The trees standing guard by the road whisper as another breeze washes over them. The air is cool, but the earth he digs into is even cooler against his hands. The sun sits in the middle of the pitch black sky, flickering like an old light bulb in a dark basement. He plops another poppy into the well he's made and packs in dirt.
"My, my, what a pretty little garden."
Jin cranes his neck to look behind him, but the shadows that stretch along her face make it difficult for him to recognize her. For a moment, the sun buzzes above them and the sky grows a dusky orange but the sun quickly dies back into its sputtering. It's enough. Enough to see pale eyes, mousy brown hair that gets wavy a bit at the shoulders. Forgotten, the next flower tumbles out of his hand.
"Mom?" He stands and she laughs, just like he remembers, before wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. He does the same.
"Oh, it's been too long," she says, voice muffled by his shirt. He buries his head into her shoulder, holds her just a bit tighter. He doesn't think he'll be able to let go.
"I miss you. All the time." He can't remember why now. She's here, isn't she? Hasn't she always? His heart hurts, twists a bit in his chest.
"I know, I know." She pulls away and he almost pulls her back, but he's afraid to move. She cups the sides of his face in her hands. Dim flashes of light reveal her gentle smile. "I'm so sorry."
"For what?" he asks in a voice more hoarse than he intends. His eyes sting.
She presses her lips together, tears falling down her face, despite the smile. "For leaving you all alone."
He remembers rain beating against the back of his head, his neck, running down beneath his shirt as he tried to find some sort of awning to duck under until he figured out where to go. Nights spent shivering, unable to do anything but pick at the holes in his coat with numb fingers, families passing by on the sidewalk and children laughing gleefully at the snowfall. Quiet nights sweeping the shop at close, listening to his coworkers talk about their new babies or family outings they were planning. Days wandering the street. People turning away from him, ducking out of his path at the sight of him, always something about his eyes, something about scary, something about mean-looking. No graves to visit. Just memories of old photographs he never got back. Pathetic shrines made up of a cracked vase with nothing in it.
His jaw quivers. He can stop the lump in his throat from making sound, but not the tears from spilling. She wipes them away and smiles.
"But you're not alone anymore, are you?"
He shakes his head, can't trust his voice in the moment, just swallows.
"I'm so, so proud of you, baby." Her hands move to his shoulders where she squeezes them. "You don't need to be out here like this anymore. You have to start in there."
She points to the house. The front porch light is a lot more reliable than the sun; never wavering, just washing the steps in orange. The windows glow with the indoor lights, but otherwise the house sits in darkness.
"You build your life up, you hear me?" she murmurs, squeezing his shoulders again. "So that when we talk next time you can tell me all about the life you've lived. And I can meet all the people in it."
He nods. "Yeah. Alright. Too long."
She whirls him around and pushes him towards the house. "Now go, I'll finish up here."
He can't look back, feels like he's not supposed to even if he just wants one more look, a glance to last him a lifetime. The sun burns out. The only light comes from the house. Darkness encroaches, rushing up to meet him and he gets the feeling he needs to hurry. He picks up the pace, even if he can't know why, up to the front porch steps, into the light.
Safe, he turns his head back to the yard. It's pitch black. He thinks about calling out to her, but he knows all he'll get back is silence.
It's alright.
The door sighs as he opens and closes it. It's warm inside and the lights glow pleasantly. He kicks off his shoes and heads straight down the doorway.
"Ammo to your right," Shuichi says from the living room that he passes.
"Do you have to announce that every time?" Shig mutters from his middle position on the sofa.
"You missed it last time, right?" Toga is on her knees to her adoptive brother's left, leaning on his shoulder which he probably doesn't appreciate. If he's annoyed, though, he doesn't say it.
"Quiet."
Jin chuckles a bit, passing the staircase where Mag is trying to get Sako to reposition the sofa they're carrying. Jin reaches through the bars and pulls it counter-clockwise. Whatever the sofa is caught on comes loose.
"Thank you," Magne says, though she's looking at Sako with an exasperated expression.
"You knew I was like this when you married me," Sako says sweetly.
She gives Jin a pointed look and shakes her head. "What am I going to do with him?"
Jin laughs as he continues down the hall. "Don't ask me. He's a lost cause!"
He stops in the dining room and leans in the doorway. Natsuo and Fuyumi stand close by, watching Kurogiri instruct Shouto on using playing cards for what he thinks is supposed to a party trick or something. They ultimately jump out of his hands, scattering across the table. Natsuo snickers.
Kurogiri nods while Shouto gathers the deck. "It takes a bit of practice, but you're getting there."
"Hey," Jin says, nudging Natsuo's shoulder. "Your brother around?"
"Kitchen. Smoke alarms will be on any second."
Fuyumi slaps his shoulder and both Jin and Natsuo laugh. He leaves them to Kurogiri's little lesson and slips back into the hall.
The kitchen is dim, probably bad for the eyes, but he figures there must be enough light to see.
Touya stands at the counter, the oven door just slamming closed as he puts an aluminum baking sheet onto a hot pad. He's just taking the one oven mitt off when Jin wraps his arms around his belly. His husband jumps, but doesn't even make a peep.
"Damn, you're baking?" he asks, eyeing the half-burnt misshapen cookies that lie on browning parchment paper. "What for? Did Hell freeze over?"
"They're poisoned," Touya says matter-of-factly, turning around in his grip to face him. "You finish up outside?"
"Yeah. I think so."
"You've been crying."
"Mmh." He's not sad now. He's happy to be here, happy to be with this strange mismatch family. He presses one cheek to Touya's and sighs. "I love you."
Touya's hand cups his bare cheek. His thumb swipes at the drying tear trail that's left. "I love you too."
The light swinging above them suddenly bursts to life, blinding white. And then it's dark, but he can see in what little light that comes from outside. Gray, almost green, filtered in through the blinds behind him. Rain smacks the window glass and the floorboards shake. He's not in a kitchen, not in any house, just his flat.
Touya shuffles beside him.
He can make the lump out in the low light. Without even thinking, his arm slithers around his husband's waist and he drags him across the sheets, squeezing Touya and his eyes shut.
He doesn't mean to wake him but, well, what did he expect, really? Touya grumbles, then grunts as he shifts around. "Time is it?"
He peeks his eyes open to the little digital alarm clock Touya put on his nightstand. "Eight. Eight o' seven."
"Fuckin'... Looks like it's midnight," he grumbles, nuzzling his face into the crook of Jin's neck. They lie there in silence, ensnared in their sheets. They should stay in bed today. He'll tell Touya so if he moves to get up, but for now they stay put.
"You awake?" Jin mumbles.
"Mhm." Barely. If he says anything, he wonders if Touya will even remember.
"You should invite your brothers and sister over this Saturday. Or we could spend it alone." He holds him a little bit tighter. "Maybe just invite everybody."
"Hmm..." Touya moves again then yawns. "Kay."
Lightning flashes and the air shatters for a moment. It's probably cold out there, probably get soaked in less than a minute. He's glad he doesn't spend rainy days outside anymore. His dream floats to the surface of his mind, the details already fuzzy, already fading. He lets himself slide back into the memory of it.
"Wish you could've met my mom. Good thing you didn't."
"Huh?" Touya sounds more awake now, lifting his head off of Jin's neck to look at him.
"She'd've liked you," he says. Touya's hair is sticking up in odd places, but he doesn't want to let go of him to pat it down. It's strange how bright his eyes look when it's so dark. One of Touya's hands rests on his cheek, fingertips following his cheekbone.
"...Everything okay?" Touya asks. He looks like a goddamn angel sent from heaven with his bedhead and half-lidded eyes. He really has to resist the urge to kiss his cheeks. He's too tired anyways.
"Yeah. Hope so." He lets his own hand fall to Touya's throat who hums. "Long as I'm with you, firecracker."
Touya snorts and digs one hand between Jin's side and the mattress to pull him closer. It's quiet again, with only the rain pelting at the window and the occasional crack of thunder and eventually Touya's even breathing once he slips back into sleep. It's warm and dark. Touya's skin feels nice on his. It's cold and wet outside, but he's safe here in bed with his husband. He's okay now, he thinks, as sleep pulls him under. He's not alone anymore.