Epilogue

He was on his way back home to London as he scrolled through pictures on his phone sent by his wife. It was captioned as, "She's got moves."

Adeline had begun walking only a month ago. Kyouya preferred calling his daughter by her Japanese name, Kimiko. He watched a video sent shortly after the picture of his daughter dancing to the music. Victoria's laughter resonated through the phone as she watched their child twirl and jump.

It was going to be a long flight from Tokyo back to London. It was only another day before he could see his family again.

Victoria took time off from the firm but still made a conscious effort to keep tabs on the office on a daily basis. Adeline was a fussy child. She was not clingy, but she was picky with what she wanted. Victoria sighed and figured that her daughter might have been what she was like as a child. Nonetheless, the lawyer developed patience with her daughter and after 12 months, Victoria finally understood what her child asked for. It was a silent language. A look in the eye, a glance somewhere or a gut feeling. A mother did indeed, know her child best.

Adeline was like Kyouya, in the smallest of ways. Her daughter didn't like expressing her needs or wants coherently. The toddler was either silent, or she was crying. Like Kyouya, Adeline expected things to be handed to her without asking. She was spoilt, and it was because of her father who came home as often as he could to give his daughter everything she wanted. Victoria often frowned at the habits her husband had grown to instill in their daughter.

"She'll grow out of it," he insisted.
"Well, when she's sixteen and she's asking for a car—"
"We can get her a car."

Victoria shot Kyouya a glare. "She doesn't need a car. She just needs to learn how to drive."
"Yes, but love, you need a car to do that," Kyouya rolled his eyes.

"Rich people," the wife grumbled. "I grew up in luxury too but at least I was humble about it."

Adeline never had any trouble sleeping through the night. Instead, she had the energy of a thousand suns during the day. Before walking, she loved crawling. She loved exploring to wherever her four limbs would take her. As a result, it was Victoria's job to keep a close eye on the child. There was never a minute where she could relax, until the end of the day when she tucked Adeline into bed.

At night, it was when Victoria could sit down to work. Other times, she would sit with a glass of wine because she deserved it after a long day. Tonight was one of those nights. She wouldn't trade it for the world to see her daughter grow. Even if it meant taking a step back from the firm, or giving up sleep.

Kyouya opened the door into their new home. He walked into their kitchen to find his wife sitting on the bar stool, her hair cut short to her chin. It was most definitely a change from her lusciously long locks. Victoria decided to cut her hair off because Adeline had a habit of tugging. Regardless, the Ootori never got tired of seeing his wife. He was still able to run his fingers through her hair if he wanted to.

"Love," he greeted.

Victoria turned from her glass of wine and smiled at his presence.

"Welcome home. Adeline's asleep," she informed him before kissing his cheek. "She kept pointing at your picture on my phone today."

Kyouya smirked. He loved knowing that he was missed by Kimiko. The Ootori settled down his luggage and went straight into the nursery to see his sleeping daughter. Nothing would wake her. She slept like a log, according to Victoria. She was just like him. He was in love with Kimiko. It was a strange feeling, a very different longing for a person. His child was a part of him, yet separate at the same time.

Kyouya stepped out of the room and looked for his wife. Victoria was in their bathroom. He found her looking in the mirror, her neck craned to see the tattoo on her back of the cherry blossoms. The husband swiftly made his way over to his wife, kissing her bare shoulder.

"You're so beautiful."

Victoria smiled. "You aren't so bad yourself. Even after a long flight."

Kyouya placed a strand of her hair behind her ear. It fell back to its original place because of the short length. The wife laughed. It was no use. Her hair was shorter now that she was a mother for the sake of practicality.

"What were you thinking about?" he murmured into her ear.

Victoria took a look in the mirror again, staring at her tattoo. She lifted up her shirt to show the bare skin, free of ink beneath the cherry blossom branch. She ran her fingers down the side of her abdomen, right beneath her arm.

"I'm thinking of tattooing her name," she softly said. "In Japanese characters, beneath the branch where my cherry blossom begins." Her stomach was flat from the morning workouts she did before Kimiko woke up. Kyouya did not know how the woman handled a child, while still working at the firm part-time and exercising in the wee hours of the morning. Victoria was incredible. He never stopped admiring her. He would always be in awe.

Kyouya bent down and kissed her skin. "Whatever you want, love."

Victoria nodded. She was tired but incredibly happy to see him again. She held him close as he made his way back up to her face, kissing her on the lips. Her arms circled around his neck and she laid her head on his chest. She missed being able to do that. She missed having her partner, her other half.

When the Victoria pulled apart, she left him on his own to tidy up and get ready for bed. Kyouya had missed his home. The place where he could find her nail polish in the same order he left it, in the order of hues that he arranged before he left. Home was where he'd find the best morning coffee made by Victoria. It was also where he'd find the two most important people that defined his life.

Kyouya walked out of their bathroom to find Victoria on her phone, half in a daze as she scrolled down something. The Ootori crawled into bed beside her, peeking at what caught his wife's attention. They were pieces of art, different calligraphy styles in Japanese characters. He kissed his wife's temple, telling her to go to sleep.

She listened and put her phone on the nightstand to charge. Victoria kept herself close to Kyouya who emanated heat, always. She missed his warmth. Her fingers began tracing the outline of his body, to which Kyouya always found soothing. Victoria's finger traced down the side of his abdomen, and back up.

"This is where I'd put her name. Kimiko Ootori," Victoria murmured. "And beside hers, I'll have yours."

He listened to her whispers. It was like she told him secrets every night they'd fall asleep together. He would be lulled to sleep by her voice, and she too would fall asleep. But tonight, he couldn't sleep. He wanted to hear more about her idea.

"I want you to write her name. In your own handwriting and then I'll have her name tattooed because you gave her that name. I'll write yours, because… you're mine," Kyouya could feel her lips curve up into a smile. "Of course, I don't know how good of an idea this is… it's late, and I'm tired. But I'll have it done someday."

Kyouya turned onto his side, his arm on the waist of Victoria as he held her closer.

"I want the same on my body, in the same spot," he murmured. He was sleepy, but he heard every word she told him.
"Tattoos are permanent," she reminded. "And… unprofessional." Her speech was slower. She was falling asleep.
"Didn't stop you from getting any," the Ootori pointed out. Victoria giggled.
"True."

They fell asleep, contemplating the idea.

Adeline grew up always wanting to see her mom's tattoos. When she was five, the child had a habit of tapping on her mother's feet where the feathers were tattooed.

"Want," Adeline would say.

"One day," Victoria promised and she would pick up her daughter, smiling at how much she looked like her father. Except her father always argued that Kimiko looked like her mother instead. Adeline began kindergarten which allowed her mother to go back to work.

It was one summer where the Host Club decided to gather on the beaches of France for a reunion. Tamaki's kid, William was older than Adeline by a couple years. But nonetheless, the two got along swimmingly as they made sand castles under the close supervision of their mothers.

Kaoru and Hikaru whistled at the sight of Victoria, which only made the Shadow King irritated. The Ootori shot a cold glare at the twins and made his way towards his wife. Victoria was in conversation with Haruhi, likely about law or their children, or both depending on where their conversation took them.

Kaoru squinted at something and ran up to the Shadow King.

"Is that... what is that on the side of your body beneath your arm?"

Hikaru forcibly lifted up the toned arm of the Ootori much to his irritancy. Two names were tattooed on his right side, in beautiful calligraphy. Before Kaoru could take a look, Kyouya was quick to snatch his arm back. Tamaki was curious to see what the ruckus had been about so he made his way to the crowd.

Hikaru widened his eyes. "You have a tattoo? The cold, straight-arrowed Shadow King got himself a tattoo? Damn, son, your wife changed you," The twins grinned and broke into laughter.

Tamaki caught himself a peek of the toned body of his friend only to see the two names inscribed on the dominant side of his body.

From afar, Victoria only saw Tamaki jumping up and down in glee. Before she knew it, the French man was running down the beach towards Haruhi. He couldn't help but to spill the beans on the most romantic gesture his friend had done for Victoria.

The Shadow King grumpily picked up Kimiko from the sand and left William by himself. He walked his way over to Victoria. The Shadow King's wife shook her head.

"Should've worn a shirt, but your ego got the best of you," she shrugged leaving no sympathy for her husband. Their daughter laughed at the frown of her dad. She poked the side of his cheek in an attempt to cheer him up.

Kyouya wasn't a fan of the attention, or at least the attention that his friends gave. But he was more than fine having his daughter poke his cheek. She meant well. When the family was well out of sight from the crowd and in their own little bubble, Victoria reached over to kiss her husband on the other cheek.

"I love your tattoos. I love you. I'm still in awe that you decided to tattoo yourself."

The Ootori smirked. "I'm permanently a part of you too. You should have taken your shirt off."

Victoria playfully punched his shoulder. "Adeline is right between us."

"But mom," Adeline groaned. "It's not like I'm asking for a car."

Victoria stood her ground. "And it's not like I'm stopping you from getting a tattoo. I'm just saying you can wait one more year."

"But this tattoo artist can't wait another year," Adeline pointed out. "He has an appointment spot right on my birthday. His art is stunning and the waiting period is 18 months or more. I think it would be a great birthday present. Please? We can get matching tattoos. You, me, and Dad."

Victoria frowned.

"Okay, I guarantee that you don't want a matching tattoo with your mom or dad. Is that not cheesy or what?"
"It didn't stop you and Dad," Adeline pointed out. "They're pretty. I love them. I love your cherry blossoms, Mom. I've always loved the feathers on your feet. Why can't I have art on my own body?"

The lawyer was stumped. Adeline had grown to be just as snarky as Victoria. She had the brains of both of her parents, making sound arguments like her mother would as a lawyer.

"Let's see what your dad has to say," Victoria huffed. It would have been easier if Adeline had asked for a car. At least Victoria had arguments against that. But with tattoos? No chance. She had tattoos herself, and Kyouya too. It would be hypocritical to completely say no.

Kyouya came home to his family sitting in the kitchen. Victoria had a glass of wine and Adeline was waiting patiently for her father to come home. His wife had a look on her face, asking him to deal with their soon-to-be seventeen year old daughter.

"Hello," the male Ootori pushed up his glasses. "What are we all gathered here for?"

Victoria took a sip of her wine and turned to Adeline.

"Dad, don't you love Mom?"
"I do," Kyouya glanced at Victoria who only shrugged, letting her child make her own argument.

"And her tattoos?"
"Of course."

"Would you love me, if I still had tattoos?"
"Yes, Kimiko."

"Can I get a tattoo then?"

Victoria narrowed her eyes at the Ootori CEO. They had discussed this before. Years ago, before Adeline had been born.

"Yes, you can." Kyouya couldn't say no to his daughter.

And he goddamn forgot about it.

Adeline smiled and hugged her father before running off to her room.

Both Kyouya and Victoria had tattoos. As a father, Kyouya trusted Kimiko enough so that she could make her own decisions. She scored top of her class, every year while still keeping up with her extracurriculars in dance, following in her mother's footsteps. Kimiko had level head. She was rational. She was raised that way. Their child wouldn't have asked about this without giving this decision a lot of thought.

Victoria sighed.

"God damn it, you can never say no."
"I can say no, I just had no reason to," Kyouya poured himself a glass of wine as well.
"You most definitely had a reason to. Remember 17 years ago, when you and I were sitting on the bed and you came up with that genius rule of not letting our child get a tattoo until they were eighteen?"
"Kimiko has the mental capacity of an eighteen year old," the Ootori argued.

The wife took another gulp of wine.

"I don't want her regretting this."
"She won't."
"She's—"
"—Just like you and I," Kyouya calmed Victoria down. "The more we push her, the more she'll fight back."

Victoria frowned. "I never pushed her. I'm just trying to be a good parent."
"You are a good parent."

Kyouya walked over to his wife and embraced her, to reassure her, to remind her of his love for her.

It was one of Victoria's favourite things to do. She loved tracing her name on his body, over the tattoo he had gotten years upon years ago. Victoria had thought he was joking when he said he was wanted a tattoo. He wasn't. She knew exactly where the tattoo was, and sometimes she's find her fingers moving up and down the side of his body while he held her in his arms.

He made a vow, a permanent vow that was now symbolized on his body years later. She too, had his name scripted on her body for life. Their love didn't need a tattoo. It was a matter of pride, a reminder to each other of how far they would last.

Adeline loved that about tattoos. How symbolic they were, how meaningful each piece of art could be. She looked at her parents with such awe and admiration. They were her greatest role models. She was half of either of them, and she only strived to be as great.

So her first tattoo was a vow to herself, a reminder of where she came from and by whom she was raised by.

The names of her parents, scripted in Japanese under her right side of the body. Exactly where her father had his family's names.

A/N: It's been a long journey and I'm unsure of how suitable of an ending this is. Tattoos have always been an interesting theme explored in the story, so. Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks so much for sticking by for the past two and a half years. I know it's been a long wait. Your patience and kindness are always noted and appreciated.

Much love,

paresthesia

Edit: an extended author's note has been posted on my tumblr (link on my profile) if you are curious.