"I wonder what Mori and Hani are doing right now. I know that Tamaki took Haruhi out for dinner and a Broadway play and all that nonsense, and the twins are out clubbing with their fake IDs, but-"

"Nani?" Kyoya demanded, and Caitlyn blinked, biting her lip before pointing over the railing.

"Look, the water Taxi!" she exclaimed transparently, and Kyoya sighed and chuckled resignedly. Frankly, he wasn't even sure he wanted to know.

They'd picked the last night in New York to have some time to themselves, each floating off to do their own thing. Caitlyn had taken Kyoya to Grimaldi's pizza for an early dinner, followed by ice cream and then a walk back over the bridge. He had walked more than he ever had in his life with Caitlyn, but he supposed that it was a blessing in disguise to see the city the way she did; personally. She spoke of it as though it was an old friend, not a place, and the humble grace of her interactions were certainly telling of… something. Or perhaps just endearing. He wasn't quite sure which.

She squeezed his hand gently, bringing him back to the moment, and he glanced down at her soft smile with a catch in his throat.

"Thank you. For this," she murmured, and he swallowed. She looked out at the water again, closing her eyes as the wind swept over her, blowing her hair into her face. "I… it's like falling in love all over again. I can come back, now, you know? I can breathe it all in and just… It's like I'm whole again, almost. Don't pour peroxide on my wounds, mind. They're still raw, but… I don't know. I belong here." She laughed, letting go of his hand and spinning, throwing her arms wide to the mostly empty bridge, eyes closed.

"I'll take you again, next summer," he promised, throat dry as he watched her. He caught her by the hand again, and she glanced up at him with a dry grin.

"You're assuming we'll still be together, then?" she asked, and he flushed.

"No, I just- Well… Even if we aren't, we should still be close enough. Haruhi and you are friends, as well as the twins, so…"

Caitlyn laughed. "Alright, amoureux. Relax. I was joking."

Kyoya smiled softly. "You're welcome, though. And I'd… I'd like to take you again."

Caitlyn smiled. "I know."

"Checkmate."

Kyoya frowned. "That can't possibly be correct."

The rest of the trip has passed rather uneventfully aside from the twins winning their bet. He shuddered to think of what they'd do with the skill she'd taught them in the following weeks. Perhaps better not to think on it at all.

Caitlyn laughed, distracting him. He looked up at her. "No. If your king moves here, the knight kills him. I've blocked you into the corner. The bishop is already set to kill him, so moving diagonally gets him killed. And my queen is here, so…"

Kyoya looked at the board and sighed. They'd had an early dinner that night, around five or so, and had headed back to the Ootori mansion. Caitlyn had talked him into watching some American movie called Fight Club, although how she'd found a copy with Japanese subtitles he wasn't sure. Despite being rather disturbing, he found he rather liked the movie, much to Caitlyn's delight. They'd then proceeded to spread a chessboard out on his bed and play four games of chess. This was the fifth, and so far it was Caitlyn 3 Kyoya 2.

"Rematch," he demanded solemnly.

"No way!" Caitlyn replied, laughing. "We've played way too many sets."

"Only five," he contradicted. She rolled her eyes and began to pack up the board. Kyoya twisted his lips wryly but began to pick up the pieces scattered around the bed. Together, they reached for the white king and their hands brushed. A shock ran up his spine, and Caitlyn pulled her hand back quickly.

"Sorry," she said instinctually. His eyes narrowed, and he pulled the box out of her hands. She looked up at him, eyes unreadable.

"We've been dating for a month now, is that right?" Caitlyn shrugged, eyes falling to the floor, and Kyoya reached over and took her hand into his. She flinched slightly out of instinct before relaxing. "Then what's wrong with this? I caught Tamaki and Haruhi, innocent idiots that they are, kissing in the alcove where the bathroom entrances were when we all went to lunch a few weeks past." Caitlyn stiffened, eyes still on the rug, and Kyoya sighed heavily. "I'm not pressuring you, because I'm not the type of person who would pressure a young woman to do anything. I was simply trying to say that you shouldn't be uncomfortable with touching me. And you definitely should not apologize for it."

Caitlyn looked up at him, her eyes a little watery. He blinked in surprise; had he made her cry? "No, it's not your fault. It's just… I had… there's a reason I don't like people touching me."

Kyoya looked at her, a feeling of dread creeping into his bones. Had something… happened? "Were you… did something happen?"

Caitlyn looked at his expression and smiled slightly. "I wasn't raped or anything like that." She laughed bitterly, and continued in a perfect imitation of Brad Pitt. " 'It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything.' "

Kyoya blinked at this. Fight Club… abused? It's not exactly tactful to ask though… He sighed, then attempted to pull her into his lap. This failed a bit, instead ending with them lying down, her head on his chest. Kyoya hadn't exactly planned this, but he wasn't complaining. She stiffened again. "Caitlyn, I'm not going to hurt you."

The girl didn't respond, remaining tense. After a few moments, she slowly began to relax. "I know," she murmured.

They lay there like that for a few moments, an eternity of peace Kyoya hadn't known in a long time. He listened to the steady breathing of the girl next to him (or rather partially on top of him) and smiled a little sardonically. Hesitantly, he brushed the hair out of her face, only to realize her eyes had closed at some point. His eyes strayed to the clock; eleven thirty-nine. He sighed.

I can think of a lot of things far worse than falling asleep with the girl I l-… Kyoya paused.

Like. He chuckled quietly, careful to not wake her up. Amoureux indeed.

Caitlyn pulled the pillow closer to her, smiling slightly. Recently her pillows smelled like fresh laundry and mint, probably from the various times Kyoya had sat on them. Kyoya-…

Her eyes snapped open.

The room was lit brightly by the brilliance of the sky, the majority of the room lit in the blue and yellow light. Kyoya's hand was stroking her hair absentmindedly, and the sound of his breathing sounded over her head somewhere. Her heart thudded wildly in her chest as she sat up. He looked at her, amused, her expression one of a deer in headlights.

"Shit!" she exclaimed. "Did Aunt Alexandra call?"

"Well, I put your phone on vibrate when-"

"Shit!" she exclaimed again. She dove the nightstand, feeling around and blinking in the light before coming up with her phone. "Shit, shit, shit… three missed calls, Kyoya!" She closed the phone without looking at them and tossed it into her bag.

"Cait-"

The girl cut him off with a groan, slumping back onto the bed. "I am grounded for eternity."

"Caitlyn," Kyoya tried again, his voice still highly amused. "I don't think your aunt is too worried. All of those calls are from Tamaki and the twins."

"You don't know that."

"Actually, I do. I looked at your phone as it rang."

The girl turned her head and looked up at him. "You did?"

He raised his eyebrow at her. "Do you think I'm lying? You can check if you'd like."

She opened her mouth to respond with a biting comment, then paused and thought against it. "No." She rolled onto her stomach, head on her palms, elbows disappearing into the sheets. "You're not wearing your glasses."

He smirked. "Good morning to you too," he replied dryly. He looked at the clock. "Or afternoon, rather."

She ignored this. "Do you even need your glasses? Your prescription is pretty thin." She looked at him speculatively. "You look really different without your glasses, actually."

Kyoya gave her a wry look. "You saw me without my glasses during that ludicrous race you subjected me to."

"Well yeah, but I didn't really care at that point," she retorted. She grinned at him. "Anyway, we wouldn't be dating if I hadn't done that, would we?"

"Perhaps," he allowed. She made a face at him.

"You better not have tried anything last night," she warned teasingly, changing the subject. A smirk spread across the Shadow-Lord's face.

"And if I did?"

She grabbed a pillow and whacked him with it, and he smirked and pinned her to the bed. Her smile faded as her body stiffened slightly, and Kyoya looked down at her and sighed.

"My apologies," he said resignedly. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead before getting up. Caitlyn lay there, stunned at the sudden expression of intimacy. "I'd like to take a shower, if you don't mind…?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," she said. He walked off, presumably towards the bathroom, leaving her there. She sighed, annoyed at herself. "Idiot that you are…"

Then she grinned. "I bet we're the only couple in history to sleep together without having kissed on the lips yet, though. I wonder if there's an award for that somewhere…"

A/N: So, since I haven't updated in ages and I had this sitting around, I figured why not? Fluff, per usual recently. My apologies? XD Anyhow, reviews are much welcome. And suggestions. Because I always appreciate those. :D