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gastricpierrot · 4 years

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Title: Heartbeat

Series: Promare

Pairing: GaloLio

Rating: T

Summary:

Lio turns himself in after the final battle, the start of a new life he must get used to.

This is a story of how Lio Fotia navigates through the days that follow, learns that support comes in more forms than he’s ever familiar with, and deals with his alarmingly developing feelings for Galo Thymos.

Also on AO3

[Prologue][Chapter 1][Chapter 2][Chapter 3]

[Chapter 4]

Lio’s night begins well enough.

He gets to take a shower with soap that smells like citrus, change into a fresh set of cotton clothes he’d picked out from the collection of donations. He feels clean, refreshed, and content from a day well spent with friends he’d missed. The mattress and blankets are unexpectedly comfortable. He’s all wrapped up in sheets, watching the clouds drift across the sky from the window as he waits for his hair to dry.

He’s almost nodding off when he hears the ruckus. It seems to have come from the reception hall, and it grows louder as whoever the noise belongs to approaches the sleeping quarters. Lio glares at the entrance, annoyed that his moment of peace is rudely interrupted by some obscene drunk. He's sure he’s read something about a noise curfew as he was going over the shelter rules out of curiosity earlier, but clearly this bastard doesn’t care about it at all since there really isn’t anyone around to enforce it.

Lio doesn’t recognize the person who stumbles in red-faced and absolutely reeking of alcohol. It’s not something he can be blamed for—their group of fugitives had consisted of hundreds of people, after all. Lio had tried to personally greet every one of them whenever he had the chance, but even his memory has its limits. Besides, there were Burnish who the Foresight Foundation had captured without ever joining Lio’s group, and the shelter’s open to others who are in need for a place to stay as well. Lio has a higher chance of meeting strangers here more than anything.

The drunk continues to make a fuss, alternating between ranting about nonsense and singing out of tune with his whole chest. Lio considers doing both of them a favor by knocking him out cold, though before he can decide to go through with it, the guy stumbles one last time and falls flat on the floor without getting up again.

Which would’ve been peachy if it isn't for the fact that he still stinks even from all the way where he is. You’d think Lio would’ve had grown used to bearing with unpleasant odors after his time at detention, but at least the inmates didn’t have access to alcohol and tobacco. And they probably changed clothes and took showers more often too.

Lio pulls his blanket over his nose and decides there’s nothing else to do but to ignore it.

Fortunately for him, he really is exhausted and manages to pass out as soon as his annoyance dissipates. He wakes to sun in his eyes the next day, unsure what time it is and where he even is for a second. He slowly sits up, rubbing grogginess out of his eyes as he yawns. He can faintly hear bird songs and the sounds of passing cars coming from the outside. It’s a new day.

Lio looks around; the wasted guy from the night before is still where he’d collapsed face-first on the floor. Some beds are still occupied, the people using them hidden under their blankets after the chilly night. The rest of the used beds are empty; Lio can’t tell if their owners even returned at all. It really isn’t his business.

Lio tidies up his little space and heads out to the bathrooms to freshen up. He doesn’t properly bump into other occupants of the shelter until he enters the canteen to see if there’s any food available. A middle-aged woman sitting at the far end of the room stares at him for a bit as he picks out a piece of packaged bread.

“Lio?” She seemingly comes to a realization before calling out to him. “Boss?”

Lio turns toward her, finding her vibrant red hair somewhat familiar. He does remember seeing someone within their group who had features like hers.

“Good morning,” he greets. Then after a quick thought, “Mind if I sat with you?”

“No, no, not at all!” The lady seems a little taken aback by Lio’s casualness. Lio walks over and takes the seat across from her.

“Sorry, I don’t think I ever got your name,” he admits. “You were with us the last time, weren’t you?”

“I-It’s Cindy. And yes, I was once rescued and taken in by Mad Burnish,” Cindy answers, still looking a little flustered. “I can’t believe you’re here, Lio. What happened back then?”

“Just thought it’d be best for all of us if I turned myself in as damage control.” Lio tears open the packaging of his bread and takes a bite. “’Also, no need to be so tense, Cindy. I’m not the Mad Burnish leader anymore. I’m no different than you—never really have been.”

“That’s not true!” Cindy immediately refutes. “You have been and always will be an amazing person in our eyes. You’re our hero!”

“I’m not sure I deserve to be called that,” Lio muses, biting off another piece of bread. “But I’m glad that despite all the mistakes I made along the way, you guys could still see me as a source of hope.”

“As hard as you tried, I'm sure not everyone expected you to be perfect,” Cindy assures, offering him a little smile. “If it hadn’t been for you and Mad Burnish’s efforts, most of us would never have lived to see this day. Thank you.”

Ah, perhaps this is how Galo felt yesterday when they started throwing gratitude at him out of the blue. A fuzzy feeling in his chest, a pleasant burn in his cheeks. Lio thinks it’s high time for a change of topic.

“So how has it been, living here?” he asks, hoping the swerve doesn’t come across as drastic as he feels it does. Cindy doesn’t seem bothered by this, thankfully, and is happy to share.

It was, of course, a bit chaotic at first. Hundreds of ex-Burnish were cramped into two dififerent shelters; the facilities and provisions were barely enough to support all of them. Due to the urgency of the situation, there had been families who had been separated as well. There were also cases of violence among the former Burnish, as well as from people who still blamed the Burnish as a whole for the mass destruction of the city. Times were tumultuous then. No one really knew what the next day or even hour would bring. Most of the former Burnish stayed exclusively within the shelter, not daring to set foot into a society that still primarily saw them as threats.

It had taken many months for things to improve. Gueira and Meis managed to appeal for at least the expansion of the shelters, which literally gave everyone more space to breathe. The truth about the Foresight Foundation’s true intentions and actions, as well as what was known about the Promare and how it affected the Burnish were also eventually publicized. More and more people came to learn and accept that not all Burnish were inherently bad, and the Bill fought for by Heris’ team was passed.

It’s only after many months that it’s safe for the former Burnish to walk out of the shelter again.

“I’ve actually left once myself, but things didn’t exactly work out.” Cindy seems slightly sheepish at the admittance, glancing away as she rubs her arm absently. “I’m alone and the job I had really took a toll on my health. I realized that maybe I’m not all ready to get my own place just yet.”

“I don’t think there’s an issue with not being ready,” Lio says, perhaps understanding a little too well. “Take your time to work things out, there’s no rush.”

He receives a look of gratitude for that. “What about you, Lio? What are you going to do from now on? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“I’m... not so sure, either.” Lio chews up the rest of his breakfast. “I’m still trying to find my way around myself.”

“I hope you’ll find what’s best for you, then,” Cindy wishes, eyes then widening when she glances at the clock. “Oh! I should really go now before I’m late! Sorry for taking up your time!”

“Don’t be, it was a meaningful chat.” Lio assures with a small wave. “May your day go well.”

“And yours, too!” Cindy moves to leave, but stops abruptly when something occurs to her. “Also, if you’re staying around, please be careful of one of the men—the tall one with black hair. He just came in a few weeks ago and he could be...”

“Volatile?” Lio guesses, unsurprised. Cindy nods affirmative.

“He usually sleeps the whole day and disappears throughout the night, so as long as you can stay out of his way it shouldn’t be too bad,” she says, “I’m just worried he’ll be extra hostile towards you since you’re our Boss.”

Ah, so he’s that sort of person. Lio promises he’ll do his best to avoid crossing paths with him. It’s just not worth the time and energy. People like those are still bound to exist despite what has happened and been done. If everyone could change their mindsets and perspectives so easily, the world would be a much better place.

Lio ponders over what he should do for the rest of the day after Cindy leaves. He’s given a bit of allowance before he left detention; he figures he should use some of that money to stock up on some essentials. That makes the supermarket a destination, but that’s about it. He’ll just wander around for the rest of the day and see where his legs take him.

Lio changes back into the clothes he’d left detention in before going out. A cool breeze greets him as soon as he steps through the exit; it’s colder than yesterday even though the sky is just as clear. Lio doesn’t hesitate to head right back inside to search for a jacket he could use for the time being. He's familiar with this weather pattern; if it’s cool at this time of the day, it’ll only get colder later on. The weather in Promepolis can be unforgiving as they enter the winter months.

He returns outside with a slightly faded jacket that he doesn’t mind being just a little too big on him. He looks all around, wondering which way he should go. He hadn’t been able to catch a glimpse of how the neighborhood looks like when Galo drove him here yesterday; maybe he should’ve tried harder to stay awake. Not that he can change that now. Lio decides to just head towards the area with a higher concentration of multistoried buildings, thinking it looks like a place where he's bound to stumble upon somewhere promising.

The air is crisp, slightly stinging his nose and throat with every breath. It's quiet in that strange, liminal sort of way. The calm right after the early morning rush and right before the lunch-hour hustle. Most of the people strolling along the streets are either the elderly or parents on their off days helping out with chores and grocery shopping. The atmosphere, even the sceneries are reminiscent of the life Lio had a long time ago. It’s peaceful, normal. Unreal.

Lio can imagine it too vividly. Smoke suddenly rising from a distant building, sirens wailing as censors detect Burnish flares. The roar of bike engines, the unapologetic laughter of Mad Burnish members as they caused havoc once more. The sheer thrill of being able to storm right into the city and set fire to buildings housing companies linked to the Foundation, unhindered by the puny extinguishers trying in vain to freeze their flames.

This is the sort of life they disrupt when they decide to finally satisfy that pent up, primal urge to burn and burn.

Lio takes a deep breath. The air does not smell like smoke nor fire. No one is panicking and frantically evacuating. He is where he is. The past was where it was. What has happened then isn’t happening now.

The Promare he’s lived solely for back then is no longer here.

Lio’s hunch of going towards the cluster of taller buildings is right; he soon ends up in a busier district filled with bakeries and fast food chains and thrift stores and various other businesses. It’s still not crowded for now, otherwise Lio’s sure he’d feel intimidated just by being there. It hits him anew, the extent of how disconnected he feels from the current world. How long has it been since he could be in public as casually as this? What has changed since the past system forced him and thousands of others out of society? What hasn’t changed?

Lio walks slowly, keeping to one side of the path. He finds himself peeking through every display window and open entrance he comes across, trying to catch a glimpse of what goes on inside each individual establishment. He listens to snippets of the different songs that are played between each shop: something poppy for the place selling clothes, a catchy jingle for the electronics store, something jazzy for the café with a unique logo. It’s as though they are different worlds within; different scents, different vibes.

It’s truly a strange feeling, being there.

Lio wanders down the first street and then the opposite. Observing, immersing. He finds a supermarket eventually, just as he begins to feel hungry. He spends a moment trying to decide if he should return to the shelter for lunch before coming out again. There's still so much he wants to see and there are still some hours before he’s expecting Galo to arrive, after all. He's got the time and energy to spare.

He settles on going back for lunch; he wants to have a look at what’s there on the other side of the neighborhood, anyway. But first, he spends a good chunk of time browsing through the aisles in the supermarket. It fascinates Lio, to be honest. There are so many things he recognizes from the places Mad Burnish had raided for supplies back in the day, yet more that he’s never seen or heard of before. So this is the brand of chips the kids often talked about craving, so that’s the drink that was really popular among even the older Burnish. There are so many things he catches himself wanting to try, and he really is close to giving in to the temptation at some point.

If only he isn’t on such a tight budget. Capitalism really can be a pain. Lio ends up only getting the things he needs before leaving.

He heads back to the shelter at a much faster pace than he’d left it, motivated by the increasingly loud growls from his belly and the want to avoid the lunch crowd that’s gradually filling the streets. He arrives without much incident, chest light from the past hours of being able to take his mind off the thoughts he isn’t exactly ready to face. It’s liberating, being able to spend this bit of time just being where he was.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t last.

Lio has just finished a quick serving of fried rice, left his purchases in an unoccupied locker and on his way back out again when he’s dragged by the arm and slammed against a wall by a person who fits the description Cindy had given him earlier. Tall, with black hair. Unshaven beard, bloodshot eyes.

“You. You have a lot of guts showing your face here after everything.”

Lio isn’t surprised that he’s so quickly recognized. Of all the Burnish, he’s the only one who’s appearance had been widely publicized by the media. This is before the protection laws were in place, before it was made very difficult for the former Burnish to be discriminated based on appearance alone. It’s another burden for him to bear, in a way. It might be impossible to differentiate every other former flame wielder from those who weren’t one, but Lio Fotia will always be synonymous to Burnish.

Lio takes a deep breath to swallow the pain before calmly regarding the man. This doesn’t scare him. He's experienced enough of these during his time in detention to be affected by people like him.

“I don’t suppose I know you,” he says, unbothered enough to seemingly infuriate the guy further.

“Of course you don’t,” he spits. “Terrorists don’t expect to remember the names of every person whose life they ruined, now do they? Why would they care that their fires would take everything away from someone else?”

Lio stares at him, weighing his response in his mind. He can’t deny what this man said. They as Burnish had not been able to afford that capacity to care about what happened to citizens caught in their infernos beyond sparing their lives. When the entire world is against you, there’s no choice but to fight back with just as little mercy.

There had never been choice for them, back then.

“I’m sorry it happened to you,” is all Lio can offer. He can’t change the past, he can’t bring back what this man had lost. He can’t undo the damages the Promare flames have been used to do. This bit of sympathy is the only thing he can offer.

And it earns him all but a punch in the face.

xXx

Lio ends up not exploring the other side of town, the lightness in his chest from earlier having dissipated into what feels like a lump of condensed tar.

He instead finds a quiet spot at a nearby park and spends the rest of his afternoon there, the myriad of thoughts he’d ignored earlier now swirling violently in his head. It's stuffy under the mask he’s given by the shelter receptionist to cover the bruise on his cheek before heading outside. The spot where he’d bitten into upon impact aches whenever he prods at it with his tongue.

Lio sits on the grass under a tree with a decent shade, and thinks until the sun begin to set.

Galo meets him at the shelter entrance later, ready with a bag of homecooked meals he’d prepared the night before packed neatly in boxes. He suggests just settling down at the canteen at first, but he quickly complies when Lio mentions he’d prefer going somewhere they could have a bit more privacy instead. They end up going back to the park, finding a picnic table right under a streetlamp so they can see what they eat.

It’s no surprise that Galo’s quick to freak out when he sees what Lio has been hiding with his mask. He fusses about getting him a cold compress for the bruise, some ointment for the abrasion in his inner cheek. Lio promises it’s no big deal, these aren’t the worst injuries he’s gotten. He's taken beatings much worse than this.

It still doesn’t stop Galo from once again trying to convince him to leave the shelter.

“Galo, I’m told the guy's usually gone at night. I’ll just have to avoid him the rest of the time,” Lio assures, sighing from the exhaustion of trying so hard to get through Galo’s indomitable stubbornness.

“But there’s no guarantee he won’t change that now that he knows you’re there!” Galo remains adamant despite Lio’s efforts. “What if he tries to mess with you when you’re sleeping or something?”

“I can defend myself.” Lio grits his teeth, feeling his own annoyance rising at how helpless Galo seems to be making him out to be. Stop, just stop treating him like he’s some kind of damsel who can’t even fight back for himself when he’s been doing just that for as long as he could remember.

“I know, Lio. I know! It just—” Galo runs his fingers through his hair, exasperated— “doesn’t make it any easier to accept, knowing you’re exposing yourself to these situations when there’s something we can do about it.”

He gives Lio a pleading look. “Come stay with me or your brothers, Lio. Please. Even if it’s just temporarily.”

“I do not want to burden any of you!” Lio slams his fists against the table in agitation, rattling the untouched boxed meals Galo had brought. “Why can’t you understand that?”

“Because we care about you!” Galo matches his outburst. “Why can’t you understand that?”

“You know it wouldn’t make a difference as a whole.” The flare of anger disappears as suddenly as it’d risen. Lio averts his gaze and crosses his arms, digging his fingers into the sleeves of his borrowed jacket. “Even if I leave the place there’s still bound to be people elsewhere who have something to settle with me.”

“But you can run away then,” Galo points out. “You can just leave the situation and return somewhere they can’t find and hurt you.”

“I can’t run away from the past, Galo.” Lio curls a little more into himself, weighed down. “Nothing changes the fact that the flames I hosted were the same ones that took from so many.”

“It doesn’t mean you have to feel partly at blame for everything each individual Burnish has done! It’s not right,” Galo reasons. “Lio, you’re still arrogant. No matter what you say, you tend to act and think like you’re still the Boss.”

And Lio finds that he’s unable to refute that. Galo’s...spot on. He’s been desperately clinging on to the past, desperately trying to feel like he still has a clear reason to be here. Being a Burnish had been something he’d taken immense pride in and he doesn’t want to forget that. He doesn’t want the Burnish’s existence to simply vanish as another fragment lost to time, not when their struggles had been so very real.

But in his effort to do that, he’d also subconsciously prevented himself from moving on.

He’s...afraid to move on, to tell the truth. He's afraid that he feels so lost and insignificant and he doesn’t know what he can do about it. What is he even supposed to do? How does one find their way again when they’ve lost the only purpose that has been driving them almost their whole life?

“You don’t have to live for the Burnish or the Promare anymore,” Galo reminds him, reaching to give his shoulder a comforting squeeze. “You can live for yourself now.”

Gosh, he makes it sound like it’s so easy to suddenly do just that. Lio lets out a mirthless laugh. “Even if you say that, I—”

“You can start by stopping that habit of trying to justify the bad things you go through,” Galo chimes in the moment he begins trailing off, reading what he’s about to say. “There are other ways to take responsibility than to be hurt the way you are, Lio.”

It sounds almost too good to be true. How else can Lio make up for his past mistakes than to learn and experience the pain and loss he’s caused? Lio doesn’t dare believe him, doesn’t want to cling on to false hopes that he knows would ultimately come back to bite him.

And yet.

“Do you really think that’s possible? After all I’ve done?” Lio musters up the courage to meet Galo’s eyes again.

Galo smiles, soft and assuring. “I do. I think you of all people, deserve a better second chance.”

A second chance. Forgiveness. They’re not something Lio realizes he’s been subconsciously seeking until it’s pointed out to him. He doesn’t regret the fires he’s caused, doesn’t regret fighting on behalf of a marginalized population to make their voices heard. It just... never did sit perfectly with part of him even all those years back. They’re disrupting the lives of people whose biggest sins are their ignorance, they’re potentially dragging bystanders who may already have too much on their own plates into a conflict they’re hardly educated on. Had their actions, at the very core, truly been any much different from those of the Freeze Force and the Foresight Foundation?

A walking mess of contradictions, that’s what he is. A constant clash between a cold, calculating logic and a conscience that cared too much.

It’s so exhausting to be him.

“You deserve to be safe too, Lio. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done in the past.” Galo finally moves to lay out their dinner. “If it really bothers you, think of staying with us as humoring us and putting us at ease knowing you’re away from people who could easily harm you. Do it for our sake if not your own.”

Lio looks, really looks at Galo to find his unwavering sincerity staring right back at him. Bright, blinding. He’s always been the blinding flame guiding him ever since they met.

“Will you,” Lio hesitates, swallows, “really not mind if I stayed over?”

He’s so helplessly drawn towards that flame, yearning to bask in the light and warmth it so readily offers. His resolve crumbles. He wants to go. He wants to spend the rest of his nights not tensed for potential assaults. He wants to be somewhere he can finally let his guard down completely.

Galo’s face lights up when the meaning behind Lio’s words dawns him. “Of course!! I’d love to have some extra companionship in the apartment!”

“I-I’ll pay a portion of the rent!!” Lio’s stumbling over his words, desperate to assure that he’ll repay him somehow, somehow. “I’ll help with the chores too!”

“Sure!” Galo beams as he pushes the container of food he’d prepared for Lio towards him. “But there’s plenty of time to talk about that later. Now let’s eat! Then we’ll go get your stuff and go back to my place! Together!!”

Galo’s bolognaise pasta has gone cold, yet it strangely seems to have only added to the amazing balance of flavors. Lio eats with enough enthusiasm to make Galo laugh, unhindered even by how his heart pounds in his chest. This isn’t a turn of events he’d expected to happen so soon. Lio had been prepared to endure much more before allowing himself to even consider this an option. Surely, there’s still a long way to go before he’s worthy of unconditional peace. Surely, he isn’t allowed to be this excited and relieved from abandoning his resolve so easily.

But Lio wants to be selfish. Even if it’s just this once.

#promare #galolio #liogalo #lio fotia #galo thymos #happy new year its sapping time #though i guess more of it will come in the next chapter #this one is just hmmm #got some Feelings to work out there #also catch me shading capitalism with every chance i get ahahahah a #nyways ill shut up now #btw if youre reading this far i just want to say thanks so much for sticking with my fic even tho its definitely #not the most exciting one out there!!#i really appreciate it and i hope youll keep enjoying it!!#fanfiction

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