Chapter Text
After the world, the pale—after the pale, the world again. This city had not witnessed the latter half for six years.
The pale—a colorless odorless cloud of information—surrounded and separated each isola. It loomed over humankind for as long as humankind existed, but at least it was far away from their everyday life. Formerly thought impregnable, Paledrivers could navigate through it, but not without long term side effects.
Welt's coworkers had left this city as soon as possible. Welt hadn't left once even though the pale had closed off this city from the outside world. His coworkers rarely visited, preferring to call. And when they did visit, always looking at him with pity.
Welt closed his notebook—his personal one, not the one filled with numbers by Tesla. This was his memory book, his diary. Despite the name, Welt didn't write much on it.
Since the permanent change of the universe, and Welt did not mean the pale surrounding this city, he had started writing in this book somewhere around the middle of it. If no one took him seriously and he did not have his own words, he might eventually forget it as well. He couldn't let this go, couldn't leave.
"Why don't you leave?" Welt asked the entroponeticists after Ein finished removing the wires from his body.
"Why don't you leave?" Tesla shot back. Once again, she's writing in his other notebook.
"I don't want to," Welt replied. It's the truth.
"And we study you," Tesla said. "You are over-radiated to hell and back. Staying put is your best bet."
And this was what Welt was reduced to: from a paledriver to a lab rat. It kept him safe, they said. It gave valuable information to entroponetic studies. It could save this city, or not. The higher up could decide this city was not worth saving, let it fade into the pale. Just like something else did.
That thought made Welt stand up. He had somewhere else to be.
"Please bring Void... nevermind." Ein shook her head.
The café was becoming a familiar place. Welt had never written about it in his diary. He preferred to keep it that way. This was a secret place other people couldn't touch, just Luocha and him. One little café among the fog. They sat opposite of the table.
"I dreamt about you," Welt let it slip. He felt a pit in his stomach as he said so. Maybe he shouldn't have.
Welt felt Luocha's eyes on him. Luocha grinned. "How sacrilegious. And here I thought you had another lover."
Another? Lover? "Huh," Welt didn't remember mentioning Void, but perhaps he was unkempt enough. He sipped his drink, then asked for a refill. Luocha poured his drink from a kettle. Welt had stopped asking what exactly he was drinking. "Not a lover."
"I see. A loyal friend, then." Luocha also drank with him nowadays. He reached over and pried the porcelain cup from Welt's fingers. Luocha's hands were cold and didn't have much strength, but Welt never resisted them. Luocha poured the drink for himself, chuckled, and put the lips on where Welt's lips were. "With benefits."
Welt felt himself blushing and looked away. "Are you judging?"
"Oh, no." Luocha drank and put the cup down between them. "I think it's beautiful. Desirable."
Void was waiting for him at home. "Where were you?"
Welt hung his coat and his bag on the hanger, put the keys on the little bowl by the door, then joined Void on the floor, sitting against the sofa. Void was weird like that. "Walking," Welt answered.
"And visitting the lab, I assume." Void held out a hand. "Notebook?"
Welt blinked. Surely Void was not asking to read his diary right to his face. Sneaking to read it behind his back was understandable. Welt could see it, but not like this.
As if reading his mind, Void added, "The other one."
Silence stretched.
"... You forgot it at the lab." It's not a question. Void sighed. "Fine, I'm due for a visit anyway." Welt knew it was more worry than frustration. "What do I do with you?"
Welt shrugged. "You could leave."
That was not the right thing to say. Void turned to him, voice static, "I refuse to let you out of my sight, Welt." Their voice went like that when they're angry.
Welt thought about Luocha. "That's not true at all. You leave me plenty."
"Don't," Void hissed, "provoke me, or I will chain you to the bed." Because it would be for your own good was left unsaid. They had this conversation many times already. Stay put, Welt Yang. Don't wander. Don't think. Just—don't.
Welt exhaled softly, then closed his eyes and leaned back against the sofa. No matter how much they threatened him, Void wouldn't do that. And no one could stop him. Welt went wherever he pleased. Thought whatever thoughts he wanted to.
Welt heard the sound of Void standing up and heading for the door. The doorknob turned. "I'm leaving."
"Come home safely," Welt said without intonation. Unlike humans, Void wasn't affected by the pale. Welt would say these words away, the pretense of a lover.
The door closed. Welt opened his eyes and stared at the blank wall. He supposed they had the same goal—figuring out what's going on with the universe. Welt suspected Void knew more than they let on, but Welt wasn't the target audience.
Soon his eyelid felt heavy, and he was too tired to move to the bedroom. He could sleep like this. He did.