Ouran High School Host Club Fan Fiction ❯ Curse of the 'Flu ❯ The Happy Headache ( Chapter 17 )

CHAPTER XVII: “The Happy Headache”

 

A fourth cup was poured and held aloft. `A toast,' smiled Kaoru, `to you.' He drank, but Kyouya prised the cup from his hand and drank it. Kaoru laughed in disbelief. `You're winning, Kyouya!' he cheered. `You're winning!'

Kyouya threw the cup - they heard it shatter on the marble floor and skitter across the room. `You're the one who's winning!' he shouted. `You've always been winning!'

Kaoru was sober now. He also looked scared. But Kyouya didn't want Kaoru to be scared because he didn't want to be angry with Kaoru and carry on shouting at him. And to answer the question: no, Kyouya was not happy now; he did not think he was happy. He had made one hell of a mistake, assuming, in his caffeine-fuelled paranoia, that Kaoru had kissed Renge when in fact - if Kaoru could just get a word in - no such thing had even occurred.

`You were drinking espressos all day, you moron! Your eyes must have been all over the place!!'

Kyouya's glasses flashed. He was on his feet. He felt stupid enough to hit someone, but he restrained himself, merely grasping Kaoru's t-shirt. They glared at each other, defiant. Who would it be then? Who would back down then?

`Oh what messy boys!' came the voice of Kyouya's sister as she entered the lounge, unaware of the fight.

Kyouya let go.

Kaoru stood. `I'm sorry,' he said, `that was my fault.' He went to where the fragments were and picked them up, but Fuyumi Shido advised him to sit down. `You are a guest here,' she said, in case her little brother had forgotten that. `Please, have some more tea!'

Oh no, Kaoru did not want some more “tea”.

`I agree,' spoke Kyouya. `I'll see you to the door.'

That's right, thought Kaoru, get rid of me. He rose from the kotatsu and feigned a tee-total stride to the hall, spoiling his route by bumping into the doorframe. But Kyouya was patient. He did not say a word. With Kaoru's arm around his neck and his arm around Kaoru's waist, they walked to the exit in silence.

Half-asleep, Kaoru mumbled, `I want you to stop spreading rumours…'

Kyouya burned. Me spreading rumours!? Yet he promised not to do so.

`…and be kind to Renge…'

There is nothing to be gained by doing that, fumed Kyouya, but he invented a reason and promised to anyway.

`…and…'

`Stop guilt-tripping me already - I get the message!'

Kaoru leaned against the door, which Kyouya was struggling to open, and smiled softly at his sempai. `You really love him, don't you,' he murmured.

`Love who?' said Kyouya, still struggling with the door. `Kaoru, would you just move?'

Kaoru did. `Because I want you to be happy,' he said.

Kyouya paused. `…about a door?'

`Yes indeed,' said Kaoru, `about a door.'

Kyouya held open the door. `Goodbye then.'

`Listen you, I'm trying to-'

`And you have done - goodbye.' Kyouya shut the door and pressed a palm to its surface, as if expecting resistance or some form of retaliation. However, when none came, not even a sound, Kyouya removed his palm and returned to the lounge, where his sister was humming to herself as she sipped a cup of-

`You didn't drink it, did you?' said Kyouya, referring to, of course, his secret teapot filled with secret tea.

Slowly, Fuyumi placed the cup carefully on the kotatsu and answered `No…' even slower.

Kyouya rubbed a hand down his face. Not his secret teapot with the secret tea! It had taken him months to accumulate that! Now he would have to wait another year before there was enough to toast his high school graduation UGH!!! Why did Life have to be like this!?

`I'm surprised you let him go home like that,' continued Fuyumi. `Your friend seemed so upset… And the roads are quite busy at this time of the day… I hope he called a car to take him home because-'

Kyouya poured the last of his tea into her cup and dashed out. It was the rudest thing he had ever done. He had endeavoured not to listen to Kaoru, adamant on shunning as he had been shunned, only to discover that there existed no truth in the facts that were previously believed. Kaoru was not seeing Renge. Kaoru had not even kissed Renge. Usually so accurate and in control, Kyouya was, for the rarest instance of his life, neither of the two. Espresso had cursed him in a manner that 'flu hadn't managed, and he hoped to the deities above that Kaoru Hitachiin had not gone far in his drunken state and brought harm or mischief to himself…

`You took your time,' slurred the figure swaying on the doorstep, its palm an inch from Kyouya's face as he stopped just in time. `Got something to say?'

`Yes,' said Kyouya to the wavering palm, `you are terribly drunk.'

`Am not,' retorted Kaoru; and to prove it, swayed forward and nearly snuffed Kyouya.

`Come back inside, Kaoru…'

`Why, so you can throw me out again?'

`Not until it's dark.'

Sly, Kaoru asked, `Is that your game?'

`I'm through with games…'

Two silhouettes stood in the light of a door, standing close together. One bowed its head as the other gazed up and they were about to unite in a passionate eclipse - until the tall silhouette muttered to the short silhouette how there were security guards watching through night-vision monitors.

They resumed upstairs in the bedroom, where the monitors were absent and the sister of Kyouya was… they closed the door without her noticing, so intent was she on Kyouya's drawers and wardrobe.

`Er,' said Kaoru, `not suspicious of you, is she?'

`No,' said Kyouya, leading him away.

`So where are you taking me?'

`Not where you're thinking.'

They entered the bathroom further down the corridor.

`Nice tiles,' said Kaoru.

`Thanks,' said Kyouya.

`May I vomit in your toilet?'

`That you may.'

A moment later, Kaoru washed his mouth, feeling much better. `So you brew alcohol in the engines of the car pool?' he said, resuming a discussion on the origins of “tea”.

`Not all of them,' replied Kyouya, `just the ones on display, as the explosion of a TVR once taught me.'

`Man… I would have liked to see that.'

`Not if you were my brother. It was his car.'

Kaoru laughed. `Why can't we be like this all the time, Kyouya,' he sighed. `Let's just call a truce and leave the fools to their own devices…'

`Sure.'

`What?'

`I said “sure”.'

And they kissed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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