Rainy days~
Koarin looked forlorn out at the rainy city from inside the safety of the parking garage as the rain clattered loudly on the tin roof awning above him. He had been holed up in the windowless laboratory for so long he had lost track of time. Now it was so late in the evening, he would have to wait an hour for the next train, as the arrival times became more sporadic in the late night-early morning hours. First, he would have to make it to the station... and he had forgotten his umbrella.
Just the drops streaming off of the awning ran so heavy it looked like an angry river, and the streets were beginning to flood. His shoulders slouched with a heavy sigh. Pulling an all-nighter after all the hours he had already spent in the Tower was almost as appealing as traipsing out in the rain, getting cold and soaked.
He brooded over his dismal choices for a good long moment, with the rain pounding above him so loud, he did not hear the footsteps as they were approaching.
"I thought that was you." Sephiroth's clear, quiet voice was quickly recognized over the pandemonium outside. Koarin turned instantly around, almost jumping out of his skin. He quickly tried to hide his surprise with a quick smile. Considering the circumstances, his smile seemed out of place, and he instantly felt dumb for it.
"Hi."
"Hi," Sephiroth replied, with a hint of a smirk.
"I'm surprised you're still here." Koarin's watch read ten after eleven. What he truly meant was more like, 'you're the last person I expected to run into in a parking garage', and truly, it would have been some people's worst nightmare. Sephiroth was always intimidating in his SOLDIER uniform, and in the dark, his eyes seemed an especially bright, incandescent green, thick with mako. Koarin found them both eerie and striking.
"I often stay late. ...You weren't really thinking about going out in that, I hope."
Koarin's eyes widened a bit and he glanced back at the rain. Any hopes of it clearing up was washed away with the rivers of rainwater channeling into the overfilled street drains. "...Weighing my options..."
"I could give you a lift. Where do you stay?"
Koarin was thankful for the darkness, otherwise the faint heat that rose up in his face would've been easy to spot. "Uh... Sector 5, closer to New Humble, on the outer rim."
"That's quite a drive. ...and the trains don't run that way for another hour and a half."
"Yeah..." Koarin frowned. "The train ride is usually forty-five minutes. I won't get home till..." he sighed at the bone-dry realization, "...almost two in the morning. Did I ever pick the wrong day to work late."
"Hm," Sephiroth replied softly in agreement. Both of them fell silent for a long moment, Koarin adjusting his hold on his briefcase, which he held in front of him with both hands out of an old habit of respect he'd learned from growing up a few short years in Wutai with his mother, looking dismal at the persistent storm.
"You can stay the night with me, if you'd like," Sephiroth offered after the long silence. Koarin flashed him a look somewhere between shock, horror, or intense gratitude, Sephiroth couldn't quite decipher which. The boy was an odd one, for sure.
"Are you sure? That's..." 'Crazy' is what it was. Koarin wasn't sure if he believed what he was hearing. Was fate trying to push him into a situation he wasn't sure he would be able to handle, or was this some golden opportunity handed to him on a rain-drenched silver platter? "...very kind of you. I wouldn't be putting you out?"
"Not at all." Sephiroth drew car keys out of his pocket and hit the remote to unlock the doors. The lights flashed silently on the black sedan he stood next to. Koarin blinked, stepping over to the passenger side, feeling as if he were having an out-of-body experience. He opened the door and looked over the inside before sitting down. Usually when he got rides from Izak or Mikhail, he would have to move a load of books and papers from off the passenger seat. In contrast, the inside of Sephiroth's car was immaculate, slick black leather with the dash lit up in a soft blue light. Definitely a step up...
Koarin sat down, still feeling disconnected from reality. He offered a genuine smile at the other man. "Thank you. I really appreciate it."
Sephiroth disregarded the thanks, and the car purred to life, lights came on, and the radio. He adjusted the volume to keep the music ambient and non-intrusive.
Their drive was a quiet one. Koarin watched the rain through the dark windows and looked out over the city. They took many turns, shortcuts, he gathered, before finally taking the on-ramp to the freeway. The roads were mostly empty; people had the common sense to stay in-doors in such weather. Visibility was almost shot; though Sephiroth didn't seem to be having a problem. Koarin had long-since sworn against driving on Midgar's monstrous, twisting overpasses, much less in the rain. Sephiroth navigated them as if he had been there his whole life... which got Koarin to thinking.
"Have you always lived in Midgar?"
"With a few short exceptions, yes."
"Where else have you lived?"
Sephiroth paused for a moment. "I was young, I can't quite remember. Though I do recall looking outside to see the snow."
"Alull?" Koarin ventured, curious.
"No... further north, I believe." Sephiroth shook his head to himself. Koarin felt the other man's thoughts must be very loud. He wondered if he had said the wrong thing.
(tbc, laundry time)