A/N: Oh I am a terrible person, I know, I should be working like a mad-woman on my Fullmetal Alchemist fanfiction but I, only a day or so ago, finished Ouran High School Host Club and fell madly in love with it, so I had to start a little something towards it, because it was absolutely crack-tacular and I am addicted.
So, a warning, this is twincest. This story is meant to take place and branch off after episode twenty one, the Halloween episode, so if you haven't seen up through that there might be some minor spoilers.
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It will all turn back into that same old grubby pumpkin.
'Would you look at that? Well, I guess the spell on the carriage can't last forever after all.'
'What do you mean?'
Kaoru Hitachiin climbed onto the broad windowsill, resting his forehead for a brief moment on the cool glass bathed in pale moonlight. The feel was refreshing, even if it didn't compensate for the lack of comfort. Hikaru had decided, again, to remain locked away in his own room. It had been more than a week since Hikaru had graced him with his presence come bedtime. Maybe it was because Kaoru's nightmare's had become worse and he awoke most every night a terrified mess, even if it didn't last long he knew that they always interrupted Hikaru's sleep. Or maybe it was just because he believed they were too old to share a bed any longer.
Kaoru squeezed the small pumpkin shaped eraser in his hand, his palm feeling a slight burn from the abrasive rubber.
'Well, since you ran towards me in that situation, I suppose everything's alright for now."
He turned to press his back against the wall, bringing his knees up to his chin, tipping his head slightly so he could still watch the gentle sway of the browning grass in the spacious courtyard. The rush of water sounded through the wall of his and Hikaru's connecting bathrooms. Kaoru had already performed his bedtime ritual, brushing his teeth and flattening his hair with the brush, and slipping into his long blue autumn pajamas.
It was long past midnight and he knew it would be a hard-waking morning to come, clearly aware that he would rise still tired and rather grumpy. But his homework was finished despite having put it off all weekend and with money like the Hitachiin's had, he didn't have to worry about having a clean uniform for school. The hiss of the running tap ceased and Kaoru looked to the connecting door to see the knob turn only seconds later.
Kaoru couldn't help but smile when he saw his twin despite his slightly dire mood. "Hey, Hikaru," he said quietly squaring his shoulders back a bit and curling his fingers tighter around the eraser.
"Hey, Kaoru, I just wanted to say 'night." His mirror image wore only the underwear he usually slept in and Kaoru frowned slightly.
"You should switch to heavier pajamas or you'll get cold."
"It's only autumn; I'm not worried about it yet. Anyway, I'm off to bed."
"Okay, Hikaru, whatever you say, goodnight."
"Night, Kaoru, tomorrow it's back to work." Hikaru didn't even give him time to say anything else before he'd disappeared through the door once more, making sure the door was securely closed in his wake.
'Huh?'
'Nothing, nothing, just my own private joke, let's get out of here.'
Kaoru glanced back out the window before bringing his hand up and opening it before his face. The orange grinning jack-o-lantern face stare at him, slightly smudged where it had been used as an actual eraser. He set it upright, staring into the blackened eyes of a child's ornament and waited until the slight movement of his heart beat and breath knocked the pumpkin from his palm. It bounced off of the window ledge and onto the floor, landing face-down.
'Still…One day Hikaru will realize he wants to take the next step on his own. When that happens, I don't know what I'll do.'
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The Host Club is Now Open for Business!
Kaoru had a dirty little secret. Unlike the other members of the Host Club, except maybe Mori-senpai, but for the strong stoic type it wasn't really a necessary skill, the younger Hitachiin twin could not by any means blush on queue. No matter how he tried, even the most embarrassing of thoughts could not make him blush pretty for the ladies. Yet somehow he always ended up red as a ripe tomato when it came time to recall the script and be pulled ceremoniously into his twin's arms; as he was now… "Hikaru," he started, lifting a hand to play dejectedly with his bottom lip and casting his eyes towards the floor, "Do you really think…that I'm too sensitive?" While he and Hikaru knew it was simply a performance, and a damn good one if Kaoru did say so himself, the girls surrounding them positively swooned as Hikaru reached for him.
"Kaoru, don't be so silly," Hikaru said, more smoothly than Kaoru ever heard him speak when they weren't putting on a show and his arm slipped behind Kaoru's back, tugging him close. There it was, the blush coating his cheeks in a bright uncontrollable red making him bite the inside of his mouth briefly in shame. "Of course I don't think that," his brother continued, reaching to tip his chin gently; Kaoru swallowed, feeling the warm breath ghost soft as his twin's words across his face. "Unless you're talking about your body, and you know how sensitive that is."
To say waves of moe filled the room at that suggestive statement would have been an understatement of epic proportions. Hikaru's embrace lingered through the first few screeching comments about their 'amazing brotherly love' and Kaoru couldn't help but at least enjoy the closeness, even if he refused to read anything further into it than truly brotherly love. Not long after, though, Hikaru released him leaving them both to be swallowed in a tide of questions about just how sensitive Kaoru's body really was and all of the 'oohing' and 'awwhing' the ladies could get in before it was time for them to switch customers.
--
"What's the matter with you, Kaoru?" Kaoru knew his twin well –well was a terrible oversimplification- and was certain that he hadn't meant the question to sound as accusing as it had come out. But his lips were pursed in confusion as he leaned over the library table towards Kaoru.
"What do you mean?" Kaoru was playing dumb, he knew he'd been a little distant, but he had no intentions of voicing just what was wrong. He wouldn't place the kind of guilt on Hikaru he knew there would be if he were to say he was lonely. Hikaru moved even closer, his change in expression was small but Kaoru noticed it: Hikaru knew he was lying.
"Usually I can tell exactly what you're thinking but lately I don't know anything!" Hikaru had raised his voice a little too much and other Ouran Academy library patrons took notice, a few of them were fan girls whom suddenly found their studies much less important.
"Hikaru, you're imagining things," Kaoru assured him; if nothing else, the library was no place to talk about something like that. Hikaru's eyebrows creased and he shook his head, still completely disbelieving but apparently he had come to the same conclusion. To dissuade any thoughts of brotherly quarrels Kaoru smiled and Hikaru followed suit, standing back and walking around the table. He sank into a chair next to Kaoru and slung an arm up over his shoulder, propping his weight on his twin.
"What're you doing anyway?" He asked.
"Nothing really." Kaoru grinned at Hikaru and set his pencil aside, things were normal for a moment, but still…
It will all turn back into that same old grubby pumpkin.