Kyouya heaved a sigh as he fell back against his soft mattress. Never in his entire life had he felt so utterly humiliated. Sure, there were multiple times in high school that Tamaki had mildly embarrassed him but not to such an extent as he did last night. Just the thought of Tamaki made him groan and have the sudden urge to throw a childish tantrum.

The Ootori rolled over before burying his face into his sheets. Last night's event was a complete disaster.

Kyouya stood awkwardly beside a wet Ana, his hands stuffed deeply into his pockets. He didn't know what to say, but then again, what was there to say? Sorry? Only a fool would think that sorry could suffice for such a terrible night.

Not only had Kyouya spent a small fortune on the night alone, but Ana's dress was ruined, getting closer and the hopes of ever being called back was non-existent, and there she stood shivering because of her clothes that had become wet due to her attempt at trying to clean herself off. Not to mention, they'd been asked to exit the building and forced out into the cool night air.

"I, uh, had a nice time, Kyouya," she murmured awkwardly, her arms folded across her chest as she tried to keep warm. "And it was nice meeting your friends," she added in an attempt at staying optimistic as nodded to the group, huddled beside them.

Kyouya shook his head before sighing and shrugging off his suit coat. "You don't have to lie," he spoke gently before placing the black coat around her shoulders. "Feel free to say that tonight was a complete disaster."

She averted her eyes as heat creeped up on her cheeks. "No, you're wrong. I got to spend time with you and see a different side of you. I'm glad," Ana mumbled quietly, confusing Kyouya.

Before he had a chance to say anything else, the sound of a car pulling up broke through the quiet.

"That's my ride," the girl declared, walking up to him as her chauffeur took his place at the passenger door. "Don't beat yourself up, 'kay?" She reassured him, standing on the tips of her toes to softly press her lips against his cheek.

Kyouya placed his hand against his cheek, as if her touch had been a dream. How could someone be so pure?

As if on command, Kyouya's phone lit up and Ana's picture displayed on the screen.

He smiled.

"Hello?" he asked smoothly, rolling over and sitting up.

"Kyouya?" he felt his stomach lurch. "How are you?" Her soft voice sounded through the speaker, followed by a sniff.

"Ah, I'm fine," he responded politely, unconsciously picking at a loose string hanging off of his blanket. "Are you alright?" Kyouya asked, the sniff not going unnoticed by him. Was she crying? Was she hurt? More importantly, why was he so concerned? The thoughts racing through his mind a mile per second made his head spin.

"I've been better. It seems I've come down with a cold though," Ana laughed, followed by a soft cough. "It probably would have been a better idea to properly dry off last night. But when I got home, I was just too tired and couldn't help myself from going straight to bed."

Guilt.

Rarely in his life had Kyouya ever felt this but when he did, he knew that there was no doubt that the situation had been his fault. She hadn't said it but he knew better than to believe such a blatant lie. She was sick because his idiot friends had spilled food on her and the staff had kicked them out.

"I apologize, Ana. I should have had someone run and get you a change of clothes. Is there anything I can do for you?" Kyouya asked, genuinely concerned.

"It wasn't your fault and I don't want you to go out of your way for me... But it would be nice if you could keep me company. My parents won't let me go out anywhere and I feel like I'm trapped and will die of boredom any second," she said, laughing.

"Say no more. I'll be over as soon as possible."

Kyouya got up from his mattress, closed his phone, grabbed his set of keys, and left.

Ana smiled and folded her hands over the soft, pink blanket that lay over her lap. "It's nice to see you again, Kyouya," she greeted, rocking back and forth in the white rocking chair that sat on the winding back porch of her parent's home.

Kyouya sat down in the chair beside her and took in the view of her backyard. For an early December afternoon, it was unseasonably warm and the bushes had been kept alive with yellow roses attached to them.

For a long while, the two sat in a comfortable silence. All that could be heard was the sound of the chairs creaking and the leaves rustling in the gentle breeze.

"You know, last night, I was so nervous about our date," Ana confessed after a long while. "You can ask my mother or even the maids. I didn't know what to wear, how I should do my hair or make up, and I didn't want to say the wrong thing or seem too eager."

Kyouya chuckled at this. remembering how he'd felt when Ana was so casual. He'd been annoyed to think that someone would be so unappreciative of his efforts but, in the end, it was good to know that it had been a simple misunderstanding.

"I mean, usually my dates are complete duds that my parents set me up with or I chase them away because of my name. Once, one boy told me that I was just too much to handle... I guess I just wanted you to like me," her voice trailed off softly, clearly embarrassed, as Kyouya turned to look at her.

For the millionth time since they'd met, or so it felt, Kyouya caught himself entranced. Even in an old cardigan, hair done up in a messy bun, and the fact that she had a cold, could not mar her natural beauty.

Kyouya cleared his throat as he made sure that she had enough time to regain composure. "You should never feel as though you have to walk on eggshells. You just have to be who you are because that's more than enough. Any man who can't 'handle' you because of who you are or your name is no man at all," he said in his signature 'as-a-matter-of-fact' tone. "...You're lovely." He finished, watching as she giggled bashfully.

The rest of the afternoon flew as the two of them talked about everything and nothing. He learned that her favorite color was yellow, she had a bit of a sweet tooth, and her favorite season was winter because she loved wearing sweaters. She learned that he loved spicy foods and could tolerate it better than most and that, even though his friends had a tendency to ruin things, he cared about them more than he could possibly say out loud.

Before he'd even realized it, Kyouya had said more than he ever thought he would to her. In some sense, it scared him. No one knew that she was the gentle spring that would end of the cold winter storm his heart had been frozen under for so long.

A/N: It's been a while since I've decided to update this. While I've had the chapters ahead written for months now, I've found that my writing is inadequate and my original character is becoming too one dimensional. It's taken me a hot minute but I believe that I can get back into writing this soon and, hopefully, I'll receive good feedback in the future. For those of whom have read up until now, I appreciate your support more than you can imagine. Thank you. x

- Kisai-chan