Tokyo
Tamaki bangs his fist on the kotatsu. Hard. "Right, team! Report!" he says, trying to suppress the tears of pain that spring to his eyes.
Kaoru is leaning against Hikaru as if he's the wall. They both look bored. "He doesn't usually reply to anyone but Haruhi," Kaoru says with a half shrug.
"We already know that," Hikaru says.
They turn to look at him with twin expressions of disdain. "Why don't you?" they both chime.
Tamaki feels briefly wounded. Don't they care about Kyoya's feelings? Why aren't they on-board as enthusiastically as he is? If they don't watch out, Haruhi and Kyoya will never get together! And . . . and . . .
Tamaki feels a flash of intense kinship with Hikaru and Kaoru – maybe they should form a Rejected by Haruhi club? – but sets the idea aside for later. He doesn't have time to dwell on his own pain. He has Kyoya's to think of.
It's not that Tamaki wants to see Haruhi with someone else, especially. But he's always known on some level that Kyoya liked her that way – and once he'd used his subtle detective methods to probe her feelings, he'd known exactly what he'd have to do.
If he leaves Kyoya to his own devices, Tamaki thinks with determination, he'll just go and marry someone for stupid business reasons, and then regret it for the rest of his life.
"Why are we in Kyoya-senpai's house again?" Kaoru asks pointedly.
"Yes, and why is she here?" Hikaru says, pointing.
Mei sits up very straight. "Hey!" she complains. "Fuyumi invited me, jerkwad."
"My sister doesn't even live here any more," Akito says tetchily from the doorway.
Kaoru tries to bury himself under the kotatsu at the sight of Akito, as Fuyumi gives a little wave. "Hello, brother, I love you too."
"Is he gone yet?" Kaoru hisses.
"No," says Akito.
"We are here," Tamaki says loudly, "because Kyoya is the only one of you terrible people with a large enough kotatsu!" Isn't it obvious? He bangs his fist on the table again, but this time with less force. "Hani! Mori! Report!"
Hani sits to attention and bangs his hand to the side of his head in a mock salute. "I sent him a photo of Usa-chan wrapped in tinsel!" he says.
"Great work!" Tamaki says.
"But he didn't reply."
A wave of disappointment crashes over Tamaki. He reaches one hand out to Mori, the only one who can save him now.
"I asked him if he was well," Mori says.
Tamaki waits with bated breath.
"He said, 'Fine, thank you, how are you?'"
It takes Tamaki a good ten minutes to recover from this crushing blow. "He never asks me how I am! Why does Kyoya love Mori more than me?" he wails, as Fuyumi pats his hair and Mori looks a little awkward.
"Well obviously because—" Hikaru starts enthusiastically, until Kaoru reaches over to pinch him. "Ow!" he says, turning away briefly; when he swivels back, his eyes are full of unshed tears. "That hurt!" he adds pathetically, holding out his arm for Kaoru to kiss it better.
The atmosphere becomes thick and full of meaning. Kaoru leans in with affection in his eyes – Tamaki has always admired the twins' utter dedication to character – and—
YOU ARE READING
Kyoya Ootori's Guide to Self-Deception for Fun and Profit
FanfictionKyoya's fond of Haruhi. Very fond. But he doesn't dwell on it. He's far too busy networking at Harvard to think about his best friend's not-quite girlfriend. Unfortunately, back in Tokyo, Tamaki seems equally busy - on the important task of driving...
