Chapter Text
The snow crunched beneath Juni's feet as he walked down the deserted streets of the town. The night was dark and only the streetlamps really gave any indication of where he was headed. It was the first snowfall around here this year, he had been told. The stillness of it all sort of shocked him- he was so used to the bustle of his spy work and the activeness of the OSS.
Not the quiet of these snow-covered streets.
He wasn't here for a mission- he simply wished to right a wrong. To fix a mistake he had made years ago- something brash that he had done, that he had said.
He had stopped at a diner not long before he had begun his trek, learning about the simple place he stood in. It was almost in the middle of nowhere. It was a small town far enough away from his own home to make it a longer trip. They told him of the people around, the beautiful way the spring bloomed out of the snow when the warmer months arrived. They told him about the winters and how business always slowed at this time of year as many people began to move to warmer places to escape the cold.
They told him about the people he was looking for.
He stopped at a crosswalk, the sign lazily blinking a faded red, even though there wasn't even a car in sight. There wasn't going to be any activity for miles. There weren't even any other tracks in the snow. He was simply alone.
The air around him was almost calming.
But, a certain nervousness kept him from letting himself relax.
He tapped his foot in the snow, impatient. It was late enough, and the quiet in the streets was only a hint at how late it could be. He'd rather not wake anyone up, but at this point, it was almost inevitable. He couldn't take any more time.
The crosswalk sign faded into a soft white and he was able to cross. Snowflakes fluttered down around it as well as him, the wind slightly picking up. He made his way across the street, careful to go slow enough as to not slip and fall.
He didn't need to do that.
Juni made his way farther into the city, crossing streets and walking down side streets. He needed to make his way to the residential area of the town. His destination was tucked away within a place that would've seemed almost insignificant- just another neighborhood in places that were full of neighborhoods.
How different it all was when there was something there that you needed.
It actually gained importance.
He began to find himself passing roads that lead into areas of houses, but not the ones he was looking for.
His nose was starting to get a little cold. So were his feet. He should've prepared better for this- soggy tennis shoes in their house would not be very welcome.
Juni stopped. He gazed up at the sign. "Forest street," He whispered. This was the one. He looked down the side street, scanning for the house.
Three houses down. The one with the grey siding. The one that already had a shoveled driveway.
He turned and began to walk down the sidewalk. Finally. He could get there, apologize, and leave.
Maybe it was him going a little too fast or not being careful enough. Maybe it was a hidden patch of ice under the freshly fallen snow. Maybe it was all of that, but Juni lost his footing, slipped, and fell.
"Ow..." He groaned, tempted to just lay down in the snow and disappear.
Add being completely soaked to the reasons he didn't want to be out here anymore.
He pushed himself up and began, once again, to make his way over to the house, much more carefully this time.
He walked up the driveway, his goal finally clear. It was so close, and a pit of guilt that he had been holding for so long would finally be gone.
Hopefully.
He was kinda hoping they would forgive him.
He stepped up onto the porch.
He raised his hand to knock on the door, softly rapping on the windowpane. He really didn't want to be waking anyone up tonight...
He stood for a moment, his breathing stilling. He could see the ghost of his breath cloud in front of him as the lights in the entryway turned on.
Someone was coming.
There was the sound of the door unlatching.
And it opened. Francis stood before him, the small glasses from Game Over and all.
"Hey," Juni smiled lightly, trying to seem nonchalant.
Maybe it was the way that he said it, but Francis squinted at him before slamming the door.
Juni stood dumbfounded. Alright then.
Did he want to stand outside longer?
The door opened a few moments later, yet this time it was Rez who held it. "Juni Cortez," He hummed, leaning against the doorframe, "Secret Agent Cortez if I remember correctly?" He was taller, but that was to be expected. His hair wasn't spiked up, but the look he gave him was the Rez he had known at one point, maybe if only for a day.
"Special Agent," Juni muttered sheepishly before collecting himself. "I- Hey, Rez."
Rez rolled his eyes. "So what is someone of your status doing at our place at 10 p.m. on a Tuesday?" Quickly, he continued, "And right at the tail end of a snowstorm, might I add."
"Well, uh-" Juni trailed off, unknowing of what he wanted to say.
"You don't need to really say anything, I know why you're here," Rez hummed, "Arnold isn't home at the moment, though."
"I wanted to talk to all of you."
"And I expected that," He looked back into the house and sighed, "You want to apologize, right?"
"How did you-"
"Why else would you be here?" Rez scoffed, "Come in, I can't have you freezing before Arnold gets back. And make sure you take off your shoes in the entryway. I don't want to clean up a puddle."
Juni nodded, eager to get out of the cold.
"Arnold isn't the best at driving in the snow, so Rez insisted on staying up," Francis muttered, rubbing at his eyes, "As for me, I had fallen asleep on the couch and you arriving and Rez tripping over the table woke me up."
"Is that why you got to the door first?" Juni inquired, holding the mug of hot chocolate up to his lips.
"Pretty much, surprised you didn't hear him yell," Francis grinned at him, then looked at Rez, who didn't look like he was happy about it. "It's funny, and you know it."
"And then you slammed the door in his face," Rez snorted, "Don't know how he felt about that."
"Then I'll ask him," Francis spoke, then turned to Juni. "So-?"
Juni shrugged, only drinking out of the mug. "Didn't wanna freeze."
"Oh sure," Francis huffed, turning around and moving to the sink.
Juni looked down off to the side, and then the comment from moments before resurfaced in his mind. "Arnold... Isn't good at driving in the snow?"
"Absolutely horrible," Rez sighed, "We both know that he's not very confident about it, especially after the few slips," He stopped for a moment, "I've offered to drive him before, but he's just too stubborn."
"And that's why you were up..." Juni nodded, placing the mug down on the counter, "You're worried for him."
"Don't you worry for the people you care about?" Francis spoke up from his place at the sink, "Your family?"
"Yeah, I do..." He whispered, staring down at the counter. And yet he had been gone for so long. His parents were worried. Carmen was worried. They were all worried that they could never possibly see him again, and yet- He still stayed so far away.
Seven years to be exact...
He shook himself out of it, he needed to talk to Francis and Rez, he needed to make sure they didn't hate him. He needed to stay until Arnold came back, so he could apologize.
He tried to keep himself from kicking the chair with his heels, a nervous habit he had somehow picked up at one point. It was getting rather hard not to.
The sound of a door opening and closing caught his attention.
Arnold.
Rez gave him a look as if he was thinking hard about something. Juni just tried to ignore it.
"I'm back, and I am perfectly fine," Arnold called, walking into the room the three of them were standing in. "I drove, I arrived, I'm home." When he noticed Juni, he froze in his spot.
"Hey," Juni spoke softly.
Arnold wasn't much different from when he was in Game Over. He was missing the goggles, and of course, he was older, as were Francis and Rez, but it was still Arnold.
"Shoulda left him out in the cold," Francis remarked as if he were trying to fill the silence.
A few more moments passed before anyone said anything.
"You don't look fine," Arnold spoke suddenly, regarding Juni, "You look like a snowstorm hit you full force."
"I fell. Right in the snowbank."
Arnold laughed.