Christmas break

By Seth

-Chapter 2-

Kyouya and Tamaki followed the maid through the maze of corridors to the room of Kyouya's father. The maid knocked on the door and announced their arrival, then ushered them in. When he entered and looked around him, Tamaki could almost feel his jaw drop.

They were standing in a fairly large, hexagonal room furnished in late-medieval European style; dark wood, grey stone and a traditional fire-place with a hue pile of logs next to it. The walls were decorated with tapestries and ancient swords. In the middle of the room stood a huge, oak desk, behind which Kyouya's father sat, surrounded by piles of paper which were doubtlessly work-related.

When the two boys entered, Kyouya's father didn't look up, but kept working for a moment. Kyouya and Tamaki exchanged a glance; Tamaki raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side. Kyouya shrugged slightly and rolled his eyes. Then Kyouya's father looked up from his papers and the two boys quickly turned their attention to him.

"Kyouya, Tamaki." He began. "Sit down. First of all; why were you late? Did you get caught up on the way?"

Tamaki blushed, but Kyouya stayed cool. "We did indeed. Tamaki felt car-sick, so I had the chauffeur pull over so we could get some fresh air. Now all is well."

Kyouya's father nodded curtly. "Then now I will tell you something about the coming few weeks." He said. "Unfortunately enough, some problems arose in a deal I was handling back home, so I will keep working from here until that has been dealt with. Therefore you will have to find something to do for yourselves tomorrow. I am sure this will not prove to be a problem."

He put his papers down, got to his feet and turned to the window. "Furthermore, the ones invited by your brother and sister were held up because of the snow. Instead of tonight they will arrive tomorrow evening."

Kyouya nodded, even though his father could not see this. "I see." He said. "Thank you for this information, father."

Kyouya's father turned around, staring right at the boys. "But that is not all I had to say." He said firmly. "I want to talk to the both of you about this 'host club' business of yours. I will not have you seduce the other guests at the resort. Which is also why I had the two of you have a double room. There will not be any fooling around. Neither of you will disgrace the Ootori name. Is that understood?"

"Yes father." Kyouya replied. When his father turned back to the window, he raised an eyebrow in Tamaki's direction.

Tamaki struggled not to laugh. "Yes sir, it is understood." He said quickly.

"Then that is all. You are dismissed." Kyouya's father said. He did not turn around.

Kyouya straightened his back. "Have a good night, father."

"Goodbye, sir." Tamaki added, then quickly followed Kyouya out of the room and into the corridor, where the maid was waiting for them to get back. She took them to their room and then left them alone.

The moment the door closed behind the maid Tamaki began to laugh. "No seducing any of the other guests?" He said, dropping down on his bed. "Seriously?"

Kyouya sighed, but his eyes twinkled in amusement. "And we are supposed to keep each other in check." He added. "Presumably to make sure that no one gets pregnant..."

Tamaki chuckled. "He really has no idea." He muttered. "Which is a good thing." He added hastily when he saw the look on Kyouya's face. "We wouldn't want him to suspect anything..." He sighed and beckoned for Kyouya to come closer.

Kyouya sat down next to Tamaki and the blonde wrapped an arm around Kyouya's shoulders. "Does he always speak to you like this?" Tamaki asked.

Kyouya shrugged. "Mostly, yes. He is very distant."

Tamaki snorted. "More than very. I suspect him of inventing the word." He muttered. "How can he be so cold to his own son?"

A heavy sigh escaped Kyouya's mouth. "I don't know, Tamaki." He said. "I am not sure if I want to. It has always been this way. I fear I will have to learn how to live with it."

"That's no fun." Tamaki stated. Then he yawned loudly, which earned him a chuckle from his boyfriend.

"Are you that tired, Tamaki?" Kyouya asked. "You slept on the plane, didn't you?"

Tamaki sighed. "I did, but I didn't sleep too well. My body kept rebelling against sleep. And now I'm tired."

Kyouya chuckled. "Then let's go to bed." He said, getting up and offering his boyfriend a hand. "We can unpack tomorrow, I suppose."

Tamaki dug up his pyjamas from his suitcase and put them on his bed. He sat down and began to take off his shoes. Instead of undressing further, he stared at Kyouya as he rummaged through his suitcase. There was nothing Tamaki wanted more than to tackle his boyfriend to the bed and lay next to him all night, but he was scared to ask. In this unfriendly environment he feared that Kyouya might get mad at him if he asked, so he stayed quiet.

Kyouya remained oblivious to Tamaki's doubts and quickly changed to his pyjamas. When he turned around and saw Tamaki was still standing there, staring at him, he sighed. "Are you already regretting coming with me?" He asked in a soft voice.

Tamaki shook his head wildly. "No way!" He exclaimed. "I can never regret being with you. I am worried about this week, but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy spending the time with you."

Kyouya smiled and ruffled Tamaki's hair. "You're an idiot, otousan." He muttered, then leaned in close. "I like that in a man."

Tamaki grinned as he felt Kyouya's lips on his. "I'm glad you think so, okaasan." He replied softly. "But I suppose it is too much to ask that you sleep with me tonight?"

Kyouya pulled back slightly, looked into Tamaki's eyes and sighed. "No matter how much I'd love to, I don't think it's a good idea. We will probably be woken up by a maid in the morning, and I don't feel like explaining why I am sharing a bed with my best friend." He petted Tamaki's head and smiled. "So until we have had a chance to ensure our privacy in the morning, please bear with me."

Tamaki smiled back. "I am looking forward to it very much."

The next morning, Tamaki woke up first. With a groan he sat up and took in his surroundings. The room had been dimly lit the previous evening, so he hadn't been able to see it clearly. Now, with daylight streaming in through the windows, he noticed that this room was built out of the same grey stone blocks as mister Ootori's study. The decorations here were also done in late-medieval European style.

With every passing minute, Tamaki wondered more about their location. He didn't even know which country he was in, which was unusual. He contemplated waking Kyouya and asking him, but after a moment decided against this. Kyouya still had his legendary temper. Instead he chose to get up and take a look out of the stained-glass window. What he saw took his breath away.

Outside of the window he could see a small ledge of rock, rough and uneven, covered by snow in most places, although huge rock protruded from the snow like miniature mountains. Beyond this small ledge was a ravine. It was so deep that Tamaki could not see where it ended. A small bridge crossed the ravine; beyond this was a pine wood, the trees heavily loaded with snow, and beyond the woods, mountains rose like towering giants.

When he opened the window, an ice-cold blast of wind hit him square in the face, making him shiver. When he stuck his head out of the window and looked to the side, he couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

Meters upon meters of huge, grey walls continued to the side, where he could just make out a watch tower. Below him was the massive, stone base of what he was now sure was a medieval castle. He judged the height of the window he was currently looking out of at around twenty meters.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Kyouya's voice asked right beside Tamaki's ear. Two arms wrapped around Tamaki's waist, and Kyouya's chin came to rest on the blonde's shoulder. Tamaki sighed. "It is. Very beautiful. Although I still don't have a clue where we are."

Kyouya chuckled. "You'll find out in due time." He said. "Come on, let's get dressed. We have an interesting day ahead of us."

"How so?" Tamaki asked curiously.

Kyouya shrugged. "We're meeting my brothers' fiancees today, and my sister's husband. And before that, we have some time. I thought I could give you a tour of the resort. That is... if you're up for it."

Tamaki grinned broadly. "Do you even have to ask?"

To be continued...