TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE
O—Harmony
He sits and listens to their confession, relaxed and poised on a sofa seat, and takes interest in the way the twin's voices change out of time and awkward; one is breathy and hitched while the other is full of self anger at his inability to properly convey his emotions.
O—Manners
And then they are the picture of innocence when Tamaki flounces over and inquires what he's missing out on; legs crossed, backs straight, and hands holding tea cups that only rattle a little in anticipation of the brunette's answer.
O—Sync.
The blond king is dismissed, but the youngest Ootori remains silent except for the rhythmic 'click-clack' of his computer keys, the sound of which are playing tricks on both younger boy's heart beats.
O—Focus
And finally the typing stops, glasses are shoved up the bridge of his nose, and Kyouya's magnified grey eyes turn upon both Hitachiins coolly, accompanied with, "I seem to be missing the greater picture of this occasion; your confession lacks...depth."
O—Leap
The almost hopeful airs that ghosted identical pairs of amber eyes evaporates and both Hikaru and Kaoru start talking at once, their voices mingling in the air—"After we just took that huge fuc—" "Leap of faith to tell you," they fume; both left twin and right twin seemingly miss the sarcastic grin on his features.
O—Park
Their first kiss was awkward and strangely chaste: Kaoru kissed Hikaru, then flushed, looked over at Kyouya and feathered his mouth against the brunettes; Kyouya can taste both boys in one for a second before a third pair of lips joins the gray and all modesty if lost in the open air of a commoner's park.
O—Ride
Tamaki steals Haruhi (from no one) into his car afterward, leaving the twins and his best friend along for the most uncomfortably forty minutes in the back of a Rolls Royce ever, during which time tongues were bitten, toes trodden and tied uncomfortably tightened when meant to be loosened.
O—Cotton
The next couple of kissing sessions are not as chaste (nor as uncomfortable) and all were elicited by the displeasure of feeling the Ouran blazer under nimble fingers when skin to skin contact was craved.
O—Candy
"We thought you wouldn't like this," Hikaru purred, placing a melting chocolate half in his mouth and proffering the candy towards the Shadow King while Kaoru watched comfortably from across their laps.
O—Frosting
The first time any of their rendezvous take them to the bed, the youngest Hitachiin sits above both the others, looking curiously at the layers of sticky stuff adorning both his hands before experimentally sampling the mixtures.
O—Hair
Fumbling fingers run through identical heads of hair, mussing up their carefully maintained bangs, and a quick glance shows two of the same wonder mirror thoughts and interchangeable minds think the same fears of confusion and the pain of another (unwanted, unnecessary) round of the 'Which One's Hikaru?' Game.
O—Hold
The almost awkward silences after release are broken when one (or two, or even all three) of them makes to hug, hold, or cuddle the other (ones, one).
O—Picture
The flash reflects so opaquely off of glasses, and the Hitachiin twins are such poster-children for faking expressions, it's no surprise that every photo taken earns a disapproving stare and a murmured of, 'how do the others not see our secret?'
O—Movie
Though he would never admit it, late at night, all Kyouya must do in his secluded bedroom is shut his eyes, and the silent films of flushed face, parted lips and hooded eyes play again and again and again...
O—Music
..Until the heart wrenching chords of Barber's Adagio for Strings intrudes on his memory, and his every one of his father's disapproving words rings in the silence.
O—Paradise
They can pretend easily, but the sleepy moans that sound at the same time and the way they each roll over to snag a corner of the blanket or dig their fingernails under the mattress gives the mask of cool indifference a subtle shake—just as Kyouya must give Hikaru—to get him off his arm—and Kaoru—to get him off his side of the bed.
O—Garden
And Tamaki and Haruhi still wonder why it took Kyouya so long to find them and the seniors when both Hikaru and Kaoru claim they were found within minutes....
O—Feather
It's an unbelievingly soft touch, and one that almost tickles when brushed across the right body part.
O—Cloud
There must be layers and layers of mist between the four of them and the three of us, Kaoru decides one day, only to hate himself for another twenty four hours to think Tamaki, Haruhi, Hunny and Mori would be blind enough not to notice their clouded vision.
O—Dust
"No, I'm not crying," the younger red head professes when questioned later that day, "I just have something in my eye."
O—Wedding
For once, Hikaru has a dream that Kaoru does not—a nightmare, rather, in which the day comes to walk down the isle towards a faceless woman in white, leaving two beautiful people in orange and purple behind.
O—Band
It feels tight and constricting, but in reality, the two hands that loop around each of his for a few seconds before the brunette dislodges them are more of a comforting show of 'we're here' and 'together'.
O—Play
"Play nicely, boys," the Hitachiin matriarch innocently calls after her sons as they rumble up the stairs after being informed they have an Ootori heir as a visitor.
O—Time
Thirty minutes times three times 195= 11700 hours, 487.5 days, 69.64285714285714 weeks; or rather, the time they could have spent together rather than with stupid, silly, vivacious little girls who were none the wiser of anything.
O—Spent
"I am too tired to deal with another hair-brained scheme of Tamaki," Kyouya professes, lying back on the twins' bed while they bouncily join him, inquiring, "Then how do you have enough energy to deal with us?"
O—Worship
There was no secret shrine, no shoebox full of amateur photos kept under their bed, no collection of stolen underwear, no used tissues kept for voodoo purposes, but there was a deep respect.
O—Life
"And thus, I have as much right as anyone to do anything to better my quality of life," Kyouya murmurs to himself, barely taking notice of Fuyumi smiling at her little brother's seemingly random and quite babblings.
O—Pray
"We have to be thankful and think about the things we care for," Tamaki explains to the group of his friends around the small table, and he grasp over the table for Haruhi and Hikaru's hands, while Kyouya takes both Hikaru and Kaoru's own, and the three of them bow their heads in the commoner's ritual, thinking over the other possible ways of how to say thank you for each other.
O—Knees
"We don't beg," had been a part of the twin's confession.
O—Zombie
His sleep-deprived aura is dark and imposing, successfully scaring away every person in his personal space, save for the two that were the physical reason for his lack of a peaceful night, and the stupid, bubbly blond that maybe (just maybe) catching on to his best friend's plight, and flounces over, inquiring brightly, "What's wrong?"
O—Skeleton
"You're hiding something from me, Mommy," Tamaki wails at the lack of a reasonable response from the brunette; unfortunately, both of the red headed doppelgangers overhear this and cross over to recite cryptically, "Maybe you should clean out your closet, then, senpai?"
O—Closet
But Tamaki leaves well enough alone and both Hitachiins (and Kyouya, although he would never really admit it—to others, that is) are relieved that they don't have to get out the broom and garbage bag.
O—Space
"Orion," Kaoru points up at the night sky to match Kyouya's 'Andromeda' while Hikaru makes a face and points out loudly, "That one looks like us three fucking."
O—Coat
He knows he's done for when the contents of his Ouran pocket turn out to be a glittery pink eraser and a teddy bear pencil in place of some rather incriminating photos, and Kyouya can't help but sigh, shed the jacket, and wait for the dreaded high pitched phone call that is going to come.
O—Hang
"Hey, Kyouya, let's hang out...and talk," the surprisingly calm voice of Tamaki Suoh sounds on the other end of the line; Kyouya groans a bit and, upon recognizing the half-baked idea tone in his friend, snaps, "I know what sex is, Tamaki, and we are NOT having that conversation."
O—Tang
Kaoru tastes like resentment and self loathing the one time he comes to him alone, and Kyouya recognizes this taste to be that of the tears the younger boy has shed after a few choice and cruel words between himself and Hikaru playing tricks on his taste buds.
O—Sour
And Hikaru tastes like unhinged anger at himself some three hours later—a taste not as sweet at the younger twin—and Kyouya hopes they will make up soon so this feeling less, selfish sex will turn back into love with the addition of another body; these tastes are never recognized again, and that single night is never mentioned again when the two make up.
O—Grapes
"Would you like them more if we fed them to you—by mouth?"
O—Palace
If the space the twins shut themselves in had started as a box, then it has grown two—no, three or more!—since the addition of another.
O—Maid
I won't be getting any grandchildren, the head of the Hitachiin family thought fondly as she sits the office adjoining the studio where her sons' bodily dress the youngest heir of the Ootori in their fine, handmade cloths, only to feel old a second later at the thought of her children having children.
O—Queen
"I like this Shadow Queen look," Kaoru purrs huskily into his upperclassman's ear, lacing the bodice of the long dress while Hikaru arranged silicon beanbags in the front, "It gives the added intimidation of the thought of you PMSing, and easy access."
O—King
Unfortunately, Tamaki chose that moment to walk into the dressing room, and hurled.
O—Prince
"You're shameless, Kaoru," Haruhi reprimands, pausing in the doorway of the smaller room after Tamaki took off, and tossing the golden crown the blond had dropped at Hikaru.
O—Princess
Kaoru had the decency to blush and avert his eyes, curtsying as Hikaru tried the crown on, and speaking in a dramatically English accent, "My deepest apologies, Duchess."
O—Tower
The cross-cross-dressing commoner turns her back on the couple (trio?) she'd learned about and accepted in the past five minutes to attend to her King, leaving the three of them in blissful solitude.
O—Rescue
They watch in horror at the cold connection of palm to cheek, and their fists clench in rage and eyes moistening at their inability to do anything to help.
O—Knight
"Oh, look Takashi," Hunny bubbles, motioning at the gaggle of girls who's gathered around the couple (trio) he'd recognized and accepted two months ago, and the blond senior giggles as the explosion of 'KYAAAAA's sounds, "Hehe, checkmate for them!"
O—Pawn
"This...isn't a game," Kyouya explains to his older siblings and father over dinner once news of the events in the Host Club reaches ears at home, "I am not just playing with the Hitachiins."
O—Consolation
"You care for them," Fuyumi says, more to explain it to her father and big brothers than to clarify it with her younger, and she feels a rush of relief when Yoshio turns the faintest (was it a trick of the light?) shade of red and remains silent, Akito turns on his thoughtful face, and Rei smirks in an almost teasing way—just as a family should
O—Prize
No, he wasn't lying when he said it wasn't a game, but at the same time—later, rather—Kyouya can't help but think he's won something, nor deny that—at that moment—he wants to share it with the two (three, if you counted Tamaki) most important people in his life.