Disclaimer: Once upon a time, there was a girl. She liked to write about beautiful cousinly love! And she never, ever forgot her disclaimer. The end.

A/N: Takes place during episode 49 of the graphic novel!

Hunny dashed down the track after his cousin angrily. Just because Mori wanted to win, it didn't give him any right to be so rude. His heart was thudding, not only because of physical exertion, but because of his nerves, his intense emotion. If he lost to Mori, he would feel incomplete, like a failure.

Coming in second to Mori could probably be considered an honor. An honor, yes, to anyone but him. But the prestigious Haninozuka heir apparent wouldn't be losing to his servant. Not today. Not ever. Failure was not an option.

He cleared the tunnels easily, losing Mori behind him, summoning his last rush of adrenaline. The pole vault, the last obstacle, was approaching swiftly, and Hunny had to be ready for it. He quickly seized a pole from the sidelines, forgetting almost completely about Mori or anyone else. His heart was set on winning.

Focus, focus, focus was the only word, only thought racing through his mind, subconsciously taking him back to all the times his father had shouted focus, his mother had shouted focus, even the times he himself had scolded his little brother to focus. Maybe even Takashi a few times.

But now, something in his head made him lose focus. Why? As he thrust the pole over the bar and jumped, he felt no stability. No stability that he had felt every time he had rehearsed this. The pole hadn't reached the ground in time. I'm falling…

This was his only vague thought, nothing of the future, nothing of what would happen to him. His heart seemed to jump into his throat, his face losing color, his spine touched by fear's cold cruelty, but a little gasp escaped him, and something hard made rough contact with his abdomen, knocking the wind out of him.

He glanced back quickly, and he saw Mori's reassuringly confident eyes, his kind smile. Hunny clung to his back as they landed on the mat with a loud thud. The crowd cheered ecstatically as the Red Team was announced victorious. Mori stood up, letting Hunny leave his arms, and the smaller boy's eyes filled with tears.

He embraced Mori, wrapping his arms around his abdomen. "Takashi… Thank you!" he cried, pressing his head to his sternum. Hunny was aware that he was crying, touched by Mori's kindness, but also sorry. Sorry that he had been so involved in winning, sorry for thinking such terrible things about his wonderful Takashi.

Mori picked him up, his arms comforting Hunny, and he rested in Mori's strong, protective grip, knowing he was safe, knowing that he wasn't going to come crashing down on the rigid, unfriendly mat. They were finished for today, and he was unwilling to leave his servant's arms.

But he did, coming down once or twice to stand with his team, acting happy, but contemplating. He had lost to Mori. Something he thought that could never happen. Of course he was thankful for Mori's act of kindness, but some part of him wasn't going to let him live it down.

He felt like crying by the time school was dismissed, and Mori met him on his way out of Music Room Three, where they were the last ones collecting their things. Everyone else had gone home or elsewhere.

"Mitsukuni," he said quietly. He knew something was wrong with Hunny, and Hunny knew that he knew. He just didn't know that he knew what was wrong. "It's okay to lose. It makes you no less of a person."

Hunny blushed, feeling ashamed at being this way. "Takashi… Please forgive me," he said. "I just don't want you to think badly about me." He felt like crying again, disgusted with himself, and Mori knelt in front of him.

"I couldn't. Because of all the reasons…"

"…Hm? What are you talking about?"

"…All the reasons why I love you."

Hunny's heart sped as Mori's hand caressed his face. "I love you too, Takashi," he said in a parched whisper, the shadow of his voice. And somehow, he'd known it all along. They'd both known it all along. Mori gently guided the older boy's lips to his, and they kissed passionately.

As they pulled away from eachother, their faces flushed, Hunny knew that he wanted, needed something more. "Takashi," he whispered as Mori's lips caressed his neck, his ardent kisses seeming to say his name. But, as always, Mori already knew what he wanted, before he even found the words to ask, and he stripped off his green and white windbreaker, the word OURAN upright as it fell to the ground with a small noise. He led him to one of the couches and laid him down, climbing on top of him, his lips returning to the other boy's.

The proud part of Hunny, the part of him that couldn't let his failure go, died, but he felt himself in no pain as he smiled at the person on top of him, the person who would show him new things, give him new feelings, new happiness. It no longer mattered. His Takashi had given him reasons.