An Overlap of Coincidence

a/n: Well... something I had thought to be crap is not, in fact, crap! Yay! Because of that, I felt emboldened enough to post the next two pieces. I hope you like them, too!

Thanks to Kuromei for leaving me a note of love!

An Overlap of Coincidence

Part Three

An onsen as it turned out was a fine idea indeed. Kyouya had managed to swing it into a profitable venture along the way, hiring a rather stealthy crew of cameramen to capture the club in tasteful yet enticing moments. Something else for the photobooks that provided the bulk of their earnings.

They were due to leave on Thursday as Friday and Saturday were a school-wide holiday and return Sunday evening. Which meant that in the days leading up to Thursday, the Host Club was a bevy of excitement and disappointment. The latter mostly exuding from the females bemoaning their inability to tag along and witness the hosts in their yukata, surrounded by the filmy steam of the water.

Fingers clicking over his keyboard, Kyouya was only half-aware of the goings on beyond his periphery. He heard nothing out of the usual so was content that focusing on his laptop wouldn't lead to some detrimental destruction of property. With the exception of the girls swooning left, right, and center, it was a rather quiet day for the club – a rare thing indeed. And Kyouya was taking every advantage of it.

Mori-senpai was of the same mind as Kyouya. And even now, he sat across from the bespectacled teen, drinking tea as he quietly watched over Honey-senpai and the rest of the club much the way a teacher would regard his students. A strange occupation for Kyouya to equate with Mori-senpai perhaps, but it fitted him for the moment. An almost faraway glint to those grey eyes. Which only focused to freshen his tea or Kyouya's when he had almost drained his cup dry.

It was for quiet moments like these that Kyouya appreciated Mori-senpai. Even Haruhi could occasionally be dragged into the noise and bustle of the club. Only in Mori-senpai could Kyouya find a modicum of maturity. Kyouya had the feeling that had Mori-senpai never been included in this club, the Ootori son would’ve lost his own senses a long time ago. Tamaki would’ve dragged him into his world, and there would have been no escaping.

Without taking his eyes from the screen, Kyouya reached for the newest gift in the steady stream of them. The flashdrive had been resting on his computer when he’d returned from a quick trip down the hall. It’d been in an innocuous box with the same dark-red ribbon as all the others. He wasn't sure of the contents yet, but Kyouya was pretty certain that it didn't hold a virus. Still, he made sure his protection was up to date and carefully isolated all of his data before popping the drive into his USB port.

He felt the eyes more than he noticed anyone gazing his direction. Kyouya paused, fingers resting on the keys as his laptop considered the drive. His eyes slid to the side, performing a casual sweep of the room. He caught Haruhi watching him along the way. The lone female of their troupe looked at him with an expression Kyouya wasn't certain he could interpret. Curiosity mixed with... satisfaction?

How strange.

Their eyes met. Haruhi's stare seeming to say “I know something you don't” before the moment was broken by Tamaki's interference.

Curiouser and curiouser.

Could Haruhi be the one leaving the gifts for him? He supposed it were possible, if beyond her character. Though intelligent, she could be surprisingly blind to the obvious or the subtle. Would she have noticed all these little details about him? Perhaps if she truly had interest in him then yes. But Kyouya had never received the slightest inkling from her that their friendship meant anything more.

Sighing softly to himself, Kyouya attempted to focus on the contents of the gifted drive. A cursory scan of his defensive software revealed no virus, spyware, or anything else malicious. Good to know.

The flashdrive contained only one file. And as Kyouya opened it, he saw that it contained images. Dozens and dozens of images. Scanned documents. Pictures. Diagrams. Accounting slips. Piles and piles of information, all dominated by a very familiar symbol.

Kyouya could only stare in slack-jawed amazement.

This... This was... Only every inch of detail on the Diamonde Corporation that Kyouya had been relentlessly pursuing – much to his own vexation – for the past three months! And there it was. Right in front of him. At the tip of his fingers! He knew that he had to check the validity of the information, but Kyouya had a very intuitive feeling that it would all prove to be legitimate. Every last legal document and snapshot.

“Ohhhh?”

That near-purring, dual noise of interest could only belong to the twins. And Kyouya's guess was proven correct when both Hikaru and Kaoru appeared behind him, one propped up on either of his shoulders. Twin amber gazes peered past him and tried to decipher what was on his screen.

“What are you doing?” Hikaru asked.

Or Kyouya thought it to be Hikaru. He wasn't like Haruhi; he couldn't tell them apart by their looks. But their voices held enough distinct intonation that if he focused, he could hear the difference.

Kyouya didn't spare them a glance, nonchalantly closing down the folder and saving it for later perusal. He needed privacy to digest all of that information, even if something inside of him nearly squealed with joy. Not that he would ever let such a reaction show on his face. It was unseemly. And worse, one might mistake him for Tamaki.

Who happened to be looking their way at the moment, purple eyes shining with his usual burst of starry sunshine. He had paused in the midst of wooing one of many customers for the day, gaze strangely focused in Kyouya's direction. It held a different intent than Haruhi's or that of the twins.

“I’m working,” Kyouya answered, more bothered by Tamaki's stare than anything.

It was such a rare expression on his face. It still carried his usual exuberance, but there was something else there as well.

“Which the both of you should be doing as well,” he finished. The words were punctuated by the tap-tap-tap of his fingers across the keys. Not that the twins obeyed them with any speed.

Kyouya internally sighed. His moment of peace was ruined.

Kaoru made a rude noise with his mouth. “We are working,” he said with a hint of lighter mischief. His arm fell heavier on Kyouya's shoulder.

Kyouya was struck with a thought. Could it be the twins? Either as a singular entity or together? He could never be sure with them, after all. Never be certain just how far their game extended.

He paused and reached to adjust his glasses. “Your definition of work vastly differs from mine.”

“What's this?” Hikaru asked, completely ignoring him and tapping one finger against the flash drive. “You don't usually use these.”

That Hikaru had noticed such a detail was a tick in the Hitachiin column. Kyouya was slightly concerned as to what harm being the object of their affection might cause him. If it were true.

“Gift,” Mori-senpai rumbled as he joined the conversation for the first time. He’d been present when Kyouya had unwrapped the box but not when he’d originally found it.

“Oh?”

Kyouya heard their interest in stereo as both twins leaned around him. Their bodies pressed against him with only the back of his chair serving as a buffer.

“Kyouya-senpai has an admirer?” Kaoru inquired mischievously.

“Who is it?” Hikaru added.

Both twins succeeded in crowding him with their presence, smelling faintly of something citrus and flowery. Kyouya had always thought the twins to be something like an orange or lime. Just enough bright color to draw a person in but with a tart inside that puckered the mouth and made them reconsider another bite.

“Even if I knew, I certainly wouldn't tell either of you,” Kyouya returned, unimpressed with their attempts to crowd him. He focused instead on his laptop and not the heat of their proximity. Wondering why Mori-senpai had thought it prudent to offer up such information.

As always, however, Mori-senpai's face was unreadable. His grey eyes were a careful mask. He silently watched as Hikaru and Kaoru attempted to tease Kyouya and the junior refused to rise to their bait. He was far too used to their antics. And unfortunately for the Hitachiin brothers, Kyouya's patience held unrivaled levels.

Tamaki's, however, did not. The blond came storming to Kyouya's rescue. All but crying, as he made a beeline for their corner of their room. And customers watched with eyes shaped like hearts and hope in their body language. Always anxious to see some kind of show between the members of the Host Club.

“Alright, break it up!” Tamaki loudly declared and attempted to bodily shove the twins aside. Acting like either a jealous lover or a father protecting his daughter from suitors – something he usually only did with Haruhi. “Don't bother Mother while he's working! Let him enjoy his gift!”

Hikaru and Kaoru laughed and teased Tamaki in return. But they obeyed. Reluctantly giving Kyouya some space. Kyouya, in turn, blinked and turned a suspicious look onto his oddly acting best friend. Tamaki seemed to freeze under his stare like a deer in headlights.

“Because,” he said with a nervous laugh and shifty eyes. “It's important work, you know. For the running of the club and everything. Right?”

Tamaki didn't wait for him to answer. Instead turning and yelling at the twins even more. Which prompted both Hikaru and Kaoru to laugh as they half-danced, half-darted away from his exuberant ire. Kyouya didn't fail to notice that a cherry-red had taken over his best friend's expression.

Tamaki was blushing.

Kyouya stared. And stared. And stared some more. Unable to even so much as blink, realization pouring over him like a bucket of very cold ice water.

Tamaki? His admirer was Tamaki?

Suddenly, Kyouya felt as if he were trapped in a very bad dream. One filled with cotton candy clouds and gumdrop streets. Tamaki was trying to hit on him. In his own, surprisingly clever and even more surprisingly insightful way, Tamaki was trying to make a pass at him.

For the first time in his life, Kyouya had no idea what the hell to do.

*****

a/n: Poor Kyouya? Whatever is he to do?