"This is it." Daiki leaned forward, putting a hand on the back of the driver's seat. "Thanks," he grinned and dipped his head.

The taxi pulled over and halted. Eye's lifting to the window, Daiki inhaled quietly. Rain poured down outside, drumming the top of the taxi and spilling off the sidewalk. He tried to pick out the figure of the apartment building in the haze of grey and if he squinted he could almost make it out.

I made it. I hope. Is this the right place? If it's wrong and I start unloading stuff...the heat of embarrassment tried to crawl up his back and Daiki shook his head. This is it. It's at the address that Hideo gave me. He glanced down and picked up his phone off the seat, double-checking. They matched according to his map.

He inhaled slowly and let his shoulders sink back down. Tilting his head back, Daiki ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes.

"Sir, you okay?"

Daiki jumped and looked down. He flushed as he looked at the driver and put his hands up. "Fine, sorry. Long...uh, day." He smiled and then zipped up his jacket. "I'll need to get the suitcases unloaded, thank you so much."

The driver nodded and smiled back in the rearview mirror. Daiki peeked back outside. So wet. Oh well, at least it's pretty when it rains, he smiled more and then cracked open the door. The drumming became a downpour around him, static-filled with wind and the loud pattering of raindrops. 

And two voices. Daiki looked up. 

"Get back here, you're gonna short out! Teki!"

Two dark figures marched towards him in the rain. Daiki tugged his coat a little further over his head and patted his pocket to make sure he'd remembered his phone. Sounds like...Hideo? Teki, I know that name. Is that the other guy Hideo mentioned.

"I'm fine. What's wrong with rain?"

Daiki shifted forward towards the two voices.

"You're gonna fry your circuits!"

Circuits? Daiki frowned and then glanced back. Wait, my suitcases. He peered into the rain as the two figures finally emerged. It was indeed Hideo and a taller man with blue eyes that seemed to possess an unearthly glow in the dark atmosphere. Daiki cocked his head slightly.

Hideo lunged forward and grabbed at the other man's hand, tugging back with all of his might. The man--Daiki was assuming it to be Teki by now--didn't move. He looked down instead.

"I'm fine. It's rain."

"Robots and rain don't mix!" Hideo gave up and huffed. He threw his hands over his head. "If you break down, it's not my fault."

"Hello?" Daiki stepped closer. He peeked over at the taller man and at the water dripping off his face, cascading from his soaked blue hair down over his shoulders. He frowned to himself then shrugged off his own coat and held it out. "Here, this might help. Are you Teki?"

The man nodded. He cocked his head at the offer of the coat but then took it and pulled it on, zipping it up. "Thank you."

Two arms latched around Daiki's wait, followed by the impact of a smaller body barreling into him. "You made it!"

Daiki recoiled and threw his hands up. He grinned. "Yeah, course I did. Followed your directions--surprisingly good ones this time."

"Heyyy," extracting himself from Daiki, Hideo squinted up at him and pointed at his face. "I am a great directioner."

"That's not a word," Teki said. He stepped forward. "You are Yokota Daiki, our third roommate?"

Bowing his head, Daiki nodded as well. "That I am indeed. Nice to meet you. I have one question--"

The taxi driver cut him off with a loud sound of the horn. Daiki jumped and looked back, putting a hand to his chest. His racing heart slowly returned to normal as the rush of fear sloughed off his shoulders. The rain was soaking into his shirt by now, though, and he patted at his slicked down hair. "Sorry, I need to unpack my things," he said and turned back to Hideo and Teki. "Can I get a hand?"

"Course!" Hideo slipped by him and headed for the Taxi. Teki just followed him. Daiki slipped into line behind them and smiled to himself. He flicked a bit of water out of his eyes and tried to push his silver hair out of his face. 

"Thank you both," he said as he helped them unload the trunk and carry it after Hideo up into the safety of the apartment. 

"Course!" Hideo plopped down his suitcase and smiled. Daiki smiled back.

Once the last suitcase was gone he let the driver go before jogging up the steps to the apartment himself. He shuffled into the small warm room and sighed. 

"You look tired," Teki pointed out. He helped Hideo shuffle the suitcases to the back of the apartment near an open door. 

Daiki laughed and nodded. "A bit," he said and slipped off his waterlogged boots. Lifting both arms he glanced down at himself. "Hideo...can I have a towel? I don't wanna get your carpet wet. Sorry."

"No problem! One sec..." Hideo slipped over the suitcases, around Teki, and wound his way through the small maze back to Daiki with a towel. "Here ya go."

"Thanks." Daiki patted down his soaked clothes and head with the towel before folding it over one arm. He stepped into the room and looked at the suitcases. His eyes lifted to Teki and then widened. "Oh, I had a question for you. I forgot."

Teki tilted his head to the side. Under this light, Daiki couldn't tell if the pallor of his skin was simply unnatural, or metallic. He rubbed behind his ear and shifted a little closer.

"What?" Teki asked.

"I um, I heard the conversation earlier--" Daiki watched Hideo's shoulders rise partway to his ears as he flushed pink, "--and I was wonder...are you human? Sorry if that's too forward I just--"

"--I'm a robot," Teki said. "Hideo wanted to know too."

"Excuse me, you offered me a cord from your frigging arm. I didn't ask."

Teki looked over at him. "True. You did not ask." He moved away from the door and sat down on the arm of the couch. Hideo rolled his eyes some and walked over to the pile of suitcases. Daiki laughed to himself.

"Well, that's different I suppose?" he commented once the argument lapsed. "I hope the rain won't mess anything up."

Teki lifted his arms and looked at the jacket he was still wearing. "I'm fine," he stated. "I do not need your jacket."

"Oh, yeah, just sort of a habit. I'll get it back from you later." Daiki smiled. He picked up his smaller bag off the floor and faced the room. Hideo slipped past him and lugged a larger one inside. 

"You want help unpacking?"

Daiki shrugged. "Sure. It's almost five, though, have you two eaten?"

Teki stepped by and shook his head. "I don't eat."

"He says that a lot," Hideo stated. "I haven't."

Daiki followed them and plopped the bag beside the bed. He picked the drenched shirt away from his body and nodded. "I think I'm gonna change before I finish unpacking then. I can cook something if you want."

"Please," Teki commented. 

Hideo smacked the back of his head. "One time," he said and stuck out his tongue.

Watching from beside the bed, Daiki laughed and shook his head as they made their way for the door again. "Will do," he murmured to himself. Wandering over there, he shut the door after them and then went to unzip his suitcase. The warm smell of the clean room filled his nose as he extracted clean clothes. He swore he could still smell the faint remnants of whatever Hideo had probably burned making lunch too. Dressing, Daiki hummed quietly. He closed his eyes and just listened to the drumming of the rain and the sound of the song in his head. Voices drifted in and out.

"You don't even eat my cooking so why do you complain?"

"You nearly burned down the apartment."

A silence. Daiki imagined Hideo was huffing about now. 

"One time."

"You did it yesterday too."

Daiki laughed and shook his head. Definitely the right place.