Work Text:
The arrival of July ushered in the rain along with it, painting Tracen Academy in hues of grey. June had brought with it an array of flowers, all now dipping their heads lightly under the ambush of rain. The students were able to escape the summer heat at the cost of their precious hours of training spent idling indoors, in the case of thunder or lightning.
Symboli Rudolf welcomed these rainy days. For her, it always brought a sense of comfort; it reminded her of cracking open a well loved book paired with a steaming cup of tea. Today’s rain was neither heavy nor light, falling from the cloud and dancing along the Student Council room’s window at a steady rhythm.
Symboli Rudolf checked the time, reading at 2:38 PM, and at the pile of work on her desk.
All right, I should be able to finish these by 4.
She cracked her knuckles and got to work.
The next time she checked her watch, it read 3:51 PM.
Ahead of schedule, then. Perfect.
She tidied up her desk, checking the papers and organising them in order once more, swept off any eraser dust and grabbed her bag from the shelf by the door. She checked inside for her umbrella, seeing that it was nestled inside, she made her way towards the main doors of the school to begin her walk to the dorms.
Oguri Cap looked up towards the sky, her ears slightly drooping as she saw the rain still pouring. She didn’t particularly enjoy the rain; while it provided her with prime conditions for training in wet weather, the road she used to run on in her hometown was far from decent. Anytime she returned from a rainy run usually resulted in mud being stuck to her all over, and having to wipe off before going home so as not to drag any mud into her house.
I thought it would’ve stopped by now. No worries, I can just run-
“Hold it!” A stern voice stopped her.
Oguri Cap turned around to find Symboli Rudolf’s magenta eyes glaring at her.
“It’s not safe to run in these conditions,” Symboli Rudolf stated.
Like you’re one to talk, Oguri Cap thought.
“It would be disastrous if you were to trip on the way back to the dorms. I know what you’re thinking; however, keep in mind that running on turf and dirt is marginally different from running on bricks and pavement,” Symboli Rudolf argued.
“I didn’t bring an umbrella, and I need to return to my dorm-”
Symboli Rudolf interrupted Oguri Cap once again, “We can share mine.”
From within her school bag, Symboli Rudolf produced a portable emerald green umbrella, one akin to the colour of her race uniform. Ogrui Cap stared silently at it.
“Don’t worry, it’ll fit the both of us. Let’s not make pour decisions here,” Symboli Rudolf’s ears twitched as she made the pun.
“I’ll take you up on the offer then,” Oguri Cap replied, ignoring the brilliant pun.
Symboli Rudolf opened the umbrella as she took a step out of the main doors, tipping it slightly over to Oguri Cap and letting the grey haired girl step under it. The umbrella was a bit too small to hold two people under it comfortably, with rain slightly pouring onto the right side of Symboli Rudolf’s shoulder. Noticing Oguri Cap’s left shoulder also being slightly drenched, Symboli Rudolf quickly made the decision to loop her arm around the other girl’s waist, pulling Oguri Cap closer to her. She saw as Oguri Cap’s blue eyes slightly widened in surprise, and heard her breath slightly hitch.
“Shall we?” Symboli Rudolf asked while tilting her head towards the dorms. Oguri Cap simply nodded.
The rain continued descending softly as they slowly made their way towards the dorms, careful to avoid puddles along the way. They placed their steps in tandem with one another, creating a steady rhythm along the way. The pair let the air around them warp into silence, finding simple solace in the peacefulness of it all.
Halfway through their walk, Symboli Rudolf realised her arm was still snuggly wrapped around Oguri Cap’s lean waist. She decided to let it linger for a while longer, seeing as the other girl had also made no effort to remove it.
Minimal distance between them, Oguri Cap could feel Symboli Rudolf’s warm breath on her cheek. Huddled together under the umbrella, she noticed not of the cold air around them but the warmth shared between them.
Soon they both arrived at the front steps of the dormitories, this simple, small, shared moment under the umbrella drawing to a close. Symboli Rudolf drew her arm from its spot on Oguri Cap’s waist, and Oguri Cap silently mourned the loss of her touch, yet she could feel the phantom touch of Symboli Rudolf’s arm still lingering.
Symboli Rudolf gracefully removed herself by Oguri Cap’s side, not before stealing just a small moment of time gazing into the other girl’s glacial blue eyes. They were stunning, just like her. She lowered the umbrella, letting rainwater run down it before bringing it to a close.
“Thank you for guiding me back,” Oguri Cap said, giving a curt bow.
“No problem, we were going in the same direction anyway. I’ll be seeing you around, then. Try not to forget your umbrella next time,” Symboli Rudolf said.
As Symboli Rudolf made her way inside the building, Oguri Cap noticed the darker patch of purple on the other girl’s right shoulder. She glanced at her left shoulder, realising that it was completely dry.
Oguri Cap walked back towards her room. She silently thought of the stolen moment spent with Symboli Rudolf under the umbrella, where the world seemingly fell silent around them, leaving nothing but the sound of rainfall upon pavement and umbrella and the resonance of their heartbeats and breath.
Maybe rainy days aren’t too bad after all.
—
[Epilogue]
As Symboli Rudolf made her way down the stairs, she noticed a familiar ashen haired girl standing by the main door.
“Have you forgotten your umbrella once more?” Symboli Rudolf asked as she approached Oguri Cap.
”I was in a rush this morning and forgot to pack it,” Oguri Cap replied.
“Then, if you’re not against it, let’s share mine again,” Symboli Rudolf offered.
Oguri Cap smiled, “Thank you.”
Symboli Rudolf returned the smile and replied, “Not at all.”
Unknown to Symboli Rudolf, hidden within the confines of Oguri Cap’s school bag sat a little grey umbrella. Yet for the simple sake of snatching one more shared moment, no matter how short, she was willing to let this lie slip past her lips.
“Then, shall we?” Symboli Rudolf asked, offering the other girl an outstretched hand.
“Yes, let’s,” Oguri Cap agreed, taking Symboli Rudolf’s hand into hers.