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It's pouring. The skies are overcast and cloudy, the downpour is heavy with ripples and puddles forming on the streets. The roads are clear of cars, and sidewalks of people who were hurrying home.
Uki pushes the silky smooth curtains back, a gap so small yet just enough to see through the window smudged in rainwater. The streets are empty, aside from the pools of water. It shouldn't be worrying, he knows that the cheerful brunette is smarter than he seems. He has done this long before he was brought here, long after the idea of a more permanent home had been rid of his thoughts.
The promise of forever coming home safely has never been said though, and neither is it one worth reciting. The unpredictability of everything, of life, Uki sometimes can barely stand it.
So, today is a day the psychic sits by the window. To peer beyond the glass in hopes of seeing the familiar mop of brown hair. It can take hours, even a whole day until he hears that distinct knock on the door, that certain pitch and tone of the person who swings the entrance open and makes his presence known through that wholesome excitement. That person who has made his special place in his heart. Uki is willing to wait though, if it takes an entire day then so be it. He will wait as long as it takes for him to return.
The worry in his heart swirls and scrapes at its gentle exterior like a caged beast, longing to get out of its prison. It's a challenge to not brood over the possibilities of what happens when Alban isn't around, the danger that his 'job' brings. The unfortunate part is that Alban is not willing to stop, he's far too used to it to just stop and Uki understands. Even if it hurts his heart.
The soft reassurances that fall from the other members of Noctyx, they ease the weight in his heart if even just a little. They all hold the same fear as Uki. They all carry that hope that Alban comes home every single time he leaves, and the relief when he does is enough to fuel the next one. Yet, it's nothing to what Uki feels even then, can't compare to the crushing anxiety when he hears the door click open and Alban stumbles in with a wound, or has that distant look in his eyes.
A stare that tells of the faraway land his love is away at, as he grips his cup of coffee and gazes out the window, searching for something Uki doesn't know. The fear that grips him that one day the other will slip in between his fingers and disappear for eternity, he can't possibly describe. It's what leads him to this moment, sitting by the window and waiting.
If anything, Uki knows that there is a sixth sense that comes from the stars - the galaxy that shined back into his world and granted him his own abilities, it whispers predictions into his fears, of futures he doesn't dare think too much about in fear of seeing something he shouldn't. The same sense that gives him this eerie feeling and what makes him anticipate Alban’s return. His shaky hands are settled on his lap, clenched together to perhaps provide some extra comfort that the blanket on his shoulders doesn’t.
It’s been a little over 2 hours. Uki knows from the clock that sits on the nightstand, he knows from his phone that lights up with notifications and flashes the time. Messages from Twitter, from Discord, of retweets and likes. He brings himself to respond to them over time, but the task at hand blurs his priorities and replies take more than they should.
‘Task’, the word is mocking his current predicament. This isn’t a task put on by any important authority, but it’s one that Uki brought upon himself. Generated by his concerns and anxieties, it can hardly be considered any sort of noble duty. Yet he sits here, rooted to this chair until he finds the person he’s looking for. "Like a lonely maiden," He thinks to himself, sardonic.
A soft lofi tune playing in the background washes away the darker tales from the back of his mind, courtesy of Yugo who had visited the room to check on him. Uki eases a little, letting himself scroll through his phone to check for any important news and respond to his messages. It's difficult, but he manages to close his eyes and loosen up his muscles.
It doesn't take any longer than half an hour.
Uki lifts his eyes from his phone, returning from checking the time once again and feeling his body go rigid. Brown, black and orange. He sees those colours and blinks, once. Twice. As if he had just manifested from thin air, a lone figure stands in the rain.
The music falls on deaf ears as Uki wrenches himself out of his chair, hurrying downstairs and grabbing an umbrella from the stand next to the entrance. The peace now feels like a weight in his gut, weighing him down and churning his insides. One last look when he swings open the door confirms it all.
His beloved, his Alban, is motionless in the middle of the pouring rain. He’s looking at something Uki cannot see and that encourages him to pull open the umbrella, hearing its panel click with the rib. He swings it over himself and runs towards him. Brown, black and orange grow bigger in his view as he gets closer.
The echo of what Yugo said before he left the room is a leaf in the wind, a brief reminder. With his smooth voice, dripping with sanguine, “He’ll come back, don’t worry!”
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Alban stands silently in the rainfall. Against the dull greys and blues, his warm-coloured frame contrasts all that, however muted due to being drenched in rainwater. His eyes are covered by his glasses, dotted from the drops, and Uki can’t see his expression fully. Somehow, that irritates him.
How Alban appeared out of nowhere is the least of Uki's heart-aching worries. The phantom thief had always been able to hide himself, a silent presence who you would only notice if he wanted you to. There is a part of Uki that is glad that he's out in the open since he was able to make him out from the window, but another wishes him back in the enclosed shelter of warmth that was their house.
His run slows to a stop, his own racing heart beating in his ears from the worry and adrenaline mixing together. His shoes are soaked in water, caused by his carelessness with stepping into puddles. The disquietude doesn’t come from that, he could care less about items he could easily replace.
What distresses Uki is the full body flinch Alban does when he leans the umbrella over to shelter him from the rain as if he expected something horrible. There is no reaction for a beat. The barest tilt of a head, a stare beyond the tinted glasses that Uki can barely discern is all he obtains from that.
There is relief, the slightest, a small gift from glimpsing at Alban’s appearance. Other than the soaked clothes and dishevelled hair, he didn’t appear to have any injuries at the very least. From what he could see from the outside anyway. He knows very well of Alban's attempts at hiding his healing wounds.
"Alban," Uki whispers, hoping the other would be able to hear him from the pitter-patter of the rain. It roars in his ears, but his attention is solely fixated on the phantom thief before him, who looks nothing more than a lost child like this.
Alban nods, an acknowledgement that he knows that Uki is there. It's a small thing, yet Uki thanks the stars of Gemini, all 85 of them shining in the sky they can't see from here. They gleam at the back of his mind as if in response to the appreciation.
An inhale. "Alban," He starts again, his free hand moving to grasp a gloved hand. It's soaked heavily, but Uki doesn't mind. When he intertwines their fingers together, it's a flickering wish.
"Let's go home."
There is a moment of nothing and dread creeps into his blood. Uki feels Alban's gloved hand grip back, and that dread dissipates like smoke, not unlike flavours with mint. The flame steadies at the wick of the candle, and that's enough for him.
-
This isn’t the first time this has happened, the rain bringing Alban to another place that Uki doesn’t wish to intrude on.
It’s raining. The droplets come down pelting but slow, sunlight cuts through the clouds and joins the water in reflecting light and bounces it across the land. The wind carries itself across the place, another buzz into the background noise of cars and people who are carrying their own wear that protects them from the drizzle. The light pour hits the nylon and the gentle thumps they make are comforting in a strange way.
They’re in a park, full of greenery and flora that looks akin to a paradise. Puddles form on the pavers walkway and the tranquil view of watching it ripple from the pour, however, is quickly shattered when a boot steps into it, a hearty laugh breaking out from Alban.
Uki watches him with a look of fondness, walking with slow steps to savour every moment and burn it into his memory. They both hold umbrellas, yet Alban carelessly sways his own away from his body. He earns some spots from the rain and an exasperated scolding but doesn’t let up on the joy of messing up the pools of water.
There's something simple about this, the peaceful bliss given to Uki right now. He remembers the silly conversation they had before they had stepped out of their home, the back and forth of agreement and disagreement. Alban had argued back, "But the rain is what makes it so pretty to look at, right?"
There wasn't a reason to object when it rang true. There was no regret when they're out here, the ambience stirring a sense of contentment in his heart. It only cracks when the sound of splashing stops, pulling Uki away from his thoughts and onto the pathway.
Alban has stopped stepping into any puddles, his eyes trained on the ripples of water instead. It would have been deemed alright for Uki if it wasn't for how abrupt the stop was, as well as the darkness that his contrasting eyes had taken. It felt like the cold had sunk in his bones and his heart dropped to his stomach.
Not missing another beat, he made his way over and the look Alban granted him ran a chilling finger down his spine. Uki didn't like how he looked and reached out to take the brunette's hand, pulling him a little closer as gently as he could.
The other didn't say a word, choosing to silently bury his face in the crook of Uki's neck. Uki watches the orange umbrella lower as Alban makes himself comfortable under the now shared, violet one. They find themselves in the quiet of ambience, rain pelting on the umbrella in Uki's free hand. His voice is just barely above a whisper when he addresses Alban.
"Do you want to go home?"
He waits, he doesn't want to pressure him. He could be patient if it was for Alban. Finally, Uki feels Alban shift, moving his head in a nod. The grip on his hand doesn't leave and he allows it, holding onto it firmly but not enough to hurt. He steps back, facing the exit to the park and Alban follows.
Home it is.
-
Uki pulls the curtains together as if they weren't already, lowers the lofi music a fraction and finds himself carefully running a towel over Alban's hair, who had changed into a purple sweater. It's not his, but there's a faint memory of Alban purchasing a multitude of purple-coloured wear so he could 'match'.
There's a small "Thank you," that escapes Alban when Uki hands him a warm cup of freshly made milk, his hair now dried and fluffed. He had always had an issue with his tongue, being more sensitive to temperatures than the average person.
He hesitates, before taking a sip from the ceramic cup. What greets him is a perfect balance between hot and cold, the taste of milk pleasant in his mouth. Alban gulps it all down, slowing down only when Uki tells him to.
When he's finished, Uki sets the cup aside and climbs into the shared bed with Alban. There isn't anything that needs to be said, as he slots himself right next to his partner. There is an understanding between the both of them as they share a look, that Alban doesn't need to say a word if he doesn't want to. That Uki will wait as long as Alban takes before he talks about what happened today, he can wait. For him, he can wait.
Their hands interlace and the blanket that's gently pulled over their torsos protects them from the cold weather, trapping their body heat and mixing it all together like a comfortable heater. Alban's eyes are a little lighter, a little less burdened as he finally looks away and rests his head on Uki's shoulder. It means way too much to the psychic, that the weight of whatever had taken him was at least lighter now.
Uki glances at the window, which has disappeared behind the curtain and can imagine the heavy rain outside. No matter the weather, or circumstance though, he'll always bring Alban back home. He shuts his eyes and lets himself finally, finally relax.
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