Her muscles ached by the time she'd dragged her ancient record player towards the Bougainvillea Suite. Knocking softly, Merry waited until Tamaki's soft 'enter' sounded from the bed.
"Hideo-san told me of your request for some music," she explained, gently placing the player down and sorting through the records hidden underneath the main body. "I hope this will suffice."
"Thank you, Merry-chan."
She tugged a record out of its blank sleeve, staring at it for long moments before placing it on the deck and resting the needle against the grooves. The sound of a hauntingly beautiful violin filled the air, making Merry smile. It was filled with such emotion that it made her chest swell. Whoever the musician was, they put every bit of their heart and soul into their playing.
After a few moments, Haruhi's whimpers quietened and Tamaki spoke softly. "That's beautiful. Is it yours?"
"No. The records are not marked with any name, so I'm not sure on who the artist is. These records were a gift from my grandfather when I moved here. Please take care of them." She made to exit when, from the slight gap in the poster curtains, she saw Tamaki smile and nod at her, eyes gentle.
She turned away. "Have a good night, Tamaki-san, Haruhi-san. I shall see you both in the morning."
Merry woke with a gasp as the rain beat a soft, steady tattoo against her windows. The echoes of a woman screaming fading away with the adrenalin from her nightmare. She sighed, running a hand through her hair that had escaped its thick braid.
It was always the same dream. Everything would be black, and she'd simply be floating, listening to her old record player when her heart would begin to race for some unknown reason.
Then the screaming came, and she woke up.
Her heartbeat steadied as she slid out of bed, her growling stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten anything. Ran's phone call had distracted her enough to make her forget why she ventured to the kitchen in the first place.
She redid her braid as she wound her way through the halls, feet automatically taking her down the flight of stairs towards the kitchen.
The light was already on.
Curious, Merry rounded the corner and raised a brow at the sight of Kyoya scribbling away in his notebook, the soft light from his PDA casting his face in shadow as he sat at the ancient but somewhat small table. She glanced at the clock above the stoves. 3:18am.
"Was your room not to your liking?" she asked, bee-lining to the refrigerator.
Kyoya didn't even glance up. "It was perfectly fine."
She grabbed a bowlful of stew and placed it in the silver microwave, pressing auto-start. "It is a little late to be studying, isn't it?"
His lips twitched. "Just because school is over for the weekend doesn't mean the work stops."
"Of course not. Kami forbid you actually take that stick out of your arse once in a while."
Kyoya's hand almost slipped against the paper as he finally glanced at her, raising his brows. "I beg your pardon?"
The microwave beeped. "I said I agree with you," Merry smiled, sitting opposite him and digging into her late night/early morning snack. She blinked innocently at him, spoon aloft. "Are you alright, Kyoya-san? Perhaps you should go and get some sleep. You have a strange expression on your face."
He stared at her before deciding to dismiss the entire conversation previous. He returned to writing in his notebook and flicking through his digital calendar.
The soft clink of Merry's spoon hitting the ceramic bowl as she ate accompanied the sounds of Kyoya's scribbles and tapping buttons. Neither commented on how utterly domestic they were acting.
Kyoya's curiosity eventually got the better of him.
"Couldn't sleep?" he asked, feeling like he'd lost at something when he saw Merry hide a smile.
"My stomach woke me up," she said in matter-of-fact tone, gesturing to her bowl with her spoon.
"Do you usually wake at 3am to eat?"
"Only if I'm hungry."
"You wake up at 3am to do other things?" he asked dryly.
Merry shrugged blithely. "Sometimes I play my violin."
Kyoya quirked a brow. "At three in the morning? Not very considerate, are you?"
"On the contrary, my music room muffles the sound rather well. It also helps that the staff are housed on the opposite side of the house," Merry replied, finishing her stew. She padded over to the sink to wash up.
"You seem to like doing commoner chores," Kyoya pointed out, absentmindedly scribbling that little tid-bit down.
Merry shrugged from her position at the sink. "Jun-san has had to deal with the death of a sister and the responsibility of becoming a mother in a very short time frame. Despite popular belief, I am not completely heartless."
"Not heartless, because yours seems to bleed for the underdog."
Merry's movements slowed a little as she placed the bowl on a drying rack. "When underdogs band together they can take on an alpha," she said resolutely.
"That's a very intriguing notion, in its own way," Kyoya hummed. "You seem so sure. But even underdogs can bite the hand that feeds them."
Merry turned around to lean back casually against the bench top, arms crossing over her chest. "I suggest you think very carefully before you open your mouth next, Kyoya-san. The way I interact with my staff is no one else's business."
He adjusted his glasses, rising with cat-like grace. He inwardly smirked when he saw her slim shoulders tense minutely. The game had shifted into his favour and they both knew it. "It wasn't my intention to insult you or your wonderful staff. In fact, Hideo-san is quite an intelligent and entertaining man once you get him to talk."
Merry met his gaze solidly. She didn't believe what he was implying, that he'd managed to get Hideo to reveal something about her past. "He's a dear friend."
"You are both rather close, hm? Be careful, Merry-san. A high schooler and her butler…? How scandalous."
His remark got the reaction he was hoping for. Merry's eyebrow twitched and her nails dug into the tender skin of her biceps, hazel eyes flashing angrily but she still spoke with a calm and cordial tone.
"About as scandalous as a father striking his own son in public out of shame."
In a blink, Kyoya was in front of her, the dull kitchen light refracting off his glasses so she couldn't see his eyes. The tight lines around his mouth were enough indication.
She fought to control her heartbeat and refused to back away from his looming presence.
"You shouldn't speak of matters you know nothing about," he warned.
Merry's chin rose a fraction in defiance. "Same goes, Kyoya-san. You may know a lot of things, but you do not know everything."
They were so close his chest was just brushing the bare skin of her crossed arms. If he leant forward a bit they would be fully pressed against each other. He ducked his head closer to her face, stopping scant inches away with a smile others would have mistaken for friendly.
"You seem to enjoy challenging me, Merry-san. Are you absolutely sure you want me to know everything about you? That is a rather intimate thing, knowing all of you, yes?" he purred, reaching up as if to touch her.
Merry's breath almost caught in her throat. She managed to smooth the hitch and narrowed her eyes instead. "You seem so confident, Kyoya-san. You're more than welcome to try. Impress me. Show me why you're called the Shadow King."
His hand stopped in the air as he simply stared at her, gaze as shuttered and guarded as hers. He took a step back, putting space between them and Merry wondered why she was so cold all of a sudden.
"That was my first and only offer of giving you an out," he announced, taking his seat at the table once more. "If you'll excuse me, Merry-san, I have work to do."
Merry didn't bother to stop her eye-roll as she strode out of the kitchen.
She was almost to her bedroom when she realised he'd practically dismissed her.
In her own house.
She growled and shut the door a little more forcefully.
The game is changing! Dun-dun-dunnnnnnnn.
Review if you would like :)