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That night, Lio disappeared.
He'd bid Galo a short farewell, and left with the former Burnish.
And a promise to one day return.
When Galo woke up the next morning, he could have sworn it was just a dream--you know, if he didn't have the world around him wrecked to remind him. It was surprising to see things already being re-built. He wasn't too clear on exactly who was leading this, but what did matter was finding Lio.
Thoughts of those first nights after the incident crossed Galo’s mind often.
Especially times like these.
It was hard to believe even now, that he was able to hold such a person in his arms. Gaze at his face, ever so gently, until he woke up. Keep each other warm on cold winter mornings like these.
Galo wanted to cover Lio’s face in kisses so badly he could hardly stand it, but he much preferred being able to watch his sleeping face. Of course, he loved any face that Lio made -- it was his face. His regular scowl that really had no malice behind it, his smile in the rare occasions he allowed himself to laugh. The slight pout he’d make, and the way he’d screw his eyes shut when he thought Galo was about to kiss him (which he gladly obliged at any given moment they were together).
Galo laughed to himself, thinking of the amount of times he’d been chided for sneaking kisses.
It wasn’t always this easy, and he didn’t take a single moment of life as it was now for granted.
“Lio?! LIO!!”
Galo pounded on the glass that looked beyond the doors he couldn’t access. What was he doing with Heris and those...other people who looked vaguely like the feds?
They were just about to turn the far corner when Galo had began causing a ruckus. Before security could tell him to knock it off, he managed to catch Lio turning around.
Everything is okay , were the words he mouthed, and it was only then that Galo allowed himself to be pulled away from the secured building.
He got a good scolding from higher-ups later.
And the next time he heard from Lio was a month later, moments after everyone else in the world was hearing from him -- a broadcasted press conference from the capitol building. The only parts Galo managed to catch before he booked it over there himself, was that Lio had been negotiating rights and reparations for the former Burnish since the incident.
He never gave up fighting for them, huh?
Lio was awake.
How could he not be, with Galo squirming and fidgeting while his arms were around him? It was nice he was trying not to wake him up -- and kind of cute. But Lio wasn’t much of a deep sleeper. He opened one eye, to Galo’s physically-expressed surprise, and half-tackled him -- that is, as much of a tackle as a sleep-ridden body would allow.
“What time is it. Why are you awake,” he mumbled into Galo’s neck. Galo shifted to look.
“Definitely too early for you,” came the sheepish reply. “Sorry for waking you.”
“S’fine.”
A brief silence followed, then Lio felt something on his cheek.
“Sorry I couldn’t resist.” Lio finally opened his eyes again to Galo’s guilty smile.
“Dork.” He hoisted himself up, and pecked Galo’s lips. “Go back to sleep.”
Galo did not go back to sleep. He couldn’t, when the light seeping in through the curtains at this hour, was enough to perfectly see every inch of Lio’s face. Instead, he tore himself away, pressed one more kiss to his forehead and murmured, “I’ll make breakfast.”
“Mm.” The tiny smile he got out of it was more than enough for him.
A moment too late, Lio dragged himself up and said, “I’ll help,” to an empty room. He grumbled at himself for this, and crawled to the window to at least let more light in. He peered outside against that day’s particularly strong sunlight, cheek to the windowsill, and squinted along the street.
Ah, the snow’s melted.