Separation Anxiety
Chapter 01
Practice

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Even fumbling lips can be trained to be passionate
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Generally speaking, Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin were rarely seen apart from each other. There were, of course, a few exceptions to that rule. Being frightened half-to-death (a rarity in itself) was one exception. The other one was when duties needed to be done in a timely fashion so they could get back to what they loved doing the most—stealing the joy and happiness from others for themselves. Devilish humor was such fun!

That cloudy morning, their mother asked them to go outside; get some sunlight and exercise. She was, unfortunately, their mother. They had no choice but to wander aimlessly around the town. Neither Hikaru nor Kaoru watched the news that morning. Perhaps they should have, or maybe it was best that they didn't.

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"This is so boring!" grumbled Hikaru. He stretched awkwardly and frowned. "I wonder how long we're supposed to be walking."

"An hour, at least. I have a suspicious feeling that she'll 'send us to bed without any supper' if we go back before then." Kaoru gently patted the top of Hikaru's head. "So don't fret, okay? We've still got each other to entertain."

"That's true," said Hikaru in agreement. "We could also… you know… Enjoy ourselves a bit more. Do you see anyone we could torture? Someone we could make cry and run away screaming like a little girl?"

Kaoru pointed in the direction of an old church. "Looks like the service ended for that church."

Hikaru grinned widely. "Shall we play our Taboo Act?"

"Let's!"

Hikaru and Kaoru nearly skipped to the entrance of the church. After a quick survey to find the best place to stand, they decided to make the bottom of the stairs their stage. People walked by them without notice.

Then their Taboo Act began.

"Oh, Kaoru!" gasped Hikaru. He wrapped his arms around Kaoru's waist and pulled him close against his body. "How many times must I tell you, 'Never regret what you do because of love!'"

"But, Hikaru!" Kaoru's voice was full of 'desperation.' "Everyone says it's wrong! The two of us… We…"

Hikaru gently cupped Kaoru's face in his hands, and Kaoru looked shyly away. At this point, he noted that nearly everyone had stopped to stare at them. Aha, excellent he thought.

"It doesn't matter, Kaoru!" said Hikaru, voice full of love and determination. "It doesn't matter if who you love is a boy, or a girl. As long as you love them! And Kaoru, I love you! I don't need anyone else in my life!"

"Hikaru!"

Typically, this was the part where all of the customers of the Host Club would fawn over their Taboo Act. It was just as fulfilling to see the majority of people who had just left church with their mouths hanging open. A lot of them looked disgusted. So disgusted, in fact, that some left with hands over their mouths, as though to gag and throw up.

Hikaru leaned in close and rubbed his nose playfully against Kaoru's nose. He laughed, deciding it wasn't wise to freak these religious people out too much, and simply gave Kaoru a kiss on the nose.

"Hikaru," stammered Kaoru. "Not here! In public! People will see."

"That's fine, Kaoru. Let them see."

Kaoru tilted his head: a silent question of if their act was finished. Hikaru nodded and straightened, glancing around as he straightened his clothing.

From the side, a reporter and camera crew came running towards them, microphone extended like a sword. "You two," the man with the microphone screamed. "Tell us; is this your first confession of love?"

Hikaru and Kaoru glanced uncertainly at each other, and then back to the reporter. They tilted their heads, and said in unison, "Uhm… I guess? Why?"

"The two of you being in such deep, requited love is absolutely taboo, you know. How does it feel to come out in public as two homosexual twins?"

Hikaru laughed nervously, and Kaoru waved his hands in the air a bit. "No, no, you don't understand. We, uhm…" They looked at each other again, at a loss. They couldn't exactly say it was an act. Tamaki would be furious. Kyouya would think up ways to torture them worse than death.

"You are proclaiming undying love for each other, right?" He pushed the microphone up against Kaoru's mouth.

Kaoru opened his mouth to speak, but nothing intelligent or sensible came out. Hikaru grabbed the microphone and pulled it towards himself to speak. "Yes, we are. Now if you'll excuse us," he grabbed Kaoru's arm and took off running as fast as he could, dragging Kaoru along behind him.

They ran for nearly half a mile before they felt sure the cameraman and reporter weren't following them.

"I'm sorry," gasped Kaoru through winded breaths, "I just froze up."

"It's fine," said Hikaru. He glanced wearily in the direction of the church.

"The whole world is going to think we're actually… 'twincestuous.'"

"They'll just have to think that, won't they?" Hikaru placed his arms comfortingly on his brother's shoulders. "Now, quit worrying. Since when have we let what people think bother us?"

Kaoru bowed his head. "Never." He glanced up at Hikaru and returned his gaze to the pavement. "Kyouya will be content. Mother will… possibly kill us."

"Possibly. But, Kaoru…" He lifted Kaoru's chin and frowned worriedly at him. "Quit acting like this is your fault. It's not."

"I am the one who suggested we do our act in front of the church."

"Yeah, but… Kaoru! I agreed to it." When Kaoru refused to smile, he groaned loudly in frustration. "Cut it out, Kaoru! I hate being in this position! I'm supposed to be the one who gets all sad and quiet when something goes wrong—because it normally is my fault. This isn't your fault. Those idiots just happened to be there."

Kaoru laughed weakly. "Yeah." He wrapped his arms around Hikaru's waist and hugged him tightly. "Thanks. I really don't know what got into me. Sorry for loosing my cool, like that."

"It's fine, Kaoru. Just get back to your articulate self so I don't have to keep worrying about you." Hikaru hugged his brother and gently patted his head. "I understand how difficult your job as the submissive one in our relationship is."

Kaoru peered at him closely. "Submissive?"

"Kidding, kidding!" Hikaru grabbed Kaoru by the forearm and dragged him off again.

While trying to regain his balance, Kaoru hopped along after him. He blinked, realizing that he really was submissive. Well, not that he minded. "Where are we going?"

"Dunno," said Hikaru. "Somewhere. Preferably somewhere far away from news people. As your twin, I sense that you're not entirely happy again yet."

"But I am happy! You saved me from paparazzi." Kaoru nodded firmly. "I owe you my… I don't know. I owe you something that you'll really like and enjoy, how's that?"

Since they had been heading in that direction anyway, Hikaru led Kaoru to the entrance of the park. Little kids were running around like madmen near the swing sets, so Hikaru made his way to a quieter area. Just grass. And flowers. Something Kaoru would probably appreciate.

"I'd really like and enjoy you being happy," said Hikaru after a while. "Now smile, or we're going back home so mother can sentence us to bed without supper!"

Kaoru laughed—he couldn't help it. Hikaru made such cheesy and whimsical jokes that he couldn't help but smile again. "I love you…"

"I love you too." Hikaru tilted his head questioningly. "But you don't have to sound so sad about it."

"Eh? I sounded sad?"

"Yes, you sounded sad." Hikaru folded his hands behind is back and continued walking. "Maybe I'll sentence you to a week of torture. Death by tickling."

"Oh, no!" gasped Kaoru. "Not the tickling!"

"Yes!" shouted Hikaru. He advanced towards his brother, wriggling his fingers ominously. "For making your older brother worry so much, you are sentenced to a whole five minutes of tickling!"

"I—I'm not ticklish," stammered Kaoru, backing away playfully.

"Don't lie to me!" Hikaru rushed at Kaoru and stuck his arms under his brother's shirt, tickling his flesh. "Liars get an extra five minutes of tickling!"

"Ah—Ahaha—Stop!"

"No! You were sad! And you lied to me!" Hikaru cruelly tickled Kaoru's ribcage. Even when Kaoru sank to the ground in a fit of uncontained laughter, Hikaru sank with him and pursued.

"Stop—Hikaru! It—it hurts!" Kaoru collapsed onto his side, and when Hikaru finally pulled his fingers away, he laid there laughing through his heavy gasps of air.

Hikaru smiled. Forceful or not, he had gotten what he wanted. He grabbed Kaoru's hand and heaved him back into a standing position. Kaoru stumbled backward and almost collapsed onto the ground again. "Geeze," said Hikaru, trying to steady Kaoru with his hands. "You gonna live?"

"I'm—I'm fine," huffed Kaoru. "I guess next time, I shouldn't lie and say I'm not ticklish."

"I already knew that you were." Hikaru placed a hand on his hip and grinned. "Silly. Now, c'mon. Let's get you over there to a bench so you can breathe. Please don't vomit."

"I'm not gonna vomit," said Kaoru. Despite his statement, his voice wavered weakly. He followed Hikaru to the bench and sat heavily on it. He leaned his head on the backrest and closed his eyes. "I don't even remember laughing that hard."

"Mm. It's usually me laughing that hard. You just laugh all soft and refined."

"You shouldn't compare me to a girl. We're not just twins; we're identical twins. Insulting me is like insulting yourself."

"I suppose…" Hikaru sat carefully beside his brother. "Well, I've gotta do something to get you out of your slump, y'know? We can deal with whatever those idiots throw at us." He grabbed Kaoru's hand and squeezed it gently.

Kaoru turned to face his brother. "What are we going to do?"

"Well, we've got two options. I like the second one."

"…I like the second one too."

Hikaru laughed. "So, we agree to let the media be correct?"

Kaoru nodded. "Basically, it comes down to two people killing us."

"Yup," agreed Hikaru. "And quite frankly, Kyouya is much scarier than our mother."

"So…"

"So…"

"Should we… uhm… practice?" offered Hikaru.

"Well, it's with you, so it's okay."

"Okay," said Hikaru."

"Okay."

Hikaru coughed and looked aside. "Ah, geeze…"

"We're stalling."

"I'm nervous, okay!" Hikaru glanced at Kaoru and then looked away. "I haven't kissed anyone before." He paused. "I know you haven't either, so… What if you're a better kisser than I am?" He laughed.

Kaoru quirked a brow. "I doubt that."

"Okay," breathed Hikaru. He leaned in close. Kaoru waited patiently. "Uhm… How are we doing this? I just… press my mouth against yours, right?"

"That would be the basic idea of the kissing concept," agreed Kaoru. "I think it's supposed to be 'natural' and your body just knows what to do."

"You watch too many TV shows oriented towards girls," said Hikaru, a note of chiding in his voice.

"You're also supposed to close your eyes."

"How am I supposed to kiss your mouth if my eyes are closed? I don't see your eyes closed."

"We haven't kissed yet," Kaoru pointed out simply.

"Okay," breathed Hikaru. I can do this, he thought to himself. He tilted his head so that their noses wouldn't collide, and firmly pressed his mouth against Kaoru's. They stayed in that awkward position for a while. Kaoru's lips seem…smoother and softer than mine.

Hikaru opened his eyes—even though he didn't remember closing them—and gently pulled away. He looked at Kaoru, whose face was flushed red and eyes half-shut. "H—how was that?"

"Can… Can we do it again?"

Hikaru laughed. "Well, I guess that means I wasn't so terrible! Okay…" He placed his hands on Kaoru's shoulders. "Ready?"

"Mhmm…"

Hikaru leaned in for a second time, but paused when he noticed Kaoru's lips were already parted slightly. Hesitantly, he pressed his mouth against Kaoru's once more, sandwiching Kaoru's bottom lip between his own. When he opened his mouth to try and do the same to Kaoru's top lip, he accidentally brushed against Kaoru's tongue and pulled back in alarm.

"Oh—I'm sorry," stammered Hikaru. He swallowed thickly, trying to figure out what that sudden feeling of electric shock was. "Are you okay?"

Kaoru shifted to sit up straight. "I'm fine, Hikaru." He smiled. "That… was really nice. You know?"

"Ah… You think so?"

"Mhmm. I do." Kaoru rested his head on his brother's shoulder and closed his eyes. "Absolutely wonderful."

Hikaru looked down at him. "Your—Your lips… They're really smooth… and soft…"

"No, they're not, silly. We're identical twins. My lips are just as smooth and soft as yours are…" He closed his eyes and was quiet for a moment. "The sun's setting. We should probably go home soon."

"Yeah…" Hikaru grabbed his brother's hand and interlocked their fingers. "Should we still sleep in the same bed…?"

"I don't see anything wrong with it. Although, Mother will probably be against it if they put that footage on the news."

"You're right," murmured Hikaru. "Mm. I still think your lips are softer than mine."

Kaoru laughed. "You're so pigheaded at times. But all right, if you insist."

"Well, we really should get going." Hikaru wrapped his arms awkwardly around Kaoru's waist and hefted him up as he stood. "How about a ride?"

Kaoru wrapped his arms around his brother's neck—more out of fear of falling than from affection—and let Hikaru place his hands on the backs of his thighs to support his weight. "Don't drop me, Hikaru. If you drop me and I fall and die, you'll have to suffer Kyouya's wrath."

"Hikaru, you nitwit!" mimicked Hikaru. "You've completely ruined the Little Devils' act!"

Kaoru placed his chin on Hikaru's shoulder. "Exactly. Then he'd sue you. And you'd lose, because Kyouya's just awesome like that. He's his own lawyer. Although I don't think he'd call you a 'nitwit' exactly."

Hikaru shrugged. "Either way…" He shifted to better carry his brother, and started walking towards their mansion. Vaguely, he noted that his heart was beating faster than it probably should. Either from the kiss, or from the slowly deadening weight of his brother on his back, he didn't care. Kaoru was happy, and in turn, he was happy, too.

It took half an hour to return to their mansion, and by that time, Kaoru was sound asleep. His mouth was precariously close to Hikaru's neck, and every warm, wet breath made Hikaru squirm in an effort to control his heartbeat.

Hikaru kicked off his shoes once he made it inside, and then reached back to pull off Kaoru's. It was a difficult task with over a hundred pounds of dead weight preventing much movement, but he finally succeeded. Judging by the amount of shoes at the doorway, their mother was already gone. With their own shoes off, he carefully tiptoed as fast and as steady as possible up the stairs and to their room.

"I guess you must have been pretty tired to fall asleep on the way back, eh?" As carefully as he could, he deposited his brother on the bed. "I'm usually first to sleep, and first to wake."

He positioned Kaoru so that his head was resting on the pillows. "Geeze, you're a heavy sleeper, too." He hovered over Kaoru. "I hope you're not getting sick on me. I won't be able to torture you with tickling if that's the case."

Hikaru crawled on the bed and threw an arm protectively around Kaoru. "As your brother, your partner in crime, and as someone who cares for you deeply… It's my job to make sure you're happy and smiling. Okay?"

Kaoru mumbled incoherently in his sleep, and nestled his head under Hikaru's chin.

"Haha, see? You really are submissive." Hikaru smiled playfully. "Since Mom's not here, I'll have to do the punishing. Off to bed without dinner…" He closed his eyes. "We'll be up at four in the morning for going to bed so early."

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Author's Note: Yay! My very first Ouran story. It's also the first story where I've actually written about anyone kissing. So hah! Their constant stalling was mainly me. I got so flustered. Naught girl am I. Well, please review! And no, this is not a one-shot. Although it could be, if that's what everyone would prefer…