We've crossed a barrier now, and there's no going back to how we were before. We tried, and we failed. And honestly, I don't think either of us wants to go back anymore. Kaoru needed time to work out his own thoughts, and I, well… I always knew what I wanted. It's pretty fitting of us, the planner and the impulsive twin. I know we shouldn't want to be together, that it's not natural, it's wrong, and all the other things people say, but I always think back to what Kaoru told me the first night he kissed me: "We've never been like other people or cared to follow their rules. Why start now?" We've always known we are different. We can't follow everyone else's rules because we aren't like them. We've lived a different life, a life where it was just us two. Our parents were hardly around, other children didn't understand us, our maids barely knew us, so it was just Kaoru and me. I can't help feeling that it was always meant to be just him and me, just Hikaru and Kaoru.
I sit up on the edge of the bed, and Kaoru slides up behind me, resting against my back. We allow ourselves to sit that like, just for a couple minutes, before dressing, getting a late breakfast and heading to school to set up the dance. When we arrive, people are already milling about, quick at work. Our job is to help put up decorations for our stereotypical "winter wonderland" theme, so we jump to work lifting giant snowflakes to hang on the walls. In reality, they should have probably hired party planners, because none of us has ever worked a day in our lives and we have no idea what we're doing. But at least we have Boss calling out instructions and running the show to entertain us, as he dramatically throws himself at one thing or another. The snowflakes "need to be lifted with a more delicate flare," the tables "should be the most romantic tables that have ever been seen," the windows "should be frosted with the cool love of a warm winter's night." Literally none of us have any idea what romance novel garbage he's spouting, but it's fun to watch him flit around, perturbing anyone trying to get actual work done.
At one point, Kaoru nearly hammers his hand into a wall. As I grab a hold of his on the ladder to check if he's ok, I can sense people watching. I've been playing the host games long enough to feel their eyes on me, and sure enough, a group of girls have gathered to watch us work. I could play the game now, put on a show for them since they came all this way to see something, but truthfully I don't think I need to try to put on a show, because I'm all worry as Kaoru keeps narrowly avoiding death while getting these ornaments up.
"Everything is ruined! The dance will never work!" Comes the overdramatic vibrato of Tamaki Suo. He's holding the back of his hand against his forehead, as if he could faint at any moment. Knowing Tamaki, it's hard to tell if he's putting on a show or actually so distressed the dance isn't perfect he might actually faint.
"What is it Boss?" Kaoru calls out. He shifts a little on the ladder towards Tamaki without thinking, and I immediately grab his legs and pin him down.
"How can we possibly have the most romantic and unbelievable night of our lives…with this!" Tamaki flings opens the double doors to the ballroom, and we hear the faintest squeak. By the look on Tamaki's face, you would assume he just witnessed someone torturing a puppy.
"If we just get some WD-40 at the store we can fix that, it's really ok Tamaki," Haruhi says, patting him on the shoulder.
"Yes, of course!" He throws his arm up as if he's totally on top of it and Haruhi smiles, walking off. He holds her eyes until she's back to working on her project, then he's shaking our ladder because apparently no one has punched him in the face yet today.
"Hey, stop it, what's wrong with you?" I yell. He immediately shushes me, and makes a motion for us to come down.
"Kick him in the face a little on the way down," Kaoru mutters, and we slide down the ladder, fireman style because we're just that cool.
"What is it Boss?" I ask, while helping Kaoru down the last few rungs of the ladder.
"As I'm sure you saw, Haruhi has put her trust in my hands to save the school dance!" Tamaki's hair is blowing majestically back - we really have to tell them to cool it on the "winter weather fans." We don't even need to say anything to validate his insane, grandiose delusions for him to continue, "she has trusted me to find W480-"
"WD-40," Kaoru corrects.
"-WM-30 at the store." Tamaki takes a look around really quick, then creeps closer, motioning for me to bring my ear close. I roll my eyes but Kaoru pushes me forward, smiling, right into his arms.
"What is this thing she speaks of, and which store do I buy it at?"
It's amazing, all the things Kaoru and I know from supplying our various pranks. "It's WD-40, and you get it at those big commoner stores where they sell all the things they use in their homes. It's an aerosol lubricating oil. Just ask someone at the store to help you."
Tamaki pulls back and nods at me with a self-assured look on his face, and part of me is convinced we will never see him again. But it turns out even better. He comes back forty minutes later, a beaming look on his face, yelling something about saving the dance to literally no one listening.
"I found it! Haruhi's going to be so proud! I went through a commoner store, just like her! It was such an adventure! Do you know they have whole aisles dedicated to light bulbs? The things they find interesting…"
I'm so bored by this conversation I decide I either have to fix the door myself or jump to my death off this ladder.
"Where's the stuff," Kaoru slides down the ladder and puts his hand out.
Tamaki slams a box on Kaoru's hand, and we both look at it puzzled. Tamaki must have noticed our looks, because he immediately replied, "the guy at the store was really helpful. I asked for lubricating oil and he said I would enjoy this one."
It was a box with individual packets of sex lubricant. This was the best thing that ever happened to me. I'm getting ready to ruin Tamaki's life in front of everyone, but then I see Haruhi coming over with a bright look in her eyes. Kaoru takes the box out of my hand and puts it by his side.
"Hey, want to see how the catering is coming along?"
"I'll be right there," Tamaki says, and as Haruhi walks off he turns to us, with a rare serious look in his eyes, and says, "thanks for taking this seriously and helping out. I really want this to be perfect. I mean, it's Haruhi's first big school dance…" He drifts off watching Haruhi direct the caterers, and I realize I really, really want to help him make this perfect.
As always, Kaoru is two steps ahead of me, as he says, "no problem Boss. We'll fix that door right up."
Tamaki smiles a rare, genuine, non-dramatic true smile, and I find myself smiling back. Moments like these remind me why I was originally drawn to him. As someone who was so closed off to the world and my own emotions, I was at first baffled by his openness, then drawn to it like a moth to light. He put out his feelings and thoughts for anyone to grasp and it didn't seem to make him feel weak or embarrassed. If anything, it made him powerful, because it drew people to him, people who dreamed of feeling just as brilliantly happy or insanely excited or even overwhelmingly sad, because to feel just ten percent of what he did would be a gift.
I used to desperately follow him, hoping I could absorb just an ounce of what he felt, to make up for the desolate void of emotions within me. Now, I feel I can relate to him. There's something about this night, and I kind of hate myself for saying it, that feels magical. A shiver of excitement runs down my spine and I grab the box from Kaoru and walk over to the door to shake my thoughts.
We spend most of the time giggling, but in the end the lube works on the squeaky door. As we sit back against the door, I realize the ballroom is completely set up. It's almost time. I turn my head towards Kaoru, and he has a distant look in his eyes.
"Should we head back and get ready?" I ask. Kaoru sits still for a moment, then nods absentmindedly, before catching himself and saying, "yeah let's go." We head home, put on our tuxes, pick up Haruhi and Kimi, and head to the dance.
