Disclaimer – I, unfortunately, don't own any of the characters from Ouran high host club…although if anyone knows how to…

Someone was shaking his shoulder.

Opening one eye slowly, he growled at the sight of blonde hair and a grinning smile. Why on earth was Tamaki here? Why was Tamaki in his bedroom? Why was Tamaki in his bedroom bothering him at such a ridiculously small hour?

Hold on, since when had Kyoya slept in his living room, halfway over the table and across all his precious notes, and when had eleven become a ridiculously small hour?

Ah, and he had said to Tamaki yesterday that they would all go to the beach for lunch since Tamaki had insisted it would be a brilliant idea for everyone to 'take a break'. Briefly, he wondered if the blonde was aware of the group slowly falling apart.

Nah, it was too much of an observant observation for the unobservant King.

Sitting up and pushing his glasses further up his nose only to find them not there, he sighed. "Tamaki, why are you in my house?"

"You said to -"

"Meet at the beach for noon."

"But you weren't retuning my calls or messages and -"

"I was asleep." Sighing, he tried to find his glasses. Where they on the floor? The desk? Underneath the table? Somewhere? He frowned as they were handed to him by a rather sheepish Kaoru.

The young Hitachiin wilted at his glare. "Sorry, they were sitting quite precariously on your nose when you were sleeping so I removed them in case they were broken when Tamaki tried to wake you up."

Was everyone there? Putting his glasses on, he noticed it was only Kaoru and Tamaki. "Kaoru, why are you here? Tamaki isn't that unusual, but you?"

"Oh, Hikaru had already headed when I got up this morning, so I decided to go with someone else…" The young boy sighed and looked at the floor. "I'll go if you want me to."

Glancing at Tamaki, who was now in the kitchen oblivious, Kyoya sighed at his awkward predicament. He was still unsure as to why he was so interested in Kaoru who was now standing in front of him looking so lost and alone and cute that –

Hold it, did he just think cute?

He smiled thinly at Kaoru. "You can travel with me and Tamaki, and whilst I get ready will you make sure Tamaki doesn't destroy my kitchen?"

Looking into the room in question, Kaoru smiled back, a wicked gleam in his eyes. "I might be too late for that."

Kyoya just sighed before heading to his bedroom, smiling slightly at how bizarre the day had become already. He was used to normal being unnatural whenever Tamaki decided on something, but for it to happen just as he woke up?

He blinked as coffee was put under his nose. Turning, he looked at Kaoru quizzically. "Why are you in my bedroom with coffee?" Thinking over the sentence, he hoped it hadn't sounded too much like 'why are you in my bedroom with anything?'

The young Hitachiin smiled, the entire room seeming to brighten. "You've been staring at the wardrobe for five minutes, doing nothing but smile." He cocked his head to one side, raising his eyebrows. "I thought you hated mornings, and there you are, grinning like an idiot."

Taking the coffee, Kyoya glowered at the younger boy, and after nearly faltering a few times, managed to keep the gesture on his face as Kaoru wilted and then shuffled about awkwardly before, and here he chocked, opening his wardrobe. "Kaoru, what are you doing now?"

"Unless you plan to go to the beach in your pyjamas, which are very nice and stylish but not particularly suitable for the coastal environment, I suggest you get changed." He pulled out black three quarter shorts and a simple sleeveless white shirt. "This is more suitable."

How had all the clothes not crushed him? Or fallen out everywhere? Kyoya half wondered as he accepted the clothing if it was a sign that Kaoru should be – cutting the thought off, he looked at the younger boy who was now rooting about for sandals, and a few accessories.

"Will you need swimwear?"

Blinking, he frowned. "I don't intend to go swimming."

"Take them anyway." This was added to a fluffy towel and some spare clothes before suntan lotion was retrieved. "Do you burn easily?"

Dispelling the thought of asking Kaoru to apply it to his back, Kyoya quickly gulped down the coffee and wondered if his hormones had suddenly decided to raise their ugly little heads. Either that or the coffee was drugged.

The next thing he was aware of was yawning in the back of his car with a picnic basket biting into his side and Kaoru next to the picnic basket on the other side, Tamaki sitting next to the driver and asking a hundred questions about the local scenery, driving in general and other things.

"You finally woke up, sleeping beauty!"

Turning to Kaoru, he glowered at the boy, not for calling him sleeping beauty, but because he hadn't been woken up in a similar manner by – cutting the thought off, he wondered just what was wrong with him today.

It was all the late night reading.

It had to be.

Kaoru was chatting away about the picnic, and how Tamaki had insisted on bringing a lot of what he thought was unnecessary things with them. Waving his hands in an animated gesture, he was mapping out the boot of the car with a beach ball, large parasol and an assortment of towels and beach games where placed.

After all, as he pointed out again, they were there to eat, not play games all day.

The Shadow King had a difficult time not thinking of playing various games and nodded mutely in agreement with Kaoru. "What time is it?"

"Time you got a watch?"

Looking at his watch, he sighed. Ten minutes until the picnic started and he reckoned they were nearly at the beach, in fact, the driver had just turned onto the road that would lead to his family's private car park.

And then, he was out of the car, hauling a lot of things he now whole heartedly agreed with Kaoru that were totally unnecessary as Tamaki carried the picnic basket in front of them.

Arriving at the chosen spot, he sat down next to Hikaru who was talking animatedly to Haruhi about some game or another. Kyoya just looked at the pair for a moment in disdain before looking up as Mori and Hunny arrived.

Kaoru nudged him. "Do you want to eat now or later? Only you haven't had any breakfast apart from that coffee I gave you."

Squishing the thought about pancakes and maple syrup and Kaoru altogether before it even fully arose, he smiled. "That would be nice." He wanted to hit the boy when he produced pancakes.

"Is something wrong?"

"I was just wondering where the syrup was."

Kaoru laughed. "I didn't know you liked sweet things! We have some jam but that's supposed to be for the sandwiches according to Haruhi, but you can have some if you like."

Would jam and Kaoru be good together? The red hair would clash with the red substance, if only it was syrup, then they could match his eyes. But he did look as if he would taste of strawberries…

"Kyoya?"

"I'm still waking up." Biting into a pancake, he watched the younger boy walk over to his brother, where they laughed about something, although the younger looked hurt still when Hikaru gestured Haruhi.

Why had Hikaru left so early? Thinking, he frowned when Tamaki sat next to him. He waited in silence for a long moment.

"Isn't this nice?" The blonde grinned. "I felt we could all do with a rest."

He'd have preferred a rest with just – cutting that thought firmly off, Kyoya was beginning to wonder how cold the sea was in case he continued with so many hormone driven thoughts. "It's nice."

"Good! Did you bring any suntan lotion? I don't want my daughter to burn."

"Kaoru packed my bag, ask him."

The blonde sighed and moved away, leaving the Shadow King to have some peace finally. Kyoya smiled happily and, laying out a towel, stretched out and continued eating his breakfast as he watched Kaoru who was running about with Hikaru.

The older caught the younger and wrestled the suntan lotion from him.

"H-Hikaru? I didn't want you to burn."

Kyoya choked at the simpering look on the young boys face and felt like he must have suddenly been burning.

Hikaru just shook his head. "There's no one here for that kind of thing, and even if there was, putting a huge blob of suntan lotion right down my back isn't amusing."

The younger boys simpering look changed into a barely held smile. "You're right, sorry." Taking the bottle back, he walked away and sat next to Kyoya again as Hikaru went to apologise to Haruhi. "Are you alright, you've turned quite red?"

"I chocked on some pancake."

The young boy sighed and stretched out onto his stomach next to the older boy, trailing his fingers in the loose golden sand. "Would syrup have made it go down easier? I'm sorry I didn't bring any, I seem to be a bit clumsy recently."

"It was just a whim." Kyoya replied, watching the boy. "Are you alright?"

Thinking, Kaoru smiled weakly. "Have you ever felt like a third wheel? Unnecessary and in the way?"

Being the third son, he knew that feeling well when he wasn't completely focused on beating the other two without surpassing them too much. Although he hadn't felt either in a long time. When had those feelings gone away?

Somehow, he just knew it would be related to watching Kaoru, he just knew it.

"Everyone feels like that." He was surprised by Kaoru's answer.

"I never used to feel like that, only recently." The young boy sighed and put his head down onto his arms for a moment, face turned away from Kyoya, watching the sea.

Hand reaching out, Kyoya froze, wondering if he should continue the gesture or pull back. He nearly laughed at the obscure thought that he was in fact doing the opposite of Kaoru's behaviour with Hikaru in the past few weeks.

Maybe he could be as close to –

Squashing the thought, he patted the boys shoulder, almost jumping as Kaoru nearly leapt out of his skin and sat up abruptly, looking at him surprised.

Suddenly laughing, Kaoru blushed. "Sorry, I kind of forgot everyone was here." He pointed at his head. "Started thinking too much."

Kyoya frowned. "Thinking is good, it's necessary."

"No, sometimes you should act and not think." The younger boy replied as he picked up the suntan lotion. "Your turning a bit red, do you want to use this?"

He wanted the younger boy to apply it. "That might be a good idea." Taking the bottle, he squirted the cold liquid onto his hand and began to rub it into his arms. "So, do you think I think too much?"

"That's how you work; I think the world would end if you didn't." Kaoru grinned to show he was joking. "Sometimes I think you're too serious, but at the same time it's necessary to balance this group out." He glanced at Tamaki who was running around and chasing Haruhi, Hikaru chasing the blonde with Hunny and Mori joining in for what seem to be the sake of joining in.

Kyoya's hand involuntarily moved on its own accord to pat the boy's shoulder which, he suddenly realised was bare. He cursed the sudden hormone driven thought as Kaoru jumped again and looked at him.

Thankfully Kaoru saved him from an embarrassing explanation.

"Do I need some lotion on my back?" He twisted round in vain to see. "Usually Hikaru would tell me."

"He's a little busy at the moment it seems." Kyoya replied as he picked up the bottle. "Do you need any help putting it on? I don't want one of the Host Clubs best acts to be out of service due to sunburn."

The young boy smiled brightly. "Thanks!" Before turning round to let the older boy apply the cold lotion onto his bare skin.

Kyoya sighed inwardly as he knew that Kaoru didn't think anything of the gesture since he was used to a guy – his brother – applying it on to his back. It was a shame really; it would have been interesting to see how he would have reacted otherwise.

And it was also a shame that he had run out of skin on the younger boys back to apply the lotion onto.

"Done already?" The young boy asked, sounding surprised before changing to a more thoughtful tone. "Then again, Hikaru and I usually make it part of our routine, so we'd draw it out as long as possible…would you like me to apply some onto your back, or are you going to keep your shirt on all day?"

Happily handing the lotion over and removing his shirt, Kyoya smiled as the thin fingers started to rub the lotion onto his back. He was surprised though when they began to carefully knead his back muscles.

"You're far too tense…" Kaoru sighed. "Look at all these knots!"

Not caring if they were knots, ropes or laces, Kyoya just smiled and enjoyed the treatment of someone spending some time on him because they wanted to. Although the hormone driven thoughts where getting a little difficult to keep at bay.

"Kaoru!" Hikaru skidded to a halt next to the pair, kicking up sand over them. "What are you doing?"

"Applying suntan lotion."

"But that's Kyoya."

"I know." Kaoru grinned. "Would you like me to put some on your back?"

Kyoya nearly screamed as the soft hands moved away from his skin, it wasn't fair; he had finally gotten Kaoru to himself! Hold on, the Shadow King did a mental retake, was he now jealous of Hikaru?

The older brother sighed. "Haruhi already put some on my back. Do you want to play some volley ball? Tamaki brought an entire set, can you believe it?"

The boys shared a glance; they could believe it quite easily since they carried it all the way over here.

Kaoru smiled. "Sure!" Turning to Kyoya, he raised his eyebrows. "Do you want to play as well?"

It might be a good idea not watching the younger boy jumping up and down so Kyoya nodded in agreement, stretching as the twins both raced over to the net to see who would be on whose team.

And the day continued much like that.

Do you all think Kyoya should take Kaorus advice on acting, not thinking? Please review and let me know what you all think!