Kyoya swam in an ocean of sterility. The walls, blankets, and beeping machines surrounding him were all an identically clean and identically white color. It would have been unnerving had he not been half delirious from the anesthesia the nurses had given him before his surgery.

The raven haired boy winced as a sharp pain shot through his side as he propped himself up in the bed. He sat quietly, racking his brains for the memories that evaded him from the previous night. Not only had he forgotten what had happened to him, he couldn't even remember why it had happened. The only thing the youngest Ootori could remember was the pain. That and a looming figure that he had already assumed was his father. Who else could do such damage?

Kyoya's head shot up as every detail from the night before flooded back to him. Each painful moment was seen clearly in his mind's eye as the boy recounted everything from waking up with Tamaki to passing out in his father's study. The boy's head fell once more, his finger resting between his slightly pink teeth as he began filing through the limited excuses he had left to use. Suddenly his eyes brightened. Leaning carefully to the side, Kyoya picked up the school uniform that rested in the drawer of his bedside table. The boy smiled as he began reading the note he had shoved in his pocket the day before.

Tamaki's elegant, almost feminine script filled the page. The boy had written a song. A song for Kyoya. Kyoya felt his eyes water as he read the beautiful lyrics before him, ignoring the footsteps that grew louder and louder with each passing second.

Tamaki was making his way quickly down the hospital's empty halls, his footsteps echoing with each step on the hard marble floors. The boy skid to a halt outside his friend's room, panting hard as he lifted a shaky hand towards the handle.

The door creaked open as the nervous blond stepped into the quiet room. Kyoya's raven hair stood out sharply against the surrounding white walls. Tamaki stood quietly by the door, unsure of what to do next. It certainly wasn't his first time in a hospital. His mother had been in and out of the doctor's office for most of his childhood, so he had grown accustomed to the sights and smells of hospitals and their patients. However he had never been in a situation like this. Tamaki was terrified.

Kyoya hadn't heard his friend's entrance having been caught up in his own thoughts. The two boys remained where they were, completely silent and unmoving. Finally, Tamaki cleared his throat, announcing his presence. Kyoya's eyes drifted up from the note and towards the door, his head slowly following suit. Tamaki took in the boy's appearance, stiffening slightly as he looked up and down his friend's torso.

It was worse than before. There were countless bruises standing out against the pale boy's now swollen skin, though most of them were hidden behind the bandages that were wrapped tightly around Kyoya's rib cage. Black stitches that had been sewn into the boy's ivory flesh poked out from beneath the dressings, making him look almost like a ragdoll. Dark blood crusted around the healing wounds, staining Kyoya's once flawless skin. Even the bandages had a pink tinge to them.

Tamaki tore his eyes away as Kyoya leaned back towards the table to slide the note back into the drawer, only to wince against the pain that tore through his body.

"Ah! Kyoya, be careful!" Tamaki cried as he rushed to his friend's side. "Mon ami, you can't move around so much, you could tear out your stitches." Tamaki pushed the boy back gently by the shoulders, holding him in place with his shaking hands.

"Don't be so dramatic, Tamaki." Kyoay slurred. Even a half delirious Ootori had more sense than the boy beside him. "The beds here are so damn uncomfortable…"

Kyoya brushed Tamaki off of him as he sat up once more, though he did so much slower this time.

"Hand me those pillows, please Tamaki. And stop looking at me like that." Kyoya said calmly, pointing at the linen closet across the room.

Tamaki rushed back to the bed, having picked up every possible pillow he could find within the closet. Kyoya concealed a smile as he watched his friend frantically shove the over-stuffed pillows behind his back. Tamaki was always so dramatic.

The nervous boy stood beside the bed, staring down at Kyoya with sad, worried eyes.

"Um…" Tamaki fought to speak, but nothing came to mind. Nothing he said could possibly relieve the discomfort the boy felt.

"Well?" Kyoya asked, cocking an eyebrow at his friend in distress.

"Well what?" Tamaki asked, slightly startled at his friend's somewhat abrasive tone. What was wrong with him? It wasn't like Tamaki to feel so awkward, so…naked. Yes, that was the perfect word. Tamaki felt naked. Kyoya's knowing eyes seemed to see right through him. No! Into him. As if every emotion the boy felt was written clearly across his face.

"Aren't you going to sit down?"

"Oh! Right…" Tamaki blushed furiously as he turned his back to Kyoya, searching the room for an extra chair. The boy began walking towards a small chair that sat beside the linen closet, only to stop dead in his tracks at what he heard next.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?"

Kyoya's cool, lazy voice struck a chord in Tamaki as he turned back towards the boy in the bed. Kyoya had his arms resting under his head, his eyes closed and a small smirk rested on his pale lips.

"Sitting down?" It was more of a question than a statement, but Tamaki was slightly confused.

Kyoya sighed. "Not over there you're not. Come here, Tamaki."

Tamaki stayed where he was, frozen in place. Had he heard correctly? The blushing blond stumbled back towards the bed, sitting down delicately at Kyoya's feet.

Kyoya opened his eyes, looking coldly at Tamaki, who was trying very hard to control the bright shade of red his face had turned.

"Tamaki, you're not going to break me." Kyoya sighed. "You can sit closer."

Tamaki's blush enhanced as he scooted, almost comically, towards the head of the bed. When he was within reach, Kyoya snatched Tamaki's arm in a firm grip, and pulled the blond close to him. Tamaki toppled over, his head colliding with Kyoya's chest and his shoulder drilling into the boy's ribs. The boy's eyes widened as he looked up at his friend. Kyoya's eyes were closed tight, unsuccessfully fighting back the tears that fell down his cheeks. His mouth was clamped shut as a grunt escaped the boy's throat.

"Kyoya! Kyoya I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-"

Tamaki's sentence was cut short as Kyoya pressed his lips firmly against the baffled blond. Kyoya could feel Tamaki's body relax as the boy became lost in the kiss, drawing him into a tight, but delicate, embrace. The two finally pulled apart, their breath mingling between them as Tamaki edged himself closer to Kyoya.

The boys shared a soft smile. Tamaki's head was nuzzled under Kyoya's chin with his arm draped across his pelvice, though the boy was weary of his friend's condition and kept himself at a distance. This proved too much for Kyoya who pulled the boy even closer, a small gasp escaping his lips as Tamaki's elbow met with the stitches in his side. Tamaki attempted to scoot towards the edge of the bed, but Kyoya's grip tightened around the boy's lower back.

Tamaki sighed. "Mon ami, don't be so stubborn. You're in no condition to-"

"To what?" Kyoya asked, an almost lustful undertone hid in his question.

"To make a move, mon amour." Tamaki whispered the last phrase in Kyoya's ear, sending a shiver down the Ootori's spine.

Since when was I his love, Kyoya thought astounded, though his face remained quiet, almost loving.

Kyoya lifted Tamaki's chin once more, his lips yearning for the blonde's lush, pink mouth. Just as the distance between the two was about to close, the room's door burst open. Tamaki's eyes flew open as the boy toppled over the side of the bed, a surprised cry escaping his still puckered lips. Fuyumi looked around the tower of boxes she was carrying.

"Is everything alright?" She asked slightly confused.

"Yes, Fuyumi, everything is just fine." Kyoya replied calmly, muffling a groan as his muscles screamed at him for sitting up in the bed.

A smile graced Fuyumi's flushed face as she made her way towards Kyoya's bedside table. Tamaki peeked above the bed's corner as the older Ootori set the pink boxes down on the table.

"What's all this?" he asked.

"You wouldn't believe how early the bakery opens! Six in the morning and they already have their racks full." Fuyumi said excitedly as she opened box after box of sweet smelling pastries.

Kyoya sighed. "Fuyumi, you know I hate sweets."

Fuyumi smiled through a face full of doughnut. "Don't worry, Kyoya, I wasn't completely thoughtless." Kyoya watched as his sister began searching through the identical pink boxes, finally pulling one out of the pile. Kyoya opened the box his sister handed him, a slight pout crossing his face as he pulled out the plain doughnuts.

The boy looked over at Tamaki, who was busy stuffing his face with every possible doughnut, Danish, and muffin he could get his hands on.

He must be starving. Kyoya thought. Hasn't he eaten anything?

Tamaki set down his sweets as he dug through his pocket, pulling out his vibrating cell phone. The boy sighed as he flicked open the phone.

"Hello?"

"Boss!"

"There you are!"

"Do you know how long we've been trying to call you?"

"We thought you died or something!"

Tamaki's ears were assaulted by the excited shouts of the two very thrilled twins.

"Oh…yeah. Sorry about that." Tamaki said, rubbing the back of his head shyly.

Kyoya watched the boy, a bored expression on his face as he bit into the tasteless pastry.

"Well?"

"Well what?" Tamaki asked. He really was an idiot.

"What the hell happened?"

"Yeah Boss, you just ran off the other day. We were all pretty worried."

Tamaki sighed as he looked over to Kyoya who sat calmly in the bed, awaiting an explanation.

"It's the twins," Tamaki mouthed, pointing to the phone.

Kyoya arched a brow.

"Perhaps it would be easier if they stopped by?" the boy offered.

Tamaki and Fuyumi shared a concerned glance. Neither had expected that.

"A-are you sure?" Fuyumi asked nervously.

Kyoya nodded, his arms crossing gently in front of him. "They'll find out eventually, and the earlier we explain ourselves the easier it will be to quiet any possible rumors…"

Tamaki nodded, stepping out into the hallway as he gave the twins directions to the hospital.

"Kyoya…" Fuyumi began, sitting herself down on the floor beside the bed.

"You'll hear the explanation at the same time as everyone else, Fuyumi." Kyoya continued eating his doughnut, ignoring his sister's anxious glance.

"I was really scared you know."

Silence.

"Tamaki and I have been here since the ambulance brought you. Neither of us slept much…"

"Fuyumi," Kyoya began in a monotonous voice. But the boy was muffled by his sister's coat as she threw her arms around her brother's neck, tears streaming down her pale cheeks.

Kyoya gasped, causing his sister to stumble backwards. Apologies spilled from the older Ootori as Kyoya caressed his sore neck muscles, the uneaten doughnut still clamped between his fingers.

The boy sighed. "Fuyumi, don't you think you're being a bit overdramatic?"

The girl in question frowned even more as she sat back down on the hard tiled floor. The two sat in silence, the question lingering in the air between them.

After having made phone calls to the rest of the Hosts, some not being too thrilled at the early wake up call, Tamaki returned to the room with a very tired expression on his face. The blond was still exhausted.

"Well?" Kyoya asked.

This time, Tamaki knew what he meant. "They're all on their way." He said, a tired smile resting on his similarly tired face. This didn't go unnoticed by the youngest Ootori, who set the doughnut back in the box, carefully setting it down on the bedside table.

"Tamaki, why don't you rest for a while? You look tired." Fuyumi suggested.

Tamaki looked around the room. "Yeah, good idea…"

The boy watched as Kyoya winced as he moved himself over, patting a spot on the bed beside him. Tamaki's eyes widened as he looked between the two Ootori's.

"What's wrong Tamaki? You didn't think I'd let you sleep in a chair did you?" Kyoya's face lit up at his friend's expression, a laugh escaping his smiling lips.

Fuyumi looked up at his brother curiously. Was he…laughing?

Tamaki slowly made his way over to the bed, sliding awkwardly into the spot Kyoya had opened up for him. It was hard to ignore the curious looks Fuyumi kept passing him, but eventually the boy was able to settle into a comfortable enough position and nod off. Eventually Kyoya too nodded off, his head resting against Tamaki's, whose head rested on his shoulder.

Fuyumi smiled. It had been a long time since she heard Kyoya's laugh. She didn't think she would ever hear it again, especially since her father began drinking again.

The girl rested her head against the bed, closing her eyes against the soft white lights. There was so much she was thankful for at that moment. The silence, her brother's safety, his laugh, his smile, none of which seemed possible just hours before. Yes, she was incredibly thankful for her brother's smile. But most of all, she was thankful for the boy who caused it.