Chapter Eighteen
~The Trouble with Stairs~
I woke up in a better mood than I was used to, maybe it was because it was Sunday and yesterday I confirmed an appointment with Hitachiin Yuzuha with her sons, but today was going to be a good day I surmised. The day was free for me to do nothing but chores (I had finished my homework yesterday with minimal help from Kyouya) and for once, I would have solitude.
Solitude. What a sweet word.
Gibbous didn't count since he didn't talk.
Silence.
I happily relished in the lack of noise and the idea of having the next twenty-four hours all to myself as I picked myself up from the futon and made my way to the small kitchen area. When I opened the fridge my face fell a little.
I need to do some grocery shopping, I thought as I plucked what I could from the fridge, I turned on the faucet to the hottest it would go then grabbed a thick cup from the cabinet. I popped open a bag of cocoa and made myself a rare treat of hot chocolate. I used to drink it all the time in the mornings, a habit I picked up when I was younger when my parents drank coffee and they wouldn't let me have any, so they opted to give me hot chocolate instead. It stuck with me all these years, but I drank less and less of it after I moved out since mornings didn't grant me all the time in the world to make some.
After I ate breakfast I showered and decided to spend more time in front of the mirror than I usually did.
For the last few weeks I hadn't been wearing my glasses and the less I wore them the times I did wear them proved to annoy me. I had never realized how much things touching my face had annoyed me and subconsciously realized I was a little more content then usual since I stopped wearing them. Contacts were a must-have now.
Should I…? Well, why not? My fingers toyed with a small bag of cosmetics. I was only planning on going to the supermarket, but for some fun I'll put on a dash of make-up. Maybe some cover-up to get rid of those light bags under my eyes, which eye liner…oh, I only had one color (brown), all right just some mascara on the top lashes…I was getting giddy with excitement once I added a mild color of glimmery eye shadow to my lids. It was an old set I had acquired before I realized I needed to be stricter about my money budget in my first year, I was more than a little happy now that I had gotten it back then since I would definitely not have gotten them now.
Wow! I actually look pretty! I've never been all that into glossing up, my mom seldom did it unless she was attending a business meeting or was expecting company and when she did apply make-up I hardly watched her.
Embarrassingly I had to look up how-to videos on Ouran computers (after hours of course) when a girl back in first year was gushing about a new brand. The next day some of the girl's friends were using it and thinking it wouldn't be a bad idea to try it, went out and bought a cheap set for myself. I only used it when I returned home for special occasions like New Years, but for some reason I really wanted to try some today. Perhaps I just needed the moment to feel pretty, I reasoned every girl needed those moments.
"Remember Tsuyu-chan, confidence is key, when you believe you're beautiful then you will be." Spoke Shinn Todaizumi one day after I asked if I could use Mom's eyeliner, Dad didn't want his little girl to wear make-up because he told me I was already adorable, but Mom gave me a kid cosmetic set the next day as a surprise gift.
I sighed with a smile on my face as I applied a bit of lip gloss, I recalled all the plastic lipsticks and short q-tips and the fake, glossy eye shadows I thought were the real deal. After applying them all (I remember thinking the more the better) I looked like a clown, but to me I had been a regal clown.
It took a bath and a special face scrub to get all the make-up before bedtime.
Looking at myself in the mirror now I realized I would never wear this to school, I would probably get in too much trouble and asked to take it off, but the eyeliner would probably be allowed and the lip gloss. I pulled back my dark hair to look at my ears, they weren't pierced. It's not something I often think about, no one at Ouran wears earrings and I've seen them mostly in western magazines I spotted in the train station and the vendors near it. Yet I couldn't help but wonder what I would look like wearing a pair.
Putting my straight hair back in a simple, silver barrette on the left side over my ear I ventured back into the kitchen to make a list of what I would need to get.
Then I sauntered around the house, doing some basic chores like taking out the garbage and feeding Gibbous. I would save the dirty cleaning (the bathroom and floors) for after I returned from the market.
I pointedly ignored my cell phone, there was to be no connection whatsoever to anyone beyond the cashier later. But this put me on a spot I hadn't had the pleasure of visiting for a long time.
I didn't have anything to do. I blinked, should I draw maybe? Read?
Another excited smile stretched across my face as I launched across my apartment, grabbed the laptop, found myself a comfortable spot and popped it open.
here I come!
I had found a decently written fan fiction and was halfway through it when I realized two o' clock had rolled around. Huffing, I sadly put the laptop to sleep, but I knew grocery shopping and bathroom mopping couldn't be avoided and if I got them done early that would mean more fan fiction reading later without distractions!
With that plan in mind I got up, found a pair of matching shoes, grabbed my small shoulder bag with my grocery list, wallet, apartment key, and phone inside then headed out.
"Ah! Mail has just arrived!" I met the mail carrier down the stairs, he must have assumed I was coming down for it, I smiled at him kindly.
"Oh good, I'll go ahead and pick it up later k?" he nodded warmly and I trotted off.
The supermarket was only about five to ten minutes away, but the time went fast and the smile on my face did not fade one iota (physics is following me around a tad too much!) The fancy black car that was stationed outside of the marketplace did not catch my attention as it had with the crowd gathering around it. Maybe I was desensitized to it or just too darn happy to notice and blocked it out?
Who knows and hopefully someone else cares because I didn't!
"Tono!" My head snapped around so fast I thought I had given myself whiplash, I could have sworn I had heard Hikaru or Koaru's voice! People were staring at me a oddly as I obtained a small shopping cart, my Host Club senses were tingling.
My eyes watched the store around me like I was expecting one of the twins to come parading out of one of the isles, but scolded myself, firmly convincing myself it was just paranoia.
"I won't be bothered," I said out loud as I pulled my grocery list out of my purse.
So you can imagine my almost-cardiac arrest when I saw Haruhi in the meat department. Dressed in a cute one-piece and staring determinedly at the food selection, I looked around trying to look as casual as I could.
Where Haruhi goes the Host Club goes, I thought, but I didn't see hide nor hair of Tamaki.
It must be safe, I thought, but I knew I couldn't see Haruhi and not say hi, maybe this would be a good opportunity to get to know her better without the club's shadows interrupting!
"Hi there Haruhi-chan!" I greeted happily as I pushed the cart up to meet her, she glanced at me for a second before realizing who I was.
"Wow Tsuyu-sempai! You look different," Haruhi observed, a shadow briefly set over my features.
Different? Is that a good or bad thing coming from you? I went ahead and assumed it was a compliment, if Kyouya had said that…don't think about it!
"Um, thanks, you do too! It's a shame you have to dress as a boy at school, you're so cute!" I said, Haruhi grinned.
"Thanks! I didn't know you shopped here," I laughed sheepishly.
"I'm normally on stocking up, but I've been neglecting that lately. The store closest to me can't supply me with everything unfortunately," we talked longer than we planned until Haruhi told me how she came to be in debt to the club.
"The twins backed you into an expensive vase? Sounds like it was done on purpose," I replied, Haruhi sighed.
"Trust me, either that or they really have no consideration for other people," Haruhi replied with exasperation.
"Wha-" I looked around again when I heard a strange noise, it was the twins' voices in protest to what Haruhi said! But again, I didn't see them. If they were indeed in the building (which was highly unlikely for it was a 'commoner's' establishment) I'm sure I would have seen them by now, I brushed aside my paranoia again.
"I feel for you, don't forget what they did to me!" Our eyes met, then we burst into laughter.
"Oh my gosh they must have had us in their sights the moment we stepped into the room! We should put a warning sign on the door of the Third Music Room!" I laughed.
"Right, one that says "BEWARE!'" Added Haruhi, I nodded.
"'You're in for a scare!" The rhyme wasn't entirely original or funny, but now that we were on some kind of giggling euphoria it was hilarious.
Behind Haruhi and I hiding behind another isle~
"That must be Honiwa Tsuyu you were telling me about right?" Ranka asked Kyouya, the dark-haired youth blinked and peered at him.
"Yes, it is." Ranka knew Kyouya better out of all the Host Club members due to his frequent updates on Haruhi, but he couldn't say he knew him entirely well. Rich, seemingly all-knowing, handsome, and calculating, Ranka figured he had the boy down.
Kyouya had made sure Ranka was done with his questioning before turning back to the scene.
"You should have told me they were good friends! I would have invited her over for slumber parties and tea parties and everything else sooner! It would be nice if Haruhi acted like a regular, immature girl sometimes! You must give me her phone number!" Ranka turned a glare on Tamaki, the blonde froze.
"You better not two-time my daughter you ladies' man!" he snarled, Tamaki turned blue.
"N-no! Tsuyu-hime and I are brother and long-lost sister and I care for your daughter like she was my own-"
"Idiot!" Ranka smacked Tamaki upside the head, the twins were being held back by Mori, who seemed to have the capability of keeping them silent as well as keeping Hunny from running rampant in the store.
She called us inconsiderate! They moped.
"Tsuyu-chan is here too! I want to say hi!" whined Hunny, Mori shook his head.
"No," the tall boy found himself smiling at Haruhi as she laughed on with Tsuyu, but soon his thoughts went elsewhere, but his physical attributes kept the twins and Hunny grounded.
Kyouya was adamantly ignoring the group's comical display, watching Tsuyu and Haruhi interact.
A good learning experience, he thought to himself, smirking at his own choice of words for his reason for coming.
It almost hurts, Kyouya eyed the shopping cart and faintly heard Ranka tell why Haruhi was so independent.
"You do not need to work so hard to be here, you do not need to keep coming into the Host club and pay so much when your family is as wealthy as all of ours."
"It is my parents money, not mine."
I don't understand it, why do you not take advantage of what you have access to? Kyouya leaned against the wall, watching Tsuyu carefully. She looks different today, he mused and didn't realized how long he had been staring. He realized a moment later that she was wearing make-up, but that fact was outshined when she burst out laughing with Haruhi, when the laughter ebbed she turned to look at him.
Caught off-guard by the direct stare, Kyouya nearly lost his character. He blinked, breaking his trance and Tsuyu gave him a look of disbelief.
"What-no! C'mon!" Tsuyu's voice brought him back to reality.
Return to Tsuyu's POV
Nooooooooo! I mentally shouted as Tamaki bounded out of NO WHERE (THEY DO FOLLOW HARUHI EVERYWHERE) and I mean out of no where! It's like they teleport to different locations to meddle with my and Haruhi's life on days that should be our days to recuperate from our week with them!
They're not so bad, my voice of reason chirped in the back of my head, I mentally growled at it.
Who asked you? I sighed and looked back up, finding I hadn't turned my angle away from Kyouya's direction.
It dawned on me that Kyouya had been watching me, our eyes made contact and neither of us had looked away immediately. The pulse in my neck pounded so hard I thought my vocal chords had swollen beyond function. He had been leaning, but now he had straightened upright and approached the scene he hadn't seen the beginning of.
"My apologies Tsuyu, it would seem we are to meet under coincidental circumstances." Claimed Kyouya, I gave him an incredulous look.
"Coincidental?" I repeated incredulously, he smiled.
"Funny how life works hm?" replied Kyouya, Haruhi, who was dealing with Tamaki sighed.
"It wasn't that coincidental, they were at my house earlier," claimed Haruhi, I felt sort of crestfallen from hearing that.
When Haruhi turned to ask Tamaki what he would like to eat a stranger with red hair came up in front of me rather rapidly.
"Hello, my name is Ranka – Haruhi's father – I heard you are Honiwa Tsuyu and Haruhi's only real (female) friend! Please feel free to come over any time you like: before school, after school, weekends, special occasions, random shopping trips for Haruhi-" my hand was being shaken so aggressively I thought I was losing circulation, when Ranka was done he let go and watched me hopefully.
"Um," what was I supposed to say? My conscience consulted me immediately to say, "sure?"
"Oh yay! Then you must come over after this I can't stand the suspense! What're we having Haru-chan?" Ranka asked.
"What suspense?" I turned to look at Kyouya, he however, shrugged nonchalantly.
"It could be he is just intrigued by you and wants to know more, though I have given him a very descriptive article." I raised my eye brows at him.
"Article on me?" Was I really hearing this right?
"Stewpot Dad," replied Haruhi, though she wasn't deadpanned like usual, but rather cheery standing beside Tamaki.
"Be sure to get enough for Yu-chan!~" sang Ranka, the nickname made me spontaneously bristle.
"Tsu-yu-chan," I corrected, knowing it would be in vain.
"Don't be silly Yu-chan! We are going to be good friends!" Ranka chirped.
"If you say so," I exhaled, then I shot a look at Kyouya.
"What?"
"Nothing, I'm just completely and utterly blaming my loss of twenty-four hours of solitude on you," I retorted.
"You don't have to come," he replied.
"But I want to!" I exclaimed without thinking, feeling myself getting warm all over, Kyouya felt a rapid lurch of his heart rate.
"Oh?" Kyouya didn't mean to make it sound like a question, but I huffed and folded my arms, looking away.
"Yeah, oh?" I mocked, but there was a smile on my lips.
The group followed Haruhi and Ranka out of the store after purchase and (against Haruhi's and my protests and with Ranka's uncontained enthusiasm) piled into the black car that had been exchanged for a longer limo sometime while we were in the store (no doubt Kyouya's doing to seat us all comfortably). There was less leg room with Ranka added to the mix, but I didn't complain.
I was elbow to elbow between Kyouya and Tamaki, Haruhi was seated across from Tamaki and Ranka me. The twins took the back seat and Mori and Hunny sat across from each other on the other side of Ranka and Kyouya.
There was no denying this forced proximity between Kyouya and I was severely distracting me. All the way home Ranka conversed with me, sometimes he spoke so fast I found it easier just to nod instead of actually partaking in the conversation. At some point Ranka found me getting more and more distracted and I had realized he slowed the conversation to a stop when we rolled in beside his and Haruhi's apartment complex.
My eyes shifted around the limo as the door was opened for us at the stop, Ranka started babbling on about having so many guests as the driver helped him out (believing him to be a beautiful woman) as well as Haruhi.
Kyouya had stepped out ahead of Tamaki and I, but there was a pause behind me when the twins snagged onto one of Tamaki's sensitive drama nerves and the three got into a petty argument.
"Allow me," I was preparing to unfold my legs to step out of the limo when a hand was offered to me, but it was far too young to be the driver's.
Kyouya smiled down at me as I peered up at his face, a pleasant shiver ran along my neck and down my spine as I smiled.
"Thanks," I said softly when I put my hand in his, almost immediately I felt like I had been electrified, except it was one of the greatest sensations I had ever felt. Showing he did have some muscle in his slender arms, he gently pulled me to my feet from the limo and for the briefest of seconds, we stood parallel to one another, face to face. Kyouya had not released my hand yet and for those short seconds it never occurred to me I could pull my hand back to its place at my side.
"Um…" WhatdoIsaywhatdoIsaycrapcrap crapcrap-um! I felt the beating of my heart drum in my ears as I tried desperately to think of something (anything) to say that would end this strange (not to mention awkward) event, but my tongue decided to reject my efforts and remain immobile.
"Hurry up Tono!" The twins cried behind me and in a flash, Kyouya had wrapped an arm around me and led me aside prior to a person hitting the ground where I had originally been.
"T-Tamaki?!" I yelped as I turned to see the poor blonde on the ground outside the door, the twins were guiltily managing to step out behind him.
"He will be all right, there is little our club president cannot endure, right Tamaki?" Kyouya nonchalantly poked at Tamaki's twitching form, I had just barely registered in the rush of being pulled out of danger by Kyouya that I had grabbed onto his shirt in the process. What's more was that I knew even less of how that particular action would affect Kyouya.
I released my grip on Kyouya and fled his grasp (his arm had still been wrapped around my midsection) to kneel beside Tamaki.
"Is everything all right? Let me take a look ok? Don't be a baby! Is anything bleeding?" I started my questioning as I shot Hikaru and Koaru savage glares frequently, they tucked their hands into their pockets.
"He was moving too slow," they said.
"What did you do? Kick him out of the car?" I asked.
"Literally." They replied in unnerving unity, I bristled.
Behind me Kyouya watched my back as I tended to (prodded and poked) Tamaki, his eyes were shadowed by his charcoal-stained bangs and if I had turned around, I would have seen something dark flickering in his gray orbs. That flickering had vanished however, when Tamaki stirred and looked up at me.
"The twins kicked me out of the car Tsuyu-hime!" he cried.
"So I heard, looks like you got a scraped nose, but lucked out of the bleeding and other injuries." I said this after examining his nose.
"Best asking an Ootori huh?" I peered up behind me to look at Kyouya, "could you help me get Tamaki up?"
"I can manage on my own!"
"He can manage on his own," I blinked as Kyouya and Tamaki answered at the same time, my hand was on Tamaki's preparing to help him up.
"Um, if you're sure." I said, but for a second there I thought I saw Kyouya look down at something at Tamaki's side close to me. He put on a chilly smile.
"It would seem we are, let me escort you to the Fujiouka abode Tsuyu-hime?" Now that made me do a double take, since when did Kyouya address me as hime?
"Are you ok Kyouya?" I questioned, feeling it was the only appropriate question to ask as Tamaki followed behind morosely with the twins on his heels. Kyouya led me toward the stairs, I could faintly hear Haruhi and the others on the floors above while Ranka jingled the apartment keys.
"I am perfectly fine," he was smiling, but it was definitely a different kind of smile. It wasn't chilly like when the Shadow King had a scheme up his sleeve or a polite smile that made his customers swoon, but different. I watched him carefully out of the corner of my eye as he led us up the stairs, his profile was cold and the echo of the clap of our shoes on the metal stairs seemed to resonate through him. Not knowing what was going on I decided to figuratively step back and think as the sounds of bouncing metal made my skin vibrate.
He was fine in the store, nothing happened during the car ride, the only thing that had significance was when he helped me out of the car.
I'm a sucker for old fashioned gentlemen gestures, but that alone couldn't have made those electrifying touches.
Kyouya had pulled me out of danger (I could have gotten a concussion), his attitude changed when I had tried to help Tamaki…could it be…
My hand had been on Tamaki's, the opposite hand Kyouya had not held when he helped me out of the car. Why am I taking notes like that?
My eyes widened (was it hope I was feeling now?)
We had reached the top of the stairs and followed the noise Hunny was making a few doors down.
"Hurry now Tsuyu-hime! We can watch how Haruhi prepares commoner's food!" cried Tamaki as he came up right beside me that Kyouya wasn't on, the twins raced past us.
"You second years are too slow!" laughed one of the twins as they both passed by.
"Hey!" mourned Tamaki.
"Go ahead and catch up with them Tamaki, we'll be right behind you," I said, secretly hoping for a chance to be alone with Kyouya for a few minutes, even though I had nothing planned to say. Tamaki's bright eyes stared at me for a moment, then at Kyouya, who only smiled assuringly.
"Ok then," claimed Tamaki, knowing there was no danger if he left me with Mom. When he left it was just me and Kyouya.
For several seconds it was the strangest thing that we felt one another slow down and come to a stop somewhere between the stairs and Haruhi's apartment with no other communication between us.
We stood there for a moment, relishing the immediate silence, I breathed deeply.
"Kyouya, what's wrong?" I always felt I had to say things and ask questions before a scenario went from bad to worse. It was a quality of mine to over think situations and what I am now over thinking is that Kyouya might not have been happy seeing my hand on Tamaki's for the second time. What girl wouldn't secretly hope to ignite a jealous streak in someone so unlikely to have one like Kyouya? And why would I like the idea of Kyouya being jealous?
A crush. I wanted to squash the idea, I once had a crush on a boy in grade school, for three years I watched him from the other side of the room during class and lunch and couldn't bring myself to confess my feelings for him. Then Kameko and her big mouth found out about it and it went downhill from there. During one of her big birthday bashes, Kameko had complained about not getting enough presents over cake, so I dipped my finger in her slice's icing and took the largest sugar rose.
Gobsmacked and childishly overwhelmed over my equally childish behavior, several months later Kameko announced at my birthday party (of which my crush was attending and she had found out by reading my furry, pink diary) that I wet the bed and picked my nose. Nothing of the sort was true, but the damage had been done and most of the kids (including my crush) avoided me like the plague ever since up until late junior high.
Kyouya flashed me the perfect host smile, a bubble of anger swelled in my chest as the simple expression cut through me like knife.
That smile is for customers only.
"Weren't you the one to assume you could only talk to us during hosting hours, you insult us." Claimed Kyouya.
I insulted you then, are you insulting me back now?
"Did I do something to worry you Tsuyu-hime?" he questioned, the bubble deflated a little.
Maybe nothing is wrong, I'm just looking too much into the matter as usual. I tried to convince myself.
"You're just acting…strange, ever since Tamaki was pushed out of the car." I replied, trying not to allow my words to end lamely. Kyouya adjusted his glasses.
"Strange you say? How so?" He asked.
"Well, for one thing, you had never called me hime before." Was my retort.
"Therefore that makes me strange?"
"No, back in the supermarket, you…you and your eyes, they saw mine and well-"
"So my acting strange started prior to Tamaki falling out of the car?"
"Yes! Of course, it is strange to find out the Host Club follows poor Haruhi around outside of school and-"
"We are good friends of Haruhi's, of course we visit each other outside of school hours." Replied Kyouya, I shot him an incredulous look.
"So Haruhi was all right with the lot of you showing up on her doorstep today? I didn't hear the part where she planned that," I huffed, my hands were on my hips now and heat was rising along the back of my neck and fueling my annoyance. Kyouya, on the other hand, looked as cool as a cucumber.
I wonder what he's like when he's irritated or angry? I thought randomly.
"Waaaaiiiit, don't change the subject!" I snapped when I realized the topic was going, well, off topic. Kyouya's polite smile curled slightly into a smirk.
"I wouldn't consider doing such a thing Tsuyu-hime,"
"There you go again with the hime!"
"Does it bother you?"
"Not exactly, but I just found it strange you suddenly using it where I am concerned."
"As long as it does not bother you, I shall continued addressing you as such, Tsuyu-hime." Replied Kyouya, I gave him a long, hard look.
"Tsuyu-hime!" cried a familiar voice, it was Tamaki as he approached us.
"Come on, what are you two doing out here, the party's inside!" Chirped Tamaki.
"It's not a party, Tamaki-senpai." Haruhi corrected as she poked her head out of the doorway.
I guess there wouldn't be getting any answers from Kyouya now, not in private anyway, but I wasn't about to breech the subject with so many other ears around. Tamaki, Kyouya, and I walked the rest of the way to Haruhi's door and entered the small two-person apartment.
Haruhi had already started preparing the stewpot and Hunny and the twins were watching meticulously. Tamaki soon joined them.
It had been a fun experience, I was certainly not used to going out and enjoying others' company and figured I wouldn't be mopping the kitchen or bathroom area tonight (Kyouya had sent my groceries home to be placed neatly in my pantry and fridge, he told me I wouldn't need to lend them my key for some reason).
Ranka was a gifted and humorous storyteller and while Haruhi finished the stewpot he told us about Haruhi and her mother. The twins were eager to try the hot chocolate I had bought (the instant kind), but they lost interest when I reminded them it had been sent to my apartment. After dinner Hunny let me hold Usa-chan for a while, of which I began to nod off and eventually fell asleep on.
I drifted off uneasily, but I had been so tired. Kyouya had continued acting strange, he ignored me for the better part of the evening at Haruhi's.
"Tsuyu-hime, Tsuyu-hime?" Tamaki's soft voice woke me up, his hand gently shaking my shoulder. Usa-chan's fluffy head was comfortable, but my neck was stiff when I moved it. My eyes opened to find Tamaki's watching me with paternal patience.
"I think it's time someone went to bed," he said.
"So true," I groaned, Tamaki grinned as he helped me groggily get to my feet, it was then that I noticed we were the last ones left at the apartment.
"Haruhi has already turned in for the night, she said she will see you tomorrow during lunch." Ranka chirped, he looked tired, but had been up the entire previous evening unlike myself. He had changed into a pair of pajama pants and a loose tee and now looked far more masculine than he did earlier.
"Oh, are we the only ones left? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have fallen asleep like that!" I apologized quietly, Tamaki and Ranka smiled.
"Don't worry about it dear, Haruhi and the boys tell me how hard you work, whatever sleep you can get I am sure is well-deserved!" Ranka replied, but I still felt guilty.
"I am still sorry, it was rather rude and not to mention awkward, you invited me over and I fall asleep." My brain was sleepy and I could just manage to keep Ranka and Tamaki clear in my blurry vision – my contacts had grown dry in my slumber.
"You're so sweet Yu-chan," I was too tired to get irritated.
"Tamaki has already agreed to take you home, but I am afraid I need to go to bed now so I am sorry I can't escort you myself." Ranka claimed, I shook my head.
"Tamaki, you should have gone home, I'm sure I can find my way from here,"
"Absolutely not, a gentleman does not let a lady walk herself home alone, in the dark, half asleep." Announced Tamaki, Ranka had to shush him as he led us to the door.
"If you're sure," I muttered back, hardly in the mood to argue anyway. Ranka bid us a good night after we left. Tamaki was eerily quiet (he must have been rather tired as well) all the way to the stairs and I managed down most of them until my sleepy judgment misplaced a step on the fifth to last stair.
I was already moving in slow motion so when I felt a gravitational pull that was stronger than usual I hadn't immediately realized I was falling forward and that one of my shoes had been caught by the toe behind the heel of the other.
"Whoa! Tsuyu-hime!" Tamaki cried as he grabbed hold of my shoulders, the fear made me wake up long enough to stand upright again and regain my composure on the stairs. Tamaki's hands strengthened their grip on my shoulders and arms until my bearings were completely gathered.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice laced with obvious concern and heat wound its way up my neck and cheeks again.
"Um, yeah, just too tired to properly move." I said, looking at him with an embarrassed expression, but Tamaki's eyes glowed when the early moonlight hit us from below the roof over the stairwell.
Well, damn, with that serious expression on I actually took him to be the very image of a responsible president of a prestigious school club. There would be no denying he was handsome anymore to me no matter how ridiculous he acted here on out.
Smiling softly, I went to brush his hands away.
"I can manage the last few stairs Tamaki," he let his hands fall away but he watched with absurd scrutiny as we got to the ground level. The limo was waiting and the driver waited until we were tucked inside the back seats until he shut the door.
Once we arrived at my apartment I faintly remembered Tamaki's driver would know his way here without asking because he had been here before. Tamaki did not wait for the driver to get to their door and like Kyouya, helped me out of the back of the limo.
"Thanks for the ride, I'll see you tomorrow." I said, but Tamaki wouldn't have it. Unknowingly to me, Tamaki had been thoroughly frightened beyond hope when I nearly crashed five stairs away from the concrete ground. He had experienced the pain of being less than a foot from the ground and hitting it with less force applied by the twins, gravity was a different creature and to him, he could only imagine the damage that would have been done to me had he not caught me in time.
Of course, I was too tired to over think for once and just wanted to brush my teeth, take my contacts out, change clothes and fall asleep.
Tamaki made certain I didn't stumble again by escorting me from the limo, to another set of stairs, then to the door of my apartment. Fortunately I wasn't so out of it that I couldn't manage getting my keys out and unlocking the door.
"Thanks again Tamaki," I said, the blonde gave me an unsure look.
"Are you sure you will all right now Tsuyu-hime?" he asked.
"Yes, yes, good night!" I gave a small wave and he gave a small smile as I opened the door, stepped inside then closed it behind me.
Halfway through my nightly rituals I realized something.
"Crap, forgot the mail."
The Ootori Residence
Kyouya was just finishing some statistic tables for the coming week and posted client scheduling on the website when a sharp knock was heard on his door. His first thought was Fuyumi, but he dashed that thought when he remembered she was at home with her husband a half and hour away. It would be unusual, but not unlikely, if it was his father, but he was several hours away to oversee the final stage of a hospital construction site. Mrs. Ootori was already asleep by this time, she would wake in the early mornings to exercise and Yuuichi was at his own residence and certainly did not have the time to bother his younger brothers.
That left one option.
"Come in Akito," he said brusquely, not enjoying the idea of being interrupted, but the irritation was not great since he accomplished the last on his to do list for the day just seconds ago.
Akito, with a wide grin on his face, slinked in.
"Good evening little brother," Kyouya's eyes narrowed on him instantly.
"What is it that you want?" Kyouya knew Akito had been here instead of his secluded study for the last twenty-four hours.
"Must there be a reason?"
"If you do not have one you can leave, I am about to get ready for bed." Kyouya replied neutrally.
"I would hate to interrupt, but I wanted to ask you about that girl you mentioned a little while ago. Um…Fujiouka right?" Akito thought out loud, but Kyouya felt he was hinting at someone else, he just had that nagging suspicious feeling.
"What about her?" Kyouya turned his laptop off and placed it on his nightstand.
"That cannot be the right one, there was another commoner wasn't there?" Kyouya remained passive as Akito hinted at Tsuyu.
"You must be talking about Honiwa-san?" Kyouya replied, Akito grinned widely.
"Ah, that's her name!"
"…and?"
"And I was wondering if she was available?" Kyouya's eyes narrowed only slightly so that not even Akito's shrewd eyes noticed.
"She does not have time available for such activities, Akito." Kyouya stood up and faced his brother, not enjoying the fact that the few years between he and his second oldest brother still left him shorter by a few inches. He hoped he was would close the gap in the next year.
"You must have arranged it that way huh?" the look Kyouya gave him would have melted him into a puddle of goo had it been heat vision that literally shot out from his eyes, but Akito remained solid and intact and sniggering.
"You are such a control freak little brother," Akito observed as Kyouya walked to the other side of the room to take out a pair of folded pajamas.
"Well, I might pay a visit to your host club this week, you know, for study material."
"Go ahead."
"You seriously don't mind?"
"Not at all."
"Will Yu-chan be there?"
"It's Tsuyu, Akito." Kyouya couldn't and wouldn't have stopped himself had he thought before he spoke, but Akito remained unperturbed.
"All right then, Tuesday or Wednesday would work for me. Good night little brother!"
When Akito left the room and Kyouya changed clothes then slid in between the sheets, he removed his glasses and put them on top of his computer and turned off the bedside lamp.
Tamaki and Akito, hm? Kyouya thought for a few quiet moments.
This week is going to be interesting.
He just had that nagging, suspicious feeling that things were going to be more sporadic than usual.
A/N: Hey all! I have a meme and some art of Tsuyu at my DA account if you would like to take a look ~ don't forget to delete the spaces
aspendragon .deviantart gallery /?catpath =/& offset=24#/d55reot
aspendragon .deviantart gallery/?catpath =/&offset=0#/d5b4yv6