The door slammed shut and Umbra looked up from their book to see Soleil trudge in. The council had requested his presence to discuss the most recent events.Soleil had already been pretty annoyed by it when he left and he had been gone all day, which was rarely a good sign. In the meantime, the rest of them were getting ready to stay at Himari’s small apartment until their house could be fixed, seeing how Scythe had nearly demolished it. Their entire back porch, back door, and part of their kitchen was one gaping mess that was now sealed off with tape and plastic sheets.
“How’d it go?” Umbra asked, “Are you ok? Were they mad? Of course, they were mad. That’s a stupid question. They didn’t fire you, did they? They wouldn’t do that, right? Oh stars, we’re-”
Soleil finally made it across the living room to where they sat in the armchair and took their face into his gloved hands, pressing a kiss to their forehead.
“Umbra, Honey, you’re rambling.”
“Sorry, but I can’t help it. I was so anxious waiting for you to get home.”
“I’m ok,” Soleil replied, “We’re ok.”
Umbra let out a relieved breath but it didn’t settle the unease that lurked in their chest. Soleil pressed another kiss to their forehead and went to sit on the couch next to them.
Soleil sighed, “They weren’t happy that I didn’t call them the second I knew what Scythe was. They already knew that we had a stalker as I had asked around for help but they said that I should’ve reported it once I knew it was a cryptid that we were dealing with.”
“If they already knew, why didn’t they help us sooner?” Umbra asked, “Most of them are puppets and had the capability to help.”
“They said that they had more important matters, such as running everything and taking care of their own dimensions,” Soleil responded, “They said that it doesn’t excuse the fact that I didn’t follow protocol and that it would have gone so much worse than it did. They were going to suspend me until they figured out what to do.”
“Were? What do you mean?”
“Because I’m one of Charlie’s guardians, it would be a liability to fire me, knowing it’d cause distress to Charlie…They said they might have to find a new guardian for her-”
Umbra lurched up in their seat, knocking over their cane in the process.
“What?! They can’t do that!”
Soleil got up and picked up their cane, leaning it back where it was. Soleil then placed a hand on Umbra’s shoulder and guided them to lean back again. Umbra didn’t fight it, but they did grab onto his wrist in an attempt to comfort themselves through their racing thoughts.
“It’s ok. They’re not going to take her away.”
“No. I reminded them that Madame Puppet made it one of her final requests that Charlie be under our care and that taking her away will go against that,” Soleil explained, “They got really nervous at that. They won’t take her away from us.”
Umbra sank further into their chair, taking a shaky breath. Soleil’s hand moved from their shoulder and up to their cheek. Umbra’s hand followed, pressing slightly on top of the gloved hand of their husband.
“They’re not going to take her. I’m not fired or suspended,” Soleil said slowly, “We’re ok.”
“... I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me.”
Soleil sighed heavily, head falling forward in defeat. He took a seat on the arm of the chair, sliding his arm across Umbra’s shoulders and pulling them into a side hug. His hand rubbed up and down their arm in a comforting attempt.
“I, um, I have to go away for a while.”
Umbra felt their core fall heavy in their chest.
“The council decided it’d be best if I join my team in the field.”
“For what reason? Why do you have to leave?”
“For Cyrus. I already sent out a team months ago to help him find Crescent and things have escalated since then. The council wants me to join them as it is my team and they want Cyrus to be safe and alive at all costs.”
“Why don’t they just transfer it to someone else?”
“Because Cyrus called me. He has a higher status in the organization than he’s aware of.”
“He’s not part of the organization anymore. He quit,” Umbra argued.
Soleil brought them closer into their awkward side hug, resting his head on top of theirs, rays retracting into his faceplate.
“I know. But you remember how it was when he was there. He was one of our head researchers and they don’t really seem to care that he quit. They keep finding excuses to drag him back,” Soleil explained, “All for his research… They want me to go help the team.”
“...You don’t know when you’ll be back, do you?”
Umbra could feel tears stinging in their eyes. They reached up and took their husband’s hand from where it rested on their shoulder.
“No. No, I don’t,” Soleil replied in a soft voice.
“It’s only been a couple days since Scythe. We haven’t had a chance to relax and they’re sending you away.”
“I know. It’s possibly the worst time for this. I should’ve transferred it to someone else before it got to this point… but I couldn’t leave Cyrus hanging.”
“... He asked for your help. I know you can’t turn away someone who asked you for help.”
Umbra wasn’t ok with this but they knew that they weren’t going to be able to convince Soleil, or the council, to change their minds. Soleil was going to end up going regardless of what the council said. It was his team, it was someone who reached out to him for help, Soleil wasn’t going to just abandon them now. It was one of the things Umbra loved and hated about him. Was it right to hate something about someone you love? They loved how he was willing to do anything to protect those he cares about… but hated how it’d inevitably be his downfall and how it sometimes took him away from them… They already lost Freddy because of that. They didn’t want to lose Soleil too.
It broke their heart every time he was sent out on a mission. They would never get used to it, no matter how many missions he’s been on. They had this small thought in the back of their head that has never left them that the next mission Soleil took would be his last. And they can’t beg him not to go… it’s his job… but they needed him…
“You’ll be at Himari’s with Keiko, Charlie, and Momo until the house is fixed within the next week or so. Lune is up in space, fulfilling his sentence.”
“Taking care of the new familiars seems like heavy work,” Umbra tried to joke.
“Most of them are dragons and beasts that’re four times his size,” Soleil said, “I’m glad he’s not fired or in prison though.”
“Just cleaning up after them and training with their owners… It’ll be chaos.”
“Oh definitely, Lune is bad with animals.”
Umbra laughed, but it didn’t feel genuine. They still weren’t over what happened. Their house was a mess, they had to stay in Himari’s small apartment above her shop, and now have to figure out how to get Charlie to school since they can’t drive.
“We’ll be ok,” Soleil said, “I’ll call you every chance I get and get home as soon as I can. I’m not going to let this drag on any longer.”
“It’s been four months since Crescent disappeared… What happened?”
