Promise Meant To Be Broken

Chapter 1: The Promise/Prologue

The rain pattered against the roof of Yellow and Rutile's shelter, its cold breeze sending a shiver up Rutile's spine. They snuggled against Yellow and buried their face against the fabric of Yellow's shirt (which really were just rags) in order to try and salvage the last bits of warmth. When it rained, it got cold, and when it rained, Rutile hated it more than anything. There's little comfort staying in a home out of makeshift garbage parts could give, especially when the weather got cold.

All of a sudden, thunder boomed and a flash of lightning made Rutile jolt in their sleep, and an uncharacteristic squeak left their lips. Their "older brother" Yellow (they were not actually siblings) immediately woke up out of surprise, and they reached out for a rusty dagger they had found in the trash one day, before holding it out in front of them, ready to strike whatever thief that made that sound —

"Who goes there?!" Yellow's voice was still tired from their rest, and their eyes scanned around their surroundings. The sound of the rain made it hard to hear anything, and it was currently nighttime, so it was hard to see as well, with the only light being a small lantern at the side of their head. Yellow's tense body immediately relaxed when they confirmed there was no threat.

Living in the slums for however long had made actions like this a sort of reflex or routine for them. Although in a normal setting it would've been concerning to get as panicked as they did for a small sound that woke them up in the night, considering the place they're in, it's a common practice to be this aware.

So then... What was it that made that noise?

Yellow's eyes scanned around once again, and they felt a small movement behind them. Their gaze softened the moment their eyes rested onto a shivering Rutile. They gave a small sigh.

"Oh... it was you who made that squeak, Rutile. You really got me all worried for nothing..." Yellow reached out to gently pat Rutile's head, but noticed something strange. Rutile still hasn't moved, and their face was still buried into a part of Yellow's shirt. Confused, Yellow looked out towards the rain outside, and with a convenient timing, another thunder boomed.

Rutile squeaked again, and Yellow immediately pieced two and two together. They remembered all of the times Rutile had been like this in the past, and they chuckled. "I didn't know you were scared of thunder."

"M' not." Their response came out muffled, "...We've been living together for at least a good few years. How couldn't you have taken a hint?"

"So you are scared of thunder."

"Am not!"

Yellow's eyes narrowed out of amusement, and they turned so that it was their face facing Rutile this time, and not their back. Rutile slowly lifted their head, and thanks to the light from the small, burning lantern, Yellow could see that Rutile's face was wet. Yellow blinked a few times before reaching out and pinching Rutile's cheek.

"You scaredy-cat," they said, and Rutile only remained quiet as they felt their older brother wrap their arms around them and pull them into a warm, comforting hug. Exactly the kind of warmth they had wanted from when it first started raining and Yellow had gone to sleep out of exhaustion from their job.

After a few moments, Rutile gently pushed them away and coughed a little. "Your shirt smells terrible!"

"I can't help it, though! You know cleaning all those chimneys is hard, hard work. And there's so much dust, too. I don't have the time to wash them, and I'm sure that even if I did, it wouldn't dry fast enough for the next day."

Rutile furrowed their eyebrows. "Your clothes are always dirty. I hate it. Why can't you get new clothes...? Don't you get paid every day?"

Yellow sighed fondly, and combed Rutile's hair with their fingers. It was remarkably shaggy. "Rutile... You know I can't do that. If I buy new clothes, we won't have the money to buy food — I'm still saving up for new blankets for the cold. This lantern is almost out, too..."