𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩; KAORU HIITACHIN & TAMAKI SUOH

chapter nine: cyclamen

cyclamen 
the flower of sympathy (in France) 

4 weeks prior to m/n meeting any member of the host club, he had met with their esteemed fathers first. Esteemed was a strong word, a dumb word, in his opinion. And a completely wrong description of these terrible people.

Much like his first formal gathering with Tamaki and Kaoru, he held a banquet for any interested suitors. However, these men weren't here for themselves, they were here to offer the relations of their children.

As the men mingled, the thought occurred to m/n that he couldn't find any mothers in the room. He asked around (even though he was the one to invite them all) and he was mostly given strange looks in return. Some men, however, decided to be bold enough to answer Why would I bring a woman to such an important event?

Those men were immediately removed along with any others who had the same thoughts. The next week, he held the same banquet, for all the parents to mingle about. It went infinitely times better.

Many parents, if not all, were born into wealthy families. Some into aristocracy, and some into the lower class. M/n had no grievance against the poorer people of the nation. So why should he begin to discriminate against their children?

He met, and he mingled, and he danced with all the mothers and fathers he could dream of. Only a handful caught his eye.

That was how the idea was born.

He would invite the young suitors to a ball, charm them, and see how they could play. All of the parents knew he wasn't interested in their money. In fact, the parents were the ones interested in gaining money. However, chairman Suoh of Ouran Academy did not have the need for such materialistic things.

"I'll offer you full access to the school in exchange for Tamaki, how does that sound?"

In truth, it sounded awful. M/n hated the thought of willingly going back to school. Who would do such a thing? He had a quick change of heart when he met Tamaki Suoh.

Additionally, Kazuha Hitachiin, the grandmother of the Hitachiin twins, managed to worm her way through the crowd and into m/n's arms. As they danced, she spoke of her delightful grandchildren. Creative, yet lonesome boys. She believed that even with all the money in the world, they still needed the loving hand of someone with their best interest at heart. Their parents, and not even her, were willing to give them that. For that reason alone (and maybe because the twins conveniently already went to Ouran Academy) he decided to seek out the Hitachiins.

Unfortunately for Kazuha, m/n only found one of the twins to be interesting enough to take with him.

One of the conditions that m/n laid out for the parents/guardians of the young suitors was that none of them were to know of his plans. Truthfully, the elders didn't know what his "plan" was, well, except for Chairman Suoh.

"Is living with you to be a permanent situation?" Yuzuru Suoh spoke firmly, yet with intrigue lacing his voice all the same. M/n only briefly looked up from the drafted contract and he quirked a brow in the Chairman's direction. Yuzuru inhaled sharply before replying, "After you've accepted him as your companion, is he to live with you?"

"If, Mr. Suoh, I deem him suitable for my family name, then yes."

Silence overlapped any chatter from the maids ushering out guests outside the room. Tamaki and his father didn't have a particularly close relationship, but there was still love interlaced somewhere. It begged him to ask more questions of m/n. "Will it be harmful?"

Apparently, that was enough to capture the young male's attention. He abandoned the pen after signing and handed it over in the other's direction. "Possibly." Another sharp breath. This time m/n felt compelled to ease his suffering. "He won't be alone... if that's any consolation."

As if they spoke the same language, the chairman nodded in understanding. Well, not understanding, per se. But the same ignorant bliss he always carried when it came to matters of his son. "It was better left unsaid" was his unsaid phrase.

After both the chairman and Kazuha Hitachiin signed the papers, all that was left was to invite the boys in. And, well, you know how that's going. Tamaki rolling around in (debatably) the most comfortable bed he'd ever stepped foot into, and Kaoru, in an equally comfortable bed, but with much less warmth surrounding him.

Kaoru's body ached, but there were no physical reasons for it. His mind was making him ache as each hour passed that he left m/n and Tamaki together. Alone...together. He wanted to be alone with m/n. Just him,

"Apparently mother knows of him." Hikaru's voice pierced through whatever wandering thoughts Kaoru may have been having. "He's of an aristocratic family, but he's not an official student at Ouran." It was painfully obvious that Hikaru was waiting for his twin to lock eyes with him. It took more willpower than Kaoru would care to admit. "Did you know that?" It didn't feel like a question, but an insinuation.

"No—"

"Liar." 

Kaoru broke his gaze away, too afraid to meet the disappointed hue staring back at him. "Maybe. I'm not sure. I can't remember." 

Slowly, he heard the metal chair scraping the hard makeshift home hospital floor. "Why do you want to protect him?" Hikaru pleaded for the answer, but he knew none would satisfy him. "Kaoru! Look at me, please! Just tell me why you would ever think that he's deserving of you—"

Kaoru would not tolerate that insult. "I'm the one that's not deserving of him." 

Silence, once again, washed over the brothers. The peaceful tick of the clock brought a wave of anxiety every time another minute passed without words being spoken. Hikaru was the one to finally break it. "You want to go back."

He knew it was a statement that time. And Kaoru knew how true it was. 

bit of a smaller chapter tn, hope it cleared a little bit up 
hopefully gonna publish chapter 10 by the end of the month, maybe even make it halloweeny or smt
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