Not As Beautiful As You- Tamaki/Kyoya OHSHC Oneshot
âWeâre going camping!â
Tamakiâs 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.
âI said, weâre going camping!â
Haruhi wearily turned towards him, raising her head out of her book. âSenpai, yesterday you said weâd 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?â
âThe Bahamas,â Kyoya chimed in, his glasses reflecting the light in a chilling fashion as he looked up. âWhere you expect some of our members to get the funding for that is beyond me.â Haruhi winced at the pointed statement. Tamaki took zero notice.
âOh please, this time is different! See, Kyoyaâs 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!â Tamaki spun around, producing a rose from his lapel, just to embellish his point.
âWe could even do it the way the commoners do! In a tent, with sleeping bags, as an homage to our own commoner!â
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.
âAhahahaha! How foolish you all are for not heeding this idiotâs words! Heâs usually a totally terrible excuse of a leader, but heâs onto something with this plan!â She brandished an umbrella from inside her parka, and pointed it at Kyoya. âKyoya-Senpai! Donât 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?â
She was right- even Kyoya couldnât 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.
âSheâs right.â
From the back of the room, even Mori had put in his twopence. Kyoya couldnât 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. âFine, you lot. Iâll work my father and make him come around to the plan.â
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 Kyoyaâs breath on her cheek.
âNot to worry, Haruhi. Iâll add your expenses to your debt.â 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 familyâs luxury campsite. The twins had attempted to purloin Haruhi into their tent, insisting that they âdefinitely had space for all 3!â, much to Tamakiâs disdain. Haruhi had taken none of this, and stated calmly that she and Renge had already agreed to share together.
Really, Haruh enjoyed the twinsâ 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 wasnât the worst arrangement, and it was only for a night. Kyoya couldnât 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 âneeded the full commoner experienceâ. It went without saying that he would come to regret this immensely, having multiple temper tantrums when the flimsy tent material wouldnât 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 Tamakiâs 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 wasnât 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- âA total essential for the outdoors!â -and organised the snacks heâd 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 fireâs smoke, their light bouncing off the groupâs 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 couldnât help but note Tamakiâs 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 wouldnât 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 couldnât remain so close to the boy he was trying so desperately to ignore his love for.
âExcuse me- I think I may have to take my leave, everyone. Lots of budgetng to do.â He brandished his clipboard and gave a wan smile. Tamaki looked heartbroken.
âBut Kyoya! We havenât even finished the marshmallows, you canât possibly pass up smores for work!â The blond boy protested. He knew how to get round anyone but Kyoya knew he wouldnât be able to stand another minute by his side, feeling his warmth just centimetres away from his heartbeat.
âNo, no. Please enjoy the sweets without me. Somebody has to take care of business in this club after all.â 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 couldnât he love some nobleâs 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.
âOkay everyone! Iâm off to bed. Hopefully Mommy wonât snore!â 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 hadnât 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 âgoodnightâ 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. Heâd acted kind of strange earlier, and Tamaki couldnât 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 Kyoyaâs 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 didnât want to admit was love.
Tamaki awoke with a start. There was a rumbling noise, and in his sleepy stupor he couldnât 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 couldnât 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 canât yet fly. The slight tightness in Kyoyaâs 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 Kyoyaâs silky hair. He resisted.
Unzipping the door, Tamaki softly padded outdoors. The sun wasnât up yet, but it was definitely too light to be the dead of night anymore. He sighed, knowing that he wouldnât be getting any more sleep that night. No matter, he would nap when he got home.
Tamaki wandered down to the lakeâs 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 lakeâs 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 didnât quite catch across the water. When he didnât 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 wasnât as chilly as heâd 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.
âHey! I didnât know you snore, I wouldnât have shared a bedroom with you if Iâd known! You totally woke me upâ 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.
âI do not snore, Suoh. Donât project your faults onto me.â He deadpanned before smiling to show Tamaki he didnât really mind the dig.
Tamaki suddenly looked past Kyoya, eyes shining. âLook! The sunâs rising! Isnât it stunning?â
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 Tamakiâs chest resting on his back, chin on his shoulder.
Kyoya reddened again, but this time he felt bolder.
âItâs not as beautiful as you.â
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 Tamakiâs face. The boy was wide eyed and pink cheeked, staring at Kyoya with his mouth slightly ajar.
âTamaki, I-â Kyoya began to apologise. He was cut off by Tamakiâs tackled embrace, almost knocking him backwards into the lake. He could feel his friendâs- no, his loveâs- hands gripping his back before rising to his jaw. Tamakiâs eyes were hazy and dark. He was beautiful.
âKyoya,â His voice was barely above a whisper. âIâve wanted you to say that for so long.â
He leant forwards. Kyoya could hardly believe what was happening, and leant into the kiss that heâd waited for forever.
It was perfect. The sun was high now, and the lake was still and crystal, and Tamakiâs lips were so soft, and his hands so gentle. Kyoya didnât know how this would pan out after this moent had ended⌠But heâd cross that bridge when he got to it.
