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"good morning, Ukiki."
Fulgur tucked a lavender strand behind his lover's ear, watching adoringly as the latter scrunched their nose. with a quiet puff, Uki opened his eyes, blinking away the sleep.
"morning," they murmured, wiggling forward to snuggle against the cyborg's chest. Fulgur wasted no time wrapping him up in his arms, inhaling the gentle scent of shampoo in Uki's hair. "is it really time to wake up, Fufuchan?"
"yes, my love. it's nearly ten a.m."
Uki groaned. "fuck that. let's just sleep in."
"Ukiki…"
"fine, fine. let me just…" Uki pulled away from Fulgur's chest and pecked his lips. Fulgur blinked, and chuckled softly, eyes softening. "better."
"you're so beautiful, you know that darling?"
Uki rolled over onto their side, away from Fulgur. but judging from the pink tint on the psychic's ears, he was just hiding his flustered expression. Fulgur propped himself onto his elbow, traced his lover's form with all the love in his eyes. it was mornings like these that healed him.
but the rust cloud was approaching from afar.
before meeting what would soon be the rest of Noctyx, Fulgur always had felt like something was missing. he didn't feel the way others did. perhaps it was because he was a cyborg. with those cybernetic arms that creaked every once and a while. he had been around for a time.
he always had felt…empty. not really there. he had travelled to many places, seen, heard, touched. but nothing could fill this yawning gap in his chest, which growed every day. Fulgur woke up from his sleeping mode, mind often blank. then he'd remember the archives. and got up methodically. make coffee. read the newspaper. each day felt the same.
Fulgur would often zone out. and when he finally came back to reality, he realized it had been hours since he last moved from his spot. a faint flicker of confusion came over him. surprise as well. but it happened. and Fulgur brushed it aside. he lived alone, after all. no one would worry about an old cyborg like himself.
then he got sucked away to a new land. which puzzled Fulgur. why was he here? the cyborg had surveyed his surroundings, noted nothing would harm him. and continued on like it was nothing. he, for a moment, was worried about his siblings back home. but they'd be fine. he knew they could survive without him.
no one seemed to question what appeared to be half a man, half a robot showing up out of nowhere. so Fulgur concluded this place was similar to his own home. they all just looked at him strangely. Fulgur asked a man where he was. the man replied, and it wasn't a name he knew.
"i reckon those people from Nijisanji Town can help you. they have lots of people like…you."
Fulgur catalogued the destination, ignoring the last sentence. he didn't have time for that.
the cyborg continued floating about, asking strangers where this town was. some gave him a freaked out look, others disgusted, some curious. it sounded like there was some pretty mixed opinions on the town. but he disregarded them. he would draw conclusions himself.
finally, he arrived, clothes days old and albino hair tussled with. he was greeted with a sign, with a rainbow in the corner.
"Nijisanji welcomes you!"
Fulgur glanced back at the miles he had trekked. looked forward. and decided to walk forward.
"onii chaaaaaan! please, just let it slide this one time!" a voice whined from the kitchen.
"Alban, this is the third time this week--"
"what's going on here?" Fulgur asked with a sleepy Ukiki padding behind him. the purple haired psychic yawned.
"Alban stole. from a convenience store. again." Sonny frowned down at the cat boy, who pouted.
"old habits die hard! you can hardly blame me," he grumbled, kicking at imaginary pebbles.
"oh we can," Uki quipped. Fulgur headed to the water boiler, trying to hide a smile.
the bickering began to slowly fade into the background. Fulgur watched the water boil in the pot, the bubbles emerging to the top. Fulgur could feel himself slipping. he quickly shook his head, took the pot before it even finished boiling, and poured the liquid into a cup he had grabbed.
"Fulgur!"
startled, the cyborg nearly dropped the pot onto the floor. he finally realized he was overfilling the cup and a lot of the hot water was dripping off the counter. the albino cursed, reached for some napkins.
"stay back guys, don't want you to get burned," Fulgur warned, crouching and wiping the floor.
"we don't want you to get hurt either," Sonny countered as he grabbed the roll of paper towels to clean the counter.
"are you okay, Fufuchan?" Uki asked in concern, eyebrows drawn together.
Fulgur waved the concern away. "don't worry about it love. i just got lost in my thoughts. at the wrong time." he laughed it off.
"doesn't it hurt?" Alban asked Fulgur worridly as Sonny hissed above them, eager to toss out the heated and soaked napkins.
"not at all. i can adjust to heated temperatures. so it won't burn or severely damage me. unless it's literal molten lava."
Uki squinted at the albino, who began to sweat a bit under his lover's scrutinizing gaze. "be careful."
Fulgur flashed a smile. "as always."
Fulgur finds it hard to focus nowadays. everything seems distant again. not really there. one moment he's in bed, the other he's roaming the streets. one blink and he's someplace knew. with his genmates. but he can't hear them. they come in like static of a radio. but Fulgur still smiles all the same, as if the rust hasn't finally caught up to his brain.
the cyborg blinks, finds himself next to Sonny. who's tightening a screw in Fulgur's hand. Sonny's expression is one of pure concentration. he sets the screwdriver down with a satisfied sigh.
"all set."
with a hum, Fulgur flexes his wrist. "thank you, Sonny."
"of course."
Fulgur rises from his position on the couch with a soft smile at Sonny. he walks away, towards the halls of their rooms.
he doesn't hear Sonny call for him.
Uki knows something's wrong. he's a damn psychic after all. but he just couldn't figure out what.
their boyfriend was distant as of late. as if he were living life on auto pilot. and Uki did not like it one bit. yes, Fufuchan would give him those charming grins that would drive them crazy per usual but that vacant look in his eyes is scaring him. even Alban, who didn't address it, noticed. the thief offered him a worried look. one mixed with slight fear and sadness.
and that stubborn cyborg wouldn't admit what is wrong. he didn't want to worry them. which made Uki worry even more. Uki hated not knowing what to do for once. his beloved was slowly slipping away, piece by piece, and he sat there doing nothing about it.
"Fufuchan," Uki calls softly, sitting beside the cyborg carefully. the albino hums in acknowledgement, flipping a page. Uki sighs, resting their head on his shoulder. "i love you."
no response.
tears filled the psychic's eyes. "I love you, Fulgur.
a red finger twitches. it goes to the corner of the next page and turns it.
tears fall onto metal. and Fulgur doesn't feel it.
"Uki…?" the door creaks open.
Uki stirs from under his covers, instinctively goes to reach for Fulgur's hand. meets nothing. they sigh. "Fulgur is up already?"
Alban avoids Uki's gaze. Uki sits up, rubbing his eyes. "what's the matter, Alban?"
the cat boy opens his mouth, closes it. he fiddles with the edge of his glove. "we're worried about you."
Uki looks confused. "what do you mean? are you and Fufuchan playing a prank on me? it's too damn early." with a grumble, Uki flops back onto their pillow.
the door creaks louder, bumping gently against the wall. "Uki, it's six in the evening."
Uki freezes. eyes now wide open. he peers over his thick covers to stare at Sonny. "what?"
"you've been asleep for days."
"that's so weird." so why did they still feel so tired?
the two of them approach the bed, Alban trailing behind the taller timidly. Sonny purses his lips, eyes firm on Uki's. Uki looks between the both of them, feeling that something was really off.
"…did you guys want to tell me something?"
"Uki," Alban starts, voice begging. "you can't keep doing this."
they sit up, covers clutched to their chest. sirens go off in their head. "what's going on? did Fulgur put you up to this? you're scaring me, and i don't like it one bit."
"Fulgur is dead, Uki. he died. last week." Sonny finally breaks eye contact.
he feels like his heart just stopped. "…what are you talking about? he was just sleeping with me--"
he turns to see the pillow beside him untouched. Uki reaches under the covers, but feels no what besides their own. Fulgur's side is cold. they breathe shallowly, eyes unfocused. "this can't be. he was just…"
it all comes back then. Uki calling out for Fulgur. he had chose to stay home while Uki, Alban, and Sonny went out for errands. said he had to finish the book he was reading. Uki felt something was wrong. he couldn't tell what his boyfriend was thinking. then Alban was tugging on his sleeve, pestering him to hurry up. Uki relented. it'd only be a few hours.
Uki had dropped the keys to their home in a basket they set up. peeled off their shoes. called again. Alban and Sonny decided to stay out longer, wanting to go visit some place. Uki frowned. usually Fulgur would greet Uki instantly.
something cold settled in the purple haired psychic's chest. it sent a chill up his spine as he rushed through the kitchen, the dining room, the living room, the bathroom. panic seized them completely. they screeched to a halt at Fulgur's door, hands scrambling at the knob. it wouldn't turn. locked.
they banged on the door. "Fulgur! open the fucking door!"
not a peep. they banged harder, threatening to knock the door down. and he did with a scream that was unrecognizable even to Uki.
and there his beloved was.
Uki tripped over his own feet, knees colliding with the wooden floor painfully. but he didn't care. he had to be at the cyborg's side. grabbed his face and turned it towards his.
it looked like Fulgur was just sleeping. but there ws no pulse.
his body was still warm.
"no. nononono," Uki whispers, back in the present. their hands dig into their scalp. "no. he's alive. it's just a nightmare."
Sonny and Alban exchanged glances. didn't say a word. Alban bit his lip hard to keep it from trembling. Sonny looked up to keep the tears at bay.
"he's…gone?" voice meek. pathetic. tiny.
"yes," Sonny responds, hoarse. "he's gone."
"my…Fufuchan?"
"oh Uki," Alban chokes, collapsing onto their lap. the cat boy shakes with each sob, arms thrown across their legs as he cried his little heart out. "Fulgur is gone!"
Uki just sits there, hunched over Alban. he places his hand on the thief's head. that's it. as the other hand drops to his side. gaze far, far away. Sonny kneels beside them both, hiding his face from view.
"didn't he know we loved him?" Uki whispers. "i…i said it enough. didn't i? we reminded him."
"i don't think he heard," Sonny whispers back.
"there should've been something we could've done!" Alban wails into the sheets, bunching the fabric into his fists.
tears fell. too many to count. Noctyx has lost another.
a man's worst enemy is often himself.
Uki doesn't blink for the longest time, even as tears flood his vision. just lets them plop one by one. finally lays themselves on top of Alban. Sonny lays his head on the mattress with quiet sniffles.
Fulgur fought alone. he tried to stay.
and that breaks all their hearts to tiny bits.