So, the majority of this chapter is just me speaking from personal experience, but it is an important plot point. Yes, direct sunlight does make me sneeze. Sunglasses are my savior.
Lukas almost immediately regretted his decision to trust the clouds he saw from his window. The cold, he was prepared for. The sun? Not so much. He trudged angrily down the cobblestone, muttering to himself. Passing strangers could make out thing like "Stupid sun… do we even need it... I don't care what physics says, I'mma fight it." And the like.
His normally narrow eyes were mere slits, as he squinted viciously to avoid the growing feeling of cotton in his sinuses that he knew meant only one thing…
At least five heads shot up out of the books or newspapers they were buried in at the loud, rather grating outburst. Lukas had sprinted for shade as fast as he could when he felt the sensation become too strong to handle, but despite making it to the safety of the shadows, a few seconds later he did the unthinkable. He sneezed.
He sneezed. REALLY. LOUDLY. It was the most horrific moment of his not-really-that-long life, and Lukas wished more than anything that he could just fade into the pavement and not exist for a few… years. The eyes that were either pinned on him, or searching the area to locate the source of the offending noise felt like spotlights during a prison break. He was the quiet, cool guy, the one who walked with purpose down the avenue, with the face that said; 'If you know my name, you know I don't take shit from anyone', not the 'loud and obnoxious asshole from the dogey end of town trying to mock the coordinated people' person.
To be fair, the sour facial expression he wore was softer indoors, simply for the lack of natural sunlight. Ever since he was little, every time he would step out into direct sun, it was always too bright, too glaring, too frickin' loud to do anything but overwhelm his eyes, and in turn, his nose. His brother would giggle, try not to, and then just crack up laughing as Lukas ran around the yard looking for shade in which to hide. "HAVE YOU FIXED YOUR NOSE YET!?" would always be shouted after him, followed by more laughter.
Allistor had, at one point, taken pity on the poor child, gifting him with tinted aviator goggles to wear outdoors. At first they had been a bit large and uncomfortable, but as Lukas' style developed, he found the look completed him. Naturally he had outgrown the first set, and had quickly requisitioned a replacement. Or five. One could never be too careful.
Usually he never left the house without the goggles if it wasn't raining, or about to. He could trust those clouds. The ones today however, just a bit too light for rain, were traitorous. He trusted them with his dignity and his eyesight. They just turned up their noses and let the sun stab him in the back.
Lukas was brought from his disgruntled and shamed musings by a handkerchief being waved – a bit too enthusiastically – in his face. Wrinkling his nose at the gesture, he pushed aside the hand blocking his view with the cloth, and found himself face to face with some very. Blue. Eyes.
For a second, he just stared. Really, what else could he do? Was it even physically possible to take the morning sky and stick it in someone's eyeball? If it was, it certainly wouldn't be legal. Lukas wanted the sky back. The face he had only just noticed, belonged to a man about his age (though a good two inches taller), the comic grin stretching across his face setting Lukas' nerves on edge. Every excessively loud aspect of him did, actually. Everything, from the brightness of his teeth, to the upward swoop of his hair to the slight creases by his eyes as he smiled to the -frankly ridiculous- shade of blue inset in said eyes. He wanted this man to give back the sky he took.
"I don't think I've ever heard a sneeze like that!" Even his voice was loud, and not just in volume. "You sure you're okay?" Every word drew in Lukas' attention, whether he wanted it or not.
The only response he gave was a slight grunt of acknowledgement and a narrowing of his eyes as he brushed past the stranger, preparing to head back into the light of the evil daystar. Lukas reminded himself he had a schedule; get to the café, stay long enough so that if Emil asked around it could be said that he looked like he was waiting for someone, and then get to Heracles' shop so he could eavesdrop on their conversation. No, wait, it sounded too stalker-y when he put it like that. Maybe, 'observe his brother's curiosity in action'. Yes, that sounded better.
However, wherever that train of thought was going, it wasn't going to make it as Lukas found the stranger on his right, matching every stride. Could the guy just not take a hint? He picked up his pace a little, not acknowledging the bright smile in his peripherals. Maybe he was a fan? No, anyone who was would be smart enough to leave him alone on a day like today. That meant he was either some kook, or a bum looking for an easy path to his parents pockets.
Lukas groaned internally at the thought, enough people, men and women alike had tried to woo him, none brave enough to try his brother after he glared spears of ice into their backs, all in attempts to get even a glimpse of some gold lining his future pockets. He could tell. He could always tell. Their smile was always just wide enough to ward off suspicion, but it would melt like wax anytime they thought the world wasn't looking. And maybe the world wasn't. But he was.
Lukas knew what real interest looked like, he could see it in his brother's eyes whenever he talked about his friends, or a good book, or that girl he liked from school, and he could see it in every conversation with Heracles, every late night existential topic Lukas would bring up. He could talk for hours without interruption, and the spark in his brother's eyes wouldn't dim, not even once. But he could hold the attention of his would-be suitors for no more than twenty minutes; that look of intrigue, of awed contemplation never once gracing their expression.
To be fair, the man next to him hadn't bothered him in any way other than offering a handkerchief after he sneezed. And the million-watt smile he wore probably wouldn't melt, hell it looked like his mouth was cemented in that position. Aaaand, he hadn't actually spoken to him, other than to inquire about his well-being, so could he really be so quick to judge? When the sounds of giggling drifted from his right, he realized, yes. Yes he could. This person was too much, too fast, and Lukas couldn't deal with the obnoxious brightness of the man next to him, nonetheless try and deal with removing him in a civil manner.
Once again distracted, Lukas had walked right past the café, and into a lamppost. He hissed under his breath, and brought his hands up to cup his nose and rub the part of his forehead the pole had impacted.
That proved it. He had never messed up so many things in so little time before, and in public at that! This stranger, this obnoxious specimen of the human race was just screwing him over, big time. Just like the sun. Exactly like the sun actually, both glaringly obnoxious and loud.
"Uhgg, just what do you want?!" Lukas spun on his heel to face the stranger, hand still cupping his nose precautiously.
The man's eyes widened momentarily at the sudden change, but then he slouched comfortably, weight on one heel with his hands in his pockets. "Well, for one, I just wanted to check and see if you're okay. Either you've got some nasty winter allergies, or you're getting sick."
When he once again pulled out the handkerchief and gestured to Lukas with it, Lukas rolled his eyes and relaxed into a slightly less defensive posture.
"Also, you looked a bit like someone pissed in your coffee, and I thought you might want some company to cheer you up. You'd probably be a bit warmer in the sun, it's a beautiful day for once! Come on!" He then latched onto Lukas' overcoat, not roughly, but with a strong enough grip to drag him back into the sunshine.
"Wait, what?" But Lukas didn't have time to question anything as his eyes were once again assaulted by the blinding sun.
He could have sworn the stranger was talking to him, but the overloads of his senses and the familiar building feeling of cotton in his head stopped him from processing what was being said as he was carted along the pavement.
'Why?' He thought. 'Why me, why today? Who the fuck even is this guy? He could be leading me to a slaughter house right now and I wouldn't be able to tell, oh I'll end up just like uncle Allistor. Emil won't have a clue what happened to me, talk about a date gone wrong. Wait, this isn't a date!' And with that, the cotton in his head overflowed in the form of a series of violent sneezes, successfully stopping the stranger and causing him to loosen his grasp on Lukas.
Free at last, Lukas sprinted for the darkest blob in his hazy vision, hoping that it would offer him sanctuary from his tormentors. To his chagrin, it was only a passing shadow, cast by a cart vendor wheeling past, but it gave him enough respite to locate a better solution.
He heard nervous footsteps behind him, but chose to ignore them in exchange for a fast walk to the shaded patio of the café he had originally been headed to. Once away from the danger, he schlumped against the wall and ran a hand down his face as he sighed. The stranger, now looking nervous and concerned, stood a few feet away, wringing his hands worriedly.