Chapter Text
Downpour. A significant one today, as predicted by the weather forecast. Angel sighed as he shut off his phone and tucked it into his pocket. The weather hadn’t seemed to be on his side recently. Angel would show up with his bangs blown up in different directions, while Himeno did nothing but laugh at him for a minute (or several, depending on the severity of the windstorm) before she’d offer him her small comb out of her bag.
The morning air wasn’t bad, however. Despite the breezy weather, Angel was prepared. Gloved hands grasped his keys, weighed down by jingling keychains as he locked the door to his underground complex before he walked up the stone stairs, his shoes clicking against the cement with each thud of his step.
Not many were awake at this time, besides the dog owners whom Angel seemed to encounter each morning on his walks to the bus stop. The dogs were rather enthusiastic about getting out of the house at absurd hours in the morning, similar to the kids at the daycare, except with less crying and whining. Angel thought it was funny. Maybe he’d pick up a gig at a dog daycare next.
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Angel’s day passed with ease. He’d only had to break up one or two arguments over whose turn it was with a toy, and the kids had seemed to figure out the rest themselves. But as the weather forecast had said, it was pouring. Most of the kids were starting to get restless. Typically, they’d go out for a walk around the building or the block to get some fresh air in, but they’d be drenched in less than a second if they stepped out without proper clothing. Himeno was no better than the kids.
“Stupid rain, I can’t even get a smoke break in.” She pouted.
“Maybe it's for the best.”
“Don’t tell me you’re siding with the rain, Angel.”
He shrugged. Angel wasn’t fond of the smell of cigarettes. Others had called him immature for refusing blunts at college parties, but he never fought back. They stunk, and they weren’t worth it, at least in his opinion.
The rain had seemed to pick up. The sound of water pattering against the doors filled the silence of the room where Himeno sat defeated and Angel bored. Occasionally, the wind seemed to pick up as well. It rippled against the doors as they shook with the force of the air, settling into place once more as the wind subsided temporarily.
Five minutes passed before Himeno’s voice cut through the silence. “Fine,” she admitted defeatedly, “Let’s go back in.”
Angel followed suit as she pushed past the curtains into the playroom where the children were napping. The room had been tidied up with rows of cots replacing the toys that had been there less than 20 minutes ago. A white noise machine hummed in the back of the playroom, overlapping with the pattering of rain against the windows.
It was quiet, but Angel preferred it that way.
Himeno didn’t seem to think the same.
Despite the gentle sounds of rain and snores from the small children around them, Himeno still wanted to chat. Her voice remained a whisper as she talked Angel’s ear off about what she’d done in college, about a boy she’d met and slept with on the same night, only to find out later he was four years younger than her. She seemed to look back on that memory fondly, despite the concern crossing Angel’s face as she continued to tell him stories.
“So, how about I get a story from you?” Himeno asked in a cheerful whisper.
A warm blush spread to Angel’s face as she posed her question. Hopefully, the dark room was enough to hide it. He hadn’t done anything particularly interesting in college besides sleep and barely manage deadlines on assignments he had months to do.
“I didn’t do that much besides sleep and study,” Angel responded curtly.
Himeno huffed as she leaned against the wall, eventually turning to face Angel as a wicked grin spread across her face. “Hey, how about we play truth or dare?”
He should’ve made up a story.
“That settles it, we’ll play truth or dare!” Himeno grinned as Angel hushed her worriedly, conscious of the children sleeping in their surroundings. He could only hope for a miracle at this point; perhaps the rain gods would send in some thunder to throw off his co-worker and end the game.
Himeno clapped her hands together softly as she grinned at Angel’s grimacing face in the dimly lit room, questions and dares racing through her mind.
“You first. Truth or dare?”
Yeah, it was over. Angel knew either way she’d wring out some kind of story or fact out of him, and if he slipped up? The next weeks would be hell.
“Truth…” He sighed. A blunder on his part. Angel should’ve lied or not participated, but Himeno would tease him more if she suspected he had something to hide.
“Ooh, alright,” Himeno hummed as she thought of her question. “Not like I don’t know the answer to this, but you like Aki, don’t you?”
Yeah. It was definitely over. Was he really that obvious? No, it had to be Aki’s fault. Angel wasn’t that much of a romantic mess.
It didn’t matter if the lights in the daycare flicked on at that very moment. Himeno knew. She could see the pink dusting Angel’s cheeks, the way his eyes darted down to the spotless floorboards after the words left her mouth. Whiny children’s cries filled the room as Angel hurriedly stood and walked over to the kitchen for the afternoon snack plates. Himeno grinned.
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The rain was heavy now. It had been all day. Parents were running into the daycare’s lobby, soaked through with water and wet footprints. Kids were running to their parents, suited in brightly coloured raincoats and animal-themed umbrellas. Angel didn’t have the heart to tell them the rain would soak the umbrella through in mere seconds.
Power and Denji, as per usual, were chatting with each other about something ridiculous. Angel wondered how Aki handled it at home; maybe the twins argued less, or he managed to level out the playing field, or maybe–
Oh.
Himeno was right. He hadn’t even seen the man today, but he was thinking about him. Was it normal to take concern over a parent whom you barely knew? Especially one that seemed to be rather popular amongst other single parents and daycare staff. Was Angel a fraud?
He shook his head dismissively as he opened his eyes to find that the lobby full of kids less than 10 minutes ago was now empty–except for the twins.
Aki had a habit of showing up late to pick up. 15 minutes was usually the latest. But 30 passed. And then an hour. No sign of Aki.
Angel did his best to keep Denji and Power entertained the longer they waited. All of the other daycare staff had gone home except for Himeno and himself. She was worried as well. Surprisingly, the twins weren’t that sad or worried. They were continuing to bicker, but the frequency of their arguments also began to decrease as the hour stretched on.
An hour and 26 minutes after dismissal had officially begun, Aki burst through the front doors, his clothes soaked through with rain and bangs plastered to his face. Himeno breathed a sigh of relief once she saw him walk through the door, gesturing to Angel inside the playroom that he’d finally arrived.
As he dressed the twins in their raincoats, he couldn’t help but listen in to the conversation between his coworker and Aki. “Late fee…” “Worried…” “Wet out…” Angel didn’t take himself as a person who’d eavesdrop on a conversation, but it had happened more than once.
“Angel, sorry about how late I was. I hope I didn’t burden you too much.” Aki spoke with a twinge of guilt in his voice, head down as water dripped onto the entrance mat from his coat.
“It’s alright,” Angel responded, “These two weren’t bad today.”
The room was warm all of a sudden. Particularly around Angel’s face. Maybe around Aki’s face, too. The silence was awkward beyond the loud patters of rain. Neither spoke for a minute.
“Do you… need a ride to your place?” Aki began softly, his hand rising to the back of his neck, “It’s the least I could do.”
Angel nodded.