blisters ; jayson

commencement;

∴

On the keypad, Jack dials the twins' doctor to check their conditions, whether they can actually book the tour group for the mountains and physically be suitable for trekking.

The doctor gives his blessing, so long as the casts are not tampered with. Jack smiles.

The mayhem begins, the calm before the storm, the rainbow before the rain and the dust before the powerful landslide.

Everything starts to come together for the trip, they book tickets to arrive with the tour group, they're all over bent over packing and Grayson is the one fretting the most about what will or will not be available as they camp out on those high mountains, he counts everything meticulously with his mother and panics about the smallest details. He is so dissimilar from his twin in things like this, he hops around the house while Ethan lays motionless scrolling through his phone.

The two are such a mystery to the stranger eyes, but it's with time that Jack learnt, they come in different flavors yet compliment one another, like ice to wine and almond to chocolate, that the one pulls when the other lets loose and they work like this, in a see-saw motion.

They are yin and yang and soft and hard and filthy and pure, together only.

Obviously he does think Grayson's packed so many unnecessary things and threw them in Ethan's backpack too, who looked annoyed at his underlying germophobia.

But he doesn't say a word, silent as he is.

Because Jack only hoped, that in the past, he could be Grayson's thorns while Grayson would be the red rose that bloomed in his embrace. He wanted to be, the almond to Grayson's chocolate- He wanted to be- that fragment of his soul that Ethan is, that piece of him he feels uneasy and unsafe without, that intimate being he holds onto..

That chapter is closed now, shut tight in the crevices of his mind.

The mood in the house is great, Lisa is calm and helpful to whatever Grayson says he needs from sanitary wipes, to bandaids and bandages or strange things like mint breath spray.

Aaron is busy flipping around in the foam pit and getting lost in it with his thin body, then skating around aimlessly. He did say that all he would need is a few winter coats and he's going to be good with only that.

In contrast, Grayson thinks he might die from hypothermia so he packs heat packs enough for a nation and scarves and raincoats all the more.

Ryan is in another state and Caspar is visiting friends, so they will both meet them in India.

It's going to be a short two weeks, Ethan and Grayson have hinted that they are going to be taking a break from social media for a while and fans understood, and supported this decision.

Fans.. They no longer want two videos a week anymore.

∴

On the way to the airport, their mother keeps the keys to their home with somebody they trust as she's going back to New Jersey, a working lady on call.

Everyone spares Ethan the trouble of holding any suitcases but he insists on letting his good hand roll one suitcase around. Grayson seems to be getting better and feels no pain in the hand or fingers anymore- It serves to relieve Jack so much because at one point he suspected it could be nerve damage, as Grayson used to complain too often about pain.