Archive of Our Own

The loud thumping of raindrops hitting the back of the truck that Ina fixed up back in that small workshop filled Slade's ears. 

THUMP THUMP THUMP

It was raining. It was raining hard.

A couple of hours ago, it was completely fine: Slade, Ina, Calico, and Larkspur were still on the road trying to get away from the phantom eyes, the deep longing for a fresh new start clinging onto them like the fur from Tiny's body to dried clothing.

But slowly, as time carried on, as morning turned to evening, small sprinkles of water from the world's ashy sky turned into a drizzle and then a light shower, and finally, as we all know today, rain. 

A slight shiver went down Slade's spine as he recalled the chaos that took place when the heavens started pouring down on him and Calico in the back of that truck.

Water was never really something that bothered him, but oh god was it TIRING to have to sit through pounds of rain hitting you every. single. second. It didn't help that Ina was also driving like a madwoman, trying to hurry up and find shelter in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere.

But it seemed that lady luck was somewhat on their side today as Ina ended up stumbling upon what looked like an abandoned building of some sort. The second and third floor windows were broken in, and the walls were stained with black dust from numerous hazeshifts that had passed by. However, the part that made this such a lucky find was the first floor, which, for some odd reason, didn't have broken windows. It was still old and looked as if it would collapse at any second, but beggars couldn't be choosers. They were lucky to find something.

On arrival, they immediately went to work, grabbing as many boxes and crates filled with needed items for their journey that they could carry, bringing them into the building to hopefully dry by the time the rain stopped.

Well, that never happened.

A long sigh escaped Slade's mouth as he stared at the truck outside in a daze. A couple of hours had passed, and the rain looked like it wouldn't stop anytime soon. It was a shame too. He really needed a smoke break.

His eyes then darted to the box of cigarettes that felt awfully heavy in his pocket. Maybe if he were desperate enough, he would give in and take out those sticks of addiction to use indoors. Was it a bad idea? Well, yes, but a moment of joy would do some good for him right now.

He ultimately decided to just deal with his problems later, though. It's only been a couple of hours. 

Ina and Lark seemed to be taking advantage of the situation, though. After a long while of driving endlessly, Ina found herself situated right in between Larkspur's thighs to rest, her eyes opening and closing in desperation to at least try to stay awake a little bit longer as her girlfriend rubbed the top of her head while shushing her to get some much-needed rest.

"But what if the rain stops soon?"

Ina said, her clear tiredness from those bags under her brown eyes telling Larkspur that Ina really needed to rest. That truck was their way to safety, so obviously, Ina didn't want to waste any time when the rain stopped to repair it. The problem was that the rain wouldn't stop, and by the time that the rain did, Ina would be completely knocked asleep from her efforts to remain awake.

"From the looks of it, that rain will keep going until tomorrow. We have enough supplies to last a night here, so just rest ok?"

An incomprehensible sound escaped Ina's lips as she listened to Lark's words. 

"But..."

"Shh..I know that you want to stay up just in case, but just go to sleep. There's always more time tomorrow."

She finished off her sentence with a kiss to Ina's cheek, her neck slightly tugging at her spine as she leaned down far enough to make contact with the girl's soft face. This action seemed to make Ina relax even more, her lips parting as she blew out in relief while her body adjusted itself to be in a more comfortable position in that very spot.

It didn't take much longer for Ina to eventually give in. It was nice to put up a little struggle, but there was only so much struggling you could do before finally having your fill. Plus, she was quite literally about to pass out.

"Fine...I suppose you're right anyway...mnh..."

Lark couldn't help but smile at that. Her girlfriend was so cute...

"Alright, goodnight sleepyhead...I'll join you in a bit-"

In an instant, her eyes darted to Slade, who was staring at them. He has been watching this for quite a while now, it seems.

“You guys really love each other.”

He said, tilting his head. In truth, he could barely see what was going on. The only slight resemblance of Ina being a brown blur of hair residing on the top of her head that swayed and moved next to Lark, who actually wasn’t as hard to see due to her very light features of white hair. But even so, he could somehow sense in full detail Lark’s hand on Ina and how they smiled and looked at each other with love in their eyes. 

Maybe it would’ve been him and Calico if Leo hadn’t taken him away all those years ago.

The sound of rustling and Lark standing up instantly kicked Slade out of his train of thought. 

“What are you doing?” He said, his eyes following her movements.

She looked over to Slade, her arms wrapped around Ina, who was fast asleep.

“I’m gonna bring her to the mattress. It wouldn’t be good for her neck if she were to sleep on me like that.”

Slade nodded, his eyes darting up to think of the next word to say.

“Well…Goodnight, I guess.”

“I suppose this is goodnight…I don’t think she would be very happy to wake up and not see me next to her…”

She quickly adjusted Ina in her arms, her breath hitching slightly as Ina let out a small grumble before falling back asleep.

“You should sleep too, Slade. There’s no use in watching that rain. Save your energy and utilize this stop to rest.”

“I will, don’t worry.” 

“Good.”

And with that, Lark quickly turned away, her footsteps sounding distant as she headed into what looked to be an old office room that they decided was where they would put the mattresses. In the room, there was a worn-out and old chalkboard placed on the wall, and the size was perfect to fit a big table and some chairs. This was also the only part in the building that looked somewhat stable enough not to fall over instantly. It’s not like it mattered that much, though, because if one part of the building toppled, then the whole thing would come crashing down. Still, the office gave them a sense of at least some type of safety when it came to where to sleep. 

The building itself was very bare. When walking in, you’re met with absolutely nothing except the horrid black-grey look of faded paint and dust on the ground and walls. It was clear that the building was to be renovated soon, but it was left behind. The first floor was pretty big with a main room (the lobby is what they have decided to call it) and about 10 doors connected, leading to who knows where, the door closest to the middle being the office.

It wasn’t like they were planning on staying for long, though, so they didn’t exactly want to scatter their precious items across the building, the office being the only room they’d decided to use, and the rest of their items just sitting in the middle of the lobby.

Slade's hand made its way onto the window next to the front door, touching the glass to feel the condensation through it. It was an odd feeling. It was just water vapor from the rain, yet it seemed to bring him some bittersweet memories of his past. His past with Calico back at that small enclosed space they'd learned to call home. He remembered those times when it stormed and how the clap of lightning made him jump in fear and hold onto Calico, who seemed to be scared, too. Obviously, Calico couldn't exactly understand why a bit of lightning would bring such a reaction out of his dear friend, but he still sympathized with him. He didn't want Slade to be alone. 

And honestly, now that Slade looked back at it, it wasn't the loud sound of the lightning that scared him. No. It was the immense damage it would have caused if it had gone too close to Calico's dear home. One strike too close and that cracked window would've been no more, the vent outside couldn't have been standing anymore, a hole could've been torn through the roof...Their only home together. Gone. Just like that.

I suppose now those childish ruminations didn't matter anymore, though. It was far too late.

Slade swallowed. He needed a smoke.

Calico went ahead to explore some more parts of the building since just staying cooped up like this for hours on end was not really sitting well with him. Whether he found something of value or nothing at all wasn’t a priority right now. All that mattered was just getting some sense of ease, and in Calico’s case, that was just getting a better grasp of the current environment you’re in.

He’s been gone for quite a while now. However,  this thought somehow didn’t bother Slade. Back then…It definitely would have. But right now…Right now, knowing that Calico is a person who could potentially kill a group of individuals all by himself if he wanted…It made Slade feel like he didn’t need to run after him anymore. 

It was like, instead of protecting each other, Slade was the only one being protected.

“Ugh..What’s wrong with me! Why am I so negative right now…” 

He blurted out before his hand pounded against the glass, the action making a loud sound that caused him to jerk back a little.

Ah…Now that was a bad idea…

He put his hand against the glass again, squinting his eyes to try to see if the glass was damaged in any way. It was quite old after all.

From the looks of it, the glass surprisingly held up! The only sight of any type of damage was old scratches and dust from the past, and also…

Wait, what even is that?

Slade squinted even harder into the glass. There was definitely something outside in the rain…

A gasp escaped his lips as he figured out exactly what it was. It was an eave directly on the side of the building. It was weird how he hadn't seen it before, as it was actually quite big with rain dripping down from the top of it as one of those walk-through waterfalls he'd seen in a book somewhere. 

Maybe he hadn't seen it due to the stresses of getting inside, combined with the fact that it seemed to be a couple of feet away from the window, so it could only really be seen from a certain angle where he was currently standing.

Well, never mind that. This was his chance to finally get out.

His body turned towards the office where Lark and Ina were resting, and very slowly, he picked up his feet to go over to them. It was very obvious that they were already asleep due to the snoring that seemed to make its way out of that fairly small office, but he still wanted to at least look at the pair one last time before he went outside. You’d never know if someone would come from the abyss and take him back to that prison.

When his feet stopped at the open office door, he immediately saw Lark's arm wrapped around Ina's waist while they both seemed to be muffled against each other like they were completely tangled in their love. He’d be lying if he said it wasn’t cute to see the two be so comfortable around each other. It was honestly quite awkward to see the two of them like this at first, but that was most likely because Calico was there alongside him, which made it so that instead of just him witnessing their little flirts, it was both of them witnessing it.

He swallowed, his mouth opening and closing in contemplation before finally whispering a goodbye and then turning on his heel to face the window. However, instead of walking toward the window, he turned to the right slightly to go toward the front door.

The sound of rain and his shoes against the concrete inside the building grew louder as he made his way outside. However, even when his feet stopped at the entrance, the roar of the rain still overwhelmed him. It then became clear to him that he would 100% be soaked all the way through even if he ran.

Slade’s fingers clutched the pocket that held his lighter and cigarettes.

“Aaah…”

This is stupid. He quite literally just got out of the rain a couple of hours ago, and his clothes were still slightly damp from the water. Plus, if his cigarettes get wet from the attempt to make it to the eave in one piece, then what exactly would he even do out there? Give in and play in the rain?

“This is such a dumb plan… I would be better off just smoking indoors…Why am I refusing to do that anyway? The building is big, so I'm sure that—?!”

The feel of a hand on his shoulder instantly caught his attention as he whipped himself around to, in his surprise, see Calico, who looked equally as shocked from Slade’s quick movements.

“Are you…Okay?”

Calico signed, his fingers pausing for a moment before adding on that last word.

A reddish-pink blush blossomed on Slade’s cheeks. Was it embarrassment or attraction? Who knows. 

Slade put his hands up to sign back to him.

“I’m okay, I was just gonna go outside for a cigarette.”

Just then, as if to remind him of how dumb that idea was, the sound of rain grew even louder, so much so that Slade couldn’t help but turn his head to have what seemed to be a staring contest with the rain.

Yep. There was no way that he’d be able to go out there. The rain ended up making what seemed to be a mud slosh pile right along the walkway to the shelter hanging over the side of the building. Now, he didn’t really mind mud, but what he DID mind was how unnecessary that dirt on his shoes would be. Since Lark and Ina are sleeping in another room, he could just find a secluded place in the building for him to smoke, and he won’t have to worry about—TAP!

Slade turned back to Calico, who was tapping on his shoulder.

“What is it?” He signed to Calico.

“…I don’t want you to get even more soaked out there, so…”

Calico then started to take off his hoodie, folding it into what seemed to be a makeshift umbrella from the way he held it over their heads.

He then nodded towards the eave and started to walk forward, pushing Slade’s foot out of the door slightly.

“W-Wait!” Slade shouted despite knowing that Calico couldn't hear, “I’ll just use one of the empty rooms, it’s fine—”

By the time he got his last word out, it was too late, however. Since Calico was much too focused on keeping the hoodie directly over their heads, he couldn’t see Slade’s mouth moving, and instead completely pushed forward, forcing both of them out into the intense downpour of the rain.

The weight of the water instantly started to seep through the hoodie, and just because of this fact, Slade rushed forward, his boots stomping on the concrete trail to the eave as he raced towards it. Calico followed suit as he lifted the hoodie higher up in the air so that the drenched fabric couldn’t block their eyes from the route, and also so that the uncomfortable dampness wouldn’t dare bother the top of their heads.

It took only about 10 seconds to reach the shelter overhead, but god was it the most stressful thing EVER. 

A breath of relief escaped Slade’s mouth as he took notice that neither he nor Calico was drenched.

He then took notice of the waterfall that dropped endlessly over the front of the shelter, creating the illusion that he was inside a cave. Now obviously he had never even been inside of one before, nor has he ever actually SEEN a genuine waterfall in person, so he couldn’t quite compare the two, but what he did know was one thing. It was beautiful. Very beautiful.

“Well, that was something…” Slade mumbled to himself, finally breaking off his contact with the endless stream of water by looking down to pull out his lighter and cigarettes. It was only after he examined his lighter and lit his cigarette that he finally turned to face Calico, who was wringing out the hoodie so that it could be ready for another go against the rain. This was honestly quite awkward…What was Calico supposed to do now? Watch as Slade lets his addiction get the better of him?

An incomprehensible grumble escaped Slade’s mouth after he took a drag from his cigarette. Well whatever. This was his chance to finally have a conversation with Calico.

Slade tapped Calico’s shoulder, and like usual, Calico turned his head in surprise.

“…Thank you. You know…For doing this for me.” Slade signed to him, an awkward smile forming on his face.

Calico nodded, his eyes refusing to meet Slade’s as he regained focus on the hoodie.

Ah, was he too direct? Maybe silence was the answer...

Just as Slade was about to back away, Calico put the hoodie underneath his left arm and immediately brought his hands up to sign back to him.

“You’re welcome…I haven’t seen you in a long time, but I couldn’t just let you go out in the rain like that.”

Slade’s expression lit up as he signed back.

“And why is that?” Slade responded.

“Well…”

Calico looked out at the rain for a moment and then back at Slade as if he was trying to think about how Slade would feel about his next few words.

“... As I said, I didn’t want you to get even more soaked out here. That’s all.”

From the way he signed as quickly as possible and the way his eyes bounced around from the wall of the building to the truck to the muddy ground, it was clear that he had much more to say than that. But Slade didn’t want to push his boundaries, so he instead decided to just let this moment pass.

“I see.” Slade signed, his tension from before slowly being replaced with the feeling of familiarity from Calico’s actions.

Slade took a moment to take another drag from his cigarette, his head turning towards the waterfall to blow out the smoke. Little did he know that by doing this, it caused Calico to also look towards the waterfall, who, by seeing this, had a look of amazement on his face.

Slade took a glance towards Calico, who was already signing. 

“It’s beautiful.”

Right. Calico didn’t have the opportunities that Slade did. He never had libraries to read tons of books, so this was his first time seeing something like this. If Slade had more time with him, then maybe, just maybe, he would have finally felt the need to go through the sections in the library to show Calico what a true waterfall was. It had never rained like this before, all the way back in Edgeline or in Lockbane, so they were both in the same boat of not seeing something like this before. The key difference between their experiences is that at least Slade had something to compare it to.
 
“It’s a waterfall.” Slade signed to Calico.

“A waterfall?”

“Yeah. It’s not a natural waterfall, but I'm sure that this is something very similar to that.”

Slade then took one final drag from his cigarette before dropping it on the ground to crush it with the sole of his left boot.

Even after all of these years, there are still some things that are completely new to Calico. Just because they both have grown up doesn’t necessarily mean that they know everything about the world. Maybe it was because of his fear that Calico didn’t need him anymore that he felt so negative about what the future had brought them.

But right now…

Slade’s eyes widened as he took in Calico’s expression. Many years ago, way before they were communicating like how they are now, there was a day when he showed Calico a chocolate bar. The pure joy and happiness that radiated from him was something that could never be described. Like he had found a missing part of himself.
That was the expression that Calico had right now.

Slade took a step closer.

He then reached out to him, his mouth moving to say the words instead of his hands.

“You look...” Slade began, a whisper he himself could barely hear.

Just when Slade was about to finish his sentence, he was suddenly interrupted by the sound of something dropping beneath his feet. He let out a breath as he slowly let his hand make its way back against his side. 

He tilted his head down as he briefly scanned...Wait. What even is that?

He squinted his eyes to try to make out the object. It seemed to be something grey like...Metal.

Just before Slade was about to squat down to fully examine the object, Calico had already moved his gaze from the waterfall to Slade, and because Slade was focused on the object on the ground, Calico noticed it too, and instinctively reached for the object, which then caused the two of their heads to collide and their feet to accidentally kick the object towards the waterfall.

Slade watched as it slid out into the pouring rain, the mud from the now dead grass below gathering onto the metal object.

Slade turned to face Calico, who, despite their heads slamming against each other, was already signing.

"The lighter...!" Calico began, his hands moving frantically as he explained to Slade. "That was your lighter!"

The lighter...?

Slade looked down to dig in his pockets. His cigarettes were in there, but...No lighter. He whipped his head around to the object that now looked completely buried in the mud. How could he not have noticed! The lighter had quite a bit of weight to it, so he should've felt the difference when it fell out. 

Shit. Shit. SHIT.

He turned to Calico to sign back in an equally frantic manner.

"I'll get it."

Without waiting for a response, he got up and started to strip himself of his own hoodie to make another makeshift umbrella. The lighter wasn't too far away, so maybe if he rushed, it would be okay? Hopefully…

He lifted the hoodie over his head and walked forward towards the waterfall. He then took a deep breath before lunging forward.

The cold droplets of rain were instantly felt as he stepped out into the open. His hoodie became damp within seconds, and his legs shook as he struggled to keep balance on the muddy ground below. He glanced down only to find the mud sinking his boots. He then glanced up to find that rainwater was already dripping down his fingers. 

Just what kind of rain is this!?

His thoughts were then cut short by the feel of the rain touching his neck as the weight of the water against the hoodie pushed the back part down slightly.

Right! The lighter!

He squatted down to look. Where was it?! He could’ve sworn it was right here! He used his left hand to touch the mud while his right held the hoodie up. It was right here! Right here! 

Slade bit his lip as he dug into the mud to try to feel the lighter somewhere. All the while, his hoodie above was slowly collapsing in on itself.

Nothing.

Maybe it was behind him?! He could have missed a lot of details and overstepped, so maybe—

“AH…!”

Calico watched through the waterfall as Slade tumbled over and splashed into the mud. It looked like he may have tripped over something hiding inside the mud.

Slade…!

Calico took his hoodie off the ground to make the umbrella again before going through the waterfall, and to Slade, who was attempting to get up, but kept sliding and falling over again and again.

Calico reached his hand out to help Slade.

The mud was overwhelmingly slick, and even though Calico was just standing, it was still extremely hard to stay balanced.

Slade grabbed Calico’s hand and slowly started to get up. For some odd reason, Slade still had the hoodie over his head to protect him from the rain. It’s not like it mattered, though, since the entirety of his pants and shirt were now covered with mud, and the hoodie was so sodden that it was now useless. It shouldn’t have mattered, but for some reason…

A small smile grew on Calico’s face.

They didn’t waste any time getting out of the rain. Using body language, they slowly made their way back, making sure not to step on any weird spots on the ground that seemed to be deeper than they looked to be.

On the way, they made sure to look around to see if they could find the lighter, and to their surprise, it turned out that Slade HAD overstepped. Calico stopped for a moment to lean down to pick up the lighter that was about 5 seconds away from being completely submerged before continuing.

Calico’s hoodie was also on its last legs, and by the time they reached the waterfall, he knew that it probably wouldn’t work, but even so, he kept the hoodie above their heads, and despite the odds, it somehow managed to hold up just a little, so the waterfall didn’t drown them when they went through.

When reaching the shelter of the eave, Slade immediately started to lean against the back wall, breathing profusely as he shook his head to get the rain out like a dog.

Calico’s smile grew.

If Slade had known that the mud would be THAT slippery, then he would’ve just kept the hoodie on and used the hood, so that he wouldn’t have messed up all his clothes as he did now, but if he did that, then he would’ve 100% been soaked no matter if his hood was up or not.

He looked down to see the mud all over his shirt, pants, and shoes.

“Aah…Damn it…”

He slid down to sit on the concrete platform below. Why did these people decide it was a good idea to have a lawn? Along the sides of an office at that…

He turned his head to look at Calico, who was already staring at him. Calico, who seemed a bit red in the cheeks, then walked towards Slade to hand over the lighter that was now dirt-free.

“Thanks for cleaning it.” Slade signed.

“Of course.”

He rolled the flint wheel and as expected…It’s damaged. He tried once more and again to fully be sure that it was indeed broken, and yep. It was.

A loud sigh escaped Slade as he shoved the lighter in his pocket. 

It’s not like he expected it to be okay after what had just happened. Not only was it completely exposed to the pouring rain, but it was also buried underneath the dirt for quite a while. Right now, all he wanted was to go back inside. Go back inside, hopefully find a lighter somewhere else, and move on. 

“Calico.” Slade began to sign. It seemed to be instinctive, however, because he was more focused on the front door than anything. “I’m sorry I brought you into this. This wasn’t supposed to happen. You got your hoodie even more soaked than needed because of MY recklessness. I’m starting to rely on you too much…I…It’s as if the roles were completely switched, and now you’re the one to take care of me. You’re the strong one. You’re the one to save my ass every day now…” Slade stopped for a moment before adding on. “I can barely even help you anymore…I…”

Calico tapped on Slade's leg to get his attention. Slade jolted at the sudden touch.

“You’re wrong, Slade.” 

In that moment, something about him became even clearer. Calico was always a very serious person who spoke and acted solely to survive, but he wasn't always signing from his mind completely. His heart was also somewhere in the mix.

Right now, with his eyes refusing to leave Slade's and his expression one of complete softness, he was speaking artlessly.

“Slade…”

Calico’s hand went up to press against Slade’s cheek, his thumb moving to wipe away some mud that was left on his face. He didn’t dare move it when the dirt was gone, though.

He instead just continued to stare into Slade’s eyes.

Slade’s heart started to beat even louder against his chest, not in fear, but in love. Slade's body relaxed as a way to better feel his hand against him. He was calming down.

After a moment of silence, Calico slowly moved his hand away to sign back to him, that small smile on his face that was shown before suddenly becoming noticeable to Slade’s eyes.

“Better?”

Slade nodded. “Yeah.”

Calico let out a huff, his right hand grabbing his left arm as if he was trying to find the exact words that he wanted to express.

After some contemplation, he started to sign.

"... A lot has changed over these 8 years that you have been part of my life, and I know that due to this fact, you might think that I'm a completely different person from that little boy you last saw, but...That's just not true. Just because I'm bigger and can do all of these things that I couldn't do when you last saw me, doesn't mean I've forgotten what you've done for me, Slade. You saved my life as well. Multiple, multiple times. Even right now. You're saving my life."

Slade's eyes widened. "How...How am I saving your life right now?"

"Look what we're doing."

Slade looked down at his hands. His hands were used for everything. Even...

He brought his hands up to his face to sign one word.

"Communication."

Calico nodded. It looked as if he was about to break into tears from pure happiness.

"Without you, I wouldn't have gotten to know Lark and Ina. Without you, I would constantly be starving every single day without an idea of how to buy and not steal. Without you...I would've been dead long ago. So...That's one reason why I'm doing all this for you. The second reason is that..." 

He pauses.

"...I simply love and care for you, Slade. I don't want someone that I love to go out in the rain by himself. I don't want to see someone that I love slip and fall in the mud and not be offered any help. I don't want someone I love to think that he's a burden to my life, even though he was the very thing that helped me get up in the mornings. If my undying love for you was non-existent, then why would I even bother writing that message to you?! Then why did I even bother counting down the days that you were gone?! Then why am I refusing to let you go even when you said that it was fine if I did?!! Then why—!!"

The scent of Slade instantly filled Calico's nose as he felt his warmth. Slade's arms wrapped around him in a tight embrace. A really tight embrace, in fact. Calico couldn't do anything more but hug him back with even more force and affection, causing Slade to hug back even tighter. 

Calico let out a yelp before pushing Slade even more against the wall to get a harder grip on him, however by doing this, Calico had no other room for himself, causing him to land right on Slade's lap, whose face turned completely beet red at the feel of Calico on him.

He let go of Calico completely to sign.

"I-I get it. Thank you..."

Calico also let go; however, he made no effort to move out of Slade's lap.

"I'm glad you do, so please don't think that way again. You mean a lot to me, and you're not weak in my eyes. You're my equal."

"Yeah..."

Slade looked down. His face was so red right now...How could Calico not have noticed?! 

The feel of shifting in his lap made Slade jerk up, the top of his head almost hitting Calico's chin, who was about to lean down to keep being in eye contact with Slade.
"Ah! Sorry...It um...Feels weird..." Slade rubbed his neck in embarrassment.

"Oh...Really..?"

Now Calico's face turned a deep red. "I just...Wanted to get a closer look at your...Hands...?"

"My hands...?"

Slade took a glance at his own hands once more. There wasn't anything special there; it was just a couple of cuts and bruises that hadn't yet faded from his time at the compound, so what possibly could have gotten Calico's attention?

He squinted his eyes to try to find anything more that he might have missed about hands. Yeah, there wasn't anything. "What's so interesting about my hands? Is there something you see or—"

It was right then that Slade had noticed that Calico was indeed NOT staring at his hands. It was his hair that he was staring at.

With the way Calico's eyes had widened and how his fingers twitched, it seemed that something about his hair piqued his interest. 

Slade put his hand directly in front of Calico to get his attention, causing Calico to jump due to his view being blocked abruptly.

"Is there something interesting about my hair?"

Calico paused, his gaze moving back and forth between Slade's eyes and his hair. He then started to blush even more before deciding to look out into the rain that had surprisingly started to slow down.

"It's wet."

It's...Wet?

Slade tilted his head in confusion. Obviously, his hair was wet, but what does that have to do with anything? Maybe because his hair isn't as bouffant, and it's odd to Calico? But if that was the case, then how come Calico is blushing and fidgeting with his fingers and...and...Oh. 

Slade slapped his palm against his head. Was that another reason why Calico wanted to make sure that he wouldn't be soaked by the rain?!

"I'm a fucking idiot..." Slade mumbled to himself.

Great. Now they were both a blushing mess. Who knew that the rain could lead to something like this? His lighter got destroyed, his clothes are now full of mud, and Calico gave a whole speech about his love for him. Wait.

Slade tapped Calico, who whipped his head around instantly.

"What...did you mean when you said that you loved me?"

There was yet another moment of silence.

Calico swallowed. "I meant...You know, like...In..."

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT THERE!"

Slade jumped at the sound, which then caused Calico to jump as well and follow his gaze to...Larkspur?!

She stood at the front door, her hands cupping her mouth to try to simulate a megaphone. When noticing Calico, however, she instead puts her hands down to sign as well as speak.

"It's still pouring! Why are you guys out right now?!" She was about to say more, but she stopped herself when fully taking in the view of the scene in front of her. Calico on Slade's lap while both of their faces are as red as the sun.

"... Never mind!"

Just before either of them could say anything else, Larkspur had already gone inside and shut the door.

...I guess now Slade can add larkspur thinking that the two were getting intimate to the list of eventful things that have happened today...

Slade then turned his head back to sign to him.

"Well, that was interesting, wasn't it—huh?"

The weight of Calico on Slade instantly shifted a bit to the left and a bit to the right as Calico took a moment to place his footing and stand up.

When Calico was up, he slowly backed away from Slade, his hands moving to cover his face in embarrassment.

It honestly made sense to Slade that Calico would have reacted like this. He’d known her for that entire time that they’d been apart, and when you know someone that well, it’s much more embarrassing to do something that you'd never show them.

Slade stood up and walked right in front of Calico, who raised his head due to sensing his movements.

Slade started to sign.

“Let’s just go back inside. There’s no other reason why we should be out here considering that I no longer have a lighter.”

Calico nodded, his cheeks still slightly red, but ultimately fading.

Since the rain had now slowed down into what looked to be a moderate drizzle, they didn’t really need to use their hoodies and could instead just run. The path to the front door was even concrete, so it’s not like they would slip and fall as had happened before.

Slade turned around to pick up his and Calico’s drenched hoodies off the floor. Who knew that the rain that had done something like this could all of a sudden switch sides just like that?

After swinging the hoodies over his arm, he walked over to Calico once more.

Just before he was about to bolt, the feel of a hand clamping his own made his legs suddenly stop. Slade looked down to see Calico tightly holding his hand.

He squeezed back gently, a smile forming on Slade’s face to match the exact one that Calico was giving him right now.

“Let’s go.”

They both ran for it as fast as they could before the trickling of the rain could be felt on their heads.

When reaching the front door, Calico pulled it open to let Slade in first, and then himself last.

A breath of relief escaped both of them when the door shut behind them and the cold air of the building reached their faces.

Slade walked towards the middle before placing the hoodies on a box where the rest of their stuff lay. He then looked over to sign to a blurry Calico, who had already sat down and rested his head against the wall vertically across from the front door.

“I’m gonna go see Lark.”

After…maybe…getting a nod of approval, he set off towards the office where Ina was resting.

He was expecting to see the two of them awake and chatting to each other; however, to his surprise, it turns out that…

“Lark?”

Ina was completely sprawled on the mattress, and Lark, who was completely awake before, had fit herself like a puzzle piece right beside Ina and was now sleeping soundly.

She must’ve only woken up to find where we were and went back asleep.

Slade nodded at the sight and stepped backwards to go back to Calico.

He should just let them have their alone time.

As surprising as it is, the sound of the pouring rain was now completely gone, leaving behind only the dripping of the water and the sloshing of the wind against puddles. He really thought that it was going to last until tomorrow…

When reaching Calico, he sat down beside him and began to sign. “Since the rain is beginning to stop, we should be able to get moving, right?”

Calico nodded. “Are Lark and Ina ready to go?”

Slade glanced over to the office. “Nah. They’re uh…Enjoying the free time that they have by resting.”

“Then we should sleep as well.” Calico smiled before grabbing Slade’s arm and resting the side of his head on his shoulder.

It was a rainy day today. A very rainy day. But now…

Slade leaned against Calico as well, his hand reaching out to grab his.

The rain is no more.

Slade’s eyes started to feel heavy as he felt Calico’s soft hair against his cheek.

At the end of the day, there was at least one thing that he knew. Even when Calico was interrupted by Lark, Slade could still tell what he was planning to say.

“I love you too. In that way.” Slade mumbled.

Obviously, Calico couldn’t hear it, but somehow, somehow, he could sense it.

Calico looked up at Slade for a moment, his free hand moving to attempt to say something, but then deciding to just fall back to his side as Calico’s head slumped forward.

He was asleep.

Something then became clear to Slade.

He looked in front of him, directly in shot of the window that had started all of this. The ruby red sun was slowly coming down, and a beautiful navy blue sky behind the blazing star was about to replace it with quadruple the amount of stars. It was a very blurry sight, yes, but he didn't mind. A new day was about to come. And all that mattered was that he was with Calico.

He was so ready for tomorrow.

He slumped forward. “…I should probably...change my clothes too…”

His mind went blank as everything finally grew dark.