Author's Note: I am so, so sorry that this took me so long to update. I haven't gotten around to planning it all out as much as I usually do with my stories, so that was a bit of problem. Plus, I've been super busy with work and school and homework and what I pitifully refer to as a social life, and I've been plagued with an insane case of writer's block lately. Hopefully updating will be a lot more expedient in the future, but please try to be patient. I'm trying my best.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this!

Second Sky:

Session 002: "Make Perfect"

"He's even stranger than we thought," Hikaru and Kaoru muttered to themselves as their upperclassman, and new club president, continued his speech on what he referred to as the Ouran High School Host Club.

Tamaki was gesturing floridly, his concerned tone clearly exaggerated as he spoke of the club's duty.

The twins missed almost every word of it, focused more so on the blonde's strange behavior than the actual message of his speech. They did, however, get what this "most honorable cause" he was blathering on about was. They did know what a host club was, after all. What confused Hikaru, and therefore also plagued Kaoru, he assumed, was that it was, indeed, a host club. Weren't the members of these things usually female?

"And that, is where you come in," Tamaki crooned with a bright, charming smile. "Catering to the needs of fans of the 'little devil' type - the Hitachiin brothers, terrorizing the masses with ingenious pranks while fostering their forbidden love!"

"For...?" the twins inquired together.

Tamaki paused, mid-florish, to blink at the identical boys in front of him. Laughing to himself, he dropped one hand to his side, flicking a lock of hair out of his eyes with the other as a delighted smile softened his expression.

"Why, each other, of course."

Hikaru chuckled nervously, his twin remaining silent beside him.

"You're kidding," he muttered.

"Right?" Kaoru finished.

The blonde's smile morphed into a smirk as he answered.

"Mother," he drawled, making a sweeping gesture towards a dark-haired, bespectacled teen who sat silently across the room, "would you care to explain?"

With every passing second, Tamaki seemed more and more odd. Hikaru had always doubted the older boy's sanity, as had Kaoru. What, with his strange manner of speaking and flowery gestures, it was only natural to suspect that something was not quite right.

And now...

Now he wanted twin brothers to pretend to be in love with each other?

And had he just called Kyouya 'mother'?

"According to recent polls, a growing percentage of the female population fantasizes about male-male relationships. The appeal becomes even more magnanimous when you add in the breaking of a taboo," Kyouya rattled off, all business as he flipped through the crisp pages of the notebook that was perched so carefully in his lap.

Hikaru stole a glance at his brother, their aurous eyes locking in a silent exchange.

Both agreed.

This was strange. This was very strange, and most certainly had the potential to become very, very awkward.

However...it also had the potential to be incredibly amusing.

Shrugging, Hikaru sighed, "How hard can it be?"

"We just sit around," Kaoru added.

"Making goo-goo eyes at each other,"

"For about an hour each day?"

"Wrong," Kyouya's sharp voice cut in, earning a surprised glance from the twins. "This act must be kept up any time you are in the public eye. Our customers must believe the two of you are actually in love."

"Which means you can never be caught out of character," the blonde continued, "Which also means that your act must be as polished as possible." His tone was, for once, serious, and Hikaru threw a questioning glance at his brother.

Another implicit exchange.

Tamaki watched expectantly. Kyouya ignored them.

Kaoru shrugged, the soft action failing to capture the attention of anyone, aside from Hikaru. Even had the other two teens caught the shrug, it's meaning would have been lost to them, as it was silent, finding expression only in the soft glow of his golden eyes.

"Practice makes perfect."

Hikaru's eyes widened in shock as he glared pointedly at Kaoru, who merely repeated that slight shrug of his.

"What?" The older twin mouthed silently.

Again, Kaoru shrugged.

Rolling his eyes, Hikaru continued to glare.

He'd been fine with this, perfectly fine, right up until Tamaki had mentioned polishing their act, practicing. How far was he planning on taking this?

How far was he, how far was Kaoru willing to let it go?

Turning away from his brother, Hikaru sighed inwardly. This was going get messier than he'd thought. He could feel it.

"Hikaru…" Kaoru murmured, reaching over to place a concerned hand on his brother's shoulder. "We don't have to…"

The older twin sighed. No, they didn't have to. But, Kaoru wanted to. For whatever reason – Hikaru was frightened by the fact that he did not know this reason – Kaoru wanted to.

And if Kaoru wanted something, Hikaru made sure he got it. That was the way it had always been. That was the way it always would be, no matter what large-nosed ex-therapists had to say about it.

"It's okay," Hikaru whispered before turning to the two upperclassmen. "We're in."

"Bravo!" Tamaki cried, leaping into the air triumphantly. "Let the practice begin then!"

"Now?!" both twins groaned.

"Best to get in as much practice as possible, no?" the blonde said with an effortless shrug, "So yes, now. Let's see it then."

"See what?"

"Anything. Convince me though. A kiss might be best…"

"Kiss!" Hikaru and Kaoru cried.

"Isn't it…"

"Too soon?"

Their question was thrown at Kyouya, who was clearly more sensible than this Tamaki, but the dark haired boy was simply too preoccupied with his notebook to answer.

When they returned their attention to the blonde, he merely regarded them with expectation, remaining both silent and completely oblivious to the absurdity of his request.

Hikaru felt his brother's gaze slide over to him, and in the edge of his sight he caught Kaoru's sly little smirk, and one of his own gleamed in his amber eyes.

Waving a hand dismissively in Tamaki's face, he sighed, "Your powers of persuasion have convinced us, Lord Tamaki."

He turned towards Kaoru, as Tamaki nodded slightly in satisfaction, missing the sarcasm that had dripped from every syllable of Hikaru's statement.

"Ready?" he asked.

Kaoru nodded shyly, raising a hand to bite nervously at his nails.

Tutting softly, Hikaru gently clasped Kaoru's hand, pulling it to his heart and smiling.

"Now, now brother. You'll ruin your perfect, slender fingers."

"They're not…"

"Sh…everything about you is perfect, Kaoru," Hikaru murmured huskily, raising his brother's hand and placing it on his cheek.

He leaned closer then, and their mouths hovered above contact.

And then, Hikaru hesitated.

It was his stomach. His stomach had knotted up, and was churning and bubbling, brewing up heat in his gut. The heat settled, low in his abdomen, purring contentedly and pressing for…something.

His lungs felt small, and weak, and he strained to keep his breath from shaking.

The thought crept into his mind that he did not want to do this, not anymore. Now, he wanted to stray from their decided path.

He wanted to…but Kaoru's questioning gaze, framed with pale lace lashes, stopped him.

And so, Hikaru leaned forward, a fraction closer. He heard his twin's – or, perhaps his own – breath hitch in something akin to anticipation, some distant cousin of its marriage to nervousness, and he lifted his gaze slowly.

As two, matching pairs of warm, honey eyes locked, that heat pooled in Hikaru's gut once more, and he felt his brother's hand tremble against his cheek.

Smirking, he nodded ever so slightly, and Kaoru's hand steadied.

As two, matching sets of fingers pinched two, matching pairs of cheeks, Hikaru and Kaoru pursed their lips and fluttered their eyelashes at eachother, making wet, kissing noises that sent Tamaki whirling over to the corner of the room, where he sunk into a pathetic, sulking heap.

Hikaru swore he saw a chuckle struggle to slip past Kyouya's thin, serious lips as he and his brother erupted with laughter of their own.

Their joy died slowly, and Tamaki spent the entirety of the twin's celebration in that corner, his mind clearly trying to work through something.

Hikaru paid him no mind, instead relishing the snicker that lingered on his lips, throwing an arm casually, lazily about his brother's shoulders and slumping into a more comfortable position.

Once the twins' laughter had subsided, Tamaki rose, brushing hair out of his face and striding over to them confidently, as if his small fit had never taken place.

"A wonderful performance," he sighed, "though your small prank did mar it quite a bit. Other than that, it was quite convincing. Now, shall we begin again? From the top."

Kaoru glanced at his brother, whose brow rose sharply as his mind worked through the possibilities.

They could humor this strange blonde, if they were so inclined.

But if they did…if this played out in the right way…

Hikaru couldn't shake away the thoughts that plagued him in that instant of consideration – thoughts of heat and amber eyes, pale lashes and shaking breath and trembling hands.

And so they would not humor this strange blonde.

"Now, now," he sighed, swiftly withdrawing his arm from its perch on Kaoru's shoulders. "If we did so well just then, what's the point in practicing so much?"

Snorting indignantly, Tamaki tilted his face upwards and waved at the twin.

"I'd prefer some sort of insurance that this type of thing will not occur again. Your act must be seamless, Hikaru. Seamless. No seams!"

"We'll practice at home, alright?" Hikaru snapped, leaping to his feet and glaring at the older boy, hands clenched in fists at his side. "But now, we're leaving. Kaoru!"

Scowling, Hikaru stalked towards the door, not bothering to wait for his twin to follow.

"Hikaru!" Kaoru called as the door slammed shut behind them and Hikaru began pacing the hall angrily.

"Who does he think he is, huh? Bossing us around like that!" Hikaru growled, whirling around to face his brother.

"Hika - "

"He's almost as bad as that damn Dr. Wakeru! If only Mother could get him fired…"

"Hikaru," Kaoru chided softly, reaching out to grab Hikaru's hand, gently squeezing it twice before pulling his twin closer and resting his head on Hikaru's shoulder. "There's no reason to be this upset. Tamaki is just trying to make this host club as perfect as possible. He doesn't know…"

"You're right," Hikaru murmured, gaze sliding over to watch his brother. His mouth dried as he tried desperately not to focus on the way Kaoru's breath billowed against his shoulder. Stepping back abruptly, he allowed the other boy's head to fall from its perch and shook his head slightly, trying to clear it from those thoughts again.

What in the world was coming over him? He couldn't think straight, and every tiny thing Kaoru did…

Scoffing to himself, Hikaru turned on his heel and headed down the hallway, stopping only when Kaoru refused to follow, whispering his name and tugging on his arm slightly.

"We're not really going to practice…are we?" Kaoru asked softly, raising concerned eyes to his brother.

Only one thought entered Hikaru's mind then.

Practice makes perfect.

"No," he snapped. "Of course not. That's absurd."

Kaoru smiled, and Hikaru shivered inwardly at the fact that he could not, for the life of him, figure out if the smile was forced.