scars from the sun: Thank you!argenteusvipera: Minami's reasons for not liking Kyoya will be explained eventually, but you're pretty close to the mark. I also would not watch a horror movie at two in the morning because of lovey dreams, lol. Thanks for the review!
UglyThunder: Ahhhh, thank you so much! I'm not sure if you're referring to A Thousand Miles or Smile for the Camera, but either way, thank you so much for reading my new work! I know some were disappointed that I dropped both fics but I'm honestly much prouder of this one. Thank you, thank you!
bbymojo: He cares about her so much and doesn't even realize lol. Thanks!
Ale250496: Thank you!
Nana-san14: Considering how canon always portrayed Kyoya's family AND house as being just very cold and distant (I mean, his kitchen is literally just...a white box. With just a table.) I've always headcanoned that Kyoya would probably like a comfy kind of house, and this is my fic so my headcanons get actualized lol. But seriously Kyoya seriously craves an actual family in this fic, even if he doesn't realize it, and living in the big empty house is just a reminder of how his family is so distant. My poor boy...
Nina 9802: Communication is a big topic of this fic. I promise eventually they'll both be very open about their feelings. Eventually, lol. Thank you!
Mili San Luis: Thank you! Kyoya craves family and just connection in general. His feelings for Tamaki and Haruhi are the closest he's ever come to acknowledging and even then he's never shared them. His father has told him his entire life (in the anime, at least) that he values Kyoya based on proving himself better than his thirdborn position, so of course Kyoya puts all his efforts towards that and thinks of every other feeling as distraction. Rambling again. Thank you!
Gilmore: Sensei Mori popped into my head one day and I had to get it in here, lol. Thanks!
Hello all! And thanks so much for the reviews! I wanted to get this chapter up last week, but midterms slammed me bad. -_- Thankfully I should be getting much more done with Spring Break. This chapter was supposed to be longer, but realized that I was only halfway through with 7k words. Ah well!
On Valentine's Day, the Ouran campus is so thick with the smell of chocolate, one can almost feel it melting on their tongue.
The rosy hues of the campus saturate. It's like a law was passed, mandating all students wear red, white, and pink. Heart-shaped earrings, roses pinned to shirts. Then there are the boxes of chocolates, big and small, long and wide. In duos or trios or up to sestets, women open boxes of tomo-choco to their friends, and they hug and aw and give thanks. Some treat themselves to jibun-choco, a love letter written by themself, for themself. Other boxes peek out of bookbags or pockets. Honmei-choco, exclusively for one's beloved.
Kyoya has a list of all the good things that came out of his engagement to Kosuke. Number one, his family is saved. Number two, the gain of a close friend. Somewhere on that list is not having to worry about Valentine's Day anymore. Kyoya has dreaded it since he was a child; it was the one school day he wanted to stay home from. He loathed having upwards of a dozen girls confess their feelings and give him the chocolates they had made, only to have to turn them down and watch their eyes fill with tears. Worse is that Kyoya had never been fond of chocolate, but Jin had never let him throw them away, so Kyoya would be stuck eating chocolates for weeks.
Now he has immunity, but on this Valentine's Day, he's still not enjoying himself.
True to his word, Yoshio had allowed him to return to work the day after his sentence was served. It was not without a long talk to ensure Kyoya was ashamed of himself. Leaving Yoshio's office afterward, he passed by Yuuichi and Akito both, and could not decipher their looks as disappointed or sympathetic.
The lesson was learned long before Kyoya stepped foot into his father's office, but Yoshio needed wanted it branded into his brain.
Thus, Kyoya has been sentenced to work without any semblance of a schedule.
He has worked for three days straight and stayed home for three days straight. One hour a day, six hours a day, fifteen hours a day. He's gone in at five in the morning and five in the evening. He has come to the office only to be told to turn right back and go home. He has been told to go home only to be told to turn right back and get to work.
His phone has become a timebomb in his pocket. He never knows when it will boom.
Every time it comes close to overwhelming him, and his fingernails dig into his palm and his teeth grit to cracking, he makes himself grateful instead. Yoshio is right. He has to be ready to serve his family at any given moment, no matter what. This is a lesson that he will carry with him, and perhaps years from now Kyoya will even remember this fondly and thank his father for his wisdom.
Maybe.
Even on the days when Kyoya doesn't work (or is told, at least, that he won't) it's impossible to do anything but wait. He can hardly bring himself to work on the Project, for fear that he will be summoned as he lifts a pen. He refuses to watch another movie with Fuyumi, he refuses to practice his calligraphy...He eats his meals on the edge of his seat.
It makes him feel like one of those toys that that can go from standing straight to collapsing with the push of a button. He is too taut and too loose all at once. He reminds himself that even the strongest people feel sore after exercise.
Yoshio had given him Valentine's Day off, which was probably the most upsetting thing Kyoya has ever been told by his father. "Take Valentine's Day off. No one else in this entire building is going to miss work for this simple, feel-good holiday, but you are."
Or maybe he won't.
School is a safe zone, at least. Yoshio is never going to summon him away from his classes. Every other student may watch the clock tick with impatience, but Kyoya does it with wariness. The second his last period ends, his grace runs out.
He knows a distraction would help, and in fact, one presents itself readily. Renge had been saying for weeks now that she was doing something for Valentine's Day here at Ouran, a "love banquet," as she'd called it. Kyoya hadn't thought of it very much. Just the posters, covered in giant glittery hearts and cartoonish Cupids, made his teeth rot from sugar.
He's not surprised when Tamaki texts him, Are you coming to the Valentine's party? It'll be fun!
He's not surprised when Hani texts him, I heard there's going to be a whole bunch of sweets at Renge's party! Are you coming?
He is amused when Reiko texts him, Hani would like it if you came to the party.
He is annoyed when the twins text him, respectively, Where for art thou, Romeo? and I thought you were a romantic now!
He is confused when Mori texts him, Kosuke would like it if you came to the party.
He is surprised when Haruhi texts him, Hey, are you coming?
If this wasn't the final push to convince him, then the next message—from Kosuke, Hey! Lots of chocolates here. Do you want me to save you some if you can't make it?—does.
The closer he comes to the party, the more he doubts himself. It would be embarrassing to walk them only to immediately turn around and walk back out. The "Great Snowball War," as it has come to be called (the school newspaper's front-page image still elicits gasps of horror) has convinced him that he can't even walk outside anymore, lest he be trapped.
Father did say I needed to be social, too.
When he arrives at the venue, he finds it is much classier than the posters had promised. A lovely arch of roses stands over the doorway. There are gold-plated statues of cherubs placed at random along the floor, and between them bouquets of more roses, red, pink, and white—the smell of chocolate mixing with the flowers' fragrance. The tables are covered in crisp white cloths, and a champagne pyramid shimmers under the chandelier. Even the great window curtains had been swapped from deep purple to a rich scarlet.
Though all the reds and pinks almost tip over the scale to "too much," Kyoya can admire the level of work put in. He's familiar with the task of planning events.
Still, he almost turns around as soon as he arrives. But it's too late.
"Kyo-ya!" Amaya glides over to him, waving a hand as though he could miss her. Even she has dressed for the holiday, in a white sweater patterned in knit pink roses and a pair of pink heels. Her long dark hair has been tied back into a bun, with tendrils framing her face. "I was so worried you weren't going to make it! It would be a shame to miss something so important!"
Kyoya can feel the hairs on his neck prickle. "Important? I would have come sooner if I'd known."
"I think any holiday dedicated to love is important. Love is the greatest thing there is, don't you think? Owning and being owned by someone, finding the other half of your heart…I think the moment when you meet someone and realize they're your soulmate is just breathtaking, isn't it?"
"Yes, Kosuke indeed took my breath away when we met."
Amaya hides her laugh behind her hand. "Oh, of course she did! She is quite a character, isn't she? Oh, but I think she must be so miserable on a day like this." Kyoya refuses to take the bait, but she carries on anyway. "I'm not sure if she's told you this..." Amaya leans forward and whispers behind her palm, shaking her head, pitying. "Kosuke just cannot work with sugar, I'm afraid."
"Yes, she's told me."
"If I had any idea, I wouldn't have ever taken her up on that offer of a friendly competition. Or at least, I would have chosen something different to make! I suppose it really could have been a malfunction of the oven, but I don't know, something just tells me—"
"I know Kosuke can't make sweets very well. That's fine. I don't have much of a sweet tooth."
Her red lips pull from ear to ear.
"I thought so! I just thought it would be such a shame for your darling-dearest not to give you something on a day as important as this. So..."
She reaches into her red bag and pulls out a small white box bound in a thin pink ribbon.
"Here you are! Well, go on. Take them!"
Kyoya at first pinches the box between his thumb and forefinger, but Amaya keeps watching, so he's forced to pull the ribbon off and lift the lid. Inside are three squares of chocolate, each designed in an elegant lattice pattern of frosting and adorned with tiny sugar pearls.
"I figured dark chocolate would suit your tastes. Once when I was visiting France I stopped by this lovely confectionary, and its chocolatier told me that if you pay attention to someone, you can guess exactly what kind of chocolate they like. I thought that this was a very interesting idea, so I tried it myself. I made chocolates for all of my family, friends, and teachers, and I got every single one of them right! Just by spending a few minutes with someone, I was able to decipher which chocolate would match their personalities! My aunt has a warm, inviting personality, so she got caramel chocolates. My history professor was kind but confident, very strong-willed, so he got cherry chocolates. People like you, mature and sophisticated, always seem to like dark chocolates. I must admit, those are my favorites too! Once my family was hosting a dinner for a foreign ambassador, and this little experiment of mine came up in the conversation, so the ambassador asked if I could try making chocolates for him! I was so embarrassed, but how could I refuse? The ambassador was soft-spoken, very elegant, so I decided to make white chocolates for him. He absolutely adored them. He begged for me to give the recipe to his home cooks so they could prepare them for him, but just a week after he'd left he wrote me a letter saying they just can't get them right. So now every now and then he'll send me a letter asking for more chocolates, and I'll send them over! But anyway, I do hope you'll enjoy them. Despite everything that's happened between our families, I do respect you very, very much. I've already had some sent to your father, as well."
Kyoya discreetly glances around them. They're not being stared at, but they're being noticed. No one is gasping or glaring at Kyoya Ootori taking chocolates from someone besides his beloved fiancée. In fact, Amaya is receiving looks of admiration. Maybe for being so considerate, or maybe for being so mature to extend an olive branch after the clash of the Domens and the Ootoris. Which is worse.
"Thank you, Amaya." Kyoya gives her a twitch of a bow. "That's very kind of you."
"Of course! Oh, but don't let Kosuke know. Here, here." Amaya pushes them to him, urging him to put them away. She lets her hand linger on his for as long as possible. "I wouldn't want her to be embarrassed, the poor thing. I know I would be. You know, I had offered my help to her—I have so many recipes she could have used—but I think I just embarrassed her. How horrible."
"Perhaps you could help me, then. I'm not a chocolatier myself and I was just going to buy her chocolates for White Day."
If that shuts her up, Kyoya doesn't get to savor his victory. Out of nowhere come two security guards—black suits, black sunglasses, black shoes. Each has a red flower pinned to his lapels.
Kyoya isn't alarmed, only confused. Moreso when one says, "Kyoya Ootori?" and the other adds, "Come with us, please."
Kyoya looks around the room again, and no one else looks alarmed. In fact, they barely seem to notice the two guards. Amaya looks absolutely affronted to be interrupted, however, so Kyoya breezily replies, "Of course. Excuse me, Amaya."
"No, by all means. But if you'd like to make White Day plans, please just let me know!"
She's given up all subtleties, hasn't she?
The guards lead him into the crowd, clearing the way between pink dresses and red ties. Even the punch in their cups is pink, but the biggest splash of color is Kyoya's destination. To the farther end of the room (quite a distance to walk), there are two booths side-by-side. Three of their walls are covered in rose blossoms in a checkerboard pattern of red and white, the last a pink velvet curtain on a golden rod. Both have a golden cherub guiding him forward, but the guards nudge him towards the only one with the curtain open. Inside, it is simply a desk and a plush velvet chair.
The fear of being trapped again resurfaces, but he's positive a scene will be made if he refuses, so Kyoya obeys and steps inside. The curtain is pulled shut behind him.
Kyoya sits in the chair, setting his bookbag down beside him. The booth is hardly bigger than a closet, but it's still been decorated from head-to-toe, the walls an intricate scarlet fleur-de-lis design and the desk made of sleek mahogany. Above the desk is a gold-plated slot, as though for mail.
And mail he gets. A single sheet of paper is pushed before him. His name is already written along the top, and below it are twenty-five questions and twenty-five lines to answer them on. They start simple. What is your favorite color? When is your birthday? Then, towards the end, it becomes a little more complicated. And strange. What is your dream vacation? What would you want to name your child?
Kyoya picks up the pen and starts writing. Whatever is going on, it seems harmless.
Once finished, he slides the paper back through the slot. He stands to leave, but then another paper comes.
This paper also has twenty-five questions and twenty-five lines, and twenty-five KOSUKE'S.
What is Kosuke's favorite food? What skill is Kosuke the most proud of? Where do you think Kosuke will be in 20 years?
Is this some kind of trivia game? Kyoya sighs, but picks up the pen again. He'll bite.
He thinks he answers most of the questions accurately, with a few maybe's and just one or two guesses. Not that Kyoya particularly cares if he "flunks" this test. His intrigue has run its course; he just wants out of this booth now.
Kyoya gives the paper back again, and the curtain is pulled open for him. The curtain of the other booth is pulled open just a moment later.
Kosuke steps out one careful foot at a time. Her hands are carrying a square of fabric, white with little red hearts, with severe care. As far as dressing for the holiday goes, she's kept it simple, with a scarlet turtleneck, red flats, and, of course, the high-waisted jeans. She's pulled her hair back into a ponytail, with the same braided bangs she always has.
She looks nice. Kyoya just isn't sure why he's noting that. again.
"Oh!" Kosuke blinks at him, pulling herself short. "Hey! I didn't think you were—Well. I guess I should've figured when they dragged me in there again."
"Do you know what's going on here?"
"Some kind of game that Renge set up. The couples that get the most questions correct about each other get prizes, I think. "I will say, that was probably the easiest test I've taken since I've been here."
"I'm flattered."
"Don't expect a perfect score."
"What did you lose points on?"
"For one, I couldn't say what your favorite movie was, because apparently you don't like movies period."
"You could have written that as the answer."
"I could've. Darn. Better luck next time."
"For two?"
She tosses back the lock again. "For two?"
"You said you got that question wrong, 'for one.' What about for two?"
"Ah...Well. That 'what name would Kyoya like to give his child' question. I couldn't answer that because you never told me, because we've never even. We've. Um. We—We're standing in the way. Let's go."
She sidesteps for another couple to excitedly dash into the booths. Then she speedwalks back into the crowd, and Kyoya (still processing) follows her.
Along the walls of the ballroom, refreshments are spread out along the white sheets in delicate China and crystal. Refreshments at this event consist of champagne, punch, and chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. Chocolates shaped in circles, squares, hearts, stars, swirls. Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate with raspberry creme, chocolate with orange creme, chocolate with caramel. Chocolate muffins, chocolate cookies, chocolate cake. Bananas, strawberries, and oranges dipped in chocolate. Kyoya has to stop looking at them all. He can already feel the cavities in his teeth and a toil in his stomach.
There is only one table not serving chocolate, and—because Kyoya isn't the only one overdosed on the stuff—it is seeing the most traffic. It's this table that Kosuke goes to, dropping the fabric off briefly before scurrying for the bathrooms.
"Well, look who it is!" Hikaru lifts his champagne flute in a toast to Kyoya. He and Kaoru are both wearing suits of their own design—both white, Hikaru's has roses at the cuffs and for Kaoru's has vines and flowers embroidered on the lapels.
Kaoru mimics his brother's toast, but with punch instead of champagne. "Romeo came after all!"
Kyoya looks between the two of them. "So who is losing to who?"
Hikaru's face drops at once. He tosses a pair of car keys to Kaoru, grumbling into his champagne while his younger brother gives a Cheshire-cat grin.
As always, the twins' suits are being admired by the passing guests. Traces of the Hitachiin fashion can be found among them. Flowers on dress skirts, the faint pattern of rose petals on a suit jacket. They're not even thirty yet, and the twins have already set trends. Usually they'd divulge their fans, offering fashion advice or giving clues to their next lines, but they seem rooted to the spot.
"You two are waiting on something."
"We're waiting on Juliet." Kaoru tilts his head towards the table, still flocked with guests. "She promised us we'd be getting our Valentine's Day gifts if we came over."
"Speaking of..." Hikaru nods to the parcel (that Kyoya had forgotten he was holding, and which Kosuke hadn't seemed to have noticed) and wiggles his brows. "What'cha got there?"
Kyoya holds the box out to them. "Here. You can have them."
Hikaru and Kaoru blink at the box, look at each other, and shrug. They let out admiring oohs at the little chocolate treasures within. Hikaru takes the rest of his champagne and gives the empty flute to a passing server to hold the box.
"Obviously these aren't from Kosuke." Kaoru takes a bite out of one square and mmms.
Hikaru chomps a corner off another square. "So who're they from? Haruhi? Is Fuyumi here? Oof, did some poor girl not get the memo that you're taken?"
"They're from Amaya."
They even gag in unison. Both look around in a feral panic for something, anything, to hack into, but remembering where they are, settle instead to just choke down what they have and toss it back with punch—Kaoru taking half and Hikaru ripping the glass out of his hand to take the rest. Even after, they're sputtering and coughing, and Hikaru shoves the box at another server, warning them that it's a biohazard that must be incinerated.
"What's the matter with you?!" Kaoru tosses his cup back just for a few more meager drops. "I thought we were friends!"
"Goodness! What have you done to them, Kyoya?"
Tamaki and Haruhi step out from the throng, both regarding the choking twins with wide, worried eyes. Tamaki sticks out of the crowd like neon—the purple of his tie the only hue of its kind in the room, which makes his violet eyes shine all the brighter. A strategic move, probably. The burgundy of Haruhi's long knit cardigan makes it unclear if she dressed with intention to match or not.
"I'll tell you what he did," Hikaru spits. "He fed us rat poison made by a poisonous rat!"
Tamaki and Haruhi look to Kyoya. Explain.
"Amaya made me some chocolates and I let them have them."
"Kyoya!" The twins look vilified by Tamaki's scolding exclamation. Then horrified when it's followed by: "Giving away the chocolates that someone took the time to make just for you is so rude! I've always eaten each and every chocolate I've been gifted, and happily!"
"Yeah, but didn't you have to miss school every day after Valentine's?" Haruhi asks. "You got such bad stomachaches from eating so much chocolate at once."
She goes unheard. Kaoru flings an arm at Kyoya. "But they were from Amaya!"
"Oh, come now, you too. If Amaya and Kyoya are on civil terms, then you should be, too!"
Kyoya holds up a hand to their incoming protests. "Tamaki's right. I gave them away because I don't like sweets and I didn't want them to go wasted. I'll be more considerate next time."
Tamaki nods. And frowns. And looks at the twins. "Did you call Amaya a 'poisonous rat'?"
"I thought you weren't going to be here until tomorrow," Kyoya says to Haruhi.
She, too, has a brow raised, but she picks up on his cue. "I got lucky and managed to come in yesterday."
"Isn't that great? I thought for sure she was going to have to miss this!" Tamaki puts an arm around her shoulders, only to throw it right back up a moment later. "Over here, you three!"
Mori, Hani, and Reiko join the five of them—Mori in white, Hani in pink, and Reiko in black. With a red rose brooch, but still black in a venue where it seems illegal.
Hani is, to the surprise of no one, carrying a plate stacked with a mountain of chocolates. He is in utter heaven. When one falls from the top, Reiko catches it in midair without even looking at it, and nibbles on it as Hani greets, "Hey, you guys! This is a great party, isn't it?"
"It was." With one last look from Kyoya, Kaoru finally drops it. "Anyway. How are you guys doing?"
"We're great!" Hani teeters his choco-mountain on one hand and takes a chocolate swirl off from its peak. "We may not be able to stay for the whole party, though. We've got a lot to do today."
"Oh, that's right," says Haruhi. "Valentine's is your anniversary, right?"
"Mm-hm!" Hani drops the chocolate (an amazing display of love by itself) to grab Reiko's hand and hold up their entwined fingers. Her dark lips twitch with a bashful smile. "Four years! The sweets aren't the only reason Valentine's is my favorite holiday!"
"I take this day very seriously. I'm glad to have this celebration." Reiko looks out at the golden cherubs and rose-wrapped columns. "Though I'd prefer a more elegant affair, myself."
"Oh, there she is! Come on!"
Hikaru and Kaoru hurry through the gap between the tables. Probably they aren't supposed to do this, but not only does no one stop them, the rest of the group follows suit like one entity. Kyoya brings up the rear, figuring he'll be roped into talking about Ootori Medical or his parents' divorce otherwise.
Past the line of serving tables is the line of preparation tables. Kosuke stands at one, flitting about, working as elegantly but faster than ever. The fabric she'd been so carefully holding was an apron—she'd told Kyoya before that it was "utterly unacceptable" to wear an apron past the kitchen, so she must have really been dragged back to that booth. Kyoya should have figured she'd be serving when he saw her hair tied up.
Hikaru and Kaoru practically skip over, but Kosuke stops what she's doing, holds her arms up, and scolds, "Ah-ah-ah! You're close enough. We're very busy and I don't want you to get hurt or hurt someone by crashing into them."
"Kosuke, we're really not busy." Accompanying her are Yoshiko and Rika, wearing identical heart-patterned aprons. "You've already done so much, we're just plating at this point. Go ahead."
She bumps Kosuke's hip with hers for emphasis, so finally Kosuke relents and steps out of the imaginary line dividing dining room and the "kitchen." She gives Haruhi a welcoming—but very distant, so as not to touch her with the apron—hug.
When they pull away, Haruhi remarks, "I knew you were coming, but you didn't say you were cooking."
"Well, I didn't know myself until last night. Renge spent all of yesterday making finishing touches on this party, and I was one of them. It's alright. I actually like it!" She puts her hands on her hips and grins. "It's like I'm a caterer."
"So what did you make?" Hani asks, very cautiously optimistic. Every time he's reminded of Kosuke's cooking prowess, he is also reminded that it's not for sweets, a wonderful surprise followed by a gutpunch. "Something with chocolate...?"
"No. But I'm still proud of it! Here."
She steps over to the table, gliding across the floor and well out of her coworkers' paths, to grab one of the plates and bring them back. On it are two small, soft pink hearts trimmed in frills.
Hani gasps. "Do they have chocolate filling?!"
"No. No chocolate, Hani, I'm sorry." Kosuke bows her apology. Hani says it's okay and doesn't sound like he means it. "It's ravioli! I made the pasta pink with beets! What do you guys think?"
"That is adorable!" Tamaki coos. "How did you do that?"
"First I made the pasta itself by mixing salt, semolina, and flour together. In another bowl I combined olive oil, eggs, and beet puree. The puree I made by cooking the beets until tender and then blending it in 10-second intervals—"
"Yes, yes, so amazing." Hikaru makes grabby-hands at the plate. "Now hand it over!"
"Ah-ah-ah!" Kosuke pulls it out of his reach. "Not for you, mister!"
"But you said—"
"This is what I'm making for the guests. What I made for you guys is over here."
Kosuke reaches under one of the tables and pulls out a square thermal bag. From it she pulls out seven rectangular boxes, one-by-one, passing them out. When Haruhi gets hers, her wonder is audible.
"I went a little crazy with the beets," Kosuke chuckles sheepishly. "Do you like it?"
"Wow! It looks so pretty!" Kosuke holds onto Hani's box on account of his chocolate Mt. Everest, but he's still amazed just looking into what's in Reiko's. Six pieces of sushi are laid one after the other, the rice a vivid purple-pink. They even have pairs of scarlet chopsticks to go with them. "Are you sure you don't want to have a restaurant? You could sell this on Valentine's Day as a special! That would be really cool."
Kosuke shrugs, and to Kyoya, it's almost painful to see. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure. I don't want to get burnout, you know?"
"If we're doing this now, hold on." Haruhi reaches into her bag and starts pulling out boxes of her own, small red squares of cardboard.
Another round of Valentine's treats are handed out, and then Reiko does the same. They've been doing this for years now, a tradition, but years of tradition don't stop the flutter that still, still, comes to Kyoya's chest as Haruhi extends his gift to him.
"No icing," she says, "so it wouldn't be too sweet, as always."
It's been, what? Five, six times that Kyoya's been in this place, receiving chocolates from Haruhi on Valentine's Day? Then, a month from now, on White Day, Tamaki will be doing the same. Kyoya keeps opening boxes and seeing the work they put in simply because they think him an important person in their lives, and every time it's different.
He used to not care at all, and then he was a bit flattered, until eventually it made him sick, because he was selfish and upset that he wasn't getting chocolates the way he wanted to get them. So bitter and pouty because countless young girls would give him honmei-choco but not the two people he actually wanted some from.
It's different again, because this time he isn't bitter at all. Kyoya is just flattered, pure and simple, not angry, not wanting. That should be good, except he's back to not knowing his own mind. When did things change for him? Something has flipped a switch in his brain and he doesn't know what, and if he did, then maybe, if he ever starts to (curse the word) pine again, he would have something to stop him.
It's only a moment, Kyoya's internal monologue. Everyone else is unaware. The three boxes become a hassle for them all—especially Mori, who has to hold his and Hani's—except for Kyoya, who keeps just two.
This does not go unnoticed with Kyoya's luck, and as Hikaru opens Reiko's box (the chocolates inside are so dark, it's like the box contains a bottomless pit), he clicks his tongue at Kosuke. "I think you may have forgotten a certain someone...?"
Kosuke is looking at the boxes in Kyoya's hands, and for just a moment he thinks that maybe she's thinking of what Amaya told her. He wants to tell her not to worry, that he honestly doesn't care that she didn't make him something she couldn't, but then he notices there's no upset on her face. She looks oddly thoughtful, staring at the boxes. Like she's prone to do, she falls so deep in her thought that when she realizes she's been spoken to, it's like waking from sleep.
"No, I haven't." Kosuke pushes the chocolate up to Hikaru's face. "Mind your business and eat your chocolate. But not too much. I don't want all of you getting stomachaches."
Kyoya looks to Haruhi to see if she picked up what he did, but she's turned away, watching the other guests. "Am I the only one who feels like they're being stared at?"
Stares, no. Glances, yes. In just five seconds, Kyoya watches maybe a dozen students flit their eyes to Haruhi and Tamaki. Some look more pleasant than others.
"It's the contest."
Tamaki turns to Hani just as he pops a cherry chocolate into his mouth. "What do you mean?"
"You guys did the contest, right?" Hani points to the rose-swathed booths on the other side of the room. "You guys are for sure going to win!"
"Oh. It's not that big of a deal, though, is it?" Haruhi shrugs. "It's just a game."
"Of course it's just a game. That said..." Tamaki pats her on the head, beaming. "I will be very proud of us if we win!"
Reiko puts a finger on her chin. "I think that Hani and I have a strong chance. We know almost everything about each other."
She says it like she's trying to be thoughtful, but it sounds almost like a warning. This is our anniversary and we're going to win, dammit. Kaoru, standing closest to her, takes a step back. Hikaru looks between the three couples in the group, eyebrows going up. "Uh-oh. Looks like this group is apart to be torn apart. May the best couple win!"
Haruhi rolls her eyes, Reiko nods, Tamaki and Hani just look excited. When Kyoya looks over to her, Kosuke sneaks him a smile. He doesn't know what to make of it. Was that a "all this for a silly game" smile, or a "ha-ha, we're not actually a couple" smile?
As though on cue, a trumpeted fanfare suddenly fills the room, as though royalty were about to march through the door. It's only Renge, though, dressed in a pink dress with too many skirts to count and opera gloves to match. Either everyone glanced over the stage or she used her bizarre manifestation powers, because now she stands above the crowd with a gold microphone in hand.
"Alright, everyone! It's the moment you've been waiting for! The winners of the 'Love I.Q.' contest!"
Excited chatter ripples through the crowd. Couples squeeze each other's arms and reach to hold their hands.
"But first, I would just like to remind everyone of the upcoming release of my latest work, Honami and the Honmei-Choco Choice!"
To her side, a poster unfurls on a stand. On it, a brunette is trying to hide her blushing face behind a handful of love letters, surrounded on all sides by a group of handsome young men. The title is written across the bottom, and the whole thing is covered in roses, chocolates, and sparkles.
There's some applause in the crowd, a few Houshakuji fans clapping louder than the rest. Kaoru is aghast that they've been tricked into a publicity stunt.
"Okay, now onto the less important thing. In first place, with a near-perfect score of forty-nine points..." She lets the words hang in the air, but no one is holding their breath. "Tamaki Suoh and Haruhi Fujioka!"
Applause fills the room, mostly congratulatory, a bit jealous. Tamaki takes Haruhi's hand and holds it up in victory—and then remembers how much he towers over her, nearly pulling her right off the ground.
Hani laughs, "See? I told you!" Kaoru puts his fingers to his mouth and whistles, and Haruhi bats a hand at him.
One of the security guards comes to them with a red box topped in a bow of flowers and ribbons. Tamaki removes the lid, and Haruhi reaches inside and takes out a single paper card. Tamaki is delighted. Haruhi's eyes bug out of her head.
"Our first-place winners have received the prize of an all-expenses-paid, three-day stay at the luxurious beach villa owned by the family of yours truly~!" Another poster unfurls on another stand (smaller and less important than the poster for the otome). The crowd oohs and ahhs at the scenes of white sand, blue water, and what looks more like the Shido-ji Temple than a beach villa. "To be claimed whenever they do so desire!"
Kosuke leans to Kyoya to whisper, "I can think of a few parents who wouldn't like their kids getting that gift."
He whispers back, "I can think of a few hundred."
"And as for our second-place winners, with a score of forty-six points…"
Now breaths are held. Fingers return to crossing. The anticipation is palpable. Reiko waits expectantly, hands folded in her lap.
"Kyoya Ootori and Kosuke Amida!"
Kosuke doesn't process what's happening until everyone in the room turns in her and Kyoya's direction. Applause and congratulations are showered over them, along with some jealous glares still, and a few coos at the happy couple.
Kyoya, too, stands dumbfounded for a moment, trying to figure out how on earth he and Kosuke managed second-place above couples who have been together much longer than they have—such as Hani and Reiko, who look at them with excitement and thinly-veiled envy, respectively. He shakes off the surprise. His and Kosuke's fans are awaiting some kind of show.
He holds his arm out for Kosuke. She understands—coming to his side, as easily as clockwork, in a sideways embrace. Intentional or no, a blush covers her face, and another wave of aww's rises as she tries to hide it behind her hand.
Their friends applaud them as well; it's a struggle with the boxes, mostly fingers clapping on wrists. It's still strange, knowing that none of them are in on their secret, not even Tamaki or Haruhi.
Hikaru double-takes to Tamaki. "Boss, are you crying?"
"No," he snaps. He wipes his fingers under his eyes, for no reason.
Another red giftbox is sent over. Kosuke gives Kyoya a wary glance as she takes the lid off. He doesn't know what they'll do, either, if they get a three-day trip all to themselves.
When they see what's inside, they both sigh in relief.
"Our lucky second-place winners will have the infamous Tokyo Skytree all to themselves for one night!" Another poster. A bit less oohing and ahhing. It's a more familiar sight. "Just the two of them and a meal right among the stars! How romantic!"
Kosuke delightedly flips the card over, drinking in the photos of the Skytree restaurant and its 360 view. She must not have gone yet, and despite still not caring much for this, it does please Kyoya to see her excited. He wonders if they could bring guests. Maybe Hitsuji and Minami would like to go, too.
"And, finally, our third-place winners. Drumroll please!"
A drumroll actually comes, but no one can find out where it is. Hani excitedly bounces on his feet. Reiko holds her head up, a serene smile on her lips. Kyoya is as expectant of her victory as she is, and thinks of his phone in his pocket. It hasn't gone off yet. He wishes he'd just stayed forgotten about it.
The suspense is thicker than ever. This is the last chance. Fingers cross so hard they could break. Some look faint from not breathing.
"Our third-place winners, with a close score of forty-five points…Momoka Kurakano and Kazukiyo Soga!"
They can just barely be seen through the crowd. Momoka grabs Kazukiyo's arms, dancing in delight. He jostles with surprise, but smiles, flushing as the crowd showers congratulations upon them. Another red box, a boat ride through Mt. Fuji, as explained by Renge and another poster.
Kyoya doesn't pay much mind to this victory; he, like the others, has turned his attention to Hani and Reiko. Hani shrugs, giving a small hum of disappointment. Reiko's face is expressionless.
"Hey, it's okay!" Kosuke hides the card behind her. "It's just a game, right?"
Reiko slides a length of silky dark hair over her shoulder. "Of course it is."
"Besides, we've got tons of stuff to do tonight already!" Hani's smile is contagious. Reiko nods, satisfied.
"Congratulations for all the young lovebirds! And for the rest of you curious couples, feel free to check your points on the scoreboard!"
Heads snap back to the other side of the room. Two guards are pushing an eight-foot-tall blackboard in front of the booths. From so far away, the group only sees scribbles in pink chalk.
Renge leaves the stage with a flourish of her skirts. This time, there is no applause. Chatter starts anew, but it's nervous, apprehensive. Some couples are battling, one half wanting to check the score and the other rooted in spot with fear. It's just a game chants through the air. Some footsteps run and some drag.
Haruhi grimaces. "Am I the only one who thinks that's a bad idea?"
Within seconds, she's answered. Some just sigh; so close. A few shrugs. But mostly, upset. Apparently, not only are the total scores there, but the individual scores, too: every person able to see how many questions their partner got wrong about them. One young woman huffs and storms away, and her fiancé flounders after her, streaming apologies. A sharp cry of "ONE?! You got ONE question right?!" rings out. Some couples, equally at fault, can't even look at each other's faces.
Tamaki, glowing just a second prior, now grimaces right alongside his fiancée. "Oh, dear…"
"Eesh," Kaoru says, watching the affronted girl and her wallowing beau leave the venue. "Makes me happy I'm still single."
Kyoya has to marvel. Twice now, an entire school torn apart by Renge. "I have a feeling there won't be another party next Valentine's Day."
"Hey," says Kosuke, "Where did they go?"
'They' being Hani, Reiko, and Mori, who have blinked away from their places behind them. At once, they all start looking for dark hair atop a tall frame, and find it easily: Mori moving through the sea of red, white, and pink, closer and closer to the scoreboard, undoubtedly following suit.
They wait a few minutes, then a few minutes more, and finally Tamaki takes the first steps over. The rest follow. Haruhi and Kosuke, holding their red giftboxes, have to avert many green eyes.
Up close, the scoreboard is almost monstrous, even with its sparkles and roses. Love I.Q. is in big, bubbly characters at the top, and all the names and scores below, most to least.
Tamaki Suoh + Haruhi Fujioka – 25 | 24
Kyoya Ootori + Kosuke Amida – 23 | 23
Momoka Kurakano + Kazukiyo Soga – 23 | 22
Down and down they go, and it's not hard to see which ones caused the most heartbreak. One unlucky couple managed a 25 and a 1. As their eyes go further and further down, their grimaces worsen with every entry that isn't Reiko and Hani.
And then, finally:
Reiko Kanakuzi + Mitsukuni Haninozuka – 2 | 3
It isn't the worst score. In fact, one pair managed exactly one point, one and zero. Still, Hikaru sucks air through his teeth. Kosuke murmurs a piteous oh no under her breath.
Haruhi shuffles to the side, bringing their attention to the losing lovebirds. They can't see their faces; Hani and Reiko stand side-by-side facing the scoreboard. Behind them, Mori stands and waits, unsure of what to do.
"Hey." Haruhi puts a hand on Hani's shoulder and squeezes. "It's just a game. It doesn't matter."
"Besides," Tamaki adds with a wavering laugh, "You still have the rest of your anniversary to celebrate!"
That, sadly, is the fatal twist of the knife. Reiko turns away from the board. Her face, always calm, is now utterly void of life. Her eyes have no light in them.
"Would you excuse me."
She goes. Hani, too, turns away. In the opposite direction, Kyoya can't see his face, but his voice is that of a corpse, the exact opposite of Hani.
"Yeah. I need to go, too."
Mori follows, of course, unable to say anything but a comforting "Mitsukuni…" The rest of them shuffle on their feet, unsure of what to do. Not helping is how four out of six of them are getting looks dirtier than ever. Apparently they had to go to the scoreboard just to see how badly everyone else did.
Kosuke sneers at the red giftbox. "I don't even want this anymore."
"Haruhi, maybe we should give them the trip?" Tamaki holds a hand to his cheek, shaking his head. "I don't know if I can go on it in good conscience anymore."
"Hey, both of you stop," Hikaru interjects. "You guys didn't do anything wrong."
Kyoya folds his arms across his chest. "I didn't think they would be shaken so easily like this."
"It's embarrassing." Kosuke shakes her head. "Losing is one thing, but to have everyone see how bad you did? On your anniversary?"
Kaoru pipes up that he, personally, blames Renge for this. Haruhi ignores him. "No, I don't think it's that. It's personal. They both feel horrible that they got so many things wrong about each other."
Personally, Kyoya still doesn't get it. Maybe some of those questions were "easy," but he just doesn't think that knowing your partner's favorite color should be the end-all, be-all qualifier for the significance of a relationship. That said, his opinion wouldn't be relevant even if he had ever been in a relationship before.
"I think we should help." Tamaki taps a fist into an open palm, determined. "I don't want their anniversary ruined over this. Let's go talk to them."
Haruhi nods. "I'll talk to Hani. You can go talk to Reiko."
"Good. Hikaru, Kaoru, do you want to join?"
"Yeah, sure," Kaoru replies as he and his brother follow Haruhi. "This is bumming us out."
Tamaki turns to the last two standing. "Kyoya, Kosuke, maybe you could go talk to Reiko with me."
Kyoya doesn't think it's a good idea. Like Reiko needs three winners of this game comforting her. Kosuke seems wary, too, perhaps thinking the same, or more so that she isn't as familiar with Reiko. She nods in the end. Reluctant though he is, Kyoya understands. They're Reiko and Hani's friends, and if they won't help then no one will.
"Sure. But, uh…" Kosuke turns back for the serving table with the giftbox. "Let's put this away first."
"Oh. Good idea. I think I know which way she went! Follow me."
Chapter Summary:
Kyoya has returned to working at Ootori Medical, but he's still being punished: now by having to work by a chaotic, unpredictable schedule that's running him ragged. Reluctantly, he goes to a Valentine's Day party that Renge is hosting at school. When he arrives he's brought to a booth where he answers 25 questions about himself and 25 questions about Kosuke. The questions are for a contest Renge is holding, in which the couples with the most points will receive prizes. Everyone is expecting the top couples to be Tamaki and Haruhi and Hani and Reiko - the latter couple celebrating their anniversary. When Haruhi gifts Kyoya his Valentine's gift, he realizes that he feels different about it, no longer disappointed that he isn't with Haruhi or Tamaki. Kosuke notices his reaction but doesn't say anything. The winners of the contest are announced: Tamaki and Haruhi in first place, Kosuke and Kyoya in second place (much to their surprise), and Momoka and Kazukiyo in third place. The scores for the other couples are displayed, and much to everyone's horror, Hani and Reiko have one of the lowest scores. The two wander off, humiliated and guilt-ridden. The others split up to go comfort them.