Sacha always enjoyed when it rained. He used to sneak out of his apartment just to feel the cold and heavy water pour onto him. When he broke from the stone, he was met by the face of Tsukasa. There was no Gen in sight, so he assumed Gen was still petrified. Naturally, he joined Tsukasa’s side as a doctor.
One late night, every tree, flower, plant, anything in Sacha’s line of sight was covered by darkness. It was like a nice and cold blanket sitting on the Earth’s surface. There was more to it though. It was drenched with the rain water the clouds needed to let out. The emerald eyed boy slipped away from his responsibilities and stood. He was letting the open night sky soak him. It reminded him of something soft, something before this… The hiss of cars, the scent of the wet pavement, the muffled conversations of people under their umbrellas.
Today wouldn’t have been any different if some mysterious figure didn’t engulf the entirety of humanity in a coat of stone skin. He faced the atmosphere above, eyes closed. His brown bangs plastered in streaks against his facial features. The petrification scars and cracks against his body caught droplets like fine engravings.
Sacha’s body automatically reacted. He turned behind him to see Gen Asagiri leaned almost lazily against a nearby tree. Obviously umbrellas weren’t recreated, but Gen somehow managed to look as flawless as he did before all of this. It was almost as if the rain never even came in contact with him in a sense. His eyes still glimmered in the dark with mischief, even when civilization itself had been reduced to ruins.
“Figures what?” Sacha asked the dual hair colored mentalist.
“That you’d run away from the Tsukasa Empire and look like you’re in a sad European painting,” Gen said with a smile. He tilted his head,”Those marks even give you the scars for it. How very tragic, Sacha dear.”
Sacha scoffed but he didn’t move from his spot. “You’re one to talk. You were– No, you always put on a performance. Even now.”
Gen pushed off the tree and wandered closer, his feet dragging in the mud. “Darling, performance is necessary. You know that better than anyone.” He gestured slightly to his face. “You painted my face for my career, remember?”
“Painted,” Sacha echoed the older’s words, his eyes softening. “Not performed. There’s a difference, Gen.”
Gen tilted his head, amused. “A philosopher now, are we?”
Sacha crossed his arms, water dripping down his sleeves. “No. Just someone who knows the difference between art and a mask.”
That earned Sacha a low chuckle. Gen stepped closer, the rain slicking his hair flat against his face, but he didn’t seem to care. “And here I was thinking you’d like masks. You used to make mine flawless.”
“I put makeup on your face, not your mask,” Sacha corrected. “The mask was always your own invention.”
Gen didn’t immediately fire back. Instead, he took time to study him, eyes sharp and unreadable. It was as though he was weighing his options of whether to drop the act or just double it. He sighed dramatically, flicking his wet hair out of his face. “You really don’t let me get away with anything, do you?”
“Someone has to make sure you’re honest when it’s called for,” Sacha stated, turning back to the rain. “Might as well be me rather than someone else.”
Gen laughed again but softer this time. It was less theatrical. “My dear, I should’ve known you’d survive this harsh world just fine.”
Sacha smirked but very faintly, not looking at him. “I had practice surviving you.”
Gen stared for a moment, caught between being offended or acted delighted. He decided just to laugh it off. The sound that was so valued in Sacha’s mind carried and echoed through the rain as if it were rare.