Akeidat strolled through the streets, a sleepy Fiera and a buzzing Darius in tow. Akeidat had always liked the morning. It wasn't as hot as the afternoon, and it wasn't as dark as the night. Perhaps it was an unpopular opinion; they certainly never appreciated being woken up by their alarm, and didn't know anyone who did; but Akeidat felt like perhaps the morning would be better appreciated if people didn't need to spend it hurrying from one place to the next.
When they discovered the elevator in their building had an option to take passengers to the rooftop, Akeidat soon found themself at the utmost top of the apartment building, looking over the horizon of the nearby sea, by a cliff that Akeidat swore had an entire lighthouse in their time, but was now empty except for grass and old fenceposts.
Akeidat had never seen a sunrise, before. They opened their mouth to ask something, thought better of it, then pulled out the phone in their pocket; connected by the wire to a thin sheet of... something. They placed the solar-powered charger on a wooden table nearby, and sat on the bench by it.
"What'cha doing?" inquired Darius, curiously. Akeidat ignored him. They scrolled through the unfamiliar icons, before they gave up.
"What's the one we use to search things?" they asked Fiera.
She peered over their shoulder, studying, until her eyes locked onto something on the screen and she pointed at the offending app, "That one."
"Thanks," Akeidat replied.
Into the search bar, they typed away.
Is it safe to watch sunrise
Staring at sun blindness
Do i need sunglasses to see sunrise
"You can go home," Akeidat suggested to Fiera as they continued typing, "It's not like I'm in danger of getting kidnapped, you know."
"Akeidat," Darius warned, sounding so much like their nagging father.
Fiera looked at them, blankly, "Aren't I supposed to be taking care of you?"
Ah. She's got them there.
"I just-" they tensed, gritting their teeth, "I simply do not wish to be a bother to you. You're already tired-looking."
"Well, yes, it's the morning," she replied, apparently genuinely clueless. Either that, or she was being sarcastic. Right on cue, Fiera yawned, politely keeping her maw muffled by her paw. When she was done, Fiera did not leave.
"Besides," she pulled out her phone from her pocket, "I think we need to go shopping, we're out of groceries."
Akeidat groaned, loudly, much to their roommate's unimpressed look, "But shopping is so boring!"
Shopping, in Akeidat's point of view, was the most mind-numbing, time-wasting thing they could endure. Just the word itself brought up memories of listlessly following their parents around, in a large mall full of bright lights, loud noises, not enough seats, and getting scolded for accidentally knocking things over with their tail. All they could ever do was dawdle behind their parents, always far too aware of all the better things they could be doing with their time; like catching up on their homework, reading, or having fun with their games.
"Well, maybe we can do it after lunch," she propounded.
Akeidat sulked, "Could I wait outside, then?"
At that, Fiera tilted her head in... confusion, probably? "...Why?"
"...Because I don't want to shop?"
"You don't want to pick anything out?" she questioned, quizzically.
"Why would I?" they grumbled.
"Akeidat, be- be nice!" chided Darius. They gave him an indignant squawk. What?
"Don't be so lazy," was Fiera's snide reply, glaring down at them.
"I'm not-?!" Akeidat growled, "I just don't like shopping."
"You don't have to be rude about it," Darius commented. They avoided the angel's gaze. She was rude first, wasn't she? The angel fluttered in front of them, and Akeidat looked away again.
"Kiddo, she-" they heard Darius speak, "She doesn't know you're not an adult."
Finally, they flickered an eye back at him, still not quite getting it. So what?
Eventually, the angel sighed, "If you don't want to shop, just tell her you're not up for it, 'kay? Nicely?"
Akeidat groaned aloud, but obliged. Fine. Whatever it took to get the stupid, chattering angel off their back.
"I am just," Akeidat said, their voice quieter, "...tired. I'm not up for it."
Fiera's frown did not cease, but it did seem to lighten. She gave them a subtle nod, and looked out at the horizon, "Alright, then."
Akeidat followed her gaze, and gasped. Before Akeidat had even realised it, the lapis blue of the sky had given way to the rows of pink and orange that heralded the dawn. They turned their head, staring in wonder while Fiera and Darius sat, hardly paying attention.
So this was what a sunrise looked like. They blinked away from the circle of light, tilting their vision to look more indirectly. It was... it was gorgeous. It looked unreal; like a scene from a movie. Their paws fidgeted with inspiration.
"It's so beautiful!" they exclaimed, giddily, grinning back at their companions with unabashed glee. Had they been their usual size, Akeidat might've felt inclined to jump up and down; but seeing as they weren't so confident in steering their older body so actively, without possibly breaking some sort of bone, they settled for whipping their tail around, excitedly.
"It is, huh?" the angel flew by their side, amused, "Do you like it? It's real pretty, right?"
"I love it!" they cheered. They couldn't recall a time when they'd been so interested in something. Other than video games, they supposed. They wanted to study what made the oranges so vibrant, what made the clouds look like strokes of paint on a canvas, and how the sun came to be known by the Egyptians as a god. But just as soon as it came, Akeidat found their eyes burning, and they reluctantly tore their gaze away.
After taking another few minutes to relax on the rooftop, feeling the morning breeze through their fur, the entourage of three rode down the elevator, stepping out of the lobby into the town just beyond.
Another thing Akeidat had never really done before; getting on a bus without their parents or Madison around to blindly follow.
"What are you doing?" Fiera squinted, disbelieving. Her eyes darted around, more wary-looking than Akeidat had ever seen her. Akeidat stepped through the second door on the bus, tilting their head at her, and patting down their pockets, confusedly.
"Where's the scanner thing? And why don't I have a card?"
"Ah-" the angel seemed to realise their confusion, "You've gotta go through the door at the front- back's for getting out."
"What do you mean 'where's the scanner thing'?"
"You just gotta-"
Akeidat raised their tail to muffle Darius, "I mean, the thing to put my card on to pay for the bus!"
"We don't have that, anymore!" Fiera replied.
Akeidat halted. They blinked, owlishly, "Pardon?"
"Other than taxis, most public transport is free," she explained.
"That's a thing?!" Fiera nodded, "Huh."
"Now, will you please get on the bus, correctly?" their roommate pleaded, "People are staring."
"Alright!" they groused, following Fiera through the front door. Akeidat, at least, was familiar with this part. They'd spent too much time reading bus signs to pass the time to do anything different; they beelined towards the back. Fiera plonked herself next to them, while Darius sat on the windowsill.
When they reached their destination- wherever it was, a pang of familiarity hit them. Then they realised; they knew this place. It was that one shopping area their mother always dragged them to, to get groceries and browse the fashion shops for clothes she almost never actually bought.
The outdoor food court was, miraculously, still there- it had been considered dated even by their time. Same with the grocery store- but they look closer. The doctor's office was gone. So was their favourite restaurant; replaced respectively by an appliance shop and a pet store. The streetlights looked a little different, too; though they couldn't place how. Something in their chest clenched at all the differences.
Flat against a wall, stood a strange, big, machine thing. It sort of looked like a cross between an ordering kiosk and printer; which, as Fiera approached it to press a few buttons and scan a card from her wallet, turned out to be exactly what it was.
"Want a snack?" she asked, and when they nodded, succinctly handed them a plain, sugary bagel. Akeidat stared at it, and her.
"You can eat it and wait here, while I go shopping," Fiera more stated than suggested, "Then we'll have lunch, and go home."
They took the bagel in their paws, turning it around, fascinated. They sat on a bench in the middle of the area, facing the street, while Fiera left, and tentatively took a bite.
It just... tasted like a normal, plain bagel.
Akeidat stared out at the street, watching the people go about their days. They waited until a nearby tram departed, and all the passengers that had alighted dispersed into the background crowd.
They exhaled, leaning into the back of the metal bench.
"If this is twenty years in the future," They began, "Why does everything look so... the same?"
"How do you mean?" Darius quirked his brow, quizzically.
"I mean- It's the same buildings, the same roads, the same people," They gestured at the street in front of them, "I figured there'd be- I don't know- flying cars or summat, by now."
"Ohhhh," Darius nodded. He placed his paws on his hips, then chuckled.
"Yeah, s'what loads of people thought the 2000s and 2010s would be like, in the 80s and 90s, too," Something glistened in his eyes, then, but before Akeidat could even begin to decipher it, he continued, "-You know that one scene in Return To The Future?"
Akeidat shook their head, "All I know about it is that there's a time-travelling car."
Darius' enthusiasm faltered, "Fine. That's a whole can of worms that'll take us off-topic, anyway-"
The angel fluttered forwards, right next to Akeidat's head. There, when he spoke, his voice was amplified, being so close to their ears.
"You know how, in your time, there's still those really old buildings from the 1800s, and all that?"
"...Yes?" Akeidat nodded, slowly.
"It's like that," the angel explained, "Demolition's expensive, and a hassle. And tons of things are made to last- so I'm not too surprised to see a bunch of stuff's stuck around."
They kept quiet, staring at their environment, while the angel went on.
"Your parents' favourite mall's probably still here," he shrugged, "So's your old pre-school. The bus you rode once is probably still in use."
He followed their gaze, "You could walk down your old street, if you wanted. The sky is still blue."
"So nothing's truly changed, then," Akeidat said, bleakly, "Then what's the point?"
"I didn't say that," Darius protested, "It's not like you could just 3D-print your food back home, could 'ya?"
They looked down at the bagel in their paws, not feeling very hungry, anymore, "...I suppose not."
"The future's never gonna be some grand utopia," the angel surmised, but he seemed more amused- wistful, perhaps- than pessimistic, "It's just the future."
"But then- I just-" Akeidat sighed, "It's not just that, but I can't-"
"Hm?" Darius cocked his head back at them, apparently having been distracted, "Sorry, what'd you say?"
Akeidat turned away from his gaze, feeling heat rising to their cheeks, "Nevermind."
They knew they were being difficult, sulking like this. Akeidat found that they didn't particularly care. It's not as if he'd actually listen, anyway; and repeating themself was a chore. Nobody ever listened to them when they opened up about how they felt- not Madison, not their parents, not their teachers, and certainly not their classmates and peers. Anything they said would, inevitably, be met with mockery and laughter.
Resentment filled their thoughts. This was why they preferred keeping to themself. If nobody was going to listen to them, if everyone was always going to laugh and laugh and laugh- then why speak to anyone at all?
Any time they tried to be vulnerable, they soon came to regret it- and they were certainly regretting it now. They could picture it already; Darius would pout and whine and nag, bugging them about what they'd wanted to say, then if they actually said it, he'd make a stupid joke of it and smile and expect them to smile, too.
"You don't have to share anything if you're not comfortable with it," Was what he actually said instead. The child jolted out of their thoughts, so dumbfounded that they actually turned to face him again. His expression was eerily neutral, an eyebrow slightly raised, but otherwise betraying no signs of laughter, "But if you do want to say something, I promise I won't make fun of you."
They stared at him, sceptically.
"Cross my- um," He paused, hesitating, "I just- I promise."
It was tempting.
But maybe not in public, where strangers could stare.
"Perhaps later," replied Akeidat, suddenly feeling tired; and neither said anything more.
They glanced at the last remains of the bagel in their paw, the stickiness matting their fur. They couldn't finish it; by this point, their appetite was gone.
They dropped it in the waste-bin when Darius wasn't looking.