#tamakyo fic

[eurydicees]

and if a song could bring this love back to life, i'd sing to you all night (tamakyo, 14522 words)

Somewhere in the distant ends of Kyoya's memory is a boy with sunlight-hair and prince-smiles and a laugh that sounds like music. Kyoya is pretty sure that this meant something, once. Now, the only reminder of him is a sticky note Kyoya doesn't remember writing: reminder—tell him you love him. Or, Kyoya is missing some memories. He'd like to get them back.

i have been told this is reminiscent of eternal sunshine of the spotless mind and i want it on the record that i have never seen that. also happy late birthday kyoya sorry to do this one to you </3

[kisskiss--fallinlove]

⋆ Taken Care Of ⋆

KYOYA X TAMAKI

Sickfic, you know the drill. Kyoya wakes up feeling on the verge of death (he has a minor illness), Tamaki insists on taking care of him. Set in the future when they’re both adults with jobs, no specific age, marital status or job clarification so go crazy with your headcanons I guess.

WARNINGS: The illness is unspecified but similar to the flu I guess, if you require specifics. I don’t think an emeto warning is necessary, there’s no vomit but possible slight reference to it?? Pretty easy to miss if that kind of thing doesn’t bother you, but I thought I should still mention it just in case. Pretty vague about sickness overall to be honest.

WORD COUNT: 1340

WILL BE POSTED ON Ao3 AND WATTPAD AT A LATER DATE AND EDITED AT THAT TIME WITH LINKS. THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!

Kyoya felt awful.

From the second he awoke he was hit with a searing pain in his forehead, which, as he discovered when bringing up a hand to grasp it in a futile attempt to calm the aching, was drenched with sweat. He nestled down into his blankets for a second, allowing himself a moment's relief before he got up to face the day. As terrible as he felt, and as much as he detested waking up this early, he simply couldn't be late for work. The very thought of leaving his bed was daunting — he was already far from being an early riser, but the condition he was in wasn't helping with that in the slightest. Still, he mused with a soft groan, if he didn't get up now he wasn't sure he ever would.

Reluctantly, Kyoya swung his legs out of bed and stood up — only to immediately stumble back onto the bed, vision blurred and stomach lurching. This movement seemed to wake up Tamaki, who stirred beside him with a confused "mrph?"

"Go back to sleep, Tamaki, you don't have to be up yet," Kyoya attempted to assure him, surprised at the raspy voice in which his words were spoken. He didn’t understand. He'd been fine last night, if a little more drowsy than usual, but now the very act of speaking felt akin to swallowing sandpaper.

Tamaki, ever-compassionate and caring for his partner's wellbeing, very annoyingly ignored him. "Kyo, are you okay?" He sat up, rubbing his eyes before looking worriedly at his partner. "You don't sound too well."

"I'll be fine," Kyoya insisted weakly. He tried once more to stand up, but every fibre of his body seemed intent on pulling him back down. "Just ... give me a second."

"You look terrible," Tamaki continued, lifting a hand to press against Kyoya's face. Kyoya couldn’t resist leaning in to the touch. "You feel terrible. You're boiling!"

"It's fine. I don't even feel too warm," Kyoya said, thinking it best to leave out the perhaps more concerning detail that he was, in fact, shivering.

Tamaki removed his hand to instead wrap his arms around Kyoya’s waist, gently yet firmly tugging him further into the bed. "Please come back to bed, mon amour. You can't go to work in this state!"

Kyoya considered it. It wouldn't be right to infect anyone else, he supposed — and he really did just want to crawl back into bed for all eternity (or, until he felt a little bit better at the very least).

"Maybe I should," he finally admitted with a sigh. He climbed back under the covers, practically melting into the comfort of his still-warm pillow as the mattress — Kyoya still had no idea as to how Tamaki had acquired one quite so soft — caressed his aching limbs.

"Good, because I'm not letting you leave this house — no, this bed — until you're better."

"Is that so?" Kyoya responded dryly. He rolled his tired eyes at Tamaki's dramatic declaration, before allowing them to flutter shut once more.

He'd surprised himself, giving in so easily like that. He ought to go back on his decision and find a way to get his work done regardless. He'd worked through illnesses before; it was just what he'd been raised to do, he supposed. But things had been different since Tamaki entered his life — Tamaki would practically force Kyoya to take breaks ever since they were younger, even when he wasn't ill. He didn't quite understand that, and wrote it off as some overprotective nature Tamaki had developed from his own upbringing while caring for his sick mother — but it did help him. Kyoya would feel better after spending time with Tamaki even when he hadn't realised he’d previously been feeling badly at all. On a similar note, Tamaki had filled a gap in Kyoya's life he hadn't known had been there to begin with, so he supposed that was just the effect Tamaki had. Now, he vaguely felt the man in question press a soft kiss to his forehead, the rest of his surroundings an incomprehensible haze as he drifted (quite without meaning to) into slumber.

Kyoya hadn't the slightest idea of how long he'd been asleep, but when he awoke he felt the most well-rested he'd been for perhaps as long as he could remember.

The door creaked open, startling Kyoya. Shouldn't Tamaki be at work by now? What time was it, even?

"I’m sorry, I didn't mean to wake you!" Tamaki whisper-yelled, as though the act of lowering his voice would magically send Kyoya right back to sleep.

"It's fine, I was already —" Kyoya began, then, remembering why he's been so startled in the first place, deflected with, "forget that. What are you doing here?"

"Hm? I live here, silly." Tamaki walked further into the room, revealing to Kyoya a tray he was balancing in his hands. Kyoya was now propped up onto his elbows, looking inquisitively at his partner.

"You're meant to be at work." Shit. Work. He'd completely forgotten in his exhaustion to inform them of his absence.

"I already told them I'm not coming in today," said Tamaki. He must have noticed Kyoya's panicked expression, because he added, "I did the same for you too."

Kyoya frowned. Tamaki seemed fine, particularly given the lack of the dramatics that usually accompanied any illness Tamaki subtracted. "You're not sick as well, are you?"

"No! I just want to take care of you."

That was what Kyoya had feared. "I can take care of myself," he told him with an exasperated sigh. "There's no reason for us both to miss work. I didn't even want to in the first place."

Tamaki let out a fond laugh. "You don't have to be so independent, mon cheri. I'm sure you can take care of yourself, but I want to be here to help. It won't hurt to let yourself be taken care of for once!" He sat beside Kyoya; gingerly, so as not to send the contents of the tray flying. "Now, are you hungry? I thought it best not to bring anything else unless you wanted it, I know how funny you get with food when you're unwell, but I'll make you anything you want. Drinks included — but have some water first, okay?"

As Tamaki continued his ramblings, Kyoya looked properly at the tray for the first time. It was one of the nicer ones they owned; lilac and white china, emblazoned with a beautiful rose pattern. It may well have been Kyoya's favourite, if he were to choose one. Set upon it was a jug of water beside a tall, ice-filled glass, as well as a miniature vase which proudly displayed a singular violet rose. Kyoya smiled despite himself. Trust Tamaki to go all out, even for something so simple as preparing a glass of water.

"You'll have to go back to work tomorrow," Kyoya said, pouring himself some water as instructed. It wasn't as though either of them desperately needed to be in work — they quite obviously had more than enough money to get by — it was the principle of missing work that unnerved Kyoya so.

"It's almost like you don't want me here," Tamaki chuckled.

Kyoya raised an eyebrow, not indulging Tamaki's joke, though he couldn’t help but to inwardly remark on just how untrue it was. "I just don't want you skipping work for no good reason.”

"You're a good reason," Tamaki said, his voice earnest as he handed Kyoya the now-full glass. "I want to be here for you whenever you need me."

Kyoya didn't know how to respond to that (Tamaki could find a way to make anything a grand declaration of love, and though Kyoya loved the fool right back all the more for it, those moments never failed to catch him off guard), so he took the glass in one hand, and Tamaki's free hand in the other.

Tamaki was most certainly going to be in work tomorrow, even if Kyoya had to drag him there himself. But for now he was too tired to argue, so he decided, for once, to let himself be taken care of.

[paunchsalazar]

wrote a years later tamakyo fic…

[myinterestsvary-writes]

They know each other so well.

They love each other…

It’s a reciprocal relationship. Kyoya right after looks for Tamaki’s mother in France. 😭❤️

Bosom friend: a very close friend you can confide anything in; a best friend

[chubsonthemoon]

Another oneshot! This is the fantastic there are violets in your eyes, by bisexualbluesargent. I adore this fic so much--the tension is so delicious and the voicing for Tamaki and Kyouya is just *chef's kiss*. Highly highly recommend if you too were a closeted OHSHC fan in high school!

Also tried my hand with heat-activated transfer foil through a laminator, and the results were a little spotty, but I had fun with it all the same. I will continue to experiment :D

Finally, although I love my Cricut Charlotte with all my heart, I really missed going to town with my glitter pens and paint markers, so behold! Handwritten title :3

[eulaties]

OHSHC FIC RECS ★ #37

fics that have an asterisk (*) in front of them are my personal favorites!

this list was last updated on 1/3/23.

NOTE: these fic recs contain the ships tamaharu and/or tamakyo.

*tunnel vision • multi-chapter (2/2) • tamaki/haruhi

SUMMARY: “the story of haruhi's first year in law school and tamaki's hard lessons in the family business."

TAGS: post-canon, several years later, established relationship, tamaharu are engaged, 100k+ of them navigating adulthood together, slice of life, haruhi is a grad student at yale, tamaki runs his business...mostly at home (he has virtual meetings), family, friendships, romance, light angst, the rest of the ohshc still frequently keep in touch via a groupchat!, fluff, wedding planning, vacations, university life, going to the flea market, cooking meals, directly references events from the manga, this fic is abandoned so it isn’t actually “done”...but since this is also slice of life for the most part it doesn’t really matter, read author’s note for further explanation!

NOTES: this is definitely one of my holy grail fics. even from just the first 2000 words, i already knew the story was going to be one hell of a ride — from the absolute best characterizations ive seen of haruhi & tamaki, to the slice of life vignettes of tamaharu navigating adult life together, to the mini arcs we got with each passing season (i especially loved the thanksgiving break one, but the christmas one was also so sweet), everything about this fic was just, simply put, breathtaking. this quality of writing is particularly distinct to me it actually reminds me of early 2010 fanfiction that were always long as hell but novel-worthy. which is funny because this WAS originally written in ~2014, but then it was abandoned, BUT THEN the author decided to post it all in one go in 2021 (on an orphan account). so thank you mysterious author, whoever you are <3 hope youre doing well...you did so much good for the ohshc fandom

CW: several smut scenes, but they never take up majority of the fic, so you can always skip if you’re uncomfortable

*the one of my dreams • multi-chapter (1/?) • tamaki/haruhi

SUMMARY: “in a world where you share a dream space with your soulmate, a young haruhi meets tamaki, who lives halfway across the world. but as they grow older, haruhi begins to forget her dreams every morning. so when she starts at ouran academy and meets the infamous tamaki, she has no idea who she's speaking to. tamaki, on the other hand, has always remembered.”

TAGS: soulmates au, highschool, fluff and angst, pining

*champagne problems • one-shot • tamaki/kyoya

SUMMARY: “the one where kyoya is helplessly in love and he hates it, but he doesn’t know how to stop now that he’s started.”

TAGS: studying together, seemingly unrequited love, angst, confessions, internalized homophobia, hurt/comfort, hopeful ending?

*love in c-minor • one-shot • tamaki/kyoya

SUMMARY: “kyoya looks at tamaki and hears music: an orchestration written for best friends, or a symphony written for lovers. he looks at tamaki, and he sees art. it's the type of love that he cannot unwrite.”

TAGS: friends to lovers, pining throughout the years, during canon, references to shakespeare, prose, angst with a happy ending, confessions, getting together

gone tomorrow, here today • one-shot • tamaki/kyoya

SUMMARY: “i’d even be proud to be something more than a friend.” tamaki grinned nervously, then pulled their clasped hands to his own chest. right above his beating heart. “that is, if you’d let me.”

TAGS: mutual pining, seemingly unrequited love, misunderstandings, hurt/comfort, angst with a happy ending, getting together, kyoya’s overthinking strikes again

in late march • one-shot • tamaki/kyoya

SUMMARY: “i’m fine,” he bites out, borderline snarling in defensive irritation. “just tired. i haven’t been sleeping well.” because of you, he wants to add. because I can’t stop thinking about you.

TAGS: an alternate timeline, introspection, pining, underage drinking

lovers in the late night • one-shot • tamaki/kyoya & tamaki/haruhi

SUMMARY: “a late night rendezvous with none other than kyoya ootori.”

TAGS: aged-up characters, healthy polyamory, no jealousy, implied sexual content, bisexual tamaki, suggestive

wonderful • one-shot • tamaki/haruhi

SUMMARY: “this is far from tamaki's idea of a romantic first time.”

TAGS: tamaki-typical shenanigans, humor, drabble, implied sexual content

haruhi’s sick day • one-shot • tamaki/haruhi

SUMMARY: “haruhi gets a cold from falling into the river, and tamaki shows up to take care of her.

TAGS: takes place after the anime finale, fluff, humor

[chaotic-neutral-ferret]

i’m writing a short kyotama vacay fic. hope y’all are ready for the bullshit i’m gonna pull in 5k words :)

[flaresanimedump]

I just tallied up all my social media post writing for fukuran and. I hit 80k words for Fukuran this spring. Not including a couple tens of thousands in wips.

I had not written in 5 years????

[thisgardenofromance]

WHY are there not more love potion fics for Ouran. Why. There's literally a black magic club in the school in canon shhhh I don't care whether canon thinks there is actual magic or not the point is there COULD be and with that cast???? And LOVE POTION dynamics???? There are so many different routes you could go with that literally why aren't y'all writing them I have found ONE.

For Tamakyo alone there are so many routes! Literally here are some off the top of my head

Angst fic bc Tamaki gets love potioned and is all over Kyoya and Kyoya doesn't know how to deal with it bc when it's all over they're back to the way they always were (could very easily get do a metaphor thing and basically get an episode of Ouran out of it)

Fake out angst fic with the same premise but the love potion wasn't real and everyone (including Tamaki) just thought it was but when it's over they go back to the way things always were until it comes out that the love potion wasn't real and Tamaki's like "wait a fucking second"

Crack fic where Kyoya gets love potioned and it doesn't change anything about his behavior bc his feelings are already so strong and Tamaki's like "wtf" (not bc he wanted his best friend to be drugged bc that would be horrifying but bc honest to god his first thought would be 'i am supposed to be fawned over rn why is he not in love with me' he would be so offended tell me I'm wrong)

Something absolutely horrifying because love potions are not consent dude (but also rape for the sake of rape is not cute if you're gonna take that route make it emotionally intelligent please and thank you and WARNING LABELS USE WARNING LABELS DUBCON NONCON WHATEVER IT IS) bc let's be honest if a love potion made someone forceful that would fucking rock the foundation of their friendship and hoo boy would there be fallout

MAKE ME LOVE POTION TAMAKYO FANFICS PLEASE AND THANK YOU

I NEED THEM. I NEED THEM NOW.

[rochelle-echidna]

What's your favourite fic you've read this year?

Aw man, this is tough, only because this is the first year in a long time that I've consistently read fics that aren't solely YGO - so, if we're going by categories, I'd break them down as such (I'm about to expose myself so hard, oh dear):

Fav YGO fic: Let's Ditch by @micheladee (long-fic angstshipping fluffy and angsty goodness in equal measure, yes please!!)

Fav fic from an old flame: And So Kyoya Met Him! (Again) by poodlepunk (if you're a TamaKyo fan like me and enjoy future fics, this one's for you)

Fav fic from a new fandom: chaos theory by sarsaparillia (I'm on the SpyxFamily / TwiYor train full steam ahead and I can't get off, y'all)

Fav fic from a "guilty pleasure": Tiny Morty by messofthejess (... look, I have a soft spot for hard-nosed characters being undone by cute kids haha)

Shout-out of the year: @frumplebump (because all of their works make me feel five million emotions and are so well-written :D)

[eurydicees]

in your hands, my heart in a glass jar (tamakyo, 4750 words)

52 Fun Things to Do for Date Night, the jar advertises. Tamaki buys it immediately. Kyoya, unfortunately, tragically, horribly, has never really been able to say no to him.

Or, an experiment on how many dates can you go on with your best friend before you tell them you love them. The answer, Kyoya finds, is not very many.

basically, i have NOT forgotten about them. they STILL have a chokehold on my heart. please read. inspired by real life actually true events :P

[kinky-pen]

FIC MASTERLIST

OHSHC

Plush

(KyoKao // weight gain, chubby kink, feedism, stuffing, crossdressing kink, maid kink, humiliation kink)

Part One

Kyoya’s put on some weight, and Kaoru can’t help but notice.

Part Two 

Kyoya’s appetite caught up with him, and he’s really not hating the result…

Part Three

Kyoya’s always surpassed expectations, but this has certainly been the most enjoyable one he can recount.

Part Four

Kyoya’s old maid’s dress definitely won’t fit, right? Although, it is rather stretchy…

Part Five

Request: “Your fat belly burst through another pair of jeans? I don’t know why you bother buying them anymore.” With Kyoya and Kaoru, please

Part Six

Having just come home from the supermarket, Kaoru finds his fat kitten of a boyfriend has already taken it upon himself to get stuffed that evening - without him. (Inspired by this)

Indulgent Stress

(TamaKyo // weight gain, chubby kink, feedism, daddy kink, dom/sub, semi-public sex)

Part One

Request: (A chubby) Tamaki is forced to go to a boring party for his dad. He’s surrounded by snobby rich people and somehow he can’t charm his way out of their passive-aggressive comments. Annoyed, bored, and lonely, he passes the time indulging in hors d'oeuvres and champagne. Later, Kyoya gets a drunk text from Tamaki, whining about how rude the other guests are and that he already popped a button from gorging himself. Kyoya puts on his best suit and turns up to the party to make it a lot less boring.

Part Two

Kyoya gives Tamaki some much needed care in the bathroom stall.

Sweet Praises

(TamaHaru // weight gain, chubby kink, feedism, stuffing, femdom, dom/sub, pet play)

Part One

Request: “You’re so soft and jiggly now…let’s get you weighed and find out how much fatter you’re going to get.” + Dominant Haruhi and a Submissive Tamaki.

Part Two

Prompt: Imagine your fave character having a ‘comfy’ pair of drawstring trousers they change into before stuffing/before you feed them. at first they were baggy and strechy. Now they’re tight even when your Fave changes into them and the waist band has to be pulled down to give their belly room

Weight of Competition

(KyoHaru // weight gain, chubby kink, feedism, mutual gaining, stuffing, breaking furniture, dom/sub, femdom, pegging)

Part One

Both Haruhi and Kyoya love to eat, but it seems Haruhi’s the most affected by all the delicious meals and snacks. Request: "God, you’ve gotten fat!" With haruhi as the gainer. Pairing up to you

Part Two

Haruhi and Kyoya have an eating contest with a challenge-sized bowl of ramen each. They’re getting bigger by the day, and Kyoya thinks about an even fatter future.

Part Three

Haruhi spends the day at home, doing nothing but eating. Just like a girl as big as her should.

Snacks At The Office

(KyoHaru // weight gain, chubby kink, feedism, femdom, dom/sub, riding)

Part One

Prompt: Imagine your favorite character having an at home job that takes up the majority of their time but doesn’t require much physical activity. Since they’re pretty much in the same spot all day they decide to start stocking up on snacks to keep at their workspace, to save trips to the kitchen every few hours or so. It also keeping them occupied when works slow. Their consistent snacking soon catches up to them resulting in some seriously cute weight gain and a bigger appetite. And according to fav? It’s the best they’ve ever been.

Part Two

Request: Fat kyouya. Dont even care which couple, just fat kyouya is probably my favorite. Not chubby, but fat. Maybe where hes wearing Ill fitting clothes to a social event? And his partner pokes fun at him.

Date Nights and Big Meals

(HaruRenge // weight gain, chubby kink, feedism)

Part One

Haruhi and Renge love going out to restaurants, but what they both might love more (apart from each other) is the effect this has on their waistlines…

Big Indulgences

(TamaHaruKyoKao // weight gain, chubby kink, feedism, foursome, dom/sub, button popping, talk of getting stuck in a booth)

Part One

Request: Maybe you could do a crossover-thing with “Plush” and “Sweet Praises”? Like, Kaoru and Haruhi find out somehow that they’re both feeders, having to explain how Tamaki and Kyoya got so big recently. They can’t help but feel somewhat prideful, almost showing off how fat they’ve made them both. ….Foursome, maybe?

Part Two

Tamaki is more observant than people give him credit for, and he uses these skills to drive everyone mad at the table. Kaoru and Haruhi are just trying to make it through a meal without ruining their underwear.

Pretty Doll

Tamaki and Haruhi enjoy their little sex doll immensely, Kyoya loves not having to think.

MHA

Pretty Piggy

(KamiJirou // weight gain, chubby kink, feedism, outgrown clothes, mild bullying kink, stuffing, mild pig play, mentions of pegging)

Part One

Denki Kaminari is a very good piggy.

[angelsfalling16]

Love Unspoken

I finally got around to editing this, and I’m excited to finally be sharing it!! This isn't what I usually write, but I really like this ship and enjoyed writing this. I hope you all like it, too!

Ship: TamaKyo

Rating: Teen

Summary: While staying in Nekozawa's mansion for the night, Tamaki walks in to find Kyoya and Haruhi together in Kyoya's room. He has a hard time putting into words what why he's so upset, but Kyoya understands anyway.

Read it on ao3

***

Tamaki hesitates outside the door to Kyoya’s room for the night. He can’t just enter in the hopes that Kyoya will be happy to see him; he has to have a reason to be there.

He knows that they were just with each other, having left dinner to head to bed together – well, not together but at the same time. Gah, he’s never felt this flustered by the thought of seeing Kyoya. He is unsure what to do.

Well, he is a little sore from spending too much time out in the sun, so he could use some lotion. (Nevermind the fact that he has some of his own back in his own room.)

With a deep breath, he knocks twice. He doesn’t wait for an answer because he knows it will give him plenty of time to chicken out and go running off. Normally, that would be very unlike him, but when it comes to Kyoya, nothing is normal. Tamaki doesn’t have to put up an act around him; he can just be himself, and Kyoya welcomes it.

“Hey, Kyoya,” Tamaki says as he pushes open the door. “Do you have lotion and stuff? My sunburn stings…” He drifts off when he sees what’s happening in the room.

Kyoya is standing next to his bed, shirtless and hair artfully disheveled. Haruhi sits in front of him on his bed, her hair and dress mussed up. Tamaki can only imagine what happened in here before he walked in.

Haruhi stands up, but Tamaki only has eyes for his best friend of two years. (Are they still friends? Or something more?)

He doesn’t believe that Kyoya would actually do anything with Haruhi, but he isn’t sure what else to think when all of this is staring him in the face.

“Kyoya, what were y—?” He’s cut off when Kyoya shoves a bottle of lotion into his chest, hard, staring at him with an intense expression.

“You shouldn’t open doors without waiting for an answer,” he says in a low, dark tone.

“But you and Haruhi—.”

“Relax. It wasn’t like that.”

“But—.”

“Seriously, Tamaki. It's nothing.” His tone has softened, and he draws nearer to Tamaki, ensuring that his focus is solely on him now.

There's a rumble of thunder in the distance.

“I—.”

“Shh.”

There's a flash of lightning, and it lights up the two of them as if they are the most important thing in the universe. Tamaki glances around the room, noticing that they’re alone now.

“Huh? Where did Haruhi go?”

Kyoya shrugs. “She must have left while you were throwing your tantrum”

“I was not—!”

“Hush now, darling. It's just the two of us so you can drop the act.”

That’s one of the things that Tamaki likes about Kyoya: he doesn’t put up with any of his wild antics. He may go along with some of them, but he never lets Tamaki go too far off the deep end.

“Kyoya,” Tamaki says softer now, the accusations gone from his tone.

“I told you it was nothing. You are all that matters to me,” he says, bringing his hand up to gently cup his cheek.

“But what were you doing with her?”

“I was only trying to help you.”

“How? By bedding her?”

Kyoya sighs again, but if he’s being honest, he finds Tamaki’s jealousy a little bit cute.

“It wasn’t like that. I only thought it might be the best way to help her see your point. She really shouldn’t have tried to fight those guys on her own.”

“Oh. I see. So, you weren't...?”

“No, you idiot. The only person I could ever want in my bed is you.”

Kyoya waits a beat then kisses Tamaki, giving him ample time to pull away. He doesn’t. He never does.

Tamaki kisses him back enthusiastically and with a great passion that nearly has Kyoya swooning. In order to keep that from happening and embarrassing himself, Kyoya slowly leads them over to his bed where they fall on it together, Tamaki laughing into Kyoya's mouth as they get situated, tangling their legs around each other.

They kiss for a long time as the storm rages outside before Kyoya finally finds the strength to separate himself from Tamaki, rolling over onto his back.

“You should go,” he says as he stares at a point on the ceiling. “You don't want someone to find you here.”

“I don’t care about that.” Tamaki tugs on his arm, trying to get him to roll back over.

Kyoya doesn’t move, though. He just smiles grimly and says, “We both know that's not true.”

Tamaki doesn't argue with him, which is what hurts the most. Kyoya wants so much more than these stolen kisses behind locked doors, but he won’t do anything to push Tamaki.

With a longing look at Kyoya, Tamaki slides off his bed and straightens his clothes.

Alright. Well, I'll see you in the morning then?

Kyoya merely nods, too tired to say anything. At least he can let his guard down around Tamaki, even if it is a foolish move on his part.

He waits until he hears the door close, though, before he fully lets his guard down, rubbing his hands down his face. He hates how much it hurts each time to push Tamaki away, but he has to. For both their sakes.

Kyoya forces himself to sit up, refusing to wallow and considering whether he should go over the numbers for the day or simply go to bed. Before he can decide, he hears a strange noise coming from the closet.

It really was a terrible idea to take Nekozawa up on his offer to stay in his mansion. Who knows what kind of creepy things he has hidden here?

There's a crack of thunder, and the closet rattles again. Well, he can’t sleep now. Not until he investigates.

Knowing it's probably harmless, Kyoya simply goes over and opens the closet.

The last thing he expects is to see Haruhi curled up in a ball on the floor.

Is it possible that she heard...? No, that’s not important right now.

“Haruhi are you quite alright?”

A crack of thunder resonates throughout the room, and Haruhi shudders but ignores him. He can see what the problem is now and why she disappeared so suddenly earlier.

“You're afraid of the thunder.” It's not a question. “Come here,” Kyoya says, squatting next to her. He picks her up easily and holds her in his lap and against his chest.

“You're alright,” he soothes. “It's just noise. I won’t let it hurt you.”

“Kyoya, I—!” A voice exclaims as the door slams open once more.

“Damn it, Tamaki,” Kyoya murmurs. If only he could learn how to properly enter someone else’s room.

Tamaki freezes just inside the door for the second time that night.

“You really should learn how to knock,” Kyoya says, pinching the bridge of his nose. He's too tired for all of this.

“Again?! How could you?”

“As I said before, it's not like that. I was only trying to soothe her. She doesn’t like the thunder.” It may not be his place to say this, but the easiest way to stop Tamaki’s whining is with the truth.

“Oh. I have something that might help.” He says, pulling a blindfold from his pocket.

“Tamaki, I don’t think now is the time for that.”

Tamaki waves him off. “It's for Haruhi. I have some earplugs as well. To block out the sound and the sight of the lightning.”

“Right. That’s a rather good idea.”

“You don’t have to sound so surprised,” Tamaki says, but he’s smiling despite himself, secretly happy to be praised by him.

Just as Tamaki finishes tying the blindfold around Haruhi’s eyes, the twins, Hunny, and Mori all walk in with matching expressions of shock and bewilderment.

“As soon as school begins, our first club meeting will include etiquette on how to enter someone else’s room,” Kyoya says, exasperated. Perhaps he was wrong to expect more from these boys. Not a single one of them knows how to knock properly.

“That’s so wrong,” Hikaru says.

“What kind of sick game is this?” Kaoru asks.

“You pervert,” they say in unison as they glare at Tamaki.

“Now, boys,” Kyoya says calmly, getting to his feet. “Do you honestly believe that I would allow Tamaki to do something to Haruhi while I just sat by and watched? Nothing bad happened here. We were only trying to help her.”

“Help her what exactly?” The twins ask, but Kyoya ignores them, ushering everyone out of his room. He has had enough of all of them for one day.

Haruhi goes, too, but Kyoya notices that she keeps the blindfold and ear plugs, even though the storm seems to have stopped. He’d never admit it to anyone, but it makes him sad to think about how she might be alone the next time it storms and need those.

Kyoya starts to close the door, but Tamaki hesitates in the doorway, looking like he doesn’t really want to go.

“Kyoya, I–.”

Kyoya shakes his head, gently cutting him off. “It’s alright. I know.”

He knows how Tamaki feels even if he isn’t ready to say it aloud just yet, and he would never push him to say it before he’s ready. It would only drive him away, and that’s the last thing he wants.

Still looking torn, Tamaki turns and leaves. Kyoya leans against the door once it’s closed, feeling utterly exhausted.

He can’t wait to get back to his own home where he can have some peace and quiet and isn’t worried about the trouble the others could be getting into.

***

Later, once everyone is sound asleep in their own bed, Tamaki returns to Kyoya’s room. This time, when he knocks, he waits for an answer.

When Kyoya opens the door, he’s in casual wear, and his glasses aren’t on. He looks slightly annoyed, but his voice is deceptively soft when he asks Tamaki what it is this time.

“Uh, I wondered if I might stay here with you tonight?”

Kyoya feels suddenly wide awake then, his eyes going wide. He knows that he should tell Tamaki no, that they shouldn’t risk being found out, but maybe because he’s too tired or simply because he doesn’t want to, he lets Tamaki in.

“Alright, but lock the door behind you.”

“No,” Tamaki says, faltering slightly when Kyoya turns a glare on him. “I just mean that I don’t care if anyone finds us together. I just want to be with you, Kyoya. I-I love you.”

It’s the first time Tamaki has said any of that aloud. He had been too afraid before, worried how others might react. He’s done worrying, though. He loves Kyoya, and if anyone has a problem with that, then they aren’t his true friends.

Kyoya is still staring at him, not saying anything, and doubt starts to seep in and pull at the confidence that Tamaki walked in here with.

“I can go if you want. Sorry. I shouldn’t have—mmph.”

Kyoya silences him with a kiss that steals the breath from both of them. He has never kissed Tamaki like this before, so openly and passionately. He was afraid to give all of himself away. But he’s not afraid anymore.

“I love you, too, Tamaki.”

[paunchsalazar]

Tell us more about Kyoya collecting host club members first kisses maybe please 😳👀🙏?

pghdbsnfjvnn lol all these drawings don’t necessarily exist in one imagined head canon universe but they can! but yeah in my imagined timeline kyoya is at least responsible for 2 club members’ first kisses… (to be fair the other club members have kissed too it’s not just him) I don’t think it’s on purpose, much like haruhi, he is just a boy magnet by mistake… (canonically) they keep showing up in his house!!

[grellestan]

Not As Beautiful As You- Tamaki/Kyoya OHSHC Oneshot

“We’re going camping!”

Tamaki’s excited cry was met with the faintest ripple of acknowledgement. Seven glances were shot his way, but nobody stopped what they were doing or even praised- or more likely, disapproved the idea. Not even Honey paused eating his cake, just blinked and looked up at Mori with an eyerow raised.

The prince scowled at the blank room.

“I said, we’re going camping!”

Haruhi wearily turned towards him, raising her head out of her book. “Senpai, yesterday you said we’d go to the zoo. The day before that, it was paintballing. And last week, you were going on and on about… what was it again?”

“The Bahamas,” Kyoya chimed in, his glasses reflecting the light in a chilling fashion as he looked up. “Where you expect some of our members to get the funding for that is beyond me.” Haruhi winced at the pointed statement. Tamaki took zero notice.

“Oh please, this time is different! See, Kyoya’s family has just bought an acre of land, a forest with a simply beautiful lake flowing through it to build a campsite! Ah, it is most lovely there, almost as gorgeous as me!” Tamaki spun around, producing a rose from his lapel, just to embellish his point.

“We could even do it the way the commoners do! In a tent, with sleeping bags, as an homage to our own commoner!”

He looked around again, expecting some kind of a reaction, before sighing at the blank looks, and slumping to the ground to begin growing mushrooms. Kyoya stared disdainfully at him for a second, praying the idea would be dropped for not wanting to bother hs father by using the not-yet-opened facilities.

No sooner had he fell, however, a grinding of gears and a familiar, shrieking laugh pierced the air. Renge appeared from under the floor in a bright pink, glittery parka and canary wellington boots, clutching a tent bag and sitting on a camping chair. Haruhi did a double take, still not entirely used to the stunts that the club somehow found a way to both fund and pull off without failure.

“Ahahahaha! How foolish you all are for not heeding this idiot’s words! He’s usually a totally terrible excuse of a leader, but he’s onto something with this plan!” She brandished an umbrella from inside her parka, and pointed it at Kyoya. “Kyoya-Senpai! Don’t you see this could be a brilliant marketing scheme? All the outdoor photo shoots and camping brands you could be promoting in exchange for club funding?”

She was right- even Kyoya couldn’t shoot this down. The twins had already started to jump on the idea, joining Renge on her pedestal. Somehow, they were both already in hiking boots and waterproof trousers.

“She’s right.”

From the back of the room, even Mori had put in his twopence. Kyoya couldn’t deny it- it was a perfect way to generate some funding for the club. He gave a tired smile, and made some quick notes down on his clipboard. The whole room was looking towards him now, waiting for approval from the man. Kyoya drew in a long breath. “Fine, you lot. I’ll work my father and make him come around to the plan.”

His statement was met with cheers from the members. Haruhi glanced at everyone, still dumbfounded by how quickly situations at the club could change. How was the place even real, with this level of madness? She was lost in thought when she felt Kyoya’s breath on her cheek.

“Not to worry, Haruhi. I’ll add your expenses to your debt.” She rolled her eyes. He was never going to let that debt go.

The issue of tent-mates had occurred almost as soon as the group of loveable idiots arrived at the Ootori family’s luxury campsite. The twins had attempted to purloin Haruhi into their tent, insisting that they “definitely had space for all 3!”, much to Tamaki’s disdain. Haruhi had taken none of this, and stated calmly that she and Renge had already agreed to share together.

Really, Haruh enjoyed the twins’ antics and knew nothing bad would ever come of hanging out with them, but if Ranka had caught wind that her sweet daughter was camping out with filthy boys Haruhi would never hear the end of it.

After squabbling for a half hour, it was decided that the twins would stay in one tent, Haruhi and Renge in another, Mori and Honey would steal the luxury camper that Kyoya had planned on using alone, and he would be left in the last and smallest tent with Tamaki.

It wasn’t the worst arrangement, and it was only for a night. Kyoya couldn’t help feeling slightly bitter about his campervan, but it would be better for him to stay with Tamaki, however cramped, rather than incur the wrath of a sleepy Honey-Senpai.

It took them a further 3 hours to set up the tents, while Honey and Mori watched them all struggle from the comfort of the van. Tamaki had refused to use the pre-set-up tents that the Ootori family staff would provide, saying that he “needed the full commoner experience”. It went without saying that he would come to regret this immensely, having multiple temper tantrums when the flimsy tent material wouldn’t bend to his will. Renge and Haruhi were a surprisingly nimble and efficient tem when it came to the construction of their tent, and they ended up begrudgingly setting up Kyoya and Tamaki’s after a flood of begging and crocodile tears from the boss. Kyoya had refused to help with any of the tent-building process, under the grounds that it wasn’t his job after he had managed to wrangle the whole campsite for them to roam for pratically no fee. By no fee, he meant affordable for all club members besides Haruhi, for whom it was an unspeakable amount.

During the tent session, Honey and Mori had dug a pit and had started collecting firewood for a campfire. Rather, Mori collected wood, and Honey found sticks that were the perfect size for roasting marshmallows- “A total essential for the outdoors!” -and organised the snacks he’d stashed in his bag for that evening. By the time the tents were set up in a neat semicircle, there was a roaring fire and even wide logs for them to sit on around it that had been dragged around the woods by Mori.

Their campsite overlooked the still lake, and the moon reflected high in the sky above the friends. Fireflies buzzed around and glowed gold in the night, hovering just above the fire’s smoke, their light bouncing off the group’s faces. Their cheeks and noses were pink with cold and they were huddled under layers upon layers of blankets. Tamaki was sittig next to Kyoya, squashed against him penguin style, sharing the blanket and body heat. Kyoya couldn’t help but note Tamaki’s familiar vanilla cookie smell over the green, clear scent of the woods.

He inhaled before he could help himself, feeling a familiar swell in his chest. There was something about Tamaki, there always had been, from the moment they met and every minute since. He would never admit it- he hardly even let himself entertain his thoughts- but Tamaki was a beautiful, shining beacon radiating warmth and love for his friends, his family, the world. Kyoya privately wished he too could exude this kind of emotion, but more than that he wanted to absorb it from the blond boy. He wanted to soak in every part of Tamaki and then more. There was an unnameable emotion swelling within Kyoya with every glance at his friend, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to hide it for much longer.

He stood abruptly, shedding the blanket onto Tamaki. The feeling in his chest was too much; he couldn’t remain so close to the boy he was trying so desperately to ignore his love for.

“Excuse me- I think I may have to take my leave, everyone. Lots of budgetng to do.” He brandished his clipboard and gave a wan smile. Tamaki looked heartbroken.

“But Kyoya! We haven’t even finished the marshmallows, you can’t possibly pass up smores for work!” The blond boy protested. He knew how to get round anyone but Kyoya knew he wouldn’t be able to stand another minute by his side, feeling his warmth just centimetres away from his heartbeat.

“No, no. Please enjoy the sweets without me. Somebody has to take care of business in this club after all.” He scurried into the tent before anyone could try to stop him, leaving behind the chattering group and the glow of the fire.

Kyoya tossed and turned in his too-short sleeping bag for hours, listening to the crackling fire and sleepy laughter of his friends. What was he going to do? Why couldn’t he love some noble’s daugher and make his family proud? Why was he cursed to love those he would never be able to have?

These thoughts plagued him long into the night, and angry tears escaped from his eyes. He was a failure, a terrible son and an even worse friend to Tamaki for having such terrible feeligs towards him. Eventually, with his mind spitting thoughts that ricocheted round his head like bullets, Kyoya fell into a restless sleep.

“Okay everyone! I’m off to bed. Hopefully Mommy won’t snore!” Tamaki rose from his space on the log after swallowing down his sixth smore.

Honey was leaning against Mori, breathing deeply and clutching at Usa-chan, dreaming of sweets. Haruhi had long gone to bed, and Renge soon followed. The twins were soaked through, having thought it would be hilarious to throw each other into the lake fully clothed. They hadn’t brought towels, the unprepared idiots, so now they had to dry off next to the campfire before they were able to crawl into bed.

A sleepy chorus of “goodnight” echoed around the fire from the remaining group members as Tamaki slowly unzipped the door to his tent, trying his hardest for once to be quiet as to not wake Kyoya up. He’d acted kind of strange earlier, and Tamaki couldn’t help but wonder what could be going on for his oldest and dearest friend. Tamaki was hesitant to give time to the thought, but he was finding himself having different kinds of feelings towards Kyoya recently, just here and there. At first, it was just that he notced a little more than usual when Kyoya had cut or styled his hair differently, then it was that he was almost hyper-aware of Kyoya’s features and how beautiful he was- he looked chiseled, like a marble statue with his clear, glassy skin.

Tamaki shook his head to rid himself of the emotion filling his mind. Not the time or place, he thought to himself, especially given that he would soon be lying right next to Kyoya. As quietly and quickly as he could, the blond boy clambered into the tent, trying hard to fit his long legs and arms neatly into his sleeping bag. He lay his head down onto the pillow and tried his hardest to fall asleep, not wanting his head to buzz with what he didn’t want to admit was love.

Tamaki awoke with a start. There was a rumbling noise, and in his sleepy stupor he couldn’t work out what the sound could possibly be coming from… Ah. After a minute of frantically whipping his head around trying to find the sure, he realised it was his friend snoring. Wow, Tamaki thought. Kyoya snores like a pig. Maybe that would be grounds to try and detatch his feelings! He couldn’t possibly fall for someone so loud- nevermind, it was no use trying to persuade himself of feeling anything other than a swell of happiness whenever he was around Kyoya.

He glanced over at the black haired boy. He was beautiful- his face was softened by sleep, making him appear vulnerable and young, almost like a baby bird who can’t yet fly. The slight tightness in Kyoya’s brow that usually marked his face was dissipated and relaxed, and he no longer showed a air of uptight snootiness. Tamaki wanted to reach out and stroke the smooth skin of his cheek, run his hands through Kyoya’s silky hair. He resisted.

Unzipping the door, Tamaki softly padded outdoors. The sun wasn’t up yet, but it was definitely too light to be the dead of night anymore. He sighed, knowing that he wouldn’t be getting any more sleep that night. No matter, he would nap when he got home.

Tamaki wandered down to the lake’s edge, to where the water lapped at his toes and brushed his heels. It was cool and comforting, softly spashing at his feet. He considered for a second before stripping down to his underwear, the early morning half-light illuminating his toned shoulders and reflecting a shade of orange onto his chest. Tamaki stepped into the water, letting it swell around his knees and thighs for a second before dipping his shoulders under the golden water. He swam with a strong stroke into the centre of the lake, treading the water and watching the sky streak with pink, yellow and gold.

Back in the tent, Kyoya had stirred from his dead slumber. He could see that the door was flapped open, letting a breeze flow into the sleeping pod. He sighed and rolled out of his sleeping bag, pushing aside the door and following the footsteps down to the lake, twigs crunching underneath his bare feet. The coals in the firepit were still faintly glowing, and he stopped a minute to re-stock the fire and get the flames going again for when the others woke up. Once it was quietly crackling once again, he walked down to the lake’s shore, looking out across the woodlands. He could see Tamaki in the middle of the lake, his bare shoulders shining with water. No sooner had he arrived at the edge did Tamaki turn around and smile, yelling something that Kyoya didn’t quite catch across the water. When he didn’t respond, Tamaki made a wide beckoning gesture with his arms.

Kyoya hesitated a second, but reluctantly took his pyjamas off and wading into the lake. It wasn’t as chilly as he’d expected, just a still coolness that slipped over his skin as he swam to his friend. As he got closer, Tamaki sliced through the water towards him, grinning.

“Hey! I didn’t know you snore, I wouldn’t have shared a bedroom with you if I’d known! You totally woke me up” he raised an eybrow and smirked a little before falling into peals of laughter, unable to take himself seriously enough to smirk. Kyoya felt his cheeks redden.

“I do not snore, Suoh. Don’t project your faults onto me.” He deadpanned before smiling to show Tamaki he didn’t really mind the dig.

Tamaki suddenly looked past Kyoya, eyes shining. “Look! The sun’s rising! Isn’t it stunning?”

Kyoya turned. He was right- it was beautiful. The streaked sky was punctuated by the shimmering sparkle of the rising sun, a giant glowing full stop. He felt a hand on his shoulder, quickly followed by Tamaki’s chest resting on his back, chin on his shoulder.

Kyoya reddened again, but this time he felt bolder.

“It’s not as beautiful as you.”

Tamaki pulled away abruptly, and his stomach tied in a tangled knot of regret. Shit. Maybe he was too bold, thought Kyoya. He bowed his head and turned in the water, slightly raising his head to look at Tamaki’s face. The boy was wide eyed and pink cheeked, staring at Kyoya with his mouth slightly ajar.

“Tamaki, I-” Kyoya began to apologise. He was cut off by Tamaki’s tackled embrace, almost knocking him backwards into the lake. He could feel his friend’s- no, his love’s- hands gripping his back before rising to his jaw. Tamaki’s eyes were hazy and dark. He was beautiful.

“Kyoya,” His voice was barely above a whisper. “I’ve wanted you to say that for so long.”

He leant forwards. Kyoya could hardly believe what was happening, and leant into the kiss that he’d waited for forever.

It was perfect. The sun was high now, and the lake was still and crystal, and Tamaki’s lips were so soft, and his hands so gentle. Kyoya didn’t know how this would pan out after this moent had ended… But he’d cross that bridge when he got to it.

[ratcarney]

warmth

tamaki and kyoya walk home on the last day of school before new year’s break. amid the snow, kyoya realizes something important.

“kyoyaaa…” tamaki singsonged. “we must be the last ones in the school at this rate.”

“i’m not stopping you from leaving, tamaki.” kyoya replied, not looking up from his laptop screen.

he needed to finish typing out a few key things for the host club budget before school let out for the new year, and he was in no rush to get back home. he knew that ten days of living with his father constantly telling him that he’d never measure up to his brothers’ accomplishments would get grating by at least day three. to add insult to injury, fuyumi was spending the holiday with her friends, so there wasn’t any hope of her swooping in to save him from their father’s steely glare.

she was twenty-four. it made sense for her to spend the new year with her friends. but that didn’t mean that kyoya wasn’t feeling a little betrayed.

“it’s getting darker.” tamaki stood and looked out the windows in the music room. evidently, he had decided to wait for kyoya so they could leave the school together.

“that’s usually how it works.” kyoya replied dryly.

tamaki sat on the window seat, staring at the sky. “it’s snowing.” he announced.

“mm-hmm.” kyoya didn’t mind tamaki’s idle chatter as much as he did when they first met. it was comforting. light background talk to offset the constant noise in kyoya’s head.

“i love snow.” tamaki tapped on the glass. “i used to watch snow fall on the streets with my mom back in france.” he hummed contentedly. “there was a window in her room and it had these huge velvet curtains…”

kyoya stopped typing. tamaki rarely talked about his mother, and kyoya wanted to be respectful of whatever he was going to say next. without the sound of the keyboard, the room fell silent. the wind outside whistled through the snowfall.

tamaki turned around to face kyoya from across the room. “oh, are you done?” his eyes were hopeful.

kyoya blinked. “i thought you were going to continue.”

“why?” tamaki laughed as if kyoya had said something ridiculous. “come on, finish up with the work stuff so we can walk home.”

“walk home?” kyoya raised his eyebrows. “we can call a car, tamaki. there’s no reason to walk home in the cold when we don’t need to.” as a personal rule, kyoya didn’t stay out in the cold for any second longer than he absolutely had to. all the teasing from the club about his cold-bloodedness had an element of truth to it beyond his identity as the so-called shadow king. kyoya and cold weather had never gotten along.

tamaki frowned, and kyoya mentally prepared for those puppy-dog eyes he knew so well. “but we did last year.”

“we only did that because your chauffeur was stuck in traffic.” and i wasn’t going to let you walk home alone, not with your limited knowledge of tokyo.

“i thought we’d make it into a tradition! walking home together on the last day before new year’s break.” tamaki grinned. kyoya knew his mind was made up, but there was no reason not to make arguing a tradition, as well.

“doing something once doesn’t make it a tradition.”

tamaki stood up from where he sat on the window seat, looping his scarf around his neck to signal to kyoya that he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. “doing it twice does!”

“clearly you have your heart set on this.” kyoya sighed. the suoh estate wasn’t far from ouran academy, but it wasn’t exactly close to it, either. and he certainly hadn’t dressed for a brisk walk in the snow.

he glanced at tamaki, who was rocking back and forth on heels, evidently restless. his eyes sparkled with anticipation the way they did whenever he really wanted something.

“please, kyoya?”

reluctantly, kyoya closed his laptop. “fine. fine, you win.”

tamaki grinned. “this is going to be the best tradition ever. trust me.” he buttoned up his coat and all but leapt towards the door.

“consider yourself lucky, tamaki.” kyoya muttered. he slipped his laptop into his bag and started to shrug on his coat. “you know how i feel about the cold.” he did. tamaki was the only one in the host club that kyoya felt comfortable complaining to. in all fairness, he may have been the only one in the world that kyoya felt comfortable complaining to.

tamaki’s smile didn’t waver. “we’ll be home before you know it.”

“for your sake, that better be true.”

kyoya followed tamaki out of the music room, trying his best to keep up as tamaki practically flew through the halls and bounded down the stairs towards the main building’s front doors. tamaki gasped upon bursting through the doors, and kyoya didn’t blame him.

ouran’s campus had been transformed into a snowy white wonderland. the topiary and bare trees glittered in the dim midwinter evening.

the air was sharper than they expected it to be, but that only made tamaki’s smile even bigger.

“it’s beautiful.” he whispered, standing in front of ouran’s entrance.

kyoya stood next to him, but he wasn’t looking at the snow.

his gaze got caught on the way the glittering flurries of snow arranged themselves neatly on tamaki’s head, as if nature herself was crowning him king.

tamaki turned to look at kyoya. “what are you looking so serious about?” he tossed his scarf over his shoulder with a smile. “we have walking to do, kyoya.” he strode forward, turning his head every so often to marvel at the snowfall.

kyoya followed slowly, still keeping his eyes on tamaki.

“you know, we’ll never get out of the snow unless you actually walk.”

after about ten minutes, kyoya was quickly regretting his decision to walk home with tamaki. tradition be damned, he could barely feel his fingertips, and the snow wasn’t letting up. his coat was too thin for this. tamaki, blissfully oblivious as always, was still chattering away about nothing at all. kyoya was beginning to think he was impervious to the elements.

finally, tamaki glanced to his side. “how are we feeling?” he smiled. “you look cold.”

kyoya scoffed and clouds of steam billowed from his lips. “what gave me away.”

tamaki laughed. “here.” he stopped, lifted the scarf off of his neck, and threw it around kyoya before looking up at him with wide, expectant eyes.

“hm?” kyoya asked, tossing the scarf around his neck the way he had seen tamaki do a million times, albeit without most of the showmanship.

“you’re not even going to pretend to refuse it?” tamaki pouted, but the amusement in his eyes betrayed his wounded expression. “not even a little?”

kyoya rolled his eyes. “no. tamaki. i simply couldn’t. keep the scarf. i’ll suffer in silence. really.” he said, his words dripping with sarcasm.

tamaki grinned, fastening the top button of his coat. “no one can ever say that kyoya ootori doesn’t have manners.”

“shut up.” kyoya cuffed him on the shoulder. “if i could feel my legs, i’d walk away from you right now.

“no, you wouldn’t.” tamaki teased. “you know why?”

“i suppose you’re going to tell me.”

“because you love me.” tamaki said matter-of-factly.

kyoya rolled his eyes and adjusted the scarf. it was warm. he allowed himself a secret smile once he knew tamaki’s eyes were elsewhere.

after a few moments of walking in comfortable silence, tamaki spoke up again. “kyoya, have you ever considered how much worse our lives would be without each other?” he asked. kyoya nearly choked.

“what?”

“well, have you?”

kyoya looked at tamaki like he had gone crazy. “what kind of a question is that?”

“it’s been on my mind for a while, if i’m being honest.” tamaki smiled, looking up at the sky. “if we hadn’t met each other, i wouldn’t be walking home with you right now.”

kyoya, who had taken to walking with his arms crossed in front of him to conserve heat, tsked. “and what a tragedy that would be.”

“i’m serious.” tamaki insisted, and something in his voice made kyoya believe him.

“you would have never made the host club.” kyoya mused.

“hey!” tamaki elbowed him. “we would have never made the host club.”

“right, of course.” kyoya played it cool—that was his assigned Type, after all—but secretly, he genuinely enjoyed the host club. the chance to exercise his business skills was a perk, but it was the look in tamaki’s eye whenever something went truly right that made kyoya savor all of his time at the club. the telltale sparkle when he knew he had a princess completely under his spell.

“and you would still be mean.” tamaki added.

kyoya blinked. “...mean?”

“rude.”

“rude?”

“standoffish. impasse. réservé. distant—“

“suffisamment, tamaki. je comprends.”

“but you know what i mean.” tamaki laughed. “...cold.”

kyoya shuddered and tightened tamaki’s scarf around his neck. “i’ll give you that one.”

“i would have never gotten to go to kyoto, or any of the other amazing places you took me to.” tamaki sighed happily, his breath coming out in white clouds of steam. there was a beat as he contemplated something. finally, he turned to look at kyoya. “i don’t think i’d be able to stand it.”

kyoya raised an eyebrow. “stand what?”

“living here.” tamaki kicked a pebble across the street as he walked. “in japan. at ouran. i don’t think i’d have been able to stand it if it weren’t for you.”

kyoya was used to casual affection from tamaki. little touches on the shoulder, playful shouts of “je t’aime!” when kyoya did something for him, lending kyoya his scarf. he always put it down as a cultural difference, nothing more. but this didn’t sound casual. tamaki gave out sweet nothings every day, little whispers of his undying love for whatever princess he happened to be seeing at that moment. but this certainly didn’t sound like nothing. sweet, yes. but nothing? no. there was a catch in his voice that didn’t happen when he spoke to the girls in the host club.

tamaki stopped and tugged at the sleeve of kyoya’s coat to pull him back.

“thank you.” he said, once kyoya was facing him. “i mean it.”

kyoya stared back at tamaki. his cheeks and the tip of his nose were pink from the cold wind blowing into his face, but he wore a smile that made kyoya feel like he was looking into the summer sun. for once, kyoya was completely at a loss for words.

but he knew what he wanted to say.

there’s no one else i would have gone to kyoto with.

there’s no one else i would have made a host club with.

there’s no one else i would walk home in the snow for.

my life would be so much worse without you, tamaki.

“i know you mean it.” kyoya managed to choke out. a million things were running through his head at once, but they all boiled down to one thing—the one thing he could never say aloud.

i love you.

“good.” tamaki nodded, his smile not faltering.

kyoya stayed frozen, in more ways than one. what could he possibly say to convey to tamaki that there was no one else in the entire world he would rather walk home in the snow with? his voice wouldn’t work to form any semblance of speech. without tamaki’s chatter, the grinding noise in his head threatened to overwhelm him completely. tamaki was probably uncomfortable with the silence. he was probably wondering what was wrong. he was probably—

suddenly, hands on kyoya’s cheeks made the chaos in his head freeze in its tracks.

tamaki kissed him, chaste but deliberate.

he tasted like warm honey, just when kyoya was beginning to think he’d never be warm again.

slowly, after a few blissful seconds, tamaki pulled away, his eyes shining and staring directly into kyoya’s soul. “you weren’t overreacting.” he said gently, a little laugh chasing his words. “you really are cold.” his warm hands lingered on kyoya’s cheeks.

once again, kyoya couldn’t find the words to say. he stared at tamaki, taking in the sight of him. with the crown of snow flurries in his hair, he truly looked like an otherworldly prince. “tamaki, i…”

tamaki rearranged his scarf, placing it snug underneath the collar of kyoya’s coat. “it took me a little while to realize.” he said, smiling. “but i got there in the end, didn’t i? you don’t look at anyone the way you look at me.”

there he went again, reading him in a way that no one else could. tamaki could always see right through him, and though it annoyed kyoya to no end, this time he was grateful that tamaki could understand the words he couldn’t bring himself to say.

kyoya exhaled. “i wouldn’t walk home in the snow for anyone else.” he whispered finally. “and i mean it.” the words felt like cardboard in his mouth. he had never said anything like that out loud before—not unless he knew he was guaranteed to benefit from it. he wasn’t disposed to public displays of emotion, but there had always been something about tamaki that made him feel different. made him act different.

tamaki smiled. “don’t get soft on me now, kyoya.” he said. “i know you mean it.”

kyoya managed to stop staring at tamaki for a second to look up and realize where they were. the suoh estate stood tall and inviting, only a few meters from where they were standing.

“we’re here.” kyoya said quietly.

tamaki blinked and turned to look at the mansion looming ahead of them. “yeah.” he smiled. “we are.” the silence between their words didn’t seem as uncomfortable as it used to be. it felt...warm.

“do you want me to walk with you to your place? the snow doesn’t seem like it’s doing you any favors.” tamaki laughed. “we can walk together.”

kyoya shook his head. “thank you, tamaki, but it’s late, i don’t want to keep you.” he took tamaki’s scarf off and wrapped it around his neck, just as affectionately as tamaki had done for him. “and i’m...warmer now.”

tamaki touched the scarf, then touched kyoya’s shoulder. kyoya couldn’t describe it, but to him, the gesture was meaningful beyond words. tamaki’s touch brought sunlight. it brought warmth. it brought love.

and kyoya was telling the truth.

for the first time in a long time, he was warm.