And So Kyoya Loved Him

The party had gone on far too long for Kyoya's liking. Of course, he had never been fond of parties or having things centered around him, so it was easy to understand why he was irritable. The celebration had begun around three in the evening and for some reason the party had spread out into the evening, the summer sun beginning to tuck itself behind the many trees on the Ootori estate. No party needed to last this long, Kyoya was sure of it. The party itself was droning on, many of the guests inside were unaware of where he was, not that they cared. That was enough evidence that the party wasn't for him, so he didn't believe he owed them any attention.

The bustling of the crowd behind him only reminded him how suffocating his home had truly become. His house had never been a home, or what people consider a home to be, but now more than ever did Kyoya feel unwelcome. The hundreds of people inside, filling the halls and observing not just him, but the Ootori family, was overwhelming. Part of it felt like a test, his father's comrades and business partners entering their home to eye who they truly were or at least who they displayed themselves as. The other part felt like acting, people coming in expecting the perfect Ootori family. Two successful older brothers, his sister who married into an equally successful family, a son who graduated, and proud parents showing their legacy.

It was a lie, Kyoya knew it. On his best days, his father couldn't even pretend to care for him. He was blatantly rude to Kyoya, degrading him at every opportunity. When Kyoya was younger, more scared and hurt by his harsh words, he could claim that it was to make Kyoya work harder, but now that he was older it was obvious his father simply didn't like him. Not that Kyoya cared. He gave up on his father choosing him over success long ago when he was barely pushing five feet and just beginning to understand the cruel world he was born into.

That was the worst part of it all. Kyoya didn't have a say. He was known to rise to any occasion, never disappointing and finding amusement in any tasks that didn't come easily. But it wasn't Kyoya's choice to be this competitive, this hard-headed, and this calculating. He was born into this world, forced into it when he was a naive child who believed parents loved for the sake of loving and that family came before all else. In his house, success was important, and carrying the Ootori name with pride was an expectation. Kyoya had no say in his world or his family, but he did have a say in how he reacted, in how he would ultimately win the game.

Kyoya was born behind, before he could even walk he was in last place, consistently struggling to impress his father with the same things his brothers did. It became clear when he entered the double digits of his youth that being exactly like his brothers wasn't what his father wanted. He needed to be better, better than the boys who had their father's support and aid when they became young men when they became successful when they were officially given the name Ootori. He was at a disadvantage, his brothers were bred to be perfect, to be the successful boys his father needed to carry on the family legacy. Kyoya was a miscalculation, a flaw in his major plan. To his father, Kyoya wasn't an official Ootori until he surpassed his brothers and gave his father something to be proud of.

It made no sense to him that his father threw this party in the name of his graduation. He didn't consider Kyoya impressive or unique, in fact, he considered him a disappointment, wasting his time in a club that didn't help him advance in life. But still, his father threw this party, invited the utmost important people in Japan, all in the name of Kyoya. Or at least that's what his father wanted them to think. This was an excuse to eye the competition as well as show them what he had up his sleeve. A boy who will fight mercilessly even if the odds are against him. He had a manipulative weapon, a blunt little instrument his father could use. He wasn't proud of Kyoya, but he found a sick pride in how utterly ruthless and selfish his son could be. That was a trait his father had that Kyoya carried with him.