individuates

[Only barely had he become more responsible. It was to be expected when for a month it was Hikaru and Tamaki. Two of the biggest idiots Ouran had to offer.]

Maybe once this storm is over, things will be back to normal? People are saying it's weird. [He sits next to Kaoru, making sure there's space between them so they don't hurt each other. As silly as it is, the gap between them feels like they're in two different places even if there really isn't that much space there.]

So we just wait for the storm to end. That's when all of this will go away. [He's trying for optimism here but this isn't a surefire thing either.

Also he's pouting now so really, the optimism isn't all that genuine and Kaoru probably already knew anyway.]

So we just-- wait.

[however long that takes, but at least they have supplies? Automatically shifting to accommodate Hikaru as he sits down - but of course he sits at a distance.]

Ugh. This is already so weird.

[reaching out from his little cocoon of blankets to hand Hikaru's back his device between his finger and thumb, trying to risk touching as little as possible. Ugh]

What are even the rules? It-- doesn't leave marks, does it...?

[Hikaru looks at the hand that was holding Kaoru's. Or tried before they got hurt.] My hand looks normal? So it isn't like we'll be scarred or anything. [But the pain had been absolutely excruciating. It wasn't something that Hikaru could bear or allow his twin to endure either.]

Do you think it's only skin...? Like if we wore gloves then we could hold hands? [It's not exactly cold outside and it would be uncomfortable but Hikaru's not entirely sure that they can stand to not touch each other at all. Even without earning Chroma, they were always in contact. Subconsciously, they were always either leaning on each other or something like that.]

[okay, okay, okay. Kaoru still had jellyfish stings in his mind, he's glad it's not that bad. Definitely relieved enough to relax a fraction]

Gloves? What about those- [extending his hands and clapping them together, like wearing commoner oven gloves] -you know...

[But those would be insanely cumbersome to wear for any period of time. Skin-on-skin is out, though. Does that mean all touching is?

Uncertainly withdrawing his hand, pulling a corner of the duvet over it and extending it again]

Maybe with enough padding it's okay? I don't know about trial-and-error-ing this...

[it's not like they're not going to screw up and touch each other anyway, though.]

[Hikaru knows what he means without even saying it. Of course he does.] Haruhi said they're called oven mitts or something, right? Too bulky.

[He looks at Kaoru's hand and then gets up quickly to get one of the shirts he'd gotten that had thicker material. Under the shirt, he sticks up a single finger.]

We can do one finger? I mean, it's probably good we know but...[I don't want to hurt you.

Even though they are definitely going to mess up and touch and hurt each other at some point.]

Right.

[right, too bulky. And right, just a finger.]

We're gonna figure out what the minimum is and work from there? If we have to wear puffas the entire time, Hikaru, I swear to god...

[there's nothing they can't pull off, but they don't have to enjoy it]

On three, then? [and he'll try to hold Hikaru's eyes, not screw up his face in anticipation] One... two...

Why did this have to happen in the summer anyway? [At least if it was cold, the layers could work to their benefit.

Not that they weren't known for wearing more layers than needed for the sake of fashion but there was for fashion and then this.

Reaching a finger out, as soon as he says three he touches Kaoru's finger with his eyes purposely trained on Kaoru's face...with no pain. He let's out a breath he didn't know he was holding.]

Okay! Okay! So through layers doesn't hurt?

[It seems a little pathetic to be so excited for being able to simply touch with no pain but Hikaru's learned a lot about how pathetic he can become in this world in even just a month.]

Okay, okay...

[it's not awful. It may be unbearable - they've never been particularly conscious about how they fling themselves at each other - but it's not so awful that the can't touch at all. Even if they do have to mind not to touch directly.

He's missing Hikaru already, but it's nothing compared to the whole month his brother spent alone. He can be brave.]

So the next question is how many layers. What about just the blanket? Or should we try with clothes - there's still the problem of bare hands, but we'll be wearing clothes more, I guess?

[and really, any excuse to rifle through the closet...]

[If they could leave the apartment then it would be an excuse to go shopping for clothes. Even if everything here was awful, the quality was bad, and some of the fabrics made him itch. His poor, sensitive skin...

Right now, he really wished they could just get back into bed and hold each other and talk about ways to stay amused while they were trapped in the apartment. They could still chat but not being able to hold each other was sad...]

Let's go bare skin on the blanket and then go from there? That way we don't miss out on any possibility. But I'm thinking that through the blanket it should be fine If we have enough of a barrier then we won't be hurt. You think? Maybe we just need to make some evening gloves...?

Maybe. Or, like, a kigurumi...

[evening gloves are fussy, but doable, though they can cross that bridge when they come to it. Offering out his arm again.]

Ugh I hate that I'm nervous. This is really unfair.

Kigurumi are definitely the cuter option...[He definitely isn't mad at the idea and it would be super cozy during this storm.

Or they could just not touch until this is all over but that's just not possible. Absolutely not.]

This place is really stupid. Seriously Chroma this and Chroma that. Moonlace all you can. But now we can't? Ugh. Whatever. We can do this. [He reaches out to touch Kaoru, slowly because it does really hurt when the pain shoots up, and tentatively presses his bare hand to where he knows Kaoru's hand is.

He let's out a relieved sigh.] My hypothesis was right! I think we just can't have bare skin touching. That's not too bad...

Definitely. Tono can have something dumb...

[because getting Tamaki on the kigurumi wagon will definitely help assuage how miserable this is going to make them, if only a little bit. If nothing else it'll be something to point and laugh at.

There's a slight delay after Hikaru's hand touches his, and then a heavy sigh of relief that no pain comes with it. Okay, they can work with this...]

Our hypothesis.

[tugging the blanket more firmly around him, for a second about to just fling himself on Hikaru, but... too risky. The way he carefully leans himself against his brother's shoulder, through the barrier of the fabric, is positively tame.]

So we're just... stuck in here until this storm is over?

All of us?

[It's safe for Tamaki, too. If it was just a sting then it would be funny but this actually hurts. It loses its appeal when it would really hurt their friend who has a tendency of grabbing onto them a lot as well.

Hikaru already misses being able to touch Kaoru without much thought. To hold his hand and entwine their fingers. Yes, he can lean his head down onto Kaoru's with that blanket barrier and it isn't like they aren't any less close. Like Kaoru's presence isn't so unmistakably there.

Though he could roll his eyes at the mention of their hypothesis and he does and Kaoru probably knew he did but he says nothing.]

Yeah...[They're stuck in here. In this stupidly small room. But very quickly his thoughts align with his twin's.]

Poor Tono...we'll have to keep him entertained...

[it's the hand-holding, or leaning his head in close to the crook of Hikaru's shoulder, or balancing against each other just so - little instances of contact that looked almost choreographed to outsiders. They had always been completely thoughtless for them and suddenly they suddenly have to be thought about. It's weird under layers of blankets, and there is absolutely no finesse as he leans himself a little bit more against Hikaru. At least they help?]

He'll be in the best company, he'll be fine. But he's gonna need a kigu too - for safety reasons. Zuko too.

[Zuko is definitely the least touchy-feely out of them, but wouldn't it be awful for him to feel left out?]

How long can a storm last, anyway? I mean, it's just weather. It can't be much worse than a typhoon...

[unless it's, like, rainy season over here...]

[People probably do think they plan out everything they do. Maybe some things but they're also just very much in-tune with each other. How they lean against the other is natural because they have always done this. Hikaru is fairly positive they could be well into their late years and still be able to fall into this routine. ]

We should do birds. Our hands can be covered that way. With the wings you know? Zuko's kind of a mystery and I don't have any idea what that guy would want. [They got over their first fight but they still have no idea how to interact with each other. Hikaru doesn't hate him but maybe the problem is that they're a little too similar in the worst of ways.] Tono, though, there's so much we could do with him...

[And none of it very nice or flattering.]

We can always make slits to slip our hands in and out of - if we want to draw, or something. But birds would be fun. Or maybe tanukis?

[or red pandas. He usually gestures when his thoughts start carrying him off - but right now he feels oddly static. Freeing his hands at the moment to gesture, he might forget and touch Hikaru's by accident. So instead he sort of... lightly bounces his shoulder off Hikaru's.

Okay with the layers of blankets that's slightly bouncier than expected, that's a little bit fun.]

Y'know, we should find him something that has tons of stuffing - like a marshmallow man. I wanna see him get jammed in a door at least once.

Tanukis are cute but we can't really go with too much color variation. If we do birds then the options are endless~

[Sure a tanuki doesn't have to be its usual color but it wouldn't look very cute if it was blue or something. Birds can be customized so much!

Hikaru thinks about Tamaki and it comes to him. ] Or he's round enough where he can't get through a door. Remember all those weird mascots we saw...?

[Kaoru must be thinking similarly as he is.]

Endless! [Hikaru's right, of course] Birds, then. For us. We can manage with the bare minimum. Someone like Tono will need the protection...

[but Hikaru voices it first, and Kaoru's eyes and mouth both go round]

Oh my god Hikaru-- like we could forget... you think we could manage a whole costume or more like-- like a top-piece. And-- tights.

[no, sorry he just about lost it at the thought of tights, he needs his hands to supplement him through this]

We could do something like that fat Onsen Bird if we want him to fit in with our theme? But there's that coin-lion-roof-tile one, that's just pieces and paint and stuffing but we'd have to make sure Tono can at least breathe...

[see where he's going? Have hands? Secondary.]

[There's really only one option:] Has to be that coin-lion-roof-tile one! The face is just completely Tono! [How could one just forget that face?]

It wouldn't be that hard. I bet you we could probably come up with something with everything we have here. Shaping it might be a bit hard...[In a tight pinch, they could use cardboard and it isn't like they have had the time or all the money to buy everything they could.

But they've always been creative enough. The amount of things they made as kids with whatever they found around the house was legendary. But that was also with a mom who was a fashion designer and had a studio that they always raided.

Still...]

We can do this! But we should make our things first. We're the true victims here.

Completely - wan~!

[he can barely get out the impersonation before falling back slightly in giggles all over again]

We can do it, we definitely can - we just cannot let him see what we're doing. Either we have to hope he won't come butt in, or try to do everything in here...

[...it's already cramped in here. But they can't risk having everything known until they're ready to reveal it.]

Mmm, okay. Us first.

[diving for a sketchbook - how strange they worried about not being able to afford them, they're everywhere now. Perhaps they should have been a little less zealous about spending their Chroma, but that's not really not his mind right now]

We've got colours, right? Head, back, wings one colour, body another?

[but he's totally sketching a cross between Tamaki and Nishiko, with a blush and slightly crossed legs, like there's something he's trying to hide...]

[But all of these sketchbooks are filled with so many ideas. For as awful as being kidnapped to a strange new world is, it definitely helps their imaginations. Hikaru has drawn up so many ideas with his twin and it's been fun. He's missed this. They've always been creative and for as short as a month can be, it had felt like ages since he last had this kind of creative freedom.

Hikaru glances at what Kaoru's drawing and he laughs.] Look at him! Look at him! It's so fitting. You think we can get him into wearing the tights? We probably could. It wouldn't be too hard, I bet, if we told him about the mascot idea and what they do, you know? Say the tights are a huge part of it or something?

[They haven't been above lying before.]

[at some point, they will sit down, curate these ideas into a collection, produce the collection, and take this place by storm.

Just... right now, using up their materials in an elaborate practical joke seems like the more fun option.]

It is literally Tono's face.

[seriously. But then, perhaps their Tono is quite the chameleon.]

I mean, they are part of it. Part of the costume... [whether or not the offer any protection...? Though Kaoru feels a little badly about that.] We'll try to make them thicker, more like leggings. And we can use that glue gun to put some grip onto the feet.

[but he's switching gears, gesture-sketching out a basic figure, then switching out colours on his chunky commoner pen to start sketching out a kigu.]

Ew. [well that orange is disappointing.] But you get the idea? One colour for the body - raglan sleeve?

[They're never going to seriously hurt Tamaki. It's the whole reason they are making something for him in the first place.

Even though it is a huge joke as well.] Hm. We might want to be careful with the material for the leggings. [It's still summer after all.

God what a ugly orange. Hikaru goes to get some of the colored pencils they got and gets a red one. Just so the lines stand out a bit more.] Yeah, yeah. Do we want both of the bodies to be white? It'd look good together and the colors all contrast well. Hm...[He draws a hood over the head, a little bird face with it.] I don't know if we have enough but...? [The unspoken idea is some kind of decoration for the top. Feathers but not actual feathers.

His eye is much bigger than his budget.]

We could do it with black. If we need to, we can dye the main colour darker to ease the contrast there... [they haven't got tons of materials but they can do that for sure.] White on the body would still be good. Maybe just black to indicate feathers, then? It can be a little bit cartoony...!

[sketching, sketching... the sleeves are effectively a semi-circle added to his figure, just to try to nail down the silhouette, though where they will be seamed is delineated with little lines at the shoulders. It's weird trying to keep to his own bit of the sketch-pad when they so usually have their hands in each other's drawings, sneaking under the other's resting arm to add details.]

I dunno if we'd be able to do, like, a comb on top. It would need to stand, but that might make it too heavy for the hood, and drag. But we could applique eyes and a beak?

[here, look, it's a cartoon bird...]

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