Chapter Text
It's hard to remember a time that was calm. He can hardly remember any time that was just… stable. Stability was something he had only felt a few times in his life. All of those times were when he was just a kid. He misses that time, but now… he feels it returning slowly.
The way he got here was a long story that hurt everyone involved. This house was small; it had about 2 rooms and a bathroom. The problem is that three people live here, including Michael. He was given one of the rooms while the other two took the other rooms.
They were delightful and understanding. Even in the few weeks where he avoided both of them like the plague. Now he can talk to them without mass amounts of dread rushing through his body. Well, one of them still made him feel scared, but can you blame him? The guy's body was taken and used as a puppet by a demon who killed his brother.
Tonight it was raining, and being from Colorado, seeing rain is a special thing. That always feels special, especially during summer when it's 90 degrees Fahrenheit and you feel like you're melting. So Michael was sitting outside; it was nice on the back porch.
The sky was all cloudy, so you couldn't see the stars, but the swirls were nice. The back of the house was dark, and normally that would freak him out, but he felt… safe. He felt cozy, and with the blanket he grabbed, it was even better.
The one thing that freaked him out was the sudden appearance of Evan—that freaked him out a lot. It's one thing living around the person who looks like the man that killed your little brother. It's another thing when that said guy just shows up behind you in the dark.
Of course he shouted before calming down and placing a hand on his chest. Evan just stood there looking a bit surprised before nervously giggling, hoping he didn't just mess up by scaring Michael.
“It's just you—oh my god.” Michael sighed as he placed his hand on his heart while shaking his head. He didn't smile, but he did let out a shaky giggle. Evan smiled when he heard the shaky giggle.
Evan leaned over where Michael was sitting and smiled down at the other with a nervous smile, still not knowing if he should talk to him this… close knowing everything that happened. “Sooo… what are you up to?”
“Just watching the rain.” Michael replied quietly as the rain itself roared to life even heavier as the ground got soaked, and Evan shivered since he was only wearing a t-shirt and boxers.
“Really? It's raining cats and dogs out here.” Evan snickered to himself as he rubbed his arms, trying to ignore the chill that washed through the air. Michael rolled his eyes at the other. “Are you chilly? It's not that cold.” Michael said softly, completely ignoring Evan's words, but Evan was just happy to get a response.
“Hey, I’m used to warmer showers, not the almost snowy rain!” Evan said back with a little shove, melting into the hopefully banter fairly easily. Michael shook his head and shoved back, feeling way more calm than normal around Evan.
“Yeah, yeah, now shhh, I want to relax with the rain.” Michael said before looking back out into the empty backyard that was completely dark with only the reflection of rain slightly illuminating it.
Evan looked at Michael before deciding to leave him to it. They were not that close, and sometimes Michael just felt scared of him, so leaving him was probably for the best. He also had nothing, and he did not want to freeze.
“Well, come in before midnight. Good night, Michael.” He smiled down at the other before turning and walking in. Michael watched Evan and gave him a small wave before looking back out.
Being alone again felt nice. He might be roommates with Evan and Vinny, but he wasn't really friends. They were all just scared, guys, and at least Evan had Vinny. Michael had lost his brother, and the rest of his family ignored him for years.
He let his eyes fall closed, just relaxing into the sound of the rain. The blanket kept him surprisingly warm for a thin blanket. He moved to stand up and sat down on one of the porch chairs.
Closing his eyes again was not a good idea this time. Rain always soothed him, and this time it just felt like home. Rain was always so cold in Colorado that he missed it, so this just felt like—well—home.
…
By the time the sun began to rise, Michael had fallen asleep outside. That was not a good idea since anything could have gotten him, but nothing happened other than a tired Vinny thinking some guy was asleep on their porch.
Michael also got sick, but hey, the rain was so nice, and he missed it dearly. Evan did make a mental note in his head when he was helping Vinny make breakfast to check on Michael more.
For all he knew, Michael would do this again despite Michael's… normal avoidance of him. Evan felt responsible for Michael now. He was the one that asked him to sleep but never confirmed that he did.
Vinny is also very nice (and not commanding him) to check on Michael more and make sure he falls asleep at a normal time and in a normal place.
It made him feel a bit bad. That was a thing he was told to do, but it did give him an excuse to hang out with him more. He wanted to walk to him more even if the history between them was… terrible. He just needed to make the tension between them less.
This seemed like the perfect chance.