Chapter Text
It’s nearly been an hour since Lio stormed out of the apartment because of an argument he and Galo had.
It was a petty argument—Galo kept on holding off washing the sinkful that had been piling up for days since Lio’s birthday a few days back:
Aina, Ignis, Heris, Lucia (accompanied by Vinny), Remi, Varys, Gueira and Meis had all been invited. With so many guests, the party was bound to kick off, especially if two weirdos, who love to tail after Lio like minions, decided it was a phenomenal idea to carry along oodles of alcohol nobody asked for, which resulted, in the then drunk crew, ordering excessive amounts of pizzas and using up boatloads of dishes.
Lio really seemed to have been really enjoying himself—sprawled out with a glass of Gin lightly held between his thumb, index and middle finger; Ring and pinky finger resting against the base for support, while the beverage was drunkenly being sloshed back and forth as his head sluggishly nodded from pillar to post. With heavy-lidded eyes and a cocky smile it appeared that he was trying to converse with Gueira who was lolled right next to him looking as stuporous as one could possibly be, attended with a half-empty bottle of Henny in hand.
Meis was slouched on the ground, back rested against the cushion border of the couch, whilst his head hung knee-high to a grasshopper, making his positure look awfully painful—he was visibly out of it.
“Geez, looks like someone can’t handle their alcohol.” Galo murmured, “He’s definitely going to feel that in the morning.”
Galo wanted to step in and drag Lio away from those pie-eyed morons, but he looked like he was having so much fun; besides it was his birthday, so he could do as he pleased, which, in this situation, meant hanging around two drunk dumbasses.
On the other side of the room Remi was performing a card trick for Galo, Heris, Lucia and Vinny and wouldn’t let them say a word, let alone allow them to leave mid show. That didn’t stop Galo from looking around and observing everyone around him; without making a sound, of course.
Aina was busy engaging in a drinking game with Ignis and Varys. Four empty bottles of Everclear were scattered on the floor beneath them as Ignis equally shared the drink into three glasses and the threesome downed their share, tossing the emptied bottle to the pile after. Surprisingly, they didn’t look the slightest bit tipsy—Aina and Ignis seemed to eagerly have been listening to a story Varys was telling them and even probed questions.
Everyone handles their alcohol differently, though, so maybe they actually were drunk, but compared to Meis, who was passed out on the floor, they looked as sober as a judge.
Suddenly, Galo felt an aggressive thunk on his head.
He swiftly turned around and saw a blue haired figure with geeky glasses looming over him—Remi. Galo had forgotten to be discreet about his whole observation thing and had subconsciously not only turned his attention but his head and body away from Remi’s performance.
Lucia, who was sitting right beside him couldn’t stop herself from sniggering and tried to muffle the sound with her palms. She even averted her gaze in hopes that nobody would see her, especially Galo, but got let down by Vinny, who was balanced on her shoulder and giggling right in his face.
Any normal person probably wouldn’t notice a rat laughing at them, but the one and only Galo surely did, and struggled in masking his irritation.
“Stupid rat…” he muttered, scowling at the rodent.
His attention quickly shifted back to the seething anorak, who was glaring daggers at him.
“Remi! Oh, Remi… I wasn’t purposely looking away or anything! I-It was just so good, so extraordinary that I couldn’t look, b-because I uh… um I’m not worthy of watching such a performance with my uncultured eyes! Yeah… You aren’t mad, right?” Galo nervously chuckled, knowing he had fucked up.
“You think I’m some idiot? You really think I’d fall for such a stupid cop-out?!” He frenetically tousled his hair in anger. “I take time out of my day to perform a trick and you don’t have the decency to even act like you care? This is bullshit!” The deck of cards were instantly hurled onto the ground, as he stomped on them in rage. “Bullshit! Bullshit! Bullsh-“
Heris got to her feet, tired of witnessing the unnecessary fiasco and swiftly cut Remi off by shoving a slice of pepperoni pizza straight into his mouth.
“Calm down. You act very stupid when drunk for someone who wears glasses.”
“Excu’e me? ‘Ou wear glasses ‘oo, fo’r-eye’!”(Excuse me? You wear glasses too, four-eyes!) Remi said, attempting to swallow the pepperoni pizza that was forcefully lodged into his mouth. “‘ook a’ your’el; you’e ba’ey ‘anding up’ight, ‘ou ‘ense bu’oon!” (Look at yourself; you’re barely standing upright, you dense buffoon!)
“I can’t understand a word you’re saying. Maybe swallow first before talking to someone; basic manners, y’know?”
“You go, Heris! You guys are actually pretty amusing when smashed. We, or specifically, you should really get drunk more often, for my entertainment, of course. Now it’s my turn to make fun of Remi!” Lucia beamed, springing up while swinging her arms to and fro, just as Vinny squawked and fleetly latched onto her shoulder, dangling about. The sheer amount of horsepower Lucia puts into her eagerness is, in fact, too much for a mere rat to handle.
“Are all nerds like this?” Lucia muttered, grinning to herself.
“I’m sorry!? You fuc-“
Galo noticed how hot-headed Remi was getting—drastically different from how laid-back he usually acts and how freakishly absurd the scenario was turning so he decided to entirely remove himself from the situation.
Gingerly slipping out of Remi’s sight he went over to Lio who was starting to doze off. Now, Meis wasn’t the only nincompoop blacked-out on the floor, but Gueira too; face-planted on the ground, arms limply resting on his sides, while his back simultaneously arched, like his spine were made of rubber and on the verge of snapping, as his knees gradually slid off the couch.
Galo scoffed as he stepped over the limp bodies littered on the floor.
Leaning against the armrest of the couch he blithely grinned at Lio.
“You having fun, firebug?”
“Why… why are you um… why are you ogling at me like that? It’s um… uh it’s weird.” Lio schmoozed while blankly staring at Galo, “I’m drinking- I was drinking um… uh did you eat pizza? I ate pizza… and Meis too. Where- where is Gueira… I mean- uh um I- I mean- I meant um Meis but also, where did Gueira go…?” He slurred scanning the room.
Galo snickered. When drunk, Lio always acted really dotty and would ramble about the weirdest things—Galo found that quirk so endearing.
“You’re smashed, Lio!" Galo chuckled as he shook Lio’s shoulder. “How much did you even have to dr-“
Crack!
Galo abruptly gets taken out of his daydream as a deafening bolt of lightning strikes.
“Shit! There’s no way Lio is still out. ‘Clean the dishes! Clean the dishes!’”He mockingly imitates, “But he used them too! He drank from multiple glasses and ate off various plates. He should be the one doing the washing-up! Way to put your responsibilities on everyone but yourself.”
Pitter-patter
Pitter-patter
Pitter-patter
Rain is relentlessly pouring like a downrush of fast moving water, while Galo is all at sea about how long it has been drizzling for, bearing in mind that he was harking back to the birthday soirée, instead of washing up the dishes, like he was intending to.
He’s still upset with Lio but not so upset that he’d have a yen for him to dejectedly trudge in the rain like a heartsick protagonist who just got friend-zoned by their lifelong crush, so Galo decides to brush all his irritation aside and call him. Lio still is his boyfriend, after all.
Ring
…
Ring
…
Ring
…
“The person you are calling is not available. Please leave a message after the tone.”
“…”
“First, he flounces out and now he’s not even answering his damn phone!” Galo massages the bridge of his nose. “Can’t he grasp that behaviour like that causes people to worry?”
Galo sighs as he vacantly watches the droplets pettishly hit the kitchen window; The rain progressively getting more intense.
“Lio…” Galo soughs, tapping the counter. “Always bolting when things don’t go your way.”
He and Lio usually relish in cloudbursts, which makes this late afternoon all the more drear. They should be hysterically laughing while dancing about and floundering into puddles, kissing in the rain while embracing each other, slipping on clothes way too thin for the chilly weather without the slightest care in the world. They should be doing that instead of this.
This “happy” hour was rather melancholic.
Wham!
The door jerks open as Lio stomps in—dripping wet hair, drenched clothes, teary bloodshot eyes accompanied by an enraged glower. Clearly indicating that he had spent the past hour sobbing outside in the downpour. How cliché.
“Firebug, there you are!” He draws closer. “I was calling you, y’know! Would’ve been nice if you’d at least sent a message, if you weren’t in the mood to answer my call.”
Galo pauses.
Bending his head, he takes a closer look at Lio’s face and halts before furrowing his brows, “have you… have you been crying?”
Lio clicks his tongue. Contorting his face into a glunch, avoiding Galo’s eyes.
“B-because of… me?” Galo points at himself in disbelief.
“…”
“Aw, I’m sorry.” Galo coos, frowning as he goes to embrace Lio.
Galo seriously hates seeing Lio upset; It crushes him and makes him feel powerless, especially when the reason for the miff is him.
Crying is the last thing a human wants to resort to, which means he must’ve really hurt Lio’s feelings. For someone who acts so high-and-mighty, he sure does cry easily.
Lio grumbles. Focusing on the floor as he balls his fists. “Fuck off!”
Galo still edges nearer. “Hey, Lio…”
Lio shoves him. “I told you to fuck off!” His voice cracks.
Lio proceeds to kick his black leather boots off, which are now covered in white blotches of water-spots. Not even attempting to properly arrange them alongside his other shoes, which are propped up at the front door in a linear chain, arranged from tallest to shortest, like he normally does. Slurry streaks of water chaperone the disorganized pair of shoon—commencing from outside, through the small space under the front door.
As he huffs off to their shared bedroom, a hearty cough escapes his throat. Lio stops in his tracks, and cagily peeks over his shoulder to see if Galo heard, but quickly gets embarrassed and marches off, when he sees that Galo hasn’t stopped focusing on him, even after getting shoved—and most definitely also heard the hack.
Lio, in his flustered state, briskly speed walks down the hall and slams the door to their bedroom shut. Its echo deflecting and ricocheting through the entire apartment.
Galo’s gaze lingers on the hallway, even after the door was bellicosely shut. The damp smell of precip suddenly filling the cubicle around him as the sound of rain drowns out every thought that ever plucked up courage to occupy his mind.
He stands there. Defeated.
Is this a matter that can be sorted, simply by being slept on?
Is this a happening that naturally gets fixed by being stewed over?
Is this even fixable?
With a personality as stubborn as Lio’s, talking about it would be nearly impossible. Or just pointless.
Galo exhales and listlessly loiters to the balcony in the kitchen to gaze at the torrent of rain and savor the flurry of air to ease his mind.
The sun is setting already, which makes the sky look like a swirly gradient of crimson, wild orchid, vermillion and amber— how dashing.
“Lio would love this.” Galo mutters. Resting his chin in the palm of his hand as his elbow leans on the biting-cold metal railing.
Lio is truthfully, the only person Galo ever thinks of.