[Accidental Voice]

[dissonates]

[There's two voices- one is obviously Asch, and the other is too muffled to hear.]

-ing out to investigate. I told Natalia to stay inside; you should do the same.

[A pause.]

...I am not sick. I already rested enough.

[Pause.]

I'm not a kid, so stop acting like my mother.

[...]

Wh- you are not "as good as she is", shut up!

[Pause.]

Goddammit, Guy.

Comments

[prismshards]

[ LIKE USUAL That's enough to make Luke pause and frown at his original. ]

You're also a soldier who's been through more than I have.

[dissonates]

[IT'S A COMFORTABLE EMOTIONAL STATE Asch shrugs.]

Call it training, then.

[prismshards]

[ YOU DON'T LEARN ANYTHING WHEN YOU'RE COMFORTABLE, ASCH Luke will be hovering near him. Will not hug. ]

So it shouldn't surprise you that my mind doesn't work the same way yours does.

[dissonates]

[THAT'S HIS PROBLEM NOT YOURS Asch ignores him as best as he can.]

Are you expecting me to smile and nod or something? What do you want?

[prismshards]

[ YOUR PROBLEMS ARE OURS, DEAR ORIGINAL♥ Which can't be easy, now that he's trying to look him in the face. ]

I..

[ What is he after? ]

Something I'm not sure of yet.

[dissonates]

[WHATEVER HAPPENED TO "I'M NOT YOU" HUH Asch is nothing if not tenacious.]

Leave me alone until you figure it out.

[prismshards]

[ WE'RE NOT YOU BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE CAN'T BE CONCERNED Cockroach, meet cockroach. Luke's own tenaciousness knows no bounds. ]

Being with you will help, I just know it.

[dissonates]

[H-HE HAS NO PROBLEMS, STOP WORRYING Luke is rewarded with a glare, as usual.]

That's unbelievably stupid.

[prismshards]

[ IF THAT WAS THE CASE, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE YOUR TIGHTS IN A BUNCH ALL THE TIME He hadn't expected anything less, but it never hurts to hope. ]

Is not! How else am I suppose to figure it out unless I spend time with you?

[dissonates]

[NO NEW PROBLEMS MAYBE? Hope is a thrill oft killed by original thought processes.]

Try doing it on your own time.

[prismshards]

[ ...THAT'S A BIT BETTER Thankfully Luke has an eternal well of hope lodged somewhere in his brain. ]

That's what I'm going to do.

[ "--by hanging out together!" is left unsaid but implied. ]

[dissonates]

[SEE YOU SHOULD BE HAPPY NOW Which is why he annoys Asch to no end, probably.]

Finally.

[You're lucky Asch isn't telepathic all the time.]

[prismshards]

[ WE ARE! Asch can only take so much positiveness before he ODs on it. ]

And when I figure it out, we'll both be happier!

[ If he were making use of their connection, he'd have been able to avoid having Luke latch onto his hand with both his own and beam. ]

[dissonates]

[He's already reaching his limit. Any more and he might explode.

...There is a hand holding his. Why.]

...Don't make me say it again, replica.

[prismshards]

[ Because he's got a cling wrap replica. Asch is very static-y. Luke blinks, unaware that the bomb he's clutching might go off any second. ]

Hmm? Say what again?

[dissonates]

[Timer is ticking down again.]

I said get off me!

[prismshards]

[ Rapidly, I might add. Luke backpedals at the shout, both hands raised to block any potential blows. ]

I wasn't on you!

[dissonates]

[Timer has paused. For now.]

Stop being so goddamned clingy.

[prismshards]

[ Thank goodness for minor miracles. ]

But I'm not!

...am I?

[dissonates]

[It's saved Luke's face again.]

You must be joking.

[prismshards]

[ A sturdy helmet might be a sound investment for talking with Asch. ]

I'm not idiotic enough to joke about something that obviously pisses you off.

[dissonates]

[Probably. Yet no one has clued in on that yet.]

But you're idiotic enough to keep holding on to me when I don't want you to.

[prismshards]

[ Or they're all masochists. ]

Sorry, habit. Why don't you like it when people touch you?

[dissonates]

[That Abyssman costume would come in handy right about now.]

....

[Asch doesn't really have a good answer for that. Because he's not used to it? Because it makes him uncomfortable? Because he has Issues? Any number of answers would do.

The one he really doesn't want to share will just make things worse, anyway.]

[prismshards]

[ The spandex has to be uncomfortable though. ]

...?

[ Luke's head goes to one side as he waits for a response. When one doesn't come, he hesitantly reaches a hand out and latches onto the loose part of Asch's sleeve; it's physical contact, but not so much to get under the original's skin. He hopes. ]

It's okay.