Work Text:
Quiet.
That’s all that’s left in the end. The Promare gone, Kray Foresight exposed, and a mountain of work ahead of them. They all stood utop the Parnassus, the wind nipping their skin as the sun rose in the early dawn. The world had been ablaze, and was now starting fresh once again.
Lio shivered, rubbing his hands up and down his arms. A strange sensation he’d have to get used to, he couldn’t remember the last time he actually felt cold.
A sense of calm anticipation settled on the rooftop of the collapsed spaceship. From behind the Burning Rescue crew, a hatched opened and out came a coughing mop of dark brown and red hair. Gueira turned around to help Meis through the hatch, pulling him through and the duo shielding their eyes from the gentle warmth of the morning sun. They looked around, not seeing who they were seeking, until they squinted at the two figures at the edge of the ship. His short stature and blonde hair caught the light just right, freezing them in their tracks. Their eyes widened and breath hitched, taking a deep breath and---
“BOSS!”
Lio and Galo turned to the source of the yelling. From behind the Burning Rescue crew, they could make out two figures. Lio squinted as he heard yelling coming his way, questioning who could possibly be yelling for him until it hit like a truck. With his eyes wide, he stumbled away from Galo, walking then running then sprinting toward the duo he could never mistake.
“YOU GUYS!”
Meis and Gueira took off in a sprint, passing Burning Rescue, as fast as their weary legs could carry them. The three ex-burnish called to each other, pushing their tired bodies nearly to the limit.
“MEIS! GUEIRA!”
“BOSS!”
In a crash of limbs, the three Mad Burnish slammed into each other, desperately grabbing hold of one another. Tired laughter bubbled out from the trio, who were squeezing each other tight enough to hurt later. Lio felt a tension release that he didn’t know he was carrying, and with such relief his knees buckled, dragging Gueira and Meis down with him. He held onto his closest friends, as if he let go, they would become ash, and he held them even tighter. The ex-generals of Mad Burnish replied by squeezing Lio as tight as they physically could, their tension bubbling away as relief took its place.
Lio opened his eyes for what felt like the first time in ages.
“You two! What were you idiots thinking!? Don’t you ever do something that stupid ever again, you could’ve gotten yourselves killed!”
“Boss…”
Lio felt a hand on his cheek, brushing away the tears that he didn’t know were falling. Looking up at Meis and Gueira, their own tears flowing freely.
“We knew the risk. But it looks like we were right.”
“The flame of the Burnish really was kept alive with you.”
Meis and Gueira smiled bright through their tears, a smile so contagious it spread to Lio as his serious facade crumbled. His tears flowed freely, holding back a sob as he lunged at Gueira and Meis, tackling them to the floor. Sobs and laughter filled the roof of the Parnassus.
They would have a long road to go, but for the first time in ages, Lio felt a hope for the future that he didn’t know before.