Till Sunrise ┊Luke Castellan

19 .·:· Under the Storm's Veil

Cornwell, Dean. 'The Other Side'. 1918⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
Words:  1,560

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1 day before the summer solstice

"Luke, it's going to rain," Phoebe whined behind him, her voice tinged with uncertainty as she looked up at the sky.

"It's going to be fine," he laughed, his grip on her hand firm as he continued to tug her along. "Hey, I promise, if you get wet, I'll personally dry you off." His laugh mingled with the rumble of thunder echoing around them.

And as she looked at his back, his head thrown back in laughter, she realised this moment was perfect. He, Luke, was perfect.

But then a clap of thunder reverberated through the air and the rain clouds tore open, jolting Phoebe back to the reality of tomorrow. Tomorrow, she would be leaving him to go fight in a war, a war that threatened to tear apart everything she held dear. The thought of not returning to him made her drop his hand, and she suddenly felt impossibly scared. Not for herself, but for him. She didn't want to leave him. She didn't want to leave this moment.

But it had already passed. And she was left with encroaching darkness and the feeling of inescapable change.

.·。.·゜✭·. .·゜゜·　　·゜゜·．.·。.·゜✭·.

The rain clouds above them broke open, releasing all their tears onto the world below, washing away the dust and grime of the day. Luke's laughter bubbled out of him as the heavy drops landed on them. The sound mingled with the soothing rhythm of rain as he began to run to find cover. But when Phoebe dropped his hand and didn't follow him, he slowed to a stop and turned back.

Amidst the downpour, Phoebe remained rooted in place, her gaze drawn skyward as she allowed the cool droplets to cascade over her. Her expression was unreadable as she let herself get drenched.

As Luke watched her, he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe wash over him. Phoebe seemed to sparkle in the rain, her figure illuminated by the ethereal glow of the storm, and he felt his breath get stolen. She was so angelic standing there, that he was half tempted to have a glance at her back to see if wings were sprouting there. Oh, what it must be to be that beautiful, Luke thought.

But then Phoebe turned to look at him, and she looked impossibly sad. And in an instant, Luke's heart ached painfully in his chest. Without a second thought, he ran over to her, taking off his jacket which was still somewhat dry and wrapped it around her shoulders. With gentle urgency, he guided her to a nearby wooden canopy that overlooked the river, seeking shelter from the relentless downpour.

As they stood beneath the canopy, Phoebe looked up at him, her eyes meeting him with a vulnerability that tugged at his heartstrings. Brushing a strand of hair out of her face, Luke spoke gently, "They'll be fine, Pheebs."

She closed her eyes, looking pained at the mention of the kids. She shook her head, "that's not it."

He frowned and she fully turned to look at him, "I feel like everything is changing... or just about to change." Her eyes were so deep, so sorrowful. "I don't know, maybe I'm just being dumb," she added with a sigh. And his heart ached painfully again.

He wished he didn't have to keep things from her, to lie to her. He wanted to tell her everything. But he couldn't. Not yet. It was still too soon, he just needed a couple more days.