Oct 13, 2006 01:20
Title: No Winner
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: implied Tamaki/Kyouya/Haruhi, Yoshio Ootori, Yuzuru Suoh, Tamaki's grandmother
Word count: 1000+
***
When Kyouya proposed to Haruhi, and she accepted, Kyouya's father sent Yuzuru Suoh a bouquet of roses as consolation for losing. Suoh sent them back, with a stilted message.
It's not over until the wedding day. Tamaki is sure to win her by then. He's my son after all. No woman could be immune to his charms. Not even Haruhi.
He signed his name with extra flair and felt suitably assured with himself that Haruhi would be marrying his son and not Ootori's. he, like anyone with eyes, could see that his son was desperately in love with her. She seemed to have some attachment to him. Yuzuru smiled, remembering in the Cultural festival of his son's second year. More than some attachment. It was the perfect match!
Six months later at the wedding, Yuzuru Souh sulked through the whole ceremony. At the Reception he flirted with all the ladies, young and old, and pointedly ignored Ootori. Yoshio Ootori congratulated his son on the planning of the ceremony and his beautiful, young bride.
Ootori gave back the roses to Yuzuru. The media had a field day. It was only backed by the news of a Ootori-Suoh merger.
Business was business. Yoshio smirked while signing the agreement. Yuzuru pouted.
***
Haruhi was radiant, Kyouya was pleased and Tamaki was exuberant.
To anyone who knew them well, it was clear that these emotions were true. But everyone had believed that Tamaki was in love with Haruhi. And Kyouya, marrying his best friend's love? It's seemed an awkward act to do, for one so skillfully good at manipulating. The Suoh family was very powerful and influential. But so were the Ootori.
Time passed. Kyouya and Haruhi were still married. Tamaki visited them frequently. All seemed to be well, with these three. They were young, newlyweds, and no one was surprised when Kyouya Ootori announced that Haruhi was pregnant.
Haruhi went into early labour. Kyouya was not pleased about missing the birth of their first child. Her doctors... never worked in Japan again.
When the baby was born with blond hair, it caused some contention. Raised eyebrows were directed at Haruhi, and her close relationship with Tamaki Suoh. However Haruhi remained oblivious, shielded by her close friendship with many powerful families. The new baby had a set of very protective god fathers.
Kyouya denied the allegations. Haruhi, looking blissfully out of it, murmured that though it had a low chance, Japanese could still be born with blond hair. She then added that she might have some European in her. The press had taken this in, remembering when her father, an okama, had been mistaken for her mother. Perhaps there was a grain of truth in her statement.
Some critics were assured. More accepted it, exclaiming that it had to be true. After all, why would a man like Kyouya Ootori, powerful, brilliant and rich, allow his best friend to sleep with his wife and acknowledge the child as his own?
Snide comments were added about his impotency, but Kyouya was a child of four, and most ignored it. Kyouya especially squashed those rumours.
***
Tamaki's grandmother still believed that her only grandchild needed to get married and have a child. A child that she could raise, away from the influences of it's parents. Tamaki could be institutionalised. It was reasonable enough. The disturbing rumours only furthered her desire to see him wed and with a child.
It surprised her, when Tamaki smiled warmly at her and shook his head in refusal. "No, Grandmother. I will not be getting married. I am happy." He left her then, for the Ootori mansion. The second mansion grew colder, emptier without Tamaki.
At a business meeting, she refused to greet her grandson's best friend. He smiled at her, distinctly unpleasant and murmured his greetings and his best wishes for her health. Still staring past his left ear, she felt a shiver go down her spine, as he bowed at her.
The Ootori manage the best hospitals and she was in declining health.
***
At the sight of Haruhi's newborn babe, Yuzuru was suddenly glad that he had kept the roses. He sent them back to Ootori, and was not surprised at the man's refusal to speak to him.
He couldn't stop giggling but.
***
"Oh, Tamaki?" Kyouya ventured in a tone that made Haruhi lift her head up and stare at him suspiciously. She doesn't say a word but, even as she remains wary.
"Yes?" Tamaki said, lost in cooing the baby.
"Next time, try to be more careful. I'd like our next child to be a brunette." Kyouya had not liked the slander that had been prominent of the tabloids. Haruhi and Tamaki could have been hurt. Kyouya would not allow that.
"But he looks so cute!" Tamaki exclaimed. Haruhi smiled at him, lifting the baby out of his arms and into her own.
"The child could end up looking like Haruhi..." Kyouya murmured, as a bribe. Kyouya knows how much adores Haruhi's 'cuteness'. Still seeing her in a pretty dress could make him breathless. Until Haruhi wished he had remained breathless, with the amount of gushing he did.
The exclamations that followed were extremely loud, but Kyouya endured them with gritted teeth. They were vaguely disturbing, as Tamaki whispered adorations to his 'daughter' as she suckled his son. Haruhi rolled her eyes.
"Tamaki," she murmured. "You'll unsettle him." Tamaki was moroseful, and retreated to the corner.
Kyouya looked over at them both with pride and possessiveness.
***
It was a girl next time, and she blinked dark eyes up at her parents before wailing. Haruhi lay back, exhausted, as Kyouya stood attentively at her side, he carefully watched how the doctors and nurses handled their child. Tamaki rushed between them both, alternatively bursting with glee with the new child, or trying to soothe Haruhi or babbling excitably at Kyouya. Haruhi had handled the situation of her labour with a much calmer disposition than Tamaki until the last hour and the contractions gotten very painful. She had gripped Tamaki's hand very hard. Kyouya had been impressed at her grip, especially when she grabbed his hand. It was certainly something he would have to take into account.
"He'll always be the same," Haruhi murmured. Kyouya noted her tired tone carefully.
"It's best this way," Kyouya said. He leaned down, tucking the blanket around her more snugly. "That he is with us. We know him best."
Haruhi nodded, blinking sleepily.
It was time, Kyouya considered as listened to Ootori media spokesman give the news of the baby to the press, to venture into the world of communications and media. Kyouya had decided that he would be one dictating how much attention would be directed at Tamaki and Haruhi and him, and their children.
The takeover was very successful.
***
When Yoshio and Yuzuru met with the sight of their sons making love to Haruhi, both agreed to burn the roses.
fic: ouran