[ In celebration of Kaoru and Hikaru's birthday, I wrote up a short story for them! ^^ ]
[ short story : Happy Birthday ]
As per usual, the Hitachiin twins entered their classroom and went straight to Miyuki's table. This had become somewhat of a daily routine now, despite the reactions it elicited from everyone else. Never mind how giggly it made Miyuki's friends who immediately parted from around the black-haired girl to make way for her boyfriend. Never mind how quiet it made Hikaru.
The older twin didn't mind it all too much—this was just a pit stop before they went to their usual seats. So he let his brother have this lovey dovey time with his girlfriend before class would start while Hikaru lingered next to him and waited for it to be over. Sometimes he chatted with anyone nearby, sometimes he didn't.
"Hey, Miyuki," Kaoru said with that ridiculously bright smile he always had whenever he saw her. Since she was sitting, he had to lean down to place a gentle kiss on her cheek. Rising, he smiled to her friends. "I hope we're not interrupting anything."
Toki, Akira and Misako didn't hesitate to give a chorus of, "Nope. Go ahead. Interrupt away!"
The shy girl blushed from both the affectionate and the prospect of the teasing she knew she would endure once Kaoru and Hikaru left. Then she looked up suddenly as if she remembered something. "Kaoru, can we go on a date tomorrow? After your host duties, of course," she inquired, sounding excited.
The corners of Kaoru's lips dropped slightly, not enough to be noticed by someone who didn't pay close attention. "Oh... actually, Hikaru and I have things to do tomorrow. How about the day after next?" He reached out to hold her hand.
"O-Oh, okay." Miyuki nodded and squeezed his hand gently.
Hikaru watched the exchange in silence. A thought crossed his mind but before he could work up the will to say it, someone cleared their throat behind him. He turned. "Haruhi, hi!" With a newfound smile, he stopped leaning against his classmate's desk.
The other ginger smiled too. "We should head to our seats now. I'll text you tonight, Miyuki." He leaned down to kiss her cheek again but she turned her face at the last minute so his lips landed on hers instead. He rose, looking a little surprised but chuckled at the shy smile the other wore. She did that on purpose.
"See you, Haruhi!" the two boys said simultaneously before walking away. Haruhi smiled and waved to them, settling into her own seat next to Miyuki. The other girls bid them goodbyes as well before converging to greet Haruhi next.
[ — ]
Hikaru didn't mention that thought of his until later that night as the brothers were going to bed. At least, he was. Kaoru was sitting at the edge of the bed, messaging his girlfriend on the phone. Standing at the entrance of their bathroom, Hikaru watched him. The phone buzzed, Kaoru pressed on a button, and then smiled to himself.
"Let's go to bed already," Hikaru grumbled, walking over and then starting to crawl under the covers. "I can't sleep with the lights on."
"Alright, alright..." Despite saying that, it took another five minutes before Kaoru finally put down his coral-coloured phone. Lying down, he pulled the covers over himself. "Hey, so what shall we do tomorrow, Hikaru?"
The older twin paused, remembering what he wanted to say earlier. "Maybe you should go on that date instead."
"Hm? But it's our birthday."
"Yeah, you didn't tell Miyuki, did you?"
Kaoru shrugged. "I don't want to make a big deal out of it. Besides, we always spend our birthdays together." He grinned calmly, eyes already falling half-lidded.
But Hikaru knew how in love those two were. He knew his brother probably did want to spend his birthday with Miyuki, maybe just as much as he wanted to spend it with Hikaru. He felt his heart clench. Was he kind of cockblocking his brother?
"What?"
Kaoru had always been good at reading people and he noticed immediately that his twin had something on his mind. Feeling guilty but trying to hide it, Hikaru smirked. "You said it yourself, we spend all our birthdays together. Go and spend this one with your girlfriend."
It was the younger's turn to pause. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah." Hikaru turned over onto his other side. "Night, Kao."
"Night, Hikaru." Was it just him or did Kaoru sound secretly happy then?
The younger fell asleep before the older and when that happened, Hikaru was still quite wide awake. He heard as the other's breathing slowed considerably. When he was sure Kaoru was asleep, Hikaru sat up in bed. He sighed.
He reached over his brother's sleeping form to grab the coral-coloured phone. Tiptoeing to the bathroom, he pressed on a button to see the time. It was late. But he took his chances and called Miyuki anyway. Thankfully, she picked up.
"Kaoru?" her groggy voice sounded at the other end of the line.
"It's Hikaru, actually."
"O-oh." There was a ruffling before she spoke again. "Why are you calling me on Kaoru's phone?"
"I didn't have your number." He smirked audibly. "I'm kind of surprised you'd wake up to answer his call though, Miyuki. You must really like him."
"H-hey, Hikaru-kun!"
Her embarrassment showed in her tone. It made the other snigger. "Relax, forget the honorifics. Anyway, you know what tomorrow is, right?" he asked nonchalantly, leaning against the sink.
"Your birthdays," she said without hesitation. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to try and interfere with your plans."
"Yeah, well, whatever. I told Kaoru to spend it with you instead."
"What?"
Hikaru rolled his eyes. Why did she have to be so nice? It made it difficult to be angry with her for taking his brother away from him. "Look, I get it. With school and everything, after club activities is the only chance you two get alone time. I see him all the time."
"Are you sure?"
"Seriously, you and Kao both? Yeah, I'm sure." He actually chuckled a little then.
Miyuki giggled with him and said with unhidden cheeriness, "Th-thank you, Hikaru."
"Tsk, whatever. Night, Miyuki."
[ — ]
The next day, the couple didn't get to talk before class started so Miyuki decided to give the present when recess rolled along. "Happy birthday, Kaoru!" she said when she rushed over to his desk right after the teacher left.
The boy in question looked surprised but it was a pleasant feeling. She knew! "Thanks, Miyuki." He stood and pulled her into a hug. She broke their embrace to give him a kiss which he happily returned deeply.
Hikaru at the table next to him deadpanned. "Get a room, you two."
Blushing, the two pulled apart. "Happy birthday to you too, Hikaru. I, uh, made you guys a cupcake." She had kept her hands carefully behind her the whole time but she held them out now, a small circular cupcake in her grasp.
Kaoru took it from her, smiling down at it nostalgically. It looked just like the ones they made for the bake sale that had brought them together.
"I didn't know what you like, Hikaru, so I hope you don't mind vanilla with a lot of whipped cream." She giggled, cheeks pink. "Kaoru likes whipped cream."
The older Hitachiin quirked an eyebrow. "It's for me too?"
"Yeah, of course."
He murmured a thank you while the younger twin split the cupcake in half, handing one portion (the one with less whipped cream) to his brother. "Happy birthday, brother!"
"Hm, happy birthday, Kao."
They ate at the same time, looking even more identical, Miyuki noted. Kaoru ended up with some whipped cream at one corner of his mouth which she pointed out with a giggle. He reached up to clean it but Hikaru grabbed his hand suddenly. He gave the younger a sly look. "Let me," he said lowly as he used his own finger to wipe off the cream which he then licked off with his tongue.
Immediately, excited cries from their watching fangirls erupted. Things along the lines of "Did you see what Hikaru did?!" and "And right in front of Kaoru's girlfriend too!" could be heard.
Miyuki was blushing at the scene she just witnessed (and the reactions around her) but her smile was more amused than awkward. Playing along, Kaoru looked away. "I have to go now, Hikaru... I'll see you later."
With a sad sigh, the older ginger released the hand. "Later." He nodded to Miyuki and went to where Haruhi was rolling her eyes at them.
Kaoru, on the other hand, grinned brightly to his girlfriend before leading them out of the classroom. They chatted the whole way to the fountain which had somehow become their unspoken spot in the Academy.
When they sat down at the sides of the fountain, he asked, "So what do you think we should do today, Miyuki?"
"What do you want to do, birthday boy?"
He thought about it. "Hm, I don't know. Hikaru and I usually just wing it." He let out a chuckle.
Strangely silent, the black haired girl took a bite of her onigiri. He could tell she wanted to say something and after she swallowed, she did. "Maybe you should hang out with him today, Kaoru. You share the same birthday, after all."
"Hmm," Kaoru hummed aloud thoughtfully before breaking out in wholehearted laughter. When he finally finished, he pretended to wipe imaginary tears from his eyes. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you both don't want me around today."
"Huh? Th-that's not what I meant at all!" she protested.
But Kaoru wasn't done with his train of thought, tapping his chin. "My brother wants me to spend this day with my girlfriend and my girlfriend want me to spend it with my brother!" He laughed again.
Miyuki blushed at the attention he was drawing to them. "You guys are so close. I don't want to steal you away from him or something..."
"No one is stealing me from anyone." The boy stroked the other's black hair gently. "I'm seeing you after club activities today, okay, Miyuki? No arguments. There's a new Italian restaurant I want to try out."
[ — ]
Miyuki made her way to said restaurant right after school club activities that evening but to her surprise, a different auburn haired boy was waiting outside. "Hikaru?" she called out hesitantly as she neared him.
Hearing his name, the boy turned around with an expression of surprise. "Miyuki? What are you doing here?"
"Kaoru said to meet here. And you?"
A hint of annoyance made its way onto his face. "Tsk, not this again... Hey, how'd you know it was me anyway?"
The small girl played with her fingers, making him notice the two flat boxes in her hands. "Kaoru doesn't usually wear bright colours," she answered, glad that her gamble paid off.
"Hey, guys!"
They both turned to the source of the voice to see an identical ginger racing up to them, a phone clutched in one hand. "Sorry for the wait. I—"
"He forgot his phone in the car so we had to get the driver to come all the way back here so he could get it," Hikaru explained for his brother, if only to get to his own point faster. "Just what are you trying to pull here, Kao?" he asked snippily.
The younger twin smiled innocently but he knew better. After all, this wasn't the first time Kaoru tricked him into doing something. Confused, Miyuki looked between them. "H-hey, if you forgot our plans, it's okay, Kaoru. We'll just see each other another time."
"No way!" he quickly replied, looking as calm as ever. Standing between them and facing the restaurant entrance, he swung an arm around his brother's shoulders and the other around his girlfriend's waist. "I want to spend today with my two favourite people, not either one."
"I'm not sure if this is a good idea," Hikaru muttered somewhat hesitantly.
Miyuki shifted her weight, adjusting the boxes in her hands. "Yeah, Kaoru. You had plans with Hikaru first so I understand."
With a groan, Kaoru released them both so he could face them. "That's the thing. You both want me to spend time with the other because you know I want to. Well, don't make me choose—ever. Let's just try and spend today with the three of us. It might be a little awkward since you two haven't really hung out before but we all have to start somewhere. Please? It can be my birthday present." He made a pleading face, knowing he'd already won them over.
The girl exhaled, fiddling with her fingers and turning to the older twin. "Well, I'm willing to if you are, Hikaru."
How was he supposed to deny that? Whatever, it wasn't like he had different plans anyway... "Alright," he consented.
"Well then, if that's your birthday present, I guess you don't need this." Waving the boxes in her hands, she smiled innocently.
Kaoru's eyes widened excitedly. "No fair! I didn't think you got me anything." He reached around her to make a grab for the presents.
"Of course, I did."
After a bit more of teasing back-and-forth between the couple, Miyuki finally gave one box to her boyfriend who immediately tore through the coral-coloured wrapping and opened the box. The wrapping ended up in a nearby trashcan. Hikaru rolled his eyes, watching his twin with an amused smile. "Couldn't you wait till we get home?"
"Oh!" Miyuki cried, remembering him. She almost forgot, seeing how cute Kaoru was. She handed the other box, wrapped in light blue, to the other birthday boy. "I wanted to ask Kaoru to pass it to you but since you're here..." She shrugged, blushing a little.
Still mildly in shock, Hikaru took the gift from her. Since his brother had already gotten a head start, he unraveled his present as well. Right then, Kaoru pulled out a dark red hooded sweater from his box. He chuckled. "We're nearing summer though, silly!"
"It's actually thin enough to be worn in any cool weather," Miyuki told him, reaching out to feel the material demonstratively.
The older twin was opening his box while the couple interacted. Inside the box was another piece of clothing but different. He pulled it out. It was a navy blue jacket with white lining which was very nice and stylish, admittedly. It also wasn't something Kaoru would wear.
"Do you like it, Hikaru?"
The voice pulled him out of his thoughts. Hikaru looked at the bright and slightly nervous face of his brother's girlfriend. His brother himself was pretending to fold the sweater but Hikaru knew Kaoru was listening. Said sweater looked nice too but it wasn't something Hikaru would wear. Either Miyuki got lucky or she really did think their presents through. Speaking of which, she didn't have to get him a gift too... But she did.
"It's great, Miyuki," he answered honestly, smiling smally. "Thanks."
The black haired girl breathed a small sigh of relief. The boys repacked their gifts into the now-unwrapped boxes and they headed into the restaurant with Kaoru in the lead. He had to be. Both these people cared for him deeply and he never wanted to ever choose between them. Life would be a lot easier if they got along just fine. The problem was that Hikaru was too stubborn to do something different and Miyuki was too shy to take the initiative. So what was he to do?
In addition, he knew he had been drifting apart from Hikaru bit by bit since he got into a relationship. The Hitachiins used to spend all their time with each other, inseparable. Kaoru wanted to be independent but he didn't want to completely lose his twin. And he was serious about Miyuki too.
So the younger ginger got them a table for three in the not-so-busy restaurant and set the two gifts on the floor under the table. Since it was just the three of them, it was impossible for one not to sit next to the other two—not that they considered it. But no one could deny the slight awkwardness in the air.
They placed their orders and were served a small basket of garlic bread while they waited. Kaoru pulled it to him immediately and started to chow down.
His older twin wrinkled his nose at the sight. Normally, he wouldn't be so disgruntled but maybe this whole situation was making his meaner side come out. "Hey, share some, would you? That's for us too," he remarked sarcastically.
Miyuki spoke up with slight sheepishness, "No, I'm okay. Kaoru knows I'm not a fan of garlic bread. You go ahead, Hikaru."
Hikaru looked at her. "You don't like garlic bread?"
"It's always been too garlic-y for me," she answered awkwardly, fiddling with her fingers on her lap.
The younger boy paused long enough to say, "Hikaru's always thought so too. Look at that, you two have something in common! Besides me, of course."
"Really?" Miyuki looked confused but then covered her mouth with a hand to suppress a giggle. "But Kaoru told me you both love Italian food!"
Hikaru made a face before smirking, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back in his seat. "Yeesh, Kao, you talk about me to your girlfriend? That's a little weird." Receiving a groaned out retort that sounded like, "Whatever!" he chuckled. "Well, can't be as weird as your appetite, I guess. Honestly, do you have a stomach or an abyss?"
It was the girl's turn to laugh, this time more openly. "He should've seen you that day back in Okinawa." She turned to Hikaru. "Kaoru was eating all the condiments the whole time we were making cakes for that bake sale." She laughed again at the memory, feeling more at ease.
"Trust me, I know all about how much my brother can eat, Miyuki. It's a miracle he could still look half as good as me."
As the other two made fun of him, Kaoru glared at them. "Hey, are you two teaming up against me now?" He couldn't hide the amused grin that crept to his lips though. Despite his words, he knew his plan was a success. They would get along just fine... As the early dinner progressed, things got even better. Conversation was easy and the food was good. What wasn't to like?
[ — ]
Kaoru looked up when he heard the door to the bathroom close and saw his brother walking over to their shared bed. The younger boy still had his phone in his hands. "Sorry. I'm almost d—"
"What, that make-out session wasn't enough of a goodbye? Nah, take your time," Hikaru told him, waving one hand dismissively while the other suppressed a yawn. "I'm so beat, I think I can sleep even if the sun were in our room."
The other snorted but made no retort as Hikaru snuggled into the covers without another word. Kaoru looked back at his coral-coloured phone. He pressed on the buttons to continue messaging. "I really am glad we all got to spend this birthday together."
"Me too. Did Hikaru? I'm scared to ask him myself," came Miyuki's reply.
"I know he did, trust me. It's impossible to not like you!" He added a heart-shaped emoticon for good measure. "Hey, Miyuki?"
"Yeah?"
Kaoru had the messaged typed out, "I love you" but didn't send it immediately. He hadn't been able to say the words to her when she confessed to him and she had never pressured for him to say it. So was this too sudden? But he was sure now...
BEEP.
Before he realized it, the older Hitachiin had reached over his shoulder and pressed the send button for him.
"Hikaru!"
The older twin finished chuckling and smirked. "What? We both know it's true, Kao. And you're not the only one who can give the other a little push."
"But—" His phone buzzed, stealing his attention immediately.
"I love you too."
Kaoru felt his lips stretch into a smile but next to him, his brother snorted. "As if you didn't know already." Just like that, Hikaru pulled their blanket over himself again with his back turned to the other. Maybe this wasn't as bad as he thought, after all. He heard the sound of Kaoru putting his phone down on the bedside table and the ruffling as he crawled under the blanket as well.
Then he heard his voice. "Happy birthday to us, Hikaru. Love you."
"Yeah, yeah, I love you too, Kao." The older boy turned over in his spot so he faced Kaoru who already had his eyes closed—and that ridiculous smile on his face. "Happy birthday to us."