Chapter Text
When Lio woke up on that first morning he didn’t immediately open his eyes. He could feel the soft fabric of blankets around him. His throat was dry and his lips felt cracked. As he took in a breath, he could smell a more intense version of a scent he had started to recognize, but just as his brain was starting to put a name to the smell his eyes shot open at the sound of a loud crash from another room.
“Dammit,” A hushed tone came soon after.
He sat up quickly in the unfamiliar bed, his heart beating faster as he scanned the room. It didn’t have much but a hamper, dresser, and nightstand but with all the crap scattered about it was still cluttered. On the nightstand a glowing alarm clock read seven thirty, behind that Lio saw pictures. On closer inspection he sighed as the previous day came flooding back. That’s right, he thought, Yesterday I went home with Galo. He started to calm down but also started to feel angry with himself. He didn’t know why he’d done it. He should have stayed with the other Burnish. He must have just been too tired to refuse when Galo offered after helping get Burnish out of their restraints and out of the engine room as well as clearing rubble for most of the night. Although the fire had engulfed the world most buildings weren’t destroyed only scorched. It seemed almost impossible that the world and everyone in it wasn’t ash. Still, lots of seemingly impossible things had been happening in the past week. Including Lio sleeping in a firefighter’s home. Something he never would have done before yesterday.
Lio looked down at his hands. They shook slightly. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this cold. He tried to call upon the fire, the promare, to warm him but nothing came. He was suddenly very aware of the quiet in his mind. No whispers or murmurs from what he now knew was some type of strange sentient, alien fire. The promare was gone, it really was, and all at once he felt very alone.
Trying to bring heat back to his body he rubbed his arms as he stood up to leave the room. The cold hardwood floor against his bare feet made the chill in his body ten times worse.
As he stepped out of the bedroom, he looked down the hall into the kitchen. Galo was scrapping something out of a pan and onto a plate. At the sound of Lio leaving the room he looked up and grinned widely at him.
“Hey! Good morning, I made us breakfast!” Galo exclaimed, pointing at the plates he’d set out. His tone was way too excited for this early in the morning the morning. Especially after yesterday.
“Where’s the bathroom?” Lio asked, his voice scratchy. His face had no similar smile and he just sounded tired.
“Last door, opposite end of the hall,” Galo responded pointing in the general direction. As Lio turned away Galo called out, “Oh, and I put out some old clothes for you to wear, and a new toothbrush!”
Lio shut the bathroom door behind him and let out an exasperated sigh. Turning to look in the mirror he could see that his face was dirty smeared with the fires soot and his hair was a mess. He turned on the faucet and splashed his face trying to clean up even just a little bit. As he dried off, he saw a new toothbrush, wrapped in plastic, and some toothpaste sitting out on the counter. A little scrap of paper was left next to it. “For Lio! :),” It read. He crumpled the paper and tossed it in the trash. This was really all too much. He knew he should feel grateful but he just felt angry. He popped open the plastic around the tooth brush, it was an awful shade of neon yellow. As he brushed his teeth, he thought to himself, I should be with the burnish wherever they are, I don’t need some idiot firefighter I barley know to take me home and baby me. I can take care of myself!
When he was done, he looked over finally seeing the spare clothes left out on the toilet lid. He supposed he did need something as his shirt had been ripped to shreds and left behind. Still, these clothes were obviously too big for him. He frowned as he picked up the navy-blue t-shirt and looked down at a pair of dark gray sweat pants. Oh well at least it was soft. When he put it on his suspicions were correct, defiantly too big, the sweat pants weren’t much better he had to roll up the waistline a few times to give it a tighter fit and bring the pant legs above his ankles.
When he exited the bathroom, he saw Galo sitting patiently at the table in the kitchen. When the firefighter caught sight of him, he smiled again.
“You can drop your old clothes in the hamper in the bedroom, I’ll wash it for you!” Galo said. After hesitating a moment Lio went back and tossed the clothes in the laundry basket before coming out and sitting cautiously next to Galo at the table. Next to the small kitchen in the living room he spotted blankets and a pillow thrown about on the couch. That must be where Galo slept last night. He was such an idiot. He should have made Lio take the couch. He was the one intruding after all. Looking back a plate of what looked like overcooked scrambled eggs and two sausage links sat in front of him on the table.
“Tada! Breakfast de Galon, the perfect meal to start the day!” Galo seemed proud of himself, Lio wondered if he was always like this or just when other people were around.
The food certainly wasn’t atrocious but it wasn’t amazing either. Still, there was no reason to complain. As he ate, he thought more to himself about the other Burnish. He hoped they all had been given something to eat.
“Are you cold?” Galo asked. Lio looked over at him seeing concern on his face. He must have been shivering again. This loss of heat was really getting to him.
“Never mind that,” Lio said, “where did the Burnish stay last night?”
“Oh umm, don’t worry, The Burning Rescue set up a shelter in a foresight foundation office building. I mean Kray’s not going to need it anymore. It’s real spacious and they’re getting medical treatment and-“
“Wait.” Lio interrupted. “What do you mean Kray won’t need it anymore?”
Now Galo looked confused, “Well he was arrested obviously.”
Lio stopped eating and stared off into space, deep in thought. Was it true? Kray was arrested? After all this time?
“But the police! Freeze Force! Everyone is under his control,” He simply couldn’t believe this.
“Freeze Force was arrested too! Don’t worry I’m pretty sure everyone saw how evil Kray is. Trust me nobody wants to be on his side anymore.”
Lio was positively stunned.
“Hey, don’t worry about it, he won’t escape. He doesn’t have any powers or position anymore.”
Lio looked back down at the food getting cold in front of him. Lots of strong emotions plowed through him at once. He was angry at everything Kray had done, happy people finally recognized it, proud he’d saved the Burnish, sad that it had taken so long and so many lives had been lost.
“What happens now?” He asked.
“Well… now we fix the city, find all the Burnish a place to stay, and get things back to normal!” Galo gained excitement in his words the more he talked. He was so confident in everything. In himself. It made Lio feel safer even if it was just a little bit.
“Okay,” he said with determination, pushing his chair back and standing up. “Take me to the shelter! I need to speak to my people, fill them in, and get them all ready for what’s to come.”
“Hell yeah!” Galo exclaimed leaning back in his chair and pumping his fist in the air. “Oh yeah, and maybe find you some better fitting clothes.”
“Yes, that too,” Lio agreed as he looked down at his current outfit.
Galo smiled up at him and for the first time all morning Lio smiled back. He just hoped Galo didn’t expect him to stick around here and stay with him any longer. Obviously, he was going to be the other burnish for now on.
Obviously…