Lain/Sasha

like you can’t tell me she’s their older sister shshhvshrvdh. (dont mind how fucked up i drew her eye its late)

anyways yes!!! Phoebe’s their sister!!! she doesn’t see the two in person that often after she moved to Canada to study, but she tries to reach out every once in a while.

oh and she likes girls

Driver woke up from a nightmare. It was about Henry, how he was in Irene’s position when Driver killed one of Nino’s members right in front of her. The look in his eyes were what Driver dreaded the most, due to the two months of forming a nice friendship. He was aware it was not true, that it was only a bad dream, but it still meant that he was trembling.

Henry woke up 10 minutes later, and the first thing he noticed was the empty spot beside him. It was not uncommon for Driver to stay up, nor for Henry. But something in Henry’s guts told him to find him, and so he did. When Henry got out of bed, using his cane, he left the bedroom. As he walked in the living room, Driver had just returned from driving around the city to clear his mind.

Henry asked if something was up, half genuine and half tired, due to waking up late and not having a proper sleep schedule. Driver brushed it off, saying that it was not of concern. Henry knew it was bullshit, but it made him curious. Driver was not an open person, which he was fine with, but it gets to a point where as if Driver refused to talk about it.

“Come on. You tolerated me enough. I think it’s best if you tell me.”

Driver was afraid of Henry finding out the ugly side of him. The part of him whose hands carried the blood of the people he had killed in order to survive. The part of him who used to drive people out in getaways when they robbed a bank.

Slowly, Driver hesitates as he admitted the reason why he came to New York. Henry listened, gauging all the reasons—the getaways, the murders, the fact he almost died leaving Los Angeles. Driver did not reveal everything, Henry was aware. But he focused more on the fact his close friend, his designated driver, his muse, almost died at some point. Death was not a new thing, Henry nearly experienced. Now he learned that his companion also nearly experienced death.

Driver expected Henry to look at him differently, to leave his apartment out of shame. Instead, the look in Henry’s eyes was somber. Henry’s non occupied hand reached for one of Driver’s. He firmly held it, squeezing it gently.

Henry had nothing to do since he was on break from college, and he ran out of ideas to draw. So, being the guy he is, he decided to accompany his roommate. He took his bag– which contained his sketchbook, pencil, other belongings –with him as he took his keys. Leaving his shared apartment, he walked to a bus station.

Henry still disliked driving, so he settled for a bus as an alternative when Driver isn’t around. Though driving around with Driver did help him more at ease, especially the fact that Driver was a stunt driver as well. He had to use a cane to walk properly after months of physical therapy, which he felt embarrassed about it at first but then grew to not care as much about it weeks after he started being roommates with Driver.

After the bus approached, Henry got on it and sat down on a seat near the window. The car mechanic shop wasn’t that far, but it was far enough for a bus stop to be there. After about 10 minutes, Henry reached his destination and left the bus.

Driver was repairing a car’s oil filter after it stopped working. An old car, the customer had said. He didn’t mind fixing it, he enjoyed it primarily. The smell of cigarettes perked his head, seeing Henry’s figure out there besides the open garage door. He had a smug smile on his face as he looked at Driver.

”Couldn’t think of what to do, so why not spend time here,” Henry says, holding the cigarette between his fingers.

”Mind if I hang out a bit?” He asks.

”Put that out first,” Driver responds. Not that he minded the smell of cigarettes, but he’d rather not be distracted by the smell while working.

”Alright, alright,” Henry mumbles. He contemplated for a moment, before he let the cigarette drop and crushed it with his shoe.

Ever since they became roommates, Driver had stopped Henry’s habit with putting the cigarette out on his arms. The scars still lingered, serving as a reminder of his guilt, but it didn’t feel threatening. Sometimes when they cuddle, Driver would trace his fingers over the burn marks, even kissing it gently as a way to heal them.

Henry sat on a nearby stool, and Driver got back to fixing the car. Henry pressed his back against the wall, his eyes looking around the garage. There were several tools that were on a desk and some on the wall nearby, and obviously there were 3 cars laid out, one of them being taken care of right now. His eyes then darted to Driver. The way his gloved hand held the wrench while the other held the small part of the car, it was endearing to Henry. After he stretched his back, he reached for his bag and pulled out his sketchbook, pencil and eraser. He crossed his leg over the other, opening the sketchbook as he looked at Driver intently.

The rest of the time, the garage was filled with pencil scratching against paper and different tools making contact with the car. Henry kept eyeing at Driver then to his sketchbook back in forth. He payed attention to every detail, sometimes he’d erase just to draw it again until it was good enough for him. Meanwhile, Driver was nearly done with fixing the car’s oil. He put enough pressure to make sure it was durable, that it won’t easily go loose as it previously did.

Just as Driver closed the front truck of the car and was about to clean his tools, he heard Henry whispering.

”Shit.”

Looking over, Henry accidentally broke his pencil while he was sketching something, or someone. His jaw tenses as he put a hand on his forehead, before he decided to stop for now. He didn’t realize Driver was looking at him until he lowered his hand.

”Forgot my sharpener at home,” He mumbled. “What, you’re done already?”

”I was just about to clean the tools,” Driver answers.

Huh, Henry thought to himself. He sat straight as he put away his sketchbook, pencil and eraser, then standing up with his cane while he waited for Driver to put away his stuff. When he finished and put on his jacket, he gave Henry a small smile. Henry smiled back, and the two walked to Driver’s car after he said his goodbyes to his boss.

As the two sat inside the car, Driver glances at Henry, who was bouncing his leg slightly from feeling nervous. He held Henry’s hand, who in return looked at Driver, before grasping it back. Driver starts the ride back home. It was silent for the most part, and Henry still felt nervous but was at ease when Driver’s thumb gently brushed against his hand back in forth. It felt soothing and gentle, which Henry appreciated. They then got back to their shared apartment.

As the two got back inside, Henry changed clothes while Driver thought of what to do for tonight. When Henry got back, he leaned against the wall while looking at Driver, having that same smug expression.

”You look pretty today,” Henry says.

Driver looked back at him, staring at him. He smiled back at him, copying Henry’s pose.

”I uh… I drew you when you were fixing that car,” he admits, shifting a bit. “I think I lied when I said that I didn’t know what to do earlier.”

”I liked it.”

”Really?” Henry scoffs, not in a mean way. “Well do you want to see it?” he asks.

Driver nodded, “sure.”

And so, Henry went over to his bag and sat on a chair so he’d be more comfortable. Taking out his sketchbook, he flipped over the pages to try and find the one he drew on today. While Driver was waiting, he noticed a few sketches he had done in the previous pages. It was mainly anatomy study and different animals, mainly walruses, but one that stuck out to him most was the new sketch Henry had done. It was himself when he was fixing that car earlier. There were random eraser smudges, some pencil smudges and small notes about Driver.

Seeing how dedicated Henry was based on the details, Driver felt warm. Henry was blushing slightly, biting the inside of his cheek.

“So… you like it?” He asks.

”…I love it,” Driver admitted.

Henry let out a sigh of relief he didn’t realize he was holding. “Good, because I spent basically the whole time there sketching you. Would be a bummer if ya didn’t like it. You’re my favourite muse, after all.”

The two smiled lovingly at each other. This evening was going to be a calming one between the fellow college student and his favourite driver.

Today was going to be a good one; no DUPs raiding parts of Seattle, no rogue conduits getting in the way, and no accidents. Irene had planned this for a while, spending time outside with their partners. And so, the four agreed to hang around on rooftops to talk about anything after going to a place Irene found during their break at work.

As the four conduits walked around at Pioneer Square, having to occasionally wait for Delsin as he greeted his fans, Eugene spoke. “So what’s this place about? I mean, where you’re taking us.”

“Well, it’s a bubble tea shop,” Irene answers. “Have you guys tried them before?”

“Ooh, I remember trying them with Brent,” Fetch said. “I haven’t had one in a long while, so I think it’s nice to try one again.”

“I uh… wanted to at some point, but you know me, I rarely go outside. I-I mean- before I met Delsin,” Eugene stammered a bit.

“I see… well there is a first time for everything, I suppose. Delsin?”

“Oh yeah, Fetch told me about it a while ago but I never went there,” Delsin responds. “But I wouldn’t mind trying them.”

Irene hummed. Two out of four had bubble tea before, they thought to themselves. As they continued walking, they eventually reached to their destination. The four conduits got inside the shop, and then left after about 10 minutes. They all agreed to go somewhere high, so Delsin sucked neon from a nearby sign to have the same power as Fetch.

“Race you there, loser’s a rotten egg!” Fetch shouts, before running up against the building’s wall.

“Hey- at least count down first!” Delsin follows up, going after her.

As the two ran up, Eugene went to well… wherever he went to fly up with his video. Irene hesitated for a moment, since she didn’t want to overexert herself with her power while she’s still stable. Sighing, Irene reached her free hand out and her wrists glowed a chartreuse colour. Vines came out of her wrists and reached to a pole that was higher up close to the rooftop, grappling it. Because it was like a grappling hook, Irene held on to the vine as they flew until they reached the pole.

When Irene let go of the vine, landing softly on the rooftop, they slightly stumbled before they managed to balance themselves. The vine from before stayed looped around the pole. Irene looked around, before finding their partners. Delsin and Fetch were fighting, but it wasn’t really a serious one.

“Seriously D, that was cheating! You can’t just do that in the middle of the race!” Fetch exclaimed.

“Oh really? Last I checked, there were no rules where I shouldn’t say pickup lines in the middle of the race,” Delsin replied eagerly, a smug grin on his face.

“Fuck you, you’re gonna pay back,” Fetch said, lightly hitting Delsin’s shoulder with her fist. The two chuckles while Eugene was watching, sipping his drink from the straw. Irene watched the scene unfold, a small smile on her face. God, she really loved her partners.

“I guess I’m the rotten egg,” she said, joining the other conduits. “Anyways, let’s sit somewhere.”

They eventually found a spot. They climbed a bit higher before sitting on the billboard, staring at the sunset. They could look over the city, the atmosphere of fresh air and chill weather bringing comfort to the group. Even though Irene was the one person without a hoodie or jacket, she was used to it. Even so, she still sat close to Delsin until her head was resting on his shoulder. He was like a portable heater that Irene would hug until she no longer felt cold.

“So, the Hero of Seattle drinks bubble tea for the first time,” Irene teased.

“Cmon, I was too busy saving my favourite city,” he replied, his tone arrogant. Getting a nudge from Eugene, he cleared his throat. “I mean we were too busy saving my favourite city.”

“Delsin, try it already,” Fetch urges him, wanting to see his reaction.

“Alright, alright, easy tiger.”

Delsin took a sip, before chewing on the pearls the drink had. “Well uh, I do like it but not the pearls,” he admits. Either way, he continued drinking it.

For the rest of the evening, the four conduits had conversations about whatever came to their mind. Mainly it was Delsin, Fetch and Eugene who were doing the talking while Irene listened. They loved listening to their partners talk, even when it was about stupid hypothetical scenarios. They watched the sunset as they held Delsin’s hand when he wrapped his arm around them, providing them comfort. This was what being home felt like.