Take Off Your Colours || ImmortalFox OneShot

"This is the storm, so let it pour, and take over your shores. Here comes the rain, I'll have my day, it's so sore
Let it be heard, lessons we'll learn. And it will never hurt like this again.
Take off your colours, who are you wearing them for? Tick off your lovers, all respect was left at the door. I had front row seats to you on your knees, it was everything I hoped it be."

---

Aleks had always liked that rain. Despite the disbelief over the way most others may describe it; depressing, bleak, dreary, and saddening. He'd always been more fond of it over snow, which he'd seen a lot of between Colorado and his home in Russia. By adulthood, he'd been sick of it.

He never recorded on rainy days because he's always much rather wanted to sit and listen to its rhythmic patterns. The sound and the rich wetness, the coolness, it brought along with it made him happy, and it was relaxing. Especially after everything experienced recently. The rain was something that put most people in a depressing mood.

It was storming the day that he moved to America and turned his life around. It was also raining when he met his lover, Eddie.

He and Eddie had been together for exactly three years, seven months, and twelve days, more or less.

He was one to make a mental note of the exact times when certain things happen in his life. In this case, the first time that he'd truly considered to be in love. It was different than all the others relationships he's been in, this one made him happy.

It was like that until Eddie walked out on him.

The event hardly even registered itself in the back of Aleks' mind, and when it did, it was harsh and had caught him off-guard. All that time, in the back of his mind, he never allowed the heartache to set in. He always told himself that he'd be back.

Instead, he watched his lover storm down the staircase with their dog on a leash and a suitcase trailing at his heels. Then Eddie disappeared into a yellow cab that was parked peculiarly at the end of the road.

"I'm sorry."

It was raining on the day that Eddie left.

Aleks never knew the harsh truth behind his lover's last words that he would ever hear. The nights he spent sleeping around with other people and the reasons why he came home late on week nights. And in a way, he never really wanted to know who else was slipping between his thighs.

And he never wanted to tell himself that he'd never come back.

So he still woke up at the same time to find himself sleeping alone. He still sometimes reached over to grasp Eddie's waist and untrimmed chest, to pull him close. He went through his day, and things ceased to change in his mind because Eddie had to come back. He always came back.

Aleks still dressed for two and set two plates of breakfast in the morning. He still called his lover with never an answer. He would still check his Twitter, which was always untouched since the day he walked out the door. And then at night, he'd fall into bed with the other side exposed for his lover's return, and his side of the bed always remained cold.

He repeated this process for approaximately two years, eleven months, and three days.

He missed the nights when they would hold the other and just talk or when they would record together. But most of all he missed Eddie's glasses that were too small for his nose, his unmistakeable laugh, and his loud swearing in another language. He missed the way they would take Chef out. She was gone too. Now he was all alone.

Aleks was all alone.

He just missed him a little bit too much.

Things between them were supposed to be perfect. The day Eddie left was sixth months exactly after their wedding night.

---

It was raining during that, too, and everyone was pissed off because they had to have the ceremony inside. But Aleks didn't mind the rain a bit.

"I love you," Aleks would mouth towards his significant other. His throat got caught on his final words. Then he had to stand on his toes to lean up and kiss him, and the kiss was fragile and wonderful and their lips synced.

The crowd applauded and congratulated the men as they walked out. And they had to run through the rain, which soaked Aleks' hair and chilled them to the bone. But with hands locked, Eddie let out his infamous giggle and with the wedding party on their feet, collapsed into the reception doors.

Hands locked and catching a kiss.

---

If it wasn't for Eddie, who locked the door every night, though the deadbolt open, Aleks would forget. Now, all he wanted was to return home to see his smiling husband again. But who did it hurt, leaving the door open and the light on sometimes?

So he waited.

He kept having flashbacks while in the shower of when he left. Eddie's face, Eddie's clothes, Eddie's suitcase, Eddie's words. It all came back to him when he was alone with himself and his thoughts, and this prevented him from wanted to leave. So he stood there with pulsating water running down his bare back until all that was left was cold water, and he stood there for a little bit longer.

It reminded him of the rain.

And so on Aleks' birthday, he had no one to celebrate it with, and even when he was eating alone, he still cut cake for two. And then sat across the table whilst imagining his lover sitting, staring back at him with the widest grin spread across his face.

It came to mind eventually, the reason why Eddie disappeared. Why he no longer loved Aleks, and what "I'm sorry" really meant. And then it became apparent as to why he never came back home.

He became impatient and he saw his love everywhere he glanced. He even saw him in the rain when it stormed in Denver.

Then he stopped looking and gave up hope and went home, and then he suffered some more. And now he realized how alone he was and where Eddie had run off too, who had to run away with. Who he had left Aleks for. So he stopped looking and hoped that he'd come back.

God, he missed him.

It was exactly two years, three months, and twenty-four days after when Eddie died. One car-crash brought his and his absent lover's world down. And Aleks never knew what became of him until he was told through Twitter that he had been dead for two years.

And he maybe let a few tears fall down his face when he was given the news.

But he fulfilled his dream to kiss the love of his life on his wedding day. Exactly five years before his death.

"I love you, too." Eddie mouthed back.

He wasn't sure if he believed in rain anymore, it was storming on the day of the funeral as well.

So Aleks touched his own cheek and when it was wet, he didn't wince, and it wasn't wet because of the rain.

And Aleks still left the door unlocked and the lights on.

Five years, two months, three days, and five minutes later.

---

"I'll make a bet that says we don't all leave this place as friends. Are you comfortable, are you comfortable with this?
You play the lady, I'll play the gent. And we will call it time well spent. But I've been lying, and you're gonna hate me for this."