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It had been a while since he was up on the roof.
Not involuntary, of course. Life had just caught up with him with its unpredictable twists and turns, and he hadn’t found the time to go up there yet, even if he wanted to. It was just something that was out of his control, but he was fine with it.
Sitting on the edge of the roof, legs dangling over as the breeze softly tickled his face and ruffled his grey hair, he had his arms clasp the edge as his mind whirred like a well oiled machine. The irony was apparent.
A metal arm lifted off as Fulgur inspected it, slightly fiddling with the joints and the meticulously made fingers. On occasion, Uki would be playing with his hand absentmindedly as well. He smiled fondly at the memories made on this very roof- too many to properly count, and honestly unexpected, for this one roof to make so many precious memories.
Fulgur noticed little dents, tiny pieces of paper stuck in between the cracks of his hand and splotches of watered down ink that had somehow gotten onto the metal of his arm. He rubbed at some of them, the greys winding away into a swirl of red, picking out as many pieces of paper as he could.
It looks like my old life hasn’t completely left me yet, He mused, absentmindedly kicking his legs back and forth as he gave up on the paper.
He breathed in the early morning air, as birds started to chirp and sing the sun’s praises and the breeze started to warm. He felt steady, like a rock against crashing waves and storms. He no longer felt as brittle, or as insignificant as seafoam, to be washed or brushed away in a matter of seconds.
While it looked like his old life hadn't fully left him, he knew inside that if he were to go back to his timeline right now things would be drastically different.
While it looked like his old life hadn’t left him, it felt like it.
Where was once black, and days of working and cracking open the pages of books, now were days filled with the array of colours this world had to offer, games and friends wherever he turned. What was once barren, dark and lonely, was now bright, like the sunrise as he rode the waves of life, finding sparks of laughter and colour in places where he had always seen grey.
He found himself looking back- reminiscing into past memories like looking through glass. Laughter twirled in the air, short and sweet moments he held close to his chest. Playful banter and screaming at in-game scenarios, pleading for good loot. Quiet days where he sat comfortably with the others, not needing small talk or conversations.
Quiet days where he felt like he was drowning- but there were always hands that pulled him up from the crashing waves. Days where he felt numb were shrouded in warmth, always there like a solid rock for him to rest on. And for that, he was eternally grateful.
He sat there for a little while longer, taking in the sights of the world waking up, as the streets got crowded and the city grew busy.
Not long after, a few calls made their way to him. He gave a final smile to the wind and stood up, dusting off invisible dust off his pants. At the door, he looked back to the sunrise, filled with calm yet singing joy of the days yet to come, reminded that this was a constant in his life. That even if the days looked bleary and down, the sun would always rise and his family would be there for him.
Within the next breath, he had slipped out the door.