Wired (Gencio)

Chapter Ten

The rain was pouring so hard that Genji could've sworn he imagined the knock on his door. The sky was dark and gray, pitching the world in blackness although it was only two in the afternoon. He was fighting to stay awake writing a paper, and he couldn't make anything out in the dark haze as he trudged to the door. Slowly, he tugged it open. "Hell... o..."

There standing in his doorstep, slightly soaked and illuminated by the yellow-orange porch light, was Lucio. A weak smile appeared on his face as water dripped from his dreads. "Hey, Sparrow." He laughed nervously and looked down, shuffling his feet. "Ain't this a sight to behold..."

The Asian stared for a moment, dazed, then pulled the for further open. With a quick nod, the other hurried inside.

A soft click was heard as the door closed, and Genji turned around. Lucio stood in his dimly lit kitchen, shivering. Quickly, the Shimada flicked on the lights arms hurried off. "Let me grab you a towel."

A minute passed and he returned, a fluffy bath towel in hand. Without a second thought, he drapped it across the musician's shoulders. "What were you doing out in this weather, anyhow?"

He shrugged, avoiding eye contact. "Just passing through..." He spoke quietly, seeming unsure of himself.

Genji arched an eyebrow, but said nothing. Carefully, he led Lucio over to his couch and sat him down. "You're lucky you found my place, then."

Something flashed in his eyes, but it went away before the college student could figure out what it was. "Yeah, I guess I am."

A feeling of unease crept up the Shimada's spine, but he quickly shook it off. Working on autopilot, he grabbed his laptop from his room arms returned to the couch. He took a seat next to the Brazilian, wishing he could see the other's face. They sat in silence for a bit, with only the sound of typing echoing off the walls.

"Genji?"

"Hm?"

Lucio shuffled a little bit closer to him. The Asian's gaze was fixed on his screen and he was still typing.

The loud clicking of the keys slowly fell silent as a weight rested on his shoulder. His breath caught in his throat as glanced over, realizing the other's head was in his shoulder.

"Would you..." The musician gnawed on his bottom lip. "Would you consider us... Friends?"

A warm, sickly sweet feeling filled Genji's chest as he looked over at his crush. "Of course," he answered without hesitation. When Lucio locked eyes with him, he quickly looked away. "Unless you think otherwise..."

His eyes widened. "Oh, no no no, I didn't - I'd call you a friend."

The Shimada pushed the aching feeling in his chest away and let an arm drape around the other male's shoulder. "Then we're good. Friendship level up."

The Brazilian snickered quietly, peering up at the other. "Really? What level are we, then?"

A smirk made its way onto the green-haired male's face. "I'd say Level Five."

"Ouch, only five? I thought we were better than that."

"Oh, we are. The system's just broken."

The laughed quietly, moving closer to each other in the dark, quiet living room. Outside, the rain had slowed to moderate shower, but soft rolls of thunder could still be heard every now and then. The sound of the raindrops kept bringing a question to Genji's mind, one that thrummed on his skull just as softly and persistently as the rain. Finally, he couldn't hold the thought in anymore.

"How did you really end up on my doorstep?"

A pause. Something swirling in the back of Lucio's eyes as he searched Genji's face. Then a sigh as he gave in.

"Zen told me where you live. Said I should repay you somehow for how much time you spent with me at the shop. I wasn't busy today, so I decided to stop by. Long story short the rain came earlier than I thought it would."

Genji stared at him for a moment, surprised. "You're here to... Repay me?"

"Not like that," Lucio said with a roll of his eyes. "He meant, like, you come to me all the time, so I should come to you. That's what friends do, right? Give back when they can?"

The butterflies returned to the Asian's stomach and he fought the urge to crush the musician in a hug. Instead, he joked, "I think that only starts at Level Seven."

Lucio shook his head and leaned against him more. They sat there for a bit, enjoying each other's company. Suddenly, Genji's phone buzzed. He picked it up and glanced at the screen, skimming it over. His eyes slowly widened at the sight. "Lu?"

"Sparrow?"

He locked over, a mischievous look in his eye. "Whaddya say you pay me back with this?" He showed his screen to the other.

Lucio read it over, his smile widening. He met the other's gaze and nodded. "Sign me the fuck up."