What was it about life that makes it so complicated? Kaoru couldn't understand. He had been throwing this question at himself for hours, the stress of his conversation with Haruhi strangling him. Strangling… god, what the hell was that? I've never been so violent in my life. He blinked.
Well, I've pretended to be… he shivered unconsciously, and shoved thoughts of Hikaru's little fantasy enactments out of his head. Hikaru loved when Kaoru took the lead, which he usually didn't. It really wasn't that he was a uke. It was simply that he enjoyed watching his brother take over instead, do whatever he wanted. It was what his brother typically preferred, and he was so good at it too. But he liked a little change once in a while, and Kaoru never objected. But now the younger twin was the one leading. Leading them apart from each other.
No, this is his fault. I didn't do anything. He's the one with the endless infatuation, the irrational, idiotic, pointless, stupid- His phone began to ring suddenly, and he glanced at the small device for a mere second before tossing it onto the bed and spinning in the computer-chair again. Hikaru called him every night twice before 11; the latest time they usually headed to bed. Unless they were plotting. Or… well, otherwise occupied. Stop thinking about that!
"Agggggh," he groaned loudly, his head falling onto the back of the chair. He stared at the high ceiling and tried to breathe evenly. He could count the seconds between the next phone call, he knew this routine so well. Then he'd have to go through the agonizing process of convincing himself not to listen to the messages, just cut it off at the very suggestion of his voice and delete it… "Five… four…three… two… one."
There it was, the phone again. He scowled and threw a pillow at the metal device in response, but instead it flew towards a young female servant who'd just entered the room and stood in the way of the fluffy projectile. She squeaked and ducked, but it was too late and the pillow bounced right off her head and fell right into her surprised hands. Kaoru looked up and a blush spread across his cheeks. He stood, apologizing profusely.
"I really-, I mean I didn't notice that-… I was aiming for the phone, because-… I mean-"
"It's fine, really," the maid stuttered regaining her composure and placing the pillow on the bed sedately. "I came to tell you that young Master Suoh has just awoken and he was asking for you."
"Ah, um… sure," Kaoru said, following the maid through the large mansion. She stopped at the large doors leading into Tamaki's room, bowed, and left him. He knocked tiredly.
"Come in!" Tamaki's voice was a little hoarse, but his overly bright nature made him shine through in any case. It made Kaoru happy to see him sitting up again, and his tone of voice was heartening, but he really wasn't in the mood to talk to Tamaki anyway. Hikaru had always liked Tamaki better…
Stop thinking about him, he scolded himself sternly. He smiled weakly at Tamaki. "Hello, Tono."
"Kaoru! Come sit by me!" This perfect features turned into an adorably hesitant frown. "Or maybe not. I'm contagious, you see. So perhaps you could pull up a chair. But don't pull it up too close, because, you see, then you would be too close, and the germs could-"
"I know, Tono," Kaoru said with a smirk, and dragged one of Tamaki's large, overly-cushioned chairs closer to the bed. "What is it?"
"What? I can't just call you down here to talk? About… life… and… stuff?" Tamaki's attempted innocent smile was a failure, as the young man was a terrible actor.
"Is this about what Kyoya-Senpai was harassing you about today, Tono?" he asked resignedly. Tamaki's eyes widened, and he sat back, his features serious and excited all at once somehow.
"Well yes. And no. Well, no, not really. Well I was planning to bring it up, but perhaps that wasn't the best way to try and-"
Kaoru cleared his throat to stop the blond host-king's babbling. I swear, he saved up all his pointless chatter while he was sleeping and now it's all pouring out. He pursed his lips wryly. Lucky me…
Tamaki sighed, then his whole body relaxed and he turned to Kaoru seriously. "I like Haruhi," he said solemnly, as if telling him a grave and serious fact. It reminded Kaoru of the way one might tell their friend they had a disease, or some severe surgery scheduled, or a third ear… He snickered, and Tamaki stared at him confusedly. Kaoru couldn't help it; he laughed harder.
"What?" he asked worriedly. "Does she not like me back? Kyoya told me not to worry about it, but I have been and I tried calling Hikaru but then I realized that you took the phone so he could call you and he has the other phone and-"
"Ahem," Kaoru said, trying not to flinch at the mention of his brother's name.
"And I heard you two are fighting!" Tamaki finished anyway. Kaoru gave up and flinched. Visibly. And not even the dense idiot in front of him could help but notice. Violet shards seemed to spill for the blond prince's widened eyes, and they bored into him like knives. "You are! You are fighting! Why?!"
"I don't want to talk about it, Tono. And Haruhi will be even more angry with me than she is now if you get sick because you became excitable. Perhaps you should sleep," Kaoru said, beginning to stand, but Tamaki attempted to stand too. He growled in annoyance, shoving the junior onto the bed. "Stay, damnit! You have to get better!"
"I'm not staying or sleeping until you explain," Tamaki said kindly but firmly. Kaoru groaned again, and Tamaki's stare deepened in intensity and compassion. "What's going on?"
"I can't tell you." Kaoru mumbled between his hands. He hand hung his head in them, his elbows resting on the infected bed sheets, all care of not getting sick gone. Tamaki seemed to have forgotten too, as he placed a hesitant hand on his shoulder.
"Why not? I'm here, aren't I? And you won't let me leave. So tell me what's going on." Kaoru simply shook his head slightly. "I don't want you two to be fighting. And I don't want you using me as an excuse to stay away from Hikaru."
Tamaki blinked as Kaoru's whole body tensed with that one name, and Kaoru mumbled something between his hands. "What?" His voice was gentle and coaxing, and Kaoru sighed and gave up.
"Let me make something clear. Haruhi likes you. She likes you as much as you like her. So whatever I tell you next, you have to promise not to have a fit," Kaoru grumbled grudgingly. Tamaki nodded, his eyes completely trusting, and Kaoru closed his eyes and put his head in his hands again, but not over his mouth so he could speak. "You two are meant to be with each other. It's more than fate, more than destiny. And it can't be changed."
He didn't have to look up to see the light shining in Tamaki's eyes, so he just kept talking. "But H-… Hi-…Hik-…" He took a deep breath and tried again. "Hikaru… began to like Haruhi as more than a friend after the summer. After the whole thunder incident. We stopped sleeping together, or rather he-… so we slept in different beds, and then… and I told him that he couldn't have you, that she had already picked you, but he wouldn't listen to me. And I told him that he couldn't betray you in any case, and he told me…" Kaoru trailed off, somehow managing not to start crying again. He didn't look up to see Tamaki's reaction.
"So you're fighting over Haruhi and me." It was a statement, not a question. Kaoru forgot sometimes how insightful Tamaki was, how good he was with any relationship that was not his own. He forgot how wise Tamaki was underneath all his idiocy, and he forgot that he always suspected half of it was farce. It was the only reason he let himself be so harsh on the blond Junior; Kaoru knew he was smarter than he ever let on.
"I guess."
"That's strange. Kyoya told me Hikaru was crying over you leaving. Have you talked to him?"
"No."
"Why not? He said he calls every day."
"He does."
"But you don't want to talk to him." Another statement. A long pause. "I talked to him on the phone."
Kaoru was sure Tamaki could feel the sudden thumping of his heart with the hand on his shoulder. "Oh," he gasped, more than said. He wasn't surprised at all because he'd heard the whole story. Hikaru, knowing Hikaru must have been blunt and sent the idiot into a flutter. That's why he'd been so overly jittery when he came in…
"Actually, I have him on hold." More thumping, faster this time. Another long pause. "He wants to talk to you."
Kaoru shook his head.
"He has something to tell you."
Another shake of bright red locks.
"Kaoru." His voice was firm again, and amber eyes slowly rose to meet insistent violet ones. There were tears sparkling in the younger boy's eyes, and one side of Tamaki's mouth pulled up in a melancholy smile. "Why are you crying?"
"I don't want to hear it," Kaoru whispered, whimpered almost. "I can't… I hear his voice, all the time, and I can't… I don't want to…I-"
"I promise you want to hear what he has to say," Tamaki said, and the pure innocent faith in his voice, the look in his eyes, the knowledge that the blond host-prince was the most terrible actor in the world (aside from maybe Haruhi) was what made his already wavering determination finally break.
"I… I don't-"
"Want to talk to him in front of me. So he'll call you on your phone in five minutes," Tamaki said, giving him a huge, victorious smile. Kaoru shrank under the pure wattage beaming from his face. "I'll tell him."
Kaoru left the room, feeling beaten. "Now I know how those girls who follow him around constantly feel. He's dangerous," he muttered darkly, but for all the cynicism in his voice his heart was thumping faster than it had in weeks.
A/N: Sheesh, that took forever to think up. I really think Tamaki is super OOC here, but then again he gets serious and he's smart about people. Idk, Tamaki's complicated. Lol. Anyways, Review pls! Tell me what u think! Was it terrible, was it okay… is Kaoru being too bitchy for his character… XD
