individuates

[Before the storm had gotten too bad, they had run out to get snacks to stock up on. This place was easy to make money. All they had to do was do what they usually did and just have absolutely no space between them. That's all they ever do anyway. Piece of cake.

But the rain just makes them too tired and it feels like they could fall asleep where they stand. Hikaru remembers the advice he had read. Usually, moonlacing made you feel better so he suggested they just cuddle in bed. Being so tired, however, they easily fall asleep in each other's arms. Again, not an uncommon occurrence. Another common occurrence is Hikaru's restless sleeping. If Kaoru doesn't wake up on the floor, it's a good day for him. If he isn't on the floor then he either wakes up with Hikaru either sleeping on him or pressed up closer than most people would find comfortable.

Kaoru isn't on the floor. It should be a good day. But it isn't when pain causes Hikaru to wake up from his spot on his stomach, his left arm and leg sprawled over Kaoru's body. Those are the spots that hurt worst and he moves away from Kaoru, rubbing his arm.]

What the hell? [Sitting up, he looks at his arm to see if there's any marks and there isn't.]

[it should be a good day, if he has not yet been kicked off the bed - perhaps they are getting used to this business of sharing a single! Or if nothing else at least Hikaru thrashed less last night? Where they manage to pass a night without one of them (Kaoru) making their way to the floor, they usually sleep in one of two ways - fully entangled or, if they have managed to find themselves in separate blanket cocoons, connected by an extended hand.

But it's certainly too soon for them to be so tenuously connected. And Hikaru has always been a decent blanket, anyway, even when lying on his stomach and splaying like a starfish. At first, though, Kaoru thinks he's been caught by one or two of those flailing limbs]

Mmh-- Hikaru...

[why. Wriggling a little bit under the blanket. He doesn't want to wake up just yet but... it hurts, and it's not quite going away.]

...you grow jellyfish stingers in the night or something? Owwwwww...

[But there's no moons, right? And Hikaru had never had tentacles...? He had been told this place held no rhyme or reason, though. Did he? Groggily, he looks around for tentacles but he doesn't see any. Weird. Maybe it just hurt because of how he was sleeping? A sore arm or something? It didn't quite explain everything but it's also much too early to put too much thought into this.

Sleepy, he decides that's it and lies back down. It's a small bed but Hikaru doesn't end up touching Kaoru right away. But he wriggles his hand under the blankets to search for his twin's. Once he finds it, the pain comes back and he wakes up from the pain of it. He pulls his hand away like he's been burned and hisses.]

Ow? What the hell? [He's still tired but apparently, touching Kaoru really hurts.] Do you have tentacles?

[Mmmh. Maybe they dreamed it? He huffs a bit and settles down again, almost asleep before the pain comes back from--

Hikaru's hand?

He gives a startled yelp that surprises even him, his shout coming at the same time as Hikaru's]

Ow! --the hell, Hikaru?

[scrambling out of the bedding to sit up, scrubbing at his eyes sleepily. Well, they're definitely awake now, if not necessarily fully coherent.]

No - look, hands, see?

[He doesn't see any tentacles but maybe they're invisible. Which sounds ridiculous but he can't put anything past this place. He hovers his hands around Kaoru's waist, trying to see if there is something invisible but there's nothing.]

Then maybe it's just our hands...?

[If anybody were to walk in, it would look weird to see Hikaru taking his bare foot and touching Kaoru's with it. Once again, it hurts and he pulls it away, looking almost offended by this fact.]

What the hell? Nobody's said anything about it hurting to touch people. Have you heard anything? We're supposed to touch! That's the whole point of this stupid place?

Oww - stop it, Hikaru, I don't like it.

[neither of them do, of course - and the only thing worse than hurting each time his twin touches him is that clearly Hikaru is hurting, too. The pain is not bearable by any stretch, but it might certainly be easier if it wasn't causing some effect on Hikaru, too.

Gathering up the blanket and throwing it over his brother, trying to tuck it around him without encountering any exposed skin.]

Maybe-- maybe it's like Tono being able to taste with his fingers? Maybe it's, like, the effect of jellyfish stings without actually growing one...

[maybe it's something to do with his Moonblessing? Maybe this is his fault...]

Sorry...[Of course Hikaru didn't like to hurt Kaoru either but he had wanted to figure out the limitations. Apparently it didn't matter where they touched, just that they touched at all. Which isn't easy for either of them. Even as babies it had been hard for them to stay apart and there's something very annoying about the fact that now that Kaoru was here, they couldn't touch without hurting each other.

Hikaru listens to Kaoru and there's that certain tone he has. Kaoru thinks this is probably his fault somehow which was ridiculous.] No. [He smiles, despite it all.] It's too late for the Moonblessings to do anything. Besides, I read that they all have to do with touch? Like mine made me want to touch more. This isn't that. [He looks outside at the rain. It's coming down harder than it was before.] Remember when we got wet yesterday and we got really tired? Maybe it's from that? Hmm. Let me check the weather~ Heh, I sounded really responsible there just now!

[He takes the blanket off and puts it over Kaoru's head, trying to keep the mood light as he moves to get his device and read it. Once he sees the announcement however, he sighs loudly and tosses it to Kaoru to see this isn't just a problem with them. It's an all-over problem.]

You know, this place makes such a big deal about this moonlacing stuff and now we can't? What does it want from us anyway?

[Maybe all Kaoru's "maybe"-s are excuses, thrown out in an effort to obscure his line of thinking. But that simple 'no' encompasses as much of what is unsaid as it does to refute all the maybes Kaoru had said out loud.

Pouting a moment under the blanket - just a little bit, before pulling it a little tighter around him. It's only passing grumpiness at his hard work destroyed - he can't stay that way, with the flow of Hikaru's chatter.

(though he has edged closer to being a responsible adult in his time here. Well done, Hikaru.)]

You mean it's, like, we caught a cold, except we didn't catch a cold...?

[leaning out of his blanket cocoon for the device, peering over the tops of his knees as he scrolls through with a low whistle.]

Wo~w, it really is most everyone, huh? So much for us keeping the lights on around here...

[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.

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