They're Own

Which one's Hikarou

"So who's who?" The red haired boy asked, grinning like a Cheshire. His green bowlers hat cover his hair part, the only physical distinction between himself and his twin, who leaned casually against him. The other boy smiled as well, a smile not quite as wide as his counter part, but just at exuberant.

Both boys had a mischievous aura, as well as confidence. Confidence that no one could win their game. That they'd stay forever together only belonging to one another. They waited for the wrong answer.

But in the small gap where their backs didn't touch I could see their hands tightly grasp one another's. Hoping for the right one.

So I told them the truth. The one that would break another piece off their already crumbling hearts. 
"I don't know."

And they laughed.

"Of course you don't know," one of the twins laughed, slapping his knee in his jest. "No one has every won our game, we're the champions!" He and his brother than started to sing in poorly pronounced English "We are the champions".

But even though I couldn't tell which was which, I knew both spoke fluent English, having shared the same class with them, and that water in their eyes wasn't from laughter.

They were crying.

For the last few weeks, when I had stayed after club hours to help clean up and spend discrete extra time with Tamaki, I also spent times with the twins, together and alone. Unknowingly they had grew hopeful that someone could distinguish them.

And I failed them.

Fisting my hands tightly around my yellow dress, I clenched my eyes, until both they and the fabric wrinkled from strain. I was ashamed of myself. I was so close to knowing, but not confident enough to set myself for failure just yet.

With determination my eyes sprang back open. Their backs had turned on me and they were heading back to their station, hands tightly intertwined.

"Hikaru! Karol!" They paused, frozen in hearing their names called out individually.

And though they the didn't turn fully around, their heads twitched back. I smiled, emphasizing my asian eyes. "I promise I will know YOU."

After school I caught Hikaru before he could latch on to his twin. The next day I did the same with Karou. I did this for months. And during club hours when Tamaki had independent sessions with a client, I'd sign up on my own individual one-on-one with one or the other twins.

When their birthday came up I gave each their own card.

"This is for you Hikaru," and I handed it to him.

"And this for you Karou," and handed him another with his own name addressed on it.

They both gazed down in shock. I had handed it to the right person. To the right one. Because when it came down to it, they were their own person.