, how can you just say these things without blinking an eye?"
Mari shrugged. "I don't know, I mean. It's physical. I'm not the kind of girl to bring home to his family. He's not the kind of guy I see myself with on a long-term basis. I think we're at a good place right now."
"Mari! He's totally into you," Liann groaned. "Did you not see the way he looked at you in the lounge? He was absolutely mortified when we aired out your dating history. He couldn't even pass the first test."
"He probably doesn't care. Besides, he probably thinks I sleep around a lot." Mari didn't give too much thought to what the Ootori thought of her. She was only around for a couple more months, anyway.
"You don't sleep around," Liann pointed out. "You pretend like these relationships don't mean anything but god, I swear you were at least a little heartbroken when Peter moved to California."
The girl in question tilted her head and thought about it. It was months ago now. "Well, I produced a lot of data during those months of being heartbroken. Consider it as a great trigger for being a productive researcher."
"Yeah but gosh, you deserve happiness too, you know," Liann softly reminded. "I'm not saying love is the answer to happiness. You deserve to be taken care of just as much as you take care of others."
Mari sighed.
"I don't know. I've never been good at this."
Mari sat at the kitchen island drinking beer while she scrolled through the pages of her thesis. Her defense was scheduled in a few months and she did most of her writing at night across from him. The company of one another became a regular thing as the weather grew colder.
Kyouya learned to tune out her music. In fact, often times he preferred listening to her hum along to whatever she played from her laptop. She bobbed her head with the beat, singing softly along to a few lines at a time.
He noticed when she grew conscious of her singing, quieting down immediately.
"I don't mind," he told her. "You sing well."
"Mmhm," she took another swig of her beer. "It's fine, you can tell me if it's annoying. We're past the point of being polite – not that you were ever polite to begin with," Mari rolled her eyes.
Kyouya scoffed. "Neither were you."
Mari shrugged. "Like I said, no need to be polite. If I'm being intrusive or if you would like to retire for the night – let me know."
Kyouya swirled the wine in his glass. "I'd prefer a more interesting conversation."
The woman raised an eyebrow and glanced back at her paper on her laptop screen. Well, at the very least – whatever conversation Kyouya had in mind would be eons more exciting than what she was in the midst of writing.
"You sing. You tap your fingers on surfaces as a means of fidgeting, but your muscles remember the keyboard still. Why do you bury that part of yourself?"
Mari looked back down at her monitor. She could pick her poison tonight. Either she toiled over another portion of her paper or she decided to rip open her chest and analyze why she did that to herself.
"I need more alcohol for this," Mari muttered. She chugged the rest of her beer and looked at the Ootori expectantly. Kyouya was quick to grab another glass from the cupboards and poured her the rest of his bottle.
"I don't bury it," she corrected him after taking a sip of her wine. "I've evolved from it. There's a stark difference, Kyouya. I'm not defined solely as a pianist. I'm a student, a mentor, a scientist, a friend. I don't actively avoid playing the piano – I've just grown from it."
Kyouya nodded. "I see. You needed alcohol for that?" He refused to believe that her explanation was complete. Of course, Mari had grown from being a professional pianist. He knew that. Her peers, the entire faculty, and world of academia knew who Mari Takuya was.
"My piano teacher died," Mari reminded him, her eyes growing distant. She looked down at her wine glass and took another large gulp of her wine. "She committed suicide and I couldn't stop her." Mari closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Do you have any more?"
Kyouya didn't realize that she had already been making her way towards the wine cooler to grab another bottle. He gently took away the bottle from her and put the corkscrew away before Mari could get to it.
"That's enough," he whispered. "I apologize. I wasn't aware."
Mari looked up at him with eyes that challenged him to try to take away the bottle from her. He hardly resisted her firm grip to grab the merlot away from him and easily shuffled past him to grab the corkscrew.
"Don't ask questions you aren't prepared to hear the answers for, Kyouya," she chided. He heard that phrase before. She told him the same thing years ago at Ouran. The pop of the cork echoed through the room. Mari didn't bother pouring out the wine and instead, drank from the bottle. She turned to face him. "What were you expecting?"
Kyouya shook his head. "Not that." He was still at a loss.
Mari couldn't help but to chuckle. "It wasn't my intention to make you feel guilty. I don't talk about it because it isn't a topic that people want or need to hear about. But it… it was a defining period of my life that affected every decision that came after it."
"Do you still go to counselling?" he asked, curious.
"Not since Ouran," Mari admitted. "Therapy was good. Helped me process a lot of my feelings and to look at her death in a rational manner. I don't think I would have ended up here without proper counselling."
Kyouya nodded understandably.
"I still… feel guilty," she murmured. Mari took another gulp of wine. She was already a third of the way through the bottle. "I know I shouldn't. I was 16. I wasn't prepared to deal with something like that. But god, I watched the paramedics wheel her lifeless body into the ambulance and I felt so alone. And then you spiral into the whole thought of her being so alone to the point where she decided to take her life."
Mari sighed and exhaled. "It's not right. She needed someone. I wasn't that person. I wasn't enough. And that was a lot for a 16 year old," she sighed. "It's still a lot for a 23 year old," Mari added.
"I'm sorry," He couldn't offer her anything else. She shrugged and drank again from the bottle.
"Don't be," Mari reassured. "See? This is why I needed a drink," she tried to steer the conversation to something more lighthearted.
Kyouya reached for the glass bottle carefully. He was so gentle in his touch, almost afraid of scaring her away. He gave her a pleading look and she reluctantly gave it to him with a frown. It wasn't healthy to be drinking this much, not in a night anyway. He put the wine bottle on the counter.
What she didn't expect was the warmth that she felt against her body. He carefully placed his arm around her waist and let her rest her head against his shoulder. Kyouya could only hold her while she was in this vulnerable state.
"I don't know what else to tell you," he softly admitted. "I'm sorry."
"It wasn't your fault," Mari whispered. "It wasn't mine, either. I know. It was out of my control, I—"
"No," he cut her off. "I could have been better to you."
Mari sighed and held him back. It felt natural. How she fit so perfectly underneath his chin. He stroked her back soothingly. "I was dealing with a lot and you were just… well, you were just a product of the 1%. In hindsight, we were just kids. I never held it against you."
They were just kids. Now they were full-grown adults who bickered with each other like they were still teenagers. They had come such a long way, growing immensely since their high school years, chose their paths that they thrived upon, and somehow they still found themselves intertwined no matter where they travelled.
Mari pulled away and exhaled. Her surroundings were fuzzy and only he was in focus. Oh, she thought to herself. She was sufficiently drunk. Enough for the nerves to be gone. Enough for things to seem funnier than they really should. It wasn't the worst thing to be, Mari figured. Kyouya watched her with concern, unsure of what she was going to do next.
"Thank you," she gave him a small smile. He spent the night trying to console her on something that he wouldn't ever quite understand. But he tried and for that, Mari was grateful.
Kyouya could have sworn that his breath hitched. The way she looked at him was enough for him to lose his train of thought for the umpteenth time he was with her. He couldn't even pinpoint why he felt the way he did when he was around her. Was it her silky long hair? The dyed ends let him spot her from a mile away. Was it her brown eyes that were accentuated by the most delicate lashes? Her lips that were painted in the warmest hue of nude? He was at such a loss that he was unsure of what to do next. His head was clouded with thoughts.
So she did it for him. She pulled him down and pressed her lips against his firmly. She did it with such confidence, quick to make him feel like he was on top of the world. She chose him. Of all the men that had pursued her, Mari kissed him.
And so the cycle began again.
It's just physical, she told herself.
She's still not meant for you, he told himself.
He knocked on her door after class a little after 4 PM. It became a usual routine. Friday nights with terrible takeout and whatever alcohol they had on hand. He expected her to tell her what she wanted to eat for the night but instead, Mari poked her head through the door grimacing.
"Can I take a rain check on this?" She opened the door to reveal her outfit. She wore a high-necked white dress that hugged her figure. She was in the midst of trying to put on a stack of dainty gold bracelets. Kyouya gently took her wrist and clasped the jewelry on her.
"Are you going out on a date?" he raised an eyebrow at her, masking his distaste at the thought. He could feel the rage brewing within.
Mari laughed. "Geez, this is a lot of effort for a date…" she rolled her eyes. "No, there's a formal for all graduate students in the chemistry department. I was told specifically to go or I'd be murdered by my entire lab."
Her makeup done was simple. Her eyes were accentuated by a set of long lashes, foregoing the need for any heavy eyeliner or eyeshadow. Her cheekbones were chiseled and glowed under beneath the light. Her lips were a deep hue of red. Kyouya was drawn to those lips more than he should have been.
"I still have to do my hair," Mari sighed. "But yeah, I figured that I should go. This is my last year at Harvard. Or really, last few months."
"Can I come?" Kyouya blurted, his anger dissipating almost immediately after her explanation.
Mari squinted her eyes, as if she had heard incorrectly. "Um. I don't see why you would want to. You wouldn't know anyone. Everyone's kind of a pretentious academic. But hey, I guess if you wanted to fit in – your snobbery could do you well in this," she joked.
The Ootori rolled his eyes at her comment.
Mari shrugged. "I leave in an hour. If you can get yourself ready for a formal by then… I guess you can come and meet my friends."
Kyouya showed up at her door within the hour. He was dressed in an impeccable suit. From head to toe, Mari could note that his suit was Armani with his Italian leather shoes. She raised an eyebrow at him and shook her head. It took him half an hour to look this put together, and it took her an hour and a half. Kyouya stepped into her apartment wordlessly, waiting for Mari to put her shoes on.
"Do you think we've overdressed?" Mari thought out loud. Formal events for commoners were their casual events. She looked at herself in the mirror behind the door and wondered if it was all too much. Kyouya silently offered his arm for her to balance as she put on her Louboutins.
"No," Kyouya chuckled as he answered her question.
"Maybe I should wear flats for something more casual? Or wear my hair down so it's not too—" she rambled to the point where Kyouya gave a small smile at her silly concern.
"You look perfect," the Ootori softly told her.
You look perfect, she repeated to herself. His voice never faltered at the statement. He meant every word. He nodded at her reassuringly.
"You really do," Kyouya whispered.
"Okay," she breathlessly responded. "If you say so." Mari kissed him on the cheek in thanks.
Kyouya was used to being in the shadows, silently trailing behind the woman who made her rounds across the room speaking to her peers, the faculty, and everyone else in between. He quite enjoyed watching her converse – she was well-respected by all, humble in her achievements, and always exchanged pleasantries with anyone she knew.
Liann snuck up to the Shadow King while Mari spoke to a professor, updating them on the progress and the scheduled end of her thesis.
"You've been following her like a puppy all night," a voice caught his attention. Kyouya recognized the blonde as one of the two graduate students he met in the lounge.
"Well, where else would I be?" the Ootori shrugged.
"At home, of course." The PhD candidate laughed. "I asked if you were coming and she told me no. What made her change her mind?"
Kyouya blinked. "She didn't want me to come?"
Liann raised an eyebrow. He wasn't as bright as she thought he was. "She said it was pointless if you didn't know anyone. Which is true, I suppose. But who knows what goes on in that mind of hers. Mari is a brilliant researcher but an absolute disaster sometimes."
The Ootori tilted his head at her, coaxing her to continue.
"Well," the blonde raised an eyebrow. "What are you two? Are you guys dating or what?"
Kyouya shrugged. "That's none of your business."
Liann scoffed. "Right. So, just undefined forever."
"Pretty much," the Ootori agreed. "We have more things we dislike about each other than what we tolerate."
"Oh. Like what?"
The Ootori glanced at the woman who challenged him. Liann was curious to hear it more than anything.
"She's disorganized."
"Oh, yes," Liann agreed. "Her desk is just piles upon piles of paper. But her lab bench? Impeccable."
"She's hotheaded," Kyouya added.
Liann smirked at the statement. "Yeah, when she doesn't get her way. But I've never felt like she wasn't justified when she's angry or stubborn about something."
"Oblivious to her potential," he listed another one.
The woman narrowed her eyes before smiling deviously. "You know, that doesn't sound like an awful quality."
Kyouya frowned. "She refuses to use the resources to get ahead."
"You mean… she's rich?" Liann chuckled. "Look at what she's wearing. Everything about her screams that she was raised rich. From her shoes to her diamond earrings that probably cost the amount of funding I get in a year."
Kyouya glanced at Mari. Her hair was swept up in a French bun, her fingers gripped her grey clutch as her other hand was used to illustrate her point across. A bright smile was plastered across her face as she was in her element, talking about her passion. Mari was the most beautiful when she was happy.
"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Liann read his mind. "She's so genuine and everyone can see it. When I first met her, she was so bright-eyed and passionate about doing research. Mari loves what she does and she never hesitates to help anyone who needs it."
Kyouya nodded. Mari was kind to people who she believed was deserving of it. But she was never naïve enough to believe in him. She was a good judge of character and had always been.
"She seems perfect in every way imaginable," Liann continued. "She loves her work. She could dedicate her entire life to science and be alright. Mari would be fulfilled knowing that others will be fulfilled. But that's not right, you know? She deserves happiness too."
"She isn't happy?" the Ootori squinted. She looked quite content to him.
"Oh, she's ecstatic," Liann laughed. She loved watching Mari ramble about data and the peculiar things she loved about her research. "Mari could talk about drug delivery and pharmacology all day. But she… deserves more than that, you know? Her life deserves more than just her academic career. No doubt, she'll be fine professionally. I worry about her personally."
The Ootori shrugged.
"She doesn't talk about her family," Liann noted. "In all the years I've known her – she never spoke about her parents or siblings if she had any. She doesn't talk about her childhood. You are the closest thing I know about her before America."
"Interesting," he nodded to himself.
"So," Liann crossed her arms. "What do you think?"
"About what?"
"About Mari and how she pushes away people and any possibility of being happy."
He didn't know what to say. He was still in the process of understanding everything that been said between them. It was a lot to digest.
"You're useless," Liann grumbled. "Can't you see? She deserves someone who can take care of her so she can stop taking care of everyone else around her. She gives and gives, but never receives."
"Does she?" Kyouya wondered. "What has she given me?"
Liann shook her head and shrugged.
"You answer that yourself."
Tamaki insisted on visiting Kyouya when he and Haruhi settled in Boston. Kyouya wanted to meet the two at a local upscale restaurant in the heart of downtown for lunch, but the goddamn friend showed up to his door instead. Tamaki was knocking repeatedly until it annoyed the Shadow King enough to get out of bed.
"Oi!" he greeted bright and early at 10 in the morning. Kyouya was seething when he opened the door. "Oh don't give me that look, Kyouya. You're happy to see me, aren't you?"
"I really am not," Kyouya growled.
"Aren't you going to let me in?" the blonde was already poking his head through the door. His attention was shifted when another door opened to reveal a familiar face. The neighbouring unit opened up to reveal a young woman, wrapped tightly in her winter coat. Her head was covered by a toque, grey-blonde hair curled effortlessly down to her shoulders. She slung the backpack over her shoulder and locked the door. Tamaki blinked. He couldn't pinpoint who she was, but goodness he knew her from somewhere.
She gave a polite smile and left the two friends. She recognized Tamaki immediately and gave Kyouya a nod of acknowledgement. It was days like these that she was thankful for her busy morning schedule. Mari had to get into the lab early to set it up for the undergraduates and left his apartment two hours ago.
The blonde turned to Kyouya.
"Who was that?"
"Doesn't matter," the Shadow King shot back. He left the doorway open and shuffled into the washroom after putting the coffee machine to brew. Kyouya walked out of his bathroom to find Tamaki looking at his belongings.
"What's this? Award for Distinction in Research and Teaching… Ma…ri… Takuya…" Tamaki slowly read. "Mari Takuya? Why does that sound so familiar?"
The Shadow King put the plaque face down and huffed. Mari had left it at his place after they had attended the formal a few weeks ago. He carried it home for her while she joked that she was undeserving of it and she would have no room for the piece of wood when she had to move again. Somehow, he found himself with it by the time they came home. The Ootori figured that she would come around to bring it back but Mari had probably forgotten about it.
From what he learned, Mari actually had won various accolades throughout her undergraduate years. Scholarships and awards that she qualified for from her high grades and involvement in academia were topics that she never brought up to anyone. It was a well-known fact that everyone seemed to know except for him.
"Tell me about your time here, mon ami!" Tamaki excitedly shifted the topic.
Kyouya ignored his friend and poured his coffee.
"Well, if you aren't going to talk – I'll tell you about Haruhi instead. She's already started law school but I've finally gotten admission to do my MBA here so…" Tamaki continued on with his updates that Kyouya had already known about. Tamaki liked to text him often, with the conversations being one-sided most of the time. Haruhi was far too busy to meet up with him but the Ootori got updates from Tamaki and it was more than enough.
By the time Tamaki had finished rambling about his life, Kyouya had already worked his way through his second mug of coffee.
"So, why does your neighbour look familiar?" Tamaki still couldn't let it go. It bothered him to no end. "And that plaque…"
Kyouya knew it was a matter of seconds before the annoying blonde would put the pieces together. He braced himself with another refill of his mug.
"Mari!" He exclaimed. "Oh! Mari! She was so talented in Ouran! Was that her? Was that her, Kyouya?" he shook his friend's arm. "How she's changed! That hair colour really threw me off! My goodness, she's grown to be much prettier than what I remembered. What is she up to? Is she studying at the Boston Conservatory?" Tamaki had so many questions. "We should invite her to lunch! It would be a great Ouran reunion!"
"She's busy," Kyouya muttered. He knew her schedule.
"Dinner then!" Tamaki insisted.
"No," the Shadow King refused.
"How would you know? It's not like you've asked!" his friend was ecstatic. "Oh goodness, she was so sweet in Ouran – how is she now? Do you talk?"
We do more than talk, Kyouya thought to himself. Memories of the night before trickled into his mind. She sauntered into his apartment like she owned the place and smirked at him when he came out of the shower. She had her hair up in a loose bun, her pyjama shorts were dangerously short with her loose fitting crop top. She was quick to pull him closer to her, his hands suddenly finding themselves on her hips while she pulled him down by the neck. He smiled into the kiss.
"Hello? Earth to Kyouya," Tamaki flailed his arms.
"We're neighbours," Kyouya answered. It wasn't really a lie. "Acquaintances," he clarified.
The blonde tilted his head. "Then you wouldn't actually know if she's busy for lunch!"
"It was a fair assumption," the Shadow King explained.
"But why do you have her plaque?!" Tamaki interrogated.
Kyouya coughed. This would be harder to explain.
"Shipment error," he was quick on his feet. "She probably wasn't around to accept the award in person and they accidentally shipped it to my unit."
"And you haven't given it back?" the blonde narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Weird."
"Acquaintances," Kyouya explained nonchalantly. "We're not that close."
Tamaki raised an eyebrow at his friend.
"If you say so."
